WP's Managing Agent's issue

[Goh Meng Seng]

Nope. I don't think you get the picture well.

The problem we have now is TCs are under the absolute control of the respective party, be it WP or PAP. IF they do hunky punky within, there is no way people could know; the AIM issue is an outlier resulting from politicking from both sides and it extends to FMSS. If the composition of Town Council is mixed, such things won't happen in the first place or it will be nabbed right at the beginning with opposite sides blowing the whistle.

Democracy is based on the untrustworthiness of human beings and that is why we need checks and balances. All your other rumbling, is quite irrelevant really.


Goh Meng Seng

Apparently you didn't read my earlier point. It doesn't matter if you're going to separate out the national legislative assembly from the municipal councils. The partisan politics will still come into play. PAP and WP or whoever will still fight for the

The way that corruption works is - well people hate it but it's not so easy to get rid of it. Suppose you had a lot of guys who busted their guts for the WP. (Or they felt that they did). What if they outlived their use? They're not going to go away quietly. You might have a Sajeev who lends his name and lends credence to people who want to attack the WP. Or you have Goh Meng Seng who gives unsolicited feedback at any given opportunity. You can pay them to shut up, which is where all the corruption starts. All this shit happens because there is no formal structure to reward people for the time and effort they have put into your cause.

Or you can always do it Lee Kuan Yew style, which is "shut the fuck up or I will fucking kill you".

Democracy can enact a system of checks and balances. Whether this system is effective is another matter. One guarantee is that it will be messy. There's a lot of mudslinging going on now, and after this I don't think a lot of people are going to say "the WP should speak up more in parliament". "Today in Parliament" will no longer be a TV program you want to watch when you are suffering from insomnia.

 

[metalmickey]

The TC management has one advantage to residents. It forces the MP to have a direct stake in their immediate welfare - and not just concentrating on policy making, which many aspiring politicians unfortunately play at a very abstract level. I don't want an MP that just look at the big picture, come up with some ivory towered ideas, and then ask for my vote. What is his stake in my local needs?

Your point about dual elected system is interested, but is SG too small for such a system? Again, your thoughts pls.

Singapore is not too small for such a system. It is a small country but a large city. There are issues on a local level, like running town councils. And then there are national issues, like financial policy, education, defence, foreign policy, etc etc.

Now, the fact that Singapore is a democracy, it means that the responsibility of choosing your national leaders, people who set the direction for Singapore to go, that is the responsibility of the citizens. I have heard it said many times in this forum, that thinking about these issues is giving people a big headache, and they don't really want to spend mental effort on it. This is bullshit. It's your responsibility. If you don't want to deal with it, then don't deal with it. But for people who want to ponder and think about these issues, you call them airy fairy, it's too much.

 

[metalmickey]

Nope. I don't think you get the picture well.

The problem we have now is TCs are under the absolute control of the respective party, be it WP or PAP. IF they do hunky punky within, there is no way people could know; the AIM issue is an outlier resulting from politicking from both sides and it extends to FMSS. If the composition of Town Council is mixed, such things won't happen in the first place or it will be nabbed right at the beginning with opposite sides blowing the whistle.

Democracy is based on the untrustworthiness of human beings and that is why we need checks and balances. All your other rumbling, is quite irrelevant really.


Goh Meng Seng

So who's going to appoint the members of the town council? LAst I checked, the five mayors of Singapore were all PAP people. You get the govt to appoint the councillors, they will all be PAP people. You get town councils to be elected, all the hanky panky political stuff will come in. So just what is it that you want?

Maybe we should look at this episode of the WP and the PAP throwing shit at each other as proof that we have a system that is working just fine.

 

[Goh Meng Seng]

This is an article I have written way back in 2005

Voting For Lawmaker or Estate Manager?

Yes yes, I have promised to write the second part of Innovative Economy but this is a topic that was inspired by my engagement with HK's recent Distict Council by-election which I feel help us to understand our situation in Singapore.

I have modified one of the posting I have made in sammyboy's forum for this article.

In Hong Kong, the middle class people are normally supportive of the democratic alliance. However, this is only valid when they are voting for "natinoal issues", not "local issues".

There are two types of MPs or representatives in Hong Kong. One is the local representative which they call District Councillors. These representatives are just like our RC chairman of a small zone or district but they are elected by the people, not appointed by the govt. For policy making body, they have legislative council (Legco) which representatives are also elected.

