Rilek1Corner

Tag: Singaporeans

  • Sisters In Islam: Malaysia Not A Theocratic Dictatorship

    Sisters In Islam: Malaysia Not A Theocratic Dictatorship

    KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 10 — Women’s advocacy group Sisters in Islam (SIS) has told minister Datuk Seri Jamil Khir Baharom that Malaysia is a democracy and not a theocratic dictatorship.

    The Muslim women’s rights NGO also said shariah laws are man-made and therefore not infallible, pointing out that the recent court challenges by SIS against a fatwa and by a group of Muslim transgender men against a state shariah law prohibiting cross-dressing were challenges to the “unjust and inefficient” Islamic legal system in Malaysia.

    “We would like to remind the minister that Malaysia is a democratic country, not a theocratic dictatorship,” Datin Paduka Marina Mahathir, a member of SIS’ board of directors, told Malay Mail Online.

    “Our Federal Constitution guarantees the fundamental liberties of every citizen including Muslims. The rule of law applies to everyone, and everyone has a right to seek redress in the courts if they feel they have been unfairly treated,” she added.

    SIS also expressed alarm at the call by Jamil Khir, who is the minister in the Prime Minister’s Department in charge of Islamic affairs, for all Muslims to defend their faith from liberal ideologies “by any method”.

    “Does this mean he is giving the go-ahead for anyone to take vigilante action against those the minister deems un-Islamic, including violence? Does this mean that should anyone physically attack such persons, the state will take no action against them?” Marina asked.

    Jamil Khir said yesterday that in a “new wave” of assault, Muslim transgenders and SIS are colluding with Islam’s enemies to put its religious institutions on trial in a secular court.

    The minister was responding to two recent court challenges where state Islamic authorities were cast into a defensive role, with one initiated by SIS at the High Court here against a Selangor religious edict, or fatwa, declaring their organisation and its members “deviants”.

    The other was a separate case mounted by a group of transgender men who were convicted of cross-dressing under the Negri Sembilan state shariah law, which they won at the Court of Appeal Friday.

    A three-judge panel at the Court of Appeal had unanimously ruled Section 66 of the Negri Sembilan Syariah Criminal Enactment 1992 to be unconstitutional as it violated the three Muslim men’s right to freedom of expression.

    Jamil Khir said Islamic institutions like the state Islamic councils must work together to face “this new wave against Islam”, claiming that there is an “agenda” outside the country’s predominant religion aiming to twist the faith of Muslims.

    Malaysia’s religious authorities have long derided liberalism and pluralism, with Friday sermons nationwide claiming a conspiracy by “enemies of Islam” to manipulate Muslims through ideas like secularism, socialism, feminism and positivism, in addition to the two.

     

    Source: www.themalaymailonline.com

  • Indonesians Who Serve NS After Taking Up PR May Lose Indonesia Citizenship

    Indonesians Who Serve NS After Taking Up PR May Lose Indonesia Citizenship

    Jakarta – TNI (Tentara National Indonesia or Indonesian army) is investigating the Indonesian citizens who serve as part of the Singapore army. It was found out that some of Indonesian citizens who take Permanent Residence of Singapore are conscripted into the compulsory National Service (NS).

    TNI headquarters would not want to rush to take action against these citizens but according to the law, a citizen should not serve a foreign troop. This may result in forfeit of their Indonesian citizenship.

    “Everyone has a right to change his nationality but it is just a pity when they join foreign troop while still being a citizen of Indonesia.Whether this concerns nationalism issue, we need to investigate further, “said TNI Commander General Moeldoko during Indo Defence in Kemayoran, Jakarta on Thursday (11/06/2014) as quoted by Detik.

    Indo Defence 2014 is a tri-Service defence expo & forum which is happening from 5 – 8 November 2014 at the Jakarta International Expo.

    Source: Detik.com

     

    Source: www.globalindonesianvoices.com

  • The PAP’s “aim number one” 60 years ago

    The PAP’s “aim number one” 60 years ago

    The People’s Action Party (PAP) was formed on 12 November 1954.

