Day: September 23, 2015

Rugi Lebih $6000 Kereta Dipecah Masuk Di JB

Bersarapan sambil membeli makanan ketika singgah sebentar di Pasar Tani, Larkin, Johor Bahru, pada Sabtu lalu begitu tinggi harganya bagi Hajah Rokiah Bustami dan suaminya, Haji Mohamad Mohd Amin.

Ibarat mimpi di siang hari, Hajah Rokiah, 60 tahun, tauke Restoran D’Pelangi di Kelab Masyarakat Tampines North, terperanjat apabila mendapati kereta yang suaminya letakkan di bahu jalan raya utama berhadapan pasar tersebut dipecah masuk.

Sudahlah cermin tingkap tengah sebelah kiri kereta Toyota Voxy mereka hancur berderai, beg ibu Hajah Rokiah, Hajah Zaharah Abdullah, 78 tahun, yang berisi $4,800 serta sepasang subang dan cincin berlian bernilai hampir $2,000 lesap.

Namun, mereka lega kerana banyak lagi barang berharga yang ditinggalkan dalam kereta tidak dilarikan pencuri.

Ini termasuk iPad di atas ‘dashbod’, telefon bimbit dalam laci dan tas tangan berisi RM6,000 ($1,977), $1,000 dan tujuh pasport milik pasangan tersebut, Hajah Zaharah, tiga adik-beradik Hajah Rokiah dan pembantu rumah warga Indonesia.

Menyingkap kejadian itu, Haji Mohamad, 68 tahun, menyatakan mereka singgah di pasar tersebut sekitar 7.30 pagi untuk sarapan sebelum meneruskan perjalanan bercuti ke Port Dickson.

“Ada 20 kereta yang diletakkan di bahu jalan raya tersebut. Selepas duduk sebentar dalam kereta, saya kemudian pergi mencari isteri dan keluarganya untuk sama-sama sarapan.

“Saya seorang kembali ke kereta dan yang lain pergi membeli-belah. Sampai ke kereta, seorang lelaki tua menunjukkan tangannya ke arah cermin tengah kereta saya yang telah pecah.

“Ketika itu, saya tak tahu apa barang yang hilang sehinggalah isteri dan ibu mentua saya datang. Ibu mentua saya kata begnya yang diletakan di tempat duduk tengah dah hilang,” cerita Haji Mohamad ketika ditemui di rumah mereka di Jalan Singa semalam.

Dalam keadaan kelam-kabut itu, Hajah Rokiah segera memeriksa barang lain yang ditinggalkan dalam kereta itu.

“Saya bersyukur kerana nasib baik iPad dan telefon bimbit yang menjadi nyawa perniagaan saya tak hilang. Segala maklumat dan kontak bisnes ada di dalamnya.

“Alhamdulillah juga pencuri tak larikan tas tangan saya kerana dalamnya ada tujuh pasport. Kalau hilang bingit dibuatnya. Allah punya kuasa tak nampakkan tas tangan saya kepada si pencuri,” tambahnya.

Ibu empat anak itu bersyukur kerana keretanya yang berharga $180,000 itu tidak dilarikan pencuri.

Namun, beliau terpaksa menunggu tiga minggu bagi mendapatkan cermin tingkap pengganti dari Jepun.

Selepas membuat laporan di Balai Polis Larkin, mereka meneruskan perjalanan dengan hati lara ke Port Dickson.

“Pegawai penyiasat polis menyatakan kepada kami mereka syak pencuri mungkin menggunakan bahan kimia bagi pecahkan cermin kereta saya. Ini kerana cermin kereta saya pecah berderai halus keadaannya.

“Pegawai berkenaan juga menasihatkan kami agar jangan tinggalkan beg plastik sekalipun dalam kereta kerana ia menarik perhatian pencuri,” kata Hajah Rokiah.

Source: http://beritaharian.sg

September 23, 2015
Single Father Of 3 Kids Unable To Work After Getting Cancer

First his business failed, then his wife abandoned him with three kids and now, Mr Wu Yunchong has been struck with esophageal cancer, reported Shin Min Daily.

Mr Wu, 44, met his wife over 10 years ago at a friend’s wedding. At that time, he was also trying his hand at a garment business with his friend.

