Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News
Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News |
- Adakah PKR mengajar rakyat yang bukan-bukan?
- Save Malaysia before it’s too late!
- Umno, state your stand on hudud
- Stop political corruption: Stop party-hopping
- Sabah can’t be compared to Alaska and Hawaii
- BN confirms M’sia as a pariah state to the world
- Secular or Islamic State? Dr Farouk and the Peacocks
| Adakah PKR mengajar rakyat yang bukan-bukan? Posted: 03 Sep 2012 01:55 PM PDT
SURAT FMT: Dari Jeg Hui, melalui e-mel Beberapa bulan yang lalu, negara dikejutkan dengan telatah segelintir remaja yang mengadakan demonstrasi jalanan mendesak kerajaan melupuskan hutang PTPTN. Tindakan tersebut telah dipelopori sebuah parti politik yang tidak asing lagi, Parti Keadilan Rakyat atau umumnya, PKR. Para remaja yang mengikuti rusuhan jalanan yang pada pandangan saya, memalukan negara di kaca mata dunia ini tidak terlepas daripada melakukan aksi yang tidak senonoh untuk mendapat perhatian media. Demonstrasi Hapuskan PTPTN ini hanyalah membawa mesej yang negatif kerana hutang apakah yang tidak perlu dibayar? Rakan sekerja Democratic Action Party (DAP) tidak mengikut serta propaganda licik dan tidak beretika ini atas dasar prinsip dan tahu yang PTPTN ini sebenarnya membantu. Seorang anggota PKR yang diketahui umum membongkar penyalahgunaan dana pinjaman mudah (soft-loan) oleh sebuah syarikat milik suami seorang pemimpin kini bertindak seperti seorang hipokrit apabila mengalu-alukan pinjaman bantuan PTPTN tidak dibayar oleh bekas pelajar yang sudah pun bekerja dengan alasan "Pendidikan Percuma Untuk Rakyat". memberi mesej yang membimbangkan kerana rata-rata pelajar yang mengambil pinjaman ini ramai yang liat untuk membayar walaupun bayaran ansuran sangatlah kecil, bukannya beribu-ribu dan membebankan. Mudah bukan? Syarikat "kroni" yang gagal hutangnya diambil alih kerajaan. Inilah yang dicanang oleh PKR. Tetapi di bawah janji-janji PKR, pelajar yang gagal hutang mereka pun akan diambil alih kerajaan. Kedua-duanya menggunakan wang rakyat. Adil atau hipokrasi? Saya sendiri berasa adalah tidak adil jika hutang PTPTN dilupuskan begitu sahaja. Dana PTPTN adalah bertujuan membantu pelajar untuk menjadi lebih cemerlang, bukan untuk membeli telefon mudah alih yang baru dan canggih atau membikin motor atau kereta supaya gadis mudah cair. Nak dijadikan cerita, saya mendapat bantuan PTPTN di waktu pelajar yang mendapat ijazah kelas pertama tidak perlu membayar balik pinjaman PTPTN dibekukan. Alhamdulillah, PTPTN telah mempertimbangkan dan meluluskan permohonan saya untuk tidak membayar balik atas dasar keputusan yang cemerlang. Mengapa pula pelajar yang gagal tidak perlu membayar balik pula? Siapakah mereka ini? Apabila saya menyebut pelajar yang "gagal", saya yakin ini adalah pilihan perkataan yang tepat. Pelajar yang cemerlang dengan kelas pertama tidak perlu membayar balik pinjaman PTPTN. Pelajar yang tidak mendapat kelas pertama tetapi tidak gagal kerana berjaya mendapat pekerjaan dan bayaran ansuran dalam lingkungan RM70 sehingga RM150 sebulan. Jika bayaran ini dilihat membebankan, ini adalah sama ada bekas pelajar ini gagal mendapat pekerjaan, gagal menamatkan pelajaran, malas, tidak mengenang budi, pencuri dana PTPTN dan korup. Itulah persepsi yang diberikan oleh mereka yang berdemo tempoh hari. Ya, sama seperti syarikat kroni yang dipukul