Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News
Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News |
- Royal fatwa on Allah word - has HRH been let down by advisor(s)?
- #KL112: Res Ipsa Loquitur!
- When Yong is hungry like the wolves
- Five contradictions in restricting the use of 'Allah'
- Anwar has changed
| Royal fatwa on Allah word - has HRH been let down by advisor(s)? Posted: 09 Jan 2013 02:47 PM PST RPK has lamented on this, which I detected in one post of his where a visitor challenged him on issues he had actually explained comprehensively in that post, wakakaka. Given the experts' etymological and historical clarifications on the Allah word, I am in no doubt that Father Lawrence Andrew is on strong legal grounds to use it ... and indeed we know that the court has supported his stand. […] Legally, High Court Judge Lau Bee Lan had ruled as unconstitutional the Malaysian government's ban of the use of Allah as the Bahasa equivalent of the word God in the Catholic Herald. […] I'm afraid on a personal basis, kaytee isn't all that supportive of the Church's insistence on using the Allah word to represent/indicate/describe their Christian God in the Malay language. […] But I have always believed that religion is about faith and morality and not legality or for that matter, political approval. Thus I find it unfortunate that the Father Andrew and the Catholic Herald had taken the issue to the courts. Surely on a matter of religious faith and knowledge, there are numerous other names of God it could have use beside Allah. I view its arguments for the use of Allah as seemingly based on obduracy and legality rather than any plausible unavoidable reason. I then went on to detail my challenge to Father Lawrence Andrew's arguments. Apart from shooting down Father Andrew's arguments that the Allah word is vital because the Tuhan word is inadequate for serving the message in some biblical passages, I also voiced my sympathy for the Muslim community's concerns for the reason I know the Christian Church has an evangelistic mission ... ... and endowing it with a Bahasa version of the Bible (al Kitab) which uses the Allah word to refer to the Christian god would be akin to asking lil' Johnny to mind the cookie jar to ensure it's not raided, a totally unrealistic expectation. I have been and still am deeply concerned that the potential (and actual realization) of the issue of Christian proselytizing of Muslims, will destabilize further the already shaky politically-affected inter-communal relationship, with all its attendant unpleasant consequences, ... ... of which we obtained an ugly glimpse of when a mufti sms-ed his followers to stop a fabricated case of a church in Perak proselytizing Muslims. On New Year's day I had a chitchat with my matey, Ong Kian Ming whose Malaysiakini article Allah row - what's the name of the game? I had challenged. Kian Ming was his usual gentlemanly self where he kindly took on the task of explaining to me the logistical problems involved in switching from al Kitab's Allah word to what I have suggested, to wit, Yahweh, Elohim and a host of other Hebraic appellations that the Christian god is better known by in the Christian world. I've been impressed by Kian Ming's masterly grasp on the logistic issue, though it must be noted too both of us didn't touch on the Church's evangelistic angle. Unfortunately due to pressing prior engagements I was not able to continue discussion with him on the topic. But nonetheless, the point I wish to make is that while I didn't and still don't support the Church's intention to use the Allah word, I have never questioned its legal rights (thus far, until the government's appeal is known) to use that word in its newsletter, the Catholic Herald, and al Kitab. I am taking the trouble to reiterate this because (a) of the poor reading skills of some visitors wakakaka, and (b) the thrust of this new post. This new post refers to an article in The Malaysian Insider, namely, Non-Muslims must not use 'Allah', says Selangor Sultan. MAIS informed us HRH Sultan Selangor has decreed that the word Allah is a sacred word specific to Muslims in a fatwa gazetted 3 years ago, and thus must not be used by any non-Muslim religion in Selangor. Look mateys, there must be no doubt that while HRH is a constitutional monarchy, he has a role which entitles him to issue direct decrees, that is, those on Islamic affairs in his state of Selangor, as he is the head of the Islamic religion in Selangor. And on such Islamic issues, it has been claimed that he would be advised by the Menteri Besar (MB). It has been precisely this factor, that of the MB of a state or his deputy advising HRH on Islamic affairs, that in March 2008, immediately after the general election, we saw Khalid Ibrahim, then appointed MB of Selangor, tap dancing away from appointing his deputy. DAP, the second largest component of the informal (winning) coalition in Selangor, had nominated sweetie Teresa Kok to be the deputy MB. But Khalid Ibrahim did not deal courageously with the triple political whammy (to