Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News
Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News |
- Who is REALLY behind Malaysia Today? (UPDATED with Chinese Translation)
- Quantity over quality
- Read my lips: 'arah' means 'advice' (UPDATED with Chinese Translation)
- Ban non-drinkers from driving
- Chinese honour (UPDATED with Chinese Translation)
- Who's lying now?
- One step forwards, two steps back (UPDATED with Chinese Translation)
- Upsetting the ecological balance
- You need brains to do it (UPDATED with Chinese Translation))
- Dear Cousin (UPDATED with Chinese Translation)
| Who is REALLY behind Malaysia Today? (UPDATED with Chinese Translation) Posted: 14 Aug 2011 07:06 PM PDT
They are always trying to speculate as to who could be behind Malaysia Today. Raja Petra is broke. Raja Petra has no money. Raja Petra could not afford to finance Malaysia Today. So surely there must be someone else behind Malaysia Today who is helping to finance the operation. It is impossible for Malaysia Today to operate otherwise. No Holds Barred Raja Petra Kamarudin Who is REALLY behind Malaysia Today? That has been the million-dollar question since way back in 2004 when Malaysia Today was first launched. Datuk Azmi Hamid Bidin, the husband of PKR Sabah Chief, Datin Saidatul Said Keruak, was in Anwar's house and the conversation they had gave the impression that Anwar suspected that Deputy Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak was behind Malaysia Today. No, of course they would not. They are not interested in the financial welfare of Malaysia Today. They don't care a damn whether Malaysia Today has any money or not. They are not concerned whether I have money to buy food or to pay for a roof over my head. They just want to hear that Najib, Mahathir, Daim, etc., are NOT financing Malaysia Today. That is all that matters.
Translated into Chinese at: http://ccliew.blogspot.com/2011/08/blog-post_16.html
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| Posted: 12 Aug 2011 04:14 PM PDT
In other words, we have no say in the matter. Allah will decide when the time is right and whether it will happen or not. Allah will decide whether you are born a Muslim or born a kafir (infidel). Allah will decide whether you become a sinful Muslim or a good Muslim. Allah will decide whether the sinful Muslim finally repents and becomes a good Muslim. Without Allah's will, nothing will happen. NO HOLDS BARRED Raja Petra Kamarudin
Demos in Selangor and Penang to show support for Jais (The Star) - Demonstrations were held in Selangor and Penang in support of the Selangor Islamic Affairs Department (Jais) operation during a multiracial dinner at the Damansara Utama Methodist Church (DUMC). A group calling itself Gerakan Anti-Murtad (Anti-Apostate Movement) would lodge a police report in every district of Selangor so that investigations could be carried out against the DUMC, said spokesperson Datuk Zulkifli Noordin. The Kulim Bandar Baru MP said this after Friday prayers at the Sultan Salehuddin Abdul Aziz Shah mosque in Shah Alam yesterday. Also present were Senator Mohamed Ezam Mohd Noor, PAS members and the movement's supporters. Ezam said the movement had nothing against non-Muslims, but would wage war against those "who were rude and who tarnished Islam", including by burning down online news portals. **************************************** You will notice one thing about the Malays-Muslims. They are very preoccupied with getting non-Muslims to become Muslims. And they are paranoid about Muslims renouncing Islam. Maybe what happened at the DUMC did happen. Maybe the allegations are true. I was not there but I have been told that the allegations are not entirely false. Nevertheless, I go by what the Malays would normally tell me. If you ask a 'sinful' Malay why he does not stop his gambling and drinking and womanising and go to Mekah to repent and to perform the pilgrimage, he would reply, "Allah belum gerak hati lagi." This translates to 'Allah has not moved my heart yet'. When a non-Muslim becomes a Muslim, the Malays would say, "Allah buka hati dia." And this means Allah has opened his or her heart (to become a Muslim). If you ask an ustaz (religious teacher) why Allah made only 20% of the world Muslim while 80% are non-Muslims, and why did Allah not make 100% of the world Muslim, the ustaz would reply, "Only Allah knows." In short: this is all Allah's will and Allah could make you Muslim or He could make you non-Muslim and it is up to Him to open your heart to receive Islam or to repent your 'evil ways' and go to Mekah to perform the pilgrimage. In other words, we have no say in the matter. Allah will decide when the time is right and whether it will happen or not. Allah will decide whether you are born a Muslim or born a kafir (infidel). Allah will decide whether you become a sinful Muslim or a good Muslim. Allah will decide whether the sinful Muslim finally repents and becomes a good Muslim. Without Allah's will, nothing will happen. Now, that is a most interesting concept. This means I may be born a Muslim but be born a bad Muslim because Allah has not opened my heart to become a good Muslim. This also means, later on in life, Allah may open my heart and I will see the error of my ways and repent to become a good Muslim. Then again, Allah may will it that I be born a non-Muslim and, later on in life, convert to Islam when Allah opens my heart to Islam. Or, Allah may never open