How the tax payers' monies are mis-spent

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Public accounts watchdog calls for strengthening grants governance​

Technology such as data analytics and artificial intelligence can be used to detect fraud, the Public Accounts Committee suggested in its latest report.


Jan 21, 2025

SINGAPORE – Lapses in the management of grants continue to be a recurring finding in the yearly audit of ministries and agencies, said Parliament’s public accounts watchdog, as it called for more to be done to strengthen the administration and disbursement of grants.

Technology such as data analytics and artificial intelligence can be used to detect fraud, the Public Accounts Committee suggested in its latest report released on Jan 21.

It also emphasised the importance of coordination and risk assessment when designing grant schemes to ensure a balance between controls and responsiveness.

The committee, which comprises eight MPs, is tasked with scrutinising how public funds are spent, and tracks what government agencies have done to correct irregularities in using the funds.

To this end, it reviewed the Auditor-General’s report for the 2023-2024 financial year, focusing on weaknesses in procurement and contract management, as well as lapses in the management of parenthood support grants at the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) and Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA).

It also looked at three broader issues that could have an impact on spending, financial governance and controls in the public sector: grants management, social spending on seniors, and the resilience and recovery capability of government IT and digital systems.

In the course of its inquiry, the committee received written replies from eight ministries – the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Finance (MOF), Ministry of Health (MOH), Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of National Development, MSF, Ministry of Trade and Industry – and the Smart Nation Group (SNG), which comes under the Ministry of Digital Development and Information.

It also held four meetings and heard oral representations by the permanent secretaries from MOF, MOH and SNG.

On the issue of grants management, the committee said given that government spending on grants is likely to increase in the future, it is crucial to improve grants governance at the whole-of-government level.


MOF informed the committee that it is not possible to prevent and detect all grant fraud, lapses and abuse due to the volume and complexity of grants given out, human error, and the changing modus operandi of fraudsters.

The ministry also said there are trade-offs between speed of disbursement, controls and costs.

MOF added that there is no need to withhold funding for new schemes, as the overall system was functioning well and there were no systemic issues.

To improve governance, the ministry said it implemented a grants governance framework in 2020 that provides a consistent set of guidelines to agencies that are giving out grants.

In addition, it has developed a fraud risk management checklist together with the Commercial Affairs Department, that agencies can use to assess risks and detect fraud and abuse of grants. It also worked with the Government Technology Agency to develop network analytics that agencies can use to perform due diligence checks.

West Coast GRC MP Foo Mee Har, who chairs the committee, said in a statement: “We note MOF’s assurance that the overall system is functioning well, with no systemic issues.

“Nevertheless, the Government should continue to strengthen grant administration and leverage data analytics and technology to enhance fraud detection capabilities.”

On social spending on seniors, the committee noted that $7.4 billion was spent on senior-specific schemes from financial years 2020 to 2023.

It urged the Government to continuously assess the schemes to ensure that funds are accurately disbursed and reach the intended recipients, and that desired outcomes are achieved.

On the resilience of government IT and digital systems, the committee raised concerns about the increased occurrences of cyber attacks globally. It added that as Singapore progresses in its digitalisation efforts, it has become even more crucial that government data and technology infrastructure are resilient against cyber attacks, and agencies have service recovery and business continuity plans in place.

The committee also urged the Government to take measures to keep citizens safe in the digital world, and ensure access to government services for those who are less digital-savvy, such as seniors.

In its review of the Auditor-General’s report, the committee called for stronger oversight over projects outsourced to outside consultants and contractors.

It added that agencies need to be held accountable to ensure that services are delivered and payments are made only for work done.

The committee had also looked at the thematic audit on parenthood support measures that the Auditor-General’s Office (AGO) had flagged.

The measures were administered by MSF and ECDA, and some $4.55 billion was disbursed under these schemes during the audit period from April 2021 to end-June 2023.

The AGO had found that there was a misuse of government-paid parental leave and withdrawals from the Child Development Account to buy unapproved items, including adult-size sunglasses.

The committee said MSF is enhancing its fraud detection capabilities, and will automatically route claims with irregularities for manual verification. Legislative changes are also expected by June 2025 to address fraud and abuse of the leave system.

