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Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News |
- Polis haramkan himpunan Sabah Bangkit
- Berjalan Bersama AMK Demi Kebebasan, Keadilan dan Demokrasi
- Who is Khalid Ibrahim batting for?
- Don’t politicise God
- Himpunan Kebangkitan Rakyat 112
- Curse of No. 13 to usher the end of Sabah BN?
- Perkasa Lawan Himpunan Kebangkitan Rakyat 112
- Minimum wage
- "Saya tidak tahu bukti Kristianisasi yang macam mana lagi masyarakat mahukan"
- YBAM Urges Ministry of Education to Offer Non-Islamic Classes
- The Hole: An Unexpected Journey
| Polis haramkan himpunan Sabah Bangkit Posted: 10 Jan 2013 09:21 PM PST
Ketua polis Bandaraya Kota Kinabalu, Asisten Komisioner Jauteh Dikun mengeluarkan kenyataan berikutan perhimpunan Sabah Bangkit yang akan berlansung pada 12 Januari 2013 bertempat di Taman Chong Thien Vun pada jam 2.00 petang. Dalam kenyataan tersebut, beliau menyatakan perhimpunan ini tidak mendapat sebarang permit daripada polia atau mana-mana jabatan berkenaan yang seterusnya membawa kesalahan undang-undang mengikut akta perhimpunan aman 2012. Gegar Anak Muda
Respon penganjur perhimpunan - Penganjur perhimpunan Sabah Bangkit adalah Gabungan NGO menuntut hak rakyat Sabah (GEGAR) menyatakan kita tidak mahu bertuhankan Akta Perhimpunan Aman. Kita yakin dan percaya, rakyat berhak duduk dan berada di mana-mana sudut di negeri ini. Kita rasakan, akta ini yang dibentuk selepas adanya perlembagaan yang menjamin hak berhimpun adalah rangka menghakis sedikit sebanyak hak berhimpun. Akta ini bukanlah cara untuk mendisiplinkan peserta. Sebaliknya, peserta itu sendiri yang menentukan suasana perhimpunan. Sekali lagi, saya yakin dan percaya, rakyat sudah matang dan sangat bersopan santun. Himpunan ini akan berlangsung dengan aman dan tidak akan menjejaskan ketenteraman awam. Selaku penganjur, kita akan meneruskan perhimpunan ini kerana kita terus berpasak pada jaminan perlembagaan.
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| Berjalan Bersama AMK Demi Kebebasan, Keadilan dan Demokrasi Posted: 10 Jan 2013 11:20 AM PST
8 rally points for #KL112
Angkatan Muda Keadilan Malaysia (AMK) mengalu-alukan keputusan untuk membenarkan Himpunan Kebangkitan Rakyat (HKR) berlangsung di Stadium Merdeka pada 12 Januari 2013. Keputusan yang bersejarah tersebut merupakan kejayaan kuasa rakyat yang sentiasa berjuang untuk berhimpun serta hak untuk mengguna ruang awam untuk bersuara sejak zaman Reformasi lagi.
AMK menyokong sepenuhnya Himpunan Kebangkitan Rakyat serta 8 tuntutan rakyat yang melibatkan seluruh aspeks kepentingan rakyat tanpa mengira kaum, agama dan jantina. HKR akan menjadi satu detik bersejarah di mana seluruh rakyat Malaysia bangkit dan semangat kemerdekaan daripada penindasan, kezaliman serta kemiskinan.
Dengan itu, AMK akan mengadakan Berjalan Demi Kebebasan, Keadilan dan Demokrasi pada Sabtu ini sempena HKR. AMK yang diketuai oleh Shamsul Iskandar Mohd Akin akan berjalan dari Padang Timur, Petaling Jaya (PJ), depan Amcorp Mall ke Stadium Merdeka bersama-sama dengan anak-anak muda.