canang oleh PKR. Tamat isu PTPTN, kini datang pula kempen Turunkan Harga Kereta. Saya sebenarnya terkejut kerana yang mendalangi kempen ini salah satunya adalah seorang cerdik pandai, akauntan bertauliah yang bersuara penyet serta dikatakan pernah dibayar RM30,000 sebulan oleh sebuah syarikat gergasi nasional. Apa sahaja yang beliau dibayar kini tidak pula diceritakan olehnya mungkin takut orang merompaknya (atau karier politiknya terjejas atas kerana bayaran yang begitu banyak). Empat isu telah saya bangkitkan menerusi laman Twitter tetapi oleh kerana bekas akauntan ini telah "block" saya (atas sebab yang tidak dapat dipastikan, selalunya adalah masalah ego dan keangkuhan manusia bergaji besar), terpaksalah saya ajukan permasalahan penting yang harus diambil kira kepada rakan sejawatnya yang juga seorang kawan dari kolej. Umum diketahui rakyat di Lembah Klang kesesakan lalu lintas adalah ditahap yang kritikal. Kekadang itu lucu kerana tol dibayar tetapi terpaksa juga mengharungi lautan kenderaan pelbagai rupa ada yang seperti kotak tisu pun ada. Jika kempen ini dilaksanakan, kesesakan akan bertambah kerana kereta kini lebih murah dan mampu dimiliki. Ada juga penyokong kempen yang menyatakan saya ini tidak fikir tentang rakyat miskin di luar bandar atau luar Lembah Klang. Betul, harga kereta di Malaysia adalah mahal tetapi terfikirkah anda walaupun mahal, rakyat masih lagi berdegil untuk membeli kereta termasuklah yang berjenama. Mungkin ini adalah kerana pengangkutan awam yang tidak boleh diharap tetapi bukankah jaringan My Rapid Transit (MRT) sedang giat dibangunkan? Bagi soal golongan yang kurang berkemampuan di luar Lembah Klang, sepatutnya disarankan untuk juga mendesak kerajaan untuk menambah-baik pengangkutan awam. Jika kenderaan juga yang mereka mahukan, sepatutnya PKR mencadangkan agar mereka dibantu dari segi kewangan (subsidi), bukannya menurunkan harga kenderaan khususnya kereta import dengan menyahkan tiga cukai duti, eksais dan jualan sekaligus. Wakil rakyat saya YB Tony Pua akan saya ingat sebagai seorang pemimpin yang secara ikhlas mahukan Lembah Klang bebas daripada kesesakan lalulintas dengan mencadangkan supaya jaringan integrasi pengangkutan bas sejajar dengan kemudahan MRT yang bakal disediakan. Beliau tidak memilih jalan populis tetapi mahu rakyat benar-benar bebas daripada kesesakan jalan raya secara total. Mungkin inilah bezanya orang DAP dan PKR. Jika diumumkan Turunkan Harga Kereta sebagai suatu polisi kelak, walaupun dengan tempoh implementasi lima tahun, harga kenderaan yang ada sekarang akan terus jatuh mendadak. Nilai kenderaan di jalanan kini akan jatuh merudum rata-ratanya ke tahap setengah harga. Mungkin para penyokong kempen cuma berangan-angan seperti Mat Jenin untuk membeli Toyota Wish, Cardina atau Porsche Cayenne (aneh, ketiga-tiganya idaman masyarakat Melayu Malaysia). Mereka tidak sedar yang nilai kereta mereka yang sedia ada akan jatuh menjunam dan perkara ini bukanlah boleh dipandang enteng. Hutang bank yang ada masih perlu dijelaskan. Kali ini, jangan harap kerajaan PKR akan membayarnya juga seperti hutang PTPTN tetapi setakat ini, janji bulan dan bintang adalah perkara normal kini jadi saya tak akan terkejut lagi! Encik dan Puan Jenin terpaksa menambah lebih banyak wang kerana kenderaan sedia ada yang mahu dijual balik akan susut nilai. Jika masih lagi berdegil mahu "upgrade kepada Wish", fikirlah dua tiga kali.
