PAP mulls over merger of Punggol East, Pasir Ris-Punggol town councils
Mr Chong said his priority is to sort out the town council issues. Photo: Robin Choo
SINGAPORE — Having wrested back the Punggol East ward from the Opposition, the ruling party is now considering whether to merge Punggol East Town Council with adjacent Pasir Ris-Punggol Town Council, as newly elected Punggol East Member of Parliament Charles Chong sets out to get its town council accounts in order
Speaking to the media before his walkabout to thank residents yesterday, Mr Chong said his priority is to sort out the town council issues, which could involve “taking them (the accounts) out of one town council, possibly merging it with the former town council (Pasir Ris-Punggol) which they were in” to know exactly where they stand and how much they can spend.
“We don’t want to prolong this process, we want to get it over and done with as quickly as possible so that we can really get down to working on the town improvement projects,” he said before adding that it typically takes about three months to do a handover.
Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean, who helms the People’s Action Party (PAP) team of candidates that captured the Pasir Ris-Punggol Group Representative Constituency, said that there has been a discussion with Mr Chong and the priority is to ensure that the existing town council lives up to its obligations to deliver services to residents there until the handover takes place.
On the possibility of merging the two town councils, Mr Teo said they will have to study the issues first. “Certainly we will reap the economies of scale of working with Pasir Ris-Punggol. Whether we eventually merge all the accounts will have to depend on the state of the accounts and when they are ready to be done,” he added.
Mr Chong reiterated the same point yesterday, adding that Punggol East will need to have a clean set of accounts first. “If necessary, we will hold separate accounts until we resolve all these issues,” he said.
He added: “It’s better to be with a town council (where) everything is in order, accounts are also reliable and then we can continue restoring services like what it was before.”
The PAP veteran regained the Opposition ward held by the Workers’ Party’s (WP) Lee Li Lian by a slim margin, garnering 51.76 per cent of votes. Ms Lee held the ward for just over two-and-a-half years following a by-election in 2013 when she defeated Dr Koh Poh Koon of the PAP.
Asked about how Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong had pointed out that he was particularly satisfied with reclaiming Punggol East, Mr Chong said he felt apprehensive instead, because he has “so much more to do”.
This includes starting his Meet-the-People Sessions (MPS) today, when he expects a big number to turn up. He also noted that Punggol East has expanded and, if necessary, will open another centre for the sessions.
Adding that he was not really surprised by the results, Mr Chong said: “By whatever margin, if I win, it is 100 per cent my responsibility. I cannot say because I won by 51 per cent I take 51 per cent of responsibility, that’s not how it works.”
