Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News
Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News |
- Perkasa vs Suaram: Of demons and lies
- Anwar should control Azmin’s agenda
- Polls after Deepavali?
- Whistleblowing is an Islamic duty
- How parents can unite, where politicians divide
- Stubborn Umno ‘killing’ race relations
- Selangor under siege?
- Land grab, Malaysian-style
| Perkasa vs Suaram: Of demons and lies Posted: 09 Oct 2012 05:49 PM PDT The statement by the French prosecutor, says an article published on the Perkasa website, can be considered as a full-stop for Suaram's 'web of deceit'. RK Anand, FMT An article published on the Perkasa website has condemned Suaram as a thick-skinned manufacturer of fabrications while at the same time launched a salvo against its so-called demonic funders, the Zionists and George Soros, and their nefarious agenda. Described as an opposition-infiltrated NGO, Suaram was also accused of orchestrating a mission towards regime change in this nation under the guise of championing human rights. The article was responding to French government prosecutor Yves Charpenel who told Bernama that there was no ongoing trial in France with regard to the controversial Scorpene submarine deal. He said that the matter was still being probed by two French judges. "I am aware about all the fuss kicked up by certain media [organisations] in Malaysia over this matter but what I can say is that this is nothing more than a trial by the media," he had added. In an immediate reaction, Suaram's lawyer William Bourdon said that there had never been a question of an ongoing trial as the investigating judges were still continuing their inquiry. "The Tribunal deGrande Instance has convened a criminal inquiry of which Suaram has been accepted as a civil party since March 2012. Upon completion of the inquiry, the investigating judges will make the decision of whether the case goes to full trial," he had explained. The Perkasa article however claimed that Charpenal's statement could be considered as the full-stop for Suaram's web of deceit. "Despite faltering numerous times, the thick-skinned Suaram will issue denials and is not ashamed to face the media, and the people of Malaysia, continuing with their lies and charades. "Perhaps because Suaram has received enormous [foreign] funds, it has no choice but to continue peddling lies with the hope that Malaysia's Islamic government will eventually collapse," it read. The article also noted that Charpenel had said that the investigating judges had no right to conduct cross-border probes or interrogations. Launching a regime change mission It pointed out that Suaram had however claimed in the past that a trial was underway and certain high-profile figures could be slapped with subpoenas as well as released documents in the French language purportedly as evidence to substantiate its accusations. "This proves how low are the characters of those who are behind Suaram, which calls itself a defender of human rights. "It is as if Suaram has made a fool of everyone and spat on their faces with its willingness to lie in order to fulfill the agenda of the 'syaitan' [demon] which brings destruction through war and murder with the help of another 'syaitan' which manipulates the world's currency market," it read.
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| Anwar should control Azmin’s agenda Posted: 09 Oct 2012 03:55 PM PDT A PKR in disarray is Anwar in disarray because we know they are one and the same. CT Ali, FMT Before Anwar Ibrahim can lead Pakatan Rakyat into battle with Barisan Nasional at the 13th general election, before he can ask for the people to cast their votes his way, before he can seriously think that he can be prime minister, before all this can happen, he must first put right what is wrong within PKR. A PKR in disarray is Anwar in disarray because we know they are one and the same. I have been told many times by those in PKR that the affairs in the party are not the concern of anyone except those in PKR. But in an election year even how Maggi Mee and Kachip Fatimah do the marketing of their products is of interest to everybody – what more the happenings in PKR. That is why when PKR deputy president Azmin Ali tells us that Selangor Menteri Besar Khalid Ibrahim will be given a Cabinet post should Pakatan win the government, we want to know whether this is Azmin talking, PKR/Anwar talking or Pakatan talking? And more to the point, if Khalid is given a Cabinet post, who will be menteri besar of Selangor? Surely not Azmin! The entire fracas has taken me back to January this year when we were awaiting the verdict on Anwar's Sodomy ll trial. What was uppermost in my mind was not whether Anwar would be found innocent or guilty of that charge. Either way, I know that the trial has already turned many of our people against Najib Tun Razak and Umno, and will hurt them where it matters most – at the ballot box. So any verdict would be a victory for Pakatan. Of more concern to many of us was what would happen in PKR if Anwar was incarcerated? Who would take over PKR? Surely not Azmin? Today the same question is being asked: who will take over Khalid's place as menteri besar of Selangor. And the reason is very simple. Khalid may have his faults but there is no questioning of his integrity and his commitment to good governance in Selangor. Consider these:
Azmin's misgivings Now what has Azmin done since he became deputy president of PKR? His battle cry during the 2010 party elections was reform: clean up and refocus on PKR. What has he cleaned up within PKR and what has he refocused PKR towards? Like Najib, everything that you want Azmin to do, he has promised to do or said he will do. Like Najib, all that we want him to be, he will be. Like Najib, we know that what he does within PKR is not for PKR but for the advancement of his political agenda. So are we going to endure Azmin any more? As they say, fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me. So how is that Anwar is unable to see the misgivings we have for Azmin's position as PKR deputy president?
