MPs can rent void deck space to set up office for MPS

 

HDB flats

SINGAPORE: Members of Parliament will now be given an option to set up offices at HDB void decks for their Meet—the—People (MPS) sessions.

If they take up the option, they will have to pay a rent for the space.

In an announcement, the Ministry of National Development (MND) said the rental will be at a concessionary rate, similar to that levied for non—profit, social communal uses.

The ministry said this change takes immediate effect.

Currently, HDB does not rent void deck space to elected MPs to set up offices for their MPS.

Some MPs do so at open void decks, while others rent premises sublet by social and educational organisations.

The new arrangement does not apply to MPs who currently have makeshift arrangements for their MPS at void decks.

MND said MPs who wish to continue holding MPS at open void decks can still do so under their own arrangements with the town council.

— AFP/cc/ac

Khaw tells HDB to build ahead of demand

 

Khaw Boon Wan (file picture)

SINGAPORE : National Development Minister Khaw Boon Wan has told HDB to build ahead of demand during this period of robust demand.

Writing in his ministry’s blog, Mr Khaw said the orders will definitely come, and HDB should call a tender as soon as architectural drawings and tender documents are ready.

Currently, a tender is called only after 70 per cent of orders have been confirmed — hence " Build—to—Order" (BTO) scheme.

[# Planning & Forecasting INCOMPETENCY  ? ? ? ?  #]

The minister said HDB can return to the usual BTO approach after the situation has stabilised.

The move is a bid to help the vast majority of young couples own their own homes as soon as possible so that they can start their families and have babies.

It is a national priority — promoting marriages and births — and Mr Khaw said his ministry must facilitate it to its best ability.

Currently, 70 per cent of new couples get their first homes via HDB’s BTO (Build—to—Order) scheme. The rest purchase their flats in the resale market.

Mr Khaw felt there is scope to do more. He said: " I think we should strive to have the vast majority of new couples start off their first set of homes in HDB, preferably via the BTO route."

He added that HDB will also ramp up capacity and bring forward projects scheduled for early next year.

HDB confirmed that it will be able to raise the number of BTO units from 22,000 to 25,000 units this year.

Mr Khaw said the new pace of construction will be sustained for next year, as there will be additional demand with the easing of the S$8,000 income ceiling for HDB flats.

While the pace is ramped up, the minister gave the assurance that the quality of finish, workmanship and worksite safety will remain good.

He said the industry need to rise to the challenge, without causing a cost spiral, which will not benefit the buyers.

Mr Khaw added that with more resources and capabilities, he is confident HDB will rise to the new challenge of housing Singaporeans in a first world setting.

He acknowledged that the task is huge and expectations high. He said time is needed to work through some of the constraints, but he has pledged to do his best not to disappoint the public.

— CNA/al

PM Lee issues code of conduct for PAP MPs

 

Parliament House sitting against the city skyline in Singapore. (AFP Photo/Roslan Rahman)

SINGAPORE: Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has issued a code of conduct to PAP MPs, spelling out their priorities and reminding them on what it means to be an elected Member of Parliament.

The 7—page letter, which was also released to the media, listed 10 rules of prudence.

The letter is something the prime minister issues after every election. This time, Mr Lee reminded MPs that they are serving in a new era.

The recent election, he said, has shown that voters have concerns which need to be addressed and the government will have to significantly improve its outreach, approach to formulating policies, and the policies themselves.

But having said that, Mr Lee stressed that two things must not change — firstly, always hold fast to the spirit of service to the people, and secondly, to uphold the high standards of honesty and integrity of the PAP.

It is in this context that the prime minister outlined 10 rules.

They range from requiring MPs to be always above board in their dealings — for example, separating business from politics — to declaring directorships and income, as well as being financially prudent.

MPs said the reminder is consistent with the prime minister’s message since the election and more recently, during the Cabinet swearing—in ceremony.

The reminder will set the tone on how MPs go about their duties.

