SDP to launch Malay policy paper

Added on: Thursday (Today), August 29, 2013

by Singapore Democrats

http://yoursdp.org/news/sdp_to_launch_malay_policy_paper/2013-08-29-5697

In September last year, the Singapore Democrats held a public forum to discuss matters that the Malay community in Singapore is concerned about. At the event, the SDP promised that we would draw up a policy paper and make alternative proposals to address those concerns.

And this is what we will do next Saturday, 7 September 2013, that is, launch A Singapore for All Singaporeans: Addressing the Concerns of the Malay Community.

The paper covers discussions on economic inequality, education system, the Singapore Armed Forces, etc and how present policies in these areas put the Malay community at a disadvantage.

The central theme of the SDP's paper is the building of a Singaporean identity. With the Government's policy of flooding the country with foreigners, there is the danger that the uniquely Singaporean culture and identity, of which Singaporean Malays form an integral part, will be eroded.

Policy-making is more than just enacting laws that regulate behaviour. It must help to develop a people who imbibe a strong sense of nationhood and belonging to their country.

Loyalty and patriotism must go beyond singing the national anthem and reciting the pledge. It must entail that intangible factor which binds a citizen to the sights and sounds of her homeland, and keeps alive the dreams and aspirations of his home. Absent such an emotional bond and we will succeed only in building skyscrapers, not a nation.

The SDP's paper seeks to build just such a society where Singaporeans develop an unbreakable bond with our nation. And we can only do this if we cultivate our national culture and identity by treating our Malay community as an indivisible part of the Singaporean society.

When we develop an inclusive system, we build trust and cohesiveness amongst the various races in our country. With trust comes loyalty. Only then will we be able to hold together if and when a crisis befalls our nation.

Such an objective has taken on added importance in the face of the dilution of who we are as Singaporeans through the mass importation of foreigners.

Read also:
The future of Singapore - do Malays have a part? http://yoursdp.org/news/2012-08-21-5299

SDP holds historic Malay discussion in dignified manner http://yoursdp.org/news/sdp_holds_historic_malay_discussion_in_dignified_manner/2012-09-08-5341

Join us - regardless of whether you're Chinese, Malay, Indian, or any other ethnic group - at our public launch of this landmark paper and help us build A Singapore For All Singaporeans.


"A Singapore for All Singaporeans: Addressing the Concerns of the Malay Community"

Event: Launch of SDP's Malay policy paper
Date: 7 September 2013, Saturday
Time: 2pm - 5pm
Venue: Bras Basah Complex, Action Room, #04-41 Location map

"A Singapore for All Singaporeans: Addressing the Concerns of the Malay Community"

Event: Launch of SDP's Malay policy paper
Date: 7 September 2013, Saturday
Time: 2pm - 5pm
Venue: Bras Basah Complex, Action Room, #04-41 Location map

Please join us - regardless of whether you're Chinese, Malay, Indian, or any other ethnic group - at our public launch of this landmark paper and help us build A Singapore For All Singaporeans.

You can join this event by registering at the following SDP Facebook Event page (link):

https://www.facebook.com/events/1408118072738331/



(Photo: Mendaki Community Leaders' Forum 2010 at NUS)

Very timely. Greater dialogue is good.

PoliticalDialogue said:

Very timely. Greater dialogue is good.

Click to expand...

Hi bro. PoliticalDialogue, thank you for your kind words of encouragement.

Please consider attending this event if you have the time on 7 September 2013. Hope to see you there

SDP is making efforts in the right direction. Can't quarrel with that.

OverTheCounter said:

Chey .... NSP already launched Malay Bureau in 2010!

SDP slow leh ...

Click to expand...

Aiyo..., brother OverTheCounter, no need to compare all the time, can?

As long as it benefits the ordinary Singaporeans, competition is always good for the common citizens who will be doing the voting.

By the way, for your information, this is NOT the first year that the SDP is organizing a Malay forum. Last year, on 8 September 2012, a similar Malay forum was held by the SDP.

