Author: Rilek1Corner

Alfian Sa’at: Calvin Cheng Getting Too Big For His Boots

Last one before I wash my hand of this tawdry ex-NMP, ex-price-fixer, ex-young-PAP and current has-been-yet-wannabe affair. Uh, yucks:

I have been off Facebook for almost two weeks, trying to find some quiet time. The grief comes in waves and the feelings are still raw.

Imagine then my shock at reading Calvin Cheng’s post, trying to link me and my writings with radicalised youths, calling me a ‘domestic agitator’ who deserves to be detained without trial once ‘red lines are crossed’ (of course with draconian instruments like the ISA the definition of this ‘red line’ is meant to be conveniently arbitrary).

Was this a response to something recent that I posted? No. It was a response to the recent ISA arrests of some Muslim youths. And somehow Calvin Cheng found it necessary to tar me with the same brush, perhaps in the hope of threatening me to keep silent, or not raise questions about certain issues that make him uncomfortable—or that he doesn’t have the capacity to rebut robustly and convincingly.

The suggestion that I might be linked to Muslim extremism would be hilarious if not for the fact that Calvin Cheng thinks that it is a valid charge. He probably has no idea about how I’ve been attacked by those from the Wear White campaign and accused of being a ‘secular fundamentalist’. He doesn’t know that my play, ‘Nadirah’, was about interfaith understanding, and that my play ‘Parah’ critiqued Malay-Muslim ethnocentricism in Malaysia. These details don’t bother him, because he probably thinks that when you want to get a Muslim person to shut up, then you go full on McCarthy and try to associate him with terrorism. Which is its own kind of racism.

I have at various times tried to record the experiences of being a Malay minority in Singapore. And they have all been above board–it’s there in my plays, my books. These works have been funded by government bodies, which have very strict guidelines on anything that might cause racial and religious discord. Online, I don’t join clandestine closed groups and polemicise in echo chambers. The very fact that my posts are set to public means that just about anyone is free to tell me whether I have indeed crossed a line, like for example if any of my points about Singapore not honouring the ideals of multiculturalism is seen as vile hate speech against the Chinese. Calvin Cheng would have ample opportunity to engage me on these matters. And if indeed he had reasonable arguments to offer, then I would most certainly temper my posts. But he has chosen not to, and instead snipes at me without specifying which of my writings fall into the category of ‘terrorist propaganda’—which is what those youths (in MHA’s account) had been exposed to.

I actually think that this Calvin Cheng has had me in his gunsights for a while now. I don’t write exclusively about race, and I’m sure my writings about Amos Yee or Lee Kuan Yew must have pissed him off in some way. So he seizes the opportunity to lambast me based on some current event and spectacularly misfires.

The online world is a strange one. For some reason some of the most articulate social commentators—Alex Au, Andrew Loh, Carlton Tan, Howard Lee, Vincent Wijeysingha, Kirsten Han, Lynn Lee, Joshua Chiang, Gwee Li Sui, Imran Mohd Taib, Sudhir Thomas, Loh Kah Seng, Thum Ping Tjin, Isrizal, Martyn See, Chris Ho, Donald Low (whose smackdown of Calvin Cheng really revealed what an intellectual pygmy the latter was) etc—tend to be critical of the establishment. And in the other corner, we have Jason Chua and Calvin Cheng. It must be terribly frustrating and lonely. Once I get past my annoyance, I realise that what I really feel for Calvin Cheng is pity. Pity that the sheer paucity of people in his corner has led him to think that he is bigger than he really is. Pity that his responses in the wake of his slander has run along the lines of yapping taunts like ‘come sue me’, ‘come slap me now…you don’t have the balls’, ‘take a queue number’, ‘make me take down the flag from my profile (if you think I dishonour it)’. Pity that in shooting his mouth off, he’s succeeded in shooting the messenger–oh, and his own foot.

Source: Alfian Sa’at

May 29, 2015
Record Deal Nets 26 Year Old Property Agent $1.5 Million

A property agent who went into real estate against the wishes of her family has become an overnight millionaire after selling a penthouse at the Le Nouvel Ardmore for a record $51 million last month.

The deal would have reaped PropNex agent Shirley Seng a commission of about $1.5 million.

Ms Seng, 26, was reluctant to disclose details of the sale at the 43-unit freehold condo but confirmed that the transaction was completed last month after negotiations started in March.

The huge sale price – it is believed to be a record for a local penthouse – was paid by Mr Sun Tongyu, the co-founder of e-commerce giant Alibaba.

Mr Sun is a Singapore permanent resident.

While it looks like a life-changing transaction deal for Ms Seng, a Nanyang Polytechnic graduate, she is determined to carry on as before.

“This deal is good money, like hitting the jackpot. But this is my lifelong career; if I go for a long holiday now, I may lose my clients when I return,” she said.

“I still sleep in the living room of a terraced house in Serangoon where I live with my parents, grandparents, two sisters, four other relatives and one maid.

