Tag: Singaporeans

We Didn’t Have Willing Fighters: A WWII Survivor Remembers How Singapore Fell

In Mr Ishwar Lall Singh’s Yishun home, the fragments of his military past have lost their shine. A faded peak cap sits on a worn coffee table, sharing the space with long service medals, epaulettes and an old sword caked in rust. But while parts of his uniform have faded, the 87-year-old’s memories of Singapore’s fall to the Japanese remain fresh.

(Photo: Kenneth Lim)

“I was a young 12-, 13-year-old boy,” Mr Ishwar said. “There was a lot of shelling and bombing, a lot of destruction of property, a lot of people being killed – I saw some dead people, with worms crawling in them. I saw that myself.”

Mr Ishwar is a survivor of World War II and part of a group of 61 former veterans and national servicemen who share their experiences regularly with students and active servicemen, as part of a Ministry of Defence programme. Since the programme began in early 2015, the group has reached more than 12,000 individuals, including students from more than 80 schools as well as more than 8,000 people in the Singapore Armed Forces.

“We had to queue up for a few rations of corn bread (which was) difficult to eat, rice and some vegetables,” said Mr Ishwar. “This was given on a whim and fancy – it was not a regular thing. Sometimes we queued up and waited for the ration truck to come, and it never came.”

But for him, the Japanese Occupation was about more than going without food.

“We lost our independence; we were not able to do what we wanted when we wanted. We lost that,” Mr Ishwar said. “The Japanese restricted us from doing quite a lot of things. For example, if you wanted to go to a cinema, there was a fear that if you went to a cinema, you may not come back.”

According to Mr Ishwar, Japanese soldiers would pack cinema audiences into trucks at the end of the shows, driving them to Bahar in Johor.

Mr Ishwar showing old photos from his collection. (Photo: Kenneth Lim)

“We were under British rule, who were not actually looking after us at that time,” he said. “The Japanese were able to force themselves into Singapore because we were not willing fighters. We did not have Singaporeans who were fighting to defend their own country.”

But Mr Ishwar was not one of them. He joined the Indian National Army in 1943. Years later, after working as a trishaw rider, storeman and laundry clerk, he joined the Singapore Volunteer Corps, known today as the People’s Defence Force.

“We kept growing,” he said of the Singapore Armed Forces’ predecessor. “We kept getting better, we started to build camps, we had our National Day Parades, which were very obvious to show that the people were united. We realised the importance of being a free people.”

This year marks the 75th anniversary of Singapore’s fall. And today, the father of three and grandfather of seven said his fight is against complacency, or making sure Singaporeans do not forget “the price of freedom”.

“I am afraid that people in Singapore are not yet aware of this – partly I blame the Government,” he said wryly. “Because we have been at peace for 50 years – that’s the Government’s efficiency, the Government’s effectiveness, but this has made people (assume) that nothing is going to happen.”

“WE WILL HAVE TO UNITE”

While Mr Ishwar regularly shares his story as part of the engagement programme, this is only the beginning for the retired major.

“My hope for Singapore is that it will grow, (that) it will grow peacefully, it will be allowed to grow,” he said. “We will not be bullied, we will not accept bullying – we will have to unite.”

He said one way to do so is to ensure racial harmony truly exists in Singapore.

“The word ‘Singaporean’ must be understood by everybody,” he said, citing weddings or festivals as one way people of different races could get to know each other better.

“We should look at each other as that – not as Chinese, Malay or Indian. This is something we need to understand, to raise our children to think along those lines. If we can begin to understand these things, we will begin to respect each other’s religion. We will begin to respect each other’s race; we will begin to respect each other’s doings.”

“We must always remember that a little spark in the wrong time at the wrong place can cause a lot of problems for Singaporeans,” he added. “And we don’t want that peaceful time that we’ve had for 50 years to be shattered.”

Source: CNA

February 2, 2017
Shanmugam Stresses Need To Uphold Racial Equality

The need for Singapore to remain committed to protecting its minorities was stressed by Home Affairs and Law Minister K. Shanmugam yesterday, as anti-Islamic and anti- immigrant sentiments jolt the world and the region grapples with growing polarisation along religious lines.

“In the face of all this, the Government has to convey a clear message: We are all Singaporeans. We guarantee the safety, security and freedom of religion to all, including the Muslim community,” he said. “And as a community, we must covenant to ourselves to never allow xenophobia and majoritarianism to override the protection and guarantee of equality, particularly to minorities.”

With 74 per cent of the population being Chinese, “our system of elections means majoritarianism could have easily taken hold and can, in future, easily take hold”.

He credits Singapore’s founding leaders for laying the foundation that includes ensuring equal opportunities for the minorities.

