Despite Secretary-General of the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) Chee Soon Juan claiming credit, it is unclear if residents of Blocks 115 and 119 in Marsiling Rise will have upgraded lifts after a petition was created by an SDP member.

Chee said in a Facebook post on Jan. 16:

"Woke up to the great news that the good people at Blks 115 and 119, Marsiling Drive will be getting their lifts upgraded after a fight of more than 10-years. Congratulations, your hard work paid off!"

Chee also thanked those who signed the online petition for the lift upgrade, even if they were not residents of that estate, saying that it was a good example of Singaporeans supporting each other, despite not benefiting directly.

In response to Mothership queries about the progress of lift upgrading, Member of Parliament (MP) Ong Teng Koon said:

"There is no official announcement from MND and HDB.

I am optimistic that MND and HDB will be able to find a solution to overcome the current cost and technical constraints regarding LUP for Blk 115 and 119."

CNA video inaccessible

Information about a lift upgrading in Marsiling first made the rounds on Facebook.

https://www.facebook.com/abdul.s.harun/posts/10157397966474702

A video by CNA on its YouTube page, titled, "Two HDB blocks in Marsiling to undergo lift upgrading", was shared by a SDP politician and another supporter.

However, the link to the video appears to be inaccessible as of Jan. 16, 2pm.

Petition started

On Jan. 13, the SDP explained in a Facebook post how the petition started.

The lifts of Blocks 115 and 119 do not stop on every floor, causing inconvenience to the residents.

The SDP also claimed that appeals by residents to their Member of Parliament (MP) Ong Teng Koon and National Development Minister Lawrence Wong went "nowhere".

On Dec. 4, 2019, the SDP asked Wong about the lifts, but the Ministry of National Development said they would "look into the matter".

The SDP said that a flyer from Ong was distributed after they raised the matter.

The SDP also claimed that Ong did not meet with the residents to discuss the issue.

Bryan Lim, the SDP's Treasurer, drew up a petition on behalf of the residents, which received 100 signatures in an afternoon.

On Jan. 14, the SDP shared a video on Facebook from its YouTube channel depicting a resident named Zohra, who has a disability and needs assistance getting around.

It also included a link to an online petition, addressed to Lawrence Wong.

The SDP said on Jan. 15 that it submitted the residents' petition to Wong, as well as alerting him to the online petition.

Delay due to technical considerations and excessive costs

Lianhe Zaobao reported on the lift situation on Jan. 15.

In their article (paywalled), MP Ong said the reason for the delay is due to the layout and terrain of the two HDB blocks, which resulted in excessive renovation costs.

Ong also highlighted that there are restrictions on the cost of upgrading lifts, and that the estimated cost of upgrading the lifts for these two HDB flats had exceeded the restrictions.

Using Block 115 as an example, he highlighted that the overall cost of upgrading the lift was higher as the HDB flat was built on a hillside and had a unique architectural design.

He added that the grassroots have been cooperating with the relevant authorities to help the residents relocate.

Ong said: "We have been reporting to the authorities for many years, hoping to find an ideal solution, and the authorities have also been conducting in-depth research. I believe the upgrading of the lifts is only a matter of time."

Ong: Not something that can be done in a few weeks

Speaking to Mothership, Ong said that finding a good solution to a "complex financial and technical problem" takes time and hard work.

When asked if the lift upgrades are the result of the petitions, Ong said: "This is definitely not something that can be done in a few weeks or a few emails."

"Resident's concerns have always been at the top of our minds, I have been working with MND (Ministry of National Development) and HDB for quite some time now to try to find a solution."

Ong also said that the agencies have been "intently" studying the issue, and that he remains optimistic that they will be able to find a way past the present costs and technical constraints.

He also thanked MND and HDB staff for working to solve the issues.

Ong has visited Blocks 115 and 119

Responding to the SDP's claim that Ong did not go down to meet with the residents personally after they raised the matter, he said:

"My grassroots leaders and myself have been walking the ground and listening to residents' feedback and concerns since 2011. I have visited Blk 115 and 119 countless times over the past eight years."

Ong added:

"My heart goes out to the aged and disadvantaged residents with mobility problems. While not ideal, we have managed to help some of these residents to relocate to new BTOs with lifts.

But I can understand why many prefer not to move, and that’s why I have been continuing to push MND/HDB for the lift upgrading."

Ong also shared a video on the lift upgrading to Facebook, which you can see below:

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Top image from Google Street View and SDP's Facebook page.