I didn’t check the figures for accuracy, but I was told they’re accurate.
That’s the gist of what Law Minister K Shanmugam had to say about the table he distributed in parliament on Thursday (12 Feb) showing that the Managing Agent fees AHPETC paid were nearly double the average fees at PAP town councils.
Mr Shanmugam made very strong-worded statements about the had overpaid FMSS by S$1.6 million a year over the past four years, and this table was presented to support his charges.
The problem here: the residential and commercial unit rates which Mr Shanmugam’s chart indicated were the same.
This was pointed out about WP and AHPETC chairman, Sylvia Lim.
Ms Lim added that of the three pages of appendices distributed by Mr Shanmugam, the one detailing various charges by town councils was wrong. The rates for all PAP town councils were residential rates except AHPETC had different rates for residential and commercial properties.
“From what I know, MA rates are usually different from residential units and commercial units,” Ms Lim said. “But in your chart, they are all the same. So I would like minister to clarify that there has been no mistake in this chart and it is really the fact that all this MA are charging the same rates for commercial and residential units because from the data that I have, even the MA for PAP town councils, such as CPG, from the Aljunied town council records that we have, the MA rate for commercial units was 12 dollars and something. So I think minister may want to check his chart.”
Mr Shanmugam later explained that the figures derived were a weighted average, and this was compiled by MND staff.
Simply put, the table doesn’t show a fair comparison between apples and apples, oranges and oranges.
Very unbecoming, certainly as this table was used to attack the WP for its mismanagement of AHPETC funds.
And it casts doubts over the projected S$6 million which the WP is supposed to have overpaid to its managing agent.
Furthermore, this glaring error was made in parliament – the biggest platform for the biggest people in our country to argue like kindergarten kids.
It’s scary that all of our national leaders, whether they’re from the WP or PAP, appear to be making mistakes like this.
And now they’re all getting called out for them.
