‘Good day for activism in S’pore,’ says MP Louis Ng on rule changes for divorcees to buy subsidised flats

SINGAPORE — More than three months after a petition led by him was rejected by the Government, Member of Parliament (MP) Louis Ng (Nee Soon) was surprised by Tuesday’s announcement that divorcees can now buy or own a subsidised flat immediately upon ending their marriage, rather than wait three years under previous rules. Although it came belatedly, he hailed it as “a good day for activism in Singapore”.

In September last year, Mr Ng had called for a reform of the public housing policy for single parents, but the petition was turned down in November.

“This is a prime example of a ground up move,” said Mr Ng in a phone interview on Wednesday.

“Feedback was provided and they listened, it took time for them to evaluate and I guess they (delivered the) good news (on Tuesday).”

While Mr Wong did not mention the petition when he made his announcement, both Mr Ng and the Association of Women for Action and Research (Aware) made reference to the failed petition in their comments on the policy change.

In his petition to Parliament, Mr Ng wanted the authorities to recognise unmarried parents and their children as a family nucleus so that they could be eligible for public housing schemes. Signed by seven single parents, it also called for the removal of debarment periods, which prevent divorced parents from renting from the Housing and Development Board (HDB), or owning subsidised flats.

Gender equality advocacy group Aware, which had submitted a statement supporting the petition, also made several suggestions. The petition was referred to the Public Petitions Committee, which asked the Ministry of National Development (MND) for a response. MND, which made public the responses, said it had no intention to amend the law and introduce exemptions for unmarried and divorced parents.

But change came months after the initial rejection.

It is rare for petitions such as the one Mr Ng submitted to result in legislative or policy change here. 
Other instances of petitions submitted, unsuccessfully, include Nominated MP (NMP) Kok Heng Leun’s petition to seek an alternative location for the Sungei Road market, and NMP Siew Kum Hong’s petition to Parliament for the repeal of Section 377A of the penal code, which criminalises gay sex.

For Mr Ng, even though the petition was rejected, he “didn’t see it as the doors were closed.” He pointed to MND’s replies that said they would make sure that every child would be provided with adequate housing, which he felt was a strong statement from the Government compared to the “usual statement on how single unwed parents are not eligible for public housing.”

He continued to push for change in other sessions of Parliament, filing a question for the sitting on January 8, and in his cut during the MND’s Committee of Supply debate.

The policy change announced “is really one of the two points of the Parliamentary petition that I filed,” said Mr Ng, as he added that the debarment was “a 21-year-old policy that we really have to look into and scrap.”

Mr Ng came across the issue when he was making home visits in his ward and met residents who were divorcees. There were also single parents who visited him to request for rule waivers.

Mr Ng said: “Don’t think about how they became a single unwed parent, think about how there is a child involved that needs a house.

“Bringing up a child is hard enough for two of us, it is going to be even harder for a single parent. Our policy should not discriminate against them. They are the ones that need more help, but they get less help.”

Mr Ng stressed that he was not alone in his campaign. He said: “There is also Aware, (women’s group) Daughters of Tomorrow. Collectively through the raising of such issues I think the Ministry responded positively.”

Aware executive director Corinna Lim commended the Government’s move on Wednesday. “This is a welcome step forward, and can help many parents who would otherwise struggle with securing stable and affordable housing after the sale of their matrimonial flat,” said Ms Lim in a press statement.

The group also urged the authorities to remove the time restrictions for all divorced parents, regardless of their care and control arrangements, as well as to consider removing the 30-month time-bar for public rental housing.

“This will be particularly helpful for low-income families, who are more severely impacted by the high cost of divorce, and for whom having immediate access to rental housing is most beneficial,” added Ms Lim.

Over the last two years, Aware has been persistently advocating for fairer housing rules for single-parent families, including calling for the removal of the debarment policy.

Singapore Women’s Association president Lee Li Hua said: “Divorces are on the rise, and normally the children are the ones who will suffer. The policy change will help single parents to have a roof over their heads while they deal with the next step.”

Ms Lee, who is a divorcee and a single mother of two daughters, said that it “takes time to heal” after ending a marriage. She also noted that some women may not have the financial means to own a home even with the change in ruling, and would need support from associations, family and friends to “get back their lives again.”

Mother-of-two Ms Tan, 31, is currently going through a divorce. She told TODAY that the new changes “will definitely be a form of support for those single parents who are able to afford the subsidised flat.”

“Whether or not parents gain the custody of the kids, they will still need their own home. And if they visit or spend time with the kids, they can have a proper place to spend some quality time. It provides some form of stability to both parties,” added Ms Tan.