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Isnin, 13 Jun 2011

Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News

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Sabu on PAS, Shi'ism, sex charge and Anwar

Posted: 12 Jun 2011 09:49 PM PDT

"Marx said that religion is the opium for the people…(In the past) priests supported cruel tsars, wages were neglected, Christian leaders supported oppressive monarchs, so if they wanted to bring social change (at the time), they have to reject religion. Religion is like opium too in Malaysia and in the Arab nations. This view is highly controversial…but I see religion being misused," he said, adding that this would probably have him accused of being from a 'different following'.

Harakah Daily

For a man touted to usher a new era for the nation's second largest political party, recently elected PAS deputy president Mohamad Sabu is really your average Mat.

Arriving for an interview with Malaysiakini last week in a tiny Proton Savvy, the 57-year-old flashes his toothy grin.

Almost embarrassed by his formal wear, Mohamad, better known as Mat Sabu, said: "I have to meet the Syrian ambassador afterwards, that's why I'm dressed like this. Or else I'll just be in a T-shirt."

The sight of Mat Sabu in a T-shirt is a common sight for followers of Malaysian politics, such as when the PAS leader donned a yellow one and marched with about 40,000 Malaysians in December 2007 for free and fair elections.

In fact, it is on this platform that the straight-talking politician delved into party politics after dipping his toes in the Malaysian Muslim Youth Movement (Abim) during his student days in the late 1970s.

'Why I joined PAS'

Recalling those days, Mat Sabu said that joining Abim's campaign for PAS in the 1978 election which followed the Kelantan emergency in 1977 ignited a sense of anger towards a system which disallows the Opposition the same platform to speak.

"Dr Mahathir (Mohamad) was deputy prime minister and education minister and he was free to campaign on school grounds, while PAS was banned from ceramah.

"I saw how unfair this was, and thought if this was democracy in Malaysia, then it's really in bad shape. So when we came back (from Kelantan), I went straight to PAS headquarters and filled in the membership form.

"I did not join PAS because of its Islamic platform or because I was anti-Umno. It was for want of a better democracy and it is a struggle which my colleagues and I continue until now," he said.

Between Karl Marx and Ayatollah Khomeini

The fact that he does not hail from a religious background has been a point of attack for his detractors, and responding to this, the affable leader quotes an unlikely figure to deflect the accusations — Karl Marx himself.

Ayatollah Khomeini arriving from exile, welcomed by millions of people who later overthrew the remnants of the Shah regime, 1979

"Marx said that religion is the opium for the people…(In the past) priests supported cruel tsars, wages were neglected, Christian leaders supported oppressive monarchs, so if they wanted to bring social change (at the time), they have to reject religion."

"Religion is like opium too in Malaysia and in the Arab nations. This view is highly controversial…but I see religion being misused," he said, adding that this would probably have him accused of being from a 'different following'.

Defending his 'different' view, the father of four whose shock of black hair hides his age said that his quest remains to advocate for an Islam in substance and not just in name.

Although he does not admit it, the leader - who attributes his youthful appearance to his famous sense of humour - has been accused of subscribing to the Shiite school of thought.

The school of thought is considered deviant in Malaysia, the Muslim population of which follow the Sunni school.

The links could be traced to Mat Sabu's unabashed admiration for the late Ayatollah Khomeini who led the Iranian revolution in 1979 - an event which the former said formed much of his point of view.

"Why do I support Khomeini? Because he used religion to mobilise for change against the Shah... (In our society) we have ulama who (use religion to) cover up the mistakes of the powerful," he said.

Marx, he added, would have changed his mind about religion being an opiate had he lived through the Iranian revolution.

Ties with Penang CM

His sense of fair play was further soldered through his double detention under the Internal Security Act, once in 1984 for 60 days, after which he was banished to Kuala Pilah until 1986.

In 1987, he was among the scores arrested under Operation Lalang, spending a total of two years behind bars where he forged close ties with leaders in PAS and DAP, particularly Penang's current chief minister Lim Guan Eng (above with Mat Sabu in May 2009).

"At the (Kamunting detention) camp, there is nothing much to do in the evening, so (Lim and Mat Sabu) chatted and discussed views and I found more similarities than differences between us.

"When (Lim) was released, he was re-arrested for revealing information relating to the former (Melaka) chief minister (Abdul Rahim Tamby Chik) so I saw him as an oppressed person. He may not be Muslim, but I felt it was compulsory for me to defend him," he said.

He added that even when Lim was "broke without a job and a pension", he continued to have close ties with the latter "through drinks whenever I am in Malacca" and the bond has remained strong until today.

Ties with Anwar

If Mat Sabu's ties with Lim has been steadfast at worst, the same cannot be said of his relationship with PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim.

COMMON PLATFORM ... Anwar and Mat Sabu sharing a ceramah stage

Days before Anwar was sacked as Finance Minister and deputy premier, Mat Sabu took a stand completely different to that of his party on the former's sodomy charge, even labelling Anwar as al-Juburi (a play on words for the Malay slang word for anus).

Skirting the issue, Mat Sabu, however, admitted that Anwar's departure from Abim in 1982 "memakan hati" (tore at the hearts) of Abim members and led to his protest departure.

"I was his number one attacker, we were political enemies… But in Islam, you are supposed to speak the truth against a corrupt leader, not someone who has retired or no longer in power," he said, claiming to have made up with Anwar soon after he was sacked.

But remnants of the long-drawn out battle between the duo appear still evident with Mat Sabu claiming to only have met his former nemesis "on the ceramah circuit" and never in one-on-one meetings.

Sex charge

For someone who had emerged from a sex scandal relatively unscathed, the avid reader on international politics may have something to teach Anwar in facing the sex video allegedly of him.

The incident in 1995, wherein Mat Sabu was accused but acquitted of khalwat (close proximity with a non-family member of the opposite gender), was brushed off by the leader as somewhat irrelevant to his political rise.

"I was elected into the central working committee that year, then vice president for two terms and now deputy. I don't think it had any effect within PAS. Outside, I had complaints (of having among) the largest majority when contesting for Kubang Kerian in 1995," he said.

Mat Sabu was elected into parliament thrice - for the constituency of Nilam Puri in 1990, Kubang Kerian in 1995 and Kuala Kedah in 1999.

Some believe that his dissenting view on Anwar was the reason he was sent to contest in backwater Kuala Kedah instead of Kubang Kerian where he had won earlier by a landslide.

Today, however, Mat Sabu toes the coalition line by saying that the onus is for the accusers to provide evidence of Anwar's wrongdoing before PAS can state its position.

It may not be what the Mat Sabu of 'al-Juburi' fame would have liked, but the party's newly-minted number two is both pragmatic, a believer of human rights and the right to defend one's self.

By keeping true to his grassroots NGO ideals, Mat Sabu is bringing in a more diverse crowd the Islamic party's way, fast changing its face to truly fit its slogan—PAS for all.

 
Kredit: www.malaysia-today.net

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Penang to go ahead with mosque polls

Posted: 12 Jun 2011 11:48 PM PDT

(Bernama) - The Penang government will not budge from its decision to carry out the election of mosque officials as it is accordance with the laws, said its Religious Affairs, Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Committee chairman Abdul Malik Abul Kassim.