Berikut adalah perjalanan yang akan dilalui oleh AMK pada 12 Januari 2013 (Sabtu):-
8.00am – Berkumpul di Padang Timur, PJ (Depan Amcorp Mall)
9.00am – Berjalan menuju ke Masjid Ar-Rahman Universiti Malaya (UM)
11.00am – Bergabung dengan mahasiswa dan anak muda di UM di Masjid Ar-Rahman
12.30pm – Bergabung dengan peserta HKR di Stesyen Monorail Tun Sambahtan, Brickfield untuk berjalan ke Stadium Merdeka
1.30pm – Sampai di Stadium Merdeka untuk gegarkan #KL112
AMK mengajak orang ramai untuk menyertai Berjalan Demi Kebebasan, Keadilan dan Demokrasi pada Sabtu ini. Dengan berjalan kaki ke Stadium Merdeka, semangat perjuangan bersama rakyat serta tekad kebangkitan rakyat untuk menuntut 8 tuntutan rakyat dapat ditunjukkan.
Sementara itu, tiga Pasukan Pertolongan Kecemasan akan bersedia untuk membantu semua peserta di sepanjang perjalanan. Semua peserta diseru untuk mengikut arahan penganjur serta pasukan keselamatan. Jangan terperdaya dengan pelbagai maklumat dan propaganda hitam yang disebarkan oleh pihak yang tidak bertanggungjawab.
Keselamatan peserta serta perjalanan yang lancar adalah diutamakan untuk mencapai matlamat yang ditetapkan. Dengan sikap yang disiplin dan tertib, AMK yakin HKR akan berjaya dilangsungkan dengan semangat kebangkitan rakyat yang mengubah lanskap politik serta mencatat sejarah di Malaysia.
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| Who is Khalid Ibrahim batting for? Posted: 09 Jan 2013 02:23 PM PST
Lucius Goon, The Malaysian Insider Selangor Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim has to figure out if he is a Pakatan Rakyat leader or is he the Selangor Sultan's spokesman. He cannot have it both ways. If I remember correctly, he was elected on a PKR ticket and PKR is part of Pakatan Rakyat and the Pakatan Rakyat leadership announced that non-Muslims had a right to use the word "Allah". So like any loyal Pakatan politician, you would expect Khalid to accept the coalition's position. Instead, you have him regurgitating the rubbish story about how the religious enactment of the state prevents others from using Allah in an undignified manner. That by the way is the position of the Umno-friendly Majlis Agama Islam Selangor. The point is the Selangor Sultan is the head of Islam in the state but he has no say over the matters pertaining to Christianity or Sikhism. Matters on religious freedom are enshrined in the Federal Constitution, and not to be decided in Selangor. Incidentally, the High Court has interpreted the constitution and allowed the Catholic Church to use the word "Allah". The government has appealed the decision but until the appeal court overturns it, the decision of the High Court stands. So Khalid, here is a reminder: you can't have it both ways. You can't ride on the coat tails of Pakatan Rakyat when it suits you and decide not to accept the consensus of the coalition when it doesn't. If Malaysians wanted feeble politicians, they would have kept Umno in power.
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| Posted: 09 Jan 2013 10:55 AM PST
Why is it that this so-called affliction only affects Muslims in West Malaysia? What is the rational explanation? Are the Muslims in East Malaysia made of sterner stuff that they are not afflicted by this confusion? Could it be a case of Muslims in East Malaysia being better educated and instructed in Islam that nothing will shake them from their faith? P. Ramakrishnan When God is politicised we are in big trouble. That is what is happening in Malaysia. And that's why we are in such a big mess.
