Tag: malay

Singapore’s Next President: A Look At Potential Candidates

Amendments to the Constitution were passed on Nov 9, with Members of Parliament voting in favour of the Government’s proposed changes to the Elected Presidency 77 to six.

Apart from tightening the eligibility criteria and strengthening the powers of the Council of Presidential Advisers, the Amendment Bill also put in place a “hiatus-triggered model” to ensure multi-racial representation in the Presidential office.

Under the new rules, the next Presidential Election – due Aug 26 next year – will be reserved for Malay candidates. This means Singaporeans will have their first Malay President since Mr Yusof Ishak died in office nearly 50 years ago.

After the amendments were passed, names of several potential frontrunners have surfaced. These are prominent figures in the Malay community, and are from both the public and private sectors.

Leading the list is current Speaker of Parliament Halimah Yaacob, a former unionist and an MP for Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC.

Former Minister and Speaker of Parliament Abdullah Tarmugi has also been tipped to be a potential candidate. Mr Abdullah – who was part of the nine-man Constitutional Commission that reviewed the elected presidency – reportedly said he has not given the idea of running much thought, and that friends have encouraged him to do so.

Current Ministers Yaacob Ibrahim and Masagos Zulkifli, and former MP Zainul Abidin Rasheed have also been identified as possible candidates.

Potential candidates from the private sector include Bank of Singapore CEO Bahren Shaari and Public Service Commission member Po’ad Mattar. So far, none of them have indicated any interest in contesting.

CANDIDATES FACE “UNIQUE CHALLENGE”

Political observers told Channel NewsAsia that candidates in this first ever reserved election face a very unique challenge.

“This person has to tread a very fine line between being the best of breed that that ethnic community can offer and yet also be that quintessential Singaporean that all voters feel they have an affinity for,” said Dr Gillian Koh, Deputy Director (Research), Institute of Policy Studies.

This means candidates cannot limit themselves to speaking about issues concerning their own community, and must represent the values and ideals of a multicultural Singapore.

“We look at the example of Mr Yusof Ishak, when he was President. He was the managing editor of Utusan Melayu, a very Malay-rights newspaper. But when he became Yang-di-Pertuan Negara in 1959 and later as President in 1965, he represented Singapore. He spoke about multi-culturalism, equality of rights,” said Dr Norshahril Saat, Fellow, ISEAS Yusof Ishak Institute.

Singapore Management University Associate Professor Eugene Tan noted: “Candidates can set the tone as well by putting forth their vision or how they are going to promote and practise multiracialism through the office of the elected president.”

Political observers also stressed that candidates must be aware of what their role as President constitutes, reinforcing what Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong had said in Parliament.

Mr Lee recounted that in the 2011 Presidential Election, a candidate championed a S$60 billion economic plan to create jobs and enterprise, while another proposed better recognition for national servicemen, and more help for the poor and unemployed.

These issues, according to Mr Lee, are the Government’s responsibility.

“The purpose of having a President is not as a check and balance to Parliament. So I think one issue that the candidates should avoid is to act as if they can check the Government. They can’t because they’re largely symbolic even though they have custodial powers,” said Dr Norshahril.

Instead, candidates should put forth issues of national unity, said Dr Koh.

“There’s always a lot of goodwill that’s conferred onto the person who occupies the office of President. So I think the candidates can talk a little bit about their lifetime interests, or things that they can use the office to develop so that it contributes to community building for Singaporeans at large,” she added.

Observers said candidates should also highlight their track record, to show voters why he or she is the most qualified for the office.

While the role is largely ceremonial, the President still holds other important responsibilities, such as acting as the custodian of the nation’s reserves, and representing Singapore internationally.

“ENSURE THAT EVERY VOTE COUNTS”

Critics have warned that a reserved election could lead voters to think that there is no need to be engaged and vote for the best minority candidate. This is why, according to observers like Associate Professor Tan and Dr Norshahril, there is a need for candidates to engage all Singaporeans in their campaign.

“It is important for them to have their say. Not just having their say, but also having an informed say. So it’s not only being engaged so that they can determine who is better suited for the job, who would engender greater confidence and trust amongst the voters,” said Associate Professor Tan.

