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Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News

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Raja Nazrin asks Islamic religious council to review programmes

Posted: 09 Oct 2011 07:56 PM PDT

(Bernama) - IPOH: The Raja Muda of Perak, Raja Dr Nazrin Shah, wants the State Islamic Religious and Malay Customs Council (MAIP) and Islamic Religious Department (JAIP) to review their programmes towards developing the Muslim community's economy in a sustainable manner.

He said greater attention should be given to economic activities involving the role of the Perak Islamic Economic Development Corporatision, zakat and Baitulmal, and managing of funds to ensure viability and high impact of every programme implemented.

Speaking at the 177th MAIP Conference here on Monday, Raja Nazrin said he not only wanted to see figures on vouchers and receipts audited, but also evaluation of programmes in terms of quality and impact towards achieving the objectives.

He said for a meaningful impact, MAIP and JAIP needed to place the Key Performance Indicators at a more dynamic level.

"The existing management culture needs to be revamped and the work culture of 'business as usual' be changed in every activity organised.

"Each year, I attend functions organised by MAIP and JAIP such as the Maulidur Rasul and Maal Hijrah celebrations. A lot of time and money were spent on organising these events, but each year the programmes were the same without the injection of innovative ideas to make them more dynamic.

"Such programmes have become ritual, merely to fill the calendar of events, and devoid of the spirit to touch the hearts of the attendees, thus not meeting the objectives."

In fact, he said, those who came were just obliging the invitations and returned home spiritually unfulfilled.

Raja Nazrin said MAIP and JAIP needed to take a new approach by giving a new image and content to the programmes to be organised in 2012.

He said the content and venues for the programmes should be planned early and carefully and after approval by the committee, be presented to him for his views and consent, especially on the financial implications.

The MAIP conference on Monday also recorded its condolences to the Raja Kecil Besar of Perak, Raja Iskandar Dzulkarnain Sultan Idris Shah, on the demise of his mother, Raja Perempuan Muzwin, on Oct 6.

Raja Nazrin also presented the letter of appointment to State Financial Officer Datuk Ghazali Jalal as a member of MAIP, replacing Datuk Jamaluddin Al-Amini who has gone on compulsory retirement. - Bernama

Malaysia sultan says Muslims who attended church dinner will get counseling to ‘restore faith’

Posted: 09 Oct 2011 05:42 PM PDT

(Washington Post) — Islamic authorities will provide counseling to a dozen Malaysian Muslims to "restore their belief and faith" after they attended a community dinner at a church hall, a royal sultan said Monday.

The case has triggered worries among officials in Muslim-majority Malaysia that some non-Muslims were trying to convert Muslims. Proselytizing of Muslims is punishable by prison terms of various lengths in most Malaysian states.

Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, the constitutional ruler of Malaysia's central Selangor state, said Islamic officials who inspected a dinner at a Methodist church hall in early August found "evidence that there were attempts to subvert the faith and belief of Muslims."

The sultan did not elaborate on the evidence or mention Christians in his statement, but said the evidence was "insufficient for further legal actions to be taken."

Church officials had repeatedly denied any proselytization occurred at the dinner, which they described as a multiethnic gathering to celebrate the work of a community organization that worked with women, children and HIV patients. Christian leaders had also criticized Islamic state enforcement officials for what they called an unauthorized raid.

Malaysia's state sultans command immense moral clout particularly among Malaysia's ethnic Malay Muslims, who regard them as the top authorities on Islamic issues. Muslims, who comprise nearly two-thirds of the country's 28 million people, are not legally permitted to change religion.

"We command that (Islamic officials) provide counseling to Muslims who were involved in the said dinner, to restore their belief and faith in the religion of Islam," Sultan Sharafuddin said.

Rev. Hermen Shastri, the general secretary of Malaysia's Council of Churches, said the sultan's statement "brings closure to the case."

"No one should speculate or aggravate the situation further," he told The Associated Press.

The sultan added Monday he was "gravely concerned and extremely offended by the attempts of certain parties to weaken the faith and belief of Muslims."

"We hope that after this, any and all activities ... for the purposes of spreading other religions to Muslims in Selangor must be ceased immediately," he said.

Malaysia's non-Muslims mainly comprise Christians, Buddhists and Hindus, some of whom have complained in recent years that enforcement officials are often overzealous in trying to uphold Islam and fail to respect the rights of minorities.

 

Mindef plans to market defence products globally

Posted: 09 Oct 2011 05:39 PM PDT

By Shannon Teoh, The Malaysian Insider

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 10 — The government said today it will set up a new agency to promote Malaysian defence products internationally.

The defence ministry said that a marketing company would be set up jointly with the main players in the industry.

"Our products have international recognition but there is no integrated support," Defence Minister Datuk Seri Zahid Hamidi told reporters today.

He said the move would allow Malaysia to showcase its defence products with more visibility, such as having its own pavilion at international arms shows.

The Umno vice president said that details such as contributions to paid-up capital will be announced later.

He added that the move will allow "cross-fertilisation" between the main companies and the ministry to exchange defence expertise and business knowhow.

The government has handed billion-ringgit procurement deals to local companies recently with the stated objective of developing the local defence industry.

DRB-HICOM and Boustead have secured deals worth RM8 billion and RM6 billion to deliver vehicles and naval vessels respectively this year alone.

Indian police ‘book’ tycoon Ananda Krishnan, Ralph Marshall in telco graft scandal

Posted: 09 Oct 2011 05:06 PM PDT

(The Malaysian Insider) - Indian investigators have filed a case against Malaysian tycoon Tan Sri T. Ananda Krishnan, his trusted executive Ralph Marshall together with a former Indian telecom minister and his brother on charges of criminal conspiracy over a controversial deal involving telecommunication giant Maxis and India's Aircel.

A Maxis spokesman told The Malaysian Insider the company is aware of the case when contacted this afternoon.

"We're aware of that and we'll get back to you," the corporate communications official said.

State news agency Press Trust of India said three companies, including Maxis, have also been listed in the case. The other companies are India's Aspro and Sun TV.

The former Indian minister is Dayanidhi Maran and his brother Kalanidhi. PTI said the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) today conducted raids at the premises of the Maran brothers in Delhi and Chennai.

"The CBI has registered case against Maran brothers, Ralph Marshall and T. Ananda Krishnan (picture) and three companies under section 120b of IPC read with 13(2) with 13 (1)(d) and also sections 7 and 12 of the Prevention of Corruption Act. The case was registered on 9th October. Searches were conducted at Delhi and Chennai," CBI spokesperson Dharini Mishra said here.

It has been alleged by former Aircel chief C. Sivasankaran that Dayanidhi Maran as the then-telecom minister favoured the Maxis group in the takeover of his company and in return investments were made by the company through Astro network in Sun TV owned by the Maran family.

The CBI, in its recent status report to the Supreme Court, had said that during Dayanidhi Maran's tenure there was "deliberate delay" to provide a letter of intent to Sivasankaran.

The agency had said that after Aircel was sold to Maxis investments were made by the Malaysian firm into the family business of the Marans.

The Aircel group is a joint venture between Malaysia's Maxis Communications Berhad and India's Sindya Securities & Investments Private Limited and has the largest service in Tamil Nadu.

 

UK's Cameron says to tighten up immigration rules

Posted: 09 Oct 2011 04:30 PM PDT

(Reuters) - Britain plans to tighten up rules on admitting relatives of migrants, cracking down on abuses used to gain entry to the country such as sham and forced marriages, Prime Minister David Cameron said on Monday.