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| Posted: 09 Oct 2012 03:51 PM PDT Is Pakatan facing a wipe-out in Selangor, given the innumerable number of 'new' names on the voter list. Selena Tay, FMT According to DAP's Teluk Intan MP, M Manogaran, sources are speculating that the 13th general election is targeted for November but before that a big national Deepavali celebration will be held by Barisan Nasional to woo the Indian voters. Well, we will just have to wait and see if this is true. If indeed the polls are to be held on the last weekend of November, Parliament will have to be dissolved latest by Nov 5 as the current Parliament sitting is scheduled to go on till Nov 27. This means that the budget will have to be re-tabled in the new parliament term. The terminology used in this matter is: "to re-do the budget". In the meantime, the focus is still on the controversial electoral rolls and Pakatan Rakyat. Several non-governmental organisations will be seeking to hold a rally in the Bukit Jalil Stadium on Nov 3 to protest the fact that the electoral rolls have yet to be cleaned up. Based on the current electoral rolls, there are 10 Pakatan MPs who are most likely to lose their parliamentary seats in the 13th general election. The 10 are: 1. Nurul Izzah Anwar (Lembah Pantai, PKR) 2. R Sivarasa (Subang, PKR) 3. William Leong (Selayang, PKR) 4. Zuraida Kamarudin (Ampang, PKR) 5. Titiwangsa (a PAS seat. A young PAS lawyer will be contesting this seat.) 6. Dr Siti Mariah (Kota Raja, PAS) 7. Dzulkefly Ahmad (Kuala Selangor, PAS) 8. Khalid Samad (Shah Alam, PAS) 9. Charles Santiago (Klang, DAP) 10.Teo Nie Ching (Serdang, DAP) Looking at the above list, one can see that eight out of the 10 seats are in Selangor. The two KL seats are Lembah Pantai and Titiwangsa which belonged to the late Dr Lo'lo' Ghazali of PAS. This simply shows that Selangor is under severe threat from the BN side. As for Nurul Izzah, in 2008 she won by a majority of 2,895 votes. Currently, there are over 10,000 new names in her constituency. Dzulkefly won by a slim margin of 862 votes in the previous general election. He too has over 10,000 new names in his constituency. Both will need a miracle to win this time around as all their efforts and hard work may not be sufficient. Wipe-out ahead? So is Pakatan going to face a massive wipe-out? The Election Commission's (EC) stubbornness in refusing to clean up the electoral roll certainly indicates that something is afoot. Is the EC really impartial and independent? The Pakatan MPs have written to the EC several times to initiate a meeting in regard to the electoral roll but all to no avail. The EC officers' reluctance to meet with the Pakatan MPs to discuss issues pertaining to the electoral roll does not reflect well on the former's professionalism. These officers must realise that they are public servants. The rakyat pay taxes and pay their salaries. Therefore the EC's duty is solely towards the rakyat. This shows that under the the Najib administration, things have become worse and the same goes for the Auditor-General's Report. As at time of writing, the Auditor-General's Report is still not out yet. Sad to say, the Najib administration has the worst performance in regard to the Auditor-General's Report. During Dr Mahathir Mohamad's tenure it was always on time, sometimes one, two or even seven days earlier. If not, then the Audit-General's Report was always on the table of all MPs on the same day that the budget is presented. During Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's tenure, it was late at times but not more than three days late. Najib Tun Razak's tenure is the worst. Last year, it was 17 days late. Looks like all the hype surrounding the Key Performance Index (KPI) is just for show only as even the crime rate seems to have worsened. Najib's lost control Even the influx of foreign workers has become worse. There are daily press reports of gangfights and killings among foreign workers and this gives a bad image to the country.
