Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Misguided into Thinking about Armed Jihad
So there is yet another member of my community who is sadly convinced that armed violence is justified and this is grave news. At least the Inter-Religious Organisation has quickly stepped in to voice their faith that the person detained does not represent our whole Muslim community. My non-Muslim friends also know that the majority of Muslims do not support violent jihad but they admit that there will always be others who just want to focus that Islam condones terrorism. People would always believe what they want to believe in, just like the deviant preachers who use religion to justify their anti-US politcs e.g. Anwar al-Alwaki, Osama bin Laden. What is left for us Muslims to do is to continue stressing to fellow Muslims and non-Muslims that such individuals bent on violence go against the teachings of Islam and use the Quran and Hadith selectively. Insyahallah more and more people would be convinced that Islam is a religion of peace.
Ties among religious leaders remain strong: IRO president
By S Ramesh | Posted: 06 July 2010 1814 hrs
Channel News Asia
SINGAPORE : Singapore's Inter-Religious Organisation President, Venerable Sik Kwang Sheng, has said he is confident that the latest ISA detention case will not affect relations amongst the different religious leaders.
He told Channel NewsAsia that those detained formed a small minority of the Malay-Muslim community and they do not represent the community at large.
He stressed that over time, the rapport between the leaders of the Malay community and the other religious leaders has grown with trust being built amongst one another.
Furthermore, Venerable Sik added that the Malay community leaders have done a lot to tackle the challenge of self-radicalisation.
He said he is confident that with close cooperation with authorities, the matter will be well handled.
That is a view shared by Muhd Faiz, the president of Darul Arqam or the Muslim Converts' Association of Singapore.
Mr Faiz also said that education is the key to stopping self-radicalisation cases.
He said: "There's free access on the Internet, so curbing it, shutting down the sites is not a feasible solution and I feel that the best way is through education, which means strengthening the community. The Muslim community must rally together to self-police the propagation of such radical ideas."
One way to do so, he said, is to ensure better access to qualified religious teachers. This would ensure that those seeking religious advice would not turn to the Internet for answers. He added that the Muslim community should also watch out for tell-tale signs of radicalisation.
Meanwhile, the chairman of the Hindu Advisory Board, Mr R Bawajee, said the latest detention by the Ministry of Home Affairs was a case of someone being misguided by self radicalisation.
He said as a result of this, there should be no notion of distrust of the Malay-Muslim community.
Going forward, Mr Bawajee cautioned that everyone must be vigilant about cases of self-radicalisation because this could happen to individuals of other communities too.
Saturday, July 3, 2010
Alfian Sa’at: I love my country, I hate my country
Alfian describes it very well when he said that his unhappiness with Singapore is very much so because he loves it. Like our family members, we love them a lot, but we are also very disappointed and angry when they don't understand us, or they think we don't understand them.
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I love my country, I hate my country
Thu, 01 Jul 2010
The Sun
Award-winning Singaporean playwright Alfian Sa’at talks to BISSME S about writing and his love-hate relationship with his homeland.
What are some of the challenges you face as a writer in Singapore?
Where do I start? Some of the challenges that we face are universal. It is difficult to make a living and a career out of writing and publishing in Singapore. For a country of 4.5 million people, I believe that there are fewer than 10% who are active readers. From that percentage, even fewer pick up and read works written locally. Readership is a challenge. We don’t have a reading culture. If you look at the bestseller lists, they are works, in a sense, already successfully and globally marketed, like Harry Potter. A lot of self-help books reach the bestseller list. That happens to be the reading diet of the Singapore population.
Why is this the reading pattern?
I think it comes from this idea that any kind of reading should be sort of instrumentalist, which means that you don’t read for pleasure alone. You read for some kind of edification. You read for a purpose, like improving your life. I find self-help books strange and presumptuous, trading on the idea that you can actually prescribe certain things for every single individual.
I think we are a complex people and I believe in us as individuals. I don’t think one self-help book is going to have the one size fits all solution. I must say in terms of theatre, it is a little better because you are not competing with international works. We are able to make inroads when it comes to theatre.
Of course (Singapore’s) film-makers and writers who are producing literature are facing stiff competition from Hollywood and pulp fiction paperbacks from other parts of the world. We are also competing against books by people who won the Booker prize or who are Nobel laureates. There is an attitude among Singapore readers who will say: ‘You have not won some international award, why should I read you?’
Are you not happy as a Singaporean?
Yes (we laugh). But I have to qualify this. It is unhappiness, an agitation, which I think is a source of a lot of creative energy. It is not a paralysing kind of unhappiness. It is an unhappiness, I think, that compels me to try to figure out certain questions. What it means to be a Singaporean … nationhood, belonging, ethnicity and identity. I hope it is not just something that ends up being a kind of involuted, armchair critic kind of complaining. I am, of course, unhappy.
