China plans for the next big disaster

May 30, 2009
China plans for the next big disaster
By Peter J Brown

On the day before the first anniversary of the May 2008 Sichuan earthquake, China's Information Office of the State Council released a white paper entitled, "China's Actions for Disaster Prevention and Reduction". According to the white paper, frequent natural disasters in China and around the world have caused enormous losses of life and property.

"China is one of the countries in the world that suffers the most natural disasters," said the white paper. "Always placing people first, the Chinese government has all along put the security of people's lives and property on the top of its work, and has listed the disaster prevention and reduction in its economic and social development plan as an important guarantee of sustainable development."

In Section II of the white paper - "Strategic Goals and Tasks for Disaster Reduction" - the government clearly stated that one main objective is, "to strengthen the state capacity for emergency rescue and relief work. A coordinated and efficient disaster emergency management system will be built, characterized by unified command, sound coordination, clear division of work and level-by-level control with local authorities playing the main role. This will form, by and large, an emergency relief system covering all aspects."

A formal assessment of China's emergency response and recovery efforts following last year's earthquake was issued in December under the auspices of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) with assistance from the Bangkok-based Asian Disaster Preparedness Center. The ADB report, "People's Republic of China: Providing Emergency Response to Sichuan Earthquake" is much longer - almost 200 pages - and, in many respects, more comprehensive and candid than the Chinese government's official white paper.

To get a complete picture, one must read both the white paper and the ADB report. When it comes to describing the current state of disaster response, mitigation and preparedness in China, the ADB report addresses real world concerns and looming gaps in China's approach to disaster response and emergency management from the national to the provincial, and on down to the grassroots level. Prepared for China's Ministry of Civil Affairs (MCA), it documents numerous deficiencies and organizational problems at all levels.

"There are few established comprehensive training strategies and programs, and coordinated multi-sectoral needs analyses, essential for the development of appropriate curricula and associated training materials, have not been undertaken. There is a lack of standards for disaster risk management training, and there is also no independent monitoring structure for the evaluation of disaster risk management training materials and activities," said the ADB report.

Contrast these observations with the following comments in the government's white paper.

"Classes on disaster emergency management for leading officials at the provincial level and classes on unexpected incidents emergency management for officials at the provincial and ministerial level have been held," said the white paper. "Since 2005, special training in disaster emergency management for civil servants has been actively carried out, which has effectively helped to improve the overall quality and ability of disaster emergency management personnel at various levels in preventing and dealing with natural disasters and other unexpected incidents."

One immediately detects a different tone in the ADB report, and a more direct message that cannot be ignored. The white paper paints a more optimistic picture, while the ADB report simply tries to be more realistic.

"It is vital that the plans are regularly improved and updated, and that drills are carried out to practice and test the plans. Moreover, a number of contingency plans are not practical enough, and there are too many conflicts between them, both vertically and horizontally," the ADB report stated.

According to the ADB report, the official death toll as a result of the Sichuan earthquake - the strongest earthquake in China in nearly 60 years - was 69,227 with 17,923 people missing, and 374,643 people injured. More than 46 million people were affected.
Sadly, lessons learned after the huge Tangshan earthquake of 1976 were never heeded, according to the ADB report.

"Most of the people did not know that an earthquake on this scale could occur in the area; and they did not have knowledge and measures which could be adopted to protect themselves and their families before and during the earthquake," stated the ADB report.
Besides the need for appropriate house and building design and construction practices - the terrible tragedy which cost thousands of young lives resulting from collapsed school buildings last year is a very sad and heated subject unto itself will not be discussed here - some of the other forgotten lessons from the 1976 earthquake which claimed approximately 240,000 lives included the fact that no suitably empowered disaster management agency was established in China, and there were so few properly trained and equipped rescue personnel despite "more than 100,000 troops [who] participated in rescue activities during the disaster".

China has changed a lot since then, however. Whereas China's borders were sealed before and after the Tangshan earthquake struck, in 2008 China was thankful for all the relief supplies that poured in from other countries along with trained rescue personnel and relief workers. China continues to express its gratitude for this aid.