You can read more and watch youtube videos about last year's SDP Malay forum at the following links:

1. The future of Singapore - do Malays have a part?
http://yoursdp.org/news/2012-08-21-5299

2. SDP holds historic Malay discussion in dignified manner
http://yoursdp.org/news/sdp_holds_historic_malay_discussion_in_dignified_m anner/2012-09-08-5341

3. SDP Malay Forum 8 Sept 2012 - The future of Singapore - Do Malays have a part?

[video=youtube;odR7yg6YWU0]http://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PL4SA_EeRs4AlSRT7Su9Mdt2C9Gc9BSe9h&v=odR7yg6YWU0&feature=player_detailpage[/video]

Let us build A Singapore For All Singaporeans

Added on: Thursday (Today), September 5, 2013

by Singapore Democrats

http://yoursdp.org/news/let_us_build_a_singapore_for_all_singaporeans/2013-09-05-5698




The SDP will be launching our Malay policy paper this Saturday. The single most important motivation for writing this paper is the concern that the Singaporean identity is being eroded with the influx of foreigners.

Titled A Singapore for All Singaporeans: Addressing the Concerns of the Malay Community, the paper calls for the proper regard for, and of, our Malay community which forms an integral part of our national culture and identity.

Neglecting the Malay-Muslim community will also mean destroying a part of who we are, and have come to be, as Singaporeans. It has grave implications for our future as a people.

But A Singapore for All Singaporeans is more than an affirmation of our nationality, it is an alternative blueprint to building a truly multi-racial and multi-cultural society that lives up to the promise of our national pledge: We the citizens of Singapore, pledge ourselves as one united people regardless of race, language or religion...

Many Singaporeans complain that they feel alienated and have become strangers in their own country with the current population policy. This is a result of the sudden and massive increase in foreigners on the island.

The antidote is not to become xenophobic. It is to develop an inclusive system. When we do this, we build trust and cohesiveness amongst the various races in our country. With trust comes loyalty. Only then will we be able to hold together if and when a crisis befalls our nation.

To achieve this noble and necessary objective, we must tackle the underlying causes that put the Malay community in Singapore at a disadvantage.

For example, we examined the number of scholarships awarded by the Public Service Commission (PSC) and counted the number of Malay recipients. (PSC scholarships are awarded to promising students at the pre-university level to groom them for leadership positions in the Public Service). Of the 380 awarded holders between 2009 to 2013, only 6 (0.016 percent) were Malays.

Are Malays less hardworking or less intelligent than the majority Chinese – and by such a large margin – and therefore undeserving of the scholarships? Or is there some other dynamic at work that is causing such a skewed outcome?

These questions will be discussed at the public forum on Saturday. More importantly, we will present realistic and viable solutions to address such shortcomings in our system.

Other topics that will be discussed are the economic disparity between the Malays and other ethnic groups in Singapore, the lack of Malays in our armed forces, and the narrow definition of the Special Assistance Plan (SAP) schools.

The other issues tackled in this paper include pre-school education, madrasah schools, the Tertiary Tuition Fund Scheme, healthcare, housing, and social spending issues, each topic accompanied by concrete and viable proposals.

As stated at the outset, of central importance in presenting this alternative paper is the fact that Singapore's future depends on building a strong Singaporean identity that must necessarily include the Malay community.

Already, nearly 40 percent of our population are non-Singaporeans. This number threatens to increase if more foreigners flood this island and native-born Singaporeans leave. When this happens, we will not know where is home and who is the Singaporean.

Let us begin the process of building A Singapore For All Singaporeans.

