When questioned in court why was a tender not called to appoint the managing agent, WP MP Sylvia Lim revealed that the town council was in imminent danger of sabotage by the ruling party-owned facilities management company, CPG. Under the town council financial rules, tenders can be waived under justifiable circumstances, which the Opposition MP exercised to avoid getting sabotaged by underhanded political tactics from the ruling party PAP and its proxy company CPG.
The decision was backed by PAP-owned company AIM, which stole vital data and the town council management system software upon its immediate termination of contract after the PAP lost Aljunied GRC.
PAP’s leading prosecutor Davinder Singh refused to accept that the PAP sabotage as a factor and baited MP Sylvia Lim of deliberately breaching the town council financial rules when she had instead exercised her right to invoke the rule under special circumstances:
PAP Davinder Singh: So, being aware, as you claimed this morning, of the town council rules, you disregarded them. You breached them. Right?
WP Sylvia Lim: I had exercised my authority to act on behalf of the town council to waive the tender, in circumstances of urgency.
The former PAP MP for Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC, then accused WP MP Sylvia Lim for backstabbing her colleagues when she did not involve her colleagues in the decision-making of not calling for a tender. MP Sylvia Lim then called out PAP Davinder Singh’s lies and revealed that everyone had delegated her as the sole decision-maker:
“PAP Davinder Singh: You did a dirty on your own town councillors.
WP Sylvia Lim: The need to send them the FMSS proposal was superseded by the delegation of authority to me.”
PAP Davinder Singh then tried to defend CPG, again, accusing Sylvia Lim of lying when she said CPG cannot be trusted. The PAP senior counsel said that the Opposition-held town council continued to engage CPG for projects even after CPG’s contract was terminated, and this, in his view, means Sylvia Lim trusts CPG:
“PAP Davinder Singh: Essential maintenance services would need to be carried out by a reliable company, and Ms Lim agreed. If she was content to use CPG for some projects also beyond August 2011, when its contract would end, it meant her argument that there were complaints from the ground against CPG and that it could not be trusted, was utter rubbish and all made up.”
WP Sylvia Lim again called out Davinder Singh’s half truth, and revealed that projects CPG continued were in late stages nearing completion, which is why they continued to let CPG provide the essential services.