SINGAPORE — Parliament has called on the Aljunied-Hougang Town Council (AHTC) to remove Members of Parliament (MPs) Sylvia Lim and Low Thia Khiang of the Workers’ Party (WP) from any financial responsibilities relating to the town council. This came after a four-hour debate over a motion tabled by Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat on Tuesday (Nov 5).

The debate saw several Cabinet ministers and MPs from the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) spar with WP MPs over a motion that stemmed from a High Court judgement last month.

With the debate veering at times into technical legal details from the lengthy AHTC trial, WP chief Pritam Singh — who was also one of the defendants in the court case — ultimately called for a division, which is a procedure to record how each MP present would vote.

A total of 52 PAP MPs and Nominated MPs (NMPs) voted in support of the motion, nine WP MPs and Non-Constituency MPs voted against it, and two NMPs abstained from voting.

The judgement by Justice Kannan Ramesh after the AHTC trial was that Ms Lim and Mr Low had breached their fiduciary duties, had been “dishonest and deceptive”, and that the MPs were liable for damages suffered by the AHTC and the Pasir Ris-Punggol Town Council (PRPTC) run by WP at the time.

WP had appointed managing agent and emergency maintenance service provider FM Solutions and Services, which were awarded the position by the town councillors without an open tender.

The next stage of the trial will determine the damages incurred by the breaches, and the court will assess compensation amount owed to AHTC and PRPTC.

In tabling the motion, Mr Heng spoke first, delving into how the whole AHTC episode unfolded and how the WP MPs had “persistently refused over eight years to be transparent about what it had done”.

He said that the matter is of public interest as millions of dollars in public funds were involved, and reiterated several times how Mr Low and Ms Lim attempted to “cover up their wrongdoings”, with their ploy unravelling in court in the end.

He also urged Mr Low and Ms Lim — who is WP’s chairman — to apologise, and said that inaction would imply the WP’s complicity in the wrongdoing. “If the Workers’ Party wants the privilege of representing Singaporeans in Parliament, they cannot be silent on this,” he said.

WP MPS’ RESPONSE

Four WP MPs — Ms Lim, Mr Singh as well as Mr Png Eng Huat and AHTC chairman Faisal Manap — sought clarifications from Mr Heng and other speakers. Mr Low, who is a former WP chief, did not speak.

The WP MPs said that the motion was “hurried and premature”, arguing that they had a window until next Monday to file an appeal against the court judgement. Ms Lim said that WP has examined the judgement and will be appealing against it.

Giving his backing to the two veteran WP leaders, Mr Singh credited Ms Lim for turning AHTC’s financial situation around and stressed the importance of tapping Mr Low’s experience in running a town council. Mr Low was an MP for Hougang from 1991 to 2011.

Mr Singh also said that the timing of Mr Heng’s motion is “highly unusual for a legal system that places an exacting premium on the rule of law as a defining characteristic of the country”.

He called on the PAP to “explain truthfully" what is its motive in filing this motion before the case is concluded.

During the debate, Mr Heng also pressed Mr Faisal to make a decision on Ms Lim and Mr Low.

Ms Lim is AHTC vice-chairman and heads the town council’s finance and investment committee, while Mr Low is an elected member of the town council and a member of its estate and community liaison committee.

Mr Heng said: “(Ms Lim and Mr Low) have to be accountable to this House for the findings the High Court has made, and that must be doubly so when you are dealing with millions of dollars of public funds. I would like to ask the town council chairman what is your view of this matter… you have to decide.”

Speaking in Malay, Mr Faisal said that he would not support the motion as he had known both Mr Low and Ms Lim since 2006, and had served in the same Group Representation Constituency (GRC) since 2011.

“I have full confidence and trust in them and I believe and trust their decisions… they have acted in good faith for the people of Aljunied and Hougang,” he said.

He added two other reasons for not supporting the motion: An independent panel which AHTC appointed to review auditor reports had not given him any advice since the judgement was released, and that WP will be filing an appeal against the judgement.

Responding to Mr Faisal, Mr Edwin Tong, Senior Minister of State for Law and Health, said that even teachers who have been found to have done something wrong will not be allowed to teach until they clear their names.

“Can (Mr Faisal) explain why is it not appropriate for actions you can take now that can safeguard and ensure that your residents’ interest comes first?” Mr Tong asked.

Mr Faisal said that as AHTC chairman, he has to “wait and evaluate” the best action for the residents, taking into account the mandate given to the elected WP MPs of the 2015 General Election to manage their town. “It would be improper for me to cancel this mandate,” he said, reiterating that he did not support the motion.

Other PAP political office holders — including Mr Zaqy Mohamed, Minister of State for Manpower and National Development, as well as Ms Sun Xueling, Senior Parliamentary Secretary of National Development and Home Affairs — repeated Mr Heng’s call for transparency as well as actions from the WP MPs to safeguard public funds pending their appeal against the court findings.

Potong Pasir MP Sitoh Yih Pin alluded to WP’s defence during the court case that it had “acted in good faith” after the handover of Aljunied GRC from the PAP to the WP in 2011. He spoke about the “daunting task” he faced as MP after taking over the Potong Pasir single-seat ward the same year from veteran opposition politician Chiam See Tong.

Two out of nine NMPs also spoke about the issue. They abstained from the motion as they were “uncomfortable” about the timing and the political overtones.

'PRESERVE CLEAN POLITICS'

Wrapping up the debate, Mr Heng questioned if WP still stands for transparency and accountability.

Among other things, he said he was disappointed that Ms Lim had “chosen to hide behind the ongoing appeal”.

“We may differ on where we stand on many issues, but at least we always assume that we have at least agreed on the nature of politics we should have in Singapore," Mr Heng said.

“After all, would the WP not agree that maintaining high standards of integrity and accountability are at the core of a ‘First World Parliament’?” he asked, using a WP slogan. “Or have you forgotten about 'First World Parliament'?”

“My question is a very simple one... What’s the right thing to do for members of the Workers’ Party? I think members of this House know the answer. Members of the Workers’ Party know in their hearts the answers.”

Mr Heng urged WP members and AHTC to “reflect very carefully” on the debate in Parliament as well as what has happened to the town council, “despite your recalcitrant stand today”.

“I urge members of this House to take a stand on this motion in the interest of preserving clean politics in Singapore,” he said.