HDB is not a private developer in the first place so when
Minister Mah said that HDB is selling the HDB flat as private
developer at market value including land, construction and all
other costs, it is already a shock to citizens.
Citizens can ask him a question: was the HDB wrong in its pricing
formula in selling the first batch of HDB flats built in the early
1970s in Toa Payon or Bendemeer.
If HDB had made a mistake in charging the earlier buyers the wrong
price or under-valued price, should he not try to recover the
losses from those earlier buyers.
Minister Mah and the new MP who was previously CEO of HDB could
verify honestly whether the above-stated HDB selling prices for Toa
Payoh e.g. Block 33 Lorong 6 Toa Payon were sold at market
prices?
He could with the help of Mr. Lui verify whether HDB relied on the
Land Acquisition Act to acquire land cheaply below market price and
when HDB compulsorily acquire those land, what did HDB tell the
private land owners whose land were taken away about the purpose of
the lands being acquired - was it to build HDB flats.
What did Housing and Development Act say was the role of HDB? Did
it not say that HDB was constituted as a statutory board to provide
low-cost housing or "Homeownership" flat for the people?
So if HDB uses the Land Acquisition Act to acquire lands with
compulsory powers should not HDB use the acquired land provide
low-cost housing. Should not HDB then charge the HDB flat at total
development costs minus the land costs since such lands were
acquired using the public funds belonging to the citizens.
Furthermore, once a piece of land was acquired compulsorily using
the power under the Land Acquisition Act, is it legal for the HDB
not to build the flat on it using the original acquisition land
costs but instead hand over to the State Land Office and let the
State Land Office sell it back to HDB at market price or near
market price so as to entitle HDB to sell the flat at market
price.
Then what happened to the acquired land which was supposed to be
acquired using the compulsory power for citizens' low cost housing
and paid for using the citizens' monies. So isn't it
double-charging the citizens when HDB charged citizens the land
cost again a second time when selling the flat at market value.
