Skip to main content

Of Dr Ong Seh Hong, Ren Chi Charity Scandal, NEA and the Geylang Serai Indian Rojak Mass Food Poisoning Incident


Dr Ong Seh Hong is the PAP politician in the media limelight lately.

Firstly, in the ongoing Charity Scandal involving Ren Ci and Reverend Ming Yi, it was disclosed that Dr Ong had borrowed a loan amounting $60,000 from Ren Chi Charity. Some of the online community netizens were quick to ride on this latest link in the charity scandal which has created a storm of debates on this little island revolving charity accountability, the principles of Buddhism and monkhood and now evolving a Member of Parliament. The netizens were having a field day speculating on the possible causal links of Dr Ong Seh Hong and the scandal.

However, Dr Ong has given a full and somewhat satisfactory reply to the mass media, the salient points being that he borrowed the money in order to pay for his corporate housing loan while still being an employee at the Government Investment Company of Singapore (GIC) and he was not a Member of Parliament then. Dr Ong has to clear the corporate housing loan first before he could join Ren Ci Charity as Ren Ci Charity has offered him a position in its medical management. Dr Ong has since cleared the loan.

The second incident which also impacted Dr Ong lately was the recent mass food poisoning in the Geylang Serai Temporary Hawker Centre. The hawker centre was in Kampong Ubi, a constituency of which Dr Ong Seh Hong was the Advisor to. Dr Ong Seh Hong was Advisor to Marine Parade GRC and Marine Parade Grassroots Organizations and specifically he is Advisor to Kampong Ubi Grassroots Organizations.

In the aftermath of the Indian Rojak mass food poisoning, many online netizens were quick to pass the buck to the National Environment Agency (NEA) for not ensuring a hygienic condition in the Geylang temporary food market which resulted in the capture of some 122 rats.

In today’s Straits Times, the Chief Executive of National Environment Agency, Mr Andrew Tan, has given a comprehensive reply to the enquiries which surrounded this incident. He acknowledged that the agency is tightening up its process to ensure that the Hawker Centre hygienic grading decals are issued promptly and timely after the routine assessment. In his reply, Mr Andrew has also provided a point which many Singaporeans may not known, the fact that when a hawker centre in a constituency is undergoing upgrading under the NEA’s Hawker Centres’ Upgrading Programme (HUP), the constituency Citizens’ Consultative Committee (CCC) can request for a temporary hawker centre to be set up in the constituency, as in the case for the Geylang Serai temporary hawker centre. However, this temporary hawker centre will not come under the purview of the NEA’s HUP and the management and the upkeeping of the hygiene conditions in the temporary hawker centre will come under the jurisdiction of the CCC. In the case of the Geylang Serai temporary hawker centre, the Kampong Ubi CCC has the task of ensuring a hygienic condition in the centre and NEA will move in when necessary to enforce the hygiene conditions. In the report, it was understood that NEA has already learnt of the rodent problem in the market in February and has assisted the CCC to step up its efforts against the rodents, however the elimination of the rodents was a uphill task.

As usual, online netizens reacted swiftly in the aftermath of these two incidents (Geylang Serai food poisoning and the Ren Ci Charity Scandal) before the full facts of the cases are being borne out.
Labels:

Comments

tiger's said…
I like your blog! :)Cool! MY BLOG: tiger1999.blogspot.com
Sat Apr 18, 04:08:00 PM GMT+8
fr said…
I'm not too bothered by online rantings - anything they think can tarnish the Government's image they will make a big deal out of it.
Sat Apr 18, 08:47:00 PM GMT+8
camarlan4 said…
Singapore is a very nice city.there is big deal by the government for it.
lån
Mon Apr 20, 03:03:00 PM GMT+8
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Vernon Leong Jun Wei

What happens to the 31 year old bride groom, Vernon Leong Jun Wei? As the news of this latest unnatural and bizzare death developed, it seemed that Vernon did not jump from the 24th storey of Hilton Hotel as was believed earlier. There were 3 video camera footages which might prove otherwises for the cause of Vernon's death. The first video footage showed Vernon at the 24th storey, making his way hurriedly into the fire escape staircase. The next video footage showed Vernon at the 2nd storey which also holds some shops and the final footage showed an unconscious Vernon motionless at the ground of the hotel. Vernon was cladded casually in a T-shirt and pants and have left his hotel room while his wife was taking a shower. It seemed that he might be escaping from something or somebody or that he might be chasing after something or somebody. What did Vernon see and experience at his last moments? The police is still investigating the case. It is really a very tragical and sad
Post a Comment
Read more

Kampong Lorong Buangkok

Amidst the blazing afternoon sun today, my Dear and I made our way to Kampong Lorong Buangkok. The visit was a timely one as there is such a high buzz being generated over the last kampong in modern Singapore. After alighting from Bus 854 from Eunos, it was not difficult to find our way to the kampong. The entrance of the kampong was distinct as you could see from the picture: the 'ulu-ness' (rural charm) is evident from the attap-roofed buildings and more unkempt conditions. A signboard with hand-written text welcome my Dear and I to the last kampong in Singapore: As we entered the kampong, I spotted a middle-aged woman talking to an old man. I had seen the old woman before on TV. She was none other than the owner of the kampong land. In the documentary, I learnt that the whole kampong land was passed to her by her late father. She has kept the land and have not gone on to sell the land to the government. If she were to sell the land, she would be an instant multi-millionair
Post a Comment
Read more

Performance Bonus

It is the time of the year civil servants receive their performance bonuses (PBs). In the coming two weeks, civil servants will not only receive their performance bonuses, special ‘growth bonuses’, would also await them for the very first time. These PBs and growth bonuses are only applicable to performers, defined as officers with assessed performance gradings above the ‘D’ grade. Typically, civil servants receive their performance bonuses in March, a 0.5 month of bonus in July and a 13th month plus AVC in December. Are all the bonuses good? To be frank, the bonuses dished out in Civil Service are averages at best. With the various bonuses being given out in these months: July, December and March, a civil servant who would like to quit would most likely try to find a ‘suitable’ month to quit so as not to forfeit his bonuses. The December bonus is generally the most generous portion. To quantify for this bonus, an officer would have to be in service till the end of January ne
1 comment
Read more