Senior Minister of State for National Development Sim Ann stated in a Monday debate with the NCMP in Parliament that Non-Constituency Member of Parliament Leong Mun Wai (PSP) is "deliberately misleading the people" by "forming ungrounded expectations" of government en bloc projects.
The Selective En bloc Redevelopment Scheme (SERS) at Ang Mo Kio Avenue 3 was the subject of Ms. Sim's dismissal of the claims made in an adjournment motion by Non-Constituency Member of Parliament Leong Mun Wai (PSP).
Ms. Sim, who has been speaking with Mr. Leong about public housing policy both inside and outside of the House, said: "I hope that Mr. Leong will engage in forthcoming debate responsibly rather than conflating issues, confusing issues, or quite deliberately misleading the public by shaping ungrounded expectations of schemes, creating goal posts, as it were.
Mr. Leong stated that the Selective En bloc Redevelopment Scheme (SERS) exercise at Ang Mo Kio Avenue 3 was "an epochal event in the history of our public housing" and that the Voluntary Early Redevelopment Scheme (VERS) was not a workable alternative for when the leases of HDB flats expire.
He argued that unlike prior SERS exercises, those in Ang Mo Kio must "top-up cash to obtain a comparable replacement unit with a fresh 99-year lease."
Ms. Sim, however, informed the House that SERS compensation has never been based on the cost of a brand-new flat of comparable size and location with a brand-new 99-year lease.
She also mentioned that after being given more alternatives, such as shorter leases for seniors and the ability to apply for flats at different sites, 99 percent of impacted Ang Mo Kio SERS residents no longer needed to supplement income for their replacement residences.
The Ministry of National Development (MND) gave Mr. Leong an example of a prior SERS exercise in West Coast where people had to contribute additional funds for a new apartment, but Mr. Leong said that this only applied to residents who chose "a more centrally situated replacement location."
"The Government has repeatedly claimed it used the same model and approach as other SERS to compute the compensation for the Ang Mo Kio SERS, but the Government has not admitted that the outcome of the Ang Mo Kio SERS is different from other SERS," claimed Mr. Leong, branding the Government's claims as "disingenuous."
According to Minister for National Development Desmond Lee, the SERS flats in Ang Mo Kio have a shorter lease balance of roughly 57 years, compared to around 70 years in previous SERS activities. However, Mr. Leong said he cannot accept this rationale.
The compensation granted to residents of Ang Mo Kio is insufficient for them to purchase an equal unit with a new 99-year lease, as in other SERS, according to Mr. Leong, who said that the minister's statement did not adequately explain the situation.
This, according to Ms. Sim, is largely because the new apartment comes with significant government subsidies and additional financial aid, such as a SERS grant.
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