PAP candidate for Aljunied urge Hougang TC to be transparent
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GE: PAP candidate for Aljunied urges Hougang TC to be transparent
SINGAPORE: The PAP candidate for Aljunied GRC, Mrs Lim Hwee Hua, has questioned the Hougang Town Council’s silence about its accounts.
Mrs Lim said residents from an HUDC precinct in Hougang have not been able to plan for the privatisation of their estate and have resorted to sending a lawyer’s letter to the Town Council asking for details of its accounts, especially its sinking fund.
Speaking to reporters during a visit to Kaki Bukit on Monday, Mrs Lim said this was troubling as residents were asking many questions.
But, she said, the Town Council run by the Workers’ Party has kept quiet.
In February, residents had voted for privatisation to go ahead.
The seven blocks of HUDC flats, 344 to 350 in Hougang, Avenue 7, will be privatised after residents voted strongly for the move.
Mrs Lim said this has great implications for residents of Aljunied GRC, because if the WP can’t account for themselves in Hougang Town Council, residents should wonder how they can manage a town council on a larger scale.
She said: “Is it just messy or are they holding back till after the elections so that whoever wins Hougang will then inherit the accounts? The Workers’ Party has always emphasised transparency and accountability of the Town Council. It is very perplexing why they have kept very quiet.”
- CNA/ir -
same mo same mo
pot callin kettle black
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but why was it asked now? shouldn't it be presented on monthly or regular basis? surely this has been known already....
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Cheap shot. This is an internal affair between the HUDC and the Hougang TC. As she had rightfully said, the HUDC had already engage their lawyer to act on their behalf, It is only appropriate that the TC to reply the HUDC's laywer.
If it had been a misappropriate account, I won't have condorn it too. To raise this question now is hitting below the belt as this is close to polling day.
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Anyone remember what answer President Ong got when he ask for some reports??
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Ms Lim should ask herself on what she have done for the resident instead of trying to discredit her opponent.
Her party is not even transparent about their accounts.
Before she ask for Low's account, the rest of town council should also be transparent on their account.
Or else she better tiam tiam.
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All the MPs taking turns to fire salvos issit? Like that confirm cynthia phua is the next one, probably having trouble finding something, coz I dunno how rigorous PAP selection was managed to put her in aljunied.
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The old man is right again.
This election have forced most of the croonies to shed their lamb skin and show their wolf fang to threaten and bully.
This is their true character.
They become so defensive cos they have no track records to show.
They can still dare to make more lies to fool the people.
Sign of true failure.
Old man forgot to include this fact into his hard truth.
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how transparent has PAP been over the past 50years???
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GE: WP chief says party's message has sunk in with voters
SINGAPORE : Workers' Party chief Low Thia Khiang has said his party's message "Towards A First World Parliament" has sunk in with voters despite criticisms from the ruling People's Action Party about the slogan lacking substance.
Mr Low said based from his party's walkabouts, people on the ground have indicated they understood the need for more opposition in Parliament.
He was with the team contesting in Nee Soon GRC on a walkabout on Tuesday morning in an area where it is focusing on elderly and housing issues.
The Workers' Party candidates have also challenged the PAP team contesting in the GRC to say whether estate renewal plans would continue if they were not voted in.
On criticisms from Minister in the Prime Minister's Office Lim Hwee Hua about the WP's supposed mismanagement of Hougang Town Council, Mr Low said he would respond at an appropriate time.
What he did say was that if there were any mismanagement, he would not have been voted in by Hougang residents over the previous elections.
- CNA/al -
WP Mr Low rebuttal to Ah Huay on the messy accounts accusations
3 May 2011 – Rally Speech by Low Thia Khiang
Punggol East SMC (Open Field bounded by Sengkang East Avenue and Sengkang East Drive)
Dear Voters of Punggol East, Seng Kang West, friends and fellow Singaporeans, good evening.
We have entered a critical phase in this election. PAP has shown its hands. They have embarked on a personal attack against me to try to discredit me. The Prime Minister has personally gone down to Aljunied GRC to campaign for the PAP team led by 2 ministers and a future speaker of Parliament, three veteran PAP heavy weight candidates. And MM Lee has also come out to make fun of our team as compared to the PAP’s.
I believe they will also make use of the media to mock me. Please be careful of what you read in news paper and what you see on TV. Please come and attend our rallies in the next 2 nights and help us to spread the message, and keep checking our web site wp.sg
First, I want to respond to Mrs Lim Hwee Hua’s accusation about Hougang Town Council’s Account. She said: “Is it messy or are they holding back till after the elections so that whoever wins Hougang will then inherit the account?”
Do you believe that Low Thia Khiang is dishonest? Do you believe that if the account of Hougang Town Council is messy, I can survive for 20 years?
The account of Hougang Town Council, like any Town Council account from the PAP, has to be audited by a public accountant who must be approved by the Ministry for National Development. After the auditor completed the audit, it has to be submitted to the Ministry for National Development and Auditor General for approval. After which, like all statutory boards, it has to be presented to Parliament and each MP can have a copy of it.
If the account is messy, how come MND and Auditor General approved it? Why is Mrs Lim, who is a minister and an MP, making this kind of comment now? She has received a copy of the report on Hougang Town Council and had not made any observations earlier. Why shoot such irresponsible comments on me now? What is she trying to do?
