Singapore, although just a tiny dot on the world map, is a well-established nation with a colourful past. Having undergone several phases of political changes, from colonial rule to self-government and to independence, Singapore has had her fair share of a strenuous journey. However, it did not stop when independence was achieved. As a matter of fact, the real journey had only just begun. Singapore, being a new republic, had to focus on the establishment of different aspects of the society. One such aspect would be Singapore’s social development. Social development has been defined as a progressive social transformation aiming to promote the well-being of the population as a whole in relation to the country’s economic development (Mehta & Wee, 2006, p.11). This was considered an important aspect as people were the only resource that Singapore had and their welfare was of immense importance.
Several policies have been formulated over the years to facilitate Singapore’s social development by ensuring that every Singaporean is presented with equal and maximum opportunities to enable their advancement while, at the same time, making certain that the minority, who are unable to cope with the fast-paced society, are prevented from deteriorating further. One such policy that this essay is focusing on is the ‘Many Helping Hands’ approach, which is considered to be a ‘key pillar’ of Singapore’s social development despite its imperfections. The ‘Many Helping Hands’ approach was a policy that aimed to link government and volunteer organizations and the wider community into a safety net that would aid the needy (Lee, 2009). However, despite its history, the effectiveness of this policy is being questioned in current Singapore.
Starting from back in the early 1960s when Singapore gained internal self-government, social policies that involved the welfare of the population began evolving in accordance to the economical and political development that was taking place (Mehta & Wee, 2006, p.81). These social policies aimed to guide the society to develop, enrich and sustain the social well-being of Singaporeans by addressing their basic necessities and supporting their social functioning (Mehta & Wee, 2006, p.81). Singapore introduced an alternative welfare system that differed from the welfare states, the prevalent welfare system of developed countries. Despite the lack of direct financial provision from the state, Singapore’s welfare system met the housing, health, educational, old age and other social needs of the population making it a unique yet efficient system.
As the years went by, the Singapore government continued to feel the constant call of those at the bottom of the society, therefore, in 1993, Mr Goh Chok Tong, outlined a four-pronged strategy to create a ‘compassionate and responsible society’ that would not erode Singapore’s economic competitiveness and maintain individual responsibility of oneself. This social policy emphasizes on four dimensions of action to assist the needy, namely, self-care, family care, community care and state care (Mehta & Wee, 2006, pp. 86-87).
Reinforcing the importance of a ‘Compassionate and Responsible society’ was the ‘Many Helping Hands’ approach, which believes that social service provision should be a combined effort from all segments of the society. It views the various sectors, namely, family, community, non-profit, for-profit and the government as partners in the community service industry. This gives the other aspects of the society an opportunity to play an active role in meeting the social needs of the disadvantaged in the society.
However, the effectiveness of this approach has been the subject of parliamentary debate recently. Several arguments have been raised by various Members of Parliament (MPs), regarding various aspects of the ‘Many Helping Hands’ approach. The main issue that surfaced was that, ‘Should social service provision remain decentralised as it is now?’ Many felt that the ‘Many Helping Hands’ approach should be coordinated by a centralised body with a centralised database consisting of information from the various agencies across Singapore. However, it is also believed that doing so would lose the passion and human touch in the social service sector (Lee, 2009).
Effectiveness can be defined as the extent to which the social policy fulfils its aims. The main objective of the ‘Many Helping Hands’ approach is to rope in the various sectors in a country to contribute to a common aim of helping the needy and disadvantaged in the society. The ‘Many Helping Hands’ approach has been rather successful in meeting its objectives as there are several organizations and methods of help initiated by different sectors of the society. It is also commendable that numerous external sectors have also taken it upon themselves to enhance the welfare of Singaporeans they come in contact with. For example, schools have stepped forward to provide bursaries and scholarships to aid students with financial difficulties. However, the current economic recession, being the worst in Singapore’s history, calls for a more economical method of administering social aid. During a situation like this, the government has to reduce expenditure and spend more wisely even in the social service sector. However, it is inevitable for more Singaporeans to seek financial assistance during an economic crisis such as the present one and help has to be rendered to ensure the well-being of the affected Singaporeans. Therefore, to make certain that all those in need are receiving aid equivalently, it is essential to have a centralised database that would keep track of help that an individual is receiving. This would resolve the issue of needy recipients receiving help from multiple sources (Lee, 2009) causing others who are in need to be deprived of an opportunity.
However, I still believe that the ‘Many Helping Hands’ approach has fulfilled its aim. To compete successfully in the global economy, the government is aware that the welfare of citizens in the lower end of the society should not be compromised. It is important to maintain a cohesive Singapore even when competition intensifies and the income gap widens (Mehta & Wee, 2004, pp.88-89). This is especially true due to the diversity of the Singaporean population and culture. Therefore allowing all Singaporeans to play a part in helping one another is a valuable way of promoting community bonding. It is also an effective way to prevent Singapore from becoming a welfare state. This is critical as Singapore’s only resource is her human resource and if Singapore becomes a welfare state, it will pose bigger problems such promoting complacency, eroding work ethics and on the whole, compromising competitiveness and the efficiency of her only resource.
In conclusion, I think that the ‘Many Helping Hands’ approach is effective in extending helping hands to the needy in the society efficiently. However, having a centralised database would enhance its effectiveness and simultaneously enable the equitable distribution of help to the needy .
References
Hua, L.S. (2009, February 12). Helping hands ‘should coordinate’. Retrieved May 1, 2009 from
http://www.straitstimes.com/STI/STIMEDIA/sp/budget09/helping_hands_should_coordinate.html
Mehta, K.K. & Wee, A. (2004). Social work in context: A reader. Singapore: Marshall Cavendish Academic.
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