Allegations that a Chinese man had manipulated an 87-year-old Singaporean widow to give him control over her fortune have sparked outrage in the city-state, where anti-immigrant sentiment is running high.
In the growing light of terrorism all over the world, this episode is a sordid reminder that we should not take national and immigration security lightly. There must be flaws or loopholes in the rules governing Singapore’s immigration policies that require thorough scrutiny, not just on ground border security.
The Singapore government has always said that they are one of the best in the world, with them running the country and managing every department, it shall be foolproof and foolish for anyone to try and breach the system. Yang Yin has managed to breach every security mechanism with ease, with a carefully planned scheme that puts many infiltration experts to shame, only to be put down by his own mistakes of not being sufficiently covered or making an effort to hide his activities. If Yang Yin was not just a conman but an ISIS or Al Qaeda member, there would be serious national security concerns that would put the security dragnet in doubt. Given the rights granted to PRs in Singapore, shouldn’t there be a transparent, objective and standardized means of obtaining PR status? How is it that someone like Yang Yin has managed to infiltrate even the PAP run organizations through the PA and grassroots activities and even get an MP to write him a letter of recommendation?
Yang Yin has done something many foreign subversive elements probably would aim to do – infiltrate a country’s security dragnet for ulterior motives.
What does national security really mean to the government? It needs to clarify this further, and Singaporeans have the right to know. National security concerns do not only relate to war, terrorism, riots and unrest, it also relates to social and environmental security apart from the traditional norms of its definition. Foreigners, or anyone for that matter, with malicious intent, fall into this category much more than a film about Singapore made by Singaporeans discussing topics about Singapore’s past.
It is ironic that while the government was so determined on banning a film out of “national security” concerns, a real breach of national security was being carried out right under its nose. Singaporeans have the right to question their government over the breaches that have occurred and as usual there will be a deafening silence from them for this embarrassment.
Anonymous