Tag: Singapore

Indonesia VP Jusuf Kalla Reiterates No Apology Required To Neighbours Over Haze

NEW YORK – Indonesia’s Vice-President Jusuf Kalla has reiterated that Indonesia need not apologise to neighbouring countries over haze from forest fires in Sumatra and Kalimantan.

Indonesia only needs to ensure forest fires that cause haze do not recur, he was quoted as saying on Indonesian news site kompas.com.

“Look at how long they have enjoyed fresh air from our green environment and forests when there were no fires. Could be months. Are they grateful? But when forest fires occur, a month at the most, haze pollutes their regions. So why should there be an apology?” he said during a dialogue session with Indonesians in New York at the Indonesian Consulate-General on Thursday.

He also claimed that companies from neighbouring countries are paying locals to clear lands using the slash-and-burn technique.

This was not the first time Mr Kalla has made such remarks. He made similar remarks between 2005 and 2007 when he was Vice-President to then President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

On Sept 18 this year, he made the same point after meeting Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi at the vice-president’s office.

Mr Kalla said forest fires and destruction were started by foreigners who needed land in the 1960s and 1970s.

They later collaborated with Indonesian entrepreneurs.

“They taught us to destroy forests. As a result, using development as an excuse, our forests were felled. Our peatlands were opened up. Wet peatlands dried up, making them easier to burn,” he said, naming several foreign companies.

He said besides preventing forest fires from recurring, the government has also issued bans on logging and moratoriums on the use of land, including opening up lands for new plantations.

Source: www.straitstimes.com

September 26, 2015
K Shanmugam Rebukes Jusuf Kalla Over Shocking Statements

The ongoing haze crisis, which has affected the lives of millions across Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore, has started to draw strong comments from leaders here.

Foreign and Law Minister K. Shanmugam, in a Facebook post on Thursday night, expressed his unhappiness at what he referred to as “shocking statements made, at senior levels, from Indonesia, with a complete disregard for our people, and their own”.

“How is it possible for senior people in government to issue such statements, without any regard for their people, or ours, and without any embarrassment, or sense of responsibility?” wrote the minister.

Mr Shanmugam did not name any of his Indonesian counterparts or elaborate on the statement in question at the time.

His post on social media came after Indonesian Vice-President Jusuf Kalla had reiterated that Indonesia need not apologise to its neighbours over the haze.

Speaking at a dialogue at the Indonesian Consulate-General in New York on Thursday, Mr Kalla said Indonesia needs only to ensure that forest fires that cause haze do not recur, Kompas daily reported yesterday.

“Look at how long they have enjoyed fresh air from our green environment and forests when there were no fires,” said Mr Kalla.

“Could be months. Are they grateful? But when forest fires occur, a month at the most, haze pollutes their regions. So why should there be an apology?”

He also accused “companies from neighbouring countries” of paying locals to clear lands using the slash-and-burn technique, which have led to the blaze.

Mr Kalla had made similar remarks in previous years.

The most recent occasion was in March this year, when he rapped neighbouring countries for complaining about the haze, asking them to be grateful instead for the clean air they enjoy for the rest of the year.

“For 11 months, they enjoyed nice air from Indonesia and they never thanked us,” he said at the time. “They have suffered because of the haze for one month and they get upset.”

Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong yesterday wrote a post on Facebook directed at Indonesia and the haze crisis.

“Merlion is mythical like the Garuda and will not be affected by the haze. But we humans will be, not just now but also in the long term if haze continues year after year,” he said. The Merlion and Garuda are associated with Singapore and Indonesia respectively.

“If Indonesia can stamp out illegal burning, they will gain investor confidence in their abilities to tackle other complex challenges. The haze is their litmus test for effective administration and regional leadership. We all see it, breathe it; and there is no hiding.”

Source: www.straitstimes.com

September 26, 2015
Foreign Talent Wish To Enjoy Singapore Passport But Unwilling To Serve NS?

Dear Editors,

Saw this posting of crappy FT on the pros and cons of getting SG citizenship for her Son.

