PM Lee Sacked Wong Kan Seng, Mah Bow Tan, Raymond Lim?

Did Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong altogether sacked five ministers following the ruling party’s smallest margin of victory at this month’s general election?

In the new cabinet announced by him today, K. Shanmugam will be minister for foreign affairs, succeeding George Yeo who was defeated in the May 7 polls, according to a statement today. Tharman Shanmugaratnam, who will retain his position as finance minister, is also deputy prime minister and manpower minister. Teo Chee Hean remains as deputy prime minister.

Wong Kan Seng, National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan and Transport Minister Raymond Lim were probably sacked from the cabinet for their incompetence in dealing with the electorate and talking down on them, instead of appeasing them. Monkey and Frog storyteller, Lim Swee Say, also lost his Manpower Ministry mandate though he still keeps his Minister in the PMO (without Portfolio) post.

The new lineup is a “fresh slate after a watershed election,” said Lee at a press conference today. The government will “review existing policies and approaches” and “engage a new generation of Singaporeans,” he said. Shanmugaratnam, who has been Minister of Finance since December 2007, is a former education minister.

The announcement comes after Singapore’s former prime ministers Lee Kuan Yew and Goh Chok Tong announced May 14 they will resign from the cabinet to make way for younger leaders. Lee Kuan Yew will be made senior adviser to sovereign wealth fund Government of Singapore Investment Corp., while Goh is senior adviser to the Monetary Authority of Singapore. The new cabinet will be sworn in on May 21.

“The most important decisions are still made in the cabinet at a collective leadership level, so you can expect a great degree of policy continuity despite the changes,” said Ng Soon Nam, Singapore-based chief investment officer at Nikko Asset Management, which oversees about $126 billion. “It’s good that they are refreshing the cabinet.”

Prime Minister Lee’s ruling People’s Action Party won the general election with the smallest margin of popular votes since independence. He pledged his party will change the way it rules after the opposition won a record number of seats in elections that must be held every five years.

The party that has ruled Singapore for more than five decades won 81 out of 87 parliamentary seats and 60.1 percent of the popular vote. Lim Hwee Hua, Singapore’s first woman minister and who helps oversee the finance and transport ministries, also lost this month. A parliamentary seat is a requirement to hold a ministerial post in the cabinet.

Lee Kuan Yew, the father of the current premier, was Singapore’s prime minister when it gained independence in 1965 and handed over to Goh in 1990. The younger Lee took over from Goh in 2004, who stayed in the cabinet as the senior minister.

Singapore’s ministers are among the world’s highest paid, earning millions of dollars annually as the government benchmarks their wages against salaries of chief executive officers and other top earners in the country. The government says such earnings prevent corruption and help attract and retain talent.

Opposition parties in this month’s elections decried the amount of ministerial compensation and compared their wages to those of ordinary Singaporeans who are facing a rising cost of living and depressed wages as a result of an influx of foreign workers.

Stubborn Mah Bow Tan insists that HDB is still affordable

From: reborner
Subject: Stubborn Mah Bow Tan insists that HDB is still affordable

In spite of the prevailing public sentiments, National Development
Minister Mah Bow Tan repeated his stance yesterday at Parliament that
HDB flats are still “affordable” to Singaporeans.

Mr Mah used a formula called the debt service ratio (DSR) which
compares the monthly mortgage installment to the monthly household
income to substantiate his claims.

The DSR ranges between 17 to 25 percent for new flats and around 30
percent for mature flats in central locations.

“These figures are within the international benchmark for housing
affordability, which ranges from 30 per cent to 35 per cent,” Mr Mah
was quoted as saying in the Straits Times today.

Mr Mah also admitted that “it is possible that prices of resale flats
have risen faster than incomes when indexed against different years.”
in response to a question by PAP MP Lim Biow Chuan.

In an extensive interview with the Straits Times a few weeks ago, Mr
Mah used two sets of figures from the years 1999 and 2009 to show that
the relative pace of income has “out-paced” that of HDB flat prices.

The statistics were disputed by Reform Party member Hazel Poa who
wrote on her blog that the results would be different if the base year
is different, causing much embarrassment to Mr Mah.

The increasingly unpopular Mr Mah has come under fire of late from
Singaporeans for his failure to control runaway HDB flat prices which
have hit a record high in the last few months, caused partially by
rising demand fueled by mass immigration.

