It all began on April’s Fool Day but this turned out not to be a joke.

It has since become a sensational social media saga of twists and turns involving well-known names and heavyweights such as the daughter of Singapore’s founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew as well as current and former editors of The Straits Times (ST).

On April 1, Dr Lee Wei Ling made a Facebook post proclaiming that she would no longer write for Singapore Press Holdings as the “editors there do not allow me freedom of speech”. While little elaboration was provided in this post, one only had to scroll a little further back to a March 25 post she had written about how her father, Mr Lee, would have cringed at the hero worship by Singaporeans just a year after his death.

Dr Lee had regularly contributed columns to ST for many years.

In a post on April 2, Dr Lee, 61, made another Facebook post, this time to say that ST’s ex-associate editor Mr Janadas Devan had called Mr Cheong Yip Seng, SPH’s former Editor-in-Chief of the English and Malay Newspapers Division, “sly” when he had asked her father to write a foreword in his book entitled OB Markers, and then criticised him in the same book.

She also wrote that a People’s Action Party cadre had told her that her brother, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, “had called up Cheong to scold him”.

The next day, she posted again: “It was a love-hate relationship between me and my three consecutive (sic) editors. there may already been a space for my article, then the editor did (sic) not like what I wrote, and I refused (sic) to have the relevant points deleted and the entire article was (sic) then dropped.

“..what each of the three editors objected to was so consistent, I decided they must have been commanded to edit certain issues out, and they are too (sic) timid to disobey, and too embarrassed (sic) by their timidness to tell me the truth.”

ST, ex-editor: We didn’t suppress her views

Mr Devan, 61, who is the son of former Singapore President Devan Nair, as well as ST have since denounced her allegations as unfounded.

In its Forum page today, ST said: “All professional newspapers require their writers to work with an editor, who gives a range of inputs on grammar, language, taste, relevance, coherence, judgment and the law. This is not an issue of freedom of expression, but a matter of upholding standards. This applies to all columnists, including Dr Lee, who has often written about not expecting or accepting special treatment.”

The newspaper said her recent demand that her latest column be published unedited, after a week of editing and e-mail exchanges, was “simply not acceptable”.

“Rather than seeking to suppress her views, ST published her columns for many years, and even compiled them into a book, which it promoted extensively,” it said.

Also responding to her allegations was Mr Devan, 61, who was appointed Chief of Government Communications in 2012.

In a Forum letter to ST, he said that Dr Lee had made a “serious allegation” about his conduct while he was an associate editor of ST.

He said: “We are expected to believe she suffered so much oppression, writing for ST, that she willingly persisted with the experience over almost 10 miserable years. And then, at the conclusion of that prolonged period of agony, she lovingly gathered the products of her oppression into a best-selling collection of essays. How credible can that be?”

He said reading Wei Ling’s unedited writings was like “sailing through a fog”.

“The effort of turning her raw material into coherent articles – that’s what I remember most about editing Wei Ling. That effort was often worth it because she had something valuable to offer, as her many fans can attest. I personally thought her pieces on medical matters and education the most useful.

“But hardly ever did I think that my main task in editing her was to curb what she might say on “sensitive matters”. Of course, like with any writer, she was fact-checked to make sure she did not inadvertently make inaccurate or misleading statements. That’s not “censorship”; that’s called editing. It beggars belief that she now presents herself as someone who was suppressed and silenced.”

Mr Devan who is currently overseas, told TODAY via text messages that he posted responses to Dr Lee’s comments in his private capacity.

He told the newspaper: “Not to have replied to deny such insinuations means I accept them… Dr Lee must know you can’t make such allegations about people and expect them to keep quiet.

Dr Lee also said in the April 3 Facebook post that Mr Devan had texted her from Texas in United States, to say that he “never called Cheong sly”. She added that she could not recall Mr Devan’s exact words during a conversation they had in 2013.

“But he expressed his displeasure with Cheong with great emotion and this was directed to the fact that Cheong made use of my father. ‘Sly’ seemed appropriate word to convey what he said to me,” she wrote.

On Monday (April 4), Mr Devan left a comment on Dr Lee’s Facebook page to clarify, among other things, that the Prime Minister did not call up Mr Cheong, “much less ‘scold him'”.

Mr Devan also said that Dr Lee’s descriptions of the incident involving Mr Cheong were inaccurate as were her “characterisations of what happened”.

Later on Monday afternoon, Mr Devan left another comment on her page. He said: “Much as I dislike publicly contradicting a friend, there is no alternative,” he said.

In response, Dr Lee said she could not remember his exact words over the Mr Cheong incident but she “clearly remembered” his emotion.

She gave her account of what she was told by Mr Cheong and the PAP cadre and asked Mr Devan to “read carefully before you make a fuss”.

Your move, Dr Lee.

chenJ@sph.com.sg

Series of events held as tribute to Lee Kuan Yew

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The Straits Times, AsiaOne

LKY’s estate donates furniture, personal belongings from Oxley Road home

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Estate of Lee Kuan Yew, Stamford Law, The Straits Times

So far this year, 22 workers have been killed in workplace accidents, compared to 18 in the same period last year.

