Kee Chiu wants you to join PAP because "it's such a good life."

[Confuseous]

Mr Chan said it's too early to tell whether leaving the army for politics has been worthwhile or not. He says. "I don't know, even till the day I get out of this world, whether I will be able to tell. It is not something I evaluate on a daily basis, I just try to do the best with what I have. Maybe that absolves me from having to calculate; too many things are beyond my control. You hope to do the correct things, you want to do what you believe in, but whether it is correct or appropriate, only time will tell."

Naturally, adjustments have had to be made. "On Saturday, you send the children to activities, go to your constituency activities, hope you can fetch them when you come back," says the father of a 12-year-old girl and two boys, aged 4 and 1-1/2.

"You always try not to be unfair to your own children, your family. They walk the journey with you, without them, it would be very difficult to walk that journey. And it's not an easy journey. There will be brickbats, there will be bouquets, you take them all as they come."

But, he quickly adds: "Maybe I shouldn't say this. Maybe I should say 'Actually, it's such a good life!' so that good people all come and join."

BT INTERVIEW

 

[jw5]

It helps if you feel soooooooo grateful.

 

[Confuseous]

Kee Chiu's half-truths on housing issues

For the government, balance is also a matter of weighing the economic and political costs of each decision. Even then, policies remain at the mercy of the market's vagaries.

Public housing policy changes over the last 15 years illustrate this, Mr Chan says. At the peak of mounting demand back in 1995, there were 100,000 people in the queue for flats. This led to accelerated building. But then, the Asian financial crisis of 1997 sent the market crashing. "We had half a Sengkang town empty. There was a surplus of 10,000 units. There is an economic cost to holding 10,000 units empty," he points out.

The government switched to a build-to-order system, which worked well for the greater part of the last decade. Then, the global financial crisis hit in 2008. This time, instead of crashing as anticipated, the housing market flipped upwards on the back of low interest rates and capital inflows because Singapore stayed relatively resilient. Demand far outstripped supply again.

It was not the result of miscalculation, Mr Chan says. "Every year, we only have 36,000 babies. One third of them never get married. Two thirds of them get married, that's 24,000 or 12,000 couples. We bring in 5,000 to 6,000 families as PRs. The innate demand, assuming no one dies, no one sells flats, is 17,000 to 18,000. We build 25,000 a year." But this was not enough because with the rising market, anxious buyers brought forward demand.

"Of course, we're going to spend much more, and we're building at breakneck speed to meet the (infrastructure) demand, but will we suddenly, in five years' time, look back and realise we've overdone it? If the cycle just turns, like in 1997, we do run the risk.

"An empty Sengkang has no political cost but it's a huge economic burden. If the government is not very disciplined and is very worried about political cost, then like some other countries, you will pay the economic cost."

For instance, even as the government is resolutely curbing foreign worker inflows, both to ease the strains on infrastructure, social space and to boost productivity growth, Mr Chan worries about going too far. "If we over-calibrate, we would flip the market and if we go on a roller-coaster dive again, suddenly, all the graduates coming out of the universities and polytechnics may not have jobs. That is the scary part."

After all, one reason why the resident population grew rapidly in the past decade was that businesses were crying out for more manpower. And that came when the post-SARS economy in 2004 was still fragile and could have gone into a tailspin.

"To be frank, a bit of the crowdedness we can still manage. It is a problem to manage, but the other problem is just as scary."

BT INTERVIEW

 

[laksaboy]

Re: Kee Chiu's half-truths on housing issues

After all, one reason why the resident population grew rapidly in the past decade was that businesses were crying out for more manpower. And that came when the post-SARS economy in 2004 was still fragile and could have gone into a tailspin.

"To be frank, a bit of the crowdedness we can still manage. It is a problem to manage, but the other problem is just as scary."

Yeah, you threw open the floodgates to immigrants because of SARS.

So, how have you lot managed the current 'bit of crowdedness' now? 'Still can manage' right?

You know what's really scary? The thought of this monkeyface scholar-general becoming the next PM.

 

[swampfire]

It helps if you feel soooooooo grateful.

true. When his gains are undeserved to say the least. Ditto the rest of his pals in parliament.

 

[makapaaa]

He says. "I don't know,...

=> Typical of a yesman, whose only concern is to please his paymaster to be assured for his multi-million-dollar pay cheque.

 

[escher]

But, he quickly adds: "Maybe I shouldn't say this. Maybe I should say 'Actually, it's such a good life!' so that good people all come and join."

BT INTERVIEW

Millions for you now, and perhaps billions later when that smear of shit on sole of shoe LKY go under the demons and ghouls all waiting for him with open arms and up raised pricks.

And the sinkies all already head low low and arseholes up high high from the new borns to the old ahpeks, male and females, juicy or wrinkled, all waiting for PAP and their wannabees to fuck and screw to heart content

 

[zeddy]

But, he quickly adds: "Maybe I shouldn't say this. Maybe I should say 'Actually, it's such a good life!' so that good people all come and join."

After just 2 years into politics he's fast becoming the second Zorro Lim when it comes to making cock in the mouth statements like the one mentioned above..

 

[jw5]

Re: Kee Chiu's half-truths on housing issues

Yeah, you threw open the floodgates to immigrants because of SARS.

So, how have you lot managed the current 'bit of crowdedness' now? 'Still can manage' right?

You know what's really scary? The thought of this monkeyface scholar-general becoming the next PM.

Nothing is scary about this lot anymore.

 

[steffychun]

Re: Kee Chiu's half-truths on housing issues

Kee Chiu more concern will his own multi-billion dollar house first

 

[steffychun]

A good life because once he got the scholarship he was destined to "earn" so much from the taxpayer

 

[SaBoon]

Good life comes with a price, correct or not? KEE CHIU!