AsSalaam’alaikum!
This has happened before several years ago but when Al-Jazeera covered it, to hide their utter shame, the government banned the broadcast station in Singapore. At the time, there were several malay families who were kicked out of their HDB flats who had no alternative but to live in tents. The Malays were the most hard hit whenever there is any economic trouble. They are the first to be retrenched and the last to be employed. Now with the unbridled influx of foreign workers and the ongoing Islamophobia and general hatred for the Malays, even Malays with high qualification find it very very hard to get jobs. And when any Malay complain about their situation they will be told that they are too choosy or are simply not as well qualified because, this is after all, a meritocracy! This is the result of such macro-economic and socio-political mismanagement that further disadvantage the Malay-Muslims. It is a good thing that the Malays do not turn to crime as they still have not lost their faith in Islam. I worry that is a matter of time because desperate people do desperate things – Children need food shelter, proper sanitation and education.
There must be transparency in this. We need to know the racial breakdown of these people. It is also ironic to note that the PAP government had since the 60’s destroyed the kampung villages and appropriated the lands of the Malays via legislation of URA laws but now the Malays are returning to set up kampungs (villages) with a penghulu to boot. Another question is, where are the zakat (&/ waqaf) officials? Are they at ready only to collect but when there is such a clear need to disburse the funds they are not to be found?
In the early 90’s the opposition spoke about the rise of the “New Poor” in Singapore. Well, if we are not careful, the new poor will, by and large be the Malays.
Source: Ustaz Abd’ Al-Halim
