Friday, January 11, 2008

Anwars Speech At ISEAS

Anwar's Speech At ISEAS Posted on January 10, 2008 by beritaman
In conjunction with her 40th anniversary, the Institute of Southeast
Asian Studies organised a forum entitled the Regional Outlook Forum 2008.
Among the invited speakers were Dr. Norbert Lammert (President of the
Bundestag; the parliament of Germany), and former deputy Prime Minister
Anwar Ibrahim. Panellists in the forum included noted individuals like
Prof. Wang Gungwu, Dr Surin Pitsuwan (ASEAN Sec Gen), our own Lim Teck
Ghee and Rajah Rasiah, and more.Anwar's speech was given some coverage by
Malaysiakini and I also quoted excerpts of it in a previous post. I have
just been sent the full text of the speech which I reproduce here. It is
definitely worth a read and might be one reason why he is viewed as a
"traitor" and a "threat to the nation (read Umno)" by the Prime Minister
:
Reconciling Islamization with a Democratic Society in Malaysia
Special luncheon address by Anwar Ibrahim at the Regional Outlook Forum
2008, 8th January 2008, Singapore
They say that the great divide between Islam and democracy may be summed
up in a few phrases: it is a zero sum game because democracy's gain is
Islam's loss while Islamization and democratization are contradiction in
terms. Simplistic as it is, you really cannot fault the logic here
though. For instance, the very topic given to me would logically lead to
the inference that this is a battle to be fought on an uneven playing
field. In fact, the word "Islamization" would conjure a kind of negative
imposition on society, even if the process may be confined to Muslims. We
know that recent events in Malaysia have given rise to the concern that
the process has led to state sanctioned intrusion into the religious
practices of citizens who profess other faiths. I shall talk about that
later but for now, let us go back to this question of names and labeling.
Now, unlike the phrase "Islamization", "democratization" immediately
suggests positive associations. There is generally no confusion as to
what constitutes the essence of democracy itself. Just for the record,
let us say we agree that democracy is not just about elections or the
popularity of leaders. Democracy is about human rights, rule of law, and
freedom and by that, I mean fundamental liberties in its widest sense.
Democracy is also about maintaining and protecting the sanctity of
constitutional principles, which are the crowning glory of the compact of
the people. I must pause to add that these are moral imperatives of Islam
too. And just as immediately, I must lodge a caveat against the
assumption of the truth of the expression "democratic society in
Malaysia." I am not being cynical here but I believe we may legitimately
ask the question: "Do we really have such a society in Malaysia?"
I believe that the 40,000 Malaysians who gathered two months ago in
Kuala Lumpur to demand for free and fair elections will say 'no.' The
thousands who were drenched in chemical-laced water fired from police
water cannons will say 'no.' And the hundreds of peaceful citizens who
were violently dispersed just last Saturday night for holding a
candlelight vigil to protest the use of the ISA will say 'no.' And
neither Islam nor Islamization has anything to do with it.

This brings me to the point that if we were to look at the issue of
Islam and democracy from the empirical angle, I daresay that the threat
to democracy is not Islam at all. On the contrary, we see Indonesia and
Turkey decisively choosing the democratic system rather than the
traditional Shari'ah system. In addition, as for Pakistan, what we are
seeing is in fact a classic scenario of secular autocrats and dictators
raising the bogey of Islamic radicalism in order to subvert democracy and
maintain their hold on power. The fact therefore remains that many Muslim
nations ruled by secular regimes are dictatorships of varying degrees on
the one hand and autocratic regimes or sham democracies on the other.
Before I come to the central issue about Malaysia, let me just try to
put things in perspective about Islam in Southeast Asia. Historically,
particularly for the Malay-Indonesian archipelago, we should remember
that radical Islam never stood a chance. In the 1950s, Indonesia
experimented with principles of democracy and constitutionalism - they
were therefore familiar with the concepts of freedom, universal
citizenship, human rights, and enlightenment.
It is this feature of Islam that has enabled Indonesia to take that
giant step from dictatorship to democracy. Malaysia too, during the
formative period of independence and nation building, placed great
emphasis on constitutionalism with Islam being given its pride of place
in the private realm. Recognizing its multicultural and multi-religious
society, Malaysia's Muslim leaders were generally more inclusive. If I am
using the past tense, it is because today, this sense of inclusiveness is
under serious threat. With a combination of chauvinism and religious
bigotry, irresponsible politicians exploit public sentiments in order to
garner support. One may say that radicalism may actually be on the wane
and I will not argue with that but the problem, at least in Malaysia, is
not radicalism. The real issue is what I would describe as
state-sponsored Muslim Puritanism borne more by racist sentiments than
religious principles. It is the kind of theology that leads to the
rejection of the constitutional freedom of other faiths to espouse and
practice their religion in the manner they so wish.
It preaches the exclusivist doctrine that Muslims must constantly
prevail over non-Muslims. It is this theology that prohibits Muslims from
using the Islamic greeting of "Assalamualaikum" to non-Muslims or even
more audaciously, that forbids non-Muslims from using the Islamic
greeting for Muslims. Puritans also forbid Muslims from eating at the
homes of non-Muslims, teach young children that they will go to Heaven
while others will suffer eternal damnation and that generally Muslims are
superior to non-Muslims in the sight of God. The self-proclaimed guardians
of this theology will have no compunction in breaking up families
separating mothers from their children or incarcerating them for purposes
of religious 'rehabilitation'. Goaded by chauvinistic sentiments and
emboldened by this theology, the authorities will not bat on an eye in
tearing down places of worship. Moreover, it is this theology that has
orchestrated a whispering campaign to label me a Hindu just because
I addressed a rally of thousands of mainly ethnic Indians recently and
told them I supported their demands that their temples should not be
wantonly destroyed.
About two weeks ago, the Malaysian government proclaimed that Muslims
only may use the word 'Allah' and that non-Muslims must find some other
word to refer to God. Quite predictably, the mainstream media has
downplayed the controversy giving prominence instead to the usual warning
of the government against 'irresponsible elements of society' exploiting
religious sentiments. However, the people are not so easily fooled. Nor
would the alternative media remain silent.
Some thirteen years ago, I had the honor of addressing a gathering of
Catholic priests and scholars at the Atheneo de Manila University in the
Philippines on my being conferred an honorary doctorate. Among other
things, I had quoted the following passage from the Qur'an:
O mankind, We have created you male and female and have made you made
you nations and tribes so that ye may know one another. Lo, the noblest
of you in the sight of God, is the one who is the most righteous.
Al-Hujarat 49:13
This verse is addressed to all humanity, so had the religious authorities
bothered to check the Qur'an they would have known better than to advise
the Home Ministry that only Muslims have the birthright to be ennobled in
the sight of God. Are the guardians of the religion laboring under some
form of proselytizing zeal that drives them to believe that this
puritanical stance would induce non-Muslims to "see the light and embrace
the truth"? If this were their idea of an Islamic worldview, then I would
say that they have completely missed the heart of the Islamic message,
which is primarily a message of love and understanding, of compassion and
tolerance and of peace. It tells us to strive for justice, fight
oppression and oppose tyranny. There are many tribes and communities,
cultures and languages and all these will impinge directly on our
worldview. Yet we must never lose sight of the fact that humankind is
only one.
And as for the ridiculous nonsense of appropriating the word "Allah"
only for the use of Muslims, and that other religious faiths are not
allowed to use it, a quick check with the Qur'an will tell them that
God's command in this regard is unequivocal:
Say that we believe in that which hath been revealed unto us and
revealed unto you; our God and your God is One, and unto Him we surrender
Al-Ankabut 29:46
To my mind, this verse clearly underscores an inclusivist approach to
religion, and not one that attempts to build walls of exclusivity. It
demonstrates undoubtedly that Islamization is not the issue. Respecting
the constitutional rights of all citizens of all faiths is an Islamic
imperative. Honoring the social compact which places such rights as
sacrosanct which should not be trampled upon for whatever reason is also
an imperative. What, therefore, is the rationale for this overzealous
display of intolerance?
In attempting to answer this question, I hope it will also help to
dispel the notion of the incompatibility between Islam and democracy. The
answer I believe lies in the politics of Islam hadhari as espoused by the
current government, which has clearly demonstrated that it is not averse
to exploiting religious sentiments in order to get political mileage. For
some reason, it is the belief of this administration that playing the
puritanical card would be the best bet for the Umno dominated ruling
coalition to secure electoral success in the coming elections. It is no
secret that a significant shift has already taken place among the
non-Malay electorate leaving the ruling party to refocus their strategy
on the Malay Muslim heartland. By holding themselves out to be the
staunchest defenders of Islam, they hope to garner greater support from
conservative Muslims. This is to be executed in tandem with a superbly
orchestrated media campaign as well as incessant character
assaults on Muslim leaders who preach the message of moderation and
inclusiveness.
It is therefore clear that it is not a problem arising from Islamization
in a democratic society, which as I have indicated earlier, does not exist
in the first place. Nevertheless, I am convinced that there are no
foundational reasons as to why democracy should be opposed to Islam or
vice versa. Islam is universal but if the notion of this universalism is
to mean anything, it would require that its values of justice, compassion
and tolerance be practiced everywhere. Islam regards freedom as one of the
higher objectives of the divine law in as much as the very same elements
in a constitutional democracy become moral imperatives in Islam - freedom
to speak out against tyranny, a call for reform and the freedom of
conscience. These aberrations are indeed cause for alarm for all those
who cherish freedom and democracy and I am convinced that Muslims too are
equally appalled by this reckless display of narrow mindedness and
intolerance. Righteousness is no impediment to the
establishment of an enlightened government, but when the policies of the
state are determined by the self-serving motives of unscrupulous
politicians bent on clinging to power, they, and they alone must
reconcile with the demands of a democratic society.
Thank you.

----------------------------------------------------------------
This e-mail has been sent via JARING webmail at http://www.jaring.my

The son-in-law should shut up, too

The son-in-law should shut up, too
Wong Chin Huat | Jan 9, 08 12:36pm

In Utusan Malaysia yesterday, Umno Youth deputy chief Khairy
Jamaluddin reportedly told Election Commission (EC) chairperson Abdul
Rashid Abdul Rahman, who had speculated on the date of the next
general election, to shut up.

Khairy, the premier's son-in-law, said: "No one including political
leaders should issue statements on the question (when general
elections will be held) because it is (within) the absolute power of
the prime minister. So, even I don't understand why the EC Chairman
could issue statements as such, as it's not (within) his power."

The son-in-law should shut up too because he was dead wrong. Setting
the election date is not within the power of prime minister. There
are three steps in calling a general election in a constitutional
monarchy like ours.

Step 1: PM's request to dissolve Parliament

Article 43(4) of the constitution stipulates that "If the prime
minister ceases to command the confidence of the majority of the
members of the House of Representatives, then, unless at his request
the Yang di-Pertuan Agong dissolves Parliament, the prime minister
shall tender the resignation of the cabinet."

This is commonly wrongly perceived as the premier's power to call for
elections. It is indeed a constitutional norm in parliamentary
systems to grant the chief of the Executive the power to dissolve the
legislature.

Such prerogative is necessary because there is actually a 'fusion of
power', rather than full 'separation of power'. The Executive (the
government) is indirectly elected in the legislative (parliamentary)
elections.

The Legislative and Executive branches therefore have an
interdependent lifespan. The Parliament can in any time pass a vote
of no-confidence to topple the government, as stipulated in Article 43
(4).

In such a scenario, the prime minister and the cabinet may resign for
other parliamentary blocs/parties to form the next government.
Alternatively, it may choose to reciprocally terminate the life of
Parliament by dissolving it so that the electorate may decide who
represents the current majority voice - the outgoing government which
loses the confidence of Parliament or the new majority in Parliament
who votes against the outgoing government.

In practice, the Executive can choose the best time to dissolve the
Parliament even if there is no threat of parliamentary revolt. If the
Executive chooses not to dissolve Parliament, it will stand dissolved
when its expiry date arrives - in Malaysia, that's "five years from
the date of its first meeting" under Article 55(3).

