Andrew Loh / Pictures by Joshua Chiang
After The Online Citizen broke the story of homeless people camping out at Sembawang Park, all hell seemed to have broken loose. The authorities which, with all their resources could have helped these homeless people, instead seem bent on making life more difficult for them.
This article is an account of what took place on the ground after The Online Citizen’s revelation of the Sembawang Park homeless on 16 January.
The Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS), Dr Vivan Balakrishnan, was reported to have visited both Sembawang Park and Changi beach. We were told he did not speak to any of the homeless at Sembawang Park but he did take time to chat with those at Changi. Both times, he was accompanied by a posse of officials from Nparks and MCYS.
The homeless from Sembawang Park were told to dismantle their tents and were issued summons. They were also ordered to leave the area immediately. After TOC suggested that they be given more time, the officers from MCYS promised to give them a further three days to leave the park – this despite some of the campers having valid camping permits. (You can read a more detailed account of what happened here.)
The campers had, on that following Monday, gone to the MCYS office to discuss the matter of alternative accommodation with the officers, as previously arranged. After the discussion, they returned to Sembawang Park to pack up their belongings. They were greeted with the presence of workmen at the camping area who apparently were there to seal off the site. Indeed, Nparks seem eager to have the homeless leave the area as soon as possible, given how swiftly it had arranged for the workers to be there. The day after the campers left, the camping area at the park was cordoned off for “maintenance”.
Over at Changi beach, the homeless were treated just as badly. After the minister of MCYS’s visit, the campers were harassed for days, sometimes two or three times a day by Nparks officers, the campers told us. It is believed that these officers included those from other Nparks branches, such as East Coast, who were roped in to help rid Changi beach of the campers and the homeless, apparently.
The verbal threats by these officers were more blatant as well. “I do not want to see your face [here] anymore,” one lady was told by an Nparks officer. She was there to visit her friends who were fishing. She refused to oblige and has continued to visit Changi beach.
The “rules and regulations” and conditions as laid down by Nparks officers which the campers had to adhere to seem ridiculous at times. The campers were told that they had to be by their tents when Nparks officers come round to conduct their checks – at any time of the day. If they were not by their tents, the officers threatened that all their belongings would be confiscated, including clothings, tents, fishing equipment. If they wanted to retrieve their confiscated belongings, which would include children’s clothings as well, they would have to go to the Nparks office and pay S$300, the campers were told.
“How can we be by our tents all day waiting for them?” asked one of the men who was there to fish. “I told them to let us know what time they would come round to conduct their checks and we would be here to meet them,” he said. However, Nparks officers rejected this and insisted they did as they were told. “How can we go out and fish then?” the man asked. “We can’t even go to the toilet like that,” he added.
On one occasion, three Nparks officers demanded repeatedly that he packed up and leave immediately. “We told you to leave right now!” the officers kept shouting at him.
According to the men, other “rules” issued by Nparks officers were that it is illegal for the campers to leave anything outside of their tents and also that children were not allowed to be inside the tents, even if they were taking shelter from the rain.
On another occasion, one of the fishermen had booked a permit at the AXS machine which was located just outside the Nparks office at Changi beach. When the officers demanded to see the permit, the man told them that the machine had run out of paper and was not able to issue a paper permit. He asked the officers to check with the machine and they would see that his application was approved. The officers, however, refused and ordered him to pack up.
The Nparks officers also issued summons even to those who had valid camping permits, we were told.
One of the most puzzling and outlandish abuse of authority perhaps is the action of Nparks officers unzipping the tents of these campers without permission or warning. This have riled the campers, which included women. “How can they do this?” asked one of the men. In the past, the campers would use locks to secure their tents whenever they went out to fish. However, after they found their locks were cut by, they believe, Nparks officers, they no longer lock their tents.
Several of the campers believe that they have been “blacklisted” by Nparks when it comes to applying for permits through the AXS machine. One of them has been trying to do so for the last six months without success. Some of the homeless campers at Sembawang Park have also told TOC of similar experiences.
Yet, these may not be the worse that the homeless had faced.
One of them, a seven-month pregnant lady, had approached MCYS for help earlier, before we came to know of her plight. She told TOC that when she was at the MCYS offices, she was, quite incredibly, told to put up at a hotel in Geylang as it was “cheaper”. This pregnant lady, who has two other small children and a husband who had quit his job so he can be with her at the park to ensure her safety, held back her tears and her anger. After hearing what was told to her by the MCYS officer, she got up from her chair and walked out of the office.
