“Where laws end, tyranny begins.”

18 March 2010

“Where laws end, tyranny begins.”

“Where laws end, tyranny begins” – This pithy quote is attributed to William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham (1708-1788). More than 2 centuries on, it still resonates resoundingly.

The presumption is that the laws are just. As I quote Dr Martin Luther King, Jr (1929-1968) in my blog banner: “There are two types of laws: Just and unjust”.

Poser: Where unjust laws end, then what??? I can’t pit myself against Pitt. And I am no Kingmaker. So I will leave it to you to find the answer. Will there be a choral rejoinder about the Emperor's State of Undress (or Dress) - Glass Half-Empty or Half-Full Syndrome, eh?

In this trilogy:
Part A – President said, I said
Part B – The Generals said
Part C – PM said, I am saying

Why a trilogy? Because the Land Titles (Strata) Act ("LTSA") has triplet objectives.

The House delivered “triplets". But the Executive, the Legislature, the Judiciary and the Civil Service only remembered the “twins (as shown in Part B of this trilogy). The third baby (alive and kicking and glowingly pink - our Singaporean Identity Cards, I mean) was unceremoniously thrown out with the bath water! Hello, does anyone care?

Who are the precious triplets? According to the Hansard, the triplet objectives of LTSA are:

1. “… housing units in prime 999-year leasehold or freehold areas for Singaporeans” (First primary objective – Our citizens). Waaargh .......!

2. “… creating more housing units” (Second primary objective – Higher land-use intensity). Coo-coooo ...

3. “a secondary benefit is that these developments, especially the older ones, could have been rejuvenated through the en bloc process” (Third secondary objective – Urban rejuvenation). Babble, babble ...

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Singapore Jangle Mail

In the aftermath of the US sub-prime crisis - New vocabulary as per Word Spy:
US Jingle Mail = "The practice of abandoning one's house and mailing the keys back to the creditor because the mortgage is worth more than the house itself."

Hey, in the aftermath of an en bloc sale - we could do a Singapore version!
SIN Jangle Mail = "The practice of mailing one's NON-house keys (eg, keys to built-in wardrobe in en bloc apartment or drawers of discarded desks or misplaced padlocks) to Ministry of Law (Land Policy Div), The Treasury, 100 High Street, #08-02, Singapore 179434 because one is unwilling to sell - whether as (1) Majority Consenter hoodwinked into signing collective sale agreement OR (2) Minority Dissenter forced to sell by collective sale order."

Do attach a paper tag with your bunch of NON-house keys stating:
(a) En bloc block
(b) formerly XYZ Towers
(c) formerly 123 Xxxxx Road
(d) formerly #__-__ (optional lah)
(e) PS: No need to return to sender!

To top it all up ...

19th century -
Historian Lord Aston said:
"All power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely." http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Lord_Acton

21st century -
Politician New Hampshire Democrat Representative Paul Hodes said:
"AIG now stands for Arrogance, Incompetence and Greed."
Only at AIG? Whaddayou say?

On 19 Mar 2009, on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, when asked to talk about the AIG bonuses, President Barack Obama commented: "... And that, I think, speaks to a broader culture that existed on Wall Street, where I think people just had this general attitude of entitlement, where, we must be the best and the brightest, we deserve $10 million or $50 million or $100 million dollar payouts --- But the larger problem is we've got to get back to an attitude where people know enough is enough, and people have a sense of responsibility and they understand that their actions are going to have an impact on everybody. ..."
What can you say to that, eh?

Obamaspeak applied to en bloc sale ...

BEFORE becoming President (18 Dec 2008):
En bloc industry players to read this:
"We must ask, not just is it profitable, but is it right."

UPON becoming President (21 Jan 2009):
Singapore Gahmen to read this:
"We are here as public servants, and public service is a privilege. It's not about advancing yourself or your corporate clients."

AFTER becoming President (22 Mar 2009):
Singapore residents to read this:
"... whilst you can't necessarily bend history to your will, you can do your part to see that, in the words of Dr King, 'it bends towards justice'. So I hope that you will stand up and do what you can to serve your community, shape our history and enrich both your own life and the lives of others across this country."

Nearly one year into his Presidency at the 20th anniversary of the Fall of the Berlin Wall at Bradenburg Gate (9 Nov 2009):
Singaporeans to read this:
"Human destiny is what human beings make of it".

Title: This is my country. That was my home (en bloc block)

They get a “windfall”.

And you break “wind” as your home “falls”

under a wrecker’s ball!

… hee, hee, I can be a poet with gall

without a roof to cover my all

if a collective sale calls.

Title: En Bloc Market Ups and Downs

When market is Up, Up and Up

It is their gain but your pain

It is their boon but your bane

It is their boom but your doom

When market is Down, Down and Down

It is their bust but still not your lust

Title: En Bloc Blings and Stings

Twinkle, twinkle, little star

Little wonder that you are

Down and out for the owner

Up and away for dev'loper

EN BLOC BLOCK BLOG - Block collective sales ©

18 March 2010

“Where laws end, tyranny begins.”

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