Earth observation satellites operated by European, North American and other space agencies immediately started to gather and share satellite imagery of the impacted zone as part of a broad multinational space mobilization under the International Charter "Space and Major Disasters" which was activated by the National Disaster Reduction Center of China.

China has requested satellite flyovers on various occasions under the Charter since 2005, following massive floods in particular. A request for foreign satellites to survey Chinese territory under any circumstance would have been completely out of the question 32 years ago.

As part of a so-called system for Military Operations Other Than War (MOOTW), the Military Training and Arms Department of the General Staff Headquarters of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) also announced in May the formation of five specialized PLA units which will be ready to respond to floods, earthquakes, chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear incidents, transportation sector-related disasters, and, international peacekeeping and disaster relief activities.

"In general, all of the Chinese armed forces, the PLA active and reserve forces, People's Armed Police Force, and militia, routinely take part in disaster relief operations in China. Disaster relief training has been incorporated in the PLAs official training program since 2002," said Dennis Blasko, author of The Chinese Army Today (Routledge, 2006), and a former US army attache in Beijing and Hong Kong during the 1990s. "The PLA's MOOTW system looks to me like the PLA is trying to codify lessons learned from all their recent experience and organize and train forces to be able to respond more rapidly and effectively in the future."

A total of 19 PLA engineering units have been assigned to flood response duties along all of China's major rivers since 1998, according to Blasko. During last year's relief efforts in Sichuan, active duty PLA forces from all services - army, navy, air force, and second artillery - and from all seven military regions were deployed in Sichuan and surrounding areas with many forces staying several months.

"This massive deployment revealed many shortcomings in the force which China has readily admitted to in the media even as the troops provided important support to the local government," said Blasko. "However, you would be wrong to assume that the PLA somehow dominates China's large-scale emergency management system. The PLA and other elements of the armed forces provide manpower and specialized assistance when requested. At all levels of government, military officials take part in the meetings on local and national security, but they are part of a large group of government and [Communist] Party officials that make these decisions."

China recognized that things had to be improved years ago. An article in the China Daily in January 2007, for example, described the forthcoming National Programs of Comprehensive Disaster Reduction, under the 11th Five-Year Plan (2006-10).

"Unlike the National Disaster Reduction Program of China (1998-2010), which emphasized principles, the new programs focus on information-sharing, coordinating ministry-level disaster prevention efforts, and increasing public awareness of how to respond to disasters." [1]

Still, at a meeting last September attended by the team preparing the ADB report and several representatives from various government agencies and others in Gansu province, local and provincial authorities along with ordinary citizens where everyone was encouraged to share their opinions, one sees that very little progress had been made.

Some attendees, "provided different opinions on the existing [governmental response], and recognized that [it] was not effective enough, particularly in the initial phase after the earthquake occurred. The group recognized that united leadership under the government was crucial, however, the Provincial Committee for Disaster Reduction was not able to fully exercise its important and key roles before, during and after the disaster, as its role is restricted to coordination and it does not have the power that it needs to undertake the broader role," the ADB report stated.

The attendees in Gansu then went on to describe "a series of problems on command, coordination and information dissemination during the disaster response and relief [efforts] ... There was no advanced equipment for disaster emergency response, such as satellite mobile phones, movable command vehicles and rescue tools. This affected relief activities significantly in the critical early stages of the disaster," the ADB report stated.

Another problem is that the individual offices responsible for disaster relief do not in and of themselves have the clout they need, nor are they set up to have it, according to Drew Thompson, director of China Studies at The Nixon Center in Washington, DC. Those offices play a coordinating function and are embedded within the MCA, which is supposed to provide the political clout.

"When a crisis occurs, there is a classification system that designates what level of political leader is in charge in the event of a disaster. That leader brings the clout and is expected to mobilize the different branches of the bureaucracy, which in normal times would exercise a certain degree of independence," said Thompson. "The relationship between the central government and the provinces is very different than the federal government and states [in the US]. In particular, Chinese provinces are, in financial terms, relatively less dependent on the central government compared to the US system. Certainly, central government funds flow to provinces and disaster areas in the event of a crisis, but those are ad hoc arrangements, rather than systematic, long-term budgetary relationships."