During the recent by-election of one district council which consists of mostly middle class voters, the candidate from HK's Democratic Party who is also a Legco member, LOST to a little known independent candidate who is the chairman of management committee of one the largest private estate in the district.

From this result we can see that voters are rational when it comes to voting. For district councillors, they are expected to take care of the district and local issues. Thus, voters will choose a "grassroot man" over a "political star". But when it comes to electing people into the law making body Legco, their consideration in voting would be very different.

In Singapore, I would say PAP is quite ingenius in their structural approach. PAP understands that Singaporeans at large wanted more checks and balances in our parliament. This is shown by the huge vote swing and support level garnered by the opposition in early 80s till early 1990s. Even the GRC system could not prevent close fights whereby opposition garner over 40% of the valid votes.

The idea of setting up Town Councils for elected MPs to manage is to reduce the overwhelming urge of voters wanting more opposition voices in parliament. They have deliberately mixed up the function and role of MPs as lawmakers with local estate management representatives. This is unhealthy as it blurs the line of representation. And this is also where HDB upgrading comes into play. This is a systematic way of distorting voters' preferrences.

I would say that our election is not merely "issue driven". It is basically the tactic of blurring the functions of a law maker (i.e. MP) with local estate management. There will be two pulling forces for voters: are they going to vote according to the consideration of having responsible and effecive lawmakers or to the consideration of having good town council management and of course, HDB upgrading for their estates?

In the short term, it may seem that this "conflicting" struggle of self-interests vs national interests will work favourably for the incumbants. Issues like human rights, freedom of speech etc would be "too abstract" for the voters to put a "tangible" value against the concrete self interests of "better management of Town Council", HDB upgrading etc. Bread and Butter issues, though still abstract a bit, but it could still be "felt" and this feeling or resonance would be useful against local considerations. Thus, it is important for oppositin parties to find that efficient and yet effective angle which could counteract the blurring of roles for the lawmaker as the chairman of Town Council.

In the long run, such tactic will not work any more for PAP. The initial anxiety of voters (not getting HDB upgrading) will reduce and that is why we see that even with $160million promise of upgrading, there is little impact on the ground. Then, what's next?

Will abstract issues or values like human rights, freedom of expression etc win over local concerns? Maybe not. Then what is the important ingredient for us to win votes?

If the slate of candidates presented by the opposition is lousy, the voters will have DOUBLE REASONS for not voting against PAP: it is a very realistic and rational considerations, why should one sacrifice his own tangible immediate "well being" in his living environment for a lousy opposition? The reasons for not voting against PAP Even if the voter feels strongly that we need opposition voice in parliament are:

1) the opposition candidates are lousy
2) It is not worth sacrificing self interests for such lousy candidates.

Thus, the only way of winning the support of Singapore voters is not merely issue-based, but rather, what could you offer to convince the voters that you are worth their self-sacrifice?

In short, in my opinion, I feel that there will always be chance for us to win if we could provide reasonably good candidates to convince voters to make sarcrifices in voting us. Whatever issues at hand is no longer vital as the NKF saga has more or less initiate the awakening of the need to have checks and balances in any system, especially our political system.

On the macro side, in my humble opinion, we should cultivate altruism and not destroying it unwittingly by such political system. We always like talk about "National Interests" but in the end, PAP has set up a political system that are suppressing "altruism" in which voters are discouraged to think from the "National Interests" perspective when they go to the ballot boxes. Instead, "SELF INTERESTS" such as HDB upgrading and Town Council management are deliberately play up to entice voters. This is absolutely unhealthy.

The role of lawmakers must be very specific and it should not be blurred systematically by other additional functions.

Workers' Party MP Mr. Low TK has the ability to take care and manage Hougang Town Council efficiently and effectively. We are not afraid of the additional job of managing a town council. In fact, I would say that there are benefits for us to manage the town councils if we win. It is easier for us to entrench ourselves with the control of these town councils. We could initiate alot more grassroot activities with a friendly town council in place. But it is in the Nation's interests that our political system must cultivate the correct mindsets instead of nurturing selfish mentality.

I would suggest that representatives to manage the town councils should be elected separately just like what Hong Kong did. In fact, I think even those RC chairman should be elected by the people directly. PA, as they claim, should be non-partisan in accepting the direct choices of the residents. No favourism should be practiced else we are sending the wrong values to our voters and children at large.

