Tuesday, Leader of the Opposition and Workers' Party (WP) chief Pritam Singh proposed an amendment to a vote on public housing, suggesting that the ruling party had not fully answered people's concerns regarding the cost and accessibility of HDB houses.
As the House debated two motions on the subject, one by National Development Minister Desmond Lee and the other by Progress Singapore Party (PSP) Non-Constituency MPs Leong Mun Wai and Hazel Poa, Mr. Singh questioned whether "the current anxieties of Singaporeans do not warrant greater effort by the PAP government to review its commitment to affordability and accessibility."
Over the course of 12 hours on Monday and Tuesday, the House considered both proposals.
Mr. Lee urged the House to state that it "affirms the significance of maintaining inexpensive and accessible public housing while safeguarding the interests of current and future generations of Singaporeans, and approves the Government's commitment to these twin aims"
In the meanwhile, Mr. Leong and Ms. Poa urged the government to reevaluate and correct its housing policy.
Mr. Singh, however, stated that the People's Action Party (PAP) resolution did not adequately reflect the fact that the government should strive more to make Housing Board apartments and Build-to-Order (BTO) flats more inexpensive and accessible than they are today.
“Voting for the PAP motion, as drafted... would mean that Singaporeans are satisfied with waiting up to four to five years for a HDB BTO flat. It will also mean that Singaporeans do not have any quarrel or concern with the price of some BTO flats such as five-room BTOs in Ang Mo Kio priced at $877,000, and a significant increase in resale flat prices across the board recently,” he said.
“It will also mean that young couples and first-time Singaporean families who cannot secure HDB BTO flats in a timely fashion and are pushed to the resale market where resale prices are higher than they have ever been, are not seeking better outcomes from public housing policies. We know from our engagement with Singaporeans that this is not the case,” he added.
Mr. Singh submitted a motion amendment.
He urged the House to state that it "affirms the importance of keeping affordable and accessible public housing, while protecting the interests of current and future generations of Singaporeans, and urges the Government to accelerate its efforts to achieve these twin goals"
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