Quote:
Originally Posted by
nitecrawllerr
But his million dollar pay cheq is sustainable!
When will this kbw swim back to Pulau Pinang?
https://www.theonlinecitizen.com/201...-higher-fares/
PTC Chairman: Commuters spoken to were “quite happy to bear higher fares”
During Parliamentary debates in early March (7 Mar), Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan said that the fare formula for public transport is being reviewed in view of the upcoming infrastructure upgrades.
He noted that the current formula is “inadequate” and the Public Transport Council (PTC) is reviewing it to take into account of “total costs”, saying, “I am confident that they can work out a fair and sustainable arrangement. Please support the PTC when they make their recommendations.”
This is despite that $5 billion of the current huge budget surplus would be set aside for a Rail Infrastructure Fund “which will benefit all MRT commuters”.
New PAP MP Cheng Li Hui also took the opportunity to criticise PTC for lowering the transport fares in recent years.
She said, “The additional operating cost was clearly not captured in our current fare formula setup as a result, operating cost has increased drastically while fares have lagged behind a for the last few years. This needs to be urgently addressed for a more sustainable public transport system and to prevent increasing burden on taxpayers
.”
“Given that operating costs have increased drastically, it is surprising to see the Public Transport Council has granted three consecutive fare decreases,” she added.
Minister Khaw agreed with her wholeheartedly in Parliament. “I agree with Ms Cheng Li Hui that the current formula is inadequate,” he said. “It can be improved to better track total costs.”
PTC responds
Following the Parliamentary debates, PTC on Thursday (22 Mar) now said that it will be revising its fare formula to “keep pace with changes in the public transport industry’s cost structure”.
PTC chairman Richard Magnus said, “This is critical in ensuring the long-term financial sustainability, ease and seamlessness of our public transport network.”
He said that the annual transport operating costs had increased by $900 million between 2012 and 2016 while the annual fare revenue rose by around $230 million, which covered only about 25 per cent of the annual operating costs.
Asked if public transport fares would increase, Magnus said, “I’ll tell you that I don’t know”.
But he said PTC had found that there was an “expectation on the ground” that transport fares will be increased. He added that commuters spoken to were “quite happy to bear higher fares” as they recognise the cost of improving the transport network, reported Yahoo News.
It’s not known how many commuters the PTC had spoken to.
The PTC, an independent body that regulates public transport fares, conducts regular reviews of its fare formula – typically done once every five years. The formula then becomes the basis for deliberation for the PTC’s annual fare review exercise.
In Feb this year, PTC reported that 94.5 percent of Singapore commuters are satisfied with public transport as found in its annual Public Transport Customer Satisfaction Survey (PTCSS) in October 2017, conducted across 22 train stations and 25 bus stations/bus stops.
https://www.theonlinecitizen.com/201...-lim-swee-say/
Grassroots leaders’ good intentions the root cause of financial lapses: Lim Swee Say
Published on 2015-08-18 by Andrew Loh
Auditor General’s Report
Grassroots leaders involved in financial irregularities were only trying to help, said the deputy chairman of the People’s Association (PA), Lim Swee Say, in Parliament on Monday.
“We can fault (grassroots volunteers) for their non-compliance of financial procedures, but please do not doubt them in their passion and commitment in always doing their best for the community,” Mr Lim said.
He was responding to questions from Workers’ Party (WP) Member of Parliament (MP), Png Eng Huat, and Non-constituency MP, Lina Chiam, on the findings by the Auditor General in its report which was released in July.
The AGO had found numerous incidents of non-compliance with financial rules among the ministries and statutory boards it audited.
Among the most notable were those involving Nparks, which had awarded contracts valued at more than S$20 million without calling for open tenders; and the PA, where the AGO had conducted test-checks on about 115 grassroots organisations (GROs) under the PA umbrella.
TOC, July 2015
Out of the GROs test-checked by the AGO, 30 per cent were found to have financial or accounting irregularities.
