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Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News |
- PAS real target of JAIS’ raid: DUMC dispensable collateral damage
- Can PAS Lead A Future Government?
- A short rebuke of Ezam Mohd Nor
- Di Semenanjung BN hanya ada saki baki UMNO - Komponen lain akan hanyut
- Making The Soup Saltier In Metaphor
- Power, Money, Sex and DSAI!
- Pay this, tax payers!
- The ETP, GTP and GDP
| PAS real target of JAIS’ raid: DUMC dispensable collateral damage Posted: 15 Aug 2011 05:22 PM PDT It is easy to be confused, especially when Jais and Umno activists deliberately cloud the issues with wild claims, hoping that their illegal transgression into a church will be overlooked and the innocent victim (DUMC) will somehow appear guilty, if accused repeatedly. It does not matter that till now Jais has failed to produce any credible evidence to support the raid. Jais seems to operate on the basis that people will end up believing lies so long as they are repeated enough in the media. An undeniable violation of a holy place But how does one sift out the truth from the lies? First we stress the undeniable facts: A group of 20-30 members from Jais and the police raided the premises of DUMC where there was a thanksgiving dinner held by Harapan Community in appreciation of people who have supported their community service. This raid was undeniably an illegal act since the officials were unable to produce a search warrant. In effect, the Jais violated the sanctity of a house of God. The raid is not only illegal; it is an almost unforgivable sin. Any Muslim should know this and would shrink in horror and be tempted to retaliate should officials from another religion violate their mosques. Jais initially defended the raid by claiming that they are empowered to act on grounds of suspicious activities. But even if we go by the requirements of the Penal Code, such raids must be backed by reasonable suspicion, that is, there must be prima facie evidence to justify the raid. Till today, Jais has failed to offer the slightest modicum of evidence that can be accepted as "reasonable suspicion", much less be accepted as prima facie evidence. Jais backpedalled from its claim to have the authority to raid DUMC and now describes its act as an "inspection" — a definite sign that it realises (but is not admitting publicly) that the raid was illegal. But what gives Jais the authority to inspect DUMC, or any church for that matter? The supreme law of the land, the Federal Constitution, specifies that Syariah law has no jurisdiction over non-Muslims. Jais officials, accompanied by the police or not, have no business to interfere with what is going on inside a church – especially when there is not the slightest reasonable suspicion. To repeat, Jais violated the sanctity of the sanctuary of another religion. The raid is not only illegal; it is an almost unforgivable sin. Flimsy evidence for charge of proselytisation Jais' violation is unjustifiable and would set a dangerous precedent if left unchallenged. Christians are naturally aggrieved (and MBBCHST publicly shares the same sentiments with a public statement) and have good reasons to demand an apology and receive an assurance that such acts will not be repeated. This grievous issue must be kept in the forefront, especially now that Jais is desperately trying to muddy the controversy by heaping a series of accusations about Christian proselytisation and conversion of Muslims. But the allegation of proselytisation just won't hold water. First, Jais has not linked, much less produced evidence to support allegations of proselytisation in DUMC. If there is any allegation of proselytisation, it is directed towards Harapan Community. DUMC is only the renter letting out its premises to a bona fide NGO. DUMC's innocence and integrity is above reproach. In contrast, Jais exceeds its bounds of authority. Second, Jais has failed to produce credible evidence to support the charge of proselytisation by Harapan Community. It produced a scanned picture of a quiz on Islam and took offense that words like "Allahu Akbar" and "Alhamdullilah" were used at the dinner. But this evidence proves to be dubious upon a closer examination. The quiz turns out to be an exercise to help people understand Islam better with questions like. "What does the word 'Quran' mean? How many sura are there in the Quran? What are the pillars of Islam?" It may be granted that Jais may have (still disputable) grounds to charge Harapan community if the quiz was on Christianity, but it turns out that the quiz was on Islam. If anybody has reason to be offended, it is the Christian community, since apparently Islam was taught in church! Likewise, what's wrong with Christians using the words "Allahu Akbar" and "Alhamdullilah"? The phrases mean "God is great" and "Praise to God". Malay speaking Christians who share strong historic links with Arabic Christians would feel as natural singing these phrases as when singing "Hallelujah". As such, praise to God there certainly was, but proselytisation, there surely wasn't. All in all, Jais must be pretty desperate to clutch to these "evidence" to support the alleged proselytisation. Jais tries to buttress it case by making reference to Muslims who have converted to Christianity, but these cases have nothing to do with Harapan Community. But for the sake of argument, even if a Malay attending the thanksgiving dinner eventually declares he is a Christian, Jais cannot simply jump to the conclusion that Harapan Community was guilty of proselytisation. It could be the case that this Malay became a Christian on his own initiative (given easy access to teaching of Christianity in the internet) or that he was influenced while studying overseas. Jais may implicate Harapan Community of proselytisation only if it produces evidence that directly links the social services of Harapan Community to proselytisation. So far, Jais is unable to produce any evidence. A fortiori, it is even less able to associate DUMC with questionable allegations of proselytisation. To conclude and to recapitulate to the main issue, Jais has no justifiable grounds to raid and violate the sanctity of a church (DUMC).
