MENTERI Bertanggungjawab Bagi Ehwal Masyarakat Islam, Dr Yaacob Ibrahim, berkata pergerakan Rahmatan Lil Alamin (RLA) selama 10 tahun telah memaparkan semangat ihsan dan bergotong-royong sebagai satu sumbangan masyarakat Melayu/Islam demi masa depan Singapura.
“Saya rasa RLA ini menunjukkan kejayaan masyarakat kita kerana bukan hanya dari segi sumbangan kita terhadap prinsip berbilang kaum, malah pada masa yang sama, kepada ihsan – berperikemanusiaan, bukan hanya kepada masyarakat Melayu, bahkan di peringkat nasional juga.
“Sumbangan ini sungguh penting kerana ia membawa kebaikan dan kesejahteraan kepada semua lapisan masyarakat di Singapura.
“Selama 10 tahun ini menunjukkan bahawa RLA telah bekerja keras bukan hanya dengan masyarakat Islam tetapi yang bukan Islam untuk menunjukkan bahawa nilai Rahmatan Lil Alamin itu adalah nilai yang sejagat,” ujar Dr Yaacob ketika ditemui wartawan dalam majlis pelancaran Bulan RLA di ITE College East, semalam.
Majlis tersebut turut dihadiri oleh Perdana Menteri, Encik Lee Hsien Loong.
Kempen sehingga 26 September ini bertemakan ‘Semangat Prihatin-Masyarakat Berharmoni’.
Pelbagai kegiatan diatur di keenamenam kelompok masjid atau kesemua 69 masjid di Singapura sempena Bulan RLA 2015.
Senarai kegiatan termasuk program kesihatan, makanan dan ubah elok rumah bagi mereka yang memerlukan.
Relawan belia turut mengedarkan magnet peti sejuk dengan mesej ‘Fikir, Kata dan Amalkan Kebaikan selalu’ kepada orang ramai di stesen MRT Expo, Eunos dan Paya Lebar.
Usaha RLA diterajui oleh Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura (Muis) dan kesemua masjid di Singapura itu bermula bagi projek kemasyarakatan di dalam dan luar negara sebelum dipertingkat menjadi sebuah yayasan pada 2009.
Sejak 2005, RLA telah mengagihkan lebih $4.8 juta kepada usaha kebajikan di dalam dan luar negara.
Pengerusi RLAF, Encik Mr Po’ad Mattar, semalam buat kali pertama mengumumkan bahawa yayasan itu akan mengambil Hospital Ren Ci dan Persatuan Ain sebagai Kebajikan Angkat mereka.
PERKEMBANGAN DI GRC JALAN BESAR
“Saya rasa apa yang selama ini kami lakukan adalah mengenal semua penduduk di GRC Jalan Besar. Penerimaan mereka begitu mesra dan ini satu tanda yang baik. Ini menunjukkan kerja keras selama empat tahun bagi menentukan keperluan penduduk Jalan Besar dapat dipenuhi sebaik mungkin. Alhamdulillah, apa yang kami dapati apabila kami berjumpa dengan pengundi, mereka berasa riang dan gembira bahawa kami akan terus bekerja bagi mereka kalau diundi sebagai pemimpin di Jalan Besar GRC. Harapan kami adalah untuk bertemu dengan semua pengundi di Jalan Besar sebelum Hari Bertenang. Saya rasa ini sesuatu yang kami perlu buat bagi memberitahu penduduk bahawa kamilah pasukan yang lebih cekap dan pengalaman untuk bekerjasama bersama mereka bagi masa depan mereka.”
– Menteri Perhubungan dan Penerangan Dr Yaacob Ibrahim ketika ditanya mengenai kempennya di GRC Jalan Besar di majlis pelancaran Bulan Rahmatan Lil Alamin (RLA) semalam.
Rather than being just a “glorified estate manager”, a Member of Parliament’s “real value” to residents is to lead, bond, inspire and fight for them, said Mrs Jeannette Chong-Aruldoss from the Singapore People’s Party yesterday.
In making this point, the Opposition candidate in Mountbatten Single Member Constituency put down her rival for his handling of the authorities’ plans to redevelop the Dakota Crescent housing estate, which is one of Singapore’s oldest.
Criticising Mr Lim Biow Chuan, the incumbent MP from the People’s Action Party, for saying previously that most of those who like the estate’s heritage do not live there, Mrs Chong-Aruldoss said residents have told her otherwise and would like to save the place.
