So, as we all saw, the AGO released their latest report on the affairs of the various ministries of the govt. This caused an uproar in the alternate news alternatives and social media, including this forum. The AGO’s report highlighted several issues such as an $880K bin centre, no to poor oversight on the investments of funds, and other such items. While causing a howl among certain segments of the public, the PAP has pretty much done what it always has when it comes to direct criticism. It has ignored it. Other then some comments from Grace Fu, no other detailed explanation or answers have been forthcoming. No blame has been assigned nor responsibility taken for all the lapses mentioned in the report. The PAP will let it die a quiet death like many other things of a controversial nature in Singapore.
So, basically, from what I can ascertain, the AGO is just a toothless kitten. Maybe it has roar, but not bite to its roar. It does not have any ability to sanction, fine or punish the various ministries for their transgressions. It does no co-ordinate with the CPIB to investigate these potential frauds and it does not have the power to enforce or require the Ministries to fix the issues in a timely manner or risk some form of penalty. So, what is it good for? Some may argue that its role is to identify these govt. misdeeds that I have mentioned above. It appears there is no other reason for its existence then to audit these govt. ministries.
Herein lies the issue. How deeply and seriously does the AGO take its work? In my opinion, not at all. These annual audits are no more then PR exercises to show the public there is supposedly some kind of audit and check and balances to the PAP govt. Certain Ministries are sacrificed on the PR altar, and some small amounts like $880K are bandied around and for the public to see that the govt is supposedly vigilant with their money. It’s all a lie. Why do I say this?
Firstly, the auditor general is…………..surprise surprise, an SAF Ex scholar, who was seconded to the PSC but still nominally under SAF where he later became deputy secretary, MINDEF . Because he was a high flyer SAF scholar, his equivalent rank if he had stayed in the SAF would have been the same as his batch of 1974 SAFOS which included Bey Soo Khiang. I believe he ended his SAF career as a Major General, in other words, a career SAF scholar general. Yes, I refer to Willie Tan. The current Auditor General, who I doubt ever took a class in accounting before but now somehow has become Auditor General of Singapore.
Let’s look at his career in the PSC and other stat boards. Would you believe that for 3 years, he was the CEO of the CPF Board? That same organization that is so secretive and so untransparent in its dealings with Singaporeans. The same organization is that should be audited head to toe itself. As mentioned earlier, he was deputy secretary of MINDEF, a ministry with the largest budget of all and which his AGO does not and has never audited. When you look in the dictionary for a definition under conflict of interests and unqualified incompetence, there is a picture of him. This person is an SAF ex scholar general and a PAP insider, with no background as a professional accountant or auditor. He is the last person in the country to be the Director of AGO, and is singular unqualified for the job.
He Is put there for one simple reason. Not to make the really truly hard audits. Like the audit into the MINDEF $14 billion annual budget. What do they spend the money on? Did they get a good deal? Was there corruption, etc? Furthermore, his office has an entire department dedicating to auditing the National reserves. Excuse me, were not told that that was not possible? Were we not told by Ong Teng Cheong that it was going to take 50 man years? Who here knows exactly how much is in the national reserves? If not one knows the amount, then exactly what does his department do?
In other countries like the US and Canada, the auditor general equivalent is truly a career auditor. He was not a CEO of a stat board, nor a major general in the army, nor anything else. The current US Comptroller of General of the General Accounting Office is Eugene Dodaro. He joined the GAO in 1973 and worked his way up to deputy. It was only after his boss retired after 18 years of service did he take over his position. The auditor general for Canada is Michael Furguson who started work as an auditor in the Province of New Brunswick in 1985. He later became Auditor General of the province and then on to auditor general of Canada. Compare and contrast their career to that of our Willie.
Let’s call it for what it is. The annual AGO report is just one big wayang. It barely scratches the surface of the whole mess. It’s has been orchestrated by the PAP to make it seem that there is an actual checking of the govt in Singapore. There is non. Before the public and others in the forum think otherwise, just look at the facts. Important crucial areas such as the MINDEF budget and the National Reserves are not audited, and the man in charge of the whole wayang is yet another useless SAF scholar.
So, basically, from what I can ascertain, the AGO is just a toothless kitten. Maybe it has roar, but not bite to its roar. It does not have any ability to sanction, fine or punish the various ministries for their transgressions. It does no co-ordinate with the CPIB to investigate these potential frauds and it does not have the power to enforce or require the Ministries to fix the issues in a timely manner or risk some form of penalty. So, what is it good for? Some may argue that its role is to identify these govt. misdeeds that I have mentioned above. It appears there is no other reason for its existence then to audit these govt. ministries.
Herein lies the issue. How deeply and seriously does the AGO take its work? In my opinion, not at all. These annual audits are no more then PR exercises to show the public there is supposedly some kind of audit and check and balances to the PAP govt. Certain Ministries are sacrificed on the PR altar, and some small amounts like $880K are bandied around and for the public to see that the govt is supposedly vigilant with their money. It’s all a lie. Why do I say this?
Firstly, the auditor general is…………..surprise surprise, an SAF Ex scholar, who was seconded to the PSC but still nominally under SAF where he later became deputy secretary, MINDEF . Because he was a high flyer SAF scholar, his equivalent rank if he had stayed in the SAF would have been the same as his batch of 1974 SAFOS which included Bey Soo Khiang. I believe he ended his SAF career as a Major General, in other words, a career SAF scholar general. Yes, I refer to Willie Tan. The current Auditor General, who I doubt ever took a class in accounting before but now somehow has become Auditor General of Singapore.
Let’s look at his career in the PSC and other stat boards. Would you believe that for 3 years, he was the CEO of the CPF Board? That same organization that is so secretive and so untransparent in its dealings with Singaporeans. The same organization is that should be audited head to toe itself. As mentioned earlier, he was deputy secretary of MINDEF, a ministry with the largest budget of all and which his AGO does not and has never audited. When you look in the dictionary for a definition under conflict of interests and unqualified incompetence, there is a picture of him. This person is an SAF ex scholar general and a PAP insider, with no background as a professional accountant or auditor. He is the last person in the country to be the Director of AGO, and is singular unqualified for the job.
He Is put there for one simple reason. Not to make the really truly hard audits. Like the audit into the MINDEF $14 billion annual budget. What do they spend the money on? Did they get a good deal? Was there corruption, etc? Furthermore, his office has an entire department dedicating to auditing the National reserves. Excuse me, were not told that that was not possible? Were we not told by Ong Teng Cheong that it was going to take 50 man years? Who here knows exactly how much is in the national reserves? If not one knows the amount, then exactly what does his department do?
In other countries like the US and Canada, the auditor general equivalent is truly a career auditor. He was not a CEO of a stat board, nor a major general in the army, nor anything else. The current US Comptroller of General of the General Accounting Office is Eugene Dodaro. He joined the GAO in 1973 and worked his way up to deputy. It was only after his boss retired after 18 years of service did he take over his position. The auditor general for Canada is Michael Furguson who started work as an auditor in the Province of New Brunswick in 1985. He later became Auditor General of the province and then on to auditor general of Canada. Compare and contrast their career to that of our Willie.
Let’s call it for what it is. The annual AGO report is just one big wayang. It barely scratches the surface of the whole mess. It’s has been orchestrated by the PAP to make it seem that there is an actual checking of the govt in Singapore. There is non. Before the public and others in the forum think otherwise, just look at the facts. Important crucial areas such as the MINDEF budget and the National Reserves are not audited, and the man in charge of the whole wayang is yet another useless SAF scholar.