Picking up a copy of Straits Times in Singapore can ruin your morning. You wonder whether they really had to report on the ministerial speech at a community centre.
It is just rehashing the same thing you have heard for the last four decades. It is so pro-government. The Opposition is always portrayed in an unflattering light.
But it doesn’t take much to read between the lines. Obviously, I am not happy with the situation. I feel as if I am not getting real access to the real information.
From your writings, one feels you faced some discrimination as a Singapore Malay?
I have been a beneficiary of the system. It is not as if I am a Malay, I am denied, like say, access to subsidised education. It has not happened to me.
But I don’t think writing is solely about your own personal grievances. I have this platform where I can share certain ideas and information. There is a certain responsibility to speak up on behalf of other people who have been discriminated against because of their ethnicity. I have heard a lot about working class Malays facing discrimination. I believe I should write about all these incidents.
Are Singapore’s Malays being discriminated against?
Singapore likes to compare itself to Malaysia, using Malaysia as a negative example. Apparently, the twin pillars of Singapore’s ideology are meritocracy and multiracialism.
Singapore’s ideology sounds good on paper and in principle. But what they ignore is that not all races are in equal proportion in society. There is still a dominant Chinese majority in Singapore. When you are the majority, you form the bulk of your market. Your images in the media are everywhere, etc. So you need to do something a little extra for the minorities who are not going to have this kind of resources simply because they form a smaller number.
But I think a lot of people in Singapore especially the Chinese don’t realise what they are enjoying is majority privilege. They think that just because everything is supposedly meritocratic, there is no such thing as market forces that will favour the majority. Why don’t I see Malay faces in magazines and advertisements? The reason is simple. Because you want to sell to the majority. The buyers want to see faces they can identify with. The question is what should the state do to prevent minorities from feeling alienated by all these market forces?
Can you cite an example of blatant discrimination?
There is still discrimination in the army. A Malay would not be assigned to a sensitive position in the army. They will not get to deal with areas like military intelligence and handle more sophisticated weapons. It has been happening for so long. But the thing that makes me unhappy is the government doesn’t admit it.
When these questions are raised, they keep insisting the army is meritocratic. It isn’t. I’d rather have a government that comes out in the open and says: ‘We do not recruit Malays into higher ranks because of security issues ... because we think their loyalty might be torn between Singapore and neighbouring countries.’ Only when this is out in the open, perhaps then we could have some healthy discussions.
But if they do this, of course this would invite a response from neighbouring countries. I believe that none of the neighbouring countries want to attack Singapore. It has no strategic depth. No natural resources. The rhetoric in Singapore is that other countries are ‘envious of our success’. I don’t think there is envy. But there is pity. Because here is a country with such a delusional sense of self-importance that it devotes so much of its budget to defence, and wastes productive years of the lives of its adult males through mandatory conscription.
But if you were the defence minister would you put Malays in higher positions in the army?
Yes, I would. Even the Israeli army recruits Arabs. In terms of social integration, it is absolutely important we do not mistrust any members of our society.
I believe their rationale is the Malays still have an attachment to Malaysia and we need to wait for several years until they feel fully Singaporean. But my rationale is: How can we feel fully Singaporean if we are not integrated into the army and made to feel Singaporean? Just because you are born in some Singapore hospital doesn’t make you feel Singaporean.
You have to go through a certain rite of passage and citizenship that makes you feel for your country. It must make you say: ‘I will fight for the army because it happens to be an army that trusted me to fight for my country.’ You must have confidence that a citizen will execute his duty as a citizen. Malaysia has had non-bumi generals for so long. Singapore never had a Malay general since independence in 1965. Only last year we had an Indian-Muslim colonel promoted to the rank of brigadier-general. It has taken them so long to appoint a Muslim general.
How do non-Malays in Singapore react to your statements?
I have more non-Malay friends than Malay friends in Singapore. I always put my views in an honest way but never in an aggressive way that will make them feel offended and defensive. But for some people in Singapore, even raising such issues puts them on the defensive.
Some consider you are ultra Malay. What is your comment?
To be an ultra Malay, I have to speak Malay well and be rooted in Malayness ... wearing songkok, samping, waving the keris (he laughs). But I don’t. I speak to my parents in Malay. But my first language is English. I even dream in English. So it is hard to be a racial chauvinist when you can’t even speak the language well. When I see a lot of this ultra Malay gestures in Malaysia, I feel nauseated because they are the same as the ultra Chinese in Singapore. Someone raising a keris is the same as a Chinese talking about the superiority of Chinese culture and their 5,000 years of civilisation.
Have you gotten into trouble with the law over your views?
