Category: Singapuraku

Gilbert Goh: Thank You Singaporeans For Contributing To Betterment Of Child Refugees In Lebanon

Had a very interesting time spending half a day interacting with the refugee children at Shatila camp Beirut yesterday.

They appear happy and contented when classes resume after a one-week Haji break. The classes are managed by the Palestinian NGO based in Beirut – National Institution of Social Care & Vocational Training.

You can look through their activities at www.socialcare.org.

I remember my parents took me out of a kindargarten permanently as we were very poor and couldn’t afford the school fees then. I would walk past the school regularly and peep inside marvelling at those who are so priviledged to attend the classes.

The kids spend 6 years here in a refugee childcare facility before moving on to the government schools.

Its the only fun time kids have before they return home to their shoddy apartment. Some are orphans and will return to the orphanage.

The school hours are from 8am to 1pm and most kids are Palestinian refugees with some coming from Syrians and others.

Its a priviledge knowing the kids and they appear strong in the face of adversity. Kudos also to the teachers who show dedication and commitment in their line of duty.

Most of the teachers are refugees themselves.

Sometimes you find tears rolling down your cheek unknowingly when you move around the centre – its that emotional.

It only takes USD $150 to sponsor a refugee child per annum to ensure that he has a decent pre school education before he ventures into the government school. We have so far collected close to $3000.

We are targetting 100 children and it can be a one-off thing.

Let us try to make a small Singaporean dent in this part of the war-torn world…

***

Visited another kindargarten centre at Bourj AlBarajneh Beirut today.

Its a 2-storey building full of kids from age 3 to 6 years old.

Some just enter the nursery yesterday for the new school term and are abit bewildered.

I am glad to catch them before they leave at 1pm.

Both the centres I visited yesterday and today will be funded by the many Good Samaritans who donated to the refugee cause.

The school also requested for gas heater as winter is approaching and it can be quite cold at 15 deg average. We went around sourcing and will try our level best to donate a few sets to the centre soon.

Each gas heater costs around USD $100 to $120.

Thanks alot Singaporeans as we have made our little significant mark here in Beirut Lebanon.

We may be a small country but we have a big heart!

Source: Gilbert Goh

September 21, 2016
Sinar Harian: Ruangan Ridhuan Tee Dihenti Bukan Kerana Tekanan Mana-Mana Pihak

KUALA LUMPUR: Ruangan di akhbar Sinar Harian tulisan penceramah bebas Malaysia, Profesor Dr Ridhuan Tee Abdullah, dihentikan bukan kerana didesak mana-mana parti politik.

Ini ditegaskan oleh Penasihat Eksekutif Editorial Sinar Harian, Datuk Abdul Jalil Ali kepada laman Malaysiakini.

“Tak ada kaitan dengan desakan MCA (Persatuan Cina Malaysia), desakan UMNO atau apa-apa.

“Yang tak boleh drop saya punya kolum saja,” guraunya sambil ketawa kepada Malaysiakini.

Menjelaskan lanjut, Datuk Abdul Jalil memberitahu Malaysiakini bahawa pendakwah kontroversi itu, yang juga mesra dipanggil Ustaz Ridhuan, sebenarnya sudah tiga tahun menjadi kolumnis di akhbar tersebut iaitu tempoh paling lama di kalangan kolumnis lain.

Justeru, beliau mahu memberi peluang kepada individu lain pula menjadi kolumnis di Sinar Harian.

Malah katanya, perkara yang sama turut berlaku kepada kolumnis lain sebelum ini seperti bekas pensyarah undang-undang Universiti Islam Antarabangsa (UIA) Dr Aziz Bari.

“Dia tak kena drop tapi tiap-tiap kolumnis itu ada tempoh dia. Saya ingat Riduan yang paling lama. Dia sampai tiga tahun (jadi kolumnis).

“Yang lain itu dua tahun setengah dan kita beri (ruang itu) pada orang lain,” katanya ketika ditemui Malaysiakini di sebuah forum berkaitan kebebasan media di Shah Alam semalam (20 Sep).

PERNAH DAKWA DISEKAT MASUK S’PURA

Dr Ridhuan, yang mengajar di Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin, pada Mac lalu mendakwa dalam tulisan di Sinar Harian bahawa beliau disekat daripada memasuki Singapura, dan juga mendakwa dilayan seperti “pengganas.”

“Sampai di Imigresen Woodlands, saya diminta turun. Pemeriksaan dilakukan.

“Saya dilayan seperti pengganas. Gambar dan cap jari saya diambil. Setelah lebih dua jam bersoal jawab, datang surat mengatakan, saya tidak dibenarkan masuk ke sana,” kata beliau dalam tulisan di akhbar Sinar Harian bertajuk “Kenali musuh Islam sebenar”.

Beliau mendakwa langkah tersebut merupakan hasil “pakatan” antara golongan “ultra kiasu” di Malaysia dan Singapura, dan menambah beliau “tidak rugi satu sen pun tidak ke Singapura. “

ISMAWEB: DILARANG PIHAK ATASAN UNIVERSITI DARI TULIS ARTIKEL

Portal berita Ikatan Muslimin Malaysia (ISMA) sementara itu mendakwa pihaknya dimaklumkan bahawa Dr Ridhuan tidak lagi dibenarkan menulis artikel dalam Sinar Harian kerana dilarang pihak atasan universiti tempat beliau mengajar.

Ismaweb juga mendakwa Dr Ridhuan dilarang menulis dalam sebarang akhbar atau portal dan juga tidak dibenarkan memberi sebarang komen.