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| Whistleblowing is an Islamic duty Posted: 08 Oct 2012 01:47 PM PDT  Maszlee Malik, The Malay Mail There were countless incidents during a lifetime of Prophet Muhammad where a use of whistleblowing was sanctioned.  Among them is a auspicious convention as reported by a single of his companions, Jabir garbage bin Abdullah, who listened a soothsayer say: "Discussions have been trusted (not subject to disclosure) except in three areas: "Shedding wrong blood, wrong cohabitation as great as wrong accumulation of wealth." (Narrated by Abu Dawud)In another hadith, Zaid garbage bin Khalid reported which Prophet Muhammad said: "Shall you not tell you who is a most appropriate of witnesses? The a single who brings his sworn statement before being asked to do so, or tells his sworn statement when he is asked for it." (Narrated by Malik). It is evident from this convention which a soothsayer was enlivening hisummahto blow a alarm voluntarily, as a dignified requisite towards a maslahah, (public interest as great as benefits of a incomparable society). If you look during it from a point of view ofamru bil maaruf(enjoining goodness) as great as wal nahy an almunkar(forbidding wrongdoing) or from a perspective ofshahada(witness attestation), which is mandatory upon Muslims, then! alarm floating is a "duty" given a purpose of whistleblowing is a same as which of ! 'enjoini ng goodness as great as ominous wrongdoing'. The polite as great as domestic administration department department of Prophet Muhammad (who as personality of a city state of Medina, was a showcase of competency, burden as great as transparency. These were likewise practical to a administration department department of government income as great as expenditure in a provinces.  The oft-mentioned incident involving Ibn Lutaybiyah demonstrates this principle succinctly. Functioning as anamil(tax collector), he returned to Medina loaded with taxation revenues, as great as asserted which a concrete portion of a income was given to him as tokens from sure people.The soothsayer reminded him by saying: "What is wrong with a male whom you allocated as a taxation collector as great as he said this is for you as great as which was given to me? If he stayed in his parent's house, would something be given to him?" (Narrated by al-Bukhari) On another occasion, a soothsayer was quoted as constantly reminding his companions by saying: "Whomsoever you designate over an affair, you shall give him provision. What he takes after which is crack of trust." (Narrated by Abu Daud) The 4 rightly-guided caliphs, a successors of Prophet Muhammad continued a benchmarks of competency, burden as great as clarity in their administration department department of a state. Abu Bak r, a initial caliph after a prophet, stressed a significance of burden as great as a poise of people with authority in a village in his really initial debate to a Muslim village after being elected as a caliph, saying: "Cooperate with me when you am right, though scold me when you commit error; obey me so prolonged as you follow a commandments of Allah as great as His Pro! phet; th ough spin away from me when you deviate." (Narrated by al-Hindi as great as Ibn Kathir). His alternative companions mostly held him to account for his decisions as great as administration department department of a state.  This was additionally a position of Omar al-Khattab when he was elected to attain Abu Bakr. In his maiden debate after being allocated as caliph, Omar stressed a need for burden in his administration, as great as a rights of each empowered citizen.It was reported which whilst Omar was once delivering a Friday sermon, an ordinary person rose as great as interrupted, saying: "O a personality of a believers, you won't attend to your oration until you insist how you came up with your prolonged skirt (the Arabian robe)." Apparently, there was a little distribution of fabric to a people as great as given a measure of distribution as great as a tallness of Omar; he could not have done a skirt out of his share. So, a observant voice of egalitarianism unhesitatingly challenged Omar, a personality of a immeasurable caliphate. Omar's son stood up as great as explained which he gave his share to his father, so which a skirt could be done to! fit Oma r. The observant voice then expressed his capitulation as great as sat down, as great as Omar resumed his oration (Ibn Qutaybah, 2002: 1/55). Accountability of open administrators Omar's policy upon burden was not singular to a obsolete style of written complaints as great as defamation from a public. As for a open offices, he determined a specific bureau to understanding with a burden of a open administrators. The bureau was designed for a investigation of complaints opposite officers of a state which reached a caliph. When it was initial established, Om! ar alloc ated Muhammad ibn Maslamah to take a responsibility of this ombudsman-like department.  In important cases, Omar would entrust Muhammad to proceed to a location, examine a charge as great as take action. Sometimes an exploration commission was constituted to examine a charge. Whenever a officers raised complaints opposite Muhammad, they were summoned to Madinah, as great as a box was listened by Caliph Omar himself.The caliph additionally discharged governors when a people complained opposite them. Among those discharged was a companion of Prophet Muhammad (Saad Ibnu Abi Waqqas. In a after proviso of Muslim history, a specially-designed bureau great known as Diwan al-Mazalim was determined to lift put this task, which currently can be deliberate a exemplary chronicle of a ? la mode ombudsman. O nce, whilst delivering a sermon, Omar said: "My rights over open supports (the Baitul Mal) have been similar to those of a guardians of an orphan. If great placed in life, you will not explain anything from it. In box of need, you shall draw usually as much as it is constitutionally allowed for providing food.  "You have each right to subject me about any improper accumulation of a income as great as annuity collections, improper utilisation of a book money, sustenance of a each day bread to all, border-security arrangements as great as nuisance caused to any citizen."He was available by historians to have released certificates, witnessed by a group of elders, to all duly allocated governors stipulating which a administrator should not float an costly h! orse, ea t white bread, wear any fine cloth or forestall a people's needs (from being satisfied). This is only a single example of Omar showcasing a practise of clarity where a ruler, as great as a state officers, should have zero to hide from a open as great as have been open to inspection of their use of open funds. Another example of burden as great as open airing of grievances practised during a period of a rightly-guided caliphs can be found in a important letter written by a fourth caliph, Ali ibn Abi Talib, to a administrator of Egypt, Malik al-Ashtar, as available in a gathering of Ali's letters as great as sermons, 'Nahjul Balaghah'. In his recommendation to a governor, Ali asserts: "Out of your hours of work, fix a time for a complainants as great as for those who want to proceed you with their grievances. During this time, you should do no alternative work though listen to them as great as pay attention to their complaints as great as grievances. 'Let them verbalise unreservedly' "For this purpose, you must prepare open audience for them; during this audience, for a sake of Allah, provide them with kindness, pleasantness as great as respect. Do not let your army as great as police be in a audience hall during such times so which those who have grievances opposite your regime might verbalise to you freely, unreservedly as great as without fear." All of these examples spell out a significance as great as critical purpose of whistleblowing as another facet of ensuring competency, burden as great as clarity in upholding justice as great as great governance. Whistleblowing has regularly been an integral member of a Islamic domestic culture, strongly rooted in a ontological recognition given a really beginning. Furthermore, Muslim scholars, both a past as great as present, have been really prolific in their writings upon topics related to burden as great as a use ofmazalimandhisbah(public inquiry). A mong a most important was 'al-Ahkam al-Sultaniyyah', a magnum musical composition of al-Mawardi (al-Mawardi, 1995), in which he dealt with both a topics ofmazalimandhisbahextensively. Another exemplary scholar, Ibn Taimiyah, additionally authored a book titled 'Hisbah', in which he discussed hisbah as a pertinent responsibility of each Muslim particular as great as additionally as an requisite upon Muslim rulers (Ibn Taimiyah, 1985). Al-Ghazali, in a same token, dealt with a emanate of burden of a woman monarch as great as his officers in his celebrated 'Nasehat al-Mulk', which was his recommendation to a son of a sultan during his time. However, it was a distinguished vizier as great as scholar, Nizamul Muluk, who smartly deliberated these topics in a really normative meaning in his shining treatise, 'Siyasat Nameh'. These deductive analogies, formed upon sound justification from authentic eremite texts, spell out a nobleness as great as righteousness of genuine acts of whistleblowing to inspire as great as promote competency, burden as great as clarity in a societies. Even though there is no direct anxiety to complicated day whistleblowing per se, a principles it embraces implies which whistleblowing is partial as great as parcel of a comprehensive scheme of great governance to grasp a top goal of Islamic nicely in order to safeguard justice with integrity as great as mercy wit! hin a parameters of maqasid al-syariah. Moreover, a use of whistleblowing is additionally deliberate an movement of worship. According to Yusuf Al-Qaradawy, "whenever a Muslim follows up great intentions with a slight action, his movement becomes an movement of worship." Ulama should back whistleblowers The augmenting acts of genuine whistleblowing, which you declare today, meant which all is not great with a state of trustworthiness as great as integrity of a domestic governance. The courageous acts of a few who have sto! od up op posite a establishment to display a wrongdoings of people in open bureau as great as a gross abuse of open supports have been exemplary acts of piety in a pursuit of great governance to attain a contentment of society. Regrettably, this eminent means is being led by a politician as great as non-scholars instead of an 'apolitical' or non-partisan entity or individuals. Civil society, free from a clutches of narrow-minded politics, should perfectly be leading this whistleblowing initiative. We would brave supplement which Islamic-based organisations as great as Muslim scholars, given of their ontological awareness, ought to be spearheading this citizen's watchdog beginning to guard as great as protect opposite rubbish as great as detriment of open supports as great as abuses of open office. However, disappointingly, most of a Islamic scholars (ulama), whom you had expected to be during a forefront of such righteous efforts in a area of polite as great as domestic governance, have been engrossed with 'red herring' issues which in most cases usually offer to polarise serve a multi-racial as great as multi-religious make-up of Malaysian society. The failure of a ulama to spearhead such an beginning would send a wrong signal to a lay Muslims, as great as remonstrate them which whistleblowing is alien to a corpus of Islamic belief. We goal which this distinguished as great as fair attempt will move a brand new chapter as great as in essence, a brand new goal in a endless episodes of a onslaught to defend democracy as great as great governance in a beloved country, Malaysia. As a consequence, you goal these efforts will evolve a some-more competent, accountable as great as pure domestic governance. Undoubt! edly, th ere have been whistleblowing actions taken by a great adults in a past. The stream bid takes a whistleblowing beginning to a higher turn of open engagement. The 'National Oversight as great as Whistleblowers Centre' is a really laudable bid t! o galvan ize as great as make established this endeavour, thus creation whistleblowing some-more structured, guided as great as professional. We sincerely as great as unreservedly urge all civic-minded adults of Malaysia, regardless of race, religion as great as domestic affiliations, to await this excellent whistleblowing initiative. Above all, you strongly inspire a Muslim community, eremite scholars (ulama) as great as Islamic organisations to welcome this polite multitude beginning in a common quest of attaining competency, accountability, transparency, great governance as great as adult well-being. We strongly believe which all these qualities have been indisputably syariah imperatives as great as main pillars of a Islamic domestic norms which all Muslims should aspire to achieve. MASZLEE MALIK is with International Islamic University Malaysia, whilst MUSA MOHD NORDIN is with a Muslim Professionals Forum (MPF). |
