There is a common misunderstanding on the role and appointment of Malay MPs and the Minister in charge of Muslim Affairs.
There are regular comments from the Muslim community that as our leaders and representatives, it is the duty of these MPs and Minister to fight for our interests. They ask why the MPs have not fought for the hijab, why they did not fight against the destruction of masjid, or the removal of wakaf.
While it is expected that a Muslim will do all he can for the community, we should not be mistaken into thinking that these MPs and Minister are our representatives.
Let us be clear how they were appointed. And what role the Muslim community played in their appointment.
The Minister in charge of Muslim Affairs, according to the government, is the Apex of Muslim leadership in Singapore.
And yet, he was not appointed by the Muslim community.
He became a Minister by virtue of his political position.
Lee Hsien Loong (and the PAP) nominated Yaacob Ibrahim to be a candidate in the last election.
The Muslim community did not nominate him.
He was elected by the Moulmein-Kallang GRC, of which about 80% are non Muslims to administer their constituency.
The Muslim community did not elect him.
Lee Hsien Loong then appointed him to be Minister in charge of Muslim Affairs.
The Muslim community did not appoint him.
In which part of this process was the Muslim community involved?
He was nominated by the PAP as a candidate, elected by his constituency to be an MP and appointed by Hsien Loong to be Minister.
How did he become our representative?
Let us be clear…
He is not our representative.
He is the PAP’s representative to manage the Muslim community.
His job is to represent the PAP’s interests to the Muslim community.
Not the reverse. That he is a Muslim and may voice his opinions on the community’s concern is incidental. That is not his function as Minister.
The community had no role in his appointment. We should not assume he is our representative.
Treat him as the PAP’s representative. Thats it.
Yaacob Ibrahim and the Malay MPs are not our representatives.
They represent the PAP to our community.
Once we understand that, Insha Allah, it makes our engagement with the government much clearer.
Source: Zulfikar Shariff
