The aged mother of a drug abuser had to care for her young grandson while her daughter served time behind bars.

MP Christopher De Souza (Holland-Bukit Timah GRC) said the grandmother worked as a cleaner to meet the boy's needs.

Addressing Parliament yesterday, he said: "A bond has been built. But there is a missing link - his mother. Why? Drugs.

"When his mother was going to be released from the DRC (Drug Rehabilitation Centre), I wrote a letter to her personally. We wanted her to know what her own mother had to go through because of her drug addiction."

Mr De Souza added that he did not want the mother to return to her old ways, and she was offered a job.

"In the end, she thanked us but found somewhere else to work," said Mr De Souza.

Shaffiq Alkhatib