It
must be a daunting task for sole breadwinner, Mr Lai Peng Nan to have to take
care of 3 mentally-disabled family members as reported in “Who’ll look after
them when I die” (The New Paper, March 22).
Managing
one mentally ill family member is so taxing, what more looking after 3 relatives
with this condition. But I have the utmost respect for this man for having the
courage and conviction to care for his wife and two children for decades.
However, Mr Lai’s worries of the plight of his loved ones upon his death are valid
concerns which many caregivers have sleepless nights over.
While
the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) has provided financial
assistance, more needs to be done to ease the suffering of caregivers in this
predicament. While, it may not be the
objective of MSF to institutionalise the mentally ill, what choice does Mr Lai
have? The challenges facing persons with
mental illness and complex and multi dimensional, but given that we are seeing
more and more of such cases, it will be better to plan ahead and build more
psychiatric homes where specialised care can be given.
I
was also saddened that an ex-convict had his rental flat abruptly taken away
from him in the report, “From prison to public toilet” (The New Paper, March
24).
Even
though the HDB is within its power to take away the flat, couldn’t they have
exercise some flexibility given that 68-year-old Mr. Kuu Siau Lam had served
his prison sentence? Why deprive him of
a home and take way his electrical appliances, including his power tools which
he uses to earn a living as a carpenter?
The primary objective of the Yellow Ribbon Project is to give
ex-offenders a second chance in life and help them re-integrate into the
community. However, if they are not
given this opportunity, there is every likelyhood that they can go back to
crime. So why isn’t Mr Kuu being given a
second chance to rebuild his life?
RAYMOND ANTHONY FERNANDO
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