This means the current Parliament will stand dissolved only in May
2009 and the elections can be held latest in July 2009, not what is
commonly misunderstood as March 2007.

This flexibility allows a more coherent and more representative
government in a parliamentary system.

Step 2: Seeking Royal assent

Khairy is dead wrong - it is the King, not the prime minister, who
holds the absolute power to dissolve the Parliament.

Article 40A(2) of the constitution stipulates: "The Yang di-Pertuan
Agong may act in his discretion in the performance of the following
functions, that is to say -

(a) the appointment of a prime minister;

(b) the withholding of consent to a request for the dissolution of
Parliament;

(c) the requisition of a meeting of the Conference of Rulers
concerned solely with the privileges, position, honours and dignities
of Their Royal Highnesses, and any action at such a meeting and in
any other case mentioned in this constitution."

This very clause explains why 50,000 Malaysians took it to the
streets on Nov 10 last year to submit their demand for electoral
reform to the King. He has discretionary power not to dissolve
Parliament if the electoral process is dirty.

Step 3: Conducting the election

Even if Royal assent is given to the premier's request for
parliamentary dissolution, it's still not within the latter's powers
to determine the date of elections. Constitutionally, conducting an
election including setting the date, and this is the EC's job.

Article 113(1) stipulates: "There shall be an Election Commission, to
be constituted in accordance with Article 114, which, subject to the
provisions of federal law, shall conduct elections to the House of
Representatives and the Legislative Assemblies of the States and
prepare and revise electoral rolls for such elections."

Section 12(1) of Election Act 1958 further stipulates: "For the
purpose of every general election and of any by-election, the
Election Commission shall issue writs addressed to the returning
officer of each constituency for which a member is to be elected."

There is no mention of the prime minister's role in either provision,
so does he determine the election date? Technically speaking, only
partially.

Article 55(4) of the Federal Constitution stipulates: "Whenever
Parliament is dissolved a general election shall be held within 60
days from the date of the dissolution and Parliament shall be
summoned to meet on a date not later than 120 days from that date."

Regulation 3(1) of Elections (Conduct of Elections) Regulations 1981
further rules: "On the issue of a writ in accordance with the
provisions of Section 12 of the Elections Act 1958, the Election
Commission shall publish a notice thereof in the Gazette and such
notice shall specify the date on which the candidates for election
are to be nominated, which in these Regulations is referred to as the
"day of nomination", not being less than four days after the date of
the publication of such notice, and the date or dates on which the
poll will be taken in the event of a contest (referred to in these
Regulations as the "polling day"), not being less than seven days
after the day of nomination."
If the writ is to be issued immediately the next day after the
dissolution, then the whole election process could complete within a
minimum 14 days out of 60 days permissible, namely one day for the
writ, four days in between, one day for nomination, seven days in
between, one day for polling.

In this sense, if the PM can determine the dissolution date, then he
can indeed determine the range of dates for nomination (6th-52nd day
after dissolution) and polling (14th-60th day after dissolution).


Khairy's mistakes

The son-in-law should read the constitution before lecturing the EC
chief. While we may not have confidence in Abdul Rashid's integrity
and competence, Malaysians must still defend the dignity of his
office from the son-in-law's attacks.

Khairy is wrong in two aspects.

Firstly, he must not take Royal assent for granted. If Khairy were
the son-in-law in Thailand, he could have faced c charge of lese
majeste. He should apologise to the King, the premier and Malaysians
for misleading the public with misinterpretation, ignorance or
contempt of the constitution.

Secondly, he is in no position to lecture the EC chief.
Constitutionally, after the King decides on the date of dissolution,
the EC will decide the date of nomination and polling.

Even if the prime minister enjoys the King's confidence, he can only
determine the range of dates, while the EC head will determine the
exact date.

If the premier has already informed the EC chief of his preferred
date of dissolution, wouldn't Abdul Rashid know when the election
will be called?

Rashid must defend the stature and dignity of his high office and
whatever reputation he has left. He must tell Umno and Barisan
Nasional politicians that he is the one who calls the shots, not the
premier - and certainly not the son-in-law who has not checked the laws.

WONG CHIN HUAT is chairperson of the Writers Alliance for Media
Independence.


----------------------------------------------------------------
This e-mail has been sent via JARING webmail at http://www.jaring.my

Syed Mokhtar: Pesanan ibu bawa berkat

Syed Mokhtar: Pesanan ibu bawa berkat
http://www.utusan.com.my/utusan/info.asp?y=2008&dt=0111&pub=Utusan_Malaysia&sec=Muka_Hadapan&pg=mh_03.htm

Oleh HELMI MOHD FOAD

PUTRAJAYA 10 Jan. - Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar Albukhary, 56, yang diumumkan
sebagai Tokoh Maal Hijrah 1429 akan sentiasa mengingati pesanan ibunya,
Sharifah Rokiah Syed Abdullah supaya menyumbangkan separuh daripada
pendapatannya bagi membantu golongan kurang berkemampuan.

Beliau berkata, separuh daripada pendapatan pertama ketika membantu
bapanya, Syed Nor Albukhary berniaga lembu sebanyak RM1,500 ketika tahun
60-an telah diserahkan kepada ibunya yang kemudian memintanya mengagihkan
wang itu kepada 15 keluarga miskin di Alor Star, Kedah.

''Saya guna pesanan ibu itu supaya separuh daripada pendapatan diberikan
kepada orang kurang mampu, itulah yang telah memberikan saya keinsafan.

''Malah sampai sekarang, sumbangan kepada 15 keluarga tersebut terus
diberikan, kalau yang meninggal dunia diganti dengan orang lain.

''Tuhan sudah memberikan segala nikmat, semuanya saya dah rasa, apa lagi
yang kita mahu, maka nikmat itu perlu digunakan bagi faedah kepada orang
ramai terutama pelajaran," katanya.

Beliau ditemui pemberita pada majlis Sambutan Maal Hijrah 1429 Peringkat
Kebangsaan di Pusat Konvensyen Antarabangsa Putrajaya (PICC) di sini hari
ini.

Majlis penyampaian anugerah tersebut disempurnakan oleh Yang di-Pertuan
Agong, Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin.

Melalui anugerah tersebut, Syed Mokhtar yang juga Pengerusi Yayasan
Albukhary menerima hadiah wang tunai sejumlah RM60,000 yang disumbangkan
oleh kerajaan manakala RM20,000 lagi oleh Yayasan Ubaidi.

Perniagaan

Syed Mokhtar yang berasal dari sebuah keluarga Arab Hadhrami kurang
berkemampuan di Alor Star kini merupakan ahli perniagaan bumiputera
terkaya di negara ini dengan harta bernilai RM4.16 bilion sebagaimana
dinyatakan dalam Senarai Bilionair Dunia Forbes 2007.

Syarikat Kumpulan Albukhary yang dibangunkan oleh beliau kini terbabit
dalam beberapa industri utama negara antaranya pengangkutan, logistik,
utiliti, automotif, pertahanan, makanan dan perbankan Islam serta
kewangan.

Kumpulan tersebut menubuhkan Yayasan Albukhary pada 1996 sebagai sayap
kerja-kerja kebajikan dan menyalurkan dana bagi kerja-kerja amal yang
kini berkembang sebagai entiti amal global antaranya penubuhan Muzium
Kesenian Islam Malaysia dan Program Biasiswa Albukhary.

Sehingga 2006, yayasan tersebut menyumbang hampir RM1 bilion secara
langsung kepada usaha kebajikan termasuk menyertai proses membina semula
kehidupan pelarian Afghanistan, bantuan mangsa gempa di Pakistan dan Iran
serta mangsa bencana tsunami di Aceh, Indonesia.

Selain itu, yayasan tersebut sedang berusaha menubuhkan hospital AIDS di
Uganda, membantu kanak-kanak jalanan di Afrika dan merintis program
bantuan kemanusiaan bagi mangsa perang di Iraq dan Lebanon.

Menurut Syed Mokhtar, mengenangkan kejayaan yang dicapainya sekarang
daripada pesanan seorang ibu, Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad
Badawi meminta beliau menyerahkan hadiah wang tunai yang diterimanya itu
kepada ibunya.

''Saya tanya pada Pak Lah nak buat apa dengan duit RM80,000 ini, dia kata
bagilah kepada ibu kerana dari situlah asal saya," katanya.


Kejayaan

Syed Mokhtar yang mengakui inilah kali pertama beliau mendedahkan kisah
hidupnya kepada media berkata, meskipun telah mengecapi kejayaan, beliau
sebenarnya hanya sekadar manusia biasa dan Yang Maha Kaya itu adalah
Allah.

''Daripada keinsafan itu, kita cari rezeki macam tidak ada hari esok, saya
usahakan sejak dari tahun 60-an dan telah melalui kepayahan dan kesakitan.

''Dan sehingga hari ini syarikat lori dan beras yang merupakan perniagaan
awal saya di Kedah masih terus beroperasi.

''Saya adalah anak kelahiran Dasar Ekonomi Baru (DEB), melalui bantuan
Mara serta UDA saya mengembangkan perniagaan tetapi melalui proses pahit
maungnya dahulu," katanya.

Jelas beliau, apabila mendapat rezeki yang banyak, ia digunakan untuk
kebajikan lebih 67,700 kakitangan Kumpulan Albukhary dan selebihnya bagi
membantu golongan kurang berkemampuan.

Syed Mokhtar berkata, kesempitan kewangan ketika zaman kanak-kanak
sehingga tidak mampu membayar yuran peperiksaan menyebabkan beliau kini
berusaha membantu pelajar-pelajar kurang berkemampuan untuk mendapat
peluang pelajaran.

''Saya bersekolah setakat tingkatan lima tapi tak sempat ambil peperiksaan
kerana tidak mampu bayar yuran.

''Jadi, mengenangkan dulu saya tidak ada peluang, bila saya dapat peluang
dalam perniagaan saya fikir kena beri peluang pendidikan kepada mereka
yang tidak mampu," katanya.

Katanya, aktiviti kebajikan melalui Yayasan Albukhary diteruskan pula
melalui pembinaan Kompleks Albukhary di Alor Star yang berkonsepkan
pondok moden dengan dilengkapi masjid, rumah anak-anak yatim dan sekolah.

Selain itu katanya, yayasan tersebut yang dijana oleh syarikat Kumpulan
Albukhary turut menyediakan program tuisyen yang sehingga kini telah
melibatkan 22,000 pelajar kurang berkemampuan sejak empat tahun lalu.

Tambahnya, pihaknya kini sedang membina Universiti Antarabangsa Albukhary
yang dijangka siap penghujung 2009 sebagai tempat pelajar-pelajar
cemerlang kurang berkemampuan itu untuk menyambung pelajaran.

''Pelajar-pelajar kurang mampu itu kita beri peluang dengan kita gajikan
guru untuk mengajar mata pelajaran Sains, Matematik dan Bahasa Inggeris
dan alhamdulillah kebanyakannya dapat maju ke depan," katanya.

Katanya, hasil pesanan ibunya, beliau turut mengembangkan aktiviti
kebajikan kepada masyarakat minoriti Islam yang tertindas dan miskin di
luar negara dengan membawa pelajar-pelajar miskin tetapi cerdik untuk
menyambung pelajaran di sini.

Setakat ini, katanya, seramai 372 orang pelajar dari 47 buah negara
minoriti Islam sedang menimba ilmu di Universiti Islam Antarabangsa
Malaysia (UIAM) di bawah tajaan Yayasan Albukhary.

Yayasan berkenaan juga menaja umat Islam kurang berkemampuan dari segi
kewangan bagi menunaikan ibadah haji serta memberikan bantuan pembinaan
masjid-masjid termasuk membiayai projek membaik pulih Masjid Negara di
ibu negara.

''Usaha membaik pulih Masjid Negara timbul apabila satu malam saya
'berpusing- pusing' (meninjau) kawasan sekitar Muzium Kesenian Islam,
saya dapati ia terang-benderang tetapi Masjid Negara gelap... macam mana
boleh macam ini," katanya.


