Well this white horse is a bit blockheaded - not foreseeing that this episode will undeniably bring much negative attention to him. Sure it's not uncommon for you to come across duty officers to behave less dutiful than others, but it should be the current duty officer's responsibility to stay until the next duty officer has officially taken over Was there a handing-over taking-over duty form? If so, why did he choose to leave before the taking-over officer signed the same form? Did he call the OC that gave the "go-ahead" to leave early and confirm? It didn't seem like this was the case - so why didn't he?

I have had colleagues that were not at all punctual when they take over duty from me. I just make them buy breakfast, not write a letter to higher authority and jump the chain of command - this is the first thing I was verbally taught as a recruit, and also the first thing I teach my recruits within the first week of their enlistment. This situation was poorly handled, but he writes a good letter.

haha...

need to write so bloody long jus becos you are PM's son issit?

No need to 'hao lian' u are the PM's son by creating such a hoo-ha lah...

Trackback from Singapore Angle: From Consumers to Citizens?:

Reading the public response to the Li Hongyi's incident-From Consumers to Citizens?...

This white horse has brains, which is more than I can say for your coloured views.

Trackback from My vineyards told me:

But my vineyards, which had been mumbling and not being really clear recently, told me why LTA X AWOL’d....

Current assessments of the Li Hongyi incident are limited by several factors. Most notably, we have only heard Li's side of the story, together with the official response from the army.

Without a response from the senior officers involved, it is difficult to decide exactly what motivated Li's mass email.

The most positive gloss of course is the one offered here: that Li was casting aside indifference to make a stand for the good of the country, willing to bear the consequences for doing so.

On the other end of the spectrum, the incident could be interpreted as a case of hubris, except of course one where the retribution does in fact turn out to be minimal.

Without fuller information on the individuals involved, we're left only with speculation.

Now if only there was a independent free press willing and able to investigate the matter...But perhaps that will have to wait till Li Hongyi decides that it is something he has a right to demand.

I'm sure he has his grandfather's email address.

There is a proper way of lodging a complain or redress that is to go through the "proper channel". If there's no action taken by the immediate superior there is always another rank above him. If all soldiers acted like 2Lt Hongyi then i assume the Minister of Defence mailbox will always be full with nothing else but complain letters.

No doubt what 2Lt Hongyi did was right but he tackle the problem in a wrong way.

it seems to me that this whole Hongyi vs SAF saga is a double-edged sword. Certainly, a person of Li's age would have consult someone... at least SOMEONE before taking the courageous move to forward his letter to the pratically everyone is SAF. If he didn't consult anyone which I doubt so...( i mean you face dissatisfaction at work - you go home. Over at the dinner table of course you'll be sharing your problems with your family members) then he's playing his father's political card against SAF.

Like I've said a double edged sword - you cant disagree with him or either agree with his actions. Why did he have to forward the letters to servicemen too (eg. clerk, storeman) whom are not directly under his supervision? Why can't he contained the email to the intended recipients only?

Knowing that what the internet could do, especially this one, being forwarded to the whole world...

Whatever happens in the ARMY stays in the ARMY. Officers gone AWOL during duties is a classified matters that should be dealt with within SAF and should not be broadcast out!

Trackback from Mindef explains its decisions over Li Hongyi affair:

Everyone can see with their own eyes that Mindef is trying to be partial… but I guess people are more concerned with… who is the world is LTA X?...

wow. this blog page contains the very essence of what the Lees are deemed to be by most if not all of the pple of SGP.
Does HongYi deserve to be in OCS in the first place? Yes! ALL the males kids of MPs in SGP WILL go to OCS AND graduate whether you like it or not. That is not to say that opposition MPS will be left out - Jeyaratnam's son also got his commissioning - all through hard work.
I think enuf is enuf

Trackback from Sink-A-Poor:

"I HATE YEW!"...

