A Resident's Letter to AHPETC

Image: Fabrications About The PAP

Below is a "letter" was written by a resident in Punggol East to AHPETC. While the origins of this letter cannot be verified, the content of the letter and the points it raises about the whole AHPETC Accounts are valid and are surely largely reflective of residents' worries about the issue.

How long will the Workers' Party keep up with their silence on the matter? Will they ever directly address the issues raised instead of deflecting questions and issuing motherhood statements that don't actually answer any specific questions?

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Dear AHPETC,

I note with distress the latest Town Council Management Report for FY2014 which the Aljunied-Hougang-Punggol East Town Council (AHPETC) was banded “red” in the areas of service and conservancy charges arrears management and corporate governance.

Image: Fabrications About The PAP

The report has stated that most of the Town Council’s S&CC arrears reports since May 2013 are still outstanding. I find this highly disturbing, because submitting documents and reporting of stats should be the most basic and simple responsibility of the Town Council since they are managing public funds. AHPETC took over the running of Punggol East around that period as well, after the by-elections in early 2013.

"... The report has stated that most of the Town Council’s S&CC arrears reports since May 2013 are still outstanding. 

I find this highly disturbing, because submitting documents and reporting of stats should be the most basic and simple responsibility of the Town Council since they are managing public funds. ..."

I’m concerned, was AHPETC scrambling to take over the running of Punggol East or were they only focusing efforts on winning Punggol East so as to fill the financial hole in Aljunied Hougang Town Council(AHTC), hence leaving Town Council affairs in a mess? Punggol East was indeed wrong to have given you the chance to represent us.

Although I don’t really understand all the legal jargon over the estate management, and don’t profess to be the expert over it, but WP has never come forward to refute the claim that they have been using funds from Punggol East to cover up the financial hole in AHTC. The way in which the Town Council has conducted itself in this entire episode is simply unacceptable, and to profess to be accountable and transparent is simply an affront to the idea of accountability and transparency.

Since we cannot change the past, and what has been done has been done, I accept that and would like to move on too. But I hope to have some closure on this matter. Punggol East has been won back by the PAP in this recent elections, and I hope that the Town Council has a plan for handover for the merged Pasir Ris-Punggol Town Council to be formed. The fact that AHPETC has not submitted their accounts since May 2013 could mean that documents are not in order. In that case, I am not confident that AHPETC can handover to the new Town Council.

Image: Fabrications About The PAP

These are your Punggol East residents’, our, hard earned money. Overlooking all the overpayment to FMSS and the 2 page stunt pulled by Mr Low towards the end of elections, I hope that AHPETC can properly explain to residents what has been going on.

The new Town Council Chairman, Mr Pritam said,”Despite incremental enhancements made to the existing IT system over the last few years, there remain inherent limitations which continue to contribute to some management and reporting challenges associated with S&CC arrears management and corporate governance,” he said. “The new system is expected to be operational within 18 to 24 months from the award of tender.”

The new system is obviously unable to be operational before the handover of the Punggol East accounts to the new Town Council.

If the Town Council is unable to do a handover, it will be very difficult and almost impossible for the new Merged Town Council to be set up. Who is going to clean our estate in the meantime? Are we going to have to do it ourselves? Is AHPETC going to continue to maintain our estate until they are able to do the proper handover?

I am upset that this has happened, but it seems to only be dragging on. Residents need closure, and let a new Town Council take over. We are your residents, and Mr Pritam has said that he will answer to us. But so far, our questions have been left unanswered.

Yours Faithfully,

Your concerned Punggol East resident.

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Sources

YoursFailthfullySG

https://yoursfaithfullysg.wordpress.com/2015/12/01/open-letter-from-pe-resident-to-ahpetc/

The Attorney-General v The Aljunied-Hougang-Punggol East Town Council (27 May 2015)

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B-Vd2Rny_eXLQTNfZVc5czlVRGc


Six-Six.com - AHPETC Shortfall Could Affect Residents’ Pockets: Shanmugam
http://six-six.com/article/ahpetc-shortfall-could-affect-residents-pockets-shanmugam 

AsiaOne - Appeal court orders WP-run AHPETC to appoint accountants to fix lapses
http://news.asiaone.com/news/singapore/appeal-court-orders-wp-run-ahpetc-appoint-accountants-fix-lapses#sthash.afrIQTTB.dpuf


Yahoo Newsroom: AHPETC: Workers' Party 'accepts and respects' Court of Appeal's judgement
https://sg.news.yahoo.com/ahpetc--workers--party--accepts-and-respects--court-of-appeal-s-judgement-074915808.html

Amos keeps on digging himself deeper and deeper ...

