HDB, Town Councils are partisan bodies
Tuesday, October 6, 2009 at 10:28AM Gerald Giam calls for the Housing Development Board to be an independent statutory board and not be a political tool for the PAP:
TODAY newspaper reported that the PAP’s losing candidate Sitoh had received an email from HDB informing him of this news. He lost no time in breaking the good news to residents through a news release. Mr Eric Low plans to announce the news today at a grassroots event. In addition, Mr Sitoh said he will be sending out a circular to residents in the selected blocks soon, presumably with his own letterhead proclaiming himself as the “adviser to the Potong Pasir grassroots organisations”.
I see no reason why the HDB should break the news to the losing PAP candidates. Does the HDB inform losing opposition candidates of impending upgrading in the wards they contested in, for example in East Coast or Tampines? Definitely not!
HDB playing partisan politics? Say it ain't so! Sarcasm aside, this is something none of us should condone. HDB is a statutory board, and as such should be an independent body, functional no matter which party is in power and not dependent on political goodwill. This just proves, if you need any more evidence, PAP's dominance of every critical function of this country.
Understanding politics and national policy in Singapore, I have always reiterated, is simple: Follow The Money. This is what happens when the PAP government manages to entrench itself in every aspect of citizens' lives. The civil service is separate from the legislative branch of government, but in reality this is far from the truth.
Civil servants know which side their bread is buttered, and fear career stagnation or even losing their jobs if they dare to risk angering their paymasters. This is why PAP-run Town Councils have the temerity to gamble, and subsequently lose, at least S$16 million dollars in taxpayers money without the need to account for them.
Agencies in the civil service are emboldened by the pomposity of the PAP, and act exactly like them when dealing with the public. Mr Justin Lim from the Jalan Besar Town Council exemplifies this trait with his show of contempt against Mr Lim Beo Thiam, whose letter I have wriiten about previously.
We do not agree with Mr Lim’s suggestion that the town council should set up a fund to offer loans to residents to tide them over difficult times, or help with private tuition, home renovation or family holidays. We believe it is in the best interests of residents that the town council focuses on its primary duty of estate management and improvement.
You mean like building covered walkways while not throwing public money out the window? I'm sure the Jalan Besar residents will keep that in mind. We will remind them constantly that you and your ilk simply do not deserve your jobs.
You are public servants. You serve the public. NOT the PAP. Every single one of you would do well to remember that.
(Hat-tip: Gwee Li Sui)
Reader Comments (4)
For the record, we have Civil Servants and we also have Public Officials. Employees in Stat Boards such as HDB are Public Officials; they are not Civil Servants. And there is no such things as Public Servants.
Agree or not, right or wrong, that's the mindset; at least that's what a friend who work for HDB told me.
That mindset is why no one wants to own a problem. It doesn't just plague the civil service of course, but it is disgusting. The private sector hardly tolerates such distinctions when used as an excuse. We shouldn't exempt them from this no matter what they call themselves. They can follow that mentality; it is our duty to call them out on it.
Anyone who gets paid from taxpayers money is, like it or not, official title or not, accountable to taxpayers. That's my stand.
No wonder civil servants are the happiest among the employees in Singapore...
"Ignorance is bliss" isn't that far from the truth :)