Hope to meet Minister Masagos outside of parliament so that I can ask him point blank about what he thinks about the gov who discriminate against people who wear the tudung.
Apparently, if someone raises the issue in parliament, it is sowing discord and divisiveness.
Parliament is the place you raise issues brought up by the citizen. If raising sensitive issues in parliament is trying to sow discord, then where else? Coffeeshop?
I don’t blame Masagos. He is the mouthpiece of the PAP and the gov. He isn’t the representative of the community. On that role, he has done wonderfully well to serve his employers and collecting a hefty paycheck.
He has conveniently forgotten that his ticket to parliament was through minority representation in a GRC. He joins Minister Ng Eng Hen who tried to insinuate in parliament that Faisal Manap only brought up minority issues.
When the highest ranked public servant in our legislature (and potentially Singapore’s first women Muslim president come September 2017) is allowed to wear a head scarf while attending to her duties both inside and outside of the House, I do not see why other Muslim officers are unable to do so.
And by the way, I have known and worked with Mr Faisal for years. He is far from being a divisive character, he is humble, slow to speak, and always listening to what others have to say, even when he is personally criticised. He makes it a point to attend funeral wakes / ceremonies of his residents, regardless of their ethnicities. He attend dinners organised by temple associations, house temples etc. He speaks with his community with patience and honesty and he engages other communities with tact and grace. So please refrain from throwing unwarranted accusations and red herrings in the House.
And what’s Parliament for if you cannot raise issues that matters.
And yes he raises issues pertaining to the Malay-Muslim community as the advancement of his community is close to his heart but more often than not, he raises national issues that will benefit all Singaporeans, regardless of their race or religion. I can attest to that as I helped draft his questions. He is a Singaporean and proud of it. Probably that explains why he was able to increase his vote share in his own ward of Kaki Bukit because more people want him to speak up for them in Parliament and not behind closed doors.
And “subtly” raising issues sensitive to Muslims is the responsible thing to do. Isn’t that what “engaging people quietly behind the scenes” is all about, being responsible and “subtle”.
Mr Faisal’s “subtlety” is discord and divisiveness while Mr Masagos’ “subtlety” is good, responsible and the way forward. Double standards.
It is the PAP which keeps politicizing the hijab issue and making it sensitive to talk about by misrepresenting the issue as an attempt by Malay-Muslims to be different and to be treated extra special.
The PAP treats every issue concerning rights of the Malay-Muslim community in this way.
Whether it is the issue of madrasah, whether it is tudung issue in government schools, whether it is the aurat issue for Muslim women in certain professions.
Masagos Zulkifli has employed the use of highly emotive language – ” sowing discord and divisiveness ” – and this is the type of language which is actually sowing discord and divisiveness.
The PAP has done this before – using highly emotive language – to shut down the Malay-Muslim community’s efforts to protect, preserve and regain its constitutionally guaranteed rights.
By doing so – by portraying the Malay-Muslim community as always being problematic – the PAP is actually endangering our racial and religious harmony
Allowing Muslim women in certain professions to cover their aurat is a non-issue. Really.
So the question is why is the PAP adamant in not allowing it ? And an even bigger question is why the PAP would attempt to justify an unfair policy at the expense of our national cohesion.
Bravo MP Faisal Manap for doing what the PAP Muslim MPs dare not, care not or cannot do. He is simply doing his job.
Shame on Masagos Zulkifli for attempting to silent MP Faisal Manap.
By doing so, Masagos Zulkifli is beng an enabler to the PAP’s unfair policy in this matter. It is this behaviour which is sowing real discord and divisiveness. Masagos Zulkifli – Stop politicizing this issue please.
A motion on the achievements of Singapore women took a drastic turn when Minister Masagos had an intense exchange with WP MP Faisal Manap in Parliament over the tudung issue yesterday.
The exchange took place in a middle of a debate on supporting the aspirations of women in Singapore, after Faisal Manap had raised the tudung issue in an earlier speech.
