Singapore Democrats
The SDP received a letter from a member of the public describing how the HDB reserves carpark lots for PAP officials when they conduct their activities.
Mr Benjamin Lou, a resident at Dover Crescent, shares his frustration about MPs being pampered and unable to do what all residents do which is to take the lift or climb the stairs after they park their cars instead of having the HDB reserve lots for them – and in the red zone to boot.
Hi there,
My name is Ben. I am a resident at Block 28B Dover Crescent. Just thought I’d share with you how high handed and daring they have become. Can we reserve lots for you when SDP come visit?
There is a “Welcome Party” for new Dover Crescent residents on Sunday 13 March 2011, 6 to 9p.m. at the Block 25 Pavillion. The guest-of-honor is Mr Lim Hng Kiang.
I returned home at about 10.40 pm on Saturday, 12 March 2011, proceeded to the multi-storey Car Park at Block 28 as usual and saw that two lots at Level 2 were being reserved by Wilson Parking Staff. The “Reserve” sign, however, bore the HDB logo. I was told that it was for the next day’s Guest-of-Honor at the Welcome Party!
The car park at Block 28 Dover Crescent is quite a hassle as it is 9-storeys high and divided into Section A and Section B, effectively making it almost 18 separate levels in all.
Many of the residents end up parking on the higher floors, making numerous turns just to find a parking lot most of the time. This is a hassle we all have to accept as our nation grows larger and buildings are packed more closely and grow upwards.
The lower levels are considered special lots as it’s reserved for handicaps, car washing bays with only a few normal parking lots. They are the most convenient lots which many residents hope to park at.
So to find out that the MP for our constituency has lots reserved for him by the HDB and enforced by private third party contractors, thereby preventing valid paying season parking residents the right to park is simply unacceptable.
The MP is like the rest of us, they are not special citizens. They do not have a right to cordon off their own parking lots at their whim and fancy, inconveniencing other paying residents.
After all, it’s only a once-in-a-blue-moon trip for the MP to the estate and he can jolly well experience what all of us experience on a daily basis going up and down from the ground to the 7th or 8th storey. Isn’t there the lift?
If Philippine’s President Noynoy Aquino can climb 20 flights of stairs, I do not see why our ministers have problems taking the lift down from the higher levels. Is there really a need to abuse the parking system?
Are MPs given such special privileges by the HDB to “chope” parking lots in advance to their arrivals? Does this happen all the time at other events and locations too that many of us are unaware of?
Imagine if we all start putting up our reserve signs for our own reasons.
Benjamin Lou
PS. In fact, its gotten even worse this morning. They now change shift and have cordoned off up to six lots instead! This is presposterous!
