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Posted: 23 Jun 2011 08:47 PM PDT

To behave in fear and trembling in the face of challenges and contending situations conveys an expression of insecurity of faith. Even in the face of persecution involving suffering, imprisonment, detention under the Internal Security Act (ISA) or even death, we should not waver from our faith and principles, but hold high our heads in dignity as the people of God.

By Thomas Lee Seng Hock

One of the saddest things in the Church in Malaysia today is perhaps the passive and paranoid culture gripping both the leadership and members in the matter of the church's responsibility, role and relationship in society.

Many Christians are confused, perplexed and bewildered in the face of challenges in the process of nation-building, particularly in the area of politics. They seem to live in fear of almost anything perceived by them as being anti-establishment, and cling persistently in dread and apprehension to the dictated status quo even if the state of affairs is authoritarian, harsh and oppressive, and violate their rights to freedom of worship and freedom of expression.

Take the case of an incident which involved an article I wrote on the history of a church. To put the history in its context I had to narrate certain political events that took place in the nation. The church leaders became so intimidated by the mere mention of certain opposition personalities that they insisted on removing what they considered as "sensitive" or "seditious" parts.

The joke is that what is written is common knowledge and is included as part of the nation's history. Certainly, such paranoia is unwarranted and reflect poorly not only on the insecure mental condition of the leaders but more so on their personal faith in the higher power of Jehovah-Elyon and their poor understanding of biblical dialectics on issues concerning the church and state.

It is so unfortunate and sad that such foolishness still exists in this age of the incredible universal mass medium Internet. The Christian faith is not just a matter of the heart, it concerns the head too. It involves the totality of body, mind, soul and spirit. The whole person is involved. We are to "love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength" (Mark 12:30). And the Christian, being a person who has been saved, redeemed and is now a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17), must be one who is committed to a comprehensive worldview encompassing an acknowledgement and high view of Almighty God as Creator and Father, the belief in the Lord Jesus Christ as the real and ultimate ruler of the whole universe, the empowerment of the blessed Holy Spirit to the realization and fruition of the will and purpose of God in creation, history and our destiny as his people.

To behave in fear and trembling in the face of challenges and contending situations conveys an expression of insecurity of faith. Even in the face of persecution involving suffering, imprisonment, detention under the Internal Security Act (ISA) or even death, we should not waver from our faith and principles, but hold high our heads in dignity as the people of God.

As the apostle Paul said, "For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs -- heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory." (Romans 8:15-17).

The Lord Jesus has given us a mandate to be salt of the Earth and light of the World (Matthew 5:13) and it is obligated upon us as his followers to exercise these two roles of being salt and being light.

Salt is an element that can be used for preservation, and, as salt of the Earth, Christians are to play their role in preserving the truth of God on Earth. Salt is also used as a cleansing agent, and, hence, Christians must be cleansing agents in society, getting rid of the dirt in the immoral and corrupt political culture in the nation. Salt is also used for giving flavour to food. As such, Christians are to provide a distinctive taste of quality living to those who are lonely, sick, bed-ridden, old, poor, widowed, orphaned, abused and abandoned. Salt is also used for healing. It is therefore the mission of the Christians to bring about healing to those who are sick, not only physically, but spiritually. Many people are in the grip of demonic superstition and are living like spiritual goons and zombies, and they need the healing touch of loving, caring and concerned Christians to get relief from their demonic bondage.

When describing Christians as the light of World in his Sermon on the Mount, the Lord Jesus explained: "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven." (Matthew 5:14-16)

The whole purpose of a light is just that, to provide light. The Christians, being the light of the World have the task of shinning in the dark, dark World to expose the dark evils hovering around the people. The Lord Jesus himself is the true Light of the World. He has declared: "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." (John 8:12). Christians merely reflect the light of the Lord Jesus in their life, lifestyle and work.

As the light of Christ, Christians must expose the evil, immoral and corrupt culture in society, especially in the area of politics. We are not to hide our light but to be visible, vigilant, vocal and vibrant in society, expressing and demonstrating our opposition to what is unrighteousness, unjust, unfair, immoral and corrupt. We cannot close an eye to the improper hanky-panky in the political arena.

Of course, as a church, we need to be non-partisan in our political stand, but that does not mean we cannot make value judgment on the agenda and practices of any political party based on our understanding of the biblical teaching on truth, justice, honesty, equality and sins. We need to exercise our citizen role by examining, evaluating and critically analyzing the platforms and manifestos of the contending parties in an election before casting our votes.