For the time being, I don't see how we could change the political system unless Workers' Party become the government. For the mean time, I would urge Singaporeans to make careful consideration about making their sacred votes.

There is one Chinese saying, if there is no country, there will not be home for us. Thus in my opinion, a vote in our General Elections is a vote for National Interests as the MPs will be part of the important lawmaking process. One should consider the LARGER picture when they vote. It is our future generation that we are voting for. Don't just vote for your estate manager but vote for a LAWMAKER that will decide your future as well as mine.

Goh Meng Seng

 

[Goh Meng Seng]

But just too bad, I don't think we could depend on WP to change the system which they are so used to...

Goh Meng Seng

 

[lockeliberal]

Dear GMS.

Huh ? You are saying that the WP will not change the system when it never created the system to begin with ? Scroobal WMM You me would all agree that town councils should be back with the GOV and that it should not be the premise of the elected MP.

That system was created by the PAP and it is a system within which the WP must function or for that matter any opposition party to flourish.

If the PAP changes, fine, we can all pop champagne, but everyone knows that they will continue to seek to entrench political dominance through every means possible and the town council will remain a part of the political landscape.

I mean honestly what would you do if you had won Tampines and needed to run a town council and the major players on the market refuse to deal with you ?


Locke

But just too bad, I don't think we could depend on WP to change the system which they are so used to...

Goh Meng Seng

 

[OverTheCounter]

On the other hand, I think what you people say here have some merit -- that the role of the MP should be divorced from estate management.

 

[WongMengMeng]

Lee Kuan Yew (one of 4 PAP MPs in 1955): “Mr Chairman, Sir, does it really matter whether it is an ASP or an Inspector who has the power to do these things? If we start quibbling over these things - whether the right of privacy should not be invaded by an Inspector, and therefore unjustified, but by a person who wears three stars on his shoulders, and therefore justified - I think we will get ourselves thoroughly bogged down in a morass in which we will finally wind up by believing - as the Chief Minister once said - that white is black and black is white. We feel that the whole Bill is contrary to freedom and this amendment does not make it any the more palatable.”

He was talking about the Internal Security Act, which was being rammed through Parliament by the Labour Front. He was supposedly against its enactment. Yeah, right! And I was born yesterday!

This whole Town Council charade is nothing but a scheme by the PAP to ensure that in the event any constituencies fall into Opposition hands, they have the tools by which to sabotage the Opposition. And they are using these embedded tools now! They don’t give a shit if the citizens of those wards suffer as a result. In these PAPzis’ minds, if you vote Opposition, you are no longer a citizen and your interests are not important any more. If you happened to have voted for the PAP, but the majority in your ward didn’t – too bad. They are that heartless!

Therefore, don’t be bogged down with the nitty gritty and be fooled into believing that “white is black and black is white”. This whole Town Council idea is bad and should be repealed when the necessary majority in Parliament is obtained. In the meantime, you have to live with it and the way to make it work in Opposition wards is to have Managing Agents that the Opposition can trust, “perceived” conflicts of interest notwithstanding.

The Opposition can up the ante on the PAP by being whiter than white. In the case of “perceived” conflicts of interest the way to allay these concocted concerns is through transparency. In legal parlance, conflict of interest is OK so long as it is fully disclosed and the end user client consents after he/she knows all the material facts and inks the deal with his/her eyes open.

After you have done that, you can go on the offensive and inquire into the state of affairs in PAP wards and demand the same transparency. Whatever they disclose, you go through with a microscope in order to get ammunition to attack. If they refuse to or disclose too little, you rightfully say that they are not transparent and do not walk the talk ie. they are HYPOCRITES. Most Sinkies will believe you. All the dirty linen that comes out will cost them another 10% swing votes.

 

[tanwahp]

So who's going to appoint the members of the town council? LAst I checked, the five mayors of Singapore were all PAP people. You get the govt to appoint the councillors, they will all be PAP people. You get town councils to be elected, all the hanky panky political stuff will come in. So just what is it that you want?

The mayors are for CDC - community and not estate related function. CDCs were created to bridge the gap between the PAP government and the next smallest grassroots which were CCs (constituency level) and RCs (zone levels) which were deemed too decentralised, so they needed something in between.

