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[h=2]Kaki Bukit grassroots find fault with AHPTEC again[/h]
May 11th, 2014 |
Author: Editorial
Kaki Bukit Citizens’ Consultative Committee (CCC) chairman
David Poh posted on notice boards in Kaki Bukit a letter to residents stating
that the Aljunied-Hougang-Punggol East Town Council (AHPETC) had not nominated
the area for a national upgrading programme this year.
In his letter, dated 3 May 2014, Mr Poh said Kaki Bukit was not among the 3
Aljunied projects selected by HDB for the Home Improvement Programme (HIP). Mr
Poh said the relevant town council must nominate projects before they are
selected and that AHPETC did not nominate any such projects for Kaki Bukit this
year. The council’s nomination must also be supported by the ward’s grassroots
adviser, who is either a PAP MP or PAP candidate who lost in the last
election. :oIo:
HIP is an initiative of HDB for flats built up to 1986 and which have not
undergone the Main Upgrading Programme (MUP). It is meant to help HDB residents
deal with common maintenance problems related to ageing flats, such as spalling
concrete and ceiling leaks.
“The CCC understands that many of our residents are facing problems like
spalling concrete, toilet floor water leakage etc, and look forward to HIP
coming to their blocks. Kaki Bukit is one of the oldest estates in Singapore,
with some flats as old as 37 years,” Mr Poh wrote.
Another letter was posted on the notice boards, dated 10 February 2014, which
Mr Poh wrote to AHPETC. With all 54 blocks in Kaki Bukit at least 30 years old,
Mr Poh appealed to AHPETC to consider prioritising 4 blocks in Bedok North
Street 3 that are around 37 years old for the upcoming HIP.
Responding to the latest assault by the grassroots leaders of Kaki Bukit,
AHPETC published a response on its website on Friday (9 May):
Parade GRC, those Kaki Bukit grassroots leaders did not make a noise when none
of the Kaki Bukit flats were nominated for HIP by their PAP MP. But with Kaki
Bukit in opposition hands, they complain about every little thing.
Minister Vivian’s exchanges with AHPETC over cleaning issues at Kaki
Bukit
This is not the first time Kaki Bukit grassroots leaders have tried to paint
AHPETC in a bad light. Last year, when Minister Vivian and WP MP Sylvia Lim
crossed swords in Parliament, the Minister released a dossier of documentary
evidence to “prove” that AHPETC had attempted to charge the hawkers extra for
cleaning the high areas of 2 hawker centres in Kaki Bukit.
AHPETC denied this and maintained that there was a misunderstanding whether
the cleaning session was an annual or a quarterly one. On a conciliatory note,
WP Low Thia Khiang said that both the town council and NEA have “room for
improvement” when it comes to communication.
Inside the dossier, there were 2 petition letters by Block 511 and Block 538
Hawker Associations which had been forwarded to the press. They were petition
letters which, after being published by the press in early June 2013, brought
the hawker centre cleaning issue to the public’s attention.
TR Emeritus discovered that the 2 “complaint” letters were sent by Kaki Bukit
grassroots leaders:
Jonathan Oh and Ng Kok Khim were no longer town councillors of Marine Parade
Town Council after 2011. This was because in the 2011 general election, Kaki
Bukit ward was cut out from Marine Parade GRC and put into Aljunied GRC in the
hope of bolstering the PAP’s votes in the latter GRC.
As it turned out, PAP lost Aljunied GRC, thereby ending the town councillor
careers of Jonathan Oh and Ng Kok Khim. They could not represent Kaki Bukit any
more as town councillors in the opposition-controlled Aljunied Town Council.
These PAP grassroots leaders must have been quite annoyed by WP’s winning
Aljunied GRC as it caused them to lose their town councillor jobs.
David Poh posted on notice boards in Kaki Bukit a letter to residents stating
that the Aljunied-Hougang-Punggol East Town Council (AHPETC) had not nominated
the area for a national upgrading programme this year.
In his letter, dated 3 May 2014, Mr Poh said Kaki Bukit was not among the 3
Aljunied projects selected by HDB for the Home Improvement Programme (HIP). Mr
Poh said the relevant town council must nominate projects before they are
selected and that AHPETC did not nominate any such projects for Kaki Bukit this
year. The council’s nomination must also be supported by the ward’s grassroots
adviser, who is either a PAP MP or PAP candidate who lost in the last
election. :oIo:
HIP is an initiative of HDB for flats built up to 1986 and which have not
undergone the Main Upgrading Programme (MUP). It is meant to help HDB residents
deal with common maintenance problems related to ageing flats, such as spalling
concrete and ceiling leaks.
“The CCC understands that many of our residents are facing problems like
spalling concrete, toilet floor water leakage etc, and look forward to HIP
coming to their blocks. Kaki Bukit is one of the oldest estates in Singapore,
with some flats as old as 37 years,” Mr Poh wrote.
Another letter was posted on the notice boards, dated 10 February 2014, which
Mr Poh wrote to AHPETC. With all 54 blocks in Kaki Bukit at least 30 years old,
Mr Poh appealed to AHPETC to consider prioritising 4 blocks in Bedok North
Street 3 that are around 37 years old for the upcoming HIP.
Responding to the latest assault by the grassroots leaders of Kaki Bukit,
AHPETC published a response on its website on Friday (9 May):
SPREADING THE BENEFITS OF HIP
We refer to the Kaki Bukit Citizens Consultative Committee’s letter dated 28
Apr 2014 which has been put up on People’s Association noticeboards in the Kaki
Bukit ward of Aljunied GRC. The letter states that the Aljunied-Hougang-Punggol
East Town Council (AHPETC) did not nominate any blocks in the Kaki Bukit ward of
Aljunied GRC for the HDB Home Improvement Programme (HIP) for 2014.