Mr Shanmugam’s robust statement on Singapore’s core principle of equality for those of all races and religions follows the upheavals of the past week after US President Donald Trump’s order suspending refugee intake and temporarily keeping the citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries out of the US.

At a seminar on religion, conflict and peacebuilding, he said the US changes, made suddenly, present a serious risk to Singapore. The travel curbs, he noted, reflect anti-Islamic feelings gaining ground in the United States and Europe. “It is a groundswell fuelled by fear and a substantial element of racism. Many otherwise reasonable people are also supporting such movements,” he said.

Singapore, with a 15 per cent Muslim population, could easily slide into a similar situation, he added. Hence, it is imperative that the Government steer clear of engaging in racial politics, Mr Shanmugam said.

But it can do this only with the community’s support, he added.

While the majority must back these efforts, the minorities must play their part, and not grow increasingly exclusive. Both sides need to “work together to increase common space, and work with the Government that is determined to hold the common space together”, he said.

“That is the only way we can resist the tide of populism that is sweeping the rest of the world. We keep to our way of life,” he added.

The two-day symposium is organised by the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies under its Studies in Inter-Religious Relations in Plural Societies Programme.

In his address, Mr Shanmugam sketched his view on what has led to the anti-Islamic wave in the West, Singapore’s approach in avoiding the backlash elsewhere against minorities, and regional trends that could agitate Singapore’s minorities.

Pointing to the Chinese majority, he noted that Singapore has avoided majoritarianism by ensuring equal opportunities regardless of race or religion, guaranteeing religious freedom and clamping down strongly on hate speech.

“The result is, regardless of all else, you can walk with a sense of being yourself, comfortable in your own skin, as an equal citizen… That is the lived reality of a Singaporean,” Mr Shanmugam said.

But this takes work, he said, noting that the Government has not taken a laissez faire approach. Without active state intervention, he said, “you will get segregated communities, segregated schools, the lessening of common space and a reduction of opportunities for minorities”.

Urging racial and religious leaders to champion integration and interaction, he said: “This is critical… to preserve what we have in Singapore.”

Source: ST

February 2, 2017
Singapore Must Guarantee Equality To Minorities: Shanmugam

Faced with issues such as growing Islamophobia and religious extremism, Singapore must never allow xenophobia and majoritarianism to override the protection and guarantee of equality – particularly to minorities, said Singapore Home Affairs and Law Minister K Shanmugam on Wednesday (Feb 1).

“We are all Singaporeans. We guarantee the safety, security and freedom of religion to all, including the Muslim community,” he told a roundtable discussion at a symposium organised by the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS).

Mr Shanmugam opened his speech by revealing he had initially not been slated to speak. “But events around the world give cause for pause, for reflection,” he said, referring to the likes of Brexit and the election of Donald Trump as US president.

“Post-US election, there has been a scramble, to predict the policies of the new Administration and what it means for the world,” Mr Shanmugam said. “We now have had a preview of what might happen … The country whose actions possibly have the greatest importance on the world seeks to change course, and seeks to change course suddenly.”

Pointing to the US exiting the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and banning citizens from seven Muslim-majority countries within a week of Mr Trump assuming office, he said: “When a superpower moves this fast, the rest of us have to avoid being caught in the slipstream.”

He warned that events in the US could impact Singapore on a racial and religious front, specifically the “public disagreement” displayed by Mr Trump’s firing of the acting Attorney-General for opposing his travel ban, protests on the streets and deep splits within Congress.

“There are many consequences to perceptions of the US, its leadership role in the world, and the role the Rule of Law plays and is valued in the US,” said Mr Shanmugam. “One of the consequences … is that it could lead some Muslims around the world to become anti-American, believing that the US has become more Islamophobic.”

“This has serious risks for a lot of people including us.”

Source: CNA

February 2, 2017
Ingin Bantu Pelarian Syria Harungi Musim Sejuk? Semua 70 Masjid S’pura Kumpul Dana Khas Mulai Jumaat Ini

Kita di Singapura, Malaysia dan Indonesia sedang mengalami cuaca dingin yang nyaman. Namun para pelarian Syria kini dibelenggu oleh cuaca amat sejuk, yang menggigit rantau Timur Tengah.

Bermakna, para pelarian Syria kini memerlukan lebih banyak bantuan dan kelengkapan bagi melindungi diri mereka, selain keperluan lain seperti makanan.

Lantaran itu, mulai Jumaat ini (3 Feb), semua 70 masjid di Singapura, dengan kerjasama Yayasan Rahmatan Lil Alamin (RLAF), akan mengadakan kutipan derma khas sempena musim sejuk, bagi membantu para pelarian Syria.

