myth 87

Myth 87 'A Singapore fiction' Saturday, October 28, 20062 hours that change me I didn’t know what to expect. It was my first time visiting a one-room HDB flat. I had agreed to help bring a few students to visit a few of these homes that the school had adopted as part of the CIP (Community Involvement Programme). This should be good, I thought. I wasn’t prepared for this. The walls were dotted with black splotches of what we were told were the droppings of bed bugs. We were warned not to remove our shoes, lean on the walls or sit on the floor. Mr Y sat on a stool and seemed nonchalant about the infestation in his home. The mattress he slept on bore testimony to the nightly battles he had to endure. The bed sheet was clouded with blood stains. Mr Y used to be a coolie who carried sacks of rice. The bachelor now lives alone in his decrepit rental flat, his emaciated body racked with sickness, the money he earned in his younger days long gone to feed his parents’ opium addiction many years ago. He gets $260 from the welfare agency every month, of which about $100 goes into paying his rent and utilities. The remainder he has to magically stretch to cover his food and medical costs. The bugs had spread from next door to a few flats on the 5th floor where Mr Y lived. You could see them flitting about on the wall, on the floor, among his clothes, even along the corridors. Nobody there could afford a professional pestbuster, and the town council wouldn’t do such favours anyway. So living with these parasites has become a fact of life. Residents living on the other floors talked about the 5th floor as if it was Purgatory and it didn’t seem an inappropriate description. Then there was 92-year-old Mdm C – so small and wiry she couldn’t have weighed more than 35kg. She had a hole in her neck where her voice box had been removed, so she couldn’t talk. When she saw us, she simply gestured with her hands that she wanted to die. Looking at her forlorn looking home, who could blame her for feeling that way? The food in her kitchen had all gone bad so we gathered she hadn’t eaten for days, or perhaps she had been eating all the rotten stuffs. When you are sick and have to depend on the kindness of neighbours to help you buy even the simplest food, what other choice do you have? She has 2 daughters, one who visits her occasionally. Another, we heard, comes by and steals the NTUC vouchers that volunteers give to her. Is it any wonder Mdm C would rather die? In all, we visited 7 homes, each one with its own sad story to tell. My heart is exceedingly disturbed by the scenes I saw today. On the one hand, we live in a country that’s boasting of having island-wide free internet access soon and building world-class integrated resorts and yet, in pockets of this land which worships success and one-upmanship shamelessly, there are the forgotten lot who live in homes with rotten food and bug-infested beds. I thought that by visiting the poor, I would be helping to cheer them up somewhat. How naïve I was. How arrogant I was to think that a simple 20 minute visit can alleviate the misery of people who have to face squalor every single moment of their lives and where sleep offers no respite either from the reality of their wretchedness. I thought I was doing community service. But no, something was done to me. Today, I felt as if the earth beneath my feet had shifted. In the days that follow, I would still go on to live my life of considerable comfort, plan my holidays, do Christmas shopping and enjoy the trappings of prosperity that I have been blessed with. But I could no longer plead ignorance of the shadowy existence of Mr Y, Mdm C and all these unfortunate people who live just a stone’s throw away from me. I find myself asking Him, “Lord, what will You have me do now?” Tonight, as I crawl between my nice clean sheets, I think of Mr Y and how long the night will be for him. I saw real, in-your-face poverty and human misery today and I’m at a loss as to how to respond. Nothing I can do or say will ever be enough. And yet, if we don’t do anything, what kind of human beings are we? * * * * * * * * * posted by trisha @ 8:08 AM I extracted the above from Sammyboy. Myth or fiction, you decide.

alternative media

Ken Kwek's article in today's Straits Times lamented the lack of political humour in the MSM. Anyone wanting to read them can only find them in cyberspace which he called Alternative Media (AM). There seems to be a lack of tolerance for political humour in MSM, or is it a conscious decision to play down on AM? From the reaction so far, MSM regards AM as a strategic competitor, to borrow a phrase from Bush, and will keep it underwrap for as long as they can. There is a noticeable silence on cyberspace activity in MSM. The only cyberspace news that is allowed to grace the pages of MSM is from their own little baby called Stomp. Stomp has been receiving a lot of funding and promotion to get it kicking. Looks like it is only attracting a very select group of visitors and not enough. Even Media Corp is coming into the fray for blogger's attention. When will MSM start to embrace or engage AM and allocate some space to report on what is happening in cyberspace? If this cold treatment is to continue, the divide can only widen and the two worlds will just stay apart, the Main Stream Media and Alternative Media, each competing for their own audience for their own kind of news. And with a virtual monopoly in the past, MSM can only stand to lose more readers to the young upstart that starts off with nothing.