Though PRs form some twenty percent of the buyers in the resale
market, Mr Mah insisted that they have “negligible” impact on the
prices.

He also lashed out at first time home buyers for being “fussy” and
having “unrealistic” expectations.

Mr Mah earns around $2 million dollars a year, or more than 4 times
the annual salary of U.S. President Barack Obama.

PAP strongman Lee Kuan Yew castigated Singaporeans for being “daft” (stupid)
should they cast a protest vote against Mr Mah in the next general
election over sky-rocketing HDB flat prices.

MBT & Ho Peng Kee should be sacked

From: Zanzibar
Subject: Re: MBT & Ho Peng Kee should be sacked..
On Apr 9, 10:48 am, yansimon52 wrote:

> Why this shorties should be sacked?

> He is just too lazy cos,he just took other (his 'hoo lan par
> colleagues) ppl suggestion and implement it and he doesn't weight the
> pro and cons ie.. look into other hidden problem face by rubbish ppl.
> His infamous flaws among his policies are....one of it is by allowing
> private bank to participate in a govt's PUBLIC HOUSING SCHEME...that
> is oledi going against the 'Laws Of Nature'....and who suffer?....its
> the rubbish ppl that are sufferring now.....an emerging nos of
> homeless families.

> The other flaw is...... he raise prices on new flats....thus making
> new flat owners being a slave to their flat....for many many years..
> MBT forget his role....as the chief, ,sitting on a nos 1 chair in a
> Public Housing Scheme.
> C'mon man....an illiterate hawker know his role as a hawker...such as,
> he knows that being a good and sincere hawker serving his loyal
> customers....he knows that he got to buy the freshest food and at good
> price so that, he could sell his food at 'value for money' to his
> loyal customers.

> Halo MBT....if an illiterate hawker know his role as being a sincere
> and ethical hawker in earning decent money....you MBT calling yourself
> as million $ mimiminister of National Development...don't tell me you
> do not or unable to understand this word 'sincere or ethical' in what
> HDB as the so-called Housing Authority should do....don't tell me your
> mindset is lower than those sincere hawkers ah?
> What we rubbish ppl see in you is....with just a little innovation on
> your design (on those new HDB flats) ..ie...quite similar to condo
> style of living done by your highly paid architect at HDB hub...and
> you demanding that sgian need to pay at those hefty new prices you
> dictated.

He was "hated" by the public. Everyone in everywhere can see how they
demolish MBt arguments. Their many voices to replace him at the
election come back as been elected,. He is now seemed to be a
identified as "hatred" by the public.

Mah Bow Tan full scale retaliation on his HDB incompetency

Postedby: OsamaBinLaden
Post subject: Mah Bow Tan full scale retaliation on his HDB incompetency
NATIONAL Development Minister Mah Bow Tan spent some time in Parliament yesterday addressing popular misconceptions about Singapore's public housing market.

MYTH: There are not enough HDB flats to meet demand.
HIS RESPONSE:
# The HDB released 13,500 new flats last year and will release another 12,000 or more this year. This is more than the total number of flats in Clementi or Jurong East (about 23,000 flats each).
# The massive oversubscription rates for new flats are misleading. That is because half the number of flat applicants choose not to book a flat when invited to do so. Many say this is because they could not get a flat of their choice, yet in recent selection exercises, one-third rejected flats on the first day of selection, when all the flats were available.
# Some first-time buyers have complained that they have tried repeatedly to get a flat to no avail. But when the HDB reviewed 477 such cases in the last six months, it found only 29 appeals (6 per cent) were genuine.

CASE STUDY: Mr C complained about his lack of success in getting a flat. The HDB's checks found that he had submitted four applications, three of which were in highly popular mature estates. In six months, he consecutively rejected three offers of flats: one offer of 121 flats in Punggol/Sengkang because he had been 'targeting a unit in Buangkok'; another offer of 143 flats in Punggol because 'the units left are facing the mosque'; and a third offer of 14 flats in Serangoon, Yishun, Ang Mo Kio, Tampines and Woodlands because these were not his 'choice' flats.

MYTH: HDB flats are unaffordable.
HIS RESPONSE:
# On top of the CPF Housing Grant of $30,000 or $40,000, there is an Additional Housing Grant (AHG) for lower-income families of up to $40,000. As of Jan 31, the Government disbursed more than $330 million in AHG to more than 20,000 families.
# The median house price is 5.8 times the median household income in Singapore. In comparison, the ratio is 7.1 in London and 19.8 in Hong Kong.
# The average mortgage payment for new flats in non-mature estates sold in 2009 was 22 per cent of monthly household income. This is well below the affordability benchmark of 30 per cent to 35 per cent.
# Four out of five Singaporean new flat buyers service their housing loans from CPF savings, without any cash payment.

