JiShan Single Mothers Club chairman Goh Teck Kuan has decided that from now on, the club will only help distressed individuals from this demographic in skills training and to find employment.
Goh said he would no longer be helping them sort out their personal problems or look for accommodation.
He made the decision after being harassed by a stranger when he tried to assist a single mother.
Goh with a copy of the police report he lodged.
“Last month, I received a call from the Stulang assemblyman’s office, asking me to assist a single mother in Skudai.
“The same afternoon, I met the woman, known as Soon, at a shopping centre in Taman Sutera Utama to hear her out.
“She told me she was involved with a man but she wanted to move out, so she needed a place to stay.
“As my club’s safe house had been shut down years ago, I referred her to the Skudai assemblyman’s office,” he said.
Goh said that about a week later, he received a call from a man who chided him for “only helping the single mother halfway”.
“The man, whom I did not know, claimed that the woman had attempted to take her own life and was admitted to the hospital’s intensive care unit.
“He was unhappy with the way I handled things and threatened me by saying that someone from the Iskandar Puteri MP’s office would be getting in touch with me for a chat soon.”
After ending the call, Goh immediately checked with the Iskandar Puteri MP’s assistant, who denied having any knowledge about the matter.
Goh said the man continued to harass him with multiple phone calls.
“On Sept 28, I found out that Soon had been going around asking people for money.
“She apparently also left her two children at a friend’s house along with my contact number,” he said, adding that he lodged a report at the Taman Perling police station the next day.
“Throughout my 20 years’ experience, I have encountered harassment but not as bad as this.
“After discussing the matter with my team, we agreed to no longer handle personal matters affecting single mothers.
“We will focus on giving them skills training, job opportunities and food aid,” he said.
Goh took over as head of the club after former Gelang Patah MP Tan Ah Eng, who was chairman of the South Johor Single Mothers Association, passed away in 2013.
He was previously her personal assistant and decided to change the association’s name in 2018.