| How parents can unite, where politicians divide Posted: 06 Oct 2012 02:45 PM PDT
Dr Lee Yu Chuang, The Star MY grandparents came to Malaysia from Guangdong province in China with the clothes on their backs, and not much else. My paternal grandmother toiled as an itinerant hawker selling lai fun (rice noodles) until she could not work anymore. In spite of their disadvantages in life, my parents were the first in their families to complete a university education, both graduating as teachers of the Chinese language, which they imparted to generations of students. They both served faithfully in government schools until they retired. My father and mother decided to bring us up in Penang, where we kids had a simple, happy childhood. We spent the evenings cycling around the neighbourhood with the local kids, having water-pistol fights in the backlanes at night, and kicking the ball around the playground whilst trying to avoid piles of cow pat that littered the field. Like most first-generation immigrants everywhere, my parents were somewhat ambivalent in their feelings towards their motherland and their adopted land. For instance, when it came to badminton matches, they would vociferously support the Chinese team whenever they played on TV. But they never demanded that we shared their allegiance in sports, and in all other matters, they resolutely put their nose to the grindstone and concentrated on the business of putting food on the table. Most importantly, I never heard them belittle other races or people who were different from us. Through his actions, I came to learn that my father was a man of principles. Once, while taking a detour through a narrow kampung road, our car hit and killed a goat which strayed into our path. Although it would be more convenient to drive off and avoid any possible confrontations, my father alighted from the car to seek the owner of the cow, to make recompense. My father may not have realised it at the time, but this lesson left a powerful impression on me precisely because it was not meant to instruct. When it was time to start formal schooling, our neighbour suggested that putting us in an English-medium school would give us a competitive edge in life. And thus, my elder brother and I were enrolled in St Xavier's branch school. Novel experience Growing up with an array of friends with names like Porramate, Ahmad Roslan, Surendra, Ronald Nieukey and Hua Ghee, I learnt not to give a hoot about somebody's skin colour but rather, whether they were decent folks and whether we could get along. And if we dropped by each other's houses during festivals, we would not feel any acute social discomfort. Rather, we would look forward to it with child-like anticipation of a novel experience – much like going to a candy store for the first time. I imbibed the pleasure of diversity as naturally as if it were fresh air. After getting good results and in deference to my parents' wishes, I continued my secondary education at Penang Free School. Although I missed my old friends, I quickly settled into my new surroundings and led a busy life with plenty of activities, especially with the Scouts. With a never-say-die attitude, my Scouting buddies Hup, Prasert, George and I learnt that although you may need to take the tasks you perform seriously, you never need to take yourself too seriously. I sat next to a boy named Hussain in Form Four, and apart from sharing the odd Hudson sweet in class (which I would break into two at the edge of our desk to share equally between us), we could also be found sharing the answers to our homework and scribbling all manner of nonsense in our little notebook, all while the teacher was conducting her lesson – oblivious to our shenanigans. Oh yes, we still keep in touch, most recently for some paediatric advice, the man having been blessed with yet another baby in his ripe old age! Form Six was memorable, probably because we had girls studying alongside us for the first time. I made many life-long friendships during that phase. When my close buddy Vijay got married later in life, I was deemed good enough to be his best man. And even though Azilah left for further studies in the US after only a few months of sixth form, we nurtured a kinship that continues between her family and mine until today. Vicky and I got into the same medical school, and now she is my boss when it comes to child neurology. Being a paediatrician enabled me to be of some use to friends who decided to start their own families, and allows me to remain relevant in their lives, even with the distances that divide us. With such an assortment of friends in my formative years, I had a mild cultural shock when I entered university and found the student population rather ethnically polarised. I observed that most students preferred to stick to their comfort zones and not venture outside their cultural perimeters. Nonetheless, it was an excellent opportunity to mingle and learn. I found that beneath the conservative dressing and orthodoxy of my Muslim course-mates, were some really sweet and gentle human beings who would be gracious and generous to a fault. Not that this should be confused with being pliant, I would hasten to point out, for people like Ghazaime and Haseenah could give as good as they got – both in humour and wisdom. We were bonded by the common task of getting through medical school without burning out. In reflection, perhaps that is what it takes to get people together – a common goal that transcends superficial differences. Anyway, one thing that I can be sure of: being a doctor is a good way of becoming colour-blind. All doctors and nurses can attest that after you have witnessed enough sickness and death, you cannot help but realise that this is the fate of everyone of us. Thus, with our scripts already written out and within the time that remains for all of us, how can we justify treating a fellow human being with less than deferential dignity? When you have seen children battered to death by their parents or molested by trusted religious elders, you awake to the truth that good and evil is present in all of us, regardless of race, religion, gender or any other term we use to divide ourselves. In the end, we are merely mortal beings with our mortal failings. All we can hope for is the chance to redeem ourselves with acts of kindness towards a fellow human being. Now that I have children of my own, I pray that I am also imparting the right values and outlook to them. I try to speak of good individuals and good acts, bad individuals and bad acts, and I never use stereotypes. I want to impress upon them that kindness