Addressing the fake news published by state media Straits Times last Thursday (Jan 18), SMRT CEO Desmond Kwek clarified that he is not resigning and that the national newspaper is being speculative:
“Reports of an impending departure were purely speculative.”
Last week, Straits Times published an article featuring several fake “HR experts” who said that the SMRT CEO would resign because Chairman Seah Moon Ming has been taking executive tasks.
Even fellow state media ChannelNewsAsia blamed Straits Times for spreading the fake news:
“Rumours of Mr Kuek’s possible resignation were fuelled by a Straits Times report last week that said observers are expecting him to step down, following the resignation of the transport operator’s vice-president of corporate communications, Patrick Nathan.”
The former army general who had no experience in the private sector or rail engineering industry is facing public calls for his and Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan’s resignation. The two ruling party elites are identified as the rot of the Singapore public transport system and the chief culprits behind the numerous screw ups including a train collision, flooding and service disruptions.
Law Minister K Shanmugam has previously said that he will clamp down on fake news, but never once take any action against the state media for spreading false information.