Cameron, who wants to prevent newcomers from relying on Britain's comprehensive welfare system, said that family migration accounted for almost a fifth of total non-EU immigration to Britain last year.

The Conservatives want to reduce net migration to Britain from around 200,000 people per year to a figure of tens of thousands which they argue is more manageable.

Restricting migration is seen as a way of reducing pressure on public spending at a time when the Conservative-led coalition is making deep cuts in public spending.

The policy appeals to the right-wing of the Conservatives but has caused friction with the Liberal Democrats, the junior coalition partner.

Cameron said the government wanted to ensure that people bringing their relatives into Britain had enough money to support them.

"We're going to look at further measures to ensure financial independence: discounting promises of support from family and friends, and whether a financial bond would be appropriate in some cases," he said in advance excerpts of a speech he will make on Monday.

"We're also consulting on how to tackle abuse of the system, to make sure that family migrants who come here are in a genuine relationship with their partner."

Cameron gave an example of a Pakistani man granted a visa on the basis of his marriage to someone settled in Britain.

"He obtained indefinite leave to remain and then immediately divorced his UK-based spouse. He returned to Pakistan and re-married and then applied for entry clearance for his new spouse," he added.

"We simply cannot sit back and allow the system to be abused in this way. So we will make migrants wait longer, to show they really are in a genuine relationship before they can get settlement."

Cameron said breaching rules intended to prevent forced marriage would be made a criminal offence and tougher controls could follow.

"I am also asking the Home Secretary to consult on making forcing someone to marry an offence in its own right - working closely with those who provide support to women forced into marriage to make sure that such a step would not prevent or hinder them from reporting what has happened to them," he said.

 

PAS to start petition calling for royal panel to probe A-G

Posted: 09 Oct 2011 04:12 PM PDT

(The Malaysian Insider) - PAS will press through a petition for a royal commission of inquiry (RCI) to investigate the Attorney-General during the current parliamentary sitting, rejecting Putrajaya's refusal to charge Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail with corruption.

PAS vice-president Datuk Mahfuz Omar told The Malaysian Insider today the petition aims to pressure the government into action, saying it was unacceptable it has chosen repeatedly to ignore the countless allegations of misconduct against the country's top lawyer.

He reiterated that if Abdul Gani (picture) was being absolved of blame in all the allegations, defamation charges should be slapped on all the latter's accusers, including former senior police officer Datuk Mat Zain Ibrahim and blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin.

"To me, this shows the government has no stand in this issue. Their refusal to take action shows their unwillingness to clean up the institution.

"It is not a matter of charging the A-G personally, but the entire institution of the A-G's Chambers itself appears to be lacking integrity and credibility," he said when met at the Parliament lobby here this morning.

"I will start the petition soon, during this parliamentary sitting, and we will push for the RCI," he added.

Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Aziz told The Malaysian Insider last week that last year's decision to close the door on the A-G's alleged involvement in Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's 1998 "black eye" case still stands.

"Same reply, same reply. I replied to (DAP adviser Lim) Kit Siang in Parliament before. The reply is the same," he said when asked if Putrajaya would act on the renewed allegations against Abdul Gani.

Asked to state if the government would take action against Abdul Gani's accusers, Nazri repeated: "Same reply."

In Parliament on December 14 last year, the government side-stepped the damning accusations made by Mat Zain that Abdul Gani had falsified documents in the "black eye" case, brushing aside several open letters and appeals issued by the former.

Instead, Nazri had told the House there was no need for Mat Zain to complain that the independent panel formed to investigate the evidence fabrication had failed to clear his name in the incident.

This, said Nazri, was because Mat Zain had never been the subject of the panel's probe and had merely been called as a witness to testify.

READ MORE HERE

 

Mat Zain: Panel probe on A-G ‘unconstitutional’

Posted: 09 Oct 2011 04:06 PM PDT

(The Malaysian Insider) - The independent panel which absolved Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail was unconstitutional, claimed the ex-senior police officer who has campaigned tirelessly to remove the attorney-general.

Former Kuala Lumpur CID chief Datuk Mat Zain Ibrahims said that the panel was unconstitutionally set-up in 2009. The panel went on to rule the allegations against Abdul Gani were baseless.

Mat Zain who has mounted a one-man campaign against Abdul Gani, charged that only the Yang di-Pertuan Agong may order such a tribunal, and therefore it was not in the purview of the solicitor-general or even any Cabinet minister.

"The provisions in the Constitution are very clear. When the conduct of the attorney general becomes an issue, only the Yang di-Pertuan Agong is empowered to establish a Tribunal upon a representation presented to His Majesty by the Prime Minister. There's no other option.

"This is a matter strictly between the PM and the Agong," Mat Zain said in a statement.

The former policeman said the findings of the independent panel that cleared Abdul Gani (picture) of falsifying evidence in Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's 1998 "black eye" case should therefore be considered null and void.

Mat Zain said that although the panel had decided on March 1, 2009, Dewan Rakyat was informed ten days later on March 11 that one member of the independent panel had found evidence to "prove" the A-G's involvements in the alleged wrongdoings.

Mat Zain also said he informed Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak on October 2008 regarding the matter but said that no action had been taken against Abdul Gani till today.

The government has said it will not take action against the A-G despite renewed allegations of corruption and fabricating evidence made against the country's top lawyer.

READ MORE HERE

 

Will Najib's election goodies be enough?

Posted: 09 Oct 2011 03:36 PM PDT

By Ooi Kee Beng, TODAYonline

The annual budget is a powerful weapon for the Malaysian government, and never more so than when national elections are impending. Mr Najib Razak's third budget as Prime Minister, announced last Friday, definitely signals that elections are indeed on the way.

Beleaguered as his government must feel - after the Bersih demonstration in July turned into a bigger anti-government event than it needed to be - when major economic indicators are all pointing the wrong way and with only one and a half years left before a General Election has to be held, it was wiser for Mr Najib not to postpone the use of this weapon until next October. 

In fact, there is no reason for him to believe that the political and the economic situation will improve over the coming year. Political scepticism runs high in Malaysia and even his recent initiative to repeal the unpopular Internal Security Act (ISA), to lift three declarations of emergency and end the requirement for annual renewal of printing licences, was given a lukewarm reception.

What the public is concerned with is what the government will replace the ISA with. Few believe the repeal is motivated by a humanitarian wish to increase civil liberties. 

After two-and-a-half years as Prime Minister, Mr Najib continues to suffer from a credibility problem, which has been aggravated by his penchant for using foreign consultants for public relations exercises and his piecemeal reform initiatives. PR exercises threaten to overshadow serious policy debate in Malaysia.

Given this political milieu, the annual budget announced last week was expected by most to be full of goodies for as many constituencies as possible. In that respect, Mr Najib exceeded expectations.

Not only will 1.3 million civil servants get pay increases of between 7 and 13 per cent, their retirement age is being raised from 58 years to 60. Cheap loans for first-time house owners making less than RM3,000 (S$1,230) a month are being made available for properties up to RM400,000 while taxi drivers are being given various monetary aids. 

Significantly, cash handouts to poorer households will benefit as many as 3.4 million families. That's 53 per cent of all households. And not only will subsidies for food and fuel be retained, as many as 85 subsidised grocery stores are to be set up throughout the country. The goodies list goes on.

While one should not fault the government for helping the needy, it is difficult to see how with the 10 per cent increase in expenditure, the GDP deficit can still be brought down from 5.4 per cent to 4.7 per cent as is predicted. But those are figures for the future. For now, the stream of goodies flow.

Something like 1.3 million students above the age of 17 will be given RM200 vouchers. These will include the many first-time voters that the opposition has for three years been trying to get to register to vote.

