Things have changed in Potong Pasir - for the worse
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When in the past and present do they care about credibility accountability to the public? All doing it for self interest. WE have a self serving party
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Originally posted by Medicated Oil:
It is wake up call for the people who tried to lick their boss with a wayang report.
Now, we cannot relied on wayang report performed on the certain place or organisation.
Questions should seriously be asked on the accurancies of the report from the feedback on the residents themselves.
Ask on how the report was perfomed, whether it was impartial and whether the person doing the report is swayed cos they are constrainted by certain forces.
We have learned to distrust the "happiness" survey published on the press as the truth is far away from what is being presented in the statistics.
The truth is LOUDER than any published statistics or figure.
Please provide us the real deal instead of the lip services every time.
The wind will blow at which ever direction that pleases them. -
The opposition party should ask for the validity of the report as their reputation is at stake.
Or else they can sue the committee for slander.
Ask them to prove why is the grading Level 5 and show what is Level 1.
They can take the existing photos of the winning ward and compared.
But, have to do it before they "clean up" their act.
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Jun 11, 2010
Low, Chiam dismiss report
BOTH opposition MPs yesterday dismissed the Town Council Management Report that gave their town councils the lowest scores.
In an e-mail statement sent last night, Hougang MP Low Thia Khiang suggested that the whole grading exercise might simply result in residents having to pay more.
He said: 'Such an exercise... which inevitably requires much resources put in by the town councils, would translate into higher operating costs, and residents will eventually end up paying higher service and conservancy charges.'
He made it clear that he had been sceptical of the whole undertaking from the start.
For example, it was not feasible to assess town councils with a 'common denominator', given the differing constituency profiles.
Opposition town councils start from a disadvantaged position, as they are at the bottom of the queue for estate upgrading.
'Considering this, for the Hougang Town Council to be given a ranking of four for maintenance, as against a three and below given to a PAP town council with all the various upgrading given them by the HDB, it is an accomplishment,' he said.
Town councils were graded 1 to 5, with 1 being the best grade.
Mr Low declared that his town council had responded well to challenges faced. 'This confidence arises from feedback from residents and my own inspection of the estate,' he said.
As for the poor grades the town council received for arrears management, he said that the town council was 'sympathetic towards residents in financial difficulty', though it does take legal action against errant residents.
He stressed that he does not believe in writing off the debts of those who repeatedly fail to pay, just to reduce his arrears.
Hougang Town Council emerged with a set of the poorest scores in yesterday's report card on the 16 town councils.
Only Potong Pasir Town Council chalked up poorer grades.
When contacted, Potong Pasir MP Chiam See Tong was in a defiant mood. He curtly dismissed the report as a ploy to discredit his town council.
'They want to thump Potong Pasir down,' he said, when approached at his Meet-the-People session last night.
Looking clearly upset, the opposition veteran added: 'Potong Pasir is the best town council in Singapore, what do you expect me to say?'
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Potong Pasir, Hougang residents surprised by poor maintenance report
By Ion Danker – June 11th, 2010HDB residents in Potong Pasir and Hougang are surprised by the first Town Council Management Report (TCMR) card released by the Ministry of National Development (MND).
Out of the 16 town councils listed in the report, two opposition wards, Potong Pasir and Hougang, had the lowest scores. The town councils were assessed on areas including estate cleanliness and maintenance, lift performance and management of arrears in service & conservancy charges (S&CC).
Potong Pasir and Hougang’s low scores were due mainly to the bigger proportion of homes failing to pay their S&CC for at least three months. The two best performers are Ang Mo Kio-Yio Chu Kang led by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, and Tanjong Pagar headed by Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew.
Residents living in the opposition wards Yahoo! Singapore spoke to were surprised by their estate’s low scores.
Hospital worker Dave T. , 28, who’s been living in Potong Pasir for the past 25 years, “I don’t see anything wrong with the cleanliness and I am surprised other estates fared better because when I visit my relatives elsewhere, the cleanliness in their area is worse.”
Hougang resident, car salesman Jastin H., 31, who lives in a five-room flat in Hougang, doubts the efficacy of a report card in gauging an estate’s cleanliness.
“I’m just wondering if the evaluators went to each estate at the same time. Who knows, one could be up for cleaning while the other has already been cleaned. It’s very subjective,” he said.
In releasing the report, the MND stressed that the objective is not to compare estates but to see how each is doing over time. The report will be issued every six months.
- Yahoo! Singapore News
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this will only drive up anti-PAP sentiments within the ward. If one looks at the electoral map, one will realise that actually there are very few SMCs remaining. Among those are PP and hougang, of which PAP has no power to gerrymeander lol.
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Originally posted by Rock^Star:
this will only drive up anti-PAP sentiments within the ward. If one looks at the electoral map, one will realise that actually there are very few SMCs remaining. Among those are PP and hougang, of which PAP has no power to gerrymeander lol.
they will try all means to discredit the oppositions and glorified themselves for "a job well done". The main thing is to hold on to power losing 2 wards show democracy functioning. Most voters are still sleeping... may be they will sleep forever.
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Netizens have their say on what they think about using these kinds of tactics during election year.
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Originally posted by charlize:
Netizens have their say on what they think about using these kinds of tactics during election year.
as always.
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Jun 14, 2010
Not appropriate to compare town councils' performance
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<!-- story content : start -->I THANK Mr Tan Kam Weng ('Things have changed in Potong Pasir - for the worse', last Wednesday) for his comments and feedback, and Mr Liew Kai Khiun ('Little evidence of significant decline in Potong Pasir', last Thursday) for his positive and encouraging comments.
Potong Pasir Town Council has been engaging competent contractors for all estate maintenance work and our team of estate officers is always there to ensure that the work is carried out effectively.
I am not surprised at the rankings in the Town Council Management Report (TCMR), which was published in the media. It is not at all appropriate to compare the performances of the town councils as the profile and age of the properties are totally different. There is also an inequality in the funds granted among the town councils and the improvement works carried out by the Government.
Potong Pasir is a mature estate where the blocks are 25 to 35 years old. Constant efforts are being made using our available resources to maintain the estate as best as possible.
Our lift maintenance company was already replacing some of the automatic rescue devices during the reporting period of the TCMR. Anyway, there were no issues concerning this matter. I categorically state that all the automatic rescue devices in our estate are working and in serviceable condition. Potong Pasir residents need not worry about it.
With regard to arrears as reported by the TCMR, we do make provisions for doubtful debts due to the unfavourable economic condition in Singapore, by allowing residents to pay by instalments on compassionate grounds.
It is not our policy to write off the debts just for the sake of making our report look good. Our approach of collection is systematic, practical and, when required, we have taken the necessary steps to recover the dues.
I have been managing Potong Pasir Town Council for the last 25 years as diligently as I can and will continue to do my best.
Chiam See Tong
MP for Potong Pasir &
Chairman of Potong Pasir Town Council -
and still 66% who are still asleep.