Civil Servant Elites Out In Full Force To Defend Tan Yong Soon

They have to...because they're all alike. It gives you a good picture of how many Tan Yong Soon clones are there.

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To protect their golden rice bowl and 6-figure monthly salaries, Tan Yong Soon's fellow civil service elites were out in full force to defend him after he was rapped in parliament. Check out the comments from these civil service elites and you tell me what empathy they have for the common people.


http://www.todayonline.com/articles/297965.asp

Empathy in cyberspace the day after Zul Othman zul@mediacorp.com.sg


MR TAN Yong Soon’s five-week family cooking holiday to Paris continues to attract criticism in cyberspace, but yesterday, voices empathising with the Permanent Secretary of the Environment and Water Resources Ministry also started to surface on various blogs and online forums.

“Has everyone who hit out at him read his article thoroughly? Did he emphasise what he paid or did he emphasise the high discipline, commitment and pain demanded by the cooking course, including strict 100-per-cent attendance ungodly starting times and long hours?” wrote blogger auntielucia at onsingaporegirl.wordpress.com.

In his travelogue, published in The Straits Times,Mr Tan did not mention the cost of the course at the famed Le Cordon Bleu culinary school, which his family attended. .
That information appeared to be sourced by the newspaper from Le Cordon Bleu’s website.

On the newspaper’s own website, one netizen wondered if the newspaper had given him “the rope to hang himself with”.

“Just because he used his hard-earned money – which happens to be a substantial amount to ordinary citizens – does not make him out to be insensitive. Henceforth, people will think twice before sharing their life with others. Is this what we want?” asked Bartholomew1.

Another netizen Tania wrote on her online diary lostlessness.blogspot.com: “Does this mean that in bad times like this... we all have to pretend to live like paupers just because we don’t want our families and friends to think we are insensitive?”

On Monday, Defence Minister Teo Chee Hean – who is also the Minister in charge of the Civil Service – said senior civil servants should conduct themselves “appropriately and sensitively”, especially in a time of economic downturn. Mr Peter Ho, head of the Civil Service, also responded to media queries to say that Mr Tan’s actions were a “setback” that could “undermine the confidence and trust essential for us to do a good job”. .
Netizens, who claimed to know Mr Tan personally, had gone to school with him or had worked with him in the civil service, have also voiced support for Mr Tan.

“I know Yong Soon personally... I can confirm that Yong Soon is not the boastful type. Actually quite humble. But in today’s financial climate, would be better off not talking about his holidays and cooking class.” said one netizen.

Another posted: “I have worked with Tan Yong Soon whom I think - and I’m not alone - is an exceptional civil servant in that he is open, ready to engage people.. He is also an inspiring boss.. and it was much easier to have an open dialogue with him... I hope this recent storm in a teacup won’t change this.”