Category: Sosial

Alfian Sa’at: Elected President Must Be Effective Check Against Government, Not Be A Puppet

We’ve had four Presidential elections (of which two went uncontested). The issue of whether it was important for a minority Singaporean to become the Elected President did not once crop up. Not even when there were four Tans running for the post in the year 2011.

So I can’t help but view the recent call for a minority race President with skepticism. If minority representation was so important, why was this not factored in when the office of the Elected President was first introduced? Why now? And then one remembers that the next Presidential Election is due next year, and that the previous one in 2011 resulted in a very slim victory margin–0.35%–for the candidate that the PAP had backed.

Yusof Ishak is rolled out to provoke nostalgia for a time when Singapore had a Malay President. But he became President only in 1970. In 1959, when Singapore attained self-government, Yusof Ishak was appointed the Yang di-Pertuan Negara, a position that was formerly held by Sir William Goode. When Singapore joined the Federation of Malaysia in 1963, the post of Yang di-Pertuan Negara was that of a vice-regal representative of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong (the elected monarch of Malaysia).

A Malay head of state, Malay as National Language, the national anthem, etc were all part of a Malayanisation campaign to sweeten the deal for Singapore’s entry into Malaysia. The Malayan political elites had never wanted Singapore to be part of the Federation, as it was considered too Sinocentric. Having a Malay head of state was reassurance that it was not.

That ship has long sailed. I, personally, have never had any yearning for there to be a Malay President. I know there are arguments about how having a Malay President will instill pride in the Malay community, that when we Malays view the portraits of a Malay President and his wife in schools and government buildings we will feel less invisible. I’m sorry but to me it will only make the President and his wife more visible and that is all.

I wonder whether conditions for the Indian community improved during the 12 years when S. R. Nathan was President, whether the community’s image was elevated in the eyes of the majority when he held office. And then I remember that one of the more racist things S. R. Nathan was called was ‘the prata man in the Istana’. What next with a Malay President, Singapore? Some joke about how the President walks in front of the PM because the ‘Ahmad’ sits in front of his Chinese boss when he’s chauffering?

So I say now, as a member of the Malay community: I don’t need a symbol to elicit respect, what I need is respect for my rights. (And anyway the respect one expects to earn on a tokenism ticket is shadowed with doubt.) What I want is for the government to be transparent about what is happening with their manpower policies in the military, to see more Malay ministers in portfolios other than environment and infocomm, to settle the issue of wearing tudungs as part of uniforms, to stop perpetuating cultural deficit theories, to enact anti-discrimination laws. There is a Malay President on our dollar notes and I’ve never heard of it, even subliminally, challenging longstanding stereotypes about Malays being ‘bad at money’.

And most importantly, I don’t want us minorities to be used, once again, as a pretext to devise a system which will allow the PAP to entrench power. The GRC system was first proposed as a means to ensure minority representation but successive elections have shown how it’s been used to gerrymander, to create unequal voting power (an Hougang voter sends 1 representative into parliament, but an Ang Mo Kio voter sends 6), to dilute electors’ voting power, to usher in new faces riding on the coattails of popular incumbents at the helm of each GRC.

Long story short: I would rather have a Chinese Elected President who can act as an effective check on the government than a puppet Malay President holding a golden rubberstamp.

Source: Alfian Sa’at

November 9, 2016
Damanhuri Abas: Kepimpinan Melayu Tidak Berwibawa, Masyarakat Diperlakukan Sebagai Tidak Setaraf Bangsa Lain

Pemerintah terus memperlekehkan perasaan orang melayu dengan sesuka hati hanya kerana kepimpinan melayu yang merelakan bangsa sendiri diperlakukan sedemikian.

Diam dari golongan pimpinan masyarakat yang terdiri daripada pemilik syarikat, pengerusi masjid, presiden/ketua persatuan, tokoh-tokoh masyarakat, golongan asatizah yg berpengaruh, golongan artis, golongan karyawan yg berpengaruh, mantan-mantan pemimpin dll., memungkinkan segala yang telah berlaku ini, kerana di mata masyarakat majmuk jelas tiada kedengaran langsung apapun suara dari golongan pemimpin melayu yg membantah mahupun menyoalkan tujuan dan kebijaksanaan tindakkan pemerintah tergesa-gesa mengubah dasar mereka dengan sesukanya. Ia memberikan persepsi palsu bahawa orang melayu menyokong perubahan dasar ini. Lebih buruk lagi, orang melayu sendiri merasakan seolah-olah pandangan luas masyarakat melayu sudah tidak penting kerana tiada sesiapa dikalangan pemimpin-pemimpin melayu yg berani menyuarakan keprihatinan mereka.

Yang lebih prinsip lagi ialah dasar baru ini sekaligus menghapuskan adanya kuasa pemeriksa keatas pemerintah yang bebas dan berwibawa dalam menjaga urusan harta simpanan negara demi kepentingan rakyat jelata. Adanya kuasa penghalang adalah genting demi memastikan tertegaknya proses mengawas dan mengawal kemungkinan berlaku penyalahgunaan kuasa oleh pemerintah.

