The Nimby List

We have all heard about the White Horse list and the Flying Dragon list of the SAF. One, the White Horse contains the names of sons of the elite (politicians and possibly well connected businessmen) who allegedly are given preferential treatment during their NS stints.

To this I would venture that there is yet another less well known list and given the current discord in the community, I would call it the: Nimby List. This is the list containing the residential addresses of again, politicians, highly placed civil servants and well connected businessmen.

This list should be well known among the top echelons of organisations like the SLA (Singapore Land Authority), URA (Urban Redevelopment Authority) and the LTA (Land & Transport Authority). They might not know who exactly the residents of these locations are, but these areas are likely blacked out in their planning maps.

There is a 'magical force field' around these properties where road and MRT developments, even those much needed for you know: "progress" would magically veer away. These properties will never have their front gardens slashed when the existing two lane road gets expanded to four lanes unlike those of people not on the list. In fact, if a planned MRT track needed to make a 90 degree turn to avoid such a Nimby list property, it would be so rather than inconvenience the residents of such a property on the Nimby list.

If you happen to be a newbie LTA engineer and didn't know to avoid certain areas, you can kiss your career goodbye if your plans jeopardised the ambience of any such Nimby list properties. If you are a property developer (and not in the inner circle) and wanted to develop a super skyscraper condo that would overshadow such a Nimby list property, you will probably find that your plans are mysteriously misplaced and building approval equally mysteriously delayed...indefinitely.

The local media who showed such initiative in ferreting out the business dealings of Mr Png Eng Huat should apply their skills in finding out how many (if any) of our politicians and senior civil servants have been 'inconvenienced' as a result of development of roads, eldercare nursing homes etc... Lead by example they say. I think a multi-story nursing home built next to a certain residence in Oxley Road would be a start, don't you agree? :)