    This year thus marks the party’s 60th anniversary.

    According to the PAP Facebook page:

    “Lee [Kuan Yew] formed the socialist People’s Action Party (PAP)… with a group of English-educated middle-class colleagues and pro-communist trade unionists…”

    The next year, 1955, the PAP nominated five candidates for the Legislative Assembly elections. Described as “action candidates” by The Singapore Free Press then, four of the five were:

    actioncandidates

    And before the PAP was officially formed, in fact one month before – on 28 October 1954 – the Straits Times reported the party’s aims as a political organisation.

    The Straits Times reported the PAP’s “aim number 1” as:

    “The repeal of the Emergency Regulations heads the list of aims and objects of the People’s Action Party…”

    The PAP, however, never did repeal the Emergency Regulations.

    The Emergency Regulations were the precursor to the Internal Security Act (ISA) which the PAP Government, after it came into power, used to arrest and jail its political opponents, including those which it had partnered with – such as the “pro-communist trade unionists” – when it formed the party.

    According to this online entry:

    British colonial Malaya introduced the Emergency Regulations Ordinance 1948 on 7 July 1948 during the Malayan Emergency in response to a Communist uprising and guerrilla war. The regulations allowed the police to arrest anybody suspected of having acted or being likely to act in a way that would threaten security without evidence or a warrant, hold them incommunicado for investigation, and detain them indefinitely without the detainee ever being charged with a crime or tried in a court of law.

    The successor to the Emergency Regulations Ordinance, the Preservation of Public Security Ordinance 1955 (“PPSO”), was introduced a result of the 1955 Hock Lee bus riots by the Labour Party government in Singapore. There was strong opposition to the PPSO by the party then in opposition, the People’s Action Party (“PAP”).

    In 1958, Lee Kuan Yew of the PAP accused the Lim Yew Hock government of using the PPSO to stifle political dissent.

    In 1960, three years after Malaya’s independence, the Emergency was declared over. However, the Malayan Internal Security Act 1960 (“ISA”) was passed in place of the PPSO with much of the same powers. During parliamentary debates on the Act, Malayan Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman stated that the ISA would only be applied against only the remaining Communist insurgents. The Malayan Communist Party and its insurgents eventually surrendered in 1989.

    Nonetheless, the ISA was retained in Malaysia.

    The drafter of the Malayan ISA was Hugh Hickling, a British lawyer, author and professor.

    In 1989, he commented that he “could not imagine then that the time would come when the power of detention, carefully and deliberately interlocked with Article 149 of the Constitution, would be used against political opponents, welfare workers and others dedicated to nonviolent, peaceful activities”.

    Nonetheless, he commented that he supported review of the ISA but it was not for him to say if the law should be scrapped, as “you’ve got a multi-racial society [in Malaysia] in which emotions can run high very quickly”.

    When Singapore joined the Federation of Malaya in 1963, the Malayan ISA was extended to Singapore. The Act was retained in Singapore even after its separation from Malaysia in 1965. The current version of the Act is known as Chapter 143 of the 1985 Revised Edition.

    In 1991, then deputy prime minister Lee Hsien Loong said the government “will seriously consider abolishing the Internal Security Act if Malaysia were to do so”.

    Source: National Library Archives

    In September 2011, Malaysia announced that it was repealing the ISA.

    A month after Malaysia’s announcement, Singapore’s deputy prime minister Teo Chee Hean, told Parliament on 19 October 2011, that “[for] the foreseeable future, Singapore will need a law containing provisions like those in the ISA, including preventive detention, to empower the Government to pre-empt and prevent serious threats to our security.”

    “The precise form the law takes may evolve with time and circumstances,” he said. “But for the present, the ISA is a shield that we need that protects us against these threats, allowing us to deal with them swiftly and effectively before they cause us serious and possibly permanent harm.”

    The PAP’s “aim number 1” at its founding – to repeal the security laws – thus remains unfulfilled.

    Among the PAP’s other pledges at its founding 60 years ago was “[the] restoration of the right to assemble in public; for any purpose that does not intend force’.”

    Public assembly in Singapore remains banned, unless a police permit is granted.