I have never broken any law. But I also know there is the ISA where you do not need any evidence to catch you. I have not been detained under the ISA. But in Singapore, the process of making art comes under so many regulations. There are so many guidelines we (the artists) have to subscribe too. I had issues with censorship.
Can you give some examples?
In one of my plays, I wanted to include a scene where in the future, Malaysia decides to cut the water supply to Singapore. So some Singaporeans travel to the North Pole to transport back some icebergs. The scene was considered sensitive and we had to pull it out.
In 2001, in my poetry collection, History of Amnesia, there was a bit where I included poems on ISA detainee Chia Thye Poh. He had spent 32 years in detention under the ISA. I had a hard time getting a publishing grant (from the government). In the end, my application was turned down with no written explanation.
What misconceptions do people have about you?
That I am an angry young man. But when they meet me, they are surprised to find me soft-spoken and mild. They can’t match the writer and the person. I feel I have disappointed them.
Why are you often in Kuala Lumpur?
I am inspired whenever I come to Kuala Lumpur. I feel there are little pocket freedoms which I do not find in Singapore. There is greater freedom of expression in Malaysia. The idea of democracy is better practised here. There are no demos in Singapore. The idea is foreign to Singaporeans. Nobody has any idea what takes place in a demo ... what it feels like to shout a slogan or even hold a placard. Of course there are also repressive measures when it comes to Syariah law here. I do not want a kind of Jais (Jabatan Agama Islam) in Singapore. I do not want moral policing or even vigilantism.
Why do you want to see a demo in Singapore?
I am not saying that we should have one just for the sake of it. But if there is some legitimate grievance, then this avenue should be available. I think it is possible to have demonstrations conducted in an orderly fashion. The Singapore government is not so much afraid of the law and order aspects of allowing a demonstration. They are more afraid of public expressions of unhappiness over their rule.
Many Muslims believe the community needs the moral police. What is your comment?
We should be clear about the reach of the law when it comes to governing behaviour. When you behave in a way that harms others, obviously it is a crime and you need laws to curb it. When you are doing certain things in private and where the principle of harm cannot be demonstrated convincingly, I don’t think those are things that require legislation.
Do you hate your country?
In the foreword to my latest book (Collected Plays One), Ivan Heng (a Singapore theatre director) said that after reading my works, he realised that I hate Singapore as a lover would. Only the ones you love can hurt you. For example, if a waiter serves you late, you get annoyed but forget about it the next day. But if you felt wounded by someone you love, the pain stays for very long.
If I felt affected by some things that are happening in my country, a part of it is because I love Singapore. Of course, not in a facile, flag-waving kind of way. The frustrations come from seeing so much potential going to waste and being neglected.
What made you want to be a writer?
I wish I could tell you that there was a book that transformed my life and I wanted to be a writer. I wish I could tell you that I met this author and we shook hands and I felt something pass through me and I wanted to be writer. But the reality is I just love writing. Writing is one of those few things in life that I am probably good at. Writing is something that keeps me sane, that keeps me balanced, and that keeps me alive.
Alfian is doing a residency at the Instant Café House of Art and Ideas (CHAI) in Kuala Lumpur and will be conducting writing workshops. Those interested can log on to http://blog.instantcafetheatre.com/2010/06/writing-workshops-by-alfian-saat-singapore/)
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I love my country, I hate my country
Thu, 01 Jul 2010
The Sun
Award-winning Singaporean playwright Alfian Sa’at talks to BISSME S about writing and his love-hate relationship with his homeland.
What are some of the challenges you face as a writer in Singapore?
Where do I start? Some of the challenges that we face are universal. It is difficult to make a living and a career out of writing and publishing in Singapore. For a country of 4.5 million people, I believe that there are fewer than 10% who are active readers. From that percentage, even fewer pick up and read works written locally. Readership is a challenge. We don’t have a reading culture. If you look at the bestseller lists, they are works, in a sense, already successfully and globally marketed, like Harry Potter. A lot of self-help books reach the bestseller list. That happens to be the reading diet of the Singapore population.
Why is this the reading pattern?
I think it comes from this idea that any kind of reading should be sort of instrumentalist, which means that you don’t read for pleasure alone. You read for some kind of edification. You read for a purpose, like improving your life. I find self-help books strange and presumptuous, trading on the idea that you can actually prescribe certain things for every single individual.
I think we are a complex people and I believe in us as individuals. I don’t think one self-help book is going to have the one size fits all solution. I must say in terms of theatre, it is a little better because you are not competing with international works. We are able to make inroads when it comes to theatre.
Of course (Singapore’s) film-makers and writers who are producing literature are facing stiff competition from Hollywood and pulp fiction paperbacks from other parts of the world. We are also competing against books by people who won the Booker prize or who are Nobel laureates. There is an attitude among Singapore readers who will say: ‘You have not won some international award, why should I read you?’
