Tag: Singapore

  • Masagos: Singaporeans Studying In The Middle East Have Role To Play In Nation Building

    Masagos: Singaporeans Studying In The Middle East Have Role To Play In Nation Building

    Singaporean students who are studying in Middle Eastern universities have an important role to play after they graduate, as the Republic is in need of strong religious leaders who can contextualise Islam in line with the country’s multiracial circumstances, said Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Masagos Zulkifli on Saturday (April 16) night.

    Mr Masagos, who was speaking to reporters after a dialogue session with around 100 Singaporean students studying in Jordanian universities, said that Singapore has benefited from a strong group of home-grown religious scholars, because many of them understand how religion should be taught, particularly in the context of how it features in a multicultural society. But more religious leaders are needed in the future, he said.

    “By coming to the Middle East, Jordan, Egypt and in the past even Syria, they (the students) are able to deepen their technical understanding of the region. Therefore, (they) also build the credibility that is needed when they are expounding the religion,” said Mr Masagos, who is part of the Singapore delegation accompanying Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on a week-long trip to the Middle East.

    “When they come back (to Singapore), they know how to contextualise the teachings and at the same time inoculate the masses against the persuasions from the outside to become more radicalised,” said the Minister.

    He noted that many of these students had gone through the Madrasah educational system in Singapore, where they learnt how to practise the religion in the context of Singapore’s multiracial society. With their deepened understanding, these graduates would be able to promote respect for different groups in society.

    He added that students who graduate from the Middle East have a lot more to offer in addition to their religious knowledge.

    “For example, their mastery of Arabic as well as having lived here (in the Middle East) for a long time, can contribute to our own companies’ foray in this area,” he said, adding that he has spoken to Singaporean companies with investments in the region including Keppel FELS, Hyflux and Sembcorp about tapping on the expertise of these students.

    Reflecting on the dialogue with Mr Masagos, Mr Abdul Fattah, 23, a freshman studying jurisprudence told TODAY that “what we learn here in Jordan, we would like to first benefit our families, close friends and the people around us.”

    “In the future, I hope to be able to work with youths and instill in them the knowledge of love and respect for this religion (Islam),” he said, adding that he aspires to reach out to non-Muslim youths as well.

    Commenting on concerns about Islamophobia in Singapore, Mr Masagos said that “through our dialogue, my point to them (students) is clear: it is in our hands to ensure that we interact with the wider society well, meaningfully, deeply, so that interaction between all races, even at the individual level is contributing and positive.”

    “They (should) understand that while Islamophobia is something that could happen because of the information that others may have about Muslims around the world, we can change that, we can prevent that from happening in Singapore,” he said.

    Mr Masagos noted that The Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (MUIS) has been active in engaging Singaporean students in the Middle East, with MUIS officers stationed in Cairo and Jeddah so that they can be in close touch with the students not only to ensure that their welfare is taken care of, but also to render any assistance in the event of an emergency.

    Additionally, MUIS updates the students on latest developments in Singapore so that “they do not merely read about Singapore on the Internet and interpret them in any way that the internet is persuading them to,” said Mr Masagos.

    Prime Minister Lee, when hosting a reception for the same group of students on Saturday evening, also encouraged them to keep pace with developments back home, inviting them to follow him on social media to get a better sense of what is happening in Singapore.

    Mr Lee is making his first official visit to Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian Territories. The last high-level visit by a Singaporean leader to Jordan was by then President S R Nathan in 2006. Mr Lee on Saturday kick-started his trip with a cultural programme at the ancient city of Petra in Jordan. On Sunday, Mr Lee will be hosted to lunch by Jordan’s King Abdullah II. He will also meet Prime Minister and Defence Minister Abdullah Ensour, who will host dinner for him.

    Mr Lee will meet Chief Advisor for Religious and Cultural Affairs Prince Ghazi Bin Muhammad Bin Talal on Monday, before proceeding to Israel and the Palestinian Territories.

     

    Source: TODAY Online

  • Lee Hsien Loong To Visit Palestine As Part Of Middle East Trip

    Lee Hsien Loong To Visit Palestine As Part Of Middle East Trip

    AMMAN, JORDAN – Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong begins his official visit to Jordan on Saturday (April 16).

    He will then travel to Israel on Monday, and to the Palestinian Territories on Wednesday.

    This is Mr Lee’s first official visit to Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian Territories, the Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement on Friday.

    “The visit will affirm Singapore’s good relations with Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian National Authority, and underscore Singapore’s commitment to support the capacity building efforts of the Palestinian people,” the statement added.

