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Man who pays for strangers’ funerals, medical payments: ‘I am unable to deliver my cash with me once I die’

February 10, 2023

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Mr Anson Ng | The Straits Times/Asia News Network

SINGAPORE — A second-hand automobile vendor who has made it his life’s mission to assist strangers in want was named The Straits Times Singaporean of the Year 2022 on Thursday.

Mr Anson Ng, 55, will get calls and messages all through the day from associates and strangers who need assistance paying medical payments or overlaying funeral charges.

He began serving to out at previous age houses and hospices greater than 20 years in the past, befriending seniors and cooking for the terminally unwell. Learning about their final needs, he provided to make preparations for individuals who couldn’t afford it.

Mr Ng, proprietor of second-hand automobile dealership Presto Expat Motoring Services, stated: “I can’t bring my money with me when I die. I would rather spend it to make these people happy and provide them with the send-off they deserve. Money is really not everything.”

Mr Ng, who’s married with two youngsters, feels strongly about serving to the much less lucky. When he was 9, his adoptive father killed himself, leaving him to work odd jobs to assist his household make ends meet.

His charity Hao Ren Hao Shi (Good People, Good Deeds) has given out month-to-month provisions and meals to the much less lucky since 2018, and helps about 1,000 households a month.

For his variety deeds and constructive impression on the much less lucky, Mr Ng on Thursday obtained the Singaporean of the Year award from President Halimah Yacob, who was the visitor of honor on the award ceremony at Raffles Hotel.

Mr Ng stated: “I didn’t expect to win the award, since so many people are doing good. But it is a good chance to tell Singapore about how important it is to serve our needy and elderly. We must teach our young to do good, so that our nation will be in good hands in the future. Who else will take care of our sick and old in the future?”

Madam Halimah stated the 2022 nominees had been a various lot, however they had been united by the impression they made on society.

“These Singapore stories of grit, goodwill and glory will remind us to stand together, and inspire us to move forward as one united people. Let us lift our heads, let us celebrate the light in each of us; and in turn, let us all be the light in our society,” she stated.

Organized by The Straits Times, the Singaporean of the Year award is given every year to a Singaporean particular person or group that has made an impression in society.

This may very well be by way of achievements which have put Singapore on the worldwide stage, for enhancing the lives of others, or displaying resilience within the face of adversity. The award is now in its eighth 12 months.

Mr Ng was nominated alongside different finalists, like Mr Priveen Suraj Santakumar and Mr Charanjit Singh Walia who fed Ukrainian refugees in Poland; Ms Khairiah Hanim Mazlan, a private-hire automobile driver who talks to passengers about their psychological well being; and Associate Professor Too Heng-Phon, a biochemist obsessed with Singapore’s life sciences scene.

Other finalists embody Ms Alison Lim and Mr Anjang Rosli, a pair with dementia who assist others with their situation; the founding father of consideration deficit hyperactivity dysfunction organisation Unlocking ADHD, Ms Moonlake Lee; married badminton gamers Terry Hee and Jessica Tan; in addition to desk tennis participant Feng Tianwei.

Mr Ng was awarded a trophy and $20,000 in money, whereas the opposite finalists obtained $5,000 every. The prize cash is sponsored by UBS Singapore, which has supported the award since its inception.

The winner will get a five-night keep at any of the Millennium & Copthorne Hotels’ international properties and a three-night keep at Raffles Hotel Singapore, in addition to a pair of Singapore Airlines (SIA) enterprise class tickets. The remaining finalists every obtained a three-night keep at any of Millennium & Copthorne Hotels’ international properties and a pair of SIA financial system class tickets.

Editor of The Straits Times Jaime Ho stated: “This 12 months, we honor a devoted particular person who has devoted greater than 20 years of his life to the much less lucky in Singapore.

“He epitomizes the selfless and generous ideals we all aspire to ourselves, and leads the way in showing that every deed, big or small, starts with one person and has infinite potential to inspire.”

Mr Edmund Koh, president of UBS Asia Pacific of UBS Group and UBS, stated that the award showcases each day heroes who encourage Singaporeans by way of their actions.

He stated: “Anson Ng, our Singaporean of the Year 2022, demonstrated how it was possible to give dignity and respect in death through his charitable work for over two decades.”

The 2021 award went to Mr Sakthibalan Balathandautham, who donated a part of his liver to a one-year-old lady he had by no means met after he got here throughout a plea on-line from a younger couple.