|
| Save Malaysia before it’s too late! Posted: 03 Sep 2012 09:07 AM PDT
Now, did the police act as swiftly as they are doing now when similar behaviours were displayed by BN supporters, especially the racist and violent Perkasa, an Umno outsource. Lim Victor NEVER mind what and how the mainstream print and electronic media reports paint a rosy picture of Barisan Nasiona (BN) and the government. Hardly any sane, educated and intelligent Malaysian believes such reports by the BN-controlled media because the reports insult our intelligence most of the time. Such reports also display disgusted blind loyalty to the BN and to many, such media has been described as prostituting journalism. What is more worrying to Malaysians in general is the way the 55-year-old government is turning a blind eye to the many negative reports in the internet or cyber world. Whether the negative reports are inaccurate or lies is another matter. When a government doesn't give a damn to feedback from the people, it is a sign of arrogance, one of the main reasons for the fall of empires and governments – for Malaysia, it is the BN. Many of the reports that appear in the internet daily include allegations of corruption and abuse of power – another two factors for historic downfalls. The fact that allegations hurled against the BN and its leaders are ignored and not rebutted or followed with legal action speaks volumes of the authenticity of the allegations. And when such allegations are not appropriately acted upon by the police and the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), the rakyat (citizens) and the country are in serious trouble. It is a clear sign of lawlessness fermenting in the country. Take the recent court judgments and sentencing of two men found guilty of committing statutory rape. They were freed! On grounds that custodial sentences would spoil their future and that the underage girls had consented! Since when consent, ignorance and the future of those found guilty are valid legal reasons to free rapists! I say the two freed from committing statutory rape were freed due to political influence – of course BN! If the victims were the children of the Opposition Pakatan Rakyat (PR) leaders, they would be jailed immediately and their crime politicised to the hilt to damage the reputation of such leaders. Another recent example is the way the BN-police are trying to bring to book those who stomped the pictures of Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak, his wife and the Election Commission Chairman on the eve of Independence Day (Merdeka Day). Now, did the police act as swiftly as they are doing now when similar behaviours were displayed by BN supporters, especially the racist and violent Perkasa, an Umno outsource. This leads to the people questioning the biasness of law enforcement in this country. All these mounting poor governance is certainly doing a disservice to the people and the confidence of both local and foreign investors. No businessmen will want to invest in a country that is displaying clear signs of double-standards in law enforcement - one for those in the Corridors Of Power and another for those not with the BN government. That, my friends, will turn Malaysia into a really pariah state in the eyes of the world, if left unchecked!
I reproduce here a very pertinent and related malaysiakini report: CM: So, how about Perkasa burning my photo? DAP says it strongly condemns and disapproves the act of several individuals who stepped on Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak's picture during the Merdeka eve celebration.However, its secretary-general Lim Guan Eng asks, why the BN did not act against the Perkasa members who burnt and stepped on his pictures outside his office.Lim, who is also Penang chief minister, said the BN was practising selective prosecution and double standards by intending to take action only against those who stepped on Najib's picture. He wants Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein to give an assurance that his ministry would act decisively and expedite the legal process against the BN perpetrators of similar provocative acts on Pakatan Rakyat leaders. "To date, there is no court action taken against the BN political desperadoes who showed disrespect to portraits of PR leaders. "Clearly, BN practises selective prosecution, double standards and even outright racism by not expressing the same indignation and demands for stern action against extremist Perkasa members who burnt or stepped on my portrait outside my Komtar office. "They even performed funeral rites with my portrait outside my house. Why was there no action taken against those who behaved in a similar manner against Bersih 2.0 co-chairperson Ambiga Sreenevasan outside her home?" Lim asked. He said that while non-Malay BN component party ministers were demanding action after the prime minister's picture was stepped on, there was no comment when this was done to a Chinese chief minister's picture. Lim was commenting on several people who stomped on Najib's picture's on