MY FRIEND and I moved to Potong Pasir estate a year after the
2006 General Election. We were attracted to the constituency
because of its cleanliness, low service and conservancy charges and
the friendly Member of Parliament, Mr Chiam See Tong.
We were impressed by his concern for the residents' welfare when
he replaced the demolished linkway connecting Block 148 to the
Potong Pasir MRT station with an improved one that came with a
roof.
This gesture spoke well of him and he deserves our utmost
respect. But today, things have changed, not for the better but for
the worse.
The standard of general maintenance in the constituency, after
his mild stroke in 2008, has spiralled south. It is no longer the
way it was - clean and well-maintained.
There is neither daily sweeping nor monthly washing of
corridors. Fumigation is also no longer a regular feature in the
constituency.
We are aghast to see that even the playgrounds are not properly
maintained.
Defects such as missing or worn off screws are common in
playgrounds.
In one of them we found an aluminium bench seat missing and in
another, the floor mat ripped off. These have not been rectified
for months.
One of our grandchildren was nearly injured by a monkey bar
recently when he tried to slide down.
We wonder whether Mr Chiam knows about all these and whether the
town council engages qualified contractors to maintain the
playgrounds.
We are also wondering whether the authorities, such as the
Housing Board, conduct periodic inspections on playgrounds, not
only in Potong Pasir but also all over Singapore.
Tan Kam Weng
