~by: Muhammad Fadli~
The recent news that a man was caught stealing $32 from a mosque for food for himself and his wheelchair bound mother has raised many sentiments. The most pressing is of course the fate of the mother. With her son behind bars, it is urgent that she gets the help she needs.
This incident has also raised some questions of if the mosque should have been more compassionate turning in a man who stole a very small sum of money for food for himself and his family. However the mosque has responded that it had in fact tried to help him extensively for years in various ways.
There are various ways that one could interpret this issue. Depending on whose side one is inclined to, one could demonize or beatify the person or the mosque.
For example, the person could be seen as this mendicant saint who is trying to feed his mother in the face of an uncaring religious institution. Alternatively, this person could be an obnoxious recalcitrant who has resisted the best efforts of the mosque. This dispute frames the two poles of sentiments surrounding the case, whose merits should be judged ultimately on the fact of what actually happened.
However, looking at the issue within the lenses of these two camps obscures two important issues. Firstly, in the age of Ken Lay and Bernie Madoff, $32 is really a very small sum of money. The fact that he stole the money for something as basic as food for both himself and his mother at a time when his fellow citizens are debating whether their sacrifice is worth thousands, hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars speaks volumes.
We are faced with the moral problem of poverty in the face of plenty and no matter how we moralize and individualize the habits of the poor whilst sipping our $10 lattes there is a part of us which cannot help but feel discomfort. It is the part of us which is most human which cannot help but see ourselves in the predicament of the poor. It is the same part that knows had time and chance been radically different; it could have been us who are utterly desperate to feed our mother. It is the part too often denied by grandiose myths of our ‘talents’
The second issue is the question of whether the mosque was the best institution to handle such a difficult case. In handling cases of poverty, it is not unexpected for the average social worker to tackle a gamut of cases ranging from family problems, educational difficulties, debt, homelessness and employability all stemming from issues in the workplace, the family and societal norms at large. These issues are already challenging without the additional burden of the individual psychological problem this case presents.
Although mosques do give pastoral care and support, its specific specialization is religion. Putting such a person in a religious institution is literally hoping for a religious miracle/awakening to change the person. Has the hope for a religious miracle evolved to become such a key component of our social safety net?
The last point highlights a feature in our social safety net brought up in the last presidential election by Dr Tan Cheng Bock.
“I don’t think I like to see people work within their component groups.” he said. “A poor Singaporean, poor Malay Singaporean, is the same Singaporean. We should look at it at a national level now, no more at a racial level.”
What this ethnic based self-help system does is to group citizens so that the group that has the heaviest burden, namely the Malays, is supported by the group that has the least resources. This systemic imbalance is the root of the mismatch in social welfare requirements.
Although mosques as community institutions do play a part in providing social welfare, they cannot be the primary institution of holistic national welfare system.
Why are these self-help groups organized along ethnic lines in the first place?
If the government is serious about national integration, 46 years is more than enough time to ensure we set up infrastructure to offer help to any Singaporean who needs help, regardless of race, language and religion.
What is the excuse in this instance?
The mosque has given their side of the story on why they reported him to the police but we have not really hear from the man himself.
More importantly, everyone should not be ‘trigger happy’ and ‘go for the kill’ on the slightest sign of infringement. Needless to say, do not speculate on the ‘whys’ and ‘how come’.
Forgive and let go.
There are pockets of truly poor Singaporeans who need help. Help if you can … follow your heart
Why self-help groups are organized along ethnic lines is because the more successful ethnic group need not “subsidize” the less successful groups. Typical LKY’s kind of thinking.
MUIS and TAA get funding and donations from the public in millions. They pay high salaries to their staff. However, these people are only doing their daily chores without any sense of commitment to the poor, sickly and have-nots. If MUIS who is managing the mosques in Singapore want to help, they should engage the retired civil servants to be para counsellors and social workers and station them at all the mosques from 0900 hrs to 1900 hrs. These people who have worked in the civil service e.g SPF, MCD etc have the pre-requisites and experience to link the poor, sickly and have-nots to the various agencies like Comcare, MCD, CDC, MUIS, Jamiah, FSC, Ren Chi, and the long list of help agencies.
Many people who are in need do not have faith in some agencies as they have been lectured and turned down by people who talk but cannot help.
I find this situation very disturbing in urban and modern Singapore. The people in US sleep in the streets. But in Singapore the people are just suffering silently.
I think it is a case of knowing how to use your resources and educating people in need how to use the resources available to them. We do not want government intervention in every aspect of our lives. We will regret that or we are already regretting that. The case of a religious body helping out individuals in their community is not only unique to Muslims. Churches and temples extend counseling, food and financial aid to people in their community too. I don’t think just because of one bad outcome we should discount the good that welfare groups both secular and non-secular have contributed to our society.
