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CNA
21-05-2025
- Politics
- CNA
Faishal Ibrahim appointed acting minister-in-charge of Muslim affairs in Cabinet reshuffle
SINGAPORE: Associate Professor Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim has been appointed acting minister-in-charge of Muslim affairs, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong announced on Wednesday (May 21) as part of changes to the Cabinet following the recent General Election. The full ministerial post had been held since May 2018 by Mr Masagos Zulkifli, who took over from Dr Yaacob Ibrahim. Mr Wong said Mr Masagos, who will remain minister for social and family development, had advanced many initiatives during his tenure that are now valued and appreciated by the Malay-Muslim community. 'We agreed in our discussion that … it's time to refresh the (Malay-Muslim) leadership and let new and younger office holders take over,' he said, adding that Assoc Prof Faishal was the 'best candidate' for the role. He will be assisted by Senior Minister of State Zaqy Mohamad, who takes over as chairman of the Yayasan MENDAKI self-help group. Mr Wong added that Assoc Prof Faishal, Mr Zaqy and other Malay-Muslim political officeholders – such as Minister of State for Health and Digital Development and Information Rahayu Mahzam, incoming Minister of State for Social and Family Development and Foreign Affairs Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim, as well as incoming Senior Parliamentary Secretary for National Development and Education Syed Harun Alhabsyi – would work hard to engage the Malay-Muslim community and listen to their concerns and aspirations. Assoc Prof Faishal said he appreciated the faith placed in him, and thanked Mr Masagos for his work over the past seven years, including the development of a new Islamic college in Singapore. 'Some of these programmes, I will continue and strengthen,' he said, adding that he has been involved in the community for close to 30 years. Engaging widely and deeply with the community has been useful in rallying it to do good and contribute to society, he said. Assoc Prof Faishal added that the Malay-Muslim community has received much support, and he reflected on how this was true even after the foiled 2001 bomb plot by the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) militant group. At the time, Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean told grassroots leaders that Singaporean Malay-Muslims were part of the social fabric and not like JI members. 'I was really touched, and I told myself, not many countries would have that kind of position and that kind of care for the people,' said Assoc Prof Faishal, who was then serving as a community leader. 'This is something that is quite deep in my heart and mind. 'With this role, I want to rally the community to come together, to work together, help one another, not only to build and help to raise our young children and to provide opportunities for growth in the community; but also to contribute to the Singapore story.' Assoc Prof Faishal will also be promoted to Senior Minister of State for the Ministry of Home Affairs, but will no longer hold a position in the Ministry of National Development, where he had been a Minister of State since July 2020. In response to a question about the to-do list for Assoc Prof Faishal, Mr Wong said the starting point was continuing engagement, to better understand the community's concerns and aspirations. Some of the concerns are not unique, but there are also times when there will be disagreements, he said. 'That's bound to happen, but I think our differences and our diversity should not weaken us,' said Mr Wong. Instead, Singapore should find ways to forge consensus and become more united. 'Embrace our diversity, find, expand the common ground we have as Singaporeans, and through that sense of solidarity and unity, have confidence in Singapore's future,' he said.
