Some weeks back when our readings for Bahasa Indonesia module talked about street kids in Indonesia, I responded with firm conviction that Singapore has the problem as well, sadly. It shocked many, especially my Indonesian teachers who readily took in the beautiful image that the nation has been actively painting over the years. Yes, we are rich; yes, we are clean; yes, we are not corrupted; yes, we are safe; yes, we are efficient, and hence we have no problem. Far from that...
My acquaintance with Tamar village, together with my infrequent involvement in the less accessed regions such as Geylang, helped me to gain insights into these invisibles. We did a good job keeping them off the streets (during the day at least) and it's no wonder few are aware of their existence. It takes deliberate effort to locate them in the wee hours of the night to find them in parks, public squares, on benches, and quite literally scavenging for necessities such as food. Homelessness is a very real issue around us: (Out in the Cold).
Many times, it's not the obvious issue that is the hardest to address. Everyone in the world knows that the Africans need help; everyone in the world knows that SEA is one of the most notorious regions for sex trades; everyone in Singapore knows that living in Singapore is tough and work-life balance hangs in the balance. But it is the seemingly well that hides away the genuine needs. Homelessness is not just invisible in Singapore- it has been camouflaged! Perceived wellness and wealthiness conceal nicely the kind of income disparity that has been widening at alarming pace. While traffic system, haze, NS and cost of living dominated the headlines in recent years, the phenomenon also shed light into how the voices of the voiceless are constantly being muted. Urgency is determined by demands, and the magnitude of the demands by the amount of influence the people has. Hobos and the likes who have little and have been easily brushed aside and chased around continue to be brushed aside and chased around, as precious resources are being channeled into appeasing furious citizens who are increasingly being spoilt (made unreasonable by the unreasonable demands of living here).
At the end of the day, politics are a game for the rich- much like a trade- a constant demonstration of proving themselves and gaining credibility so as to establish better grounds to garner votes the next time round. My conviction about my Christian faith (we preach the gospel because we love you; we don't love you in order to preach the gospel) applies here too: politicians who genuinely love and are committed to serving their people want to get elected so that they can serve; many serve so that they can get elected again the next time round. Both would look the same, and I'm in no position nor do I have the capacity to analyze who belongs to which categories, except that as it stands, much dust balls and dirt have accumulated under the carpet.
~ ~ ~
Awareness, and then a desire to make a difference, and then actions to initiate change.
PS. My compassion cannot reach far. Even with all that has been said, I ponder at the possibility of what could have been. Could Chua from that video have done anything in his youth to better his situation? I sympathize with his predicament, but I think his current predicament does not and should not negate his irresponsible living/parenting in his youth (if that is really the case). Granted, the children should never ever have abandoned him... I just thought there must be some deeper issues.
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