SINGAPORE: Linda Loh remembers a time when her 85-year-old mother used to be a “very nice person”.

As the tantrums began, at first the family put this down to Mdm Lee Sui Yee’s old age – but then, nothing seemed acceptable to her. “I’d talk to her, but she’d say that I never listen to her,” said her daughter.

“I’d try to cool myself down … just walk into the kitchen and stay away from her. But she’d also scold me for not staying and talking to her.”

An irritable Mdm Lee would especially be worked up about noise, such as a child crying or anybody talking loudly.

When she had a fall and was admitted to hospital in July 2016, the family found out the truth.

After she shouted at the nurses, struggled with them and, at one stage, talked about committing suicide – which she nearly did by trying to strangle herself – she was diagnosed with an episode of Major Depressive Disorder. 

And her recovery has been slow. She would rather lie around at home, quietly and listlessly, than move about to improve her mood and blood circulation.

“Last time, she liked to listen to music – her operas. Now she never even asks me to turn on the TV for her,” sighed her daughter.

One in five elderly persons in Singapore aged 75 and above show signs of depression, according to the Singapore Longitudinal Ageing Study in 2012 by the National University of Singapore’s Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine. 

And depression among the elderly has its own set of challenges, as seen in the documentary Facing Depression.

WATCH: One family’s struggle (5:23)

In cases like Mdm Lee’s, depressive mood swings are related to other health issues, like limited mobility and senile dementia, as well as loneliness and financial anxiety.

FROM PSYCHOLOGICAL TO PHYSICAL

Among the elderly with dementia, it is “very common” for depressive features to be present, said Dr Chris Tsoi, a consultant at the National University Hospital’s Department of Psychological Medicine. “The other way round is also true,” he added.

“All the brain functions are somewhat linked … Emotion will affect memory; memory itself will affect emotion. So when the memory function isn’t that good or tends to remember sad things, (the elderly) tend to be sadder.”

Mdm Lee was diagnosed with dementia in 2016, before her depressive episode. Previously she was “quite independent”, but that changed after she had a stroke and subsequent loss of mobility, said her daughter.

After she was discharged from hospital following her fall, she stayed with granddaughter Brenda Loh. But she got more confused, and even wanted to chase Ms Loh out of her own home.

With a change in environment, a patient like Mdm Lee would not have the “usual cues” needed to keep her brain “functioning normally”, Dr Tsoi explained. “The degeneration would be much faster, and the depression can hardly be treated.”

There can be a physical impact too. Said Dr Tsoi: 

We have sufficient data to show that depression also could lead to heart disease and other physical problems, even stroke.

In the case of 70-year-old Stanley Seah, depression was diagnosed after he discovered that he had multiple medical conditions, namely high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes.

But that was only the start: His depression worsened when his wife was diagnosed with a terminal illness.

FROM LOSS TO LONELINESS

The first sign of her failing health was jaundice. It turned out to be a symptom of pancreatic cancer, which eventually spread to her stomach and lungs. Soon after, she required hospice care.

Dover Park Hospice senior medical social worker Sally Gui, who worked with the couple, recalled that Mr Seah looked “quite down most of the time because of the wife’s condition”.

His already vulnerable mind was in a state of confusion. “I couldn’t concentrate on anything,” he shared. “Sometimes it was very hard to fall asleep. I kept rolling in bed until two or three o’clock before I could sleep.”

His wife of 30 years died last July. And he could not stop thinking of her. 

I once cried for three days. The pain feels like a knife poking my heart. It hurts a lot.

Dr Tsoi said such a loss is “the most devastating” for elderly patients who had been married for a long time.

He added: “For them, it would be much more stressful than for a younger age group to adapt, both emotionally and socially.”

The NUS’ Singapore Longitudinal Ageing Study in 2004 found that widowed or divorced persons above 65 were more likely to experience depression (22 per cent) than widowed or divorced persons between the ages of 55 and 65 (13 per cent).

This series of studies also found that seniors living alone were twice as likely as their peers to develop depressive symptoms.

And their numbers are rising: The Department of Statistics estimates that 83,000 elderly persons will be living alone by 2030, compared with the 47,000 seniors aged 65 and above in 2016.

Mr Seah, who has no children, is now one of them. Mdm Lee, too, was living alone before she fell ill, since her husband died 14 years ago. Initially, however, she could count on her large family.

“At that time, I had another aunty, also about the same age as her,” said Mdm Loh, one of six children. “They’d go to find good food and go shopping together. After my aunty passed away, she felt lonelier.”

With the rest of the family having their own commitments, “they didn’t have much time for her”, admitted Mdm Loh. “She’d feel sad, but she never spoke out.”

TIP OF THE ICEBERG

As loneliness and physical illness gnawed away at Mdm Lee, her depression was compounded by worry that her hospital and medical bills would be a burden on her children. 

Her daughter thinks this became the main issue. “She was full of fears. She felt that she was so helpless and hopeless.”

Concern for a family member is weighing on Mr Seah too, even as he tries to get over his wife’s death. His sister is mentally unstable and also lives alone. He calls her daily to check on her.

Whenever I call her, she’d say the words ‘I want to commit suicide’. That makes me worried.

The warning signs of suicide in the depressed elderly include unrelenting low mood; anxiety and psychic pain; loss of interest; and sleep problems, among others.

Mr Seah himself was referred to community counsellors when Dover Park Hospice predicted that there might be “some difficult bereavement issues”, said Ms Gui. It hoped to prevent a difficult situation from arising after his wife’s death.

As the widower put it – and others could see – the couple were “very close”. It still shows, from the way he dusts their photo frames lovingly and from the tears that flow when he looks at their photo albums.

