FORMER PRESIDENT NAIR'S ESCAPADE (Disciplinary action against Security Officers)

Mr Chiam See Tong asked the Prime Minister whether any action had been taken against the security officers who allowed the former President to slip out of the Istana without their knowledge or informing them.

Prof. Jayakumar (for the Prime Minister): Sir, again I am answering on behalf of the Prime Minister.

No action was taken against the security officers because there were no grounds to do so.

The duty of the security officers who are assigned to protect the President ends each day when they are discharged by the President and he has the right to discharge them at any time. It is not the duty of the security officers, after being discharged, to trail the President to prevent him from going out alone.

Sir, the security officers to the former President had never left him unprotected when they were on duty and therefore there was no neglect in the performance of their duties.

Mr Chiam See Tong: Sir, is it not true that after the security guards were aware that the President had left the Istana that a search party was sent out to look for him?

Prof. Jayakumar: Sir, that is unrelated to this question.

Mr Chiam See Tong: Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to differ. It is very related because the Minister has said that there are no grounds to take action against the security guards. If a search party was sent out, there must be grounds. Otherwise, they would just leave the ex-President to roam about the streets on his own. Why worry about him?

Prof. Jayakumar: Mr Speaker, Sir, contrary to the belief which the Member seems to have, the President is not a prisoner of the Istana.

Maj Fong Sip Chee (Kampong Chai Chee): Sir, if the President was not a prisoner of the Istana, would the Minister therefore like to withdraw the words that the Government has been using all this while - that the President slipped out of the Istana? The words were "slipped out".

Prof. Jayakumar: Mr Speaker, Sir, I do not understand the question of the Member. Are we now quibbling on the terminology of the speech of the Prime Minister?

Later -

Prof. Jayakumar: Mr Speaker, Sir, may I for the record in relation to Question No. 2 state that I checked the speech given by the Prime Minister and found that the word "slip" was not used by the Prime Minister. It appears in the Question framed by the Member for Potong Pasir, and therefore the Member for Kampong Chai Chee, in view of this 'slip', might want to pursue the matter with the Member for Potong Pasir.