Kenneth Jeyaretnam criticizes MSF’s POFMA on NCMP Leong Mun Wai’s Facebook post

For an elderly couple aged 65 and above, the figure rises to S$2,551, while those aged between 55 and 64 years require S$1,857.

Mr Jeyaretnam also pointed out that S$830 a month adds up to only S$9,960 a year, and he questioned the lack of explanation from MSF and called for a breakdown between vouchers and actual cash, emphasizing the potential limitations of vouchers compared to cash.

He contended that the couple’s CPF savings of over S$100,000 are irrelevant to their current needs, as they cannot withdraw more than S$5,000 unless they each have the Basic Retirement Sum.

“The rest has to go to buy a CPF Life annuity. As the husband is 60 and the wife 55 they will only be able to access this money through the purchase of an annuity in 5 years, in the case of the husband’s savings, and 10 years in the case of the wife. That does nothing for their cash needs now.”

In addition, Mr Jeyaretnam pointed out that even if the couple converts S$100,000 of CPF savings into an annuity, the resulting income is expected to be approximately S$1,000 per month.

Regarding the clarification from MSF, it was stated that in April 2023, the woman received a lump sum CPF payout of S$5,000.

S$300 assistance from a temple

Furthermore, Mr Jeyaretnam raised questions about the value of NTUC vouchers, suggesting that they may not entail costs for the government and could potentially be funded by the excess profits earned by NTUC Fairprice.

He also emphasized that a significant portion of the assistance, specifically S$300, comes from a temple.

Mr Jeyaretnam stressed that unless the temple is state-funded, this contribution is not government money but rather derived from private donations.

Jeyaretnam’s critique of Government’s alleged confidential information leak

Jeyaretnam also criticizes the government for allegedly leaking confidential information about the couple without their consent, including details about their CPF and Medisave.

Drawing a comparison with a previous incident involving Hri Kumar, a former PAP MP, who disclosed that an elderly woman complaining about CPF withdrawal lived in landed property, Jeyaretnam contends that such actions would be considered criminal in most developed countries.

“In the UK and the EU it would be a breach of GDPR (General Data Protection Regulations),” he then questioned the exemption of government agencies from the Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA) in Singapore.

Mr Jeyaretnam expressed concern over the release of the couple’s confidential data, asserting that its sole purpose seems to be enabling the PAP Government to score a political point.

“Singaporeans should decide whether this is appropriate or whether it should be made a breach under the PDPA.”