WHY NOT? say China neighbours
Huang Na's mum is adding another floor to her 2-storey house in
China. Critics have questioned whether it is the right thing to
do
By Dawn Chia
October 11, 2005
SHE brought her daughter to Singapore, hoping to give her a better
future.
But her hopes were crushed by the tragic murder of her 8-year-old
girl exactly one year ago today.
The poignant tale of Huang Na's short life and sudden death moved
Singaporeans to donate generously to Madam Huang Shuying.
Now she and her husband, Mr Zheng Wen Hai, could be using that
money, which some say could amount to hundreds of thousands of
dollars, to renovate her house in Putian city, China.
Their construction of another storey to their two-storey home in
Houfeng village has drawn criticism from some of their own
countrymen.
They feel the money from Huang Na's funeral donations should not
have been used to do up their home.
And a prominent Singaporean has questioned 'the gullibility of
Singaporeans' for donating to seemingly unfortunate families in the
news.
'But what good is that money to Huang Na who has died?' asked
Associate Professor Lee Wei Ling, in a letter to The Straits Times
forum page. (See report on facing page.)
Others, including Madam Huang's neighbours and Singaporeans have
defended her actions, saying it's their business how the money
given to them in goodwill is used and no one else's.
When The New Paper team visited Madam Huang, 33, last December, she
talked about adding a third storey to the house so that she could
see Huang Na's tomb from her home.
The view of the tomb - halfway up a mountain about 20 minutes from
the village - was blocked by a nearby house.
Madam Huang said then: 'Things are different in the village - we
build simple houses as roofs over our heads. If we can afford it or
need the space, we add another storey to it.
'Not everyone can afford to tear down their house and
rebuild.'
WORK STARTED
Neighbours said that work started about two months ago, after Madam
Huang returned from testifying against her daughter's murderer in
Singapore.
Took Leng How was sentenced to death for the murder after a
high-profile trial in July.
Speculation about how much money the couple received first surfaced
after Huang Na's funeral last November.
They refused to reveal how much they received, further stoking the
fires of gossip.
Latest news reports quoted some villagers who criticised the couple
for spending the money on their house.
Some were more sympathetic.
Their immediate neighbour, Mr Lin Guo Long, 50, told The New Paper
in Mandarin: 'I don't understand why people are so obsessed about
how much bai jin (Mandarin for white gold - contributions towards
funeral expenses) they received.
'I'm sure they would rather have Huang Na with them than receive
that sort of money. What they do with it is their business, and we
have no right to ask for any explanation.'
Madam Huang declined to say how much she would spend on
renovations, but Mr Lin estimated that it would cost as much as
'hundreds of thousands of renminbi' (100,000 renminbi is worth
about $21,000).
He said it was more likely that she wanted to add the third storey
to see Huang Na's tomb than as a necessity to accommodate the
family of five.
Madam Huang, Mr Zheng, their 2-year-old daughter, Xuan Yu, and Mr
Zheng's parents live in the spacious, yet modestly-decorated
house.
Madam Huang, 33, is two months pregnant now.
The family's living quarters are on the second floor - slightly
bigger than a basketball court. The first floor is used for
cooking, dining and storage.
After the renovation, the total floor area of their house would be
the equivalent of three five-room HDB flats.
By comparison, their home is not the biggest in the village.
Madam Sally Ho, who runs Direct Singapore Funeral Services with her
husband, visited the couple last month.
Madam Huang told her the renovations would be completed in
December.
The couple had handled Huang Na's funeral for free, and Madam Ho
had gone to China to offer prayers to her.
She said: 'The house was very dusty and we had to stay in a hotel
nearby.
'They would have asked us to stay with them if not for the
renovations. They were apologetic about it.'
She added that Mr Zheng was busy with his electronics business, and
not unemployed as people said.
Mr Roland Tay, her husband, added: 'We've done what we can for the
little girl, and now it's up to the parents to do what they deem
fit for themselves and their family.
'They may appear to be living a good life, but we don't know what
they have done or are doing for work - they may be working very
hard back home.
'Do we expect them to always live in the past and not move
on?'
Attempts to contact Madam Huang were unsuccessful.
