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Rebecca and Gabriel Loh - "No one gets left behind"

scroobal

Alfrescian
Loyal
This is one of the saddest stories in recent times and despite my best attempts not to politicise things that have no basis to do so, I went berserk when I saw the photos of the 4 clowns in grassroots attire at the front door of their house and realised that these arseholes were trying to make political capital of someone's misfortune.

Now which arsehole told the nation that "no gets left behind". Tell that to Rebecca and Gabriel Loh. No help, no hope and reliant on $1,000 every month which the grandmother earned to support 3 mouths, pay medical bills and a young mother who could not work as she had to take care of her son who had frail legs and a failed liver. And the it only a few days ago we found a civil servant forking out $10milion to buy an apartment. No, it was not the CEO of a major business but a fucking civil servant of a tiny island that was supposed to be doomed it did not bring 6.9m people real quick.

Where were the 4 fucking grassroots clowns in uniform before the Gabriel left the world. And which idiot suggested sending the 4 clowns to the house. And why in uniform. The decent thing was to send an empathic individual to make discrete inquiries about any help need. Were the uniforms and the numbers to show the world that the PAP cares and to play to the public gallery.

What were the 4 clowns uniform going to do. One hold the tissue box, the second pull out the tissue, the third wipe the tears and the fourth one disposes of the tissue. You can't make this up. Reminds me of 2004 when then defeated Potong Pasir Clown Sitoh for political capital began the hunt for the missing 9 year old Filipino girl and made the papers.

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News: The Straits Times - 21 October 2011
PM's goal: No one gets left behind
by Janice Heng


IN HIS first appearance before the new Parliament elected in the watershed May general election, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong pledged to make maintaining social mobility a top priority of his new government.

A society 'in which no one is left behind' was his objective, he declared, and one made particularly urgent by an apparent trend of rising social stratification.

Speaking for more than an hour before an attentive House, PM Lee set out what was needed to realise the vision of a better life for all - a vision first painted in President Tony Tan Keng Yam's address at the opening of Parliament last week.

This, he indicated, would be 'the next chapter' in the ongoing Singapore Story.

One requirement was an inclusive society in which everyone benefits from progress, 'has a say, a stake and a sense of belonging', and aspires to do better.

He placed this at the top of his list of three requirements, the other two being a vibrant economy and constructive politics.

The challenge to creating an inclusive society is income inequality, now 'starker than before', and the accompanying social stratification in which, as he noted, 'the children of successful people are doing better, the children of less successful people are doing less well'.

'Fewer children from lower-income families are rising to the top of the heap,' he observed.

Citing his own encounters at the Meet-the-People Sessions that he holds in Ang Mo Kio GRC, where he is MP, he described residents who were 'desperate, anxious, and worried about themselves'.

'But we worry more for their children,' he said. 'Because when they have no home, no place to go, studying in the void deck, how do you go from that to the kid dreaming in a lab to be the next Nobel Prize winner?

'It's a big gap. It exists in Singapore, sharper than before.'

This was a sharp contrast to a generation ago, when people were poor but many of their children went to university and became professionals.

PM Lee told the House that after the general election, he tasked Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam, who is now Deputy Prime Minister as well as Manpower Minister, to do a comprehensive and multi-ministry review of social issues and social policies.

One result of the review was the prioritisation of social mobility.

'The first priority we would have in dealing with (social issues) is to strive to maintain social mobility, to create the best opportunities for our people to progress, and to encourage people to make maximum efforts for themselves.'

Singapore's prosperity was based on self-reliance, and that remains the right direction, he added.

That is why the Government has put a major emphasis on education and training, from focusing on good-quality, affordable preschool education to enhancing access to higher education.

But institutions alone do not suffice. Though institutions may be in place, a 'social gap' between different strata of society will be very damaging, he said. 'So we must keep our society open, egalitarian, informal.'

Strengthening Singaporeans' ability to succeed is thus the Government's first approach towards an inclusive society.

A second, complementary approach is to strengthen social safety nets.

The Government has been doing more of this, said PM Lee. He gave the examples of Workfare and ComCare, two schemes to help the poor that were created in the past five years, and said these would be enhanced as necessary.

Mr Lee added that the Government would look into how it can help employ low-wage workers by having its agencies practise 'best-sourcing' - awarding contracts to firms with good employment practices rather than the lowest price quotation.

In addition, though the Government's focus is now on those at the bottom, it will 'extend the support beyond the low end, selectively, where it's deserved and justified, to the not-so-poor', he said.

These are lower-middle and middle-income workers who do not need regular help, but may need assistance if they run into difficulties.

Such difficulties may include the illness of elderly parents, which can be catastrophic even for middle-income families.

