Christopher Fernando dies
Sunday, 20 January 2008 08:06am
KUALA LUMPUR: Well-known criminal lawyer Christopher Fernando (pic) died at the National Heart Institute (IJN) here last night. He was admitted to the IJN on Monday after suffering a heart attack. According to his sister Shahreen Kamalludin, Fernando underwent a triple by-pass surgery but his condition worsened on Friday.
Fernando, whose Muslim name is Aris Rizal Fernando Abdullah, was a former Sessions Court president before he joined a private practice in Seremban.
Many ACA prosecutors and officers did not like going up against Fernando because he often caught them out especially in cases involving entrapment. He shot to national acclaim when he joined Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s defence team when the former deputy prime minister was charged with abuse of power. Fernando was married to Maria Kamaruddin who is the sister of former Umno Yourh chief Datuk Suhaimi Kamaruddin. They had two daughters Marissa and Rina. Shahreen said her brother’s body was taken to a relative’s house at Jalan Titiwangsa here and will be buried at the Muslim cemetery this afternoon.
Kuala Lumpur, 20 Jan - Jenazah peguam terkemuka, Aris Rizal Christopher Fernando selamat dikebumikan di tanah perkuburan Islam Taman Titiwangsa! , dekat sini jam 1.30 tengah hari tadi.Fernando, 68, meninggal jam 12.30 pagi tadi akibat sakit jantung.
Allahyarham diserang sakit jantung dan dikejarkan ke Institut Jantung Negara Isnin 15 Jan lepas. Beliau tidak sedarkan diri selepas menjalani pembedahan pintasan jantung sehari selepas itu sehinggalah saat menghembuskan nafas terakhir.
Jenazahnya kemudian dibawa ke rumah salah seorang keluarga beliau di Taman Titiwangsa. Kira-kira 300 orang kaum keluarga, sahabat handai dan sahabat seperjuangan hadir untukmemberi penghormatan terakhir.
Presiden KeADILan Datin Seri Wan Azizah Ismail tiba pada kira-kira pukul 11 pagi. Penasiha KeADILan, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim pula berada di Sabah dan dijangka akan pulang segera petang ini.
Antara pemimpin KeADILan yang turut hadir ialah Naib Presiden Azmin Ali, Pengarah Strategik Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, Ketua Penerangan Tian Chua dan Pengerusi Perhubungan Negeri Sembilan Datuk Kamarul Baharin.
Teman-teman peguam yang turut kelihatan memberi penghormatan terakhir kepada Allahyarham ialah Zulkifli Nordin, Pawanchek Merican, Sankara N nair, Sulaiman Abdullah, Zainur Zakaria, Kamar Ainiah Kamaruzzaman, Gibind Singh Deo dan lain-lain.
Turut kelihatan pemimpin Pas Dr Hatta Ramli serta penyokong-penyokong KeADILan dan aktivis reformasi.
Nama Fernando mula terkenal apabila beliau tampil menjadi salah seorang peguam yang membela Anwar apabila mantan Timbalan Perdana Menteri itu difitnah dan didakwa dimahkamah pada tahun 1999. Fernando meninggalkan seorang balu dan dua anak perempuan.
admin @ January 20, 2008
Christopher Fernando
KeADILan
Kuala Lumpur, 20 Jan - Christopher Fernando meninggal dunia akibat serangan jantung pagi ini pada pukul 12.30am. Beliau merupakan salah seorang peguam utama dalam pasukan yang membela Ketua Umum KeADILan, Anwar Ibrahim.
“Kita kehilangan sahabat malah selaku ahli keluarga, pendukung setia agenda Reformasi, peguambela handal - dan buat saya rakan karib setia bersama terutama tatkala menanggung derita di penjara Sungai Buloh."
“Beliau bersama dengan barisan peguam secara sukarela, pro bono membela saya, bekerja bertungkus lumus dengan gaya dan kepetahan istimewa. Saya amat terharu di atas pemergiannya, seolah-olah abang kandung saya sendiri. Didoakan semoga Allah swt mencucuri rahmatnya ke atas roh Allahyarham Rizal Chris Fernando dan menempatkannya bersama salihin.†kata Anwar.*****.*.*****Amwar Ibrahim
Allahyarham Aris Chris Fernando
Jam 1 pagi di Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, saya menerima berita yang amat menyedihkan dari dinda Rusli. Kita kehilangan sahabat malah selaku ahli keluarga, pendukung setia agenda Reformasi, peguambela handal - dan buat saya rakan karib setia bersama terutama tatkala menanggung derita di penj! ara Sungai Buloh.
Chris mulanya bersahabat dengan kanda Allahyarham Rani dan mula akrab dengan saya Azizah, anak-anak dan keluarga sebaik saya dipecat. Beliau bersama dengan barisan peguam secara sukarela, pro bono membela saya, bekerja bertungkus lumus dengan gaya dan kepetahan istimewa. Chris diiringi anakandanya yang dikasehi Marisa. Sepanjang berulang alik ke penjara, beliau amat mengharapkan saya bebas awal agar dapat menghadiri upacara perkahwinan anaknya.
Saya amat terharu di atas pemergiannya, seolah-olah abang kandung saya sendiri. Chris adalah teman karib, memahami isi hati saya, membantu mendorong memperkuat semangat dan keyakinan saya tatkala di Sungai Buloh.
Saya mendapat berita keuzuran tenat Chris akibat serangan jantung pagi tadi sebelum menaiki pesawat ke Kota Kinabalu. Azizah sempat menziarahnya di IJN tengahari tadi dan melaporkan bahawa keadaan beliau membimbangkan. Dan saudara Zulkifli Nordin menyampaikan berita perkembangan melalui SMS.
Maria dan keluarga diharap bersabar menempuh dugaan, yang mengejutkan kami semua. Saya akan cuba membatalkan sebahagian program pagi nanti untuk berlepas pulang awal mengiringi jenazah Allahyarham Chris.
Didoakan semoga Allah SWT mencucuri rahmatnya ke atas roh Allahyarham Rizal Chris Fernando dan menempatkannya bersama salihin.
ANWAR IBRAHIM
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Malaysia - not running fast enoughKJ John, MalaysiakiniNov 6, 2007 Recently, the Minister of Finance II assured the nation that weremain not only competitive but are also the recipient of qualityforeign direct investments (FDI), and have the ability to sustain ourgrowth above the 5 percent level.Nevertheless, after attending a recent DAP fund-raising dinner as aguest, I heard an almost divergent and different story about thestate of the economy.Which is the true storyline? How can we be competitive anduncompetitive at the same time?I am going to quote Tony Pua, the economic advisor to theDAP, and then each of us can undertake our own research and decidewho is telling the truth. Most of the statistics used are fromsecondary sources and can therefore be verified. So, here goes.In 1966, according to Pua, the GDP per capita of South Korea wasabout 30 percent that of Malaysia at US$130. But last year, SouthKorea's GDP per capita was three times more than that of Malaysia atUS$16,421, while Malaysia's was at US$5,040. In exactly 40 years howcould South Korea overtake us? What is Korea doing that we are not?What makes Korea move so fast when they too were hit by the EastAsian financial crisis?Was not Korea also one of our Look East countries? Have not almostall our planners and economists been there to learn from them? Didthey not visit us in the early 1960s to learn community development?Was not their Saemaul Undong Programme the upgraded version of thecommunity development programmes? How then could we fall behind sotragically?The answer lies in one word: knowledge. They have been able toutilise knowledge to create value. They use what our nationalconsultant, Professor Chan Kim, calls value innovation in his BlueOcean Strategy.In fact this was the central thesis of the Second Industrial MasterPlan of 1996-2005: move up the value chain or face the effects ofpoor value added. Rather unfortunately, 10 years after the IMP2 waslaunched, I can say that our industrial development strategy haslargely ignored the role of value innovation; being stuck with theolder paradigm of growth we call value-added growth from FDIinvestments.One solitary fact can confirm this reality of the older paradigm: weare still highly dependent on poor quality foreign labour to maintainour industrial growth and the manufacturing industry.The evidence of such labour intensive investments are evident fromanother two set of figures: Malaysia had FDI worth more than US$7billion in 1996 whereas, in 2006, it was only US$5 billion. Comparethis with both quantity and quality of FDI into Singapore: US$9billion in 1996 and US$24 billion in 2006.What is even more important is that Singapore is now an entirelyservices-type knowledge economy and is even off-loading their lowerend investments into our so-called Southern Economic Region. Do weeven understand what is really happening in the globalised newknowledge economy?Neighbours doing betterWhen we compare Malaysia with Thailand, the story becomes evenclearer. In 1996, Thailand had only about US$2 billion worth of FDI.In 2006, while we are hovering about US$6 billion, Thailand hadnearly US$10 billion worth of FDI. Yes, almost double the amount ofinvestments than Malaysia had. Thailand is about the same level asMalaysia in terms of the level of sophistication of industrialisation.But, I suspect they are able to do it without the kind and quality offoreign workers, as they have adequate supply of workers and are ableto move up the value chain. They also have a more liberal regulatoryinvestment environment than Malaysia. Today, Thailand is theregion's capital for the automotive industry, even though we startedwith a lot of noise and domestic investment.I dare not look at the FDI figures for Vietnam but seriously suspectthat if they have not overtaken us they will do so in the not sodistant future; simply because their labour and land costs are muchlower. We should not even think about Indonesia; for, as theirpolitical stability improves, their investments in oil palm andmanufacturing might help them overtake us.Where are our sources to finance and sustain our current level ofeconomic growth? Pua's answer is "from lottery money"! What hemeans is our oil and gas reserves; our Nature-given lottery. Or,simply put, from our own Global 100 Company - our national asset andsource of development funding. He says the current contribution ofPetronas to development funding is about RM53.7 billion or 46.8percent of the revenue sources.This, according to Pua is an unprecedented level of internaldevelopment funding whereas the original level of Petronas funding in2004 was only 25 percent, when Pak Lah Administration took over. Puaanticipates that Petronas' oil resources should run out by 2010 andasks the question: then what?Is this then wise and prudent development? And is our developmentexpenditure going towards value innovation? Will these monies, whichare the sources of all the so-called ECERs, going to create value orsimply only value-add to existing operations, thereby eroding thecompetitiveness of our economy?An even more pertinent question is: are the ECER sources of wealthcreation or really a one-off wealth distribution process viainfrastructure development, as the Multimedia Super Corridor has become?Bloated civil serviceThe most damning figures that Pua reflected upon were that the costof operating and developing the nation has dramatically jumped fromRM45.6 billion in 1998 to a potential RM128.9 billion in 2008; a 218percent increase over the last 10 years. [Note that the numbersquoted are purely 'operating expenditure' and doesn't actuallyinclude 'development expenditure']Another way to look at these figures is that this is the cost of the9th Malaysia Plan development. Even if we factor in inflation of anaverage of 3-4 percent, the 218 percent is not justifiable. Unless wecan say that development under Pak Lah is more pronounced than thatunder Dr Mahathir Mohamad, we have no logical explanation.Pua gave a tongue-in-cheek answer to this query: "We are buyingexpensive screw drivers and screwing ourselves up!" He was referringto the 2006 Auditor-General's Report which highlighted screwed upways of buying and paying for screw-drivers which appear to beillegitimised ways of stealing public funds through incompetent andcorrupt purchasing processes.To my mind, the real crooks are senior government servants (ascontrolling officers) who spent the budget without legitimateauthority. Surely both the Public Accounts Committee and the Anti-Corruption Agency could find out the whats and the whys, but is therereal political will to do so? It is definitely easier to go out andcatch the ikan bilis and make a big show of it.What do we then conclude about bad governance of this nation and itsresources? Words like integrity, honesty, and accountability, ringhollow when there is a serious lack of leadership integrity.Leadership integrity is upheld only when the leaders of anyorganisation say what they mean and actually mean what they say. Thenthey need do go out and do it.To reflect on poor governance, we only need to reflect on the size ofthe public services. Malaysia has the highest per capita publicservices in the region with about 4.68 percent, with Japan ournearest rival at about 3 percent. Every other country has a lower percapita of public servants.With a 35 percent increase in salaries for some ranks, is it unfairfor the population to expect good public services delivery? Instead,what we get one-eyed public service which selectively bulliesunsuspecting communities; protects the real crooks; destroyslegitimate places of worship; and condones the building of illegalones. I see a monstrosity in my neighbourhood, which was the rape ofa legitimate and legal playground, all in the name of religion anddevelopment.We see selective persecution and the closing of one eye when it suitsthe Little Emperors. In the meantime, the country loses itscompetitiveness; and slowly but surely loses its capacity for growth.Wake up Malaysia!