Despite all this, the government still denies that what it has presented is an election budget. In fact, what the two-coalition system that has developed in Malaysian politics seems to have done is to put the country in a perpetual campaigning mode. So there is little need to deny that this most important of political weapons is not being used at this crucial time.

Mr Najib is obviously aiming for numbers, structuring his budget to positively affect the wallets of as many voters as possible. He is targeting the Malay community where the battle for votes in the General Election will be strongest.

The big question is whether it is enough. Will voters take the money and support the opposition anyway or will they think that the time for reforms is past and the piecemeal measures that Mr Najib is taking is all they should expect?

As it is, these costly measures are bound to show tangible gains for the government. The resources available to the incumbent party should never be underestimated, and Mr Najib is now using them to generate immediate effect. 

Nevertheless, the ball is now in the opposition's court. Pakatan Rakyat's strength lies in the promise of significant betterment of Malaysian life and it has to project a vision that takes voters beyond the tiresome slugging that characterises the country's day-to-day politics. 

The coming campaign period is going to be an interesting one.

Detainee Dies In Kota Baharu Court Lock-Up

Posted: 09 Oct 2011 03:32 PM PDT

(Bernama) KOTA BAHARU -- A detainee was found dead in the Kota Baharu court lock-up, here on Sunday.

Kota Baharu police deputy chief Supt Idris Abd Rafar said the 43-year-old detainee was found unconscious in the lock-up by a policeman on duty at 3pm.

"The policeman had gone to the lock-up to bring him to Pengkalan Chepa Prison when he saw the detainee lying unconscious," he said.

Idris said the body was sent to Raja Perempuan Zainab II Hospital, here.

"Our investigation found there was no foul play involved and we have classified the case as sudden death."

He said the detainee, from Kampung Badang, here, was arrested on Wednesday and charged in court today for an offence under Section 15(1)(a) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952.

'Money will not fall from sky'

Posted: 09 Oct 2011 03:16 PM PDT

(Harakah Daily) - Money will not fall from the sky. This is the reminder from PAS information chief Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man, urging the public to be wary of the government 2012 budget which was focused on spending without income-generating plans.
Tuan Ibrahim (right) repeated the description of the budget tabled by prime minister Najib Razak last Friday as 'morphine budget', and said Barisan Nasional was presently concealing any drastic plans to raise revenue until it won the 13th general election.

"What has been given will be taken back immediately after 13th GE if they continue to be in power, because by then, the people will be forced to be under the BN government for another five years," he said.

He expected BN to table more supplementary budget bills after the general election, saying this was to regenerate income to cover the 2012 budget expenses which was geared towards winning the election.

Besides the goods and services tax (GST), Tuan Ibrahim said there was a high possibility that the six percent tax on prepaid mobile phones recently suspended would be reverted.

Last week, Najib tabled RM238 billion budget, with RM181 billion for expenditure, and an economic projection of between 5 to 6 percent, as well as a shrinking of deficit to 4.2 percent of the GDP (gross domestic product) compared to 5.4 percent in 2011.

"Regardless of its theme, the people are aware of the UNNO-BN's tricks and must not be fooled by this morphine injection," added Tuan Ibrahim.

‘Where’s the Auditor-General’s report?’

Posted: 09 Oct 2011 02:50 PM PDT

By Patrick Lee, FMT

KUALA LUMPUR: Pakatan Rakyat wants to know what has happened to the Auditor-General's (A-G) report which should have been presented in the Dewan Rakyat before the debate on Budget 2012.

Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim said that it was strange for Parliament to debate the budget before the A-G's report was presented.

"Unfortunately, we are debating the budget today, but the Auditor-General's report has not been presented," Anwar told the Dewan Rakyat today.

He said this while presenting his response to Najib's Friday announcement of Budget 2012.

"To my understanding, perhaps the house secretary can check; (this has) not happened before… that the Auditor-General's report has not been presented before the budget was debated," he added.

Anwar, the PKR-Permatang Pauh MP, asked if this was a government tactic to prevent MPs from discussing the A-G report's contents.

The A-G's report is an internal audit of the government's departments.

In previous years, the report has revealed financial irregularities and excesses in a number of government procurement processes.

 

READ MORE HERE.

Zahid says no cash for BAE warship deal

Posted: 09 Oct 2011 02:07 PM PDT

By Shannon Teoh, The Malaysian Insider

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 10 — The government will not proceed with plans to jointly develop navy ships with UK-based BAE Systems, Datuk Seri Zahid Hamidi said today.

"They have proposed but because of financial constraints, we will not be proceeding," the defence minister said.

British newspaper The Times reported last month that Malaysia was considering a number of defence joint ventures with the UK including the development of warships with BAE Systems.

The UK paper reported however that the Malaysian government would want assurances that it would be protected from the type of budget overruns that had hit previous BAE projects.

Zahid also said there was no progress on plans to replace the 10 MiG-29 fighter jets with the Eurofighter Typhoon multi-role combat aircraft.

 

READ MORE HERE.

Selangor Sultan backs Jais church raid, no one to be charged

Posted: 09 Oct 2011 02:02 PM PDT

By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal, The Malaysian Insider

SHAH ALAM, Oct 10 — The Selangor Sultan ruled that the state religious authority's raid on Damansara Utama Methodist Church (DUMC) on August 3 was legitimate.

But Sultan Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah said today that although the Selangor Islamic Religious department (Jais) had found evidence of attempts to subvert Muslims, it was "insufficient" for further legal actions.

The state ruler said therefore no one would be prosecuted, and Jais will provide counselling to the Muslims who were present in the church during the raid.

"Jais has submitted to Us the full report of the search carried out at the Dream Centre Complex, Section 13, Petaling Jaya as well as the subsequent actions taken by Jais. We have thoroughly read in detail the said report and We are satisfied that the actions of Jais were correct and did not breach any laws enforceable in Selangor," said a statement from the Selangor Sultan.

The Selangor Islamic Religious Department (Jais) disrupted a charity dinner at the Damansara Utama Methodist Church (DUMC) on August 3. Jais has said that it "inspected" the evangelical church — based in Petaling Jaya — after acting on a complaint that participants at the dinner were trying to convert the 12 Muslims present at the function to Christianity. Proselytising Muslims is against the law in Malaysia.

The contentious raid has escalated religious conflict between Muslims and Christians in the country, with Malay newspapers highlighting allegations of Christians trying to convert Muslims through welfare work.

The Selangor hearing working group recently met Jais and representatives from NGO Harapan Komuniti — which organised the dinner at DUMC — in a bid to resolve the debacle that has incensed Muslims and Christians against the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) administration.

Harapan Komuniti — which helps AIDS patients and impoverished single mothers — has said it featured prayer, religious songs and a quiz on Islam at its dinner, but denied it was proselytising.

MORE TO COME
Kredit: www.malaysia-today.net

Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News

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Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News

Adopt Zakat, Not Hudud

Posted: 09 Oct 2011 07:43 PM PDT

http://img194.imageshack.us/img194/3554/bakrimusa.jpg

By M. Bakri Musa

Malay politicians fall all over themselves in advocating hudud, the Islamic penal laws.  That is less an expression of their commitment to Islam, more blatant pandering to Muslim voters.

If these leaders are truly committed to advancing the cause of Islam, there is a more productive strategy:  make zakat mandatory.  Being one of the pillars of our faith, zakat is more defining of Islam.  It is even ahead of performing the Hajj.  Adopting zakat would bring the country closer to an Islamic state symbolically and operationally, certainly much more so than implementing hudud.
 
