True Welfare

Singaporeans have always been quick to extend their help when the people who require assistance are featured in the media. So often, donations of cash or kind pour in and deliver welcome relief to the needy. However, this sort of assistance is often one off and will not be truly helpful in the longer term. It is most heart-warming to know that for the case of Mr Ng Kian Ping, assistance in the form of companies offering to train him for jobs was offered.

This is the sort of welfare that will endure. The company, in this case Apex-Pal International (Sakae Sushi), meets its manpower needs, contributes to the community and gets its publicity. Of course, the recipient also plays a part. He now receives training on sushi making, a possibly better paying job than the dishwashing that he was willing to settle upon. With a positive attitude and willingness to learn, he has adapted well to the kitchen environment.

The community should take guidance from this case and consider how assistance is to be rendered in future. Outright donations of cash may not always work; the murder of Huang Na is a sterling example. The large sum of donation more than covered the dead girl's funeral and the mother was enriched by the Singaporeans' kindnesses.