As Singapore’s 43rd National Day approaches, we remember those who are less fortunate, especially the elderly.
In this video, film-maker Martyn See captures some of the things which our elderly folks do, either to make a living or to ‘pass time’.
Have a look at Nation Builders, if you haven’t seen it. It’s a touching and poignant film. A timely reminder to us that we should do what we can to help alleviate the disenchantment which our older folks may feel.
The film has been submitted to the authorities for approval. They have yet to give it.
Please also use the email feature to email this to your friends.
I would like to know, as a citizen:
HOW MUCH IS SPENT ON NATIONAL DAY PARADE? TOTAL TRANSPARENT COST.
Anyone knows where to get this information?
I mean with all these weekly ‘rehearsals’, comes with fireworks? where is the funding from?
Seeing this clip reminds me about an incident yesterday at People’s Park Centre Food Court…
A 30+ years, heavily accented Chinese lady came up to ask for the empty soft drink can. I was wondering if she is a PR or on a work permit? Why are we admitting foreigners who need to resort to this trade (competing with the already poor) and probably cannot make ends meet with the salary reported in the official documents when they come in?
Shame to our garmen, is this a swiss standard MM was talking about? They are the poineer “elderly” who help to build up our nation yet ended up to this stage. Very very sad. Long long way to become 1st world nation.
Speakers Cornered, a nicely done film by Martyn See is one that moved me a lot.
it gave me clearer understanding of the system.
Now that its cleared by the Censors , I hope everyone gets to see it and then judge for themselves.
Apathy is simply ignorance in disguise.
Any issue can be political and this means a 1st world citizen must also take up responsibility to help ensure what is wrong is made right to the best of our ability.
You are living in the dark if you are not aware that you can make a difference.
Dear kansin, the film has not been cleared by the Censors yet.
It has only been submitted for approval.
I can relate to what TheSS wrote.
Why do they continue to allow foreigners to compete with our older folks?
They have lost their jobs as cleaners to younger ladies from China. Now they have to fight tooth and nail for aluminium cans and carton boxes, even with young Chinese male foreign talents.
The local karang guni men are also having a tough time competing with foreign rag and bone men.
Some wear white, have another song and dance on 9 August to celebrate the pay increase of the elites in white. Maybe some will wear black to mourn for the sufferings of aluminium cans and carton collectors and other less fortunate nation builders!
And while the whites shirts and pants are celebrating, I hope they realise that the million dollars salary they have and the money they throw away at Merrill Lynch and other banks come from the hard work of nation builders. Yes, the money comes from their taxes, their CPF and the price they pay for HDB flats, the Service and Conservancy charges they pay, among others!
Now we know what reserves and surpluses are for :)
feedmetothefish
feedmetothefish,
no wonder they never tell us about the reserves. Look like the reserves are get negative. We should have heed President Ong’s warning sign.
We are hurting? How do think our minority brothers and sisters are feeling?
The Straight Times this morning reports the “good news” that more elderly are working. As what? Oh, cleaners, etc, mostly low-paid, low-skilled jobs.
All these people who have built this nation to what it is today (not you, old Lee), they are the characters who build up the Singapore story (claimed by an overpaid minister who overinflated his own contribution and overpaid himself).
Well, sorry, all you other old folks. You have to upgrade yourself, don’t expect the government to feed you, because they just spent a few millions dollar helping the US to settle its subprime woes.
Some happy national day for you!
The PAP will do their song and dance with each other, whilst the elderly folks will be cleaning toilets, clearing tables at foodcourts, clearing up the rubbish left behind on national day. I hope the PAP national day organizers will supply refreshments in cans and cardboxes so that the elderly folks who collect such items for a living can benefit.
The Straits Times reported the ‘good news’ that more elderly folks are working, this is to coincide with more low skill manpower needed for the PAP national day song and dance. Perhaps the song and dance should be more frequent to provide job opportunities to the elderly.
