Category: Politik

  • Saktiandi Supaat Ingin Terus Sumbang Kepada Negara

    Saktiandi Supaat Ingin Terus Sumbang Kepada Negara

    Encik Saktiandi Supaat menyandang dua jawatan di Maybank sebagai naib presiden eksekutif dan ketua kajian mata wang asing.

    Sebelum itu beliau bertugas sebagai ahli perbendaharaan ekonomi kanan di United Overseas Bank (UOB) dan ahli ekonomi Penguasa Kewangan Singapura (MAS).

    Sejak 2004 beliau giat dalam sayap belia Angkatan Karyawan Islam (AMP) dan mengetuai sayap itu pada 2010 hingga 2013.

    Selanjutnya, beliau berkhidmat sebagai anggota Lembaga AMP.

    Beliau juga pengerusi jawatankuasa memandu Skim Dana Kepimpinan dan Kemajuan (Labs), Forum Pemimpin Masyarakat (CLF) yang menawarkan dana kepada projek keusahawanan sosial yang dikendalikan golongan belia.

    Berikut sedutan wawancara bersama beliau:

    Apakah isu Melayu/Islam yang bakal menjadi tumpuan anda?

    Pertama, dari segi pekerjaan terutama dalam kalangan anak muda, umpamanya daripada aliran Institut Pendidikan Teknikal (ITE) dan diploma.

    Adakah mereka boleh dapat pekerjaan selepas tamat sekolah? Jika boleh, bagaimana pula hendak pertingkat keupayaan mereka dengan lebih lanjut? Ada perkembangan dalam bahagian ini… dan cabarannya adalah sama ada keadaan boleh diperkasa sementara mengekalkan teras warga Singapura dalam pekerjaan.

    Kedua, mungkin dari segi keluarga. Saya lihat dalam kalangan keluarga rentan, yang mempunyai sumber pencarian tunggal dan perlu menyara hidup anak-anak muda.

    Golongan ibu tunggal dengan anak-anak muda juga mencetus keprihatinan, terutama dari segi pendidikan anak-anak mereka, supaya tidak ketinggalan di masa depan.

    Isu ini tidak begitu berbeza daripada isu di peringkat nasional.

    Mengapakah anda memilih menceburi politik?

    Saya telah menceburi kerja kemasyarakatan sejak 2004. Saya mula berkhidmat dengan pertubuhan bantu diri daripada peringkat belia ke usaha sosial dan bagi masyarakat Melayu/Islam menerusi Mendaki dan Labs CLF, sebelum berkhidmat di peringkat nasional menerusi Spring dan Kolej Perkhidmatan Awam.

    Menerusi khidmat saya, saya menemui golongan yang terlepas menerima bantuan dan saya yakin dapat menyumbang lebih lanjut dengan melibatkan diri dalam dasar bagi isu-isu tertentu.

    Penglibatan saya dalam politik bukan satu peralihan semula jadi, tetapi saya mulai sedar (menerusi penglibatan di peringkat akar umbi) bahawa ada warga yang menghadapi isu harian dan memerlukan bantuan.

    Bagaimana pengalaman anda dalam sektor swasta boleh membantu dalam arena politik?

    Saya pernah bertugas sebagai ahli ekonomi dan boleh berkongsi perspektif swasta bagi perkembangan global. Saya kerap ke luar negara dan memahami persaingan yang diwakili rakan serantau dan beberapa isu yang dihadapi Singapura dalam usaha melangkah ke hadapan. Antara lain, saya berharap dapat menggunakan sedikit kemahiran yang ada bagi mencorak beberapa isu dasar awam.

    Adakah anda bersedia mengimbangi masa antara tuntutan kerjaya dengan tanggungjawab kepada warga sebagai seorang anggota parlimen (jika dipilih)?

    Sebenarnya, saya sedang menguruskan masa dari segi kerjaya dan kerja di peringkat akar umbi. Jumlah kerja yang telah saya laksanakan dalam tempoh dua tahun ini adalah penting dan sejauh ini saya mampu mengimbangi tuntutan ini.

    Apakah mesej anda kepada warga Melayu/Islam Singapura

    Kemajuan yang ditunjukkan masyarakat Melayu/Islam setempat amat ketara dalam tempoh 50 tahun yang lalu.