He said the proposed election adhered to Section 104(a)(b) of the State of Penang Enactment 2004 and 4(1) Congregation Committee and Mosque Officials Requirements (Penang).

"The new procedure introduced by the Penang Islamic Religious Council is an improvement of existing regulatory procedures adopted by the previous state government," he told reporters Monday.

Commenting on calls for the state government to get the consent of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong before holding the mosque polls, Abdul Malik, said the new procedure accorded congregators the right to nominate candidates through mosque committees to the council before getting the consent of the king.

Abdul Malik said the mosque congregation committees would decide whether the congregators were eligible to vote and the state government would set up the congregators' database after the election.

After nomination was closed last Tuesday, 193 out of 200 mosques had sent the nomination lists, he said, adding that this showed the proposed election had received an overwhelming response from congregators.

Meanwhile, Penang Umno Liaison Committee chairman Datuk Zainal Abidin Osman said the state Umno had sent an appeal letter to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong through Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Jamil Khir Baharom, to oppose the move.

"I hope the Yang di-Pertuan Agong as the head of Islam will prevent the mosque polls from taking place as it could divide the Muslims," said Zainal.

 

MB's aide responds to Sabu, denies PAS leaders jostling for titles

Posted: 12 Jun 2011 09:57 PM PDT

(Harakah Daily) - True to his prediction that he would be "scolded" for giving an unflattering appraisal of PAS, deputy president Mohamad Sabu today found himself being criticised over his complaint that the Islamic party had been slow in implementing reforms as well as what he described as a penchant among its leaders to "chase" official titles.

Responding to Mat Sabu's earlier interview to online portal Malaysiakini, Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor, political secretary to Kedah Menteri Besar Azizan Abdul Razak, denied such a culture among PAS leaders.

"I do not see such a thinking or the results of such 'wrong views' existing among PAS leaders in Kedah, indeed there is no such jostling for titles or wealth, what more requests among state representatives or Exco for land.

"Conferring Datukship for instance is the sole prerogative of the Sultan, no Exco or state representative from had ever filled up forms asking for titles for themselves," he wrote in a lengthy reply published by the portal.

Earlier, in an exclusive interview with the portal, Mat Sabu lamented that PAS state governments in Kedah and Kelantan had been too slow adapting radical political change to achieve good governance and respect for human rights, and urged leaders to emulate some of the policies by the DAP-led state government in Penang.

"(PAS) is now in power in Kedah and in Kelantan, but change has been slow moving and not enough," said Sabu, who also took a swipe at some PAS leaders who he said displayed a weakness for official titles, and said they risked returning to a "feudal system".

'No datukship chase'

Saying he was responsible for managing nominations of award recipients by the Menteri Besar's office for the palace's consideration, Sanusi said recipients were selected based after a strict filtering process.

"In the period of the three years, I have not seen any clear trend of PAS leaders showing any deep interest for Datukship which required Mohamad (Sabu)'s chiding," added Sanusi.

While Mat Sabu's criticisms had drawn praise from Johor PAS Youth, which urged party members to be more brave and "innovative" in pointing out any mistakes by party leadership, Sanusi however suggested that Mat Sabu would not have been elected had he given the interview prior to the recently held party polls.

ROYAL OR FEUDAL? ... Mat Sabu says jostling for royal awards is a revival of feudal culture

Sanusi however admitted that some grassroots party members had been dissatisfied that many of the recipients still included UMNO and BN leaders.

"To me, Mohamad should instead target his criticism to them, not to the leadership. Having said that, I appreciate that this is part of the cultural values we inherit from history, because we are born and bred in Malaysia, a constitutional monarchy.

"They do not understand the Cuban, Chinese, Russian, Libyan or Iranian culture. Penang and DAP, which according to Mohamad should be emulated, does not have Sultan or Palace which shapes the values and culture of the people," said Sanusi, referring to Mat Sabu's call on PAS to take a leaf out of the DAP administration in Penang.

'Penang has no land, forests'

Sanusi also denied that logging contracts had been awarded to people close to PAS, adding that although some of these companies belonged to PAS members, they had been in business "for many years, long before the state administration changed hands, because they offered the best price," he added.

He said the present Kedah state government had managed to increase logging revenue by multiple folds, from RM9.5 million during BN's rule to RM53 million last year.

"The Penang state government and DAP which Mohamad calls to emulate have no forest or logging, because the state is a concrete jungle," he remarked.

Likewise, Sanusi said Penang had a shortage of land and as such, Penang could not offer an example in land administration matters.

Sanusi however said he appreciated Mat Sabu's frankness which was to ensure the party's struggle remained on track.

"I respect and hold in high esteem Mohamad's courage and 'drive' to lead the party as the deputy president and for wanting the party to continue its advance and be admired by the people," he said.

"However, wouldn't it be good if Mohamad got a true picture from the PAS leadership in Kedah or Kelantan through his close contacts, similar to what he has done with the Penang leadership," Sanusi said, adding that "open criticisms" would be "more sweet" if voiced out during meetings with PAS leaders.

 

Nazri: No action against PSD officials over scholarships distribution

Posted: 12 Jun 2011 05:03 PM PDT

 

(The Star) - There will be no action taken against any Public Service Department (PSD) official over the distribution of scholarships among top scorers in SPM examinations said Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Aziz.

"This is because there is no conclusive evidence of abuse of power by these officers. The selection was conducted transparently in accordance with the Cabinet's decision on Jan 14, 2009," he told the Dewan Rakyat Monday.

Nazri told this to Nancy Shukri (BN-Batang Saadong) and thirteen other MPs who wanted to know why were there still problems in awarding scholarships and places in universities for top students who had scored more than 9As in the SPM examination.

Nazri told the Dewan Rakyat the Government had decided not to release the list of PSD scholars and their results to maintain confidentiality.

"It is not the government's policy to disclose such information and releasing it would not ensure that the problems would be solved," he said.

He noted that the Government had agreed to reduce the numbers of scholarships for overseas programme from 1,750 in 2010 to 1,500 this year.

"To get candidates with wholesome personality, the government chooses students to pursue studies overseas, not just based on their academic results, but considering also their family socio-economic background, curriculum and interviews result," he explained.

He said the scholarship was also given based on four categories; 20% based on academic achievement, 60% based on racial composition, 10% allocated for the Bumiputera's in Sabah and Sarawak and 10% for the socially disadvantaged.

Nazri said there was still a lot of confusion over the distribution of JPA scholarships for overseas programs although the government had repeatedly explained the criteria on how to get them.

"One major factor for students failing to get scholarships is because there is an increase in the numbers of top students while the numbers of scholarships remain limited," he said.

According to Malaysian Examination Board, Nazri said, there were 363 students who achieved good results in the SPM examination last year and, out of the total, 282 students managed to get JPA scholarships to pursue their studies locally and overseas.

"This year, JPA will offer 1,500 scholarships to study overseas while 2,500 will get sponsorship to study locally," he said.

