Industry suggests licensing of property agents

Industry suggests licensing of property agents

By Lin Yan Qin, TODAY

SINGAPORE: Just like drivers, some suggest, property agents should be licensed by a government body - and subject to a demerit point system too.

That would mean being allowed to a set number of points, before facing possible suspension for misconduct.

Such ideas were floated by industry players yesterday at a forum organised by the Institute of Estate Agents (IEA), as the Ministry of National Development (MND) began this month its consultation process on a new regulatory framework for the real estate sector.

Complaints of agents’ poor service are rising and customers are now more discerning and demanding, so such regulations will be necessary to keep the standards of the profession up to mark, said IEA president Jeff Foo.

National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan had said in March that the whole system was “not satisfactory” and the status quo “not tenable”, after several cases of unethical practices by housing agents came to light.

The framework, suggested HSR International Realtors chief executive officer Patrick Liew, should include mandating minimum hours of training and certification to improve professionalism.

An official mediation and complaints resolution centre - sorely lacking now - should also be set up, he said at the forum.

According to the Consumers Association of Singapore, of the 1,100 complaints received last year about the real estate industry, more than half (635) concerned agents.

About 500 complaints have been made as of July this year, and the eventual total is expected to match or exceed last year’s.

But while licensing and certification would help to give consumers peace of mind, a demerit point system has its limitations in weeding out rogue agents said PropNex property consultant Joseph Tan.

“They can still do unethical things so long as they don’t hit the limit for demerit points,” he said.

There was also a concern about possible additional costs that might come with licensing, said IEA’s Mr Foo. But going by fees paid elsewhere, for example, about HK$700 ($128) a year in Hong Kong, the “average agent” should have no problems paying, he said.

Property consultant and Ngee Ann Polytechnic real estate lecturer Nicholas Mak said regulations will need to be closely enforced for them to have bite.

“And the punishment has to be sufficient … If someone stands to gain $100,000 by misrepresenting a property, and the punishment is only a $5,000 fine, then he might consider it a risk worth taking,” he said.

Source : TODAY - 29 September 2009

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Seletar aviation base on track

Seletar aviation base on track

JTC pushes on with infrastructure and facility development at the 300-hectare site to host aerospace businesses and services.

THE economic downturn may have slowed things down for the aviation industry, but it has yet to stop work at the upcoming Seletar Aero+sPace (SAP). Construction is ongoing at the 300-hectare site to turn it into a premier aviation base. SAP will host aerospace maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) services; aircraft system design and manufacturing activities; and business and general aviation. Research and training institutes will also set up shop there.

Comprehensive facilities: (From above onwards) The component manufacturing & MRO facility, a new substation and a rendering of the General Aviation Centre that will offer shared facilities and space for line maintenance and the parking of smaller aircraft
As the agency spearheading Singapore’s industrial growth, JTC Corporation is developing various infrastructure and facilities to support businesses at SAP.

‘Singapore’s MRO hub is the most comprehensive in Asia and demand remains strong despite the global downturn,’ says Tang Wai Yee, JTC director of aerospace, marine and cleantech cluster, in the agency’s FY2008 annual report.

‘JTC, together with the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore, will take this opportunity to lay a strong foundation for SAP by investing in infrastructure development so that the park is well poised to take off when the upturn comes.’

Singapore’s aerospace industry employed some 19,000 people and contributed $6.9 billion in output in 2007. SAP could create more than 10,000 jobs and contribute more than $3 billion to the economy annually when it is completed in 2018.

SAP will have a Business Aviation Complex for companies providing a variety of support services - they may be supplying aircraft parts, managing fleets, leasing aircraft or handling aviation insurance. The complex will accommodate existing businesses in the Seletar airbase and also new entrants to the industry.

Construction of the Business Aviation Complex should start by the fourth quarter of the year and the building is expected to receive temporary occupation permit (TOP) by the first quarter of 2011.

JTC reveals that existing companies have committed to 25 per cent of the space, and it believes that the take-up rate will reach 50 per cent by TOP.

Aviation central

JTC is also planning for a 2.6-hectare General Aviation Centre that will offer shared facilities and space for line maintenance and the parking of smaller aircraft. Not only would the centre optimise space usage in SAP, it would also help individual companies cut down on fixed infrastructure investment and save on operational costs in the long run.

