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Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News


When nothing works, do nothing

Posted: 07 Sep 2012 04:37 PM PDT

But Dr Mahathir is old and senile. Nik Aziz is a country bumpkin. Saudi Arabia is crazy. It is our civil right to watch porn. No one should stop us from watching porn. So we have children also watching porn. But that is the price of freedom of information. There should be no censorship.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

More than 11 years ago, back in early 2001, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad explained why Malaysia needs a detention without trial law.

The Internal Security Act (ISA) is a preventive law, explained Dr Mahathir. It is a law that makes it possible to detain people before they commit a crime. If they have already committed a crime then they can be arrested and charged in court.

But it is better to detain these people before they commit a crime, Dr Mathathir said. Once they have already committed the crime they would probably be far away from the scene of the crime and would have escaped by the time the police arrive.

Even if they are arrested and charged they may get off. Maybe there is not enough evidence to get a conviction or a smart lawyer would get them acquitted. Hence, even if they are arrested, there is no guarantee they would be punished.

This makes the ISA necessary, said Dr Mahathir. People can be detained even before they commit a crime. Even while they are still thinking of committing a crime they can already be detained. Once they have committed a crime the damage would have already be done. Better we prevent the damage before it happens.

Then 911 happened. And this allowed Dr Mahathir to gloat and tell us 'I told you so'.

Our Twin Towers is still standing because Malaysia has a detention without trial law, said Dr Mahathir. The US does not have such a law so their Twin Towers is gone. That shows how useful the ISA is to preserve peace, order and stability. The US too needs a preventive detention law like Malaysia, Dr Mahathir counselled that great power.

Then the US 'followed' Malaysia's 'advice' by introducing their version of a detention without trial law. And the western countries too started embarking on preventive detention. They detained suspected terrorists who had yet to commit any crime but were suspected of planning or thinking of committing a crime.

So the world proved Dr Mahathir right in the end.

And now we find that adults who have sex with children escape punishment. Then we say that Malaysia's legal system stinks. People who should be punished are not punished and people who should not be punished are punished. It is the world upside down. And, of course, we are not happy about this.

So what do we do? Do we detain without trial people who are suspected of planning to commit a crime or do we wait until they do commit the crime and then arrest and charge them and see them get acquitted and escape punishment?

Then we have people like Tok Guru Nik Aziz Nik Mat who says that boys and girls (or men and women) should not be allowed to mix freely. In fact, countries like Saudi Arabia do not allow girls or women to leave the house unless escorted or chaperoned by male members of their family. This is to prevent girls or women from being raped or duped into having sex with horny male predators.

But we call Nik Aziz an idiot and Saudi Arabia a backward country. We do not want segregation of the sexes or separate swimming pools and checkout counters for males and females. We want males and females the freedom to mix and not having to endure forced segregation by the state.

Yes, we want this and we want that. We want everything. We also want race-free political parties that will uphold the interest of our race. Hmm…that sounds like we want virgin prostitutes.

Then we have a 14-year old girl who has sex with a 13-year old boy. Do we now charge the girl for sex with a minor since she is one-year older than the boy? Or will this apply only if an 18-year old girl has sex with a 17-year old boy and then the 18-year old girl gets sent to jail in the interest of the 17-year old boy?

But it was the boy who seduced the girl. So how can the girl be punished? Yes, but it is the age that counts. And since the girl is older than the boy then she and not the boy has to be punished.

But why, in the first place, do children of 12 or 13 have sex? Well, this could be because children of nine or ten have access to the Internet and they get to see porn on the Internet. So they want to try out all those exciting things they see every day on the Internet.

So it is the Internet then that has to be blamed? Or is it because boys and girls or men and women are allowed to mix freely? Would barring girls from leaving the house without a chaperone or having separate swimming pools and checkout counters for males and females help? Or do we just arrest more people and charge them in court and see them get acquitted and go unpunished?

Phew…what a dilemma we are facing. Then Dr Mahathir comes out and makes a statement that the Internet needs to be regulated. Then we whack Dr Mahathir and call him all sorts of names.

But there is just too much porn on the Internet, argues Dr Mahathir. We are allowing children to see things they should not be allowed to see. And if we allow children free access to porn sites then they might want to try what they see on the Internet. And then we will have children indulging in sex.

But Dr Mahathir is old and senile. Nik Aziz is a country bumpkin. Saudi Arabia is crazy. It is our civil right to watch porn. No one should stop us from watching porn. So we have children also watching porn. But that is the price of freedom of information. There should be no censorship.

Okay, the downside is children who watch porn indulge in sex. But we do not agree to chaperoning girls or women. We also do not agree to segregation of the sexes. We want more policemen on the streets arresting adults who have sex with children and strict judges who are prepared to send these people to jail. And if a 19-year old girl has sex with a 17-year old boy then the girl must be locked up even if it was the boy who seduced the girl.

And since Barisan Nasional cannot do this then we must kick out Barisan Nasional and replace the government with Pakatan Rakyat. And how will Pakatan Rakyat solve this problem that Barisan Nasional cannot?

That is not important. What is important is we gave Barisan Nasional 55 years and they could not solve the problem. No doubt Pakatan Rakyat has not told us yet how they are going to solve the problem that Barisan Nasional could not solve. But we will talk about that later. Let's vote them into office first and then we will discuss how Pakatan Rakyat is going to solve the problem that Barisan Nasional cannot solve.

Maybe we will do what Dr Mahathir suggests. Maybe we will listen to Nik Aziz. Maybe we will follow what Saudi Arabia does. Maybe we can show children various verses of the Qur'an and Bible that say sex outside marriage is forbidden and that they will go to hell if they violate God's command. Maybe we can detain without trial suspected sex offenders before they commit a crime. Or maybe we will do nothing and the problem will just continue. But let's vote first and find out later.

 

Till death do us part

Posted: 06 Sep 2012 06:57 PM PDT

I have to admit that I have changed my position on the issue of Islamic State a number of times. In the beginning, in my disco days, I was opposed to an Islamic State. Later in life (during my mosque days) I was excited about it. I even joined the Iranians in Mekah to demonstrate against the Saudi Arabian government. And I had a poster of Imam Khomeini on my wall as well. Later, I again changed my position. Today, I no longer feel that an Islamic State would work. And I have written about this many times giving my reasons why I think this.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

"Till death do us part," goes the marriage vows. But in many cases that never happens. In the US, about 40% of marriages end in divorce whereas in the UK it is slightly lower.

Whatever it may be, an average of more than one-third of marriages in the US and UK does not end with the death of one of the partners. It ends earlier than that and the divorce rate for second and thirds marriages is even higher, according to the statistics.

I suppose people change. Interests change. Priorities change. Age sometimes also plays a part. As we get older we change our mind or our value system. Sometimes familiarity breeds contempt. There could be many reasons or a combination of reasons as to why some couples are just not able to keep their marriage vows.

Or it could be because you got tired of eating curry every day and now you want to change your diet and taste some tom yam. Some people tell me that when you eat curry at home every day you sometimes want to go out for some tom yam. The only thing is, don't get caught lest your wife does a 'Bobbit' on you.

Change is the only thing that is constant, if you know what I mean. In my younger days, I used to love going to discos (what kids nowadays call clubbing). By the time I was 27, I preferred to spend my time at the mosque listening to the ustaz preach religion.

Another 27 years later -- by the time I was 54 (that was eight years ago) -- I got bored with the same old sermons. We appeared to be going nowhere with all this talk regarding rukun and hukum. I wanted to know more, not just about batal wuduk, batal puasa, batal sembahyang, hukum nikah, hukum cerai, and whatnot. So I stopped going to the mosque to listen to sermons that I had been hearing for more than half my life and which I already knew by heart and could utter in my sleep.

I suppose this is what the journey of life is all about. As you travel farther down the road you begin to see things differently and this changes you and the way you look at things. And when you reach the forks or junctions in your life you may decide to take the left lane rather than the right lane, as you have been doing so many times before.

I mean, when you keep taking the same right lane every time and you find that the scenery does not change you might, out of curiosity, decide this time to try the left lane to see what happens. Then you discover that the left lane actually offers the answers to the questions you have been asking for decades but never found the answers to.

It is no different in politics. Anwar Ibrahim, in his secondary school days, was fiercely anti-British. Considering that Malaya (not even 'Malaysia' yet at that time) had just gained independence barely three years before that, this is not surprising. The Merdeka spirit still burned very strongly in many people in 1960, Anwar included.

But as we got farther and farther away from 1957, Merdeka got reduced to something that we read in the history books. Why did Anwar need to continue screaming about Merdeka when we were already Merdeka? Anwar then began to talk about Malay nationalism. And with that he talked about the Malay language and why Malay should replace English, even for the street names.

Anwar's nationalist fight from 1968 to 1971 was through the Persatuan Kebangsaan Pelajar Islam Malaysia (PKPIM) and the Persatuan Bahasa Melayu Universiti Malaya (PBMUM).

Thereafter, Mountbatten Road got changed to Jalan Mountbatten and eventually to Jalan Tun Perak. Birch Road (named after the eighth Resident of Perak, Sir Ernest Woodford Birch) was renamed Jalan Birch and again to Jalan Maharajalela -- named after the man who killed James Wheeler Woodford Birch (the first Resident of Perak) -- and many more all over the country.

In 1974, Anwar was detained under the Internal Security Act. Not long after that, Anwar became an Islamist and started to fight for more Islamisation through the Angkatan Belia Islam Malaysia (ABIM), which was formed in 1972. In those days, Anwar worked very closely with the Islamic party, PAS, and was a strong supporter of the Iranian Islamic Revolution of 1979, as was I.

In 1982, Anwar did a U-turn and, again, became a Malay nationalist when he joined Umno.

I must admit that in the early 1960s I disagreed with Anwar's anti-British and pro-Malay language stand. But after he got released from ISA and became an active Islamist around 1976-1977 (by then I was already an Islamist myself, as I explained above), I did a U-turn and supported him. I would attend most of the rallies that PAS organised in the East Coast where Anwar was a speaker.

But when Anwar joined Umno in 1982, I washed my hands off him. There was one occasion when he flew to Kuala Terengganu with his Umno Youth entourage and I completely ignored him although I was seated right behind him in the plane. By the way, he also ignored me, so it was mutual.

Then, of course, that brings us to 1998, but I have already told that story so many times before so maybe it is not necessary that I talk about it again. Suffice to say, in 1998, I forgave Anwar for his betrayal and rallied behind him in support of Reformasi.

But that only lasted six years. In 2004, I again 'divorced' Anwar and chose to fight my own battle through Malaysia Today, although I still aligned myself to the opposition, in particular DAP, who I campaigned for in 2008.

Sometimes marriages last. Sometimes they do not. In the US and the UK more than one-third of marriages do not. But it happens and even the 'till death do us part' vow uttered in church do get broken. Nevertheless, when the relationship no longer works you need to just move on and look for a new relationship. Even then there is no guarantee that the next one will work.

Will, under such a situation, an anti-hopping law work? Is it even democratic in the first place? What about freedom of association, as enshrined in the Constitution? Do we remove that Article that guarantees all Malaysians freedom of association? Basically, that is what it would tantamount to.

Say, you are a member of DAP. And, say, DAP agrees to hold a referendum on whether Malaysia should be turned into an Islamic State with the Islamic law of Hudud as the law of the land. And, also say, DAP agrees that if 51% of Malaysians vote in favour of turning Malaysia into an Islamic State then DAP will not oppose it.

