PM Lee's full statement on WP's refusal to investigate further

[Confuseous]

Mr Low Thia Khiang said that the grave charges made by Minister Vivian Balakrishnan in Parliament, that MPs Ms Sylvia Lim and Mr Pritam Singh were untruthful, were 'personal attacks'. He also questioned if Minister Balakrishnan's statement was good politics for Singapore. Mr Low is wrong to have done so.

Good politics is first and foremost about integrity. Singapore has succeeded because we have honest, upright people in politics: people who can be trusted to uphold the public interest, to speak the truth even when it is inconvenient, and to admit mistakes when things go wrong. This is how we have built trust between Singaporeans and their leaders, worked together to build the nation and improved everyone's lives.

If we cannot trust a politician to tell the truth, then we cannot trust him or her to safeguard public funds, to put public interest ahead of personal gain, or to make decisions affecting the well-being and security of Singaporeans. This is the standard that we must hold ourselves to, and that Singaporeans have rightly come to expect from those in politics, whether in government or opposition.

This is why we must take accusations of dishonesty against political leaders very seriously. If any of my PAP colleagues is accused of lying, I will investigate and get to the bottom of the matter. If he has lied, there is only one option - he has to go. If he is innocent, I will insist that he clear his name publicly. The matter has to be resolved one way or other. It cannot be left as an "I say, you say" matter of opinion, which leaves a permanent question mark hanging over his reputation, and the reputation of my government.

Conversely, before any Minister accuses any one of dishonesty, he must make sure that he is fully able to back up his charge. Minister Balakrishnan's statement in Parliament was not just his personal opinion, but the government's official position which the Cabinet had approved.

Minister Balakrishnan circulated a dossier in Parliament setting out evidence that AHPETC's Property Manager, Mr Tai Vie Shun, and AHPETC's contractor, ATL Maintenance Pte Ltd, attempted to make the hawkers pay extra to clean the high areas. These documents directly contradict the statements by Ms Lim and Mr Singh that the Town Council and its contractor had not asked the hawkers to pay extra for the cleaning. The core issue is therefore honesty and integrity.

In Parliament, Mr Low maintained that he had neither spoken to Mr Tai nor previously seen the documents in the dossier. He promised to try to find out who had actually asked the contractor to quote for the cleaning. But the next day, Mr Low reversed course without explanation, and said that he would not conduct any investigation.

This is troubling, especially in the light of previous similar incidents. In the Budget session last year, Mr Singh plagiarised an article from the Internet, passing it off word for word as his own speech. More recently, AHPETC failed to explain why in 2011 it had appointed FM Solutions and Services Pte Ltd (FMSS), a company owned and run by close Workers' Party supporters, to manage their Town Council, without tender and at a much higher price than the prevailing rate. Now FMSS, running AHPETC, has tried to charge hawkers extra for cleaning their hawker centres, and Ms Lim and Ms Singh have tried to cover it up.

Mr Low cannot leave these grave doubts about the integrity of his fellow MPs unresolved. This is not how members of a First World Parliament should conduct themselves. Neither is this the sort of politics Singapore needs.

 

[steffychun]

Good politics is first and foremost about integrity. Singapore has succeeded because we have honest, upright people in politics: people who can be trusted to uphold the public interest, to speak the truth even when it is inconvenient, and to admit mistakes when things go wrong. This is how we have built trust between Singaporeans and their leaders, worked together to build the nation and improved everyone's lives.--As Iceman said in Top Gun, "Bull Shit"

 

[tyudm]

Was PM Lee's "Sorry" truthful to start with?
Was the transport minister truthful when he said the MRT trains cannot run at 2 minute interval?
Was the report on "AIM" truthful?

 

[winnipegjets]

The WP should release a series of screws-up by the PAP and how these ministers did not have the 'integrity' to own up. There are lots of examples out there. It is time to launch those Scud missiles.

 

[winnipegjets]

There are so many issues on the minds of sinkees ...he doesn't want to address and focus on the issue of cleaning of hawker centres!

Now that Pinky says it is the government that is behind Ms Vivian's statement ...WP can't sue because the government will be using public funds to defend itself.

 

[steffychun]

The WP should release a series of screws-up by the PAP and how these ministers did not have the 'integrity' to own up. There are lots of examples out there. It is time to launch those Scud missiles.

More than Scuds. ICBMS

 

[Dark Knight]

In Sillypore, only LHL and his cronies are allowed to "practice double standard" of so called "clean political integrity".
They defined their own rules of the game and never failed to tilt the level of playing field to their own advantage.