Are you not happy as a Singaporean?
Yes (we laugh). But I have to qualify this. It is unhappiness, an agitation, which I think is a source of a lot of creative energy. It is not a paralysing kind of unhappiness. It is an unhappiness, I think, that compels me to try to figure out certain questions. What it means to be a Singaporean … nationhood, belonging, ethnicity and identity. I hope it is not just something that ends up being a kind of involuted, armchair critic kind of complaining. I am, of course, unhappy.
Picking up a copy of Straits Times in Singapore can ruin your morning. You wonder whether they really had to report on the ministerial speech at a community centre.
It is just rehashing the same thing you have heard for the last four decades. It is so pro-government. The Opposition is always portrayed in an unflattering light.
But it doesn’t take much to read between the lines. Obviously, I am not happy with the situation. I feel as if I am not getting real access to the real information.
From your writings, one feels you faced some discrimination as a Singapore Malay?
I have been a beneficiary of the system. It is not as if I am a Malay, I am denied, like say, access to subsidised education. It has not happened to me.
But I don’t think writing is solely about your own personal grievances. I have this platform where I can share certain ideas and information. There is a certain responsibility to speak up on behalf of other people who have been discriminated against because of their ethnicity. I have heard a lot about working class Malays facing discrimination. I believe I should write about all these incidents.
Are Singapore’s Malays being discriminated against?
Singapore likes to compare itself to Malaysia, using Malaysia as a negative example. Apparently, the twin pillars of Singapore’s ideology are meritocracy and multiracialism.
Singapore’s ideology sounds good on paper and in principle. But what they ignore is that not all races are in equal proportion in society. There is still a dominant Chinese majority in Singapore. When you are the majority, you form the bulk of your market. Your images in the media are everywhere, etc. So you need to do something a little extra for the minorities who are not going to have this kind of resources simply because they form a smaller number.
But I think a lot of people in Singapore especially the Chinese don’t realise what they are enjoying is majority privilege. They think that just because everything is supposedly meritocratic, there is no such thing as market forces that will favour the majority. Why don’t I see Malay faces in magazines and advertisements? The reason is simple. Because you want to sell to the majority. The buyers want to see faces they can identify with. The question is what should the state do to prevent minorities from feeling alienated by all these market forces?
Can you cite an example of blatant discrimination?
There is still discrimination in the army. A Malay would not be assigned to a sensitive position in the army. They will not get to deal with areas like military intelligence and handle more sophisticated weapons. It has been happening for so long. But the thing that makes me unhappy is the government doesn’t admit it.
When these questions are raised, they keep insisting the army is meritocratic. It isn’t. I’d rather have a government that comes out in the open and says: ‘We do not recruit Malays into higher ranks because of security issues ... because we think their loyalty might be torn between Singapore and neighbouring countries.’ Only when this is out in the open, perhaps then we could have some healthy discussions.
But if they do this, of course this would invite a response from neighbouring countries. I believe that none of the neighbouring countries want to attack Singapore. It has no strategic depth. No natural resources. The rhetoric in Singapore is that other countries are ‘envious of our success’. I don’t think there is envy. But there is pity. Because here is a country with such a delusional sense of self-importance that it devotes so much of its budget to defence, and wastes productive years of the lives of its adult males through mandatory conscription.
But if you were the defence minister would you put Malays in higher positions in the army?
Yes, I would. Even the Israeli army recruits Arabs. In terms of social integration, it is absolutely important we do not mistrust any members of our society.
I believe their rationale is the Malays still have an attachment to Malaysia and we need to wait for several years until they feel fully Singaporean. But my rationale is: How can we feel fully Singaporean if we are not integrated into the army and made to feel Singaporean? Just because you are born in some Singapore hospital doesn’t make you feel Singaporean.
You have to go through a certain rite of passage and citizenship that makes you feel for your country. It must make you say: ‘I will fight for the army because it happens to be an army that trusted me to fight for my country.’ You must have confidence that a citizen will execute his duty as a citizen. Malaysia has had non-bumi generals for so long. Singapore never had a Malay general since independence in 1965. Only last year we had an Indian-Muslim colonel promoted to the rank of brigadier-general. It has taken them so long to appoint a Muslim general.
How do non-Malays in Singapore react to your statements?
I have more non-Malay friends than Malay friends in Singapore. I always put my views in an honest way but never in an aggressive way that will make them feel offended and defensive. But for some people in Singapore, even raising such issues puts them on the defensive.
Some consider you are ultra Malay. What is your comment?
