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NCMP Sylvia Lim has lashed out at the PAP for "stamping out" opposition representation in Parliament which led to the present predicament it finds itself in today. The PAP has lately introduced a series of constitutional amendments to increase the number of NCMPs in Parliament from six to nine. Ms Lim argued that while the changes were implemented to reflect the aspirations of Singaporeans to have more opposition voices in Parliament, it is a result of the PAP's "success" in preventing the opposition from winning seats in the elections via the GRC system. The opposition has never won a GRC since the scheme was introduced in 1988. The closest it came to was in Eunos GRC in the same year when the Workers' Party team garnered 49.7 percent of the votes. Ms Lim also noted a speech made by Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong in 2006 in which he admitted that GRCs has helped PAP recruit fresh candidates as "without some assurance of a good chance of winning at least their first election, many able and successful young Singaporeans may not risk their careers to join politics." "The root causes of our current problems are the abuse of the GRC system and gerrymandering. These have curtailed the expression of the people's desires at the elections and instead promoted the ruling party's own agenda. The PAP has created the problem which it is now trying to solve. But we should instead tackle the root causes for a more lasting and sustainable political future for Singapore," Ms Lim added. Though a third of the electorate voted for the opposition during the 2006 general election, they are represented by only two out of eighty four seats in Parliament. While the constitutional amendments may increase the number of opposition MPs in Parliament, they will not have dent the PAP's political hegemony so long it continues to have more than the two-thirds majority needed to introduce bills and legislation as it sees fit. With no strong opposition in Parliament to check on the ruling party, Singaporeans will have no choice but to put up with the status quo for many years ahead.   Please join our Facebook discussion on this article here and invite your friends to do so as well to raise awareness among fellow Singaporeans. This page is maintained independently by a TR reader.   Copyright © 2009 – 2010 The Temasek Review (If you are going to reproduce this article on your blog or forum, please provide a link back to ours)  Read More →

In spite of the prevailing public sentiments, National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan repeated his stance yesterday at Parliament that HDB flats are still "affordable" to Singaporeans. Mr Mah used a formula called the debt service ratio (DSR) which compares the monthly mortgage installment to the monthly household income to substantiate his claims. The DSR ranges between 17 to 25 percent for new flats and around 30 percent for mature flats in central locations. "These figures are within the international benchmark for housing affordability, which ranges from 30 per cent to 35 per cent," Mr Mah was quoted as saying in the Straits Times today. Mr Mah also admitted that "it is possible that prices of resale flats have risen faster than incomes when indexed against different years." in response to a question by PAP MP Lim Biow Chuan. In an extensive interview with the Straits Times a few weeks ago, Mr Mah used two sets of figures from the years 1999 and 2009 to show that the relative pace of income has "out-paced" that of HDB flat prices. The statistics were disputed by Reform Party member Hazel Poa who wrote on her blog that the results would be different if the base year is different, causing much embarrassment to Mr Mah. The increasingly unpopular Mr Mah has come under fire of late from Singaporeans for his failure to control runaway HDB flat prices which have hit a record high in the last few months, caused partially by rising demand fueled by mass immigration. Though PRs form some twenty percent of the buyers in the resale market, Mr Mah insisted that they have "negligible" impact on the prices. He also lashed out at first time home buyers for being "fussy" and having "unrealistic" expectations. Mr Mah earns around $2 million dollars a year, or more than 4 times the annual salary of U.S. President Barack Obama. PAP strongman Lee Kuan Yew castigated Singaporeans for being "daft" should they cast a protest vote against Mr Mah in the next general election over sky-rocketing HDB flat prices.   