MBT: No rental flats for elderly retirees who cannot get along with their family

[aurvandil]

The following is from Mr Mah during the recent budget debate. If you are an elderly retiree and you cannot get along with your family, DON"T GO TO MR MAH FOR A RENTAL FLAT. He won't rent it to you. Instead he will refer you to the Family Service Centre and FORCE you to live with your family.

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Mr Mah Bow Tan:Rental flats are heavily subsidised. And that is one of the reasons why the queue is so long. Because we charge $30 or $40 for a flat, and the flat is very comfortable. If you look at the new flats that are being built, they are very, very comfortable, not like the old days. Thirty dollars, a flat of your own, who does not want? Everybody wants to join the queue. If you are an elderly retiree with no income, under the old criteria, you could have joined the queue. No questions asked and then when your turn came, you got the flat. If we had continued with that, no amount of new rental flats that we build will be sufficient. Our position is that if you have family support, if you can stay with your families. Please do not compete with the truly needy for these flats because they are really for those who have no other housing option. In that particular case where the old lady had a daughter who was willing to take her in, we would say "go and stay with your daughter." The fact that you want to be independent is not a good reason for you to come and ask HDB for a rental flat. For those families who do not or cannot get along, we will refer them to the Family Service Centre to see whether they can provide counselling to make sure that the family can at least try to accommodate one another. In some cases, wedo exercise compassion, for example where there is a history of family violence.

 

[jw5]

In the world according to mah, everybody is lovey dovery towards one another.

 

[makapaaa]

Cos reserved for FTrash?

 

[aurvandil]

This is quite a serious problem. Issues with in-laws are one of the reasons which contribute to couples quarrelling and going for divorce. By denying a rental flat to the elderly person, Mr Mah is therefore indirectly contributing to the climbing divorce rates in Singapore.

Also, I am sure that those of us who live in the HDB heartlands have seen elderly people loitering around the HDB void decks. Some of them look quite lonely and lost. At night, you can see them sleeping in the public areas.

When you talk to them, you often hear stories of how they could not get along with the younger generation and are therefore not welcome at home. They therefore loitter around the void decks, not wanting to go home.

By adopting a hard hearted policy of no rental flats for such elderly persons, Mr Mah causes great hardship to these elderly Singaporeans who cannot get along with their children.

Maybe TOC or Goh Meng Seng can interview a few of them so that Singapore can know their story and the consequences of Mr Mah's no rental policy.

 

[jw5]

Are you surprised that they lack empathy?
I think most of Singapore already know of such stories, it's that they think it doesn't concern them.
To summarize, we are faced with a lack of empathy from the leaders and apathy from the followers. An unfortunate but deadly combination.

 

[aurvandil]

In another discussion on the public transport system, a very powerful PAP leader once said


Singaporeans look forward to receiving the resignation of Traffic Management Executives who do not understand the importance of delivering quality value service for citizens, but focus on unadulterated corporate avarice for shareholders.

Mr Mah would do well to remember this.

 

[streetsmart73]

In the world according to mah, everybody is lovey dovery towards one another.

hi there


1. bro, in the horse world, everyone loves everybody mah!
2. also in the same world, there is no children who "disown" ageing parents mah!
3. such crap horse lives in a hole.

 

[aurvandil]

The following is a victim of Mr Mah's policy. The elderly Singaporean made the mistake of selling the HDB flat and moving in with the son. Unfortunately things did not work out. The elderly person wants to move out but is unable to get a rental flat from HDB due to Mr Mah's policy of not renting to elderly Singaporeans with family. Based on his statement in Parliament, the policy it to wait until the elderly person is physically abused before he is willing to "show compassion".

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http://www.zaobao.com/yl/yl100322_007.shtml

老人希望租组屋

（2010-03-22）

张恺展
　　受到“老来随子”这话的误导，我当年卖掉自已的组屋与儿子同住，现在才觉悟这是我一生最大的错误，感到十分后悔。

　　就凭儿子的一句话“爸妈你们跟我住”，我以为可以过着含饴弄孙的闲适日子，怎知与儿子共住了五年，因老伴的体障而失去在儿子家当“佣人” 的能力，于是，儿子竟六亲不认，与媳妇千方百计迫我与老伴离开他们的家。

　　儿子认为他不是独子，便说服他的两名兄姊，在自由市场租组屋给我与老伴居住，坚持一切用费由三人平均摊分，屋租1000多元，加上奉养父母的生活费，每名子女分担额近1000元。　　一年后的今天，有的儿子不能在父母银行户头准期电子过账，甚至断一期付一期，幸好我与老伴各人还有一点养老本，否则日子就很难过了。

　　为了想减轻儿女的负担，也绝对不想再和儿女共住，因为共住久了将疏远骨肉情甚至变成陌路人。我曾多次会见两位国会议员(我从A区搬到B区)，向他们陈述我的处境，要求写信向建屋局申请租赁组屋，建屋局先后回信都拒绝，理由是从前我向建屋局购买的两个单位组屋，在自由市场卖出已得过好处，已失去向建屋局购买或租赁组屋的权利；而且审查发现，我三名儿女各自单位的组屋都有空房让父母同住。 如今，唯一的冀望是有社会善心人士伸出援手，能把多余的组屋合法租赁给我与老伴安度晚年，我们则不胜感激。