Andrew Loh
Along Serangoon Road, her fragile frame bends as she reaches into the trash bin.
In Little India, the tiny woman with her hunched back draws nothing more than a few nonchalant passing stares.
She had earlier emerged from a crowd of pedestrians, clutching two plastic bags, one in each hand, containing unwanted soft drink cans. Perhaps fearing other scavengers like herself in the area, she quickens her steps towards the bin placed by the side of the road. As traffic rushes, she pauses. She lays the two bags on the ground. She peers into the trash and dips her hand into the green-coloured refuse container. As she does so, her face brushes against the top of the soiled bin.
She spends quite an amount of time going through the content looking for that one or two precious discard which she could sell for a few cents later. It is a warm afternoon and the nearby shopping malls are filled with foreign workers and shoppers. But no one pays the woman any mind.
A man walks up to the bin. He spits into it. He walks away. The woman continues rummaging.
She finds nothing. She picks up her bags, looks around for a bit, and limps away, disappearing into the crowd which she had emerged from.
Several minutes later, a man, about 50-plus, draws up to the same trash bin. He looks into it, dips his hand as the elderly woman had done earlier, but with more urgency. He finds nothing and hurries off.
He would later make a second attempt.
I understood the elderly woman’s fear of the presence of other scavengers.
*****
Shaw House (Lido theatre) is a glitzy place, where shoppers and cinema-goers abound, even late in the night.
“Hi Andrew. Kaixiong and I are near Lido and we saw this old lady who seems to be selling all that she has,” my friend Rachel Zeng said to me in a text message at about 10.30pm. “It’s so sad. We saw her earlier near the escalator and then she is now on the main walkway,” she said. “Don’t know what to do, so sending you a message in case you might want to come down to talk to her or something…”
Under the lights of Shaw House in Orchard’s shopping belt, Mdm Tan (not her real name) stands waiting. Her wares are displayed on two plastic bags on the ground. She is hoping to make a few sales from the tin of Milo, several packets of instant noodles, some canned food, a box of salt, packets of tissue papers, among other assorted goods.
“I am selling these to help pay for my living expenses,” she says to me in Chinese, referring to the three main items she has to pay for every month – her service and conservancy charges, utilities and the rental for her one-room flat. It all comes to about $50 to $70, she tells me. How much does she make from plying her products on the street, which she tells me she has been doing for the past one year? Mdm Tan doesn’t want to say. “It’s barely enough,” is all she would offer.
“I am almost 80,” she says in Teochew, as I noticed the fingers on both her hands. They are deformed from the arthritis which she suffers from, not unlike those in these pictures. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthritis ) “I’ve had this for years now,” she explains. “It’s painful whether there is rain or not,” she says when I asked if the weather made the pain worse. How does she manage to lug two full plastic bags of goods, which include canned food, to Orchard? “Slowly,” she smiles. “I take the bus.” Besides the obvious physical obstacles she has to overcome, she sometimes also has to contend with zealous health inspectors from the National Environment Agency (NEA). Relating several stories of her encounters to me, she was particularly annoyed with one. “Once, this tigu (health inspector) came up to me and warned me, ‘You have five minutes to pack your things and leave this place!’ I showed him my hands and told him, ‘Look at my fingers. How can I pack up in five minutes?’” Another instance saw an NEA officer threaten to confiscate her cans of condensed milk, which she had displayed for sale in the streets, if she didn’t pack up and leave. But by and large, Mdm Tan says most of the officers have been sympathetic towards her.
Her arthritic condition has made it almost impossible for her to find a job. “Who would want to hire someone so old and whose hands can no longer work?” she asks. “My hands are weak. I can’t even grasp things properly with them.” Her arthritis is also evident in her knees. She walks with a heavy limp. “When I go to the temple to pray,” she pauses and then says with a hint of sadness, “I can’t even kneel.”
She no longer sees the doctor for her condition as she cannot afford their fees. I ask about her previous job and if she has savings in her CPF. “I am almost 80. I couldn’t work since I was 50-plus because of my arthritis,” she tells me. “My CPF have all been withdrawn throughout the years since.”
As we spoke, a caucasian man approaches her for a pack of tissues. He pays her $2. A little while later, a young Singaporean girl too wants a pack of tissues. “Buy something from her,” I urge. “She’s just trying to make a living.” She declines but gave Mdm Tan $4 for the single pack.