Sebaliknya apa yang telah berlaku ialah kekeliruan memahami matlamat utama adanya jawatan Presiden terlantik dengan alasan-alasan sampingan yang mengeruhkan isu pokok yang seharuskan menjadi tumpuan kita semua.

Memperuntukkan jawatan Presiden terlantik untuk orang melayu demi memastikan adanya bangsa melayu menjawat kursi Presiden adalah pendekatan yang sangat bahaya. Ia kerana setelah adanya seorang berbangsa melayu menjadi Presiden terlantik, ia akan mengkaburi isu perkauman yang masih ada dan terus berleluasa bersumber daripada dasar-dasar lain pemerintah sendiri seperti sikap waspada, curiga dan tidak yakin dengan bangsa melayu secara amnya. Ini masih jelas dalam perkhidmatan negara yang terus mengamalkan dasar-dasar yang mengecualikan dan menindas peluang-peluang anak-anak melayu mendapat jawatan-jawatan yang dianggap bahaya untuk diberikan kepada orang melayu.

Jika benar adanya diskriminasi perkauman dalam masyarakat yang menidakkan kemungkinan orang melayu menjadi Presiden terlantik mahupun apa lagi jawatan tinggi negara, ia harus dikaji sedalamnya dan akar puncanya dimusnahkan. Barulah kita jujur ingin mengatasi masalah perkauman yang masih ada.

Kita sebenarnya diberi peluang kini dengan pengakuan pemerintah sendiri mengiktiraf adanya penindasan perkauman. Ini masanya untuk orang melayu menyuarakan keprihatinan kita sebagai rakyat Singapura atas kewujudan penindasan ini selama 50 tahun sejak merdeka.

Orang melayu bersikap matang dan bersabar sepanjang 50 tahun melihat dan merasai sendiri penindasan yang jelas berlaku tiap kali anak-anak melayu yang menjalani perkhidmatan negara dinafikan peluang yang dinikmati kesuluruhannya oleh bangsa lain. Tidak sepatahpun suara menyoalkan kenapa anak-anak melayu diperlakukan sedemikian, apa yang jelas adalah penindasan perkauman.

Yang bahaya lagi ialah kesan perpanjangan kepada persepsi masyarakat majmuk terhadap bangsa melayu yang telah berakar dan sebati memandang serong bangsa ini dengan waspada dan curiga. Ia menjadikan orang melayu seperti rakyat yang kurang syarat dan sentiasa diperanaktirikan. Akibatnya telah lama dirasakan dalam merata lapisan masyarakat dalam semua aspek dari pendidikan hingga pekerjaan. Inilah kesan buruk yang telah bermaharajalela selama 50 tahun ini.

Sudah tiba masanya dengan isu perkauman jelas terbuka, untuk kita mendesak pemerintah untuk berlaku adil kepada bangsa melayu dan segara menukar dasar-dasar lain yang bersikap perkauman dan menindas peluang orang melayu dalam negara kita yang tercinta ini.

Jika pemimpin-pemimpin melayu masih takut untuk dilihat menentang dasar pemerintah, ingatlah tanggungjawab murni anda untuk membela nasib anak-anak melayu kita yang terus menerus berdepan dengan peluang-peluang terbatas tanpa dibela sesiapa. Kita tidak seharusnya diperlakukan sebagai rakyat tidak setaraf dengan bangsa-bangsa lain di negara kita sendiri.

Source: Damanhuri Abas

November 9, 2016
Cherian George: Elected Presidency Missed Opportunity For Multiculturalism, Halimah Yaacob Would’ve Won With No Help

What do you make of the proposed changes to Singapore’s elected presidency?

The impression I get is that it has been framed as a debate between the need for minority representation and an open system that would allow Tan Cheng Bock to possibly become President. And people are lined up on either side. But I do want to see a minority President. I think it is a very important symbol. But, precisely because I understand the importance of having a minority president, I’m disappointed in the way the government has gone about it.

The assumption seems to be that we don’t now have a minority candidate on the radar capable of winning the presidency in open competition. I think that is wrong. Halimah Yacob can win with no help or handicap. If they picked Halimah Yacob as a candidate, I don’t think they need to block Chinese candidates against her. She is enormously respected, she has extremely strong trade union labour credentials. She is respected by Malays as well as Chinese. This is one of those cases where the PAP as well as some other Singaporeans have a very dim view of Singaporeans, and that view is unrealistically dim. Yes, there might be some prejudice against Halimah on account of her gender, religion and race. But this prejudice probably does not amount to some kind of total trump card that will ensure her defeat. Those backing her might have to fight a little harder. But whatever kind of handicap she carries would just quantitatively amount to a tiny disadvantage. And I don’t see how that can compromise her track record. And I also cannot believe that the PAP with all its machinery and the union movement as well as many Singaporeans wouldn’t go all out to bat for her. After all, how wonderful would it be for Singapore to have a female, Malay, Muslim president?

