It is so obvious that the problems facing the AHTC case need not arise
and must/would not be allowed to be repeated if the management of town
councils remains with a statutory board or ministry ran by civil
servants. The management of a town council, the complexity and
operational details involved, and the importance of such services
remaining in tact and continuou, demand that it must be run by a
permanent body of staff. It cannot be otherwise.
The AHTC case highlighted the problems and flaws and unnecessary
troublesome administrative handling over of funds, records, duties and
responsibilities that could not be efficiently transferred from one
management to another over a short spell of time. Such procedures and
processes, the involvement of funds and monetary matters, necessitate
very careful, arduous and detailed scrutiny and inspection before a
transfer can take place. And worse, under the politicized nature of the
system, when a different and often unfriendly party won an election and
having to take over the function and running of a town council, in a way
exposing the predecessor’s work to be scrutinized for wrongdoings, make
the transfer of responsibility a hostile takeover with both parties
placed in a very difficult and confrontational position. How could such a
belligerent and antagonistic system be to the interest of the residents
that expect a public service to continue to run efficiently, smoothly
and without disruption?
When a political party takes over the running of a state after winning a
general election, all the staff of ministries and stats boards remain
in tact, with all the systems and procedures, including software and
hardware, remain practically unchanged until such time when the new govt
is ready to make changes. The services of the respective ministries and
stats boards will not be affected in anyway or in any serious ways.
Assuming the same terms of changing all the staff and systems in
ministries should take place like the changing of the guards in the town
councils, there is no way the new govt can start to administer a
country and all its ministries and stats boards given the time
constraints.
The expectation of a new town council management to start operating and
running a town council almost immediately is insane. An incoming town
council could insist that all the documents, accounts and system be
proper and free from errors before taking over and this would lead to an
endless explanation and bickering of what is being handed over. This is
simply plain impossible and unacceptable.
It is time the town councils be returned to be managed permanently and
continuously by a stats board with permanent staff and system for the
good of the residents. No one or party or politician need to be put
through running a town council to prove themselves to be able to run a
country. This is a red herring, a myth. It does not happen in any other
country and historically, new govts are form in democratic countries
after winning an election with people that came from all walks of life
except running a country and they ran the country and doing no less
better than people who had the experience of running town councils.
One does not have to run a small company to run a big company or
organization. Running a small company or organization like a town
council has very little relevance to running a country. If that is the
critical experience to run a country successfully, then the first
generation of leaders would have failed or must fail. They did not,
without the experience of running town councils. So did the leaders of
all the countries in the whole wide world.
This town council thing must be put right for the good of the people and
country. All the political bickering is unnecessary, stressful, silly
and a waste of public funds and resources that could be put to better
use and more important things.
10/09/2018
Abuse of power and the media to maintain dominance
The Evil American Empire has been abusing everything under the law, with their superior military power and control of the western media and media of little USAs to accuse, demonise and attack their enemies just to hold on to their position as the unchallenged dominant world power.
The strategy is very simple, just keep on accusing the enemies, demonise them using the main media, and attack them with their superior military might to destroy their enemies. These are the things the Americans are doing. The world's biggest war criminal, killing hundreds of thousands all over the world, but accusing every country they regard as enemies of war crimes, in Eastern Europe, in Africa, in Sri Lanka, in Myanmar and in Latin America. They also accused all these countries of violating human rights when they were the one that were the worst violator of human rights in the past and in present times. And sickeningly they awarded themselves under the slightest pretext with Nobel Peace Prize while conducting wars, escalating wars, and starting wars.
They blame other countries of militarisation, like China in the SC Sea when they set up more than 1,000 military bases all over the world, militarising the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean with nuclear bombs and sending warships, warplanes and Special Forces to threaten other countries. They accuse others of currency manipulation, of money laundering, when the American govt and American banks were the biggest culprits of such criminal activities.
They accuse China of settling Asian and African countries with debts when they were the ones that were doing so and with higher interest rates than China through IMF and the World Bank.
For decades they have been conducting world wide espionage, spying and eave droppings of communication lines, and cyber attacks and accused others of doing it as if they are innocent of such covert operations.
They support, finance, arm and train terrorist organisations and accused others of doing so.
They coerce, pressure, threaten countries all over the world with military invasion, regime change, trade sanctions and everything you can name of but accused other countries of doing so.
They meddle and interfere with the domestic affairs and politics of every country but accusing others of meddling with American domestic politics.
They conduct smear campaigns against countries and their leader when they and their leaders were the worst scoundrels, groping women, sexual harassment, sexual violation, misconduct, blow job in the White House, violence etc etc.
I could go on and on. The main purpose of this dirty strategy is to attack and keep the enemies busy defending and have no time to hit back or to expose the dirt and shit of the Americans. The enemies would be so bogged down trying to clear their names and have no time to attack the Evil Empire on all their crimes against humanity, abuse of power, disregarding the rule of law and using the media to spread fake news and false news and disinformation about their enemies.
The Evil Empire is the Evil Empire and it is a matter of time before the wheel of fortune turns against them and bring them down on their knees. You can bluff some people some of the time but not all the people all the time. When the Evil Empire loses its power, it is a matter of when, they will pay for their abuses of power and media and for crimes against humanity.
The strategy is very simple, just keep on accusing the enemies, demonise them using the main media, and attack them with their superior military might to destroy their enemies. These are the things the Americans are doing. The world's biggest war criminal, killing hundreds of thousands all over the world, but accusing every country they regard as enemies of war crimes, in Eastern Europe, in Africa, in Sri Lanka, in Myanmar and in Latin America. They also accused all these countries of violating human rights when they were the one that were the worst violator of human rights in the past and in present times. And sickeningly they awarded themselves under the slightest pretext with Nobel Peace Prize while conducting wars, escalating wars, and starting wars.
