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Who's lying now?
One step forwards, two steps back
Upsetting the ecological balance
You need brains to do it (UPDATED)
Dear Cousin
What makes PAS what it is

Posted: 08 Aug 2011 07:36 PM PDT

So, are there still Malaysians in London or not? Can Anifah Aman make up his mind? In the one breath he says Malaysians have all gone back to Malaysia for the holidays and in another he says Malaysians have been advised to stay away from the affected areas.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

No Malaysians involved in London riot, says Anifah Aman

(Bernama) - No Malaysian citizens were involved in the London riot that erupted over the weekend, said Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Anifah Aman.

In fact, no Malaysians were in the vicinity, he said.

"I received a report from our High Commissioner there, Datuk Zakaria Sulong, that our citizens, especially students, were on holiday."

"Most have returned home (to Malaysia), but we have advised Malaysians in areas nearby not to go to that specific area," he told reporters after his ministry's breaking-of-fast function, here, Monday night.

A smashing and looting rampage broke out on Saturday at Tottenham in North London after a peaceful demonstration over the death of its local 29-year-old Mark Duggan, a black man, who was shot by police two days earlier.

However, Anifah said, it was still safe to travel to Britain, but he advised Malaysians to stay away from Tottenham, an area with a high unemployment rate and racial issues, for the time being.

*********************************

And how does Anifah Aman know that no Malaysians were involved in the London riots?

Well, he knows because, as he said, "I received a report from our High Commissioner there, Datuk Zakaria Sulong, that our citizens, especially students, were on holiday."

So there you have it. Malaysian citizens, especially students, are on holiday. Therefore, no Malaysians were involved in the London riots.

But hold on. My daughter is Malaysian and she is not on holiday. She is still here in the UK attending summer class. And the entire committee of Friends of Pakatan Rakyat UK are still in London and are not on holiday. So are the Kelab PAS members. They are also still here in the UK and are not on holiday.

So who are these people Anifah Aman is talking about who are not in London and are on holiday and therefore no Malaysians were involved in the riots?

Okay, maybe Anifah Aman means the sons and daughters of the UmnoPutras. These are the people who have flown back to Malaysia for their holidays. And this is because they are the only people who can afford to fly back to Malaysia every school holiday.

Yes, that's right, the rest of us less wealthy Malaysians stay here in the UK during the holidays. We don't have that kind of money to afford to fly back to Malaysia every holiday, ten times a year.

Hmm…wasn't it Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak's cousin, Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein, who said today, 'New media used to spread lies'? New Media or New Straits Times? That report came out in the New Straits Times (you can read it here).

"….but we have advised Malaysians in areas nearby not to go to that specific area," added Anifah Aman.

Ah...if there are no Malaysians in London because they have all gone back to Malaysia for the holidays, then whom are these 'Malaysians in areas nearby' who are being advised not to go to that specific area?

Anifah Aman ended by saying that it was still safe to travel to Britain, but he advised Malaysians to stay away from Tottenham, an area with a high unemployment rate and racial issues, for the time being.

Now that is the crux to the whole matter. One Umno Blogger, Syed Akbar Ali, has used the London riots as the reason why he opposes the Bersih rally. If rallies such as Bersih are allowed, there would be a danger it could escalate to a riot, like what happened in London.

In fact, the riots have now spread to many other parts of the UK. It is no longer confined to just London. And these riots have nothing to do with free and fair elections or human rights or freedom of religion or whatever. It is all about the frustration of the people.

Remember I wrote about this matter in my article yesterday titled 'Upsetting the ecological balance'? Well, this can happen in Malaysia as well if we are not careful.

What we are seeing in the UK is a 'class struggle'. It is a demonstration of the people's frustration. And unless Malaysia addresses this issue then what we are seeing in UK today we will see in Malaysia in time to come.

Let's imagine if the above story was about Malaysia in the year 2030.

****************************************

No Indonesians involved in Kuala Lumpur riot, says Khir Toyo

(Antara) - No Indonesian citizens were involved in the Kuala Lumpur riot that erupted over the weekend, said Indonesian Foreign Minister Khir Toyo.

In fact, no Indonesians were in the vicinity, he said.

"I received a report from our Ambassador there, Da'i Bachtiar, that our citizens, especially students, were on holiday."

"Most have returned home (to Indonesia), but we have advised Indonesians in areas nearby not to go to that specific area," he told reporters after his ministry's breaking-of-fast function, here, Monday night.

A smashing and looting rampage broke out on Saturday in Brickfields in Kuala Lumpur after a peaceful demonstration over the death of its local 29-year-old Aramugum Pillai, an Indian, who was shot by police two days earlier.

However, Khir said, it was still safe to travel to Malaysia, but he advised Indonesians to stay away from Brickfields, an area with a high unemployment rate and racial issues, for the time being.

