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Alex Teh
NTU Student
The new "homeless" in S'pore
June 20, 2009 Saturday, 06:30 AM
Alex Teh explains how a threat led him & his friends on a road of discovery.
WHEN I was younger, I remember bringing home a lousy report card. After the customary caning, I recall my father’s lecture. “Boy, if you don’t study hard, you’re not going to have enough money to live properly, get a wife or buy your own house.” That was his threat. No financial ability to marry, or to buy your own flat from HDB. And I think that was the worst thing he thought he could scare me into studying with. And although his threats worked, I was curious. Who did not own their flats in modern Singapore? And all through my life, I’ve never met someone who did not. Sure, I read about them in the newspapers. But like all things not personally experienced, the memory simply fades away. But 80,000 Singaporeans do not easily fade away.
23-year-old Noor Aini, 23, looks on as her son, Saliqin tries to read his Bahasa Melayu children’s book.
Mdm Lily Ong makes Chinese New Year goodies as a means to earn extra money for the festive season.
Mr Ramah Arif supports his mother to move around the flat because of her weakened condition. He is now looking for a job as his mother’s condition has stabilised.
Mdm Lee Ah Hoong, 86, enjoying the festivities at a Christmas Celebration Dinner thrown for the elderly folks of Chinatown. PHOTOS BY: ALEX TEH Read Alex and his fellow NTU school mates' full report on people living in one-room flats in today's edition of The Straits Times Saturday Special Report. Tags: housing, singapore, society 
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So, SJSSJS, What do you think his "actual" point may be?
I think some readers still don't understand what Alex's actual point of The new "homeless" in singapore . May be they are too fortunate or may be.................
Let's not kid everyone, and let's be honest to ourselves.
Home ownership in Singapore pass OB markers...meaning - it's ok to talk about it because in many ways it does not hurt the authorities' image.
In fact, it does the opposite - unveiling an issue while praising ourselves in disguise - 98% of Singaporeans own a home. How good can it get?
Let's salute Alex for his valiant effort....rookie, check....student, check.
But in reality, our priority as journalists are in wrong places. While it's good to talk about such issues, there are can of worms in the open that no one has GUTS to talk about.
Cleaning the living room while aware of the fact the entire kitchen is burning?
And it's funny how I always hear journalist argue that it is not their job to put off the fire....but dammit at least call and let the firefighter know!!!
@slick:Yousay.. "You want real investigative or meaningful journalism? Get out of your comfort zone, and investigate real issues, because there is a lot of ugliness out there that needs to be reported on. Not these wonderfully evocative images that smacks of pretentious thoughtfulness."
About time someone else said it, too. (not that it would move ST, but at least its been said)
Is it really true that there are some out there like Slick and myself who are clamouring for the ST to address the municipal issues confronting Singaporeans?
Surely there are more of us who care about these people than all of ST's highly paid, underworked journalists.
Or is it too much for the ST to even try.
Why not they begin by going to check out the elderly sleeping rough on the void decks
Great. So someone is trying to rewrite the definition for being "homeless". It must be the sheltered life that today's younger generation are enjoying and taking for granted. If I were truly homeless, this would be truly an insult to me. But can I blame the younger generation like Alex? Not really. Most Singaporeans take for granted that it is a natural cycle in life, that eventually you will get to own a flat if you choose to stay in Singapore and work here and have enough CPF. But for most people out there in the world, renting an apartment, or appliances, or cars, or whatever, is a norm. Because in some parts of the world, like the USA, you can move out from your parents' home when you hit 18, and go rent an apartment with a bunch of people your age. It's really no big deal. "Homeless" is when you move out of your parents' home, and got no place to go to, and your "rooftop" is a bus shelter, some strangers' porch, a cul de sac outside a departmental store, or just a cardboard over your head. Get real, Singaporeans. Living in a one room flat, slaving over a stove to get some change, is not being homeless. It's just being downright poor. I know. Because I had been there. You want real investigative or meaningful journalism? Get out of your comfort zone, and investigate real issues, because there is a lot of ugliness out there that needs to be reported on. Not these wonderfully evocative images that smacks of pretentious thoughtfulness.
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