Temasek Holdings-owned Changi Airport Group (CAG)’s chairman Liew Mun Leong today (April 1) told state media reporters that even though Terminal 5 costs “tens of billions”, Singaporeans must pay:
“The project costs tens of billions of dollars. It’s an astronomical amount and it’s really a strain on the budget. So the Government has to work out how to finance these tens of billions of dollars. Fortunately we have built up a strong balance sheet but that’s not enough and if we have to get grant to get it done, it will also be a big strain on the reserves, on the overall budget. To me, the public who is using it is gaining a lot and we must start to learn how to pay for it.”
The PAP crony is also insistent on revealing the actual budget of Terminal 5, and said that the government does not have to be accountable to anyone:
“The Singapore Government has so far decided that we should not discuss the total budget. I think the budget is something that the Government wants to manage progressively. In a very big budget situation, the Government will have the prerogative to keep that confidentiality.”
The staunch PAP man also emphasised the need for propaganda and brainwashing:
“I always think that education is a very committed task. Unless your people are educated and you are better-trained, you will not get a good workforce. I started a training institute in CapitaLand called CLIMB which stands for CapitaLand Institute of Management and Business. The ‘B’ also stands for brainwashing. My version of brainwashing is that you will have certain views that we might disagree with and we try to change it.”
The 72-year-old multi-millionaire said he does not believe in retirement and he does not want to retire because he would “turn senile” if he stops working.