One step forwards, two steps back

Posted: 07 Aug 2011 07:53 PM PDT

Why can't the Umno people see this? They need the non-Malays to retain the government. Maybe if they can get 70% of the Malays on their side then they don't need the non-Malays. But they can't get 70% of the Malays to support them. At best maybe 55%, that is all. So they need the non-Malays. But what they are doing merely pushes the non-Malays farther and farther away.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

Remember, yesterday, I wrote an article called 'You need brains to do it'? Well, again, Umno has proven me correct. Their people just don't have enough brains. They are like the Keystone Cops, shooting themselves in their feet and bumbling every step of the way.

Take the Damansara Utama Methodist Church (DUMC) matter as an example. PERKASA and the Malaysian Muslim Lawyers Association (MMLA) have now also joined the fray. So it looks like every man and his dog has jumped onto the bandwagon.

Good!

Now, if I were Umno, I would instruct all our people to stay out of this fiasco of major proportions. This is going to be a very explosive issue. So let DAP and PAS fight it out. Chances are Hasan Ali would help do more damage by defending his actions, by defending JAIS, by defending Islam, and by offering to resign for the sake of defending Islam.

Hasan Ali will become a hero for standing up for his principles while sacrificing himself and his political career. Hasan Ali will be a martyr. And this will become a problem for Pakatan Rakyat.

This is a sure recipe for a split between DAP and PAS. This will be just like the Terengganu ISD of ten years ago, which saw DAP leaving Barisan Alternatif and which resulted in the opposition getting slaughtered in the 2004 general election.

JAIS made the allegation that DUMC is converting Muslims to Christianity. So the accuser must prove the allegation. DUMC need do nothing. The onus is on JAIS to prove what they allege.

If JAIS or JAKIM brings out statistics to prove that 100,000 or 500,000 Malays have now become Christians (as what the Perak Mufti alleged) then this will backfire on Umno. Umno will lose face -- and, in Asia, face is everything and is very important.

Politics is all about face. Never underestimate the power of face. It is very important to me and I will defend my face even if I have to go back to Malaysia and serve some time in jail to 'save face'. (Unfortunately, my lawyers, friends, family, and even the Malaysian government, profusely refuse to agree to this even though I have communicated this wish to Bukit Aman).

If JAIS or JAKIM can't reveal the 'alarming' statistics, then the government will also lose face. So, keep quiet you are damned and bring out the statistics you are also damned. Either way, damned if you do, damned if you don't.

Umno has painted itself into a corner on this one and with so many others, in particular PERKASA, taking up this issue they will be hard-pressed in getting out of this dicey situation.

Umno should have maintained an elegant silence. Let the opposition fight it out amongst themselves. Now that Umno, PERKASA, et al, are involved, this will force DAP and PAS to close ranks.

Yes, that's right, DAP and PAS will now unite in the face of the onslaught by Umno and its minions. Now it is Pakatan versus Barisan. And Pakatan will have to speak as one voice on this DUMC issue.

Of course, this exercise may help swing back some Malay support for Umno. Certainly some Malays would get upset with what they see as the opposition's compromise on the matter. So these Malays would abandon the opposition and go back to Barisan.

But how many Malays are we talking about? For every Malay that swings back to Barisan, five would swing over to the opposition.

We must not forget the law of diminishing returns. The Malays are already split 50:50. Ask Umno. They know this. So how many Malays can you get back? Less than 5%.

Even if you can get 5% of the Malays to swing back it will not be worth it because you will lose more than 5% non-Malays to the opposition. That is one step forwards and two steps back.

The non-Malays are very angry. And they are getting angrier and angrier by the day. Everything that Umno does just adds to this anger.

Big mistake!

Who the hell are these political strategists in Umno? Are they that dumb or are they intentionally doing all this to weaken Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak?

Hmm…that's a thought. Maybe they are not as dumb as we think after all. Maybe this is meant to hurt Najib. Maybe that is why Najib has remained silent. Maybe he knows if he opens his mouth then he is going to walk into a well-laid trap.

Maybe, maybe, maybe…..

Upsetting the ecological balance

Posted: 07 Aug 2011 05:25 PM PDT

The Indians and Chinese we have in Malaysia today are descendants of the immigrants of the 1850 to 1920 era. In short, today's Indians and Chinese are Malaysian-born, which means they are Malaysians and not immigrants. That is why these 'immigrants' are loyal to Malaysia and not to India or China, which is very important (and if I have to explain this statement then you are brain dead).

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

What Mahfuz Omar said, reported by The Malaysian Insider (read below), is very interesting. In time, what he said will certainly happen. The implications, however, will be farther reaching than how Mahfuz has explained.

The bottom line is you can't upset the ecological balance without seeing something happen. When you clear the forests, remove the mangrove trees, or terrace the hill slopes, something always happens. And it is normally bad rather than good.