CASE STUDY: Mr and Mrs S, with a $4,500 monthly income, bought a four-room flat in Punggol for $297,900. They received $10,000 in grants and took a concessionary loan of $268,100 (90 per cent of the price) from the HDB. The couple's monthly instalment is $1,073, or 24 per cent of their income. They can use $1,035 from the CPF to service the mortgage and end up paying only $38 monthly in cash.

MYTH: PRs push up prices.
HIS RESPONSE:
# The median cash-over-valuation (COV) paid by permanent residents have been the same as the median COV nationwide for the last two quarters.
# Cases of PRs paying high COV are the exception. Of 37,205 resale transactions in 2009, 58 cases had COV exceeding $70,000. Of this, only eight (14 per cent) involved PRs.

MYTH: Private property owners push up prices.
HIS RESPONSE:
# Their number is not large enough to push up prices. Of the 58 resale transactions last year with COV exceeding $70,000, only 11 cases (19 per cent) involved private property owners.

MYTH: Subletting of HDB flats is rampant.
HIS RESPONSE:
# Of the 682,000 flats that have fulfilled current Minimum Occupation Period requirements, only 3 per cent are sublet. This suggests most flat owners are buying their flats for occupation, and not rental.
------------------------------------------------
EngAudListCo_Director:
Personally, my view is that subletting of HDB flas is indeed rampant. If HDB authorities are diligent enough to go by every single flat to check on the occupants, you will be surprise by those who are illegally subletting.

This will be directly related to the above myth that PRs push up prices. It is an indirect effect as those prime locations that gave higher rental yields that entice both locals and PRs to acquire these flats.
------------------------------------------------
Marina:
Of course need to be chosey...it is buying a flat...probably the largest amount of money you going to spend in your life.....Who would just anyhow tikam tikam buy any flat that is available.

Unless he can bring down the price of HDB to a level like buying a plate of chicken rice...then probably most people not so chosey.
------------------------------------------------
taypeng:
MBT is using statistics but interpreting them wrongly. Out of the BTO applicants 50% turn down the flats but how many flats remain unsold in the end? 50% turn away the flats not equals 50% unsold. a few years ago when there were still ballots for unsold flats, you could tell even then that about 90 - 95% of all units were sold.

50% truth is sometimes still a lie
------------------------------------------------
Tara:
Why can't they just admit they made a mess of things in HDB? Just like causing the mess in the economy now with cheap unproductive labour?
------------------------------------------------
kamomo:
I think let's see if these new measures have any impact on prices. MBT also has to consider everyone's interest, including those who already own a HDB flat. I know those who have not bought wants the prices to drop 50% but that would put quite a lot of people who own a flat into negative equity. That would bring the whole economy to a tailspin. I think the 3 year lock-in makes an HDB flat, esp the "expensive" ones like Queenstown, very unattractive, so expensive and still so much restrictions. I suspect some of the demand will be channeled into private condos with no such restrictions and not much more expensive than HDB. Hopefully the HDB prices will start to "stabilise" but not collapse. Private condo prices will start to diverge. This is to be fair to everyone, including those who already own a flat with an existing housing loan.

Sometimes I think singaporeans are too mollycoddled. Do you guys know that even buying private condos which is an even bigger investment, sometimes you just have to settle for second best or third best because someone else has taken the best unit or the best units is not for sale? That is life - isn't it? You give and take and move on. So if you have chances of choosing HDB flats but you choose to let them go because you only want that one and only unit, there is really nothing the government can do to help you. If you make a choice to wait for that one and only unit and that unit is no longer available, then don't complain that you can't get a flat right? Stop being spoilt brats.
------------------------------------------------
Message:
statistics can always be used to your advantage or disadvantage whichever one may want to look at it.

at the end of the day what is the real outcome on the ground?

see it feel it and understand it then the truth will be revealed in time.

so to put it in a nutshell: "Are our lives going to getting any better?"

Mah Bow Tan please resign

From: "truth"

That is the trouble in Singapore. Too many dead
woods are kept there because they are LKY-loyalists.
People like Wong Kan Seng, Lim Hng Kiang, Mah
Bow Tan should have been sacked long time ago for
incompetence.

