The Hidden Ugly Side Of Singapore
By a Malaysian.
In between the glamarous buildings and shoppings complexes of this city state, there is huge suffering that the world has never seen. Something that the Singapore government or media will try to hide from the rest of the world. And this is the lives of 80 percent of ‘true’ Singaporeans who live in the republic’s Housing Development Board (low cost) flats.
I, like many young youths, went looking for a better future in this Lion City of opportunity, After four years of working experience in Kuala Lumpur. It was my first experience outside Malaysia and I was very happy to be offered a job in Singapore with a basic salary of S$3,500.
Then, with huge hopes, I started looking for a master bedroom to rent being single. I finally got a master bedroom in Clementi for S$700 a month but only after being rejected by many other landlords for being Indian. The ensuing eight- month ordeal that I spent in this HDB flat really opened my mind to what Singapore is for those who can’t earn.
It made me ask if this is the type of development that I ever wanted in my country Malaysia. This is the first time that I felt gifted to be born in Malaysia. Anyway, I lived with a family of three (husband, wife with one daughter) who rented out their master bedroom to me while they slept in the common room.
It was a three-room flat (but unlike in Malaysia, a three-room flat has only two bedrooms). I did not believe it was the master bedroom that I was staying in until I went into the other room and saw that there is no attached bathroom there. I was given a bed and a mattress and also two fans. Then I noticed that the couple with their daughter sleeping on the floor with a thin mattress in the other room. Not even a fan in that room.
Both husband and wife are born Singaporeans and were employed. It was after one month that I realised that the daughter was not going to school regularly and most of the time there would be a quarrel in the early morning between the father and daughter as there was not enough money to pay for the bus to go to school.
There were times when the daughter was very sick and father had no money to take her to see a doctor. It was a real pain in the heart to hear a small girl suffering through the thin walls of this HDB flat. It was unbelievable for me to see this happening in this ultra-modern city. It took me another two months to realise that what was happening in this flat was not an isolated case of urban poverty in Singapore.
It was every where in those HDB flats. There was a Chinese neighbour (an elderly man) and his son had no money to get a taxi to send his father to the clinic for daily diabetic wound-dressing. I soon understood that poverty in Singapore transcends racial boundaries. The whole family of my landlord got a shock that I own a car in Malaysia.
My landlord would keep pestering me every time I come back to Malaysia to bring my car over so that his whole family could go sightseeing in Singapore. In all my life, I never believed people in a developed country like Singapore would ever consider car ownership a privelege.
Three months later, one fine day, I came back home and realised that there was no electricity in the house. This time, my landlord did not have the money to pay for the utility bills. I was back in the Stone Age, using candles. This lasted for days until finally he borrowed money from somewhere and settled the bills.
My landlord as a person I have known during that period never come back drunk or looked like a gambler. He had to pay for his mother’s medical expenses, that much I know. This was the time in my life when I learned what is was like to live in that poor quality HDB flat, drying clothes in the rooms and listening to what the couple talked about in the next room via the thin walls.
It was this time in life that made me to think, ‘Is this what I want Malaysia to be? For those who talk great or look up to Singapore’s success, have they ever come and lived in Singapore like I how I did? Have you seen a HDB flat and how it looks like?
Bring your whole family for a dinner using public transport and then rush to catch the last bus. Is this what a 10% growth rate a year is about that we want boast? Does this growth figures mean anything in the first place? Do we want to open our country to expats so that they can progress at the expense of our own Malaysians?
Do we want to ‘progress’ to a level that even our children can’t buy a house in our own land? Last, I ask myself. Do we Malaysians look at GDP growth as the only measure to choose our government or are we much more matured than that? Achievement at whose expense?
U’ve only seen 2 family and u thought all Singaporean are like that?
There are poor people in Malaysia and many don’t even have a house.
Furthermore, what does development have to do with existance of poor people? Everywhere u go, Japan or US for example, there will be poor people regardless of how rich the country is. Do u know that in US and Japan, many people live on the street?
It is a global phenomenon. It doesn’t mean a rich country don’t have its share of poor people.
U should travel more outside your comfort zone and have a look around.
Yes, you are right.
Looks like a piece of propaganda to desuade Malaysians to come…
maybe, who knows.
I think the writer has expressed his heartfelt concerns very well. So let’s not try to knock him down. Whilst Singapore has been progressing, does anyone realise that the demand for low cost subsidized rental flats here has been growing exponentially? HDB is building more and more of these rental flats. The rent is as low as $25 a month, for which only people with very low incomes are eligible. What does it tell us about our society? Progressive??
People are living from paycheque to paycheque. Most of what we earn goes straight into the government coffers, in the guise of GST, ERP, TV licence, property tax and a hundred other ways they can invent to part us with our hard earned cash. At the end of the month, we are left with nothing.
