Project aims at encouraging active ageing among the elderly

Late pioneer and influential tycoon Hoo Ah Kay was better known as Whampoa because his family came from that district in Guangzhou, China, and ran a food supply company under that name.

So it is apt that the estate named after him is known for its good food. It is also known for a three-storey Chinese dragon fountain, built in 1973, that stretches towards the sky.

Now, about 25 elderly residents are being trained as curators to tell such stories about Whampoa, as well as their own personal accounts and more, as part of Curating Whampoa, a new two-year project by the Tsao Foundation.

It is one of the first major projects by a voluntary welfare organisation (VWO) aimed at encouraging active ageing by equipping the elderly with heritage curation skills and handing them the reins to shape their “living museum” across the heartland.

The project is divided into four areas. The first two involve documenting stories and photos. The third focuses on recording the seniors’ important and historically significant mementoes and matching some of them with collectors and historians. In the fourth area, students will do their own contemporary interpretations of the elderly’s presentations.

Associate Professor Thomas Kong from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, who ran a similar project in Beppu, Japan about five years ago, is helping the VWO.

In Whampoa, Prof Kong and his team discovered residents with collections of old Chinese opera newspapers and movie magazines. He told The Straits Times: “To age actively is a holistic experience and the arts can play an important role.”

Ms Susana Concordo Harding, director of Tsao’s International Longevity Centre, agreed. She said the VWO started operating there in 2013 and is piloting the project in an effort to go beyond traditional activities such as line dancing.

If it succeeds, the foundation hopes to inspire other VWOs to roll out similar heritage-related programmes in other estates.

Ms Harding said: “We want to set up the infrastructure and support active ageing on-site, in their living spaces. We decided to launch this project to give more visibility to residents and develop a more positive image of the elderly as contributing members of the community.”

She added that she believes the project is a good fit because it taps into the psycho-social and emotional sides of growing old and finding a purpose in life.

“The elderly embody history and can share this wisdom with the young in Whampoa to craft a future together,” she said.

One of the curators, Madam Balbir Kaur, 67, will be presenting stories about her life in Upper Boon Keng Road for the project’s roving exhibition next year.

She will tell her story through objects such as a pestle and mortar, and her mother’s Singer sewing machine which she has kept in a corner of her flat.

She said: “My mum would sew most of our clothes… Nobody had asked me about the stories behind these objects until now. I’ve been storing them in the house for years. I feel very proud to share about my treasures.”

melodyz@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on Dec 15, 2016.
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It also gives awards to those who have not relapsed for two years

Eleven months after her second child was born, Ms Kay Lee saw little of the boy. She was in prison for taking ketamine.

Ms Lee, now 36, said her drug habit started young and, by 18, she was already hooked on designer drugs. During the three years she was in Changi Women’s Prison, Ms Lee could see and bond with her newborn only through a glass pane.

“When my younger son called me ‘mama’ for the first time, I was so sad,” said Ms Lee, who is now a property agent. “At first, I wanted to give up caring for my children. I felt distant from them in jail.”

Ms Lee doesn’t want to make the same mistake again.

She has stayed away from drugs for nine years and works hard to be a good mother to her boys, now aged 15 and 12.

She has since told them about her past as well: “I use it to educate them to be good people.”

Ms Lee, who was introduced to the Women in Recovery Association (Wira) before she was released from prison, hopes to start volunteering with it soon.

Wira was set up in 2006 to support women recovering from drug abuse. The idea came about after recovering female drug users approached a trainer running a programme in a halfway house. They flagged their concerns and the need to help other women in the community.

Ms Lee was one of 20 women who received an award from Wira last month for her efforts in staying drug-free.

The award is given to members who have not relapsed for at least two years. Some have been drug-free for 15 years. It was Wira’s first time giving out these awards.

Wira president Ang Poh Wah hopes the awards will give its members confidence and encouragement.

The non-profit group has about 600 members and over 40 per cent of them are single mothers like Ms Lee.

Last year, women accounted for about 8 per cent of all prison inmates, but in the Drug Rehabilitation Centre they accounted for about 20 per cent of all those incarcerated for drug offences.

“When female inmates are released, they are often overwhelmed by family concerns,” said Ms Ang. These responsibilities may deter them from seeking help.

She said that is why Wira has befriending services and home visits for those who cannot step forward.

She plans to train members to help other women and eventually raise enough funds for a residential home with children’s facilities to help single mothers reconcile with their families.

The group also provides services such as counselling, casework and help on how to hone parenting skills.

But recovering from drug addiction is still an uphill battle for these women.

Jenny (not her real name), 51, has been incarcerated eight times because of drug-related offences.

Although 18 months have passed since her last jail stint, the mother of five said she has replaced drugs with alcohol, drinking up to six bottles of beer each day.

That’s the only way she knows how to fight her craving for heroin and need for anti-depressants.

She said: “I tried going to the Institute of Mental Health to deal with my alcohol addiction. I also visited a family service centre.

“I’m reducing my intake slowly, but on bad days I drink a lot. I live alone… My husband is behind bars because of drug use.”