Religious zealots have come out with edicts that defy logic and override the supreme law of the land, the Federal Constitution. They have paid scant attention to the High Court ruling way back in 2009 that the word "Allah" can be used by the Christians. The government has appealed against this decision. But nothing has happened for more than three years. Seemingly it is meant to be so! There is no urgency to solve this matter as soon as possible. Most people think that the delay is deliberate and politically motivated. The claim by some members of certain organisations who had aggressively demonstrated on the premise that Muslims and Christians will be confused if "Allah" is used by non-Muslims is ridiculous and laughable. There is no merit in their claim. There is no justification for this view. What is the basis for this ridiculous claim? Why is the word "Allah" confusing? And confusing to whom? What is so confusing about the word? It had been in use for thousands of years; yet we have not come across anyone in any part of the world who was ever confused because the word "Allah" was commonly used by Muslims and non-Muslims. Have the ordinary, average Muslims, who are the majority in this country, ever complained that they are confused when Christians use the word "Allah"? Until this controversy, which has been recently created deliberately by the religious zealots, the word "Allah" has been used widely and commonly in Malaysia by the various communities without anyone getting confused or upset! It would appear that the only ones who are confused must be the minority of narrow-minded religious zealots! Are they really confused – or are they, for political reasons, desperately trying to confuse the majority of people who are sane and sensible and comfortable with the use of the word "Allah"? The word "Allah" has been used all along in Malaysia without causing any problem or creating any unrest – until some religious zealots came along and suddenly claimed exclusive right to the use of the word. For heaven's sake, this is an Arabic word used freely and universally without any problem or confusion in the rest of the world! Muslims throughout the world have understood this word and what it refers to. Locally Muslims, Hindus, Chinese, Sikhs, the Peranakan community in Malacca and the Orang Asli have used the word comfortably and freely and they have understood what it stands for and represents. We have never ever had confused zombies walking around like lost souls and going astray. Yet, it is argued that the use of "Allah" by non-Muslims can cause confusion. Why is it that this so-called affliction only affects Muslims in West Malaysia? What is the rational explanation? Are the Muslims in East Malaysia made of sterner stuff that they are not afflicted by this confusion? Could it be a case of Muslims in East Malaysia being better educated and instructed in Islam that nothing will shake them from their faith? What has gone wrong in West Malaysia for the religious zealots to claim that the Muslims here will be confused? Are the Muslims in West Malaysia that weak and gullible to the extent that they are not capable of thinking rationally and discerning what is right and wrong? Are they really confused? Or is it a case of causing confusion where there is no confusion? What is the political agenda for creating this controversy? The word "Allah" has been used for centuries. It has been around even before Islam came into being. Where Islam originated, there has been tolerance and accommodation. Both Christians and Muslims have used the same word freely in their daily conversation and prayers without upsetting any religious sensitivity. No prohibition was imposed because they understood the core value of their respective faiths. Islam was not founded on denial. It is a compassionate religion whose tenets exhort Muslim to be tolerant and caring, to stand up for justice, to protect the rights of others, and to be accommodating and to never deny what is rightfully others. These religious zealots seem incapable of living up to the demands of their faith. Their doctrine is one of denial. Is the faith of the Muslims in West Malaysia that shallow and precarious that they can be so easily led astray? Isn't it an indictment that after all that has been done to protect and preserve Islam and to educate the Muslims into becoming better human beings with so much effort, it has been a total failure? Shouldn't these religious zealots be directing their attention and anger to the more serious malaise plaguing the Muslim community and deserving their wholehearted attention? It is a fact that teenage pregnancy, incest, baby dumping, drug abuse, HIV infection and many more ailments are rampant among the Malay community. Seriously, these are the areas that the zealots should be involved in. There is wide-spread corruption, abuse of power, human rights violations, injustice, deaths in custody, racism, co-habitation, rape, murder, discrimination, wastage and many more wrongs which should be the concern of these religious zealots. But there are no earnest attempts to resolve these issues. But strangely, the uttering of the word "Allah" by non-Muslims consumes their entire attention. The Penang Mufti, Hassan Ahmad, has reminded all parties not to challenge the National Fatwa Council's decision that "Allah" can only be used by the Muslims in the country. The Kuala Lumpur High Court had ruled in a landmark decision in December 2009 that the Home Ministry's blanket ban on the use of the word "Allah" is illegal. Would he care to rage and rail against the Malaysian judiciary for that ruling? Would he now state that the judiciary has no right to adjudicate on this issue? The Perak Mufti, Tan Sri Harussani Zakaria has declared that if non-Muslims want to use the word "Allah" they must convert to Islam. There is no logic in this baffling statement. Would he dare to declare that the entire world is subject to his 'ruling'? The rest of the world wouldn't care two hoots for his views. He would become the laughing stock of the Muslim world. Going by their logic, Islam must be insulted throughout the wide world on a daily basis