Creatively managed, zakat could be a formidable force for economic and social development; it would also highlight what is right about Islam.  Currently in Malaysia and in many Muslim countries, mobilizing zakat remains only a potential.  As the Halal Journal noted, "…[I]n the context of the Malaysian economy, zakat has not played a significant role …."  There is also a dearth of economic research on zakat.  The recently convened United Malay Economic Action Council, presumably comprising luminaries in commerce and economics, has not even explored the issue.
 
Zakat is positive, charitable and "do good" aimed at alleviating human suffering; hudud is punitive, barbaric, and vengeful, aimed at maiming the human body and spirit.  Zakat expresses the merciful and benevolent aspects of Islam; hudud conjures nothing but sadistic and repulsive images.
 
The most frequently invoked phrase in Islam is, Bis Millah Hir Rahman Nir Rahim (In the name of Allah, Most Beneficent, Most Merciful!).  Zakat resonates more with these two pristine qualities of Allah (beneficent and merciful); hudud is the antithesis.
 
Practical Reasons for Mandating Zakat
 
A more pragmatic reason for mandating zakat is that as Islam is under state jurisdiction, the revenue would accrue to the state, in effect be a new tax thus enhancing states' authority.  A jurisdiction with no authority to tax has little power.  With our federal system, states have little taxation power except for land tax and a few miscellaneous small-ticket items.  States are thus dependent on the central government.  Where the federal and state governments are from different parties as with Kelantan, the state would be at the mercy of the federal government.  Zakat would change the fiscal and thus political dynamics in favor of the state.
 
One snag is that states are ill equipped to collect taxes.  This could be solved by contracting with the federal Inland Revenue Service to collect zakat.  That should pose minimal extra administrative costs as the IRS is already collecting income and other taxes.  Many Canadian provinces have such an agreement with their central government.  Such a scheme would also coordinate the two systems especially considering that zakat is treated as a tax credit.  Even in secular America zakat is tax deductible when given to a registered charitable entity.
 
Zakat Disbursement
 
States would have to enact legislations consonant with the Koran and hadith on the disbursement of those funds, as well as the penalties for failure to pay.  The penalties should be on par with failing to pay income tax.  At the very least those in arrears should be denied a Hajj and umrah visa.
 
Zakat cannot go into the general fund, but of the eight categories of distribution proscribed in the Koran, five would be considered charity; the remaining could be considered as investment in people.
 
One, riqab, securing the freedom of slaves, can be interpreted metaphorically as emancipating the people.  Thus zakat funds have traditionally been used for religious schools; I see no reason why that cannot be broadened to other schools as with building laboratories and libraries.
 
Providing job opportunities is also a form of emancipation.  The prophet used to build bazaars so traders would have a place to conduct commerce, thus providing employment opportunities as well as service and merchandise for the community.
 
Our pasar minggu (farmers' market) where most of the traders are Malays lack even the basic amenities.  Provide water supply, and that would greatly enhance their hygienic practices, to the benefit of their customers.  With power those hawkers could refrigerate their perishables, thus enhancing food safety and reducing wastage.  Why not use zakat to build these clean, well-equipped bazaars as with the prophet's time?  The area outside the Kaaba was the scene of intense commercial activity during his time.  It still is, especially during the pilgrimage season, providing precedence in combining pious pursuits with economic ones.
 
Zakat could be combined with the "one village, one industry" initiative by funding these enterprises, thus providing jobs for the villagers.  That would be more dignified than simply giving the poor handouts.
 
The building of public infrastructures as marketplaces and funding village enterprises can be viewed as freeing our people from enslavement, the enslavement of having no jobs, no income, and most of all, no hope.
 
Zakat could also be used to build hostels on mosque properties.  Besides being a source of revenue, it would also fulfill zakat's mandate of helping travelers (Ibnus sabil).  Such hostels would be especially useful for villagers and others not comfortable with commercial hotels.
 
The other legitimate use of zakat is for fisabillillah, jihad in the ways of Allah.  That too is a broad mandate.  Creatively interpreted, those fighting corruption, injustices, and poverty could be said to be engaging in fisabillillah and thus deserving zakat support.
 
Showcasing Zakat Versus Income Tax
 
Having income tax side by side with zakat would be an excellent field experiment to compare the two systems.  There are definite philosophical and practical differences between the two.
 
Zakat meets the economist's criteria of an efficient tax system.  Its flat rate means the redistribution aspect is minimal, very unlike the "progressive" income tax.  By casting the net wide and shallow instead of narrow and deep as with income tax, zakat maximizes revenue.  Zakat's simplicity, low rate and minimal deductions discourage cheating by underestimating asset value.  It also spares the need for expensive tax accountants and attorneys.
 
In terms of equity, consider that half of Americans do not pay any income tax; the figure is even lower in Malaysia.  With zakat, the figure should be considerably higher.  After all you are liable for zakat if your personal asset exceeds nisab, the value of three ounces of gold. You have to be destitute to avoid zakat.
 
As for equity, at present sultans do not pay any income tax; with zakat they have to.  I wonder how much zakat that dentist-cum-politician pays for his mega mansion or Rosmah for her ring!  With our secular income tax they owe nothing.  That is the best demonstration of the justness of Islam.
 
Zakat is incumbent only upon individuals, not corporations; there is no provision for that in the Koran and hadith.  That is not surprising as the concept of the corporation is recent.  I do not see why corporations should not be subjected to zakat.  However, considerable intellectual work needs to be done with respect to valuation of assets, in particular "goodwill" and intellectual properties.
 
Adopting zakat would give so many opportunities to effect good, reason enough for our leaders to focus on it rather than on hudud.  Obsession with hudud only distracts them from facing the real challenges facing our people.

Hypocrisy hampers deficit reduction agenda

Posted: 09 Oct 2011 04:20 PM PDT

Hafiz Noor Shams, The Malaysian Insider

If one throws a dart randomly at those pieces of paper pinned on the wall, there is a good chance the dart will land on a handout provision. Those papers are the 2012 Budget.

The Budget, as tabled by the Najib administration, is an election budget. Civil servants, teachers, the police force, the Armed Forces, pensioners and others will get their share regardless of justifiability.

Meanwhile, the subsidy liberalisation programme that the Najib administration was so gung-ho about earlier has taken a back seat, half-baked and emitting a stench called hypocrisy.

Idris Jala, a man who unproductively exaggerated that Malaysia would go bankrupt if the government expenditure continued to rise, now praises the Budget of goodies.

Such is the loyalty of some men to ideas and principles. The wind blows and the mind changes. There is no principle to stick to because only political convenience matters.

Never mind the contradiction and hypocrisy. Voters have a short memory span. Give them money and they will go gaga. It is all about winning elections, not honesty and consistency.

The financial position of the federal government could be in a better shape if the administration had necessary honesty and consistency instead of bending backwards to accommodate the monster of populism.

Without the populism, the fiscal deficit for year 2012 — the Najib administration projects to be 4.7 per cent of nominal gross domestic product (or RM33.8 billion in absolute terms) — could be lowered considerably.

It could possibly go down as far as 3.7 per cent of nominal GDP if all the subsidies, one-time transfer payments and other election-related handouts are flushed down the drain.

Admittedly, the drastic reduction will be a shock to the system that none might want to experience amid the present global economic uncertainty.

Yet, in times of uncertainty, it is only prudent to save for a rainy day even within political needs. This is doubly true given that regardless what was said and done about the importance of domestic demand, external demand is still wildly important to the domestic economy.

