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Indonesia: 1 Month Needed To Fight Fires

Indonesia will take 30 days to bring smouldering forest fires under control, the national disaster management agency said on Friday (Sept 18), as smog from the fires pushes pollution in Southeast Asia to record highs.

The region has suffered for years from annual bouts of smog caused by slash-and-burn practices in Indonesia’s islands of Sumatra and Kalimantan, but governments have failed to tackle the problem.

“We expect there will be a potential for haze because of the El Nino effect until the end of November, but we are targeting to put out the majority of the fires by mid-October,” agency spokesman Sutopo Nugroho told Reuters.

Indonesia has faced criticism from neighbours and green groups for not doing enough to prevent the fires, which cause millions of dollars worth of damage to health and the environment every year.

This week, Indonesia said it was investigating about 100 companies, including an unnamed Malaysian firm, in the latest crackdown to tackle smog worsened by a prolonged dry season. The rainy season usually begins in November.

Next week, authorities will name several companies likely to face sanctions for starting fires, including possible withdrawal of licenses, Indonesia’s environment and forestry minister, Siti Nurbaya Bakar, told a news conference on Friday.

Meanwhile, Malaysia on Friday announced plans to evacuate 173 of its citizens “badly affected by the haze surrounding Riau province”from provincial capital Pekanbaru, using two C-130 Hercules aircraft.

Plantation companies, some of which are listed in Singapore, and smallholder farmers often get blamed for using slash-and-burn practices to clear land for palm oil and agriculture.

Indonesian law allows smallholders to slash and burn up to 2ha of land, according to the disaster management agency, which has said the policy is being misused.

Asia Pulp and Paper (APP), one of the world’s biggest pulp and paper companies, says it is fighting fires on its large concession areas and that thousands of hectares of its plantations have been destroyed.

“We are just seeing the tip of the iceberg here. El Nino will last until March next year,” Aida Greenbury, managing director of sustainability at APP, told Reuters.

Indonesia has deployed nearly 3,000 troops and 24 aircraft to help fight the fires. Bakar said an offer of assistance from Singapore was turned down.

Source: www.straitstimes.com

September 19, 2015
Indranee Rajah: Building Economy While Maintaning Singaporean Core A Tricky Balancing Act

Building a strong economy with the help of foreign labour while keeping a Singaporean core is ‘a tricky balancing act’, said Senior Minister of State for Law and Education Indranee Rajah.

With low total fertility rates and an ageing population looming in the near future, the city-state may have fewer working individuals to drive the economy and support more seniors, Ms Indranee told some 300 students who attended the annual Polytechnic Forum held at Ngee Ann Polytechnic on Friday afternoon.

“If you don’t have enough of your own people, then you have to ask people from outside to come in,” she said. “And that is a very tricky balancing act to do, because you must not have so many people coming in from the outside that your own local, Singaporean core is eroded.”

She also acknowledged there are sectors that Singaporeans are not keen on working, such as construction. “So that is one area where we will still need to have people from abroad to help out with,” she said.

Ms Indranee said the Government had been tightening up on foreign labour in the last five years, but it had to be a gradual process. She cited the F&B sector, which faces a lack of waiters and waitresses.

“So for us in the Government, we’ve got to make sure we finely calibrate it,” she said. “But as far as possible, wherever Singaporeans can take up those positions, that’s what we want.”

The Polytechnic Forum, which started in 1996, is organised annually by the five polytechnics. It provides a platform for students to gain a deeper understanding of national issues through activities, discussions and dialogue with industry and government leaders.

During the two hour-long dialogue on Friday, students from all five polytechnics raised issues such as university education and National Service. A common concern was on permanent residency and citizenship.

Ms Indranee noted that foreigners do not automatically qualify to become Singapore permanent residents or citizens. “If we add to the Singaporean pool, (they) must be people who identify with us, share our values and can contribute to Singapore,” she said.

Urging Singaporeans not to be xenophobic, Ms Indranee added: “We should be willing to allow people to join the Singapore family.”

Source: www.straitstimes.com

September 19, 2015
Some SAF Medical Officers Are Too Much!

Anyone finds SAF medical officers are damn f*cked up?

They think everyone is here to keng and refuse to help you even thou you are a genuine case i met one of this damm mo

Like time moi got gout the MO die die don’t believe claim so young how can have gout. Then one time the gout strike on a weekend and by Monday morning still can’t walk and book-in. But the CSM die die want moi to come back camp to leeport sick said smlj if can’t walk how you go see doctor get MC. Then threaten if don’t book in will send RP.