Yet Another Report on Reforming Higher Education!
M. Bakri Musa
SEEING IT MY WAY
Malaysiakini.com, Dec 21, 2007
It is a sure sign that local leaders are way over their heads (or refuse to make the tough decisions) when they start calling in expensive international consultants. This is the case with Higher Education Minister Mustapa Mohamad’s commissioning (together with the Economic Planning Unit of the Prime Minister’s Department) the World Bank that resulted in its report: Malaysia and the World Economy: Building a World-Class Higher Education System.
You can be certain that the report, 18 months in the making, was not cheap. That would be just the beginning. Consultants have a knack of making themselves indispensable, so expect even greater expenses when they are called in to help implement their recommendations.
Yet for all the expertise, wealth of data, and impressive comparative statistics presented in this 285-page report, its recommendations are nothing new or original. These include, among others, granting greater autonomy, meritocracy both in admitting students and recruiting faculty, rationalizing the role of the private sector, and emphasis on science, technology, and research.
What we lack is the political will to make the tough necessary decisions to implement them. Unfortunately no foreign experts no matter how skillful their powers of persuasion are can help in this arena. My only hope is that as those recommendations now carry the World Bank’s imprimatur, the natives are more likely to listen.
World Bank’s Report
The Report is conveniently divided into two parts. The first addresses or “diagnoses” the various issues like governance and financing, quality matters, graduate unemployment, and the integration of universities with the national innovation system. It begins by “benchmarking” Malaysia against selected OECD and East Asian countries. No marks for guessing where we stand; we are not even in the same league. For example, less than half the faculty at the University of Malaya, supposedly the nation’s premier, has terminal qualifications as compared to over 98 percent at Canada’s McGill.
The only point I see in making such obviously glaring comparisons is to wake up our leaders who are smugly satisfied as they are forever comparing Malaysia with the likes of Zimbabwe.
The specific recommendations are in the second part of the report.
The Report rightly highlights the universal dilemma of quality versus quantity with the democratization of higher education. One solution, which I recommend in my book An Education System Worthy of Malaysia would be to emulate California’s tiered model. Malaysia has adopted some aspects of this by designating selected institutions as “research universities.” Designating alone is not enough and would be counterproductive unless accompanied by other changes, like much greater autonomy and considerably increased funding.
The beauty of the California system is that there are enough commonalities and clearly defined channels to enable student to switch from one system to the other. This flexibility is necessary to accommodate changes in students’ plans.
Also notable with the California system is that each campus enjoys considerable autonomy, including choosing its own students and faculty. The central office serves only administrative functions like dealing with the legislature and managing the faculty’s pension plans.
In Malaysia, the ministry micromanages every campus, right down to choosing the color of the faculty lounge drapes. I wish the Report would emphasize this point. As University of Malaya Law Professor Azmi Sharom observed, if we really love our universities, we must free them. I would further suggest that Higher Education Minister Mustapa should listen more to professors like Azmi Sharom and less to UMNO Youth leaders, or even World Bank’s experts.
Problems with International Data
The report is inundated with cross-national statistics. While it is good to compare ourselves against others, we must first however be assured that we are using the same measuring stick. This is easier said than done.
Take the apparently straightforward data on years of schooling. This seemingly objective criterion is anything but. One does not have to be particularly perceptive to note that nine years of schooling in South Korea would produce a far superior graduate as compared to someone with many more years spent at an American inner city school. Likewise with comparing nominal figures on expenditures per student; a dollar at the University of Malaya would go a long way as compared to at the University of California.
If we are not careful we could be easily misled; we would then be better off without those statistics. At least a dead clock tells the right time twice a day; a malfunctioning clock never. Likewise with data; bad data is more damaging than no data. A bad compass is worse than no compass. With the latter you would not be misled, and you learn to use your senses.
Studies done on OECD countries indicate that it is not so much the years of schooling that matter with respect to labor productivity rather the workers’ actual language and mathematical skills. Harvard’s Robert Barro shows that it is not just any education system that enhances economic development rather one that emphasizes the sciences, technology and mathematics that is crucial.
This is clearly demonstrated in Malaysia. The government’s oft stated goal of 60:40 ratio favoring students in the science stream remains just that: a goal. More important than focusing on this thus far unattainable objective would be to raise the mathematical skills and science literacy of all our students. Most American universities require all their students to take a year of science and mathematics.
Malaysian data indicate that Malays have more years of schooling and fewer dropouts than non-Malays, in particular the Chinese. Yet the economic performance of Malays lags that of Chinese. The reason is obvious. The education of Malays is heavy on arts and religion; Chinese, science and technology. When Chinese students drop out, they work for their parents’ enterprises, be they mom-and-pop retail stores or roadside hawker stalls, where they learn important lessons of economics and life generally far more effectively than at school. Malay students would hang around waiting for government jobs. The only lesson they would learn in such an environment is that the world owes them a living.
There is however one comparative statistics worth noting: tuition fees differential between public and private institutions. In Malaysia it is about ten-fold whereas in America it is about a 3 to 5- fold difference. I would narrow this by increasing tuition at public universities, coupled with more generous students aid. This would generate more revenue as well as reduce the subsidy for rich students.
Timid Report
The Report soft-pedals two separate but interrelated crucial issues: one, the dangerous racial segregation of educational institutions at all levels; and two, the intrusive as well as destructive role of politics, in particular language nationalism.
The Bank advocates the giving of scholarships for students to attend private institutions as one way of making them reflect the greater Malaysian society. I would go further and make it a condition for granting of permits. I agree with the Bank that we should treat private and pubic institutions equally with regard to awarding research funds and other grants. If these institutions are doing good research and performing useful societal functions, what difference does it make whether they are public or private?
Politics underlie most if not all the problems of our education system. While it is impossible to divorce politics (institutions ultimately must respond to the political realities) nonetheless once certain objectives are agreed upon by the body politic, then let the professionals take over in implementing them.
Take the teaching of science and mathematics in English and the general need to enhance the English proficiency of our students. This decision was made at the highest political level, yet at the slightest obstacle in implementing, an otherwise sensible policy was reversed. It is such a flip-flopping that is so destructive.
The World Bank should have been more forceful in presenting its recommendations and in highlighting what ails our education system. Had the Bank done so it would have encouraged the many voices for reform from within. That might just nudge these politicians and bureaucrats to take the necessary bold steps.
M. Bakri Musa
SEEING IT MY WAY
Malaysiakini.com, Dec 21, 2007
It is a sure sign that local leaders are way over their heads (or refuse to make the tough decisions) when they start calling in expensive international consultants. This is the case with Higher Education Minister Mustapa Mohamad’s commissioning (together with the Economic Planning Unit of the Prime Minister’s Department) the World Bank that resulted in its report: Malaysia and the World Economy: Building a World-Class Higher Education System.
You can be certain that the report, 18 months in the making, was not cheap. That would be just the beginning. Consultants have a knack of making themselves indispensable, so expect even greater expenses when they are called in to help implement their recommendations.
Yet for all the expertise, wealth of data, and impressive comparative statistics presented in this 285-page report, its recommendations are nothing new or original. These include, among others, granting greater autonomy, meritocracy both in admitting students and recruiting faculty, rationalizing the role of the private sector, and emphasis on science, technology, and research.
What we lack is the political will to make the tough necessary decisions to implement them. Unfortunately no foreign experts no matter how skillful their powers of persuasion are can help in this arena. My only hope is that as those recommendations now carry the World Bank’s imprimatur, the natives are more likely to listen.
World Bank’s Report
The Report is conveniently divided into two parts. The first addresses or “diagnoses” the various issues like governance and financing, quality matters, graduate unemployment, and the integration of universities with the national innovation system. It begins by “benchmarking” Malaysia against selected OECD and East Asian countries. No marks for guessing where we stand; we are not even in the same league. For example, less than half the faculty at the University of Malaya, supposedly the nation’s premier, has terminal qualifications as compared to over 98 percent at Canada’s McGill.
The only point I see in making such obviously glaring comparisons is to wake up our leaders who are smugly satisfied as they are forever comparing Malaysia with the likes of Zimbabwe.
