To examine how the socio-economic status of the Malays corresponds to their political

Well, I think the question of me for not understanding the Malays did not rise at all, by my association with the Malays for the past 55 years since primary one. Did I NOT mention that the Sultan did voice out in defense of the people, especially the Johoreans as in the Muslim-only Launderette case? But what I inclined to emphasize was that ‘MOST’ of the issues the Sultan touched and handled were political influenced and motivated which many may not be aware of and failed to see, but simply jumped into a cheering wagon that was intelligently and strategically placed. *There have been so much of back-scene dealings which are engaged in the dark that those who know about them are fearful to reveal and to even make a comment about it in the social media*. For your info, I am telling the *above* only here, not anywhere else.

This approach is derived from a similarly paradoxical situation, that of Singapore's evolution as a nation. Singapore's history from the formation of the Federation of Malaysia through merger with Malaya, to independence in 1965, up till the present day, is a tale of triumph over tribulations. The two years as part of Malaysia were especially traumatic, complete with heated political campaigns and two racial riots. Yet these were not as distressful as the separation of Singapore from Malaysia in 1965, which in effect compelled Singapore to eke out a living on its own. Just as doubt is supposedly an impediment to successful persuasion, so Singapore's vulnerabilities and limitations as a small state were thought to stand in the way of its progress. Yet these anticipated dangers served as a rallying point around which the leaders of the country linked arms with the people. This sense of vulnerability not only guided the leadership in policy-making, it impressed upon the people that they had a point to prove to detractors who had doubted the viability of the nation. Judging by the role which uncertainty

Langkah-langkah diambil oleh Inggeris untuk mempercepatkan kemasukan buruh dengan memperkenalkan undang-undang dan peraturan imigrasi di Tanah Melayu. Dasar penghijrahan British liberal dan dapat menjamin keselamatan dan peluang-peluang ekonomi yang lebih baik. Di negeri-negeri Selat, perdagangan menjadi pendorong penting penghijrah orang Cina. Di negeri-negeri Melayu pula, perlombongan bijih timah menjadi faktor penarik yang penting. Ini berlaku apabila endapan bijih timah yang banyak ditemui. Pembesar-pembesar Melayu tidak mahu bergantung dengan orang Melayu yang melombong secara sambilan. Pemerintah-pemerintah Melayu mendorong masuk pelombong Cina dan berpuas hati dengan mengutip komisen serta cukai.

Singapore has hence protected its multicultural heritage by putting up the sedition act. One of the laws of this act is that it is against the promotion of anger, resentment across races and different hierarchy of the general population of Singapore (9) This protects the religious harmony in Singapore. Secondly we were all taught from young, we learned social studies that taught us the importance of Racial and religious harmony. Hence the government uses this way to influence the next generation. This allows these values to be grounded in us at a tender

Xenophobia was made known to Singapore in the General Elections of 2011. Foreign influx was one of the hot-button issues of the general elections, which pertains to the government’s liberal immigration and foreign worker policy. Singaporeans believe that the influx of foreigners was the cause of overcrowding, rising property prices and unfair job opportunities for the locals. As foreigners were blamed for creating the major problems of Singapore, it has resulted in tension between Singaporeans and foreigners. This local-foreign divide is evident in 2012, whereas a Chinese

“The threat to Singapore is not Malaysia,” John Vautrain, a Singapore-based senior vice-president at U.S. energy consultancy Purvin & Gertz Inc., said in a telephone interview that if there was a threat to Singapore, people talk about Shanghai or the Arab Gulf. Shanghai is obviously a much larger consumption center, but the problem is there’s not much free trade. It’s not a shipping hub the way that Singapore

Active citizenry refers to the concept that members of countries have certain roles and responsibilities to society and the environment, whether or not they have specific governing roles. An active citizen is someone who takes a pro-active role in the community such as by raising awareness about social or political issues and offering solutions to these problems. I disagree to a small extent that Singapore can only benefit from a more active citizenry. Although it is undeniable that active citizenry indeed has several advantages, it also brings disadvantages which result from undesirable side effects of these benefits.