“When she was sick, I looked after her. When I was sick, she looked after me. But I did the cooking because her legs were weak,” said Mr Seah, who spent the final two months with her in the hospice.

Recalling her last days, he said forlornly: 

I stayed (by her side) four days and four nights. She didn’t pass away. I went out for two hours. She passed away. I was heartbroken.

While he has been getting the help he needs, that may not be so for the majority of depressed seniors.

In the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine’s Community-based Early Psychiatric Intervention Strategy (2008), about 12 per cent of seniors who had depressive symptoms sought professional help, while 75 per cent did not see themselves as having a mental disorder.

Dr Tsoi is now seeing more cases of depressed seniors, roughly an increase of 5 per cent a year. But he believes this is still an underestimation.

“The reason is depression is such a taboo (subject) in the population,” he said. “Despite the increase, what we’re seeing now is just the tip of the iceberg.”

(Read the commentary: Let’s talk about depression)

ALL HAVE VITAL ROLES TO PLAY

The consequences of depression are felt not only by the elderly but also their loved ones – for example Mdm Loh, who quit her job as a kitchen assistant in 2016 to be her mother’s main carer.

She felt “so helpless” in the beginning. “I didn’t even know how to comfort her,” she said. “My heart was aching.”

And then there is her mother’s full schedule of check-ups. “She doesn’t like to wait in the clinic for too long. It’s quite stressful for me, but I don’t really show it,” Mdm Loh said. “I just take it easy.”

When she could not cope, however, the family had to engage a domestic helper. But things did not get easier, as her mother was unhappy with the help.

“Everything the maid did … wasn’t up to her standard,” Mdm Loh explained, citing her mother’s expectations for cooking in particular. “I had to juggle my mum and the maid. It was so tiring for me.”

But she knows she must be positive and try her best. As Dr Tsoi noted, her role is vital to her mother getting back to her usual self.

“If the caregiver can’t tolerate the stress of going through difficulty, most likely the patient will end up in an old folks’ home,” he said.

(Read: Guilt, burnout and sacrifice: Dementia patients’ caregivers ask ‘have I done enough?‘)

To help these families, the NUH has the Geriatric Psychiatry Out-Reach Assessment, Consultation and Enablement (G-Race) programme, which provides home visit services for elderly patients with mobility issues.

An occupational therapist checks on Mdm Lee once every quarter – her mood, cognition and functional abilities – and engages her in various activities, such as flipping through a pack of cards showing various pictures.

“We’d like an activity that lets someone like Mdm Lee use her hands and coordination, but at the same time be happy that she has done something. And the mood will improve,” said principal occupational therapist Eng Jia Yen.

Mr Seah’s counsellor Berlinda Tan from Sage Counselling Centre also visits him in his three-room flat, once every three weeks.

“We believe that everyone has strengths, and so does Stanley,” she said. “When we affirm the strengths he has, it’ll change the way he perceives himself.”

Dr Tsoi noted that depression in old age is not inevitable, precisely because “it’s very much down to how a person perceives things – how their own experience can help them”.

Besides professional intervention, what he recommends to his elderly patients is to “engage with friends, go out more and talk to people more”. 

All these help them to develop a lifestyle that’s against depression and memory loss.

At senior care centres, for example, with people available to help the elderly, there is “social pressure” to follow the activities, which they would not otherwise do at home.

NOT GIVING UP

But the first step is always the hardest. It took much persuading by Mr Seah’s counsellor before he agreed to join in the activities at one centre. Other agencies also proposed some activities, but he was not keen.

Even when his wife was alive, he saw himself as “somewhat like a lone ranger”. But Ms Tan would remind him that “there are always people around him who care for him, and community resources if he needs any help”.

Her efforts have paid off: After grieving alone for five months, he became more active, taking a liking especially to Carrom.

“It relieves some tension. I have to concentrate to shoot and all that,” said Mr Seah, who feels more happiness and “freedom” when he goes out nowadays.

He must stay on antidepressants, which help him to sleep. And he still does one other thing: Visit Dover Park Hospice. When he sees room 112, it reminds him of his wife. “It somewhat keeps her memory alive,” he said.

Knowing that grief manifests itself differently over time, Ms Gui said hopefully: “When he can cope with his grief and is feeling better, I suppose he won’t come back to this place so often.”

Mdm Lee, too, has made progress in the course of treatment. Ms Loh, one of her 16 grandchildren, observed: “She’s now calmer, and her mood is slightly better. She doesn’t throw her tantrums or scold people anyhow.”

She has also got used to the maid, recognising the value of her help in moving around. Mdm Lee herself may not speak much, but what she does say is indicative of her improvement. 

“I’m too old to think too much. I don’t have to worry about money, so long as there’s a meal for another day,” she said in Cantonese to Dr Tsoi during one of her check-ups.

With her family’s constant encouragement, she is willing to be brought in her wheelchair to the neighbourhood park more often. And she can laugh at photos of her younger self.

Back in the day, she was a kitchen helper in a restaurant, and her daughter recalls how she worked hard for the family, “from morning till night”.

Etched in Mdm Loh’s memory is the difficult period in 1992 when her eldest daughter had leukaemia, and her mother took care of her family.

“She was so worried about me then. She helped to do the cooking, everything, for me, especially as my kids were quite young at that time,” Mdm Loh said gratefully.

“I never think of giving up on her, because I don’t want her to put up in an old folks’ home or nursing home. It’s my duty as a daughter, and also a way to repay her kindness.”

And she remembers the promise the family made to their father before he died: That they would “always take good care of mother”. She said: “I hope that my mum will stay healthy, to live a bit longer and happier.”

Watch this episode of Facing Depression here. The four-part series addresses misconceptions about how depression affects working adults, women, children and the elderly. Read about the demons and stigma working adults must battle.

