February 21, 2010
By Voice of Citizens
We, the Citizens, are not against Immigration Policy per se. We
are deeply against the ill-conceived manner in which huge and rapid
influx of FT/PR are admitted into our country recently.
We are frustrated with the HDB policy and poor planning which
does take into account housing needs of increasing population. It
is inexcusable to say that HDB could not have anticipated such
shortage.
The effects of rapid accelerating growth in FT/PR and housing
shortage have are severe impact on many citizens in terms of their
housing needs and employment.
What is the solution? What do we need to do re-define, refine
and build a sustainable growth and Nationhood?
Broadly for layman terms, the next steps forward will be:
1. “FT/PR” population growth impact /HDB housing shortage must
be immediately resolved to dampen the intertwining vicious effects
of escalating cost of housing and employment marginalization of
citizens.
2. “FT/PR” policies must drastically reduce the quantum and
growth of population attributable to foreign intake and allow
moderate sustainable growth which;
1. will be consistent with the level of living standards of
citizens
2. will not stifle livelihood and hopes of citizens, inducing
stress and strain, fear of future cost
3. will allow a sustainable employment growth and alleviate many
other concerns associated with it.
3. The “FT/PR” & Housing Policies must not put adverse
pressure on services, amenities, housing and employment to the
extent as felt now.
4. “FT/PR” & Housing Policy must consecrate within it the
“Ten Commandments” of Citizen Privilege & Right. Simply said,
the Policy must:
1. be discriminative to FT/PR to ensure maximum benefits of
citizens
2. not be prohibitive to citizens, creating long-term housing
debt, especially lesser privilege class, middle-class and
singles.
3. be less disruptive to citizen livelihood and sense of hope
and purpose
4. not be de-motivating to citizen drive to betterment in
livelihood
5. not be depriving of citizen rights and privileges for
affordable housing
6. not be constraining on citizen lives
7. not create inflationary-inducing, cost escalation inducing,
speculative-inducing effect that are disruptive
8. not bias towards selective classes
9. not be politically motivated.
10. above-all be citizen-centric, Singaporean First
5. Resultant effect of reducing the intertwining impact of FT
influx and housing cost must bring cost down to level for future
sustainable trend, commensurate measured growth amenable to the
citizen.
6. Polices must be in-place to limit PR purchase of Re-sales and
cost escalation, increase the supply of HDB much more and quicker
to bring housing cost at level not disadvantaging the middle,
sandwiched, lower class.
7. HDB policy should de-peg new HDB price to Resales Value and
provide cheaper land cost.
8. Immigration Policy must be in-place to limit FT/PR and have
stricter criteria of selection for FT/PR.
9. Government must stop artificial inflation via monopoly of
land and housing and refrain from exhortation of future price
raises, giving way to speculation and false “wealth creation” for
political motive or otherwise pandering to mass lemming instinct
and greed.
10. Resale HDB must be for Singaporeans only and there must be
distinctive and restrictive criteria for PR ownership of HDB
housing which will not give way to runaway COV and escalating
housing cost.
11. Cramping down on Resale asset valuation will bring about
amenable and beneficial asset appreciation to all citizens in
long-run:
1. For all-those who have seen “value” raise recently, they will
be affected in the short to medium terms but they will still
benefit in longer terms
2. For those are adversely affected by recent escalation, they
have chance to buy without incurring huge debt
3. For those who upgraded to stay long-term they will still see
appreciation in future.
4. On the average, more will benefit on the broader front and
longer terms
12. Another beneficial effect is lower cost of business
operation as rental cost goes down across-the-board, thus providing
lower cost base for business operation as employers pay lesser to
foreign staff for housing accommodation.
13. There will be “temporary” loss or reduction of National
Reserve due to expenditure/sacrifice of reserve to bring cost down
and capital reduction of asset value, but on the whole, with lower
housing and other cost mitigation measures, the overall cost of
business will go down as well as expectations of citizens.