----------------------------------------------------------------
This e-mail has been sent via JARING webmail at http://www.jaring.my

Rayuan ikat jamin Suwandi, Azman ditunda - tujuh dibebas dengan jaminan polis

Jan 08, 08

KUALA
TERENGGANU, 8 Jan (Hrkh) - Mahkamah Tinggi di sini, hari ini menunda
permohonan mangsa tembakan peluru hidup dalam Tragedi Berdarah Batu Burok
8 September lalu, Suwandi Ab Ghani dan Muhamad Azman Aziz untuk
mendapatkan jaminan kepada 14 Januari ini.

Hakim Ahmad Zaidi Ibrahim memutuskan demikian setelah pihak pendakwa yang
diketuai sendiri Peguam Negara, Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail dan pihak
pembela, peguam Mohamed Hanipa Maidin serta Dato' Wan Abdul Muttalib
Embong mengemukakan hujah masing-masing.


Permohonan untuk mendapatkan jaminan itu dibuat setelah Hakim Mahkamah
Sesyen di sini, Hassan Abdul Ghani pada 9 Disember lalu tidak membenarkan
Suwandi dan Azman ikat jamin.


Hassan juga mengekalkan keputusan itu pada perbicaraan 30 Disember lalu.


Abdul Gani semasa berhujah mengemukakan bantahan awal terhadap afidavit
pemohon yang terdapat beberapa kesilapan yang baginya adalah afidavit
cacat dan sangat lemah.


Antara perkara yang dibantah dalam afidavit tersebut berkait dengan
tandatangan peguam, ikrar, masa, hubungan kekeluargaan dan penghujahan
atau pendapat.


Mohamed Hanipa pula berhujah apa yang dihujahkan oleh Abdul Gani itu
tiada apa-apa notis bertulis.


Beliau turut mempersoalkan apa yang dikatakan oleh Abdul Gani terhadap
afidavit pemohon sebagai afidavit defektif tetapi dalam masa yang sama
menjawab afidavit berkenaan.


Beliau juga berhujah beberapa kesilapan yang berlaku dalam afidavit pihak
pendakwa.


Selain beliau dan Wan Abdul Muttalib, turut mewakili Suwandi dan Azman
ialah Wan Zainuddin Wan Musa, Haji Othman Mohd Noor, Kamaruzaman Abdul
Wahab, Aminuddin Zulkifli, Khairuddin Osman dan Fariz Irwan Mustafa.


Wan Muttalib pula mengakui tentang kesilapan kemanusiaan itu yang
menggunakan komputer tetapi tiada ada sebab dari segi undang-undang untuk
memberi peluang kepada kedua-dua tertuduh untuk mendapatkan keadilan.


Baginya, kesilapan boleh dibuat pembetulan dan memohon untuk memasukkan
afidavit pembetulan kerana pihak Peguam Negara tiada apa-apa halangan
untuk membuat pembetulan supaya apabila dibawa ke atas berada di atas
landasan yang betul.


Abdul Gani tidak membantah terhadap permohonan itu kerana baginya
kedua-dua pihak harus menegakkan dari segi keadilan dan diperbetulkan
mengikut undang-undang.


Sehubungan itu, beliau tidak mahu ada pihak yang memenangi kes di
mahkamah di atas kesilapan yang tertentu.


Turut mewakil pihak pendakwaan ialah Mohd Hanafiah Zakaria dan Ishak Mohd
Yusof.


Sementara itu, tujuh orang pemuda yang ditahan pada sebelah pagi
diperkarangan mahkamah Kuala Terengganu telah dibebaskan pada lewat
petang semalam. Salah seorang dari mereka, Ustaz Tarmizi Jaafar, ketika
dihubungi oleh Buletinonline memberitahu bahawa, kesemua mereka
dilepaskan dengan jaminan polis.


"Alhamdulillah kami semua dilepaskan pada waktu hampir Maghrib, setelah
diambil keterangan oleh Inspektor Amirudin."


"Namun begitu, kami diberikan satu surat untuk kembali melapor kepada
Balai polis pada 20 Januari 2008,"jelas Ustaz Tarmizi.


Mereka tidak dikenakan apa-apa pertuduhan, namun begitu wujud kebimbangan
berulangnya peristiwa seperti Insiden Batu Buruk 8 September lalu, di mana
pertuduhan dibuat kemudian, setelah mereka melaporkan diri di balai polis.
- buletinonline.net


----------------------------------------------------------------
This e-mail has been sent via JARING webmail at http://www.jaring.my

Penzina tidak layak memimpin negara

Subky Abdul Latif
Jan 07, 08

Gara-gara kenakalan hawa nafsunya, Dr. Chua Soi Lek kini sudah tidak lagi
menjadi Menteri Kesihatan dan tidak juga jadi Naib Presiden MCA lagi. Dia
sudah jadi orang biasa.

Justeru klip video zinanya terdedah kepada umum, dia mengaku jantan dalam
klip video itu adalah dia. Setelah melihat reaksi telefon bimbitnya
termasuk SMS, dia mengambil tindakan menghukum dirinya dengan melepaskan
semua jawatan dalam kerajaan dan politik termasuk anggota Parlimen Labis.


Walaupun dia dilihat tenang dan bersahaja selepas melepaskan semua
kedudukannya, tetapi terdapat tanda-tanda terkilannya betapa pengakuan
dan permohonan maafnya kepada rakyat atas angkaranya tidak berapa lulus.


Polis pun membuat tindakan menyiasat dan sudah ada yang ditahan kerana
dikatakan terbabit dalam pendedahan perangai buruk pemimpin MCA dan
Barisan Nasional itu.


Adalah tugas politik terutama bahagian risikannya untuk memastikan
bagaimana rakaman itu boleh dibuat dan segala yang bersangkutan
dengannya. Penyiasatan itu tentunya untuk kerja rahsia negara dan untuk
kepentingan umum.


Barang-barang yang menjadi rahsia negara lazimnya tersimpan kemas dan
tidak wajar didedahkan kepada umum.


Justeru itu penyiasatan yang dikatakan untuk menjatuhkan pemimpin
tidak begitu kena.


Adalah benar Soi Lek pada 1 Januari adalah seorang pemimpin. Dia menteri
dan dia Naib Presiden MCA. Pendedahan VCD itu telah menjatuhkannya
sebagai seorang pemimpin.


Apa jua tujuan pengedaran VCD itu, yang jelas ia telah mendedahkan
perangai buruk seorang menteri dan pemimpin negara.


Betapa baik pun seorang pemimpin, tetapi dia melakukan kesalahan berzina,
sekalipun sekadar sekali, dia telah melakukan dosa besar. Bagi penganut
Islam dosa besar ini ada cara dan kaedah pengadilannya. Tidak terlepas
begitu saja sekalipun mengaku salah.


Bagi bukan Islam konsep pahala dan dosa tidak jelas. Tetapi zina tetap
satu kesalahan terkutuk bagi semua agama. Jika hukum zina tidak berkuat
kuasa di semua negara maju sekarang, bukan kerana ia bukan satu
kesalahan, tetapi kerana tidak diketahui siapa antara anggota masyarakat
itu yang tidak berzina. Antara ibu bapa yang ada sekarang, yang mana yang
tidak pernah berzina? Zina jadi budaya atas nama seks bebas.


Bagi setiap agama samawi yang bertolak dari agama yang ditegakkan oleh
Nabi Ibrahim a.s. â€" Islam, Kristian dan Yahudi - zina adalah kerja
terkutuk dan tetap dikutuk. Ia adalah kelakuan orang yang runtuh akhlak
atau orang tidak berakhlak.


Orang yang tidak berakhlak seperti ini tidak layak menjadi pemimpin dalam
apa bentuk jua. Bukan sekadar tidak layak jadi wakil rakyat dan jadi
menteri, jadi ketua kampung dan ahli JKKK pun tidak layak. Apa lagilah
menjadi perdana menteri, timbalan perdana menteri, gabenor dan raja.


Negara dan masyarakat akan jadi tidak bermaruah dan tidak berakhlak,
tidak barakah dan tidak bercahaya, apabila ia berpemimpinkan orang yang
pernah berzina yang tidak diketahui taubatnya.


Malaysia adalah sebuah negara Islam yang tidak menjalankan undang-undang
Islam disebabkan penduduknya berbilang agama dan budaya. Tetapi zina
adalah dikutuk oleh semua agama yang ada di Malaysia.


Semua raja tidak mahu ibunya, isterinya, kakak dan adiknya, anak
perempuannya ditiduri oleh jantan lain. Perdana Menteri dan
menteri-menteri juga begitu. Presiden MCA dan Presiden MIC juga tidak
mahu ibu mereka, isteri mereka, kakak dan adik mereka serta anak-anak
perempuan mereka digauli oleh jantan asing.


Kerana mereka tidak setuju dengan hubungan seks yang disebut zina itu,
maka mereka tidak boleh bersikap lunak terhadap kejadian zina seperti
yang dilakukan oleh Soi Lek.


Soi Lek mungkin orang baik dalam semua hal kecuali tentang betina.
Walaupun ia berlaku dengan seorang kawannya yang baik, tetapi dia berzina
dan ia melakukan hal yang terkutuk. Maka perbuatan terkutuknya apabila
diketahui mesti didedahkan.


Sama ada tujuannya dengki atau khianat atau mahu mencari untung atas pita
lucah atau apa jua, maka kejahatan Soi Lek sudah dapat didedahkan. Orang
yang tahu akan kecurangan Soi Lek patut membongkarnya. Bukan mudah untuk
membongkarnya. Islam memerlukan empat saksi yang adil. Angkara Soi Lek
sudah dirakamkan dalam VCD. Soi Lek mengaku kecurangannya.


Maka apa pun tujuan di sebalik pembuatan video itu, ia telah membongkar
kecurangan seorang menteri yang tidak bermoral. Mungkin ia usaha jahat
tetapi pembongkaran kecurangan menteri itu juga adalah kejayaan
antikecurangan.


Siapa lebih salah antara menteri yang curang akhlak dengan kesalahan
membuat dan mengedar VCD lucah?


Jika polis melakukan penyiasatan, biarkanlah sebagai satu kegiatan
penyiasatan inteligen, bukan kerana tujuan menghalang menjatuhkan
pemimpin. Maruah dan kecurangan pemimpin perlu dipantau. Yang tidak
ditemui bukti, tidaklah boleh diapa-apakan. Tetapi yang terbukti curang,
mengapa pula diratapi kecurangannya?


Orang yang mendedahkan kecurangan Soi Lek patut diberi hadiah. Kalau dia
ada melakukan jenayah lain, atas kegiatan itulah dia diadili. Tetapi
kecurangan Soi Lek tidak boleh dirasionalkan.


Perdana Menteri boleh dukacita kerana anggota kebinetnya terbukti curang.
Tetapi dia patut bersyukur kerana seorang tidak berakhlak dapat
dikeluarkan dari kabinet.- tajdid


----------------------------------------------------------------
This e-mail has been sent via JARING webmail at http://www.jaring.my

Bekalan, harga minyak masak satu lagi 'bala'

A Kadir Jasin
Jan 08, 08

Pada saat cakap-cakap mengenai pilihan raya umum semakin hangat, skandal
seks yang membawa kepada peletakan jawatan Menteri Kesihatan Chua Soi Lek
bukanlah sesuatu yang semestinya dialu-alukan oleh Barisan Nasional.

Kalau pun ada yang gembira, mereka adalah musuh-musuh politik Chua dan
mereka yang berhasrat menggantikan beliau sebagai Ahli Parlimen Labis.


Yang pastinya sangat gembira dengan skandal seks Chua itu adalah
parti-parti pembangkang yang mendapat modal tambahan untuk membelasah
kerajaan "Islam Hadhari" Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.


Namun skandal seks Chua tidak menyentuh perasaan rakyat jelata sehebat
kenaikan harga atau kekurangan bekalan barangan utama.


Malangnya inilah yang sedang berlaku sekarang. Bekalan minyak masak
tiba-tiba hilang atau berkurangan sehingga memaksa kerajaan mengehadkan
setiap pembelian kepada lima kilogram mulai hari ini (7 Januari) seperti
yang dilaporkan oleh akhbar The Sunday Star.


