SINGAPORE - Minister for National Development Desmond Lee has instructed the fake news office here to issue a correction direction to Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) secretary-general Chee Soon Juan over his social media statements on public housing policies.
In a video that was put up on his Facebook, Instagram and TikTok accounts on Feb 17, Dr Chee claimed that the Government has rejected the idea of building flats that can accommodate multi-generational living.
“This claim is false,” said government fact-checking website Factually, noting that HDB builds and offers five-room and 3Gen flats to cater to the housing needs of larger families and multi-generation families who wish to live together.
In particular, 3Gen flats have been introduced since 2013 to allow multi-generation families to live together. Such flats are generally larger at about 115 sq m, with an extra bedroom compared with the typical five-room BTO flat.
The statement said that five-room flats were offered in all Build-To-Order (BTO) launches in 2023, and 3Gen flats were offered in two of the four launches.
The Ministry of National Development (MND) said in a statement on Feb 22 that Dr Chee will be required to carry correction notices on his Instagram and Facebook accounts, and create a new TikTok post containing a correction notice.
Under the correction direction by the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (Pofma) Office, the notices will have to state that the video posted on Feb 17 contains a false statement of fact, and provide a link to the Government’s clarification to allow viewers to consider both versions and draw their own conclusions.
Mr Lee also issued a targeted correction direction to TikTok about these posts. TikTok will be required to communicate a correction notice to all end users in Singapore who had accessed the TikTok post.
According to Factually, Dr Chee referred to a reply by the Housing Board to a Forum letter published in The Straits Times from a member of the public to support his claim.
Contrary to Dr Chee’s claim, the Government did not reject the suggestion from the Forum letter writer to have bigger flats available for multi-generational living, said Factually.
“In planning the supply of new BTO flats, HDB adopts a comprehensive approach, considering factors such as the prevailing economic and housing market conditions, and long-term demographic and socio-economic trends,” it said.
It added that HDB offers a wide range of different flat types in various locations to meet demand, including from larger families and multi-generational families. The agency also calibrates BTO supply and flat types to cater to the housing needs and budgets of households in Singapore.
Factually said Dr Chee had quoted from HDB’s Forum reply dated Jan 2, 2023, in his video, but he did not include the Housing Board’s reply on the larger flat types offered to accommodate multi-generational living.
The Forum reply from HDB said it offered a wide range of flats, from two-room flexi flats to three-generation flats, in various locations to cater to the different housing needs and budgets of first-timer families, second-timer families, the elderly and singles.
“Nevertheless, HDB continues to build five-room and three-generation flats to meet the needs of larger families and multi-generation families who wish to live together,” said HDB.
The Factually article can be found at https://www.gov.sg/article/factually220224
