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Tag: Yaacob Ibrahim

  • Zulfikar Shariff: Elected MPs Do Not Represent The Malay/Muslim Community

    Zulfikar Shariff: Elected MPs Do Not Represent The Malay/Muslim Community

    There is a common misunderstanding on the role and appointment of Malay MPs and the Minister in charge of Muslim Affairs.

    There are regular comments from the Muslim community that as our leaders and representatives, it is the duty of these MPs and Minister to fight for our interests. They ask why the MPs have not fought for the hijab, why they did not fight against the destruction of masjid, or the removal of wakaf.

    While it is expected that a Muslim will do all he can for the community, we should not be mistaken into thinking that these MPs and Minister are our representatives.

    Let us be clear how they were appointed. And what role the Muslim community played in their appointment.

    The Minister in charge of Muslim Affairs, according to the government, is the Apex of Muslim leadership in Singapore.

    And yet, he was not appointed by the Muslim community.

    He became a Minister by virtue of his political position.

    Lee Hsien Loong (and the PAP) nominated Yaacob Ibrahim to be a candidate in the last election.

    The Muslim community did not nominate him.

    He was elected by the Moulmein-Kallang GRC, of which about 80% are non Muslims to administer their constituency.

    The Muslim community did not elect him.

    Lee Hsien Loong then appointed him to be Minister in charge of Muslim Affairs.

    The Muslim community did not appoint him.

    In which part of this process was the Muslim community involved?

    He was nominated by the PAP as a candidate, elected by his constituency to be an MP and appointed by Hsien Loong to be Minister.

    How did he become our representative?

    Let us be clear…

    He is not our representative.

    He is the PAP’s representative to manage the Muslim community.

    His job is to represent the PAP’s interests to the Muslim community.

    Not the reverse. That he is a Muslim and may voice his opinions on the community’s concern is incidental. That is not his function as Minister.

    The community had no role in his appointment. We should not assume he is our representative.

    Treat him as the PAP’s representative. Thats it.

    Yaacob Ibrahim and the Malay MPs are not our representatives.

    They represent the PAP to our community.

    Once we understand that, Insha Allah, it makes our engagement with the government much clearer.

     

    Source: Zulfikar Shariff

  • Noor Mastura: Don’t Use Hijab Issue To Divide Community

    Noor Mastura: Don’t Use Hijab Issue To Divide Community

    It is ignorant to get into this hejab debate without knowing –

    1. The history of why the Sikhs are allowed turbans
    2. The fiqh & adab(ruling and ethics) of being ruled under a government which is not Muslim
    3. The historical and political context of non muslim governments who have allowed the hejab
    4. The extent of the current disintegration of the social cohesion in US and EU, especially towards Muslims – as compared to Singapore & how and why this happened

    So if you are going to share, comment & post this article, by all means. But please thread with caution especially if your only argument is “it is wajib (compulsory) in Islam” or ‘comparative analysis between other religions/countries based on the hejab solely’.

    This is a conversation we need to have, granted – but social media has never been the place for a dialogue. By lashing your opinions online without knowing the full picture, you only tear down our social fabric and serve to fuel a dangerous fire.

     

    Source: Noor Mastura

  • Yaacob Ibrahim: Allowing Hijab At Workplace ‘Very Problematic’ For Professions That Require Staff To Be In Uniform

    Yaacob Ibrahim: Allowing Hijab At Workplace ‘Very Problematic’ For Professions That Require Staff To Be In Uniform

    Wearing a Muslim headscarf at the workplace would be “very problematic” for some professions that require their staff to be in uniform, said Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs Yaacob Ibrahim yesterday.

    Weighing in on the issue for the first time since a debate began in September, Dr Yaacob said in a note on his Facebook page that many employers here have exercised flexibility on the practice. However, he pointed out that police officers and Singapore Armed Forces servicemen are not allowed to wear or display religious symbols on their uniforms or faces.

    “Nor do we allow Muslim police women officers to wear the hijab on duty,” Dr Yaacob, who is also Minister for Communications and Information, wrote. “But when they are out of uniform, they are free to wear the hijab, as indeed many do going to and from work.”

    He added: “Muslim women enjoy many freedoms in Singapore. They don the hijab in many situations, including in Parliament, the highest elected chamber in the land.”

    The issue was first raised at a forum on race in September, when a polytechnic lecturer asked why nurses were barred from wearing the Muslim headscarf and sparked a debate on whether front-line officers should be allowed to.

    An online petition championing the cause then began on Oct 12, with the aim of garnering 20,000 signatures. It was taken down last week, with only 12,405 signatures.

    Former Mufti Shaikh Syed Isa Semait was then embroiled in the controversy after he told the Berita Harian that the petition could breed misunderstanding, and that one question to ask was whether all Muslim women working at the front line as nurses want to wear a hijab. This led Mufti Mohamed Fatris Bakaram to weigh in on Monday, as he criticised netizens who had used abusive and disrespectful language in the debate.

    Dr Yaacob, who noted the issue has garnered “renewed attention” in mainstream and social media, said Malay Members of Parliament from the People’s Action Party had discussed the matter with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Cabinet ministers.

