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AHPETC in Parliament and the politics of stupidity

Confuseous

Alfrescian (Inf)
Asset
By Howard Lee

Some of us might be bewildered by what happened in Parliament last week, when a motion was tabled to discuss at length about the Accounting General’s investigation into the finances of Aljunied Hougang Punggol East Town Council.

Two whole days were spent niggling over the finances of a single town council, with various Ministers taking the stand to chastise, lambast, accuse and denigrate the effectiveness and integrity of the Workers’ Party Members of Parliament in charge of AHPETC, who then had to defend themselves against these allegations.

That was followed up by countless media reports, and even all the way to this week, we can hear the topic being discussed on national radio. The circus continues.

With such a big fuss, what exactly was the issue about, you might ask?

The Minister for National Development Mr Khaw Boon Wan would have you believe that it was about transparency and accountability. Much was said about how AHPETC was not able to cobble together a proper audit report, the figures were all in a mess, and how the way its managing agent attended to the affairs of the town council was anything but lawful

Indeed, AHPETC has a lot to answer for. The dearth of any managing agent or existing company willing to take up contracts run by opposition party town councils might mean the need for the party to appoint a preferred vendor that has little experience in running such affairs, but it then becomes the party’s obligation to ensure that nothing should ever slip through the cracks.

This has nothing to do with the risk of being picked on by their opposition, but the simple need to break in new vendors and ensure they can more than adequately comply with existing regulations.

Yet for all the accountably owing, is this issue worthy of time in Parliament and national media? In truth, AHPETC needs to address the concerns of its residents in how their money had been used. This issue is at best a municipal one, hardly worth a two-day debate in the House.

In spite of all the red marks AHPETC received in its annual town council audits by MND, to question the effectiveness of its leaders is very different from questioning their integrity. In fact, putting the same spotlight of scrutiny that AGO had on any other town council might have yielded similar results.

What is of national concern, however, was not given the air time it deserves in Parliament. We are talking about many millions more, given to the government led by the ruling People’s Action Party for the management of the nation, yet with clear transgressions of proper accountability. We are talking about yet another report by AGO, this time on the financial irregularities in government agencies. This is not money given to one town council, but money that an entire nation of tax-payers had entrusted to the government. Were any of these financial issues debated as robustly as AHPETC’s finances

We should also note that Mr Khaw’s own Ministry had more recently been called into question for oversights in tendering the Fernvale temple and columbarium. Amazingly, Mr Khaw was allowed to explain this away by making references to, of all things, Chinese folklore.

My intention in drawing up these examples is not to heap it on Mr Khaw or do a tit-for-tat, but to ask, really, what should Parliament be focusing on?

Yet another rationale for focusing on AHPETC was given by Education Minister Heng Swee Keat, who opined that it was about serving the interests of residents well. Mr Heng also went as far as to make unsubstantiated claims that WP MPs have been avoiding residents’ queries on the issue during their walkabouts.

Oddly, a recent media report on radio, where reporters actually went to the Aljunied ward to talk to residents to get their views on the issue, indicated that residents generally trust AHPETC to do the right thing, and indeed, their neighbourhoods are no worse than before despite the fracas.

That aside, it is perhaps a tad contradictory that the actions by Mr Heng’s colleague should disagree with his concerns for the residents. For all the review to the Town Council Act that Mr Khaw had promised, his Ministry’s decision on the matter was to withhold about S$7 million of service and conservancy charges grants for the financial year 2014 from AHPETC until it can fill in the gaps for its finances.

Is this withholding of funds meant to penalise AHPETC, or to punish the residents? Where exactly is PAP’s focus on this issue? Has it lost focus, or did it have any to begin with?

In net effect, the berating of AHPETC using precious time in Parliament was not about accountability. It was also not about the rights of citizens, as the actions of MND have proved. But if it was about politics, then it was clearly not the smart kind.

Indeed, Mr Heng had claimed that the issue was not about partisan politics. Perhaps he was right. Partisan politics would require that you put in some effort to defend your party’s interest against your opponent. What we saw in Parliament last week was little more than the PAP going for WP’s jugular, completely disregarding that the ground had already been stained with its own blood.

PAP, in letting its key office holders loose to freely attack WP, need to realise that the residents of Alijunied, Hougang and Punggol East did not vote in WP because they wanted MPs who are fantastic at running their estates. By PAP’s own admission – and in case it has forgotten – WP won because voters wanted WP to be their voice in Parliament.

Last week, voters saw that voice being drowned out in Parliament and in media. One can only wonder what their reaction might be, come the next general elections.