him) candidate proposed as his deputy, one who was/is a Chabor (woman), Chinese and a Christian (all rolled into one), a triple-C factor which sh*tted him ... ... whilst the neighbouring State of Perak also saw HRH Regent sidelined Ngeh Koo Ham of DAP (the Pakatan party with the most number of ADUNs) and picked instead Nizar Jamaluddin of PAS (the Pakatan party with the least number of ADUNs) to be the state's new MB. Mind you, HRH's choice, for whatever reason, turned out to be a serendipitious one for us. It was alleged that Muhammad Munir Bani, the Selangor sultan's private secretary, had advised Khalid Ibrahim about the palace's 'preference' for a Malay (and, alas, not a Malaysian) deputy MB. However, Muhammad Munir denied reports that HRH wanted 'a deputy from a particular race' (meaning 'Malay'), although he added the sultan was the religious head for Islam and Malay culture, and thus the MB has the task of assisting in these duties, which in his absence would also have to handled by his deputy. In that most unbelievable zigzagging explanation, Muhammad Munir, after denying HRH wanted a Malay deputy MB, in the same breath averred that it was only proper a Malay (not a Malaysian) be the deputy MB. Following that, Malaysiakini reported in Expert: No legal need for Malay deputy MB that Prof Abdul Aziz Bari, a constitutional expert who lectured law at the International Islamic University Malaysia, was consulted on the matter. Prof Abdul Aziz dismissed Muhammad Munir's claims that the deputy MB should ideally be a Malay to assist the MB in Islamic and cultural duties. The Prof said: "The Sultan of Selangor does not need the menteri besar or the deputy menteri besar in matters pertaining to religion and Malay custom." According to the Prof, the sultan, as the head of Islamic matters and the Malay adat, is the person in charge of such matters in the state, and not the MB or his deputy. He said: "Matters cited by the palace are entirely within the sultan's jurisdiction. As the sultan may act on his own discretion on these matters, the constitution provides that a council may be appointed to assist him. This is what is commonly known as religious councils or majlis agama, which looks after the religious department or the jabatan agama. In the other four states and federal territories, the Agong will have the same establishment." Prof Abdul Aziz also commented that a prolonged delay in the appointment of a deputy MB was unnecessary and might even be unconstitutional. But when asked whether the appointment of a Deputy MB had been postponed or scrapped altogether, Khalid Ibrahim side-stepped the issue by stating the need to explain the matter (what?) properly to the people (who?), and that he would do this after the executive councillors had been sworn-in (why?).
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| Posted: 09 Jan 2013 11:24 AM PST To be very, very honest I was quite gobsmacked and was in confusion when I heard from one of my favourite maestre Tukar Tiub Hishamuddin Rais that there was a sequel to the already massive BERSIH 3.0 to be held this Saturday, 12 January 2012, namely for a mega-rally dubbed #KL112. Coupled with his obvious disdain for apocalypse that makes the Mayan Grand-Witch doctor fume with rage, Tukar Tiub went on the offensive against his arch-nemesis the United Malays National Organisation (of which he stubbornly refuse to dub otherwise) by enlisting the NGO, opposition parties, the punks and skinheads; to be honest everything under the unfalling sky that is 'Anything But UMNO' or more affectionately known as ABU; in joining forces (again) to pressure Najib Razak into a position that would make the late Bobby Fischer, Gary Kasparov and Anatoly Karpov blush with admiration. For here are the facts: (1) Najib Razak has now been drawn into a corner (yet again) in his pussy-footing over calling for the 13th Malaysian General Elections. If Najib Razak deals with this rally with force as was what had happened in BERSIH 3.0, he would face another big, big backlash among the young voters, of whom believe that freedom of assembly should not be curtailed. On the other hand, if he gives in and allows the demo to proceed, he would obviously be regarded as a reformer, though would be at loggerheads with the far-rightist in his right wing organisation including (but not limited to) PERKASA, who is UMNO's step-sister on his stepdad's side twice removed. (2) All these very tall tales of UMNO and BN's 'transformation' would again be rendered bland if heavy-handedness were to prevail. All BRIMs, KRIMs and stuff would be effectively neutralised and Najib would be left trying to salvage his efforts through ANOTHER round of an mandatory but improved BRIM etc with maybe a RM3000 payout financed by IMF loans this time around and blaming it to Anwar Ibrahim. (3) Malaysia has high domestic and extra-terrestrial debts for which is well documented which runs to more than a couple of hundred billion Ringgits - nothing much. But Najib Razak knows that corruption of the citizenry has a very high price - that is the Rakyat will feel that they deserve it and that the next handout MUST be more than the previous. At the rate he is going by labelling everything under the sun as being 1Malaysia, we will have a very difficult time finding out what is NOT 1Malaysia. Desperation has seen that even recycled bread is now fielding that name, no matter how ingenius the idea was. Read more at: http://puterakemuning.blogspot.com/2013/01/kl112-res-ipsa-loquitur.html |
