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Tag: family

  • Beri Sokongan Kepada Wear White!

    Beri Sokongan Kepada Wear White!

    Gereja-gereja di Singapura akan pakai putih atau Wear White pada 13 Jun 2015 ini sebagai simbol tidak setuju mereka terhadap acara perhimpunan tahunan yang mempromosikan gayahidup kaum Sodom di Singapura.

    Mereka sebulat suara akan memakai putih pada tarikh tersebut, sepertimana yang mereka lakukan pada tahun lepas secara besar-besaran. Inilah cara mereka menyuarakan keperihatinan mereka terhadap gejala negatif dengan cara aman, iaitu dengan hanya memakai putih.

    Wear White ini sebenarnya bermula dari Wearwhite yang dipelopori masyarakat Islam tahun lepas apabila acara tahunan kaum Sodom itu bertembung dengan malam 1 Ramadhan. Tahun lepas, Wearwhite ini hanya menggalakkan Muslim untuk memakai pakaian putih pada malam 1 Ramadhan sebagai kesucian untuk Kembali Kepada Fitrah dan tidak menyokong acara yang mempromosikan gayahidup kaum Sodom. Golongan Kristian memberi sokongan kuat lagi padu dengan mereka memakai pakaian serba putih pada hari Sabtu (petang 1 Ramadhan) dan Ahad (1 Ramadhan) apabila mereka ke gereja masing-masing.

    Golongan Kristian tahun ini meneruskan Wearwhite tahun ini dengan mengenakan pakaian serba putih pada hari acara mempromosikan gayahidup kaum Sodom dijalankan sebagai cara mereka menyuarakan keperihatinan mereka secara aman. Dan mereka pun sudah persiapan awal untuk menggalakkan anggota setiap gereja untuk Wearwhite pada hari tersebut.

     

    Source: Mohd Khair

  • Singaporeans Value Family

    Singaporeans Value Family

    SINGAPORE: Singaporeans value families – they want to get married, have children and feel a strong sense of filial piety a survey found. However, statistics by the Social and Family Development Ministry (MSF) show a gap between what they desire and their reality.

    About nine in 10 respondents, across all age groups in a Survey on Social Attitudes of Singaporeans, said they have a close-knit family.

    The desire for married couples to be close with their parents is also strong. But sometimes the environment does not allow for it.

    In the survey conducted by MSF, about 40 per cent of families with young children said they either live in the same flat, in a nearby block, or same estate as their parents. But 55 per cent said they actually preferred to do so.

    Professor Yeung Wei-Jun Jean, director of the Centre for Family and Population Research, explained: “They desire to do so perhaps because of the proximity to take care of … the parents or maybe grandparents to take care of younger children.

    “But in reality, maybe some of the married couples or elderly parents already bought housing some time ago and it is not so easy to move to be closer to be in the same neighbourhood and housing. So maybe in terms of public policy, (it would be good) to look at how to make it easier for people who are living further apart but now because of the caring needs, they want to be living closer, and how to make it easier to move.”

    INTER-GENERATIONAL CONTACT

    And perhaps because of the distance, inter-generational contact seems to be affected. In 2003, some 76.4 per cent of married respondents had said they see their elderly parents either daily or at least once a week. In 2013, the proportion dropped to 70.6 per cent.

    In fact, 18.8 per cent of respondents said they either never or keep in touch with their elderly parents just a few times a year.

    Prof Yeung noted: “People have many demands and young couples are working long hours. We know from statistics that Singapore adults are working very long hours and children’s schooling is very demanding.”

    The inter-generational bonding further weakens as the age gap widens – 71.4 per cent of those aged between 65 and 74 said they do not discuss their personal lives with their grandchildren; the figure goes up to 80 per cent among those aged 75 and above.