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| Can PAS Lead A Future Government? Posted: 15 Aug 2011 04:43 PM PDT As I wrote in my "Other Thots" column in the Aug.1 issue of the Malaysian Business magazine, the temptation is to refer them to the iconic song "Blowing in the Wind" by Bob Dylan. Why not? If it gets enough support, it could. Whether it will do a good or a bad one is another issue altogether. In democracy, you don't always choose the best to govern. But one thing is sure. PAS could not rule the country alone. It could rule the country only if it is able to lead the Pakatan Rakyat or any other alliance. But before it could hope to do that, it must first take over UMNO's role as the principal Malay party. PAS has to win as many seat as Umno and has to have the financial, organisational and intellectual capabilities matching that of Umno. Given the country's demography, political history and the ongoing trends, a Malay party will continue to lead. This dominance is clear in the BN, where Umno is the alpha male, but not so in the PR. In the 2008 general election, PAS came second to PKR among the three PR parties in terms of popular votes. The PKR won 1,529,265 votes that translated into 31 Parliamentary seats, PAS 1,140,598 (23 seats) and the DAP 1,097,752 (28 seats). Umno raked in 2,381,725 votes that translated in 79 seats, the MCA 840,489 (15 seats), the MIC 179,422 (3 seats) and Gerakan 184, 548 (2 seats). PAS Has To Lead PR PAS could only hope to rule the country if it leads the PR the way UMNO has been leading the Alliance/BN since independence. For now, there's no dominant party in the PR. The alliance is an equal partnership among the Malay dominated PAS, the Chinese dominated DAP and the multi-racial, but Malay-led PKR. This equal partnership may be attractive to the liberals and those fighting for equality, but politically it cannot guarantee strength and cohesiveness. Collective leadership among equals is difficult to manage, more so in a multi-racial environment like Malaysia. From the viewpoint of the Malay support, Pas has been inching closer to Umno, but it cannot hope to be as strong as Umno if it continues to share the Malay-majority seats, hence Malay votes, with PKR, another Malay-centric party in the Pakatan. In the last general election, thanks to the electoral pact cobbled together by Anwar Ibrahim, and the widespread disgruntlement with the then Prime Minister, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, Pas won Kedah in addition to retaining Kelantan. It won seats in places that it had not dreamt of and gained supporters in places where Umno ruled supreme like Johor and Malacca. With the benefit of hindsight, we can say that the hatred for the so-called Fourth Floor Boys (FFBs) cost Umno a lot of votes. Prime Minister Mohd Najib Abdul Razak is undeniably better and more capable than Abdullah, but whether he too suffers from the FFB-type burden is anybody's guess. If he is, the opposition can count on another fruitful outing. In today's ICT-driven world, perception plays as important a role as reality. Mohd Najib has to prove to the voters, especially members and supporters of his own party, Umno that he's not only the master of the Malay destiny, but also the lord of his castle, failing which his Achilles heel will buckle. Those us who are familiar with the song "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother" made popular by Neil Diamond, can more easily figure this one out. The Changing Face Of Pas In recent years, Pas had undergone considerable leadership and policy changes with the non-ulama now dominating the leadership and Islamic State objective morphing into welfare state. But its relationship with its partners, in particular the DAP, remains touchy due to vast ideological and policy differences. The three PR parties appear to be moving in tandem at the federal level, especially in taking on the BN in Parliament, but show considerable differences in the states that they rule. A case in point was the recent attempt by the Pas-led Kedah government to shut down entertainment outlets during this fasting month and the reaction to the recent "inspection" by the Selangor Islamic Religious Affairs Department (JAIS) of a dinner gathering by an independent evangelical church, which were attended by Muslims, and features, among other things, a quiz on Islam. Following a strong objection by the DAP, the party's national leadership back downed, leaving the Kedah Menteri Besar, Azizan Abdul Razak red-faced, and many Pas supporters angry. The church issue is far more complicated. After days of trying to ride the political wave, Pas, on Aug. 13, moved to the side of JAIS, urging the department to take immediate action if it finds proof that Christians were proselytising to Muslims. The statement by the party's non-ulama Deputy President, Mohamad Sabu, came after reports in the mainstream and alternative media suggest that there were evidence that some independent churches are engaged in the activity.
