S’poreans urged to flag all suspicions of abuse early

SINGAPORE — Minister for Social and Family Development Tan Chuan-Jin has urged Singaporeans to err on the side of being “kiasu” (Hokkien for fear of losing out) when they have an inkling that abuse is going on, and raise the flag even though they may be perceived as poking their noses in others’ private affairs.

It is better that the authorities have as much information as possible than to have people who need help be “left floundering for a long time”, he added.

Sharing his priorities for the portfolio he took over in April, Mr Tan said in an interview yesterday (July 27) that the alleged domestic abuse of an elderly woman — a video of which has been circulated widely on social media — was an example of how people have to make a judgment call on alerting the authorities to possible cases.

“If we are troubled by a particular situation that we see — we feel uncomfortable because someone may be abused, taken advantage of — err on the side of being a bit more ‘kiasu’ and flag it out,” said Mr Tan. 

“The key thing is ... we need information — who needs help, where, when? ... so that through this effort, those who really do need assistance get assistance and not be left floundering for a long time.”

Mr Tan said he takes a similar approach when residents go to him for help. Until he can get more information on their situation, he will “err on the side of being more generous” and help them, he said.

Acknowledging that people run the risk of being called a “kaypoh” (nosy) neighbour by reporting cases, Mr Tan said the authorities will try to keep the sources of tip-offs confidential.

Mr Tan also said that despite the fact that many Singaporeans are passionate about social issues, there is inertia in these people getting involved. This may be because they feel inadequate about their ability to help, or that they are just unable to fork out time, he added.

Mr Tan wondered if there could be opportunities created for ordinary, untrained people to chip in, such as befriending services. 

Instead of “trophy” Corporate Social Responsibility projects that take place once a year or during festive periods, Mr Tan said they can also involve regular, understated work that makes a difference to the needy and those volunteering their services.

During the interview, Mr Tan was also asked about his sharing of social issues on online platforms.

Two of his recent posts — one on how not all cardboard collectors are doing it for a living, and the other on the video clip capturing the alleged case of domestic abuse — drew flak, but he intends to continue putting up such posts, noting that not all the reactions to his posts were negative.

“I share for a number of reasons — to raise awareness that you can actually just stop on the road and talk to somebody, and that sometimes it’s not what it seems,” he said. 

The main intention behind sharing these social issues, he added, was to encourage Singaporeans to talk to those in need and find out what their concerns and issues are. “If you still feel that this individual needs help, let us know and that’s really important because we will follow up,” he said.