    Dr Mathew Mathews, senior research fellow at the Institute of Policy Studies, said: “Values transmission is important, and we notice that less than 30 per cent of grandparents actually discuss their personal life with their grandchildren. That is really a loss because if more are able to do that, grandchildren would be more richer for being able to catch a lot more value, which may be important to their lives, going forward.”

    HIGHER EXPECTATIONS AND EVOLVING ROLES

    And while there is an increasing number of companies offering some form of flexi-work arrangement, 55 per cent of respondents still said their job keeps them from spending the amount of time they would like, with their family.

    Dr Mathews said it may be because expectations are higher and roles are evolving.

    He said: “What we have here now is that more men are expressing the fact that work and family life is in conflict. We notice that in the newer wave of the survey, and I think it speaks to the fact that increasingly, wives also want their men to step up and be involved in caregiving roles which previously more of them shied away from but today the expectation is higher on them.”

    Researchers also point to the growing number of single households saying that it is important to build on community networks and targeted support, especially for vulnerable groups, such as women who are divorced or widowed.

    DROP IN NUCLEAR FAMILIES

    Meanwhile, the number of nuclear families was down 7 per cent last year, from 56 per cent of resident households in 2000, according to data released at the Social Service Partners Conference 2015 on Tuesday (May 26).

    The fall in the proportion of nuclear families, which are two-generation couple-based households either living with parents or with children, came despite its increase from 511 in 2000 to 592 in 2014. The proportion of 3G – households comprising three or more generations – families also dropped from 10 per cent to 9 per cent.

    Conversely, one-person households saw an increase from 8 per cent in 2000 to 11 per cent in 2014. The proportion of married couples without co-residing children in households also rose from 11 per cent to 14 per cent over four years.

    DIVORCED, SEPARATED, WIDOWED LESS SATISFIED WITH FAMILY LIFE

    One key finding from the survey was that fewer divorced, separated or widowed respondents said they are satisfied with their family life, unlike the single or married cohorts.

    The survey showed a 9.3 per cent drop in the number of divorced, separated or widowed respondents agreeing that their family life is satisfying, compared to the 4.6 per cent for singles.

    Despite the 4.3 per cent increase in married respondents who are happy with their family life, those who are satisfied with their marriage dropped from 96 per cent in 2009 to 92 per cent in 2013. The survey also showed that 94 per cent of males were satisfied with their marriage, compared to 89 per cent of females.

    A stark difference was also observed between the number of wives who said they do more caregiving and household chores than the number of husbands who said they do. For example, 59 per cent of wives indicated themselves as spending more time doing household chores, compared to 3 per cent of husbands.

    Similarly, mothers were revealed to spend almost double the time alone with their children during the weekend compared to the fathers.

    MORE SINGLES DESIRE TO GET MARRIED

    In another survey, the number of single respondents who desire to get married increased from 74 per cent in 2004, to 85 per cent in 2012. As for parenthood aspirations, the Marriage and Parenthood Survey 2012 revealed that a 4 per cent increase in married respondents who intend to have two children was observed between 2007 and 2012.

    FAMILIES SPENDING LESS TIME TOGETHER

    Meanwhile, according to the National Youth Survey 2013 conducted by the National Youth Council, more than half of respondents across all age groups said they spend less than 10 hours with family members in a week.

    A total of 55 per cent of respondents between the ages of 15 and 19 said they spend less than 10 hours, while the age-groups 20-24, 25-29 and 30-34 registered 62 per cent, 72 per cent and 74 per cent respectively.

    Additionally, 63 per cent of youths surveyed by the National Youth Council in 2010 said they spend less than 10 hours with their parents or relatives in a week, out of which 4 per cent indicated no time is spent.
    In comparison, 2013’s results showed 67 per cent of youths spending less than 10 hours, and 6 per cent spending zero hours with their parents and relatives in a week.

