I REFER to the report, 'Widow, 80, puts up feisty bid to block deal' (ST, Sept 12), on Madam Chow Ai Hwa and wonder if we are overlooking a core value we try to cultivate as Singaporeans.
A home is more than just a piece of property worth a certain sum of money. Some people see it as an asset to be traded to make money. And people do sell their home and move to a larger, more pricey one (upgrading) or a smaller, less expensive one (downgrading). It is their choice and no one should stop them. But for most people, a home is more than an asset. It is their treasure trove of memories. Their roots are deeply planted there, as much as their roots are in Singapore, their nation. Their home is their life.
Families have been known to refuse to sell their home and make a big profit during a buoyant property market for the sake of elderly family members who would be devastated by the move and disoriented in a new environment.
I believe Madam Chow may share many of these sentiments, having lived in her flat for 40 years and having contributed during a critical phase of nation building as a nurse for most of her life. It is disheartening to read about her struggle just to remain in her home during the autumn of her life.
Buying a home is one of the major decisions in life, second perhaps only to getting married. It says: 'I belong!' But what does belonging to a place mean when one can be booted out just because others with a bigger collective voice then say so (barring government pro-
jects that benefit the nation as a whole)?
We are moulded by edicts that rule our lives. A law that allows the majority to drown out minority
voices for the sake of money will make us an avaricious people.
I feel we have to re-examine the rationale of the rules governing collective sales as they can literally uproot people and shake their sense of belonging. In the face of a national crisis in the future, we must know where our home is rather than where financial gain lies.
Goh Ee Kiat
