Prime Minister
Prime Minister’s Office
Orchard Road
Istana
Singapore 238823
Dear Sir,
A Request To Meet The Prime Minister At Meet-The-People Session
1. I refer to my email titled Meet-The-People Session (MPS) dated 12 May 19 that it was likely CPF would not give a reply. Mr Teo had said he would write to them on 10 May 19 but a month had passed and they did not give a reply.
My next letter to Mr Teo handed over at MPS titled Documents Provide The Explanation was another summary of the five issues on mistakes made by officers. However, Ms Sun presided at the MPS and I told her what the writer had said to me that no one at the MPS had the authority to ask government departments to do the necessary. The writer told me that he would do his best to inform government departments but whether they followed up was in their discretion. To bring up the problem I could personally go to the Istana or Parliament. I asked him what was the purpose of the MPS and mentioned David Marshall was the first to set up the MPS.
I pointed to one example, the Refund to CPF Account, where officers gave misleading replies. The senior assistant director who referred me to Section 15(15)(e) of 2012 CPF Act was clearly mistaken because we did not made an application as required by 2012 CPF Act to withdraw fund used to purchase the flat after selling the flat.
The problem started with noise from the neighbour and I attended my first MPS on 16 Feb 08. More issues came up because noise from the neighbour had to do with officers. My MPS on 14 Jun 19 with Ms Sun was the twentieth pending replies from government departments..
2. David Marshall dedicated one day per week to receive the people of Singapore after he won the election in 1955. He established the important principle still followed today that the role of government was to listen and help its people.
Quote from wikipedia.org: “The 1966 Wee Chong Jin Constitutional Commission had recommended an Ombudsman to deal with complaints against the bureaucracy, but Parliament rejected the recommendation and instead preferred that such cases were handled by the Members of Parliament themselves or the national Feedback Unit. This need to perform an ombudsman function is probably another rationale for having the Meet-the-People Sessions.”
Quote from Anthony Victoria Michelle: “The late Mr J. B. Jeyaretnam, an opposition member in Parliament, motioned for “directing all ministries that where they reject any application from a citizen or make any decision which impinges on the rights of the citizens, they should give detailed reasons for their rejection” (Singapore Monitor, 4 December 1982).The late Mr Lee’s response was that more often than not, [not because] residents did not come forward because they did not understand the policy, but either because they did not want a particular policy to be applied to them or because they wanted a more favourable standing for a particular service. The late Mr Lee went further to stress that “The Government’s duty is to patiently but firmly convince such people that because the rules are not bent for anyone, therefore all are better off...there is no failure in communication. The failure is in human refusal to accept that they cannot be exceptions to the rule” (Singapore Monitor, 4 December 1982).”
In 1995 David Marshall said “Nowadays it seems quite normal for high officials to be answerable to citizens, but in the context of the 50s the choice I made to Meet The People Sessions caused surprise and alarm to many" (Roots, December 1995).
3. In the context of the five issues, the rules are not bent. My letter titled Documents Provide The Explanation refers to mistakes made based on documents from the government.
I had asked Mr Teo and Ms Sun to ask for your assistance but for some reason they may not be doing it. The writers had said the issues would be referred to the Prime Minister Office but Mr Teo is part of the Prime Minister Office.
I cannot attend your MPS because residents of the particular constituency are not allowed to attend the MPS of another constituency. It needs not be rigid because problems are of similar nature and government departments that residents are referred to are the same. There is not much of a difference except when there is a need to refer to prime minister because he has the necessary authorities.
I had submitted Salient Points (40) at MPS, Ang Mo Kio and my blog has more details.
Can I meet you at MPS if the issues are still not resolved?
Yours Sincerely,
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