Red Dot United leader questions public spending accountability

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Ravi Philemon, Secretary General of Red Dot United, has raised concerns about accountability and efficient use of public funds in town council management.

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Writing on Facebook on 5 January 2025, Philemon cited specific incidents to illustrate how minor mistakes could escalate into significant costs borne by residents.

Philemon began by highlighting a resident’s report of an upside-down Christmas banner near Block 501 in Jurong West. Although the banner was eventually removed, he questioned how such an oversight could persist for weeks without detection.

He criticised the lack of supervision by town council contractors and the apparent inattention of grassroots leaders.

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This incident, he argued, symbolised a broader issue. Philemon linked the oversight to a potential lack of capacity among Members of Parliament (MPs) in Jurong Group Representation Constituency (GRC), which has been operating with one fewer MP since Tharman Shanmugaratnam vacated his seat to assume the presidency.

“Is it fair to expect the remaining MPs to carry the load of five?” he asked, questioning whether MPs were sufficiently engaged with residents on the ground to address such concerns.

Philemon argued that while the banner incident might seem trivial, such mistakes contribute to unnecessary wastage. He expanded on this point by referencing a recent apology from Oxford Graphic Printers for an error in the Tamil translation in a Tampines Town Council calendar.

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Such mistakes, he asserted, could have been avoided through proper proofreading by individuals proficient in Singapore’s four national languages.

These issues come against a backdrop of rising Service and Conservancy Charges (S&CC). Philemon pointed out that all 15 People’s Action Party (PAP) town councils have increased S&CC rates since July 2023, with HDB residents seeing hikes ranging from $0.70 to $7.90 per month.

A further increase of S$1 to S$9.10 per month is slated for July 2024, ostensibly to cope with rising operational costs.

Philemon criticised this trend, asserting that residents are justified in demanding better accountability for how public funds are spent. He emphasised that these “small mistakes,” such as misprinted calendars or improperly hung banners, may appear insignificant in isolation but collectively contribute to financial inefficiencies passed on to residents through higher charges.

The Red Dot United leader concluded by highlighting the broader implications of these lapses. “These may seem like small mistakes, but they reflect a bigger problem,” he wrote, warning of a “worrying lack of care” from elected MPs toward their constituencies.

Philemon called for elected officials to prioritise genuine engagement with residents to prevent small errors from escalating into widespread discontent.



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