"AHPETC hires external accounting firm to clean up earlier audits - CNA 02 May 2015
SINGAPORE: The Aljunied-Hougang-Punggol East Town Council (AHPETC) has appointed an external accounting firm to assist in cleaning up its earlier accounts, the Town Council’s chairman Sylvia Lim announced on its website on Saturday (May 2).
The accounting firm will also "give advice on strengthening its internal controls and processes in financial management, and on internal audit matters", it added.
AHPETC also said it is "working hard" on completing its annual audits, "with a view to filing our audited FY 2013/14 accounts by 30 June 2015 and FY 2014/15 accounts by 31 August 2015"."
It is heartening to read the statement from AHPETC on the controversial issue of its financial governance. It has been long time coming. Also at a time when the rush following the passing of our late ex-PM/SM/MM Lee is dying down, and the stirs created when some PAP activists printed and distributed flyers to ask AHPETC residents to take up the case with the WP MPs.
Lessons for me are:
1. it is better late than never though most observers would have preferred the AHPETC to respond earlier. Maybe it is just as well; as when emotions are running high, it is difficult to get people to listen carefully and rationally!;
2. it is also a pragmatic issue as governance and finances are not really the expertise that most residents have nor pay close attention to in their daily lives. In their daily lives, it is more important that the physical facilities and amenities work in their estates. e.g. the lifts work, the rubbishes get cleaned up, etc. Nevertheless, the longer term effect of a poorly run TC WILL eventually impact the residents. So, maybe that's what the AHPETC WP MPs had prioritised? Continued the good estate maintenance first and fix the financial governance issue in due course;
3. now that the opposition party managed to find qualified professional accounting and auditing firms to help them, hopefully the initial shocks of handing-taking-over of TC work whenever there are change of political party MPs after GE, will not be repeated in the future.
With this trying time, maybe it is really the case of: if it does not kill you, it makes you stronger. An unintended consequence from the ruling party's tactics of making the residents feel the heat when they vote for a change of MPs who will have to take care of running a TC too?
Whatever it may be, it is important to note that there ARE qualified people who ARE WILLING to work with the opposition party in Singapore. This is critical as Singapore really need to have MORE people believing that the ruling party in the government WILL NOT put obstacles to deter NORMAL COMMERCIAL contacts with opposition party. After all, the government's first and primary duty is to SERVE the People of Singapore regardless of political affiliation or allegiance. This will promote the continuing maturing of Singapore political landscape and strengthen the concept of multi-parties democracy.
May AHPETC continue to clean up and give what its residents deserve - clean, efficient and effective TC management, besides a different political voice in the parliament.
Kudos to the ruling party too for asking those pointed but necessary question to raise the standard of governance by the opposition party.
SINGAPORE: The Aljunied-Hougang-Punggol East Town Council (AHPETC) has appointed an external accounting firm to assist in cleaning up its earlier accounts, the Town Council’s chairman Sylvia Lim announced on its website on Saturday (May 2).
The accounting firm will also "give advice on strengthening its internal controls and processes in financial management, and on internal audit matters", it added.
AHPETC also said it is "working hard" on completing its annual audits, "with a view to filing our audited FY 2013/14 accounts by 30 June 2015 and FY 2014/15 accounts by 31 August 2015"."
It is heartening to read the statement from AHPETC on the controversial issue of its financial governance. It has been long time coming. Also at a time when the rush following the passing of our late ex-PM/SM/MM Lee is dying down, and the stirs created when some PAP activists printed and distributed flyers to ask AHPETC residents to take up the case with the WP MPs.
Lessons for me are:
1. it is better late than never though most observers would have preferred the AHPETC to respond earlier. Maybe it is just as well; as when emotions are running high, it is difficult to get people to listen carefully and rationally!;
2. it is also a pragmatic issue as governance and finances are not really the expertise that most residents have nor pay close attention to in their daily lives. In their daily lives, it is more important that the physical facilities and amenities work in their estates. e.g. the lifts work, the rubbishes get cleaned up, etc. Nevertheless, the longer term effect of a poorly run TC WILL eventually impact the residents. So, maybe that's what the AHPETC WP MPs had prioritised? Continued the good estate maintenance first and fix the financial governance issue in due course;
3. now that the opposition party managed to find qualified professional accounting and auditing firms to help them, hopefully the initial shocks of handing-taking-over of TC work whenever there are change of political party MPs after GE, will not be repeated in the future.
With this trying time, maybe it is really the case of: if it does not kill you, it makes you stronger. An unintended consequence from the ruling party's tactics of making the residents feel the heat when they vote for a change of MPs who will have to take care of running a TC too?
Whatever it may be, it is important to note that there ARE qualified people who ARE WILLING to work with the opposition party in Singapore. This is critical as Singapore really need to have MORE people believing that the ruling party in the government WILL NOT put obstacles to deter NORMAL COMMERCIAL contacts with opposition party. After all, the government's first and primary duty is to SERVE the People of Singapore regardless of political affiliation or allegiance. This will promote the continuing maturing of Singapore political landscape and strengthen the concept of multi-parties democracy.
May AHPETC continue to clean up and give what its residents deserve - clean, efficient and effective TC management, besides a different political voice in the parliament.
Kudos to the ruling party too for asking those pointed but necessary question to raise the standard of governance by the opposition party.
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