Category: Singapuraku

  • Lee Bee Wah: Yishun Is Normal

    Lee Bee Wah: Yishun Is Normal

    A trending topic on social media has recently been this question: What in the world is wrong with Yishun?

    “Build a wall around Yishun,” says a popular meme, while a Twitter account has been set up, dedicated to weird happenings in this northern town.

    Somehow, Yishun has developed a reputation for bad news. Alongside the everyday events, Yishun is also home to cat abuse, murder, car chases, brothel raids, civilians trying to attack policemen with stun guns, loan sharks, falling concrete slabs, sinkholes, feuding taxi drivers, shopping mall stabbings and more.

    Could it be something in the air? Or perhaps the water?

    But it turns out that the problem with Yishun is simple, just like what most people won in the Toto draw last week: Nothing.

    It is a made-up phenomenon, driven by media coverage and confirmation bias.

    Assistant Professor Liew Khai Khiun, from Nanyang Technological University’s Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information, said Yishun’s reputation boils down to “public imagination”.

    By coincidence, one or two sensational things happen in the estate that draw widespread coverage, some enterprising wags seize upon it and soon the idea that the place is jinxed enters almost mainstream thought.

    “For example, Woodlands had that murder case on Chinese New Year, along with the water tank murder in 2013, but the place is not associated with dysfunctionality.”

    Emphasising the role of media attention, Mr Louis Ng, an MP for Nee Soon GRC, said cat killings had been going on since 2012, but most people did not know about them at the time.

    Only after a press conference in December 2015 did people begin looking out for such incidents and highlighting them.

    Soon, Yishun became synonymous with the phrase “cat killer”.

    Mr Ng, who is also head of animal welfare group Acres, said cat abuse happens in other neighbourhoods – most recently in Tampines, Ang Mo Kio and Redhill – but the publicity does not reach the same level.

    “There’s a balance of positive and negative news with every estate. But a lot more people read the bad news,” he noted.

    There is also an expectation that a public housing estate in the heartland is insulated from problems that beset more worldly areas.

    Prof Liew said: “For example, Geylang is not associated with being a family-friendly place like the HDB heartland.”

    So if something occurs in Yishun, people sit up and take notice.

    These factors combine to create an often darkly funny, dystopian image of the town.

    “Perhaps people want to reaffirm their own geographical biases,” said Prof Liew. “For example, people in the east may not like to travel that far, so they pick on this to justify themselves.”

    He added that Yishun’s demographics are similar to those of other housing estates and its social problems, such as poverty, are found elsewhere in Singapore as well.

    That Yishun’s popular image is firmly tongue-in-cheek is clear in the negligible impact on property values.

    R’ST Research director Ong Kah Seng said: “I wouldn’t say the spate of bad news would affect property prices there.”

    He added that buyers make decisions based on budget and location and take into account the available amenities and connectivity to the city centre.

    Property in Yishun still draws buyers, he pointed out.

    He said: “In 2015, a private residential project, Northpark Residences, was launched. Although prices were on the steeper side, averaging $1,300 per sq ft, there was still overwhelming interest.

    “This was because the project offered integrated amenities.”

    There is also a more sinister side to the misrepresentation of Yishun, said Ms Lee Bee Wah, an MP for Nee Soon GRC.

    Though netizens may find it funny to cherry-pick incidents and poke fun at the town, the jokes may hurt the feelings of some.

    Ms Lee has received feedback from upset residents, some of whom have been the target of insensitive jokes. “It will affect the morale of the hard-working police and other community partners in Yishun,” she said. “If you work hard every day to make somewhere a peaceful home, but only the negative incidents get blown up, you would be a little discouraged too.”

    She urged people to also acknowledge positive events in Yishun.

    Vegetable seller Jenny Ong, 47, has lived in Yishun Avenue 6 for almost two decades. She said: “People here are actually nice and normal. My neighbours are friendly and we are all on good terms.”

    She regards her regular customers as friends, having served them for years, and does not mind when some make purchases on credit.

    “There’s that trust,” she said. “Some people say Yishun is a kampung because it is far from the city, but I find it cosy.”