Nonetheless, Mr Lim said, “I can say with confidence there is no irregularity at the system level.”
Instead, he said the root cause of these lapses were the “good intentions” of the grassroots leaders.
Mr Lim explained this by raising various examples of how grassroots leaders were “actually doing their best to serve the interests of the residents and meet the urgent needs of the community.”
Mr Lim, who is also the Minister of Manpower, related how grassroots leaders had gone “all around Singapore” to look for face masks when the haze hit the island in 2013.
This was after a community hospital had appealed to the GROs for air purifiers for patients who were being housed in the hospital’s non-airconditioned wards.
When they found a “small store which had limited stock”, the grassroots leaders decided to purchase the masks without first calling for three tenders, which is what is required by the rules.
“Madam Speaker, is this a case of non-compliance of financial procedures and rules? The answer is yes,” Mr Lim said. “Is this a case of grassroots leaders and volunteers compromising the interests of the community? The answer is certainly no.”
As for the chairman of the Admiralty Citizens’ Consultative Committee (CCC) who was found to have been involved in the award of a contract worth $32,000 to a company in which he was also a senior management executive, and also for writing and approving reimbursements cheques to himself worth $114,000, Mr Lim said, without identifying the chairman, Mr Tonic Oh:
“Although there was no evidence of dishonesty, the CCC chairman has taken personal responsibility for these lapses and resigned from his position.”
Mr Lim disclosed that the improprieties involving Mr Oh included money for a funeral wake which a needy family required immediately.
“There was no supporting documents for the claim but the amount given was witnessed by a few volunteers,” the Straits Times reported Mr Lim as having told the House.
Two other claims had receipts to justify the reimbursement, but out of another four claims by Mr Oh, only one had supporting documents.
Also, 13 tenancy contracts amounting to $3.67 million were awarded by the GROs without competition.
Despite their “good intentions”, Mr Lim said, this went against financial rules, which required them to obtain approvals, which the GROs involved did not.
Turning to the AGO report itself, Mr Lim said the last time the PA received an “adverse opinion” rating from its auditors was in 2012.
Previously, the PA’s own auditors had given it “adverse opinion” for at least 10 years prior to 2012, before the GROs’ accounts were included in the PA’s financial statements.
Since consolidation of the accounts of all the 1,800 GROs under the PA in 2013, the PA’s financial statements have received “clean opinions” in FY 2013 and FY2014, Mr Lim said.
He said, however, that the PA “cannot completely eradicate human error when it comes to financial governance.”
Mr Lim added that since the AGO report, the PA has set up a “Grassroots Finance Review Committee” to review its financial and procurement rules for grassroots organisations.
Mr Lim noted that the committee – made up of three grassroots leaders from the PA – “consists of members with standing and expertise.”
However, Mrs Chiam, who filed an Adjournment Motion on the AGO report, said an independent committee should be appointed to look into the matter instead.
She said “the litany of financial lapses committed by the [PA]” has raised many issues, among them were:
First, that it has been more than a decade since PA’s Grassroots Organisations (“GROs”) have been audited. This was because the PA has not produced the financial statements of the GROs for audit, and has only done so in the financial year 2013/2014.
She calls for these financial statements to be disclosed, and for them to be audited.
Second, the pervasiveness of such poor financial practices across the 1,800 GROs since the AGO had only test-checked a mere 6.5% of the GROs.
Third, that an independent review committee should be established instead of the Grassroots Finance Review Committee, chaired by three grassroots leaders, that was set up in the aftermath of the AGO report.
The chairman of the PA, Lee Hsien Loong, did not speak on the issue in Parliament on Monday.
https://sg.news.yahoo.com/duo-ang-mo...071008845.html
Duo in Ang Mo Kio Town Council corruption case plead not guilty: reports
Yahoo News Singapore
Staff Writer, Singapore
Editorial Team
Yahoo News Singapore11 April 2018
Wong Chee Meng, the former general manager of Ang Mo Kio Town Council. (PHOTO: Yahoo News Singapore / Suhaile MD)
Two men involved in the high-profile Ang Mo Kio Town Council (AMKTC) corruption case pleaded not guilty on Wednesday (11 April).