JTC has consulted several industry players to find out what their business requirements are, and to come up with an effective model for sharing facilities. It is keen on allocating the site for the centre to general aviation companies by early next year.

SAP will also have a Component Manufacturing & MRO Facility. It aims to offer companies a quick start-up route, by providing ready-built land-based factories for aircraft parts production or MRO services.

JTC hopes to market the three-hectare site early next year through the industrial Government Land Sales programme. Interested developers can bid for the construction of the factories, and the facility should be ready by the second quarter of 2011. The agency is confident that market demand for the facility will be strong.

JTC began the first phase of infrastructure works at SAP in late 2007 and is close to completing it. It has constructed a new sewer network, road network and drainage system, and will commission a 66kV substation in the next six months to supply power to the eastern part of SAP.

A new fuel farm site and the West Camp Road leading to Seletar Airport should be ready by the first quarter of 2010.

JTC also kicked off the second phase of infrastructure works early this year. Some houses made way for new developments, and construction of a dual three-lane arterial road began in May. The third phase of works is likely to start in 2012.

To preserve Seletar’s rustic charm, JTC has conserved 32 black-and-white houses for ‘adaptive reuse’ as food and beverage outlets, training institutions, and avionics simulator centres. It has also retained the Seletar Camp Guard House and post-war lamp posts as historical landmarks.

JTC is also working on keeping SAP lush and green. Developers which remove trees of substantial sizes have to replace them, and their sites have to abide by the agency’s planning design guidelines.

It’s a bird, it’s a plane…

Even the bus stops at SAP will be designed differently. Modelled after a fighter aircraft called Supermarine Spitfire, the bus stops will help to boost the character of SAP as an aviation base.

SAP has attracted several players in the aviation industry. One is ST Aerospace, which has opened new hangars for airframe maintenance and modifications. Another firm is Jet Aviation Asia Pacific, which has service centre authorisations from a wide range of original equipment manufacturers.

Engine makers Rolls Royce and Pratt and Whitney will also be at SAP.

‘Companies at SAP will benefit from synergies in this integrated environment that include economies of scale and increased efficiency,’ JTC says in its annual report.

‘There is also significant scope for new industry collaborations - alliances brought about by the Park’s shared infrastructure, and close proximity to suppliers, customers and partners within the tightly knit aerospace community.’

Source : Business Times - 29 September 2009

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Weak demand for factory space

Weak demand for factory space

Sales of industrial space are at their lowest since 2000, while rents slide, but the worst may be over, says DOMINIC PETERS

WHILE most economic indicators point to an improvement, the industrial property market remains depressed today as the weak business environment is likely to persist, with global demand still subdued. The first eight months of the year saw 436 industrial sale transactions, a drop of more than 45 per cent from the corresponding period last year, according to caveats lodged. This is the lowest volume since 2000.

Softer market: According to Savills research, flatted factories saw rents slip to S$1.35 - S$1.65 per sq ft, from $1.70 - $2.00 psf in Q4 2008
Weak demand for industrial space continues to weigh on industrial rents and prices this year. The average monthly rents of Savills’ basket of prime flatted factories and warehouses in central Singapore slid lower in Q3. Flatted factories saw rents slip to S$1.35 - S$1.65 per sq ft, from $1.70 - $2.00 psf in Q4 2008. Warehouses saw a slide from $1.70 - $2.10 psf at the end of 2008, to S$1.25 - S$1.55 psf.

High-tech industrial rents are also experiencing downward pressure as relocation of office users to high-tech industrial space slows down. Office users are now less inclined to relocate to high-tech industrial space as asking office rents in the CBD have fallen significantly and office landlords keen to retain their existing tenants are offering extras like rental concessions and fitting out costs. Consequently, average monthly high-tech rents fell from a high of S$2.50 - S$3.80 psf in 2008 to S$2.40 - S$3.20 psf recently. For instance, monthly asking rents of high-tech industrial space in city-fringe areas like Frontech Centre dipped from about S$4 psf in Q1 to S$3.60 per sq ft in August.

Meanwhile, average prices of strata flatted factory space (leasehold) in the central industrial cluster and outside the central cluster declined from their peaks of S$300 per sq ft and S$260 per sq ft in Q2/2008 to S$220 per sq ft and S$210 per sq ft respectively. Similarly, the average price of freehold flatted factories and warehouses declined from a peak of S$350 - S$500 per sq ft in Q2 2008 to S$200 - S$320 per sq ft respectively.