May I remind her as well that during the Lehman crisis, Hougang Town Council is one of those who did not lose any money! We have always handled our funds prudently.
Next, she brings in the issue of the privatization of the HUDC estate at Hougang Ave 7. She says that Hougang Town Council has not given the pro-tem committee formed for the purpose of privatization on the portion of the sinking fund balance, to be transferred to them after the privatization. This is again totally misleading.
The HUDC estate is part of the estate managed by the Town Council. The expenditure of the estate such as repainting works, reroofing works, building maintenance and other expenses are all taken in one single account under the account of Hougang Town Council which includes the HDB flats. This was what I took over from the PAP when I was elected in 1991.
Now that these blocks are to be privatized and they will manage themselves, the accounts have to be segregated, including the expense attributed to the blocks. The balance will then be transferred to their account as required on the date decided by the HDB.
This is the first time Hougang Town Council has needed to do this, we want to be sure that the account separation is done properly and we do not have experience in this area, so what did we do? Hougang Town Council wrote to HDB on 23 August 2010 after the HDB sent its briefing note to HGTC on the privatization process on 23 August 2010. We asked for advice and guidance on the method and principles we should use to separate the account as well as format for the accounts to avoid future dispute on how we have arrived at the final amount to be transferred to them.
The HDB replied to the above query on 24 Nov 2010 and said that HougangTC will have to decide on the basis of splitting the account. Hougang TC then started preparation for the process by discussing with the auditor the job scope and modification of the computer system to capture the expenditure and receivables separately.
The auditor was then appointed on 17 March 2011 and the certified apportioned sinking fund based on audited account as at 31 March 2010 was completed on 11 April 2011. HGTC is now in the process of capturing the expenditure apportioned to the HUDC estate between 31 March 2010 and 31 March 2011. Once the audited account for the HUDC estate is completed and presented to Parliament, HGTC will give a copy to the pro-term committee.
The HDB privatization briefing note to Hougang TC stated that the role of the TC is to hand over the operating and sinking fund to the Management Committee upon legal privatization. According to HDB who informed HGTC on 6 April, they have obtained the required consent for privatization but the expected duration to legally privatize the estate is 2 and half years!
I have called for a report on this issue, Hougang Town Council has given me the correspondence between the Town council and the HDB and between the pro-term committee chairman. The Pro-term committee chairman was informed of the steps HGTC has taken.
Therefore, we have done everything correctly. Why does Mrs Lim Hwee Hua decide to take up the case and suggest that the account of Hougang Town Council is messy and I, as chairman of Hougang Town Council, have done something wrong. I leave it to you to guess her intentions. Don’t you think that if I had done this, I am quite sure that I will be sued.
It is tiring during election time to deal with this kind of issue, instead of using my precious time to tell you more about Workers Party message and policies, I have to end up wasting time answering such nonsense accusations.
I will tell the PAP: if they suspect that I have done anything wrong with the account, do report me to the CPIB. Do not hookwink the voters at this critical time when polling day is near.
This is the PAP’s usual tactic: Do you still remember at the last election, the case of CCTV footage from the Election department?
All this is calculated to distract the voters and the Workers’ Party from delivering its message.
Election is a serious matter. I will be focused in the next 2 days to urge the voters to Vote Workers’ Party, towards a First World Parliament. -
Epic counter from Low when I read the news ytd nite...
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Originally posted by despondent:
how transparent has PAP been over the past 50years???
I dont remember seeing them anywhere except in TV.
That's how "transparent" they become to me.
I never shook or hear from them after elections.
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pap needs to look at itself in the mirror and come clean about the amount and management of its foreign reserves and its government and sovereign wealth funds ...
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but on the other hand, which govt in the world is so transparent??? if PAP does tat, will there not be the 1st worldwide to do so? will the other countries follow suit or point fingers at PAP for ''spoiling market''?
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Originally posted by coffeebreak:
pap needs to look at itself in the mirror and come clean about the amount and management of its foreign reserves and its government and sovereign wealth funds ...
When these problems vex you or disturb you or upset your lives, please bear with us. We're trying our best on your behalf. And if we didn't quite get it right, I'm sorry but we will try and do better the next time.
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Tip: to sound more sincere, next time don't wait until elections to apologies and make amends.
Open up your ears and listen to what the normal people are telling you, instead of just monitoring the GDP meter (one dimensional).
Don't surround yourselves with yes men and brown nosers who just tell you how great you are.
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Originally posted by Keen on u2000:
Tip: to sound more sincere, next time don't wait until elections to apologies and make amends.
Open up your ears and listen to what the normal people are telling you, instead of just monitoring the GDP meter (one dimensional).
Don't surround yourselves with yes men and brown nosers who just tell you how great you are.
No need to debate about apologies.
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to add on, in the past they dont even apologise...are they suggesting they were never wrong in the past? quite obvious, this apology has political reasons behind it...cos lets not forget that this GE has the most number of opposition in Singapore's history...
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Originally posted by despondent:
to add on, in the past they dont even apologise...are they suggesting they were never wrong in the past? quite obvious, this apology has political reasons behind it...cos lets not forget that this GE has the most number of opposition in Singapore's history...
I don't know what to say.
*stomps feet*