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He was an alcoholic. He was a wife-beater. His application was a...
DUBIOUS CLAIM
By Andre Yeo
August 21, 2009
TNP 19 Aug 2009
HE SEEMED a pitiful old man seeking support from ungrateful children under the Maintenance of Parents Act.
In reality, he was a dirty old man.
And there were 16 such cases rejected by the Tribunal for Maintenance of Parents last year.
The 66-year-old gardener had filed for monthly maintenance of $1,000 from his five children.
The man lived with his wife and one of his sons in a flat he jointly owned with them.
He earned $587 a month, but claimed he needed that sum to pay for the monthly instalment and the utility charges on the flat.
But the Tribunal discovered that the son was the person paying all the monthly utilities, housing instalments and conservancy charges.
The father's only contribution towards the purchase price of the flat was the initial down payment of $4,000 from his CPF savings.
His wife and another son also testified against him, describing him as an alcoholic and a womaniser.
His wife told the Tribunal that he used to come home drunk and would beat her. It was actually her brother who contributed financially towards the upbringing of their five children.
The other son had so little trust in him that he hired a private investigator, who managed to obtain photographs of his father being intimate with foreign women.
The man admitted to the Tribunal that he was still having an affair with a foreign maid, would beat his wife when he was drunk, and that it was his wife's brother who maintained his children when they were young.
Under the Act, if it can be proven that the applicant abandoned, abused or neglected his children, the Tribunal may dismiss the application or reduce the amount of maintenance ordered.
But the gardener's dubious application was among the exceptions.
Overwhelmingly, heart-rending cases of abandonment, highlighted in The New Paper over the past two days, have been rising.
Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports Vivian Balakrishnan told Parliament yesterday that there were 172 applications under the Maintenance of Parents Act last year - higher than the average of 100 applications in previous years.
MP Denise Phua (Jalan Besar GRC) had asked if there was a solution to the problem of elderly parents whose children were unwilling to support them financially.
Shared responsibilities
Dr Balakrishnan said that some people ignored their responsibilities, or disagreed with siblings on the equal sharing of these responsibilities.
This has led to elderly parents being left to their own devices or forced to seek help from the state or charitable organisations.
Said Dr Balakrishnan: 'This is unacceptable and unfair to the parents, the charitable organisations and the taxpayers.'
To tackle the issue, he said MCYS would focus on three areas.
Contact tracing was one of them.
He said nearly a third of the elderly who approached the Community Development Councils (CDCs) for financial assistance every month were unable to provide the contact details of their children.
This made it more difficult for the CDCs to process the cases.
He said they will look at how this information could be obtained more easily so that government agencies could assess cases more efficiently.
MCYS will also be strengthening the office of the Commissioner for Maintenance of Parents.
He said under the Maintenance of Parents Act, the Commissioner already had legal powers to act on behalf of an elderly parent before the Tribunal.
The Commissioner will now play a more active role in case monitoring so that needy elderly parents received help quickly.
But he added: 'Legislation and legal actions are a last resort. Most parents would prefer not to resort to such measures.'
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GENUINE CLAIM
Neglected by children
A widower, 72, filed for maintenance of $750 a month from his five sons ($150 from each son).
They had lived with him in the flat but later left to live on their own. None of them supported him.
They argued he owned an HDB flat, a motorcycle and a Rolex watch.
The Tribunal found that the bike was bought more than 10 years ago and was his means of transport. The watch had been given to him by one of his sons.
The Tribunal found the man did not have and was not likely to receive enough income to support himself.
He only received $300 a month for leasing out a room in the flat and $60 a month from his daughter towards his maintenance.
The Tribunal found that his sons were able to pay maintenance and that there was much animosity between them and their father.
The Tribunal found the man had not abandoned, abused or neglected his sons and ordered each of them to pay $70 a month towards his maintenance.
BASELESS CLAIM
Unfair to her daughters
A 69-year-old mother filed a second application against her daughter for maintenance of $200 a month.
Her first application had been dismissed.
The daughter argued that from childhood to adulthood, she had been constantly scolded, and even physically abused and harassed by her mother.
She had also been maintaining her mother and offered to pay for her mother's expenses.
But her mother would first say that she did not need her money, and then later accuse her of being ungrateful and not paying for her expenses.
Her mother admitted she had about $20,000 in her bank account and a joint account with one of her daughters. Her other children were giving her about $800 every month. She also admitted to buying and selling shares.
The Tribunal agreed with the daughter and made no order for maintenance.