The specific recommendations are in the second part of the report.
The Report rightly highlights the universal dilemma of quality versus quantity with the democratization of higher education. One solution, which I recommend in my book An Education System Worthy of Malaysia would be to emulate California’s tiered model. Malaysia has adopted some aspects of this by designating selected institutions as “research universities.” Designating alone is not enough and would be counterproductive unless accompanied by other changes, like much greater autonomy and considerably increased funding.
The beauty of the California system is that there are enough commonalities and clearly defined channels to enable student to switch from one system to the other. This flexibility is necessary to accommodate changes in students’ plans.
Also notable with the California system is that each campus enjoys considerable autonomy, including choosing its own students and faculty. The central office serves only administrative functions like dealing with the legislature and managing the faculty’s pension plans.
In Malaysia, the ministry micromanages every campus, right down to choosing the color of the faculty lounge drapes. I wish the Report would emphasize this point. As University of Malaya Law Professor Azmi Sharom observed, if we really love our universities, we must free them. I would further suggest that Higher Education Minister Mustapa should listen more to professors like Azmi Sharom and less to UMNO Youth leaders, or even World Bank’s experts.
Problems with International Data
The report is inundated with cross-national statistics. While it is good to compare ourselves against others, we must first however be assured that we are using the same measuring stick. This is easier said than done.
Take the apparently straightforward data on years of schooling. This seemingly objective criterion is anything but. One does not have to be particularly perceptive to note that nine years of schooling in South Korea would produce a far superior graduate as compared to someone with many more years spent at an American inner city school. Likewise with comparing nominal figures on expenditures per student; a dollar at the University of Malaya would go a long way as compared to at the University of California.
If we are not careful we could be easily misled; we would then be better off without those statistics. At least a dead clock tells the right time twice a day; a malfunctioning clock never. Likewise with data; bad data is more damaging than no data. A bad compass is worse than no compass. With the latter you would not be misled, and you learn to use your senses.
Studies done on OECD countries indicate that it is not so much the years of schooling that matter with respect to labor productivity rather the workers’ actual language and mathematical skills. Harvard’s Robert Barro shows that it is not just any education system that enhances economic development rather one that emphasizes the sciences, technology and mathematics that is crucial.
This is clearly demonstrated in Malaysia. The government’s oft stated goal of 60:40 ratio favoring students in the science stream remains just that: a goal. More important than focusing on this thus far unattainable objective would be to raise the mathematical skills and science literacy of all our students. Most American universities require all their students to take a year of science and mathematics.
Malaysian data indicate that Malays have more years of schooling and fewer dropouts than non-Malays, in particular the Chinese. Yet the economic performance of Malays lags that of Chinese. The reason is obvious. The education of Malays is heavy on arts and religion; Chinese, science and technology. When Chinese students drop out, they work for their parents’ enterprises, be they mom-and-pop retail stores or roadside hawker stalls, where they learn important lessons of economics and life generally far more effectively than at school. Malay students would hang around waiting for government jobs. The only lesson they would learn in such an environment is that the world owes them a living.
There is however one comparative statistics worth noting: tuition fees differential between public and private institutions. In Malaysia it is about ten-fold whereas in America it is about a 3 to 5- fold difference. I would narrow this by increasing tuition at public universities, coupled with more generous students aid. This would generate more revenue as well as reduce the subsidy for rich students.
Timid Report
The Report soft-pedals two separate but interrelated crucial issues: one, the dangerous racial segregation of educational institutions at all levels; and two, the intrusive as well as destructive role of politics, in particular language nationalism.
The Bank advocates the giving of scholarships for students to attend private institutions as one way of making them reflect the greater Malaysian society. I would go further and make it a condition for granting of permits. I agree with the Bank that we should treat private and pubic institutions equally with regard to awarding research funds and other grants. If these institutions are doing good research and performing useful societal functions, what difference does it make whether they are public or private?
Politics underlie most if not all the problems of our education system. While it is impossible to divorce politics (institutions ultimately must respond to the political realities) nonetheless once certain objectives are agreed upon by the body politic, then let the professionals take over in implementing them.
Take the teaching of science and mathematics in English and the general need to enhance the English proficiency of our students. This decision was made at the highest political level, yet at the slightest obstacle in implementing, an otherwise sensible policy was reversed. It is such a flip-flopping that is so destructive.
The World Bank should have been more forceful in presenting its recommendations and in highlighting what ails our education system. Had the Bank done so it would have encouraged the many voices for reform from within. That might just nudge these politicians and bureaucrats to take the necessary bold steps.
Cut hanky-panky by lecturers on scholarship
A Malaysian Taxpayer Jan 11, 08 2:38pm
In its drive to fulfil the target of 70% PhD holders among lecturers across local government-funded universities, the Higher Education Ministry has been aggressively sending lecturers overseas to pursue their PhDs. These lecturers need to fulfil only two general conditions - obtaining a band of 6.5 in the International English Language Testing Service (IELTS) conducted by the British Council and second, be offered a place by a foreign university. Given the government’s move (as announced in the 2008 Budget) to double the cost of living allowances for students in countries like the UK, US, Australia, New Zealand and Canada, this suggests that our economy is good at the moment (Alhamdullilah!) and that the government has lots of taxpayers’ money at its disposal to send these lecturers overseas. Nevertheless, the ministry is not spending taxpayers’ money wisely by sending many of these lecturers overseas. Firstly, it is a fact, from the past records, that many lecturers who were sent overseas came home without a PhD (even though most of them proudly came home with a Mercedes). As such, the Higher Education Ministry should learn from their past mistake of sending the wrong candidates. Lecturers must prove their academic competency before they are funded by taxpayers’ money to go overseas. They must have published at least one journal article in English on their own accord and not on a ‘Ali Baba’ hitchhiking basis. Our taxpayers’ money will definitely go down the drain if these lecturers have problems in writing their theses in English and subsequently come home empty- handed (I mean, without a PhD). Just for public awareness, the Higher Education Ministry spends at least RM500,000 on a lecturer to do his/her PhD overseas.Secondly, it is a fact that almost all of these lecturers find themselves a job (or even jobs) while studying despite the two-fold or even ten-fold increase in their cost of living allowance. I know a few lecturers who are currently working in the UK, some part-time while others even full-time. They told me that it is perfectly fine to not complete their studies within the stipulated three-year period as the Higher Education Ministry will surely grant them a full-salary, six-month extension and more subsequent extensions. Aren’t these lecturers taking advantage of taxpayers’ money? Just look around and compare – self-funded PhD candidates will try to complete their studies within the shortest time possible while government-funded (or rather, taxpayers-funded) candidates will try to complete theirs in the longest possible time!Thirdly, why must the Higher Education Ministry send so many of these lecturers overseas when they can pursue similar courses at our local higher institutions at a fraction of the cost? Is it that our local universities have no ‘class’ at all ? May I suggest that the Higher Education Ministry spend taxpayers’ money wisely by not sending any Tom, Dick and Harry overseas when they do not have the aptitude to succeed. It is unfair to send the academically incompetent lecturers when many young, talented and academically bright Malaysians can be groomed to be future first-class lecturers who will in turn, transform the universities in which they serve into world-class universities. The current scenario is dismal where substandard local universities grant double awards - by giving the PhD students a full salary, a full scholarship and then a double bonus (eg. a three-fold increment in their salary and a promotion from DS45 to DS520 without even considering whether or not these lecturers possess that ‘mutu istimewa’ (special quality) as stipulated in the promotion circular. Lecturers were promoted despite their poor academic ability and a no-substance curriculum vitae, not even publishing in any national or regional journal articles, let alone international ones. Only substandard universities would consider promoting lecturers on the basis of one’s contribution in a managerial position and a few conference proceedings (these were not even peer reviewed and many lecturers share conference proceedings!). It is also an irony that despite the ‘40-years-old ruling’, our universities are still sending their academic staff who have already passed the 40-year-old age limit to pursue their studies locally or overseas on a full-pay full-scholarship. While taxpayers do support the advocated lifelong learning programme among Malaysians, it should not be at the expense of the taxpayer. It is not a good investment considering the huge cost and the number of years they are able to contribute upon their return from the three-year doctoral venture. Stop the rhetoric of ‘internal breeding’ as an excuse to send lecturers elsewhere for a PhD. They can always do a PhD in their respective universities under the supervision of an academically-capable supervisor.The Higher Education Ministry should monitor these ‘privileged lecturers’ while they are overseas to ensure that they fully concentrate on their studies rather than working and make some money on the side (possibly to buy a Mercedes). If they are unable to complete their studies within the stipulated three-year period, direct them to come home and not waste any more taxpayers’ money.In order to be at par with world-class universities, terms for Higher Education Ministry scholarships should be as firm and stringent as other prestigious scholarships. Then there will be no hanky-panky where a lecturer deliberately delays his/her thesis submission so as to gain extra mileage in getting full-pay full-scholarship extension. Finally, I have heard about lecturers who bring their family members overseas (of course, their whole family’s flight tickets are bought on taxpayers’ money) and then send their family members home secretly so that they can continue to enjoy or receive the full family allowances. The Higher Education Ministry should take disciplinary action against lecturers who claim family allowances when their families are actually residing in Malaysia. This is blatant cheating of the taxpayer as Higher Education Ministry staff are incompetent in their monitoring of such lecturers. Maybe the ACA can swing into action to bring these lecturers to justice.