Maybe we should look at this episode of the WP and the PAP throwing shit at each other as proof that we have a system that is working just fine.

It's not the throwing part that people have an issue with. It's the "dual cronyism" part.

 

[Goh Meng Seng]

Dear Locke,

I am saying, we can't expect WP to change the present system anymore, regardless whether this system is created by WP or not, period. Even if WP come into power one day, it will not change this system because it has tasted honey from it.

I do not think you understand the problem at all. WP has a backbone staff at HGTC to take over the whole of ALTC. There is absolutely no necessity nor exaggerated panic to start with. Come a whole management system HGTC to a newly 4 day old FMSS without any backbone staff, which one is more ready or plausible organization to take over the management of ALTC? Some have gone into warp logic that GRC is different from SMC but let be real, how different if the GM of a SMC HGTC could form a company FMSS without backbone staff to manage ALTC? I think you should stop putting up your scarecrow reasoning here; you can only fool kindergarten kids lah!

Besides, the present system is really no brainer. If TC system is set up to test the abilities or capabilities of MPs, then appointing MA would defeat the purpose already! The TC is mainly given to the MA to manage, not really the MPs! If so, the whole TC system should be scrapped or modified. It is really an oxymoron kind of system that achieve nothing but breeds cronyism.


Goh Meng Seng

Dear GMS.

Huh ? You are saying that the WP will not change the system when it never created the system to begin with ? Scroobal WMM You me would all agree that town councils should be back with the GOV and that it should not be the premise of the elected MP.

That system was created by the PAP and it is a system within which the WP must function or for that matter any opposition party to flourish.

If the PAP changes, fine, we can all pop champagne, but everyone knows that they will continue to seek to entrench political dominance through every means possible and the town council will remain a part of the political landscape.

I mean honestly what would you do if you had won Tampines and needed to run a town council and the major players on the market refuse to deal with you ?


Locke

 

[tanwahp]

WP has a backbone staff at HGTC to take over the whole of ALTC. There is absolutely no necessity nor exaggerated panic to start with. Come a whole management system HGTC to a newly 4 day old FMSS without any backbone staff, which one is more ready or plausible organization to take over the management of ALTC? Some have gone into warp logic that GRC is different from SMC but let be real, how different if the GM of a SMC HGTC could form a company FMSS without backbone staff to manage ALTC? I think you should stop putting up your scarecrow reasoning here; you can only fool kindergarten kids lah!

Sorry many of us I believe are not getting your point. Your point is that WP will not change the system. What has it got to do with HGTC vs AHTC or managing agent vs direct hire.

Besides, the present system is really no brainer. If TC system is set up to test the abilities or capabilities of MPs, then appointing MA would defeat the purpose already! The TC is mainly given to the MA to manage, not really the MPs! If so, the whole TC system should be scrapped or modified. It is really an oxymoron kind of system that achieve nothing but breeds cronyism.

Direct hire as opposed to MA opens up more cronyism. If I hire via job interviews, there is no accountability. If I get a managing agent, I need to carry out a public tender as in what AHTC did (in the second year onwards).

 

[lockeliberal]

Dear GMS

In order for the WP to change the system it has to be in the majority. You are postulating things when the WP has currently had "seven seats' and no 1/3. You sound exactly like the PAP saying the sky will fall down , Singapore will collapse if we allow WP to win more seats because they "MIGHT" win the majority.

They might or might not change the system. No one really knows. Low might not be around when that happens, Dr Chee might have taken over the WP and then instituted the changes to the TC system which we all agree on. If you want creative political fantasies , I do have ones involving Low , Dr Chee and Ho Ching :_))).

Again my question to you. What would you have done if you had won Tampines.. CPG has given you three months notice to quit , along with AIMs ? Appoint who which MA ? All the GLCs MAs will not work with an opposition council ?



Locke

Dear Locke,

I am saying, we can't expect WP to change the present system anymore, regardless whether this system is created by WP or not, period. Even if WP come into power one day, it will not change this system because it has tasted honey from it.

