The news article published on The New Paper is not new. Moons ago, The Malay Newspaper Berita Harian has published alarming figures on those who are forced out of their HDB flats when they could not afford to pay their mortgage. They were even told by the HDB staff to "stay with their friends or relatives" instead of giving them a solution to their housing-financial woes.
The newspaper report actually gave a slanted connotation on the whole issue. Did Mr. Rafi bought a flat that is way beyond his means? Apparently no. Base on a monthly salary of $2,800, his mortgage payment of $900 is just about one third of his total salary. Ask any financial planner and they will tell you that this is quite alright. He did not buy a house that he could not afford back then.
It is only when he lost his job and found a job that pay less than half of what he used to get that make him unable to fulfill his mortgage payment. This is the key problem that the reporter refused to address.
Of course the reporter hinted that the blame of his plight now is due to "ill advice" from property agent but seriously, what other options could he possibly have other than selling off the flat that he could no longer afford?
The REAL BLAME lies in HDB and its policy! HDB KNEW that Rafi and his family can no longer afford to pay the mortgage and the only option is for him to sell their flat. But wait, where should they be living if they sell their flat? HDB refused their plead to rent a flat from them! I mean, rules and regulations aside, HDB could actually sit there and tell people that sorry, they could only live off the street or live with somebody else and they could not rent any flat to them!
What has become of this PAP government? This is a clear case of REAL NEED! Housing policy such as HDB has been one of PAP's greatest political achievement back in the 1970s and 1980s. They were proud to say that every Singaporeans will have a decent roof over their heads and this is their great political achievement. But now, this no longer holds any truth!
HDB, through the PAP government's policy, has actually DENIED Singaporeans of any roof over their heads! This should be the REAL ISSUE of this newspaper report! And there are many more people in the same plight and it was reported in Berita Harian that many Singaporeans who could not pay for their flats will be evicted out of their flats and HDB will not provide any alternative housing (i.e. rented flats) for them!
I think PAP's ultra-capitalist approach to governing Singapore has just gone too far. Where are the visions and promises of the past PAP for Singaporeans to have decent roof over their heads, a decent job, really cheap subsidized healthcare and the great promise of CPF covering their retirement needs?
Contrary to what Prime Minister Lee wanted us to believe in his National Day Rally, Singapore has become worse, not better! At the very least, back in 1970s and 1980s, we do not leave people to live off the street without a roof over their heads. We did not need to demand patients and their family members to guarantee that they are able to pay for whatever medical costs before admitting them into the hospitals which are now really overpriced. We did not have massive influx of Foreign workers to become cheap labour substitutes of Singapore workers and depressing our wage. Our wages are stagnant or even regressed for some segment of Singaporeans for the past 10 years while price hikes (Public Transport fare) become a common practice.
PAP's past success has failed. CPF as retirement funding has failed. HDB as part of 100% housing for all has failed. Affordable basic Healthcare has failed. Providing stable and good pay jobs has failed. There is really little past success of PAP left.
Goh Meng Seng
Mon, Aug 17, 2009
The New Paper
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Their spiral into the streets