    Selanjutnya, sebagai sebuah masyarakat, kita perlu memberi tumpuan memberi sumbangan kepada pertumbuhan ekonomi Singapura bagi tempoh 50 tahun mendatang.

    Saya rasa amat positif masyarakat Melayu/Islam setempat mampu memberi sumbangan yang amat besar kepada Singapura pada masa akan datang, dari segi pendidikan, pekerjaan, sumbangan sukarelawan… itu amat ketara.


    SAKTIANDI SUPAAT

    Nama: Saktiandi Supaat

    Usia: 41 tahun

    Tempat lahir: Singapura

    Keluarga: Sudah berumah tangga dan mempunyai tiga anak berusia lima, lapan dan 12 tahun

    Agama: Islam

    Hobi: Fotografi, membaca dan ragbi

    Pendidikan: Sarjana Muda (Kepujian) Perdagangan, Universiti Melbourne (1998), dan Sarjana Pentadbiran Perniagaan (MBA), Universiti Cambridge (2007-2008)

    Pekerjaan: Naib Presiden Eksekutif, Ketua FX Research, Maybank


    “Sesiapa sahaja yang dicalonkan oleh Parti Tindakan Rakyat (PAP) adalah mereka yang telah ‘dicuba’ (diuji) untuk melihat kebolehan mereka di lapangan dan juga bagi menunjukkan kebolehan mereka – daripada apa yang mereka dapat sumbang kepada masyarakat dan juga kepada negara. Jadi yang penting bukan siapa yang dicalonkan tapi apa yang dibawa oleh mereka (yang dicalonkan) yang menjadi harapan rakyat semua dan juga masyarakat kita.”

    – Menteri Kedua Ehwal Luar merangkap Dalam Negeri, Encik Masagos Zulkifli Masagos Mohamad.

    Encik Saktiandi, yang lebih selesa dengan panggilan ‘Andi’, berkata jika diberi peluang berkhidmat, beliau mahu menumpukan perhatian pada keperluan harian penduduk, termasuk golongan warga emas, yang membentuk lebih separuh penduduk di sana.

    Menyentuh tentang khidmat kepada masyarakat Melayu/Islam, beliau berkata isu pekerjaan bagi lulusan diploma dan Institut Pendidikan Teknikal (ITE) antara perkara yang menjadi tumpuannya.

    Beliau, yang pernah tinggal di Kampong Tempeh dekat Sixth Avenue di Bukit Timah, juga bangga dengan pencapaian negara ini daripada negara Dunia Ketiga kepada negara maju dalam tempoh singkat.

    “Saya menyaksikan sendiri Singapura berkembang daripada kampung dan sehingga kami berpindah ke HDB. Perkembangan Singapura, dalam memberi saya pendidikan baik, pelantaran baik bagi membina hidup keluarga baik, sesuatu yang saya hargai.

    “Saya ingin terus memberi sumbangan kepada perkembangan Singapura selanjutnya, supaya generasi masa depan, termasuk anak-anak saya, dapat menyaksikan kemajuan dan perkembangan Singapura dalam tempoh 50 tahun mendatang,” kata beliau.

    Encik Saktiandi mendapat pendidikan di Raffles Institution dan Maktab Rendah Catholic.

    Beliau berkelulusan sarjana muda perdagangan dari Universiti Melbourne di Australia dan Sarjana Pentadbiran Perniagaan (MBA) dari Universiti Cambridge di Britain.

     

    Source: http://beritaharian.sg

  • Walid J. Abdullah: Discourse On Voting Need To Move Beyond Fear-Mongering And Red-Herrings

    Walid J. Abdullah: Discourse On Voting Need To Move Beyond Fear-Mongering And Red-Herrings

    Often, when people say ‘yes the PAP is not perfect, but what alternative do we have?’, you get the sense that they either do not comprehend our political system or they are setting up a false dilemma. This time, like previous years, we are not voting for which party will serve as government: in all likelihood, the PAP will remain as our government. With that in mind then, the questions that should be asked automatically become different. Perhaps the following questions, amongst others, would be more pertinent:

    1) Do we believe there is a need to have checks and balances in Parliament against any one party?

