Better support system needed for Serangoon seniors for accessing public services, says WP MP Kenneth Tiong

SINGAPORE: Newly minted Member of Parliament (MP) from the Workers’ Party (WP), Kenneth Tiong (Aljunied Group Representation Constituency [GRC]), shone a light on the difficulties some seniors in Serangoon, the ward he represents, have with the digital delivery of public services, and added that a better support system is needed for them.

In a Facebook post on Monday (Jun 16), Mr Tiong wrote that he had been at Serangoon North last weekend for food distribution and a walk around the area’s coffee shops. He shared that some of the feedback he had heard from the people he talked to involved the frustrations of the older residents of Serangoon when it comes to dealing with digital services.

“A lot of our elderly residents are not tech-savvy, and they do not perceive Singapore’s Digital-First delivery of public services as an ally in helping them navigate these services. ServiceSG is intended to be a key part of this, streamlining access to digital government functions,” he wrote.

Mr Tiong outlined the problems a senior resident might face, giving the example of a resident who, having found been unfamiliar with a specific digital platform, would be redirected to a ServiceSG centre for assistance with government digital services.

“This redirection immediately poses a significant hurdle,” he wrote, adding that there are no ServiceSG centres in Serangoon. The nearest one is at One Punggol, which could take around 45 minutes to get to.

This would be a substantial effort on the part of the senior, particularly for those who are older, who have mobility issues, or who need to take a leave from work to do so.

He also wrote that in February, when his fellow WP MP at Aljunied, Gerald Giam, asked for a ServiceSG Centre in Parliament, Minister Chan Chun Sing said, “There is no plan in the short term to start a ServiceSG Centre in Serangoon town.”

If and when the senior does take the trip to a ServiceSG centre, they may discover that the specific function they need, such as a certain application from the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority, may not be handled by ServiceSG.

“This critical information is often only revealed after they have expended time and effort to travel to the centre,” he noted, adding, “This frustrating scenario is exacerbated by the absence of readily available phone numbers for ServiceSG. Residents cannot easily call beforehand to confirm if their specific enquiry can be addressed, or what documents to bring, leading to potentially wasted trips.”

In cases when services do fall under the purview of ServiceSG, according to some residents, they were told, “We cannot help you, please go to the agency.”

“This chain of experiences—from initial redirection, to a lengthy journey (especially for Serangoon residents), to discovering service gaps only upon arrival, compounded by a lack of pre-emptive phone support and sometimes unhelpful encounters—needs improvement to be the supportive, ally-like system we aspire to have,” he added. /TISG

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