MARCH 1 — Singapore’s one and only Opposition-controlled GRC (Group Representation Constituency) has run into trouble. In a recent report, the Auditor-General indicated the Aljunied-Hougang-Punggol East Town Council’s (AHPETC) accounts for the Financial Year 2012-13 contained major lapses.
According to the report, the town council run by the Workers’ Party (WP) did not transfer money as scheduled into a sinking fund for the maintenance of the properties under its management.
It hired a company which council members held a stake in to manage properties within the GRC and paid this company significantly more than the rates paid by other town councils.
The council also failed to establish adequate monitoring systems for their accounts and purchases says the report.
In some estimates, the town council in question overpaid in the vicinity of S$6 million (RM15 million) to its management agent since 2012.
These are serious allegations.
For many government supporters, the affair is proof that Singapore isn’t ready to become a true two-party state. Government ministers have piled criticism on the WP and what Singaporeans are hearing is that the Opposition simply isn’t competent to govern a single GRC let alone the entire nation.
This supports the long-standing assertion that Singapore just doesn’t have the human capital to support two opposing teams.
In response, the WP has offered an explanation for its lapses. It attributed many of the problems to the handover of the GRC in 2011; it claims it simply wasn’t given the support required to make a smooth transition.
As for why it overpaid a related party rather than employing the same contractor used in other areas, it claims established contractors were simply unwilling to bid for their contracts.
According to WP leaders, established contractors and agents resigned after the Opposition party took control of the town council... leaving councillors struggling to maintain services and systems.
Government ministers have been dismissive of these defences equating the WP’s behaviour to taking money from the people and handing it over to their friends in the management company.
While on the face of it these criticism seem valid, there has been considerable public commentary on the extent of the scrutiny the Opposition controlled council is being subject to.
But here is what I am thinking: If an Opposition party cannot control one GRC this may say more about our system than our opposition. Isn’t a democracy a system of government that offers its people choice? The rhetoric I am hearing following the report is that the WP — our only viable Opposition at the moment – isn’t even a choice.
So, where does that leave our democracy?
* This is the personal opinion of the columnist.
