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Vivian taking the war to his facebook

W

winnipegjets

Alfrescian (Inf)
Asset
presssomemore said:
I don't understand....

If Mr Tai Vie Shun had demand extra money from hawkers for cleaning the high areas of hawker centres on three occasions, in meetings where NEA representatives were also present, why didn't NEA tell him there and then that it's an annual cleaning and the TC is responsible for the cost?

3 meetings held and they still have to email here & there after the meetings to find out when are the dates and who is responsible for what.
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From reading Vivian's dossier, my impression is that the NEA screwed up ...they told the hawkers that quarterly spring cleaning would include cleaning the ceilings. NEA made an assumption. When that did not happen, NEA had to find someone to blame as the hawkers were seeking blood.

NEA claimed that scaffolding mentioned in the e-mail was for covering of hawker stalls ...if the hawkers engaged the contractor to cover the stalls, why do they care how the work is to be done? Do the hawkers care if the contractor use ladders or scaffolding to do the work? All the hawkers care about is their stalls are covered up before the cleaning.

Does the NEA micro-manage the cleaning of hawker centres in PAP wards? I doubt it. This suggests that the NEA was trying to create mischief for their boss.
 
3

3_M

Alfrescian
Loyal
winnipegjets said:
Vivian still doesn't know the difference between Spring cleaning and Annual Cleaning. When the discussions were all on spring cleaning, Tai was correct to state that any additional requirement to clean the ceiling during a spring cleaning should be a matter that the hawkers sort out with NEA as that is a NEW requirement. Tai was also correct to state that if ceiling cleaning was required during a spring cleaning, then there would be additional charges.


Vivian did not address why NEA was involved in arranging the scaffolding. If the scaffolding was to cover the stalls as claimed by Vivian, this is a most unusual contract. The hawkers hire the contractor to cover their stalls ...not to put up scaffolding to cover the stalls. The contractor could just use ladders for the task. Why is there a need for scaffolding? Are the hawkers that stupid to dictate to the contractor that the covering has to be done using scaffolding?

The quotation from ATL was for the PAP lackey. Has the PAP lackey deny asking for the quotation? Vivian has spoken on his behalf in the dossier. This will be interesting if a lawsuit takes place. Will the PAP lackey lie in court?

From the dossiers, one can conclude that the NEA screwed up and tries to pin the blame on the WP TC. NEA assumed that the spring cleaning would be annual cleaning when there was NO discussion prior. And the NEA communicated to the hawkers that it was an annual cleaning. When it turned out otherwise, the hawkers wanted blood and the NEA taichi the blame to WP TC.

SL and PS should sue Vivian.
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Are those metal structure erected over the stalls suppose to be called 'scaffolding'? I did a google search and it doesn't appear to be so. Can we blame AHPETC for assuming 'scaffolding' mentioned wasn't referring to scaffolding but something else?

Logically the email should wrote 'hawker will be in charge of erecting the tentage' because that their main duty in this cleaning exercise. Erecting scaffolding was merely a process needed to erect the tentage and common sense dictate that NEA only need to tell the other party what the duty of the hawkers (which is to set up tentage) and not the process.

Anyway, I don't think VB can score much political capital by pursuing this matter. There are more important things for him to attend to like the dengue crisis than to engage in petty politicking.
 
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F

freedalas

Alfrescian
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I_hv_adream said:
Whatever dam cock things about Vivian, this time round he is dam good lor.

Even yahoo news (well know for attacking PAP) wrotes good thing about PAP.

http://sg.news.yahoo.com/blogs/singaporescene/commentary-happened-workers-party-fire-025829579.html


COMMENT: PAP deals body blow to Workers' Party

Satish Cheney is a freelance news correspondent and TV producer for overseas and local news agencies.

The views expressed below are his own.

The Workers’ Party (WP) may have delivered a ‘Punggol punch’ to the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) earlier this year at the Punggol East by-election, but in Parliament on Tuesday, Singapore’s most successful opposition party received a hammering from the PAP’s Vivian Balakrishnan.

Like a children's tiff in the playground, this has been going on for so long that people have become tired of the banality of it all. The issue at hand: the cleaning or rather the lack of cleaning of certain hawker centres in Aljunied-Hougang-Punggol East Town Council (AHPETC) which is overseen by the Workers’ Party.

But the issue sparked one highly interesting episode of Parliament highlights on TV last night. For the full video of the debate, watch the video (the fun starts around the 24 minute mark). Parliament hadn’t been this exciting since Balakrishnan’s exchange with fellow PAP lawmaker Lily Neo over welfare benefits many years ago.

Some government critics have been pointing out that the PAP itself has not been perfect and have been referring to this latest salvo by the PAP as a case of the pot calling the kettle black.

