Category: Agama

Walid J. Abdullah: Thank You To The Malay Community For Your Quiet Sacrifice And Compromises

As someone of Indian descent, i would like to thank my Malay friends. In spite of them being the indigenous people of Singapore, they have welcomed the rest of us with open arms. Indeed, they rarely ever mention the fact that our constitution explicitly recognizes their indigenous status. They almost never mention their ‘sacrifices’ to us. Now that, my friends, is truly in line with the multi-racial spirit.

And I hope we all can be wary of people who play the race card.

Source: Walid J. Abdullah

November 11, 2016
Ismail Kassim: Reserved Elected Presidency Is Backward Step For Multiracialism, Meritocracy And Democracy

Thank you PM for your unsolicited gift
But we don’t want and don’t need it
Do you realise that your gift will only
Reinforce the negative images of us
And undermine our past progress

What we want, you don’t want to give
Full equality for our males in National Service
And in all sectors of the Armed Forces
Full employment opportunities for all our
Women including the tudung-clad ones
We have waited for 50 years for equal
Treatment and equal opportunities
Do we have to wait for another 50 years?

If there has been no Malay president for
More than four decades, whose fault is it?
Is it the Malays, the People, or the PAP?
If it is so important to you
Why give SR a second term?
Why not a Malay then?

You have assumed that no Malay
Can ever be elected in an open race
But have you tried? Why not?
After winning 70% the last round,
Why the lack of confidence?
Why the haste to admit defeat?
Or maybe the gift to us is nothing more than
Political expediency to avoid a tough opponent
And to thwart the will of the people

On the day a Malay assumes the EP
Through a reserved race will be
A Day of Shame for us and for all the people
It will be a step backward for multiracialism
And meritocracy and democracy

Source: Ismail Kassim

November 11, 2016
Walid J. Abdullah: World Has To Deal With Failings Of American Democracy

Perhaps 2016 will teach us not to adopt a holier-than-thou approach towards those who disagree with us. Dismissing everyone who is a Trump supporter as a racist, xenophobic idiot evidently did not work out well.

Sure, there are racists and deplorables amongst them. But there were people with genuine concerns that were not addressed, and instead of having their sentiments understood, they were dismissed as racists. Of course they would turn to Trump afterwards!

The media especially has blood on its hands. In spite of not being a Trump fan, i found the media coverage – particularly by Huffington Post – to be absolutely disgusting. Clearly one-sided. If i were an undecided voter, the media coverage would push me towards Trump. I hope the liberal media is proud of itself now.

Trump has won. Whether we like it or not, those are the rules of the game. We have to deal with a President Trump.

Unless you’re the US government (democrat or republican). Then you don’t have to respect other people’s aspirations. Just dismiss them as Islamic fundamentalists and then engineer a coup.

For peasants like the rest of the world, we have to deal with the failings of American democracy.

Source: Walid J. Abdullah

November 10, 2016
Muslim New Yorker: Trump’s Victory Shows We’ll Never Be Accepted As Part Of American Community

I covered a lot of Trump rallies as a journalist. I didn’t feel any hatred. People were more curious than anything. I was never assaulted. I felt like most people were just supporting him because he wasn’t part of the establishment. Or because they were tired of politics.

But it was confusing. Because even though I didn’t feel like they hated me, these people were supporting someone who said I should be banned from the country. Even the father of one of my best friends supports Trump. This man had me over to his house. I went to Thanksgiving with him. My friend asked him: ‘Dad, how can you support that man? Our friend Zahra is a Muslim.’ He told her: ‘Don’t worry. He won’t do everything that he says.’

Today has been difficult. These last few weeks, it was mostly speculation. There was suspicion that most Americans supported him but I could hope that it was wrong. But now that hope is gone. And I have to feel differently.

I have to feel like maybe most Americans don’t want me here. And I feel like no matter how hard I try, I’ll never be part of the community. And even if they’re friendly to me, or if they invite me to Thanksgiving, deep down they believe that America is a country that belongs to white people.

Source: Humans of New York

November 10, 2016
Hawazi Daipi Appointed Non-Resident Representative To Palestine

Former Senior Parliamentary Secretary Hawazi Daipi will be Singapore’s new non-resident representative to the Palestinian Territories, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said on Monday (Nov 7).

In a press release, MFA said Senior Minister of State for Defence and Foreign Affairs Maliki Osman, who is currently on a working visit to the Middle East, announced Mr Hawazi’s appointment during meetings in Ramallah with Palestinian National Authority (PNA) leaders President Mahmoud Abbas, Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah, Minister of Foreign Affairs Riyad Al-Maliki, Minister of Education and Higher Education Sabri Saidam and Minister of National Economy Abeer Odeh.

“The PNA leaders welcomed the appointment,” MFA said.

As non-resident representative to PNA, Mr Hawazi will coordinate Singapore’s Enhanced Technical Assistance Package for the Palestinians. In April this year, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong had announced that Singapore would double the package to help the Palestinians with capacity-building from S$5 million to S$10 million.

Source: www.channelnewsasia.com

November 9, 2016