In the 1980s, Ong was one of the party's four senior 'second echelon' leaders who were considered as possible successors to Lee.

CNN: 'I Had a Job to Do'

Obama's choices for pivotal, second-echelon government positions are time bombs that--policy by policy, decision by decision--will damage the nation's competitiveness, ability to innovate, and capacity to create wealth.

FORBES: Commentary

The second accusation, that the Echelon surveillance system is now used for commercial gain, is particularly controversial and harder to prove.

ECONOMIST: Those perfidious Anglo spies