Recently, a number of Reits were able to leverage on the improved market sentiment and raised funds to shore up balance sheets as well as to capitalise any future opportunistic acquisitions. Even so, declining industrial rents and prices mean that deleveraging remains the Reits’ top priority, largely driven by asset devaluation and the ensuing rising gearing ratios. Besides refinancing, the Reits are concerned with retaining their existing tenants to ensure steady cashflow to their unit holders. This is especially so with a sizeable amount of industrial space (31.3 million sq ft) expected to enter the market over the next 18 months.

In addition, it is understood that some head tenants who inked sale and leaseback agreements with the Reits some years ago are not renewing their leases on expiry. Therefore, more industrial space from Reits may be available in the market soon. For example, Ascendas Reit (A-Reit) reported that it had an industrial property located at International Business Park repossessed after the tenant failed to meet its lease obligations. Likewise, a Reit-owned industrial property located in the Tai Seng area is reportedly up for lease after the head tenant opted not to renew the lease.

The macro picture

In terms of investment sales activity, the only notable transaction so far this year was by A-Reit. It acquired a 149,392 sq ft 99-year plot of industrial land in Kim Chuan from SingTel for S$16 million or S$45 per sq ft per plot ratio (ppr). A-Reit will build a nine-storey high-tech building with a gross floor area (GFA) of 353,723 sq ft and lease it back to SingTel for an initial period of 20 years.

This is the first acquisition by a Reit since Q2 2008. The volume is significantly lower than last year which saw S$700 million worth of deals done, albeit with the majority of them concluded in Q1 2008. While the credit crunch has eased, the number of potential acquisitions by Reits is not likely to surge given the still fragile economic outlook.

Singapore continues to position itself as an R&D and biomedical manufacturing hub. Active efforts to attract manufacturing investment into Singapore should bode well for the industrial property market as a whole and the science/biomedical parks in particular.

According to the Economic Development Board, biomedical companies from around the world invested more than US$500 million into Singapore in 2008, while research and development spending exceeded US$760 million. Japanese drug maker Takeda launched its regional headquarters and regional clinical coordination. GlaxoSmithKline opened a S$600 million vaccine plant while Agilent Technologies set up a new life sciences manufacturing facility.

Furthermore, the manufacturing sector is starting to look up after posting several quarters of negative growth. Manufacturing saw its first positive growth of 49.5 per cent in Q2, spurred by a surge in pharmaceutical output and increased inventory restocking in the electronics sector. At the same time, the August reading of the Singapore Purchasing Managers’ Index of 54.4 indicated that the manufacturing sector has expanded for the fourth time after contracting for eight consecutive months. The positive indicators, coupled with the upward revision in the GDP forecast by the Ministry Trade and Industry from between -9 and -6 per cent to -6 and -4 per cent, reinforce the general belief that the worst of Singapore’s recession is over.

The writer is Director, Industrial, Savills Singapore

Source : Business Times - 29 September 2009

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Q3 investment sales jump 71%: report

Q3 investment sales jump 71%: report

CBRE raises total sales forecast for 2009 to $7.5b from $2b 3 months ago

By UMA SHANKARI

THE investment sales market continued to improve in Q3, boosted by a large number of good class bungalow (GCB) transactions, according to a new report.

Mr Lake: Says buyers are still cautious on big deals above $200 million
Total investment sales in the current quarter have so far amounted to $3.28 billion, an increase of 71 per cent from the previous quarter, said CB Richard Ellis (CBRE) in its report yesterday.

With the strong showing, CBRE is bumping up its forecast for total investment sales for the whole of 2009 to as much as $7.5 billion. Three months ago, the property firm estimated that total sales would exceed $2 billion by end of the year.

In Q3, residential investment sales made up the bulk of the transaction volume. Residential investment sales - including GCB sales - accounted for $2.2 billion in transacted value, or 67 per cent, of the quarter’s total investment sales. This is 92 per cent higher than the $1.2 billion residential investment sales recorded in Q2.

And to date, GCB sales have made up a quarter of total residential investment sales in Q3, with 35 GCB sales between July and September totalling some $535 million. Several of these GCBs were sold for above $1,000 per square foot of land and these included the sale of 6 Leedon Park for $19.4 million, and 42 Dalvey Road and 12 Bishopsgate for $19.0 million apiece.

