It’s been less than two months since a record 10 opposition party members were voted into parliament, but they are already taking the government to task.
First, the Leader of the Opposition and Worker’s Party (WP) chief Pritam Singh crossed swords with PM Lee, after the prime minister labelled some voters of the opposition “free riders”.
Then, master debater and serial heart thief Jamus Lim suggested introducing a universal minimum wage, a topic which prompted several PAP MPs to respond in what was a rather lively debate.
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This time, one WP MP has raised concerns about social assistance, and how we can make it less “embarrassing” for Singaporeans to apply for it.
A Time-Consuming Process
On Tuesday (1 Sep), WP MP Leon Perera gave a speech in parliament, addressing several issues including social safety nets and economic challenges.
With regard to social assistance, Perera noted how time-consuming and difficult it was to apply for financial assistance in schemes including:
- Self-employed persons Income Relief Scheme (SIRS)
- ComCare
- MediFund
He said that because these processes are time-consuming, many end up withdrawing their applications because they find it “excruciatingly embarrassing”.
WP MP Suggests Making Use Of IRAS Tax System For Social Assistance, Make Application ‘Less Embarrassing’
His fellow party member, Gerald Giam, offered a solution to this issue when he spoke in Parliament on Friday (4 Sept).
Giam noted that it is trivially easy for the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS) to pull data from multiple sources on its online portal to fill in the taxpayer’s income deductions and compute their taxable income after just a few clicks.
The same technical efficiency could be used when disbursing social assistance to those in need, he said.
Means Testing
One example he gave was means testing, which is used to determine the amount of subsidies each applicant is eligible for, based on factors such as income and employment level.
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Giam said that the current process is carried out in a “painfully low-tech way” and requires too much paperwork, which “imposes an undue burden on the very people, they are trying to help”.
The WP MP proposed a centralised system instead, one that would record individuals’ disabilities for government agencies to refer to.
Citing IRAS’s efficient tax system, Giam said that such technical proficiency already exists.
Accelerating this process would allow “deserving citizens” to receive the financial help they need more quickly and conveniently.
It would also prevent those who have difficulty gathering and submitting the necessary documents from being neglected by the system.
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“It has been said that the true measure of any society can be found in how it treats its most vulnerable members,” he said.
“We have come so far as a country, uplifting the standard of living of generations of our people. Let us take this progress to the next level as we further improve how we care for the vulnerable members in our society”.
Other Notable Issues WP MPs Have Raised Since Entering Parliament:
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