Accountability and transparency needed from AHPETC: Desmond Lee
Minister of State for National Development Desmond Lee said The Workers’ Party has not explained its “serious financial mismanagement”, and rising service and conservancy charges arrears.
The key issue in the poor performance of the Aljunied-Hougang-Punggol East Town Council (AHPETC) is accountability and transparency, said Minister of State for National Development Desmond Lee in a statement on Friday (Nov 21).
The Workers’ Party (WP) has not explained its “serious financial mismanagement”, and rising service and conservancy charges (S&CC) arrears, said Mr Lee. “Instead, we have seen a coordinated online campaign to distract the public, using falsehoods, half-truths and speculations, by friends, sympathisers and proxies of the WP. The aim is to confuse the public and distract them from the real issues.”
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WP’s ‘excuses’ cast doubt on its leaders’ integrity: Desmond Lee
AHPETC MPs have failed to be accountable in not submitting information on arrears, he says. Firing the latest salvo in what has become a prolonged dispute between the Government and the opposition party, Minister of State (National Development) Desmond Lee said in a statement issued yesterday that the series of excuses the Workers’ Party (WP) has been doling out has cast doubt not only on the competence of its Aljunied-Hougang-Punggol East Town Council (AHPETC), but also on the integrity of its leaders.
Responding to Ms Lim’s lengthy statement published on Wednesday evening, in which she refuted several charges made in an opinion piece by Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Lawrence Wong, Mr Lee pointed out that Ms Lim, who is also the WP’s chairman, had put the responsibility on the Government and the Auditor-General’s Office (AGO) to establish the town council’s true state of affairs, something he described as “a remarkable proposition”.
In her statement, Ms Lim had noted that the People’s Action Party would be the first to hold the WP to account in the event of any issues and said the Government had “all the investigative arms within its disposal to hold the WP to account on any matter under the sun”.
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Desmond Lee dismisses Sylvia Lim's 'series of excuses' on AHPETC
In a statement issued on Thursday (Dec 11), Mr Lee said the "series of excuses calls into question not only AHPETC's local competence, but also the WP leaders' integrity and national reputation".
Just the day before, Ms Lim had said the town council had explained to the Ministry of National Development (MND) that it had challenges in submitting arrears data in MND's format from mid-last year.
That same day, Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Lawrence Wong had said residents "deserve to know that their money is being properly managed and spent" in an op-ed in the Straits Times, and said the opposition-run town council's silence on its financial situation suggests "bigger problems lurking".
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MND’s Lee rebuts AHPETC’s comments
Citing comments attributed to Workers’ Party (WP) leaders in earlier media reports and a town council employee, Minister of State (National Development) Desmond Lee rebutted what he said were excuses given by the Aljunied-Hougang-Punggol East Town Council (AHPETC) for not submitting arrears reports.
Excuse 1: “It is AGO’s fault.” WP MPs Low Thia Khiang, Sylvia Lim and Png Eng Huat had suggested that the town council had to handle the Auditor-General’s Office (AGO) audit, which took up time and resources.
Desmond Lee: “AHPETC stopped submitting the monthly Service and Conservancy Charges (S&CC) arrears reports from May 2013, 10 months before the AGO audit even began.”
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WP yet to respond on town council's finances: Desmond Lee
It instead launched a "coordinated online campaign to distract the public, using falsehoods, half-truths and speculations, by friends, sympathisers and proxies".
"This is what the WP often does when caught under the spotlight - raise a flurry of red herrings in the hope that people forget that they have not come clean," he said in a second statement in as many weeks on the issue of AHPETC's finances.
Mr Lee noted the Ministry of National Development (MND) had addressed these "untruths".
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Rise in WP-run town council's service and conservancy charge arrears 'shocking' says Desmond Lee
The sharp increase in the service and conservancy charge (S&CC) arrears of the Aljunied-Hougang-Punggol East Town Council is "shocking", Minister of State for National Development Desmond Lee said on Friday evening.
He indicated that the financial position of the Workers' Party-run council might be worse than stated, given that it had not submitted statements for the 2013 financial year despite reminders.
Mr Lee was critical of WP chief Low Thia Khiang's recent comments that S&CC arrears were a common problem - something he had also experienced in his previous Hougang constituency - and that residents would eventually pay up.