    Mr Muhamad Riduwan, 24, a driver, has lived in Yishun Ring Road for more than a year. He first noticed the jokes on Facebook a few months ago but laughs them off.

    The parrot enthusiast said that with developments such as the Seletar West Link, Yishun is not as inaccessible as some make it seem.

    “Things like fighting, murder and animal abuse happen everywhere,” he said. “We can’t stop people from saying what they want.”

    To put the stereotypes to rest, Prof Liew suggests making relevant statistics public.

    “Perhaps it’s time to raise the question of whether Singapore’s police should release figures for crime rates by region,” he said. “If not, such stereotypes might persist.”

     

    Source: www.straitstimes.com

  • Goh Meng Seng: Don’t Glorify Japanese Invasion And Occupation

    Goh Meng Seng: Don’t Glorify Japanese Invasion And Occupation

    Yaccoob said the name Syonan wasn’t used to glorify Japanese Invasion and Occupation. Does he really understand what Syonan means in the full context in the first place?

    There is a slight mis-translation in lingo context. Most English translation puts it as “Light of the South” but this is not the wholesome context. In Chinese and Japanese context, “Light” means “Pride”… for example, if a person had won the Olympic Medal and he comes from a school, then the school will say “我校之光”, simple English translation means “the light of my school” but in essence, in this context, it basically means he is “the pride of my school”! Look at it in the wholesome context, he has brought SHINE to our school.

    Thus, Syonan is basically a term used by the Japan to mean This the the Glorious Pride of Japanese Empire! So how can Yaccoob comes to the conclusion that by using this name for the Memorial, he is not GLORIFYING the Japanese Invasion and Occupation?

    Secondly, I get even more FUMED by the photo below:
    It says “Syonan Gallery : War and its LEGACIES”

    Now, WHOSE LEGACIES are we talking about here? Syonan, the Japanese Glorious Legacies? Atrocities like raping, torture, sufferings, massacred and killings… all these are “LEGACIES”? Isn’t this glorifying the Japanese Glorious Victorious Invasion and Occupation?

     

    Source: Goh Meng Seng

  • ITE College East: Assailant Suspended, School Cooperating With Police

    ITE College East: Assailant Suspended, School Cooperating With Police

    Dear all

    There was an assault case in a toilet at ITE College East on 8 Feb 2017. The victim has consulted a doctor, and we are rendering our assistance to him. The assailant has been suspended.

    ITE takes a serious view of the matter, and does not condone such acts. ITE College East will cooperate with police investigations.

    – Dr Yek Tiew Ming, Principal, ITE College East

     

    Source: ITE College East

  • Alfian Sa’at: Why Criticise Use Of “Syonan”If We Can Accept Other Depictions Of Us?

    Alfian Sa’at: Why Criticise Use Of “Syonan”If We Can Accept Other Depictions Of Us?

    Syonan–light of the south. South of what? Japan, of course, and then we arrive at the idea of Singapore being a beacon of Japanese power in the dark, unknown southern frontiers. The Nipponcentricism is without a doubt offensive to those who live here, who counter that they are not the peripheral, the unmapped, a people who are not counted until they are encountered.

    But why be uneasy with ‘Syonan’ and have no discomfort with ‘Nanyang’ or ‘South Sea’? Also a reference to the south, this time the south of China? And all the islands, distinct in the cultures and peoples, homogenised into the ‘seas’. Syonan has a gallery. Nanyang has a university, a polytechnic, a junior college, an academy of fine arts, various other schools…

    No, how can you compare an act of military expansion with what was primarily waves of primarily economic migration? But to speak of ourselves as the south is to always imagine the centre as elsewhere, to see ourselves as vassals onto which power is projected.

    But Singapore, in the Nusantara world, is the centre. It lies on the axis of Sri Tri Buana’s journey from Palembang to Malacca. It is the teardrop down the cheek of the Peninsula, above the lip of Riau Islands. It is the pearl flanked by the great islands of Sumatra and Borneo. It is north of one of the mighty centres of the archipelago, Java.

    There is also a violence in colonial settlement, different from the violence of military occupation.

    There is that violence in the act of naming.