Would you agree to that? Would you be of the opinion that the voting will be clean and honest and that there will be no rigging? Would you accept whatever the outcome of the referendum because it is your party's decision and you will not oppose your party's decision although you are opposed to an Islamic State?  Or would you want the freedom of resigning from DAP because you are of the opinion that an Islamic State will not work for Malaysia?

I have to admit that I have changed my position on the issue of Islamic State a number of times. In the beginning, in my disco days, I was opposed to an Islamic State. Later in life (during my mosque days) I was excited about it. I even joined the Iranians in Mekah to demonstrate against the Saudi Arabian government. And I had a poster of Imam Khomeini on my wall as well. Later, I again changed my position. Today, I no longer feel that an Islamic State would work. And I have written about this many times giving my reasons why I think this.

Yes, changing your position does happen. And you may have reasons for that although others may not share these reasons. But this is what democracy is all about -- the right to change your mind and your position. Hence, if this right is taken away from you, then democracy itself has been removed.

Anwar has changed his position a few times, as have I. But to condemn Anwar for his ever-changing position when he has every democratic right to change his views (as he gets older) is a violation of these rights. We all change, as we get older.

My friend from DAP, YB Ronnie Liu, used to be a Communist in his younger days. But weren't many of us Communists when we were younger, me included? In fact, I still buy and wear Che Guevara T-shirts even until today. However, as we mature and as we lose some at that idealism, we begin to change. Today, Ronnie is as Communist as Madonna is a virgin.

In short, till death do us part is a fallacy. And even the Catholic Church has had to reluctantly accept this reality. But would a Catholic cease to be a Catholic just because he or she broke her marriage vow of 'till death do us part'?

 

The Istana influence in politics

Posted: 03 Sep 2012 06:56 PM PDT

The Istana influence in politics and elections should not be downplayed or underestimated. Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah understood this well when he said that the Rulers are the symbol of kedaulatan Melayu. Hitting out at the Rulers would be as 'criminal' as someone stepping on the Malaysian flag. What harm is there in stepping on the Malaysian flag? Has anything been lost?

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

Malaysia's 1990 general election was the worst election performance for the ruling party since 1969. Barisan Nasional won only 53.4% of the votes and 70.55% of the seats. The opposition, which won 46.6% of the votes, performed almost as good as it did in 2008 when it garnered 46.76% of the popular votes. The biggest blow to the ruling party, however, was that it got massacred in the state of Kelantan, which fell to the opposition and has remained opposition ever since.

DAP, which for the first time was in a loose coalition with Semangat 46 -- called Gagasan Rakyat -- won 20 Parliament seats. PBS, another Semangat 46 'partner' in Sabah, won 14 seats while the Angkatan Perpaduan Ummah or APU coalition with PAS won 15 Parliament seats plus the Kelantan State Assembly.

Now, what is so special about the 1990 general election?

1990 was the first general election after the (second) Constitutional Crisis of the 1980s (there were two incidences in the 1980s but Umno lost the first one and won the second one). And in that Constitutional Crisis Annuar Musa, the Umno Chief for Kelantan, called the Kelantan Sultan stupid in a speech he delivered in Kelantan while Anwar Ibrahim called His Highness a smuggler (regarding the Lamborghini incident).

This infuriated the Sultan who openly declared war on Umno and which resulted in Umno getting whacked big-time. Even Umno members voted opposition in huge numbers.

Since then both Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Umno have learned their lesson. The Monarchy may be only a Constitutional Monarchy and without executive powers, and some may even view the Monarchy as outdated and no longer relevant, but the Malays still regard the Monarchy as a 'sacred cow' that should not be dragged though the mud -- just like how they feel about Islam, the Malay language and kedaulatan Melayu.

No doubt 'modern' Malaysians cannot grasp this 'weird' sentiment and they just do not understand why those 'old' values can still have a bearing on how Malays vote. This is, of course, a very 'rural' thing -- hence urban Malaysians would not understand this. But if you have lived in a kampong, like I did for 20 years from 1974-1994, then you will appreciate how the Malay mind works and what makes them tick.

I mean, you may not see the significance of Malay 'values' just like how Malays would not understand the significance of the colour red over white when you hand out ang pows during Chinese New Year. Every ethnicity has strange 'values' that the others do not understand.

The Istana influence in politics and elections should not be downplayed or underestimated. Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah understood this well when he said that the Rulers are the symbol of kedaulatan Melayu. Hitting out at the Rulers would be as 'criminal' as someone stepping on the Malaysian flag. What harm is there in stepping on the Malaysian flag? Has anything been lost?

It is not the physical loss that people are concerned about but the significance or symbolism of that act. Stepping on the Malaysian flag means pissing on Malaysia. Hence 'stepping' on the Rulers (Raja-Raja Melayu) also means pissing on the Malays.

Strange, don't you think so? I suppose no stranger than believing that white envelopes bring bad luck while red envelopes will make you rich and prosperous -- or that giving someone money in a white envelope during Chinese New Year equates to pissing on the Chinese. And isn't the crucifix also about symbolism? If not then why can't Muslims wear a crucifix? What 'physical' harm does it do?

I cautioned my friends in the DAP (YB Ronnie Liu can conform this) that the Selangor State Government has to step very cautiously when dealing with the Rulers. You can't always say yes, no doubt, I told Ronnie. Sometimes you may need to say no. But you must know the 'correct' way of saying no so that 'no' is not taken as a rebuke or a snub.

And that is the most difficult thing whenever protocol is involved. And proper protocol 'education' is not something you are born with. It is something you acquire along the way. Even the underworld has certain protocol, which you need to observe. Just walking requires protocol as well because walking side-by-side, walking in front, and walking behind, mean different things and will send different messages (read: Rosmah Mansor).

But observing proper protocol requires putting aside egos. Observing proper protocol is an admission that you are subservient to convention. Walking upright into a room where an elder or senior is seated or walking slightly 'bent' means two different things. Gesturing or pointing with your finger and gesturing or pointing with your thumb also means two different things.

Those of you who complain that you were extorted or beaten up by triad members back in your schooldays in the 1960s probably failed to understand the importance of protocol -- the correct and incorrect hand gestures, when to and when not to have eye-to-eye contact, etc.

Yes, even the underworld practices protocol, as does the Istana. And if you need to deal with the Istana you had better learn the proper manners or else limit your dealings as far as possible. Of course, when you are in government this is not always a choice open to you.

I know…I know…many of you are now going to say that you don't care a damn and that this is so feudalistic and outdated and whatnot. That is well and fine maybe from where you sit. But when the majority of the Malays are still feudalistic and when many of the seats are Malay-majority seats it matters. And let us not discover the hard way like Umno did in 1990 that what they thought does not matter, in fact, does matter and then we pay a heavy price for our arrogance and ignorance.

Oh, and one more thing, Anwar Ibrahim, alongside Dr Mahathir, of course, is viewed as an enemy of the Monarchy. Hence it is even more important for Anwar to not rub the Istana the wrong way. Between Najib Tun Razak -- an 'orang Istana' -- and Anwar, the Rulers would rather see Najib as Prime Minister. So be warned.

 

THE ANTI-MONARCHISTS OF THE 1980S CONSTITUTIONAL CRISIS

 

Remember we did this in primary school?

Posted: 03 Sep 2012 04:11 PM PDT

Do you remember back in primary school when we were still kids and when we quarrelled we would 'step on your father's head'? We did this by throwing a piece of paper on the ground and then declaring that it was the head of our enemy's father before we stepped on it. After more than 50 years we are still doing that. Actually, we have never really grown up much even though we may have grown old. Our body became big but our brain remains tiny.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

 

 

Let the pictures do the talking

Posted: 02 Sep 2012 02:39 PM PDT

Many accuse me of being cheong hei. Well, today I am not going to write anything. Instead I am just going to show you some pictures and see if you are smart enough to get the message. If not then never mind.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

 

Relative to time and place

Posted: 01 Sep 2012 05:52 PM PDT

Hence we are no different now than we were hundreds of years ago. We pick and choose as to what is right/moral and what is wrong/immoral. We discard religion and apply 'modern standards' for some things (such as slavery and age of consent) but in other matters we use religion as the standard (such as what religion you must follow).

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

Can we be good without God? At first the answer to this question may seem so obvious that even to pose it arouses indignation. For while those of us who are Christian theists undoubtedly find in God a source of moral strength and resolve which enables us to live lives that are better than those we should live without Him, nevertheless it would seem arrogant and ignorant to claim that those who do not share a belief in God do not often live good moral lives--indeed, embarrassingly, lives that sometimes put our own to shame.

But wait. It would, indeed, be arrogant and ignorant to claim that people cannot be good without belief in God. But that was not the question. The question was: can we be good without God? When we ask that question, we are posing in a provocative way the meta-ethical question of the objectivity of moral values. Are the values we hold dear and guide our lives by mere social conventions akin to driving on the left versus right side of the road or mere expressions of personal preference akin to having a taste for certain foods or not? Or are they valid independently of our apprehension of them, and if so, what is their foundation? Moreover, if morality is just a human convention, then why should we act morally, especially when it conflicts with self-interest? Or are we in some way held accountable for our moral decisions and actions?

Today I want to argue that if God exists, then the objectivity of moral values, moral duties, and moral accountability is secured, but that in the absence of God, that is, if God does not exist, then morality is just a human convention, that is to say, morality is wholly subjective and non-binding. We might act in precisely the same ways that we do in fact act, but in the absence of God, such actions would no longer count as good (or evil), since if God does not exist, objective moral values do not exist. Thus, we cannot truly be good without God. On the other hand, if we do believe that moral values and duties are objective, that provides moral grounds for believing in God.

Dr. William Lane Craig

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

That was just three paragraphs of a long thesis by Dr. William Lane Craig, which I had to read for my Philosophy of Religion course. Basically, we were going through the various arguments to support the belief regarding the existence of God and one of those arguments was that God certainly has to exist since God is the source of morality. Hence, since morality exists then God definitely has to exist.

Hence, also, we know what is right and what is wrong because God 'tells' us what is right and what is wrong (or implants in us the notion of right and wrong) and if there were no God then we would not know what is right and what is wrong. (Note: this is just one of the various arguments that theists use to support the view that God exists).

In my essay, I disagreed with this 'popular' view based on the argument that right and wrong are relative to time and place and are dynamic, not static. In other words, the definition of right and wrong changes over time and over regions. There would certainly be a very long list of examples to emphasis this point but let us take just a few. Slavery would be one example. At one time slavery was considered right anywhere in the world. Today, slavery is considered wrong, but only is some parts of the world.

Do you know that as recent as just before Merdeka slavery still existed in Malaya? I am not going to go into details lest I embarrass certain members of the Royal Family but just let me summarise it by saying that many of my 'adopted cousins' would be considered slaves by western standards (and I emphasis 'western standards')?

In fact, J.W.W. Birch, the first British Resident of Perak, was killed in Pasir Salak on 2nd November 1875 because of his opposition to slavery. Birch had attempted to ban slave trading in Perak and the slave traders, basically the elite of the Perak ruling hierarchy, got rid of him.

It took another 100 years before slavery really ended and I was already around to see it before it ended. No doubt this is never discussed (for obvious reasons) and Malaysians generally are not aware of this scourge. And it was not just the Malays who were guilty of this; let me assure you of that.

