Interview with 75 yr old granny abandoned by 6 children + water supply cut

[sheryllim]

Watch the exclusive video interview in 2 parts here:

http://wayangparty.com/2008/12/25/75-year-old-granny-abandoned-by-her-6-children/


Prologue:

While Singaporeans are celebrating the festive season, 75 year old Madam Chan (not her real name) does not know when her water supply will be cut off again. She lives with her 69 year old husband, Mr Chua (second husband, her first one whom she had her children with passed away 20 years ago) in a one room rental flat. Her 6 children have abandoned her and she have tried to find them to no avail. Occasionally, they will drop by and give her a hundred dollars or so to spend. Unable to find any work and not qualifying for Public Assistance, she was left to fend on her own. Madam Chan still owes PUB about S$2,000 in utility bills and her water supply was once cut off for 2 weeks.


Excerpts of interview translated from Hokkien:

SG Enquirer: How many children do you have ?

Madam Chan: 6 , 3 sons and 3 daughters.

SG Enquirer: Do they still keep in touch with you ?

Madam Chan (sobbing): No, they simply vanish, I don't know where they are. They didn't give me any numbers to contact them.

Madam Chan: Have you seek the help of your MP ?

SG Enquirer: Yes, they ask me to contact the Tribunal for maintenance of parents. I dare not go as I do not know what to say. If I say the wrong thing, I may be jailed.

SG Enquirer: Do you owe the PUB any money ?

Madam Chan: Yes, about S$2,000, only for the water, they didn't charge me for the electricity.

SG Enquirer: Was your water supply ever cut ?

Madam Chan: Yes, not too long ago, it was cut for 2 weeks because I cannot afford to pay the utility bills.

SG Enquirer: Oh gosh, how do you live without water for 2 weeks ?

Madam Chan: We leave the tap on for it to drip drop by drop into a bucket which is filled up after a day. We use the water to bathe.

SG Enquirer: How much is your water bills a month ?

Madam Chan: Sometimes S$20, sometimes S$30, we owe them for a few months already.

SG Enquirer: Did you tell your MP that you cannot afford the utility bills.

Madam Chan: Yes, but they did not take any action.

SG Enquirer: Did your chidren give you any money during Chinese New Year ?

Madam Chan (crying): No....my life is really a tragedy.

 

[singveld]

why dun you find the kids for her

 

[0939]

She could raised 6 children during her younger age, now the 6 children could not even
support her.

 

[Conan the Barbarian]

She could raised 6 children during her younger age, now the 6 children could not even
support her.

What makes you think she raised the children. Maybe it was her 1st husband who did and she left her children to fend for themselves after he died.

She may have abandoned them and marry again to some useless guy and now expects her children to feed her.

Besides, why should the children pay for the arrears in utility bills. SP will then get the easy way out instead of writing it off.

 

[oioi]

....
Madam Chan: Have you seek the help of your MP ?

SG Enquirer: Yes, they ask me to contact the Tribunal for maintenance of parents. I dare not go as I do not know what to say. If I say the wrong thing, I may be jailed.

That's sad. Even sadder is the fact that alot of people feel the same way.

 

[deekopeh]

There is no way they can pay back the arrears owned. They are charged 1% interest per month on the total amount. 1% per mth = 12% per year.

 

[chupacabra]

This is the coming future for peesai. When I am old I do not want to burden my children.

With housing and everything else going up and salaries going down, I rather pay high taxes elsewhere and get goberment pension when I retire. The forced filial piety in peesai is a load of crap. The goberment just want to wash their hands from taking care of dying sinkees.


By the way can anybody explain why foodstuff in peesai so expensive? Most of our produce comes from slave labour china wat? I have stayed in the west and foodstuff there not that far off the price of peesai. Some items are cheaper also. With high labour cost in the west, food still can be affordable.

Peesai is ending. Golden years indeed.

 

[sheryllim]

wah, still got interest, like this how to repay fully ?

There is no way they can pay back the arrears owned. They are charged 1% interest per month on the total amount. 1% per mth = 12% per year.

 

[The_Latest_H]

What makes you think she raised the children. Maybe it was her 1st husband who did and she left her children to fend for themselves after he died.

She may have abandoned them and marry again to some useless guy and now expects her children to feed her.

Besides, why should the children pay for the arrears in utility bills. SP will then get the easy way out instead of writing it off.

Oh that's sweet, rubbing salt into the wounds during Xmas day. That's so 'nice' of you.

 

[The_Latest_H]

This is the coming future for peesai. When I am old I do not want to burden my children.

With housing and everything else going up and salaries going down, I rather pay high taxes elsewhere and get goberment pension when I retire. The forced filial piety in peesai is a load of crap. The goberment just want to wash their hands from taking care of dying sinkees.


By the way can anybody explain why foodstuff in peesai so expensive? Most of our produce comes from slave labour china wat? I have stayed in the west and foodstuff there not that far off the price of peesai. Some items are cheaper also. With high labour cost in the west, food still can be affordable.

Peesai is ending. Golden years indeed.

A loaf of bread that has 10-12 slices cost $2 to $3 here. A loaf of bread that has 20- made by Coles- cost $2.98 over in Coles in Western Australia. Even NTUC's own house brand of bread doesn't taste as good.

Go figure.

 

[i1u12]

why dun you find the kids for her

This is the type of answer u get when u bring up an issue.

 

[i1u12]

She could raised 6 children during her younger age, now the 6 children could not even
support her.

The 6 children may be struggling to survive themselves.

SG in the old days were good days.

 

[sheryllim]

Probably so, but shld at least pay her a visit.

The 6 children may be struggling to survive themselves.

SG in the old days were good days.

 

[Perspective]

By the way can anybody explain why foodstuff in peesai so expensive? Most of our produce comes from slave labour china wat? I have stayed in the west and foodstuff there not that far off the price of peesai. Some items are cheaper also. With high labour cost in the west, food still can be affordable.

Peesai is ending. Golden years indeed.

My own theory is that food prices have even nothing to do with the price of the food brought in. The reason for high price of food is one unrelated to food - land prices.

A food importer who rent or buy a piece of expensive land in Singapore for its business operations will pass on the costs to the customer. The food supplier that gets the food from the importer can't absorb the high costs and also rent or buy the same expensive kind of land. Ditto for the food distributors and retailers that get the food from the supplier - they need to buy or rent the expensive land for supermarkets and food stalls.

In the end, the consumers pay for the grand total.

That is why a plate of chicken rice can't cost more than $0.20 originally can be sold at $3.

I believe (if I do not remember wrongly) a survey reported that Singapore has the second most expensive land after HK, in Asia.

 

[scoobyhoo]

Even she is not eligible for helps from social welfare dept, since she has children, could any of the members in the RC or social worker organisations help? I am interested in knowing the consequences. Whether additional salts would be put to her wounds? Or she would be given coals in the winter?

 

[chupacabra]

Only in peesai where a 75 yr old granny be scrutinized and blamed for the failure of her own children to support her.

Peesai's help is never sincere. Bastards pappies will burn in hell for this.

 

[tiulehloumoh]

This is the type of answer u get when u bring up an issue.

What issue ?.... there should be no issue if any assed hole children look after her..... you want taxpayer money to feed other parent or grandparent when their descendant run away from responsiblty ?...... tiu.....

 

[jw5]

What makes you think she raised the children. Maybe it was her 1st husband who did and she left her children to fend for themselves after he died.

She may have abandoned them and marry again to some useless guy and now expects her children to feed her.

Besides, why should the children pay for the arrears in utility bills. SP will then get the easy way out instead of writing it off.

Don't know if that's the case.
But there's always more than 1 side to every story.