Gabungan kenaikan harga dan kekurangan bekalan sehingga memaksa
Kementerian Perdagangan Dalam Negeri dan Hal Ehwal Pengguna melaksanakan
catuan pastinya tidak memberi gambaran sihat mengenai kecemerlangan,
kegemilangan dan keterbilangan pemerintahan negara.


Catuan bekalan adalah kaedah yang ekstrem yang lazimnya dilakukan ketika
darurat besar atau oleh negara-negara daif yang tidak mampu menyediakan
bekalan makanan yang cukup akibat kemarau atau kekurangan wang.


Apakah Malaysia sudah merosot menjadi negara daif atau telah mengalami
darurat besar yang menyebabkan bekalan makanan putus?


Daripada perangkaan rasmi dan jerit pekik para pembesar serta para
ekonomis mereka, Malaysia jauh daripada daif apatah lagi muflis.
Sebaliknya pertumbuhan ekonomi dikatakan semakin kukuh, simpanan luar
semakin besar dan inflasi terus terkawal.


Tetapi bagaimana bekalan minyak masak yang dikeluarkan dengan begitu
banyak dalam negara dan dieksport pula ke merata dunia tiba-tiba hilang
dari para pasar raya dan dari kedai runcit?


Maaf cakap, penjelasan Menteri Perdagangan Dalam Negeri dan Hal Ehwal
Pengguna, Shafie Apdal, mengenai isu-isu perdagangan dalam negera selama
ini, sama ada berkaitan kenaikan harga, kekurangan bekalan atau cetak
rompak, adalah mengelirukan dan kurang meyakinkan.


Kenapa tiba-tiba berlaku kesuntukan bekalan minyak masak? Adalah kerana
pengguna membeli berlebihan disebabkan oleh ada ura-ura mengatakan harga
akan dinaikkan?


Atau kerana pengeluar minyak kelapa sawit mengeksport lebih banyak minyak
sawit mentah untuk mengambil kesempatan daripada harga antarabangsa yang
sangat mahal sekarang?


Sepanjang pengetahuan saya, eksport minyak sawit adalah tertakluk kepada
kawalan kerana pemerintah mahu memastikan kilang-kilang dan pengguna
dalam negara mendapat bekalan yang mencukupi.


Kita tidak boleh menyalah pengguna, khasnya peniaga makanan, jika
terpengaruh dengan khabar-khabar angin mengenai kemungkinan harga minyak
masak dinaikkan.


Malah ura-ura kenaikan harga dan kekurangan bekalan bukan khabar angin
atau spekulasi kosong lagi. Ia telah banyak kali berlaku iaitu pemerintah
membenarkan harga barang dan perkhidmatan utama dinaikkan pada awal tahun,
seperti yang berlaku dengan harga petrol, diesel dan gas memasak pada
Februari, 2006.


Bahayanya adalah kegiatan membeli berlebihan dan menyimpan ini mungkin
menjadi fenomena setiap awal tahun atau apabila menjelang musim perayaan.


Setiap kali hal ini berlaku, yang menjadi mangsa adalah pengguna individu,
khasnya dari golongan berpendapatan rendah yang tidak mampu membayar harga
tinggi apatah lagi membeli berlebihan.


Lagi jauh mereka dari kawasan bandar dan dari pasar raya lagi sukar bagi
mendapatkan bekalan dan lebih mudah pula mereka menjadi mangsa manipulasi
pasaran.


Kalau bekalan gula dan tepung gandum terputus atau naik harga, pemerintah
bolehlah menyalahkan pasaran antarabangsa kerana bahan-bahan itu
diimport.


Tetapi bagi minyak masak, kita adalah negara pengeksport utama minyak
sawit. Jadi apa alasan yang pemerintah hendak sajikan kali ini?


Apa pun alasannya, peristiwa-peristiwa seperti ini pastinyalah tidak
membantu pemerintah dan parti-partinya untuk menyediakan diri menghadapi
"tunjuk perasaan rakyat" (meminjam ungkapan Perdana Menteri) pada pilihan
raya umum nanti.


Skandal seks menteri, kenaikan harga dan kekurangan bekalan barangan
utama, kenaikan tarif dan tol, tunjuk perasaan yang berterusan dan
bantuan bencana alam yang bermasalah bukanlah ciri-ciri positif untuk
menghadapi "tunjuk perasaan rakyat" melalui peti undi. -
kadirjasin.blogspot.com


----------------------------------------------------------------
This e-mail has been sent via JARING webmail at http://www.jaring.my

Tambang bas sekolah naik 20%-Kerajaan BN Tak Boleh Harap

Utusan Malaysia : Tambang bas sekolah naik 20%

Oleh AU YEONG HOW

KUALA LUMPUR 6 Jan. – Belum pun selesai masalah bayaran yuran tambahan
sekolah, ibu bapa di Lembah Klang kini menghadapi kenaikan tambang bas
sekolah sehingga 20 peratus berbanding kadar tambang tahun lepas.

Tinjauan Utusan Malaysia di Petaling Jaya mendapati bagi perjalanan tiga
kilometer (km), kadar tambang sehala meningkat daripada RM50 kepada RM60.

Di Bangi, tambang bas dilaporkan melonjak sebanyak RM5 untuk perjalanan
sehala. Jika dahulu ibu bapa membayar RM25 untuk perjalanan sehala sejauh
satu setengah kilometer, kini tambangnya naik kepada RM30.

Presiden Persatuan Pengusaha Bas Sekolah Malaysia, Chee Ah Tey mengakui
sesetengah ahli persatuan itu menaikkan kadar tambang bas sekolah kerana
khuatir harga diesel meningkat dan bas sekolah yang berusia melebihi 12
tahun tidak dibenarkan disewa.

Menurut beliau, gejala itu berlaku di Lembah Klang sekarang dan beliau
bimbang ia akan merebak ke seluruh negara menjelang Februari dan Mac ini.

''Pihak persatuan memang tidak bersetuju dan menasihati ahli agar jangan
menaikkan tambang.

"Pertamanya, kerajaan belum mengumumkan sebarang kenaikan harga diesel.

''Keduanya, pihak persatuan menerusi bantuan Ahli Parlimen Kota Melaka,
Wong Nai Chee bercadang mengadakan perjumpaan dengan Perdana Menteri,
Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi bagi membincangkan isu sewa bas sekolah
itu," katanya kepada Utusan Malaysia ketika dihubungi di sini hari ini.

Mengulas punca kenaikan tambang, beliau menjelaskan, para pemandu bas
sekolah tidak dapat mencari pendapatan tambahan melalui aktiviti sewa
kerana kebanyakan bas milik mereka telah berusia lebih 15 tahun.

''Mereka tidak berupaya menampung kos operasi dengan hanya bergantung
kepada tambang bas. Lebih-lebih lagi sekarang wujud spekulasi kencang
mengatakan harga diesel akan dinaikkan,'' ujarnya.

Sementara itu, Menteri Pembangunan Usahawan dan Koperasi, Datuk Seri
Mohamed Khaled Nordin ketika dihubungi berkata, tindakan menaikkan
tambang tanpa kebenaran pihak berkuasa adalah menyalahi undang-undang.

''Jika dikesan berbuat demikian, Lembaga Perlesenan Kenderaan
Perdagangan akan mengambil tindakan tegas terhadap pengusaha bas sekolah
yang ingkar,'' katanya.


----------------------------------------------------------------
This e-mail has been sent via JARING webmail at http://www.jaring.my

"Agama buat kehidupan di akhirat, harta buat kehidupan di dunia. Di
dunia orang yang tidak berharta berasa susah hati, tetapi orang yang
tidak beragama merasa lebih sengsara" -(Saidina Abu Bakar As-Siddiq)

" Jangan engkau bersahabat dengan sahabat yang mana dia begitu
berharap kepada engkau ketika mahu menyelesaikan masalahnya sahaja
sedangkan apabila masalah atau hajatnya telah selesai maka dia
memutuskan kemanisan persahabatan. Bersahabatlah dengan mereka yang
mempunyai ketinggian dalam melakukan kebaikan, memenuhi janji dalam
perkara yang benar, memberi pertolongan kepada engkau serta memadai
dengan amanahnya atau sikap bertanggungjawabnya terhadap engkau. "
-Imam Umar bin Abdul Aziz


Adik perempuan kena rogol.

"Abang hanya melihat dengan keseronokan adik perempuan mereka dicabul
kehormatannya di hadapan khemah mereka sendiri."

Pada suatu hari yang nyaman, dengan tiupan angin sepoi-sepoi bahasa,
sebuah
keluarga besar telah pergi piknik di tepi pantai. Keluarga ini merupakan
keluarga yang kaya raya. Ada tauke balak, ada tauke minyak, ada tauke
minyak sawit, ada tauke getah, ada tauke emas dan macam- macam lagi.
Namun,
tidak mungkin dalam satu bakul buah itu, semuanya elok, pasti ada jugak
yang busuk.


Sebenarnya kehidupan adik-beradik ini mula goyah selepas bapa mereka
dibunuh secara kejam di Turki. Kehidupan mereka mula bertelagah sesama
sendiri. Bagi abang-abang yang kaya, mereka melupakan adik- adik mereka
yang miskin. Bagi adik-adik yang mula belajar hidup berdikari, maka
berusahalah mereka membantu adik-adik yang miskin itu semampunya sambil
menempelak abang-abang mereka yang mula lupa diri.


Satu hari, semasa keluarga ini berpiknik, seorang adik perempuan mereka
telah diculik dan telah dicabul dengan kejam. Perlakuan ini berlaku di
depan khemah abang-abang yang kaya ini. Pencabulan si adik
itu dilakukan oleh sekumpulan pendatang haram yang suka membuat kacau
kehidupan orang lain. Adik-adik yang lemah ini hanya mampu memandang
dengan
kesayuan. Tetapi si abang-abang hanya melihat dengan keseronokan adik
perempuan mereka dicabul kehormatannya di hadapan khemah mereka sendiri.


Tidak lama selepas itu pula, salah seorang adik lelaki mereka pula telah
lemas dihanyut ombak. Salah seorang daripada mereka cuba menyelamatkan si
adik yang lemas itu tetapi dihalang oleh abang atas alasan, marilah bawak
berbincang dahulu. Jangan terburu-buru, bahaya. Akhirnya, di saat adik
perempuan mereka diratah dengan penuh nafsu oleh sekumpulan pendatang
haram
itu, dan adik lelaki pula hampir kelemasan di tengah lautan, mereka telah
duduk berbincang sambil makan makanan yang mewah-mewah dan minuman yang
lazat-lazat.


Tajuk persidangan kita hari ini adalah, "Cara-cara menyelamatkan adik
perempuan yang dirogol dan adik lelaki yang kelemasan." Itulah kata
si abang sulung selaku pengerusi majlis.


Adik-adik yang lebih muda dengan bersemangat hendak terus bergocoh>dengan
pendatang-pendatang haram tersebut, dan juga tanpa
menghiraukan keselamatan, ingin sahaja terus menyelamatkan adik
lelaki mereka yang semakin kelemasan itu. Tetapi dengan tenang si
abang-abang berkata,"Inilah orang muda, suka sangat ikut perasaan.


Cuba sikit hormat orang tua. Kita ambik jalan yang lebih berdiplomasi."
Akhirnya, si abang berjumpa dengan ketua pendatang haram tersebut.
"Ini resolusi kami. Jangan rogol adik kami lagi. Kalau nak sangat tubuh
adik kami pun, cuba hentikan rogol tu dulu. Kita buat gencatan nafsu."
Maka
mereka pun berbincang. Sambil berbincang itu, pencabulan terhadap adik
perempuan itu masih berjalan sambil ditonton oleh adik- beradik yang lain.


Tentang si adik lelaki yang kelemasan, seorang dari mereka cuba
mendapatkan
bot penyelamat, tapi dihalang oleh abang yang lain.
"Hoi monyet...senyaplah... pengkhianat!" Getus hati si adik yang tidak
puas
hati kerana bot penyelamat yang ada telah dibocorkan oleh abang-abang
mereka.


