10/19/2008

A desperate cry in Hong Lim

I was at Hong Lim Park this evening to soak up the mood of the victims of the minibonds and high notes and low notes. There was a little sadness, a little despair, and a little resignation in their faces. Many of these people would not have known how to go about trying to seek recourse for their plight. They need a helping hand. Now who can they turn to for help? Fortunately there is Tan Kin Lian who took the initiative to clobber up a petition for these helpless senior citizens. And Goh Meng Seng was there to repeat Kin Lian’s speech in Mandarin. I think there was still a group there that could only understand dialects and they found it necessary to be there. I wonder what would have happen to these people if Kin Lian had not taken up their case. I wonder whether the case would have been closed and forgotten, nothing heard except a few whimpers in cyberspace. You took your risk, made your decision to invest your money, who can you blame? One corner would have said this to them. Can Singaporeans afford to remain voiceless when they are in trouble? This case is a good example of how things would have turned out, or turned down, when Singaporeans simply accept that it is water under the bridge. Caveat emptor, they went in for higher returns and must bear the consequences of their decisions. I think this case would be much stronger if some MPs were to give Kin Lian their support by appearing at Hong Lim Park this evening. It was also a great opportunity for the MPs to be standing side by side with the people in distress, to be with the people in good time or bad time. If attending a citizen’s funeral wake is important, I think this is even more deserving of their presence. I sense that this is missing and is felt be the people there. Or maybe MPs should not be seen in Hong Lim Park. They have their own Speakers Corner in Parliament House. Yes, they will be asking many questions on Monday.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Redbean;

I did not get to see these old folks at the Jeyaretnam Memorial and the NTU Student Protest on Editorial Independence too.

Seems to me, these folks(investors) are too pragmatic.

patriot

Chua Chin Leng aka redbean said...

bo tuck chay. unschooled. these are the sheeples. never interested in politics just live and let live kind of people.

other than some professionals, many are very private and simple people.

Anonymous said...

Redbean;

bo boon tuay, many in the crowd appeared to articulate well and majority seemed well fed and well-heeled, adorned with branded goods.

I am not saying that they do not deserved sympathies, it is that these folks really care for themselves and their monies only. They are pragmatic to the extreme and obviously cold to other social matters.

Anonymous said...

Hello Redbean, I applaud you for your posting on the current affairs affecting the retirees who are going to lose most of their hard earned savings. It is great that Mr Tan stepped up to lead this team but it is highly unlikely they will get anything much back. Whatever they will receive would be mainly what the banks and the related counterparties be willing to fork out as compensation.
If the less fortunate and the poor need a collective voice, they can always go to justicebaogong.blogspot.com
That is where their voices will be heard.

Mulia
Your humble servant

Chua Chin Leng aka redbean said...

hi mulia,

i just read the position of dbs. their response sounds fair by looking at every case and the vulnerable and ignorant may get full compensation. those who went in with eyes open may get nothing.

but this does not take care of people selling tainted milk. the question is whether the product sold is flaw. this we shall leave it tot he experts to determine.