Latest news with #Sukri
New Straits Times
5 days ago
- New Straits Times
Aidiladha rush causes heavy congestion at Malaysia–Thailand border
RANTAU PANJANG: Heavy congestion has gripped the Immigration, Customs, Quarantine and Security (ICQS) Complex at the border crossing here, as Thai nationals make their way home to celebrate Hari Raya Aidiladha. Checks at the border crossing found travellers queuing as early as 5am, although the gates only opened at 7am. The large crowd began massing at the border since Wednesday. Muslims in Malaysia will celebrate Aidiladha on June 7. Traffic leading to the complex stretched for more than one kilometre, with long queues of vehicles inching forward throughout the day. The crowd largely comprised Thai citizens heading home for the holidays. Thai national Sukri Mamat, 26, who works in Kuala Lumpur, said he was looking forward to seeing his loved ones in Narathiwat after a long journey. "I got a week's leave and wanted to celebrate Aidiladha with my family in Narathiwat. By the time I arrived at 5am, there was already a long queue waiting for the ICQS to open," said Sukri. He added that such congestion was not unusual at this time of year. "Every festive season, it's like this. Despite the fatigue from travelling and waiting, I'm excited to reunite with my family," he said. However, some Malaysians were also travelling into southern Thailand for a short getaway during the school break and festive weekend. Local resident Ismail Ahmad, 42, was also among those making the early morning crossing, this time for leisure. "We decided to take the opportunity to visit Pattani for a short break," he said. Ismail said the trip was mainly for sightseeing and to enjoy Thai cuisine. "We just want to walk around and enjoy the food. We'll head back tomorrow," he said.
Free Malaysia Today
28-04-2025
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
Singapore's reaction to PAS duo exaggerated, says Takiyuddin
Takiyuddin Hassan said PAS shares an 'ongoing good and mutually respectful' relationship with the Singaporean government. (Bernama pic) PETALING JAYA : PAS secretary-general Takiyuddin Hassan has sought to play down the concerns of Singaporean authorities over statements made by two party leaders concerning the city state's May 3 general election. Takiyuddin said the reaction by Singapore's home ministry and elections department was 'somewhat exaggerated', and that claims the PAS duo were seeking to influence Singapore's election were 'inaccurate or untrue'. Nonetheless, he distanced the party from the statements made by PAS treasurer-general Iskandar Abdul Samad and Selangor PAS Youth chief Sukri Omar, saying they were their personal views. 'It must be emphasised that the posts in question represent their personal views and in no way reflect PAS's official policy or stance as a political party – whether regarding Singapore as a nation or its ongoing processes. 'PAS believes that both individuals were merely expressing their personal opinions without any intention to interfere, let alone influence the outcome of the election, as alleged. 'PAS respects Singapore's concerns and attention to this matter, but at the same time, we also believe that Singapore's reaction concerning the two PAS leaders was somewhat exaggerated,' he said in a statement. On Friday, Singapore's home ministry and elections department said several online posts had urged Singaporeans to vote along racial and religious lines, which in turn sparked more social media content of a similar nature. They called out PAS leaders and a former detainee, now an Australian citizen, for allegedly trying to influence the general election on May 3 with posts that could harm racial and religious harmony. The government also ordered Facebook's parent company Meta to block Singaporeans' access to their posts. Sukri had shared a Facebook post accusing several Malay-Muslim MPs of failing to represent the Muslim community in Singapore, while Iskandar expressed support for a candidate in the Singapore election. Singaporean prime minister Lawrence Wong also weighed in, saying foreigners who urge Singaporeans to vote along religious lines have 'crossed the line'. However, Sukri denied trying to interfere in the Singapore election, saying any concern he had was only for the nation's 'marginalised' Malay-Muslim community. Separately, Iskandar said he was merely sharing information about a 'notable Muslim candidate' from the Workers' Party. Takiyuddin said PAS believed it was the right of the Singaporean authorities to take appropriate measures to safeguard their interests, referencing the restricted access to Iskandar and Sukri's Facebook pages. The former minister also said PAS's policy to convey any views would be through legitimate channels to maintain formal bilateral relations with Singapore. He said PAS had shared an 'ongoing good and mutually respectful' relationship with the Singaporean government. 'In today's borderless world, marked by rapid access to information and communication worldwide, it is inevitable that developments in any country or place may attract interest or reactions from individuals in other countries, especially regarding issues that they personally consider important. 'Such reactions should not be construed as attempts to interfere unless they are followed by concrete steps with such intentions,' said the Kota Bharu MP.
