Open letter to PA’s CEO Mr Tan Boon Huat on MM Lee’s remarks that all grassroots organizations are part of the PAP
January 6th, 2010 | 
Author: Mr Tan Boon Huat
Chief Executive Officer
People’s Association
Dear Mr Tan,
RE: MM LEE’S REMARKS ON GRASSROOTS ORGANIZATIONS BEING PART OF PAP
We refer to the following remarks made by the Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew which were published in the Straits Times on 30 December 2009:
“They discover that the People’s Action Party (PAP) has only a small office in Bedok. But everywhere they go, they see the PAP – in the RCs (residents’ committees), CCCs (citizens’ consultative committees), and the CCs (community clubs).”
[Source: Straits Times, 30 December 2009]
MM Lee was commenting on the Chinese officials who have been sent to Singapore to study how he ran his country.
The above statement seems to imply that the PAP is in control of all the grassroots organizations in Singapore – the RCs, CCCs and CCs.
According to information posted on its website, the People’s Association (PA) was established as a statutory board on 1 July 1960 to promote racial harmony and social cohesion.
Nowhere was it mentioned that the PA is somewhat involved with the PAP, a political party.
As the PA is supposedly a non-partisan and apolitical organization, MM Lee’s words are befuddling.
Since it is impossible to get MM Lee to clarify his statement, we have to trouble you to clarify the following questions:
1. Are the RCs, CCCs and CCs open to all Singaporeans or only PAP members?
2. Are they funded by taxpayers’ monies or the PAP itself?
3. Is there an unwritten rule within the PA that most, if not all heads of these grassroots organizations should be card-carrying members of the PAP?
4. Are personnel from grassroots organizations mobilized for PAP events such as its ministerial meetings with residents?
5. Are they also roped in to help the PAP’s campaign in the community during the general elections?
6. Are volunteers spending their time to help the community or to promote the PAP to the community?
We noticed that the PA’s board of directors consist of a few ministers such as Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office Mr Lim Boon Heng.
Is it therefore correct to say that the People’s Association is controlled by the PAP and cannot be trusted to discharge its manifold duties impartially to all Singaporeans without prejudice to the PAP’s own partisan interest?
It is pertinent that you answer the six questions we pose to you so that Singapore taxpayers will have a better idea where their contributions to the PA are going to.
At the same time, new volunteers should be aware of what they are in for when they sign up to join a grassroots organization.
Are they really serving the community or end up providing free manpower to the PAP unwittingly?
With warm regards,
The Temasek Review Team
Posted in Opinion
28 Responses to “Open letter to PA’s CEO Mr Tan Boon Huat on MM Lee’s remarks that all grassroots organizations are part of the PAP”
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I thought it was the other way around. As you know, our local press likes to trumpet that old man.
The China Communist Party, CCP, was already putting into practice people politics when they started the Long March from 1934 to 1936 when they won over the peasants during this long campaign of retreat when they transversed the land.
Also during the civil war period of China from 1946 to 1950 the CCP were very successful in recruiting peasants around the country with their massive propaganda. So you see CCP’s outreach program was a whole lot more interactive in engaging their citizens to take up arms & fight for nationalism to create an independent country free from colonial ties.
He always like to make sure Spore teaches others, not the way around.
If the PA is being funded by public fund which come from tax payer’s money and it is used to support PAP activities, does it sound right?
Suppose if you donate money to a man to give his poor family a treat, he gives it to his mistress to have lavish dinner, is there anything wrong? Since the money is given to the man, it has now become his money, how he spends it is non of the giver business. At most you can say it is unethical.
Should we come to know that it is true then please stop giving the man anymore money from now on. Then again it cannot be done. The mistress disagrees. She is the holder of the key to all the monies.
What can you do about it?
Vote the opposition to deal with these folks, that is going through the proper channel. Are we ready?
TR must be like alex tan who was not afraid write in to government using his name and ic number. will TR team be prepared to put down their real details? will TR publish this comment
To talk about accountablity and ethics is easy. Behind the scenes it appears like PAP members are exploiting the gaps in the system to serve themselves and their cronies. Nepotism,cronyism are cancerous and will destroy the country in no time.
Vote this unscrupulous people out and put in more opposition members.
i humbly suggest that the PA invites OPPOSITION MPs to sit on its BOARD as this would help to assure citizens that is is non-partisan.
When a particular constituency is led by an OPPOSITION MP,all such related organs should be in-charge by the elected MP without the ruling party’s interference.
there should be mutual trust and respect so that grassroot organisation attract the right kind of volunteers with the right motivation not some “opportunists” scouting for some
pecuniary benefits.
to mature as a truly civilised patriotic nation,we need to first build mutual trust and respect like the REPUBLICANS and DEMOCRATS in the USA or the Labour PARTY and the CONSERVATIVE PARTY in Great Britain.
we are all fellow citizens striving and putting our best foot forward for ourselves,our families and friends and above for
country.
the elites should really not be self-conceited and destroy
the SINGAPORE our forefathers build together with the OLD GUARDS who are truly the real political leaders who SACRIFICED
MUCH for NATION BUILDING.
The best way forward is for the ruling elites to get the inputs from OPPOSITION and true blue citizens so that we could again as ONE NATION proudly sing the ‘MAJU-LAH SINGAPURA’.
