Very Kardashian/Trump like family photo.
It’s interesting to see a Malay family presented this way. It’s common to see something like this in Malaysia with the many Datuks there.
But this is a self-made rags to riches bring-me-down-twice-get-up-thrice businessman.
Source: Hazrul Azhar Jamari
When her father and CEO of Second Chance Properties Mohd Salleh Marican told her late last year that he intended to run for president, Nadia Marican laughed at the idea of becoming a member of Singapore’s First Family.
But Salleh’s eldest daughter and her other family members realised that the 67-year-old patriarch was serious about his presidential bid. They rallied around him and began to plan for his election campaign. Even the current fasting month is not slowing their momentum.
Her brother-in-law Ferus Bakar is overseeing Salleh’s media communication plans while she and her younger sister Radiah Marican, 40, are acting as their father’s personal assistants in the campaign.
Nadia, who is currently pursuing a PhD in International Psychology at the Chicago School of Professional Psychology, said that her father has a good chance of winning the election. Wearing a navy blue midi dress, Nadia was joined by Radiah and Salleh during the interview at her house in the eastern part of Singapore.
Salleh’s campaign kicked off on 5 June 2017, when he collected his presidential election forms at the Elections Department (ELD). But Salleh was sidetracked afterwards by the online criticisms of his lack of proficiency in the Malay language.
Nadia said that the Marican family was prepared for negative reactions from some netizens. “It was so vicious that we were surprised at first. But personally, I think they are trolls,” she added.
Qualities of being a “good president”
When asked about her father’s attributes that would put him in good stead to be the President of Singapore, Nadia was effusive in her praise for him.
“The majority of Singaporeans prefer their president to be apolitical and my father represents that. I am confident that he stands a good chance, given that he is a man of honour and integrity and has the leadership qualities to be president,” said Nadia.
“He has a pragmatic approach to life and has a soft heart. He is a man who is generous in sharing knowledge with others. These are the qualities needed for a president,” she added.
Also, Salleh’s ability to turn around his company when the odds were stacked against him could inspire Singaporeans and convince them that he is the right man to become a “People’s President”, Nadia said.
“If he wins, I will be the proudest daughter in the world. Who knows, maybe the tea party in the (Istana) garden might come true!” she quipped.
Source: https://sg.news.yahoo.com
The mystery candidate said to be considering running for the Presidency is Mr Farid Khan Kaim Khan. He is the chairman of marine service provider Bourbon Offshore Asia Pacific.
Four men were at the Elections Department on Friday (June 16) to collect application forms for a potential presidential candidate they declined to identify. They would describe him only as a Malay/Muslim man in his early 60s, who is a chairman at a multinational company.
But sources told The Straits Times that the man in question is Mr Farid, 62. They said he is giving serious thought to running for president but has yet to make a decision.
He has been working at Singapore-based Bourbon Offshore Asia Pacific for more than 10 years and is married with two children.
The firm, which employs about 800 workers in the region, is part of French company Bourbon, which has more than 10,000 employees.
Mr Farid is also the director of several other entities, including Greenship Holdings, which is also in the marine sector.
One of the changes for the upcoming presidential election states that private-sector candidates must have run a company with at least $500 million in shareholder equity, to qualify automatically.
The Straits Times understands that the shareholder equity of Greenship Holdings is about US$200 million (S$277 million), while that of Bourbon Offshore Asia Pacific is more than US$300 million.
When contacted, Mr Farid declined to comment.
Source: www.straitstimes.com
Some quarters of my community weren’t too happy that presidential hopeful, Salleh Marican, wasnt fluent in Malay. Rightfully so.
Malay is our National Language. To be the president of Singapore, the people expect hopeful candidates to at least be able to speak the language. You represent Singapore. You should at least be able to converse in our National Language.
For those who are supportive of Salleh Marican not being able to speak the Malay language, do bear in mind that all three of our Prime Ministers, even if they are Chinese, can speak fluent Malay. And a national figure who can’t speak our National language is a cause for concern.
