Rabu, 9 Januari 2013

Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News

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Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News

Curse of No. 13 to usher the end of Sabah BN?
Perkasa Lawan Himpunan Kebangkitan Rakyat 112
Minimum wage
"Saya tidak tahu bukti Kristianisasi yang macam mana lagi masyarakat mahukan"
YBAM Urges Ministry of Education to Offer Non-Islamic Classes
The Hole: An Unexpected Journey
Christians are hurting in the religious divide -- STAR

Curse of No. 13 to usher the end of Sabah BN?

Posted: 08 Jan 2013 10:26 AM PST

Jason Matius

There is now serious talk spreading among the Sabah opposition parties concerning the effect of numbers in the political fortunes of political parties in Sabah. And to the opposition parties' delight, the numbers appear to point to the death knell of the Barisan Nasional in the next general election.

A series of text messages and excited conversations concerning the number thirteen, prophesying BN's supposed impending fall, have been making their rounds among mainly opposition supporters here. These messages remind Sabahans of the fact that USNO, Sabah's first government, was defeated by Berjaya in 1976 (7 + 6 = 13), Berjaya was defeated by PBS in 1985 (8 + 5= 13), and PBS was toppled from power by BN in 1994 (9 + 4 = 13). Also interesting is that each of these three governments ruled for exactly nine years!

Whether you are superstitious or not, you'd admit it's not easy to simply brush aside these uncanny series of 9s and 13s which marked the length of life and sensational deaths of three past governments. Many even believe this is Sabah's equivalent to Malaysia's strange RAHMAN prophecy, the arrangement of initials of the names of all the past prime ministers from the beginning to the present one. Many of those who believe these are not mere coincidences, are also convinced the Sabah's series of 13s will continue at least to the next general election.

This belief is reinforced by the fact that for the forthcoming polls, the number 13 is not even hidden like in the past in which the last two digits of the year had to be added to come up with the jinxed number 13. In GE13 the number is wholly and clearly written, not once but TWICE, i.e. the last two digits of the year, and in the number of the times the general elections will be conducted! One clearly written 13 is bad enough, but twice?

In the past, many observers were expecting the Sabah BN to fall in 2003, i.e. nine years after 1994, but when it didn't happen, BN supporters had said BN had successfully broke the nine-year jinx. But now some can argue for the interesting fact that the nine-year series has not been broken, but simply doubled to 18 years, i.e. to 2012, plus a few month to reach 2013, the year which ends with 13.

Other than these numbers, it has been mentioned in the biography of the late Tun Fuad Stephens that when he won his state assembly seat in Kiulu in 1985, his majority was exactly 1,111. To the Chinese observers it was a bad omen because 1111 added to four and four in Chinese is pronounced the same way as the word for death. Shortly afterward Stephens along with many others died in a plane crash which is now called the Double Six Tragedy because it happened on the June 6. Many people, however, say it should have been called the Triple Six Tragedy, to include the year 1976, the year it happened; hence completing it to 666, which is the number of the devil.

Will the jinx of the number 13 really see the end of Sabah BN in the hands of the opposition? Many people can't wait to find out.

Perkasa Lawan Himpunan Kebangkitan Rakyat 112

Posted: 08 Jan 2013 10:17 AM PST

Himpunan Rakyat112, satu himpunan raksasa yang dikendalikan oleh pihak yang menuntut keadilan, rakyat boleh melepaskan kemarahan mereka terhadap parti pemerintah dengan aman tanpa rusuhan. Himpunan Kebangkitan Rakyat 112 juga dapat sokongan NGO.

Timbalan Presiden PAS, Mohamad Sabu bersalaman dengan CP Datuk Seri Mohd Bakri bin Mohd Zinin, Pengarah Jabatan Siasatan Jenayah PDRM, gambar di atas menceritakan Mat Sabu, Pakar perancang demo yang mewakili komiti NGO ini berjabat tangan dengan pegawai atasan PDRM.

Sumber Fb Polis Di Raja Malaysia

"Pihak polis meminta kerjasama yang baik dari penganjur dan orang ramai dan mereka sendiri akan bersama-sama memastikan himpunan 12 Januari ini akan berlangsung dalam keadaan aman dan damai.

"Polis dan kami sama-sama berazam untuk menjadikan himpunan ini sebagai rekod himpunan paling aman sebelum PRU dan polis juga berkata inilah perubahan sejarah pentadbiran polis dibawah akta baru," katanya kepada media

Walau bagaimanapun PERKASA, satu pertubuhan anti-demokrasi, anti-perpaduan rakyat dan NGO racist ini berkeras dan mahu menghalang kebangkitan rakyat. Mereka memainkan peranan seolah-olah bertentangan dengan perlembagaan yang diwartakan, hak dan kebebasan perhimpuan rakyat.

Perkasa membuat laporan polis terhadap Himpunan Kebangkitan Rakyat (HKR) anjuran Pakatan Rakyat pada Sabtu ini.

Timbalan Ketua Penerangan Perkasa Abdullah Mansor membuat laporan itu di Ibu Pejabat Polis Daerah (IPD) Dang Wangi di sini hari ini.

Abdullah dalam laporan polisnya berkata, pihaknya bimbang pembangkang sengaja mengadakan himpunan itu sebagai cubaan untuk menghidupkan suasana seperti di Dataran Tahrir, Mesir kerana mendapat maklumat kumpulan itu akan berkumpul di Dataran Merdeka.

Perkasa sebuah NGO yang pro UMNO. Amat takut dan risau periuk nasi mereka pecah akibat UMNO kalah dalam PRU13. Perkasa masih tidak sedar dalam Himpunan Kebangkitan Rakyat 112, ramai peserta yang menyertai HKR 112 adalah terdiri dari bangsa Melayu yang beragama Islam. Mereka ini juga perjuang dan pembela Melayu.

Minimum wage

Posted: 08 Jan 2013 09:41 AM PST

YT Teh

Top Gloves just announced its foreign workers' salary will increase from RM1200 to RM1800 (inclusive of overtime) due to implementation of RM900 minimum pay. RM600 represents a fifty percent increment for these workers. Just assuming two million foreign workers in Malaysia, the increment is going to cost Malaysian companies RM14.4 billion. Why are we increasing minimum pay which will mainly benefit foreign workers?

Instead of the RM900 minimum wage, can we ask companies like Top Glove to set aside a compulsory contribution of RM100 per foreign worker which would be distributed to its local work force earning below RM1500 as special subsistence assistance for poor Malaysians? Prices of goods are already going up rapidly. Low income Malaysian workers will suffer most.

Beware, the opposition's simple solution of RM 1200 minimum wage is even more disastrous. We need a solution that truly benefits and builds up the local work force.

Just my honest contribution of ideas.

"Saya tidak tahu bukti Kristianisasi yang macam mana lagi masyarakat mahukan"

Posted: 07 Jan 2013 10:12 AM PST

ZyOqBYu7qT4

There are millions of Muslims in this country and she picked on a few cases as an example to show there is a movement by the Christians to convert the Muslims ... she calls herself an academic in Islamic Studies? ....... if the Malays want to leave Islam, it's precisely because of people like her!!

Or watch at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZyOqBYu7qT4

The problem with this country is, Malaysians underestimate the capability of the Malays to accept open discussion on what they term as 'sensitive'. They want this to remain 'sensitive' so as to remain in control and have a strong grip on the minds of the Malays ... this would ensure they will remain relevant.

