The SDA welcomes the move by the government to allow Ang Mo Kio residents whose homes will be forcibly seized due to SERS to buy new replacement flats with the equivalent leases of their existing flats.

We have voiced this issue on behalf of residents, and it is good to hear that the HDB has acted humanely to help older residents.

However, two core issues affecting Singaporeans – of whom 80 percent live in HDB flats – still remain unaddressed.

Firstly, the government has, to date, not revealed what the seized land will be used for.

This element of transparency is important, because the government must never be allowed to bulldoze Singaporeans’ homes as and when they please without a fitting explanation.

Secondly, the HDB has again dodged the issue of fair compensation.

All that the National Development Ministry has said is it has taken into consideration the selling prices of similar nearby units, which are valued at around $415,000, to determine “market value”.

Yet, it has never offered a proper itemised breakdown of its valuation, so that residents clearly understand how it came to such a number.

This itemised breakdown is what Singaporeans expect of even contractors and interior design companies, what more the government!

The SDA believes more can be done for affected Ang Mo Kio SERS residents.

Thee grounds for transparency and accountability must be established sooner rather than later, for the benefit of all Singaporeans living in public housing.

Desmond Lim
Chairman
Singapore Democratic Alliance