On 18th February 2019, MINDEF celebrated the launch of the Singapore Navy’s First Type 218SG Submarine. A video of the launch event shows Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen’s wife Ivy Ng having the honour of pushing the button to break the bottle against the submarine, a old navy tradition to christen a new vessel. It was a symbolic gesture. However, Mrs Ng was then later seen to be signing a document at the very same event.
TOC has reached out to MINDEF to seek their comments on the video showing Mrs Ng signing what appears to be an official document. But it has yet replied to any of the questions filed.
Given that Mrs Ivy Ng isn’t part of the Ministry of Defence, what capacity does she have to sign any form of document at a MINDEF event?
Other than being the spouse of the Defence Minister, Ivy Ng also happens to be the CEO of SingHealth.
Back in July 2018 when SingHealth faced a data security breach, Ivy Ng was in France with her husband attending the celebration to commemorate the RSAF’s 20th year of detachment at Cazaux Air Base.
According to reports, ‘unusual activity’ was already detected in SingHealth’s servers as early as 4th July and by 10th July, the Integrated Health Information System (IHS) confirmed that a cyber attack had taken place. On that same day, the IHS officially informed SingHelath, the Ministry of Health, and the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore of the breach.
Yet on 12th July, SingHealth’s CEO Ivy Ng was in France attending a Defence Ministry event.
