Singapore — Making regular house visits to the residents of Kebun Baru, the Progress Singapore Party’s Kumaran Pillai says that he has come across a number of poor and needy residents who “represent a segment of our society which is often overlooked”.
He added that during his rounds, he came across a resident who shared that when he approached the incumbent for help, he was promptly sent to various agencies.
Upon visiting a Social Service Office, the resident told Mr Pillai that “the folks working in these SSOs were “sarcastic” and lacked empathy”.
In response to TISG’s queries, Mr Pillai said:
“I’m aghast by the lack of empathy shown by the current government in dealing with urban poverty in Singapore. The rental blocks are tucked away from the hustle and bustle of city life and the glittering skyscrapers of Singapore.
And when you look deeper into the issues that our urban poor face in Singapore, there is a serious humanitarian problem that needs immediate attention”.
Mr Pillai, who contested in Kebun Baru SMC during the General Elections 2020, wrote in a Facebook post on Thursday (Feb 4), that he what he fears “most is that these communities (of needy) have resigned themselves to fate”.
He wrote that he found many of the Kebun Baru residents “facing numerous minor health issues and they share their sorrows, family disputes and financial predicament”.
“The issues may seem trivial at first pass, but when you lump them together they become quite formidable”, Mr Pillai added.
He noted that though the enormity of the issues was overwhelming, he hoped to get through them all.
“At PSP, we are helping residents to get back on their feet. There isn’t a one size fits all solution here. Therefore, we look into individual cases and work with the families to address the underlying problem”, he said. /TISG