Yours Truly, Uniquely Singapore (9)

My completion date for the purchase of my HDB flat has been brought to an earlier date on 25th June. I am extremely pleased because I feel "paiseh" embarrassed about putting my piano at the Piano Master International for so long. Although the staff is accommodating, I must not take advantage of people's kindness. After all, my piano costs only $100/- and yet has taken up space in the shop for the past 2 months since I could not take delivery until I move into the new flat. I must make it a point to help promote business for the Piano Company.

I was instructed to pay the balance purchase price before the final appointment. I asked around and some of my colleagues told me I could just pay by cheque. When I went to pay the balance of the purchase price, the HDB officer told me that I must pay by cash or cashier's order. I argued with her that a cheque is just as good. After all, it will be more than a week before completion. The cheque should have been cleared by then! To my surprise her reply, "This is the way we have been doing all along. This is the instructions from the HDB!"

I hate the idea of queueing up at the bank to purchase a Cashier's order. If only, HDB has improved its system, imagine how much time and money HDB will help to save for the people! One cashier order costs $5.00 and every day there are so many transactions! Not counting the long queue that one can find in banks.... the time saved could be used for better activities!

Strangely in a country which is supposed to be so efficient, I am afraid HDB has not improved much in the way it does the paper work. I am glad I hardly deal with HDB properties as I handle mostly private residential and commercial sales for my clients. Once we have secured a sale, the legal work is all done by the lawyers.

I shared with a colleague about the officer who reminded my vendor that her deceased brother no longer could buy a flat direct from the government, and this instruction was repeated by the agent! My colleague told me that the same thing happened to her client who was the administrator of her sister's estate. The HDB officer also told her that her deceased sister could no longer buy another flat direct from the HDB since she had already done it twice. Gosh! Are we producing a nation of rote learners and rote doers? Do government officers just regurgitate what they have been instructed without analysing what they are doing or saying?