Tag Archive: Alfian Saat

Alfian Sa’at: If Muslim Women Want To Wear Tudung, Respect Their Choices

Are we not sick already of the way certain issues are debated in Parliament? The raising of the perennial ‘tudung issue’ has become some kind of weird tussle for legitimacy–as representative of minority rights– between WP MP Faisal Manap and…
Read more

Alfian Sa’at: Why Criticise Use Of “Syonan”If We Can Accept Other Depictions Of Us?

Syonan–light of the south. South of what? Japan, of course, and then we arrive at the idea of Singapore being a beacon of Japanese power in the dark, unknown southern frontiers. The Nipponcentricism is without a doubt offensive to those…
Read more

Alfian Sa’at: Donald Trump Wants To Keep America Safe, But Who Would Protect The World From Them?

I remember making a joke when I was visiting New York last October: “It’s my last chance to visit the US before Trump becomes president and decides to ban Muslims.” That offhand joke is now a real nightmare, and laughter…
Read more

Alfian Sa’at: Elected President Must Be Effective Check Against Government, Not Be A Puppet

We’ve had four Presidential elections (of which two went uncontested). The issue of whether it was important for a minority Singaporean to become the Elected President did not once crop up. Not even when there were four Tans running for…
Read more