A Malaysian Taxpayer Jan 11, 08 2:38pm
In its drive to fulfil the target of 70% PhD holders among lecturers across local government-funded universities, the Higher Education Ministry has been aggressively sending lecturers overseas to pursue their PhDs. These lecturers need to fulfil only two general conditions - obtaining a band of 6.5 in the International English Language Testing Service (IELTS) conducted by the British Council and second, be offered a place by a foreign university. Given the government’s move (as announced in the 2008 Budget) to double the cost of living allowances for students in countries like the UK, US, Australia, New Zealand and Canada, this suggests that our economy is good at the moment (Alhamdullilah!) and that the government has lots of taxpayers’ money at its disposal to send these lecturers overseas. Nevertheless, the ministry is not spending taxpayers’ money wisely by sending many of these lecturers overseas. Firstly, it is a fact, from the past records, that many lecturers who were sent overseas came home without a PhD (even though most of them proudly came home with a Mercedes). As such, the Higher Education Ministry should learn from their past mistake of sending the wrong candidates. Lecturers must prove their academic competency before they are funded by taxpayers’ money to go overseas. They must have published at least one journal article in English on their own accord and not on a ‘Ali Baba’ hitchhiking basis. Our taxpayers’ money will definitely go down the drain if these lecturers have problems in writing their theses in English and subsequently come home empty- handed (I mean, without a PhD). Just for public awareness, the Higher Education Ministry spends at least RM500,000 on a lecturer to do his/her PhD overseas.Secondly, it is a fact that almost all of these lecturers find themselves a job (or even jobs) while studying despite the two-fold or even ten-fold increase in their cost of living allowance. I know a few lecturers who are currently working in the UK, some part-time while others even full-time. They told me that it is perfectly fine to not complete their studies within the stipulated three-year period as the Higher Education Ministry will surely grant them a full-salary, six-month extension and more subsequent extensions. Aren’t these lecturers taking advantage of taxpayers’ money? Just look around and compare – self-funded PhD candidates will try to complete their studies within the shortest time possible while government-funded (or rather, taxpayers-funded) candidates will try to complete theirs in the longest possible time!Thirdly, why must the Higher Education Ministry send so many of these lecturers overseas when they can pursue similar courses at our local higher institutions at a fraction of the cost? Is it that our local universities have no ‘class’ at all ? May I suggest that the Higher Education Ministry spend taxpayers’ money wisely by not sending any Tom, Dick and Harry overseas when they do not have the aptitude to succeed. It is unfair to send the academically incompetent lecturers when many young, talented and academically bright Malaysians can be groomed to be future first-class lecturers who will in turn, transform the universities in which they serve into world-class universities. The current scenario is dismal where substandard local universities grant double awards - by giving the PhD students a full salary, a full scholarship and then a double bonus (eg. a three-fold increment in their salary and a promotion from DS45 to DS520 without even considering whether or not these lecturers possess that ‘mutu istimewa’ (special quality) as stipulated in the promotion circular. Lecturers were promoted despite their poor academic ability and a no-substance curriculum vitae, not even publishing in any national or regional journal articles, let alone international ones. Only substandard universities would consider promoting lecturers on the basis of one’s contribution in a managerial position and a few conference proceedings (these were not even peer reviewed and many lecturers share conference proceedings!). It is also an irony that despite the ‘40-years-old ruling’, our universities are still sending their academic staff who have already passed the 40-year-old age limit to pursue their studies locally or overseas on a full-pay full-scholarship. While taxpayers do support the advocated lifelong learning programme among Malaysians, it should not be at the expense of the taxpayer. It is not a good investment considering the huge cost and the number of years they are able to contribute upon their return from the three-year doctoral venture. Stop the rhetoric of ‘internal breeding’ as an excuse to send lecturers elsewhere for a PhD. They can always do a PhD in their respective universities under the supervision of an academically-capable supervisor.The Higher Education Ministry should monitor these ‘privileged lecturers’ while they are overseas to ensure that they fully concentrate on their studies rather than working and make some money on the side (possibly to buy a Mercedes). If they are unable to complete their studies within the stipulated three-year period, direct them to come home and not waste any more taxpayers’ money.In order to be at par with world-class universities, terms for Higher Education Ministry scholarships should be as firm and stringent as other prestigious scholarships. Then there will be no hanky-panky where a lecturer deliberately delays his/her thesis submission so as to gain extra mileage in getting full-pay full-scholarship extension. Finally, I have heard about lecturers who bring their family members overseas (of course, their whole family’s flight tickets are bought on taxpayers’ money) and then send their family members home secretly so that they can continue to enjoy or receive the full family allowances. The Higher Education Ministry should take disciplinary action against lecturers who claim family allowances when their families are actually residing in Malaysia. This is blatant cheating of the taxpayer as Higher Education Ministry staff are incompetent in their monitoring of such lecturers. Maybe the ACA can swing into action to bring these lecturers to justice.
http://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=99&artid=24058
Tamil youth of Malaysia: question of culture and empowerment[TamilNet, Friday, 21 December 2007, 17:00 GMT]If it could be realized that development, social empowerment and even winning a struggle are rather cultural than economic or political, then it won't be difficult to see that the problems of the Tamil Diaspora all over the world are more internal than external. The Tamil culture is one of the classical cultures of humanity. But if there is anything wrong in its contemporary manifestations, one shouldn't shy away from reform. The global Tamil Diaspora should come together in this regard and help each other by commonly addressing the cultural problems. The privileged and developed sections of the Tamil Diaspora bear more responsibility in this regard, writes Opinion Columnist Ampalam.
Opinion Columnist AmpalamThe Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) is one of the most impressive centers of the world's air traffic today. Its transit and departure terminal is a mini city by itself.However, anybody who is familiar with the multicultural fabric of Malaysia may wonder how the Tamil community that consists of nearly nine percent of the nation's population is not duly represented among the modern and dazzling lineup of ethnic food, curios and international chic. Other than a single bookshop, there seem to be no other business establishments run by Tamils. Even the bookshop, which displays books on world's languages, doesn't have one book on Tamil. At the same, one would be surprised to see that all the numerous toilets in the Airport are invariably maintained by Tamils.This is just a representative picture of the development disparity among the communities of modern Malaysia today, which is obvious for any outsider to understand.
* * *We are told that the thousands of Malaysian Tamil youth who went on a protest march against disparity in development carried pictures of Mahatma Gandhi and Pirapaharan. This led to paranoid elements in India, Sri Lanka and Malaysia becoming panicky and jumping to hastily drawn conclusions. It is now the beginnings of the demonisation of the Tamil identity beyond Sri Lanka.It is said that the youth carried those pictures as emotive symbols of extremity to highlight the choices left to them in the course of their struggle. If that was so, a structural interpretation would tell us that the frustration and resentment was directed more against India than against Malaysia, because both the symbols are meaningful antitheses especially to the Indian establishment today, which despises Gandhi secretly and Pirapakaran openly.
* * *Another noticeable feature of the protest was the Hindu banner under which it was carried out. If the protestors thought that a Hindu label would attract more attention and help from India, they were making a grave mistake. The Tamils in Malaysia in their origins don't belong to the social or economic elite of Hindus in India, in order for them to evoke sympathy from the Indian establishment.Only India might gain bargaining power by selling out the interests of its own Diaspora. Those who doubt this can always learn by seeing the example of the treatment meted out to the upcountry Tamils of Indian origin in Sri Lanka, whose rights were swapped in exchange for the global ambitions of India, right from the time of Nehru.The Hindu label for the protest march is also misleading as it doesn't include the Muslims, Christians and Sikhs of South Asian origin. The label is definitely not the appropriate symbol to represent the nature of the grievances of the oppressed masses of South Asian origin in Malaysia. It may only invite unwanted animosity from the Malay Muslim majority and serve those who exploit religious sentiments for political ambitions nationally and internationally. One has to go beyond religious fundamentalism to fight against it.The Tamil culture was never confined to a single religion in its long heritage. The Tamil language served a medium to almost all the major religions of the world, whether Buddhism, Jainism, Hinduism, Christianity, Islam or even to atheism.
* * *Ever since Narayanasamy Pillai, the lieutenant of Colonel Ruffles of the English East India Company brought in the labour force from his native place of Naakappaddinam, it was largely the poor, oppressed sections of Tamil people from the famine-stricken villages of Tamil Nadu who migrated to Singapore and Malaysia, then known as Straits Settlements, mostly to work in the tin mines and rubber estates.Many Tamils of Malaysia and Singapore may wonder how Thaippoosam, has today become the most important Hindu festival, nationally recognized in Malaysia and Singapore, whereas it has no significance in India, not even in Tamil Nadu.The full moon day of the month of Thai (Jan-Feb) in the Tamil luni-solar calendar, which occurs with the moon's transit through the Poosa constellation, was essentially an ancient Tamil festival of thanksgiving mentioned in the Theavaarams (the Tamil-Chaiva devotional hymns). If Thai-pongkal, the first day of Thai, is to offer new rice at home after harvest, Thai-poosam, the full moon day of the month is to offer it at temples. Even though both are non-Brahmin festivals, the latter is highly localized today and confined only to the agrarian folk in certain pockets in the Kaveri delta in Tamilnadu and Jaffna. It is also associated with the cult of the Tamil god Murukan.The prominence given to this festival by the Tamils of Malaysia and Singapore and the way it is celebrated reveal the socio-cultural context of the origins of a great portion of them and the myths of the subconscious mind that direct them. Understanding the background and the mindset is important to the Tamils as well as others in grasping what to look for and where to look for, to resolve matters related to the grievances of the Malaysian Tamil youth.The resentment of the Tamil Diaspora in Malaysia is not an isolated case. It is the same story all over the world with the Tamils. Disparity within the Indian community has even classified the gods and temples in Mauritius into two categories: 'Hindu' and 'Tamil'. The success of a few Tamils, belonging to the elite, priestly or mercantile communities, shouldn't be generalized as reflective of the condition of the Tamil Diaspora.
* * *The Naakappaddinam port in Tamil Nadu, from where the bulk of the South Asians went to Malaysia and Singapore in the colonial times, is the nearest point of navigation to and from Southeast Asia, following the Ten Degree Channel. The ship service was in operation until recent times.The Tamils of Jaffna origin in Malaysia and Singapore, disassociate themselves from the Indian Tamils and maintain a Ceylonese identity today. They are grouped along with Eurasians within one percent of the population in matters related to reservations. But, the Jaffna Tamils also migrated from the same Naakappaddinam port. The only difference was that their journey originated from the Kaankeasanthu'rai port in Jaffna to board the ship at Naakappaddinam. The two ports are only few miles apart on the opposite coasts of the entrance to the Palk Strait, and in those days it cost a mere 25 cents (one quarter of a rupee) of Ceylon money to travel from Kaankeasanthu'rai to Naakappaddinam by sailboats.Though they were only separated by a few miles of sea, there was a huge gulf in the status of the two Tamil communities. The educational institutions of Jaffna made all the difference at that time and there was no compulsion such as poverty as was in the case of the Indian Tamils. Today, the same situation has been reversed: migration forced upon by a civil war, coupled with declining educational opportunities and the resultant contemporary culture, has made recent sections of the Sri Lankan Tamil Diaspora suffer all over the world.