     

    Source: www.channelnewsasia.com

  • Single Mom Of 4 Kids: Unfair! Ex-Husband Still Owes Me $12,000 Maintenance, His Arrest Warrant Cancelled Just Because He Appealed

    Single Mom Of 4 Kids: Unfair! Ex-Husband Still Owes Me $12,000 Maintenance, His Arrest Warrant Cancelled Just Because He Appealed

    Hi R1C,

    I’m writing because I’m very upset n disappointed with the decision of the family court….

    The story goes like this…

    My ex husb missed the court hearing on 29th April n warrant of arrest was issued…I’ve been waiting for updates ever since….when i called cantonment on Monday they said that the court ordered them to withhold the warrant and now the case is pending…

    I called the court on Tuesday and they said that my ex actually made an appeal to the court to cancel the warrant of arrest against him…n it was approved!!
    And dis ex of mine has not been following the court order for almost 3 years and he still have an outstanding of unpaid maintenance for a total of 12k!!

    I’m a single mom of 4…n I’ve been working so hard to raise my 4 boys all dis time….n dis guy just happily go for vacation, employed on n off etc…he even have plans to get married…

    It is really unfair on my side….i feel that the court is not doing their part to investigate the truth n also too lenient towards dis guy….

    So any guy who can’t pay maintenance and missed a court hearing can get away easily!! Just file an appeal!! They will be excused…it’s just not right!!

    And my ex husband is a big liar…he told the court dat he has no job…bt he’s still working…the court didnt even bother to investigate…

    So any man in Singapore, can’t afford child support could actually get away with an excuse such as unemployment and this is actually acceptable????

    Then how abt single moms like me???

    Are they gonna wait till my children be admitted to hosp from hunger cz i can’t get a single cent outa dis useless creature then they gonna do something to him or wat???

    If u guys are gonna publish dis story, i will give u pictures as proofs that I’m not faking anything or exaggerating…

    I hope that if dis story get published,  it could shine some lights on it and the authority would do something abt dis…i can’t let any more single moms suffer like me….i know it is hard for them…and the court is making it harder for us if dis is the way they handle things…

    Reader Contribution

    Nona Not Happy

  • Man Left CPF Savings To Female Friend From PRC Instead Of His Family

    Man Left CPF Savings To Female Friend From PRC Instead Of His Family

    INSTEAD of leaving his Central Provident Fund (CPF) savings to his family, a man left it to a 25-year-old female friend from China, giving her $37,000.

    His wife found out only after the man – whom she was married to for 34 years – died, Lianhe Wanbao reported yesterday.

    The widow, who wanted to be known only as Mrs Saw, 61, tried to appeal to a court, pouring $30,000 of her savings into the effort. Not only did she lose the suit, but she now also has to pay $7,000 in court fees.

    “It was really not worth it,” lamented Mrs Saw.

    The couple have a son and two daughters, all of whom are married. But things took a turn for the worse after Mr Saw committed suicide in June last year. Mrs Saw said she had stopped him from doing so on two occasions.

    While clearing her late husband’s belongings, she was shocked to find out that Mr Saw had, in 2011, arranged to have all his CPF savings given to the female friend.

    Mr Saw also had a will, in which the Chinese national would get $150,000 from the sale of his home. A further $450,000 from the sale would be split between an old folks’ home, a temple, his brother, friends and go towards paying off his credit card and housing debts.

    The remaining sale proceeds were to go to his immediate family, but the home is expected to sell for only $600,000, so his family may not get anything.

    Mrs Saw said her husband changed his will in 2012 to redistribute funds initially set aside for his family.

    In tears, she told Wanbao: “I knew he liked to go out to drink and have fun, but I always thought he was just flirting around, and would still be focused on the family. But little did I know that he would make such a decision.”

    She added that she could not comprehend why her husband made such a move.

    To safeguard her own interests as his wife and with support from her children, Mrs Saw used her savings to hire a lawyer to appeal to the court.

    “After my husband’s business failed in 1986, he didn’t have a job. Since then, I’ve carried the burden of being the family’s breadwinner and brought up our children. How could he quietly leave his money to a stranger and none for me?” said Mrs Saw.