Here's a recent Facebook post from Banana Boy. Looks like he's just dying to get some attention.

(1)

(2)

(3)

Well, it looks like Amos is not going to stop digging this hole until it collapses in on him. 

Now where's the popcorn and beer?

Shanmugam: AHPETC Shortfall Could Affect Residents’ Pockets

Don’t play a game of smoke and mirrors, says Minister for Law and Home Affairs K Shanmugam about the Aljunied-Hougang Punggol East Town Council (AHPETC) saga.

PUBLISHED 01 DECEMBER 2015 6:00PM SGT

By Simon Vincent

The Aljunied-Hougang Punggol East Town Council (AHPETC) saga is back in the spotlight after the Court of Appeal ordered the town council to appoint an accountant to manage its funds.

"... the conduct was terrible and unlawful. Money was going out through the front door. They were giving money to their friends without proper checks and balances — millions of dollars. "

In an exclusive interview with SIX-SIX.COM, Minister for Law and Home Affairs K Shanmugam weighs in on the matter, not sparing sharp words.

“What I would say is this, in February — in the debates in Parliament — I said the conduct was terrible and unlawful. Money was going out through the front door. They were giving money to their friends without proper checks and balances — millions of dollars.

“These are public funds.

“It should never have happened, and they were refusing to be transparent about it or honest about it, refusing to account to the public for their actions and that is why MND (Ministry of National Development) and HDB (Housing Development Board) had to take out the application.”

The MND had first requested the High Court to appoint an accountant to manage AHPETC’s funds. This was rejected, but the Court of Appeal has now granted it.

On this reversal, Mr Shanmugam says, “The High Court found the conduct atrocious, but thought that it didn't have the power to appoint accountants. The Court of Appeal has disagreed with that...and has directed that an accountant goes in, writes a report every month (and the) copy is given to HDB, which can make it public.

“The Court of Appeal said ‘you top up the sinking funds, and if you don't have the money, increase the S&CC (service and conservancy charges).’ This comes directly from the pockets of the residents.”

Will residents pay dearly for WP's mismanagement of Town Council Funds?

Pritam Singh, the chairman of AHPETC, said the town council " will comply with all the orders made by the Court". However, Mr Shanmugam questions the honesty of Singh and WP Chairperson Sylvia Lim.

“Ms Sylvia Lim gave a series of answers which the High Court said were highly misleading, in fact, false. So Parliament was misled.

“... they have no system of identifying the S&CC — who has paid and who hasn’t paid — as basic as that. It’s shambolic and it’s a serious state of affairs.” 

“Mr Pritam Singh did his own act by saying he won’t answer to Parliament. He’s the champion of transparency, he’s the champion of democracy, but when it comes to his own conduct, he said, ‘I won’t answer to you, not in Parliament. If you are my resident I will answer to you.’ Then Sam Tan (Minister of State) stood up and said, ‘I am your resident, answer to me,’ and he (Singh) said nothing.

“As the Court of Appeal pointed out,” says Mr Shanmugam, “they have no system of identifying the S&CC — who has paid and who hasn’t paid — as basic as that. It’s shambolic and it’s a serious state of affairs.”

Is AHPETC finally going to crash down due to WP's incompetence and mismanagement?

When asked what he would like the outcome of the whole AHPETC saga to be, he says, “Tell the truth. Where did the money go? How much? What was the money spent on? Don’t play a game of smoke and mirrors. Just come clean and apologise for what has happened.

“Don’t pretend that nothing has happened. And make good the losses. People's money has been lost through poor conduct. Yes, it is politically damaging to admit it, but better to admit it, put the money back, take the necessary action, disclose all of the data, face the consequences … that is the way to do things.”

The AHPETC is now the Aljunied-Hougang Town Council (AHTC) after the WP lost its Punggol East ward in GE2015. The ward will now merge with the People’s Action Party’s (PAP) Pasir Ris-Punggol ward.

The Pasir Ris-Punggol Town Council (PRPTC) will start operations from 22 December, after renovation works are completed.

Source: 

Six-Six.com - AHPETC Shortfall Could Affect Residents’ Pockets: Shanmugam

http://six-six.com/article/ahpetc-shortfall-could-affect-residents-pockets-shanmugam

Digging his own (metaphorical) grave

Just when we thought that we've heard the last of Amos after he was sentenced, he goes and pops out again like a bad pimple to get the attention that he craves after.

