Ever since the jolting announcement by MAS to impose cut-throat restrictions on car loan amount and tenure, I've learnt to appreciate and savour every single moment of convenience brought along by my car. The mobility which I've enjoyed thus far has buttressed itself in my daily life and dissociating it from my life is almost close to impossible.
We are well aware that the current COE prices have skyrocketed to astronomical figures and that the current land infrastructural system may not be able to support the burgeoning volume of vehicles plying the roads. Furthermore, the quality and reliability of public transport system remains yet another contentious topic often raised in kopitiam talks. I am not dismissing these issues lightly. Transport woes are closely tied to societal dynamics and I thought that there may be a host of confounding factors contributing to the current state of affairs. In my humble opinion, a suite of policies addressing different factors may be developed and introduced to target the issues. In addition, each policy may assume a more gentler tone and when collectively implemented, would achieve similar desired outcomes too.
Anyway, my car will be due in 4 years time. Initially, I still harbour the slightest hope of getting another car after the deadline, albeit a 2nd hand one. My slightest hope was extinguished by the abrupt motion put forth to bring a halting stop to the fleet from flying off the car showrooms. I can almost imagine our poor fellas swatting flies over at the showroom! Having a car for me is never a luxury; it's a convenience, especially when you have a little one-cum-a stroller in tow. But I must also agree that convenience sometimes breeds indolence and I'm guilty of that too! So, I'm not sure how I would snap back to the good o' times of squeezing into jam-packed public transport entities. Ironically, it seems as though I may be regressing vis-a-vis a developed and robustly advancing nation state!
Well, the only consolation that I have is that ILT would be 5 years old by then and hence, our circumstance then would not necessitate the ownership of a car. At press time, I am still cracking my head to think of an ingenious way to circumvent this ruling. Do share with me if you have a trick or two up your sleeves!
P/S: Please note that I am sharing my views and opinions in my own capacity as a concerned citizen ;)
"Prince of Peace" or "PoP" in short, captures all the experiences encountered along my journey as a new mum. Encapsulating the different facets of a mum's emotions - the beliefs, fears, motivations, aspirations, disappointments, joy etc. of raising a child in Singapore and more aptly, in today's world.
