Tag: Singapore

ComfortDelgro Sacks Cabby For Reckless Driving After Viral Video Shows Him Reversing Into Parked Car

Taxi operator ComfortDelgro has sacked a taxi driver after a video that showed him reversing into a parked car at a Redhill carpark was circulated online. In a statement to The Straits Times on Tuesday (April 5), ComfortDelgro’s group corporate communications officer Tammy Tan said: “For driving recklessly, we have terminated the hiring agreement of the cabby.”

Ms Tan added that the incident had occurred at around noon on March 26. The video, which shows a yellow CityCab taxi reversing at considerable speed into a stationary car, was first uploaded by Facebook user Evon Lim on Monday (April 4) evening. It has since chalked up more than 13,000 shares, with local community groups Beh Chia Lor, Road.sg and Singapore Reckless Drivers also posting the video on their respective Facebook pages.

In the video, the impact of the crash was seen lifting the parked car partially off the ground, badly denting its left door in the process. The taxi then drove off immediately. The cabby’s “hit-and run” actions based on the video were criticised by the majority of social media users, who blasted him for shirking responsibility.

But Ms Tan clarified that the cabby stopped his taxi further down the road before returning to the scene of the incident to pass his particulars to a shop owner who knew the car’s owner. “That was not captured in the footage,” she said.

“We are thankful that no one was injured in this incident and are assisting the owner of the parked vehicle with all repairs.”

Source: The Straits Times

April 6, 2016
ASEAN Para Games Medalist On Trial For Drug Trafficking

Former ASEAN Para Games gold medallist Muhammad Firdaus Nordin, a wheelchair sprinter, has been taken to court for drug trafficking, which he denies.

The trial for the 28-year-old started yesterday, where a district court heard that the wheelchair-bound athlete was allegedly found in possession of three packets of a crystalline substance containing no less than 2.65g of methamphetamine at about 5am on Feb 2 last year. Firdaus was then in a car driven by his cousin at a heavy-vehicle carpark near Block 510, Bedok North Street 3.

The police came across the drugs, better known as “ice”, while tracking down suspects in a separate drunken assault that occurred in the vicinity that morning. His cousin was one of those involved in that incident. TODAY understands that Firdaus, though intoxicated, was not involved in the attack.

A second charge of drug consumption has been stood down, pending resolution of the trial, which is scheduled to end this Friday.

Policeman Narizh Khan, a station inspector at the Bedok North Neighbourhood Police Centre who accompanied Firdaus from the scene to Changi General Hospital for assessments, testified yesterday that Firdaus had repeatedly said he “did not want (his) mother to know about his drug offences”. Disputing this, defence lawyer Peter Fernando said what his client said was that he did not want his mother to be informed of the arrest. If found guilty of drug trafficking, Firdaus faces between five and 20 years’ jail, and between five and 15 strokes of the cane.

Firdaus was born with spina bifida, a defect where the developing spinal column does not close properly, leaving nerves exposed. He is one of the fastest wheelchair sprinters in Singapore, clinching a gold medal in the men’s 100m race at the third ASEAN Para Games in 2005 and setting a new Games record for the 200m event at the IPC Athletics World Championships the following year. This won him a silver medal and earned the Republic its first entry into the 2008 Summer Paralympics in Beijing. Firdaus had to pull out later because of injury.

During the ASEAN Para Games last December, Muhammad Firdaus competed in the 100m, 200m and 400m events.

Source: TODAY Online

April 5, 2016
Zufikar Shariff: The Difference Between Palestinians and Singapore Malays

A lot of Malays in Singapura feel sympathy for Palestinians.They worry about their brothers and sisters in Palestine. And denounce the aggression of the Israeli state. What a lot of them do not realise is that 17% of Israeli citizens are Muslims. And some of them are Zionists. There are some in the IDF. Some in politics.

Palestinians are massacred and abused because they resist.

If they did not resist, if they submit, if they accept Israeli domination without question… If they cry for Ariel Sharon and call him their father.. Or refer to Golda Meir as their mother… If they declare their love for the Likud Party.. they would not be treated this way.

Some Muslim Israelis talk about the educational, economic, political opportunities available to them in Israel. They would still be discriminated and abused. But not the same way they are now. Yes, if Palestinians behave like Malays in Singapura, they would be treated like us.

The main difference between Palestinians and Malays in Singapura is that…they continue to resist.

While we surrender.

Source: Zulfikar Shariff

April 3, 2016
Badan Amal Baru Agih 150,000 Makanan Percuma

MEMBERI 150,000 bungkusan makanan percuma kepada mereka yang memerlukan.

Demikian matlamat murni yang sedang dilaksanakan oleh sebuah badan amal baru Free Food For All (FFFA), yang melancarkan kempen tersebut baru-baru ini.

Dipanggil ‘150K Meals: For the Community, From the Community’ atau ‘150K Makanan: Untuk Masyarakat, Dari Masyarakat’, kempen tersebut dilancarkan di Blok 176, Boon Lay Drive.