He was an alcoholic. He was a wife-beater. His application was a...
DUBIOUS CLAIM
By Andre Yeo
August 21, 2009
TNP 19 Aug 2009
HE SEEMED a pitiful old man seeking support from ungrateful children under the Maintenance of Parents Act.
In reality, he was a dirty old man.
And there were 16 such cases rejected by the Tribunal for Maintenance of Parents last year.
The 66-year-old gardener had filed for monthly maintenance of $1,000 from his five children.
The man lived with his wife and one of his sons in a flat he jointly owned with them.
He earned $587 a month, but claimed he needed that sum to pay for the monthly instalment and the utility charges on the flat.
But the Tribunal discovered that the son was the person paying all the monthly utilities, housing instalments and conservancy charges.
The father's only contribution towards the purchase price of the flat was the initial down payment of $4,000 from his CPF savings.
His wife and another son also testified against him, describing him as an alcoholic and a womaniser.
His wife told the Tribunal that he used to come home drunk and would beat her. It was actually her brother who contributed financially towards the upbringing of their five children.
The other son had so little trust in him that he hired a private investigator, who managed to obtain photographs of his father being intimate with foreign women.
The man admitted to the Tribunal that he was still having an affair with a foreign maid, would beat his wife when he was drunk, and that it was his wife's brother who maintained his children when they were young.
Under the Act, if it can be proven that the applicant abandoned, abused or neglected his children, the Tribunal may dismiss the application or reduce the amount of maintenance ordered.
But the gardener's dubious application was among the exceptions.
Overwhelmingly, heart-rending cases of abandonment, highlighted in The New Paper over the past two days, have been rising.
Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports Vivian Balakrishnan told Parliament yesterday that there were 172 applications under the Maintenance of Parents Act last year - higher than the average of 100 applications in previous years.
MP Denise Phua (Jalan Besar GRC) had asked if there was a solution to the problem of elderly parents whose children were unwilling to support them financially.
Shared responsibilities
Dr Balakrishnan said that some people ignored their responsibilities, or disagreed with siblings on the equal sharing of these responsibilities.
This has led to elderly parents being left to their own devices or forced to seek help from the state or charitable organisations.
Said Dr Balakrishnan: 'This is unacceptable and unfair to the parents, the charitable organisations and the taxpayers.'
To tackle the issue, he said MCYS would focus on three areas.
Contact tracing was one of them.
He said nearly a third of the elderly who approached the Community Development Councils (CDCs) for financial assistance every month were unable to provide the contact details of their children.
This made it more difficult for the CDCs to process the cases.
He said they will look at how this information could be obtained more easily so that government agencies could assess cases more efficiently.
MCYS will also be strengthening the office of the Commissioner for Maintenance of Parents.
He said under the Maintenance of Parents Act, the Commissioner already had legal powers to act on behalf of an elderly parent before the Tribunal.
The Commissioner will now play a more active role in case monitoring so that needy elderly parents received help quickly.
But he added: 'Legislation and legal actions are a last resort. Most parents would prefer not to resort to such measures.'
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GENUINE CLAIM
Neglected by children
A widower, 72, filed for maintenance of $750 a month from his five sons ($150 from each son).
They had lived with him in the flat but later left to live on their own. None of them supported him.
They argued he owned an HDB flat, a motorcycle and a Rolex watch.
The Tribunal found that the bike was bought more than 10 years ago and was his means of transport. The watch had been given to him by one of his sons.
The Tribunal found the man did not have and was not likely to receive enough income to support himself.
He only received $300 a month for leasing out a room in the flat and $60 a month from his daughter towards his maintenance.
The Tribunal found that his sons were able to pay maintenance and that there was much animosity between them and their father.
The Tribunal found the man had not abandoned, abused or neglected his sons and ordered each of them to pay $70 a month towards his maintenance.
BASELESS CLAIM
Unfair to her daughters
A 69-year-old mother filed a second application against her daughter for maintenance of $200 a month.
Her first application had been dismissed.
The daughter argued that from childhood to adulthood, she had been constantly scolded, and even physically abused and harassed by her mother.
She had also been maintaining her mother and offered to pay for her mother's expenses.
But her mother would first say that she did not need her money, and then later accuse her of being ungrateful and not paying for her expenses.
Her mother admitted she had about $20,000 in her bank account and a joint account with one of her daughters. Her other children were giving her about $800 every month. She also admitted to buying and selling shares.
The Tribunal agreed with the daughter and made no order for maintenance.