In nominating clusters of blocks for the HIP, AHPETC considers the age of the
blocks as well as the need to ensure that, over time and in the interest of
fairness to all residents, all wards across the Town Council are nominated for
such upgrading projects. As a mature town with in excess of 700 blocks of flats,
AHPETC hosts many old blocks of flats in addition to those in Kaki Bukit. The
exception is Punggol East SMC, which has newer blocks that do not qualify for
HIP.
For the years 2012 and 2013, AHPETC nominated various clusters in the Eunos,
Hougang, Paya Lebar and Kaki Bukit wards for the HIP program. The Kaki Bukit
cluster (Blocks 533 to 536) was eventually selected by HDB for 2013. For 2014,
the Town Council nominated clusters in the Bedok Reservoir-Punggol, Serangoon
and Paya Lebar wards for the HIP. HDB selected the clusters in Bedok
Reservoir-Punggol and Serangoon wards for FY 2014.
HIP is a national programme that commenced around 2008. When the current TC
management took over in 2011, many HIP-eligible blocks including those in Kaki
Bukit had not yet been nominated nor chosen for HIP. The HDB has since announced
that it would ramp up the HIP project, increasing the number of eligible units
per year from 28,000 units to 35,000 units. Next year, we will nominate more
clusters for HIP and look forward to HDB’s fair consideration of the
nominations.
ALJUNIED-HOUGANG-PUNGGOL EAST TOWN COUNCIL
9 May 2014
In other words, prior to 2011 when Kaki Bukit was under PAP as part of Marine We refer to the Kaki Bukit Citizens Consultative Committee’s letter dated 28
Apr 2014 which has been put up on People’s Association noticeboards in the Kaki
Bukit ward of Aljunied GRC. The letter states that the Aljunied-Hougang-Punggol
East Town Council (AHPETC) did not nominate any blocks in the Kaki Bukit ward of
Aljunied GRC for the HDB Home Improvement Programme (HIP) for 2014.
In nominating clusters of blocks for the HIP, AHPETC considers the age of the
blocks as well as the need to ensure that, over time and in the interest of
fairness to all residents, all wards across the Town Council are nominated for
such upgrading projects. As a mature town with in excess of 700 blocks of flats,
AHPETC hosts many old blocks of flats in addition to those in Kaki Bukit. The
exception is Punggol East SMC, which has newer blocks that do not qualify for
HIP.
For the years 2012 and 2013, AHPETC nominated various clusters in the Eunos,
Hougang, Paya Lebar and Kaki Bukit wards for the HIP program. The Kaki Bukit
cluster (Blocks 533 to 536) was eventually selected by HDB for 2013. For 2014,
the Town Council nominated clusters in the Bedok Reservoir-Punggol, Serangoon
and Paya Lebar wards for the HIP. HDB selected the clusters in Bedok
Reservoir-Punggol and Serangoon wards for FY 2014.
HIP is a national programme that commenced around 2008. When the current TC
management took over in 2011, many HIP-eligible blocks including those in Kaki
Bukit had not yet been nominated nor chosen for HIP. The HDB has since announced
that it would ramp up the HIP project, increasing the number of eligible units
per year from 28,000 units to 35,000 units. Next year, we will nominate more
clusters for HIP and look forward to HDB’s fair consideration of the
nominations.
ALJUNIED-HOUGANG-PUNGGOL EAST TOWN COUNCIL
9 May 2014
Parade GRC, those Kaki Bukit grassroots leaders did not make a noise when none
of the Kaki Bukit flats were nominated for HIP by their PAP MP. But with Kaki
Bukit in opposition hands, they complain about every little thing.
Minister Vivian’s exchanges with AHPETC over cleaning issues at Kaki
Bukit
This is not the first time Kaki Bukit grassroots leaders have tried to paint
AHPETC in a bad light. Last year, when Minister Vivian and WP MP Sylvia Lim
crossed swords in Parliament, the Minister released a dossier of documentary
evidence to “prove” that AHPETC had attempted to charge the hawkers extra for
cleaning the high areas of 2 hawker centres in Kaki Bukit.
AHPETC denied this and maintained that there was a misunderstanding whether
the cleaning session was an annual or a quarterly one. On a conciliatory note,
WP Low Thia Khiang said that both the town council and NEA have “room for
improvement” when it comes to communication.
Inside the dossier, there were 2 petition letters by Block 511 and Block 538
Hawker Associations which had been forwarded to the press. They were petition
letters which, after being published by the press in early June 2013, brought
the hawker centre cleaning issue to the public’s attention.
TR Emeritus discovered that the 2 “complaint” letters were sent by Kaki Bukit
grassroots leaders:
- Block 538 Hawker Association – Mr Ng Kok Khim, PBM (‘The
man in the centre of AHPETC controversy is a PAP grassroots leader‘) - Block 511 Hawker Association – Mr Jonathan Oh Swee Yang (‘Blk
511 Hawker Association Chairman is a PAP-linked grassroots leader too‘)
Jonathan Oh and Ng Kok Khim were no longer town councillors of Marine Parade
Town Council after 2011. This was because in the 2011 general election, Kaki
Bukit ward was cut out from Marine Parade GRC and put into Aljunied GRC in the
hope of bolstering the PAP’s votes in the latter GRC.
As it turned out, PAP lost Aljunied GRC, thereby ending the town councillor
careers of Jonathan Oh and Ng Kok Khim. They could not represent Kaki Bukit any
more as town councillors in the opposition-controlled Aljunied Town Council.
These PAP grassroots leaders must have been quite annoyed by WP’s winning
Aljunied GRC as it caused them to lose their town councillor jobs.