Akhirnya adik-adik berdarah muda telah diketepikan. Bagi si abang, adik
berdarah muda merosakkan keadaan sahaja. Adik-adik muda ada yang dikenakan
akta Ikut Suka Aku, dikhatankan buat kali kedua, dirosakkan
khemahnya dan pelbagai lagi. Manakala, adik-adik perempuan muda pula
ditakut-takutkan akan hilang kehormatannya.


Keadaan semakin genting. Adik-beradik tadi melakukan mesyuarat kununnya
tergempar pula. Kali ni mereka agak sepakat. "Kami mengutuk
sekeras-kerasnya tindakan pendatang haram mencabul adik perempuan kami."

"Selamatkan adik kami yang kelemasan."


Tetapi mereka hanya memasang banner di sepanjang pantai tersebut. Dengan
harapan, ada orang yang akan membantu mereka. Adik perempuan mereka
semakin
terus dicabul. Pakaian adik perempuan mereka sudah tidak ada lagi di
tubuh.
Adik-beradik tadi hanya terus menonton drama cabul mencabul itu dari dekat
selepas bermesyuarat yang kununnya tergempar itu.


Adik lelaki mereka pula sekiranya tadi tangannya kelihatan, kini
seolah-olah sudah hampir mati. Hanya menunggu malaikat maut datang
mengambil nyawa. Lalu, diangkatlah lagi banner "Selamatkanlah adik kami
yang kelemasan" setinggi-tingginya dengan harapan ada orang lain yang
membantu.


Bila melihat banner itu tidak berkesan. Mereka bermesyuarat lagi. Dan
mereka mengeluarkan banner yang baru. Yang lebih cantik dan mahal. Adik
perempuan terus dinodai. Adik lelaki sudah semakin hanyut di tengah
lautan... adik-beradik lain pula terus bermesyuarat dan mesyuarat untuk
menghasilkan banner dengan wording yang lebih menarik....


Itulah kisah keluarga besar di satu tempat yang dirahsiakan namanya.


catatan :


+ adik perempuan itu bernama Palestin.

+ adik lelaki itu bernama Iraq

+ abang-abang itu NEGARA MALAYSIA ( Pengerusi OIC) & negara-negara Arab
yang kaya raya

+ adik-adik yang senyap itu negara umat Islam yang membangun / mundur.

+ adik-adik yang berdarah muda itu gerakan-gerakan Islam

+ mesyuarat itu pula ada mesyuarat OIC


----------------------------------------------------------------
This e-mail has been sent via JARING webmail at http://www.jaring.my

Monday, January 07, 2008

EC Chairman Requests The Prosecution Right From Government

Malaysia: EC Chairman Requests The Prosecution Right From Government
2007-12-31 17:11

PUTRAJAYA, MALAYSIA: Election Commission (EC) chairman Abdul Rashid Abdul
Rahman requests the prosecution right from government.

Abdul Rashid said if he had this kind of power, he would prosecute the
opposition parties which libel on EC.

He said EC faced a lot of untrue criticisms including the criticism of EC
only helped government and became the "dog" for government.

Therefore, Rashid said if EC owned prosecution power, the commission would
certainly bring the libelers to court.

"Since we do not have this kind of power now, we choose to be silent and
it
is impossible for us to strike back," he told Sin Chew Daily in an
exclusive
interview.

Abdul Rashid denounced opposition parties as "not educated" because they
made baseless criticism.

"Opposition parties want to have dialogues, but they have no sincerity.
They
asked the small potatoes to come. Moreover, they said EC supported the
campaign which was organized by BERSIH," he continued.

He said EC did not have to help government secretly because Barisan
Nasional
was strong enough and it did not need help from others.

He added if opposition parties claimed that the election procedure was not
fair, they should not participate in election.

----------------------------------------------------------------
This e-mail has been sent via JARING webmail at http://www.jaring.my

ISLAM, MALAYS AND THE MAJLIS BERCUKUR IN SINGAPORE

ISLAM, MALAYS AND THE MAJLIS BERCUKUR IN SINGAPORE

Syed Muhd Khairudin Aljunied
Department of Malay Studies,
National University of Singapore (NUS)

Among the many rituals and ceremonies that are firmly ensconced
within the Malay culture in Singapore, what is known today as the Majlis
Bercukur (Shaving of the Hair Ceremony) is probably one of the few that
has withstood the onslaught of rapid modernization and social change. The
reasons for this persistence are not hard to find. As a minority within a
predominantly Chinese dominated city-state, Malays in Singapore identify
themselves as ‘Muslims’ and saw aspects of the religion of Islam to
assert their identity. Although it is to be admitted that divisions along
class, sub-ethnic backgrounds, religious ideologies, and political
affiliations are still prevalent, two common threads runs through: the
community is bounded together by the attachment to Islam as a system of
belief and the Malay adat (culture) as guides to social as well as
individual conduct.[1]
The origins of Majlis Bercukur could be traced to the time of the founder
of Islam, Prophet Muhammad, who laid much emphasis on the inculcation of
gratefulness to the Almighty Allah, social bonds, manners and civility
(ta’dib) in children, especially in the early years of life. ‘It
takes a village’, as an African proverb puts it, ‘to raise a
child.’ Likewise, for Muhammad and later Muslims who adhere to his
teachings, it is the responsibility of the parents in particular and the
community in general to ensure that a newborn is properly initiated into
the religious belief and collective fraternity through knowledge, rites
and customs in the long process of becoming a functional member of
society. The other more immediate objective of the ceremony lay in the
fact that the hair of a newborn would normally have remnants of mucus
from the womb. Shaving is seen as a means to ensure that healthy hair
would grow again. These are key underpinnings which substantiates the
purposes of Majlis Bercukur as practised by the Malays in Singapore. To
neglect these underpinnings is to reduce the ceremony to a mere event
devoid of its sacred, social, and medical justifications.

Faced with busy schedules and long working hours due to the
high costs of living in Singapore, the Majlis Bercukur would usually be
organised on weekends. Friends, neighbours and relatives are invited and
the numbers ranged between more than two dozen persons to several
hundreds. Among the factors that determined the relative sizes of
invitees are the social statuses of the newborn’s parents and on
whether the coming of the child has been along awaited. Furthermore, a
majority of Singaporeans are living in high-rise flats which meant that
the numbers of guests had to be limited in accordance to the size of the
home. It is also fascinating to note here that there has been a growing
tendency among selected middle-class Malay professionals to send cards
inviting influential persons to grace the ceremony. Such is however an
exception to the prevailing custom of issuing oral invitations by going
house-to-house or via telephone.
Religious teachers (asatizah) or several persons who are
respected for their knowledge of Islam are specially invited to lead the
reading of the berzanji â€" supplications and poems in honour of Prophet
Muhammad. They are normally seated adjacent to the newborn’s father
whilst the other guests would face one another, sitting in parallel rows
at the main hall of a given house. There is a strict emphasis on
segregation between the sexes in Islam which meant that the women would
either be in the kitchen or occupy any of the nearby rooms. Both sexes
would usually don the traditional Malay custom and there is a high degree
of tolerance to other forms provided that modesty is observed.

The celebrity of the day is, of course, the newborn whom, more
often that not, is less than two weeks old. Be it male or female, the
child would be covered with a woollen white cloth, signifying purity. A
large bowl filled with water, along with a pair of scissors or a shaver,
is placed on a tray for the shaving of the child’s hair. Upon
expressing his gratitude to the attendees, the parent or a representative
would commerce the occasion by reciting of Surah Al-Fatihah (the opening
chapter of Quran). This is followed by a distribution and mass reading of
the berzanji text. At the same time as the praises of Prophet Muhammad are
read, a signal will be made to the effect that all are required to stand.
The child would be carried by the ustaz (religious teacher) or the parent
across the hall and selected guests would then shave or cut the child’s
hair. By this time, the newborn would normally be awakened and his/her
cries are regarded by some Muslims as a prayer for the parents. The
ceremony ends with a reading of a long du’a (supplication) for the
newborn’s family and the Muslim Ummah (community) as a whole. A feast
consisting of rice, porridge, fruits and other Malay delicacies is then
served marking the end of the joyful occasion.
Among those who subscribe to the Sufi interpretation of Islam
enmeshed with local mysticism, it is believed that the Prophet Muhammad
himself would be present at the event. There are others that go as far to
place the child’s hair in a decorated coconut and to prepare a large
feast of yellow rice as well as white and brown porridge after the
shaving ceremony, believing that through these, the newborn will blessed
by Allah with good fortune. These beliefs together with other related
issues have, for many decades, been reviled by Muslim reformers.
Identifying themselves as being a part of the Muhammadiyah and/or
Salafiyyah movement, the reformers argue that while the Majlis Bercukur
is part of the Islamic tradition, the reading of the berzanji, the
organisation of ostentatious feasts and other mystical features are clear
departures from the teachings of the Prophet. Islam, they assert, gave
much stress on simplicity in the performance of all sacred rites. The
shaving of the child’s hair and the giving of alms in accordance to the
value of gold of the hair’s weight are the main thrusts of the
ceremony.[2]

While these polemics are regarded by some quarters as a
factor that would contribute to a weakening of the already diminutive
Malay community in Singapore, it is perhaps important to highlight here
that the Islamic Civilization, much like the other civilizations, had
thrived due to the existence of internal criticisms and constructive
disagreements among scholars and the learned class. Indeed, whether the
Majlis Bercukur could endure the wave of change and transformations is
dependent upon the Malay-Muslims’ exposure to intellectual engagements
embedded within Islamic and Malay history. Education, inter-generational
communication and, more importantly, mutual respect are the essential
ingredients that will ensure the sustenance of Majlis Bercukur, and for
it to not be relegated to being a figment of the past.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[1] See Kamaludeen Mohamed Nasir and Syed Muhd Khairudin Aljunied, Muslims
as Minorities: Studies in the History and Social Realities of Muslims in
Singapore (Kuala Lumpur: Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Press, 2008).
[2] For a detailed but rather dated discussion on the Muslim Reformist
Movements in Singapore, see James L. Peacock Muslim Puritans: Reformist
Psychology in Southeast Asian Islam (Berkeley: University of California
Press, 1978).


Syed Muhd Khairudin Aljunied
Department of Malay Studies
National University of Singapore
web site: http://profile.nus.edu.sg/fass/mlsasmk/

----------------------------------------------------------------
This e-mail has been sent via JARING webmail at http://www.jaring.my

Hindraf dikaji, Batu Burok diketepi : PM pilih kasih?

Dec 17, 07

KUALA LUMPUR, 17 Dis (Hrkh) - "Dato' Seri Samy Vellu telah menyampaikan
kepada saya permohonan ibu bapa pemuda seramai 31 orang agar anak mereka
tidak ditahan serta dibebaskan dari tuduhan cubaan membunuh seorang
anggota polis semasa demonstrasi Hindraf di Batu Caves tempoh hari.

"Mereka juga sudah insaf serta berjanji tidak mahu lagi ikut serta
mana-mana perhimpunan Hindraf di masa akan datang kerana selama ini
mereka telah terpedaya. Dan saya meminta Peguam Negara supaya mengkaji
semula tuduhan keatas mereka."


Begitulah antara petikan dan ungkapan yang dianggap sebagai 'pilih kasih'
daripada Perdana Menteri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi yang disiarkan di berita TV
15 Disember lalu.


Kenyataan Abdullah mengundang pelbagai persoalan dan pertikaian ramai
pihak dan masyarakat khususnya pemerhati politik dengan pendekatan beliau
dalam menangani krisis yang berlaku.
Dua perkara bersabit yang menyebabkan dibangkitkan, pertama Abdullah
sendiri meminta Peguam Negara mengkaji semula pertuduhan ke atas 31
demonstran Hindraf, seolah-olah membuktikan PM sudah 'memperalat',
'memperkudakan' dan mempengaruhi sistem badan kehakiman.


