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    Public housing concerns raised in Parliament

    By Fann Sim | Yahoo! Newsroom – Tue, Oct 18, 2011

    Members of Parliament (MP) raised concerns over supporting infrastructure and affordability of HDB flats.

    Chairman of Government Parliamentary Committee (GPC) for Manpower Zainudin Nordin urged the government to find new solutions to the affordability of public housing.

    "CPF grants are helpful but it seems like we are just taking money from one pocket to return it to another. We must seriously consider the pricing formula for HDB flats and seek to make it a transparent one as much as possible," said Zainudin, MP to Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC.

    "This way, we can assure residents that the government is not out to make profits from sales of housing. And by pricing flats more reasonably, we can also relieve the debt service burden of our residents," Zainudin added.

    Deputy chairman of GPC for Finance, Trade and Industry Liang Eng Hwa highlighted Singaporeans’ concerns who have been affected by the aggressive ramp-up of HDB's home-building programme, Channel NewsAsia reported.

    Liang, MP for Holland-Bukit Timah GRC, hopes that enough emphasis will be put on supporting infrastructure and amenities while HDB builds flats fast to meet increasing demand.

    "More amenities and affordable eateries need to be planned. Following the announcement on the building of new hawker centres, housing estates with a significant increase in flat supply like Zhenghua should be given priority for a new hawker centre," Liang said.

    He added that some residents have accepted that there will be less open spaces and views from their windows will be blocked by new flats. Some residents are also concerned that traffic conditions will worsen in the near future.

    "Just like we do not want to grow our economy at all costs, we should be careful not to build our housing at all costs. And here, the cost that I am most concerned about is the social costs, which are impossible to quantify in dollars and cents," said Liang.

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    338 comments

    • Mohd
      Mohd  •  7 months ago
      Did Zainudin mention that Govt should make HDB price more reasonable...I'm Glad u raise this issue up in parliament..But make sure the proposal u made is 100% deal..Actions speaks louder than words..Bcoz the next GE will see 2.5Million Voters decides yr PAP fate..
      • E
        E 7 months ago
        is he a new MP? if not what has he been doing in the past...........
        and now so many new mps were not local born so no mp bother to stop allowing PRs to buy public housing?
      • Think straight
        Think straight 7 months ago
        Hey E, you are a typical complainer who complains abt everything!
    • thethethe
      thethethe  •  7 months ago
      Public housing concerns""
      These are all the shit left behind by MBT who is brainless as well as most stupid guy in singapore.
      • I12observe
        I12observe 7 months ago
        He is not brainless lah. He is just plain selfish without feelings and concern over the poorer group of Singaporeans and have no foresight. Now the problem is left for someone else to clear after he has collected his dues and still gets pension because he was not sacked by his boss for failing to do the right thing but instead put into retirement. That's why still sucking the tax payer's blood.
      • Anthony
        Anthony 7 months ago
        we will make sure his decendent pays for it when PAP lose power.Singapore will have to make laws to punish those whose father sux our blood.We will make their children pay for it.
      • Loose Cannon
        Loose Cannon 7 months ago
        We sure can do it. The moment oppositions garner more votes than PAP, we can make all of them pay, just like former leaders of Taiwan, Egypt, Iraq and many others.
    • daogei
      daogei  •  7 months ago
      Government always say we need more babies need more babies, how to have babies when we don't even have enough money to buy house?...
      • sng
        sng 7 months ago
        buy according to your budget, young people today like to buy big house, start with small and then upgrade, all smart Singaporean are making plenty of monies this way. all first
        time HBD house owner make money la.
      • daogei
        daogei 7 months ago
        I agree.. which is also the initial intention of HDB, so that young SG will have accumulated wealth/assets due to property ownership. But now, owning a flat can get a couple in debt for next few decades.

        Not all Singaporeans are looking to buy big houses, many are just happy for a place to stay in the beginning of their marriage so that they can live within their means. But how to when a simple BTO flat costs something like 450K?
      • Money
        Money 7 months ago
        Sng, not all first timer are able to get a flat!! Of cos you can say they should compromise by chosing a flat in jurong west or woodlands. Now the question is if their parents are staying in Tampines, and the young couple got a flat in Jurong West, i doubt the parents going to see their grandchild that often. So much for the govt's objective of promoting family bond.