    2) Since 2011, with more opposition parliamentarians, has the government become more responsive to the desires of the electorate?

    3) Has the Workers’ Party lived up to its claim of being a ‘responsible opposition’ party?

    4) Are the individual opposition candidates and their respective parties ‘credible’ enough for us, however we define it?

    I personally believe that in any other situation, most people would loathe the idea of giving any one person or party near-absolute control over their affairs, so I am not sure why people make exceptions in the case of Singapore politics. At the same time, I cannot say that the performance of WP – both in and outside Parliament – has been so stellar in the past 4 years that they would immediately deserve my vote. That would be my personal dilemma.

    Ultimately, each of us would have our own standards in choosing which party to cast our vote for. Hopefully as our society matures politically, the discussions on voting, politics and societal issues would be centered on genuine considerations rather than fear-mongering or red herrings.

     

    Source: Walid J. Abdullah

  • Low Thia Khiang: Lui Tuck Yew A Loss, Questions If Lui Lacked Support From Cabinet

    Low Thia Khiang: Lui Tuck Yew A Loss, Questions If Lui Lacked Support From Cabinet

    Workers’ Party chief Low Thia Khiang on Wednesday expressed disappointment that Transport Minister Lui Tuck Yew was leaving politics, saying the timing of the decision by the “hardworking minister” has raised questions about his reasons for doing so.

    Mr Low added that Mr Lui had done a good job, pointing out that he “goes to the ground to try his best to resolve transport issues”.

    He said: “It’s a loss to the Cabinet.”

    He also said that the unexpected announcement of Mr Lui’s impending departure from politics has raised speculation about the internal workings of the Cabinet and the Government’s handling of a public transport system beset by breakdowns in recent years.

    “Was it because of the recent incident of the MRT big breakdown…or is it because he feels he has not been supported by his Cabinet colleagues who is supposed to work as a team to give him enough confidence to stay on and solve the issues?” Mr Low told reporters before he attended his weekly Meet-the-People session.

    About 250,000 people were affected when both the North-South as well as the East-West MRT lines broke down in July during the evening peak hours.

    He also said he would be “very disappointed” with the People’s Action Party (PAP) if it allows a minister to resign in order to take the heat off public transport issues.

    Mr Low noted that Mr Lui’s predecessor, Mr Raymond Lim, also left the Cabinet after a stint as Transport Minister and questioned whether the Government needed to fundamentally rethink Singapore’s transport model.

    “Was it because philosophically I think how they treat transport is not correct and not convincing to the Minister for Transport?” he wondered aloud.

    He also suggested that perhaps Mr Lui’s morale had been affected after his ward in the soon-to-be-defunct Moulmein-Kallang GRC was “chopped off into pieces and redistributed” into other constituencies.

    Mr Low acknowledged that public transport was “a long-term problem” that would “take some time to solve” as the network is heavily used daily.

    He was also asked a series of questions on the coming general election, such as whether he feels the PAP is trying to ride the wave of national unity generated by Singapore celebrating 50 years of independence and Singaporeans celebrating the life of founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, after his death in March.

    He declined to comment, saying: “It is better for members of the public (and) the younger generation of Singaporeans to look at what (the PAP) is doing and make their own judgement.”

    On what he thought of recent comments PAP ministers have made about integrity and town council management, he said: “If they really want to launch an attack,we will respond to them.”

    Meanwhile, said Mr Low, his party plans to engage younger voters through a younger slate of candidates who will be more savvy on social media, which he admitted to knowing little about.

    “I’m not on Facebook,” he said, adding that he is not planning to start a Facebook page.

    He also said the WP will introduce its candidates soon and that they were “already on the ground”.

    He said his party would probably not depart from its past practice of revealing only on Nomination Day where its candidates will stand.

    He, however, hinted that his party’s Aljunied MPs will disclose if they were staying to defend the GRC on Sunday during the sale of the WP’s newsletter.

    Mr Low was also asked to evaluate the performance of his fellow MPs in the House in the past four years. Recently, various websites have tabulated the attendance of MPs in Parliament.

    He said he would leave it to Singaporeans to evaluate them, but added that the role of an MP is not confined to attending Parliament. An MP is also involved in running town councils and serving constituents.