because many adherents of different faiths utter this word in their prayers and conversations. What are these religious zealots going to do about this? Now, what happens to the Holy Book of the Sikhs which has the word "Allah" in it? Are the religious zealots suggesting that it should be rewritten, dropping the word "Allah" to reflect their views? Mizrahi Jews (descendants of the Jewish communities of the Babylonian era in the Middle East and the Caucasus) also use the term "Allah". Are the religious zealots declaring that from henceforth the Mizrahi Jews have no right to use this word? How ridiculous can one get. In the view of many thinking Malaysians, it is these religious zealots who are confused – not the rest of the Muslim community. It is time we settle this issue once and for all. Now is the real test for these religious zealots. We hope that they will be brave enough and honest enough to be consistent in their narrow-minded views. There are some state anthems that have the word "Allah" in the lyrics. Will they now declare that the non-Muslims in West Malaysia should not sing these state anthems? That should be the case, going by their warped reasoning! Will they be consistent in their stand by declaring that the Rukun Negara, the national code of conduct for all Malaysians, should not be observed by Muslims because of the word "Tuhan"? Will they have the guts to say that we sideline the Rukun Negara because, in their lopsided view, it can confuse the Muslims in West Malaysia? And likewise, will they also forbid the Muslims of West Malaysia from singing the national anthem, Negaraku, which has been sung spiritedly since our independence, because in the lyrics there is the word "Tuhan"? Will they say that we must abolish the national anthem in West Malaysia? Now, it is really confusing to all of us. The religious zealots must be genuinely and thoroughly confused as well!
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| Himpunan Kebangkitan Rakyat 112 Posted: 09 Jan 2013 10:39 AM PST Phm3VanIF9E Merdeka Heritage Trust dalam kenyataan berkata antara syarat bagi Stadium Merdeka ialah penganjur mesti memastikan jumlah pengunjung/peserta tidak melebihi 30,000 orang. Or watch at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Phm3VanIF9E Jan 12hb suatu perhimpunan mega akan dijadikan satu perhimpuan yang bersejarah, aman tenteram sebelum pilihanraya umum. Perhimpunan bersejarah ini telah dibenarkan oleh pengurusan Stadium Merdeka. Selain itu pihak PDRM berhasrat untuk kerjasama, menurut sekatariat HKR menganggarkan sejumlah 1 juta pengunjung akan menghadiri perhimpunan bersejarah ini. - Merdeka Heritage Trust dalam kenyataan berkata antara syarat bagi Stadium Merdeka ialah penganjur mesti memastikan jumlah pengunjung/peserta tidak melebihi 30,000 orang. - Kehadiran pengunjung ke Himpunan Kebangkitan Rakyat ini dipercayai melebihi demo BERSIH 3.0, anggaran kehadiran ini sudah pasti mana-mana stadium di Malaysia tidak berupaya memuatkan sejumlah bilangan yang sedemikian besar.
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| Curse of No. 13 to usher the end of Sabah BN? Posted: 08 Jan 2013 10:26 AM PST
Jason Matius There is now serious talk spreading among the Sabah opposition parties concerning the effect of numbers in the political fortunes of political parties in Sabah. And to the opposition parties' delight, the numbers appear to point to the death knell of the Barisan Nasional in the next general election. A series of text messages and excited conversations concerning the number thirteen, prophesying BN's supposed impending fall, have been making their rounds among mainly opposition supporters here. These messages remind Sabahans of the fact that USNO, Sabah's first government, was defeated by Berjaya in 1976 (7 + 6 = 13), Berjaya was defeated by PBS in 1985 (8 + 5= 13), and PBS was toppled from power by BN in 1994 (9 + 4 = 13). Also interesting is that each of these three governments ruled for exactly nine years! Whether you are superstitious or not, you'd admit it's not easy to simply brush aside these uncanny series of 9s and 13s which marked the length of life and sensational deaths of three past governments. Many even believe this is Sabah's equivalent to Malaysia's strange RAHMAN prophecy, the arrangement of initials of the names of all the past prime ministers from the beginning to the present one. Many of those who believe these are not mere coincidences, are also convinced the Sabah's series of 13s will continue at least to the next general election. This belief is reinforced by the fact that for the forthcoming polls, the number 13 is not even hidden like in the past in which the last two digits of the year had to be added to come up with the jinxed number 13. In GE13 the number is wholly and clearly written, not once but TWICE, i.e. the last two digits of the year, and in the number of the times the general elections will be conducted! One clearly written 13 is bad enough, but twice? In the past, many observers were expecting the Sabah BN to fall in 2003, i.e. nine years after 1994, but when it didn't happen, BN supporters had said BN had successfully broke the nine-year jinx. But now some can argue for the interesting fact that the nine-year series has not been broken, but simply doubled to 18 years, i.e. to 2012, plus a few month to reach 2013, the year which ends with 13. Other than these numbers, it has been mentioned in the biography of the late Tun Fuad Stephens that when he won his state assembly seat in Kiulu in 1985, his majority was exactly 1,111. To the Chinese observers it was a bad omen because 1111 added to four and four in Chinese is pronounced the same way as the word for death. Shortly afterward Stephens along with many others died in a plane crash which is now called the Double Six Tragedy because it happened on the June 6. Many people, however, say it should have been called the Triple Six Tragedy, to include the year 1976, the year it happened; hence completing it to 666, which is the number of the devil. Will the jinx of the number 13 really see the end of Sabah BN in the hands of the opposition? Many people can't wait to find out.
