I don’t object to the wordings but it is totally unacceptable for the Singapore Island to be covered by the flag of other nations.
It insinuates that Philippines has invaded and conquered Singapore. Why are these Filipinos so insensitive diplomatically?
Source: Goh Meng Seng and Sin Rak Sin Party
The People’s Association (PA) came under Ms Sylvia Lim’s scrutiny in Parliament on Wednesday (April 13), with the Workers’ Party chairman questioning its “ever-increasing” budget and whether it had drifted from its mandate, which includes fostering social cohesion.
Speaking on the first day of the debate on the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth’s (MCCY) budget, Ms Lim said it was understandable that the PA’s FY2015 budget was much larger than usual because of the SG50 activities that were organised and the building of facilities for residents.
However, the Member of Parliament for Aljunied GRC questioned its budget for FY2016, which stands at nearly S$900 million.
“(It is) still very high… This is a significant 34-per-cent increase from FY2014. How is the high expenditure justified?” Ms Lim asked.
Turning to the PA’s mandate, Ms Lim said she believes that some of the association’s activities have deviated from its objectives, which include “fostering cohesion and bonding, and … promoting group participation that transcends sectional loyalties”.
“An unhealthy culture seems to have developed within some quarters of the PA, who see its role to include advancing the ruling party politically and undermining the work of Opposition MPs,” Ms Lim said.
She pointed to the mobilisation of PA activists to campaign for the ruling People’s Action Party’s candidates during elections as “just one aspect”.
Ms Lim said that when MPs from the Workers’ Party try to advance their residents’ welfare through infrastructural projects, they learn that government bodies, such as the Ministry of National Development (MND) and the Housing and Development Board, recognise only PA organisations — such as Citizens’ Consultative Committees (CCCs) and Residents’ Committees – as the “proper channels”.
Citing an occasion when she was seeking information from the MND on plans for private-estate upgrading projects in her ward, Ms Lim said: “The ministry referred me to the CCC. I then wrote several times to the CCC, but it seems that my letters do not even merit a reply.”
A total of 24 MPs and four Nominated Members of Parliament rose to speak on the MCCY’s budget on issues ranging from helping the Malay-Muslim workforce retrain and stay economically relevant, nurturing homegrown athletes, to promoting corporate giving and volunteerism.
The debate on the ministry’s budget continues on Thursday.
Source: www.todayonline.com
I have to say this out loud.
Most of the ICA officers at Woodlands Checkpoint have little knowledge about matters pertaining to import permits.
Due to their incompetency, they waste our precious time. Seriously, so much wayang yet so little knowledge.
Ya ya papaya!
Source: Muhammad Shawal
Today, I heard from someone very close to me that she’s a racist and that she hates my boyfriend (who’s Indian, I’m Chinese) because he’s ‘black’. She proudly declared it to me. It didn’t come as a shock to me initially because I always knew she was a closet racist, as are many people her age here in Singapore. The strange thing was, my boyfriend and I have been together for over four years and she had always welcomed and greeted him with a smile and some obligatory small talk.
So on this day, she let it all go on me and briefly mentioned something about ISIS. Was it the sudden outburst of terrorism and violence that had unleashed her unhappiness? I couldn’t argue. She was manically shouting about hating ‘black’ people and Muslims. Basically, all people of colour to her was ‘smelly’ and ‘disgusting’.
I had to stop her there. I had taken offence long enough. I started quoting something MLK said off my head and she immediately went like, yeah but he’s black. So I replied with a startled “AND?” And she replied me with a swift sentence, “he’s black. So is Obama and his entire family. He’s a disgrace.”
This woman I’m writing about is a pretty decently educated Chinese middle class female in Singapore that watches and reads the news daily and frequently. Yet being in this time and age with information readily available to her via her 5 handy Apple gadgets, she was still adamant on her stance. Funny thing is, she isn’t THAT religious. She only takes attendance on special occasions. So why was she hating other religions that aren’t her own? It irked me to hear her bash other religions so aggressively. This isn’t strange of course. Hateful religious groups are rampant the world over. But she woke me up.
I read an article yesterday about a student from Zimbabwe who’s currently studying in Yale-NUS, who talked about how she was constantly being fed with racism everywhere in Singapore. Both from the younger and older generation. Taxi drivers who refused to drive her and staff who rudely dismissed her. This might seem like a small problem at hand but it is a lot bigger than you think. Everywhere in the world, there are bigoted people who refuse to be open to the idea that there could be diversity. There are bigoted people who judges based on skin colour and one’s physical appearance. There are bigoted people who hate instead of understanding. Why do we live in a society where people pretend to understand when they don’t actually do?