     

    Source: Alfian Sa’at

  • Norshahril Saat: Tingkatkan Takrif Kesederhanaan Ke Paras Lebih Tinggi Lagi

    Norshahril Saat: Tingkatkan Takrif Kesederhanaan Ke Paras Lebih Tinggi Lagi

    Siapakah sebenarnya seorang Muslim sederhana? Menolak pengganasan atau pun sekadar menghormati orang lain dengan memberikan ucapan selamat tidak cukup untuk menunjukkan sikap sederhana. Menurut Dr Norsharil Saat, masyarakat Islam perlu pergi lebih jauh lagi dengan benar-benar menyerap nilai-nilai sejagat yang diajarkan Islam sebelum kita boleh menggelarkan diri kita Muslim sederhana.

    MASYARAKAT Melayu/Islam yang menetap di rantau ini sering dilihat sebagai satu kelompok yang mengamalkan Islam secara sederhana. Walaupun mereka kuat beragama, mereka masih memberi ruang terhadap budaya lokal.

    Orientasi kesederhanaan sedemikian mungkin natijah daripada cara Islam disebarkan ke rantau Asia Tenggara. Salah satu golongan yang memainkan peranan penting dalam penyebaran Islam di sini adalah golongan Sufi dan pedagang.

    Islam tidak disebarkan dengan cara paksa. Sebaliknya, kumpulan yang membawa Islam ke sini menitikberatkan soal akhlak selain soal ketuhanan. Mereka juga memberi masyarakat tempatan waktu untuk mengubah cara mereka berdagang, berkeluarga, bekerja, mengamalkan budaya atau adat istiadat, dalam masa yang sama mengaku sebagai seorang Muslim.

    Disebabkan peranan yang dimainkan oleh ulama-ulama terdahulu, banyak sekali aspek budaya yang masih kekal hingga ke hari ini, dan ia tidak dilihat sebagai bercanggah dengan nilai-nilai Islam. Misalnya, adat bersanding dalam majlis perkahwinan masih dikekalkan walaupun ia bukan berasal daripada Islam. Begitu juga dengan diet orang-orang Melayu, tarian Melayu, dan muzik Melayu; semuanya dikekalkan dan dianggap sebati dengan ajaran Islam.

    Tambahan lagi, kesederhanaan dinilai dari aspek masyarakat Islam yang tidak canggung bergaul dengan masyarakat bukan Islam. Prinsip ini diterapkan dalam perlembagaan negara-negara jiran kita yang majoriti Muslim.

    Perlembangaan Indonesia dan Malaysia menggaris-bawahi aspek menghormati hak-hak bukan Islam atau golongan minoriti. Ini adalah contoh bahawa pendiri-pendiri negara-negara tersebut percaya pada nilai Islam dan menghormati perbezaan.

    Merenung pada pengalaman peribadi saya sebagai seorang yang lahir pada awal 80an, dan belajar di sebuah sekolah kejiranan, saya tidak ada masalah bergaul dengan rakan-rakan sedarjah yang bukan Islam.

    Malah kita melakukan kegiatan riadah bersama, makan bersama di kantin sekolah, dan menurut serta dalam kegiatan luar darjah bersama-sama. Saya masih ingat apabila muncul musim-musim perayaan, seperti Hari Raya Puasa, Tahun Baru Cina, Krismas, atau Deepavali, pengetua sekolah kami akan menyuruh setiap pelajar untuk memberikan ucapan selamat kepada pelajar-pelajar yang lain.

    MRT bertema Krismas. (Gambar: Ernest Chua, TODAY)

    Tidak timbul pada masa itu bahawa saya seorang yang mengamalkan Islam sederhana kerana memberi ucapan tersebut, kerana itu adalah nilai universal yang dianjurkan bukan sahaja oleh agama Islam, tetapi agama-agama lain juga.

    Namun, gelaran “moderat” atau “ekstrim” dinilai dari ukuran yang berbeza hari ini. Semasa di zaman sekolah, persoalan sama ada saya boleh mengucapkan “Merry Christmas”’ kepada rakan-rakan beragama Kristian tidak timbul.

    Masyarakat Islam kita secara umumnya juga tidak meminta sebarang fatwa atau pandangan orang alim sebelum mengucapkannya. Tiada keraguan sama-sekali bahawa ucapan tersebut boleh menyebabkan saya kurang Islam.