* * *If it could be realized that development, social empowerment and even winning a struggle are rather cultural than economic or political, then it won't be difficult to see that the problems of the Tamil Diaspora all over the world are more internal than external.The Tamil culture is one of the classical cultures of humanity. But if there is anything wrong in its contemporary manifestations, one shouldn't shy away from reform. The global Tamil Diaspora should come together in this regard and help each other by commonly addressing the cultural problems. The privileged and developed sections of the Tamil Diaspora bear more responsibility in this regard.By 'culture' the writer doesn't refer to what is commonly assumed: temples, festivals, dance, music, attire, obsolete ways of life and so on.Today what is meant by culture revolves around education, healthcare, social equality, gender equality, harmony with environment, freedom to choose the ways of life, economic and human resources, elite formation in the society, and above all, the capability of a society to contribute to humanity in general.The Diaspora Tamils should not expect much of these to come from India or Tamil Nadu. What is exported in the name of culture to the Diaspora is a combination of colonial Orientalism and Brahminism on one hand and the rhetoric and media of the Dravidian movement on the other hand which ultimately amuses us with the Sun TV brand of culture.
* * *Mr. Badawi has a great responsibility to handle the matter delicately. Development is always comparative. This is a question of disparity in the development of a national community which is backward in education, employment and resources, needing conducive institutions of contemporary culture. The discrepancies have to be acknowledged first. Show of violence by one side and oppression in handling it by the other are capable of producing backlashes. The Tamil community needs to be sympathetically helped and strengthened through proper social, cultural and economic institutions. If there are any hurdles for the self-generation of such institutions by the community itself, they should be given the priority for removal.The people to people contact of Tamils and Malays in ancient times contributed to the emergence of the first states in the Malay Peninsula. The Malay language and culture bear considerable traces of the long interaction with Tamils. Those who are familiar with Malay history will acknowledge that even the advent of Islam in the Sultanate of Malacca is traceable to the Tamils of Naakappaddinam. The present day Tamils, who shared a common colonial oppression along with the other communities of Malaysia, contributed immensely to the nation-building of Malaysia through hard labour. It is now Malaysia's turn to help them becoming on par with the other communities. As for the Tamil youth of Malaysia, it is futile to look upon the establishments at Delhi, Chennai or any other power centre of the world for help. For those who are seriously seeking inspirations, a corpus of international scholarship is already available to rediscover what is culture for social empowerment.
Tamil youth of Malaysia: question of culture and empowerment[TamilNet, Friday, 21 December 2007, 17:00 GMT]If it could be realized that development, social empowerment and even winning a struggle are rather cultural than economic or political, then it won't be difficult to see that the problems of the Tamil Diaspora all over the world are more internal than external. The Tamil culture is one of the classical cultures of humanity. But if there is anything wrong in its contemporary manifestations, one shouldn't shy away from reform. The global Tamil Diaspora should come together in this regard and help each other by commonly addressing the cultural problems. The privileged and developed sections of the Tamil Diaspora bear more responsibility in this regard, writes Opinion Columnist Ampalam.
Opinion Columnist AmpalamThe Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) is one of the most impressive centers of the world's air traffic today. Its transit and departure terminal is a mini city by itself.However, anybody who is familiar with the multicultural fabric of Malaysia may wonder how the Tamil community that consists of nearly nine percent of the nation's population is not duly represented among the modern and dazzling lineup of ethnic food, curios and international chic. Other than a single bookshop, there seem to be no other business establishments run by Tamils. Even the bookshop, which displays books on world's languages, doesn't have one book on Tamil. At the same, one would be surprised to see that all the numerous toilets in the Airport are invariably maintained by Tamils.This is just a representative picture of the development disparity among the communities of modern Malaysia today, which is obvious for any outsider to understand.
* * *We are told that the thousands of Malaysian Tamil youth who went on a protest march against disparity in development carried pictures of Mahatma Gandhi and Pirapaharan. This led to paranoid elements in India, Sri Lanka and Malaysia becoming panicky and jumping to hastily drawn conclusions. It is now the beginnings of the demonisation of the Tamil identity beyond Sri Lanka.It is said that the youth carried those pictures as emotive symbols of extremity to highlight the choices left to them in the course of their struggle. If that was so, a structural interpretation would tell us that the frustration and resentment was directed more against India than against Malaysia, because both the symbols are meaningful antitheses especially to the Indian establishment today, which despises Gandhi secretly and Pirapakaran openly.
* * *Another noticeable feature of the protest was the Hindu banner under which it was carried out. If the protestors thought that a Hindu label would attract more attention and help from India, they were making a grave mistake. The Tamils in Malaysia in their origins don't belong to the social or economic elite of Hindus in India, in order for them to evoke sympathy from the Indian establishment.Only India might gain bargaining power by selling out the interests of its own Diaspora. Those who doubt this can always learn by seeing the example of the treatment meted out to the upcountry Tamils of Indian origin in Sri Lanka, whose rights were swapped in exchange for the global ambitions of India, right from the time of Nehru.The Hindu label for the protest march is also misleading as it doesn't include the Muslims, Christians and Sikhs of South Asian origin. The label is definitely not the appropriate symbol to represent the nature of the grievances of the oppressed masses of South Asian origin in Malaysia. It may only invite unwanted animosity from the Malay Muslim majority and serve those who exploit religious sentiments for political ambitions nationally and internationally. One has to go beyond religious fundamentalism to fight against it.The Tamil culture was never confined to a single religion in its long heritage. The Tamil language served a medium to almost all the major religions of the world, whether Buddhism, Jainism, Hinduism, Christianity, Islam or even to atheism.
* * *Ever since Narayanasamy Pillai, the lieutenant of Colonel Ruffles of the English East India Company brought in the labour force from his native place of Naakappaddinam, it was largely the poor, oppressed sections of Tamil people from the famine-stricken villages of Tamil Nadu who migrated to Singapore and Malaysia, then known as Straits Settlements, mostly to work in the tin mines and rubber estates.Many Tamils of Malaysia and Singapore may wonder how Thaippoosam, has today become the most important Hindu festival, nationally recognized in Malaysia and Singapore, whereas it has no significance in India, not even in Tamil Nadu.The full moon day of the month of Thai (Jan-Feb) in the Tamil luni-solar calendar, which occurs with the moon's transit through the Poosa constellation, was essentially an ancient Tamil festival of thanksgiving mentioned in the Theavaarams (the Tamil-Chaiva devotional hymns). If Thai-pongkal, the first day of Thai, is to offer new rice at home after harvest, Thai-poosam, the full moon day of the month is to offer it at temples. Even though both are non-Brahmin festivals, the latter is highly localized today and confined only to the agrarian folk in certain pockets in the Kaveri delta in Tamilnadu and Jaffna. It is also associated with the cult of the Tamil god Murukan.The prominence given to this festival by the Tamils of Malaysia and Singapore and the way it is celebrated reveal the socio-cultural context of the origins of a great portion of them and the myths of the subconscious mind that direct them. Understanding the background and the mindset is important to the Tamils as well as others in grasping what to look for and where to look for, to resolve matters related to the grievances of the Malaysian Tamil youth.The resentment of the Tamil Diaspora in Malaysia is not an isolated case. It is the same story all over the world with the Tamils. Disparity within the Indian community has even classified the gods and temples in Mauritius into two categories: 'Hindu' and 'Tamil'. The success of a few Tamils, belonging to the elite, priestly or mercantile communities, shouldn't be generalized as reflective of the condition of the Tamil Diaspora.
* * *The Naakappaddinam port in Tamil Nadu, from where the bulk of the South Asians went to Malaysia and Singapore in the colonial times, is the nearest point of navigation to and from Southeast Asia, following the Ten Degree Channel. The ship service was in operation until recent times.The Tamils of Jaffna origin in Malaysia and Singapore, disassociate themselves from the Indian Tamils and maintain a Ceylonese identity today. They are grouped along with Eurasians within one percent of the population in matters related to reservations. But, the Jaffna Tamils also migrated from the same Naakappaddinam port. The only difference was that their journey originated from the Kaankeasanthu'rai port in Jaffna to board the ship at Naakappaddinam. The two ports are only few miles apart on the opposite coasts of the entrance to the Palk Strait, and in those days it cost a mere 25 cents (one quarter of a rupee) of Ceylon money to travel from Kaankeasanthu'rai to Naakappaddinam by sailboats.Though they were only separated by a few miles of sea, there was a huge gulf in the status of the two Tamil communities. The educational institutions of Jaffna made all the difference at that time and there was no compulsion such as poverty as was in the case of the Indian Tamils. Today, the same situation has been reversed: migration forced upon by a civil war, coupled with declining educational opportunities and the resultant contemporary culture, has made recent sections of the Sri Lankan Tamil Diaspora suffer all over the world.
* * *If it could be realized that development, social empowerment and even winning a struggle are rather cultural than economic or political, then it won't be difficult to see that the problems of the Tamil Diaspora all over the world are more internal than external.The Tamil culture is one of the classical cultures of humanity. But if there is anything wrong in its contemporary manifestations, one shouldn't shy away from reform. The global Tamil Diaspora should come together in this regard and help each other by commonly addressing the cultural problems. The privileged and developed sections of the Tamil Diaspora bear more responsibility in this regard.By 'culture' the writer doesn't refer to what is commonly assumed: temples, festivals, dance, music, attire, obsolete ways of life and so on.Today what is meant by culture revolves around education, healthcare, social equality, gender equality, harmony with environment, freedom to choose the ways of life, economic and human resources, elite formation in the society, and above all, the capability of a society to contribute to humanity in general.The Diaspora Tamils should not expect much of these to come from India or Tamil Nadu. What is exported in the name of culture to the Diaspora is a combination of colonial Orientalism and Brahminism on one hand and the rhetoric and media of the Dravidian movement on the other hand which ultimately amuses us with the Sun TV brand of culture.