The point I want to make, though, is that slavery, which is considered wrong, would only be wrong depending on the time and place you happened to be living in. So, are you sure that wrong is wrong? Could it not actually be right? And does right become wrong only because you happen to live in a certain region and in a certain time and that if you lived somewhere else and in another time this would be right rather than wrong?

Hence, my conclusion in the essay which I wrote was that right and wrong is relative. And since it is relative, how can morality come from God? If morality came from God then it would not change over time and region. It would be static, not dynamic. So, if you use morality to argue the existence of God, then God cannot exist because morality does not exist.

Now, when I say 'morality does not exist' I mean it in the sense that what is moral to one person may be immoral to another. Having four wives would be considered immoral, as would be the case for keeping mistresses. But that would only be immoral now, and in western society. In Muslim countries, for example, that is not immoral. So, again, time and place decides what is moral and what is immoral.

Take the definition of children, as another example. A couple of hundreds of years ago, 'children' were those who had not reached puberty yet (or girls who are yet to get their period). In 1212, tens of thousands of boys and girls aged 9-13 were sent to the Crusades. (Read 'La croisade des enfants' [The Children's Crusade] 1896, by Marcel Schwob).

Today, these 9-13-year old boys and girls are considered children but back then they were adults and old enough to be sent to fight against the Muslims. Incidentally, none of them returned home.

Hence even the definition of children changed over time and place and today sex with a 13-year old girl is considered a crime (immoral) because at 13 she is classified as still a child. In the past, though, at 13, a girl was not only old enough to get married but also old enough (moral) to be sent to war and to die for Christ.

But times have changed. Today we no longer use religion's definition of adult to classify children as adults. Today we use man-made laws and not God's law to define adults as those above 18 while those below 18 are considered still children -- although in the past a girl of 18 would be considerer too old and her chances of getting a husband at that age would be reduced drastically.

I am okay with that, though. I realise that slavery is now no-go and adults would legally be those above 18 (even though slavery is still legal in Islam). No longer can we use old standards and yardsticks. All those old values used to determine morality need to be discarded in favour of modern standards.

My only question is why is this limited to just some things? In the past, children of 13 were considered adults and at the same time children had to follow the religion of their parents. If they did not they would be killed as apostates. Apostasy, in short, was punishable by death.

Today, we ban the practice of classifying 13-year olds as adults. You need to be 18 to be an adult (in England, you can't even buy cigarettes and liquor). But we do not ban the practice of forcing children to follow the religion of their parents. Children must follow the religion of their parents or would otherwise be punished.

Hence we are no different now than we were hundreds of years ago. We pick and choose as to what is right/moral and what is wrong/immoral. We discard religion and apply 'modern standards' for some things (such as slavery and age of consent) but in other matters we use religion as the standard (such as what religion you must follow).

So, when you say this is right or that is wrong, or this is moral and that is immoral, whose standard are you applying? My standard? Your standard? Society's standard? Religious standard? Western standard? Constitutional standard? Which one?

You argue one point using one standard and another point using a different standard. You decide right and wrong and moral and immoral using what you believe to be right/moral or wrong/immoral. And you expect me to lead my life according to the standards you have drawn up.

If we wish to set certain standards and pass a law that 13 is no longer the age of consent and that an adult is someone who is 18 that is acceptable to me. In fact, that may be good. We redefine right/wrong and moral/immoral. But we should not stop there. There are many other so-called wrongs and immoralities that also need to be addressed.

And one such 'old value' that is just as outdated as classifying 13-year olds as adults is to use religious values to interfere in how I wish to lead my life. That is as outdated as sending 9-13 year olds to die in a war or to get them married off before they reach 15-16 and thus become too old to get married.

 

By whose interpretation?

Posted: 29 Aug 2012 06:42 PM PDT

Why does the age of the person determine which court has jurisdiction over cases involving illicit sex or zina? Do you mean to tell me that if you are not yet 18 then you are not yet a Muslim? Only when you reach 18 you become a Muslim? Can those under 18, therefore, drink and eat pork and go to church since you are not yet a Muslim and the Sharia court has no power over you until you touch 18?

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

You may have noticed that I have not written a thing regarding former national youth squad bowler Noor Afizal Azizan's statutory rape case.

First of all, I thought that since every man and his dog was already talking about it you don't really need me to comment as well. I mean it is not quite the untold story that I normally like to dabble in. It is more like the 'over-told' story.

Furthermore, do you really need more 'noise'? There is such a thing called overkill and flogging a dead horse (an idiom). There is also such a thing called information overload, which makes people lethargic and sometimes immune to the issue. Hence 'too much' can be counter-productive.

Secondly, this appears to have turned into an opposition crusade, which is bad. Once it is perceived as a political issue rather than an issue of justice, people become divided on the issue based on political leanings and not because it is either the right thing or the wrong thing. People will oppose right or support wrong if the criteria is politics. Take crossovers as one example.

Anyway, what is my take on the issue?

Okay, are you outraged about the court's decision because you are an opposition supporter or because it is morally (or legally) wrong to not classify the case as statutory rape instead of consensual sex? (Note that even some of those in government feel the same way as you do although they speak 'gentler' in expressing their view and without the venom).

I think a more important question would be are you capable of setting aside politics when you talk about this issue -- or any issue for that matter that involves justice, civil liberties, etc? Can we leave our Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat hats outside the door and come to the table as Malaysians of common interests and concerns?

That is the one thing we find most difficult to do. It is always politics first and everything else second, even in matters such as Hudud, which is supposed to be above politics but is not.

Okay, so a man (or boy) has sex with an underage girl. My first question would be: are the men/boy and girl Muslims? If they are then this is zina (illicit sex or sex outside marriage). And is not zina a crime under the Sharia (Islamic law)? Hence should not the boy and girl be tried under the Sharia?

If the man/boy and girl were both above 18 they would have been brought to the Sharia court. Why are they not brought to the Sharia court just because one or both are below 18?

In Islam, the 'age of consent' would be the age of puberty. For girls that would be once she gets her period and that could even be when she is nine years old. According to the Hadith Sahih al-Bukhari, the Prophet Muhammad married Aishah when she was six but did not 'take her' until she was nine. And aren't Muslims supposed to believe in and strictly follow the Hadith and Sunnah or else they cease to be Muslims and would become kafir (infidels).

Hence if the girl is 13 and she already has her period, is she legally (in Islam, that is) a woman who can consent to sex or is she still a child? And hence, also, since she is a Muslim and 'legally a woman', is she accountable for her 'crime' of consenting to sex or is she blameless? In other words, if the Sharia court were to try them, would both be on trial or only the man/boy?

Okay, we can argue that the Sharia court does not come into play here. This matter does not involve the Sharia court.

Why not? If Muslims above 18 'get caught' for illicit sex they get dragged to the Sharia court. The common law court has no power to try Muslim adults who have sex outside marriage. In fact, sex outside marriage is not a crime under common law (even for Muslims) unless it is same-gender or gay sex.

Why does the age of the person determine which court has jurisdiction over cases involving illicit sex or zina? Do you mean to tell me that if you are not yet 18 then you are not yet a Muslim? Only when you reach 18 you become a Muslim? Can those under 18, therefore, drink and eat pork and go to church since you are not yet a Muslim and the Sharia court has no power over you until you touch 18?

Okay, what if the church or Christians preaches Christianity to Malay boys and girls of 13 or 14 (in short, below 18). Is this a crime? A crime under which law? Common law? Under common law it is not a crime to preach Christianity to Malay children. It is only a crime according to the Religious Department.

But the Religious Department does not have power over us until we are 18. Islam recognises 9-year olds as adults. Common law does not. We are adults only at 18. And common law decides whether we are adults. Not the Religious Department.

So how?

The question is: who has power over Muslims? The common law courts or the Sharia courts? And why does the common law court have power over us until we are 18 and then the Sharia court takes over after that? Is age 18 the 'legally adult' age in Islam? And if 18 were the legal adult age under Islam, can Muslims below 18 get married?

Yes, Muslims below 18 can get marriage on condition they are 'adults' (meaning reached puberty) and they have their parent's consent. Hence at that age they are already responsible for their own actions, even in crimes of illicit sex.

But then we are not talking about the Qur'an, Hadith, Sunnah or Islamic law here. We are talking about common law. Hence common law overrides the Qur'an, Hadith, Sunnah or Islamic law and will decide at what age you are an adult and at what age you are still a child. And you will face the common law court when you are legally a child and the Sharia court once you are legally an adult. And although Islam has decided the age of adulthood, Islam has no power over Muslims because the laws of the land and Islam do not work in tandem.

Crazy or not? In Islam, religion decides when we become an adult and hence can get married and have sex. But Islam does not have the power to decide at what age we would be considered as having consensual sex outside marriage. That the common law decides. And that age is 18.

Now, who decides when we cease being a child and legally become an adult although at the age of nine we already discovered the difference between a boy and girl and knew what to do with that thing between our legs? Well, the 222 Members of Parliament, of course. They pass all the laws and they have decided that only at age 17 we can drive and at age 18 we can have sex and at age 21 we can vote.

But why at age 17, 18 and 21 respectively?

Queen Isabella of Valois married Richard II when she was 6 years, 11 months and 25 days old.

David II married Joan, the daughter of Edward II, when he was 4 years and 134 days old.

Louis XIV of France became King at age 5 and took over full control at 23.

Joan of Arc led the French against the English at age 17.

And of course we have that story regarding Aishah, the wife of Prophet Muhammad.

In those days, you married as soon as you legally became a woman, which was when you got your period, and would have been around age 9-11. At age 10-13 boys joined the army and fought and died for their country. These were ages when you were no longer children.

I know, times have changed and we no longer consider girls of 10 or boys of 13 as adults. That may be so when it comes to common law but not if we consider religion.

So, are we outraged about the case of Noor Afizal Azizan because we perceive it as him having sex with an underage girl and the law says a girl of 13 cannot consent to sex and hence he broke the law? Okay, so it is the law that we are concerned about, am I correct?

The law says that a girl of 13 cannot consent to sex. This is a law passed by Parliament, the body that can legally pass laws, which we all must follow. And since Noor Afizal Azizan broke the law passed by Parliament we are outraged.

Okay, I can accept that. The law must be followed. After all this is a law passed by Parliament. But hold on, Parliament also passed a law that says we must get a police permit if we want to hold a demonstration. Should this law not also be followed since we are extremely concerned about the law? Was Tunku Abdul Aziz Tunku Ibrahim therefore correct in that the law must be followed?

Hmm...touché or not touché?

 

Touché

Posted: 28 Aug 2012 06:47 AM PDT

Itulah. When I try to tell you, you cakap macam-macam. Now I diam. And now that I diam you all are foaming at the mouth like rabid dogs. Hey, just focus on the next general election. Just vote Pakatan Rakyat. Why worry whether Cina bertanding kawasan Melayu or Melayu bertanding kawasan Cina or whether after this we are going to get Hudud or Muslims keluar Islam masuk Kristian? All that never mindlah! What matters is asal bukan Umno. Itu saja.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

To the Malay-medium or Chinese- and Tamil-educated readers who think that 'the devil you know' refers to a verse in the Qur'an or Bible, touché means...oh what the hell, go look it up yourself.

Is it too early to write another 'I told you so' article? Well, as they say, the early bird catches the worm, so it is never too early to say 'I told you so'.

