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Kuala Lumpur - Umno vice-president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has urged Singapore Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew not to raise sensitive issues on Malaysia which could threaten stability and racial harmony in this country. "As a respected Asian statesman, he (Lee) should not issue statements that could hurt the feelings of his neighbours (Malaysians)," he said after opening the annual general meeting of the Veteran Commandos' Club of Malaysia, here, Friday. Ahmad Zahid, who is also Defence Minister, said as a neighbour, Lee should not dispute Malaysia's national leadership and not raise sensitive issues with a racial tinge. Lee was reported in The New York Times on Sept 1 to have criticised Malaysia's system, accusing it of being unfair to the other races and sidelining them. Former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has also, in his blog, hit out at Lee for his statement, saying it was baseless and that racial segregation was systematic and worse in the island republic.   Source: TheStarOnline  Read More →

作者：Dr. Mahathir Mohamad (14-09-2010) 译者：新加坡文献馆 1、李光耀先生，新加坡的内阁资政比我年长3岁。这表示他和我是在同一个年代成长。这也意味我是亲眼目睹李先生的经历，实际上，我和他在多次事件上有过互动。 2、他在《纽约时报》的访问上提及：如果新加坡没有被驱逐，马来西亚的种族关系会更佳的说法，值得进一步探讨。这是否真实，或者只是一种幻想？ 3、在新加坡加入马来亚半岛之前；和沙巴与沙劳越一起组成马来西亚，那时，在马来亚联合邦的种族政治较少。1955年，占人口80%的马来人把相当的选区割让给华人和印度人公民，让他们在马来人的支持下取得胜利。这一安排让国阵在52个竞选议席中取得51个席位的胜利。 4、东姑为了报答华人与印度人公民对国阵的支持而无条件的颁发了100万个公民权。这使到马来人的多数缩小为60%。 5、1959年大选，国阵的巫统，马华，印度人国大党轻易取胜，除了吉兰丹之外。人民拒绝了一个马来人的政党回教党。种族主义即便是隐默的也会失败。 6、 1963年新加坡成为马来西亚的一部分。虽然有承诺说人民行动党不涉足半岛，沙巴和沙劳越的政治，光耀背弃承诺，人民行动党在半岛争取华人支持试图取代马 华在国阵的位置。‘马来西亚人的马来西亚’口号暗示华人没有和马来人同等的权力。如果这种争取华人情感去对抗马来人不是种族意识，我就不知道什么才是种族 意识。 7、但是，半岛上的华人选择和巫统的马来人合作。他们在1964年的大选时完全拒绝了人民行动党。 8、在马来西亚人的马来西亚运动后，几位巫统领袖试图在新加坡鼓动马来人情绪。新加坡有了动乱，这之前是不曾发生过的。光耀指控加发亚巴在煽动新加坡的马来人。虽然我从来没有到过新加坡，也没有接触那里的马来人，光耀亲自把我标签为马来极端主义者。 9、到了1965年种族歧视日益增长，使到东姑被迫结束新加坡在马来西亚的成员地位。但是，华人的种族歧视种子已经散播，所以即使人民行动党已脱离，‘马来西亚人的马来西亚’这一个战斗叫嚣却让民主行动党，也就是人民行动党的分支传承下去。 10、从新加坡在马来西亚的短暂3年时间所遗留下的种种后果来看，我们可否真实的去相信，如果新加坡不被迫离开，马来西亚的种族关系会更好？ 11、从1969年大选的过程中可以知晓什么事情是必然将会发生的。马华开始批评华人和马来人的合作伙伴关系，特别是针对所谓的特权，以及要求创办华人大学。当时，巫统开始要求在国家经济上占有更大的股份。由于巫统与马华的争执，国阵在1969年的选举上遭受相当的挫折。 12、民行党和民政党，一个由马华的不满党员组成的新政党，取得不俗的成绩。国阵为此而感到震撼与慌乱。 13、随后，民政党与民行党在马来人聚居的甘榜巴鲁进行胜利游行，对马来人做出种族性羞辱。这造成了5月13日的种族大暴乱。 14、至到今天民行党还持续这个种族主义的战斗口号‘马来西亚人的马来西亚’。明显的，马来西亚的种族主义是新加坡加入马来西亚，虽然时间上只有短暂的3个年头的结果。我们是否真的相信如果新加坡没有被迫离开，马来西亚是不会有种族问题的。 15、当光耀说起他相信各个民族社群必须从各自的种族隔离桎梏中解放，以换取各个种族之间的一个公平与公正社会时，他也说：‘一旦我们从马来西亚退出，华人成为多数民族’。 16、新加坡人口中有75%是华人，他们拥有95%的经济。因此，这并非真正的多元种族国家，这只是有些少数民族的一个中国人的国家，另外，这些少数民族都是一群贫穷的人口。 17、 新加坡是不允许有异议的。挑战人民行动党的人都要被捉到法庭面对诽谤诉讼，如果他们赢得了议席他们也不会被允许出席国会。但是，在马来西亚，反对党不仅可 以赢得议席，他们更组成了卅政府（今天，在13个卅中有5个卅是由反对党统治），在新加坡，人民行动党必须委派人民行动党党员去代表反对党。 18、不论人民行动党是否承认，这个政党向来是由华族领导，并且是用华人选票取得胜利。其他民族甚至于不必去扮演粉饰的角色。 19、如果新加坡是马来西亚的一分子，人民行动党应该可以塑造出新加坡式的非种族政治，因为同马来西亚的华人一起，人民行动党可以在种族上占领导地位，并且控制马来西亚的政治。没有人可以反对，肯定的，也没有人有胆量去指出谁才是真正的国家统治者。 20、健忘失忆症是无可厚非的，但是要把事情说成是因为新加坡被迫离开而造成马来西亚今天的种族政治格局，这种说法是完全没有历史上的实事凭证。 21、李光耀和我都是看到相同的事迹，我们都知道其中的原因是什么。 来源：http://chedet.co.cc/chedetblog/2010/09/malaysia-according-to-lky.html  Read More →

Prominent Singapore diplomat Professor Tommy Koh has agreed with the analysis of a netizen who wrote to him that the relentless influx of foreign workers is responsible for depressing the wages of ordinary Singapore workers, especially the lower income group. In a rare departure from the official stance, Prof Koh lent support to the implementation of a minimum wage in Singapore to help the lower income group of workers. The wages of Singapore’s lower-income workers have declined over the years due to the relentless influx of cheap foreign workers. Singapore’s income-gap is now the highest among developed economies after Hong Kong which has recently introduced a minimum wage as well. According to Prof