Wah.....3 officers have broken bonds since 2000

New Paper
15 April 2009


3 officers have broken bonds since 2000

Death of scholar prompts queries over SAF HR policies in parliament session

By Low Ching Ling

IN RECENT weeks, the family of the late Captain (Dr) Allan Ooi have engaged the Defence Ministry (Mindef) about his death in newspaper forums.

The incident prompted MP for Tampines GRC Irene Ng to raise questions in Parliament about bonded Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) officers.

Here is the exchange between Ms Ng and Defence Minister Teo Chee Hean :

Ms Ng: Can bonded SAF officers apply to leave the service early?

Mr Teo: All officers who... take up sponsorship are aware that they have a moral obligation to serve out the full period of their... bonds, which goes beyond the legal obligation to pay back liquidated damages if (they do) not fulfil the bond.

An officer who wishes to be released early while under bond can submit a formal application through the proper process.

Under what circumstances will approval be granted?

The application will be assessed on a case-by-case basis and the officer will be counselled and interviewed by his superior officers.

How many applications have been made and approvals granted over the years?

Since 2000, we have allowed three officers to be released prematurely from their bonds.

Can the Minister review the way the SAF contracts army personnel to make sure that, before a person signs... the contract terms are clearly explained to him, and to... his parents if he is below 21?

First, if anyone is signing a sponsorship deed and needs clarification on its terms and conditions, he can and should seek these clarifications, which Mindef has and will continue to provide.

The individual signs the deed voluntarily and is not compelled to do so until he has fully understood the terms of the sponsorship or scholarship.

This is particularly the case when it is an in-service officer who may well already be in his 20s or 30s, and decides to take up a scholarship or a sponsorship to go on for a course for further career development.

Second, most of our sponsorships or scholarships require two sureties to also sign the deed.

These sureties (are) usually one of the parents, a close relative or someone whom they know well... Mindef also provides clarification to these sureties.

While the bonded officer has a moral obligation to serve his bond, the SAF... also has a moral obligation to... make him want to stay... Do the SAF's HR policies ensure that?

In the case of sponsorship, Mindef has already taken the first step, which is to provide sponsorship for the course, sometimes with salary for the officer while he is on course.

So, Mindef has already fulfilled a fairly major part of the obligation towards the officer by sponsoring him for the programme.

These programmes may be six months, or as long as six years in the case of medical scholarships.

The SAF invests substantial public funds and time to train these officers. There is an expectation that such officers will... fulfil their moral obligation to serve the organisation in return.

The SAF is not an unreasonable organisation. The terms and conditions are quite fair and reasonable and that is why we do have people who are prepared to come forward to serve the SAF...

There are many interesting and challenging jobs in the SAF... In most cases, because the officers whom we choose to sponsor are our better officers, they do have a pick of the better positions available.

Given that Mindef has convened a Board of Inquiry and made findings that the matters related to Capt (Dr) Ooi's service were managed appropriately, would the Minister consider making the findings public or at least available to the family?

Mindef has been in contact with the family since Capt (Dr) Ooi went Awol in October last year. We will continue to do so.

If the family were to request for the findings... Mindef will make available a summary of the findings to them.

Using Death to sell marriage

The government is trying to use a new tactic to sell marriage. Through Death!

Well, it is very funny and sad at the same time. But at least it is refreshing and different. Out of the box!

I read that some people cried when they saw this commercial.



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3 April 2009

Imperfect ties that bind

By Ang Yiying

RELATIONSHIPS are imperfect and a $1.25 million ad campaign by the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS), starting on Sunday, aims to convey that.

It broaches a taboo theme - a funeral, where a widow talks about her late husband's flaws and what it means to her. It also features an inter-racial relationship.

The inspiration for the ad, produced by advertising veteran and award-winning film director Yasmin Ahmad, 51, comes from her relationship with her husband. The imperfection she likes about her husband: his crooked teeth.

The ad is a move to get singles here to go beyond waiting for the perfect partner, a finding from a 2006 survey.

Said MCYS director of communications and international relations Richard Tan on Friday: 'The strength of family and family bonding is important but if you don't have family, you can't talk about strength of family and family bonding.

'And where do we get family from? We got to get young people to get married.'

He added: 'More importantly, it's to tell people that in any relationship, there will always be flaws, there will always be imperfections but you can build on a relationship without this imperfection affecting it.'

The ad garnered positive reactions at a preview screening for media and invited bloggers on Friday. Said paper designer and blogger Aida Haron, 45, of the ad: 'It's not rah-rah. It's more realistic. It features tragedy, sadness, humour and uplifting feelings.'

To reach out to the internet generation, the ad will also go on Youtube. The English version of an earlier MCYS family commercial about the relationship of a young woman and her father, by the same director, has garnered about 26,000 hits on the video sharing site.