He added that the government had allocated RM1.44bil to sponsor JPA students this year with RM0.36bil to be spent on students to study locally and RM1.08bil allocated to students to study abroad.

 

Hisham: No action against Ibrahim Ali for ‘jihad’ call

Posted: 12 Jun 2011 04:58 PM PDT

 

(The Malaysian Insider) - The government will not take any action against Datuk Ibrahim Ali for threatening Christians nationwide with a holy war against any move to usurp Islam with a Christian state.

"Action will only be taken if investigations find that the said act really contravened the country's laws," Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein said in a written reply to Lim Lip Eng (Segambut-DAP) in the Dewan Rakyat today.

Lim had asked the Home Ministry to state whether it was a punishable offence for a person to declare "jihad" in the name of race and religion.

"I would advise that all parties be careful in making an accusation when its validity has yet to be verified," said Hishammuddin.

The Perkasa president's threat to Christians was based on Utusan Malaysia's recent allegation that church leaders were in a plot with the DAP to turn Malaysia into a Christian state and install a Christian prime minister.

Christian leaders and DAP members have denied the reports which have sparked protests but the Home Ministry has only slapped Utusan Malaysia with a warning letter for publishing the unsubstantiated report.

READ MORE HERE

 

‘Divide and rule making BN obsolete’

Posted: 12 Jun 2011 04:35 PM PDT

 

The BN has been practising this policy for decades but now it is working against them, says a Gerakan leader.

(Free Malaysia Today) - Over the years the Barisan Nasional's (BN) only political model was divide and rule. But that model is now making the BN an obsolete party.

Said former Gerakan Youth vice-chief S Paranjothy: "BN is obsolete now and its outmoded political strategy of divide and rule along racial lines is no longer marketable to the Malaysian voters who have woken up to a new era of thinking after the 2008 political tsunami."

"Most Malaysians are sickened by the perpetual harping on racial politics by all the BN component parties and they have had enough of this.

"The over-used old record of racial politics by the BN for the past 50 years has now been shattered  by the awakening of voters who want political change," he said.

Paranjothy said in the past the leaders were more dedicated and committed to the principled political agenda of giving equal rights and benefits to all Malaysians.

"The economic imbalance is widening between the rich and the poor, as the rich are getting richer while the poor are getting poorer as BN is more concerned with the personal interests of its cronies rather than the welfare of the people," he said.

He also accused the BN politicians of taking the voters for a ride at every election with empty promises and not giving proper attention to the needs and demands of the voters after being duly elected.

"The majority of the (BN) politicians only fill their elected posts to safeguard their own personal political agendas and tend to be self-centred and neglect the interests of their voters," he alleged.

READ MORE HERE

 

Perkasa to counter Bersih rally

Posted: 12 Jun 2011 04:16 PM PDT

Perkasa and Konsensus Bebas slam the July 9 Bersih 2.0 demonstrations, calling it a waste of time.

(Free Malaysia Today) - Perkasa has threatened to counter the July 9 Bersih 2.0 demonstration with a protest of its own.

Perkasa chief Ibrahim Ali promised the event's organisers – Bersih and PAS – that he would "fight to the end" if people were to mass on the streets on July 9.

"If they go ahead with this demonstration, Perkasa has made a decision, and as its president, I will fight to the end.

That means on that day, there will be a confrontation," he said.

"I don't know how many they will gather, but Perkasa also has many members, and other NGO are coming, so we'll be there," added the Pasir Mas MP.

Ibrahim said that large-scale demonstrations such as Bersih's would cause widespread chaos, and cited the unrest in the Middle East as an example.

"I cannot imagine that if there is a big crowd, certain element will come in, throwing the stone, burn the car, and with injuries like what is happening in Tunisia," he said.

The July 9 "Walk for Democracy" Kuala Lumpur protest will be attended by several civil societies, including a few opposition parties.

Bersih and its coalition partners have six demands in mind, including an end to the misuse of government machinery and funds during elections.

With an expected attendance of more than 100,000, the march is expected to the biggest of its kind since the group's 2007 demonstrations.

Protestor number predictions, however, did not faze the Malay rights supremacist, who said that most Malaysians would not buy into Bersih's demands.

"Malaysia has 27 million people. Let's say that Bersih wants to bring 300,000, so 27 million minus 300,000, we will have 26 million.

So you don't worry about the figures," he said.

Ibrahim also added that Perkasa will hold a roundtable discussion with at least 30 other Malay-based NGOs on Bersih's planned demonstrations tomorrow.

READ MORE HERE

 

‘BN will lose its ‘fixed deposit”

Posted: 12 Jun 2011 03:38 PM PDT

 

'Pakatan Rakyat Plus SAPP' will be able to smash BN hegemony in the 13th general election, says Sabah opposition leader Yong Teck Lee

A former Sabah chief minister has predicted that Barisan Nasional (BN) will no longer be able to call the state its 'fixed deposit' after the 13th general election.

Yong Teck Lee said the growing dissatisfaction over the direction of the economy as well as policies affecting Sabah and Sarawak would have an effect on the general election.

He said the opposition is also banking on a revolt by consumers in the two states over prices of goods remaining much higher compared to Peninsular Malaysia despite years of platitudes by the BN government each time the subject comes up.

"Prices of goods keep escalating over the years but the people's salary in Sabah remains stagnant as compared to other states in the country," said Yong, who is now president of opposition Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP).

He said the ordinary people had taken note that "the ruling Barisan Nasional leaders are busy engaging in a cold war to protect their own selfish interest, rather than that of the people."

Yong sees the current trend of dissatisfaction among the lower and middle income group in the state translating into votes for SAPP and the opposition.

He said people are starting to realise that the BN-led government has failed to make good use of the enormous profits earned from oil and gas exports to keep the prices of goods down.

"The BN government could have used the revenues received from Petronas to keep the prices of goods low, in Sabah especially, but it failed to do so,"  said Yong who was speaking at the Parents' Night organised by SAPP on Saturday.

Petronas recently announced a profit of close to RM100 billion of which RM57 billion was given to the government in dividends and taxes while oil-producing Sabah, Sarawak, Terengganu and Kelantan received a total of only RM4 billion as their 5% share in oil royalties.

'Pakatan Rakyat Plus SAPP'

Consumers are also angry that the price of sugar has been steadily rising since Felda took over the sugar monopoly in the country from Robert Kuok's Perlis Pelantations which had never raised the price for the commodity.

"What's even more puzzling and dismaying is the fact that Felda is a government agency that is supposed to look after the people's interest and welfare, instead of focusing on making profit alone," said Yong.

READ MORE HERE

 

Hadi on the difference of 'our' welfare state and BN's

Posted: 12 Jun 2011 03:09 PM PDT

 

(Harakah Daily) - Announcing appointments for several top posts in PAS after the new line-up's first meeting yesterday, PAS president Tuan Guru Abdul Hadi Awang called on Malaysians to vote for Pakatan Rakyat in achieving the goal of a true welfare state as espoused by PAS and its PR partners.

"In order to know the meaning of a true welfare state, vote for us in the next general election. Give us five years, we can show what we can do," Hadi said during a press conference at party headquarters.