Merdeka eve and the flying of the Sang Saka Malaya flag. Lim accused Minister in the Prime Minister's Department and Gerakan president Koh Tsu Koon was irresponsible in blaming the opposition for such an act, which he said was clearly not. "Secondly, Koh's condemnation of the PM's picture-stomping incident, while keeping mum when my own picture was burnt and funeral rites performed with my image, only exposes Koh's double standards and subservience to Umno. "Neither did Koh press for any action to be taken on similar protests against Ambiga, who had also to suffer the indignity of having a "butt-dance" performed as well as a "burger protest" in which beef burgers were grilled outside her home, despite the fact that she is a Hindu and a vegetarian," he said. This only showed BN's attitude in that it was prepared to exploit extremist racial and divisive politics to win the coming general election, Lim added. |
| Umno, state your stand on hudud Posted: 02 Sep 2012 01:41 PM PDT Can Soi Lek give us an honest answer as to why the Trengganu state government under the Barisan Nasional has not repealed the Islamic Criminal Enactment, passed by PAS in 2002, when it ruled Trengganu state! Umno has had eight years (since it recaptured Terengganu in 2004) to prove its sincerity but has done nothing! P Ramakrishnan When Kelantan Umno chief Mustapa Mohamad demanded "why they (PAS) are unable to implement hudud laws in Kelantan", Malaysians would like to know what exactly Umno's stand on the hudud issue is. Is Umno for the implementation of the hudud laws in Malaysia? We know that Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak had stated that hudud is not suitable for a multi-ethnic society like Malaysia. But that is not enough. He must publicly, honestly and frankly declare: "Umno will not implement hudud laws in Malaysia." Only then would it be very clear what Umno's stand is. Otherwise, it would only be dithering without being specific. If Umno has no intention of implementing hudud laws in Malaysia, why is it then goading Pas to implement hudud. Why is it provoking PAS on this issue? Mustapa stated that "although the laws had been passed by the Kelantan state assembly in 1993, they were still in the 'implantation' stages and were not enforced". Surely he must know some facts and a little bit of Malaysian history. The Kelantan assembly passed the hudud laws in response to Mahathir's challenge to the PAS government to implement the hudud laws. He even promised to amend the Federal Constitution to enable the PAS government to implement the hudud laws. But when the PAS government went ahead and passed these laws, Mahathir did not honourably keep his word. He went back on his promise: he backtracked; he did not have the courage or the integrity to be faithful to his pledge. But that was history. But what is the reality today? PAS, to its credit, had moved away from the Islamic state and the hudud laws by adopting an inclusive philosophy which reaches out to every Malaysian. They have adopted, as a matter of policy, what is termed as a 'benevolent state', which addresses the needs of the poor, the marginalised, the voiceless and the helpless. For simplicity – but erroneously – it is commonly termed as a 'welfare state'. This shift is commendable. Instead of lauding this development in PAS, Umno is attempting to push PAS into the hudud territory. What is your game, Umno? Shame on you that you cannot, unlike PAS, change for the better! In the meantime, the MCA president Chua Soi Lek and his cohorts should stop baying like a pack of wolves on the hudud issue when they are unable to persuade Umno to state positively that hudud will not be implemented in Malaysia. Do that first, then you can take everybody else to task on the hudud issue. He realistically claims that if "PAS were to amend the Federal Constitution to suit its religious teachings, then all Muslim members of parliament would have to support it. "He said the situation would be similar to when PAS amended the state Constitution in Trengganu – all Umno assemblymen there had to support it." His memory of history is much better than that of Mustapa's! The simple question actually is whether Umno will support or oppose the implementation of hudud laws. As long as Umno remains ambivalent on the hudud issue, MCA should not be aiming its guns at others who have stated their position very clearly. Can Soi Lek give us an honest answer as to why the Trengganu state government under the Barisan Nasional has not repealed the Islamic Criminal Enactment, passed by PAS in 2002, when it ruled Trengganu state! Umno has had eight years (since it recaptured Terengganu in 2004) to prove its sincerity but has done nothing! This is a test case for Soi Lek. Get the BN to repeal this enactment in Terengganu. If he can display the moral courage so sorely needed and demand without any hesitation that Umno should immediately repeal this enactment, only then has he the right to talk about the dangers of hudud laws. Ralph Waldo Emerson would say, "Go put your creed into your deed."