my heart and I may die a non-Muslim like 80% of the population of the world. The crux of this whole issue is Allah decides and wills it and what happens (or does not happen) can never happen without the will of Allah. And only when Allah wills it or opens our heart will we see something happen -- and not otherwise and not before that. Okay, based on this ideology, what about when someone is born a Muslim and later leaves Islam? Could this ever happen if Allah does not will it? Would it not be Allah who opens your heart to make you leave Islam? Everything that happens is the will of Allah and everything you do is because Allah has moved or opened your heart into doing it. So, when you leave Islam is this not also Allah's doing? This is the confusing part about the argument on the will of Allah. You will never be born a Muslim without Allah deciding this will happen. You will never convert to Islam without Allah deciding this will happen. When you decide to leave Islam does Allah not also have a say in the matter? Is this not His will? As I said, Malays-Muslims are preoccupied with non-Muslims becoming Muslims and paranoid about Muslims leaving Islam. So we now have a Gerakan Anti-Murtad (Anti-Apostate Movement) organising demonstrations in the Pakatan states to protest those leaving Islam. I am not so concerned about Muslims leaving Islam because if it is true that nothing happens without the will of Allah then no Muslim can ever leave Islam unless Allah wills it. What I am more concerned about is Munafiq (hypocritical) and Fasiq (sinful) Muslims. Why don't these people also launch a Gerakan Anti-Munafiq dan Anti-Fasiq (Anti-Hypocrites and Anti-Sinners Movement)? We should perang (declare war) on Muslims who kill, rape, rob, steal, cheat, swindle, abuse their power, lie, and do all sorts of evil things that give Islam a bad name. We should not worry about the quantity. After all, 80% of the world is non-Muslim anyway. We should worry about the quality. We do not want Muslims who have no scruples, compassion, honesty, ethics, values, etc. We want Muslims who demonstrate the ideals and ethics of Islam. We want Muslims who demonstrate what a good Muslim should be like. We want Muslims who show what a good Muslim is so that we can be proud of Islam. That should be the perjuangan (struggle) for Muslims.
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| Read my lips: 'arah' means 'advice' (UPDATED with Chinese Translation) Posted: 11 Aug 2011 01:00 AM PDT
First read the Malaysiakini news report below. Then read the copy of the 'surat arahan' or 'advisory letter' below it that Nazri is talking about. 'Arah' may mean 'directive' or 'instruct' to those of you who do not speak Bahasa Malaysia well enough. But it means 'advice' to those like Ministers who do. This is what we call 'lost in translation'. NO HOLDS BARRED Raja Petra Kamarudin
Nazri: I didn't instruct the GLCs, I only advised them Hafiz Yatim, Malaysiakini Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Nazri Abdul Aziz has admitted that he sent a letter to government-linked companies (GLCs) on Aug 8 over a settlement with former Malaysia Airlines chairperson Tajudin Ramli, but denied instructing them to drop their suits against the tycoon. Nazri said he made the move in his capacity as de facto law minister, and it came on the heels of moves by Tajudin over the past several months to come to a settlement with the government over the companies' suits against him. It was therefore not compulsory for the companies to settle their suit, but it was conveyed to them that it was advisable, given the possible scenarios the new situation had presented, said Nazri. The alternative was for the GLCs to further slug it out with Tajudin, without a guarantee as to when it would be resolved. "Tajudin had been in contact with us for the past six months, proposing a settlement. "I wrote to the GLCs after gaining approval from Second Finance Minister Ahmad Husni Hanadzlah, and as a law minister to the effect, as this case has been going on for so long - six years," Nazri told Malaysiakini when contacted. He said it was "not necessary" for the GLCs to follow his advice, as it was up to them to decide based on what they deemed to be in their best interests. "If they feel they can win, they can continue with fighting the suit. As a legal entity, they have the right to make their own decisions. "I only wrote to them to remind them Tajudin had approached (the government) with a view to settle, and I merely asked them to look into it," he said. The minister said further that the court cases could drag on without an assurance of victory for any party. "Let's say this case goes into trial, it will take another five to six years and on appeal. It may (even) take another 10 years. We do not know whether the suit will go our way or in favour of Tajudin. Hence, that is why the out-of-court settlement was proposed. "However, if we settle, it must not be at an additional cost to the government. We do not want a payout," he said, admitting that some of the GLCs, like MAS, were in a bad shape. Earlier today, former deputy prime minister-turned opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim questioned Nazri's actions in writing to the GLCs. Instructions to GLCs to drop their legal suits should come from the finance ministry, not Nazri, said Anwar. Some GLCs upset It is learnt several GLCs had disapproved of a settlement as some of them had already obtained