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So, were we right or were we right? Posted: 22 Nov 2013 05:11 PM PST And is that not what is happening today with the many issues hitting PKR, DAP and PAS, plus Pakatan Rakyat? Just read the news and see what I mean. All hell is breaking loose. And back in 2010 we said this will happen if you remain arrogant and treat us as the enemy just because we speak out against what we feel is wrong. THE CORRIDORS OF POWER Raja Petra Kamarudin Petra, Do you want to have your say about the Lib Dem Manifesto for the next election? Lib Dem members play a key role in deciding our policy. We're unique, no other party does this, so we've launched a Manifesto Website to make sure that every member has the chance to make their voice heard. Before 2010 it might have seemed fanciful for anyone to say that our manifesto would end up as Government policy. Now we've all seen the very real difference we have made by putting that plan into action in the last three years. Our 2015 manifesto is perhaps the most exciting in the party's history, please do join in and make sure your voice is heard. Best wishes, David Laws MP **************************************************** That was the e-mail I received from my party today. No doubt the news is not good for my party, the Liberal Democratic party. We have lost a third of our members since 2010 -- down from 65,038 to 42,501 -- and more than a thousand of our councillors. Last year, the party was running at a deficit of more than RM2 million and is struggling to raise the funds required to fight an adequate general election campaign. Worse of all, even based on conservative estimates, the party is expected to lose nearly half of its 57 parliament seats in the 2015 general election. Some ask me why I joined Lib Dem back in 2009, just before the 2010 general election. Well I suppose this was the reason: The Liberal Democrats are a socially liberal political party that supports constitutional and electoral reform (one of my favourite subjects), progressive taxation, environmentalism, human rights laws, banking reform, and civil liberties (issues that many Malaysians are also talking about). The party was formed in 1988 through a merger of the Liberal Party and the Social Democratic Party (just like PKR was formed through a merger of PKN and PRM, once called PSRM). However, the two parties had formed the electoral SDP–Liberal Alliance seven years prior to that. The Liberals had been in existence for 129 years and in power under leaders such as Gladstone, Asquith and Lloyd George. In the 1920s, the Labour Party replaced the Liberals as the largest opponent of the Conservative Party. Anyway, the point I want to bring to your attention is that, today, my party sent all its 40-odd-thousand members an e-mail asking for feedback on what we would like to see in the 2015 general election manifesto. The fact that Lib Dem may do badly in the coming general election and may lose half the seats it won in 2010 is one thing. What is important is that the members have been asked to 'guide' the party, so to speak, and help come out with the new election manifesto for the coming general election. Is Lib Dem on the way out? I really don't know but with just 30 or so seats it will no longer be a major player in the 650-seat UK Parliament. That comes to only about 5% or so of the seats. Will Lib Dem still be the third force? That may still be possible if, again, UK sees a hung parliament in 2015 like it did in 2010. Anyway, let us now shift to talking about Malaysian politics and Malaysian general elections, which is what I want to stress on. In 2008, a month or so before the 12th general election in March, we from the civil society tabled a Peoples' Declaration or Deklarasi Rakyat. Everyone who read it said it was a good document and very sensible, plus not that difficult to achieve (meaning realistic). Six of the non-Barisan Nasional political parties (three of the Pakatan Rakyat parties included) accepted and endorsed the document in a public ceremony at the Blog House in Damansara. The document was signed and speeches by the representatives of these parties were made. After the March 2008 general election, the Peoples' Declaration was conveniently forgotten and swept aside. For two years we tried to enter into dialogues with Pakatan Rakyat but they played the avoiding game with us. Then, when Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim made a trip to London in 2010 with a couple of other PKR and DAP leaders, I grabbed that opportunity to raise this matter and to express our unhappiness at the way Pakatan Rakyat has not shown sincerity. They agreed to the document before the general election just to court our support and win our votes, and after they got what they wanted from us, they discarded us -- just like you would a prostitute after you have satisfied your lust. From then on, in late 2010, my relationship with Pakatan Rakyat went downhill. The strained relationship crossed the point of no return after we launched the Malaysian Civil Liberties Movement (MCLM) and Haris Ibrahim announced his Independent Candidates Initiative and said that he was looking for 30 independent MPs and State Assemblypersons to field in the 800 or so seats in the 2012-2013 general election. The message from Pakatan Rakyat was that 'outsiders' should not 'interfere' in party matters. Our job is just to vote for the opposition. After that we stay out and don't try to tell Pakatan Rakyat what to do. If we are so smart how come they and not we are running the party? Who are we, mere Bloggers and civil society activists, to tell the politicians what they should do? That was three years ago. And three years ago I said that we have a right to comment about the party that we not only supported in 2008 but also went down to the ground to campaign for in the run-up to the general election. In fact, we still continued to campaign for Pakatan Rakyat one year later in the Kuala Terengganu by-election in 2009 where PAS managed to grab that seat from Umno by a very impressive majority. And we 'interfering' Bloggers and civil society activists camped for ten days in Kuala Terengganu to campaign door-to-door and give talks at the ceramah every night (you can still see the videos on YouTube). We were not interfering, as alleged. We were expressing our anxiety. We were worried about the 3R issue. We were worried about the internal bickering in PKR, DAP and PAS. We were worried about the inter-party conflicts amongst the three Pakatan Rakyat member parties. We were worried about the issue of Islam, the Islamic State, and the Islamic Sharia laws of Hudud, which have still not been resolved. In short, we were worried about so many unresolved issues, which, if not resolved, would prevent Pakatan Rakyat from winning the 2012-2013 general election, and which, if not resolved, may cause a serious split in the opposition coalition. The reply we got was that all those can be resolved later, once Pakatan Rakyat takes over. It is not yet time to resolve these issues. First take over the government, and then resolve all these issues, once Pakatan Rakyat is in power. Well, 'they' were wrong and we were right. First of all, Pakatan Rakyat did not take over in 2012-2013, as we said would happen if we continue with this 'denial syndrome'. Secondly, unresolved issues will never solve themselves or go away. And if you do not resolve them now, then, one fine day, when you least expect it, they will resurface and bite you in the rear. And is that not what is happening today with the many issues hitting PKR, DAP and PAS, plus Pakatan Rakyat? Just read the news and see what I mean. All hell is breaking loose. And back in 2010 we said this will happen if you remain arrogant and treat us as the enemy just because we speak out against what we feel is wrong. So, were we right or were we right?

