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  • Lee Hsien Loong: Give-And-Take Critical For Racial, Religious Harmony

    Lee Hsien Loong: Give-And-Take Critical For Racial, Religious Harmony

    The racial and religious harmony that Singapore enjoys is a result of give-and-take between the different communities in the country, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said.

    “This is something which we have to always continue to work upon, because it is not something which will ever become a solved problem,” Mr Lee said in an interview with Russian news agency TASS at the Istana on Saturday (May 14).

    “All the major religions of the world are in Singapore. There are three major races, but many other communities in Singapore. We speak very different languages. Tamil is Dravidian, Chinese is totally different from English and we have to get on together.”

    This give-and-take between the different communities is a matter of constant effort, social policy and integration, PM Lee said.

    In his comments responding to a question on how Singapore maintains a harmonious balance between different ethnic groups and religions, Mr Lee added that this policy of integration sees Singaporeans of different races and religions come together in schools, housing estates, workplaces and during National Service and learning to work and live together in a multi-racial context.

    “If you are in Singapore as a Christian, you do not treat this as a Christian country. If you are in Singapore as a Buddhist, this is not a Buddhist country, even though the Buddhist may be one of the biggest religious groups in Singapore. If you are a Muslim in Singapore, you can practice your faith, you can fast, you have mosques, but you understand that this is a multi-racial society and you are working and living within a multi-racial context.

    “It is this give and take, and trust that has been built up over a very long period of time, which we think makes for the nature of our society, which makes for what is gradually emerging as a Singapore identity.”

    RUSSIA CONTRIBUTES TO REGION’S STABILITY: PM LEE

    During the interview, which was held ahead of Mr Lee’s visit to Russia to attend the Russia-ASEAN summit, he also touched on the relationship between Russia and ASEAN, describing bilateral relations as “very good”.

    Singapore appreciates Russia’s participation in regional affairs and its contribution to ensuring stability and peace in South-east Asia, PM Lee added.

    “Russia is an important power and economy in the world. The economic ties between ASEAN countries and Russia have been growing, but (do) not really commensurate with the importance of Russia in the world.”

    This is gradually changing, Mr Lee noted. For example, Singapore is planning to negotiate a free-trade agreement with the Eurasian Economic Union.

    “In this way, by strengthening the ties between Russia and individual ASEAN countries, we can strengthen the ties between Russia and Southeast Asia, and ASEAN region as a whole,” he said.

    50 YEARS OF DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS

    Russia and Singapore will celebrate 50 years of diplomatic relations this year – a “major milestone”, Mr Lee said.

    “Fifty years ago, Singapore was newly independent, and the world was completely different, and Russia was still the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). Today, Singapore has celebrated its 50th anniversary of statehood and the world has completely changed,” he said.

    Plans to build a Russian Cultural Centre in Singapore are at an advanced stage, Mr Lee said, adding that a site at a “good location” has been found.

    In terms of economic ties, major Russian companies like Lukoil and Gazprom are in Singapore while Singapore companies like Olam are in Russia and Changi Airports International is co-managing several airports in Russia, he noted.

    The two countries also cooperate in the educational, scientific and cultural fields. Singapore’s universities have cooperation partnerships with Russian institutions, and Singapore is also a popular destination for Russian tourists, he said.

    Still, more can be done in terms of trade between the two countries, Mr Lee said. “Our trade is not in proportion to the potential. It has risen rapidly in the last 10 years – has about quadrupled – but still Russia is just our 21st largest trading partner. It should not be like that.

    “With my trip to Moscow, I hope to meet some Russian business people and executives and get them interested in Singapore a bit. We hope something will grow from there.”

  • Kidney Patient Robbed Of Last $50 In Sembawang

    Kidney Patient Robbed Of Last $50 In Sembawang

    All the kidney patient wanted was a drink from the vending machine.

    She ended up getting into a fight for her handbag that contained the last $50 she had for the week to feed her two sick sons.

    The robber was too strong and made off with her bag after a short but violent struggle.

    She was left with a sprained arm and an anxious wait of several days for her salary to come in so she could put food on the table for her family.

    Madam Jurina Johari, 42, has been a kidney patient for 25 years.

    The part-time assistant pharmacist was on her way home from work when she felt thirsty.

    She stopped to buy a drink at a vending machine at Block 512, Wellington Circle in Sembawang at around midnight on April 24. She was retrieving the can when she felt a violent tug.

    Speaking to The New Paper last Thursday from her one-room rental flat, the mother of two sons, aged 21 and 22, said: “I was flung around. I managed to only catch a glimpse of the robber.”

    She said she suspected the robber was a man in his 20s.

    Madam Jurina said: “I held on to it (bag) as tightly as I could because the money in my bag was all I had. I didn’t want to let it go.”

