In this scene, you see our hero trying to do the unthinkable – slowing down and stopping a moving locomotive.
In real life Singapore, trying to slow down or even suspending a SERS decision from the government is equally an admirable act.
A certain politician decided to serve the petitions from AMK SERS resident to the Singapore Parliament so that the Petition Committee can review the grievances signed by 325 AMK SERS residents.
Some critics said this guy is a clown, xia suay etc. But hey, at the very least, he tried and managed to get our petitions into Parliament and forces the Petition Committee to review the papers right? Moreover our MP Nadia had already gave her thoughts about her encounters with the affected residents.
I appreciate both their effort and time dedicated to this AMK SERS saga. And also highlighting some of residents’ plights in Parliament. In a way, it’s like the Chinese saying of 冰封三尺非一日之寒
Frozen three feet is not a day's coldAnd maybe for the rest of our lives we will never really know why a plot of land at AMK Ave 8 that can house 890 flats cannot be use as the AMK SERS replacement site for the 606 units.
Instead, without any valid reasons, kick us to a remote corner of AMK that is without inner roads, shops, buses and human beings. Yes, it’s just a piece of empty land.
1 Aug 2022 – PSP’s Leong Mun Wai submits petition to Parliament seeking review of Sers, moratorium on scheme pending outcome
1 videos speaks of thousand words. 2 SERS projects with 1 in Marsling and the other in AMK. Reactions were miles apart. One has to ask why Marsling residents did not kick up a big fuss?
Reasons are obvious when they do not need to do massive top ups, their new replacement site will be closer to MRT and amenities. The gentleman at the start of the video said it takes around $200K comprising of the top-up and renovation is real. For myself, I need to top up $160K and with a simple renovation of $50K, that’s $210K in an era of high inflation and 9% GST.
Some may argue the new flat will go up in value after MOP. But when you sell high, the next HDB of equivalent age and better location would probably be a stone’s throw to $1M. Does that even make sense when you had already paid $500K for a say 4 room SERS replacement flat and threw in $200K for top-up and renovation?
And government is not stupid as well, once the reality of $1M HDB sets in and mass public started to complain about housing affordability in the age coupled with high interest rates and GST, government would have no other choices but to look at the some of the private property market cooling measures and implement them in the public housing sector. So don’t assume you are really going to flip and huat from MOP like no tomorrow.
So what makes most of the residents in AMK so angry leh? Does the AMK folks in the video paint a happy scene of folks welcoming the SERS with open arms?
This reporter from TODAY speaks some sense in the entire saga – https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=8055135981178123&extid=CL-UNK-UNK-UNK-AN_GK0T-GK1C-GK2T&ref=sharing
A Happy SERS Ending?
I like to think that the government always has the best interest for its citizen. But as I look back at the entire saga so far, from the 1st announcement, to the viewing of the building model, the 1st appointment with the SERS officer at HDB, to the shock of seeing many resident having to fork out $100K of savings for a remote ulu corner of AMK, the hastened dish out of half baked 50-yr lease, changed of MOP terms and conditions, lip service by MP in Parliament, the stamp and legal fees involved and all the sleepless nights, to be frank, I really don’t have much faith on these group of 4G leaders.
And by the way, why did the petition originally signed by 325 residents became 5? To set the record straight, that original was taken and not returned. After the 3rd amendment, 5 signatures were gathered hastily before the deadline so that the NMP can present it in Parliament.
Seriously, does the readers in Singapore really think that AMK SERS can gain so much traction and attention such that Straits Times, Channelnewsasia, TODAY, Zaobao etc are all consistently reporting until this very month of August 2022 since the 1st announcement on 7th April 2022 all because of the noises from just 5 residents?
5 residents? LOL….There is always more than meets the eye.
One Last Thing
Remember HDB boldly stated in the JUST FACTS series that “Compensation for the Ang Mo Kio SERS flats is determined in the same way and using the same valuation principles as past SERS exercises.
I was doing some digging and stumbled onto an article about an appeal from a resident during the 5 December 2011 Redhill SERS Exercise
What’s interesting to me was not how David tried to defeat Goliath but the way Goliath’s external vendor appraises SERS flats.
As a layman, what I concluded from reading the appeal case vs what I read on HDB Facebook post of JUST FACTS, I see yes they took into account recent flat transactions in the area.
But what I failed to see in the court evidences are basic facts like where are the cost for the existing and new amenities/ infrastructure planned in the area at that moment around Redhill SERS blocks.
And thus, when putting these 2 pictures side by side, the initial concern by AMK SERS looked legit. The common saying within AMK SERS residents is that the authorities informed us that about the compensation does not take into account the upcoming Cross Island Land, our proximity between 2 wet markets, 2 hawker centres, potentially 3 MRT stations etc.
It is strictly about your flat and nothing but your SERS flat.
I am also a resident of 563 and I am really upset with how the media paint the results of the petition. It was always emphasised that there were only 5 signatures but that was really not the truth. Valuation is also another thing. I hope they disclose the reason for making us move. Why do they need our land for ? For Marsiling, we all know it is for expanding the customs which brings good to citizens in the long run. But for our plot of land why do they need it? Forcing us to move and causing distress to old citizens here, what good is so big that it justifies the move? We have to pay more money, effort and even though people always say we are greedy because we can earn but exactly how many would see their house after MOP? They forgot if you do not sell after 5 years MOP, you do not earn. How many older citizens can endure 2 moves for the next 10 years just to earn that money ? They should account for the reason of why they want the land our flat is on when they give us the valuation in November.
Thank you for writing this blog. I hope more people get to read your blog and know the true feelings of what we feel for the SERS handled this time.