9/15/2009
When uncaring, aloof technocrats take over
We have seen some measures taken to curb the property bubble. But such piece meal reaction to a dangerous trend that could make and break a person's home is nothing to cry about. There is a need for a deeper thought on what housing is to the people. We are a country and a nation in the making. Housing is an essential component that welds the people to the country and call it home. If housing is turned into another commodity of exchange, going to the highest bidder, the natural law of a free market will see the rich grabbing all the good properties and leaving the poor at the bottom of the heap. This will only breed discontent and undermine the foundation of this country as a nation of people.
From the excuses uttered, I find them all rubbish. Shallow and selfish and arrogant. Young people want to get married, go and register and queue for a flat that will be ready in 3 years time. Are people just machine and getting married is something that can be methodologically programmed 3 years in advance? There are many instances of people deciding to get married over a drink or over dinner and you expect them to wait for 3 years for a place to make babies. And you complain not enough babies when these people are forced by your policies to delay making babies?
And another reason, don't pay the price asked, or don't pay COV. Go shopping around for the best price. So easy mey? What kind of silly comment is that? When the supply is not there, or 3 years away, and when the buyers, for some reasons, cannot wait, they are price takers.
With limited land, and a growing population, the think tank must start working to redefine what is the housing need, and the important role of housing in nation making. Public housing must not be a commodity of trade. For those who are speculating in properties, the developers, the bankers etc, the more expensive property prices are, the better for them.
What about the losers, the people who cannot afford and have to keep on tightening their belts to keep a decent roof over their heads? Property speculation is a zero sum game.
Can the speculative element, the investment game of properties be taken out of the formula? Can the govt treat property as an essential item for the citizens, and to provide good and cheap properties for the citizens to bind them to the country, to root them here? There are many areas and industries to speculate and make huge monetary gains. Just leave property out of the game. Building flats in anticipation of needs and demands like in the past is not necessary a bad thing.
The citizens need a home, a good home, not just a pigeon coop that is getting smaller and smaller. Other luxuries are secondary. Give the people a good place to live in and bring up children without breaking their banks, or their backs.
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3 comments:
Redbean:
Your perseverence in pursuing the Public Housing Issue is truly awe inspiring. However, i feel that You need not do the jobs of the Specialists in the Lee Kuan Yew School Of Policy Studies.
The many experts in the Said School are engaged specifically to provide the Leadership with the knowledge and expertise to build the Nation. In your words; good housing policy will make the citizens call this land their homeland or our nation.
The Think Tank that should come out with measures to bind the citizens to the country(not a nation yet and may not be one ever) must certainly be the Experts specially engaged by the Leadership. I believe all the Members in the Lee Kuan Yew School Of Policy Studies are paid with Public Money, though the School is named after an individual. I would think that it should be or appropriately called The Singapore School Of Policy Studies.
If i may, i like to say; let those experts provide the nation-building policies, they are well paid(with public money)to do the job.
Yourstruly: patriot
I'll second what Patriot said.
Cracking your head over this housing conundrum and getting hot and bothered is pointless, although I may think that you do so with such great fervour because you are afraid your children may not get an affordable abode when their time comes. Don't worry. The young can take care of themselves better than you think.
Let those who speculate dig their own graves which may be sooner than you think.
It is no secret that much of the price rise in the private sector is fueled by foreign speculative money. Once this money leaves, our amateur property buyers now behaving like those toxic structured products investors will find a big hole in their pockets and Mr. TKL will have to put up more appearances in Hong Lim Park.
Serve the bloody fools right.
Thank You Mr Wally for the support.
It is quite interesting to see Minister Mah reacting, likely to the Online Critiques. And i tend to think Redbean had a big role here. But, again we got to see the Minister becoming more defensive. He wants the citizens to settle for smaller units, if they cannot afford the 'so-called' bigger, more rooms and less useable space units(apartments).
Is that what we have slogged for? After 50 years of progress, claimed to be only possible because of 'talented' leadership, we are told to live in smaller houses/homes. We get to queue and wait longer for our meals at hawker centres and foodcourts. The MRT Trains and Buses are crammed and perfumed with sweats. Search endlessly for a carpark lot; are these what we want???
Minister Mah and his Cabinet Colleagues are doing a lousy job and so are the Policy Studies Experts. They don't know anything about building HAPPINESS though they are good, even experts at making money for themselves!!!
patriot
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