Teo Ho Pin blames residents for S&C arrears
September 25th, 2009 | 
Author: From our Correspondent
Dr Teo Ho Pin, coordinating chairman of the 14 PAP-run councils, had lashed out at residents living in PAP estates for S&C arrears which will affect their peformance in a new report card on how well they run estates is released next year.
At its worst, some 8 per cent to 9 per cent of households in HDB estates managed by these councils have payments outstanding for three months or more, he told the state media.
That could translate to a poorer grade for one of the four categories in which councils are to be assessed in the first Town Council Management Report, to be released by June next year.
Councils will be assessed in four areas: the cleanliness of estates; maintenance; the performance of lifts; and how councils deal with arrears in S&C charges.
The report will grade councils in each category on a level from one – which is the best – to five.
Aljunied Town Council chairman Cynthia Phua accused some residents of refusing to pay the S&C charges though they can well afford it and threaten to take them to court:
“Some own cars and send children overseas to study, but tell us: ‘We don’t have money to pay you. We can take them to court but it’s a long process. The cost of collecting payments is also high in terms of manpower costs and legal expenses.”
The Ministry of National Development introduced the framework for ranking the Town Councils following public furore over the loss of million of dollars of sinking funds from failed structure-linked products last year.
The Town Councils involved are PAP-controlled estates while the two opposition constituencies did not invest their sinking funds in such risky investments.
Dr Teo’s Holland-Bukit Panjang Town Council lost about $8 million dollars. In response to growing enquiries on the ground, an irate Dr Teo shot back and asked Singaporeans to “be grateful”.
Posted in Editorial
Everybody pays up their S&C means towncoucils scores high, score high means more bonus, i.e money paid up will end up in PAP lackeys hand. Everybody should stop paying, in-jest.
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Teo Ho Pin DONO PPL IN SINGAPORE ARE RETRENCHED, KENNA PAY CUT etc etc.
ANOTHER RICH MP OUT OF TOUCH WITH THE POPULATIOPN.
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Teo Ho Pin’s town council’s 8million bucks loss could have been used to help people with fees errors during this hard times.
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So clever of Cynthia to quotes one example from thousands of those affected – no brainer as to either pay or go hungry !
How callous to serve demand letters when the household is already without basic electricity and water with their kids studying in the corridor lights !
This is like rubbing salts into wounds ! Disgusting !
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What about using those $16m here, instead of investing them in Lehman Brothers? Some residents genuinely cannot afford to pay that $60 per month fees. Some families are big and they need every cent to pay for RICE and WATER….
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It is very likely that the residents staying in areas managed by the Champion TC will suffer. With this new yardstick to rate TC, one need not doubt that these people will go all out to recover arrears from the less well off (aka the poor) to look good and top the chart.
So their argument is that some people who can ‘afford’ and at the same time ‘own cars’ with their ‘children studying overseas’ are to be blamed. I guess this Dr fails to see that this group of people are not necessary well off.
What about the poor who really can’t pay up due to current economic woes? How does the town council differentiate the genuine poor from the alleged defaulters. Will it be a case where an across-the-board policy to recover the arrears gets implemented which inadvertently adds on to the hardship of the people who really cannot pay up this ‘highly-inflated’ SC fees?
Why… are our ‘leaders’ (though they are actually public servants) so cold hearted? If they sincerely have the common people’s welfare at heart, may I suggest that they put some effort to investigate and write off the arrears from these needy ones who, no matter how you force them, find it extremely difficult to pay up. Just take it as a loss in their investment. It will breed good karma for them.
Just my few cents worth.
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I like this part “…an irate Dr Teo shot back and asked Singaporeans to “be grateful…”
For what should we be grateful? That they didn’t lose more than “just” $8 million?
As for the comment suggesting “…could have been used to help people with fees errors during this hard times…”, come on, we don’t want to encourage any crutch mentality thing to sprout in the highly resilient S’porean society.
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The Singapore ‘GREAT DIVIDE’ is the rich MPs not knowing there poor people in Singapore, NOT other issues.
THEY ARE TOTALLY OUT OF TOUCH WITH THE PEOPLE.
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“Dr Teo’s Holland-Bukit Panjang Town Council lost about $8 million dollars.”
Why town council can use their residents’ money to invest????