| When Yong is hungry like the wolves Posted: 09 Jan 2013 10:46 AM PST President of Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) Taiko Yong Teck Lee's romancing of the Barisan National may end his love affair with the Sabah opposition front soon. But this new love story bring up the moot question as to why he is so desperate when the Barisan National has hardly given any indication to warmly accommodate him under its fold. Sources in the Barisan National say Yong Teck Lee can't be trusted. How can they depend on a leader who was willing to ditch the Barisan National — his decade-old senior partner — when he felt the relations between both were strained because of one man Pak Lah? Earlier too, Yong Teck Lee parted ways with Pairin Kitingan and formed the SAPP. The gainer of this triangular game being played in the state may be Shafie Apdal a good friend of Yong Teck Lee who is waiting and watching in the wings to take over as chief minister from Musa Aman. Remember when Yong Teck Lee was chief minister he together with Shafie Apdal milked Yayasan Sabah until it nearly when dry? However, thanks to Musa Aman,he saved the day for Yayasan Sabah. Even Lajim Ukin, Sabah's famous party hopper and old buddy of Yong Teck Lee from the Party Bersatu Sabah (PBS) days where both began their political career and where both plotted to destroy PBS are seen regularly together nowadays. If recent gathering in the meetings of SAPP is any indication, then Yong Teck Lee being adamant to go for a majority of the state seats (60 in Sabah) this coming looming 13th general election on what he termed as "the principle of Sabah autonomy" is all about splitting the opposition votes and helping Barisan National win big. The political signal coming from Yong Teck Lee in the last few months indicate that he is trying to sail on two boats — Barisan National and Pakatan Rakyat — at the same time. His shifting statements to keep both the major political parties in good humour may end with a backlash. At the same time, Pakatan Rakyat camp specially The Democratic Action Party (DAP) feels that Yong Teck Lee is not dependable and his track record for the last couple of years shows that he is more committed to divide and split the opposition votes. It is a known fact that despite poor governance Yong Teck Lee ruled this politically vibrant state for 2 years but a lot say he worked 4 long years (pun added because he worked day and night 24hours a day making hay while there is sunshine with his partner in crime Joseph Ambrose Lee). Read more at: http://selvarajasomiah.wordpress.com/2013/01/09/when-yong-is-hungry-like-the-wolves/
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| Five contradictions in restricting the use of 'Allah' Posted: 08 Jan 2013 09:38 AM PST The contradictions are as follows. 1. If we disallow non-Muslims from using the word 'Allah', are we implying that Allah has no relation to the non-Muslims, that Allah did not create the non-Muslims, but to whom Allah must belong if He is the Creator of all things? 2. If we say Allah is not the god of the non-Muslims, does this not imply that besides Allah there must exist a second god specifically for the non-Muslims, the former god of Muslim converts? Does this not clash with the Islamic concept of tauhid, which proposes that there cannot possibly be another god apart from Allah, and that no being can perform the work of a god other than Allah? 3. If we maintain that 'Allah' has no relevance to other religions, who then ultimately created these religions if not Allah, the Creator of all things? Are we suggesting that Allah got it wrong before unveiling Islam? But if tauhid is to stand and Allah is the sole Creator, and if Allah is infallible, perfect and all-knowing, does it not mean that Allah happily created, with no games intended, all the variety of religions and religious philosophies including Christianity and Hinduism? Read more at: http://english.cpiasia.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2465&catid=219&Itemid=189