Eventually, average Singaporeans will be the one who
have to pay the price for such systematic rotting.

"yansimon52" wrote in message

On Feb 26, 8:48 pm, "truth" wrote:

> I am calling on Mah Bow Tan to resign. He has screwed up
> the public housing program big time.
> Under his stewardship the HDB has swung from an excess of
> 30,000 units a few years ago to a current shortage of 50,000
> to 100,000 units.
> How could he be so very very wrong and keep his job ?
> Mah Bow Tan thru his incompetence and negligence has
> messed up the lives of so many Singaporeans.

Halo truth...whatmatter most in Sg politics is....he is capable of
'hoo lan par' the Familee........and his million $ salary will then
start rolling in thru his GIRO.

From: Politikus
He created HDB shortage so the average S'porean can have their flats
valuation and resale value appreciate... ;-p

Can MBT explain how "affordability" can equate to high HDB prices

From: Zanzibar
Subject: Can MBT explain how "affordability" can equate to high HDB prices.

Mah recently keep harping on his usual argument in that it is
affordability level of the HDB that is still affordable.

Can Mah please explain to the people as to how can one affords to
purchase the same flat of the same size at the same level when the
price of that flat of the has already doubled in the last three years,
and that when there was no change of his salary or for couple, there
was no change on their combined salaries in the appllication of formig
of a family nucleus.

For example, let say a resale flat of 3 rm flat was, let say, 170,000
dollar. A family or a single who want to buy that flat, would, let
say, need up to 40% of their income to pay for it.

But if now after 2 years passed, the flat's price jumped to 100% more,
does that mean it was still affordable when instead their repayment
jumped to 80% on their income.

Because of the high gearing, those intending to buy at this price wlll
not be qualified to purchase it. This means that people who qualifed
themselves in meeting the criteria in the pruchasing of flat will now
no longer qualify for it.

Thus, affordabilty is not a good measures for HDB flats. It does not
address the rising prices of the HDB flats.

Jam
From: "Jam"
Subject: Re: Goh Meng Seng takan pap "caught off guard" minister

When these men in white paid themselves indecently, they are all busy
counting their pay each month and tending to their investments. where got
time for the homeless? Their solution is to get the police to round tem up!
"truth" wrote in message

> truth comment: good on u goh meng seng. whack them hard.

> Mr Mah's high and mighty status does not however mean that he is always
> right and that ordinary citizens should not speak up when they see him
> pursuing polices which have caused great hardship to many Singaporeans. Mr
> Mah's first policy failure is that he built an insufficient number of HDB
> flats to meet the needs of Singapore's population. From 2003 to 2008, the
> total population of Singapore increased by 17.6%. The number of HDB flats
> increased by only 1.2%.

> The shortage of HDB flats has caused a destructive boom-bust housing
> bubble to be formed. The prices of resale HDB flats have skyrocketed
> beyond the means of many Singaporeans. New "subsidised" flats from the HDB
> have an over subscription rate of 5 to 10 times. If you succeed in getting
> a flat, you have to wait 3 years or more before you are able to get your
> flat.

> The huge demand for HDB flats is largely due to the increase in
> population. Over the past 5 years, Singapore's population has increased
> tremendously due to the Foreign Talent policy. Given Mr Mah's senior
> position in Cabinet, it is uncertain how Mr Mah could have missed this and
> be "caught off guard". This is not something that just happen overnight.
> It has been a steady phenomenon for the past 5 years.
> A well documented consequence of the Foreign Talent policy is that it
> depresses wages in Singapore. Based on CPF data, the number of active CPF
> members (ie Singaporean Citizens and PR) who earned less than $800/ month
> increased by 36.8% to 214,448 in 2008.

> At current prices, a HDB flat is NOT "affordable" to a family that earns
> less than S$1,500 a month. The rise in the number of people earning less
> than $800/mth means that there is a significant rise in the incidence of
> families that earn less than $1,500 a month and cannot afford a HDB flat.

