AHPETC fined S$800 for holding Chinese New Year fair without permit

PUBLISHED: 12:17 PM, DECEMBER 24, 2014 http://www.todayonline.com

SINGAPORE — The Aljunied-Hougang-Punggol East Town Council (AHPETC), run by the opposition Workers’ Party, was today (Dec 24) fined S$800 for holding a festive trade fair without a permit earlier this year.

A district court had found the town council guilty on Nov 28 for flouting Section 35 of the Environmental Public Health Act. AHPETC faced a fine of up to S$1,000.

AHPETC ARGUES FOR NOMINAL FINE

In its mitigation plea, defence lawyer Peter Low said AHPETC “is not deserving of the maximum fine” of S$1,000 and instead argued for a nominal fine of S$200.

He urged the court to take into account the particular circumstances that the town council found itself in at the time of the offence. Among them, that AHPETC was uncertain as to whether the National Environment Agency (NEA) would require the town council to apply for a permit for organising its Chinese New Year fair.

The town council also went ahead to fill up the application form it received from the NEA despite having reservations over the requirements in the form.

Mr Low also argued that the town council showed substantial compliance of NEA’s demands, and when the town council highlighted to NEA that some of the requirements were unreasonable, the agency “maintained silence as to why it imposed unreasonable conditions”. These conditions include getting support from the area’s Citizens’ Consultative Committee for the running of the fair.

Mr Low said AHPETC “honestly believed it was justified in proceeding without a trade fair permit”.

Prosecution lawyer Isaac Tan though said the town council was deliberate in its action and unremorseful.

Elaborating on his grounds for sentencing, District Judge Victor Yeo said the undisputed fact was that the town council made a conscious decision to start its fair a day earlier despite being told by the NEA that its application for a permit was incomplete. He reiterated that the true objection of the town council centred on the conditions attached to the permit and not the requirement for a permit.