In addition, the committee said MSF has lodged a police report against three of the 32 individuals deemed to have highly suspicious claim behaviour. For the remaining cases, MSF has requested further supporting documents from employers, and will recover overpayments if any.

On the lapses and weaknesses highlighted by the AGO, Ms Foo said: “It is important for agencies to examine and understand the underlying root causes, so that effective action plans are developed and implemented to prevent recurrence.

“The committee noted that there continues to be common lapses observed across different agencies. For such areas, it would be important for central agencies to consider the systemic improvements that should be implemented at the central level.”

 

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NUS book-dumping incident: Students also told to destroy DVDs of classic films​

The Yale-NUS College Library is said to have a collection of around 1,600 to 2,000 DVDs, and more than 100 discs were allegedly destroyed.

May 27, 2025

SINGAPORE – Student associates working at the Yale-NUS College Library were told by staff to destroy more than 100 DVDs in April, weeks leading up to the college’s closure.

One student associate who requested anonymity said she “felt very pained and sad” when she was asked to destroy the DVDs on April 24 and 25. She told The Straits Times she was given verbal instructions to use a penknife to make four deep cuts on every disc to ensure they could not be read.

Most of the DVDs she was tasked to destroy were films, including DVDs from The Criterion Collection, an American company that restores and distributes important classic and contemporary films. Criterion issues are coveted and collected by film buffs because they are usually packaged with extra material such as director interviews and critical essays.

She said: “A lot of them were still in good condition and they could have definitely found a new home. I wasn’t very comfortable with the scratching task too.”

Another student associate said she was given a cart of at least a hundred DVDs in early April and was tasked to scratch them with a penknife. She said: “I was a bit fed up about the whole thing, to be honest, and was very reluctant to contribute my time to these efforts.”

Associate Professor Natalie Pang, university librarian at National University of Singapore (NUS), told ST: “The rehoming of audiovisual collections is subject to different considerations from that of books. Audiovisual materials are governed by licensing and copyright regulations, which restrict redistribution. We have integrated the DVDs we need into our collection. The DVDs which we were unable to rehome were those which could not be redistributed.”

She did not comment on how many DVDs were destroyed.


A student associate who worked at the Yale-NUS College Library shared a photograph she took of the scratches she was instructed to make on DVDs with a penknife.

PHOTO: ST READER

Associate Professor Andrew Hui, founding faculty member at Yale-NUS College, told ST it was “gut-wrenching” to hear about the order to scratch the DVDs. In 2012, the literature professor had personally requested films in the Criterion Collection to be made available in the library as academic resources.

He said: “As streaming platforms are notoriously unstable, licensing rights shift and digital catalogues are curated by commercial algorithms rather than scholarly values, physical media ensures long-term access to films that shape our collective memory.”


Prof Hui, who was also head of studies for literature at Yale-NUS, called the move “a slow-motion act of cultural amnesia”. “In a century where the past can vanish with a click, to destroy them – and to order undergraduates to do so (when they should be watching and learning from them) – is, for a humanist like me, a tiny but terrible act against art.”

A former Yale-NUS librarian, who spoke to ST on condition of anonymity, estimated that the library had a collection of around 1,600 to 2,000 DVDs.

This revelation comes after NUS apologised on May 21 for an “operational lapse” which led to the destruction of 500 physical books.

NUS had originally planned to dispose of 9,000 books, but halted the process for the remaining 8,500 books

after photos and videos of employees from a recycling company loading books onto a truck circulated online on May 20

. It drew sharp criticism from alumni and members of the public who called the disposal wasteful and distressing.

Photos and videos of a recycling company loading the books onto a truck on May 20 were shared on social media, drawing criticism from alumni who called the disposal wasteful and distressing.

PHOTO: COURTESY OF MS LEE JIAYING

NUS will now be organising a giveaway on campus for the remaining 8,500 books from May 28 to June 9.

Speaking to the media on May 21, Prof Pang said the university will introduce a

new process for excess books

. Under the new process, NUS will reach out “more extensively” to faculty and other academic libraries, and will hold book adoption fairs for its students and alumni, as well as the public.


