To ensure fair play, they changed the rules unfairly.
To ensure meritocracy, they allowed affirmative action.
To ensure multiracialism, they stopped other races from running.
To ensure independence from the PAP, they picked one from the PAP.
To ensure experience in handling millions of dollars, they chose one who’s never handled millions of dollars.
To ensure the democratic process, they made sure no one got to vote.
Source: F.C.
Tahniah Singapura!
Saya nak ucapkan tahniah kepada Puan Halimah Yaakob yang menjadikan Presiden baru Singapura. Bagi sebuah negara sekular seperti Singapura memilih wanita muslimah bertudung menjadi Presiden merupakan sesuatu yang menarik.
Walaupun ada pihak di Malaysia ini yang mempunyai sisi pandang yang kurang positif terhadap negara jiran kita itu, namun jangan kita lupa sudut positif yang banyak pada negara tersebut.
Antara yang boleh kita sebut; negara Singapura yang lebih kecil saiz daripada Perlis itu lebih maju dari kita dalam banyak segi. Di sudut urus tadbir yang baik dan bebas rasuah mereka lebih cemerlang di mata indeks dunia. Demikian di sudut keselamatan dan keamanan.
Perdana Menteri Singapura yang bukan Melayu itu jauh lebih fasih berbahasa Melayu dibandingkan ramai MP bukan Melayu kita. Walaupun ia negara sekular yang dipimpin oleh bukan muslim, mereka ada jawatan Mufti Negara dan pengurusan agama Islam secara rasmi. Pandangan agama mereka juga baik dan sederhana. Sesuai dengan sifat negara mereka.
Tokoh-tokoh muslim progresif seperti Hamza Yusuf, Tariq Ramadan dan seumpama mereka disambut di peringkat negara. Fatwa mereka juga agak terbuka. Namun memerlukan keterbukaan yang lebih lagi. Pandangan hukum dari aliran literalis salafis dan traditionalis mazhab yang gagal melihat teks dan konteks dielakkan di negara berkenaan. Saya percaya ada perkara yang Umat Islam Singapura hendaklah melihat konteks mereka yang tersendiri yang berbeza dengan jiran-jiran mereka. Politik yang bijak dalam realiti yang ada lebih baik dari memperjuangkan sesuatu yang di luar kecapaian kita.
Source: DrMAZA.com
I honestly happy for her win lah but if you ask if I feel proud then the answer is obviously no.
People of Singapore need to see what she can do for our nation, our pure citizens, and ALSO for the Malay/Muslim community. Can she bring about visible change in policies especially towards our Malay/Muslim community since she is ‘Malay’ and Muslim right?
So after she has become Singapore’s Malay female president
Let’s see if the Singapore Navy will enlist Malay/Muslim sailors on board the frigates, vessels and warships. Even having a couple of Malay/Muslim woman sailors will be a welcoming sight. Christian Malays are not Malay or Muslim.
Lets see if Singapore can have a Malay/Muslim Chief of Staff (we had an Indian before).
Lets see if Singapore finally can allow Muslims to don hijab as part of the uniform, any uniform. After getting a Muslim president, this issue should be given proper consideration and followed by appropriate actions.
Lets see if there will be improvements in bodies like Mendaki and MUIS that will benefit the Malay/Muslim community.
Lets see if she can do good as president of Singapore like her slogan says
Lets see…
If she can make us sincerely proud.
Reader’s Contribution
Jai
Madam Halimah Yacob is set to become Singapore’s first female President after she submits her nomination papers on Wednesday (Sep 13).
She is the only one of three prospective candidates to receive a certificate of eligibility for this year’s Presidential Election, which is reserved for the Malay community. Two other presidential hopefuls, Mr Mohamed Salleh Marican and Mr Farid Khan, had their applications to stand for the election turned down on Monday as both did not meet a requirement for private-sector candidates to helm companies with at least S$500 million in shareholders’ equity.
The 63-year-old will be Singapore’s first female President and the first Malay head of state in more than 47 years, breaking barriers yet again after being elected as the first female Speaker of Parliament in 2013.
The youngest of five children, Mdm Halimah was just eight years old when her father, a watchman, died. Her mother became the sole breadwinner, helping out at a food stall before dawn till late at night.
“From the age of 10, my hours outside of school were spent being my mother’s assistant: cleaning, washing, clearing tables and serving customers, and I am a better person for it,” Mdm Halimah wrote in her bio on her website. “I have experienced poverty firsthand and know how debilitating it can be as you struggle to survive, to put food on the table and also grapple with the uncertainty of the future on a daily basis. It limits your choices but also tempers your determination to succeed.”