    Straits Times, 28 Oct 1954

    Straits Times, 28 Oct 1954

     

    Source: www.theonlinecitizen.com

  • The CASE For And Against Online Vigilantism

    The CASE For And Against Online Vigilantism

    By now, many would be familiar with Mr Jover Chew and his shop at Sim Lim Square.

    The spotlight has recently been on him and Mobile Air after reports of foreign customers’ bad experience surfaced in mainstream media.

    RELATED STORIES

    But when Mr Chew showed no remorse in subsequent interviews, including with The New Paper, and Mobile Air continued its daily operations despite the bad press, infuriated netizens took matters into their own hands.

    On Tuesday night, Facebook page SMRT Ltd (Feedback) named and shamed Mr Chew, 32, and his wife.

    Photos of them, their contact numbers and Mr Chew’s properties were also listed on the Facebook page.

    And it seems that Mr Chew has succumbed to the pressure. When The New Paper visited Sim Lim Square yesterday, the shop was closed. Mr Chew has also diverted his calls to another number.

    Previously, Mobile Air did not cease operations despite regularly making it to the Consumers Association of Singapore’s (Case) blacklist of Sim Lim Square tenants.

    Some businesses on the list, like Cyber Maestro, simply switch their signboards and it’s business as usual.

    Cyber Maestro, which was slapped with a court injunction on Monday, gave way to a new tenant, Megacentrix Technologies, and subtenant VS One in August.

    But a check revealed that the person behind VS One is related to the boss of Cyber Maestro.

    The two businesses also share the same registered address. The shareholders of the two businesses are husband and wife. This is where the problem lies, said lawyer Steven Lam.

    “With the Consumer Protection (Fair Trading) Act (CPFTA), what comes out of it is a civil remedy,” he said.

    “You can sue the offending business, but many of them simply close down and wind up.

    “Then, they open another company under different shareholders who are shadow directors.”

    He suggested a dedicated enforcement body to clamp down on errant retailers for more “regulatory bite”.

    Mr Lam also cautioned against netizens’ online shaming.

    “Although it may seem to be effective, don’t forget there’s the Prevention of Harassment Act. They have to be a bit careful about where the line is drawn.”

    Singapore Management University’s law professor Eugene Tan feels that the netizens’ disgust with Mr Chew does not justify their actions.

    INTRUSIVE

    He said: “At another level, it’s over-zealous and self-righteous. Regardless of the legitimacy of the cause, the actions by netizens are disproportionate and intrusive. Two wrongs don’t make a right.”

    Case executive director Seah Seng Choon thinks that a civil law is sufficient for now.

    “I think that for the time being, given that we have a civil law in place, this is really sufficient,” he said.

    “We can try to speed up our action by serving voluntary compliance agreements faster or hopefully get injunctions speedier to stop errant retailers.”

    Mr Seah added that Case is already “doing a lot behind the scenes” to help consumers resolve their cases.

    As CPFTA is a civil act, it will take some time to go through the necessary process to stop the unfair practices, he pointed out.

    “It is a big thing for the person affected, but we can’t jump in at the first instant when there’s a complaint. Sometimes, it may be just a one-off (incident) because of some bad employees,” Mr Seah said.

    “Errant retailers can continue their businesses, but they must understand that the law will catch up with them.”

    Rather than a legal issue, lawyer Kang Kim Yang feels that the onus is on consumers to be more cautious.

    “To me, it doesn’t seem like an elaborate way of deception. You may say that the retailers are morally wrong, but sometimes, they are playing within the rules,” he said.

    “Consumers should be reading the fine print and inquire at a few other shops before making an informed decision.”

    [email protected]

    Blacklisted shops

    These shops at Sim Lim Square have been blacklisted by the Consumers Association of Singapore (Case) for the period of August to October.

