I read with disbelief the reasons given by Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH) for firing its outspoken employee Roy Ngerng.
According to its media statement, Roy’s “supervisors found that he was misusing TTSH time and resources to pursue personal and non-job-related interests”.
OK, so which TTSH rank and file employee has never used TTSH time and resources to pursue personal and non-job-related interests, keechiu! Hmm…nobody. At least I know you all have integrity. What about TTSH CEO, key management personnel and yes, the supervisor tasked to monitor Roy? Unless all of them can swear under oath that they have never misused TTSH resources even once, TTSH seems to be practicing double standard – one set of rules for Roy and another for the rest of its staff.
Ordinary Singaporeans are likely to snigger at TTSH’s statement and comment that TTSH only knows how to TCSS.
And TCSS it did when it says “Mr Ngerng’s recent public actions and conduct have caused the hospital grave concern”. Can Roy cause the hospital to go to its grave? Why the sudden elevation to VVIP status when Roy is an ordinary employee on a one year contract?
What an employee does outside working hours is none of TTSH’s business. In fact, TTSH should have been proud of Roy for effectively highlighting a chronic issue which the government had refused to acknowledge. Roy singlehandedly did the work of our 87 elected MPs and made the government realise that our CPF system will need more than tweaks.
It wasn’t necessary to detail Roy’s law suit but TTSH went ahead with character assassination by devoting 3 chapters to this in its media statement. Not unlike its political masters, TTSH also engages in bullying tactics.
TTSH claims that Roy’s public conduct is contrary to the “the high standard of integrity required of the hospital’s employees to maintain the trust which is vital between the hospital and the public”.
Roy is not holding the post of CEO nor is he even in senior management position! In fact, most knew Roy was a healthcare worker but did not know he was an employee of TTSH! They say talk is cheap so it would be better for TTSH to reveal the names and number of members of the public who have lost trust in TTSH as a result of Roy’s actions.
Character assassination appears to be the sole objective of TTSH’s media statement. Public servants should not continue to take Singaporeans for a ride because we can see through the bullying tactics. Clearly. So TTSH, please don’t TCSS (Talk Cock Sing Song).
Phillip Ang
*The writer blogs at http://likedatosocanmeh.wordpress.com/