14. Citizens will be prepared to take lower salaries since their
basic housing and other needs are satisfied, amongst other
concomitant savings as the result of cost reduction in other
services, food and others.
15. The indirect result of having being able to satisfy much
lower cost housing and employment needs in higher motivation to
self-actualize for higher goals.
16. Re-engineering of productivity-based economy must come about
with higher investment in citizen skills and upgrading, more and
better sustainable industries. Once this is realized, more
skill-based national productivity can be realized with manageable
general trend of salary increase with higher living standard and
manageable costs in longer term.
17. The initial period may see our National Reserve decline but
it is worth-while effort as we pursue the course of re-engineering
our economy to allow sustainable growth of selective industries,
re-building a Nation utilizing our reserve productively such that
every citizen has sense of hope and purpose in the Nation, not as a
“sacrificial sheep” following the Lion, but a “beaver” in each
individual, the clever, smart and hardworking maker of “dams”.
18. Together, we, “beavers”, will re-build the “dam of reserve”
for future generation as our forefather did for the present
generation.
19. The heavy-weight government machineries must be leaner and
leaders show sacrifice, not speaking virtues with obscene pay. Only
then can they hold hand in hand with the citizens to re-build a
Nation.
20. There is no such thing as inevitability of rich-poor divide.
“Divide” there is but surely there is way to close the” divide” by
refining our policies.
21. With our excellent infrastructure, lower cost base for
citizens with privilege and rights preserved, we can once again
grow gradually to new heights with collective spirit of one Heart
& Soul of Nation.
22. We need, now, to re-charge ourselves create impetus and
drive from lower cost base start where cost of owning home and
living is not prohibitive in citizen terms, not too prohibitive
that it stranglehold their lives and dampen hopes and
aspirations.
23. From here we aim forward to build better and affordable home
for next generation, knowing each economic cycle of limits of
growth and cost clearly over a projected frame, plan, anticipate
and adjust accordingly without the disruptive burst of
ill-conceived policies ramming down our throats, recently, in
desperation.
24. We must the citizens from the “Animal farm” claustrophobia
and start teaming in an “open farm” belong to citizens where we
once again “till the land” for the current and next generation.
25. In short, we need a period of economic re-engineering,
convalescence at slower growth as we re-define and refine our
Nation, starting from a lower cost base favorable to the
Citizens.
PAP must have the moral courage to say “SORRY” to citizens for
not anticipating the adverse impact due to the intertwining effects
huge foreign influx and ill-conceived HDB planning.
The present policies of accelerating population growth will not
work, without knowing clearly the impact of such rapid growth on
the cost of living, housing and employment, the limits of strain
and stress our Nation can take in terms of infrastructure,
relation, space, individual livelihood and etc.
The consequence to the Nation in future will be disastrous. Even
now many citizens are feeling the limits of stress and strain.
Will our great Ministers sign off their wealth on paper to the
Citizens, as guarantee of their superb leadership in return for
Citizens to entrust their stake in Nationhood in their hands?
If NOT DO NOT CREATE false hopes that housing of Resales will
sustain continuously uptrend, thus raising value of asset
artificially across the board. Validity, inherent risks, potential
pitfalls and limits of their rationale must be communicated
earnestly, impartially and clearly to the citizens or lives of many
innocents will be jeopardized. DO NOT DICE with citizen debt as
they are NOT GOD.
Good Government governs with citizen interest, NOT lead them
into eternal debt. Current “wealth” of Rich & Powerful is
always at the expense of others and next generation.
They know it. So why create such a humungous cost to next
generation with present housing policy and rapid foreign influx,
knowing the adverse ramifications, if left unchecked?
It is imperative a solution must be put in place as quickly as
possible.
This is the challenge to the Multi-million dollar Ministers.
Voice of Citizen
http://www.temasekreview.com/2010/02/21/chorus-of-change-for-singaporean-survival-guide-to-sustainable-nationhood/