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Former KARA members Goo Hara and Han Seung Yeon reunites

By
Lydia Koh
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0
Goo Hara died last yaer. Photo: Screengrab from Instagram

Goo Hara and Han Seung Yeon, both formerly from K-pop girl group KARA recently met up for a reunion.

On Oct 30, Goo Hara posted a selfie with Han Seung Yeon on Instagram along with the caption:“Hwaiting to both of us! Let’s walk confidently in this difficult world. Seung Yeon unnie, why is your youthful-as-ever face so small? I love you, unnie.”

Both Goo Hara and Han Seung Yeon are seen smiling at the camera in the warm setting of someone’s home.

Han Seung Yeon debuted as an original member of KARA in 2007, while Goo Hara joined the group in 2008.

Formed by DSP Media in 2007, KARA’s final lineup included Park Gyuri, Han Seungyeon, Goo Hara, and Heo Youngji.

In 2014, members Nicole Jung and Kang Ji-young left from the group while Kim Sung-hee left in 2008.

The name KARA comes from the Greek word, “Chara” which means ‘sweet melody’.

KARA started off as a quartet, debuting with Break It and displaying a strong female image and mature R&B sound.

KARA was considered as successors to their senior labelmate Fin.K.L. so there were expectations for the group.

The First Blooming is their first studio album which was released in March 2007.

The debut was a commercial failure and was poorly received by the public.

In 2008 Kim Sung-hee left the group due to parental pressure and members Goo Hara and Kang Jiyoung joined KARA.

Since then, the group switched their musical style and image to a ‘pretty but natural’ appeal, and they released a mini-album called Rock U in July 2008.

KARA top the records with the song Honey. The group released their second studio album Revolution in July 2009 with the hit single Mister whose choreography featured the ‘butt-dance’. This propelled the group to stardom within East Asia.

Singles like Lupin, Jumping, Step and Pandora were also hits that help establish the group in K-Pop.

KARA was ranked No 6 and No 5 in Gallup Korea in 2009 and 2010 respectively, thus making them the second-best girl group in Korea for 2010. They were also ranked No 4 and 13 in February 2012 and 2013’s Forbes Korea Power Celebrity list.

Pritam Singh hits back with Keppel scandal as Indranee Rajah suggests WP will have “no moral authority” in the future

By
Jewel Stolarchuk
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0
Photos: YT screencaptures

Workers’ Party (WP) secretary-general Pritam Singh clashed with People’s Action Party (PAP) minister Indranee Rajah yesterday (5 Nov) over a potential loss of moral authority, during the four-hour long parliamentary debate that followed Heng Swee Keat’s motion to get Aljunied-Hougang Town Council (AHTC) to require Sylvia Lim and Low Thia Khiang to “recuse themselves” from all financial matters related to AHTC.

Citing the recent High Court judgment that found Mr Pritam, Mr Low and Ms Lim liable for damages in the AHTC lawsuit, Deputy Prime Minister Heng asserted that a “time of reckoning” has come for the WP after years of “deception” as he demanded the recusal of Mr Low and Ms Lim.

Ms Lim and Mr Pritam called the motion “premature” since it comes before the window of appeal, in which the WP MPs can contest the judgment in the High Court, has yet to lapse. The MPs called the PAP’s motives into question for bringing forward such a motion before the legal proceedings are concluded and said that they will appeal the judgment.

Mr Heng – who is expected to succeed Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong after the next election – pointed out that an appeal takes time and asked what will be “done in the interim, pending the appeal…Will the Workers’ Party provide the House with any guarantees to uphold accountability and transparency between now and the appeal?”

Speaking on the same point, Indranee Rajah – who is part of Mr Heng’s fourth-generation PAP team and serves as Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office – asked:

“When you have somebody in a public position, if a court has found that they have done something wrong — there has been a breach of fiduciary duty, lack of integrity, that they have not acted with appropriate candour — should that person remain in position while those findings are there… whether or not an appeal is pending?”

Declaring that the WP’s standards are “very different” from the Government’s standards, she added: “It’s a question of what is the standard of governance and what is the appropriate conduct. And what is very clear is that the WP standard of governance and conduct is very different from that of this Government’s. That much is clear.”

Ms Indranee said that the WP would have “no moral authority” in the future to ask any government official to stand down or stand aside in the event of a similar case, if things remained as they were.