    While in Jordan, Mr Lee will be hosted to lunch by King Abdullah II. He will meet Prime Minister and Defence Minister Abdullah Ensour, who will also host him to dinner.

    Mr Lee will also meet Chief Advisor for Religious and Cultural Affairs Prince Ghazi Bin Muhammad Bin Talal. He will also meet Singapore students studying in Jordan.

    In Israel, Mr Lee will call on President Reuven Rivlin and meet Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

    He will also meet Leader of the Opposition Isaac Herzog and former President and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Shimon Peres.

    In addition, Mr Lee will meet leaders of major Israeli technology companies and visit the Hebrew University, where he will receive an honorary doctorate.

    He will also witness the signing of an agreement between Hebrew University and Singapore’s National Research Foundation to facilitate research collaboration in Singapore.

    In the Palestinian Territories, Mr Lee will meet Prime Minister of the Palestinian National Authority Rami Hamdallah, who will host him to lunch.

    Mr Lee will also lay a wreath at the mausoleum of the first President of the Palestinian National Authority, Yasser Arafat.

    PM Lee will be accompanied by Mrs Lee, Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan, Environment and Water Resources Minister Masagos Zulkifli, Minister of State for Communications and Information and Education Janil Puthucheary, and MPs Liang Eng Hwa and Intan Azura Mokhtar.

    During Mr Lee’s absence, Deputy Prime Minister and Coordinating Minister for National Security Teo Chee Hean will be the Acting Prime Minister.

     

     

    Source: www.straitstimes.com

  • Chan Chun Sing: I Will Be The Last Person To Allow The PA To Be Politicised

    Chan Chun Sing: I Will Be The Last Person To Allow The PA To Be Politicised

    Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office Chan Chun Sing on Thursday (14 April) hit back at opposition Member-of-Parliament (MP) Sylvia Lim’s concerns that some members of the People Association’s (PA) were undermining the work of non-ruling party MPs on the ground.

    Chan, who is the PA’s deputy chairman, said that the PA was not a partisan organisation and it did not check on the political allegiance of its members and their voting preferences, saying that the latter was “not relevant to our work”.

    “I will be last person to ever allow the People’s Association to be politicised,” Chan told Parliament in the Committee of Supply debate.

    Lim, the chairman of the Workers’ Party, had on Wednesday (13 April) said that PA activists were being mobilised to campaign for People’s Action Party candidates, and that the Citizens’ Consultative Committee (CCC) – which is a part of the PA – had not replied to her letters when she had requested information about private estate upgrading projects in Aljunied GRC, which the WP held on to in the 2015 General Election.

    “An unhealthy culture seems to have developed within some quarters of the PA, who see its role to include advancing the ruling party politically and undermining the work of opposition MPs,” Lim said.

    Chan said PA participants were average Singaporeans from all walks of life and that he had personally seen some members taking part in activities supporting both the PAP incumbent and the opposition.

    “When I see my own residents, participants of my PA activities, supporting the opposition, I can only ask myself ‘How can I work harder to win them over?’” Chan said.

    He said the PA was a statutory board which “executed the directions of the government of the day” as per any other stat board, and did not allow any political activities or canvassing of votes on its various premises.

    He also said he would be willing to look at any evidence of partisanship Lim or other opposition members could provide.

    “If Ms Lim has any such evidence of wrongdoing, you can let me know, and I guarantee you, I will follow up,” the minister said.

    Regarding the specific example Lim gave, Chan said he did not have all the details.

    “I’ve heard from both sides on the ground accusing each other of being uncooperative. All I can say is I urge both sides, be it (the) town council or the CCC to always remember to put the interests of the residents first,” he said.

    Lim said she welcomed the minister’s “unequivocal public statement that the PA should never be politicised”, calling it a “timely reminder to those who may think otherwise”.

    She also asked during clarification time if the PA adopted the government standard operating procedure of replying to MPs’ letters written on behalf of their constituents, to which Chan replied, “The answer is yes.”

    Lim had also asked about the PA’s budget for FY2016, which was nearly $900 million, a 34 per cent increase from FY2014.

    Chan said the bulk of the increase was not from 2015′s SG50 celebrations, but the starting up of the Pioneer Generation office and capital expenditure on facilities in Tampines and Geylang Serai.

    Source: Yahoo News

  • Kepelbagaian, Ekonomi Moden Antara Cabaran Utama Melayu/Islam

    Kepelbagaian, Ekonomi Moden Antara Cabaran Utama Melayu/Islam

    Kepelbagaian dalam kehidupan sosioagama dan keadaan ekonomi yang sering berubah-ubah merupakan dua cabaran utama yang perlu diharungi masyarakat Melayu/Islam di sini pada masa hadapan.