YBAM Urges Ministry of Education to Offer Non-Islamic Classes

Posted: 07 Jan 2013 10:00 AM PST

The Young Buddhist Association of Malaysia (YBAM)

The Young Buddhist Association of Malaysia (YBAM) presented the Memorandum of the proposals on Religious Education to "The Malaysia Education Blueprint 2013-2025 Preliminary Report" to the Minister of Education today. YBAM urges the minister to seriously consider the need of religious education to non-Muslim students and to offer non-Islamic classes and establish religious societies in schools.

The memorandum is signed by 74 organisations of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism, and was presented to the Minister of Education by the Deputy President of YBAM, Loh Yit Phing, and Deputy Secretary General, Dr. Koh Yit Yan. The memorandum was received by Dr. Raslan Haniff Abdul Rashid, who is the Special Officer to Minister of Education Malaysia.

Loh Yit Phing mentioned that since the Education Blueprint was introduced in September 2012 by the Prime Minister, YBAM, through various occasions, had voiced the worries among Buddhist community towards the Blueprint, including the memorandum presented to the Deputy Education Minister, Datuk Wee Ka Siong during the Workshop on National Education Blueprint organised by MCA on 6 October 2012.

"In order to ensure that the government look into this matter seriously, started in November 2012, YBAM started to collect the signatories from the religious, cultural and educational organisations, and at the same time, to make an appointment with Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education for the presentation of Memorandum. The appointment was only confirmed a week ago but a representative, Dr. Raslan Haniff Abdul Rashid was appointed to receive the memorandum." YBAM presented the memorandum consists of five proposals and strategies so as to help children understand the religion better, leading to mutual understanding.

The memorandum stressed that the Education Blueprint should recognise religious diversity and emphasizes the importance of religious education with the following five proposals:

• To implement non-Islamic religious classes at all primary schools so as to shape children with good character and ethical and moral values

• To establish non-Islamic religious societies in schools as part of their extra-curricular activities and for the students to be able to earn extra-curricular marks for participation in these societies

• To strengthen the narrative on the development of all major religions in the History Textbook for secondary schools, and to provide proper explanations and clarification on the teachings of all major religions practiced in our country

• To support and encourage secondary school students to volunteer at charitable organisations, religious organisations / institutions or other non-profitable organisations and for these students to be able to earn extra-curricular marks for such participations

• A section in the History Textbook for use in primary schools (there are a few chapters in each section), which will be introduced in 2014, should be allocated to elaborate on the teachings of all major religions, importance of these religions to human civilization, as well as the contributions of the major religions to the development of our nation

Attachment

Related document on the memorandum of the proposals on Religious Education is as follow:

Memorandum of The Proposals on Religious Education to "The Malaysia Education Blueprint 2013-2025 Preliminary Report"

The teaching of traditional religions plays a vital role in the development of a country as well as promotes harmony in a pluralistic society. Hence, religious education must be included in the Malaysian Education System and it must be in line with the National Education Philosophy. It is important to nurture respect and tolerance in our children by having them learn about and understand all major religions practiced in our country. The "Rohani" (Spiritual) aspect of the Malaysian Education Philosophy of the development of "Jasmani, Emosi, Rohani and Intelek" must be enhanced in our education of pupils of all religions in this country.

The current Malaysian Education System which lacks non-Islamic religious education may have caused a barrier in the mutual understanding required and hence adversely affected unity among the people with different faiths in our society. The Malaysia Education Blueprint 2013-2025 Preliminary Report which highlighted only a single religion has overlooked the contributions of the non-Islamic religions in the development of this country. The Malaysian Constitution safeguards the freedom of religion and the freedom of religious belief in our country. With this in mind, we urge the Government to seriously look into the needs of non-Muslim students with respect to their own religions.

In light of the above, we now request for an Education Blueprint which recognises religious diversity and emphasizes the importance of religious education. Accordingly, we,

1)       Young Buddhist Association of Malaysia (YBAM),
2)       Fo Guang Shan Malaysia,
3)       Fo Guang Education Centre Bhd,
4)       Fo Guang Foundation,
5)       Malaysia Christian Youth Association,
6)       Buddha's Light International Association (Malaysia Chapter),
7)       Rantau Buddhist Association,
8)       Vajrayana Buddhist Council of Malaysia,
9)       Persatuan Penganut Berugama Buddha Air Kala,
10)     Persatuan Buddhis Selayang,
11)     United Chinese School Committees Association of Malaysia,
12)     Dharma Drum Mountain Malaysia Center,
13)     The Klang & Coast Buddhist Association,
14)     Persatuan Penganut-penganut Agama Buddha Simpang Renggam,
15)     The Segamat Buddhist Society,
16)     Persatuan Pengajian Agama Buddha Kulai,
17)     Raub Buddhist Association,
18)     Persatuan Buddhhist Kemaman,
19)     Persatuan Penganut Agama Buddha Paloh,
20)     Persatuan Buddhist Gurun,
21)     Gabungan Persatuan Alumni Universiti Taiwan, Malaysia,
22)     Persatuan Buddhist Kedah Tengah,
23)     Geha Bodhi Care Centre,
24)     Persatuan Penganut Agama Buddha Triang Hilir,
25)     Persatuan Penganut Agama Buddha Dungun,
26)     Persatuan Penganut Agama Buddha Pertang,
27)     Persatuan Penganut Buddha Bodhi Kuala Lumpur,
28)     Pusat Buddhisma Kemanusiaan Melaka,
29)     Perlis Buddhist Society,
30)     Mengkarak Buddhist Association,
31)     Tanah Merah Buddhist Society,
32)     Persatuan Penganut Agama Buddha Ju Shi Lin Kuala Krai,
33)     The Gua Musang Buddhist Association,
34)     Persatuan Penganut Buddha Kuala Krai,
35)     Kelantan Buddhist Association Youth Section,
36)     Persatuan Buddha Wakaf Bharu Kelantan,
37)     Shah Alam Buddhist Society,
38)     Persatuan Penganut Agama Buddha Kampung Baru Dangi,
39)     Erdi Buddhist Temple,
40)     Persatuan Buddhis Jong Shan,
41)     Persatuan Buddhist Pontian,
42)     Persatuan Penganut Buddha Ching Kang,
43)     Robson Heights Buddhist Society,
44)     Persatuan Penganut Buddhis Mentakab Pahang,
45)     Sasana Abhiwurdhi Wardhana Society Youth Section,
46)     Lundu Buddhist Society,
47)     Persatuan Agama Buddha Prajna Seremban,
48)     Persatuan Penganut Agama Buddha Sauk,
49)     Pertubuhan Penganut Agama Buddha Ulu Tiram,
50)     Research For Social Advancement,
51)     Persatuan Penganut Agama Buddha Yuan Jue Chan Malaysia,
52)     Kuching Tze Yin Buddhist Orthodox Association,
53)     Persatuan Penganut Agama Buddha Amitabha Kuala Kangsar,
54)     The United Chinese School Committees' Association of Selangor and Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur,
55)     Persatuan Buddhist Paka,
56)     The Penang Buddhist Free School Ex-Pupils Association,
57)     Persatuan Triyana Dharma Cakra Vihara,
58)     Jitra Buddhist Association,
59)     Theravada Buddhist Council of Malaysia,
60)     Guan Yin Temple Buddhist Society,
61)     Sarikei Buddhist Orthodox Association,
62)     Persatuan Buddhis Karak,
63)     Taiping Biddhist Society,
64)     Batu Niah Buddhhist Society,
65)     Pertubuhan Penganut-penganut Agama Buddha, Johor,
66)     Than Hsiang Buddhist Welfare Association,
67)     Persatuan Buddhist Sitiawan,
68)     Bukit Beruang Buddhist Society,
69)     Persatuan Penganut Agama Buddhis Mengkuang,
70)     Miri Buddhist Society (1993),
71)     Malaysia Hindhudharma Mamandram,
72)     The Malaysian Consultative Council for Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism (MCCBCHST),
73)     Terengganu Buddhist Association,
74)     Terengganu Buddhist Youth Circle

would like to officially propose five points and strategies to be included in the Education Blueprint:

First Proposal: To implement non-Islamic religious classes at all primary schools so as to shape children with good character and ethical and moral values.

