A fairer, better alternative to the queue?

Many organisations adopt the queue to decide on priority for a high demand product, such as:

* walk in selection of HDB flat
* a place in a choice primary school
* selection of a choice unit in a property launch

In some cases, a queue may be formed one or two days before the opening time. Security personnel are required to ensure the proper behaviour of the people int he queue. This is wasteful.

In a recent case, there is suspicion that news of the selection process may have leaked out, giving some applicants an unfair advantage over the other applications.

There is a better way to handle allocation of priority. Here are the steps:

* collect the application from the people who are interested
* allocate an application number to each application received before the closing date.
* draw the application numbers, either manually or through a computerised balloting system
* the drawing process can be audited to ensure that it is done transparently and fairly.

I hope that the relevant organisation can implement a better alternative to the queue.

Tan Kin Lian