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PAS leaders come under fire from delegates Posted: 22 Nov 2013 03:25 PM PST Sean Augustin and Azril Annuar, fz.com Several delegates at the 59th PAS Muktamar today voiced their concerns and blasted the party leadership over various issues, including failure to step in during the Kedah PAS internal crisis and to raise issues concerning Sabah and Sarawak in Parliament. Kedah delegate Nasir Zakaria criticised the party's leadership for not stepping in when Kedah PAS faced an internal crisis in the months prior to the 13th General Election and hinted that the crisis was the reason the state was lost. "We are aware that there are many voices in and out of PAS saying that this defeat must not be repeated. So like the other delegates, we call upon the Electoral Post Mortem Committee to reveal their findings. "As for our loss of Kedah, there were internal factors leading to it. In a family, children will argue with each other and being kids they can never resolve some of the issues. It's the duty of the parent to step in when things get out of control. "A father must take quick action to stop things from escalating. Kedah does not want this kind of cancer (internal disputes) to topple another PAS led government. We don't want our constituencies to come under siege (when we are internally weak)," said Nasir. He also pointed out that to win or regain the rural Malay support, the party must fulfil five criteria, namely integrity, defend the faith, defend the Malay rulers, have local personalities, and show concern for the Malays and protect them. "PAS only fulfils two criteria while Umno fulfils all five. We are known only for defending the faith and for our integrity. We need to reposition ourselves through greater political education, " said Nasir. 'Sabah, Sarawak important states' Sabah delegate Datuk Ali Akbar Gulasan also criticised the party's MPs for not taking up East Malaysia issues to Parliament. "We have requested PAS MPs to speak up on our behalf and take up our issues to Parliament because we (Sabah and Sarawak PAS) don't have any presence there. "We require their assistance but we have never received any response," he said. Ali Akbar said PAS divisions in Sabah and Sarawak will receive more support if some of the party vice-presidents include Sabah and Sarawak in their portfolios. "If you look at our opponent (Umno), they elect a Sabahan as one of their three vice-presidents. And BN has called Sabah and Sarawak as their fixed deposits. "In this context, Sabah and Sarawak are very important states and PAS needs more strength to seize it from BN. Therefore, Sabah suggests that we divide the vice-presidents portfolios according to region, with Sabah and Sarawak being one region. "Representatives from Sabah and Sarawak should also be part of the various Dewan and the Central Committee," said Ali Akbar. Module on party struggle for supporters club Taman Templer assemblyman Zaidy Abdul Talib urged the PAS central leadership to come up with a module for its supporters club to foster better understanding among members. While PAS is an Islamist party, its supporters club comprises comprise non-Muslim members. A "black and white" syllabus, Zaidy said, would not only help explain the party's struggle to non-Muslims but also help them understand the Islamic perspective better. Currently, non-Muslims learnt about Islam through their experiences and interactions with the Muslim community, he said. "The module would contain 'dos and don'ts' and list down the sensitivities of the various communities in Malaysia. "The booklet can be distributed to everyone in the party to give a clearer picture about the brand of Islam practiced by PAS," Zaidy said when met by reporters after debating President Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang's keynote address this morning. Zaidy also said the party should increase their engagement with NGOs whose cause mirrors the PAS' struggle, such as human rights of which he said was also found in Islam. He had earlier cited the party's support for electoral reform group Bersih, which saw a multi-racial and religious participation PAS, Zaidy said, can help increase support for the party if such initiatives were implemented.

Universal values won’t help resolve issues faced by Malaysia Posted: 22 Nov 2013 02:46 PM PST Isma is one of the 17 Muslim groups which had come together as the Muslim NGOs in the UPR Process (MuslimUPRo), and Abdullah Zaik (picture) said the coalition was formed in response to demands made by Comango – a separate coalition of 54 NGOs whose recommendations were officially submitted as part of the stakeholders' report to the UN. Alyaa Alhadjri, The Ant Daily The Al-Quran, Sunnah and the Federal Constitution must be maintained as the points of reference for any government policies rather than subscribing to a universal standard of values in the name of upholding human rights. Islamic NGO Ikatan Muslimin Malaysia (Isma) president Abdullah Zaik Abdul Rahman told theantdaily that these three considerations, within a Malaysian context, should supersede any "Western values" championed by global superpowers. "We [Isma] do not see how adopting wholesale the United Nations human rights conventions can help to resolve issues faced by Malaysians," said Abdullah Zaik, adding that the conventions were designed based on Western experiences which are then marketed as universal values. He said, as such, Malaysia should not yield to international pressures to ratify the various United Nations (UN) human rights instruments as it will only create "more problems" within the society. Isma is one of the 17 Muslim groups which had come together as the Muslim NGOs in the UPR Process (MuslimUPRo), and Abdullah Zaik (picture) said the coalition was formed in response to demands made by Comango – a separate coalition of 54 NGOs whose recommendations were officially submitted as part of the stakeholders' report to the UN. Isma and Comango have since been engaged in a battle of words, with the former alleging that there were attempts to undermine the status of Islam in Malaysia through calls for the government to sign the International Convention on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). Comango has also been accused of supporting homosexual acts which are forbidden in Islam, which the coalition had subsequently denied. When it was pointed out that Muslim nations such as Afghanistan, Yemen and Jordan are already a party to the ICCPR, Abdullah Zaik insisted that there are no "real benefits" to them doing so. "Each country should consider its own unique situation. Muslim nations are increasingly forced to accept such liberal Western values or risk facing political and economic pressure [from global superpowers]," he claimed. Malaysia has to date ratified three UN conventions pertaining to rights of women, children and persons with disabilities but with reservations on certain clauses. Article 18 of the ICCPR states that "everyone shall have the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion" and when asked whether Malaysia should instead express its reservation to the clause, Abdullah Zaik insisted that the government should not "compromise" its stand on the matter. "Once the government decides to compromise [by expressing reservation], there will be future calls to eventually accept the whole convention. "This is all part of an ongoing Westernisation process," he said. Meanwhile, Women's Aid Organisation (WAO) advocacy officer Yu Ren Chung said while Isma and the Muslim groups are entitled to express their views on the matter, the use of state machinery to vilify Comango is a cause for concern. WAO is one of the 54 endorsees of Comango's demands and Yu said the coalition has been subjected to "outlandish comments" and "baseless allegations" – including through the official Friday prayers sermon text prepared by the Islamic Development Department Malaysia (Jakim) on Oct 18. "It is our responsibility to respond to Isma because what they have said are factually untrue. Isma is claiming to speak on behalf of the larger Muslim community when that is not necessarily true either," said Yu, in pointing out that matters of religion should be personal to every individual. He also maintained the overall concept behind championing for adoption of universal human rights standards is so that every individual will be able to live their chosen life with dignity. This, he said, is due to the fact that a UN member country will receive technical assistance to implement the resolutions which it has ratified for the betterment of the people. Malaysia has received over 200 recommendations from UN member countries that participated in the UN Human Rights Council Universal Periodic Review process on Oct 24 and the government has until March next year to state its commitments over the next four-and-a-half years.