Mdm Tan has never married and thus has no children. She devotes most of her time to visiting the Buddhist temple at Kim Yam Road, which is near her home. “We are all sinners when we come into this world,” her eyes sparkle when she speaks of her religion. “There are precepts we must follow in order to live a good life.” Her one fervent hope is that when her time arrives, she would be able to reunite with “those very nice people at the temple” who have gone before her.
It was almost midnight. Rachel suggests we buy her dinner as Mdm Tan has not eaten. I agree. The four of us then proceeded to a coffeeshop near where Mdm Tan lives.
“Have you approached your MP for help? I am sure you qualify for public assistance,” I said to her over dinner. “Yes, I have,” she replies, “but no use.” Mdm Tan told me that a letter was distributed to all the flats in her block, informing residents that they could apply for public assistance. “But when I asked a friend to explain the letter to me, I found that it was very hard to fulfill the criterias,” she said. One of the conditions for qualifying for assistance was that applicants should not be able to perform at least two of six daily activities, such as dressing or bathing or feeding oneself. The MCYS has since relaxed these criterias. I tell Mdm Tan about this. “No use. It’s the same,” she says. “I have to fill in so many forms and all. No, better not ask for money. It’s a hassle.”
As we walk her home to her flat at about 2am, Mdm Tan urges me to attend some of the sessions at the temple. “It’s very good. They also have it in English if you don’t understand Chinese,” she informs me. I told her I may drop in on one of them.
In the long corridor of the 14th floor of her block, we finally bade her goodnight, as she closes the door and gets some well-deserved rest.
Tomorrow, she repeats her routine.
———
*Special thanks to Rachel Zeng and Chong Kai Xiong.
Picture of Shaw House from Wikipedia.
Picture of Serangoon Plaza from Images of Singapore.
——–
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What to do, we are living in a sad place
Yup, and this case won’t be the last.
I saw this same old lady too at Orchard underpass, many times. It really saddened me everytime I walked pass her and I would tell my wife that I can’t imagine if this old lady is my own mom and my wife would just walk back and offer her some money. I can’t help but observed the no. of such cases are on the rise as these folks are getting older and older as the years passed by them. Are the $millionaire elites going to fold their arms and pretend nothing happened? Don’t forget you people don’t just exist here through some kind of immortal reincarnation, you also do have parents too.
Dear All,
Can we see – they make it so difficult for you to apply for assistance. This is my understanding and conclusion – that the difficulty is erected for purpose, that is to discourage people from applying for assistance, and when people are turned off by it, then the authorities wont get the blame, and blame on assistance seekers.
There was once I heard recently in Jurong west area couple of months back. I vaguely remembered it was also gahmen giving something like transportation something for senior citizens, and a friend told me so many people got to Q-up (which I guess is done on purpose again) and yet there was insufficient manpower to get things done fast. My friend said, he endured the long Q as his mum needed the money/voucher.
Lastly remembered the poor chap died in the, was it the Clementi mrt tracks – and some officials were commenting so many help schemes are available, it neeed not have to happen.
So its not suprising plenty of schemes are available, but it didnt say its easily available.
Where did our 2% extra GST gone after the last election? I thought many ministers were singing praises about it, shouting to their “lord”, that GST is heaven’s gift and no one in the world has such passionate gesture from our govt?
Shortly after the hike announcement, the ministers’ pay increase like nobody businesses and even justify such action help to prevent corruptions?
We even witnessed Lily Neo confronting a couple of nonchalant ministers-in-charge on behalf of the poor and elderly but yied nothing more than her mounting frustrations for a listening ear.
The outcome, of all the above episodes, is more can pickers, cardboard stackers, tibits sellers, an alternate form of strenous begging by frailed and elderly folks who are supposed to enjoy themselves during the prime of their life for building this nation.
Don’t forget LHL, during his national day speech, urged Singaporean to be more gracious and I have yet to see them coming from his team. Forms filling is really a hassle, to deter the poor from seeking help, especially those old and uneducated folks who can’t see or write properly. Why kept creating obstacles for those people genuinely trying to make ends meet? If educated interviewees and businessmen have to struggle themselves with similar bureacracy of filling up forms after forms of paperworks, we can easily understand how these poor people faced.