They blame other countries of militarisation, like China in the SC Sea when they set up more than 1,000 military bases all over the world, militarising the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean with nuclear bombs and sending warships, warplanes and Special Forces to threaten other countries. They accuse others of currency manipulation, of money laundering, when the American govt and American banks were the biggest culprits of such criminal activities.
They accuse China of settling Asian and African countries with debts when they were the ones that were doing so and with higher interest rates than China through IMF and the World Bank.
For decades they have been conducting world wide espionage, spying and eave droppings of communication lines, and cyber attacks and accused others of doing it as if they are innocent of such covert operations.
They support, finance, arm and train terrorist organisations and accused others of doing so.
They coerce, pressure, threaten countries all over the world with military invasion, regime change, trade sanctions and everything you can name of but accused other countries of doing so.
They meddle and interfere with the domestic affairs and politics of every country but accusing others of meddling with American domestic politics.
They conduct smear campaigns against countries and their leader when they and their leaders were the worst scoundrels, groping women, sexual harassment, sexual violation, misconduct, blow job in the White House, violence etc etc.
I could go on and on. The main purpose of this dirty strategy is to attack and keep the enemies busy defending and have no time to hit back or to expose the dirt and shit of the Americans. The enemies would be so bogged down trying to clear their names and have no time to attack the Evil Empire on all their crimes against humanity, abuse of power, disregarding the rule of law and using the media to spread fake news and false news and disinformation about their enemies.
The Evil Empire is the Evil Empire and it is a matter of time before the wheel of fortune turns against them and bring them down on their knees. You can bluff some people some of the time but not all the people all the time. When the Evil Empire loses its power, it is a matter of when, they will pay for their abuses of power and media and for crimes against humanity.
10/08/2018
AHTC lawsuit - A landmark case in the making
Multimillion-dollar civil suits against 3 Workers’ Party MPs go to trial
The suits were brought against three
Workers' Party MPs Low Thia Khiang, Sylvia Lim and Pritam Singh as well
as others, over alleged improper payments amounting to millions of
dollars....
An 'egregious, cavalier misuse of public funds': Town council lawyers rip into Workers' Party leaders
An 'egregious, cavalier misuse of public funds': Town council lawyers rip into Workers' Party leaders
Later
in the afternoon, lawyers for the three MPs and AHTC councillors Chua
Zhi Hon and Kenneth Foo stressed that at all times, the five were acting
honestly and in “good faith”. The five are represented by Tan Rajah
& Cheah.
“Various allegations have been made ... we have our responses to all those,” said lawyer Chelva Retnam Rajah in court. “At the heart of all our actions is the fact that at all times ... They were acting in good faith, acting honestly and for the purposes of the Town Councils Act in all their actions.”
Read more at https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/workers-party-trial-ahtc-prptc-lawsuits-low-pritam-sylvia-10793984
Three leaders of Singapore’s leading opposition party Workers’ Party will have to defend themselves in court today over (Oct 5) alleged mishandling of S$33 million in town council funding. The civil suit was lodged by the ruling party PAP-controlled town councils – through a fake “independent panel” filled with government cronies – after the police cleared the opposition MPs of criminal wrongdoings.
It is unknown who is sitting in the “independent panel” appointed by the ruling party dictatorship....thestatestimes
“Various allegations have been made ... we have our responses to all those,” said lawyer Chelva Retnam Rajah in court. “At the heart of all our actions is the fact that at all times ... They were acting in good faith, acting honestly and for the purposes of the Town Councils Act in all their actions.”
Read more at https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/workers-party-trial-ahtc-prptc-lawsuits-low-pritam-sylvia-10793984
Three leaders of Singapore’s leading opposition party Workers’ Party will have to defend themselves in court today over (Oct 5) alleged mishandling of S$33 million in town council funding. The civil suit was lodged by the ruling party PAP-controlled town councils – through a fake “independent panel” filled with government cronies – after the police cleared the opposition MPs of criminal wrongdoings.
It is unknown who is sitting in the “independent panel” appointed by the ruling party dictatorship....thestatestimes
Above are two quotations, one from Channelnewsasia and the other from thestatestimes.
Just reading them prompted me to ask a few questions. One who were the people filing the civil suits against the WP? What were the grounds that gave them the privilege or right to file a civil suit against a state organisation, a legal entity, constituted under a democratic system of govt? The AHTC may be run by the WP, an opposition party, but it is a legally constituted organisation, not a private organisation, not a social organisation or a NGO or a commercial organisation.
As this is allowed in this case, it is going to set a precedent for anyone to sue any govt organisations under the same pretext, especially town councils and more.
The second point that came out from thestatestimes is the ground for defence put up by the defence lawyers, ie 'They were acting in good faith, acting honestly and for the purposes of the Town Councils Act in all their actions.' This defence is against the charge for 'egregious, cavalier misuse of public funds'.
If this defence cannot hold, then in future, anyone being charged for the same egregious, cavalier misuse of public funds would also not be able to get away using this defence of acting in good faith, acting honestly and acting legally, as the WP representatives were acting legally too.
If this defence holds, then in future anyone acting in good faith, honestly and legally, could get away with 'egregious and cavalier misuse of public funds'.
The decision and judgement of the court would have far reaching consequences as whatever the court decides, it would become judicial precedents to be quoted in the future.
I repeat the three points being put before the court.
1. Anyone can sue any legally constituted state organisation, especially town councils...
2. For egregious and cavalier misuse of public funds
3. Acting in good faith, honestly and legally is or is not a ground for defence.
PS. I have not seen the names of the people filing the suit against AHTC. Have they been made public or is this not to be made public, anonymous?
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