Where's the Walk, after the Talk???

ShutterBug SG

Ten months later, still no lift-upgrading work

Sep 22, 2006
The Straits Times

I LIVE in Block 132 in Simei. Last November, residents voted for lift upgrading. Ten months later, physical work for the lift upgrading has yet to start. I enquired with the appointed contractors on the tardiness and was told that they were awarded the contract only recently and were still sorting out some paperwork.
I am aware that government departments, including town councils, assign contracts through tenders but 10 months is too long for work to start on a relatively small project.

Residents were told the lift upgrading was heavily subsidised and we were slated to contribute only 5 per cent of the cost. Each household would be required to pay about $1,300. The total cost would therefore amount to about $1.5 million.

While I have no problem in contributing my share, I would like to know how the high figure of $1.5 million was arrived at for three lift shafts for a four-storey building housing 54 apartments.

More than 80 per cent of Singaporeans reside in HDB flats and the Government is embarking on lift upgrading for all blocks where feasible.

HDB and the town councils owe residents an explanation on the speed of the work process and the costing/proportion of residents' share.

Tan Say Yin (Miss)

mistyblue SG

election is over, some people still never stop dreaming

ditzy SG

Someone tell her it'll be ready in 2011, just in time for the elections. You know the rest. Laughing

NewAge SG

build yr own lift

Lowclassman SG

Of course, the govt will say we are heavily subsidised....the land cost which the lift occupy is base on their XXX figure to calculate mah...
If we don't want...then, the govt will sell to PR or Foreign Talents ...you know?

We complian so much...wait hor...SG govt tolan hor...all sell to foreign talents...that time we will all see keow keow Mr. Green

The sg govt is so bloody good and they are subsidising most of our needs...we should feel fucbloody lucky.

BillyBong SG

The Ruling Party, despite all their grandiose claims, have no answer to Low Thia Khiang's lift upgrading in Hougang; performed at NO COST to the residents. With a limited budget allocated from town council fundings, he succeeded in completing his upgrading targets, targets he promised to his residents and delivered.

With a significantly larger funding afforded to each GRC, it is therefore surprising to find that not only have the Ruling Party failed to 'walk the talk', they have also failed to provide any updates or explanations on explicit tardiness.

Will it come as a shock if the respective MPs give further excuses for delays?

Perhaps residents affected can propose some form of liquidated damages in the form of their 5% contribution being reduced in the event of further delays, to be compensated by the respective town council funds?

charlize SG

I have often heard this among some Singaporeans who voted against upgrading, that somehow or other, the results of the voting are never publicised to the residents.

They just tell you yes, they are upgrading or no, they are not.

Is it really true? Laughing

mistyblue SG

I know I voted against but somehow it always seem to become a yes...

charlize SG

So where do they officially put up the results like how many people voted, how many voted for or against etc?

They put up the results in the town council or what? Laughing

mistyblue SG

No numbers, just send a flyer into mailbox and state above X% voted for the LUP. I went like LPPL!
Don't know if it was cooked up or not.. But I know the construction industry at that point needed funding and te biggest buyer of construction service is HDB/Govt. So it always seem co-incidental leh...

alexkusu SG

heng…lucky i ddnt vote

duotiga83 SG

down till the end you need to pay for the upgrade also..... Laughing so back to square one... Mr. Green you pay what you get Cool

BillyBong SG

It has been said many times by ministers, not just Mah Bow Tan, that nothing comes free. 'There's no free lunch!', coined PM Lee Hsien Loong during one of his rally speeches.

Certainly, with the skill that makes houdini appear juvenile, the ruling party has mastered the art of give with the right, take with the left. Now, they seem to have 'upgraded' to 'give once and take twice', a remarkable strategy when the ruling party implored residents to give them their votes, then subsequently sucked more money from them with the upgrading carrot.

But at least, some light has managed to penetrate the dense foliage created, as the WP successfully denounced their upgrading carrot as using taxpayer's monies for a political party's benefit. That the Ruling party sidestepped this line of accusation shows just how on-target the WP was.

Hopefully, Singaporeans who did indeed vote for the Ruling Party the last time round will wake up from their eternal slumber, and learn to wield their votes wisely next time, instead of complaining a million times over but remain a silent PAP supporter.

ShutterBug SG

Like I said; the ruling party in the next GE, will begin to see the muddy bottom.

Unless of course, they managed to convert enough FTs and PRs along with whole dolop of PRCs into New Citizens, on time...

But still, there's cause and effect to face, as well as Karma..

I-like-flings(m) SG

heng ar.. no upgrade for my family.. just asked to move nia... same kena makan.. but at least dun have to tahan those construction work for 2 yrs.. Mr. Green

LazerLordz SG

there is never any push factor to excel if there is no credible political rivalry.

duotiga83 SG

but then hor if pay liao cant start is another problem..... Rolling Eyes throw our $$$ for fun is it????

I-like-flings(m) SG

u ask our PM's wife lor.. she's the best in that field... Laughing

reyes SG

singaporean wake up.

charlize SG

No leh, I always have this view that the change at the top will be initiated ironically by these "new" citizens.

As the size of current locally born citizens become smaller and smaller relative to the influx of FTs and new citizens, there will come a time when the voice of discontent will be loudest from the latter groups.

Then one day all hell will break loose and the discontent from the latter group will be the catalyst causing a major change in the top.

But hey, that's just me. Laughing