According to media reports, former AMKTC general manager Wong Chee Meng, 58, and Chia Sin Lan, 62, were not hit with any fresh charges and a pre-trial conference has been set for 3 May.
Wong, who was charged in March on 55 counts of accepting bribes, is alleged to have received $107,000 in bribes from two individuals: Chia, the director and shareholder of 19-ANC Enterprise Pte Ltd (19-ANC) and 19-NS2 Enterprise Pte Ltd (19-NS2); and Yip Fong Yin, project director of 19-ANC and director and shareholder of 19-NS2.
The sum – which included meals, entertainment, overseas remittances, a mobile phone line and employment for Wong’s daughter-in-law – was supposedly an inducement to advance the business interests of the two companies with AMKTC.
Chia faces 54 charges of offering bribes to Wong, along with one charge of abetment by engaging in a conspiracy with Yip to corruptly give Wong a $13,500 discount on the purchase price of a car. Both men are currently out on bail of $100,000 each.
In December 2016, it was reported that Wong was being probed by the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB). Wong, who works for CPG Facilities Management, the managing agent of AMKTC, was asked to go on leave following a complaint filed against him in September 2016. He was removed from his positions at the town council in November that year.
https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nati...ts-on-bn-loss/
High cost of living, Fake News Act among reasons why Pakatan won, say analysts
KUALA LUMPUR: For the first time in Malaysian history, the long-ruling Barisan Nasional coalition stared at defeat as it lost to Pakatan Harapan whose victory – aided by the sweeping tsunami rakyat nationwide – saw it win 113 of the 222 parliamentary seats in the 14th general election (GE14) on Wednesday (May 10).
The GE14 results clearly show that Malaysians have voted for change, rejecting the 63-year Barisan reign which finally came to an end at the hands of Pakatan, a loose coalition comprising Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), DAP, Parti Amanah Negara and Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia.
Besides maintaining the mandate in Selangor and Penang, Pakatan also conquered Negri Sembilan, Melaka, Johor and won enough seats to form the Federal Government.
It also almost captured Kedah, Perak and Sabah.
Analysts said among the reasons why Barisan did not win was the wave factor of former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad who was seen as the right leader to solve the nation’s woes such as the high cost of living, debts and bankruptcy.
Other issues involved the sovereign wealth fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), the alleged Felda Jalan Semarak land grab and the Anti-Fake News Act which was passed just before GE14.
Associate Professor Dr Ahmad Marthada Mohamed described the Barisan defeat as having been caused by a rare Malay tsunami in both urban and rural areas, in which the people had to rise to show their dissatisfaction with some government policies leading to the high cost of living.
“We have not seen a Malay tsunami for a long time and today, we see traditional Umno and Barisan strongholds are now under Pakatan control.
“This is because of the high cost of living,
an issue very close to the hearts of rural Malays, especially.
“The rural rakyat has been feeling the pinch, suffering and facing difficulties. That is why they wanted to show the Barisan government that these issues must be solved delicately and efficiently,” said the College of Law, Government and International Studies dean at Universiti Utara Malaysia.
On the other hand, he said, Dr Mahathir was continuously emphasising abolishing the Goods and Services Tax (GST), which had a great impact on the cost of living.
Universiti Sains Malaysia political scientist Prof Dr Sivamurugan Pandian attributed Barisan’s shocking loss to the silent majority which had spoken, and the sentiment of GST, cost of living and the Mahathir-wave, among others. – Bernama
TAGS / KEYWORDS:
GE14
Not sure over 50 years, how much billions of taxpayers money had been use to foot the bills and to maintain the thousands of PAP-related political appointees in the NTUCs, RCs, PAs, CCCs, GLCs, Grassroots and Civil Service. Especially the Scholars, Retired PAP MPs, Retired Generals, Retired Ministers and their network.
