Deborah Choo
“The government can build two- or three- room flats now, but that is only the future plan. You have to solve the problem now!” said Mr Henry Tan (not his real name), speaking on the government’s plan to build more two- and three-room HDB flats. This was announced by National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan in Parliament on November 20th, 2008.
The HDB’s move is mainly aimed at helping lower-income families cope with the economic crisis triggered by the collapse of Lehman Brothers and American-based AIA in 2008.
HDB’s scheme has, however, overlooked a group of people like Mr. Tan; one which has failed to meet the criteria for the application of renting or buying a three-room flat from the Housing Board, but is struggling to make ends meet – and with no one to turn to.
“Every time I consult, they will take out a form and ask if I’ve met the criteria…like a checklist. [HDB] got to think of other categories of problems (that people are facing as well),” Mr Tan said.
Mr Tan, 42, was divorced in 2004, and was subsequently declared bankrupt late last year when Maybank sued him. He had debts of S$44,000 with six different banks, due to a “study loan and payment for household appliances bought over ten years”.
He slogs to make ends meet by undertaking two jobs – working as an associate sales manager dealing with imported office furniture by day, and driving a Maxi cab by night.
Mr Tan currently draws a salary of approximately S$1,500 a month. However, this amount is subjected to fluctuation as his scheme of salary has been recently changed to a fully commission-based one since February this year.
He had previously lived in a five-room HDB flat with his family. However, after his divorce in 2004, he transferred his flat to his ex-wife. The flat was previously registered under his name. The transfer took place in December 2007, and was done in hopes that his two children – girl, 14 and boy, 12 – would not experience any further disruptions in their lives. Mr Tan’s five-room HDB flat was sold for S$380,000. He received S$70,000 which was channeled into his Central Provident Fund (CPF) account.
He then moved in with his mother, 71, and his aunt, 80, in a three-room flat in Bishan. However, his mother rents out the master bedroom to support herself, as Henry’s financial condition means he is unable to support them. He still gives a monthly S$1,051 alimony fee to his wife, which is about 70 percent of his salary.
Mr Tan wants to rent a HDB flat near his mother, but his application has been rejected each time he approaches the HDB. Since mid last year, he has approached HDB on three occasions, but is repeatedly told that he does not “qualify” for the criteria to rent a house from the HDB.
According to HDB’s regulations, one’s income must be below S$2,000, and one must fulfill HDB’s definition of a “proper family nucleus”.
In addition, the occupiers must not have sold an HDB flat, which Mr Tan did – technically - to his ex-wife, as mentioned earlier.
His request was rejected despite explaining his situation. The HDB told him that since he is “an ex-HDB lessee who sold his home ownership flat in the open market”, he “is not able to apply for an HDB rental flat”. The HDB officer then advised him to rent a room from the open market.
Mr Tan says that the economy is “so bad that I hardly see anyone on the streets at night”, referring to his work as a taxi driver. Often he makes a loss of about S$60 a day, instead of the usual profit of S$20 to S$50.
In addition, as the waiting list for rental flats is long, the minimum waiting time is about 19 months. Hence, he dropped the idea of renting a HDB flat.
He approached HDB again in February 2009, this time to buy a three-room flat in Yishun which is the next nearest housing estate to his mother’s in Bishan. A three-room flat in Yishun costs about S$217,000.
As Mr Tan is a bankrupt, he has to submit an appeal to the HDB to buy a flat with a concessionary loan. He is waiting for the HDB’s reply.
Commenting on HDB’s policies, he said, “[There are] a lot of loopholes. Sometimes, I feel the government, although they have rules and regulations, they must assess on a case-to-case basis. People who get rich, one day become poor how?”
Describing his past, he said that 2007 was a dark period in his life.
“I was so lost, I almost wanted to commit suicide. Every night I just stared at my window on the 11th floor and wondered what would it be like to jump down.” But he held back as he thought of his responsibility as the only son to his mother.
Despite having gone through a tumultuous period of his life punctuated with times of marriage counseling, divorce, and then bankruptcy, he chooses to remain optimistic about his future, promising to “work for the best”.
Henry is still struggling for survival, but clings on to the hope that the government can help him.
“Who else can I turn to besides the government?” he asked.
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If they are to stop ticking checklist, they should employ social workers, who are able to do a proper assessment of qualifying or borderline cases, to make appropriate recommendations for long-term/permanant housing solution.
That’s an example of too much bureucracy at work here.
I always have this feeling in my bone that our govt loves to see its citizen getting poor and not rich. They have all the policies to make sure there is no way ordinary Singaporean can become rich other than themselves. Wealth brings authority and power and that is why this govt is fearful. Thus the poor becomes poorer and the rich elites are pampered at all cost to make them obedient to the ruling party.
