Tag: Singaporeans

Damanhuri Abas: I Protest Benjamin Netanyahu’s Planned Visit To Singapore

I read with great consternation that Singapore will be hosting the Israeli PM, Benjamin Netanyahu as a state guest.

The Israeli PM is directly responsible for the current continued oppression of the Palestinian people through its illegal occupation of Gaza and the West Bank as stated by numerous UN resolutions which Israel continuously ignores with the shameful backing of the US government. Its occupying forces conducts numerous crimes against Palestinian civilians and its forces have conducted many agressions in occupied Palestinian territories that are culpable to war crimes, as recent as the last Gaza incursion in 2014 that claims thousands of Palestinian lives through excessive use of powerful bombs on densely populated Palestinian residential areas.

The Singapore government may seem to think that it is acceptable to host the Israeli PM afterall the Israelis are the pioneering country that provided military assistance in terms of training and guidance to the Singapore Armed Forces when Singapore first setup its nascent military defence unit after independence.

It serves as no great solace to know that we had relied on Israeli military advice and guidance in the formation of our Armed Forces. This is especially so as a Malay/Muslim Singaporean who has felt direct discrimination towards his race in the Singapore Armed Forces.

This discrimination has most probably arisen from the advice and guidance of the Israeli military consultants who may have sowed distrust towards the Malay/Muslim citizens serving the Singapore Armed Forces likely rationalized and justified by their own experience and paranoia towards the Palestinan people (and the Arabs too) that they have kept under siege for 60 years encounting with no end to hostility nor nearing any peaceful settlement to the last remaining illegal occupation to exist on God’s earth.

Such inhumane treatment that the Israelis imposed upon the Palestian people in the occupied territories has resulted in extreme distrust between them and the Palestinians and overtime have led to a toxic unsustainable relationship based on fears and suspicion with no end in sight.

Likewise, a toxic relationship too may have emerged in our own land caused by our own policies for the last 50 years that blankets the entire Malay/Muslim population as suspicious and not to be fully trusted to be given full access to all military positions, especially so-called ‘sensitive areas’ in the Singapore Armed Forces. This unjustified and unproven fears that have shaped and colored policies preventing Malay/Muslim citizens full meritocratic access to all possible ranks and files in the military must end immediately.

Only when this happens will the process of correction and rapprochement begin to eradicate the poisoned perceptions that have developed overtime by the majority towards Malay/Muslim trustworthiness in and beyond the Military into other aspects of society. This disriminatory policy must stop for the sake of fairness, justice and a true harmonious multi-racial/multi-religious Singapore that we intend to build for this nation.

For all the above reasons, as a Malay/Muslim Singaporean I protest the coming of Mr Benjamin Netanyahu to my country. He is also an alleged war criminal.

I forward below an email from our very own Dr Ang Swee Chai from Medical Aid for Palestinian, a London based NGO, in support of my involvement in previous protest effort against the brutal acts of the Israeli government towards the Palestinian people that the invited Isreali PM is currently heading.

—— Forwarded message ———-
From: SWEE ANG <[email protected]>
Date: Fri, Nov 23, 2012 at 3:08 AM
Subject: In support of your work
To: “[email protected]” <[email protected]>
Cc: AimeeShalan <[email protected]>, stevenjames <[email protected]>

Dear Damanhuri Abas and FMSA,

Thank you for emailing me so that I can support what you and the Fellowship of Muslim Students Association are doing. As you know a ceasefire is in place after 150 Gazans were killed and nearly a thousand injured. As you know Gaza is half the size of Singapore and home to 1.7 million people, 80% of them refugees from the rest of Palestine. They were forced out from the rest of Palestine in 1948 and took refuge in Gaza. Since 2007 Gaza’s people are under constant military blockade. All her borders with Israel are sealed by the military and none can move in or out, except through Rafah which until recently was also closed by President Mubarak. The sea of Gaza is manned by Israeli warships and no one from Gaza can wander beyond 3 nautical miles. The targetting of fishing boats and killing and injury of fishermen by warships firing at them even with the 3 nautical miles are all too often.

Even before this recent assault, military helicopters regularly fly into Gaza and kill and injure civilians. When you hear the word targets mentioned by the BBC and the Western Press, you do not hear the cries of the mothers who lost their babies, who are sometimes just called collateral damage. The skies of Gaza are patrolled by drones and the whole of Gaza is under surveillance and drone attacks are frequent.

