Workers' Party chairman Sylvia Lim and Senior Counsel Davinder Singh yesterday disagreed over whether Ms Lim lied that the Aljunied-Hougang Town Council (AHTC) began to upscale its computer system only after the People's Action Party-owned software firm Action Information Management (AIM) said it would terminate its contract. Here is an edited excerpt.
Davinder Singh: In your defence, you gave the impression that it was because AIM had terminated its contract that AHTC had to upscale its computer system. In your affidavit, you gave that same impression. In Parliament, you gave that very same impression. To your own town council members, you gave that impression as well. In all the instances I have shown you, you led the town council, the court, Parliament and the public to believe that it was because AIM had terminated (its contract) that AHTC had no choice but to upscale, and therefore was put in a difficult position as far as its collections were concerned, correct?
Sylvia Lim: Yes.
DS: And as we know from the documents, that was a false impression that was knowingly and deliberately perpetuated by you because you knew the facts.
SL: I disagree.
DS: The facts were that the upscaling was already decided before and AIM, far from causing the (need for) upscaling, was giving AHTC all the time it needed for the (software tests).
SL: I was there, and it was not as you put it.
DS: But you agreed earlier that the upscaling commenced in May.
SL: Preparatory works, yes.
DS: You agreed it was before the tip-off from Jeffrey Chua.
SL: Yes.
DS: You agreed with me that when you wanted until Aug 31, AIM gave you till Aug 31.
SL: Yes.
DS: You agreed with me that AIM had no contractual obligation to give you until Aug 31.
SL: I believe so.
DS: You also agreed that AIM went beyond its contract to assist the town council.
SL: Yes.
DS: Despite all of this, you misled everyone. You gave them the false impression, including in Parliament... that AIM terminated and therefore you had to upscale. You lied.
SL: I disagree.
DS: You lied to your town council members, to Parliament, in this court, in your defence.
SL: I disagree.
DS: And even now you don't have the honour to accept that what you did was wrong.
SL: I disagree, Mr Singh.
