From one of our readers

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THE Elections Department on Thursday announced that changes have been made to polling districts, a day after it released news of the electoral registers being updated.

On Thursday, a 113-page notification in the electronic version of the Government Gazette gave the details of what the polling district changes are.

Under the Parliamentary Elections Act, the Registration Officer may alter boundaries of polling districts within electoral divisions.

When changes are made, these must be announced in the Gazette.

Polling district changes were last announced exactly a year ago.

Changes to polling districts usually precede the preparation of voters’ registers.

 

Dear Cassandra Chew,

 

Do you know what Singaporeans want?

Singaporeans want an end to a political system where one man, that is Lee Kuan Yew, appoints the Prime Minister for the country. What a stupid Westminister system we inherited from the British colonial master!

What we want is to elect our own Prime Minister. Since we are already electing our President, we want the elected President to take over the full power of the Prime Minister to form the Cabinet, and subsequently run the country. Of if you still like the top post as the Prime Minister, change our Presidential election to that of a Prime Minister election. We certainly do not want one man to elect our head of state. Certainly, we do not want a single party, such as the PAP to elect the Prime Minister.

We the citizens of Singapore shall elect our President (or Prime Minister) who assumes the full power to form the Cabinet. Not just LKY. He had been a tyrant for 50 years and yet, we still want to give him the power behind the disguise of the winning political party to appoint the next PM or President one more time.

 

 

Changes to polling districts

From a reader. 

Dear Singaporeans,

As Singaporeans lament rising flat prices, he said they ought to understand that the Government sells them at a subsidised price, below market rate, so that they can own an asset that will appreciate in value over the years.

It adds to their wealth and this is an asset-enhancing policy Mr Lee believes citizens should not find fault with.

If they do, they must be ‘daft’, he said, at a dialogue during a housing conference as part of a series of events to mark the Housing and Development Board’s 50th anniversary.

And if National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan is unable to defend this policy, ‘he deserves to lose’ at the next general election, he quipped, to laughter from the participants, including a chuckling Mr Mah.

But if Mr Mah loses to the opposition, he warned that Singaporeans better sell their flats fast as they would no longer be of any value.

 

Lee Kuan Yew is at it trying to cheat you again with these nice sweetie words: subsidised price, below market rate, an asset that will appreciate in value over the years.  Mr Liar, Lee Kuan Yew, please produce some statistics.

1) What is the selling price of new flats sold during the period 1994 to 1999? (Use this 5-year period only for discussion.)

2) What is the current valuation price of these flats now?

3) Please explain why there is a big drop in the current valuation price compared to the selling price?

4) Will the big drop in value explain these sweetie words: subsidized price, below market rate and appreciating asset?

5) You can go on to churn out false statistics. However, the owners of these flats know you have cheated them several hundreds of thousands dollars from the higher over-price flats.

A letter from a reader.

Lee Hsien Loong, you are as good a sweet talker and big time liar as your father.

If you have priced the flats correctly, you do not need to hand out a housing subsidy. Why don’t you price a 4-room flats at S1 million and then tell the young couple that you are giving him a big subsidy of S$700,000 assuming the final price the couple paid is $300,000?

Affordable? What do you mean by affordable?

Extending a housing loan that takes the young couple 30 years to pay is called affordable. You are locking this poor young couple to work as a slave to you for their next 30 years. In my opinion, a reasonable loan period should not exceed 20 years. Of course, the longer the loan period, the HDB flats that HDB sells can fetch a much, much higher price, period. You are robbing the people of their money and turning them into your slaves for 30 years. Please do not argue over this point. Just admit it. Your father started the GREAT HDB upgrading program and you are continuing his legacy of robbing the people of Singapore.

Now you said the government does not control the resale flats. Why? During the great upgrading period from 1990 and 2000, what did the HDB appointed surveyors did to jack up the price of the resale price to make the spiraling rise in the new flats price looks so much more attractive. Of course, now you don’t care about the resale price level because of two reasons.