I actually cried after watching the youtube vid. I lost a job in early March. I couldn’t tell my wife about it because I know she would react even more emotionally than I. She would worry as she is a housewife and she does not know how else she can contribute if I do not work. So while I was waiting for positive replies to the 40 plus applications I made, I kept the pretence of going to work everyday for 4 months. I even had to take out loans from my insurance policies. From being a totally debtless person, now I have debts to pay. Luckily, I got a new job in late June. I really sympathise with people who have financial problems. I just don’t know what our MM was trying to say when he said Singapore is on the up and up. I won’t be watching the NDP again because I won’t allow myself to be mass hypnotised like the rest.
This is really sad. So sad. All you can do is sigh. Where has this government’s conscience gone to? What a first world country this is.
About seven years back, a taxi driver who was by the taxi company in which he was driving as a relief driver .He did the same thing, hiding that fact from his wife who had just delivered a baby. He only revealed the truth when she persistently requested a crib for the growing baby. She found that out one morning and jumped to her death that very afternoon. Reacting to the publicity of her death, the company offered his job back. As far as I knew, he took the offer for I guess, survival of what was left of his family came first. As for the top management at the helm during this sad episode, I know for a fact that they are still there and had since been promoted.
I missed out “terminated” by the taxi company. Sorry.
Young nation indeed.
I agree with the ST letter by See Leong Kit.
I wonder how much properous could the dot be if the geography is much like nations affected by earth quake?
Would it not affect the economy?
Tell me with your conscions that geography is not one of the reasons for prosperity.
SUPPORT WEAR BLACK! I no longer watch NDP. I only catch the fireworks kinda think of my money burning out in brilliant colors. This gahmen is pathetic and loveless. It is very cruel to see the old folks working at this age something is indeed very wrong morally. Why are there no aid given to them? Why are there billions of dollars aid helping foreign banks? Why not helping your own citizens? Why? Please answer my questions, dear PM! Please tell it to all your citizens this NDP why such sadness exists and why we citizens had to swallow bitter pills always.
FG
NDP Stands for National Dogs Parade
It lifeless – the only celebration is for the men in white who are souless
and do not feel for the people who are suffering while they throw many lavish dinners to celebrate that they are still in power
Like all nations great and small the oppress would take control soon
Look at the mighty Egyptian empire where the people were force to build the pyramid for the Pharoah the demise of the empire would soon happen once the old quirk goes
Very sad. :(
P.S. Thank you for this report and video….. It shows what the mainstream media is not actually telling.
Ahsayman , is that story abt the taxi driver true ? Cos it is really sad to read that. I just read in sammyboy recently about a 15 yr old who was caught begging and jumped to his death while the police was taking him back to his home home. Seems it was in the chinese evening newspapers; but not in the Straits Times…I hope the taxi driver in your story and the baby are doing better today…
so sad
Please call Comfort Transportation, enforcement section if you want to know if it’s true. I hope you’ll get my reply because I’m rather doubtful about this forum’s objectivity. If the media’s reports of that tragedy had vanished from all archives, start emailing your eternal gratitude and support to the cabinet immediately. I’ll then be in Le’ grande Whitley.
Its not the NKF or Ren Ci video clips showing the patients that breaks my heart, Its this video that breaks my heart………..
I am with you Opeth. I saw it many many many times cos they’re always near this temple in Bugis… :(
“So sad” I saw that lady and the boy 2 years ago in Ang Mo Kio Central. She was still able to walk and she was so skinny you could almost see her jaw bones. She was talking to her son in Mandarin,”Ah boy ar, where are you? Where do you think you’re going?” He took out his transitlink card and told his mother politely that he was running ahead to top up his card. The lady must be very sick but it didn’t cross my mind back then. They didn’t seek help from others. I am a little suspicious cos how could he bear to leave his mum? No foul play??
Will Lee Hsieng Loong and his cousin-in- law Wong Kan Seng bother to find out more about this case? I’m not being very original, I’ll have to admit in providing nothing further than ” what to do, it happens, let’s move on.” I’m not holding my breath. There is no God.
