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Tag: Walid J. Abdullah

  • Walid J. Abdullah: Politicians Should Reflect Whether They Are Serving The Needs And Interest Of People, Not Be Blindly Loyal To Party

    Walid J. Abdullah: Politicians Should Reflect Whether They Are Serving The Needs And Interest Of People, Not Be Blindly Loyal To Party

    Whenever I had the opportunity to have dialogues with Members of Parliament (especially during undergrad days), it is not uncommon to hear one or several of them say something to the effect of: ‘i remember 20 years ago, i was as enthusiastic and idealistic as you (read: naive and unrealistic), but now that i am older or now that i have access to data, my opinions on certain issues have changed.’

    Despite the apparent condescension in the statement, this is of course a possibility. One must be humble enough to admit – especially the younger ones – without experience and full access to information, one may not be able to fully comprehend a situation.

    At the same time, there exists other possibilities. It could also be possible that being bounded by a political party’s norms and values has changed an individual’s perspectives. The individual could then reason with himself that ‘oh it’s ok for me to sacrifice my values on this small matter, because in doing so i will generate greater good for my community’, when in fact he/she is in delusion. The ‘greater good’ consideration could just ultimately be an individual’s attempt to reconcile his/her cognitive dissonance.

    Just like how ordinary people should constantly reflect on whether their opinions are fair given the specific political circumstances, politicians should consistently contemplate whether they are serving the needs and interests of the people, or whether they are just being loyal to the party – any party – at the expense of others.

     

    Source: Walid J. Abdullah

  • Walid J. Abdullah: Discourse On Voting Need To Move Beyond Fear-Mongering And Red-Herrings

    Walid J. Abdullah: Discourse On Voting Need To Move Beyond Fear-Mongering And Red-Herrings

    Often, when people say ‘yes the PAP is not perfect, but what alternative do we have?’, you get the sense that they either do not comprehend our political system or they are setting up a false dilemma. This time, like previous years, we are not voting for which party will serve as government: in all likelihood, the PAP will remain as our government. With that in mind then, the questions that should be asked automatically become different. Perhaps the following questions, amongst others, would be more pertinent:

    1) Do we believe there is a need to have checks and balances in Parliament against any one party?

    2) Since 2011, with more opposition parliamentarians, has the government become more responsive to the desires of the electorate?

    3) Has the Workers’ Party lived up to its claim of being a ‘responsible opposition’ party?

    4) Are the individual opposition candidates and their respective parties ‘credible’ enough for us, however we define it?

    I personally believe that in any other situation, most people would loathe the idea of giving any one person or party near-absolute control over their affairs, so I am not sure why people make exceptions in the case of Singapore politics. At the same time, I cannot say that the performance of WP – both in and outside Parliament – has been so stellar in the past 4 years that they would immediately deserve my vote. That would be my personal dilemma.

    Ultimately, each of us would have our own standards in choosing which party to cast our vote for. Hopefully as our society matures politically, the discussions on voting, politics and societal issues would be centered on genuine considerations rather than fear-mongering or red herrings.

     

    Source: Walid J. Abdullah

  • Walid J. Abdullah: If I Were A Politician…

    Walid J. Abdullah: If I Were A Politician…

    As a political science major, I get the following question whenever i tell people what i study: ‘so you want to be a politician?’ I don’t. But if i was one, this is how my first press conference would sound like.

    Walid: Hello everyone (while carrying a random baby of some resident). I am Walid, a son of simei (‪#‎sonofsimei‬, since every politician needs a hashtag). I have stayed here for the most part of my life and know the place very well.

    Reporter: So what is your plan for Simei?

    Walid: I intend to build a mega mall here! This will serve the needs of the residents here, young and old.

    Reporter: Erm, but residents of Simei do not need another mall. They already have Eastpoint.

    Walid: Good leadership is not about doing what the people want; it is about doing what is right. I am
    not a populist.

    Reporter: How much would it cost?

    Walid: Around $100 million. But the eventual expenses may even triple and be in the range of $300 million.

    Reporter: What???? In any other job, a person who exceeds the budget three times over would be sacked!

    Walid: You must not look at the tangibles only. Look at the intangibles.

    Reporter: Erm, ok. So what is your stance on political participation?