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• Mat Sabu keeps PAS deputy hat, but clerics gain on Erdogans
• PAS passes resolution to review political cooperation with DAP, PKR
• Mat Sabu returns as PAS deputy chief
• Guan Eng is ‘incompetent’, says ex-Dap branch leader
• Delegate: PAS needs to go back to basics, regain support of rural Malays
• Choice of Pakatan leader a collective decision, not PAS', says Hadi Awang
• Fridays, Saturdays are new weekends in Johor from Jan: Sultan
• Mohd Salleh backstabbing us – Penang PAS grassroot
• Is DAP treating PAS as enemy, asks delegate
• Penang PAS: Don’t treat us as a pillion rider
• DAP: Janice cannot contest in state polls
• PAS election error: Polls committee nearly quit
• New Gerakan chief determined to revive party's fortunes
• One week to retract or we meet in court, Marina tells ISMA

Mat Sabu keeps PAS deputy hat, but clerics gain on Erdogans Posted: 22 Nov 2013 11:22 PM PST (MM) - Incumbent PAS deputy president Mohamad Sabu beat challenger Datuk Mohd Amar Nik Abdullah to keep his seat in party polls today, but the Islamists party's conservative clerics, better known as the ulama faction, gained more muscle within its central leadership. The Penang-born popularly known as Mat Sabu won by a slim 98-vote margin, scoring 588 out of 1,086 votes against Mohd Amar's 490 votes. "When the result was announced just now, I did not celebrate because it was just a friendly fight." We're not like in our rival party, where you have to spend RM1 million to win the post," Mat Sabu told a press conference after the results were announced.  He did not name the rival party. "It was just a common fight, we are still under one party and one congregation," he added. The former activist also explained that the slim majority meant nothing to him, conceding that he would not have been perturbed even if it was in the single digit. More candidates seen to be aligned to PAS's influential ulama faction — who make up the opposition party's soul — were also voted into the party's central working committee, including the entry of the Youth wing's two former top leaders, Nasruddin Hassan and Nik Abduh Nik Abdul Aziz. Their numbers now match the candidates seen as representing PAS' progressives, nicknamed the Erdogans, after three-term Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, popularly known for his economic reforms.   The results for vice-president posts are however still undergoing a recount, signalling a close battle between the three incumbents and their two challengers.   PAS Central Election Committee chairman Asmuni Awi revealed that the results were too close to call, with all five candidates in a neck-to-neck fight. He also explained that the recount will be finished by tonight, but the results will only be announced tomorrow morning.

PAS passes resolution to review political cooperation with DAP, PKR Posted: 22 Nov 2013 11:22 PM PST (The Star) - PAS has appeared to heed the calls from party conservatives as it passed a resolution to review the tahaluf siyasi (political cooperation) with its partners PKR and DAP. The resolution, which was proposed by the Dewan Ulama, was approved without debate. However, they acknowledged the success of the political cooperation, which was the reason they retained Kelantan, Penang and Selangor. The Dewan Ulama said that the proposal would be forwarded to the highest policy decision-making body, namely Majlis Syura Ulama and PAS committee, to review and revise the cooperation. "It also needs to assess the strengths and weaknesses, success and failure of the tahaluf siyasi since it was first established, and weigh its pros and cons in order to improve and strengthen Pakatan Rakyat ahead of the next general election," they said. Kuala Kangsar PAS division had also called for similar resolution so that the party could strengthen the political cooperation with allies. "We realise that PAS is known as a party that is supported by ulama and Muslim leaders. "PAS is also known to be a party that fights on a platform that holds strongly on Islamic principles," they said. Therefore, they said that PAS should take a firm stand on matters that touch on its principles and party policies. Dewan Ulama chief Datuk Harun Taib had previously called for the review of the party's political cooperation with allies PKR and DAP in the wake of the party's dwindling support in the May 5 general election. He said this was because PAS was no longer dominant in Pakatan Rakyat and its position in the alliance was "weaker than ever" for being "too accomodating" to its allies in order to garner support from non-Malays. There were also talks that PAS leadership wasn't firm enough with its stand on the usage of the word "Allah" by non-Muslims and the implementation of hudud law. Other resolutions passed without debate were to streamline Pakatan Rakyat policies in the three states. The resolution, which was proposed by the Dewan Ulama, said that it was time that the coalition standardised the administration policies to show that the three parties were united in governing the states. Meanwhile, PAS also passed a resolution by PAS Teluk Intan division to ensure that the party remained free from Syiah teachings and urged the party to remain vigilant.

Mat Sabu returns as PAS deputy chief Posted: 22 Nov 2013 11:18 PM PST Alyaa Azhar, K Pragalath & Jamilah Kamarudin, FMT  Incumbent PAS deputy president Mohamad Sabu retains his post after a tough electoral battle, winning with a wafer thin majority of 98 votes. Mohamad Sabu, or more known as Mat Sabu, garnered 588 votes while his contender, Kelantan deputy Menteri Besar, Mohamad Amar Nik Abdullah received 490 votes. PAS election committee chairman Asmuni Awi made the announcement at 7.10pm, after counting votes from 1,086 delegates.  There were eight spoilt votes. There were some technical glitches yesterday, prompting the election committee to continue the voting process today. When met later at a press conference, Mat Sabu said that he was not in a celebrative mood. "There is nothing to celebrate because it is a contest among brothers.  They are not like our rival Umno that have to spend millions to win a vice president's post," he said. On his next course of action, Mat Sabu promised to work hard with the new leadership team, adding, "We hope this team will be more successful to take over Putrajaya. On the slim majority win, Mat Sabu said "One or two vote majority does not matter because it is still a win," he said. The election results for three vice presidents post would be announced tomorrow. Mat Sabu's win comes amid calls from certain quarters within the party for him to be replaced as he is claimed not effective in uniting Malay-Muslims within the party. However, the tide against the non-ulama changed after party president Abdul Hadi Awang announced a few weeks ago that non-ulama could lead the party, citing example of the PAS' second president, Alias Abas who was not an ulama. Mat Sabu contested for the Pendang parliament seat in the 13th general election but was defeated by Umno's Othman Abdul. The new central working committee line-up are: Idris Ahmad (927 votes) Mazlan Aliman (840 votes) Mohd Nizar Jamaluddin (688 votes) Amiruddin Hamzah (679 votes) Mohd Hatta Md Ramli (649 votes) Nasruddin Hassan Tantawi (645 votes) Nik Mohamad Abduh Nik Abd Aziz (627 votes) Mujahid Yusof Rawa (626 votes) Dzulkefly Ahmad (610 votes) Mohamed Hanipa Maidin (604 votes) Kamarudin Jaffar  (562 votes) Khalid Samad (547 votes) Nik Zawawi Salleh (518 votes) Syed Azman Syed Ahmad Nawawi (476 votes) Riduan Mohd Nor (469 votes) Mahfodz Mohamed (455 votes) Siti Mariah Mahmud (437 votes) Nuridah Salleh (424 votes)

