Indonesian beggars spotted at Joo Chiat Complex during Ramadhan
A beggar (right) asking for alms from Faridah Ngajis (left) at Joo Chiat Complex. (Photo: Safhras Khan/Yahoo Singapore)
A group of four women entered several shops on the third floor of Joo Chiat Complex, carrying large plastic bags for one purpose. Approaching the shop tenants to ask for alms for the fasting month of Ramadhan, the beggars were persistent and even rude to the tenants’ customers.
Urging the tenants to help ease their financial burden, the beggars would sulk and complain loudly in their Bahasa Indonesia accent if no alms were given to them. But the beggars, who were spotted on Friday afternoon (1 July), prayed for the tenants who donated money or clothes.
Several tenants spoke to Yahoo Singapore and said that the beggars were Indonesian - mostly from Tanjung Pinang or Batam - and had visited their shops during the past few Ramadhans.
When contacted, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Social and Family Development noted that fewer beggars have been picked up in the Geylang Serai area so far this year compared to last year.
“MSF responds to public feedback on beggars and conducts regular patrols with the assistance of auxiliary police officers.
“Any person found begging in a public place without visible means of subsistence or a place of residence may be admitted in the interim into a welfare home. Foreign beggars will be handed over to the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority for repatriation and blacklisting,” said the spokesperson.
Begging is an offence in Singapore and habitual beggars who persist despite being able to live by other means can be fined up to $3,000 or jailed up to two years upon conviction.
Beggars are a common sight
Tenants at the mall said that this Ramadhan, they have seen more Indonesian beggars, who typically come to the shops after 4pm.
In previous Ramadhans, the beggars in the area were mainly from Pakistan and India but they were not present this holy month, according to the tenants.
“They (Indonesian beggars) can be a bit of an irritant as they will barge into my shop and openly ask for money. If we do not give them any, they will bug our customers or linger around outside the shop,” said Fatimah Abdul Karim, who owns a boutique in the mall.
Speaking in Malay, Fatimah said she usually gives between 50 cents and $2 to the beggars. “There were instances when they actually pushed my customers aside and were rude but I still give them some money as I pity them,” she added.
Faridah Ngajis, a sales assistant at another boutique, said that aside from money, her shop has been donating used clothes to the beggars.
“Giving alms is a good deed. We are encouraged to do good things during Ramadhan.
“We also distribute hijabs to them, and we gave away old stock to the women as Hari Raya (Eid Fitr) is coming,” she said.
MSF urged members of the public not to give money to beggars as this will encourage begging activities.
Purpose of begging
Yahoo Singapore spent the afternoon at the mall and noticed that the beggars moved around quickly in groups of three or four women. This reporter saw around 20 women entering and leaving the shops to ask for alms.
When approached, one of the beggars said that she was currently living at Tanjung Pinang and had arrived in Singapore by ferry a day earlier.
Introducing herself as Suwatie, the mother of three denied that she was begging, despite being spotted taking money from a shop tenant just minutes earlier.
“I am here for a day and I am collecting money for a mosque in Tanjung Pinang,” said Suwatie.
When pressed further, she was unable to produce any documentation about the mosque and instead said that she would donate the money to the mosque after taking a cut for herself.
“It is up to the individual if they want to give. I also collect clothes that are given by Singaporeans and sell them off.
“There are also people who had donated rice to me before, which I will also sell,” she said, adding that she preferred to walk in the mall as it was cooler than being in the Geylang Serai bazaar area.
Suwatie, an Indonesian from Tanjung Pinang, showing Yahoo Singapore some of the clothes that were donated to her. (Photo: Safhras Khan/Yahoo Singapore)
Suwatie then showed her collection for the day - a red plastic bag full of clothes that were given to her by various shops in the mall. She then excused herself before hurrying to the mall’s carpark.
Another woman from a group of four beggars, who was seen walking around the second level of the mall, agreed to talk briefly to Yahoo Singapore. The rest of her group quickly walked away and ignored any interview requests.
The plump woman from Batam, who declined to be named, refused to be photographed by this reporter.
She said,“I have to do this because I need the money. I am ashamed but I do not have a choice.”