Here are just a few of the many recommendations (edited and abridged) that appear in the ADB report:

1. A National Disaster Management Authorized Agency (NDMAA) needs to be established with sufficient power at the national level, and similar emergency management agencies should be established at provincial and local levels. The NDMAA should adopt what is known as an "all hazards" approach under a steering committee composed of relevant ministers chaired by a top leader of the country.

2. Besides a National Disaster Management Operations Center under the NDMAA, a disaster management operations center should be established in each of six regions, along with a sophisticated and reliable network for activating and sustaining effective inter-provincial and intra-provincial command, control and coordination.

3. A comprehensive national law on disaster risk management must emerge which will also provide a legal basis for the establishment of the NDMAA, related committees and regional operation centers. Disaster risk management must rise to a higher level of priority, and, ongoing governmental and fiscal support for this and other related activities must be maintained in a stable, responsible and predictable manner over time.

4. An action plan for implementing the “National Plan for Comprehensive Disaster Reduction during the ‘Eleventh Five-Year Plan’ period of the People’s Republic of China" needs to be urgently developed, and disaster risk reduction needs to be mainstreamed into the development cycle at all levels.

5. A public-private partnership must emerge to collectively address the process of spreading disaster risk, and a flexible and responsive insurance compensation system should be established with the support and approval of the government, and the insurance sector.

"The Chinese government has made great efforts to reduce the risks and consequences of natural disasters. And yet, it is clearly aware that inadequacies exist that need to be addressed immediately," the white paper said.

Besides coordination and integration of relief efforts, laws and regulations concerning disaster reduction as well as related policies need to be improved. An effective disaster monitoring system is evolving, but it is not in place and operating in 2009. Support for the construction of disaster-resistant or reinforced infrastructure is lacking, and finally, public awareness needs to be enhanced, according to the white paper.

"As natural disasters pose a common challenge to mankind, disaster reduction is a global effort. China will continue to work unremittingly to reduce the risks and damage posed by natural disasters together with the rest of the world for the development and progress of human society," the white paper said.

Andrew Maskrey, the lead author of the new United Nations report -"Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction" - which was released in mid-May told the New York Times that China has not adequately addressed the surge in population in its coastal zone, and that China "has not yet developed the institutional mechanisms to reduce the risk that entails." [2]

China seems to take Maskrey's comments in stride and, for example, had already proceeded to highlight the uncertainty surrounding the seemingly unavoidable impact of climate change in its white paper.

"Now and for a fairly long time to come, the risks of extreme weather phenomena are increasing along with global climate changes. The probability of strong and extra-strong typhoons, tempests and other disasters is quite high," said the white paper.

Many of the goals and objectives that are spelled out in the white paper and ADB report will take at least two to three years to achieve, if not longer. Allocating sufficient funds, applying talented and well-managed human resources, and, maintaining a suitable momentum across multiple organizations, associations and communities will remain a huge challenge for China. Accomplishing this vital undertaking cannot be done simply by governmental decree alone.

Notes
1. 'Coordinate disaster response' China Daily.
2. Studies Tie Disaster Risk to Urban Growth The New York Times. May 16, 2009.

Peter J Brown is a freelance writer from Maine USA. His related commentaries primarily on emergency communications have appeared in the Washington Times, Journal of Emergency Management and Disaster Medicine & Public Health Preparedness, a journal of the American Medical Association. He is a contributor to Asia Times Online.

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Johan Skarendal: I'm here to observe, not intervene

Internet forums abuzz with Swedish activist's meeting with local human rights group. He says:
I'm here to observe, not intervene
WHY was he in Singapore?
By Liew Hanqing
30 May 2009

WHY was he in Singapore?

What was the rationale for his meeting with a local human rights organisation here? Is his organisation funding this, or any other, group here?

