Shanmmugam has yet to respond to SL's challenge on wrong data
However, upon closer inspection, the MA rates presented by the Law Minister appear to be lower than what Ms Lim would have expected.
An apparent anomaly were the residential and commercial unit rates which Mr Shanmugam’s chart indicated were the same.
AHPETC’s chairman, SylviaLim noticed this and highlighted this to Mr Shanmugam.
“From what I know, MA rates are usually different from residential units and commercial units,” Ms Lim said. “But in your chart, they are all the same. So I would like minister to clarify that there has been no mistake in this chart and it is really the fact that all this MA are charging the same rates for commercial and residential units because from the data that I have, even the MA for PAP town councils, such as CPG, from the Aljunied town council records that we have, the MA rate for commercial units was 12 dollars and something. So I think minister may want to check his chart.”
Mr Shanmugam got up and replied to Ms Lim immediately, “I can answer your answer straight away. You should look at annex 3 and you will see in the first page that the MA rates once they are done on a weighted average basis, these figures are accurate, [I’m] told by MND.”
However Ms Lim was unconvinced.
She said, “Minister, I would still request it to be checked because I don’t think it is correct.”
WP’s secretary-general Low Thia Khiang also told Mr Shanmugam that the rates cannot be the same.
Mr Shanmugam replied that he would check the rates for accuracy.
Indeed, looking at the figures, one would come to wonder if the figures are correct....
http://www.theonlinecitizen.com/2015/02/shanmugams-chart-raises-questions-about-pap-tcs-ma-rates/