2LT Khabir Ashraf Bin Mohamed Sultan was enlisted in 2012 to the Obese Basic Military Training (BMT). He excelled in BMT and was posted to Officer Cadet School (OCS). He is now a Platoon Commander (PC) at BMTC handling the obese batch, he feels privileged to be able to motivate recruits with his experience.
“Although the training was very tough, the encouragement that my commanders gave and the support from my fellow platoon mates gave me the energy to excel in my BMT. Today, I use my experiences to help me become a role model to my recruits and to motivate them to do better.”
And so, my clarifying post had ended up being shared on two pages:
Fabrications About the PAP (FAP), and Rilek1corner (R1C).
Whilst the FAP drew positive comments, reinforced with even further proof and testimonials from people that actually served in the force, R1C was laced with negative insinuations and remarks from people who, mostly never served the force, had no empirical data, actual stats and only hear say stories to back up their claims.
Despite all that, it is the voices of the believers that will continue to give us reason to continue breaking boundaries and striving hard to excel in whatever we are tasked to complete, no matter what appointment we sit in.
Come 1st July, we celebrate SAF Day. It is not just a day to remind our servicemen on the purpose of our existence. Neither is it only a day where we rekindle the passion and fire that made us take up this responsibility.
SAF Day is also a day where were reaffirm to the people that we are there, because they are there. We protect those we love, or family, our friends and also our community. It is important that our community believes in this organisation and they MUST know that everyone that serves, is given equal opportunities to excel, move up and become an icon for the rest of his community to emulate.
Heck I am a Diploma Holder, taking precious time every other night attending classes just to get a Degree. When I look left and right, everyone else holds that Qualification, and I used to believe and still believe, that if I want to be given the same opportunities, it is then my responsibility to make sure I am on par with the rest.
Opportunities don’t come, just because the organisation thinks there is a political impetus to. Opportunities come because, we in our own capacity and hard work, creates it. I may not be a high-flyer but I believe that I am still able to fly the flag high for the Malay/Muslim community. But we cannot do this if we continue disbelieving that change is already taking place.
If any parents or school children is reading this, please remember.
Tell your kids or yourselves, that if they/you have aspirations to join the service and be part of this organisation, step forward and do your very best. Believe that you will be someone and trust that you will be given what you deserve.
There is without doubt many Malay/Muslims holding even higher and more important appointments, much more important that mine. Those who know these people, you can bare testament, how good they really are. Shut out all those who don’t believe.. because if I had listened to all these people 14 years ago, I would have never reached this milestone in my life.
Believe in yourself, continue learning and upgrading and serve the country and community because, if you don’t, no one else will.
Happy SAF day my brothers/sisters in arms and to the generations that takes over, remember that we are the ones that craft our own futures.
Here at Rilek1Corner, we appreciate people sharing their life experiences. It is through these heart-to-heart topics that we learn something about the other person and what is important to him or her.
For this instance, we get to understand the challenges and issues faced by Malay and Muslim brothers who are serving the nation be it in the MINDEF or HOME TEAM.
While we agree to disagree, let’s not character assassinate someone. That’s the beauty of perspectives; it may not be the same but it shed light on the thinking processes of someone who may share something common with us, for example race or religion.
There still exist, in e larger community, the misconception that Malays do not hold Key Appointments in e Military. And Malays are passed over when it comes to Promotion and consideration for sensitive appointments.
In many cases, all these hearsay is from baseless tongue wagging unverified claims.
Today as I go to work, I know I’m sitting in a position that affects how our soldiers train, the facilities they will use in future, the way we carry out our business.. And yes I am Malay and I am doing what most people in my community think, is a job that Malays will never sit in.
At the same time, my fellow Malay friends and seniors are sitting in Key positions of Command as well in offices in e Ministry of Defence, doing again, what most people in my community think, Malays will never do.