Look at Britain today. In the 1960s and 1970s, it was an influx of Asian immigrants. Of late, it is an influx of Eastern Europeans. Britain is no longer the Britain we once knew or the Britain I was born in. It has transformed so much that I really don't know whether to call it good or bad.

For one, honesty has gone out the window. In the old days, you could put your newspapers and a box outside your shop and customers would take the newspaper and put the payment in the box. Today, they would take the box of coins.

Rental and property prices in 'immigrant' neighbourhoods are low. The crime rate is high. And the cost of car insurance is higher if you live in such neighbourhoods because the danger of theft or vandalism is higher.

Unemployment is up and the standard of living has declined. More people are on welfare and in time Britain is going to face bankruptcy because of the 'freeloaders' it has to support. The NHS (national health service) has practically no more money. And they have had to increase fees for universities.

The long and short of it: Britain's 50-year old very lax immigration policy is finally taking its toll on the one-time Empire where the sun never sets. The sun is certainly setting very fast on Britannia that no longer rules the waves.

Malaya, too, in 1850, had a very lax immigration policy. In 1920, the British Colonial Government realised that if they allowed this to continue it would upset the 'ecological balance' and Malaya would erupt into chaos. So, in 1920, the British stopped bringing in Indians and Chinese.

The British realised very early that the country could support only a certain number of immigrants before all hell breaks loose. In their wisdom, the British said, 'Enough!' and thus ended the immigration policy.

Now, the government has reversed what the British did. We are now 'importing' foreigners at a higher level than what the British did from 1850 to 1920. We may think that we are importing 'fellow Muslims'. Well, that's what Britain thought as well when they allowed the 'Christian' Eastern Europeans into Britain in droves.

But these Christian Eastern Europeans have a different culture and set of values. And that is the problem. The 'Muslim' immigrants coming into Malaysia also have a different culture and set of values. And, in time, Malaysia is going to face the problem that Britain is facing today.

What Mahfuz said is partly true. But the problem is not going to be confined to just their rejection of the Monarchy. The implication is farther than that.

We must remember, these immigrants are not facing political, ethnic, or religious persecution in their fatherland -- like those who went to America, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, England, etc., around the Second World War. In those days, they had to emigrate or die. So they owed their adopted country their lives. And because of that they owed their adopted country their loyalty.

But the new (post-Merdeka) immigrants into Malaysia do not face death in their country. They do not owe Malaysia their lives. They are merely 'economic refugees'. It's all about money. Their loyalty is to money, not to Malaysia.

Those are the types of people we are giving 'instant citizenship' to. And in time we shall realise the folly of this immigration policy.

They have no memories of the British Colonial era. They have no memories of the Japanese occupation. They have no memories of Merdeka. They have no memories of the Emergency. They have no memories of the creation of Malaysia. They have no memories of the Konfrontasi with Indonesia. They have no memories of May 13. They have no memories of anything at all that Malaysians hold dear. They are here only for the money.

So where do these people's loyalty lie? Certainly not where our loyalties lie because they do not share our culture and value system. They are only loyal to the Ringgit and as long as the Ringgit is there they will become 'true Malaysians'. However, once the Ringgit is no longer there, they would not care two hoots about Malaysia.

Learn from Britain's mistake. Britain, which was once Malaysia's Colonial master, is beginning to pay a heavy price for being too lax in its immigration policy. It took 50 years but it is finally taking its toll.

In time, Malaysia too is going to pay for this mistake. By then, however, just like in Britain today, it will be too late.

Sure, this new immigration policy is meant to help Barisan Nasional in the next general election. The 'instant citizens' are going to vote for BN.

That is the short-term gain, of course. But for the benefit of short-term gain, Malaysia is going to suffer in the long term.

**************************************

Pakatan says foreign voters will bring down monarchy

(The Malaysian Insider) - Pakatan Rakyat (PR) lawmakers demanded today an emergency sitting of Parliament over claims that 1,600 foreigners had been given citizenship and voting rights, claiming that if left unchecked it would erode Malaysia's constitutional monarchy.

PAS vice-president Datuk Mahfuz Omar told reporters today that the permanent residents who were being given "express" citizenship and voting rights "would not appreciate our royalty as we do."

DAP publicity secretary Tony Pua said the "campaign by Barisan Nasional (BN) and the authorities to turn all permanent residents into citizens, if not monitored, will cause the peninsula to be like Sabah."

"There, permanent residents who have become citizens outnumber actual locals," the Petaling Jaya Utara MP said, referring to the claim that BN had given votes to foreigners in the east Malaysian state in the 1990s to reclaim power in the 1999 state election.

"This will cause the fall of our monarchy. They don't appreciate our constitutional monarchy," Pokok Sena MP Mahfuz said.