Debunking official myths of HDB flats series: 1 Myth 1: Singaporeans are “owners” of their HDB flats 2. Myth 2: HDB flats are “affordable” to most Singaporeans 3. Myth 3: Rising prices of HDB flats “generate” wealth for Singaporeans   Related articles: >> Why Mah Bow Tan’s policy of high HDB flats is wrong >> Letter to Mah Bow Tan on HDB policies >> Singaporean want govt to allay anxiety over HDB leasehold >> Mah Bow Tan embarrassed by Reform Party’s Hazel Poa >> Mah Bow Tan: “Unrealistic” expectations to blame for unhappiness about flats >> Taiwanese PR paid record $ 650,000 for 4-room resale flat >> Grace Fu: PRs are helpful to HDB flat owners selling their flats >> HDB launches “traveling exhibition” to trumpet its achievements in the heartlands >> PAP to upgrade 12,000 HDB households ahead of next election >> Mah Bow Tan: We do not want flat prices to go down >> Prices of resale flats to rise further as PR quota reached >> Taiwanese PR offers $50k COV for resale flat >> Mah Bow Tan: PRs have minimal impact on resale flat prices >> No empirical evidence to suggest that public housing is affordable in Singapore >> When will Singapore’s property bubble burst? >> Why HDB is unable to reveal break down costs of new flats now >> HDB to consider introducing rules to curb property speculation >> HDB blames Singaporeans for not selecting flats when given the chance >> Singaporeans worried about retirement after depleting CPF to pay for over-priced HDB flats >> Mah Bow Tan acknowledged that rising HDB flat prices has sparked “fresh concerns” >> PM Lee: Govt does not have control over prices of resale flats” >> COVs of resale flats shooting through the roof >> HDB resale price index hit record high in 2009 >> Singaporean wants PRs to live in rented flats instead of buying resale flats >> Singaporeans wants PRs to be banned from selling HDB flats at a profit >> Shanmugam: Singaporeans likely culprits for driving up HDB flat prices >> Mah Bow Tan: HDB flats remain affordable >> Means testing for PRs to buy resale flats >> Immigration and public housing: should the govt or people plan ahead? >> Grace Fu: hard to predict demand for housing >> Indonesian PR bought 4-room flat at $653,000 >> Mah Bow Tan asks home buyers to be realistic >> PAP MP blames young couples who cannot get a flat for not planning ahead >> Home affordability: HDB versus the public >> Demand vs supply: so many applicants, so few flats >> Number of applicants exceed number of flats >> HDB to increase supply of flats >> Mah: don’t compare with prices in the past >> ERA: 40 per cent of HDB flat buyers are PRs     Please join our Facebook discussion on this article here and invite your friends to do so as well to raise awareness among fellow Singaporeans. This page is maintained independently by a TR reader.   Copyright © 2009 – 2010 The Temasek Review (If you are going to reproduce this article on your blog or forum, please provide a link back to ours)  Read More →

The House "voted" yesterday in favour of the amendments to the Constitution to increase the maximum number of Non-Constituency MPs from six to nine and entrench the Nominated MP system. The result is a foregone conclusion since the ruling PAP controls 82 out of 84 seats in Parliament. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong introduced a series of "reforms" to Singapore's political system to allow more non-PAP MPs in Parliament to reflect the "aspirations" of Singaporeans to have a stronger opposition. However, the changes will not dent the PAP's traditional two-third majority in Parliament which empowers it to pass bills and legislation at will. Neither will the increased number of NCMPs and NMPs pose a threat to the PAP's political hegemony. As NCMPs do not represent any constituencies, it will be an uphill task for them to cultivate a political base for their parties to challenge the PAP in the future. In fact, the changes may work against the opposition as it will lull Singaporeans into a false sense of "security" into voting for the PAP under the illusion that the losing opposition candidate can still enter parliament as a NCMP. With public disgruntlement against the PAP at an all-time high, the next election represents the best opportunity for the opposition to increase its present tally of two seats in Parliament including winning a coveted GRC which will usher in multi-party politics in Singapore. What Singaporeans desire is a genuinely competitive political landscape and not one controlled and dominated by the PAP which has run the country uninterrupted for 50 continuous years.   Please join our Facebook page here and invite your friends to do so to create awareness of the current affairs affecting Singaporeans. Please use our online web form to contact us.  Read More →