> Such families typically have to rely on renting heavily subsided flats
> from the HDB. It is here that Mr Mah made his second policy failure. It
> seems that Mah Bow Tan's HDB does not think it should rent flats to
> Singaporeans who could no longer afford a decent flat. This is further
> reiterated by MM Lee recently that PAP's direction is that they do not
> want to rent flats to Singaporeans as far as possible. In fact, even when
> people are forced to sleep in the wild, in the parks, along the beaches...
> etc, PAP has maintained such a strong stand ever. They would rather rent
> HDB flats to foreign workers than renting them out to Singaporeans. The
> Online Citizens' article has a special report on this unusual phenomenon
> happening in Singapore, under the nose of PAP governance.

> Statistically, from 2003/2004 to 2008/2009, HDB decreased the number of
> rental flats by 45.5%. As a result of this hard hearted policy, the
> waiting time to rent a subsidized flat from HDB has jumped to between 17.5
> months and 25 months. Just not so long ago, right after GE2006, HDB has
> announced the demolition of a few blocks of rental flats in Mr. Low Thia
> Khiang's Hougang constituency. I also know that HDB is actively trying to
> get people who are staying in rental flats to get out. It is interesting
> to know that while HDB is actively reducing the number of rental flats for
> Singaporeans, they have been actively increasing rental flats for foreign
> workers here. It really makes me think about whether HDB's priority is to
> serve Singaporeans' housing needs or rather, the foreigners. This long
> waiting time for Singaporeans to rent a subsidized flat is in sharp
> contrast to foreigners who come to Singapore and work in the integrated
> resorts. These have been offered subsided housing IMMIDIATELY in the prime
> Toa Payoh district. For more details, please refer to the following
> article.

> Unable to "afford" a flat (because of Mr Mah's HDB policy) and unable to
> rent a subsidized flat (also because of Mr Mah's HDB policy), the natural
> outcome of such disadvantaged Singaporean families is to become homeless.
> Singapore does not publish statistics on the homeless. The official
> position of the Singapore Government is that there are no homeless people
> in Singapore. The recent tent shanty which sprouted in Sembawang Park,
> Changi Beach, East Coast Park, West Coast Park etc shows that this is not
> true. How many how many people have you seen sleeping in the common areas
> when you walk through the HDB estates in the small hours of the morning?

> Mr Mah's policy failures have given rise to a small but growing number of
> homeless Singaporeans. Closing his eyes and pretending that they don't
> exist will not make these homeless Singaporeans go away. Given his track
> record of monumental policy failures, would you want to entrust
> Singapore's future to him? Maybe he will just give the same old catch
> phrase, "I am CAUGHT OFF GUARD" that his HDB policy has resulted in this
> growing number of homeless people.

Minister Mah challenges Opposition to fight in Tampines GRC

From: OngBak3

SINGAPORE: National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan says he welcomes
an electoral fight in Tampines GRC, where he is the anchor MP.

He was speaking to reporters at a community event earlier on Saturday
evening.

Mr Mah has been MP in Tampines since 1988. The area has long been an
election battleground.

Recently, three opposition parties expressed their interests to
contest the ward in the next general election, with the plan to turn
growing concerns over the affordability of public housing into an
election issue.

Mr Mah said the key lies in how the People's Action Party gets its
message across to the public.

He said: "The opposition said they want to target Tampines because of
me. I think what I can say is that in a general election, it's not
about me, or an individual minister or an individual MP. It is really
about the people, the residents themselves.

"So I offer myself up for elections because I believe I can do the
best, I can do the most for them. But ultimately, it is for the
residents, the people to decide."

The key reason is Mr Mah. His ministry oversees public housing, an issue they hope to exploit by attacking the affordability of HDB flats, whose prices have been rising. The minister acknowledged some people may be adversely affected by the housing policies. But he pointed out: 'There's no question that our policies are designed for the good of the people.

'While there may be certain parts of the policies that are not favourable, overall, I think these policies are for the well-being of the people and are good for the country.'

Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew had weighed in on the issue last week. He said at a housing conference that if Mr Mah was unable to defend his housing policy, 'he deserves to lose' at the next GE.

baldeagle wrote:

Ma Bow Tan talks big. He is a coward, hiding under the
skirt of GRC...without protection of which, he will lose
his seat...lose his well paid job as minister.

If he was brave and has a backbone, at the next election,
he should stand in a single ward.
At the current mood of unhappiness against him, he
will not stand a chance...any one of the new guys in the
opposition... will give him a thrashing.

PAP will lose votes, because brainless idiots like
him...boastful, obnoxious, cowardly and useless....
Few people like such characters in our leaders.

PAP have too many such idiots around....they will
bring down PAP sooner or later.

