TR EMERITUS

Dear TR,   I decided to write to you after reading the stories of Ms Judy Eng and Ms Melissa Quek. I am a 20-year-old poly student. My family and I live in a four room HDB flat that is fully paid up. I am fortunate that my father works for a Scandinavian company that really takes care of its workers (it fully restored pay cuts the moment sales improved). As a student, I am yet to be burdened with housing costs and raising a family, but I still feel that something is seriously dysfunctional in our little island. The denial of subsidized transport fares for poly students is an injustice. My peers in JCs and ITEs spend so much less. Polytechnic students are not all rich, you know. Despite a petition, there is little momentum in reversing this anomaly. When I see the refusal of the government to even subsidise public transport for disabled Singaporeans, I harbour little hope that our concerns will ever be heard. I am also very disturbed by the influx of foreigners, especially students. In my secondary school, 20 scholars from China were brought in each year. Within months they outperformed everyone else even in English. Many Singaporean students felt they were being denied the chance to be the first in the subjects and tests. I have always wondered why the government is bringing in these PRCs and giving them free scholarships. Shouldn’t public schools be focusing on nurturing our own talents? With the impending increase in poly, ITE and university fees, I worry how my parents are going to pay for my degree education. Why must the government keep raising fees for education when it can afford to lose billions in bad investments? Where is the sense of priority? Surely spending a few billion to absorb the increased costs is reasonable? As a 1st world country, we should have free primary and secondary education. The PAP is so greedy that it claims school is free but charges a “miscellaneous” fee. As a Singaporean Indian, I feel increasingly threatened by the rising numbers of Indian PRs and new citizens. Similar to the situation between PRCs and Singaporean Chinese, there is very little in common between Indian PRs and us. Little India has been all but overrun by them. Local Indians now try to stay away as far as possible. We have been crowded out from the restaurants, markets and temples. Most PRs who come from India are not Tamil-speakers and generally look down on South Indians, who Tamils belong to. When my mother was shopping in Mustafa Centre, a group of North Indians (likely to be PRs) walked past her and she heard one of them uttering “bloody Tamilians” to his friends. There is a belief among Indian PRs that they are in demand to work in Singapore because the local Indians are not as good as they are, and therefore they behave with a sense of superiority and snobbishness. The scourge of castes has completely disappeared in Singapore. We see each other as Indians and nothing else. But these PRs are bringing in their prejudices from India and corrupting our local culture. We are beginning to see advertisements put in the paper asking for brides and bridegrooms from a certain caste. Even the PRs in the parents’ support group in my sister’s school immediately enquired about our caste as soon as we introduced ourselves. We are losing our unique Singapore identity to the policies of the PAP, which seems to worship foreigners like gods and trample on Singaporeans. Chinese, Malay, Indian, Eurasian and all other Singaporeans are one of a kind and special. No amount of money, social engineering or “integration” can ever transform foreigners into true-blue Singaporeans. I live in the area that was once part of Cheng San GRC. I remember when I was little, JB Jeyaretnam came to campaign and even after he lost, he graciously returned to thank the voters anyway. It has been nearly four years since the last election. My current MP (who daughter is infamous for an “elite” remark) has yet to visit my block even once. Without knowing residents’ concerns, it is no wonder why MPs have time to engage in frivolous debates about frogs, food museums and beauty secrets. The man who killed his children, set fire to his flat and jumped to his death recently, lived only a few blocks from mine. When that incident happened, the reality of Singaporeans struggling with their lives really hit me hard. It pains me each time I see an elderly Singaporean rummage through dustbins for cans to sell and toil as cleaners until their deaths. It is shameful for our leaders to proclaim our country as “first world” and being in a golden period when all the gold is flowing into the pockets of ministers. I think our seniors all deserve a big thank you and a comfortable retirement for their years of service to nation building. It is time for Singaporeans to take back our country, eject unnecessary foreigners and start providing decent lives for ourselves. Foreigners (including PRs) must always remember that in Singapore, they live on our terms, not vice versa. Singapore is our home. It's worth saving.   T. Rajendran   EDITORS’ NOTE: Please join our Facebook discussion on this article here and invite your friends to do so as well to raise awareness among fellow Singaporeans. Do you have any similar stories to share? Or have your heard of such stories elsewhere? Please email us at [email protected], we want to hear from you. Your article need not be long and we do not require you to write in perfect English.  If you are not keen to reveal your identity, we allow you to use a pseudomyn. Rest assured that we will keep your contacts 100% strictly confidential. We will not edit or censor any part of your article. Most importantly, it must come straight from your heart.   Other real life stories: >> 32 year old Singaporean: I am lucky to be born earlier >> 28 year old teacher burdened by hefty mortgage loan for HDB flat before marriage >> Young Singaporean expressed her worries at uncertain and gloomy future      Read More →