S.Rajaratnam’s Tiger is an anti-colonial narrative that advocates Malayan nationalistic messages for peaceful co-existence in a plural society that faces further complexities from political spheres. The Tiger undeniably continues to serve as a national narrative crucial for contemporary Singapore society because of its present complex multiracial composition and the faithful upholding of colonial power structure which are similar to societal features of the colonial period. Through such anti-colonial narrative, Rajaratnam advocates a decolonisation process that is based on compassion and humanity, as resonated in Jameson Bretch’s thought provoking idea of alienation. Although it is ironic to use Bretch’s idea of alienation derived from dialectic

From the earlier domination of the Malays elites in the institutions, the recruitment of the Malay with humble backgrounds and the non-Malays makes the racial balance in the institutions. It is stunning to see how Malaysian can handle our own institution pillars without the interference from any foreign authority.

Multiculturalism and multiracialism has become the proud hallmark of Singapore society today. However, the issues that come together with them still seem to plaque the community even after more than five decades. In retrospect, these issues are more protuberant in the implementation level than at the policy-making stage. The way Chua Beng Huat asserted in his paper titled Multiculturalism in Singapore: an instrument of social control, it seems as though multiculturalism and multiracialism are double-edged swords which can cut both ways.

Singapore sacrificed civil liberty for the sake of economic development. There is no doubt economic development is important to maintain the national strength and reputation of a country or a city, however Singapore is not worthy for being an authoritarian city. Everything was restricted, mainstream media under government supervision monopolized media industry; citizens would face harsh penalties if they accidentally done something wrong—even chewing gum were banned in Singapore. Living under such kind of society, I don’t think the Singaporeans will feel happy with their life—their access and freedom to obtain information and express views were deprived, even the Internet is free but lawsuits are waiting for the netizens once they posted materials regarded as ‘illegal” by the

In Singapore, relations with countries like Malaysia and Indonesia are very important due to geographical reasons. Singapore must never take its right to exist and security for granted due to the fact that we are one of the safest counties in the world. Being a small nation of the international community, Singapore must be able to rely on access to other country markets to have fair trade practices. Ever since Singapore attained its independence, being a good neighbor and having economic and social relations has been its goal with all counties.

Yet this was not exactly a moment of aberration, Chua suggested that the introduction of “Religious Knowledge” was itself an effort to rectify the rise of individualism in the 1980s as a result of perceived Singapore’s growing westernization (Chua, 1995). Instead of a diversion, the effort was to strengthen the ideology of communitarianism, ensuring the importance of social cohesion would not be overridden by the influence of globalization, which ironically weakened the base, which gave it strength. This ideological contradiction came into sharper focus in the late 1990s and 2000s when the heightened globalization processes dispelled the illusion of coherence.

The Republic of Singapore celebrated its 42 years of independence in year 2007. Situated at the southern tip of Malaysia, Singapore currently holds a population of 4.68 million as of June 2007. At 704.0km2, it is ranked 4th in the world for its population density. During the past four decades, the economy as measured by real Gross Domestic Product (GDP), multiplied by over 20 times (Ghesquiere, 2007, p.11). As a small and extremely open economy, Singapore long term survival is very much dependent on the ability to maintain its viable position and remain afloat in the sea of global competition (Mun Heng et al, 1998, p.14).

Malaysia is a unique country. It is made up of multi-ethnic group who are living in harmony. Conflict among ethnic group is rare and even if conflict occurs, is not to the extent of destroying the country. In fact, it is the diversity that drives the development of the country and makes this country colourful. Malaysia has been recognized by the world as a model for other plural societies. The concept of ‘unity in diversity’ is always insisted by the leaders. The concept is now supported with the ‘1 Malaysia’ concept which is introduced by the current Prime Minister. The Malaysian government is always put efforts to ensure the