A question was posed by the public on whether it makes sense to spend a large legal fee on this case. My response is "yes":
- The legal fee is a small fraction of the compensation I am hoping to receive, which includes loss of future earnings / earning capacity. This is estimated at a minimum of S$1.8 million, and is very conservative as it is based on my starting salary when I started teaching as a MOE teacher. The estimate excludes salary increases, performance bonus, and so on.
- The legal case is of national importance. Parents send their sons to serve Singapore, and we want them to serve Singapore under a safe environment. There is a recent case of officers not following protocols / directive (see link below). I am extremely saddened by the case. Many injuries and deaths could have been prevented if officers take protocols and directives seriously.
Link: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/henderson-road-fire-scdf-officer-be-charged-death-nsf-firefighter-edward-go-police-3846151"The SCDF officer, who was the full-time national serviceman’s (NSF) superior, had allegedly left him alone in a flat to battle the blaze without informing anyone, said the police, adding that this was against SCDF protocols."
I have also made a short video to further explain on my loss of earning capacity.
Soh Kian Wee