I have total faith that there are enough male, Chinese, non-Muslim Singaporeans who will campaign for her. Unfortunately, many others do not have such faith. And I see it as a huge moment of opportunity for Singapore’s multiracialism. This is an opportunity to signal to the world, and ourselves, that after fifty years of nation building, we are ready to embrace a President who is not from the conventional mainstream.

Instead, what are we heading for? We’re heading for a situation where the PAP has decided to give a Malay candidate a walkover, which will taint the presidency forever. Whoever becomes the president next year will be a token president. Why taint it with the label of tokenism? It’s so unnecessary. I believe that if it were a straight fight between Halimah Yacob and Tan Cheng Bock, Halimah would win hands down.
Source: www.mackerel.life

November 9, 2016
Damanhuri Abas: Malay Community Don’t Want PAP’s ‘Useless Malay President’

There is no pride for any person to be offered a token position to be a puppet to sing the tune of his or her master. To then use race as a justification when we all know it is a mere excuse to look magnanimous when in reality it is a disgusting use of racial sentiments to further political interest of a Party in power worried that someone else will open up the books.

For God sake, discrimination exists for the last 50 years in their own institutions justified by strange ancient suspicion of an entire race that discounts the malays as untrustworthy for so-called ‘sensitive position’ in the SAF. Solve that misnomer first and be more honest to us as equal citizens of this country. Malays have sacrificed their lives in the hundreds on Bukit Chandu fighting the Japanese. If that is not enough to trust our loyalty to this land than tell us what will, instead of lying to the entire race?

We don’t want your useless Malay president.

Source: Damanhuri Abas

November 9, 2016
Ex-BSI Banker Trial: Yeo Jiawei ‘Lived Jet-Setting Lifestyle, Became More Arrogant’

Former BSI banker Yeo Jiawei enjoyed a jet-setting lifestyle on super yachts and at luxury resorts after he left to work for controversial Malaysian tycoon Jho Low, a court heard yesterday.

An employee of financial firm Amicorp Group testified that Yeo – a key figure in an alleged money laundering operation linked to scandal-hit 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) – became a “consultant and adviser” to Mr Low and Mohamed Ahmed Badawy Al-Husseiny.

Al-Husseiny is a former high-level official of Abu Dhabi state fund International Petroleum Investment Co (IPIC).

Amicorp relationship manager Jose Renato Carvalho Pinto told the court Yeo’s relationship with Mr Low was so close that he travelled on his private jet and accompanied him on his luxury yacht Equanimity on a business trip to the Caribbean.

Yeo stayed at five-star beach-front resort Sandy Lane, one of the most luxurious hotels in Barbados, Mr Carvalho testified.

He also claimed Yeo arranged for Amicorp to pay invoices totalling US$1.36 million (S$1.9 million) for 27 tickets for Mr Low, Al-Husseiny and several other celebrities to the Manny Pacquiao boxing match at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. The cheapest seat was US$30,000, while the most expensive was US$75,000, Mr Carvalho said.

He added Yeo also asked Amicorp to top up the Las Vegas casino membership cards of Mr Low and his close associate, Mr Eric Tan Kim Loong, by at least US$1 million each.

Mr Carvalho further testified that Yeo became “more arrogant and abrasive”, dismissively calling some associates, including Mr Samuel Goh Sze Wei, Mr Kelvin Ang and 1MDB chief financial officer Terence Geh, “working level” people.

Yeo faces four counts of obstructing justice by allegedly urging witnesses to lie to police and destroy evidence while out on bail after being arrested on March 17 in connection with money laundering.

Al-Husseiny, who is being investigated over offences under the Swiss Criminal Code, was chief executive of IPIC unit Aabar Investments and a former chairman of Falcon Bank, whose licence was withdrawn by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) last month.

One reason for Falcon’s shutdown was because its head office failed to guard against conflicts of interest when managing accounts of a customer linked with Al-Husseiny. The MAS said he misled Falcon’s Singapore branch into processing the customer’s “unusually large transactions” despite multiple red flags.

Mr Carvalho, who was testifying on the fifth day of the trial, said Amicorp was asked by Yeo to set up trusts and also to open bank accounts for several entities as well as for Mr Low and family members.

IPIC has denied ownership of Aabar BVI, to which 1MDB said it sent US$3.5 billion.

Yeo allegedly told Mr Carvalho that after leaving BSI, he would work as consultant to Aabar and Al- Husseiny and “collect a 5 per cent fee on every invoice to Aabar”.

Mr Carvalho also said Yeo claimed that he would be working for sovereign wealth funds that were part of a “highly confidential government-to-government arrangement involving Saudi Arabia and Malaysia”. Mr Carvalho learnt that these were 1MDB and SRC International, which was set up by Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak’s government.

“I thought Amicorp was cheated by Yeo because he created the story of a ‘g-to-g’ arrangement between countries so he can collect referral fees,” Mr Carvalho said.

Mr Samuel Goh, the former head of agency distribution at NTUC Income, testified yesterday that he received more than US$4 million for his role as Yeo’s partner in alleged kickback deals linked to 1MDB.

Source: The Straits Times

November 8, 2016