Tag: Singapore

Real Estate Agent: Malay Family Look Down On Me Just Because I Ride Kapcai

Today i learnt a very deep lesson. I went for viewing for one of my unit on sale. Upon reaching, i parked my bike at the tong sampah lot.

A family walked passed me and i overheard them said this. “Ingat agent2 kaya2, yg ni dtg bawa kapcai. The whole family laughed.”

How judgemental can our community be?
I wasnt hurt or sad by what is being said because i know myself better than them. I didnt said anything because i dont want to waste my time since i have a bigger fish to catch.

📍This bike has been with me since 2008.
📍Never gave me any problem.
📍The reason for me meeting my fiancee family in the hospital.
📍Closed my 1st deal riding this.
📍Parents gi terawih naik ni.

On the brighter side, buyer look happy with viewing and wanted second view. Kater la ape kau nak asalkan, ada org option rumah itu insyallah.

#Believe
#CallMeAgentHermie
#BikerForLife.
#InsyallahTutupPasalKenaKutuk

Source: Hermie Malek

June 6, 2017
Hazrul Azhar Jamari: Malays In Businesses Have To Overcome Plenty Of Racial Biases

There are many startups that do no have any Malay founders. Some of them are my friends. Had a colleague once whom I managed and reported to me. They happen to be 2 Chinese guys who start a really cool startup. They attract attention, VCs, and it’s not that difficult to raise simply because of the privilege they possess.

There are some startups that are founded by Indian guys. I had an intern once. Brilliant chap. Went on to found his startup with other Indian dudes. They’re pretty successful.

And here we are. Malay chaps. Didn’t go to any of the big schools. Just trying to make it big in this world. We outdid ourselves last year. We have very limited resources. We started out much later in life because we have responsibilities at home. We never got to be on 30 people under 30. We’re all over 30, married and have a lot of responsibilities today. We have a mortgage. We have our health issues. We have our families to take care of. We have our colleague’s families to provide for. We don’t have privilege. We never started on an equal footing.

But when it comes to running a company, the amount of bias we get is just astounding. It’s no longer shocking. Team dynamics they say. As if one’s skin colour makes a difference.

It is a little bit like Primary 6. Football is often a Malay dominated sport. This time, there were 3 Chinese players that joined the school team. Football is a team sport. Every one played their part. I don’t remember my 3 Chinese school mates scoring in that final, but every player’s job was equal. That was a team because no one was big headed. That’s why we won the final that day and the entire P6 cohort witnessed a piece of school history. But lo and behold, the next day, my Chinese principal, singled out the 3 Chinese players in front of the whole school. No, he did not ask the entire team to stand before the school. Just these 3 Chinese players. For making the school proud. For winning a Football final that apparently 8 other players on the field weren’t as responsible for.

It’s really funny how for a community that detests the racial quota, it doesn’t seem to be a problem when a team filled with the other has to open up a spot to make that team, acceptable, for them to support.

How about if that spot becomes available, the right person with the right credentials get in? Irrespective of race. How about we actually live by our nation’s values for once? Support us irrespective of race. How about that?

Against the backdrop of all the racial issues that have cropped up recently, it’s really funny how this sounds so familiar. But we cannot let ourselves feel sensitised with all this. Not anymore. We must change because it needs to. We cannot accept it just because that’s the way it is.

This is a team. We will win. Against all odds. By God we will.

Bismillah.

Source: Hazrul Azhar Jamari

June 6, 2017
Mohd Khair: Don’t Forget Essence Of Iftar, Iftar With Non-Muslims Is Encouraged, Halal Food Is A Must

“Potluck Iftar”

Someone shared this photo in one of the comments to a posting on my wall.

We certainly applaud the move to encourage neighbourliness in the month of Ramadhan among residents regardless of race, language or religion to have dinner together, which in this case was done in conjunction with Iftar by Muslims neighbours.

Nevertheless, there is a need to also recognise that Iftar is not just dinner, ordinarily.

Iftar is the time when Muslims break their fast. And Muslims who fast, break their whole-day fasting with only halal foods.

Having a potluck Iftar event is acceptable. In fact it is very much encouraged in Islam to share foods with others, what more during Iftar.

However, the inclusion of non-halal foods in the Iftar could have been an oversight on the part of the event organisers. Appropriate advice should have been given earlier.

Iftar is not just another dinner. Iftar has its special meaning to Muslims, and there is decorum associated with that special meaning.

And decorum associated with certain terms is nothings new. There is decorum in the way the National Flag is to be handled, for example.

The National Flag is not just a piece of cloth having red and white colours with a crescent and 5 stars on it. There is a Statute governing conduct with regards to the National Flag [See SINGAPORE ARMS AND FLAG AND NATIONAL ANTHEM ACT (CHAPTER 296, SECTION 2) and SINGAPORE ARMS AND FLAG AND NATIONAL ANTHEM RULES].