    Menteri Bertanggungjawab bagi Ehwal Masyarakat Islam, Dr Yaacob Ibrahim berkata demikian semasa menyampaikan ucapan dalam bahasa Melayu di perbahasan Jawatankuasa Peruntukan (COS) di Parlimen, hari ini (14 Apr).

    Dalam pada itu, Dr Yaacob berkata Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura (MUIS) akan buat pertama kalinya menganjurkan persidangan “Fatwa dalam Masyarakat Kontemporari”, untuk antara lain, membincangkan proses pengeluaran fatwa yang mengambil kira konteks Singapura.

    Menurut Dr Yaacob, meskipun cabaran-cabaran tersebut amat rumit, beliau yakin masyarakat boleh mengatasinya hasil kegigihan dan kerjasama erat dengan Pemerintah.

    MELAYU/ISLAM MENYUMBANG KEPADA KEHARMONIAN MASYARAKAT

    Menyentuh tentang cabaran pertama, Dr Yaacob berkata masyarakat Melayu/Islam di sini berjaya membuat sumbangan genting kepada keharmonian dan kesejahteraan masyarakat majmuk Singapura, di samping yakin mengamalkan kehidupan beragama.

    “Pada dasarnya, kehidupan kita banyak berpandukan nilai-nilai seperti kesederhanaan, sikap inklusif dan menghormati perbezaan. Inilah yang dipaparkan oleh golongan perintis terdahulu seperti Presiden Yusof Ishak, Ustaz Ahmad Sonhadji Mohamed, Pak Ridzwan Dzafir serta Ustaz Ibrahim Kassim,” ujar Dr Yaacob.

    Namun, beliau akur, dengan cabaran yang lebih rumit hari ini, “semakin sukar untuk kita mengimbangi kepentingan dan pandangan yang berbeza-beza.”

    Walaubagaimanapun, Dr Yaacob berkata setiap golongan – termasuk ibu bapa, guru, karyawan, pemimpin masyarakat dan agama – perlu memainkan peranan untuk menolak unsur-unsur yang boleh menjejas perpaduan masyarakat.

    MUIS PERTINGKAT USAHA KUKUHKAN KEPIMPINAN AGAMA PROGRESIF

    Oleh itu, MUIS akan mempertingkatkan usaha untuk mengukuhkan kepimpinan agama yang progresif, dengan antara lain, menganjurkan persidangan “Fatwa dalam Masyarakat Kontemporari”.

    Kata Dr Yaacob, sejak 1968, lebih 500 fatwa dikeluarkan untuk membimbing masyarakat Melayu/Islam Singapura, dan persidangan tersebut bertujuan mengongsi pengalaman MUIS dalam hal berkenaan.

    “Persidangan ini dapat menjadi satu wadah perbincangan dan penyebaran pemikiran progresif lebih-lebih lagi buat masyarakat minoriti Islam yang hidup dalam masyarakat berbilang bangsa dan agama,” kata Dr Yaacob.

    PERUBAHAN EKONOMI EKORAN LEDAKAN TEKNOLOGI

    Menyentuh tentang cabaran yang kedua pula, Dr Yaacob berkata antara cabaran yang dibawa bersama ekonomi baru ialah perubahan-perubahan ekoran ledakan teknologi, yang memaksa industri-industri di sini menyusun semula dan berubah.

    “Ini bermakna peningkatan kemahiran yang berterusan menjadi genting, dan ICT pula menjadi pemangkin kemajuan.

    “Anak-anak muda kita mesti sedar tentang hakikat ini. Mereka mesti bersedia untuk memasuki alam pekerjaan yang semakin menitikberatkan kepakaran serta pengalaman, lebih daripada segulung ijazah,” kata Dr Yaacob.

    Oleh itu, katanya, Dewan Perniagaan dan Perusahaan Melayu Singapura (DPPMS) serta badan-badan Melayu/Islam lain perlu mendorong usaha agar lebih ramai pekerja dan syarikat Melayu/Islam dapat membawa nilai tambah dalam bidang masing-masing.

    Yayasan MENDAKI pula akan saling mendekatkan masyarakat Melayu/Islam kepada gerakan SkillsFuture. Ia akan melancarkan beberapa inisiatif baru termasuk “Future Ready Mentoring” untuk membimbing para pelajar menengah, Institut Pendidikan Teknikal (ITE) dan politeknik dalam pemilihan kerjaya.

