Category: Singapuraku

26 Year Old Mother Of Two Young Children: Please Help My Family!

Hi Gilbert,

I hope this email find you well.

This is the first time I’m writing to you.

I am a 26 years old lady with 2 kids age 3 and 1.

My husband is a freelance driver. Recently, we moved in to our new flat in Punggol.

There are both infant and childcare services available under my flat.

However, most childcare facility requires deposit + full month school fees in order to enrolled them in.

Due to this, I only managed to enrol my elder daughter at the childcare. While I have to leave my full time job and take care of my younger daughter.

Since we have move in to a new flat, we do not have extra monies for installing the window grill and kitchen top. We move in few months ago and we mainly pack food everyday.

The food in Punggol is extremely expensive.

A pack of fried rice can cost as much as $5.50. I really hope to seek your advice so I can set up my kitchen top to settle our meals. I do not wish to let my kids to eat outside food for long.

I am really worry that this will affect their health.

Beside that, I hope to have my window grill up asap due to the safety of my growing up kids.

Hope to seek for your advice soon.

Regards,

Worried

Editor’s note: If you can assist the young couple, please let us know especially if you can provide low-cost window grilles to the struggling couple. Its a 4-room BTO flat.

Source: www.transitioning.org

May 2, 2016
Gold Standard Service Comes With A Smile – SBS Bus Captain Ihsan Tomino

This is Ihsan Bin Tomino. He has been an SBS Transit bus driver for the past 3.5 years and THE BEST I have met.

From the time I boarded the bus to the time I alighted, he greeted every passenger with smiley enthusiasm.

As I observed the strange scene unfolding in front of my eyes, Cynicism spoke: Seriously? Is this guy for real?
I started to look around for a hidden camera or disguised candid camera crew.

Wait a minute! I stopped myself, ashamed of my thoughts.

I continued to watch some more. This guy is for real. He is definitely genuine about greeting his passengers when they enter his bus, reminds them to be careful and makes sure they are seated before driving off. He makes it a point to say ‘Thank you’ to everyone leaving the bus too. Most importantly, he is a darn good driver, smooth and careful when navigating bumps on the road and other road users. The more I watched, the broader my smile became.

It was my turn to alight from the bus and I felt I needed to let him know the difference he has made. I asked him if I could take a photo of him. He immediately turned shy but said ok.

Me: “you must really love your job right?”
Ihsan: “Love every minute of it”

I am so glad I got to thank him and told him he has made my day. I am still smiling as I type this post.

You have a gem here SBS Transit, I hope you know it and recognize him duly. This is GOLD service standards.

Once again Ihsan, thank you for making my short bus ride one of the most memorable one I had.

Source: Nasyitah Tan Wah Ling

May 2, 2016
Zulfikar Shariff: Racism Against Malay Community Finally Getting Attention

For the last 17 years…. PAP Malay MPs have blamed me for discussing how Malays are discriminated in Singapura.

I have been threatened, abused, attacked…

They said I should not raise these issues.

That we should compromise.

Give and take.

That I should encourage the community to support them so their party would see them as being relevant and they can do more.

That discrimination is isolated.

And now….we are starting to hear regular cases of discrimination.

These cases are becoming common not because society is becoming more racist.

But because the Malays used to accept being discriminated and kept quiet.

We did not have any avenue to raise it.

The media would not publish anything beyond government narrative.

The Malay MPs would reject, ignore and give platitudes when told of racism.

Malay organisations are powerless and (still) do not want to affect their standing.

But now with social media…we are beginning to see how Malays are actually treated.

And it is when we start to speak up, when we reject these discriminatory practices…

When we resist…

That we will finally be able to change the situation Insha Allah.

Racism has been ingrained in Singapuran society and institutions for years…

It finally is getting the attention it deserves.

Source: Zulfikar Shariff

May 1, 2016
Khairi Shah: Muslims Should Act & React In A Way Befitting Prophet Muhammad In Multicultural Singapore

The PrimaDeli “racist” fiasco, the condo secret prayer space getting thrown out, and many other issues being brought up in social media, are all indeed saddening to us Malay Muslims here in Singapore. We all know, racism/hate is real. Of course it is. It’s been around for decades. I’m not gonna pretend it’s not.

But, to see many of us dealing with the situation with threats and vulgarities, and rallying on one another with negativity towards other races.. Also saddens me. I mean, Islam doesn’t teach that. Our beloved Prophet wouldnt have approved of our behaviour. Like, take a step back and look. Arent we the same as them if we were to criticise a whole race for just several bad apples?

Chill my people. The company tells you to take out the tudung? Nvm, find a company with a boss that respects you and your religion enough, or one that actually allows tudungs. Condo prayer space thrown out? It’s okay, Allah will help you find a new one. Prima Deli saying if you cant speak Mandarin, dont work there? Its okay. Learn Mandarin. Or find a job that the people converse in English. To those people who treated you as such, may HE forgive them and open up their hearts.

We have to have patience, and chill. Show love, and lead by example. Even in bad times. God willing, it’ll move their hearts.

Remember, we don’t live in an Islamic country so we can’t expect ALL jobs and places to allow our Islamic practices, BUT however, we live in a multi-cultural country. So to everyone, have respect to one another. Understand one another. Have some teh. Come.

I give you free speech. Just gimme one teh-o peng, with prata. Multi-racial enough?

Source: Khairi Shah

May 1, 2016
Lee Hsien Loong: Good Character, Integrity First Requirement For Candidates

“Anyone standing for public office should be prepared to have his past actions examined, transparently and honestly,” Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said in a statement in response to comments by the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP)’s Paul Tambyah on Saturday (Apr 30).

PM Lee said this is so that “voters can make informed, responsible decisions as to who is fit and best qualified to represent them in Parliament”.

“Character goes to the heart of the fitness of a candidate, whether to be an MP, or indeed to hold any public office. Is he honest? Does he have integrity? Is he loyal? Is he committed to serve the people? What are his basic motivations? These come first, before we even talk about how able he is, what experience he brings, or what policies he proposes,” PM Lee said.

The Prime Minister said the importance of character applies to People’s Action Party (PAP) candidates, although he said it was “understandable why SDP, and particularly Dr Chee Soon Juan, should wish it to be otherwise”.

“Good character and integrity is the first requirement, and it should be so for opposition parties too.”

Earlier on Saturday, PM Lee had questioned Dr Chee’s character and aptitude to be an MP for Bukit Batok.

In response, Dr Tambyah said later in a live Facebook video statement: “A person is not defined by his or her actions or words”, adding that an attack on Dr Chee’s character was “uncalled for”, and that “we need to debate the issues, not engage in character assassination”.

PM Lee’s comments were issued in a statement from his PressLee Secretary.

Source: www.channelnewsasia.com

May 1, 2016