But that is neither the point nor the topic of this commentary. Neither is the point to show who is lying or saying the truth.

The point is how ill-prepared the WP seemed to be on the topic of Tai Vie Shun, property manager of AHPETC, who allegedly asked hawkers for extra money for cleaning the high areas of the hawker centres.

Balakrishnan’s salvo against the WP could have backfired like an embarrassing own-goal, but the gamble paid off. The WP seemed totally taken by surprise by that ‘Matlock’ moment when the minister distributed a dossier containing evidence contradicting Lim, who had said the manager of AHPETC had not asked hawkers for extra money to be paid to the town council for cleaning of the high-areas.

Referring to his evidence, the minister pointed out a quotation from the AHPETC’s contractor, ATL Maintenance Pte Ltd.

“The first irregular event is ATL’s quotation delivered by hand on the 19th of February 2013… the hawkers have never asked for a quotation. Mr Low (WP’s chief, Low Thia Kiang) has met with the hawkers. They have told him the same thing. Secondly ATL is your own private 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.,” Balakrishnan said, adding that he also had witnesses from meetings who could verify events.

Lim brought up the difference between annual cleaning of the high areas and quarterly spring cleaning and said that the quotation from ATL was addressed to the market association.

“This quotation was requested by the market association and does not coincide with their annual obligation to clean the high areas under the town council contract. Does the minister not agree that in this quotation, nowhere is the town council implicated?” she asked.

Balakrisnan replied: “This is really painful. Let’s not beat around the bush arguing about annual and quarterly spring cleaning.”

Making very serious claims, Balakrishnan pretty much referred to WP’s Sylvia Lim and Pritam Singh as liars.

Surely that should have vexed Pritam Singh, a lawyer by profession, to get up and defend himself and the party, but he didn’t. Perhaps, there was no opportunity to do so. But still, you can imagine questions may arise on his silence.

Lim, on the other hand, maintained that the evidence did not show that the town council had asked the hawkers to pay extra to clean the high areas.

Low might have done himself disservice by saying he had not yet spoken to Tai Vie Shun, the property manager of AHPETC.

Referring to the whole saga as a misunderstanding, Low said the ATL quotation “is a puzzle…I’m trying to find out who actually asked them to quote." But he reiterated that the town council did not ask for the quotation.

Perhaps what was not said screamed louder in Parliament – body language. While this is highly subjective, Balakrishnan seemed much more confident in his tone and the way he carried himself. Low and Lim failed to showcase their usual punchy rhetoric in their replies. Cameras showed Low looking not so comfortable at certain points when Balakrishnan was speaking. Neither were his arguments very strong in defending his party.

Perhaps the party has a different strategy. Low is well-known for being an astute and savvy politician and is highly regarded in Singapore. But right now, this doesn’t bode well for his party. Having made major strides in the political arena in recent times, the WP possibly has the best potential of being an opposition check on the ruling party in Parliament. But the recent incident in parliament may affect moderate voters who might be sitting on the fence when 2016 comes.

Low has to ensure his party addresses this problem quickly and in a strong manner or the party risks being stamped with a dirty stain which no doubt political challengers will try to use against it.

Politics is never a clean game, but it is how one handles the dirt that is important in this age.
Click to expand...

Yahoo is in the process of applying for a licence from MICA to comply with the new regulations by Yaccob Ibrahim. So they have to play the role of PAP ass lickers for now.
 
SgParent

SgParent

Alfrescian
Loyal
I_hv_adream said:
Whatever dam cock things about Vivian, this time round he is dam good lor.

Even yahoo news (well know for attacking PAP) wrotes good thing about PAP.

http://sg.news.yahoo.com/blogs/singaporescene/commentary-happened-workers-party-fire-025829579.html

COMMENT: PAP deals body blow to Workers' Party

Satish Cheney is a freelance news correspondent and TV producer for overseas and local news agencies.

The views expressed below are his own.

................
Click to expand...

this is from yahoo! editor? or more like yahoo! just happened to carry this article?
 
C

claxxi

New Member
po2wq said:
core issue is affected hawkers can quikly continue 2 earn their living ... idiot! ...
Click to expand...

core issue is make sure AHPETC really takes care of its people instead of just saying want to slap who slap who but in the end slap themselves and keep quiet! my uncle got affected!
 
W

winnipegjets

Alfrescian (Inf)
Asset
GoldenDragon said:
Before that, he needs to be rewarded with a heavyweight ministry. Thus far, all featherweight ones.
Click to expand...

Soon, he will be a minister without portfolio. And then drop from GE2016.

VB will still retire a very rich man ...the generous pension. Is that 50 percent of his best five years' salary?
 
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steffychun

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