Dr Norshahril noted: “You must ensure that every vote counts. You must ensure that citizens feel that their vote counts. Candidates must come out very strongly and tell voters that they’re voting for the future of Singapore.”

Source: www.channelnewsasia.com

November 23, 2016
Carouseller: You Should Sell Me Your Coldplay Tickets Because I’m Malay And My Best Friend Getting Married

Hello, if you’re looking to sell your Coldplay tickets then i wanna buy them. I wanted to buy two tickets but ya’ll knnccb buy then wanna resell to earn more money but as Chris Martin said in the scientist, ‘nobody said it was easy’. I played that song while at work when it was announced that tickets were sold out. I was a bit late to purchase it because i malay ah, everything late one.

I’ll fix you by buying it from you. I’m a huge fan dude, so please sell it to me at a reasonable price. You gain, i gain.

No good deed will be unnoticed by God. If you sell it to me, I’ll pray for your well-being everyday with good health & good wealth. May Zeus return you the favor of heaven and may he protect you from hades. May the gods of gods grant you your wishes after you sell the tickets to me. I’ll pray for you to keep you away from satans like John did. John 17:15 “I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one.”

I got no girlfriend ah, I’m going with a buddy of mine who loves coldplay too. He’s getting married next year so this might be our last time to enjoy the music we love together. You know ah after married, we men cannot go concert all, especially if we malay. Confirm wife say ‘eh bodoh, go ceramah better than concert. Later in hell, the screams of sins are the music you listen to’.

Yo, I’m writing a freaking paragraph to plead you to sell it to me at a good price, if this isn’t good enough of a plead then at least I tried, ‘No one ever said it would be this hard’. I just need two tickets bro. Cat 3/6 preferred, oh yeah & receipt please for authentication.

(If your gf/bf suddenly paitau you a day before the concert, no worries I’ll buy from you too. Just know that if he/she paitau you on coldplay, he/she ain’t worth it bro).

Source: Wandy19

November 23, 2016
Malay Community More Annoyed Than Angry About Elected Presidency

Since Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced last week that next year’s presidential election will be reserved for Malay candidates, there have been much annoyance in the Malay community.

We really don’t need this do we. I mean look at Tharman. Look at Murali. We are definitely more than capable to vote beyond racial lines.

Come on man . . .

The Straits Times added to this annoyance further when they published an article which featured all the potential candidates from the Public Sector.

Guess what – they are all former or current ministers from the ruling party.

It was like rubbing salt to our wounds ~~which we suffered from all the years of racial discrimination.~~

Singapore has not had a Malay president since its first president Yusof Ishak, who died in office in 1970 and PM Lee made a judgement call to change the Constitution to ensure minorities are represented in the elected presidency from time to time, as the office is a symbol of the nation’s multiracialism.

It was never about that Tan Cheng Bock as some people made you to believe.

Heck he would not have been eligible even if it wasn’t a reserved election for the Malays because unlike in 2011 he is NO LONGER the the most senior executive of a company with at least $500 million in shareholders’ equity (a requirement for a Presidential Candidate).

Today, Straits Times continued their reporting of the Elected Presidency by publishing two articles (one pro and the other con) to show two sides of the argument – both articles were written by Malay Singaporeans

A common theme which runs through both articles was the issue of tokenism.

Here are excerpts from both articles which summaries their argument.

“It seems to suggest that we are still unable to compete on the same level with the rest of the population and that we remain a troubled community that requires – selectively – a big handicap. It makes me wonder what happened to our belief in boosting self-reliance and self-respect through doing away with affirmative action and race-based state aid in education and career progression”

“Even without changes to the elected presidency, it will not take quite so long. After all, minority MPs have regularly won elections in single-seat constituencies while others have led teams in group representation constituencies – a scheme originally created to assist minority candidates to be elected into Parliament – instead of being pedestrian members of the GRCs.”

“Whatever the shortcomings, the amendments passed ensure that the sanctity and prestige of the elected presidency are not compromised, through the provision of several safeguards.

The first is a higher bar for candidates such that only capable individuals need apply. There are no exceptions and minorities have to meet the same strict qualifying criteria.

The second safeguard is that since the next election is reserved for Malays, Malay candidates who want to win must drum up support among all Singaporeans, regardless of their race or religion. He or she cannot campaign solely on a platform of Malay interests but must instead seek to represent Singapore’s multicultural and secular values.”

