Singapore—It was not smooth sailing for the Workers’ Party (WP) on the first day that it took over the management of Sengkang GRC on Wednesday (Oct 28). In a Facebook post, it announced that IT issues made Sengkang Town Council (SKTC) unable to receive cash payments at its offices for service and conservancy charges, but as of Thursday morning, the issue has fortunately been resolved.
The Buangkok, Compassvale, and Rivervale wards, formerly managed by Pasir Ris-Punggol Town Council, and Anchorvale ward, formerly under Sengkang West SMC and managed by Ang Mo Kio Town Council, make up the new Sengkang GRC.
After the WP’s stunning win in Sengkang July’s General Election, lawyer He Ting Ru, who anchored the team, announced that she would represent Buangkok, Associate Professor of Economics Jamus Lim, Anchorvale; social activist Raeesah Khan, Compassvale; and equity research analyst Louis Chua, Rivervale. Ms He and Mr Chua had contested in the previous GE, but for Mr Lim and Ms Khan, it was their first time to run for MP.
The WP team won at Sengkang GRC with 52.12 per cent of the vote, while the PAP team, composed of MPs and political office holders Dr Lam Pin Min, Ng Chee Meng, Amrin Amin and newbie Raymond Lye, got 47.88 per cent of the votes.
SKTC said on Oct 28 that it has been “actively engaging with the existing IT vendor for the Town Council Management System (TCMS) ahead of the handover, to “ensure continuity of IT services.
During the process, we were assured by the IT vendor of the functionality of TCMS by Oct 28, 2020. However, the staff of SKTC noted at 8am this morning that configurations for the front end collections systems were not in place,” it added.
But by early Thursday morning, SKTC announced again that its cash payment system was working, and apologised for yesterday’s inconvenience.
“Cash payments now available at Sengkang Town Council
With configurations for the front-end collection systems put in place, residents of Sengkang GRC have been able to make cash payments for their S&CC at our offices since 8.00 am this morning.
We apologise for the inconvenience caused yesterday, and would like to thank Sengkang residents for your patience and understanding,” said SKTC in its latest post.
As for residents who pay via AXS, SAM, or online banking, they would have to do so using other methods for now. “We will provide an update to residents as soon as the facilities are available to SKTC.”
In a statement on Wednesday (Oct 28), SKTC said that it will be jointly managed by EM Services and CPG Facilities Management.
“Both managing agents have affirmed their commitment to SKTC, and that they will work in close collaboration to deliver the highest standards of estate management service to Sengkang residents.
Residents of Sengkang GRC can look forward to a smooth handover, and continuity in the provision of township services at Sengkang town.” —/TISG
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