These questions are just some that have been bandied about since Mr Johan Skarendal, 29, visited Singapore last month.

Mr Skarendal is a member of the Swedish International Liberal Centre (SILC), a foundation which claims to assist democracy development.

Some Singaporeans he met with during his recent visit are members of a local human rights organisation called Maruah (Malay for dignity).

Maruah's members include former Nominated Member of Parliament (NMP) Braema Mathi, NMP Siew Kum Hong, lawyer Peter Low, academic Cherian George, Dr Stuart Koe, founder of gay media company Fridae, and Mr Leong Sze Hian, president of the Society of Financial Service Professionals.

Online speculation on the meeting's agenda has been rife, with netizens questioning whether the foundation has been funding Maruah's activities.

Mr Skarendal did not answer The New Paper's questions on whether SILC is currently funding the work of any Singaporean individuals or organisations, but stressed that the topic of funding was not broached during the recent meeting.

Ms Mathi, Maruah's chairman, added that it is common for human rights advocates to meet with 'like-minded' people from other countries, whether in Singapore or overseas.

She clarified that Maruah does not currently receive any external funding.

'We are paying for everything out of our own pockets,' she said.

Mr Skarendal described his latest visit as a 'fact-finding' visit.

'I was mostly interested in the work and backgrounds of the people involved - I wanted to learn about how prominent Singaporeans involved in civil society viewed the human rights issues in Singapore,' he said.

'Funding not discussed'

None of the Maruah members present at the meeting raised the subject of funding, Mr Skarendal said.

He said: 'I went to Singapore on behalf of SILC to learn from and observe Singaporean civil society, not to intervene.'

Confirming he met with Mr Skarendal last month, Mr Leong Sze Hian, who attended as a representative of Maruah, said Mr Skarendal asked questions pertaining to Maruah's work here.

Said Mr Leong: 'He asked about the work that Maruah does - what activities are being planned, and so on.'

One of the upcoming events Maruah has planned is a peace vigil for the freedom of Aung San Suu Kyi on 31 May at Hong Lim Park.

Ms Mathi said such events are completely paid for by Maruah members.

The group does not incur any day-to-day operating costs.

She said: 'When we started Maruah, we set ourselves some ground rules - to be as transparent as possible, to post our accounts - if any - online, not to break any Singapore law, and not to have any members with political party affiliations.'

The group is currently funded solely by its members.

Ms Mathi said, however, that the group would eventually have to seek funding from external sources as it grows, and that Maruah would likely first seek local sources of funding.

She added that she is disappointed with the recent spate of online allegations against the group's members.

She said: 'The allegations are misleading and mischief-laden, and belittle the hard work of civil society.'

The recent visit was not Mr Skarendal's first time to Singapore.

In 2003, Swedish foundations, comprising SILC, the Olof Palme Centre, and the Jarl Hjarlmarson Foundation co-sponsored an international youth conference in Singapore where young Swedish parliamentarians and youth leaders met with young Singaporeans to discuss democracy.

The same year, Mr Skarendal met with Singapore Democratic Party secretary-general Chee Soon Juan for the first time when DrChee visited Sweden.

Said Mr Skarendal: 'We have become good friends ever since. In fact, he had written my testimonial when I had applied to do my Masters degree at the Taiwanese National Chengchi University in 2006.'

What's Maruah

MARUAH, the Singapore Working Committee for an Asean Human Rights Mechanism, was formed in September 2007.

The group, which aims to raise awareness of human rights, was formed after Asean leaders decided in July 2007 to include a provision for a human rights body in the Asean Charter.

Maruah's members include students, academics, activists, lawyers, doctors and writers.

The group has organised various events for several causes, including a gathering appealing for fair working conditions for workers, a public lecture on human rights in Asean, and an upcoming peace vigil for Aung San Suu Kyi's freedom.

The group's immediate task is to transition from being an interim committee to a full-fledged national working group, and to eventually establish a Singapore presence at regional discussions.

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WORKERS' PARTY'S SYLVIA LIM SAYS: Is this a sign of future rivalry?

