People's Association's 'repeated' failure to communicate with WP on municipal projects leads to 'irresistible conclusion': Pritam Singh
SINGAPORE — In the latest round of an online feud over a Barrier-Free-Access (BFA) ramp in Aljunied GRC, Workers’ Party (WP) chief Pritam Singh alleged on Saturday (19 October) that the Citizens’ Consultative Committee (CCC) in the ward, which answers to the People’s Association (PA), consistently fails to communicate in a timely fashion on municipal projects with the WP.
“Repeated emails, requests for answers have gone unanswered and ignored, over many years,” said Singh, who also slammed the “persistent conduct of ignoring repeated communication attempts to the People’s Association” in his response to Aljunied grassroots advisor Chua Eng Leong’s comments on the latter’s Facebook page earlier Saturday.
In his Facebook post, Singh added, ‘If you do not communicate with your counterpart, and you do not explain why repeated Extension of Times (EOT) are required - what is the irresistible conclusion? Is a seven year wait for a proposal to come to fruition the norm in PAP wards where taxpayers monies are also used to fund CIPC projects?” He was referring to projects overseen by the Community Improvement Projects Committee (CIPC).
Singh further claimed that the CCC was only engaging on the issue now because it had gone public.
The Aljunied MP was responding to Chua, who had accused Singh of being “politically mischievous” in questioning why the Barrier-Free-Access (BFA) ramp at Block 108 Bedok Reservoir Road had taken seven years to come to fruition, accusing the People’s Action Party (PAP) of practicing political double standards.
Chua maintained that the ramp was completed “within a reasonable period of time” once the underlying issues had been resolved.
He added, “Any insinuation that there was a delay in the completion of the BFA Ramp because it was a proposal mooted by the opposition party is therefore unjustifiable.” The private banker was part of the PAP team that was defeated by the WP in the contest for the Aljunied GRC in the 2015 General Elections.
But Singh, who was one of the three MPs found liable for damages in the AHTC case, pointed to what he called a decades-long “systemic problem” between the PAP and non-government political parties.
“Mr Chua contends that the BFA ramp is a red herring. He is wrong. It is a metaphor - A very powerful metaphor for the double standards when it comes to CIPC funding in opposition wards.”
The WP chief concluded by proposing that the Aljunied and Hougang CCCs and elected opposition MPs in the ward discuss developing a protocol on how CIPC’s proposals should be handled in opposition wards so as to ensure equity in disbursement of taxpayer dollars and efficient execution of CIPC projects.
“CCCs meet each month. Put it up as an agenda item. I will be happy to be a part of the solution,” said Singh.
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