PR handed a memorandum demanding the emergency sitting to be held within seven days to Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz today, who received the demand on behalf of the prime minister.

The minister in the Prime Minister's Department said he would hand over the letter to Datuk Seri Najib Razak when breaking fast today and "after discussing with him, maybe we can respond."

The minister in charge of Parliament said that there was no problem for Parliament to meet during the fasting month as that had been the practice in the early 2000s, when Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad was prime minister.

Although Nazri refused to comment on PR's claims, he said that complaints over fraudulent voters should be brought to the Election Commission to be investigated.

"I don't think it can happen. To vote, you need a blue identity card," he said, referring to the document that proves citizenship.

PR had also claimed that 1,108 permanent residents in the Klang Valley were given the status of full citizens on August 2 alone, and ridiculed the notion that over 1,000 identity cards were issued within a day.

PAS vice-president Salahuddin Ayub also showed documents claiming that between 1.06pm and 2.30pm on August 2, three voters had their status changed from permanent residents to citizens "in the blink of an eye."

"This was information downloaded from the NRD website itself and we have a total of 1,597 cases across the country," the Kubang Kerian MP had said.

You need brains to do it (UPDATED)

Posted: 06 Aug 2011 06:14 PM PDT

If they want to fight us they need to employ people with brains, not unemployed and unemployable Malays. You need to fight brains with brains. You can't fight against brains by mere spitting and cursing like what the Umno Cyber Troopers are doing. Let's face it, we are winning the Cyber War. And the next general election is going to prove this, like it was proven in March 2008 during the last general election.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

Bernama has declared the Internet as Malaysia's political battlefield (you can read the article below). Finally, the government has awoken to this reality. It has taken the government sixteen years to realise what I had pointed out way back in 1995.

My first website in 1995 was called 'Raja Petra's Homepage'. In this website I published my articles, many of them uncomplimentary to the government and Anwar Ibrahim -- who was then the Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia.

One article that was published in both Harakah and on my website was about the possibility of Anwar Ibrahim being killed off by Dr Mahathir Mohamad. And I wrote this a couple of years before it actually happened in 1998.

I gave my reasons as to why I said that. Basically, it was because of the people surrounding him (hmm...come to think of it, this has not changed much). I explained that the people surrounding Anwar were getting impatient and they wanted him to take over as Prime Minister immediately.

The problem with this, though, is that Dr Mahathir was still Prime Minister and to do that Anwar would have to oust the old man.

Knowing Dr Mahathir, if you go for his jugular he would turn the hunter into the hunted and hang you upside down by your balls. And, true enough, a couple of years later when Anwar made his move, Dr Mahathir finished him off.

That, amongst the many articles I wrote, was what I said 15 years or so ago back in the days when Anwar was still part of the system and touted as Dr Mahathir's anointed successor.

Two weeks after I launched Malaysia Today in 2004, the BBC interviewed me about my future plans -- seeing that Anwar is now free from jail and he would no longer need a Director of the Free Anwar Campaign. This was on 2nd September 2004, the day Anwar was released from jail.

I told the BCC that it took six long years to free Anwar from jail. And in the fight to free Anwar we launched the Free Anwar Campaign and a website called www.freeanwar.com to conduct an Internet campaign. Now that Anwar is free, I told the BBC, we are launching a Free Malaysia Campaign, which may take longer than six years to see results.

And that is what Malaysia Today is all about, a Free Malaysia Campaign.

"What is the Free Malaysia Campaign?" the BBC asked. My response to that was the Free Malaysia Campaign is a campaign to teach Malaysians how to think, teach Malaysians not to accept just any crap from the government, teach Malaysians to oppose, teach Malaysians to dissent, teach Malaysians to question, and much more.

And we will use Malaysia Today as the platform to teach Malaysians all this, I told the BBC.

In 2007, the government said that the Internet is not a threat. People use the Internet for entertainment and to purchase cheap airline tickets, said the Minister of Information.

After the 2008 general election, the government admitted that they had underestimated the power of the Internet. They also announced that anyone who wants to contest the next election must first have their own website or Blog. If you are not Internet-savvy you will not get selected to contest the elections.

Just to digress a bit, Pakatan Rakyat has been the state government for more than three years and the next general election will soon be upon us. However, Selangor is yet to complete its state-wide free wireless Internet project.

Penang has made better progress although there are still some parts of the state where the free wireless Internet is still unavailable. But at least Penang is far ahead of Selangor. In view of the pervasive influence of the Internet, why is the Selangor government yet to show results in its state-wide free wireless Internet project? Are there moles from within who are deliberately sabotaging the project so that the state can go back to UMNO?

I am worried that Pakatan Rakyat Selangor may face a tough election so we need every little bit of help we can get. And the Internet would be the best and most powerful weapon we can use. Even Umno admits this. So why are we still sleeping?