Strategy: This can be implemented in stages, starting with the older children in primary schools. We propose that one period per week is allocated for religious class and that the subject is non-examination based. We, together with other national non-Islamic religious organisations, will work with the Curriculum Development Centre (Bahagian Pembangunan Kokurikulum – BPK) to provide the necessary syllabus and instructors' guide, as well as the relevant training to the teachers.

Second Proposal: To establish non-Islamic religious societies in schools as part of their extra-curricular activities and for the students to be able to earn extra-curricular marks for participation in these societies.

Strategy: To instruct officials in the Ministry of Education and headmasters of all schools to execute and implement the "Education Circular 2011" (SURAT PEKELILING IKHTISAS BILANGAN 2 TAHUN 2011), that is, to approve and assist the formation of the non-Islamic religious societies in schools when the requirements have been met. We, together with other national non-Islamic religious organisations, will assist in the establishment of these religious societies in all primary and secondary schools and provide necessary resources and training.

Third Proposal: To strengthen the narrative on the development of all major religions in the History Textbook for secondary schools, and to provide proper explanations and clarification on the teachings of all major religions practiced in our country.

Strategy: A section in the History Textbook for use in secondary schools (there are a few chapters in each section) should be allocated to elaborate on the teachings of all major religions, their formation and developments, the importance of these religions to human civilization, as well as the contributions of the major religions to the development of our nation.

Fourth Proposal: To support and encourage secondary school students to volunteer at charitable organisations, religious organisations / institutions or other non-profitable organisations and for these students to be able to earn extra-curricular marks for such participation.

Strategy: This practice is very common in developed countries and has helped in reducing crime rate among youths, as well as in nurturing the youth in becoming more caring and sensitive to the less privileged. We, together with other national non-Islamic religious organisations, will assist in recommending a list of the participating religious organisations and institutions.

Fifth Proposal：A section in the History Textbook for use in primary schools (there are a few chapters in each section), which will be introduced in 2014, should be allocated to elaborate on the teachings of all major religions, importance of these religions to human civilization, as well as the contributions of the major religions to the development of our nation.

Strategy: The Ministry of Education should value the importance of all religious teachings, as well as their contributions to our nation building. We, together with other national non-Islamic religious organisations, will work together with the Curriculum Development Centre (Bahagian Pembangunan Kokurikulum – BPK) to devise a suitable content for that section in the History Textbook.

The Hole: An Unexpected Journey

Posted: 06 Jan 2013 11:22 AM PST

By "Eye of Rakyat"

In a hole lives a monster.

Not just any other monster.

This evil monster catches unsuspecting motorists, sending many to their doom almost everyday

And there are hundreds and thousands of these evil monsters in as many holes in as many roads in the tiny kingdom of Malaysia.

And with the dark, looming clouds and daily tunderstorms, these dark monsters have multiplied alarmingly.

The "Eye of Doom" lurks in the shadows, especially in the darkest nights, where the stars do not shine, causing many travellers to fall victim.

Does the common and helpless rakyat stand any chance?

I ask my fellow drivers and motorists, "Would you be interested in joining me for an adventure?"

They reply "Would you guarantee me making it home alive or in one piece?"

I say "Maybe".

With "The One Ring that Rules Them All"

I hope that a band of heroes would be formed to find and vanquish these evil monsters.

However, we need a One Ring that rules them all.

The rakyat should be able to obtain this number and ring it if they spot any evil monsters lurking in these holes.

The band of heroes would be sent to defeat these monsters immediately and close their holes for eternity.

Only then, can lasting peace be found for the "Fellowship of the Travellers"

Christians are hurting in the religious divide -- STAR

Posted: 05 Jan 2013 10:19 AM PST

Leaders involved in the debates on religion in Malaysia should stop behaving as if the Christians have no feelings and no rights as Malaysians, said State Reform Party (STAR) here.

Daniel John Jambun

In a statement, STAR Deputy Chairman, Daniel John Jambun said it's high time Christians came forward and assert their rights as Malaysians in matters concerning their faith.

"It is ridiculous that many non-Christian leaders are talking about various religious issues as if the Christians are emotionally dead about matters affecting their religious rights," Jambun said. "There is longstanding assumption among politicians at the national level that no matter what you say about the Christians, they wouldn't dare respond to assert their rights. It's high time this is stopped."

He said it is a clear case of condescending, taking for granted and outright bullying for Muslim leaders to oppose the use of "Allah," to prohibit or control the distribution of the Indonesian Alkitab, to arrest non-Muslims in khlawat cases, and to proclaims fatwahs (decrees) affecting the non-Muslims.

"Now the situation is reaching a critical level with PAS insisting on the implementation of hudud in the whole of the country and to turnMalaysia into a theocracy," Jambun asserted. "The government should make a strong stance and treat these inflammatory religious proclamations as seditious and threat to public peace and national harmony.

"Initially, hudud was just for Kelantan and there was assurance it wouldn't affect non-Muslims. But we all know that the implementation of hudud will defitnitely affect all Malaysians because as a people, we interact and there will be circumstances in which non-Muslims will be entangled into the draconian syariah law.

"The Muslims and non-Muslims people of Sabah who have lived in harmony before PAS' came into the picture, are now being rattled by religious issues raised by PAS and Perkasa. The fact that the people of Sabah had been assured of religious freedom in Malaysia as documented by the Keningau Oath Stone, is now meaningless. The Christians in Sabah here now feel they are being harassed and denied their rights."

Jambun assured he has no intention to interfere in Islamic affairs, but just to express the feeling of numerous people who have called him to voice out their grievance over the "spiritual colonialization" by PAS and the bullying of Christians by some insensitive political leaders. He said he respects everyone's rights to their beliefs and religious practices but such respect and rights should also be accorded to Christians as well.

Kredit: www.malaysia-today.net

Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News

0 ulasan 7:36 PG Dicatat oleh blog2

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Sumber Asal Berita :-

Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News

Five contradictions in restricting the use of 'Allah'
Anwar has changed
The Witch of Anw-dor?
Japanese WWII Reparations: Are PR Politicians on LSD?
Privatisation of Government Land: Ways of Skinning the Cat
The ABC of Public Trust and Accountability.
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Buried Christian Empire Casts New Light on Early Islam
DAP Vote Scandal Getting Worse : Where Are The Ballots?
The Story Behind Ngeh Koo Ham and Nga Kor Ming Corruption Scandal

Five contradictions in restricting the use of 'Allah'

Posted: 08 Jan 2013 09:38 AM PST

The contradictions are as follows.

1. If we disallow non-Muslims from using the word 'Allah', are we implying that Allah has no relation to the non-Muslims, that Allah did not create the non-Muslims, but to whom Allah must belong if He is the Creator of all things?

2. If we say Allah is not the god of the non-Muslims, does this not imply that besides Allah there must exist a second god specifically for the non-Muslims, the former god of Muslim converts? Does this not clash with the Islamic concept of tauhid, which proposes that there cannot possibly be another god apart from Allah, and that no being can perform the work of a god other than Allah?