— CNA/ir

Lim Wee Kiak withdraws, apologises for remarks on ministerial pay

 

Dr Lim Wee Kiak

SINGAPORE: Member of Parliament for Nee Soon GRC, Dr Lim Wee Kiak, has withdrawn and apologised for his recent remarks on ministerial pay.

Dr Lim said on further reflection, he agreed that the example he quoted regarding a minister from the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts meeting the heads of telcos and saying that there may be some loss of face if the minister’s salary is low is inappropriate and incorrect.

In a statement on Friday, Dr Lim said dignity cannot be and must not be measured purely in monetary terms. He said a minister’s pay is a sensitive issue and is one that many are concerned about.

Dr Lim also clarified his comments made to Lianhe Zaobao, which were reproduced in Lianhe Wanbao.

He said he made three fundamental points.

One, that Singapore needs a balanced approach to the question of ministerial pay.

Two, that he personally felt that pay and perks should not be used to attract capable people to come forward to serve. He agreed with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong that there is a service to country element and an element of sacrifice expected for the ministers by the public.

And three, that their responsibilities and job scope must be taken into consideration in the remuneration for ministers.

—CNA/ac

Will there be a housing market overhaul?

COMMENTARY

The biggest news for the real estate industry after the General Election has to be the appointment of Mr Khaw Boon Wan as the new Minister for National Development.

Colin Tan is head, research and consultancy, at Chesterton Suntec International.

Together with other new ministers, he will “have a free hand to rethink and reshape policies”, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has said.

Mr Khaw has acknowledged that the issue of housing is red hot with widespread unhappiness and he has pledged to make “housing and HDB Singaporeans’ popular icon again”.

He will have his work cut out for him.

We are already into our fourth set of cooling measures and have progressively and significantly ramped up housing supply — both for the private and public housing sectors.

In the space of four years, we have had three very good years of new private housing sales. And judging from the sales figures for the first four months of this year, we are right on track to achieve yet another good year. For a good number of market players — home buyers, investors, bankers and developers, the roots have sunk in deep and, in my opinion, we are almost at the point of no return.

Over the past four years, our housing policies have elevated Singapore very rapidly to be among the most attractive property investment destinations in Asia, if not the world. It is no wonder that investors are flocking to buy properties here.

I am told that some overseas buyers do not even come here to visit. Such is the reputation that we have cultivated for ourselves that these investors simply instruct their lawyers to arrange for some monies to be invested in properties here.

It has been that simple.

In hindsight, it was too much, too quickly. It was never going to work because given the current income levels of the general population, it was always going to be at odds with providing affordable housing and satisfying the upgrading dreams of citizens.

In my opinion, Singapore is too small geographically.

Our public and private markets cannot be strictly segregated as they are more intertwined than we think.

The more policies we have to promote one set of objectives, the more the other has to give.

I have seen this in other countries.

It came to a point where developers needed to guarantee a certain number to be built for locals before they can even gain approval for their projects that were mainly targeted at foreign investors.

In the eyes of foreign buyers, Singapore is one of the most investor-friendly environments in the world, if not the most attractive. Even in some major economies, where land is aplenty, they have more foreign ownership rules and restrictions than Singapore.

I have been asked what I hoped for in new policies under Mr Khaw. I say, put aside for the time being, our goals of elevating Singapore to hubs of excellence in the various fields. Let us get our priorities right first. The rest will follow naturally.

As I see it, our new minister has two major problems that he has to deal with urgently — the seemingly unabated robust demand for new public housing flats despite the significant rise in supply. He has to isolate those buying in advance or panic buys from those needing their flats urgently and to help this latter group first.

The second is how to deal with the excessive liquidity that is flowing into property — primarily into housing.

We have thrown a lot of supply at the problem but it does not seem to have worked — at least not without other accompanying measures.

Some of us in the real estate industry already think we have set off a ticking time bomb with the amount of supply we are pushing out and — if nothing changes — even more supply right up to the end of this year.

If you believe that our objectives have been radically re-prioritised under our new minister, then do expect possibly wholesale changes, including the rolling back of some of policies which are at odds with the new priorities.

