46 But social workers say sub-letting is just too lucrative an opportunity to turn down for many poorer tenants, who are often approached by interested parties. ‘Many of these old folks have never earned or seen so much money before in their lives so it’s very tempting to give in,’ says Ms Mabel Wong, 43, a volunteer from the Lions Befrienders, who has been helping out in Jalan Kukoh for 16 years. Of course, it is not just the upward mobility of the newcomers which rubs the old guard the wrong way but the real reminders of it, especially when they move in with their flashy gadgets and plush furniture from their old lives. At first glance, Mr Ramah looks to be living it up. His small apartment is crammed with a giant plasma TV set, a designer couch, an exercise bicycle and a fish tank filled with a dozen koi. But the modern conveniences do not reflect his current predicament, he maintains. ‘All these are from my old home. I bought them when times were good.’ He had no money to spare for new furniture after moving to Block 2 since his savings had dwindled because of his
mother’s medical bills. So he has to make do with the bulky furniture from his old flat, even though there is hardly any walking space. Yet some older residents, whose houses are bare, seem resentful. He notes a few have a disconcerting habit of staring into his flat, wordlessly, as if ‘checking out’ his stuff. About four months ago, Mr Ramah and his mother were watching TV when a middle-aged, heavily-tattooed neighbour, who lives two doors away, strode towards his flat He walked up to his door, carrying what looked like a ’30cm-long knife’ concealed within a rolled-up newspaper, and challenged him to a fight. ‘It was ridiculous. Why should I give in, make him happy and fight him?’ says Mr Ramah, who immediately rang the police. When the police arrived, the neighbour accused Mr Ramah of being a snob and ‘looking down’ on him. In his own defence, Mr Ramah, who denies any condescending behaviour towards his neighbours, says: ‘I open my door, not to show