Reminds me of the parliamentary debate on the Public Assistance issue between Lily Neo and MCYS Minister Vivian Balakrishnan:

Dr Lily Neo: Sir, I want to check with the Minister again when he said on the strict criteria on the entitlement for PA recipients. May I ask him what is his definition of “subsistence living”? Am I correct to say that, out of $260 per month for PA recipients, $100 goes to rental, power supply and S&C and leaving them with only $5 a day to live on? Am I correct to say that any basic meal in any hawker centre is already $2.50 to $3.00 per meal? Therefore, is it too much to ask for just three meals a day as an entitlement for the PA recipients?

Dr Vivian Balakrishnan: How much do you want? Do you want three meals in a hawker centre, food court or restaurant?

Someone should send this video to Vivian Balakrishnan.

Another gem from the MCYS Minister:

“That is why, yesterday, I said that I am not here to argue for a bigger budget for MCYS, although I also showed Members yesterday that the budget is increasing at a very significant rate. But I am more focused on the policies, the rules, the systems and organisational roles than on absolute sums.

It is very easy for me to stand here and say, “I can double public assistance”, and try to persuade my Cabinet colleagues to agree to that. But, in my heart of hearts, I will know that it is wrong and that, ultimately, it will short change the very poor that we are trying to help and the entire group of people called Singaporeans.”

Martyn See has this uncanny ability to evoke tears in a political film …

PAP only reward those who benefit them or curry favour them.
They simply want Singaporeans to help the poor. The plight of cleaners was highlighted in newspaper. This show how their mentality towards them. It is already 42 years of independence, but this sort of thing still exists in Singapore.

Modern Singapore demands that we work as long as we can. One must take good care of ourselves and not fall sick. We must not depend on others to dictate our lives. Some people are more concern about their next pay rise and price hikes than what we are struggling with.

Anyone noticed even foreigners are doing the same. The old folks have to contend with competition from foreigners who are also picking drink cans and digging through the trash.

All hail the PAP’s open door policy!

The PM makes $3.1 million a year.

$258,000.00 a month.

$8,611.00 a day.

You think he knows what it’s like to pick cardboards for 12 cents a kilo?

When Lily Neo asked for a few extra dollars, Vivian Balakrishnan gave all kinds of excuses – “we must not erode the work ethics”, “do you want to eat in a hawker, foodcourt or restaurant?”.

Lim Boon Heng even said, recently, that giving money to families who needed help “cheapens” the act of helping.

These are the types of ministers we are paying millions of dollars to. Ministers who would give all kinds of excuses, reasons and arguments to avoid giving our elderly, old and sick a few dollars more.

It makes one sick to the stomach.

dangerous videos.. later they want to get rid of “poverty scenes” they might ask the police to take care of the elderly at the void deck la… then they really no place to slp.. u know? anything to make singapore “poverty free”

what a brutal truth !

If people want to continue to vote PAP for whatever reason – afraid of losing out on HDB upgrading for example – then Singapore deserves the government they get! Look at the crowds of people that turn out to support PAP candidates during the General Elections! They are responsible for this!

We have ourselves to blame because we not willing to do anything radical but to continue to be intimidate by MIW and govWhoKnowItsBest. If you are not going to determine the fate of gov, the gov will determine your fate.

It’s really just that simple.

As highlighted by Lily Neo, there are some PAP MPs who do care for the poor but their hands are tied by the party. What is needed is to have more opposition MPs who also really care for the plight of the poor so that the govt cannot just simply pass whatever policies they come up with.

Start a People’s Self-Help Fund, pressure will be put on whole society to change the current no-welfare approach which continues to allow government to over-tax withhold services and practise all sorts of indirect taxes and profiteering schemes over lands claiming the direct tax as the cheapest.

what perfect timing to release this film ard national day. a perfect slap on our morally corrupted leeders.

I can’t believe that they have the nerve to say with straight faces that poverty does not exist in Singapore. I really wonder where they usually hang around.

I got so stirred with emotions watching the video I even decided to put my ranting as a blog post on my site. Hope it drives even more awareness about the “REAL” Singapore. Those of you who use StumbleUpon might wanna try stumbling the video.

Maybe the ‘peanut’ owners can throw some peanuts around to help.