Mah Bow Tan contradicts himself on HDB flats

From: "truth"
Date: Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:45:06 GMT
Local: Fri, Nov 20 2009 8:45 pm
Subject: Yet another case of papist leegime cheating Singaporeans

truth comment : they jerked up the cost of land to the hdb just to make hdb
showsa lost to prove their illegitimate claim that they are subsidising
singaporeans. this type of government cannot be trusted. they are using creative accounting to fool the people.
they can also do the same with our wealth. one of these days we will wake up
withour reserves gone and they will reason that it is due to genuine mistakes in
investment decisions. very dangerous don't u think ?

http://theonlinecitizen.com/2009/11/mahs-explanation-does-not-square-...
Leong Sze Hian

Number of flats sold declined, contradicting Mah's explanation on reasons
for HDB's S$2 billion deficit.

On 7 November, the Minister for National Development, Mr Mah Bow Tan,
explained why the Housing and Development Board has incurred a S$2 billion
loss this year. The loss is twice that of the previous year. According to
Channelnewasia, Mr Mah said:

"It is making a loss and the government gives it grants every year to cover
the losses, mainly because we're giving subsidies to people to buy flats to
make flats affordable to first timers. That is why we're making a loss."

The report went on:

"Mr Mah said the HBD makes a loss each time it gives out subsidies to
first-timer home buyers, and when it sells flats lower than their cost
price. The reason for the high deficit was because more flats were offered
for sale last year, compared to the year before".

Mr Mah's remarks seem to contradict the statistics provided in the HDB's
latest annual report.

According to the annual report, HDB revealed that "the number of flats sold
under the home ownership scheme this year was 4,738, which was 7,253 less
than last year".

According to its section titled "Key statistics", the "demand for flats" was
9,870 Home Ownership flats for 2008/2009, compared to 12,449 for 2007/2008;
and the "Building statistics - Dwelling units" was 3,154 in 2008 compared to
5,063 in 2007.

All these numbers show that the number of flats sold have declined, rather
than increased.

The number of flats sold under the home ownership scheme declined by 60 per
cent, "Demand for flats" declined by 21 per cent, and "Building statistics -
Dwelling units" declined by 38 per cent, for the last year.

So, how is it possible then that "the reason for the high deficit ($2
billion) was because more flats were offered for sale last year, compared to
the year before", when the HDB statistics show that flats' building, demand
and sales, all declined substantially last year compared to the year before?

Can the Minister clarify his statement on the reasons for the doubling of
the deficit from $1 billion to $2 billion for the last year?

As for Mr Mah's assurance that HDB "sells flats lower than their cost price",
the HDB has not disclosed the breakdown of the cost of building flats,
despite letters to newspaper forums requesting for this information, almost
every year.

The last time this information was disclosed was in 1981, when the then
National Development Minister Mr Teh Cheang Wan, disclosed the land and
construction cost, as well as the subsidy and selling price, of the various
flat types in six districts.

For example, a three-room flat in the central core region, cost $53,700 to
construct and incurred a land cost of $40,000, and sold for $57,100.

--

Picture from Straits Times.

Parliament will sit at 1.30 pm on Monday, 23 November. The following are
some of the questions tabled for the Ministry of National Development:

Mr Chiam See Tong: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) what it
costs the government to build a 3-room, 4-room and 5-room HDB flat; (b) what
is the profit margin which HDB adds to the cost for each of these categories
of flats when it sells them to the public; and (c) whether HDB bases the
selling price of flats on the prevailing market price of these flats.

Er Lee Bee Wah: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) how many
new Build-To-Order flats are presently available for selection; and (b) how
do the supply and demand factors influence the cost of these flats.

Mdm Cynthia Phua: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) what is
the projected supply and demand of HDB flats in the next 5 years; (b) what
are the parameters that are taken into account in the projection of the
supply and demand of flats; (c) whether the Ministry has considered an
annual buffer number of ready flats and, if so, what is the number and the
parameters in arriving at that number; and (d) what measures will the
Ministry consider in ensuring that first-timers get a new HDB flat within 3
years.

Dr Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim: To ask the Minister for National Development
what is the current waiting time and the number/percentage of couples
applying for new HDB flats under the Fiance/Fiancee Scheme.

Dr Lim Wee Kiak: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) what is
the total number of permanent residents (PRs) who own HDB flats and the
distribution pattern of PRs in the various public housing estates; (b)
whether his Ministry will ensure that there is a good mix of PRs in the
various housing estates to encourage better integration with Singaporeans;
and (c) whether his Ministry will consider expanding the current policy on
racial mix for HDB flats to include PRs.