1) You have over-priced the new flats when they were first sold.

2) Do you care about returning the drop in valuation of the resale flats because you had over=price the same flat when it was first sold to the poor owner who now is the sucker for the dropped in price of about $100,000. Btw, the new flats were sold bare, each owners had to dump in S$60,000 to S$120,000 to renovate the flat before moving in. That means, the poor owner who is selling his flats lost almost S$200,000.

Father and son are both great liars of the 20/21centuries and are utterly irresponsible.

Jan 26, 2010, New flats stay affordable By Jeremy Au Yong, The Straits Times online edition.

WHILE the Government will keep the prices of new Housing Board (HDB) flats in check, it has less control over prices in the resale market.

This state of affairs was highlighted by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Tuesday night when he commented for the first time on what has been one of the hottest topics of discussion.

Speaking at a gala dinner to mark the HDB’s 50th anniversary, Mr Lee stressed the Government was committed to keeping HDB flats affordable and that its new flats are priced within the means of the vast majority of Singaporeans.

On top of that, it would also build enough new flats to cater to demand as the population grows. In fact, to cap its 50th year, the HDB will build its 1 millionth flat this year.

However, the Government does not have control over the prices of resale flats, he said.

His explanation: ‘These resale prices are set by individual households who transact flats on a willing buyer, willing seller basis, and are affected by movements and sentiments in the wider economy, including the private property market. Hence, resale prices of HDB flats will fluctuate from year-to-year.’

To: lee_hsien_loong@pmo.gov.sg
From: De Souza Jose Socrates
cc: sylvia@wp.sg, voices@mediacorp.com.sg, myp@sph.com.sg, viswa@strategicmoves.com.sg, dcm@singapore.mfa.gov.il

Dear Mr Lee,

I refer to the subject.

I was horrified when I flipped the pages of the Straits Times on 10 Sept 09 to read that one of my fellow Jewish brother was assualted by a muslim at the National Library considering that the attack was unprovoked.

Though a stiff sentence was imposed on the man, we should nevertheless still ask ourselves if it is sufficient and why this happened in the first place when S’pore prides itself to be one of the safest country in the world to live in? Is it because national education and it’s efforts are failing us like it did on attracting and encouraging people to serve society? I have also been a target of scorn by similar group save that I was short of getting assualted. I also feel unsafe and fear as I live among large groups of these people in my neighbourhood.

In view of the seriousness of the nature of this matter, I hope you can affirm Mr Viswa’s 18 Aug 09 parliamentary speech, especially to Jews that we can feel safe practising our religion here as we strive to live in peace and harmony with our fellow S’poreans, Thank you.

Date: 4/11/09

To: MCYS Ser Luck TEO
cc: stforum@sph.com.sg, tnptalk@sph.com.sg, chiamco@singnet.com.sg, tkl.volunteers@gmail.com

From: De Costa Daniel Augustine

Re: Financial Assistance

Dear Mr Teo,

I refer to our correspondance below and I would like to further comment/feedback on CDC’s means-testing assessment and criteria.

I can’t help but notice that the government is initiating policies that are slowly but surely shifting away and shedding as much social responsibility as it could. I couldn’t believe what I witnessed and had to go through when I went for the means-testing conducted at Southeast CDC as instructed by your goodself.

Policies are formulated such that Gross and not Net salaries are into account when accessing families income but isn’t the government aware that there are such things as mandatory deductions made to institutions such as CPFB, self-help groups and other contributions deemed necessary by various companies in their capacity such as work men’s insurance. The workers’ are by no means, able to pocket those monies.

Secondly, overtime pay are also made an issue by the CDC when considering disbursing assistance but isn’t again the government aware that overtime are a privilege and not an automatic entitlement and may be withdrawn at any given time?

