Interesting article as Justice MHA has exposed the hidden hands and players behind this sordid power struggle. However, it has missed the mark. The issue here is simply self-preservation and revenge...
There are many who have worked and dealt personally, on a professional level, inform me that Ng Boon Gay is a straight arrow and has been known to constantly remind his men that they must always do the right things right, meaning if SOP dictates that one needs to scratch one left ear with his/her right hand then that is the correct way. However he is not your typical authoritative Senior Police Officer type. If any he is always willing to seek feedback from the men on the ground and looking for ways to improve the way things are done.
Ng Boon Gay was investigated by CPIB but no evidence of his alleged crime/crimes were uncovered but it was merely a case of "guilty by association ". At end of 2010, he took over the helm at CNB from Ng Say Liang. The then DD CNB, Ng Ser Song also left CNB to be Director CID. My sources also tell me that whilst Ng Ser Song was DD CNB, it was he who was running the whole show at CNB (including collating drug statistics) and not Ng Say Liang as the latter was already on retirement mode.
Some CNB officers I spoke to, say that Ng Ser Song did not have a healthy relationship with the men in CNB due to his authoritative nature. In fact Ng Ser Song was himself a target of several petitions made by CNB Officers one of which was that he would make the CNB DO drive to his home on Saturday mornings so that he (Ng Ser Song) can sign DRC Committal Orders in the comfort of home instead of doing it in his office. As a result, Ng Ser Song stood down as DD CNB and took over as Director Police Intelligence Department (PID), these seems rather odd as he himself was once DD PID. IMHO, it was a lateral move.
When he was Director CNB, Ng Boon Gay discovered that statistics were wrong and that drug arrests had increased instead of decreased. Being a straight arrow, he ordered a recount and found out the drug situation had made a turn for the worse, not only for 2011 but for 2010 and 2009, just about the time Ng Ser Song was DD CNB. Ng Boon Gay forwarded this information to then new MHA Minister, DPM Teo Chee Hean. Sources also inform me that, Ng Boon Gay had gone over then outgoing PS MHA Benny Lim's head to report this straight to DPM Teo Chee Hean. With DPM Teo’s blessings, Ng Boon Gay released the correct figures and informed of the “error” to the people. Needless to say, DPM Teo was also very peeved with the former Dir and DD CNB and most importantly outgoing PS Benny Lim regarding this fiasco.
Informed sources, say that DPM Teo then realized that there was clearly an endemic lack of supervision not only in the CNB but in MHA itself, such that the PS, Dir and DD CNB failed to notice such a GRAVE and SERIOUS ERROR. DPM Teo was also upset at the lackadaisical manner at which these 2 men handled their duties and responsibilities.
Alarm bells went off and immediately these 2 men and other interested parties went into self-preservation mode.
From what I gather, Benny Lim is NOW not exactly a favourite among the current Cabinet, this is due the fact that his brother Raymond Lim and his former boss and in many ways, benefactor former DPM and MHA Minister Wong Kan Seng had stood down from their Cabinet positions, partly in due to their dismal performance and growing public sentiment against them. DPM Teo was appointed Minister of Home Affairs and took over Wong Kan Seng's portfolio as Minister in charge of National Security & Intel Co-ordination (NSIC) Secretariat.
In short DPM Teo was tasked to bring about sweeping changes to MHA, which in the past years, has performed poorly. There is some talk that DPM Teo was advised by certain parties in MHA & Mindef to remove PS Benny Lim and those who were in his camp, if DPM Teo was indeed keen to revamp the culture and mindset in MHA and restore public confidence in MHA. Truth is, Benny Lim had already formed a cult of personality among several top MHA HODs. In fact, prior to DPM Teo’s appointment as Minister Home Affairs, MHA was virtually being run by Benny Lim, as even the then Minister Home Affairs K Shanmugam was “wise enough” to leave Benny Lim to run MHA the way Benny Lim saw fit.