The argument with racism stems way far back and as a 21 year old, I genuinely thought that everyone already got the whole picture. That ethnicity, nationality and race does not define a person. So many brave souls have stepped up to talk about the issue and yet, things like this still happens regularly every day.
Okay so back to the problem at hand-
She adores our late Minister Mentor Lee Kwan Yew, a respected person everywhere for his efforts in helping Singapore move on into the 21st century and building its own identity in the world. He is someone who stressed on something called ‘racial harmony’. So much so that we celebrate ‘Racial Harmony Day’ in Singapore.
The hypocrisy is almost too much. She bought me my first kebaya (traditional Malay outfit) to wear to Racial Harmony Day in school. She still chats and laughs with the friendly Malay Muslim store lady. She is always polite to the old Indian Muslim shopkeeper and greets him with a smile. She buys food home for the Indian security guards in her apartment block. She dotes on and gushes about the cute Indian boy living in her block.
Yet, she tells me proudly that she feels superior to every other race and that she dislikes all people of colour. Strange isn’t it? Does she feel scared or afraid so she built up all the hate? Does this have anything to do with the recent aggression and spark of acts of terrorism all around the world?
It’s just scary to think that she is one in possibly hundreds of thousands of people in Singapore alone to have almost the exact same mindset.
What would you do?
Edit: I saw quite a few comments when some of my Facebook friends shared this post saying that I never did try to talk to this person. I’m pretty sure I made it clear that I did. She just wasn’t open to listen and that’s a huge problem on a bigger scale because for one, this proves that a whole community of small minded people who refuses to let anything remotely different affect their boring daily routines, exists. And they are everywhere. They are people who can never be open to more ideas, whether good or bad. Being stubborn or defensive about the things you believe in isn’t wrong, but when you go out of your way to bring an opposing idea down, that’s pretty much the lowest blow. Also, isn’t this basically the root of every problem ever? Power. The need to be in an authoritative position. We need change. ASAP too.
Source: Cheryl Ann Chong
As can be expected, discussions of racism tend to elicit a variety of responses.
It is undeniable that institutional racism exists in Singapura. But we recognise that a lot of those who by virtue of their numerical advantage, do not suffer from racism, will assume that it does not exist.
And some others do not necessarily reject racism, but argue against its discussion.
We receive regular caution and criticism, especially from Chinese Singapurans against discussing racism. Some of them appear to be driven by good faith concern.
While others are simply trying to muzzle any discussion that may question their privilege.
We do not believe that those who promote the system, do so because they intentionally want to discriminate. But they believe in the system.
And for some, they take comfort in believing that their superiority is manifested in the outcome of the system. Because the PAP claims it is meritocratic, then if the Chinese community does better than the others, it is only because the Chinese are genetically or culturally superior.
To then point out how the system privileges them and discriminates against the other races, is to force them to reject an important part of their identity.
Their reactions tend to be from justifying racism to insults.
Such as PAP’s Jaro Gee’s claim that Malays are just looking for handouts
Or PAP’s Maydeline Tan’s association of Muslims and the ban on hijab with terrorism.
These are not isolated responses. Read the mainstream media comment section whenever Malays or Islam are discussed and we can see how much racism exists in Singapura.
Most Malays in Singapura have experienced racism. That many do not speak about it is testemant to the climate of fear whenever we discuss issues about race and religion and for some, the sense of resignation.
Does this mean only the Chinese are racist?
No it does not. There are racist Malays, Indians, Eurasians too. The difference between a racist non-Chinese and a racist Chinese is that the non-Chinese are not institutionally privileged.
And they do not create systems that perpetuate the racism.
Given that the political elites are Chinese, racism from among the Chinese community (which appears to be over represented among PAP members) become systemic and institutional.
Does this mean the Chinese in Singapura are necessarily and naturally racist?
Not at all. We know a lot of Chinese Singapurans who not only reject racism, but advocate against it.
There are some who are worried that discussions about racism may cause fractures in society. We recognise their concern.
Some of them try to understand and promote accomodation and respect.
And of course, there are also Malays who justify racism against their own community.
It is thus important to recognise that the problem is not the individuals.
It is not the Jaro Gee or Maydeline Tan who display their racism.
Or the Hawazi Daipi who justify it.
Our focus should be on the system that not only privileges one race over the others, but promote and justifies racism.
We believe most of the Chinese in Singapura, just like the Malays, Indians, Armenians, Jews, Sikhs, are good.
A lot of those who promote or justify racism do so because it affects their identity. Hawazi Daipi justify it out of his responsibility and loyalty to the PAP.
The same with Jaro Gee and Maydeline Tan.
To overcome racism, we need to keep the conversation going.
And remember that the problem is not the Ah Hui or the Ah Hiang that live next door or across the island.
It is the system that the elites have set up to privilege themselves and their community.
Source: http://almakhazin.com