Dr Ridhuan pada Mei lalu mengumumkan membuat keputusan nekad untuk keluar daripada Persatuan Cina Malaysia (MCA) sebagai membantah tindakan parti itu yang terus-menerus menentang hukum hudud.

Menurut Malaysiakini, Ismaweb membuat spekulasi bahawa Dr Ridhuan ‘diharamkan’ menulis setelah mempersoalkan mengenai semangat kemerdekaan dan patriotisme para atlit sukan yang dikatakan lebih banyak mengejar wang dan ganjaran.

Portal itu seterusnya mendakwa ada “tangan-tangan ghaib” dan “usaha jahat” yang memberi tekanan kepada pihak pengurusan universiti tersebut.

Source: http://berita.mediacorp.sg

September 21, 2016
Mohamed Jufrie Mahmood: Jangan Lekas Terpedaya Tipu Daya PAP

Baru saya katakan dua hari lepas. Ini buktinya. Walaupun segelintir saja yg diambil masuk dalam angkatan bersenjata kita anak bangsa kita tetap dapat mencapai kecemerlangan.

Syabas!

Tapi kita harus sedar dan jangan lekas terpedaya dgn tipudaya PAP dan alat sebaran amnya.

Masih hanya SEGELINTIR!!

Seperti kata onputih “A swallow does not a summer make” (Seekor burung layang-layang bukan petanda musim panas dah tiba)

Source: Mohamed Jufrie Mahmood

September 21, 2016
26 Boys’ Home Youths Arrested Over Unruly Behaviour

The events on Monday night were the worst his family had experienced this year.

There had been occasional disturbances in the past.

But the father of two primary school children said the noise coming from the Singapore Boys’ Home (SBH) two nights ago kept his family awake for a few hours.

The 35-year-old accountant, who declined to be named, told The New Paper yesterday: “I couldn’t see what was happening inside SBH but it was definitely serious and loud.

“The shouting of vulgarities and banging sounds went on for a few hours. The shouting stopped briefly and started all over again, several times into the morning.

“It sounded as if there were different groups of boys doing the shouting.”

As it turned out, 26 residents at the Singapore Boys’ Home were arrested for unlawful assembly on Tuesday morning.

SBH is a juvenile residential home in Jurong run by the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF).

It houses at-risk young people aged between 12 and 21 who might also have got into trouble with the law.

TNP understands the 26 residents involved were unhappy with issues at the Home and created a ruckus by throwing items out of windows.

The reason behind their unhappiness with the Home is not known.

The accountant, who lives in a nearby block of flats, had called TNP yesterday to share what residents living close to SBH had experienced.

The man said: “The school term has started, and I hope something can be done at SBH because my children will not get their rest if this happens again.”

While on his way to work yesterday morning, the accountant said he saw a red riot police vehicle parked in front of SBH.

When TNP contacted St Joseph’s Canossian Convent, located next to SBH, a spokesman said it had temporarily moved to Mandai due to renovation works and was unable to comment about the incident.

A police spokesman told TNP they received a call requesting for assistance at around midnight. No one was injured and the police are investigating the incident.

An MSF spokesman confirmed the incident with The New Paper yesterday.

The spokesman said: “An incident involving unruly behaviour occurred in the Singapore Boys’ Home at 11pm on Sept 19 which required the involvement of the police.”

He added MSF had taken steps to ensure the well-being of SBH residents and were assisting the police with investigations.

MSF did not address questions about the cause of the incident.

Last year, there were 215 boys admitted to the Home.

It is gazetted as a Juvenile Rehabilitation Centre for youth offenders dealt with by the Youth Court, which deals with offenders below 16 years old.

The Home is designated a Place of Safety for those admitted on a Beyond Parental Control Order, a Child Protection Order, or under the Women’s Charter.

According to the MSF’s website, the youths go through structured routines and programmes for their development, such as academic or vocational training, recreational activities and community service.

Source: www.tnp.sg

September 21, 2016
Mohamed Nazem Suki: We Are All Muslims, Don’t Label Each Other

When a government preferred with either group/s, the divisions and problems will deepens.

The irony is, the group/s, whom any governments preferred, will conduct their actions uncompromising towards another ‘opposing’ group/s. These group/s sold their principle and brotherhood and are proud of it. Cheap isn’t it?

When any government ministers/officials, past or current, seen to be present supporting one group than the other, by default those group/s are legitimate while the others are extremist, assumed ‘terrorist’. Who determine? Some smart deans and professors make reference to opposing groups? Smile all your way, write long thesis to justify your theories, while you sit in, and you didn’t even touch those brotherhood sufferings in the hands of those ‘terror’ governments.

Civil and nation wars are inevitable when governments have preference for its survival. People lives are no more sacred. Aren’t these governments more extreme forceful terrorist than those other groups?

These governments are NOT a reference point. We, Muslims, can’t and don’t and shouldn’t look at any government policies and then work backwards in order to fit into these governments’ system.

We, Muslims, have our reference and the system/s, we have the ‘just and humanist’ solutions ourselves. Sell it, campaign it, convince them, educate them, create the awareness, etc etc, not just any reaction denouncing allegations of terrorism acts all over. We can also in reaction denounced any acts by any governments which does not fulfilled our principle and obligations. We have diplomatic experts and scholars’ channels, talk it out.

We, Muslims, are NOT terrorists !

Source: www.facebook.com/talkislam/videos/1007363732687424/

We are ALL Muslims .. Period.

Source: Mohamed Nazem Suki

September 21, 2016