The government land sales (GLS) programme also contributed to property investment sales volume in Q3. Two industrial sites, a hotel site and three residential sites were awarded from the GLS programme during the quarter.

The current quarter saw the re-emergence of investors buying units in bulk in residential projects. An undisclosed buyer bought 21 units at Sui Generis for $65 million, while 18 apartments at Hilltops condominium were reported to be purchased by a group led by former Parkway Holdings’ Tony Tan for $48.2 million.

In the office investment market, a total of $261.4 million were logged in transactions, representing 8 per cent of total investment sales.

‘Although buyers are still cautious on big deals above $200 million, buyers are much more optimistic than in the first quarter of the year when sentiment was poor and economic difficulties loomed large. The credit market has improved and financing is available,’ said Jeremy Lake, CBRE’s executive director for investment properties.

The robust volume of transactions in the residential market also means that developers are on the look-out for new sites. In light of these positive signs, it is expected that total investment sales for this year could hit $7.5 billion. ‘Though this total is lower than the $18 billion recorded in 2008, it is significantly higher than what was originally anticipated,’ added Mr Lake.

Source : Business Times - 29 September 2009

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Hundred Trees sells another 116 units

Hundred Trees sells another 116 units

By Joyce Teo

Almost 80 per cent of the units in Hundred Trees have been snapped up ahead of the condo’s formal launch this weekened. — ST PHOTO: SHAHRIYA YAHAYA

WEEKEND buyers again flocked to one of the most popular recent mass market condominium launches, though the frenzied pace of selling of late last week appeared to have slowed slightly.

City Developments (CDL) said it had sold another 116 units at the weekend preview of its latest condo project Hundred Trees, bringing total sales to 316 units.

That is nearly 80 per cent of the development, or more than 90 per cent of the 350 launched units. The condo, which sits on the 267,598 sq ft former Hong Leong Garden condo site in West Coast Drive, has 396 units.

The average price achieved is about $910 per sq ft (psf), up from the initial price of $895 psf for the first 151 units sold, the developer said yesterday.

There was a ’slight adjustment of 1 to 2 per cent increase in price’ for the subsequent phases, it said.

As with many recent launches, the smaller units were the first to be snapped up. CDL started the preview last Thursday and sold 200 units, including all the 22 one-bedders and most of the two-bedders, within two days.

The 66 two-bedders priced from $701,000 as well as the six penthouses costing $2.4 million to $2.6 million were sold out after the weekend.

CDL will be formally launching the 956-year leasehold condo for sale this weekend even though most units were sold in the preview.

About 25 per cent of the buyers paid 2.5 per cent on top of their purchase price in order to take up the interest absorption scheme.

The scheme allows them to defer the bulk of the purchase price until the condo is completed. This option was removed by the Government earlier this month, though projects that were offered for sale with the scheme before the removal can continue to do so.

CDL said 85 per cent of the buyers were locals, and that they were a balanced mix of HDB upgraders and buyers who already live in private residential property.

Its group general manager Chia Ngiang Hong said the company observed that some buyers were keen to hold their units for investment or rental income in view of the upcoming redevelopment projects like Clementi Town Centre.

Source : Straits Times - 29 September 2009

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Go back to basics for affordable flats

Go back to basics for affordable flats
Time to take a hard look at HDB’s increasingly conflicting mandates
By Tan Hui Yee, Correspondent

WHAT does ‘affordable’ mean?

With rising home prices hitting headlines in recent weeks, Singaporeans are falling over themselves trying to pin down affordability.

The Government, which built its reputation housing a nation, has defended its record. It says that public housing is affordable because new home owners use less than 30 per cent of their income to service their housing loans.

While this is persuasive, public scepticism has been just as strong. The gap exists because there is no agreement on what ‘affordability’ means.

The Government feels flats are affordable because those who applied for them will not be paying through their noses. But this, however, does not take into account home seekers priced out of these flats in the first place.

Many home seekers, meanwhile, feel aggrieved because an HDB flat that does not require a long commute to work is getting out of reach.

Furthermore, a study by National University of Singapore economists Tilak Abeysinghe and Gu Jiaying published last year found that the buying power of people’s lifetime earnings in 2007 was lower than it was in 1990 when tracked against the prices of HDB resale flats. By this measure, the prices of HDB resale flats have become less affordable.

