WP's Sylvia Lim defends failure to submit audited town council records

SINGAPORE - The Workers' Party (WP) has defended its failure to submit its audited financial statements in time for the Ministry of National Development's annual appraisal of the 15 town councils.

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Here is the full statement from the WP:

The Aljunied-Hougang-Punggol East Town Council (AHPETC) notes that MND has rated our town council comparably with the other town councils in the areas of Estate Cleanliness, Estate Maintenance and Lift Performance in the latest Town Council Management Report (TCMR). We also note that AHPETC is banded red for S&CC Arrears Management and has a 'pending' remark for Corporate Governance.

In the area of S&CC Arrears Management, we are closely monitoring the situation and have initiated several steps to recover the outstanding arrears since 2012. We have stepped up enforcement measures including court prosecution where other measures have failed. We are processing the arrears cases in batches. While some residents can settle their arrears within a short period of time, others may need more time to do so and we have assisted them with instalment plans. Improving the arrears situation is an ongoing process and will take time to effect.

In the area of Corporate Governance, our banding is listed as 'pending' mainly because our auditors are still in the midst of finalising our FY12 financial statements. We understand that the issues being addressed include complexities resulting from the handover legacy, classification and treatment issues, year-end adjustments, and others. We appointed the auditors in early May 2013 and we hope the audit will be completed soon.

Going forward, AHPETC will continue to work hard to provide a pleasant living environment for our residents.