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| Posted: 07 Jan 2013 12:47 PM PST Whatever Dr M says however, must never be brushed off as inconsequential. Like Robert Mugabe and Hosni Mubarak, he has a large following and some rebuttal is required lest people believe him. He first flogged US President Barack Obama as someone who did not deliver on his promises of change. He forgets that Obama was re-elected with an bigger margin than the first time he won the presidency. Dr M also ignores the fact that American citizens are in a better position to judge their President than a wealthy but old and retired Malaysian Prime Minister. He then went on to say that Anwar and his friends in the Pakatan would bring havoc to the country, even if they rule for only five years. Anwar and the Pakatan, he said, would make all kinds of sweet promises but would not be able to deliver them. Why? The main thrusts of his argument were as follows: Anwar did not accomplish much when he was in government, and even when he tried to do something, he was a disaster. During the 1998 financial crisis, for example, he wanted to follow the solutions prescribed by the International Monetary Fund, solutions Dr M said would have only bankrupted the country. He then said Anwar is not as pious or religious as he appears, and is a corrupt politician who practises cronyism to enrich his friends and family. For now, my response to these allegations is to say that even if all of the above were true, we should still give Anwar and his friends a chance to rule. This is because Dr M is unable to give an objective assesment of Anwar. He is dumfounded that his nemesis is not only politically alive, but will probably be the next Prime Minister. Dr M is unable to accept this possibility as this would be a devastating defeat for him. Dr M is unable to accept that the person he targeted with the whole machinery of the state is still an active political leader who is more popular than he is. In other words, Dr M is too disturbed by Anwar's thriving success to give a balanced view . I have been an Anwar follower from afar for a long time. I was never his friend, but my interest in politics made me especially interested in him when my first preference, Tun Musa Hitam, pulled out of the political arena. When Anwar was sacked in 1998 and the black eye incident became worldwide news, I felt really sorry for him. I could not do much except to quietly support the Free Anwar campaign. I even named my horse "Deputy Coming Back" in 2000 as a symbolic gesture of support. Unlike Dr M, I can give a better and more detached assesment of both Anwar and his friends in the Pakatan, which voters in the upcoming General Election can rely on. Yes, Anwar did not do much good when he was in UMNO. His tenure as Education Minister was poor and even as Deputy Prime Minister, he was not a trailblazer. He was imperious, feudalistic, strong willed and more interested in strenghtening his position in the party than pushing for real reform. But he was obviously good enough for the job; Dr M would not have picked him as his successor otherwise. Anwar was never shy about showing off his Malay and Islamic agendas, even if these made non- Malays/non-Muslims uncomfortable. His "slaughter" of Tun Ghafar Baba manifested the rapacious character of a man who was willing to abandon friendship and good behaviour so long as he could become Prime Minister. He had friends and allies who were given concessions and allotted shares in public companies. There was no doubt that he was filling up his war chest. In short, he did what a typical UMNO leader would do if he wants to move up the ladder and be Prime Minister. However, I believe that tragic and traumatic experiences can change a man. Anwar has suffered more than any political leader I know and because of these hardships, he is a different man today. He still wants to be Prime Minister (who doesn't), but he knows Malaysians have also changed. Today the people want a cleaner and more responsible Government. They do not want a corrupt leader who would only enrich himself, his party and his family. Anwar and the members of his family are not rich, and live modestly. Stories of him having billions stashed away are lies. He has wealthy friends, of course, and they have kept his struggle going. I don't believe money is terribly important to Anwar and his family, so I don't think we will have pilferage on a huge scale when he becomes Prime Minister. So one up for him. Malaysians also want to coexist in harmony. They are tired of UMNO's divide-and-rule system. Anwar has travelled far and wide in his political campaigns and has seen for himself how groups outside the gated communities live. He relates well with the rural as well as the urban poor and emphatises with the grievances of the marginalised. His concern for the less fortunate is genuine. His strong sense of justice is perhaps due to his own experiences, but they are real and something we can trust him with. He has changed, but Dr M has not. Two up. An important point to remember is that Anwar has a close relationship with PAS. I was initially sceptical that PAS could ever be a strong political force in a moderate Malaysia because for many years, they were hystericaly extreme in their views. Today Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang is no longer the firebrand Islamic leader from Rusila of the 1980's, but a moderate and practical politician. PAS has many young and moderate leaders, and they inject a strong ethical amd moral dimension to governance, at least more so than UMNO. I believe Anwar's influence on PAS and political Islam as a whole is positive. Three up.
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