    Walid: I am a firm believer in freedom of expression. Everyone should be able to state their opinions on anything. There are no sacred cows.

    Reporter: How would you respond to some claims of racial discrimination by some residents?

    Walid: That is a provocative question that can disrupt our social harmony. If you want to ask such questions, please drop your pen and paper, and join politics to contest against us.

    Reporter: But you just said we must be free to express ourselves.

    Walid: Not unconditionally. These Western notions of freedom are not applicable to societies like ours. And you journalists have a part to play; don’t just write everything. Make sure Singaporeans read the ‘right’ thing.

    Reporter: What are some of the concerns that have been raised by residents?

    Walid: We understand that the residents have many concerns. We will continue to seek ways to address them. Meanwhile, we will continue to have dialogues with the relevant stakeholders.

    Reporter: Are there mistakes that your predecessors have made?

    Walid: Let us not harp on the past. Let us move on.

    Reporter: Final question Walid, as a son of Simei, will you be contesting here?

    Walid: It does not really matter where I contest. Let us look at the bigger picture.

    #sonofsimei

     

    Source: Walid J. Abdullah

  • Walid J. Abdullah: The Contextual Proud Singaporean

    Walid J. Abdullah: The Contextual Proud Singaporean

    *this post is partially inspired by people linking an act of human kindness which should be celebrated when Singaporeans lifted a lorry to save a man trapped underneath, to the sg50 spirit, whatever that means (so if the incident happened next year, Singaporeans would not lift the lorry????)*

    Whenever someone asks whether I am proud to be Singaporean, my response would be ‘what do you mean by that?’ More often than not, they would be stumped, as if it was inconceivable that someone did not know what being ‘Singaporean’ means. Then they would ask ‘I mean, would you die for this country?’ And again i would go, what do you mean by that?

    If you mean dying for this country in a war where we were unjustly invaded, i hope and i pray that I would have the temerity to participate. If you mean dying in a war that is fought at the whims and fancies of politicians to serve their own political agendas, then i do not wish to participate and die such a meaningless death.

    Being ‘proud to be Singaporean’, really has no innate meaning. For me, there are many things that Singapore and Singaporeans have done that i am proud of, and there are many others that i am not proud of.

    I am proud that we are extremely efficient in most cases. I am proud of the cleanliness levels in our streets. I am proud that we have not experienced racial and religious riots since independence. I am proud of our universities’ performance in any global ranking. I am proud of the fact that I am able to practise my faith relatively freely.

    I am not proud that over the past decade, there has not been any discernible improvement in our transportation system. I am not proud of the fact that many Singaporeans feel superior to other human beings – especially our Southeast Asian neighbours – because of our supposed material achievements. I am not proud that racial and religious discrimination still exists on so many levels in everyday life. I am not proud that many Singaporeans do not bother to read beyond official narratives. I am not proud of contraints imposed on some personal liberties in the name of ‘public order’.

    If someone wants to proclaim ‘I am proud to be Singaporean, no matter what happens!’, that is really his/her choice that no one should take issue with. What i do take issue with is the attitude of some Singaporeans, who in their quest for national pride, think of people from
    other nations as less intelligent, as less civilized, and even worse, as lesser human beings.

    So am i proud to be Singaporean? It depends on what you mean….

     

    Source: Walid J. Abdullah

  • Hypocrisy In Dealing With Muslims Must Be Addressed

    Hypocrisy In Dealing With Muslims Must Be Addressed

    Our Mufti questions whether terrorism can solely be attributed to misinterpretation of texts. He then suggests that the reasons could be multi-faceted, and include disenchantment towards the state.

    Thanks to our Mufti for saying something that has been ignored for far too long, by far too many people (‘experts’).

    If i may add: the hypocrisy in dealing with Muslims must also be addressed. When a Muslim commits a terrorist act, everyone rushes to condemn – Muslim ‘spokesmen’ and leaders included – and words such as ‘lone wolf terrorist’ are used. When Muslims are the victim of such attacks – as in the case of the Chapel Hill shootings – not only do these spokesmen disappear, but the perpetrators are described as people with ‘mental issues’.

    There can be no peace without justice.

     

    Source: Walid J Abdullah