While studying for her degree in hospitality management, 26-year-old Clergg Lee Sarancial dreamt of working on a cruise line.

She finally graduated after four years, and got a job in an office.

But despite her degree, she only earned about S$300 a month — not enough to pay her bills.

Finally, the Filipino woman decided to come to Singapore as a foreign domestic worker.

In an interview with Yes933, Clergg Lee spoke how she feels about her life here in Singapore, and how she still hopes to make her dreams come true one day.

"It wasn’t an easy decision because I knew I would be far from my family and working in a different field from what I studied. But I saw it as a stepping stone towards my dreams. The journey has been challenging, but it has also taught me to be stronger, more independent, and grateful for every opportunity." she told Mothership.

Big dreams

Clergg Lee remembers how back in the Philippines, she faced her first crushing blow when she was rejected from the cruise line due to her height.

She also did not have enough money for the required paperwork.

"That time I [was] very sad, like why I cannot have that job, it is my dream job," she said.

She managed to find an office job instead, but the S$300 it paid was insufficient even for her bills.

She tried to apply for other jobs in the big city, such as for a call centre agent role, but without success.

"I cannot count how many companies rejected me. That time I was very sad and very [devastated]... I keep blaming myself," she said.

"Then I realised, if I cannot make my dream here, why not in other country?"

Coming to Singapore

Clergg Lee decided to apply for work as a foreign domestic worker in Singapore because it was "very easy to go in here," and did not require much upfront payment.

Her family was initially worried as they had seen stories online about foreign domestic workers being abused.

But she said her employers are very nice and treat her like family. "They're very supportive of me," she told Mothership.

Despite their kindness, Clergg Lee admitted that she missed her family and home during her first three months in Singapore, and she would cry.

"I keep asking myself, why I study so hard just to become a helper like this?"

Salary

While initially disillusioned, she's now come to terms with her new work.

As a domestic worker, she earns over double her office salary back in the Philippines.

She sends about half of it back home to her family, and keeps the rest for herself.

Clergg Lee explained that she likes to "treat herself", and uses her salary to buy concert tickets and go watch Formula 1.

She is also saving up for her future.

"I eventually realised that it is okay, as long as they pay me more, and as long as I can save for my dreams and sustain my family," she said.

"Because I realised something: Your ego cannot feed your hungry stomach."

The daily grind

Clergg Lee said she wakes up every day at 6:30am to shower before cooking breakfast for her employers and their three-year-old child.

Once the child is awake, she feeds them and dresses them for school.

While the toddler is in school, Clergg Lee cleans the house and looks after the family's two dogs.

Online, she posts about her life in Singapore: going out for meals, attending concerts.

But most of her friends don't know about her job.

"They will keep [asking] me, 'what is your work there?', 'can I apply there?'... Then I cannot reply because I'm very shy. Because I graduated [with a] degree, and then I just work as helper," she confessed.

Future dreams

But she still has her dreams.

One day, Clergg Lee hopes to work in a restaurant or a hotel; or to take up a course here, and pursue further studies.

She also hopes to open her own coffee shop, whether back in the Philippines or here in Singapore.

"To anyone back home, don't think your degrees mean nothing. We are still building our dreams," she said.

"I am still going to make it. My ways, my dreams... no height requirements."

And to those who may judge her for her occupation, Clergg Lee said, "Every job is honourable, and everyone has their own journey."

]]> 1172752 https://mothership.sg/2026/09/coral-reef-rescue-western-island-singapore/ 2026-09-19T18:36:25 https://mothership.sg/2026/09/coral-reef-rescue-western-island-singapore/

During his 2026 National Day Rally, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong announced the intention to create a new Western island by merging several along Singapore's southern shores: Semakau, Sudong, Bukom and "a few other smaller islands".

It could be used for "advanced manufacturing facilities" or "power generation infrastructure", PM Wong said.