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| Perkasa Lawan Himpunan Kebangkitan Rakyat 112 Posted: 08 Jan 2013 10:17 AM PST
Himpunan Rakyat112, satu himpunan raksasa yang dikendalikan oleh pihak yang menuntut keadilan, rakyat boleh melepaskan kemarahan mereka terhadap parti pemerintah dengan aman tanpa rusuhan. Himpunan Kebangkitan Rakyat 112 juga dapat sokongan NGO.
Timbalan Presiden PAS, Mohamad Sabu bersalaman dengan CP Datuk Seri Mohd Bakri bin Mohd Zinin, Pengarah Jabatan Siasatan Jenayah PDRM, gambar di atas menceritakan Mat Sabu, Pakar perancang demo yang mewakili komiti NGO ini berjabat tangan dengan pegawai atasan PDRM.
Sumber Fb Polis Di Raja Malaysia "Pihak polis meminta kerjasama yang baik dari penganjur dan orang ramai dan mereka sendiri akan bersama-sama memastikan himpunan 12 Januari ini akan berlangsung dalam keadaan aman dan damai. "Polis dan kami sama-sama berazam untuk menjadikan himpunan ini sebagai rekod himpunan paling aman sebelum PRU dan polis juga berkata inilah perubahan sejarah pentadbiran polis dibawah akta baru," katanya kepada media
Walau bagaimanapun PERKASA, satu pertubuhan anti-demokrasi, anti-perpaduan rakyat dan NGO racist ini berkeras dan mahu menghalang kebangkitan rakyat. Mereka memainkan peranan seolah-olah bertentangan dengan perlembagaan yang diwartakan, hak dan kebebasan perhimpuan rakyat. Perkasa membuat laporan polis terhadap Himpunan Kebangkitan Rakyat (HKR) anjuran Pakatan Rakyat pada Sabtu ini. Timbalan Ketua Penerangan Perkasa Abdullah Mansor membuat laporan itu di Ibu Pejabat Polis Daerah (IPD) Dang Wangi di sini hari ini. Abdullah dalam laporan polisnya berkata, pihaknya bimbang pembangkang sengaja mengadakan himpunan itu sebagai cubaan untuk menghidupkan suasana seperti di Dataran Tahrir, Mesir kerana mendapat maklumat kumpulan itu akan berkumpul di Dataran Merdeka. Perkasa sebuah NGO yang pro UMNO. Amat takut dan risau periuk nasi mereka pecah akibat UMNO kalah dalam PRU13. Perkasa masih tidak sedar dalam Himpunan Kebangkitan Rakyat 112, ramai peserta yang menyertai HKR 112 adalah terdiri dari bangsa Melayu yang beragama Islam. Mereka ini juga perjuang dan pembela Melayu.
