Wednesday, November 01, 2023

Secrecy and transparency

 The PAP government believes in secrecy. Many important matters are kept secret.

Here are some examples:
1. How much are our reserves
2. What were the terms of the multi-year, multi-million dollar Formula 1 contract
3. What is the construction cost for HDB flats
4. What military equipment were bought and the prices paid
When important matters and decisions are kept secret, there is the risk that corrupt practices may be undetected. It could also lead to costly and wasteful spending.
On the other hand, full transparency may create problems also. Some of the "secrets" may be used by third parties, or contractors, to submit higher bids for contracts. Ordinary people, who are not qualified to judge, may pass irresponsible opinions.
What is the right balance between secrecy and transparency?
I believe that , on balance, transparency is a better approach.
I also believe that ordinary people should respect and trust the decisions taken by the people in charge, and should not argue over differences of opinion.
Tan Kin Lian

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Was sitting next to this person during the Grand Prix.
Was fascinated by his remarks; [ People don't realize what it is to run a country.]

My comment was; [It should be easier than to run a bank, SIA and other large organizations some of whose salaries are shrouded in secrecy and non-transparencies.]

He repeated in disgust; [Do people even know what it takes to run a country?]

Was afraid to ask if he was CECA. My reply; [ Do you even know that the person running this country is being paid $200 thousand a month, while the DBS CEO gets a million dollars a month, SIA CEO half a million?]

The average wage in this country is how much? Contradictory, Forward Singapore is coming out that grades will not be important!



Anonymous said...

People or Profits-
Healthcare people where their responsibilities are life and death are paid paltry whereas corporations with priority to profits bottom line were paid heinous remuneration. Logically speaking money comes before humans⟪?????????⟫.

Blog Archive