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Tag: Singaporeans

  • Angry Abang: Malay Community Must Not Look Down On Members Who Speak Malay

    Angry Abang: Malay Community Must Not Look Down On Members Who Speak Malay

    So everyone is talking about this Coco girl who is faking her accent to claim that she is mix. And everyone is like slamming her for it. Some people are going to the extent of saying that she is forgetting her roots and that she is just some Malay minah.

    I would just like to then ask a question—How about the Malays who are being fucking put down for TRYING to speak MALAY, but now feel inferior, cos people keep saying that they have a funny accent?

    Bear with me…. I am trying to make my point.

    I am MALAY. I am fucking proud to be a MALAY, because I believe that the MELAYUS have a rich culture and tradition. However, I have a problem. I have a speech problem. It was hard for me to admit it back then, but thanks to the people around me, I am slowly gaining the confidence to speak the language.

    It all started with my life in primary school. Not to sound pompous, but somehow, I was among the few Malays who got into the A class. I was in primary 2A, 3A, 4A, 5A, 6A. My father was a very strict man (actually he still is). If I were to drop in my grades back then, I would have to answer to the buckle of the belt. So that explains my grades, and my overachieving nature in primary school. Being the few Malays in my class, and a painfully shy one, my close friends are therefore those in the same class as me; all of them are non-Malays. I did try to mix with the Malays from the other classes during the common Malay Language classes. However, the Malays in the other classes weren’t so open to making friends with me, cos they say “I eat ‘babi’ with the students in my class, and therefore I am haram”. So I spoke a lot more English and a bit of Mandarin in primary school. However, I did well in Malay writing classes—I even have a few of my writings published in the newspaper… My mum even had them laminated and stuck onto the fridge till today. But I couldn’t speak Malay fluently.

    In secondary school, I had to take Malay O level twice cos the first time I took it, I scored C5 for the first attempt… and having Malay teachers who literally slept in class wasn’t helping the situation. But I finally managed to get A2 in the end. The oral examiners weren’t so impressed with the way I spoke in Malay.

    In Madrasah, there is also the equivalent of PSLE. For the oral examination, you had to read a few pages of the Quran, which I did. In my head, I thought I did okay… that is until the Ustazah, who is the teacher, openly asked me if I had mixed parentage. I innocently told her that my father is Malay and my Mother is Javanese. I had no idea why she asked the question in the first place. She then asked her next question—Abeh kenapa awak baca Quran macam ada slang? (translation—Why are you reading the Quran with an accent?).

    Many years ago, I was also dropped out of a Malay production because apparently my accent couldn’t be improved within the rehearsal period.

    Then I also attended an audition for another Malay stage production. During the audition, I was asked to do a monologue in Malay. I did. At the end of the audition, the director, asked me in a condescending tone, “when you sleep, do you dream in Malay or English?” At this point the other panellists started laughing. I remembered walking out of the audition room feeling humiliated and hopeless. I remembered cursing the production and hoping that it would never fucking make it to stage… this is something that I am not proud of. Anyway, the production never did make it to stage. I also remembered wanting to give up speaking Malay or ever wanting to do any production in Malay.

    However…

    I persevered. I still kept on speaking the language even though I have to, most of the time, struggle a lot. And I am not afraid to claim out loud that I am Malay. And right now, I am using my company A.D.I Concept as a platform to front productions that explore Malay cultures, tradition and the different superstitious beliefs. I am still trying to improve on my Malay, even though the accent is still stuck there.

    The point I want to make out of this long post is… There are MALAYS who are fucking trying to be proud of the language and culture and tradition. WE ARE FUCKING TRYING. SO BEAR THAT IN MIND BEFORE YOU PUT US DOWN JUST COS WE HAVE AN ACCENT. WE ARE FUCKING TRYING.

    Terima kasih kerana sudi membaca. Thank you for reading.

     

    Source: Adi Jamaludin

  • Mohamed Jufrie Mahmood: Why Does Singapore Continue To Do Business With Myanmar Despite The Gross Human Rights Violations On Rohingyas?

    Mohamed Jufrie Mahmood: Why Does Singapore Continue To Do Business With Myanmar Despite The Gross Human Rights Violations On Rohingyas?

    Just like their persecuted brothers in Mindanao, southern Thailand and elsewhere in the world, the Rohingyas are finally making moves to protect themselves.

    myanmar-fighting-back

    The question now is, will Singapore continue supplying arms to those who are persecuting and murdering them.

    The bigger question is, why did Singapore even start to work closely with and supply arms to the generals knowing very well that the arms would be used against the local population since the country was and is still not under any form of external military threat?

    Are we doing it for the money?

     

    Source: Mohamed Jufrie Mahmood

  • Mother And 3-Month-Old Baby Daughter Found Dead At Foot Of Fajar Road Flat

    Mother And 3-Month-Old Baby Daughter Found Dead At Foot Of Fajar Road Flat

    A mother and her baby daughter were found dead at the foot of Block 443B Fajar Road in Bukit Panjang on Wednesday (Nov 23) morning.

    Police told The New Paper (TNP) they were alerted to the case at around 6.40am.

    Officers found them motionless and paramedics pronounced them dead at the scene.

    The mother was 29 years old while the baby was about three months old.

    When TNP arrived at the scene, a neighbour said she had heard a loud sound in the morning.

    Neighbours said they later saw a blue tent and a white canvas sheet covering the bodies.

    Police have classified the case as an unnatural death.

     

    Source: www.tnp.sg

     

  • Singapore’s Next President: A Look At Potential Candidates

    Singapore’s Next President: A Look At Potential Candidates

    Amendments to the Constitution were passed on Nov 9, with Members of Parliament voting in favour of the Government’s proposed changes to the Elected Presidency 77 to six.

