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[Jakarta] Blue Bird Taxi Driver Disciplined After Scolding Foreign Motorist Using Indonesian And Broken English

Blue Bird taxi company has disciplined one of its drivers after a video recording him scolding a foreigner went viral on Monday.

The driver’s anger was apparently triggered by an accident involving the taxi and the foreigner’s car, which caused damage to the taxi’s front fender.

The details of the accident remain unknown. The foreigner vehicle’s plate indicated that it was a diplomatic car.

In the video, the taxi driver cursed the foreigner using Indonesian and broken English.

“Do you think I am afraid with you? This is Indonesia you know, think, think, think,” the driver shouted.

The driver also asked the foreigner to do something about the damage to his car.

“You must compensate it, the bumper is broken, you must replace it, this one, Indonesia,” he said.

Meanwhile, the foreigner looked busy on his cell phone. “No England, no USA, you know. I am no crazy, you crazy. I am not afraid with the police,” he added.

Blue Bird spokesperson Teguh Wijayanto said the incident occurred on Saturday in the Senayan area, South Jakarta.

“We have tried to resolve the problem,”Teguh said Monday, as quoted by kompas.com.

The taxi driver, Teguh added, had been disciplined but he declined to give further details about the matter.

“If we look at the damage, it might have been caused by grazing because the [foreigner’s] car is higher. The damage is on the right side. Compensation will be handled internally. We regret this incident but it can be resolved with care,” Teguh said.

Source: http://www.asiaone.com

August 30, 2017
Commentary: Reserved PE For Malays Akin To China’s The Voice For Chinese; Both Exclude Certain Communities From Contesting

For those who dont understand why it’s a bad call to reserve the presidential race for Malays, let me bring you back to a similar incident.

Remember when ‘The Voice’ came to Singapore but was looking only for Chinese singers to participate in its competition? Many were livid. For what? For the same reason why people are sickened when the presidential election exclude certain community from contesting.

That’s what this presidential system has created. Unhappiness among the people.

If for such an inconsequential singing competition can make us feel upset because we are excluded from participating it, the presidential election is on a national scale and such policies from the government creates ill-will between the community.

Race based policies create division instead of strengthening our social fabric.

Let me take you further to an environment where you can resonate better.

Supposed the principal of the school where you send your children to study, decides to bar your child from participating in the school 100m race as he wanted a particular person to win it. What would you have done?

Your answer to the above will guide you to what you would do today and understand why such policies are destructive and we have to move away from it.

Source: Khan Osman Sulaiman

August 30, 2017
Commentary: Don’t Spoil Your Vote, It Only Strengthen PAP’s Halimah

Don’t make PAP Halimah look Extremely Good by voiding your votes! Just vote ANYONE BUT PAP HALIMAH!

Some people have been going around to urge people, especially Opposition supporters to void their votes. I hate to say this but this is an Extremely Stupid idea to start with!

First of all, do you know what will happen if these people managed to convince 10% of opposition voters to void their votes? It would mean that right after polling result comes out, the MSM media will have headlines screaming “Halimah has won a Glorious Victory with over 80% of valid votes cast!”

It would be even worse if both of the other contestants lost their deposits!

Do you want to make PAP look good with such a “Reserved Presidential Elections”?

Tony Tan is a Face-Losing President without much legitimacy or mandate basically because he got less than 50% of valid votes cast! The aim for this coming PE, IF THERE IS ANY CONTEST at all, is either to make Halimah lose or shame her and PAP by depriving her the basic mandate of 50%! This will be a tight slap on Halimah and PAP’s public discourse of having a President who represents and unite Singaporeans.

This should be the ONLY Objective of this coming PE, to shame PAP for its political maneuvering and deprive Halimah the legitimacy and mandate of Singaporeans.

If we continue to have Elected Presidents who cannot even garner a simple majority of support from Singaporeans, then this Elected Presidency is basically flawed and we should then demand the amendment of the Constitution to have second round of voting between the two highest polling candidates if the first round of voting doesn’t produce a winner who could garner more than 50% of valid votes cast!