Furthermore, a number of analysts have already voiced out that the government's revenue figures are too optimistic for a pessimistic world. That is all the more reason for observers to be conservative with the federal government's finance.

The fiscal deficit can be brought down still lower even with political considerations in mind. Removing the RM3,000 one-off gift to 4,300 individuals, another RM3,000 one-off transfer to an expected 3.4 million individuals and the KAR1SMA programme that will cost RM1.2 billion off the Budget while keeping the bloated subsidy regime intact, the deficit for the year 2012 could stand at 4.4 per cent out of nominal GDP instead of the higher projected 4.7 per cent.

READ MORE HERE

 
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Skandal telekom: India fail kes ke atas empat termasuk Ananda Krishnan, Ralph Marshall

Posted: 09 Oct 2011 05:33 PM PDT

Agensi berita Press Trust of India berkata tiga tiga syarikat termasuk Maxis telah disenaraikan dalam kes itu.

Dua syarikat lain ialah Aspro dan Sun TV dari India.

Bekas menteri India itu ialah Dayanidhi Maran dan adiknya bernama Kalanidhi.

Press Trust of India berkata Biro Siasatan Pusat (CBI) mengadakan serbuan ke atas premis kedua-dua beradik di Delhi dan Chennai.

"CBI telah memfaikan kes ke atas adik-beradik Maran, Ralph Marshall dan T Ananda Krishnan (gambar) dan tiga syarikat di bawah Seksyen 120b Kanun Keseksaan India yang dibaca bersama Seksyen 13(2) dan Seksyen 13 (1)(d) dan juga Seksyen 7 dan 12 Akta Pencegahan Rasuah.

"Kes ini didaftarkan pada 9 Oktober. Serbuan diadakan di New Delhi dan Chennai," kata jurucakap CBI Dharini Mishra hari ini.

Bekas ketua Aircel C Sivasankaran mendakwa bahawa Dayanidhi Maran ketika menjadi menteri telah bertindak memihak kepada Kumpulan Maxis dalam pengambilalihan syarikat itu dan sebagai ganjaran pelaburan dibuat oleh syarikat itu menerusi rangkaian Astro di Sun TV dimiliki oleh keluarga Maran.

READ MORE HERE

 
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Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad on 'Inertia or Ignorance: The Challenge of Dismantling Malaysia’s ...

Posted: 09 Oct 2011 07:46 PM PDT

Register online to attend  |  Download the flyer

Co-presented with Asialink and the Asia Society AustralAsia Centre 

Malaysia's Federal Constitution was formulated through a historical consensus among the Federation's main ethnic communities and the British administrators. While the Constitution provides for asymmetrical freedoms and responsibilities, equality as a fundamental liberty is enshrined.

Yet as authoritarian racial politics becomes more enshrined and Malaysia's institutions have sacrificed their liberty, integrity and transparency, we see festering tensions in Malaysia's social fabric. But Malaysia has an emerging new politics and a society that is demanding change through the fledgling new media. What is holding Malaysia back from dismantling its race-based politics – inertia or ignorance?

(Abstract provided by Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad.)

 

READ MORE HERE.

2012 budget: Not transformative but a desperate vote buying bid with tax payers’ money

Posted: 09 Oct 2011 07:39 PM PDT

It is bandied as a budget for next phase of development and transformative in nature but I can't see how transformative this budget can be when the bulk of allocation is not meant for development but just keeping the existing machinery moving. A damning indicator is that salaries and allowances for our bloated civil servants are budgeted at RM52billion, much greater than development expenditure and more thandouble the total amount of personnel income tax collected at RM21billion.

Instead I see plenty of handouts for vote buying but no clear indication of how this budget is going to be financed. Revenue for 2012 is budgeted to increase up to RM186.9 billion, up tremendously from RM159.6 billion in 2010, with steep increases from petroleum income and company taxes.

The BN administration has taken heart from the increases reflected in its latest forecast for 2011 but there is no consideration about being prudent with the windfall and starting to trim excesses. Let's hope BN's revenue forecast for 2012 is not erring on the optimistic side in view of the difficult economic climate predicted for 2012.

But you can't do any good to your revenue collection by granting Lynas, who is setting up a grim reaper kind of factory and enjoying super normal profit, a 12 year tax holiday (which is 2 years beyond the stipulated period in our Income Tax Act, 1967)
 
There is more than 1 budget, you know
 
Total expenditure in Pakatan Rakyat's alternate budget for 2012 is RM220.5 billion which is lower than BN's latest forecast for 2011 RM230.8 billion and yet BN MPs are already calling it plucking figures out of thin air/irresponsbible etc.

http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/pakatan-budget-cant-rein-in-spending-says-bn/
How can a bigger spender with proven record of weak financial control criticise a new administration which have proven financial management record and praised by the Auditor General?
 

What price freedom from restricted residence?

Posted: 09 Oct 2011 03:34 AM PDT

____________________________________________

Last Wednesday, in Parliament, while debating the bill to repeal the Restricted Residence Act, 1933, Najib stated that the government had 'decided to abolish the 1933 Act because the law is outdated and no longer relevant to the current situation', and went on to talk about  how, in the present era of mobile broadband and smart phones, the restricted residence orders had become ineffective.

Was Najib being absolutely candid about the situation leading to this repeal, or were there other considerations?

Malaysiakini reports that Najib went on to say that the government had embarked on this journey 'not because of any pressure… the test (is) whether we deliver on the promise or not….Other parties can recklessly or unashamedly admit that this is their idea or opinion They are not government mandated by the majority of the people to honour what was promised'.

What promise?

And to whom?

And were there any promises made in return?

That same Malaysiakini report quotes Kerismudin as saying, in relation to the release orders, then already signed, relating to the 125 individuals who were going to immediately benefit from the law that would later be repealed, that the 'groundwork was done much earlier… this was not something we plucked from the air' .

What, precisely, did this groundwork entail?

Last Thursday, at a meeting with a senior civil servant where others were also present, this person said that the 125 persons to be released and the 200 others who would have the unserved restricted residence orders cancelled following upon the repeal of the restricted residence law are all known big-time criminals with enough evidence to put them all away for a long, long time.

Trouble is, they wont go down alone.

They'll also take with them practically half the cabinet, scores of senior civil servants and many top cops.

So restricted residence was never a punishment or a deterrent.

At most, an inconvenience.

Otherwise, it was business as usual.

So why, asked the civil servant, the hurry to repeal this Act and free these top dog hoodlums, yet there is not the same rush with the ISA where most of those detained are not criminally tainted?

The answer, he said, was in the promise that Najib spoke of.

The 325 known cash-rich criminals, whose business interests are each, in their own right, the 'goose that lays the golden egg', have promised to provide UMNO with cash for the 13th GE, in return for their new-found unfettered freedom.

I asked if these hoodlums had already made good on their promise of cash for the elections.

The civil servant said he was not sure.

READ MORE HERE

 
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Home Ministry wants standard manual on firearms use

Posted: 09 Oct 2011 05:53 PM PDT

By Marhalim Abas, The Sun

The Home Ministry is mulling the introduction of a standard manual on the use of firearms for its agencies that issue weapons for its personnel.

The proposed manual will cover all aspects of firearms handling from training and standard operating procedures to the rules of engagement.

With the manual, personnel issued with firearms will have to strictly follow the rules and regulations or find themselves on the wrong side of the law.

TheSun learnt that the ministry is considering the move even as the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) is set to introduce its own firearm manual for its officers.

The MACC manual, among others, emphasises that firearms issued to personnel is strictly for self-defence purposes only.