Koh, ”every advanced economy, including Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Hong Kong, has a minimum wage.” “We need not follow the practices of others. However, it is incumbent upon us to innovate and to deliver better governance and inclusiveness,” he added. His statement which was given extensive publicity by the mainstream media prompted a netizen kojakbt to email him. Writing from his own personal experience, kojakbt noted that the relentless influx of semi-skilled workers into Singapore is threatening the livelihoods of Singapore's PMETs who are unable to compete with them in terms of cost. In a short reply to kojakbt, Prof Koh wrote that he agreed with his analysis. Read the exchange between them below:   from Tommy KOH to [email protected] cc [email protected] date Fri, Sep 17, 2010 at 10:25 AM subject Re: FW: ST article - Basic pay: Tommy Koh weighs in hide details 10:25 AM (1 hour ago) Thanks. I agree with your analysis. Best wishes. ------------------------------------------------------------------- From: BT Kojak [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Thursday, September 16, 2010 11:42 AM To: Chairman, IPS Subject: ST article - Basic pay: Tommy Koh weighs in Dear Tommy, I'm writing to you in regard to what you have been quoted on ST during your recent book launch: 'The growing disparity and the hardship faced by the lowest 20 per cent of our workers are threats to our social cohesion and inconsistent with our policy of inclusive growth,' he said at a book launch. 'As a Straits Times correspondent recently commented, Singapore is a First World country with a Third World wage structure.' Indeed, I agree with you totally on this point. In my view, the number 1 culprit in causing the fall of income of our lowest 20% of our workforce is due to the relentless influx of foreign "talents" into Singapore, thanks to our Government's open door policy to foreign workers. As it is, the foreign population in Singapore now stands at 36%, the highest among the 1st world nations in the world. Huge influx of foreign workers helps to depress wages in Singapore due to the increase supply of cheap manpower from 3rd world countries. Increasingly, this huge influx of foreign workers is now also threatening the jobs of our PMETs. Just to give you an illustration, the other day my company was trying to recruit an account assistant. Typically, the market rate for such a position is about $1500 for a fresh recruit. We had many PRC, Vietnamese, Burmese etc applicants (LCCI fresh grads from here) all asking for salaries very much well below $1500. Some Burmese applicants even asked for $800 so that they could get a job and continue to stay in Singapore. Now, you might ask, how can a Burmese survive on $800 in Singapore? I asked the same question and one told me that he lived with 3 others in a room paying $150 for rental each. For food, he said he could survive very well on $200 a month. I estimated that he could probably save $400 a month for him to send back home. Using google, one can calculate that $400 is about US$300 or 300,000 Kyat. From google, I've also found out that a junior civil servant is only paid 20,000 Kyat a month in Myanmar. In other words, at $400, this is already more than 1 year's pay of a junior civil servant in Myanmar! Hence, these 3rd world foreign workers are participating nothing more than economic arbitraging. We of course, can't blame them since it's only natural that people will want to seek out the best for themselves and for their lives. But the question we want to ask ourselves is this - will Singaporeans also want to live like them in our own country? That is, squeezing 4 to a room and eating sparingly for every meals? Lastly, congratulations on your book launch. Best regards Kojakbt [email protected]  Read More →