7/22/2013

Vivian’s air tight case on honesty and integrity

The hawker centre cleaning issue just refuses to go away. It is quite bizarre that a small administrative misunderstanding could end up as an issue of honesty and integrity in Parliament. With all the information now on the table, I believe the issue is now pretty clear to even the Ah Peks and Ah Mahs in the market place. Let me try to summarise the case and where it is at the moment.

5 parties were involved, the NEA, Town Council and the non existent Hawker’s Association. I hope I got it right that there was no hawker association in the first place or just an informal one. Correct me if I am wrong. The hawkers in the market are not new. They have been operating there for many years and know exactly whether they should or should not pay for the scaffolding. The Town Council may be a bit new and could be expected to be raw or unfamiliar with some of the administrative stuff. But they are expected to know what they can make the hawkers pay and what they cannot. They would not dare to ask the hawkers for payment if they are not supposed to do so. This is a public matter and not something that can be hidden away. They can’t cheat the hawkers. The hawkers and the staff in the Town Council know what is happening. If they are asking for payment, it is likely be an honest mistake. There are things called honest mistakes right? The WP is denying that they did.

As for the NEA, lagi simple. They are the authority and administrator of market maintenance and Town Council matters. They must be very clear as to what the Town Council can collect and what cannot. A young executive from NEA could tell the parties in disagreement clearly who should pay for what. NEA could easily nip this misunderstanding in the bud.

It is strange and highly unsatisfactory that this little administrative misunderstanding could end up in Parliament and becomes an issue of honesty and integrity. And I believe Vivian Balakrishnan must have been convinced that he had an air tight case to prove that the WP MPs had to answer on issues of honesty and integrity. In the Parliamentary debate you could see how confident and assured he was in lecturing the WP MPs and in patronizing Low Thia Khiang to investigate his party members. And for Hsien Loong to openly state that he and his cabinet supported Vivian’s stand, it must mean that he and his cabinet too were convinced that it was a good and unquestionable case to push in Parliament. In a way Hsien Loong is putting his credibility behind Vivian’s charge.

The latest development is the revelation that two key personnel in the dispute are PAP members. This disclosure would create some doubts as to whether this is strictly an issue involving the hawkers and the Town Council or between the WP and PAP. The lawyers will use this to cast doubts into the case.

The next unfortunate things are the notes of the NEA officer and the dossier of Vivian. Apparently the NEA notes were referring to Spring cleaning and Vivian’s dossier was referring to Annual cleaning. Low Thia Khiang’s final statement in Parliament was about a misunderstanding between these two events. The Town Council thinks that it was Spring cleaning and the hawkers would have to pay for the additional scaffolding. They will not charge for Annual cleaning which they have planned for the year end.

Now, is the NEA officer clear that this is an issue of Spring cleaning? If so, why is the dossier of Vivian saying that it is Annual Cleaning? How did the word ‘Annual’ gets into Vivian’s dossier but not in NEA’s notes?

Would Low Thia Khiang stick to his position and regard this little discrepancy also as a misunderstanding and say move on, let the people be the judge? Or would he now go to Parliament with another air tight case that Vivian now has a case to answer on honesty and integrity when the NEA notes and his dossier are concerned? Would Low patronize Vivian and ask him to do an investigation into the matter to clear himself of the same accusation hurled at him?

Whose honesty and integrity are now in question?

36 comments:

Anonymous said...

Let the SMALL MATTER rest lah.

Sinkies are not so daft as NOT TO KNOW whose integrities are at stake.

Allowing this TRIVIAL MATTER to develop into housewives squabble is VERY STUPID leh.

Anonymous said...

The root problem is that Low Thia Khiang's WP has only 7 elected MPs out of 87 in Parliament.

So like that ah, no matter what, WP always lose one.

The day Low Thia Khiang announce that WP is ready to be govt, will be the day he will start to win. I mean start only ah, not win yet.

Anonymous said...

Like that means still a long journey for WP to win lah?

Because Low TK have not yet even announce ready to be govt leh. Or will it ever be announced?

So Sinkies have to wait don't know how long for better alternative lah, tio bo?

Anonymous said...

This is a matter that should not be brought into parliament. What is the point here? Is there anything so important that we need to debate in parliament? Is either there is no issue worth debating or government wanting to divert attention and cut short parliament time.

Anonymous said...

Vivian is plain mischievous and dishonest. Sue me lah. I no parliamentary privilege.

Anonymous said...

He cock sure of his case. water tight. Now got holes. PM also dragged in and embarassed.

Anonymous said...

Actually by looking at how a person or organisation handle small matters, it can tell a lot how they will handle bigger matters.

In this regard, I would agree with Low TK that WP is really not ready to be govt. Not that Low TK is trying to be humble by saying WP not ready. He really meant it.



Anonymous said...

I would also say that judging from this small matter, PAP will win big again in 2016.

Unless I hope there is a new party by 2016 able to contest 100% of seats and therefore ready to replace PAP as govt. I believe majority Sinkies will definitely vote for such a party.

But hope only. And hope is a 4 letter word.

Anonymous said...

With news reports saying the haze may return very soon.
What is Minister Vivian Bala's plan (if any) for when the haze returns?

We have 9 million haze marks.
We have a population of 5 million.

The N95 haze mask will only be operationally effective over an 8 hour period (conservative estimate).

Do we have enough N95 haze masks in Singapore?

Anonymous said...

"Do we have enough N95 haze masks in Singapore?"
Anon July 22, 2013 12:21 pm

The more pertinent question should be what can Sinkies do if there are not enough masks.

So what can Sinkies do, you say lah?

Anonymous said...

There is very little Sinkies can do lah, besides kpkb again in RB's blog.

Anonymous said...