The MACC will likely be the first law enforcement agency in the country to come up with such a manual as even the police have yet to have a comprehensive written SOP as it mostly relies on the Inspector-General of Police's Standing Order (IGSO).

TheSun was informed that the police is however expected to be exempted from adopting the proposed SOP as its rules of engagement and the use of lethal force are different from the other agencies in the ministry.

Apart from the police, other agencies within the Home Ministry which issues firearms to its personnel are tje Immigration, Rela and Prisons departments.

Sources informed theSun that the MACC manual was formulated last year when the commission started issuing Glock G26 semi-automatic pistols for its officers.

The G26 pistol, popularly known as the 'Baby Glock' because of its small dimensions, can take a 10-round magazine and is easily concealed under the clothing.

It was however unclear why the MACC has delayed adopting the manual but it was believed that some of the provisions had legal implications.

It was however understood that the manual was formulated after the MACC found that its officers had not been trained properly to use the pistols for self-defence scenarios as their initial training is conducted by the police and the military.

"Although the police and military trainers were competent, their skill sets are not relevant for the MACC officers as policemen and soldiers uses firearms offensively and their rules of engagement are different for those using weapons for self-defence only," a source said.

The source said this is because while policemen and soldiers are trained for " kill or be killed situations," MACC personnel are not expected "to shoot their way in to catch a suspect".

Hence, he said more important than good marksmanship and safe gun handling, their training must underscore the self-defence concept.

It is learnt that under the new SOP, MACC officers must go through a qualification process to show he or she, is able to handle a gun competently and safely before the pistol is issued.

Those issued with firearms need to re-qualify annually to continue using their weapons. Those who failed the re-qualification will have to return firearms, until he or she regains qualification.

Annual re-qualification for firearms are routine for international law enforcement agencies like the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), UK police and the US Secret Service.

TheSun learnt that currently, handgun training for MACC officers take five days during which the officers are briefed on the technical details of the Glock pistol, and are taught to fire it from various positions -- standing, sitting, on the knees and prone.

Unravelling the culture of patronage

Posted: 09 Oct 2011 05:51 PM PDT

By Halimah Mohd Said via The Sun

FOR the MACC alone to crusade against bribery and corruption is an impossible task. To successfully enforce anti-corruption laws, the cooperation of the police and the Attorney-General's Office is indispensable. With the undivided commitment of the three agencies, there will be some success in hauling the sharks and ikan tenggiri guilty of corruption at the higher levels of authority in the public and private sectors. The takers and the givers of bribes will face the law and hopefully be found guilty.

For a start there must be complete screening and house-cleaning within these enforcement agencies, among the officers and staff who man anti-bribery and corruption posts. If they themselves are gullible and fall prey to corruption, the credibility of the agencies they serve is diminished. Their anti-corruption crusade becomes meaningless.

However without the support of the Malaysian ikan bilis i.e. the ordinary man in the street, national efforts to wipe out corruption through these agencies will be in vain. When the Malaysian public are, knowingly or unknowingly, cohorts in these acts of corruption, they are guilty of perpetuating the very scourge they abhor. They must admit that they themselves are the bribers who corrupt these officers of the law.

What Malaysians fail to see is that they live in a deeply rooted culture of patronage which encourages the currying and carrying of favours along the social hierarchy. When the social hierarchy discriminates between the haves and have-nots, patronage becomes a way of life as it has always been from the days of feudalism.

In the old feudal structure, from the royal houses right through to the foreign emissaries who court them for trade and commerce and the villagers over whom the ruler and his chieftains exercise their rule, the custom of gift-bearing was the norm.

Whether it came in the form of bunga mas and buah tangan; monetary inducements in the form of coffee money and ang pow; or reward for services rendered in the form of upah, these cultural gestures have been a vital part of our eastern culture. We do it without battering an eyelid because they form the basis of goodwill and harmony in our social relationships.

Unfortunately in this modern era of development, these acts have become contrived and positioned to extract the greatest economic gain. Gifts are given for favours granted and profits projected. And as the business relationships grow in complexity, the favours asked for and given are more wide-ranging. The gestures are less direct and the gifts are camouflaged in subtlety and sophistication.

Malaysians do not realise that the designer handbags and other fashion accessories given to them, their wives and children; the sponsorship of private events and holidays abroad; the granting of tithes and titles are all part of the modern schema of bribery and corruption.

In all of this, one thing must be made clear to distinguish the good, bad and ugly. When people surreptitiously give and gain favours to leverage their own selfish positions to reap huge profits, they are corrupted and are more guilty than the person who offers a policeman a RM50 bribe or the underpaid policeman who takes it.

There is no doubt that to gain the trust of the electorate and win votes in the next general election the government must declare a national blitz against bribery and corruption. This is of the utmost urgency as corruption and abuse of power surface again and again as the two banes in the present government's cap.

There must be an unequivocal statement from the prime minister, endorsed by his cabinet and members of parliament from both sides of the political divide that they are committed to eradicating corruption at all levels of Malaysian society.

For a start there must be the transparent and honest declaration of private assets by the country's political, public and corporate movers and shakers of society, to be updated regularly and open to scrutiny by the relevant authorities. On the ground there must be a concerted effort to educate the people and create awareness among individuals, organisations and the greater community.

The MACC, the AG's office and the police aided by citizen movements must launch a nationwide anti-bribery and corruption blitz to inform people about the complexities, types and forms of this despicable disease of society. Public and private corporations must establish principles of good governance, outline rules and regulations, and organise in-house workshops to educate their workforce on the dos and don'ts of ethical conduct.

It is a war that will, ironically, meet with public apathy and skepticism as Malaysians struggle with their conscience and admit to their own moral failings, but it is a war well-worth waging. It is the Malaysian people who must rise and rally together in the anti-bribery and corruption crusade.

Lynas and the Malaysian Green movement — Kua Kia Soong

Posted: 09 Oct 2011 02:56 PM PDT

By Kua Kia Soong via The Malaysian Insider

The Green Assembly (Himpunan Hijau 109) at dawn at the Kuantan beach yesterday was the harbinger of the Malaysian Green movement that has been a long time coming. Kudos to the organisers of this inspirational event that managed to draw together other green campaigns as well as environmentally conscious Malaysians throughout the country. It was especially heart-warming to see the Orang Asli from nearby Chini taking an active part in the event. There, we pledged our commitment to the Earth Charter and sustainable development and our opposition to projects that are socially disruptive and health-threatening.

Green consciousness in Malaysia has been growing with every toxic project in the country, most noxious has been the processing and storage of radioactive waste. The BN government has always tried to justify their production by saying that "impartial experts" have testified to their safety. In the latest case of the Lynas rare earth plant at Gebeng, near Kuantan, they have invited the IAEA as an afterthought and they say that subject to certain recommendations, the plant should be safe. But the people are not convinced and will continue to oppose this toxic project.

The myth of impartial experts

In 1984, during the controversy over the nuclear dumps of Asian Rare Earth (ARE) at Papan in Perak, I wrote an article in The Star (September 2, 1984) entitled "The Myth of the Impartial Scientist". The government was trying to convince the public that the dumps for the radioactive waste were constructed to the required specifications and scientific experts were carted out to back up their case. But the people of Papan were not impressed and they continued to organise a protracted resistance to the dumps until they won.

