Rilek1Corner

Blog

  • Singaporeans’ Public Apathy Is A Tragedy Waiting To Happen

    Singaporeans’ Public Apathy Is A Tragedy Waiting To Happen

    A more personal and intimate experience sharing about public apathy.

    More than 10 years ago, my dad was involved in a traffic accident. A TransitLink bus rammed into him in the wee hours of the morning when he was crossing the road at a pedestrian crossing. His skull was fractured and several of his ribs broke. He made it to the hospital but he didn’t stand a chance. He was 70, healthy and semi-retired, ready for his golden years. But it was not to be.

    My siblings and I staked out at the bus stop near the accident site daily for a week after the accident, talking to people who may have seen the accident. We wanted to find out what happened and get witnesses for the police.

    We heard from a few witnesses that after the impact, the bus stopped. There was only one person who went up to my dad to tend to him – an ang mo woman who was a passenger on the bus. No one else helped, although others may have called the police and an ambulance.

    What happened next was sad and infuriating. Upon hearing stories from the few witnesses, we identified ourselves as family of the deceased and asked if they would go to the police to report what they had seen. We emphasized that we wanted them to testify what they saw, and not put blame on any party. All of them flat-out refused immediately. When pressed, one of them said he didn’t see anything, when moments ago he animatedly recounted the entire accident to us. Another avoided us the following morning when she spotted us. Every single one of these witnesses were Singaporeans. None of them came forward to the police. Regrettably, we did not manage to find the ang mo lady who tended to my dad to express our appreciation. Was he conscious? Did she soothe him with words or touch? Whatever she did, we thank her from the bottom of our hearts for stepping up to check on him while everyone else stayed away.

    I’ve always thought this experience has similar behavioural undertones to a less tragic and more common one. Many of us have encountered situations in Singapore where someone cuts queue, and everyone would be very annoyed but no one dares voice displeasure. If anyone in the queue stood out to admonish the queue cutter, that person is very likely to be a westerner. So much for our much touted “Asian” or “Confucius” values.

    Back to my dad’s accident. Police investigations eventually revealed that the bus driver, who was an elderly Malaysian man, was at fault because he was beating the red light. The next tragic joke was that the driver jumped bail and slipped back into Malaysia. The police did not explain how was that possible. TransitLink apologized and paid a meager compensation. A few years later, we heard from the police that the bus driver passed away in Malaysia of old age. We bear no grudges. Closure.

    What was etched permanently in my memory was how the witnesses refused to come forward, when the inconvenience to them was merely a couple of hours at the police station. I remember how I looked them in the eye and pleaded with them while they averted my gaze and manufactured clumsy excuses.

    This episode taught me an unforgettable lesson about public apathy in Singapore.

     

    Source: Perry Tan

  • Clients Of Reno Firm Carpentry Design Works Lodged 33 Complaints With CASE

    Clients Of Reno Firm Carpentry Design Works Lodged 33 Complaints With CASE

    Clients of Carpentry Design Works, a home renovation firm which was registered just over a year ago, have approached the Consumers Association of Singapore with more than $560,000 in claims.

    They claim the firm, registered in March last year, left work unfinished or did not deliver services after being paid.

    Case received 33 complaints, with 21 of those filed this month alone.

    One customer, who declined to be named, approached Case for help after no work was done for weeks on his four-room flat. The 33-year-old civil servant said he paid $7,000to a representative of the renovation company.

    The representative supposedly insisted work would soon begin, pending approval from the Housing Board, but after repeated delays, the client approached HDB directly.

    “They told me the company hadn’t even submitted an application,” he said. “I realised they had been lying to me all this while.”

    Another client said he engaged the same representative in early February and forked out $18,880 to fit his new four-room flat with cabinets, plumbing, wiring, tiles and air-conditioning.

    But the accounts executive, 29, who did not want to be named, said he waited weeks for work to begin, adding: “They had 1,001 reasons, like ‘The lorry broke down’ or ‘The workers have been hospitalised’.”

    A visit to the company’s registered premises in Telok Kurau, which bore no signboard, found the unit in disarray, with a Small Claims Tribunal summons dated April 20 under the door.

    Meanwhile, the Yishun office where customers said they met the representative bears a different name. Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (Acra) records also show no officers in common between the two firms.