Now, for those of you who don't speak English at home or English is not your mother-tongue -- my late mother was British so I suppose I can claim that English is my mother's tongue -- I am NOT admitting that I am a bird or that I eat worms, although I do have a 'bird', if you know what I mean. This is what we English-speaking people would call an idiom, the latest topic of discussion in Malaysia -- alongside Hudud, crossovers, and other such matters.

Anyway, back to the early bird catches the worm thing.

I did try to tell you so many times about the unresolved issues facing Pakatan Rakyat. And I did not just write about it in Malaysia Today. I even said this to Anwar Ibrahim's face in a forum in London. I did not hold my punches (an idiom). I said it no holds barred (yet another idiom).

And this got not only Anwar but also all the other Pakatan Rakyat leaders hot under the collar (yes, another idiom). Finally, I decided to say what I had been trying to tell them in interviews in the mainstream media.

Boy, and did all hell break loose (correct, again, an idiom). They felt I was trying to teach grandfathers how to suck eggs (a Malaysian-Chinese idiom which means...hmm...not sure what that means because I am a grandfather of five grandkids and I certainly don't suck eggs).

Then they started accusing me of being on someone's payroll and demanded to know where my funding was coming from. And, today, Suaram has come out to admit that it is indeed being financed through foreign funding to the tune of RM100,000 a month for the last many years (read about it here).

So there you are. Touché.

Then there was the matter of crossovers plus the lack of quality of the people that Pakatan Rakyat was attracting that I spoke about. Now even the Pakatan Rakyat people are divided on whether it is morally right to poach politicians from the opposite side of the fence. And many voters have said that in the coming general election they will be voting based on candidates and not based on parties.

So, again, touché!

I also spoke about the lack of unity in Pakatan Rakyat and how DAP, PAS and PKR tidur satu bantal tapi mimpi lain-lain (a Malay idiom). I touched on the inter-party and intra-party bickering and how the issue of seat allocations and who should be taking the lead needs to be resolved.

And today, again, touché!

Then there is the matter of Hudud, which had earlier resulted in the breakup of the opposition coalition, Barisan Alternatif, followed by the 2004 general election disaster, and how this matter needs to be resolved before Pakatan Rakyat faces the coming general election (read about it here).

And, yet again, touché!

Okay, those are just some of the issues I have been screaming about. There are many more, of course. And when they responded with personal attacks against me, and allegations of mala fide and paid assassin and so on, I took to the mainstream media and that was the straw that broke the camel's back (yeap, one more in my string of idioms -- don't you just love this English language lesson?).

So, what more can I say other than touché? I am not really that silly after all, am I? Now I keep quiet. Now I just watch and snigger while all you buggers squeal like a stuck pig (you got it, another idiom).

So, why make so much noise about Hudud? You want ABU (anything but Umno), right? Hudud is not Umno. So why get so upset? As long as it is not Umno then diamlah!

Itulah. When I try to tell you, you cakap macam-macam. Now I diam. And now that I diam you all are foaming at the mouth like rabid dogs. Hey, just focus on the next general election. Just vote Pakatan Rakyat. Why worry whether Cina bertanding kawasan Melayu or Melayu bertanding kawasan Cina or whether after this we are going to get Hudud or Muslims keluar Islam masuk Kristian? All that never mindlah! What matters is asal bukan Umno. Itu saja.

Touché!

 

The trouble with mother-tongue education

Posted: 27 Aug 2012 04:11 PM PDT

I was puzzled. I asked my Chinese friends: why support the opposition and yet vote government? And these Chinese told me: "Barisan Nasional may be the devil, but better we vote for the devil we know than the angel we don't know. We know Barisan Nasional and we know how to handle them. We don't know the opposition and we are not sure what they will be like if they came to power."

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

Kenyataan Mahathir memakan diri

Dalam al-Quran tiada istilah malaikat lebih buruk berbanding syaitan

Khaulah Azwar, FMT

Timbalan Mursyidul Am PAS, Datuk Dr Haron Din, menegaskan tidak ada istilah atau ayat di dalam Al Quran yang menjelaskan syaitan lebih baik dari malaikat.

"Di dalam al Quran juga tidak terdapat ayat yang mengatakan malaikat sama ada dikenali atau tidak dikenali sebagai makhluk Allah yang lebih buruk atau derhaka kepada perintah Allah."

"Malaikat dijadikan Allah sebagai makhluk yang patuh dan tidak derhaka akan perintah-Nya. Mereka akan kekal begitu sejak dari awal hingga ke akhirnya."

"Ia berlawanan dengan sifat syaitan kerana mereka memang diakui sebagai makhluk yang jahat dan derhaka kepada perintah Allah," katanya.

Pemimpin PAS itu mengulas kenyataan dibuat bekas Perdana Menteri, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad dalam blognya www.chedet.cc pada 22 Ogos lalu yang berharap rakyat tidak memberi mandat kepada Pakatan Rakyat (Pakatan) dalam pilihan raya akan datang.

Dr Mahathir menulis, "better the devil you know than the angel you don't" yang membawa maksud "lebih baik syaitan yang anda kenali daripada malaikat yang anda tidak kenali".

"Tiada istilah atau ayat di dalam al Quran yang menjelaskan  begitu", katanya.

Dr Haron seterusnya berkata, kenyataan Dr Mahathir itu ternyata memakan diri sendiri dan Umno-BN kerana umum terutamanya umat Islam mengetahui syaitan itu adalah makhluk Allah yang paling kejam dan derhaka.

Sebagai bekas pemimpin tertinggi negara dan pernah mengetuai Umno-BN untuk tempoh yang lama, tambahnya, adalah amat tidak wajar Dr Mahathir membuat kenyataan sedemikian rupa dengan melabelkan sesuatu pihak atau pertubuhan dengan nama seburuk itu.

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Learn English Today

English Idioms & Idiomatic Expressions

Idioms are words, phrases or expressions which are commonly used in everyday conversation by native speakers of English. They are often metaphorical and make the language more colourful.

http://www.learn-english-today.com/idioms/idioms_proverbs.html

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How many of you who went to a Malay-medium, Chinese or Tamil schools learned English? And did they teach you idioms or expressions in your English language class? Let me give you some examples of idioms:


Better the devil you know.

Letting the cat out of the bag.

Barking up the wrong tree.

Adding fuel to the flames.

Bite the hand that feeds you.

Breathe down your neck.

Build bridges.

Burn your bridges.

Burn the candle at both ends.

Bury your head in the sand.

Bury the hatchet.

The carrot and the stick.

Clipping someone's wings.

Cramp someone's style.

Cross the Rubicon.

Dig one's own grave.

Drag your feet.

Eat dirt.

Eat out of house and home.

Err on the side of caution.

Pardon my French.

Fall over backwards.

Fiddling while Rome burns.

Follow one's nose.

Follow in someone's footsteps.

 

Those are actually just some of so, so many 'colourful' sayings in the English language. And I just love these sayings and use them all the time, especially when I talk -- though not so much when I write because many readers do not understand English well enough to even detect sarcasm even when it bites them in the arse (another idiom).

When Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad first came out with his 'better the devil you know than an angel you don't know' idiom, every man and his dog (another idiom) jumped onto the bandwagon (yet another idiom) to whack the daylight out of him (I think this is an idiom also).

Actually, 'better the devil you know' is the shortened form of the full idiom, 'better the devil you know than the devil you don't'. That is the correct English version. In Malaysia, however, especially amongst the Chinese, they say 'better the devil you know than the angel you don't know'.

I learned the 'power' of this idiom back in 1999. That was soon after the birth of the Reformasi Movement and not long after the 10th General Election of 29th November 1999. The Malays voted opposition while the Chinese voted Barisan Nasional. Even those who hated Barisan Nasional and supported the opposition voted for the ruling party.

I was puzzled. I asked my Chinese friends: why support the opposition and yet vote government? And these Chinese told me: "Barisan Nasional may be the devil, but better we vote for the devil we know than the angel we don't know. We know Barisan Nasional and we know how to handle them. We don't know the opposition and we are not sure what they will be like if they came to power."

It was then when reality hit me. The Chinese, as my Chinese friends kept reminding me, are pragmatic people. They are not emotional like the Malays. So they use their head and not their heart to vote. And they will work with the 'devil' rather than the 'angel' if the 'devil' is a known factor and the 'angel' is an unknown factor.

In other words, stick with what you know even if the alternative may be better because there are uncertainties with the alternative.

Not many years later, Dr Mahathir said the same thing when he was interviewed soon after the retired in 2003. Dr Mahathir was asked about what he would consider as his greatest regret in his 22 years as Prime Minister and he replied: my greatest regret is I failed to change the Malays. And he lamented: the Malays are too emotional and too feudalistic. Why can't the Malays be more pragmatic like the Chinese?

Dr Mahathir was, of course, referring to the 1999 General Election where the Malays voted opposition while the Chinese voted for 'the devil they knew', which was Barisan Nasional.

Last week, when Dr Mahathir made that quip, many Malaysians jumped and said that Dr Mahathir admitted that Barisan Nasional is a devil while the opposition is an angel. I was so tempted to write this article but I knew that most readers would interpret this as a show of support for Dr Mahathir. So I refrained from writing about it.

Actually, this is not a show of support for Dr Mahathir but a show of opposition to stupidity. I am opposing stupidity, not supporting Dr Mahathir. But stupid people will view it as my support for Dr Mahathir rather than my opposition to stupidity.

Then the renowned cleric, Datuk Dr Haron Din, started quoting the Qur'an (read the news item above) and tells us that what Dr Mahathir said is not in the Qur'an. Then I thought I had better say something before people start whacking Islam, the Qur'an, Prophet Muhammad, etc., and bring ridicule to the religion.

Of course it is not in the Qur'an. Dr Mahathir was not quoting the Qur'an. Dr Mahathir was quoting an English idiom, which has been 'Malaysianised' from 'better the devil you know than the devil you don't' to 'better the devil you know than the angel you don't'.

Must we keep arguing Islam and quote the Qur'an for every issue? General elections are also not in the Qur'an. Choosing governments through the ballot box is also not in the Qur'an. Getting 222 Members of Parliament to formulate laws is not in the Qur'an either. There are millions of things not in the Qur'an -- such as detention without trial, hanging people who traffic in drugs, jailing people who drive dangerously and kill someone walking beside the road, and so on.

Bank accounts are not in the Qur'an. Paying your workers monthly salaries is not in the Qur'an. Paying your workers' salary by cheque is not in the Qur'an. Stocks and shares, Amanah Saham included, are not in the Qur'an. Driving licences are not in the Qur'an. Business licences are not in the Qur'an. Signboard permits are not in the Qur'an. Police permits for rallies are not in the Qur'an. Gun licences are not in the Qur'an.

If we follow the Qur'an, then you must pay your workers at the end of each and every working day in gold or silver (not with 'worthless' paper), and we can drive and own a gun without the need of licences. We can also carry bows-and-arrows, spears, swords and knives when we leave the house. The Qur'an does not allow the government to arrest us for carrying dangerous weapons in public.

Bersih is not in the Qur'an. ABU is not in the Qur'an. Islamic parties are not in the Qur'an. Pakatan Rakyat is not in the Qur'an. Election Commissions are not in the Qur'an. Anti-Corruption Commissions are not in the Qur'an. Human Rights Commissions are not in the Qur'an. State governments are not in the Qur'an. Prime Ministers are not in the Qur'an. Members of Parliament are not in the Qur'an. Income tax is not in the Qur'an. Import duty, sales tax and road tax are not in the Qur'an. Insurance and EPF are not in the Qur'an. You name it and most likely it will not be in the Qur'an.

