Look into moves by town councils

I refer to the report “Parliament to discuss governance, safeguards for all town councils” (Feb 11).

Besides the lapses by the Aljunied-Hougang-Punggol East Town Council and related-party transactions, I hope issues covering investment assets and decisions made by town councils or their appointed agents can be looked into as part of enhancing corporate governance.

This is to ensure that investments are not too risky, since the funds are for the general maintenance and running of estates.

At the same time, the processes for how some projects are assigned to an external party can be looked into, to ensure a fair system.

Lastly, internal controls can be strengthened further through proper disclosure by the employees and managing agents where they have vested interests in companies and when there are bid applications for projects and contracts.

This would protect public interests and restore confidence.

Perhaps, Q&A dialogues held annually may help town councils in this regard.