Pofma order issued to property agent over false claims on HDB Ethnic Integration Policy
PROPERTY agent Shaik Amar has been ordered to put up correction notices under the law against fake news, over false and misleading statements about the Housing and Development Board’s (HDB) Ethnic Integration Policy (EIP).
On Jul 24 and 25, Amar posted claims to his TikTok, Instagram and YouTube accounts that the policy offers no benefit to ethnic minority households, and only causes them significant financial detriment when they sell their flats.
Amar, who is also known as That Property Guy online, also asserted that the policy was introduced in the 1960s and has not been changed since.
The correction notices require him to state that the posts contain false and misleading information, as well as provide a link to the government’s clarification.
The order was issued by the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (Pofma) Office under the instruction of Minister for National Development Desmond Lee.
In response to Amar’s claims, the Ministry of National Development (MND) said the EIP benefits minorities in several ways.
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It noted that a defined proportion of flats is set aside for ethnic communities in all HDB neighbourhoods under the Build-To-Order and Sale of Balance Flats (SBF) schemes, as well as through the open booking of flats.
This guarantees that a set minimum number of flats in HDB estates, including popular ones, is available for minorities, the ministry added. “Flats in these areas are generally higher priced. But the significant government subsidies given by HDB make them affordable.”
MND also pointed out that Amar benefited from the policy when he applied for an SBF flat.
The ministry said that during the SBF exercise in which Amar’s household had participated, all minority first-time applicants were invited to select a three-room flat in Queenstown. Comparatively, only about 40 per cent of Chinese first-time applicants were invited to select a flat because of the EIP limit, MND added.
The ministry also pointed out that the EIP was introduced in 1989, not the 1960s as Amar had suggested.
“The EIP remains relevant today,” it said. “Nearly one in three HDB blocks and 11 per cent of HDB neighbourhoods have reached their EIP limits. Without the EIP, ethnic concentrations will increase.”
In response to Amar’s claim that minority households bear greater financial detriment when they sell their flats, MND acknowledged that there can be differences in what potential buyers are willing to pay based on their ethnic group.
Under the EIP, individuals are eligible to buy a flat if the seller and buyer are of the same ethnicity and household citizenship, or if the ethnic proportions remain within the block and neighbourhood limits after the purchase.
MND added that over the years, HDB has put in place measures to help flat owners who find themselves constrained by the EIP. This includes giving them more time to sell their existing flats if they have bought another one, as well as waiving the EIP limits in exceptional cases.
“Ultimately, the EIP has ensured that no HDB neighbourhood in Singapore is exclusive to any single ethnic group and has thus achieved very real benefits for the minority communities,” it said.
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