News

I am one of three court-appointed joint deputies for a relative who is incapable of managing her financial and other affairs. Two of us belong to the Pioneer and Merdeka generations.  We have been dutifully submitting the annual deputy report to the Office of the Public Guardian (OPG), with the help of an accountant. This has gone smoothly for the past eight years. However, the OPG informed us on Nov 14 that all reports must be submitted online, using the Singpass account of one of the joint deputies. When we asked the OPG if we can appoint a professional to do the submission on our behalf, we were told that we cannot. I appreciate that as a Smart Nation, we should try to digitalise most of our transactions with government agencies. But although this may be simple and convenient for most citizens, Pioneer and Merdeka generation seniors often find it a challenge just to use a computer, let alone submit documents electronically.   The new system has additional reporting requirements which make our job as deputies more burdensome. They are more complicated, and require coordination between multiple parties online before submission. I fail to understand why deputies cannot hire professionals to prepare and file these reports on their behalf. Deputies would be able to discharge their duties more efficiently, leaving professionals to navigate the complexities of online reporting. Even for private matters such as income tax submission, professionals can be hired to submit the tax returns.  In trying to safeguard the interests of the incapacitated, the OPG should not impose superfluous reporting requirements on deputies. Unpaid deputies are already overstretched in having to provide daily care for their charges, over and above their families’ needs and their own.