Oh, and according to the Qur'an, we can also own slaves. We can either buy these slaves from the market or invade someone's territory and capture them. And slaves are our property so we can have sex with them. That is not zina (illicit sex).

Why pick and choose certain items from the Qur'an? If you want to talk about the Qur'an then there will be many things to talk about. And one thing that PAS will need to do is to announce that it will NOT be contesting the coming general election because this is not what the Qur'an says we must do and this is not the way that governments are chosen in Islam.

Will Pakatan Rakyat now just be PKR and DAP? At least that will solve the current impasse regarding Hudud. Problem solved. No more PAS in Pakatan Rakyat so no more Hudud.

 

I believe, hence I am right

Posted: 25 Aug 2012 06:51 PM PDT

Not even a priest or an imam will 'serve God' if they are not being paid a salary. It's all about money, even those who claim to be serving God. So get off your high horse and stop all this self-righteous bullshit. Every single one of you does things for money. So stop slandering this person and that person as doing things for money. You too are as much money-motivated as the other person you are accusing.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

I can't understand why Malaysia Today's readers are foaming at the mouth and whacking Hudud. Some have even gone beyond just attacking Hudud and have even whacked Muslims and Islam. A police report has already been made against Malaysiakini. Do you also want a police report to be made against Malaysia Today?

Most of you may think that Malaysia allows freedom of expression. Well, Malaysia may allow freedom of expression up to a certain extent but that freedom is not absolute. There are limits. And that is why Malaysia has many laws that are aimed at 'ensuring the peace and stability' of the nation, the Sedition Act being one of them.

This means you cannot simply say what you like, not even in America or Britain. For example, if you start talking about Muslim terrorists, Jihad and bombs while in a plane you can get into trouble anywhere in the world. You might argue that it is your fundamental right to talk about whatever it is you want to talk about. The police, however, will not agree with you as they drag you away in handcuffs. Try it if you don't believe me.

So perish the thought regarding absolute freedom of expression. It does not exist. There are boundaries and you must navigate within these boundaries. I, for one, can tell you that this is absolutely true. I, too, have learned that you cannot say everything that is on your mind. There are some things you can say and there are many things you cannot say. And if you violate this rule you will get vilified like hell. I am speaking from experience here.

Look at what happened to Tunku Abdul Aziz Tunku Ibrahim. His party expressed support for the Bersih 3.0 rally while he said that although he is for clean elections he does not feel that breaking the law is the way to send the message to the government. And for saying that he was whacked kaw-kaw until he felt so hurt he left the party. I suppose anyone who is called foul names would feel the way he felt. I mean people do have feelings, even Pakatan Rakyat leaders.

In the first place, Tunku Aziz should not have joined a political party. He is not a politician, period. And he should have realised that once you join a political party you must toe the party line. You cannot do what the people would view as breaking ranks. They will kill you, figure of speech, of course. And once you join a political party and then resign, you will be accused of being bought off, of selling out, and all sort of foul things. It is better you had not joined in the first place. Then you can say what you like.

Once you join a political party you need to sacrifice certain freedoms for the sake of party unity. Even when you talk in closed-door meetings or unofficial meetings you need to watch what you say. In politics everyone is an enemy, even the person sitting next to you in the meeting. And what you say will be leaked to embarrass you. And the Penang PKR chief, Datuk Dr Mansor Othman, has found out the hard way what damage these leaks can do.

Of course, Dr Mansor has denied saying what he is alleged to have said. The minutes, though, appear to prove otherwise. But minutes can be forged. After all, only those who attended the meeting would know.

No doubt, none of the others who attended that meeting have come forward to reveal that they had attended the meeting and that the minutes had been forged and that no such thing was ever said in the meeting. Nevertheless, whether the people believe that denial is another thing. After all, politicians deny allegations all the time. Clinton denied. Nixon denied. And in the end it was proven that these denials were all lies. In fact, Najib Tun Razak has also denied the allegations against him but we all don't believe his denials -- am I not correct?

The golden rule in politics is when cornered deny or say 'no comment'. Of course, most people are of the opinion that when politicians deny it then it must be true and when they say 'no comment' that means they are admitting the allegation. But the most important thing is no one can prove it. And this is what matters in the end. Can you prove the allegation?

What you need to do, before they even deny it or say 'no comment', is to challenge them to prove that the allegation is false. Under normal circumstances one is assumed innocent until proven guilty. But if you want to corner a politician you twist it the other way. You ask them to prove that the allegation is false. That is actually quite impossible to do.

Anwar was convicted and sentenced to a total of 15 years jail because he could not prove his innocence. The Federal Court later overturned that conviction on grounds that the Prosecution failed to prove his guilt. Nevertheless, Anwar had already served six years of the 15 years before he saw freedom. Thus, sometimes, the guilty until proven innocent rule does work in certain cases.

New laws are being introduced in Malaysia where you will need to prove you are innocent or else you are presumed guilty. We had 52 years of the Internal Security Act where an estimated 10,000 people had been detained without trial on that same assumption -- guilty until proven innocent. They detain you first and then later you need to convince them that you deserve to be released. It is impossible to prove you deserve to be released when your detention is on the basis that one man, the Minister, believes you are a threat to national security.

I mean how do you prove a belief wrong? You have a belief, and that belief is I am a threat to national security. How do I prove this belief wrong? How do I prove any of your beliefs wrong? You believe that Hudud is God's law and is mandatory. You believe that the Qur'an came directly from God and is God's word. You believe the Bible is the Holy Book of God (in fact, you swear an oath on the Bible although it may have been printed by a printer in Jalan Chan Sow Lin). You believe Jesus Christ is the Son of God and was crucified and died for our sins. How do I prove all these beliefs wrong?

So, I can't prove any of your beliefs wrong, even the belief that I am a threat to national security. And that means I will remain under detention without trial until your beliefs change and you now believe that I have reformed and have turned over a new leaf and am no longer a threat to national security.

Such are beliefs. And beliefs are impossible to prove wrong. If you had to prove your belief right, that would be another thing altogether. To prove your belief right you will need evidence, which you may or may not have. But for me to prove your belief wrong is a non-starter never mind what that belief may be. Beliefs do not require evidence. Hence you can believe something even if there is no evidence. And for me to prove your belief wrong when your belief is void of evidence would mean I would not have the evidence to prove your belief wrong.

Can you see how it works?

Many friends have been in touch with me to ask me to clear the air on what people are saying about me. These friends tell me that people believe I am this or I am that or I have done this or I have done that. But that is just it. This is what people believe. How do I prove this belief to be false?

Most of those people who believe these things about me also believe in God and believe in a religion. Is there any basis for these beliefs? Is there any evidence to support these beliefs? Can they prove that their beliefs are facts and not myths?

Of course they can't. They just believe it, that's all. There is no basis for these beliefs. They heard stories and they believe these stories. These are all stories without evidence. Then they support these stories and justify their beliefs by showing us a Holy Book, which they said came from God but was printed by a printer in Jalan Chan Sow Lin who himself does not believe in God and is printing this 'Holy Book' just to make money from the printing contract

Thus this is the mindset of these types of people. They are susceptible to believing things that cannot be proven. And these same people also believe certain things about me. So how do we talk to such people when they are already prone to believing things that they imagine to be true even when it cannot be proven true?

Can you see the futility in trying to turn these people? It is as difficult as trying to convince a Catholic that Prophet Muhammad is a Prophet of God or trying to convince Muslims that Jesus is the Son of God -- or trying to convince readers of Malaysia Today that Hudud is God's command and is mandatory for all Malaysians.

The best would be to just let people believe what they want to believe. Most of these people believe that they are sincere and noble while all the rest are scumbags anyway. Only they are true. All others are false.

Look at the party hopping issue as one example. Most believe that it is wrong for people to leave their party to join the other side. But it is not wrong for those from the other side to leave the other side to join their party.

If they leave the other side to join their side then it is a sincere and noble gesture. But if they leave their side to join the other side it cannot also be because of a sincere and noble gesture. It can only be because of money and for no other reason.

This is the belief.

You do things out of sincerity and for noble reasons. Others are not noble or sincere and do things merely for money. You do not do things for money.

As I said, this is the belief and they believe that their belief is right. But is it?

Their parents sent them to school to receive an education. I have Chinese friends who tell me that education is at the top of the Chinese priority list. Education comes first and everything else comes after. This is what my Chinese friends tell me and since so many seem to tell me the same thing I am inclined to believe it.

Then I ask them, why? To the Malays, religion comes first. That is way at the top of the priority list of the Malays. Go ask the Malays and see what they say. But why do Chinese put education and not religion at the top of their priority list?

And they tell me it is because you need a good education to be ensured a good future. Only a good education can ensure a good future. And many Malaysians, after they have received that good education, choose to stay overseas to work. They have spent so much money on their education that they need to work overseas because the salary they will earn back in Malaysia would be too low and they will never be able to recover the cost of their education.

So people get an education. But they go and get an education not because they seek knowledge. They go and get an education so that they can get a good job that pays good money.

Everybody works. And they all work because they want money. Only with money can they buy things and live a good life. They want a house. They want a car. They want to get married. They want power, position, prestige, recognition, and whatnot. And all this requires money.

Why do they want all these? Are these not all for selfish reasons? You can go live in a jungle and not starve. There is food everywhere. You can live off the land. You can build a roof over your head from what you find in the jungle. You can use the streams and rivers to wash and bathe. You do not need money. You do not need a job. You do not need to spend so much money getting educated.

So, yes, everyone does things for money, even those of you who believe you are sincere and noble. Do you need money? Actually you do not. You don't need money. You just want money. And you want money because you want the good things in life.

Are you prepared to resign from your job and go work in one of the African countries for no salary? They will provide you a tent to sleep in and three meals a day. They will also provide you with khaki uniforms. But other than that you will receive no money.

Is that not a noble and sincere thing to do? You work for no money but only to serve humankind. You get to eat and sleep in a tent, that's all.

Not even a priest or an imam will 'serve God' if they are not being paid a salary. It's all about money, even those who claim to be serving God. So get off your high horse and stop all this self-righteous bullshit. Every single one of you does things for money. So stop slandering this person and that person as doing things for money. You too are as much money-motivated as the other person you are accusing.

At least a prostitute is honest about what he or she is. That is more than I can say for you.

 

Kredit: www.malaysia-today.net

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RM400, 000 for a dinner that was attended by Anwar Ibrahim and rich tycoons

Posted: 08 Sep 2012 05:54 AM PDT

(Kuala Lumpur Post) - A whopping RM400,000 for a fund-raising gala dinner? According to blogger Yuseri Yusoff, that was the amount spent on Malam Gala Keadilan 2012, a PKR fund-raising dinner which was held in May.

The blogger has also attached a formal letter sent by PKR's president Datuk Sri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail to the event organising chairman Datuk Dr Tan Tee Kwong, seeking clarification and financial details.

"RM400, 000 for a dinner that was attended by PKR top leadership and rich tycoons, is that not a big waste?

"Its an irony as they (PKR) have always been accusing Barisan Nasional (BN) for being lavish and for wasting people's money, but now they are the ones doing it. Where did the money come from…from Anwar (PKR de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim)'s salary of RM1 per month as Selangor's economic advisor? the blogger questioned.

