Ven. Ming Yi as a member of the Sangha must and should observe the Vinaya rules, the 'third basket' of the Buddha-dhamma. If he had, none of this would have happened.
According to these rules, the members of the Sangha (Buddhist monks and nuns) should
primarily involve themselves to the propagation of the Buddha-dhamma and to cultivate themselves spiritually. That's their main duty. members of the Sangha are supposedly "homeless", meaning, not owning anything except for the three robes and daily items for personal hygiene, not BMWs, jades or expensive watches. Other peripheral activities, like running a charity or even a temple is best left to the lay-people who are more knowledgeable of the laws and regulations. As someone said in this blog, power corrupts and monks are not much different from other people, you and me. Monks too like to be in the lime-light and hold the strings to decision-making. This gives rise to the possiblity of temptation. We have seen this happening to a very renowned Thai monk who was eventually dis-robed a few years ago by the Mahasangha of Thailand.

Ven Ming Yi has noble aspirations when he took over the ex-Woodbridge hospital. He was compassionate but not wise enough to know his friends who took loans from him.
These loans as I understand, are from fund of the charitable organisations he heads.
Truly, money and assets are of inconsequential to members of the Sangha, but not to public orgnaisations which are legal entities and subject to jurisdictions of statutory requirements of Singapore. Therein lies the trap that Ven Ming Yi was caught when his friends did not pay up and the Law take a long incisive look into the affairs of his organisations. He is caught. Well, he can get his family to cough up the money afterall, he is from a very well-to-do family. His family is rich enough to give him a detached house to use as a temple when he first started on his spiritual quest (nearly 20 years ago?). I'm surprised that till todate, his organisations did not take up legal action against those friends of his, unless of course, what was told to the public were red herrings.

It is time now for the Buddhist Federation of Singapore to come out to ask its members, especially the abbots and abbesses to declare their assets. And to regulate the activities of the members of the Sangha, and prohibit them from assuming positions in secular organisations. In short, implement the Vinaya rules. Any offender is liable to be dis-robed. This is the solution if the Federation can be empowered to do so.

Sudhamma
17th July 2008