I do not think you understand the problem at all. WP has a backbone staff at HGTC to take over the whole of ALTC. There is absolutely no necessity nor exaggerated panic to start with. Come a whole management system HGTC to a newly 4 day old FMSS without any backbone staff, which one is more ready or plausible organization to take over the management of ALTC? Some have gone into warp logic that GRC is different from SMC but let be real, how different if the GM of a SMC HGTC could form a company FMSS without backbone staff to manage ALTC? I think you should stop putting up your scarecrow reasoning here; you can only fool kindergarten kids lah!

Besides, the present system is really no brainer. If TC system is set up to test the abilities or capabilities of MPs, then appointing MA would defeat the purpose already! The TC is mainly given to the MA to manage, not really the MPs! If so, the whole TC system should be scrapped or modified. It is really an oxymoron kind of system that achieve nothing but breeds cronyism.


Goh Meng Seng

 

[Thick Face Black Heart]

In larger countries there are states and provinces whose governing parties are different, and therefore at odds to, the central government. In the island-state of Singapore you have town councils. Completely reasonable.

I believe now the point is that TCs are a tool of sabotage, used by the ruling party to undermine the opposition and thus, undermine democracy.

The state governments of Malaysia have more leeway because the economy of scale of their operations is significant and there are enough intra-border companies willing to to hired by the local state government to carry out municipal and related work.

In Singapore the opposition in hamstrung by the 800 pound gorilla in the room looking to breathe vapour down your neck should you offer your services to an opposition TC.

 

[lockeliberal]

Dear Thick,

Teo Ho Pin now sensing blood has now started firing more questions at the party. Its now come down to the nitty gritty, accusations and counter accusations, how "rates" are calculated. Who employs who. Its now a full scale political war :_)). GMS is happily firing on both sides in the hope that both PAP and WP are damaged and then a third opposition force can emerge :_)) i.e one involving him.






Locke

I believe now the point is that TCs are a tool of sabotage, used by the ruling party to undermine the opposition and thus, undermine democracy.

The state governments of Malaysia have more leeway because the economy of scale of their operations is significant and there are enough intra-border companies willing to to hired by the local state government to carry out municipal and related work.

In Singapore the opposition in hamstrung by the 800 pound gorilla in the room looking to breathe vapour down your neck should you offer your services to an opposition TC.

 

[Thick Face Black Heart]

Dear Thick,

Teo Ho Pin now sensing blood has now started firing more questions at the party. Its now come down to the nitty gritty, accusations and counter accusations, how "rates" are calculated. Who employs who. Its now a full scale political war :_)). GMS is happily firing on both sides in the hope that both PAP and WP are damaged and then a third opposition force can emerge :_)) i.e one involving him.

Locke

At least GMS contributed to the debate by highlighting the malpractices involved in the politicization of TCs and the burden placed unfairly on oppo MPs who ate supposed to be policy and law scrtunizers rather than municipal overseers.

But yes he is milking both sides for political mileage.

 

[Goh Meng Seng]

You don't get the point. MPs should not be running estates but rather, be good law and policy makers.


Whether you are using the Managing Agent or not, you will still have to go through tender for contracts. Direct hire save money. Even if you tender for MA, no guarantee there will be fair play. TC can still employ the one with higher quotes.

That's a fact. That is why, the TC system run by the MPs should be scrapped. QED

Goh Meng Seng

Sorry many of us I believe are not getting your point. Your point is that WP will not change the system. What has it got to do with HGTC vs AHTC or managing agent vs direct hire.



Direct hire as opposed to MA opens up more cronyism. If I hire via job interviews, there is no accountability. If I get a managing agent, I need to carry out a public tender as in what AHTC did (in the second year onwards).

 

[Goh Meng Seng]

Dear Locke,

By the look of how things are unraveling, it is just a matter of time WP will lose all its moral high ground here and people will realize that WP and PAP are actually samma samma. With or without my contribution to the criticisms, the opportunity for the third force to arise will come. Both WP and PAP WILL SUFFER quite badly through this saga, as predicted by my earlier posting warning that Sylvia may just walk into m&d trap if she really insists on making an issue out of AIM. Alas, my little warning fallen on deaf ears and frankly speaking, PAP has not used up all their ammo yet, for fear of being seen as big bully here. WP has simply tumbled in this battle, although it has also caused harm to PAP.

I may or may not be involved in this third force, although I have been advocating it for some time, right after LTK declared in Punggol East BE that WP is walking their own path. So be it. But I am surely glad to see the opening of the window of opportunity for other opposition parties to capture and become the third force. But it will still depend on the abilities of either NSP, SDP or SPP to capitalize on such window of opportunities or not.

