This point was made clear by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong yesterday, even as he levelled the charge of complacency on those at the Whitley Road Detention Centre.

Speaking on the Mas Selamat escape, Mr Inderjit Singh (Ang Mo Kio GRC) had called for signals to be sent 'correctly' - 'not just to Singaporeans but to civil servants and to everyone else in Government that when you make a mistake, you need to be appropriately punished for it'.

This is particularly so since Singapore has pegged the pay of ministers and senior civil servants to that of top earners in the private sector, he said.

'I'm not suggesting that we punish the Deputy Prime Minister, but I think the signal that we send is very important, not just for this but also for past incidents - the Nicoll Highway incident, the Navy ship that collided (with another vessel) some years ago, what happened to the people in charge?'

This is important so that civil servants are clear they will be punished if they make mistakes, and are thus motivated to maintain high standards, he added.

Replying, PM Lee said there is no doubt that civil servants are aware of it. 'Whether it's a big mistake or a small mistake, if they are responsible, they have to answer for it,' he said.

'I think in each case the right action is taken. Sometimes it is in court, everybody knows; sometimes it's disciplinary, departmental, it may or may not be publicised.'

At the same time, he stressed that Singaporeans should not slip into a 'witch-hunting mode'.

'Because if you generate a culture where nobody wants to make mistakes and they are afraid to do something for fear of making mistakes, that - as Dr Goh Keng Swee (one of Singapore's founding fathers) used to say - would be the biggest mistake of all.'

So there has to be perspective, he said. 'The point is well taken that there's no iron rice bowl in the civil service. I think every civil servant is extremely conscious of that.'

Agreeing, civil servant Gabriel Lim told The Straits Times the notion of accountability was deeply entrenched among civil servants.

Highlighting the dangers of witch-hunting, he also said that 'in trying to hold everybody responsible, you may lose good and innocent people in the process'.

However, Nominated MP Eunice Olsen, speaking on the Mas Selamat escape, asked if 'drawing the line for responsibility just short of those who ought to come up with the important questions' means Singapore might be risking 'more complacency'.

PM Lee replied: 'I don't think so. I think we are taking it seriously and those who deserve to be reprimanded or punished or removed will be reprimanded or punished or removed. Those who don't, will not.'