Trapper's Swamp

Leong Sze Hian responds to Basu's opinion piece and explains the crux of the issue; rather than blaming Singaporeans for being homeless and refusing to help, or using statistics selectively to show only one side of the story, the government should take a long hard look at the policies that have compounded the problem.

[T]he woes of the homeless cannot be attributed entirely to them, as Government policy may have played a part too.

Mr Yusof’s main problem wasn’t due to his profiteering from HDB flat sales, some of which he may have ploughed back into subsequent flat purchases. His problems arose because he lost his job and could not find another one for nine months.

To what extent has Government’s labour policy on foreign workers contributed to Mr Yusof’s problem, such that he could not even get an $800 job?

The root cause of the problem of the homeless, or absence of rental flats available for the homeless, may be due to the HDB’s poor planning in projecting supply to meet demand, and policies that keep driving up prices like its Market Subsidy Pricing policy.

(h/t: Joshua Chiang)