* * *Mr. Badawi has a great responsibility to handle the matter delicately. Development is always comparative. This is a question of disparity in the development of a national community which is backward in education, employment and resources, needing conducive institutions of contemporary culture. The discrepancies have to be acknowledged first. Show of violence by one side and oppression in handling it by the other are capable of producing backlashes. The Tamil community needs to be sympathetically helped and strengthened through proper social, cultural and economic institutions. If there are any hurdles for the self-generation of such institutions by the community itself, they should be given the priority for removal.The people to people contact of Tamils and Malays in ancient times contributed to the emergence of the first states in the Malay Peninsula. The Malay language and culture bear considerable traces of the long interaction with Tamils. Those who are familiar with Malay history will acknowledge that even the advent of Islam in the Sultanate of Malacca is traceable to the Tamils of Naakappaddinam. The present day Tamils, who shared a common colonial oppression along with the other communities of Malaysia, contributed immensely to the nation-building of Malaysia through hard labour. It is now Malaysia's turn to help them becoming on par with the other communities. As for the Tamil youth of Malaysia, it is futile to look upon the establishments at Delhi, Chennai or any other power centre of the world for help. For those who are seriously seeking inspirations, a corpus of international scholarship is already available to rediscover what is culture for social empowerment.
'Who are you to rebuke politicians?'
Chua Sue-Ann Jan 8, 08 1:52pm
Umno Youth deputy chief Khairy Jamaluddin’s call on everyone to stop speculating on the general election date has ruffled Opposition Leader Lim Kit Siang. “Who is Khairy Jamaluddin to tell everyone, including ministers, to stop speculating on when the general election would be held when he has not even been elected as a member of parliament?” asked Lim rhetorically in a statement.
Lim also asserted that although it was the prime minister’s prerogative to call for elections, it is the right of every Malaysian to speculate on its dates.
“Of course, everybody knows that he (Khairy) is the most powerful man in the country, presiding over the fourth storey of Prime Minister's Office in Putrajaya and who controls and manipulates the Prime Minister's moves and decision-making.“But such unaccountable and even unconstitutional exercise of power should not get to his head to make him publicly rebuke ministers for speculating when the next general election would be held...,” added Lim.“Of course, there will be those who will argue that this prerogative of the prime minister to decide when to call for election has been usurped by Khairy. “Whatever the truth, there can be no doubt that next to Abdullah, Khairy would be the first to know when the next general election would be held.”
The prime minister's son-in-law was quoted as saying in the New Straits Times today that it was the prime minister’s sole prerogative to decide on the election date.
"I do not understand why everyone from the politicians to the Election Commission chairman is speculating on the election date,” said Khairy.
Speculations rifePrime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi had been widely expected to call the general election early this year but there are speculations about a sudden reservation on the government’s part due to the recent issues of street protests, a minister’s sex scandal and public anger over high fuel and food prices.Natural Resources and Environment Minister Azmi Khalid and Election Commission chairman Abdul Rashid Abdul Rahman are amongst those who have recently been quoted to predicting the impending general elections"When I say the election is around the corner, you better believe me because it is not a joke," Abdul Rashid was quoted as saying in the media.The Star had also reported that all leave applications for police officers would not be entertained, indicating that preparations for elections are well underway.While Chinese daily Nanyang Siang Pau quoted sources who speculated that the elections will be held 100 days from the end of 2007.Lim could not resist adding his own speculation, stating that the parliament could be dissolved during Chinese New Year.“Considering that the Umno general assembly could be held on Deepavali, utterly insensitive of the religious festival of the Hindus, I do not rule out parliament being dissolved during the Chinese New Year, even before Chap Goh Mei on Feb 21, 2008,” he said.
Chua Sue-Ann Jan 8, 08 1:52pm
Umno Youth deputy chief Khairy Jamaluddin’s call on everyone to stop speculating on the general election date has ruffled Opposition Leader Lim Kit Siang. “Who is Khairy Jamaluddin to tell everyone, including ministers, to stop speculating on when the general election would be held when he has not even been elected as a member of parliament?” asked Lim rhetorically in a statement.
Lim also asserted that although it was the prime minister’s prerogative to call for elections, it is the right of every Malaysian to speculate on its dates.
“Of course, everybody knows that he (Khairy) is the most powerful man in the country, presiding over the fourth storey of Prime Minister's Office in Putrajaya and who controls and manipulates the Prime Minister's moves and decision-making.“But such unaccountable and even unconstitutional exercise of power should not get to his head to make him publicly rebuke ministers for speculating when the next general election would be held...,” added Lim.“Of course, there will be those who will argue that this prerogative of the prime minister to decide when to call for election has been usurped by Khairy. “Whatever the truth, there can be no doubt that next to Abdullah, Khairy would be the first to know when the next general election would be held.”
The prime minister's son-in-law was quoted as saying in the New Straits Times today that it was the prime minister’s sole prerogative to decide on the election date.
"I do not understand why everyone from the politicians to the Election Commission chairman is speculating on the election date,” said Khairy.
Speculations rifePrime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi had been widely expected to call the general election early this year but there are speculations about a sudden reservation on the government’s part due to the recent issues of street protests, a minister’s sex scandal and public anger over high fuel and food prices.Natural Resources and Environment Minister Azmi Khalid and Election Commission chairman Abdul Rashid Abdul Rahman are amongst those who have recently been quoted to predicting the impending general elections"When I say the election is around the corner, you better believe me because it is not a joke," Abdul Rashid was quoted as saying in the media.The Star had also reported that all leave applications for police officers would not be entertained, indicating that preparations for elections are well underway.While Chinese daily Nanyang Siang Pau quoted sources who speculated that the elections will be held 100 days from the end of 2007.Lim could not resist adding his own speculation, stating that the parliament could be dissolved during Chinese New Year.“Considering that the Umno general assembly could be held on Deepavali, utterly insensitive of the religious festival of the Hindus, I do not rule out parliament being dissolved during the Chinese New Year, even before Chap Goh Mei on Feb 21, 2008,” he said.
Malaysia's Muslims upset other faith groups
Posted by Raja Petra
Wednesday, 09 January 2008
(Religious Intelligence) - HINDUS have been joined by other faith groups in Malaysia in protesting about new laws that will limit the allocation of visas to non-Muslim priests working there.
The head of the Malaysian Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism, said that the new rules would mainly affect Hindus as they made up the majority of foreign clergy working in the country.
He added that the new rules were already having an impact as clergy already working there have been issued with only six-month extensions to their visas, and told that they must leave the country when they expire.
Council president A Vaithilingam, himself a Hindu, said he was shocked at the new rules as previously the immigration authorities had carried out negotiations with religious groups in the past.
And it is not only clergy who will be affected. He said that visas for temple musicians had been reduced from one year to six months, and temple sculptors had theirs reduced from six months to one week.
"Why are they carrying out the sudden action to restrict foreign priests from practicing in the country when there are millions of foreign workers who are allowed to work here," he said.
This is the latest development in an ongoing row between Malaysia’s Muslims and those of other faiths. ReligiousIntelligence.com reported yesterday that a Government decree banning non-Muslims from using the word ‘Allah’ has been branded an affront to religious liberties by a Malaysian Christian group.
Last month British Hindus claimed that Muslims in Malaysia have been denying the Hindu minority of freedom of worship, tearing down Hindu temples, including the destruction of the over 100-year-old Maha Mariaman temple at Pendang Java.
Ethnic Indians in Malaysia have claimed they are being discriminated against by the majority Muslim Malays. But Taoists have also complained after they were blocked from constructing a statue.
Posted by Raja Petra
Wednesday, 09 January 2008
(Religious Intelligence) - HINDUS have been joined by other faith groups in Malaysia in protesting about new laws that will limit the allocation of visas to non-Muslim priests working there.
The head of the Malaysian Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism, said that the new rules would mainly affect Hindus as they made up the majority of foreign clergy working in the country.
He added that the new rules were already having an impact as clergy already working there have been issued with only six-month extensions to their visas, and told that they must leave the country when they expire.
Council president A Vaithilingam, himself a Hindu, said he was shocked at the new rules as previously the immigration authorities had carried out negotiations with religious groups in the past.
And it is not only clergy who will be affected. He said that visas for temple musicians had been reduced from one year to six months, and temple sculptors had theirs reduced from six months to one week.
"Why are they carrying out the sudden action to restrict foreign priests from practicing in the country when there are millions of foreign workers who are allowed to work here," he said.
This is the latest development in an ongoing row between Malaysia’s Muslims and those of other faiths. ReligiousIntelligence.com reported yesterday that a Government decree banning non-Muslims from using the word ‘Allah’ has been branded an affront to religious liberties by a Malaysian Christian group.
Last month British Hindus claimed that Muslims in Malaysia have been denying the Hindu minority of freedom of worship, tearing down Hindu temples, including the destruction of the over 100-year-old Maha Mariaman temple at Pendang Java.
Ethnic Indians in Malaysia have claimed they are being discriminated against by the majority Muslim Malays. But Taoists have also complained after they were blocked from constructing a statue.
Utusan Malaysia, 4 Januari 2008Oleh: ZUARIDA MOHYIN
MUHAMMAD Chan Abdullah bersama anak sulungnya, Amos Chan di hadapan restoran yang terletak di Jalan Melati, Bandar Bukit Beruntung, Rawang, Selangor.
KEINGINAN Chan Chean Chuan atau nama Islamnya, Muhammad Chan Abdullah mengucap dua kalimah syahadah berputik sejak enam tahun lalu. Namun, hasrat tersebut terpaksa dipendamkan demi menjaga hati semua pihak terutamanya kedua-dua ibu bapa dan keluarga terdekat.
Pada waktu itu juga, kesihatan Chean Chuan ibarat nyawa-nyawa ikan. Doktor bagai sudah putus harapan dengan menyarankan agar beliau dibawa pulang ke rumah.
"Sejak disahkan menghidap penyakit buah pinggang pada tahap kronik, kehidupan saya berubah sama sekali.
"Rutin seharian saya dihabiskan dengan berbaring di kerusi malas. Saya rasa tidak bermaya langsung, cepat letih dan mengalami bengkak-bengkak keseluruhan badan, walaupun telah diberikan suntikan bagi membolehkan saya membuang air kecil. .
"Sayangnya, rawatan itu tidak berfungsi malah saya terpaksa menanggung kesakitan yang amat sangat, kesan pengambilan ubatan itu," kata Muhammad Chan, 55, yang kini sudah sembuh sepenuhnya selepas puas berikhtiar.
Seperkara yang diakui Muhammad Chan mengenai beberapa asbab yang membawa kepada pengislamannya, selain menggemari kelunakan bilal melaungkan azan, meskipun tidak memahami maksudnya, beliau juga tertarik dengan salah satu ibadat wajib bagi penganut agama Islam iaitu melihat mereka mendirikan solat terutamanya solat Jumaat.