Someday, if I see similar predicament in orchard road, I might as well drop the poor a $10 bill to help her tied over the day though how I wish billion of dollars were not thrown into endless pit to save ailing banks but ailing folks instead. Isn’t this what taxpayers money are for to help our own citizen in need?
What is most important to note is the said elderly woman who also appears to be spiritual at heart despite being poor. That alone makes her a greater mortal than people drawing millions for doing nothing.
Mr. Andrew Loh,
My eyes welled when I read your story. I salute you for your story and will be dropping by Shaw House tomorrow hopefully to pass some cash to the lady.
I’ve seen the hunch-back lady you mentioned in Little India numerous times when I shop at Mustafa. Tried to give her couple of dollars before but she refused. She could have easily begged, but didn’t resort to that. She has lots of pride, and I respect her for that.
Well done and please keep writing on such matters so that more readers will be able to understand the worsening situation of the huge income gap, and that alot of our elderly folks are living in conditions beyond comprehension.
Why is the Singapore govt not giving subsidized food and living to this woman?
There are plenty of destitute old people. Where is the HELP that should be given to them?
What? Just let them die? Disgraceful. This old woman needs help!
Go Orchard Rd……see 1st. Class Shopping belt and watch 3rd World performers as basking by blind and handicapped earning a decent living and what a sight?…………..God help those who help themselves! wonder how many of the retrenched will jump the gueue???
Social safety net, compassion for the weaker ones in our society, hidden social cost or whatever we call it, it is a sin for the government to do nothing for these poor people!!
In the sense of …
–No free lunch in Singapore mentality.
–You die your own business.
–work hard and self reliance. take care of yourself.
–If cannot make it, jump from HDB.
While the King is eating and sleeping naked comfortably in his Istana Palace.
And his Prince and Princess-in-Law serenade the whole with hundreds of billions of the peasants’ hard-earned sweat and blood money, as if its their own.
With elitist eunuchs running around behaving like mini-kings to do their biddings
So that the peasants are deprived, depraved, depressed and dead.
This is a real first world country – in the Kingdom of Hades!
very sad
She don’t qualify for workfare. What to do?
80 STILL NEED TO MAKE A LIVING, VERY SAD
what is the use of having a Public Assiatance Scheme if the criteria to qualify is such a hassle for this poor old lady to comply, really our elected MP should have a heart and speak out for such people
Remember if we want to be first world, our thinking must also be first world and not otherwise
Not only is PA hard to qualify, the place for application is pretty inaccessible.
To date there are only 5 centres that one can go to for the application. mainly Central, North East, North West, South East & South West.(http://www.mcys.gov.sg/web/serv_E_PA.html)
Since these qualifiers are the old, sick and unable to work or cannot fulfil 2/ 6 ADLS (Mobility, Toileting, Washing, Transferring, Feeding and Dressing)…how are they going to get down to the place to apply???
I had mentioned this point in my blog post before that is Budget 2009 mentioned the increase in PA assistance which is good but if its highly impossible to qualify and to apply for it, what’s the point?
Commoners like us who can still spare a few dollars can still help these genuinely suffering old folks. Whatever help you render will render immediate relieve; any form of assistance from the gahmen will take time.
As to why help is not readily available, the answers are likely to be one of the following:
-if anyone is desperate enough, they will take the trouble to go through the necessary procedures — Filling forms too cumbersome = not desperate enough
- Applicants should do due diligence to fill the forms and provide the information required for assessment when they expect help —- What do you expect, money to be send to your doorstep without know anything about you?
- There is a long queue of applicants with differing extent of financial difficulties and it is important to assess and prioritize. How much help does a family struggling with 4 kids deserve? Is it fair to couples (who are also tax payers) who choose to live within their means and have lesser/ no children?
- Above all the gahmen is not Santa
The PM is paid $10,000 a day, this amount can support this old lady for a year, it is very sad to see the disparity of a supper rich elite who is paid by the tax-payers and a poor old citizen who has to toil for a living.
To Cathy
” Above all the gahmen is not Santa”
Your comments sounds logical. I believe majority sane people here are not saying to do away with due deligence – in fact what you are saying might not be due deligence in the way you said it If I may say so – you probably refer to accountability and admin proceedures to maintain aid being given to rightful recipients.
The issue is – billions of dollars seems to be lost arosing from professional preinvestment due deligence, and the assistance here pales significantly to all these billions of paper losses (it possiboly could be realised losses 20-30 years later, or even lesser, in 3 years ?)
