Mr Lee said that the government is also exploring more public housing options for higher-income young couples and singles.
“These are topics that PM Lawrence Wong has spoken about and public housing is a part of the PAP national manifesto,” Mr Lee said.
The PAP manifesto outlines plans to build 50,000 new flats over the next three years and increase the supply of homes with shorter waiting times.
It also intends to keep flats in prime locations such as Kallang-Whampoa, Bayshore and Mount Pleasant accessible to more applicants, while rejuvenating older HDB towns through the Voluntary Early Redevelopment Scheme, or VERS.
Mr Lee added: “We are clear about our commitment to keeping housing affordable and accessible for Singaporeans, through the ramping up of supply and cooling measures where necessary.”
PSP’S RESPONSE
Commenting on Mr Lee’s response, Mr Leong said on Wednesday evening that the minister did not provide any new information during those times when he claimed to have responded and that the issues were also not resolved in parliamentary discussions.
“In an election campaign, I think all parties have a responsibility to tell the voters what are we offering,” he told CNA at Ayer Rajah Food Centre before interacting with the dinner-time crowd on his party’s walkabout.
Mr Leong said that PSP has been clear with its proposals, but the government has not.
“They seem to have adopted an ‘oh, we see what we can do’ attitude,” he continued.
The government owes Singaporeans a “more concrete plan” beyond ramping up supply and waiting for prices to stabilise, he added.
“How can we not allow HDB flats in the future to repeat this kind of big increases over the last two, three years?” he asked, referring to higher housing prices.
On the waiting time for HDB’s Build-to-Order (BTO) flats, Mr Leong said that the government cannot keep blaming the delays caused by the pandemic.
“Is there a necessity to adjust the BTO system?” Mr Leong suggested.
Regarding the lease of HDB flats, he noted that Prime Minister Lawrence Wong first brought up the issue several years ago and that Mr Wong and Mr Lee have the responsibility to tell Singaporeans what the solution is.