Mr Pritam shot back and questioned how it could be that the WP MPs would have no moral authority when “not a single” PAP MP filed a parliamentary question on the Keppel scandal, which he called “one of the most serious corporate scandals” to have hit a government-linked firm.

In 2017, news broke that Keppel Offshore & Marine was involved in a mega bribery case in Brazil. Some US$55 million were reported to have been paid by a Keppel agent to Brazilian govt officials in order for Keppel to secure deals in Brazil. These “improper payments” were made over a period from 2001 to 2014.

When Bloomberg broke the news in August 2017, Keppel quickly issued a public statement to deny the allegation. The Temasek subsidiary only came clean four months later and acknowledged that the corrupt payments made by their agent to Brazilian officials were “made with knowledge or approval” of former senior executives of Keppel.

Keppel Offshore & Marine USA pleaded guilty to the bribery scheme which ran for more than a decade, while its parent, Singapore-based Keppel Offshore & Marine, entered into a deferred-prosecution agreement with the government. It agreed to pay US$422 million (S$570 million) to end the U.S. bribery probe near Christmas in 2017.

Pointing out that not a single PAP MP filed a parliamentary question on the scandal when they had slightly less than 48 hours to do so after the matter came to light, Mr Pritam asserted: “I reject any suggestion that the Workers’ Party will not have any moral authority to question an issue like that when it comes up.”

DPM Heng suggests that WP is “playing the victim” and urges it to hold itself to the same standards as the PAP

Heng Swee Keat asks WP if it will remove Sylvia Lim from her post as vice-chairman of AHTC

DPM Heng demands that WP “cannot stay silent” and must “take action” in the wake of AHTC judgment

Will DPM Heng’s parliamentary motion against Low Thia Khiang and Sylvia Lim backfire?

PM Lee’s warning that he will “fix” the opposition resurfaces as DPM Heng readies motion against WP MPs

Steve Chia succeeds Chiam See Tong as SPP secretary-general

By
Jewel Stolarchuk
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Former Non-Constituency Member of Parliament (NCMP), Steve Chia, has succeeded veteran opposition politician Chiam See Tong as the secretary-general of the Singapore People’s Party (SPP).

The SPP announced yesterday (5 Nov) that its newly elected Central Executive Committee (CEC) had convened and elected the new slate of office-bearers. While Mr Chia has been made party chief, Jose Raymond, Williamson Lee and Ariffin Sha were made Chairman, Vice-Chairman and Assistant Secretary-General  respectively.

Mario Ong Ming Hui and Shah Shahfie take on the roles of Treasurer and Assistant Treasurer while Eman Lim and Ng Theng Lim will serve as Organising Secretary and Assistant Organising Secretary, respectively.

Mrs Lina Chiam, Mr Chiam’s wife and the party’s immediate past chairman, now sits on the CEC as a member. Kathleen Cheong, Yong Seng Fatt and Jalil Wari round out the CEC as members.

Calling the SPP’s leadership renewal process a “smooth transition, ” Mrs Chiam said that she has confidence in the new office-bearers and that she trusts them to carry the SPP’s legacy forward.

Mrs Chiam added that she and Mr Chiam hope that the people will continue to support the new party leaders.

Revealing that Mr Chiam personally guided him into Parliament as an NCMP when they were both under the Singapore Democratic Alliance, Mr Chia thanked Mr Chiam for his many years of mentorship and said that it is an honour to have been chosen to succeed the veteran opposition leader.

Mr Chiam stepped down from SPP’s CEC last month and decided not to contest the party’s latest internal election for the first time in 23 years, effectively bringing his 40-year political career to an end.

84-year-old Mr Chiam first entered politics in 1976 and became Singapore’s second opposition politician ever to be elected to Parliament after J. B. Jeyaretnam of the Workers’ Party. Since 1976, he was re-elected to his Potong Pasir ward in each subsequent election until he left the ward to contest larger ground in 2011.

In the 2011 General Election, after 27 years of serving the Potong Pasir ward, Mr Chiam led a team to contest Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC while his wife, Lina Chiam, contested Potong Pasir. The SPP lost both wards and was not able to win either ward in the 2015 General Election – the first election since 1976 that Mr Chiam did not personally contest.

Although Mr Chiam remains an SPP member, his absence from the party’s latest CEC election election signals his retirement from active politics.

