- HDB home owners or potential owners are questioning the Government if they actually own their homes, or are they merely renting from the Government.
- Narrative by the Singapore government is that we are land scarce, and the land policy of releasing a limited amount of land for freehold (around 20% of land in Singapore are owned by land owners in perpetuity) ensures that there will always be land recycled for development purposes
- Community forums organised for ministers to address the public’s concerns about policies is a form of citizen engagement
Read this article to find out more: A 99-year leasehold flat is an owned asset, not a rental: Lawrence Wong
Analysis:
At the beginning of nation-building in 1960s, the people were sold the grand idea of home ownership in public housing. They could have a stake in the nation by owning flats, and it would be an investment towards appreciating assets. Today, some of the leases are inching towards the end of their lease and some people are starting to see the asset they thought they owned become worthless at the end of the lease. Perhaps, it is a difference in expectations of what a public housing is fundamentally meant for – providing homes for the masses, not necessarily profit.
Read more about the issue: SCMP
From this debate, we can also draw out observations about how the local government works. The Government pride themselves in being able to plan for the long term. Their approach to managing a society of different individual needs and perspective is to weigh what needs to be done, versus what the people want to hear and provide a well-justified case to answer the people. They engage the public to a certain extent, but not in a fully participatory manner that gives the masses autonomy to sway policy decisions.
Food for thought:
- What does it mean for people to be engaged in public discussions about policies? Would you participate in a forum like this one? Why or why not?
- Consider the implications of having limited land. How effective do you think are the policies put in place to manage this problem?
Useful vocabulary/ phrases:
- Acrimony – bitterness or ill feeling
Picture credits: https://pixabay.com/en/hdb-landscape-housing-908121/