"A Singapore for All Singaporeans: Addressing the Concerns of the Malay Community"

Event: Launch of SDP's Malay policy paper
Date: 7 September 2013, Saturday
Time: 2pm - 5pm
Venue: Bras Basah Complex, Action Room, #04-41

Some youtube videos from last year's SDP Malay forum:

1. SDP Malay Forum 8 Sept 2012 - Maarof Salleh

[video=youtube;PBI_1oi2slg]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBI_1oi2slg&list=PL4SA_EeRs4AlSRT7Su9Mdt2C9Gc9BSe9h&feature=player_detailpage[/video]

2. SDP Malay Forum 8 Sept 2012 - Walid Jumblatt

[video=youtube;5bkK39INaog]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5bkK39INaog&list=PL4SA_EeRs4AlSRT7Su9Mdt2C9Gc9BSe9h&feature=player_detailpage[/video]

Cosmos10 said:

Let us begin the process of building A Singapore For All Singaporeans.

"A Singapore for All Singaporeans: Addressing the Concerns of the Malay Community"

Event: Launch of SDP's Malay policy paper
Date: 7 September 2013, Saturday
Time: 2pm - 5pm
Venue: Bras Basah Complex, Action Room, #04-41

Click to expand...

Wah! Action Room some more. OK OK I hope to see real action from SDP.

SDP commends police for permit for forum

http://yoursdp.org/news/sdp_commends_police_for_permit_for_forum/2013-09-08-5702

by the Singapore Democrats

The SDP commends the police for approving the application for a permit for the launch of our Malay policy paper A Singapore for Singaporeans: Addressing the Concerns of the Malay Community.

We are encouraged that the authorities have shown maturity in dealing with an issue that has long needed public airing.

(Even though indoor forums where speakers are locals do not require a permit, subjects regarding race or religion are exceptions and require police approval.)

The SDP had conducted a public forum to discuss Malay issues last year to a packed house and demonstrated that open and honest debate of race and religion can be held in a civil and dignified manner (pictured below).





While the PAP keeps the discussion of Malay issues confined to within the Malay community, the SDP maintains that what happens to Singaporean Malays affects the whole of society and must be therefore debated openly at the national level.

The reason is clear: The only way that we can build a united people is that we all care for one another. What happens to our fellow Malay citizens must be of concern to our Chinese and Indian Singaporeans. Likewise, Malay Singaporeans must reciprocate that bond as nationals of this Republic.

If we don't seek to understand the problems that beset Malays in Singapore, the frustrations of the community will fester. Frustration begets distrust begets disunity.

Hitherto, the Government has made discussion of race and religion taboo. This is unfortunate as the problems don't disappear, they are merely repressed only to surface later in unexpected and undesirable ways.

The SDP has shown that the matter can be broached in a mature and responsible manner, and we intend to continue doing this at today's launch of our alternative paper.

We are happy to note that the Government acknowledges the SDP's approach to the matter and has approved our application. We hope that this decision is not a one-off but a genuine maturation of our political system.

"A Singapore for All Singaporeans: Addressing the Concerns of the Malay Community"

Event: Launch of SDP's Malay policy paper
Date: 7 September 2013, Saturday
Time: 2pm - 5pm
Venue: Bras Basah Complex, Action Room, #04-41

SDP's 10-point plan to improve Malay conditions

Added on: Sunday (Yesterday), 8 September 2013
by The Singapore Democrats

http://yoursdp.org/news/sdp_s_10_point_plan_to_improve_malay_conditions/2013-09-08-5705



The SDP has launched our policy paper titled A Singapore for All Singaporeans: Addressing the Concerns of the Malay Community in which we propose a 10-point plan to improve the conditions of the Malay community in Singapore:

1. Improve economic conditions. In terms of earning power, 20% of Malay families live on less than $1,500/month. Malays still significantly lag the Chinese and Indians in terms of earning power. The SDP will push for minimum wage and retrenchment benefits to help uplift the Malay community economically.

