Crazy Rich Asians; Crazily Poor Asians
As the much-anticipated film hits the silver screen, get ready to be treated to a glimpse into the world of Asia’s crazy rich with their jet-set lifestyles, glamorous homes and holidays.
The novel was a great read and quite frankly I can’t wait to see the film. Its crazy to think that this isn’t just two hours of Hollywood escapism, a flight of fancy; that these people really do exist. Behind the pages of the society magazines and the gates of their servant-maintained mansions the mega-wealthy of Singapore, Hong Kong, and China go about their lives.
For the majority of Asians, however, life is very different. Even in Singapore, a country which has the highest per capita GDP in Asia (higher than Hong Kong), only the very few live the high-life whilst many face a daily struggle to get by.
Singapore’s income gap is one of the widest among developed countries. Whilst there are 213,000 individuals in the top 1% of global wealth holders the government’s statistics show that there are still up to 10% of Singaporeans with an average income of only $500 a month. Conversely, the cost of living in Singapore is one of the highest in the world. It’s not an unusual sight to see the wealthy walking from the designer stores on Orchard Road, weighed down with bags carrying the labels of the world’s most expensive designer brands, and passing a fellow citizen selling tissues for a few cents in a bid to make ends meet.
The Government has, naturally, taken steps to narrow the income gap by raising wages at the bottom and taxes at the top. Supplements to those on low incomes and increased spending on the social safety net have helped; but there are still those who fall between the gaps. This is where charity steps in.
Through personal fundraising pages Singaporeans are looking after each other. Where individuals can’t meet their own needs and where Government assistance doesn’t reach, the generosity of strangers steps in.
Currently utilising the Give Asia platform Junda, Elson and Maria are raising money for the Autism Resource Centre (Singapore). Through the creation of a music video and through collecting donations in exchange for plays they have, so far, raised $1,618 of their $5,000 goal.
Bernard Tan, amongst others, is Riding for Rations to raise funds for Sunlove Home in Marsiling. For the second year he will ride for 1,000 miles through Malaysia and the money he raises will go to his neighbours ; the charity seeks to distribute food rations to 380 needy households and provide breakfasts for up to 200 children before they go to school.
Many of the fundraising campaigns on Give.Asia are set up by Singaporeans seeking to help those around the region. Charity extending beyond Singapore’s borders reflects the realisation that throughout Asia the issues of income and wealth inequality are magnified a hundred thousand times. In Vietnam the Country’s richest man earns more in a day than the poorest man earns in a decade (Oxfam Inequality Report 2018).
Whilst many in Asia have escaped poverty over the past two decades, the number of Asians living on less than USD$1.90 per day (the recognised global poverty rate) still stands at over 700 million. Two thirds of the world’s poor live in Asia and whilst the mega-wealthy flourish, dire living conditions still prevail for the majority. Natural disasters and increasingly challenging weather conditions compound the situations of the poorest of the poor.
The Singapore Red Cross is asking for donations through Give.Asia to assist those who have and are suffering as a result of the recent floods in South India. The public appeal has so far raised $55,981 towards the $100,000 target. Their Lombok Earthquake Appeal still requires another $134,119 to reach its target.
On a more personal scale, Joi Tan Song Mui is seeking to raise just $700 to help a tuc tuc driver in Phnom Penh upgrade his bike so that he can continue to earn enough to support his family.
Whilst here in Singapore we may not all be money-rich (and we’re certainly not Crazy Rich Asians!) it would seem that we are rich in kindness. 1,211,957 people so far have given to others by donating to Give.Asia campaigns. In 1965 Singapore’s founding father, Mr Lee Kuan Yew pledged of “a more just and equal society”. I think he’d salute this Singaporean generosity of spirit.
Lucy-Ann Dale