Meanwhile, Anwar, as reported in a pro-opposition blog Merah Tinta MSO, had praised the organisers for the event.

The blogger said that Anwar, in his fiery opening speech, had slammed the BN-led federal government and federal institutions. He had also singled out the Royal Malaysian Police force for allegedly not handling the Bersih rallies accordingly.

Another blog, Gelagat Anwar, pointed out that the fund-raising dinner was meant to raise sympathy from the people and also to boost up Anwar's declining popularity.

PKR vice-president Tian Chua, when contacted, claimed that the fund raising dinner was successfull due to the high turn-out.

Asked about the details of the expenditure, Tian Chua kept it short: "All the fund raised were from private firms and individuals. The difference nowadays is that many big corporate players are willing to support us".

Other top PKR leaders refused to comment on the matter.

 

DAP: Punishing teens will torch BN’s non-Malay support

Posted: 08 Sep 2012 05:50 AM PDT

Teenager Ong Sing Yee reacts after offering her apology for stepping on the pictures, during a press conference in Kuala Lumpur September 6, 2012.—Picture by Saw Siow Feng

Clara Chooi, The Malaysian Insider

Lim Guan Eng today suggested that Barisan Nasional's (BN) harsh treatment of those responsible for last week's Merdeka Day misadventures despite a failure to address similar transgressions by hardliners in Umno and Perkasa will alienate its non-Malay support.

The DAP secretary-general said the action will also serve to highlight the government's apparent bias after having ignored unruly behaviour displayed previously by to Malay right wingers.

Lim pointed out that unlike the political leaders, the youths who mooned over or trampled on photographs of the country's leaders and raised a pre-independence flag during last week's Merdeka Day celebrations had not committed the acts with malicious intent.

"But this Perkasa... they are extremists. These youths, they just want to have fun, they do not know what they are doing.

"But others, they have done this three, four times. Not only stepping and burning photographs but even performing Hindu funeral rites for me. This is not just an insult to the Hindus but also to the Muslims," he said in a press conference in Penang earlier today.

The Bagan MP pointed out that unlike the young mischief makers, several of whom have apologised for their actions over the week, those from Perkasa and other pro-Umno supporters have yet to come forward to do the same.

Despite this, Lim said the authorities appeared overly determined to throw the book at the youths, even opening a probe against them under the Sedition Act, a law that the government has promised it will repeal soon.

He urged the government to have a "big heart" and accept the apologies offered by the two teenagers over the picture-stomping incident, saying it was punishment enough their actions were heavily publicised.

In a separate statement here, DAP advisor Lim Kit Siang suggested the same, and urged a Cheras-based private college to reverse its decision to expel one of the teenagers, the 19-year old boy from Batu Pahat.

"This incident just shows that Perkasa is Umno and Umno is Perkasa. Clearly, they do not need the non-Malay votes," Guan Eng said.

"The way they behave... BN does not need the non-Malay votes, they do not want the non-Malay votes and I think this message has been passed throughout Malaysia."

Other opposition politicians have railed against the authorities for the speed with which they have reprimanded the youths for the incident, noting a failure to do the same against pro-Umno, pro-BN and Perkasa activists who previously committed the comparable offences.

Malay right wing group Perkasa had in May this year organised a mock funeral for Lim.

The group's leaders, as well as other pro-Umno activists have also held numerous protests where the photographs of prominent Pakatan Rakyat (PR) leaders and civil society activists like Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan were trampled on or even torched.

Shortly after the April 28 Bersih rally in the city, a group of army veterans had also performed butt exercises outside Ambiga's home.

 

UN rep: OK for NGOs to get foreign funding

Posted: 07 Sep 2012 06:37 PM PDT

Even the Malaysia government received foreign funding but nobody has accused it of being a 'foreign agent', argues United Nations Special Rapporteur, Maina Kiai. 

Teoh El Sen, FMT

There is nothing wrong for non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to receive foreign funding, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Rights to Freedom of Peaceful Assembly and of Association, Maina Kiai, said today.

The prominent human rights activist and lawyer from Kenya said that if governments and businesses can receive foreign funding, the same standards should also be applied to NGOs or associations.

"If the work of an association demands funding, there should no restriction about funding, whether domestic or international," he said at a forum here about international standards and practices in exercising freedom of assembly and association.

"Just the same way government receive funding… I know Malaysia received a lot of foreign funding in its early days, it should now be a provider of funding. Nobody accused the government of being a
foreign agent," he said.

"The same standards that apply to the state, must also be extended to NGOs or businesses. I can bet you that more than half of these companies access foreign funding, that's the way the world works, that's what globalisation is about…" he said.

Kiai said that people would not be able to exercise their fundamental right to freedom of associations without any funding.

However, he also reminded that there was also the duty for civil society to be accountable.

But, he added that such accountability must be independently done, and not forced upon in a manner that restricts or controls the society. "The demands to be accountable must be made by citizens, that's what the international law says," he said.

The UN expert's views come in the wake of recent public scrutiny over the funding and organisational structure of a popular human rights body, Suaram, since July.

Suaram's "independence" was questioned after some quarters revealed that it was consistently a recipient of annual allocations from the US-based National Endowment for Democracy (NED) organisation since 2006.

Foreign powers

Pro-establishment Malay rights groups demanded to know why Suaram was registered as a company, Suara Inisiatif Sdn Bhd, with a paid-up capital of RM2.

Jaringan Melayu Malaysia (JMM) and Perkasa have accused the NGO of being funded by foreign powers to "destabilise the peace of the country".

READ MORE HERE

 

Suaram firm to face 5 CCM charges, says minister

Posted: 07 Sep 2012 06:35 PM PDT

(Bernama) - Domestic Trade, Co-operatives and Consumerism Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said the Companies Commission of Malaysia (CCM) had identified five charges under the Companies Act 1965 to be made against Suara Inisiatif Sdn Bhd (Suara Inisiatif).

The first charge would be made in court in about a week or two, he told reporters after opening the Pekan Umno Youth, Wanita and Puteri delegates meeting here today.

He said the action taken against Suara Inisiatif was not politically motivated, but because of the offence it allegedly committed.

Prior to this, the CCM was criticised by several quarters for failing to act against Suara Rakyat Malaysia (Suaram), which confessed to receiving funds from foreign countries and individuals.

This followed a report that claimed that Suaram was not a non-governmental organisation, but a company registered with the CCM.

 

 

1 Malaysia, 2 Laws

Posted: 07 Sep 2012 06:11 PM PDT

 

Anwar Ibrahim has raised a very valid point. Malaysia is one country with two sets of laws. Hence '1 Malaysia, 2 undang-undang' is very apt to describe Malaysia. And these are the kind of things I wish to hear from the opposition and the Opposition Leader in Parliament.

THE CORRIDORS OF POWER

Raja Petra Kamarudin

1 Malaysia 2 undang-undang

Orang kecil dan miskin namanya 'corruption'. Orang besar curi namanya 'komisyen'. Komisyen halal. 'Corruption' haram, kata Anwar Ibrahim.

(Free Malaysia Today) - Ketua Pembangkang Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim menyifatkan negara mengamalkan dua undang-undang yang berbeza ketika mengulas tindakan pantas pihak berkuasa ke atas individu-individu yang memijak gambar Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

"Malaysia mengamalkan konsep '1 Malaysia 2 undang-undang'," katanya pada majlis ceramah 'Jelajah Merdeka Rakyat' di Rantau dekat sini malam tadi.

Tegas beliau, "saya tidak setuju tindakan anak muda yang memijak gambar Najib. Tapi kalau orang lain kencing gambar Menteri Besar Kelantan, Tuan Guru Dato' Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat, tak apa? Tunjuk punggung kepada Pengerusi Bersih, Dato' S Ambiga tak apa?"

"Baling batu di ceramah saya dan Nurul Izzah (Ahli Parlimen Lembah Pantai) di Lembah Pantai. Pecah cermin kereta saya….pasal apa? Apa jenis manusia macam ini? Kamu ingat kamu orang besar hukum lain?" soal Ketua Umum PKR itu.

"Hukum ini tidak kenal pangkat. Ini 1 Malaysia! 1 Malaysia apa? Satu undang-undang untuk orang kaya, satu undang-undang untuk orang miskin."

"Satu undang-undang untuk menteri Umno, rasuah pun tidak apa, tutup semua. Satu undang-undang untuk orang dibawah. Polis ambil 100 ringgit, 'charge',' katanya.

Anwar yang juga Ahli Parlimen Permatang Pauh berkata sepatutnya undang-undang ini tidak kenal keturunan dan pangkat.

"Seperti saya kata rasuah 200 ringgit polis, tangkap! Rasuah setengah bilion ringgit kapal selam, lepas!"

"Orang kecil dan miskin namanya 'corruption' (rasuah). Orang besar curi namanya 'komisyen'. Komisyen halal. 'Corruption' haram."

"Pemimpin yang tidak sanggup laksanakan ilmu 'rule of law' tetapi ikut 'law of the jungle' mesti diturunkan ke bawah dan ditumbangkan", kata Anwar.

Anwar juga berkata perangai pemimpin Umno ibarat 'baling batu sembunyi tangan' dan seterusnya rakaman video perbahasan di parlimen ditayangkan kepada orang ramai.

Beliau menegaskan, "mereka menfitnah saya memiliki RM3 bilion, ketika saya berbahas di parlimen ada di antara mereka menjerit tiga bilion!"

READ MORE HERE: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2012/09/08/1-malaysia-2-undang-undang/

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

Anwar Ibrahim has raised a very valid point. Malaysia is one country with two sets of laws. Hence '1 Malaysia, 2 undang-undang' is very apt to describe Malaysia. And these are the kind of things I wish to hear from the opposition and the Opposition Leader in Parliament.

Malaysia practices selective prosecution, or more aptly, persecution. Friends are spared and enemies are crucified. And this is not a new phenomenon. This has been going on for quite some time, 30 years to be exact.

In the beginning, for the first 25 years or so, it was not too bad. And that was because we had noble men and gentlemen (and women) to lead the nation -- not only as Prime Minister, but in the Cabinet, civil service, police force, military, etc., as well.

In those days, you were put in charge based on meritocracy. Today, it is based on your political affiliation. And don't just look at Barisan Nasional when I say this. This is the current Malaysian culture. So it means the opposition practices this as well.

And that was one of my grouses with Pakatan Rakyat when I revealed that lawyers aligned to Pakatan Rakyat or leaders of Pakatan Rakyat were getting the legal work from the Pakatan Rakyat-led state governments. Even the DAP leaders have come out to reveal this.

Some may argue that when Barisan Nasional was running those states the Barisan Nasional lawyers were getting this legal work. So what is wrong if Pakatan Rakyat lawyers get the legal work now that Pakatan Rakyat is in charge?

If I really need to reply to that question then Malaysia is in far greater trouble than I originally thought. It is like trying to reply to a question from an Atheist asking me whether I can prove that God exists. The fact that that question has even been raised means that person is already convinced that God does not exist. Hence would it not be futile to even attempt to reply?

This is not just about corruption and abuse of power. This extends farther than that. It is about what you perceive as moral and what you perceive as immoral. And if I need to give you a lesson in morality then I am doomed from the start. To a prostitute, offering sex for money has nothing to do with morality but is all about earning a living.

And are they not called 'sex workers' instead of 'prostitutes' in some countries? Hence they are workers just like you and me who work in an office or do a blue-collar job. It is about cari makan (look for food) and is therefore not in the least immoral. After all, everyone has a mouth or mouths to feed. So is not spreading one's leg better than robbing a bank or selling drugs to children?

