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Malays, Easily Stereotyped In NS Always Hear: ‘Kita Melayu Jadi Infantry. Don’t Put Your Hopes Too High.’

“Kita Melayukan, jadi …. infantry lah …. don’t put your hopes too high.”

Those were the words uttered to me during my son’s orientation at the beginning of his Officer cadet course almost 10 months ago. Testimony of the effective discriminatory practise embedded for more than 50 years against Malays in the SAF.

Malays are loyal and trustworthy like all Singaporeans to don the colours of any Arms of the SAF, ever willing to lay our life for this land we are indigenous to. We proved ourselves as a race when 153 malay regiment soldiers sacrificed their lives in defence of Singapore at Bukit Chandu, in February 1942, against the Japanese invaders. Their heroism are etched permanently into the memory of the Japanese army and the Colonial authority that surrendered Malaya to the Japs.

The Malays have patiently waited and trusted that this collective discrimination on their race will go away one day as promised to them by PAP leaders behind closed door. 50 years on and the situation has not changed except for mere tokenism to feature on occasional pages of the local press or some magazine covers. We have even tolerated the indignation of watching glittering TV ads promoting careers in the Navy etc., knowing fully well that we don’t qualify just because of the colour of our skin.

This policy of restricting Malays in the SAF has indoctrinated in the minds of other races, the unspoken fallacy that Malays are disloyal and cannot be trusted. Infecting every male serving citizen’s mind during 2 years of full-time national service and later for many more years during reservist, inevitably spilling into the wider society too. This vicious poison of distrust towards the Malays, sown in the minds of the people for more than 50 years must end.

This discriminatory practise towards Malays lies deep in the hypocrisy of PAP leaders who imposed these policies while preaching meritocracy and practising so-called deceptive affirmative actions selectively when it suits their political interest. Think GRC, HDB race quota, Malay President fiasco, etc. This whole policy and mindset originating from the PAP are the root cause of this discrimination.

Singaporeans of all races can end this discriminatory policies that has remained as vestiges of our colonial past. We must revive the vision championed by our brave true anti-colonial heroes who are Chinese, Malays, Indians and Eurasians. They suffered their lives to rid this country off the racist colonial policies of the past, so that we can practice and give equal spaces for all citizens regardless of our individual ethnicity and creed. And to consider celebrating Stamford Raffles and his so-called legacy, is a blatant gross affront and a betrayal of the real spirit of the struggles and sacrifices of our founding fathers.

A proud moment for Fuad and parents as we put his officer rank onto his uniform. A proud and honourable Infantry Officer.

Today, my son, together with his peers are commissioned as Officers of the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF). Each one of them has earned his or her One Bar through their grit and hard work to be proudly bestowed the dignified role of Officers, leading men and women of the SAF in defending this nation, the Constitution of our Republic and the President. As fellow parents witnessing their Commissioning parade today, we are proud of having our sons and daughters standing in service for our Country and her idealism of a Just and Equal society we all want and love.

Together, we can and must rebuilt our Nation’s true vision embodied in the colours and symbols on our Flag that we have neglected. To strive and struggle to leave a truly worthy legacy to our next generation, of a country united as one, where all races respect one another equally, instead of allowing ourselves to be divided and exploited by race for unjust self-serving political ends. The discrimination of Malays in the SAF must cease.

Source: Damanhuri Bin Abas

March 19, 2018
Commentary: Why I Will Not Miss Singapore When I Leave To Work Overseas

I made the following comment on politician Khan Osman’s post and I thought if sharing it with you. I will of course miss my parents, family and friends, but not the country. Here is what I wrote:

“If u are wondering what is my basis of saying all of the above:

I have a PhD in Landcape Planning and Environmental Sustainability so I understand the concept of ‘social capital’ and how the Malays lack this by design or by chance; I stayed in a kampong till 7 years old at Geylang Serai which were not slums but labelled as such to make way for landed properties, HDB etc (my colleague researches on this), I went to a neighbourhood school mixing with many Malays from the poorer sector of the community, I went to RI because I couldn’t follow my Primary school mates to Chinese High (SAP School), my uncle was not called for NS and it was his siblings and my grandma who helped him with the start of his working life, my mum taught Maths and Geography at a Malay school only to be forced to teach Malay Language when all Malay schools were closed down post independence, my mum told me that Malay kids that have family issues or go wayward are those that come from families whose faith is not strong or are not practising, my father was involved in RC and he said that meetings were sometimes in Mandarin, he joined only to ensure that he has access to facilities for the community in the estate to conduct religious classes, which he organised, to ensure that the Malays remained cohesive in spite of the dissolution of the kampung, my brother married into a dysfunctional extended family, I taught at a polytechnic where I meet many Malays whose per capita income (per head) is below $600, some even below $300, I was a medic in an infantry unit in the army where I learnt I could not go into many of the units I mentioned above, I worked as a laboratory technician where I was scolded for praying at an empty store room when I do have to pray 5 times a day, two of which is during work hours, between 1 to 4 and between 4 to 6.30, headscarf ban is common knowledge now, my wife’s niece had to face another kid at the playground recently who told her that Malays cannot play here, my ex-colleague in one company told me the boss does not trust Malays doing finances so she was not promoted, a lecturer from a gov based research centre says that the gov was like Robin Hood when explaining the Compulsory Acquisition Act to PhD PhD students from ETH Zurich, by taking land from the ‘rich’ to give it to the ‘poor’, my brother-in-law told me that it was difficult for him as a Malay to get his business name approved when he wanted to start his business … i can go on.”

Source: Abdul Rahim

March 14, 2018
Will Geylang Serai Lose Its Malay Cultural Identity After The $3.2 Billion Facelift?

Will Geylang Serai lose the Malay cultural identity that we always had after this big ‘rejuvenation’? Take a look at some of the reactions from the Malay community.

“In my opinion, Geylang Serai has really lost its Malay identity unlike Chinatown and Little India which represents the Chinese and Indian communities here in Singapore. During festive seasons, we can also spot CNY decorations along 1KM, Tanjong Katong Complex etc. And Joo Chiat Rd area are just filled with nightclubs, massage parlours, bars etc. Heard that there will be new a CC next to Geylang Serai Market? (we have 3 CCs nearby) Also, with the latest massive development by Lendlease, what is left of Geylang Serai area and for our future generations to come?” – Brader Faisal

“Tu la hari tu naik cab Abang taxi pon cakap Geylang ni tak ada apa2, tempat Melayu makin lama makin dorang kecilkan” – Brader Gamo

“Betul tu jgn patah semangat demi pelapis & cucu cicit kita. Wahai peniaga2 musiman melayu islam bersatu lah anda utk berniaga di Geylang nanti di Ramadan akan dtg. Klu byk berserek kan berniaga di Bazaar lain (Tampines & Wdlands) tentu lah Geylang Serai jadi sepi. Mmg waktu OneKM mula naik Developer yg saya kebetulan temu janji ada berkongsi yg strategy dia orang ia lah akan commercialise kan Geylang Serai so… meaning akan kurang wajah kampong geylang serai klu peniaga kita tdk berkumpul di daerah sendiri.” – Sis Hana Roza

“Union kene pasang strategi.. suarakan pandangan kpd Presiden kak limah.. Kami mahukan Malay Street(peniaga2 melayu,pelancong2 boleh dtg, ada persembahan kebudayaan melayu, halal food)…” – Brader Fadzil

“Jangan tengok geylang serai saja..seluruh singapura yang asal nya negeri melayu sudah berubah menjadi negeri etnik tionghua..dlm nusantara..” – Brader Salim

“ I only have this to say – when the Temenggong signed Singapore over to the British in a “in perpetuity lease”, it was game over for the Singapore Malays. Just like the Native Americans and the European settlers of North America. Talk of Singapore being Tanah Melayu – is just that ; empty talk. Today Singapore is largely Chinese and they have a strong grip on the economy too. Instead of looking back with nostalgia and regret – its better to worry and plan for the future. I agree with Muhammad Noor Othman. What is left – is Islam. Hold on to that coz we are now in the End Times (Akhir Zaman).” – Brader Syed

(Photo credit: theparkplace-residence.com)

Park Place Residences (Paya Lebar) is part of a massive $3.2 billion project by Australian Developer, Lendlease. The mega project, Paya Lebar Quarter, comprising of office space, shops and private housing, will be spread across seven buildings on land the size of eight football fields. There will be a retail mall, three office towers and three residential blocks all connected to Paya Lebar MRT. Watch the video.

Rilek1Corner

March 13, 2018
Brave Yale-NUS Students Tired Of Not Having Their Voices Heard Hold Silent Sit-In Protest Against The College
Dissatisfied with certain school policies and unhappy with the way the school dealt with their opinions, some 29 students from Yale-NUS College conducted a silent sit-in on Friday, March 9.

According to Channel 8 News, Yale-NUS College has since reached out to the students through public dialogue.