    Apart from tightening the eligibility criteria and strengthening the powers of the Council of Presidential Advisers, the Amendment Bill also put in place a “hiatus-triggered model” to ensure multi-racial representation in the Presidential office.

    Under the new rules, the next Presidential Election – due Aug 26 next year – will be reserved for Malay candidates. This means Singaporeans will have their first Malay President since Mr Yusof Ishak died in office nearly 50 years ago.

    After the amendments were passed, names of several potential frontrunners have surfaced. These are prominent figures in the Malay community, and are from both the public and private sectors.

    Leading the list is current Speaker of Parliament Halimah Yaacob, a former unionist and an MP for Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC.

    Former Minister and Speaker of Parliament Abdullah Tarmugi has also been tipped to be a potential candidate. Mr Abdullah – who was part of the nine-man Constitutional Commission that reviewed the elected presidency – reportedly said he has not given the idea of running much thought, and that friends have encouraged him to do so.

    Current Ministers Yaacob Ibrahim and Masagos Zulkifli, and former MP Zainul Abidin Rasheed have also been identified as possible candidates.

    Potential candidates from the private sector include Bank of Singapore CEO Bahren Shaari and Public Service Commission member Po’ad Mattar. So far, none of them have indicated any interest in contesting.

    CANDIDATES FACE “UNIQUE CHALLENGE”

    Political observers told Channel NewsAsia that candidates in this first ever reserved election face a very unique challenge.

    “This person has to tread a very fine line between being the best of breed that that ethnic community can offer and yet also be that quintessential Singaporean that all voters feel they have an affinity for,” said Dr Gillian Koh, Deputy Director (Research), Institute of Policy Studies.

    This means candidates cannot limit themselves to speaking about issues concerning their own community, and must represent the values and ideals of a multicultural Singapore.

    “We look at the example of Mr Yusof Ishak, when he was President. He was the managing editor of Utusan Melayu, a very Malay-rights newspaper. But when he became Yang-di-Pertuan Negara in 1959 and later as President in 1965, he represented Singapore. He spoke about multi-culturalism, equality of rights,” said Dr Norshahril Saat, Fellow, ISEAS Yusof Ishak Institute.

    Singapore Management University Associate Professor Eugene Tan noted: “Candidates can set the tone as well by putting forth their vision or how they are going to promote and practise multiracialism through the office of the elected president.”

    Political observers also stressed that candidates must be aware of what their role as President constitutes, reinforcing what Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong had said in Parliament.

    Mr Lee recounted that in the 2011 Presidential Election, a candidate championed a S$60 billion economic plan to create jobs and enterprise, while another proposed better recognition for national servicemen, and more help for the poor and unemployed.

    These issues, according to Mr Lee, are the Government’s responsibility.

    “The purpose of having a President is not as a check and balance to Parliament. So I think one issue that the candidates should avoid is to act as if they can check the Government. They can’t because they’re largely symbolic even though they have custodial powers,” said Dr Norshahril.

    Instead, candidates should put forth issues of national unity, said Dr Koh.

    “There’s always a lot of goodwill that’s conferred onto the person who occupies the office of President. So I think the candidates can talk a little bit about their lifetime interests, or things that they can use the office to develop so that it contributes to community building for Singaporeans at large,” she added.

    Observers said candidates should also highlight their track record, to show voters why he or she is the most qualified for the office.

    While the role is largely ceremonial, the President still holds other important responsibilities, such as acting as the custodian of the nation’s reserves, and representing Singapore internationally.

    “ENSURE THAT EVERY VOTE COUNTS”

    Critics have warned that a reserved election could lead voters to think that there is no need to be engaged and vote for the best minority candidate. This is why, according to observers like Associate Professor Tan and Dr Norshahril, there is a need for candidates to engage all Singaporeans in their campaign.

    “It is important for them to have their say. Not just having their say, but also having an informed say. So it’s not only being engaged so that they can determine who is better suited for the job, who would engender greater confidence and trust amongst the voters,” said Associate Professor Tan.

    Dr Norshahril noted: “You must ensure that every vote counts. You must ensure that citizens feel that their vote counts. Candidates must come out very strongly and tell voters that they’re voting for the future of Singapore.”

     

    Source: www.channelnewsasia.com

  • Walid J. Abdullah: What Would Malay Community Feel About Affirmative Action-President?

    Walid J. Abdullah: What Would Malay Community Feel About Affirmative Action-President?

    Some people have made the point that having a Malay president would be a good sign to the rest of the world, and that when people of other countries see a Malay as a President of a non-Malay majority country, it looks good for both Malays and Singapore. Which is a fair point.

    However, looking at the matter a bit deeper, one could perhaps see some flaws in that line of argumentation. Firstly, how many non-Singaporeans really care about (the ethnicity of) our President? And secondly, for those who do, would they not be aware that the President was there by legislation, and not after a fair electoral battle with people of other ethnicities?

    But more importantly, the Presidency – it needs to be reiterated – is a symbolic, ceremonial post: not one with significant powers. Having a Malay Foreign Minister, one who deals with other countries perhaps only less than the Prime Minister, would be a far greater achievement, for example. A Minister, in a parliamentary system like Singapore’s, wields more influence and has more responsibilities than the head of state.
    (Incidentally, most of our Foreign Ministers have been Indian, perhaps to highlight the avowed multi-racial nature of our nation.)

    And i cannot help but wonder how the non-Malays in our country would actually feel about the President. Would they have genuine respect for that person, or would they – consciously or otherwise – feel that she, err i mean he/she, is there only because of affirmative action.

     

    Source: Walid J.Abdullah

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