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| Posted: 08 Jan 2013 09:41 AM PST
YT Teh Top Gloves just announced its foreign workers' salary will increase from RM1200 to RM1800 (inclusive of overtime) due to implementation of RM900 minimum pay. RM600 represents a fifty percent increment for these workers. Just assuming two million foreign workers in Malaysia, the increment is going to cost Malaysian companies RM14.4 billion. Why are we increasing minimum pay which will mainly benefit foreign workers? Instead of the RM900 minimum wage, can we ask companies like Top Glove to set aside a compulsory contribution of RM100 per foreign worker which would be distributed to its local work force earning below RM1500 as special subsistence assistance for poor Malaysians? Prices of goods are already going up rapidly. Low income Malaysian workers will suffer most. Beware, the opposition's simple solution of RM 1200 minimum wage is even more disastrous. We need a solution that truly benefits and builds up the local work force. Just my honest contribution of ideas.
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| "Saya tidak tahu bukti Kristianisasi yang macam mana lagi masyarakat mahukan" Posted: 07 Jan 2013 10:12 AM PST ZyOqBYu7qT4 There are millions of Muslims in this country and she picked on a few cases as an example to show there is a movement by the Christians to convert the Muslims ... she calls herself an academic in Islamic Studies? ....... if the Malays want to leave Islam, it's precisely because of people like her!! Or watch at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZyOqBYu7qT4 The problem with this country is, Malaysians underestimate the capability of the Malays to accept open discussion on what they term as 'sensitive'. They want this to remain 'sensitive' so as to remain in control and have a strong grip on the minds of the Malays ... this would ensure they will remain relevant.
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| YBAM Urges Ministry of Education to Offer Non-Islamic Classes Posted: 07 Jan 2013 10:00 AM PST
The current Malaysian Education System which lacks non-Islamic religious education may have caused a barrier in the mutual understanding required and hence adversely affected unity among the people with different faiths in our society. The Malaysia Education Blueprint 2013-2025 Preliminary Report which highlighted only a single religion has overlooked the contributions of the non-Islamic religions in the development of this country.
The Young Buddhist Association of Malaysia (YBAM) The Young Buddhist Association of Malaysia (YBAM) presented the Memorandum of the proposals on Religious Education to "The Malaysia Education Blueprint 2013-2025 Preliminary Report" to the Minister of Education today. YBAM urges the minister to seriously consider the need of religious education to non-Muslim students and to offer non-Islamic classes and establish religious societies in schools.
The memorandum is signed by 74 organisations of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism, and was presented to the Minister of Education by the Deputy President of YBAM, Loh Yit Phing, and Deputy Secretary General, Dr. Koh Yit Yan. The memorandum was received by Dr. Raslan Haniff Abdul Rashid, who is the Special Officer to Minister of Education Malaysia.
Loh Yit Phing mentioned that since the Education Blueprint was introduced in September 2012 by the Prime Minister, YBAM, through various occasions, had voiced the worries among Buddhist community towards the Blueprint, including the memorandum presented to the Deputy Education Minister, Datuk Wee Ka Siong during the Workshop on National Education Blueprint organised by MCA on 6 October 2012.
"In order to ensure that the government look into this matter seriously, started in November 2012, YBAM started to collect the signatories from the religious, cultural and educational organisations, and at the same time, to make an appointment with Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education for the presentation of Memorandum. The appointment was only confirmed a week ago but a representative, Dr. Raslan Haniff Abdul Rashid was appointed to receive the memorandum." YBAM presented the memorandum consists of five proposals and strategies so as to help children understand the religion better, leading to mutual understanding. The memorandum stressed that the Education Blueprint should recognise religious diversity and emphasizes the importance of religious education with the following five proposals: • To implement non-Islamic religious classes at all primary schools so as to shape children with good character and ethical and moral values • To establish non-Islamic religious societies in schools as part of their extra-curricular activities and for the students to be able to earn extra-curricular marks for participation in these societies • To strengthen the narrative on the development of all major religions in the History Textbook for secondary schools, and to provide proper explanations and clarification on the teachings of all major religions practiced in our country • To support and encourage secondary school students to volunteer at charitable organisations, religious organisations / institutions or other non-profitable organisations and for these students to be able to earn extra-curricular marks for such participations • A section in the History Textbook for use in primary schools (there are a few chapters in each section), which will be introduced in 2014, should be allocated to elaborate on the teachings of all major religions, importance of these religions to human civilization, as well as the contributions of the major religions to the development of our nation
