Friday, July 18, 2025

Unfeatured letter to the ST Forum: Attitudes toward pathways can make a significant impact The writer brings up some strong points in his letter, "Do more to balance needs of all users on pathways" (July 9, 2025). At 75, as an elderly individual with severe mobility challenges, I’ve encountered both considerate and less thoughtful cyclists. Some wheelchair users can also be inconsiderate when manoeuvring their devices. One morning, while driving my motorised wheelchair, a couple with their two young children stopped, asked their kids to let me pass, smiled warmly, and told me to take care. Their kindness deeply moved me, and I spoke with them. A few years ago, while cautiously entering an MRT train with a quad stick, some passengers pretended to sleep, but several Bangladeshi workers immediately offered me a seat. Many elderly individuals with mobility issues have shared similar positive experiences about these construction workers. On another occasion, an elderly woman standing in the train called out to able-bodied passengers, urging them to offer me a seat. With mobility challenges, as the body weakens, I’ve met very helpful bus captains, although some find it burdensome to lower the ramps. Ultimately, it all comes down to attitudes and social responsibility. Raymond Anthony Fernando

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Saturday, June 14, 2025

Saturday June 14, 2025 Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong Acting Transport Minister Jeffrey Siow Mrs Josephine Teo MFA Minister Dr Vivian Balakrishnan Dear DPM Gan & ministers, Help raise funds for the families who perished in the Air India plane crash Reference the above urgent matter. The incident has been described as the world’s most devastating aviation disaster in a decade, leaving only one survivor among the 242 passengers. On board were two pilots and ten cabin crew members. The passengers included 169 Indian nationals, 53 Britons, seven Portuguese, and one Canadian. Will the families of the deceased cope, particularly if the victims were the primary breadwinners? Did they have travel insurance? Will this tragic event lead to an increase in travel insurance premiums? The Singapore Government and the Singapore Red Cross (SRC) have pledged a total of $505,000 in humanitarian aid to support relief efforts amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict. This commendable act has brought significant recognition to Singapore, its government, and its people on the global stage. Several points stand out: (1) The affected families are likely to face challenges such as depression and other severe mental health disorders; (2) the aviation industry may suffer setbacks; (3) travellers could experience anxiety; and (4) collective and concerted efforts are essential to restore the reputation of the airline industry. Singapore has had strong bilateral relations with India for decades. Building upon this foundation could assist Prime Minister Modi in managing this devastating crisis more effectively. In light of this, I urge DPM Gan and his colleagues to consider raising the much-needed funds to help grieving families rebuild their lives. Fundraising is a challenging endeavour, and planning a successful campaign requires careful strategy. The Indian channel Vasantham could host an event encouraging voluntary contributions from donors. Vasantham is a Singapore-based Indian language (predominantly Tamil) entertainment free-to-view commercial broadcast television network owned by MediaCorp, a subsidiary of the Government of Singapore's sovereign wealth fund, Temasek Holdings. Additionally, the Indian Chamber of Commerce could reach out to affluent members of the Indian community for this purpose. We could draw inspiration from the mission of the Three Musketeers: All for one and one for all. I kindly request a response from DPM Gan and look forward to your valuable consideration and support. Thank you. Sincerely, Raymond Anthony Fernando

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Wednesday, March 26, 2025

It's all in he brain, its all in the heart : By: Raymond Anthony Fernando

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On this urgent matter, I will focus on the lack of support from the Agency of Integrated Care (AIC) following my severe mobility issues. I...
2 comments:
Wednesday, March 20, 2024

Reply from MOH

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20th March 2024 Dear Mr Raymond, Thank you for your suggestions on 9 March 2024, received by the Ministry of Health regarding the need to ...
Friday, March 15, 2024

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Silver Ribbon Singapore Porche Poh who is their Executive Director wrote a timely press letter to the Straits Times Forum. I followed up wit...
1 comment:
Friday, December 15, 2023

URGENT FUND RASING

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Title: I have advocated for others; let me advocate for myself. What happened to Raymond Fernando? “I am a 73 years old author and mental ...
Tuesday, July 11, 2023

Podcast : Rebound stronger

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cAUra6w0ARU