Secara tidak langsung membayangkan Abdullah berkuasa sama ada mahu
mengekalkan tuduhan atau membebaskan siapa sahaja dengan berselindung di
sebalik kuasa eksekutiff sebagai Perdana Menteri sedangkan beliau dan
Timbalan Perdana Menteri Dato' Seri Najib pernah menyatakan tidak
sesiapapun boleh mengatasi undang-undang.


Implikasi kedua, dalam insiden Batu Burok, Trengganu yang hampir serupa
tetapi sedikit berbeza, dua mangsa keganasan dan tembakan peluru hidup
Muhammad Azman Aziz, 21, dan Suwandi Abdul Ghani, 38, dituduh cuba
mencederakan Lans Koperal Wan Abdul Aziz Wan Omar sedangkan tubuh mereka
berdua ditembusi peluru namun terpaksa meringkuk di dalam penjara kerana
tidak dibenarkan ikat jamin.


Jauh sekali untuk mendengar sama sekali Perdana Menteri berkata :"Dan saya
meminta Peguam Negara supaya mengkaji semula tuduhan ke atas mereka."


Sebelum ini anggota Dewan Undangan Negeri kawasan Wakaf Mempelam Mohd
Wahid Endut berkata, beliau agak terkilan dengan tindakan polis yang
menahan dua tertuduh pada awal pagi kerana mereka masih dalam rawatan
selepas ditembak malah tindakan mahkamah tidak membenarkan kedua-duanya
dijamin juga memberi tekanan kepada anggota keluarga masing-masing,
katanya.


Kamal Amir yang menulis di Malaysia Today juga berpendapat kenyataan
Abdullah (yang membela dan percaya 31 demostarn itu insaf) boleh diseret
kemuka pengadilan atas tuduhan "menghina mahkamah" kerana mengeluarkan
kenyataan berpihak "subjudice" sebelum mahkamah memulakan prosiding dan
membuat keputusan.


"Kalau benarpun mahu memenuhi permintaan Samy Vellu yang semakin
ketandusan pengaruh dari masyarakat India kenapa tidak didiamkan sahaja
tanpa diumumkan kepada khalayak," katanya yang dipetik daripada blog
tersebut.


Dalam pada itu, seorang penganalisa politik berpendapat, penangkapan
puluhan aktivis politik dalam isu Hindraf, Himpunan Bersih dan Batu Burok
disifatkan sebagai langkah mempertahankan survival politik Abdullah dan
tiada kaitan dengan unsur jenayah seperti yang didakwa memandangkan
Abdullah sendiri 'boleh berunding' dalam mengkaji semula pertuduhan
mereka.


"Tindakan itu mestilah disusuli dengan mengkaji semula ataupun membebaskan
semua yang terlibat dalam perhimpunan aman Bersih dan Batu Burok juga,"
katanya yang bersetuju dengan sikap Abdullah yang 'boleh bertolak ansur'.


Mengulas isu sama, dalam blog Roslan SMS turut membangkitkan persoalan
mengapa Presiden MIC dan Umno mahu menggunakan kedudukan mereka untuk
menganggu proses pendakwaan?


"Mengapa tiba-tiba Presiden Umno bersimpati dengan 31 ini? Mengapa tidak
bersimpati dengan anggota polis yang tercedera dan orang awam yang
terperangkap dengan angkara keganasan ini? Dan sejak bila pula atas
arahan PM seseorang itu boleh dikecualikan dari undang-undang sedangkan
Raja-raja Melayu pun boleh diseret ke mahkamah!," kata Roslan dalam
blognya.


"Bagaimana dengan kes di Batu Burok? Anggota PAS yang ditembak oleh polis
kini merengkok dipenjara sementara menunggu perbicaraan, mereka yang
ditembak tetapi mereka yang didakwa?," katanya


Beliau dalam blog n32.blogspot.com menganggap Abdullah dan Samy Vellu
tiba-tiba mahu meraih simpati masyarakat India, lalu kini mahu menjadi
juara pula memintas proses mahkamah untuk membebaskan 31 mereka yang
terbabit dalam perhimpunan Hindraf.


----------------------------------------------------------------
This e-mail has been sent via JARING webmail at http://www.jaring.my

Malaysia Maintains Limited 'Allah' Ban

Friday January 4, 2:30 PM
AP - Malaysia Maintains Limited 'Allah' Ban

The Malaysian government has reiterated that non-Muslims cannot use
the word "Allah," sparking concern Friday among Christians who use it
to refer to God in their Malay-language Bible and other publications.

Abdullah Zin, the de facto minister for Islamic affairs, told
reporters Thursday that the Cabinet is of the view that "Allah" refers
to the Muslim God and can only be used by Muslims, who comprise about
60 percent of Malaysia's population.

"The use of the word 'Allah' by non-Muslims may arouse sensitivity and
create confusion among Muslims in the country," Abdullah said.

His statement is the latest twist in a long-drawn controversy
involving The Herald, a weekly organ of Malaysia's Catholic Church. It
was told by the Internal Security Ministry last month that its Malay-
language section would be banned unless it stops using "Allah" as a
synonym for God.

But the paper was surprised when the ministry made an apparent about-
turn last weekend by renewing its annual permit _ a government
requirement for all publications in Malaysia _ without imposing any
conditions. The paper assumed it was a tacit approval for the use of
"Allah."

Abdullah's comments Thursday, however, threw the issue into fresh
confusion, and will likely renew complaints by ethnic minorities that
their rights are increasingly undermined because of government efforts
to bolster the status of Islam, Malaysia's official religion.

The Herald's editor, Rev. Lawrence Andrew, said its latest issue on
Wednesday still uses "Allah," but he could not say whether upcoming
editions would omit the word.

"We will have to discuss how to go about this with our lawyers and
publishers," Andrew told The Associated Press.

Andrew reiterated the paper's stance that Malay-speaking Christians
have long used the word, which has roots in Arabic and predates Islam.

"The newspaper does use Allah in quotes from the (Malay-language)
Bible. Nobody can tell us that we cannot quote from the Bible. That
would be a gross violation of our rights," he said.

He declined to comment further, noting the paper has initiated court
action to get a legal endorsement for what it says is its
Constitutional right to use "Allah."

The Herald, which has a circulation of 12,000 copies, publishes
reports in four languages _ English, Malay, Mandarin and Tamil _ for
the country's 900,000 Catholics.

A church in Sabah state in eastern Malaysia has separately also sued
the government for preventing it from using the word "Allah" in its
Malay-language literature. The church says the ban violates the
freedom of religion guaranteed by the Constitution.

Religious issues are extremely sensitive in Malaysia, which prides
itself on multiracial harmony. Ethnic Chinese, who are Christians and
Buddhists, account for a quarter of the population, while mostly Hindu
Indians are less than 10 percent.

----------------------------------------------------------------
This e-mail has been sent via JARING webmail at http://www.jaring.my

Selangor to Subsidize Funerals

AP - Malaysian State to Subsidize Funerals

A Malaysian state will subsidize the funeral expenses of some
residents to recognize their contributions to the state's economic
growth.

"This is one way of saying thanks to the people for helping the state
prosper," Selangor state's Chief Minister Mohamad Khir Toyo said
Thursday, while launching the $295,000 funeral fund.

He said the government will allocate money to the fund each year to
make sure the loved ones of those eligible get $588 for funeral costs.

The aid will cover funerals of people older than 60 who have lived in
Selangor state for at least 15 years, and of disabled people of any
age.

Mohamad Khir said the subsidy will require families to show a death
certificate, proof of kinship and residence, and a copy of the
applicant's national identity card.

The state legislature approved the program in November. It takes
effect immediately. The state has enjoyed 6.3 percent growth, compared
to a national average of 6 percent, Mohamad Khir said.


----------------------------------------------------------------
This e-mail has been sent via JARING webmail at http://www.jaring.my

Malaysia court halts Islamic burial in religious row

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - A Malaysian court gave an ethnic Chinese man
a temporary order to prevent an Islamic affairs council from taking
his wife's body for burial, in a dispute over whether she converted to
Islam, a newspaper reported on Saturday.

The row over the body of 53-year old Mong Sau Lan is the latest in a
series of racial and religious incidents that could hurt support for
the government ahead of expected snap elections in the coming months.

In the burial matter, snooker centre manager Ngiam Tee Kong was
informed by a hospital which had his wife's remains that he could
claim the body to perform Christian rituals but must hand it over to
the Islamic council for a Muslim burial.

The 52-year old Ngiam said he had received a letter informing him that
his wife had converted to Islam and this had been authorised by a
religious affairs official, according to the report published in the
Star newspaper.

But Ngiam said his wife was a Christian before her death on Dec. 30,
and asked that her body be handed to him as the legal husband.

The court has set Jan. 18 to hear the application.

Disputes over religious conversions and complaints about the
authorities' demolition of churches and Hindu temples have fuelled
worries about a rise in hardline Islam in mostly Muslim Malaysia.

Politically dominant ethnic Malay Muslims form about 60 percent of the
population of roughly 26 million, while the ethnic Indian and Chinese
minorities include Hindus, Buddhists and Christians.


Copyright © 2005 Reuters Limited.
----------------------------------------------------------------
This e-mail has been sent via JARING webmail at http://www.jaring.my

Kemiskinan di Tengah Kota

Kalau dlm siri pertama tulisan Jln-Jln Tahun Baru:
Kemiskinan di Tengah Kota itu saya tuliskan kisah Kak
Ros dengan masalah hidupnya, kali ini kita ingin
berkongsi cerita mengenai perit hidup seorang ibu
tunggal membesarkan 5 orang anak di Tingkat 9 sama
blok dengan rumah Kak Ros di PPR Ampang Hilir, Kuala
Lumpur.

Kalaulah anak-anak Kak Ros berhadapan dengan masalah
ibu yang tiada pendapatan tetap, hinggakan anak-anak
terkilan tak dapat balik raya di kampong sebab mak tak
ada duit; anak-anak Puan Hamidah Bt Ahmad, 34 tahun
ini pula agak bernasib baik sebab ibu mereka
berpendapatan tetap, kerja PA (Pembantu Am) sekolah
rendah dengan pendapatan lebih kurang RM800 sebulan.

RM800 sebulan kalau tinggal di Kg Ulu Paip, Kulim
Kedah mungkin cukup, tapi RM800 di Jalan Ampang, Kuala
Lumpur dengan 5 orang anak kira macam nyawa-nyawa ikan
ajerlah.

Kami cuba selami masalah kewangan Pn Hamidah ini;
tanpa segan silu beliau gariskan satu persatu belanja
bulanannya hingga membuatkan kami jadi terkedu.

Sewa rumah RM124
Api Air RM150
Van Anak Sekolah RM100
Duit Sekolah RM60
Upah Ngasuh Anak Kecik RM250

Jumlah (tak campur belanja dapur, susu dan pampers
anak) = RM684
Baki = RM116

Maka, atas baki RM116 inilah beliau terpaksa roling
untuk belanja dapur sebulan, susu, pampers anak,
minyak motor dan lain-lain belanja harian. Memang tak
masuk akal; baki sebanyak ini untuk survive sebulan di
tengah-tengah kota raya.

Baki duit sebanyak ini bukan kata di Kuala Lumpur,
tapi kalau di Kg Hulu Paip dekat Kuala Berang di Hulu
Terengganu pun tak ada nak cukup!!

(Jumlah banyak ini, kalau panggil Financial Planner
minta tolong arrange pun, mau naik penin si FP itu!!)

No wonderlah, punyalah kronik masalah kewangan Pn
Hamidah ini, hinggakan ke tahap kritikal, pada suatu
hari itu sebab bekalan beras dah habis (beras yg jadi
masalah mereka), maka dengan saki baki duit yang ada,
beliau gagahkan diri pi tebal muka pi beli beras 2
kilogram cukup cukup dengan sebanyak mana wang yang
ada itu.