What really cheesed me is the policy of having an option for her Son to decide at the age of 21 years whether they want to stay or leave. And still got the cheek to respond they are having the same concerns?

To the FTs here…. If you do not have the intention to let your son serve NS after sponging on us for 21 years, don’t waste our taxpayers money supporting your son.

So this is the type of quality of new citizens our dear 69.x% endorsed has been targeting to secure? Dual passport citizens that runs when it’s time for them to pay back all the benefits they’ve been bestowed by our taxpayers money and enjoyed?!

What kind of crap policy does the incumbent 69.9% have that gives the option to chose which passport to retain at 21 years old?!

True Blue Singaporean
A.S.S. Contributor

Source: www.allsingaporestuff.com

September 25, 2015
She Would Rather Spend To Help Migrants To Makan

She organises dinner parties for migrant workers and Singaporeans – and they cost more than $1,000 each time.

But 29-year-old self-employed tech entrepreneur Adrianna Tan told The New Paper: “I really don’t mind spending that money because this means more to me than shoes and handbags.”

She said it gives the groups an opportunity to mingle and to get to know one another, rather than living in different worlds.

Miss Tan tries to gather about 100 migrant workers and 100 Singaporeans for every Kitchen Culture dinner, which happens once every three months.

It takes her and her team of volunteers about two weeks to organise each dinner.

Miss Tan and the other Kitchen Culture volunteers head down to hot spots where migrant workers hang out and hand out fliers to invite them to dinner.

The volunteers share the duties involved, such as ordering and collecting the food and inviting guests.

Miss Tan said that Kitchen Culture is not an attempt to “quell or address xenophobia”, but it “raises awareness of some of the migrant groups present among us”.

She said: “I was shocked at some of the rampant anti-foreigner sentiments that I came across online and even in real life.

“I am disappointed at how acceptable it seems to be for some people to say things like foreign talents are the cause of all our problems or that they hate a specific group of people.”

Even though she goes on business trips almost every week, Miss Tan does not think she will be stopping these dinner parties any time soon, especially after receiving an appreciative message from one of the migrant workers who attended a dinner party.

She said: “The text message read: ‘Thank you for the dinner party. Today was the best day of my life.’

Said Miss Tan: “Knowing that I managed to make such an impact on someone’s life is a priceless feeling.”

I really don’t mind spending that money because this means more to me than shoes and handbags.

— Miss Adrianna Tan

Foreigner volunteers weekly despite language barrier

COMMITTED: Volunteers from Art of Living Foundation visit the Kang Le Day Care Centre every week. PHOTO: HCA

On Saturdays, while everyone else is enjoying the weekend, senior engineer Rohit Raghuveer of Micron Semiconductor Asia is working.

But he doesn’t mind, asking for such arrangement so that he gets Mondays free to volunteer at Kang Le Day Care Centre in Marsiling.

He leads the senior citizens there in simple yoga exercises and spends time talking to them.

Mr Rohit, 34, is part of Art of Living Foundation, which helps out at the different hospice around Singapore.

“There are challenges,” he said.

“There are days where the patients are less motivated to do the exercises, so I have to be understanding and tell them to take it easy.

“Sometimes, I might speak too fast. And with my accent, they don’t always catch what I’m saying, so I always have to remind myself to slow down.”

But the challenges do not deter Mr Rohit, who moved to Singapore from India five years ago.

He said: “The challenges make me want to go back because it’s such a fulfilling feeling when I’m able to improve someone’s mood, even if it’s just for a day.”

Mr Rohit started volunteering at the centre about three months ago and has enjoyed “every minute spent with the residents” despite the communication barriers.

He gets the staff to help him communicate with some of the residents who speak only Chinese dialects.

But even with such a hurdle, Mr Rohit said he “never wants to miss a class with them”.

He said: “I’ve developed some kind of a friendship with them.

“Now that we have done a few classes together, they can even predict what I’m going to ask them to do next. For example, if they see that I’m about to ask them to raise their hands, some of them would rush their hands up in the air before I can finish my sentence. This amuses them.”