If Amos thinks he's gonna have a easy time in NS simply because he thinks:

(1) he's a "tough" badass  who can handle anything else 'cos he's been in "jail" before,

and

(2) he's untouchable due to his notoriety and his "support groups" on the Internet.


Well, he'd better think again.

First of all, Amos wasn't in jail. He was in Remand Prison, where they allow detainees to have a higher degree of latitude/freedom than the actual prisoners in jail. And because Amos was a stupid kid who landed himself in Remand prison, they probably were not as strict as they would normally be.

Second, does Amos really naively thinks he's the first and 'baddest'  anti-authority, rebellious type the army has had the misfortune of coming across?

In the army, no man is an island. Everyone needs to work together to get through training. Woe befalls the person who choses to be difficult and sabo the rest of the platoon.

Many a punk who thought that they could avoid/escape all the crappy stuff (like area cleaning) had been proven wrong, and they were very quickly straightened out, NOT by the Sergeants or Instructors all the time, but by their own fellow recruits.

You see, Basic Military Training (BMT) drills two key concepts into every recruit - Discipline and Teamwork.

Every soldier is expected to obey and carry out the orders and instructions of their instructors/superior rank without question, especially recruits. Consequences of not doing so can range from the mundane push-ups to  being sent to DB, the army equivalent of jail.

Push-ups are the "bread & butter" punishments in the army. You can "knock-it-down" for the most minute and mundane of infractions by the instructors. eg: No responding loud enough to the Instructor. It is likely that Amos will find himself facing the ground for most of his NS life.

And every recruit is expected to cooperate and play nice with everyone, ie teamwork, to achieve whatever the training objective is. Training does not just focus on basic combat skills but also how the platoon must work together to overcome obstacles and adversity. There is simply no room for individualism or prima donnas during training.

The inability to cooperate with your fellow soldiers, or even just to get along, can result very real and diabolical consequences for the culprit who "sabo" the entire platoon's performance. This is not because the punishments meted out by the instructors are unusually cruel or creative, but because of the "additional" punishment comes from his fellow soldiers.

Amos seems to have forgotten that there exists a very real and harsh world beyond his keyboard and the Internet. And his actions and words can have adverse repercussions that not even his parents or "support groups" can shield him from.

I suspect Amos is going to have major problems with both his instructors and his fellow recruits if he doesn't change his attitude.

Amos would likely attract the usual punishments like extra (crappy) duties, confinements and the usual push-ups for his infractions, but that is really nothing compared to what his peers could do to him if he really pissed off the entire group of them.

In my opinion, the "additional" punishment that he may attract from his fellow recruits could be much harsher than anything he can imagine.

Amos can put on a brave front and talk big all he wants. Let's just wait and see if he "survives" it after 2 years.

[Defending the Lion City] Why must we serve?

Why must Singapore sacrifice the youth and energies of her young citizens towards National Service?

Singaporeans had long been asking ourselves this question since National Service was introduced in 1955.

And it's not just about our lost opportunities and time. Many of us have been sustain injuries, or have been permanently hurt. Some have lost their limbs and one too many of us have even made the ultimate sacrifice not in war but during peacetime training.

In 1997, Singapore lost two sons to a tragedy involving an FH-2000 155mm field howitzer that blew up during the live fire exercise. 11 other soldiers sustained serious injuries.

It is easy to lament and complain about the sacrifice that Singaporeans have to make when times are peaceful. And it is a common grouse that easily riles up the discontented, and even provokes anger when we see the lifestyles and opportunities that our foreign contemporaries enjoy in Singapore.

But what if the peaceful existence we have enjoyed is taken away?

Recent events around the world (ISIS attacks in Paris, Nov 2015) and close to home (Bangkok - Erawan Shrine explosion, Aug 2015) all point out to one sobering fact - that the world is not getting any more peaceful, or is less dangerous compared to the past.

Territorial disputes in the South China Seas threatens Singapore's peace and sea lines of communication

Image: Law Fare Blog

Despite the current period of relatively good relations with our immediate neighbours, it is not a secret that some quarters still harbour jealousy and resentment at our achievements and wealth. They continually seek ways to negate and coerce us;  ever seeking to make Singapore more compliant to their own national agenda and interests.

In 2014, Indonesia named a frigate after the two Indonesian marines who had  bombed MacDonald House on Orchard Road on 10 March 1965, killing three people and injured more than 30 others. 

