TODAY reports: PAP activists distributed flyers on Friday, urging residents in Aljunied-Hougang-Punggol East Town Council to quiz Workers' Party Members of Parliament over accounting and corporate governance lapses.
Pamphlet telling residents what to ask AHPETC being put on the front doors of residents at Blk 237 Hougang St 21. (Photo: Robin Choo)
SINGAPORE: People’s Action Party (PAP) activists in Aljunied GRC have gone on the offensive, distributing flyers on Friday (Mar 13) urging residents to quiz their Workers’ Party (WP) Members of Parliament over the accounting and corporate governance lapses committed by the Aljunied-Hougang-Punggol East Town Council (AHPETC).
The lapses, which were highlighted by the Auditor-General’s Office (AGO) in its audit report on AHPETC, prompted National Development Minister Khaw Boon Wan to table a motion in Parliament last month. Among other things, the motion called on town councils to uphold higher standards of accounting and reporting to safeguard residents’ interests.
During the parliamentary debate, PAP Ministers and MPs had zeroed in on the potential conflict of interest - AHPETC secretary Danny Loh and his wife, AHPETC general manager How Weng Fan, are also the main directors and shareholders of AHPETC’s managing agent FM Solutions and Services (FMSS).
Titled 'What You Should Ask WP’s Aljunied Hougang Punggol East Town Council', the flyer – in English and Chinese, and complete with a chart – compared AHPETC’s managing agent rates with those of some PAP town councils. Among other things, it charged that there was improper governance by AHPETC, and the town council “overpaid its friends at FMSS by at least S$6.4million”.
“This is our ‘lost money’. It means we have less money to clean and maintain our estate,” the flyer said, reiterating that “serious problems” were flagged by the AGO that could affect residents.
Adding that the WP has “deliberately remained silent” to queries posed by auditors and in Parliament, the flyer also listed questions that residents should confront the WP MPs with, including how much did FMSS and other businesses owned by the AHPETC employees earn from the town council, and what is the town council’s latest financial situation. The flyer added: “Why did AHPETC allow the husband and wife team to verify and approve payment on work done by FMSS which is owned by them?”
It was not stated on the flyers who came up with the contents. When contacted, PAP Paya Lebar branch chairman K Muralidharan confirmed that the flyers – which were distributed to units in Kovan – were handed out by PAP activists today. Adding that it was a “ground-up initiative” by the activists, he said they have nothing to hide and “there was no difficulty in understanding that (the flyer) was from the PAP”.
The plan is to distribute the flyers throughout Aljunied GRC, he said.
He pointed out that the WP MPs have said in Parliament that they will answer residents directly on AHPETC’s lapses. Adding that the flyers contained publicly available information, Mr Muralidharan said: “Our activists decided to help residents understand the core issues and suggest questions that they may wish to ask of their MPs. Residents are free to make up their own mind as to what they wish to do after reading the flyers,”
The WP did not respond to queries by press time.
Some Kovan residents who received the flyer told TODAY that they were wondering who had distributed the flyers. Nevertheless, a resident who only gave his name as Mr Seah, said: “Everything in the flyer is directed at WP, it is quite obvious that it is from the PAP.”
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/image/1714712/1426263709000/large16x9/768/432/ahpetc-leaflet.jpg
Pamphlet telling residents what to ask AHPETC being put on the front doors of residents at Blk 237 Hougang St 21. (Photo: Robin Choo)
SINGAPORE: People’s Action Party (PAP) activists in Aljunied GRC have gone on the offensive, distributing flyers on Friday (Mar 13) urging residents to quiz their Workers’ Party (WP) Members of Parliament over the accounting and corporate governance lapses committed by the Aljunied-Hougang-Punggol East Town Council (AHPETC).
The lapses, which were highlighted by the Auditor-General’s Office (AGO) in its audit report on AHPETC, prompted National Development Minister Khaw Boon Wan to table a motion in Parliament last month. Among other things, the motion called on town councils to uphold higher standards of accounting and reporting to safeguard residents’ interests.
During the parliamentary debate, PAP Ministers and MPs had zeroed in on the potential conflict of interest - AHPETC secretary Danny Loh and his wife, AHPETC general manager How Weng Fan, are also the main directors and shareholders of AHPETC’s managing agent FM Solutions and Services (FMSS).
Titled 'What You Should Ask WP’s Aljunied Hougang Punggol East Town Council', the flyer – in English and Chinese, and complete with a chart – compared AHPETC’s managing agent rates with those of some PAP town councils. Among other things, it charged that there was improper governance by AHPETC, and the town council “overpaid its friends at FMSS by at least S$6.4million”.
“This is our ‘lost money’. It means we have less money to clean and maintain our estate,” the flyer said, reiterating that “serious problems” were flagged by the AGO that could affect residents.
Adding that the WP has “deliberately remained silent” to queries posed by auditors and in Parliament, the flyer also listed questions that residents should confront the WP MPs with, including how much did FMSS and other businesses owned by the AHPETC employees earn from the town council, and what is the town council’s latest financial situation. The flyer added: “Why did AHPETC allow the husband and wife team to verify and approve payment on work done by FMSS which is owned by them?”
It was not stated on the flyers who came up with the contents. When contacted, PAP Paya Lebar branch chairman K Muralidharan confirmed that the flyers – which were distributed to units in Kovan – were handed out by PAP activists today. Adding that it was a “ground-up initiative” by the activists, he said they have nothing to hide and “there was no difficulty in understanding that (the flyer) was from the PAP”.
The plan is to distribute the flyers throughout Aljunied GRC, he said.
He pointed out that the WP MPs have said in Parliament that they will answer residents directly on AHPETC’s lapses. Adding that the flyers contained publicly available information, Mr Muralidharan said: “Our activists decided to help residents understand the core issues and suggest questions that they may wish to ask of their MPs. Residents are free to make up their own mind as to what they wish to do after reading the flyers,”
The WP did not respond to queries by press time.
Some Kovan residents who received the flyer told TODAY that they were wondering who had distributed the flyers. Nevertheless, a resident who only gave his name as Mr Seah, said: “Everything in the flyer is directed at WP, it is quite obvious that it is from the PAP.”
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/image/1714712/1426263709000/large16x9/768/432/ahpetc-leaflet.jpg
