Connect with us

Current Affairs

Inflation drove this man to loansharks

With no help from authorities, man is driven to borrow from loansharks.

Published

16 years ago

on

Daniel De Costa and Glenn Tan

Mr Sim Wee Lee, 37, has had enough of the vandalism done to his property. So fearful has he been for the past 2 years, wondering when the next act would be committed, that he resorted to installing a closed-circuit television (CCTV) outside his apartment in Block 112, Aljunied Crescent (MacPherson constituency).

The worst case occurred last week, when the area outside the door of his apartment was vandalised twice in just three days.

Calling the police did not seem to help at all. They would arrive just to inspect the damage, and would then advise Mr Sim to call for them again if another act was committed. This cycle would then repeat itself.

The case was eventually brought to the Criminal Investigation Department’s (CID’s) attention, and they assigned officers Tan Buck Siong and Vince Yeo to investigate. They have since been investigating this for the past two years with no outcome or resolution.

Frustrated, distressed, desperate, Mr Sim wrote to the Senior Parliamentary Secretary, Mr Masagos Zulkifli BMM and consecutively, the Second Minister for Home Affairs Mr K Shanmugam, only to have his e-mails gone unanswered. He subsequently also sought his MP’s assistance on this matter, but to no avail either.

Finally, an Assistant Inspector (ASP) Javier Sim called him to enquire more about the case, but mentioned that the police did not have the technology nor the knowledge to extract the footage of the culprits from Mr Sim’s CCTV system.

ASP Sim did however promise that if Mr Sim would co-operate and work closely with the police, these instances of vandalism would stop. The case is still pending today, and Mr Sim still lives in fear for himself and his family.

Mr Sim’s tale of woe

It all began when Mr Sim, a sales contractor, found it difficult to cope with rising prices, inflation, and the ever-increasing taxes imposed by the PAP government. He has to feed a foreign wife, and a daughter whom he had adopted from Vietnam to save her from brutal and harsh living conditions, where she would otherwise have been forced into child labour or prostitution.

All he wanted was for her to have a brighter future in our country, but he has had to pay more than double to educate his adopted daughter here as a foreigner, and to have her placed at the Bethel Student Care Centre, because the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) has repeatedly rejected his applications for his daughter’s Permanent Residency.

He then turned to the South East Community Development Council (CDC) hoping for assistance. Unfortunately, Mr Sim did not qualify.

The CDC’s income ceiling for those who apply for financial assistance is $1,500. As a salesperson, Mr Sim’s monthly income is not fixed. Mr Sim was told that because it is possible for his income to hit above $1,500 in a good month, they could not offer him financial assistance. The CDC refused to accept the fact that most of the time, he struggles to survive on less than $1,500 a month, and during unusually bad periods, he may earn nothing at all.

Mr Sim currently owes the Housing and Development Board (HDB) more than $10,000, and his utility and conservancy charges are in arrears of several months. He has even been threatened with disconnection of electricity and water supply.

After examining all his bills and income documents, the CDC replied that their establishment was solely to find jobs for people and that they would provide no other assistance, and they blatantly turned him away.

Desperate, helpless, and without any other alternatives, he turned to loansharks.

He had been faithfully servicing the repayments on a weekly basis even when they vandalised his property, as he says he wants to be a man of principle, and would return what he has taken from someone else. He has since paid off the principal sum.

But the loansharks wanted so much more to the point that their demands became unreasonable and very unbearable for him. They demanded 75% of the interest to be repaid within a very short period of time, and threatened him with more of such instances of vandalism if he failed to meet their demands.

The vandalism has embarrassed Mr Sim and caused him to be ridiculed by his neighbours, and their lack of sympathy increases the burden on an already burdened man.

Burning questions

Mr Sim must be one of many people who go unnoticed by the Government and society, suffering in silence because of economic hardship and the fear of being attacked by loansharks and the stigma of being a loanshark borrower.