The announcement was followed by an outpouring of grief from the marine community, who pointed out that these islands are not just sand and water.

Some vibrant reefs, particularly the ones around Hantu and Semakau, are as old as 8,000 years old and provide vital environmental functions, such as being a source of food.

But PM Wong also pointed out that the concept of the Western Island was inspired by the transformation of Jurong Island.

As we know, Jurong Island now houses the beating heart of Singapore's energy and chemical industry.

But how did it come to exist?

The origin of Jurong Island

In the sixties, founding Minister for Finance Goh Keng Swee looked afar, pointed to Singapore's lands in the West, and presciently said, "Industry." Or something like that. 

Thus began the transformation of those marshlands into the gravitational centre of Singapore's economy.

Petrochemical companies set up shop on the islands off Jurong. But by the nineties, as Singapore's energy and chemical industry boomed, more land was needed. There was not enough on mainland Singapore.

So the government looked around and came up with the "bold idea" (as then-Minister for Trade and Industry Lim Hng Kiang called it in 2009) to merge several islands, including Pulau Ayer Chawan, Ayer Merbau, Merlimau and Seraya.

Younger Singaporeans would not be familiar with these names, because they are no longer on maps.

Land was reclaimed to merge these islands into a larger whole, more than tripling the land area available for industry, from less than 1,000 hectares to about 3,000.

The result? Today's Jurong Island.

Development vs. conservation

But that's just the surface of the Jurong Island story.

Even back then, there was a struggle between development and conservation. Enter a second, similarly bold attempt: To conserve the marine habitats that would have been lost to reclamation for Jurong Island.

What was at stake was 10 square kilometres of coral cover that surrounded the original islands.

In a bid to conserve those corals, the Marine Conservation Group of the Nature Society of Singapore initiated the Reef Rescue project.

There were two such projects, in fact — one taking place over 25 days in 1991, and the second taking place between 1993 and 1995.

The first initiative, dubbed "Reef Rescue 1", involved transplanting corals from Buran Darat, a small island east of Sentosa, ahead of its merger with Sentosa via reclamation.

10,000 hours under the sea

How about its sequel, "Reef Rescue 2"?

Like the first one, it began with members of the marine conservation group.  They learnt about the planned Jurong Island reclamation and found that the reefs around it were the "best in Singapore waters".

Four reefs were marked for conservation by the government. (Remember this, it's important.)

But a fifth site — located at Pulau Ayer Chawan — was not.

Finding this an unacceptable loss, the group launched a conservation project in 1993 to rescue the precious corals around Pulau Ayer Chawan.

It was one of the largest efforts in the world at the time, involving 400 volunteers.

Once every a week on Sundays, for two years, the volunteer divers would lug coral parcels measuring 10m by 12m some 1.5 hours away from Pulau Ayer Chawan to Sentosa.

This was on top of an average of one to 1.5 hours needed to collect the corals from beneath the surface.

In total, 10,000 hours were spent underwater by volunteer divers, a 1995 ST report said.

Jurong Island's corals

About 31 years after Reef Rescue 2, Jurong Island continues to serve Singapore well as a key driver of economic growth.

But how did the translocated corals fare?

As it turns out, the success rate was mixed. Results were decent for Reef Rescue 1, but more limited for Reef Rescue 2.

Survival rates were in the low 35 per cent a year after Reef Rescue 2, according to the Reef Ecology Lab.

A 1997 study by Chou Loke Ming and Karenne Tun that examined the survival rate of the Reef Rescue 2 transplants noted that the transplants "did not show potential long term survivorship".

"A major reason for the low survivorship of the transplanted corals was the unsuitability of the site," the researchers wrote.

They elaborated: "The entire southwestern coastline of Sentosa is subjected to constant surges caused by high speed ferry boats plying daily, and since the transplants were not secured firmly to the substratum, they were subjected to the full force of the surges."