If this is legal, then why lawyer can’t use clients’ money for investment too? They will be sued for mistrust of clients’ fund. Why double standard? If town council said the invest for return, then lawyers can also give that reason. Is is right???
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This degree people are just greedy for money. If U have no money to pay for your S&C they will call either U go to beg, borrow or steal.They just care to look at their monthly bank statement U tihnk they are looking at your problem! Vote for more opposition in neaby election.Now U are living in your own country as a strange.
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Is it a wonder why these MPs keep blaming us for everything?
Do they know about public service and working for the constituents? If they find it such a chore, maybe they should resign and revert back to private citizen.
They are paid a king’s ransom to do minimal work. If even maintaining a town council is so difficult, you have to question where are their loyalties? Is it to the party, the government or their constituents.
It is also their job to find out why people can’t pay their arrears. Not just sue or send in the police if things don’t work out.
I would believe that such MPs are weak to hide behind the party. Such MPs would never be committed to serving their constituents. Their MO will always be what in for them. Will always dig and squeeze whatever to achieve maximum profit. If things don’t go well, they will always find a scapegoat for their failures.
If these MPs are so concerned about back arrears, they should get off their arse to find out what’s happening to their constituents’ ability to pay. Sending Imperial Edicts will never work!
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Tell them to cut their Allowance by half and use it for Town Council, and their own publicity stunts, how about that.
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“Councils will be assessed in four areas: the cleanliness of estates; maintenance; the performance of lifts; and HOW COUNCILS DEAL WITH ARREARS IN S&C CHARGES.”
I wonder who came up with these criteria. Is it the same people that decided that ministers’ bonuses should be pegged to GDP?
I can foresee how town councils will all rush to deal with their S&C arrears “efficiently”. Yet another guideline designed to “help” Singaporeans. Well done!
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I had intially thought that the reason for implementing the so called report card for TC is to prevent issues like Town Councils taking unnecessary risks with residents money. Was I mistaken from the start or did something went wrong along the way?
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ah Ho, why so pressure the poor residents until like that? They no money, economic crisis, lack of jobs for them.
since you so concerned about the report card, why not you lend them money to pay and pay the arears so that you also get better report card?
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“an irate Dr Teo shot back and asked Singaporeans to “be grateful”.”
Pardon? As a CIVIL SERVANT, isn’t it Dr Teo’s duty to *SERVE* [and that's how the word SERVANT is derived from] US? Dr Teo ought to be GRATEFUL that unlike some countries’ citizens, we didn’t hunt him down and then wallop him.
Seriously, I doubt if the majority of these defaulters are actually Singaporeans. They could be those FOREIGNERS who default the payment and then using us NATIVES as scapegoats.
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I wonder do the new rating scheme does include rating how TC perform in investmnent….
When they lost 8mil, get 1 month bonus
when they lost 4 mil, get 2 month bonus
when they even on investment, get 4 month bonus
when they get profit on investment, take all profit plus 8 months bonus….
Haha!!!
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This definitely need correction…
Quote:
“Cynthia Phua accused some residents of refusing to pay the S&C charges though they can well afford it and threaten to take them to court:
“Some own cars and send children overseas to study, but tell us: ‘We don’t have money to pay you. We can take them to court but it’s a long process. The cost of collecting payments is also high in terms of manpower costs and legal expenses.”
Let me try to “enlighten” MP Phua.
Most people do not own their cars, they are paying through a hire-purchase scheme via loans. Unlike rich car owners, like rich men and ministers who can well AFFORD to pay FULL PAYMENT for their luxury cars. It is therefore, not as easy as simply selling the car off just as it is. Most car owners will face a “penalty cost” for defaulting on the loan, which is typically say $20,000 – $30,000 for trying to rid their car. How to fork out such money when one is facing job loss and financial difficulties?? Even if the amount is to be paid in segments, what then is the difference of keeping the car and continuing paying the installments until a better time to sell? (break-even-point analysis)
And the car is probably much needed for some outdoor nature of jobs, and fulfilling some of the family errands, and making more trips to interviews or business opportunities…
As for childrens’ education overseas. It is a committment made in the past for a worthy investment cause. You cannot simpy CUT OFF the child’s education mid-way, ruin a bright future and expect to save $$$$ can you? You don’t even get any refunds in the process do you? So that is a no solution too, isn’t it?
