Poor in rich Singapore

This is probably the third time I saw the old granny, probably in her seventies, searching and taking out drink cans and old newspapers scraps from the rubbish bin and putting them in her large nylon bag, while on my way to my office in the morning.

I believe this is not the first time any Singaporean have seen this. Try walking along some streets of Singapore (even at the underpasses of Orchard Road), sometimes you could find old grannies and uncles selling "tissue paper" to the passer-bys, or collecting drink cans and old newspapers from the trash bins and rubbish chute.

"Auntie, good morning." I plucked up a little bit of courage and speak to her in Mandarin, while she continues searching for more drink cans in the bin.

"I am a writer, Auntie. Can I ask you a question? Roughly how much you can make in a day with these (the drink cans and newspapers)?"

The granny paused for a moment and said to me in Hokkien. (My dialect is Hokkien but I am not very good at it.)

"One-Fifty to Two dollars a day. Sometimes I can make eight dollars a day. She said with a slight smile on her "sunburnt" face.

My heart sunk. It is very hard to imagine how this granny or any of such poor elderly could survive each day in a country with high cost of living standards.

With only $1.50 per day, how is she able to take the train, or will she have at least two meals a day, or what will happen if she falls ill?

As she went on her cans searching adventure again, she continue to say some more things to me in Hokkien which I could not grasp it very well.

However, seeing her completing the trash bin and I was going to be late for work as well. I quickly reached out for my wallet.

"Erm, thank you Auntie, I am going off to work now. Here is ten dollar for you." I said in my "broken" Hokkien dialect as I handed her a ten-dollar note.

With whatever strength she has, the granny rejected my ten dollar note by pushing my hand away, waving a big "No" to me with her palms continuously. I complied.

As I make my leave, I apologized as well as saying "thank you" to her profusely. I have learnt a lot from this brief encounter. The granny, although she is poor, she has earned my respect as someone with great dignity who insists to live on what she earns each day.

While Singapore boosts the fantastic results of being the world's 2nd most competitive economy and recently, according to a study by Knight Frank and Citi Private Bank, Singapore is the richest country in the world with the highest GDP per capita in 2010 at close to S$70,000 far ahead of USA, Norway, Japan and Hong Kong.

Moreover, with the rise in demand for luxurious homes and pricey condominiums such as Sentosa Cove, commanding at sky high prices in tens over millions per house, the Formula One and many; we must not forget the less fortunate ones.

I believe there are still more things to be done in order to help the less fortunate, especially the elderly, when some of them may be currently experiencing extreme hardships in this fast paced society. The elderly, in their youths, may have also done their little part to the economy many years ago.

So, in my opinion, I believe that they should also have the privilege to enjoy the fruits of Singapore's modern success such as Gardens by the Bay, Universal Studios, Marina Bay Sands and many more.

I believe that it is the responsibility of every Singaporean or any people living in Singapore, not just the government, to make the efforts and initiative to help the less fortunate elderly to live through their aged years. It is also the responsibility of the children to take care of their aged parents; they should not put them in old folks' homes.

Start helping somebody today You don't have to wait until you have become a millionaire then you can help somebody. You could start helping people today.

It is the not the amount of money you have but it is the heart that matters. A person with a rich heart is ten times better than a person who has none but tons of cash in the bank. So, be the person with a rich heart today!