Sources: http://www.wp.sg/wordpress/?p=58
HDB Flat Upgrading Program
By Mr Low Thia Khiang, MP for Hougang
The HDB flat Main Upgrading Program (MUP) started full swing after the 1991 General Election. Its objectives are to renew older HDB estates and to share the wealth of the nation with Singaporeans under the Asset Enhancement Scheme. The program became a political tool for the PAP in the 1997 General Election under a blatant abuse of power by the PAP government to alter voting behaviour.
Politics aside, the upgrading program is funded by the national budget of which the money belongs to all Singaporeans. Denying Singaporeans living in opposition wards this publicly funded program is highly discriminatory in nature. Does the government need to be reminded that residents of opposition wards perform National Service duty and pay the same rate of income tax & GST as any other Singaporeans?
When I took up the issue in parliament, the Minister’s answer was that the criteria for HDB upgrading is based on the age of the flat, geographical spread, and support for the program. When I asked about Hougang’s turn for upgrading, the minister’s reply was that “Hougang is not due for upgrading for many, many years”.
12 years have passed since the minister made that statement in 1996. Now I am asking again, is the wait long enough now for the MUP to come to Hougang? Or is Hougang Constituency denied MUP?
Is the so called criteria for the HDB upgrading program a convenient excuse for the PAP government to abuse its position in power to discriminate against Singaporeans along the line of political affiliation?
I understand that in 1991, the projected average upgrading cost per flat was $30,000 to $38,000. I would like to know how much the government had spent in average for each HDB flat type under MUP by individual precinct completed so far.
Taking an average cost of $30,000 for a basic upgrading package and factoring in the co-payment formula, this government owes every eligible flat owner in Hougang Constituency $22,500 to $27,000 for the long overdue upgrading.
In 1995, the Minister for National Development said that “the upgrading program is a long-term program … It will take 15 to 20 years to upgrade all the old estates.” Since the MUP was started in 1990, I take it that by 2010, all MUPs would have been completed. However, I am surprised to learn from MND budget that the MUP & IUP will be replaced by the Home Improvement program (HIP) and the Neighbourhood Renewal Program (NRP).
The MUP aims for precinct-level upgrade and enhancement whereas HIP deals more with building defects rectification work. The NRP, on the other hand, is more like the IUP or improvement works undertaken by the Town Councils. So where is the MUP equivalent in scale & level of estate upgrading as promised to Singaporeans under the asset enhancement scheme?
Since the HIP’s criteria are similar to MUP in which the level of political support is a factor, would that put the opposition wards last in the queue again? In other words, will opposition wards need to start all over again and wait many, many years for HIP to happen?
Last year, I visited a resident who was injured by fallen concrete slabs due to spalling in the kitchen of his flat. As the flats continue to age, spalling concrete can become an issue of safety. Unless the Minister thinks that the safety of residents living in HDB flats in Hougang is of a lesser concern than those in the PAP wards, it is only right for the Minister to shorten the waiting time required for HIP to be implemented in the opposition ward.
To expedite the HIP, the Minister may want to consider delegating HIP to town councils to speed up the implementation of the program. Alternatively, he can also consider allocating the funds to the HDB branch offices to better target essential repairs to deserving flats under their charge.
HDB Flat Upgrading Program
By Mr Low Thia Khiang, MP for Hougang
The HDB flat Main Upgrading Program (MUP) started full swing after the 1991 General Election. Its objectives are to renew older HDB estates and to share the wealth of the nation with Singaporeans under the Asset Enhancement Scheme. The program became a political tool for the PAP in the 1997 General Election under a blatant abuse of power by the PAP government to alter voting behaviour.
Politics aside, the upgrading program is funded by the national budget of which the money belongs to all Singaporeans. Denying Singaporeans living in opposition wards this publicly funded program is highly discriminatory in nature. Does the government need to be reminded that residents of opposition wards perform National Service duty and pay the same rate of income tax & GST as any other Singaporeans?
When I took up the issue in parliament, the Minister’s answer was that the criteria for HDB upgrading is based on the age of the flat, geographical spread, and support for the program. When I asked about Hougang’s turn for upgrading, the minister’s reply was that “Hougang is not due for upgrading for many, many years”.
12 years have passed since the minister made that statement in 1996. Now I am asking again, is the wait long enough now for the MUP to come to Hougang? Or is Hougang Constituency denied MUP?
Is the so called criteria for the HDB upgrading program a convenient excuse for the PAP government to abuse its position in power to discriminate against Singaporeans along the line of political affiliation?
I understand that in 1991, the projected average upgrading cost per flat was $30,000 to $38,000. I would like to know how much the government had spent in average for each HDB flat type under MUP by individual precinct completed so far.
Taking an average cost of $30,000 for a basic upgrading package and factoring in the co-payment formula, this government owes every eligible flat owner in Hougang Constituency $22,500 to $27,000 for the long overdue upgrading.
In 1995, the Minister for National Development said that “the upgrading program is a long-term program … It will take 15 to 20 years to upgrade all the old estates.” Since the MUP was started in 1990, I take it that by 2010, all MUPs would have been completed. However, I am surprised to learn from MND budget that the MUP & IUP will be replaced by the Home Improvement program (HIP) and the Neighbourhood Renewal Program (NRP).
The MUP aims for precinct-level upgrade and enhancement whereas HIP deals more with building defects rectification work. The NRP, on the other hand, is more like the IUP or improvement works undertaken by the Town Councils. So where is the MUP equivalent in scale & level of estate upgrading as promised to Singaporeans under the asset enhancement scheme?
Since the HIP’s criteria are similar to MUP in which the level of political support is a factor, would that put the opposition wards last in the queue again? In other words, will opposition wards need to start all over again and wait many, many years for HIP to happen?
Last year, I visited a resident who was injured by fallen concrete slabs due to spalling in the kitchen of his flat. As the flats continue to age, spalling concrete can become an issue of safety. Unless the Minister thinks that the safety of residents living in HDB flats in Hougang is of a lesser concern than those in the PAP wards, it is only right for the Minister to shorten the waiting time required for HIP to be implemented in the opposition ward.
To expedite the HIP, the Minister may want to consider delegating HIP to town councils to speed up the implementation of the program. Alternatively, he can also consider allocating the funds to the HDB branch offices to better target essential repairs to deserving flats under their charge.