Mr Lim Biow Chuan: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) how many
HDB tenants have been evicted from HDB rental flats for the past 12 months
due to illegal sub-letting or inability to pay rental; and (b) what are HDB's
plans to provide alternative housing for such evicted tenants if they are
unable to find alternative accommodation.

Mr Lim Biow Chuan: To ask the Minister for National Development whether his
Ministry will review the household income ceiling for rental flats to take
into account inflation and the increased cost of living, before pegging
rental rates at 30% or 50% of the market rate.

Mah Bow Tan is so stupid

From: "truth"
Date: Fri, 09 Oct 2009 02:07:10 GMT
Local: Fri, Oct 9 2009 10:07 am
Subject: Mah Bow Tan is so stupid

Mah Bow Tan: Make meaningful comparisons
October 9, 2009 A Forum letter from Mr Ng Kok Lim

I refer to the report "Mah: Make meaningful comparisons" dated 2 Oct 2009.
(read article here)

Mr Mah reportedly said that it is "not meaningful" to compare prices of
flats today with those 20 years ago because that would mean going back 20
years.

But MM Lee said in a speech on 12 Sept 1965: "Over 100 years ago, this was a
mud flat, swamp. Today, this is a modern city". Is Mr Mah going to tell MM
Lee that his comparison is "not meaningful" and that he is trying to bring
Singapore back 100 years?

In his 2006 National Day message, PM Lee said that "many years ago,
Singapore was just a fishing village ." Is Mr Mah going to tell PM Lee that
his comparison is "not meaningful" and that he is trying to bring Singapore
back to a fishing village?

In the Straits Times report "How much is a burger worth" dated 26 Sept 2009,
MP Seah Kian Peng was reported to have said that the key consideration in
deciding how affordable or less affordable goods have become in Singapore is
to see if life is better now compared to that in the past. Is Mr Mah going
to tell MP Seah that his comparison is "not meaningful" and that he is
trying to bring Singapore back to life in the past?

So Mr Mah is not being very meaningful when he says that it is "not
meaningful" to compare with the past. Because everyone compares with the
past, even our leaders do so. While our leaders readily compare with the
past to show progress and achievement, comparisons that show price increases
or deteriorating levels of affordability is deemed "not meaningful".

Mr Mah brushes off "all sorts of arguments" about prices being too high
today, not with sound counter arguments, but by simply saying that this is
part and parcel of our system. In that case, he and the HDB might as well
not give any explanations to the public. They can just answer any query
from citizens with the phrase "this is part of our system". No further
explanations needed. Wouldn't that be eaiser?

Mr Mah says that our HDB can be monetised by selling it or leasing it back
to the HDB for retirement funds. But what is the point of paying for an HDB
all our lives only to give it up at the end of the day?

Mr Mah says that our HDB remains affordable because it does not exceed the
30% international benchmark. But he and the HDB always insist on saying
that our HDB is heavily subsidised. How can the HDB flat be simultaneously
heavily subsidised and priced according to the international benchmark?
That would mean that everywhere in the world that adopts the international
benchmark enjoys heavily subsidised housing.

Thank you

Ng Kok Lim

Mah Bow Tan says HDB flats still affordable

DontAnyHowSay
Posted: Mon Sep 14, 2009 10:31 pm Post subject:

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Bulldog wrote:
u need a backup plan to settle elsewhere. singapore has turn into a place for the rich only. only the rich can really enjoy life in sg.
those middle to low income group will need to struggle even when u become lao kok kok to pay off ur loan

DontAnyHowSay wrote:
this "PUSH" factor has infact been there since they lasted coined the term "quitters" - DONT BE A QUITTERS. But all the policies are working towards this "PUSH" factor. Very sad.

Many will come, but even more will leave. The EXODUS has actually begun.....

Bulldog wrote:
no one wana be a quitter.
but for a normal society to function. only a small % can be rich
and the majority have to settle to be da gong zhai.

DontAnyHowSay wrote:
yes. the term was meant to be "negative' and to discourage.
however, it is also normal for the masses to "fight" their way up to the rank of "rich". and going overseas in search of better opportunities is one. I don't call this group of people "quitter", in fact i respect them for their courage and sacrifices. a road that myself is taking as well.............