is the basic tenet of all true religions. I hope they never grow up to speak uncharitably of any group of people by virtue of their external differences. Our true value At the most basic level, my children must know that we are all humans in need of the same things. For this reason, I want my children to understand that nobody should feel that they are above the poorest, most wretched people in the street. Nor for that matter should anyone feel that they are beneath the richest, most powerful royalty on earth. All are the same; all are human beings. Only our character will reveal our true value. Neither the colour of our skin nor the depth of our wallets will compensate for any moral deficiency. Of course, as they grow, my children will bear witness to the disparities and unfairness inherent in society and life, and I will encourage their moral outrage to right these wrongs. They would need to be courageous in dealing with those who try to bully their way through, given that the person who shouts the loudest is not necessarily right. I would want my children to have a humble understanding of the human condition, and thus act with kindness in their dealings with all around them. As a parent, and learning from other parents and my own, it is clear that our children's prejudices are modelled by and taught by us. If we consistently denigrate others with labels and derogatory words, it is only a matter of time before the poison seeps into our children's hearts, and breeds a generation filled with hatred and discontent. Compounded by the politician's tongue which is skilled but not necessarily wise, we will not only miss the forest for the trees, but in the tragic finale, set fire to our common abode – just to prove who's right. We must change the only thing that we truly can – ourselves, to be the light that illuminates a better path for our children. We can drop the unproductive attitudes that we grew up with, and choose instead to promote goodwill and kindness in a society where all can win and all who need help will get help, regardless of class, creed or ethnicity. For all the politicians who have gotten it wrong, we can be parents who say: "No! You will not impose your vile prejudices onto my family, and we will not submit to leaders who do not make us stronger as a nation." When we accept what true power we hold in our hands – the power to enlighten our children in their perception and thinking – then we will do the right things and say the right things to our children because their future depends on the direction that we set their sails to. It all starts with us. It is ironic that now, with the passing of the years, and having dealt with thousands of children and their families, I have come to revisit the universal truth: that young children – if left alone – get along splendidly with almost any other young children. They see others with a clear eye and an open heart. They do not even bother to ask each other's names, only knowing that they delight in each other's company and that they will play to their hearts' content in their limited time together. Theirs is a truly inclusive brotherhood. Theirs is the wisdom of the innocent. It is the parents who hurrily grab them away, who tell them who they can and cannot play with, and who must be shunned – and thereafter, this child is forever stained with the pockmark of prejudice which is not easy to erase. In the final analysis, it is clear that if there is one thing children can teach us, it is to strive to see with child-like clarity. For in the kingdom of the coloured, perhaps there is an advantage in being colour-blind.
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| Stubborn Umno ‘killing’ race relations Posted: 06 Oct 2012 02:20 PM PDT Umno's refusal to adapt to the changing socio-political setting in the country is its own doom. Umno's approach to 'unity' is something like the Nazi final solution. It thinks it can achieve national unity by pitting one race against one another. Mohd Ariff Sabri Aziz, FMT The Malaysian people have already shown that they no longer accept the Umno solution. The coming together of various races during Bersih 3.0 earlier this year sent shivers along the spine of the Umno leadership unless of course they misread or simply refused to read the signals sent by the tens and thousands of participants who voluntarily rallied. Umno's approach to 'unity' is something like the Nazi final solution. It thinks it can achieve national unity by pitting one race against one another. Today the Chinese, tomorrow the Indians and later all other non-Malay Malaysians. Eventually, it will apply the same gas-chambering treatment to the Malays who dared challenge and reject Umno. The Malays who are opposed and reject Umno are classed as either not having sufficient Malayness or apostates. The majority of us reject this fascism. The socio-political setting in the country has changed but Umno refuses to adapt. And those who don't adapt will perish. As a DAP member, I am also ready to concede that in the long run, DAP will lose its wider relevance if it also refuses to adapt to the new social setting. The new social setting demands recognition that despite being of different races, heterogeneity does not prevent the sharing of universal and common values. Different races value the same freedom and economic justice. Being of different races does not preclude sharing similar ideas about equality or sharing the same idea about a common future. You think the right thinking Malay is unmoved to see Umno abuse the Malay definition? The ordinary Malay finds it reprehensible when Umno exploits the Malay name to enrich the elite and selected few among the Malays. Vilifying the Chinese Look at the general vilification on Malaysian Chinese who are now more readily associated with DAP. Let me ask you, who is the closest Malaysian Chinese to the Prime Minister these days? It's a Malaysian Chinese who just secured a RM1 billion contract to do the Ampang LRT extension works. In that sense, the Umno president is selling out the Malays. It is certain now that Najib had interceded on behalf of George Kent to award the Ampang LRT extension project to a Malaysian Chinese. The company failed the technical and financial pre-qualification requirements but for Najib's intercession, got the project anyway. Mind you, this is the same Malaysian Chinese who was rumoured to have brokered the contract for the double tracking project for China Harbors. Additionally, this same Malaysian Chinese was rumoured to have asked US$500 million from the Chinese government allegedly for the benefit of Najib.
