12/26/2012

COE, a time bomb in the making


When COE of small cars costs $81k and big cars $100k, it is it. The anger has not become an outburst yet as many car owners are still hanging on to the last few months of their old cars. When their COE expires, when the need is genuine and serious, the cries will not be merely a whimper. Many less well off families are heavily dependent on private transport to get around. Public transportation would not do to these people when it is not just a matter of inconvenience but real difficulties getting to them. The very old, the very sick, the handicaps, the children that need to be ferry around to inaccessible schools will be the first victims to this ingenious and talented scheme to control car population.

The rich will go about their lives as if nothing has happened and many would quietly be saying, cannot afford private transport, take public transport lah. Why so difficult?

When more and more people ended up in such difficult situation, the noise is not going to be loud and unpleasant. It is could lead to an outcry, a revolt against the establishment that smugly sat in high heavens and making judgement on the loser mortals. How long could the losers bear with the difficulties of moving around or not able to move around anymore unless with great pain and trouble or paying a small fortune?

The time has come for a change, for a system that cares for the ordinary and the average Sinkies, a system that does not snub at the losers and telling them to buck up, to work harder, to earn more if they want to live better. The losers cannot write their own paychecks. The fact is that many of the losers are working very hard trying to make ends meet, to make their lives better. Now, with the huge population, with limited land and space left to provide for easier mode of transportation, and when owning private transportation is going to cost an arm or a leg, something gonna give. And some are still saying we need more people to come in to fill the space and take up the slag in property prices, to support property prices or the price will collapse.

The pain of this vicious cycle of high economic growth, high population growth, and high usage of land and space is starting to hurt.

21 comments:

Anonymous said...

Government is not likely to give up such a lucative source of income. Which department can work twice a month and generate tens of millions? Low overhead and high profit! It is a dream only PAP can dream of.

Seriously, we need transparency in the COE bids. The fact that all car companies send in their bids at the last minute before closing suggest some leak from the system. CAD must take a good look at the way bids are kept secret.

Anonymous said...

Just vote Opposition.
And appoint a parliamentary committee of inquiry.

Anonymous said...

COE under $200ks is still very affordable la.
Dont believe?
Check how many cars at your carpark or any carpark.

Anonymous said...

No free lunch in this world. Use your brain to make money.

Anonymous said...

I have never looked at the figures. But economic growth that is largely driven by population growth doesn't seem that special to me. The higher population reduces our standard of living and on a per capita basis i'm sure our GDP has been growing much less than the headline national number. I wouldn't mind a slightly slower pace of life, yes slightly less money, if it meant i could enjoy Singapore more...maybe even with a car!

Anonymous said...

Thanks Redbean for thinking of the repercussion to the poor and handicapped. Unfortunately the establishment will be accusing you of Nigerian Scam for even using the underprivileged as an argument.

Anonymous said...

If I remember correctly, Chiam See Tong did propose a "pay what you bid system" instead of the current "pay average bid". I thought it was a clever system that can prevent the COE from skyrocketing and a fairer chance for the less fortunate.

Anonymous said...

If I remember correctly, Chiam See Tong did propose a "pay what you bid system" instead of the current "pay average bid". I thought it was a clever system that can prevent the COE from skyrocketing and a fairer chance for the less fortunate.

But then you know lah ... our pappies are only interested in helping the rich and the foreign trash

Anonymous said...

Why worry over nothing for the rich. Let them pay though their noses. Our worry should be over bus and train fare increases.

The rich can take care of themselves. They are not going to worry about how much the bus and train fare increases is going to be. That is a non event to them!

Anonymous said...

COE bidding system is to favour the rich. They can bid any amount they want only to pay the lowest bid from the losers. They can guarantee a COE at the lowest price no matter how much they put.

This way also indirectly force those who need a car to bid higher, ending in higher COE prices.

Anonymous said...

Although the bidding process is transparent, but due to the limited amount of bidder, it is pretty easy to outsmart the system. And i believe that the government knows it but since the outcome is in their favor most of the time, so they are looking the other way, anyway it is not already you can get a $50 COE

Anonymous said...

It can be $50 if it is a pay as you bid. And the rich who bids $1m will have to pay $1m. The system bullies the poorer bidders.

Anonymous said...

Agree. It must be pay as you bid. This will ensure fair value for COE. If the super rich want to out bid the rest, they are always welcome to bid super high. This way, government will still get the same amount each month.

Anonymous said...

This is a unequal society.

Vote opposition for more equality.

Anonymous said...

I think every singaporean, as long as he served NS, born and bred here, should be entitled to one FREE COE. Otherwise we just vote for opposition.

Anonymous said...

Just vote Opposition.
Claim your Singaporean inheritance.
- A list of all our national assets.
Compiled by a WORKING & FAITHFUL President.

Before it's all sold off to other $2 companies.

Anonymous said...

Not so fast. Don't let the opposition IN so eaily.

Get as much mileage as possible from the present govt. You never learn the art of negotiations ?

Anonymous said...

when there are too many people with the mentality agility of a rat dropping voting for the same party election after election, super greed of the party will be nurture. do you think hilter can start a war if he could not even get majority support from his own people?

Anonymous said...

/// You never learn the art of negotiations ? ///

The world tried negotiating with Hitler.
We all know how successful that strategy was.

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