summary judgments against Tajudin, who some said had provided a weak defence. Some familiar with the case said such a move would not go well with the principle of corporate governance as GLCs were still public limited companies. The law requires the board of directors of these companies to decide. It is not for someone outside the company to issue directives, and some even questioned how someone could direct a company to withdraw lawful suits. It is learnt that Tajudin took loans from several financial institutions, totalling in excess of RM1 billion, which some alleged he was not able to repay when he took over MAS, resulting in the on-going suits. Asked about this, Nazri said the GLCs have to look at the context that they were faced with counter-suits by Tajudin. On the surface, the minister pointed out, when you get a summary judgment it means you win without a trial and that is just on the surface. "However, on appeal it may go for a full trial and there is no way of telling who will be victorious. But I stress, it is upto the GLCs," he said. Nazri also explained that the matter came before Federal Court judge Justice Md Raus Sharif today, who was upset that the case had taken so long. Raus is the managing judge for the commercial division. That is why, Nazri said, there was this proposed settlement. "If nothing can be worked out by Sept 29, which is supposed to be the last date, the matter may go for a full trial," he said, adding that between now and then, the parties concerned could discuss the matter. Not afraid of skeletons in closet? Asked whether the suggestion for a settlement was because the government was afraid of skeletons coming out of the closet if it were to go into full trial as there was a potential number of former VVIPs being involved, Nazri denied such a notion. "Actually, we (the government) are not afraid if the case goes for trial," he said, without elaborating further. In Tajudin's counter-claim, he alleged that he had been instructed by former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad to take over MAS and this was against his will. His defence is mainly about doing national service and that there was a conspiracy to get him to fail. Nazri's letter comes on the heels of questionable actions taken by the minister and government, such as the replacement of lawyers who had been involved in the case for the past five or six years. It is learnt four to five well-known legal firms acting on behalf of the GLCs in their suits against Tajudin and on the counter-claims he filed have been replaced by the Putrajaya-based law firm of Hafarizam Wan & Aisha Mubarak, which is well known among legal circles to be aligned to Umno. According to sources, some of the GLCs are not happy that Hafarizam Wan & Aisha Mubarak had called them up and showed them the letter, directing them to transfer all files to that firm. "Never in history has there been a case where lawyers direct their clients to appoint them," a senior lawyer said.
Translated into Chinese at: http://ccliew.blogspot.com/2011/08/blog-post_13.html
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| Posted: 10 Aug 2011 05:40 PM PDT
Those British who came out to riot over the last few days came out with intent to riot, loot and plunder. They had no intentions to hold a peaceful demonstration. They were not concerned about loss of life or damage to property. They intentionally wanted to damage property. It was part of the plan. NO HOLDS BARRED Raja Petra Kamarudin About 3,000 people die a year on the roads of Britain, a country with a population of about 72 million. About 6,000 people die a year on the roads of Malaysia, a country with a population of about 27 million (now just touched 28 million). Compare the two statistics above and it will be clear that it is more dangerous to drive or ride on Malaysian roads than on British roads. So, Malaysia should ban cars and motorcycles from Malaysian roads. Then less Malaysians will die every year. The number of drink-driving deaths in Britain is about 400 a year. That comes to about 1.4% of the total road accident fatalities. This means 98.6% of deaths on British roads are caused by drivers/bikers who DO NOT drink. And this also means people who DO NOT drink should be banned from driving/riding. Then less Britons will die every year. Only three people died in the last few days of riots in the UK (due to a hit-and-run incident rather than due to the riot proper). Only one person died in the BERSIH march of 9th July 2011 (due to a heart attack). So riots and demonstrations are safer than driving or riding a motorbike. This is because, over the last ten years, 30,000 people died on British roads and 60,000 on Malaysian roads. Over the last 30 years you can triple those figures because the statistics are basically consistent from year to year. So we should encourage people to stop driving/riding and start rioting instead. The statistics prove that less people will die if they riot rather than drive/ride. This sounds like a stupid argument, does it not? Well, no more stupid that the argument by the Deputy IGP regarding his comparison between the UK riots and the BERSIH march of 9th July 2011. Those Malaysians who came out to demonstrate on 9th July 2011 came out with intent to demonstrate, not to riot. They were determined to demonstrate peacefully with no loss of life or damage to property. Those British who came out to riot over the last few days came out with intent