“It is you the residents who should have the first say and be consulted as to what should be done about the local heritage,” she said, speaking at a rally held in the ward last night — the third straight day the SPP has held one. Residents of rental blocks there, which were built in the 1950s, were notified last year they were required to move out of their homes by Dec 31 next year.
She added that primarily, an MP should be a legislator, making sure laws are debated thoroughly and well-considered before they are made. The job falls on the Opposition, she added, given that the PAP’s MPs form an overwhelming majority in the House.
“There are widening gaps in our society, which if left unchecked, will affect our future and our children’s futures. There is a widening gap between the haves and the have-nots in our society, and not enough is being done to arrest income inequality. There is a gap between the aspirations of Singaporeans and the reality of poor social mobility … between the good intentions behind government policies and the reality of people falling between the cracks,” she said.
Responding to Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong’s recent comments that the PAP is its own check, Mrs Chong-Aruldoss said this is a “dangerous and undemocratic” idea.
She then drew the crowd’s attention to the recent Auditor-General’s report, which showed financial lapses across several ministries and agencies.
“The PAP MPs are mice when talking about the accounting lapses flagged by the Auditor-General. Do you want Parliament to be our rubber stamp? We cannot afford to let Parliament write our government’s blank cheques,” she added.
Last night, she also plugged the SPP’s track record of running the Potong Pasir Town Council for about two decades “successfully and without a hitch”, in bolstering her credentials to run a town council, if elected.
“Under Mr Chiam (See Tong)’s capable hands, the accounts of Potong Pasir Town Council were always clean and always in surplus. Recently, the PAP government has made it their national agenda to cast doubt on the ability of Opposition parties to run a town council successfully.
“As far as SPP is concerned, that is a myth. With SPP’s backing, my team and I are more than confident of running Mountbatten town council. This will be my first call of duty and the first order of my business,” she said.
Ms Chong-Aruldoss stood in Mountbatten under the National Solidarity Party’s banner at the 2011 General Election, taking 41.4 per cent of the votes. She joined the SPP this year.
The People’s Action Party took a breather from night-time rallies on Sunday (Sept 6) as campaigning for the Sept 11 polls heads into its second week.
Four opposition parties held rallies – the Singapore People’s Party (SPP) at Stadium Drive, Reform Party (RP) at Delta Hockey Pitch, Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) at Jurong East Stadium, and the Workers’ Party (WP) at Simei Road.
Here are our five highlights:
1. SO WHO WENT
Supporters at the WP rally on Sept 6, 2015. ST PHOTO: DESMOND LIM
Judging by the crowds that filled a whole field in Simei Road, the fierce battle that is expected between the WP and the PAP for the four-member East Coast GRC might well take place. Thousands chanted and cheered as each speaker spoke. In the 2011 GE, the PAP got 54.8 per cent to WP’s 45.2 per cent.
The other opposition rallies saw much more modest turnouts.
2. DR CHEE HITS OUT
One of the fieriest speeches of the night came from SDP secretary-general Chee Soon Juan. His target: his Holland-Bukit Timah GRC rival, PAP minister Vivian Balakrishnan.
Among other things, he took Dr Balakrishnan to task for overspending on the Youth Olympic Games budget by three times. But, he said: “When I disagree with Dr Balakrishnan, I disagree with him on what he says, but I don’t dislike him… I have great admiration for him.”
He and fellow candidate Paul Tambyah also spent time hitting out at comments Dr Balakrishnan had made about politicians’ salary.
At a forum last week, Dr Balakrishnan said that only two kinds of people can serve the people at zero cost – those who are wealthy, and those who are corrupt. He was responding to a participant who had questioned the MP allowance, which stands at $192,500 annually.
3. KEY ISSUES THAT CROPPED UP
SPP rally: Mr Bryan Long, SPP candidate for Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC and the first speaker, set the theme by holding Mr Chiam See Tong up as the exemplar of a good opposition parliamentarian.
Mr Chiam See Tong at the SPP rally on Sunday, Sept 6, 2015. ST PHOTO: ALPHONSUS CHERN
He listed three ways in which the SPP team will follow Mr Chiam’s example – by being respectful of opponents, by being constructive and by not giving up even if they fail. And he exhorted voters to “keep Mr Chiam’s fire burning”.
Other speakers elaborated on this. SPP volunteer Choo Zheng Xi pointed to Mrs Lina Chiam’s active questioning in Parliament as an example of the need for opposition MPs to ask hard questions.
Mrs Jeannette Chong-Aruldoss, who is contesting Mountbatten, also paid tribute to Mr Chiam’s long years of service, adding that his efficiency in managing Potong Pasir proved that opposition parties can run town councils. She also lauded his “passion to serve” the people, taking on the post of MP long before MPs received generous allowances.
