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Tag: Damanhuri Abas

  • Damanhuri Abas: Reserved Elected Presidency In September A Foregone Conclusion

    Damanhuri Abas: Reserved Elected Presidency In September A Foregone Conclusion

    The death of Othman Wok being a trusted Malay of LKY’s era will invite some controversy. The State assisted funeral, the ongoing tributes on TV and the press are expected. The Govt must surely remember and celebrate the Malay man that became the face they wanted for the community.

    His passing is not planned but may be a timely coincident in light of the upcoming Malay reserved Presidential election scheduled in September. Rumours are going around that the choice is between Halimah or Zainul. Either one will soften the Malay ground which may not in truth be as eagerly embracing the idea of a Malay President, not under the circumstances it did. On paper Halimah may offer additional appeasement value being the first woman President, a Malay and a Tudung wearing one too. These are definite emotional winners on the heart strings of the Malays.

    Already the regional Malay crowd are warming up and not so quietly curious about this prospect and some even jumped the gun in excitedly running full page article about the potential new Woman Malay President of Singapore with a tactful jibe to the affirmative action footnote of we are right afterall, since Singapore also do it, rhetoric.

    The opening of the Yusuf Ishak Mosque in Woodlands also was a landmark event attended by top Govt officials including the PM for the first President namesake Mosque that clearly is another softening the Malay ground exercise. Other than the untoward controversy over the pulpit design, the event was definitely helpful towards winning mostly hearts and some minds.

    Soon Ramadan will come and than its Hari Raya Puasa followed by Hari Raya Haji. These back to back religious and festive moods are blessings for the Govt leading up to the September vote if there is a vote. Most Malays by then would have somewhat come around and accepted the Malay President with our trademark nonchalant just accept it lah tolerant mindset, and move on.

    Looks like come September, the Malay President is game set and match. You got to give it to them, another brilliant political masterstroke from the Govt.

     

    Source: Damanhuri Bin Abas

  • Damanhuri Abas: Malays Do Not Mind Waiting Another Six Years As Long As Government Acknowledges Ong Teng Cheong As First EP

    Damanhuri Abas: Malays Do Not Mind Waiting Another Six Years As Long As Government Acknowledges Ong Teng Cheong As First EP

    By the evidence that Dr Tan Cheng Bock presented this morning, the Government in its haste has clearly made a mistake in terms of the number of elected Presidents to date.

    Simply quietly moving the goalpost again by resorting to the AG’s interpretation is arbitrary as Dr Tan has provided all the statements over the years from the Government itself that acknowledges Mr Ong Teng Cheong as the first elected President. Clearly now, the Government must stay true to its own terms and wait for the Presidential election after this coming one for a clear 5 election cycle for a particular minority absence requirement to be met.

    It will be a desperate move for the Government to insist on a clearly wrong premise and hide behind the AG.

    We the Malays do not mind waiting another 6 years.

    No worries mate, we are patient people and used to waiting for many other things which are more priority such as discrimination in the SAF, Tudung and others!!!

     

    Source: Damanhuri Bin Abas

  • Damanhuri Abas: Singapore Government Should Take The Opportunity To Highlight To Israel That Some Of Its Policies Are In Contravention Of United Nations Resolutions And International Law

    Damanhuri Abas: Singapore Government Should Take The Opportunity To Highlight To Israel That Some Of Its Policies Are In Contravention Of United Nations Resolutions And International Law

    The Israel-Palestine issue is an emotional one, especially for Muslims, said Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, who reiterated on Monday (20 February) Singapore’s support for a two-state solution in the Middle East.

    Speaking on the occasion of Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu’s first official visit to the Republic, Lee said, “I explained (to Netanyahu) why while the Middle East is far away from Southeast Asia, it has an impact on us and it’s of considerable concern for us.

    “We ourselves have a significant Muslim population who are an important part of our harmonious multi-racial society,” Lee said at a press briefing held at the Istana.

    Lee added that the two-state solution, however hard to achieve, is the only way to bring peace and security to the Israeli and Palestinian people.

    During his visit to Israel last year, Lee expressed Singapore’s views on the issue to Netanyahu, he added. Last April, Lee made an official week-long trip to the Middle East, which also included visits to Jordan and the Palestinian Territories.

    “Today, the Prime Minister (Netanyahu) updated me on the developments and I explained Singapore’s position again, and expressed my hope for peace between Israel and Palestine, which will contribute to a stabler Middle East and indeed a stabler world,” Lee said.

    Reactions from Singaporean Muslim professionals

    Speaking in his personal capacity, Damanhuri Abas, a businessman and a member of the Singapore Democratic Party, said the Singapore government should take the opportunity to highlight to Israel that some of its policies are in contravention of United Nations resolutions and international law, such as the continuous construction of new settlements in the West Bank.

    “By doing so, Singapore would truly be a worthy friend who is ready to use its friendship and diplomatic channels to remind and correct (Israel) where it is needed,” Damanhuri said.

    Dr Mustafa Izzuddin, a fellow at ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, said that despite the close bilateral ties, Singapore’s position on the two-state solution is guided by UN resolutions and the views of the international community.

    He added that Singapore’s position is also informed by domestic considerations of its “sizeable, largely pro-Palestinian, Malay/Muslim community” and the concerns of Malaysia and Indonesia, which are Muslim-majority neighbouring countries.

    “As far as the peace process goes, there will neither be peace nor will there be any meaningful process should there continue to be a right-wing government running the country of Israel, and the continuing increase in settlement activity which has rendered the two-state solution more or less dead in the water,” he said.

    Israel is Singapore’s “old friend”

    Calling Israel “an old friend”, Lee said that the relationship between the two countries started with defence cooperation when Singapore unexpectedly became independent in 1965.

