Did Punggol East ward have a deficit or a surplus?
Another day, another fight over finances and accounting.
The current bone of contention? Whether Punggol East ward had a deficit or surplus before Workers' Party took over in 2013.
WP chief Low Thia Khiang said during his party's rally on Saturday night (Sept 5) that Punggol East ward had a deficit of $280,000 before joining Aljunied-Hougang Town Council in 2013.
He held up a printout of the ward's town council accounts dated April 30, 2013 – when it merged with the Aljunied-Hougang Town Council – while addressing attendees at Punggol Field.
Said Mr Low: "The PAP misrepresented the facts, misled the voters. It was the bully that cried foul first. They are bullies. It is a deficit of $280,000 and not a surplus. You all have to get this clear."
SOURCE: AHPETC
Now Mr Zainal Sapari, the chairman of Pasir Ris-Punggol Town Council, has refuted the allegations via Facebook on Sunday morning (Sept 6).
He wrote that although there was a deficit of $282,009, "the same set of accounts also showed an amount of $303,372 claimable as reimbursement" which PRPGTC had already secured for Punggol East SMC.
This would have given the ward "an actual net surplus of $21,363", he wrote.
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