Guan Eng is ‘incompetent’, says ex-Dap branch leader Posted: 22 Nov 2013 06:22 PM PST (NST) - DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng was described as 'incompetent' by a former party branch leader for submitting a mere 'three-page' report to the Registrar of Societies (RoS) in the recent party election. Former Jalan Bagan Luar chairman G. Asoghan said Lim had caused an embarrassment to the DAP by giving such sketchy report over the Sept 29 special congress and Central Executive Committee (CEC) re-election in Petaling Jaya, Selangor. "He is unfit to be a secretary-general. A three-page report sent to he RoS is too short and it did not do any good to our party's tarnished image. "He's clearly hiding something in the CEC elections,"he told reporters here today. The party's CEC elections last December were marred with a tabulation "glitch", with complaints by party members, claiming that there were irregularities. The glitch caused party activist Vincent Wu to be moved to the 26th spot from his original sixth position, giving way to Lim's political secretary Zairil Abdullah, who was originally in the 39th position, to move up to the 20th spot in the CEC elections at the party's national congress in Penang on Dec 15 last year. The RoS had then sent a letter to the DAP saying that it did not recognise the top leadership, which in return led to the party to hold a CEC elections to avoid risk of de-registration.

Delegate: PAS needs to go back to basics, regain support of rural Malays Posted: 22 Nov 2013 06:10 PM PST Azril Annuar, fz.com PAS needs to get back to basics and the root of its support which built the party prior to its membership in Pakatan Rakyat – the rural Malay votes, a delegate said at the party's annual muktamar here today. Perak delegate Dr Mohd Nuri Al Amin pointed out to the party leadership that the May 5 general election saw PAS losing 5% of the Malay votes in the state despite the tremendous gain of non-Muslim votes. "We saw the voting trend in Perak during the elections. PAS made a 20% gain in non-Muslim votes which is a reflection of the strength of PAS' partnership with its Pakatan Rakyat partners DAP and PKR. We have gained the trust of the non-Muslims. "But we have to accept the fact that in Perak, we lost 5% of the Malay votes. This is a fact. What does it mean? It means, that no matter how strong we have become because of our partnership with Pakatan Rakyat, we must never forget our voting base. "We must accept the fact that we have not been able to dispel Umno's hold over the Malay votes. We must go back to our base and our roots," said Mohd Nuri. He pointed out that lately, PAS has not really been discussing Islamic issues, which are close to the hearts and mind of the rural Malay heartland. "We are so busy with other party's issues that we forgot to fight for our own issues. We need a better strategy to win our voting base. We should not just champion issues brought up by our partners but we must also champion our own issues, based on what our voters, the rural Malay needs based on the norms of their everyday life. "The issues brought up by PKR are based on their strategy to win over the urban voters. Our voters have different needs, different issues facing them. Corruption issues are what the urban voters want to hear but it means nothing to our voter base, who are the rural Malays. "Perak would like to suggest to the PAS Central Committee to segment the PAS election engine, with one to address national issues brought up by our partners and another to address the need of our voting base," said Mohd Nuri.

Choice of Pakatan leader a collective decision, not PAS', says Hadi Awang Posted: 22 Nov 2013 05:58 PM PST (The Star) - PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang said that it is not up to the party alone to decide who should lead the opposition pact, but a collective decision. Speaking at a press conference here, Hadi said that such decision should be made by the Pakatan Rakyat Leadership Council on who should be the 'chairman' and to lead the alliance. "We have a right (to lead) but not a right to appoint ourselves. This matter should be discussed with other Pakatan Rakyat leaders," he said. Hadi was commenting on a delegate from Johor, who earlier questioned who would be the right person to lead the coalition. Firdaus Mohd Noor, said that PAS should make an official stand on the potential Prime Mnister in-waiting, should Pakatan Rakyat wrest take Putrajaya in the next general election. Hadi also denied allegations that there were party leaders that were "power crazy", which affected their ability to focus on a specific task given, and eventually, the party. He said PAS had never asked for any position, but the request came from the grassroots who wanted a particular leader to hold a position. "We tend to face problems when the members suggest a leader to hold many positions at one time," he said, referring to PAS spiritual leader Datuk Nik Aziz Nik Mat. "Take Nik Aziz for example. There have been demands from the people in Kelantan and the Syura Ulama council who wanted him to continue as Mentri Besar and PAS state commissioner. "We know that he is ailing, but because of such demands, he was forced to continue as Mentri Besar. "But we lessened his burden and to allow him to continue as a spiritual leader," he said. Earlier, Firdaus had blamed the downfall of Terengganu in the 2008 general election to overlapping tasks held by Hadi, who was then the state Mentri Besar, the party president and also state commissioner.

Fridays, Saturdays are new weekends in Johor from Jan: Sultan Posted: 22 Nov 2013 05:45 PM PST   (NST) - The Sultan of Johor, Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar announced that Johor's new weekends will be officially changed to Fridays and Saturdays. The changes with take effect from January 1, 2014. Johor's official weekends were on Friday and Saturday, 15-years ago. Addressing his subjects at the Jubli Intan Sultan Ibrahim hall, where his 55th birthday celebration are held, Sultan Ibrahim said the changes was to allow Muslims to attends their prayers, without rushing for time.

Mohd Salleh backstabbing us – Penang PAS grassroot Posted: 22 Nov 2013 03:32 PM PST (The Malaysian Times) - Interference from the DAP and PKR in the administration of Islamic religious affairs in the state has been described as a slap in the face of PAS grassroots members. PAS activist Mohamed Hafiz Mohamed Nordin said the action by the PAS commissioner was strange and contradictory and could be likened to stabbing the PAS members in the back as they had made their stand for the sake of the party's integrity and future wellbeing. "What was the intention of Mohd Salleh in issuing a contradictory statement? The matter raised by PAS deputy commissioner Muhammad Fauzi Yusoff at a press conference was the voice of the PAS grassroots at the state PAS liaison meeting on Nov 14. "Why is he defending them (DAP and PKR) and is it because he wants to be a member of the party? "To me, the denial shows that he lacks integrity," he said at a news conference, here yesterday.