Someone rejected this article as a propaganda to dissuade Malaysians from coming to SG. Firstly, why would the author do that? Secondly, why would we want Malaysians to come here anyway? Aren’t there enough Singaporeans raiding the Malaysian supermarkets and shops every week already? And in doing so, raising the prices in JB and thus their cost of living? Do we want the same to happen in Singapore?
The govt propaganda machine has done a good job of telling us we are living a contented life able to afford everything, but the reality is farther than that, sad to say.
About owning cars, 99% of people who drive cars do not actually own them. It is owned by the banks, until you finish paying up your loan. Even after that, you don’t really own it, until you pay for and buy a certificate of entitlement from Ah Kong. in effect, you do not own the car at all, you are only entitled to drive it until it expires and then the govt takes it away from you.
Don’t even get me started on public healthcare.
Still think we are living in a perfect country?
corrigendum:
What I meant was “the reality is far from that”, in lieu of “farther than that”.
There are many similar or worst stories in all developed countries.
Politic is dirty business, why do you think so many people wants to get into politic? Most of them (with only a few exception) wants to get something out of it, mainly money and power. They are not there to help the people, but to exploit the power and influence that comes with it.
Why do governments in developed countries keep emphasising on population growth for future sustainence, hence accepting more new migrants? They need to keep the consumer size big – bigger consumer base means more tax (GST) and more investment from abroad. GDP is just another ‘con’cept developed by the rich to spin tales and measure potential earnings.
The type of migrants – mainly the high income earners i.e. professionals and labourers. One with the earning and spending power, the other to fill in the lower end jobs. Attract the rich and exploit the poor.
The world is becoming smaller. In future, countries will become big corportaion e.g. ‘Country Name’ with an Inc. Developed countries are listed in stocked exchange, where shares may be offered to everyone and anyone in the world. Citizenship will lose its meaning and priviledges, instead it will be classified as Platinium, Gold and Classic citizenship according to your credit limits. Thinks about it…it’s a possible reality.
Another being in this world, I like that concept. In fact, it is becoming reality. Ever heard of Singapore Inc?
Our MM tells us SG is bringing in more expatriates so that they will pressure us Singaporeans to work harder. As if we are not working hard enough?
Before that, his son, during his Nataional Day speech, recounted the storey of how he met an 80+ year old woman who was working. And he encouraged us to never retire, to work till our deathbeds, so that Singapore Inc. can hold on to our hard earned CPF money for longer. What a load of crap man!
Man u guys are definitely crybabies. boohoo i cant get to work on time bcoz i got no money. have u guys ever seen the majority of life in third world countries like thailand phillipine indonesia vietnam. cmon people seriously no fans sleeping ont he floor is ppoverty? goddamn u spoiled. 80 yr old woman working? in those thirl world contries those are common sights. u guys are lucky enough not to experience that be thankful for it and stop complaining. the world is a harsh place to live its up to one ownself to make it better. all of you guys complained about other people but what is it tht u urself has done tht made this world a better place for other people??? accept it man, all of us are selfish creature who would only do the same thing if put in the same situation as a shrewd businessman or a politician. while u guys only account for urself n mebbe a few other ppl, these guys are responsible for hundreds till millions of people int he country. anyway just wanna say suck it up, live ur life and appreciate it. stop complaining.
i am a Singaporean and i can vouch for you. absolutely spot on at Singapore’s poverty.
I must say that Macha is right on partly, but from simple observation, in a single location, shouldnt be interpreted widely. Sure there are poverty anywhere. In Singapore, flat’s units replaced kampung houses in Malaysia. But Macha admits that he doesnt know what is going on in the Landlord’s lives, so he can only drawn superficial conclusion. Typical of Macha’s type.
I am a expat, or ang-moh as most of you would call me. We live and work in Singapore and yes, our lifestyle is very different from what was just descriped about the families in the HDB flats.
Honestly, it breaks my heart to imagine that the child is sick and cannot go to see a doctor. Or the old man who needs medical care and has no way of going to the clinic.
I would love to help a family in need. Take them out for a great dinner, pick them up with the car and take them for a ride. Something, anything to make their live a bit less stressfull.
My question is, how would I do that? I have tried many times to make contact with people in the heartlands, to no avail. It is almost as they don’t trust me, when all I want to do is give back to the ones who are less fortunate.
So, please can I get a suggestion on how to approach a family in need? I have no children, only my husband and I. I would love to take care and help somebody.
dear diana. are you serious ? most singaporeans would view you with great suspicion if you were to offer such assistance. The prevailing view is ang mob live in their own world, far away from ours in condos in the best district and drive in big cars (big by our standard) whilst we live in sardines can flat maybe 3 or 4 room and commute in jampacked trains. If you want to help go to the void decks and help the older folks, take them to hospitals etc as they cannot afford cab fares etc..