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GE2020: PAP new face Ng Ling Ling responds to comments that she did not start social service training institute

SINGAPORE — Ms Ng Ling Ling, a new candidate with People’s Action Party (PAP) this General Election, came forward on Monday (June 29) to respond to comments made by a former colleague, who disputed her claim of starting the Social Service Training Institute (SSTI) under the National Council of Social Service (NCSS).

Ms Ng Ling Ling (pictured) said she fully acknowledges that Ms Tan Bee Heong was the founding director of Social Service Training Institute.

Ms Ng Ling Ling (pictured) said she fully acknowledges that Ms Tan Bee Heong was the founding director of Social Service Training Institute.

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  • Ms Ng Ling Ling’s former colleague disputed her claim of starting the Social Service Training Institute
  • In response, Ms Ng acknowledged that she was not the founding director but said she was a member of the pioneer team
  • Mr Gerard Ee, former president of National Council of Social Service, attributed Ms Ng’s words to a “Freudian slip”

 

SINGAPORE — Ms Ng Ling Ling, a new candidate with People’s Action Party (PAP) this General Election, came forward on Monday (June 29) to respond to comments made by a former colleague, who disputed her claim of starting the Social Service Training Institute (SSTI) under the National Council of Social Service (NCSS).

Mr Richard Giam, who said that he used to report to Ms Ng directly when she was an assistant director at SSTI from Sept 2004 to Aug 2006, took to Facebook on Monday morning to say that Ms Ng had made a false claim in when she was introduced to the media, and that she was not the person who had set up SSTI, as she had said in her speech.

Last Thursday, after her introduction, Ms Ng had said that she joined the social service sector after having looked after her family.

“I found a platform in the National Council of Social Service (NCSS) where I developed non-profit boards, I set up the Social Service Training Institute and I allocated funds to ensure that social service agencies can run critical programmes,” she said then.

Mr Giam wrote in his Facebook post: “Choice of words (are) important. I cannot publicly claim that I set up a team when I was only one of the contributing members. It would be very misleading and deceptive.”

He then urged Ms Tan Bee Heong, the founding director of SSTI, and Mr Gerard Ee, the former president of NCSS, to come forward to provide clarity on the matter.

“What I understand is that she joined Bee Heong after SSTI was started,” he added.

Speaking at a media briefing on Monday when PAP named its team for Ang Mo Kio Group Representation Constituency for the July 10 polls, Ms Ng said that she fully acknowledges that Ms Tan was the founding director of SSTI, and that she herself was in the key management team in its early years.

“None of us are perfect and I’ll be the first to confess that I am not a perfect person,” she said.

“I was in the key management team in the pioneering years and we were a very small team, but we were very hardworking and dedicated to increasing the training programmes for our social service organisations. So I just want to share that as I step up to this role, I am very aware that I will be subject to public scrutiny.”

She also wrote about the matter on Facebook, reiterating the same points.

“Bee Heong was the director, and I was a member of her pioneer team," Ms Ng wrote. "My role was to help operationalise the institute and ensure it’s financially sustainable. Work in the social services sector is a team effort. I had passionate colleagues who inspired me, and I am thankful for the mentorship of many during my journey in NCSS, SSTI and the Community Chest.” 

Earlier on Monday, Mr Ee commented on Mr Giam’s Facebook post and attributed Ms Ng’s words to a “Freudian slip”, saying that as an assistant director, she had contributed much to build up SSTI.

He added that SSTI was a startup and “with the efforts of Ling Ling and her team, which supported Bee Heong, it grew rapidly”. He also said that Ms Ng “did start up initiatives within SSTI”.

“We in the social service sector get very attached to what we do and often, we see the projects we get involved with as our baby.  It happens to me, too. It is a mere Freudian slip on the part of Ling Ling,” he said.

After Ms Ng’s response, Mr Giam wrote in a new post on Facebook that he was glad that “the truth is out to correct some misperceptions”. 

“I hope that this incident can send a broader message to all, especially public figures, that we have to be careful in our choice of words and give credit to those who deserve it,” he said. 

“The fact is that Ling Ling did help build up SSTI in its initial stages under the leadership of Bee Heong. But to claim that she was the one who ‘set up SSTI’ is totally incorrect.” 

Related topics

SGVotes2020 Singapore General Election PAP PAP candidate Ng Ling Ling Social Service Training Institute

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