I'd like to share Fatimah's post. Someone had written in to make some allegations about people being turned away by Fatimah, questioning Pei Ling's efforts in helping her residents etc.
These days, it really cost nothing to run people down and cast aspersions. None of us are perfect and I am sure we can all improve. But it is another thing altogether when we just denigrate people's work from behind our keyboard.
Many of us have people coming to see us from beyond our own wards. For example, I see many from my neighbouring Aljunied GRC. As do my colleagues. We don't hold anything against these residents or other. We will assist where we can. And when we can't, we will find alternatives or advice as best as we are able to. There are often local solutions that we can bring to bear.
In fact, there is a a recurrent case that I am following up on. It is a dire because the individual is having serious psychiatric issues. But it was because Pei Ling adviced him to seek psychiatric help that it triggered him to finally be willing to do that with his family. That was when we found out how severe his situation was.
Well, whatever that goes on online, the real world continues. We will continue to serve our people to the best of our ability. We hope that others step forward and work with us to reach out to those in need, or who sometimes just need a listening ear.
For that, we are grateful to our volunteers and helpers. Thank you.
Tan Chuan Jin
Acting Minister in the Ministry of Manpower
Minister Tan Chuan Jin was responding to a Facebook post on Minister Fatimah Lateef status update
Below is what she wrote:
Life is full of perceptions..... one may not necessarily have all the evidence and information and yet one gets carried away with the "herd mentality " of joining what is rolling on... esp on social media. Not every thing seen on these platforms are valid with clear explanations. As MPs we serve in whatever capacity we can... at my MPS sessions i have residents from even out of marine parade GRC coming to see me. This week alone, there were people from as far as Woodlands.. do we turn them away? NO... because they have travelled all the way to see us. We explain to them , make their case representation and cc to their own MP s . In fact not many people will know that i actually go and visit unit by unit to check and from these visits alone, issues i discover are raised... i dont even have to wait for them to come to MPS or to surface to me... i go and sought them out... . .last night alone ( not related to MPS), I made 8 representations to agencies just from things I found out.. this goes on daily in a proactive way.
So if people who do not have the accurate information, do not know the real issues, do not bother to find out the real thing, join the 'herd' and say i "look like a monkey" , "i am ugly", "my ears are big" ( i say the better to hear what my residents are saying), blow things out of proportion and develop personal attack.... am i going to let it l stop my work of serving. You know what my answer will be…
In the mean time more work in the community, more letters to sign , more emails , more patients to see and help and work at the hospital till tomorrow as I am on call today
[Source: https://www.facebook.com/TanChuanJin1/posts/534254166617363]
Editor's Note: What do you think? Please keep it to a healthy discussion and agree to disagree. Thank you!