Our turn to think boldly

It is now our generation's turn to "think just as boldly, and build for the next generation", as PM Wong said.

Remember the four sites which were earmarked for conservation in the Jurong Island project? You might find them familiar: St John's Island, Pulau Hantu, Pulau Semakau, and Pulau Sudong.

With the plans for Western Island, three of them may now have to make way for the future of Singapore.

And so we find ourselves at a similar crossroads as we were back in 1993, with Reef Rescue 2.

Back then, we went to great lengths for conservation. Should we do it again, and can we do it better now, with better scientific knowledge and capabilities?

Do we then need to launch a third Reef Rescue? And who should take the lead?

Turning to the past

Although Reef Rescue 2 had debatable results, it's not all for naught.

Commenting on the past Reef Rescues, Chou, who is Emeritus Professor at NUS' Tropical Marine Science Institute, shared with Mothership that the translocated colonies from Reef Rescue 1 and 2 that survived, "despite low survival rates", would "by today contribute to the site's functional ecology".

Chou suggested that the survival rates would have been higher if the transplanted corals were securely fastened, such as with underwater epoxy.

He also pointed out that there have been translocation exercises since the Reef Rescues of the nineties, ones which were conducted with "proper planning based on science and proper securement".

These have had higher survival rates.

Huang Danwei, director at the NUS' National Institute for Marine and Ocean Sciences, pointed to what was likely the largest coral translocation exercise since Reef Rescue 2: a project in 2013 and 2014, to protect corals at Sultan Shoal from the impact of Tuas Terminal's development.

2,300 hard coral colonies out of an estimated 2,800 were translocated to sites at St. John's and Sisters' Islands, the Maritime Port Authority of Singapore said in a 2015 press release.

It was celebrated as a success.

Effective?

As to whether coral translocation could be an effective or practical way to mitigate the impact of the potential reclamation in the Bukom-Semakau-Sudong area, Huang said that it may be practical, but perhaps not effective.

This is because translocation could preserve the corals themselves — but not their utility to people.

For instance, the reefs in the Bukom-Semakau-Sudong area and around Hantu, serve vital ecosystem functions. These include playing a role in food security (coral reefs are habitats for commercially-important fish), and protecting our coastlines from erosion.

They also serve as a "transition habitat" between reefs in Southeast Asia and supports biodiversity and fisheries, owing to their location.

But once translocated, they do not "take along" such functions, he said. These will be lost.

He added that it will take "hundreds to thousands of years" before the corals can build reefs that will, once again, supply people with those essential functions.

"So basically, what we are doing by translocating corals is to save individual corals. But not creating anything that is useful to people in a few (human) generations."

Clear-eyed

In June 1995, those who participated in Reef Rescue 2 received a commendation from then-Acting Minister for the Environment and Senior Minister of State for Defence, Teo Chee Hean.

At the certificate presentation ceremony, Teo told the audience that economic development and environmental protection "are not in conflict".

"As a small country with very limited land, Singapore is acutely aware of its environmental responsibilities," he said.

That has not changed.

During his 2026 NDR speech, PM Wong made the point that Singapore's vision has grown from being a "garden city" to a "city in nature".

He also said,

"To do all this well, we have to plan far ahead. We cannot wait until we run out of space.

We must create new opportunities for future generations. So they too will have room to grow, while preserving what is precious about Singapore."

The Ministry of National Development has said the government recognises the biodiversity value of the proposed Western island reclamation area.

"We are carefully studying the plans as there is a need to plan ahead and create options for the future," the MND spokesperson said.

The way forward

It is emblematic of Singapore's reality. Singapore's needs are ever-evolving, and we have to do what we can with what we have.

In particular, the Middle East crisis exposed the urgent need to build resilience into Singapore's energy supply.

But must natural heritage consequently suffer then? Reef Rescue 2 and the Jurong Island story show us that there are options for mitigation, such as translocation.

But even these can only do so much. An opportunity cost remains, and it cannot be erased.