In Secondary 2, she was nearly kicked out of Singapore Chinese Girls’ School for missing too many classes.
“That was one of the worst moments of my life. But I told myself, ‘Stop wallowing in self-pity, pick yourself up and move on,’” Mdm Halimah told Channel NewsAsia in an interview last month.
She later went on to attend Tanjong Katong Girls’ School and graduated from the University of Singapore with a law degree, subsequently obtaining her Master of Laws at the National University of Singapore.
Her career began in 1978 with the National Trades Union Congress, where she served in various roles for the next three decades, eventually rising to become the labour movement’s deputy secretary-general.
She entered politics at the urging of then-Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong in 2001, and was elected Member of Parliament (MP) for the Jurong Group Representation Constituency (GRC). Ten years later, she was given the portfolio of Minister of State for the then-Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports.
Prior to announcing her intention to run as President last month, Mdm Halimah was serving as both Speaker of Parliament and MP for Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC – both roles she has since relinquished.
Over the years, she has advocated for women’s rights, spoke up on senior citizens and mental health issues, and served as patron to associations such as Club HEAL and PPIS (Singapore Muslim Women’s Association).
The decision to run for the highest office of the land did not come easy: The mother of five told Channel NewsAsia her children initially had reservations about being in the public eye.
However, they and her husband – her university sweetheart Mohamed Abdullah – gave their support after some discussion.
Since her bid for presidency was made known, Mdm Halimah has repeatedly denied allegations that she may lack independence due to her close ties to the People’s Action Party.
“It is a gross disservice … even (among) those who continue to hold party colours, if they put the interest of people behind party colours,” she said at a press conference last month, citing times when she disagreed with the Government both as a trade unionist and as an MP.
She also said on Monday that her commitment to serve Singaporeans was not affected by the fact that there is no election. “I promise to do the best that I can to serve the people of Singapore and that doesn’t change whether there is an election or no election … My passion and commitment to serve the people of Singapore remains the same.”
Mdm Halimah has said that as President, she hopes Singaporeans will work together with her to build a stronger Singapore. One of the President’s roles is to act as a unifying force, she said.
“The process may be a reserved election but the President is for everyone, for all communities – regardless of race and religion.”
Source: http://www.channelnewsasia.com
Some people still don’t get it as to why Singapore’s 2017 Presidential Election is a discrimination to the Malay community. Some questioned where got anymore pure breed Malays in Singapore?
Actually, to measure how Malay you are, it is tightly linked to how Islamic you are. If you notice, in our mainstream media, usually news bulletins or articles will feature Malays as “Malay/Muslim” or “Melayu/Islam” without fail. So, somehow, if you want to argue that there are Malays who have denounced Islam, yes, that can be true, but bottomline is, perhaps, majority of Malays are still Muslims, whether or not they are practicing Muslims.
However, there are some people who may want to argue that the race group you belong to depends on your father. If your father is a Malay, then the child will be Malay. And this has been the government’s stand for the longest time. That is the reason why previously, Malay children do not have to pay for their school fees (however, this privilege has been withdrawn). The new President, Halimah Yacob, was born to an Indian father, hence, why is the government still flipping prata?
Another issue is that the government has always been pressing on the meritocracy. Whoever has the ability will be accepted into any job, especially those high-ranking jobs. The meritocratic aspect does not give privilege to any individual from whatever race or religion. This was what the government has been proud of and that from here, we can see that those who have the ability will be successful in securing the high-ranking job without accounting the individual’s race or religion.
However, for the Singapore’s 2017 Presidential Election, the government has bypass the meritocratic principle because other races were not allowed to contest for Presidency. This caused the other races, especially the Chinese to be very angry because it is true that the Presidential Election is an unfair one. And this also shame the Malay community because it is obvious that the newly “elected” President got her high-ranking job not based on meritocracy.
And the Indians are also angry because the “elected” President is an Indian and dear Mdm President Halimah Yacob is seen as someone who disown her own race to become Malay and hence, be eligible for Presidency. If there is a Malay who declares him/herself as Chinese just to be eligible for a career in the political office, for sure, the Malay community will regard the individual as a traitor and a disgrace to the Malay community.
It is obvious that the new “elected” President has caused so much unhappiness and problems to Singapore even before her term started.
Rilek1Corner