A couple who had approached their Member of Parliament for help, told us what this MP advised them: “You can go sleep at the beach since there are many people doing that.” [Update - 1 Feb 2010, 13.23 hours: TOC has contacted the MP in question and received this reply from the MP: "I would never ever reply to anyone who comes to seek help in that manner." ]
On one occasion last week, the Nparks officers were again doing their rounds and were particularly demanding that a couple packed up and left Changi beach. When TOC came to know of this, we asked to speak to the officer in charge of the group, over the phone. When he was told that “Andrew from The Online Citizen” was looking to speak to him, the officer could be heard saying dismissively, “Ahh! We don’t entertain!” It was the same answer we got when we tried to speak to another officer by the name of Anthony whom we believe is in charge of the Nparks office in Changi beach.
TOC wrote to the Chief Executive Officer of the National Parks Board, Mr Ng Lang, and to its Chairman of the Board, Mrs Christina Ong, on 27 January. Our email was copied to Dr Balakrishnan as well.
Our email asked for clarification on the rules and regulations regarding the use of public parks in Singapore, particularly those which were issued by Nparks officers to the campers at Changi beach. Since these rules were issued by Nparks officers, it was only natural that the public should be made aware of them. Thus, it was a matter of public concern.
Nparks has not replied to our query.
It would seem that the authority given to Nparks officers on the ground are either extensive – to the point where they can issue arbitrary and ridiculous orders – or that the officers on the ground are abusing their authority and powers, along with their blatant and rude behavior bordering on contempt for the poor and homeless.
Nparks officers, and indeed all public servants, including those from MCYS, must keep in mind that they are public servants and not “little Lee Kuan Yews” in charge of their own little domains – issuing orders and rules and regulations according to their own fancies. Public parks in Singapore belong to Singaporeans. Nparks officers are merely custodians of these parks.
But what really gets your goat is that the authorities have known about these homeless people for months. At least one MP, as mentioned above, had actually recommended that the couple set up home at the beach. Yet, why did the authorities, especially the MCYS, not do anything until TOC reported the situation?
And when it did finally do something, it was with a posse of officials, policemen and the minister himself descending on the parks in an ostentatiously threatening manner – with police cars and officers issuing summons and barking orders to the homeless.
“I am a Singaporean, you know?” one of the campers told TOC. “I come here to fish. What is wrong with that? Why they treat us like this?”
—
I read this with much disgust. These Nparks public servants are using taxpayers money to terrify and bully helpless SINGAPOREANS.
We should make the relevant ministers pay for this. GOod work Andrew.
This, and not the sanitized version that Sunday Times reported is what’s actually happening on the ground.
Joahua.. u rr right, it was trying too hard to paint a “happy” picture. These ST journalists have no conscience at all. Sellout to the Devil.
in the 70s and 80s, we dont see these much homeless… this is 20 century, unbelieveable in a country like singapore.
everything is about $$$, fullstop.
Let face the reality:
the turncoat BALA is a salary man of LKY/LHL.
There was a report of at least 6 cases online on people having difficulty making a living picking card boards etc and only one of these cases was found not to be valid.
Bala reported on that one.
Now, he came down to see these homeless people and didn’t report anything.
The conclusion: He doesn’t have the guts to address this homeless issue to his pay master.
Either that or he doesn’t care.
This article would have been more realistic by indicating who that MP who knew or recommended Changi beach is.
This is another clear example of the incompetence of this govt and the pigs MP.
they are only interested to get problems to go away using their mouth/words.
the hardwork is left to mother nature.
They are very very lazy.
I had always wonder what are the oppostions parties doing to help this homeless?
If this is happening in HK or Malaysia, the oppositions parties or some NGOs are going to be involved in helping these homeless, but what is people like Sylvia Lim doing? she is a NCMP, isn’t it a good opportunity to show up and check with these people how she can help? and bring up any concern in the Parliament?
Curious,
to be fair, there are some opp candidates who are helping out in their capacity as private citizens. As to whether it will be an issue they will raise it really is up to the parties’ leadership to decide.
The entire opposition, except one, is in the pockets of the PAP, hoping to become either the “one or two” permanently elected MPs in a House of 84 or “eligible” to be allowed to enter Parliament, under the recently announced PAP fraud of more NCMPs.