Written by Our Correspondent In yet another clear-cut example that Singapore PRs are partially responsible for the sky-rocketing HDB flat prices, it was reported in the Straits Times today that a Taiwanese PR couple forked out an amazing $650,000 for a four-room flat in Bras Basah which amounts to $736 psf for a 30-year old leasehold public housing. This is the highest price psf paid for a HDB flat and exceeded the previous record set last year November when an Indonesian PR paid $653,000 for a 969 sq ft resale flat in Queenstown. The property agent who brokered the deal told Straits Times that the couple bought the place for its proximity to their work-place at City Hall. Though their professions were not revealed, it is likely that they are mid to high level executives which explain their ability to pay such a hefty price for the flat. PRs like this Taiwanese couple are "spoiling" the HDB resale market as they have more spending prowess than young Singaporeans who are fresh out of college or university. There is no minimal period of residency imposed on PRs buying HDB flats. They can also bring home the profits made from the sale of their flats years later should they decide to leave Singapore. In the end, it is Singapore citizens who will be bearing the brunt of the escalating prices which is condemning them to a lifetime of debts to service the mortgage loans. The prices of HDB flats have increased in recent years as rising demand far outstrips the supply of new flats. Below is a graph illustrating how the rise in the prices of resale flats coincides with the rise in the number of foreigners in Singapore between the years 2000 and 2008, courtesy of Kojakbt, the moderator of 3in1kopitiam: Due to the ruling party’s liberal immigration policy, foreigners now made up 36 per cent of Singapore’s population, up from 14 per cent in 1990. Despite evidence showing otherwise, both HDB and PAP continue to insist that HDB flats are "affordable" to ordinary Singaporeans and that PRs are not responsible for the astronomical prices. National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan said a few weeks ago in Parliament that PRs who make up “only” one in five resale flat buyers, have "minimal" impact on resale prices even as he admitted at the beginning of the year that he was "caught offguard" by the rising prices. In an interview with Channel News Asia's "Talking Point" two weeks ago, Mr Mah is adamant that most Singaporeans can still afford HDB flats and that "the system is sound." Mr Mah's views appear to contradict that of his deputy, Senior Minister of State for the National Development Ministry Grace Fu who admitted unwittingly that PRs are indeed contributing to the increasing prices. "We have some Singaporeans coming to us and saying ‘I want to sell to a PR because the PR is giving me a better price than Singaporeans," she was quoted as saying in a Channel 8 Focus programme two days ago. She even praised PRs for "helping" HDB flat owners: "So even though we may not want to have many foreigners or PRs buying HDB flats, if you’re an HDB flat owner and when you’re selling the HDB flat, a PR is helpful for you as well. So for all our policies we try to take a very balanced view.” With the state media adding "fuel" to the "fire", it is hardly surprising that both property agents and flat sellers are making full use of the frenzy in the property market to make a quick buck.   EDITORS’ NOTE: Please join the discussion about this article on our Facebook page here and invite your friends to do so to help us raise awareness among fellow Singaporeans.   Related articles: >> 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  Read More →

Chosun Ilbo, 26 March 2010 North Korea on Sunday slammed South Korean Defense Minister Kim Tae-young over recent remarks that Seoul would launch a preemptive strike if there are clear signs of a planned nuclear attack by the North. "We regard the scenario for a preemptive strike as an open declaration of war against us," the North Korean military's General Staff said in a statement. The North will "take resolute military action and blow up major targets, including the command center" in the South, it added. "Violent talk of a preemptive strike" by the South Korean minister "is creating an ominous situation on the Korean Peninsula where nobody knows when the disaster of the Korean War will be repeated," the statement said. At the same time, North Korean agencies involved in economic cooperation with South Korea continue to ask South Korean NGOs for aid. One of them, the National Economic Cooperation Federation in December asked the Seoul chapter of the evangelical charity World Vision for 300 tons of flour and 200 tons of rice. In the past, all the North had to do was wait until the South offered aid, but with a conservative government in Seoul, North Korean organization have had to make several phone calls through offices in Dandong. One NGO staffer said Pyongyang "keeps asking what the progress is." A Unification Ministry official said the North has been issuing visit visas to South Korean NGOs since the beginning of this year, which would usually only be forthcoming after Kim Jong-il's birthday on Feb. 16. One security official said the simultaneous threats and pleas are issued depending whether the North stands to profit. North Korea is apparently determined to hit back at anything it sees as a threat to the regime but at the same time it appears to be trying to improve inter-Korean relations if that will result in more aid. - Chosun Ilbo  Read More →