The incident comes after the final weeks of Yale-NUS College’s existence, as its last cohort graduated on May 14. The liberal arts institution, founded in 2011 through a partnership between Yale University and NUS, is being closed following an announcement in 2021 of its merger with NUS’ University Scholars Programme.

 

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NUS apologises for ‘operational lapse’ in disposal of Yale-NUS library books, promises review​

Photos and videos of a recycling company loading the books onto a truck on May 20 were shared on social media, drawing criticism from alumni who called the disposal wasteful and distressing.

May 21, 2025

SINGAPORE - The National University of Singapore (NUS) has apologised for not offering excess Yale-NUS College library books to students before they were sent for disposal, calling it an “operational lapse”.

In a statement on May 21 – a day after photos and videos of employees from a recycling company loading bags of books onto a truck were circulated – NUS university librarian Natalie Pang said the excess books were offered only to faculty members, and not students. The statement did not mention if any, or how many, of the books disposed on May 20 were saved.

“We understand later that many students are interested in having these books, and we would have usually acceded to their requests,” Associate Professor Pang said.

“We did not do so on this occasion and we apologise for the operational lapse.”

She added that the majority of the books from the Yale-NUS College library have been rehomed within NUS libraries. The Straits Times has asked for the number of these books.

Prof Pang said that to maintain the university’s library collection, excess books are “routinely rehomed” in other libraries or given away to faculty and students on certain occasions. “Books which are not taken up are then sent for recycling, in line with common library practices,” she said.

“In view of the strong interest from students, we are now organising a giveaway on campus so that the excess books can find a new home,” she said. ST understands that there are about 8,500 remaining books.

“Going forward, we are reviewing our process and will take proactive steps to distribute excess books to the NUS community and the wider public so that they can benefit as many people as possible,” Prof Pang added.

A former senior Yale-NUS librarian, who wanted to remain anonymous, told ST that the library’s collection size is estimated to be between 40,000 and 45,000.


Photos and videos of employees from a recycling company loading the books onto a truck on May 20 had circulated among Yale-NUS alumni and were later shared on social media, drawing sharp criticism from alumni who called the disposal wasteful and distressing.

The books, tightly packed in translucent white plastic bags, were seen stacked in large quantities along the pavement at the drop-off point of the college, located next to NUS’ University Town in Kent Ridge.

The incident drew questions and concern from alumni over what they saw as a waste of academic resources.

It also prompted a petition on Change.org, addressed to NUS leadership, stating that the “immediate priority is to support the retrieval of as many books marked for this round of disposal, and prevent future instances of similar wastage”.

Piles of plastic bags containing books were spotted outside the Yale-NUS College library on May 20, prompting questions and concern from alumni.

PHOTO: ST READER

Alumni have asked for clarity on the number and financial value of the books that were disposed, and how many were successfully retrieved, as well as whether alternative methods of disposal were considered.

They have also asked who were consulted prior to the decision to dispose the books, and about standard operational procedures to ensure proper handling and disposal of academic resources, plus measures to prevent similar occurrences in the future.


“We express deep concern over the planned disposal of a significant number of academic materials that were in good condition,” the petition said.

“While efforts may be under way to retrieve these materials, the initial intent to dispose of them raises serious questions on the responsible use of money and resources, NUS’ commitment to sustainability, and the value placed on academic texts that have supported past students and may continue to benefit present students of NUS.”

As at 11am on May 21, the petition had close to 600 signatures.

One Yale-NUS alumnus, who requested full anonymity, called Asia Recycling on the morning of May 21. He said the books are likely to have been already destroyed.

According to the alumnus, the employee of the recycling company said he had tried checking with Green Orange Enviro, the company that took the bags of books from Yale-NUS, because students had called him to check on the books.

The alumnus added that NUS did reach out to the recycling company to try to get the books back, but it was too late.

 

[True Believer]

Many of us have seen overhead bridges and other public projects constructed, then dismantled to make way for some other structure, before being deemed necessary again, and erected within a short span of a few years. This shows poor coordination between different govt bodies, and an utter waste of taxpayers' money.