• About Us
    • Fact Checking Policy
    • Ownership & funding information
    • Volunteer
  • Subscribe
  • Letter submission
    • Submissions Policy
  • Contact Us
The Online Citizen Asia
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
    • Commentaries
    • Letters
    • Comments
  • Current Affairs
    • Singapore
    • Malaysia
    • Indonesia
    • China
    • ASEAN
    • Asia
    • International
  • Finance
    • Economics
    • Labour
    • Property
    • Business
  • Community
    • Arts & Culture
    • Consumer Watch
    • NGO
    • Lifestyle
    • Travel
  • Politics
    • Civil Society
    • Parliament
    • Transport
    • Education
    • Environment
    • Health
    • Housing
  • Law & Order
    • Legislation
    • Court Cases
No Result
View All Result
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
    • Commentaries
    • Letters
    • Comments
  • Current Affairs
    • Singapore
    • Malaysia
    • Indonesia
    • China
    • ASEAN
    • Asia
    • International
  • Finance
    • Economics
    • Labour
    • Property
    • Business
  • Community
    • Arts & Culture
    • Consumer Watch
    • NGO
    • Lifestyle
    • Travel
  • Politics
    • Civil Society
    • Parliament
    • Transport
    • Education
    • Environment
    • Health
    • Housing
  • Law & Order
    • Legislation
    • Court Cases
No Result
View All Result
The Online Citizen Asia
No Result
View All Result

Has the PAP government pressed the panic button,  announcing a new policy without having worked out any details whatsoever?

by onlinecitizen
23/08/2018
in Opinion
Reading Time: 2 mins read
0

You’ve seen posters, bumper stickers, T-shirts and all kinds of merchandise with the words, Keep Calm and Keep Walking.

For those of us who thought that the People’s Action Party would always Keep Calm and Keep Walking, it’s time to do a rethink.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced the Voluntary Early Redevelopment Scheme (VERS) at the National Day rally with a flourish, injecting fresh hope and optimism to Singaporeans worried about the plight of their 99-year leasehold HDB flats.

We now know that no details have been worked out. National Development Minister Lawrence Wong revealed as much and he, in fact, confessed that details will not be ready for some time.

In a TV interview, he said the government “owed” Singaporeans an early explanation on its thinking for the next phase of public housing, and that’s why the announcement was made without details worked out.

We know that the government owes Singaporeans a lot of things. But since when did it owe Singaporeans an explanation on its thinking? Good excuse, but let us not be fooled.

The Minister also says “let’s not get too excited” about VERS – but it was PM Lee who made the premature announcement to get people all excited in the first place.

It appears that the PAP government might not even have done a feasibility study and looked at the implications of such a policy. For all we know, it might turn out to be entirely unfeasible and unworkable.

But PM Lee announced it anyway. Did he do it to buy time? Did he use it as a stop-gap measure to appease people?

It smacks of the PAP pressing the panic button. Perhaps it has to do with recent happenings in Malaysia and furthermore, the Singapore general elections are not that far away.

Now, it is Singaporeans’ turn to Keep Calm and Keep Walking.

Let’s see what other panic buttons they will press.

For just US$7.50 a month, sign up as a subscriber on The Online Citizen Asia (and enjoy ads-free experience on our site) to support our mission to transform TOC into an alternative mainstream press.

Related Posts

Singapore detains student for planning attacks on city
AFP

Singapore detains student for planning attacks on city

01/02/2023
Hundreds of Myanmar anti-junta protesters rally in Bangkok
AFP

Hundreds of Myanmar anti-junta protesters rally in Bangkok

01/02/2023
AFP

6.0-magnitude quake rocks southern Philippines: USGS

01/02/2023
Myanmar streets empty in protest on coup anniversary
AFP

Myanmar streets empty in protest on coup anniversary

01/02/2023
MOM says labour market for 2022 improved, but many occupations see decrease in real income
Labour

MOM says labour market for 2022 improved, but many occupations see decrease in real income

01/02/2023
Sengkang Town Council is now directly-managed without a Managing Agent
Politics