As for me, a presidential candidate who cant speak the language of those he represents, is a secondary concern and not the deciding factor in casting my vote. My primary concern is whether the candidate is able to function and act in the interest of Singaporeans.
We certainly do not want a President who speaks fluent Malay, who wows the crowd with bombastic words, who write beautiful poetry but is impotent in delivering its duties.
The last thing we want is a President who can speak Malay but cannot act independently and having complicity with the ruling party.
Source: Khan Osman Sulaiman
In this series of looking at our future president spouse, we take a closer look at Madam Halimah Yacob’s husband – Mr Mohammed Abdullah Alhabshee.
After all, Madam Halimah Yacob is widely speculated to become the next president of Singapore.
Americans joked that the male spouse of an American head of state should be called “First Dude”, “First Lad” or even “First Mate”
A theoretical Mdm Halimah as Singapore’s president would make her the first female president of the country and her husband the ‘First Gentleman’
“First Gentleman” or a “First Lady”, they accompany our Presidents to key state or diplomatic events, and are arguably, an important face of Singapore as well.
So who is this Mr Mohammed Abdullah Alhabshee?
University sweethearts.
Mr Mohammed Abdullah Alhabshee graduated from the University of Singapore. He was Mdm Halimah’s university sweetheart and they got married two years after she graduated.
He was a physics major.
Determined and humble
They were hopelessly in love but poor. He never believed in borrowing money just to make their lives better. As a result, the first flat that they moved into was spartan and un-renovated. They started with a rented room and then lived with relatives. Together with the love of his life by his side, they eventually managed to save up enough to buy a five-room flat in Tampines for $75,000.
He never forgot his roots and still lives in a HDB house with Mdm Halimah today. Together they have five children in steady succession.
Strong family values
Mr Mohammed Abdullah Alhabshee enforced the importance of communal living and taking care of elders to their children.
30 years ago, he and Mdm Halimah bought two adjacent five- and four-room flats in Yishun, and knocked down the dividing wall so that the family can be even closer together.
In his household, everything is family-sized and common property. The idea of sharing is very important. In a 2013 interview, Mdm Halimah shared that in their household, “You do not buy things just for yourself. You buy things to share with everybody.”
He took care of his mother and lived under the same roof until she passed away in 1999. His mother-in-law too lived with them until recently, she passed away in 2015.
Tri-lingual and a singer!
Mr Mohammed Abdullah Alhabshee is talented. Well versed in Malay and English, he could also sing well in Tamil!
The pillar behind Mdm Halimah success
Madam Halimah is a ground person. She never relies on official feedback channels alone but keeps her ears planted to the ground so that she can understand her residents better and help them in whichever way she can. Even back in MSF, she would visit voluntary welfare groups at least twice a week to find out their problems in implementing policies.
Mr Mohamed Abdullah Alhabshee acts as the support pillar in her life. He is extremely proud of his wife achievements and never fails to give her moral support and make time to accompany her to grassroots events and functions.
The Singaporean Identity
Mr Mohamed Abdullah Alhabshee promotes the Singaporean identity and yet takes pride in his own ethnic background.
(Mr Mohamed and Mdm Halimah at an Arab association achievement awards ceremony)
Alhabshee is an Arab family name and Singaporean Arabs have a history that stretches all the way to the island’s modern founding by Stamford Raffles.
Even though they are a relatively small community, they have made prominent contributions to the country. The majority of the Arabs in Singapore are Hadhramis tracing their ancestry from the southern part of the Arabian Peninsula called Hadhramaut, which is now part of the Republic of Yemen. Some of the more famous Arab families includes the Aljunied (al-Junayds), the Alsagoff (al-Saqqāf), and the Alkaff (al-Kāf) families.
Assuming Mdm Halimah runs for the Presidency, will we be seeing Mr Mohamed Abdullah Alhabshee portrait up in the halls too, alongside Madam Halimah Yacob?
Your pick.