    While the issue is important to many Muslim Singaporeans, Dr Yaacob said the attacks on the former and current Muftis are “completely uncalled for”. He added: “They will not bring the discussions forward, much less solve any problems. Such behaviour reflects badly on those who engage in it. Let us always treat each other with due respect, whether in our own Muslim community or when engaging those belonging to other faiths.”

    While everyone has the right to practise his or her respective faiths, Dr Yaacob said this also entails a responsibility to promote mutual respect and understanding among different religious groups and to preserve the common space that all groups share.

    Urging the Malay-Muslim community to remain patient, he said he and his colleagues will continue discussions with the community.

    “Negotiating our common space in a way that all are comfortable with is a continuing work in progress. Muslims have to do this, as do people of other faiths.

    “We have come a long way together as a society, and we should approach the adjustments that will be needed from time to time with the same spirit of tolerance and mutual respect,” he added.

     

    Source: www.todayonline.com

  • Electoral Boundaries Report: Two New GRCs But Moulmein-Kallang Carved Up

    Electoral Boundaries Report: Two New GRCs But Moulmein-Kallang Carved Up

    Of the 16 Group Representation Constituencies recommended by the Electoral Boundaries Review Committee (EBRC), two did not exist in the 2011 General Election, while Moulmein-Kallang GRC will be dropped in the upcoming GE.

    According to the report released on Friday (Jul 24), the new GRCs are Marsiling-Yew Tee, a four-member GRC mainly carved out of what used to be Sembawang and Chua Chu Kang GRCs, and Jalan Besar, a GRC which has re-emerged after being dissolved ahead of the 2011 polls.

    Moulmein-Kallang GRC – which currently includes two Cabinet Ministers, Dr Yaacob Ibrahim and Mr Lui Tuck Yew, as well as Ms Denise Phua and Mr Edwin Tong – has been dissolved, with the area now forming parts of Holland-Bukit Timah, Bishan-Toa Payoh, Tanjong Pagar and Jalan Besar GRCs.

    Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong had previous requested that the “average size of the GRCs be reduced to below five”. Accordingly, there are now 8 five-member GRCs from 11 previously, with Chua Chu Kang, East Coast and West Coast all now four-member GRCs. The number of four-member GRCs increased this year to 6 from 2 in 2011.

    Ang Mo Kio and Pasir Ris-Punggol remain the only 2 six-member GRCs. Both have more voters each than in 2011, with Ang Mo Kio still the largest constituency by population with 187,652 voters, up from 178,933 before.

    The total number of voters has increased from 2,349,091 in 2011 to 2,460,977 currently.

     

    Source: www.channelnewsasia.com

  • MCI: Janadas Devan Did Not Interfere In LKY Musical

    MCI: Janadas Devan Did Not Interfere In LKY Musical

    The Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI) has claimed that it has not interfered with the production of the stage play, The LKY Musical.

    The ministry’s statement comes after an actor involved in the production, Tan Shou Chen, blogged about the alleged interference on Monday.

    Mr Tan, who plays former deputy prime minister, Toh Chin Chye, in the production, had written that Tony Petito, who wrote the musical, has given a historical biopic treatment to the piece, and “has been extremely open to inputs from a government official, Janandas Devan [sic].”

    Mr Tan wrote:

    “Factual corrections were made to the script, including the late hour (4 days before previews) addition of the latter part of the famous broadcast of Mr Lee crying. Dex [the director] communicated to the company of actors that this was suggested to Tony to be added to the script when it was communicated that speech will be broadcast again in it’s [sic] entirety nationwide on Aug 9th, and that there will be a concerted effort to share the latter part of that broadcast.

    “To put it extremely bluntly, it reeks of the oily propaganda machine.”

    The MCI, however, has disputed this.

    According to a TODAY report on Friday, the ministry said it was in fact the producers of the musical who had approached Mr Janadas for advice on certain aspects of the play because they needed help with “historical accuracies” concerning the script.

    TODAY reported:

    “In a statement, Metropolitan Productions said Mr Janadas, who is from the Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI), had provided “invaluable feedback” on the accurate chronology of events.”

    The producers said:

    “At no time did he or anyone else ask us to change any part of the story.”

    Mr Tan removed his blog post soon after, for unknown reasons.

    Mr Janadas Devan, who is the son of Singapore’s former president, Devan Nair, was appointed to the position of Chief of Government Communications in 2012, under the purview of the MCI.

    He was also a former editor with the Straits Times, and had “served as the paper’s leader writer for many years, writing unsigned editorials on a wide variety of subjects.” (See here.)

    Mr Janadas is also currently the director of research institute, The Institute of Policy Studies, at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore.

    Questions about his dual roles at both the MCI and the IPS were raised in Parliament in March 2014 by Workers’ Party MP and chairman, Sylvia Lim.

    Ms Lim asked the MCI MInister, Yaacob Ibrahim, if he felt “that such a dual role…is not quite a desirable state of affairs because it might raise some questions about the role of the IPS”.

    In his reply, Dr Yaacob said the ministry “had considered his appointment seriously” and felt that it is “very clear that what IPS has done is very different from what the CGC is supposed to do.”

    Dr Yaacob said the Government did not see any conflict of interest in Mr Janadas’ roles.

     

    Source: www.theonlinecitizen.com