Dismissing the government's claim that the current government was also based on 'welfare state', Hadi said the people under PR's governance would benefit in terms of better quality of life.

Ever since the Islamic party endorsed the goal of a 'benevolent state', or welfare state as outlined by Hadi in his presidential address at the recent Muktamar, UMNO leaders have been pouring scorn on the concept, among others by saying that PAS had reneged on its Islamic state goal. PAS however said the concept of a welfare state was already Islamic and based on the Qur'anic call for a 'benevolent state'.

The adaptation of the welfare state, which received intense support from PKR and DAP, is seen crucial, coming as it was at a time when the government comes under fire over a spate of price hikes, as well as its controversial funding of Independent Power Producers (IPPs) while denying subsidies for household users.

Hadi however rapped UMNO leaders, saying they were illiterate when it comes to Islamic politics.

'Far cry from UMNO's welfare state'

Hadi said a welfare state which takes guidance from the Qur'an and Prophetic traditions would be a far cry from the so-called welfare state as espoused by UMNO.

Hadi explained that the concept was not limited to people's economic life but also was concerned with the fight against corruption.

"It is also meant to avoid forbidden things such as corruption, not because of MACC (Malaysian Anti Corruption Commission) but because of Allah's decree," he added.

Hadi said he understood the strong reactions among UMNO leaders over PAS's call for welfare state, as it would put an end to price hikes and high taxes practised by BN.

"In Terengganu, PAS abolished the toll (for bridge). Clearly this was driven by welfare because those who used (the bridge) were small sellers and villagers," said Hadi, recalling his earliest announcement as Terengganu Menteri Besar following PAS's brief rule there in 1999-2004.

"We lost a few millions, but we managed by increasing the tax on the wealthy such as on industry and logging," he added.

Meanwhile, the newly appointed PAS information chief Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man said UMNO felt threatened by the idea as it was introduced amid BN's failure to defend people's welfare, by agreeing to the electricity tariff hike which only benefited "greedy cronies".

"Just look at the statements made by UMNO leaders to drive home a public perception that PAS had changed its struggle, when it is a fact that the welfare state, justice, security, prosperity and abundance are all ingredients of the Islamic state concept," he explained.

 

PBS leader ticks off ‘arrogant’ Rais

Posted: 12 Jun 2011 03:07 PM PDT

 

By Luke Rintod, FMT

KOTA KINABALU: When the opposition accuses Barisan Nasional (BN) leaders of arrogance, it is expected. But when a fellow BN leader starts doing the same, it means something is really wrong.

Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) deputy president Dr Yee Moh Chai is the latest to describe a federal leader as "arrogant" and "out of touch" with the people.

He singled out Information, Communications, Arts and Culture Minister Rais Yatim for ignoring Sabahans and the state BN government leaders despite their pleas for assitance.

Yee's main gripe is Rais' lethargic attitude in addressing the low-penetration Internet broadband rate in Sabah despite a year having passed since he pledged to achieve a minimum 30% penetration by 2010.

Yee, the state Resource Development and Information Technology Minister, who was recently appointed a deputy chief minister, is irked by Rais' promises at various meetings to address the problem but has failed to act on them.

Speaking to reporters here, Yee, in an unprecedented attack, lashed out at Rais for breaking his pledge.

"Rais knows about this but he pretended not to (listen)… we have been telling him about it.

"During the meeting, he (Rais) said okay but after that nothing was done," Yee said, adding that the way Rais works "is tantamount to being arrogant".

Yee said while the national broadband penetration rate was 50% (in 2010), Sabah's remained the lowest in Malaysia.

Some say it hovers at 15% which is why the ministry set a target of 30% by end of last year.

Yee, who has been keeping a low-profile since PBS rejoined BN in 2002, now wants Rais to acknowledge his failure.

"I have flown to Kuala Lumpur to discuss with Rais on ways to improve broadband service in Sabah.

"He should instruct his men to work on how to improve the ICT services in Sabah and not simply shed his responsibility," said Yee.

Angry users

Broadband mobile users in Sabah have been complaining that Rais' ministry has allowed service providers to cut cheaper broadband service packages from five days to two days, thus limiting access to the Internet to poorer subscribers. 

READ MORE HERE

 

Utusan continues attack against Bersih rally

Posted: 12 Jun 2011 02:56 PM PDT

 

By Melissa Chi, The Malaysian Insider

KUALA LUMPUR, June 13 — Utusan Malaysia continued to campaign against the Bersih 2.0 demonstration fixed for July 9, citing unrest and urging the government to prevent the demonstration from taking place.

"We understand there are efforts to inflame the people's hatred against the leaders of the government through measures such as demonstrations like in Arab countries today. They want unrest to prevail and if any unwanted incident happens, they will blame the government. It is better if the government prevents it before it happens," according to an editorial published today.

The Malay daily had also called on Malaysians not just to boycott next month's Bersih rally, but also to gather against the movement that calls for free and fair elections, calling the gathering "dirty".

The paper also told Malaysians "who love peace and reject hypocrisy" to gather on the streets of Kuala Lumpur on July 9 "with banners of the opposition leader's scandals" in reference to sodomy and sex video allegations against Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

"Organisers of the rally are aware of the chaos that could be triggered when there is a clash between supporters and opponents of the street demonstrations.

"Using the excuse that the demonstration is to fight for a clean and fair election... is not enough," it said.

The editorial also said that other Malaysians should have the right to get on with their daily lives without being disrupted by the demonstrators.

"Taxi drivers, bus companies, businesses and workers around the capital city had said that they are uneasy about the demonstration.

"We disagree with the term 'the people's peaceful assembly' used as the theme because there is not one illegal assembly organised by the NGOs and opposition parties that have been peaceful. So don't use the people's name to allow actions that can negatively affect them," it said.

"The organisers have to remember that marching in big groups will not solve any problems, instead it will cause trouble and create unrest in the country. 

READ MORE HERE

 

Malaysia trails in religious freedom and other rights, says new survey

Posted: 12 Jun 2011 02:50 PM PDT

By Yow Hong Chieh, The Malaysian Insider

KUALA LUMPUR, June 13 — Malaysia lags behind the rest of the world in protecting freedom of religion, expression and other basic rights, managing only to place 59th out of 66 countries surveyed by the World Justice Project (WJP) for its Rule of Law Index 2011.

Low scores for freedom of religion, expression, assembly and privacy also meant that Malaysia placed second to last in its income group, which includes other upper-middle-income countries like Russia, Brazil, Mexico and Iran.

The report noted, however, that Malaysia ranked first among 19 income peers in terms of security, on par with countries such as France and Belgium, despite the prevalence of police abuse.

Malaysia scored higher for absence of crime, strong labour rights, and lack of civil conflict — which the survey said was "effectively limited" — almost matching or exceeding the average score for other East Asia and Pacific countries.

"As with many other countries in the region, Malaysia presents a contrasting view," WJP said in a statement today.

"In comparison with upper-middle-income group standards, the government is reasonably accountable, although corruption, political interference, and impunity still exist."

Other areas of concern highlighted by the report include corruption in the judicial branch and the low proportion of government officials cautioned for misconduct.


READ MORE HERE.