Hence became the rising cost of Government which in turn became the rising cost of living for Singaporeans.
https://sg.news.yahoo.com/putrajaya-...080700940.html
Putrajaya to axe 17,000 ‘political appointees’ to save govt money
Malay Mail
Ida Nadirah Ibrahim
Malay Mail16 May 2018
PUTRAJAYA, May 16 — A whopping 17,000 “political appointees” will be terminated soon, Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said today.
He said his Pakatan Harapan (PH) administration is looking to trim excess fat from the previous Barisan Nasional (BN) administration to cut government spending.
“There had been excessive government spending and we need to reduce this, which includes too many contract employees, some of whom were for administrative needs while others were political appointees.
“In cases where they are drivers, who get a low salary, it would be a burden to them if we terminate them abruptly,” he told a news conference at the Perdana Leadership Foundation here.
Dr Mahathir said such contract workers would be reassigned to tasks more suited to their qualifications.
The prime minister also said the government is reviewing other expenditure in order to cut costs.
When asked how many more government servants will be laid off aside from the “political appointees”, Dr Mahathir said action will only be taken against those who are suspected of wrongdoings.
“The senior officers who obviously have done something wrong or are suspected of doing something wrong, we will give them leave for them to enjoy a holiday, or we will suspend them.
“It depends on what particular action we can carry out in order to remove them from the government,” he said.
During the 1980s to 2000s, PAP kept harping on Asset Enhancement Scheme and did not mention much on expiring leasehold of 99 Years Leasehold houses. AES went against the logic of declining leasehold principle and lower home values. It was artificial and pure propaganda which could not be sustain.
This lead to intense housing speculation for 20 years until even low cost housing like HDB started having COVs of $100,000 and $ 1 million dollars resale value. This lead to the new generation of Singaporeans incurring deeper housing loans and deeper housing debts regardless buying within their means or not.
Now PAP face the inevitable of declining housing leasehold and lower home values and all the talk about Asset Enhancement Scheme had stopped. Now plenty of propaganda about declining leasehold, lower home values and not PAP’s fault.
Without AES propaganda, housing prices would have risen anyway with inflation in a slow and steady manner and housing prices will be more realistic. AES only benefited people who own more than one house and frequently make money from trading houses.
PAP in the rush to win votes from 1980s-2000s had played with Singaporeans life savings. It was pure evil and not responsible.
https://www.straitstimes.com/forum/l...b-lease-expire
Fair for Govt to let HDB lease expire
National Development Minister Lawrence Wong said that there would be serious implications if the lease of HDB flats were extended (Lease extension a complex issue, says Lawrence Wong; May 18).
I would like to add that it is only right for the Government to let the lease expire after 99 years.
The Government has taken this stance with private property, where the first batch of affected owners will have to vacate their homes in 2020 (Govt taking back 191 homes in Geylang when lease ends; June 21, 2017.)
Why, then, should taxpayers bail out Housing Board flat owners upon expiry of their lease, when owners of HDB flats have already enjoyed generous subsidies?
There should not be dual standards between owners of HDB flats and private homes in this respect.
Buyers of both types of property are aware that the lease will expire eventually for leasehold developments.
Buyers could have paid more if they wanted a freehold property, for which the lease will never expire.
Lee Yong Se
https://www.malaymail.com/s/914991/d...e-cash-is-king
Dr M: Najib told me ‘cash is king’
Published 2 years ago on 13 June 2015
By Boo Su-Lyn
KUALA LUMPUR, June 13 — Datuk Seri Najib Razak had asserted that “cash is king”, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad claimed today in response to his concerns over the incumbent prime minister’s controversial Bantuan Rakyat 1 Malaysia (BR1M) cash aid policy.
The former prime minister who has been critical of the direct cash handouts to lower-income groups, also mocked the Najib administration’s alleged payments to supporters to hold “I heart PM” placards.
