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SINGAPORE: Corruption routine government businesses
Wednesday, May 9, 2001 - 10:00
BY HARCHAND SINGH
Singapore�s People's Action Party government likes to boast that
it is tough but �clean�. However, this is a myth. Singapore's corporate
life has long being corrupt but few people dare speak out. If you do speak
out about the corruption that links business and the PAP government you
are in deep trouble, and that is what happened to me.
I am a Singaporean and was employed by Semco Salvage and Marine (a Singapore
government-linked corporation) between 1987 and 1998. The main business
of Semco was salvage of marine vessels, heavy lifting of cargo, wreck removal,
diving services, marine transportation and any other marine related work
which required special equipment or personnel. I was also a branch union
official of Semco which was under the banner of Shipbuilding and Marine
Engineering Employee Union (SMEEU) which is a branch of the National Trade
Union Congress (NTUC).
I joined Semco as an operation assistant and was later promoted to port
operations executive. My duties involved the operation, marketing and procurement
of contracts for heavy lift services, diving services, salvage, wreck removals,
mooring services and any other marine related services which required specialized
equipment.
Sometime in 1998 the assistant general manager, Chua Eng Boon, wanted
to sack an employee of the company who was a pilot who, while driving a
boat, had accidentally hit an uncharted high spot. I objected to this and
made an appeal to the general manager who overruled Chua. This made me
unpopular with my immediate boss. But Chua became even more furious when
one of his friends' company, Kim Heng Marine, was not able to secure a
S$120,000 contract that I had negotiated for the company.
The whole process of awarding contracts is corrupt and a 10% kickback
is expected and paid and I soon accumulated evidence of these kickbacks.
The corruption is so routine that some people even faxed their quotes,
complete with the amount of illegal �commission� sought. One of the contracts
that involved a kickback was awarded to an Australian company.
Later that year, Chua became general manager of Semco and he soon began
to threaten and victimise me for carrying out my duties as a union official.
I complained to the union about the threats and the corruption being practised
by the company. When I threatened to expose the corruption in Semco, there
were attempts to frame me for corruption.
I was then made redundant and my health deteriorated. I wrote letters
to the union and also sought assistance from the NTUC legal department
and the union directors, some of whom like Lim Swee Say and Yu Foo were
also PAP MPs. They totally ignored the evidence of corruption rampant in
this government-linked corporation.
I was forced to resign from the company and it was made very difficult
for me to gain any employment in Singapore for two years. Eventually I
left Singapore, taking the documents proving corruption in Semco, correspondence
with the union and PAP MPs. I am determined to expose the corrupt face
of �Singapore Inc� though I will face prosecution if I return to Singapore.
My contact details are ph: 0413 474 265, email: <[email protected]>.
http://www.greenleft.org.au/node/25138
Wednesday, May 9, 2001 - 10:00
BY HARCHAND SINGH
Singapore�s People's Action Party government likes to boast that
it is tough but �clean�. However, this is a myth. Singapore's corporate
life has long being corrupt but few people dare speak out. If you do speak
out about the corruption that links business and the PAP government you
are in deep trouble, and that is what happened to me.
I am a Singaporean and was employed by Semco Salvage and Marine (a Singapore
government-linked corporation) between 1987 and 1998. The main business
of Semco was salvage of marine vessels, heavy lifting of cargo, wreck removal,
diving services, marine transportation and any other marine related work
which required special equipment or personnel. I was also a branch union
official of Semco which was under the banner of Shipbuilding and Marine
Engineering Employee Union (SMEEU) which is a branch of the National Trade
Union Congress (NTUC).
I joined Semco as an operation assistant and was later promoted to port
operations executive. My duties involved the operation, marketing and procurement
of contracts for heavy lift services, diving services, salvage, wreck removals,
mooring services and any other marine related services which required specialized
equipment.
Sometime in 1998 the assistant general manager, Chua Eng Boon, wanted
to sack an employee of the company who was a pilot who, while driving a
boat, had accidentally hit an uncharted high spot. I objected to this and
made an appeal to the general manager who overruled Chua. This made me
unpopular with my immediate boss. But Chua became even more furious when
one of his friends' company, Kim Heng Marine, was not able to secure a
S$120,000 contract that I had negotiated for the company.
The whole process of awarding contracts is corrupt and a 10% kickback
is expected and paid and I soon accumulated evidence of these kickbacks.
The corruption is so routine that some people even faxed their quotes,
complete with the amount of illegal �commission� sought. One of the contracts
that involved a kickback was awarded to an Australian company.
Later that year, Chua became general manager of Semco and he soon began
to threaten and victimise me for carrying out my duties as a union official.
I complained to the union about the threats and the corruption being practised
by the company. When I threatened to expose the corruption in Semco, there
were attempts to frame me for corruption.
I was then made redundant and my health deteriorated. I wrote letters
to the union and also sought assistance from the NTUC legal department
and the union directors, some of whom like Lim Swee Say and Yu Foo were
also PAP MPs. They totally ignored the evidence of corruption rampant in
this government-linked corporation.
I was forced to resign from the company and it was made very difficult
for me to gain any employment in Singapore for two years. Eventually I
left Singapore, taking the documents proving corruption in Semco, correspondence
with the union and PAP MPs. I am determined to expose the corrupt face
of �Singapore Inc� though I will face prosecution if I return to Singapore.
My contact details are ph: 0413 474 265, email: <[email protected]>.
http://www.greenleft.org.au/node/25138