    Israel responded to the Republic’s request to help build the Singapore Armed Forces and since then, bilateral ties have expanded beyond defence and security, Lee said.

    Netanyahu, who is on a two-day visit, said that he is amazed by Singapore’s growth and that the Republic and Israel are global partners in many areas.

    “I believe that our cooperation will make us even more successful and I think that the opportunities (between the two countries) are vast.

    “The future belongs to those who innovate. Singapore and Israel are innovation nations and together we can bring more prosperity and more hope and a better life for our people,” said Netanyahu.

  • Damanhuri Abas: PAP Must Call For GRC By-Election If Halmah Yacob Runs For President, SDP Ready To Compete

    Damanhuri Abas: PAP Must Call For GRC By-Election If Halmah Yacob Runs For President, SDP Ready To Compete

    If Mdm Halimah runs for the Malay President, SDP will be ready to give the people of Marsiling and Yew Tee another chance to consider us to be in Parliament to voice the people’s concern now having seen the outcome of their vote 2 years on.

    The PAP must play it fair, the minority representation by an MP must be replaced in a GRC by-election.

    Lets do it people!!!

     

    Source: Damanhuri Abas

  • Damanhuri Abas: Minister’s Flawed Arguments Must Not Be Allowed To Perpetuate

    Damanhuri Abas: Minister’s Flawed Arguments Must Not Be Allowed To Perpetuate

    The flawed argument from a Minister must not go unchallenged. It is a betrayal of our collective intelligence for simplistic logic to be given public space with no rebuttal. At the very least, a fact-check is warranted. After all, he is in charge of Higher education, a place where you can get a D grade for unsubstantiated conclusion based on shallow arguments.

    The flawed logic begins with the notion that a dominant one party government for our collective greater good stems from the unique conditions of our country’s formative history and society, held as irrefutable evidence to justify it. What a sweeping lazy conclusion. It assumes a convenient self-benefiting starting point for our history and casts aside the rich part of history detailing the struggle of our people to rid us of the colonial master who was instrumental for imposing authoritarian rule upon us.

    Our forefathers fought the colonial masters to dismantle the dangerous dominance of power in one hand. History is littered with the inevitable abuse of power that dominant single party or authoritarian rule brings to the people. History also shows the inevitable demise of such arrogant dominant power with no exception. And today we instead hear such dismissive rhetoric advocating for perpetual existence of one with justification that are as porous as sand in the desert landscape.

    Power, more so absolute power, is potentially destructive whatever that power is. With skills of fine human mastery, power is harnessed for our collective human benefits. Man has shown his ability to tame the power of nature transforming it into beneficial service for humanity. A testimony of the achievements of man, a collective maestro stroke born out of the best of minds engaging and challenging one another through wit and ideas to seek the best solutions for humanity.

    Likewise, the power bestowed on man is ripe for abuse less that power is tampered with checks and balances to ensure power is beholden to people and not the other way around. Democracy is not ideal but it offered a way to check power by the people. It assumes the conditions are set to facilitate the rigor of the democratic process but it too is vulnerable to manipulations by powers that came to be from it.

    Instead of trying to justify the idea of one dominant rule by the Minister, he should be foremost in advocating the spirit of intellectual discourse and debates with persuasive factual researched ideas and wit, the very rudiments essential towards excellence in higher education. Has he somewhat forgotten his Ministerial portfolio.

    Herein lies the fallacy of this idea that in truth has been consistent of the PAP. It has been progressively practicing and institutionalising the instruments of control and dominance in society since our independence in 1965 against the fundamental articles of our constitution that were ironically written precisely to ensure this, that they have been doing, do not happen.

    Having been successful in ensuring compliance of its citizen through undermining the growth and development of our democratic society, they now are bold enough to go the next step by openly advocating the half-truth of their arguments that they will ensure little or any space for rebuttal in public, guaranteed by their current dominance of power on almost all public institutions from media, schools and education, public finances, controlling authorities, grassroots bodies, community organizations, etc.

    While other countries mature and grow wider spaces in society for advocacy and strengthening of public institutions and the civil society to function as neutral honest arbiter, we in Singapore instead continue to be doing the reverse. Why is open public debate on issues of public concern not a good thing? Imagine what quality of leaders we will have over time if each prospecting candidate is subjected to rigorous processes of debates exposing their quality of arguments or otherwise. But instead we the people are constantly deprived of real access to who our leader is in person and in terms of genuine believes and advocacy of ideas. Are they simply chosen to parrot the government line and are justified based on carefully crafted public information exercise by the compliant media ranked below Afghanistan, which has been a shameless instrument of power.

    Progress of Singapore as a society is determined by the choreographed image of artificial smiling postcard faces in the midst of facades of glittering lights and made-made structures and artifacts, all of which are designed to hide away the things that we are not to speak about nor bother asking. The modus operandi are to leave those things to the ‘wise elite’ that in truth are dependent on the façade to look good, as on their own, they are not prepared to withstand the rigor of public discourse and debate. The maxim accorded is to let matters be settled behind closed doors. Echoes of the colonial past made current by a ruling elite that seems ever more afraid of the natural process of losing power one day.

    The colonials in the past treated the locals with disdain and adopted a superior afront and framed what they want the locals to know and see in the lenses of half-truths, misleading information, manufactured fear and gross suppression of freedom on the grounds of the greater good, to ensure dominance of power. Are we seeing the re-emergence of a new form of colonial mindset with a currency that disguised the desperate attempt to ensure continued dominance of power in the hands of the new naturalized aristocrats that they justified themselves to be.

    This Minister must be checked for the sake of our future. His piece will probably be exposed for its sloppy plagiarism from dusty textbooks of authoritarian gone by on Turnitin.

     

    Source: Damanhuri Abas