Category: Agama

Malaysia Right-Wing Group, Perkasa, Sends Protest Letter To K Shanmugam For Claiming That Singapore Malays Better Off Than Malaysian Malays

PETALING JAYA: Malay right-wing group Perkasa wants Wisma Putra to send a letter of protest to Singapore for comments attributed to a senior minister comparing Singapore Malays with Malaysian Malays.

Singapore Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam had been reported as saying that Singapore Malays are better off in terms of education standing, skills and wealth than those of similar ethicnicity in Malaysia or Indonesia.

Perkasa deputy chairman Sirajuddin Salleh said the statement made by Shanmugam was uncalled for.

“I am concerned about the statement. It is not diplomatic and is an insult to the King and the government of Malaysia,” he told FMT when asked to comment on Shanmugam’s statement.

Sirajuddin said Malaysia and Singapore were close neighbours and there should be greater diplomacy between both countries.

“I hope Wisma Putra will issue a strong protest letter. To me, the remark is not good. I will not touch on the content because it is very subjective.

“It is just like if he comes to my house and says something that is not nice. Whether he is right or not, that is subjective, but in this case, it is not very nice,” Sirajuddin said.

Earlier Channel News Asia quoted Shanmugam as saying that “with a stable, strong political system, with a strong government, with a guarantee for the minorities … with this framework, we can become the community that Muslim societies in other countries look towards and say, this is the example.”

Shanmugam had also suggested that Malay, Indian and Chinese PMETs (professionals, managers, executives and technicians) from Singapore were better off than those of the same race, respectively, in Malaysia.

However, the minister had cautioned that while Singapore was doing better compared with many parts of the world, “within Singapore there is still a gap” and they were no longer just competing with Malaysia or Indonesia, but instead competing with the world.

He said the proportion of Malay Primary 1 students who go on to post-secondary education had doubled from 45% in 1995 to 93% in 2015. Those who eventually receive polytechnic diplomas, professional qualifications or university degrees have “gone up over a five-year period to 21%.”

Shanmugam added that the proportion of Malays working as PMETs increased to 28% in 2010 and their median real monthly income per capita had doubled since 1990.

Nearly 90% of Malay households in Singapore own their own homes, according to Shanmugam.

However, he singled out three challenges facing the Malay-Muslim community in the country – radicalisation, loss of jobs and the over-representation of Malays being caught for crimes and drug abuse.

Citing a Pew Research Centre study which showed that 10% of Malaysian Malays had a favourable opinion of Islamic State (IS), and that nearly one-quarter were not prepared to come out and say that IS is wrong, Shanmugam said that Singapore Malays must not get to that level.

“A key part of that depends on you, the leaders of the Malay community, and whether you can make sure that the right religious values are put forth. We have to work hard at this because the influences are on the internet,” Shanmugam reportedly told a seminar organised by the Association of Muslim Professionals in Singapore.

On drug abuse, Shanmugam had said 53% of those arrested for drug abuse last year were Malays. This is an increase from 10 years ago when the proportion of Malays arrested for the same was 32%.

Singapore Malays better off, claims minister

Source: www.msn.com

April 5, 2017
Khan Osman Sulaiman: Is Masagos Zulkifli Encouraging Coffeeshop Talk Instead Of Serious Debate In Parliament?

Hope to meet Minister Masagos outside of parliament so that I can ask him point blank about what he thinks about the gov who discriminate against people who wear the tudung.

Apparently, if someone raises the issue in parliament, it is sowing discord and divisiveness.

Parliament is the place you raise issues brought up by the citizen. If raising sensitive issues in parliament is trying to sow discord, then where else? Coffeeshop?

I don’t blame Masagos. He is the mouthpiece of the PAP and the gov. He isn’t the representative of the community. On that role, he has done wonderfully well to serve his employers and collecting a hefty paycheck.

He has conveniently forgotten that his ticket to parliament was through minority representation in a GRC. He joins Minister Ng Eng Hen who tried to insinuate in parliament that Faisal Manap only brought up minority issues.

Indoctrinated much.

Source: Khan Osman Sulaiman

April 5, 2017
Bernard Chen: Faisal Manap Is True Singaporean Son, Not Divisive Character

When the highest ranked public servant in our legislature (and potentially Singapore’s first women Muslim president come September 2017) is allowed to wear a head scarf while attending to her duties both inside and outside of the House, I do not see why other Muslim officers are unable to do so.

And by the way, I have known and worked with Mr Faisal for years. He is far from being a divisive character, he is humble, slow to speak, and always listening to what others have to say, even when he is personally criticised. He makes it a point to attend funeral wakes / ceremonies of his residents, regardless of their ethnicities. He attend dinners organised by temple associations, house temples etc. He speaks with his community with patience and honesty and he engages other communities with tact and grace. So please refrain from throwing unwarranted accusations and red herrings in the House.

And what’s Parliament for if you cannot raise issues that matters.

And yes he raises issues pertaining to the Malay-Muslim community as the advancement of his community is close to his heart but more often than not, he raises national issues that will benefit all Singaporeans, regardless of their race or religion. I can attest to that as I helped draft his questions. He is a Singaporean and proud of it. Probably that explains why he was able to increase his vote share in his own ward of Kaki Bukit because more people want him to speak up for them in Parliament and not behind closed doors.

