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LoginProf Jaya failed to reply on Land Acq Scam in Geylang
10 posts
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Lands in Singapore are acquired by the government (Singapore Land Authority) at age-old prices ranging from S$1.00 per square foot to values fixed by the Land Acquisition Act.
Under the Act, minister has the right to declare any lands as required for public use and compensate the land owner affected by such acquisition a value dated back to a historic date (e.g. 1.1.1996) or the latest market value whichever is the lower.
Only in April 2007 was the compensation revised to current market value. Even at the so-called current or prevailing market value at the latest amendment the SLA still refused to substantiate compensation as based on current market value as the compensation values are not substantiated by latest transacted land sale values for equivalent lands acquired but based on some secretive list kept by SLA's own valuers.
The ministers' decision is administrative and cannot be challenged in court by any citizens.
As the Law Minister Professor Jayakumar has told parliament in the instance of Geyland land acquired for 20 years not put to public use, time and circumstance may change after acquisition thereby requiring change in government's original intention.
It is like talking nonsense and the whole parliament accepted such nonsense from highly paid or over-paid ministers as happened in so many cases.
In other words not only has the government the power to take any land and paid pittance like S$1.00 the minister can under the pretext take the land to make profit or take any lands from any one without proving that it will be put to public use giving some excuses like change of circumstances as happened in the Geylang land which was kept empty or rented out to some tenants without showing intention to put to public use.
When the lands are acquired whose monies were used to put the compensation?
Your guess is as good as mine - people or taxpayers' monies were used not HDB's or ministers' own monies.
When a piece of land was used for public housing, the land cost is zero but the reasonable low cost public housing should rightly and fairly be priced at say market price less land costs since land costs are zero or near zero and in any case paid for using taxpayers' monies.
For example a three room flat should be priced at:
Market value ($180,000.00) less Land Cost ($80,000.00) i.e. $100,000.00.
By selling the low cost public housing at $180,000.00 the government is profiteering by $80,000.00.
This to me is a housing tax. What else could you call it. Minister Mah Bow Tan has the temerity to tell the parliament "Don't expect free lunch, HDB flat is subsidised by the government" When challenged by people that it was not a subsidy but only a discount he was giving to flat buyer he was so far still unable to give an accountable or satisfactory reply after so many years of query.
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It is surprising to note that two Holland Road properties that were subject to bankruptcy proceedings were allowed to be sold - as detailed in the book "Escape from Paradise''. {Ref: http://www.escapefromparadise.com/NewFiles/legal.html }
The author of this book had raised hell in lampooning the Singapore Ministers, the Judiciary and most of all the previous Minister Yeo Cheow Tong and his lawyer wife - and no legal actions have been taken against her.
{Ref: http://www.yeocheowtong.com/}
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Escape from Paradise Website : http://www.escapefromparadise.com/
http://http://www.yeocheowtong.com//
Edited by Atobe 13 May `08, 11:41AM
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Originally posted by Atobe:
It is surprising to note that two Holland Road properties that were subject to bankruptcy proceedings were allowed to be sold - as detailed in the book "Escape from Paradise''. {Ref: http://www.escapefromparadise.com/NewFiles/legal.html }
The author of this book had raised hell in lampooning the Singapore Ministers, the Judiciary and most of all the previous Minister Yeo Cheow Tong and his lawyer wife - and no legal actions have been taken against her.
{Ref: http://www.yeocheowtong.com/}
.
Escape from Paradise Website : http://www.escapefromparadise.com/
http://http://www.yeocheowtong.com//
It's only going to get better. Escape from Paradise has just been optioned by a film company.
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Originally posted by jojobeach:
Is this book " Lee's Law: How Singapore Crushes Dissent"- by Chris Lydgate sold in Singapore ? It is available in Amazon.com
Can't find it in Singapore. Had a friend from downunder bring it in when she came over for a holiday last year.
Edited by Jontst78 10 Jun `08, 4:44PM
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