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| A short rebuke of Ezam Mohd Nor Posted: 15 Aug 2011 04:07 PM PDT This is Ramadhan. Muslims fast during Ramadhan. Good Muslims do not only fast and suffer mere physical pain during the fasting – a 6 year old can do that – but they reflect upon themselves and upon their surroundings and they abstain not only from food and drinks, but also from all things evil and ungodly. The hunger pang and thirst which Muslims suffer during the fast are just the surface of something which is deeper and more meaningful. Good Muslims correlate the mere physical abstention to a more meaningful spiritual experience. Without the spiritual experience and realisation of fasting, the act of fasting becomes and is reduced to a mere ritual and yearly routine. Perhaps it was not a surprise that you did what you did last Friday. That is because, well, you are just being yourself. Jihad in Islam has been totally misunderstood, by the non-Muslims and Muslims alike. And who is to blame for such misunderstanding when there are people like you going around running amok after Friday prayer and rabidly calling for jihad and threatening to burn down news portals? May I ask you Ezam Mohd Nor, exactly against whom were you going to jihad? All Christians in Malaysia? The Damansara Utama Methodist Church? Oh yes, against those Christians who are conspiring to proselytise all Muslims in Malaysia and elsewhere. Yes, I forgot. But exactly who are they? And where are they? Jihad does not mean declaring a war. The word "jahada", which is the base word for jihad simply means "to strive" or "to struggle". Throughout time, this word has been twisted, manipulated and misinterpreted by Muslims and non-Muslims alike. The result is that Islam has been painted with this black images of suicide bombers seeking martyrdom and of cartoons like yourself running amok after Fridar prayer and in the compound of a mosque no less. The Quran ordains: "Fight in the cause of Allah those who fight you, but do not transgress limits; for Allah loves not transgressors." (2:190) Yes. It asks us to fight and strive. But only in the cause of Allah and against those who fight us. We are not asked to look for fights. Even if circumstances require and demand us to fight, the Quran implores us not to transgress limits. May I therefore ask you Ezam, were there any party fighting us last Friday? If so, who? And did you not stop to think that you were not transgressing the limits last Friday considering the nature of our society? What is the best jihad of all jihads? You think it's burning down other people's office is the best? Well please go and study the Quran and the traditions.
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| Di Semenanjung BN hanya ada saki baki UMNO - Komponen lain akan hanyut Posted: 15 Aug 2011 01:48 AM PDT Dalam kumpulan 80 calon BN yang menang ini adalah 15 yang dimenangi oleh MCA, 1 oleh Gerakan dan 2 lagi oleh MIC. Lain-lain perkataan UMNO Semenanjung hanya memenangi 62 kerusi dan menjadi 70 kerusi jika di campurkan dengan kerusi-kerusi UMNO/BN yang dimenangi di Sabah.