3. If we maintain that 'Allah' has no relevance to other religions, who then ultimately created these religions if not Allah, the Creator of all things? Are we suggesting that Allah got it wrong before unveiling Islam? But if tauhid is to stand and Allah is the sole Creator, and if Allah is infallible, perfect and all-knowing, does it not mean that Allah happily created, with no games intended, all the variety of religions and religious philosophies including Christianity and Hinduism?

Anwar has changed

Posted: 07 Jan 2013 12:47 PM PST

Whatever Dr M says however, must never be brushed off as inconsequential. Like Robert Mugabe and Hosni Mubarak, he has a large following and some rebuttal is required lest people believe him.

He first flogged US President Barack Obama as someone who did not deliver on his promises of change. He forgets that Obama was re-elected with an bigger margin than the first time he won the presidency. Dr M also ignores the fact that American citizens are in a better position to judge their President than a wealthy but old and retired Malaysian Prime Minister.

He then went on to say that Anwar and his friends in the Pakatan would bring havoc to the country, even if they rule for only five years. Anwar and the Pakatan, he said, would make all kinds of sweet promises but would not be able to deliver them. Why? The main thrusts of his argument were as follows:

Anwar did not accomplish much when he was in government, and even when he tried to do something, he was a disaster. During the 1998 financial crisis, for example, he wanted to follow the solutions prescribed by the International Monetary Fund, solutions Dr M said would have only bankrupted the country. He then said Anwar is not as pious or religious as he appears, and is a corrupt politician who practises cronyism to enrich his friends and family.

For now, my response to these allegations is to say that even if all of the above were true, we should still give Anwar and his friends a chance to rule. This is because Dr M is unable to give an objective assesment of Anwar. He is dumfounded that his nemesis is not only politically alive, but will probably be the next Prime Minister. Dr M is unable to accept this possibility as this would be a devastating defeat for him. Dr M is unable to accept that the person he targeted with the whole machinery of the state is still an active political leader who is more popular than he is. In other words, Dr M is too disturbed by Anwar's thriving success to give a balanced view .

I have been an Anwar follower from afar for a long time. I was never his friend, but my interest in politics made me especially interested in him when my first preference, Tun Musa Hitam, pulled out of the political arena. When Anwar was sacked in 1998 and the black eye incident became worldwide news, I felt really sorry for him. I could not do much except to quietly support the Free Anwar campaign. I even named my horse "Deputy Coming Back" in 2000 as a symbolic gesture of support. Unlike Dr M, I can give a better and more detached assesment of both Anwar and his friends in the Pakatan, which voters in the upcoming General Election can rely on.

Yes, Anwar did not do much good when he was in UMNO. His tenure as Education Minister was poor and even as Deputy Prime Minister, he was not a trailblazer. He was imperious, feudalistic, strong willed and more interested in strenghtening his position in the party than pushing for real reform. But he was obviously good enough for the job; Dr M would not have picked him as his successor otherwise.

Anwar was never shy about showing off his Malay and Islamic agendas, even if these made non- Malays/non-Muslims uncomfortable. His "slaughter" of Tun Ghafar Baba manifested the rapacious character of a man who was willing to abandon friendship and good behaviour so long as he could become Prime Minister. He had friends and allies who were given concessions and allotted shares in public companies. There was no doubt that he was filling up his war chest. In short, he did what a typical UMNO leader would do if he wants to move up the ladder and be Prime Minister.

However, I believe that tragic and traumatic experiences can change a man. Anwar has suffered more than any political leader I know and because of these hardships, he is a different man today. He still wants to be Prime Minister (who doesn't), but he knows Malaysians have also changed. Today the people want a cleaner and more responsible Government. They do not want a corrupt leader who would only enrich himself, his party and his family. Anwar and the members of his family are not rich, and live modestly.

Stories of him having billions stashed away are lies. He has wealthy friends, of course, and they have kept his struggle going. I don't believe money is terribly important to Anwar and his family, so I don't think we will have pilferage on a huge scale when he becomes Prime Minister. So one up for him.

Malaysians also want to coexist in harmony. They are tired of UMNO's divide-and-rule system. Anwar has travelled far and wide in his political campaigns and has seen for himself how groups outside the gated communities live. He relates well with the rural as well as the urban poor and emphatises with the grievances of the marginalised. His concern for the less fortunate is genuine. His strong sense of justice is perhaps due to his own experiences, but they are real and something we can trust him with. He has changed, but Dr M has not. Two up.

An important point to remember is that Anwar has a close relationship with PAS. I was initially sceptical that PAS could ever be a strong political force in a moderate Malaysia because for many years, they were hystericaly extreme in their views. Today Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang is no longer the firebrand Islamic leader from Rusila of the 1980's, but a moderate and practical politician. PAS has many young and moderate leaders, and they inject a strong ethical amd moral dimension to governance, at least more so than UMNO. I believe Anwar's influence on PAS and political Islam as a whole is positive. Three up.

READ MORE HERE

The Witch of Anw-dor?

Posted: 06 Jan 2013 09:52 PM PST

Indeed, and so are we joyous as well ... especially kaytee as I had penned the following posts eons before the cries of marginalisation of Indians rang out:

(1) The Toddy Syndrome

(2) Malaysia's Economic Pariahs?

(3) Hated by Indra

Indra

... but hold on a ding dong minute, the king-making claim seems to be not what we had visualize and want. It's not about Indian voters tipping the balance of outcomes in the coming general election, and while this may yet be realized, the king-makers we are discussing in this post are the new G-Ds of "truth" and a King Saul like bloke who could call up or upon Malaysian Witches of Endor or more correctly, Witches of Anw-dor wakakaka.

On one side we have, as mentioned, B-D, the new G-D of 'Truth' especially the D of the Divine Duality, who in esoteric exotic erotic Taoism-like exercise, is making many PKR supporters go into wild orgasms at the "truth" spewed out like deep fried Manapparai murukku (chap rose hitam - haram certified, wakakaka), very non-halal (non-kosher) thus spicy and enticing but yawnnnnnnnn, something we non-PKR people are already familiar with ...

.... while (what G-D gives with one hand, G-D takes away with the other) RPK informs us in The 'third party' whom Rafizi Ramli spoke about of one Datuk Ravi who marvellously has a panel of bomohs on his payroll and is reputed to be the alleged Mursyidul Am sub rosā* to PKR, in fact one personally advising the party's de facto head, Anwar Ibrahim.

* sub rosā literally means 'under the rose', from the ancient use of the rose at meetings as a symbol of the sworn confidence of the participants or secret. You have to decide whether it is a black rose.

Wow, a double Makkal Sakti!

... and eat your roast lamb's heart out, Datuk TRJR*.

[* = Datuk Tiga Ratus Juta Ringgit, wakakaka]

Since 'tis the season of faith and we have been talking about matters relating to Judeo-Christianity, etc, it may be said that in Judeo-Christianity, the first official bomoh was Aaron, brother of Moses. He was the High Priest of the Hebrews, and only his direct descendants from the Tribe of Levi, referred to at times as Aaronites, could be priests.

But since the good book says he was a prophet, perhaps we need to leave him and other Aaronites (Hebrew priests) out of this discussion on witch doctors (or shamans or bomoh) ...

... which then makes the Witch of Endor as the most famous bomoh in the bible, wakakaka.

Witch of Endor, King Saul & ghost of Samuel

This is just a wee digression, a t'ng k'ooi (chong hei) meandering before I come back to the Indian king-maker and his panel of bomohs.

According to the Old Testament, King Saul (Israel's first king) was an unmitigated schizophrenic who was further depressed by leng chai David becoming the people's choice for kingship - so the Bible tells us but there's more to it than what the Bible hopes we would believe.

