On the second day of Parliament, first-time Member of Parliament Derrick Goh claimed that the Self-employed persons Income Relief Scheme could have been better executed in order to help those in need better during this trying period.
Goh said that he has heard from many residents who were "upset" and perceived the scheme as "unfair" after being rejected for their application or unable to receive help from the scheme.
Among those rejected, some received a letter without stating clearly the reasons behind the rejection.
While NTUC website has listed some possible reasons, they were not specific to individuals' plights.
As a result, many were disappointed and described NTUC's response as cold and not helpful, Goh added.
Goh also questioned if means testing is too "blunt" for an extraordinary situation like Covid-19 even though it is consistent with other government aids.
"But Covid-19 relief isn’t a normal government scheme and in implementing this blunt tool, it needs to be recognised that it will exclude residents whom the relief measure was intended to help."
This contributes to why some residents "cannot come to terms with or do not fully comprehend" why their applications have failed.
Goh said that additional data points could have been used proactively to ensure those who are in need will not fall through the cracks due to means-testing.
For those who did not qualify for the relief scheme, Goh suggests that they should be directed to meet the eligibility criteria.
Residents' feedback on SIRS is one of the examples that Goh used to show that effective governance requires both good policies and good implementation of the policies.
On the implementation of policies, Goh felt that the government has "fallen a little short on delivery" during this period.
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Top photos via Derrick Goh's Facebook