Perhaps the best of the Falsehoods’ Committee’s recommendations may be for the Government to give reasons for decisions not to disclose information to the public?

I refer to the article “Strong trust in public institutions essential to combat fake news: Select Committee” (Channel NewsAsia, Sep 20).

It states that “Transparency, for example, includes the swift communication of information in response to online falsehoods, the reasons for any Government action against online falsehoods, and the reasons for decisions not to disclose information to the public.”

As to “the reasons for decisions not to disclose information to the public” – what are the reasons for not disclosing the following information:

… the actual total remuneration (average and highest) of the different grades of Ministers for the last year

…  the incomes and employment growth statistics for Singaporeans, instead of just ‘locals’ (which includes PRs)

… the breakdown of HDB BTO prices into construction and land costs

… the accumulated surpluses (excess of premiums to claims plus accrued interest) from the inception of the following schemes:

MediShield Life

ElderShield

… GIC’s annualised returns in S$ for the last 1, 3, 5, 10 and 20 years, and from its inception, relative to the weighted average interest rate paid on CPF accounts

Leong Sze Hian