I think perhaps, i have another view, the people already know what happens in the SAF, comon, we all have to serve, however, perhaps this could be part of a long term agenda, for instance, didnt his father, the current PM, serve as a 'brigadier general' i use that term in inverted commas, since he's currently the world record holder for a general without combat experience.
now would people look back when his son is up for elections and thing 'hey isnt that the guy who blew the whiste, etc etc?

long term propaganda is what i think it is, if anyone else did that, it would be instantly covered up and made to disappear....

now i wonder who is going to be the PAP front man in a couple of years?

think about that. you may support him now for his 'valiant actions' but for all you know, it may be a ruse, the news media in singapore is known to be an agent of the government, giving props to the current ruling party for years, and showing the opposition in a poor light.
in this country of not so free press and lack of civil liberties, perhaps we are just all part of a long term plan to keep the lee family in power for years to come.

Trackback from 2Lt Li and the order of the SAF:

Read about the Internet Buzz over PM Lee’s son, and do you think it’s fair for PM Lee’s son to be punished?...

If this stunt is pull by another other officers in the SAF, this could easily caused the career in SAF or even the officership if the sentence was to go into DB, but it is because the letter was churned out by the PM's son and stuff that it became 'recognised' instead of ignored. Anyone one who had faced a similar situation in their unit who had knew that the whistleblowers would normally get punished for not following the chain of command. Agreed that hongyi had been summary trial, but reprimanded sounds light enough considering what type of punishment that those who had done it before had gotten.

Trackback from I Hope:

It amazed me how careless and reckless some of our SAF officers are and was prompted to cast some doubt on them holding up the plots of our nation's defence....

There is little incentive for comfort women to defend a brothel
-
`The centre wants to clear up one misconception that has long dogged it: It does not sell the blood it collects` July 15 2007

Trackback from laichungmunss:

my key suspect is who was the awol officer that 2lt reported on ? is he also a son of a big shot elite ? at least i know 2lt li didn't support elite cronysium....

Trackback from E-mail by Singapore PM’s son backfires:

By John Burton in Singapore

The case involving Li Hongyi has served as a lightning rod for criticism on the internet of his family’s political power....

We are the unfortunates, lead by the useless, to do the impossible.
Finally, we see a brash young officer who behaves the way all the useless officers should behave and sticking his finger into their cosy asses.

Way to go, hongyi.

Trackback from The PM Lee's Son's Email:

I think my PC came in a little late as he 'appeared' only slightly before 9am. The look on his face when he 'strolled' along the corridor after booking in and to find us all standing in the parade square fully armed... priceless.... hahahaha......

Trackback from PM’s son’s email saga a heartening development for Singapore:

Firstly, the fact that the son of the prime minister got charged for contravening a relatively minor military General Order shows that not even a “white horse” (the son of a VIP) is immune from punishment for wrongdoing. ...

Trackback from Maverick sons:

The young sons of Hsien Loong appear to be quite independent minded. They are willing to speak up, quite different from many Singaporeans who simply toe the official line....

Trackback from LEE gong si mi??? [ What did you say? ]:

HMM. I'm not very sure if 2LT LEE has considered the consequences for his actions. At this age, I know many boys are still rash and impulsive. But I'd assume a person of his heritage and IQ would have prepared him...

Trackback from The Prime Minister’s son - Li Hong Yi:

Bloggers are blogging about Prime Minister’s son, Li Hong Yi’s email. Here are the links to some of these blogs. Li Hong Yi was awarded the Lee Kuan Yew Award for Math &Science in August 2006...

Trackback from A WHITE HORSE REINED IN:

Regardless of who he is, though, what Li Hongyi has done is a resonant indication of his attitude about who he is and what he is doing. ...

Trackback from The Lone Tree Hill Incident at Lim Chu Kang:

It was a night in March 1996, my battalion was carrying out a routine exercise in Lim Chu Kang in preparation for the battalion proficiency test. My company was two months away from ORD, and that test would be our last exercise....