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Desmond Lee demonstrates why we need opposition
The TC spat between Desmond Lee and AHPTEC is a perfect example of checks and balances that Singaporeans should vote for.
While we suspect that there are faults on both sides, we must know that this episode highlights to us that when we have at least 2 camps in Parliament, we can be sure they will all become responsible to us. We can be sure that both sides will dig out each other’s missteps and let us know. We can be sure that there will not be any easy hiding from public eyes like AIM, and roof cleaning. We can be sure that Singaporeans get the responsible and transparent government we deserve.
Thanks to Desmond Lee, we can now clearly see that while PAP is a good check on the WP, the WP is not effective enough because of their small numbers. Desmond Lee has demonstrated to us that we need more oppos in Parliament. Just think of how much more responsibility we can get out of PAP when just a few WP MPs can dig out AIM, elected MPs needing unelected CCC approval, Global Schoolhouse failures, etc.
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Did Desmond Lee tell the whole story?
When Minister of State for National Development, Desmond Lee, said that the Workers’ Party Aljunied-Hougang-Punggol East Town Council (AHPETC) had an “operating deficit of S$734,000 in FY12”, was he telling the whole story?
Let’s revisit what he said exactly, as reported by the Straits Times on 7 November:
“Before merger, Aljunied had an operating surplus of $3.3m. Within two years, the merged AHPETC’s financial position has deteriorated rapidly. The operating surplus of $3.3m Aljunied had in FY10 had turned into an operating deficit of $734,000 in FY12.”
A casual reader of that statement or claim might have gone away with the impression that the AHPETC had received this S$3.3 million and has squandered S$3.3 million in the span of two years, and that the town council is now in a deficit of S$734,000.
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While Desmond ‘fixes’ AHPETC, rats party in his GRC
While Minister of State for National Development Desmond Lee is busy trying to “fix” opposition town council AHPETC, his own Jurong Town Council appears to be helpless in stopping rats running wild in his GRC.
A Facebook user uploaded videos and photos yesterday (16 Dec) of what appeared to be rats scurrying around a grass patch. The Facebook user said the video footage was recorded next to Bukit Batok MRT station.
The video showing a large colony of rats scurrying about is causing concern among netizens.
related: Rat infestation near Bukit Batok MRT
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Lawrence Wong: WP town council and the sound of silence
In recent weeks, the centre of attention has not been a charity, but a town council, specifically, the Aljunied-Hougang-Punggol East Town Council (AHPETC).
Every year that the Workers' Party (WP) has run AHPETC, the town council has been consistently flagged "red", both for its service and conservancy charge (S&CC) arrears management and its corporate governance.
In fact, since 2012, AHPETC has faced repeated questions - from its own auditor, from the Ministry of National Development (MND), and from residents of Aljunied, Hougang and Punggol East.
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Lawrence Wong: AHPETC's silence on financial situation suggests 'bigger problems'
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In an opinion piece in the Straits Times published on Wednesday (Dec 10), Mr Wong said so far, all that people have got from the town council are "prevarications, non-answers and sweeping assurances that things will be all right".
He said the Service and Conservancy Charges (S&CC) arrears are not the only issue. The governance and supervision of the town council are also at stake.
"Residents and shopkeepers deserve to know that their money is being properly managed and spent by the town council," he said.
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LAWRENCE WONG SLAMS WP'S FUNDS MANAGEMENT BUT TURNS BLIND EYE TO CPF
The latest PAP minister to wade into the saga involving the AHPETC is Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Lawrence Wong.
He accused the Workers' Party (WP) of not being transparent and accountable about its service and conservancy charge (S&CC) arrears.
"When you are responsible for public monies, whether donations or fees, good intentions are not enough to prevent bad outcomes," Mr Wong said.
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Lawrence Wong and Sylvia Lim face off on issue of arrears
SINGAPORE: Culture, Community and Youth Minister Lawrence Wong says the opposition-run Aljunied-Hougang-Punggol East Town Council's (AHPETC) silence on its financial situation may suggest "bigger problems lurking."
In an opinion piece in the Straits Times published on Wednesday (Dec 10), Mr Wong said so far, all that people have got from the town council are "prevarications, non-answers and sweeping assurances that things will be all right".