|
| Stop political corruption: Stop party-hopping Posted: 02 Sep 2012 08:58 AM PDT What must not be tolerated is the betrayal of voters who had cast their votes in favour of a candidate who then decides to party-hop after winning, says P Ramakrishnan in supporting anti-party-hopping legislation. P Ramakrishnan It is difficult to justify why anyone would want to oppose an anti-party-hopping legislation that holds out hope for morality in politics. Any sane person should welcome this move so that elected representatives who betray their electors cannot go scot-free. These renegades cannot ignore the mandate of the voters who elected them.The proposed legislation by the Penang State government does not prevent anyone from leaving their current party. They are free to go and join any party and associate themselves with whatever party they choose to keep company. There is no law to prevent them from jumping ship! All that an anti-party-hopping legislation seeks to do is to force a by-election so that the voters who had been betrayed could be given the opportunity to decide once again whether they still want renegades or defectors to continue as their elected representatives. Those who initially elected the renegades must have the right to decide whether they still want them as their elected representative. What must not be tolerated is the betrayal of the voters who had cast their votes in favour of a candidate who then decides to party-hop after winning. The voters' electoral decisions cannot be sidelined and totally ignored as if they were of no consequence. Besides, anti-party-hopping legislation also seeks to curb political corruption. Undoubtedly, there is always an element of corruption involved, some attractive inducement held out to corrupt politicians to switch sides. Unscrupulous politicians offer themselves for sale without a tinge of conscience. Otherwise there would be no reason to switch parties. We witnessed in horror how these unscrupulous politicians unconscionably frustrated the will of the voters in Perak by resigning from their respective parties to enable an ignoble takeover of a people's government by the Barisan Nasional. This shameful conduct was given so much prominence and publicity on TV with the then Deputy Prime Minister, who is believed to have orchestrated this despicable act, welcoming their decision as if these scoundrels have performed a fantastic feat! It was this morally contemptible act that toppled a legitimate government that was duly elected by the will of the people. When demeaning conduct is glorified with such pompous fanfare then something must be seriously wrong because it means that we are totally incapable of differentiating what is right and wrong! And when the Deputy Prime Minister, the second topmost leader of the country, was associated with this diabolical conduct what hope is there for integrity and moral conduct. When this despicable behaviour is upheld by the justice system, it is totally appalling and absolutely disgusting! Our courts have inexplicably defended the right of renegade representatives – at the expense of thousands of voters – on the premise of upholding the renegades' right of association. This is ridiculous. This so-called right of association was never in jeopardy. The right to associate was never the issue. That freedom was never denied. The renegades were free to defect. The courts strangely and jealously, in a convoluted manner, have ruled that if renegade representatives were to give up their elected positions, it would constitute an infringement of their right. The courts seem so concerned with the turncoats' right while completely ignoring the rights of thousands of voters whose electoral decision was betrayed and nullified by the unprincipled behaviour of these renegade representatives. Common sense would dictate that the courts should have decided in favour of the voters to uphold the democratic process – but the courts instead shamefully and willfully chose to sacrifice the rights of thousands of voters. It was so obvious that the freedom of association was not interfered with. Renegades would not lose their membership in their new-found parties if they were to resign from their elected positions. They say justice is blind in that it does not take into consideration the status of individuals or their position in society but in these cases, the judgments were blind justice in that they failed to see reason and overlooked what was very obvious. P Ramakrishnan, the immediate past president of Aliran, now serves on the Aliran executive committee.
