Tag: Singaporeans

Indonesian Coordinating Minister For Politics, Law and Security: Singapore’s One Aircraft Offer Is “Insulting”

JAKARTA — Singapore’s offer in September of only “one aircraft” to Indonesia to help fight forest fires that have caused thick haze to descend around the region was “insulting”, said Indonesian Coordinating Minister for Politics, Law and Security Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan.

Speaking in an interview last Friday (Oct 16) with the country’s Tempo magazine, Mr Luhut defended Indonesia’s perceived tardiness in putting out the fires and in accepting foreign aid.

“During the dry season, peatlands tend to be very flammable. When we bombard the land with water to put out the flames, they just come out again. So I get a headache when people get upset. What are we supposed to do?” he replied when asked why this year’s forest fires are worse than those of last year’s.

“Then someone asks why we didn’t accept the assistance offered earlier. There are many reasons for that. Firstly, we wanted to try and do it on our own. Secondly, we didn’t realise the process would be so long. Thirdly, (Singapore) offered only one aircraft. It was insulting.”

In September, Singapore offered a C-130 aircraft for cloud-seeding operations, a Chinook helicopter with a water bucket for aerial fire-fighting, and up to two C-130 aircraft to ferry the Singapore Civil Defence Force fire-fighting assistance team.

Mr Luhut’s comments in the latest issue of the magazine came after Indonesia finally accepted help from Singapore on Oct 7 after repeatedly declining offers of help for weeks. Singapore Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen had even flown to Jakarta at the end of September to meet his Indonesian counterpart at one of the meetings. During his visit, Dr Ng also met Mr Luhut.

On October 11, aircraft from Singapore and Malaysia began water-bombing missions to put out the raging fires in South Sumatra.

Singapore sent a Republic of Singapore Armed Forces (RSAF) Chinook helicopter with a 5,000-litre heli-bucket and 34 SAF personnel to help fight the ongoing forest fires, together with a six-man Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team from the Singapore Civil Defence Force. Two RSAF C-130 aircraft were also deployed to transport SAF and SCDF personnel.

In an interview on Oct 7, Indonesian Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung told CNN Indonesia that Jakarta had earlier rejected Singapore’s offers of assistance because it was concerned that the city state would claim credit for solving the problem, despite being worried about the rapidly deteriorating situation.

In the Tempo interview, Mr Luhut also pledged to confiscate the land and revoke the licences of big companies that practise illegal burning next year.

“This haze problem is also about injustice. When a company controls 2.8 million hectares of land, where is the justice? Then there are those who own 600,000 hectares of land but own not a single fire extinguisher. Should the government be dousing fires all the time? If we call it a national disaster, they will benefit by it.”

Source: www.todayonline.com

October 22, 2015
Malaysian Opposition Will Scrap High Speed Rail Project If Elected

Malaysia’s opposition alliance said yesterday it will scrap a planned High Speed Rail (HSR) line between Singapore and Kuala Lumpur if it won federal power, and replace it with a railway connecting two key cities in East Malaysia – Tawau in Sabah and Kuching in Sarawak.

The proposal to ditch the HSR project and pump the estimated RM35 billion (S$11 billion) saved into East Malaysia was presented by Pakatan Harapan (PH) on the sidelines of a Parliament session, ahead of Prime Minister Najib Razak’s tabling of the 2016 Budget tomorrow.

The opposition claimed the HSR line would largely benefit only those working in and around Kuala Lumpur and in Singapore, and that the project is unnecessary at this point because Kuala Lumpur and Singapore are already served by excellent air and road links.

Selangor MP Ong Kian Ming, a member of PH’s Budget drafting committee, argued that the HSR would likely cost more than a rail network linking Sabah and Sarawak, and would significantly add to Malaysia’s debt levels if both were to be built together.

“HSR is not as important given that there are many cheaper and affordable options to travel between Malaysia and Singapore. The multiplier effects would be lower compared to a new railway network in East Malaysia and hence, the preference for the second cheaper and more necessary rail project,” he told The Straits Times.

Sabah and Sarawak have long been stronghold states of the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition. With Sarawak state polls to be called by next year, the move by the opposition is seen as a concerted play for East Malaysian votes. National elections are due in 2018.

Democratic Action Party chairman Tan Kok Wai said the new railway and other financial benefits to be allocated to Sabah and Sarawak in the opposition’s “alternative Budget”, are meant to develop the two states “long neglected” by BN.

The HSR plan has gained traction, with about 150 firms responding to Malaysia’s Land Public Transport Commission and Singapore’s Land Transport Authority’s Request For Information exercise this month.

Source: www.straitstimes.com

October 22, 2015
Philadelphia Group Lobbies State Lawmakers Against Anti-Muslim Bias

HARRISBURG – Highlighting what they say is a national increase in anti-Muslim bias, triggered in part by the rhetoric of some Republican presidential candidates, about 50 amateur lobbyists affiliated with the Philadelphia chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations converged at the state capitol to pitch lawmakers on a range of social issues.