Katanya, melihat umat Islam berjemaah membuktikan satu disiplin serta kesatuan yang teguh. Kewajipan mendirikan solat lima waktu dalam sehari malah tidak termasuk solat sunat yang lain, turut menjelaskan betapa rapatnya hubungan seseorang Muslim itu dengan Allah. Ia secara tidak langsung menyedarkan saya betapa kita perlu kepada-Nya walau sesibuk manapun kita.
"Ini tidak pula kalau kita lihat kepada ibadat puasa, zakat dan lain-lain. Hakikatnya, syariat di dalam agama Islam itu sesuai dengan fitrah manusia. Malah Islam itu merangkumi segala aspek dalam kehidupan. Yang pastinya, Islam itu tidaklah terlalu susah kalau hati kita benar-benar inginkannya ditambah dengan hidayah yang diterima.
"Sebenarnya, saya sudah lama berkehendak kepada agama Islam ini tetapi pada masa itu, saya tidak tahu bagaimana caranya. Sehinggalah bila saya berjumpa dengan seorang teman dan dia membawa saya ke Pejabat Agama Islam di Kuala Kubu Baru, Hulu Selangor untuk melakukan pengislaman," terang Muhammad Chan yang mengucap dua kalimah syahadah setahun lalu.
Menariknya tentang kisah pengislaman anak kedua daripada empat adik-beradik ini, keputusannya bergelar Muslim langsung tidak mendapat tentang ahli keluarga yang lain, waima isteri dan tiga anaknya.
Kemanisan pengislaman Muhammad Chan tambah bermakna apabila isterinya juga menurut jejak langkah bergelar Muslim tiga bulan kemudian dengan menggunakan nama, Aminah Lee Abdullah.
Pengislamannya dilakukan oleh ustaz Yusuf Abdullah di Pejabat Agama Islam Kuala Kubu Baru, Hulu Selangor.
Lazimnya, anak-anak dan adik-beradik akan menentang apabila diberitahu bahawa ayah atau adik mereka hendak masuk Islam. Namun berlainan pula reaksi yang dialami oleh pasangan Muhammad Chan dan Aminah Lee.
"Sebelum saya memeluk Islam, saya ada beritahu abang sulung. Saya agak terkejut kerana abang saya yang merupakan seorang penganut Buddha yang taat dan pengamal vegetarian hampir 15 tahun, langsung tidak menentang.
"Malah dia menasihatkan saya agar menjadi seorang Muslim yang sejati bukan atas dasar suka-suka ataupun berkepentingan lain," kata Muhammad Chan yang sentiasa murah dengan senyuman.
Malah ditanya kepada anak sulung Muhammad Chan iaitu Amos Chan, 31, katanya: "Agama Islam bukanlah asing bagi saya. Ini kerana saya banyak bergaul dengan orang Islam sama ada di alam persekolahan mahupun pekerjaan.
"Jadi, apabila ayah dan ibu mengambil keputusan untuk memeluk Islam, kami tidak sekali-kali menganggapnya sebagai sesuatu yang memalukan malah kami hormati pilihan mereka berdua.
"Jika agama yang mereka pilih itu menggembirakan, tidak ada sebab kami adik-beradik menentang," kata Amos yang mengendalikan kilang pengeluaran jus minuman di Bandar Bukit Beruntung, Rawang, Selangor.
Di samping itu, akui Muhammad Chan, selepas bergelar Muslim, kehidupannya lebih tenang dan tenteram. Apatah lagi, dengan kenikmatan kesihatan yang sudah sihat sepenuhnya serta lebih memahami apa yang dimaksudkan nikmat sihat sebelum sakit.
Walau bagaimanapun, beliau akui mengalami cabaran di awal pengislaman iaitu dalam mendirikan solat terutamanya dari segi bacaan. Alhamdulillah, dengan adanya ilmu sewaktu mengikuti kursus-kursus jangka pendek anjuran Pejabat Agama Islam Kuala Kubu Baru dan mendapat bimbingan daripada ustaz Yusuf Abdullah serta ustaz-ustaz lain, perkara itu berjaya diatasi.
"Pokok pangkalnya, kita sendiri kenalah berusaha. Saya pernah pergi ke satu kursus di mana saya lihat dengan mata kepala saya sendiri, bagaimana orang yang Islam kerana sebab tertentu, bukan ikhlas kerana Allah. Saya jadi malu dan tidak menyangka ada yang berniat untuk kepentingan tertentu.
"Dalam bab belajar, saya percaya, di mana ada kemahuan, di situ ada jalan. Malah Allah telah berjanji mempermudahkan setiap usaha terutamanya kepada hamba-Nya yang berusaha ke arah lebih mengenali dan memahami Islam, insya-Allah," jelas Muhammad Chan yang gembira bisnes kedai makannya kini semakin mendapat sambutan sejak pembukaannya kira-kira tujuh bulan lalu.
Ustaz Yusuf Abdullah yang turut serta dalam pertemuan pada pagi Krismas itu mengakui, semenjak mengenali Muhammad Chan sewaktu mengislamkan Aminah Lee, komitmen pasangan ini kepada Islam contohnya dalam melaksanakan solat, puasa wajar dicontohi golongan mualaf lain.
"Apabila saya diminta untuk menyamak kedai makannya, saya agak terkejut dengan keprihatinannya yang belum setahun memeluk Islam. Ditambah pula, kedainya turut menyediakan kemudahan bilik solat kepada pelanggan. Ini juga memudahkan dirinya, isteri dan pekerja Muslim melaksanakan ibadat solat.
"Beliau juga seorang yang pemurah dan sentiasa ingin belajar walaupun secara tidak formal dengan tidak malu bertanya berkaitan amal ibadat yang sukar difahami.
"Saya yakin, sebab itulah bisnes yang diusahakan berjalan lancar selain penyediaan makanan dan minuman yang sedap dan cepat serta pengunjung berpeluang menikmati pelbagai juadah masakan Cina," katanya yang berbangga dengan Muhammad Chan.
MUHAMMAD Chan Abdullah bersama anak sulungnya, Amos Chan di hadapan restoran yang terletak di Jalan Melati, Bandar Bukit Beruntung, Rawang, Selangor.
KEINGINAN Chan Chean Chuan atau nama Islamnya, Muhammad Chan Abdullah mengucap dua kalimah syahadah berputik sejak enam tahun lalu. Namun, hasrat tersebut terpaksa dipendamkan demi menjaga hati semua pihak terutamanya kedua-dua ibu bapa dan keluarga terdekat.
Pada waktu itu juga, kesihatan Chean Chuan ibarat nyawa-nyawa ikan. Doktor bagai sudah putus harapan dengan menyarankan agar beliau dibawa pulang ke rumah.
"Sejak disahkan menghidap penyakit buah pinggang pada tahap kronik, kehidupan saya berubah sama sekali.
"Rutin seharian saya dihabiskan dengan berbaring di kerusi malas. Saya rasa tidak bermaya langsung, cepat letih dan mengalami bengkak-bengkak keseluruhan badan, walaupun telah diberikan suntikan bagi membolehkan saya membuang air kecil. .
"Sayangnya, rawatan itu tidak berfungsi malah saya terpaksa menanggung kesakitan yang amat sangat, kesan pengambilan ubatan itu," kata Muhammad Chan, 55, yang kini sudah sembuh sepenuhnya selepas puas berikhtiar.
Seperkara yang diakui Muhammad Chan mengenai beberapa asbab yang membawa kepada pengislamannya, selain menggemari kelunakan bilal melaungkan azan, meskipun tidak memahami maksudnya, beliau juga tertarik dengan salah satu ibadat wajib bagi penganut agama Islam iaitu melihat mereka mendirikan solat terutamanya solat Jumaat.
Katanya, melihat umat Islam berjemaah membuktikan satu disiplin serta kesatuan yang teguh. Kewajipan mendirikan solat lima waktu dalam sehari malah tidak termasuk solat sunat yang lain, turut menjelaskan betapa rapatnya hubungan seseorang Muslim itu dengan Allah. Ia secara tidak langsung menyedarkan saya betapa kita perlu kepada-Nya walau sesibuk manapun kita.
"Ini tidak pula kalau kita lihat kepada ibadat puasa, zakat dan lain-lain. Hakikatnya, syariat di dalam agama Islam itu sesuai dengan fitrah manusia. Malah Islam itu merangkumi segala aspek dalam kehidupan. Yang pastinya, Islam itu tidaklah terlalu susah kalau hati kita benar-benar inginkannya ditambah dengan hidayah yang diterima.
"Sebenarnya, saya sudah lama berkehendak kepada agama Islam ini tetapi pada masa itu, saya tidak tahu bagaimana caranya. Sehinggalah bila saya berjumpa dengan seorang teman dan dia membawa saya ke Pejabat Agama Islam di Kuala Kubu Baru, Hulu Selangor untuk melakukan pengislaman," terang Muhammad Chan yang mengucap dua kalimah syahadah setahun lalu.
Menariknya tentang kisah pengislaman anak kedua daripada empat adik-beradik ini, keputusannya bergelar Muslim langsung tidak mendapat tentang ahli keluarga yang lain, waima isteri dan tiga anaknya.
Kemanisan pengislaman Muhammad Chan tambah bermakna apabila isterinya juga menurut jejak langkah bergelar Muslim tiga bulan kemudian dengan menggunakan nama, Aminah Lee Abdullah.
Pengislamannya dilakukan oleh ustaz Yusuf Abdullah di Pejabat Agama Islam Kuala Kubu Baru, Hulu Selangor.
Lazimnya, anak-anak dan adik-beradik akan menentang apabila diberitahu bahawa ayah atau adik mereka hendak masuk Islam. Namun berlainan pula reaksi yang dialami oleh pasangan Muhammad Chan dan Aminah Lee.
"Sebelum saya memeluk Islam, saya ada beritahu abang sulung. Saya agak terkejut kerana abang saya yang merupakan seorang penganut Buddha yang taat dan pengamal vegetarian hampir 15 tahun, langsung tidak menentang.
"Malah dia menasihatkan saya agar menjadi seorang Muslim yang sejati bukan atas dasar suka-suka ataupun berkepentingan lain," kata Muhammad Chan yang sentiasa murah dengan senyuman.
