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10-01-2015, 03:00 AM
An honorable member of the Coffee Shop Has Just Posted the Following:
LETTING A PRIVATE COMPANY TENDER FOR A TEMPLE SETS A DANGEROUS PRECEDENCE
.node-article .field-name-link-line-above-tags{float: right;}.node-article .field-name-ad-box-in-article {float: left;margin: 15px 15px 10px 0;}.node-article .field-tags{clear: both;} Post date:
9 Jan 2015 - 6:33pm
http://therealsingapore.com/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/field/image/Khaw%20Boon%20Wan%20Fernvale%20Columbarium.jpg?ito k=8Hd4w51F (http://therealsingapore.com/sites/default/files/field/image/Khaw%20Boon%20Wan%20Fernvale%20Columbarium.jpg)
It is worrying that a private company is allowed to tender for a columbarium as this has long term implications.
The current saga unfolded when it was announced that a columbarium would be built next to Fernvale Lea in Sengkang. However, the nearby residents were taken aback by the news, as they have not been informed of the plans, prior to their purchase of their flats.
"First and foremost, all of us in the group, with different religions, agree that it is totally inappropriate for a commercial company to bid for a land meant for religious use and to make money in the name of religion," the Fernvale Lea residents said in an open letter.
At the open dialogue with PAP member of parliament Lam Pin Min over the issue, Fernvale resident Sharon Toh said, "I think it is a very serious problem, because Life Corp is a public listed company.
"Can we say that you have used religious services as a disguise to cover up your real identity of a public listed company?" she asked pointedly at managing director of Life Corporation, Simon Hoo.
"How could you use the identity of a Chinese temple to bid for this land?" she also asked.
Later, in an open letter to National Development Minister Khaw Boon Wan, the Fernvale residents said, "It is implied in the Charity Act that any organization with advancement of religion should be subjected to the Act and supervised by the Commissioner of Charities. It means that anyone who runs a Chinese Temple at Fernvale must be a non-profit organization registered with the Commissioner of Charities.
"Apparently from the dialogue we had on last Sunday (4 Jan 2015), the representative from (Life Corporation) has admitted that they are not a non-profit organization or a registered religious organization.
"This will set a very bad example and precedent for all the religious organizations in Singapore, including but not limited to Buddhist, Christians, Catholics, Hindu etc. Registered religious organizations are non-profit organizations and it is unfair for them to compete with commercial entities which have more financial power to tender for the very limited land slated for religious purposes.
"For the example of Chinese Temple, we notice that only 20 plots of land were slated for tender by HDB over more than two decades."
Indeed, since 1991, there were 20 tenders for the construction of Chinese temples which saw 102 bids, according to online reports.
Of the 102 bids, only three were from private companies and there was only one case where a private company won but that was in a joint tender with a temple.
Life Corporation's win was the first time that a private company has won by itself.
What is also worrying is that Life Corporation won the bid with $5.2 million. It would also cost another $15 million to build the columbarium-cum-temple.
But what are the long-term implications to the prices of the columbarium niches? Will they escalate because of the rising bids?
Online reports also indicate that there are two temples which will see their lease end soon and would have to re-tender.
They had previously managed to bid for the land at less than $1 million, and one at only about $620,000.
However, where private companies are also allowed to bid, this would only drive up land costs and make it even more difficult for religious organisations to tender for the land.
Where the land is managed by the HDB and where HDB has used the model of allowing flat prices to escalate because of land prices which kept being outbid, will the same occur to columbarium niches as well?
Has HDB become addicted to using this model of price escalation to earn revenue and profit?
Indeed, as the Fernvale residents say, "It will be totally regrettable if HDB insisted in carrying on the building of the columbarium and the Chinese Temple.
"The reason why so many of us were caught off guard is because we have placed so much trust in a government statutory board. We have expected HDB to be transparent, open and more forthcoming with important information. We didn’t expect a reputable and biggest developer of properties like HDB would hide critical material information under ultra fine prints and vague uncertain phrases (eg. “may include”) coupled with disclaimers.
"We hope that you, as the Minister of the ministry, could do the right thing, not only for us but for the whole of Singapore, to set the record right by disallowing commercial entities to bid for land slated for religious purposes.
"Thus, void the current tender to (Life Corporation)."
But the government has decided. HDB and URA said that the columbarium-cum-temple will go ahead as planned.
The people's voices have been pushed aside.
Click here to view the whole thread at www.sammyboy.com (http://sammyboy.com/showthread.php?197600-Letting-a-private-company-tender-for-a-temple-sets-a-dangerous-precedence&goto=newpost).