The Singapore system has never been a perfect meritocracy. Instead, it has always been an “abridged” one. Nonetheless, it is this abridged meritocracy that has ensured minority representation in our parliamentary democracy, which also stabilises race relations in the country. Thus, applying it to the elected presidency scheme is not unprecedented and has its merits.”

– Elected Presidency changes: Big step backwards for Malay community

– Elected Presidency changes: Necessary tokenism to boost long-term multiracialism

As the first article gets shared around more widely on social media (because it fits the online narrative), the Malay community is seriously more annoyed rather then angry.

I really hope that you can give them perspective by also sharing the second article above because it offers a glimpse of the reality on the upcoming election.

Only time can tell if the upcoming Malay candidate can represent the voices of the majority of Singaporeans just like Encik Yusof Ishak did AND more importantly, if there will be another Malay candidate coming through for future Presidential Elections, before it becomes necessary to be “hiatus-triggered” once again.

Source: https://thoughtsofrealsingaporeans.wordpress.com

November 16, 2016
Norshahril Saat: Changes To Elected Presidency Necessary Tokenism To Boost Long Term Multiracialism
Of the changes to the elected presidency passed by Parliament last week, the one to reserve an election for a particular racial group is the most contentious.

With that change to the Constitution, a presidential election will be reserved for a particular racial group if no one from that group has been president for five terms in a row. That means in the course of six presidential terms, there should be at least one Chinese, one Malay, plus one president from the Indian and other minority communities.

Candidates in the reserved elections will meet the same criteria as those running in open elections.

Other changes include stricter qualifying criteria for presidential candidates and more powers for an expanded Council of Presidential Advisers.

The changes have several implications. First, Singapore will, after a 46-year wait, see a Malay president in the next election provided there are qualified candidates. The Republic’s first president Yusof Ishak was Malay and held the post from 1965, when Singapore became independent, to 1970, when he died in office. Before that, he was Yang di-Pertuan Negara (Head of State) from 1959, the year Singapore achieved self-rule from the British.

With the Prime Minister’s announcement that the next presidential election, due next year, will be reserved for Malays, President Tony Tan Keng Yam will not be able to run for a second term. He has since confirmed that he will not be standing again. There will also be no repeat of the fierce contest between four candidates – all of them Chinese men – seen in 2011. That turned out to be a close fight between Dr Tony Tan and Dr Tan Cheng Bock, who obtained 35.2 per cent and 34.85 per cent of votes respectively. The changes to the Constitution passed last week effectively deny Dr Tan Cheng Bock the chance to take part in the next election and that has raised questions about the timing of the amendment.

Under changes to the elected presidency passed by Parliament last week, a presidential election will be reserved for a particular racial group if no one from that group has been president for five terms in a row. Candidates in reserved elections will meet the same criteria as those in open elections. ST PHOTO: STEPHANIE YEOW

Another big concern is what these changes will mean for Singapore’s founding principles of meritocracy and equality. These principles tell us that leaders should be assessed based on their capabilities, and not race, family or social status. Would not the changes passed last week be a blow to Singapore’s meritocracy and instead entrench race-based politics? That is the basis of some people’s opposition.

But even within the Malay/ Muslim community, there is a diversity of views. Some consider the Government’s plan as tokenism, akin to letting Malays win a runners-up medal since no one from the community is capable of competing in an open and fair election against other ethnic groups. On the other hand, there are Malays who embrace the amendments with open arms. They have long regarded the late Mr Yusof as a symbol of pride and cannot wait to see another president emerge from the community. Whatever the shortcomings, the amendments passed ensure that the sanctity and prestige of the elected presidency are not compromised, through the provision of several safeguards. The first is a higher bar for candidates such that only capable individuals need apply. There are no exceptions and minorities have to meet the same strict qualifying criteria.

The second safeguard is that since the next election is reserved for Malays, Malay candidates who want to win must drum up support among all Singaporeans, regardless of their race or religion. He or she cannot campaign solely on a platform of Malay interests but must instead seek to represent Singapore’s multicultural and secular values.

