Leong Sze Hian
I refer to the article “Jailed for living in illegal tent” (ST, Aug 18).
It reported:
“Homeless and unemployed, Noor Mohammad Yassin Ismail pitched a canvas tent at East Coast Park in May, 2007, and lived there for almost a month – without a lease or licence to do so. He was discovered on June 26 of that year, after he was apprehended by park rangers.
In court on Tuesday, Noor was asked to produce his Identity Card or passport but he said that he had lost both items.
It prompted District Judge Mr Shaiffudin Saruwan to retort in jest: ‘I suggest you use a bicycle chain to tie yourself to a tree or you may lose yourself as well.’
Pleading for leniency, Noor, who is tanned and skinny, said that he seldom ate, only doing so if friends gave him food. He added that his mother is paralysed and looked after by a younger sibling, while an elder sister does not care about him. He was fined $800 but could not afford to pay the fine so he was jailed four days instead. He could have been fined up to $2,000.”
Is there any other country in the world that sends a homeless person to court because he has to sleep in a park – and then fines him $800? Of course, if you are homeless and hungry, how could you afford to pay the fine? So, you end up in jail, just as Noor did.
In October 2008, the National Parks Board fined a bus driver $200 for sleeping on a bench, saying he had “misused the park facility”. The man had dozed off while taking shelter from the rain.
In Noor’s case, he was told by the judge: “I suggest you use a bicycle chain to tie yourself to a tree or you may lose yourself as well”.
Where is the compassion? Why are our judges making callous and unfeeling remarks towards people who’re down and out?
There have been stories in the media of homeless people having their belongings stolen, while they were sleeping in the open.
The reality may be that if you lose your IC and passport, you will have to pay to get them replaced when you report the loss. So, if you have no money even for food, what do you do?
The homeless shelters in Singapore always have a long waiting list. What this means is that there are always homeless people in Singapore. Media reports have described people living on the beach, in the parks, canals, toilets, etc.
Are there any statistics of how many people are homeless?
Well, even if there are, I believe they have never been published. Maybe some member of parliament could ask?
In the New Paper on 15 August, 2009, there were three stories about people who lost their HDB flats because they could not pay their mortgage, and became homeless (sleeping in a van) or were about to be homeless.
Last year, HDB made 60,000 visits to HDB households who had problems paying for their flats.
How many people have lost their flats already, and how many may lose their flats in the future?
This very sad story got me thinking about the statistics. If there are no statistics on the homeless, what about statistics on how many have been charged with such offences like sleeping in the park without a licence, which I understand are called minor regulatory offences.
According to the article “Pay up promptly or court trouble” (Today, Jun 8), there were four million minor regulatory offences last year, and 90,000 were hauled to night courts for not paying on time.
I believe some of those charged in court were people who could not pay the composition for the offence, rather than deliberate late payers.
In the current economic downturn, I understand that hundreds are charged in court almost every week for Service and Conservancy Charges (S & CC).
I understand that these HDB flat owners are fined in court, and if they are unable to pay the fine, they are jailed for a day or two.
For those who cannot pay their S & CC arrears due to financial difficulties or for that matter offences like sleeping in the park, it is unlikely that they can pay the fine, and thus may be jailed.
How many people were jailed last year for such non-payment of regulatory offences, like this homeless man?
With about one million households in Singapore, does it mean that on the average, each household commits about four minor regulatory offences in a year?
How much is collected in a year from these four million regulatory offences?
Although I understand that Singapore’s “fine city” T-shirt is one of the most popular souvenirs for tourists, surely there ought to be a limit to this unhealthy trend of more and more fines and more people being ever sent to jail.
—–
“just donate 50% of their $6M pay, they would help 1000s of homeless and perhaps their children.”
What are they? Some kind of philosopher kings? Be careful with what you wish for. Cliched as it may sound, “if you pay peanuts, you get monkeys” never sounded more apt. The ethical egoist in me fails to see why 1000s of the weak should receive unconditional aid. We are not a socialist country. We must help these unfortunate folks, of course. But they have to work for it.
How can a society have compassion when they have no real ideals to believe in, follow and plan with? In our case, especially the Elites who know they won’t have to ever come face to face with poverty. How would they know how to empathise with those who live in poverty?
OriginalResonance
“What are they? Some kind of philosopher kings?”
With the kind of money we’re paying them, they’d better be better than that. Now they are only kings with worsening philosophy.
“Be careful with what you wish for.”
If people wish for them to donate 50% of their salary to help the poor, and it somehow happened, what’s so bad about that? You fear they gonna raise costs because they are left with less money? Well then, we see where the problem is don’t we? Oh wait… You don’t.
“Cliched as it may sound, “if you pay peanuts, you get monkeys” never sounded more apt.”
We are paying them bananas, and they have morphed into gorillas that’s able to screw us anytime/anyhow they want. Or are you just trying to call people like Mr. Obama (who is paid peanuts ($400k p/a) in the Durai scale ($600k p/a)) a monkey?
“The ethical egoist in me fails to see why 1000s of the weak should receive unconditional aid.”