He said the Service and Conservancy Charges (S&CC) arrears are not the only issue. The governance and supervision of the town council are also at stake.
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Lawrence Wong wants answer, he gets it from Sylvia
He said: “For democracy to really, truly work in Singapore, the PAP also must fight, and fight to win the battle. Because if the other side fights and we sit down and we are good guys and nice and friendly to everyone, I think we deserve to lose. We are friendly, yes. To win, we must fight for what we believe in. If you get flamed, so what? I have the thickest skin in town and if you are doing the right thing and if 10,000 people go against you, proceed. We are charging in the right direction.”
Taking the cue from Mr Lee, the Minister for Culture, Community and Youth, Lawrence Wong, helps intensify PAP’s attack on WP town council, AHPETC, with regard to its finances. The Straits Times helps Mr Wong publish his article in ST opinion section today (10 Dec), further criticising WP. The attack from Mr Wong came, even though his ministry has had nothing to do with town councils.
Mr Wong started his article by saying one of his responsibilities at MCCY is to regulate charities, again, nevermind if charities and town councils are 2 different kinds of entity.
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Sylvia Lim urges minister not to confuse, alarm public over AHPETC’s arrears
Chairman of Aljunied-Hougang-Punggol East Town Council (AHPETC) Sylvia Lim has urged Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Lawrence Wong not to confuse or alarm the public about its service and conservancy charges (S&CC) arrears situation.
Her comments came in a lengthy press statement the town council issued yesterday in response to an opinion piece in The Straits Times by the minister, in which he said the town council’s silence on the matter signalled that “something is seriously wrong”.
In her first detailed comments since AHPETC came under the spotlight early last month for its S&CC arrears, Ms Lim, who is Workers’ Party (WP) chairman, said the town council had been facilitating the special audit by the Auditor-General’s Office (AGO) and that its annual accounts would also be audited by firms approved by the Ministry of National Development (MND).
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WP’s Sylvia Lim responds to Lawrence Wong’s op-ed
Ms Sylvia Lim, chairman of the Workers’ Party-run town council, has urged Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Lawrence Wong “not to confuse or alarm the public by speculating” on whether the service and conservancy charges arrears situation in her town council has worsened or whether it is facing “bigger problems”, as the minister wrote in an op-ed published in The Straits Times today (Dec 10).
In his article titled “WP town council and the sound of silence”, Mr Wong also expressed his “queasiness” about whether Aljunied-Hougang-Punggol East Town Council (AHPETC) and the WP are deliberately trying to avoid answering questions about the town council’s financial management and situation.
Responding in a press statement this evening, Ms Lim, who is WP chairman, said the public can expect that the People’s Action Party will be the first to hold WP to account.
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Comments on AHPETC arrears situation regrettable: Sylvia Lim
Workers’ Party (WP) chairman Sylvia Lim today (Dec 12) labelled the comments from government leaders on the under-fire Aljunied-Hougang-Punggol East Town Council (AHPETC) “regrettable”, as the public exchange between both sides continued into its third straight day this week.
The arrears in service and conservancy charges (S&CC) chalked up in AHPETC was first flagged early last month, and the matter has been put under scrutiny by ministers, who have called out the WP’s silence as an issue of accountability and transparency.
In a statement today, Ms Lim, who also chairs AHPETC, reiterated that her party would account for the arrears to the public, but only in due course, as they had repeatedly said. She also hit out at the comments made by the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) since the saga broke out.
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‘Friends’ of WP accused of spreading falsehoods online
Minister of State for National Development Desmond Lee, who is the son of former cabinet minister Lee Yock Suan, issued a statement yesterday (21 Nov) accusing “friends, sympathisers and proxies of WP” of spreading falsehoods and half-truths online.
“AHPETC has yet to explain its serious financial mismanagement, and the S&CC arrears,” he said. “Instead, we have seen a coordinated online campaign to distract the public, using falsehoods, half-truths and speculations, by friends, sympathisers and proxies of the Workers’ Party (WP).” Mr Lee said the aim is to “confuse the public and distract them from the real issues”.
“MND has addressed these untruths,” he said. “This is what the WP often does when caught under the spotlight – raise a flurry of red herrings in the hope that people forget that they have not come clean,” Mr Lee accused WP.