Attachment Related document on the memorandum of the proposals on Religious Education is as follow:
Memorandum of The Proposals on Religious Education to "The Malaysia Education Blueprint 2013-2025 Preliminary Report" The teaching of traditional religions plays a vital role in the development of a country as well as promotes harmony in a pluralistic society. Hence, religious education must be included in the Malaysian Education System and it must be in line with the National Education Philosophy. It is important to nurture respect and tolerance in our children by having them learn about and understand all major religions practiced in our country. The "Rohani" (Spiritual) aspect of the Malaysian Education Philosophy of the development of "Jasmani, Emosi, Rohani and Intelek" must be enhanced in our education of pupils of all religions in this country. The current Malaysian Education System which lacks non-Islamic religious education may have caused a barrier in the mutual understanding required and hence adversely affected unity among the people with different faiths in our society. The Malaysia Education Blueprint 2013-2025 Preliminary Report which highlighted only a single religion has overlooked the contributions of the non-Islamic religions in the development of this country. The Malaysian Constitution safeguards the freedom of religion and the freedom of religious belief in our country. With this in mind, we urge the Government to seriously look into the needs of non-Muslim students with respect to their own religions. In light of the above, we now request for an Education Blueprint which recognises religious diversity and emphasizes the importance of religious education. Accordingly, we, 1) Young Buddhist Association of Malaysia (YBAM), would like to officially propose five points and strategies to be included in the Education Blueprint: First Proposal: To implement non-Islamic religious classes at all primary schools so as to shape children with good character and ethical and moral values. Strategy: This can be implemented in stages, starting with the older children in primary schools. We propose that one period per week is allocated for religious class and that the subject is non-examination based. We, together with other national non-Islamic religious organisations, will work with the Curriculum Development Centre (Bahagian Pembangunan Kokurikulum – BPK) to provide the necessary syllabus and instructors' guide, as well as the relevant training to the teachers. Second Proposal: To establish non-Islamic religious societies in schools as part of their extra-curricular activities and for the students to be able to earn extra-curricular marks for participation in these societies.
Strategy: To instruct officials in the Ministry of Education and headmasters of all schools to execute and implement the "Education Circular 2011" (SURAT PEKELILING IKHTISAS BILANGAN 2 TAHUN 2011), that is, to approve and assist the formation of the non-Islamic religious societies in schools when the requirements have been met. We, together with other national non-Islamic religious organisations, will assist in the establishment of these religious societies in all primary and secondary schools and provide necessary resources and training.
Third Proposal: To strengthen the narrative on the development of all major religions in the History Textbook for secondary schools, and to provide proper explanations and clarification on the teachings of all major religions practiced in our country.
Strategy: A section in the History Textbook for use in secondary schools (there are a few chapters in each section) should be allocated to elaborate on the teachings of all major religions, their formation and developments, the importance of these religions to human civilization, as well as the contributions of the major religions to the development of our nation. Fourth Proposal: To support and encourage secondary school students to volunteer at charitable organisations, religious organisations / institutions or other non-profitable organisations and for these students to be able to earn extra-curricular marks for such participation. Strategy: This practice is very common in developed countries and has helped in reducing crime rate among youths, as well as in nurturing the youth in becoming more caring and sensitive to the less privileged. We, together with other national non-Islamic religious organisations, will assist in recommending a list of the participating religious organisations and institutions.
Fifth Proposal：A section in the History Textbook for use in primary schools (there are a few chapters in each section), which will be introduced in 2014, should be allocated to elaborate on the teachings of all major religions, importance of these religions to human civilization, as well as the contributions of the major religions to the development of our nation.
Strategy: The Ministry of Education should value the importance of all religious teachings, as well as their contributions to our nation building. We, together with other national non-Islamic religious organisations, will work together with the Curriculum Development Centre (Bahagian Pembangunan Kokurikulum – BPK) to devise a suitable content for that section in the History Textbook.
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| The Hole: An Unexpected Journey Posted: 06 Jan 2013 11:22 AM PST By "Eye of Rakyat" In a hole lives a monster. Not just any other monster. And there are hundreds and thousands of these evil monsters in as many holes in as many roads in the tiny kingdom of Malaysia. Only then, can lasting peace be found for the "Fellowship of the Travellers"
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