2/09/2009
No frills HDB flats?
Lim Wee Kiat and Lee Bee Wah are asking HDB to build no frills flats that are really 'affordable' to the young people buying their first flats. I can foresee a reply. If they cannot afford it, go for rental flats. Those are 'affordable' for sure.
Both were talking about covered walkways and parks and quality of tilings. The intent is good but the direction is wrong. We can do away with some of the frills but the quality of the flats should not be sacrificed. The quality of the tile in HDB flats are not that great for a start. Going back to the 70s when flats came with cement screed is a big no.
There is no need to cut down on the quality. It is all about costing and pricing. The most glaring example is the Pinnacles. When HDB could make profits selling them at the first launch prices, why is there is need to jack up another $200k each! This is profiteering at the expense of the people. And the mentality is that this is good!
Just look at the costing and review the objectives of the HDB flats. Are HDB flats built just to maximise profits or for the people, for nation building? Some people have been intoxicated with too much fine wine to think that more profits is good.
Think again. The prices of HDB flats need not be so high without even cutting down on quality. No need to price at market prices. If we mix up public polcies with private enterprises reason to exist, then we are no longer a country governed by the people for the people.
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16 comments:
Every government policy is crafted with maximizing profits in mind. It is the raison d'etre of this government. Those two are barking up the wrong tree. If Singaporeans want a caring government, they will need to muster up the courage to elect a new one coz they sure have no chance in hell of getting any sympathy or care from the current one.
Sir
We are calling you to support us.
Read here.
hi volunteers for tkl,
i am for tkl. in fact i think most of the people here are also for tkl.
am i right, guys and gals?
And what can one lone ranger by the name of TKL do? Don't get your hopes high. I'm sure PAP can dig up some dirt on him to discredit him, if he throws his hat in the ring.
he was one man, now he is not alone. he will gather more like minded professionals to his side.
tan kin lian could be the nucleus of a new generation of professionals going into more politics to take on the professionals in the ruling party.
at times like this, you need a few mavericks like tan kin lian to change things.
yes, there will be skeletons being dug out for display. the trouble is that everyone has skeletons. here the internet will play a huge part in levelling the playing field. shits will be on display for all parties. the one tries to throw shit, the more shit will be thrown back.
it is a new ball game. the flow and control of information is now not the monopoly of the old media.
Didn't most of the upgraded features such as lifts for every level and covered walkways for aimed for creating a more conducive living environment for our aging nation?
Now that those features are not to be included for new HDB projects to justify a lower price, does it mean that we are expected to die younger?
Next, people are also expected to expand their family size (if not, work 5 1/2 or 6-day week), then I would imagine a mother with 2 or 3 kids holding umbrellas in her hand and in-between her neck+chin struggling through HDB walkways without shelter during stormy times, risk of both her kids or herself falling down.
I 'support' Ho Ching for presidency. She is much more influential and talented than TKL. She is a good candidate to break down the gender barrier to have a female president.
Where is her support volunteer group, I want to sign up =)
On the subject of HDB flats, I applaud Lim Wee Kiat for his courage to speak out for the people but is that what the people really want? Aren't we going for a Swiss standard of Living?
The only 'solution' will be lower the costs of HDB but that is impossible. If only it is as simple as pressing the reset button on your computer.
redbean, can't believe you are that naive. Don't you know what the MIWs will do if anyone even dare as to cast aspersions on their character and integrity. Come on, all Singaporeans know politics in Singapore is not a level playing field. Sure, TKL and whoever else willing to risk their necks are free to throw their hats in the ring, but at the end of the day, the choices facing them is just two: either get co-opted into the ruling party or become a tolerated opposition like Chiam and Low Thia Khiang. I surely can't see TKL as being in the same mould as the late JBJ or CSJ. He's just got too much to lose.
agreed with the points raised. we are driftin backwards from a swiss standard of living to our standard of 1970s. and jaunty pointed out, how to have bigger families when people are squeezing into 2 and 3 rm flats. and the ageing population?
but they are not facing the problem squarely. there is no need to downgrade to that extent. just reflect the real cost and bring down the sales prices.
the pinnacles flats have revealed the truth behind the high pricing. if hdb can make profits at $300k, why pushed it to $500k? oh, market pricing, very clever. a lot of profits to be made.
as for being naive, i think i rather be naive than be too clever. but in life, nothing is predictable. no one will know when the next tsunami will come. or it is already here.
Wonder if they explore more ways to build the useful feature at lower cost?
And, is reducing the feature the only way to keep price lower? Then how much lower?
It is saying that those features shared by many units in the flats can give significant variance to to the individual unit price? Those shared-features can form such a big cost component in the price of HDB unit?
Did anyone ask for gold-plated sheltered walkways?
jaunty, you have not been following the discussions on HDB cost of building the flats. the cost is very low compare with sales price. it is the way the land is cost and also now they did not even want to talk about cost. they just want to price it as high as the market can afford to pay.
the upgrading and additional features are secondary and shared by call, should not amount to much.
So the cost of HDB is very cheap? Like a bowl of "ang dou teng"? The cost of ang dou is very low but it can be sold at much higher price after it is cooked. People who are hungry and thirsty with no other choice will have to pay that price to get a bowl of ang dou even though they know that the ang dou teng is ridiculously over-priced.
Since the public is aware that the real cost of HDB is not that high, then how our intelligent MP retionale that minusing the feature will bring down the price of HDB? Doesn't the feature built with little cost will not impact much on the whole selling price?
Reducing the sugar in ang dou teng means it will be sold at a lower price? Because it is less sweet?
hi jaunty,
see only what you want to see, hear what you want to hear and say what you want to say.
these are the talents of supertalents.
I like the spin of the MSM when they say that 'a quarter of the condos in Jurong snapped up'. Only a quarter of the total units sold and they used the word 'snapped up' as if the whole development had been taken up immediately.
Lost Citizen
yeah. i have yet to hear the words, heavy losses!
No heavy losses because 10, 20 or 30 years down the road, the condos will become gold cones. Profits aplenty!
patriot
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