Where to find help:

Institute of Mental Health’s Helpline: 6389 2222

Samaritans of Singapore Hotline: 1800 221 4444

Singapore Association of Mental Health Helpline: 1800 283 7019

SINGAPORE: Trucks with side-mounted lifting mechanisms will be collecting recyclables from Housing & Development Board (HDB) estates in the Ang Mo Kio-Toa Payoh and Jurong districts for one year, under a trial programme that will reduce the manpower needed for the collection process.

Currently, recyclables within HDB estates are collected using rear-end-loader trucks. These trucks are manned by one driver and two workers whose task is to push the blue recycling bins into truck for emptying.

The new side-loader trucks, however, will only require one worker- the driver, the National Environment Agency (NEA) announced on Saturday (April 21).

“The use of side-loader trucks is an opportunity to upskill workers in the environmental services (ES) industry and improve the productivity of recyclables collection through the adoption of technology,” said NEA chief executive officer Ronnie Tay. 

“It is also an example of what job redesign can look like in the ES industry, to adapt to the changing circumstances and the needs of the environment,” Mr Tay added.

The trial commenced in the  Ang Mo Kio–Toa Payoh sector on Friday, and will be implemented in the Jurong area on May 2.

Recyclables from 223 HDB blocks will be involved in the trials – 90 blocks in the Ang Mo Kio-Toa Payoh sector and 133 blocks in the Jurong sector, NEA said.

Along with the introduction of the side-loader trucks are new blue recycling bins, which are about three times the capacity of the current 660-litre receptacles.

The bigger and taller bins will prevent recyclables from overflowing and reduce pilfering, thereby enhancing the overall cleanliness and tidiness of the area around the recycling bins, said NEA. 

Wheels have not been fitted on the new bins, in order to prevent the unauthorised shifting of the receptacles, the agency added.

The side-loader truck collection system has previously been successfully deployed in countries such as Italy, Spain and Australia. 

In this system, the driver of the truck need only activate the vehicle’s lifting mechanism to collect automatically lift the compatible recycling bin and offload the recyclables into the truck’s storage compartment. 

An on-board weighing system tracks the weight of recyclables collected.

The side-loader truck collection system is part of initiatives under the environmental services Industry Transformation Map launched in December last year.

LONDON: When it comes to the Commonwealth, part of the value is in the agenda and what is talked about, like trade, security and sustainable development, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Friday (Apr 20).

But the networking, warmth and goodwill that is enjoyed forms “the other part of the agenda”, and should also be cultivated, added Mr Lee.

Speaking to Singapore media at the close of the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting (CHOGM) in London, Mr Lee stressed that there is value in Commonwealth member states talking to each other and understanding each other’s perspectives and problems.

He added that there is a lot of goodwill for Singapore in the Commonwealth. One reason for this, he said, is because Singapore cooperates on many projects with the Commonwealth.

“We have training programmes, the officials come to Singapore and spend time with us, they get to know us, they go back and talk about what they have seen and how they can pick up ideas from us,” he said.

There is also goodwill for Singapore because it is seen as a model for many other countries, he added, and also because of its size.

“We are all small countries and we are all trying to navigate our way forward in a very dangerous world,” he added. “In that circumstance, I think just talking to one another and sharing notes over meals, over tea breaks, or even chit-chatting on the sidelines of the meetings is very valuable.”

The Commonwealth is a voluntary association of 53 independent countries, almost all of which were formerly under British rule. A total of 31 of the 53 Commonwealth countries are also small states.

“This is a valuable constituency,” said Mr Lee. “By coming to the Commonwealth, we have the chance to talk to them, to renew the relationship with them and to strengthen our position in the world.”

COMMONWEALTH CONTINUES TO REMAIN IMPORTANT: UK PRIME MINISTER THERESA MAY

Leaders at the CHOGM came to consensus on major global issues during the week-long meeting that closed on Friday, said the Commonwealth in a media statement. At the final CHOGM press conference on Friday, UK Prime Minister Theresa May also stressed the continued importance of the Commonwealth.

“For when many of the greater challenges we face are global in nature, the breadth of the Commonwealth, spanning six continents and a third of the world’s population, offers a unique perspective in helping to forge the global solutions we need,” she said.

Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland also highlighted the renewed commitment of member countries to the organisation, including ensuring its financial stability.

All 53 Commonwealth states have agreed to adopt a Commonwealth Blue Charter to protect the ocean from effects of climate change, pollution and over-fishing. Various member countries would take the lead on specific issues like coral reef regeneration and getting rid of plastic in the ocean.

Leaders agreed to work closely together to evaluate and strengthen their cybersecurity frameworks and response mechanisms, with the adoption of the Commonwealth Cyber Declaration.

They also committed to increasing intra-Commonwealth trade to US$2 trillion by 2030, and expanding intra-Commonwealth investment.

Leaders have also decided that Prince Charles will be the next head of the Commonwealth. His mother, Queen Elizabeth, has been head of the Commonwealth for 66 years. Rwanda would also host the next CHOGM, which would be held in 2020.

SINGAPORE: It looks like any other old building, with office workers pouring out of the nearby train station exit on a weekday morning and passing it by without a second glance. 

But The Quadrant at Cecil Street has a rich tapestry of stories to tell, woven into the fabric of the making of modern Singapore as the last surviving landmark of its banking beginnings.

The white, five-storey building housed the former Kwangtung Provincial Bank, which was first set up in 1920 in Guangzhou by T V Soong, the brother-in-law of Sun Yat-sen, as the first central bank in China. It later merged into Bank of China (Hong Kong) in 2001.

But with Singapore’s growing infrastructural needs, more older buildings may soon disappear. In February, the iconic Pearl Bank Apartments were sold for S$728 million. 