Dengan bantuan para sukarelawan masyarakat Boon Lay, FFFA menyediakan lebih 400 bungkusan makanan malam kepada mereka yang memerlukan di kawasan tersebut setiap hari, bahkan pengedaran tersebut telah pun dilakukan sejak 1 Mac lalu.

Turut membantu mengedarkan bungkusan tersebut adalah para pemain dan pengurus kelab bola sepak Liga-S, Home United.

Pengasas FFFA, Encik Nizar Md Shariff, berkata melalui penyediaan hidangan makanan halal itu sesama jiran tetangga, semangat kemasyarakatan diharap dapat dijalin dan disemai.

“Satu program penghantaran makan malam telah dimulakan, memberi peluang kepada warga untuk memainkan peranan lebih besar, seperti mengirim makanan kepada jiran terutama warga tua,” kata beliau.

Menurutnya, dalam tempoh setahun akan datang, FFFA berhasrat untuk mengedarkan 150,000 bungkus makanan percuma – lebih seganda jumlah yang diagihkan pada tahun sebelumnya.

FFFA merupakan badan amal berdaftar yang menyediakan makanan secara percuma kepada golongan kurang bernasib baik tidak kira bangsa atau agama.

Ia dimulakan pada November 2014 secara tidak formal dan menjadi badan amal berdaftar pada Jun tahun lalu.

Sejak diasaskan, FFFA telah pun mengedarkan lebih 75,000 bungkusan makanan, tetapi kini ia berhasrat mengedarkan 150,000 bungkusan makanan di bawah kempen tersebut.

Kempen itu dibiayai oleh para penderma individu dan korporat.

Menu makanannya pula berubah-ubah setiap hari tetapi secara umum hidangannya termasuk nasi, sayur dan ayam atau ikan.

Sebelum ini, FFFA juga telah mengedarkan makanan percuma itu di Marsiling, Chai Chee, Marine Parade dan MacPherson, kebanyakannya setiap minggu.

Badan amal itu kini berharap untuk mengumpul wang sejumlah S$300,000 bagi membiayai kempennya dan berharap penderma tampil memberi sumbangan yang boleh dilakukan melalui derma dalam talian menerusi laman Giving.SG ataupun tin derma rumah.

Satu acara mengumpul dana bagi kempen tersebut juga akan diadakan di Pasar Geylang Serai, dari 9 pagi hingga 5 petang, Sabtu ini (2 April).

FFFA turut akan mengadakan klinik bola sepak untuk para belia masyarakat Boon Lay awal bulan depan.

Source: Berita Harian SG

April 1, 2016
Almakhazin: PAP Control Islam For Their Own Political Gains

Contrary to the views of many Muslims, the government does not control MUIS through funding. Government grants makes up barely 5% of MUIS operational expenditure.

Instead, MUIS is controlled through legislation, appointment of its senior officers by the President and Minister and through protocols as demanded for being a statutory body.

MUIS officers also regularly meet with and receive instructions from the PAP Minister in charge of Muslim Affairs, the intelligence departments and Ministry of Home Affairs.

While they do have some discretion in discussing specific, “non-sensitive” items in public, MUIS also receive instruction on what it should discuss and what it should not.

But MUIS is not the only body the PAP uses to promote its political interests.

One of the clearest declaration of how the PAP uses Malay organisations and leaders for its political purpose was made during the Collective Leadership Conference organised by the Association of Muslim Professionals (AMP) in 2000.

AMP proposed the setting up of a Collective Leadership system that involved the convening of an Annual Muslim Congress to discuss the community’s challenges, progress and develop strategies for future development.

For most neutral observer or member of the community, this proposal seems positive and needed. More than 500 Muslim community leaders and organisation representatives attended the event and gave support to the proposal.

What many did not seem to realise was how strongly the PAP would reject it.

The then Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong spoke on the second day of the conference.

He began his speech by reminding AMP that they receive grants from his government.

He then declared that Muslims can discuss the idea for Collective Leadership as much as we want. But it is “a No Go”. We will not be allowed to have a Collective Leadership system or convene the Annual Muslim Congress.

And the reason he gave was simple: the proposal for a non-partisan Muslim leadership that is independent of the PAP…

Represents a threat to the PAP Malay MPs.

According to Chok Tong, a “collective Malay leadership to be elected by Malays only…is clearly a political challenge to the Malay MPs”.

Instead, he declared what the PAP want for the Malay community’s leadership structure:

“At the apex is the Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs. He is assisted by the Malay MPs. They are supported by two key pillars.

MUIS is the first pillar… There must only be one authority in charge of Islamic Affairs, and that is MUIS.”

The second pillar is the government owned MENDAKI.

Chok Tong demanded that we accept the Minister in charge of Muslim Affairs and the PAP MPs as our leaders.

They are supported by MUIS and MENDAKI.

Both organisations are controlled by the PAP.

We are not allowed to elect or appoint our own community’s leaders.

They must be appointed by the PAP.

Our supreme leader, the one at the apex of the community is the PAP politician who reports to his party.

MUIS and Mendaki, the PAP controlled organisations, support him.

We are not to have any leader that is responsible to our community.

Like the Malay MPs, MUIS and Mendaki…

Our leaders can only be appointed by the PAP.

Source: Almakhazin

March 30, 2016