At this year’s Committee of Supply debate on the budget for Ministry for Community Development, Youth and Sports, I accepted Minister Dr Vivian Balakrishnan’s suggestion to move a Private Members’ Bill to amend the Act. The 10-member Workgroup I had assembled has completed its review and recommendations.
The key objective of our review was to enhance the effectiveness of the Act for its beneficiaries, while retaining its original intention of deterring unfilial adult children from neglecting their duty to care for their parents.
To reiterate, the review is not an attempt to legislate filial piety. Rather, it emphasizes the principles which our social safety net are based on – that of personal responsibility, family responsibility and the Many-Helping-Hands approach. Filial piety continues to be a value that a majority of society holds dear. The Act therefore is applicable and necessary for a minority group of vulnerable parents. The proposed amendments are a response to changing social landscapes and an ageing society that will put increasing stress on families, and the greater need to build more resilient families in the face of such pressures.
The Act embraces key principles that bear emphasis. The first is the element of reciprocity of care. In application, this means that the Tribunal or Commissioner for the Maintenance of Parents considers all circumstances of the parties involved, including parents’ treatment of their children in the past and spending habits. These considerations determine the merits of the case and the final verdict or agreement reached. The Act is neither a means for parents to demand money to meet their frivolous needs, nor an avenue parents may abuse to demand for support from children whom they had not contributed to the upbringing.
The second key principle is the emphasis on conciliation. We recognize that to most parents, the notion of taking one’s children to Court is a drastic or even unthinkable option. In a bid to maintain family ties, we advocate for differences to be resolved amicably and not through legal actions. The importance of this non-adversarial approach has been further strengthened in the review by giving more attention to and space for conciliation.
Thank you.