Ahsayman, I don’t think any of us are holdin our breath. They won’t “find out” or “investigate” cos they already know…but are clearly “doing other more important matters” or…..
If you remember the other celebrities didn’t take action till Angelina Jollie donated some 8 million US$. Cos who wants to look worser than their peers right? I don’t see ANY PAP MP doin anything….so why should the uppers do anything? Just 1 of the factors that didn’t push the uppers to do anything I think!
Quoted by feedmetothefish,”Why do they continue to allow foreigners to compete with our older folks?
They have lost their jobs as cleaners to younger ladies from China. Now they have to fight tooth and nail for aluminium cans and carton boxes, even with young Chinese male foreign talents.
The local karang guni men are also having a tough time competing with foreign rag and bone men.”
Foreigners especially from China are not closely monitored cos I know many are working here while on social visits – I just didn’t blow my whistle!
Ahsayman, no worries – none are holding our breath. :)
When Angelina Jollie donated 8 million US$ to 3rd world countries, it made her peers look bad. The rest (Hollywood celebrities) started donating to different causes.
The only way that the ‘uppers’ will act (“investigate or do something”) is when they look bad.
I felt so nauseated that such abject poverty still exists in a 1st World nation, SIN. I’ll be forwarding the video to all SIN-ans abroad as well as hundreds of locals on my mailing list. And I’m sure they’ll feel worse as they’re nearer home to see how our beloved Seniors are scrounging garbage bins for carton boxes, newspapers, etc., clearing food centers tables of pop cans, sleeping under staircases and walkways, etc. What a pathetic sight and a curse on your multi-million dollar leaders and elites in public service.
I’ve been to Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Hong Kong, China, Nepal, India, Africa, South America, Europe, etc and have seen the poorest of the poor living in slums, shanty villages and towns and remote regions. What I saw on your video really flabbergasted me and never knew such utter misery, poverty, helplessness and hopelessness litter the streets in properous and plentiful SIN with 77,000 millionaires besides being the second richest country in the region. If it happens in those places I’d visited, I can understand BUT not in SIN!!!
I trust those of you who have seen the video and you’ve just an inkling of conscience touching you, do something for these unfortunate and dilapidated Seniors who were once the forunners of SIN’s nation-building and nationhood.
I remember the former harbinger PM. GCT, now SM, promised to make SIN a more gracious, compassionate and caring society and for such Senior vagabonds to be roaming the streets for a morsel of food and a drop of water is completely insane and diabolically evil and cruel to humanity.
The pursuit of filthy lucre in SIN today must have blinded the rich and powerful Mandarin class from seeing the scums on SIN soil. I appeal to each and every caring, compassionate and concerned SIN-an across the oceans and continents to make a DIFFERENCE to each of these and all the homeless SENIORS in your community. YOU CAN, YES, YOU CAN!!!
Ebenezeron, I am with you except the poverty scene isn’t limited to just seniors. Most people do not know because the very poor don’t talk about it and rarely do they seek help. Sometimes those who’ve seeked help…well, THEIR relatives/kids pocket the money (government subsidies)!
Social workers (most) aren’t doing the best in their jobs (I have first-hand experience with them since my family has 2 adopted children),
If you check census.gov (by comparison) our most lowly-paid Singaporean employees (in Singapore) is earning lesser than those 20% of the “bottomest-paid” in the USA. Here it’s about SG$4 to $5 per hour of work; in USA it’s US$5.15/hour which translates to about SG$8.90/hour.
kelly, you cant compare the pay dollar for dollar. the cost of living in the US might be higher. and several other factors like cheap rental flats, etc.
Anyways, does anyone know any Karang Guni man?? Or where they stake out? I need to do an interview with them. I’m doing a write up due in 3 days time. do help me out. thanks a million.
mintaeo@yahoo.com.sg