Of those deaths, 10 occurred in the construction industry.

The most recent accident happened at a construction site on Saturday, when a worker fell four storeys to his death. (See report on right.)

West Coast GRC MP Patrick Tay, who chairs the Government Parliamentary Committee for Manpower, thinks the statistics show a worrying trend.

He said: “Unlike previous years, the type and nature of accidents causing deaths are varied these first three months. There are a variety of reasons (for the deaths) but human error is one main cause. It could be due to complacency, carelessness and rushing to do things and complete work.”

REVIEW

In light of the spate of deaths, the Workplace Safety and Health (WSH) Council yesterday urged the industries to review safety procedures at work immediately.

It will work with the Singapore Contractors Association and Association of Singapore Marine Industries to conduct a Safety Time Out this month on all construction and marine work activities.

WSH Council chairman Heng Chiang Gnee said: “We are saddened by the loss of 22 lives. These workers did not make it home.

“These accidents could have been prevented if risk assessments were conducted effectively and necessary measures to eliminate or mitigate risks were implemented.”

linheng@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on April 5, 2016.
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Two middle aged men were charged in court yesterday for allegedly attacking each other with choppers on Saturday night.

Neighbours Si Sim Pang and Ng Ah Huat, both 51, are each facing one count of voluntarily causing hurt using a dangerous weapon.

At 9.36pm that day, the two men, each allegedly armed with a chopper, attacked each other at the 10th storey HDB staircase landing of Block 8 North Bridge Road, court papers said.

Si allegedly used a chopper to slash Ng’s forearms and stomach area, while Ng is said to have slashed his neighbours’s left forearm.

ARRESTED

Police said they received a call shortly after the fight and arrested both men.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) were also alerted and dispatched an ambulance to the scene.

Paramedics took one of the men to Tan Tock Seng Hospital, said a SCDF spokesman.

A woman was also hurt during the altercation, reported Shin Min Daily News.

She declined to be taken to hospital by paramedics and went on her own, said the SCDF spokesman.

When reporters visited the scene, blood stains were seen on the wall, floor and railing of the 10th storey staircase landing.

Ng will be back in court on April 29, while Si’s next hearing is on May 3.

If convicted, they could each be jailed up to seven years, fined and caned.

rloh@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on April 5, 2016.
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SINGAPORE – When he is not donning the blue uniform, Sergeant Stijn Welkers is a Client Director at the Singapore Management University Executive Development, working with regional clients across industries in enrolment programmes.

But to Toa Payoh residents, Sergeant Welkers is a familiar and reassuring sight in the neighbourhood.

The 45-year-old has been serving in the Volunteer Special Constabulary (VSC) since 2008, and earned his stripes by patrolling the ground during his stint at Toa Payoh Neighbourhood Police Centre.

A Facebook post about Sergeant Welkers by the Singapore Police Force has amassed over 1,000 likes and positive comments ever since it was posted on Monday (April 4), with many neitzens lauding him for his service.

“Thank you Welkers for your services (sic) and making Singapore a safer place,” commented Loh Irwan Jason on the Facebook post.

With his dark blond hair, Sergeant Welkers, who uprooted from the Netherlands in 2002 to call Singapore home, has been mistaken for an actor and a tourist.

In a 2013 interview with Home Team News, the permanent resident recounted how a young boy mistook him for a famous actor, and doubted that he was carrying a real firearm.

Volunteers with a purpose and passion

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The Straits Times, Mindef

“I convinced him I was a normal officer and he left asking his dad whether he could become a police officer too because he thought police officers were ‘nice people’,” he told Home Team News.

Criminals have also lowered their guard in his presence as they think he is a tourist, giving him access to information other police officers may have difficulty getting their hands on.

“I can play a variety of roles and uncover a range of illegal activities where Singaporean police officers may have difficulty even gaining entry to, while for me doors open without questions,” he added.

Before his current attachment to the Criminal Investigation Department, the Dutchman used to spend 40 to 50 hours a month patrolling in the Toa Payoh neighbourhood.

While residents were initially unaccustomed with his presence, they eventually became used to seeing him in the neighbourhood.

“I would approach them and say hello. However, the reaction by the public had changed over time as people got used to seeing me around in the neighborhood,” the 45-year-old said.

78 years old and an active volunteer

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The Straits Times

Opportunities for first-generation permanent residents to serve the nation in uniformed organisations have increased in recent years.

“I reached a point in my life where I wanted to contribute to society and do something meaningful so I decided to join the VSC,” Sergeant Welkers said.

The VSC has been around since 1946, while the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) started training its pioneer batch of military volunteers in 2015. According to a Straits Times report in 2015, there are currently also 130 volunteer officers with the Civil Defence Auxiliary Unit (CDAU).

grongloh@sph.com.sg

Singapore’s Special Operations Command

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Berita Harian, The Straits Times, The New Paper

A taxi driver hit a boy crossing the road and then allegedly drove off, claiming his passenger had told him to do so as she was rushing for her dialysis appointment.