“You can’t give money to the population, but he said ‘Cash is king’,” Dr Mahathir told a press conference after speaking at the Cooler Lumpur Festival here.
“You don’t ask your girlfriend to give a placard. If they love you, they’ll love you,” he added, referring to the “I heart PM” placards held by Barisan Nasional (BN) supporters that were seen commonly in the run up to the 13th general election two years ago.
Dr Mahathir also expressed disappointment that BN recorded its worst ever electoral performance in Election 2013 under Najib’s leadership.
“You didn’t even do as well as the sleeping prime minister,” said Dr Mahathir, referring to Najib’s predecessor, Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.
The ruling coalition lost seven more federal seats than in Election 2008, where it had lost its customary two-thirds parliamentary majority.
“I’d said before, ‘if you do worse than Pak Lah, you should resign’. Then 1MDB (came),” he added, referring to the debt-laden 1 Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB).
Dr Mahathir said he could not accept it that the state-owned fund was “losing billions of government money”.
When asked if no one was good enough for Dr Mahathir after having criticised the country’s first prime minister Tunku Abdul Rahman, followed by his hand-picked sucessor Abdullah and now Najib, the Kedah-born said: “If I thought no one was good enough for me, I would never have resigned.”
“I thought there should be people better than me. I resigned on my own; it’s not because people were fed up with me,” he said.
He added that it would be wrong if he doesn’t criticise wrong things being done.
Dr Mahathir also said if BN loses the next election, those who purportedly cover up wrongdoings will be held liable for being an accessory to the crime.
Dr Mahathir has been openly pushing for Najib’s resignation, citing the controversy surrounding 1MDB that is facing a huge debt burden of RM42 billion.
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news...ltiple-8247326
Auditor-General’s Report: People’s Association cited for multiple lapses
The issues flagged in the report, released on Jul 15, included procurement lapses, issues with the management of tenancy contracts, and a “clear conflict of roles” with a Citizens’ Consultative Committee chairman involved in approving his own claims.
INGAPORE: The People’s Association was flagged for various lapses in the Auditor-General’s Report, released on Wednesday (Jul 15), including lapses in management of tenancy contracts in Community Club/Centre Management Committees (CCMCs) and procurement lapses.
LAPSES IN MANAGEMENT OF TENANCY CONTRACTS
Of the 91 CCMCs test-checked by the Auditor-General’s Office (AGO), 35 did not obtain approvals from the relevant approving authorities for awarding 53 tenancy contracts, totalling S$17.78 million. Approvals were either obtained from committees which were not authorised to do so, or whose approval limits were below that of the contract values, the AGO said.
In addition, 10 of the 35 CCMCs did not obtain the relevant approvals for the direct award of 13 tenancy contracts without competition, worth a total of S$3.67 million.
“The number of lapses detected points to a weakness in the People’s Association’s monitoring of CCMCs’ compliance with its financial rules with regard to tenancy contracts,” said the AGO. PA has informed the AGO that is has since obtained covering approvals for the tenancy contracts.
LAPSES IN PROCUREMENT
Test-checks of nine grassroots organisations (GROs) - comprising four CCMCs, three Citizens’ Consultative Committees (CCCs) and two Residents’ Committees (RCs) - revealed non-compliance with PA’s financial rules, including the award of nine contracts totalling S$152,600 prior to obtaining approvals; the award of 15 contracts worth S$565,300 from the wrong approving authorities; not seeking approval for 10 direct purchases from suppliers worth a total of S$53,700; and not inviting quotations in writing for 13 purchases totalling S$187,900.
“The common lapses found in most of the grassroots organisations test-checked indicate that they may not be familiar with PA’s financial rules,” the AGO said. “They also reflect a lack of oversight by PA.”
The PA has since informed the AGO that it will review its procurement rules for GROs, to strike the right balance between competitive procurement and “expeditious decision-making” on the ground.
LAPSES IN ENGAGING TRAINING OPERATORS
According to the report, the AGO found common lapses in engagement of training operators and the collection of course fees across most of the seven grassroots organisations checked.
