Mah Bow Tan: HDB flats will remain affordable to the vast majority of Singaporeans
From our Correspondent
In a speech made at the Presentation and Exhibition on Punggol Waterfront Housing Design yesterday, National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan promised Singaporeans that the government will continue to ensure that HDB flats remain affordable to the “vast majority” of Singaporeans.
Mr Mah began his speech with the usual self-congratulatory boast about HDB’s “achievements”:
“Over the past 50 years, HDB has transformed Singapore into a nation of flat owners. The quality of our public housing has also evolved, from basic low-cost units, to quality flats in vibrant housing estates today.
Today, eight in ten Singaporeans are homeowners. This is a major achievement, which no other country has been able to do.”
Over 85 per cent of Singapore’s populations live in HDB flats built by the government. As they are leasehold flats whose purchase and sale are subjected to various conditions, it is a suspect if Singaporeans really “own” them.
Mr Mah stressed the importance of being cost-effective when designing and building the flats as “high building cost will ultimately feed into the market value of flats while high maintenance cost can affect the amount of Service & Conservancy Charge that homeowners will have to bear.”
HDB revealed in its annual report in 2009 that it incurred a whooping loss of $2 billion dollars due to “home subsidies” given to Singaporeans to enable them to own their real homes.
The figures are widely questioned by netizens and bloggers who view them with skepticism.
The prices of HDB flats have sky-rocketed in recent months with resale flats hitting a record high on the back of strong demand from PRs who are allowed to purchase HDB flats in the open market.
Despite criticisms leveled at it for failure to control the housing prices, HDB continues to insist that their flats are “affordable”.
The supply of new flats are largely controlled by HDB. According to reports from HDB, less than 10,000 flats were built each year between 2006 – 2008 when the rate of inflow of foreigners is the highest.
The ruling party has encouraged mass immigration from other countries in particular China and India, to boost the nation’s declining birth rate as well as to maintain the racial mix.
Two recent sale exercises of Balanced and BTO flats saw them over-subscribed by more than 10 times, an indication on how serious the housing shortage has become.
Some young couples are forced to stay with their parents after marriage as they are unable to obtain a flat of their choice.
Instead of addressing the concerns on the ground, the government has blamed Singaporeans for being too “choosy” with the flats.
With the ruling party firmly in control of parliament, Singaporeans will have no choice but to put up with its “exhortations” unless they vote for more opposition to check on it.
Interview source: Gov monitor
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Old Guy on Fri, 13th Nov 2009 9:48 am
what is so different between the flats 20 years ago and now?
The same in and out..
don’t tell people the flats 20- 30 years ago are basic low-cost units when they are selling so high price in the resale market
cement is cement… no difference then and now..!
K Chiang on Fri, 13th Nov 2009 10:02 am
We are in our mid-60s, my wife and I sold our private house and we decided to downgrade and move to buy a 3 room HDB flat. Surprisingly, HDB does not allowed us to buy directly from them (with the subsidies)despite never own ONE b4 from HDB.
We were told that we needed to wait for 30 month grace period.
But we saw many new migrants and PRs own HDB flats upon arriving here, and surely, these new arrivals must have also sold their properties back in their countries b4 moving to live in Singapore. HDBs 30 month grace period does not applied to this group.
There must be other retired Singaporeans like ourselves facing similar situation with HDB. Unfairly treated by HDB.
Anonymous on Fri, 13th Nov 2009 10:47 am
With so many Singaporeans INCREASINGLY AND EVENTUALLY displaced by foreigners IN EMPLOYMENT, the HDB is become even MORE AFFORDABLE for those unemployed and “less” affordable for those job stealing foreign “thallium”?
The perverse of logic and loyalty to national highfaluting pledge DOES NOT come any better or clearer.
smallfly on Fri, 13th Nov 2009 11:30 am
it is so funny! is mbt still sleeping n hasn’t woken up yet? the “conceptual design” by so called “international renowned architects”–the award winner team for punggol waterfront housing projects look similar to the bedok court hudc located at bedok ave 3 except with the additions of numerous sky gardens n solar panels!
singapore citizen on Fri, 13th Nov 2009 11:36 am
My case is not unique, I’m sure many share my profile.
I’m fully aware of our government’s eugenics program in trying to get people to get married and have children early, even earlier than what medical practitioners recommend. However, I see nothing wrong with just sticking to the recommendations of the medical practitioners, which is having children before the lady turns 35 years of age.
As such, I was unmarried for many years and could not partake in the government handouts of housing subsidy even though I am a citizen, simply because I did not conform to their overly-conservative eugenics programme.
I see my fellow colleagues who are P.R.s enjoying these eugenics benefits from HDB subsidy, twice over even for some of them. And they happily tell me they do not wish to be citizens because there is no further substantial benefit to be had. They also do not do N.S.
Now that I reach the age recommended by medical practitioners to have children, I have missed out on those earlier years of government handouts. And I’m faced with the policy mistake of our drastic immigration policy over the last 3 years, combined with the poor foresight of HDB not to realise we are importing 300000+ people and not building houses to house them.