    The widow said that she had never met the Chinese national. The woman, whom her husband met at a bar in 2009, is from China’s Liaoning province and works as a service staff member at Marina Bay Sands, she said.

    During mediation, Mrs Saw said that the woman reiterated that she and Mr Saw were just friends and did not have an intimate relationship.

    Mrs Saw said that in her husband’s beneficiary nomination form for his CPF savings, his relationship with the woman from China is listed as “goddaughter”.

    She raised doubts over this as Mr Saw initially wrote that the woman was his “granddaughter”, before changing it to “goddaughter”. “One can imagine that when he was making the arrangements, he was not thinking clearly,” claimed Mrs Saw.

    But the court decided that Mr Saw and the Chinese national had maintained a good relationship – regardless of whether the woman was his “goddaughter” or mistress.

    As there was insufficient evidence to determine Mr Saw’s state of mind when nominating the Chinese national as his beneficiary, the judge did not rule in Mrs Saw’s favour.

     

    Source:http://mypaper.sg

  • Khaw Boon Wan: Housing Policies Continue To Support Family Formation And Ties

    Khaw Boon Wan: Housing Policies Continue To Support Family Formation And Ties

    National Development Minister Khaw Boon Wan said on Monday (Dec 1) that housing policies will continue to support strong family formation, and more will be done to help extended families live close to each other in 2015.

    In a blogpost, Mr Khaw said in the November Build-To-Order (BTO) exercise, there were several firsts. Firstly, the Housing & Development Board (HDB) launched the first housing project in Tampines North, and with about 1,500 units, it is HDB’s largest offering in a mature estate in a long time.

    “Children growing up with their parents in Tampines can now hope to buy new flats near them,” he wrote.

    Secondly, 56 units of 3Gen flats were offered – the first time these are available in a mature estate such as Tampines. Lastly, MND introduced quotas to make it easier, and offered greater priority, for married children and their parents to apply to live together or close by through the enhanced Married Child Priority Scheme (MCPS).

    Close to 6,000 family applicants have applied to live with or close to their parents and married children through the enhanced MCPS. The enhancements started from November’s BTO and Sale of Balance Flats exercises, which were launched on Nov 25.

    “Not surprisingly, the response to these initiatives was very positive. One in three family applicants applied to live with or close to their parents or married children through the enhanced MCPS,” Mr Khaw revealed.

    “One hundred and twenty-three multi-generation families applied for the 56 units of 3Gen flats at Tampines GreenRidges. The supply at Tampines North was oversubscribed by more than 1.3 times,” he added.

    Property firm ERA Realty said the numbers showed that housing demand for BTO flats has stabilised. “HDB’s move to ramp up the BTO (supply) from 2011 to 2014 has paid off, and it is timely that they slow down the BTO programme for 2015 to about 16,000 flats,” said ERA Realty’s key executive officer, Mr Eugene Lim.

    “By also conducting four BTO launches next year (once a quarter) versus the six BTO launches in the past (once every two months), the resale HDB market could see the return of more buyers and hopefully in 2015, will see an increase in transactions from the expected all-time low resale volume this year of around 17,000 units,” he added.

    For 2015, even more will be done to help families stay close to each other. HDB will launch another 360 3Gen flats, including 150 units in Tampines. It will also launch another 1,200 new flats in Tampines North, giving priority to those whose parents or married children are already living in the neighbourhood.

    HDB will also launch its first BTO project in Bidadari, with over 2,200 units to be put on offer in the second half of next year. Parents or married children currently living in Toa Payoh will get special priority under the MCPS for the Bidadari project, the minister pointed out.

    “Our family is what makes us happy, and that which gives meaning to our life. As 2014 draws to a close, let us be reminded again, to always make time to spend with our family and loved ones, and enjoy life to its fullest,” Mr Khaw said.

     

    Source: www.channelnewsasia.com