Is DAP treating PAS as enemy, asks delegate Posted: 22 Nov 2013 03:18 PM PST (The Star) - A Penang delegate on Saturday has claimed that DAP-led state government has given them the cold shoulder amid the ongoing crisis between the two parties in the state. Mohd Nor Haron, in debating the president policy speech at PAS' 59th Muktamar here, said that the state government's decision to appoint more representatives from NGO as local councilors was an attempt to "bury" their presence. "Although we only won one seat in Penang, they shouldn't think we are not as equally important. "Is it fair for them to appoint four representatives from NGO and appointed only two representatives from PAS? Are they trying to bury us?" he asked, stressing that PAS has a say in some state portfolios.  He said that the state government has not responded to any of their formal complaints lodged on the matter, but PAS was asked for their views in their manifesto ahead of general election. "Is this double standard against Penang PAS? As soon as we won the state, PAS was sidelined. Are they saying that we are an enemy to them? They have to remember this is not Barisan Nasional," said Mohd Nor. He also said that the DAP-led state government, which champions the tagline 'Competency, Accountability, Transparency' or in short CAT should walk the talk. "Please be a loving cat, not a fierce cat," he said, insisting that the Islamist party should not be a mere 'passenger' in the alliance. DAP-led Penang was recently accused by its PAS counterparts of "unreasonably interfering" in the Islamic affairs and in the appointments to state agencies and village development and security committees. This subsequently led to an ultimatum issued by Penang PAS commissioner Muhammad Fauzi Yusoff, saying that they would pull out their representatives from the state and municipal council posts. PAS president Datuk Abdul Hadi Awang said they would meet with the party's partners in Penang as soon as possible and said that the matter would be discussed 'closed-door'.

Penang PAS: Don’t treat us as a pillion rider Posted: 22 Nov 2013 02:41 PM PST PAS was only consulted during general election and are left out at other times, Penang PAS secretary Mohd Nor Haron. K Pragalath, FMT Penang PAS secretary Mohd Nor Haron said the state government should not treat the party as a pillion rider and give more say in the administration of the island. Bagan division chief Mohd Nor Haron said PAS relations within the Pakatan framework began in 2008 and must be open to differing views and stand. "I hope CAT (competency, accountability, transparency) is not a cat that scratches us. Be a loving cat. To keep leading, you have to keep learning," he said. Mohd Nor said this when debating the president's speech at the 59th PAS muktamar in Stadium Melawati today. Several days ago, Penang PAS deputy commissioner Muhammad Fauzi Yusoff said the party wanted more space within Pakatan to speak out and decide on party appointments in the Penang Islamic Religious Council (Maipp), local government and village development and security councils. He warned the state government and Pakatan state council not to interfere in the administration of the Maipp headed by the state commissioner and Permatang Pauh assemblyman Mohd Salleh Man. Mohd Nor said the Penang state administration should give more priority to PAS. "We join hands during election campaigns and then during the administration you treat us like a pillion rider. Don't treat us as an enemy when it is Umno who is the enemy. "How can you appoint four NGO representatives and only two PAS representatives in the councils? Would this appointments help PAS?" he asked. READ MORE HERE

DAP: Janice cannot contest in state polls Posted: 22 Nov 2013 02:34 PM PST Former Teratai assemblyman Janice Lee will not be able to contest in the state DAP polls because her appeal has been rejected, says national organising secretary Anthony Loke. Priscilla Prasena, FMT DAP national organising secretary Anthony Loke said today Janice Lee would not be able to contest in the upcoming party elections in Selangor because the former Teratai assemblyman has been sacked by the party. "Although she has appealed to contest, the party has rejected her application," Loke told FMT. Lee had said that she would still take part the state elections in December's because she was appealing against her sacking. She had also said she remained a DAP member and was entitled to take part in the state polls while waiting for the central executive committee to hear her appeal. Lee was dropped as a DAP candidate in the last general election after the party's disciplinary committee (DC) found her guilty of misappropriating state and residents' funds in Sungai Pelek and Teratai respectively. She went on to stand as an independent candidate in the general election and lost. Lee had said her dismissal was an act of double standard by the CEC because other DAP leaders who had committed similar deeds were spared from punishment. Loke, however, dismissed it by saying that she had a lot of allegations against her and this led to the party sacking her. "I really don't know what is she talking about," he said.

PAS election error: Polls committee nearly quit Posted: 22 Nov 2013 02:23 PM PST However, PAS election committee chairman Asmuni Awi says that his team rescinded on their decision at the behest of the party leadership Alyaa Azhar, FMT The election committee overseeing the PAS central committee election almost resigned from their posts following a technical bungle affecting the ballot papers yesterday. However, party leadership stepped in and urged the committee members to stay put. Speaking on the matter, PAS election committee chairman Asmuni Awi expressed his regret on the irregularity. "As soon as we realised the technical error, all of us wanted to resign. However, we were entrusted by the party leadership to continue with our duty. "We (the committee) then agreed unanimously that the voting process must therefore be continued," he said. Yesterday, what was supposed to be a voting process for the deputy president, vice presidents and central working committee members was marred after mistakes were found in the ballot papers. It eventually resulted in the election taking place for the deputy president and vice president posts. Election for the 18 posts in the PAS central committee had to be held today. Asmuni also took the opportunity today to apologise on behalf of the committee. "Justice must be done and must be seen to be done. We will ensure the same mistake will not be repeated," he said. Commenting on the matter, PAS secretary general Mustafa Ali said the resignation was unnecessary after the committee admitted to their mistake and was ready to tender their resignation. "These kind of mistakes happen to everyone. On that basis, on behalf of the leadership, we accept their apology," said Mustafa. PAS permanent chairman Abu Kassim Abdullah said what was most important is that the process has been successfully completed. The voting process for the PAS central working committee members were completed at 11 am earlier. READ MORE HERE

New Gerakan chief determined to revive party's fortunes Posted: 22 Nov 2013 09:34 AM PST (The Star) - Clad in his white Gerakan party uniform, the recently elected party president Mah siew Keong 52, greets the Star online with a smile at his office at the party headquarters. Mah certainly has his work cut from him. "I joined the party 20 years ago, when it was still growing at the grassroots level. I was then asked to contest for the Teluk Intan state seat, a seat that was never won by Barisan Nasional and my luck was such that I did." Mah, who is fact a native of Teluk Intan, acknowledges that the party's fortunes at its lowest since its formation in the late 1960s. "Since I have taken on the party presidency, I have received multiple remarks on the net and the media on how Gerakan as a party has become irrelevant, and it is sad considering the fact that just six years ago, we had one Minister, three deputy ministers, a chief minister, 10 MP's and 30 state assemblymen. "At present we only have one parliamentary seat and three state seats, and I understand that the party is weak and it is about time we re-strategise," he said. Mah himself served as Deputy Minister for the Ministry of Trade and  Industry as well as the Ministry of Agriculture. The father of three explained that the key for him is to continue working hard and serving the people even when the party does do well in the election. "I am aware that the organisation as a whole is not strong, and we are looking to recruit more members of the Gen Y. This is important because Gen Y has become more and more relevant and in many ways influence the decisions of the Gen X. Therefore, I am currently targeting that at least 70 to 80 percent of candidates are in their thirties and fourties in upcoming elections as compared to the 50 percent in the precious election" he added. He said that the party  had failed to engage the people well and will work towards strengthening their approach through the internet. "One of the many things we can be proud about is the fact that none of our leaders were corrupted. Not one Gerakan leader was ever involved in a corruption scandal and not once were they ever accused of corruption. These are one of the many assets of the party we are looking to build on," he said. Mah said that he would give attention to is driving the party to becoming a more multi-racial party than it currently is. Gerakan initially started off as a genuinely multi-racial party but once leaders like the late V. David and Syed Hussein Alatas left the party, it was dominated by Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu and Tun Dr Lim Keng Yaik, becoming overwhelmingly Chinese in the process. READ MORE HERE