“I bought a seven-seater Volkswagen MPV so that my grandparents can travel in comfort. They have been supporting my family all these years as my dad has been sick and unable to work. My mum is a housewife.”

Ms Seng has not slowed down either, submitting around 16 transactions last month, with another seven this month. She is said to have made about $1.7 million in commission in 53 deals – mostly struck in the rental market – since she joined PropNex in January.

Quite a record for someone with less than five years of experience in the job, one her family was against her taking as they felt she was “young and has no contacts” on which to base a real estate career.

“They told me how their friends didn’t make it and advised me to get a job with a stable income. My grandpa then offered to support me in a degree programme with Singapore Management University,” said Ms Seng, who holds a diploma in multimedia and infocomm technology. “But I was determined to give it a try. I thought, if I couldn’t make it in a year, then I will go for a degree.”

Ms Seng joined HSR International Realtors for four months before moving to ERA Realty, where she stayed for four years.

She said she penetrated the network of wealthy people by helping to rent out their apartments, especially those in Marina Bay and the Orchard area.

Mr Sun was a referral from a client she had previously served at Marina Bay Residences.

“I only knew that he is someone of high net worth. And like any high-net-worth clients, they usually know what they want. And I am there to help to execute their plans,” said Ms Seng.

And if there is one tip she could give in dealing with wealthy clients, Ms Seng advises: “Speed is crucial. I always try to get back to them within one to two hours. I want to let them know that they are my priority.”

Ms Seng, who zips around town in a white, three-year-old Audi A4, said she also goes the extra mile for clients, such as picking them up in her car and dropping them off wherever they want to go. Sometimes she also helps them run errands.

“Times are tough, unlike 10 or 20 years ago. Today’s agents need to do more for their clients. But you need to do it with your heart, so they can feel your sincerity,” she said.

“I often get people asking me if it is money that drives me. I would tell them that many people are motivated by money, especially when they come from a poor family background.

“I work hard to give my family a good life.”

Source: www.straitstimes.com

May 29, 2015
Singapore-Registered Fishing Vessel Detained In Malaysia

A Singapore-registered fishing vessel and its four crew members have been detained in Malaysia for alleged illegal fishing in its waters.

The Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority (AVA) on Thursday (May 28) confirmed the incident.

“We are aware that an AVA-licensed fishing vessel, SMF1195, has been detained by the Malaysian authorities,” an AVA spokesperson said, in response to queries from Channel 8 News.

“Singapore understands that the fishing vessel was in Singapore waters when it was first approached by the Malaysian authorities. Singapore has registered our concerns with Malaysia over this incident and is in contact with the Malaysian authorities.”

Channel 8 News understands that Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs is also investigating the incident.

The vessel’s owner, Lian Yak Fish Merchant, said the boat was about four nautical miles off Pedra Branca at 6am on Tuesday, when it was approached by a Malaysian patrol boat. The fishing vessel was later detained at Kota Tinggi in Johor.

Lian Yak Fish Merchant also said the three Malaysian officials had boarded the fishing vessel and told them to head towards Sedili in Kota Tinggi. “We arrived the next day, and the crew members were detained without bail,” the company said.

Lian Yak Fish Merchant added that the vessel was probably not in Malaysian waters, as it had been fishing in the area for more than 40 years, and even though it had misunderstandings previously, they were resolved.

“Our vessels are equipped with global positioning systems so their locations are clearly indicated. The crew wouldn’t enter Malaysian waters. They also recorded their position at that time, and they are very clear of where they are,” the company’s business development manager explained.

The four crew members are foreigners between the ages of 36 and 62, and they are slated to appear in court next Tuesday, the firm added.

Source: www.channelnewsasia.com

May 29, 2015
27 Year Old Malaysia Jailed And Caned For Robbing And Raping A Foreign National

Malaysian Chang Kar Meng, 27, was sentenced on Thursday (May 28) to a combined 17 years’ jail and 24 strokes of the cane for robbing, making unconscious and then raping a 33-year-old foreign national.

Chang, a staff member at a Raffles Place café, had robbed the foreign national of a total of $2,210, including her gold necklace, handphone and about S$300 in cash. As the foreign national is a victim of a sex crime, she will not be named.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Zhong Zewei said that the accused had seen the victim going to her block’s lift landing at Paya Lebar on Mar 8, 2013, at around 1.30am.

The accused was on the way home after his girlfriend decided not to meet him due to a long wait to treat him at a McDonald’s branch. The victim, who works as a waitress, was heading back from work. As soon as the victim waited for the lift at the landing, Chang approached the victim from behind and hit the back of her neck, making her unconscious.

Chang then dragged her body to a grass patch nearby before stealing her valuables. As he was doing so, he became aroused and started fondling her breasts, before taking photographs of them.

The victim was slightly conscious at that point but remained still for fear that Chang would attack her. He then proceeded to rape her before leaving her body on a discarded mattress at her block.

DPP Zhong said it took investigators five-and-a-half months before tracing Chang’s identity and arresting him on Aug 21, 2013, at his residence. Details of the investigations are not known.