And of course there are those out there who would seek to cause fear and mayhem in our society and plot out our destruction as a nation for whatever their nefarious agenda. And these extremists will not hesitate to inflict violence and death on the innocent to achieve their goals.

The terror group, Jemaah Islamiah (JI) in Singapore, formed in the early 1990s by radical cleric Abu Bakar Bashir, was detected only in 2001.

And Singapore is not immune to the threat of terrorism. While Singapore has yet to suffer any terror attacks, the seeds of terrorism has already taken root in Singapore. In May 2015, 2 Singaporean youths had to be detained under the Internal Security Act for terrorism-related activities.

The Ministry of Home Affairs revealed that one of the detained, Arifil, had stated that if he was unable to join ISIS in Syria, he would carry out violent attacks on key facilities and assassinate government leaders in Singapore. And if he was unable to execute those plans, Arifil had planned to carry out attacks in public places, with weapons such as knives, in order to strike fear within society.

All these are real threats to Singapore's peace and continued existence.

So in my mind, the real question that needs to be answered is not if our sacrifice for the nation is necessary but do we dare to let our guard down?

Can we assume the peace and prosperity that Singapore currently enjoys is an expected and natural outcome, unaffected by our external environment and uninfluenced by events further ashore?

The NS critics cry out repeatedly - Singapore has no immediate real enemies to speak of. Abolish NS. Cut down defence spending.

Perhaps we don't have any obvious enemies for now.  But we don't know for sure in the future.

If we do abolish NS as the critics clammer for, who would be there to defend Singapore when they come knocking at our doors? Will we watch helplessly as our enemies have their way with us, like lamb to the slaughter?

Are we to stand aside as others steal not just our material belongings, but destroy our peace and our way of life at their whim and fancy and inflict fear and death to our loved ones?

Are we to be so naive as to believe that the UN or other countries would come immediately to our aid to defend what is not theirs?

The harsh reality of the modern 21st century world has not changed since the times of the cavemen.

You only own what you can defend. You can only enjoy the fruits of your labor if you can deter thieves from stealing it from you.

The peace and prosperity we enjoy comes at a heavy price.

And it is a price that we cannot afford not to pay.

Prickly Porcupine

Read more about:

FH-2000 155mm field howitzer Explosion in New Zealand
http://www.mindef.gov.sg/imindef/press_room/official_releases/nr/1997/jun/28jun97_nr.print.img.html

Indonesia names warship after marines
http://www.todayonline.com/singapore/singapore-naming-indonesian-warship-after-marines-would-reopen-old-wounds

Terror's evolving threat to Singapore
http://news.asiaone.com/news/asian-opinions/terrors-evolving-threat-singapore

2 Singaporean youths radicalised by ISIS arrested, one of them detained for planning terror attacks
http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/2-singaporean-youths-radicalised-by-isis-arrested-one-of-them-detained-for-planning-terror

Potty-mouth Politician-wannabe Extraordinair

Here's something that Alex Tan Zhixiang (currently the Admin of States Times Review and living in Sydney) doesn't want the average moderate Singaporean to know.

In July 2012, Alex sent a vulgarity-filled email entitled "An angry Singaporean commuter's complaint against SBS" to then Minster for Transport Lui Tuck Yew and various government agencies. It wasn't long before the email started to make its rounds on the various social media and online forums.

The shocking part is NOT the fact that he sent a complaint to the Minister (As LKY succinctly put it, "Singaporeans are champion grumblers".) but that Alex Tan, an "aspiring" politician then (He was a Candidate in GE 2011 for the Ang Mo Kio GRC under the Reform Party) would send such a email that was filled to the brim with a certain four-letter expletive.

Image: SG Club Forums

Now let's just put aside the fact that there were many things in the email that didn't make much sense. (Like the part where he whines about how he couldn't exit the bus via the front as the EZ-Link machine only showed "Entry" - which was how it was then.)

While he may have been justifiably upset over the crowded public buses, there is simply no reason why he should have to resort to such colorful language.

Besides, is this how a person who wanted represent Singaporeans in Parliament, should behave?

What happens if another country's politician says something rude about Singapore? Is Alex Tan going to show them the full extend of his potty mouth powers? Do we really want such a character to be in Parliament?

In any case, despite his strong words of "...I have no apologies for my language...", Alex had to eat his own words in the end.

Here's a summary of what happened from an AsiaOne news report.

SBS Transit had asked a Magistrate's Court for help after Alex Tan Zhixiang sent them an expletive-filled rant in an e-mail about his trip on one of its buses. When such a complaint has been lodged, the Magistrate will assess the case and decide if the police should proceed with the investigation.