Ms Ang said women often fall into drugs because of influence from their partners or spouses.

Jenny said the support group sessions she attends at Wira allow her to air her worries and help her feel less troubled.

But recovering addicts also need family support. In fact, Ms Lee said it was crucial in helping her recover and rebuild her relationship with her sons.

While she was in prison, her ex-husband or parents would take her younger son to see her every month. As for her elder boy, she would chat with him via video calls at the Prison Link Centre.

“I feel like because I could make it, others should be able to as well,” said Ms Lee.

byseow@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on Dec 15, 2016.
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Singapore is the 16th most expensive city in the world for expatriates – a rise of two places from a year ago.

This move up has brought Singapore closer to Hong Kong, which fell two places to 11th.

“Singapore’s cost of living hasn’t risen much in Singapore dollar terms,” said Mr Quane Lee, regional director for Asia at ECA International, which conducted the survey.

“Our survey recorded inflation of less than 1 per cent. The reason for Singapore’s rise… was due to the strength of the Singapore dollar, making goods and services more expensive when converted into other currencies even though they have not changed in Sing dollar terms.”

ECA International, which conducts two cost of living surveys a year, said Tokyo retook the global top spot for the first time since 2012, leapfrogging 11 places over the past year. It was followed by Luanda in Angola and Zurich.

The survey compares a basket of like-for-like consumer goods and services commonly purchased by expats in over 450 locations, but excludes costs such as rent, utilities, car purchases and school fees as these are usually covered by separate allowances.

The rankings reflect differences in inflation and exchange rate movements between the employee’s home and host countries.

“The Singapore dollar has appreciated against most major currencies in the months leading up to our survey,” Mr Lee noted.

“Despite low price rises, the impact of the stronger currency means that where companies provide cost of living allowances to executives assigned to Singapore, these will likely need to be raised to ensure that purchasing power is maintained.”

Singapore has continued to rise in the global rankings. It was No. 33 in 2011. In Asia, it is the 10th costliest, down from eighth last year.

Hong Kong’s ranking has also generally risen. It was No. 60 in 2011.

In Asia, it is at No. 5, with only Japanese cities ranking higher.

The relative strength of the yen in the survey period pushed all Japanese cities above Hong Kong in the rankings, ECA said.

Mr Lee added: “For companies bringing talent into Japan, the cost will increase as higher allowances are required to maintain purchasing power.

“On the other hand, companies sending employees out of Japan can pay lower allowances and still maintain their standard of living.”

A weaker pound after Brexit pushed London out of the top 100 costliest cities for the first time since ECA’s survey began in 2004.

“The weakened pound means that UK businesses are paying more when sending staff overseas, although it is cheaper to bring staff to the UK,” said Mr Steven Kilfedder, production manager at ECA International. “London is now cheaper than Paris, Berlin and Brussels, thanks to the weak pound.”

gleong@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on December 15, 2016.
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Several flat owners have claimed that they paid thousands of dollars for their new homes to be renovated, only to have the contractor go missing before the works were done.

But the contractor in question has come out to say that he intends to honour the contracts, and insists he is not a cheat.

About 10 people who bought flats in the Greenforest estate in Tampines Avenue 8 and Vine Grove estate in Yishun Avenue 4 have filed police reports, Shin Min Daily News reported on Tuesday.

Some 15 home owners, who paid more than $170,000 in total for renovations, have formed a Whatsapp group.

They shared similar stories: Mr John Yong of B Z Interior had approached them when they were collecting the keys to their newly completed Build-To-Order flats.

To convince them to hire him, he invited them to view a flat in the same estate that he had renovated.

• Sector has drawn over 1,200 complaints this year

• It is an industry that attracts a lot of complaints.

  So far this year, consumers have filed a total of 1,268 complaints against home renovation contractors with the Consumers Association of Singapore (Case).

  Last year, too, the sector ranked fourth in terms of the number of complaints made against it, trailing only the vehicle, electrical and electronics, and beauty industries.

  Last year, there were 1,447 complaints against contractors, down from 1,462 in 2014, and 1,779 in 2013.

  The most common complaints pertained to unsatisfactory services. There have been cases of contractors disappearing with customers’ monies.

  In May, a couple lodged a police report after a renovation firm they hired, Sense Ideas Design, became uncontactable.

  They had paid the firm $63,000 in advance for works which included installing kitchen and bathroom fittings.

  Last year, customers of D’Concept Design made at least 11 police reports against the firm.

• They also lodged at least 14 complaints with Case, mostly about multiple delays despite payments being made to the firm.

   

​But after the home owners paid him the bulk of the costs – in some cases, the full payment – he did not pick up their calls, or, if he did, he often gave excuses as to why he could not complete the works.

A number of them said Mr Yong borrowed money from them.

Financial consultant Kwok Ming Hui, 28, told The Straits Times that she and her husband paid B Z Interior $36,000 – the full amount – for renovations for her Tampines home that should have been completed in October.

