Irene Yap’s case, a follow up reported in ST

I just read the ST this morning and there is a report on Irene Yap’s case. According to Amy Khor, CPF is trying to help Irene to withdraw her savings. However, Rene still has to abide by CPF’s regulation, ie that she must leave a minimum sum or pledge her property to the CPF before she can take out all her savings.

What is this minimum sum that is being introduced by the CPF that effectively said the people owe the CPF a sum of money and if this sum is not placed in the CPF, either in cash or a pledge with a property, then a sum equivalent to the minimum sum must be kept in the CPF.

Two points to this, the first of course is why should a retiree be compelled to keep a huge sum of money with the CPF when he should be living his golden years and enjoying his lifelong savings? Oh, he must keep the money, a minimum sum that is growing every year and now about $200k, so that he would not be a burden to the govt in case he squanders his money with mei meis or in Batam. It is for his own good. The govt is so caring. See my middle finger? I can’t hold it down.

The other point is that Irene is from a generation that should not be affected by all the new regulations introduced before her time. The minimum sum should not be applicable to her and those of her generation and to several generations. It should not be applicable to everyone if one rejects this ‘govt is your father’ and has the right to keep your money for your own good idiotic reason.

The CPF is the people’s money for their retirement and how they want to spend their money in retirement is none of the govt’s business. Don’t give people the crap that if they squandered away their money who is to pay for them to live on? Not the govt for sure. This is not a welfare state. And do not insult the intelligence of the people to find their way to survive without the need to beg the govt for a meal in the hawker centre, foodcourt or the restaurant.

From Amy’s and CPF’s reasoning in the ST, they are all so willing to help Irene. But the likelihood of Irene getting all her money back from the CPF is as good as zilch. She must comply with the minimum sum requirements, ie a ransom that she has to pay to the CPF. Actually no, they don’t call it ransom. They call it for your good or for the good of the members that they must make the people pay out front inn the form of the minimum sum.

So Irene’s case is as good as close and Irene can kpkb till the cow comes home. Amy Khor and the CPF will be on their knees trying to help her. I am so touch, but the answer is still no. Because CPF rules say so.

Irene should pray for a miracle to get all her money back from the CPF.

Kopi Level - Yellow

Devils in disguise

‘A woman is accused of forcing one of her two maids to eat her own vomit, making her strip and taking photographs of her naked. Her husband is accused of hitting both maids numerous times.
According to a report in The Straits Times, IT manager Tay Wee Kiat, 37, and his wife, sales manager Chia Yun Ling, 39, were in court yesterday to face 32 charges, mainly of maid abuse.
 
Tay - with 21 charges - allegedly hit Indonesian national Fitriyah nine times, and Myanmar national Moe Moe Than six times, with canes, a metal clothing hook and a bamboo stick at his Yishun flat in 2012. He is also accused of making the women slap each other.
 
On one occasion, he allegedly forced an incense bottle into the mouth of Ms Fitriyah, 32. He is also accused of attempting to bribe her by offering a month's salary and a flight home in exchange for not reporting him to the police.
 
Chia, who faces 11 charges, allegedly slapped both maids and caned one of them.
 
On one occasion in June 2012, she allegedly pulled Ms Than's hair, pushed her to the floor and stepped on her chest. She is also accused of making Ms Than strip before taking photos of her.
The most serious charge is that Chia allegedly used a funnel to force sugar down Ms Than's throat, and when the woman vomited, she forced her to swallow her own vomit.’
 
I saw the above post in Therealsingapore. It is unbelieveable that such things still happened in this Sin City and keep repeating and repeating. Obviously there are a lot of sick people around and some are actually devils in disguise. And with so much publicity given on such abuses, it seems that these devils are not taking heed and will just keep on abusing their maids. Or is it a case of punishment too light and the message has not sink into the minds of these sickos? What happens to the modus operandi of sending a message across by a few harsh punishment to stamp such cruelties from repeating? Caning is definitely a good option to stop the devils from inflicting hell on their victims.
 
Such acts of cruelties cannot be tolerated under whatever circumstances, not in a country that keeps parroting on kindness, graciousness and about being first world. When would the signal be sent, loud and clear, to instil fear in the devils in disguise that they will suffer even more severe punishment than what they dealt to their victims. Where is the human decency to do something right for once, regardless of race, language and nationality?

This is the time to be unkind to the inhumans to be kind.

Kopi Level - Yellow

A glaring misgiving that was conveniently ignored and forgotten

A controversial honest discussion on the CPF had a troubled beginning when Roy Ngerng, Kenneth Jeyaretnam and a few others invited themselves to the party only to be disinvited. Kenneth somehow still managed to gatecrash the party only to create more controversies arising from his 8 point remarks on Hri Kumar’s ‘dishonest’ honest public conversation. And Hri Kumar returned the compliments by making his own statements on what he did not say as what Kenneth said he said. Now there is an ongoing big ding dong battle between the two key contestants of the honest conversation.

The prelude to this battle was a woman with an amazing cheongsam that was videoed while making some rude remarks on a 76 year old aunty making a desperate cry for the return of her CPF money. The whole social media was on fire with netizens throwing nasty things at the cheongsam woman who was revealed as a PAP grassroot leader by the name of Jean Ang. Netizens had a field day digging out everything they could find on Jean Ang and calling her all kinds of unpleasant names. And before the furore died out, the woman who took the video of the cheongsam woman that went viral was knocked down by a car and landed in hospital. More rumours appeared about how this accident could be linked to the video. In the meantime nothing was reported in the main media despite the uproar in the net.

What was depressing is that the poor 76 year old aunty was totally forgotten. Netizens were angry with the cheongsam woman for her rude gestures. Hri Kumar and Kenneth were crossing swords with each other over who said what. No one seems to bother about the reason for the desperate plea of the aunty. She was inconsequential. There are more important issues and scores to settle.