To be an ultra Malay, I have to speak Malay well and be rooted in Malayness ... wearing songkok, samping, waving the keris (he laughs). But I don’t. I speak to my parents in Malay. But my first language is English. I even dream in English. So it is hard to be a racial chauvinist when you can’t even speak the language well. When I see a lot of this ultra Malay gestures in Malaysia, I feel nauseated because they are the same as the ultra Chinese in Singapore. Someone raising a keris is the same as a Chinese talking about the superiority of Chinese culture and their 5,000 years of civilisation.
Have you gotten into trouble with the law over your views?
I have never broken any law. But I also know there is the ISA where you do not need any evidence to catch you. I have not been detained under the ISA. But in Singapore, the process of making art comes under so many regulations. There are so many guidelines we (the artists) have to subscribe too. I had issues with censorship.
Can you give some examples?
In one of my plays, I wanted to include a scene where in the future, Malaysia decides to cut the water supply to Singapore. So some Singaporeans travel to the North Pole to transport back some icebergs. The scene was considered sensitive and we had to pull it out.
In 2001, in my poetry collection, History of Amnesia, there was a bit where I included poems on ISA detainee Chia Thye Poh. He had spent 32 years in detention under the ISA. I had a hard time getting a publishing grant (from the government). In the end, my application was turned down with no written explanation.
What misconceptions do people have about you?
That I am an angry young man. But when they meet me, they are surprised to find me soft-spoken and mild. They can’t match the writer and the person. I feel I have disappointed them.
Why are you often in Kuala Lumpur?
I am inspired whenever I come to Kuala Lumpur. I feel there are little pocket freedoms which I do not find in Singapore. There is greater freedom of expression in Malaysia. The idea of democracy is better practised here. There are no demos in Singapore. The idea is foreign to Singaporeans. Nobody has any idea what takes place in a demo ... what it feels like to shout a slogan or even hold a placard. Of course there are also repressive measures when it comes to Syariah law here. I do not want a kind of Jais (Jabatan Agama Islam) in Singapore. I do not want moral policing or even vigilantism.
Why do you want to see a demo in Singapore?
I am not saying that we should have one just for the sake of it. But if there is some legitimate grievance, then this avenue should be available. I think it is possible to have demonstrations conducted in an orderly fashion. The Singapore government is not so much afraid of the law and order aspects of allowing a demonstration. They are more afraid of public expressions of unhappiness over their rule.
Many Muslims believe the community needs the moral police. What is your comment?
We should be clear about the reach of the law when it comes to governing behaviour. When you behave in a way that harms others, obviously it is a crime and you need laws to curb it. When you are doing certain things in private and where the principle of harm cannot be demonstrated convincingly, I don’t think those are things that require legislation.
Do you hate your country?
In the foreword to my latest book (Collected Plays One), Ivan Heng (a Singapore theatre director) said that after reading my works, he realised that I hate Singapore as a lover would. Only the ones you love can hurt you. For example, if a waiter serves you late, you get annoyed but forget about it the next day. But if you felt wounded by someone you love, the pain stays for very long.
If I felt affected by some things that are happening in my country, a part of it is because I love Singapore. Of course, not in a facile, flag-waving kind of way. The frustrations come from seeing so much potential going to waste and being neglected.
What made you want to be a writer?
I wish I could tell you that there was a book that transformed my life and I wanted to be a writer. I wish I could tell you that I met this author and we shook hands and I felt something pass through me and I wanted to be writer. But the reality is I just love writing. Writing is one of those few things in life that I am probably good at. Writing is something that keeps me sane, that keeps me balanced, and that keeps me alive.
Alfian is doing a residency at the Instant Café House of Art and Ideas (CHAI) in Kuala Lumpur and will be conducting writing workshops. Those interested can log on to http://blog.instantcafetheatre.com/2010/06/writing-workshops-by-alfian-saat-singapore/)
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
The Singapore Dilemma in the Malay World
I read The Singapore Dilemma years ago and I look forward to reading Prof Lily Zubaidah Rahim's latest take on Malays in Singapore. One view that struck me after reading the earlier book was the government's claims that meritocracy was the be all and end all for social mobility and success in Singapore. Yes, that is true to an extent but not everyone in Singapore is presented with the same opportunities and life chances. Meritocracy is only one rung in the ladder. As an aside on using Malay breakthrough examples, Lily Zubaidah Rahim is more privileged than the rest of the local Malay community perhaps as she comes from a much esteemed lineage.
Despite the advances made by the community, Malays in Singapore are generally still behind socioeconomically compared with the Chinese. My Chinese friends, especially the not so good ones, sometimes remark that Malay backwardness is a result of our own choice. They fail to understand that it is harder for someone from a lower socioeconomic background, regardless of ethnicity, to take advantage of meritocracy in school. Regardless if Chinese, Malay or Indian, a child who comes from a broken home, cannot afford tuition, enrichment classes, PC or an internet connection or who has to work part-time, does not have equal opportunities to take advantage of meritocracy and the education system. Social mobility is not a myth as someone from a disadvantaged socioeconomic background can break out of the cycle, but the hurdles are harder to surmount.