Well said,but where is Tan Cheng Bock ? wait for 5 years before he speaks up again. Where is the crying BG Tan? and Chai Tow Kwei Chan ? We are concern about the poor mother what are they going to do to help her
My Overpaid Minister Yaccob Ibrahim, Halimah Yaccob,Dr Intan, Dr Magoose Zulkifli:Where are you dears?More Problems out there then your payslip??
Great article!
Kudos to Rasul!!!!
GREAT CONSTRIBUTION!
If I am a Minister in that’s man Constituency, I will belanja a packet of Chicken Rice (at $3.50 each) plus soft drinks every week to each and every resident in my ward using my Bonus money as a sign of gratitude. Unlike me whom earn a yearly Bonus of 13 months, my residents only get a 13th-month bonus. I will still have lots of excess cash after that, more than suffice for me and my family. I do not want any of my resident to go hungry for food.
from the mosque point of view
this bloke is a HABITUAL thief
from my point of view not based on RACIST ground..i know ow ahbangs/adeks operate..they the pest are LEECHES usin every damned xcuse they can find to the xtend of usin wheelchair bound parents..
i seen too many
Help yourself so that you do not need to depend on others. If you can’t than your immediate family should solve the problem together with you, if the help isn’t sufficient than look for your relatives and follow by your clan and when all things fell than look for your community to seek for further help but if that is not sufficient than look for your MP.
So here are the sequence of who should help you;
1. Yourself
2. Your immediate family
3. Your relative
4. Your clan
5. Your community
6. Your MP
If you are not satisfy and disappointed than the sequence of who to blame should also be the same, blame yourself than your family…….
Remember this golden rule: God do not help you if you do not help yourself.
Mr Steve Wu,
I refer to your post above. I agree with you totally.
I have been thinking of starting a soup kitchen and later food pantries for the homeless and destitute who no longer able to help themselves. You find these soup kitchens and pantries all over the US. It is a monumental task. It requires committed volunteers. A modest start is to find a cheap rental or donated space to cooked food within the HDB enclaves. I was…. an engineer, bus and taxi drivers, cooks, baggage handles, lecturer. You name it. I probably was there and can repairs’ computers (specialty laptop) I love woodworking and make fine cabinets, with adequate power tools. I am jack of all trades and quite good in each area except English, my weakest link. How do I start? (Absolutely NO! Religion, Politic or Race).
This not some jokes and need genuine suggest, contact, committed volunteers and etc… Moderator you are free to give my email to genuine readers. I reserve the right not to replies, if I have any doubt. BTW, I will be away for the next seven weeks and can communicate in email. Thanks.
The Golden Rule: “One should treat others as one would like others to treat oneself.”
Call ourselves 1st world country. We have citizens stealing to feed themselves. $32 dollars isn’t much. 1 year jail sentence is a lot. The law is punishing a man for feeling hungry. If he stole for greed, he would have taken more. he didn’t.
The Singapore government should be shamed of themselves that they have created a system which has no compassion. how different are we from the people who chop the hands off for stealing. No much different if you ask me.
minister takes millions home, who live in the country in which someone needs to steal $32 for food. SHAME
Soup Kitchen…
I am in if you need volunteers.
So moderator we need the email of “soup kitchen”.
What the bloke stole is nothing compared to what’s being stole from us citizens using the excuse of preventing corruption and attracting the best elites.It’s reading articles like this which makes me sick to think of the greed of the Ministers, especially the greed of the old fart who acts like the most honest and self-sacificing hero. But of course he never enriched himself..only his entire 10 generations to come.
The newspapers reported that a certain mosque has been trying to help this man. And this man turned out to be fairly recalcitrant despite all the assistance rendered to him over the years.
I don’t think it is fair to question the effectiveness of ethnic self help groups based on such individuals. Those self help groups do a lot of good on a daily basis without those deeds ever making it to the press. The online community would have a lot more credibility if we refrain from generalising in this way.
I wonder if the mosque will be responsible for looking after the mother since the son is in jail.
The problem lies with the Government, they had openly stated that: “Singapore is NOT a welfare State”. They conned us by claiming the West were cultivating a culture of lazy people, they r broke becos of welfarism. This was repeatedly echoed n trumpeted by MSM n their cronies 2 please their masters. Is welfarism really bad?
NO! Never at all! It is in fact honourable n a humanitarian deed. The financial problems of the West r due to the wars, the numerous ‘aids’ they gave to countries in need, the money spent on ‘arms race’, the number of ‘missiles’ tested, the number of trips to the planets, the millions of refugees they took in their country, etc. and also greed, corruption, nepotism n cronies
misdeeds.