to riot, loot and plunder. They had no intentions to hold a peaceful demonstration. They were not concerned about loss of life or damage to property. They intentionally wanted to damage property. It was part of the plan. How can the government and police compare BERSIH to what happened in the UK? There were two different motives here. The BERSIH march was a political statement. There was no political statement in the UK riots. It was all about plundering, looting, robbing and stealing. No, we can't compare BERSIH to the UK riots. This would be like banning drivers/bikers who do not drink and only allowing drunks on the road because drinking and driving causes only 1.4% of traffic accident deaths. Did not the Malays oppose the Malayan Union that the British were trying to impose on Malaya through a street demonstration? And was it not because of this demonstration that the British abandoned the plan for the Malayan Union and instead the Federation of Malaya was formed? So, street demonstrations are not all bad. If street demonstrations are held for the purpose of delivering a political message, like opposing the Malayan Union, then it is good. But in the UK this was not a street demonstration. It was not about a political statement. It was a riot. It was about plundering, robbing, looting and stealing. That was the intent from the very beginning. On the second matter below -- the complaint by Ahmad Syauqey Abdul Ghani about human rights abuses in prison -- what is he talking about? This is normal. This is what all of us have to endure in prison. Why only now complain when we have had to suffer this for a long, long time? Yes, now they know what it is like in prison or under detention. We are no longer treated as humans in there. We are treated like animals. In fact, you would not even treat animals the way humans are treated behind those high walls and barb-wired fences. Welcome to the real world. ************************************ DIGP's statement shows his 'ignorance', says Nurul (Malaysiakini) -- Lembah Pantai MP Nurul Izzah Anwar hit out at deputy IGP Khalid Abu Bakar for saying that the Bersih electoral reform rally, if allowed to proceed unimpeded, will lead to the same rioting as now taking place on London streets. "That statement only serves to showcase his ignorance," Nurul Izzah told reporters when met outside the Petaling Jaya district police headquarters today. In a posting on his Facebook page last night, Khalid Abu Bakar had said the ongoing riots in London and other major cities in Britain are evidence of the "nightmares" that can be prevented by avoiding street protests. "Alhamdullilah, we are able to avoid these scary and tragic scenes from erupting here in our beloved country. "Street protest should always be avoided as we will never know what it can turn into. Peace loving Malaysian will understand. The right to assemble must always be balanced with public order," read his post. Nurul Izzah added that she cannot accept such statements from the senior police officer and asked him to "check his facts first before opening his mouth next time". She pointed out that the root cause of the London riots was discontent because of government budget cuts and high unemployment in the riot hit areas. This, she claimed, is different from the mainly middle class Bersih supporters who were not as inclined to such excesses. 'Riots may be our future if we fail to reform' However, the Lembah Pantai MP said one similarity between the situation in UK and Malaysia is the failure to reform an economic system that promotes the wealth gap between the rich and the poor. While Malaysia is not as worse off as the UK, she warned "that this is our future if we fail to reform". Police had declared the July 9 Bersih 2.0 rally illegal and outlawed the electoral reform movement itself and cracked down hard on anyone even suspected of supporting or wanting to attend the rally. Police claimed it was only keeping public order and did so to prevent chaos, though this was disputed by Bersih organisers who had pledged a peaceful march. There was no recorded incident of looting or widespread property damage during the rally, with most damage seemingly resulting from tear gas and chemical laced water used by police. ************************************* Kelantan prison detainees forced to strip naked (Malaysiakini) -- A former training director for election watchdog Malaysians for Free and Fair Elections (Mafrel) has complained of human rights abuses during his almost two-week-long detention at the Pengkalan Chepa Prison in Kelantan. Ahmad Syauqey Abdul Ghani said he and 113 other prisoners were ordered to strip in front of one another on June 23, the day he was sent to the prison. "I was scared and confused, along with the other detainees who also had to strip naked. It was very embarrassing. "We were ordered to strip in stages, 10 to 20 prisoners at a time... the situation, with more than a hundred naked men, was horrible, embarrassing and inhumane," Ahmad Syauqey said. Ahmad Syauqey, who has made several sketches to describe his time in detention, said the prison was overcrowded and stuffy. "Ten other prisoners and I were ordered into a cell at the quarantine block. The size of the cell was 6ft by 12ft. "We had to squeeze against one another to fit in, and some of us had to put our legs on the walls, as there was no space to lie down. Many of us could not sleep due to the heat and over-crowding," he said. Ahmad