While Perkasa talk about Malays (I believe they means Malays in Malaysia) being threaten in their own homeland and still weak and need crutches to protect them from "too advance" non-Malays, there is a new hope I found for Malays.
There are some Malays who are more professional, more progressive and more focused on what is necessary and required to advance the community's economic cause without such warlike and anti-social siege mentality.
And I always wonder why the Malays in Singapore never tried to apply for Malaysian citizenship en mass. Here might be part of the answer
Speech by Singapore Malay Chamber of Commerce & Industri (SMCCI) President, Mr Abdul Rohim Sarip
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if you don't have the time to read the whole thing, this excerpts attracted my attention and admiration
We are still in the month of Syawal, so let me wish every one Selamat Hari Raya, and also, Happy Deepavali
13. Our next business mission is to China, which offers our local Malay/Muslim entrepreneurs a huge opportunity as it has a vast 300 Million strong Chinese Muslim market to tap into.
17. So I would urge members of the business community to consider the following:
i. Firstly, we have to continually re-examine our business models.
The usual Malaysian Malay arguments do not apply and they are in a heck of a more competitive and open market. I strongly believe a competitive Malay business community is beneficial to all Malaysian businessmen as improved employment scenario would breed consumers with more purchasing power....win win; not zero sum game.
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Bismillahirahmanirahim.
Guest-of-Honour, Mr. Lim Hng Kiang, Minister for Trade & Industry
Mr. Zainul Abidin Rasheed, Senior Minister of State for Foreign Affairs,
Mr. Hawazi Daipi, Senior Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Manpower & Ministry of Health
Dr. Ahmad Magad, SMCCI Advisor & MP – Pasir-Ris Punggol GRC
Hj. Alami Musa – President, MUIS
Mr. Png Cheong Boon, Chief Executive, Spring Singapore
His Excellency Dato’ Md Hussin Nayan, High Commissioner, Malaysian High Commission
His Excellency Mr. Abdul Ghafar Ismail, High Commissioner, Brunei High Commission
His Excellency Pak Wardana, Ambassador, Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia
His Excellency Mr. Alisher Kurmanov, Ambassador, Embassy of the Republic of Uzbekistan
His Excellency Mr. Nasser Hamdy – Ambassador, Embassy of the Republic of Egypt
Her Excellency Mrs. Fauzia Mazhar Sana – High Commissioner, Pakistan High Commission
Members of the Management Committee, SMCCI
Distinguished Guests
Ladies & Gentlemen
Assalaamu’alaikum Wr Wb.
INTRODUCTION
1. A very good evening to all and welcome to SMCCI Annual Gala Dinner 2009. First and foremost, I would like to thank our Guest-of-Honour, Minister for Trade and Industry, Mr. Lim Hng Kiang. Sir, you have honoured us in accepting our invitation to be our Guest-of-Honour for this year’s Annual Gala Dinner. We are still in the month of Syawal, so let me wish every one Selamat Hari Raya, and also, Happy Deepavali.
CURRENT ECONOMIC SITUATION
2. I was elected President of SMCCI in June 2009, on the back of the worst recession since independence. Many SME’s are hit badly and are still struggling. Demand for goods and services plunged. At the bazaar Ramadan@Geylang Serai, many reported huge losses, the worst they have ever seen.
3. However, the worst may be over and we are seeing some good numbers. MTI released flash estimates showing a positive growth and business sentiments have improved. Regional stock markets have regained their losses and are back to the level before the financial crisis struck a year ago. Another positive news for the business community is the extension of the job credit scheme for a further 6 months. Businesses are encouraged to prepare for the upturn. Whether the recovery is sustainable remains to be seen but we are cautiously optimistic as some sectors are still facing difficulties.
4. I am fortunate to have a dedicated and committed management committee, volunteering their valuable time assisting the business community, at times at the expense of their own business.
HOW SMCCI CAN HELP BUSINESS PEOPLE
5. Our mission is a very simple one, to promote the business interests of the Malay Muslim business community. We are sensitive to the plight of the small and micro SMEs. Some are struggling to stay afloat. How do we increase their capability to better compete in the marketplace?
6. A survey done by us revealed that over 2/3rds of the Malay/Muslim business community comprises of sole proprietors and partnerships, mostly in retail, service and F&B
7. SMCCI intends to improve the business know how of its members so that they can better -
a) Obtain professional assistance to derive long term business strategy.
b) consolidate operations
c) get assistance to raise and manage capital
d) reduce operating cost
e) Improve cash-flow and creditworthiness.
OUR COLLABORATION WITH OTHER GOVERNMENT BODIES
8. Accordingly, SMCCI has devised a program, designed to help companies, called 5i. The 5i capability building programme will assist micro, small and medium sized enterprises to enhance their core competencies and competitiveness.