2. Make healthcare affordable. Healthcare in Singapore is expensive. Many Singaporeans avoid screenings and are saddled with huge debts when they are hospitalised. Also, low-income mothers with poor nutrition are likely to give birth to babies of low birth weight and this could affect the child’s learning abilities in later years. To keep healthcare affordable, the SDP's healthcare plan proposes that

Medisave be scrapped and the money returned to our CPF accounts.
Singaporeans pay an average of $40/month (taken from our CPF) into a national fund. This is one-third of what we currently pay into Medisave.
When we are hospitalised, we pay only 10% of the bill, the government pays 90% from the national fund.
For more information about SDP's heathcare plan, click here ---> http://yoursdp.org/publ/sdp_39_s_al...he_sdp_healthcare_plan_made_simple/31-1-0-968

3. Nationalise pre-school education. Kindergarten education can affect future learning and classroom achievement of students. As such, the Ministry of Education should take charge of kindergartens and provide trained teachers and inexpensive fees instead of leaving pre-schools unregulated.

4. Lower tertiary education fees. Malays make up only 5% of university students, compared to 22% for the Chinese and 35% for Indians. To help reduce this gap, the SDP proposes that tertiary education fees be lowered so that all students who qualify, especially those from needy families, can afford its fees.

5. Fund madrasahs. Madrasahs do not receive state funds even though their students take the PSLE and O-level exams. Under the SDP alternative, Madrasahs will receive state assistance in funding, consistent with the government funding missionary schools. In return, madrasah schools will recruit non-Muslim teachers to teach secular subjects.

6. End discrimination in the SAF. Distrust of Singaporean Malays to serve in the SAF will breed disloyalty and negatively affect our country's national security. The SDP proposes that recruitment and promotion of SAF personnel, including NSmen, be based on performance and not race.

7. Introduce the Fair Employment Act. Workplace discrimination against minority ethnic groups remians a problem. Anti-discrimination legislation should be introduced to minimise the problem.

8. Abolish the Ethnic Integration Programme (EIP). The EIP restricts where ethic minorities may live. This is unfair as the political voice of these groups is dissipated. Also, re-sale prices of their HDB flats are negatively affected because they can only sell their flats to their own race which has lower buying power. The SDP alternative will abolish the EIP.

9. Make housing affordable. Public housing in Singapore is very expensive. The SDP has drawn up an alternative housing plan that makes HDB flats affordable: We want to introduce Non-Open Market (NOM) flats where HDB sells flats without adding the cost of land.

This reduces prices by more than half of present levels. The reduced prices allow flat owners to save their CPF money for retirement or to make other investments. If and when NOM owners want to sell their flats, however, they have to sell them back to the HDB.
For more information about SDP's housing plan, click here ---> http://yoursdp.org/news/sdp_proposes_non_open_market_flats_in_housing_policy/2012-11-04-5430

10. Make Mendaki non-partisan. Mendaki was first set up more than 30 years ago to raise the level of education of Malays. After three decades of its existence, the majority of Malays are still lagging in education. This is because Mendaki is highly partisan with a PAP minister as its chairman and several PAP MPs on its board of directors.

The SDP wants to see Mendaki's governing body nominated by civil society and Malay-Muslim organisations to be confirmed through a parliamentary process and serve a two-year term. The unhealthy practice of putting PAP members in the organisation's leadership structure will stop.

To read the full copy of A Singapore for All Singaporeans: Addressing the Concerns of the Malay Community, please click here ---> http://yoursdp.org/_ld/0/10_main.pdf

SDP should continue focusing on such issues, more especially bread-and-butter issues.

Frankly when it comes to election time no one will bother to read all this. What matters is how much credibility you can project, will you be able to manage the town council, keep the place clean, debate things intelligently etc.

We are wasting our Malay talent

Added on: Monday, 9 September, 2013
by The Singapore Democrats

http://yoursdp.org/news/we_are_wasting_our_malay_talent/2013-09-09-5703

The current system is placing unnecessary obstacles in the way of the Malay community and thwarting its progress in society. As a result, Singapore is not only not developing its full potential but also losing a integral part of our national identity.

This matter was raised at the SDP's launch of our Malay policy paper A Singapore for All Singaporeans: Addressing the Concerns of the Malay Community.

Party Chairman Jufrie Mahmood said that the situation needed to be discussed at the national, instead of the communal, level because Malays in Singapore are first and foremost Singaporeans. Furthermore, the Singaporean identity can only be strengthened if we stop compartmentalising ourselves into separate races as the PAP is wont to do.



