DPM Heng Swee Keat asks WP MPs to recuse themselves from AHTC's financial matters

Amir Hussain

Senior Reporter

Yahoo News SingaporeNovember 5, 2019

• 

  1 second ago

  Workers' Party (WP) MPs Sylvia Lim and Low Thia Khiang do not agree that they owe a special duty of care towards the Aljunied Hougang Town Council (AHTC) as fiduciaries or that they are liable for losses suffered by the council when it was under their watch, court documents show.
  
  The duo, who were held accountable for improper payments made by the AHTC, aim to challenge the High Court's decision in the civil case brought against them by the town council.
  
  --
  (1) This is an irresponsible statement.
  
  (2) I am sure they will pay a price for it - in the coming General Election.

21 seconds ago

(1) As oppose to other audit lapse - that can be improved.

(2) AHTC case is a collusion between the AHTC administrators - and his/her contractor (FMSS) - whereby the contractor benefited in big monetary amount - and the AHTC administrators try to hide this fact to the AHTC council members as well as the auditors.

(3) This involve dishonesty - unlike other audit lapse that can be improved.

• 

  I was amused when DPM Heng Swee Keat spoke very strongly and angrily in Parliament touching on WP's management of AHTC.
  
  Quote :
  “Meanwhile, their friends made big profits running into millions of dollars,” said Heng. “Allowing your friends to help themselves to public funds - that is a tale that belongs to the Third World, not Singapore,” he added.
  
  My View/Criticism of PAP Govt's financial/retirement/healthcare/tax policies :
  
  The Straits Times (4.11.2019) Opinion Page A15 : "The happy, healthy capitalists of Switzerland" :-
  
  This report reflects on all the elitist and selfish financial/retirement/healthcare/tax policies implemented by decision-makers/policy-makers/law-makers.
  
  Whose Vision & Mission??? :
  
  Singapore Inc & More Good Years (For Who?) = (Beyond) Swiss Standard
  
  Mr Ngiam Tong Dow had much foresight then to forewarn PM1 LKY and PM2 GCT that "Elitism & Complacency" would be their collective undoing in future.
  
  PM2 GCT's Vision & Mission was : "Singapore Inc and More Good Years (For Who?) = (Beyond) Swiss Standard of Living".
  
  When Singapore's public-sector pay hit the highest in the world, Income Tax and Property Tax rates hit the lowest, including 100% exemption on pensions. To top all these, Estate Duty was abolished to save more $millions and maintain secrecy.
  
  All these factors will no doubt lead to Swiss Standard or Beyond Swiss Standard of living. Are Swiss civil servants as highly-paid as Singapore civil servants? Hence, if Singapore's top public-sector elites are paid the world's highest public-sector pay, i.e. surpassing that of the Swiss civil servants, this means that they are now "Beyond Swiss Standard" whereas the majority of Singaporeans are far behind the Swiss.
  
  Singapore has the world's highest public-sector salary and bonuses
  +
  Pension (now replaced with Long-term-retention Package)
  +
  Free or highly-subsidised Class A healthcare-for-life for both pensioner and spouse in accordance with Pension Scheme
  +
  Package (this is a replacement for those who were previously entitled to pension so that they do not lose out to pensioners)
  +
  Continuation in same/another appointment or multiple high-paying appointments after receiving pension or package
  +
  CPF
  +.
  SRS (implemented w.e.f. 1.4.2001 after the 1.7.2000 pay-jump)
  +
  Income Tax Exemption on Government Pensions
  (Peak of 55% top rate declining to 20% and then to 22% w.e.f. Year of Assessment 2018)
  +
  Income Tax Exemption on Foreign Income (if any) remitted into Singapore
  (Peak of 55% top rate declining to 20% and then to 22% w.e.f. Year of Assessment 2018)
  +
  Income Tax Exemption on Interest and Dividends
  (Peak of 55% top rate declining to 20% and then to 22% w.e.f. Year of Assessment 2018)
  +
  Abolition of Estate Duty
  (Peak of 60% top rate declining to 5% +10% and finally "0%", I.e. abolished in second-half of 2008)
  +
  Reduction of Property Tax Rate from the peak of 36% down to 10% from 1.7.2001.
  
  As "taxes @ citizens' and taxpayers' hard-earned blood/sweat/toil/tears monies" are used to pay civil servants, their "salaries, bonuses, etc. from taxes" are in turn used to pay their "taxes" too, i.e. whatever they received from "taxes" is used to pay their "taxes" and for this reason the public sector cannot be compared with or run like a private-sector company known as "Singapore Inc and More Good Years (For Who?) = (Beyond) Swiss Standard of Living".
  
  Private-sector's "earnings/income/gains/profits" are from the pockets of clients, commuters, consumers and customers whereas public-sector's "taxes/revenues/levies/fines" are from the pockets of citizens, taxpayers and others. In other words, public-sector's multi-millionaires are directly and indirectly enriched with "taxpayer-funded wealth", excluding substantial gifts received or inherited and substantial lottery winnings.
  