Mrs Chiam told reporters, last month: “Mr Chiam has given to politics for 40 years already. It’s time for him to have a rest. I think he has given all what he can for Singaporeans, what he can do to his ability.” -/TISG

“An honourable and respected politician” – Singaporeans appreciate Chiam See Tong’s 40-year political service

“He has given all what he can for Singaporeans” – Chiam See Tong’s 40-year political career draws to an end

 

The downside to Singapore’s high life expectancy: even retirees are taking care of their parents

By
Anna Maria Romero
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0
caregivers play an increasingly important role in an ageing Singapore population. (Photo: Screengrab from YouTube)

Singapore—While the country enjoys the distinction of having the highest life expectancy in the world, 85 years, the “Sandwich Generation,” those who care for the needs of both their parents and children, are finding themselves responsible for elders even when they are nearing retirement age themselves.

This unprecedented problem will most likely only intensify as life expectancy rates continue to climb, and conversely, as fertility rates decline.

The Sandwich Generation is defined to be those who are between the ages of 30 and 60. However, the South China Morning Post (SCMP) reports that more individuals between the ages of 60 and 70 are finding themselves in the position of having to care for not only their children and grandchildren, but of their own parents as well, into their retirement years.

The SCMP quotes Helen Ko, an ageing expert from the Singapore University of Social Sciences as saying,

“The implications for the future of elderly carers in Singapore are immense. They need to be prepared to shoulder such caregiving responsibilities and ensure that they stay healthy well into their twilight years.”

To attest to the growing longevity of Singaporeans, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong mentioned in this year’s National Day Rally that the number of people age 100 and over is now 1,300, which is more than double from 500 a little more than a decade ago.

However, while Singaporeans are living longer, they’re also spending a longer time in poor health. A study published earlier this year shows that the proportion of people over the age of 60 who have three or even more chronic diseases almost doubled from 2009 to 2017. Moreover, there are more older adults in Singapore who report having a harder time with daily activities.

This generation still has siblings who will help take care of their aging parents. But the SCMP reports that the next generation will not be so lucky, with fewer and fewer babies being born.

The country’s fertility rate is currently at 1.4, while it needs to be at 2.1 just for the population to remain the same.

And by 2050, nearly half, or 47 percent of the population is expected to be at least the age of 65, placing the burden of elder care on the working population.

The SCMP report quotes the founder and CEO of Active Global Specialised Caregivers, a senior-care firm with branches in Singapore and Hong Kong, Yorelle Kalika, as saying that she believes the country will one day welcome professional care for the elderly.

“I think we will shift the responsibility of caregiving from informal care to more formalised and professional care because there will be no choice. Just because of the large numbers involved,” she said.

Additionally, another study this year highlighted how only about half of CPF members are able to obtain the S$1,379 a month payout necessary for meeting the basic needs of people 65 and older who are living alone.

Researchers from the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy (LKYPP) released the results of a new study in May of this year, also revealing that a big portion of their savings goes towards buying a home — an approved reason for withdrawing funds at the relatively early age of 55.

But the SCMP reports that it is not all bad news for older Singaporeans and the families that must take care of them. SUSS’s Ms Ko said that with the government raising retirement and re-employment ages from 65 and 70 respectively, carers can work longer and have more funds to meet the needs of their parents.

Grants have also been introduced to help shoulder more expenses of the elderly, such as the S$200 grant given last month. -/TISG

Read related: NTUC Study reveals Singaporeans fear becoming Sandwich Generation

NTUC Study reveals Singaporeans fear becoming Sandwich Generation

 

 

Ex-NMP says Singaporeans’ frustration with JP Morgan staff’s high pay is borne out of “jealousy”

By
Jewel Stolarchuk
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0
Photos: YT screencapture, change.org screencapture

Former Nominated Member of Parliament (NMP) Calvin Cheng has said that Singaporeans’ frustration with Ramesh Erramalli’s high pay is borne out of “jealousy”. In a Facebook comment, he added: “If they (Singaporeans) are capable they can also make that.”

Ramesh Erramalli became infamous late last month after a video showing him berating an elderly security guard went viral on social media on 25 Oct. In the video, Ramesh can be seen verbally abusing a hapless security officer at the Eight Riversuites condominium with vulgarities over parking matters.

Despite the security guard’s explanation that he was simply enforcing the rules, Ramesh continued to berate the worker. He exclaimed: “I buy your f****** property for S$1.5 million you know. This is 1.5 million you know” before adding, “We’re not staying in a HDB you know?”