Secretary-General Chee Soon Juan then presented the major problems that the Malay community faced and the SDP's alternative solutions to deal with them.

Are Malays less capable?

At the heart of the matter is education which Dr Chee pointed out is the key to overcoming the problems that Singapore Malays faced. Education is what is needed for social mobility, something that is lacking in the present system.

He cited the median household income in 2010 for the Malays was $3,844 while they were $5,100 for Chinese and $5,370 for Indians.

Many conclude that this is because under a meritocratic system in Singapore where reward is dispensed according to ability, the Malays are less capable and therefore do not earn as much.

The situation is less straightforward from what it appears, Dr Chee pointed out. Take, for example, the award of Public Service Commission (PSC) scholarships: Of the 380 awarded holders between 2009 to 2013, only 6 (1.6 percent) were Malays. Of the 288 President's Scholars given out between 1966 and 2012, only two were Malays.

Under PSC guidelines, however, candidates for the awards must "refrain from participating in activities which are, or are likely to be, inimical to the interests or security of Singapore."

Given the views of Government leaders who have questioned the loyalty of Singaporean Malays to Singapore, could the selection of scholars have been prejudiced against the community?

Another indication that Government policy may be the factor behind the "poor performance” of the Malay community is the given in the figure below which shows that the number if medical graduates decreased dramatically around the late 1950s and early 1960s:



From 1910-1959, the percentage of Malay-Muslim medical graduates was 6.12 percent of the total number of doctors. From 1960 onwards, this number dropped to 1.96 percent.

Opportunity for fair competition

To ensure that state scholarships are awarded in an exemplary manner, the SDP's paper proposes that the Government must reiterate its stand that it does not condone any form of discriminatory practices in the Public Service.



In addition, the PSC must conduct its selection processes in a transparent manner by submitting a report to Parliament, detailing their evaluation and justifying their selection of the award recipients.

It is imperative that the public have confidence in the PSC and scholarship selection committees when it comes to choosing our state scholarship holders.

Another issue that the paper takes up is the impact of economic disparity on the community. One-fifth of Malay households live on $1,500 a month or less. Such conditions, apart from exerting heavy financial pressure, exact a toll on families and children which often lead to the breakdown of family units which, in turn, affects educational progress and gives rise to criminal behaviour (nearly 50 percent of drug abusers are Malays).

Poverty also affects health and, since Malays are disproportionately represented in the lower-income groups, it retards the overall functioning of the community. For example, a low-income mother with poor nutrition is likely to give birth to a baby of low birth weight and this could affect the child’s learning abilities in later years. Also, children with poor nutrition are less alert, curious, and less able to interact.

To minimise such adverse conditions, the SDP plan advocates the introduction of minimum wage and retrenchment benefits to alleviate the circumstances of needy families. The SDP's National Healthcare Plan – which charges low-income families minimal rates for healthcare – will also give such families a much needed opportunity to compete fairly in society.

Worrying levels of emigration

Dr Chee also pointed to Malays emigrating to other countries. As a result of the paucity of opportunity and the disadvantages that they face, many Malays are leaving Singapore.

In 2009, Berita Harian reported that Malay emigration to Australia was on the rise. An immigration consultant in Singapore said that 30 percent of his clients were Malays. Together with the mass importation of nationals from China and India, the percentage of Malays in Singapore has shrunk from 15% to 13.5%.

The change in composition of the native-born Singaporean will not contribute towards the strengthening of the Singaporean identity. The continued marginalisation of the Malays in Singapore will, tragically, speed up the process of the erosion of our national identity. This policy paper is drawn up to prevent such an occurrence.

To read a summary of the paper, please click here ---> http://yoursdp.org/news/sdp_s_10_point_plan_to_improve_malay_conditions/2013-09-08-5705
To read the full paper, please click here ---> http://yoursdp.org/_ld/0/10_main.pdf

Good job, SDP. Way to go

so SDP has to remove Vincent Wijeysingha to pacify the Malays.