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Khaw Boon Wan: I do not know anything about CDC bonuses!!

April 1, 2009 by admin  
Filed under Opinion

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During a dialogue session with Paya Lebar residents last Sunday, an irate resident asked Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan to clarify the CDC bonuses:

 Question:

This month it was on the internet that there is some Northwest CDC staff getting 8 months bonus. My question now is it true and if it is true, why is public money being used in this manner?

 

 Excerpts of Khaw answer:

“I really don’t know because I don’t run Northwest CDC. I don’t run any CDCs so I am not familiar with whether there is such a bonus. I honestly do not know.”

 

EDITOR’S NOTE:

To be fair to Mr Khaw, if even the Mayor of Northwest CDC admitted that he does not know the bonuses of his staff, how can we expect a Minister from a different ministry to be aware of it?

It has been a month since rumors of the CDC bonuses first erupted on the internet and we still do not know the truth. The PAP and the state media has been most evasive about the question, hoping that the saga will abate over time.

Since the People’s Association did not refute the rumor directly, there must be some element of truth in it. To admit that civil servants are recipients of such generous bonuses will be courting political suicide.

In other countries like the United States, such information is readily available over the internet. The PAP has always pride itself in being a honest, accountable and transparent government? Why is hiding the truth from us?

Shouldn’t tax-paying citizens deserve to know how much they are paying the civil servants? What’s wrong with receiving so many months of bonuses as long it can be justified?

It is an opportunity lost for the government to forge closer ties with the online community by being upfront and forthcoming with the allegations.

With no MPs bothering to ask this pertinent question on our behalfs in Parliament, our probability of getting an answer is very remote.

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14 Comments on "Khaw Boon Wan: I do not know anything about CDC bonuses!!"

  1. Not_illegal is OK on Wed, 1st Apr 2009 10:11 am 

    As long as it is not illegal and PAP has the 66 % mandate, why not?

    Is it morally right? Morality is subjective. That’s why cannot be made into law.

  2. wholuvsg on Wed, 1st Apr 2009 11:18 am 

    hoping that the saga will abate over time?….almost every single thg they hope it be that way….including mas selamat escape……..which MPs will have the balls to ask such questions in parliament?……i say no one will lor

  3. colortv on Wed, 1st Apr 2009 11:21 am 

    This week there was an article on Administrative Officers. It was noted that some Administrative Officers do get posted to CDCs to do ground work and expose them to the realities on the ground.

    The recipient of the 8 month bonus may be these Administrative Officers after all….

  4. bonused staff on Wed, 1st Apr 2009 11:37 am 

    Why are we still looking for the answer when both us and them knows full well that the staff actually DID receive the bonuses? They will never admit it.

    We should just start writing articles assuming they did get the bonuses (which is true), on top of how they cannot give an answer.

    This way, it’s like making it an official established fact already. From there, let’s see how they rebut it. Another news coverage then?

  5. mike on Wed, 1st Apr 2009 11:47 am 

    wholuvsg,

    i second to your statement. totally agree!

  6. Darth Vader on Wed, 1st Apr 2009 1:46 pm 

    Well what do you expect from someone who doesn’t even know what he himself said? Isn’t this the same Khaw Boon Wan who said that he’s thinking of setting up retirement villages in JB and Batam, only to claim that he had been misquoted when confronted about it? And even hid behind his religion so no one will press him on it?

  7. xtrocious on Wed, 1st Apr 2009 3:12 pm 

    Sorry but I don’t know doesn’t cut it for me…

    It’s in the news and as a minister (and someone who’s paid handsomely to govern us), they should at least know what’s going on – after all, we are just a tiny red dot…

    To use the “I don’t know – not my department” as an excuse is quite lame…

    Or are they so comfortable in their ivory towers that they do not know what are the common man’s grouses?

  8. cy on Wed, 1st Apr 2009 3:53 pm 

    My paper comes up with an article on requirements of an internet-savvy politician. One of it is thick-skin. Certainly, PAP qualifies under this criteria.
    Another criteria was to clarify things and apologize if in the wrong. This certainly doesn’t fit PAP.

  9. NORTHGATE2007 on Wed, 1st Apr 2009 5:36 pm 

    “I DO NOT KNOW” ,seem a “IN” encors,,,

  10. X on Wed, 1st Apr 2009 6:25 pm 

    Nobody knows anything anymore.

  11. joe on Wed, 1st Apr 2009 7:51 pm 

    Now, now. A minister that did not know about the most current and hottest talked about hiccups within the PAP circle of leaders.

    Come on, you gotta be kidding lesser mortals, right?

  12. ronin on Wed, 1st Apr 2009 10:23 pm 

    MIW has the local newspapers and TV to help them cover up screw-ups!!

  13. Annoymous on Thu, 2nd Apr 2009 4:04 am 

    Maybe someone can ask the MPs who will know about these things and then maybe we can get some answers from the person in charge.

  14. Kaypoh on Thu, 2nd Apr 2009 6:16 pm 

    I am the person that ask the question. I know the answer would be “I don’t know” I also in all honesty do not expect him to know the answer. There are two reasons why I ask the question. 1. This is to keep the topic alive. I will ask this question whenever I come across any minister or MP.
    2. I saw the Peoples’ Association top brass on the Minister’s entourage.
    I was hoping the Minister would ask him to explain.