One week to retract or we meet in court, Marina tells ISMA Posted: 22 Nov 2013 09:28 AM PST (MM) - Datin Paduka Marina Mahathir has issued a legal ultimatum to Ikatan Muslimin Malaysia (ISMA), promising to haul the Muslim activist group to court unless it retracts allegedly false and "defamatory" claims against her by next week. The Malay Mail Online understands that Marina had through her lawyers recently sent out a letter of demand to ISMA and its office-bearers over the group's statements that had purportedly cast serious doubts on her "integrity and honesty". The letter claims that ISMA's allegedly groundless statements were intended to smear the reputation of Marina, a prominent activist who is also the eldest daughter of former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad. In the letter of demand (LoD) sighted by The Malay Mail Online, Marina's lawyers listed four demands that ISMA must fulfill, including a confirmation on whether the group stands by its allegations. One of the demands states that ISMA must give a satisfactory explanation of the reason and the grounds for the group's attempt to link Marina to local human rights coalition Coalition of Malaysian NGOs in the Universal Periodic Review Process (Comango)'s campaign. ISMA is also required to fully retract its defamatory claims and publish an apology based on Marina's terms in its own website and Facebook page, on news portals The Malay Mail Online and The Malaysian Insider, as well as in two Malay dailies, Sinar Harian and Utusan Malaysia. ISMA must also give Marina a written assurance and undertake to refrain from further publishing the defamatory statements or make similar statements against her, the letter said. According to the LoD dated November 19, ISMA must fulfil these demands within seven days from the letter's date or face a court case. Earlier, the letter traced ISMA's allegedly defamatory statements, where the group was said to have distributed 70,000 leaflets that had featured Marina's photograph and named her as a purported "dalang" or mastermind of Comango, which ISMA had claimed was composed of 54 "anti-Islam" non-governmental organisations (NGOs). READ MORE HERE

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• The Malay psyche and Chinese philosophy
• Ulama group flexing its muscles
• PAS at the crossroads

The Malay psyche and Chinese philosophy Posted: 22 Nov 2013 09:52 AM PST   Prices of goods and the assessment rate going up is a sign of bad economic management. This sort of Chinese thinking is based on ancient Chinese civilization.  Selena Tay, FMT  A survey done by this columnist and a PAS friend pertaining to the recent notice issued by KL City Hall (DBKL) pertaining to the impending assessment hike has revealed that Malaysian society is now divided over this issue. Surveys after GE13 have shown that the Malays are going back to Barisan Nasional and that is why the Malays in KL who will be affected by the hike are not protesting against it. This is because the Malays are supporting every initiative by the BN government. Why is this so? It is due to none other than the mainstream dailies who have portrayed the Chinese as overwhelmingly voting against what the former labels as the 'Malay government'. One of these dailies also urged the Malays to rally behind their Malay government and this is what is happening now. To put it simply, this particular daily stressed that the Chinese are opposing a Malay government. Sad to say, the Malays have obeyed what this daily has urged them to do. Therefore, even if the government were to hike up the prices of goods, the Malays will be keeping quiet. Thus the rift in society deepens as the Malays are fully backing the government now while the non-Malays will be protesting against the price hikes. This also explains why PAS has been struggling to obtain the Malay vote – it is because PAS has been portrayed as kowtowing to DAP and giving too much leeway to the Chinese. In GE13, the Malay vote for PAS has dropped from 45% to 40%. Still, the Chinese are adamant that the assessment hike is too excessive. It is illogical as it is between 100% to 300%. The bottom line is that the Chinese view the government as having mismanaged the nation's economy and the price and rates hikes are due to this said mismanagement. Prices of goods and the assessment rate going up is a sign of bad economic management. This sort of Chinese thinking is based on ancient Chinese civilization. In ancient China during the era of the dynasties, each time taxes are raised, it was due to the emperor's extravagance. And each time the emperor was extravagant, the court officials, the provincial governors and judges also became corrupt. When this happens, there never fails to be an uprising by the common citizenry. Clash of philosophy Therefore the Chinese opposing bad governance is something that is imbued deep in the heart of Chinese philosophy. Of course now in modern times, the only way to change a government is via the ballot box. And that is the reason why the Chinese use the power of the vote to reject BN. However, the Malays due to baseless and unfounded fears of a Chinese becoming prime minister, swung their vote in BN's favour at the eleventh hour. In this issue of the assessment hike, the Chinese deem that the excessive increase is wrong but for the Malays, everything that the government does is right because the government is Malay. This means that all the government's initiatives, whether good or bad will get the total and undivided support of the Malays. Of course this is only a generalisation but the fair-minded Malays are few and are an exception to the norm. This columnist's friend who conducted the survey among Malays found them agreeing to the assessment hike as they say that the hike is good for the nation. The Malays are unhappy that the Chinese are opposing it, saying that the Chinese always oppose anything that the government does. This assessment hike is really an eye-opener on the clash of philosophy between the Chinese and the Malays and the whole exercise shows how divided Malaysian society has become. The pre-Merdeka Malays were a gentle and friendly people but this all changed after the late sixties. Still, the situation is not all that bad. The PAS Malays will protest the massive assessment hike and in them there is still hope that the Malays will be able to see the difference between right and wrong without using racist lens. READ MORE HERE