As the light of the World, we are like the beacon from a lighthouse guiding souls through the troubled waters of the sea and the storms of life. We cannot deviate on this responsibility. This is especially true of the pastors, elders and church leaders. They should lead by example, not diverge from the biblical injunctions in fear and trembling. Like the apostle Peter who was brought before the authorities on some unjust allegations, they should be brave and bold to declare: "Rulers and elders of the people! If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a cripple and are asked how he was healed, then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed." (Acts 4:8-10) And in Acts 4:19-20, Peter and John challenged the authorities: "But Peter and John replied, "Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God's sight to obey you rather than God. For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard." That, my brothers and sisters in Christ, is what leadership in the church is all about, not like what the Cantonese call the "sook thau woo kyai" (tortoise who withdraws its head when coming across an obstacle).

The Bible tells us that "In him (Christ) was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it." (John 1:4,5)

And Paul said in his letter to the Philippians, "For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him" (Phil 1:29). And in his letter to the Romans, Paul said: "we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:37-39).

So, my dear sisters and brothers in Christ, you should be bold and brave in taking a stand for the truth, and reject all immoral and corrupt leaders, who practise cronyism, nepotism, bribery, and injustice. If you belong to a party headed by such a leader, than you either work to remove him as the leader, or quit the party. You cannot remain and be part of the evil, immoral and corrupt leadership. Your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ who is the Way, the Truth and the Life demands that you cannot associate with the wicked leadership.

God bless you real good.

Another day, another bogeyman raised

Posted: 23 Jun 2011 04:44 PM PDT

Don't get me wrong. I love my country, and I have no wish to see it descend into Arab Spring-like chaos, but I think our politicians should give us a bit of credit too. Most of us are actually mature adults capable of holding rational discussions.

Farah Fahmy, The Malaysian Insider

In all the furore surrounding the Bersih 2.0 rally, I couldn't help noticing that all the things and events used to scare us are being dragged out yet again, presumably so that we would all be scared of history repeating itself and therefore stick to the status quo.

First up is of course the spectre of May 13. Time and again self-serving politicians bring this up to remind us to toe the line. You know what? I was born after 1969. I didn't live through those events, and all I know about May 13 I learnt through my own endeavours.

If May 13 is so important to us, and if we're always exhorted to remember it, then why, if we so much as try to discuss what happened then, are we told NOT to do so because it may be detrimental to our racial sensibilities?

I mean, come on. How can we be expected to remember something that we don't fully know about, and that nobody seems to want to discuss objectively? It's as if we rakyat are little children told by our adult politicians not to open a cupboard because monsters hide in there. What rubbish.

Yes, the events of May 13 were horrendous, and I fervently wish that it would not happen again, but I also think that we need to bust the myth of May 13 by discussing it openly so that we can learn from it — the lessons learnt in its aftermath might need reviewing after more than 40 years.

Then there's the other favourite bogeyman — the Jews. For a country that doesn't even have a Jewish population, politicians of a certain type in our country are obsessed by the Jews. Anyone accused of blackening the country's name is denounced as an "agent of the Jews."

Have any of these people even met a Jewish person? Funnily enough, they're just like you and I (contrary to what an ustaz told me years ago, they don't have hooked noses either!) and quite frankly, I think most Jewish people have other things to think about than worrying about our country!

I don't quite get this obsession with the Jews actually. Is it because of Israel, and its treatment of the Palestinians? Is it because we want to show solidarity with the Arab world? Is it just because they're Jews?

Well, at the risk of sounding callous, the Israeli treatment of the Palestinians is no better and no worse than the treatment of the Talibans towards their fellow Muslims when they were in power in Afghanistan (where were the demonstrations and agitations against the Taliban then, eh? And what about those Saudis and their penchant for beheading maids who have the temerity to strike back against employers who abuse them?). There are bad people everywhere. Should we demonise an entire race just because one country oppresses some of its people?

Yes, I too feel anger when I see the demolition of houses in the West Bank; when I see the shelling in Gaza. I too feel anguished when I read about men and women forced to abandon their ancestral lands simply because a wall has arbitrarily split their land into two. I too feel loathing when I read about the attitudes some of the Israeli settlers have towards the Palestinians.

But you know what? If I was an Israeli I would probably feel a lot of hatred towards the Palestinians too, because Hamas and its ilk have made life unpalatable. All I'm saying is, there are two sides to every story. Neither the Israelis nor the Palestinians are whiter than white and I find it extremely tiresome when a Malaysian politician peddles the Jewish line to score some points because it just comes across as being ill-informed and plain nasty.

READ MORE HERE

Umno goes berserk with Bersih

Posted: 23 Jun 2011 04:10 PM PDT

If the Arabs had their defining moment in the form of the Arab Spring, Malaysians might well have their day of reckoning in our Summer of Change.

The Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein and the Inspector–General of Police, Ismail Omar have refused to act against Ibrahim who is aware that he is protected by Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak and former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad. Ibrahim is free to continue his tirades.

Mariam Mokhtar, Free Malaysia Today

Ambiga Sreenevasan, the Bersih chairman, may yet be the person who leads this country out of the quagmire. Ambiga was the Malaysian Bar chairman from 2007-2009 and in March 2009, received the US Secretary of State's Award for International Women of Courage from Hillary Clinton, with the US First Lady, Michelle Obama in attendance.

Mrs Clinton praised Ambiga for her pursuit of judicial reform and good governance. She described Ambiga as a champion of religious tolerance, a staunch advocate of women's equality, whose work and influence was felt in Malaysia and in other countries.

Early yesterday morning, Ambiga received a text message; she was threatened with death if she persisted with her "Walk for Democracy" on July 9.

The chilling contents of the SMS were in Malay and part of the message read: "If the rally takes place my people and I will kill Ambiga and all those around her one by one including the idiot politicians who are in cahoots with this infidel. This is my warning. You watch out."

The sender also accused Ambiga of being manipulated to spread discord amongst the Malays.

It said, "The PAS and PKR camps are both deaf and blind. If the Election Commission wasn't clean, how could they have won Selangor, Kedah, Penang, Kelantan and Perak?"

The DAP was dubbed "Cina sial" for its role in the perceived downfall of the Malays. It was accused of plotting to rule the country and converting everyone to Christianity.

Ambiga has managed to galvanise the nation to demand free and fair elections. She has urged all politicians, from both sides of the political divide, to unite and seek clean elections and to advocate electoral reforms.

As soon as Ambiga announced the date for the proposed rally, many tried to undermine her. Chief amongst her detractors was Ibrahim Ali, president of the Malay NGO Perkasa.

Ibrahim Ali said that the "Chinese should stock up food" in a thinly veiled reference to ensuing violence if the march went ahead.

Ibrahim's stance will provide the excuse for police intervention, possibly with the use of violent tactics, purportedly in the name of national security.

Umno Youth has also said it too would take to the streets. With two Malay groups, each vying for attention, the use of force by the police is unavoidable.

Our Summer of Change

The nation is well aware that the chaos in the middle-east has rattled despotic nations around the world. The Malaysian authorities know only too well that their authoritarian rule is not immune from the changing world order.

The rakyat has exercised caution and acted with restraint in pursuance of its rights. But how much longer can it tolerate all the injustices? Are they prepared to wear the yoke for another 54 years under Umno?

If the Arabs had their defining moment in the form of the Arab Spring, Malaysians might well have their day of reckoning in our Summer of Change.

So who stands to lose the most, when Bersih marches on July 9? Umno of course!

Umno, and the various people who benefitted from its largesse in the form of contracts, awards, scholarships, directorships and donations are desperate.

If the rakyat triumphs and true democracy is restored, Umno and its cohorts stand to lose everything – their riches, the false respect they have been accorded, their supposed elevated status in society and naturally, their freedom. Their fall from grace is palpable.

Ambiga is focused on her mission, to save the Malaysian soul. She is leading us to exercise our right to freedom of peaceful assembly on July 9. She has the rakyat's backing. The authorities may be left standing on the beach trying to stop a tsunami.

When the various ploys to make Ambiga change her mind had failed, Umno got to work, possibly at the instigation of APCO.

Bernama reported that 'several political analysts' criticised Ambiga for "tarnishing Malaysia's image as a nation blessed with peace, harmony and prosperity".

Although Bernama was not able to name one credible political analyst, these analysts avoided all reference to the simmering tensions and cruel acts practiced on people who are non-Malay and non-Muslim.

These analysts decried Ambiga for distracting the rakyat from the sodomy trial of the Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim.

The chairman of the NGO '1Agenda' lodged a police report against Bersih for inviting international media coverage.

The Bernama report described how the assemblies of 1998 and 2007 had inconvenienced the public, caused damage to public property and attracted negative publicity abroad.

One lecturer from the University Utara Malaysia in Kedah, condemned the march because it would mean Malaysia would not be seen as a "paradise for shoppers and tourist and be seen as a place of chaos".

Since when are lecturers in our higher institutions of learning more concerned about the frivolities of shopping rather than true democracy and principles of good governance? What sort of lecturer has our Minister of Education, Muhyiddin Yassin cultivated?

READ MORE HERE

Kredit: www.malaysia-today.net

Jumaat, 24 Jun 2011

Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News

Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News

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