Daily Lessons from Life 24 January 2012 - SCDF & CNB chiefs removed from posts

"SCDF & CNB chiefs removed from posts - CNA 24 January 2012

SINGAPORE: Commissioner of the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) Peter Lim Sin Pang and Director of the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) Ng Boon Gay have both been removed from their posts, pending disciplinary proceedings.

The Home Affairs Ministry (MHA) said in statement on Tuesday that both are helping with investigations by the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) on allegations of "serious personal misconduct".

The statement follows a report by Chinese evening daily Lianhe Wanbao, alleging that the case is believed to be "linked to money and women'.

The ministry said investigations began in end-December in the case of Mr Ng and in early January in the case of Mr Lim.

Both officers were placed on leave from their duties when the investigations commenced. Their duties have been covered by their respective deputies.

Both men are Public Service Commission scholars who rose through the ranks. Mr Lim was appointed as SCDF Commissioner in 2009. Mr Ng was a former director of the Criminal Investigation Department. He took on his current role early last year.

In separate comments to Channel NewsAsia, Deputy Prime Minister and Home Affairs Minister Teo Chee Hean said: "All public officers, regardless of their position or seniority, are expected to uphold the highest standards of integrity and conduct.

"If officers are found to have abused the trust placed in them, we will not hesitate to take firm and decisive action against them.""

Interesting news. Shocking that it involved such high ranking officers from two departments of the Home Affairs Ministry. HOPEFULLY they are CLEAR of all wrong-doing. Otherwise, these are serious violation of the trust the government placed on them and also a deep soul searching about HOW COULD this had happened in squeaky clean Singapore with HIGH PAY to keep corruption at bay?

Lessons for me are:

1. these 2 cases seemed pretty serious and real. Otherwise, the press are taking a big risk to publish the news now.

2. if these 2 cases are real and the investigation revealed serious misconduct, we are in for a deep soul searching exercise about how people of such responsible and sensitive positions are being monitored by our internal security or internal affairs department so the Home Affairs ministry?.

3. now that it hits the mainstream news media, the investigation, while private and confidential, will will have also consider how to release the finding to the public as public confidence have, or may have, been shaken by such scandals. This is especially so IF the investigation CLEAR the officers involved. We cannot afford to have poison letters that let us cast doubts on the integrity of our Home Affairs ministry personnel, let alone high ranking officers in position of great authority and trust!!

It is not a Dragon year thingy since the investigation started in last December for one case and in early January for the other case.

Let's hope the allegations were false!! For Singapore's sake. For the long held, but increasingly being questioned, policy of: 'high pay to keep corruption at bay' sake!!

p/s: This piece did compare with the news about Chinese police opening fire on Tibetan protesters and killing one of them in Sichuan province BUT it won as this is VERY MUCH CLOSER TO HOME. And it is a BIG SHOCK!! We have not had such allegations for a long long time.