Netizens subsequently identified Ramesh as an India-born naturalised Singapore citizen who works at global financial services company JP Morgan in Singapore, after he exposed his own name and phone number in the video.

Outraged over his behaviour, tens of thousands of netizens blasted Ramesh for disrespecting the security guard and insulting the majority of Singaporeans who live in HDB flats. Ramesh has since apologised to the security guard in person.

Last Thursday (31 Oct), Mr Cheng shared his thoughts on the viral incident on Facebook and said that Ramesh’s rudeness has nothing to do with his nationality.

Asserting that there is “nothing extra bad about a foreigner being rude to a Singaporean” and that he does not need to apologise to all Singaporeans for his behaviour, Mr Cheng added that Ramesh’s behaviour does not warrant losing his job and does not justify petitions calling on his employer to sack him.

Responding to his post, one netizen suggested that the anger that was directed towards Ramesh could be compounded by rumours that he is paid a monthly salary of over S$60,000 while the local unemployment rate and retrenchment numbers climb.

Facebook user Diana Giam said, “The saga might have started from rudeness. But since his pay was disclosed (I am not sure how his pay of $66k plus $13k allowance was made known to public) , many locals are behsong with our govt now.”

Mr Cheng responded and said that Singaporeans’ frustration with Ramesh Erramalli’s high pay is borne out of “jealousy”. He added: “If they (Singaporeans) are capable they can also make that.”

One netizen, Facebook user Jay Raj, asserted that Mr Cheng’s post constitutes a classic case of the rich defending the rich. Mr Cheng responded: “i think you will find statistically that someone staying in a 1.5m condo isn’t rich. He is middle class. As in from stats from national census. Thanks.”

Another netizen said that the anger towards Ramesh reflects how unhappy Singaporeans are with the behaviour of some foreigners and that the petition is to be commended since it sends a strong message that Singaporeans do not take abuse lightly.

Disagreeing that the petition is justified, Mr Cheng replied: “he only had to apologise to the security guard. The security guard accepted. It’s not up to any other ‘commentator’ to accept or not. Nothing to do with them.”

Mr Cheng also said that he does not think the level of anger directed towards Ramesh would be the same if a Singapore-born resident had berated a security guard in the same way, in response to another comment:

Mr Cheng was appointed to a two-and-a-half year term as NMP in 2009. While NMPs were supposed to reflect nonpartisan views, Mr Cheng was a member of the ruling party’s youth wing, Young PAP, when he was appointed NMP. He resigned from Young PAP after TODAY questioned his affiliation to the ruling party.

Ex-NMP Calvin Cheng suggests that the authorities should “jail and cane” Preetipls and Subhas Nair

Netizens outraged over replacement of security team at Eight Riversuites condo after spat involving JP Morgan staff

Iran says to resume enrichment at underground plant

By
AFP
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0
Iran Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant model. - Wiki Commons

President Hassan Rouhani said Tuesday that Iran would resume uranium enrichment at an underground plant south of Tehran in its latest step back from a troubled 2015 agreement with major powers.

The suspension of all enrichment at the Fordow plant in the mountains near the Shiite holy city of Qom was one of the restrictions on its nuclear activities that Iran accepted in return for the lifting of international sanctions.

But Washington’s abandonment of the deal in May last year followed by its reimposition of crippling sanctions prompted Iran to begin a phased suspension of its own commitments in May this year.

Rouhani recalled that under the terms of the agreement Iran had retained more than 1,000 centrifuges at the plant which had been running empty since it went into effect.

“Starting from tomorrow (Wednesday), we will begin injecting (uranium hexafluoride) gas at Fordo,” Rouhani said in a speech broadcast by state television.

Iran said the whole process would be carried out transparently witnessed by inspectors from the UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency.

The move is the fourth announced by Iran since it began responding to Washington’s abandonment of its commitments.

Iran has repeatedly warned the remaining parties to the deal — Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia — that the agreement can only be rescued if they help it circumvent US sanctions.

European governments have strived to come up with a mechanism that would allow foreign firms to continue to do business with Iran without incurring US penalties.

But to Iran’s mounting frustration, their efforts have so far failed to have any significant impact.

The European Union warned Monday that its continued support for the deal depended on Tehran fulfilling its commitments.

