Weapons of Asset Destruction

Howe Yoon Chong (Chinese: 侯永昌;pinyin: Hóu Yǒngchāng) had a very brief sojourn as a minister in the cabinet (1979 to 1984) after an illustrious career history as CEO of the Housing and Development Board (HDB), Chairman of the Port of Singapore Authority (PSA), and Head of the Singapore Civil Service. Some attribute his abbreviated appointment to his controversial proposal in 1984 to raise the age for the withdrawal of Central Provident Fund (CPF) savings from 55 to 60 years. Under pressure from public ire, that part of the 54-page report of the Committee on the Problems of the Aged which he chaired was eventually dropped. Some blamed him for the controversial report, the loss of 12% of the overall votes in the 1984 election, and Chiam See Tong's vindication at Potong Pasir (Howe had dismissed the opposition candidates, including independent Chiam See Tong, as "court jesters" who had come out "to provide comic relief").

Urban legend has it that his acid tongue did not spare his political supporters. Looking at the grassroots leaders across the table in their eyes, he is rumoured to have castigated them, "I know why you are here", or words to that effect. Quite obviously, Action Information Management (A.I.M.) was not the first $2 company.

Demonstrating a kinder approach to her own cheer team, Intan Azura Mokhtar (Ang Mo Kio GRC MP) said yesterday, "The grassroots leaders... a lot of them are doing very good work but they don’t get time in the media." She was making reference to one who did make the headlines, Chinese national and Singapore permanent resident Yang Yin, who is accused of taking advantage of a retired physiotherapist diagnosed with dementia earlier this year. The niece of the elderly victim is applying to the court to suspend the Lasting Power of Attorney which has given Yang, self-styled professional music and dance teacher, control over her 87-year-old aunt’s assets.

Agence France-Presse (AFP) in Singapore quoted the South China Morning Post (SCMP) print edition in reporting that the court room drama unfolding will be reminiscent of the tussle between the estate of the late Nina Wang and self-styled fung shui practitioner Tony (now Peter) Chan Chun-chuen. Chan, who had claimed to be the sole beneficiary of her HK$100 billion fortune, was finally convicted of forging a will and sentenced to 12 years in jail.

Yang's instrument of choice was the Mental Capacity Act (“MCA”) which came into operation on 1 March 2010. This superseded the Mental Disorders and Treatment Act (“MDTA”), which had requirement that only a Committee of the Persons or Estate appointed by the Court may manage the personal welfare and finances of an individual of “unsound mind”. MCA supposedly sets out safeguards to protect vulnerable members of our society, such as the abuse of the new statutory document known as the Lasting Power of Attorney (“LPA”). It's perfectly legal, and the weapons are provided by the sitting parliament currently debating the use of handphones in moving vehicles.

Intan: He came to help out during grassroots events…