For example, four GROs engaged operators directly without calling competitive bids under eight contracts, totalling S$311,800. “Hence, there was no assurance that the GROs were able to obtain the most advantageous bids for the courses,” the AGO said.
One RC awarded a contract for tuition services with an estimated revenue of S$1.11 million to the incumbent operator through a quotation exercise, when a tender was required. There was no evidence other operators were invited to quote, the AGO said.
Four RCs test-checked could not produce evidence that they had carried out audit checks on course fees - totalling S$1.26 million - collected by operators on the RCs’ behalf, according to the report. The PA said that the RCs had conducted random checks on the collection of the fees, but these went undocumented. The course fees have been fully collected from the operator, PA added.
One RC did not take any action when an operator repeatedly delayed handing over course fees collected on behalf of the PA, totalling S$414,700, every month from April 2013 to July 2014. This exposed the RC to the risk of the operator defaulting on the payment of course fees, the AGO said.
LAPSES IN MANAGEMENT OF RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS
The AGO’s checks found that the chairman of a CCC was involved in approving the award of two contracts worth a total of S$32,000 and corresponding payments to a company of which he was a member of the senior management. For one of the awards, another CCC member involved in the approval process was both a director and shareholder of the company, the AGO said.
The CCC chairman also approved payment for a purchase worth S$1,500 from another company where he was both a director and shareholder.
In these cases, the two CCC members involved did not declare their interests in the transactions, the AGO said. “As a result, there was no assurance that the transactions were conducted at arms’ length.”
PA acknowledged that the chairman should not have approved the payments, but checked and found that there was no irregularity in the payments as the amounts tallied with the quotations and the work tendered.
Test-checks revealed seven instances where the CCC chairman was involved in approving his own claims, totalling S$114,767 - a “clear conflict of roles”, the AGO said. In three of these payments, no supporting documents were available.
The PA’s response was that the chairman had inadvertently approved his own claims, and said that the vice-chairman and treasurer will endorse future payment vouchers instead.
MP for Sembawang GRC Khaw Boon Wan said the grassroots leader in question was from Admiralty CCC and that he has stepped down to facilitate a full investigation.
“I am glad that the Investigation Panel found no evidence of dishonesty. Nonetheless, it was a related party transaction that was not declared,” Mr Khaw said in a statement. “The CCC will study the investigation report, and review its procedures to ensure that such lapses do not recur.”
Fellow MP for Sembawang GRC, Vikram Nair said he was saddened to learn of the findings by the AGO and that the grassroots leader concerned has “served with distinction for many years”. The man is giving full cooperation in the investigation, Mr Nair said.
ISSUES WITH FUND UTILISATION REPORTS
The PA obtained excess funding from the Citizens’ Consultative Committee ComCare Fund (CCF) from the MSF, amounting to S$84,394 over two years, due to errors and omissions in the updating of disbursements at seven CCCs checked.
The errors include duplicate entries of CCF disbursements, incorrect amounts recorded and inclusion of financial assistance that was not to be funded by the CCF. Disbursements were entered into the system by an officer without any independent checks, the AGO found.
These errors led to inaccurate CCF usage reports submitted by PA to MSF, ranging from an overstatement of S$225,703 in some cases to an understatement of S$120,210 for FY2012/13 and 2013/14.
In response, the PA said it was conducting a one-off reconciliation exercise for all CCCs to update and correct the CCF utilisation reports, meant to be completed by June this year.
Source: CNA/es
https://www.theonlinecitizen.com/201...organisations/
$56,000 for 3 “work plans” retreats for grassroots organisations?
Published on 2015-08-18 by theonlinecitizen
In his response to questions on the Auditor General’s Office (AGO) report on the People’s Association (PA), Mr Lim Swee Say gave a detailed breakdown of the nature of the reimbursements involving the former chairman of the Admiralty ward’s Citizens’ Consultative Committee (CCC).