    However, he added, MPs should prioritise attending Parliament over other activities.

    “That’s why you offer yourself to be elected. Parliament is your destination, where you represent the people. So even if you are not slated to speak, at least you (have to be there) to know what happened.”

     

    Source: www.straitstimes.com

  • Zainudin Nordin Steps Down To Spend Time With Family

    Zainudin Nordin Steps Down To Spend Time With Family

    Citing the desire to spend more time with their loved ones, two People’s Action Party (PAP) backbenchers from the Bishan-Toa Payoh Group Representation Constituency — including one who is known for not shying away from controversial topics — will be stepping down.

    Speaking at a press conference to unveil the PAP candidates for the coming General Election, Mr Zainudin Nordin, 52, who entered politics in 2001, and Mr Hri Kumar Nair, 49, who had served two terms in office, said they will be making way for new blood.

    Mr Hri Kumar said that he had to relook his priorities after his wife was diagnosed with lymphoma in 2012 and underwent chemotherapy.

    While she is “doing well” currently, Mr Hri Kumar noted that the condition is something that would not go away. “(Her illness) has sort of propelled me to rethink how I would spend my time and what my priorities are,” he said.

    He also hopes to have more time with his eight-year-old daughter. “She’s a great little girl, I’m looking forward to spending more time at home annoying her, that’s what she accuses me again all the time,” he joked.

    Recounting his time in office, he said he was glad to have had the opportunity to raise issues in Parliament. “I’ve never held back, I think the ministers don’t always agree with me, but they have always respected my right to speak up and to say what I want to say, I think that’s important,” he added.

    Mr Hri Kumar, who is currently the chairman of Bishan-Toa Payoh Town Council, also heads the Government Parliamentary Committees for law and home affairs.

    Speaking to TODAY, Mr Hri Kumar said he was proud that during his tenure as an MP, he did not shun from speaking about lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) issues, for instance, and voicing his disagreement with the National Library Board’s decision to pulp three children’s books deemed to contravene pro-family values.

    Among other things, he had also suggested the idea of a National Defence tax on permanent residents and foreigners, and abolishing the Primary School Leaving Examination.

    “But I’m not afraid of saying these things and asking people to debate and consider them,” he said.

    For Mr Zainudin, who will also be stepping down as the president of the Football Association of Singapore later this year, the “time is right” for him to focus on his family, he said.

    The former Mayor of the Central Community Development Council added that as an MP, there would always be a desire to do more. Nevertheless, he felt he has contributed by speaking up for low-wage workers. He also recalled that in his maiden Parliamentary speech, he spoke about the need for the Government to do more in early childhood education.

    At the municipal level, Mr Zainudin said his proudest project was setting up the Bishan Active Park which has since become “one of the most iconic community parks in Singapore”.

    On what he would miss about being a politician, he cited meeting residents and helping them.

    “Helping people has never been an easy journey. We always try our best … the fond memories are about the difficult things you do,” he said.

     

    Source: www.todayonline.com

  • PAP In Crisis As More MPs Resign

    PAP In Crisis As More MPs Resign

    In a press conference today (August 12), the PAP Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC team sees 3 more PAP MPs resigning signaling a succession crisis with the ruling party. MP Hri Kumar, MP Zainudin Nordin and Ex-Minister MP Wong Kan Seng have all announced their resignation today.

    Photo from Facebook

    The slew of resignations from PAP MPs started after the death of former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew and the current headcount is at 10, with more PAP MPs to announce their resignation before the National Day Rally speech next week.

    1) AMK GRC MP Inderjit Singh
    2) Tampines GRC MP Irene Ng
    3) Tampines GRC MP and Ex-Minister Mah Bow Tan
    4) Moulmein-Kallang GRC MP and current Transport Minister Lui Tuck Yew
    5) Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC MP Hri Kumar
    6) Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC MP Zainudin Nordin
    7) Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC MP and Ex-Minister Wong Kan Seng
    8) Sembawang GRC MP Hawazi Daipi
    9) AMK GRC Seng Han Thong
    10) AMK GRC Yeo Guat Kwang

    Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong is currently having a manpower shortage filling in these resigned positions and especially for the Transport Minister position as no PAP MP volunteered for the job.

     

    Source: http://statestimesreview.com

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