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MSF corrects errors in viral posts about elderly cleaner, urges public to use less ‘distressing’ means to help the needy

SINGAPORE — The Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) is asking the public to bring to its attention cases of people who need financial help instead of posting about them on social media. The appeal came after a social media user wrote about his encounter with an 82-year-old cleaner on an MRT train, intending to highlight her plight.

The Ministry of Social and Family Development said that sharing about the circumstances of people in need on social media may lead to further distress for this group of people and their families, and the information may not correctly reflect their circumstances.

The Ministry of Social and Family Development said that sharing about the circumstances of people in need on social media may lead to further distress for this group of people and their families, and the information may not correctly reflect their circumstances.

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  • In posts that have gone viral online, a social media user detailed his conversation with an elderly cleaner
  • The cleaner was quoted as saying that she earned S$20 a day and was looking for more jobs
  • The posts concluded that the Government was not providing enough support for lower-wage workers
  • MSF has identified the cleaner and pointed out several inaccuracies in the posts
  • The person who published the posts has acknowledged the inaccuracies and removed them

 

SINGAPORE — The Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) is asking the public to bring to its attention cases of people who need financial help instead of posting about them on social media.

Publicising these cases online may lead to greater distress for the vulnerable and their families because such posts could contain inaccurate information, it said in a statement on Wednesday (July 29).

The ministry’s appeal came after social media user Koh Meng Shuen wrote about his encounter with an 82-year-old cleaner on an MRT train, intending to highlight her plight.

He has since taken down the posts he put up, acknowledged the inaccuracies in them and apologised to her for the unsolicited and unwanted attention generated.

In his original posts, he said that the woman works as a cleaner, earned just S$20 a day and was looking for more jobs to make a living. He also said that she had told him she was living with her friends. 

In a widely shared series of screenshots on Facebook and Twitter earlier this week, he detailed their conversation and concluded his posts by saying that the Government was not providing enough support for lower-wage workers.

WHAT THE MINISTRY SAYS

In response to the viral posts, MSF said that social service officers have identified the woman and visited her on Tuesday to see if she needed any support. 

The woman, identified by the ministry as just “Madam L”, is living in a five-room flat with her son’s family.

Her son provides her with food and shelter, while she works to supplement her other expenses, MSF said. Her family also has a domestic worker.

Before the Government imposed the circuit breaker to restrict movement and activities to contain the spread of Covid-19, she was earning a monthly gross salary of about S$1,300, excluding Central Provident Fund contributions.

She now earns S$675 a month working part-time as a cleaner doing four-hour shifts that pay about S$6.50 an hour. This was after her employer adjusted work arrangements for her and other full-time colleagues due to reduced business volume.

MSF said: “We understand from her employer that when business improves, they will review and reinstate the cleaners’ part-time employment to full-time."

The ministry is assessing her eligibility for the Covid-19 Support Grant, which provides monthly payouts of S$500 to S$800 for three consecutive months to workers who have experienced income loss of at least 30 per cent.

Mdm L is a permanent resident and the ministry’s records show that she has not applied for citizenship in the past.

Therefore, she does not qualify for the Silver Support Scheme and the Workfare Income Supplement that are open only to Singapore citizens. She does, however, receive payouts from the Government as part of the Solidarity Budget announced earlier this year.

MSF said that it will support her in other ways. “Grassroots organisations will support her with S$120 food vouchers monthly for the next six months. We are also arranging for her to get some help for her medical expenses.”

In writing the posts, Mr Koh also claimed that Mdm L had not received any compensation from the death of her "only son" during National Service. Countering this, MSF said that full compensation had been paid out to the family.

“The Ministry of Defence (Mindef) has verified that Mdm L’s older son, a regular warrant officer, died during a Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) freefall training session in South Africa, in May 2009,” it added. “Mindef and the SAF extend their deepest condolences to the family.”

WHAT THE PUBLIC SHOULD DO

As for the social media posts, MSF said that building an inclusive and a caring society is a collective effort, and it appreciates the efforts of members of the public in reaching out to those who seem to be in need.

“However, posting and sharing their circumstances on social media may lead to further distress for these vulnerable groups of people and their families. Such posts may not correctly reflect the circumstances of vulnerable groups of people, who may be elderly, or may not share all the details accurately because of the stressors they are facing.”

In Mdm L’s case, the ministry said she was unaware that her pictures were being taken during her encounter and did not know that her comments and photo would be shared in public on social media.

MSF urged the public to refer such cases to the social service offices or family service centres under its umbrella instead. 

Speaker of Parliament Tan Chuan-Jin, who was Minister for Social and Family Development from 2015 to 2017, advised the public not to take conversations such as this at face value, but called on them to still listen to people who may need help and take down details for the authorities to follow up.

“Things aren’t often as they seem but we will help where needed,” Mr Tan wrote on Facebook on Wednesday.

“Don’t just take an image, write and slam but yet nothing structurally is done to help the person. Often, if things sound quite so bad, there is definitely help available.”

WHY IT CAN BE DISTRESSING

In another post later, Mr Tan wrote that the woman is distraught over the unexpected attention and has asked the public to stop harassing her at her home and workplace.

Mr Koh has acknowledged the inaccuracies in his social media posts and has apologised to Mdm L. 

He said that he did not intend for the posts to be shared publicly, but did so to highlight the issues that “the poor” face in Singapore. The original posts have been removed.

“After talking more in-depth with (Mdm L) with another volunteer, it turned out that the story she told me... wasn't entirely accurate,” he wrote on Facebook. 

“I didn't ask her for an explanation or probe further, because she's already been through a lot of public attention and stress from this episode, and undeservedly so. I feel bad for that.”

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