Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News
Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News |
- Ordinary, average Muslims are not easily confused – their faith is strong!
- Compulsory mosques in new housing will polarise society - COSA
- Talk about SUARAM and me outside Parliament if you dare
- Open Letter to Tan Sri Dr Zeti Akhtar Aziz
- Chinese are inherently racist (or more appropriately supremacist)!
- Servant Leadership – Serve to Lead
| Ordinary, average Muslims are not easily confused – their faith is strong! Posted: 03 Nov 2012 10:58 AM PDT
It is difficult to understand the so-called Muslim elites who constantly and consistently convey the erroneous message that Islam is under threat and that the Muslims will be easily misled. P. Ramakrishnan The protest against the Shah Rukh Khan movie My name is Khan has baffled P Ramakrishnan, who points out that the film has been screened without much problem in many countries with a sizeable Muslim population. So just who are the people "confused"? They always seem to suggest that Muslims must be sheltered and protected otherwise they can go astray and embarrass their religion. The latest episode involves the screening of the movie My name is Khan by TV3 on the second day of Hari Raya Aidil Adha. The Muslim youth movement, Abim, has strongly protested against this film, claiming that Shah Rukh Khan's film My name is Khan "confuses Muslims as it promotes liberal Islam and religious pluralism, and warned Malaysian broadcasters not to air the hit film". Abim vice-president Ahmad Saparudin Yusuf "gave examples of scenes in the film such as the Muslim hero marrying a Hindu heroine, saying that it is 'clearly against Islam's teachings'". He also pointed out "that the depiction in the film of acceptance and mixing of other religions' worship methods with Islam's, as well as giving zakat or alms to non-Muslims were 'confusing'". This film has been available in Malaysia since March 2010. It has been screened in cinemas and the film's CD has been widely sold. In the two and half years that it was around, thousands upon thousands of Muslims and other Malaysians have seen and enjoyed the film. Is there any evidence that the average, ordinary Muslims in Malaysia have become confused about Islam because of the film? Has their faith in Islam been eroded as a result of seeing this film? My Name is Khan has been shown in many Muslim countries where the film is very popular. It has become the highest Bollywood earner in the Middle East. It has been screened in Jordan, Lebanon and Syria in March 2010 when the film was released. In Indonesia, the country with the biggest Muslim community, the film was so popular when it was first released that it grew from six to 14 screens. In all these countries there was no protest against or any negative reaction to what was depicted in the movie. No one took offence to the film. In India, the country with the biggest Muslim population outside Indonesia, there was no problem whatsoever. Besides Islam, many other religions and various forms of worship exist on a daily basis in that country. People are tolerant and accept the fact that others have a right to their religion. As a matter of fact, religions co-exist in India. In real life, Shah Rukh Khan – a Muslim – is married to a Hindu woman. This has not upset the Muslims in India or anywhere else. Knowing this fact has not prevented the Malacca state government from conferring on him a datukship. Even Tun Dr Mahathir on his visit to India made it a point to meet up with him. So who are the people who are confused? The average, ordinary Muslims are of stronger faith and they are not easily confused!
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| Compulsory mosques in new housing will polarise society - COSA Posted: 02 Nov 2012 12:04 PM PDT
The National Fellowship (NECF) Commission on Sabah Affairs (COSA) is against the compulsory building of mosques in new housing projects in Sabah as a blanket policy.
This is our stand in response to recent suggestions that the state government exempt premium on land given up by developers for the construction of mosques, and that a site for a surau or mosque be compulsorily allocated in every low and medium cost housing project, before approval for the housing project is given to developers.
NECF-COSA is concerned that such a move may lead to religious polarisation in the state and affect the religious harmony unique to Sabah.
The proposal for such a blanket policy is misguided as there has never been any problem in gaining approval for the building of mosques and suraus. On the other hand, it is the non-Muslim places of worship that have been subject to unnecessary delays in obtaining approval for their building plans and in land acquisition applications.
Sabah has long enjoyed harmony and tolerance among its multi-religious populations in a way that is not experienced to the same degree in Peninsula Malaysia. Some households even have members of different faiths living under one roof. From a practical standpoint, non-Muslim house buyers may eventually end up having to shoulder the added cost to build the mosques passed on to them by developers.
