Category: Singapuraku

Sengkang Cops’ Quick Thinking Helped Them Revive Two-Year-Old Boy

Police Senior Staff Sergeant Mohamad Azhar Abdul Aziz, 30, was handling a complaint from a member of the public on March 18 when an elderly woman dashed into the Sengkang Neighbourhood Police Centre (NPC) carrying a boy, who was limp.

The officer knew something was wrong after taking a look at the boy and that he needed to do something, or the child would die.

Senior Staff Sgt Azhar and Sergeant Mohamad Adam Roslan, 26, were on duty at the NPC at about 2pm that Saturday.

Speaking to The New Paper on Wednesday, Senior Staff Sgt Azhar said: “His head and legs were dangling as his grandmother carried him.”

The frantic woman went between Senior Staff Sgt Azhar and Sgt Adam to place the unconscious two-year-old on the counter.

She was speaking in Mandarin in a panicked and shaky voice. Neither officer understood her, but both knew they had to act fast.

As Sgt Adam called for an ambulance, Senior Staff Sgt Azhar checked the boy’s vitals. There were no signs of breathing or a pulse, so he applied cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).

EMOTIONAL

Senior Staff Sgt Azhar, who has a daughter the same age as the boy, said: “I was worried because as I was trying to save him, doing the compressions, I was thinking of my daughter and I was quite emotional.”

Cradling the boy in one arm, he performed chest compressions with his other hand.

Just as he was about to perform mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, he noticed the boy’s teeth were tightly clenched, indicating he was breathing again but experiencing fits

At the time, Staff Sergeant Joshua Kwek, 27, was on the second storey of the NPC having food.

When he heard of the case, he sprinted to the Sengkang Polyclinic next door.

The polyclinic had closed for the day, but he found a doctor who had not yet left for home and told him about the boy.

Staff Sgt Joshua ran back to the NPC to inform Senior Staff Sgt Azhar, and they rushed back to the polyclinic with Senior Staff Sgt Azhar carrying the boy.

They took him into the doctor’s consultation room.

A Singapore Civil Defence Force spokesman told TNP they sent an ambulance and that the boy was then taken to KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital.

The grandmother of the boy profusely thanked Senior Staff Sgt Azhar and his colleagues.

Senior Staff Sgt Azhar told TNP: “I feel fortunate that he survived. I did not want a human being to die in my hands.”

Assistant Superintendent of Police Muhamad Iskandar Abdul Kadir, the officer-in-charge of the community policing unit for Sengkang NPC, said: “I am proud of them, and they have done the police force proud.

“I am glad they took the initiative to take the boy to the polyclinic instead of waiting for the ambulance.”

Source: TNP

April 3, 2017
Imam Visits Synagogue To Apologise For Offensive Remarks

Imam Nalla Mohamed Abdul Jameel, 47, extended his unconditional apology for his offensive remarks and acknowledged that he must bear full responsibility for his actions.

The visit came two days after he apologised at a gathering of leaders of various faiths.

Yesterday, the imam also presented Rabbi Mordechai Abergel with a copy of the open statement of apology that he had delivered last Friday at the Harmony in Diversity Gallery in Maxwell Road.

On behalf of the Jewish community here, Rabbi Abergel accepted the imam’s apology at the Maghain Aboth Synagogue.

The rabbi said the Jewish and Muslim communities here have a “very harmonious” relationship, with strong bonds of friendship.

“This sends a message that these bonds are not affected, and we share so much more than what divides us,” he added.

In February, a video of the imam reciting a prayer in Arabic that said “God help us against Jews and Christians”, among other things, was circulated online.

The imam clarified last Friday that the additional supplication he read was not from the Quran, but an old Arabic text originating from his village in India.

Yesterday, Buddhist and Sikh leaders also joined in the synagogue visit.

At a separate community event in Marsiling yesterday, Speaker of Parliament Halimah Yacob said the imam’s apology is a “positive move” that should be taken into consideration.

“He apologised, he gathered together all the people from different faiths, and it was a great initiative on his part,” she said.

REMORSE

Last Friday’s meeting, where the imam apologised before leaders of various faiths, including Christian leaders, was organised at his request.

He said he was “filled with great remorse for the inconvenience, tension and trauma that I have caused to this peaceful country”.

After the controversial remarks surfaced, Home Affairs and Law Minister K. Shanmugam said the Government will not tolerate preaching that encourages violence or seeks to pit one religion against another.

On Saturday, Mr Shanmugam said the police have completed their investigations on the matter and submitted a report to the Attorney-General’s Chambers, adding that a decision is expected within a few days.

The imam’s apology was welcomed by the Muslim community and leaders of other faiths, Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs Yaacob Ibrahim noted on Saturday.

Yesterday, Madam Halimah said of the imam’s apology: “He realised what he did was a mistake.