Sengkang Town Council is now directly-managed without a Managing Agent

01/02/2023
Subscribe
Connect withD
Login
I allow to create an account
When you login first time using a Social Login button, we collect your account public profile information shared by Social Login provider, based on your privacy settings. We also get your email address to automatically create an account for you in our website. Once your account is created, you'll be logged-in to this account.
DisagreeAgree
Notify of
Connect withD
I allow to create an account
When you login first time using a Social Login button, we collect your account public profile information shared by Social Login provider, based on your privacy settings. We also get your email address to automatically create an account for you in our website. Once your account is created, you'll be logged-in to this account.
DisagreeAgree
0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

Latest posts

Singapore detains student for planning attacks on city

Singapore detains student for planning attacks on city

01/02/2023
Hundreds of Myanmar anti-junta protesters rally in Bangkok

Hundreds of Myanmar anti-junta protesters rally in Bangkok

01/02/2023

6.0-magnitude quake rocks southern Philippines: USGS

01/02/2023
Myanmar streets empty in protest on coup anniversary

Myanmar streets empty in protest on coup anniversary

01/02/2023
MOM says labour market for 2022 improved, but many occupations see decrease in real income

MOM says labour market for 2022 improved, but many occupations see decrease in real income

01/02/2023
Sengkang Town Council is now directly-managed without a Managing Agent

Sengkang Town Council is now directly-managed without a Managing Agent

01/02/2023
高庭驳回迪哥达索取警方录供的刑事动议

CEO of D1 Racing sues a woman to claim S$3 million for “emotional trauma” suffered from being friend-zoned

01/02/2023
Thai police chief apologises for Taiwanese celebrity’s alleged extortion case by police officers

Thai police chief apologises for Taiwanese celebrity’s alleged extortion case by police officers

01/02/2023

Trending posts

Former Singaporean shares change of life in Australia with annual pay of S$80,000 as a plumber

Former Singaporean shares change of life in Australia with annual pay of S$80,000 as a plumber

by Yee Loon
30/01/2023
23

...

Two Indian nationals paid about S$330 and S$730 respectively for forged certificates submitted in their S-Pass application

MOM found issuing EPs meant for foreign PMETs to PRC waitress and general worker

by Correspondent
26/01/2023
41

...

Earning only S$400 a month, delivery-rider turned hawker threw in the towel after two years of running a rojak stall

Earning only S$400 a month, delivery-rider turned hawker threw in the towel after two years of running a rojak stall

by Yee Loon
26/01/2023
24

...

Indian rupee falls 60% since signing of CECA while Singapore becomes top investor in India

by Correspondent
25/01/2023
68

...

Temasek and GIC reportedly in talks with Adani Group accused of “brazen” market manipulation and accounting fraud

Temasek and GIC reportedly in talks with Adani Group accused of “brazen” market manipulation and accounting fraud

by The Online Citizen
26/01/2023
59

...

Ho Ching breaks silence over Temasek’s write down of its US$275 million investment in FTX, says it “can afford to be contrarian”

US regulator questions VCs’ due diligence work prior to investing in FTX; Ho Ching says Temasek can afford to be contrarian

by The Online Citizen
24/01/2023
28

...

August 2018
M T W T F S S
 12345
6789101112
13141516171819
20212223242526
2728293031  
« Jul   Sep »

The Online Citizen is a regional online publication based in Taiwan and formerly Singapore’s longest-running independent online media platform.

Navigation

  • Editorial
  • Commentaries
  • Opinion
  • Politics
  • Community

Support

  • Contact Us
  • Letter submission
  • Membership subscription

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Instagram
  • Fact Checking Policy
  • Privacy Policy

© 2022 - 2023 The Online Citizen Asia

No Result
View All Result
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
    • Commentaries
    • Comments
  • Current Affairs
    • Malaysia
    • Indonesia
    • China
    • ASEAN
    • Asia
    • International
  • Finance
    • Economics
    • Labour
    • Property
    • Business
  • Community
    • Civil Society
    • Arts & Culture
    • Consumer Watch
    • NGO
  • Politics
    • Parliament
    • Transport
    • Education
    • Environment
    • Health
    • Housing
  • Law & Order
    • Legislation
    • Court Cases
  • Lifestyle
    • Travel
  • Subscribers login

© 2022 - 2023 The Online Citizen Asia

wpDiscuz