Being a Singaporean can mean many things to different people.
As seen in the popular film Crazy Rich Asians, Singaporeans are portrayed as well-to-do individuals among the general global population, taking expensive Singapore Airlines flights and staying in million-dollar homes without even batting an eyelid. This is only the tip of the iceberg.
We also have more localised films like “Money No Enough” and “881,” which reveal the rest of Singapore’s “figurative iceberg” and a more colourful and uncouth side of the country.
One common theme that represents Singapore in those films is the competitive nature of this nation, as well as the limited placement of slots for many things. This is seen in real life. For example, when adult Singaporean couples want to buy their first Build-To-Order (BTO) Housing Development Board (HDB) home, they must first bid for the public housing unit with hopes of being selected. That’s even though they will be paying hundreds of thousands of dollars for one home. Such behaviour may startle our foreign friends, but to us, it is the Singaporean way.
We rely heavily on balloting to decide who gets selected to get an item or a public good, which might be in limited supply and extend to homes and school admissions. One good thing about balloting is that they are an equalizer. Balloting does not take into account our ability to afford an item. Just because someone is willing to pay more for an item doesn’t give them a better chance of getting it during a ballot.
Like it or not, these various characteristics make Singaporeans stand out and identify as who they are. Being brought up in a country with national day song lyrics that include “Stand Up for Singapore, Do The Best You Can” and “There Was A Time When People Said That Singapore Won’t Make It, But We Did”, it is clear that this country defies the odds to what others assume of it, and made its success in its own unique way.
With these, we will explore five uniquely Singaporean milestone ballots that locals can relate to living here.
#1 HDB Build-To-Orders (BTO)
For first-time homeowners, you must have walked into Toa Payoh HDB Hub to view the upcoming HDB launches or logged on to the HDB portal to determine your eligibility to purchase a BTO HDB flat.
This affordable housing comes with government grants and rebates, making it a good deal as your first home. There is also a higher chance of letting go of your first home in the future with the chance of making a profit, thanks to BTO prices being lower than the resale market rate. This makes BTOs a popular option for many new homeowners. For these reasons, BTO HDB sales exercises are often oversubscribed due to large volumes of flat applications, and to ensure that shortlisted eligible buyers are fairly treated, a computerised ballot is done.
The process starts with assessing applicants’ eligibility to buy a flat from HDB, and their eligibility for priority schemes. Applicants are then placed on an automated shortlisting based on various considerations. These include their household status, the flat type, and the priority schemes they applied for to determine applicants’ queue positions.
Those with low ballot numbers are the “lucky” ones as they get to choose the BTO unit of their choice and can brag to their friends and family about it if the estates are prime units close to the MRT.
Application & Ballot Period: During HDB BTO launches which occur 3 times a year (February, June, October)
#2 Condo/Executive Condominium Launches
Even if you somewhat made it in life and can afford an expensive condominium or Executive Condominium (EC) somewhere in life, you do not get spared from the ballot system.
For popular condo launches, the developers market the launch, and then the preview date usually lasts two weeks. With each viewing session, visitors may be allowed to sign a blank cheque expressing their interest in any particular unit. After the show flat previews, the developers collate the blank cheques, assign the ballot numbers and booking timing, and announce it to the buyers before booking day.
You will receive a ballot number, which you can easily count according to the available units to see if you can get the unit.
If you do not get a good ballot number at this point, you may have lost half the battle. For very popular launches, choice units (i.e. better deals) may be taken so that by the time it reaches your turn, the units you are hoping to buy may already be sold.
With a “lousy” ballot number, you may also have to pay more, as earlier bidders would most likely snap up the cheaper units.
Application & Ballot Period: At the official launch of popular condominiums and ECs.
#3 Primary School Admission Ballots
Since “time immemorial”, primary school balloting was a thing among Singaporean parents. It could have been easier for parents to enroll their children in primary schools perhaps in 1800s Singapore, but modern-day Singapore’s education system requires balloting to get into competitive schools.
Balloting is conducted when the number of registrants exceeds the school vacancies, which can happen in any phase from 2A to 2C Supplementary. At the end of the phase, Singaporean parents will have to check the list of primary schools that require balloting to see if their child needs to be balloted for a place in their preferred school. The Ministry of Education will conduct computerised balloting.
Priority admission to a school will be given to children in this order:
Singapore Citizens (SC) living within 1km of the school.
SCs living between 1km and 2km from the school.
SCs living outside 2km of the school.
Permanent Residents (PR) living within 1km of the school.
PRs living between 1km and 2km from the school.
PRs living outside 2km of the school.
In 2024, 38 primary schools were oversubscribed in Phase 2A of the Primary 1 registration exercise. 30 schools were oversubscribed in Phase 2B while 88 school were oversubscribed in Phase 2C
Application & Ballot Period: From July to August
#4 National Day Parade Tickets
You need to know your national day songs for this one. Singapore is a small country and even participating in the country’s birthday celebrations at the National Day Parade requires a ballot. Only Singaporeans and Permanent Residents can ballot for tickets and you can join a patriotic crowd wearing red and white and sing “Stand Up For Singapore” and “Home”. There is also a free fun pack with beverages and food and memorabilia to take home.
The ticket ballot application is usually open around end-May to June each year and you will need to go to a website to fill in your particulars including name, contact details, and number of tickets. You will receive a notification to collect your ticket if you successfully won the ballot.
There are three parades, the preview two weeks before the national day, the preview a week before, and the actual parade on 9 August. Each applicant is entitled to only one ballot chance, so choose wisely and fret not if you didn’t get it this time; there’s always next year.
Application & Ballot Period: End May – June
#5 Commemorate Notes And Coins
Many Singaporeans are also collectors of notes and coins as they are perhaps proud of this country that defied the odds. Another benefit is that Singapore notes and coins do tend to appreciate in value over the years, because of the strong currency and overseas interest in the country.
Popular numismatic currency sets are often subject to balloting. As seen by the SG50 commemorative coins, those interested had to ballot for them as they were oversubscribed. The same was the case for the Singapore Bicentennial $20 notes.
The $10 coin commemorating founding prime minister Lee Kwan Yew also required interested parties to fill out an application that is only open to Singaporeans and Permanent Residents. Each person can apply for up to five coins, but if the demand is high, each applicant is ensured at least one coin.
Successful applicants will receive an SMS notification in mid-August, and the coins will be available in September. Although this application process is less of a ballot system, it still limits the number of coins available depending on demand. This shows that even a lot of money cannot buy things like these, as you need to be a Singaporean or PR to qualify.
Application & Ballot Period: When Required
Featured Image Credit: Angela Teng/DollarsAndSense
This article was first published on 9 August 2023 and we have updated it with the latest information
The post Uniquely Singapore: 5 Types Of Ballots That Only Singaporeans Can Relate To appeared first on DollarsAndSense.sg.