Electricity is scarce, many of the 21,000 homes and buildings destroyed from Cast Lead four years ago not rebuilt since there is also a blockade on building materials. The schools destroyed during Cast Lead are also not rebuilt and children are now crammed into whatever school buildings which are still functional. Many people are still living in tents or in temporary buildings. Unemployment is high since factories and workshops cannot function and even if they function the military siege makes it impossible to export their goods and import raw materials. It is the same with agriculture produce – all forms of trade is made impossible by the blockade. Hospitals are starved of medical supplies.

Water is also a problem in Gaza since Israel has dug deep wells and siphoned off the natural water from Gaza. The water from Gaza now is heavily polluted and contains high nitrates and unfit for washing and drinking.

You can find more facts from various sources including from the website of Medical Aid for Palestinians and Palestine Solidarity Campaign – I have only given you a very sketchy description.

So when F16s bomb Gaza the last 9 days, hitting hundreds of “targets” daily, those of us who know Gaza well can only cry out in shock and anger against this atrocity and injustice. Yet many of us are astonished by the courage of people in Gaza in resisting the assault. The ceasefire is agreed on mainly because Israel knows it cannot beat down Gaza despite pounding it incessantly with bombs. They had planned a land invasion but did not go through with it not because they are humane, but because they know they cannot win and do not have the stomach to go through with it. Hilary Clinton got to turn round from her visit to Burma to fly Cairo to support a truce called by the new Egyptian Government.

Your supporters need to know the following:

Israel is the sixth largest military power in the world. In 2009 it has –

200-300 nuclear warheads
300 F16s
60 military helicopters
60 warships
3650 tanks
Plus daily military aid of eight million dollars from the USA ( as opposed to non-military aid) and the huge support of the Western Press and governments.

Palestine has none of the above. Gaza has home made rockets.

But Palestine has truth on her side. Despite the killing and the suppression of truth, people from all over the world are beginning to find out. And I hope your meeting will help others understand what is going on. Up to 1982, I was the victim of lies against the Palestinians until I went out to work in Sabra and Shatilla. By God’s grace I have seen the truth and may this never depart from me.

I hope one day your Association will have the chance to visit Gaza and West Bank, and meet the people there. But until then take it from me that it is a great honour to be able to support them. For me it is a personal privilege that Medical Aid for Palestinians have been able to be partners to the humanitarian Palestinian institutions in Gaza, West Bank and in Lebanon. I hope your institution will be the same.

Best wishes
Dr Ang Swee Chai.
22 November 2012

Source: Damanhuri Abas

November 1, 2016
Israel’s PM Benjamin Netanyahu To Become First Israeli Prime Minister To Visit Singapore

Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu looks set to become the first sitting Israeli Prime Minister to visit Singapore.

According to a Jerusalem Post report, the 67-year-old announced he would make the trip at a cabinet meeting on Sunday (30 October). It would be a reciprocal visit for the one that Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong made to Israel in April.

The Republic is one of four countries Netanyahu plans to visit, in addition to Australia, Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan. No exact dates were given.

“Israel’s international relations are spreading in Asia, Africa, Latin America, and many other places,” said Netanyahu. “We realise that this development flows from Israel’s technological and economic strength on one hand, and its security and intelligence capabilities on the other.”

In November 1986, Israeli president Chaim Herzog paid a three-day official visit to Singapore, sparking protests by various political groups in Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei.

According to a Straits Times report from 1986, they urged Singapore to call off Herzog’s visit by taking into account the prevailing sympathy of Muslims in the region towards the Palestinians’ struggle against the Israeli government.

Source: https://sg.news.yahoo.com

November 1, 2016
Abdilar Zamzuri: Speaking English Is A Must For Service Staff

At the payment counter…

Me: Do you have a gift wrapping service?

Cashier stares blankly at me

Me: Do you have a gift wrapping service? (gestures wrapping an item)

Cashier looks lost: Master or Nets?

Me: Nets. Wrap present, where? Can speak English?

Cashier: Huh.. No.

Me turns to another staff: Do you have a gift wrapping service?

Other Staff: Level 2, Customer Service Counter.

I understand that we have a lot of foreigners working here but really, I don’t think I’m the only one who’s faced such a problem.

Frontline officers need to be adequately trained to he prepared to handle simple queries. After all, they are the face of the company, not the management.

It is incidents such as this that leaves a bad taste and a bad impression. A happy and joyous occasion can easily and quickly change to be one that is quite the opposite.

Source: Abdilar Zamzuri

October 31, 2016
MOE And FAS Confirm Revamp Of Schools Competition

The Ministry of Education (MOE) and the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) have confirmed that the national ‘B’ division schools football competition will be revamped next year, with the proposed new tournament format allowing each school to play more matches.