|
| Sabah can’t be compared to Alaska and Hawaii Posted: 01 Sep 2012 03:19 PM PDT
Daniel John Jambun Two BN leaders, namely Datuk Yahya Hussein and Datuk Donald Mojuntin, thought they had a good point when they said that we shouldn't be too fussy about the date of our National Day, that celebrating it on August 31st shouldn't be made an issue because it is not that important. Yahya had said that a good example is Alaska and Hawaii who joined the United States but never made a fuss about their national day or independence day. But several facts about history beg repeating to get a clear perspective of Yahya's argument. First, Sabah was not annexed into the Malaysian Federation like Hawaii was. Sabah, after becoming an independent nation for two weeks, teamed up with Singapore, Sarawak and Malaya to form a federation called Malaysia – as equal partners – on September 16, 1963. When Sabah formed Malaysia with the other partners, there was no Malaysia yet, unlike the case with Alaska which was acquired by the USA in 1867, 91 years after the independence of the 13 United States of America from Great Britain in 1776. Hawaii was annexed into the USA in 1898, 122 years after 1774. For the education of Yahya and Mojuntin, Alaska did not even 'join' the United States. It was bought by the USA from the Russian Empire for USD7.2 million. Russia, fearing a war with Britain that would allow the British to seize Alaska, wanted to proceed with the sale. Being a commodity which was the object of sales and purchase, Alaska cannot in any sense claim to have a proper national day, or least of all, an independence day of its own, because in reality it didn't get any sort of independence when it joined the US. In the case of Hawaii, the state was forcibly robbed from the hands of the powerless Hawaiian monarchy. Teri Sforza werites that in Hawaii's case "It's a story of money, power and betrayal. Hawaii was a proud and independent nation when Capt. James Cook [came] in 1778. Hawaiians had run their own affairs for some 2,000 years. The kingdom signed trade and peace treaties with the United States, England and other foreign nations, each recognizing Hawaii's independence. Flocks of American missionaries began arriving from Boston in 1820 and were welcomed warmly; many decided to stay on the islands rather than return to the frigid Northeast. Their new roots in paradise went deep: The missionaries became powerful sugar planters and politicians, often serving as advisers to the king. The monarchy was weakened. The planters' powers were strengthened. The United States was the biggest market for Hawaii's sugar. The transplanted planters longed for Hawaii to become part of the United States so they wouldn't have to worry about tariffs. The U.S. minister to Hawaii, John L. Stevens, was anxious to annex the islands as well. Sensing this, Queen Liliuokalani was on the verge of imposing a new Constitution shifting power back to the monarchy - but she never got the chance. On Jan. 16, 1893, U.S. Marines landed in Honolulu armed with Howitzer cannons and carbines. A group of 18 men - mostly American sugar farmers - staged a coup, proclaiming themselves the 'provisional government' of Hawaii. Stevens gave immediate recognition to them as Hawaii's true government. Imprisoned in Iolani Palace, Queen Liliuokalani issued a statement: 'I yield to the superior force of the United States of America, whose minister, his excellency John L. Stevens, has caused United States troops to be landed at Honolulu. ... Now, to avoid any collision of armed forces and perhaps the loss of life, I do, under this protest, and impelled by said force, yield my authority until such time as the government of the United States shall undo the action of its representative and reinstate me.'" The monarchy's power was never reinstated until today. So, Datuk Yahya, note that Hawaii did not gain independence by 'joining' America because it was annexed (forced to join) and thus LOST its independence. So how on earth can anyone compare Sabah's history of together forming Malaysia and Alaska being bought and Hawaii being forced to join a nation? I hope with this knowledge, the BN leaders can stop trying to fool Sabahans by using Alaska and Hawaii to justify the neglect of Sabah's demand for the recognition of September 16 as our common Malaysia Day. Queen Liliuokalani
The original cheque used to buy over Alaska
|
| BN confirms M’sia as a pariah state to the world Posted: 01 Sep 2012 11:24 AM PDT
Instead of investigating a national laureate for reciting a poem on the eve of Independence Day, the time and manpower can be put to better use to help reduce crime. But, to Najib and Muhyiddin, that is not so. Anyone or party that do not agree with BN, it is a crime. Lim Victor
