11/07/2013

Worker’s Party coming into the hijab discussion

 WP is calling for a national conversation on the hijab issue after the Malay community met up with Chee Hian and Yaacob. The conclusion on that meeting did not go down too well as nothing changes, not that there must be a change if the situation does not warrant it. While there could be or could not be a national conversation on this issue, or another one sided conversation initiated and led by the WP this round, I would like to draw a few premises that I think could be useful in this free for all talk shop.
 

There are two premises that we must strongly guard, ie our secular national ethos and our cultural heritage. In an attempt to deal with a matter like the hijab that could transcend religion and culture, it can be tricky and even sensitive to some. If we can keep the lines of secularity clearly in the picture, we may have to define how far we can and want to go before hitting the OB markers, things may be more manageable. We do not want to allow every other religion to want to have their religious ways in a secular society and environment. We do not want, as an example, a group that insists on wearing drappy grey and head shaven in the office, male or female. We do not want people who insist that they cannot shave nor cut their hair for both sexes. Let’s keep our society a secular one and let religion be practiced at home or in one’s private space. The common space should be kept secular.
 

We must be proud of our cultural heritage, the way of life of the 4 major racial groups that founded this island. We do not want to integrate and compromise our way of life with the new migrants. We are not migrants. Our forefathers were and that is their story. We are stayers. Migrants are temporary visitors that are here and may not be here tomorrow. Migrants have no homes or countries of their own or have abandoned them. This is our home. We are the owners and we decide and must dictate what we want our country to be and how we want to live. The visitors or migrants must accept our way of life.
 

We have so many new migrants coming in and with their huge numbers there will be a time when they would want to demand to be recognized, their religions, cultures and ways of life. Singaporeans, the first movers in this country must be the top priority and must call the shot. We decide. Foreigners, new citizens and migrants must accept our terms and not the other way. Don’t like it they can go elsewhere.
 

The hijab is also a cultural thing, part of the Malay custom and baju. Correct me if I am wrong. It should be addressed from this perspective, to protect and promote our cultural heritage. Promoting the use of the hijab on religious grounds will open the Pandora box for all and sundry to make their special and unique demands that would be difficult to accept and may not be tolerable.
 

The Singaporeans must keep our cultural heritage as a part of us. We must promote their use as our way of life. We do not want to be China Chinese, India Indian or Arabs. In the course of time, there could be things from the foreigners that are useful and good and would gradually take form. Let that be. We can be flexible to allow the good stuff to be a part of us without compulsion or legislation. Good stuff will be good stuff and will be welcomed and accepted by the populace. Let our unique identity survive and thrive on its own without being pressurized or being harrassed by foreigners and foreign influences.
 

We are Singaporeans. This is our home. Let’s talk hijab.

11/06/2013

Hijab is nice

As a kid I lived next to Kampong Radin Mas. Many of my classmates were Malays from the kampong. We played together with no consciousness of the differences in us. We were one people.
 

Radin Mas was a boy school. The Malay girls or ladies we saw were in the kampong. The ladies were very pretty with their hijabs. I did not know when the of wearing the hijab becomes an issue. From my childhood memory, I have the impression that it was cultural and not so much religious. They were part and parcel of the Malay baju.
 

The hijab is not the burqua used by the Arabs that covered almost totally that no one really knows who is behind the burqua. It would pose many difficulties when identification is needed. Today there is also the security angle to consider.
 

I personally find the hijab very normal and very nice. One consideration is that it may become a hazard in a difficult working environment. In such a situation, wearing of the hijab is best avoided. The other consideration is when it is not part of a uniform like the army where there are proper headgears. In other situations like in nursing, a grey area where the hijab may become obstructive in some situations, allowing hijab or not is a matter of judgement. Wearing of the hijab should not be a problem in most office environment unless they are so huge and drappy. It can be very fashionable and graceful as well.
 

I hope an amicable solution can be reached and everyone is happy. Let the people making all the big money come up with a win win solution. Yes, they are very good at win win kind of things. A rule of thumb judgement is to ask whether the wearing of a scarf by anyone is acceptable in the work place.

MRT fare hikes – the good part

With the impending fare hike for MRT, 1m commuters will benefit. Heheh, just like raising GST and the poor would benefit. But this is true. 1m commuters would probably pay lesser with more subsidies. Now the bad news, some commuters would have to pay more. Heheheh.
 