The business only lasted three years and raked up $20,000 to $30,000 in debt.

He had to sell his three-room flat to clear the debts and ended up moving into a rental flat with his Vietnamese wife and family, according to Shin Min Daily.

Unable to take the hardship, his wife abandoned him with three young children. To support the family, Mr Wu took on two jobs.

“I started working as a cleaner,” he told the Chinese daily, “and I would bring the kids to school and fetch them home after.” His sons are now 13 and 10 years old, and his daughter is seven.

After doing the housework and tucking the children in bed, he will head for his second job as a dishwasher. He earned about $1,000.

Mr Wu revealed that he found a high-paying cleaner job three years ago. He thought the job could turn his life around, but this year, he found out in May that he has cancer.

“At first, the doctor thought I had acid reflux and gave me pills to take. After three months, I didn’t feel better so I went to see a specialist and found out it was esophageal cancer,” he said in the Shin Min Daily report.

“I nearly collapsed when I found out as I was worried about my kids’ future,” he added.

Weight loss of 12kg

After the diagnosis, Mr Wu said the tumour was about 4.5cm in size and he was scheduled for surgery in October. His weight dropped from 63kg to 51kg.

Now, he is unable to do the operation as he is underweight.

He has already had 26 treatments of chemotherapy and four radiotherapy sessions. The costs are deducted from Medisave and his savings are nearly exhausted, reported Shin Min Daily.

He still has over $2,300 in bills to be paid.

Children worried about father

When his kids were informed of his illness, they got so worried and started to cry.

Mr Wu said he tried to cover up his illness but his second son kept on asking him questions and eventually found out the truth.

When interviewed by Shin Min Daily, the second son said he was really afraid of losing his father.

Mr Wu said he receives $1,000 of financial assistance but insists on not using the money for his medical bills. He wants the money to be used for his kids’ well-being.

In July, he applied for assistance to support his family. His 10-year-old son even saves up his $2 pocket money to keep for his family’s expenses, but Mr Wu refuses to accept it.

He makes sure every dinner has one vegetable and one meat, and that his kids get adequate nutrition.

Ministry of Social and Family Development said they have been providing financial assistance to Mr Wu since 2012 and the amount has been increased in July 2015.

He also received funds for his medical bills and his children are also aided by the Ministry of Education.

Source: http://news.asiaone.com

September 23, 2015
Jemaah Berwukuf Di Arafah

Jemaah dari seluruh dunia seramai 1.37 juta – bersama 600,000 jemaah Arab Saudi – berwukuf di Arafah hari ini, 9 Zulhijah, bagi menunaikan rukun haji.

Pemandangan lautan manusia yang berhimpit di Padang Arafah dengan berpakaian ihram serba putih begitu syahdu.

Wukuf adalah rukun haji yang yang difardukan ke atas jemaah, sejajar dengan sabda Rasulullah saw bahawa “Haji itu Arafah”.

Lantaran itu, semua jemaah tidak kira lelaki dan wanita, tua dan muda, yang sihat dan sakit, perlu berwukuf pada 9 Zulhijah di Padang Arafah yang terletak 21.6 kilometer dari Masjidil Haram.

Mereka termasuk 56 jemaah yang masih dirawat di beberapa hospital kerana cedera dalam kejadian kren runtuh dekat kawasan sai di Masjidil Haram pada 11 September.

Mereka dibawa dengan kenderaan khas ke Hospital Jabal Al-Rahmah dan Hospital Besar Arafat untuk berwukuf.

Dalam kalangan dua juta jemaah haji yang berwukuf itu termasuk 680 jemaah dari Singapura.

Menurut pegawai bertugas, lebih 40,000 bas dan pelbagai kenderaan lain digunakan untuk mengangkut jemaah antara Makkah, Arafah dengan Mina bagi perhimpunan antarabangsa setiap tahun itu.

Dalam perjalanan, jemaah melaungkan “Labbaiikallahhumma labbaik…” hingga akhir yang antara lain bermaksud “Kami datang menyahut seruan-Mu, ya Allah”.

Semasa di Arafah, jemaah ditempatkan dalam khemah.

Mereka mendengar khutbah Arafah di kawasan masing-masing, mendirikan solat jamak takdim zuhur dan asar serta berzikir.

