How the Public and Media Form an Informal Auditing Body Outside of the Charity Organisation

This paper explores how the public and media form an informal auditing body outside of the charity organisation. It elicits what Singaporeans expect from Charity leaders and how this set of expectations are more comprehensive than that of the corporate sector.

This paper explores the cases of T.T Durai, CEO of National Kidney Foundation Singapore and Venerable Shi Ming Yi of Ren Ci Hospital. The reason for choice is that both cases are similar in nature and they induce high societal response, thus rendering them worthy of inquiry. I argue that leaders in this sector must comply conspicuously to these standards in order to retain public trust and further their agenda. This paper seeks to inform this point by offering a uniquely Singapore perspective, hopefully contributing to the body of Leadership literature in Asia.

These leadership scandals have brought about moral panics in Singapore. Although limited in its temporality, they have left behind an informal legacy which informs current and future leaders of the challenges in the charity sector. I argue that these scandals have redefined what leadership in charity sectors should be in Singapore; they have brought forth the case for conspicuous compliance. This entails regulatory compliance and the obvious "display" of compliance. The former informs leadership behavior through bureaucracy. The latter has become more significant as there is a need for charity leaders to maintain their roles (of which is socially constructed) in society. Any behavior which violates the social norms and legal rules may be seen as deviant.