THE TEMASEK REVIEW

By Voice of Citizens

We, the Citizens, are not against Immigration Policy per se. We are deeply against the ill-conceived manner in which huge and rapid influx of FT/PR are admitted into our country recently.

We are frustrated with the HDB policy and poor planning which does take into account housing needs of increasing population. It is inexcusable to say that HDB could not have anticipated such shortage.

The effects of rapid accelerating growth in FT/PR and housing shortage have are severe impact on many citizens in terms of their housing needs and employment.

What is the solution? What do we need to do re-define, refine and build a sustainable growth and Nationhood?

Broadly for layman terms, the next steps forward will be:

1. “FT/PR” population growth impact /HDB housing shortage must be immediately resolved to dampen the intertwining vicious effects of escalating cost of housing and employment marginalization of citizens.

2. “FT/PR” policies must drastically reduce the quantum and growth of population attributable to foreign intake and allow moderate sustainable growth which;

1. will be consistent with the level of living standards of citizens

2. will not stifle livelihood and hopes of citizens, inducing stress and strain, fear of future cost

3. will allow a sustainable employment growth and alleviate many other concerns associated with it.

3. The “FT/PR” & Housing Policies must not put adverse pressure on services, amenities, housing and employment to the extent as felt now.

4. “FT/PR” & Housing Policy must consecrate within it the “Ten Commandments” of Citizen Privilege & Right. Simply said, the Policy must:

1. be discriminative to FT/PR to ensure maximum benefits of citizens

2. not be prohibitive to citizens, creating long-term housing debt, especially lesser privilege class, middle-class and singles.

3. be less disruptive to citizen livelihood and sense of hope and purpose

4. not be de-motivating to citizen drive to betterment in livelihood

5. not be depriving of citizen rights and privileges for affordable housing

6. not be constraining on citizen lives

7. not create inflationary-inducing, cost escalation inducing, speculative-inducing effect that are disruptive

8. not bias towards selective classes

9. not be politically motivated.

10. above-all be citizen-centric, Singaporean First

5. Resultant effect of reducing the intertwining impact of FT influx and housing cost must bring cost down to level for future sustainable trend, commensurate measured growth amenable to the citizen.

6. Polices must be in-place to limit PR purchase of Re-sales and cost escalation, increase the supply of HDB much more and quicker to bring housing cost at level not disadvantaging the middle, sandwiched, lower class.

7. HDB policy should de-peg new HDB price to Resales Value and provide cheaper land cost.

8. Immigration Policy must be in-place to limit FT/PR and have stricter criteria of selection for FT/PR.

9. Government must stop artificial inflation via monopoly of land and housing and refrain from exhortation of future price raises, giving way to speculation and false “wealth creation” for political motive or otherwise pandering to mass lemming instinct and greed.

10. Resale HDB must be for Singaporeans only and there must be distinctive and restrictive criteria for PR ownership of HDB housing which will not give way to runaway COV and escalating housing cost.

11. Cramping down on Resale asset valuation will bring about amenable and beneficial asset appreciation to all citizens in long-run:

1. For all-those who have seen “value” raise recently, they will be affected in the short to medium terms but they will still benefit in longer terms

2. For those are adversely affected by recent escalation, they have chance to buy without incurring huge debt

3. For those who upgraded to stay long-term they will still see appreciation in future.

4. On the average, more will benefit on the broader front and longer terms

12. Another beneficial effect is lower cost of business operation as rental cost goes down across-the-board, thus providing lower cost base for business operation as employers pay lesser to foreign staff for housing accommodation.

13. There will be “temporary” loss or reduction of National Reserve due to expenditure/sacrifice of reserve to bring cost down and capital reduction of asset value, but on the whole, with lower housing and other cost mitigation measures, the overall cost of business will go down as well as expectations of citizens.

14. Citizens will be prepared to take lower salaries since their basic housing and other needs are satisfied, amongst other concomitant savings as the result of cost reduction in other services, food and others.

15. The indirect result of having being able to satisfy much lower cost housing and employment needs in higher motivation to self-actualize for higher goals.

16. Re-engineering of productivity-based economy must come about with higher investment in citizen skills and upgrading, more and better sustainable industries. Once this is realized, more skill-based national productivity can be realized with manageable general trend of salary increase with higher living standard and manageable costs in longer term.

17. The initial period may see our National Reserve decline but it is worth-while effort as we pursue the course of re-engineering our economy to allow sustainable growth of selective industries, re-building a Nation utilizing our reserve productively such that every citizen has sense of hope and purpose in the Nation, not as a “sacrificial sheep” following the Lion, but a “beaver” in each individual, the clever, smart and hardworking maker of “dams”.

18. Together, we, “beavers”, will re-build the “dam of reserve” for future generation as our forefather did for the present generation.

19. The heavy-weight government machineries must be leaner and leaders show sacrifice, not speaking virtues with obscene pay. Only then can they hold hand in hand with the citizens to re-build a Nation.

20. There is no such thing as inevitability of rich-poor divide. “Divide” there is but surely there is way to close the” divide” by refining our policies.

21. With our excellent infrastructure, lower cost base for citizens with privilege and rights preserved, we can once again grow gradually to new heights with collective spirit of one Heart & Soul of Nation.

22. We need, now, to re-charge ourselves create impetus and drive from lower cost base start where cost of owning home and living is not prohibitive in citizen terms, not too prohibitive that it stranglehold their lives and dampen hopes and aspirations.

23. From here we aim forward to build better and affordable home for next generation, knowing each economic cycle of limits of growth and cost clearly over a projected frame, plan, anticipate and adjust accordingly without the disruptive burst of ill-conceived policies ramming down our throats, recently, in desperation.

24. We must the citizens from the “Animal farm” claustrophobia and start teaming in an “open farm” belong to citizens where we once again “till the land” for the current and next generation.

25. In short, we need a period of economic re-engineering, convalescence at slower growth as we re-define and refine our Nation, starting from a lower cost base favorable to the Citizens.

PAP must have the moral courage to say “SORRY” to citizens for not anticipating the adverse impact due to the intertwining effects huge foreign influx and ill-conceived HDB planning.

The present policies of accelerating population growth will not work, without knowing clearly the impact of such rapid growth on the cost of living, housing and employment, the limits of strain and stress our Nation can take in terms of infrastructure, relation, space, individual livelihood and etc.

The consequence to the Nation in future will be disastrous. Even now many citizens are feeling the limits of stress and strain.

Will our great Ministers sign off their wealth on paper to the Citizens, as guarantee of their superb leadership in return for Citizens to entrust their stake in Nationhood in their hands?

If NOT DO NOT CREATE false hopes that housing of Resales will sustain continuously uptrend, thus raising value of asset artificially across the board. Validity, inherent risks, potential pitfalls and limits of their rationale must be communicated earnestly, impartially and clearly to the citizens or lives of many innocents will be jeopardized. DO NOT DICE with citizen debt as they are NOT GOD.

Good Government governs with citizen interest, NOT lead them into eternal debt. Current “wealth” of Rich & Powerful is always at the expense of others and next generation.

They know it. So why create such a humungous cost to next generation with present housing policy and rapid foreign influx, knowing the adverse ramifications, if left unchecked?

It is imperative a solution must be put in place as quickly as possible.

This is the challenge to the Multi-million dollar Ministers.

Voice of Citizen

13 Responses to “Chorus of Change for Singaporean: Survival Guide to Sustainable Nationhood”