In a nut shell, Masagos was taking Faisal Manap to task for constantly raising “divisive” issues such as the tudung issue, role of Malays in the SAF, and Palestine etc. You get the drift. Difficult issues that tend to put the government in a spot. That might drive a wedge by making these issues into what Masagos called a “state vs religion” matter.
Why keep focusing on such issues, Masagos asked, instead of focusing on issues that matter most to the Malay-Muslim community – education, housing, jobs. Why not focus on issues that are more important and constructive?
Now, Faisal Manap is a politician at the end of the day. While I’m sure that issues such as tudung, role of Malays in the SAF and Palestine do matter to many Malay-Muslims, I am also sure that Faisal Manap specifically raised these issues precisely because these were tough issues that would put the government in a spot. And to gain some political mileage out of it too by playing to the gallery. i.e. Faisal Manap is just being a politician.
E.g. remember the photo of him praying before a GE rally in 2015, which appeared on social media?
Like what many other politicians do actually. Including PAP ones. Just that sometimes they are lousier at it – e.g remember. Koh Poh Koon helping an old auntie to carrying 32kg of old newspapers.
Yet, three points in defense of Faisal Manap:
1) Sole Malay Opposition MP
Now, the PAP is accusing Faisal Manap of raising “divisive” issues on a regular basis. The thing is, if not him, then who? There aren’t any other Malay-Muslim opposition MPs, so the onus is on him to raise certain issues that members of the Malay-Muslims want answers to.
Perhaps Faisal Manap wouldn’t need to raise such issues if Malay-Muslim PAP MPs have the guts to raise them in Parliament in the first place.
2) If not in Parliament, then where?
Masagos said that the government does not discuss such issues in public forums, such as Parliament, as they are sensitive and potentially divisive, and can be easily misunderstood because they are complex and difficult to resolve. Instead, Masagos said, the government addresses these issues behind closed doors with community leaders.
Not that we can’t discuss behind closed doors at times, but honestly, what’s so wrong about an elected representative raising issues that matter to his constituents in Parliament? And if we can’t have an open debate in Parliament, then where is a right platform for law makers to debate sensitive, but important stuff?
At least Parliament is a public forum where everything that’s said is recorded into the Hansard – so we know what exactly is said. As opposed to doing things behind closed doors all the time, where the public wouldn’t know what’s going on.
When can this society have an honest conversation about things, rather than sweep them under the rug?
3) Point about Zulfikar was a red herring
In his speech, Masagos raised the point about Zulfikar (remember the dude who was detained under the ISA last year for promoting violence and ISIS?) and Faisal Manap being at an event at the same time.
That was a classic red herring that is completely irrelevant to the topic at hand:
Somewhat insinuating something else also. Which is an ad hominem:
So Masagos Zulkifli came out with all guns blazing accusing WP’s Faisal Manap of playing to the gallery to score political points. What did Faisal Manap do to earn the ire of Masagos? Well, once again, Faisal brought up an issue dear to the Muslim community which is the hijab issue. This, according to Masagos, was tantamount to being divisive. From Masagos’ point of view, the correct way to bring the issue forward was to discuss it behind closed doors.
Excuse me Mr Masagos, Faisal Manap, as an MP representing the minority Malay community in his ward, was just doing his job. If as an MP he cannot voice out such issues in Parliament, where else can he voice out? Does he have to resort to speaking to nobody at the Speaker’s Corner? Why the need for minority representation in a GRC if matters like this cannot be raised in Parliament?
You, as a Minister, was also being disrespectful by attacking him like this. Why didn’t you use the parliamentary platform to address the issues? Where is your patience, a virtue of Prophet Muhammad SAW which is encouraged in Islam?
How many times has the government engaged the Malay/Muslim community, as well as the wider community, on the topic of hijab and discrimination in NS? These are matters that not only affect our community but also the wider Singaporean community?
Why the need to discuss behind closed doors all the time? Has there been any improvements using this approach? Yes this is a sensitive and emotive issue but don’t forget that Malays are now more integrated than ever and are more educated. We can accept decisions based on sound reasoning and if they are not in conflict with our religious tenets. We understand that there are other issues that need to be considered. We are not myopic and narrow minded.