The organization that I have gladly served for the past 14 years, has never been biased nor have never judged me based on my race. It’s who best fits the job.. And if there is someone who fits e job better than me, I will gladly let him have the job.
Henceforth, please eradicate all notions that Malays will never go far in e Military. Because I work with people everyday, who prove this theory wrong.
We succeed because of e values and ethics we hold..
And if we fail, it will be because we didn’t try hard enough.. And not because of e color of our skin.
We are glad to see more and more Muslims opening up and sharing their life experiences with fellow Singaporeans especially on issues that are generally swept under the carpet. Seems like people in the civil service don’t really brag about their work and what positions they hold. Maybe they are not allowed to do so or perhaps it is in the SOP.
Well, it takes few brave ones to clear misconception and make the general public more aware of the real situation.
Rilek1Corner would like to wish Ryhan Husainni all the best in his future endeavours.
It is high time that our Malay community ask what’s the contribution of the Malay PAP MPs so far.
We know they failed to speak up for the Malay Muslim community about the hijab issue. They placed the sole burden of responsibility on the shoulder of our Mufti. In fact, they went underground and agree with the gov’s position contrary to the very people that they are supposed to represent.
They have also fail to persuade the gov to stop the discriminatory practices against the malays in RSAF from the time the PAP swept into power. Many PAP Malay MPs have come and gone. 49 years long. It’s a slap on our faces to be supporting such incorrigible practices and then propose to be given fair chances.
When the opposition MPs, Faisal Manaf and Pritam Singh raised these issues in parliament recently, it was quickly shot down by the “eager-to-please-our-master” Zainal Sapari and Zainnudin Nordin as though discrimination was non-existent.
Its unbelievable that while our community has heard, seen, felt and gone through the dreaded discriminatory policies of the ruling government, our elected ‘salary-paid-by-tax-payer’ Malay PAP MPs continue to be oblivious to the situation.
Why were they elected in the first place if they are much divorced from the reality on the ground? It is time we scrutinized and take these under performing Malay PAP MPs to account. Until the thorn is removed from the flesh, we will continue to feel the pain mentally and emotionally. Our votes for them have been betrayed.
WP MP Faisal Manap raises some concerns of Muslims, as expressed in the Suara Musyawarah Report, in Parliament.
Instead of addressing the issue head-on, PAP Muslim MPs tries to corner Faisal into taking a stand on the issue (which he didn’t, and i think he should have). Later, the MPs were either silent on the issue or tried to skirt it, or even deny it.
Now i have a few questions for the Muslim MPs:
1) Is the Suara Musyawarah Report not commissioned by the government? If so, what is the follow-up?
2) What is the attitude of the Muslim MPs towards the report? Take what you like from it, and ignore what you don’t?
3) If the latter is the case, why have the report in the first place?
4) Even IF those things stated are not true, those are indeed the perceptions of many Muslims. Will you address those perceptions with facts and figures, and reasoned argumentation? Or will those just be dismissed or ignored?
I call upon them to take a stand on these issues/questions, in the name of constructive politics.
Walid Jumblatt Abdullah, a public-spirited individual, is an ongoing Political Science student of the National University of Singapore (NUS). He is a three-times award recipient of the Graduate Student Teaching (GSTA) Award Honour Roll in 2012. In the recent NUS Commencement Week, he was also selected as the Valedictorian of his cohort.
EDITOR’S NOTE
Seems like both parties cranked up their engines harder this time round with fancy new measures and proposals. The announcement on setting up of WP Malay/Muslim committee to oversee concerns faced by the community should have been done way much earlier. Nevertheless, it’s better late than never. We applaud WP to help the community alongside PAP. Having two different approaches and perspectives to issues will definitely result in expedited progress, only if sole focus is on the community, and not about the respective parties and what’s important to them.
We are glad that more and more Muslims are speaking up for what’s good for their community. This is our country and in a significant way, we have the right to decide our future. As long that discussions are not baseless and no vulgarities involved, someday somehow someone will hear us.