Kredit: www.malaysia-today.net

Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News

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Words into practice

Posted: 12 Jun 2011 02:47 PM PDT

By R Nadeswaran, The Sun

EVERY right-thinking Malaysian will certainly have to agree with the prime minister's remarks made last week at the World Islamic Economic Forum in Kazakhstan that characteristics like openness, honesty and transparency are vital if the people are to have faith that their government is working for them and not for itself.

Saying that these guiding principles would also show that leaders and politicians were striving to lift the whole economy and not to "line their own pockets", he sent this powerful message: "As political leaders and statesmen, it is up to us to show the resolve, dedication, commitment and political will required to do what is right, to right what is wrong and to prevent corruption from becoming a norm in our societies."

This is not the first time that he has spoken out against the ills that afflict our society.

A month ago in Oxford, he spoke on religious moderation and the need to allow people of all faiths to express their views. But are his thoughts, philosophies and views being ignored if not defied by those in the corridors of power? Are our civil servants embracing openness, honesty and transparency? Are religious leaders taking cognisance of how they should conduct themselves?

Examples of their refusal or non-acceptance of these policies are too many to cite and the archives are full of reports which contain information on dishonesty and lack of transparency and accountability.

Why should the cost of producing the newsletter for a local authority be kept away from the public? Why is land alienation by the state government limited only to the "Minutes of the state exco" which fall under the purview of the Official Secrets Act? Why are the costs of purchasing items which are not "defence-sensitive" still being kept secret as if the whole country's security will be compromised if the rakyat know about how much the army paid for a packet of instant noodles?

The prime minister is making all the right statements which will ensure a better quality of life for all Malaysians, but it appears that it is not going down the line to some people who have been accustomed to doing things their way.

Working in London and observing how Malaysian agencies conduct their business shows that many do not care how government money is spent. There's no sense of accountability, transparency or openness, let alone honesty.

A case in point – the Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (Matrade) whose stand is totally in contravention of the prime minister's views.

It has been eight months since a simple query was raised: "Which supermarket chain in the UK has 64 Malaysian products on its shelves?" Four reminders to the London office with copies to its director-general and the chairman in Kuala Lumpur drew no response.

A car arranged by the High Commission here to take us to Oxford to cover the prime minister's visit was quoted at £350 (RM1,750). When asked about the exorbitant cost, the answer was that the service provider had been "efficient throughout all this (sic) years".

It would be difficult to justify spending such a sum of money to our bosses, let alone the auditor – a car was hired for £21 (RM105) and with £30 (RM150) of petrol, the journey was done. No one wants to know or explain how that astronomical figure was arrived at because it has never been a practice to ask for quotations or compare prices.

Where's the openness and honesty which the prime minister is preaching? Doesn't anyone want to practise it? As for Tourism Malaysia, the less said the better because they have been caught being dishonest on more than once occasion. Saying anything more will result in accusations of "you are picking on us"!

The prime minister is singing the right tunes and drawing the right parameters for a prosperous Malaysia. If followed to the letter, all Malaysians irrespective of colour or creed can share the prosperity and happiness that it brings.

The choice is not of the majority but the select few who draw up policies and another group which implements them. At all times, the three magic word espoused by the prime minister – openness, honesty and transparency – must ring in their ears each time they want to do something.

Malaysia in the Era of Globalization #69

Posted: 12 Jun 2011 01:29 PM PDT

The track record of the leadership of many newly independent countries is a sorry one. One of the reasons is that these leaders overstay or do not recognize their limitations.

By M. Bakri Musa

Chapter 8: Culture, Institutions, and Leadership

Leadership

Leadership to a society is what wings are to planes. Without wings planes will not fly, and without leaders there will be no society. Wings also define the limits on the performances of the plane.

Early planes had double stacked wings, the biplanes, which effectively doubled the lift at low speed. But with stronger engines and thus greater speed, that design became very limiting as the drag factor increases rapidly at higher speed. Thus new models are introduced with a single pair of wings but fitted with adjustable curved flaps at the leading and trailing edges that could be extended at low speed (as at takeoff and landing) to effect maximum lift, and then retracted at high speed to reduce drag. This flexibility in shape enables the wings to function efficiently at both low and high speed.

With the development of jet engines and even faster planes, even this design has limitations, and soon gave way to the backswept wings (still with flaps) that gave even better lift/drag ratio. With supersonic jets, the design is further improved with the delta wings that could be retracted to further reduce drag at super mach cruising speed. With the extreme speeds of rockets and missiles, wings are essentially irrelevant, reduced to tiny flaps at the tail end.

So it is with leadership. In the beginning when society is undeveloped and its citizenry unsophisticated and uneducated, you need a leader who is a strict disciplinarian and could command instant respect by his charisma. This type of leader is best exemplified by the drill sergeant major who could whip out a bunch of ragtag village bums into spick and span recruits within a few months. But as those recruits become officers or if one is training an officers' corps, then one needs a different type of leader. The yelling drillmaster would definitely be out of place.

Similarly if one is leading a group of intelligent people, one needs a different style of leader. If a university president starts barking orders like a military commander, he would not last long. His claim to leadership would be through his scholarly example and intellect, and by sharing his vision with the rest of the academic community.

An orchestra conductor calls for another style of leadership. His claim to the podium is his own talent and contribution, and his ability to bring out the best out of his musicians. And if the orchestra fails, chances are it is the conductor who would be blamed, not the musicians. In an orchestra, there is no such thing as a leadership challenge to the conductor. The first violinist does not aspire to be the conductor, nor is she scheming to take over the job. She (or he) is satisfied with being a superb musician in her (or his) own right.

South Korea's General Park was the right man at the right time for his nation. His military bearing and no nonsense approach was what his unruly, ill-disciplined, and backward people needed. He ruthlessly and quickly whipped his ragged nation into a cohesive productive unit, using nationalism as his rallying cry.

Unfortunately a decade later, as a result of the very success of his program, his style became a significant liability. After a decade of spectacular economic development, with his people increasingly becoming highly educated, Park still had the old biplane style of leadership, totally unsuitable for a nation that was now taking off at jet speed. His successors were no better; they were all military men stuck in the same biplane mode of leadership. Fortunately South Korea today is being led by a civilian with a flexible style, akin to wings with retractable flaps that could be adjusted accordingly.

The track record of the leadership of many newly independent countries is a sorry one. One of the reasons is that these leaders overstay or do not recognize their limitations. Often a leader who is good at leading the nation at war is the worst kind for a nation at peace. The British knew something of this when they kicked out Churchill soon after he successfully prosecuted World War II. That may seem to be the height of ingratitude, but often that is the best course for the nation. Had Churchill stayed on he would have plunged Britain and the world into another war against the Soviets with his Cold War rhetoric.

Unfortunately many Third World leaders who successfully led their countries in their war of independence hung on for too long even though they had proven themselves to be incompetent peacetime leaders. Sukarno may be brilliant at outsmarting the Dutch and using world opinion to his side in securing his nation's independence, but those were very different skills needed in the day-to-day mundane details of running a new nation. As result Indonesia was driven to the ground under Sukarno, and never recovered.