Let's be clear about one thing. Selangor is the jewel in the crown. And if Selangor falls into Umno's hands you are NEVER going to get it back again. NEVER! So you better protect Selangor. And one way would be to exploit the Internet to the fullest.

Anyway, I must admit that there are some good pro-government or pro-Umno sites. Some of those postings are even published here in Malaysia Today. But the majority of pro-government or pro-Umno sites are pure crap. All they do is spit and curse (ludah dan maki-hamun).

I myself am the target of much of this spitting and cursing. They don't know how to respond to what we say so they respond by cursing. That is the best and only thing they can do.

That is the problem the government faces. While we in the opposition are doing this for the love of the cause, those government-employed 'Bloggers' are doing it for money. They are being paid to counter what the opposition Bloggers are saying.

Many opposition Bloggers are very intelligent, highly educated, well-read, articulate, and so on. The government-paid Bloggers, however, are mostly unemployed people.

These people may have gone to school, maybe even to university. But they are not good enough to get a job. No one will employ them even as dogcatchers. So the government employs these unemployed and unemployable people as Umno Cyber Troopers.

And that is why they lack class and quality. You can see from their postings that many of them are Malays. And this makes sense because Malay graduates face a problem of getting employment -- mainly because of the poor quality education they have received.

Talk to some of the PhD graduates and see what I mean. In our days, in the 1960s, a form five or MCE student was of a higher standard than some of today's PhD graduates. Some of the so-called Doctors and Professors sound so stupid I sometimes wonder whether they got their degree from the back of a Cornflakes box.

And these are the people employed by the government and Umno to fight against us opposition Bloggers. But they are no match for us. It is like taking candy from a baby. It is so easy that I don't know whether to laugh or cry.

Let's face it, we are winning the Cyber War. And the next general election is going to prove this, like it was proven in March 2008 during the last general election.

*************************************

Internet, the Malaysian political "battlefield"

(Bernama) -- It has undoubtedly become the Malaysian political "battlefield". The Internet, of course.

Almost everyone is using the web to disseminate political information. Has the situation gone out of control? Well, some media observers think so.

"There is no way one can censor the flow of information, either on Twitter, Facebook or YouTube," said MCA central committee member Ti Lian Ker.

Messages can be conveyed to readers around the world at the click of the computer mouse, and there is no control over content, he said.

"This is definitely a cause for worry for most of the regulators and the government as the identity of the users and message senders can be concealed," he added.

Ti felt that many of the problems associated with the Internet have not been properly handled.

Said Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas) senior lecturer Dr Jeniri Amir: "The move by the government to tighten control over the traditional media has prompted more people to pursue the so-called 'truth' online, enabling the minor online media to dominate public opinion."

He said that even the Barisan Nasional (BN) has appointed some bloggers to balance the one-sided voice on the Internet but added that this has not been as effective as desired because the arguments of the group against the authorities are more appealing.

"Also, the online attackers of the government seem to be a more concerted group that works for the opposition parties, harping on specific issues, truths or untruths aside," he told Bernama.

This, he said, raised an alarm because the trend was for some of the young Internet users to just blindly accept and believe what they read online, thus making it difficult to put forward a rational and civilised debate.

The "battlefield" has extended even to the Malay voters in the villages who, despite not being Internet-literate, are easily kept informed by their IT-savvy children of what is going on online, including all sorts of rumours, half truths and even made-up stories tarnishing the government's image.

Jeniri cited the July 9 illegal rally in Kuala Lumpur as a case in point.

"Stories and visuals of ordinary citizens participating in the rally have been spread widely as heroic deeds while mocking video clips have been posted on YouTube. These have proven to be a great challenge for the BN," he said.

He said that while the Internet can be a tool to disseminate information, the majority of Malaysians still needed to learn how to use the web properly, particularly in relation to conveying political messages as there was a need for rational discussion and balanced viewpoints.

"If some netizens continue to distort the concept of democracy, the authorities will not listen to their abusive remarks while mature voters will also reject them after some time, upon realising that they are already so horrible before they have even come to power," he said.

The Internet "battlefield" can also lead and mislead, he pointed out, saying that given the vast amount of information, many still opt to simply follow the herd whenever they fail to distinguish right from wrong.

"Like having got lost in an ocean, they can only trail others in the hope that they can eventually reach land or, at least, not feel lonely in their swim to shore. This shows that there is a lack of independent judgment and thinking," he said, adding that many mistake information for knowledge.

Some politicians argue that many people still blindly accept whatever is put up on the Internet without giving much thought, and they regard it as the truth and share the information with their peers.

As Kota Belud MP Abdul Rahman Dahlan said, the "truth" becomes increasingly intense, and people gradually find it difficult to accommodate other views and approaches and cannot tolerate any grey areas.