That is why the Government is paying attention to long-term care for the chronically ill and elderly, said PM Lee.

The Government will also make sure that public housing is affordable even for lower-income households - for home ownership is a way 'to level up the less successful and to give them a valuable asset and a retirement nest egg'.

Unfortunately, a minority of Singaporeans have not taken care of this asset, he added. Some households have sold their flats prematurely to get out of debt - ending up homeless. This is a serious problem which the Government must find some way to address, he said.

The third aspect of making an inclusive society is enabling Singaporeans to age with dignity and grace, said PM Lee, noting that the ageing problem is 'happening almost before our eyes'.

Eyeing his fellow parliamentarians, he quipped: 'I don't just mean when we look in the mirror.'

He recalled making a special effort to visit Radin Mas five years ago, when preparing for a National Day Rally speech that touched on ageing. Radin Mas had an older age profile than the national norm.

Today, he no longer has to visit Radin Mas, but can simply look at his own constituency of Ang Mo Kio. Though residents are active and happy, they are 'visibly greyer than five years ago'.

Statisticians estimate that in 2030, one in five Singaporeans will be older than 65. The Government is preparing for the 'silver tsunami' of an ageing society by helping the elderly work longer, and containing and sharing health-care costs.

Health-care services will also be built up - not just more hospitals and nursing homes, but also community and home care.

All these measures are essential to help lower-income Singaporeans, enable more of their children to do well, and prepare for an ageing society, said PM Lee.

'The trends themselves will be hard to reverse. But what we do will make a major difference and will help to ensure that nobody is left behind.'

However, even as he spelt out the Government's approach to building an inclusive society, he cautioned that programmes to achieve the goals need to be effective, as 'in social spending, it is quite possible for more money to make things worse'.

The examples of the United States health-care system and beleaguered European welfare states show that 'more spending is not always better'.

While he was confident that the Government had adequate resources to 'do what is necessary' for the next five years, 'beyond that, it will depend on how much our needs and our programmes go'.

'But I can tell you that if we do all the things which have been mooted over the last few days in this Chamber, we will not have to wait five years before you think about raising taxes,' he said, to laughter from the House.

- end of ST article. Reprinted with permission.
 

Leongsam

High Order Twit / Low SES subject
Admin
Asset
Thousands of families who lived in far worse conditions have pulled through without resorting to murdering their own offspring.

When I was growing up in a kampong off Telok Kurau road, there was a woman who lived in a shack across the road. This shack had no electricity and no running water. Her husband was killed in a road accident while he was cycling to work.

She had 5 children ranging from 1 to 9 years old. One of the kids was retarded. She survived as a washerwoman for the rich rubber merchants who lived in huge mansions facing the sea along east coast road. While she was at work, neighbors helped look after the kids. I used to help out by buying provisions for them... a bar of Sunlight laundry soap, Darkie toothpaste and other small items which I could afford.

Her kids survived. The eldest son became a policeman. I don't know what happened to the others but they were not murdered by their mother. Instead, they were fed and clothed and loved to the best of her ability. However, she would not have been able to pull it off had it not been for the assistance from those neighbors and friends who helped her out

Before blaming the PAP for everything, why don't Singaporeans take a long hard look at themselves and explain why in an HDB block where thousands live, not a single person offered any form of financial or emotional help to make life more bearable for Rebecca and Gabriel.
 

scroobal

Alfrescian
Loyal
May years ago, I was fated to meet a young mum who could not cope with her young baby and killed the child. The father a useless prick at that time was partying at a nightspot. It was a sad story. I subsequently learnt there were some others like her. The strain, the pressure and they snap. Nothing about greed, envy or any of the known vices and sins. Something frayed and it gave way.

This is young lady who at the age of 22 ended up with a child with such disability and for 9 years looked after him. Eye witnesses tell the story of the mum who would use a pram to bring him out and that she could not say no to him. She did not hide him, neither did she dump him with her mum and went galavanting. I also read that she climbed to the ledge first and then retreated and brought her son out. I can only speculate she wanted to end it all for her and her son.

Unlike the lady that had the retarded child, this poor girl had no other child or children to give her a sliver of hope. A struggle with a possible good outcome.

To me both are victims.

You know the west. There are social as well as volunteer help when someone turns up once a week to look after a child like that so that a mum like her gets 12 hours of respite each week. I wonder if a wealthy country where a civil servant can buy a $10million home can afford to do the same for the less fortunate.

ps. I take away nothing from the Teluk Kurau lady who raised the family in such a condition. These are the heroes and heroines that makes life worthwhile.




Her kids survived. The eldest son became a policeman. I don't know what happened to the others but they were not murdered by their mother. Instead, they were fed and clothed and loved to the best of her ability.