RP rally: There was no clear theme at the RP rally. Ang Mo Kio GRC candidate Jesse Loo kicked off the night by answering questions that he said Singaporeans have posed, and reassured that the opposition is unable to raid Singapore’s reserves and that they cannot “anyhow” pass policies.
RP candidates (from left) Darren Soh, Noraini Yunus, Andy Zhu, Gilbert Goh, Kumar Appavoo, Kenneth Jeyaretnam, Osman Sulaiman, Roy Ngerng and Siva Chandran at the party’s rally on Sept 6, 2015. ST PHOTO: DESMOND WEE
Other candidates attacked hot-button issues like the cost of living and healthcare costs. Radin Mas SMC candidate Kumar Appavoo, in particular, covered everything from the care of the elderly and the price of HDB flats to birth rates and his strategies as a minority candidate. He ended by asking his “Chinese brothers” to vote for him.
Party secretary-general Kenneth Jeyaretnam (West Coast GRC) and blogger Roy Ngerng (Ang Mo Kio GRC) used statistics to back up their arguments. The former sought to detail where the money for his party’s plans – including an old-age pension of $500 a month for those above 65 – would come from. Mr Ngerng tried to prove that the PAP returns Singaporeans only a portion of what they collect.
SDP rally: Besides Dr Chee and Dr Tambyah, the other speakers worked their way through a spectrum of topics. These included the high cost of living in Singapore and the lack of government support for minority groups such as single mothers. Also raised was the lack of opposition voices in Parliament. Dr Wong Souk Yee, who is contesting Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC, said that with the presence of the PAP party whip and only seven opposition seats, “laws are passed without meaningful debate or challenge”.
WP rally: Foreigners were the big theme at the WP rally. Ten of its 13 speakers talked about the issue, and many attacked the 2013 Population White Paper. East Coast GRC candidate Daniel Goh said that the document’s footnote on nurses being “low-skilled” workers touched a nerve as his mother is a nurse. He said: “The Singapore economy is not a machine, and Singaporeans are not screws and nuts.”
Nee Soon GRC candidate Gurmit Singh said that immigration had Singapore “creaking at the seams”, while East Coast GRC candidate Leon Perera said the decade before 2011, which saw a large influx of foreigners, was the “lost decade”. Mr Low Thia Khiang’s speech focused on WP’s proposals to cap the increase of foreign worker population and grow the Singapore core.
The speakers also linked the PAP’s immigration policy to the wide income gap, and brought up their proposed minimum wage policy a number of times.
4. MEMORABLE MOMENTS
* The SPP rally started about 20 minutes late but the sparse crowd did not mind since there were free snacks available. A booth with a popcorn machine and volunteers dishing out old-school biscuits attracted a hungry queue of about 20 people in under five minutes.
ST PHOTOS: SAMANTHA BOH
* The RP emcee had, at the last few rallies, made his presence felt with his fiery introductions. On Sunday, he drew a swift correction from speaker Siva Chandran when he introduced the Ang Mo Kio GRC candidate as “a former PAP man”, causing the latter to say “I hate PAP” and clarifying that he had just worked for the People’s Association. Earlier, the emcee told a story of leadership involving Alexandra the Great leading his army through the Afghan desert on the way to India. He also read out a list, given to him by a resident, of 20 items that Singaporeans had not “approved of”, including “sending old folks to JB”.
* Radin Mas candidate Kumar Appavoo already faces a three-cornered fight, but things could get even harder if he keeps asking residents to vote for him on the “nine of…” September. He mentioned this date at the start and the end of his speech, quickly correcting himself both times. Polling Day is Sept 11.
* Activist Gilbert Goh, who is contesting in Ang Mo Kio on the RP’s ticket, called Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong a “trader”, before carefully spelling out the word “T-R-A-D-E-R” to make sure no one thought he had said “traitor”. He gave five reasons for saying so, mainly involving how foreigners have come to Singapore to work and study.
* The WP’s can’t-miss neon-lit campaign trailer truck, dubbed the “Optimus Prime”, was spotted at the end of its rally. It was caught in the traffic jam after the rally, allowing rally-goers to snap photos and videos of it. When it moved, the crowd cheered.
“WE’RE NOT HERE TO PROVIDE ENTERTAINMENT, WE’RE NOT COMEDY CENTRAL.”
