In the name of charity

When i was young, the only charitable thing i did perhaps is to read those sharity elephant monthly newsletters. That is the only action, to a primary school kid, which constitute a charitable act.

So when i am older by a few years, the action of putting a coin into a tin can buffled me. I was thinking:" how come reading sharity elephant newsletter do not need to pay but still is considered a charitable act, but now, i need to really put my 10cent in order to be counted as a charity act." However i did put my 10cent inside though as i saw it as a way to get that round sticker which then i can paste on my chest and show proudly that this sticker is only for a charitable person. This is a reward of my meritocracy effort. So when i am somemore older then i realised, that damn newsletter is actually a gimmick to attract young nubile kid to donate, well rather, pestering their parents to donate, perhaps, for a reward which is meeting the overly stuffed elephant.

So from young, one has been exposed to various method which are to induced people to donate. Donations always grow proportionally with our GDP. Sometimes, it grow inversely also, when our GDP fall, it continue to rise still. Such is the action of good hearted and goodwill singaporean. Kudos to all of them.

The gimmick varies from that damn newsletter which i told you all about, to the tin can, to some donation booklet which to me. As Singapore itself is a incorporated organisation, charity organization also need to come out with new ideas in order to magnetise people to donate. So the old tin can, although still useable by some small time organisation ,is slowly taking a back seat while a new form of donation tool is use, such as selling novelty pen or stuff toys.

But i think the most powerful gimmick is in the form of using media as a tool to plead people to donate. Some smart alec come up with the idea of using actors to perform some stupid stunts in order to ask for more donation, in the name of charity.

So in the early nineties, the first charity show was staged in caldecott. Soon, other organisation jump onto the bandwagon. From one show per year, to now, about 5 to 6 shows. From donating for those kidney patients, now, heart, cancer, children critical illness, hospital and so on and so forth. Soon, every weekend we will have one charity show and soon, it will be part and parcel to part with around 0.05% or more of our salary to support the unfortunate. Shows after shows, each with the common agenda, flooded our little silver screen.

Singaporean, being as, erm, singaporean, do not make any noise, comments. The reason is because everybody has this heart of gold. True, condos, cars do make excellent carrot for the people to donate, but nevertheless, appalude should be given as they do donate don't they?

So Singaporean donate rigiously. From calling the 1900 lines, to parting with our coins when those puppy-eyed children approach us with their tin cans. Sometimes, we also drop some notes to that uncle who sing like nat king cole, albeit he is blind. And who else can say he didn't buy before from that tissue aunty who went table to table to sell her wares, 3 packet of tissue for one dollar.

True the GST has risen to 5%, true we can actually use the money that we donated to buy eggs. Yes the ultilities bills, miscellaneous bills, transport expenses, housing cost, school fees, food expenses and other expenses has risen, but Singaporen donate relentlessly.

Then suddenly, yet another smart alec, this time, the Action for Aids executive director, Benedict Jacob Thambiah said:" It's fine to reveal our pay to the authorities, but why do we need to tell it to any Tom, Dick or Harry?"(published on mon,sept 27, 2004. Home section page 1, straits times).

Any Tom Dick or Harry?! Hello! Without these Tom Dick and Harry, where they hell do you think the organisation got the pay, where the hell do you think your pay come from? The Tom Dick and Harry are the one who religiously dialled those stupid 1900 numbers, they are the one who part with their coins, they are the source of your donations, the income of the organisation and bloody fool, your pay check!

When the ministers had their pay rise, i remember they published how they got that pay and etc. So even the ministers need to answer to the people, why you, a mere executive do not need or do not feel to disclose your pay? Afraid of comparison or afraid of scrutiny?

Also by the way, those Tom Dick and Harry each have a name, all live in one place and each make up the 4 million population of a country call Singapore.