8. Many developed counties are paying increasing attention to the needs of the disadvantaged. How far is this true in Singapore?

KeywordsDeveloped countries: having achieved economic status recognized as advanced and acquiring the traits associated with countries of such standing.Increasing attention: acknowledging the rights of such groups to be incorporated into mainstream life, preventing them from being marginalized; doing more than just tokenistic acknowledgement.Needs of the disadvantaged: identifying ‘disadvantaged’ to refer to minority groups that are marginalized because of physical impairment, but also including those who suffer setbacks not of their own doing, and therefore requiring help. Also in terms of Singapore, the racial minorities.

Question Requirements• Students need to identify which groups constitute the ‘disadvantaged’ in society and what their needs are.• Students should argue that the state is responsible for the disadvantaged minority and should go beyond simply catering for the needs of the general populace. • Students should also highlight that the progress of a country is also measured by its compassion for and its ability to cater to the minority groups such as the underprivileged and disadvantaged.• Students should also recognise that the needs of the disadvantaged should not be met by just the government alone, but also by society as well as institutions within the country.

Pitfalls• Definition of ‘disadvantaged’ being limited in scope - eg. referring merely to those who have lost their jobs in the current economic recession.• Merely describing what is being done for the disadvantaged without any evaluation of whether this is in line with expectations of what a developed country is morally obliged to provide.• Failure to provide a fair and balanced viewpoint – i.e. taking the view that nothing is being done, or more than enough has been done; restricting evaluation only to role of the government in catering to these needs.

Stand: Yes, it is true that Singapore, just like many developed counties, is paying increasing attention to the needs of the disadvantaged.

IntroductionSome feel that the needs of the disabled and the poor have been neglected by the developed nations for their pursuit of economic growth. However, it would be unfair to say that, given the economic climate of recent years. The financial storms of 2007 and 1997 have damaged and crippled some economies around the world, seeing to an overall worsening of global economic situations. The developed countries have in fact given a great deal of attention and have dedicated large amounts of resources towards improving the lives of their population. Therefore, I believe that the developed countries have, within the boundaries of their economic positions, contributed extensively in sponsoring actions and policies to improve the lives of the poor, especially for Singapore’s case. However, it would be too idealistic to say that the needs of all disadvantaged groups of people are increasingly met over the years as there are bound to be a few groups who will be neglected.

Point 1The physically disabled have their needs increasingly met by the government over the years due to the upgrading of infrastructure which eases them in their transport and accessibility. Also there are aids by the policies formulated by the government to alleviate their inconveniences. Not only alleviating their inconveniences alone, some of the policies have also managed to help these physically disabled people to achieve their dreams of excelling in sports.Elaboration: All along, the physically disadvantaged always have a problem travelling due to the

inconvenience posed by their disabilities and the fact that the outside world does not have the necessary infrastructure to make travelling easier for them.

With increasing efforts put up by the government to upgrade these facilities to cater to the needs of these physically disabled people, it has definitely increase accessibility for these disadvantaged in terms of travelling.

Also there are aids by the policies formulated by the government to alleviate their inconveniences. Not only alleviating their inconveniences alone, some of the policies have also managed to help these physically disabled people to achieve their dreams of excelling in sports.

Evidence: Land Transport Authority has come up with the wheelchair accessible buses in order to

cater to the physically disabled. Handrails are made along pathways to cater to the needs of the physically disabled

people. The inclusion of lifts at MRTS. The increased awareness of Singapore Paralympics. The setting up of more disabled schools.

Point 2

Singapore’s status as a developed nation- going beyond mere survival and catering to the needs of the disadvantaged minority.

Government-led initiatives eg. increased funding, upgraded facilities for schools, as well as training of personnel catering to special needs in Singapore; facilities catering to the physically handicapped and the aged in housing estates, public transport etc. (almost $60 million in funding for programmes catering to the disadvantaged as well the elderly, almost $100 million in funding for re-integration programmes for juvenile delinquents as well as an increase in financial assistance for those unable to afford school fees. The amount set aside in every Government Budget to help the disadvantaged in society has also been increasing year on year).

Pragmatism in national planning – no country can continue to prosper without integrating minority groups into mainstream society; the cost of allowing them to be marginalized and then catering to their needs is too high.

International respect/stature in line with developed status, not merely appeasing criticisms of civil rights groups, brings other benefits, tangible as well as intangible ones.

Society’s changing attitudes - graciousness/compassion/recognising the rights of all individuals irrespective of their ability (or the lack of) to be treated with respect – traits that are valued as hallmark of a developed nation – one that is affluent and better educated. Being ‘disadvantaged’ no longer seen as a stigma.

Rise of Voluntary Welfare Organisations (VWOs) - over the years, the number of VWOs catering to the disadvantaged in Singapore has increased. VWOs are also moving out of the traditional spheres of work such as helping the elderly and disabled to more non-traditional spheres such as family dispute mediation as well as helping juvenile delinquents or youth at risk.

Point 3Attempts to engage and to provide for the needs of the disadvantaged are still limited in scope / tokenistic:

The nature of meritocracy means that elitism is to be expected, thus the disadvantaged would naturally have a lesser standing in such a society. The focus has always been on excellence, resulting in the disadvantaged minority being displaced and treated as second class citizens.

Government funding and facilities for the disadvantaged in society is substantially limited compared to those in the mainstream eg. special schools catering for the intellectually disabled have far less facilities compared to mainstream schools.

Funding for the disadvantaged is lower compared to other countries although this is changing in Singapore. (It must be recognized also that these countries are largely

welfare states). Recent scandals involving high profile charities (National Kidney Foundation, Renci

Hospital) catering to these disadvantaged members in society are setbacks.

Conclusion:Catering to the welfare of the disadvantaged is part and parcel of a country’s progress. As a country becomes more developed, democratic ideals will inevitably seek to bring about greater equity and to eliminate unnecessary lines of division.