Reading PAP’s Desmond Lee’s response to Silvia Lim about AHPETC brought one thing to mind – that we live in a fine city – by that I mean, we are compliant because being non-compliant can land us in trouble and it often comes with a hefty fine.
Try defaulting the town council fees for a month and you’ll get a belligerent letter from one of the lawyers appointed by the town council. And they can make your life a living hell by cancelling your season ticket for the carpark and send you more summons. It is not worth the hassle.
I often think the staff working for town councils are nothing more than robots who are programmed to work in a certain way. They do not have any discretionary powers.
My point is, Desmond’s response reveals their true intention: If you’re unable to keep up with your bills, the town council or your MP is not there to help or assist. Their first knee jerk reaction is to send you a lawyer’s letter. Desmond Lee, in a statement to the media said, “She (Ms Lim) must have the information MND and her residents are seeking. If AHPETC doesn’t know who among its residents and tenants are in arrears, how can it be sending lawyers’ letters of demand to them…”
This reminds me of the joke that went around in the eighties: PAP stands for Pay and Pay, while WP stands for Why Pay?
It turns out a good proportion of the residents of Aljunied, by defaulting on their payments, are asking the town council, why pay? It is a fair question, is the town council there to make a profit or does it exist to provide an infrastructure and support services?