It's hard to argue against the need to create more space for Singapore to grow. Generations of Singaporeans depend on it.

But it's just as important to recognise that it's not only advanced manufacturing industries or power generation infrastructure that keeps our city in nature going.

Beneath the waves, the nature we don't see silently keeps our heads above the water. Some of them have been here long before this city sprouted amidst nature.

Generations of Singaporeans are entitled to those too.

In a departure from the past two decades, the phenomenon of "salad bar" extremism — extremism that does not belong to a single coherent ideology — is now on the rise in Singapore.

At the same time, extremist narratives are reaching younger and younger audiences, in part thanks to to social media and online games.

With these two developments, rehabilitation efforts must also evolve, and the community is a key part of this, said Law Minister and Second Minister for Home Affairs Edwin Tong.

He was speaking at a Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) appreciation lunch on Sep. 19.

Younger and faster

With online platforms such as social media and games, extremist narratives can reach vulnerable young people very quickly.

As such, youths are getting radicalised younger, and at a faster rate, Tong said.

Thanks to social media algorithms, young people can end up trapped in an ideological echo chamber that reinforces certain sentiments.

There is also repeated exposure to gore and violent content that normalises violent behaviour and primes youths for radicalisation.

'Salad bar' extremism

In the past, radicalisation generally followed a clear ideological pathway: Islamic extremism, far-right extremism.

This allowed for a relatively clear understanding of how the individual had become radicalised, and as such how they could be rehabilitated.

However, individuals are increasingly being radicalised in a "salad bar" manner — meaning, rather than subscribing to a single coherent ideology, they draw selectively from multiple extremist ideologies.

An example is a 14-year-old who was detained by the Internal Security Department (ISD) in early 2026.

He had become radicalised by Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) content, while simultaneously supporting Hitler and far-right white supremacist ideas.

The boy eventually made preparations to conduct a stabbing in his school, but was detained before he could do so.

Dealing with warning signs

Tong said that while these ideas may be contradictory, shallow, inconsistent, or disorganised, they all point towards violence as a necessary outcome.

It is thus important to focus on broader behavioural changes, rather than whether someone follows a particular radical preacher, terrorist group, or extremist ideology.

"For example, growing hostility towards others, an increasing fascination with violence, withdrawal into online communities where extreme views are constantly being reinforced. These are often the warning signs that matter the most," he added.

Tong also said that rehabilitation is not a "single point" intervention, but requires a community effort comprising psychologists, religious counsellors, family support, school support, friends, educators, and more.

"Every Singaporean can be a true friend — the person who helps their friend, their colleague, or their classmate or family member who shows signs of radicalisation, and helps them quickly to get the right support that they need."

Not a betrayal

Tong emphasised that radicalisation often doesn't begin with violent intentions.

Rather, it may begin with questions about the environment or global events, a search for identity or relatability, or a deep desire to want to belong.

These people may take to the Internet with the simple goal of seeking answers to their questions, but inadvertently end up immersed in violent extremist content.

As such, "we need to supply answers, we need to be there... not just to give the answers but to create the environment where they can find answers from trusted sources".

The minister added that reporting a loved one who shows signs of radicalisation is not a betrayal, but a way to help their loved ones as effectively as possible.

"In many cases, you might well be the most powerful form of prevention early and upstream," he said.

A Grab delivery rider died after he reportedly fell into a swimming pool while making a delivery at a condominium along Tanah Merah Kechil Avenue.

The 64-year-old man was found unconscious and later died in the hospital.

No foul play

According to Shin Min Daily News, the incident took place at around 8:40pm on Sep. 17.

The rider was said to have felt unwell while making the delivery and accidentally fell into the condominium's swimming pool.

By the time he was found and pulled from the pool, he was already unconscious.

He was subsequently taken to the hospital, where he later died.

In response to Mothership's queries, the police confirmed receiving a call for assistance at 58 Tanah Merah Kechil Avenue.