People want change but the dictatorial PAP is using proxies to frustrate their aspirations and expectations.
Thank you so much to TOC for a job well done, the state media or simply the “main-stream-media” will never publish these types of unglamorous, not elegant, shameful, abase, lowly treatments of Singaporeans by this bunch of despicable and contemptible wrenches of million-dollar miw.
Kowtow to freedom of speeches and expressions! Keep-up the good works!
Cheers to prosperities and progresses for whatever TOC strives for!
It looks political.
It may be that the government or government supporters made a brutal pro-active crack down based on your published story so that people will hate you. That’s politics.
This is most utterly disgusting. Civil servants abusing their authority to bully Singaporeans to serve the purpose of a political party because they have been embarrassed. This country is more like a tyranny now.
@Zefly,
TOC, is basically a media, it is good that you are doing investigatives journalism. If the govt is not willing to help. it’s the NGOs and perhaps, the oppositions MPs that are in a better positions to provide concrete assistance to these people. Imagine if Ms Lim were there to ask some questions, do you think these Npark people will tell her “we do not entertain”?
And since you said that some opposition candidates were there to help, why TOC’s not giving any coverage on that? isn’t that some good PR/exposure for these people? we know the MSMs are not going to do that.
Appalling!
I am waiting for further spin from 154th to white wash the actions of these little “Lee Kuan Yews”.
Andrew, is there anything we can do to push NParks to stop behaving like this now?
Of cos we need to vote PAP out since they are the root cause of the problem but that will be next GE.
Do yourself a favor…. remember how you are treated by these MPs and these lackeys and do the right thing at the Ballot box. PERIOD.
To “do something”,
Someone film them down and post it on youtube. Not sure if it’s illegal though… I only know that it’s illegal to capture the video of policeman in operation… not sure if it applies to NPark officers.
It’s been like this for years. Give a small man a cheap uniform, a badge and some rules to enforce and he’ll start thinking of the world and start forcing his own made-up rules by force of his own small authority and hopefully smoke/scare you into complying. I’ve learned long ago to demand the rules in print to be shown to me before ever bothering to even listen to them. Know your rights and actively protect yourself by knowing your legal options and then tiny opportunists will shrink away back into their cubicles.
Would these people have been better off if TOC had not reported on the issue?
No. The Sembawang campers were relocated to a block of HDB flats in the Tiong Bahru area within days after the first story came out. And they were spared the inconvenience of having to stay in Angsana Home in the meantime.
There are more stories TOC is working on now that will shed more light on the homeless issue.
Watch this space.
http://www.facebook.com/joshuafly?ref=nf#/group.php?gid=243022663629&ref=ts
Perhaps the so called genuine campers and fishing enthusiasts who had been issued with the unreasonable summons can refuse to pay the fine imposed and let the NP officers take them to court and fight for justice. I strongly support those who are unduly penalised for no rhyme or reason. The true story of any wrongdoings would come out during the court hearing and we can assess who is more reasonable. There are always 2-sides of the story. If we allow all the homeless and down and out Singaporeans and foreigners to camp and sleep wherever they want, including Singapore beaches will be littered with such campers. Where can I then bring my family members to enjoy the beach, swim and sun free of charge?
In a true democratic society, people will be marching in the streets, shouting “Gestapo, Gestapo!” and the related minister will be shamed into resigned. But alas, our civil servants with very thick skin & face – after all, their appointments (and pay scale) is based on meritocracy, right?
This has become typical of civil servants. They are more interested in covering their ass than in solving problems.
I once complained to AVA animal welfare about my neighbour abandoning their cat, the response from AVA was that they have to cull this cat now that it has become a stray. It is easier to get rid of the “evidence” than to go after my neighbour for pet abandonment. We have many laws but nobody is interested in the enforcement.
This is uncalled for ! To these civil servents, I have these to say to you: To hell with you with all that farking acts of forcing them to leave the palce with immediate effect that in fact, they have no where to go to! get it ?!!, it is just disgrace that our Spore have idiots like you who are just wasting country resorces just paying that farking pay to people like you with farking brain like peanuts size. PUT your farking ass into the shoes to these people, if you have any FOR one seconds and give them a little help if your farking brain can tell you, cut the farking crap of acting like a farking law and order enforcer, because you just do not fit that bill! Arssseholes !!
