Criminalizing one’s way out of trouble
From our Correspondent
During the National Day Rally, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said his government will study ways to implement the “Maintenance of Parents” Act to get errant children to pay for the medical expenses of their parents including jailing them if all else fails.
We must be the only country in the world in which one can be jailed for failing to support one’s parents.
Criminalizing children who “dump” their parents is another easy way out like many other legislations Singapore has which does not address the root cause of the problem.
As a self-proclaimed Confucian society, it is an expected social norm for children to take care of their aged parents. Most Singaporeans who are obsessed with their “face” will not want to be punished under this law.
Yet, more children are reportedly finding it tougher to support their aged parents. One nursing home in Singapore was saddled with $11,576 of unpaid bills, due to family members who could not pay for the care of their elderly folks.
The result: more seniors are suing their own children for maintenance through the 14-year-old Maintenance of Parents Act, up from 79 cases in 2006 to 127 cases in 2008.
Instead of criminalizing them, the government should be exploring options to help these group of Singaporeans tide over the difficult period, such as providing the elderly a monthly basic allowance and waive off all medical expenses. Surely it is not too much to ask for a government to take care of its citizens who have contributed to the nation in the past?
Abridged
SOURCE: The Temasek Review
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