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Source:
www.gov.sg |
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ROUNDING-UP SPEECH BY MINISTER
FOR HEALTH, MR KHAW BOON WAN ON THE NATIONAL KIDNEY FOUNDATION,
21JULY 2005 AT PARLIAMENT SITTING |
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An Excerpt |
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"All Members have called for a full and
thorough investigation. As Dr Amy Khor put it, many questions remain
unanswered and public unrest should be addressed. We certainly intend to
do so. |
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"Dr Khor suggested that a committee of
inquiry be convened to look into the matter. The Commissioner of
Charities has the powers to initiate such investigations. But due
process must be observed. The Commissioner must first establish clear
evidence of wrongdoing, which includes getting the charity¡¯s side of the
story. |
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"At the end of the day, it is the substance
of the investigations that matters, and not the form, whether it is
called a commission of inquiry, an investigation or independent audit.
We are all committed to finding answers to the many questions raised by
Singaporeans and getting to the bottom of this matter. That is what
counts. |
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"The new Board has appointed KPMG to do
an independent review. Let us give them time to work on this
thoroughly, away from the public glare and emotions, so that assessment
can be made objectively and calmly. All the questions that I asked in my
statement yesterday will be addressed. Their findings will be made
public. |
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"The various Government agencies are
comfortable at this point to have the new Board lead the investigation
into past practices. Knowing them, I know they will get to the bottom of
the issues. Precisely because of the high standing and reputations of
the individuals serving on the Board, this House and the public can feel
confident that their review will be full, thorough and that sound
judgement will be applied. |
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"In the course of the review, if it is
found that laws have been broken, the relevant authorities will
certainly step in. I fully agree with Mr Tan Soo Khoon that any
wrong-doers must face the law. If there has been any criminal act, the
law will take its course. If there have been poor judgements, they will
be acknowledged. If there are systemic flaws, they will be fixed. |
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"As I said on July 14, I do not condone
fraudulent practices. But we cannot conclude, a priori, that there were
criminal acts on the basis of what has been published to date. We are a
law-based society. Let us follow the due process. |
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"Let us also try to look at this issue from
the perspective of Mr Durai¡¯s family. His daughter emailed the Prime
Minister. Let me quote a few lines from her email. She is a young
student in JC but very mature for her age. She wrote: ¡°I was adversely
affected by this fiasco¡±. She added: ¡°Since I was young, my father had
very little time to spend with us¡I always asked myself why my father
had no time for us. Were we less important to him than his patients? Was
his work more important than us?¡± |
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"She went on to ask the PM: ¡°after the
review by the new board, you will help him to restore his reputation and
honour¡±, if no wrong doings were found? |
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"From the media report on the man, Mr Durai
looks to me to be an arrogant man. His achievements are real and
significant. But may be the ego and arrogance went to his head, leading
to poor judgement and insensitivity. |
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"I think there are lessons for us here. No
matter how great our achievements are, we live for others. Look at the
late Mr Hon Sui Sen. There was no ego in the man. He completely
personified humility. Likewise the late President Wee Kim Wee and hence
the huge outpouring of emotions at his funeral. President SR Nathan is
another such humble man who has done great for society, but remains his
past self. |
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"I scanned through the local media today. I
could not help noticing the different spin the Straits Times put to the
MPs¡¯ speeches yesterday, compared to all the other local media, like
TODAY and ZaoBao. Let us hope arrogance has not also gone to the head of
the victor in the Court case." |
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Full Text of Speech |
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Source:
www.gov.sg Press Release 21 Jul 2005 |
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