In a rather vulgar display of power, HDB cracked down on a single mother of two for selling curry puffs on the sideline, and since she could not afford to pay the fine, she had to spend five days in jail.
40-year-old Robiah Lia Caniago had been facing financial turmoil ever since her husband got jailed for drug offences back in March 2012, The New Paper reports. With public assistance not being enough to support her as well as her nine-year-old son and seven-year-old daughter, she did what any enterprising woman would do — make money by setting up a small business. She started making curry puffs from her two-room rental flat at Lengkok Bahru, to sell to nasi padang stalls, making only $20 a day.
Fortune smiled on her when her pastries became a hit among customers, and a man offered to partner up to expand the business. He bought cooking pots and pans for her kitchen, and Robiah was soon doubling the output of her curry puff production, bringing in more money to support her family.
The HDB however were less than thrilled to hear about her booming business and called on her last year in May to ask about her illegal business. After being charged in court last year, she was fined $3,000 for selling curry puffs without a license.
The sad thing is that she could not even afford to pay off the fine, and instead served a five-day default jail sentence instead. A distant relative flew in to Singapore and helped to take care of her two children while she served her prison sentence — they were told that she was just heading to Batam for five days. She has since been released on Sunday.
Speaking to The New Paper, she acknowledged that she had done wrong, but was insistent on refusing to depend on handouts. The Man just keeps bringing the little people down, but at least Robiah keeps fighting the good fight.
Photo: Wolfgang Lonien via Flickr
In a rather vulgar display of power, HDB cracked down on a single mother of two for selling curry puffs on the sideline, and since she could not afford to pay the fine, she had to spend five days in jail.
40-year-old Robiah Lia Caniago had been facing financial turmoil ever since her husband got jailed for drug offences back in March 2012, The New Paper reports. With public assistance not being enough to support her as well as her nine-year-old son and seven-year-old daughter, she did what any enterprising woman would do — make money by setting up a small business. She started making curry puffs from her two-room rental flat at Lengkok Bahru, to sell to nasi padang stalls, making only $20 a day.
Fortune smiled on her when her pastries became a hit among customers, and a man offered to partner up to expand the business. He bought cooking pots and pans for her kitchen, and Robiah was soon doubling the output of her curry puff production, bringing in more money to support her family.
The HDB however were less than thrilled to hear about her booming business and called on her last year in May to ask about her illegal business. After being charged in court last year, she was fined $3,000 for selling curry puffs without a license.
The sad thing is that she could not even afford to pay off the fine, and instead served a five-day default jail sentence instead. A distant relative flew in to Singapore and helped to take care of her two children while she served her prison sentence — they were told that she was just heading to Batam for five days. She has since been released on Sunday.
Speaking to The New Paper, she acknowledged that she had done wrong, but was insistent on refusing to depend on handouts. The Man just keeps bringing the little people down, but at least Robiah keeps fighting the good fight.
Photo: Wolfgang Lonien via Flickr