TR EMERITUS

I refer to Tan Tock Seng Hospital’s (TTSH) statement on the termination of Roy Ngerng’s contract of employment. It states that “In particular, they cannot defame someone else without basis, which essentially means knowingly stating a falsehood to the public”. Don’t you find these remarks rather puzzling? How did or could TTSH have come to the conclusion that (Roy Ngerng) has “defame someone else without basis, which essentially means knowingly stating a falsehood to the public” – when the first court hearing of the defamation suit is scheduled to be in early July? Isn’t it for the court to decide whether Roy had “defame someone else without basis, which essentially means knowingly stating a falsehood to the public”, instead of TTSH? I am a layman – but, could this be “sub judice”? Is it the norm for TTSH, or for that matter any hospital public or private – to issue a press statement when it terminates an employee – apparently within minutes or hours of as I understand it after Roy Ngerng was informed of his termination? For how many times in TTSH’s history – has it issued a press statement when it terminated an employee? As I understand that Roy was just informed on the afternoon of 10 July of his termination – as a matter of natural justice – shouldn’t it be in the interest of fairness and due process for Roy to have been given the time for an opportunity to appear before a panel to defend the accusations against him – and in particular the “defame someone else without basis, which essentially means knowingly stating a falsehood to the public”? Would the Ministry of Manpower, TAFEP and the NTUC like to comment whether due process was carried out by TTSH? In this regard, according to TAFEP’s Tripartite Guidelines On Fair Employment Practices - Dismissals and retrenchments – “An enquiry should be conducted to allow the employee to present his or her case before any decision is made with regard to dismissing the employee”.   And what a coincidence that the Ministry of Health (MOH) also issues a press statement within hours if not minutes, on Roy Ngerng’s termination by TTSH, which said that it supports TTSH’s decision to terminate Mr Ngerng’s contract, as his “actions show a lack of integrity and are incompatible with the values and standards of behaviour expected of hospital employees” Is it the norm for the MOH to issue press statements when a public hospital terminates an employee? For how many times in MOH’s history – has it issued a press statement when a public hospital terminated an employee? As to “Mr Ngerng’s conduct was incompatible with the values and standards we expect of our employees. While our staff are free to pursue their personal interests outside work, they must conduct themselves properly, honourably and with integrity” – is TTSH referring to Roy “was found to have misused his time and resources while at work to pursue “personal and non-job-related interests”” or ”defame someone else without basis, which essentially means knowingly stating a falsehood to the public”? If it is the latter – how can TTSH in a sense, impeach upon Roy’s “‘honour’ (ably) and with ‘integrity’” – when the court case has not even commenced its first hearing yet? By the way, I understand that Roy’s father has received a letter informing him that his hawker stall in a market food centre is not clean enough. I wonder for how many years his father has been a hawker and how many of such letters has he ever received? Leong Sze Hian Leong is the Past President of the Society of Financial Service Professionals, an alumnus of Harvard University, has authored 4 books, quoted over 1500 times in the media , has been host of a money radio show, a daily newspaper column, Wharton Fellow, SEACeM Fellow, columnist for Malaysiakini, executive producer of the movie Ilo Ilo (26 international awards). He has served as Honorary Consul of Jamaica and founding advisor to the Financial Planning Associations of Brunei and Indonesia. He has 3 Masters, 2 Bachelors and 13 professional qualifications. He blogs at www.leongszehian.com.  Read More →

"Why My Vote Matters" During the run-up to the 2006 General Elections, Mediacorp aired a special 50 minute-long forum on Channel NewsAsia entitled “Why My Vote Matters.” It featured a dialogue session between then Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew and a selected panel of young voters, mass communication practitioners from the media industry born after 1965. At around 11:40 minutes into the program, Lee asks the youngsters point-blank, ".... and you are afraid that if you vote against the PAP and something will happen to you?" To which came the quick response, "This is the impression the PAP has created." Suffice it to say, there's enough anecdotal evidence to suggest it's more than an impression now. First there was this trainman who lost his job because he was not supposed to board a coach using a certain entrance way. Now a health worker has been sacked for alleged defamation when the court case has yet to be convened. The employer, Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH), phrased the details for what happened thus: “Mr Ngerng’s conduct was incompatible with the values and standards we expect of our employees. While our staff are free to pursue their personal interests outside work, they must conduct themselves properly, honourably and with integrity." “In particular, they cannot defame someone else without basis, which essentially means knowingly stating a falsehood to the public.” The Ministry of Health (MOH) - those folks who are foisting Medishield Life on us - was quick to oblige with a twist of the dagger: "MOH would like to reiterate that it supports TTSH's decision as Mr Ngerng's actions show a lack of integrity and are incompatible with values and standards of behavior expected of hospital employees." In the case of the lusty professor at the law faculty of our national university, the academic's employ, and his pay cheque, were terminated only after the court convicted him. Conspiracy theories about his political predilections notwithstanding, the message for our young ones seem to be that sexual misdemeanors are less serious than politically incorrect opinions. And in the case of the Brompton Bikes, in which the prosecutor maintained there was strong public interest in ensuring the integrity of the process through which public funds are spent, a $5,000 fine was considered appropriate atonement. This has to be a confusing time for the younger generation. Tattler * The writer blogs at singaporedesk.blogspot.com.  Read More →

Hong Kong's Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying attends the Asian Financial Forum in Hong Kong January 13, 2014. (Photo: Tyrone Siu/Reuters) (Jun 10, 2014)   China warned Hong Kong on Tuesday that there were limits to its freedom and it should adhere strictly to the law ahead of a planned pro-democracy protest that could end up shutting down part of the financial hub's business district. As the most liberal city on Chinese soil, the former British colony has grappled with Beijing since its return to Chinese rule in 1997 to preserve its freedoms and capitalist way of life under a "one-country, two-systems" formula. Over the past year, however, a push by democracy activists to hold protests, as part of a campaign for the right to choose candidates for a poll in 2017 to elect Hong Kong's next leader, has stoked friction and unnerved Beijing leaders fearful of an opposition democrat taking the city's highest office. Read more: www.reuters.com/article/2014/06/10/us-china-hongkong-idUSKBN0EL0YU20140610  Read More →