CONTD FROM POST @10.34 PM
And the only way real inputs can come form the opposition is for us to vote more of them into Parliament.
To be a progrssive nation into the future,the government engine should be allowed to alternate between ruling party
and the main opposition.
@fair and square on Wed, 6th Jan 2010 11:04 pm
I concur. It is our own fault if all the grassroots organisations ended up to be part of PAP apparatus if we the voters continue to vote in 82 out of 84 MPs into parliament.
Vote in more opposition MPs and then these grassroots organisations will not be able to ignore them. One or two MPs, they can easily ignore.
in a cluster of CCs there is one person called the SCM, or senior consituient manager, i know of one such SCM called Tony whos job he once said is to make sure all the meet the people session by his female PAP MP is run well weekly, and all the necessary PAP activities too. His PB and yearly bonus have gone up to 4 months before. No joke.
do send the letter to PA personally for action.
PA easily spent my tax money and never look after my interest. Now, Mr. Tan will taste the real curry topping on his rice. He will feel a little indigestion later on.
I reluctant to send my children to any PA Community Club’s organising events becos they are too closely associated to PAP.
They are not sincerely doing it for the residents. Its like they are promoting something else and more often, you feel trap like you are attending a multi-level sales function.
Mr. Tan, honestly, we don’t feel relax and comfortable at all.
Without any check and balance, PA got carried away for too long, much too long. Its time for Mr. Tan Boon Huat to refocus and change PA image totally.
Since its fully funded by taxpayers money, Mr. Tan will have to fullfil the people’s wish.
//insider on Thu, 7th Jan 2010 2:10 am
Wow! “Tony whos job he once said is to make sure all the meet the people session by his female PAP MP is run well weekly, and all the necessary PAP activities too. His PB and yearly bonus have gone up to 4 months before.”
Tony can talk only and got 4 months bonus. Did he offer anything else or not?
Maybe someone should get his full name and a photo for us to see how this handsome Tony guy looks like.
My friend used to volunteer for these grassroots activities.
During GE2006, these volunteers went door to door handing out pamplets asking residents to vote. Although they did not explicitly say vote PAP, but they wore white and had to pin the PAP badge on their chest. My friend did not pin the badge and is no longer a volunteer. These things make people uncomfortable, good people don’t volunteer and the community loses out in the end.
Don’t expect any reply from the CEO of PA any time soon. We all know who puts him there in the first instance.As usual, if his master tells him to shut up, he will shut up, sit, he will not dare to stand. In China, they say “whether it’s a black cat or a white cat, if it catches rats, its a good cat”
In Singapore’s context,”whether it’s a black dog or a yellow
dog,if it wags its tail,its a good dog”!!
This is using public money for the interests of the PAP. Isn’t this corruption?
How about using state media and all sorts of media for the furtherance of PAP cause?
How about grassroots members being given privileges? Can the PA reveal exactly what privileges these barracudas are entitled to?
All this is corruption anywhere else except here. Will the PAP pay back all the public money that they have spent furthering its cause?
Will the CPIB look into this? Of course not!
//jaywalker on Thu, 7th Jan 2010 12:35 pm
STTA = RC grassroots = PA = PAP
Well at least MM lee has the balls to admit that grassroots are all partisan entities.
And ofocs, we as the elctorate have a social responisbility to remedy that..
by VOTING THEM OUT.
I doubt we get a reply. Talking to the wall might get an echo. Talking to ST about their boss will probably not.
Dear TR,
Tan Boon Huat sounds familiar. Can you check whether is he the person who announced the election winner during the last election? I think that position is called Returning Officer? Can TR help us understand what is the role of the Returning Officer?
The PAP is communist in every way except name?
PAP is no different from Myanmar or North Korea junta leader
“PAP is no different from Myanmar or North Korea junta leader”
What can you expect from these friend-friends who can even name a official SinCity flower in Botanic in the name of murderous Junta Leader ?
I am starting to think that the elections are rigged…Even if we vote for opposition, you think they will let go of their power.
You notice how Singapore is close to the Yangon Junta and you see how sometimes, I see North Korean planes (Air Koryo, national airline of DPRK) in Changi…
Tan Boon Huat is not CEO, he is called CED (Chief Executive Director).
He is likely to step down with a good fanfare after the 50th year celebrations of PA this year.
If PAP wins GE2010, it will serve as a big boost to PA.
Hi James Lai,
1 way to estimate in last election how many voted for opposition, any opposition is to invite people to take a poll using their home computer and which place they voted in. software can identify computers such that only 1 pc can take the poll 1 time. but this cannot prevent 2 laptops in same house to take the poll twice unless u indentify the ISP login id aka broadband user id.
but my point is we can use this as a fast and cheap and efficient way to estimate how many voted for opposition in last election. of course, only if this is legal. haha
many of these people will take the poll since these are those who voted for opposition.
so, the challenge now is how to invite these people.
James Lai on Sat, 9th Jan 2010 2:49 pm
I am starting to think that the elections are rigged…Even if we vote for opposition, you think they will let go of their power.
High possibility. Go to google search “Robert Ho” on his article
about cheng san election.