Separately, the Singapore Civil Defence Force said it conveyed one person to Changi General Hospital.

Based on preliminary investigations, the police do not suspect foul play.

Police investigations are ongoing.

Leaves behind a wife

The man was identified to be Wang Zhi Cong (transliteration), Shin Min reported.

He had married his wife 10 years ago and the couple had no children.

A colleague of Wang's wife told the Chinese-language newspaper that he had previously worked as a salesperson.

Wang became a delivery rider after losing his job.

The colleague also described the couple as having had a close relationship.

He said the couple had spoken on the phone on the afternoon of Sep. 17, but Wang's wife was unable to reach him later that evening.

On the morning of Sep. 18, Wang's wife went to the mortuary with the colleague to collect his body.

They later proceeded to Mandai Crematorium at around 3pm to make arrangements for his cremation.

Shin Min reported that Wang's wife appeared deeply distressed and broke down in tears while at the mortuary, and later at the crematorium.

The colleague said the sudden nature of Wang's death had made it difficult for the widow to come to terms with the loss.

Grab committed to support the deceased's family

In response to Mothership's queries, a Grab spokesperson confirmed that one of its delivery-partner riders had passed away in an accident.

"Our heartfelt condolences go out to his family and loved ones — we grieve alongside them during this painful time," the spokesperson said, adding that Grab has been in contact with the family and would provide them with full assistance.

"As the relevant investigations are still ongoing, we are unable to disclose further details. We will work closely with the relevant authorities and cooperate fully with their investigation into the incident."

A man was sentenced to jail after choking his wife when she denied having an affair.

According to Lianhe Zaobao, the woman lost consciousness before their son stepped in and pulled his father away.

The 46-year-old man was subsequently handed eight charges that include voluntarily causing grievous hurt, criminal intimidation and criminal force.

He pleaded guilty to three of the charges and was sentenced to one year and 10 weeks in prison.

The couple has two sons, aged 17 and 14. A gag order was applied to protect the identities of the minors.

Threats

Lianhe Zaobao reported that on Jul. 28, 2025, at around 6:30pm, the man came home with his wife, a 39-year-old Vietnamese woman, after drinking when an argument broke out.

The man kept asking her if she was having an affair and continued to question her till about 11pm.

When she denied the accusations, the man took away her phone and wrapped both hands around her neck to choke her.

As the front door was locked and her phone confiscated, the victim could not escape or call the police.

At 2am, the man suddenly entered the sons' room where the mother was sleeping and began to choke her again.

He also threatened to"die together" with his wife, Lianhe Zaobao reported.

Fortunately, the elder son stepped in and pulled him away.  The wife then called the police, and they arrested the man on Jul. 29, 2025.

This was not the first time the man had threatened to kill his wife.

Threatened the whole family

On Oct. 15, 2020, the man entered his son's room in the early morning and woke the elder son, who was 11 at the time.

An argument broke out, and the man told his son that "we will sleep forever, the whole family will die together" before slamming the door.

This woke the wife, and once she learned what her husband said, she took the two boys into her room and locked the door.

Lianhe Zaobao stated that the man then kicked the door open and, holding a butter knife in his hand, threatened to kill all three of them.

The man's mother later called the police and informed them that she suspected her son was under the influence of drugs or medication and was causing a disturbance at home, leading her grandson to call her and ask her to contact the police.

Separate incident

On May. 13, 2024, the man was working at a bar as a bartender when he confronted a man who allegedly touched his colleague's breast.

He elbowed the man in the face twice, giving the victim a fractured nasal bone, Lianhe Zaobao stated.

Several boxes containing rabbits were allegedly abandoned along the side of a road in the Seletar Farmway area on Sep. 18.

These included a box of baby rabbits just a few days old, according to an Instagram post by animal welfare group Voices For Animals (VFA) founder Derrick Tan.

