SINGAPORE: A struggling family living in a rental flat had their water supply reduced on 1 October, as revealed in an Instagram post by the workers’ rights advocacy group, Workers Make Possible (WMP).

In an effort to ease the family’s burden, a fundraiser was launched. By the evening of 1 October, S$1,620 had been raised.

Of this amount, S$1,200 was transferred to the family to fully clear their outstanding water bill and address other urgent expenses.

The family, which had been accumulating water bill arrears for several months, was informed by SP Group that their water supply would only be fully restored if they paid S$450 upfront—half of their total outstanding bill of S$900.

According to WMP, the mother of the family has been severely ill for months, leading to her inability to work.

As a result, her husband, who earns less than S$2,000 per month after CPF deductions, is the sole breadwinner for the family, which includes young children.

With the rising cost of living in Singapore, the family has struggled to manage household expenses, leading to unpaid bills, WMP shared in the post.

After contacting SP Group, the mother was told the water supply would resume if half of the arrears were paid. However, she could not afford the required S$450.

This situation occurs amid rising water prices in Singapore.

The government raised the price of water by 20 cents per cubic metre this year, with an additional increase of 30 cents planned for next year.

WMP argued that despite government subsidies, many low-income families continue to struggle to cover their basic utility bills.

“Subsidies offered by the government don’t come anywhere close to alleviating the struggles of poor families in paying these bills. PUB earned about $286 million in 2021,” WMP challenged.

To support the family, Workers Make Possible organised a fundraiser via PayNow. In a 5:30 pm update on 1 October, WMP announced that S$1,620 had been raised.

Of this amount, S$1,200 was sent to the family to clear their water bill, while the remaining S$420 will be used to assist a young warehouse worker struggling with illness and rent payments, WMP clarified.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Workers Make Possible (@workersmakepossible)

Singaporean illustrator Lee Xin Li (李欣立) was shocked to discover that a copy of his 360-degree illustration, created for his client, Formula 1 Grand Prix in Singapore during the pandemic, was used as a mural in a food court without his permission.

Mr Lee criticised the unauthorised use of his artwork, stating that it was used without any financial compensation, permission, or prior communication.

“To further add insult, the generative ai tech was used to create some mangled mess to my artwork.”

According to Mr Lee’s social media posts, the mural was allegedly displayed at Shifu Food Court, located within Bras Basah Complex, an institution long associated with artists, writers, and members of the creative community.

Expressing his disappointment, Mr Lee called it a sad state of affairs, highlighting the irony of an institution dedicated to the arts committing “art theft,” using AI in a distasteful manner, and crossing the boundaries of client-creator relationships by taking his commissioned project without consent.

Mr Lee Criticises Bras Basah Complex’s Response, Highlights Public Promotion of Unauthorized Artwork

After reaching out to Bras Basah Complex to request the removal of the artwork, the institution responded via Facebook, issuing an apology.

Bras Basah Complex clarified that its Merchants Association is a volunteer group assisting merchants in fostering community spirit.

The association explained that the complex does not have a central management system, unlike modern malls managed by REITs, and that each shop is privately owned, meaning they have no authority over individual shop operations.

“As this happened in a private establishment and privately owned property, we had no preview and purview until its opening. ”

“Nonetheless we have reached out to the owner of this establishment and hope he will reach out to you to resolve this,” the group told Mr Lee.

However, Mr Lee expressed dissatisfaction, stating that this explanation did not sufficiently address the issue, particularly given the food court’s prominent public location.

He also pointed out that Bras Basah Complex had shared news of the newly renovated food court on its social media platforms.

Shifu Food Court Claims Unawareness of Unauthorised Artwork, says Interior Design Outsourced to Contractor

The food court later responded to Mr Lee’s Facebook post, claiming they were unaware of the unauthorised use of his artwork, as the interior design had been entirely outsourced to a contractor.

They assured him that an investigation would be conducted and that, if the claim was accurate, the mural would be taken down immediately.

Shifu Food Court also clarified that the murals outside the establishment were created by students and alumni from Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA), and proper credit was given to them.

However, Mr Lee emphasised that the food court should have communicated more clearly.

While they clarified that the outdoor murals were by NAFA, the mural inside featuring his artwork was the contractor’s doing.

In a follow-up comment, Shifu Food Court issued an apology, explaining that they were unaware the mural inside included Mr Lee’s artwork and assured him it would be removed promptly.

In a Facebook post on Wednesday, Mr Lee expressed his gratitude to his followers for sharing the incident and raising awareness. He also hoped the issue would be resolved soon.

He noted that both Bras Basah Complex and Shifu Food Court have not reached out to him in other ways except on social media comments.

He further clarified that NAFA was an innocent party mistakenly dragged into the issue due to Shifu Food Court’s earlier social media posts, which credited all murals, including those inside, to NAFA.

Mr Lee reiterated that the NAFA students did an excellent job with their own murals, and their artwork was unrelated to the dispute.