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06-08-2014, 12:10 PM
An honorable member of the Coffee Shop Has Just Posted the Following:
Written by Ng E-Jay
06 August 2014
Workers’ Party MP Muhamad Faisal Abdul Manap has apologized for accusations that he made in Parliament against the HDB, because he refused to substantiate his claims by publicly disclosing personal details of those involved.
During the debate on the Family Justice Bill, Mr Faisal had said that when he was a counsellor, a couple approached him for assistance with their housing issues. The couple had allegedly told Faisal that an officer from the HDB advised them to file for divorce, so that the woman would be eligible to purchase a flat under the Singles Scheme. The couple could then subsequently remarry. This accusation, if true, would be very damaging to the integrity of the officer who made the suggestion.
In my opinion, there is no need for Faisal to apologize, as he has a duty to protect the privacy of his residents. It is unfair for the government or the PAP to expect him to make public details that would expose the identities and financial circumstances of the people involved in the HDB transaction.
The matter can be followed in up in private with the HDB, and there will be a record to show that Muhamad Faisal has not made baseless accusations against the HDB.
Mr Faisal said, “It is not my intention to give a negative impression of any of the public services or government offices. I will be more careful in future
and I apologise.”
The fact of the matter is that our public housing system as administered by HDB has huge gaps. First and foremost, the system discriminates against singles and single parents. Single parents should not be ostracized and denied benefits given to other families. They are courageously taking responsibility for a child and choosing to raise the child with their own means despite not having a spouse beside them. Why are we punishing acts of responsibility and courage by discriminatory policies? To appease the conservatives who think that a family without two parents is improper? This is wrong and absurd.
Secondly, the reason why people have housing issues is because there is no job security nowadays, but the cost of public property has risen exponentially. Stagnant incomes coupled with rising property prices are a recipe for disaster. The longer the situation persists, the more there will be cases of default and financial ruin. Owning a home is a fundamental need of every human being. The government has reneged on its responsibility of ensuring that every Singaporean can own a home without going into financial difficulty.
Also, when civil servants have done something wrong, it is the right of Members of Parliament to highlight the issue. The government is trying to cover up the issue by making Faisal breach the privacy of his residents and then castigating him when he refuses to do so.
The government should instead be working with Faisal to resolve the issue. The attitude displayed by the PAP members of parliament (including the Speaker of Parliament) in castigating Faisal is the wrong attitude. They are evading the problem, not working to resolve it.
The PAP has once again distracted Singaporeans by castigating a member of the opposition for bringing up a problem rather than taking ownership of the issues.
http://www.sgpolitics.net/?p=8883
Click here to view the whole thread at www.sammyboy.com (http://sammyboy.com/showthread.php?187319-Why-Faisal-should-not-have-bowed-to-Halimah-amp-PAP-MPs-bad-behaviour&goto=newpost).
Written by Ng E-Jay
06 August 2014
Workers’ Party MP Muhamad Faisal Abdul Manap has apologized for accusations that he made in Parliament against the HDB, because he refused to substantiate his claims by publicly disclosing personal details of those involved.
During the debate on the Family Justice Bill, Mr Faisal had said that when he was a counsellor, a couple approached him for assistance with their housing issues. The couple had allegedly told Faisal that an officer from the HDB advised them to file for divorce, so that the woman would be eligible to purchase a flat under the Singles Scheme. The couple could then subsequently remarry. This accusation, if true, would be very damaging to the integrity of the officer who made the suggestion.
In my opinion, there is no need for Faisal to apologize, as he has a duty to protect the privacy of his residents. It is unfair for the government or the PAP to expect him to make public details that would expose the identities and financial circumstances of the people involved in the HDB transaction.
The matter can be followed in up in private with the HDB, and there will be a record to show that Muhamad Faisal has not made baseless accusations against the HDB.
Mr Faisal said, “It is not my intention to give a negative impression of any of the public services or government offices. I will be more careful in future
and I apologise.”
The fact of the matter is that our public housing system as administered by HDB has huge gaps. First and foremost, the system discriminates against singles and single parents. Single parents should not be ostracized and denied benefits given to other families. They are courageously taking responsibility for a child and choosing to raise the child with their own means despite not having a spouse beside them. Why are we punishing acts of responsibility and courage by discriminatory policies? To appease the conservatives who think that a family without two parents is improper? This is wrong and absurd.
Secondly, the reason why people have housing issues is because there is no job security nowadays, but the cost of public property has risen exponentially. Stagnant incomes coupled with rising property prices are a recipe for disaster. The longer the situation persists, the more there will be cases of default and financial ruin. Owning a home is a fundamental need of every human being. The government has reneged on its responsibility of ensuring that every Singaporean can own a home without going into financial difficulty.
Also, when civil servants have done something wrong, it is the right of Members of Parliament to highlight the issue. The government is trying to cover up the issue by making Faisal breach the privacy of his residents and then castigating him when he refuses to do so.
The government should instead be working with Faisal to resolve the issue. The attitude displayed by the PAP members of parliament (including the Speaker of Parliament) in castigating Faisal is the wrong attitude. They are evading the problem, not working to resolve it.
The PAP has once again distracted Singaporeans by castigating a member of the opposition for bringing up a problem rather than taking ownership of the issues.
http://www.sgpolitics.net/?p=8883
Click here to view the whole thread at www.sammyboy.com (http://sammyboy.com/showthread.php?187319-Why-Faisal-should-not-have-bowed-to-Halimah-amp-PAP-MPs-bad-behaviour&goto=newpost).