A petition has been created on Change.org to demand for a promise from the Community Improvement Projects Committee (CIPC) that it will grant town council funds to the Sengkang and Aljunied GRCs. The petition, titled “We want a promise to grant town council funds to Sengkang GRC #SupportSengkang” has garnered 21,211 signatures so far.
The petition, started by Kyle Malinda-White, notes that 15 People’s Action Party town councils received more than $60 million for community improvement projects in the past two years while Workers’ Party’s Aljunied-Hougang Town Council received none, based on information by the National University of Singapore student-run website Our Class Notes.
It noted, “These funds came from the Community Improvement Projects Committee (CIPC), which must be sought through the constituency’s Citizens’ Consultative Committee (CCC),” which comes under the People’s Association which is in charge of vetting applications from MPs and deciding which projects are to be prosed to CIPC for funding.
The petitions three demands are as follows:
- that community improvement projects submitted by the new Sengkang Town Council as well as the current Aljunied-Hougang Town Council will be looked into and approved
- that projects will not be blocked just because the town council is under a different political party
- that the CIPC unequivocally commits to ensuring Sengkang GRC residents obtain similar living standards as residents in PAP constituencies who receive these projects
It said, “Solving this problem will ensure community improvement projects for Sengkang GRC are being approved and that funds will flow into the town council for necessary improvement works.”
The petition is directed specifically to the constituency directors of Sengkang West and Sengkang Central Constituency Offices Mr Huang Weiming and Mr Nazrul Tarik respectively as well as the Director of North East CDD Tock Hock Soon; the Group Constituency Director of Aljunied GRC Hougang SMC in North East DFF Yong Hua Yong; and the Chairman of the Community Improvement Project Executive Committee Zaqu Mohamed.
It is also addressed to Punggol East CCC Chairperson Victor Lye Thiam Fatt and Sengkang West CCC Chairperson Raymond Chua. However the petition author notes that they are unsure of these two people in particular still hold those positions as they couldn’t not find more updated data.