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WP responds to charges of "silence" over town council red flags
Ms Lim took issue with media reports that repeated ''insinuations of impropriety'' in AHPETC awarding its managing agent contract to FMSS
Workers' Party (WP) chairman Sylvia Lim has responded to an article written by Minister of Culture, Community and Youth Lawrence Wong, which suggested that the opposition party's silence on its town council's finances and delay in submitting financial reports may hint at "bigger problems".
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Aljunied-Hougang-Punggol East Town Council's 'poor performance a grave public concern': MND
Aljunied-Hougang-Punggol East Town Council (AHPETC) has been red flagged by the Ministry of National Development (MND) in two areas in the latest Town Council Management Report that was released today.
MND said its "persistent poor performance in corporate governance and service and conservancy charge (S&CC) arrears management is of grave public concern'.
AHPETC had been red flagged for two areas: S&CC arrears management, which examines the extent of town councils' S&CC arrears that residents have to bear, and corporate governance, which reflects the town councils' financial rules.
related:
Ministry refutes AHPETC's claim
AHPETC claims trial over unlicensed fair it held in Hougang: Sylvia Lim
No all-clear for AHPETC's accounts
Town council above board: Sylvia Lim
Grassroots leader, AHPETC at odds over upgradingread more
AHPETC Remains Steadfast to Serve the Residents of the Town
I refer to the article published in the Straits Times and Lian He Zao Bao on 10th December 2014 written by Mr Lawrence Wong, Minister for Culture Community and Youth.
In his article, Minister Wong repeated the same tune of his party colleagues about Aljunied-Hougang-Punggol East Town Council (AHPETC) allegedly not releasing information on its financial matters. He also raised doubts about some statements attributed to me as AHPETC Chairman on the arrears situation and reporting of arrears to the Ministry of National Development (MND).
Let me clarify the matter.
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AHPETC responds to MCCY minister’s article on town council financial matters
The article by Mr Wong made reference to the town council for not releasing information on its financial matters. “First, its leaders say it is not a big deal. Then, when they can no longer pretend it is not a big deal, they blame someone else – the National Environment Agency, the People’s Action Party, even the AGO. Then, when their excuses are exposed one by one, they say “we are looking into the matter”, or that things will be explained – in “due time”. And then, more silence.
“Perhaps, the WP hopes that by lying low and keeping its head down, the matter will go away. The public may forget, or even better, not notice.
But it will not, and the public will not. Instead, the WP’s credibility and integrity are slowly but surely draining away,” wrote Mr Wong in the Straits Times op-ed.
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AHPETC denies intentionally delaying response to arrears issue
It was previously reported that AHPETC had been red flagged in the Ministry of National Development's (MND) Town Council Management Report in two areas: service and consultancy charge (S&CC) arrears and corporate governance.
According to Channel NewsAsia, Mr Lee said on Friday that the key issue in the poor performance of AHPETC is accountability and transparency, and that the WP had not explained its "serious financial mismanagement" and rising S&CC arrears.
Mr Lee added that AHPETC had launched a "coordinated online campaign to distract the public, using falsehoods, half-truths and speculations, by friends, sympathisers and proxies."
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AHPETC 'to address arrears issue after audit'
She declined to give detailed responses to questions on the financial health of the Aljunied- Hougang-Punggol East Town Council (AHPETC), saying the party would do so after the Auditor-General's Office (AGO) has completed the audit on its financial statements.
The council received a red banding - the worst - for the management of S&CC arrears, and for corporate governance in the latest Town Council Management Report issued by the Ministry of National Development (MND). It was the only one of 16 town councils to get the banding.
Minister of State for National Development Desmond Lee said last Friday that the council's 29 per cent arrears rate was shocking. It suggested 16,000 out of 55,000 households were not paying their S&CC. The council's finances could decline if the trend continued, affecting residents. He noted that the council had not filed statements for the 2013 financial year and its monthly S&CC arrears reports since May last year, despite reminders.
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A PAP Comic Opera
It has been sometime since we had been regaled with a PAP Comic Opera and a comical rookie Minister of State of the Ministry of National Development (MND) has taken upon himself to be the protagonist in the latest comedy to discredit the Workers' Party AHPETC for allegedly mismanaging the Town Council and its funds. MOS Desmond Lee saw this as a golden opportunity to project himself into prominence as an advancement to his political career. So right from the start he pulled no punches in a salvo of denigrations against the AHPETC obviously based on his glaring misconception of the actual situation in the WP Town Council.
