By: Phillip Ang
I refer to ST article, “LTA chief executive Chew Men Leong quits; MOT says he will be joining private sector”.
Singaporeans should be more discerning when they read propaganda papers like the ST: No former generals who had served more than 2 decades have joined the real private sector. This is because they do not have the competence and credibility demanded by the private sector.
ST’s definition of ‘private sector’ = government-linked companies or GLCs. GLCs were created using tax dollars and are all controlled by the government through PAP appointed CEOs and their directors. As GLCs are vastly different from non GLCs, a distinction needs to be made. A CEO who performs well in a GLC is also unlikely to be hired to helm a non GLC.
It is unsurprising that Chew has resigned as, under his leadership, our MRT system, and now LRT, has gone from bad to worse.
Another SAF scholar, Chew had a smooth sailing 26-year military career in the navy. In 2011, PAP had decided to reward him with the position of CEO PUB as well as other directorships despite his ZERO relevant experience.
But less than 3 years into the job, PAP appointed Chew to head LTA in December 2014. In less than 2 years as CEO LTA. , Chew now throws in the towel and has decided it would be more worthwhile to be a quitter.
(This will likely turn out to be Chew’s smartest move because he should be aware by now that an MRT system designed for a 4 million population can never be nursed back to health under our mindless immigration/population policy.)
Chew has been speculated to be joining Singapore Technologies group whose board of directors include:
– Chairman Kwa Chong Seng (nephew of LKY’s wife, Kwa Geok Choo)
– CEO and President Tan Pheng Hock (Colombo Plan Scholar with links to numerous GLCs)
– Lieutenant General Perry Lim (no need to explain)
– Ex paper general Ng Chee Kern (same as above)
etc
With directors who are all government-linked and with the government calling the shots, does the ST group even remotely resemble a company in the real private sector?
NO paper general with 2 to 3 decades of military experience will be employed in the real the private sector and paid a similar amount of tax dollars, except in a GLC. Even foreign military companies shun our paper generals for obvious reasons.
Another well known quitter, a household name by now, is ex paper general Ng Yat Chung. Under PAP’s unique model of meri-crony-tocracy, Ng became CEO NOL in 2011. After more than 4 years on the job, it dawned upon CEO Ng that NOL’s ‘premium service’ model should have been discarded years ago. By then, it was too late: NOL was on its way to be delisted and sold to a foreign company.
Ng admitted that NOL was only “a bit slow and reluctant” to change. So Ng decided it would be better for him to join the quitters camp.
Ng should apologise to MP Goh who had been credited with NOL’s past success. Selling Goh’s 48-year old ‘baby’ is confirmation of failure on a magnitude never seen before. Shouldn’t Lau Goh also be lecturing Ng on his unacceptable quitter’s mentality? 
Will a CEO who achieved this set of results be hired by any company in the real private sector?
Paper generals who quit are good at only one thing – value destruction. Why would any private sector company employ these jokers with parachutes?
Whenever a ST headline screams paper generals joining the private sector, rest assured it is a joke. The reasons should be obvious by now.