Don’t overlook the outstanding work done by the ISD in the past
Written by ED on April 16, 2008 – 2:50 pm - Posted in Current Affairs, Singapore, Society |I have never written on Mas Selamat, but I began to see why his escape has made such a big mockery out of Singapore. Due to past work experiences in Civil Service, I actually felt I shouldn’t be commenting so much because a part of my heart goes out to that poor prison warden. Very little guessing needed on how this escape will affect his career by using the Court clerk as an example, in the case whereby a convict was given extra strokes of the cane.
How many times do we have to be told to look into the past? Very ironically, this has become the trademark of our country. In a way, I have to agree that “accidents” DO happen, and WILL happen. For the case of Mas Selamat, the incident wouldn’t have taken place if he was locked up in isolation and restricted in access. And why shouldn’t a terrorist suspect be held in a maximum security facility, even if it’s meant to be rehabilitative?
Why didn’t someone come up with the term “rehabilitative” when a poor convict was given extra strokes of the cane then? At least according to MHA, the detention centre is not a punishing one. Poor Dickson Tan, now you know what a dick they have made out of you. Even a terrorist deserves more mercy than you.
When criticism was thrown in the face of certain individuals, again we see plenty of publicities of the past as to how Singapore was built up, and how certain individuals “gave their all” to protect the sovereignty of Singapore against our neighboring countries. When a charity organization was heavily criticized with lapse in control over financial issues, again we were thrown to the notion of “the good works it had done all these years”.
Not that I am against rehabilitation, but I feel adequate risk assessment should have been taken when deciding to go ahead with rehabilitative works on the arrested terrorists. It isn’t just a mistake in the current detention centre leading to the escape, but a bad decision right from the start to place a terrorist in an escapable facility. Afterall, trying too hard to be humane is not going to stop others from throwing an explosive in your face.
Are our ministers still living in the past? Now that certainly explained the need to rejuvenate our parliament with young and upcoming ministers.
Sorry Deputy Prime Minister Jayakumar, despite all the good works you have done in the past, I cannot agree with you.
April 17th, 2008 at 11:47 am
[...] by The Singapore Daily on 17 April 2008 Prison Break, Singapore Style - Endoh Pure Ranting Room: Don’t overlook the outstanding work done by the ISD in the past - To Fix a Mocking Peasant: Send this to the ST Forum 6: Focus on ISD’s [...]
April 18th, 2008 at 10:53 am
i dunno…should we call these folks terrorists, or potential terrorists?
what do u call the one arrested who was “self-radicalised”?
maybe i’m being pedantic here, but u should call a man a terrorist AFTER he inflicted terror and death right?
Its like a man who sits in a bar, talking bullshit, and says he wants to be Rambo and kill people…will he be called a terrorist, and we can arrest him?
[Reply]
April 18th, 2008 at 5:18 pm
aygee: It’s a contextual difference when someone jokes about it. In the cases of these detainees, all of them have a long list of evidences connecting them to terrorist cells. For eg: formal training by terrorist units overseas, cell networkings, listed as members in foreign terrorists cell-groups.
Compelling evidences with reasons to believe someone is attempting (or in the process of planning…) to commit crime or terror acts is sufficient enough to have someone arrested. You do not need to wait for it to happen, before we do so.
But it’s a good question, because many Singaporeans are uneducated about their Rights in the law jurisdiction. Some thought that as long as a criminal act is not committed, they can get away with it. But sadly, the truth says otherwise.
[Reply]
April 21st, 2008 at 9:55 am
[...] Will the real idiot please stand up, please stand up? - Endoh Pure Ranting Room: Don’t overlook the outstanding work done by the ISD in the past - To Fix a Mocking Peasant: Send this to the ST Forum 6: Focus on ISD’s Achievements - Siew [...]