LETTING A PRIVATE COMPANY TENDER FOR A TEMPLE SETS A DANGEROUS PRECEDENCE
.node-article .field-name-link-line-above-tags{float: right;}.node-article .field-name-ad-box-in-article {float: left;margin: 15px 15px 10px 0;}.node-article .field-tags{clear: both;} Post date:
9 Jan 2015 - 6:33pm
http://therealsingapore.com/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/field/image/Khaw%20Boon%20Wan%20Fernvale%20Columbarium.jpg?ito k=8Hd4w51F (http://therealsingapore.com/sites/default/files/field/image/Khaw%20Boon%20Wan%20Fernvale%20Columbarium.jpg)
It is worrying that a private company is allowed to tender for a columbarium as this has long term implications.
The current saga unfolded when it was announced that a columbarium would be built next to Fernvale Lea in Sengkang. However, the nearby residents were taken aback by the news, as they have not been informed of the plans, prior to their purchase of their flats.
"First and foremost, all of us in the group, with different religions, agree that it is totally inappropriate for a commercial company to bid for a land meant for religious use and to make money in the name of religion," the Fernvale Lea residents said in an open letter.
At the open dialogue with PAP member of parliament Lam Pin Min over the issue, Fernvale resident Sharon Toh said, "I think it is a very serious problem, because Life Corp is a public listed company.
"Can we say that you have used religious services as a disguise to cover up your real identity of a public listed company?" she asked pointedly at managing director of Life Corporation, Simon Hoo.
"How could you use the identity of a Chinese temple to bid for this land?" she also asked.
Later, in an open letter to National Development Minister Khaw Boon Wan, the Fernvale residents said, "It is implied in the Charity Act that any organization with advancement of religion should be subjected to the Act and supervised by the Commissioner of Charities. It means that anyone who runs a Chinese Temple at Fernvale must be a non-profit organization registered with the Commissioner of Charities.
"Apparently from the dialogue we had on last Sunday (4 Jan 2015), the representative from (Life Corporation) has admitted that they are not a non-profit organization or a registered religious organization.
"This will set a very bad example and precedent for all the religious organizations in Singapore, including but not limited to Buddhist, Christians, Catholics, Hindu etc. Registered religious organizations are non-profit organizations and it is unfair for them to compete with commercial entities which have more financial power to tender for the very limited land slated for religious purposes.
"For the example of Chinese Temple, we notice that only 20 plots of land were slated for tender by HDB over more than two decades."
Indeed, since 1991, there were 20 tenders for the construction of Chinese temples which saw 102 bids, according to online reports.
Of the 102 bids, only three were from private companies and there was only one case where a private company won but that was in a joint tender with a temple.
Life Corporation's win was the first time that a private company has won by itself.
What is also worrying is that Life Corporation won the bid with $5.2 million. It would also cost another $15 million to build the columbarium-cum-temple.
But what are the long-term implications to the prices of the columbarium niches? Will they escalate because of the rising bids?
Online reports also indicate that there are two temples which will see their lease end soon and would have to re-tender.
They had previously managed to bid for the land at less than $1 million, and one at only about $620,000.
However, where private companies are also allowed to bid, this would only drive up land costs and make it even more difficult for religious organisations to tender for the land.
Where the land is managed by the HDB and where HDB has used the model of allowing flat prices to escalate because of land prices which kept being outbid, will the same occur to columbarium niches as well?
Has HDB become addicted to using this model of price escalation to earn revenue and profit?
Indeed, as the Fernvale residents say, "It will be totally regrettable if HDB insisted in carrying on the building of the columbarium and the Chinese Temple.
"The reason why so many of us were caught off guard is because we have placed so much trust in a government statutory board. We have expected HDB to be transparent, open and more forthcoming with important information. We didn’t expect a reputable and biggest developer of properties like HDB would hide critical material information under ultra fine prints and vague uncertain phrases (eg. “may include”) coupled with disclaimers.
"We hope that you, as the Minister of the ministry, could do the right thing, not only for us but for the whole of Singapore, to set the record right by disallowing commercial entities to bid for land slated for religious purposes.
"Thus, void the current tender to (Life Corporation)."
But the government has decided. HDB and URA said that the columbarium-cum-temple will go ahead as planned.
The people's voices have been pushed aside.
Click here to view the whole thread at www.sammyboy.com (http://sammyboy.com/showthread.php?197600-Letting-a-private-company-tender-for-a-temple-sets-a-dangerous-precedence&goto=newpost).