Similarly in the Indian subcontinent, Gandhi may have successfully shamed Britain into granting India its independence by his nonviolence movement, but that same strategy was impotent in dealing with the animal hatred Hindus and Muslims there have for one another. Newly-independent India needed a Park, not a Ghandi.

When Malaysia became independent in 1957, expectations were necessarily low: just keep the status quo and not muck things up. Malaysians were satisfied with what the colonialists left them, just maintain that; do not rock the boat. Tunku Abdul Rahman, the country's first prime minister, was ideally suited for this role. A committed anglophile, he was more than happy to oblige. With his happy-go-lucky attitude and less-than-gifted intellect, he need not come up with any innovative ideas or programs. Indeed none were expected. His good nature and affable ways were enough to smooth the differences that surfaced. In the immediate post-independent Malaysia, success was measured not by the number of brilliant innovations and imaginative policies, rather in maintaining the status quo.

After a decade of independence however, Malaysians had become increasingly confident. Their horizon had expanded. The status quo, no matter how admirable it seemed in the beginning, did not solve the pressing problems facing the nation. Unfortunately, the Tunku did not notice the changes. The nation was like a plane that now had a more powerful engine, but its wings were still the biplane type. The inevitable result was a crash; the old wings were too much of a drag. Tunku became a liability, and he discovered that only too late to prevent the devastating May 1969 race riot.

Tunku was replaced by his long-time deputy, Tun Razak, a man his polar opposite. Where Tunku was all smiles and affable, Razak had a constant dour demeanor and a perennial scowling look; where Tunku was intellectually shallow, his Cambridge degree notwithstanding, Tun Razak was brilliant and innovative, confident of his own considerable intellect, and unafraid to pursue his own policies without having to await the approval or adoration of his followers.

Tun Razak's first order of business following the devastating riot of 1969 was to suspend parliamentary democracy. That precipitated howling protests from within as well abroad. But Tun Razak was sure of his bearing and ignored those do-gooders. He had an important obligation to bring peace and restore order. He ran the country as a military dictator would; indeed he spoke admiringly of and modeled himself after the general who successfully prosecuted Malaysia's campaign against the communist terrorists, General Templer.

Where Templer was fighting the communists, Razak was fighting rural poverty and interracial inequities. He emulated Templer by establishing in each district a local "operations" room to monitor his war on poverty. He was no staff general; he frequented the frontlines and ground troops. To overcome the gross and increasingly dangerous interracial inequities, he promulgated a daring and innovative social engineering program in the form of the New Economic Policy (NEP). He was remarkably effective. Nothing attests to the enduring quality of his contributions better than that the NEP and its successor policies have essentially remained unchanged to this very day.

The remarkable aspect of Razak's leadership was that, having established law and order, he restored parliamentary democracy. Tun Razak was one of the few leaders who shined in leading his nation both in times of crisis as well as during peacetime.

Sadly Tun Razak died in the prime of his life, just as the citizenry was beginning to feel the tangible benefits of his farsighted and brilliant initiatives. The nation rightly mourned a great loss.

Tun Razak was replaced by his chosen successor, Hussein Onn. Hussein's tenure was brief because of ill health. His leadership was a forgettable one; he was more administrator than leader. His greatest contribution was his selection of Mahathir as his deputy and later, prime minister. But even this sole credit was marred when a decade later during the UMNO leadership crisis, he declared that his greatest mistake was in appointing Mahathir! I am certain that had Tun Razak survived his cancer, Malaysia would have continued on its steep trajectory of success. The hypothetical question is, with Malaysians thus changed, would Tun Razak have been flexible enough to adjust to the new Malaysia? I believe he would.

Mahathir took the country by a storm in 1981. The changes he brought were both symbolic and real. Symbolically he made a big deal of signing in and out of his office and to wearing a nametag. To status conscious Malaysia, for the prime minister to wear an identification tag is highly significant, symbolizing equality and humility. And to chronically tardy Malaysians, signing in every morning is a very visible manifestation of discipline.

On a practical level he took the country on a path of economic development undreamed of at the time. He firmly committed the nation to foreign investments and trade, and confidently rode the recession of the mid 1980s to lead the nation to greater heights. The world spared no superlatives in describing his and the country's economic progress. Had Mahathir resigned in the mid 1990s, his star would have forever remained undiminished.

Alas all that changed quickly as he completed his second decade of leadership. In short, the country took off but Mahathir's model of leadership could not adjust to the new realities. The fuselage (country) is now equipped with a faster jet engine and cruising at high speed, but it is still stuck with the old perpendicular wings which no longer give much lift but instead, are now a major drag.

Mahathir failed to see the remarkable transformation of his people, a consequence of the dramatic success of his very policies. He was unable to adapt to those changes. His speech to the UMNO General Assembly in 2001 was a rehash of what he wrote in his first book The Malay Dilemma in 1970, where he lambasted Malays for our lackadaisical ways. With nauseating frequency he exhorted Malays to change, meanwhile failing to realize that it was he who needed to change the most.

The rigid disciplinarian drill sergeant could not transform himself into a captain. Thus the sad spectacle of Mahathir humiliated in the twilight of his leadership by the very people, Malays, who benefited immensely from his policies.

Sadly his legacy is destined to tarnish even more with his selection of an unimaginative and uninspiring successor, Abdullah Badawi, his fourth deputy.

Why such a fate for a nation that has so much talent? The reasons are many and I will review some.

Next:   Lack of Checks and Balances in Malaysian Leadership
Kredit: www.malaysia-today.net

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RM27 Million? Unbelievably Preposterous!

Posted: 12 Jun 2011 09:37 PM PDT

In the report, Youth And Sports Minister Datuk Ahmad Shabery Cheek stressed that the government did not use any "additional expenditure" for the event, and said a "large" amount of the RM27 million was obtained via sponsorship from the private sector.

It is absolutely incorrigible to learn that  the allocation prepared by the government to carry out the National Youth Day amounted to RM1.5 million. In a reply to Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang (Marang-PAS) Ahmad Shabery said that the total costs amounted to RM27 million, where most of it was obtained via sponsorship from the private sector!!!
Whether it was public money or money from the private sector, it was still RM27 million  that was spent!!!

C.R.A.Z.Y.!!!!!

How can so much money be spent on the event Million Youth Assembly, held from May 27 to May 29 merely to provide a platform for youths to "showcase their talents and interests through over 200 programmes" as well as highlighting job opportunities through a Job Fair????

Imagine - Ahmad Shabery said the gathering was a "success", based on the number of youths who had reportedly attended the event in Putrajaya. Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, had told reporters that the total visitors to the assembly surpassed the one million mark.



So it is justified to spend RM27 million just so that more than one million youths attended the assembly to listen to our PM call on youths to "defend Putrajaya" from the opposition if they wished to see Malaysia transformed into a developed country.

Isn't this such an expensive event? The parties concerned should justify and account for EVERY SINGLE CENT OF THE RM27 million  that has been spent. MPs and the sponsors MUST ASK WHY AND HOW THE MONEY WAS SPENT!!!

Couldn't the RM27 million be put to BETTER USE with MORE long lasting effects than a one-time event?

