Leong Sze Hian
I refer to the article “NTUC speeds up aid to workers” (ST, May 31).
It says;
“The labour movement is moving speedily to help 194,000 members affected by the recession this year with $23.2 million worth of cash, vouchers and bursaries.”
I would like to applaud the NTUC for so speedily helping 194,000 union members affected by the recession this year.
However, as NTUC has about 500,000 unionised members, this means that two out of five members are affected by the recession and need assistance.
I find this statistic to be quite alarming.
If we extrapolate from this and apply it to non-NTUC members, the number could be even more disconcerting. With a total resident workforce of 2 million, this could mean 800,000 workers are similarly affected by the recession and are in need of assistance!
NTUC Chief Lim Swee Say was reported to have said:
“We recognise the sum is not that big ($100 to $300), however for lower-wage earning between 800 to $1,000, it means a lot to them. It may not be a lot but what is important is that the labour movement continues to do its very best”.
Out of the $23.3 million set aside to help the needy, $7.6 million will be used for “family bonding initiatives” as well as to help the elderly. This means that only $15.7million is used to help the 194,000 members who need help.
This works out to an average of about $80 per year per member – or $6.66 per month per member. Indeed, it seems this is not very much once the numbers are broken down.
One question which needs to be asked is: How much of this $7.6 million will be used to promote family life at the six carnivals to be held this year at the NTUC Club’s Downtown East facility?
As the $7.6 million is about 33 per cent of the $23.3 million raised for the U Care Fund, I would like to suggest that more of it be used to help affected needy workers directly, so that it is more aligned with the main purpose of the fund.
As $80 per year assistance is not very much, I would also like to suggest that the Government and corporations try to contribute more to the U Care Fund.
We should also not forget non-NTUC members who are affected and need help, and try to find some way of helping them too.
To qualify for NTUC assistance, one would first need to be a member of the NTUC. This means one would have to pay a membership fee of $117 annually. Does it make sense then to become a member, and pay $117 for membership in order to receive $80 in assistance?
NTUC helping more people than the government?
According to the article, “If you really need help, ask : Yu-Foo” (ST, May 21), as at end March, about 24,000 people are getting financial and other forms of help under one of the ComCare progrrammes, up from about 21,000 in the same period last year.
This is an increase of about 14 per cent, year-on-year.
Since the NTUC can help 194,000 of its members, why is it that the Government is only helping 24,000 Singaporeans?
Applications for assistance at the Community Development Councils in the first quarter of this year increased by 66 per cent year-on-year.
However, the number of Singaporeans who are receiving assistance has only increased by about 14 per cent?
66 percent applied but only 14 per cent receiving assistance? The obvious question one would ask is, what is the rejection rate for unsuccessful applications for financial assistance?
According to the Straits Times article, a total of 24,000 cases received aid in the first quarter, including those who applied last year and earlier. This is an increase of 485 cases, compared to the last quarter of 2008.
In another Straits Times report on 31 May titled, “More seeking financial aid”, it was reported that:
“[There were] 15,000 applications for financial assistance between January and March this year, and of the applications processed so far, about 7 in 10 have been approved.”
Why is it that the number receiving aid for the whole quarter has only increased by 485 cases?
Shouldn’t the figure be about 10,500 – since 7 in 10 out of 15,000 applications were approved?
In this connection, it was also reported that there were 40,681 applications last year.
Since the last update from ComCare was that it gave financial assistance to about 24,000 needy families last year, why is it that the latest update now says that the number is still 24,000 despite 485 new cases in the first quarter?
So, how is it that the 24,000 figure for last year has now shrunk to 23,515 (24,000 minus 485)?
Shouldn’t the figure have increased instead of decreased, in view of increasing applications of 10 per cent quarter-on-quarter and 66 per cent year-on-year?
Perhaps the relevant authorities involved should explain all these confusing and fuzzy numbers so that Singaporeans know for sure how much money is actually going to those who need help and how many are actually being helped.
At the moment, the numbers do not seem to make sense.
—-
Bravo.
I salute you Mr. Leong. Your eye for details and making every number tell a story, is well respected.
could it be that the massager of statistics got confused this time round?
Well Done, finally…a well compiled information. Numbers will never lie….no way…
It is important to get good figures to check the amount of help needed. One thing our dear govt, does not and will not bother is to have proper stats on it’s people….
That is the main reason…we get trapped half the time…WELL DONE MATE…WELL DONE…40% of union members need help what about the rest…..look at the pittance provided….
I hope some decent numbers will be provided to give a clear account of the peoples suffering…instead of providing bits and pieces everywhere….