Parliament WORKERS' PARTY'S SYLVIA LIM SAYS:

Is this a sign of future rivalry?

YES to more opposition MPs YES to smaller GRCs YES to more single seats NO to more NMPs

By Ng Tze Yong

May 30, 2009

COULD a new battle line have opened up in Parliament, fuelled in part by a snub from Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong? ST FILE PICTURE Speaking in Parliament yesterday about the changes to Singapore's political system announced the day before, the Workers' Party's Sylvia Lim was largely amicable, if cautious. Increase the number of Single Member Constituencies? It's 'a step in the right direction', she said. Increase the minimum number of opposition members of Parliament from three to nine? 'Supportable', she said. Reduce the size of GRCs? It's an 'overdue' move. But on one point, she refused to budge. That was the move to make the Nominated Member of Parliament (NMP) scheme permanent. 'The Workers' Party (WP) continues to be against the NMP scheme as we believe that MPs must contest the election as an essential precondition, to obtain some sort of mandate from the people,' she said. Key phrase, of course, was 'some sort'. Why was Ms Lim, who, as a Non-Constituency MP, is in Parliament only as the best loser in the general elections 2006, unwilling to cut the NMPs some slack? NMPs have been around for 19 years. They have helped the opposition's cause. They have presented more viewpoints in Parliamentary discussions. Is it a matter of principle? But the other changes she agreed to dealt with matters of principle, too. The changes were concessions; the principles behind them - for example, the need for GRCs - haven't changed much. Still, for these, Ms Lim was willing to compromise, play nice. Not so the NMP scheme. Why? To be fair, the WP isn't the only one to have long opposed the NMP scheme. Since it was first mooted in 1981, the NMP scheme has faced strong opposition from many quarters, including PAP MPs like Dr Tan Cheng Bock and Mr Leong Horn Kee. It was precisely to gain their support that the scheme was not made compulsory, so that each new Parliament could decide for itself whether or not to have NMPs.' Not backing down But now, the scheme is permanent. Ms Lim, however, refuses to back down. Why no compromise? Could it be due to what PM Lee said on Wednesday when, with a hearty laugh, he praised NMPs, pointing out that they have sometimes 'outshone' the opposition MPs in Parliament? For opposition MPs who fought tooth and nail to get into Parliament, it must have hurt. How could they be outgunned by NMPs who walked through the doors with nary a battle scar from the campaign trail, who don't spend their nights at Meet-the-People Sessions, and who don't ever have to worry about political survival? Could Ms Lim's snub be a first salvo, a sign of a rivalry to come? At the same time, it will also be interesting to see how the dynamics among opposition parties, some publicly divided by in-fighting, will evolve from here. The changes announced by PM Lee will see a guaranteed nine opposition MPs, probably from different political affiliations, fly the opposition's flag in Parliament. Stronger rivalry? Will the rivalries intensify, now that the stakes are upped? Or will it help the opposition grow and mature, sharpen them, and mould them into future elected MPs? Said Dr Gillian Koh, senior research fellow at the Institute of Policy Studies: 'Whether competition among opposition politicians, and between them and NMPs, is healthy or destructive depends on how they manage themselves according to due processes, the tone of their debates, and how they wish to mobilise or alienate citizens that they say they represent.' What Singaporeans will ultimately see, she said, is opposition politicians taking on each other as much as they might take on the PAP MPs. So new battle lines, new tensions, old rivalries revived and new rivalries born - they're all par for the (democratic) course. 'That is what pluralism is about,' said Dr Koh.

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Temasek, GIC be more open

May 30, 2009

Temasek, GIC be more open

		Mr Palmer (right) said Mr Tharman's statement was more open than Temasek's letter to the media.

View more photos

STATE investment vehicles Temasek Holdings and the Government Investment Corporation of Singapore (GIC) can afford to be more open about the thinking behind major investment decisions.

Mr Michael Palmer (Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC) urged this yesterday in a speech summing up the debate in the House over the past five days on the President's Address.

