Problem Solved!Group : 11-27

Team Members

Chern Ze Yang 2A3(02)

Fong Wai Chun 2A4(07)

Christopher Tan Rui Yang 2O4(05)

Khoo Hau Xiang 2A4(14)

The scenario states that Bernard a 60 year old taxi driver has arthritis in the fingers on his left hand, frequent back pains from his long hours of driving a taxi, cataracts in both eyes. But in the eyes of the law, he is young as the Elderly Special Rights Act defined elderly as people above the age of 80.

The purpose of this act is to provide assistance to needy elderly. However the group whom receives these benefits is purely decided by age, not taking into account other things like financial status and health condition. This shows that the new “Elderly Special Rights Act” is too rigid and not effective.

Hence it may be problematic that the needy are not receiving the help they need and are instead being neglected because of the narrow age group. This new act has instead made life more difficult for them as the focus is being put on the elderly who may not even require assistance.

Many needy people like Bernard would have work harder to support elderly that might be robust. Thus it causes unnecessary economical burden for these people as the government will have to collect more taxes to fund the New Act.

Problem 1 : Unfair Definition of Elderly and Needy

Singapore’s Government funds its subsidies with taxes. 1. ERP 2. GST 3. Foreign Worker’s Levy 4. COE 5. CPF

Also on the Singapore Government Forums a citizen said regarding the Pioneer Generation Package : The subsidies or whatever help should be given to the person who needs it as not everyone in the age group is in need of these help.

Problem 1 cont’d

The scenario states that there will be no distinctions between elderly nationals or elderly foreign nationals in terms of the new act and privileges they will receive.

This means that elderly people who receive this treatment can be foreigners or citizens. This can be problematic as this policy would invite foreign people to Singapore, due to the privileges they can receive (assumption; government does not control the amount of elderly entering the country). This would lead to a significant increase in the ageing population. Tax collected would not be able to be provided for all the elderly due to the huge influx of foreigners. Thus, the government could increase the amount of tax needed to be paid (assumption), thus angering taxpayers, who are non-elderly.

Problem 2 : Exploitation of Law by Foreigners

During the Tanjong Pagar National Day dinner on 13 August 2009, some citizens continued to express unhappiness over the rapid influx of foreigners into Singapore. Several felt that local citizens should be accorded more privileges than PRs, since Singaporeans were more likely to pledge allegiance to their country, unlike PRs who might leave the country once they have achieved their goals.

The unveiling of a government Population White paper in 2013 that mapped out its preparation for Singapore's population growth to 6.9 million (of which citizens would only form 55 per cent) by 2030 sent shockwaves across the country. It sparked a major protest involving 4,000 people at Hong Lim Park.

This shows unhappiness amongst citizens towards foreigners, even now, thus if the new act is implemented, it might escalate.

Problem 2 cont’d

The scenario states that any crime with elderly victims involved requires perpetrators to mandatorily receive double the punishment.

This is problematic as the perpetrators receive unfair punishment. The Penal code is the same for everyone, no stereotyping, but this clearly contradicts the penal code. Thus creating and unjust law that will not be able to serve justice to the people. Causing a failed law system.

Problem 3 : Unjust Law

This is proven by the purposes of the law itself

1. To protect you from outside aggression or harm (robbery, assault, etc.)

2. To establish the rules needed for a society to live and work together (traffic laws, contract law, etc.)

3. To protect the fabric of society as agreed upon by the voice of the people or their representatives (pornography laws, marriage laws, drug laws, etc.).

4. To ensure that justice has been served.

5. To punish people who commit crimes.

6. To maintain social order.

Problem 3 cont’d

The scenario states that all elderly accused persons brought before a court of law in Singapore cannot be sentenced to any form of imprisonment due to their advanced age. The only legitimate sentence for them would be by way of fines. Even so, it is also mandated that they should receive half the punishment provided in the Penal Code

This is problematic, as this policy does not deter the offenders. Since they receive half the punishment they could be used by gangs or vice to do the “dirty work”. Or they would become repeated offenders as the lenient punishment does not deter them .

Problem 4 : Loophole in Law

• It was reported in an article in The Straits Times Wed, Jul 08, 2009 by Teh Joo Lin & Ben Nadarajan that those caught harassing debtors to pay up seem to be getting younger, with at least one as young as 12.  Youth recruitment reflects the changing modus operandi of loan shark syndicates, according to those familiar with their operations.

• To reduce the risk of getting busted, syndicate members are staying behind the scenes, preferring to hire runners to harass debtors for small fees.

• Police nabbed 63 youth last year for doing the dirty work for loan sharks when debtors default on repayment. In 2007, 59 youth were arrested.

• Hence it shows that if too little punishment is meted out, it may lead to exploitation.

Problem 4 cont’d

The scenario states that Elderly persons do not need to pay for public transport on the MRT and buses. They only pay half of the taxi fare incurred, with the other half subsidized by the Government. Free Healthcare for Elderly – all elderly persons receive free healthcare at public hospitals and polyclinics. They only pay half of the medical costs incurred at private hospitals and clinics, with the other half subsidized by the Government.

This may be problematic as 50% of the bill incurred by elderly people in public transport and 100% healthcare would be paid by the government . This applies to foreign elderly too, which will definitely cause Singapore to be a magnet as they can receive FREE medical treatment. The government needs money to fund the subsidies. The Government gets the money from income, fines, taxes, inflation, or from other countries. Taxes could increase, affecting tax payers. They might raise the national debt, as money is borrowed from other countries. The taxpayers would be unhappy, as they would have to pay more than they can manage causing economical problems.

Problem 5 : Unsustainable Policies

This is proven by an article on the Today newspaper on 25 February 2014 by Yasmeen Banu and Howard Lee which reported that There were also concerns about whether the Pioneer Generation Package (SG) might unfairly burden future generations, much as it is welcome relief for the elderly. Others were suspicious about whether the premiums for younger generation might be increased to cover for the expenditure. There was also skepticism about whether there would be complete and unfettered disbursement of the $8 billion fund, as much as there were doubts about the sufficiency of the package.

This shows that if too much financial support is given to only a certain group of people it could cause unhappiness and skepticism.

Problem 5 cont’d

Given the future scene has given unfair privileges to non-needy people, leading to unjust treatment to the rest of the population, how might we better reduce the incorrect deduction of who is needy and who is not ,to prevent unfairness.

The Fundamental Problem

Acknowledgements

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THANK YOU