Thursday, July 25, 2013

Game Over

According to Teo Chee Hean, minister in charge of the civil service, a study commissioned by the Prime Minister's Office found that 1 in 5 Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) probes involved public service officers. Of the 39  cases each year, two thirds led to persecution or disciplinary proceedings. These highly paid civil servants, from a Senior Research Officer (2002) to a Senior Special Investigator (1997), had discovered that their paychecks, even when indexed to private salary scales, are never ever enough.

During a house search for a posting in Manila, the sales agent said that the security of the gated compound was more dependable than the local police. Apparently a businessman kidnap victim, freed after his relatives paid off the ransom, had proceeded to the nearest station to file the report. The first person he saw was one of his kidnappers, wearing an officer's uniform.

The situation in Singapore, mercifully, has not degenerated to that stage. It is disconcerting, though, when a millionaire minister has acknowledged publicly that he purloined half a box of toothpicks from a fancy restaurant. Toothpicks which were meant for the use of other patrons as well, not just his gauche fetish of picking teeth in public.

The 15-year CPIB veteran and Assistant Director of Field Research and Technical Support was overheard by photographers muttering "game over, game over" as he left the Subordinate Court after being charged for embezzling the watchdog CPIB of over $1.7 million. He must have thought it real funny to be awarded a Commendation Medal (Pingat Kepulian) from the Prime Minister's Office in 2010, when he had already gamed the system of $1,200 (2008), $94,703 (2009) and $56,002 plus $50,825 (2010). Medal in hand, he was emboldened to help himself to more, $323,613 and $370,755 in 2011 and $716,768 in 2012. And where did he spend most of the free money? The biggest gaming center of all, the casino at Marina Bay Sands, brought to you by those ministers on the pretext of creating more jobs for locals.

We can't play those games. Grab more than a handful of the sugar satchels from MacDonald's, and you might end up in cuffs. Kleptomania, an obsessive impulse to steal regardless of economic need, will cut no ice with the judge. Edwin Yeo, the CPIB black sheep hogging the headlines, had no problems with a $500,000 bail while many can only dream of going for early lunch at 10.30 am.

26 comments:

  1. Got 1.7 millions, what is half a million for bail?
    It is not even one third of the amount pocketed.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That is after all the hard work over more than years of embezzling. It is still less than what a minister gets in just one year. Could this wanting to keep up with the Jones be the reason for this pilfering?

      Delete
  2. "a study commissioned by the Prime Minister's Office found that 1 in 5 Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) probes involved public service officers

    If the objective of the study was to "goal-seek" an answer to show that corruption in the public service, I suppose the PM should be quite happy with the outcome. Only problem is the CPIB who was supposed to probe all thse cases, have time and again, in quick succession, proven themselves to be even more corrupt. Mr Gay, reading my comments, would no doubt feel vindicated, somewhat...

    ReplyDelete
  3. If only we had paid that CPIB fellow $1 million salary.
    Then he would have stayed honest.

    RECOMMENDED SOLUTION
    =====================
    Give $1 million dollar salary to all CPIB officers.
    No need review panel.
    waste money only.

    Anyway, CPIB reports to the Prime Minister's Office.
    So PMO is already the review panel.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I KNOW THE REASON FOR THIS DISTURBING TREND ...


    these talents are UNDERPAID!!!!

    IT'S TIME TO INCREASE THE SALARY AT LEAST FIVE FOLDS!!

    LEE KUAN YEW THE ZOMBIE IS INDEED A GENIUS, had forseen these events decade ago

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I know right? By LKY's warped logic, we should increase civil servants' pay further bcos the presence of corruption shows that they are not being paid enough.

      PURE GENIUS.

      Delete
    2. What is a million nowadays
      Give them a billion

      Delete
    3. Thank you, Lau Lee. Now everyone, by hook or crook, want minister pay.

      You forgot the old saying - spare the rod, spoil the child. Now everyone under you spoilt rotten.

      Delete
    4. Suddenly the genius is genius no more. All his theories are just bull.

      Delete
  5. Game over for the PAP?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lina Chiam can propose to the speaker of parliament that both she and Halimah can start the ball rolling by declaring their assets under oath.

      Thereafter, PM Lee and his PAP stooges must follow suit if they want to earn the trust of Singaporeans. And the majority of Singaporeans must collectively make it known that there is no other option.

      Delete
    2. Not so fast, certainly not the next GE, perhaps another 2-3 GEs; if they are still having the same mindset. Fixing the oppositions will never be the solution, they will self-destruct inevitably.

      Delete
  6. So he has been gaming the system for the last5 years, not 4 years as claimed. And he has a medal to boot ! Clap, clap..

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. He would not be caught yet if not for the whistle blower.

      Delete
  7. exemplary...

    ReplyDelete
  8. 上梁不正下梁歪
    shàng liáng bù zhèng xià liáng wāi

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Then he should stick to getting free blow jobs instead.

      Delete
  9. Cleaned House?7/25/2013 5:14 PM

    Ha, so the foxes failed to guard the hen house.
    Why are we surprised? Didn't the voters put in a sly cat as President to guard over the aquarium of fishes too?

    And we haven't even seen the mother of all scandal yet.

    One down, 4 more to go...tick tock...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Whose aquarium of fish? He is put there to guard his share, and his extended familee's share of the bounty.

      Observers think all these corruption scandals etc are haphazard, human greed, nothing to see. There is method to all this shaming. Peolple know somethings they are not supposed to know, once this "folks" cannot prove their reliability and loyalty, something is dangled for them to fall into the traps, then fix them.

      Delete
  10. anybody starting a hong lim park picnic for the return of our blood-earned CPF balances??

    ReplyDelete
  11. LKY's warped logic is indeed going to haunt Singaporeans especially those civil servants in charge of money matters.

    If our PAP Ministers can demand millions in order not to be corrupt, so likewise why can't civil servants like Iskandar or Edwin demand at least say S$100K annual salaries so that they also tend not to be corrupt enough to resort to killing people or cheat taxpayer's monies ?

    But then on the other hand who ever can guarantee that already rich people will never be more greedy or corrupt, LKY & son?

    ReplyDelete
  12. Corrupt does not necessarily involve money only but power as well.

    Maybe LKY & son can also tell us what the Govt has done to prevent Ministers & civil servants from being corrupt in power ?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. No need to do anything, just wait for a green eyed monster to pom pe pe.

      Delete
  13. Just want to say this blog is the very first thing I read every morning. Not many writers can blend facts and humour like Tattler does. Keep up the good work.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Brunei High Commissioner bought 0.99% of a foreign property, while 0.01% is retained in a foreigner's name. Is this how things work for politicians and bureaucrats who have something to hide?
    http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/rcmp-allege-senator-mac-harb-claimed-expenses-on-uninhabitable-home-1.1384177

    ReplyDelete