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Government files motion affirming commitment on affordable public housing; disagrees with PSP's suggestion it 'has not done enough'

Government files motion affirming commitment on affordable public housing; disagrees with PSP's suggestion it 'has not done enough'

General view of HDB residential blocks against the Singapore skyline. (File photo: Jeremy Long)

  • Senior Minister of State for National Development Sim Ann said in a Facebook post on Monday (Jan 30) that a motion has been filed in Parliament affirming the Government's commitment to "affordable and accessible" public housing
  • The motion has been filed by National Development Minister Desmond Lee, she added
  • It follows motions on the same topic by Non-Constituency Members of Parliament Leong Mun Wai and Hazel Poa last month
  • Ms Sim said although the motions may appear similar they were in fact quite different as the PSP motions implied the Government had not done enough on the matter
  • For its part, the Government disagreed with this assertion, she said

SINGAPORE: National Development Minister Desmond Lee has filed a motion to reaffirm the Government’s commitment to “keeping public housing affordable and accessible while protecting the interests of both current and future generations of Singaporeans" amid concerns over the red hot property market.

In a Facebook post on Monday (Jan 30), Senior Minister of State for National Development Sim Ann, said that this motion may sound similar to the one filed by Non-Constituency Members of Parliament Leong Mun Wai and Hazel Poa last month. 

"But the two are not really the same," she wrote.

“Implicit in the PSP’s (Progress Singapore Party’s) motion is the claim that the Government has not done enough to deliver affordable and accessible HDB (Housing and Development Board) flats, strengthen the owner-occupation intent of public housing, protect retirement adequacy or keep public housing inclusive. We disagree with this claim."

Ms Sim had last month responded to Mr Leong's adjournment motion in Parliament on the Ang Mo Kio Avenue 3 Selective En bloc Redevelopment Scheme (SERS) exercise.

Mr Leong said it differed from past exercises, as residents had to top up to buy a replacement flat of the same size with a fresh 99-year lease. He also called the Ang Mo Kio exercise an “epochal event” in the history of public housing, and said it was disingenuous of the Government not to admit to the different outcome.

Ms Sim had then said that Mr Leong was “deliberately misleading the public” and creating false expectations, and that the Government’s approach to the Ang Mo Kio Sers exercise has been consistent with that in past exercises.

In her post, Ms Sim said: "Keeping public housing affordable and accessible while protecting the interests of both current and future generations of Singaporeans is what the Government has been dedicated to all along."

"We will once again make this commitment clear to Singaporeans and to Members of the House during the debate. We feel it is better to state the Government’s intent and strategy squarely in a separate motion and debate both together."

“My colleagues and I look forward to a substantive debate, setting out the Government’s approach towards public housing, debunking spurious claims, and hearing constructive views and suggestions on how we can continue to fulfil the home ownership aspirations of our citizens now and into the future."

The last time a counter-motion was filed by the Government was in September 2021 when Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, who is also Finance Minister, spoke about securing Singaporeans’ jobs and livelihoods in response to one on foreign talent policy filed by Mr Leong. 

Mr Wong had then set out the Government’s economic and labour policies and repudiated PSP’s claim that its foreign talent policy, which includes the India–Singapore Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement, had caused anxiety among Singaporeans on jobs and livelihoods.

Prices of public housing flats have been on the rise since 2015, with prices of Build-to-Order (BTO) flats having picked up pace over the last three years in light of a hot HDB flat resale market, growing construction costs and more BTO project launches in pricier, central areas.

Analysts said it is only “a matter of time” before Singapore sees its first million-dollar BTO flat, although this is unlikely anytime soon and is contingent on how long the Government wants to keep BTO prices below market value with subsidies.

Prices for resale Housing and Development Board flats also rose 2.3 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2022, making it the 11th consecutive quarter that the resale price index has risen. This was the slowest increase in 2022 and followed measures taken in September last year to cool the resale HDB market.

This story was originally published in TODAY. 

Source: TODAY/cm

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