Mr Yusof exemplified these values. In the 1940s and 1950s, he was managing editor of Utusan Melayu – a popular Malay language newspaper which advocated for the upliftment of the Malays. Yet, he championed the interests of all races throughout his presidency, earning praise from all racial groups.

As a nation, we must hold fast to a vision of a Singapore that is race-blind. Recent polls, however, show that we have not quite achieved that yet. At the same time, there is a risk that if there is no president from a particular racial group for a long time, the issue could be politicised should some claim that discrimination is at play. Therefore, there is a need to intervene to ensure multiracial representation in the years before our ideal of a race-blind nation is realised.

Some countries introduce affirmative action to level the playing field for all races. While Singapore has made huge strides in fair treatment of minorities, we have to be upfront and admit that the system has never been a perfect meritocracy. Instead, it has always been an “abridged” one. Nonetheless, it is this abridged meritocracy that has ensured minority representation in our parliamentary democracy, which also stabilises race relations in the country. Thus, applying it to the elected presidency scheme is not unprecedented and has its merits.

Questions about how a race-based election will affect our meritocracy will persist. However, on a broader trajectory, reserving the next presidential election for Malays is in my view a necessary form of tokenism to develop trust among the races.

After a break of more than four decades, it is timely to elect a Malay president and give him or her a chance to represent all Singaporeans, just as Mr Yusof did during his tenure in the 1960s.

But even as we do so, we must not lose sight of our principles that guide us to elect our leaders based on their capabilities.
- The writer, Norshahril Saat, is a fellow at the Iseas – Yusof Ishak Institute. He is the author of Yusof Ishak: Singapore’s First President.
Source: www.straitstimes.com
November 16, 2016
Man Chased Own Family Out Of Car, Broke Traffic Rules And Behaved Aggressively Towards Wife During Family Dispute

At around 11.30pm on 12th November, hubby Azlan and I heard shoutings from our bedroom. This Malay driver in his 30s (car plate number: SGN4611D) parked his car along the Pioneer Road North junction, at the bus stop outside City Harvest Church (Blk 949) and was yelling at 2 ladies in hijab who were with 3 kids (2 of them were around 3 to 6 years and an infant) who were standing by the roadside. Judging by how they were just standing there unsure of what to do and that the car front passenger’s door was open, I had already suspected that they were passengers in the car and was chased out by the driver. The driver then went back into the car and honked non-stop to nothing. After awhile, without closing the front passenger’s door, he reversed at least twice (going against the flow of traffic) to follow the ladies and kids who were walking away. He then drove up the kerb and targeted towards them. One of the older kids was already right in front of the headlights. He then drove off towards PIE and we thought the whole incident was over.

My hubby didn’t stop looking out the window and was telling me that the ladies and kids were asking around for help. They approached two Indian teenagers (who also witnessed the incident) and requested their help to call a cab. The younger lady, who claimed the driver was her kids’ father (possibly her husband) wanted to bring them all to her parent’s home nearby. As the 2 Indian teenagers were assisting her, my husband spotted the car returned. We were still at home then. According to the 2 Indian teenagers, the driver scolded them and asked to mind their own business as it’s his family issues. Judging by his temper, the 2 Indian teenagers probably did not want to get into a fight with the husband and decided to go to the nearest coffeeshop to call an older Chinese guy for help.

Hubby and I decided to go down and see what was going on. When we were downstairs, we purposely walked past the family to keep an eye on them. I saw the wife pinned against the wall at a corner and crying while the husband was talking to her with his hands up against the wall and blocking her. We moved a little further from them as the husband was glancing at us and since I’m pregnant, we did not want to get into unnecessary trouble. By then all the witnesses had gathered with us and a few had called the police. By the time the police arrived, the whole family had left. We didn’t know if any domestic violence was involved while we were not around to watch.

Officers said that for now, there seems to be NO imminent danger and if they do receive a call from the family, they will continue the investigation. The driver was recklessly driving; reversing with the doors open, driving against traffic, driving on pedestrian walkway, making a U-turn at non-designated U-turn spots, beating the red light and has a temper. Let’s just hope no innocent lives will be hurt by this reckless driver. And to the ladies and kids if they had followed the driver back home, stay safe. If you’re in trouble, seek help. There are people willing to help you out of your predicament.

Source: Nurfa Noor

November 16, 2016