Elder-care in the void deck

Sometimes when you have foreign media bad mouthing Singaporean's attitude you have to wonder how much truth is in it. While I am sure the usual "you do not condemn the whole basket from a few bad apples", it is enough to have people to start label the basket. Depending on who the basket is, the recent news would have me feel that because of these bad apple, the basket could me all of us. There were also a discussion from a radio programme where the hosts really brought out the morals and values. The issue here is the government intend to build a elder-care centre at the void deck, the residents opposes the idea. Reasons given, they want they space for their own activities, they do not want increase in death in the area. The elderly had given their life for the country, and here these people would not welcome them. To be cared for in the neighbourhood is much better than to moved them to some designated area for elder homes where the place is out of the main road and looks to be kind of out of view. Having an elder-centre in the neighbourhood would also provide alternatives for filial children to put their elderly parents for the day while they are away at work. The government is doing right to listen to feedback, but only listen to constructive and positive ones. If you give in to the residents here, you have have the same problem at the next neighbourhood. One will never know, when these residents became old people themselves, would they preferred to be remain intergraded with the community or be sent in "exile" to some far away old folks home tucked away behind some trees?

From the Straits Times 03-Feb-2012