OPINION | The entitled establishment, tone-deaf politicians, trading influence for cash and other stories in review

Jamus Lim of the Workers’ Party (WP) is certainly a popular politician with netizens. Since the day he uttered the now infamous words:The truth is, in all likelihood, the PAP will have this mandate by the end of this election, and I think what we’re trying to deny them is not a mandate. What we’re trying to deny them is a blank cheque. That is what I think this election truly is about,” Professor Lim has endeared himself to Singaporeans from all walks of life.

Most recently, he has been praised for treating workers at Anchorvale Conservancy (an area that is directly managed by the WP) for lunch. Professor Lim had said on Facebook that the Anchorvale conservancy workers and town council staff are regularly treated to a biryani lunch. How does the WP’s treatment of workers in Anchorvale compare with how our migrant workers are being treated in general? Not so long ago, safety for migrant workers had hogged headlines with reports of serious traffic incidents that resulted in fatalities.

For those unaware, Sengkang Town Council is chaired by WP MP, He Ting Ru with Louis Chua as Vice-Chair. Professor Lim is an elected member. For details of who runs Sengkang Town Council, you may see it here.

Further, this also draws our attention to the issue of the running of town councils. Town councils have always been run by the People’s Action Party (PAP) and their managing agent. This is until the WP upset the Group Representative Constituency (GRC) apple cart by being the first opposition political party to win a GRC in the form of Aljunied GRC in 2011.

While this change was one that was supported by those who voted for the WP, trouble soon arose when accusations of apparent mismanagement were made, which resulted in a now-infamous series of court cases.

While there are clearly things that the WP could have done better, some view this as persecution of opposition parties and have questioned if PAP-run town councils would face the same level of scrutiny?

PAP run Town Councils have also come under flack for poor management. For example, Pasir Ris-Punggol Town Council has been criticised for putting up misleading signage, while Marsiling Yew Tee town council has been previously taken to task for poor maintenance of public areas.

Whatever the case, Jamus Lim’s popularity remains strong among netizens. Despite Professor Lim’s enduring popularity, the issue of town council management remains a bugbear for the WP.

The Sengkang Town Council has announced that they will manage all divisions within it directly, without a managing agent. Given that there were zero bids for the tender that they have put out, I don’t suppose they had a choice. However, if we were to use Anchorvale as an example, it would seem that the WP is doing a stellar job.

However, is it normal for such tenders to have zero bids? Could the fact that this is an opposition-held town council affect the tender results? And, if so, is this fair?

Prior to the woes that beset the Aljunied Hougang Town Council, the WP did not appear to have trouble getting managing agents. One could therefore be forgiven for thinking that the court cases had something to do with there being zero bids this time around.

Currently, Buangkok, Compassvale and Rivervale divisions are still being managed by EM Services until 31 January next year (a contract inherited from Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC and Punggol East SMC). Whether this will continue past that date is anyone’s guess. Watch this space.

The bigger and more important question is the possibility that the WP has to jump through extra hoops that the PAP does not, and whether this is a good thing for Singapore? Surely, Singaporeans deserve to vote for whom they want without fear that their town councils will face management challenges?

According to former Non-constituency Member of Parliament, Yee Jenn Jong, the nature of Town Council work has always been political. He said that it was designed that way when the PAP first conceived it.

If this were really true, is this the best situation for Singaporeans? Perhaps, we need to reflect deeper on what Professor Lim said in relation to the blank cheque theory. To ensure healthy competition and the best quality of services for Singaporeans, perhaps we do need more opposition politicians.

Perhaps with more competition, there will be better ideas on how to improve the lives of Singaporeans. For example, if there were more opposition politicians in Parliament, GST hikes might be delayed?

In a recent interview with Nikkei Asia, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong warned that inflation could become problematic all over the world unless certain measures are taken. Could “certain measures” to help Singaporeans include delaying the GST hike?

While netizens have asked this question in response to PM Lee’s interview, there have been so far no answers from the Government.

/TISG

 

Read also: 

Jamus Lim: Resident shares concerns over migrant professionals crowding out locals – Singapore News 

Resident talks to Jamus Lim about challenges singles face in Singapore 

Resident tells Jamus Lim that higher prices are “too close, too many, can’t breathe” – Singapore News 

ByGhui