As Anwar said, Malaysia has 2 legal systems -- that's for sure. And Anwar has offered some examples to support this point. I would like to highlight some others, which Anwar has missed.

If you are a non-Muslim who is caught having illicit sex with a Muslim only the Muslim goes to jail. If you are non-Muslims drinking beer or having lunch with Muslims during the fasting month of Ramadhan only the Muslims get arrested.

If you are a non-Muslim owner of a hotel, restaurant, bar, pub, disco, etc., that sells liquor and you employ Muslim staff they would be arrested. But if you are a Muslim owner, your Muslim staff would not be arrested.

If you are of Chinese or Indian descent whose forefathers came to Malaya 500 years ago you will not be a Bumiputera or son/daughter of the soil. If you were born in Indonesia or the Philippines and are of Muslim persuasion and you migrated to Malaysia yesterday you will be given citizenship with a Bumiputera status thrown in.

Yes, I can go on and on and bore you to death. Suffice to say that Malaysia may be 1 Malaysia but it has two sets of undang-undang. Hence Anwar is right. But Anwar needs to educate Malaysians on how far this sickness extends.

Anwar needs to also explain that Muslims can preach Islam to Christians but Christians cannot preach Christianity to Muslims. Qur'ans can be printed in English but Bibles cannot be printed in Malay. Christians can convert to Islam but Muslims cannot convert to Christianity.

And the list goes on, examples of 1 Malaysia but 2 undang-undang.

I am beginning to like what Anwar says. So I might yet support him in his bid to become Malaysia's next Prime Minister. We only need Anwar to take that one more step in calling a spade a spade and tell us in detail why Malaysia might be 1 Malaysia but has 2 undang-undang.

And when that happens you will then see me appealing to Malaysians to support Anwar as the next Prime Minister of Malaysia. But I first need to see Anwar take that one extra step so that Malaysians can get a better grasp of what he means when he says '1 Malaysia 2 undang-undang'.

 

Time to re-define development

Posted: 07 Sep 2012 05:08 PM PDT

Development is reaching saturation level in many parts of the country, says PKR MP Yusmadi Yusoff.

Hawkeye, FMT

There is a need to re-define what development means to the average Malaysians given the rapid pace of modernisation, a PKR parliamentarian said.

Balik Pulau MP Yusmadi Yusoff said development has reached saturation level in many parts of the country and hence, there is a need to re-define development.

He said this is necessary in view of the rapid growth of infrastructure, industries, roadworks, housing and social amenities over the last 50 years.

Citing Penang, Yusmadi said there is now a widespread sense of unhappiness over the level of development taking place here.

Penang is said to be over-devloped to the extent that even hillslopes are not spared in the hectic race to modernisation.

This has caused some adverse effects: environmental degradation, traffic congestion and the emergence of slums in midst of luxurious condominiums and landed bungalows.

Pockets of squatters are also facing eviction as developers scurry around to ensure their projects get underway before the effects of global recession set in.

Yusmadi said the country can no longer deal with development through half-baked solutions and an unholistic approach.

The time has come to re-visit development in the proper context.

Don't give in to greed

"What does development mean to Malaysians? Is more wealth generated from it? Have we progressed in our own age of industralisation, or are we slowly but surely becoming the urban poor?" Yusmadi asked.

"Do Malaysians want to see their green lungs disappear or do they want to salvage them?"

He said he would raise this matter in Parlaiment when it convenes this month.

READ MORE HERE

 

Soliciting money: ‘Wipe out this scam’

Posted: 07 Sep 2012 05:03 PM PDT

Senior lawyer Karpal Singh wants the Attorney-General's Chambers to investigate a scam where lawyers allegedly solicit big bucks to secure release of criminal detainees. 

Athi Shankar, FMT

The Attorney-General's Chambers must investigate an alleged scam where lawyers allegedly solicit big bucks to secure release of criminal detainees via the back door, senior lawyer and veteran MP Karpal Singh said today.

Under the scam, lawyers signed agreement with those charged with criminal offences, especially major crimes, or their representatives promising to "somehow secure the accused release" with a big cash payout to the main players in the case.

Karpal, whose client was directly affected by it, wants the AG's Chambers to get to bottom of this scam and wipe it out once and for all.

He criticised lawyers who enter into such agreements, saying they are being unprofessional and unethical, and bringing the legal system into disrepute.

"It gives the impression that prosecutors and witnesses can be bought over. Such agreements are shocking, which the AG must probe immediately.

"With so many capital cases in the country, if it [this practice] is not stopped, we are heading for a lot of trouble," said Karpal.

He claimed that his client, an Iraqi businessman Sayed Omeid facing extradition to Australia, was a victim of this scam.

Omeid lodged a report at Dangi Wangi police station last Thursday accusing two lawyers of fleecing his family of US$50,000 by falsely promising to secure his release through their contacts in the Home Ministry.

Omeid's family agreed to pay the lawyers US$100,000, with 27% to be paid upon signing the agreement and 23% within eight days of the first payment. The balance of 50% was to be kept in a joint account until Omeid was freed.

READ MORE HERE

 

When nothing works, do nothing

Posted: 07 Sep 2012 04:37 PM PDT

But Dr Mahathir is old and senile. Nik Aziz is a country bumpkin. Saudi Arabia is crazy. It is our civil right to watch porn. No one should stop us from watching porn. So we have children also watching porn. But that is the price of freedom of information. There should be no censorship.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

More than 11 years ago, back in early 2001, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad explained why Malaysia needs a detention without trial law.

The Internal Security Act (ISA) is a preventive law, explained Dr Mahathir. It is a law that makes it possible to detain people before they commit a crime. If they have already committed a crime then they can be arrested and charged in court.

But it is better to detain these people before they commit a crime, Dr Mathathir said. Once they have already committed the crime they would probably be far away from the scene of the crime and would have escaped by the time the police arrive.

Even if they are arrested and charged they may get off. Maybe there is not enough evidence to get a conviction or a smart lawyer would get them acquitted. Hence, even if they are arrested, there is no guarantee they would be punished.

This makes the ISA necessary, said Dr Mahathir. People can be detained even before they commit a crime. Even while they are still thinking of committing a crime they can already be detained. Once they have committed a crime the damage would have already be done. Better we prevent the damage before it happens.

Then 911 happened. And this allowed Dr Mahathir to gloat and tell us 'I told you so'.

Our Twin Towers is still standing because Malaysia has a detention without trial law, said Dr Mahathir. The US does not have such a law so their Twin Towers is gone. That shows how useful the ISA is to preserve peace, order and stability. The US too needs a preventive detention law like Malaysia, Dr Mahathir counselled that great power.

Then the US 'followed' Malaysia's 'advice' by introducing their version of a detention without trial law. And the western countries too started embarking on preventive detention. They detained suspected terrorists who had yet to commit any crime but were suspected of planning or thinking of committing a crime.

So the world proved Dr Mahathir right in the end.

And now we find that adults who have sex with children escape punishment. Then we say that Malaysia's legal system stinks. People who should be punished are not punished and people who should not be punished are punished. It is the world upside down. And, of course, we are not happy about this.

So what do we do? Do we detain without trial people who are suspected of planning to commit a crime or do we wait until they do commit the crime and then arrest and charge them and see them get acquitted and escape punishment?

Then we have people like Tok Guru Nik Aziz Nik Mat who says that boys and girls (or men and women) should not be allowed to mix freely. In fact, countries like Saudi Arabia do not allow girls or women to leave the house unless escorted or chaperoned by male members of their family. This is to prevent girls or women from being raped or duped into having sex with horny male predators.

But we call Nik Aziz an idiot and Saudi Arabia a backward country. We do not want segregation of the sexes or separate swimming pools and checkout counters for males and females. We want males and females the freedom to mix and not having to endure forced segregation by the state.

Yes, we want this and we want that. We want everything. We also want race-free political parties that will uphold the interest of our race. Hmm…that sounds like we want virgin prostitutes.

Then we have a 14-year old girl who has sex with a 13-year old boy. Do we now charge the girl for sex with a minor since she is one-year older than the boy? Or will this apply only if an 18-year old girl has sex with a 17-year old boy and then the 18-year old girl gets sent to jail in the interest of the 17-year old boy?

But it was the boy who seduced the girl. So how can the girl be punished? Yes, but it is the age that counts. And since the girl is older than the boy then she and not the boy has to be punished.

But why, in the first place, do children of 12 or 13 have sex? Well, this could be because children of nine or ten have access to the Internet and they get to see porn on the Internet. So they want to try out all those exciting things they see every day on the Internet.

So it is the Internet then that has to be blamed? Or is it because boys and girls or men and women are allowed to mix freely? Would barring girls from leaving the house without a chaperone or having separate swimming pools and checkout counters for males and females help? Or do we just arrest more people and charge them in court and see them get acquitted and go unpunished?

Phew…what a dilemma we are facing. Then Dr Mahathir comes out and makes a statement that the Internet needs to be regulated. Then we whack Dr Mahathir and call him all sorts of names.

But there is just too much porn on the Internet, argues Dr Mahathir. We are allowing children to see things they should not be allowed to see. And if we allow children free access to porn sites then they might want to try what they see on the Internet. And then we will have children indulging in sex.

But Dr Mahathir is old and senile. Nik Aziz is a country bumpkin. Saudi Arabia is crazy. It is our civil right to watch porn. No one should stop us from watching porn. So we have children also watching porn. But that is the price of freedom of information. There should be no censorship.

Okay, the downside is children who watch porn indulge in sex. But we do not agree to chaperoning girls or women. We also do not agree to segregation of the sexes. We want more policemen on the streets arresting adults who have sex with children and strict judges who are prepared to send these people to jail. And if a 19-year old girl has sex with a 17-year old boy then the girl must be locked up even if it was the boy who seduced the girl.

And since Barisan Nasional cannot do this then we must kick out Barisan Nasional and replace the government with Pakatan Rakyat. And how will Pakatan Rakyat solve this problem that Barisan Nasional cannot?

That is not important. What is important is we gave Barisan Nasional 55 years and they could not solve the problem. No doubt Pakatan Rakyat has not told us yet how they are going to solve the problem that Barisan Nasional could not solve. But we will talk about that later. Let's vote them into office first and then we will discuss how Pakatan Rakyat is going to solve the problem that Barisan Nasional cannot solve.

Maybe we will do what Dr Mahathir suggests. Maybe we will listen to Nik Aziz. Maybe we will follow what Saudi Arabia does. Maybe we can show children various verses of the Qur'an and Bible that say sex outside marriage is forbidden and that they will go to hell if they violate God's command. Maybe we can detain without trial suspected sex offenders before they commit a crime. Or maybe we will do nothing and the problem will just continue. But let's vote first and find out later.

 

Kalau Dr M sokong Najib…

Posted: 07 Sep 2012 02:55 PM PDT

Kalau kita ikut kehendak Dr Mahathir untuk menyokong Najib, ia bermakna kita menyokong calon yang salah seperti yang terbukti dengan pewaris-pewaris kepimpinan Dr M yang lalu. Ini merupakan satu kebenaran dan Dr Mahathir sendiri mengakuinya semalam. 