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| Making The Soup Saltier In Metaphor Posted: 15 Aug 2011 01:31 AM PDT These two people are the prime examples of making the soup saltier. Metaphorically speaking, the soup is like the melting pot that is meant to be shared by every citizen of Malaysia which encompasses of the matter of respect, entitlements, benefits, rights, privacy and whatever aspects that can be considered under the pot. If one can notice how some Malays have been screaming over the murtad issue, there can be two implications from there: one, the non-Malays will start distancing themselves from their Malay partners because the right to believe in any religion has been eroded; two the sense of privacy that is entitled for each person is gone. But yet, in that matter, what goes round comes round, so they do face the risk of "taste of their own medicine" if the present Malaysian scenario goes in inverse. And thirdly, it reveals how obsessive some of these group of people can be, paying more attention to petty matters whereas the real goal is to defeat evil that is seen in our daily lives like corruption, murder, theft and cheating. A soup's taste must be balanced enough to satisfy everyone's taste buds. Salt, like demands from groups may affect the taste, depending on how much it was put into the soup. If the soup is the pot for everyone, e.g. policies, then the chef is the government and the people will be the ones having the soup. Salt can be good or bad. A little more can improve the taste, too much and it will spoil the taste. And what is happening now, is perceived by many and the young as too much demands caved into pressure, all for the benefit of just one side and the others would be left out, as it implies. Whatever of Najib's programs are the examples of too much salt in it, that is being caved in by various groups from the pro-government camp. The ETP and NEM is the case in point. The real problem that is impeding the nation's progress is not the opposition but those within the government of the day. While they keep pointing fingers at others for the problems, and this includes the apologists and butter boys, they are totally unaware that they themselves are the cause of the problems that have occurred. All these religious and race related issues are actually part of the strategy to spook people and to raise doubts of what happens if one of the races have no support at all. It is deliberately invoked and they would portray themselves as saviors that can be supported for blindly. Along the way, the basic question of demand vs earning respect comes out into play. For this murtad case, whatever speeches that these people and parties have been talking about, particularly for those who have been making statements in a threatening tone is somewhat as equivalent to demanding respect from everyone. Or in an another way, forcing people to respect even if they do not agree with such statements. This is one of the flaws with the present government where their supporters are not able to talk realistically with others. If people who can think but disagree with the statements, almost supporters would start making noises and "maki hamun". |
| Posted: 15 Aug 2011 01:00 AM PDT What does money and power do to your sex life? Or to be more exact – what did money and power do to DSAI's sex life? More varied, more robust more exotic or perhaps more a bit of this and more a bit of that? "This" being men and "that" being women. "This" being someone's wife and "that" being someone's husband or fiance? If the stories are to be believed DSAI's money and power did seem to lead him towards a more daring and exciting sex lives. Of course the operative word here is what is "daring" and what is "exciting". Would a tryst with Saiful be daring or exciting? But I digress…. So far DSAI has led a charmed life. From outside of UMNO he gained direct entry into it's self proclaimed elite leadership structure at the invitation of Mahathir himself. Avowing initially to not go against Ghaffar Baba in the race for the DPM post he nevertheless was not beyond mounting a self orchestrated campaign to support himself for the same position – culminating in that embarrassing show of overwhelming "support" that caused DSAI to change his mind because it would seem that everyone wanted him to be DPM. Not he himself, but everyone else! Here was our real first look at DSAI's moral fiber…or the lack of it. When he has to make decisions that would benefit himself personally, he matters, not Ghaffar. Not the undertaking he has given to not contest Ghaffar for the DPM post. Malaysia was left with the sad spectacle of Ghaffar Baba (a good man who had served his country loyally for many years) not given the dignity of retiring gracefully! Why did DSAi not have the good sense then to do the right thing by Ghaffar? But in the euphoria of DSAI becoming DPM all that registered was that a messiah has come. Mahathir had a real fight on his hands. He then skillfully went about the business of "Anwarisation" – cajoling, persuading and where necessary "negotiating" for support wherever needed to eventually make Mahathir go running to Daem for an ally. Much too soon he was sacked as DPM, convicted of corruption, acquitted of sodomy one, and now on with sodomy two…. and in between all this he still had time to put together Pakatan Rakyat and become leader of the opposition. In spite of all this…or should I say despite all this he has managed to cling on to some semblance of being the "People's and the popular" people's champion. He has managed to make many believe that he is the person targeted unfairly by the Government for wrongs he has never done. So good is his ability to assume this "underdog" persona that he managed to take the high road of being the "wronged" rather then being "in the wrong". He even has the Lion of Jelutong – Karpal Singh himself – in his corner. The same Karpal Singh who…