Thus why make it ‘that’ difficult for desperate people. And can you define how desperate is desperate enough?
And what due deligence you are talking about?
Lastly, certain matters are issues of the heart, and also certain issues are moral issues – please tell us what are the steps for due deligence that you wish to do and that you can do?Just one illustration, when your lover say “I love you” do you do due deligence? Can you?
I think I know which old lady (Mdm Tan) you are talking about. I gave her a few dollars for a packet of tissue once. Thanks you for reporting this news TOC. I will give her some money everytime I see her at Orchard Road.
Commenting here or an individual passing her $2 for today is not going to help.
How long can each individual help?
I’m sad that no one is stepping out to help these people with a permanent solution, and that no one includes myself.
We need to inform more people about situations like this and let them know that we have a role to play and help, in one way or another.
As much as I appreciate the writer’s article and appluad his kindness, we ourselves must do what we can by informing others through powerful informal mediums such as emails or facebook, and urge others to forward them. Educating our fellow ignorant or/and uncaring citizens should be the top priority.
Remember, Unity is Strength.
Just posting an article on TOC today would be forgotten tomorrow.
Everyday I could see the older folks hurrying with their daily lives like going to the market, bringing the grandchildren to schools & sitting around the Elderly Corner chatting, smoking & sipping tea. Ah….what a sight to behold, isnt that what all the elderly should do? Well, that’s what WE think the elderly should be doing, but alas, life isnt such a fairy tale. Besides, the lucky ones with grandchildren to care for, there’s also another group of elderly folks trying to make their miserable lives more bearable everyday. This group of people is the ones that probably have no kids or their kids could have abandoned them for various reasons. I would agree that some of these elderly folks aren’t the easiest people to live with but it’s certainly a NO NO to leave them to fend for themselves, after all, they did bring up the kids. It’s really very saddening to see the pioneers of Singapore being cast aside when they have outlived their usefulness; the nation isnt built by one man or his team alone, it took many dedicated men & women to create the Singapore we know today.
From the Samsui women that built the Centrepoint we shop in to the Ice Kachang hawker that always gave you those extra yummy red beans & those that gave their lives fighting the Japanese so we need not become interpreters; these are the unsung heroes that we must always remember inside our heart. They are old now with shaky hands & probably have some incurable illnesses, but seems like our government is not putting enough effort to make their lives more comfortable, instead, they are still expecting them to contribute to the cookie jar as there are no free lunches in Singapore! I really think the word WELFARE is supposed to help the needy & poor & there are many poor & needy out there. What’s the point of talking in Parliament on many programmes are tailored to help everyone, only after the poor soul have already killed himself? I often see MPs saying this & that after the person die & it’s such a wayang on TV, perhaps the MPs should spend less time debating & finding out how come these people didn’t/couldn’t get any help in the 1st place!
Ha, what sort of hearts do WE have? I said WE cos we elected them into office & WE give them the power to lead us to the next level & WE stood by with only a few mumbles when they applied many stupid policies that only benefit the rich & elites of the country, namely themselves. It’s not just the government we should direct the blame, part of this nonsense is caused by us too. I never had the good fortune to vote anyone in except the late Mr Ong as the President & I am glad I voted him. Maybe, the next time, you have a chance to vote, do spare a thought for peasants like me who had never exercised his basic rights of a citizen & give that precious vote to the person you think will help us create a more compassionate & caring society & not just one that only knows how to upgrade your lift & corridor.
it really sad society here especially for older singaporeans. i have seen a lot ot them selling tissue paper and every time they approved me (which i bought and somtimes i refused to take the tissue but they insisted), it reminds me of hugh gap incomes society and lop sided system here. i am frustrated and sad but what can i do? i really hope things would change here and it will. it a matter ot time.
If we can cut down some welfare perks given to Civil Service workers, that amount of savings can be quite substantial to save the poor.
This is an area for the govt to explore. Members of Parliament, for instance, can ask their grassroots leaders to scout their neighborhoods for poor people such as those referred to in this article and bring them to their attention, for the purpose of rendering govt financial support.
Has the govt done enough for the poor in Singapore? I have my doubts.
Isn’t is ‘begging’ in another form?
Of course, our URA will begin to nab her and get her out of sight very soon.
the next time i am in orchrad area, i will look out for her to do my bit. again, very very sad.
