The Chairman of the Workers’ Party, NCMP Ms Sylvia Lim has
written a reply to rebut the letter by Minister for National
Development’s Press Secretary entitled: “Ministry: MP Low wrong on
lift upgrading” which was published on Tuesday.
Ms Lim took issue with MND’s reply which seems to imply that the
grassroots advisor was more appropriate than the MP to announce the
LUP plans because he was able to gather residents’ input and
marshal support for the plans.
The PAP grassroots representative for Hougang Mr Eric Low
sparked a public backlash when he unshamedly claimed credit for
bringing LUP to Hougang two weeks ago which led many Singaporeans
to question why the announcement was not made by the MP for
Hougang, Mr Low Thia Kiang instead.
Writing on behalf of Hougang MP Mr Low Thia Kiang who is
currently out of town, Ms Lim wrote that Mr Low’s letter was not
about claiming credit for LUP:
“He (Low) has stated that he is prepared to work with the
government’s appointees for the benefit of his constituents, and
indeed has met the grassroots advisor several times over many
months to give input on the LUP plans for Hougang.”
She added sarcastically that the LUP was introduced “to rectify
a design flaw in public housing which does not cater for an ageing
society. Given this imperative, the public interest should trump
politics.”
According to Ms Lim, Mr Low was “compelled” to write the letter
to Straits Times Forum because HDB’s initial reply to Mr Yusuf who
had written in lampooning HDB and PA for not following protocol
seems to insinuate that Mr Low was unwilling to work with the
government.
Mr Eric Low had earlier revealed that he enjoyed a cordial
working relationship with Mr Low Thia Kiang and the two even had
coffee together after the last meeting on the LUP.
Ms Lim also rebuked MND’s claims that LUP Is funded from budget
surpluses which Opposition MPs are not responsible for
generating.
She wrote that the budget surpluses are hardly the effort of the
government alone, as they include significant contributions from
the public through taxes, levies and stamp fees, which the
government simply reaps.
Ms Lim ended the letter by berating MND for not respecting the
people’s choice of their MP:
“Finally, MND also appears to interpret the General Elections as
an event where the only outcome which matters is who forms the
government. This shows the respect the government has for the
people’s choice of Member of Parliament, who is vested with the
Constitutional mandate to represent the constituency.”
The PAP won 82 out of 84 seats contested during the last general
elections. The two opposition wards are Hougang and Potong Pasir
which were denied critical estate upgrading by the PAP government
because they did not express “support” for the government’s
plan.
Upgrading was constantly used as a carrot to entice residents to
vote for the PAP though being taxpayers, they are entitled to it.
Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong had promised a $100 million upgrading
plan for Hougang and Potong Pasir if the PAP candidates won.
Though Mr Eric Low lost to Mr Low Thia Kiang, he still lingered
around in Hougang as the “grassroots adviser”, an euphemism for PAP
losers.
The PAP government has drawn online flak for choosing to work
through their unelected representatives instead of the opposition
MPs who are voted in by the residents.
Unless more opposition MPs are voted into parliament the next
election, this age-old “practice” promulgated by the PAP is likely
to continue.
brilliant woman. :)
I hope she will be our first female PM in the future (when we do
away with all the unnecessary MM, SMs, DPMs, Ministers in the PM
office (highly paid secretaries))