Mr Sim’s case brings to the fore many burning questions. Is our police force equipped and prepared for this cyber age if they don’t even have the “technology or knowledge” to extract and utilise a digital recording? Is our CID doing enough in serving the citizens that it has sworn to protect? Why is the CDC, no less than a quasi-governmental body, so inflexible in granting aid, and contradicting one of its three main aims of “assisting the needy”? Where is the compassion from HDB for a family man with an unstable income to pay his service and conservancy fees?

Remember, Mr Sim would not have needed to borrow money had he been able to cope with the rising cost of living. How many more Mr Sims are out there?

Does unbridled inflation destroy lives? You be the judge.

————–

Related Topics:
Continue Reading
2 Comments
Subscribe
Notify of
2 Comments
Newest
Oldest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

Current Affairs

TJC issued 3rd POFMA order under Minister K Shanmugam for alleged falsehoods

The Transformative Justice Collective (TJC) was issued its third POFMA correction order on 5 October 2024 under the direction of Minister K Shanmugam for alleged falsehoods about death penalty processes. TJC has rejected the government’s claims, describing POFMA as a tool to suppress dissent.

Published

6 days ago

on

6 October 2024

By

The Transformative Justice Collective (TJC), an advocacy group opposed to the death penalty, was issued its third Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (POFMA) correction direction on 5 October 2024.

The correction was ordered by Minister for Home Affairs and Law, K Shanmugam, following TJC’s publication of what the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) alleges to be false information regarding Singapore’s death row procedures and the prosecution of drug trafficking cases.

These statements were made on TJC’s website and across its social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and X (formerly Twitter).

In addition to TJC, civil activist Kokila Annamalai was also issued a correction direction by the minister over posts she made on Facebook and X between 4 and 5 October 2024.

According to MHA, these posts echoed similar views on the death penalty and the legal procedures for drug-related offences, and contained statements that the ministry claims are false concerning the treatment of death row prisoners and the state’s legal responsibilities in drug trafficking cases.

MHA stated that the posts suggested the government schedules and stays executions arbitrarily, without due regard to legal processes, and that the state does not bear the burden of proving drug trafficking charges.

However, these alleged falsehoods are contested by MHA, which maintains that the government strictly follows legal procedures, scheduling executions only after all legal avenues have been exhausted, and that the state always carries the burden of proof in such cases.

In its official release, MHA emphasised, “The prosecution always bears the legal burden of proving its case beyond a reasonable doubt, and this applies to all criminal offences, including drug trafficking.”

It also pointed to an article on the government fact-checking site Factually to provide further clarification on the issues raised.

As a result of these allegations, both TJC and Annamalai are now required to post correction notices. TJC must display these corrections on its website and social media platforms, while Annamalai is required to carry similar notices on her Facebook and X posts.

TikTok has also been issued a targeted correction direction, requiring the platform to communicate the correction to all Singapore-based users who viewed the related TJC post.

In a statement following the issuance of the correction direction, TJC strongly rejected the government’s claims. The group criticised the POFMA law, calling it a “political weapon used to crush dissent,” and argued that the order was more about the exercise of state power than the pursuit of truth. “We have put up the Correction Directions not because we accept any of what the government asserts, but because of the grossly unjust terms of the POFMA law,” TJC stated.

TJC further argued that the government’s control over Singapore’s media landscape enables it to push pro-death penalty views without opposition. The group also stated that it would not engage in prolonged legal battles over the POFMA correction orders, opting to focus on its abolitionist work instead.

This marks the third time TJC has been subject to a POFMA correction direction in recent months.

The group was previously issued two orders in August 2024 for making similar statements concerning death row prisoners.

In its latest statement, MHA noted that despite being corrected previously, TJC had repeated what the ministry views as falsehoods.

MHA also criticised TJC for presenting the perspective of a convicted drug trafficker without acknowledging the harm caused to victims of drug abuse.

Annamalai, a prominent civil rights activist, is also known for her involvement in various social justice campaigns. She was charged in June 2024 for her participation in a pro-Palestinian procession near the Istana. Her posts, now subject to correction, contained information similar to those presented by TJC regarding death penalty procedures and drug-related cases.

POFMA, which was introduced in 2019, allows the government to issue correction directions when it deems falsehoods are being spread online.

