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Tragedies a 'wake-up call'
Dec 7, 2009
7 Dec 2009 Yaacob Ibrahim warned of emerging ultra underclass
Yaacob: Tragedies a sign of deeper problem in Malay community
By Zakir Hussain, Political Correspondent
Minister in Charge of Muslim Affairs Yaacob Ibrahim is worried as he does not see a sense of urgency in the community about overcoming this problem. --
AFTER he went missing for a week, a six-year-old Malay boy was found dead last month. A family friend who ferried him to and from school has since been charged with murder.
This tragedy and a few others involving young Malay children from broken homes so distress Minister in Charge of Muslim Affairs Yaacob Ibrahim that over the weekend, he cried out to his community to 'be worried'.
'My worry is, I don't see a sense of urgency in the community about this problem,' he said in a candid interview, during which he openly declared that he was embarrassed, even 'malu' (Malay for 'ashamed'), by the reports of Malay men involved in such heinous crimes
His despair is almost palpable as he described how these tragedies are symptomatic of a deeper sociological problem and spells out the dangers of ignoring this long-standing problem of broken homes in the Malay community, saying it will lead to an underclass.
'Once it emerges... you can never remove it,' he warned, as he expressed his fear of the situation deteriorating and going the way of the blacks and Hispanics in the United States.
He said this in an interview with Malay daily Berita Harian following a meeting with 80 young Malay-Muslim professionals on Saturday to brainstorm ideas to tackle problems facing the community.
Dec 7, 2009
7 Dec 2009 Yaacob Ibrahim warned of emerging ultra underclass
Yaacob: Tragedies a sign of deeper problem in Malay community
By Zakir Hussain, Political Correspondent
Minister in Charge of Muslim Affairs Yaacob Ibrahim is worried as he does not see a sense of urgency in the community about overcoming this problem. --
AFTER he went missing for a week, a six-year-old Malay boy was found dead last month. A family friend who ferried him to and from school has since been charged with murder.
This tragedy and a few others involving young Malay children from broken homes so distress Minister in Charge of Muslim Affairs Yaacob Ibrahim that over the weekend, he cried out to his community to 'be worried'.
'My worry is, I don't see a sense of urgency in the community about this problem,' he said in a candid interview, during which he openly declared that he was embarrassed, even 'malu' (Malay for 'ashamed'), by the reports of Malay men involved in such heinous crimes
His despair is almost palpable as he described how these tragedies are symptomatic of a deeper sociological problem and spells out the dangers of ignoring this long-standing problem of broken homes in the Malay community, saying it will lead to an underclass.
'Once it emerges... you can never remove it,' he warned, as he expressed his fear of the situation deteriorating and going the way of the blacks and Hispanics in the United States.
He said this in an interview with Malay daily Berita Harian following a meeting with 80 young Malay-Muslim professionals on Saturday to brainstorm ideas to tackle problems facing the community.