SINGAPORE: At a rally for Marsiling–Yew Tee GRC held at Woodlands Stadium on 28 April 2025, Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) Chairman Dr Paul Tambyah voiced strong concerns about the escalating cost of public housing in Singapore.
Addressing a crowd of supporters, he criticised government policies and called for a parliamentary debate on the Housing and Development Board’s (HDB) role in driving up property prices.
Tambyah attributed the housing crisis to a significant increase in population and what he described as “incessantly rising” land prices shaped by government policies.
Drawing on personal experience, he contrasted the affordability of housing in earlier decades with the challenges faced by today’s youth.
“Many young people have come up to me to ask about the ridiculous cost of new HDB flats — and they are completely right,” he said.
Recalling his early career as a junior medical officer, Tambyah shared that he and his wife — then a university tutor — had bought a 1,600 square foot freehold apartment in District 10 for S$460,000.
“Now, S$460,000 wouldn’t even buy a Build-To-Order (BTO) flat,” he remarked.
Tambyah pointed out that while junior doctors today earn nearly double what he did in his time, property prices have increased almost tenfold.
“By simple arithmetic, there’s no way a junior MO today can live the same lifestyle I did back then. And the vast majority of you are not MOs,” he told the crowd.
“You are probably in the same boat as me or worse, unless you are lucky enough to have a job in banking or finance.”
According to HDB’s February 2025 BTO Flat Supply and Pricing Details, prices for standard five-room flats (113–116 sqm) ranged from S$447,000 to S$661,000 depending on location.
Meanwhile, Plus and Prime flats — located in more desirable areas — were priced significantly higher. A four-room Plus flat (89–90 sqm) cost between S$548,000 and S$749,000.
Plus flats are situated in areas with strong transport connectivity and access to amenities, while Prime flats are found in the most central neighbourhoods and may feature enhanced facilities, including waterfront living.
Tambyah went on to question the reasons behind the rising housing costs.
“One of the prime reasons is the massive influx of population, which has driven up demand,” he said, adding that land prices had been deliberately pushed up by the government, which he accused of “squeezing young people for as much as they can get.”
He highlighted broader societal consequences, including shrinking flat sizes, falling birth rates, and growing frustration among young Singaporeans.
“Even Elon Musk thinks our birth rate is so low that we risk extinction,” he quipped.
Tambyah also criticised the reduction in flat sizes over the decades.
“The HDB stopped building larger units such as executive maisonettes and executive apartments about 30 years ago,” he noted.
“These were popular because they were large — up to 1,600 square feet, or 0.0064 of a Ridout,” he added, referencing the 26 Ridout Road property controversy to underscore his point.
In contrast, today’s largest public flats — multi-generational units — are only about 1,240 square feet, or “0.0049 of a Ridout.”
Responding to the government’s rationale that smaller average household sizes justify smaller homes, Tambyah said, “Famously, Minister Josephine Teo once said you only need a small space to increase our population.”
Authorities have claimed that the overall space per person has remained consistent since the phasing out of larger flats.
“That logic is exactly what we are trying to challenge,” he said.
“We do not want to stand still. We don’t want to keep doing the same thing over and over again and expect better results. We want to thrive, not just survive.”
Tambyah concluded his speech by reiterating the SDP’s call for open parliamentary debate on HDB’s pricing and housing policies, stressing the urgent need to address affordability, declining flat sizes, and the demographic challenges faced by younger Singaporeans.
The post Dr Paul Tambyah attributes surging housing costs to population influx and rising government land prices appeared first on The Online Citizen.