Hat ini saya tak tau nak komen apa; cuba hangpa tengok
gambar rumah flet depa, yang bila langkah keluar saja
dari rumah depa, terus nampak menara KLCC megah
tersergam indah di belakang depa, tapi ini semua tak
mampu nak bagi depa makan hatta beras 2 kilogram
sekalipun. Saya tak mau komen lebih-lebih, nanti jadi
isu politik pula sedangkan ini bukan masalah politik,
ini adalah the real life, kisah benar, realiti masalah
sebenar anak-anak bangsa bertarung hidup di tengah
kota.

Kalaulah macam ni dok ada, kita pasti sampai bila-bila
pun Mohd Firdaus (darjah 5), Mohd Faiz (darjah 4),
Mohd Fadil (darjah 2), Nurasyura (tadika) dan Nuarkila
(2 tahun) anak-anak Pn Hamidah ini akan terus
terperangkap di orbit kemiskinan ini. Percaya ka tak
percaya ka, hanya pelajaran dan education sajalah,
dengan izin Tuhan akan mampu mengeluarkan mereka
daripada kepompong kemiskinan ini.

Kalaulah ada sapa-sapa yang prihatin, mailah ke rumah
Flet ini, mailah jenguk-jengukkan depa. Ini hat yang
mampu saya tulis, yang sebetulnya ada ramai lagi
keluarga malang yang punya skrip hidup, jalan cerita
yang hampir serupa.

Sungguh tak sangka, masih ramai lagi orang kita yang
hidup miskin merempat merana di tengah kota; tak
betoilah rupanya selama ini yang media massa dok
war-warkan bahawa Baling misalnya, daerah kelahiran
saya itu antara hardcore isu kemiskinan yang utama.
Cakap pasal miskin ini, tak payah mai Baling aih,
macam yang saya tulis sebelum ini, di KL pun bersepah
dok ada!!

Letih aih bila dok pikir masalah kemiskinan anak-anak
bangsa ini; memang betoilah kata Prof Diraja Ungku
Aziz: "suka ka tak suka ka, masalah kemiskinan masih
lagi menjadi agenda utama permasalahan bangsa".

Kalaulah ada mana-mana Profesor atau pun Pakar-Pakar
yang terbaca secara tak sengaja tulisan saya 2 siri
ini, tolong tolonglah fikir macam mana nak selesaikan
masalah ini. Sepatutnya di zaman orang kita sudah naik
ke angkasa ini, masalah tak ada beras nak makan ini
terutamanya di celah-celah bangunan KLCC ini,
sepatutnya supposed not to be an issue at all!!

----------------------------------------------------------------
This e-mail has been sent via JARING webmail at http://www.jaring.my

Fuel price: Attack by Najib shows strong support for price reduction

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 4 (ES) - Recent attacks by deputy Prime Minister Datuk
Seri Najib Razak to the opposition's calls for fuel price to be reduced
suggests widespread public support to the proposal.

Islamic Party of Malaysia (PAS) vice president Datuk Husam Musa said the
Federal government under the leadership of Prime Minister Datuk Seri
Abdullah Badawi however remained recalcitrant to the call to ensure
enough there were enough funds to finance closed tender projects.


Husam said as a net exporter of oil, the country stands to gain profit
from the increase of oil prices worldwide. The national oil company
Petronas reportedly earned some RM76 billion pre-taxed profit for last
year alone.


Petronas recently announced a 7.7 percent rise in net profits for the
half year to September.


"Therefore our country would not go bankrupt (if oil prices were reduced
locally)," Husam said during a two hour pre-election briefing to
Harakah’s staff here today.


Fuel hike after general election?
Husam who is also a Kelantan exco member noted numerous closed tender
projects financed by the Federal government which lead to "leakages".


He said such closed tender projects contributed to overspending by several
federal government ministries which exceeded their "ceiling" allocation as
documented in the last general auditor report.


He also said Abdullah’s assurance that the government would continue to
subside fuel price at the current rate as long as it is able to do so,
only hinted at a possible fuel price hike after the next general
election.


Najib’s attack which was made in Sabah recently, has also prompted PAS
youth chief Salahudin Ayub on Wednesday Jan 2 to challenge the deputy
premier to a live telecast debate.


Najib however has yet to respond to the challenge.-Saadon Aksah/ES

----------------------------------------------------------------
This e-mail has been sent via JARING webmail at http://www.jaring.my

Sex and the Politician

Sex and The Politician
M. Bakri Musa

Between the salacious reporting on and the holier-than-thou responses to
the sexual escapade of former Health Minister Chua Soi Lek, three
important points are overlooked. In a country where an intrusive
government could as a law enforcement exercise barge into people's
bedrooms (consider the many khalwat raids), these points bear pondering.
One, what if she had not been a "personal friend" (presumably
Chua also has "non-personal friends") but a foreign intelligence agent,
and he, somebody important like a Minister of Defense? Rest assured then
that she would be very smooth and sophisticated; she would not let herself
be blown to pieces or let the tape be released. It would be more valuable
kept secret than exposed.
Two, what if my wife and I had stayed in that same room a few
days immediately before, when those "technicians" were having their
"practice" runs, or a few days later, when their voyeuristic lust is not
yet fully satisfied? Those peeping toms could not blackmail us of
course, but we would have felt violated nonetheless. The hotel would be
liable, legally and morally, for the damages suffered by us just as
surely as if the management had handed to known thugs duplicate keys to
our room.
Last is the sense of perspective. In this escapade two people
had great fun, with one subsequently paying dearly with his career. No
one was killed, or potentially killed, assuming they engaged in "safe
sex." Yet the police expended considerable resources on the case.
Meanwhile the recent brutal sex slaying of young Nurin Jazlin remains
unsolved and forgotten.


An Old Reliable Tool

The use of pretty girls (and boys too!) to bring down the powerful is
nothing new or particularly ingenious. Only the scene, theme actors (and
actresses) vary. When such acts are exposed, the end results are equally
predictable. Not always, however, much depends on the prevailing norms
and the personalities.
The American Central Intelligence Agency had secret tapes of
Sukarno cavorting with pretty blonds (yes, more than one at a time!)
secretly taped presumably on one of his many trips to Washington, DC. In
the 1960s when he was lurching far to the left, the CIA discretely let
loose those tapes in the cinema halls of Jakarta.
The hope was that those pious Indonesians would be so repulsed
as to start a revolution to topple him. Imagine the horror of the embassy
folks when the crowd instead cheered their local stud. As one wag put it,
"At least one of us got to screw them back, they have been doing it to us
for centuries!"
President Kennedy's fondness for pretty dames was well known
and equally well tolerated if not catered to. Only when he strayed too
far and shared his toys with the Mafia bosses were there dismays in the
intelligence community.
To me the greatest threat to national security is not those
sexual scandals that were exposed rather those that are still secret.
They would then be a much more formidable weapon.
When Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman signed that defense
treaty with Britain following Malaysia's independence, was that his
considered choice or one that was imposed upon him? As it turned out it
was a fortuitous decision. It spared the nation from spending heavily on
the military and instead used the funds on education.
It would however, been easy for Britain to impose that defense
treaty. During his student days there, the Tunku acquired a widely
acknowledged taste for fine scotch. Presumably he also acquired the
taste for some other fine "things" the British had to offer.
Thus whether the Tunku's avowedly pro Western stance was the
result of his personal conviction or otherwise, we will never know.
A friend of mine was a fast rising political star in a
neighboring country. On a visit to France, he suddenly discovered the
exquisite taste for French wine and other equally "fine" offerings of
Paris. His country's leader quickly became aware of the potential danger
and brusquely put an end to the young man's political career.
The mark of a wise leader is how well he or she recognizes and
thus avoids such a trap. In not demanding Chua's immediate resignation,
the Prime Minister failed to grasp the threat to the nation of Chua's
extracurricular adventures.
Lee Kuan Yew in his memoir wrote contemptuously of the many
joget parties hosted by the Tunku where apparently hookers were readily
available. I do not know whether Lee's indignation arose out of his
moral conviction or the fear that he and his boys could be put in
potentially compromising situations. Anyway, he was wise to be wary.
Leaders like Sukarno and Kennedy were apparently immune to
sexual scandals because everyone knew their weaknesses. When you see a
gun enthusiast openly carrying a rifle, you know he is going to the
shooting range for some target practice, and nobody would blink an eye.
When you see a seemingly straitlaced guy like an Imam carrying a weapon,
everyone's eyebrows would be raised. You know he would be up to no good,
perhaps looking to shoot some wild fowls, or worse, a chicken in a
farmer's barn.


Incendiary Racial Component

This being Malaysia, the racial element is never far. Already there are
ugly racial stereotype comments and videos posted in blogs and on
Youtube. Those would have been pardonable if they were funny; but they
were not even that; they were simply crude.
Speculations were that Chua was set up by his many rivals
within his party jealous or fearful of his trajectory rise. I wish for
the sake of Malaysia that that were true. If this seems a perversion,
consider the alternative, that is, this is the scheming of others within
the Barisan coalition, specifically UMNO, fearful of his forceful defense
of Chinese causes.
If this were so, then I would say that those UMNO operatives
were not very smart in releasing the tapes. I would have kept the video
absolutely secret, and then would support him on his leadership drive.
When he reaches the top you would have full control of him. To put it in
the vernacular, "you have him by the balls."
This is not far fetched, or a case of my imagination running
wild. Returning back to the Tunku, one of the inflammatory accusations
leveled at him was that he was "too pro Chinese." He was immune to
sexual scandals, so the prevailing thinking then was that the rich
Chinese were providing him the necessary cash for him to indulge his
expensive hobbies.


Strong Offense As A Strong Defense

I commend Chua for coming clean so quickly and for maintaining
his poise in his press conference. He even displayed a fine sense of
humor in inviting the reporters (presumably the females only) to view the
tapes with him! However, be careful what you ask for!
Chua needs to do more. He should hire the most skillful and
vicious lawyer to sue the hotel for invasion of his privacy and breach of
contract. When you rent a hotel room there is an implied contract that
you are entitled to its private use. As those cameras were not portable,
the managers should have known they were being installed and thus be
liable. I am of course assuming that Chua paid for the room. If the
room and its "services" were free (meaning, paid for by someone else)
then you get what you pay for.
Even if Chua does not prevail at least he would have the
satisfaction of forcing the management to spend money on its legal
defense. It might also encourage others who where guests at the hotel,
specifically those who had stayed in the same room, to join in the
lawsuit.
Chua could not possibly be further damaged by more revelations
no matter how kinky. When you have some mud on you, that would be dirt;
when you are totally covered, that would be a mud bath, and could be
therapeutic. Then it would be those who touched you who would be
dirtied.
A vigorous offense is often the best defense. By suing, Chua
could hopefully discourage future voyeuristic hotel operators from
indulging their fantasies. That could only be good for our tourist
industry. Who knows it might even discourage the government, especially
its religious authorities, from snooping around.


----------------------------------------------------------------
This e-mail has been sent via JARING webmail at http://www.jaring.my

Semua bengong dalam hal kenaikan harga minyak!

Hishamuddin Rais

Sejak hampir lima tahun yang lalu saya telah menulis secara konsisten
tentang masalah bahan bakar minyak petroleum. Secara jujur saya telah
cuba menyedarkan seramai mungkin warga untuk memahami satu hakikat:
minyak dalam dunia ini telah susut. Banyak telaga minyak telah kering.
Minyak yang telah dibakar tidak akan ada penggantiannya.

Saya juga telah mendedahkan dan cuba menerangkan apa yang dipanggil PEAK
OIL THEORY/TEORI PUNCAK MINYAK. Teori ini mengajukan pandangan bahawa
pada satu jangka masa pengeluaran hasil bahan bakar petroleum berkembang
tinggi hingga sampai ke satu puncak. Sesudah sampai ke puncak ini maka
pengeluaran bahan bakar ini akan terus menurun berkurangan.


Teori ini diasaskan oleh M.King Hubbert pada tahun 1956. Berdasarkan teori
ini, M. Hubbert telah meramalkan di antara tahun 1965 ke 1970 pengeluaran
bahan bakar petroleum di Amerika Syarikat akan sampai ke puncak. Apabila
mencecah puncak ini maka pengeluaran galian petrol di Amerika akan terus
berkurangan. Ramalan Hubbert ini cukup tepat. Pada tahun 1970, Amerika
wajib menjadi negara pengimport minyak.