Critics of the law argue that it can be used to suppress dissent, while the government asserts that it is a necessary tool for combating misinformation. The law has been frequently invoked against opposition politicians and activists.

As of October 2024, Minister K Shanmugam has issued 17 POFMA directions, more than any other minister. Shanmugam, who was instrumental in introducing POFMA, is followed by National Development Minister Desmond Lee, who has issued 10 POFMA directions.

Major media outlets, including The Straits Times, Channel News Asia, and Mothership, have covered the POFMA directions. However, as of the time of writing, none have included TJC’s response rejecting the government’s allegations.

Continue Reading

Current Affairs

Hotel Properties Limited suspends trading ahead of Ong Beng Seng’s court hearing

Hotel Properties Limited (HPL), co-founded by Mr Ong Beng Seng, has halted trading ahead of his court appearance today (4 October). The announcement was made by HPL’s company secretary at about 7.45am, citing a pending release of an announcement. Mr Ong faces one charge of abetting a public servant in obtaining gifts and another charge of obstruction of justice. He is due in court at 2.30pm.

Published

1 week ago

on

4 October 2024

By

SINGAPORE: Hotel Properties Limited (HPL), the property and hotel developer co-founded by Mr Ong Beng Seng, has requested a trading halt ahead of the Singapore tycoon’s scheduled court appearance today (4 October) afternoon.

This announcement was made by HPL’s company secretary at approximately 7.45am, stating that the halt was due to a pending release of an announcement.

Mr Ong, who serves as HPL’s managing director and controlling shareholder, faces one charge under Section 165, accused of abetting a public servant in obtaining gifts, as well as one charge of obstruction of justice.

He is set to appear in court at 2.30pm on 4 October.

Ong’s charges stem from his involvement in a high-profile corruption case linked to former Singaporean transport minister S Iswaran.

The 80-year-old businessman was named in Iswaran’s initial graft charges earlier this year.

These charges alleged that Iswaran had corruptly received valuable gifts from Ong, including tickets to the 2022 Singapore Formula 1 Grand Prix, flights, and a hotel stay in Doha.

These gifts were allegedly provided to advance Ong’s business interests, particularly in securing contracts with the Singapore Tourism Board for the Singapore GP and the ABBA Voyage virtual concert.

Although Iswaran no longer faces the original corruption charges, the prosecution amended them to lesser charges under Section 165.

Iswaran pleaded guilty on 24 September, 2024, to four counts under this section, which covered over S$400,000 worth of gifts, including flight tickets, sports event access, and luxury items like whisky and wines.

Additionally, he faced one count of obstructing justice for repaying Ong for a Doha-Singapore flight shortly before the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) became involved.

On 3 October, Iswaran was sentenced to one year in jail by presiding judge Justice Vincent Hoong.

The prosecution had sought a sentence of six to seven months for all charges, while the defence had asked for a significantly reduced sentence of no more than eight weeks.

Ong, a Malaysian national based in Singapore, was arrested by CPIB in July 2023 and released on bail shortly thereafter. Although no charges were initially filed against him, Ong’s involvement in the case intensified following Iswaran’s guilty plea.

The Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) had earlier indicated that it would soon make a decision regarding Ong’s legal standing, which has now led to the current charges.

According to the statement of facts read during Iswaran’s conviction, Ong’s case came to light as part of a broader investigation into his associates, which revealed Iswaran’s use of Ong’s private jet for a flight from Singapore to Doha in December 2022.

CPIB investigators uncovered the flight manifest and seized the document.

Upon learning that the flight records had been obtained, Ong contacted Iswaran, advising him to arrange for Singapore GP to bill him for the flight.

Iswaran subsequently paid Singapore GP S$5,700 for the Doha-Singapore business class flight in May 2023, forming the basis of his obstruction of justice charge.

Mr Ong is recognised as the figure who brought Formula One to Singapore in 2008, marking the first night race in the sport’s history.

He holds the rights to the Singapore Grand Prix. Iswaran was the chairman of the F1 steering committee and acted as the chief negotiator with Singapore GP on business matters concerning the race.

 

Continue Reading

Trending