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A ‘chope’ culture – how rushing to get ahead leads to longer BTO queues and rising COE prices
The habit of outbidding others creates a high-pressure, high-cost society that creates problems for all.
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When it comes to policy design, there is a growing sense that rules need to be tweaked for Singapore to shift from a hyper-competitive, to a more equitable society, says the writer.
ST PHOTO: KUA CHEE SIONG
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A few months into living in Perth, I realised how Singaporean I remain, when the kiasu beast rose in me, unbidden.
I was at a new Malaysian noodle eatery where a long queue was forming at the front desk. I took one look at the packed premises, and spied a couple vacating their table. Quick as a flash, I rushed over to the table and plonked my handbag down to “chope” or reserve the table, and asked my dining companion to sit there, before I joined the queue to order.