Other notable landmarks like the Golden Mile Complex and People’s Park Complex are also eyeing an en bloc sale.

For this reason, The Quadrant’s main tenant Homestead Group Asia chose to spend S$1 million to restore the old building to its former glory. In the process, its director Low Jeng-tek said he found a personal connection as he dug up more history about the building.

“We were digging and found there was such rich history about this building,” said Mr Low. “It was quite an ‘aha’ moment as my great grandfather, a gentleman called Low Peng Soy, was a merchant. And he was one of the early shareholders in Sze Hai Tong Bank, which became Four Seas Bank.

“The most famous Chinese entrepreneurs of that time – Lim Nee Soon, Tan Kah Kee, Lim Boon Keng – all their source of their entrepreneurial wealth, or their core start, came from the banks that funded them. 

“Because these entrepreneurs couldn’t get funding from European banks, so the Chinese had to start banks on their own.”

Mr Low added: “So this I realise is somehow connected to my own family, and is basically today the last vestige of the great Chinese banks that started at the start of 20th century.”

“OLD BUILDINGS STOOD FOR POVERTY”

Mr Low said he hopes The Quadrant will be gazetted for conservation, but such ground-up calls for conservation did not used to happen so much, according to cultural geography professor Lily Kong.

“In the early days – the 1960s and 1970s – there were calls for conservation, which were often by expat communities in Singapore,” said Prof Kong. 

“The local community very often would be silent and absent in all this, because Singaporeans were still grappling with poverty. They were grappling with living in quite abject conditions, and what the old buildings stood for for them was poverty, poor hygiene and poor living conditions.”

As such, Singaporeans then had little to no thought of keeping “old dilapidated buildings” but “moving on to better conditions of modernity, good public hygiene and healthy living conditions”, said Prof Kong.

But with rising affluence over the decades, more room for thought has been made to keep the old. 

So far, the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) has awarded over 7,000 buildings conservation status, including 72 national monuments and buildings, many of which are located in historic districts, such as Chinatown, Little India and Kampong Glam. 

Buildings with conservation status must also be retained and restored as far as possible, with careful repair and minimum replacement works unless necessary.

RECOGNISING SENSITIVE CONSERVATION EFFORTS

To recognise well-restored monuments and conserved buildings, the Architectural Heritage Awards were launched in 1995 to raise awareness of the need for conserving Singapore’s built heritage. 

Last year, the Cathedral of the Good Shepherd won the award for restoration, while the Warehouse Hotel was recognised for its restoration and innovation efforts.

One development that was also lauded for its sensitive conservation was SPACE Asia Hub at Bencoolen Street. 

Extensive work was done to restore a cluster of old buildings, comprising of a villa and shophouses, with the S$50 million investment transforming them into a furniture showroom. The 40,000 sq ft project bagged the Architectural Heritage Award in 2012.

“This building is very tastefully conserved. The buildings are part of the (new) development, which blends in without overwhelming the buildings,” said heritage blogger Jerome Lim, who has documented Singapore’s stories on his blog, The Long and Winding Road, for the past decade. 

“There are cases where newer structures that go around conserved buildings tend to overwhelm the building. In this case it was done very tastefully and you immediately recognise the structures being old, being part of that streetscape.”

NEWER ARCHITECTURE “ONLY ABOUT PRETTIFICATION”

But not all buildings have been conserved as tastefully, according to Tay Kheng Soon, Golden Mile Complex’s architect, and someone who is known for his strong views on Singapore’s changing architectural landscape. 

“Golden Mile Complex is an old icon – it symbolises a period of Singapore’s history where we were daring to do, we dared to challenge conventions and we tried to be as honest as we possibly can,” said Prof Tay. 

“But that has changed. Today it’s only about prettification – making things nice-looking and pretty and comfortable and cosy.”

When asked about his thoughts on Golden Mile Complex heading towards an en bloc sale, Prof Tay said he had “no feelings” about it. 

“Not about the building as such but my regret at the passing of an age which is much more truthful, and replacing that with kitsch and prettification, which I don’t respect,” he said.

He cited the example of South Beach, a much newer kid on the block a stone’s throw away from the Golden Mile Complex. 

The project, which opened in 2015, is one of Singapore’s largest mixed-development projects, housing two towers, a hotel, retail and office spaces, as well as four conserved buildings. This includes the former Non-Commissioned Officers’ Club, and a cluster of three blocks, which served as the venue for the first national service enlistment in 1967.

But Prof Tay said this particular attempt at blending the old with the new may not have worked, calling the project an “unsympathetic design response”.

“You have a historical building in the front which harks back the 1950s, and then you have this new building behind it, which is maybe late 20th century, and they’re not talking to each other,” he said. 

“The newer one is very mechanistic and aggressive, whereas the old building has a certain kind of charm – with its roof, sunbreakers, brick walls.”

BALANCING BETWEEN SENSITIVE CONSERVATION AND SUCCESSFUL REJUVENATION

But arriving at the right balance between keeping the old while making way for the new is not always easy, according to Prof Kong. 

Apart from the Government needing to consider the desires of private developers and owners, as well as the need for public infrastructure, there are also voices from the ground, calling for buildings to be conserved due to their historical and heritage value, said the author, who wrote Conserving Urban Heritage: Remembering the Past in a Developmental City-State.

“When there’s a shortage of space, the balance becomes very tricky and needs to be considered very carefully. Balancing all these views is an art, not a science. There is no formula that says ‘under these exact conditions, we must conserve or tear down’. Because every specific instance is different in the balance of history, architecture, of development potential and so forth,” Prof Kong said. 

“To balance sensitive conservation and successful rejuvenation, each building and site has to be considered in relation to its history and past.”