There was a battle looming and Saul wanted to consult God about his chances but alas God didn't answer him which doesn't surprised me in the least because God's usual mouthpiece Samuel coincidentally wasn't around, wakakaka.

Unfortunately for Saul (in more than one way), the treacherous Samuel, his priest-advisor, who seditiously abetted leng chai David in a failed coup d'etat, was dead. So Saul decided to ask the Witch of Endor to raise the ghost of Samuel for pre-battle consultations.

But I have my doubts about this.

You see, Samuel hated Saul's guts because prior to Saul becoming Israel's first king on the people's demand, Samuel as a Judge-Priest was running the country. He appointed his two sons as his successors, and I am sure you have heard of such legacies (in North Korea, I mean wakakaka), but the Israelites told them (Samuel's sons) to f-o, wakakaka, and demanded Saul be appointed King instead.

Saul made 1st King of Israel by Israelites

Obviously insofar as Samuel was concerned, there was nothing that Saul ever did right – for example, there was a pending battle with the Amalekites. Samuel told Saul to wait for seven days after which they would meet and Samuel would then give further instructions on sacrifices to god prior to battle. But as would have it, Samuel did not arrive even after 7 days; Saul's army was fidgeting so Saul started preparing for battle by conducting the standard offer of sacrifices.

Aha! Just as Saul finished doing that, guess who popped out from behind the bush? Caught you! Yes, Samuel arrived and railed against Saul for not waiting for him as he was the priest and the only who could offer sacrifices to god (so said he), of course conveniently acting dunno that he did not arrive even after the promised seven days.

Naturally the bomoh, ooops I mean, priest told Saul that god's not happy with him and would take away his kingship.

Then bloke told Saul the latter had again fallen out of God's favour because he (Saul) was too soft hearted and didn't slaughter all the Amalekites in a genocide instructed by Samuel.

Samuel's continuous fault finding with Saul, using god's name, remind me of a judge who once upon a time, long long ago, wakakaka, became the Lord President after he found his boss, then the incumbent Lord President, guilty of some alleged wrong, following which the Lord President was sacked and his prosecutor-judge-successor was promoted to become Lord President, wakakaka.

Obviously the biblical Judge-Priest (ruler before King Saul) wanted to achieve the same thing, wakakaka.

But realizing Saul had the people's support, he decided to become king-maker and promoted David as a worthy successor, claiming of course the murderous adulterous treacherous David was god's chosen ... thus wrote the Davidic supporters in the Bible, wakakaka.

Hebrew Bible

Maybe Samuel had hope to control David but he died at the age of 53 - just as well for him because there was no one in biblical history more devious, treacherous and evil than David, whose symbol today is on the flag of Israel.

Eventually David murdered Saul and his family (sons and daughter, his own wife) and seduced Saul's wife and a few other men's wives to get Saul's throne, so a wee BTN-style creative redaction of the Judaic records were done during the Judeans' captivity in Babylon to whitewash David's crimes.

So the story of Saul calling the Witch of Endor to raise Samuel from the dead for pre battle consultations was a further demon-ization (excuse the unintended pun) of King Saul by Davidic supporters, apart from the gross implausible geographical details related to the sequence of events, indicating they were fabricated.

But consulting bomoh has been an intrinsic part of Malay culture, which I dare say, due to the muhibbah-ness of our society, some Chinese and Indians and a few Eurasians have participated too, wakakaka.

Yes, there are 3 activities that bind us closely like bro's and sis' - namely, sports (especially the faves of gamblers, wakakaka), 4-Ekor (see multiracial crowd at 4-Ekor shop wakakaka and the magnanimous policemen who would be so tolerant of double and even triple parking outside an 4-ekor shop, wakakaka), and consulting the bomoh (to dapat 4-Ekor lah, wakakaka).

4-D shop, wakakaka

My uncle told me that during the days of Tunku (or was it Tun Razak) PM-ship, the Vice Chancellor of our only university was, I believe, Prof Ungku Aziz who did the unusual. He engaged a bomoh to consecrate a hall in UM, and he did in an open ceremony where there were a number of invited guests including VIPs, wakakaka.

Ungku Aziz was big on Malay culture and he reckoned a bomoh consecrating the hall would be a nice touch, wakakaka. A few Malays grumbled but most smiled at his Malay-ness or eccentricity. The unique occasion was reported in most of the newspapers, ad that's how my Unc came to know about it. Today I wonder which Malaysian university VC dares do such a thing, wakakaka.

Another uncle story - Recalling my uncles were in the Armed Forces, they heard this one about a certain Malay Regiment Battalion commanding officer (CO) during the Emergency. Bloke was a bit of a sexual perv, but let's keep clear of that as we want to discuss the bomoh in the story.

Apparently, as the story went, bloke wanted to ambush a known CT group in his area of operations As he lacked intelligence (the military kind, wakakaka) he consulted a bomoh in a hope to get a head start on other battalion commanders. The bomoh assured him that if he laid an ambush at location X, he would get those CTs. Of course the ambush was in vain, or we would have ended the Emergency a lot earlier, wakakaka. But something happened - he whacked the bomoh kau kau, wakakaka.

Posted: 06 Jan 2013 01:44 PM PST

Looking substantively at the issue, first, Article 14 of the San Francisco Peace Treaty states, "It is recognized that Japan should pay reparations to the Allied Powers for the damage and suffering caused by it during the war." This authorizes reparations by recognizing war responsibility. Other claims rights and settlement of property rights, return or compensation for Allied property, compensation for Japanese mistreatment of Allied prisoners of war, resolution of the claims rights of neutral nations, and debt return from the prewar period, etc., are minutely specified in Articles 15 to 18. This may differ slightly from the war responsibility being debated today, but Japan here indicated an attitude to deal sincerely with war responsibility and resolving the various problems arising from the war. Based on the peace treaty, Japan concluded reparations agreements with the Philippines and South Vietnam and concluded individual peace treaties and reparations agreements with Burma and Indonesia, which were not parties to the San Francisco Peace Treaty. Cambodia and Laos were parties to the San Francisco Peace Treaty but forfeited their right to claim indemnities, so Japan concluded grant capital aid cooperation agreements with these two countries in return. (This type of aid is classified as "quasi-reparations" in Japan, and in the domestic budget is included not in the general account but in the special reparations account.) With another non-participant in the San Francisco Peace Treaty, India, Japan concluded a peace treaty in June 1952, ending the state of war and confirming India's renunciation of indemnities from Japan. 6 Japan recognized its war responsibility and agreed to pay indemnities in these various peace and reparations agreements.

In the reparations agreements with the Philippines and South Vietnam, there is no clear reference to war responsibility, but given that these treaties were based on Article 14 of the San Francisco Peace Treaty, in which "it is recognized that Japan should pay reparations to the Allied Powers for the damage and suffering caused by it during the war," obviously there was no need to repeat these provisions. In the individually concluded peace treaty with Burma, Japan recognized its responsibility by stating that "Japan is prepared to pay reparations to the Union of Burma in order to compensate the damage and suffering caused by Japan during the war." There is a similarly worded article in the peace treaty with Indonesia, based upon which a reparations agreement is concluded. Although not specifically reparations, Japan concluded so-called grant capital aid agreements in the 1960s and provided grant loans as a form of quasi-reparations to Malaysia and Singapore, whose ethnic Chinese communities strongly demanded redress for damage suffered from Japanese occupation. These agreements state, "Japan recognizes that the (early and total) resolution of problems arising from unfortunate incidents during World War II in Malaysia (Singapore) would contribute to promoting its friendly relations with Malaysia (Singapore)." They thus recognize Japan's responsibility, and further state that the contracting parties "agree that all problems arising from unfortunate incidents during World War II are hereby totally and conclusively resolved." -

Posted: 06 Jan 2013 01:02 PM PST

I believe that the cat refers not to our lovable tabbies at home but to the big cats that the colonials loved to hunt – the tigers, lions, leopards, cheetahs and jaguars.