Selepas asar, jemaah biasanya keluar dari khemah dan memohon keampunan dan memanjatkan pelbagai doa.

Keadaan lebih sesak dijangka di Jabal Rahmah, tempat Rasulullah dilaporkan menyampaikan khutbah terakhir beberapa bulan sebelum Baginda wafat.

Selepas maghrib, jemaah meninggalkan Arafah, bermalam di Muzdalifah dan kemudian ke Mina, yang terletak kira-kira 15 kilometer dari Arafah, bagi melontar jamrah aqabah pada 10 Zulhijah dan menyembelih korban.

Pada hari yang sama (10 Zulhijah), umat Islam di serata dunia menyambut Hari Raya Aidiladha, yang dikenali juga sebagai Hari Raya Korban.

Jemaah haji pula terus mabit (berkumpul) di Mina beberapa hari bagi meneruskan ibadah melontar jamrah.

Mereka juga melakukan tawaf dan sai haji serta bertahalul (bergunting atau cukur rambut) bagi menyempurnakan ibadah haji.

Selesai pelaksanaan ibadah haji, jemaah beredar.

Sebahagian mula pulang ke tanah air, sebahagian pula terus beramal ibadah di Makkah manakala sebahagian lagi pergi ke Madinah supaya dapat beribadah di Masjid Nabawi dan menziarahi makam Nabi.

Source: http://beritaharian.sg

September 23, 2015
What Next, Workers’ Party?

WP did not do as well in GE2015 as they would hope to. They were looking to increase the number of WP MPs to 20. Before polling day, judging by the comments online and the massive turn out at their rallies, one would be forgiven for thinking that WP did have a decent chance of achieving their goal. Instead, on polling day, they lost one MP and the number of WP MPs was reduced to six. They saw their vote share drop from GE2011.

While the reasons for WP losing ground was probably due to a nationwide swing toward PAP, this loss of ground does have very real practical implications about the future for WP. It cannot keep depending on Hougangto send its members into parliament. What can WP do to keep it a viable opposition party? I suggest the following seven ways

Be good town councillors

While it is true that the primary duty of MPs in most other countries is to make laws, the reality in Singapore is that MPs are also expected to manage municipal issues. WP may hope that this is not the reality, but, for whatever reasons, that is what Singaporean voters have come to expect. No point trying to argue against this reality. Better to accept it and perform the tasks of being town councilors well.

This means that WP will have to sort out the accounts of the town council as best as possible. I think most Singaporeans do understand that there may have been some issues during the handing over in 2011 and may forgive the WP for not being able to sort out the accounts because of those handing over issues.

That said, I think Singaporeans expect WP to be completely above reproach regarding related party transactions. I think Singaporeans expect WP to have proper systems in place to handle cheques, get the best value for money when awarding contracts, and transfer money to the sinking funds promptly. Other than the opening statements of the accounts, which, as Low ThiaKhiang pointed out in his rally speech, I think Singaporeans expect every other aspect of the accounts to be clear and beyond question.

Bread and butter issues matter to Singaporeans. And one of the bread and butter issues is precisely the condition of the estate we live in. Therefore, for municipal issues (e.g. estate cleanliness, corridor lights, lifts), WP must ensure that things are working well. If possible, bring about some estate upgrading. Keep the residents in the area they are MPs of happy with the estate.

Be master social workers

In addition to being good town councilors, Singaporeans expect our MPs to be master social workers. I cannot emphasize enough that most of us do not care much for abstract notions of democracy and human rights. What we do care about are tangible bread and butter issues.

When we face issues such as having bills that we cannot pay, having difficulty finding jobs, not being able to get into the schools of our choice, we expect our MPs to be able to put up credible effort to help us. We expect our MPs to sort out our issues with our neighbours, and even our families. When we see elderly or less advantaged people in our neighbourhood facing whatever difficulties, we expect our MPs to extend a warm, gentle helping hand.

It does not matter that PAP, with its control over various government institutions (e.g. PA, grassroots organisations), may have put numerous obstacles in the way of WP. Singaporeans still expect WP MPs to be master social workers and help solve their bread and butter issues.