9. SMCCI has a very close working relationship with Spring Singapore who has been supportive of our initiatives to help SMEs. Hence I am pleased to announce that SMCCI has recently been made a member of the Local Enterprise and Association Development (LEAD) programme. Under this program, Spring Singapore has agreed to fund the 5i programme.
10. SMCCI is also mindful that some members are not aware of such programs or has no time to go to our centres. We plan to have an outreach programme to meet them at their place of business.
SMCCI EVENTS & ACTIVITIES
11. Another important event in our calendar is the Malay/Muslim Business conference which will be held next year. This conference will bring together business leaders from the region and provide a platform for the Malay/Muslim business community to network & discuss issues of mutual importance. Spring Singapore has also agreed to fund this conference under the LEAD programme.
12. Another area where we feel members can expand their business is joining SMCCI business missions .Our business missions offer our members the opportunity to expand their businesses overseas and grab a share in the globalised economy. It opens doors and allows for focussed business matching sessions. Some of our members have now expanded their businesses into countries such as Turkey, Malaysia, Vietnam, the United Arab Emirates, Brunei and Uzbekistan. We even have members who came on board our missions and doubling their business unexpectedly by tapping into an opportunity completely unrelated to their line of business. There are also instances where deals are made among the mission participants.
Businesses that join our trade mission will also enjoy the subsidies and other benefits that are available from relevant government agencies.
13. Our next business mission is to China, which offers our local Malay/Muslim entrepreneurs a huge opportunity as it has a vast 300 Million strong Chinese Muslim market to tap into.
EDC@SMCCI
14. Our very own EDC@SMCCI has witnessed significant transformation in its processes, business model and team. To date, more than 50 cases involving 12 businesses from diversified industries have benefited a great deal from the services rendered by our EDC team.
15. Based on two independent studies commissioned by Spring Singapore, EDC@SMCCI was ranked first compared to other EDCs in Singapore in all key categories such as Sincerity and ability to explain clearly, Retaining and maintaining relationships and Services offered are beneficial to Clients.
16. As a co-Director of EDC@SMCCI, I am proud of the team’s achievements and congratulate them in their excellent performance. There are, however, several challenges that lie ahead for our businesses that would require EDC’s services even more. These emerging challenges relate to areas like:
a) Poor creditworthiness.
b) Lack of creativity in marketing and promotional strategies
c) Not enough brand visibility and proper brand management
d) Having good people with the right business and financial expertise
e) Mass market focus with price cuts
17. So I would urge members of the business community to consider the following:
i. Firstly, we have to continually re-examine our business models.
ii. Secondly, we have to build our capacity and infrastructure for innovative ideas, processes and packaging. We cannot afford huge capital expenditure, but what we have is intellectual capacity.
iii. Thirdly, aggressively build our business network. Attend business events and don’t hesitate to build partnerships and share your ideas.
iv. Fourth, ensure that you diversify your funding sources beyond just one source. If you have been traditionally relying on internal reserves and shareholder funds, start to tap onto government-assistance schemes and bank loans to have standby facilities.
v. Lastly, start exploring ways and build readiness to partner with bigger players to go overseas.
INTRODUCING DEWI@SMCCI
18. Our women’s wing, DEWI@SMCCI, has made a remarkable name for themselves ever since the inception of the group at our AGM in June. Led by Chairpersons, Mdm. Junaidah Tarjo and Mdm. Engku Nurhuda, DEWI has been actively organising various events for the benefit of women entrepreneurs in Singapore.
19. Last month, DEWI@SMCCI participated in the Bazaar Ramadhan @ Geylang Serai by providing a platform for budding entrepreneurs and single parents to sell their products at the booth on consignment basis. It provided them valuable experience. They made some money. In this regard, SMCCI is looking the idea of converting the seasonal entrepreneurs at the Geylang Bazaar into permanent sustainable ones. DEWI@SMCCI also organised a visit to the Pertapis Senior Citizens Fellowship Home in their efforts to give back to the community.
THE POWER OF NETWORKING & BUILDING HEALTHY RELATIONS
20. This evening, we will also witness an MOU signing between SMCCI and the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, better known as KADIN Indonesia, to enhance cooperation with our Indonesian counterparts. This is another example of how our members can benefit from our networking.
21. Our networking programs have always been well received. We have just hosted a delegation from south Sumatra offering business opportunities and in July, we hosted a delegation from Penang. Many members and non members signed up for the sessions and made useful contacts .we will continue hosting such events for the benefit of our members.
CONCLUSION
22. One of our efforts towards realising the vision of creating a culture of knowledge-based entrepreneurship is to recognise and assemble those entrepreneurs who have really made their mark in their respective fields of business. These are the men and women who have gone through the school of hard knocks, gained much in knowledge and understanding, and stood above the rest of the fold in achieving success in their entrepreneurial efforts.