Then why have steadyaku47 been for DSAI all this time? I must be a hypocrite or was being paid for my silence. Neither! I have always maintained that DSAI is where he is by default. There simply is no body better for now. And we need the best to win against UMNO. So why this change of heart? I had hope against hope that he will change. We had need of DSAI then because was it not him who pulled DAP, PAS and PKR together? YES HE DID. But then was then. This is now! Dato Onn was the founder of UMNO and yet he left UMNO – or was he pushed? Tunku and Mahathir too had their moments with UMNO. And now DSAI will have his moments with Pakatan Rakyat! What would happen when UMNO takes DSAI out of Pakatan Rakyat orbit? Unlike Mahathir and Pak Lah, Najib and the UMNO we know now have has no qualms about taking DSAI out of contention for the 13th General Election using whatever means it has at hand. What then? Will PKR and Pakatan Rakyat run around like a chicken without its head trying to regroup against a rampaging UMNO? An UMNO that now knows what has to be done to neutralize DSAI. At a drop of a hat DSAI's people can muster groups of DSAI faithful (in the thousands if need be!) to turn up anywhere and everywhere to demonstrate and show their support of this self-proclaimed messiah.And this ability DSAI uses to his advantage when required without worrying about the consequences of his actions. So who is this DSAI actually? Ask those who worked in the Ministry of Finance when DSAI was Minister of Finanace…ask them what they saw happened in his office. Not only matters of national importance but also that of personal importance – personal to DSAI. Read more at: http://steadyaku-steadyaku-husseinhamid.blogspot.com/2011/08/power-money-sex-and-dsai.html
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| Posted: 15 Aug 2011 01:00 AM PDT I can feel my blood vessels busting reading about the financial management circus going round in this country. Commonsense tell us that a budget is meant to guide how money is being spent. Try screwing up your personal or company's budget and see what happens.   In other ways, just 1) draw up a bigger budget than last year, 2) over spend it and 3) ask for more money to burn since the dumb rakyat are going to pay for it and vote Barisan Nasional back anyway. Do remember than in June 2011, an additional RM13 billion is being request but barely 2 months later, Malaysian tax payers are going to be hit by another 4 financial blows costing maybe RM10 billion, at least apparent to this fuming tax payers. 
 She can't be reprimanded, only rewarded. What tangible success is he talking about? Was there any performance appraisal to identify those who deserve a reward and those who deserve the sack or worse? Read more at: http://wangsamajuformalaysia.blogspot.com/2011/08/pay-this-tax-payers.html#more
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| Posted: 15 Aug 2011 01:00 AM PDT The official PEMANDU website says that PEMANDU is a unit under the Prime Minister's Department set up to manage and facilitate the Government Transformation Programme (GTP) and Economic Transformation Programme (ETP). PEMANDU Corporation, a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) incorporated with the mandate to provide financial, recruitment and procurement services to PEMANDU, a company limited by guarantee under Suruhanjaya Syarikat Malaysia (SSM). The following is the organizational chart of PEMANDU.  The GTP and ETP are governed by the Delivery Task Force (DTF) for the delivery of National Key Results Areas (NKRAs) and Steering Committee for the delivery of National Key Economic Areas (NKEAs). Both committees are chaired by the Deputy Prime Minister and honourable Prime Minister of Malaysia respectively. The Government Transformation Programme (GTP) was devised in accordance with the principles of the famous 1Malaysia, People First, Performance Now. In its entirety, the GTP is designed to provide all Malaysians access to improved public services irrespective of race, religion and region. This site states that the objective of GTP is two-fold – first, to transform the government to be more effective in its delivery of services and accountable for outcomes that matter most to the Rakyat; and second, to move Malaysia forward to become an advanced, united, and just society with high standards of living for all. This is in line with the national mission of achieving Vision 2020 – for Malaysia to become a fully developed nation. Under the GTP, six key priority areas have been identified where challenges within each area have been divided into short-term priorities and long-term issues. These areas of development are known as the National Key Results Areas (NKRAs) as below:
You can download a copy of the GTP Annual Report AT THIS LINK.
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