Singaporean and TOC writer, Gilbert Goh, has set up a Facebook group and an online petition calling for town councils (TCs) to provide more transparency in their financial dealings.
“More transparency [is] needed from all town councils on the investible profit/loss statement all these years other than those listed in the annual financial statement,” the petition says. “We prefer a clearer detailed reporting.”
It also asks the TCs to give residents more say on whether they want to limit the current investible amount of the TCs’ sinking funds into risky investment from the current 35%.
“We are clearly uncomfortable with the investment into risky instruments however small it is.”
The petition wants town councils to adopt a more consultative approach on how the estates are managed as well.
In the Facebook group, Mr Goh asks if residents are over-paying service & conservancy fees when the TCs have “a $2 billion surplus”.
”Should the advisory committee sitting on town councils includes residents other than those appointed by the winning elected MPs?” he asks.
You can sign the petition here.
Join the Facebook group here.
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Read about town councils’ investments on TOC here.
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PAP will be tracking the identities of all those who join the Facebook group. ;)
1)hansolo
Is ok for we are open and transparent.
Thanks.
The palpit must cease and then only can …..achieve something.
The palpit must cease
The palpit must cease
The palpit must cease
The palpit must cease
The palpit must cease
The palpit must cease!!!!!!!
thank you gilbert!
If you want transparency, unfortunately, you have to see if you can obtain them legally or that the Town Councils have the legal obligation to release them.
Because if I’m running the Town Council, I’ll just say,”All these online petitions are useless. So what if I don’t want to be transparent? They can’t do anything anyway, legally, that is.”
There doesn’t seem to be any incentive to be transparent, even if they are friends of yours.
just vote wisely next time.
To hansolo,
If Pap tracks our identities in Face Bk, then it operates like Gastapo. So what if they track us, bring us to jail lor
Hansolo,
I bet you are not one of them facebook people. I must admire your courage.
i doubt PAP is so free to track pple and bloggers. LOL
Kudos to Gilbert for doing this on behalf of the People, apathetic ones included.
Thanks Gilbert for taking the initiative for setting up a FB group so that people can addressed their concerns regarding the issue of Town Council funds. Hansolo, there is nothing wrong with being identified for having concerns and wanting more transparency.
We should actually take this opportunity to voice our inquiries on Town Councils’ operations and management. The issues here seem to be that people are worried about fund mismanagement and the lack of residents’ participation in decision making. While some of us may have doubt whether the Town Councils have been working wholeheartedly for the residents after this incident, we must remain objective and not discredit the effort that the Town Councils had made.
Dear Gilbert Goh;
You have perform a good deed!!!
Greatly appreciated.
Yours Humbly:
patriot
Hi All.
Thanks for your appreciation and kind thoughts.
I can see that some are daring and sign the peition (to date only less than 80) and many are keeping a distance here.
There is still this climate of fear here as seen by some posts.
I don’t blame you as before I started this online petition, I also fear for my safety and family.
Will we now be marked for death and all my phones will be tapped by the secret agents?
Will I be arrested once I return to Singapore?
Perhaps, all those arrests make on CSY and party really have a dampening effect on dissident voices.
Once can imagine the real fear when Singaporeans step up and be counted when they take to the election polls. That is why I always salute those who are standing up for election even though he is not so capable or educated as pronounced. At least he dared. How many of us even have that faintest thought to do so?
Thanks again for those who signed the petition as you dare to take this small step to democracy. I hope that this small step will push you on to do great things for our country.
I asked an old camp mate recently how he finds about singapore and the recent issues.
He said he still supports them regardless of the issues.
I fear than people are choosing based on preference and not how to make things better. In current situation, how to make things better?
That is SAD. I think many are like him. If keep choosing the stronger, how to make the stronger improve? If keep denying the weaker, how will there ever be 2 strong ones? I feel sad because I feel that we should help to create a check and balance system. We should look at it from a national perspective.
The effort that Gilbert and TOC had put in is laudable. It is indeed sad to see only few responded so far given the fact that there are many of us who regularly visited this site, rant about wanting changes for more transparency and accountability, yet this noble effort receive such cold shoulder (not even luke warm).
Here’s my suggestion. May be each one of us who are still contemplating whether to sign this petition please replicate the invite email as given by Gilbert and send to at least 10 of your friends and request them to do the same for the sake of the betterment of TC management. Even at the end of the day, if you decided not to sign this petition (you are not obliged to), you have at least done a good deed by spreading the message to your friends and colleagues.
Many had already commented about the handling of the TCs. It is not so much of the lost investment albeit the sum is no small feat, it is about how they shroud their shoulders and ignore the fact that they should be held accountable to the constituents who had made monthly Service & Conservancy Charges. Constituents should let their TC know that this practice is not to be advocated.
Some fear that the Government will track the names who participated whether in the FaceBook Group or people who had signed the petition. I seriously question what’s so wrong about this? We did nothing illegal and if we wouldn’t give a hoot to what happen to this nation (our beloved country), we shouldn’t be even bother to make any comments here, the MSM or anywhere in the blogospace. The matter that you come in to this site to comment (whether to rant or give constructive suggestions or solutions), you have subconsciously wanting to make a difference and wanted your voice to be heard. I would certainly like to encourage you to may be taking a further small steps, your effort will not be wasted. Yes, no doubt, ultimately, the petition may or may not have any effect, but I think our voices are not totally being ignored.
