11.8.05

I love Singapore

You can own a home or business in Hock Kee House (built in 1966 with a 999-year lease).

The government can decide to build a new MRT line that hubs right around Hock Kee House.

The government's MRT construction works can destablise the foundations of Hock Kee House (aka your home/source of income).

The government can decide to demolish Hock Kee House because it isn't structurally sound enough to withstand the pressures of the government's further MRT construction works.

The government can inform you of the decision on 4 August 11 August and require you to vacate your home/source of income by 12 September.

The government promises you a generous compensation of $10,000 per owner, and possibly up to $100,000 for some owners. (At a 28 July 2004 property auction, a 2,080 square foot apartment in this building had an asking price of $280,000.) (Edited to add: Today reports that they will be paid "the market worth of their units, as well as a further amount of up to $100,000, depending on the floor size.")

The government doesn't mention any of this on its website (as of 10:14 pm one week after you were informed of your impending move).

The evening news gives airtime to the government press conference announcing the fate of your home/source of income. There's no mention of your reaction, or that of your fellow home/business owners.

Happy National Day, Hock Kee House.

I love Singapore.

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10 Comments:

At 8/11/2005 11:15 am , Blogger ming said...

stand up stand up for singapore...

 
At 8/11/2005 11:25 am , Blogger cour marly said...

Majullah... Singapuraaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

 
At 8/11/2005 1:41 pm , Anonymous Anonymous said...

*swallows vulgarities, realizing they are useless*

Very reminiscent of Douglas Adams, isn't it? (The movie missed the whole point, of course.)

I am linking to this on my blog.

 
At 8/12/2005 12:13 am , Blogger limegreenspyda said...

...... a democratic society, based on justice and equality....

 
At 8/12/2005 8:56 am , Blogger atreidai said...

Can't someone take it up to court or something? At least demand appropriate recompense?

 
At 8/12/2005 10:20 am , Blogger NARDAC said...

off with their heads!!!

oh, but maybe everyone is too well fed for revolution.

 
At 8/12/2005 12:41 pm , Anonymous Anonymous said...

SO next time the govt wanan remove some houses with 999 lease.. simple. just run a railway underneath them and ask them to leave.

 
At 8/15/2005 8:10 pm , Anonymous Anonymous said...

that's the whole idea man.

 
At 3/12/2006 1:13 am , Anonymous Anonymous said...

shouldn't that be, i love the government?

i refuse to believe that the government is the sum total of this country.

thought sometimes that's what it looks like.

 
At 3/13/2006 11:10 pm , Blogger Tym said...

I agree that the government is not and should not be the sum of this country.

But the current government has neatly (albeit falsely) equated the two. If we play their game, that means that we love the Singapore that this false conflation has created.

Additionally, while Singapore is certainly more than its (current) government, you cannot run away from the fact that this is the society we live in --- in which this type of thing happens, and not only is it government-sponsored, but it is not halted or altered in any way by some form of legislative or citizens' action. Which gets us, of course, into a far more complex exploration of why this is so and the extent to which the government (but the people are not exactly revolting in the streets either) is responsible for this.

 

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