23. And thus today the Entrepreneur of the Year Alumni Club will be born. This Alumni Club is the brainchild of my friend and Deputy President, Mr Abdul Malek Mattar, who has been very instrumental in the success of today’s event.
24. I would like to thank him, and the dinner organising committee, as well as the Secretariat, for the hard work they have dedicated towards tonight’s dinner. I would like to thank our friends from IE Singapore and Spring Singapore, and not to forget our friends from the media, MediaCorp and Berita Harian. I would also like to personally thank our Immediate Past President, Dato’ Zain, whose insight, wisdom and vast experience has been very helpful not only to me but to the members of the Malay Chamber who have had the good fortune to meet and work with him.
25. With that, I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri and Happy Deepavali. Have an enjoyable evening!
The true Malays BOLEH but those pretend to be Malays TAK BOLEH lar.
ReplyDeleteYes, I support Perkasa.
ReplyDeleteIt offer many benefits to my next generations.
I can tell my children to take it easy. Just pass your major examination. You'll be accepted into local university.
Enjoy your stay at the university, you are sure to pass. But, if you fail, don't worry, your professor that's going to answer for your failure.
When you graduate, just apply job with the government or GLC. Once on the job, just do the right thing and not things right. You'll be well rewarded. On top of career progression, you have the chance to collect bonuses on daily basis.
If your have lucky star, your position will be extended until you drop dead.
What more can I ask ... Perkasa going to give my children all these.
Unfortunately, things gonna be tough for me. If my children are to see a police road-block or any vehicle stop by the police for some form of violation, my children will say to me in jest "kopi money lai lai" ... how do I convince my children to support Perkasa :)
unlike minorities in malaysia, malays dare not raise a voice in pap's singapore. In fact, many singapore malays actually earn a living in malaysia whilst maintaining their singapore citizenship, and some actually otained malaysian citizenship.
ReplyDeleteKickbacks in singapore's private sector is rampant. In govenrment owned companies, they renamed it as commission.
Singapore malays have no chance in singapore's education/employment system, especially now, with an emphasis in mandarin.
To make it worse, the PAP acquired all the kampung land to build HDB flats. So Singapore malays now have no land anymore. Chinatown areas are left untouched.
Anyway, singapore is not multiracial, as 80& of the population are ethnic chinese, and this is set to grow with new citizenship granted to chinese from PRC and malaysia.
In america, negroes are refered to as niggers, and in singapore, malays are reffered to as muds.
Only good thing for te malays in singapore is that, as they have not many avenues for employment, the govenrment gave them opportunities as custom/immigration and junior police officers. But the top defence and govenrment post are barred from these guys for fear of espionage.
dear lim
ReplyDeletethanks
Syd,you sound like an UmNo jack booted storm trooper.
ReplyDeleteWhy do Malays keep their Singaporean citizenship if they can have a better quality of life in Malaysia, especially if all their land had been taken away?
Black people are not called the "N" word in America without the caller being sanctioned by the public, her or his employers, or the authorities; unlike non Malays being called all sorts of objectionable names with impunity by the ruling class of the Malaysian government. I live in America. UmNo race baiting tactics cannot survive in a free and just society. Your using the words Negroes and the "N" word in such a callous manner illuminate your archaic and downright disgusting thinking.
Your UmNo keepers are not getting their return on investment for your writing. Another product of Malaysia's NEP?
I would say "Um No" to your kind of BS.
I think Syd and all the SINGAPOREAN malays who believed they have been sidelined to LEAVE Singapore for Bolehland and be one of the BUMIs. Syd, you are BUMI so dont stick around in Singapore anymore, just GO. Morever you and your kind will not be missed.
ReplyDeleteSYD,
ReplyDeleteAh... now you feel it when the shoe is on the other foot.
Good. Go there... and fight for their rights. Dont take it personally if the Singaporeans call you pendatang.
To those who are asking Syd to go to Malaysia (the two postings above this posting), why should he if he is a Singaporean?
ReplyDeleteIf there are injustice and discrimination in Singapore, he has every right to fight for what is right.
However, giving false information and spreading racist thoughts and words (using the "N" word") are the refuge of the scoundrel. It only shows the weakness of his arguments and how reality does not fit his UmNo propaganda.
SYD,
ReplyDeleteI don't care how malay is referred to in Spore, but if you dare to call me "N" on my face. I'll skin you alive.
We live in a noble live in New York, we don't claim specialty, priviledges or worst still birth right (this is racism!!!) at the extend of degrading yourself and expense of others.
I just don't understand why the heck we are talking about "crutches" for the Malays in Malaysia. Crutches were for the Malays in Malaysia 30 years ago. Wheelchairs were 20 years ago. Today we are talking oxygen tanks for the Malays in Malaysia. Let us not kid ourselves. Very soon they have to install iron lungs.