    KONSISTEN DALAM PEMIKIRAN

    Bagi saya, hal yang lebih meruncing dalam mengamalkan Islam sederhana adalah bersikap konsisten dalam pendirian. Sikap konsisten ini perlu dinilai dari sudut pandangan terhadap dunia.

    Sebagai contoh, umat Islam tentu marah dengan sikap Presiden Amerika, Donald Trump, yang berbaur perkauman dan Islamofobik. Mereka marah dengan sekatan kemasukan imigran dari tujuh buah negara Islam.

    Kita mahu Presiden Amerika itu bersikap sederhana terhadap Muslim. Namun, apakah sikap kita terhadap pemimpin negara-negara Islam yang menghambur bibit-bibit permusuhan terhadap orang bukan Islam? Kita harus jujur tentang kelemahan pemimpin-pemimpin Islam yang bertindak di luar landasan Islam.

    Dalam masa yang sama, kita perlu muhasabah diri dalam memerhatikan tindakan kita terhadap golongan yang berbeza pandangan daripada kita. Sebagai contoh, kita seringkali mengecam golongan yang tidak berfahaman Ahlus Sunnah Wal Jamaah (Sunni) dan terus mengatakan mereka kafir.

    Begitu juga dalam pertembungan Sufi dan Wahhabi, bila mana kedua-dua golongan sering mengatakan pendirian mereka sahaja yang betul.

    Tetapi sejauh mana masyarakat kita didedahkan dengan Deklarasi Amman, di mana tokoh-tokoh Islam terkemuka dunia bersetuju bahawa banyak sekali fahaman, Sunni, Sufi, Wahhabi, dan beberapa golongan Syiah adalah termasuk dalam golongan Islam? Seorang yang berjiwa sederhana harus berani menyatakan pendirian yang benar walaupun ia ia boleh menjejas populariti sendiri atau dikecam sebagai salah.

    (Gambar hiasan: AFP/MOHD FYROL)

    CIRI-CIRI SEDERHANA

    Di sini saya menyeru masyarakat kita agar menaikkan takrifan sederhana ke satu aras yang lebih tinggi. Isu seperti bolehkah kita memberi salam kepada penganut agama lain adalah perkara lama, dan saya tidak fikir seorang boleh digelar sederhana hanya dengan membolehkannya. Ia dibolehkan oleh majoriti ulama di merata dunia.

    Contoh yang kedua, seseorang tidak boleh digelar moderat hanya dengan mengutuk keganasan. Kutukan terhadap keganasan bukanlah ukuran bahawa seseorang berjiwa sederhana. Isu keganasan adalah isu yang jelas keluar daripada agama, bukan hanya bagi penganut agama Islam, tetapi agama-agama lain juga.

    Dalam erti kata lain, terorisme adalah masalah universal. Yang harus diberikan perhatian adalah sama ada golongan yang mengutuk terorisme ini berlaku adil terhadap masyarakat minoriti yang berbeza pandangan daripada.

    Yang lebih mendukacitakan sekali, kita hanya bersuara apabila sesuatu hal menjejas masyarakat kita atau kelompok kita, tetapi membisu apabila nilai-nilai kemanusiaan dicantas terhadap masyarakat lain.

    Kesederhanaan, pada hemat saya, adalah seorang yang benar-benar menyerap nilai-nilai universal yang diajarkan dalam agama. Ini termasuk prinsip keadilan, kejujuran, dan kemanusiaan.

    Sebelum kita menggelar agama kita sebagai sebuah agama rahmat untuk seluruh alam, kita perlu mengambil masa untuk fikirkan sejauh masa kita mendekati golongan berfahaman lain. Kalau masih ada bibit-bibit kebencian yang ditanamkan terhadap golongan minoriti—dari sudut agama, fahaman, dan gender — seseorang itu masih belum boleh bergelar moderat.


    MENGENAI PENULIS:
    Seorang pakar dan pengamat politik Asia Tenggara, Dr Norshahril Saat adalah Zamil di ISEAS – Institut Yusof Ishak.

    Source: http://berita.mediacorp.sg

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