NOW WE KNOW WHY THEY DON”T HAVE IT( the assistance programmes) ALL UNDER ONE ROOF…..
compared to the billions they have lost, the amount being given to the needy sure looks like small change to me.
Yeah, that ‘s why miws or wolfs in white are not talent.
Since they lost so much monies.
I wonder what are these ” family bonding initiatives” ? Is the big ra-ra at the OCC where they sang the corrupted version of the “ai bia jia eh yia” song one of these? One is not surprised to find that organisers tend to outnumber participants so who really soak up the money.
Perhaps another angle :
X number of working Singaporeans on the island.
If we have (194000 + 800000)/ X, surely the unemployment rate is quite significant ?
What’s our unemployment rate right now, …….. 4% ? 5% ?
I am not sure you can extrapolate 800,000 from 194,000. Aren’t the lesser well to do more likely to be a member than someone who is earning more? With less savings to fall back on, the 194,000 may already constitute the majority who needs help.
Fun with numbers yet again. As the saying goes, “You can wait long-long”…
I dont know why but i just have this ugly feeling that part of that $7.6million was used to put up that “Upturn the Downturn” concert/ production.
It must have bonded a lot of families. I recall the MC saying… “Brothers and sisters, do you want hear that again?”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQKIOhBciJ8
MSM news says “to give out $23M to needy members”.
1. While my trusting side of my brain tells me to Trust what is said, that this amount of money is promised, my the other side of my brain asks me, based on what concrete accounting proof can we know for sure how much is spent on what at the end of the day?
2. In short, who can show all the transactions on this sum of money and show how it is spent in reality?
3. someone handles a sum of money, he should know where it eventually go to. Furthermore, this is public money.
My points are nothing new – its the same old concern and focus on ACCOUNTABILITY.
In these trying times, I would like to comment an observation about meet the MP sessions in my estate. The MP conducts his sessions in a ground floor unit under a HDB block, the unit has roller shutters (open to clear space) on one side and a door by the side. In the past, people gathered around the unit and waited for the turns. The number of people seeking help was manageable and the crowd do not seem big.
Recently, the crowd of people grew to quite a big size. It can be seen that there are a lot of people having problems and need assistance. This is, of course, the sign of time. It seems that the MP or his assistants do not like this type of scene.
So, those seeking MP’s assistance were asked to leave their contact numbers and disperse away from the unit. They will be contacted when it is their turns. Also, the roller shutters are now down and what happened inside the unit is not seen anymore.
People can seek help from the MP, but do not spoil the Utopia scenery.
I think this kind of corruption is legal here in Singapore. :) Everytime that sway person goes up and singing a hokkien song about upturn…our Singapore market crashes.
Having worked in one of the CDC for a year before, I must say that CDCs need to liberate their policies more so that those who are in need can receive aid.
CDCs tend to have officers who are both unbending and follow-the-law.
If you fail to submit one document, you are deemed out of the application. I quarrelled with my boss over this tough regulatory rules that prevent many genuine seekers from receiving help. Those who are smart and know how to get around the rules continue to exploit the system and receive much help and many fail through the safety net here.
Many applicants gave up due to the exhaustive application procedures and I believe that Singaporeans are proud individuals who only go to CDCs when all else fails. The myth that many seek help to exploit the system is a misconception. In facy, too few seek assistance due to the ego issue here especially for the Chinese people who all want face.
I hope that the govt will conetinue to relax rules so that aid is easier to receive and this also lessen the admin workload of many CDC officers who I know are now up to their nose in applications for aid in this down time.
Just set up a recesion relief fund/out of job fund and make into law that those who are truely retrenched and out of jobs that are verifiable are entitled to apply for relief grant from this fund. No more lost face syndrome and no more red tapes.
They do not want to go for this because of selfish reasons that is using CCC s and CDCs as political weapons to make the people in need to kowtow to them and feel obligated to vote for them in next election. All the positive figures announced by their different organisations are meant to be propagandas. Those organisations that give help to needy will boost of higher figures for help given out and those concerned about unemployment figures will try to suppress the announced figures to give a hopeful picture for employment scene in Singapore. So in the end their figures do not tally with reality.
If in such situation, this is going on in NTUC…
What more can we expect?
Something is very wrong, very very wrong. Hahahahahahahaha…
S$7.6m to promote family life when many are struggling with their lives… Hahahahahahahahahahahaha…
Hahahahahahahahahahahaha…
Hahahahahahahahahahahaha…
Hahahahahahahahahahahaha… …
Very interested where this S$7.6m gone to… …
12) Joe on June 1st, 2009 12.16 pm
Thanks for sharing your obervations.