It may not be the case for these 2 old ladies. Before you open your wallets – do think about whether you are falling prey to syndicated tricksters. There’s no sense in buying tissue paper from an able person who’s dragging another with some form of handicap. I have observed that they usually harass ladies more – probably there’s more societal expectation for ladies to be kind and sympathetic. I have encountered many who are rude and even give me dirty looks when I don’t buy. I have no idea why I deserve this attitude and sense of entitlement. I’m not the cause of their “suffering”, I make an honest living, pay my taxes and make my fair share of contribution to charities that I believe support a worthy cause. And I’m not counting on any government assistance to come to my rescue should I get into trouble (touchwood).
can the TOC do a regular series highlighting these cases? I’ll be more aware if i ever pass them and give them money.
#17 – Cathy,
It is exactly your type of mentality and mindset that dominates the limited thinking capability of our govt leaders. Everything processed thru paper work, nonchalant attitude, forms filling etc etc. Just go to any govt office and the face of the civil servant shows it all.
Whilst we are all fully aware of the need for screening etc to prevent misuse or abuse of the limited welfare grants, the system cannot and should not be blindly applied to assistance for the illiterate and helpless elderly folks who may not even knew the existence of such schemes in the first place.
And while we are not expecting our govt to be santa, the least it can do as a HUMAN is to reach out to these old & helpless folks without them having to seek assistance thru red-tape form filling application.
I said ” the (gahman’s) answers are likely to be one of the following:” NOT MINE. Don’t direct your displeasure with the gahmen at me.
If the above narrative is correct, I would like CDC Central’s explanation why she does not qualify for any assistance, especially when GST was increased to help the poor.
Straits Times, please investigate and do a write up on why assistance cannot be extended to the above lady. I look forward to your write-up, especially with Dr. Tony Tan who is perceived as in touch with the people as your Chairman.
If 100 people who read the TOC give these old women a dollar each time they meet them, each of these women will surely have at least $100 a month — hopefully enough to make some ends meet. Give and you will receive, perhaps not in kind, but in some form of blessings, a hundred fold.
Give from your heart. No need to do due diligence. These old folk might not be aorund the next time around you decide to help them.
Remember, nobody wants to be in the miserable position some of our old folk have unfortunately found themselves in. Who knows, one day, some of us younger folk may find ourselves in the very same position. We will then be grateful for whatever little help we can receive from our fellow men.
To be fair to the MCYS (and the govt) they have relaxed the criterias for PA. (Though I still think $360 is still too little.) There are several problems:
One: Implementation. Many old folks are illiterate or are not aware of these help schemes. The govt needs a more co-ordinated effort to make these known to them.
Two: The administrative process. Perhaps the process can be more streamlined so that the elderly are not intimidated so much that they are afraid to apply for PA.
Three: For goodness sake, give a little more to them. $360 is not even subsistence, if you asked me. I mean, how many of us can survive on $360 in S’pore? And mind you, these folks still have to pay S&C (though town councils have $2 billion in their kitty), utilities and rental.
More can be done and should be done.
I think the ladies that Andrew Loh highlighted are just the tip of the iceberg.
There are many more elderly folks who live below subsistence level.
CDC is just not doing enough to reach out to them. If CDC is indeed taking care of this neglected group of citizens, why are we then seeing them in growing numbers collecting carton boxes & drink cans along the streets ?
Giving them cash whenever possible will not solve the problem and will exacerbate their reliance on street help. Everyone has pride and does not wish to resort to begging, including them.
Dear Andrew,
What a great writeup ! It never failed to move me whenever I read it.
I just wish that you are able to extend this story beyond TOL and hopefully will reach a wider audience. We need more singaporeans to know the plight of these old folks, especially in this trying times and I am certain they will be hit even harder than most of us.
Maybe you can start a blog or something to garner more recognition of their plight, and hopefully will also draw the attention of other charity bodies. We need to be have a more united voice to pressure our govt to take a more serious look at helping them. I agree with you that the $360/mth is pittance !
#34,
Yes, it just completely irks me that our govt just refuses to increase the assistance hand-out beyond $360.
I mean, seriously, are we talking about MILLIONs of elderly man & woman out there ? Definitely not and it just sucks that govt is able to walk away with $58B losses without batting an eyelid and yet stare at the plausibility of more cash hand-out to the old folks.
