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Tag: Walid Abdullah

  • Walid J. Abdullah: Racism Should Be Eliminated Regardless Of How Poorly Other Countries Are Doing

    Walid J. Abdullah: Racism Should Be Eliminated Regardless Of How Poorly Other Countries Are Doing

    Amongst the most common statements made when one recounts instances of racism in Singapore, or even discusses ethnicity in the first place is, ‘At least minorities here have it better than anywhere else in the world. Can you name me anywhere in the world where racism is less rampant?’

    Aside from the condescension in the statement, and the fact that many who make such statements have actually never lived in other countries – lived, not visited for a week and then speak as though one knows everything about a place -, there are more serious questions to be asked about the statement and question.

    Firstly, I do not get a vote in Malaysia, or India, or the USA. Nor do I live in those countries. I do get a vote, however, in Singapore. I do live here, as does my family. So i should be bothered about what happens here.

    Secondly, how on earth does pointing out worse situations absolve oneself of blame or self-introspection? These people are essentially saying that ‘others have it worse, so do not complain.’ Why does that even make sense?

    ‘Oh don’t complain or do anything about your stage 1 cancer. Others have stage 4 cancer.’

    And most importantly, when a person makes that statement and/or asks that question, he/she is basically devaluing my citizenship. Why should i compare myself to a Rohingya in Myanmar, or a Palestinian, or an Egyptian Copt? I should be comparing myself to other Singaporeans!!!!

    Whether people realize it or not, when they make such statements or ask such questions, they are, in actuality, saying that minorities SHOULD NOT expect equal rights in this country. And that is an assumption we should all reject.

    For us minorities, when someone asks ‘where else in the world are minorities treated better?’, we should not even legitimize the question by thinking of countries where minorities have it good. We should just point out how bigoted that question is in the first place.

     

    Source: Walid J. Abdullah

  • Walid J. Abdullah: Kudos To Rahayu Mahzam For Raising Tudung Issue But Time Will Tell If She Deserves Community’s Trust

    Walid J. Abdullah: Kudos To Rahayu Mahzam For Raising Tudung Issue But Time Will Tell If She Deserves Community’s Trust

    There have been a couple of contrasting reactions towards MP Rahayu Mahzam’s maiden speech in Parliament, in which she urged the government to reconsider its policy on the hijab.

    (On a side note, it is interesting to note that MP Faisal Manap has mentioned the same thing before, but rarely gets the same media coverage, and of course, if he did bring up such issues, he would be ‘politicizing religion’, but let’s leave that aside for now.)

    The first reaction was to celebrate her courage and bold attitude, raising the issue in her very first speech. Indeed, it is perhaps unprecedented for a Muslim MP to do so.

    The second, however, was a more cynical one. Some question whether this was a political show that would amount to no real change.

    To be sure, one can definitely understand why the second reaction surfaced: the issue has been raised numerous times before under various conditions. And it always seemed like there was always an excuse to dismiss the requests (‘you were too loud’, ‘you were not loud enough’, ‘there are other important issues’, ‘we must not disrupt harmony’ etc etc etc.) Even senior members of the community like Cikgu Maarof Salleh expressed cynicism at the speech.

    For me personally, i prefer to see it in a more positive light. I believe each MP should be judged based on what he/she has said/done, and not merely on the party he/she belongs to. And no one MP will always be flawless or completely hopeless (well, i hope not!): they will have good moments that should be celebrated, and lesser ones that we as citizens can and should call them out for.

    As for MP Rahayu herself, she is new and has done nothing so far that warrants our mistrust, so I believe her words should be commended.

    Time will tell how much the new MPs truly represent the people and voice their concerns – not just the individual MP’s thoughts – in Parliament. For now, i say, kudos to her.

     

    Source: Walid J. Abdullah