Armed with a talking-points memo and posters emblazoned with “I am a proud American Muslim” and “Islamophobia = Racism,” the members of the advocacy group fanned out for office visits with legislators and their staffs.

Some of the men wore beards and knitted skullcaps. Some of the women wore hijabs. They spoke about anti-Arab bigotry, the Syrian refugee crisis, the movement to have two major Muslim fast days recognized as school holidays in Philadelphia, three state Senate bills that would affect the price of in-state college tuition, eligibility for driver’s licenses, and employment opportunities for authorized and undocumented immigrants.

Three- and four-person teams visited the offices of Philadelphia-area lawmakers Louise Bishop, Lawrence Farnese Jr., Dominic Pileggi, Vincent Hughes, and others.

The group that visited Rep. Kevin Schreiber (D., York) included Abdallah Abououf, a pharmacy technician, of Hummelstown; his wife, Mona Elkony; and their infant son, Yusuf.

“Three months old and already a lobbyist?” Schreiber teased, drawing a laugh.

Schreiber turned serious when he noted that candid discussions with American Muslims exercising their democratic rights need to be part of any dialogue about a better society.

Jacob Bender, the first Jewish director of a CAIR affiliate, said the event, which was billed as “Muslim Capitol Day,” was designed to bring together a diverse coalition that included a rabbi, an imam, an ordained minister, civil rights organization leaders, and lawmakers to proclaim, “We will no longer allow the Muslim community and Islam to be stereotyped, marginalized, and vilified.”

Rabiya Khan, an activist from York, cited two instances of recent Republican candidate rhetoric that she said fanned the flames of bias: Donald Trump’s failure to correct the record when a person at a town-hall meeting prefaced a pejorative question about President Obama with the false statement that Obama is a Muslim; and Ben Carson’s statement that he personally could not support a Muslim for president.

Addressing the whole group at the end of the day, Rep. Jordan Harris, a Democrat, whose South and Southwest Philadelphia district has a large and growing Muslim population, said:

“The reality is this: Christian, Muslim, Jew, and Gentile, we all want the same thing. We want safe streets. We want schools that educate our children. . . . There is no place in this commonwealth for hatred of any kind. . . . We must call out racism every chance we get. If any of us are silent when we hear the jokes, when we see the legislation, we are all guilty. . . . Dr. King once said, ‘Our day begins to end when we begin to become silent on the things that matter.’ ”

Source: www.philly.com

October 22, 2015
Syed Danial: Learn From City Harvest Church Episode – Be Wary Of Conmen Cloaked In Religiosity, Be Aware Of Religious Sensitivities Of Christians When Commenting On The Issue

Bismillahirrahmanirrahim

Yesterday had tea with an old dear friend. He Juz returned Fr a trip to Cambodia where he was attempting to help the Cham Muslims there.

Long story short. Some of the things he told me was shocking. How a person who encloaks himself with religiosity handles funds meant for orphans and madrasah.

Essentially a con artiste. Inter Alia he attempts to get unsuspected SG donors to buy land ostensibly to build madrasahs orphanages etc. Upon further investigation the exact land plot has already been donated as waqf. Money given to sponsor a slaughter goat as meal for the orphans, when checked, the orphans were eating nothing more than rice n curry with hardly any meat. The plan was to engage an English teacher to teach these orphans some English n other skills that would equip them with at least basic skills. When asked to interview the candidate (his sister) it was discovered she could hardly speak English at all.

There were many other instances.

I share this article coz it serves as a cautionary tale. There are those who Encloak themselves in religious clothes. But have hearts of wolves.

Once Amirul Mumineen Umar was meeting a sahabah. He asked whether there was some state affairs to discuss. When told it was a social visit he actually put out the light from a lantern. Because it was lit using resources from state funds.

Subhanallah. Such outstanding egs of waraa’ – scrupulousness.

Bros n sis we need to be careful in this age of so much fitaan. We really do not want to be bamboozled when we hand over our money. We must take reasonable care it goes to parties we can trust.

I know this brother personally. His character is beyond reproach. He’s planning to go again inshaAllah early next year. So InshaAllah I will be handing over my money to him. At least I can be assured inshaAllah it would reach the beneficiaries. If u want to, pl PM me. InshaAllah I will hand over 100% of what I receive to him. There will be no ‘admin charges’.

Final word. When commenting on the City Hrvest thing, a reminder we should bear in mind the religious sensitivities of our Christian friends.

Wallahualam.

Source: Syed Danial

October 22, 2015
2 Men Arrested For Performing ‘Obscene Act’ At Woodlands Town Garden

Police have arrested two men, aged 29 and 63, for their suspected involvement in a case of obscene act at Woodlands Town Garden.

At about 11.55pm on Saturday (Oct 17), officers from Jurong Division conducted operations in the area when they spotted the men performing an obscene act in public.

Both were placed under arrest, a statement from the police said on Monday.

First-time offenders found guilty of committing an obscene act in a public place, under Sec 294(a) of the Penal Code, Chapter 224 shall be punished with imprisonment which may extend to 3 months, or with fine, or with both, the statement from the Singapore Police Force said.

Source: www.straitstimes.com

October 21, 2015