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| Posted: 05 Oct 2012 12:14 PM PDT
The Talam issue is still being spun this way and that while the issue concerning the PJ mayor is orchestrated to jam up the works and smooth-running of the state government's daily administrative process. What all these shenanigans mean is that the rakyat's choice at the ballot box in March 2008 is not respected but treated as rubbish! Selena Tay, Free Malaysia TodayEnemy forces are not letting up their assault on the Pakatan-led state in their determination to see it fall in the coming general election. "Defend till the end! Fight to the last!" was the angry response of this columnist's uncle who is a Selangorian when he heard that Petaling Jaya mayor, Mohamad Roslan Sakiman, is to be transferred to another department. This is despite the fact that PJ City councillor Derek Fernandez, who is also a lawyer by profession, remarked that the transfer decision by the PSD (Public Services Department) is illegal and ultra vires (as reported in a local English daily). This columnist's relatives who stay in Selangor are of the view that Barisan Nasional's shenanigans have started again in Selangor. Under heavy bombardment and continuous shelling, Selangor is bound to fall. This is called a "political siege". So far since the beginning of this year, the Pakatan Rakyat Selangor government had to contend with these four main issues: garbage collection, water, Talam and now the latest is the Petaling Jaya mayor issue. There has been no let-up from the enemy forces since the previous general election in March 2008. The first issue – garbage collection – had seen garbage trucks being blocked by hostile forces and broken furniture and tree branches being made into rubbish and dumped here and there in order to portray Selangor as a dirty state. When the garbage collection trucks are hindered, inevitably rubbish will start to pile up. All this just because the Selangor government wants to save RM20 million from garbage collection services by awarding the contract to new contractors! As for the water issue, a 40-second infomercial was last month filmed to show residents from a flat lining up to collect buckets of water while, at the same time, complaining about the so-called water shortage. It is a no-brainer as to who is behind this "entertaining movie". Diabolical forces The Talam issue is still being spun this way and that while the issue concerning the PJ mayor is orchestrated to jam up the works and smooth-running of the state government's daily administrative process. What all these shenanigans mean is that the rakyat's choice at the ballot box in March 2008 is not respected but treated as rubbish! The diabolical forces are hellbent on regaining Selangor by hook or by crook because in the view of these evil forces, might is definitely right. There is only one thing that can be done by Pakatan in this matter and that is to hold the Selangor state election in May as the State Legislative Assembly will be automatically dissolved by then. Read more at: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/opinion/2012/10/06/selangor-under-siege/
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| Posted: 05 Oct 2012 12:08 PM PDT
Before Act A804, land could only be acquired for public purposes or for public utilities like building of roads, schools, hospitals, pipelines, water or power plants, etc. With the addition of "…for any purpose which in the opinion of the State Authority is beneficial to the economic development of Malaysia", no land is safe. Thomas Fann This is not a new issue, in fact it is 21 years old. It all began when the Barisan Nasional government, with its overwhelming majority in Parliament, passed by 99 to 25 votes the 1991 Land Acquisition Amendment Bill, or Act A804. The rephrasing of sections of the Land Acquisition Act 1960 basically gave incontestable power to state governments to seize private land for development by private companies and individuals. Lands originally acquired for public purposes can also be used for private development. Before Act A804, land could only be acquired for public purposes or for public utilities like building of roads, schools, hospitals, pipelines, water or power plants, etc. With the addition of "…for any purpose which in the opinion of the State Authority is beneficial to the economic development of Malaysia", no land is safe. The term "beneficial to the economic development of Malaysia" is as subjective as you can get. A piece of land can be acquired to build a posh five-star hotel, an amusement park or a golf resort because in the opinion of the government it would bring in the tourist dollar and create jobs for locals, not to mention enriching the private companies which would, of course, be paying taxes. To really make the Land Acquisition Act water-tight for the acquirer, Section 68A says that acquisitions cannot be invalidated by reason of any kind of subsequent disposal or use (etc) of the acquired land. This new provision aims at preventing the acquirer or the purported purpose from being challenged in court. You can only challenge the quantum of the compensation offered, the measurement of the land area, the person whom compensation is payable to, and the apportionment of the compensation. The leader of the opposition then, Lim Kit Siang, in opposing Act A804, gave this dire warning: "When it becomes law, it will destroy the constitutional right to property enjoyed by Malaysians for 34 years since Merdeka, and become the mother of all corruption, abuses of power, conflicts-of-interest and unethical malpractices in Malaysia…" Was Kit Siang just over-reacting or scare-mongering when he said that or is it a prophecy that was