"In this age of information, people must train themselves to think and analyse before actually accepting the information presented to them.

"Before we fully believe it, we must raise some doubts, thoroughly identify the nature of the message and, if possible, verify it," he said.

Dear Cousin

Posted: 05 Aug 2011 07:12 PM PDT

This means Malaysians are easily fooled and would swallow hook, line and sinker any crap thrown in their direction. And this is one reason the government can't allow Christians to talk to Malays. Malays are too stupid to analyse which religion is better -- Islam or Christianity -- and they would easily be tricked into leaving Islam to become Christians.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

Dear Cousin,

I thought I should write to you and explain the current controversy raging in Malaysia regarding the recent church raid by the Selangor Religious Department. This follows closely behind the allegation that a meeting was held in Penang recently to plot turning Malaysia into a Christian state.

For someone who has once lived and worked in Malaysia I am sure you are quite perturbed by this turn of events because you had delightfully found Malaysians to be a peaceful and friendly community. And you in particular found the Malays, Indonesians and Filipinos a very easygoing people. Therefore, this hysteria about the Christian conspiracy is a far departure from what you understand the Malays to be.

I suppose, like me, you have a very different tolerance level towards other religions. Well, when we have Jews, Muslims, Christians, Buddhists, Atheists and Agnostics in our family, we tend to be more liberal and tolerant when it comes to religion. But then, we are in the minority and the majority of Muslims would probably view us as 'deviants'.

Religion has never been tolerant. In England, I know, we do not have a problem of religious conflicts. But then, Cousin, you are looking at the England of today. Was the England of a few hundred years ago any less extreme? Remember the time when Jews had to wear 'The Star of David' on their chest and were forced to live in ghettos? Not enough with that, the Jews were later expelled from England and for a long time were banned from English soil.

Then we had a time when Catholics were arrested and burned alive and later, when a Catholic succeeded the throne of England, Protestants were arrested and burned alive. Even Queens suffered this fate. And this is Christian killing Christian, mind you, people who believe in the same God but did so differently (no different from the Sunni-Shiah situation in Islam today).

Maybe that was 400 years ago, you may say. Well, 400 years ago is not really that too long ago. And Islam was 'founded' 600 years after Christianity so you can expect Islam to be 600 years behind Christianity in some of its attitudes towards other religion -- just like how Christianity was back in the 1400s and 1500s.

Nevertheless, Muslims do not arrest and burn alive those considered 'deviant Muslims' or apostates. Countries like Malaysia just detain them without trial and send them for religious rehabilitation, like what happened to me back in September 2008.

You must understand, Cousin, Islam is the official religion of Malaysia. And, according to the Federal Constitution, Malays are automatically Muslims. Furthermore, Jews, Christians, Hindus, Buddhists, etc., are by law not allowed to preach to Muslims. That would be a crime in Malaysia. And if you give a Muslim a copy of the Bible to read, especially if the Bible is in the Malay language, that would be a serious offense.

Muslims are not allowed to leave Islam and convert to other religions. Those that do, do so secretly. Invariably, they become 'closet' Christians, Hindus or Buddhists. They will not even dare tell their own family that they are no longer Muslims. Many migrate to other countries rather than stay in Malaysia as 'ex-Muslims'.

Actually, the Malaysian government will not want to openly admit this, but quite a number of Malays have left Islam. Some have left Islam to become Christians (not so many become Hindus or Buddhists). But we do not know the real figures because very few would openly declare their apostasy for fear of arrest.

Then we have many Malays who are Muslims in name only but are not practising Muslims. They sort of 'masquerade' as Muslims but do not really believe in Islam. But they have to pretend they are still Muslims or else they will get ostracised by society and disowned by their families.

So you see, Cousin, the Malaysian government needs to protect the Malays. If the Malays are exposed to the teachings of other religions many may actually leave Islam. The government is scared that the Malays are stupid and are easily tricked into turning their backs on Islam.

In Malaysia, we have an organisation whose job is to spread Islam and get non-Muslims to become Muslims. It is funded by the government and paid for by the taxpayers. Mosques and other religious activities are also government-taxpayers funded. So it is perfectly legitimate.

That, I suppose, is the bone of contention to most non-Muslims. The government propagates Islam and the taxpayers pay for this effort. But the non-Muslims may not propagate their religion to the Muslims even if they pay for this effort from their own pocket.

I know, to someone like you, this may sound extremely unfair and one-sided. The government propagates Islam and persuades non-Muslims to convert to Islam but the non-Muslims are not allowed to do the same and if they do they would get arrested.

But that is how things are done in Malaysia and for 54 years since Independence or Merdeka, the non-Malays have never complained. For twelve general elections, the non-Muslims have voted in the same government. In fact, the government depends on the votes of the non-Muslims. If solely based on Muslim votes, the present government would have been kicked out a long, long time ago.