And “subtly” raising issues sensitive to Muslims is the responsible thing to do. Isn’t that what “engaging people quietly behind the scenes” is all about, being responsible and “subtle”.

Mr Faisal’s “subtlety” is discord and divisiveness while Mr Masagos’ “subtlety” is good, responsible and the way forward. Double standards.

Source: Chen Jiaxi Bernard

April 5, 2017
Faris Abdat: PAP Politicising Hijab Issue

It is the PAP which keeps politicizing the hijab issue and making it sensitive to talk about by misrepresenting the issue as an attempt by Malay-Muslims to be different and to be treated extra special.

The PAP treats every issue concerning rights of the Malay-Muslim community in this way.

Whether it is the issue of madrasah, whether it is tudung issue in government schools, whether it is the aurat issue for Muslim women in certain professions.

Masagos Zulkifli has employed the use of highly emotive language – ” sowing discord and divisiveness ” – and this is the type of language which is actually sowing discord and divisiveness.

The PAP has done this before – using highly emotive language – to shut down the Malay-Muslim community’s efforts to protect, preserve and regain its constitutionally guaranteed rights.

By doing so – by portraying the Malay-Muslim community as always being problematic – the PAP is actually endangering our racial and religious harmony

Allowing Muslim women in certain professions to cover their aurat is a non-issue. Really.

So the question is why is the PAP adamant in not allowing it ? And an even bigger question is why the PAP would attempt to justify an unfair policy at the expense of our national cohesion.

Bravo MP Faisal Manap for doing what the PAP Muslim MPs dare not, care not or cannot do. He is simply doing his job.

Shame on Masagos Zulkifli for attempting to silent MP Faisal Manap.

By doing so, Masagos Zulkifli is beng an enabler to the PAP’s unfair policy in this matter. It is this behaviour which is sowing real discord and divisiveness. Masagos Zulkifli – Stop politicizing this issue please.

Source: Faris Abdat

April 5, 2017
Tudung Issue: In Defence Of Faisal Manap

A motion on the achievements of Singapore women took a drastic turn when Minister Masagos had an intense exchange with WP MP Faisal Manap in Parliament over the tudung issue yesterday.

The exchange took place in a middle of a debate on supporting the aspirations of women in Singapore, after Faisal Manap had raised the tudung issue in an earlier speech.

In a nut shell, Masagos was taking Faisal Manap to task for constantly raising “divisive” issues such as the tudung issue, role of Malays in the SAF, and Palestine etc. You get the drift. Difficult issues that tend to put the government in a spot. That might drive a wedge by making these issues into what Masagos called a “state vs religion” matter.

Why keep focusing on such issues, Masagos asked, instead of focusing on issues that matter most to the Malay-Muslim community – education, housing, jobs. Why not focus on issues that are more important and constructive?

Now, Faisal Manap is a politician at the end of the day. While I’m sure that issues such as tudung, role of Malays in the SAF and Palestine do matter to many Malay-Muslims, I am also sure that Faisal Manap specifically raised these issues precisely because these were tough issues that would put the government in a spot. And to gain some political mileage out of it too by playing to the gallery. i.e. Faisal Manap is just being a politician.

E.g. remember the photo of him praying before a GE rally in 2015, which appeared on social media?

Like what many other politicians do actually. Including PAP ones. Just that sometimes they are lousier at it – e.g remember. Koh Poh Koon helping an old auntie to carrying 32kg of old newspapers.

Yet, three points in defense of Faisal Manap:

1) Sole Malay Opposition MP

Now, the PAP is accusing Faisal Manap of raising “divisive” issues on a regular basis. The thing is, if not him, then who? There aren’t any other Malay-Muslim opposition MPs, so the onus is on him to raise certain issues that members of the Malay-Muslims want answers to.

Perhaps Faisal Manap wouldn’t need to raise such issues if Malay-Muslim PAP MPs have the guts to raise them in Parliament in the first place.

2) If not in Parliament, then where?

Masagos said that the government does not discuss such issues in public forums, such as Parliament, as they are sensitive and potentially divisive, and can be easily misunderstood because they are complex and difficult to resolve. Instead, Masagos said, the government addresses these issues behind closed doors with community leaders.

Not that we can’t discuss behind closed doors at times, but honestly, what’s so wrong about an elected representative raising issues that matter to his constituents in Parliament? And if we can’t have an open debate in Parliament, then where is a right platform for law makers to debate sensitive, but important stuff?

At least Parliament is a public forum where everything that’s said is recorded into the Hansard – so we know what exactly is said. As opposed to doing things behind closed doors all the time, where the public wouldn’t know what’s going on.

When can this society have an honest conversation about things, rather than sweep them under the rug?

3) Point about Zulfikar was a red herring

In his speech, Masagos raised the point about Zulfikar (remember the dude who was detained under the ISA last year for promoting violence and ISIS?) and Faisal Manap being at an event at the same time.

That was a classic red herring that is completely irrelevant to the topic at hand:

Somewhat insinuating something else also. Which is an ad hominem:

Nope. Not cool at all, Masagos.

That is all.

The end.

Source: www.thoughtssg.com

April 5, 2017