Abandoned rabbits

Speaking to Mothership, Tan said he learnt of the case at about 11:45pm on Friday, after someone reported seeing rabbits hopping around the area.

The person said he found several boxes left by the roadside, some of which contained rabbits.

One of the boxes contained baby rabbits who were merely a few days old, Tan said.

The man also allegedly saw a vehicle leaving the area.

According to Tan, the person in the vehicle had told him that he could take the rabbits if he wanted to, as they no longer wanted them.

He subsequently took a photograph of the vehicle and recorded its licence plate number.

Rabbits were found in poor condition

Tan said he and his team arrived at the scene at around 12:20am on Sep. 19.

He described the condition of the rabbits as poor, saying many were covered in urine and stains and had matted fur, bite wounds, and overgrown nails.

A total of 23 rabbits were found, comprising 16 adults and seven kits, according to Tan.

He added that several of the female rabbits may be pregnant.

Not wanting to cause them additional stress, Tan and his team have only treated the rabbits for fleas and mites so far.

Abandoned rabbits may face dangers

"Small animals such as bunnies are always the victims that suffer from abandonment," Tan said.

He said some people may assume that releasing rabbits into areas with large amounts of vegetation would allow them to survive on their own.

However, abandoned rabbits can be exposed to a range of dangers, including attacks by other animals and wildlife, abuse by people, and being hit by vehicles, he said.

The rabbits will be put up for adoption once they are medically stable and ready, Tan added.

VFA also plans to obtain dashcam footage from heavy vehicles that were parked in the area before submitting a report to the Animal and Veterinary Service, he said.

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A 16-year-old boy was arrested after an accident involving a 74-year-old pedestrian who subsequently passed away.

In response to Mothership's queries, the Singapore Police Force said that it received a call for assistance at Block 741 Yishun Avenue 5 on Sep. 15 at around 11:45am.

A 74-year-old male pedestrian was conveyed conscious to the hospital, where he later died.

A 16-year-old male cyclist was arrested for the offence of rash act causing death.

Police investigations are ongoing.

Looking for eyewitness

On Sep. 15, Tan Bo Xue took to Facebook to appeal for eyewitnesses over an accident involving his 74-year-old father.

Tan shared that his father had been hit by a cyclist on Sep. 15  along the pedestrian/cycling path in the vicinity of Yishun Avenue 5.

The elderly man sustained serious head injuries, including internal bleeding in the brain and a skull fracture.

On Sep. 18, Tan shared that his father passed away on Sep. 17.

A 20-year friendship between two women in Hong Kong apparently fell apart after one of them married the other's former boyfriend.

The relationship dispute, involving two women aged 70 and 60 and an 83-year-old man, was featured on an episode of Hong Kong’s TVB programme “Scoop”.

The feud between the former best friends had become serious enough to require a restraining order.

20-year friendship broke down because of a man

The 70-year-old woman, identified as Ah Li, said she and the 60-year-old woman, Ah Zhen, had been close friends for around 20 years.

Ah Li said that she would talk Ah Zhen on the phone for hours in the past.

Ah Li later met an 83-year-old man, identified as Quan, and the pair started dating.

Ah Li said that Quan was just an average man and that they only wanted to have each other for company.

However, several months later, Ah Zhen came to confront Ah Li.

"She came to tell me that she's seeing my boyfriend and they even slept together..She also boasted that she has a house, HKD 20,000 (around S$3,200), two rings and asked if I have anything?" Ah Li told the host in the episode.

Ah Li also asked Quan about it and he admitted he did sleep with Ah Zhen.

After knowing Quan cheated on her with Ah Zhen, Ah Li decided to break up with him.

"Trashy man ends up with trashy woman," she said in the programme.

Three years of conflict

Their dispute did not end there.

Ah Zhen had repeatedly harassed Ah Li for around three years, affecting her business, Ah Li said.

