To ensure fair play, they changed the rules unfairly.
To ensure meritocracy, they allowed affirmative action.
To ensure multiracialism, they stopped other races from running.
To ensure independence from the PAP, they picked one from the PAP.
To ensure experience in handling millions of dollars, they chose one who’s never handled millions of dollars.
To ensure the democratic process, they made sure no one got to vote.
Source: F.C.
Some people still don’t get it as to why Singapore’s 2017 Presidential Election is a discrimination to the Malay community. Some questioned where got anymore pure breed Malays in Singapore?
Actually, to measure how Malay you are, it is tightly linked to how Islamic you are. If you notice, in our mainstream media, usually news bulletins or articles will feature Malays as “Malay/Muslim” or “Melayu/Islam” without fail. So, somehow, if you want to argue that there are Malays who have denounced Islam, yes, that can be true, but bottomline is, perhaps, majority of Malays are still Muslims, whether or not they are practicing Muslims.
However, there are some people who may want to argue that the race group you belong to depends on your father. If your father is a Malay, then the child will be Malay. And this has been the government’s stand for the longest time. That is the reason why previously, Malay children do not have to pay for their school fees (however, this privilege has been withdrawn). The new President, Halimah Yacob, was born to an Indian father, hence, why is the government still flipping prata?
Another issue is that the government has always been pressing on the meritocracy. Whoever has the ability will be accepted into any job, especially those high-ranking jobs. The meritocratic aspect does not give privilege to any individual from whatever race or religion. This was what the government has been proud of and that from here, we can see that those who have the ability will be successful in securing the high-ranking job without accounting the individual’s race or religion.
However, for the Singapore’s 2017 Presidential Election, the government has bypass the meritocratic principle because other races were not allowed to contest for Presidency. This caused the other races, especially the Chinese to be very angry because it is true that the Presidential Election is an unfair one. And this also shame the Malay community because it is obvious that the newly “elected” President got her high-ranking job not based on meritocracy.
And the Indians are also angry because the “elected” President is an Indian and dear Mdm President Halimah Yacob is seen as someone who disown her own race to become Malay and hence, be eligible for Presidency. If there is a Malay who declares him/herself as Chinese just to be eligible for a career in the political office, for sure, the Malay community will regard the individual as a traitor and a disgrace to the Malay community.
It is obvious that the new “elected” President has caused so much unhappiness and problems to Singapore even before her term started.
Rilek1Corner
1. First they came and tinker with the presidential system to further entrench their grip on power
2. To do so, they need a pawn to justify the tinkering
3. Enter the Malays
4. Offer highest position available in the country
5. Rationalize by stating that the Malays can never win in an open election
6. Raise the criteria so that only a selected few would be eligible. Limit suprises
7. Call for an election
8. Disqualify anyone not meeting the criteria
9. Achieve a walkover. It doesnt matter that the preferred candidate will forever carry the burden of not having the mandate of the people. Retain control at all cost
11. Declare endorsed candidate winner.
12. Mission accomplished
Well done!
Source: Khan Osman Sulaiman
*********** Not Par for the Course ****************
Over the weekend , the MSM was suggesting that perhaps there is no need for a contest in the upcoming Presidential Election and that the reserved Election promotes multi-culturalism .
What utter nonsense !
This reserved Election has already gone down as the most despised , ridiculed and discredited election in Singapore history . It has set back the Singapore identity and race relations by 50 years . It has laid to waste all the efforts at Nation building for the past half a century , all for the sake of political expediency by the establishment .
The Singapore identity meant amongst other things , that when it is a question of putting one person before another in positions of public responsibility , what counts is not membership of a particular class but the actual ability which the man possesses . That Singapore identity has been totally shredded by this reserved election .
The Establishment uses euphemisms such as promoting multi-culturalism to camouflage the racial ugliness of their stratagem . Multi-culturalism is always inclusive and never exclusive , which sadly is what the reserved election is all about .
Halimah Yacob says that the reserved election is still meritocratic because all the candidates have to meet the same qualification criteria . No Madam . A meritocratic system is one where other races are not excluded from being elected President . You are participating in a ” handicapped ” election where other races are excluded in favour of a particular race . It is comparable to the US Masters Golf tournament being reserved only for Black golfers in a particular year . Tiger Woods did not require such a handicap competition to win the Masters in 1997 or 13 other major championships , and countless other tournaments throughout the world . Neither did Barack Obama require a reserved Election to become the first Black American President in 2008 , an achievement which was thought well-nigh impossible just 2 years earlier .
For those who suggest there is no need for a contest , I have this to say . Whoever becomes the next President of Singapore has already become so diminished by this whole absurd saga . To even begin to salvage a modicum of respect for a hollowed out Office requires the person to win the command and respect of the Singapore people in a proper contest . If there is a walkover , there will be no mandate or respect from Singaporeans for this President , who will assume Office on 14 September as the lamest of ducks !
Source: Tean Lim
🇸🇬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