One possible solution could be to tender and develop sites using a dual-envelope system, with bids evaluated based on both prices as well as concept proposals. According to one property analyst, such a method may become increasingly used, as old buildings and infrastructural needs cross paths.

“The dual-envelope system helps to protect the precinct outlook (where) you need not conserve any buildings, but you must make new buildings to be constructed and developed doesn’t kill off the surroundings,” said Desmond Sim, Research Head for Singapore at CBRE.

“But we’ve also seen some dual-envelope tenders that involve conserving the existing built environment, such as South Beach. I think that’s a modern strategy for adaptive use … to conserve the built environment, the brick and mortar, but at the same time you can use it for a modern way.”

Meanwhile, The Quadrant seems to have been successful on both counts, being both sensitively conserved and successfully rejuvenated. It currently houses The Black Swan, a 1920s-styled restaurant, and a co-working space, which takes up three storeys.

“Creatives love co-working spaces and they love to have it in old places largely because it’s in a place that’s creating new from old, so it gives them inspiration,” said Mr Low. “We’ve got a number of fintechs here, so a friend of mine from the banking industry said the fintechs in this 80-year-old building will probably be the ones who will disrupt the new guys in the new buildings – in this old space they’ll come up with the best new ideas.”

But the quest to move with the times while remaining sensitive to the past will continue to be a challenge faced by modern Singapore.

“Sometimes the outcome of a conservation project will have multiple voices which lean on the side of the positive and negative,” said Prof Kong. “The challenge for us as a society and people is to try and find the balance so many more projects have voices that lean on the side of the positive.

“It will be very difficult to hope or aim for projects that will always have 100 per cent people happy with them. That’s just in the nature of a democracy.”

SINGAPORE: Recent debate about Singaporeans’ treatment of foreign domestic workers (FDWs) reveal a significant degree of resistance against raising the standards of FDWs’ work conditions, specifically when it comes to wage, welfare and living arrangements.

Some argue that FDWs are already paid a lot more in Singapore compared to their home countries, so there is no need to do more. Others say FDWs had voluntarily signed up for this role and should therefore accept the corresponding living conditions that come with it.

Still, others lament that they cannot afford to allow their FDWs to go on so many days off as they need help around the house.

READ: A commentary urging for rest days and overtime pay for foreign domestic workers.

READ: A commentary on not holding our treatment of foreign domestic workers to countries with lower standards.

While these may be valid arguments, they reflect an underlying thread that critics have pointed out – the lack of empathy, and the unequal standards applied to the FDWs in terms of labour rights. Why so?

STEREOTYPES PERSIST

Social psychological research on stereotypes have shown that generalised perceptions of groups in societies serve to justify systems and their policies, albeit implicitly.

The lack of empathy towards, and the unequal standards applied to the rights of FDWs, are seen as a result of underlying stereotypical perceptions of this group in society.

Groups in society are generally evaluated on two broad dimensions of warmth and competence.

Groups high in warmth not posing significant threat to the in-group (“us”) are generally seen as cooperative and without mutually exclusive or competing goals.

Groups high in competence usually enjoy a higher socio-economic status and are seen to possess the capability necessary to achieve their goals.

Based on this framework, migrant worker groups, including FDWs, typically fall within the high warmth but low competence category. Groups in this category tend to be marginalised in society.

At the interpersonal level, this can come in the form of avoidance of meaningful contact, or the lack of a desire to understand them as fellow human beings with similar aspirations, needs and concerns – reflecting a lack of empathy some have towards FDWs.

On a larger level, this can also be seen in the disparity between treatment towards the favoured in-group and the marginalised outgroup – for instance, differences in labour rights, which is a reflection of unequal standards applied to FDWs.

Although marginalised groups have also been shown to evoke a desire in others to help them, driven by emotions such as empathy or sympathy, help given tends to be limited and unsubstantial.

This is driven by intergroup dynamics whereby any help rendered to an out-group cannot be seen to compromise the in-group’s needs or goals, lest it threatens the in-group. “I feel for them but I don’t really want to do too much about it, especially if it means less for me” is a typical subconscious response.

TRAPPED, NEEDING BREAKTHROUGH

The stereotypes surrounding migrant groups such as FDWs thus trap them in a marginalised position, making it difficult for conversation regarding their labour rights to really achieve a breakthrough, beyond the debate that has focused on whether FDWs should get “more” welfare or compensation – which typically is perceived as “less” for the employers.

In order to truly advance the conversation on FDWs, there is therefore a need to break away from the current stereotypes of FDWs that sustain the inequality – in other words, a re-branding of FDWs is necessary.

In psychological terms, this means increasing the public perception of competence of these workers, raising their stature in society from being marginalised to being recognised.

One way this can be achieved is through a re-design of our domestic service industry, to allow FDWs to become a professional source of labour in their own right. Instead of FDWs, future employers will be engaging the services of professional caregiving and/or housekeeping service providers.

This is akin to engaging air-con services, plumbing services, or confinement nannies – each representing its own specialised labour – to address household needs. Freelance cleaning services represent a smaller scale version of this proposed model.

For this option to materialise, extensive training and re-designing of the current industry is necessary; professional housekeepers and caregivers must possess the necessary skillsets to perform their roles.

Although ambitious, this may not be unrealistic given our ageing population. Indeed, researchers from the Institute of Policy Studies have proposed that FDWs who are assigned to provide care should undergo comprehensive training to equip them with the necessary skills for caregiving activities, in order to cope with the demands of the work.

Furthermore, having such a model that could allow for a pooled system of domestic service providers may lead to a more efficient distribution of resources.

By raising the stature of FDWs, there may be a risk this group would be perceived as less warm, in that they may be seen to compete economically with local industries.