Having said that, I think rational WP members like you should pause and ponder, instead of continuing to try to defend the indefensible circumstances whereby glaring potential conflict of interests have been blatantly ignored by WP all this while.

You should notice why LTK has earlier on retreated and retired himself as Vice Chair of ALTC quietly and now, remaining absolutely quiet about the whole saga. You should follow his example, just tug your head down and wait for the thunder storm to be over.

Here again, I shall post what Teo Ho Pin has commented about the whole saga. The most interesting point is that he pointed out the same thing, would WP need to engage FMSS at all in the first place since How and husband are already employees of the TC? And How and husband continued to be employed by the TC even though their company has been given contract of MA?!

This is the full fire from Teo Ho Pin:

FMSS

1. In Parliament, Minister Khaw Boon Wan revealed troubling facts about FMSS. He then asked Sylvia Lim directly how she would “characterise the FMSS transactions and if public interest has been protected”. Ms Lim has not answered these queries.

2. The public deserves to know because the award of contracts worth $26 million by the Workers’ Party (WP) run Aljunied-Hougang Town Council (AHTC) to long time supporters and close business associates of WP, through FM Solutions and Services Pte Ltd (FMSS), raises serious questions about public interest and transparency.

3. Ms Lim and WP MPs have not disputed the following facts:-
a) WP won in Aljunied GRC on 11 May 2011.

b) Four days later, on 15 May 2011, FMSS was set up.

c) Mr Danny Loh and Ms How Weng Fan (who are husband and wife) own FMSS.

d) Mr Loh and Ms How were Assentor and Proposer for the WP team of candidates who contested in Ang Mo Kio GRC in 2006 General Election. They were clearly close and trusted supporters of the WP.

e) How and Loh are also Secretary and Deputy Secretary/General Manager respectively of AHTC. How had been an employee of Hougang TC.

f) AHTC, headed by Ms Sylvia Lim, gave a $5.2 million contract to FMSS on 15 July 2011 (soon after the General Election) to manage AHTC, without calling a tender.

g) One year later, in August 2012, AHTC awarded a contract worth $16.8 million to FMSS to manage AHTC. This time AHTC called a tender, and FMSS submitted the only bid.

h) AHTC also gave another contract in 2012, for the Essential Maintenance Services Unit to FMSS, worth $3.9 million. In total, AHTC has awarded $25.9 million worth of contracts to FMSS.

4. FMSS charged AHTC $7.87 per property unit in July 2011 to be its Managing Agent (MA). This was 20% higher than the rate charged by the previous Managing Agent ($6.51 per unit per month) before the GE. In the August 2012 tender, FMSS increased the unit rate to $8.04. This is more than 50% higher than the unit rate ($4.99 in 2012) paid by Tampines TC, a comparable-sized estate, to its managing agent.

5. Instead of trying to obfuscate the public with wrong calculations on how much FMSS charged AHTC, Ms Sylvia Lim needs to explain clearly why a WP run Town Council gave more than $26 million of public funds in contracts to close associates. And why it paid management fees significantly higher than normal, and 20% higher than its previous managing agent?

6. Three key questions of public interest arise:
a) Did AHTC secure the best possible deal by awarding an MA contract worth over $5 million to a company formed by close WP supporters just days after the 2011 GE, and without a tender?

b) Did AHTC exercise due diligence when they awarded not one but two contracts worth over $21 million to the same company a year later in 2012?

c) Has AHTC protected the interests of Aljunied and Hougang residents?

7. Ms Sylvia Lim is Chairman of AHTC. Presented these facts in Parliament, her first response was that she was not sure about the unit rates that AHTC paid to FMSS. She had awarded contracts at significantly higher prices to close and trusted party supporters, and she did not know the facts?

8. Ms Lim then said that the high price could be due to inflation. Really? Can inflation explain the huge difference in rates with Tampines Town Council?

9. On Tuesday 14 May, the WP issued a statement in Ms Lim’s name disputing MND’s figures for MA rates and providing her own figures. But for some inexplicable reason, Ms Lim had left out commercial units and only included the residential units. Her figures were therefore erroneous and misleading.

