I think
poverty in Singapore is a serious problem. Even though Singapore is one of the World’s
fourth leading financial center in the world, our poverty rate is as high as
one of the poorest countries in the world, and significantly higher than other
middle-income countries like China, Thailand and Vietnam. I think one of the
biggest reasons of this problem is the high income inequality among the population.
Singapore ranks 26th out of 136 countries for income inequality - and a high
cost of living: In 2012, Singapore was the world's sixth most expensive country
to live in, according to the Worldwide Cost of Living Survey 2013. In fact,
according to data from the United Nations, Singapore now has the “second-most
unequal economy in the developed world, behind Hong Kong”. In other words, 10
to 12 percent of households in Singapore are unable to “meet basic needs in the
form of clothing, food, shelter and other essential expenditures”.
Prime
minister Lee Hsien Leong said ".....my Gini coefficient will
get worse but I think Singaporeans will be better off, because they will bring
in business, bring in opportunities, open new doors and create new jobs, and I
think that is the attitude with which we must approach this problem.”However, I
wish to differ, with more billionaires in Singapore, the income gap between the
rich and the poor would increase. Even though there may be more jobs opportunities
if these billionaires set up their companies here, those living in poverty may
not have much skills and education, the employees may not choose to employ them
as they have a great range of educated and experienced people to choose from
for the greater benefit of the company. Hence, the poor would lose out in the
job industries as no one would employ them for high-paying jobs. This causes that
poverty cycle to be never-ending.
The two main
ways to promote reemployment to reduce poverty is to create more jobs by
encouraging trades and foreign investment in Singapore and also to promote
skills redevelopment for citizens who have been retrenched and those who do not
have much education. Help should also be given to the unemployed so that they
will not suffer from lack of money. The Public Assistance Scheme and community
assistance will provide financial help to the unemployed for duration of three
months so that they can still afford basic necessities. Besides that, the rent
and utility scheme and the healthcare subsidies will also ensure that citizens
can still have a place to live in and enjoy healthcare even after being
unemployed.
Education
plays an essential role in breaking the vicious poverty cycle. The families are
often not able to do better than their parents due to lack of access to
knowledge and educational support. For example, the child would quit school to
work and supplement the family’s income, simply trying to put food on the table.
Outstanding students who are poor should be given preference when applying for
scholarships so long as their results remain on the mark, which ensures that
poor students are able to study in top schools, removing the margin between the
rich and the poor. I feel that subsidies and improvising school specialized in
helping poor should be implemented to ensure that all students are given access
to basic education and not quit school just because their parents cannot afford
it. If the government could further subsidize the costs of those, they would be
able to live a more comfortable life and providing them with access to education,
they would be able to make better of their situation. It is critical that the
young remain in the education system, and that they receive the best support
they can to gain the knowledge and skills for a better future.
The
government spending in Singapore is the least among other developed countries. But even as
government spending on anti-poverty efforts is rising - assistance payments to
the poor exceeded $100m Singaporean dollars for the first time on 2012,a nearly
45 percent jump from 2011 - business-minded Singaporeans are balking at the idea.
I think the government should spend more money on those living in poverty, as
26% of Singaporeans still live below poverty line in 2012. Poverty in Singapore
grew from 16% in 2002 to 28% in 2013, this means that the situation had worsened.
The poor and needy in our society struggle with “relative poverty” —simply
defined as that their financial resources fall substantially below what is
needed to pay for the necessities of living in Singapore. Due to various
factors like health issues and family circumstances, they struggle to survive
on a day-to-day basis. It is highly unlikely that you will find beggars lining
the streets or see starving malnutrition children walking the pavements,
scrounging and begging for food. The reason is that begging is illegal here,
under the island-nation's Destitute Persons Act, carrying a fine of up to
$3,000 or imprisonment for up to two years for repeat offenders. Singapore's
poor are largely hidden, in part because affordable public housing typically
means a roof over the heads of the working poor and elderly poor. That helps to
create an overall impression that poverty and homelessness may exist only negligibly,
if at all. Singapore's poor still can be found, often selling packets of tissues
outside food centres or spending the night on benches near their jobs to save
the transport fare home - they are commonly called "sleepers”. They could
be also collecting empty soft drink cans out of trash bins, cardboard boxes to
sell for money. These scenes often allows us feel sorry for them and sincerely hope
to help them. However, actions speak louder than words; if we really want to
help these people we should lend a helping hand to them by giving them some
financial aid to help them back up on their feet. My heart goes out to them
every time I see them but then again, my resources are limited hence there is
little to what I can do.
However, we can see many elderly pushing a cart to collect
old yet useable stuff. They often do that so that they can collect it for their
own use so that they do not need to spend a lot of money on those necessities
and that is also the reason why many of the old people's houses being crowded
with old things or furniture. This crams up their houses which will make it
harder for the elderly to walk and dust will also collect up which might make
their living environment very dirty. However, the poor elderly also do not have
a choice since they themselves are not able to afford for the things or have
the energy to clear up their things. There has also been several cases where
the elderlies living in such houses dying in that their houses and the ”rubbish”
that they had collected made it difficult for the morticians take the body
away. Sometimes, the “rubbish “at these elderlies house stink so much and that
there were many insects in the corridor that neighbours would complain and
social workers would help to clean up the place.
The fact
that many needy residents live in the shadows of a rich society prompted a new
campaign to raise awareness about the poor in Singapore. Singaporeans Against
Poverty, launched in October and organised by Caritas Singapore, a Catholic
social action group, is intended to operate for three to five years. I feel
that this is a very meaningful campaign as many people in Singapore may not
even know that there are such less-fortunate people living in Singapore and we
can learn about how we are able to lend a helping hand to them.
Since
majority of the poorer people are elderlies, helping and promoting the support
of elderly in family is important in reducing the poverty in Singapore. Our
government should set up more social organizations to help and provide for
elderly living alone. There should also be regular home visits by the Member of Parliaments in charge of the particular area, to know about
their living conditions and offer them help if needed. The rent and utility
scheme is also one way to help them. Some of the unfilial children sees their parents as a burden to
them and tries to escape from their duty as a child, leaving them to fend for
themselves even though their parents were the one who brought them up. As
family support remains the best way to reduce poverty in Singapore, the
government hopes to motivate children to look after their parents through
giving subsidies and incentives to families who supports elderly.
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| An elderly are seen selling old veggies on the street |
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An elderly pushing a cart and collecting
recycle things such as cardboards.
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| A homeless elderly sleeping on the floor |
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| A homeless elderly sleeping on a bench in a park |
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In a rental apartment in Tampines, 15 people share a space no larger
than 50 square meters. Nine children live with their two parents, two
grandparents, uncle and aunt under the roof of a small two-room flat in Singapore
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Volunteers from NTUC Eldercare and HNF provided nursing
service to a former construction worker Seah See Seng,
58, who lives alone in his two-room rental flat in Ang Mo Kio
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If we compare Singapore to the other high income countries, measured by the GDP per capita, though Singapore is the richest country in the world, we actually have the highest poverty rate among the high-income countries
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if we compare Singapore to the other regional East and Southeast Asian countries, Singapore has one of the highest poverty rate among them
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| Singapore is the richest country in the world, our government has one of the highest national reserves and surpluses in the world, and we have the highest national reserves per capita in the world |
we have the highest income inequality among the developed countries and one of the highest in the world
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