‘More frontline assistance for needy necessary’

By Andrew Loh

In 2008, as food prices soared, more Singaporeans sought help from their Members of Parliament (MP) at Meet-The-People Sessions (MPS). In some areas, those seeking help had doubled in numbers.

It was a time when the global financial crisis struck, leaving many having to depend on welfare from the government.

Three years on, Singapore is bracing itself for yet another global downturn in the economy in 2012, after a record-breaking 14.5 per cent growth in the gross domestic product (GDP) in 2010. The Ministry for Trade and Industry forecasts a 5 to 6 per cent GDP for 2011.

Singapore's inflation rate too has been climbing. In October, "inflation rate held above 5 per cent for the fifth straight month."

Singaporeans have also been advised to brace themselves for a higher retrenchment rate in 2012. According to an AsiaOne report, secretary-general of Singapore's main workers' union, Lim Swee Say, warned that "more workers are expected to be retrenched this year than last year [and] he also believes that the figure for 2012 will be even higher."

The expected downturn in the economy in 2012 will hit the lower-income earners, whose wages have also stagnated, the most. But as the Minister of State for Manpower and National Development, Tan Chuan Jin, said in his Parliamentary speech in October with regards to income levels, "We can't eat statistics. The numbers in itself (sic), while meaningful, will not feed a hungry family."

Daunting challenge

What will be needed is frontline assistance for those in need. This is a task which falls onto the lap of the Ministry for Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS).

It is an unenviable job which requires it to oversee a whole slew of aid recipients — from the poor and elderly, to the sick and special needs children, and also to those retrenched or out of work. The ministry, under the charge of Acting Minister Chan Chun Sing, has been putting in place safety nets in anticipation of the upsurge in assistance needed when the economy takes a turn for the worse.

Already, the 38 Family Service Centres (FSCs) are seeing an increase of between 5 to 20 per cent of requests for help from Singaporeans. The FSCs expect this to grow to 40 to 50 per cent during the expected economic slowdown. The MCYS' Comcare hotline has also seen an up-tick in calls for help.

Minister of State for MCYS, Halimah Yacob, reiterated the ministry's "No-Wrong-Door" policy in October and called for it to be enforced more uniformly and effectively. This is to ensure that anyone who goes to any channel to seek help will get it and not be given the runaround to different departments.

An emergency fund has also been set aside by the FSCs, which are looking to beef up its frontline with more staff, including volunteers. They are also reaching out to PMETs (professionals, managers, executives and technicians), a group which is often overlooked.

The ministry, after the General Election in May which saw Chan being appointed Acting MCYS Minister, has put in place several other measures as well, including improving its assistance delivery system and creating more service hubs in the heartlands such as the one at Tiong Bahru which was launched in 2009. This enables "the various service providers not only to share a common shop front and back room, but also provide better integrated services by simply co-locating together."

Reaching out

The task of providing help to the needy is an onerous and labour-intensive one, as each potential recipient's circumstances and the type of help needed have to be assessed and the appropriate assistance rendered.

With the lack of social workers, an issue which both Chan and his deputy have highlighted, the ministry will have to depend much on volunteers and voluntary welfare organisations (VWOs) and of course, the other people at the frontline — the MPs.

It is reassuring to know, therefore, that MPs have taken a more compassionate approach when their help is sought. People's Action Party (PAP) MP, Indranee Rajah, for example, related the case of a resident who was "given the maximum allowable financial assistance under Comcare of $600, paid over 3 months" even though his particular circumstances were unclear at the time.

The government, perhaps not without valid reasons, has always been wary of people who do not truly need the help or who are abusing the system. But critics say it should not fear abuse of the system by the few and use this as a reason to tighten rules further, which will result in even more people falling through the safety nets.

Consider budget boost

With the dark clouds of the expected downturn not too far off, perhaps the government should also consider increasing the MCYS budget in 2012 to boost the resources the ministry will need when the economy turns weak. In 2011, the MCYS was allocated a budget of S$1.85 billion, much of which was geared towards encouraging a higher birth rate among Singaporeans, through programmes such as the Baby Bonus Scheme.

The amount voted to MCYS was also among the lowest among all the ministries, with Defence taking up a S$12 billion chunk of the national budget.

But money is only one of the necessary assistance which recipients will require. There will, as in previous economic slowdowns, also be the need to show understanding, counsel and compassion to those who are in desperate situations.

MCYS thus has its work cut out for it and the ministry will itself require help and assistance from members of the public to bring to its attention those who may have fallen through the cracks, or who do not know where to look for help.

While some may criticise the ministry for shortcomings in its work, the better thing to do is to lend a hand when we can. After all, if we care for those in need, then helping them should be the first — and perhaps only — priority.

For a list of the assistance schemes on the MCYS website, click here.

For a list of assistance schemes on the NCSS website, click here.

Andrew helms publichouse.sg as Editor-in-Chief. His writings have been reproduced in other publications, including the Australian Housing Journal in 2010. He was nominated by Yahoo! Singapore as one of Singapore's most influential media persons in 2011.