Its good to let everyone know what is going on.
regards
pale hum
14) Gilbert Goh on June 1st, 2009 12.23 pm
Hi Gilbert,
not sure have you tried applying govmin related jobs online. They usually ask you to go online to register or apply. I find the process extremely tedious and discouraging. All other companies I know accept either resumes you stored (no need print out and snail mail or complete new forms online) in internet job portals or resume via email attachments.
Just sharing my observations for all to know or comment.
7) kf on June 1st, 2009 9.06 am
I wonder who audits the statistics of unemployment rate?
Is it not that 1st world people of singpaore simply accept it as reported based on the big 4 letter word
T R U S T?
I mean, do not see people complaining about statistics and figures they read from the MSM. Maybe I did not see it printed – must have forgotten to read.
Stupid investments that cost the nation $58B. Just to drill it more, this amount could have been dispered to the 2M workforce with each getting a whopping $29,000.00 !!! HC & Tharma shud go jump themselves off the merliion at sentosa.
Never trust the statistics especially when it is from the government.
Truth swept under the carpet and Singaporeans have to live with lies.
Unrepentent of their ways, especially when the govt has lost so much of our $
Confidence of Singaporeans are shaken, as such, many have emigrated.
Never Trust Untruth Chiefs of the various depts of govt.
21) kangeroo on June 1st, 2009 4.24 pm
Stupid investments that cost the nation $58B
This figure is only reported when they are being pressurised by the people, there could be even bigger losses which are still hidden from the people as still there are no transparency to whatsoever they are doing with the people’s money, and their figures keep changing all the time, God knows whether they could’ve lost all the entire cpf savings of the people.
I hope people who can ask pertinent questions like Mr Leong could step forward and run for election – As MP and hopefully not NMP or NCMP (with all due respect you can expect). I have more faith and trust in an Elected MP . I prefer an Elected MP to Represent the People. The key word is REPRESENT. I wish to be represented by my kind of MP again with all due respect you can expect to NMPs.
Kwang Yeo
Yes, indeed we need people like Mr Leong and I would also like to re-iterate that there are many others fit to give PAP MPs a run for their money. You can find many in this website and Eugene & team in Wayang Party. Problem is, when these people can be identified, they will face libels for defamation, they will face bankrupcy and jail. Then who will bail them out? Look at all the others in the past. Most recently Nair fled to US, Chee is still in prison and Jeya has died without changing anything after campaigning all his life. Whether people like these oppos or not, the law is clearly wrong, democracy is clearly violated but there is nothing any Singaporean can do.
Mr. Leong Sze Hian, while I admire your relentless attempts at exposing the many discrepancies of various state agencies in handling (or mishandling) out assistance to the poor, and the recent article “Is the HDB profiteering from flat owners’ woes” etc. , I wonder if any of the these agencies make any effort to address these problems raised by you.
So far as I can see, nary a concerned agency’s PR has come out to refute your findings. On the other hand, most of your comments are from people like me posting and ranting on the said agencies’ failings in fulfilling their obligations.
I have recently left a comment on one of your posts regarding my friend’s dire need for financial assistance as he is 64, single, unemployed, sick and needs constant medical care
Andrew Loh was kind enough to arrange CDC and Mayor Matthias Yao Chih GRC MP for Aljunied to settle his problem.
After a visit from a social worker from the CDC, my friend was shocked to receive a letter stating that he doesn’t need any assistance based on his current ‘income’! (He’s penniless and his younger brother helps him pay his utilities bill.) He even called me up and said he didn’t have any bus fare for his medical appointment at Tan Tock Seng Hospital.
So much for the compassion of our CDC’s social workers. Or are their hands being tied by too much red tape?
Like LKY, these workers have grown callouses around their hearts. And we call ourselves a first world country?
The govt was never sincere in giving reliable informations, some of their websites were not even updated. Are these head of civil servants interested in cooking course than updating their websites. I believe the State Times are trying to create a tone that the govt is helping the people with meaningless messy figures.
#19,
If the organisation has great integrity and competency, then they should self-audit as first line of defence (before others spot their loopholes). The routes are multiple, so it depends on the ‘kungfu’ of the people in the organisation. I have a keen interest in this kind of work inside organisations :-)
You can also call in independent parties to perform the audit, but I don’t think that is their emphasis – to offer credible knowledge and neutrality to all. This parties have to report out of (not into) the government operations, so you can see how radical this can be for policy makers……
If they are ‘game’ enough, then next step : withold a substantial part of the current compensation of the policy makers, of which to be made payable only when public audits over the years have uncovered nothing against them, (includes unemployment statistics or not).
Audit (any nature) usually works this way : If you dig deep enough in any organisation, you will surely find something. The whole problem with this unemployment statistics is we haven’t even dug that deep enough (not meant as an offence to the author), and the questions already surface.
