Publications from ODSW Social Insights: Letters by DSW (Vol 2) | Page 151

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demonstrated through acts of helping engenders trust and mitigates the
social divides among the segments of society that are experiencing different
rates of progress.
“Many Helping Hands is the Singapore Way of helping that small segment of
our community who cannot keep pace with the rest of the population. They
are found in every society, however affluent and progressive. Such families
lag behind the rest of the population. They are in danger of becoming
destitute, despite the comprehensive social security net in the form of the
Central Provident Fund Scheme which provides protection in old age, major
illness, incapacity and premature death of a breadwinner.” (The Next Lap,
1991).
The government provides 1-for-1 financial assistance to voluntary welfare
organizations (VWOs) to deliver some essential social services which can
provide the impetus to expand their services. The 1-for-1 support was
introduced with the aim of building a foundation for shared responsibility
where the public, people and private sectors work together to jointly
provide social service. It was intended and cont inues to foster community
involvement and active volunteerism that sustains the development of a
compassionate society, which is one that looks after its disadvantaged
members and helps them to be participative members of society or live
lives of dignity.
Requiring agencies to raise one half of the funds from the public would have
produced two consequences. First, agencies would have raised awareness
about social issues and support for their work while trying to communicate
their cause to the public. Second, the tension created by the formula would
have helped to distil clarity of the need for the service and provide the
traction for the consumption of services.
This partnership in social service provision allows the government to
increase and build on social welfare through social agencies using its own
brand of strong state-supported welfare without making Singapore into a
traditional welfare state. (It must be noted however that the government
continues to provide the cash transfers for the poor and more vulnerable
groups in society which it had traditionally done so.) This arrangement in a
way places a premium on ensuring that there is a close working relationship
between the government and the VWOs. The system of helping the needy
through VWOs has to deliver because the social contract between the
government and citizens is at stake. The interdependence between the state
and the social agencies has made the partnership arrangement reasonably
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