        Now if you are going to argue that the couple can alway take a public transport from Jurong West to Tampines, a few problem arise..

        1) Driving is getting more and more unaffordable for middle/low income family (To begin with, high income family would have stayed together in a GCB). The road is ridiculously pack almost all the time!

        2)Public trasport are NOT user friendly for family with kids! It is also packed most of the time.

        So now can someone please enlighten me if garment key consideration is on $$ or citizen's basic welfare?
    • Lisen
      Lisen  •  7 months ago
      Why it takes so long (if not 10 years, at least more than 5 years ago) for such a greatest concern of public housing that now surfacing in the opening of the 12th parliamentary debate raised by the (PAP) government MPs? What were this (PAP) government ministers and MPs doing for the last 5 to 10 years, collecting fat pays and sleeping.. Waking up only after losing one GRC and one SMC to WP.. Still not to late, perhaps some "real change" can be seen of this government. Hope to see that things are put right, hope is hope..

      No hope is no hope.. if the government still believe they have not done anything wrong and continue the same what they believed are correct, that is really no hope.. Just wait and see.
      • Zhang
        Zhang 7 months ago
        Where is MBT? Perhaps can you defend your good deed in this parliament debate.
      • Libra
        Libra 7 months ago
        PAP MPs & Ministers been sleeping all the while, having fat pay $$$ nothing to worry, dont understand the plight of the ordinary citizen.
        There will be no change in the HDB pricing just wayang show from KBW, He simply will not scrap the DBSS policy all because of $$$, damn greedy bunch of
        gov people.
      • Marble
        Marble 7 months ago
        MND KBW and PM LHL are so confident that the current public housing issues would be resolved in next 4 years, just to time it with the expiry 5 years term prior to the next GE in 2016 to show the electorates they delivered their promises. But is that all... the netizens most concerned public housing issues (of which are long overdue and/or ignored by the PAP government) are addressed to and fully resolved to the satisfaction of fellow native citizens.. If they can't, please step down.. Even if that is materilised, but so what.. can the rocketing high price of public housing flats be still "affordable" to the average commoners of fellow native citizens..
    • Eagle
      Eagle  •  7 months ago
      'TO BUILD PUBLIC HOUSING AFFORDABLE FOR THE COMMON PEOPLE ' was the motto of the HDB. What happen to your basic commitment to the people? Keep HDB only for Singaporeans and not open it to PRs, foreigners and others.STRICTLY SINGAPOREANS'. THIS IS OUR BIRTHRIGHT!!!! The government has erred big time. CORRECT IT NOW!!!!
      • Patriot Wong
        Patriot Wong 7 months ago
        Agree
      • The
        The 7 months ago
        When we have Marlboro in charge of housing, the price of the flats for the commoners seem to have cancer.
      • kcis
        kcis 7 months ago
        The, and many of us, Singaporeans, are sucked dry too. MBT either sucks our blood dry or gives us cancer.