The ARE factory had started operating in Bukit Merah New Village in 1982. In February 1985, the Bukit Merah residents filed an application in the Ipoh High Court to stop ARE from operating in the vicinity of their village. The residents turned out in force at the court and their organisation and commitment to the cause of environmental safety was an inspiration for the rest of the country. On April 12, 1987, some 10,000 people marched through Bukit Merah to protest the resumption of operations by ARE after the company had disregarded an injunction to stop operations. They finally won through their sustained campaign and ARE had to pack up and pay them compensation. The people of Papan and Bukit Merah were more concerned about their health and the health of their future generations than they were about the short-term gain of employment that ARE provided.

Today, the people in Kuantan who are opposing the Lynas rare earth plant are displaying the same admirable organisation, commitment to protecting their environment and concern for their health and the health of their future generations and we salute their efforts.

Far from being impartial, the IAEA is deeply involved in promoting nuclear energy. It failed to correctly assess the dangers caused by nuclear disasters at Three Mile Island, Chernobyl and recently at Fukushima. For all its "impartiality", it also failed to prevent the Iraq war, when Bush and Blair had insisted that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction. It turned out to be an elaborate lie to justify western invasion of Iraq.

Since the key question to allay the fears of the people is that of safety and the effects of the plant on the people's health, one would have expected the government to bring in independent members outside the IAEA with expertise in nuclear safety, public health, environmental protection and other social concerns. Besides the danger of radiation, the Lynas plant also produces large quantities of industrial acids and chemicals which will adversely affect the environment.

The lesson of Bukit Merah should be instructive for the Lynas controversy. The ARE expert there had insisted that their facilities were safe. I remember visiting their premises and the Japanese manager had assured me of the same. When I asked the manager if he would allow his pregnant wife to work in the premises with those drums of radioactive waste around her, he was completely stumped and couldn't answer me. During the Bukit Merah court case, other international experts testified that the adverse health effects on the residents — cancer, congenital deformities, cardiovascular disease, etc — were the direct result of the radioactivity from the waste produced by ARE.

Whatever IAEA may recommend for the Lynas plant, they have no power to regulate or enforce compliance on Lynas. We also know that the Malaysian government's record on monitoring and implementing such environmental safety standards and its maintenance culture are legendary! If not, how did the DOE and the Atomic Energy Licensing Board fail the residents of Bukit Merah?

Neutrality of science is a myth

The lesson from all these controversies is that there is no such thing as a "neutral expert". Science and technology have never been neutral — the neutrality of science is a myth. You can as soon find an expert who will say the project is safe and another who will warn you of its dangers.

READ MORE HERE

 

True Folk vs. Good Folk

Posted: 09 Oct 2011 04:00 AM PDT

Dear Pete

I saw the following post in MT under your article "So, teach me the 'jalan yang betul' then!" (inserted by Rev. Thomas  on October 07, 2011 at 06:23:42):

"Correction: True Jews and Christians don't believe Allah is God. He is God of the Muslims. To the Jews and Christians He is YAHWEH ELOHIM or the English translation LORD GOD."

I looked hard to see what exactly Rev. Thomas was correcting, but I found nothing.  I can only assume he must have been referring to the contents of a deleted post. 

Nonetheless, this simple enough two-liner, coupled with the contents of your article and the other comments thereto, just kept bugging me all day long, to the point where I just had to put my thoughts into writing…….

Rev. T starts off his correction by stating that "True Jews and Christians don't believe Allah is God", and so I found myself wondering exactly what that meant.  After all, the Christian concept of God as the Trinity, where one of the three is Jesus Christ the Son of God (God in the flesh), is not at all what the Jews believe.  The commonality in the God of the Jews and the Christians precedes the concept of the Trinity and lies in the God of Abraham.  Now, as it happens (and which you, Pete, know full well), the God of the Muslims is the same as the God of Abraham. 

Thus, if the Jews can call that same God "Yahweh Elohim" while the Christians use the term "Lord God", then the Muslims using the name "Allah" does not alter the fact that it is the same God that all three religions are referring to.  Any "thinking" Jew or Christian (in my book, one who has an open and enquiring mind) would have to agree that Allah, Yahweh and the Lord God are one and the same entity.  So why does Rev. T say that the opposite is true.

Well, Rev. T did not refer to "thinking" Jews and Christians; instead, he used the term "true" to describe them.  If the Rev. T means "true" in the sense that "true" Jews and Christians are 100% devoted to their respective religions, then what has that got to do with not readily accepting that the God of Abraham, called Allah by the Muslims, is not the same entity as the God of the Jews or the Christians?  Sadly, I can only conclude that Rev. T's comment is the remark of a bigot, which means that he himself cannot therefore be a true Christian.

The next thing I wish to point out is that Rev. T, along with many others, happily ascribes the male gender to God.  Why is that?  After all, to be male means being a life form of the sexual orientation that cannot have babies.  If it is an entity that can reproduce within itself, then it is hermaphrodite.  If God could reproduce, even within God's own entity and without outside assistance, then God would presumably create a God replica, thus destroying the "one and only God" concept.  This therefore leads to the conclusion that God is probably sexless.  That being the case, who decided that God should be endowed with masculine qualities and addressed as a man (i.e. Lord God, instead of Lady God)?

Yes, you were right, Pete.  We, personkind (women and men collectively), really don't know the first thing about God, do we?

Warmest Regards,

Wally

 

BUDGET 2012 : Pakatan Rakyat VS Pakatan Rakyat

Posted: 08 Oct 2011 06:52 PM PDT

Oleh Shen Yee Aun

Masyarakat Malaysia perlu lebih peka terhadap permainan politik yang cuba dimainkan oleh pemimpin Pakatan Rakyat. Hal ini disebabkan tiada bajet yang sempurna di dunia ini dan apa sahaja bajet yang akan dibentangkan oleh Perdana Menteri akan ada juga serangan yang berbeza daripada pemimpin Pakatan Rakyat.

Kini kita lihat bagaimana mereka sebenarnya menyerang antara satu sama lain tanpa disedari mereka.

Percanggahan 1 – Elaun Tambahan Kepada Ahli Parlimen

Haji Mohammad Sabu + Anwar VS Lim Guan Eng

"Elaun untuk ahli Parlimen bukanlah satu keutamaan yang perlu disegerakan tapi yang penting ialah integriti Parlimen, integriti untuk memerangi rasuah dan kelengkapan menyiapkan prasarana Parlimen itu lebih penting sekarang ini," kata beliau yang juga Naib Presiden PAS ketika ditemui di lobi Parlimen siang tadi.

Ahli Parlimen Permatang Pauh, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim yang juga ketua pembangkang pula berkata, bajet 2012 seharusnya lebih memfokuskan kepada kepentingan rakyat, bukan wakil rakyat.

"Bajet 2012, kita mahu ia lebih fokuskan kepada rakyat, bukan ahli Parlimen itu sendiri," katanya.

VS

Sementara itu, ahli Parlimen Bagan, Lim Guan Eng berkata, sebaiknya elaun dan kemudahan kakitangan Parlimen ditingkatkan.

"Bukan masanya untuk tambah elaun ahli Parlimen sebaliknya lebih perlu tambah elaun staf dan pembantu Parlimen," katanya yang juga Ketua Menteri Pulau Pinang.

Satu pihak mengatakan tidak perlu peningkatan elaun untuk ahli Parlimen kerana wang yang berlebihan seharusnya digunakan untuk rakyat tetapi satu pihak lagi mengatakan perlunya pertambahan elaun untuk kakitangan Parlimen.

Lagipun dalam isu ini hanya menandakan Perdana Menteri adil kepada wakil rakyat Pakatan Rakyat. Pertama kali dalam sejarah Negara terdapat lebih daripada 80 ahli parlimen Pakatan Rakyat di Parlimen. Sekirannya kerajaan sudi untuk meningkatkan elaun untuk ahli parlimen keadaan ini hanya menandakan kerajaan mesra kepada ahli parlimen Pakatan Rakyat.'