AS MALAYSIANS' fear of deteriorating crime rate grows day by day, the government of the day, that is Barisan Nasional (BN), continues with its nonchalant ways. Instead of showing deep concern and care for public safety, the BN continues to deploy the police force personnel to clamp down on political rivals and dissent. On the eve of Merdeka Day (Independence Day) on Thursday (Aug 30, 2012), when all Malaysians proudly declared their pride and loyalty to the country, the BN government misuses and abuses the power of the police to clamp down on public dissent, so much for independence and freedom of speech. The BN government does not realise that its mindless use of the police to clampdown on national laureate A. Samad Said for reciting a poem on Merdeka eve tantamount to ridiculing Malaysia as a pariah state globally. This is a quote from an internet news portal: "PDRM (Royal Malaysian Police), it's not a crime to disagree with BN. I think PDRM has to get their brains checked." I like the quote but I do not think it is accurate. The police don't need to get its brains checked. It is the BN government, led by the fake 1Malaysia Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak and his deputy, Muhyiddin 'Malay First Malaysian Second' Yassin, who need the brain scans. The police, like all other government enforcement agencies, and including the judiciary, are under the influence and control of BN-Umno (United Malays National Organisation) which has ruled Malaysia for 55 years. Instead of investigating a national laureate for reciting a poem on the eve of Independence Day, the time and manpower can be put to better use to help reduce crime. But, to Najib and Muhyiddin, that is not so. Anyone or party that do not agree with BN, it is a crime. However, there is still hope for Malaysians to pull themselves out of the rot. Despite an eleventh hour police declaration that the Janji Demokrasi (Democracy Promise) gathering on the eve of Merdeka is illegal, some 10,000 Malaysians turned up in yellow tee-shirts to defy and display their displeasure, swamping Merdeka Square (Independence Square). This time around, the police did not use force – chemical-laced water cannons and tear-gas canisters – on the Merdeka Day celebrants. At least there is still that pea bit of brains left in the police and the government not to blatantly expose its shameless abuse of power on the rakyat (people). To me, what the world witnessed, and without doubt, is the maturity of Malaysians of all races today – that they can gather peacefully in public for a cause if there is no violence or agitation from the BN-led police. As long as Malaysians - especially the Malays, Chinese and Indians – continue to be united and not swayed by the seditious racial and religious slurs spewed by the evil Umno-BN and its cohorts, we have hope to pull the nation out of the doldrums for a new dawn. |
| Secular or Islamic State? Dr Farouk and the Peacocks Posted: 30 Aug 2012 11:37 AM PDT
What I find egregious about the attack on Dr Farouk by Imran Mustafa and Wan Mohd Aimran Wan Mohd Kamil in The Bankruptcy of the Islamic vs Secular State Debate is their insinuation that they are "learned scholars and men and women of spiritual discernment and of pure and upright character; scholars and saints," while Dr Farouk is ignorant, superficial, devilish, pretentious, brazen, blind, debilitated, obeisant, simplistic, unreasonable, unfair, futile, inflexible, hypocritical, schizophrenic (I may have missed a few). Rama Ramanathan I do not know Dr Ahmad Farouk Musa, whom I believe is a medical doctor who lives in Kuala Lumpur. I do know that he is a Muslim who is being belittled and mocked by some others who also speak for Islam in Malaysia. I say this because soon after his 2,000 word piece Arguing for a Secular State appeared, a 5,000 word piece was loosed upon him by 2 writers from Himpunan Keilmuan Muslim. What I find egregious about the attack on Dr Farouk by Imran Mustafa and Wan Mohd Aimran Wan Mohd Kamil in The Bankruptcy of the Islamic vs Secular State Debate is their insinuation that they are "learned scholars and men and women of spiritual discernment and of pure and upright character; scholars and saints," while Dr Farouk is ignorant, superficial, devilish, pretentious, brazen, blind, debilitated, obeisant, simplistic, unreasonable, unfair, futile, inflexible, hypocritical, schizophrenic (I may have missed a few). When respondents resort to name calling, we know the author of the original paper has either exposed a glaring weakness, or has proposed something which could displace the entrenched. Thus my interest in what Dr Farouk has to say. His is a wide ranging article. In the interest of brevity, I'll restrict myself to 6 themes. Hudud. Dr Farouk feels compelled to write about the Islamic/Secular state at this time because the Islamic state, especially in it's manifestation as Hudud, is often raised in the build-up to General Elections. I note that Hudud is the rod MCA repeatedly uses to beat the DAP for the latter's willingness to work together with PAS, the Islamic party in Malaysia. Dr Farouk indicates that PAS is divided over whether the Hudud penal code (which to me means cane those who consume alcohol, cut off the hands of those who steal and stone women who commit adultery) should be implemented. He labels those who support such penalties "medievalists," and labels those who do not support such penalties "Erdoganists." He highlights an alternative view of Hudud which space does not permit me to discuss here.