Maja Kocijancic, spokeswoman for EU diplomatic chief Federica Mogherini, said the bloc “remains committed” to the nuclear deal.

“We have continued to urge Iran to reverse such steps without delay and to refrain from other measures that would undermine the nuclear deal,” Kocijancic told reporters in Brussels.

“But we have also been consistent in saying that our commitment to the nuclear deal depends on full compliance by Iran.”

© Agence France-Presse

DPM Heng suggests that WP is “playing the victim” and urges it to hold itself to the same standards as the PAP

By
Jewel Stolarchuk
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0

As he moved to get Aljunied-Hougang Town Council (AHTC) to require Workers’ Party (WP) politicians Sylvia Lim and Low Thia Khiang to “recuse themselves” from all financial matters related to AHTC today (5 Nov), Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat speculated on what the WP leaders’ motives may have been.

Setting out the key issues in the AHTC legal case, DPM Heng said that it was the residents who bore the consequences of the WP Town Councillors actions. Suggesting that the WP politicians are “playing the victim or the underdog,” he said:

“I do not know what they were expecting. Perhaps they felt that somehow the public would forget and give them a free pass since they were an opposition party. They were not used to running a Group Representative Constituency (GRC), so the public would ‘give chance’?
“Maybe they hope that Singaporeans will forget or forgive them.
“Playing the victim or the underdog may be par for the course in politics, but there are important matters at stake – public funds, residents’ monies, the estates that Singaporeans come home to. We cannot sweep things under the carpet.”

Asserting that the Government has always taken any accusations of dishonesty against political leaders “very seriously” and that the ruling party’s fourth-generation leaders plan to continue upholding the high standards the People’s Action Party (PAP) has achieved since it took power in 1959, DPM Heng said:

“If any PAP Minister or MP is accused of lying, the Prime Minister and I would do a thorough investigation. And if they were found dishonest, serious consequences would inevitably follow.”

Referring to the High Court’s judgment on the AHTC case, which stated that Mr Low and Ms Lim’s conduct of town council matters “lacked candour and transparency, and that they had not acted honestly,” the ruling party politician continued:

“Imagine if a court had made such findings against PAP town councillors. Is it even conceivable that a PAP MP whom the Court has described in these terms, can remain in the Town Council, and continue handling public funds, as if nothing has happened?
“At the very least, he would have been asked to go on leave pending any effort to clear his name through an Appeal.”

Declaring that the WP should hold itself to the same standards as the PAP, he added:

“What sort of questions would the Workers’ Party be asking the PAP? What sort of demands would they be making of the Government? The Opposition must hold themselves to the same standards that they rightly impose on the Government.”  -/TISG

SCDF reports another PMD-related fire, this time at Hougang HDB flat corridor

By
Anna Maria Romero
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0
Facebook screengrab/SCDF

Singapore—The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) responded to a fire late in the afternoon of Monday, November 4, outside an 11th-floor unit at Blk 927 Hougang St 91.

The good news is that SCDF personnel were able to extinguish the fire using buckets of water and that no one was grievously injured in the mishap.

The not-so-good news is that this fire, like many others this year, is related to a Personal Mobility Device (PMD).

The SCDF posted an update about the fire, along with photos of the aftermath of the blaze. It said that two occupants of the unit were found by the SCDF to be in a state of shock. However, after their condition was evaluated by an SCDF paramedic, the two individuals declined to be brought to a hospital for further treatment.

[Fire @ Blk 927 Hougang St 91]At about 5pm, SCDF responded to a fire outside a 11th floor unit at Blk 927 Hougang St…

Posted by Singapore Civil Defence Force on Monday, 4 November 2019

The update also pointed to the cause of the fire. “Preliminary investigation indicates that the fire was of electrical origin from the non-UL2272 PMD which was charging at the time of the fire.”

The post continues, “LTA (Singapore’s Land Transit Authority) encourages all PMD owners to use UL2272 certified devices. When purchasing a PMD, look out for the UL2272 Certification Marks.

For more information on UL2272 certification and certified devices available in Singapore please refer to LTA’s website go.gov.sg/ul2272sg.

All owners of non-UL2272 certified PMDs are strongly encouraged to dispose of their devices at designated disposal points as soon as possible. For more info, refer to go.gov.sg/pmddisposal.”

