Workers’ Party rebuts People’s Association’s claims

The face-off between the Workers' Party (WP) and People's Association (PA) continues with the former issuing a point by point rebuttal on Wednesday evening to the latter's statement issued a day ago.

On Tuesday, Hougang's PA-appointed grassroots adviser Desmond Choo released a statement showing how grassroots activities were curtailed by the WP-run town council.

This led to the PA leasing public sites from the Housing and Development Board (HDB).

Among the charges, he said grassroots organisations often found their request to use common space rejected, that the Hougang town council (HGTC) was unresponsive and engaged in "subtle sabotages".

"The fact remains that over the years, RCs in Hougang had made use of common areas to organise activities regardless of whether approval had been given by the HGTC or not," said WP Secretary-General and Member of Parliament for Aljunied GRC Low Thia Khiang.

Now, PA wants to "control" common property to increase its visibility and have a wider outreach to promote PAP grassroots advisors, retorted the former HGTC chairman in a statement.

In a 11-point reply on Wednesday, Low called for PA to show how many applications to use common property under the HGTC were rejected.

According to PA, applications were rejected under reasons such as noise pollution and the prohibition of activities like washing and cooking at the void decks. "On many occasions, no reasons were furnished," said PA.

Having gone through all the rejected applications, Low said, "The above cited reasons were not found in any. HGTC too has records of all applications since 1993 that were approved."

Responding to a 2001 incident where PA said the lights at a martial arts event at a basketball court were "suddenly switched off", Low said this showed residents' committees (RCs) were able to organise activities at hard courts managed by the HGTC, even without applying to the town council for a permit.

"It is more likely it was overloading that caused the trip," he added.

PA also said HGTC is "fast to issue fines on the spot or will not hesitate to confiscate banners/backdrops hung at the walls of the void decks".

Low said it was a "baseless claim". He cited one occasion when the senior citizens corner of the PA did not remove the tentage after a function and was subsequently issued a notice of offence.

"The tentage was then immediately removed and till today the PA did not pay the fine and the TC had never pursued the matter since the tentage was dismantled."

Low said, "Both MND and PA are bankrupt on their ideas on how to justify the exclusion of the common property in HDB estates from the management of opposition-managed AHTC. This is unprecedented and politically motivated."

'Prepared to work with Desmond Choo'

Member of Parliament for Hougang Yaw Shin Leong also issued a separate media statement on the matter on Wednesday.

While the AHTC vice chairman welcomed PA's decision to lift the restriction on invited guests, he said HDB has not yet explained why 26 strategic sites in Aljunied GRC were leased to PA.

Yaw also clarified that there has "never been any policy" in the former HGTC and AHTC to set conditions on the guest list.

"I am prepared to work with Desmond Choo if he faces difficulty from (the) town council in using the sites he wanted for activities," said Yaw.

Choo is presently trying to lease six plots of land under the care of WP's HGTC.

The row started on Saturday when WP MP Chen Show Mao posted a noted on his Facebook page saying his invitation to a Hungry Ghost grassroots dinner organised by Hougang residents was withdrawn.

It appeared the Paya Lebar Citizens' Consultative Committee told organisers they could not invite their MP if they wanted approval for the venue.

WP chairman Sylvia Lim then revealed that the Aljunied-Hougang Town Council (AHTC) was told in June the HDB had leased 26 commonly-used sites in the Aljunied GRC to the PA.

Following public furor, PA issued a media release on Tuesday allowing residents to invite whoever they want to events on public sites leased by the association. This is provided the activities are non-political and oragnised by non-grassroots organisations.