Clearly, from the above remark, we can truly understand now, how DISCONNECTED are those MIW people in their Ivory Towers, from the common people on the ground. And, may I wonder, why is it always the female ministers, who are making such Irrationalised statements???
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Excar Saleman,
THEY ARE JUST SIMPLY OUT OF TOUCH WITH THE PEOPLE.
If they say, we will help those who cant pay ‘cos of this bad times n bring those who can afford but don want to pay to court, then sure will get people support.
BUT if can afford, people sure will pay.
THEY ARE JUST SIMPLY OUT OF TOUCH WITH THE PEOPLE.
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Or is CP trying to tell us peasants to be realistic and that we should not emulate them elites…
No money want to buy what car and send children overseas for education some more…
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I find the below statement about being motivated by money kinda FUNNEE, since it starts at the top of the ‘food chain’.
Try swapping half of the ‘million-plus dollars’ salary with a certificate.
Extract -
” Pasir Ris-Punggol Town Council vice-chairman Teo Ser Luck said any incentive would be one-off and “if you’re motivated by money, what happens when the money is taken away”. He said “it’s more important to recognise residents who have done their part” and suggested certificates could be given out. ”
===========================
TODAY Newspaper – 28 Sep 09
> ANY REWARD?
> ———–
> SHOULD residents be rewarded if they keep the estate clean and their Town Council does well in the new bi-annual management report?
>
> Senior Minister of State (National Development) Grace Fu said yesterday the councils could consider such financial incentives. But she stressed: “I think residents should recognise that if they play their part to keep the town clean and easy to maintain … it will result in more sustainable conservancy charges going forward.”
>
> MPs Today spoke to did not think that incentives and rebates were the most effective ways to motivate residents.
>
> Pasir Ris-Punggol Town Council vice-chairman Teo Ser Luck said any incentive would be one-off and “if you’re motivated by money, what happens when the money is taken away”. He said “it’s more important to recognise residents who have done their part” and suggested certificates could be given out.
>
> Jurong Town Council chairman Halimah Yacob said it would be difficult to decide on a financial incentive and the residents to deserve it. “How much do we need to give residents to get them to cooperate?” she wondered. “How do we decide who has contributed to keeping the place clean?”
>
> Mdm Halimah suggested awards can be given to residents if they need encouragement.
>
> Ms Fu also said Town Councils have reflected concerns about arrears management, one of the indicators used in the management report.
>
> As the councils have different starting points and local circumstances, Ms Fu reiterated that the report is a discussion platform that serves as “a basis for them to improve their performance and how they should manage their town better”.
>
> “The idea is not to nit-pick,” she said.
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Raky,
Cos we r graded as “LESSER MORTALS”.
Singapore starting to have ‘caste’ system.
Sorry, BUT if u r graded as “LESSER MORTALS”, u r an ‘UNTOUCHABLE’.
That’s why the elite MPs don’t help “LESSER MORTALS?”.
Instead they bring them to court for not able to pay SnC charges, NOT IMPORTANT that one is UNEMPLOYED n DISABLED.
http://www.temasekreview.com/2009/09/30/town-council-took-unemployed-man-to-court-for-sc-arrears/
AND DONT ANSWER EMAIL WHEN TOLD DISABLED N NEEDY PEOPLE NEEDS HELP.
http://happyangelclub.wordpress.com/
Are the SW CDC/Boon Lay MP & grassroots perform their duties for their needy citizens?
On September 08, 2009 , I wrote an email (subject:
A handicap case for your attention) to Boon Lay MP Ms Ho Gek Choo.
No any response from her.
On September 13, 2009 :
Subject: urgent! -mail from Jane-Fw: A handicap case for your attention
Dear MP Ms Ho Gek Choo,
Sorry, this is Jane again.
As I have not received your reply of the below email. Thus I resend it to you again.
Hope to hear from you soon.
Thanks and Regards
Jane Lim
On September 22, 2009 I wrote email to SWCDC Manager (Social Assistance).
No any response yet.
QUOTE -
Raky on Fri, 25th Sep 2009 5:03 pm
So clever of Cynthia to quotes one example from thousands of those affected – no brainer as to either pay or go hungry !
How callous to serve demand letters when the household is already without basic electricity and water with their kids studying in the corridor lights !
This is like rubbing salts into wounds ! Disgusting !
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