SINGAPORE: A Bloomberg report quotes several young people saying they are considering voting for the opposition in the next election, which could be held before its due date of 2025, because of the hot-button housing issue.
The report headlined “Singapore’s Soaring Rents Are Becoming a Political Problem” appeared on May 8 (Monday).
It centres around young singles who find themselves shut out of the HDB programme. Even long-time supporters of the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) have expressed dismay at housing woes.
“We’re all moving out in our early ‘20s and now there’s this: ‘Oh, just go back home’ to your parents. The fact that they’re so unaware of what is really happening to millennials and what we need to be able to survive in Singapore – it’s just bizarre to me,” one 33-year-old tech worker is quoted as saying.
She wanted the HDB age requirement for singles to be lowered.
Another young woman told Bloomberg: “We all know that Singapore is a very comfortable, reliable country to live in. But it is just a little sad that it doesn’t seem like the government’s really changing its course and there are no safeguards to managing the rental increases.”
The PAP appears to be aware of the situation, with Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, who is expected to succeed PM Lee Hsien Loong, tackling the housing issue in a May 1 speech. He said, “In Singapore the Prime Minister has to be a real estate agent, so I’m learning and brushing up my skills and I will use this occasion to practise.”
He added, “So, brothers and sisters, affordable and accessible public housing – like access to first-rate education and healthcare – will always be a key part of our social compact in Singapore.” /TISG