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

Mr Anson Ng | The Straits Instances/Asia Information Community

SINGAPORE — A second-hand automotive vendor who has made it his life’s mission to assist strangers in want was named The Straits Instances Singaporean of the 12 months 2022 on Thursday.

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

He began serving to out at outdated age houses and hospices greater than 20 years in the past, befriending seniors and cooking for the terminally in poor health.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

Mr Ng, proprietor of second-hand automotive dealership Presto Expat Motoring Companies, stated: “I can’t convey my cash with me once I die. I’d fairly spend it to make these individuals comfortable and supply them with the send-off they deserve. Cash is absolutely not every thing.”

Mr Ng, who’s married with two kids, 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 Folks, 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 form deeds and optimistic affect on the much less lucky, Mr Ng on Thursday acquired the Singaporean of the 12 months award from President Halimah Yacob, who was the visitor of honor on the award ceremony at Raffles Lodge.

Mr Ng stated: “I didn’t anticipate to win the award, since so many individuals are doing good. However it’s a good likelihood to inform Singapore about how necessary it’s to serve our needy and aged. We should train our younger to do good, in order that our nation can be in good fingers sooner or later. Who else will deal with our sick and outdated sooner or later?”

Madam Halimah stated the 2022 nominees have been a different lot, however they have been united by the affect they made on society.

“These Singapore tales of grit, goodwill and glory will remind us to face collectively, and encourage us to maneuver ahead as one united individuals. Allow us to elevate our heads, allow us to rejoice the sunshine in every of us; and in flip, allow us to all be the sunshine in our society,” she stated.

Organized by The Straits Instances, the Singaporean of the 12 months award is given every year to a Singaporean particular person or group that has made an affect in society.

This might be by way of achievements which have put Singapore on the worldwide stage, for bettering the lives of others, or displaying resilience within the face of adversity. The award is now in its eighth yr.

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 automotive driver who talks to passengers about their psychological well being; and Affiliate Professor Too Heng-Phon, a biochemist enthusiastic about Singapore’s life sciences scene.

Different finalists embrace 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 acquired $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 Inns’ international properties and a three-night keep at Raffles Lodge Singapore, in addition to a pair of Singapore Airways (SIA) enterprise class tickets. The remaining finalists every acquired a three-night keep at any of Millennium & Copthorne Inns’ international properties and a pair of SIA financial system class tickets.

Editor of The Straits Instances Jaime Ho stated: “This yr, 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 beneficiant beliefs all of us aspire to ourselves, and leads the best way in displaying that each deed, massive or small, begins with one particular person and has infinite potential to encourage.”

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

He stated: “Anson Ng, our Singaporean of the 12 months 2022, demonstrated the way it was potential to present dignity and respect in demise by way of his charitable work for over 20 years.”

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.

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