“If we allow all the homeless and down and out Singaporeans and foreigners to camp and sleep wherever they want, including Singapore beaches will be littered with such campers. Where can I then bring my family members to enjoy the beach, swim and sun free of charge?”
First of, no one should be homeless. Why are there homeless people. It’s a very complex issue, no doubt. But one area to look into, is to see if the policies we have are helping to create more homeless.
Second, it appears that there isn’t much in place to deal with the homeless issue. One of the VWO shelter for the homeless has a waiting list of close to 200 people (!)
The homeless are called homeless because they have nowhere to go. The beaches are the best of the worst places they can go to. On that the note, the homeless migrant workers do not even have tents. They sleep in streets, temples mosques where have you not.
And I do believe as long as they have permits, they should be allowed to camp until the deadline expires.
Would you have preferred that they be sleeping out of sight and hence out of mind for the enjoyment of your family? Last I checked, they looked exactly like you and me. :)
If Malay kampungs still existed, would this homeless situation have evolved?
With HDB prices soaring thru the roof & the relentless influx of foreigners into Spore, the demand for HDB flats has outsripped supply dramatically within the space of 2 years. At the same time, wages have gone lower & lower for the group of Spore citizens who rely on laborious tasks to eke out a living till they are pushed out altogether by the foreign workers from China.
The minority races in Spore face the harshest reality. Just a few days ago, the HR of DFS responded to ST Forum that yes indeed they only employ those who can speak Mandarin fluently due to the influx of China tourists patronising their DFS stores. His letter was in response to an Indian Sporean who lamented that she was rejected by DFS at Changi Airport for a retail job. Now you wonder why there are no Spore citizens employed there from the Malay & Indian races?
I thought it was in very poor taste that DFS issued that letter in the main media and there was silence from the Tripartite Group that aims to promote fair practices at workplaces. Definitely make a mockery of the MOM & Tripartite institutions indeed. Are all 3 terminals at Changi Airport so jam packed with China nationals, not that I can see with my eyes.
But both you and I know that the majority of Sporeans will still continue to vote in the PAP next GE & the next & the next. It is so hopeless that Spore as a country is headed towards a gradual if not swift downfall when you see what is happening in Spore. Yet the govt continues to berate us the Spore citizens that their policy is fail safe & their every explanation of their policy is couched in superfluous terms that the reality cannot be discerned by the general public. Unfortunately, no matter how highly educated the Spore citizens are, they just buy what the govt says. What can we do?
@useyourblain
So you are saying that the best way is for the poor and the homeless to suffer in silence, and that we should all pretend we don’t know they exist?
Its Vivan AGAIN.
Mr. E has a point. It is time we know our rights. It is most unfortunate that the ones most abused are the ones most ignorant of their rights as citizens. In this case, the genuine campers were also regarded as illegal campers, and the worse thing is that they allow themselves to be treated that way – all because they dare not stand up for themselves. Even though they may be ignorant of the details in the camping rules and regulations, it is no excuse that they fail to exercise their right as citizens and stand firm.
It’s the way things are in Singapore. If the government is not careful, these little LKYs are going to bring its already tainted reputation down a few more steps; and; if anyone from the PAP camp is listening or reading this, then it ought to do something about it and make sure they are not mis-represented by mini-LKYs.
All said, it is a good thing that such news do not go unreported even though these homeless citizens may have to be inconvenienced further. Some things just cannot be avoided if we want to effect change. This is their consolation.
Only then will we see the day where we do not have homeless people. Only then can we say aloud that the government is doing its job caring for its people.
Some have called upon the opposition members to do something about it but truth is, before we call on them, we should call upon those whom the majority has voted to look after their welfare. It is only fair.
It may seem I am always blaming the government but really, who should we ask for accountability if not the ones who are meant to represent us? The day we fail to ask anything is the day we give up our rights as citizens. Simple as that.
@gemami & Mr. E
Ya, Know your right?
You know what happen to people that know their rights and excercise them?
Ans: Dr Chee and his gang!
To those that says opposition should help.. c’mon give them a break.. most of them hardly have a roof over their heads already :-) they may be the one that needs help. When the rich refuses to do something, the supported of the rich will says, why don’t the poor do something about their condition? why don’t they get a job or something? or why don’t they just buy a house?
Don’t talk RIGHTS with a dictator!
Of course, if the Npark ppl do not bully singaporeans, who will they bully? Foreigners? Only when pigs fly.
