Daily Lessons from Life 09 October 2014 - Are politicians all corrupt individuals?

Updates: HCI 'Relationship Workshop' instead of 'Sexuality Workshop' as clarified in today's newspapers -

AsiaOne Thursday, Oct 09, 2014

A workshop on managing relationships for junior college students, which has been under mounting criticism this week for being sexist and promoting gender stereotypes, will stop by the end of the year, The Straits Times reported.

The Ministry of Education (MOE) has said that the workshop is not an MOE sexuality education programme. It "is run by one of the providers appointed by MSF (Ministry of Social and Family Development) to conduct workshops on healthy relationships for junior college students."

MOE said that the workshop "aims to educate students on healthy relationships and equip them with social and relationship management skills". It added that the workshop will cease its run by end-2014, without giving any reasons."

It is MOST disturbing that MOE did not give ANY REASONS why this workshop will cease its run by end-2014! This program has been approved by MFS and MOE!

It deserves a lot MORE explanation seriously! If nothing else, just to clear its own name in appointing vendors to deliver a very IMPORTANT topic to our YOUTH!!
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HK leader under pressure to explain $8.3 million windfall - AFP 09 October 2014

HONG KONG - Hong Kong's embattled leader faces a "huge integrity problem", opposition politicians said Thursday as they called on him to explain why he kept large payments from an Australian company secret. Leung Chun-ying, who is already facing down mass pro-democracy protests that have paralysed parts of the financial hub for more than a week, has yet to comment publicly on the affair.

Australia's Fairfax Media reported Wednesday that Leung received two payments totaling HK$50 million (US$6.5 million or S$8.3 million) from Australian engineering company UGL while in office. The payments relate to a deal struck in December 2011 -- months before Leung took office, but a week after he announced his candidacy -- during UGL's purchase of insolvent property services firm DTZ, where Leung was a director and chairman of its regional operations.

UGL said it would pay Leung over the next two years not to compete with them, and the contract signed by him showed he agreed to act as an "adviser from time to time" for the Australian engineering firm, Fairfax reported.

Opposition lawmakers Thursday expressed their dismay that Leung, who became the city's chief executive in July 2012, did not declare the payments to the Hong Kong public.

"It boils down to a huge integrity problem," pro-democracy lawmaker Claudia Mo told AFP. "Can you imagine Obama being a consultant of some company while being a political leader?"

Another lawmaker, Cyd Ho urged Hong Kong's parliament to investigate the payments and called on Leung to explain himself publicly. "He should have cut himself off all business affiliations. This time it's a very serious case. A statement cannot explain away all the queries from the public," she said.

In a statement to the media, Leung's office defended the deal, saying it was "a confidential commercial arrangement and a standard business practice". "Mr Leung has not provided any service to UGL after signing the above agreement," the statement said, adding "there is no requirement under our current systems of declaration for Mr Leung to declare the above".

The office said Leung would only have advised UGL had he lost the election to be chief executive. In a separate statement, UGL said the agreement was a standard confidential business deal and that the payments were staggered "to ensure... non-compete and non-poach obligations were met"."

Poor CY Leung. As if he has not enough troubles and problems on his tiny plate!

Lessons for me are:

1. does he has an 'integrity' issue? Strictly speaking he does not! For whatever reasons, UGL deemed fit to 'pay him to keep him honest on the non-compete and non-poach practice' after buying his INSOLVENT company. This was signed BEFORE he was elected. This 'payment for non-compete and non-poach practice' is supposedly a standard business practice. If so, there is NOTHING wrong with this payment. UGL believes that CY Leung is WORTH S$8.3m for 2 years to keep him out!;

2. PR angle - 'legally he does not need to declare'! This is the WORST thing to see. When emotion runs high, rationality has no chance to be understood! The appropriate PR way, no guarantee it will take the heat off him, but worth a go is: apologized for NOT declaring that he had this 'payment for non-compete and non-poach for 2 years' AFTER he was elected with the dates of when it was signed and when the first payment was made stated clearly. Then inform that the agreement WILL be changed EVEN though he HAD NOT provide any advices to UGL after he became the Chief of HK SAR as he CANNOT be acting as advisor while being the Chief of HK SAR!;

3. besides the PR disaster, what puzzled me is WHY would UGL pay CY Leung S$8.3m to keep him from competing or poaching staffs from the INSOLVENT company sold by CY to UGL? IF CY is so good, WHY would the company be in INSOLVENCY? are there more than meet the eyes? Intrigue indeed.

May such issues NEVER have to be dealt with in our Singapore!