Do not expect more of the same type of cooling measures that I suspect some analysts are anticipating.

In fact, the rules of the game may be changed.

Inconceivable?

Well, many would not have thought that our two former Prime Ministers leaving the Cabinet so soon after the General Election was conceivable.

Conversely, the right to life and the “enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health” are found in numerous international human rights laws.

Live up to WHO standards

Better compliance monitoring needed to protect non-smokers

Letter from Liu I-Chun

Singapore has signed the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, but seems to fall short on its obligation to ‘protect people from exposure to tobacco smoke’.

Blatant flouting of the smoking ban can be seen everywhere.

Hello, a world of regions

The days of US global dominance are over, and each region must increasingly secure its own future

Jeffrey D Sachs

Saudi deaths: MOH gathering facts

Neo Chai Chin

chaichin@mediacorp.com.sg

Grieving after their daughters died, the parents of Rawabi Al Hazmi, 9, and Darin Al Areeni, 5, told Mr Abdul Rahman Hamad Al Farag not to let his son undergo a bone marrow transplant at the hospital.

Mr Al Farag arrived here on March 16 from Saudi Arabia with his wife and eight-year-old son, Khaled Abdul Rahman Al Sraj.

His son stayed for two months at the private hospital but plans for the bone marrow transplant were stopped after the deaths of the two girls, with the doctor recommending that his son undergo the operation in Germany instead, Mr Al Farag, 47, told MediaCorp yesterday over the phone.

The family returned to Saudi Arabia last week and his son is now scheduled to undergo the transplant in Germany next month, said Mr Al Farag, an electrician.

Other Saudi families who were originally seeking medical treatment at the private hospital here are also going elsewhere the Saudi Health Ministry had ordered a halt to all medical treatment of its citizens at Mount Elizabeth, following the deaths of three Saudi children — Rawabi, Darin and Muhammad Abu Zinadah — at the hospital within a week of each other earlier this month.

Yesterday, MediaCorp reported on the deaths, which were first brought to light by the

Another boy, Ibrahim Al-Shar’aan, also died on March 26, the newspaper report said.Saudi Gazette report were critically ill when they were admitted, with some limited chance for survival. He said the hospital’s bone marrow transplant team had done over 150 transplants since 2005 with a 77-per-cent success rate.

Replying to queries last night, Singapore’s Ministry of Health (MOH) said it is gathering the facts of the three cases. “No complaints have so far been lodged with the MOH,” said a spokesperson.

Speaking to MediaCorp over the phone on Wednesday, Ibrahim’s father Ahmed Ibrhaeem said he remains “very angry” with the hospital and is no longer in touch with it.

“We also feel very angry with our government” for entering into an agreement with Parkway Holdings, said Mr Ahmed, referring to the memorandum of understanding signed last October enabling both sides to engage in a shared care programme of patient referrals. Parkway runs Mount Elizabeth Hospital.

Ibrahim was two-and-a-half years old and the youngest of three children, said Mr Ahmed, 32, a teacher. Ibrahim received treatment at the hospital for three months before he died, said Mr Ahmed.

Mount Elizabeth Hospital’s chief executive officer Kelvin Loh said on Wednesday that the children cited in the

Dr Loh said last night that the hospital has attempted to provide the grieving parents with “information and support”, and are ready to provide further assistance.

He added: “When the patients passed away, or upon request by the families at anytime, we had assisted the families in making the necessary arrangements to return to their home country. These included reports detailing the medical history, conditions, treatment progress and cause of death of the patients.”

Dr Loh added: “However, we regret if this was not enough, and fully understand that the families are still mourning the loss of their loved ones.

This is a difficult period, sometimes filled with anguish and anger.”SINGAPORE — One by one, they came crying to the Mount Elizabeth Hospital room where his son was warded.Saudi Gazette newspaper.

Susan Lim loses bid to block inquiry

NG JING YNG

jingyng@mediacorp.com.sg