(The lesser mortal on the right with one of her good friend. )
At least now I know that PAP MP view me as one of the lesser mortals .....
makes life a lot easier living in Singapore knowing that
1. I am lesser than ....
- anyone who has a scholership,
- goes to Cambridge or Oxford,
- do PPE (Philosophy, Political Science and Economic)and
- get a Admin Service job or be a backbench MP
Thank you MP Charles Chong for enlightening this lesser mortal. I will remember to bow to the God when I met one.
Ill-timed article cooks up a storm Tuesday •
January 20, 2009
Ansley Ng
ansley@mediacorp.com.sg
HIS five-week family trip to Paris to learn cooking at the famed Le Cordon Bleu culinary school appeared as a self-penned travelogue in The Straits Times on Jan 6. Soon, Mr Tan Yong Soon’s article was re-appearing in blogs and Internet forums as netizens reacted to the expensive holiday taken by the permanent secretary at the Environment and Water Resources Ministry.
Yesterday, the Government made it clear the story was “insensitive and ill-judged”, given the current economic climate. Taking a question from Nominated MP Siew Kum Hong, Defence Minister Teo Chee Hean, who is the Minister in charge of the Civil Service, said that although Mr Tan’s vacation was a private decision, he was “disappointed” with what was published.
Referring to the article, Mr Siew had asked if the Civil Service had guidelines for senior civil servants to conduct themselves “appropriately and sensitively”, especially in a time of a recession.
The article told of how Mr Tan, his wife and son had signed up last June for a cooking course, which costs €7,750 ($15,200) per person for a basic programme.
“It struck a discordant note during the current economic circumstances, when it was especially important to show solidarity and empathy to Singaporeans who are facing uncertainty and hardship,” Mr Teo replied.
The head of the Civil Service, Mr Peter Ho, has asked Mr Tan to “take note of the feedback and learn from this episode” and has put the matter “on record”, said Mr Teo.
When contacted, Mr Ho said: “It is part of the duty of civil servants to be sensitive to challenges faced by Singaporeans, especially in difficult times like these. The leadership of the Civil Service – the Permanent Secretaries – must exemplify this sensitivity. This is vital for Government to be able to formulate and implement policies effectively.”
Among the comments in his story, Mr Tan had written, “Taking five weeks’ leave from work is not as difficult as one thinks. ... if you are a good leader who has built up a good team, it is possible to go away for five weeks or even longer.”
Calling the episode a “setback” for the Service, Mr Ho added: “My colleagues and I feel very bad about this episode, because it stands in contrast to the values and ethos of the Service, and if left unaddressed, can undermine the confidence and trust essential for us to do a good job. “Our first duty is to serve Singapore and Singaporeans, and we should always conduct ourselves with decorum and humility. Everything takes its marking from this,” he said, listing the values of the Singapore Public Service: Integrity, service and excellence.
Mr Tan could not be reached for comment.
MP Arthur Fong agreed that Mr Tan could have been more sensitive about the timing of the story. “It was harsh on him, but the timing wasn’t good,” said Mr Fong. “Perhaps people wouldn’t even blink if this story came out in good times.”
Agreeing that the rebuke in Parliament was “harsh”, MP Charles Chong noted that Mr Tan didn’t “brag” about how expensive the trip was in the article. “Maybe it made lesser mortals envious and they thought maybe he was a little bit boastful,” he said. “Would people have taken offence if his wife (a senior investment counsellor at a bank) had paid for everything?”
2 comments:
Hi there, Frances! It's me, Pat Goh - stumbled upon your blog while reading student blogs.
Thought I just had to comment on this one. This episode really puzzles me because I can't for the life of me imagine how such the Straits Times could have let such a story go to print, and in such a HUUUUUGGGEEEE and prominent article as well.
I've said to many people who care to hear my rant about this (or not care...but I don't give a monkey's, 'cos I like grabbing any opportunity to rant about this topic)...yes...as I was saying, I can't imagine how ST could let this story go to print. It's just NOT like them to be soooooo insensitive to such a topic. No way.
It just leaves me wondering if this guy has been had (and poor thing to...more about it later) - ie, someone has set him up, either in a personal way, or to use him as the fallguy for making some silly point and scoring some brownie points. Either way, it reeks BIG TIME of something nasty.
And btw, I've always maintained since day one of this saga that the poor chappie has every right to use his moolah any which way he chooses.
The way Sg society goes about demonising all the wrong people, while letting other more devious ones go scot free -- and I'm talking about the 'lesser mortals' of Sg society (nope, I'm not being facetious, but I'm being literal) -- yep, I'm fearing for the future of this country.
I have a very strong inkling that it's not the Charles Chong and whats-his-name-CordonBleu-dude that will bring this place down, but those more devious ones who are going scot free just by painting some "poor me" picture of their plight, while playing punk out of sight. (oops, it rhymes too. i guess literature is getting to me, hahaha :) )
Oh cripes, I spotted 2 mistakes - was typing too fast. Yikes better correct them before someone targets me as 'undeserving'....
Here goes:-
1. "...I can't for the life of me imagine how such the Straits Times..."
--Should have been written as: "...how such a mouthpiece as the Straits Times..."
2. "(...and poor thing to...more about it later)
-- Shoule have been written as: "(...and poor thing too...)"
Yep, terrible and undeserving me for making such mistakes...
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