Category: Singapuraku

When Must We Be Tolerant And When Are We Asking Too Much?

My friend related a story to me over the weekend…

His company employed a Muslim worker for the first time since the company started. The staff did well and got along well with the rest of the employees. Not long later, my friend employed another 3 more Muslim workers.

This is when things gets a bit complicated. The Muslim workers started asking for a prayer room and also longer lunch break on Fridays for them to attend Mosque. Not wanting to appear discriminating against them, my friend agreed and informed the team leader to re-distribute the workload on Friday so that the Muslims could go for prayer. The rest of the team members were then asked to double up. This cause a bit of morale problem within the company as others are unhappy because all are paid the same salary. Over time, the productivity of the team was noted to have gone down due to longer absence from duty.

The office also has a pantry where workers could use during their lunch break. This time, the Muslim workers asked if they could have their own fridge and microwave oven since the old one had been used for non-Halal food. Again, being religion sensitive, my friend agreed and bought new items for the pantry.

A year later, my friend noticed that there is clearly a separation in the company. There are different utensils and also washing items for Muslims.

At one point of time, the Muslims workers even asked if they could have a separate pantry which by now, my friend openly rejected the idea.

The workers explained that they felt their religion was not respected by others as they were using the common table cloth to clean the table after eating pork and the taps were oily (presumably lard) when they were using it. They asked if the management could stop other workers from bringing in pork/lard into the pantry and they are okay with other non-Halal food.

Now my friend is in a dilemma. While he respect the Muslim’s religious obligation, he does not want to impose other’s religious restriction and deprived other of their rights. He is wondering where should he stop?

Gordon Tay

*Article first appeared on https://www.facebook.com/gordon.tay.75/posts/972387889460449

Editor’s Note:

Let’s refrain from making insulting comments on this issue. It is a real issue, which also applies to other religious customs and cultural customs too. Where do we draw the line between tolerance and over-demanding? It is important to be able to have open, logical discussions about such issues.

Source: www.therealsingapore.com

April 28, 2015
Osman Sulaiman: Apa Dah Jadi Dengan Adat Dan Budaya Perkahwinan Orang Melayu?

Adat dan budaya perkahwinan orang melayu sudah jauh melencong dari asal. Unsur-unsur barat sudah banyak menyerap. Hilang nya adat dan budaya orang melayu, hilanglah identiti kita sebagai orang Melayu di Singapura.

Ramai anak2 muda sekarang sudah tidak cenderung kepada adat istiadat perkahwinan orang melayu. Di anggap kuno katanya. Amalan kita hari ini akan menjejas generasi yg akan datang. Kalau bukan kita yg menjaga warisan dan budaya orang melayu, siapa lagi?

Dapat kita lihat bagaimana budaya barat telah menyerap masuk dipraktikkan oleh anak2 muda kita apabila mereka bersanding.

1. Joget2 barat ala the wedding planner.
2. Pengapit ditukarkan kepada pengiring yg memakai kostume2 seperti star wars
3. Mempelai mesti memakai baju ‘western’
4. Malam berinai semakin kurang dipraktikkan
5. Merenjis sudah jarang dibuat
6. Pembacaan berzanji semakin pupus malahan ditukarkan kepada music2 pop
7. Makcik2 bertudung berjoget dangdut
8. Sekarang, lion dance pula.

Tanggung jawab memelihara warisan dan budaya terletak pada generasi muda. Ibu-bapa pula memainkan peranan penting supaya budaya dan warisan tidak pupus. Hang tuah berkata: “Takkan hilang melayu di dunia.”

Mungkin tidak di dunia. Tapi di Singapura kot?

Source: Osman Sulaiman

April 28, 2015
Bishan Maisonette Sold For $1.05 Million

Despite the declining resale flat price index, an executive flat in Bishan has sold for more than a million dollars this month.

The 149sqm executive maisonette in Blk 192, Bishan Street 13, changed hands for $1.05 million, according to the Housing & Development Board’s online data.

Built in 1987, the two-storey unit between the 22nd and 24th floors, has 71 years left on its 99-year lease.

Another maisonette at Bishan St 22 sold this month was priced at $812,000. The 146sqm unit is between the 7th and 9th floors.

Bishan is known for its record-beating HDB flat prices, but it now has competition from Pinnacle@Duxton.

Two HDB flats sold for more than a million dollars this month at the Pinnacle@Duxton.

One of the 107sqm units, located between floors 46 and 48 of Block 1A, was sold for $1.05 million, while another unit between floors 28 and 30 of Block 1G went for $1.06million.

All of the transactions for five-room flats at that development this year breached $900,000, and six went for a million or more.

At the project’s launch years ago, five-room units at the Pinnacle@Duxton were priced at $345,100 to $439,400.

The flats at the 50-storey Pinnacle@Duxton have just crossed their five-year minimum occupation period (MOP), and are in a highly sought-after location.

But the older Bishan flats have consistently fetched high prices, and the housing estate holds the record for the most expensive flat ever sold – a maisonette at Block 194 that went for $1,088,888 in October last year.

Another unit in nearby Block 190 fetched $1 million in December.

Despite the sky-high prices for these desirable units, the resale price index for HDB flats has fallen for the last seven quarters since mid-2013.

It slipped by another one per cent in the first quarter this year, reports revealed last week.

While the index is trending downwards, the price for larger executive flats has gone up by one per cent in the last quarter, according to an SRX report. Location also plays a part.

In Bedok, a 143sqm executive maisonette went for $570,000 this month. Also built in 1987, the unit in Block 145 is located between floors one and three.