Ah Li claimed that Ah Zhen broke a glass display cabinet and her phones when the latter came to her stall to make a scene in the past.

To stop the harassment, she applied a restraining order against Ah Zhen.

The other perspective

On the other hand, Ah Zhen accused Ah Li for contacting Quan after their marriage.

The programme got Ah Zhen's views and accompanied Ah Li to her stall in hopes of resolving their dispute.

Ah Zhen said that few months into her marriage with Quan, he started to treat her badly and she believed it's because of Ah Li.

She also denied taking Quan away from Ah Li, claiming that the pair had already broken up three months before he pursued her.

She then claimed Quan was attracted to her because she was younger and had a good figure.

“My husband likes me because, firstly, I'm young, and secondly, I have a good figure. Can't you see?” the 60-year-old said.

The two elderly women did not resolve their differences through this meet-up.

Husband wanted a divorce

The programme subsequently got Quan to share his views.

The 83-year-old maintained that the conflict was between the two women and said there's nothing he could do.

He denied being unfaithful to Ah Zhen and said he had not approached Ah Li after marrying Ah Zhen.

He described Ah Zhen as  "sot sot teh" (crazy), adding that she has anger management issues and would lash out at others when she's triggered.

Quan also described her as extremely jealous.

Quan said that Ah Zhen cajoled him into getting married with her.

However, after knowing Ah Zhen better, he wanted a divorce but Ah Zhen refused.

At the end of the programme, Ah Li told the Scoop host that she was relieved Quan spoke the truth to clear her name.

However, she felt Quan should keep Ah Zhen in check, warning that she would not hesitate to report Ah Zhen to the police if the harassment continued.

At least 20 passers-by were spotted working together to help move a tree that had fallen onto a road in MacPherson on Sep. 18.

The incident came to light after an Instagram user, @crayoncheryl, posted a video showing several people pushing the tree towards the side of the road, while others cleared smaller branches.

At one point, the group could be heard counting, "One, two, three!" before pushing the tree together.

No one was injured

Speaking to Mothership, the Instagram user said the incident took place at around 6pm on Friday, opposite MacPherson Sheng Hong Child Care Centre.

She said she was walking towards a bus stop when she saw the fallen tree.

Fortunately, no one was injured and no vehicles were damaged, she said.

She later went closer to the scene and saw bus drivers informing other buses behind them that the road was completely blocked.

There were also some cars that began making U-turns to leave the area.

The user said she initially thought the fallen tree would result in a major traffic jam.

"It didn’t occur to me we can actually move it first without authorities, until the first person went in and many others followed."

According to her, about 20 to 30 people eventually worked together to clear the tree.

The group comprised a mix of people, including migrant workers, bus drivers, and bikers.

One person suggested breaking the main branch

The group initially tried to break the smaller branches, but this was taking some time, the user said.

Someone then suggested breaking the main branch and pushing the tree instead.

The group eventually managed to move the tree enough to clear one lane of the road.

"Everyone clapped and some of the vehicles honked in celebration too," the user said.

The entire process took less than 15 minutes from the time she arrived at the scene, she added.

After boarding her bus, the user said she called the National Parks Board (NParks) to check if the fallen tree had been reported.

In response, NParks told her that they were aware of the incident and that contractors were on their way, she said.

A Singaporean man responsible for managing the affairs of a madrasah misappropriated S$68,629 from the religious school at Braddell Road.

59-year-old Razak Mohamed Lazim was a former senior director at the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (MUIS) from 2011 to January 2016.

On Sep. 18, Razak was sentenced to seven weeks' jail on one charge of computer misuse and one charge of misappropriation.

CNA reported that he also received a discharge not amounting to an acquittal (DNATA) for two charges of allegedly cheating Temasek Foundation International of S$784,900, and one charge of accessing the school's email server.

A DNATA means that the accused can still be prosecuted for these charges at a later date.

Razak will appeal against the sentence, his lawyers said.

