'Billionaire class' is protected: RDU's Ravi Philemon slams Tommy Koh's support for Ong Beng Seng
Opposition politician Ravi Philemon has slammed veteran diplomat Tommy Koh's defence of property tycoon Ong Beng Seng.
In a strongly worded 1,500-word Facebook post, Mr Philemon, who is secretary-general of Red Dot United, argued that Prof Koh's remarks reflected what he sees as unequal treatment between different segments of society. He claimed there is a "tilt" towards protecting "the billionaire class", and a corresponding "tilt against" the "working class".
In a Facebook post on Nov 12, Prof Koh criticised media coverage of Ong and called him "a good man", drawing much dissent from netizens.
Mr Philemon highlighted comments from social media, which he felt reflected popular opinion.
One of them said: "No one is saying Ong Beng Seng never did good things. We are saying good men do not bribe ministers and obstruct justice. If your definition of 'good' changes once someone is rich and useful to the system, then the problem is not just Ong. The problem is what you are willing to excuse."
Mr Philemon also called on the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) to explain why Ong's PR was not revoked.
"Right now, all we have is a general framework of factors and a line about monitoring his future conduct. No specific reasons for this case, no detailed explanation. If accountability is real, then the public deserves more than a template answer," he said.
Ong was fined $30,000 on Aug 15 after he pleaded guilty to one charge of abetting the obstruction of justice in a case linked to former Transport Minister S. Iswaran. Another charge, related to abetting Iswaran in obtaining gifts, was taken into consideration for sentencing.
Ong, a Malaysian citizen, retained his Singapore permanent resident status but was "issued a letter of warning to put him on notice that any future adverse conduct will render him liable for revocation of his PR status", ICA told The Straits Times.
