My
letter to TNP on the above matter was published on Monday 15th April
2012.
I am saddened to read
of the plight of former Football Association of Singapore (FAS) chief, N Ganesan
who lies in a nursing home, bedridden.
He has a speech impediment and memory lapses and is unable to pay his
nursing-home bills.
But I am encouraged
that there are kind-hearted people like Singapore Cricket Club President
Gurchran Singh and a group of people who call themselves “Friends of Ganesan”
who are rallying around the legendary ex-FAS chief to raise money for him.
Mr Ganesan sacrificed a
lot of time and effort, at times forking out his own money, to bring glory to
football in Singapore for one simple reason: He was passionate about the
game.
I never failed to catch
all the Malaysia cup matches on TV when he led greats like Quah Kim Song,
Dollah Kassim, Samad, Mohamed Noor and many more to bring glory to Singapore.
Many foreigners who
donned Singapore colours have been rewarded with attractive monetary incentives
that enable them to live a pretty comfortable life. But how much appreciation, support and
recognition do we give to our very own citizens who were not motivated by money
but rather by their love of the sport?
We should be able to
work, play, live and die with dignity and so should Mr Ganesan. This is the mark of a gracious and
compassionate society.
No one should ever feel
that when they are old and sickly, they become a “forgotten” lot, especially when
Singapore faces a rapidly ageing population.
I urge the FAS and even
the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) to join the Friends of Ganesan
and help raise funds for this man who truly deserves our recognition and support.
RAYMOND
ANTHONY FERNANDO
This issue was also raised by me in MediaCorp’s
TODAY Newspaper
FAS, MSF should support efforts to help ex-FAS chief
Click on this link
to read:
Ridzal Saat, Deputy Director, Development & Planning Division, Football Association of Singapore
FAS will continue to assist in fund-raising
campaign
We refer to Mr Raymond Fernando’s letter, “FAS, MSF should support efforts to help ex-FAS chief” (April 15).
The Football Association of Singapore (FAS), including FAS President Zainudin Nordin, assisted in fund-raising efforts last year when we learnt about his medical condition.
The funds went to the N Ganesan Trust Fund, which was set up by his family and friends to ensure that he receives the nursing care required.
As part of our efforts to support this year’s fund-raising campaign, we sought contributions from our stakeholders and pledged our support to an upcoming fund-raising dinner.
We have also finalised an arrangement with the LionsXII and S-League clubs, wherein they will contribute to the campaign.
All funds raised will again go to the trust fund.
The FAS always values the contributions of those, including Mr Ganesan, who have made a difference to the sport in Singapore as well as in Asia.
We have always assisted those in need to the best of our abilities, although we do so privately out of respect for their families’ privacy.
We take this opportunity to seek support from more well-wishers, which would greatly assist Mr Ganesan and his family as he continues his recovery.
1 comment:
If he had done more to chope the best stadium seats for MPs and their grassroot sycophants during sold out matches.....
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