A respected top civil servant, now departed, said "We should concentrate helping the poorest 5 to 10 percent of the population, instead of handing out a general largesse. .... Why tax the lower-income and then return it to them in an aid package? It demeans human dignity and creates a growing supplicant class who habitually holds out their palms. "
Someone ask the question - how do you help the poorest 5 to 10 percent without giving them financial assistance?
The departed civil servant is not around to answer this question. I will answer it on his behalf.
We can help the poorest in our society by giving them suitable and dignified jobs with a decent rate of pay.
I suggest that this rate of pay should be $12 an hour. Suitable jobs can be created for older people that are useful to the community at large, and gives them dignity. Examples of these jobs are security, guides, care givers, waiters, cleaning.
These jobs should also be made available to the unemployed, who lose their regular jobs due to economic circumstances.
These jobs can be for shorter hours, and not be physically demanding. By paying them an hourly rate, the work schedule can be adjusted to suit the service to be provided and the physical ability of the worker.
It is not costly for a community to provide these jobs, and they are helpful to the people who need these jobs to earn an income. They do not need to be unemployed and be the poorest in the community.
Tan Kin Lian
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