A man was fined $2,000 yesterday for using "threatening words" on Ms Nancy Quah Suat Lay, 36, chairman of the Young People's Action Party Marine Parade Branch. The unemployed fellow apparently lost his cool as he was not satisfied with their level of aid. Peethambaran had been visiting the branch since July last year to seek help from relevant government agencies after being unemployed for some time. It was noteworthy that Ms Quah alleged the jobless man had threatened to sow discord between Singaporeans and Malaysians, promising to do exactly what was accomplished by our loquacious MFA diplomats with the super sized egos. Instead of issuing a protest note to Singapore over the WikiLeaks disclosures, Malaysia's Foreign Minister Anifah Aman should have made a police report like Ms Quah did.
To appreciate the frustrations someone like Peethambaran might have experienced, just take a gander at the documentation required to qualify for a miserly $300 handout:
1) Your identity card
2) Identity card(s) of family members within the same household
3) Birth certificate(s) of children (below 15 years old)
4) Marriage/ Divorce certificate
5) Latest payslip(s)
6) CPF statement(s)
7) Bank account passbook(s)/ statements/ Medical appointment card(s)
9) HDB booklet (for rental flat)
10) Town Council booklet (service and conservancy charges)
11) Latest SP Services bill
12) Documents on assistance received from other organisations
13) Any other relevant supporting documents eg. prison visiting card, outstanding payments owing to other organisations
And you thought nobody can top how Transport Minister Raymond Lim's LTA made commuters jump through the hoops for a refund of the excessive fare charges incurred by errors in their new fangled distance-based fare system.
Minister of State for Community Development, Youth and Sports Yu-Foo Yee Shoon, claimed that the number of ComCare applicants has dropped by 11 per cent in the first 9 months of this year, because of an increase of job seekers and a recovering economy. She probably has no freaking idea how many have given up trying to get financial aid from “The Stingy Nanny,” the title of the Economist article wrote up in February this year: “The government does run a handful of schemes directed at some of the needy, from low-income students to the unassisted elderly. But these benefits are rigorously means-tested and granted only sparingly."
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A Response to “Making Life Easier for The Elderly”
ReplyDeleteRead my Blog :-
http://de-leviathan.blogspot.com/2010/12/election-watch-part-ii-concepts-about.html
Sorry have to comment...
ReplyDeleteThe nanny is heartless and stingy to some they perceive not their "equals" but not so heartless and stingy to others they peceive to be "better".
A nanny that practises favorism right out there in the wide open world for all to see.
How idiotic and without conscience!
Giving up or refusing to apply for insignificant aid due to the processes of bureaucrazy is like Singaporeans giving up their own live due to exhorbitant medical fee and lack of low cost or free medical treatment. Those seeking financial assisitances for medical and medicare expenses are similarly subjected to the red tape processes.
ReplyDeleteThere is a Chinese Saying that ones' dignity should not be humiliated as the Chinese cherishes 'face value'. This somewhat Chinese Trait caused many to choose death rather than beg to live. However, my personal view is that many Singaporeans are 'priced out' by the market that's out to make profit. There is little governmental assistance and whatever assistance available are governed by tedious bureaucratic processes which are sometimes beyond the ability of the applicant to comply.
It is very sad to know that those seeking assistances tragically ended up convicted and some just choose to give up everything by taking their own live.
Mean testing itself is not too mean, the People who manage the society are more mean.
NO WONDER MANY SINGAPOREANS LIKE TO SAY BETTER DIE THAN SEEK TREATMENT WHEN SICK.
patriot
Remember the story during the 2006 elections - about the bicyclist who was knocked down by a car but did not want to be taken to the hospital because he had no money in his CPF? Sad, very sad.
ReplyDeleteEven though CPF is our own money, Singaporeans are only allow to use it under many many conditions.
ReplyDeleteReally shit and lousy in Sin.
This is not surprising... they strip down the dignity of the people who needs assistance most, by asking for upteem documents to prove that you are in POVERTY... even to use your own medisave
ReplyDeleteThere is a certain trait that many people and this is not confined to people here in Singapore, that if there is half a chance that money can be taken ( even if its our own ), people will sieze it.
ReplyDeleteMore so, if it is free.
The offer of free gifts is one example that people will turn up for time share sales pitch, and another example is share holder meetings -
free food.
we can have some other form of verification that tax payers' money is not being poured down into infinite holes. But that would mean explaining how the Government spends and invests with the people's money.. a trickier task than to ask for NRIC,CPF statements...
There will always be a section of any society that will face financial challenges. How do we decide on how much aid to give and for how long and to whom?
Utopia would be the best answer: each citizen will have a guarantee that if they fail in whatever pursuits in their lives, be it occupation, business enterprise, gambling or just pure spendings, they will each get a minimum of $100,000 as a one time payment, lump sum. Beyond that, they will have to wait a minimum of 3 years before qualifying for the next payment of $50,000
The last and 3rd payment is $25,000.. a total payout of $175,000 over 6 years. Not bad eh?
Question is: who qualifies for this?