He has a point in his argument. As a matter of fact, covering up among regulars is a common and ugly practice in SAF. Think most Sgreans who been thru NS knows tt. However i feel that his letter sounds more personal than being objective. Can't blame him. Guess he was really pissed off when he sent out this e mail (judging from the fact that he has forgotten that any small movement by him can be broadcast into headline news in ST.)

Sg does not need another 'alternative' leadership in the making which originates from the family tat dictates the present ruling party in the govt. Could be an attempt to neutralize the support for opposition parties by s'poreans if li hongyi forms his own political party in future.

I remember being told once on the SAF hotline when we complained that we have no rights. Touche.

Trackback from 2LT Lee Sticking it to the Man and the Political Ramifications:

2LT Lee's email diss of the SAF, RESPECT, is great political street cred if he wants to cash it much later if he wants to folow Daddy and Grandaddy's path....

Hello Hongyi, since you have the gut to blow it off, why not take a step further and let the world know about what you think about the whole damm thing and why you do it? Publish it into a book or perhaphs an epic film...mmm maybe it can be on best seller list or win a Grammy...

Trackback from the-double-0-project.net:

...here is a lot of hearsay about the ineffectiveness of things like the SAF hotline and being blacklisted for reporting certain stuff, it’s no surprise that a lot of servicemen face a lot of problems but don’t voice out, due to ignorance and fear....

For me I think he did a fine job of speaking up no matter what family he comes from. Let's put feelings and sentiment aside for a while and think this through. The problem here should be the internal controls in the Armed Forces. Why are there no whistle blowing practices in place for anonymous informants to tell on the misdeeds of their co-workers? For an organisation as big as the Armed Forces, don't you think that there should be more effective internal controls in place? This is an organisation which controls weapons and defence systems and yet has arcane controls and management reporting systems. If a bank in Singapore can have whistle-blowing system in place to detect and prevent money laundering, fraud etc..., why shouldn't an entire army? That is the point that the public and more importantly, the Ministry, should look into.

Trackback from Support Whistle Blowing!:

Stand by Li Hongyi ‘cos what he did was right. All together now - blow your whistles! And blow it loud loud....

Trackback from Mr otaku:

Even if you are politically correct, you’re still deemed wrong because of your insignificant position! He shouldnt have forwarded it lah! Army guys are jackasses who likes to sabo people!...

this whole situation should be remembered not for li hongyi's actions, its implications or the media, mainstream or alternative, it should be remembered for all the bo liao people who sit behind the keyboards, and transforming themselves into expert analysts, conspiracy theorists, private investigators and political punters. suddenly, everyone becomes an expert...

Trackback from journalism.sg - Li Hongyi case: Bloggers force officials' hand this time, but…:

...it would be a mistake for bloggers to get carried away by a misplaced sense of power. Post-internet, Singapore still has the SAF Act and the Official Secrets Act, under which the circulation of Li’s email could quite possibly constitute an offence......

Trackback from To Fix a Mocking Peasant - The Mysterious Aura of Information:

How many muted Li Hongyis could there have been in our silent History? We will never know. ...

Trackback from Did 2LT Li commit an offence under the Official Secrets Act?:

Did 2LT Li commit an offence under the Official Secrets Act? Is this piece of information classified? Does everyone in the email list have security clearance to access this piece of information?...

Trackback from O castitatis Lilium.:

Now even his father cannot save him....

all this could maybe be jus a plot lah...

maybe his cunning grandpa wanted him to send this email... so that people will tink wow Li is such an nice @ss and they will vote for him in future.... Lee Empire will rule SINGAPORE for the 3rd Generation... increase GST, increase regular pay for "integrety", Minister wanted to leave the cabinet becuz they feel ashame to be part of the organization thus we have to increase their pay agn to attract more "elites"....

There seems to be many who are skeptical of the incident as well as regarding its undercurrent motivation. I for one find that the way this has transpired is quite unlike how we have seen the Singapore Political system (ie. PAP) work.

I think the most important thing is that the incident happened, the ripple was felt, and most importantly, the public learnt about it in detail. The 2LT may turn out to be a revolutionary leader who can introduce change from the front, or he can turn out to be yet another copy (lesser quality of course) of his grandfather. But with this incident, we can say that there is at least a chance for an alternative leadership. And for that, I am contented.