It is irresponsible for individuals, regardless of their political affiliation, to raise such a controversial proposal in their individual capacity as it concerns the religious harmony Sabahans have long enjoyed. Such matters should only be pursued through the State Legislative Assembly and with prior consultation and consensus with leaders of other religions, housing developers and house buyers.
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| Talk about SUARAM and me outside Parliament if you dare Posted: 01 Nov 2012 05:45 PM PDT
Amer Hamzah Arshad It has just come to my attention that several newspapers have published reports on 1 November 2012 making reference to a letter (hereinafter referred to as "the said letter") which was highlighted by a Member of Parliament, Wee Choo Keong, vis-à-vis Suara Inisiatif Sdn Bhd's legal status. Berita Harian, in particular, made specific reference to my name (which was incorrectly spelt) and also erroneously claimed that I am practising in the law firm of Zain & Co. In fact, I left Zain & Co with effect from 1 April 2011. With reference to the statements by Wee Choo Keong, the newspapers have reported, among others, that: i) I had through the said letter deliberately misled and deceived William Bourdon into believing that SUARAM is a registered entity. ii) There was a "grand design" or a collusion or a conspiracy between myself and Suara Insiatif Sdn Bhd/Suara Rakyat Malaysia/SUARAM (hereinafter referred to as "SUARAM") to discredit or destabilise or overthrow the government. I wish to state that the allegations made by Wee Choo Keong and the insinuations by the newspapers are false and baseless. SUARAM has made various public statements about its legal status. I am shocked that Wee Choo Keong, the newspapers and the broadcast media (TV3 and NTV7 in particular) that reported Wee Choo Keong's statements have ignored SUARAM's position on the matter. I am also appalled that the newspapers and the broadcast media run purportedly by professional media organisations did not contact me to obtain my side of the story before publishing and/or airing these scurrilous allegations against me. For the record SUARAM is a company duly registered and incorporated under the Malaysian Companies Act 1965 under the name Suara Inisiatif Sdn Bhd, and has been carrying out activities, among others, aimed at the protection and realisation of human rights in Malaysia under the acronym 'SUARAM' or 'Suara Rakyat Malaysia'. SUARAM is a personal client of mine and the said letter was written and signed under my name as the personal legal adviser of SUARAM to state the background and registration history of SUARAM under the Companies Act. If Wee Choo Keong had made any effort to verify with the partners of Zain & Co, no doubt it would have been clear to him that my former partners had no knowledge whatsoever of the contents of the letter and the allegations of "grand design" on their part are utterly ridiculous and false. Nevertheless, all the relevant facts have been stated in the said letter substantiated with documentary evidence. I stand by the contents of the said letter. Further, the said letter did not make any reference to Government personnel, institutions or activities. The allegations of a "grand design" or a collusion or a conspiracy is a figment of Wee Choo Keong's "grand imagination" and I challenge Wee Choo Keong to repeat his slanderous and defamatory accusations outside Parliament, and for the newspapers and the broadcast media to report it. I categorically state that the allegations made by Wee Choo Keong which were carried in part or in full by the press and the broadcast media amount to a vicious and unjustified attack upon myself and SUARAM. I view the said allegations as slander, defamation and/or a malicious falsehood specifically designed to assassinate my character and reputation as a lawyer in Malaysia to uphold justice and act without fear and favour on behalf of my personal client. I reiterate my challenge to Wee Choo Keong to repeat his slanderous and defamatory accusations outside Parliament, and for the newspapers to report it. I reserve all my rights in the meantime.
