UglySingaporean

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THE MAN: Who is Mr NKF?
Confident, cocky, combative and...
By Karen Wong

July 14, 2005

MR T T Durai strode into court on Monday, the first day of the defamation court hearing, looking self-assured and confident.

One could even say, a little cocky.

In the first hour or so of being cross-examined by Senior Counsel Davinder Singh, he shot back, 'Best of luck,' when the lawyer told him that it was Singapore Press Holdings' case that the National Kidney Foundation, under his management, had been less than transparent about its financial affairs.

After two days on the witness stand, Mr Durai's tone had slowly lost its confident ring as he withdrew his libel lawsuit.

His face was now drawn, his voice shaky.

While answering reporters' questions, he could barely string his sentences together.

At certain points, he had to be prompted by one of his employees from the communications department.

As Mr Durai, 57, left court defeated, his supporters, mostly NKF employees, rallied around him.

Two were seen shedding tears outside the courtroom.

One of them, Ms Joanne Long, said she was 'upset' by the outcome.

Asked if she'd continue working in the NKF in the light of the recent revelations, she replied emphatically: 'Of course, I'll still continue with the organisation. He's doing everything possible for it.

'At the end of it, it's the patients we're talking about.'

Who is this man who gets paid $600,000 a year and sues a newspaper for reporting that gold taps had been installed in his office bathroom because it gave the impression that he spends donors' funds on personal luxuries ?

Who is this man whom Mr Singh had accused in court of having 'misled the public' and 'mismanaged' NKF funds?

Who is this man who justifies using NKF funds to fly first class, saying it is within his 'entitlement' as long as it was pegged to Singapore Airlines' business-class rates?

Who is this man who inspires deep loyalty from his staff and supporters?

Who is this man who has, through his 37 years in the NKF, has become the foundation's alter ego?

Criminal lawyer Subhas Anandan, who was two years his senior in the law faculty in university in the late 1960s, said: 'He was involved in the NKF from the time he was a student.

He was a former vice-president of the then University of Singapore Students' Union.

'He was very active in the students' union. He was always well-dressed and he had a lot of friends,' said Mr Subhas.

'I thought he was ambitious.'

Mr Durai was also a grassroots leader.

Former Cabinet minister Othman Wok, 80, said that Mr Durai had helped him in constituency work when he was MP for Pasir Panjang in the 1960s.

'At that time, he was just a young man, a nice person. I appointed him as a member of the Pasir Panjang Community Centre management committee.'

When asked if Mr Durai struck him as politically ambitious, Mr Wok said: 'I can't recall. He never expressed his views to me. But he was keen to serve in the community.'

Mr Durai graduated with a law degree and worked in the government legal service for six years until 1977.

During that time, he also studied for and obtained a master's of law in London.

In 1979, he joined law firm Rodyk and Davidson and was there for four years. He later left and was a director in several companies before taking up his CEO position in the NKF in 1992.

Mr Durai is, by his own admission, the NKF man.

He said in his own sworn statement: 'After more than 30 years with the NKF and 13 years as its CEO, my reputation is closely intertwined with that of the organisation.'

He is known to work 12 to 14-hour days, seven days a week.

He often schedules staff presentations of projects to him on a Sunday.

He is described as one former employee as being a 'hands-on' boss.

So 'hands-on' that he has weekly 'training sessions' with all staff in the Kim Keat headquarters auditorium called 'CEO speak', sometimes lasting up to two hours.

Mr Durai had separate sessions for 'management staff', said the Indian expat who left the NKF recently.

Under Mr Durai's helm, NKF's work has been ground-breaking.

About 80 per cent of his own sworn statement is about the work he has done with and for the NKF.

The self-professed 'private man', spoke of how he has helped raise funds for the NKF, of how he has opened satellite dialysis centres and the programmes he has come up with.

He said: 'I had painstakingly built the NKF on strong fundamentals and guarded its reputation.'

Ironically, though, it is Mr Durai's pursuit of redress against his and NKF's reputation that may spell the beginning of the end for the man and, by painful extension, his cause.

WHAT WAS REVEALED

The court proceedings revealed his $25,000 monthly salary (a closely-guarded secret until now), which shocked many.

Also revealed: His bonus and car perks, non-disclosure of outside business interests and paid directorships.

The NKF was also shown to have led the public to believe its reserves could last only three years when there was enough for about 30 years. It also overstated its number of patients by 1,000.

This has sparked a backlash as some donors withdrew their support. (See report on page 6).

After withdrawing his lawsuit yesterday, Mr Durai told reporters: 'The track record of the NKF will speak for itself. We are all not perfect. It's inevitable that mistakes occur...

'I have not done anything wrong or deceived the public.'
- Additional reporting by Clarence Chang