OPEN FIELD AT POTONG PASIR AVENUE (Granting of Temporary Occupation Licence)

Column: 1038

OPEN FIELD AT POTONG PASIR AVENUE:

(Granting of Temporary Occupation Licence): 14.

Mr Chiam See Tong asked the Minister for National Development (a) what are the reasons for the HDB giving a three-year Temporary Occupation Licence in respect of the open field in front of Block 142 Potong Pasir Avenue 1 to the Potong Pasir Citizens' Consultative Committee (CCC); (b) whether the HDB will allow the police to designate the field as a rally site in the next General Election; and if so, (c) whether permission for use of the rally site at the next election will also have to be obtained from the Potong Pasir CCC.

Mr Cedric Foo Chee Keng (for the Minister for National Development): Sir, the vacant State Land in front of Block 142 Potong Pasir Avenue 1 is reserved for future development. As there are no plans to develop the land at the present moment, HDB has issued a Temporary Occupation Licenceto the Potong Pasir CCC to use the land for community events and related uses.

If the police deem the site suitable for election rally uses, HDB, as the Government's managing agent for the site, will have no objection. In this case, permission from the CCC would not be required.

Mr Chiam See Tong (Potong Pasir): Sir, the granting of the 3-year TOL to the Potong Pasir CCC, in my view, is very political in nature. I am asking whether the Minister of State is willing to rescind the TOL forthwith.

Column: 1039

Mr Cedric Foo Chee Keng: Sir, as I said, this is a piece of vacant land where there is currently no plan for development. Therefore, it would not be right for the HDB to deny the CCC the use of this land, sincethey have applied for it to build jogging tracks, simple playgrounds, benches and so forth. It is also not right for the HDB, oranyone for that matter, to deny the residents use of such facilities.

Mr Chiam See Tong: Sir, is the real purpose of granting a 3-year TOL to the CCC not to prevent the Potong Pasir Town Council and myself, as the MP, from using that open field, hoping that, by doing so, my re-election prospects would be lessened?

Mr Cedric Foo Chee Keng: Sir, I do not think that the hon. Member has only one place to do his electioneering. Nevertheless, as I said earlier,there are no development plans for the next three years and beyond, and since the CCC at Potong Pasir has applied for it for the benefit of the residents, we have therefore approved it.

Mr Speaker: Last question, Mr Chiam.

Mr Chiam See Tong: Sir, I do not understand why a 3-year TOL should be given. In the past, anyone who wants to use the land can always apply to the HDB on an ad-hoc basis.I think that would be the fairest, and not to give a blanket 3-year TOL, cutting off all other residents and parties who want to use that field.

Mr Cedric Foo Chee Keng: Sir, as I said, the Potong Pasir CCC plans to install some simple playgrounds, jogging tracks, benches and so forth. So, they do need some certainty of tenure before they would be prepared to invest in such equipment. Nevertheless, if the hon. Member would have use for this site, he could apply through the Potong Pasir CCC for such use.

Column: 1040

Mr Speaker: You have half a minute, Mr Chiam.

Mr Chiam See Tong: In fact, we have applied for the use of that land this year and we were refused on two occasions already. That goes to show the things to come for the elections.

Mr Cedric Foo Chee Keng: Let me reiterate that, for election rally purposes, it is really the police who decides whether or not it would be used for election rally purposes, and some of the criteria the police uses are safety and disamenity. On the two occasions that the hon. Member cited, my understanding is that the dates of the events which he wanted to hold clashed with that of the CCC.

3.00 pm

Mr Speaker: Order. End of Question Time.

[Pursuant to Standing Order No. 22(3), Written Answers to Question Nos.20, 22, 23, 25, 28 and 29 on the Order Paper are reproduced in the Appendix*. Question Nos.15-19, 21, 24, 26 and 27have been postponed to the sitting of Parliament on 17 November 2004.]

• Cols. 1139-1148