SINGAPORE — Rejecting a call by Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Vivian Balakrishnan, Workers’ Party chief Low Thia Khiang yesterday said he will not be launching further investigations into actions that led to the high-profile dispute with the National Environment Agency over the cleaning of hawker centres.

Speaking to reporters ahead of his Meet-the-People Session at Bedok Reservoir Road, Mr Low reiterated that the brouhaha was about market cleaning, and not about integrity, as Dr Balakrishnan framed it.

He did not commit to whether legal action would be pursued against Dr Balakrishnan for the remarks he made in Parliament on Tuesday.

Dr Balakrishnan had waived his parliamentary privilege for remarks made on Tuesday, which included calling as “false and untruthful” statements made by Aljunied-Hougang-Punggol East Town Council Chairman Sylvia Lim and Vice-Chairman Pritam Singh on the issue. This means Ms Lim and Mr Singh have the option of suing him for defamation.

Asked about Dr Balakrishnan waiving parliamentary privilege, Mr Low said: “I recall the Prime Minister recently talking about good politics. I’m not sure making personal attacks and asking people to sue is good politics. I’m puzzled by that.”

When pressed on whether this meant that the WP MPs would not sue, he said: “I am not committing (to) anything.”

On Dr Balakrishnan’s observation that Mr Low did not defend Ms Lim and Mr Singh in the House — which the minister made on Facebook after the Parliament session — Mr Low said: “I think the minister might have missed my opening statement in Parliament. When I stood up to speak, my opening statement was that I agree with what Ms Sylvia Lim said and the Chairman (Ms Lim) has responded robustly to the minister and I don’t think I need to belabour the MPs by repeating what she had to say.”

Mr Low reiterated that he had not spoken to Mr Tai Vie Shun, Property Manager of the WP-run Aljunied-Hougang-Punggol East Town Council. But the documents presented in Parliament by Dr Balakrishnan were “basically pertaining to discussion on spring cleaning”, he said.

Town councils are required to clean high areas of hawker centres in annual cleaning exercises. It is not a requirement for quarterly spring cleaning.

The NEA contends that Mr Tai had asked the hawkers for more money to pay for cleaning of the high areas, which Ms Lim and Mr Singh deny.

Dr Balakrishnan had urged Mr Low to look into the matter. He had said to Mr Low in the House: “Because I know you to be an honourable man, I appeal to you: Go back, do a thorough investigation of what’s gone on and what’s gone wrong in your town council and put it right.”

Mr Low said he was satisfied that the town council “has done what is necessary and done its part”, with no intention of denying its responsibility or collecting additional charges.

Asked about the five-day closure of one hawker centre that should have indicated it was closed for annual cleaning, according to Dr Balakrishnan, Mr Low said the NEA could have stated “annual cleaning” clearly in its communications. In Hougang, where he was previously MP, Mr Low said the market was not required to close even during annual cleaning.

The matter could be looked at from “different perspectives” and there could be better communication and understanding among stakeholders, he said.

“I’ve said that first of all, what’s important is the town council continues to work with relevant authorities. The market has been cleaned and I’ve said previously, let’s move on.”