This from Select Books might just as well be the blurp of her latest book, and it really looks like a good read.
"Relations between Singapore and her immediate Malay neighbours have been perennially fraught with tension and misunderstanding. In making sense of this complex relationship, Lily Rahim explores the salience of historical animosities and competitive economic pressures, and Singapore's janus-faced security and foreign economic policy orientation and 'regional outsider' complex. Focusing on Singapore's relations with Malaysia, the book also examines the Indonesian dimension in bilateral relations. It highlights the paradoxical similarities in the nation-building approaches of Singapore and Malaysia. The author reflects critically on sensitive issues such as the rhetoric and reality of meritocracy and multiracialism in Singapore, and analyses the city-state's weak regional soft power credentials and reputation as a political laggard despite its economic achievements."
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Jun 24, 2010
Dr Lily returns with new book
By Nur Dianah Suhaimi
IN 1998, Sydney-based academic Lily Zubaidah Rahim created a storm in Singapore with her book, The Singapore Dilemma: Political And Educational Marginality Of The Malays.
Calling meritocracy in Singapore a sham, she argued that because Singaporean Malays lag economically, they also lag educationally and will always remain so without economic help.
On Friday, the senior lecturer at the University of Sydney was back in Singapore to launch another book, Singapore in the Malay World.
This time round, she tries to make sense of the complex relations that Singapore shares with its Malay neighbours, namely Malaysia and Indonesia, as well as how historical animosities with these neighbours have shaped the People's Action Party policies.
Among others, she argued that Singapore is driven by fear and insecurity which stemmed first from the communist insurgency and later on, the Islamic war on terror. This fear, she believed, has allowed the Singapore Government to shape a national identity that is based on distrust of Singapore and regional Malays.
Dr Lily is the niece of Singapore's first President, the late Mr Yusof Ishak. She now lives and teaches in Sydney, specialising in the comparative politics of Southeast Asia.
Friday, August 28, 2009
Ramadhan Al-Mubarak 1430H
Dalam diam, hampir satu minggu bulan ramadhan telah berlalu dan macam-macam juadah telah dijamu untuk berbuka. Walaupun tekak berselera makan juadah yang sedap-sedap, bubur dari masjid juga menjadi penyelera pada waktu berbuka. Kenanbyakkan masjid membahagikan bubur lepas asar tapi ada juga yang membahagikan lepas zohor. Jiran-jiran tertangga kita yang berlainan agama pun tidak terkecuali dari mengambil bubur masjid di bulan ramadhan. Maklumlah, Singapura adalah sebuah negara yang berbilang bangsa dan agama . Perbuatan sedemikian akan dapat memeratkan perhubungan antara agama dan mereka akan lebih memahami makna ramadhan untuk Melayu/Islam setempat.
Apa yang membuat saya bangga dengan Melayu/Islam di Singapura ialah semangat untuk menderma demi membiayai pembahagian bubur dan majlis iftar. Menderma di bulan ramadhan bukan saja melebihkan pahala bahkan perkara ini juga memdokong cadangan rapat umum hari kebangsaan PM Lee agar kita bekerja dengan keras demi mempertahankan harmoni keagamaan di Singapura. Ada juga kolong-kolong blok yang dijadikan tempat berterawih di bulan yang mulia ini. Ini bererti jiran tertangga kita yang berlainan agama dapat menerima peri laku agama Islam demi perpaduan sosial. Perkara yang sama dapat dilihat apabila mereka menyambut perayaan "Hungry Ghost" dan rakyat berlainan agama pula menerima segala peri laku mereka.
Semoga ramadhan ini berjalan dengan baik untuk membaca yang beragama Islam sekalian dan saya juga berharap agar perpaduan kaum di Singapura akan sentiasa tenang dan tiada pertelingkahan. Pelawalah teman-teman anda menghadiri program "Outreach" MUIS agar dapat mengeratkan perhubungan antara agama.
Apa yang membuat saya bangga dengan Melayu/Islam di Singapura ialah semangat untuk menderma demi membiayai pembahagian bubur dan majlis iftar. Menderma di bulan ramadhan bukan saja melebihkan pahala bahkan perkara ini juga memdokong cadangan rapat umum hari kebangsaan PM Lee agar kita bekerja dengan keras demi mempertahankan harmoni keagamaan di Singapura. Ada juga kolong-kolong blok yang dijadikan tempat berterawih di bulan yang mulia ini. Ini bererti jiran tertangga kita yang berlainan agama dapat menerima peri laku agama Islam demi perpaduan sosial. Perkara yang sama dapat dilihat apabila mereka menyambut perayaan "Hungry Ghost" dan rakyat berlainan agama pula menerima segala peri laku mereka.
