Singapore’s Online Citizen is asking some questions that we suggest certain people won’t want asked..
Reform Party Secretary-General Kenneth Jeyaretnam’s recent social media posts have ignited a public debate surrounding the residences of Minister for Home Affairs and Law, K Shanmugam, and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Vivian Balakrishnan.
Singapore Land Authority (SLA) has confirmed that both ministers are indeed residing in the colonial bungalows located along Ridout Road, which are managed by SLA. Notably, Mr. Shanmugam oversees SLA in his capacity as Minister for Law.
Responding to the controversy, SLA stated that the rentals of properties at No. 26 and No. 31 Ridout Road were carried out in accordance with the relevant SLA procedures.
However, Mr Jeyaretnam’s posts raised questions about the fairness of the auction process for these bungalows, specifically questioning whether the ministers were paying below market value. He called on SLA to provide clarification on the matter.
The ensuing controversy has prompted members of parliament from both the ruling party and the opposition to file questions that will be addressed in the upcoming parliamentary sitting scheduled for July.
The Workers’ Party has urged SLA to release all pertinent information, including the guide rent for the properties, ahead of the parliamentary session. Their aim is to facilitate a comprehensive and meaningful debate in Parliament.
However, SLA, in its press release on 12 May, indicated that further details would be revealed during the July parliamentary sitting. This suggests that no additional information will be disclosed until then.
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