The public
housing market is being shaken up in Singapore. The government believes that it
is getting out of control and I agree. It is. I read about this shake up this
morning in the Singapore Straits Times.
Over
breakfast.
My Saturday
morning ritual is to ride my bike down to the Seven Eleven in Novena where I
buy the Singaporean newspaper which is the Straits Times. I then ride over to the
Spinellis Coffee shop in the Novena Square shopping centre where I park
outside. On Sunday mornings I ride to Starbucks and I take a book to read.
My Saturday
morning breakfast is always the same. I order a double shot vanilla latte with
one sugar in a short cup. I eat two slices of tuna and tomato on rye bread.
Un-toasted and hold the capers. I don't like capers. It is both delicious and
nutritious. I sometimes have a second coffee or a freshly squeezed orange juice
and I try and sit at the same table every Saturday.
I am a
creature of habit.
The article I
read this morning was headlined "New HDB flats to become cheaper".
It was on the front page. HDB is an acronym for Housing Development Board.
These high rise housing blocks are government built and they are sold to
Singaporean citizens at subsidized rates.
If you are
Australian think Housing Commission flats. If you are English think Housing
Estates. If you are American just try and think - not thoughts of invading and
killing and blowing things up. You were once a great nation of thinkers and
doers and you can be again.
Get your shit
together.
Imagine these
monoliths without the graffiti, gangs, violence or drugs for none of these are
allowed in Singapore. They are not permitted. They are illegal. Many things are
illegal here in Singapore. It is a zero tolerance country. I am mostly now a
law abider. I sometimes still challenge it a bit but I ultimately respect the
Law and Authority. Now that I am older. I wasn't so respectful when I was
younger but I have no problem now with this zero tolerance
administration.
None at all.
The
Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong is a man of action and he is
arguably one of the world's great politicians. He has steered Singapore through
both global financial crises with relative ease. Singapore is now one of
world's economic powerhouses. This is despite its tiny size and irrespective of
its lack of natural resources. Prime Minister Lee is also a man of great vision
and compassion and he has an admirable track record of achievement.
Mr. Lee
believes that every Singaporean has an entitlement to have a roof over their
heads. He believes that every Singaporean should be able to own their own home
and as a result there are very few homeless in this country.
Mr. Khaw is
the Singaporean Minister of Housing. In the article in this morning's newspaper
he is quoted as saying,
"The
Singaporean dream of owning their own homes, like their parents, is safe. We
will make sure of that".
The HDB prices
have however crept up in price in recent years and there is a shortage too. A
chronic one. Waiting lists are now very long.
Scarcity
always breeds desire and desire always comes at a cost.
Mr. Lee and
his government are endeavoring to address this situation by building more and
more HDB flats. They are in a building frenzy. In the proposal that was
announced this morning there will be a priority given to young families for the
new HDB flats that are being constructed. There is a generous allocation too
for widows and divorced women with kids. I think this is nice and I believe that
it is appropriate. Low income families earning less than $5000 a month will
also move to the top of the waiting list.
Most of us
Westerners over here pay more than $5000 a month just for our rent and many pay
a lot more. Our incomes are also very generous and the tax that we pay is
negligible. It is mostly a life of comfort and opulence for we Westerners. We
don't live in HDB blocks though. We live in privately owned condominiums
equipped with gymnasiums and swimming pools and tennis courts. They are very
nice but they are also very expensive. Singapore rents are the third highest in
the world. It is more expensive to live here than London or New York or Sydney.
Only Tokyo and Moscow are more expensive.
Moscow.
Who would have
thought?
I have been to
quite a few HDB apartments before to visit my Singaporean friends. The blocks
themselves are quite plain on the outside but they all have very nice
interiors. They often have marble floors and they are spacious and breezy. They
are very well serviced and maintained.
Singaporeans
in their late twenties and thirties mostly live at home with their parents and often
their grandparents live there as well. These young Singaporeans are waiting for
their own HDB apartments to become available. It would seem like their waiting
time will soon be reduced.
I hope so for
their sake.
Everyone needs
their own place to call home.
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