Our great lauLEE should be put on the street to experience himself the plight of these people who helped build his palatial istana, only then will he understand the meaning of heing helpless.
Great work, Andrew and gang.
You have done a story of how some folks are falling thru’ the catchment of the social net.
May I suggest that for the next article, you write about how we can plug the hole in the net. Or other sustainable solution that the govt may implement to help these people.
Why make her pay for conservancy fees when she can’t even “conserve” herself? The public assistance scheme is literally making an ASSistance out of the destitute. She might as well apply for some cage space in the zoo. The animals in the zoo are much better off than her.
isa (#38),
As i said in my comment #34, the schemes are there. It is, in my view, on the implementation of them that needs improvement. And also perhaps a little tweaking of the criterias involved.
I hope that someday someone capable in singapore is willing to stand out and lead the people to change for the better.
Now, too many things have gone wrong, unchecked, and unaccounted for.
I must say that this article is carefully drafted with the correct technique to persuade people both cognitively and emotively into thinking that there is a big fat bully government making a frail old lady suffer.
It uses narrative, simple concrete words and great application of imagery to help readers visualize. It is careful in the sense that it did not say who is right or wrong. It did not even mention the word ‘government’. But look at the response and comments here.
Those who are untrained in this kind of writing will be easily influenced. Just like any propaganda.
But if you read it carefully
Firstly, it says to qualify for the PA scheme, the applicant must not be able to perform 2 out of 6 criteria. The author name such as “dressing or bathing or feeding oneself”. There are so many doubts. The 6 criteria may refer to the welfare home scheme and not the cash grant or medical assistance scheme. The welfare officer may have the discretion to utilize exceptions to allow people who failed the application criteria to obtain the assistance.
Read carefully again. The author mentioned that it was because application was considered a hassle that is why Mdm Tan did not get the assistance, not because she was denied assistance by the government. It was the false belief that there was no help or that help was very difficult that led Mdm Tan to be unable to get the assistance. For Mdm Tan, it may be pessimism that led to such belief that is in no way helpful to her.
Worst of all, the people she met in the article are people with the same belief. These people started out being skeptical about any assistance that are available. They are so skeptical, with such deep rooted prejudice, that even if a frail weak elderly walk up to them telling them how much help they received from CDC, they will think that they are either dreaming or talking to a old spy sent by the government.
I feel very sad for Mdm Tan. She met four people who thought that their one dinner does more help than a Public Assistance Scheme that could provide cash grant, medical assistance etc. She met four people who further deepened her misunderstanding and become less proactive in seeking assistance. If only she had met kind and understanding people who are capable of getting her permanent and tangible help. The people who can get her dinner every night rather than just one.
These four people had done her harm.
How can they fill forms if their eyesight is bad, or if, like many folks of that generation, they are unable to read? Really, filling forms is not the issue because paperwork has become unavoidable in the modern world… The issue is this workfare or whatever you call it, seems to be quite incomplete. It’s like they built roads to get to places with plenty, yet they have no forms of transport for these people who can hardly walk. I believe what our old pioneers need is a group of people who are willing to translate the forms for them and at the same time, correspond with the relevant authorities. This is not something that needs an office or huge capital, just some time and quite a bit a heart… Most of the involved could be temps, students, whoever. I’d imagine it’ll be quite simple for a group of determinded individuals to set up such a committee.
The target would be to help any old folks without the means, those who have been neglected by the very people they brought into this world, or people like Mdm Tan. No reason why you shouldn’t live out the golden years with ease just because you don’t have children.
Andrew Loh,
great piece! thank you for highlighting the sad tragic plight of the poor!
[i]Our great lauLEE should be put on the street to experience himself the plight of these people who helped build his palatial istana, only then will he understand the meaning of heing helpless.
[/i]
why would laulee bothered with poor peasants who if lucky enough to get $368/month?
laulee is gettin paid @ the daily rates of over $3000/day
and workin just a 1 day/week basis with all the free meals/booze from the istana kitchen
No:4
This sort of write- up really brings up a lot of feelings and emotions. We write about it and seem to care and sympathise and care. Are we??
Pray may I ask why should the Government make it difficult for her to apply for assitance?
i think Andrew’s article would be more complete if he helped her to apply for assitance and let us know the results…it would be a much better article.