So when the government granted the privatisation of a 223.33-acre military land in Bukit Raja, Selangor, to a little-known private company, Awan Megah Sdn Bhd, which belongs to the Selangor Wanita Umno chief, Raja Ropiaah Raja Abdullah, turned into a mischief, it appears that it had not skinned the cat the right way.

And its silence on the vicious allegations that the family of the Prime Minister, Mohd Najib Abdul Razak, was involved with carpet dealer, Deepak Jaikishan, is deafening.

The spat between the Umno bigwig and Jaikishan, who claimed ownership of the land, saw the ghost of murdered Altantuya Shaariibuu and the second statutory declaration by the mysterious PI Bala being brought to live just as the general is around the corner.

In the process, carpet trader sued his business partner Raja Ropiah (which he recently claimed had been withdrawn) and published an online book about the deal in which dragged members of Mohd Najib's immediate family into the cesspool -- something that the opposition loves to embrace and the Barisan Nasional could not afford as the GE looms.

The sad thing is, the iconic Armed Forces Fund Board (LTAT) had been dragged in as well or, more appropriately, had been used solve the problem of the smelly carcass of the badly skinned big cat.

Its property development arm, Boustead Holdings Berhad, had stepped in to by the land and the concession that goes with it for a combined price tag of RM160 million.

I would not dare claim to know much about land appropriation and property development. But when I was briefly involved (as a junior partner) in the management buyout (MBO) of the New Straits Times Press Berhad (NSTP) and Sistem Televisyen Malaysia Berhad (TV3) back in the early 1990s, we were involved in the privatisation of the Kuala Lumpur Railway Station land that is today known as KL Sentral via the Bursa Malaysia-listed property developer, the Malaysian Resources Corporation Berhad. Today, MRCB is owned by the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) and KL Sentral has become the showpiece of urban renewal. (I left NSTP and severed all relationship with MRCB/NSTP/TV3 groups in 2000).

Better Ways Of Privatising Government Land

There are certainly other better ways of privatising the Bukit Raja land and, for that matter, all military and government-owned landed properties. I have seen companies offering better terms for military land. For instance, from the outset they roped in the LTAT by forming or prosing to form joint venture companies in which the LTAT is the majority shareholder. The private sector companies that made these proposals are reputable Bursa Malaysia-listed companies.

In one case that I came across, a Bursa Malaysia-listed property developer proposed to acquire a piece of Ministry of Defence land and replace it with a piece of land of equal size elsewhere and build on it whatever is required by Mindef.

It also pledged to build a military enclave on the privatised site whereby serving and retired military personnel would be offered special discounts to buy houses and apartments.

But they were not always successful. People linked to political parties or have access to the inner circles were more likely to receive the privatisation and they would then sell the projects to developers for quick profits.

In the case of the Bukit Raja land, it was sold to Boustead. If indeed Boustead had been eyeing the land since 2005, as it was reported telling Bursa Malaysia, it should have made the bit itself instead of buying it from a vendor.

The moral of the story is, you either skin the big cat well or you will get scratched. In the worse case scenario, the dying cat may bite off your head.

Posted: 06 Jan 2013 11:48 AM PST

A party coming out in the open showing all that its committed to the principle of transparency and more important on accountability is demeaned because of that? clearly then, it means transparency and accountability do not exist in UMNO's vocabulary. Deceit and irresponsibility are.

What would UMNO do? Use mistakes to defraud people? It's better to keep and hide things from people? It's better not to answer or even pretend not to know, the whereabouts of Puspahanas? Where is that damn thing? The government is not answering despite having given the leeching lady RM27 million of taxpayers' money. Is Raja Ropiaah milking money on behalf of UMNO?

It's better to keep quiet and hide from people the whereabouts of the RM207 billion or whatever amount paid by Japan to some 30,000 death railway conscripted laborers? UMNO supports and condones silence and hiding malpractices such as the RM500 million commission earned by middlemen in the purchase of malfunctioning submarines. Or defrauding the people into believing that the proposed west coast expressway breaks new ground in the way ~~piratization~~ privatization is made? Whether the new west coast expressway of 223km costs RM31 million or RM 22 million per kilometer, people want to know what kind of stones and premix go into the building of the road? Why can't JKR do it and make it toll free too? JKR can make it at probably a fraction of the cost. I am told by some JKR engineers, maybe at RM2.5 billion, much lesser than the soft loan given by UMNO to the contracting company. Are the bridges made of gold? People want to know how could a person associated with failure to pay debts owning to the Selangor government and having a company with a dismal business record can get the award for the highway?

I have, with great sadness and much anger, watched our nation become a nation governed by these ...

Posted: 06 Jan 2013 11:27 AM PST

A person who steals secretly is a thief. One who seizes something from you by force is a robber. Now imagine if you can that these thieves and robbers have no feelings of remorse or guilt, no sense of responsibility or conscience or shame in doing what they do and certainly not limited by legal or moral encumbrances. There you have it my friends, these are the very people we now have the misfortune to have as our leaders in government. This UMNO led Barisan Nasional government!

While you and I are encumbered by our conscience and concern for the welfare of others, no such encumbrances inhibit them. They crave power and money. Wealth and influence. And they are now in government able to do these things and anything else without limitations or concern for the well being of any one else but themselves!

I have, with great sadness and much anger, watched our nation become a nation governed by these thieves and robbers in the guise of Barisan Nasional politicians who steals not always secretly but always steals albeit without any legal encumbrances for they are in government! This UMNO led Barisan Nasional government!

It pains me so that these thieves and robbers are in the main, Malays. Some are Bugis, some Jawa, some Mamaks and various nuances of ethnicity in between ….but in truth they are all coloured by the same ethnic brush….Malays.

There will be many who will say that thieves can also be found amongst the Chinese, the Indians and the people of East Malaysia. True but that will be a burden that these races will have to carry for themselves.

I am burdened, as I am sure other Malays will be, that these herd of thieves and robbers have long ago announced themselves to be our champions in our attempts to better our lot amongst others whose history started many thousand of years before ours. The Chinese and the Indians have a rich history of culture and traditions that dates back many thousand of years. We Malays are the new kids on the block in need of all the assistance we can get!

These Malay politicians who are thieves and robbers have announced to all who will listen that they are the ones who have won Ketuanan Melayu for the Malays – a political concept emphasizing Malay pre-eminence over any others who call Malaysia their home. They further boasts that through UMNO, the Malays have dominated politically for over half a century.

If all this is true: That the Malays dominated politically for over half a century. That the Malays have Ketuanan Melayu. That the Malays have 9 Sultans and the same number of Menteri Besars - why then are the robbers and the thieves in UMNO today facing the 13th general elections with the real possibility of defeat staring them right in their face?

For sure this is not the certainty of defeat but the possibility of defeat – but nevertheless it is a possibility that cannot be ignored. Why has this happen?
These Malay political leaders in UMNO who are also thieves and robbers, tells us that Ketuanan Melayu is a work in progress. Our battered economy is a work in progress. Racial integration is a work in progress. After over 50 years of UMNO dominated government everything they do is a work in progress requiring more time to complete – at least another term in Government - which is why the tell us that we must return them to government after the 13th general election. For of course, their plundering and pillaging of our country's wealth is also a work in progress!

