KUALA LUMPUR: Controversial columnist, Prof Dr Mohd Ridhuan Tee Abdullah today claimed that his views and stance on “ultra-kiasu” may have led to him being barred from entering Singapore.
Ridhuan said that although there was no reason given to him by the Singapore immigration behind the denial of entry, he suspects that his popular columns, books and speeches were possibly contributing factors.
“I feel it has been proven that Singaporeans are ‘ultra-kiasu’. If you look back long enough into the history of Singapore, you’ll find that they want eat the whole proverbial cake, and are not into sharing,” said the former Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin lecturer.
In his column in Sinar Harian today, Ridhuan said he was denied entry into Singapore about a month ago.
He was stopped at the Johor–Singapore Causeway’s Woodland Immigration office for about two hours. Ridhuan said he and his friends were fingerprinted, had their mug shots taken, and eventually denied entry.
This, he said, was not the case more than three years ago, when he was always invited, sometimes as frequent as every fortnight, to give speeches and sermons in Singapore by local religious boards, mosques as well non-governmental organizations especially during the holy month of Ramadhan.
His speeches, he said, were even attended by non-Muslims in Singapore.
However, Ridhuan said that about three years ago, was stopped at Singapore Changi Airport and questioned for a few hours, before eventually being granted entry.
Since that incident, Ridhuan had advised his inviting party to consult the Singapore immigration before extending any invitation to him, and the invites slowly stopped coming.
Speaking to NST Online today, Ridhuan said he had never written or spoken anything directly against Singapore nor its people and had limited his commentary only to Malaysia.
“I am very aware of the sensitivities of the Singaporean communities, what can and cannot be spoken about, and I respect that.
“As a guest of another country, I always respect the local norms and values, but this definitely has something to do with my remarks against the ultra-kiasu,” claimed Ridhuan.
On being barred from entering Singapore, Ridhuan said what actually irked him more was the manner which the Singapore immigration treated him throughout the whole ordeal, which he described as akin to being a “terrorist.”
“I’m a visitor, and have not done anything wrong. If you don’t want to let me in, don’t treat me like a criminal.
“All you had to do was let me know that I’m not allowed in the land. That should be enough.”
He said Singapore, as a developed, democratic nation, should start to “walk the talk” and stop censuring speeches and new ideas.
“When it comes to freedom of expression and speech, I believe that democracy in Malaysia is much more superior than in Singapore,” he quipped.