It also won the recent MediaCorp's Viewers' Choice 2008 award in the local category.

Long wait at hospital

SO accompanied his mother to the hospital this morning for an eye consultation. The appointment time was supposed to be 9.45 am. But she had to arrive 30 mins early for an eye check up.

SO and mother were on time. In fact, they were early. And they finished the check up by 9.30 am and started waiting to consult with the eye doctor.

They waited and waited and waited. And they just sat there and waited.

The eye specialist finally saw her on 1:10 pm! They waited for about 3 and a half hours just to see the doctor for less than 10 mins!

The doc said her eyes were okay. There's nothing wrong with her eyes. Just old age. No cataracts, nothing. That lucky bitch. Here, I am, prime of my age and already I had mild cataracts.

Okay, back to bitching about the doc. 3.5 hours!! Her appointment was at 9.45 am and it took so long just to see the doc. What did the doc do in between?

If the doc see a patient she was suppose to see at 9.45am only at 1.10pm. Then the patient at 11am would have to wait till 3.30pm?

Did the docs have any concept of time? Did they know the very purpose of making appointments? What's the use of setting up appointments to see doctors when the doctors did not fulfill that part of their obligations?

Frankly, how would you think the docs would react if the patients arrive 4 hours late? The nurses would screamed!

But it's not as if the doc dun see any other patients during the time. SO said there were patients in and out of the door every 10-15 mins. Where did all these patients came from? Were they patients of the day before? A few days old?

Where's the use of the appointment time schedule? It's hardly accurate!

I knew a doc who previously worked in these public hospitals. He said there was no urgency, no incentives to see as many patients. The docs have a number of quota of patients to see per day, but that quota was pitiful low!

These docs dun make extra money for seeing extra patients. They could thus afford to make patients sit and wait for hours. It's not as if the patients would run away or complain. What's the use of complaining? The nurses would said the docs were busy. Please wait.

For private doctors overseeing their own business or clinics, time is money. Every min counts. Every min is a dollar. Hence, there is this urgency to speed up seeing the patients. The greater the patients turnover rate, the greater the revenue.

But doctors at these general hospitals were given a fixed range of salary. They dun get special incentives, bonuses or money for seeing extra patients. There's no extra push!

This friend further confided in me that most docs there were jaded. With no incentives, hardly any competitions, they tended to slag in seeing patients. Some even like to sms, call friends and family, chit chat, flirt with nurses etc. These very docs lacked motivation!

Poor us patients. What can we do except to be at the mercy of these spiteful doctors?

SO is a potential killer litterer

SO just came back from walking Bell. He had just received a letter from town council, stating that their officers had conducted a routine check and found out that some of his potted plants placed on the parapet wall were potential killer litter. Gasp!

The letter also asked him to remove the plants immediately.

The offending plant, which I thought was placed too high on the parapet wall and that it could topple over when the wind blows.

Frankly, SO was not pleased. He said that he dun think the plants placed there are potential killer litter. He also said that some of the neighbours 's objects are more potential killer.

So the bitch said that he is going to call them and complain.

Frankly, I normally dun care what he did with his plants. Eh, I am not the type who is into greenery. I dun even give a second look at all the plants he placed outside the corridor.

Well, what can I say? This is not the first time, he got such a warning letter from town council. The previous time he got a similar letter, his plants were hanging in the ceiling along the corridor.

Yeah....I would make him remove them. The penalties of killer litter are too heavy to bear.

• If they fail to comply with a written notice to remove objects placed in a dangerous manner. If convicted, they are liable to a maximum fine of $2,000. If they do not remove the object after the conviction, they are liable to a further fine of $100 per day for as long as the offence continues.

• Residents who are convicted under the Penal Code for an offence relating to throwing of killer litter are liable to a maximum fine of $1,000/- or a maximum jail term of 2 years, or both.

• HDB may also compulsorily acquire the Home Ownership flat or terminate the tenancy of the rental flat.

Below are some photos taken by SO on what he thought was dangerous killer litter. In fact, he thought that these were even more dangerous than his plants.


The alter was fixed to the metal piece on the wall. The offerings were not. So when the wind blows......






Pots and pots of plants placed dangerously near the parapet wall.


More plants near the parapet wall.

Oh yah, I thought my neighbours' plants looked so ugly! They blocked the footpath, and were simply an eyesore! And they just looked so cluttered! Yucks!

Hmmm.....wondering if all these residents also did received the letter from town council asking them to remove their plants near the wall. Or was SO the only one?

And SO has removed his offending plants but he said he is calling town council cos he wanted to know how different was his situation from the other residents killer litter.