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| Open Letter to Tan Sri Dr Zeti Akhtar Aziz Posted: 31 Oct 2012 06:09 PM PDT
Tan Sri Zeti, we are neither "depositors" nor "investors" of Genneva Malaysia Sdn Bhd. We are merely customers who bought gold from Genneva with our life-savings. We'd also like to leave the arguments about the validity of the company aside. Be it about 'hibah,' 'deposit-taking,' 'AMLA', 'BAFIA' or any other acronyms that seem to permeate the financial world these days. by Genneva Malaysia Supporters Thank you Tan Sri Zeti, Tan Sri Zeti, we are neither "depositors" nor "investors" of Genneva Malaysia Sdn Bhd. We are merely customers who bought gold from Genneva with our life-savings. We'd also like to leave the arguments about the validity of the company aside. Be it about 'hibah,' 'deposit-taking,' 'AMLA', 'BAFIA' or any other acronyms that seem to permeate the financial world these days. It's all rather tiring so we'll let the company duke it out with your financial and legal experts. Instead, we'd like to make this appeal as a person. One human being to another. We make this appeal: There are thousands upon thousands of us. It is our hope that you listen to us even as your officers have not and whoever it was in BNM who organised this irresponsible raid that caused such grief and hardship to countless thousands of families. With all due respect, Tan Sri Zeti, do you also blame us for our current hardship, as many have done? Do you yourself call us 'greedy' and 'ignorant' too? Might we remind, that it was you who said that keeping interest rates too low for too long may lead to the "mispricing of risks." You warned against artificially low interest rates. We are therefore surprised why it is the Central Banks policy to keep interest rates low, you knew in your heart that it would drive us to into 'higher-yielding assets that pose(d) significant risks.' By the way, we do not think that gold holds any 'significant risk,' at least not at this point of time. The risk came directly from the unjust confiscation of that gold by Bank Negara. Now many of us are without our gold and savings. For the aged, the old and the sick, their 'yield' from these 'assets' were all they had, and your bank took it away from them. We may not have the financial intellect like you to understand what all this means.. but we can see and feel and experience. We see that real inflation is spiralling out of control, and wonder why there never seems to be enough to last us till the end of the month. We feel how low interest rates punish savers. For many of us, the interest after a year from fixed deposits can't even pay for a family dinner at a nice restaurant! We experience the hopelessness and helplessness of being crushed by debt, our incomes never rising to meet expenses or to pay off debt. That is not all. The rakyat, not only contending with low interest rates, spiraling inflation, weak to no personal income growth or even worse, no income at all, must also face confiscation of what little wealth we have by the authorities. Must we live in fear that the authorities, with their far reaching powers, can at any time, confiscate and take that which does not belong to them with impunity? The little that we have, our liberty, and our right to chose? We sincerely hope you come to a decision soon and that compassion guides your motives although it may seem out of date these days. Please release the gold and money which is unjustly held by Bank Negara so that we can move on with our lives. We thank you again Tan Sri Zeti, for giving attention to this matter. Sincerely, Genneva Malaysia Supporters http://www.facebook.com/GennevaMalaysiaSupporters |
| Chinese are inherently racist (or more appropriately supremacist)! Posted: 31 Oct 2012 05:47 PM PDT
Chinese are just supremacists. They think they are better than everyone and anything else including the Malays and Islam. This just pisses the Malays off. To Malays, Islam is top and many feel that they would die for it but the Chinese never show deference to any religion. Religion is just a sideshow to the Chinese even with all their superstitions. By AsamLaksa Before I go any further let me set down the ground rules. My opinion in this piece is based on the population/community level and not on the individual level of Chinese. So do not point out that so and so is a Chinese and is not racist because I do not care about any individual. It is like with health where on a population level obesity risks many health problems but there are individual obese people who are actually healthy. Now let me begin my opinion piece. I am Chinese by race. Both parents are Chinese, 3rd and 4th generation overseas Chinese. I grew up in a Chinese majority locality in Penang. I studied in classes with 70-90% Chinese student make up even though it is not a Chinese vernacular school. Then I went to the West for tertiary education. As I was growing up in Malaysia the theme among the Chinese community is that the Malays are lazy and stupid. Sure you can be nice to them because they are nice to you but when the Malays do business they are nowhere as capable. We all laughed at how Malays do their work. We laughed like we knew all that is to know and filled ourselves up with a sense of superiority. We are better. We are smarter. When we grow up we would fly to the moon while they will still tanam padi. Hahahahaha *choke* Then I went to the West and met more Chinese from various countries be it from China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore or Taiwan and the theme is still the same, this time replace the Malays with the locals which are the Westerners. We asked why are the West so great when every