So you feel morally obliged to act in your own self-interest only? I see where you’re coming from then.
“We are not a socialist country.”
No. Not in the traditional definition. We’re plenty “socialist” to the corporations here though.
“We must help these unfortunate folks, of course. But they have to work for it.”
And if there’s no work/the person can’t work, too bad eh?
(I’d consider working 60 hours a week for $720 per month as “no work” as it is not a living wage in SG)
Amused
“With the kind of money we’re paying them, they’d better be better than that. Now they are only kings with worsening philosophy.”
I meant the philosopher kings espoused in the Republic where governance is an obligation, a thankless job in other words.
“If people wish for them to donate 50% of their salary to help the poor, and it somehow happened, what’s so bad about that? You fear they gonna raise costs because they are left with less money? Well then, we see where the problem is don’t we? Oh wait… You don’t.”
I fear that competence would be penalized and in the long run, our civilization will be poorer for that.
“We are paying them bananas, and they have morphed into gorillas that’s able to screw us anytime/anyhow they want. Or are you just trying to call people like Mr. Obama (who is paid peanuts ($400k p/a) in the Durai scale ($600k p/a)) a monkey?”
I’m not about to start a critique of President Obama’s governing adeptness, his people are already doing it right now. My point is capitalism is the order of the day in Singapore. The fetishism of money on a general scale here leads me to believe that Singaporeans are more likely to gravitate towards the monetary rewards that politics ensue rather than nationalistic pride per se. A huge pay packet ensures at the very least, in principle, a competition for positions in the government.
“So you feel morally obliged to act in your own self-interest only? I see where you’re coming from then.”
You have to question the veracity of my statement rather than to simply dismiss it based on some moral tenets that you deem self-evident. That would be dogmatic of you, wouldn’t it?
“No. Not in the traditional definition. We’re plenty “socialist” to the corporations here though.”
Semantics really. In order to misrepresent socialism at its very core.
“And if there’s no work/the person can’t work, too bad eh?
(I’d consider working 60 hours a week for $720 per month as “no work” as it is not a living wage in SG)”
Employment isn’t a bestowed right on man. You have to adapt to market demands. And if $720 per month isn’t a living wage in SG, maybe we shouldn’t bother with the pittance that we give to the less fortunate, eh?
“i just feel that our garmen is trying to find all ways to recover the losses caused by some loser!~ :( FINE! fine all u want!!! one fine day you will find that this island has no one else but FTs!”
Hypothetically, If there is no more Singaporeans, FW/FTs takes our place : ). They win, and continue to tax anyone residing in this country…
Anyway, don’t confuse law and justice. Law is law, and Justice is justice. Law is and always dedicated by a dedicated few (good and bad ones). Justice, on the other hand, involves moral standards.
Look at Burma, they got law, no justice – based on ASSK’s recent verdict; and you compare that with Singapore… we got law, definitely, justice?
Thinking further…
What is corruption? “Legal” = “no corruption”? Then Burma is definitely clean and white as a piece of blank paper.
Ha, I remember some top brass said that he didnt have a good breakfast!
This country is getting from bad to worst.
Someone shld be hanged on judgement day…
I hope i live to see this day
“District Judge Mr Shaiffudin Saruwan to retort in jest: ‘I suggest you use a bicycle chain to tie yourself to a tree or you may lose yourself as well.’”
It seems the judge is an intellect with no “wisdom”.
1. He should have realized that he should not “waste” the precious court time on someone who wouldn’t care a “shit” on what he says.
2. He should have chided the prosecutor instead for wasting the court’s time. The defendent should be referred to some sort of charity or public assistance scheme instead – which our MPs has been so proud of (I vaguely remember some MPs pro-claiming that we have help for the poor in abundant, yeah right…)
3. He did not realize that by passing the sentence, he is increasing the barrier for the defendent to fend for himself. – i.e. more difficult for him to find a job given the criminal record.
4. On hindsight, it seems that by awarding a prison sentence, the court is providing the defendent lodging, food, work, and medical treatment – albeit only four days – at the expense of tax payers only. The judge should realize that to a person that doesn’t even have a place to sleep and food to eat, putting him in the prison is not a penalty.
5. Based on point 4, I believe the judge has wrongly interpreted the defendent’s situation and he seems to be “rewarding” him to continue his behavior. – I bet the defendent will be continue to sleep in the park – and I bet the next time the park ranger will just ignore him.
6. Based on point 4 & 5, it seems like our judiciary system seems pretty “screwed” up. I am not sure what the defendent will do the next to get back in if his situation does not improve.
“It seems the judge is an intellect with no “wisdom”.”
Well perhaps that wasn’t the criteria to be a judge.
“Wisdom” is not the ‘merit’ looked for in the presumably meritocratic judicial services. Perhaps it was political correctness was the most meritorious quality.