Ulama group flexing its muscles Posted: 22 Nov 2013 09:37 AM PST   The ulama group in PAS is setting the tone for the party election this year in their bid to put more ulama figures in the top leadership line-up. Joceline Tan, The Star  THE grand old man of PAS Datuk Nik Aziz Nik Mat has been very quiet. He seems to be staying out of the fray in what is arguably the hottest election in the history of the party. Some said he is unwell but even illness would not have stopped this indomitable politician if he wanted to push for something. At the opening of the party muktamar yesterday, his face looked pinched and he could hardly crack a smile as he leaned hard on his walking stick during the launch of a book written by president Datuk Seri Hadi Awang. It is all for the better that he keeps mum because his standing in PAS is so special that almost everything he says is analysed and interpreted in a hundred ways. Nik Aziz is an old hand at the game of politics and he can sense that emotions are running high over the polls. He knows there is some kind of revolt within the ulama brotherhood over the way the party's Islamic agenda has been sidelined in the name of politics. The ulama in the party are setting the tone for this year's muktamar. For a start, there was not a single contest in the Dewan Ulama as the ulama wing is known. All the posts were settled by consensus. It was their way of saying that this is the way we do things. More importantly, they are sending the signal that they are a united entity and that they will be speaking in one voice. They unanimously agreed during their wing's annual meeting that there should be a review of the party's position in Pakatan Rakyat. It does not mean that they want to take PAS out of the coalition but they want clear guidelines and assurances that the Islamic agenda will not be compromised by the partnership. They also passed a resolution that the party's two top posts must be held by an ulama while at least one of the three vice-presidents must be an ulama. The pro-ulama group in the Youth wing also tried to push through a similar resolution at the Dewan Pemuda meeting but it resulted in a fiery debate with some insisting that it was not right to make the top posts exclusive to the ulama. When the resolution was put to the vote, those who stood up to support it outnumbered those opposing it. But there were also vocal objection from the floor and, in the end, the resolution was thrown out on the grounds that it would require amending the party constitution. That particular resolution alone was as good as using a loudhailer to announce that they want incumbent deputy president Mohamad Sabu out. It confirmed just how paranoid the ulama circle feels about Mat Sabu, as he is known. They are terrified that he will be their president should anything happen to Hadi. The ulama brotherhood has never been this restless. Given the way events have unfolded in the last few weeks, it is evident that the ulama group has put a lot of planning into its cause. The outburst by the Penang PAS several days ago seems to be part of the plot. A group of PAS leaders from Penang headed by their deputy state commissioner Muhammad Fauzi Yusoff claimed the party was sidelined by the Penang Pakatan Rakyat government and threatened to pull out of the coalition. It was very embarrassing for the party but the Penang group had felt frustrated for some time and one of the Youth wing delegates, in explaining the public airing of their grouses, had said: "Please don't get the idea that we are mad for power. We just want to take power from those who are mad." The timing of the Penang incident was to tell the party leadership that their Pakatan marriage in Penang is on the rocks. Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was visibly absent at the opening ceremony of the muktamar. He sent his president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail and Selangor Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim while DAP sent its central committee member Tan Kok Wai. The top PKR and DAP leaders know that they have become an issue in the PAS election and it was best to keep their distance until the storm blows over. During a packed press conference by Hadi, Mat Sabu and secretary-general Datuk Mustafa Ali yesterday, almost all the questions were about the aggressive moves from the ulama group. Hadi took it in his stride. The nice thing about him is that he does not take things personally and is able to smile his way through awkward situations. He has also become quite astute at steering his way around tricky questions. Mat Sabu looked tense, clutching his handphone and not saying a word. His future is on the line and he knows that a great deal of the offensive coming from the ulama camp has to do with him sitting up there as their deputy president. He broke the glass ceiling when he won the post and the conservative ulama have been unable to accept him. He is a threat to their policy of "leadership by the ulama". The ulama brotherhood in PAS is moving in one voice this year. There has been an awakening among them because they feel that they have given away too much in the last few years. Voting for the central committee posts had to be postponed but voting for the posts of the deputy and vice-presidents went ahead. The results will be known before noon today. A lot is resting on the deputy president contest between Mat Sabu and his challenger Datuk Mohd Amar Nik Abdullah. If Mohd Amar makes it, it means that the ulama clout is still intact and the party wants to return to its original Islamic ideals. But if Mat Sabu wins again, it means that the party is opting for pragmatic politics over its Islamic agenda and the ulama influence is on the wane. Everything is about to come down to this moment.

PAS at the crossroads Posted: 22 Nov 2013 09:31 AM PST   The answer will be unveiled tonight. If Mat Sabu and the other Erdogan leaders manage to keep their edge, the party's all-people roadmap and its cordial relationship with PKR and DAP could be further consolidated.  Tay Tian Yan, Sin Chew Daily  Mat Sabu has been pretty quiet recently. The deputy president of PAS used to be highly exposed PAS leader in local media, and is known for his outstanding and vastly popular speeches or rather stage shows. He is also a very popular figure among Pakatan component parties, one of the PAS leaders easiest to work with. His power to mobilize people has been well acclaimed. He was the key person behind several mammoth public campaigns. Unfortunately he lost the Pendang parliamentary seat in Kedah during the recent general elections, a seat PAS never thought it would lose at all. Some in the party until today still cannot accept the fact that the seat was lost, the seat was held by the much revered late president Fadzil Noor. Even when PAS was at its lows, Pendang voters still went with the party. The defeat was not only that of Mat Sabu alone but the so-called Erdogan faction of professionals in the party as well. The party elections two years ago catapulted Mat Sabu to the pinnacle of his political career. He defeated two other opponents with cleric backgrounds in a three-cornered fight to become the party's first ever non-cleric deputy president while the Erdogan faction clinched the three VP posts. Mat Sabu, Husam Musa, Mahfuz Omar, Salahuddin Ayub and other central committee members have vowed to transform PAS into a party for all Malaysians while pushing for closer cooperation with other Pakatan allies. If PAS were to gain a broader support in the GE, in particular support from the Muslims, the status of the Erdogans would be further consolidated. So would the party's more open roadmap. But the outcome was that Mat Sabu and many of the Erdogans were defeated in the elections, and the party's overall performance was lackluster. The party's muktamar and party elections beginning today would serve as concluding benchmark. It would be an opportunity for the conservatives and clerics to reclaim their stakes, and time for them to hold the Erdogans accountable for the electoral flop. It is impossible for the clerics to repeat their past mistakes. In the 2011 party elections, two clerics, Nasharuddin Mat Isa and Tuan Ibrahim both ran for the party's deputy presidency in a contest that eventually gave the post to Mat Sabu. The cleric camp is under the commandership of Kelantan deputy MB Mohd Amar Nik Abdullah this time. Mat Sabu is facing a severe test and if he loses the contest, he will be out for good. Fortunately Amar is not a strongman nor a national-level leader. His chances will be very bad if his opponent is Tuan Ibrahim, who enjoys very good acceptance and status and is deemed the next to claim the party presidency. The clerics have also modified their electoral strategy. They have done a lot of preparations this time round, and taken aggressive onslaught initiatives. They launched an online campaign several months ago, hitting out at the Erdogans' roadmap, including the control by DAP and Anwar Ibrahim, compromising on religious matters especially on the use of the word "Allah." Mat Sabu has found himself under assault. Online rumors have it that he is a Shiite, a heresy among the country's strict Sunni system. This could deal a lethal blow on Mat Sabu. The answer will be unveiled tonight. If Mat Sabu and the other Erdogan leaders manage to keep their edge, the party's all-people roadmap and its cordial relationship with PKR and DAP could be further consolidated. But if the clerics have the day, PAS will then revert to its old way, which could bring it closer to Umno, or splinter into a third force outside Pakatan and BN.