MOS Desmond Lee jumped upon the MND annual report card which highlighted the worst scores in the areas of service and conservancy charges (S&CC) arrears and matters of corporate governance of the AHPETC which he saw as a god-send opportunity to condemn the WP Town Council for gross mismanagement with no doubt the main objective of diminishing the reputation and chances of WP at the next GE. But the clownish Desmond Lee had grossly underestimated the adroitness of the WP, especially the competent AHPETC Chairman Sylvia Lim, in convincingly countering his accusations of mismanagement.
Ms Lim has adroitly explained why AHPETC was unable to submit the S&CC arrears report in the format demanded by MND and pledged to explain to the public the S&CC arrears in due course. Naturally, a seizable number of the public and netizens saw through the evil design of the devious Desmond Lee and rallied in total support of the WP stand. This was pooh-poohed by the desperate Desmond Lee as a co-ordinated online campaign to distract the public, using falsehoods, half-truths and speculations and proxies of the Workers' Party. This was like a drowning man grasping a last straw.
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It’s so interestingly irritating
All this batting to and fro between the PAP and the WP is interesting, in an irritating way. Interesting because controversies always are; but irritating because it is no longer entertainment to spectators. The game doesn’t seem to be ending. I need a loo break. I need to eat. I need to sleep. Yet I am stuck in the stadium with no idea how the game will end. What’s funnier is how the debate is now about whether the WP has been keeping “silent’’. Who says, WP says. We’ve been saying we’ll tell all in due course. Yet the G is making charges that there’s more going on, “bigger problems’’, in the WP town council. The G should keep quiet and just let the Auditor-General do its job. After which, the G is sure to let it all hang out.
WP’s Sylvia Lim says the PAP’s investigating arms would be the first to hold WP to account, so what’s the problem? MOS Desmond Lee says this shows the WP is asking the G to act as a check. Methinks it’s more like Ms Lim saying “if you’ve got anything on us, show your hand’’.
Actually, I think the same too. If the G has more info, come out with it. All this “you first’’ is quite annoying. After all, its Auditor-General is already on the job. Has been since March in fact. If you’re wondering why I keep pushing this point, it’s because it’s time the AGO say something. The WP says it is waiting for the AGO before talking (although this is not the sole reason for the “delay’’, Ms Lim maintains) The G has said NOTHING about the delay (?) on the AGO front. In the meantime, everyone is looking forward to a non-partisan account from the bean counters that will tell us whether
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Blindly Accusing AHPETC
There are two types of surpluses — the surplus for the year and the accumulated surplus. These are analogous to the profit that a company earns in a financial year and the reserves that are part of sharewholders' funds in a company, respectively.
The surplus for the preceding year cannot be inherited. Circumstances change from year to year. The cost of third-party services may rise or fall because of higher wages, higher/lower COEs for business vehicles, higher rental of the service providers' office or factory premises, higher/lower electricity tariffs etc.
Comparing FYE March 2012 with FYE March 2011, conservancy and service ("C&SS") fees after transfer to the sinking fund increased from $21.9 million to $23.3 million. I do not know whether AHTC (as it was known then) increased C&SS rates, but the number of HDB units in Aljunied GRC and Hougang constituency before the 2011 general election is different from the number in AHTC due to the electoral boundaries of Aljunied GRC and Hougang ward having been redrawn for the 2011 general election; this was evidenced by appropriations from Marine Parage Town Council and appropriations to Ang Mo Kio Town Council and Pasir-Ris Punggol Town Council, which were necessitated by the transfers of HDB units into or out of the newly formed AHTC, respectively. Also, new units may have been completed and old units demolished.
