• About Us
    • Fact Checking Policy
    • Ownership & funding information
  • Volunteer
    • Internship with The Online Citizen
  • Donation
  • Subscription
  • Letter submission
    • Submissions Policy
  • Contact Us
The Online Citizen Asia
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
    • Commentaries
    • Comments
  • Current Affairs
    • Malaysia
    • Indonesia
    • China
    • ASEAN
    • Asia
    • International
  • Finance
    • Economics
    • Labour
    • Property
    • Business
  • Community
    • Civil Society
    • Arts & Culture
    • Consumer Watch
    • NGO
  • Politics
    • Parliament
    • Transport
    • Education
    • Environment
    • Health
    • Housing
  • Law & Order
    • Legislation
    • Court Cases
  • Lifestyle
    • Travel
No Result
View All Result
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
    • Commentaries
    • Comments
  • Current Affairs
    • Malaysia
    • Indonesia
    • China
    • ASEAN
    • Asia
    • International
  • Finance
    • Economics
    • Labour
    • Property
    • Business
  • Community
    • Civil Society
    • Arts & Culture
    • Consumer Watch
    • NGO
  • Politics
    • Parliament
    • Transport
    • Education
    • Environment
    • Health
    • Housing
  • Law & Order
    • Legislation
    • Court Cases
  • Lifestyle
    • Travel
No Result
View All Result
The Online Citizen Asia
No Result
View All Result

PAP Sec-Gen Lee pays tribute to Charles Chong: We sent him in to “fight hard and fight smart”

by Correspondent
28/06/2020
in Current Affairs
Reading Time: 4 mins read
11

Charles Chong, the Deputy Speaker of Parliament, is retiring from politics after 32 years in Parliament. He will not be contesting in the upcoming General Election (GE) on 10 Jul.

Straits Times calls him “the man the PAP sends in when it has a tough fight on its hands”.

Yesterday (27 Jun), PAP Secretary-General Lee Hsien Loong paid tribute to Chong, saying that Chong won by the “narrowest of margins” in the last two elections not because he was a weak MP, but because he could be relied on to “fight hard and fight smart” in elections.

In 2011, Chong won Joo Chiat SMC with 51.02 per cent (388 votes) against WP’s Yee Jenn Jong. Joo Chiat then disappeared from the electoral map in the following GE in 2015. And in 2015 GE, Chong beat WP’s Lee Li Lian with 51.76 per cent (1,159 votes) in Punggol East SMC. Similarly, Punggol East disappeared from the current electoral map in the upcoming GE.

“Always by the skin of his teeth… because when there is a tough fight, and we need a strong candidate who will fight hard and fight smart, we send in Charles Chong,” Lee said. “And every time, Charles has delivered.”

Speaking to reporters, Chong said his 32 years in politics have been most meaningful.

“I leave with the confidence that I will be handing over to capable leaders who, with the support of a resilient people, will get us through these difficult times,” he said.

Fighting “smart”

Indeed, Chong certainly fought very “hard” and fought very “smart” in the last GE when he beat WP’s Lee Li Lian at Punggol East.

How “smart” did he fight?

On 8 Sep 2015 just 3 days before 2015 GE, Chong distributed flyers alleging Workers’ Party has somehow “lost” $22.5 million of town council funds.

“The indisputable fact is that when Punggol East was transferred to the Workers’ Party, $22.5 million was transferred to the new town council. That sum is now unaccounted for…,” he wrote. Note that he even used the word “indisputable” in his allegation against WP.

Final KPMG report clears WP-run AHTC

Three years later on 15 Feb 2018, Aljunied-Hougang Town Council (AHTC) finally said that it has resolved all its outstanding audit issues and ended its engagement with auditors KPMG, concluding a two-year long clean-up of its accounting system and internal controls.

In the report, KPMG confirmed it is “reasonably satisfied that AHTC is compliant with section 35(c) of the Town Council Act” and that all audit points and control-related matters identified earlier have been resolved.

Issues flagged previously include incorrect computation of required transfers to the Sinking Fund and incomplete disclosure of transactions with related parties in the financial statements.

Writing on his Facebook page on the same day the auditor’s report was released, then WP MP Png Eng Huat took the opportunity to dispel the accusation put forth by Chong on the eve of 2015 GE earlier, which no doubt, must have swung certain number of votes against WP.

Mr Png explained that by the time WP got wind of the flyers distributed by Chong, it was already Cooling-Off Day. After the election, which Chong won by a slim margin, Mr Png met him to discuss the handover matters. “I asked him about the alleged missing $22.5 million. I told him we would want to return every single cent to PE residents if he could point out what this money was all about,” Mr Png recalled.