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A Comedy Of An Interfaith Meeting Posted: 22 Nov 2013 05:31 PM PST   Yussof Condred  Unlike parliament, this interfaith meeting was well attended and by representatives of the various faiths. Unlike parliament too, this is a meeting of honest, loving, sincere and God-fearing people. While we have been made to expect parliamentarians to wallow in shameless antics and speech during a session, we expect religionists to exhibit 'prim and proper' behaviour during an interfaith meeting. The chairman started the meeting by reciting a well-worn quotation in an orotund voice:   "There will be no peace among the nations without peace among the religions. There will be no peace among the religions without dialogue among the religions "    He declared that he was pleased to see so many brethren of the society present. He said, in a tone garnished with unmitigated piety, "All religions are but different roads to the same destination of love and compassion. The sooner we understand each other better, the sooner the walls of suspicion and mistrust will be breached."   When he concluded, a thunderous applause ensued. Delegates were seen clapping their hands, nodding their heads and smiling to each. There was a feeling of love in the air and it was almost palpable.   When it was time for open discussion, a young delegate, a maverick, raised what might appear to be an idiosyncratic observation, to the consternation or amusement, according to the individual leaning, of the audience. He addressed the Chair and said, "Sir, I see that we do not have a representative here from the community of the Atheists. For me Atheism is a religion with a fair number of followers. Atheists do not believe in the existence of a God and that is their belief. And faith according to definition is 'a belief in something'. Therefore they have a faith and it follows that they have a religion". He further asserted that the meetings in future should include atheists' representatives.    A murmur rippled through the congregation of delegates accompanied in equal measure by the sounds of half-stifled chuckles. The Chairman frowned, raised his right to appeal for silence and at that moment an angry, troubling thought went through his mind, "What in heaven's name is this nincompoop trying to do? Throwing his crooked  spanner in the works?" But because the feeling of love was still strong in the air, he checked himself and posed this question to the delegates, as if the subject matter in hand warranted serious discourse, "Would any of my brethren here like to comment on what our brother has just said?"   An elderly, erudite scholar immediately raised his hand, stood up and said, "Sir, it is said that the word atheist comes from the Greek ethos. But ethos doesn't refer to people who don't believe in God; it refers to the lonely ones, people whom the Gods have abandoned. This proves that people can't really be atheists, because even if we wanted it, God would never abandon us here. We can't accept the existence of atheists." This was greeted with applause from the group of delegates who were earlier gripped by 'consternation'.   Next a young delegate stood up and offered his opinion, "Sir, We certainly do have atheists among our society; atheists who pray to the God of Money. You can find them among those in the business community. Why, they visit their places of worship almost everyday, places like the banks, the stockbrokers' and the casinos. A pious lot of atheists they are!"   So a fissure had begun to appear in the gathering over a ' nincompoop's' silly, innocuous observation.   Those delegates who were earlier gripped by 'amusement' were sympathetic towards the 'nincompoop 's' cause. They were mostly the hot-headed, Young Turks of the same age as the maverick. They began to chant, 'We want the atheists . We want the atheists!" The opposition replied by thumping the tables loudly. The love in the air had grown thin.   When the meeting appeared to look like a parliamentary session a few reporters were seen shaking their heads and making their quick exits.

Liberal Muslims have to liberate themselves, not Islam Posted: 22 Nov 2013 02:26 PM PST Now let us inspect what Liberal Islam really denotes. One of the key hallmarks of liberalism is that individuals be accorded with absolute freedom of choice. In trying to apply this to Islam, its proponents call for a total reinterpretation of what Islam is and how an individual should practice it now.  FMT LETTER: From Umar Hakim Mohd Tajuddin, via e-mail The term 'Liberal Islam' is so bemusing it is amusing. The true sense of the word Islam is 'submission' and the entity to which the submission is directed to is Allah and Allah alone. In Arabic, although the word 'submission' etymologically shares the same root with the word 'peace', all the verses with the word 'Islam' in the Quran are all interpreted by the former. True to its actual meaning, and some prefer to express it as to fully surrender, Islam frees those who embrace it from any form of obedience, voluntarily or by subjugation, towards another being. It is in the state of this absolute submission one is said to be in peace with his Creator. Now let us inspect what Liberal Islam really denotes. One of the key hallmarks of liberalism is that individuals be accorded with absolute freedom of choice. In trying to apply this to Islam, its proponents call for a total reinterpretation of what Islam is and how an individual should practice it now. They call for a new exposition that breaks away from the system that is claimed to be too dogmatic, too literalistic. Then what it should be based on now, one may ask. The many answers to that question actually can be summarised as this- whatever that is desired by individuals in general, in the particular period of time and irrespective of what Allah has outlined in Quran or through the conducts of The Messenger. This is where the bemusement begins. While embracing Islam means Muslims must submit to Allah's will and in so doing be freed from shackles of obedience to other human beings, the liberals somehow determinedly promote exactly the opposite- Islam, and by extension Allah's ruling, must conform to what is currently desired by people. Putting it in another context, combining Islam and Liberal in a set of idea is a self-contradictory- an oxymoron. Rather unfortunately as we may see later, this is also where the amusement ends. Closer to home, there have been many attempts of late to fuse Islam with Liberalism. Marina Mahathir, for instance, recently quoted a Quranic verse that, in general, calls for mutual respect and acceptance between people of various groups and tribes. She extended the context of this verse and implied that Allah recognizes LGBT. This is despite the many verses in the Quran that have already explicitly decided this matter. Whether this is an honest error or deliberated, her previous works and records on this issue speak for herself. This penchant for selective, often abusive, use of Quranic verses can also be observed in their demands to abolish shariah law, permit murtad and revise Islamic family law among others. Some even go all the way to suggest that certain parts of the holy texts contravene the rights of human. This is just unfathomable as all Muslims regardless of their level of faith believe that Allah is All-Knowing and by that knows what is best for humans. For a mere mortal to claim that he is wiser than his Creator is just wrong on all levels. In spite all this, one must not deduce that human rights has no position at all in Islam. Human rights in Islam are governed by Islamic morality and spirituality as outlined in the Quran and exemplified by The Messenger. One may find that in most cases, the rights in question are actually supported and protected in Islam such as the right to life, to education, to accumulate wealth, to a fair trial, to healthcare and so on. Only when its objective shifts to pursue absolute freedom in satisfying human desires and go against the principles of Islam are they rejected. For example, several decades ago LGBT was regarded as a behavioral disorder and a violation even to Western norms and this is consistent with the view of Islam. Through the process of normalisation on the basis of human rights, LGBT has gained recognition over the years and now is accepted in the West as just a form of sexual orientations. Disturbingly, the same transformation cycle is now being initiated by the pedophiles and, by manipulating the same line of argument, they could expect an ending that is not dissimilar to what the LGBT has achieved. There seems to be no stopping to this as the list of 'disorders' queuing to be normalised into 'orientations' is just endless. This is one example why Islam prohibits from submitting to human desires as it tends to erode morality. As most sensible human rights are already duly recognized in Islam, the next time someone laments about their position in Islam, chances are it serves as a disguise to another effort of fulfilling some twisted desires. READ MORE HERE

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