10. On Wednesday, Ms Lim issued another statement to explain the MA rates. She raised her estimate of the MA rate for FY2012, from $7.01 the previous night to $7.58. This is indeed more than 50% higher than the Tampines rate ($4.99). Further, as MND pointed out, even at $7.58, the MA contract value for the whole estate for 3 years would only be $15.8 million - $1 million less than the $16.8 million that Ms Sylvia Lim herself had declared to HDB last year. Where is the missing $1 million?

11. One possible explanation is that AHTC has staggered the MA rate with increments each year starting with $7.58 this year. If so, it is bad news for residents – it means simply that their current MA rate, which is already high, will rise even higher each year. By my calculations, it will increase her figure of $7.58 in 2012, to $8.00 this year and $8.50 next year!

12. Beyond these specific problems with WP’s claims, more basic questions must be asked:
a) Mr Loh and Ms How are Secretary and Deputy Secretary/ General Manager of the AHTC. Do they draw salaries as employees of the Town Council?

b) As Mr Loh and Ms How do business with the TC through FMSS which they own and profit- do they get paid twice?

c) What was the need to form FMSS just a few days after WP won Aljunied GRC? If urgency was the chief consideration, as Ms Lim claims, would it not have been easier for AHTC to have employed Ms How directly and managed the town itself, just as Hougang TC had done, without having to form this for-profit company?

13. These questions raise serious issues of financial probity and transparency. The WP MPs in AHTC owe it to the residents of Aljunied and Hougang, as well as Singaporeans in general, to give full answers to them.


Goh Meng Seng

Dear Thick,

Teo Ho Pin now sensing blood has now started firing more questions at the party. Its now come down to the nitty gritty, accusations and counter accusations, how "rates" are calculated. Who employs who. Its now a full scale political war :_)). GMS is happily firing on both sides in the hope that both PAP and WP are damaged and then a third opposition force can emerge :_)) i.e one involving him.






Locke

 

[scroobal]

It is not worth for an opposition party to run a TC. This is an important lesson. All its takes a boycott or highly conditional tenders and they are screwed. As a matter of principal all opposition parties must make it clear in their manifesto that as a matter of principal that they will refuse this role and that they are happy to take on an oversight and governance role in order to ensure that residents get value.

 

[commoner]

so you folks are not willing to play the town councils game,,,,,

how about grc game??????

so you guys only wanted to play the games accordingly to your perceived democracy,,,,

ok,,,,

 

[winnipegjets]

This is the full fire from Teo Ho Pin:

FMSS

1. In Parliament, Minister Khaw Boon Wan revealed troubling facts about FMSS. He then asked Sylvia Lim directly how she would “characterise the FMSS transactions and if public interest has been protected”. Ms Lim has not answered these queries.

There is NO need to answer the all the queries posed by the PAP. Politics is all about crafting your message. WP has nothing to defend, just go on the offensive.

2. The public deserves to know because the award of contracts worth $26 million by the Workers’ Party (WP) run Aljunied-Hougang Town Council (AHTC) to long time supporters and close business associates of WP, through FM Solutions and Services Pte Ltd (FMSS), raises serious questions about public interest and transparency.

I would challenge the MP to go outside Parliament and raise this insinuation. WP should go on the offensive to point out that business are so cowed by the PAP that they won't do service Opposition wards. Thus the need to have supporters form a company to service the ward.
Ask the PAP, why do they need to spend millions of dollars to write a software which is then sold to AIM for a song. Then AIM charges the PAP TCs fees plus management fees. The management fees are not accounted in the contract. And that the PAP TCs still have to shoulder the headcount cost for the support of the software increases the overall cost of the deal.

3. Ms Lim and WP MPs have not disputed the following facts:-
a) WP won in Aljunied GRC on 11 May 2011.

b) Four days later, on 15 May 2011, FMSS was set up.

c) Mr Danny Loh and Ms How Weng Fan (who are husband and wife) own FMSS.

d) Mr Loh and Ms How were Assentor and Proposer for the WP team of candidates who contested in Ang Mo Kio GRC in 2006 General Election. They were clearly close and trusted supporters of the WP.

e) How and Loh are also Secretary and Deputy Secretary/General Manager respectively of AHTC. How had been an employee of Hougang TC.

f) AHTC, headed by Ms Sylvia Lim, gave a $5.2 million contract to FMSS on 15 July 2011 (soon after the General Election) to manage AHTC, without calling a tender.

g) One year later, in August 2012, AHTC awarded a contract worth $16.8 million to FMSS to manage AHTC. This time AHTC called a tender, and FMSS submitted the only bid.

h) AHTC also gave another contract in 2012, for the Essential Maintenance Services Unit to FMSS, worth $3.9 million. In total, AHTC has awarded $25.9 million worth of contracts to FMSS.