If this had been about projecting a positive perception among the electorate, WP might have taken a bruising, but it was surely the PAP that has bashed itself to a pulp. But of course, it is not. It has been about, and will always be told to be about, public accountability and the interest of residents – if you would believe it.

http://www.theonlinecitizen.com/2015/02/ahpetc-in-parliament-and-the-politics-of-stupidity/
 

Confuseous

Alfrescian (Inf)
Asset
Know the facts from the myths in the AHPETC saga…

Myth:
The TC Secretary and its General Manager, who are the main directors and shareholders of the Managing Agent (MA) are freely being given contracts without tender and paying themselves handsomely without accountability.

Fact:
The MA has no decision-making power in relation to the award of tenders. Tenders are awarded by a Tenders & Contracts Committee consisting of Members of Parliament and appointed Councillors with no interest whatsoever in the MA.

The MA is not involved in evaluating any tender in which it is participating. When the MA and EMSU (essential maintenance services unit) tenders are involved, the MA is excluded from the deliberations.

Myth:
AHPETC has shown disrespect to auditors or Parliament for not submitting documents as requested.

Fact:
Throughout the audit, thousands of documents were provided. For example, more than 16,481 payment vouchers were produced.

In Appendix C of the AGO report (p.3, Attachment 2), Members will see there is just one out of 22 requests outstanding. In Attachment 3, just three out of 75 are outstanding.

Myth:
The Secretary and General Manager issued invoices, certified work done and approved and signed cheques to FMSS. Appendix C Attachment 1 and its total amount for 84 invoices of $6.6 million has been the subject of a front page headline on 9 February 2015. The Lian He Wan Bao headline entitled: “TC Secretary and GM pay their own company $6.6 million”

Fact:
The TC adopted an SOP on 8 September 2011, soon after the new management took over.

It was the policy that no cheque to FMSS, of whatever amount, could be issued unless either the TC Chairman or one of the Vice-Chairmen co-signed the cheque.

Thus, it was not possible for FMSS to pay itself unless authorised by the TC Chair or Vice-Chair, who have no interest in FMSS whatsoever.

Myth:
In the TC’s audit for FY 12, our auditors put in a disclaimer that because the project management fee details were not disclosed in the Financial Statements, they were unable to determine the completeness of the related party disclosures

Fact:
There was no clarity of practice in the financial statements of Town Councils. For instance, the same auditors audited us in FY 11, and only required a related party disclosure of the MA fees. The former Aljunied Town Council management also had related parties, and yet there were no related party transaction disclosures in Financial Statements, which had no disclaimers.

http://www.tremeritus.com/2015/02/18/facts-and-myths-of-ahpetc-saga/
 

Sinkie

Alfrescian (Inf)
Asset
Now I know why LHL announced his prostate cancer and why he is absence from lumparliament during this stewpig distraction......
 

winnipegjets

Alfrescian (Inf)
Asset
I love it when the WP starts to respond. Got to win the grassroot over with facts and show them how the PAP has screwed them.
So far WP is just playing defence. Got to attack also lah.

You don't win election by letting the PAP's narrative dominate.
 

Satyr

Alfrescian
Loyal
I love it when the WP starts to respond. Got to win the grassroot over with facts and show them how the PAP has screwed them.
So far WP is just playing defence. Got to attack also lah.

You don't win election by letting the PAP's narrative dominate.

WP is not playing defence. They are playing it cool. Only the PAPists do not seem to realize any blemish they point out in the WP domain is writ many times larger in their own territory. Many times larger and deeper. Never saw a bigger bunch of Pharisees condemned by their own words. Almost comedic if they were not so vicious. Conflict of interest (ahem), cronyism (ahem), opacity (ahem). Everytime they point to someone else's faults the social media helpfully points their 3 fingers back at them. It is not their hypocrisy I find appalling. After all they are politicians with juicy appointments to protect. It is their lack of self awareness which is dangerous for Singapore.
 

3_M

Alfrescian
Loyal
I love it when the WP starts to respond. Got to win the grassroot over with facts and show them how the PAP has screwed them.
So far WP is just playing defence. Got to attack also lah.

You don't win election by letting the PAP's narrative dominate.


The key issue is about timing and the best timing for opposition to go on the offensive is during the election period. Right now it simply doesn't play to your advantage by going on the counter offensive especially u can be sure MSM will parrot PAP's position. Just let PAP harps on the issue and it will backfire once the middle ground starts to percieve that as politicking when there are clearly more important issues to tackle. If this happens PAP won't stand to gain much.

The worrying part is how the less politically astute heartlander voters percieve this episode. My understanding is overwhelming majority don't care but that doesn't mean they won't be influenced by those flashy headlines (even if they don't read the contents) published in the newspaper.
 
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