Hundreds of affected home owners attended a dialogue session with MP Lam Pin Min, the temple's developer Life Corp, Housing Development Board and Urban Development Authority yesterday, after being informed recently that a Chinese Temple with columbarium service was to be built in the Fernvale precinct.

Sharon Toh was one of the residents who wanted Life Corp and its CEO, Simon Hoo, to clarify about its involvement in the Fernvale site.

Referring to the Straits Times article (see the text that is highlighted in red below), she asked Hoo whether Life Corp would have a one-stop funeral service.

Source: The Straits Times

Below is the transcript of Life Corp CEO Simon Hoo's reply to Toh (2:58 - 4:43) from a video that was widely shared on social media:

"Thank you for the questions and these are very valid questions.

First thing to clarify, the article that came out on the Straits Times on the 30th December - I did not give the interview.

The reporter called me up for a two minute talk and asked me whether I am free. I said I am going on holiday, I am on the way on a plane for family holidays. Can I get back to you? So that was the two-minute conversation.

And certain investigation [sic] journalism came in - They read our annual report. They read our announcements. And all the stories were gelled. And when the article was published, it was not verified or confirmed with certain parts of the company itself.

To clarify, those things, the reports, those articles, Life Corp or Simon Hoo say certain things, are lifted out of context.

The only thing I said, is, you know, the temple would be completed before 2017.

In terms of what Sharon Toh (the resident) had said, in our announcements, in our annual reports, we told shareholders, our board of directors, we have a full suite of services, from premium funeral services all the way to columbarium. That is true.

But we did not say that it is contracted on the same site. It is more reference [sic] to the business model that today we have Singapore funeral services (SFS) that is conducting premium funeral services. They are doing their funeral services at the housing estates all over Singapore.

We are not saying that we are putting SFS into the same place to do the same business".

However, Ho's reply raises several questions:

1. Is Ho implying that he prioritized going on a personal holiday and let the media run wild with the story?

2. As the CEO, shouldn't he take the initiative and responsibility to refer this interview to the next most senior person to answer?

3. Why didn't Ho seek to clarify with the media or issue a public response after the erroneous report was published?

4. In its announcement last June, Life Corp highlighted that the tender "represents an important progression for LFC's business model of providing a full suite premium funeral service" (see highlighted). Why did Life Corp even provide such a statement if there is no relation to the Fernvale tender in the first place?

Source

Top photo from here.

Like what you read? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter to stay updated.