It is necessary to have more frequent fare hikes to keep the hike small. Be prepared for more hikes every year or faster. Why is it that fares must only go up and cannot stay still or go down? Sure cannot one. Salary goes up, rental goes up, fuel goes up, new buses go up, bonuses go up.
 

Why is a 40 inch TV costing $5000 several years back is selling at $1000? Why is a 36 inch selling at $4000 now selling at $800? Possible, it is happening. How come uh? They also have to pay higher salaries, bigger bonuses, higher fuel and material cost, higher rentals and higher everything.
 

Why must prices defy gravity and cannot be the other way? I am not paid millions so I have no answer to this. Only people that are paid ‘out of this’ world salaries can think of ‘out of this’ world solutions. Tiok Boh? No? Then why pay them millions when they are doing the mundane and the ordinary?
 

Who does not know how to raise fares to keep revenue and profits up?

The Messiah came and gone

What a disappointment, nothing really happened. Though some claimed to have their Facebook pages defaced, websites of govt agencies were unaffected except for self imposed down time for planned maintenance. While many are taking the announcement of maintenance for the 19 sites with a pinch of salt, officially it was announced as that, down for planned maintenance. And during the planned maintenance they discovered more faults that caused the down time to be extended in some cases. Another view is that the down time was to upgrade the protective system in case the Messiah turned up. The govt spokeman did say that they were taking the threat seriously.
 

To those that were expecting fireworks it must end with a big disappointment. But did the Messiah achieve anything? For one, many IT people were scurrying around and burning their weekend and holidays trying to install more protective firewalls to keep the Messiah out of mischief. And many ministry heads were worried that their sites could go down. There was a heighten security alert and many used to be sitting on their bums could not do so for fear of being burnt.
 

A threat like this is enough to cause a paralysis in many systems and websites and forcing many people to have sleepless nights. Resources would have to be diverted to cater to the threat. Nerves were extra sensitive and people become edgy. This is the power of people issuing threats.
 

The whole of the USA could go on a stand still by a simple letter or message of an attack by any terrorist group. A simple message could be so powerful and effective in bringing systems down on their knees. We too would not be spared from such an open threat of a terrorist act. The threat to hack or deface govt sites is already quite a big threat that got thousands of people running around and hoping that nothing goes wrong or someone’s backside will be burnt.
 

So, did the Messiah achieve anything? Indirectly 19 sites went down. But the most direct impact is the fact that a threat was issued and aimed at the govt. This is unreal. It has never happened before. Anyone trying to do so, or even utter the word threat or intent to hurt an MP would be bundled in for questioning and may be put into IMH for observation. This Messiah is still out there, untouched and smiling, knowing that nothing can be done to him. And he can issue even more serious threats to make people more uncomfortable, and even fear him. It is best to keep quiet and not to provoke him further with unnecessary confrontational comments or actions. Let there be peace with no one attempting to threaten anyone as the game can be played by both sides. It is a new ball game.

11/05/2013

A few Sinkie snippets

1. The most sought after software in Sim Lim Square, and running out of stock, is Sampan 2.0. It is a software developed by the Prime Minister.
 

2. The lowest paid workers in Singapore are the remisiers, some earning less than the cleaners. And because the profession is in so high demand, they have to sit for examinations and yearly refresher course to keep them highly professional, only to earn $1000 pm or less. The unprofessional cleaners should be very envious of the remisiers. What, what, cleaners earning more than remisiers?
 

And the authority does not know, can you beat that? No, remember, the profession was once suggested as a benchmark to compute the salaries of the ministers.
Would the ministers still want to include the incomes of remisiers in the formula to compute their salary?
 

3. For the oldies that have no money for food, overheard someone saying the first option is to walk into a reservoir. Option 2 is the MRT track. Option 3, another Ah Pek in a kopitiam said, immolation in Orchard Road.
 

I think a better option, less gory, is to walk into any supermarket and just help themselves with the food. Doing so would be rewarded with free lodging and meals in a spacious bungalow, and the best part, free medical. And no need to wait for one year for a medical appointment. The doctors will come to visit you instead, to take very good care of you.
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