A rebuttal to Tan Hau Teck’s letter to TODAY on Dr Allan Ooi’s death

A rebuttal to Tan Hau Teck’s letter to TODAY on Dr Allan Ooi’s death

I refer to the letter by Mr Tan Teck Hau titled “Dr Allan Ooi’s death: Rather than point the finger” which was published on page 22 of TODAY. (read letter here)

I am absolutely appalled and disappointed that the TODAY editors felt fit to publish such a misleading, insensitive and meaningless letter.

Either Mr Tan does not comprehend simple English or he misunderstood the intention of the Ooi family in their request to MINDEF to set up an independent panel to address the deceased doctor’s concerns about his work.

Nowhere in the letter did the Ooi family point any fingers at MINDEF. All they ask is for MINDEF to answer some questions which has been troubling them. (read the Ooi family’s letter here)

A life has been lost and the only way the grieving family can bring the matter to a proper closure is to find out the mitigating factors behind Dr Allan Ooi’s decision to end his life.

If the same tragedy happens to Mr Tan’s son, brother or friend, will he be so callous to brush the matter aside too? Won’t he demand answers from MINDEF who owes the deceased doctor a moral duty of care as his employer?

Mr Tan’s argument that Dr Allan Ooi is solely responsible for signing on the dotted line of his bond is most disingenuous.

Is it reasonable to expect a 18 year old teenager fresh out of junior college to know what he really wants in life?

The aspirations and expectations of people do change with time. How many of us actually go on to fulfill our childhood dreams when we enter the workforce?

Dr Allan Ooi expressed unhappiness over the nature of his work which did not fully utilize his knowledge and skills as a medical doctor. Apparently, he had informed his superiors of his intention to break the bond which his family can well afford to pay for. However for some strange reasons, he wasn’t allowed to and this was his main grouse against the SAF.

And this is where the family is demanding for answers from SAF. Why was Allan’s bond unbreakable? This was not stated in the contract which Allan signed. Is it reasonable and fair for SAF to stop Allan from breaking his bond when there were no such provisions put in print? Would Allan have signed the bond if he knew that he would not be allowed to break it under any circumstances in the future? Is there a possibility of a misrepresentation here?

May I ask Mr Tan which is more important: life or money? How much does it cost to conduct such an inquiry? Surely it won’t be more than the Apache helicoptors which SAF had bought? Can it be more than the monthly salary of the Defence Minister and all the top MINDEF honchos?

We are talking about a life lost here. No matter how much it costs, MINDEF should pay for the setting up of an independent panel to investigate the matter. Will taxpayers mind paying for a peace of mind to know that MINDEF will be responsible and accountable for their children who is currently serving their national service?

Actually MINDEF does not even need to fork out a single cent for this purpose. All it needs is to agree for the panel to be set up and allowed its officers to be summoned for questioning. Dr Allan Ooi’s family will probably be willing to fund the operation of the panel and the owners of this blog will not mind contributing to see that justice is done.

It is most cruel of Mr Tan to rub salt to the family’s wounds by insinuating that they have neglected Allan and thereby are partly culpable for the tragedy. The Ooi family is a closely knitted family. Allan was close to his siblings especially his younger sister whom he doted on. He had brought up his problems at work to his family and his father had offered to pay for the penalty incurred in the course of breaking the bond.

Somehow Allan must have felt that there is nothing much his family can do to help him since the onus lies with SAF to permit him to break his bond and he did not want to cause them any distress. That’s why he left without a word to be alone by himself. How can Mr Tan expect his family to locate him in Australia when even SAF and the police are unable to do so?

Both Mr Tan and TODAY owe the family and friends of Dr Allan Ooi an apology for hurting their feelings and insulting the dignity of a dead man who is unable to defend himself.

To paraphrase Mr Tan’s own words - “instead of pointing the finger at the Ooi family, perhaps it’s time he look around and see what he can do for fellow Singaporeans”. His grossly inappropriate letter is definitely not a way of offering sympathy or help to a family mourning the premature passing of a loved one.

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