“In every audited financial statement since 2013, there was $22.8 million to $26.3 million attributed to PE sitting in our accounts. He brushed off my question and said he had already explained. I did not recall there was an explanation given anyway.”

Mr Png then waited until PRPTC under PAP, filed its annual report in 2016 and noted that there was $24.7 million attributed to PE sitting in its book too. And finally, the KPMG report also exonerated WP with regard to the imaginary “missing” $22.5 million as alleged by Chong.

“I waited further for KPMG to publish its final report to complete the final piece of the puzzle. The final report speaks for itself,” Mr Png added.

“We will never solve the mystery of unaccounted $22.5 million now as none of the audited statements from the two town councils and special reports by KPMG and PwC (hired by PRPTC to also look into the accounts of PE after GE2015) could shed any light on the allegation,” he countered Chong’s 2015 allegation.

“The end of the KPMG audit also marks the end of my attempt to find some answers into this matter.”

In any case, the damage was already done. Chong helped PAP win back Punggol East in 2015 GE with the help of his “smart” flyers delivered to the many households in the constituency.

Lee certainly chose the right person to send into a tough fight.

 

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
Subscribe
Connect withD
Login
I allow to create an account
When you login first time using a Social Login button, we collect your account public profile information shared by Social Login provider, based on your privacy settings. We also get your email address to automatically create an account for you in our website. Once your account is created, you'll be logged-in to this account.
DisagreeAgree
Notify of
I allow to create an account
When you login first time using a Social Login button, we collect your account public profile information shared by Social Login provider, based on your privacy settings. We also get your email address to automatically create an account for you in our website. Once your account is created, you'll be logged-in to this account.
DisagreeAgree
11 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

Recent Posts

  • UN experts say deeply disappointed by decision to discharge Fukushima water
  • PM Lee seeking nearly S$130,000 in legal costs and disbursements from blogger Leong Sze Hian; much of disbursements tied to engagement of Hong Kong expert witness
  • Taiwan transport minister resigns over train crash
  • S’pore economy grows 0.2% in first quarter; MAS keeps monetary policy unchanged amid low core inflation outlook
  • Netizens question how woman who abused domestic helper allowed to become prison counsellor
  • Over 100mil devices at risk from NAME:WRECK DNS bugs, CSA advise firms to patch systems immediately
  • Public member highlights lax social distancing control in airport allowing travellers to intermingle
  • 16 new cases of COVID-19 infection in S’pore; all cases are imported

Trending posts

UN experts say deeply disappointed by decision to discharge Fukushima water

Ho Ching shares not 1, not 2, but 7 Facebook posts by Chan Chun Sing in a row within 15 minutes

Here’s why many Singaporeans aren’t bothered who the ruling party chooses to become PM

PM Lee seeking nearly S$130,000 in legal costs and disbursements from blogger Leong Sze Hian; much of disbursements tied to engagement of Hong Kong expert witness

WP MP Gerald Giam’s intervention helped solve traffic congestion issue at Hougang Capeview

Unqualified supervising lawyer in trainee dispute was once a Deputy Public Prosecutor

FB post criticising Minister Chan Chun Sing’s leadership skills re-emerges in light of recent 4G leadership discussion

MP Poh Li San explains to media why RSAF Super Puma was replaced with Airbus H225M

Roy Ngerng raises over S$125,000 over 7 days of fund raising to pay for PM Lee’s defamation damage

Netizens question how woman who abused domestic helper allowed to become prison counsellor

Load More
June 2020
MTWTFSS
1234567
891011121314
15161718192021
22232425262728
2930 
« May   Jul »
  • About Us
  • Volunteer
  • Donation
  • Subscription
  • Letter submission
  • Contact Us

© 2006 - 2021 The Online Citizen

No Result
View All Result
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
    • Commentaries
    • Comments
  • Current Affairs
    • Malaysia
    • Indonesia
    • China
    • ASEAN
    • Asia
    • International
  • Finance
    • Economics
    • Labour
    • Property
    • Business
  • Community
    • Civil Society
    • Arts & Culture
    • Consumer Watch
    • NGO
  • Politics
    • Parliament
    • Transport
    • Education
    • Environment
    • Health
    • Housing
  • Law & Order
    • Legislation
    • Court Cases
  • Lifestyle
    • Travel
  • Subscribers login

© 2006 - 2021 The Online Citizen

wpDiscuz
11
0
Would love your thoughts, please comment.x
()
x
| Reply