Anson Ng, 55, is a second-hand car dealer and the owner of Presto Expat Motoring Services, but his charitable work for over two decades is what sets him apart from others. Throughout the day, Ng receives calls and messages from friends and strangers who need help paying medical bills or covering funeral fees.
Over 20 years ago, Ng started helping out at old age homes and hospices and befriending seniors, cooking for the terminally ill, and offering to make arrangements for those who could not afford it.
His charity, Hao Ren Hao Shi (Good People, Good Deeds), has been giving out monthly provisions and food to the less fortunate since 2018 and helps about 1,000 families a month. Ng feels strongly about helping the less fortunate and believes that money is not everything. This belief stems from his own childhood experience of having to work odd jobs to help his family make ends meet after his adoptive father committed suicide.
It is for these deeds that Ng was named The Straits Times Singaporean of the Year 2022, an award organized by The Straits Times and sponsored by UBS Singapore, which recognizes an individual or group that has made an impact in society. The award is now in its eighth year and has showcased daily heroes who inspire Singaporeans through their actions.
For his kind deeds and positive impact on the less fortunate, Ng received the award from President Halimah Yacob, who was the guest of honor at the award ceremony at Raffles Hotel. Madam Halimah praised the nominees for their impact on society and said that their stories of grit, goodwill, and glory will remind the nation to stand together and inspire them to move forward as one united people.
Ng was nominated alongside other finalists, such as Priveen Suraj Santakumar and Charanjit Singh Walia who fed Ukrainian refugees in Poland, Khairiah Hanim Mazlan, a private-hire car driver who talks to passengers about their mental health, and Associate Professor Too Heng-Phon, a biochemist passionate about Singapore’s life sciences scene.
Ng was awarded a trophy and $20,000 in cash, while the other finalists received $5,000 each. The winner also receives a five-night stay at any of the Millennium & Copthorne Hotels’ global properties, a three-night stay at Raffles Hotel Singapore, and a pair of Singapore Airlines business class tickets.