So why make an issue of this only now? This state of affairs was acceptable for almost 54 years. Now, suddenly, it has become an issue. Why make an issue out of it now when for 53 years the non-Muslims could live with this situation?

This is why many Malays have become upset. They are of the opinion that the non-Muslims are beginning to be kurang ajar (insolent). When you thought you had no hope of gaining political power, you supported the party in power and tolerated the discrimination and persecution and did not utter one word of complaint. Now that you think the party in power is at the end of its rule and may soon get kicked out, you start shouting and screaming about religious discrimination and persecution.

I suppose England managed to change this sorry situation when they separated the church from the state. In Malaysia, however, church and state is still very much one and the same. And that is why what we see in Malaysia today is what we saw in England 500 years ago (minus the burning at the stake of course but replaced with detention without trial).

We must understand one thing, Cousin, and this is a very important point you must note. Malays may have been sent to school for an education but this does not mean you are smart just because you have gone to school and have received an education.

You see, Cousin, Malaysia's education system does not teach us how to think. They just teach us how to pass our exams. This is the basis of Malaysia's education system. So you may have gone all the way up to university level but that does not mean you are a thinker or that you have analytical skills (unless you had the advantage of a foreign education from young).

But why would this be so? If the Malays are good Muslims and if Islam is a good religion, then surely they would not be easily tricked into leaving Islam to become Christians.

Ah, but that is just the problem. Most Malays are not good Muslims. In fact, most Malays do not even understand Islam properly. Like robots, they just blindly follow the rituals they have been taught without really understanding the substance and the foundation of the religion. Even dogs can be taught to do tricks and parrots taught how to speak. This does not mean dogs and parrots understand what they are doing and can analyse their actions.

This is the Malay, or rather the Malay-Muslim, dilemma. And because of that, the government needs to insulate and isolate Malays from the teachings of the other religions. If the government allows the Christians to preach Christianity to the Malays, there would be very serious danger that many Malays would become Christians.

That is the crux to the whole matter.

What makes PAS what it is

Posted: 04 Aug 2011 04:35 PM PDT

Another matter concerns Anwar Ibrahim. I know of certain PAS leaders who think that Anwar is guilty of all those allegations of sexual misconduct and they want him ousted as opposition leader. They have in fact said so in closed-door meetings with their supporters. But they don't think someone from Umno should replace Anwar.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

I have been trying to tell you this for some time. There is not only one PAS. There are many PAS. And this is why we are seeing what we are seeing.

There is PAS Kelantan. PAS Terengganu. PAS Kedah. PAS Perak. PAS Selangor. PAS Johor. And so on. Then in PAS Kelantan we have Team A and Team B. The same in Selangor as well -- Team A and Team B -- and this follows all over the country.

In a way this goes for PKR and DAP as well -- plus all the other parties within Barisan Nasional. So it is not something we need to worry about too much. This has been going on for a long time and will probably go on forever. Politicians will always engage in turf wars and will try to come out looking like a hero.

That is the nature of the beast.

The problem is we always look at PAS as one united party. Then, when we hear what we view as 'contradicting statements from the party', we become perturbed. We imagine that PAS is inconsistent and it appears to ding-dong or flip-flop. Actually, it is merely a case of different leaders expressing their view of things. And one leader may have a view totally opposite to another.

This is probably the beauty of the party, unlike Umno where only the President's view is valid and all others must shut the fuck up (especially when Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad was its President). But then, when we can't tell the difference between party policy and the personal view of a certain leader, this creates confusion and we perceive the party as not consistent.

Take the issue of 'Malay unity'. There are some PAS leaders who will never touch Umno with a ten-foot pole and others who feel that the future of PAS lies in the party 'working' with Umno. Officially, the party is with Pakatan Rakyat and will never abandon the opposition coalition. But that won't stop some leaders from expressing their opinion that a partnership with 'Islamic' Umno is better than a partnership with 'kafir' DAP.

The issue of beer is another thorn in the side of Pakatan Rakyat. Some PAS leaders want beer banned in the states under opposition control while others feel it is not wrong or illegal for establishments like Seven-Eleven to sell beer.

Then we have the latest issue of the JAIS (the Selangor Religious Department) raid on the church. There are some PAS leaders who feel it is a crime for Muslims to attend church functions while some PAS leaders themselves visit churches.

Then I know of certain PAS leaders who are in contact with Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah and have regular meetings with him. These leaders are of the view that Tengku Razaleigh should take over as opposition leader even if he remains in Umno. This would mean a sort of 'unity government' with Umno.

Then there are some PAS leaders who believe that Anwar is guilty but he is still the best candidate for opposition leader. So they are prepared to 'close their eyes and ears' and ignore whatever is said about Anwar although they believe there is some element of truth in those allegations.

