Nee Soon GRC MPs reported kickback case to MOM immediately

It was the Nee Soon GRC MPs who instructed an investigation into kickbacks given by some estate cleaners to an operations manager once they learnt about the case from a whistle-blower, said Law and Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam on Feb 1.

Mr Shanmugam, who anchors the People’s Action Party team in the constituency, stressed the importance of the integrity and honesty of MPs, as he shared that the team “immediately directed” a report to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) and wanted a thorough investigation.

“You don’t say things which are not true, you act with honesty and integrity, you do the right thing all the time, and you don’t try and cover up,” the eight-term MP told journalists on the sidelines of a town council event.

“As long as we have that at the level of the MPs, we can make sure that this town council is properly run,” he said.

Town councils are run by the elected MPs of the constituencies.

Mr Shanmugam’s remarks come after a report by The Straits Times on Jan 31 on one of the largest cases of kickbacks that MOM has investigated to date.

Derrick Ho, who oversaw estate cleaners in Nee Soon East and Pasir Ris-Punggol, collected $396,440 from 57 Bangladeshi workers from 2014 to 2020 for the renewal of their work permits.

The former operations manager of conservancy company Lian Cheng Contracting was sentenced to 24 weeks’ jail in November 2024.

Mr Shanmugam noted that the workers’ rights had been protected in the investigation, and they had received their full salaries from the time of the report.

“The way the matter has been handled reflects the values both of the MPs in Nee Soon and the way the town council operates,” he said.

The Nee Soon East ward is under the care of MP Louis Ng.

Following ST’s report, Workers’ Party chief Pritam Singh and Red Dot United (RDU) posted on their respective Facebook pages about the matter. WP contested in Nee Soon in 2011 and 2015, while RDU has been active in the area after the 2020 General Election.

Responding to a question on the comments by political parties on this incident, Mr Shanmugam said it is “fair and natural for Singaporeans, including political parties, to ask questions”.

“But unfortunately... political parties as well as online news sites – I’m not saying all, but some – have gone further and politicised it, and made allegations without really understanding what happened,” said Mr Shanmugam.

“It would be better if they had asked first what happened, and it will come out that the whistle-blowing system in the town council worked, (and) the MPs got to know about it.”

The town council has since continued with the same contractor.

Mr Shanmugam said the investigations showed it was an individual involved, who has been punished.

The conservancy company, which is a small to medium-sized enterprise, was taken over by someone else in 2021, he added.

By continuing with the contractor, the others in the company – including Singaporean workers – are not punished, he said.

“You need to balance the punishment with impact on other innocent people. So let’s not politicise all of these things,” said Mr Shanmugam, adding that the company has put in place new standard operating procedures since the incident.

“It doesn’t mean that these sorts of things won’t happen, either here or anywhere else; and when it happens, we should take action, and what matters is the integrity and honesty of the MPs,” he said.

Mr Shanmugam and the other four GRC MPs attended the launch of the renovated Nee Soon Town Council office, with upgrades to improve efficiency and provide greater convenience to staff and residents.

 

New features include a quiet pod for focused meetings and interview rooms for private discussions with residents.

The office also has upgraded air-conditioning systems, which are estimated to reduce energy consumption by approximately 30 per cent, said town council chairman Derrick Goh, one of the GRC MPs.

The award for Yishunite of the Year, which was first introduced in 2020 to acknowledge outstanding contributors to the community, was also given out at the event.

Madam Aishah Abdul Jalil, a community gardener from Nee Soon East who is over 55 years old, was the 2024 winner.

 

She picked up gardening in 2022 when the community garden in Nee Soon East was set up, despite not having tried it before.

Now, she and her friends grow herbs and vegetables, which they distribute to families in need.

Madam Aishah said she enjoys gardening as it brings her closer to nature and is a peaceful activity.