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Together We Stand – Wear White For Family

We.Wear.White | Saturday, June 4 | Sunday, June 5

Why Wear White? Because it is a pro-Family, pro-Government, pro-Singapore message!

1. It is a message to our Government that we fully support its pro-Family policies. We reinforce the important role of Family in nation-building. Guó Jiā. Guó means country. Jiā means family. The Family is the basic building block of society. As the Family goes, so goes society, so goes the nation. We pledge to work with our government to build a Family of Nation-Builders and a Nation of Family-Builders.

2. It is a message to the Church that we must arise and move as one on our convictions regarding personal purity and public morality, Marriage and Family. Howard Hendricks said: “A belief is something you will argue about. A conviction is something you will die for.”

3. It is a message to the Press and Society at large that the Church’s stance on heterosexual Marriage and the Natural Family is in keeping with the core value of Singapore’s conservative majority. We signal to the younger generation our commitment to preserve the Pioneer Generation’s legacy of Family according to “the mainstream views and values of Singapore society, where the social norm consists of the married heterosexual family unit.”

4. It is a message to LGBT activists that there is a conservative majority in Singapore who will push back and will not allow them to promote their homosexual lifestyle and liberal ideologies that openly and outrightly contradict our laws, our government’s stated policies, our national core values, and the conservative majority’s views on public morality, Marriage and Family.

Remember, this is not a protest. This is a message. An important message representing the conservative majority of Singapore. Will you lead by example?

“I will give them singleness of heart and action, so that they will always fear me and that all will then go well for them and for their children after them.” (Jeremiah 32:39)

Together We Stand:
Lawrence Khong
Chairman, LoveSingapore

Source: LoveSingapore

May 20, 2016
‘Pengantin’ Agih Makan Free Berkat Kemajuan Dalam Perniagaan

KOTA BAHRU: Dalam kesibukan di waktu pagi, ramai yang tidak menyangka akan mendapat ‘rezeki’ sarapan pagi percuma dari seorang ‘pengantin’ di tepi jalan.

Nor Hamidi Mohd Nadzir, 27 tahun, mengejutkan sebahagian besar pengguna jalan raya di Jalan Kok Lanas-Machang, Kelantan dengan berpakaian pengantin serba lengkap dan mengagihkan makanan kepada mereka, lapor laman Berita Harian Malaysia.

Nor Hamidi, yang merupakan pemilik butik pengantin D’Rias Bridal Collection, mengagihkan 120 bungkus bihun dan nasi goreng setiap hari sejak Ahad lalu (15 Mei) sebagai tanda kesyukuran dan mahu berkongsi rezeki setelah pernigaannya mencatat keuntungan pada bulan Februari dan Mac lalu, menurut laman Berita Harian Malaysia.

Gambar-gambar Nor Hamidi sedang mengagihkan sarapan pagi kepada para pengguna jalan raya turut dimuat naik ke laman Facebook D’Rias Bridal dan disambut baik oleh para pengguna laman media sosial.

Beliau juga bertukar-tukar baju pengantin setiap hari.

“Idea berpakaian lengkap sebagai pengantin adalah bagi menarik perhatian pengguna untuk singgah selain tidak memerlukan modal memandangkan saya mempunyai butik pengantin,” katanya ketika ditemui wartawan Berita Harian Malaysia tadi (17 Mei).

Nor Hamidi, yang masih bujang, berkata beliau dibantu tiga pekerjanya untuk mengagihkan bungkusan sarapan yang dimasak ibunya, Rokiah Idris, 54 tahun.

Source: http://berita.mediacorp.sg

May 18, 2016
Indonesia Plans To Stop Sending New Live-In Maids Abroad

Indonesia says it will stop sending new live-in maids abroad from as early as next year. Its authorities want domestic workers to live separately from their employers in dormitories, work regular hours, and get public holidays and days off.

The Indonesian Ministry of Manpower’s director for the protection and placement of Indonesian migrant workers abroad, Mr Soes Hindharno, told The Straits Times that, in turn, employers will get “better-quality” workers. They will be certified in Indonesia and trained to excel in specific skills, such as cooking, childcare and eldercare.

“They are also free to do other chores, but don’t penalise them if they don’t do too well in areas outside their skill set. We want better protection for our workers. If they are always indoors, we don’t know if they have worked overtime. They should be compensated for that.”

The move will be made in phases and will first require meetings with the authorities in receiving countries, including Singapore.

Mr Soes said the initiative will affect only new workers. Maids already working in households abroad who are happy with their employers can extend their visas.

The move is part of Indonesian President Joko Widodo’s plan to professionalise informal employment. A road map to stop sending Indonesian maids abroad by next year was announced by the previous administration in 2012, amid worries about maids being mistreated.

Indonesia is the biggest source country for maids in Singapore, with around 125,000 working here.

Concerns have been raised in Indonesia about the working conditions faced by live-in maids working abroad, and progress on addressing them has not been made fast enough, according to Association of Employment Agencies (Singapore) president K. Jayaprema.

The association has been working closely with the Indonesian authorities to address these concerns. Ms Jayaprema said: “We also want to ensure quality domestic workers can continue to come to Singapore.”

Agents said they support formalised training, but logistical issues like lodging, travel and housing will need to be settled if maids live out.

“It might be difficult to get all employers on board,” said Nation Employment managing director Gary Chin, adding that some might be concerned about unpredictable delays during maids’ commutes.

One employer, a banker who gave her name as Madam Molly, 53, said she would prefer to have a helper at night as she sometimes works late. “She doesn’t have to do anything after dinner, but it’s just good to have an adult at home with the kids,” said the single mother of two.

