Desmond Kuek - Leadership Failure

[GoldenDragon]

In terms of seniority (year joined the SPF), who is most senior, or what is the order:
SWW, LWH, NJH ?

You are right. NJH is the most junior compared to the other two.

 

[sleaguepunter]

You mean you'll actually turn up? I'll desert without hesitation. There is nothing to fight for, and I sure don't want to be expendable cannon fodder for the elites.

I will turn up, make sure got full combat load in ammo then shoot the officers and turn the battalion toward Istana and oxley.

 

[Dinosaur]

What more can we say about the quality of leadership in the SAF & Singapore Inc and Singapore leaders in general?

As the Chinese saying goes, 国家未亡，必有妖孽

 

[Dinosaur]

Just to get everyone back on track. There are couple of issues and themes;

1) first strike since the 80s
2) strike impacting essential services
3) first strike totally by foreigners
4) poor management
5) missing leadership
6) involves a company with a string of recent mishaps
7) company board had 2 senior labour chiefs

Credit to PS, MHA who is not a scholar, schooled locally, rose thru the ranks, and did the right thing.

Desmond Kuek needs to reflect on what he failed to do. Inquiry on why 2 labour chiefs were on the board if they had nothing to offer. Both report directly to the Minister without Portfolio and the Labour chief of this country.

I agree with your analysis.

But at the same time I am curious. Will you vote for the PAP at the next general election?

 

[Thick Face Black Heart]

Will you vote for the PAP at the next general election?

Will you?

.
.
.

 

[mojito]

Just to get everyone back on track. There are couple of issues and themes;

Credit to PS, MHA who is not a scholar, schooled locally, rose thru the ranks, and did the right thing.

Desmond Kuek needs to reflect on what he failed to do. Inquiry on why 2 labour chiefs were on the board if they had nothing to offer. Both report directly to the Minister without Portfolio and the Labour chief of this country.

Since you put it that way, here are my not so humble opinions:

1) first strike since the 80s
- The PAP have had a got a good formula for managing unions
2) strike impacting essential services
- Complacency in identifying threats to national security since SMRT is privatized and GOV relies indirectly on feedback from SMRT and NTUC
3) first strike totally by foreigners
- Foreigners in workforce is understandable. An overly large transient, non-unionized workforce in SMRT points to management overconfidence in managing transcient workforce
4) poor management
- Quietly confident that workforce will continue to remain compliant, and government will step in if any trouble arises
5) missing leadership
- Initiative not required as commercial decisions are made by underlings, macro decisions made by politicians. In other words, he believes it is a position of privilege rather than one of merit. (Why should he think otherwise when so many lucrative posts exist?)
6) involves a company with a string of recent mishaps
- Problems may be systemic, recall cable ties, train breakdown contingencies, depot break-ins, one-under, etc.
7) company board had 2 senior labour chiefs
- I understand one is no longer on SMRT Board, and the other is no longer with NTUC. Might be I am mistaken, but it hints at tensions between NTUC and SMRT.

Desmond expected a walk in the park and went ahead to Hawaii. Typical Amakudari dynamics at work. True that the seeds of disaster were sown by his predecessor.

 

[cass888]

He was in the US. When the strike happened, he would have to (1) book a flight and (2) fly home.

How did a party ostensibly the champion of the workers keep quiet and appear at the same time Desmond did?

How did a
- OMS scholar
- schooled in Oxford
- schooled in Harvard
- SAF 6th SAF Defence Chief
- member of elite Admin Service
- Permanent Secretary
- CEO of one of the biggest GLC

Failed to show his face in the midst of the crisis, absolutely no sound or picture, takes the first chance of a showing his face by turning it into a cheap publicity photo opportunity by visiting his staff at the dorm like Mother Theresa and then to end up having a third of his affected staff in detention in a prison. Fucking clueless or scared shitless or both.

How did we end up with such leaders. Even a moron would know when to turn up at a funeral.

 

[Confuseous]

He was in the US. When the strike happened, he would have to (1) book a flight and (2) fly home.

His actions to date (including paying for a cheap buffet lunch for the drivers) are reflective of a small time operator who is more used to sucking up, carrying lampar and expecting to be sucked up...he is no leader, never mind the medals so proudly displayed on his chest in the official photographs. He is just a senior admin officer, saying yes at the appropriate time.

Compare his actions with the Olam CEO who threw away his boarding pass at the airport, returned home at 1-30, rang his chairman and board directors for a 7-00am meeting the same day. And then had a meeting in the early hours, with his senior staff on recommendations to be made to the board.

Meanwhile, Aloha Hawaii, here I come, after two months on the job........

 

[cass888]

Fuck you lah. Desmond is already in the US. He throw away his boarding pass he will still be in the US.

Compare his actions with the Olam CEO who threw away his boarding pass at the airport, returned home at 1-30, rang his chairman and board directors for a 7-00am meeting the same day. And then had a meeting in the early hours, with his senior staff on recommendations to be made to the board.

 

[aurvandil]

After an exciting week, this incident appears to be dying down. The Ah Tiongs have been given a buffet to placate them and the SMRT senior management can look forward to collecting their large bonuses for having achieved their KPIs after a difficult year.

It would be a simple matter if all of this can be attributed to a one off case at SMRT. The other undocumented strikes that have occurred this year however suggest deeper, fundamental fractures.