what the president says

Singapore will become a nation divided by wealth, race and religion. All three are sensitive subjects to be discussed with extreme care. Talking about them careless can undermine the govt's effort to build a cohesive and inclusive society. Race and religion have always been sensitive. Now wealth can also be a sensitive subject. Bloggers have been dragged to the court for blogging on sensitive issues concerning race and religion. Lets hope no blogger is dragged to court for discussing wealth. It is not just simply black or white as in the past. The grey area is getting wider, including maybe brown. Singapore must not become a welfare state in extending help to the people. 'We would like the govt to do even more, but the govt can only spend within its means,' ie the govt must spend only when it is affordable. And looks that the govt has done all it can afford and to do more will be unaffordable. The President said, 'Let us build a competitive economy and an inclusive society for ourselves and our children in Singapore.' I was not in the house but would presume that 'us' includes all Singaporeans.

why push people to take public transport?

Below is my article. Why push people to take public transport? The Transport Minister wants our public transport system to be world class. And one of the measurements of a world class transport system is the number of commuters. This has gone done from 67% in 1997 to 63% in 2004, which is bad news to him. So must push more people to use public transport. But then people are getting richer and can afford to travel in the comfort of their own cars. The car population went up 10% over the same period and daily car trips went up by 23%. Now is this a good thing or a bad thing? Travel by cars must be bad, or else why would the Transport Minister want to push more people to take public transport? ‘We will have to work harder to make public transport a choice mode for the vast majority of Singaporeans for routine day to day commuting.’ Said Raymond Lim. But surely to be able to drive around in a car would be the preferred choice of most Singaporeans. Would it not be better if the objective is to develop a first class road system, complimented by a first class public transport system for those who choose not to travel by car? If public transport is such a great deal, perhaps the minister can set a good example by taking public transport to work. Or make it a national campaign that all senior civil servants, MPs and Ministers must take public transport to work. Leading by example will be a better way to encourage people to do something which they would not want to do if they can afford it. I fully agree with the Minister when he said, ‘This is because, for a dense urban city state such as ours, it will be catastrophic to allow private transport to be the dominant transport mode,…’ And what I like to hear best is ‘Our transport system, while having to be as efficient as possible, must ultimately serve the people who use it.’ But I am worried when he added, ‘The comprehensive view,…will take into account the views of the travelling public and stakeholders such as transport operators.’ My fear is higher fares. The Minister’s aim is for bus and rail system to account for 70% of all morning peak hour ride. Without questioning why this is the best mix, this should be achieved by making public transport so attractive and convenient rather than by a string of disincentives and punitive measures for those who opt to drive. A transport system cannot be world class when people are pushed to take public transport and not because it is a preferred choice. Another point that I am worried about is ‘how to cater to commuters who are willing to pay more for better bus services.’ My immediate thought again is to get ready to pay more. There is nothing wrong if the Minister wants to aim high for those who can afford it and wanted to pay more. Actually those who can would just drive their cars. Why buy an expensive car and park it at home. Only those who are barely able to afford a car would be convinced to do the switch. For the rest of the working class, first class transport system or third class, they will still be taking them. And cost is of prime concern. What I thought would be an improvement is to stick to the fundamentals, ‘promote public transport, optimize road usage and manage demand for private vehicles,’ and let people own cars and use them at their convenience. Make people feel very comfortable to leave their cars behind not because they were coerced to but taking public transport is a better, more convenient and effective means of commutation. Then we will have a world class public transport system. And for the non car owners, an efficient public transport system should not burn a big hole in their pockets. And don’t add in more frills to make them pay for more.

myth 86

'The Govt does not understand the people' There are so many people whining and moaning in the forums of MSM and in cyberspace that the govt does not understand the people and not helping the people. This is so far from the truth. It is the people that do not understand the govt. The govt is doing all it can to help the people. The problem cannot be solved just by the govt alone. The govt has done its part. The people must also do its part. And the policies and solutions are well thought out. They are all for the good of Singaporeans, and based on the assumptions of meritocracy. If you are good everything will be good. The system will work for you, to your favour. The paper reported that there are now more millionaires in Singapore, officially only 1,738. Unofficially could be more. Take a walk along geylang and all the proprietors there, including the ah longs are probably millionaires too. Don't the people understand? It is time the people stop moaning and whining and try to understand the govt and its policies. It is written everywhere. Even an 18 year old knows. Now be productive and constructive. Get to work.