Escaped JI leader
And to think that the PSC news highlight found it better to cover parliament news about how the civil service were hiring older people, and how bonds could not be cut to three years to stem the declining take up rate.Lads, this is a serious matter for Singapore’s future and political credibility. You don’t see prisoners escaping from terrorist detention centres in the West or Guantanamo. More so a leader of the terrorist network in the country next to you!
The press in the west are totally on it - and always add paragraphs at the end saying that Singapore is a staunch ally in the war against terrorism.
Implicit in Singapore’s credibility was its location in Muslim-dominated Southeast Asia, and its readiness to act. Singapore has now dropped the ball big time and really is an international laughing stock.This is the kind of thing that sends many ripples outward. Singapore cannot police its own state. Singapore cannot be seen as a credible and capable ally in the war against terror. Singapore is a vulnerable target for terror. I.e. Singapore is no longer a trusty haven for investment in Southeast Asia.
Think about it, you would put a leader of a terror network in the tightest security you can find. Escape totally pours water on Singapore. This might more probably be an inside job, in which case you are going to start looking at each other with distrust.
One thing has to be said though. Lee Hsien Loong has had few tests as a prime minister. If this was London, Wong Kan Seng would be stepping down after the prisoner was re-captured. It’s going to be a test of whether Lee can do the right thing by Singapore while the world is looking, or if he’s going to do the right thing by his colleague. I think that would say alot more about Singapore’s political transparency and accountability than the frequent lawsuits against foreign press.
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so you’re endeared to this form of figureheadship where a minister is, simply put, there to take the fall when it is demanded? i think there are much better ways to go about political transparency and accountability than running a government like a private company.
then what does political accountability mean to you? if the person screws up he just needs to say sorry?
..well, no…
but neither does it mean that if the person screws up he just runs off and disappears, i.e. resigns or steps down.
it’s something else than what the usual politician elsewhere does anyways, and i don’t think we should embrace that as an ideal
i disagree. this is not just a usual scandal for corruption that calls for resignation.
enormous harm has been done to singapore’s reputation on the international stage, and i don’t think you appreciate the full severity of the issue. this is the first time a terrorist leader has escaped from captivity.
heads should roll and we are not talking just about the security guards.
this is not a generalised issue where you can wax lyrical about how we cannot be harsh on politicians or they will fear failure yadayada
[...] Philip Chua - Escaped JI leader [...]
What we have learnt and should always remember are that the JI operatives are extremely dedicated and deadly disciples of Osama Bin Ladin. This particular JI operative was forged from the fires of Afghanistan and perhaps the most intelligent and cunning amongst the organisation. How else could he be their leader! That he has escaped is an indication of how dangerous JI operatives truly are. In my view, it is not the fault of our security forces. It is easy with the benefit of hindsight to criticise but bear in mind that even the CIA and the FBI could not prevent 9-11. Even the British M15 could not prevent the London bombings. We should rally behind and support our security forces and not undermine them.
to nicholas lazarus - 9/11 and London are wholly irrelevant in this case. These examples of past security failures prove no point about Singapore’s security. You are basically saying singapore has been relatively more secure and we should cut slack, but security is not a relative concept, but an absolute one.
If anything, 9/11 and London have stamped out complacency in security services around the globe. This clearly marks out the escape very much as a case where Singapore’s security has been sleeping, given that terror is our top priority.