Sear Hock Rong
The YPAP member who posted Alex Tan’s past detention during his National Service on Facebook to taunt and discredit him is a grassroots leader in Eunos under Aljunied GRC.
The comment was posted in the midst of a heated exchange between Alex and the YPAP members on a YP Community Project – “Skating with students from Pathlight” held on 7 November when volunteers of YP Community brought a group of students from Pathlight School to have a skating experience in East Coast Park.
Pathlight is a special school offering mainstream academics to students with autism. It is also the first autism-focused school in Singapore that offers a unique blend of mainstream academics and life readiness skills.
Alex charged that the YPAP is using taxpayers’ monies to score political points and claimed that he is doing “National Service” by stopping its “propaganda” on Facebook:
“PAP-organized community work, be it voluntary or remunerated, fronts PAP’s name and therefore is a political tool, yes or no?… Is the PAP community work funded through taxpayers money”
He also berated YPAP Chairman Teo Ser Luck for not standing up to scrutiny:
“Teo Ser Luck: do you think your $15000/mth salary puts you in a moral high ground such that you can treat ordinary Singaporeans like your servants? Be a politician and stand up to scrutiny. this is a chance for you to score political points. let’s see if you indeed deserve such obscene salary.”
Alex was lambasted immediately by YPAP members for being “childish” and “hot-headed”.
That’s when a YPAP member by the name of Sear Hock Rong stepped in and attacked Alex by addressing him as “alex zhixiang tan who was charged with ‘general disobedience”
According to information posted on his blog, Hock Rong mentioned that he just completed his National Service not too long ago.
It is not known if he belonged to the same camp as Alex. He joined the Ministry of Finance after his NS before setting up a start-up of his own.
Though Alex has been relentless in his hard-hitting criticisms of the PAP, he did not attack the character of any YPAP member.
YPAP Chairman Teo Ser Luck was in the discussion as well, but did not condemn Hock Rong for revealing confidential information about Alex.
It is unbecoming for a YPAP member and grassroots leader to resort to such petty name-calling in order to destroy the credibility of a critic.
What is more glaring is Mr Teo’s nonchalant attitude which suggests that he condones such behavior.
Now that Alex’s past DB record had been picked up by the press from the YPAP Facebook and released to public, Mr Sear Hock Rong should issue an open apology to Alex.
Mr Teo should explain why he did not put a stop to the taunts and vibes YPAP members have directed at Alex when he was aware of the content of the conversation all along.
Furthermore, the relevant authorities should investigate if the revelation of Alex’s DB record contravenes Section 5 of the Official Secrets Act (CAP 213).
A soldier’s detention record during National Service is classified information and should not be released to the public unless specifically asked for by the Home Affairs Ministry or Attorney-General Chambers.
For a political party which prides itself on the rule of law, it is a shame that its Youth Wing has degenerated into such a sorry state.
