A Malay-Muslim BG does not a policy change make

Friday, June 26,

By Free Thinker

I suppose that by now, most of you all would be aware that Singapore has appointed its first post-independence Malay-Muslim general (Brigadier-General or BG, to be precise) in the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF).

And the local media and some of the local Malay-Muslim PAP MPs/ministers have been portraying/claiming this appointment as being a milestone achievement for not only the SAF officer in question (i.e. Colonel Ishak bin Ismail who is soon to be BG Ishak bin Ismail) but also for the local Malay-Muslim community in general.

However, reading the relevant media reports, I cannot help but ask two questions. One, does the local Malay-Muslim community really perceive this as a milestone achievement for their community? In other words, does the local Malay-Muslim community really see this as being a boost to their societal status or well-being? And secondly, does this appointment of a Malay-Muslim BG signal a possible change in the government's established policy towards Malay-Muslims in the SAF?

But before I move on to examine the questions above in greater detail, allow me to first say that while I was surprised at the appointment of a Malay-Muslim BG by the SAF (in light of Singapore's policy towards Malay-Muslims in the SAF as mentioned above), I was half-expecting Colonel Ishak to be promoted to a BG sooner or later. This is because last August, he was appointed to be the Commander for the 6th Division and this position is, if I am not wrong, usually held by a BG so I guess it was a matter of time before he would be promoted to become a BG. It would be odd if he is made to do a BG's job but not hold the corresponding rank, wouldn't it?

A Malay-Muslim BG does not a policy change make

Moving on, I would first examine the question of whether this appointment of Colonel Ishak as Singapore's first Malay-Muslim BG reflects a possible change in the Singapore's policy towards Malay-Muslims in the SAF.

For those of you all who are not aware yet, it is Singapore's established policy, revealed to the public in 1987, to be cautious about, if not exclude, having Malay-Muslims in "sensitive key positions in the SAF like the air force or armoured units" (I am quoting from Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew's second volume of memoirs). And this policy was based on the premise of that in the event of an armed conflict, the SAF did not want to place any of its soldiers in a difficult position in which they may face a conflict between loyalty to nation and loyalty to religion.

And as I have stated in an earlier blog post:

"This policy of excluding local Malay-Muslims from sensitive key positions in the SAF has, for obvious reasons, drawn quite a bit of flak, not only from neighbouring countries which perceive it as an implicit suggestion that they, being of a Malay-Muslim majority, would be the enemies of Singapore but also from members of the local Malay-Muslim community who perceive it as an act of implicit discrimination and suggestion that they may be disloyal to Singapore".

Hence, in light of the above, does the promoting of Colonel Ishak to the rank of BG imply a change being made to this policy towards Malay-Muslims in the SAF?

Well, I suppose the more optimistic amongst us would be see the promotion of Colonel Ishak as being a possible first step towards the policy in question being changed, if not scrapped. It is, after all, never stated by the Ministry of Defence (Mindef), SAF or anyone that such a policy will remain in place forever. Of course, at the same time, it was stated by Mindef/SAF, responding to criticism about this policy, that any changes to this policy would have to “proceed in tandem with nation-building”.

However, while I concede that the promotion of Colonel Ishak can indeed be a possible first step towards the changing of this policy, I am of the pessimistic opinion that Colonel Ishak's promotion is perhaps just an exception that proves the rule; that his promotion happened despite there being a policy to be cautious with regards to having Malay-Muslims in sensitive positions in the SAF.

In the end, as remarkable as Colonel Ishak's promotion may be, he is, as he readily admits, just one man. And just as how one swallow does not a summer make, I suppose one Malay-Muslim BG does not a policy change make.

Perhaps if and when the Armour camp I was from start having a separate section in the cookhouse/canteen to serve halal food to Malay-Muslim personnel, I would start to think that a policy change is indeed afoot.

One man's achievement = a community's achievement?

Of course, even though Colonel Ishak's promotion need not necessarily signal a change in the policy towards Malay-Muslims in the SAF, perhaps it can still be perceived as a milestone achievement for the local Malay-Muslim community, as the local media and some of the Malay-Muslim PAP MPs/ministers have been claiming?

Well, I suppose that one way to answer such a question would be to ask members of the local Malay-Muslim community and/or their representatives. And since I already know what Malay-Muslim PAP MPs/ministers think about Colonel Ishak's promotion, I asked a Malay-Muslim acquaintance of mine over MSN what she thinks about Colonel Ishak's promotion, specifically about whether she agrees that his promotion is a milestone achievement for the local Malay-Muslim community.

My acquaintance's answer, in essence, was that Colonel Ishak is just one man and that she does not really feel that his promotion impacted her as a member of the local Malay-Muslim community.

Perhaps my aquaintance's opinion cannot be taken as being entirely representative of what the local Malay-Muslim community thinks about Colonel Ishak's promotion, I would think that Malay-Muslim PAP MPs/ministers' opinions also cannot be taken as being entirely representative of the Malay-Muslim community.

Indeed, just as how US President Barack Obama's becoming of the first African-American US President does not imply that entrenched discrimination against African-Americans in the US has suddenly disappear, I would think that Colonel Ishak's promotion, as remarkable as it may be, does not mean that the problems and challenges facing the local Malay-Muslim community have been suddenly resolved. A magic wand, Colonel Ishak's promotion is not.

Conclusion

While I may be sceptical with regards to the impact of Colonel Ishak's promotion, I will still extend my congratulations and well-wishes to him for becoming Singapore's first Malay-Muslim BG.

Hopefully, seeing how it took 44 years since Singapore acquired independence and 42 years since the establishment of the SAF before it appointed its first Malay-Muslim BG, it will not take another 40 plus years before another Malay-Muslim is promoted to the rank of BG.

Posted by LCC at 18:04