Kalau benar ikhlas ahli Parlimen Pakatan Rakyat hendak mengutamakan rakyat dan belanjawan negara maka mereka DICABAR supaya tidak mengambil pertambahan elaun tersebut. Kenyataan mereka seharusnya seiring dengan tindakan mereka sekirannya mereka benar – benar berintegriti.                                 

Percanggahan 2 – Belanjawan Defisit

Azmin Ali vs Lim Guan Eng

Timbalan Presiden PKR Mohamed Azmin Ali yang ditemui pada satu program di Shah Alam menjelaskan bajet yang telah diumumkan oleh Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Najib Razak semalam merupakan satu bajet yang tidak berhemah.

Ramai pemimpin Pakatan Rakyat mengatakan bahawa belanjawan kali ini tidak realistik , terlalu boros dan juga akan menyebabkan belanjawan defisit.

VS

Namun pada masa yang sama Ketua Menteri Pulau Pinang Lim Guan Eng pula mencadangkan elaun dan kemudahan kakitangan Parlimen perlu ditingkatkan.

Sana mereka mengatakan belanjawan ini merupakan belanjawan defisit dan sini pula mereka cadangkan pertambahan elaun dan kemudahan kakitangan parlimen perlu ditingkatkan.


Percanggahan 3 – Belanjawan Perdana Menteri Lebih Baik

Mahfuz Omar VS Mahfuz Omar

Semua Pemimpin Pakatan Rakyat mengatakan bahawa belanjawan yang dikemukan oleh Perdana Menteri bukanlah satu belanjawan yang baik.

VS

Ahli Parlimen Pokok Sena itu turut berkata, Datuk Seri Najib Razak dilihat ingin "berlawan" dengan Pakatan Rakyat dengan cuba mempamerkan belanjawan yang lebih baik daripada yang dibentangkan Pakatan, Selasa lalu.

"Kerajaan terdesak kerana ingin menunjukkan belanjawannya lebih baik daripada belanjawan Pakatan.

Kalau benar sekalipun kenyataan Ahli Parlimen Pokok Sena maka kenyataan beliau sudah menggambarkan beliau sudah bersetuju belanjawan Perdana Menteri adalah lebih baik daripada Pakatan Rakyat. Hendak berlawan atau tidak dan terdesak atau tidak bukanlah satu pertikaian yang penting kerana yang penting apa sahaja alasan dan sebab asalkan belanjawan Perdana Menteri lebih baik daripada Pakatan Rakyat sudah berjaya dipamerkan seperti yang dikatakan oleh Ahli Parlimen Pokok Sena.

Percanggahan 4 – Bajet Pilihanraya

Dr Dzulkifly VS Dr Dzulkifly

Ahli Parlimen Kuala Selangor Dr Dzulkifly Ahmad ketika diminta mengulas tentang bajet yang telah diumumkan itu menjelaskan bajet tersebut adalah lebih terjurus kepada gula-gula politik ataupun peruntukkan pilihanraya.

"Bajet yang diumumkan oleh Najib itu hanyalah lebih kepada untuk menghadapi pilihanraya yang akan datang.

VS

Beliau menambah bajet ini adalah mencedok dari apa yang telah di umumkan oleh belanjawan Pakatan Rakyat sebelum ini.

Kenyataan ini hanya menandakan Dr Dzulkifly sendiri bersetuju bahawa bajet Pakatan Rakyat juga merupakan bajet gula – gula politik dan hanyalah menjurus untuk menghadapi pilihanraya kalau benar Perdana Menteri mencedok daripada Pakatan Rakyat.
 
Percanggahan 5 – Bajet Untuk Kakitangan Awam

Dr Dzulkifly vs Dr Dzulkifly + Salahuddin

"Kita melihat bajet kali ini tidak diletakkan gaji minimum sebagai sasaran mereka dan secara jelas saya katakan Najib cuba mengelak untuk terus ada komitmen dengan pekerja awam mahu pun swasta. - Ahli Parlimen Kuala Selangor Dr Dzulkifly Ahmad

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"Najib hanya mengumumkan pemberian bonus dan juga kenaikan gaji pekerja awam mengikut gred-gred tertentu dan apa yang kita lihat setiap kali bonus mahupun gaji dinaikkan maka akan wujud inflasi di negara ini dan ia akan terbeban kepada semua rakyat bukannya kepada mereka yang mendapat faedah, inilah ketidak adilan yang wujud dalam bajet kali ini," ulasnya lagi. - Ahli Parlimen Kuala Selangor Dr Dzulkifly Ahmad

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Salahuddin dalam pada itu menyifatkan pengumuman bayaran khas sebanyak RM3,000 kepada bekas anggota serta duda dan balu polis khas dan polis tambahan yang pernah berkhidmat menjaga keselamatan negara semasa zaman darurat sebagai kesedaran yang diperjuangkan Pakatan Rakyat


Pertama beliau mengatakan Najib tidak ada komitmen untuk membantu pekerja awam tetapi pada masa yang sama beliau pula mengatakan Najib mengumumkan pemberian bonus dan juga kenaikan gaji kepada pekerja awam.

Dasar Pakatan Rakyat juga hendak menaikkan gaji kakitangan awam dan sekirannya keadaan ini berlaku maka bukankah kenaikan ini juga akan mengalami inflasi dan semua rakyat akan terbeban seperti yang dikatakan oleh Dr Dzulkifly Ahmad.

Apakah rasional mereka naikkan gaji kakitangan awam maka tidak akan sesekali mengalami inflasi tetapi jika kita melakukannya pula akan mengalami inflasi?

Percanggahan 6 – Bajet Perdana Menteri = Bajet Pakatan Rakyat

Pakatan Rakyat VS Pakatan Rakyat

Semua kenyataan pemimpim Pakatan Rakyat mengenai Bajet 2012 sangat lemah , tidak baik , defisit , boros , tidak realistik dan sebagainya.

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Naib Presiden PAS, Salahuddin Ayub berkata, sebanyak 30 peratus bajet itu diambil dari Pakatan Rakyat – buku jingga dan dokumen negara berkebajikan milik PAS.

Sementara itu, TVS melaporkan Ketua Pembangkang Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim juga mengakui  bajet 2012 dicedok dari bajet Pakatan Rakyat.

Apakah Pakatan Rakyat kini sendiri hendak memperlekehkan belanjawan mereka sendiri ?

 
Percanggahan 7 – Bajet 2012 Tidak Realistik

Anwar  VS Anwar

Ketua Pembangkang, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim menyifatkan Belanjawan 2012 yang baru sahaja dibentangkan sebagai tidak realistik dan merupakan satu lagi helah menjelang pilihan raya umum ke-13.

"Ia tidak realistik. Amat jelas satu helah pilihan raya. Dalam 10 tahun lepas, anggaran pertumbuhan, defisit dan pelaburan asing sentiasa berbeza dengan angka sebenar," kata Anwar.

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"Jelas ia merupakan helah pilihan raya," kata ahli parlimen Permatang Pauh itu lagi yang mendakwa sebahagian daripada pengumuman dalam bajet dibentangkan perdana menteri hari ini dicedok daripada bajet Pakatan Rakyat.

Bagaimana kalau bajet yang dikatakan tidak realistik yang hendak dilakukan oleh Perdana Menteri tidak realistik tetapi pada masa yang sama Anwar mengatakan bajet ini dicedok daripada Pakatan Rakyat pula realistik ?

 

 

 
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