Just last month, The Malaysian Insider reported HERE that Khairy Jamaluddin called on the government to slash funding to ineffective programmes such as National Service before asking the public to accept subsidy cuts the Najib administration has hinted at recently.

"Don't ask people to tighten their belts before you take a red pen and razor knife to your own shopping bill," the Rembau MP told The Malaysian Insider today.

Recently, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak also said fuel subsidies were "like opium" to the Malaysian economy and would have to be gradually slashed as the initial bill of RM11 billion had soared to RM18 billion for this year due to escalating crude oil prices.

READ MORE HERE.

NST now a kid’s paper, sells below 90,000

Posted: 12 Jun 2011 05:15 PM PDT

The decline of the NST has long been the subject of public debate, but the Audit Bureau of Circulation report for 2009 makes it beyond doubt: ABC now includes a breakdown of the bulk sales component.

 

Regular blog commenter nstman will be pleased. The ABC figures bear out his comment last year that NST had fallen well below 90,000.

Bulk sales at wholesale price — minus the news vendors' commission of as much as 40% (split between the distributor and the news agent) — are made mostly to companies who sponsor copies of the New Straits Times to be distributed free to school children, or sold to schools at wholesale price for school children, or to institutions such as hotels which provide a copy of the newspaper in guest rooms.

The NST is thus riding on a big chunk of charity — a lot of the bulk sales go to government companies like CIMB bank and Telekom and politicians who give copies of the NST to be used as English-language teaching aids in schools.

Bulk sales are more important to the NST than to any other newspaper.

NST management will probably see the figures as vindication of their marketing strategy and their big Spelling Contest, to push into schools and catch future readers at a young age.

But what it means in practical terms is that one in five NST readers is really a kid. Now the real test will come in a couple of years when those kids who grew up with the NST in the classroom go out to work. Will they still remember the NST fondly? Or will they remember it as part of the torture they went through in school and thus switch to the Sun (it's also free) or the breezy Metro for a change?

Read more at: http://uppercaise.wordpress.com/2010/09/13/newspapers-lose-sales/

Kredit: www.malaysia-today.net

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Omega watch = C4 + missing Immigration records

Posted: 12 Jun 2011 01:22 PM PDT

If you had provided acceptable answers to these still pending questions, then the rakyat will in fact join you in your Omega cries.

By J. D. Lovrenciear

It was reported that our PM speaking to the rakyat in Kuala Lumpur raised a concern. He was reported to have hollered that Anwar Ibrahim has to this date not answered about the Omega watch.

Question is, why does the PM reduce himself to such lowly levels of arguments? Mind you, you are no orddinary minister. You are the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister for the entire population - be they be belonging to BN or to the Opposition.

Yes, you are the party President of UMNO. But when you speak to the general population, please would you wear the hat of PM - minister who is prime, and not your UMNO cap?

Okay. If you insist that you were darn right in questioning Anwar's integrity by raising the Omega watch issue, then you cannot blame the rakyat to rebut by asking:

1. What about the Mongolian murder?
2. Who authorized the use of C4?
3. Why was the person who authorised the release of the C4 from the strongroom not punished?
4. Who authorized the erasing of the immigration records and why was the person/s not punished?

If you had provided acceptable answers to these still pending questions, then the rakyat will in fact join you in your Omega cries.

Otherwise you have just lost all respect. You see Mr Prime Minister, you do not even have to have Roundtable discussions. Just make sure you are kept abreast of all that the rakyat are saying in the alternate media and in the warongs.

 
Kredit: www.malaysia-today.net

Ahad, 12 Jun 2011

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Saya sokong Najib

Posted: 12 Jun 2011 01:00 AM PDT

So you see, Najib, what you said is true. Politics is about perception, not reality. And you need to be good at perception management. But your people are not. They are too arrogant and they think they are smart. I alone can makan all your people. Yes, Raja Petra Kamarudin alone can take on your entire team.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

Dear Najib, I sokong you. Well, to be exact, I sokong your statement below as reported by Bernama.

Yes, politics is about perception, not reality, as you said. I am glad you now understand this. In fact, your people have been using this tactic themselves.

You see, recently I gave an interview on TV3 and they very cleverly presented it as if I am now endorsing you and supporting you and that you have bought me off and I am now an Umno Trojan horse.

That may be just the perception created by Umno or TV3. But many believed this because, as you said, politics is about perception, not reality.

Let me give you another example. Many believe you are somehow, directly or indirectly, involved in the Altantuya Shaariibuu murder. Whether this is true or not does not matter. That is the perception and, as you said, politics is about perception, not reality.

Many also believe that Anwar is innocent of both the Sodomy 1 and Sodomy 2 allegations plus he is not the man in the porn video. Again, whether this is true or not does not matter. That is the perception and, as you said, politics is about perception, not reality.

So you see, just on these two issues alone you and Umno lose. And I am yet to go into other issues like your wife's handbags that run into millions of Ringgit. And I have not even gone into her shoes, clothes and overseas shopping expenses yet. Your wife makes Imelda Marcos look tame by comparison. That, again, is the perception and can never be erased as much as it may be denied.

If I really wanted to get you, Najib, there are hundreds of issues I can raise. However, to be fair to me, I have picked and chosen only a few issues here and there. I have not really launched a crusade against you. If I did, you would suffer what Abdullah Ahmad Badawi suffered and you would go the way of the last Prime Minister -- into forced retirement.

The fact I have not attacked you enough is the reason why many say you have bought me off. But then these people are political novices who think they know politics but actually know nuts. That is why we need not bother with these dim-witted people. I call them bodoh sombong. Dah lah bodoh, sombong pulak.

Let me tell you why I do not wish for you to be forced out of office like Pak Lah before you. No, it's not because I love you. It is because I know that you are surrounded by stupid people. And I personally know many of these people. We used to hang out together in the days of the pre-March 2008 GE.

If you were to be forced out, then Muhyddin Yassin would take over as Prime Minister. And this would be more dangerous for the opposition.

I would rather you remain as Prime Minister until the next general election. Then the opposition has a better chance. If Muyhiddin takes over as Prime Minister before the next election then the opposition may suffer.

So you see, Najib, what you said is true. Politics is about perception, not reality. And you need to be good at perception management. But your people are not. They are too arrogant and they think they are smart. I alone can makan all your people. Yes, Raja Petra Kamarudin alone can take on your entire team.

So please don't flatter yourself when your people tell you that I am now your supporter because I no longer attack you too much. I don't attack you too much because I don't want you to fall and for Muhyiddin to take over as Prime Minister.

I personally know Muyhiddin's people. They are clever. I also personally know your people. They are not. So better we deal with you than with Muyhiddin.

Tell me, Najib, what is the best your people can do? So far they only know how to shout BABI. That's all, BABI -- Brother Anwar Bin Ibrahim. You think just by shouting BABI the opposition is going to fall?

Dear Najib, if you want to survive then you had better sack all your so-called advisers. Semua ego besar. Kepala bapak dia orang. Find better people or else you are finished. Remember, you said it: it's all about perception.