The recent AIM, Brompton bike tender and MRT breakdown case is already a very good example.
They called the shots for whether to conduct an investigation, what, how and who to investigate.
Even if they did the investigation, they were simply a wayang show to please and keep Sillyporean's and opposition's mouth shut.

They always can say one thing but do another thing just because they can rule with law.

 

[steffychun]

In Sillypore, only LHL and his cronies are allowed to "practice double standard" of so called "clean political integrity".
They defined their own rules of the game and never failed to tilt the level of playing field to their own advantage.

The recent AIM, Brompton bike tender and MRT breakdown case is already a very good example.
They called the shots for whether to conduct an investigation, what, how and who to investigate.
Even if they did the investigation, they were simply a wayang show to please and keep Sillyporean's and opposition's mouth shut.

They always can say one thing but do another thing just because they can rule with law.

and Mas Selamat. If pushed to far, WP should release a dossier.

Though they never play PAP's game/

 

[watchman8]

and Mas Selamat. If pushed to far, WP should release a dossier.

Though they never play PAP's game/

WP have no need to waste time now. Wait till 2015 to release their research and dossier sinc republic memory is short.

 

[xingguy]

Minister Balakrishnan circulated a dossier in Parliament setting out evidence that AHPETC's Property Manager, Mr Tai Vie Shun, and AHPETC's contractor, ATL Maintenance Pte Ltd, attempted to make the hawkers pay extra to clean the high areas. These documents directly contradict the statements by Ms Lim and Mr Singh that the Town Council and its contractor had not asked the hawkers to pay extra for the cleaning. The core issue is therefore honesty and integrity.

Since this is key in VB's allegation, it would have been put up for all to see on some website, be it NEA, VB or PM's Facebook. Till now, this "mysterious" dossier have not surfaced. Watching the video again (at end of reply), the only document that can relate close to what is being said is this quotation. It seems that VB is also talking about this quotation and this is what start the entire storm in the teacup episode.



From the video:

16:27 Svlvia Lim:
Madam, minister have just given us a stack of documents. I like him to point out where, er, it is quoted that Mr. Tai has ask the hawkers to pay extra for the high cleaning under our annual obligation

17:00: VB:
On Page 7, is a quotation from ATL Maintenance Pte Ltd. ATL Maintenance Pte Ltd is not just another independant maintenance company. It is the contractor of Aljunied Town Coucil, and according to Miss Sylvia Lim has within its contract an obligation to clean all areas including the high areas.
The first irregular event is ATL's quotation delivered by hand on the 19 of February 2013.
Now there are three critical irregularities in this quotation.
First, the hawkers never ask for quotation. Mr. Low has met the hawkers. They have told him the same thing. They never ask for the quotation because they never expected to be "stuff" this way.

Secondly, ATL Maintenance Pte Ltd is your own contractor. When your own contractor issues a quotation for $7,200 to the hawkers asking for payment for work which you say is already covered by your contract that amounts to a demand for double payment for the same quantity of work.

The third point that is irregular with this quotation is that don't be taken in by this claim that the town council was confused.
If the town council was confused read carefully this quotation, it says scope of work, Provision of manpower, equipments, materials, chemicals, insurance and supervision for the cleaning of entire premises, consisting of 40 market stalls.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/NiqBLu8XVkA" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[greenies]

The WP should release a series of screws-up by the PAP and how these ministers did not have the 'integrity' to own up. There are lots of examples out there. It is time to launch those Scud missiles.

I would restrain launching or going attack mode against Pappies, because these are the entrapment for the popular WP.

 

[greenies]

Mr Low cannot leave these grave doubts about the integrity of his fellow MPs unresolved. This is not how members of a First World Parliament should conduct themselves. Neither is this the sort of politics Singapore needs.

From pappy point of view, $7,200 amount against WP is an integrity issue, and it is grave doubt.
Who care!
Let the voters decide in next GE.
Most importance is that WP team should not be dragged into those kind of gutter politics.
Remember "entrapment"...

 

[Debonerman]

I would restrain launching or going attack mode against Pappies, because these are the entrapment for the popular WP.

Sun Tzu can't agree more!

 

[winnipegjets]

From pappy point of view, $7,200 amount against WP is an integrity issue, and it is grave doubt.
Who care!
Let the voters decide in next GE.
Most importance is that WP team should not be dragged into those kind of gutter politics.
Remember "entrapment"...

I would hand out a leaflet constrasting $7,200 and the hundreds of millions overspent on the YOG to highlight VB's priority!