    Program CM-Tech@Heartlands yang bakal dilancarkan pula akan dibawa ke kawasan kejiranan untuk merangsang minat anak-anak Melayu/Islam dalam bidang teknologi.

    MELAYU/ISLAM CAPAI BANYAK KEMAJUAN

    Bercakap tentang usaha untuk memperkukuh sokongan terhadap aspek pendidikan, keperluan sosio-agama, pembangunan keluarga serta bantuan bagi golongan kurang bernasib baik di kalangan masyarakat Melayu/Islam seperti yang ditanya beberapa Anggota Parlimen, Dr Yaacob berkata “kita sudah mencapai banyak kemajuan dalam hal ini, dan lebih banyak boleh dicapai pada masa hadapan.”

    Dr Yaacob juga berkata kita boleh bersyukur bahawa selain membina, kita mampu mempertingkatkan institusi-institusi kita demi memenuhi keperluan keagamaan masyarakat kita.

    TAPAK MASJID BARU DI TAMPINES NORTH 

    Atas dasar itu, kadar sumbangan Dana Pembinaan Masjid dan Mendaki (MBMF) sudah diubah seperti yang diumumkan bulan lalu.

    Dr Yaacob juga mengumumkan bahawa sebuah kawasan sudahpun dikenal pasti sebagai tapak pembinaan masjid di Tampines North.

    24,700 RUANG SOLAT TAMBAHAN

    Menjelang tahun hadapan pula, dua masjid baru – Masjid Maarof dan Masjid Yusof Ishak – akan siap dibina. Kerja-kerja pembangunan semula Masjid Darul Ghufran pula bakal dijalankan tahun ini.

    Selain itu, ruang solat di Masjid Al-Istighfar juga bakal bertambah. Secara keseluruhan, Program Peningkatan Masjid yang bermula sejak 2009, sudah berjaya menghasilkan 24,700 ruang solat tambahan, dan banyak lagi yang bakal diusahakan di bawah program itu, kata Dr Yaacob.

    Memberi perkembangan tentang sektor madrasah pula, Dr Yaacob berkata Madrasah Arabiah akan berpindah ke lokasi baru dengan tempoh pajakan 30 tahun.

    Malah, MUIS turut giat menyokong usaha menerapkan penggunaan teknologi dan infokomunikasi dalam pengajaran dan pembelajaran di Madrasah Irsyad Zuhri dan Madrasah Aljunied.

    PUNGUTAN ZAKAT KIAN BERTAMBAH

    Dr Yaacob juga berkata pungutan zakat di kalangan masyarakat Melayu/Islam bertambah saban tahun, iaitu dari $22.7 juta pada 2010, kepada sekitar $35.3 juta (sebelum diaudit) tahun lalu. Setiap tahun, MUIS juga mengagihkan zakat kepada sekitar 5,300 fakir miskin.

    Yayasan MENDAKI juga giat mempertingkat usaha untuk menyalurkan mereka yang memerlukan kepada pusat-pusat khidmat sosial di peringkat nasional. Sepanjang enam tahun lalu, lebih 14,000 individu sudah dibantu.

    MENDAKI AKAN BANTU KELUARGA MANFAATKAN KIDSTART

    MENDAKI akan turut bekerjasama dengan Agensi Pembangunan Awal Kanak-Kanak (ECDA) agar keluarga Melayu/Islam yang memerlukan dapat mengambil manfaat daripada inisiatif KidSTART.

    Inisiatif tersebut menyediakan sokongan dalam pelbagai aspek, termasuk kesihatan, pembelajaran dan pembangunan anak-anak berusia bawah 6 tahun.

    “Kita menaruh harapan kepada anak-anak muda kita untuk meneruskan perjuangan ini serta melangkah dengan cekal, berjalan dengan tawakkal dan bertindak dengan akal.

    “Yang nyata, masa depan yang cerah memerlukan usaha jitu daripada setiap anggota masyarakat. Marilah kita berganding bahu dan semarakkan lagi semangat kerjasama antara masyarakat Melayu/Islam dan Pemerintah demi mencipta masa depan yang lebih cerah untuk kita bersama,” ujar Dr Yaacob.

    Source: Berita Mediacorp

  • Goh Meng Seng: Why Don’t Filipinos Have Diplomatic Sense?

    Goh Meng Seng: Why Don’t Filipinos Have Diplomatic Sense?

    I don’t object to the wordings but it is totally unacceptable for the Singapore Island to be covered by the flag of other nations.

    It insinuates that Philippines has invaded and conquered Singapore. Why are these Filipinos so insensitive diplomatically?

     

    Source: Goh Meng Seng and Sin Rak Sin Party

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