S'pore must not give in to profit-driven developers

I agree with Mr Paul Chan Poh Hoi that 70 sq m should be the minimum size of apartments (Apartments must not be smaller than 70 sq m; April 25).

I lived in Hong Kong for 20 years before moving to Singapore.

In Hong Kong, I lived with my parents and two older siblings in a 42 sq m flat before my siblings got married and moved out to their own similar-sized flats.

I did not like my flat in Hong Kong because it was very small. The bedrooms, living room, toilets and kitchen were all tiny. We hardly had any free space to move around, and the cramped space made one feel stressed.

I was very happy when my husband and I bought our resale HDB flat in Singapore in 2016. To me, the flat is very big, at 103 sq m, and very affordable, at less than $350,000.

I count housing as the biggest advantage Singapore has over Hong Kong.

Hence, I am terrified at the idea of having shoebox units in Singapore.

I do not want my children to live in shoebox units or units less than 70 sq m.

Such units benefit no one except property developers, who stand to make more money.

I hope the Government will safeguard the interest of Singaporeans by allowing them to have affordable and decent housing.

Hong Kong has failed to provide its people the basic need of housing and has, instead, given in to the profit-driven property developers.

Its young people are not able to afford housing nowadays and it is difficult for the government to remedy the situation now.

I hope Singapore will not go the way of Hong Kong in this respect.

Kwok So Ha (Madam)

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on April 28, 2018, with the headline S'pore must not give in to profit-driven developers. Subscribe