Plans For The Future

(Finally, Ronald McD offers a new and yummy Mc Cockroach…to be fair, I have to add that this is not a familiar sight in Singapore McDs though. And no, I will not the reveal the location of the branch..no need to ruin the lives of the employees yet…as long as my ‘Oreo McFlurry’ is still of tolerable quality and does not come with insect leg flavor)

WHERE ARE THE BABIES?

Just a few weeks ago, I attended a friend’s housewarming party. He and his girlfriend had recently moved in to a new apartment, a so-called HDB flat, which stands for Housing Development Board. These are usually flats in apartment blocks, provided by the state which are then sold or rented. As opposed to the more sought after Condominium apartments, they don’t come with any facilities, like gym or pool. ‘Government provided’ does not necessarily mean here that they are of bad quality though...it is not synonymous for poor people's housing. The standard ranges from low standard to Condo-like apartments..it is just a matter of price which can reach mind-blowing ranges (they ususally start at about 300.000SGD)

It is widely popular here in Singapore to buy apartments right away and not rent them. However, young people are only allowed to purchase an HDB flat if they are married. As a single this permission to purchase is dependent on the age..one has to be at least 35 years old. I guess this rule is to some extend an example of basic government family planning, which from my point of view fails quite miserably. The current total fertility rate in this country is tremendously low with about 1.05 children born / woman (in 2005), which is even lower than Germany with its current 1.38.

COLLATERAL DAMAGE OF MODERN LIFESTYLE

Apparently, this is an attribute of a society where the usual 'carrot and stick'-approach (as mentioned in the last post with regard to the army) does not quite work. The Singapore government introduced tax reliefs and for example a range of educational subsidies, but as one can see with only little effect. A female friend told me that the working environment in Singapore is still not quite family-friendy. Maternity leave is very limited (if accepted at all) and most companies seem to have a 'Gentlemen's agreement' to sustain a highly inflexible working environment (no way for different working hours).

Then there's the yuppy concept, which of course lets young people pursue their personal goals (including career) first...usually kids come last here and to be honest..I am not even remotely an exception, since it is exactly the same case in Germany. Last but not least, it is also a contributing factor that single mothers are not entitled to the same tax incentives as married couples and still scorned upon by many..a social stigma as my Singaporean friend put it.

(Dengue fever [or breakbone fever, dandy fever] is a disease caused by a virus carried by a certain kind of mosquitoes. Symptoms are mainly joint pain, stiffness, pain behind the eyes and a characteristic rash. Patients also should be isolated in the first three days, when the mosquitoes can pick up the disease from them. Usually, it can be ‘only’ lethal to young, elderly and sick people. Mosquito prevention measures are widespread in Singapore, mainly focusing on the removal of any stagnant water. Well, most ‘stagnant water’ in this concrete town stems from condensation puddles of the beer glass in your hand..and I did not get one mosquito bite in my whole time in Singapore….just for the record...)

Ok, I can guess it is an eternal truth that the wealthier a nation and the more business and career-focused its citizens are, the less children there are around (‘because there’s never the right time for children anyway’). However, my friend told me that many Singaporeans don’t know if there will be a bright future in their country. Some fear that the low number of children, the non-existence of raw materials and the uprising of China / India etc. will eventually put an end on Singapore’s economic thriving. Personally, I am more concerned about the political side…especially what is going to happen after Singapore's holy mentor Lee Kuan Yew (currently 83 years old) will eventually not be here anymore and somebody else will have to take the helm and use the admittedly very concentrated power in an equally informed and hopefully sane way. Good luck on your further way, Singapore!

LONG-TERM STRATEGY

One thing that strikes me most about buying any apartment in Singapore is the fact that most of the time one does not really BUY it, in the sense of obtaining in exchange for payment. Basically, when one ‘buys’ a flat, it actually means the purchase of the right to use it for the next 99 years (there are also contracts available that go for lower amounts of years, but it is usually ‘Double 9’ for apartments). When this near-century is over, the place will go back to the state automatically and one has the right to rebuy it.

The starting point of thinking here is, that the state in fact ‘owns’ the whole country and therefore all premises. Space is very limited here on these 683sq km (Denmark for example is about 60 times its size), which was the main reason for the decision to remain in control. The state then decides (depending on region and importance) if an apartment / house can be rented for 99 years (‘double 9’), 999 years (‘triple 9’), or if one can even purchase a ‘free-hold’ license, which never expires. Of course, the prices differ from scheme to scheme. If a flat costs you 400.000 Singapore Dollars (~200.000Euros) for the 99 years, it will easily go into a high 7 digit value for 999 years.

Even 'free-hold' does not automatically mean that you can build your own castle including trench and live totally on your own. If the state thinks that a new highway has to be built right through your living room they have the right to take it back (of course compensated).

(A styled-up car with an impressive rear spoiler that is surely of very good use for the sprint to the next traffic light)

I don’t think I would feel very comfortable, knowing that I am actually gratefully allowed to use the place for a long, but limited period. This might come from my German point of view that property rights and the ‘holiness’ of the own home should be secured in a basic law. Although I can absolutely not imagine to buy an apartment or house (feels like dropping the anchor, or should I say putting on shackles?) I would not want to miss the feeling to really OWN my place…usually, when Germans build a house they build it for eternity, hoping that their children would take it over years later. I think this is just different here, with the common acceptance that the state is the only big real estate manager.

THINKING AHEAD

Hmm.. I don’t know when the scheme was introduced in the first place. The generation that bought the apartments will most probably not be on this earth anymore. Will this lead to a clash between their descendants and the state? After all, one could get the impression that this is just another way to collect a death duty, whose introduction would be unthinkable in a still family oriented society as Singapore's...

I just guess that some 50 years down the road there will be a massive and steady new inflow of cash into the treasurer’s casket as this source of income finally opens up. I call this insidious future planning on the true assumption that people in these fast-paced times just are not able to think even years ahead in the future, let alone a century.

Maik

(Auntie sells home made Hakka food on the streets..The social system in Singapore does not really provide the elderly for any stable flow of income from the state (edit: wrong, see end of post), so one will see many working around the city..selling small things or working in street stalls)

Edit (2006-08-08): I was wrong with last picture's capture: According to Mabelline (thx!) each Singaporean aged 60 years+ is entitled to receive money from the Central Provident Fund, a comprehensive social security savings plan for citizens.