He said the statement made by Finance Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam to Parliament on Thursday was more open than Temasek's letter to the media a week earlier on May 22, even though both dealt with the same issue - the divestment of Temasek's stake in Bank of America (BoA).

Temasek's own statement did not put in perspective the overall gain in its portfolio over the years, while the minister's statement did.

Temasek's sale of its BoA stake in March was reported in the press earlier this month.

The estimated losses of between US$2.3 billion (S$3.3 billion) and US$4.6 billion led to a public furore and several MPs called on the Government to review the original charters given to Temasek and the other Singapore investment body, GIC.

Mr Palmer said he was reassured by Mr Tharman's response to MPs' questions on Temasek and GIC.

However, he felt more could have been done by Temasek and GIC to 'explain these issues of public interest clearly so that Singaporeans are made aware of the facts and have their questions answered'.

Mr Tharman had assured the House on Thursday that both Temasek and GIC monitor their investments very closely, but that they were ultimately long-term investors.

As a result, their performance could not be judged based on any one investment such as the 2007 purchase of Merrill Lynch shares, that were subsequently converted to BoA shares when BoA took over Merrill.

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NHG's employee of wayangparty defames Shin Min Daily

CONFIRMED: Shin Min Daily is now the “Jamban” Times

Even when other SPH papers are distancing themselves from Lee Bee Wah, Shin Min Daily has chosen to stick by the woman who had incurred the wrath of the entire nation to the extent of distorting facts and spinning tales to save her skin.

Shin Min is the only paper which published and gave prominent coverage to Lee Bee Wah’s speech in Parliament. It even devoted a space for her on the front page (29 May 2009:

The article which took up almost half of page 6, tried to protray Lee Bee Wah as a kind, compassionate and understanding MP fighting for the rights of elderly workers:

Save your efforts, Shin Min. It is too late for Lee to redeem herself. Had she been gracious enough to meet Liu Guodong and retract her statements made about him, Singaporeans may still consider giving her another chance.

Now that she had retreated behind STTA to continue her slugfest against Liu, she has lost the respect of Singaporeans!

Obviously either the top editors of Shin Min or its journalists have connections with Lee Bee Wah and STTA.

Are they grassroots volunteers in Lee Bee Wah’s Nee Soon South constituency too?

Why are they going out of the way to defend Lee Bee Wah while the other papers seem unwilling to give her any more coverage?

If there is anybody who knows where the missing link is, please email us at wayangparty@hotmail.com

Sign on the two online petitions if you haven’t done so:

1. Petition to DPM Teo Chee Hean to give special award to Liu Guodong

2. Petition to remove Lee Bee Wah as STTA President

Turn up at Hong Lim Park on 6 June 2009 between 5pm to 6.30pm to sign the petition calling for her removal as STTA President.

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NHG's employee of wayangparty lost the plot of petition to oust Lee Bee Wah

Irresponsible for Dr Vivian Balakrishnan to distance himself from the STTA saga

Community Development, Youth and Sports Minister Vivian Balakrishnan said the controversy between the Singapore Table Tennis Association (STTA) and its former head coach is “unfortunate” and he hopes the issue will be resolved amicably.

Amid calls for the government to step in, the Sports Minister said neither his ministry nor the Singapore Sports Council will get involved in the “micro-managing” of awards. This, he said, was best left to the sporting fraternity.

Dr Vivian Balakrishnan has missed the point altogether. The crux of the entire issue does not lie with STTA not nominating Liu Guodong for the “Coach of the year” award, but in Lee Bee Wah’s blunt remarks insinuating that Liu lacked “professionalism and integrity” which sparked off the controversy in the first place.

Singaporeans are calling Dr Vivian to step in not to “micromanage the awards”, but to resolve the matter by asking Lee Bee Wah to either substantiate her allegations about Liu Guodong or retract her statements and apologize without any reservation.

As he has demonstrated last year by making Lee Bee Wah apologized publicly for her unwarranted outburst in Beijing, Dr Vivian has the power to intervene to put a stop to the protracted tussle which is dragging the entire sporting fraternity into disrepute.