Please remember that you are Singaporeans as well. If we fellow Singaporeans (including the PRs) do not help each other, no one ever will. Even if you have migrated and become other country’s citizen, please remember, your birth place is still Singapore. This will not change.
I agree with #15) Observer (SG-HK) that singaporeans are too smart and net savvy to want to risk exposing their identities in the name of fighting for info disclosure.
We are practical people. Extremely practical in fact.
Money comes 1st. eg. Rice bowl. Ideals are less important.
Gilbert, I applaud your effort. I support your idea. However, I believe we need to face the issue of fear that many have about possibility of identities being disclosed. This has to be addressed completely before we can get results.
Someone has ever proposed a way to petition without having to disclose identities and yet guaranteeing the integrity of the petition by ensuring that each signature is uniquely tied to a citizen.
TOC tried to get people to disclose their identities for TKL petition.
Gilbert tried the get people to petition via facebook.
Both petitions will work in USA. Not in Singapore, imho.
The root problem is not tackled.
While I support the motive behind these petitions, I have to disagree with the implementation and am convinced there are ALTERNATIVE ways to get this thing done anonymously.
I urge more attention be paid on the Sensitivity of Singaporeans.
We are Singaporeans, please.
There is also no way to guarantee the integrity of the signatures.
For example,
1. anyone with the info can write the names , address and tel number or email of anyone and sign on the petition. Who validates the signature? Who can guarantee that the person who signs the petition is providing 100% accurate and truthful info?
yes, the root problem is not addressed. Nothing will work.
The results so far, speaks louder than words and speaks for themselves.
SAD.
As much as I would be willing to join that Facebook group (and equally willing to put forth my real name – which I’ve always been using here at TOC), there is just one minor problem: I don’t have a Facebook account, and I doubt I’ll be getting one anytime soon.
Thanks Oberver for your positive comments and others for bravely your fears. I don’t deny that they don’t exist.
I understand how you feel as we all operate in a climate of fear here. We are afriad of being tracked by the authorities if we appeared dissident.
The online petition itself inherently needs an email address though they will not appear on the signature page when clicked for all to view. It is kept with the main system – the one who designed the online petition free site.
Frankly, I can see their justification in wanting signors to provide their email accounts as if not one person can put in one hundred different names in one go if the email account is not required. It is more for accountability purpose than recording function.
Singaporeans have always operate in this climate of fear and that is why we always go to opposition rallies, cried out in loud that we supported them and the next day voted for the ruling party when we see a serial number on the vote poll form.
My question is are we that fearful and self centred that we only care for ourselves? Don’t we do things beyond our selfish self? Do we care for our children and their children too when we cast that vote?
Things only change at the poll – there is no two way about it. We can’t demonstrate like the Thais to bring down governance and I am also against this barbaric method of the people power.
If Singaporeans continue to operate the way we do, then we have no right to rant and ask for change. Some of us even fear writing to the press about our concerns. I have at least a hundred letters published in all the major papers and I am still alive and in one piece.
TKL did the right thing by asking for one hundred thousand Singaporeans’ endorsement before he considered going into politics. So far, there are less than 1500 that did it. What happened to the rest of Singaporeans? Don’t they want a change? Who are we kidding ourselves?
I am disappointed at the way our people have acted so timidly and selfishly here.
Unless I see at least a thousand singatures, iwon’t send it to Dr Ho Teo Pin as he and his colleagues will have a good laugh over it. That is why our government has never consider our feelings when they implement their polices as they know that Singaporeans have no spine and the rare few that stand up can be crushed easily as they are only the miniorty few.
Shame on you Singapore.
The govt does not have the manpower to act aggressively against the average Joe who merely signs petition letters. This is why overly stern action taken against a few high profile people like JBJ and CSJ is widely publicised in the govt-back media in order to frighten the average Joe into silence and submission.
If thousands sign the petition, you really think something bad will happen to them? If nothing happened to Mr Tan Kin Lian, Gilbert Goh and those running TOC, why do you think the govt would bother with you, the average Joe?
The petition is too vague. It should be asking for specific items.
Gilbert Goh on December 11th, 2008 1.22 pm:
“Singaporeans have no spine”
“Shame on you Singapore”
“our people have acted so timidly and selfishly here”
Dear Gilbert, although you are free to comment but I find your words too strong. If you are setting up the petitions and FB group for the benefits of Singaporean, why then are you using such words on them? What is your motive? Are you truly concerned that Singaporeans’ money are misused or are you trying to stir up feelings? A true gentleman who acts for everyone’s benefit would not call them “no spine”, “timid and selfish” and a “shame”.
Hi Huang
I apologised if I sounded offensive and harsh in my comments and sincerely asked that you or other readers forgive me here.
Thank you.
You will get nothing from us. We have told our readers not to respond to this.
