totally agreed.so now we need to go down to the streets and wave
our protest banners and tell Mr LKY,''we want equality throughout
all races, regardless u r malay,chinese,indian,or european"
Then ask urself another question, with so many FOREIGN
TALENTS becoming Singaporean, have we given them the same
privellege we are enjoying too, are we treating them as a proper
Singaporean or just someone snatching our ricebowl.
When you raise your - protest banners and tell Mr
LKY,''we want equality throughout all races, regardless u r
malay,chinese,indian,or european" - do you have any idea what
you want that is to be "equally spread throughout all
races" ?
The Pledge simply state "to build a democratic society based
on justice and equality - so as to achieve happiness and
progress for our nation".
Firstly a Democratic Society must be built to ensure that
justice and equal treatment is given to every Singapore Citizen,
who made the Pledge, and it is through justice and equal treatment
that happiness and progress for our nation can be achieved.
It is not so clever for MM LKY to bring out the bogeyman fears
that the call for equality will spell trouble in that the
weaker minority Malays will react with suspicious that the
help extended to them will no longer exist as guaranteed in the
Constitution.
Why should this help to the Malays be removed ? It can only
result in no justice and equality when the special help given
to the Malays are removed, when there are more in
the Malay
Community recognised as being weaker and cannot
compete with the other ethnic groups - it is only right that such
help is extended to them.
There is no contradiction to the call for justice and equality
for all irregardless of race, language or religion.
Foreign Talents - are a different issue.
While we recognised them for their contribution to our society,
Singapore also extend an invitation for them to join our
cosmopolitan nation - to be a Citizen and enjoy the same rights as
Citizens.
If they prefer to be economic migrant, and have no wish to build
their lives here as Citizens, we could grant them the security and
comforts of living here as Permanent Residents - with the necessary
conditions and restriction to their terms of stay.
While justice is similarly given to them, should they be treated
with any equality as given to the Citizens ?
Equality, Harmony and Prosperity. have we achieve anything close
to it already? What is the understanding to pledge we recited over
and over again a thousands time.
What do you think ?
Has Singapore not reached "equality", "harmony" and "prosperity"
?
"Harmony" between ethnic groups have certainly
been achieved - but is this merely skin deep, or has this sunk
deeper into easy acceptance of cross-ethnic relations of
employers and employees in small private businesses ?
After 44 years of independence, the PAP Government has allocated
specific number of ethnic minority allowed in any block of flats
according to the percentages of the various ethnic groups in
Singapore. This has resulted in some disadvantage to the minority
group ability to resell their homes to a smaller ethnic group, so
as to maintain the approved ethnic mix in an HDB block.
This was done out of concern that human nature will naturally
move same ethnic group to congregate in the same area, resulting in
Singapore becoming segregated into ethnic regions of a Malay area,
Chinese area, Indian area, and European area.
While this maybe true, one can see from historical records that
this policy was made to the advantage of the PAP to dilute the
minority ethnic groups into the majority, so as to allow themselves
the opportunity to better "manage" politics.
Is there "equality" - when the income divide is
widening, and when skilled and unskilled foreign talents are
competing with Singaporeans in all spheres of employment ?
Can a modern metropolis be considered
"Prosperity" - when the people continue to work as
hard as our forefathers, who were able to retire at
age 55 - when after 44 years of independence, we have to
work even harder till 75 at least ?
Despite all the glass and glitter of modern buildings, and MRTs
and shiny buses and cars - the real worth of wages earned by
Singaporeans today cannot even compare to the real
monetary value of 1960s - let alone the1950s.
The wages of a university graduate in the early 1960s would
have bought him a semi-detached house in Serangoon Gardens, a
car, and raise a family.
Can the same be said of a university graduate today ?
The inland homegrown malays of Singapore in the 1920s - 1930s,
how they cope with the influx of our ancesters from China,
India...the way we are reacting might just cause another Races riot
which none of us want to see.
Singapore Pledge!!
What do you mean by "the inland homegrown malays of
Singapore in the 1920s" ?
In Dr Mohammed Mahathir's book - ‘The Malay Dilemma’ (*1) - that was banned by
Tunku Abdul Rahman - Dr Mahathir had written that the Malays of
Malaya were actually migrants from the Yunan Province in China.
In a later Malaysian blog by a Dr Wan Hasni - he wrote
in his piece: ‘A very brief History of the Malays and Malaysia’
(*2) - that corroborated Dr Mahathir's work.
[Quote]
The Malay race (consists into two groupings – Proto Malays and
Malay Polynesians, or Melayu Darat and Melayu Laut), likely
originates from the Yunnan province or surroundings.
The early Malay (or Champa) civilizations are: Lin Yi (also
called Fu Nan), located in what is South Vietnam and Cambodia
today, the dates of the civilization is around 100AD until 1500AD
during its peak, and finally ended with the last King of Champa who
died in 1823.
The remnant of this civilization is off course the Great Angkor
Wat.
The second great civilization of Malays is Sri Vijaya, located
in Palembang (South Sumatera) – which I believe, the empire was
established after waves of migration from the Champa continent by
sea using the monsoon winds to South Sumatra.
After the fall of Sri Vijaya, which was defeated by Majapahit of
Java, Parameswara, the prince of Palembang migrated to Malacca,
which in turns established the Sultanate and Empire of Malacca.
From the Malacca Empire and Sultanates, then we saw the birth of
many Sultanates and kingdoms in the Malay Peninsula (as most of the
Malay Sultans are linked by marriage or by blood to the Malacca
Sultanate).
[Unquote]
The first settlers were the Malays, who came around the Seventh
Century and called their newfound fishing settlement "Temasek" or
"Sea Town" - with Prince Sang Nila Utama sighting the Lion on
Singapore shores recorded as being in the 13th Century.
If the migratory path of the Malays are followed according to
the above article, the Malays in Singapore were not natural to this
island and are immigrants as much as the other ethnic groups that
came later into Singapore.
The citizens of Singapore are recognised as people of migrant
stock, can anyone claim to be a Son-of-the-Soil as the aboriginese
in Australia, or the Ibans in Sarawak, or the tribal people living
in the jungles of Papua New Guinea ?
I am not sure where you intend to head with your last statement
but if it is designed to scare anyone from taking the Pledge
seriously, you had better examine the honesty of the Pledge in the
simple words chosen.
A Pledge is an Oath.
An Oath when taken has to be fulfilled.
Is there any threat to having an open, transparent, accountable
Democratic Society that is built on Justice and Equality ?
What are you afraid of ?
Are you a member of the Ruling Party ?
The only fear that the Ruling Party will have is for an open
democratic society, and for justice to be given to every
citizen - including members of the Alternative Political
Parties - that all should be treated on equal terms as
the PAP ability to enjoy the freely given
support from the various Government Departments and Agencies,
the Police, HDB, LTA, the Broadcast and Print Media.
The Ruling Party believe in total monopoly in the control of all
the above mentioned so as to allow them "to fix" everyone
in the position that they think is best for the interest of their
Party first, and Singaporeans second.