Do a great job in Parliament

In parliament, the WP MPs should ask hard questions. It is not enough to have high attendance rates. It is not enough to have spoken up a lot. Quality does indeed matter more than quantity. WP will need to get together teams of people to research and draft speeches. Ensure that speeches are consistent and cannot be perceived as flip-flopping. Anticipate the reactions and questions from PAP MPs and work out reasonable responses.

More than just asking questions, WP MPs should move motions for debate on important issues. Even then-NMP Mr Viswa Sadasivan has done so. His motion got a heated discussion in Parliament, getting even the late Mr LeeKuan Yew to speak in Parliament. In so doing, Mr Viswa Sadasivan gained much respect from Singaporeans.

Lastly, WP MPs should introduce a (few) Private Member’s Bill. Ideally, these bills should benefit Singaporeans in a tangible way. If that is not possible, at least these bills should be seen to be beneficial for the long-term interests of Singapore. These could include bills for electoral reforms (e.g. getting rid of the GRC system). Even if the chances of these bills passing are slim, it shows that at least WP MPs are willing and capable of introducing bills.

Focus on one more GRC and a few SMCs

I believe that WP was too ambitious in GE2015. It overstretched itself by aiming for Marine Parade GRC and East Coast GRC at the same time. By doing so, it had spread its talents too thinly. It also reflected what some people think to be arrogance.

In the next GE, unless for whatever reasons, there is palpable anger against the PAP that is stronger than those in the lead up to GE2011, WP should focus keeping Hougang and Aljunied and aim for one more GRC and perhaps a couple of SMCs. This concentrates the talent and resources of WP. Also, it avoids a “by-stander” effect, where voters in one GRC think that it is ok for them not to vote WP because voters in another GRC can do it to send WP candidates into parliament. In fact, I believed that this is precisely the strategy that helped WP win Aljunied – voters then believed that if they had not voted for WP, then there really may not be any opposition MPs.

Walk the ground early

For the areas that the WP wants to make some headway in, their potential candidates need to start walking the ground early. Yes, there is a possibility that the electoral boundaries may be redrawn, SMCs disappear and GRCsbroken up, and all the hard work of walking the ground early may go down the drain. But it is wishful thinking to expect Singaporeans to accept someone they have not seen, have not gotten to know, have not gotten to like as a person, as their MP.

So WP should go out and knock on doors starting from now. WP should start talking to people in other constituencies. WP should find creative ways to organize events that benefit people in the constituencies that it wants to make headways in. Get to know the people in those constituencies. Let the people get to know and like WP and WP’s potential candidates as early as possible.

Retain and continue to attract good members to put up as candidates

WP has managed to attract great candidates so far. He Ting Ru, LeonPerera and Daniel Goh have gained much traction amongst Singaporeans. I hope these candidates will continue to stay in WP and keep working the ground.

In addition to these very capable candidates, I would hope to see WP attract two other groups of people to be candidates.

Firstly, I hope to see WP attract candidates who have significant NGO/VWObackground. PAP did well in attracting Louis Ng as a candidate. It breaks the stereotype of PAP candidates. That really helped PAP improve its image. Having a candidate of this sort of background would be helpful because this person should have the track record of galvanizing people to help out certain segments of society in different ways that could inspire trust in people.

Secondly, I hope to see WP attract candidates who are not well-educated but are successful businessmen nonetheless. It seems that our parliament is short of such people to represent a segment of Singapore who took an alternative route to success. I believe that this type of candidate can offer very useful perspectives on policy making.

Be humble and gracious

For whatever reasons, Singaporeans have come to perceive WP to be arrogant. In 2011, people voted for WP because they felt that the PAP was getting too big for its britches. In 2015, it seems that people felt that WP was suffering from the very syndrome that turned them away from the PAP. I know of voters who voted for WP in 2011 and voted for PAP precisely because they wanted to send a signal to WP to not be arrogant. WP should think of why people consider this way and how it can rectify this issue.

WP and its supporters also need to learn to be gracious. The jeering at the nomination centres and the vitriol hurled at PAP at the WP rallies turn swing voters off. To win over swing voters, WP will need to stop appearing to be divisive and fear mongering. Daniel Goh’s post GE Facebook post was a prime example of what needs to be done.