Marcus (#42),
“It uses narrative, simple concrete words and great application of imagery to help readers visualize. It is careful in the sense that it did not say who is right or wrong. It did not even mention the word ‘government’. But look at the response and comments here.”
First, I have no control over the response that readers have. Second, I do not and have never needed to disguise or hide my criticisms of the govt. I have written about the Public Assistance scheme before, for your information. You can read them here:
http://theonlinecitizen.com/2007/02/the-poorest-in-our-society/
http://theonlinecitizen.com/2007/03/public-assistance-for-the-elderly-–-where-the-ethics-lie/
http://theonlinecitizen.com/2008/06/whose-future-is-“shining”-really/
“Firstly, it says to qualify for the PA scheme, the applicant must not be able to perform 2 out of 6 criteria. The author name such as “dressing or bathing or feeding oneself”. There are so many doubts.”
My job as a reporter was just to report what happened, what she said to me. And those three items – bathing, dressing and feeding onself – was what Mdm Tan mentioned. Besides, I do not see your point about “so many doubts”. One does not have to include quotations of an entire scheme. Examples are normal, not entire quotes or mentions.
“The author mentioned that it was because application was considered a hassle that is why Mdm Tan did not get the assistance, not because she was denied assistance by the government. It was the false belief that there was no help or that help was very difficult that led Mdm Tan to be unable to get the assistance. ”
Your comments are crafted with ambiguity. Whose “belief” were you referring to? I made no such mention of my belief in the article and I should not as it’s a report, not an opinion piece. Read my article again. I told Mdm Tan that she would qualify and that the MCYS has relaxed the criterias.
“Worst of all, the people she met in the article are people with the same belief. These people started out being skeptical about any assistance that are available. They are so skeptical, with such deep rooted prejudice, that even if a frail weak elderly walk up to them telling them how much help they received from CDC, they will think that they are either dreaming or talking to a old spy sent by the government.”
That is a whole bunch of assumption. Again, read the article carefully. As I said, I told Mdm Tan that she would qualify for PA, and that MCYS has relaxed the criteria. Further, I urged her to apply. She declined.
“She met four people who thought that their one dinner does more help than a Public Assistance Scheme that could provide cash grant, medical assistance etc. ”
Another assumption. No one thought a dinner would do all that you mentioned.
“She met four people who further deepened her misunderstanding and become less proactive in seeking assistance.”
How does telling Mdm Tan that the MCYS has relaxed the criterias, urged her to apply and that she would qualify for PA “deepened” her “misunderstanding”???? This baffles me.
Lastly, there were only three people with Mdm Tan, not four.
Perhaps you should read the article again.
wow. good story. however, putting govt’s effort aside, many in the society are still unsympathetic to these people. this article which i read in my university days last year (http://tthk84.wordpress.com/stories/tissue-paper-one-dollar/) also highlight similar problems. major sigh. luckily they have religion to turn to to seek solace.
It’s impossible to believe gov wouldn’t give her elderly welfare funds to live on, given the description of her situation.
Gov has brainwashed most locals to think that everyone’s trying to screw everyone over, & people has to fend for themselves & should expect no help or welfare. With such a mentality embedded in local minds courtesy of the gov’s regimes, it’s no wonder not too many locals are sympathetic towards the less fortunate.
“42) marcus on February 28th, 2009 12.26 am
She met four people who further deepened her misunderstanding and become less proactive in seeking assistance.”
Well, we are a country full of people misunderstanding things hor. Very negative mentality and perception hoh. Why so hoh.
PA so good and easy hoh. 80 year-old still working hoh (thought garment encouraged ppl to work till old age hoh) and still got tigu to give five minutes to do house keeping. marcus, can’t understand why 80 year-old so misunderstands about PA. Maybe the 4 people must be responsible for her predicament.
In fact, with such disturbance from tigu affecting her peace of mind to work productively, I think she should try some new tact and move to SPUR progamme. It will surely help her a lot. This is definitely going to deepen her understanding on the so many help available.
marcus and PA officers out there, why not have 2 PA officers (just 2 will do) employed to just comb the island and look for people like Mdm Tan and assist them proactively (and I mean proactively) so that misunderstanding will not be deepened. Probably after this, misunderstanding will be so shallow or non-existent that tigu will go out of jobs and convert themselves to PA officers and be pro-active in assisting poor souls like Mdm Tan.