October 11, 2008
Update to West Case
Ivan:
Michelle Siau, our TNRM subcommittee member was asked to help out for the recent west case and she is doing a great job. She managed to speak to the lady, identify the caregiver there, and the caregiver went on to contact the Town Council. Michelle did some fact-finding too and she found out the complainant was actually a RC member who didn’t want cats near her kids.
Meeting with the MP
The RC member in this case was kicking up a fuss yet again. The town council officer told the caregiver that as a result the cats would be rounded up either yesterday or today so the caregiver took half a day off work yesterday to rush to her town council to see what could be done. No one however was able to help because her officer was not around. The GM was not around and no one knew when he'd be back. With the other two caregivers they did not know what else to do.
They did manage to speak to a rather junior officer who told them he did not have much power on this issue. He did tell them that the RC had voted to have the cats removed. The caregivers explained that the RC had voted based on misinformation - according to the RC member who called the caregiver, they had asked specifically if the cats would be killed and if that was the case they did NOT want them to be removed. However the TC officer present had assured them they would be 'adopted'.
The officer also told them that the TC needs to work with the RC and the RC is the representative of the residents. The caregiver said that they should perhaps consult the actual residents like herself - and apparently he told her, there was no need to. They had spoken with the RC and they were deemed to be representative.
They decided to see the MP again and asked if I could go down with them as they had told the MP the last time they'd like to ask me to sit in as well. While they were waiting, whom should they see but the RC chairperson, the complainant AND the town council officer all going in together to see the MP.
She happened to meet one of the RC members there and he told her quietly he did not want the cats removed. He said that he would sign a letter if she wrote one - but he told her not to bring up his name to the MP typically.
The MP said that the complainant had come in waving around HDB regulations and information about MND. He said that he had told the complainant he was very aware of this because he used to be at the AVA himself.
He told the caregivers that the TC officer told him that there was some kind of resolution that necessitated the removal of cats whenever there was one complaint. He said that he had told the town council this was the old resolution. He said he would try and buy some time before the next town council meeting.
He asked if the cats could be removed in the interim. I explained the vacuum effect and he agreed that it made sense. I also said that from what the complainant said, the cats had been removed in the past because of the complainant - but he continued to complain.
He asked the caregiver to work with the TC and the RC. We emphasised that all the caregivers WANTED to work with the TC and the RC, that the caregiver had offered the complainant a car cover and repellent, but that the complainant was the one refusing to work with them.
He told the caregivers he would try and hold off the town council till the next meeting - which was rather odd. One would think an MP would have more clout than that really.
The MP then wrote two letters which he passed to the caregiver to hand to the RC and the TC. The caregiver thought to have a look at the letters and opened one, and was scolded by an RC member who was rather aggressive. I asked if it was possible to have a copy of the letters and he said that it was not their policy to give copies. I said I was aware other RCs did. He asked rather rudely why a copy was needed. I told him that people in TCs and RCs change - having a copy of the letter would make it easier. I said there had been a case where the officer changed and the new officer could not find the letter. He said that the officer had been there for a number of years - which doesn't make sense to me because even if she had been there a number of years doesn't mean she would not leave at some point. He said to look for him if there was an issue (assuming of course that HE doesn't leave either).
As we were leaving, we saw a woman in one of the cubicles yelling at this rather aggressive RC member and I heard something about the police. He quickly walked away and I saw that the woman was immediately ushered into see the MP instead of the helper at the session she had been speaking to up to that point.