Another 28-year-old maisonette – at Bukit Batok St 31 between floors seven and nine – went for $610,000.

Source: www.straitstimes.com

April 28, 2015
Cemetry Worker Raped 12 Year Old Girl After Befriending Her And Family

A cemetry labourer has admitted raping a 12-year-old girl who was staying at the burial ground with her family.

Roslan Jaafar, 41, befriended the girl – along with her younger sister and mother – after they started staying in a tent at the site in early 2012.

He would take the girl out to run errands, such as buying cigarettes and dinner – but used their meetings to have sex with her.

Roslan was caught only when the girl’s uncle noticed she had been missing for hours and discovered messages about “making love” on her phone.

Yesterday, he pleaded guilty in the High Court to two counts of rape and one of sexual assault of a minor.

Two other counts of sexual assault of a minor and sexual exploitation of a child will be taken into consideration when he is sentenced at a later date.

The court heard yesterday that the family moved to the burial ground temporarily as they had no fixed accommodation.

In March 2012, the two girls started playing with Roslan’s eight-year-old son at the cemetery while he was working.

Roslan later visited their tent and introduced himself to their mother. He continued to visit the family regularly and grew close to them.

In early May that year, the victim’s mother agreed to his request to take the girl out with him to buy cigarettes.

Roslan then began to take her out regularly to run errands, usually for more than two hours at a time.

He would take her on his motorcycle to a quiet spot nearby and have sex with her on a bench late at night, telling the girl not to tell her mother about it.

Although the court heard that the girl consented to having sex with him, by law, sex with a girl under 14 – with or without her consent – is considered rape.

On June 1 that year, the girl’s maternal uncle was visiting the family at the tent when Roslan took her out.

When they did not return after more than two hours, the uncle became worried.

He searched for Roslan’s number on the girl’s phone and found text messages from him.

After Roslan dropped the girl off at the tent and left, the uncle confronted her about it.

She broke down and told him what happened.

A police report was made at the Nanyang Neighbourhood Police Centre and Roslan was arrested last year.

Roslan told the court that the girl had told him she was not a virgin, but he accepted that she may have lied.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Quek Jing Feng asked for a deterrent sentence, arguing that the victim was young and vulnerable.

Roslan had betrayed the trust of the mother and that of the victim, who “would not expect a friend’s father to cause her harm”.

The case was adjourned after the Law Society’s Criminal Legal Aid Scheme said it was looking into whether to take up Roslan’s case.

The girl and her family are no longer staying in the cemetery.

Source: www.straitstimes.com

April 28, 2015
Singaporeans Await Flights Our Of Nepal, Others Remain Unaccounted For

KATHMANDU: Thirty-one year old Diana Fu was supposed to be flying home from Nepal on Monday night (Apr 27) via an Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) plane, but due to congestion in the Kathmandu airport, the plan did not materialise.

The RSAF’s three C-130 aircraft which were due to transport Singapore Armed Forces and medical personnel and meant to ferry Singaporeans home, have been diverted to India.

Ms Fu and a few others are waiting at the airport for a flight out on Tuesday morning. She told Channel NewsAsia she had just arrived at Kathmandu’s Tribhuvan International Airport with her cousin when the earthquake struck on Saturday.

Some of the Singaporeans she met, managed to get hotel accommodation, while others were camped at the airport she said.
“I tried to get commercial flights back. But there are delays, flights not landing, so on and so forth.”

Ms Fu said Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) had contacted her cousin, who was travelling with her, on Sunday afternoon. “I am glad that they gathered everyone and provided as much help as possible to us. They kept asking how we were and how they could help,” she said.

SOME REMAIN UNCONTACTABLE

MFA has sent a crisis team to Kathmandu to assist Singaporeans. While it has managed to contact most Singapore citizens in Nepal, some still remain out of reach. One of them is Jannah Suairi who has been uncontactable since the powerful earthquake struck Nepal.

The 25-year-old and her Austrian friend, Florian Manzeitreiter, were scheduled to trek along the Annapurna circuit. Ms Jannah last sent a message to her mother on Apr 20.

Ms Jannah’s mother told Channel NewsAsia she believes her daughter is safe.

“We have actually contacted the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and also some people in the rescue community to just help and look out for her. I hope that she will just stay put wherever she is and just send me a message or just call home.”

“Knowing the conditions in Kathmandu or the areas around, I think it’s quite a devastated area, and I think going back to Kathmandu would not be a good idea for her,” she said.

“LIKE A DISASTER MOVIE”: SINGAPOREAN WHO RETURNED HOME

Ms Raihan Ruslan, a yoga instructor who was holidaying in Nepal, returned to Singapore at 11pm on Sunday night. Looking visibly emotional at Changi Airport, she said: “It was like a really bad disaster movie that I wasn’t supposed to be in. I wanted to go for a yoga course and take it easy there.”

Ms Raihan, who is four months pregnant, said things were “uncertain” at Kathmandu’s airport. “We didn’t even know if a flight was going to come in at all … Just a flight out, that’s all we needed.”

Before she managed to board a SilkAir plane bound for Singapore, Ms Raihan and her husband camped outdoors. “We were lucky. We had very friendly trekkers around us who had all the camping equipment, (so) we had thick blankets and things to help us stay outdoors.”

Ms Shasta Kaul was holidaying in Nepal with her mother, Mrs Minakshi Kaul. Prior to securing a flight home, they said the situation at Kathmandu Airport was “chaotic”.

“No information was available. Nobody was calling for the flights. There were no displays on the board,” Mrs Kaul said.

Source: www.channelnewsasia.com

April 28, 2015