ReplyDeleteIt's quite obvious that this syd dude is biased to start of with. His argument left out important facts and is full with inaccuracies.
ReplyDeleteOther important facts:
- Kampung Glam (the Malaytown of Singapore) was not only preserved but restored and taken care very well by the government
- While other ethnics to vie for opened scholarships for university, as a Malaysian student in Singapore, I remember reading several categories of scholarships provided either by the various singapore malay NGOs or by the government of singapore
- Two points below lifted from wikipedia on "Malays in Singapore":
1) "Although many Malays in Singapore are generally of mixed descent, they are still recognised as the indigenous people of Singapore by the Singapore Constitution, Part XIII, General Provisions, Minorities and special position of Malays, section 152..."
2) "A small Christian community also exists among the Malays. However, the government has strongly discouraged the publication of the Christian bible in Malay, and strongly discourages missionaries from attempts to convert the local Malay populace. This was done so as not to cause racial and religious tensions in the predominantly Muslim community"
- Malays are not called "muds" in Singapore. They're called "Mat" short for "Ahmad", not unlike malays in malaysia who often call the chinese and indians: "cina" or "india/hindu", which in my opinion (latter) is more derogatory
sorry point #2 - scholarships refers to those specifically provided for Malays...
ReplyDeleteOnly idiot Malay will join Perkasa (read my lips UMNO) for the sake of claim that was caused by them (again UMNO). UMNO!! what have you been doing all these years. You are mere BS.
ReplyDeleteFrankly speaking,I prefer to be a minister in malaysia than working for anybody.You see,as a minister in Malaysia,you kepp your brain at home and just bring your body to office.In that case,nobody knows how stupid are you ?
ReplyDeleteWhen Singapore was evicted in 1963, the clever Malays stayed in Singapore and they depended on their brain, hands and legs to survive.
ReplyDeleteThe crippled ones, with retarded brains and transported by wheel chairs (not crutches)stayed back in Malaysia with cupped hands to receive whatever is given them by UMNO putras.
http://business.asiaone.com/Business/Office/Hot%2BJobs/Story/A1Story20100319-205540.html
ReplyDeleteOur umnoputras would fail at the first hurdle. They could not even articulate their thoughts in half decent english. Perhaps that is the reason why they saw the need to spit and vomit their arguments instead; and when that fail (which is inevitable) their would resort to emotions, to using silly hand gestures and body language and to using the keris.
ReplyDeleteUMNO here in Malaysia call non malays " Pendatang"............
ReplyDeleteCan the anti-corruption agency of Singapore act on Syd?
ReplyDeleteMy guess is Syd most probably a malaysian.
all u stupid morons are being called all sort of names by indonesian, just type 'fuck malaysia'on facebook and u can see it all,heck even the lyrics for negaraku have been altered into more interesting versions by indonesians there, yet what the hell are the malaysian malays do about it? NOTHING..is it that they are brothers in islam?? they scream GANYANG MALINGSIAL, yet u give them ic and voting rights while u morons keep on screaming that singapore & chinese have been treating u unfairly. did singapore said GANYANG MALINGSIAL?? hell NO! so don't bark up the wrong tree. go and screw the indonesian bastards and do the malays a favour.
ReplyDeleteP/S tanah tumpahnya darahku have been changed to 'tanah tumpahnya air maniku'. THINK ABOUT IT!
SYD, if u have no balls to screw the indonesians, just balik rumah cium ketiak mak. salam.
ReplyDeleteWake up!!!
ReplyDeleteDo you see China being governed by a White Man??
Will you ever see India being ruled by a Chinese??
What make you THINK Malaysia will ever be ruled by Chinese?
Don't use racism as an excuse .... to divide the Malays and conquer!!
Look at Palestine... a lesson learnt
Their land is being taken by Foreigners (Jews)
Bloodshed everywhere!
You will fight for the things that belongs and taken away from you...
Do you want to be in a country in turmoil
and have blood in your hands...
Malays are kind enough to let you have your own custom, culture and religion (compared to thailand,indonesia and other countries)Don't overstep kindness and gratitude (Islam teaching) for being weak and lazy...
Don't compare Singapore and Malaysia..
What and who are Singapore Malays??
What had happen to them??
Don't make the same mistake THRICE!!!!
This is what will happen when kindness is being punished for greed...
Kindness doesn't pay in Singapore..
Singapore is built on GREED...
Watch and learn the Singapore news,Local Businesses, organisation and community fund are being caught for fraud, cheating and corruption and they even use Religion as a form of greed...
What make you think the system is cleaner than Malaysia?
Wake up.... DOn't confuse your greed with ethics and morality!!