The prosecutor stated that a psychiatric report revealed Chang had the urge to rape the victim as he had not had sex with his girlfriend for a week. Furthermore, he was not on good terms with his girlfriend and he had the intention of impregnating and leaving her.

Although the report revealed Chang had suffered from depression, the prosecution argued that Chang was aware of his actions at the time of the incident.

The defence, led by Sunil Sudheesan, argued that Chang’s family members revealed in statements that his actions in these offences were not in line with his usual behaviour.

Justice Tay sentenced Chang to 12 years’ jail and 12 strokes of the cane for rape, and five years’ jail and 12 strokes of the cane for voluntarily causing hurt while committing robbery.

A third charge, of possessing an allegedly stolen sports bra and white dress, was taken into consideration.

Source: www.channelnewsasia.com

May 29, 2015
Under House Arrests On Fridays

For a religion that emphasises free will and no compulsion in believing, its authorities in Malaysia seem awfully insistent on proving the opposite.

In a week, starting June 1, Muslim men in the northern state of Kedah may now be liable for a fine not more than RM1,000 and jail not more than six months, or both for missing Friday prayers three weeks in a row.

The Section 13 that governs that offence was passed in the state’s latest Shariah Criminal Enactment amended last year. But of course, Kedah is not the sole state where such a law has been enacted.

The Federal Territories, for example, also criminalises skipping Friday prayers in Section 20 of its Shariah Criminal Enactment, with the exact penalty.

So do Perak in its Section 23, and Negri Sembilan in its Section 113, among others.

Back in February, Terengganu even mooted the idea of parading offenders in hearses as part of the penalty.

There is a reason why this law has failed to be enforced consistently, and surfaces in the media once every blue moon.

Friday prayers at the National Mosque in Kuala Lumpur. — Picture by Yusof Mat Isa

Most of the laws governing Friday prayers require a Muslim man to register at a mosque that represents a kariah, or a parish.

The crime is committed when the man fails to attend Friday prayers in that specific mosque at least once every three weeks, and should someone in that same parish lodge a complaint against that man, he can be charged.

I shall leave out the discussion on the justification behind the jurisprudence that decides on the seemingly arbitrary three-week threshold. The gaping hole here should be obvious: we no longer live in parishes.

The notion of parishes and tying a religious obligation to that concept has its roots in the archaic practices of tribal men who lived in desert communes, with little inter-city ties, what more global ones.

It might still be relevant to those who live in villages in rural Kedah or Terengganu, where men go to work and do their chores not far from their own homes, stuck in their parishes. But nowhere else.

For a start, it is a given that most Muslim men spend their Fridays at work far away from their parishes, where they take time off to perform the prayers. Some do not even have permanent workplaces, always on the go and often away from not only their parish, but their homes.

These men would go to the nearest mosques, which now handle hundreds and hundreds of faithful every Friday. To keep track of several men registered at the mosque among those adherent, where most of them would not even be from the same area and might even be from different states, is totally ridiculous.

Like I said, archaic tribal practices.

Since Kedah made its announcement, there has been suggestions made by some Muslims online on how to lighten the burden of these mosques in keeping track of its parishioners every Friday.

Among those is a system where Muslims can check in automatically using some sort of electronic system, similar to how employees clock in for work.

What a waste of money and resources, but above all, missing the forest for the trees.

For many, the solution is simple. Just never register with any mosque or parish, so there is no need for a “check in” every week.

Like many other annoyances and complexities regarding the practice of Islam in this country, the solution here seems to be to cut yourself off from other Muslims.

A parish is supposed to be a localised support system, where a Muslim can seek help and counsel, both religious and practical. It has many benefits, especially logistical support when it comes to grand gestures of religious rituals, such as marriage and death in the family.

By practising these sorts of restrictions, a parish is now reduced to mere “house arrest”, where you are forced to report in for fear of a fine and prison, which should never be confused with fear of God.

For many, prayers are meant for them to seek solace. The Quranic verses involving Friday prayers (62:9-11) seem to suggest that Muslims are obliged to drop everything to perform it, and then go about their business when the deed is done.

It is not rare to hear how tourists in other Muslim countries speak of the beauty of prayer when Muslims take a breather to greet their God, and continue when they are done like it was no big deal.

Many might agree: that is how religious obligations should be. As something that connects one to God, it should nonetheless not interfere with living.

But when such rituals become institutionalised, you get the nation grinding to a halt for three hours mid-day every Fridays, its roads choked, as many seek advantage of a religious practice to slack off on their jobs.

When Friday prayers have been turned into just a routine chore, criminalising giving it a miss does little to give any incentive for one to prostrate himself without compulsion.

Many Muslims insist that Islam is attractive because it does not seek to burden its adherents. As more and more Muslims nationwide take the role of moral police, and increasingly acting as God’s surrogate, the remark rings less and less true.

*This is the personal opinion of the columnist, Zurairi A R.

Source: www.themalaymailonline.com

May 29, 2015