However, this trade-off is necessary if we want to bring the discussion on FDWs’ labour rights to a more equal footing. The alternative is to continue in stalemate.

Overall, a re-examination of FDWs as a professional labour force not only addresses future contingencies necessitated by our ageing population, but more importantly, overcomes the social psychological challenges faced by the marginalised migrant worker force that hinders the achievement of a more equitable society.

Mike Hou is a prospective PhD student in Psychology at the National University of Singapore (NUS). Jia Lile is an assistant professor in the Department of Psychology at NUS Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences.

SINGAPORE: Channel NewsAsia’s digital team scooped two out of five awards at the Mediacorp News Awards on Friday (Apr 20) with in-depth digital features that struck a chord with readers.

Tides That Bind – an interactive special rolled out in November 2017 to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the 2007 Singapore dragonboat tragedy – was named Digital Feature Story of the Year. 

CNA Insider took home the News Story of the Year accolade, for its story spotlighting the plight of Singapore’s elderly poor. 

The Tides That Bind special took Channel NewsAsia senior digital journalist Justin Ong back to Phnom Penh, almost 10 years after five of his teammates drowned while representing Singapore in a dragonboat race. 

In taking on the project, Mr Ong said he hoped it would “set the record straight when it came to the events of November 23, 2007”, and “that it would help parents of the departed heal, knowing their children are not forgotten and their deaths were not in vain – for the community and sport of dragonboat has both learnt its lesson and grown tremendously”. 

“My personal account was just one out of five stories. The core of this project is still that of my five late teammates, and I’m glad I had an extremely capable team to help see through a story that I truly believe is of nationwide importance,” he said. 

Channel NewsAsia visual journalist Gaya Chandramohan, who worked on the photos and footage of the project, said the hardest part was imagining the hardship of the families who lost their loved ones in the tragedy.

“The journey to tell their story was not without obstacle but every decision we made regarding the project, we made with the families of the men in mind.” 

The others involved in the project were digital news deputy chief editor David Bottomley, supervising editor Chung Lyn-Yi, visual journalist Howard Law, web programmer Calvin Chia and graphic designer Kenneth Choy.

On winning the News Story of the Year award, Channel NewsAsia supervising editor, Digital News/Features Yvonne Lim said it is a “team effort for CNA Insider, both past and present”. 

“I’m constantly amazed at the impact that this story continues to have, even a year after we’ve run the story. Everybody remembers who the ice-cream uncle is,” said Ms Lim. 

Former CNA Insider team members who worked on Lonely and ‘waiting to die’, Singapore’s elderly poor find hope in many helping hands include Mr Kane Cunico and Ms Jade Han. The story was part of a regional series on the elderly poor, which brought CNA Insider to Vietnam, Myanmar and South Korea to uncover heartbreaking stories. 

“I’m hoping that every time anybody encounters an elderly cleaner in a hawker centre, your office cleaner, a hawker’s assistant, an ice-cream uncle like him, I hope they stop and think about what these people are going through in their lives, and how we as a nation can do more to help these people,” said Ms Lim.  

“The awards are testimony to how far Channel NewsAsia’s digital content has come in recent years,” said Mr Jaime Ho, digital news chief editor at Channel NewsAsia. “I am especially proud that both awards come from team efforts. It shows good journalism can come from people who love what they do, and when they do it together.”

Channel NewsAsia’s current affairs team won the Documentary of the Year for Get Real: Escape from Marawi, which detailed the harrowing siege of the southern Philippine town seized by terrorists last year.

The judges also picked two Young Journalists of the Year – Jaclyn Low Minmin, a senior producer from English Current Affairs, as well as Afifah Ariffin, a journalist with Channel NewsAsia’s Singapore Desk.

Two veteran journalists picked up the biggest accolade of the night – Journalist of the Year. 

Mr Jeremy Koh, formerly Channel NewsAsia’s senior correspondent based in Beijing, was one of the winners. He is now an editor with the channel’s International Desk. 

The other winner was Ms Pearl Forss, a senior producer with English Current Affairs, who was unable to attend the awards ceremony. 

SINGAPORE: A 71-year-old man accused of sexually harassing and slapping another man on the MRT pleaded guilty to his offences on Friday (Apr 20).

Gan Thean Soo asked 25-year-old American De Marini Joseph Flynn to have sex with him and also slapped him. He admitted to harassment and assault charges. 

According to court documents, Gan And Mr De Marini were on a North-East Line train headed toward Punggol when the victim suddenly noticed Gan staring at him. He ignored Gan, but the elderly man approached him.

“I like you. I am gay,” he said, according to court documents. He then propositioned Mr De Marini, who was with a female friend.  

A video of the incident, which happened in April last year, was uploaded online by Mr De Marini, and shared widely. 

Gan, who was heading home after having drinks at Chinatown, insisted Mr De Marini was gay, and uttered vulgarities, even after the American said he was not gay. 

Gan started touching Mr De Marini, who advised him against it. At this point, a fellow commuter took Gan aside, court documents show. Gan told the commuter that he “drank a lot”, and went to continue talking to Mr De Marini again. This time, he asked if he could kiss the American.

At one point, Gan suddenly leaned forward towards Mr De Marini, before slapping him. Mr De Marini did not retaliate.

Commuters then intervened. Subsequently, Gan, Mr De Marini and his friend alighted at Serangoon MRT station. Two days after the incident, Mr De Marini made a police report. Gan was arrested the next day.

For voluntarily causing hurt, Gan could be jailed for up to two years and fined up to S$5,000.

SINGAPORE: Singapore is “closely” monitoring the newly announced anti-dumping measures by China on a form of synthetic rubber and is “engaging” the Chinese government as well as affected companies, said the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) on Friday (Apr 20).