Teori Puncak Minyak ini juga telah meramalkan banyak negara-negara
pengeluaran minyak dalam dunia ini telah melintas puncaknya. Mesir: 1987,
Perancis: 1988, Jerman: 1966 Iran: 1974, India: 1997, Indonesia: 1991,
Jepun: 1932 , Libya: 1970, Mexico: 2003,New Zealand: 1997, Nigeria: 1979,
Norway: 2000, Oman: 2000, Russia: 1987,Syria: 1996 ,Tobago:
1981,Venezuela: 1970, UK: 1999 dan Amerika Syarikat: 1970. Ada di antara
negara ini masih lagi mengeluarkan minyak tetapi dari tahun ke tahun
jumlah tong yang di hasilkan semakin kurang.

Hubbert Peak Theory tidak pernah dipertikaikan. Apa yang selalu
ditimbulkan hanya perbezaan tarikh. Ada geologis yang telah menyatakan
bahawa dunia telah melintasi zaman puncak minyak pada tahun 2005 yang
lalu. Ada pula yang meramalkan bahawa puncak minyak akan sampai di antara
tahun 2020 ke tahun 2030. Tetapi pada hakikatnya semua pakar geologis ini
menerima pakai bahawa bahan bakar ini semakin susut, berkurangan
pengeluaran dan akhir akan habis. Ini bermakna akan berakhirlah Tamadun
Petroleum.

Habis di sini bukan bermakna tidak ada lagi minyak dalam perut bumi. Zaman
Batu berakhir bukan bermakna batu telah habis. Minyak masih ada dalam bumi
tetapi tidak lagi ekonomik untuk mengambilnya keluar. Minyak ialah tenaga.
Akan sampai masanya nanti untuk mengeluarkan satu tong minyak dari perut
bumi kita memerlukan membakar lima atau sepuluh tong minyak. Ini tidak
berbaloi dan tidak ekonomik.

Pada pagi 2hb Januari 2008 harga satu tong bahan bakar petroleum telah
mencecah 100 dolar di pasaran dunia. Pada petangnya harga telah menurun
sedikit. Ketika saya menulis ini harga satu tong ialah 99.68 dolar. Saya
tidak terperanjat apabila melihat harga minyak naik menjadi 100 dolar
untuk satu tong. Dalam tulisan tulisan saya yang lalu saya juga telah
beberapa kali meramalkan harga bahan bakar ini akan terus naik.

Apa yang memeranjatkan saya ialah kenyataan yang keluar dari Parti
Keadilan Rakyat yang menyatakan jika parti ini memerintah maka harga
minyak akan diturunkan. Untuk saya ini hanyalah kenyataan orang yang
tidak tahu tentang Teori Puncak Minyak dan tidak sedar bahawa tamadun
dunia hari ini adalah Tamadun Petroleum.

Harga minyak

Sama juga dengan susulan jawapan dari Najib Razak seorang pemimpin dari
parti United Malay National Organisation. Najib mengatakan negara ini
akan bankrap jika harga minyak diturunkan. Orang yang bernama Najib ini
tidak sedar semenjak bila pula negara kita ini tidak bankrap.

Susuk-susuk yang mengeluarkan kenyataan ini tidak memahami tanda dan makna
perang di Iraq, perang di Darfur atau perang di Sudan. Mereka juga tidak
membaca dan memahami makna Â'war on terrorismÂ' sebagai dasar luar negara
Amerika Syarikat. Mereka juga tidak memahami kenapa Hamid Karzai menjadi
penghulu di Kabul. Atau kenapa ada sebuah kapal minyak yang bernama
Condoleezza Rice.

Kedua-dua kumpulan parti politik ini tidak memahami bahan bakar petroleum.
Mereka ini adalah sesat lagi menyesatkan. Kedua-dua kumpulan ini TIDAK
jujur. Mereka adalah politikus yang hanya bercita-cita untuk berkuasa
tetapi tidak memiliki apa-apa di antara dua telinga mereka. Cakap mereka
itu bertujuan memancing undi dan mencari untung politik jangka pendek.

Dalam agenda bahan bakar minyak saya menolak kedua-dua kenyataan tersebut.
Mengikut pandangan parti Keadilan jika United Malay National Organisation
telus dalam memberikan perincian perbelanjaan dan pendapatan dari
syarikat Petronas maka harga minyak akan dapat ditampung. Jika tidak ada
pembaziran dari duit jualan minyak maka harga minyak akan terus dapat
disubsidi.

Parti Keadilan tidak sedar dalam masa tidak lebih dari 10 tahun bahan
bakar minyak di persisiran laut kita akan habis. Untuk berhujah, kita
anggaplah mereka dapat mengambilalih kerajaan. Dalam penggal ke-3
pentadbiran Barisan Rakyat minyak habis. Barisan Rakyat adalah satu
pentadbiran yang telus, tidak rasuah dan jujur. Bila minyak habis, mereka
juga tidak dapat tidak akan menaikkan harga minyak. Ini hukum yang
saintifik. Jadi cakap-cakap harga minyak hendak diturunkan itu, tidak
mungkin dapat dilakukan.

Kenaikan harga bahan bakar minyak ini tidak ada sangkut paut dengan
ketelusan kerajaan atau terpaparnya secara terperinci pendapatan dari
Petronas. Harga minyak naik kerana minyak dalam dunia ini telah habis.
Kenapa sukar sangat untuk memahami hakikat ini.

Kerajaan dalam bentuk apa sahaja – komunis, sosialis, kapitalis, Marxis,
Anarkis, Geuvarist, Stalinist, Sosial Demokrat, Islamik, Syiah, Demokrat,
Katholikus, Sembahyangist, Hindu, Buddha - kerajaan ada agama, tak ada
agama, kerajaan rasuah, kerajaan telus lagi jujur, kerajaan alim lagi
warak – semuanya akan menaikkan harga minyak. Inilah yang wajib
diterangkan kepada orang ramai secara telus dan jujur.

Maklum pada orang ramai

Juga wajib diterangkan kepada orang ramai:

Hari minyak habis dalam dunia ini akan sampai. Apabila minyak habis ia
akan membawa bencana besar dan huru-hara terutama negara yang banyak
bergantung pada minyak. Kehabisan minyak akan sampai seperti kereta kita
kehabisan minyak. Masanya datang serta merta dengan tiba-iba. Yang paling
teruk kena bantai apabila minyak habis ialah semua hal ehwal pengangkutan.

Untuk meredakan keadaan minyak habis yang datang secara mendadak kita
memerlukan dan mengambil masa untuk membuat persediaan. Kerana itu
pemimpin kerajaan dan politikus dari semua kumpulan wajib membaca Peak
Oil Theory. Kesedaran minyak akan habis wajib diberitahu kepada orang
ramai sekarang.

Sekurang kurangnya 20 tahun diperlukan oleh kerajaan untuk membuat
persediaan berhadapan dengan hari minyak habis. Kerajaan, industri dan
para pengguna wajib sama-sama memahami hakikat ini. Tidak dapat tidak
akan berlaku kacau bilau, bukan sahaja di Malaysia malah di seluruh dunia
apabila minyak habis.

Saya tidak nampak satu dasar penggunaan bahan bakar petroleum yang tepat
dan betul yang sedang diajukan baik dari parti kerajaan ataupun dari
Barisan Rakyat. Semua dasar yang mereka ajukan adalah dasar jangka pendek
yang digunapakai untuk menipu rakyat. Subsidi atau menaikkan harga bukan
jawapan untuk berhadapan dengan zaman kehabisan minyak.

Saya mengajukan satu perubahan struktur budaya hidup yang baru. Mengubah
secara struktural dan meninggalkan gaya hidup yang kita guna pakai hari
ini. Budaya konsumer dalam tamadun petroleum ini telah nazak dan wajib
ditinggalkan.

Orang ramai wajib digalakkan dari hari ini untuk tidak menggunakan kereta
persendirian dan beralih kepada sistem pengangkutan awam. Basikal perlu
digunakan kembali seperti di zaman ayah dan datuk kita membesar. Hentikan
kilang-kilang yang pengeluaran produk-produk yang tidak berguna dan bukan
asas untuk hidup.

Kota dan bandar kita wajib dapat menampung dan mengeluarkan bahan makanan
sendiri. Makanan tidak perlu diambil dari kawasan yang jauh atau
diimport. Setiap warga wajib tahu hal pertanian. Tanaman yang diusahakan
untuk makanan dan bukan untuk spekulasi mengumpul modal. Siapa bertanam
maka mereka dapat makan.

Tempat kita bekerja pula tidak harus jauh dari tempat kita tinggal.
Rumah-rumah yang kita dirikan bukan gua-gua batu yang memerlukan alat
hawa dingin. Rumah adalah tempat kita berteduh dari hujan dan panas –
kembali kepada asas. Penggunaan kuasa leterik dalam bangunan dan dalam
rumah kita seharusnya pada asas yang paling minimum. Kota-kota kita tidak
perlu disaluti dengan lampu neon yang mengiklankan hampeh-hampeh dan
membazirkan tenaga leterik. Minyak, gas dan arang batu yang tidak miliki
wajib dijaga dan di pergunakan dengan cermat.

Ekonomi yang berasaskan dolar wajib kita tinggalkan sekarang. Dolar adalah
simbol tamadun petroleum. Semenjak tahun 1970-an bilamana Amerika dan
Saudi Arabia menjadi sahabat karib maka dunia telah dipaksa menggunakan
dolar dalam hal jual beli minyak. Kita semua dan rakyat dunia telah
ditipu dengan kertas hijau yang dicetak oleh Amerika. Kertas hijau ini
tidak memiliki apa apa nilai dan zat untuk dimakan. Malah kertas jamban
lebih bernilai dan boleh digunakan berbanding dengan dolar Amerika.

Sekali pandangan apa yang saya ajukan ini sebagai cakap yang TIDAK masuk
akal. Ianya tidak masuk akal kerana apa yang saya nyatakan ini dibaca
dalam tahun 2008. Bayangkan pada tahun 2020 atau tahun 2025 , berapa
dolar agaknya harga satu tong petroleum? Bayangkan juga sepuluh tahun
dari hari ini apabila telaga minyak kita kering. Dari mana hendak dicari
dana subsidi untuk menampung pengurangan harga minyak?

Kepada semua politikus dari semua parti politik sila kaji dan fahami
tentang Tamadun Petroleum dan kajian teori M. King Hubbert. Jangan
menjadi pemalas. Jika tidak tahu apa yang saya tulis ini sila tanya Pak
Cik saya Lebai Google.

*****.*.*****

Malaysia says $100 oil positive for economy - paper
Saturday January 5, 09:40 AM

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Malaysia's economy benefits from $100-a-barrel
oil although the high cost of crude could hurt the global economy and hit
demand for the country's exports, a government minister was reported on
Saturday as saying.


"Luckily for us, we are an oil exporting country," Second Finance
Minister Nor Mohamed Yakcop was quoted as saying in a report published in
The Star newspaper.


"So, at $100 per barrel, it's positive," he said, when asked how high oil
prices would affect Malaysia's economy.


Net oil exporter Malaysia has said it gains 250 million ringgit ($76.17
million) a year in revenue for every $1 rise in the price of crude.


But some analysts warn that expensive oil will weigh on global economy
and dampen demand for Malaysia's non-oil exports, threatening to slow the
country's economic growth.


Oil prices have eased since hitting the $100 per barrel mark earlier this
week. On Friday, February crude settled down $1.27 or 1.28 percent at
$97.91 a barrel.


Nor Mohamed also said a government review of fuel subsidies did not
necessarily mean subsidies would be cut, adding that the poor would not
suffer as a result of any change.


The government has said it needs to restructure its fuel subsidies to
benefit needy citizens and free up funds for development. However, it has
not given any details on its plan.

----------------------------------------------------------------
This e-mail has been sent via JARING webmail at http://www.jaring.my