KERJASAMA RLAF, UNHCR & MAHASISWA S’PURA DI JORDAN

Konflik dalam negeri dan peperangan di Syria yang sudah berlarutan hampir enam tahun amat menjejas para penduduknya.

Lebih empat juta rakyat Syria sudahpun melarikan diri dari negara itu dan mendapatkan perlindungan di negara-negara asing seperti Eropah, Turki, Jordan, Lubnan, Iraq dan Mesir.

Di Jordan sahaja, terdapat 650,000 pelarian dan jumlah yang tinggi itu menjejas ke atas sumber-sumber di negara yang juga sedang berusaha memenuhi keperluan rakyatnya sendiri.

(Gambar: MOHAMAD ABAZEED / AFP)

Oleh itu, RLAF akan bekerjasama dengan UNHCR dan badan mahasiswa Singapura di Jordan untuk menghulurkan bantuan dalam program bantuan musim sejuk serta program-program pendidikan bagi kanak-kanak Syria.

KEMPEN KUTIP DANA BERLANGSUNG SELAMA SEMINGGU

Kotak-kotak derma RLAF akan diletakkan di semua 70 masjid dari Jumaat ini sehingga Khamis 9 Februari 2017 dan akan tertera tulisan “Special Winter Collection in Aid of Syrian Refugees”.

Orang ramai boleh menghulurkan derma mereka secara tunai ataupun menerusi cek. Semua derma menerusi cek perlu diberikan kepada “RLAF” dan ditulis “Special Winter Collection in Aid of Syrian Refugees” pada bahagian belakangnya.

Sumbangan wang tunai dan cek boleh dihantar ke Bangunan MUIS di Hab Islam Singapura, No 273, Braddell Road, Singapore 579702.

Selain itu, orang awam juga boleh menyumbang secara online menerusi https://zakat.sg/ePayment/donations.aspx.

RLAF PERNAH BANTU 4,000 KELUARGA SYRIA

Pada tahun 2014, RLAF dan masjid-masjid di Singapura berjaya mengumpulkan lebih $400,000 menerusi dua usaha mengumpul dana bagi para pelarian Syria.

Dana itu digunakan untuk mengagihkan makanan yang sudah dimasak, keperluan bagi lebih 4,000 keluarga Syria, peralatan sekolah bagi kanak-kanak pelarian Syria di tiga buah sekolah di Turki serta kit ubat-ubatan bagi klinik-klinik untuk merawat mereka yang cedera dan kurang upaya.

(Gambar: YASIN AKGUL / AFP)

Yang paling penting, RLAF dengan kerjasama Projek ASRIT (Bantuan untuk Pelarian Syria di Turki) berjaya menubuhkan Pusat Pendidikan Temasek di Kilis, selatan Turki yang mengambil 500 pelajar Syria dari peringkat tadika sehingga pos-menengah setiap tahun. Sehingga kini, pusat ini masih lagi beroperasi.

Source: BeritaMediacorp

February 2, 2017
SMRT Hero Mr Mohamad Nazaruddin Helped Couple Who Delivered A Baby In His Taxi

It was just an ordinary day for Mr Mohamad Nazaruddin, serving passengers just like he did the last two years. Little did he know that it would be life changing as he picked up his first passenger of the day.

These are the words of appreciation from Mdm Ma.elena del Rosario Ortiz: “This is such an unforgettable and remarkable experience. I feel shocked and also overjoyed that my baby girl was born in a taxi. My husband and I would like to thank Mr Mohammad for doing a good job to take care of our baby and reassure us that the baby is fine. It was very well done.”

Mdm Ma.elena’s newborn arrived in Mr Mohamad’s taxi yesterday afternoon while she and her husband were enroute to the hospital for a checkup. Upon noticing that Mdm Ma.elena was in pain, he took the initiative to drive the couple to the nearest hospital. Even before they arrived, the baby was delivered in the taxi! Mr Mohamad remained calm and advised Mr Hamid, Mdm Ma.elena’s husband, on what he had to do to ensure the baby was fine.

The 39 year old taxi partner shared, “I’m lost for words. I’m glad that I’m able to help them in terms of giving them advice on what to do with the baby and ensuring that the baby is safe. I feel great about being part of this amazing journey with the parents. I hope that the family will be happy and joyous and wish them all the best.”

Upon arrival at the hospital, Mr Mohamad immediately got help from the nurses, and waived the taxi fare for Mr and Mrs Hamid. We cannot be happier to be part of this meaningful journey, and extend our congratulations to Mr and Mrs Hamid on their newborn! On this joyous occasion, SMRT will waive Mr Mohamad’s taxi rental for a day 🙂 Kudos to Mr Mohamad, our SMRT taxi partner. #SMRTHeroes

Source: SMRT

February 1, 2017