    A male passer-by, who was walking home with his mother, also gave chase, but he was too late as well.

    Madam Jurina made a police report the next day and wrote to TNP to highlight the incident.

    She said: “I was trembling. Everything happened in less than a minute.”

    Madam Jurina, who is in the process of finalising her divorce from her husband of nearly three years, also lives with her mother, 60, who is diabetic and has heart problems.

    Choking back tears, Madam Jurina said: “When I lost the money, I felt like I failed as a mother to put food on the table for my children.”

    STRUGGLE

    Madam Jurina has been struggling with chronic kidney disease since she was 17 – she had her right kidney removed eight years later.

    Her older son, Mr Muhammad Shafiee Junadi, who is waiting to enlist into national service, was diagnosed with mild chronic kidney disease when he was an infant.

    He has been a part-time mover after graduating from the Institute of Technical Education two years ago.

    Said Madam Jurina: “He gets sick easily, so I was worried that he took on such a labour-intensive job.

    “But he assured me the daily pay will allow him to support himself, so I’m just glad.”

    She added that Mr Shafiee would at times complain of aches and pain near his left kidney, but the family cannot afford to seek treatment at the hospital.

    “Medication for the four of us can amount to more than $1,000 a month.

    “So we visit the doctor only when one of us is really sick. Otherwise, we just try to bear the pain,” said Madam Jurina.

    “After I was robbed, Shafiee gave me $50 and told me to buy groceries. So I cooked one dish, reheated it for two to three days before cooking again.”

    She said the money lasted her till she received her salary on April 28.

    Madam Jurina’s younger son, Mr Muhammad Shahirul Junadi, was diagnosed with autism when he was one.

    He attends the Goodwill, Rehabilitation and Occupational Workshop at the Cerebral Palsy Alliance Singapore (CPAS) from 10am to 4pm on weekdays.

    The workshop provides vocational training and sheltered employment for adults aged 16 and above with cerebral palsy and other associated disability conditions.

    When Madam Jurina called out to Mr Shahirul, he responded with a bright smile before lunging into her arms.

    Planting a kiss on Mr Shahirul’s forehead, Madam Jurina said: “I couldn’t work full-time because there must always be someone to take care of him. So when my mother is sick, I have to take some time off work to help.”

    SOCIAL AID

    The family has also been receiving monthly food rations such as rice, biscuits and tinned food from the Lee Foundation through CPAS.

    A Ministry of Social and Family Development spokesman said Madam Jurina’s mother, Madam Saminam, was provided with ComCare’s cash assistance, as well as support for water and electrical bills, from November 2015 to January 2016.

    Representatives from the Sembawang grassroots group told TNP they are looking at how they can provide further assistance to Madam Jurina and her family.

    Still traumatised by the incident, Madam Jurina raised her concerns about the groups of men seen drinking and hanging out at her void deck every weekend.

    TNP spoke to 10 neighbours, who shared the same concern.

    One of them, Madam Sheela Singh, 65, who goes on regular walks around the neighbourhood with her wheelchair-bound husband, said she has seen the group of men get rowdy at times.

    “They will sit in groups of seven to eight people and drink. Especially on weekends, they can be quite noisy and usually leave the place in a mess,” said the retiree.

    Another neighbour, Mr Norjohan Buniran, 43, a security guard, added that the problem has not improved since he moved in six years ago.

    He said: “I have daughters, so I’m very worried about their safety. That’s why I don’t allow my children to play at the void deck.”

    Madam Jurina said she is now more careful when she walks home at night after work.

    “Even the idea of going to the shop at night scares me. I hope this incident will be a lesson to not only myself, but other residents as well to be more vigilant,” she added.

    A police spokesman said investigations are ongoing.

    “Medication for the four of us can amount to more than $1,000 a month. So we only visit the doctor when one of us is really sick. Otherwise, we just try to bear the pain.”

    “When I lost the money, I felt like I failed as a mother to put food on the table for my children.”

    – Madam Jurina Johari

    Dos and don’ts

    The Singapore Police Force website listed some measures residents can take to avoid falling victim to snatch thieves.

    DOS:

    • Be alert and attentive to your surroundings.
    • If you suspect you are being followed, remain calm and go to a more crowded area or call the police.
    • Clutch your handbag tightly under your arm. Have the strap slung across your body, especially when moving around in crowded places such as shopping centres and wet markets.
    • When walking along the streets, carry your handbag on the side that is away from moving traffic.
    • When returning home alone or late at night, arrange for someone to escort you.
    • Carry a shrill alarm to scare off culprits or to attract the attention of others.

    DON’TS:

    • Take shortcuts through dark alleys or secluded areas.
    • Wear excessive jewellery or carry large sums of cash.