Some say that Benny Lim was due for posting to NSIC Secretariat as early as 2010 as he had hoped to work under Wong Kan Seng. However, this is not founded as many are aware that Benny Lim intended to remain in MHA till he officially retired. However, DPM Teo was a man on a mission, and with Ng Boon Gay’s revelation it sealed Benny Lim’s fate. Thus DPM Teo swiftly removed Benny Lim sending him to a redundant post as a PS PMO/MND in charge of NSIC Secretariat. It is in effect, merely a posting to placate Benny Lim, as he was after all Dir ISD and PS MHA and knows where and in whose closets were and are the skeletons still hidden in.
Fortunately for Benny Lim, his protégé, Eric Tan is Dir CPIB which also comes under purview of the PMO. Eric Tan is a very close and loyal friend of Benny Lim. In fact, Eric Tan has been overheard as saying that he will gladly lay his life down for Benny Lim.
Like an Intel Black Ops, together Benny Lim and Ng Ser Song roped in Eric Tan, Dir CPIB, to be the hatchet man that will strike Ng Boon Gay.
All of a sudden, the closed CPIB case on Ng Boon Gay is reopened as fresh “evidence” emerges which reveal as the official line goes; “serious personal misconduct” by Ng Boon Gay.
In December 2011, Ng Boon Gay was picked up by CPIB and the rest as they say is history.
Subsequently, in January 2012, Commissioner SCDF along with 6 other SCDF officers were, also picked up by CPIB for alleged corruption.
Please bear in mind that recent media reports have confirmed that the CPIB probes on both men are separate investigations.
However, acting on a mysterious tip-off, on 24th January 2012, 2nd day of Chinese New Year, MSM reported that both SCDF Commissioner and Dir CNB being investigated by CPIB.
This seems very odd that our MSM, known for their “responsible and factual” journalism had decided to run this story to print. In fact, the spin then that the CPIB probe had something with sex and money – a lethal if not bestselling combination.
Immediately, alternative media and even TR Emeritus, the self claimed online Voice of Singaporeans lapped it up and ran similar reports regarding the CPIB probe.
One thing did catch my eye though, during the interview of DPM Teo by MSM media, his body language indicated that he had been caught unawares akin to the proverbial deer caught in the headlights. All DPM Teo could provide was the standard well scripted Govt Minister response, which in my observation, was ill prepared.
The next day, MSM tabloid ran story that both men linked to mysterious philandering adulterous woman IT executive. Again the public lapped it up.
Also revealed both Mr Ng Boon Gay and Peter Lim were to be removed from their appointments. I was not surprised for the latter. Subsequently, the greatest shocker came, Mr Ng Ser Song, who was then Dir Police Intelligence Dept and former DD CNB will be taking over as Dir CNB on 1st Feb 2012.
Wait a minute, I wondered was it not during Ng Ser Song’s tenure as DD CNB that CNB got their figures wrong and that the drug abuse situation had actually took a turn for the worse?? But sad to say, not many of us noticed this, instead we were more interested in sex and scandal.
This my dear friends was the classic Intel Black Ops, the mysterious lady is akin to the hidden hands acting as the cameraman to make us watch the fictional birdie as they tell us to “Say Cheese” and feed the hungry open minds of the masses.
The moment Ng Ser Song takes over, CNB seemed came clean by revealing on 2nd Feb 2012 that drug arrests were up. Nevertheless, Ng Ser Song has assured us that CNB will work closely with the Task Force on Drugs led by MOS MHA Masagos to fight the drug scourge.
In this final act, the players are keen to potray Ng Ser Song as the white knight in shining armour to rescue CNB from the “evil and corrupt” Ng Boon Gay who ironically during his tenure as Dir CNB stepped up anti-drug enforcement action leading to more arrests.
However IMHO, Ng Ser Song, is coming back to CNB to erase and whitewash all traces of his monumental cock-up. Who better to clean up the mess than the person who created it in the first place??
As for Benny Lim, I now liken him to a Cheshire cat, who is now grinning widely at the thought that he has just showed his former master, in this case DPM Teo, how one can kill the pet canary and get away with it.
My fellow Singaporeans, IMHO, Mr Ng Boon Gay’s alleged “crime” came about the moment he decided to do the right thing and expose the truth. In doing so, he had stepped on the toes of those who for the sake of self-preservation are willing to protect their personal interests at all costs even if it means destroying, IMO, an honest man.