It’s not only the fun times that keeps Mr Rohit going back, but also the way the residents greet him on each visit.

HELLO

“Just from the way they say hello, that already puts a smile on my face.

All the students have their own way of greeting me when they see me and it’s really cute,” said Mr Rohit.

“Some of them come up to me and shake my hand, while others flash the most endearing smiles. The more energetic ones even come up to me for high-fives.

“It is little things like this that make me want to keep coming back to spend time with them every week.”

When asked why helping the local community is important to him, Mr Rohit said: “It doesn’t matter that I’m not helping other migrant workers who are like me.

“This is the community I live in and this is the society that I’m supposed to help and give back to.”

Some of them come up to me and shake my hand, while others flash the most endearing smiles. The more energetic ones even come up to me for high-fives.

– Mr Rohit Raghuveer, a senior engineer who moved to Singapore from India five years ago, volunteers at the Kang Le Day Care Centre in Marsiling

Filipina helps foreign workers integrate

PHOTO COURTESY OF MISS JOSETTE CAHINOSAYAN

She teaches foreign workers English at the Westlite Dormitory in Mandai every other Sunday.

It is a 30-minute journey each direction, but Miss Josette Cahinosayan, 31, said: “It’s worth it.”

Happy Happy English (HHE), which started in January last year, aims to give foreign workers confidence in speaking functional English and to make them feel welcome in Singapore.

Under HHE, Miss Cahinosayan, who has lived in Singapore for the past five years, helps migrant workers integrate and learn about Singapore.

The systems engineer said: “Just last month, as part of SG50, we gave them some insight into Singapore history.

“Also, as part of awareness, we taught them simple etiquette, like keeping left when on the road or when walking on the pavement.

“They are earning a living, just like you and me. The only difference is they come from a different culture and we need to make the effort to understand their culture so we can connect with them.

“They sacrifice so much for their families back home and all they are trying to do is what you and I would do if we faced the same struggles.”

KEEN

Miss Cahinosayan said the migrant workers are “extremely appreciative of the lessons and always very keen to learn more”.

“As part of the lessons, we just try and teach them how to communicate better, like asking people for directions or speaking to their supervisors,” she said.

“But even if it’s just that, it’s nice to see how much it means to them.

“They get so excited that some of them even teach their children over the phone the things they have learnt.

“Nothing beats the satisfaction I get as a volunteer when I see the joy in their eyes.”

They sacrifice so much for their families back home and all they are trying to do is what you and I would do if we faced the same struggles.

– Miss Josette Cahinosayan (photo, right) with another volunteer

Source: www.tnp.sg

September 25, 2015
Walid J. Abdullah: Muslims Must Repond To Provocations In A Way That Helps The Ummah

Muslims must really learn not to let ourselves get provoked so easily; sometimes there is no need to glorify provocations with even a response. And when a response is needed, it must be done in a way that helps the ummah; not in a way that hurts it, and definitely not a response that is designed just to vent one’s frustrations. No doubt, we must feel angry about certain, or rather, many, things, but being angry does not mean we do not react intelligently.

Additionally, we must be fair in dealing with others. I really do not buy the idea that we must respect every single belief that differs from ours: there are many beliefs that we argue to be false, so it is ridiculous to say that we must ‘respect’ those beliefs.

Rather, a more appropriate call would be for us to respect the right of others to believe in whatever they wish to believe, even if we think their beliefs are ludicrous. Remember, many of our own beliefs are regarded as absurd by others, and we should not demand they respect our beliefs (if they did, they would be Muslim already); but we must demand they respect our right to believe in whatever we do.
By the same token, we must respect the right of others to disagree with us.

(How that disagreement should manifest itself, is clearly dependent on the social, political and cultural context of a nation/society.)

We must also remember one thing: if we do not display maturity in responding to differences and/or provocations, we are essentially giving the state fodder to justify its interventionist and muscular policies.

‘See, we told you religion can be a divisive force, that is why we must constantly keep a lid on it.’

If we persist in doing that, then we should not really complain when we witness the strong arm of the state everywhere.

Source: Walid J. Abdullah

September 25, 2015