China’s commerce ministry said on Thursday that it will levy temporary anti-dumping duties on halogenated butyl rubber imported from the United States, European Union (EU) and Singapore given that dumping has caused “substantial damage” to its domestic industry.

The measures take effect on Friday.

In response to queries, an MTI spokesperson said: “We are following the developments closely and engaging the Chinese government as well as affected companies.”

MTI’s emailed response noted that China initiated anti-dumping investigations on imported halogenated butyl rubber from the US, the EU and Singapore on Aug 30, 2017. The provisional measures announced on Thursday are based on the preliminary findings of this investigation.

Chinese authorities will hold a hearing on the anti-dumping investigations on May 3, MTI added.

Halogenated butyl rubber is a key material for the production of tyres and is used primarily for the inner linings of tubeless tires.

Citing figures from the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), UOB economist Francis Tan said Singapore is the 7th biggest exporter of synthetic rubber in the world.

In 2016, the global export value of synthetic rubber was US$15.5 billion, with Singapore accounting for US$879 million, or 5.7 per cent, of exports. The US is the largest exporter with 15 per cent of the global market share, followed by Japan and Korea.

China’s latest move comes on the back of a simmering trade confrontation with the US, which has seen a series of tit-for-tat tariffs being announced over the past weeks. 

But given that this anti-dumping investigation commenced last year, Mr Tan from UOB said it remains “too early to tell” if the latest measures signal an escalation in global trade tensions.

Nonetheless, companies such as ExxonMobil will inevitably be impacted, said Mr Tan.

Energy giant ExxonMobil has a halobutyl rubber facility on Jurong Island. A press release dated October 2014 said the company is a “major supplier of halobutyl rubber to the global tyre industry” and the new facility in Singapore “will add production capacity of 140,000 tonnes per year”.

In light of the anti-dumping measures from China, an ExxonMobil spokesman said the company is “carefully studying” the preliminary findings and will continue its cooperation with the relevant authorities.

“ExxonMobil and its affiliates are committed to operating ethically, responsibly and in full compliance with the laws, rules and regulations of all countries that are applicable to the business,” it said in a emailed response to Channel NewsAsia.

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SINGAPORE: If you thought taking Instagram selfies at Toa Payoh’s mosaic dragon playground was a recent cool thing to do, sorry to burst your bubble: Your grandparents and parents beat you to it generations ago.

“In the 50s and 60s, going to playgrounds to take photos was already a big thing. And in the 30s, going to a playground was considered a day out, where they would hold picnics. You can even find pictures of people posing on swings,” said Rachel Eng, assistant manager (curatorial and programmes), at the National Museum of Singapore.

Singaporeans’ enduring relationship with their playgrounds is the subject of the museum’s latest exhibition, titled The More We Get Together: Singapore’s Playgrounds 1930 – 2030.

The show runs from Apr 20 to Sep 30, in collaboration with the Housing and Development Board.

Among the highlights: A 2.5m-high rope pyramid inspired by the original bigger version found at West Coast Park; original blueprints of the iconic mosaic playgrounds by designer Khor Ean Ghee, including the different dragon playgrounds; and an interactive artwork for toddlers at the museum’s rotunda by French artist Matali Crasset.

Visitors can also design their own playgrounds of the future at a digital installation by the Singapore University of Technology and Design – and the information gathered will be used to create an actual custom-built playground outside the museum in 2019.

The More We Get Together is the first exhibition to look at the evolution of Singapore’s playgrounds and how they have become important community spaces.

The exhibition is divided into different stages of playground history. While much of the attention has focused on the mosaic structures that began springing up in the 1970s, Singapore’s playgrounds actually date back all the way to the 1920s – one of earliest recorded ones was in 1928, at the site of today’s Cathay Green at Dhoby Ghaut.

“In the early days, Singapore was overcrowded so people started writing to newspapers to ask for open spaces. Leading businessmen then started to donate playground equipment to these spaces,” said Eng.

Chinese businessmen were responsible for the Dhoby Ghaut playground while David Elias, a prominent Jewish merchant, was responsible for the one at Katong Park in 1930. Later, the government began building playgrounds at the new Singapore Improvement Trust estates. “It was simple things like monkey bars, seesaws and swings,” said Eng.

By the time the 70s rolled in, there was an explosion of more unique playgrounds that emphasised local identities. The man behind it all was HDB’s in-house designer Khor Ean Ghee, who would eventually design around 30 playgrounds.

And it wasn’t all just mosaic designs – there were wire-framed ones and even playgrounds inspired by the sculptures of British sculptor Henry Moore (although these weren’t popular because people thought they were actual sculptures).

The mosaic playgrounds, however, were the ones that eventually became the most popular. Khor’s trademark big dragon at Toa Payoh Lorong 6 had a more metallic predecessor, which was built at the nearby Town Garden in 1975.

And while Khor’s designs are now instantly recognisable to Singaporeans, there were some identity issues back in the day. In the design blue print for the pelican playground, he called it a penguin. While the dove playground was referred to as a pigeon.

As for the famous dragon, Eng said: “I know that Khor Ean Ghee has said that his wife thought it looked like a dog rather than a dragon!”

While the mosaic playgrounds and its contemporaries were somewhat tied to building a Singapore identity, there was another issue to consider from the 1990s: Safety.

New standards for building playgrounds were set. Out went the sand, in came rubber flooring. Swings, too, weren’t considered safe and were scrapped. Ditto many of the old-school mosaic playgrounds.

​​​​​​​

At the same time, these standards saw the growth of a small industry of builders, who now supply all of the country’s various playgrounds.

Today, there are only a handful of Khor’s playgrounds around, many of which have gained new life as spots on heritage trails (such as the watermelon and mangosteen ones in Tampines) or inspiration for popular nostalgia-driven merchandise.