By the way, the answer is no! I do not wish to work for you if you sack all the idiots around you, not even if I come directly under Rosmah….if you know what I mean (pun intended).

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

Umno and BN need to work hard to raise public perception: Najib

(Bernama) - The Umno machinery needs to work hard and draw up new strategies to raise the perception and aspiration of the people concerning the Barisan Nasional (BN) government.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said in line with the current development in the mass communication technology such as the short messaging service (SMS), the social websites Twitter and Facebook, what was more important in politics was the perception and not reality.

"Politics is all about perception. Not the question of reality...the opposition knows how to play up perception and deny what is the truth. Even to get the DNA is turned down, the question on the Omega wristwatch has yet to be answered."

"That is why Umno and the BN must know how to influence the mind and aspiration of the people so that they will perceive Umno and BN as effective parties, the best and can champion the cause of the people compared to others who only know how to make promises but don't fulfill them," he said when opening the Ampang Umno delegates meeting, here.

Also present were the Selangor Umno Liaison deputy chairman Datuk Seri Noh Omar and Ampang Umno division head Datuk Ismail Kijo.

Najib said that as such, UMNO and the BN must strive for something that was more effective to show that it understood the aspiration of the people better so that the reality, perception and the people's sentiment favoured the party.

"The government had drawn up the Government Transformation Plan (GTP), we have a more detailed plan, a clearer road map unlike the opposition who only know how to make promises, the play up the promises but we cannot do so because we are the ruling party."

"We must be better than they (are), let the public perception be better than the others, if the people like the BN, then they will vote for it, but if they hate (the BN), then they will vote the other people to represent their constituency," he said.

Najib, who is also the Selangor Umno Liaison chairman, said Umno must always be prepared to face the coming general election, which could be held at any time this year, or next year or even 2013.

"We must be ready not only for the (election) dry run but must be ready for a better public perception and sentiment, this must be given priority," he said.

He said the party machinery should also pay attention to the party supporters as well as those who had yet to become supporters because Umno and the BN championed the welfare of all races.

 

The Munafiq named Zul Noordin

Posted: 11 Jun 2011 08:46 PM PDT

Zulkifli Noordin, the Kulim Bandar Baharu Member of Parliament, said, "Some Malays are willing to be used by this illegal gathering that is led by former Bar Council president Datuk Ambiga Sreevanasan. This is despite knowing the organisation has fought strongly against Islam."

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

Islam has a word for Muslims who talk about defending Islam and yet go against Islamic teachings. Datuk Ambiga is in fact upholding Islamic teachings. She is opposed to election fraud. Zul, on the other hand, wants to uphold election fraud.

In this sense Ambiga is more Islamic than Zul. Zul, according to Islamic teachings, is a hypocrite or Munafiq.

For those Muslims and non-Muslims who may not understand the concept of Munafiq in Islam, allow me to deliver my Sunday sermon.

Munāfiq (n., in Arabic: منافق, plural munāfiqūn) is an Islamic Arabic term used to describe a religious hypocrite, who outwardly practices Islam, while inwardly concealing his disbelief (kafir), perhaps even unknowingly.

The term munāfiq in Arabic, Bengali and Urdu is primarily a non-religious term that refers to a person whose actions are different from and opposite to his thoughts, which he conceals. In the Qur'anic sense the term refers to a person who does not have faith, but pretends to. 

The Qur'an has hundreds of ayāt (verses) discussing munāfiqūn, referring to them as more dangerous to Muslims than the worst non-Muslim enemies of Islam.

The Qur'an states:

The Hypocrites will be in the lowest depths of the Fire: no helper wilt thou find for them;-

    —Sura 4 (An-Nisa), ayah 145, Qur'an[2]

According to the Hadith Sahih al-Bukhari, narrated by 'Abdullah bin 'Amr:

The Prophet said, "Whoever has the following four (characteristics) will be a pure hypocrite and whoever has one of the following four characteristics will have one characteristic of hypocrisy unless and until he gives it up.

1. Whenever he is entrusted, he betrays.

2. Whenever he speaks, he tells a lie.

3. Whenever he makes a covenant, he proves treacherous.

4. Whenever he quarrels, he behaves in a very imprudent, evil and insulting manner."

According to the Hadith Sahih al-Bukhari Book 1 : Volume 2 : Hadith 32, narrated by Abu Huraira:

The Prophet said, "The signs of a hypocrite are three:

1. Whenever he speaks, he tells a lie.

2. Whenever he promises, he always breaks it (his promise ).

3. If you trust him, he proves to be dishonest. (If you keep something as a trust with him, he will not return it.)"

And this is the Quran's word on hypocrites:

 

Surat Al-Munāfiqūn (Arabic: سورة المنافقون‎) (The Hypocrites) is the 63rd sura of the Qur'an with 11 ayat.

Surah 63 - Al Munafiqun - Ayat - 001 When the Hypocrites come to thee, they say, "We bear witness that thou art indeed the Apostle of God." Yea, God knoweth that thou art indeed His Apostle, and God beareth witness that the Hypocrites are indeed liars.

Surah 63 - Al Munafiqun - Ayat - 002 They have made their oaths a screen (for their misdeeds): thus they obstruct (men) from the Path of God: truly evil are their deeds.

Surah 63 - Al Munafiqun - Ayat - 003 That is because they believed, then they rejected Faith: So a seal was set on their hearts: therefore they understand not.

Surah 63 - Al Munafiqun - Ayat - 004 When thou lookest at them, their exteriors please thee; and when they speak, thou listenest to their words. They are as (worthless as hollow) pieces of timber propped up, (unable to stand on their own). They think that every cry is against them. They are the enemies; so beware of them. The curse of God be on them! How are they deluded (away from the Truth)!

Surah 63 - Al Munafiqun - Ayat - 005 And when it is said to them, "Come, the Apostle of God will pray for your forgiveness", they turn aside their heads, and thou wouldst see them turning away their faces in arrogance.

Surah 63 - Al Munafiqun - Ayat - 006 It is equal to them whether thou pray for their forgiveness or not. God will not forgive them. Truly God guides not rebellious transgressors.

Surah 63 - Al Munafiqun - Ayat - 007 They are the ones who say, "Spend nothing on those who are with God's Apostle, to the end that they may disperse (and quit Medina)." But to God belong the treasures of the heavens and the earth; but the Hypocrites understand not.

Surah 63 - Al Munafiqun - Ayat - 008 They say, "If we return to Medina, surely the more honourable (element) will expel therefrom the meaner." But honour belongs to God and His Apostle, and to the Believers; but the Hypocrites know not.

Surah 63 - Al Munafiqun - Ayat - 009 O ye who believe! Let not your riches or your children divert you from the remembrance of God. If any act thus, the loss is their own.

Surah 63 - Al Munafiqun - Ayat - 010 and spend something (in charity) out of the substance which We have bestowed on you, before Death should come to any of you and he should say, "O my Lord! why didst Thou not give me respite for a little while? I should then have given (largely) in charity, and I should have been one of the doers of good".

Surah 63 - Al Munafiqun - Ayat - 011 But to no soul will God grant respite when the time appointed (for it) has come; and God is well acquainted with (all) that ye do.

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