Before blaming the PAP for everything, why don't Singaporeans take a long hard look at themselves and explain why in an HDB block where thousands live, not a single person offered any form of financial or emotional assistance.
 
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Leongsam

High Order Twit / Low SES subject
Admin
Asset
You know the west. There are social as well as volunteer help when someone turns up once a week to look after a child like that so that a mum like her gets 12 hours of respite each week. I wonder if a wealthy country where a civil servant can buy a $10million home can afford to do the same for the less fortunate.

There are many volunteer groups in the West and those that do the best job are the NGOs who have ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO DO WITH ANY GOVERNMENT OR COUNCIL.

The NGOs come about because society actually cares. They may spend a portion of their time lobbying for government support but their primary role is looking after the less fortunate.

The PAP does not care because Singapore society as a whole does not care. A government is merely a reflection of the people.
 

Rogue Trader

Alfrescian (Inf)
Asset
Before blaming the PAP for everything, why don't Singaporeans take a long hard look at themselves and explain why in an HDB block where thousands live, not a single person offered any form of financial or emotional help to make life more bearable for Rebecca and Gabriel.

we are already paying the extra 2% GST! what else do you expect from us!!????!!
 

scroobal

Alfrescian
Loyal
That is why I mentioned volunteers. But many of these volunteers are also state pensioners who are prepared to repay to society. I also concede there are others who are not reliant on others financially and also volunteer.

A middle aged Singaporean is worried when he is going to lose his job to a cheaper foreigner. Survival is paramount. These chaps who have kids cannot turn up at State Centre and seek jobless allowance etc.

There are many volunteer groups in the West and those that do the best job are the NGOs who have ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO DO WITH ANY GOVERNMENT OR COUNCIL.

The NGOs come about because society actually cares. They may spend a portion of their time lobbying for government support but their primary role is looking after the less fortunate.

The PAP does not care because Singapore society as a whole does not care. A government is merely a reflection of the people.
 

Leongsam

High Order Twit / Low SES subject
Admin
Asset
we are already paying the extra 2% GST! what else do you expect from us!!????!!

Your remark epitomises the sinkie attitude towards the whole issue of looking after the unfortunate.

Whatever you pay is far less than what citizens of welfare states have to pay on an ongoing basis. Yet, in NZ, there are hundreds of volunteers just in my neighborhood alone who help old ladies get their medical appointments, who tidy up their homes for them, help look after kids etc.

You cannot legislate and subcontract kindness, caring and consideration. It has to come from within each and every one of us.
 

Rogue Trader

Alfrescian (Inf)
Asset
Whatever you pay is far less than what citizens of welfare states have to pay on an ongoing basis. Yet, in NZ, there are hundreds of volunteers just in my neighborhood alone who help old ladies get their medical appointments, who tidy up their homes for them, help look after kids etc.

You sure they are volunteers? I have 2 friends who are paid handsomely by the Australian states they're in to handle help cases. One of them was even sponsored by the victorian state government to do a masters degree in social work. The other one does house visits and wipes arses for immobile patients in South Australia.

The volunteer model of social welfarism is simply not sustainable. Even Mother Theresa couldn't save the poor of Calcutta in her 50 years of tireless work.
 

Leongsam

High Order Twit / Low SES subject
Admin
Asset
The volunteer model of social welfarism is simply not sustainable. Even Mother Theresa couldn't save the poor of Calcutta in her 50 years of tireless work.

I've done meals on wheels and I never received a bloody cent.

The socialist welfare system is even more unsustainable. Countries that place caring for the unfortunate in the hands of the state are growing broke as we speak.

Ultimately, we have to face the fact that a portion of the human race will perish as a result of their lack of survival instincts. You cannot defy the laws of nature forever. In the animal world, when there are more cubs than there are nipples, some are going to die. The human species is no different. Those with inferior genes are going to be left behind.

As individuals, we can change the outcome for some but we can't redefine the way nature works.
 

KopiO

Alfrescian
Loyal
1. An unmarried woman gives birth to a child.
2. The child is born with disability.

These are the ROOT causes of the present tragedy.

3. The single mother is unable to cope leading to ? Stress.
4. The mother murders her child.

Why is there such an uproar AGAINST the State for point 4? It is as if ANY unfortunate incident/tragedy, personal or otherwise, is blamed on the PAP. The solution proposed seem fairly unthinkingly universal - vote the Government out in 2016. Would this solve the root causes of point 1 and 2?

And where lies the personal responsibility of EVERY FATHER here? Be a man and continue fucking, for fun an procreation without being responsible for the aftermath? And what about a woman? Where lies the personal responsibility?