Of course Rome was not built in a day….but half a century is still not enough for UMNO to do its work of making Ketuanan Melayu a reality? Why? What part of Ketuanan Melayu still needs work?

Have UMNO been able to unite the Malays after 55 years in government? No! I am against UMNO. Anwar Ibrahim is against UMNO. There are enough Malays today who are against UMNO to make UMNO talk about internal reforms to make themself more relevant to the aspirations of these Malays. Our aspiration is to stop money politics and corruption in UMNO – but that is all UMNO do, TALK!

Have UMNO been able to unite the various races in a non-communal UMNO? No! Racial politics is alive and well within the coalition that UMNO leads –the Barisan Nasional. Divide and rule using race and religion is the order of the day for UMNO!

The NEP (New Economic Policy) was meant to re-engineer the wealth of our society. Education, business opportunities and employment were all tools to be used to make the NEP a reality. Poverty was to be eradicated amongst all our people regardless of race - instead it was used and abused by UMNO for the financial gains of its leaders.

FELDA, RISDA, Ali Baba, Nepotism, Negotiated Tenders, Bumiputra Status, Cronyism, an IGP shot dead, corruption in the timber industry from Pahang to Sabah and Sarawak – these are all manifestations of what a government of thieves and robbers can and did do to our beloved Malaysia.

Bank Bumiputra is no more! There is no more work to be done there! Bank Bumiputra drowned under a debt of RM2.5 billion! And with the murder of BMF'S internal auditor Jalil Ibrahim, we lost our innocence to the vagaries of big business!

To date there have been other 'Bank Bumiputra's'! All of them magnificent failures of epic financial proportions. Each bigger than the other! Each accompanied by the systematic plundering and pillaging of our nations wealth by UMNO thieves and robbers! And then that unique traditions thought of by these thieves and robbers to cover their tracks while making themselves more money – the bailout! And none made this into an art form more than Mahathir! And none profited more greatly from a bailout than his own children!

Buried Christian Empire Casts New Light on Early Islam

Posted: 05 Jan 2013 04:43 AM PST

The commandment "Make yourself no graven image" has long been strictly followed in the Arab world. There are very few statues of the caliphs and ancient kings of the region. The pagan gods in the desert were usually worshipped in an "aniconic" way, that is, as beings without form.

Muhammad had a beard, but there are no portraits of him.

But now a narcissistic work of human self-portrayal has turned up in Yemen. It is a figure, chiseled in stone, which apparently stems from the era of the Prophet.

Paul Yule, an archeologist from the southwestern German city of Heidelberg, has studied the relief, which is 1.70 meters (5'7") tall, in Zafar, some 930 kilometers (581 miles) south of Mecca. It depicts a man with chains of jewelry, curls and spherical eyes. Yule dates the image to the time around 530 AD.

The German archeologist excavated sites in the rocky highlands of Yemen, an occupation that turned quite dangerous recently because of political circumstances in the country. On his last mission, Yule lost 8 kilograms (18 lbs.) and his equipment was confiscated.

Nevertheless, he is pleased, because he was able to bring notes, bits of debris and bones back to Heidelberg. Yule has concluded that Zafar was the center of an Arab tribal confederation, a realm that was two million square kilometers (about 772,000 square miles) large and exerted its influence all the way to Mecca.

Even more astonishing is his conclusion that kings who invoked the Bible lived in the highland settlement. The "crowned man" depicted on the relief was also a Christian.

Conquerers from Ancient Ethiopia

Yule has analyzed the mysterious, robed figure in a report for the academic journal Antiquity. He is barefoot, which is typical of Coptic saints. He is holding a bundle of twigs, a symbol of peace, in his left hand. There is a crossbar on his staff, giving it the appearance of a cross. In addition, he is wearing a crown on his head like the ones worn by the Christian rulers of ancient Ethiopia.

All of this suggests that the man with a strange, round face is a descendant of the conquerors from Africa who succeeded in making one of the boldest landing operations in ancient times.

In 525 AD, the Negus, or king, of Aksum dispatched a fleet across the Red Sea. Soldiers and fighting elephants were ferried across the water to the East on un-tarred, raft-like ships to spread the gospel. In the ensuing decades, his army captured large parts of Arabia.

The first spearhead was targeted at the capital Zafar. Like a fortress in the sky, the town was perched on an extinct volcano, at an altitude of 2,800 meters (9,184 feet) above sea level. Its walls, riddled with towers and alarm bells, were four-and-a-half kilometers long. About 25,000 people lived in Zafar.

According to Yule, between the 3^rd and the 5^th century the confederation managed to complete a "meteoric rise" and become a superpower. Its merchants traded in sandalwood from Ceylon and valerian from Persia. The state controlled the port of Aden, where the ships of spice traders from India docked. Frankincense, which was made in Arabia, was also traded. It was a place of luxury. Yule found wine amphorae, the remains of precious fish condiments and palaces decorated with sphinxes and lions.

A Peaceful Multi-Cultural Community

The social structure in Zafar also appeared to be unique. The city had a large Jewish community, as evidenced by a seal with a Torah niche. Hebrew inscriptions were discovered. Zafar's residents also included Christians, who built a church there in 354 AD. Arabs who worshipped old idols lived in the alleys.
But this peaceful, multicultural community soon came to an end, as tensions began to mount in the 5^th century, and Arabia was transformed into a front.

The Byzantine Empire, bristling with weapons, operated in the west, and its vassals kept making inroads toward the desert. They were accompanied by Christian missionaries, who brought the doctrine of the Holy Trinity to the shepherds on the edge of the Rub' al Khali, the sand desert that makes up much of the southern third of the Arabian Peninsula.

These Sacred Heart imperialists confronted the Persian realm of the Sassanids, with its archers and armies of bearded soldiers clad in heavy metal armor. The Jews, who lived by the tens of thousands in the oases, were to some extent aligned with this power.

It was a confrontation between east and west, and everyone was forced to choose a side.
This also applied to Zafar. To stop the advance of Christianity, individual Arab kings initially converted to Judaism. The entire ruling class of the realm eventually followed suit. From then on, people were given names like Yehuda and Yussuf.

Then they took up arms. In approximately 520 AD, they attacked the Christian colony of Najran, where there were churches and monasteries. Countless Christians were slaughtered. The shocking news traveled all the way to Europe.

A 'Puppet King'

Now the spiral of violence began turning more rapidly. The furious Byzantines and their allies from Africa were out for revenge. Kaleb, the Aksumite king of Ethiopia (who wore gold jewelry in his hair and had himself driven around in an elephant carriage) went on the counter-offensive.

If the sources are correct, his first naval maneuver was a miserable failure. In 525 AD, with the help of additional warships provided by the Byzantines, he successfully completed the crossing to the other side of the Red Sea.

The relief of the "crowned man" from Zafar was apparently created during this period of invasion. Yule interprets it as a representation of the Christian "puppet king" of the Ethiopians.

The invaders continued their attacks. Southern Arabia's holy warrior, Abraha, had taken control of large areas before long. He even attempted to free bishops being held prisoner by the Persian enemy in Nisibis (in modern-day Turkey), some 2,500 kilometers away.

The man embarked on a religious crusade at the same time. He rebuilt the churches that had been destroyed in Najran, and he had new ones built in Marib and Aden.

His most beautiful church was in Sanaa. It had gilded doors and a throne made of ebony and ivory. In the morning, the rays of the sun shone through an alabaster panel in the dome. The Byzantines supported the project, sending craftsmen, marble and mosaics.

