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Is Singapore really a first world country for everyone?

While F1 is being hosted in Singapore this weekend, the city is full of giltz and glamour.

We still have news about how elders in Singapore are not living in first world condition. Is our social welfare good enough to take care of all when Singapore progress as a country?

https://www.asiaone.com/singapore/i-thought-it-was-waste-several-elderly-men-seen-eating-leftovers-chinatown-hawker-centre

9 comments

Comments (9)

Randall W

Sep 29

This is a big topic, am sure in the coming election, it can be a point of debate! How the bottom of the society be able to benefit from the progress of the country

Lim We

Oct 20

Replying to

Yes am sure this will be a big topic in the coming election!

porky ball

Sep 29

Singapore definitely have measures to take care of the people who are left behind, but are the measures sufficient in this rising cost of living country? Say if the benefits is 300 dollars a month, is it sufficient for those homeless elderly to get by?

Cep

Sep 23

Im sure as the country progress, there will be people being left behind, especially when Singapore developed at a very fast pace. While i think government should take care of those who fell through the cracks and provide them with help, there will need to be a balance. Finding that balance between helping all those who really need the help and becoming a welfare state is always a challenge.

Cep

Sep 29

Replying to

Yes, and to implement this, there will always be lines drawn on who qualifies for the assistance. And these lines are often so black and white that there will be people who are borderline situation and fall through the cracks. I guess thats when social worker become the people who will provide the government or agencies the justification on a case by case basis for those who fell thru the cracks

Lim We

Oct 20

Replying to

Beside who gets the help, its also about how much? Assistance must be able to catch up to inflation too.

But like many have mentioned, its a balance between taxing the people vs helping the needy. A very fine balance and almost impossible to make everyone happy. Especially Singapore is a country without any natural resources to aid in the social cost expenditure.

Randall W

Oct 20

Replying to

I think one of the main issues with what you are suggesting is leaving to the people/social worker to help identify those who are in need. Sometimes i think while we have the top brains in the top of the house in the government, the quality of the people executing the policy at the ground level are not of the highest standards and thus eventually everyone just follow strict rules and guidelines to execute.