The Secretary-General of Singapore’s Democratic Party, Chee Soon Juan has written a letter addressed to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong to question him whether a by-election will be held at Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC, following Halimah Yacob’s resignation.The full letter is attached below.
All prepared and ready for Petition drive this coming Saturday, 12th August 2017.
We will be doing house to house visit in the Marsiling ward of former MP, Halimah Yacob, and explain to residents on the importance to call for a By-Election.
If you are a resident and a voter under Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC, and wants to sign the petition to call for a By-Election, do pm me for further details.
This is an initiative by residents for residents.
Thank You!
Source: Abdul Salim Harun
A Malaysian man is alleged to have sodomised and raped his 15-year-old daughter more than 200 times from January to March this year.
According to The Star, it took the court several hours yesterday (Aug 9) to read out the 182 charges against the unit trust agent who pleaded not guilty to them all but “hung his head low”.
Over 400 more charges involving sodomy are to be read out to the 36-year-old man today (Aug 10).
He divorced his wife two years ago and has custody of his eldest daughter whom he is accused of sexually assaulting.
His two younger daughters are staying with their mother.
He allegedly sodomised the girl three times a day at their home in Sungai Way, Petaling Jaya since she was 13.
The Star reports that he was accused under Section 377C of the Penal Code which provides a maximum of 20 years’ of imprisonment and shall also be liable to whipping, upon conviction.
The man also faces a charge of committing incest on July 21 at 2pm and is accused under Section 376A of the same Code and punishable under Section 376B(1) of the Code.
The divorcee was also accused of 30 counts of physical sexual assault without intercourse from July 11 to 20 and was charged under Section 14/16 of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017.
He also faces a charge of abusing, neglecting and sexually abusing the child between Jan 1 and July 21. The charge falls under Section 31(1)(a) of the Child Act 2016 and is punishable under Section 31(1)(b) of the Act.
Source: http://stomp.straitstimes.com
Tucked away in a quiet corner of Yishun is an unassuming public housing flat that could possibly enter Singapore political history.
The Housing and Development Board (HDB) flat, built in 1987, is home to Madam Halimah Yacob.
She told reporters she was very comfortable in her HDB home and hopes to continue living there with her family, as they have done for over two decades, even if she is elected to the top office in the land.
Traditionally, the Istana serves as the official presidential residence and office. “I don’t see why I can’t continue (living in a HDB flat) unless there are other considerations like security, for instance, because I know it can be quite a nightmare to ensure security in public housing,” the 62-year-old presidential hopeful told reporters on Sunday night. “Other than that, I see no reason why I cannot continue.”
A number of her neighbours and shopkeepers in her neighbourhood agree. “This is public housing. She’s a public servant. There’s nothing unsuitable about her staying here,” said shopkeeper Lee Swee Seng, 53, whose 17-year-old provision shop is frequented by Mdm Halimah’s family members for household items such as bread or detergent.
Madam Susan Ho, 63, who lives two doors down from Mdm Halimah’s family, agrees.
“If she wins, I would be excited because my neighbour in this HDB block would be the President,” said Mdm Ho, who stays with her daughter and son-in-law on weekdays, helping to care for her grandson.
“She’s very humble to stay in such a house. Most presidents would stay in the official residence,” Mdm Ho added.
Not everyone, however, is convinced that it would be practical for a President to live in a HDB flat.
“For security reasons, I don’t think she can continue staying here if she becomes President,” said a 46-year-old taxi driver who lives one floor above Mdm Halimah.
He declined to give his name, adding that he felt it would be more appropriate for her to live in a private house.
Mdm Halimah and her family currently live in two adjacent HDB units in Yishun that they bought on the resale market.
The presidential candidate is most often seen waiting for her chauffeur at the void deck in the morning.
At other times, she can be seen lugging groceries home from Mr Lee’s provision shop or the neighbourhood supermarket.
“During Hari Raya this year, she came over personally to share pastries such as pineapple tarts and cookies,” said Madam Chris Toh, 50, Mdm Halimah’s next-door neighbour. “When we see her, we just treat her as a neighbour. She’s truly a person with no airs … (if she wins), I won’t think of her as President,” added Mdm Toh.
Mr Lee, the shopkeeper, said he has seen Mdm Halimah’s five children grow up over the years. “They’re very well-mannered and will always ask after us while buying things at our shop,” he added.
For now, the buzz of presidential politics has yet to descend on this sleepy neighbourhood, where familiar daily routines and habits continue uninterrupted.
Mdm Toh said: “I’ll see (Mdm Halimah) climbing the stairs as I take the lift up. So I asked her, ‘Mdm, are you exercising?’ And she said, ‘Yes, must exercise’.”
Source: www.todayonline.com
The online sphere is especially interested in establishment favourite Halimah, who finally announced her intention to take part in the race after months of speculation, last Sunday.
Questions on Halimah’s ‘malayness’ and whether she can really participate in an election that has been expressly set aside for Malay candidates, given that her father is Indian, have gained much traction.
Opinions that her resignation as a minority MP goes against the basis of the GRC system have also been volleyed by several prominent parties. Former PAP MP Inderjit Singh said that a sitting MP resigning from office to contest the presidential race may go against the spirit of the Office as intended by Lee Kuan Yew, while ex-Association of Malay Professionals director Nizam Ismail asserted that Halimah’s resignation will dilute minority representation in Marsiling Yew-Tee GRC and in Parliament.
Meanwhile, opposition political party Singapore Democratic Party has taken issue with the Government’s decision to not call for a by-election to fill Halimah’s roles. Calling the decision “an abuse of the system” and one that “makes a mockery of the general elections,” the party said that it is exploring legal remedies to compel the Government to call for a by-election.
In the midst of all this, former senior political correspondent from the Straits Times, Ismail Kassim, has put forth another question about Halimah’s candidacy: if Halimah becomes president, will a photo of her wearing the hijab hang in all public sector offices?
This question is particularly notable since Malay-Muslim women in public service frontline roles, like police officers and nurses, are still not freely allowed to wear hijabs at work in Singapore.
What do you think? Will Malay-Muslim women in frontline public service roles still be barred from wearing the hijab if the head of state is a hijab-wearing woman? Or will such women be finally free to wear hijabs if Halimah is elected?
Source: www.theindependent.sg