With such policies, calculative measures and high ceiling income cap that are in place, it is no wonder to me when PM announced that out of the 5 million set aside for the poor and needy, only 1. something million was evantually disbursed. The explaination given is that people are not aware of government’s measures that are in place to assist them but I am starting to wonder if it could be due to the impossible criteria that are set for them that in more than half of those who applied are rejected.

I am not advocating a welfare state or system nor do I personally believe in them but what I do believe is that those who derserve and need the help should receive it and not be turned away just because of the government’s fears that it would open the ‘floodgates’. I don’t see the government having such fear that it would lose 100 billion dollars of S’poreans money when it chose to freely invest in failed financial institutions. The same also goes to the various town councils who lost money in failed investments.

While I should say a word of fairness and give credit where it is due to goodmen MPs like your goodself and Mr Yao, I am afraid I would have to vote against all PAP MPs even though they may be good as they do not constitute solution but become part of the problem that should be ractified come election time as they are unable to vote against party line to be able to render much needed valuable assistance to the people.

From: De Souza Jose Socrates

To: lim_hwee_hua@mof.gov.sg
Cc: chiamco@singnet.com.sg, tnptalk@sph.com.sg, tkl.volunteers@gmail.com

Dear Mrs Lim,

I am writing in to enquire, on the inefficiency or the deliberation of it in S’pore Customs inability to bust operating vendors of these cigarettes.

I was walking past Aljunied MRT one weekend in the evening and was very surprise to find illegal cigarette paddlers selling their products by the common walkway boldly as though there are no laws in S’pore. A group of them can also be found selling at the pathway leading to the POSBank opposite and the nearby carpark.

A further stroll by Lor Geylang (443 Geylang Rd) downwards beginning from New Cathay Hotel threw up more of these vendors. They would also be operating in likewise manner as their ‘counterparts’ at the MRT but would hide their products in drain sewers by opening the metal concealers.

Which leads me to wonder if there are indeed lack of enforcement officers or corruption within it’s ranks as I find no reason in a country like S’pore which prices itself to be of high efficiency and integrity yet have such activities taking place on a daily basis. I hope you can look into this and direct the necessary course of action.

Update: Marine Parade Town Council replied.

Subject: Re: Fw: Incompetency of Marine Parade Town Council
From: asman@mptc.org.sg
To: saltypepper@live.com.sg
CC: tsc27@hdb.gov.sg; cwy3@hdb.gov.sg
Date: Fri, 2 Oct 2009 14:52:24 +0800

Dear Ms Sabie J

We thank you for your feedback via your email dated on 30/09/2009.

As the place is currently undergoing Lift Upgrading Programme (LUP) works, we will remind the LUP contractors again to tidy up the site upon completion of their daily works. In addition, we will educate our conservancy workers to be more meticulous in their daily cleaning of the area. We will step up further checks on the LUP contractor and conservancy contractor to ensure the cleanliness at the estate.

Should you require further clarification pertaining to the estate matters, you may wish to contact me at tel: 62820551.

Thank you.

Regards,

Asman Bin Sah Hudin

Asst Property manager

Marine Parade Town Council
DDI: 6282 0551 Fax: 6382 0853

==
Dear Editor,

Sure, please do so and readers can judge for themselves there is an improvement after this, Thank you.

> Date: Wed, 30 Sep 2009 18:54:13 +0800
> From: tkl100kpetition@gmail.com
> To: saltypepper@live.com.sg
> CC: maliki_osman@mnd.gov.sg; tkl.volunteers@gmail.com; chiamco@singnet.com.sg; tnptalk@sph.com.sg
> Subject: Re: Incompetency of Marine Parade Town Council
>
> Dear Sabie
>
> Would you like us to publish your letter at civicadvocator.net?
>
> sabie J. wrote:
> > Dear Dr Mohamad,
> >
> > I refer to the subject heading. I recently visited a relative at Blk
> > 101 Aljunied Crescent and passed Blks 99-103 and found the place to be
> > in a complete mess with heaps of rubbish dumped around.
> >
> > I understand the place is currently in the midst of an upgrading
> > program and it is obvious that workers there are not taught basic
> > cleanliness for one can find cement dust and construction leftovers
> > when touring the place.
> >
> > Which makes me wonder whether town councils lead by the PAP are indeed
> > as competent as they brand themselves to be and it is not very
> > difficult to refute their claim(s) taking a stroll at Aljunied Cres. I
> > have visited relatives at nearby Potong Pasir and found the place to
> > be of better hygiene standards than Aljunied Cres though facilities as
> > not as rampant due to MND’s previous grounds of refusing funds to
> > Potong Pasir.
> >
> > I hope you will look into this and buck up the standard of not only
> > MPTC but the other town councils as well, Thank you.
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > Sabie J (Ms)