Syauqey also said that the unhygienic conditions made it very difficult for Muslims to conduct their prayers properly. The quarantine block is exclusively for detainees who have been remanded and are awaiting trial or bail. Among other complaints he had are: 1. No proper facilities for Muslims to pray;2. Only two pails of water for 10 to 12 prisoners to share for toilet use; 3. Prisoners were told to defecate in front of other prisoners; and 4. Prisoners were caned on their feet as punishment for 'wrongdoing'. Ahmad Syauqey has since lodged a report on his ill-treatment at the Kota Baru police station and plans to file a complaint with Malaysian Human Rights Commission (Suhakam), besides the email he has already sent. When contacted, Pengkalan Chepa Prison director Husni Johari said an investigation was under way. "For now, we will not be commenting as an investigation is already under way. It will be completed as soon as possible," Husni said. Ahmad Syauqey was arrested on June 20 under Section 186 of the Penal Code for obstructing a public officer and under Section 90 of the Police Act for behaving indecently in a police station. He was remanded and sent to the Pengkalan Chepa Prison and was freed on July 5, after bail was posted in a magistrate's court in Bachok. His case is fixed for Nov 2 and 16 respectively for hearing. |
| Chinese honour (UPDATED with Chinese Translation) Posted: 09 Aug 2011 07:59 PM PDT
It is very difficult, I know, for some of you to comprehend that the triads had honour and code of ethics. But then I am talking about the triads of the 1960s, 50 years or so ago. Times have changed, though. Even the politicians of the 1960s had honour. Today, the politicians are worse than criminals. The politicians, today, would not meet the high standards of honour that the triads of the 1960s had. NO HOLDS BARRED
I learned about 'Chinese honour' from the streets of Kuala Lumpur. This was back in the 1960s, before May 13. The streets I am talking about are Petaling Street, Sultan Street, etc. Basically, this is what the tourists would call Kuala Lumpur's 'Chinatown'. I was no older than those kids who rioted all over London and in Manchester, Liverpool, Nottingham, Leicester, Birmingham, Croydon, etc., over the last few days. In fact, I was exactly that age, in my teens. That was me back in my 'younger' days. My 'street name' then was 'Chap Chong Kia'. I 'found' my first girlfriend in Petaling Street. She and her sister sold sugarcane in front of the Rex cinema. The problem is she spoke not a word of English or Bahasa and my Chinese was a rojak-mix of Hokkien, Cantonese and Hainanese and confined to street lingo like ta sei, pinto ley, niamah, fai ti chow, and so on. Invariably, our 'dates' in the Malaysia Snack Bar, across the road from the Rex cinema, had to be held in the presence of an interpreter. There was no way my 'girlfriend' and I could communicate without the assistance of this interpreter -- and until today I still don't know whether the exchanges of communication between us were a true translation of what transpired or whether my interpreter 'sabotaged' me and translated the opposite of what we said. Anyway, 'Uncle Lee' can tell you how I won the 'competition' to win her heart. Well, let's face it, I was better looking than Uncle Lee so certainly he would have had to lose out to me. Nevertheless, the relationship did not last because of the absence of intellectual discourse between us. Yes, you probably would have suspected by now that I was 'jalan' with the Long Fu Thong, the triad that controlled that part of Kuala Lumpur. I was far from a 'Tiger General' and certainly not one of the 'soldiers' -- so I was spared the task of having to engage in any gang wars. But the streets of Kuala Lumpur were a scary place back in the days prior to May 13. Many a time I had to run for cover as parangs 'flew' and blood spattered the streets. I always believed that those who fight and run away live to fight another day. So I ran like the devil was on my tail. And that is why I am still around to tell my tale. I admit that I lost many friends. But that is the price we have to pay for our association with the triads. Those who live by the sword die by the sword. Some died in a hail of bullets. Some got 'chopped' to death, the 'traditional' punishment for being on the 'wrong side' of the street ('salah jalan', as we would say then). But all this was accepted as an 'occupational hazard' and we just shrugged off these loses and moved on. Eventually, we all grew up and grew out of all this. We were kids and this was what kids did back in the 1960s prior to May 13. But we learned a very important lesson. And that lesson was there is honour amongst thieves. In fact, there was more honour amongst triad members then, than you would find amongst 'honourable' people like politicians and leaders today. We respected 'authority'. We had a very strict code of ethics that you broke only on pain of death. Punishment was swift and brutal and you would always pay for your crime of breaching the code of ethics and of having no honour. It is very difficult, I know, for some of you to comprehend that the triads had honour and code of ethics. But then I am talking about the triads of the 1960s, 50 years or so ago. Times have changed, though. Even the politicians of the 1960s had honour. Today, the politicians are worse than criminals. The politicians, today, would not meet the high standards of honour