One thing hasn’t changed though: Playgrounds continue to be gathering spots for people. “It has become part of our memory-scape,” said Eng.

The More We Get Together: Singapore’s Playgrounds 1930 – 2030, Apr 20 to Sep 30 at the National Museum of Singapore. The opening weekend programme on Apr 21 and 22 will include film screenings, live music performances, and various workshops and activities for families.

SINGAPORE: The exit of national football coach V Sundramoorthy has kicked up a debate in recent days about whether enlisting a local or foreign coach is the best way forward and with the ASEAN Football Federation Suzuki cup in seven months.

Local coaches understand our players better and have a feel for the ground situation, the argument goes. Yet, foreign coaches bring international experience that can elevate our boys to play and win in international tournaments.

In a Channel NewsAsia news report, the Singapore football fraternity made a few arguments against having a local coach.

Some said a foreign coach might bring fresh ideas to the local football scene, while others suggested someone with a proven track record internationally and local knowledge like former Singapore coach Radojko Avramovic might be a good fit.

Local football analyst Gary Koh said: “If Sundram was really our best local coach and he could only produce this much – and he could still flop with a much stronger national team, I am not sure Fandi (Ahmad) or anyone local can do better”.

Where many seem to see hiring a great coach as the key to turning around the national football team and reinvigorating the local football scene, what commentators could have considered more deeply were what would make for a high-performing national soccer team and how the coach could enable so.

Whether the coach is local or foreign is not as important as whether he is able to bring out the best team dynamics and draw out important attributes that make for a high-performing team.

From an organisational development perspective, research has shown that a high-performing team demonstrates five key attributes.

It has an inspiring leadership, shared goals, clear individual roles, effective processes and strong relationships among team members.

The national football coach must be able to understand, assess, accentuate team dynamics and help the team achieve these five attributes in order to win tournaments.

INSPIRING LEADERSHIP AND SHARED GOALS

The national coach is key to building an effective football team. Leadership guru John Maxwell once said: 

Everything rises and falls on leadership … a leader is one who engages, inspires and transforms the team by showing and going the way the team should.

Mastery of soccer, in building effective strategies against opposing teams and shifting tactics in the heat of the game, is key. But foundational to executing these strategies is understanding the strengths of individual players and motivating the team to seize opportunities. 

Liverpool football manager Jurgen Klopp was successful in building up his former team Borussia Dortmund, which went on to win the German Cup in 2012, because he assembled a great team strong in all positions that could launch aggressive counter-attacks. 

Klopp also embodied the second ingredient necessary to building a strong soccer team –  as someone who can inspire a shared vision embraced by team members. Shared vision and goals are a glue that bonds the team spirit and gives the team a positive attitude towards overcoming obstacles that lay in the path towards success.

“Jurgen creates a family. We always say 30 per cent tactics, 70 per cent team building”, Klopp’s assistant Pepijn Lijnders said in an interview with a Dutch paper.

“All teams in the (English) Premier League have good players but it’s about making sure there’s a collective mindset to shine through,” Southampton manager Mark Hughes also once said.

CLEAR ROLES, COMMUNICATION AND TRUST

Coaches in their leadership role, should also help their team see their clear roles, knowing what they need to do specifically as individuals while performing as a team. In soccer, individual clarity – meaning a player’s understanding of his role at any given moment – is arguably the most important part of a tactical plan.

All the best tactical formations, whether you’re an ardent supporter of the traditional 4-2-3-1 or the 4-4-1-1, requires every player to know where their first pass should go to if they win the ball, where that next player might move to after they receive the pass and how the rest can create width for the team when possession is gained, for instance.

In this, they must complement each other’s strengths to bring about team synergy needed to win tournaments. Their leader in turn must know how to leverage the strength of each player on the team.

Every team accomplishes this differently, but they all devote time pouring through every detail, how far back to move and when, with every player figuring out how best to play and signal to each other. On the field, some might be more used to a methodical plan that tires out the other team, others accustomed to a high-tempo aggressive stance when they receive the ball.

So they must ensure the team remains cohesive and secure, through clear communications. When faced with a conflict, the team must resolve to tackle issues and not let these erupt into personal warfare. Three-time Olympian medalist Bo Hanson once said:

Great teamwork happens when your athletes embrace the philosophy that they should be the best person for the team rather than the best person on the team.

“Some coaches assume any group can automatically be a team. This is not always the case. One of the biggest reasons teams misfire is because personality differences are ignored and left to erupt – usually during competition,” he added.

Members of a high-performing team have great relationships with each other. Under their inspiring leader, they demonstrate trustworthy behaviours. They watch each other’s back. Their strong bond is continually reiterated by their coach through affirmations that emphasise collective goals.

That strong bond also allows a team to bravely confront key weaknesses and challenges, and take actions to close gaps – the sum difference between a good team and a great one. After all, six-time NBA champion Michael Jordan once said:

Obstacles don’t have to stop you. If you run into a wall … figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it.

NATIONALITY DOESN’T MATTER

Back to the question of whether a local or foreign coach would be better for the national football team.  My take is that it doesn’t matter.

Since a high-performing soccer team is the result of an inspiring leader, perhaps the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) should consider looking for an inspiring leader-coach. 

In other words, assessing if the potential coach has leadership qualities beyond his tactical competence.  

A team may have the best of individual talents but unless they are led by an inspiring leader who can see beyond great tactics, it falls short of being a high performing team.

With an inspiring leader-coach who can  set a clear shared vision, challenging goals, articulate individual member roles, put in place clear communications to keep the team cohesive, the Singapore national football team will be all the more stronger.

It’s time that FAS scout for a leader, not just a competent footballer to lead as the national team’s coach.

Peter Cheng is co-founder of PACE OD Consulting.