Wong Kan Seng: Arrests of Jemaah Islamiah in 2001 could have led to riots, political news and feature articles



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SINGAPORE – When the government discovered the plot of 15 terrorists of the Jemaah Islamiah (JI) aimed at bombing several targets here in 2001, the threat of a serious public disorder has arisen.

Reflection on what he calls "the most alarming experience" As Minister of Home Affairs, Mr. Wong Kan Seng noted that the 15 people arrested were all Malaysian-Muslims, adding that not having the communication of this sensitive information could have been disastrous.

This will cause a lot of worries, which may even cause disorders leading to disorder, which can lead to riots, "said the former deputy prime minister at a forum on religious harmony, Tuesday, July 3.

Minister of Home Affairs from 1994 to 2010 and Deputy Prime Minister from 2005 to 2011. He left politics in 2015 and is currently President of United Overseas Bank and Ascendas-Singbridge

Made Preemptive In 2001, he stated that before publicly announcing the news, his team had hired community leaders of different religions and races and different segments.

which was important because the government was counting on these leaders to issue shortly after the publication of the news, it would have calmed the Singaporeans, he said.

As Singaporeans gave From the weight of the words of these community leaders, they helped defuse tensions if the public saw that they supported the government's decision. Wayne Wong added that trust between the government and community leaders must be built over a long period of time, he said.

The government had the ear of community leaders in 2001 because it had constantly engaged them. He said that for many years, key political leaders, including prime ministers, made themselves available to community leaders from time to time, he said.

He notes that many western countries, where political leaders have difficulty reaching such community leaders,

organized by the Institute of Policy Studies, the one-day forum held at the Furama RiverFront Hotel focused on the role of the Speakers have described the major trends that affect religious relations here, including the increase in religiosity and the continued efforts to integrate immigrants who may not know it. Focus by Singapore on religious harmony. 19659002] Many religious leaders who spoke were worried about the emergence of foreign preachers who could influence Singaporeans and warned that if these preachers could be denied entry to Singapore, their teachings were still available free online.

Former bishop of the Methodist Church in Singapore, Robert Solomon called on religious leaders to use their deep knowledge of their faith to correct any falsehood or misguided teachings and to apply that knowledge in the context of Singapore's multi -Religious, as the devotees turn to them for guidance.

Turning to the role of state action and legislation, a speaker, Ambassador Alami Musa of the School of Rajaratnam International Studies, suggested that the legal framework current for the treatment of religious issues be expanded to interreligious relations, including relations between Shia and Sunni communities within Islam.

He also advocated the rooting of secularism in the Singapore system. better protect religious harmony for the long term.

"Let's try to integrate it into our national DNA. That is to say, the constitution, that is to say, no one, no political party or government can reject or reject the secular ideology of the state, "he said. he says

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