Do not hand over the total monopoly of power to PAP so easily without a fight. The role of opposition politicians is to win votes, not to ask voters to void their votes and in the end making PAP looks extremely good with glorious results!

If PAP didn’t even care about Barisan Socialists boycotting the GE back in 1960s, do you think PAP even care about people voiding votes?

Please do not repeat the stupid mistake which Barisan Socialists made when they boycotted the GE and handed over total monopoly of power to PAP so easily on a silver platter!

Source: Goh Meng Seng

August 30, 2017
Commentary: Singapore Malay President Dilemma; Everybody Want To Count Themselves Malay For PE

🇸🇬SINGAPORE MALAY PRESIDENT DILEMMA

In Malaysia it was very clear that most Indian Muslims and all others Muslims minority wanted to blend with the Malay masses and to be recognized as Malay so as to benefit the bumiputra status.

It was encouraged by the Malaysian government as it has benefited both parties but it cannot be the same with Singapore after the separation with Malaysia.

Singapore government has always wanted to segregate other Muslims minorities and ethnicities from being grouped and counted as Malays.

Since Malays in Singapore were weak economically, politically and position so it’s is not an issue for them and in fact they themselves wanted to be distinct and separated and they were always proud of their own heritage, language and culture.

Now that Elected President is reserved for Malays, they suddenly wanted to count themselves as Malays which made most Singaporean Malays felt amused and reserved.

I think that’s the perception that has to be corrected and Singapore government must have clear definitions what constitute to be a Malay in multi racial Singapore.

They just cannot become a Malay selectively.

🖊 Ismail L. A.

Source: Mohamed Ismail Ismail

August 30, 2017
Texas Muslims Are Turning Mosques Into Shelters To Help Harvey Victims

As devastating flooding from Harvey continues around the Houston area on Tuesday, the city’s Muslim community is stepping up: turning mosques into 24-hour shelters and bringing in diapers, water and food from their own homes.

M.J. Khan, president of the Islamic Society of Greater Houston — an organization that represents 21 Islamic centers in the area — said in a phone call on Tuesday that four of ISGH’s member mosques are now open as round-the-clock shelters.

“This is an obligation, a religious obligation to help others,” Khan said. “When you give, you don’t give only to your own family. … You give to anybody who needs help.”

Residents evacuating their homes near the Addicks Reservoir as floodwaters from Tropical Storm Harvey rose Tuesday, Aug. 29, in Houston.

Source: David J. Phillip/AP

Khan explained that with Harvey bearing down on Friday, the ISGH had the idea to offer mosques as shelters to anyone who needed refuge. The problem, he explained, was that many of the roads weren’t passable.

Luckily, Khan said, “we have a pretty good networking and communication system.” With just a few phone calls, volunteers showing up to local mosques with bottled water, sleeping bags and supplies.

As of Tuesday, Khan said, four mosques were operating as fully equipped shelters, staffed and stocked by local volunteers. In fact, there were so many volunteers from Houston’s Muslim community that Khan began sending them to help in city shelters and at Houston’s convention center.

Houstonians of all stripes have come to stay in the mosques, Khan said: “mostly families,” some with young children or elderly relatives. In one of the mosques, classrooms that are normally part of a school were turned into private rooms for families.

People walk to a Harris County Sheriff air boat while escaping a flooded neighborhood during the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey on Aug. 29 in Houston.

Source: Brendan Smialowski/Getty Images

In addition to the immediate relief that the shelters are providing, Khan said aid in the form of money and supplies has been coming in from Islamic organizations all over the U.S.

“We have truckloads of supplies coming,” Khan said. He added that the ISGH had put together a list of 50 doctors from the Muslim community who were willing to be on call and offered it to the city of Houston.

With even more Harvey-related flooding expected in the Houston area over the coming hours and days, Khan had a message for the rest of the country: “We appreciate your sentiment and goodwill, and especially your prayers.”

And for anyone in Houston who might be in need of help? “We have mosques all over the greater Houston area,” he said. “If you have no place to go, go to your neighborhood mosque.”

Source: https://mic.com

August 30, 2017