– RP’s Jesse Loo
“THE PAP MPS ARE MICE WHEN TALKING ABOUT THE PA (PEOPLE’S ASSOCIATION) LAPSES, BUT THEY CROW LIKE ROOSTERS AT THE LAPSES OF THE ALJUNIED TOWN COUNCIL.”
– SPP’s Jeannette Chong-Aruldoss
“OUR LIFE IS LIKE A BIRD IN A GOLDEN CAGE.”
– RP’s Siva Chandran on HDB flats in Singapore. He said they are nice to look at from the outside but the people suffer inside
“(RADIN MAS CANDIDATE) KUMAR APPAVOO HAS BEEN ACTIVE. IT DOESN’T MATTER WHERE HE’S ACTIVE.”
– RP’s Ang Mo Kio GRC candidate Osman Sulaiman
“THEIR SLOGAN IS ‘WITH YOU, FOR YOU, FOR SINGAPORE’. BUT IT’S ALL ABOUT THEM, NOT YOU.”
– WP’s Leon Perera
“DO NOT GIVE THEM (PAP) A BLANK CHEQUE OR THEY WILL SIGN IT FOR A VERY EXPENSIVE 6.9 MILLION.”
– WP’s Daniel Goh
“MAYBE IF THEY (PAP) SHAVE THEIR HEADS BOTAK, THEY CAN SCRATCH THEIR HEADS BETTER.”
Yaacob is the Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs since 2002.
The Malay community hates him because allegedly he never stood up for their rights, especially on wearing the tudung.
It matter not, the number of mosques he has helped built or the work he has done with MUIS and MENDAKI to help the community progress.
Maybe we do know the good work that we has done but we are deliberately turning a blind eye on them and focusing only on his negative things.
It is tough to be Yaacob.
The community did not choose him. We did not elect him. Yaacob knows this, yet he continues to do his job….
There are now more Malay first class graduates, more professionals… blah blah blah.. But you already know that because you can see our community progress with your own eyes. You saw how the mosque has evolved from just a place of worship into a space that functions as support pillars for families with quality teachers and facilities. You have seen the lives of the less fortunate being transformed after being given a second chance.
Yet, we criticise him all the same. We even cast doubt on his faith and that he is not fit to lead us because he is not the Muslim that we think he should be.
Who are we to judge if an individual is more Muslim than others.
We want Muslim ladies to be able to wear the tudung without prejudice but how do we get about doing that?
We have been asking the government to allow our Muslim ladies wear the hijab for the past decades. Yet here we wait.
Singapore is a secular society and by definition it is not connected with religious or spiritual matters.
Yet we have a Minister-in-charge of Muslim affairs fighting for our rights with whatever power he has in him.
It is tough to be Yaacob Ibrahim.
But he is a tough man because as a Muslim he knows that it is his responsibility to keep persevering in his fight for our rights – some call it a lost cause, we call it is his Jihad.
Seven years ago, Jeannette Chong-Aruldoss had a conversation with her four pre-teen and teenage children.
She realised they did not feel rooted to Singapore as they had no say in the nation-building and decision-making process.
Troubled but still optimistic and wanting to be part of the solution, she did something not many people would even imagine doing: Go down the road of opposition politics.
It was not an easy step to take, but she has always believed that one has to start the ball rolling in order to see change.
Fast forward to today: The London School of Economics law school alumnus and former Katong convent girl who runs her own law practice, is currently making a second bid for the Mountbatten single-member constituency seat, where she is running on the Singapore People’s Party ticket.
In 2011, she ran against the People Action Party’s Lim Biow Chuan. Lim won 11,965 votes (58.64 percent), while she garnered 8,436 votes (41.35 percent).
But judging by the extent her children getting involved with her current 2015 campaign, perhaps her desire to have them stay put in Singapore and take part in the country’s decision-making process will no longer be wishful thinking but a reality.
Mothership.sg spoke to Jeannette to ask her about why she is back, what voters can expect and why she will put her legal career on hold to serve the people full-time.
1. First question: What is the best political advice you’ve ever received so far?
Jeannette: A veteran politician once told me that running for elections is like a marathon. It takes a lot of preparation, a lot of personal sacrifices have to be made and it’s a long journey. But as with any marathon, slow and steady wins the race.
2. How different is 2011’s Jeannette from 2015’s Jeannette?
Jeannette: In 2011 when I stood for elections, I had conviction in my heart, but perhaps I may not have articulated what I feel inside. Now in 2015, I am better able to explain my convictions and I believe that voters will be able to understand me better as to what values and things I want to do.