The accident, which happened last Friday at Teck Whye Lane, landed the 11-year-old boy in hospital with a hairline fracture on his right ankle, swelling on the back of his head and pain in his left thigh.

He is expected to be discharged today but will be wheelchair-bound for the next two weeks.

Recalling what happened, the boy’s mother, Madam Chandralega Sandaragasen, 43, told The New Paper she was waiting for a taxi to go home with her daughter, who had taken her newborn baby for her first injection at the Choa Chu Kang Polyclinic at about 11.50am.

Wanting to get a cab quickly, she got her 11-year-old son, Thivaker Alivaran, to wait at the opposite side of the four-lane road for a taxi as well.

When a taxi pulled up on her side, Madam Chandralega waved her son over and got into the waiting taxi with her daughter and granddaughter.

That was when she heard a “bang” and saw her son flying through the air.

Another taxi had crashed into him as he was crossing the road.

The impact threw Thivaker, who weighs 112kg, three metres away from the taxi, leaving him unconscious on the road, the housewife told TNP.

SCREAMED

She screamed and, in tears, exited the taxi and ran over to her son.

“I was scared that he wouldn’t wake up,” the housewife told The New Paper yesterday.

Meanwhile, her daughter, Ms Nagarani Mathyalakan, 19, rushed over to the taxi driver, knocking on his window and demanding that he step out of his vehicle.

But he allegedly drove off without a word with his female passenger in the back seat.

“That is very irresponsible, how can they do that,” she said yesterday.

Infuriated but left with no choice, she went back to her brother, who was conscious by then and was in tears, even though he was trying to reassure his panic-stricken mother, saying “nothing wrong, nothing wrong”.

Madam Chandralega and her daughter helped Thivaker into the taxi they had hailed and instructed the cabby to take them to KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital (KKH), where he was warded.

The family recounted their trauma to citizen journalism website Stomp.

Thivaker’s brother, Mr Nagarajan Mathyalakan, 21, told TNP he later tracked down the cabby by calling his cab company.

According to him, the cabby arrived at KKH an hour later.

“He did not apologise even though he had knocked into my brother. When I asked him why he left without helping, he said his passenger was rushing and told him to drive off like nothing happened,” said Mr Nagarajan.

When contacted, the cab company declined to comment.

A police spokesman said investigations are ongoing.

constgoh@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on April 5, 2016.
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The ability of small companies to cope with the current economic uncertainty was a key concern of many MPs yesterday, the first day of debate on the Government’s Budget for the new financial year.

To improve the health of these small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), labour chief Chan Chun Sing prescribed less “sugar”, more exercise and “nutritional supplements”. He also highlighted the need to prepare today’s workers for tomorrow’s storms even before they enter the workforce.

With Singapore at a critical juncture of economic transformation, more needs to be done to help workers and companies, said Mr Chan, who is also Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office.

The Budget speech on March 24 had focused on a prudent approach in helping companies and households prepare for the future.

Yesterday, noting that the Budget has sweeteners for SMEs, Mr Chan said in Mandarin: “If we have too much sugar and we are used to this, then problems will arise and it will not help to solve our problems.”

As for exercise, SMEs must “walk about” and find larger markets abroad, to grow into future multinationals. The Government will continue to help them do it, Mr Chan added.

The National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) will also do its part to give SMEs “additional nutrition”, said Mr Chan, who is NTUC secretary-general. This includes working with bosses to train them for the future and starting training courses to help SMEs with human resource management.

In cautioning against too much help while acknowledging the need for support, Mr Chan expressed the concerns of many of the 25 other MPs who spoke yesterday.

Dr Teo Ho Pin (Bukit Panjang) wanted more help for SMEs, but he noted not all firms that tapped the Government’s Productivity and Innovation Credit scheme made real productivity improvements.

Dr Lim Wee Kiak (Sembawang GRC) warned against making firms dependent on aid, saying: “Let businesses learn to grapple with the crisis and come out stronger.”

Mr Chan stressed the need to give SMEs targeted help. “We need to go sectorally to examine where the laggards in our productivity drive are and how best to help them lift their productivity, in their respective sectors.”

Helping SMEs transform is not as easy as giving grants – work must be done at the sector level or even at each company, he said. “We either do this or we pretend that some broad macro-measures will miraculously lift the productivity of all.”

As for workers, Mr Chan identified possible structural unemployment as one critical challenge.

The issue is not the total number of jobs, but how to help a displaced worker find a suitable new job.

To do this, the labour movement needs to go upstream – to schools – and midstream with continual upgrading for workers, as well as help mature workers gain new skills, said Mr Chan.

“We need to prevent the PMETs (professionals, managers, executives and technicians) in their 40s from being displaced in 10 years’ time. We have to start with the PMETs in their 20s and 30s now. Otherwise, we can’t blame the competition if one day our people lose out.”

In doing all this, prudence is key, said Mr Chan, echoing another common theme in yesterday’s debate.

“The Government has not shied away from spending resources to upskill our workers or to help our industries restructure,” he said.

“But it is incumbent on all of us to realise all these monies come from taxpayers and… we have a responsibility to use this money wisely.”

The debate continues today.

This article was first published on April 5, 2016.
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