Then, of course, there are some PAS leaders who think that Anwar is absolutely innocent and a victim of fitnah (slander).

So we must understand the nature of that beast called PAS. Different people have different views. And we have to respect that and not become too worried about it.

Even amongst the readers of Malaysia Today there are many differing views. Some of you think that Anwar is God's gift to Malaysia and others who think he is a slime-ball and scumbag. Aren't you entitled to your views? Well, the same goes for the PAS leaders -- they too are entitled to their views.

So don't get overly worried. Whether it is the Islamic State issue, the matter of Malay unity with Umno, the banning of beer, Malays going to church functions, or whether Anwar is guilty and should resign, with one million PAS members we are certainly going to see different people having different views.

That is what democracy is all about I suppose -- the freedom to have your own opinion.

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Selangor PAS wants explanation from Hasan Ali

(Malaysiakini) - Selangor PAS will demand an explanation from state exco member Hasan Ali over the latter's defence of the controversial Jais raid on Damansara Utara Methodist Church (DUMC) this week.

Selangor PAS deputy commissioner Khalid Samad however said that they will only comment on the matter after all the relevant information is in hand.

"We hope for all to exercise wisdom over this issue. We reserve comment until we get hold of the Jais report and top state leaders will meet with Hasan Ali to get his explanation," said the Shah Alam MP.

"We will see what is the evidence that he claims there is (to justify Jais' raid)," he added.

He said with the exception of "one leader", no one amongst them has raised the question of the alleged conversion of Muslims in relation to the DUMC event.

Hasan yesterday claimed that Jais had "proof" to back their disruption of the multiracial dinner at the church on Wednesday.

This came shortly after after Selangor Menteri Besar Khalid Ibrahim had expressed his regret over the incident and given assurances to the community.

On Wednesday night, Jais officers raided the church in Petaling Jaya and disrupted a multiracial thanksgiving dinner, over allegations that there were attempts at converting Muslims to Christianity.

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Kit Siang: Hasan Ali breaking ranks with Selangor

(The Malaysian Insider) - Lim Kit Siang today accused Selangor executive councillor Datuk Hasan Ali of breaking ranks with the state government, after the latter issued a statement conflicting with Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim's over Wednesday's church raid.

The DAP party advisor said Hasan's open defence of the Selangor Islamic Religious Department (Jais) should be viewed seriously, as it came immediately after Khalid expressed regret over the incident.

"What is a matter of concern and must be viewed seriously is the public defence of the Jais action by Hasan, issued shortly after Khalid's statement expressing regret for the raid and asking Jais to submit a full report on the incident — as it is an act of breaking ranks in the Selangor state government," he pointed out in a statement here.

Lim added that Khalid's response had been "timely and appropriate" as the raid was "deplorable" and detrimental to efforts to build a more open, tolerant and harmonious plural Malaysia.

Jais enforcement officers swooped in on a dinner function at the Damansara Utama Methodist Church (DUMC) late Wednesday night after receiving an unspecified complaint, bringing with them a team of policemen.

In an immediate response, Khalid called on Jais to furnish the state government with a full report on the purpose of the raid, and gave his assurance that the state government fully respects freedom of religion and rights of religious groups.

But Hasan, a Selangor state executive councillor, then spoke up in defence of Jais, alleging that the words "Quran" and "pray" were used in the presence of the 12 Muslims at the dinner function.

He claimed this was evidence that Christians were proselytising Muslims.

Hasan's party colleague, Shah Alam MP Khalid Samad, immediately sought to distance PAS's state leadership from its former chief by saying it was "not Selangor PAS's stance", revealing a deep and continuing rift between the Islamist party's liberal and more hardline factions in the state.

PAS's national leadership also stepped in today, telling all parties to refrain from issuing "provocative" statements over raid despite the conflicting views expressed by leaders within its own ranks.

The party's National Unity Committee chairman Dr Mujahid Yusof Rawa issued a statement here expressing fear that the sensitive issue may be exploited to further endanger interreligious harmony in the country.

"I call upon all to restrain from making provocative statements regarding the issue and respect the month of Ramadan in observing sincerity and abstain from spreading falsehood," he said.

Mujahid, who is also PAS central working committee member and Parit Buntar MP, added that interpretation of the raid on the DUMC has so far been "gray" as details of the incident have yet to be revealed.

Among others, he said it was important to ascertain the basis of the raid; its legality; if a warrant had been issued prior to the raid; and the exact events that transpired on Wednesday.

"Jais must explain to the public what actually happened and do not let the gray area be interpreted by ill-minded racist and religious fanatics. Worse is when the media sensationalises the whole issue to the whims and wants of racist political parties," he said.

Kredit: www.malaysia-today.net

Rabu, 10 Ogos 2011

Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News

Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News

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