TR EMERITUS

Written by Our Correspondent

Extensive publicity was given to the “We are One” Project two days before it closes on 30 November 2009.

The project is jointly organized by CapitaLand, LEGO Singapore and MediaCorp to raise S$1 million for Singaporeans and families affected by the economic downturn.

Every S$2 donated to the cause goes to buying a LEGO brick, which is added to a 5 metre by 8 metre replica of Singapore island.
Since it was launched on 14 October 2009 by President S R Nathan, Mediacorp has been screening the project on all its channels urging Singaporeans to donate generously to the cause.

Mediacorp is the only broadcast station in Singapore and is partly owned by Temasek Holdings whose CEO is Ho Ching, the wife of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

Capitaland is also owned by Temasek Holdings. Its CEO Mr Liew Mun Leong is reported to receive $20 million dollars in bonus alone last year. It is not known if he has made a donation to the project.

Singapore became the first Asian country to enter a recession last year in the midst of the global economic crisis. Despite being the highest paid leaders in the world, the Singapore government claimed there is “little” it can do about the crisis as Singapore is heavily dependent on external trade.

To its credit, the government has managed to keep Singapore’s unemployment rate to a respectable 3 per cent. The lower income group is worse hit by the crisis with many of them seeing their wages cut.

When interviewed by the state media, Joachia Lee, director of Tampines Family Services Centre described a case under her care

“He literally had to walk to work and walk back every day to save two or three dollars on transportation, so that he can feed his family. These are people who are working, who want to get on with life, but just don’t have enough to tide them over.”

The government has been reluctant to do more to help Singaporeans who are retrenched or struggling to get by. However, it is more than willing to splurge $10 million dollars on a Community Integration Fund to make the new migrants feel welcomed in Singapore.

The relentless influx of foreigners in last few years has accentuated the income-gap between the rich and the poor in Singapore. MM Lee Kuan Yew dismissed it as inconsequential as long jobs are created for Singaporeans.

Beneficiaries of “We Are One” include the Community Chest and President’s Challenge 2009, as well as Singaporeans and families affected by the economic downturn.

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