In September 2018, it was announced by Lam Pin Min, the Senior Minister of State for Transport, that motorized PMDs are mandated to meet safety standards by 2021.

In July of this year, however, the LTA said that because of the recent series of fires related to charging non-UL2272-certified devices, this deadline may yet be moved to an earlier date.

Two years ago, there were only 49 such incidents of fires related to PMDs. In 2018, the number shot up to 74.

In July, Singapore saw its first PMD-fire-related death when forty-one-year-old Goh Keng Soon succumbed to his injuries two days after a fire at Bukit Batok.

Over 40 percent of Mr Goh’s body was affected by third-degree burns. He was found unconscious and rescued by firemen from the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF), and then brought to Singapore General Hospital (SGH).

The fire broke out in the early morning hours on July 18 at Mr Goh’s residence. Goh was a private-hire car driver.

On July 26, the SCDF issued a list of Fire Safety Tips for PMDs and PABs, saying, “In the first half of this year (January to June 2019), there were a total of 54 reported fires involving Power Assisted Bicycles (PABs) and Personal Mobility Devices (PMDs).”

This is an increase from the same period last year (January to June 2018), when there were 24 such reported fires.

The number of such fires in residential premises in the first half of 2019 increased to 36, with 31 people injured, from 23 fires in the same period in 2018 where 11 people were injured.

The majority of PAB and PMD-related fires involves lithium ion batteries, and occurred while the batteries were being charged or shortly after they had been fully charged.

Fires can result from faulty electrical circuitry in batteries that causes short circuiting or overheating, and the risk of this increases with over-charging.

Users of PABs or PMDs should be vigilant when charging their devices, as improper charging methods or use of unapproved equipment can endanger lives and damage property.

Notwithstanding the concern with PAB and PMD fires, the overall fire situation in Singapore remains safe and the number of fire incidents remains stable. PAB and PMD fires continue to form a small percentage of the total number of fire incidents, with 2,231 fire incidents in the first half of this year./ TISG

Read related: More PMDs, more fires? SCDF, LTA alarmed by growing number of PMD-related fires

More PMDs, more fires? SCDF, LTA alarmed by growing number of PMD-related fires

 

Mahathir says Azmin is not next PM of Malaysia

By
The Independent
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Facebook screengrab/ Azmin Ali

Malaysian Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad reaffirmed that his successor will be Justice Party president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and not Economic Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali.

Dr Mahathir also said he is committed to stepping down before the next general elections despite requests from some people that he should stay for a full term as PM.

Malaysians are getting almost daily updates on who will be the next prime minister with the opposition Umno and the Islamists suggesting Dr Mahathir remain in power.

The Justice Party is also divided on the issue, with Azmin Ali publicly voicing his support for Dr Mahathir to remain PM until the next GE.

But in an interview with the Sydney Morning Herald in Bangkok, when asked if he would definitely pass the baton to Anwar instead of Azmin, Dr Mahathir replied, “Yes I will”.

“Although there are lots of other people who have been asking me to carry on until the next election – that is their view.

“My commitment is to step down before the next election, certainly, ” he said.

Yet again, Dr Mahathir refused to give a specific timeline for his quitting power and handing over to Anwar.

“I cannot say whether it is two years or three years, but I will certainly step down as I promised, ” said Dr Mahathir.

Pakatan Harapan took over the administration in Malaysia last year after defeating Barisan Nasional but the coalition’s reign has been rigged with speculation on who will be the next PM after Dr Mahathir.

Anwar saw competition from within his own party with Azmin given the role of hot favourite after he was placed under the wing of Dr Mahathir in a ministry created to give him superpowers in the Cabinet.

Yet amid much bickering over the succession plan, Dr Mahathir has now made it clear he does not intend to pass the baton to Azmin.

However, there is still speculation the opposition Umno is working out a deal with some Pakatan partners to throw the Democratic Action Party and the Amanah out of the coalition. The plan is to replace them with Umno and the Islamists from PAS. -/TISG

Heng Swee Keat asks WP if it will remove Sylvia Lim from her post as vice-chairman of AHTC

By
Jewel Stolarchuk
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0
Photos: YT screencaptures

In an hour-long parliamentary speech today (5 Nov), Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat asked the Workers’ Party (WP) to apologise and remove Sylvia Lim from her post as Aljunied-Hougang Town Council’s (AHTC) vice-chairman due to the High Court’s judgment in the AHTC lawsuit.