As no action is proposed for these fundamental fractures, we can reasonably expect that there will be more such incidents in the future.

 

[kukubird58]

hahaha.....typical no brainer herd instincts.....
olam ceo's personal fortunes is closely tied to the the company....
u are talking about billions of dollars......affecting your own pockets.
comparing without the slightest understanding of each situation is typical behaviour of the vocal majority in this forum.......lol.

 

[cass888]

A sober reminder why we still need the ISA and CLTPA. I hope the other undocumented strikers are still sitting in Whitley.

The other undocumented strikes that have occurred this year however suggest deeper, fundamental fractures.

 

[halsey02]

A sober reminder why we still need the ISA and CLTPA. I hope the other undocumented strikers are still sitting in Whitley.

Do we have to come back to this again? once again it demonstrate clearly "one CUNTry, two systems"..IF THIS HAD BEEN SINGAPOREANS on strike, they were be charged Immediately under ISA...but these are are communist brothers, we must talk to our communist officials at their embassy first..we must take the "middle road"...

The Malaysians drivers must be wondering..why they are not getting any buffet? or the Singapore drivers..even this is another bad PR..they should have organize a buffet for all their drivers..Ah Tiongs included...by giving "them" only buffet..they are just breeding a future problem.

Don't give the buffet...

 

[cass888]

If I were the government, I would rather deport the trouble maker than detain them under the idea. Unfortunately, we can't deport our own trouble makers so have to detain them.

By the way, you are quite uneducated. The whole idea of ISA is to detain without charge.

Do we have to come back to this again? once again it demonstrate clearly "one CUNTry, two systems"..IF THIS HAD BEEN SINGAPOREANS on strike, they were be charged Immediately under ISA...but these are are communist brothers, we must talk to our communist officials at their embassy first..we must take the "middle road"...

 

[halsey02]

If I were the government, I would rather deport the trouble maker than detain them under the idea. Unfortunately, we can't deport our own trouble makers so have to detain them.

By the way, you are quite uneducated. The whole idea of ISA is to detain without charge.

I know what ISA is....knowing what my government is!

 

[Logisex]

George Entwistle, just 2 months into the job as the director-general of the BBC, stepped down from the post after a news program falsely accused a politician of child abuse.

Kuek should do the same.

 

[scroobal]

All big organisations work with travel coordinators who can get a person back within 24 hrs. As this is a serious matter, the return would be organised by SMRT even though it was private holiday. Airlines reserve seats for these things. Ask anyone in senior management. I am sure he has got at least 2 PAs and they are not there to tend to the coffee machine. Airlines will even bump passengers based on company spend and pay the bumped passengers handsomely. All these are not additional expanses.

Travel coordination firms at the time of tender must have the ability to have round the clock stand by seats that they will give away 12 hrs before departur.

Secondly he should have been back latest Tuesday afternoon. Its the US, not a remote Island.

He should have held a press conference at the airport on arrival. To apologise to commuters and to address the nation that it being treated seriously. Its a golden opportunity to capitalise on a bad situation.

Instead he goes to the Dorm and does a Mother Theresa - Inspirational, my arse. Poor Leadership yes.

He was in the US. When the strike happened, he would have to (1) book a flight and (2) fly home.

How did a party ostensibly the champion of the workers keep quiet and appear at the same time Desmond did?

 

[scroobal]

He is talking about intent and urgency. You are missing the point. Both missing where Desmond is concerned.

When do you think a CEO should urgency and intent if this was not such a situation?

Fuck you lah. Desmond is already in the US. He throw away his boarding pass he will still be in the US.

 

[halsey02]

All big organisations work with travel coordinators who can get a person back within 24 hrs. As this is a serious matter, the return would be organised by SMRT even though it was private holiday. Airlines reserve seats for these things. Ask anyone in senior management. I am sure he has got at least 2 PAs and they are not there to tend to the coffee machine. Airlines will even bump passengers based on company spend and pay the bumped passengers handsomely. All these are not additional expanses.

Travel coordination firms at the time of tender must have the ability to have round the clock stand by seats that they will give away 12 hrs before departur.

Secondly he should have been back latest Tuesday afternoon. Its the US, not a remote Island.

He should have held a press conference at the airport on arrival. To apologise to commuters and to address the nation that it being treated seriously. Its a golden opportunity to capitalise on a bad situation.

Instead he goes to the Dorm and does a Mother Theresa - Inspirational, my arse. Poor Leadership yes.

or could have got a spare Airbus 380 or a Charlie from RSAF, surely they have spares parked somewhere in the SINgapore base there..ha ha ha he should have gone to the dorm in his uniform & show them his medals...they will have to stand & salute him, that will be a better effect..

they are big shots..till now, not even an apology for the commuters...never they say sorry! sad to say this! :p

 

[Confuseous]

hahaha.....typical no brainer herd instincts.....
olam ceo's personal fortunes is closely tied to the the company....
u are talking about billions of dollars......affecting your own pockets.
comparing without the slightest understanding of each situation is typical behaviour of the vocal majority in this forum.......lol.

The issue here is leadership. Yes, the Olam fella may have his personal fortunes tied up but one does expect the top guy to return and face the matter. It is not a head of department who went away on holiday. For that matter even if he is making only $200k a year, he should have returned, let alone about $200k a month.
Gross irresponsibility.