Many of us need a car. Some of us more urgently than others.
My prediction is many may not see their cars until the Chinese New Year is over if I read the COE price graph correctly. The recent astronomical hike in the COEs provided little explanation other than if you need a car urgently, cough out the extra money.
Many of us need a car. Some of us more urgently than others.
It may be for whatever reasons ranging from transporting elderly, near-immobile parents to sales-line job to simple travel convenience to a show-off to impress someone who might not even care. In Singapore it does not matter if you live in the prime District 10 area or in the rural Sembawang heartlands, the COE knows no name or location. It speaks the language of dollars. No money, no COE.
Many of us need a car. Some of us more urgently than others.
Those who really, seriously need a car will cry foul? Why should anyone be penalised for trying to fulfill a need?
If you are wealthy and have the buckets of cash to give away, you'd probably be living near the town area. Perhaps Novena, Balmoral, or even along Orchard Road itself. The number of ERP gantries a rich person have to pass through daily will probably be less than a person coming down from Pasir Ris or Woodlands. As we can see the one living further away will probably need the car more than a person living in Orchard Road does. Yet he pays more for the matter.
Personal note: I'm not against the wealthy owning cars. It's their money anyway and they can spend how they like it. I'm against how the current COE system does not help a family who needs a car urgently.
This is one of the major flaw in the current COE system. In lieu of what I had mentioned, I urge you to read this proposal from the SDP. I was impressed.
*gasp* SDP? Are you certain? SDP members are very emotional (I'd rather say passionate) and will corrupt your mind (I'd rather say open your mind to alternative views). For the matter they are not just a bunch of opposition who plead human-rights this, human-rights that.
I assure you, the proposal is quite a viable solution. Needs more detailed analysis. It is not all fool-proof... yet. For the nay-sayers, is the current COE system working well for us anyway besides the usual 'show me the money' phrase?
Read it and make your own judgement. You'll be surprised that paying a million bucks does not necessarily equate better solutions. Or policies.
Many of us need a car. Some of us more urgently than others.
1 comment:
That is the problem with Singaporeans. Their mindset is already etched in stone. Only the PAP highly paid Ministers can deliver.
If you elect an opposition MP into Parliament in your constituency, rubbish will pile up to the third storey and the estate will turn into a slum. And that was what they threatened will happen many years ago.
And despite that threat, the people of Hougang and Potong Pasir gave the opposition a chance. Both opposition wards may not be shining examples of HDB living with upgraded facilities, but outsiders have been impressed.
A Malaysian friend, a PR, who rented a flat in Bukit Merah, remarked that the surroundings of the flat he rented was dirty and unkempt compared to Hougang and asked if Bukit Merah is an opposition ward. That says a lot about the opposition's ability.
The SDP's solution to the car ownership problem, however impressive, will be shot down if proposed, same as those proposals advanced by Low Thia Khiang. They may adopt the solution in time, but they will modify it and call it their own.
Sure, the present COE system does not work well for us Singaporeans, but the Government it is working beautifully and profitably so.
Further, the COE is a money spinner for them, so why change it when it works so well. They even laughed at the Malaysian for attempting to assemble cars in Malaysia and in the process encountered so much problems with their Proton cars over the years.
Why go to such trouble, when you can easily make more money just by issuing a piece of paper without lifting a finger? Quite true.
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