Vochers For Food? | SG Energy Crisis

According to Channelnewsasia

SINGAPORE: It would be a quick-acting pill to assuage the headache of rising food prices for the needy: Distributing vouchers redeemable at supermarkets and other food retailers.

But is a nationwide food voucher scheme — a possibility alluded to by the government when it announced that a $1-million scheme was on the way to help with rising food costs — the best stop-gap measure?

Community leaders say it is likely to be the best measure, although certain troubling questions will have to be addressed.

Food vouchers — usually from supermarkets such as NTUC FairPrice — are already disbursed by Community Development Councils (CDCs) and other groups to families on public assistance.

A scheme at the national level would bolster such grassroots efforts and provide immediate if short-term relief, some say.

North East District Mayor Zainul Abidin Rasheed told TODAY: “It would be more comprehensive and thorough, and it will assure residents all over Singapore access to the same value of help.”

It would also be a rare, direct form of assistance from the government to deal with food costs, as opposed to more indirect measures such as GST credits. But who should get help and how much?

Member for Parliament (MP) Zaqy Mohamad of Hong Kah GRC said: “We already provide food vouchers to the lower-income group, so my question would be whether the criteria would include the lower-middle income group, who are also struggling with the higher costs.”

Adding that he has seen requests for financial assistance go up over recent months among both the low and lower-middle income groups, Mr Zaqy said: “Since these are extraordinary circumstances, perhaps the solutions need to be broader and more creative.”

MP Fatimah Lateef (Marine Parade GRC) said she has seen cases of those needing help go up from ten to 12 cases a month in 2006 to about 20 cases a month this year.

South West District Mayor Amy Khor stressed the “one-off” nature of the proposed assistance. Even so, would a handout of food vouchers, while seen initially as a gesture of government goodwill, lead to a sense of entitlement among Singaporeans during tough times?

Sociologist Tan Ern Ser, from the National University of Singapore, said: “Singaporeans could come to expect welfare to help them overcome financial challenges.”

But since the amount given out in existing financial aid schemes “is relatively small, and the process of means-testing stringent, I doubt such measures would be enough to inculcate a handout mentality“, he added.

“I believe the government would prefer this to be only an interim measure since the preferred approach is really to create well-paying jobs and enhance employability through skills re-training and upgrading.“

Mr Zaqy agreed, saying: “It will be very important to manage expectations upfront and make clear the terms of the assistance. Even what you name the scheme will be important.”

Alternative solutions beyond food vouchers could further encourage Singaporeans to switch to cheaper brands of what they currently consume, said Prof Tan.

Others also point out the need to safeguard the scheme against potential abuse.

“The thing about vouchers is that they are transferable, so you get these cases of people selling them for cash and using the money to gamble,” said Bo Tien Welfare Services Society honorary secretary Benny Chua, whose organisation assists CDCs in food distribution. “Also, people might use the vouchers to buy liquor and cigarettes.”

Nonetheless, given the circumstances, such assistance cannot be held back, said Mr Zaqy. “In the end, it’s where the need is and whether you achieve your objectives.”

- I do hope the relevant authorities look into the following.

Possible fake vouchers appearing
Possible uneven and unfair distribution of vouchers

Isn’t FREE upgrading courses even more valuable to low income workers? Why not make a heavily subsidized upgrading courses for the low to middle income workers?

The cost of everything going up so hopefully the vouchers can be transferable and be sold openly in the internet and market as CASH is always better.

Thanks Lowem for the tip off!

Popularity: 1% [?]

Be Sociable, Share!

Tweet This Post

bluegal

Can vochers be exchanged for cash? I don’t think they can but is wrong to use them for liquors and cigerattes. I think just give them rice vochers instead.
Simon Tay

Vouchers are not all bad when times of crisis for examples does helps to ration food equally among the poor and desperate. The problems comes when corruptions and someone from the inside gets the “method” to print their very own vouchers…

If vouchers can be used to buy food it may be sold openly to public cheaply to get cash to buy other things.

This may end up creating another banana currency that have a temporary value…eg. when Government declare it no longer usable after the crisis is over.

It’s also another type of money or items of value that people can use to trade for things in the open internet…in the olden times it’s things that can eat…traded for goods or services.

The problem is who gets the printer to print these vouchers and who control the distribution system. Are they limited to some special individuals or sub-contracted out to companies…to print.

If the vouchers are printed by third party…then it’s like printing money.

Imagine you are the person incharge of printing vouchers watching $$$ out of your printer. Hmmmm

Ok, the vouchers also must use special printing method as sophisticated as our Singapore Dollar Notes as fake vouchers may surface and the NTUC will still face problem of being over run by fake vouchers sold in the internet.

Things can go out of hand when poor citizens purchase fake vouchers with real money…and got refused to exchange for food…because it’s fake.

Frustration may becomes anger and then desperation. Food riots and looting comes after that….which is something that the Government must avoid.

Life continues after that but it will be chaotic.

Rules must be stringent on where the vouchers can purchase food and how fake vouchers holder will be prosecuted and of course strict security at the printing press with double strict auditing and transparency on the usage and quantity issued.