Just before GE, Property Prices Stabilised

According to the PAP government. OF COURSE LAH! As if they would say NO, PROPERTY BUBBLE STILL GOING STRONG, JIALAT! Cooling measures like increased stamp duties, decreased loan to value did rock the private property market mostly. Still, sellers won't be so pleased as they cannot sell off at even higher prices. Cannot please everyone all the time.

 

Those who are in trouble and stuck as they entered before the cooling measures!

Singapore home prices “sort of stabilised”, says minister
Mar 23, 2011

Singapore home prices have “sort of stabilised” after four rounds of cooling measures, a senior government official said this week.

Peter Ong, permanent secretary at the ministry of finance, made the remarks at a conference on East Asia development, Reuters reported.

Ong’s comments are a hint that perhaps new cooling measures will not be introduced soon, despite transaction volumes remaining high and developers bidding aggressively at government land auctions.

Singapore private home prices rose 17.6 per cent last year despite attempts to cool the market in February and August.

Resale prices of state Housing & Development Board (HDB) apartments that house over 80 per cent of the population gained 14 per cent.

The latest measures, announced on Jan 13, included tougher borrowing limits and a hefty stamp duty of 16 per cent of the selling price for those who buy and sell within 12 months.

Lau Goh's Soggy Prata Rhetoric

Former PM Goh Chok Tong, described as "Wooden" by former PM Lee Kuan Yew, really cannot make it as a philosopher-politician unlike the original hard truths orator, MM Lee. Wooden was successful in making himself look silly, regardless if he was misunderstood, misquoted or maligned.

“I am not saying we shouldn’t do anything about the flood. But the amount of noise you made with just sporadic flood compared to the Japanese. I saw them on TV. Very stoic looking. You don’t see them crying. This has happened, just get on, that’s the kind of spirit you want to have and you call it nation building.” 

Contrary to popular belief that the PAP would woo people just before the GE, Wooden instead described his fellow Singaporeans are whiners and also quitters. Marine Parade GRC is in good hands with Wooden leading it.

PAP can Sell More Different Kinds of Prata than Others

The opposition can have all the heart but as their talent pool is so small, the PAP is the party that will always field more "minority" candidates - women or non-Chinese, the PAP will win this numbers game. That is how the PAP can play their card in the rallies when they go blow by blow with the opposition as there is a female face, a Eurasian face or even now a new citizen face within the PAP.  Someone who can represent their interests in parliament. Nonetheless, no disabled or gay PAP candidate so far it seems. The opposition can only sell prata kosong or with egg. The PAP can sell with cheese, with bananas or other fruit, paper prata, chocolate etc.

More women candidates for PAP?
 By Sara-Ann K

FIFTEEN Members of Parliament turned up at a carnival at Toa Payoh Hub early Sunday morning to in celebrate International Women's Day.

Eleven of them were women MPs from the PAP, including Mrs Lim Hwee Hua, Mrs Yu-Foo Yee Shoon and Dr Amy Khor.

When asked if this was a sign that the PAP would be fielding more female candidates this election, guest-of-honour for the event Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean said: 'In every election we try to bring in capable women. They are an important part of our slate in every election.'

When pressed to confirm how many women candidates PAP plans to field, Mr Teo was tighted-lipped and quipped cheerfully, 'All will be revealed at an appropriate time.'

Dr Amy Khor, Mayor of Southwest CDC and Adviser to the Women's Integration Network Council who organised the event, revealed little as well.

But she talked candidly about her ward Hong Kah GRC (now a single-member constituency), and her willingness to step up as a candidate to contest the ward, if appointed by the party.

PAP's Hopes of Returning to Power on Nomination Day Flattened Like Prata

If the opposition parties keep their promises and stick to their plans, there would not be any walkovers in this coming GE. Hurrah! All the 27 wards would be contested and everyone eligible to vote would get to vote. The PAP would not return to power on Nomination Day as they do not form the majority of the wards because of walkovers this time.

In 2006, the PAP also did not secure dominance in parliament on Nomination Day. The previous time the PAP was similarly challenged was in the 1988 GE. With the 2006 GE and the expected 2011 GE contests in all the constituencies, it is two elections in a row that the PAP did not return to power on Nomination Day. Something that political watchers would take note of that the PAP's hold on power in Singapore is slipping.

Singapore GE: Opposition parties to contest all seats
05 March 2011 1847 hrs

SINGAPORE: Singapore's major opposition parties have come to an agreement to contest all 27 constituencies in the next General Election (GE), which is due before February 2012.

At Saturday's meeting, they also agreed to avoid three-cornered fights in Group Representation Constituencies (GRCs), meaning most of the GRCs are likely to see a straight fight.

However, in the case of the 12 Single-Member Constituencies (SMCs), the party leaders said discussions are ongoing.

If the opposition parties keep to their declaration, the next GE is likely to see a situation where the PAP will not be returned to power on Nomination Day.

Going into the details of where they stand to contest, Workers' Party (WP) chairman Sylvia Lim said her party will be in the Aljunied and East Coast GRCs.

She said the WP is also interested in the newly-carved out Moulmein-Kallang GRC as well as Nee Soon GRC.

As for the SMCs, she said her party is keen on five. These are Hougang, Joo Chiat, Punggol East, Sengkang West and Whampoa.

When asked if the WP will contest the Ang Mo Kio GRC, Ms Lim said the party will not be doing so as it has to balance its resources according to its strategy.

But Channel NewsAsia understands that other parties may decide to take on Ang Mo Kio GRC.

The Reform Party's Mr Kenneth Jeyaretnam said his party will be contesting in the West Coast and Chua Chu Kang GRCs and also the single seats of Radin Mas, Pioneer and Hong Kah North.

Meanwhile the Democratic Progressive Party's Seow Khee Leng said it will take on the Tanjong Pagar and Marine Parade GRCs.

The National Solidarity Party intends to contest Tampines and Jurong GRCs.

As for the Singapore Democratic Alliance (SDA), it plans to contest the Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC and also the single-MP seats of Punggol East and Radin Mas.

Sengkang West is also under consideration, it said.

Potong Pasir's MP, Mr Chiam See Tong, said he wants to contest Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC and his Singapore People's Party (SPP) also wants to run in Potong Pasir and Hong Kah North single-member constituencies.

The Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) meanwhile said it would go for Holland-Bukit Timah GRC and the Bukit Panjang single-member ward.

Saturday's meeting was the opposition parties' second in a week and the last to decide on the seat allocation for the coming General Election. However some of the individual parties will continue to meet on a one-on-one basis to come to a bilateral agreement, especially for the single-member constituencies, to avoid three-cornered fights.

Independent candidate Andrew Kuan, who is eyeing the Joo Chiat seat, was also at Saturday's meeting. But he left the venue when organisers told him the discussion was not for independent candidates but opposition parties.