It seems to me, as always, a “balance” issue. On one end of the spectrum, you have a complete welfare state; on the other extreme, you have absolutely none. Singapore is closer to this end.
But of course, if we cast the net wider, it opens the system up for abuse. For example, suppose HDB excepts transferring of a flat to an ex-spouse in their regulations. Then one can abuse this system by settling for a divorce, and then renting a flat cheaply while selling their original flat for a good profit.
For exceptional cases like Henry’s, I agree that a case-by-case analysis is the best, but that means a varying degree of arbitrariness and lack of manpower, especially people with the capability to judge in an objective manner. How many can really analyse without letting their emotions get in the way?
The HDB is set up to provide public housing at a cost affordable to citizens. Every system as a canche to be abused. However in Singapore, it is intesresting to know that our govenrment has to close every single loophole. Look at HK, there are also many loop holes but you don’t see the HK government clamouring to close every single loop hole. There will be some abuse, so what? As long as it is not wholscale. The Singapore government is just paranoid. Trying to close every single loop ole makes the people even more determined to find te slightest possible chance.
There are many people in Singapore who are of similar situations you described of Henry above. However what do Mah Bow Tan or the likes of him understand with their multi million dollar salaries, even to fathom the difficulties they have created with their rules, each time adding a new one when they find another loop hole.
The HDB list – this is one of themost irritating as the customer service (I just wonder if they do ever serve the customer?) pulls out this list before you are even able to ask any question, and asks you to check? what the cheek , if you are eligible. Aren’t they paid to help people understand if they are eligible and what other viable alternatives there are. However, with MBT in charge, I doubt there are.
To rent – it takes more than one and a half years just to be on the waiting list, not discounting that you have to be eligible. Renting out from the pen market? if tese people are able to afford this, they wouldn’t be approaching the HDB in te first place. I wonder where these bureacrats put their brains? down under? Then you have all the eligibility requirements for the purcase of a flat from te HDB, etc…..
Perhaps you should do a survey in each constituency who and how many people are in this predicarement? I can already think of a few people in this dilemna.
MBT talks about building more 2 & 3 rooms flat. It is a wonder. Singapore seems to have regressed. I recall the times when tey proudly declare that we no longer need the smaller flats and were demolising these to build the larger units. Are we now regressing back. Aren’t we in the golden years?
Thank you for this article. There are plenty more of these ‘hard-luck’ cases to uncover. The people need to know the truth about these people who have fallen through the cracks. Stop writing about FTrashes and give us more stories on Singaporeans. As your headline reads… ‘A Community of Singaporeans’.
Thats’ just Mr Tan’s side of the story. There aren’t any details about how he incurred the debts from study loan and home appliances. There is no testimonial about what kind of employee he is, or why he is making so little commission to get by, from his fully commission-based job. There is no testimonial about what kind of father/ husband/ son he has been for the last 20-30 years.
It’s just too quick to conclude that the govt should have more welfare schemes to take care of Singaporean in trouble. Govt welfare will have to be funded by tax payers who also work our guts out to fulfill our obligations as children to our elderly parents/ parents-in-laws, parents to school going kids/ sibling, spouses etc.
Call me a selfish Singaporean if you like. But, if I’m already breaking my back to fulfill my obligations, I’ll be really reluctant to shoulder somebody else’s woes unless there are really good, compelling reasons.
HDB cannot build enough flats for all hard luck cases in Singapore. And the customer service officer at the HDB counters are not paid to decide who should be entitled to welfare benefits and who should not. The checklists help to collect and present facts in an impartial way so that decisions are not made in an arbitrary manner. And I don’t agree that case by case assessment by interview is any better, for the better actor appliant will gain an unfair advantage. Call it bureacracy, but is there a better alternative especially when public funds are at stake?
Just to share with you my encounter with HDB.
I had previously taken two loans before with my ex-wife, then I remarried to my current wife last year. She has nv taken any loans before and becoz of my record, we cannot get a loan. I really feel she shld not be penalise for anything, so I appealed to get another loan to buy my first flat with her. The whole appeal process took about one month plus but finally I was given another loan.
Throughout that whole month, I went down to the hub a few times and EVERYTIME I see ppl creating scene at the HDB counters. Either bang table or screaming at the officers, really damn rude and scary, machem the world owe him, even vulgarity scolding mother, father also came out. I understand these ppl are frustrated becoz they cannot get what they want, but behaving like tt is not gg to get you anywhere. I guess they will surely get blacklisted. I mean its no use shouting at the poor officers when he is not the one who can decide to help or not. I believe if flexibility can be given, there is no reason why the officer dun wan to give rite? Prob its the management who is not willing~
Anyway I count myself as lucky to meet a gd hdb officer who help me got the loan. Only thing is the waiting time, but i guess govt all like tt one, a lot of admin, paper wk….