and is being fulfilled till today? A new ball game The impetus for the passing of Act A804 was for the acquisition of 33,000 acres of land in the Gelang Patah area for the construction of the second link with Singapore and the construction of a new township by UEM, wiping out 19 villages and displacing 10,000 people. The Johor state government offered the affected smallholders compensation averaging RM26,000 per acre or 64 sen per sqe ft, far below the then market value of RM100,000 per acre for agricultural land. In a subsequent civil suit by one of the affected landowners against the government of Johor in 1995, it was revealed that a subsidiary of Renong was offering the intended development for sale at RM17 per sq ft, a whopping 28 times more than what the original landowners got! For a glimpse into some of the backroom wheeling and dealing that went on with these deals, one should read the court papers of cases like "Honan Plantations vs Govt of Johor'; and "Stamford Holdings vs Govt of Johor". Names of notable personalities like Muhyiddin Yassin, Syed Mokhtar Albukhary and Yahya Talib in secret meetings were mentioned. For the Second Link and the highway that linked it to the North-South Expressway to be built, the Land Acquisition Act was necessary. To be fair, compensation had to not only take into account the then prevailing market value but also the loss of livelihood for the people who used to live off the land. With Act A804, the government seized a lot more land than was required for the custom and immigration complex and the highway. We can safely say it seized almost 24,000 acres more for a private corporation, UEM, albeit it is a GLC (government-linked corporation). Today, UEM Land, as the master developer of the 23,875-acre Nusajaya (as the acquired land is now called) boasts of its enormous landbank and potential billions in profit from its development. We want to ask this simple poignant question: whose lands were these originally, and what about the 10,000 over affected villagers? Shouldn't these people be beneficiaries of development and not its victims? Perhaps some of the villagers are now working in Legoland, who knows? While some of the people behind the scenes went on to achieve high office and some made it to the top 10 billionaires list, thousands of other nameless Malaysians are without land and opportunities. Land grab is non-discriminatory: Malaysians from all racial, religious and social strata are affected. Gelang Patah was just the precursor to a new ball game called Land Grab and the same modus operandi was used for Seremban 2, Bandar Aman Jaya in Sungai Petani, Pantai Kundor/Pantai Tanah Merah and Paya Mengkuang in Melaka, Kerpan in Kedah, Sepang in Selangor, lands acquired for the MRT project, Jalan Sultan, native customary lands in the Peninsula, Sabah and Sarawak, and many, many more. Of course, not all compulsory acquisitions are unjust or not justifiable; but there should be a fair and unskewed avenue for aggrieved landowners through the justice system to question certain acquisitions. The courts now are somewhat constrained by Act A804, and in almost all cases such acquisitions are not reversed. The Pengerang grab Twenty years on, the same script is being acted out in Johor again (a BN stronghold), this time to the east in Pengerang. A total of 22,500 acres of land are being acquired for the development of the Pengerang Integrated Petroleum Complex (PIPC). The anchor project in this proposal is Petronas' RAPID project which requires a sizeable 6,424 acres. Smallholders and plantations are being offered between RM1.80 psf and RM8 psf for their land. Can Pengerang be called Gelang Patah 2.0 where again, on the pretext of development, a huge tract of land is being taken from their original landowners and placed in the hands of one or a few wealthy individuals and corporations? Is the PIPC the main play or is property speculation the main play? Would the same prime minister who mooted the Third Link to Singapore in 2009 make the announcement again after all the land has been acquired? Who are the direct beneficiaries of such development? All these are so "legal" that one government official after another is spewing out that it is done properly under the terms of the Land Acquisition Act 1960. It may be legal, but is it moral? Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak made a statement during the launch of the sixth International Association of Anti-Corruption Authorities Conference in Kuala Lumpur on the Oct 4, 2012: "Is the unbridled and ruthless pursuit of extraordinary profits a form of corruption? I believe that if we see corruption as fundamentally a moral problem, therefore anything that promotes selfish interest at the expense of the well-being of others is morally wrong. It was vapid [tasteless] self-interest and greed that was truly at the heart of corruption. " Mr Prime Minister, I could not agree with you more. How much is enough for the greedy? How many more poor and defenseless villagers must be forcibly displaced and robbed of the fruits of development to satisfy the insatiable appetites of the greedy who uses the Land Acquisition Act to enrich themselves? Who will speak up for the thousands who will be landless and many without a means of livelihood? It is evil when a law is crafted to take away land from the poor without their consent, fair compensation or share in its benefits so that a few might make it to Forbes' list of billionaires. We should all be foaming at our mouth with anger at this injustice but instead we just thank God daily that it is not our land they have come to take, at least not yet. Thomas Fann blogs at www.newmalaysia.org |
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