ABC News
17-05-2025
- Politics
- ABC News
Greens go maroon with Larissa Waters as Coalition looks to rebuild with Queensland 'complexion'
A maroon footy tumbled through the doors at Government House as Anika Wells was sworn in this week. That's one way to announce Queensland's presence in Canberra. It's been a big week for the Sunshine State, with three leadership contests. Larissa Waters has become the first Greens leader to hail from Queensland, despite the party failing to repeat its 2022 "Greenslide" in Brisbane. In her first press conference as leader Waters pledged that the Greens would "get shit done" — spoken like a true Queenslander. David Littleproud — whose seat of Maranoa was the first to be called on election night — remains as Nationals leader after being challenged by Queensland Senator Matt Canavan. While the Coalition is without Peter Dutton, the influence held by Queensland members is not lost. In starting a new chapter, the Liberals created history with Sussan Ley becoming the party's first female leader with Queensland MP Ted O'Brien to be by her side. Meanwhile, five Queensland MPs have secured ministerial roles in Anthony Albanese's post election re-shuffle, with Treasurer Jim Chalmers the most senior among them. Wells adds communication to her sport portfolio as fellow Queenslander Murray Watt takes on environment and water. Australian National University visiting fellow Robert McMahon says Chalmers's prominence throughout the campaign was a "deliberate desire" to signal to Queenslanders one of their own is in a senior position. However, he says the instalment of Watt in Tanya Plibersek's former environment portfolio is a credit to his track record as a "safe pair of hands" rather than where he's from. "Geography does have its limits and when a government has some difficult issues — such as home affairs, workplace relations or environment — it will tend to opt for people with a proven track record rather than geographic location," he says. Dutton losing his seat came as a shock to Dr McMahon who thought there was "no way" Queenslanders would "vote against their man as prime minister". While it worked for Kevin Rudd back in 2007, in May the voters of Dickson deserted Dutton with a 7.7 per cent swing to Labor. "I thought that was a very interesting turn on this sort of geographical representation," he says. "His local constituents formed a view that, well, we don't want him as prime minister, so we have got to get rid of him as MP." The day after the election, Watt and Wells stood in Dutton's electorate to introduce his successor Ali France — who was elected on her third attempt — and Labor's other new faces. Watt coined Labor's new Queensland members the "magnificent seven", while Wells joked they had enough people for a netball team. On Friday Chalmers returned to the same park in Strathpine, and was introduced to the media by France, as he spruiked Labor's proposed changes to superannuation taxation. This week Senator Larissa Waters made history by becoming leader of the Greens. "I am proud that we have a Queenslander leading the Greens for the first time," she said. She conceded the party had a "Senate dominated" team after losing former leader Adam Bandt and Brisbane's Stephen Bates and Max Chandler-Mather. Elizabeth Watson-Brown, representing the Brisbane seat of Ryan, is the party's sole member in the lower house. Dr McMahon says while on paper the argument could be made for the "demise" of the Greens, the party has maintained a strong presence in the Senate. "They may very well increase their power," he says. In Queensland, every seat that changed hands fell to Labor, but the state still holds significant sway within the Coalition. Of the 43 MPs in the lower house, 16 – nearly 38 per cent – hail from Queensland, including the Nationals leader and Liberals deputy leader. Australian National University's Frank Bongiorno says this will give a "particular complexion" to the party room. "Anything you do really needs a lot of Queensland consent and agreement within the Coalition because there is just so many of them," he says. Now the Coalition must come up with a game plan without their former leader.
Globe and Mail
15-05-2025
- Business
- Globe and Mail
Letters to the editor, May 15: ‘Did anyone think Mark Carney was going to fill his cabinet with Conservatives?'
Re 'An old Liberal front bench bolted to a new Carney mission' (May 14): It is incredible to me that a government that says it will represent all Canadians did not appoint a cabinet minister from Calgary, an economic powerhouse and one of the largest and fastest growing cities in Canada, when the opportunity was available. I can't even imagine what the reaction would be if Toronto, Montreal or Vancouver were left out of cabinet. Same ol', same ol'. C. Bryce Code Calgary Those who whinge about a lot of old faces in the new Carney cabinet seem to forget that those old faces were re-elected. Their constituents must have thought they were doing a reasonable job. Prime ministers have to build a cabinet from the MPs given to them by voters. The majority of Liberal MPs are from the previous government. Did anyone think Mark Carney was going to fill his cabinet with Conservatives? Tom MacDonald Ottawa The Carney cabinet includes some capable people. But will they function as a cabinet – or will they still answer to political staffers? Paul Edwards Calgary The federal election was framed to be about change. Earlier in the year, this meant Pierre Poilievre would likely replace Justin Trudeau. However, as it turned out, we got change of another kind: driven, experienced and mature leadership with Mark