Mr Tonic Oh, the chairman in question, had written and signed off on cheques totalling some $114,000, which were from seven reimbursement claims, to himself.
According to Mr Lim, two out of the seven claims were not substantiated with proper receipts or supporting documents.
One of these was the money for a funeral wake which a needy family required immediately.
Mr Lim said there was no supporting document for the claim but the amount given was “witnessed by a few volunteers.”
Is this enough substantiation for the PA to pay out reimbursements to Mr Oh - that the claim was “witnessed by a few volunteers”? Who were these “few volunteers”? Were they or are they closely related to Mr Oh? What are their positions in the PA or the CCC?
And how much was this claim?
Mr Lim did not say.
The other incident which was not substantiated with documentary proof were three claims for “workplans” retreats by the grassroots organisation (GRO).
While Mr Lim did not specify which GRO it actually was, it is presumed that it was Mr Oh’s own CCC.
The Straits Times reported:
“Four claims were for retreats to discuss workplans. Only one had supporting documents. The receipts for the other three, totalling $56,050, were misplaced but the CCC later verified the sums with proof of payment from the vendor.”
One would first question how much was the claim for the one which had supporting documents - Mr Lim did not say.
As for the other three,while the CCC later verified the sums with proof of payment from the vendor - which Mr Lim, incidentally, did not name - the obvious question one would ask is:
Why does it cost $56,050 to hold three workplans retreats?
That works out to an average of $18,680 for each retreat.
Where were these retreats held? Were they overseas trip? If they were, are these necessary?
GROs have indeed held such retreats overseas through the years, and questions about them have been raised in the past.
For example, in 2014, members of the public queried the Member of Parliament and grassroots adviser for Sengkang West, Lam Pin Min, on whether it was necessary for his GROs to hold its “retreat” in Taipei, Taiwan.
Dr Lam, who is also Minister of State for Health, had uploaded some photos of the trip on his Facebook page. (See here: “Grassroots leaders like to go overseas to do planning”.)
Lam Pin Min Facebook
TR Emeritus also reported at the time:
“If everyone in the photo is paying from their own pockets, then I have nothing to say. But if even 1 cent has been used to sponsor this retreat, I would like Dr Lam to tell us more about it,” [a] reader said.
Apparently, according to the website of People’s Association [Link], grassroots leaders and their MPs do regularly go for overseas retreat to “work”. They will also bring along their family members too.
For example, from 12 to 14 Dec, Mountbatten MP Lim Biow Chuan went with his grassroots leaders and family members to Batam.
The purpose was for them to meet and create the work plan for next year – “to plan the direction for 2015.″
Such “retreats” by the GROs have also taken place in other overseas locations, such as in Indonesia and Thailand, and has been going on for quite a while now.
For example, in a letter to the Straits Times Forum page in 2006, Mr Ang Hak Heng asked why “100 grassroots leaders from Cheng San”, in the then PAP-run Aljunied GRC, needed to conduct their retreat in Pattaya, Thailand.
“Assuming the cost at $100 per grassroots leader and 10 cents per card, it would be $10,000 and $8,000 respectively,” Mr Ang wrote. “The actual costs may be higher. Is it really necessary to conduct the discussion at a foreign resort in the first place? There are resorts in Singapore and there’s Sentosa. It could save them travel time and also support local businesses and stimulate our economy if the session was held in Singapore.”
He added: “The money saved could be used to help needy residents, students, the elderly and unemployed. It will certainly increase the sense of well-being and happiness for some, if not all Aljunied residents.”
The PA’s response to Mr Ang’s letter was that the grassroots leaders “co-pay” for such overseas trips.
Still, it raises the question of why the need to go overseas at all for such “workplans” meetings.