So LLST drag moi self take cab back. But worst ish the cheesepie RSM don’t allow moi taxi to drive all the way into MC (it was at least a 1km walk from the gate) So have to drop off and basically crawl moi self to the MC under hot sun, still ganna jeer by RMS and his RP as acting.

Ashton
A.S.S. Contributor

Source: www.allsingaporestuff.com

September 18, 2015
Damanhuri Abas: We Must Focus On Issues Objectively

Salam Jumaat to All,

A week has past since Singaporean goes to the polls. I am sure the week has given us time to reflect on things. I have received many supportive words from people whom I juz knew over this election period and their encouragement helped me to look ahead amidst the gloom of the election outcome. From this people, everyone of us in SDP can draw much strength for us to continue the work we passionately believe in.

While we surely feel for most of the issues that were shared during the election period, let us not allow the differences to cloud our unity as Singaporean and our collective desire to contribute to make this place better.

I share this picture of a couple I met during our walkabout outside Yew Tee MRT. They were staunch PAP supporters and we had a good 5 minutes engagement and exchanges on the issues that we passionately hold to. We differ in our views but at the end of the exchange we both agree to maintain goodwill and work towards improving Singapore.

So in the spirit of Jumaat, I would like to remind myself and everyone to focus on the issues objectively and work towards remedying areas that need to, through active and courageous engagement while maintaining decorum towards others whom may disagree with us.

Within the malay/muslim community specifically, there are indeed systemic issues that must be addressed and corrected. I have spoken out clearly on that and I choose to differentiate that with the individuals that the system produce. We should not abuse the persons but should deal with the issues and look into how we can create more openness and space within the social structure of the community.

We have 5 years to contribute, and lets do what we can actively. Leave the outcome to time and the wisdom of the people.

Have a blessed Jumaat All.

Source: Damanhuri Abas

September 18, 2015
Malaysian Netizens Tell Bank Negara Scholarship Winner To Don Tudung

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 18 ― Hajar Nur Asyiqin Abdul Zubir, an 18-year-old who dreams of studying in Oxford University, is the winner of a prestigious Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) scholarship but to some on Facebook, the young Malay girl’s achievement has been shadowed by her failure to don the tudung (Muslim headscarf).

On the social media site, the chemistry student, upon winning the Kijang Emas Scholarship 2015 that allows her to pursue any field of study at top universities across the world, was told that her father would bear the sins of her not covering her “aurat”.

“Congratulations..but it’s a pity that the ‘aurat’ is not covered. Her father bears the sin,” a Facebook user called Rozaidi Jai commented on Friends of BN ― Barisan Nasional’s Facebook post Wednesday announcing Hajar Nur Asyiqin’s win.

Facebook user named Nazri Toushirou even called for conditions of the scholarship interview to mandate covering the “aurat”

“Don’t think it’s wrong, right?” he said.

Facebook user Mohd Sabri Hussien said: “Pretty looks, good at studies. It’ll be better if she wore a tudung”.

Another Facebook user, called Mohd Khairudzaman Bahaudin, said: “All right, congratulations, Allah hates His servants who do not cover their ‘aurat’, we succeed not because we’re clever”.

Other Facebook users, however, have since come to the 18-year-old’s defence, with one named Ag Sha saying: “It doesn’t necessarily mean that not wearing a tudung means you’re not religious..congratulations..prove to them that you’re not shallow in your religious knowledge”.

Islam as is practised in Malaysia is beginning to show signs of increasing conservatism, illustrated among others by the local boom in the tudung industry that was a rarity just several decades ago.

Friday sermons sanctioned by the government also repeatedly tell women to cover their aurat, with a Malay-Muslim gymnast recently getting backlash for wearing a leotard.

Local daily New Straits Times reported Monday that Hajar Nur Asyiqin ― who went to SMK Abdul Rahman Talib in Kuantan, Pahang, and is now doing her A-Levels at Tuanku Ja’afar College in Mantin, Negri Sembilan ― wants to study chemistry at Oxford University in the UK, one of the top universities in the world.

The paper reported that she scored 9A+s in SPM last year and that she had undergone group and individual assessments by Bank Negara before she was announced last April as one of four recipients of the Kijang Emas Scholarship.

According to Bank Negara governor Tan Sri Dr Zeti Akhtar Aziz’s speech at the Kijang Emas Scholarship award ceremony last April, the central bank had received 212 applications for the 2015 Kijang Emas Scholarship and shortlisted the top 24 based on their SPM results and involvement in sports and co-curricular activities.

“The students then underwent a rigorous evaluation process under the Bank’s ‘Kijang Academy’ which assessed their technical and leadership competencies, as well as their values,” Zeti said in the speech made available on Bank Negara’s website.

Source: www.themalaymailonline.com

September 18, 2015