I can't believe the amount of HYPOCRISY here based on this tragedy.
 

zhihau

Super Moderator
SuperMod
Asset
She had 5 children ranging from 1 to 9 years old.

agree, takes a village to raise a child. must add to the fact that the eldest sibling had to start work at a tender age to help bring in some income, and help change the nappies of the younger siblings.

can we now hypothesise that high rise living eradicated the gotong royong spirit?
 

Leongsam

High Order Twit / Low SES subject
Admin
Asset
can we now hypothesise that high rise living eradicated the gotong royong spirit?

That might indeed be the case but that is hardly the PAP's fault.

There is nothing stopping neighbors from checking on each other and helping each other out. In the old days, we had to walk along muddy paths full of chicken droppings in order to visit our neighbors. Now we have sheltered corridors.

Before cursing the PAP, look at yourselves in the mirror and ask "What have I done for those less fortunate than myself today?".

When you've done your good deed, come back to this forum and tell us about it.
 

erection2015

Alfrescian (InfP) + C
unfortunately this is the dark side of progress. Everybody wants to get ahead and few care for those who are left behind. Wealth, status and material gain become

the order of the day. Networking is important and many people socialise sideways or up hoping to derive benefits ...but hardly look down the social strata to see

how they can help others. Taking and getting is all important and giving is relegated and as a result you get this. There are many more such Rebeccas ..

its just a matter of how they cope.


Before blaming the PAP for everything, why don't Singaporeans take a long hard look at themselves and explain why in an HDB block where thousands live, not a single person offered any form of financial or emotional help to make life more bearable for Rebecca and Gabriel.
 

zhihau

Super Moderator
SuperMod
Asset
When you've done your good deed, come back to this forum and tell us about it.

boss,
other than your USD$100.00 investment that is churning out dividend for the poor and needy, there are other small stuffs on my part as well, but too small to make any mention. me shy and ashamed that me can't be big philanthropists like Lee Kong Chian, Tan Kah Kee :o:o:o
 

Leongsam

High Order Twit / Low SES subject
Admin
Asset
boss,
other than your USD$100.00 investment that is churning out dividend for the poor and needy, there are other small stuffs on my part as well, but too small to make any mention. me shy and ashamed that me can't be big philanthropists like Lee Kong Chian, Tan Kah Kee :o:o:o

It isn't about money. It's about time and effort.
 

ILovePAP

Alfrescian (Inf)
Asset
The family may have refused any help from grassroots, neighbours, etc...Why blame the PAP before getting the facts right? Also, what about the Opposition KJ Jeye? Where is he? Where was he? Only appear at elections time?
 

winnipegjets

Alfrescian (Inf)
Asset
Thousands of families who lived in far worse conditions have pulled through without resorting to murdering their own offspring.

Do you want us to be like the Chinese where we don't give a damn about morality or killing others to make a buck?


Her kids survived. The eldest son became a policeman. I don't know what happened to the others but they were not murdered by their mother. Instead, they were fed and clothed and loved to the best of her ability. However, she would not have been able to pull it off had it not been for the assistance from those neighbors and friends who helped her out

The kampong spirit no longer exists ...everyone wants to be one up over the others ....even the filthy rich care only for themselves.

Before blaming the PAP for everything, why don't Singaporeans take a long hard look at themselves and explain why in an HDB block where thousands live, not a single person offered any form of financial or emotional help to make life more bearable for Rebecca and Gabriel.

Thank the PAP for inculcating the mean spirit in us. We are just a creation of the PAP indoctrination.
 

winnipegjets

Alfrescian (Inf)
Asset
The family may have refused any help from grassroots, neighbours, etc...Why blame the PAP before getting the facts right? Also, what about the Opposition KJ Jeye? Where is he? Where was he? Only appear at elections time?

We pay taxes to the PAP government, not to the Opposition. What has the PAP done with our tax dollars besides paying themselves million dollar salary?
 

Leongsam

High Order Twit / Low SES subject
Admin
Asset
The kampong spirit no longer exists ...everyone wants to be one up over the others ....even the filthy rich care only for themselves.



Thank the PAP for inculcating the mean spirit in us. We are just a creation of the PAP indoctrination.

I'll repeat what I said in an earlier post.... the government didn't create mean spiritedness. Singaporeans did that all by themselves. If greed and money was not the driving force of Singapore society, the PAP would have been voted out a long time ago.
 

rambo22

Alfrescian
Loyal
When I was growing up in a kampong off Telok Kurau road, there was a woman who lived in a shack across the road.



how can u compare to the POLICE WEAR SHORTS TIME

last time OLD MAN not that greedy

and at least we have a good PM

and there is NO JINX WOMAN
 
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