Singapore's political scandals put ours in perspective
Bernard Chan compares our illegal structures with sex and corruption
PUBLISHED : Friday, 28 December, 2012, 12:00am
UPDATED : Friday, 28 December, 2012, 1:36am
PUBLISHED : Friday, 28 December, 2012, 12:00am
UPDATED : Friday, 28 December, 2012, 1:36am
Singapore's parliamentary speaker Michael Palmer (left) announced his resignation after confessing he had an extramarital affair with a community worker. Photo: AFP
Singapore, like Hong Kong, prides itself on clean government. Yet, like
Hong Kong, the Lion City has been hit by a wave of scandals involving officials
and other supposedly respectable members of the establishment.
In Hong Kong, the uproar has been about unauthorised building
works on people's homes. Over the last year or two, two chief executives and a
surprising number of senior officials have been accused of having such works on
their properties. Hong Kong people like real estate, and the gossip magazines
have been full of details about unauthorised additions in buildings and
gardens.
In Singapore, the big scandals have been about sex, and as with
the exposés about unauthorised building works here, it is hard to keep up with
them all.
Two senior officials in government departments have been accused
of accepting sex for contracts. A law professor allegedly accepted sex for
grades from a student (not to mention several other shocking incidents in the
education sector). Some 50 men, many public servants or businessmen, allegedly
used an underage prostitute. The speaker of parliament, a senior member of the
ruling party, recently resigned after admitting he had an affair with a
community worker.
One difference between the two cities is that in Hong Kong, we
have a vibrant and outspoken free press. Some media outlets thrive on gossip
and rumour, to the extent that scandals here can become a form of
entertainment. Most of us, including thick-skinned officials, have enough of a
sense of humour to know when the press is exaggerating. That should help keep
issues in perspective.
In Singapore, things are more controlled, and officials are not
used to allegations and insults. They certainly do not see the funny side of
them.
Having said that, the cities' respective scandals are worlds
apart. Some of the allegations in Singapore amount to corruption - an extremely
serious offence in both cities. The underage prostitute story could also
involve criminal offences. These, too, would be no laughing matter in Hong
Kong.
Maybe we should learn something from what both cities are going
through. Singapore's spate of sex scandals has raised some big questions. Is
the country undergoing some sort of moral decline in its top levels of
leadership? Has the strict and controlled nature of the political system and
media played a part in insulating the establishment from scrutiny? Does the
country need a more open system at this stage of its development? These are
hefty issues for Singapore.
Should the unauthorised building works prompt that level of
outrage and soul-searching in Hong Kong? Some people clearly seem to think so.
Or at least they think they can score political points by appearing angry. But
let's put things in perspective.
In Singapore, the building and construction authority's
information booklet says no planning approval or authorisation is needed for
lean-to extensions, sheds, trellises, partition walls, awnings, cantilevered
roofs, single-storey huts, glass enclosures of terraces, boundary walls and
gates and a lot of other items that we in Hong Kong see as illegal structures.
It seems this is one area where Singapore is free and Hong Kong is
authoritarian.
If it seems that a lot of politicians in Hong Kong have
unauthorised building works, it is because a lot of property owners do -
including my own family, who are currently getting several problems rectified.
Of an estimated 800,000 such works in 2000, the Buildings Department says more
than half have been removed, but there must be many that are unknown, or still
being built. Many owners do not even know they have them.
It is not hard to accuse a lot of property owners of having an
illegal structure - then of negligence, and then of covering something up. You
just need to look hard enough.
In Singapore, a government official was found to have accepted sex
from a manager in a private-sector supplier in exchange for commercial
advantages. There is uproar. In Hong Kong, a government official is found to
have a laundry rack on his wall. There is also uproar. But ask any Singaporean:
there is no comparison.
Bernard
Chan is a member of the Executive Council
This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print
edition as Singapore's political scandals put HK's own in perspective.
Source: http://www.scmp.com
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