Caring and Gracious Society PAP's style?

goh meng seng SG

One forumer ask me this question:

redbean wrote:
goh meng seng,

what kind of opposition are you when 145,000 people with medisave arrears are crying for help? hope i didn't get the figure wrong.

My answers as follow:

I will fight for the right priorities!

Ngiam TD is right that PAP govt shouldn't try to micro manage the economy. Forced saving like medisave is silly. Just like somebody has expressed frustration about IRAS forcefully deducted the taxes he owes from his bank account which would put him into situation with little money left for the next meal.

PAP govt is too obsessed with rules and statistics. It will only care about its own coffers and intakes, damn about how people will survive.

Needless to say, there are of course some who could afford to pay up the tax or the medisave arrears but refused to do so for whatever reasons. But in this bad economic situation, there are even more genuine cases of great financial stress which make them unable to pay up! Instead of exercising empathy and discretion, in one swoop, the agencies of the govt acted like souless machines!

If a person couldn't even be sure of where the next meal will come from, would you expect him to pay you tax arrears or even forced saving like medisave?

The more decent thing the govt should practice is to send social workers to screen out those people who are in arrears. Who are the genuine people who could not be forced into saving like medisave. Allow them to renew their licenses so that they could make their living but at the same thing, pay it in various installments. Putting people into jail or even fine them will not solve the problem but will only expose the ruthlessness of the PAP govt.

Sending reminders and reminders of arrears of payment is useless. SingPower claims that they don't cut off electricity and water that easily, but will send reminders after reminders.... but if the client does not have a job and money to pay, no amount of reminders could solve the problem what! Such cases should be referred to social workers to go and find out the situation on the ground.

If our PAP govt claims that structural unemployment is here to stay, then I will say, simply stating the fact will not help at all. A systematic social welfare system has to be in place to cater to such misfortunate ones. Fining people, jailing people forcing people to make payments on whatever arrears and cutting off necessary utilities are not going to help at all. If social workers has established that a family is indeed in financial trouble, money chasing tactics from CPF, IRAS and SingPower are the least thing we should expect to happen to them.

Where is the "Caring" and "Gracious" society that PAP is promising when the govt under its charge are so unforgiving and uncaring, least gracious?

Goh Meng Seng

paperchicken SG

Did Low Thia Kiang donate his MP allowance to help the poor in Hougang ? Rolling Eyes

goh meng seng SG

I believe he did but I dunno how much. Wink

Hougang Town Council manage an education fund for the needy. These bursaries are given every year end, during Christmas celebratin. Applicants are screened by party helpers.

Beside this, prior to every Chinese New Year, we give out Ang Pows and daily necessities to needy residents, mostly those aged and living alone.

Goh Meng Seng

paperchicken SG

Can Town Council funds (money from S&C ) be used to help the poor and needy ? Rolling Eyes

goh meng seng SG

No. This fund is being raised separately, though it is under the TC's charge.

Goh Meng Seng

paperchicken SG

How much does the fund has ? How much its gives out each year ? Any figures ? Rolling Eyes

goh meng seng SG

I have to check this out as I do not have the data with me.

If I remember correctly, Hougang TC gave out bursaries to about 80 students last year. This is off hand recollection and I could be wrong. Wink

Goh Meng Seng

goh meng seng SG

I may be wrong. I think the Educational Trust fund is held under HGCC, Workers' Party initiatives, helped setup by five residents of Hougang initially.

I do not think the number of bursaries is right. It should be more than 80 for last year. I have to check on this one. The fund is basically raised through the auction of plugs during the lunar seventh month celebration.

Goh Meng Seng

goh meng seng SG

This is taken from HGCC website:

http://www.wp.org.sg/hgcc/service.htm

The Hougang Constituency Education Trust is another establishment under the auspices of Mr Low. The Trust grants financial assistance through the award of bursaries to needy students living in Hougang constituency.

When Mr Low was elected MP for Hougang in the 1991 General Elections, the only bursary available in the constituency was provided by the Citizens' Consultative Committee (CCC) under the Hougang Community Centre. Advisors of such "community" organisations have always been either a PAP MP or in opposition wards, a prospective candidate of the PAP at a next national election.

In August 1992, Mr Low initiated the formation of the Trust with the support and help from five concerned Hougang residents, namely Mr Ng Thee Lim (deceased), Mr Lim Leck Theng (deceased), Mr Toh Guan Chua, Mr Ang Kim Soon (deceased) and Mr Phoon Song Ngh (deceased). The Trust worked vigorously to raise funds through the auctioning of plaques at the Chinese Seventh Month commemoration festivities and temple functions.

Since then, the Trust has seen yearly awards of some 80 bursaries for needy students from Primary to Tertiary levels. The awards are usually presented by the MP at the Christmas Children's Party function held annually in December by the HGCC.

paperchicken SG

http://www.wp.org.sg/hgcc/service.htm

How come the financial figures of the fund not available at the website ?

If the WP wants to see more transparency and disclosure from the govt, maybe it shd set an example by being transparent about its own operations and spendings. Rolling Eyes

goh meng seng SG

For that matter, I have to convey your concerns to the party's CEC.

But there is a significant difference between the govt's disclosure and WP's disclosure of its private trust fund. Govt is managing public funds and the public has the right to know.

Of course, it is always good to have transparency in such dealings. Such trust fund is being audited. If there is any hanky panky about this trust fund, do you think PAP will let us live? Wink

Goh Meng Seng

sgsentinel SG

If you allow 145,000 ppl not to pay are you being fair to the other 3 milliion ? Be kind and caring WP style so they can be a burden to society later on ? Rolling Eyes

shade343 SG

I think that the other 3 million people will have the brains to know that they are better off than the 145000ppl who are needy.I do not think that the other 3 million ppl you are refering too are as narrow minded as you are. Rolling Eyes

sgdiehard SG

Is our society a 'fair' society in which all 3 millions are equally well off? We are not talking about membership clubs here. There are businessmen who make millions a day, ministers who are paid thousands a day, ....and we must recognise that in our society there are people who do not know when will they have their next meal. We can either say that this is the necessary evil of any civilization or PAP's have not done a complete job yet, i.e. why are there still 145,000 who cannot even pay for their medical insurance? and what the hell are you going to do about it?

We are not living in a jungle where the fittest survive and those poor ones should be left to die!!

Being caring and gracious means understanding the weaker and the poorer. We want to move very fast but spare a thought for those who cannot walk fast!! Have a heart! Consider caring of our poor a "burden to society" speaks very very poorly for whichever party you represent (God helps us if it is PAP!!)

MYPR SG

Did the PAP MP donate their MP allowance to help the poor in their constituency then? I hope they donate most if not all. Smile to set as an example. Lead by example and you will be respected, am i correct?