Long history with MUIS and madrasah

According to court documents seen by Mothership, at the material time, MUIS was responsible for overseeing the appointments of members to Madrasah Irsyad Zuhri Al-Islamiah's board of governors (BOG).

Razak first joined the Madrasah Management Committee (MMC), subordinate to the BOG, in 2002.

He served as the committee's chairman from 2006 to 2008, joined the BOG sometime in 2008, and was also the executive director of the madrasah from 2009 to 2011.

While being employed by MUIS, Razak also continued his concurrent appointments on the MMC and BOG.

He eventually resigned from MUIS and the madrasah on Jan. 19, 2016, but formally remained on the MMC and BOG til Dec. 31, 2017.

Appointed executive director

Sometime in 2014, the MMC decided that the madrasah's international projects that promoted Islamic education and the building of such schools in the region should be moved to Irsyad Trust Limited (ITL).

This was a separate company established in 2006, intended to be a vehicle for MMC's initiatives.

In April 2016, shortly after his resignation, Razak was appointed to ITL as an executive director; he was one of two required signatories of the company’s bank account with the ability to execute transactions.

Misappropriated funds

According to court documents, the madrasah developed textbooks as part of its teaching curriculum.

The school entered into a distribution agreement with a printing company, Key-Orient Lamitec (KOL), which allowed it to market and distribute the textbooks.

The madrasah, as the "copyright owner", would receive royalty payments from the sale of textbooks.

Sometime in 2019, a publisher signed a content license agreement to use the master copy of the textbooks. Accordingly, it made three payments to KOL between Jan. 15, 2019 and Feb. 4, 2020.

The third payment made to KOL comprised S$205,888. As per the agreement, KOL was supposed to pay S$116,671 to ITL and S$68,629 to the madrasah.

But on Feb. 5, 2020, Razak emailed KOL and requested that both sums be transferred to ITL, claiming that ITL would "disburse the [the madrasah's] royalty directly".

Instead of doing so, he misappropriated the S$68,629 meant for the madrasah.

Failed to disburse donations

10 days later, ITL's board of directors met.

Razak told the board that ITL had made annual contributions of S$20,000 to the school. The board hence decided to make a S$70,000 donation to the madrasah.

As ITL's executive director, Razak was tasked to disburse the "donation".

However, Razak did not transfer any money to the school for around two years.

It was only in Feb. 22, 2022, when he finally prepared a cheque for S$70,000, issued by ITL to the madrasah.

In doing so, he used the S$68,629 sum he had earlier misappropriated from the madrasah's textbook royalties, the court heard.

However, the school responded that it was unable to accept the "donation" due to an "ongoing review of financial transactions" between the two institutions.

On Jun. 8, 2022, Razak was called by the Commercial Affairs Department to assist in investigations.

Several weeks later, Razak transferred an additional S$70,000 from ITL's bank account to KOL's.

He called it an "adjustment to agent fee for exploring Arabic".

"Super user" access rights

Razak was also granted "super user" access rights to the madrasah's email server, which gave him the ability to configure and access email accounts.

Despite having already resigned from his position in 2019, Razak used his access rights to create a new account that would forward emails sent to his old account to his personal email address.

Court documents stated that Razak admitted that he did so without obtaining any authorisation from the madrasah’s principal, vice-principals or heads of department.

Penalties

The prosecution sought a sentence of two to three months' imprisonment, according to court documents.

Prosecutors noted that while there is no evidence of loss or damage caused by Razak's unauthorised access to the madrasah server, it was highly significant as he faced three similar charges and a considerable degree of deliberation and premeditation was involved.

They added that he dishonestly misappropriated S$68,629 which belonged to the madrasah, a sum which was very high.

For accessing an email server without permission, a first-time offender can face up to two years' jail, a fine of up to S$5,000, or both.

For misappropriating funds, an offender could be jailed for up to two years, fined, or both.