Mr Jolovan Wham of the Humanitarian Organisation for Migration Economics said caregivers could have formal shifts, adding: “If where you live and work is the same, working hours are not clearly defined, and being socially isolated, domestic workers can’t ask for help.”

A spokesman for Singapore’s Manpower Ministry said it had not received any information from Indonesia about the request for live-out maids, and the live-in requirement is not peculiar to Singapore, as Hong Kong, Taiwan and Malaysia have the same requirement.

“Singapore does not condone mistreatment of foreign domestic workers and has taken errant parties to task,” said the spokesman.

Indonesian maid Aisyah, 27, who goes by only one name and has been living in Singapore for six years, was happy to hear about the possibility of a live-out arrangement. “My situation is okay but I have some friends who say they need help but cannot get it because they are always at home,” she said.

“Living outside will give us more free time, more friends, but some might prefer to stay at home if employers treat them like family.”

Source: www.straitstimes.com

May 18, 2016
Captured And Tortured By Terrorists, Pakistani Sought Solace In Radio Broadcasts Of Manchester United Games

Shahbaz Taseer, the son of a Pakistani politician, has spoken out about his four years in captivity.

Mr Taseer was seized by gunmen in Lahore in August 2011, months after his father Salman was killed for opposing Pakistan’s blasphemy laws.

He told the BBC he was “tortured badly” while being held – but that he found solace in listening to Manchester United matches on the radio.

He said he was eventually released by a senior member of the Afghan Taliban.

Mr Taseer was reunited with his family in March, but has not spoken out about his experience in captivity until now, amid unanswered questions over how he was freed or whether a ransom was paid.

He says he was held by Uzbek militants, before eventually being passed to the Taliban.

Recounting the day he was captured, Mr Taseer told the BBC’s Today Programme: “I was ambushed by about five men… My first instinct was they were going to kill me.”

“They drugged me five minutes after abducting me. I passed out – they had beaten me up very badly because I was moving and screaming while being drugged.”

While held by Uzbek militants, he says he was “tortured badly”, and that he and his captors “could never relate to each other”.

“I didn’t want a friendship. I was [categorical] – you’ve done this for money, you’ve ruined my life. You’re not going to find me being gracious at even a piece of bread you throw me.”

However, he and his guard did find common ground – because they were both Manchester United fans.

“I would listen to these Manchester United games every Saturday and Sunday on the radio on BBC. My guard, he was a Manchester United fan, but for him [listening to the games] was a sin.”

They would listen to the matches together in secret, Mr Taseer said, and celebrate the goals together in silence.

“Can you imagine, you’re watching a game, your team scores, and everybody screams, but here we are air jamming our celebrations.”

However, the two were not friends, Mr Taseer said. “For me, [listening to the matches] was [for my] sanity, to listen to something about the world.”

Mr Taseer said his ordeal ended after he was taken prisoner by the Afghan Taliban, who eventually let him go.

“I found someone who was senior Afghan Taliban – he worked some magic, organised for me to meet a few motorcyclists who had no idea who I was. I just got on the back of the motorcycle and came to Pakistan.”

He said being back home, “to wake up and have breakfast with my mother, and see her face”, was “the most unbelievable feeling”.

Source: www.bbc.com

May 18, 2016
More Marriages Breaking Down Because Of Same-Sex Infidelity

In this day and age, the third party that causes a marriage break-up may not be the usual “other woman” or “other man”.

Family lawyers say they have been seeing more marriages unravel on account of an affair with someone of the same sex.

It is not common, but the 20 lawyers and private investigators that The Sunday Times interviewed say it is a noticeable development.

Many of the lawyers handle one or two such cases a year now. But there were hardly any such cases 10 to 15 years ago. At most, it was just one case every few years.

Lawyers and counsellors say many of the men and women involved may be gay, lesbian or bisexual, but repressed their feelings to conform to social norms or to please their parents by getting married and having children. But with society more open today, more of them are acting on their feelings.

Lawyer Tan Siew Kim said: “I think being attracted to someone of the same sex is not so taboo any more. So all these people… feel it is now more acceptable to pursue their happiness, if they meet someone of the same sex.”

Private investigators say the proliferation of social media and dating websites has made it easier to seek and establish such relationships, especially for gay men.

Lawyer Gloria James-Civetta said one of her clients was suspicious when her husband, a hair stylist in his 30s, became more conscious of his appearance and was frequently out till late. The private investigator the client hired found that her husband often patronised gay clubs. When confronted, he confessed to being gay and told her he wanted to divorce her.

Ms James-Civetta said of the couple, who have two children: “He told her he felt pressure from his parents to marry. She felt deceived, like he did not really love her at all.”

According to counsellors, when women get involved with a same-sex companion, it is usually the result of having developed a strong bond with someone who offers them the emotional intimacy they find lacking in their husbands.

Lawyers say some women even decide to end the marriage and leave the children to be with their new partners.

Lawyer Rina Kalpanath Singh, who has handled such cases, said: “They tend to shy away from fighting for custody. They may feel ashamed as same-sex relationships are not so accepted by society yet and they don’t want to put their children through living with two parents of the same sex.”

Understandably, the discovery that their husband or wife is gay or lesbian is traumatic. And many of these spouses demand a divorce, lawyers say. Ms Singh said: “The betrayal cuts even deeper when they find out the third party is someone of the same sex as their spouse.”

Lawyers say adultery is not cited as grounds for divorce in cases of infidelity involving same-sex partners. This is because adultery is legally defined as a sexual relationship between a man and a woman who are not married to each other, but to other people. So these individuals file for divorce citing “unreasonable behaviour”.

Lawyer Helen Chia said: “I’m certain this has been going on for some time. It is just that no one talks about it. The world we live in is more accepting, so people now dare to come out and talk about it.”

Source: www.straitstimes.com

May 17, 2016