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It has become easier for some of Singapore’s most vulnerable families to get help, but well-meaning observers may be worried. It is natural to wonder if the nation’s longstanding belief in self-reliance is getting diluted.
The truth is simpler and more reassuring. In helping vulnerable families climb out of the poverty trap, the ComLink+ scheme is also acknowledging – more pragmatically – the harsh realities of their lives.
Dr Wong Chin Yi is a research fellow at the Institute of Policy Studies Social Lab at the National University of Singapore.