Aspan Alias, The Malaysian Insider

Cebisan fakta yang saya tulis tentang Umno sejak dua hari yang lepas, susah untuk Umno memahaminya. Dalam Umno hanya seorang sahaja ahli yang bekerja keras, iaitu Najib, Presidennya sekarang. Penjelajahan Najib keseluruh negara telah membelanjakan wang rakyat ratusan juta ringgit. Di sini Umno juga terlupa yang rakyat sedang memerhatikan tindakan pimpinan Umno dalam usaha mendapatkan mandat dalam PRU kali ini. Akhir-akhir ini Dr Mahthir sahaja yang keluar untuk menyokong Najib habis-habisan seorang sahabat saya berseloroh, "sokongan Mahathir itu ada makna tu!"

Dalam dua posting saya yang terdahulu,  saya telah melepaskan apa yang ada tersimpan di dalam jiwa saya dan orang-orang yang sama pemikiran seperti saya memahaminya. Seperti biasa orang-orang Umno tidak akan faham sampai bila-bila.

Dalam keadaan yang tidak menentu Umno sendiri tidak dapat meyakinkan partinya sendiri yang mereka akan berjaya mengekalkan kuasa di Putrajaya. Dr Mahathir kali ini bekerja keras untuk mempertahankan Umno, parti yang beliau tubuhkan dan juga parti yang beliau sendiri mengakui sebagai sebuah pertubuhan yang telah busuk sampai ke ususnya.

Hasil dari warisan pimpinan Umno yang begitu lemah oleh Dr Mahathir, rakyat tidak lagi memberikan penghormatan yang tinggi kepada parti itu lagi. Di sinilah kegagalan Dr Mahathir kerana semasa beliau berkuasa beliau tidak pernah memikirkan nasib masa depan Umno itu sendiri. Beliau terlalu tertumpu untuk menguatkan kekuatan peribadi beliau dan mengorbankan masa depan partinya. Beliau sendiri tidak dapat menerima kenyataan yang pimpinan negara mesti dibentuk dan dibina.

Justeru apabila beliau meletakkan jawatan maka yang ada di keliling beliau hanyalah kumpulan pemimpin yang tidak sepatutnya menjadi pemimpin. Terlalu "engrossed" untuk memperkuatkan kekuatan peribadi beliau maka partinya secara tidak di sedari telah menghadapi "vacuum" kepimpinan yang serius. Maka Pak Lah lah yang beliau lantik untuk menggantikan beliau berdasarkan kepada kenyataan yang Pak Lah merupakan Naib Presiden yang tertinggi semasa itu.

Semalam Dr Mahathir mengaku kesilapan kerana memilih Pak Lah sebagai pengganti beliau. Kalau kita hendak tuai apa yang terbit, kata-kata Dr Mahathir kebenaran. Pak Lah kepada beliau merupakan pilihan yang salah. Dr Mahathir sedang mengalih dan menganjakkan semua kesalahan beliau kepada Pak Lah. Mentang-mentanglah Pak Lah tidak menjawab kerana beliau tidak mahu lagi menyibuk setelah beliau bersara.

Kalau Dr Mahathir tidak melantik Pak Lah semasa beliau bersara siapa pula yang sepatutnya mengambilalih beliau? Kalaulah beliau memilih Najib semasa itu, ramai merasakan yang keadaan sekarang akan lebih teruk dari sekarang. Jadi kenyataan Dr Mahathir yang beliau melakukan kesalahan kerana memilih Pak Lah untuk menggantikan beliau itu amat "personal" dan nampak sangat dendam kesumat beliau terhadap penggantinya itu.

Dr Mahathir tidak menyedari selembut-lembut Pak Lah, beliau adalah seorang yang degil dan sangkaan Dr Mahathir yang Pak Lah akan membenarkan beliau (Dr Mahathir) masuk campur dalam pentadbirannya adalah salah. Dr Mahathir tidak mengenali Pak Lah dengan sebenarnya. Walaupun Pak Lah itu seorang yang lembut, tetapi lembut beliau bukan untuk di sudu. Kalau Pak Lah itu keras orangnya, keras beliau itu bukan untuk di takek. Oleh kerana Pak Lah tidak membenarkan Dr Mahathir untuk menyudu atau menakek beliau (Pak Lah), maka Dr Mahathir kecewa dan mula membidas Pak Lah "without mercy". Kalaulah Pak Lah membenarkan Dr Mahathir masuk campur seperti Najib sekarang ini Dr Mahathir tidak akan mengkritik Pak Lah sedemikian rupa.

Menyalahkan Pak Lah seratus peratus adalah tidak rasional untuk Dr Mahathir melakukannya. Kecelaruan negara kita bukan di mulakan oleh Pak Lah. Ia bermula dari Dr Mahathir lagi. Pengakuan Dr Mahathir yang beliau selalu salah memilih penggantinya itu adalah benar. Musa adalah lantikan beliau, Ghafar Baba pun lantikan beliau. Selepas Ghafar, Anwar Ibrahim pula dan selepas Anwar, Pak Lah. Semua lantikan beliau akhirnya tidak bersesuaian dengan beliau (Dr Mahathir). Kalau beliau tidak suai dengan semua pihak, maka Dr Mahathir mesti melakukan introspeksi dirinya sendiri.

Sesungguhnya yang membuatkan beliau tidak bersesuaian dengan semua timbalan atau pengganti beliau itu sudah cukup membuktikan Dr Mahathir memang tidak boleh bersesuaian dengan semua orang terutamanya mereka yang mempunyai pengaruh yang Dr Mahathir takuti. Itu sahaja yang boleh membuktikan kenyataan ini.

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Dr Asri jelaskan pendirian ‘double standard’ dalam artikel ‘Politik Carca Merba’

Posted: 07 Sep 2012 02:50 PM PDT

Md Izwan, The Malaysian Insider

Mengulas laporan dalam The Malaysian Insider semalam yang bertajuk, "Asri selar ulama Umno membisu dalam isu melibatkan parti tersebut" bekas mufti Perlis Dr Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin menjelaskan tentang pendirian 'double standard' oleh sesetengah ulama muda dalam isu menyuarakan pandangan agama.

Dr Asri juga berpendapat susulan laporan tesebut, ramai tersalah tafsir akan penulisannya dalam laman web rasmi www.drmaza.com dan menegaskan kenyataannya dalam artikel "Politik Caca Merba" tidak menujukan kepada mana-mana pihak sebaliknya lebih mengkhususkan kepada umum.

"Saya jelaskan disini pandangan saya tidak terarah kepada mana pihak tetapi ia ditujukan secara umum amnya.

"Perkara yg saya bangkitkan adalah mengenai pendirian double standard oleh segelintir pihak dalam menyuarakan pandangan agama," kata Dr Asri (gambar) ketika dihubungi oleh The Malaysian Insider pagi tadi.

Dalam laporan semalam yang bertajuk, "Asri selar ulama Umno membisu dalam isu melibatkan parti tersebut" Dr Asri dikatakan  menyelar ulama muda dalam Umno yang mengambil sikap membisu terhadap budaya politik samseng yang semakin menjadi-jadi kebelakangan ini.

"Perbezaan politik bukan lagi membawa pertarungan minda dan tawaran khidmat pengurusan yang lebih baik, tetapi sebaliknya yang berlaku," kata Asri di laman rasminya.

Dr Asri juga berkata budaya politik samseng seperti serangan ke atas bas, menunjukkan punggung pada gambar pemimpin, membaling kasut dalam masjid, tarian punggung dan  lain-lain adalah bukti masyarakat kini semakin kehilangan adab sopan dan berakhlak buruk.

"Dalil-dalil agama dan nama 'salafussoleh' dikhianati atas kedangkalan pengetahuan, ataupun kepentingan politik 'orang muda agama'.

"Maka tidak pelik jika Allah menyifatkan golongan ulama yang menjual agamanya seperti anjing," tulisnya lagi.

 

Double standard, one-sided, 7.25%

Posted: 07 Sep 2012 02:40 PM PDT

The double-standard practice and one-sided action seen during the current tenure of the incumbent government should be put to a stop.

Selena Tay, FMT

It cannot be denied that the political temperature has gone up a notch after the recent Merdeka Day celebrations.

In taking a swipe at Pakatan Rakyat, Defence Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi recently mentioned that Barisan Nasional has fulfilled more than 87% of its promises since the first parliamentary election in 1959 when it was known as the Alliance.

From the first parliamentary election till now, it has been 12 terms that BN has been in power.

"Take 87% divide 12 terms and you get 7.25%. This means that for each term BN only managed to fulfil 7.25% of its promises," said Mahfuz Omar, PAS MP for Pokok Sena in Kedah.

Zahid had also mentioned that Pakatan has fulfilled less than 15% of its promises.

Countered Mahfuz: "We still win hands down. Fulfilling 14% of our promises per one parliamentary term is still more than BN's 7.25% per term. That is if Zahid still wants to play with figures."

This is a clear indication that BN leaders are poor in maths. This is evident when Umno leaders also like to tell their Malay constituents that DAP wants to control the nation after the coming 13th general election.

How can DAP control the nation when it is contesting only 50 parliamentary seats? There are a total of 222 parliamentary seats and even if DAP were to win all its 50 seats, it is not even one-third of the total. Does this not show the mathematical skills of BN leaders?

To-date, BN has continued to harp on its "Janji Ditepati" (Promises Fulfilled) theme. This theme sounds foolish when there is still a lack of basic amenities, for instance, a regular supply of clean tap water in the interior areas of Sabah and Sarawak.

This problem also exists in Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak's home state of Pahang, especially in the Jengka areas as reported by a local Malay daily.

Sabah and Sarawak are also lacking in good roads, especially in the rural and interior areas.

Another example is good bus transport; for instance, in the 1990s there was regular bus service for the Taman Bukit Maluri, Kepong-KL route. Now there is no bus service for this route. Promises by the government to improve the bus service are nothing to shout about.

What about the oil royalty payments to the Kelantan government? Till today, there is absolute silence about making the payments except the setting up of an Oil Royalty Payments Committee.

"Is the committee nothing but an eyewash to dupe the Kelantan voters in view of the coming general election?" asked Dzulkefly Ahmad, the PAS Kuala Selangor MP.

Selective prosecution

On the promise of transparency in open tenders, this promise has not been kept. The National Feedlot Corporation contract is one such example.

"The mainstream media has blanked out the government's misdeeds, mistakes and failures in keeping promises. Therefore, the majority of the people especially those in the rural areas are kept in the dark. This is done with the intention of keeping them ignorant so that they will continue to vote for the incumbent government," said Dzulkefly.

One-sided media coverage during BN's tenure is one thing. Another thing is the misdeed of the current government in using its lackeys to bully opposition leaders.

These lackeys delivered "shit-cakes" to Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng as well as holding a mock funeral rite for him and stepping on his posters, yet these are not highlighted by the mainstream media.

In a recent incident earlier this month, another group of lackeys threw a shoe into a mosque in Kedah when Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim was giving a religious talk. Besides, the lights and loudspeaker were repeatedly switched off and when Anwar started to speak using a loudhailer, the mosque's siren was suddenly activated.

These lackeys seem to be above the law. Are they entitled to ride roughshod over the rakyat?

"No action is taken on these goons as they are the devil's own. Selective prosecution seems to be the order of the day but if the opposition makes a mistake, the government-controlled media will go to town over it," said Dzulkefly.

Finally, there is also the broken promise regarding the cleaning of the voter rolls. This issue needs no further elaboration.

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Kredit: www.malaysia-today.net
 

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