     

    Source: www.tnp.sg

  • Zulfikar Shariff: Racism Against Malay Community Finally Getting Attention

    Zulfikar Shariff: Racism Against Malay Community Finally Getting Attention

    For the last 17 years…. PAP Malay MPs have blamed me for discussing how Malays are discriminated in Singapura.

    I have been threatened, abused, attacked…

    They said I should not raise these issues.

    That we should compromise.

    Give and take.

    That I should encourage the community to support them so their party would see them as being relevant and they can do more.

    That discrimination is isolated.

    And now….we are starting to hear regular cases of discrimination.

    These cases are becoming common not because society is becoming more racist.

    But because the Malays used to accept being discriminated and kept quiet.

    We did not have any avenue to raise it.

    The media would not publish anything beyond government narrative.

    The Malay MPs would reject, ignore and give platitudes when told of racism.

    Malay organisations are powerless and (still) do not want to affect their standing.

    But now with social media…we are beginning to see how Malays are actually treated.

    And it is when we start to speak up, when we reject these discriminatory practices…

    When we resist…

    That we will finally be able to change the situation Insha Allah.

    Racism has been ingrained in Singapuran society and institutions for years…

    It finally is getting the attention it deserves.

     

    Source: Zulfikar Shariff

  • Chinese Man Donates To Mosque During Heavy Downpour Before Start Of Friday Prayers

    Chinese Man Donates To Mosque During Heavy Downpour Before Start Of Friday Prayers

    “Allah does not look at your appearance or your possessions; but He looks at your heart and your deeds.” (Abu Huraira: Muslim)

    A chinese man in pink shirt with an umbrella walked in at 12.30 pm and donated some cash into the donation box. He then walked away during the heavy downpour. Most likely a non-muslim bec he did not stay for Friday prayer. Thank you for your kind gesture whoever you are.

    ‪#‎notquickenoughtogetaphoto‬

     

    Source: Zainal Bin Sapari

     

  • Woman Gets Three Weeks Jail And Five-Year Driving Ban For Fatal Accident Along KJE

    Woman Gets Three Weeks Jail And Five-Year Driving Ban For Fatal Accident Along KJE

    A civil servant who caused the death of a motorcyclist in a chain collision along an expressway was sentenced to three weeks’ jail and banned from driving for five years on Wednesday (April 27).

    Nur Azkiya Ahmad, 34, is appealing against sentence and is out on $15,000 bail.

    She had pleaded guilty to causing the death of Mr Jeremy Lim Yew Leong, 34, by failing to keep a proper lookout for vehicles that had come to a stop due to traffic congestion along Kranji Expressway (KJE) on the morning of March 31 last year.

    Court documents say that she swerved her car to the left to avoid a near collision with the front vehicle, which in turn caused her car to swipe Mr Lim’s and another motorcycle.

    Mr Lim rammed into a car. He was flung to the extreme left lane into the path of a moving prime mover which ran over him.

    A district court heard that there was a heavy traffic flow along KPE that day.

    Azkiya was driving her Kia car at 80kmh along the extreme right lane. She failed to notice that a red car in front of her and other cars ahead had come to a stop due to traffic congestion.

    She then realised this suddenly and applied her brakes. She also swerved her car to the left to avoid hitting the red car and her car hit Mr Lim’s motorcycle.

    Mr Lim’s motorcycle was pushed to the centre lane and hit a car. He was flung off his machine and slid under a prime mover which ran over him on the extreme left lane. He died in hospital about 1½ hours later.

    The prosecution had sought a jail term of three to four weeks plus a five-year driving ban.

    But Azkiya’s lawyer Abdul Jalil urged the court to impose a fine. He argued that the accident was cause partly by other motorists, too, including Mr Lim.

    Deputy Public Prosecutor Stephanie Koh said Azkiya had “demonstrated a high degree of negligence”. She failed to notice stationary vehicles in front of her on an expressway, and thereafter, she reacted without regard for other road users by swerving suddenly .

    She said Azkiya was the substantial cause of the accident, and it was unclear how the other vehicles contributed to the outcome .

    Agreeing that Azkiya had displayed a high degree of negligence, District Judge Salina Ishak said a prudent and reasonable driver is expected to take reasonable precautions to be able to react to sudden stoppages on the expressway by maintaining a safe distance with the vehicles ahead.

    She said in this case, Azkiya had clearly failed to keep a proper lookout for vehicles in front of her.

    She said Azkiya collided into not one but two motorcycles. The second charge of causing hurt to the other rider by doing an act so negligent as to endanger life was considered in sentencing.

    Azkiya could have been jailed for up to two years and fined for causing death by negligence.

     

    Source: The Straits Times