Well said pickitup! Typical ‘let them eat cake’ mentality. PAP and their lapdogs needs to be GUILLOTINED.
Hi Curious, I’m curious as to where you’re coming from. No one is talking about exercising your rights with a dictator. I am simply saying that one should know his rights so that he does not get bullied because of his ignorance. There is nothing confrontational here so your comparison with CSJ is way out of place.
I am a fan of CSJ and the knowledge I have acquired about him as a politician is in no way the same with those who depend on reading about him from a third party’s point of view. You speak as if the final verdict about CSJ has already been written. No my dear friend. There is no doubt that he is over at the loser’s corner for now, but you can never tell what tomorrow will bring.
I was watching my favourite wrestling character just last weekend – Hulk Hogan. Whenever he fought, it always seemed like he was bound to lose. He gets beaten to a pulp when suddenly, with shaking hands and body and feet, he would find a sudden spurt of energy that would overturn the result and win.
Impossible is nothing, my friend, nothing.
It is upsetting how the poor and powerless are being treated by the system, with a minister leading the way.
Its not the Nparks officers who should be targetted. Alot of them would be sleeping in those tents, if they don’t follow the orders given to them by the superiors. Blame the minister and Nparks Head Office for not having empathy.
“i don’t care how you do it, as long as it is done!”
This is definitely the mantra of the government when it comes to dealing with the homeless problem. We tend to sweep it under the carpet. What do you expect untrained civil servants to do??
@gemami
I am just feeling sad for Singapore!
Years ago, I worked a short period as law enforecment officer and I know how “Rights”are not respected. Do you know that suspects are not entitled immidiate legal consultations? In the Changi case mentioned in the article, if the campers had escalated the confrontation, they will apply some other law to arrest you, if not A law, there will be B , C or D. so don’t tell them you know your rights.
The worst is , people that are supposed to protect our rights, had also given up doing that. Look at what a lame organisation the Law Society had become? They even had their Rights taken away by LKY!
I had long given up on the MIW, but I am also diappointed that the oppositions are not doing enough where I think they should have step up to the plate in many occasions.
I quote Dr Vivian Balakrishnan’s speech in parliament, March 2007.
“That allows me to say with a clear conscience to both the PAP and the Opposition MPs that nobody in Singapore needs to starve, nobody needs to be deprived of healthcare, and nobody needs to be deprived of a roof over his or her head. If someone indeed is so destitute and is starving, we have other means and other safety nets for them. ”
http://siewkumhong.blogspot.com/2007/03/how-many-portions-of-help-sir.html
So Sir, is this the so call “safety net” you have?
@Curious
“I had long given up on the MIW, but I am also diappointed that the oppositions are not doing enough where I think they should have step up to the plate in many occasions.”
this is where you come in
Thanks TOC for the write up. I agree with wakemeupearly on minority races being the harshest hit (tho there are many homeless people from the majority) but ironically within the minority circles it seems like they would rather blame “attitudes” of the homeless people, completely ignoring the structural factors that contribute to the phenomenon. Back in December the Malay papers ran a centrefold spread on “Malay families living in tents along East Coast” which was then followed by a commentary by one of the writers on why Malays LIKED(!) to live in tents by the beach rather than in ‘proper homes’, why didn’t they ‘put in effort to find jobs to rent places’ when they have ‘working limbs’ etc, and also stressing that ‘there are many avenues to seek help if u are homeless’. This is AFTER the people featured had mentioned that MOST of them were trying to make ends meet doing jobs like cleaning, security etc but this was still not enough — and yet the guy doing the commentary had the cheek to overlook these and talk about the “choices” these people make. The only person who wasn’t working brought up this point: how to have peace of mind to work when he doesn’t have a place to stay and also who would take care of what little belongings he has while he was at work? I also actually wonder administratively, how do homeless people apply for jobs? Won’t they need to fill in particulars like address etc (pardon my ignorance) and won’t this impede the job search?
just email the link to this article to all your friends. Let them read and judge for themselves whether this is the type of government they want especially those that voted for these white pigs.
At those parks, at least those destitutes are away from towns and have access to clean water and food (fish).
It’s not wise to push them too hard, if the authorities have not intention of helping them to get out of their predicament.
When a man is cornered and has run out of options, he has nothing to lose.
Such hungry and homeless people will naturally turn to crime.