On 11 Oct, High Court Judge Kannan Ramesh said that Mr Low and Ms Lim had breached their fiduciary duties to AHTC and that the Aljunied GRC MPs are liable for damages, as he released his long-awaited judgment on the year-long AHTC lawsuit.

Less than a month later, DPM Heng has introduced a parliamentary motion calling on AHTC to require Workers’ Party (WP) politicians Low Thia Khiang and Sylvia Lim to “recuse themselves” from the town council’s financial matters.

Besides this, DPM Heng asked AHTC’s chairman Faisal Manap if he would, at the minimum, apologise to Aljunied-Hougang residents for letting them down and if he would remove Ms Lim from her post as vice-chairman of AHTC. He said:

“An apology would be the first step, a belated recognition that they had let residents down, and an intention to put things right.”

Addressing the other WP Members of Parliament (MPs) and Non-Constituency MPs, DPM Heng continued:

“Will they at long last be conducting their own investigation? Or will they continue to duck, dodge and deny?”
“If nothing is done from now till the appeal is concluded, we will be forced to conclude that the Workers’ Party, by its inaction, in fact endorses the dishonest conduct and the breach of the fiduciary duties that has already occurred, and is complicit in the wrongdoing.”

In his speech, DPM Heng listed the issues at the centre of the AHTC case. He said that WP had “appointed their friends to manage the Town Council, at a higher cost than the previous managing agent” causing AHTC to incur “deficits of up to S$2 million by the third year.”

Noting that “there had never been any intention to call a tender in the first place,” he said: “The two WP MPs had already decided on FM Solutions and Services (FMSS) within days of the 2011 General Election… They also admitted that they had rejected other parties who were interested in providing Managing Agent services.

“To guarantee FMSS’s appointment, Ms Sylvia Lim and Mr Low Thia Khiang waived the tender, even though the law required it.”

DPM Heng added that Ms Lim and Mr Low concealed the “real facts” of the case and “manipulated the circumstances of this appointment, even to the extent of misleading their fellow Town Councillors.”

He said that Ms Lim and the AHTC chairman “hid details of the transactions with their friends” in 2014, “refused to give the documents and information to their own auditors.”

Referring to Mr Pritam’s statement that FMSS was “kept at an arm’s length” from AHTC, DPM Heng said that Ms Lim and the AHTC chairman “knowingly allowed Mr Pritam Singh to mislead Parliament.” 

DPM Heng declared, “We now know this to be false. The Court found that How Weng Fan had been heavily involved since early May 2011,” as he referred to Ms How Weng Fan’s position as general manager of the AHTC while she was the director of FMSS.

He added that the WP also failed to produce “critical documents” to the Auditor-General’s Office (AGO) and that the “WP MPs – and Ms Sylvia Lim in particular – made excuses” when Parliament debated the 2015 AGO report which “uncovered serious shortcomings”.

The ruling party politician added that AHTC ran deficits of up to S$2 million by the third year under FMSS’ management while FMSS made a profit of $3.2 million in their second year.

Will DPM Heng’s parliamentary motion against Low Thia Khiang and Sylvia Lim backfire?

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The Independent SG

Singapore News

Singaporean shocked by $300 ambulance bill after calling 1777 despite being quoted $220

SINGAPORE: A man who arranged for a private ambulance...

SFA investigates after diners ingest plastic pieces in durian dessert that they thought was crushed ice

SINGAPORE: The Singapore Food Agency (SFA) has begun investigations...

9-year-old boy’s kidney ruptured after he falls from monkey bars

SINGAPORE: A nine-year-old boy ended up losing his kidney...

M’sian man who died in Admiralty Rd accident was a single dad working 2 jobs

SINGAPORE: A man who passed away after a recent...

Business

Singapore Politics

Jobless middle-aged PMET couple talk to Jamus Lim about difficulties of getting hired

SINGAPORE: In the course of carrying out house visits...

Seah Kian Peng nominated for re-election as Speaker of Parliament

SINGAPORE: Mr Seah Kian Peng will be nominated for...

Where’s Michael Thng? Commenters ask after WP announces CEC update

SINGAPORE: The Workers’ Party’s (WP) announcement of updates to...

WP announces changes to CEC; new NCMP Eileen Chong to lead Youth Wing

SINGAPORE: The Workers’ Party (WP) issued an update concerning...

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