Carney. The cabinet announcement brought another degree of change in capable new ministers who will be held accountable for results in key portfolios. These changes, I believe, are exactly what the country needs in the current situation. One change we voted for, but doesn't look like we will get, is a new opposition leader. We still have to listen to the petty, negative and divisive attacks from Pierre Poilievre like we got in his blow-by-blow description of the cabinet. One would think the Conservatives would hear voters and do themselves a favour: Move on to someone who can truly lead the country, not just tear it apart. Dale McSween Cornwall, Ont. Re 'Trump says new order will lower U.S. drug prices and increase them everywhere else' (Report on Business, May 13): If Donald Trump wants to ensure that there continues to be enough money for medicine research and development, there is a simple answer: Cut down on the amount of money that Big Pharma spends on share buybacks and dividends. It has been reported that between 2012 and 2021, the 14 largest drug companies listed on the S&P 500 spent $747-billion on buybacks and dividends versus $660-billion on R&D. Joel Lexchin Toronto Re 'Ontario's Darlington SMR project to cost nearly $21-billion, significantly higher than expected' (Report on Business, May 9): This project can put Canada at the forefront of small modular reactors. These provide a resilient clean-energy solution to meet the projected significant increase in electrical demand. Further, with globalization, it is important that Canada focuses on areas where we can be world class as we reindustrialize. I trust Ontario Power Generation will largely ignore criticism of the cost increases and keep going fast. Growing expertise needs vision and takes time. Julian Kenney Mississauga Re 'Doug Ford is running roughshod over the environment and the law. Sound familiar?' (Opinion, May 10): I write with urgency for the withdrawal of Bill 5, the Protect Ontario by Unleashing our Economy Act, 2025. I believe it sets very dangerous precedents. It does not offer protection; it removes protections. Developers could focus solely on profit when planning. Existing laws protecting the environment, current inhabitants and Indigenous rights could be bulldozed over. Abandoning these protections in one place could put them under threat everywhere. This bill would not unleash our economy; it would unleash a series of bad practices with long-term effects. It does not look at what changes would help small businesses or entrepreneurs prosper. Instead, it takes away hard-won protections for our citizens and environment to rush through development. It takes weak arguments used to justify selling land in Ontario's Greenbelt and puts them on steroids. What was wrong-headed then should still be wrong-headed now. Diane DiMonte-Mohan Toronto Re 'Opening the opaque window around pot rules' (Editorial, May 12): We commend The Globe and Mail for highlighting the inconsistencies in Canada's regulatory frameworks for cannabis, alcohol and gambling. However, we disagree with the premise that a coherent regulatory approach should focus on fairness across the commercial sphere of store operators. Instead, such an approach should centre on health risks, preventing youth exposure and reducing societal harms associated with substance use and gambling. It should restrict marketing practices that target vulnerable populations and ensure revenue generation does not overshadow health considerations. It is imperative to ensure that developing coherent regulation remains independent of industry influence. The policy process should be transparent, evidence-based and free from conflicts of interest. By centering public health in developing coherent regulation for cannabis, alcohol and gambling (as well as tobacco), Canada can set a precedent for responsible governance that prioritizes the health and safety of its citizens over commerce. Natalie Brender, Director of policy, Canadian Public Health Association; Ottawa Re 'Carney wants big government to get into housing – a major risk to taxpayers" (Report on Business, May 13): Of course it would cost us – if there was money to be made solving the housing crisis, the private sector would be on it. Craig Sims Kingston Re 'By letting public spaces and services fail, our cities are breaking a fundamental promise to the people who live there' (Opinion, May 10): I'm fortunate to live in North Vancouver, recently ranked as the most livable city in Canada ('Canada's Most Livable Cities' – Dec. 14, 2024). The city has clearly invested plenty of dollars to make density livable. Politicians and planners have obviously understood the concept that 'livable' means enjoyable. Today we have beautifully constructed and maintained public spaces that are accessible by a large network of public transit systems. Our trails and parks draw hundreds of walkers, runners and cyclists every day. New shops line some streets cheek to cheek, creating a lively market hubbub. The old Shipyards has been transformed into a huge family-friendly gathering place, with a myriad of possibilities to connect with neighbours and friends. It's easy to get caught up in the happy activity and chatter of the place. I come away feeling alive and immensely grateful to have all this at my disposal. North Vancouver has most definitely done the right thing. Marlies Newton North Vancouver Letters to the Editor should be exclusive to The Globe and Mail. Include your name, address and daytime phone number. Keep letters to 150 words or fewer. Letters may be edited for length and clarity. To submit a letter by e-mail, click here: letters@