Irene Yap’s problem was that her money was locked up in her CPF account. Under all circumstances, anyone of her age should not have any more entanglements with the CPF. She should have withdrawn all her money from the CPF and ended her relationship there and then. Her fault was to choose to leave some of her money in the CPF to earn higher interest. Her fault was not knowing that once the money was left in the CPF, it would be subject to all the new regulations rolled out by the CPF. She cried in vain for the return of her money. Hri Kumar’s best reply to her was that she knew the law and regulations and that’s it. Her money will stay where it is and nothing else can be done. And no one in the govt, so far, has said anything about her case and it seems that there is nothing else she could do or no one would be doing anything. Is there anyone listening to her plight? Or she only has herself to blame as the law is the law?

Where is the empathy, where is the kindness, where is the compassion for an old lady caught by the hard side of the law? Is there anyone listening? Or everyone is deaf? Does anyone feel that something could be done for her? Does anyone walking the corridors of power think she deserves some assistance? Or is it a case of how much does she wants, $500, $5,000 or to return her everything in the CPF? Is there merit to her grievance?

Irene Yap is not alone. There could be many in the same situation as her. They are an anomaly in the system, or in a system that took them for granted, and this should be rectified to let them live in peace in their golden years. Why made them live in misery and anger for the want of their money back?

Is Irene Yap’s grievance important at all?

Kopi Level - Yellow

Roy Ngerng’s case – Rumour mongering galore

With the defamation case against Roy still waiting for its appearance in court, the kopitiams are flooded with all kinds of rumours. I must caution all readers and listeners to such rumours to be guarded and not to take them as truth until they are verified. Just received a post that is posted in newnation.sg. This is definitely a rumour with half truths. Here it is.
 
‘CPF blogger Roy Ngerng’s potted plant outside his HDB flat along the corridor has been investigated for the suspected breeding of dengue mosquitoes.
This after a barrage of sanctions have supposedly been levied on Ngerng, where he was sacked from Tan Tock Seng Hospital yesterday for using Facebook when he should be nursing and speaking on a grass patch over the weekend at Hong Lim Park.
And there are murmurings online that his hawker father has been called out for cleanliness issues at his stall.
Singaporeans from all walks of life, who do the mozzie wipeout steps, said they feel the shit this time has really hit the fan.
Hong Gan Leow, a local, said: “First, he got fired. Then his dad kenna arrow for cleanliness. Then now his potted plant suspected of spreading dengue.”
“When they’re out to get you, they’re out to get you. Wonder what would happen next? Roy Ngerng’s dog investigated for suspected rabies and quarantined?”
At press time, Ngerng’s dog has been investigated for rabies and quarantined.’
 
The only truth in the above post is the sacking of Roy by TTSH. I have no confirmation on the part that the ‘char kway teow’ stall of Roy’s father had been subject to inspection by the NEA or his plants being investigated for mosquito breeding. The civil servants are highly regarded for their integrity and would not be so stupid to conduct such investigations at a time like this to put them in a compromising position, subject of rumour mongering, and have their integrity questioned. I don’t believe in such rumours and people are advised not to believe in them.
 
Should there be any inspections done, it must be coincidental and part of the inspection programme. There is nothing to it and nothing to do with the defamation. Definitely cannot be as it is so easy for the public to put one and one together and cry foul. Knowing the political sensitivity of the defamation suit, the likely thing to happen, even if an inspection schedule had been planned months ahead to check on the cleanliness of hawker stalls and mosquito breeding, the civil servants would be smart enough to delay the inspections to avoid casting the govt in a bad light.
 
People should read the above post in newnation as a political satire or a political joke at most. I don’t think any civil servant in his right mind would do such a thing as it would do more harm to the image of the govt than good. Trust our civil servants to do the right thing.

Kopi Level - Green

30 years from now, what would historians be writing?

What would the historians be writing about Singapore in 30 years time? Would they be writing in praise of a great cosmopolitan city flourishing and a shining example for the world to envy and want to emulate, like what it is today, a great city that many countries still hold it in awe? Or would the historians be writing about a failed state in ruins, or no longer an independent city but a colony of some bigger powers? Historically, all the failed states believed that they were doing well moments before the curtains fell. Everything was just fine and under control.

At this moment, all of us are like fish in an aquarium and are making the best of what we have and perhaps thinking how good life is here. And life is really extremely good for some that they would not think of anything else and tomorrow can only be better. While we push and shove against each other for more space and comfort, while more fishes are poured into the aquarium, we are still adjusting and adjusting very well, like the proverbial frog in a boiling kettle.

We will acclimatise and get use to our environment for as long as we can adapt and we don’t break down, or the system does not break down. While the pressure builds up, would we have the chance to pull the plug before that breaking point is reached? Would we have the foresight to see it, feel it and be in time to avoid it? Or we are already there and still ignorant of it, in denial, or conning ourselves or being conned that everything is fine, it is in fact very good? I think it is the latter, with many congratulating themselves on how well they are doing. Life cannot be better and why are the losers complaining?

Would the historians in 30 years time be writing about the missed opportunities to save ourselves from the decadence of a city state when all the red lights are flashing everywhere, when disastrous policies were pushed through one after another as good policies, right policies? Today, no one in a position to make a change is seeing any wrong. There is no wrong. We are doing the best we can with all the right policies and things can only be better tomorrow. By then, with the benefits of hindsight, would they be asking how could the citizens allow a great city be destroyed in a matter of a decade of bad policies? Of course I am presumptious. How could that happen?

Perhaps they would be writing about the golden years of the first 3 decades of the 21st Century and more good years to come, and paying tributes to the wisdom of the leaders of today.

What do you think?

Kopi Level - Green