In an e-mail interview with TNP, Mr Tan said he made the apology as he claimed SBS Transit had "promised not to (proceed with the complaint) if I apologise immediately".

Mr Tan added: "I am so regretful, I didn't know a feedback would land me in a lawsuit."

SBS also confirmed that it had received two e-mails from Mr Tan "expressing remorse".

"We have since accepted Mr Tan's apology and understand that he will be retracting his earlier comments," added Ms Tan, who is the senior vice-president, corporate communications at SBS Transit. "We will keep the Magistrate's Court informed of this latest development."

See the full news report here: http://transport.asiaone.com/news/general/story/blogger-apologises-sending-e-mail-rant-sbs#sthash.enfh5MR1.dpuf


But why is this important now in 2015? This happened in 2012. Surely we should all move on now?

Well, here's the thing. Alex Tan is still spreading his nonsense online via the States Time Review. So it's important that Singaporeans and his readers see him for the kind of dubious character he is.

"Financial Expert" tries to alarm public with incompetent research

Image: Fabrications About The PAP

What do you think "Dr" Leong Sze Hian, a Harvard alumnus with 3 Masters and 2 Bachelors degrees but no PhD, is trying to do?

Yesterday (30 Nov 2015) Dr Leong wrote the article quoting a HK's publication dated "Jul 15" that requested Moody's credit agency downgrading the outlook of 3 main Singapore's banks from "stable" to negative.

But a search on Moody's website showed an announcement on 16 Jul 2015 that says the opposite of Leong's preposition:

" Moody's Investors Service has revised its outlook for Singapore's (Aaa stable) banking system to stable, reflecting the domestic property market's soft landing, and moderating domestic and cross-border credit growth. The outlook was previously negative since July 2013."

Moody's Investors Service, 16 Jul 2015

Here's the Moody article below:

Moody's: Singapore's banking system outlook stable, as property market eases and credit growth moderates Global Credit Research - 16 Jul 2015

Singapore, July 16, 2015 -- Moody's Investors Service has revised its outlook for Singapore's (Aaa stable) banking system to stable, reflecting the domestic property market's soft landing, and moderating domestic and cross-border credit growth. The outlook was previously negative since July 2013.

Moody's analysis is contained in its just-published report "Banking System Outlook: Singapore", by Eugene Tarzimanov, a Moody's Vice President -- Senior Credit Officer.

Moody's rates Singapore's three major banking groups—that account for around 60% of domestic system assets at end-2014—DBS Bank Ltd. (Aa1 stable, aa3), Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation Limited (Aa1 stable, aa3) and United Overseas Bank Limited (Aa1 stable, aa3). Moody's also rates Bank of Singapore Limited (Aa1 stable, a3), the private-banking subsidiary of OCBC.

Moody's expects that Singapore banks will continue to benefit from healthy—although lower—economic growth both domestically and in their regional operations. While real GDP growth in Singapore will slow to around 3% in 2015 and 2016 as a result of slower growth in China, this will be offset somewhat by the recovering US economy.

"We expect moderate credit growth for Singapore banks in the next 12-18 months, which will help to regulate household and corporate leverage," says Tarzimanov. "But problem loans will increase somewhat during 2015-16, mainly from foreign loans, while the quality of domestic loans will remain stable."

Singapore's domestic property market is undergoing a soft-landing; regulatory steps and new housing supply have moderated prices for public and private housing by about 5%-7% since 2013. Moody's expects this trend to continue as additional housing supply comes online, interest rates gradually increase and current regulatory measures remain in place.

Capital buffers will stay strong, unaffected by credit costs as recurring earnings will cover gradually increasing loan-loss provisions, and risk-weighted asset growth will be in line with internal capital generation, says Moody's.

The rating agency expects Singapore banks to maintain stable loan-to-deposit ratios of around 90% in 2015-16, but profitability will decline as higher credit costs and slower loan growth weigh on margins. While higher interest rates will provide support to net interest margins, Moody's expects improvements to be very gradual and offset by these higher credit costs.

Systemic support for Singapore's large banks is very high, given their importance to the banking system and overall economy. In addition, the Singapore government's recently proposed bank resolution regime is among the most investor-friendly in the world, notes Moody's.

Moody's subscribers may access this report here:
https://www.moodys.com/researchdocumentcontentpage.aspx?docid=PBC_1006062

Source: 

Moodys -  https://www.moodys.com/research/Moodys-Singapores-banking-system-outlook-stable-as-property-market-eases--PR_329464