Like casting into stone of the 28% increase in GST, dictator Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong had given the final word that all HDB apartments will be confiscated by the end of lease. There is no “but”, Lee Hsien Loong will not listen to any disagreement, for he is the corrupted dictator he already is.
Already struggling with the cost of living and making sacrifices to their quality of life, Singaporeans are now told that their 30 years of hard work paying off mortgage would turn to nought. Unlike property owners, there is no inheritance wealth for any family living in a HDB flat and the 30-year mortgage debt repeats at every generation.
There is still a solution though, and it is to remove the incumbent leadership. Sitting at the driving core of the inane policies is Lee Hsien Loong. Raising GST, depressing CPF interest rates, increasing Retirement Age, increasing cost of living – you name it – from an objective observation, it is all Lee Hsien Loong’s fault.
Unfortunately, despite being deeply aggrieved by Lee Hsien Loong’s destructive policies, most Singaporeans are still level-headed enough to see the opposition parties do not offer much either. However vocal their supporters are, the Opposition – not even the leading WP – does not present much of an alternative to the majority PAP supporters.
Most of the majority ruling party supporters are also still stuck in a state of denial, as evidenced from the HDB lease debate. They knew what a lease is, but they just can’t come to terms when their esteemed leaders said they don’t care. Some of them continued their delusions, hoping that “change will come from within” and a “knight in shiny armour” from within the PAP will rebel against Lee Hsien Loong. A few of them placed their faith in Tan Cheng Bock, but in all honesty, Tan Cheng Bock is indecisive and he clearly has no intention to lead a political team.
This being said, having no good political alternative does not mean Singaporeans should settle for the greater evil. To remove the HDB lease, burning the weed to prepare the crop is the only solution. The PAP need to be removed and replaced with a less damaging alternative. Giving the mediocre politicians who called themselves the Opposition a 5-year term is exactly what burning the weed is about: it wouldn’t reap benefits for Singapore but it is a necessary process to keep political leaders on their toes. If they are no good after 5 years, return to the PAP. If the PAP after insists on returning back to their wayward governance, the democratic solution is to tussle again. Australia just had their 6th Prime Minister in 11 years, and Australian citizens still go about their daily lives.
If Singaporeans are worried about political change, they can at least still trust States Times Review to be there as an independent media to keep the check on whoever is the incumbent government.
The new Malaysian government has shown Singaporeans that nothing cannot be done without political will. What Singapore really need is a strong leadership similar that of Lee Kuan Yew to reformat the Singapore system. Putting corrupted politicans to jail, clawing back their millionaire salaries, releasing the CPF funds, fortifying the immigration regulations, and making HDB properties freehold – all these are only achievable from a single competent leader. Not a leader in name, but a leader in actions. Until the chosen one returns to Singapore, Singaporeans will have to settle for the democratic alternative.
Alex Tan
States Times Review