Under the current competition set-up, schools are divided into four groups in each of the four zones (North, South, East and West). The top two teams from each group progress to their respective zonal knockout stages, and teams that reach the zonal semi-finals also qualify for the national championships.

Schools who fail to make it past the initial group stage however, will be eliminated. This means that most of the school teams play only five games a year on average, while the finalists get to play 18 games.

However, TODAY understands that under the proposed new format, teams will be segregated into three divisions after the group stage.

The top two teams in each group will qualify for the School Premier League 1 (SPL 1), while the third and fourth-placed teams will advance to the SPL 2. The remaining teams will be grouped in the School Zonal League (SZL).

The 16 teams in SPL 1 and SPL 2 will then be divided into four groups. They will play home-and-away round-robin matches, with the winner of each group moving onto the semi-finals.

Similarly, in the SZL, likely to be contested by eight schools, the teams will be divided into two groups of four. The top two in each group will advance to the semi-finals.

These changes will see each team playing at least eight games each year. The finalists for the SPL 1 and 2 get to play 16 games in total, while the finalists in the SZL will play 10 games.

The MOE and FAS, who will jointly organise next year’s competition, met with the participating schools last week to brief them about the proposed changes and gather feedback.

“MOE and FAS will be co-organising the ‘B’ Division National School Games (NSG) Football tournament from 2017 to enhance the competition experiences for our students,” an MOE spokesperson told TODAY.

“This collaboration will allow more schools to play more matches as part of the NSG, in support of students’ development.

“MOE is currently working with FAS on the details of the competition, including the changes in the competition format. MOE will brief the participating schools when the details have been finalised.”

An FAS spokesman added: “One of the key objectives of the proposed changes is to give our youth footballers more balanced and competitive matches, which will contribute to their development.

“We are in the final stage of discussions, and an announcement will be made in due course.”

The revamp is part of the FAS’ development plan for youth football, which was conceptualised and unveiled by technical director Michel Sablon earlier this year.

The 68-year-old, widely recognised as the man who transformed Belgium into a footballing powerhouse, had then highlighted the need for school players to have more match experience, which he believes will go a long way to developing them into better footballers in future.

TODAY understands that most schools were pleased with the proposed changes, although there are concerns that the additional matches will lead to a packed schedule, leaving little time for coaches to organise training sessions.

A school teacher, who spoke on condition of anonymity, praised the new initiatives. “This is a positive move by the MOE and FAS because a lot of our players crave to play more matches,” he said.

“But friendly games are logistically hard to arrange, so once the team is out of the competition, there is nothing to draw the students back to committing their time to training.

“A longer season will also mean more game time for the team, which is important for the students if they are to develop into better players.”

A school football coach, who also did not want to be named, added: “I’m glad this is being put in place. The only way for players to improve is to have more match experience.

“It is especially crucial during their developmental years. This is when they start to progress from learning the basics of football to understanding things like tactics, positioning and awareness. All these traits are best honed during a match-setting.”

TODAY also understands that the MOE is studying a proposal by the FAS to change the Primary School football competition to 8v8 or 9v9 matches instead of the current 11-aside format, while also ensuring that every team will get to play more matches

Source: TODAY Online

October 31, 2016
Student Expelled, Several Caned For Taking Upskirt Images Of Teacher

A student was expelled and several others caned after they were found to be in possession of upskirt images of six female teachers from their secondary school.

Seven boys were found to have taken the photos and videos with their smartphones, and 23 others received and/or shared the images.

The expelled boy had been involved in a similar incident at his previous school.

He was found to be in possession of the images but he was not the one who had recorded them, said the principal.

After receiving a tip-off about the incident, The New Paper yesterday contacted the all-boys school, which confirmed the incident.

The principal told TNP that the school received information about the upskirt images on Oct 5 and immediately started an investigation to round up the culprits.

He said: “We found there were students taking upskirt photos and videos, and sharing them. There were 30 students.”

He also said the school decided to handle the matter internally after he gave the teachers the option of making a police report.

But when contacted last night, the police told TNP that they had received a report on the incident, and investigations were ongoing. It is not known who had made the report.

We are not naming the school to protect the victims.

The 30 boys, most of whom are in Secondary 2 and 3, and a handful of them in Sec 1, had upskirt images of six female teachers.

Some of the boys were caned to send a strong message – this is not how you treat women – to the school population.

As it was during the exam period, the school punished them only after their exams were over.

TWO STROKES EACH

On Oct 19, the seven main culprits, who are in Sec 1 to Sec 3, were caned in front of their respective levels. They were given two strokes each on the buttocks.