Yomiuri Shimbun
27-04-2025
- Politics
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Singapore Orders Foreigners' Facebook Posts Taken down under New Election Rules
Reuters File Photo Figurines with computers and smartphones are seen in front of Facebook logo in this illustration taken, February 19, 2024. SINGAPORE, April 26 (Reuters) – Singapore has ordered Facebook parent Meta META.O to block Singaporeans' access to posts made by three foreigners accused of trying to influence a national election early next month on racial and religious lines. Two of the people whose posts were blocked rejected the accusations. The Infocomm Media Development Authority issued the orders after some posts by the foreigners were deemed as 'intended to promote or prejudice the electoral success or standing of a political party or candidate', the Elections Department and Ministry of Home Affairs said in a statement on Friday. The Southeast Asian city-state's election on May 3, the first under the social media rules put in place by the government in 2023, is almost certain to be dominated by the People's Action Party, which has won the most seats in every vote since independence in 1965. The rules bar foreigners from publishing online election advertising, which it defines as online materials that could help or hurt any political parties or candidates. Friday's statement identified the foreigners as Iskandar Abdul Samad, national treasurer of the Islamist party Parti Islam Se-Malaysia; Mohamed Sukri Omar, the party's youth chief in the Malaysian state of Selangor; and Facebook user 'Zai Nal', identified as Zulfikar bin Mohamad Shariff, an Australian who renounced his Singapore citizenship in 2020. Iskandar had expressed support for the opposition Workers' Party's Faisal Manap in a social media post. The authorities found that Zulfikar had accused Malay-Muslim members of parliament of failing to represent Muslim interests, saying Singapore did not need another Malay MP who did not represent their views. Sukri had reposted Zulfikar's post. The government said their posts interfered with domestic politics and influenced citizens to vote on racial and religious lines. In a Facebook post on Saturday about the takedowns, Sukri stated that he never intended to interfere with Singapore's elections. 'My calls and concerns were never aimed at intervening in the electoral affairs, but rather stem from my moral responsibility as a Muslim and as a person deeply concerned for the plight of the Malay-Muslim community in Singapore, a community increasingly marginalized in various aspects, whether in education, economy, or cultural freedom,' he said. Zulfikar, responding to the takedown request, posted on Facebook that the action shows the ruling PAP and its supporters were 'scared' and that 'desperation reeks'. He said he was creating a WhatsApp channel and another website to advocate for issues. The opposition Workers' Party said in a statement on Saturday that it does not have control over foreign parties who express support for its candidates. It said Faisal has spoken about how religion needs to be 'kept aside, or apart from politics, so that religion will not be used to gain personal benefit or to benefit any political party'. The PAP did not immediately offer a comment. Meta, Iskandar, and the Parti Islam Se-Malaysia did not respond to requests for comment.