Semoga ramadhan ini berjalan dengan baik untuk membaca yang beragama Islam sekalian dan saya juga berharap agar perpaduan kaum di Singapura akan sentiasa tenang dan tiada pertelingkahan. Pelawalah teman-teman anda menghadiri program "Outreach" MUIS agar dapat mengeratkan perhubungan antara agama.
Friday, August 21, 2009
Singapore Malays Hold Special Position
This badge of honour is a dubious one. So there is supposed to be affirmative action in terms of status, but in other areas like Malays in the SAF, our community is sidelined. We don't even have free education anymore. The irony of this whole protection of the Malay community under Article 152 actually makes us more a subject of criticism although we don't have much real privileges.
Yes the GRC is supposed to protect the interests of the non-Chinese minorities but the GRC system seems more like a poltical tactic rather than a structure to protect Malay interests. The stereotype is that the PAP counts on the vote of the Malay community. Whether that is true now nobody will know. We are just like any other community in Singapore - some will be pro-PAP, some will be anti-PAP, and most would have mixed feelings. BN's inability to hold on to the Malay vote in the last Malaysian elections tells us that there is a limit to race politics and voting anyway.
August 20, 2009 16:38 PM
Singapore Malays Hold Special Position
Bernama
SINGAPORE, Aug 20 (Bernama) - The minority Malays in Singapore have a "special position" under the republic's constitution, according to former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew.
He said the constitution of Singapore enjoined the government to give Malays a "special position" rather than to 'treat everybody as equal'.
Lee said this in Parliament on Wednesday when he rebutted as 'false and flawed' the arguments by Nominated Member of Parliament Viswa Sadasivan calling for equal treatment for all races in the city-state, the local media reported Thursday.
On Tuesday, Viswa tabled a motion for the House to reaffirm its commitment to principles in the National Pledge when debating national policies.
Lee, who is currently Minister Mentor, said the assumption of equal treatment for all races was "false and flawed" and "completely untrue".
According to government statistic for 2008, Singapore's population was about 4.8 million, with the Chinese forming the majority (76.7 per cent), followed by the Malays (14 per cent), Indians (7.9 per cent) and others (1.4 per cent).
He reminded everyone that Singapore's starting point was the racial clash and tense period of the 1960s after the republic was thrown out of Malaysia and until it got its independence.
Lee said the Malays in Singapore then were worried about the Chinese who formed the majority, and wondered whether the Chinese here would treat them the way the Malay majority in Malaysia had treated the Chinese minority there.
The minister also pointed to Article 152 of the constitution, which says that it is the responsibility of the government to "constantly care for the interests of the racial and religious minorities in Singapore".
In particular, it states that the government must recognise the special position of the Malays, 'the indigenous people of Singapore', and safeguard their political, economic and educational interests.
Lee mentioned how the United States handled the race issue, where despite a 1776 declaration that "all men are created equal", blacks did not get the right to vote until a century later, and racial segregation continued well into the 20th century.
For Singapore to reach a point where all races could be treated equally "is going to take decades, if not centuries', Lee said.
Yes the GRC is supposed to protect the interests of the non-Chinese minorities but the GRC system seems more like a poltical tactic rather than a structure to protect Malay interests. The stereotype is that the PAP counts on the vote of the Malay community. Whether that is true now nobody will know. We are just like any other community in Singapore - some will be pro-PAP, some will be anti-PAP, and most would have mixed feelings. BN's inability to hold on to the Malay vote in the last Malaysian elections tells us that there is a limit to race politics and voting anyway.
August 20, 2009 16:38 PM
Singapore Malays Hold Special Position
Bernama
SINGAPORE, Aug 20 (Bernama) - The minority Malays in Singapore have a "special position" under the republic's constitution, according to former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew.
He said the constitution of Singapore enjoined the government to give Malays a "special position" rather than to 'treat everybody as equal'.
Lee said this in Parliament on Wednesday when he rebutted as 'false and flawed' the arguments by Nominated Member of Parliament Viswa Sadasivan calling for equal treatment for all races in the city-state, the local media reported Thursday.
On Tuesday, Viswa tabled a motion for the House to reaffirm its commitment to principles in the National Pledge when debating national policies.
Lee, who is currently Minister Mentor, said the assumption of equal treatment for all races was "false and flawed" and "completely untrue".
According to government statistic for 2008, Singapore's population was about 4.8 million, with the Chinese forming the majority (76.7 per cent), followed by the Malays (14 per cent), Indians (7.9 per cent) and others (1.4 per cent).
He reminded everyone that Singapore's starting point was the racial clash and tense period of the 1960s after the republic was thrown out of Malaysia and until it got its independence.
