tai-chi letter via fax
3rd November 2004
Dear Ms Goh
Re : Letter of Complaint against AMCIS
1. We refer to your faxed letter dated 1st Nov 2004.
2. In view of what you say, it is important that AMCIS be given the opportunity to respond so that this matter can be brought to light for consideration. Let us wait for AMCIS's response.
4. You may wish to know that all the service providers who exhibited on 1st November at the test venue were referred to us by Singapore Tourism Board. It was based on STB's recommendation that those organizations were offered the opportunity to exhibit their services to the students and parents present at the event. The Principals Academy does not 'endorse' any organisation. We co-operate with others on a project-by-project basis. Even if an entity (such as AMCIS) claims to be a beneficiary of special endorsement from The Principals Academy, such a claim does not make it so in reality.
5. We may be the organizer of the event. However we cannot be responsible for every aspect of AMCIS's conduct. The Principals Academy does not deploy staff to baby-sit service providers who exhibit at our events. However, our staff members do make themselves available to students, parents and service-providers alike who wish to speak to us on any matter; as you were able to do so on that day yourself. Nonetheless, we will look into this matter.
6. Since you have chosen to copy your letter to the offices of The Prime Minister, The Minister for Community Development, Youth & Sports and STB, we will also do so. However we will not copy to them any other correspondence because we do not believe they need be involved.
Ezra Ng
Executive Director
The Principals Academy Inc Pte Ltd
5th Nov 2004
Dear Mr Ng
Re : Complaint against AMCIS
How convenient it is for you to shirk responsibility when something happens! I was able to speak to Benjamin only after the Secondary 2's and 3's last paper. That was past 6pm.
There was a male staff from PAI, who was surrounded by a group of women from China , they were standing right in front of the exam hall. They had been talking for an hour. I believe he saw and heard what happened. He introduced himself as 黄先生 to the women. I can pick him out when I see him again. (A female staff had to wait for him to finish speaking before she could interrupt him to ask a question. He is Management level. :))
The staff from PAI didn't make themselves available to us. Majority of them were in the exam hall. When my husband called Claire to request for help, she couldn't find Benjamin. She didn't know what to do. She refused to give my husband the handphone of Benjamin nor any other officers. When Benjamin finally went out to the exhibition booth, AMCIS had packed up and gone, before 5 pm. The other service providers were still around and only AMCIS was gone. I was told (by Benjamin) you, Mr Ezra Ng were present that day.
I had to copy my letter to Dr Vivian Balakrishnan as his name was mentioned to intimidate me in this case. I have to copy my letter to PM as I want him to know how the ordinary citizens of Singapore can suffer if authority is given to the wrong person.
Jayne Goh
cc PM Lee Hsien Loong
Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports - Dr Vivian Balakrishnan
Ezra Ng never did get back to me regarding AMCIS's reply. I faxed him again on 9th December 2004 and called his office several times. The last couple of times, I called him several times a day. Benjamin picked up all my calls and gave excuses that Ezra Ng was busy, in a meeting, not at his desk etc. He avoided me.
Finally one day, through Benjamin, he told me if I want to know AMCIS's reply, I must give him my address. He cannot reply by fax if he wanted to give me a formal reply so it must have my home address. BS! PM Lee replied to my letters without asking for my home address.
I didn't give Ezra my home address but I have his home address, through a private investigator. Don't intimidate me, I cannot be frightened easily. Tit for tat if you want to play games. Civil servants can easily get ordinary citizens' particulars, vice versa...... there are ways to get their personal particulars as well. I'm resourceful.
During that PAI certification test day, many exhibitors at the event were touting to the foreign students. Guardians who let their wards go alone to the test were at risk of losing their students.
Even though I was present with my ward, AMCIS boldly tried to snatch my student from under my nose. When the Chinese woman found out that my ward was a Filipino, she got Minda Lee who is a Filipino married to a Singaporean, to speak to him in Tagalog.
If AMCIS is a professional, 'official' (STB and PAI clarified it isn't) organization, it would not have to resort to such underhand methods, stealing foreign students from small, 'illegal', 'unofficial' operators. Its President behaved like a thug.
There were probably many complaints from guardians on the 'service providers'. I don't see exhibition stands at PAI's latest certification tests.
Complaint made on 1st Nov 2004
Ezra Ng responded on 3rd November 2004, but didn't bother to reply after my retort - more than 42 days
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