The HDB’s pricing system for new flats has also caused suspicion. New flats are priced at a discount from their market value, but this figure - as well as the size of the discount - has never been revealed. What is known is that the HDB bases the market value on the resale price of similar flats in the area. This means new flat prices can be affected by the speculative bubbles that emerge in the wider market. Enhancements made to new flats over the years have also raised prices.

In July’s batch of new premium flats offered in Punggol - which comes with timber and ceramic flooring and toilet fittings - four-room flats were going for a top price of $322,000. This is just $2,500 shy of the median resale price of four-room flats in the same town from April to June.

The response of the authorities to all these? It all boils down to home owners’ expectations, they say. Lower your expectations, live further away from town, or buy a smaller flat.

But perhaps it is time to take a hard look at the HDB’s increasingly conflicting mandates. In a Sept 14 letter to The Straits Times Forum page, the HDB said its ‘key responsibilities are to help first-time home buyers and to ensure flat values are sustained over the long term’.

The HDB undoubtedly had an easier time accomplishing these goals in its early days, when flat owners were largely resettled families who had not quite caught on to the income-generating potential of their homes. Both of the HDB’s goals could then be met rather easily by giving subsidies, keeping estates well maintained, and upgrading them over time.

Today, with the buying, selling and renting of HDB flats supporting an industry, it has become more difficult for the HDB to meet its goals.

The humble flat today is a shelter, an asset, as well as a source of rental and retirement income with the Board’s lease buyback scheme. A flat owner who moves on to a bigger home is entitled to a second subsidised home loan from the Board, while others who sell their first subsidised flat can go back for a second if they pay a levy. The benefits are substantial once someone gets his foot in.

But this cradle-to-grave system has also raised expectations about how much money flat owners can make from their property. People have come to expect that their flat values will rise - indefinitely. They do not seem to realise that this rise has to, to some extent, come at the expense of home seekers down the line. But just like passengers on a plane, they hope it will take off once they get on it.

Such expectations - supported by the HDB’s mandate to sustain flat values - also prevent the housing authority from building too many new flats at any one point in time. If the Board builds enough to satisfy quickly the demand of all home seekers, prices in the resale market will fall.

It was not too long ago that flat owners in Sengkang complained that the surplus of new flats created by the Asian financial crisis was suppressing the value of their homes. But the pendulum these days may have swung too far against the interests of home seekers.

What this means is that the HDB may be forced to prioritise one of its two mandates: Should it focus on helping home seekers own homes, or should it focus on protecting the value of the existing flats of existing home owners?

The Board cannot abandon either goal without political consequences. But it cannot achieve both in equal measure either.

It need not look far for clues about the way out. Former HDB chief executive Niam Chiang Meng declared in 2003 that the Board was going back to basics to improve the workmanship on its flats. Over the next few years, the Board cut out the more elaborate features in its upgrading programmes and focused instead on practical improvements like plugging ceiling leaks.

Why not apply this back-to-basics approach to the HDB’s goals: Provide shelter first before worrying about the values of existing flats?

The HDB could also slowly dismantle the systems that feed into the unreasonable expectations of home owners. For example, eligible households might be limited to just one subsidised flat, or just one housing subsidy, so as to wean people from the assumption that huge profits automatically await every flat owner.

Flat owners, meanwhile, have to realise that there are limits to how far public housing can be commercialised. They certainly cannot demand that the value of their properties appreciate - or even be protected - under any circumstances.

After all, they were all home seekers once, looking for that same leg up on the property ladder as the people who are starting off now.

View Points

WE SAY

Myanmar: Asean stands vindicated

The United States’ willingness to deal directly with the Myanmar junta vindicates Asean’s position of engagement. But like what Asean experienced in its dealings with Yangon, the US cannot expect quick results. What is significant is that Aung San Suu Kyi has also shifted her position towards more flexibility. She and her National League for Democracy must be part of the eventual reform formula. Conversely the military must have a role in a permanent solution.

EDITORIAL

COLUMNS

Learning from the past

Ching Cheong looks at how China’s rulers are trying to draw lessons from the rise and fall of past dynasties.

REVIEW

Gearing up for reform

Why did the United States impose tariffs on Chinese-made tyres? It has more to do with appeasing labour unions in return for their support for health-care reform, says Nayan Chanda.