Conclusion

WP has its task cut out. It faces considerable headwinds. But for the long-term interests and viability of Singapore, I hope that WP will rise to the challenge and come back even stronger in the next GE.

Source: https://crazyrandomchatter.wordpress.com

September 23, 2015
Sending Edz Ello To Jail Won’t Fix Discrimination In Singapore

Ello Ed Mundsel Bello, formerly a nurse at Tan Tock Seng Hospital, was sentenced to four months’ imprisonment on Monday after being convicted of sedition and lying to the police.

The whole saga began when he wrote a Facebook post on The Real Singapore calling Singaporeans “losers” and saying that Filipinos would take over the country and take Singaporeans’ future, women and jobs.

“REMEMBER PINOY BETTER AND STRONGER THAN STINKAPOREANS,” he said.

The episode ignited an uproar. Some Singaporeans filed police reports, while others countered with angry insults directed at both Bello and Filipinos in general. Bello was also sacked from his job at the hospital.

In delivering the sentence, District Judge Siva Shanmugam noted that local-foreigner relations had become a fraught issue in Singapore, and that “[i]n a nation whose only resource are its people, we simply cannot afford to condone any act which poses a threat to our social stability and security.”

“(His) provocative conduct, if left unchecked, could possibly result in discrimination against the innocent and law-abiding minority Filipino residents in Singapore,” the judge also said.

It’s encouraging that Shanmugam recognises the vulnerability of Filipinos in Singapore when it comes to discrimination, but the logic of having to severely punish Bello so as to prevent other Filipinos from becoming victims of prejudice doesn’t quite hold up.

Filipinos – and many other immigrants from developing countries such as Bangladesh or Myanmar – have been subjected to racist, classist and xenophobic discrimination and exploitation long before Bello even posted his first word on The Real Singapore.

Foreign domestic workers, many of them Filipino, are vulnerable to exploitation. They take on large debts to work in Singapore, and the live-in aspect of their employment places them in a position of disempowerment that leaves them particularly open to abuse. These domestic workers are further discriminated against by their exclusion from the Employment Act – which stipulates maximum working hours and gives workers to right, in theory at least, to challenge unfair dismissal – and are even prohibited from falling pregnant, which encourages employers to behave in ways that completely infantilises the worker.

Filipinos have also been the subject of xenophobic abuse online, at least just as bad, if not worse, than what Bello himself had said. I wrote about the use of fascist and dehumanising language during the controversy over a proposed Philippine Independence Day celebration on Orchard Road. The Philippine Embassy also had to ask the Singapore government to investigate a blog post thatsuggested ways to discriminate against and abuse Filipinos in Singapore, such as buying insecticide in the presence of a Filipino and suggesting it be used on them. (Whatever happened to that investigation?)

I raise these issues not to place all the blame of discrimination and prejudice on Singaporeans while absolving people like Bello of responsibility. He said a remarkably stupid thing on Facebook, and did an even stupider thing by lying to the police during their investigation. I don’t have a problem with him being charged and convicted with telling falsehoods to the police. But I don’t believe slamming Bello, or anyone for that matter, with a jail sentence for sedition will help us deal with the challenges of a local-foreigner divide.

The Sedition Act is not a good tool when it comes to dealing with fault lines in society, be they along race, religion or even nationality. While it is purportedly there to shield us from comments like those made by Bello, it also effectively shuts down rational and mature conversations by making certain subjects too sensitive to be broached with any openness and honesty. It hauls people to court and sends them to prison in the belief that such actions will be a deterrent to irrational, emotional things like racism, xenophobia and prejudice. But while such punitive action does – occasionally – remove visible elements of such sentiment from public platforms, it does little to actually address the inequalities, power imbalances and value judgements that lead to discriminatory attitudes.

Fault lines in society cannot be erased by criminalising speech. We need to go far deeper than that, to address the lack of rights and protections for foreigners and locals alike, as well as the existence of discrimination in our society, even in state policy.

Kirsten Han is a Singaporean blogger, journalist and filmmaker. She is also involved in the We Believe in Second Chances campaign for the abolishment of the death penalty. A social media junkie, she tweets at @kixes. The views expressed are her own.

Source: https://sg.sports.yahoo.com

September 23, 2015