According to today's 'State' Times report “Don’t cast protest vote”, MM Lee said Singaporeans ought to understand that the gahmen sells them public housing at a subsidised price, below market rate, so that they can own an asset that will appreciate in value over the years.
He also said voters must be “daft” if they found fault with the PAP's housing policies, and cautioned Sillyporeans not to cast a protest vote against them over this.
Mr Lee’s remarks were in response to a question by dialogue moderator Tommy Koh, who pulled out a news report which said that at least three opposition parties are keen to contest Tampines GRC that Mr Mah Bow Tan (National Development Minister aka HDB chief) helms, as they want to raise the affordability of public housing as an election issue.
As usual MM Lee tries to strike fear in voters’ hearts by saying that their flats would no longer be of any value should MBT lose to the opposition.
Few points to ponder - seriously if elections is not about sending a message to political parties about their existing policies then what is the purpose of an election? To show the world we are a democracy city and not a nation of uncivilised, repressed citizens who are merely obsessed with GDP growth?
Clearly a survey or poll which doesn't give an ass shit about the outcome would suffice without wasting paper on ballot slips not to mentioned the time and energy to walk to the nearest school or community centre to cast a "marked" indication. So an election is perhaps a mere Singapore Idol selection for an elite civil servant.
Next point, perhaps just perhaps our MM is seriously not that old and he knows that increasing values of public housing over the years does not mean you have to purchase the next home at a equal or even higher value which nullifies your "Asset" enhancement without the 30 years lock in loan period wiping out the purpose of a self-paid retirement savings otherwise known as CPF. I mean he and his cabinet ministers who are paid millions with "Ivy league-liked" qualification would know that the lesser mortals' aka citizens offsprings or future generations purchasing these highly priced "subsidised" housing with little growth in starting salaries are bound to suffer. A simple maths teacher could calculate out the "real" benefits of an asset enhancement.
I guess perhaps we might all have mistaken MM Lee's true intention. 4000-6000 migrating citizens yearly seem to "finally" get his point and I guess I finally too have realised that. We need to sell out and move out, he is subtly telling us Singaporeans to leverage your overpriced Singapore property to a beach property in Australia or a lake house in Vancouver. So you see perhaps just perhaps, MM Lee really loves us.
Or the other perspective on why 66.6% of the population are truly voting them in year after year - because they already knew of the "loving intentions". Thus it is not wrong that PAPpy officials keep making statements that we are to blame for the increase in prices of public housing.
So just change the way you look at things, perhaps life would be brighter, more cheerful like an awesome view of the beach or lake as you wake up to life someday...somewhere. Carpe Diem.
