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Coffeeshop Chit Chat - Grace Fu will sue if kids abandon her</TD><TD id=msgunetc noWrap align=right>
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</NOBR> </TD><TD class=msgDate width="30%" noWrap align=right>7:08 am </TD></TR><TR class=msghead><TD class=msgT height=20 width="1%" noWrap align=right>To: </TD><TD class=msgTname width="68%" noWrap>ALL <NOBR></NOBR></TD><TD class=msgNum noWrap align=right> (1 of 9) </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR><TR><TD class=msgleft rowSpan=4 width="1%"> </TD><TD class=wintiny noWrap align=right>20399.1 </TD></TR><TR><TD height=8></TD></TR><TR><TD class=msgtxt><TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%"><TBODY><TR><TD>Grace Fu on what would disappoint her as a mother
</TD></TR><TR><TD><!-- headline one : end --></TD></TR><TR><TD><!-- Author --></TD></TR><TR><TD class="padlrt8 georgia11 darkgrey bold" colSpan=2>By Kor Kian Beng
</TD></TR><TR><TD><!-- show image if available --></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->SENIOR Minister of State Grace Fu said she would be 'very disappointed' if her children put her in an old folks' home without letting her have a say in the decision.
She was giving her take on a topic last night that has sparked public debate since Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong raised it in his National Day Rally speech last month.
Mr Lee urged Singaporeans not to shirk their responsibilities in caring for their parents, saying some were abandoning them in homes or hospitals.
The topic surfaced again at a dialogue the Senior Minister of State for National Development and Education had with 80 young unionists and their friends. The hour-long dialogue, organised by the National Trades Union Congress' youth wing, also discussed the affordability of public housing and the economy's pace of recovery.
Speaking to reporters later, she said that while she knew the need to prepare for retirement and have some savings, she would still be 'very disappointed' if her children did not want to live with her any more.
'Of course, if I have medical needs or if I decide to move to a home, my mindset would be different. But if I would like to live with my children, I hope they would feel the same too,' she added.
Ms Fu also said the Maintenance of Parents Act is sufficient. It allows parents to sue their children for financial maintenance.
There is no need for a jail term, she added.
Another topic raised was the rising property prices. Several participants were worried they might not be able to afford their desired property.
Ms Fu, 45, assured them the Government was monitoring the situation and would step in with measures if necessary. She also advised them to be flexible and to spend within their means.
She recounted her own experience, saying that when she married in 1988, she and her husband Ivan Lee, now 48, rented a room in an HDB flat for 11/2 years. It was a four-room flat in Jurong East.
HDB flats that were available were in Jurong West, 'which was a bit far from my parents' home', she said.
Her point was to show that marriage did not have to be delayed by house-buying.
She and her husband moved in with her parents, who live in a bungalow in Bukit Timah, when they decided to have children. They have three sons.
'If you meet someone you like, follow your heart and get married first. Buying a flat is a long-term investment. You will have a whole lifetime to find your dream flat,' she said.
The dialogue conducted an instant electronic poll on the topics raised. She was especially surprised that only 52 per cent said they would be disappointed if sent to an old folks' home.
She expected a higher number.
[email protected]
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</TD></TR><TR><TD><!-- headline one : end --></TD></TR><TR><TD><!-- Author --></TD></TR><TR><TD class="padlrt8 georgia11 darkgrey bold" colSpan=2>By Kor Kian Beng
</TD></TR><TR><TD><!-- show image if available --></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->SENIOR Minister of State Grace Fu said she would be 'very disappointed' if her children put her in an old folks' home without letting her have a say in the decision.
She was giving her take on a topic last night that has sparked public debate since Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong raised it in his National Day Rally speech last month.
Mr Lee urged Singaporeans not to shirk their responsibilities in caring for their parents, saying some were abandoning them in homes or hospitals.
The topic surfaced again at a dialogue the Senior Minister of State for National Development and Education had with 80 young unionists and their friends. The hour-long dialogue, organised by the National Trades Union Congress' youth wing, also discussed the affordability of public housing and the economy's pace of recovery.
Speaking to reporters later, she said that while she knew the need to prepare for retirement and have some savings, she would still be 'very disappointed' if her children did not want to live with her any more.
'Of course, if I have medical needs or if I decide to move to a home, my mindset would be different. But if I would like to live with my children, I hope they would feel the same too,' she added.
Ms Fu also said the Maintenance of Parents Act is sufficient. It allows parents to sue their children for financial maintenance.
There is no need for a jail term, she added.
Another topic raised was the rising property prices. Several participants were worried they might not be able to afford their desired property.
Ms Fu, 45, assured them the Government was monitoring the situation and would step in with measures if necessary. She also advised them to be flexible and to spend within their means.
She recounted her own experience, saying that when she married in 1988, she and her husband Ivan Lee, now 48, rented a room in an HDB flat for 11/2 years. It was a four-room flat in Jurong East.
HDB flats that were available were in Jurong West, 'which was a bit far from my parents' home', she said.
Her point was to show that marriage did not have to be delayed by house-buying.
She and her husband moved in with her parents, who live in a bungalow in Bukit Timah, when they decided to have children. They have three sons.
'If you meet someone you like, follow your heart and get married first. Buying a flat is a long-term investment. You will have a whole lifetime to find your dream flat,' she said.
The dialogue conducted an instant electronic poll on the topics raised. She was especially surprised that only 52 per cent said they would be disappointed if sent to an old folks' home.
She expected a higher number.
[email protected]
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