I understand that there are views cautioning against extrapolation, but whichever view adopted, yes, you are right, it will still come back to the issue on audit.
“Audit (any nature) usually works this way : If you dig deep enough in any organisation, you will surely find something. The whole problem with this unemployment statistics is we haven’t even dug that deep enough (not meant as an offence to the author), and the questions already surface.”
I learnt why Management Accountants are so important to an organization. ;)
The People should be responsible partially – people ACCEPT the way things are being done. They are RESIGNed to this kind of norms.
I agree that if Scrutinised, many cans can be opened with unexpected findings that could shake an org and become Headlines that sell tons more newspaper.
When someone says he is a good man, I say, i don’t buy it, you have to prove it to me. Its like someone demanding to be respected, he failed to understand that Respect can only be earned. A fake Respect is called Fear.
regards
29
Gilbert Goh, comment #14,
well, the process is tedious, and esp when it comes to a less-educated, working-class person, they give up in the end.
Why? because they dont want us to have a crutch mentality and be mollycoddled.
I would really really love to see Mr Sam Tan, an MP close to my heart, say that to someone who’s seeking his help during his meet-the-people session, rather than saying it in parliament.
[i]23) tiredsingaporean on June 1st, 2009 4.42 pm 21) kangeroo on June 1st, 2009 4.24 pm
Stupid investments that cost the nation $58B
This figure is only reported when they are being pressurised by the people, there could be even bigger losses which are still hidden from the people as still there are no transparency to whatsoever they are doing with the people’s money[/i]
we haven’t even discuss indian biolopolis silicon valley projects that went ^UNDER^
this 1 was already invested more than 10 years ago
we named it
SUZOUZ III
bollywood style
temasek ole temasek
no wondor the merlion got struck by lightning
it do need a jolt from HEAVEN…
Mr Leong,
Appreciate your stepping forward to voice up for the HDB leaseholders.
I respect your effort because no one else has voiced this for us, the leaseholders, and also because in this way you sacrificed for us.
Jia You!!!
all these schemes make us look so stupid. yes i sympathise with those who are in hardship (i am too not spared).
what we need is solution to all these issues of umployment and high cost living. not being look like as good as beggars. look, everyone has his pride and dignity, who doesn’t? so problems lied with the government is how do we get out of this ‘slum’? instead they came with this stupid ideas and for how long??
please for heaven sake, get real!! since you are paid millions, it is fair that you come up with solutions…if you cant, then shares your millions with those who effected and together think of solution. in this case, i believe most will agree to this ideas.
Dear Mike #33,
“what we need is solution to all these issues of umployment and high cost living”
A great lady said to me,
We need quality research data Available/Accessible in order to formulate or design good solutions.
My key words : Availability and Accessibility .
Viva la Transparency and Accountability so as to achieve even greater heights higher than Mt Everest
Hi cpfisdead(#31);;;”temasek ole temasek, no wonder the merlion got struck by lightning, it do need a jolt from heaven” Wow cpfisdead a beautiful piece of poetry which sums up in a nutshell whats happenning now and also the immediate future of singapore;;;All of us(sentient and non-sentient beings) have an intuitive nature in us ;its only that most are not aware of it;;;Here is the meaning of why the merlion got a jolt from heaven;;;This is a clear sign that the next decade is going to be a tremendous period of upheaval in singapore’s future;;;Why is this?;;;(a)LKY is going to conk-off in about 18 to 24 months time (b)immediately PAP is going to split into 2 faction i.e the Goh Chok Tong faction and the Lee Hsien Loong faction;this is a no-brainer cos everybody in singapore know that these 2 clowns dont see eye-to-eye and have been at each others throat for umpteen years running now (c) and in10 years time (2 elections more) a strong opposition party is going to replace the PAPies;;;Well, this is the meaning of why the merlion has got a jolt from heaven.
Make no mistake. This is a public relation drive by MIW. Publish big dollar numbers, to make it seem like they are helping. Confuse the public with confusing numbers!
As there is no unemployment benefits in S’pore, the public will not know how bad the situation is.
The govt thought we do not know our math and economics.
I really laugh at the thought of an average $6.66 per member per month.
Anyway I think the govt’s position is to rather spend more $$$ on construction and trade which will directly stimulate more GDP growth, then give the $$$ to needy people, which may not generate much GDP growth. What a money-faced mentality.
When the bosses are away practising their song and dance routine to upturn the downturn, do you think the ka-kias can make the decisions to help those in need?. These idiot bosses should be there to brave it out at the frontline to understand what the needs of the people are so that help can be immediately supplied and rendered – instead of attending nightly funeral-style song and dance parties.