Town Councils, GIC & Temasek should be made to pay for all these fines since they lost so much $.
folks….what the judge if he actually actuate those demeaning de-humanising words is most un-called for Mr Noor who is already in dire straits.
instead of being funny or witty or being wise at Mr Noor expense, and also giving Mr Noor a criminal record thus making his life become more of a living hell in singapore [with a criminal record, harder to get a job]…
since the past can’t be change unless someone is authority made the changes to help Mr Noor in his situation…
can the judge [since he post-create this unfair and undue scenario] help in a more constructive and more humane way [yeah meals and lodging for 4 days...but wrong way to go about it] once Mr Noor is out of jail by getting him into some kind of public assistance scheme or joh assistance scheme.
I guess the Judge needs to reinforce and make sure that MM Lee’s ” Where are the beggars? Show me.” is proven.
Since this poor little boy violated MM Lee’s vision for Spore, the sandwiched Judge has to find some laws to pluck it.
Amused – I agree with a lot of what you said, but I disagree that $720 a month (even if it comes at 60 hours a week) isn’t a living wage in Singapore.
I know a lady who supports herself and her son (just the two of them living in a three-room flat) just by selling kueh-kueh and earning some $500 a month. Of course, you can argue that it’s not so bad for her cos she already has a roof over her head, but the point I’m trying to make is really just that $720 a month isn’t really all that bad.
The main reason why there is a rising number of homeless for the past few years is the high price of the HDB pigeonholes. When you have to pay up to 1/3 of your salary on the HDB mortgage, this puts people in a dangerous situation when they get retrenched when their savings cannot tide them over two years of being jobless. When these people delay their payment to the bank for 3 months, the bank will seize the flat over and resell the flat in the open market. The owners have to be evicted and become homeless. Fining the guy over “illegal” camping in the park is not going to prevent homeless people from seeking refuge in the parks. Please have compassion, his guy is already homeless and can’t afford to pay the fines lah. The kangaroo judge should not chide him by telling him to hang himself over a bike chain in the tree (aka commit suicide). I suggest the government should build more 1 room flats to reserve for those homeless people evicted from home and charge a very cheap rent of $50. This will ensure most homeless people can have temporary place to stay in instead of sleeping in the parks, benches or void deck.
Heh Eric Brooks, take a good look at this and learn not to jump to hasty conclusions.
Do Canadian judges fine, jail and chain poor Canadians to trees?!?
‘Judge a man not by how he treats his equals, but by how he treats his inferiors’. Of course, when you have a judge judging his inferiors with contempt, it is a bad sign…
Our people in the Ministries should not act blur and wait for TV stations/newspapers to respond. example, private schools with cheating intention luring foreign students, foreign workers without work but end up sleeping on road sides. These are inefficencies that we should look deep down at and ask why ? These people will not forget their bad experiences and eventually we hurt ourselves as we are no difference from our neighbours.
Hi Adrian,
“but the point I’m trying to make is really just that $720 a month isn’t really all that bad.”
didn’t you know that Singapore is the 2nd most expensive city in Asia after Tokyo and Japanese and twice the per capital income. Can you survive on such a meagre salary?
I do not understand how slapping an $800 fine on someone who clearly cannot pay makes economic sense.
You fine someone $800, then remand him for 4 days. Who ends up paying for this? Why, the taxpayer of course.
It really seems like a lose-lose situation for everyone: The Defendant gets a tarnished record of sorts, and the taxpayer’s dollars are wasted on the facilities and meals provided by the corrective institutions.
Is there Compassion in :
“no one owes u a living” ?
This judge should be sent to SAF Ranger training for saying something so rude! Wait if he can survived in Thai jungles!
Oh my god, the judge actually said that? How callous but not surprising bearing in mind many rich and powerful people including MPs here always say this kind of scathing remarks to kek us commoners. Really no commpasion.
with NDP not a too distant past, these are signs of a divided society.
“It prompted District Judge Mr Shaiffudin Saruwan to retort in jest: ‘I suggest you use a bicycle chain to tie yourself to a tree or you may lose yourself as well.’”
Maybe the judge should also have told Noor to be grateful to the government because not only he doesn’t have to pay the fine if he can’t afford to, he will also be entitled to free accomodation and curry eyes with 24 hours protection for 4 days !
Would they send poor and homeless to DB some day if jail is full?
Daniel,
A “living wage” must include the housing component. Rent/Mortgage is a huge expense in SG.
If the lady you mentioned is paying installment on a new HDB flat bought at current rates, (say price of 150k with 20% downpayment), she would have to pay $438 (1.9% p/a 30 years) or $480 (2.6% p/a 30 years) for housing. Note that one is not likely to be able to rent a whole unit 3-room HDB flat at this cost.
That’s why one can’t camp without permit at the parks – no contribution of $$$ to the Govt.
The Sinkapore judicial system is an extension of the PAP regime. It is there to enforce PAP rules and visions. Being a poor citizen has no place in Sinkapore. Sinkapore PLC is a PAP company to be managed which way that pleases the dictator and its citizens just like employees to be treated just like a digits in a spreadsheet. The true citizens of Singapore rise up and speak your mind for justice and equality. One cannot turned a blind eye to the injustice being perpuatuated by the PAP regime day in and day out for all this years. Do you have to wait your of misfortune before you realised that the a rotten system called the First World is actually a mirage?