Some Malays writing in response to this incident have framed it as a race issue :-( Is this an early sign of what is to come? Don't we prefer a more hopeful and confident Malay community? I hope to see them doing better than those in Malaysia but I often feel like the progress they made as I grew up has been rolled back. Those I know are the successful ones and they don't seem to do anything about those left behind. I somehow just get the impression that these are the hopeless cases and there are lots of them e.g., looking for rental housing, living out by our beaches....and I suspect many do not attend Mosque prayer sessions either.
- Harith Innocentyetimperfect Memalukan orang Melayu Islam kiter..Lagi sebulan da nak bulan Ramadan masih nak buat benda bodo.
- Midza Mida Haiz.. Why would u slash someone just because u are not happy with something... Its a life here we are talking about and these guys dont even care about a life.. Bring shame to the malay community in singapore... They are not even juvenile.. They are 23 and 20 old enuf to think... 10years of jail if found guilty.. Just waste their life rotting inside when they can make it big outside....... What a shame...
Are you trying to say that your community has no problems? There are Chinese staying in rental flats and are all that applies for rental housing are hopeless cases? By the way those Chinese that get into trouble did not pray at the temple or burn offerings I presume.
ReplyDeleteYou extrapolate too much even if you ask them as questions which permit you to say no. Yes, the Chinese too have problems. I was thinking more of the rate of change, the trend and now the outspokenness.
DeleteI only respond to you because race is a sensitive issue. Otherwise as I blog for myself I never care for visitors or try too hard to make myself clear.
Why not select a private profile instead? Surely you do know that by not doing so, anyone can view your posts and take your points out of context.
ReplyDeleteHaving said so, I honestly feel that the link to praying at mosques is rather shallow. Or are you subliminally implying religion issues?
In an earlier post I had explained that privacy on the Web is a myth. In recent days, we have been shown by Snowden how it is even more precarious than many of us thought.
DeleteIf I lock up this blog, I will sometime forget the hard truth of no real privacy here. Time will reveal many regrets for too many people in the days ahead.
On Malays and Islam, I had missed saying that if these dudes had shown up regularly at the mosques, they would be better off. Of course I also didn't bother to explain to Sanctus that the Chinese go to the temples...
Your article did not direct readers to what you are trying to put across. When I first read your article and without any clarification from you, it was condescending towards the Malay/Muslim community on the whole.
Delete1. The more successful Malays are too few and were not brought up under harsh conditions and some are void of having pity for their kin. Self-help groups such as Mendaki or even MUIS should be doing more.
2. Those staying at rental flats are not hopeless case. I feel strongly on this issue as I am currently staying in a 1-room rental flat for close to 7 years - now awaiting the keys to a BTO flat. I managed to get a diploma education by studying part-time and am now doing my degree. Do NOT stereotype people staying in rental flats as hopeless.
3. By stating that those troubled ones did not go to the mosque for their prayers shows that you have no knowledge in Islam and our prayers. Not praying at mosque does not make someone less Islamic or will lead to doing bad things.
4. The facebook comments that you incorporated into your article clearly show that the Malay community condemns the barbaric acts. It also shows that Malays feel ashamed and disappointed. You should understand why the comments are made in the first place. The Malays have been marginalized and are portrayed as a lazy, stupid and backward society who are only good at making babies and finding troubles. While most are trying their best to overturn these stigmas, there are some who bring disrepute to the Malay community.
I do admit that I do not like how some Malays are not trying to do anything to change their lives for the better. Some have the mentality where they feel they do not need to improve themselves as they feel that their life is blessed as the salary they earn is sufficient to feed and house their families. This is one of the problems of the Malays: Being stagnant and afraid to dream of achieving better.
I am happy for your achievement as per point 2. I have also learned somethings from you which is hard to come by from reading articles.
DeleteOn rental flats I was thinking of WP MP Mohd Faisal speech on the subject in parliament. And my worry is if I come back to this post a long time later, would I remember this point by Mohd Faisal? But I can't spend too much time blogging either. Suffice to say my purpose for blogging is different from most people. Most of them care about traffic. In fact I had expected to have practically no visitors. But by and large I find many comments useful but I almost never respond to them which I trust you now know why.
Of course I do not direct readers to what I am trying to put across. Didn't I just told you earlier that I was blogging for myself. There is no customer service here. People must take the posts as they are as I am not writing for any of you. If they are don't like it, they shouldn't come and I wouldn't miss them either.
I appreciate how this site has on most occasions drawn our attention to issues we would otherwise have overlooked or be dismissed casually especially as printed or broadcasted in the local mainstream media. You make a valid point that there is hardly any privacy on the internet and that visitors do drop in, read and even, respond to what's written even though it is intended for one's posterity.
ReplyDeleteI would like to share with you from a recent talk by one Kamal Sharma - a few good pointers for a win-win conversation :
(a) do not be brutally honest, but be compassionately authentic
(b) it is not about the message sent but the message being received
(c) prepare emotionally as well as logically
These are more so needed for a leader in a work place, social circle or even the family. They will go a long while ensuring a message being derailed or misinterpreted.
Keep up the good work - we need vigilant citizens like you to keep the red dot afloat especially in these times when integrity, honesty and genuine openness are amiss.
Thank you for the excellent advice. Not sure I am doing good work but use it for what's it is worth as I continue to blog for myself and family. Cheers.
DeleteYou stay in there and with the good intent, will learn along the way and win true respect. I am sure there are those who write in with good intent - but we just have to polish up our conversation BTW given your strive to be discerning I would recommend you to give regular reads of www.zerohedge.com. It is a fantastic springboard for inquiring minds. Am sure you will find many interesting newspieces to keep you ahead and above all the untruths admist us (the website doesn't claim to hold all truths either, time will only tell. Good day and hopefully less haze
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