I look with dismay at our property market and feel sad at how this country, which I have no chance to influence the policies because of election engineering, end up in this state.
Singapore Citizen
FreeYourself on Fri, 13th Nov 2009 11:51 am
K Chiang on Fri, 13th Nov 2009 10:02 am
Your case is just an example of what is happening in Singapore now. For all that you have contributed to what Singapore is today, these self-serving PAP fat cats are treating Singaporeans as second class citizens in our own country.
It is not too late to vote for the opposition in the coming GE, if not for yourself then at least for your children and grandchildren future.
I love my country on Fri, 13th Nov 2009 11:52 am
What else can you expect when u keep voting PAP.
Dirty Old Man on Fri, 13th Nov 2009 12:11 pm
This blind-as-a-bat Minister, as usual, is talking through his arse.
If he was working in the private sector, he would have joined the jobless statistics long ago.
Yet he is paid millions in tax-payers money for his poor job performance.
Singaporeans are suffering for the failure in accountability of the MIW Government.
http://www.yeocheowtong.com/Salaries.html
Kuching Kurak on Fri, 13th Nov 2009 12:26 pm
50 years to build flats?
in a small country?
Look at China, it too has so many nice flats built in much less time than that.
So how?
singapore citizen on Fri, 13th Nov 2009 12:29 pm
> what is so different between the flats 20 years ago and now?
Mr Mah doesn’t want us to compare 20 years ago because if we do that, we must go back 20 years. So we better not do that.
Mr LKY however often compares further than 20 years ago. no wonder he’s looking backward and white hair already over the head. He should try to do what Mr Mah suggested.
We should compare 4 years ago. Today’s famous Queenstown flat was bought at just over $200k.
Mr Mah, can I compare 4 years ago? please? i’ll be good ….
One Con Job Is Too Many on Fri, 13th Nov 2009 12:42 pm
If we have highly educated. highly intelligent, extremely cunning leaders who collectively decide to con us, then whatever we think, say or do will never make a dent of a difference.
Therefore the lesson to be learned and the action to follow:
Vote the Menace Out of Our Non-Elite Caring Faces!
cy on Fri, 13th Nov 2009 2:40 pm
how can it be affordable when a 4 rm flat sells above 600k?
cy on Fri, 13th Nov 2009 2:42 pm
睁眼说瞎话
Anonymous on Fri, 13th Nov 2009 2:45 pm
Tampines residents,
Please teach this Minister a lesson. Vote the Opposition.
citizen on Fri, 13th Nov 2009 2:50 pm
The term Singaporean is very vague now. Is it locally born Sporean, PR Sporean, Just-new-Citizen Sporean or “about to emigrate” Sporean?
Time for Change. on Fri, 13th Nov 2009 3:31 pm
I believe his seat in Tampines GRC is very shaky. Hope the opposition puts up a team to contest there. If housing prices continues to shoot up, the opposition might win by a landslide.
qussl3 on Fri, 13th Nov 2009 3:47 pm
@singapore citizen
I understand your plight and am in a somewhat similar situation, I have likely chosen not to have children here simply because in the current direction our nation is moving I have no confidence in them being able to have the same opportunities that i enjoyed and am seriously considering emigrating.
However, it truly pains me to even consider such an option as this is my homeland.
My hope is that in the next GE we citizens will find a way to have our voices heard and no longer be the silent majority.
I hold no illusions about the opposition or the competence of the PAP, but our current economic policies are clearly reactive in nature and do not address underlying structural issues.
Let not the hope that i cling to be a vain one.
LHL's Dead Wife on Fri, 13th Nov 2009 5:12 pm
I think the real message Mr Mah Bow “I’m A Dumbass” Tan is saying is that HDB flats continue to be affordable to Singaporean Ministers!! This guy is a snake and i hope he gets cancer and endures a long painful death for his lies!!
Dear quss13... on Fri, 13th Nov 2009 10:22 pm
When leaders are termed “brilliant” by their one ‘Master’ and they are mainly “REACTIONARY” in their policies to ‘FIX’ bad things… HOW NOT creative ARE HAH! Fast forward ‘brilliant’ thinkers really???… and so…
WHAT DOES THIS… ALSO SAY… of their that one and only MASTER too???… LLLLLLLLLOOOOOOOLLLLLLLL!!!! till they all HEEHAW times x times and show us how much donkey they really are!!!… MIW and ACTUALLY MIB for Singaporeans and even NOt truly MIW for the foreigners too IN THE LONG RUN!!!… A BUNCH OF tricksters would wanna say???
Whenever....!!!... on Sat, 14th Nov 2009 11:25 am
AdministraItor… Oops typo… Administrater guys OPENS his mouth… the first word IS…
MAA…AAK!!!… like a horse… next comes up…
Booo.oooH!!!… like horse with sore throat… and then…
taaa… aaa… haaaaan!!!!…
Hope we all GET IT!!!
TL on Sat, 14th Nov 2009 1:31 pm
PAP has brain-washed many Singaporean into believing that it is as importance as Air and Water and opposition party as destructive as nuclear bomb. In fact, PAP itself has started as opposition party in the 50s.