"I believe that a scientist looking at nonscientific problems is just as dumb as the next guy." - Richard Feynman

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A friend sent me a copy of the contract MOE made him/her sign [Addendum: detailing some aspects of MOE HR policy]. While some of the (presumably non-exhaustive list of) examples are pretty standard, 2 in particular stand out:


"Examples of Misconduct or Offences

8. Speaking disparagingly of the Government
14. Immoral behaviour"

The problems with the latter are not hard to see (e.g. definition, enforcement etc), so I will dwell on the former, which is eminently unenforceable, as presumably even going: "Aiyoh, Public Transport Council approved a public transport fare hike again! They just want to earn the bus companies profits" could get you a written reprimand, verbal or written warning or worse.

More worryingly, it is pointedly partisan.

If the item were phrased as "expressing political opinions" it wouldn't be quite as bad. After all, one could make a case (even if it is a weak one) that it behooves a public servant to be impartial and non-partisan in making statements which could conceivably (even if improbably) reflect on and politically taint his employer in some way.

Similar(ly weak, or even weaker) cases can be made for disallowing officers from speaking or writing to the press or "accepting any invitation to make or provide materials for any form of broadcast" (at least in an unofficial capacity - I heartily endorse the right of organisations to require that their employees get approval before flaunting their official capacities in non-work situations).

Yet, by expressly forbidding its officers to "[speak] disparagingly of the Government", MOE's obvious corollary is that it is alright to speak glowingly of the Government. One is impelled to make comparisons with Communist regimes, where you could (and were expected to) praise the Party, even if your Trabant was belching smoke and out of style.

Perhaps they have this policy because of what is happening during National Education lessons whose syllabuses, as someone puts it, are about "how Singapore is good and everyone else sucks" but which, I am informed, are avenues for teachers who are pissed off at having to teach Propaganda to psycho their students in the other direction (i.e. pointing out all the regime's faults)