Is that the price Singaporeans are willing to pay just because some politician or civil servant wants to look good?
Hi Curious,
I share your sentiments. In fact, I dare say most of us here feel the same way. We are all saddened by what what’s happening in and around our country, our home. I repeat that last part one more time – OUR country, OUR home. Is this how one expects to be treated in his own home?
You cite the example of having A, B, C & D laws imposed on another. Well, it justifies my reasoning that ignorance opens the floodgates to such manipulation of the law, don’t you think?
If one is in well-verse and knowledgeable about his rights, do you think the enforcement officials could even move from A to B without having to prove that the accusations of A is first valid? Fact is, ignorance allows the officials to move from A to B and C to D effortlessly until we believe what we are told.
Again, let’s return to CSJ. How many out there believe that CSJ is what the press had made him out to be? It’s time we challenge such views for once. You’ll be surprised with what you may find.
We are prone to blaming the opposition, or the lack of it, but hands to chest, what have we done that could have prevented the almost non-existence of our opposition? More importantly, what are we going to do about it?
So you see, we should look toward ourselves first before we throw stones at the opposition members. We should be applauding them instead for their spirit of steadfastness and perseverance against such seemingly insurmountable odds.
The Npark officers, police and MCYS people behave worse than animals.
The police doesn’t want to deal with the HUGE problem of loan shark harassment, assault (remember the “non-seizble offense” bullshit), etc……but they waste taxpayers’ money by forcing homeless people to the brink.
I wonder if the pap don’t care about these people because they don’t have an address and therefore cannot vote.
The PAP govt is face-conscious. The ministers must show the world that there are no social problems here. That is why begging is not permitted. If you must die from poverty , die quietly.
This country is a facade. Beneath this facade is a country whose people are bleeding profusely from the wounds inflicted by the govt. Very soon, many people will become carcasses disposed off in the streets like dead rats and dogs.
Very sad for the people of Singapore.
I am seriously concerned for you, TOC when I saw your headlines ‘Little Lee Kuan Yews’.
Relating your headline to the context of your report, there are grounds for defamation :-)
Don’t forget all it takes is for the late JBJ to wave a document at a certain rally & simply factually reported that someone had made a police report to be convicted of defamation.
All the more damaging the way you describe these NPark officers & actually likened them to ‘little you-know-whos’.
Take care !
Frankly I think if we have a more effective opposition in Parliament, I’m quite sure the NParks officers will not try to bully their way around. And for that matter, I don’t think any PAP Minister can get away with giving wishy washy answers in Parliament.
And I think also that CSJ will made an ideal canditate as an opposition MP. At least he has proven that he can challenge that old fart in putting his logical arguments across. As to the claims over some petty items that PAP has made him to sound like a dishonest person , I think in the perspective of what we have lost so far Ho Jinx is a real monster by any standards.
I honestly think if for whatever he has done or suffered, we should give CSJ an opportunity to serve as an opposition candidate. If he is that bad, we can always not elect him in another GE. We should give him his credit due.
Good Afternnoon all,
Glad to see TOC is heading full steam again. Andrew has certainly highlighted a very thought provoking subject. I dont want mess up the thread with another wind bag commentary – may I invite all of you to read what I’ve written on this subject, here
http://dotseng.wordpress.com/2010/02/01/monkey-see-monkey-do/
Do have a productive week ahead and many thanks
SD (Internet Liaison officer – sponsored by the IMG)
Nothng is free any more in Singapore. In the 50s and 60s, we stall get free tap water.
To rule a country that is even more demanding now than ever, new laws are enacted to make Singaporeans to comply.
Laws are useless if the authority is not righteous enough.
Just take the gambling laws. Gambling is already a sin but Singapore government makes it legal and illegal for gamblers. So loan sharks and other social ills will crop up. The reaction to unrighteousness is lawlessness.
Singaporeans will be hard to rule if laws are considered unrighteous. Death sentence is one such law. Abortion is another. R(A) rated law is another.
Homeless people is not a serious proble at all. People contribute 7 millions to the Ren Ci, so there will be helping hands still around. It is only the stubborn ones that are causing problems. Even MPs shake their heads when faced with this sort of people.
I do not want to give solution for this.
My misunderstood solution is for the president of Singapore to practise ‘wu wei’ or inaction. If you want to know about this go to http://www.kewkahfatt.9f.com/election97.html .