She said only 70 per cent of the renovation has been done. Among other issues, her kitchen cabinets lack a top, her wardrobe does not have hanger rods installed, and some plumbing and electrical works have not been done.

The couple made an initial payment of $10,000, but gradually forked out more money as Mr Yong claimed he had cash-flow problems and could not buy the materials that he needed, said Ms Kwok.

“We thought it’s okay, we’ll pay him in advance to help him since we’ll have to pay him the money in the end anyway,” she said.

“But after that, nothing was done. He would pick up our calls only once in a while, say he will call us back, but did not.”

The couple have hired another contractor to complete the renovations.

Mr Ab Razak Abdul Rahman, 57, paid a $5,000 deposit for Mr Yong to do up his Yishun flat.

While his cabinet base, washing machine base and cornices have been put up, his ceiling lights and built-in cabinets have not been installed.

He has been unable to contact Mr Yong for the past two weeks, and has made a police report.

“I called and called, I texted him many times, until I gave up,” Mr Ab Razak, a driver, said.

But Mr Yong, 65, told ST over the phone and in person: “I am not a cheat.”

He explained that the works were delayed as he had cash-flow problems. “The owners of two of the homes I renovated have not paid me their instalments. As a result, I cannot pay my workers until they pay up,” he said in Mandarin.

He also fobbed off allegations that he “went missing” and said he had simply gone to Thailand for a few days last month without informing his customers.

He acknowledged that he borrowed money from his customers, but said he will pay them back.

His explanation did little to appease his customers.

Said Mr Ab Razak: “That’s his problem. He should let us know. If he tells us about his problems, maybe we can meet and discuss. But because of him, we cannot move into our new homes as planned.”

This article was first published on December 15, 2016.
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The high-speed rail (HSR) line between Singapore and Malaysia has an ambitious 10-year deadline to get the system up and running by Dec 31, 2026.

But experts told The Straits Times yesterday it was achievable as long as construction starts by 2021, at the latest.

What is tougher, they said, is drafting the tender documents and contracts before 2021.

And even more challenging is finalising the alignment of the 350km route, much of which is in Malaysia, they added.

Professor Lee Der Horng, a transport researcher at the National University of Singapore, said drafting the tender documents for a rail system like the HSR would be time- consuming as the project is new to both governments.

“Once the tender is awarded, the actual system construction can be done very quickly,” he said.

He foresees the construction taking around three years.

Another one to two years would be spent on testing the line and ironing out any bugs and kinks, he said.

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The HSR agreement, signed by both governments in Putrajaya on Tuesday, would cut travel time between Singapore and Kuala Lumpur to 90 minutes, compared with four hours by car.

It has been called a “marquee project” by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, who witnessed the signing with his Malaysian counterpart Najib Razak.

The ball will start rolling early next year when both countries award a tender jointly for a development partner to give operational, technical and procurement advice.

Another tender will be called in the fourth quarter of next year for a company to design, build, finance and maintain rail assets and trains.

Prof Lee, explaining why the construction would be relatively faster, said the HSR was unlike similar systems in Japan and Taiwan, where they had to be engineered to withstand natural disasters like earthquakes or typhoons.

So, in terms of engineering complexity, “the HSR will be relatively simple”, he said.

In turn, the engineering design and construction will be simpler as well, he added.

Finalising the line’s alignment in Malaysia will be the biggest challenge, the experts said.

SIM University economist Walter Theseira noted the alignment in Malaysia has not been finalised yet.

“We don’t know much about any potential risks, for example, from environmental concerns, land acquisitions and so on,” he said.

If the issues create strong opposition to the project in Malaysia, it could delay the HSR, he added.

SIM University senior lecturer Park Byung Joon said if minor construction works do not begin in two years, it could be a sign the “planning process is not going too smoothly”.

But if plans and designs for the lines are finalised quickly, the HSR could be built in as little as two years.

“The 10-year schedule is ambitious but achievable,” he said.

About 335km of the HSR line will be in Malaysia, with the remaining 15km in Singapore.

The line will be linked across the Johor Strait by a 25m-high bridge near the Second Link.

Another bridge near the Causeway will be built for a separate Rapid Transit System (RTS), which will connect the Thomson-East Coast MRT line (TEL) to Johor Baru.

Political observers said the HSR and RTS projects reflect the extent to which Singapore-Malaysia ties have overcome their rocky past.

“The Najib Razak-Lee Hsien Loong period can be described as the golden years of bilateral relations so far,” said ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute research fellow Norshahril Saat.

The 1990 Points of Agreement to move Malayan Railway’s station from Tanjong Pagar to Woodlands, for example, was held up for 20 years until a landmark swop deal between Mr Lee and Datuk Seri Najib broke the impasse in 2010.

Dr Norshahril said: “Singapore- Malaysia relations today are not about rivalry, enmity and hostility, but more on cooperation and mutual benefit.”

Added Singapore Management University law don Eugene Tan, a former Nominated MP: “Both governments have to ensure the political will on both sides is durable so that even with leadership changes, the tight deadline will be met.”

•Additional reporting by Adrian Lim

This article was first published on December 15, 2016.
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