Dhimmi. Dr Farouk says many Islamists think an Islamic State is comprised of three groups of people: Muslims, Dhimmis and Harbis. Dhimmis are those who agree to submit to Muslims by paying a special tax called jizyah which buys them the protection of the state; Harbis are people who are hostile to Islam. He even points out that well known, centuries-old Islamic laws prohibit Dhimmis from riding animals within city limits and require Dhimmis to wear distinctive clothing and even bells so that it will be clear to all that they are Dhimmis. Tolerance. Dr Farouk's purpose in pointing out those features is to state the obvious: those "medieval" laws are now common knowledge for most Malaysians. I have known about those laws for many years – thanks to the extensive coverage of Islam after 9/11. Dr Farouk is challenging Malaysian Muslim scholars and leaders to recognize that there is a diversity of opinion amongst Muslims about these matters. He's pointing out that large numbers of Malaysian Muslims are also eager to recognize the rights and aspirations of non-Muslims, who are equally citizens of Malaysia. He's pleading for tolerance. Diversity. Dr Farouk brings up the very practical question of "who interprets"? I think immediately of the practice of various difference forms of government in "Islamic" countries – for instance in Indonesia, Jordan, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the various expressions of Islam, e.g. Ahmadiyyas, Ismailis, Shiites, Sunnis, Wahhabis, etc. He points out that there is no one person whom Muslims can claim is the final authority, not even the Grand Syeikh of al Azhar and the Saudi Mufti. Further, he points out the difficulty of arguing against those who say "it's mandated by the divine will of God." I recall that this is why churches often caution Christians not to say "God says." Citizenship. Dr Farouk explicitly mentions citizenship. His critique of "medievalism" is not that it's old (which his attackers obtusely say is what he is claiming). His critique of medievalism is that it doesn't have room for present day realities – which include the constitution of Malaysia, the understanding of citizenship and universal human rights. It's easier to attack Dr Farouk for his purported ignorance and deprecation of history, than to face his challenge and answer how the proposed "Islamic state" will work with modern realities. Piety. One of the most compelling of Dr Farouk's passages concerns true piety. He says: "Any regime that imposes piety because of the belief that it is part of the doctrine "commanding the good and preventing the wrong" like Saudi Arabia for instance, is basically creating a community of hypocrites [rather] than genuine piety. Genuine piety only arises through personal choice. And that choice only becomes possible when there is freedom. In other words freedom to sin is a necessary medium to be sincerely pious." That made me think immediately of the hypocrisy in the current regime in Malaysia after 55 years, so eloquently expressed by Tengku Razaleigh: "[Tengku Abdul Rahman] called a press conference and had a beer with his stewards when his horse won at the Melbourne Cup. He had nothing to hide because his great integrity in service was clear to all. Now we have religious and moral hypocrites who cheat, lie and steal in office but never have a drink, who propagate an ideologically shackled education system for all Malaysians while they send their own kids to elite academies in the West." Imran and Aimran's bitter attack caused me to study Dr Farouk's paper carefully. They flaunt their ability to quote stellar Muslims from the history of Islam; they think they show they're "cool" by making reference to the RSA; they choose to ignore the history of Malaya and Malaysia and current realities. I am repelled by their response. I am attracted to Dr Farouk's thought. I respect Dr Farouk for thinking deeply about 20th century realities in our ethnically fractured Malaysia, for taking seriously his neighbours and digging deep into his heritage to unearth and courageously promote such views. You've probably heard the saying "as proud as a peacock," and you may have seen peacocks displaying their feathers, preening, showing off. Do you know that peacocks are worthless and that they can barely fly? They can fly about six metres, but they can't land. They can only crash.
|
| You are subscribed to email updates from Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610 | |
0 ulasan:
Catat Ulasan