“I feel like I have both failed as a man and as a husband to my lovely wife” – Singaporean faces housing issue because of late salary

A Singaporean revealed recently that he is facing housing issues after being paid inconsistent at his workplace. Writing to transitioning.org – a support site for unemployed and underemployed Singaporeans, Mr Koh shared that the issues he is facing has led him to feel as though he has “both failed as a man and as a husband to my lovely wife”.

Mr Koh had been working at an interior design firm which failed and ran into deep debt. Having fallen in love with and getting married to a Chinese national, whom he describes as his “soulmate,” Mr Koh was desperate to provide financial stability for his new wife and joined a new branding and marketing company that his polytechnic mate had founded.

He recounted: “Sensing the urgency to provide a shelter for Jade, something which I don’t have, I joined my friend thinking that I need a stable income and CPF input to cater for the loan for HDB resale purchase. And also to get a longer term visit pass for Jade which she was only granted 6 months for the first application.

“I progressed slowly but steadily over the months and my highest payslip came to an amount almost hitting $6k in the month of May this year. At that time, Jade and I were also in the progress of searching high and low for our home to be, and we finally landed on a nice deal for a 3-room in Yishun.”

All went well until June last year, when Mr Koh’s employer and friend informed him that he could only give him $2,500 out of his $4,400 after CPF pay since his funds were tight that month.

In the letter that was published in March this year, Mr Koh said: “I was agreeable as it was the very first time he delayed my salary. But subsequently, till today, my salary hasn’t been cleared to me.

“What’s worse was that he had actually owed my CPF contribution since the month of April. That was responded to me that he had cleared that over last week but I really do not know how much it may have affected the validity of my Bank Loan for HDB which is completing next week on the 17th.

“The salary which he owes me is about $10k to date. (Partial May to the month of August end) And he keeps telling me that he is trying his best. I sincerely am lost as I know that he is a person of pride and I also know that the more I demand for the money, the more he will delay.”

Mr Koh also said that he is forced to stay on at his place of employment “because I have committed on a flat, and also any change in job will affect the length of stay that my spouse will get from ICA.”

He lamented: “I’m really stressful now as I also know that my spouse is having a hard time living with me in a rented room. I feel like I have both failed as a man and as a husband to my lovely wife.”

Read Mr Koh’s story in full HERE.