“He also realised that what he had lifted from his home town in India may not be so applicable here. Probably, he didn’t know, or quite understand, the context of Singapore society.”

She added: “We are multiracial, multi-religious, and you need to understand that is important.”

Source: TNP

April 3, 2017
Perkasa: Singapore Minister’s Remark An Insult To King, Government

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%.

Source: freemalaysiatoday

April 3, 2017
SG Malay-Muslim Community Can Be The “Beacon For The Rest Of The World”

The Malay-Muslim community in Singapore has made concrete progress in the areas of education, jobs and wealth, said Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam yesterday.

However, it also has to take a hard look at three challenges facing the community – radicalisation, more professionals losing their jobs and a significant over-representation of Malays in crime and drug statistics as well as the prison population.

He called on Malay-Muslim organisations such as self-help group Mendaki, the Association of Muslim Professionals (AMP) and the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore to step forward and help tackle these issues. The roles that such groups can play include counselling former offenders and supporting their families, as well as turning those who are at risk away from crime and drug abuse, said Mr Shanmugam, who is also Law Minister.

He was addressing about 140 community leaders and volunteers at an annual seminar organised by the AMP. In his speech, he highlighted the significant social and economic progress made by the Malay- Muslim community over the years.

For instance, the proportion of Malay Primary 1 pupils who go on to post-secondary education has doubled from 45 per cent in 1995 to 93 per cent in 2015. One out of every five Malay pupils who enters the education system will eventually obtain a degree or diploma, he said.

And while the proportion of Malays who are professionals, managers, executives and technicians (PMETs) was 28 per cent in 2010, “I am sure it has gone up more by now”, he noted. On housing, he said nearly 90 per cent of Malay households own their own homes, with 70 per cent of them living in four-room Housing Board flats or bigger.

“A Singapore Malay today in educational standing, in terms of skills and wealth, is better off than a Malaysian Malay or an Indonesian Malay,” he said. “The same goes for the Indians, and for the Chinese, in Singapore.”

The Government will continue to provide support to all Singaporeans, with additional help given to Malay-Muslims, he noted. The support includes financial help when infants are born, subsidising childcare and school fees, cash grants to buy HDB flats and healthcare subsidies.

But while the progress made by the community is encouraging, he warned of dangers posed by radicalisation and exclusivism. He cited a study by US-based Pew Research Centre on Malaysia, which showed 10 per cent of Malaysian Malays had a favourable opinion of terror group Islamic State in Iraq and Syria and nearly a quarter were not prepared to denounce it. “We have to make sure that we do not get there,” he said.

On the jobs front, a committee led by parliamentary secretaries Amrin Amin and Faishal Ibrahim is being set up to help Malay-Muslim PMETs hit by job losses, he said.

In addition, Malay-Muslim groups can work with the Government to tackle the problem of “significant over-representation” of Malays in crime, drug and prison statistics, the minister noted.

He is optimistic that the Malay- Muslim community can overcome the challenges it faces, and be a “beacon for the rest of the world” – one that is confident, modern, vibrant and integrated.

AMP chairman Abdul Hamid Abdullah said the association can work with the Government to reach out to more families. “Community groups are in a better position to reach out to Malay families because we are on the ground,” he noted.

On the Malay community becoming an example for other countries, he said: “This is motivating. We can be an example of how a minority community can thrive in a multi-racial country.”

Source: ST

April 3, 2017
Dr Tan Cheng Bock: Open Election First, If No Minority Malay President Wins In 2017 Then Reserved Election For 2023

The Government brushes off my press conference.
MCI has missed my point totally.

I do not dispute the Constitutional Commission’s report or the White Paper. However, I disagree with the way the Government has triggered the reserved election.

I am simply asking if the government’s counting from President Wee Kim Wee FOLLOWED the SPIRIT AND PURPOSE that was proposed by the Constitutional Commission. The Constitutional Commission has said that a reserved election will be triggered if 5 open elections produce no minority President. So far we have 4 open elections with no minority Malay President. So 2017 must remain an open election and if no minority Malay President wins in 2017, than a reserved election will be triggered in 2023.

The Attorney General’s Chambers (AGC) used a different format .
AGC advised the Government to count the 5 year hiatus using “ 5 consecutive terms of Presidents who exercised elected powers” to include 1 nominated President and 4 openly elected Presidents. This is not in line with the spirit and purpose of the Constitutional Commission’s Report of 5 open elections.

I’ve given my reasons why we should rightly count from our 1st openly elected President Ong Teng Cheong. It’s the government’s turn to give their reasons why they choose to count differently, having accepted the report. Why change the format?

When asked in Parliament by an MP as recently as February 2017, it was brushed off with challenges to go to court and no debate.
Singaporeans need to know the truth on such an important Constitutional matter.
This is a chance for the Government to explain.
They should not brushed it off again.

Source: Dr Tan Cheng Bock

April 3, 2017