        If govt cares, they would have realised long ago ... Sadly, only 40% showed frustrations and anger.
    • Nose Digger
      Nose Digger  •  7 months ago
      Mr. Zainudin is just echoing something that we commoners know for a fact for years. It took the ruling party that long to know or aware of this? They knew it all along. Just that they see no point or advantages in doing anything about it. The recent GE results only pushed them to wayang wayang a bit and raise this in parliament, because they know that they will soon pay a heavy political price if they continue to turn a blind eye.
    • V.R.derWorld
      V.R.derWorld  •  7 months ago
      My former neighbors, Msian PRs, recently sold their resale HDB flat (purchased abt 5 yrs ago) The profits alone enabled them to buy a freehold semi-D in JB. They now live happily ever after in Malaysia, but are still free to move in and out of Singapore, thanks to ......?
    • kenluckyl
      kenluckyl  •  7 months ago
      Show in action .... talk too much is pointless. Never change.
    • Loose Cannon
      Loose Cannon  •  7 months ago
      It's strange now someone from the PAP is talking about affordability, probably in real term, and another about pricing formula and transparency. Won't these questions brought up many times and many years by citizens and opposition parties?
      This has proven LKY wrong. It is good to have more opposition voices.
      Let's see what has the new HDB man got to say? Would that be any difference from MPT?
    • reasonable....
      reasonable....  •  7 months ago
      Well said Mr Zainuddin however the problem have been around for quite some time. I'm sure the Govt is aware yet act blur-blur bcoz the profits made is too good.. What we wanna see is ACTION taken to counter this... After all, the high housing cost is also one of the contributing factor to low fertility in Spore....
    • Ramsey
      Ramsey  •  7 months ago
      All these talks are just wayang only. Scripted for show only. Blah, blah, blah......
    • Danny
      Danny  •  7 months ago
      Dear Bros and Sis. Lets vote and see. If we think we should protest in public and streets near government buildings. please thumbs up , otherwise thumbs down. Just to know how we think and let the men in white know our feelings. Not really protest unless necessary and support is sustainable-as they always said protest in public is unlawful. However, we can give our views right?
    • V.R.derWorld
      V.R.derWorld  •  7 months ago
      MP Mah as minister, vehemently insisted that home prices were affordable. Since Mr Mah found it fit to remain an MP, may I request he retracts his claims on affordability OR explain to his Parliamentary colleagues and all Singaporeans how he arrived at his claims?
    • Jack
      Jack  •  7 months ago
      flats build by prc contractors?
      neighbor say old flats walls solid solid; new flats wall kosong kosong, true?
    • have
      have  •  7 months ago
      Ok , I have listened and heard all youe feedback , comments and compains , dont worry like I said I make sure we change and transform and will continue to do what we have been doing that bring singapore from 4th world to 1st world .

      we tell you change and transform because that was during election timing but election already over so we will wait till 4 yrs later then we start to pretend to change and ttransform lor , no hurry so we can continue to rob for 4 more yrs that is our first priority .

      We will give you more hdb subsidy so you pay more than before and we can push the blame to foreigners demand for flats .

      We will pretend to solve this problem by increasing the quantity of flats , the real motive of building more flats is to make more money .

      1000, flats only 1000 profits made build 10 million flats then that is different profits of 10 million flats made just imagine .

      How to achieve building more flats ? simple increase population by bringing more foreigners in here then create more demand and then more flats needed and then maximise more profits lor .

      You ask me how to bring in more foreigners , simple just tell singaporeans that they are job choosy so we need foreigners to do the work they shun .

      We benefit again , the employers here can cut cost and maximise profits and greed , they dont have to employ locals because locals here have family foreigners dont have to support family here they support their family in their own country which cost much lesser around 70% lesser compare supporting a family here .

      WOW you have all the answers and problems solved .

      Works of the devil
    • dawn
      dawn  •  7 months ago
      Zainudin, well said.
    • Singapore Son
      Singapore Son  •  7 months ago
      The bad policy making by the past minister have severely screwed up the housing situation here in Singapore, not just public housing, it's also private housing as well. I wonder why such an incompetent minister was allowed to have a free hand for so many years to screw up unchecked? I guess the PM and the other party members were blinded by the fact that the value of homes has made money for the economy via taxes, stamp duties, lawyers' fee and land sales etc... thus, justifying their ridiculously high salaries, while 85% of the population are struggling to pay off loans we will need to pay off for the rest of our natural lives. Great job for screwing up with your own people's future and investments!
    • Kim
      Kim  •  7 months ago
      Very simple job for high salary MPs, their job is just talk only. But still the price ofHDB flat keep going up.
    • G-Man
      G-Man  •  7 months ago
      Well the damage is done. When there is clear failure to plan suffiiciently on infrastructure and at the same time you open the flood gates to foreigners what do you think was going to happen. It amazes me people like MBT failed to forecast a pretty straight forward problem! And now we have all these foreigners wanting to buy homes here and the government has made no effort to stop foreigners from purchasing homes in singapore. Don't blame the minister whose kids have dual citizenship. Long term are kids are all in trouble with such pathetic housing policies today.
    • Zhou
      Zhou  •  7 months ago
      Just focus on 4-room freehold HDB flats at not more than S$80,000 for singaporeans by birth and be assured that the birthrate of tiny singapore will increase drastically so that we can send those foreign trashes home before our rights as a citizen in tiny singapore is being deprived of totally.

      to those eligible to vote in the GE2016 ,right or not.
      Trillions cheers while we look forwards to that very eventful year 2016.
      from the humble and selfless wisdom of Dr.Simon, he who cares able the cost of housing for each and every Singaporeans by birth only.
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