And how much indeed has been spent by all the 1,800 GROs on such things.
http://theindependent.sg/when-your-d...ernet-brigade/
https://forums.$$$$$$$$$$$$.com.sg/eat-drink-man-woman-16/when-your-defenders-trolls%97-pap-internet-brigade-5842544.html
When your defenders are trolls—the PAP Internet Brigade
By Anna Maria - June 4, 2018
Similar to other countries around the world, Singapore also has its share of internet trolls whose main job is to defensively comment on social media or other web forums. One such group is the PAP Internet Brigade or PAP IB, as written about in the Tumblr site papbrigade.tumblr.com, as well as other websites.
According to papbrigade.tumblr.com, the PAP IB is composed of youths who are members of PAP. They do their “intelligence” work in shifts starting early in the morning, often using fake accounts. They purposely watch discussions closely, and comment with opposing perspectives when needed, or even post fake news items to mislead readers.
Yes, the presence and activities of the PAP IB should be alarming. Their posts and comments are specifically designed to make it appear to the public that the policies of PAP, as well as PAP MPs are well accepted and appreciated by the general public. But what is perhaps most alarming is that their activities are a direct attack against initiatives by citizens to engage critically with policy-makers, and misrepresent how PAP policy is actually received by the public.
The PAP IB is not a new organization, in fact the seed of it has been in existence even before 2007, when reports concerning a “counter-insurgency” against critics of PAP emerged. This counter-insurgency was led by Ng Eng Hen, the head of the new media committee of PAP. The other members of this committee are Zaqy Mohamad, Baey Yam Keng, Lui Tuck Yew and Josephine Teo.
According to the Tumblr site, one part of team formulates the strategies, and the rest carry it out. More than 20 active members of the party well-versed in the digital world were purportedly directed to anonymously post on blogs and forums in order to refute and deny posts that are against the establishment.
Since its beginnings in 2007, the group has evolved into the PAP IB, which consists of a random group of bloggers, bullies and trolls on the web.
According to the papbrigade.tumblr.com, neither their strategies nor mental prowess are at all admirable, citing the following examples:
Blogger Petunia Lee’s extreme “idol-worship” of Lee Kwan Yew, to the point of shedding copious tears after his wife died
http://petunialee.blogspot.sg/2010/0...n-yew.html?m=1
Bullying and intimidation tactics against Tan Tiong Hock and other critics of PAP, which caused their accounts to be disabled
http://singaporenewsalternative.blog...ernet.html?m=1
Targeting Occupy Singapore
http://facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=286084491497007
The writers responsible for the site have also questioned whether the strategy PAP IB employs is even ethical, citing the “cynical caterwauling and ad hominem attacks” and the lack of substantial and well-thought out analysis of the initiatives of the opposition parties. Some groups on Facebook, such as Enigma, have even resorted to vulgarity and crass language as part of their strategy.
The site also calls out PAP IB’s members for blindly following the party, determination to annul opposing views and democratic methods, and their adherence to PAP’s dominance. The greatest concern is that, “For its lack of intelligence and inability to argue on the more substantive level involving policies and politics and its preoccupation with ridiculing and destroying the opposition and PAP’s critics, the PAP IB is more a bane than boon to Singapore’s democratic well-being and growth.”
Another question brought up on the Tumblr site regards who is paying for the site—whether it’s the party or the government itself. Quoting Lee Kwan Yew, who said, “The PAP is the Government and the Government is the PAP,” the site’s creator writes, “If we are a true democracy built upon equality and justice, we will reject this deliberate obfuscation of the Government and Party.”
To use public funds for the PAP IB would be a transgression of democratic ideals, since it ultimately serves only PAP.
It is also important to remember that public servants are first and foremost, accountable to the citizenry. If the ruling part wants to push their policies or receive feedback for such, they must use proper channels to do so, instead of a legion of internet trolls.
“Raucous debates of diverse depths and quality are part and parcel of the democratic politics. Attempts by the PAP to coopt or control such alternate viewpoints are but a sign of a lack of the Party’s confidence in its own policy platform. Most of all, it exhibits the trademark unwillingness of the PAP to listen to the ground, in the mistaken belief of its own superiority that would surely and hopefully soon prove fatal to its own long-term survival.”
