Aljunied-Hougang Town Council says lucky draw of recent upgrading poll not secret

Aljunied-Hougang Town Council says a 22-page booklet for a Neighbourhood Renewal Programme (NRP) in Eunos Spring of Aljunied GRC had made it known that all eligible households who voted "Yes" would automatically qualify for a lucky draw. 

It said in a statement to the media on Thursday that 2,768 units were informed of the polling exercise on 11 and 12 August.

During the exercise, 79 per cent, or 2,188 households, voted for the upgrading project. 

The town council was responding to unhappiness among some residents in the Eunos Spring area over the lucky draw. 

They had wondered why not all residents who voted in the NRP exercise were eligible for the lucky draw, and whether the vote was secret, as those who had voted "yes" qualified for the lucky draw. 

The Aljunied-Hougang Town Council, which manages The Workers' Party-held wards of Hougang and Aljunied GRC, said the NRP vote was a consensus-gathering exercise. 

It stressed that it was not a secret ballot and is a common practice among town councils in Singapore. 

After residents cast their votes, a post-consensus gathering report is submitted to the Housing and Development Board. 

The town council said the report also details the number of units in each eligible block and the number of individuals who responded "yes" or "no". 

The Eunos Spring division is under Member of Parliament Pritam Singh of The Workers' Party.