Sitting 49 storeys up in an elegant private lounge right on Raffles Quay, a breathtaking view of the city skyline and the ocean beyond providing a panoramic backdrop to the interview, it’s easy to imagine Arthur Fong as a lofty high-society banking professional. After all, the father-of-two has made a name for himself as the executive director of wealth management at an international bank. But talk to the two-term Member of Parliament for West Coast GRC, who entered politics in 2001, and you’d discover a humble and down-to-earth soul, one who is genuinely concerned for the “extended family” of residents he represents.

WHAT’S A TYPICAL WEEK FOR YOU LIKE?
I try as much as I can to fi t in time with my family. If I’ve had an early night, I try to send my kids to school so that along the way, I have the chance to chat with my son or daughter. I have to attend a lot of meetings, either for the bank or as an MP, when I’m not traveling. Monday evenings are sometimes a scramble for me, because I have Meet-The-People Sessions (MPS), and sometimes my bank meetings last until 7 or 7:30 pm, so if I don’t have dinner by 4:30 pm, I probably won’t have a chance to eat! I also attend a lot of grassroots and Resident Committee (RC) meetings in the evenings, which I try as much as possible to attend, as I value the volunteers a lot. I also have my block visits, and on Saturdays, I pop in to my constituency either alone or with my wife to have breakfast, or just to walk around and interact. Once, I tried going around to 13 coffee shops to have a coffee (with residents), and each time, I had to make it seem like it was my first cup!

WHAT ARE SOME OF THE THINGS YOU DEAL WITH IN YOUR WORK IN CLEMENTI?
A lot of the cases I deal with come up at MPS, or when RC members highlight particular families that require help. When these residents come to me, it seems like their problems are overwhelming, but if you look at their situation and tackle one problem at a time, it’s not impossible.

The saddest thing for me is when there are help programmes available, but people don’t know about it. I know in the CDC, there are no less than 18- 20 programmes to help needy families. I’m particularly happy to say that we piloted one programme that I’ve found very useful – HOME or Healthcare on the Move. We have 43 cases, people who are not ambulant, who are being helped by this.

WHAT ARE SOME KEY INITIATIVES COMING UP IN CLEMENTI THIS YEAR?
There is something I’ve wanted to do in Clementi in the Lunar New Year called “Clementi Cares”. It’s about caring in many ways – caring for the environment, the surrounds in which we live in and not just depending on or blaming the army of estate cleaners, and care for other residents, be it their welfare or simply being considerate.

Also, back in October when PM visited, we did an international food fair. We had a lot of foreign residents, and each brought prepared food from their countries. The theme was community engagement, and we suggested forming interest groups among these people, be it food or cultural events to kick it off sometime this year. It was a wonderful entry point for new residents, and I think we want to do a lot more of this.

WHAT ARE YOUR VIEWS ON ASSISTING THE NEEDY?
Well, there are two groups that need assistance. One requires longer-term assistance. They may have very young kids, are divorced, and have no way of getting a job, or earning enough to pay for childcare. Together with the CDC and CCC, we have all these programmes to help them with fi nancial aid for school, but they may need more, like for utilities, because there’s no income.

For this group, I believe there should be sustained assistance. The other group is the one we need to help break the cycle. We need to convince them to work, that someone in the family has to work. If you can work, and get an amount, even if it’s $300, and knowing what expense this $300 can contribute to, will motivate the person to work. For example, if your utilities come up to $150 every month, the $300 of income will cover 2 months of utilities. The household expense burden will be lightened with more working adults in the family. For this group, there’s light at the end of the tunnel.

We had this man who was helped by the CDC. He wasn’t a resident, but he spent a night at the void deck of one of our blocks and was approached by our volunteers. We helped him fi nd a job, and get a rental home where he could look after his mother. One day, I saw him working at a hawker centre as a dishwasher, and he was so happy that the CDC found him a job, that we helped him and gave him a chance, even though he just came out of prison. He was willing to work, and so happy about it.

SINGAPORE’S NOVEMBER 2007 INFLATION WAS THE HIGHEST IN 25 YEARS. HOW CAN YOU HELP RESIDENTS COPE WITH THE RISING COST OF LIVING?
I hear on the ground, even from my own mother, that things have gotten expensive in the markets. This is something the government is very aware of, but if you tell your residents that it’s a global thing, the response will be ‘So?’ So again, there are assistance programmes for low-income families. Mechanisms are in place, like NTUC vouchers, transport vouchers, and pay-as-you-use vouchers for utilities. We will continue to deliver assistance to people who need it.

And for those who are not so affected, hopefully their wages can compensate for some of the effects, as the economy has been doing well, and wages have been going up. Maybe it will help people better decide between what are wants and what are needs. As a banker, I think everybody needs to know the difference. For example, you might want a handphone, but you don’t need an iPhone right now.

FROM YOUR EXPERIENCE IN WEALTH MANAGEMENT, HOW WOULD YOU ADVISE RESIDENTS TO PLAN THEIR FINANCES IN THIS PERIOD OF TIME?
Be very clear and aware of how much and where your money is coming from. It is equally, if not more important to know where your money is spent on. That’s crucial. It’s not enough to save for a rainy day anymore. Now, you should save for a rainy season. Most of us pay for our housing through CPF, so it’s always a good idea to have at least one years’ worth of payments in your CPF, so if you find yourself out of a job, you can still pay for your house in the meantime.

People must also learn to tell the difference between being able to buy something and being able to maintain what you’ve bought. You can walk off and buy a car, but if you can’t maintain it, what good is that? Also, try to plan your expenses around one salary. That way, if someone falls ill or there’s some emergency, someone in the family can give up a job. That gives you more room and more options.

And finally, watch those credit cards. I personally only carry two, and only use one. I tell you that, I can use it at lunch, and I come back to the office and pay over the internet right away, because I don’t want to forget and be charged late fees or worse, interest on any outstanding amount. You must plug this leakage to be financially prudent.