    Shop name: Number of complaints

    Mobile Air 25

    Gadget Terminal 13

    Mobile22 10

    Mobile Apps 9

    Mackin 7

    Mobile Planet 7

    K-One Mobile 4

    Megacentrix Technologies 4

    SLR Pro 4

    Cyber Maestro 3

    Source: Consumers Association of Singapore

     

    Source: http://news.asiaone.com

  • Aliff Aziz Claims He Did Not Steal Handphone

    Aliff Aziz Claims He Did Not Steal Handphone

    KUALA LUMPUR: Acara pradengar album Aliff Aziz berjudul Rebirth sebentar tadi diadakan di pejabat Sony Music Entertainment Malaysia di Publika, Solaris Dutamas turut menjadi ruang beliau menjelaskan apa yang terjadi kepadanya beberapa bulan lalu.

    Bermula dengan isu dikatakan lari dari set penggambaran drama dan pulang Singapura sehinggalah timbul cerita beliau dituduh mencuri telefon bimbit di negara kelahirannya sendiri.

    Menurut Aliff apa yang terjadi menjadi pengajaran terbesar sekali gus mematangkan dirinya.

    “Isu mencuri telefon bimbit itu sudah selesai. Saya berada di tempat dan waktu yang salah. Natijahnya saya terpaksa mengaku bersalah biarpun saya tidak melakukan perkara itu.

    “Undang-undang di Singapura berbeza di sana. Atas saranan pihak peguam bela, saya mengaku saja dan bayar denda untuk memendekkan proses berkaitan.

    “Jika tidak saya perlu melalui proses pengadilan yang panjang. Kejadian ini terjadi empat bulan lalu dan itu antara sebab saya terpaksa berulang alik dari Kuala Lumpur dan Singapura,” katanya yang berulang alik ke Kuala Lumpur kerana melunaskan urusan rakaman album barunya itu.

    Mengenai cerita lari dari set, penyanyi lagu Sayang Sayang ini tidak pernah wujud isu itu dan barangkali ia ditokok tambah pihak tertentu hingga jadi pelbagai versi termasuk isu berhutang.

    “Pertamanya saya minta maaf kepada semua pihak yang tidak berpuas hati dan kecewa dengan saya. Tak nafikan saya berperang dengan komitmen lakonan dan melunaskan rakaman lagu.

    “Saya memang tak pernah lari dari set penggambaran. Cuma ada kalanya kepenatan dan jatuh sakit, saya gagahkan berlakon juga. Saya sedar jika saya tak datang berlakon ia akan menjejaskan perjalanan penggambaran.

    “Tapi bila saya datang berlakon dalam keadaan penat timbul pula cerita seperti bertebaran kononnya saya lalok,” kata Aliff yang mula sedar bahawa beliau belum bersedia untuk melakukan banyak kerja dalam satu masa.

    Enggan mengenang kisah lalu, kehadiran album terbarunya berjudul Rebirth itu membawa semangat baru serta umpama kelahiran semula buat dirinya.

    Album berkenaan sepatutnya diedarkan tahun ini tetapi atas beberapa masalah ia ditunda hingga ke Januari depan.

    “Kali pertama saya muncul dengan album ketika berusia 16 tahun dan kini saya bakal menginjak 24 tahun depan. Jelas saya melalui fasa kematangan dan perubahan dalam hidup.

    “Istimewanya pembikinan album ini turut diberi peluang memilih lagu yang sesuai. Proses pembikinan sejak setahun setengah hampir menemui penamat.

    “Tinggal lagu ciptaan Awi Rafael saja yang belum dirakam. Saya juga sudah tidak sabar untuk kembali ke persada seni dan lupakan kisah lalu yang menjadi pengalaman berharga.

    “Peluang berehat empat bulan lalu menjadi ruang saya bermuhasabah diri. Tak dinafikan saya tertekan tapi semua hikmah berguna, katanya.

    Untuk album barunya lagu Selayaknya Aku ciptaan Faizal Tahir antara kegemaran Aliff. Selayaknya lagu itu dijadikan single pertama.

    Lagu lain yang dimuatkan ialah Hari Ini, Coba, Setelah Kau Pergi, Dengarkan Aku, Pujangga, Novella, Tak Ada Cinta Sepertimu, Dan Lagi Cinta.

     

    Source: www.bharian.com.my