iaskedmygirl.com

So the details on how Mas Selamat escaped from his detention centre are finally out, and boy are they damning. That the two guards failed in keeping an eye on the prisoner was not exactly shocking (although we do have to note that these two guards were from the esteemed Gurkha Contingent and not just an NSF guard thinking about his next book out.) What was shocking was the comically simple way that he managed to escape the compounds! Escaping through the toilet ventilation window is the stuff of movies, and I have no idea how the compound superintendent could come up with the absolutely senseless thought that sawing off the handles of the windows would prove sufficient as a security measure.

This security lapse in WRDC came as a rude and painful shock to them; all the more when the mistakes have turned out to be so simple as to appear silly and incredible.

Complacency creeps into every single organisation. And no matter how lofty the organisation’s goals are and how willing they are to commit towards perfection, imperfections always exist. There are no such things as perfect internal controls — only lapses that have not been uncovered. And that’s exactly what happened to the ISD. Heads will roll, internal controls tightened, and more political assurances that such mistakes will not happen again. Fair enough. But the question still remains.

Where is Mas Selamat bin Kastari?