Update #2

Mr N sent us another email:

8/13/09 7:27 AM

Dear Sir,

The post “‘Strange’ business going around at HDB flat” at civicadvocator.net/category/forem is a great help.

I wrote a report and will write a number of shorter posts at http://anaudienceof.blogspot.com and http://complainproper.wordpress.com.

Hope you could refer your readers to one of the sites.

Thanks,

NKH

Update#1:
We contacted Mr N and are waiting for him to allow us to publish a follow up report.

N wrote

Thanks for your support.

You may publish the letter as required since I needed an audience.

However I think a third person’s report would be of interest. There is content and issue it may involved. I had written about fifteen letters over more than a year and about half that number were replys from the authorities.

The report could also serve as a reference as the problem may remains.

Dear Mr N

We could publish your letter on our site.
Besides that, how else could we help you?

Dear Sir,

I hope my complaint is appropriate to your site. I will point out what happened between HDB, a neighbour and myself.

2. After I lodged a letter at the Meet-the-People Session, since no MP was in at the time, I noticed people shifting into the flat across the neighbour. Then followed a force-entry into the neighbour’s flat in one to two weeks time. A few days later the neighbour approached me for a compromise, which on reflection was his concession to me.

3. The noise kept continuing and I wrote to the MPs who wrote to HDB, Town Council and Police. One curious fact was Head,Pasir Ris HDB Branch Office(HBO), replied to all the letters sent to HDB and Town Council. In his letters to me he wrote there was no excessive noise and asked me to obtain a court injunction and other suggestions. There were five such letters each without much variations with a copy to an MP who wrote on my behalf.

4. I know all along the neighbour is carrying on a trade of some kinds by the types of noise they make through each day. I know the officers and some members at the Meet-the-People Session, whom I came in contact with, cannot be relied on. And I had some helps from people and MPs at the Meet-the-People Session. An example, someone sent me a blind copy for the RC Chairman only, attached to a letter from HBO to me. He wrote no noise was detected during their joint visit to the house and asked the Chairman to give me a talk on good neighbourliness.

5. The blind copy tells me the house(or the flat) across the neighbour was used to monitor them. The date of the joint visit mentioned was the same day the Chairman and a member(who was arranged to meet him after) visited me that morning. Although he wrote no noise was detected there was definite noise before the Chairman and the member came into my flat. In conjunction with another instance I think there was probably an instrument which could detect or record noise in the flat across the neighbour.

6. I think after the force-entry a deal was struck with the neighbour because they could be evicted. There is a history such as an eviction of an occupier who was with the first owner, transferred of the flat to the present owner just after the eviction, a warning given to the present owner and other details, all of which I had written to the HBO and MPs.

7. Since the noise has not stop I could be forced to leave. The solution is for the issue to be make known.

With Regards,

nkh

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Tell Singapore government: Ask them a question or give a suggestion

We informed people about the “Tell Singapore Government” subsite and have received some interesting reaction at some forums.
See: 3in1 Kopitiam, Sam’s Alfresco Coffee, Singapore Kopitiam, SgForums
Our responses to some of the comments are listed below. If we are not answering some other specific questions, that is because we do not know how.
 

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