The principal said nine others who had received and shared the images were given similar caning but in his office.

The remaining culprits were given suspended caning punishment, detention duties and told to return to school during the holidays for counselling sessions.

Should they commit other offences, they will be caned.

Their parents have been informed about the incident and the punishment meted out.

On the caning of the students, the principal said he needed to send a strong message to them and the school population that this kind of behaviour would not be tolerated and would be dealt with swiftly.

He added: “The school takes a serious view of misconduct by students.”

On the expelled student, the principal said the boy had been given a second chance by the school after he was involved in a similar incident at another school.

“We took him in and gave him a chance, but he did not use it. We want to help young people learn, that’s why we were prepared to give him that chance,” he said.

“It was heartbreaking he did not take that opportunity.”

The principal added that the six teachers were like his daughters and he had held many meetings with them.

“To see someone do something like this to them, it’s very painful. I don’t want to see anyone hurt in this manner,” he said.

The principal also said that the teachers were angry but he commended them for talking to the culprits to tell them that what they did was wrong.

He added that when the boys realised what they had done, “the impact of how much they have hurt their teachers was very painful”.

“They cried, they knew they were wrong. Their teachers forgave them.”

The principal said he told the teachers they were free to make police reports, and he also informed the culprits’ parents what he had told the teachers.

SAD

“Some of them were sad their sons were so thoughtless and disrespectful towards their teachers,” said the principal.

He added that the 30 culprits had been stripped of any awards they had won this year to show the severity of the situation. They are also not allowed to take their smartphones to school until further review.

The principal said the school had reminded all students about good moral values and how technology should not be abused.

He reminded all his students: “It’s not acceptable behaviour for young men. As men, they are supposed to protect the ladies, not take advantage of them. To do something like this is so very wrong.”

It’s not acceptable behaviour for young men. As men, they are supposed to protect the ladies, not take advantage of them. To do something like this is so very wrong.

– The school principal

Expert: Emphasis should be on seeking help

The behaviour of the boy who was expelled twice because of upskirt images in his phone may be leaning towards fetishism, said a psychiatrist in private practice, Dr Lim Boon Leng.

The teenager will need to undergo a psychiatric evaluation to firm up such a diagnosis.

Dr Lim told The New Paper yesterday: “Many of these deviant sexual practices start young.

“When they are at the age of sexual awakening, sometimes, the way teenagers get sexual gratification becomes deviant.”

But one thing is clear: Expulsion from school does nothing for the boy, he said.

“It is in no way beneficial for the child, but the school has its own rules. It is its prerogative to decide what is best for the teachers and students,” he said.

“Losing schoolmates and support may worsen the child’s stress levels, which may in turn worsen his behaviour.

“But the emphasis, regardless of expulsion, should be on seeking help.”

Lawyer Steven Lam of Templars Law agreed, saying: “If it’s not a first-time offence, maybe something needs to be done.

“For example, he may need more than just caning. He may need to understand earlier rather than later that his actions carry consequences.

“If a report had been made the first time (he offended), the boy would have been put under probation and he could have been sent for counselling.”

Shooting upskirt photos or videos is included in the offences under insulting a woman’s modesty. So is circulating such content. Uploading it online aggravates the offence.

Should schools make a police report on these offences?

Yes, theoretically, said Mr Lam.

“Strictly speaking, a report ought to be lodged. But bearing in mind the ages of the offenders, schools may exercise discretion,” he said.

“If you look at the offence and age, the long and short of it is that if a report is made, the police will investigate and the child will be impacted – so schools may exercise that discretion.”

Hilborne Law’s Rajan Supramaniamsaid that delicate situations involving young people should be dealt with sensitively.

Schools can conduct internal investigations and rope in counsellors to deal with the situation.

The onus is on the complainant – in this case, the teachers – to make police reports, he said.

Dr Lim said that such offences among youngsters could be prevented if taboo subjects like fetishism were more openly discussed.

“Sexual education now focuses on teenage pregnancy and abstinence. The curriculum can include deviant sexual practices, which are actually unhealthy, so that teenagers can learn about them when they undergo sexual education and seek help from counsellors,” he said.

Parents also have a very important role to play.

“What we notice is that during their children’s teenage years, parents tend to leave them on their own, thinking they are old enough to fend for themselves,” said Dr Lim.

“The communication may be very minimal and the children may be going through difficulties without their parents knowing.

“This can be prevented if parents can be more appropriately open in discussing sexual issues like gender, identity and sexual orientation.”

Source: The New Paper

October 31, 2016