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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.

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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
‘I’ll Be Muslim Too’: Fans Embrace Liverpool’s Mo Salah

Liverpool Football Club fans have embraced Mohamed Salah, an Egyptian player, with a new chant that celebrates the 25-year-old forward’s faith.

“Mo Sa-la-la-la-lah, Mo Sa-la-la-la-lah, if he’s good enough for you, he’s good enough for me, if he scores another few, then I’ll be Muslim too,” fans have been filmed chanting from the stadiums to the pubs as they watch Salah’s footwork at play.

The rhyme continues: “He’s sitting in the mosque, that’s where I want to be.”

Saleh, who also plays for Egypt’s national team, is quickly becoming a darling of the English football community.

In 2017, he was named the BBC’s African Footballer of the Year.

On Wednesday, he became the thirteenth player in Liverpool FC’s 125-year history to score his 30th goal in a season in a match against Porto, prompting some to compare Salah with Argentina’s footballing legend, Lionel Messi.

Luis Suarez, who plays for FC Barcelona, was the last player to achieve 30 goals in a season, in April 2014.

Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah is one of few footballers who has scored 30 goals in a season [Frank Augstein/AP]

The chant for Salah, nicknamed the Egyptian King, is being seen by some as a feat against endemic racism in English football.

In a report on February 7, Kick It Out – an organisation working to end discrimination in football – said the number of incidents of discrimination at the midway point of the 2017-2018 season had risen.

The organisation received more than 300 reports relating to 282 incidents of discriminatory abuse by the end of 2017, covering the professional game, grassroots football and social media. This marked an increase of 59 percent from the same period last season, when there were 177 incidents.

‘Mo Salah is going to stop Islamophobia’

Several people on social media welcomed the Liverpool FC fans’ chorus.

“Mo Salah doing more to end the clash of civilisations than anyone else in the world,” joked satirist Karl Sharro.

User @Femi_SB said: “Mo Salah is gonna stop Islamophobia.”

“I’m not a Liverpool fan but you must believe Football builds bridges with this Red chant for Mo Salah,” wrote Gbolahan Obisesan, a writer and director.

Sam Egerton, a rugby player for Old Elthamians, wrote on Twitter: “Loving this Mo Salah chant. [Love] for Muslims should be amplified.”

Several people joked, as the song does, that they were considering converting to Islam on account of Salah’s talent.

“Mo Salah is so good I’m considering turning Muslim #TheEgyptianKing” joked @bairdy_10.

“I think I’m about 10 Mo Salah goals away from becoming Muslim,” wrote @OSMLFC.

“Mo Salah has turned me in to a devout Muslim catch me outside the mosque if you’re looking for me,” said @bradleymaguire_.

Source: aljazeera

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February 18, 2018
Multiracialism: Chinese New Year, A Muslim Friday Prayers And An American’s Humble Thoughts

Malay Muslims at Friday prayer time just below apartments where joyous Chinese New Year celebrations are taking place throughout Singapore.

Once again, I have conflicting emotions of humility and immense gratitude for where I am so lucky to be living in the world right now, versus a deep feeling of disgust and heartbreak for the country from which I am from.

After all, America is supposed to be a country of immigrants; multiracial and multicultural where everyone is living in harmony.

America is supposed to support freedom of religion.

America is supposed to be the place where, with hard work, you can make your dreams come true.

America is supposed to be the place where mutual respect and compassion for one another is fundamental.

America is supposed to be where the government is supposed to be elected for the people by the people.

America is where anyone from anywhere is supposed to feel safe.

America is where I grew up being taught to love my brothers and sisters regardless of race, color or Creed.

America was where I was taught to say ‘please’ & ‘thank you’

America was a place where people held doors for one another, and young people were taught to respect their elders.

Sadly, it doesn’t appear to be any of these things anymore.

But yet, here I am in Singapore, exactly half a world away from America, experiencing all of these things on a daily basis. Everyday, Singapore is putting on a racial & religious integration masterclass for the whole world to see.

Singapore. A country only 446 square miles (1/4 the size of Rhode Island) with nearly 6 million people of all ethnicities and religions living and working peacefully side by side. And with zero gun and drug crime due to zero tolerance enforcement policies and mandatory death penalties for first offenders.

In Singapore, a place that I ended up living in nearly completely by accident, I am honestly living my dreams, both on and offstage.

I believe I may be the luckiest man on earth.

Thank you Singapore. ❤

Source: Jon Dante

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(PS abam Jon Dante, thank you for your kind words. Singapore is lucky to have you too (:)

February 18, 2018