An even more pertinent question.
What can Minister Bala do?

So what can Minister Bala do, you say lah?
There is very little Minister Bala can do lah, besides kpkb again in parliament and in ASEAN meetings.

Chua Chin Leng aka redbean said...

Low Thia Khiang's comment that WP is not ready to govern is a statement of fact. They only have 7MPs elected.

When the WP is the majority in 2016, with the numbers and the mandate from the people, see if he says he is ready or not?

Anonymous said...

PAP WILL GET 80% !!!

Anonymous said...

With LKY gone ... yeah, maybe, PAP WILL GET 80% !!!

Anonymous said...

why ???

Anonymous said...

why ???

Typical out of touch PAPig.

Anonymous said...

When Low Thia Khiang said that the WP is not ready to be the next Government, he is brutally honest. What is so wrong about being honest? You mean by saying that we should therefore not vote for WP?

If I may say so, there are some voters here who are utterly fed up and who are also brutally honest
in saying they will vote for lizards, cockroaches, leeches and other insects instead of the PAP if it comes to that situation where no opposition is there to contest the seats.

As for honesty and integrity, let the voters be the judge. It is of no use trying to paint oneself as whiter than white if that is not what come voters have come to think.

Anonymous said...

Also, PAP may be the government today.
But like WP, maybe PAP is also not ready to govern?

b said...

'Let the SMALL MATTER rest lah.'

- i agree. this entire epidsode depicts how sissy this millions dollars paid minister vivian bala is. not only his name but also his personality. wonder whether he did his reservist and what kind.

Anonymous said...

Just like maybe Millionaire Bala is not yet ready to be Minister for Environment and Water Resources

Anonymous said...

Just like maybe Prime Millionaire Lee is not yet ready to be Prime Minister?

Anonymous said...

PAP = 80% VOTES !!!!!!!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

Immigration Department audits reveal large-scale fraud of visa system by Indian students and workers
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-07-22/immigration-audits-reveal-large-scale-visa-fraud/4833710

Anonymous said...

@ brainless pig @ PAP = 80% VOTES !!!!!!!!!!!!

PM Lee can probably deliver 80% of the seats in parliament in GE 2016.
But will be very lucky if he can deliver 55% of the votes for PAP.

Anonymous said...

PAP LUCKY TO GET 55% VOTES? TOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO LOW LAH.

Anonymous said...

redbean,
i really can't believe that some daft commentators still didn't get it. It has nothing to do with honesty and integrity or even misunderstanding, but everything to do with diversion.

Diversion = A maneuver that draws the attention of an opponent away from a planned point of action, especially as part of military strategy.

If you notice that how the PAP think that Singaporeans are daft and easily fool. Ask yourself, why didn't the PAP members who are the central hawker figures get investigated over that just like Dennis Ho of TinCan ? A simple questioning and formal answers from these figures and some historical check over previous letters will have easily answer the source of problem but PAP insists on re-framing their own conclusion only already tell you something that PAP is just there to divert all parliament attention to these non-issue over so many genuine issues ?

To give a good example that this nothing to do with misunderstanding but fixing opp party to divert attention.

Everyone knows in school that there is midyear and final year exam. So when the midyear exam is coming, everyone will study for the forthcoming exam with conversation in the jc or poly "I studying for the exam", will any fuck@#$ker in these compound tell you that "they are studying for midyear exam when it is understood and common sense that they meant midyear exam, no need to say it is midyear exam.

Only PAP cuckoo will insists it is "final year exam" no matter what

Now you try to relate that matter to the spring cleaning

http://thehearttruths.com/2013/07/10/the-truth-about-the-parliamentary-debate-on-the-cleaning-of-hawker-centres/

Anyone get it ?

Anonymous said...

With the foreign trash flooding this city, I think they will be very lucky if they have 51% of the votes.

Foreign trash created jobs for sinkies is a myth. Foreign trash replaced sinkies for jobs is the truth.

Anonymous said...

51% ??????????????? How can it be???????????? I thought Singaporeans very forgiving .......

Chua Chin Leng aka redbean said...

Hi anon 7:28,Even Zuraida Ibrahim admitted that diversion is one of the key objectives of this hawker centre saga. Set the agenda and keep everyone busy, particularly the WP and other detractors. And all the key issues will be forgotten.

Anonymous said...

Immigration Department audits reveal large-scale fraud of visa system by Indian students and workers.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-07-22/immigration-audits-reveal-large-scale-visa-fraud/4833710

Anonymous said...

Redbean and commentators,

just check the modus operandi of PAP on past elections, by-election and parliament debate, what you find is just mainly diversion of PAP, nothing else. This has been going on for decades, the youtube videos of election is for all to see on the smearing of opp party.

Best of all, they actually waste unimaginable ten of thousands of dollars per day of taxpayers money to divert attention. Think how much all PAP ministers and PAP MP stooges been paid per day together to divert attention in parliament.

Anonymous said...

Simply put,

if commentators agree that diversion is the main reason for PAP to smear opp party, other questions like "why PAP can do this and that but opp party cannot" is totally not relevant at all because it is separate matter. If you view those questions together, you will just fall into the trap of PAP's agenda. so don't be stupid.

Anonymous said...

This is a democracy.
If you vote PAP, it means you support these diversionary tactics.

60% of our friends & relatives voted PAP.
Should we not try to influence them to vote Opposition?

Anonymous said...

pap will get 80% VOTES .............8888888888888888

Anonymous said...

Anymore wasting of time on the hawker centre cleaning issue will be seen as attempt by the Parliamentarians to run away from important nationwide issues such as haze, Dengue and more importantly; the wellbeing of Singaporeans and NOT JUST that of the operators and patrons at the Said hawker centre.