HDB's mistake but she's made to pay - 4 years later

last SG · 2008-01-15T19:10:04+00:00

yes, i'm supposed to take an argument coming from a man who has to pull off topic references to support his point every other sentence seriously. You know,...

HyperFocal SG

... you must be a GM ...

.. Government Mouthpiece...

will4 SG

In the first place, the telecom personnel responsible for ther screw up should be penalized.

fymk SG

And deathbait, from I remember , my grandma didn't gain personally from it.

She walked faithfully to their office every week to pay her 2 dollars on top of her bill. Not once did telecoms have to hound her for payment after that.

So if you want to hammer my grandmother for being proud, poor and refusing my father's help, you have no right. You can sit on your ivory seat and play judge on people who didn't stand to gain anything at all.

fymk SG

Those days , everything manual not so computerised. So screw ups are bound to happen ...but hey to deathbait ......it was 1980s with pentium M processors while for the rest of us , it was DOS for the well to do and typewriters for the rest.

deathbait SG

lol oh please

paying by interest free installment is a big difference from paying in lump sum.

You just try getting an interest free installment on anything...there's a reason why it's not often offered.

Just because her opponent was a government entity does not automatically make her right. Ditto for being old. Or for being illiterate.

The rules for playing in the society is simple. You follow the rules and pay your dues. Rules are only effective when everyone follows them. Everytime someone chips off a small advantage from the system for private gain like in your grandmother's case, the system fails a little more. Worse still, everytime someone gains, someone else loses.

And what happens when the old rules no longer prevent petty theft from the system? More rules are needed. It is no coincidence that Singapore has so many minor laws to prevent seemingly useless things. Singaporeans are UGLY. We are. No amount of patroitism will change that fact. WE ARE UGLY.

And so, yes I look down with disdain at people like your grandmother who goes out of her way to gain that small bit of advantage from the system. Or the driver who thinks it's harmless to run a red light just because there is no traffic in the middle of the night.

It's these little things that contribute to the society you ppl seem to dislike so much. To the governance that seems to rule with an iron fist. I'm sorry to burst your bubble all. But the government is usually trying to save us from ourselves.

Ask yourself if you don't steal from the commons every single day. Running red lights. Jaywalking. Littering. The list goes on.

HyperFocal SG

.. hmmm... seems to have gone OT somewhere...

deathbait SG

Also, I like how you automatically assume I'm younger than you. Unfortunately for you, I actually have recollections of the 1980s. The pentium M processors didn't come out till the mid 1990s.

will4 SG

How do u expect an old lady to pay in one big lump? Obviously telecom realized their mistake and gave her the chance to pay by installment.

Speaking about taking advantages, seen many bad cases in which local serving NS decided to AWOL to other countries when on leave or act crazy to get an easier vocation.

maurizio13 SG

I tot what GM, tot you got some inside information.

Laughing

deathbait SG

Slightly, but not totally. This kinda applies to the original topic as well. The "small, weak individual" bullied by the "cold, big organisation" myth is one of my pet peeves.

I hate it when ppl take advantage of other's compassion for personal gain. It's downright immoral.

HyperFocal SG

Laughing

deathbait SG

If you recall, her son offered to pay for her.

If pride is the point here, any old fashioned chinese would tell you it is better to be in debt to your son than to outsiders.

Yes, NS is full of examples of this kind of behavior. Report sick before guard duty comes to mind.

fymk SG

Son-in-law.

Not son.

get it right.

maurizio13 SG

You platoon mates tua (shoot) you do guard duty?

sbst275 SG

It seems you do not wish to admit tat the mistake was made

being thick skin would backfire

deathbait SG

my bad. I assumed when you said your father that it was her son.

Still, my point stands. Taking money from family has always been more honorable than taking money from strangers. So if pride was the point, it made no sense.

fymk SG

Actually Telecoms could have charged her interest - if they did , she probably paid it as well. She just didn't agree with them because they refused to let her pay in instalments.

So get the story right. My grandma paid her debt up. She was never known as a dishonest person. She was well known for being trustworthy. I suggest that you lay off her. I was quoting her story because it appeared similar to the case of the little old lady who is now forced to either pay 18k in 21 days or 18k in 3-6 months.

That old lady - what happens if she dies? Charge the debt to her daughter who has nothing to do with it in the first place?

deathbait SG

nah. Just remember a couple of bad eggs who always conveniently had stomachaches when they were up for duty.

will4 SG

Report sick before guard duty is still small malingering. NS is just like paying due to the country. I wonder how come the govt never allowed those

NSF to migrate in they really have trouble completing their service?

deathbait SG

no, i'm trying to highlight to you that the mistake was made on BOTH sides. Just because one of them happens to be an organisation without a face does not mean it is not worthy of justice in this matter.

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