4. FMSS charged AHTC $7.87 per property unit in July 2011 to be its Managing Agent (MA). This was 20% higher than the rate charged by the previous Managing Agent ($6.51 per unit per month) before the GE. In the August 2012 tender, FMSS increased the unit rate to $8.04. This is more than 50% higher than the unit rate ($4.99 in 2012) paid by Tampines TC, a comparable-sized estate, to its managing agent.

5. Instead of trying to obfuscate the public with wrong calculations on how much FMSS charged AHTC, Ms Sylvia Lim needs to explain clearly why a WP run Town Council gave more than $26 million of public funds in contracts to close associates. And why it paid management fees significantly higher than normal, and 20% higher than its previous managing agent?

WP would be idiotic to try to answer those questions. The PAP can labour in details as they have the full resources of the government behind them. The Opposition operates with thin resources. Also, the average sinkee doesn't have the time full detail. WP response should be ..(1).no companies wanted to service Opposition wards for fear of being banned from PAP business (2) despite the higher cost - for lack of economies of scales - the TC was able to shoulder the cost without need to raise fees for residents and continue to show surplus, (3)Challenge the companies that are servicing the PAP wards to take over the services for the Opposition wards at the same rate being paid by the PAP wards.

6. Three key questions of public interest arise:
a) Did AHTC secure the best possible deal by awarding an MA contract worth over $5 million to a company formed by close WP supporters just days after the 2011 GE, and without a tender?

Instead of going after the PAP, you are wasting resources attacking the Opposition.

What is a good deal? The PAP just dropped everything and left a mess for WP to pick up. What do you expect WP to do? Residents would be up in arms if rubbish do not get cleared. There is no luxury of time when the establishment is doing everything to engineer a WP TC failure.

b) Did AHTC exercise due diligence when they awarded not one but two contracts worth over $21 million to the same company a year later in 2012?

Blah, blah, blah. It is folks like you that continue to weaken the opposition. You do sinkees a big disservice!

c) Has AHTC protected the interests of Aljunied and Hougang residents?

Do PAP TC protected the interests of their residents? WP TC do not threaten residents in arrears with legal actions. WP TC did not raise the rates. The estates are better maintained. Is that not sufficient for you? What a tweet!

7. Ms Sylvia Lim is Chairman of AHTC. Presented these facts in Parliament, her first response was that she was not sure about the unit rates that AHTC paid to FMSS. She had awarded contracts at significantly higher prices to close and trusted party supporters, and she did not know the facts?

Is she expected to have all the facts immediately? When ministers are being questioned in parliament, they get it ahead of time, giving them the opportunity to respond.
Only a dumb politician will try to answer every question.

8. Ms Lim then said that the high price could be due to inflation. Really? Can inflation explain the huge difference in rates with Tampines Town Council?

She should just tell the PAP that she would be willing to contract the services to a PAP company at the same rate paid by the PAP TC.

9. On Tuesday 14 May, the WP issued a statement in Ms Lim’s name disputing MND’s figures for MA rates and providing her own figures. But for some inexplicable reason, Ms Lim had left out commercial units and only included the residential units. Her figures were therefore erroneous and misleading.

Please don't waste the limited resources of the opposition with your anal questions. If you an axe to grind, then declare it and we shall all ignore you. Turn your guns on the PAP. There is a war out of there.

10. On Wednesday, Ms Lim issued another statement to explain the MA rates. She raised her estimate of the MA rate for FY2012, from $7.01 the previous night to $7.58. This is indeed more than 50% higher than the Tampines rate ($4.99). Further, as MND pointed out, even at $7.58, the MA contract value for the whole estate for 3 years would only be $15.8 million - $1 million less than the $16.8 million that Ms Sylvia Lim herself had declared to HDB last year. Where is the missing $1 million?

I don't see you go to such detail going after the PAP? A PAP stooge, you seem to be.

You are too anal to warrant further addressing of your questions.