appliance they use are from China? We saw so many top students in university who are from Chinese stock. We asked why were there so many unemployed stupid white people? We were shocked by the extravagance of the Western governments in social spending on stupid white people. We laughed ourselves silly with ideas of the ascendency of China as a superpower and Singapore as the Utopia of free market economics. I laughed with them. Till reality sinks in. Till I saw how hollow it all was. Till I saw how sad and sickly the Chinese are. Many Malaysian political commentators urge Malaysians, especially the non-Malays to understand the Malays so that the various races in Malaysia may engage and work together for a common good. But what many commentators failed to seek is to understand the non-Malays and bring it out in the open. Inter-racial understanding must come from all parties not just one to foster trust. Without serious efforts to understand the largest minority in Malaysia, you are shooting yourself in the foot. So I come back to the title: Chinese are inherently racists (or more appropriately supremacist)! Many political comments wrongly perceive that the Chinese are anti-Islam and anti-Malay. The truth is that Chinese could not give a damn about the position of Islam and the Malays. They did not give a damn about the status of Islam in the constitution in the infancy of the nation. They did not make much of a fuss of the celebration of Malay culture. Chinese are just supremacists. They think they are better than everyone and anything else including the Malays and Islam. This just pisses the Malays off. To Malays, Islam is top and many feel that they would die for it but the Chinese never show deference to any religion. Religion is just a sideshow to the Chinese even with all their superstitions. The main act for the Chinese is economic wealth. Everyone knows this. Wealth = power and security. Every Chinese parent drill the need for wealth into their children, not necessarily to become super rich but wealthy to lead a comfortable life. Thus the Chinese regard any person according to their wealth. In their minds if you are great then you must be wealthy. This quest for wealth afflicts the Chinese society as a whole in comparison with the West where you have the super-rich coming from a society that believes in social equality. This never-ending thirst for wealth led to the dearth of morals. The Chinese are very flexible in accepting how a person made their wealth. Yes, very very flexible. Cut to the chase – wealth is what matters, not how it was made. Thus as much as the anti-UMNO lobby says that UMNO is evil, they can't hide from the fact that the Chinese is no better as behind every corrupt Malay politician is a Chinese. But the Malays perceive this. Thus you can scream all you want about corrupt Malay politicians and the Malays won't buy it. The Chinese generally do not care if others struggle. It is the economic reality for them that the rich needs to exploit the poor to become richer. And they have the gall to blame the poor for being lazy and stupid when they do little to help the poor! Education is a top priority to the Chinese not as a means to improve society but to ensure wealth. Thus the graduates will gravitate to where they can make the most wealth. They are not sorry to migrate nor are they fighting for more space in the Malaysian civil services. They blame the racist Malaysian government policies in recruitment but never made a fuss about it for years! The truth is that most civil service jobs won't make you rich. In fact they'd make more money in free enterprise thus it wasn't a big deal to begin with. This is what others would see in the Chinese. Again I reiterate that there are many Chinese who are benevolent just like many people of other backgrounds are. But as a community, the Chinese appear to be selfish, amoral, racist and greedy. Some claim that Malaysia is an ideal of a multicultural country and I strongly disagree. I say Malaysia could be the ideal of a multicultural country. It's all about living in harmony in Malaysia but each to their own devices and cannot find a common goal to aim for. I find that some countries in the West are better at uniting the different communities in creating a better nation with rights for the people and care for the needy. They may not be rich but the people are better cared for. In Malaysia you may be rich but still not cared much for (such as protection from crime). I shudder for the next generation of mindlessly laughing Malaysian Chinese. I am not particularly anti-Chinese; I just think that the Chinese need to change attitudes towards others. I repeat my call again for all Malaysians to engage with one another. Try to understand each other. Unite under a good common goal. It is the people who have the power. All politicians be it BN or PR will attempt to divide and rule. It is their nature to preserve their power thus stopping the rakyat from asking the right questions. What are your common goals and what is getting in the way? |
| Servant Leadership – Serve to Lead Posted: 31 Oct 2012 05:39 PM PDT