    Acra profile lists its director as Mr Muhammad Nirzam Azmi, appointed on April 10 this year. When The Straits Times visited his home, Mr Nirzam, 32, said this was done without his consent and claimed he had made a police report.

    According to an earlier Acra listing, the original director of Carpentry Design Works is Ms Christina Wong Hoi Khay, 22, who told The Straits Times that a woman named Husniyati promised to pay her $3,000 a month in exchange for using her identity. She said she made a police report after being approached by debt collectors, and claimed her signature was forged in dealings with suppliers.

    Police confirmed reports were made and investigations are ongoing.

     

    Source: www.straitstimes.com

  • Remember This Sylvia Lim Election Rally Warning On FAS Being Headed By Politicians?

    Remember This Sylvia Lim Election Rally Warning On FAS Being Headed By Politicians?

    In light of the current saga involving the Football Association of Singapore (FAS), and the arrest of Zainuddin Nordin, the last Government-appointed president of the association, it is timely to revisit Sylvia Lim’s rally speech during the 2015 General Election.

    Ms Lim, who is the Member of Parliament for Aljunied GRC and chairman of the opposition Workers’ Party, spoke of how the ruling People’s Action Party “infiltrates every aspect of life” here in Singapore, including sports.

    “The PAP wants Singaporeans to be dependent on them. But there is more than enough talent in the private sector to drive things,” Ms Lim said in her speech in Jalan Besar. “In fact, Singapore may be able to achieve better results if the PAP would get out of certain areas.”

    She then cited the example of the FAS and how it had been headed by political appointees who were invariably PAP MPs, even as the standards and performance of Singapore football “nosedived”.

    Here is the extract of her speech (watch from 4.20 minutes onwards):

    Thirdly, the WP differs from the PAP because we do not think that the government should infiltrate every aspect of life. The PAP obviously thinks that they should control everything.

    The PAP places government representatives in all areas of Singapore life, including sports, business and professional groups.

    The PAP wants Singaporeans to be dependent on them. But there is more than enough talent in the private sector to drive things. In fact, Singapore may be able to achieve better results if the PAP would get out of certain areas.

    Let’s take sports.  Since we are in Jalan Besar GRC, let’s talk about football!

    In the early days of Singapore’s nationhood, the Singapore football team was a force to be reckoned with on the international stage.  Can you imagine that in 1966, Singapore was 4th in the Asian Games, behind only Burma, Iran and Japan? 4th in the whole of Asia, not just South East Asia!

    In the 1970s, the whole nation was rivetted behind our “Boys in Blue” in their quest to win the Malaysia Cup.  Everyone had football fever, not just the usual soccer fans, but even grandmothers and housewives too.  I remember as a young child, diligently cutting out newspaper articles and pictures of our footballers, and keeping my own scrap book.  We fought so hard and mightily, and had bitter disappointments.  But finally, in 1977, Singapore beat Penang 3-2 to become Malaysia Cup champions.  And I am so proud that the man who headed home the winning goal is here with us tonight, as my personal driver!

    In those days, the Football Association of Singapore was headed by people who were not politicians.  They were passionate about the game, and relied on their own networks to bring in coaches and technical expertise. They even poured in their own money at times to achieve their dreams.

    Where is Singapore soccer today?

    According to the rankings by football’s world governing body, FIFA, Singapore dropped from no. 70 in the world in 1993 to a new low this year of 157.  We are classified by FIFA as one of the “worst movers” down the rankings. What went wrong?

    The FAS Constitution states that all council members shall first be appointed by a government minister before being confirmed by election. For the last 20 years, the Minister has placed a PAP MP in charge of the football association. Looking at how our rankings have nose-dived over the last 20 years, is this policy working? The Sports Minister should be committing hara kiri!

    I am not belittling the efforts of our current footballers and coaches. It’s the structure I’m questioning.

    Now FIFA has been critically looking at the structure of FAS, as it believes officials of football associations should be freely elected.  Just 2 days ago, on September 1st, FIFA told our FAS to put their internal elections on hold over possible government interference.

    It is embarrassing that it takes an international body to highlight a problem that has been simmering for so long.  It is time for Singaporeans to take charge of what we care about.  Let our passion take us to greatness.  We have done it before, and we can do it again!

    Power has made the PAP more and more arrogant. They think they can tell us who should represent us – not just in Parliament, but also in sports, and even in business groups and the professions.  They want to control every aspect of life.  If we become totally dependent on the PAP, how can Singapore be a dynamic nation?