Jeannette Chong-Aruldoss Mothership interview: Nicole Seah spe…Good morning! Mothership.sg exclusive: Nicole Seah (佘雪玲) interviews Singapore People’s Party Mountbatten SMC candidate Jeannette Chong-Aruldoss (Jeannette For Mountbatten) about why she is back this #GE2015. Here’s a snippet of their conversation. Stay tuned for the full article.
Posted by Mothership.sg on Friday, September 4, 2015
3. I remember a conversation we had where I asked what motivated you to join opposition politics. You said your children felt a sense of disconnect and you worried they might not have a sense of belonging and that may leave Singapore one day. Does that still remain your motivation?
Jeannette: As a mother of four kids, I have a very vested and deep stake in the future of Singapore. And I wanted to set an example for my children, that if things are not what they prefer, and they would prefer something else, I want to tell them not to walk away or vote with their feet, but stick around and be part of the solution and try to make things better. So that is something I want to explain to my children. That’s what I want them to do, not just to go where the grass is greener.
4. So this is your second time running against the PAP’s Lim Biow Chuan, what do you think are your chances this time?
Jeannette: I would say that, firstly, the majority will decide the outcome and I am ready to be judged on the merits and the capabilities. I am confident I am up to the task. So I leave it to the voters, they have a choice and let them decide. I put myself out, my manifesto, my plans for Mountbatten, so it’s up to them.
5. Has it been challenging going down this path?
Jeannette: Yes, absolutely. I still need to do my job, I still need to meet deadlines, and I’m a working mom. It’s not easy to balance all these things, so that has been one of my challenges, but I still feel that this is something that I want to do, so I just have to get it done.
6. And you still have time to adopt a dog?
Jeannette: Ember was a rescued dog, she is part of a litter of maybe seven or eight which was found near a garbage bin in Tuas. A dog rescuer alerted and was asking if people might want to adopt, and the litter was so cute! I wanted to adopt more but one is enough and she is part of our family now. She is used to us and we are used to her, and she has a great personality.
7. Back to something more serious. Since 2011, many have also said that the PAP is shifting left in its ideology somewhat. Policies have become a bit socialist and populist-leaning, and it’s been easier for people to get financial assistance too compared to in the past. Do you think the ground has sweetened in favour of the PAP government?
Jeannette: Well, I have a slightly different perspective, as I think this demonstrates that they are more responsive to the people’s needs, and this shows that competition is beneficial to citizens. Had not I stood up against the incumbent, would the incumbent have been more hardworking? Would the PAP have been more left-leaning, if not for the results of the 2011 elections?
8. Some might also say that in 2011 there were quite a number of strong candidates from several parties, but this time round it is quite plain to see that there are quite a number of sections in the opposition that might be in turmoil as well. Do you think this affects the opposition’s standing as a whole?
Jeannette: Well, we’re only a few days into a nine-day campaign. [Laughs] I think when you give all the opposition politicians a chance to show themselves, then maybe we can look back and see how it goes.
9. What are some of the changes you have seen in Mountbatten then?
Jeannette: What is most interesting is what has not changed about Mountbatten, which is the fact that Mountbatten is still an SMC and spared from the fate which befell Joo Chiat SMC.
I deplore the GRC scheme, which benefits the incumbent at the expense of the electorate. GRC constituents are short-changed by the diffused relationship between them and their collective MPs. In an SMC, the residents have a better sense of their identity as a community and have a more direct bond with their MP which enables residents to be better served.
10. Recently, there has been more attention paid online to MPs’ attendance in parliament. Can voters expect you to have 100 attendance record like Low Thia Khiang and Gerald Giam?
Jeannette: The ruling party has altered Singapore’s electoral process several times. With each amendment to the Constitution, it gets harder and harder for opposition politicians to enter Parliament. Every seat won by the opposition will be hard-earned, paid by heavy personal sacrifice and a history-making feat achieved against great odds. Voters can be sure that if elected, I will make full use of my seat in Parliament.
11. Do you think it is important to be a full-time MP?
Jeannette: Being an MP is one of the highest calling in public service. If elected, my MP duties will take top priority and my legal career will be put on hold or otherwise take a backseat to my role as MP.
12. So, for the last question, not as loaded as the previous ones, the de facto question this GE: Describe yourself as a hawker dish?
Jeannette: Well, Nicole, sitting in front of you, I can only think of wantan mee because we used to enjoy it together. You used to SMS me and say “Shall we eat wantan mee? Let’s go!”
[Yeah, wantan mee is comfort food.]
I think it reminds me of home. And friendship too.
[Thank you for making time today. Wish you all the best for the rest of the hustings period.]
