Social Problems caused by the Loansharks OR the Problem Gamblers ?

I came across this piece of article in the Chinese New Paper on Sunday. I read with interest and concerns.

Have we gotton our direction wrong ?
Have we gotton our focus wrong ?

What's the root of the problem ? Is it really Mr. Shark?

Please don't get me wrong. I am definitely not pro Mr. Shark and not a supportor of Mr. Shark. I condemn their acts and digusted with their cowardly actions of harassement in the dark.

But my concerns and questions are

1) Did Mr. Shark forces anyone to take loans from them ?

2) Did Mr. Shark beg the borrower to take the loan ? Please, tolon lah ... take the money ??

3) Didn't Mr. Shark explains clearly the crazy interest one has to repay weekly or monthly on top of the principle amount ?

4) Didn't Mr. Shark warns the borrower the consequences of not repaying ?

So why the borrower, knowing all the above yet still wana borrow leh ??
And once they realised that they can't make repayment , they cried foul play ?? Cry uncle, Cry auntie !!

Then what these borrower do ?
- - Try all means to repay ... quickest way is to gamble and hope for the best

- - Those want easy way out would Just pass on their problems to their family members, to the society and to the authority.

- - Those struggling with shame and guilt may Just jump and end their life ... but unknowingly they would still pass on their problems to their family members now with added "PAIN"


So where's the root of the problem ? Mr Shark or The Borrower ??
Why the increase of Sharks swimming in our neighbour ?

Simple logical explanation = got demand got supply ... doesn't take a business genius to give the answer!!

Over the years, some very entrepreneur Sharks even set up company and became "Legal Money Lender" by getting a proper licence from the authority. They openly placed advertisements on the papers.

So there a loop hole somewhere ? There's probably an answer somewhere out there.

I worry about this so call "freedom of speech" so I am not going to get myself into trouble by criticising ... This issue has been greatly debated in the parliment, in the papers etc ..

But does it changes the price of pork ? Or shall I say changes the price of "Shark" ?? hahaha

I rather that what i wrote in my blog will create some form of awareness and able to reach out to the problem gamblers suffering out there, especially their family members. Hope my article will ring some bell and wake them up from insanity and seek help early before all is lost ... tragic happens.

What does this hot line for the Anti-Loanshark campaign encourages ?

Without doubts calls will pour in ... More will be arrested by our effective authority. The growth of Sharks swimming in our community maybe contained. But they will not be extinct as they will continue to reproduce because there's still food for them to feed on.

So the Million Dollar Question is - - Will this stop the growth of borrower ??

And my next question is how many percent of them are Problem Gamblers ?
- - Do you need even to make that guess ??  Who would be so desparate to wana borrow from the sharks knowing the huge interests and the consequences of non-repayment ?

My concern is and I have known couple of cases that some borrower take the money and not even making one repayment, report the Sharks to the police.... funny right !! Take the money then try to kill the Sharks.

So would this campaign provide a easy way out from Problem Gamblers ? Take the money first, try my luck again ... If I win, I repay back so next time can borrow again. If I lose, report police and call the Ant-Shark hot-line....

Then, what's the repercussion ? Shark's will still con't to swim around and look for their prey and they would get even more aggressive !!!

Should we then re-adjust our focus and working on the real root of the problems existing in our community?

I remember during one of my sharing with the Minister of MCYS at a NCPG dinner back in year 2008, the Minister, Dr Vivian Balakrishnan ask me, in my opinion

1) Why aren't the problems gamblers coming out to seek help ?

2) What would attracts the problem gamblers to come out and seek help ?

I remembered I spoke briefly about the following

1) Why gamblers doesn't want help
2) Gamblers in denial
3) Easy access of money and to bookie to fight back (includes loansharks problem)
4) Enablers in family
5) Non-acceptance of gambling addiction as a illness in our community. It's still view as moral weakness
6) Holistic approach to help attracts problem gamblers into recovery

Over the past two years, I have tried to share these experiences as a gambling addict with many different people, agencies and parties ..... And I am still trying.

I have reached out to many recovery people and in some cases, with there's cases who were charged on Cheating and Criminal Breach of Trust. In cases, where they were not caught, they surrender themselves after seeking proper treatment, BUT during the sentence, the judge still said, gambling addiction is not a migating factor. In one of the case, the judge didn't even mentioned anything about this willingness to come out and seek treatment for the root cause of all the problems in his life. And for a very small amount of money, which he has made full repayment, he was still sentenced to imprisionment for 3 months.

BUT what stuck me was 2 days ago, when a serious rape case committed by 5 teenages was changed to a serious molest charge and they are all let off with light sentence ?? God, what is wrong ?

It was quoted in the papers that one of the reason was because they were young and deserved a chance.... ? It's a serious crime and it destroyed the life of the poor young victim. If they deserved that chance, what about addicts who were willinging to surrender themselves and seek help ? 

Insanity perhaps ...

It take loads of courage for an addict to be honest, surrender and seek proper help especially being insane for such a long period of time, stuck in the addiction cycle. At any stages of one's life, this act is extremely painful for an addict. He is sick all these while and doesn't know how to deal with his life anymore. But he decided to get help. Imagine how difficult it is going to be if there's no acceptance from the family and from the society .... Just like any cancer patient, if there's no acceptance, support, love and care, would they still wants to carry on living ?? At one stage, I wanted to end it too.

I am not trying to gain any pity or sympathy here.

We, as addict, don't need sympathy.

We need a chance. A chance for us to be responsible for what we have done, for us to be responsible for our recovery. A chance for us to live again. BUT it will take time.

For a start, we need acceptance, a hope.

I am grateful I am alive today and able to share this with many who read my blog. I hope someone, somewhere, who has the power, would read this and able to readjust our focus, our energy and our budget in dealing with the real roots of the problems in the society. Maybe that person is only God.