Just take America as an example, just imagine how much money were wasted in fighting wars in Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, etc. these amounted to trillions, more than enough to feed the whole world 4 years with plenty of left overs.
When the Govt. care only for their own pockets n well being first, don’t expect true blue Singaporeans to be taken care off.
They r selfish, arrogant, self serving, ungrateful, greedy, immoral, spinners, manipulators, hypocrites, dictators,
incompassionate, heartless, n recalcitrant. We have been sidelined, ignored, discarded n treated like “spare tyres” whereas FTs/Fws r welcomed with open arms n legs n honoured with preference over us.
True blue Singaporeans r left 2 fend 4 ourselves, irrespective of the circumstances, they r not interested in our well being n survival. We r humiliated and treated like animals if they give us some token money (donated by
others but controlled by them n they unashamedly claimed credit 4 their ‘so-called’ generosity). They screened, interviewed, r sarcastic, n treated us like criminals or useless human beings etc. b4 a minimum help is given. Nothing comes out from their tight fisted hands and zipped pockets. The buck n responsibility is passed over to the various community self-help groups.
Come, GE they’ll shed crocodile tears 2 buy sympathy from our votes.
Enough is enough, it is inevitable that we take our country back without those imported rodents that took away our jobs, space, tranquility and peace.
We need a change n the preparation is NOW. The opposition must set aside their differences n merge 4 the well being of true blue Singaporeans 2 defeat the PAP.
There is hope if Singaporeans unite n use our votes wisely.
@Jessy
So if that son came to your house stealing $32 and ended in jail than it would be your responsible to look after his mother? Please do a scan and see you have XS size brain.
All the 70 mosques in Singapore are extensions of the state.
During 1959 there were 200 mosques in Singapore. PAP led a project “to build bigger mosques” but instead tore down 130 mosques which it claimed was necessary to give way to “bigger mosques”. It was a land reclaiming act. This will come back to haunt Singapore one day when future generations demand such land to be returned as the govt did not compensate fairly and community never wanted to let go all that land.
Anyway the remaining 70 mosques were nationalised. They till today are under the full control of a statutory board called MUIS.
Therefore mosques in Singapore are state space not religious space
A social underclass is forming up from the base of a pyramid. Pharaoh, at the top of the pyramid proclaiming himself as god when actually he was a bloody tyrant enslaving the poor and the weak with all his might. Just look at how his life was put to end by The Almighty who commands the rich to help the poor and the needy. If a poor blind could chip in a dime for a good cause to help his suffering community, the filthy rich’s reaching out to the poor is much left to be desired.
Years ago when i was unemployed and in dire need to secure a job offer. i approached the CDAC for employment assistance but NOT financial assistance.
i was interviewed by a certain Mr Goh whom i think was the then Deputy Executive Director of CDAC. i was informed that i was ineligible for assistance since i was a "degree holder". The rationale was that "degree holders" could easily secure job offers. Moreover, the CDAC only provided assistance to non-degree holders.
Seriously, i wonder what is the point of having a CDAC when it discriminates against "degree holders" with the mistaken perception that such persons could easily secure job offers. Moreover, please harbour in mind that i did not even request for financial assistance and yet i was refused assistance from CDAC.
Since then, i flatly refuse to contribute to the CDAC from my salary.
Honestly for every 1 malay misfit there are 5 chinese. just that most of the latter are less dependent on the government. unreported also. when it's really impossible they take their own lives. clean and easy. muslims dont. right?
btw, in malaysia dont expect the malaysian government to give a damn to the non-muslim minorities. you die your pasal. got money open shops and pay cukai. no sorry . . no hdb flats, no nothing. solusi – migrate lah.
It is interesting to know how much the staff in Muis knows the ground. I supposed they have many interesting academics who is good at figures when dealing with human.
@Sad Oh
I differ in your opinion Malaysia not having HDB scheme. I am not sure if you know Malaysia well. All the cities in Malaysia have Government subsided rented flats for RM 60/- per month for the lower income Malaysians. In Malaysia there is ample land which the Malaysians whether they are Malays, Chinese or Indians who inherit from the family. Otherwise it is one-hundreth of the land cost in Singapore.
You are very wrong to assume that the Malaysian Government do not allocate resources for non-Malays. The allocated resources (nearly 1 billion ringgit for Chinese and 350 million ringgit for the Indians are allocated annually in the budget) are mismanaged by the respective ethnic leaders from MCA and MIC.
What can the government do but to haul them to court.Mr Ling has been recently hauled up for corruption. Some high ranking MCA officials were indicted for mishandling chinese school funds.
So please comment if you know what is happening otherwise better be silent. Regards