Time of India
27-04-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Singapore orders foreigners' Facebook posts taken down under new election rules
Live Events Singapore has ordered Facebook parent Meta to block Singaporeans' access to posts made by three foreigners accused of trying to influence a national election early next month on racial and religious of the people whose posts were blocked rejected the Infocomm Media Development Authority issued the orders after some posts by the foreigners were deemed as "intended to promote or prejudice the electoral success or standing of a political party or candidate", the Elections Department and Ministry of Home Affairs said in a statement on Southeast Asian city-state's election on May 3, the first under the social media rules put in place by the government in 2023, is almost certain to be dominated by the People's Action Party , which has won the most seats in every vote since independence in rules bar foreigners from publishing online election advertising, which it defines as online materials that could help or hurt any political parties or statement identified the foreigners as Iskandar Abdul Samad, national treasurer of the Islamist party Parti Islam Se-Malaysia; Mohamed Sukri Omar, the party's youth chief in the Malaysian state of Selangor; and Facebook user "Zai Nal", identified as Zulfikar bin Mohamad Shariff, an Australian who renounced his Singapore citizenship in had expressed support for the opposition Workers' Party 's Faisal Manap in a social media authorities found that Zulfikar had accused Malay-Muslim members of parliament of failing to represent Muslim interests, saying Singapore did not need another Malay MP who did not represent their views. Sukri had reposted Zulfikar's government said their posts interfered with domestic politics and influenced citizens to vote on racial and religious a Facebook post on Saturday about the takedowns, Sukri stated that he never intended to interfere with Singapore's elections."My calls and concerns were never aimed at intervening in the electoral affairs, but rather stem from my moral responsibility as a Muslim and as a person deeply concerned for the plight of the Malay-Muslim community in Singapore, a community increasingly marginalized in various aspects, whether in education, economy, or cultural freedom," he responding to the takedown request, posted on Facebook that the action shows the ruling PAP and its supporters were "scared" and that "desperation reeks". He said he was creating a WhatsApp channel and another website to advocate for opposition Workers' Party said in a statement on Saturday that it does not have control over foreign parties who express support for its candidates. It said Faisal has spoken about how religion needs to be "kept aside, or apart from politics, so that religion will not be used to gain personal benefit or to benefit any political party".The PAP did not immediately offer a comment. Meta, Iskandar, and the Parti Islam Se-Malaysia did not respond to requests for comment.
Focus Malaysia
27-04-2025
- Politics
- Focus Malaysia
'PAS Youth leader Sukri forgets Singapore's meritocracy offers equal chances, not ethnic-based'
IT IS understandable for Selangor PAS Youth Chief Mohamed Sukri Omar to be concerned about the status of Malay Muslims in Singapore. Sukri has claimed that he was not interfering in Singapore's domestic politics but merely expressing moral concern over the alleged marginalisation and political under-representation of the Malay Muslim community. However, his remarks came at a sensitive time – coinciding with Facebook (FB) postings from Australia urging Malays in Singapore to vote along ethnic and religious lines. This led to the Singaporean authorities having requested the FB administrator to remove or block such postings as they border on interference in the country's internal affairs, especially with general elections slared for May 3. While Sukri's concerns might stem from the ethnic and religious dynamics of Malaysian politics, it is neither appropriate nor wise to subtly recommend Malaysia's model of ethnic and religious governance to Singapore. In Singapore, it is not just the Malays but also the Indians who are sometimes considered marginalised communities. However, Singapore's emphasis on meritocracy, performance and hard work offers opportunities to all Singaporeans even if the pace of progress may be slow for some groups. Singapore excels in meritocracy By contrast, in Malaysia, meritocracy is constrained by ethnic-based privileges accorded to the majority community. While Malaysia has tremendous potential, it remains hampered by ethnic structures that inhibit full and equal participation across races and religions. I can understand Sukri's sentiment, but he must realise that imposing Malaysia's ethnic governance framework onto Singapore is unwise. We may have legitimate criticisms of Singapore's governance, particularly concerning minority communities but we must also acknowledge that the Singaporean system – however imperfect – allows for evolution, progress and reform. Meanwhile, Malaysia continues to grapple with systemic issues that prevent it from fully realising its diverse potential. While Sukri is entitled to his views and may feel a moral duty toward Malay Muslims in Singapore, he must exercise greater caution when making statements that may be construed as interference in another country's internal affairs. Given the challenges within their own system, Malaysian politicians should be humble and cautious in judging or commenting on Singapore's governance. – April 27, 2025 Former DAP stalwart and Penang chief minister II Prof Ramasamy Palanisamy is chairman of the United Rights of Malaysian Party (Urimai) interim council. The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Focus Malaysia.