Hence, just like the National Flag, there are certain decorum that needs to be accorded to Iftar too. And one of them is the provisioning of halal foods.

Non-Muslims are free to join in Iftar with Muslims. We see that happening in Singapore at many Iftar events organised by Mosques and other Muslim organisations throughout Ramadhan. Nevertheless, since it is an Iftar event, decorum for the event should also be observed. Halal foods should be presented to all in any Iftar event because Iftar is for Muslims to break their fast. Non-Muslims are always welcomed to join in the Iftar, where only halal foods are served.

Perhaps more needs to be done to help our non-Muslim neigbours understand the meaning of Iftar, and the associated decorum that needs to be observed when Iftar is organised as part of neighbourliness for all to come together regardless of race, language or religion.

Ramadhan Mubarak

Source: Mohd Khair

June 6, 2017
Iftar With Prince Harry: We Even Forgot Prince Harry Was A Royal

With just half an hour to spare, 32-year-old Nazhath Faheema was told that she would be sitting beside Britain’s Prince Harry when he broke fast with young Muslims at a much-anticipated iftar meal in Singapore.

“I was confused how to behave and how to act. I even started rehearsing what to say,” said the council member of Singapore’s Muslim Youth Ambassador of Peace (MYAP).

“I kept reminding myself to call him by his formal title ‘Your Royal Highness’. But once we broke the ice, it felt like talking to a friend,” she said.

The graduate student at Nanyang Technological University was photographed sharing a joke with the prince, also 32, in pictures that were widely picked up by international media.

Prince Harry asked her about the significance of breaking fast with dates, and she told him that this was something Muslims practised generally.

“I explained how Prophet Muhammad did this, and how we Muslims followed in his footsteps. There is a health benefit to breaking fast with dates and porridge and he was fascinated to know about that,” said Ms Nazhath, who reminded him to remove the seeds in the dates as they tucked into the fruit and porridge that were served at sunset.

“WE EVEN FORGOT HE WAS ROYAL”

Prince Harry also had praise for the performers of a sychronised silat demonstration just before the iftar session, when he found out how they endured physical training even while fasting, Ms Nazhath said.

“He talked to the performers and was pleasantly surprised that they put themselves through rigorous training without consuming food or water for the entire day,” she said.

“And that was thing that struck me about him – he was royalty, but he spared a lot of time and effort talking to people. Be it silat performers, activists or just everyday people, he wanted to speak to all of us if he could.”

Initially worried about being a good host to the British prince, she said she was pleasantly surprised that it was he who made her feel welcome.

“He was so casual, cool and dapper – we even forgot that he was royal,” Ms Nazhath said.

Source: www.channelnewsasia.com

June 6, 2017
Presidential Hopeful Inspired To Run For Office By Lee Hsien Loong’s Encouragements

Whether he qualifies as a candidate in the upcoming Presidential Election is based on the discretion of the Presidential Electoral Committee (PEC), but Mr Mohamed Salleh Marican has already gone about recruiting people for his campaign.

The 62-year-old chief executive officer of Second Chance Properties told TODAY that he has assembled three out of 10 people for his campaign team, and he aims to complete the search by the end of the month.

He now has a campaign manager, a communications in-charge, and an election agent, who will be his brother, Mr Mohamed Hasan Marican, who is deputy CEO at Second Chance, an investment holding firm that also retails garments.

The September election is reserved for the Malay community, and has a tightened criteria for candidacy.

For example, those contesting, who have private-sector experience, must have a company with at least S$500 million shareholder equity.

Mr Salleh does not automatically qualify, because his company’s shareholder equity registered between S$254.3 million and S$263.25 million over the last three financial years.

Collecting the application forms Monday morning (June 5), Mr Salleh said that he is “optimistic” that he can convince the PEC he is a deserving candidate, adding that he “can’t be worried if he will fail” before he starts.

He also said that he was moved to run for presidency by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong who, at an Association of Muslim Professionals event last November, expressed hope that candidates would step forward and contest.

“I was moved by (Mr Lee’s) speech, and that triggered my intentions,” Mr Salleh said.

“After that, my friends, business associates, suppliers and even some of my employees urged me to step forward and serve the nation (because) this is a noble cause. (With) 100-per-cent support from my family members, I made a decision to contest.”

The entrepreneur, who set up the first company owned by a Malay to be listed on the Singapore Exchange, sees this as a way “to do good”, to give back to society, and as a challenge to see “how much better I can do compared with other presidents”.

Mr Salleh singled out Speaker of Parliament Halimah Yacob as a formidable contender should she contest, as she is “very popular” and someone who “takes her responsibilities very seriously”.

Applications for Singapore’s first reserved Presidential Election opened on June 1, and at least two presidential hopefuls had been seen collecting forms from the Elections Department.

The writ of election is expected to be issued in late August, ahead of the September polls.

Source: www.todayonline.com

June 6, 2017