Dr Allan Ooi’s farewell letter and last word before his death: Questions for SAF

[pia]

You sign a contract at the age of 18 and honour it till your death hah?

Yeah,marriage is a contract too.Till death you depart remember.Mmmm why are there so many divorces !

Every reasonable contract has a termination clause. What is this in the bond, and why Dr. Ooi cannot exercise this, instead of having to take his own life?

Is the govt contract more onerous than God's that he decided to terminate the latter's? :(

 

[scroobal]

.
personally opinion, if i have signed a contract, i will be obliged to the terms and conditions of the contract. this is nothing questionable.

life is not always a bed of roses. to face the realities of life, one with a degree and have been awarded with scholarship is expected to be much much sedang than one with low educational attainment.

Agree. Most people are rational by nature. Sometime scholars get a once in lifetime opportunity while studying overseas. They write in to PSC seeking to break bond. PSC will usually suggest a better posting within Govt that might change their mind. If they are determined to break the bond, then it will be done without much issue. The bond incidently covers more than the expense provided so the premuim in such include I guess the moral component, opportunity cost to other applicants etc. The story ends here for most bond breakers.

Occasionally, the bond is broken while undergrad studies are in progress and the NS fulltime obligation has not be completed. They are required to disrupt and return to serve the NS obligation. This is not big shit to 99% of NS men who don't smell Uni until they complete full NS.

Then we have donkeys like Hector Yee who instead of breaking bond wanted to bargain and suckered PSC into it. He tried again the next year and failed. Having failed he threw out a self serving diatribe. Unfortunately he ended with a another donkey called Philip Yeo who came out with his own set of diatribe with heavy load of moralising.

 

[Nice-Gook]

SMC is not going to look at this easily as any doctor including in the SAF works with a practising cert from SMC.

This incident could have taken place in Bt Merah Polyclinic, and the guy will still undergo a hearing with SMC.

<style></style>Inadvertently you have now spilled the beans.Yes!..just like the Bar Association for the lawyers.The SMC beholden to PAP can destroy any doctor's life.After years of practicing medicine the people in medical fraternity are pretty much trapped.What can a doctor do if SMC at the push of SAF cannot allow the young doctor to practice medicine any more?...a second hand car salesman !

We pretty much understand a plausible reason as why this doctor could have committed suicide.

 

[leetahbar]

is NS really killing our boys?

http://mylongwindpage.blogspot.com/

warning: read with discreet.

 

[scroobal]

Every reasonable contract has a termination clause. What is this in the bond, and why Dr. Ooi cannot exercise this, instead of having to take his own life?

Is the govt contract more onerous than God's that he decided to terminate the latter's? :(

That is why his friend who released the email has no brains. People grab excuses to provide closure for family and friends. Once in a while a nincompoop cannot read between the lines and opens up a can of worms.

A scholarship bond is no different to a contract. The only issue is usually the amout that needs to be repaid. Parents have consulted lawyers on the amount of liquidated damages or penalty that is called for. Some are basically simpletons and think that you only pay back the exact amt that is expended. A scholarship is a gamble for both parties.

 

[tonychat]

There is a better way than death, leave sinkieland.

 

[Nice-Gook]

Every reasonable contract has a termination clause. What is this in the bond, and why Dr. Ooi cannot exercise this, instead of having to take his own life?

Is the govt contract more onerous than God's that he decided to terminate the latter's? :(

<style></style>Sure every contract must be reasonable.It cannot be totally unreasonable as the court would than deem it null and void.The question is what is reasonable here.Who is to adjudicate that reasonableness?For example the NUS puts a medical student educational subsidy above 500k.But you can get the same or better education in Ireland for 200k in private collages !..Theirin lies the chink in the amour.

Again the question of termination.The SAF holds that answer.Is it a case of simply paying SAF and quitting or is he going to get barred by SMC?...your guess is good as mine.

 

[Nice-Gook]

. A scholarship is a gamble for both parties.

Boy,the level of stupidity !

You are now saying PAP gambles our youth lives at their age of 18 !..yup that is the age our young sign their lives away to the whims and fancy of PAP.Sorry,you did say gamble,right ?

 

[scroobal]

Never found it polite or appropriate to inquire about it, but the family is fairly well-off, which naturally begs the question of why they took the scholarship in the first place (the younger did say when one is 18, one don't have the mental maturity to consider the consequences of ones' actions when one sign off on a scholarship contract and it was merely a matter of prestige then to clinch those scholarship, which almost everyone seems to regret after when they finish their studies...)

Paying off the older's LD, if possible, for them would never have been an issue.

Scholarships are taken for the prestige and to open doors in the political world. In Singapore more than any other country this is particularly important. Look at the cabinet, except for Wong Kan Seng whose wife is the 1st cousin of the PM, everyone else is a scholar.

In the case of Allan Ooi, money is not an issue. His father was once the President of the most elite social club and that bond can be paid many times over at a drop of a hat.