A beggar (right) asking for alms from Faridah Ngajis (left) at Joo Chiat Complex. (Photo: Safhras Khan/Yahoo Singapore)
A group of four women entered several shops on the third floor of Joo Chiat Complex, carrying large plastic bags for one purpose. Approaching the shop tenants to ask for alms for the fasting month of Ramadhan, the beggars were persistent and even rude to the tenants’ customers.
Urging the tenants to help ease their financial burden, the beggars would sulk and complain loudly in their Bahasa Indonesia accent if no alms were given to them. But the beggars, who were spotted on Friday afternoon (1 July), prayed for the tenants who donated money or clothes.
Several tenants spoke to Yahoo Singapore and said that the beggars were Indonesian - mostly from Tanjung Pinang or Batam - and had visited their shops during the past few Ramadhans.
When contacted, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Social and Family Development noted that fewer beggars have been picked up in the Geylang Serai area so far this year compared to last year.
“MSF responds to public feedback on beggars and conducts regular patrols with the assistance of auxiliary police officers.
“Any person found begging in a public place without visible means of subsistence or a place of residence may be admitted in the interim into a welfare home. Foreign beggars will be handed over to the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority for repatriation and blacklisting,” said the spokesperson.
Begging is an offence in Singapore and habitual beggars who persist despite being able to live by other means can be fined up to $3,000 or jailed up to two years upon conviction.
Beggars are a common sight
Tenants at the mall said that this Ramadhan, they have seen more Indonesian beggars, who typically come to the shops after 4pm.
In previous Ramadhans, the beggars in the area were mainly from Pakistan and India but they were not present this holy month, according to the tenants.
“They (Indonesian beggars) can be a bit of an irritant as they will barge into my shop and openly ask for money. If we do not give them any, they will bug our customers or linger around outside the shop,” said Fatimah Abdul Karim, who owns a boutique in the mall.
Speaking in Malay, Fatimah said she usually gives between 50 cents and $2 to the beggars. “There were instances when they actually pushed my customers aside and were rude but I still give them some money as I pity them,” she added.
Faridah Ngajis, a sales assistant at another boutique, said that aside from money, her shop has been donating used clothes to the beggars.
“Giving alms is a good deed. We are encouraged to do good things during Ramadhan.
“We also distribute hijabs to them, and we gave away old stock to the women as Hari Raya (Eid Fitr) is coming,” she said.
MSF urged members of the public not to give money to beggars as this will encourage begging activities.
Purpose of begging
Yahoo Singapore spent the afternoon at the mall and noticed that the beggars moved around quickly in groups of three or four women. This reporter saw around 20 women entering and leaving the shops to ask for alms.
When approached, one of the beggars said that she was currently living at Tanjung Pinang and had arrived in Singapore by ferry a day earlier.
Introducing herself as Suwatie, the mother of three denied that she was begging, despite being spotted taking money from a shop tenant just minutes earlier.
“I am here for a day and I am collecting money for a mosque in Tanjung Pinang,” said Suwatie.
When pressed further, she was unable to produce any documentation about the mosque and instead said that she would donate the money to the mosque after taking a cut for herself.
“It is up to the individual if they want to give. I also collect clothes that are given by Singaporeans and sell them off.
“There are also people who had donated rice to me before, which I will also sell,” she said, adding that she preferred to walk in the mall as it was cooler than being in the Geylang Serai bazaar area.
Suwatie, an Indonesian from Tanjung Pinang, showing Yahoo Singapore some of the clothes that were donated to her. (Photo: Safhras Khan/Yahoo Singapore)
Suwatie then showed her collection for the day - a red plastic bag full of clothes that were given to her by various shops in the mall. She then excused herself before hurrying to the mall’s carpark.
Another woman from a group of four beggars, who was seen walking around the second level of the mall, agreed to talk briefly to Yahoo Singapore. The rest of her group quickly walked away and ignored any interview requests.
The plump woman from Batam, who declined to be named, refused to be photographed by this reporter.
She said,“I have to do this because I need the money. I am ashamed but I do not have a choice.”