  Summing-up, these are my observations :
  
  Self-Entrenchment (GRCs, Town Councils, Redrawing Boundaries, New Citizens)
  Self-Empowerment (Laws, Laws, Laws and More Laws like POFMA, etc)
  Self-Entitlement (Pension Schemes + Free/highly-subsidised lifetime healthcare)
  Self-Enrichment (From Pensions to Packages and multiple high-paying jobs)
  Self-Exemption (Pensions and other exemptions on foreign & unearned income)
  Self-Exoneration (Despite Section 33 - Tax Avoidance & 96A - Tax Evasion)
  
  To every action/view/comment, here is always an equal and opposite reaction.
• 1 second ago
  (1) A deliberate attempt to hide the "collusion" to award the tender to his contractor - instead of based on objective award criteria - is a form of dishonesty.
  
  (2) Whereas in other audit lapse - no dishonesty is involved --- is totally a different matter.
  19 days ago
• 

  19 days ago

  DPM Heng, I hv a qn too ..
  
  Are last year's AGO findings of the below laspes and losses recovered yet? Can u guarantee such lapses with accountability and integrity will not recur under your leadership?
  
  SCDF
  
  The Auditor-General's Office (AGO) noted that 104 out of 926 records of scheduled vehicular maintenance jobs, totalling $1.35 million, were inauthentic. Later, it was found that the records had been created and backdated by three SCDF officers and the contractors involved.
  
  PEOPLE'S ASSOCIATION
  
  PA was rapped for contract management and procurement lapses for contracts amounting to about $1.9 million for the Chingay Parade and Chinese New Year and Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations.
  
  In one case, a PA officer was allowed to buy Chingay costumes from overseas vendors amounting to $142,200, and to pay for them in cash or through a remittance agent, instead of going through the Government's GeBiz portal.
  
  The officer then claimed reimbursements using cash sales receipts. The AGO found some receipts had tell-tale signs that cast doubts on their authenticity.
  
  MINISTRY OF DEFENCE
  
  Mindef overpaid fees for grass-cutting for six years, amounting to about $200,000.
  This was mainly due to overstatement of the area involved.
  
  MINISTRY OF EDUCATION
  
  Delays in payments to contractors ranged from three months to more than three years for 30 school construction projects, which amounted to $13.61 million, the AGO said.
  
  There were also instances when modifications to construction contracts were not properly managed, resulting in an estimated overpayment of $154,900, it added.
  
  IMMIGRATION AND CHECKPOINTS AUTHORITY
  
  ICA was found to have let the ICA Recreation Club (ICARE) set up photo booths on its premises without charging rent, which would have totalled an estimated $6.1 million.
  
  The Home Affairs Ministry has since been advised by MOF that given the changes in government policy, ICA should seek to recover the roughly $6 million in rent forgone since 2002, the AGO said.
  
  https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/auditor-general-flags-lapses-at-ministries-govt-agencies
• 

  19 days ago

  PAP Town Councils had gambled away funds in risky investments and the loss amounted in tens of millions. Yet to date,no one was taken to task to recoup the funds for use for the benefit of the constituencies and the residents !
• 

  19 days ago

  This is politics and this comes with the territory. Political parties do this to each other.
  For a moment I thought HSK was talking about Keppel & Choo Chiau Beng AND Olivia Lum & Hyflux. Keppel was fined US$422 Million for corruption. While elderly Singaporeans were encouraged to invest their life savings in Hyflux bonds at a time when the CEO knew all along the company was in deep financial trouble. After the bond issue, the CEO hyflux has a personal fortune of $500 Million.
  The losses if any from the named Town Council would surely pale in comparison to the US$422 million fine. Thus right and wrong is something a matter of how you perceive it.
• 

  19 days ago

  “Allowing your friends to help themselves to public funds - that is a tale that belongs to the Third World, not Singapore"
  
  Is HSK referring to the unelected guy in Aljunied ward who helped himself to public funds?
• 

  19 days ago

  " “Will the Workers’ Party provide the House with any guarantees to uphold accountability and transparency between now and the appeal?”
  
  Your party hasn't answer this question for decades and you hv the cheek to ask this on a non-ruling, relatively inconsequential oppo party.
• 

  19 days ago

  I empathized and sympathized them and trust them because they have no power. On the contrary, a non elected candidate being appointed as a adviser and was so powerful and overruled the elected MP. An elected MP has to seek his approval.
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  19 days ago

  So should the health minister, who made an unforgivable mistake, resign?
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  19 days ago

  The PAPies HSK is really too much on the parliamentary motion. Sylvia Lim was from CID before. She certainly knew what is ‘corruption’ n anyone who thinks she n Low Thia Kiang will risk to do the ‘misuse of funds’ is certainly gullible.
  
  In my opinion, this FMSS whole thing was a trap for WP😡! N I believe that there is a certain reason why LTK decided to step down suddenly during that time. Everything happens for a reason😔!
  
  Nevertheless, I still strongly believe that WP though has limited power to speak out during parliament, they work with integrity.
  
  WP, pls do not give up. Stay strong! We still believe you are clean with integrity!💪👍
  
  With this situation, WP, please consider seriously to form a coalition with other credible opposition part(ies). It’s only this way then alternative voices has chances to fight with the so-called ‘white with integrity’ PAPies in parliament. Bring it on! You guys can do it! The force is with you. 💪🙏
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  19 days ago

  Recuse? Isn't that the word Loong used regarding the Oxley house matter? Then he got Teo to form a ministerial committee to explore "alternate" developments of the site - in clear defiant of LKY's wish & will. Then he hijacked parliament for 2 days to hold wayang kangaroo court. More like kettle calling pot black, hor.