    This election, we must bring the power back to the people.  Send a strong message to the PAP that Singaporeans want to be free from their arrogance, their control, and their threats.

     

    Source: https://publichouse.sg

  • Damanhuri Abas: Scandals Show That High Salary Is Not The Answer To Eradicate Corruption

    Damanhuri Abas: Scandals Show That High Salary Is Not The Answer To Eradicate Corruption

    The trail of scandals spanning just the last decade along the corridors of power, sadly results from the chronic malaise of institutionalised governance when a single dominant party rule continues unabated.

    We had the following scandals, CEO of NFK, TT Durai in 2005, Edwin Yeo of CPIB in 2008, Peter Lim Chief of SCDF in 2013, Lim Cheng Ho of MFA in 2014, Bernard Lim Yong Soon of NParks in 2014, CEO of NKF, Edmond Kwok 2016, and most recently, Kong Hee and Friends of City Harvest Church, 2017. Just to list a few of them.

    And we also had the personal indiscretion of PAP MPs in the case of Speaker of Parliament Mr Micheal Palmer and the infamous affair involving PAP MP for Bukit Batok that happened only last year, Mr David Ong and his married grassroots woman volunteer.

    Now we have the latest scandal involving none other than a former Mayor and PAP MP Zainudin Nordin further reminding the people to seriously relook at all PAP leaders. They are not as clean as their white garment looks.

    The list of corruptions in their ranks and files of cronies as well as their leaders are undeniable facts and not fake news. It is crystal clear now to all Singaporeans that the logic of high pay and incorruptible public officers or leaders are hollow PAP sloganeering promising leaders of integrity and merit but delivering otherwise.

    Will the PAP reform and correct themselves? Most unlikely as the signs are showing the opposite, seen from the constitutional amendments on the Elected Presidency to the most recent clipping of further Presidential powers passed in parliament.

    We are even seeing more reduction of space for critical input and feedback which are necessary and healthy developments needed for reform and progress in a maturing democracy. They in fact, do the reverse to entrench their unchallenged controlling power. They still prefer to trust their own self-checking and the above samplings of scandals suffices to discredit it.

    All hegemonic power feels threatened by the natural God ordained system of check and balance. Their obsession with perpetual and absolute control will become their very undoing. History recalls many past powers wanting to remain so even though their time is up. Eventually they went astray falling from grace on their own highway of luxury and greed.

    Singaporeans therefore must do our part by intervening to stop this slippery decline down the slope of democratic regression happening before our very eyes. The only way to do so, is to put into parliament more oppositions to raise the vital questions that they themselves will not. The longer we delay, the tougher it becomes, as they will resort to all machavillian means within their vast controlling disposal to ensure their hegemony remains forever.

    The stakes are very high. It is about our believe in the Singaporean spirit to rise up to collectively remake and better our citizen’s deal. To share what we have with each other, to not leave anyone behind and to demand from our elected leaders, service and priority to the people and not their vested crony interest. The scandals are reminders of what is wrong in our society and for us to collectively act together as one united people to affect that vital redirection for our beloved nation.

    Singaporeans must realise that the only constant is change. Ours is past due. The People needs a New Deal with a very fresh and vibrant New face of real Hope, Integrity, Honesty, Courage and Humility. God-willing, together we can make it happen.

     

    Source: Damanhuri Bin Abas

  • Raja Bomoh Sorry Not Sorry, Claimed Bizarre Rituals Carried Out Under Orders

    Raja Bomoh Sorry Not Sorry, Claimed Bizarre Rituals Carried Out Under Orders

    Ibrahim Mat Zin courted international stardom when he attempted to track the missing MAS aircraft MH370 with a pair of bamboo binoculars and coconuts.

    His antics at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) had left Malaysian authorities red-faced.

    Since then, the self-styled “raja bomoh” or “king of shamans” has appeared at various places, including outside the Sungai Buloh prison, where he performed a ritual to protect incarcerated former opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim.

    However, Ibrahim has repented and apologised to all Malaysians, both Muslims and non-Muslims, for his stunts.

    The 66-year-old, who is often decked in a suit, also claimed that certain individuals, whom he cannot name, had ordered him to perform the rituals.

     

    Source: www.malaysiakini.com