The result was an architectural miracle, the likes of which all of Arabia had never seen before.

Posted: 04 Jan 2013 05:08 PM PST

For the DAP's information, in 2012 Microsoft's revenue was RM220 Billion. 1.0 billion computers in the world are running Microsoft software. (That is about 90% of all computers in the world) And the DAP now blames Microsoft for their failure to tally up 1,800 votes?

Yesterday the DAP election director, the guy in charge of tallying up the election results said something even more strange. Here is the news report :

When asked if he still had in his possession the manually recorded vote tabulation (DAP election director) Pooi Weng Keong said the matter was beyond him now.
Met at another function later, Lim Guan Eng declined to comment on whether the party would hold a recount of the votes.

So lets tabulate this :

DAP election director has resigned.

Gag order has been imposed.

Dont know what has happened to the manually recorded vote tabulation.

Dont know what has happened to the ballot papers.

No recount of votes.

This is Ubah Rocket Style.

Here is an extra large picture of Pooi Weng Kong :

I blew up the picture so that everyone can see exactly what Pooi Weng Kong looks like.

Please dont come and tell me that this fellow in the picture is a Malay guy ok. If you think this guy in the picture is a Malay, then go and have your eyes checked. Muka China, rambut China, mata China, hidung China, warna kulit China - so dont come and tell me that this guy is a Malay.

When asked what has happened to the manually recorded vote tabulation, Pooi Weng Kong the DAP's election director said "the matter was beyond him now"

I say kawan, what type of answer is that? Where are the ballot papers? Where are the manually recorded tally sheets? This only raises another question : Has all the evidence been destroyed already?

Asked about a recount, Lim Guan Eng just declined to comment.

You mean the DAP does not even follow normal procedures? If there is any dispute or controversy in vote counting, the immediate thing to do is to recount the ballots. Apa susah sangat?

Because you have already said that there was a technical glitch in Microsoft Excel's Spreadsheet. Please dont say that you have now corrected the situation by using the same Microsoft Excel ! That would be dua kali bodoh.

Posted: 04 Jan 2013 11:30 AM PST

After Mac 2008 , Pakatan Rakyat had successfully captured the state of Perak where DAP won 18 seats , PKR 7 and PAS 6 . At first they get a shock where they never expected that a Tsunami politics will happen and because of this they never really plan the allocation of position before they capture Perak. So the question of who is the Menteri Besar of Perak was never a question in Pakatan Rakyat before the General Election. Only after they won they are in deep dilemma where DAP itself won the seat more than both PAS and PKR added up and yet since they do not have any Malay candidate therefore it is unlikely to have a non – Malay Menteri Besar from DAP.

Then , DAP Quickly call for a Central Executive Committee, at its emergency meeting in Penang on Sunday, 9th March 2008 and in their meeting their finalize that the Menteri Besar should either be DAP Ngeh Koo Ham or Jamaluddin Mohd Radzi from PKR. On the 10th of Mac , PAS top leadership secretly send their people to meet up with both Nga Kor Ming and Ngeh Koo Ham to lobby for a PAS State Assemblyman to be the Menteri Besar. PAS knew the weakness of PKR in Pakatan Rakyat where they are the weakest political party in PR in terms of grassroots and even the quality of their candidate. They saw a light to politically bring up their man in the state of Perak to further expand their Islamic agenda.

PAS is a very sincere political party that hardly look for money benefit and willing to sacrifice money for their religious cause. PAS top strategist advice the negotiator to use money as a trade for a Menteri Besar position with the powerful lions in Perak ( Nga Kor Ming and Ngeh Koo Ham ). Since the only resources PAS is having after Mac 2008 is only Kelantan dan Kedah but it very hard to close a deal from the Kedah Menteri Besar Azizan. So , PAS top leaders secretly seek Kelantan Menteri Besar Nik Aziz to award a back door close deal logging investment worth RM 30 million to both Ngeh and Nga to lobby for a PAS State Assemblyman to be the Menteri Besar. PAS spiritual agree where according to him he is willing to do anything as long as it for an Islamic cause. So both Ngeh Koo Ham and Nga Kor Ming secretly close the deal with PAS representative without the consent from both top DAP and PKR leadership. They plot a way for Nizar to be the Menteri Besar of Perak to by pass PKR Malay State Assemblyman that won 1 seat extra more than PAS.

Later on , Kit Siang call DAP to boycott the Nizar ( PAS ) as the Menteri Besar of Perak in his press conference and also in his blog writings

DAP is prepared to accept DAP chairman and Assemblyman for Sitiawan Ngeh Koo Ham or PKR Behrang Assemblyman Jamaluddin Mohd Radzi as Perak Mentri Besar.
As the appointment of PAS Assemblyman for Pasir Panjang Mohamad Nizar Jamaludin as Perak Mentri Besar representing the third and smallest political party in the proposed coalition has not received the mandate of the CEC, DAP Perak Assemblymen will stay away from the swearing-in ceremony for Perak Mentri Besar scheduled tomorrow. http://blog.limkitsiang.com/2008/03/12/no-dap-cec-mandate-for-pas-menteri-besar-in-perak/comment-page-19/

Both Ngeh Koo Ham and Nga Kor Ming silently stay away from this battle and let Kit Siang fought against Nizar. Earlier , nobody in DAP or PKR ever know that there is already a secret deal between Ngeh and Nga with PAS leaders. They just silently plot a way for it to happen and since they are more powerful than Lim Kit Siang in Perak therefore they do have their ways to make it happen.

On 17 Mac , Nizar from PAS successfully became the Menteri Besar of Perak with the help from Ngeh and Nga from DAP. After that , both Ngeh and Nga continue to expand their power and political base in DAP . They knew the facts that Lim Kit Siang is already too old to be in DAP for a long time and the arrogant Lim Guan Eng will need to step down as the Secretary General of DAP after his 3rd term. They are young and time is with them. They became so powerful that Kulasegaran a previous Vice Chairman and National Leader in DAP even loses his power in Perak.

Lim Kit Siang is not happy with the latest development and strength of both the nepotism Ngeh Koo Ham and Nga Kor Ming. It will be a threat to the Lim Dynasty influence and power in DAP. Therefore , he hand over Nga Kor Ming wife tailoring contract to UMNO to play it. Another corruption of DAP leaders in Perak. It is a sign of pre emptive strike and a sign of warning from Lim Kit Siang to both Ngeh and Nga to slow down in whatever they are doing in DAP to expand their power. When that happens DAP DC call up Nga Kor Ming for investigation. According to DAP internal sources , the DC will let Nga Kor Ming off if he start to behave and stop expanding his political strength. Being a smart politician Nga Kor Ming just agree with it and that is why DAP DC conclude to let him off.

But then the young Nga Kor Ming is a very combative politician. He will never surrender to sure threat. That is why he took even more step further to cut off Lim Kit Siang right hand man in Perak ( Kulasegaran ) right after this incident to send back another message to Lim Kit Siang that he is the real warlord in Perak. A revenge strike happen when Nga Kor Ming uses his influence in DAP to dig out list of DAP Selangor corruption that is related to Lim Kit Siang camp ( Teresa Kok , Teo Nie Ching , Ronnie Liu , Lim Lip Eng ). He secretly leak out this news to MCA top leadership to play up the issue and the battle will be seem from MCA side but politically it is impossible for MCA to know if all this sources , details and news is not from DAP internally.

Rabu, 9 Januari 2013

Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News

Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News

Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News

Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News

Muhammad had a beard, but there are no portraits of him.

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