In push to be Smart Nation, don’t forget the less tech-savvy

I read with concern the report “Cashless kopitiams among ideas to transform food service industry” (Sept 9).

Our leaders envisage kopitiams where consumers make digital ordering and cashless payments from machines. This is all very well for young workers picking up breakfast while rushing off to their offices. But what about the retirees who want a leisurely breakfast, where they can chit-chat with stallholders and friends, and banter with coffee-shop assistants?

Is such enjoyable interaction to be wiped out in the name of progress, for a cold, uncaring scenario, in which the consumer incurs additional expenses?

Cashless payments require a consumer to buy a smartphone and pay for a data plan. Banks, on the other hand, benefit from manpower savings and therefore higher profit margins, while telcos see more revenue.

Banks have been pushing for e-banking and phone banking in increasingly aggressive ways, especially when you open a new account. Recently, one bank stopped sending me monthly statements. When I called to ask, they said they had emailed the statement to me. I found the email, but was unable to open the statement. I was on the verge of closing the account when the bank finally agreed to resume sending me statements by post.

What is even more worrying is when regulations do not keep up with technological changes. Who bears the loss if crooks hack into banking systems and steal money from our accounts? If criminals can hack into the central bank of Bangladesh, what is stopping them from doing the same to my bank? What is the Monetary Authority of Singapore’s stand in such cases? What laws protect depositors who lose money to hackers?

In the headlong rush to become a Smart Nation, the Government seems to have forgotten about the welfare of the less affluent and less tech-savvy Singaporeans. It would be a Nightmare Nation if people are not prepared for the future while the regulatory environment is not up to speed.