Dr Vivian added that the SNOC and NSAs are governed by their respective constitutions, and the ministry and SSC are not involved in their routine operations or programmes.

If this is indeed so, who appointed Lee Bee Wah to take over from Choo Wei Kiang as STTA President 3 weeks before the team’s departure to Beijing just in time for her to bask in the limelight of the Beijing Olympics?

Was Lee Bee Wah ever voted into her position as STTA President? Since she clearly has no “mandate” to lead the organization, why can’t she be removed from her position and allow a more suitable candidate to take over?

Dr Vivian and his ministry oversees the development of sports in Singapore. STTA is not a private table tennis association. It is funded entirely by taxpayers’ monies. Surely Singaporeans should have a say in how the association is being run?

Of course we do not expect to meddle in the daily modus operandi of STTA, but in this instance, it is pretty clear that STTA has gone completely off tangent under the leadership (if it’s the correct word to use) of Lee Bee Wah.

Is this the proper behavior of a President to cast aspersions on the character of an ex-employer without substantiating her claims and then vanished into thin air when the accused came to seek her for clarifications in person?

Shouldn’t a leader take responsibility for her own words and defend herself instead of using STTA as a shield to protect herself from the legal liabilities?

Lee Bee Wah has betrayed the trust of Singaporeans and hurt our feelings again and again.

During the first ping pong controversy last year, there were already calls for her to step down as STTA President.

In less than a year’s time, she repeated the same mistake again. Her callousness, arrogance and ineptitude are simply too much for us to bear.

Being a national association funded by the public, STTA has to be accountable to the people of Singapore.

Unless STTA is owned by Lee Bee Wah, she has no right to continue clinging onto her position in the face of widespread anger and opposition to her leadership.

Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, please take note of the sentiments on the ground and take appropriate actions to reverse the damage already done to our image at home and abroad before it is too late. The ball is in your court right now.

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End coach spat amicably

May 30, 2009

End coach spat amicably

Minister suggests a role for mediation centre; he rules out intervention by the Government

By Jeremy Au Yong
		Mr Liu headed to China earlier this month after five days of fruitless talks. -- ST PHOTO: WANG HUI FEN

THE dispute between the Singapore Table Tennis Association (STTA) and its former coach is 'unfortunate', but Dr Vivian Balakrishnan urged all sides involved to aim for a 'fair and dignified' outcome.

The Community Development, Youth and Sports Minister indicated that the Singapore Mediation Centre could play a role if need be, and reiterated his hope for a mediated outcome rather than a 'slug fest where only one person walks out of the ring'.

He was responding in Parliament to Mr Seah Kian Peng (Marine Parade GRC) who asked for his comments on the table tennis spat.

The dispute started three weeks ago when the STTA refused to nominate former national head coach Liu Guodong for the Singapore Sports Awards - an award many believed Mr Liu was a shoo-in to win. But the STTA said he was not worthy of the accolade.

Angered by what he saw as a slight on his character and integrity, Mr Liu demanded an explanation and flew here from his base in China to discuss the matter. But the matter remains unresolved and Mr Liu has not ruled out legal action.

Dr Balakrishnan ruled out intervention by his ministry: 'Whilst we provide funding to the national sports associations, I think we have, as a matter of discipline, learnt not to micro-manage and not to get involved with the details of operations and in fact even with the details of selection...

'These are decisions best made on the ground by officials, coaches and players and by the people who constitute the sports fraternity for each relevant sport. So I'm very hesitant to say we should go in and second-guess or countermand decisions.'

The primary concern of the ministry and the Singapore Sports Council was in ensuring good governance in the associations.

Dr Balakrishnan, who likened the spat to a disputed line-call in tennis, said it was important not to become 'so distracted or so upset by (it) that you end up losing the match'.

But he told Mr Seah there was a silver lining: 'The fact that people can be bothered, that people are worked up, shows that people are paying interest and care. That reflects the fact that the profile of sport has been raised...It would be much worse if nobody even cared about this award and it didn't even become an issue.'

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