When a man demands to know the telephone of a girl like a debt collector, how does he come across, I wonder?
A wise man will never do that. Only a desperate and stupid man will do such a thing. And is it so surprising that when he fails he rents out his frustration that the world doesnt understand him.
A wise man will be patient and let the woman do all the work and when she finally comes bfr him, he will simply yawn.
It takes wisdom to know this, so pls dont go around calling ppl stupid, you are the stupid one.
This is elementary, simple even, it embarrasses me to even have to point it out to you!
SD
You make me wonder abt your motive. Maybe you are not well suited for his job Gilbert. Maybe your bosses need to replace you?
What do you think? I would have asked you Gilbert, but judging from your response, you may just be a pawn in the scheme of things.
You must think everyone in the internet is stupid. Let me tell you and your bosses one thing.
We are not.
The boycott stands
SD
20) Faircomment on December 11th, 2008 3.54 pm
Like it or not, fear is real.
Unfortunately to say that it is only natural that fear once planted is very difficult to be exorcized. This is one ghost that will live in a lot of us. The system in the past was not ashamed to has created this into its people.
You have to ask those people up there whether this is healthy for the people. They have to ask themselves whether it is good for the general population to be empowered on the national affairs of the country or only a selected few to be empowered with the rest playing a minor role of robots.
The people who built should take the trouble to dismantle it. One thing is clear, it cannot be had for on the cheap.
This is not how the story of life is written.
Only stupid ppl like Gilbert and his bosses believe that we will all run on a whim and a fancy.
You must be kidding me. You have to be. Otherwise why r u so frustrated that your plans have turned to mud?
SD
28) singaporedaddy on December 11th, 2008 7.27 pm
Let it rest. Apology has already been tendered. Apologies are hard to come by these days, sometimes even in the presence of blatant wrong.
You are one maestro of words and language, if you know what I mean.
Gilbert,
you understand singaporeans very well.
when they see the serial number….. sigh…
this why, i feel that TOC and yourself may not get the successful results you deserve due to this mentality.
likewise, i do not feel that apathetic people understands the good intentions and kind effort put in by TOC and yourself and all volunteers involved in the background. Sometimes, i feel so sad and disappointed about the pathetic situation that i feel not all deserve to be helped.
just bluntly speaking my mind.
Hi All
Thanks for all your posts.
I appreciate them all and respect your posts.
I have done the online petition on my own and no one has coerced me to do so.
I will probably think of other ways to get the publicity here besides TOC.
Of course I am disappointed at the poor response and I apologised for the outburst. Maybe I expected too much from the readers here.
Going forward, I will probably need to be clearer in my approach and this is a good test case so call.
I will not respond from now on to any other posts questioning on my intention and certainly not to others calling me names.
Thanks all to others for your support. I am glad many have emailed me to support this cause. I hope that with the little support we get we will help build a better Singapore.
To Singaporedaddy: Gilbert has already made a wise decision to post an apology to those SIngaporeans he called names like “shame”, “timid” and “no spine”. Please do not flame him anymore. Gilbert has made a 180 degree change in tone after the apology.
We hope that this petition is not something personal. It is disappointing for someone to ride on this Town Council incident to garner support for his personal aim and feud. Of course, there may be no need to question one’s motive anymore when it is clear from one’s reaction and response. It is up to individual’s interpretation.
To Singaporedaddy:
Gilbert has already made a wise decision to post an apology to those SIngaporeans he called names like “shame”, “timid” and “no spine”. Please do not flame him anymore. Gilbert has made a 180 degree change in tone after the apology.
We hope that this petition is not something personal. It is disappointing for someone to ride on this Town Council incident to garner support for his personal aim and feud. Of course, there may be no need to question one’s motive anymore when it is clear from one’s reaction and response. It is up to individual’s interpretation.
aiyoyo
wikipedia : “Investment or investing[1] is a term with several closely-related meanings in business management, finance and economics,
related to saving or deferring consumption.
Investment is the choice by the individual to risk his savings with the hope of gain. Rather than store the good produced, or its money equivalent, the investor chooses to use that good either to create a durable consumer or producer good, or to lend the original saved good to another in exchange for either interest
or a share of the profits.”
is the investments made by those ELITEs earning?
not sure why those PEOPLE are termed ELITEs if their work done/investment do
not fulfil the meaning of ‘investment’???
aiyoyo
Hi Huang
Thanks for your kind understanding and support.
Take heart Gilbert. I have always called for patience and it remains the same. We need passion, committment, lots of hearts and souls but all these become nothing without patience.
36)Gemami
Thanks for your support and kind words. I appreciate it.
The battle sometimes can be lonely and you feel unappreciated/misunderstood.
But don’t worry I will fight on for more transparency and accountability on our town councils’ investment.
Already, in today’s ST, two town councils are showing their cards and reporting more details into their investment.
Perhaps, what we have done here have produce some effect already.
Once again, thanks for your support.
Yes – Town Council need to account for how they spend our money. Maybe the most effective way to get TC to have more transparency is this: All of us collectively stop paying our conservancy fee for a few months and I’m sure they will address our concerns in no time.