 

[steffychun]

I would hand out a leaflet constrasting $7,200 and the hundreds of millions overspent on the YOG to highlight VB's priority!

I would say the millions or billions lost by Temasek's investments

 

[enterprise2]

Told u all that GE2016 has begun. Now its a full frontal assault!!

 

[Confuseous]

VB said in parliament that HE was upset enough not to let the matter go, as a matter of principle. At no time did he give an indication that it was a govt position. That itself is a lie since PM Lee now says that it was NOT VB's but the entire govt's position. So somewhere along the line, something happened. The body languare of the front bench during the debate did not seem to indicate that it was a govt position.

 

[enterprise2]

VB said in parliament that HE was upset enough not to let the matter go, as a matter of principle. At no time did he give an indication that it was a govt position. That itself is a lie since PM Lee now says that it was NOT VB's but the entire govt's position. So somewhere along the line, something happened. The body languare of the front bench during the debate did not seem to indicate that it was a govt position.

Aiyah!! Of course they will close ranks and say it's garment position. This is war after all. GE2016 has started.

 

[Confuseous]

Aiyah!! Of course they will close ranks and say it's garment position. This is war after all. GE2016 has started.

By Philip Ang

I refer to PM Lee’s statement on Aljuneid-Hougang-Punggol East Town Council cleaning incident.

Having raised the stakes too high in Parliament, the People’s Action Party (PAP) appears to have painted itself into a corner.

From a cleaning issue, it became one of integrity and now, its about good politics? When will this circus end? Has Parliament not already wasted 36 minutes of taxpayers’ money?

The longer the PAP tries to salvage whatever is left of its image, the more comments it will invite from netizens, mostly negative ones.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong says we have honest, upright people in politics who can be trusted to uphold the public interest and to admit mistakes when things go wrong.

Question: Was public interest even a consideration when Parliament rammed through the Population White Paper?Is overcrowded public transport in our interest?When MND minister screwed up year after year with Singaporeans now having to pay sky high prices for public housing, did we hear our minister admitting his repeated mistakes, and apologising, or simply repeatedly telling us there would be enough land?

A list of instances of PAP admitting to mistakes should be provided to back PM Lee’s claim because there have been extremely few in Singaporeans’ collective memory.

PM Lee then made some motherhood statements on trust and speculated on Singaporeans’ expectations in politics.

He further went on to say what he would have done, insinuating that the opposition should have done likewise. From cleaning, to integrity, to good politics and the issue keeps evolving into who-knows-what.

The mistake in this case is Minister Vivian Balakrishnan’s when he waived his Parliamentary privilege. He upped the stakes too high and it appears there is no way of turning back the clock, dragging his boss PM Lee into the fray. Resorting to legal means is really old school and would have worked in the pre-internet era. Presently, most Singaporeans view this as a bullying tactic.

The WP has the right to disagree with the ‘evidence’ as the dossier was compiled by the PAP. The PAP has a track record of selective amnesia or cherry picking to bolster their argument eg public housing affordability (highlighting the one or two cases), healthcare affordability ($8 for a major operation) etc.

Minister Balakrishnan insisted on a ‘yes or no’ answer from Sylvia Lim in Parliament, essentially calling her a liar but without realising that he had put himself on a pedestal about to collapse. Let’s not forget the PAP has been evasive on a host of questions raised in Parliament, answers which are important to Singaporeans. This is not good politics as far as many are concerned.

The court of public opinion decides whether it is detrimental for Mr Low Thia Kiang to “leave these grave doubts about the integrity of his fellow MPs unresolved”. PM Lee does not decide what sort of politics Singapore needs. This is also decided by well educated Singaporeans, not the PAP, WP or any political party.

When 60 per cent voters receive 90 per cent Parliamentary representation, PM Lee’s definition of our First World Parliament really stretches the imagination.
Just like the extremely vague MDA licensing scheme, ‘good politics’ is also subjective and without any clear definition.

Good politics to many would mean addressing NEA’s failure in preparing for the haze crisis, finding a long term solution for frequent train breakdowns, according respect to the elderly by finding them alternative employment instead of doing mainly cleaning work, etc.

Reframing a cleaning issue into one of integrity or something else certainly isn’t. The definition of this is wasting everybody’s time.

- http://www.theonlinecitizen.com/2013/07/painting-the-party-into-a-corner/

 

[enterprise2]

Their strategy now is they pronounce themselves as the only one to decide what is true and what's not. How then to be guilty of lying??? That's why they want the curbs on the Internet because they don't want anyone contradicting them on their version of the truth!!