that the triads of the 1960s had. We were not criminals, as such. We did not rob, steal, sell drugs, or beat up defenceless people. We were the enforcers. We kept the peace. We kept the streets that we 'controlled' safe from crime so that honest and decent people could live their lives and conduct their business unhindered. The residents and shopkeepers did not shun or defile us. They welcomed our presence because they knew we did what the police could never do -- we ensured their safety. (In fact, the people feared the police but did not fear the triads). Whenever any new business opened up the owner would seek us out to request 'protection'. They were at liberty to decide whether they needed protection or not. There was no compulsion but once they offered to join the protection 'scheme' their premises were 'off-limits'. No one would dare 'violate' these premises. To do so would mean death. It was a good system back in the 1960s. It was how things worked then. Everyone was happy and the police did not have to worry about crime on the streets. All the police could do was to arrest the perpetrators. The triads, however, made sure that crime is eliminated through the elimination of the criminals. As I always said: you eradicate the plague by killing the rats. This was more or less how matters were resolved on the streets of Kuala Lumpur 50 years or so ago. Yes, enforcement of the law was swift and brutal. You disturb the peace and you die. You can't run riot and burn shops and houses and beat up innocent and defenceless people -- like what is now happening all over the UK. In fact, you still can't do that in the Chinatown areas of the cities in the UK. It can happen in white, black or 'brown' parts of the cities in the UK, but not in the Chinatown areas. Try and the punishment would be swift and brutal. Do I sound nostalgic? I suppose I am. The Malaysian Chinese of today are not the Chinese I knew back in the 1960s. The Chinese of today have no honour. They do not understand things such as code of ethics. They have no scruples. There is no longer any camaraderie. What has happened to the Malaysian Chinese? Last weekend, I went to the funeral of a local Chinese leader from Liverpool (see photos below). That suddenly brought back fond memories of the Kuala Lumpur of 50 years ago. It appears like the Chinese in the UK -- those from London, Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham, etc. -- still retain the honour and code of ethics that we once knew back in Kuala Lumpur in the 1960s. Yes, that's right. I think you know what I am talking about and whom I am talking about. The camaraderie and brotherhood amongst the Chinese here is very strong indeed. Brothers look after brothers. Brothers do not sell out brothers. Malaysian Chinese should make a trip here and learn a thing or two from the UK Chinese. Those in their 60s and 70s would probably recognise this as Kuala Lumpur back in the days when they were still teenagers. My respect for the Malaysian Chinese honour and code of ethics of the 1960s knew no bounds. It is very difficult to feel the same way about the Malaysian Chinese of today. They will sell their own mother for the right price. Look at DAP. DAP leaders are badmouthing and sabotaging fellow DAP leaders. In the 1960s, these types of Chinese would 'disappear' without a trace. They would be executed and their bodies dumped into one of the many mining pools surrounding Kuala Lumpur. Maybe it is time to bring back the old Chinese honour and code of ethics. Maybe it is time that the triad laws are, again, enforced and those treacherous DAP leaders with no honour and code of ethics be made to suffer a swift and brutal punishment. Maybe only then will the DAP Chinese leaders understand what honour and code of ethics mean.
Translated into Chinese at: http://ccliew.blogspot.com/2011/08/blog-post_9685.html |
| 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
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? 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. 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 (UPDATED with Chinese Translation) 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
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. 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. 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…..
Translated into Chinese at: http://ccliew.blogspot.com/2011/08/blog-post_12.html
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| 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 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. 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). 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 with Chinese Translation)) 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
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. 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. ************************************* 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.
Translated into Chinese at: http://ccliew.blogspot.com/2011/08/blog-post_19.html |
| Dear Cousin (UPDATED with Chinese Translation) 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
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). 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. 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.
Translated into Chinese at: http://ccliew.blogspot.com/2011/08/blog-post_09.html |
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