The student who shared open letter publicly later privatised his account

Adam Goh, one of the students believed to have taken part in the sit-in, shared an open letter on his Instagram account directed at the college, as well as a picture of three students conducting the sit-in.

His Instagram account has since been set to private mode, according to the report.

The open letter also revealed that while the President of Yale-NUS, Professor Tan Tai Yong, made a response earlier, the students thought that it wasn’t sufficient, and called on all students and staff members to share their views.

The following are the students’ main demands:
- Reinstating monthly town halls for all students and the senior leadership, as well as an open and transparent communication process
- Making students involved in the deliberation of any policy that affects the students themselves
- Developing a college-wide honour code that applies to all stakeholders of the college
The students explained in the letter that they were tired of not having their voices heard, despite them speaking up and attempting to communicate with the Yale-NUS president.

As a result, they decided to make their demands known in a manner that’s hard to ignore — physically occupying an area in order to express their concern towards the “future” of the college.

They also gave an ultimatum, saying that until President Tan makes a written response, there’d be at least one student continuing the sit-in.

The students added that while they don’t represent the entire student body, they welcome other concerned students and staff to join them in their effort to make their voices heard.

A letter from the Yale-NUS Student Government has since been circulated on Reddit, saying that monthly town halls with “a cast of senior college leadership” will be organised.

Apparently, the announcement was made by President Tan in an email previously.

It is unknown if the sit-in is still being held.

In a townhall that was held in February last year, students raised their concerns to the school administration over some “troubling” decisions the administration made without involving the student body in the deliberative process.

Of the decisions that were made unilaterally, according to the students, were the suspension of the Yale-NUS International Relations and Political Association’s activities with no reasons given, as well as the setting up of a new Event Approval Committee to assess the “desirability and feasibility” of holding an event on campus.

Source: channel 8 news
March 12, 2018
Ismail Fitrey: Singapore Striking Sensation Who Disappeared From Football And Moved To MUIS

Touted as one of Singapore’s most talented strikers at the time, Ismail Fitrey showed plenty of promise at Sembawang Rangers and Tampines Rovers. But at just 26, the man known among some fans as ‘the fox in the box’ disappeared from football.

A search on the worldwide web comes up with no pictures of the man in his playing days.

Yet, Ismail Fitrey holds a special place in the annals of Singapore football – for being one of few local-born players in S.League history who netted more than 20 goals in a single campaign.

But unlike the likes of Indra Sahdan (26 in 2003) and Noh Alam Shah (24 in 2000 and 2003), Ismail, who scored 23 for Tampines Rovers in 2004, is a figure who has largely been forgotten.

Just as he was elusive on the pitch, Ismail, now 40, proves likewise off it – it takes numerous phone calls to his former teammates – most of whom have lost touch with him, before an interview is finally arranged between him and FFT.

In a sea of people, one last obstacle remained and that was to identify the man himself.

To simplify what seemed a tough task, a bespectacled man in officewear approaches and confidently introduces himself with a firm handshake.

Ismail may have been a footballer but there is simply no mention of his former life in the opening five minutes of the conversation.

Work and family seems to be what he is content with discussing. In fact, the first mention of the Beautiful Game arrives only as he fondly remembers an anecdote involving his two sons, aged eight and eleven.

“I have my trophies and medals won as a player in a shelf in the study room of my house and there was once where one of my sons asked me what those medals were for. I just told them about it and what I won it for but that’s it, I just tell them only if they ask me,” said Ismail.

“I’m not one to brag about it (football career) and in fact, I don’t think my current colleagues know anything about what I was doing before I stared working with them. I never introduced myself as a former S.League player.”

A former Singapore Cup and S.League winner in 2004 with Tampines, Ismail is currently a lead auditor for Halal Certification at Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura (MUIS), also known as the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore.

He has been working there since 2006, two years after his last match in the S.League.

Ismail spent his years in National Service turning out for the SAFFC (now known as Warriors FC) prime league team, under the guidance of a certain Richard Bok.

A move to Sembawang Rangers followed in 2001 for the then 23-year-old. While he only spent one season with the club, it was while with the Stallions that Ismail received his “most important footballing education”.

“We had really strong import players from Thailand – the likes of Niweat Siriwong and Tawan Sripan who were really humble and were always looking to share their knowledge of the game,” recalled Ismail.

“Tawan was a real inspiration. He was a perfectionist yet humble. He would offer to come in early and cross for me to practice on my finishing so those things really stood out for me and it really is not a surprise for me that he has carved out a good career for himself as a coach.”

Source: fourfourtwo

March 9, 2018