Lee said the Malays in Singapore then were worried about the Chinese who formed the majority, and wondered whether the Chinese here would treat them the way the Malay majority in Malaysia had treated the Chinese minority there.
The minister also pointed to Article 152 of the constitution, which says that it is the responsibility of the government to "constantly care for the interests of the racial and religious minorities in Singapore".
In particular, it states that the government must recognise the special position of the Malays, 'the indigenous people of Singapore', and safeguard their political, economic and educational interests.
Lee mentioned how the United States handled the race issue, where despite a 1776 declaration that "all men are created equal", blacks did not get the right to vote until a century later, and racial segregation continued well into the 20th century.
For Singapore to reach a point where all races could be treated equally "is going to take decades, if not centuries', Lee said.
Monday, June 29, 2009
Winds of Change in the SAF?
Hopefully it is more than tokenism as a Malay MP suggested. Forty-four years after independence, a Malay-Muslim is finally appointed as a one star general in the SAF. He is in charged of the 6th Division and that does sound like a front line and sensitive appointment.
However, Khairulanwar makes a good point - to show whether the SAF has integrated Malays, perhaps it can release figures on statistics and representation of Malays in the SAF. This could be a better sign that Malays are now accepted as fellow defenders of Singapore. I sometimes wonder whether between choosing a naturalised citizen or a Malay for a sensitive SAF unit and all things equal, who would the SAF choose. I hope that the answer is an easy one for the decision-makers and someone who is born and socialised here, rather than some import, gets the job.
Nevertheless, I would not be sceptical and cast aspersions on why and how BG Ishak was promoted. I'm sure he rose through the ranks through his own merit and he is not some SAF tokenism. Instead, I am optimistic that the SAF will involve Malays more and more in our country's defence and the winds of change are here.
2009/06/26
Singapore military picks first Malay general
Colonel Ishak Ismail, 46, a senior Malay officer who has served for 28 years in SAF, is being promoted to Brigadier General, local media reported today.
He was one of the five SAF colonels (the other four non-Malays) who received their appointment letters as Brigadier Generals and a First Admiral during a function at the Defence Ministry yesterday.
Singapore has been criticised by various parties especially the Malay leaders and communities in and outside the island republic including Malaysia for seemingly practising a policy of not giving Malay SAF personnel opportunities to rise to the highest ranks due to concern over their loyalty.
Col Ishak who is SAF Sixth Division Commander since August last year, is among 464 SAF full time and National Service officers promoted this year.
"If this promotion is seen as something that can inspire others, it will also indirectly motivate them to work hard and achieve excellence every time," he was quoted by Berita Harian Singapura as saying.
Member of Parliament Zaqy Mohamad was quoted by Today newspaper as saying that Col Ishak’s achievement was a milestone for the Malay community in Singapore.
"It’s been talked about that you don’t see Malays serving in the upper echelons of the SAF. Now you’'ve got one, so it dispels some talk," said Zaqy who added that Col Ishak’s promotion would pave the way for more capable candidates in time.
"I hope it’s not seen as a token appointment," he said.
However, Khairulanwar makes a good point - to show whether the SAF has integrated Malays, perhaps it can release figures on statistics and representation of Malays in the SAF. This could be a better sign that Malays are now accepted as fellow defenders of Singapore. I sometimes wonder whether between choosing a naturalised citizen or a Malay for a sensitive SAF unit and all things equal, who would the SAF choose. I hope that the answer is an easy one for the decision-makers and someone who is born and socialised here, rather than some import, gets the job.
Nevertheless, I would not be sceptical and cast aspersions on why and how BG Ishak was promoted. I'm sure he rose through the ranks through his own merit and he is not some SAF tokenism. Instead, I am optimistic that the SAF will involve Malays more and more in our country's defence and the winds of change are here.
2009/06/26
Singapore military picks first Malay general
The Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) will create history on July 1 when it appoints a Malay general.
He was one of the five SAF colonels (the other four non-Malays) who received their appointment letters as Brigadier Generals and a First Admiral during a function at the Defence Ministry yesterday.
Singapore has been criticised by various parties especially the Malay leaders and communities in and outside the island republic including Malaysia for seemingly practising a policy of not giving Malay SAF personnel opportunities to rise to the highest ranks due to concern over their loyalty.
Col Ishak who is SAF Sixth Division Commander since August last year, is among 464 SAF full time and National Service officers promoted this year.
Member of Parliament Zaqy Mohamad was quoted by Today newspaper as saying that Col Ishak’s achievement was a milestone for the Malay community in Singapore.
"It’s been talked about that you don’t see Malays serving in the upper echelons of the SAF. Now you’'ve got one, so it dispels some talk," said Zaqy who added that Col Ishak’s promotion would pave the way for more capable candidates in time.
"I hope it’s not seen as a token appointment," he said.
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