General Paper Tuition Singapore A level General Paper Tuition -‘Success is determined by one’s ability’. What is your view?

T: the State and family matters

I: The degree in which the State should help with family matters

C: your society

K: State, involve, family matters

Definition of the state: A nation or territory considered as an organised political community under one government. In this essay, it is relevant to see the state as going beyond the government, also extending to government related agencies.

Involve: The idea of participating and contributing.

Family matters: Family matters entails issues that involve family life. This includes many facets such as caring for the elderly, maintenance of a harmonious family, ensuring that the family can develop and grow by having a roof over their heads and so on. Many of these issues often focus on the overall well-being of the family and is thus an intangible concept.

Why the state should involve itself

1. As the overall ruling power, it can recommend laws that will oversee the welfare of society, with families being included. 

1. Maintenance of parents act – parents to file for a Maintenance Order against their children who are not supporting them financially, if conciliation does not work out.
2. Personal Protection Order – for those who are experiencing family violence
3. Laws regarding divorce – who to get custody of children (if any), monthly alimony/maintenance fees

2. The state has the ability to implement policies that will ensure family well-being. 

1. Without such implementations, it will be difficult to monitor that all companies are helping their employees achieve well being at work.
2. Fiveday work week was implemented in the early 2000s so that work –life balance could be better achieved

1. Flexible maternity leave of up to 16 weeks

http://www.ecitizen.gov.sg/Topics/Pages/Maternity-leave-How-to-apply.aspx

1. 1 week Paternity leave was also granted in 2013

1. 2 days of Childcare leave per parent

1. CPF Medisave account of $3,000 will also be created for each Singaporean baby “to further support parents in planning for their children’s healthcare need” and to encourage MediShield enrolment, the government said in a press release.

1. The government has policies to ensure that young families get priority and generous subsidies to own their own HDB flat. Bringing down property prices of resale flats through the use of cooling measures can also be seen as a way in which governments are helping families find a place to settle down in. Helping families have secure housing (as well as an asset to own) ensures their well-being.
2. With such policies being implemented, many facets of a healthy family are being looked at. A five day work week ensures that families can spend time together and bond over the weekends. Parents are able to care for their newborn and provide the newborn with love and concern with maternity and paternity leave. Furthermore, the health of the family is taken care of as they can freely seek medical treatment without having to worry too much about money. Lastly, families have a place to call home, which is essential in creating bonds and also promoting a sense of belonging and security.

3. The state is dependent upon families for the country’s development, since families are the basic building block of any society.
4. Since the state needs families for its development, it should therefore help to build families and maintain families
5. Low child birth and high rate of ageing population are key concerns in which the government needs to address
6. Medisave – can be used for medical bills and is transferrable amongst family members i.e. children can use their Medisave to pay for their parents medical bills. Only healthy members of a society are able to play an active role in their careers, passions etc. Thus with health of the family being taken care of, family members are able to contribute to society in their own ways.
7. Baby Bonuses provide parents with the incentive to have children and support they need to bring up their children. Baby bonuses increase with every child born, thus making it lucrative to some degree. The state requires that it’s population be maintained or grow, so that the citizens of the State can contribute economically. With a low child birth rate, the State is unable to meet its desired population size. The state thus needs to be involved as it can provide the measures that would encourage people to have children, thus replacing the population and meeting the State’s desired population size for economic development.

iii. Ageing population – pioneer population package that recognizes the contributions of the pioneer generation to Singapore but also serves as a means of support to the elderly. This takes the pressure of family members who are supporting the elderly, especially monetary wise. The elderly in this case, would be better equipped in their retirement, allowing them to focus on building family bonding through taking care of their grandchildren for example. This then encourages people to settle down and start a family since there are trustworthy caretakers for their children. This kicks off healthy population growth. In addition, with financial pressures taken away, family members can also contribute to society in other ways, e.g. contributing time to community events etc.

Why the state should not involve itself

1. Family matters are immensely private and should not be the business of anyone outside the family 

1. Furthermore, family members may suffer embarrassment and may not want their dirty laundry to be aired to any outsider.

Chung kin Chun:

http://www.straitstimes.com/news/singapore/courts-crime/story/tussle-over-widows-40m-assets-turns-ugly-20140903

1. A similar idea would apply to the idea of having children as well, as whether a couple chooses to have children or not should be their decision, and not based on whether they will receive incentives from the government

2. Involvement of the State in family matters affects employers, especially small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and private businesses 

The maternity leave implemented from the government protects the welfare of the families, but often leaves the employer at a loss. Having to find and hire help for the long period in which the mother is absent from work. This results in more time, effort and money being spent, which is not ideal for smaller businesses.

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