The modern servant leadership movement was launched by Robert Greenleaf in his 1970 essay, "The Servant as Leader" whereby he popularized the terms "servant-leader" and "servant leadership." Greenleaf expanded on this concept by publishing additional essays on the various attributes of servant leadership. Lt Cmdr (R) John Moi Servant Leadership? The answer to the world's leadership issues? "Everything rises or falls on leadership." (Author unknown) Servant Leadership is simply applying leadership principles by serving others before self. It is a philosophy and practice of leadership that achieves results for their organizations by giving priority attention to the needs of their counterparts and those they serve. In another simple interpretation, servant-leaders are said to be serving stewards of their organization's resources be it physically, financial or human. Concept of Servant Leadership The modern servant leadership movement was launched by Robert Greenleaf in his 1970 essay, "The Servant as Leader" whereby he popularized the terms "servant-leader" and "servant leadership." Greenleaf expanded on this concept by publishing additional essays on the various attributes of servant leadership. After his passing in 1990, the concept has been developed by other writers such as William George, James Autry, Ken Blanchard, Jim Hunter, George Sanfacon and Larry Spears, just to name a few of the more well-known ones. Interestingly in Malaysia, the Royal Military College carry in its motto, "Serve to Lead" way back in the founding year of 1952! Qualities of being a Servant Leader Larry Spears, who was once the "chief steward" of the Greenleaf Centre for Servant Leadership for more than 17 years, described the ten characteristics of servant leaders which are:
Some historical perspectives of Servant Leadership In the 4th century B.C, Chanakya wrote in his book, Arthashastra: "The king (leader) shall consider as good, not what pleases himself but what pleases his subjects (followers). The king (leader) is a paid servant and enjoys the resources of the state together with the people." In the Tao Te Ching according to the Chinese sage, Lao-Tzu who is believed to have lived in China sometime between 570 and 490 B.C. said: "The highest type of ruler is one of whose existence the people are barely aware. Next comes one whom they despise and defy. When you are lacking in faith, others will be unfaithful to you. The Sage is self-effacing and scanty of words. When his or her tasks are accomplished and things have been completed, all the people say, we ourselves have achieved it." According to the Bible, Jesus urged his followers to be servants first. He specifically told his followers: "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave – just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." (Matthew 20:25-28 and Mark 10:42-45) In an awesome model of servant-leader, Jesus washed the feet of his disciples, as an example of the way in which they were to serve each other. (John 13:12-15) The Prophet Muhamad (SAW) said, "A ruler who has been entrusted with the affairs of the Muslims, but makes no endeavours (for their material and moral upliftment) and is not sincerely concerned (for their welfare) will not enter Paradise along with them." (Sahih Muslim) The Sikhs also have among these, words of wisdom on leadership: "One should first instruct and discipline one's own mind, and then persuade the others to follow." (Asa, M.5) "He who instructs the others in the laws which he himself does not obey, is born only to die; he comes and he goes." (Gauri Sukhmani, M.5) Modern perspectives of Servant Leadership Greenleaf, in his essay has this to say about the servant-leader: "The servant-leader begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve first the followers and believes that leading is a by-product of serving, whereas the leader-first believes that one is call to lead by being served and supported by followers." The cynical view is that unless the leaders take the initiative to serve the followers, the followers will not listen to the leaders who have not proven themselves by serving the followers first. Such are the expectations in this enlightened age! Sita-pati das (all credits unto him) in his commentary on Chapter One - 45 of Bhagavad-gita (On Leadership): "Sanjaya said; Arjuna, having thus spoken on the battlefield, cast aside his bow and arrows and sat down on the chariot, his mind overwhelmed with grief." Sita commented that Arjuna is in a clear dilemma. In neither case can he see a good outcome. Either he fights and wins in which case he kills his family members, the family tradition is destroyed and society is irreparably damaged, or else he is killed with the same destruction of the family tradition. He reasons that the best course of action would be to die unresisting and in this way preserve the family tradition. Servant Leadership commentary by Sita: These are all characteristic sentiments of an authentic leader. An authentic leader is a SERVANT of the people and is aligned with and serving something greater than himself or herself. Models of Servant Leadership It can be said that some, if not most, leadership writers see servant leadership as an esoteric philosophy of leadership supported by specific aspects and practices. Dr. Kent Keith, the current CEO of the Greenleaf Centre and the author of "The Case for Servant Leadership" states that servant leadership is practical, ethical and meaningful. He further identifies seven key practices of servant leaders:
Servant Leadership is best summed up by its emphasis on collaboration, trust, empathy and the ethical use of power and leadership. Servant leadership is all about making the conscious decision to serve by leading in order to better serve others (followers) and to enhance the growth of individuals and the servant leaders themselves in the organization to improve teamwork and respective involvement. (See illustrated model(s) of Servant Leadership for clarity)
"Serve to Lead" best summarizes all you need to know about servant leadership! Note: Lt Cmdr (R) John Moi is a freelance writer and editor. An advocate of Scripture to business (S2b), he can be reached at johnnymoi7@yahoo.com |
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