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Workers’ Party’s deafening sound of silence
Lawrence Wong and Desmond Lee aren’t the only ones unimpressed by the WP’s ‘sounds of silence’. Hri Kumar compared the WP’s tendency to avoid ‘difficult questions’ and fence-sitting to Humpty Dumpty in a Facebook post similarly inspired by a Simon and Garfunkel classic. Ng Eng Hen had strong words for the opposition party back in 2008, that they were ‘fudging’ on national issues and were guilty of ‘cop-outs’ and ‘double-talk’. Even when one of their own, Yaw Shin Leong, was caught pants down, there was a ‘kind of hush’ within the WP camp. Ironically, Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, one of the WP’s fiercest critics, was once no fan of the PAP himself, before he was successfully ‘co-opted’ into the regime.
The PAP considers such dithering an integrity breach, while some observers think this golden silence is a ‘shrewd’ tactic, designed to make their accusers look like quick-tempered, impatient bullies looking to score brownie points while offering no solution of their own, whereas the outnumbered WP are the quiet, stoic ones who don’t need to bark in Parliament all day to get the job done on the ground where it really matters, as the name of their party suggests.
Low Thia Khiang once referred to himself as a ‘watchdog’ over the PAP, and later a ‘co-driver’ who would not hesitate to slap the driver if he falls asleep. But it has become obvious by now which ‘driver’ is the one being repeatedly slapped in the face.
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AHPETC saga: PAP tries to score points, WP toothless to fight back
It’s not been pretty at all, the exchange between Minister of State Desmond Lim and Workers’ Party Chairman Sylvia Lim. I always believe that it’s best that people put their money where their mouth is – give us the facts, explain yourself, and let us decide. But it’s a sad day for Singapore politics because judging from the discourse, members of both the Worker’s Party and PAP seem to think we’re fools. Here’s why.
(1) Petty Name-Calling by Our Supposed ‘Top Dogs’
Is the ruling People’s Action Party using Minister of State Desmond Lee to fix the Workers’ Party? He’s certainly gone on a wild, and some say unprovoked rampage against the WP, and everything that the party. Here’s what he’s said so far:
related: PAP town councils incurred high S&C arrears too
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PAP GRASSROOTS LEADER MASQUERADING AS CONCERNED CITIZEN TO QUESTION AHPETC
In a letter published in the freesheet Today, a reader by the name of S Shaikh Ismail called for residents to apply the standards of the corporate world and hold AHPETC accountable for its performance, as they "purchase and consume services (provided by the town council) on a monthly basis."
Drawing a parallel with the corporate world, he wrote:
"In the corporate world, a company is held accountable to its employees, directors and shareholders. There is a high degree of governance and this entails continuously measuring, tracking and assessing the performance of a firm against a set of clear and comprehensive metrics and performance indicators."A check on the internet against the name of S Shaikh Ismail revealed that the writer is actually a key PAP grassroots leader in the Pasir Ris East PAP Branch
related: KUDOS TO WP FROM A HAPPY AHPETC RESIDENT
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The AHPETC Saga: Do the Workers’ Party and PAP Leaders Think We the Public are Fools?
I’m trying to be objective about this whole AHPETC saga. It does appear that the PAP is trying to score points by attacking the WP on this ‘non-starter’ issue.
And sadly, the WP seems toothless to fight back.
I’m eager to hear the WP’s explanation because I trust the party enough to believe it is doing what’s best for Aljunied residents. But the silence so far has indeed been pretty worrying.
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PAP vs AHPETC: Round 3
– Bertha Harian: It’s so interestingly irritating
– 2econdsight: AHPETC ARREARS: While Politicians Play,The People Get Played Out
– Sg GE2016: Open Letter to Sylvia Lim: You are a Liar and I Challenge you to Sue Me
– Reflections on SG: Blindly Accusing AHPETC
– Singapore Recalcitrant: A PAP Comic Opera
– Everything Also Complain: Workers’ Party’s deafening sound of silence
– Five Stars and a Moon: The political battle goes online
– Mothership: 4 reasons why AHPETC arrears saga not doing S’pore politics any favour
– New Nation: PAP cannot even keep WP in check despite 50 years of continuous rule
– Tots of a Cynical Investor: Does AHPETC have a 21st century IT system?
– Redwire Times: AHPETC Saga: WP & PAP Leaders Think We the Public are Fools?
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related:
MPs debate "Lapses in Governance And Compliance"
Town Council Grants And Surplus Issues
From Adverse-Opinion, Ceiling-Cleaning to Unlicensed-Fair
Paying high salaries to mitigate corruption