REVIEW

OUR READER SAYS

Stop Singlish now

The only way to get Singaporeans to speak good English is to stop speaking Singlish, period, says Jessica Walker.

Yen Feng sums up the recommendations at this year’s Asia-Europe Foundation Journalists’ Colloquium.

Santosh Kumar meets an F1 Force India fanatic.

Source : Straits Times - 29 September 2009

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Population rises but at slower pace

Population rises but at slower pace

By Zakir Hussain, Political Correspondent

SINGAPORE’S population is set to rise to five million, although the pace of growth this year is the slowest in four years because of the recession.

There are 4,987,600 people living here, and almost two-thirds - or 3.2 million - are Singapore citizens, according to June 2009 figures released by the Department of Statistics yesterday.

The others are permanent residents (PRs) and foreigners. In this foreign pool of 1.8 million, the number of PRs grew faster - by 12 per cent.

It shot up by 55,000 to 533,200, partly because of many foreigners rushing to be PRs to avoid having to pack up and leave Singapore should they lose their jobs during the downturn.

In contrast, the number of foreigners - which includes family members of foreign workers - rose less sharply to 1.25 million.

This is a rise of 5 per cent, which is much smaller than last year’s 19 per cent increase amid a booming economy.

More than half of these foreigners are transient workers, many of whom do jobs or take shifts that locals avoid.

The bigger foreign pool is cause for cheer, said National University of Singapore sociologist Paulin Straughan.

‘That we managed to grow the population in spite of a downturn and sustained low fertility rate is quite an achievement.

‘This means Singapore remains an attractive destination for those seeking work,’ said Associate Professor Straughan, who is also a Nominated MP.

‘Given that…First World countries are also actively wooing immigrants, we have done well,’ she added.

But the rapid influx of foreigners in the last three years is going to slow down, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong last month when he was addressing some 1,500 undergraduates at the Nanyang Technological University.

The reason: Mr Lee does not expect the economy in the coming years to grow at the red-hot pace that it did in the past several years.

He said he could not envision Singapore, one day, having two million foreign workers. However, he said a sustained, calibrated inflow of immigrants was necessary to safeguard the long-term interest of Singaporeans.

The soaring numbers of foreign manpower have spawned considerable discontent among Singaporeans in recent years.

Many lamented that the newcomers were taking their jobs, while others felt they were not making the effort to integrate, let alone communicate, with locals.

As the economy began to sour late last year, government leaders noted that the number of non-resident workers could dip.

It did not, even though the economy contracted by 3.5 per cent in the second quarter of this year compared to the same period last year.

Yesterday, population analysts interviewed stressed the continuing role foreigners play in growing the economy.

Veteran demographer Saw Swee Hock noted that the population is always expected to grow because it is tied to the need to grow the economy.

From a national point of view, if the population were to fall for several years, it would be a cause for concern, added the professorial fellow at the Institute of South-east Asian Studies.

Demographer Yap Mui Teng, a senior research fellow at the Institute of Policy Studies, noted the continued demand for foreign workers.

For instance, the construction industry is especially hungry for them to work on projects like the integrated resorts. Also, in the service sector, employers complain about the difficulties in recruiting locals, she said.

Added Prof Straughan: ‘Given that our fertility rate is not likely to increase significantly in the near future, it is critical that we are able to remain an attractive destination for immigrants.’

Otherwise, there will be fewer workers in future to shoulder the growing burden of supporting Singapore’s fast-ageing population, she said.

The importance of keeping the door open to foreigners is accentuated by the slew of sombre figures highlighted in the report: An ageing population, a rising proportion of singles, residents marrying later and living longer, and a declining fertility rate.

But Prof Straughan feels employers can also do more by offering flexible work arrangement so that young Singaporeans will have the time to seek life partners, build families and even look after elderly family members.

The latest figures also show a slight change in the ethnic distribution of Singapore citizens and PRs, as a result of low fertility and immigration.

Chinese form 74.2 per cent of the population, down from 76.8 per cent in 2000 and 77.8 per cent in 1990.

Malays make up 13.4 per cent, down from 13.9 per cent (2000) and 14 per cent (1990), while Indians form 9.2 per cent, up from 7.9 per cent (2000) and 7.1 per cent (1990).

Residents who fall outside these categories make up 3.2 per cent of the population, up from 1.4 per cent (2000) and 1.1 per cent (1990).

Source : Straits Times - 29 September 2009

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