There is more to this. I suspect he wrote that to provide closure to family and friends ( which I think is commendable as opposed no news or reason at all and people are left hanging forever)

As to he working slavishly claim is odd as his friends indicated the extreme boredom and lack of medical work to occupy a fully qualified medical doctor seems more the case.

 

[scroobal]

This guy wants to practice Medicine, but have no patients in the army?

Then volunteer as a doctor in any of the Free Clinics operated by the social/religious groups lor...... give free medical consultations to the poor.

Won't this be more noble?

Killing himself is a selfish act that benefits no one

I think this is most thoughtful post that I have seen on this subject across many forums.

If there is a desire to serve, there are free clinics where cases that one sees can be complicated and the relief and help provided to the sufferer is immense. That satisfaction is unbeateable.

 

[Nice-Gook]

Scholarships are taken for the prestige and to open doors in the political world.

<style></style>Boy,is this government obliged to give scholarship for prestige and to open doors to politics.If that is so why give scholarship to foreigners?

 

[pia]

<style></style>Sure every contract must be reasonable.It cannot be totally unreasonable as the court would than deem it null and void.The question is what is reasonable here.Who is to adjudicate that reasonableness?For example the NUS puts a medical student educational subsidy above 500k.But you can get the same or better education in Ireland for 200k in private collages !..Theirin lies the chink in the amour.

Again the question of termination.The SAF holds that answer.Is it a case of simply paying SAF and quitting or is he going to get barred by SMC?...your guess is good as mine.

Thanks, Nice-gook and Scroobal for the intelligent replies to my question (framed of cos)

If that is the real reason, however, I wished he could have fought it out with them instead of taking the route he took. He could have righted the wrongs while living instead of hoping for a posthumous solution :(

I'm living with someone whose life every day is on borrowed time.. life is so short and precious.. Dr. Ooi should have made friends who are terminally ill to realise life is to be cherished, not thrown away like that :(

 

[SIFU]

There is a better way than death, leave sinkieland.

yeah sure..

just like you proclaim your ladyboy gf is better than a real woman..

:oIo::oIo::oIo:

 

[Patriot]

I have read and reread Dr Allan Ooi's farewell letter and came to the following conclusions:

1. Although he claimed he was not depressed, there are a lot of frustration and anger with the system for being unjust in extending his 12 year bond to 15, 16 years.

2. The fact that his bond was unbreakable drove him to utter despair to end his life.

3. He was sacrificing his life to bring this poignant plea to the attention of the authorities:

"To the people within the system, please change it to better benefit yourselves and future generations, instead of creating a self-perpetuating cycle of at best, a painful obligation and at worst, utter despair."

May he rest in peace.

 

[eatshitndie]

There is however a bond for SAF scholars which can be broken by a payment.

not absolutely true if ns liabilities are tied to the bond. fulltime ns liabilities can be extended to 4 or more years depending on the length of the bond and contract with the saf. only after the minimum number of years is served, which is usually 4 or more, can the "scholar" seek to break his bond and contract. within the period of liability, he/she can't suka suka picha lobang. i know because i served more than 5 years of fulltime ns, many more years than many who kpkb about 2 to 2.5 years. nonetheless, this is tragic, and i'm sorry for this chap. there should have been better mentors and good counseling, but after all is said and done, some blokes just wimp out when faced with adversity. a lot of 20-somethings from doting and wealthy families are like them; no different from the new generation young asian celebs who faced loss and difficult times.

 

[SIFU]

5 years full-time NS???

regular say regular lah.. where got 5 years full-time ns?

 

[Ah Guan]

Once anyone signs on, his NS liability is multiplied by 2 ... so cannot leave before that 4 or 5 years except going AWOL

This 2 for 1 rule doesn't apply for airforce pilot regulars

 

[eatshitndie]

5 years full-time NS???

regular say regular lah.. where got 5 years full-time ns?

yea, there's such a thongie as fulltime ns going over 4 years. it's in the bond language. it's just too bad that you don't get a chance to see such a bond.

 

[scroobal]

not absolutely true if ns liabilities are tied to the bond.

Thats common sense. You break the bond (no issues there) and come back to serve your NS legal obligations.

Please see my post on it in the same thread.

Those who do not take the usual NS path have to do 5 years. For instance, those who sign up for the Police Force without doing NS, have to serve 5 years. As they draw a regular salary that is not NS pay.

Thats is why more people use common sense and not take up stupid things like this.

 

[allanlee]

A scholarship bond is no different to a contract. The only issue is usually the amout that needs to be repaid. Parents have consulted lawyers on the amount of liquidated damages or penalty that is called for. Some are basically simpletons and think that you only pay back the exact amt that is expended. A scholarship is a gamble for both parties.

The SAF scholarship bond got an extra component compared to other scholarship bond....... in addition to paying the LD to break bond....... you need to serve time in DB