Singapore Salutes You, Li Hongyi ! You are the voice of the masses, who would shout and still not be heard. Singaporeans are suckers to the all the unfairness, especially at workplace whereby grievances are swept under by superiors. No use to say anything, cos the boss would tell you to leave if you are not happy. These people at the top have no balls to take action to correct grievances, cos they rather the complainant leave than tackle the root problem. We need courageous people like Hongyi, but sadly there are none who dares to stand up. For who we are, the commoners bear the full force of repraisals that could come upon in many forms. Reprimand for Hongyi (what exactly is the punishment ??????), 7 years DB for others who throws such a feat.

You're one big idiot.

he's doing it to basically for himself, for his future.

think about it...if he's going to be some big shot in the future - which he likely will be - do you think he wants his records to be tainted by such incidents? if he knew something was not right and he didn't sound it out, next time when he made it big, people who remember him in the army will say he last time also closed one eye.

so he die die must make a big hooha out of it.

Not everyone buys your conspiracy theory.

Yes, I know you don't like Lee. Many don't. But don't mix up the fact with your prejudicial point of view. You are just blinded by your biases to see whats going on.

Not true? Then ask yourself if you would be saying the same thing if Li Hong Yi is the son of a bus driver?

The above comment is a complete misrepresentation of what the original post said (14 July 10:33 am).

What "conspiracy theory" is he talking about? I don't see any hint of any conspiracy theory in the original post!

The original post said that Li, being the VIP that he undoubtedly is, would certainly know that when he becomes the future leader, what he does now will be noted and brought up. If he does nothing, people will say PM's son also closed one eye.

"so he die die must make a big hooha out of it." - that is absolutely spot on.

There's no conspiracy theory here, just some solid facts and a bit of wisdom.

And bringing up a comparison with son of a bus driver merely proves that he completely missed the point.

"A conspiracy theory attempts to attribute the ultimate cause of an event or chain of events (usually political, social, or historical events), or the concealment of such causes from public knowledge, to a secret, and often deceptive plot by a covert alliance of powerful or influential people or organizations."

The original poster made guessworks on the motives and attempts to present it as if it is some deceptive plot by Hongyi. Thats fit the definition of conspiracy theory.

Calling imaginary extrapolation of fact based on biased premises "a bit wisdom" is laughable.

"deceptive plot by Hongyi"? Can you please tell me which part of his post painted this picture?

The original poster of the comment above said, "if he knew something was not right and he didn't sound it out, next time when he made it big, people who remember him in the army will say he last time also closed one eye."

There is no deceptive plot by Li here, it is a sensible thing that any of us would do, it's not surprising that Li would do exactly that. Certainly that poster did not imply that Li was deceptive. How on earth did you form such a conclusion?

Let me turn the situation around. Suppose Li knew that something was not right and he didn't sound it out, next time people will remember his lack of action. Do you seriously feel that Li would follow that path and do nothing? How can you call this bias or imaginary extrapolation? It sounds incredibly sensible to me!

Singapore Salutes You, Li Hongyi ! You are the voice of the masses, who would shout and still not be heard. Singaporeans are suckers to the all the unfairness, especially at workplace whereby grievances are swept under by superiors. No use to say anything, cos the boss would tell you to leave if you are not happy. These people at the top have no balls to take action to correct grievances, cos they rather the complainant leave than tackle the root problem. We need courageous people like Hongyi, but sadly there are none who dares to stand up. For who we are, the commoners bear the full force of repraisals that could come upon in many forms. Reprimand for Hongyi (what exactly is the punishment ??????), 7 years DB for others who throws such a feat.

its good to be khiang but not gei khiang.

I am very proud that our PM has such a courageous son not afraid to cut red tapes and bureaucracy in order to bring justice and order to an important but failing organisation. After all these years of frustration we are now begining to see some hope from a promising leader !!! Cheers