I attended the ST Global and Local Economic Outlook forum last week. Three of us were invited by Standard Chartered Bank as guests. Professor Tommy Koh was a keynote speaker. I have always admired Prof Koh from a distance. My respect for him grew during his speech and subsequently during the question and answer session. Prof Koh is a self professed optimist. He comes across as a person who has seen so much in life that he no longer worries about what people think of him when he speaks his mind. Of course it helps a lot that he is a very sensible person. However, not all will agree with his optimism.
What struck me the most was the answer he gave to a question about the ASEAN Human Rights Declaration that was recently signed and the widening income gap in the region. I do not remember the question but I remember what Prof Koh said. He said that we still have a long way to go in this direction but we must be aware that a milestone was achieved considering that the signing of such a declaration was virtually impossible 5 years ago. What he said further about the widening income gap struck me very hard. He said that there are about 105,000 millionaires in Singapore (I think it was 105,000) but 30% of our school children go to school without pocket money. I never realized the number was so startling. Something that a lot of us take for granted is something 30% of our school children go without. Prof Koh told the ST journalists that they should stop publishing how many rich people there are and focus on how many poor people there are at home.
I took part in a company organized volunteer event a couple of weeks ago. Vincent, Xavier and I helped YWCA to deliver food packages to some low income families. It was a grim reminder that there are families who live on less than S$1500 per month or less than S$450 per capita. Many of us, myself included, can easily spend S$450 on a meal or in a day while it can take someone else one or two weeks to earn that kind of money. I went to a family with about 4 or 5 children. I was unable to reach the mother on her mobile earlier and it was awakening when she said simply that her prepaid card ran out of money. I think a lot of people I come into contact with never have such an issue. Her children were delighted when they spied the goodies in the bag we brought them.
I used to think that I was being very charitable when I gave my domestic helper stuff which we didn't want to send home to Philippines - old clothes, unused toys, excess appliances/utensils, shoes, etc. Now I feel ashamed that I didn't do more to help the needy in my own home. A lot of Singaporeans, at least myself, take a lot of things for granted. I know that there are poor people and always think that Singapore is an affluent country where only a small minority fall into the needy category. How far from reality was I. Having a job can mean a world of difference to 2 different people. A person like myself who has a well paying job probably take what I have for granted, thinking about the next gadget I can buy or the next meal I can enjoy. A person who has a job cleaning tables in a hawker center not only has to worry whether his take home salary is sufficient to pay the next bills, he probably wonders if his family can survive till the next pay comes in.
I had a chat with a lady who cleaned tables at the food court in Causeway Point yesterday. She asked what kind of flat we stayed in, i.e. how many rooms. I said 5-room flat. She said, "Wa, stress ah. With 3 children and 5-room. I don't want. I stay in a 3-room enough already. I have no children, 3-room easier and less stress." I was quite embarrassed because I feel no stress at all. We have fully paid up for our flat. Our children have more than enough everyday. I think the lady realized we were not stressed after she saw what we ordered for our children. I didn't realize that eating at the food court can be so expensive until this year. A plate of rice with one fish and two vegetable dishes cost us $7. Rice with two meat dishes and one vegetable dish cost $6.50. Goodness! Frankly, we have started to eat at hawker center or coffee shops more often because I finally woke up to the fact that dining is really getting more expensive. Yes, I admit I was overly sheltered previously due to my own undoing. I tried to eat at restaurants with the kids because restaurants are cleaner and less crowded, confined and hence less likely to lose the kids when they run off. Yes, I am atas. But I'm trying to take a different look at things now.
This month has been quite an awakening experience for me. I am not going to declare that I'm going to give up what I have to give back to society or something dramatically lofty. I shall just endeavour to do more than give money in the name of charity and take less things for granted.
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