Malah ditanya kepada anak sulung Muhammad Chan iaitu Amos Chan, 31, katanya: "Agama Islam bukanlah asing bagi saya. Ini kerana saya banyak bergaul dengan orang Islam sama ada di alam persekolahan mahupun pekerjaan.
"Jadi, apabila ayah dan ibu mengambil keputusan untuk memeluk Islam, kami tidak sekali-kali menganggapnya sebagai sesuatu yang memalukan malah kami hormati pilihan mereka berdua.
"Jika agama yang mereka pilih itu menggembirakan, tidak ada sebab kami adik-beradik menentang," kata Amos yang mengendalikan kilang pengeluaran jus minuman di Bandar Bukit Beruntung, Rawang, Selangor.
Di samping itu, akui Muhammad Chan, selepas bergelar Muslim, kehidupannya lebih tenang dan tenteram. Apatah lagi, dengan kenikmatan kesihatan yang sudah sihat sepenuhnya serta lebih memahami apa yang dimaksudkan nikmat sihat sebelum sakit.
Walau bagaimanapun, beliau akui mengalami cabaran di awal pengislaman iaitu dalam mendirikan solat terutamanya dari segi bacaan. Alhamdulillah, dengan adanya ilmu sewaktu mengikuti kursus-kursus jangka pendek anjuran Pejabat Agama Islam Kuala Kubu Baru dan mendapat bimbingan daripada ustaz Yusuf Abdullah serta ustaz-ustaz lain, perkara itu berjaya diatasi.
"Pokok pangkalnya, kita sendiri kenalah berusaha. Saya pernah pergi ke satu kursus di mana saya lihat dengan mata kepala saya sendiri, bagaimana orang yang Islam kerana sebab tertentu, bukan ikhlas kerana Allah. Saya jadi malu dan tidak menyangka ada yang berniat untuk kepentingan tertentu.
"Dalam bab belajar, saya percaya, di mana ada kemahuan, di situ ada jalan. Malah Allah telah berjanji mempermudahkan setiap usaha terutamanya kepada hamba-Nya yang berusaha ke arah lebih mengenali dan memahami Islam, insya-Allah," jelas Muhammad Chan yang gembira bisnes kedai makannya kini semakin mendapat sambutan sejak pembukaannya kira-kira tujuh bulan lalu.
Ustaz Yusuf Abdullah yang turut serta dalam pertemuan pada pagi Krismas itu mengakui, semenjak mengenali Muhammad Chan sewaktu mengislamkan Aminah Lee, komitmen pasangan ini kepada Islam contohnya dalam melaksanakan solat, puasa wajar dicontohi golongan mualaf lain.
"Apabila saya diminta untuk menyamak kedai makannya, saya agak terkejut dengan keprihatinannya yang belum setahun memeluk Islam. Ditambah pula, kedainya turut menyediakan kemudahan bilik solat kepada pelanggan. Ini juga memudahkan dirinya, isteri dan pekerja Muslim melaksanakan ibadat solat.
"Beliau juga seorang yang pemurah dan sentiasa ingin belajar walaupun secara tidak formal dengan tidak malu bertanya berkaitan amal ibadat yang sukar difahami.
"Saya yakin, sebab itulah bisnes yang diusahakan berjalan lancar selain penyediaan makanan dan minuman yang sedap dan cepat serta pengunjung berpeluang menikmati pelbagai juadah masakan Cina," katanya yang berbangga dengan Muhammad Chan.
Confirmed: Barack Obama Practiced Islam
by Daniel PipesFrontPageMagazine.comJanuary 7, 2008http://www.danielpipes.org/article/5354
In a recent analysis, "Was Barack Obama a Muslim?" I surveyed available evidence and found it suggests "Obama was born a Muslim to a non-practicing Muslim father and for some years had a reasonably Muslim upbringing under the auspices of his Indonesian step-father." In response, David Brock's organization, Media Matters for America (MMfA), which calls itself a "progressive research and information center dedicated to comprehensively monitoring, analyzing, and correcting conservative misinformation in the U.S. media," has criticized one of my sources of information.
MMfA contends in "Daniel Pipes relied on disputed LA Times article to revive Obama-Muslim falsehood," that "key aspects" of a March 16, 2007, Los Angeles Times article I quoted were later challenged by another newspaper account, "History of schooling distorted," by Kim Barker in the Chicago Tribune on March 25.
Falsehood? That's a strong word.
To assess MMfA's claim, let's review its preferred article and examine what Barker has to say on four topics related to Obama's Indonesian years, 1967-71:
His attendance at a Catholic school;
His attendance at a public school;
His step-father, Lolo Soetoro; and
His friend, Zulfan Adi.
To start with, about the Catholic school, Fransiskus Strada Asisia, which Obama attended 1967-70 (words in square brackets are added by me):
Interviews with dozens of former classmates, teachers, neighbors and friends show that Obama was not a regular practicing Muslim when he was in Indonesia, despite being listed as a Muslim on the registration form for the Catholic school, Strada Asisia, where he attended 1st through 3rd grades. At the time, the school most likely registered children based on the religion of their fathers, said [Israella Pareira] Darmawan, Obama's former [1st-grade] teacher. Because Soetoro was a Muslim, Obama was listed as a Muslim, she said.
The enrollment form from the Catholic school, which has been cited as evidence that Obama was a Muslim in Indonesia [including by the Los Angeles Times], also was rife with errors. It listed Obama as an Indonesian, listed his previous school incorrectly and failed to list his mother, Ann, at all.
Barack Obama with his public school classmates in Indonesia.About Obama's time at a public elementary school, 1970-71, variously known as the Sekolah Dasar Nasional Menteng No. 1 or the Basuki school, Barker writes:
When Obama attended 4th grade in 1971, Muslim children spent two hours a week studying Islam, and Christian children spent those two hours learning about the Christian religion.
During a recent visit to this public school, Barker found that
Weekly religious classes are required for all students, whether Muslims, Christians or Hindus, under the government curriculum. A new shiny mosque is in the corner of the courtyard. "The Muslims learn about Islam, prayer and religious activity," said Hardi Priyono, the vice principal for curriculum. "And for the Christians, during the religious class, they also have a special room teaching Christianity. It's always been like that."
About Obama's step-father, Lolo Soetoro and his religiosity, Barker writes:
In their first neighborhood, Obama occasionally followed his stepfather to the mosque for Friday prayers, a few neighbors said. But Soetoro usually was too busy working, first for the Indonesian army and later for a Western oil company. "Sometimes Lolo went to the mosque to pray, but he rarely socialized with people," said Fermina Katarina Sinaga, Obama's 3rd-grade teacher at the Catholic school, who lived near the family. "Rarely, Barry [a nickname for Barack] went to the mosque with Lolo."
Barker learned from his friends and family that Lolo Soetoro, who died in 1987, was "much more of a free spirit than a devout Muslim" and "hardly the image of a pious Muslim."
His nephew, Sonny Trisulo, 49, said Soetoro always liked women and alcohol. One of his health problems was a failing liver. "He loved drinking, was a smart and warm person, the naughtiest one in the family," Trisulo recalled.
As for Zulfan Adi, cited in the Los Angeles Times piece:
Zulfan Adi, a former neighborhood playmate of Obama's who has been cited in news reports as saying Obama regularly attended Friday prayers with Soetoro, told the Tribune he was not certain about that when pressed about his recollections. He only knew Obama for a few months, during 1970, when his family moved to the neighborhood.
Does any of the above information from the Chicago Tribune article refute my analysis, as MMfA contends? It raises questions about two details in the Los Angeles Times account (the accuracy of the Catholic school's registration form and the reliability of Zulfan Adi as a source on Obama). But on the larger issue of Obama's religious practices during his Jakarta years, it confirms the Times account. Note in particular three excerpts from Barker's article:
"Interviews with dozens of former classmates, teachers, neighbors and friends show that Obama was not a regular practicing Muslim when he was in Indonesia" – implying he was an irregularly practicing Muslim.
"Obama occasionally followed his stepfather to the mosque for Friday prayers, a few neighbors said" – confirming that he did pray in the mosque.
"Obama's 3rd-grade teacher at the Catholic school, who lived near the family [said that] ‘Rarely, Barry went to the mosque with Lolo'" – confirming that Obama attended mosque services.
All this matters, for if Obama once was a Muslim, he is now what Islamic law calls a murtadd (apostate), an ex-Muslim converted to another religion who must be executed. Were he elected president of the United States, this status, clearly, would have large potential implications for his relationship with the Muslim world.
In sum: Obama was an irregularly practicing Muslim who rarely or occasionally prayed with his step-father in a mosque. This precisely substantiates my statement that he "for some years had a reasonably Muslim upbringing under the auspices of his Indonesian step-father."
Therefore, what MMfA calls the "Obama-Muslim falsehood" is in fact confirmed by both articles as truthful and accurate.
Calling this a falsehood is in itself a falsehood.
by Daniel PipesFrontPageMagazine.comJanuary 7, 2008http://www.danielpipes.org/article/5354
In a recent analysis, "Was Barack Obama a Muslim?" I surveyed available evidence and found it suggests "Obama was born a Muslim to a non-practicing Muslim father and for some years had a reasonably Muslim upbringing under the auspices of his Indonesian step-father." In response, David Brock's organization, Media Matters for America (MMfA), which calls itself a "progressive research and information center dedicated to comprehensively monitoring, analyzing, and correcting conservative misinformation in the U.S. media," has criticized one of my sources of information.
MMfA contends in "Daniel Pipes relied on disputed LA Times article to revive Obama-Muslim falsehood," that "key aspects" of a March 16, 2007, Los Angeles Times article I quoted were later challenged by another newspaper account, "History of schooling distorted," by Kim Barker in the Chicago Tribune on March 25.
Falsehood? That's a strong word.
To assess MMfA's claim, let's review its preferred article and examine what Barker has to say on four topics related to Obama's Indonesian years, 1967-71:
His attendance at a Catholic school;
His attendance at a public school;
His step-father, Lolo Soetoro; and
His friend, Zulfan Adi.
To start with, about the Catholic school, Fransiskus Strada Asisia, which Obama attended 1967-70 (words in square brackets are added by me):
Interviews with dozens of former classmates, teachers, neighbors and friends show that Obama was not a regular practicing Muslim when he was in Indonesia, despite being listed as a Muslim on the registration form for the Catholic school, Strada Asisia, where he attended 1st through 3rd grades. At the time, the school most likely registered children based on the religion of their fathers, said [Israella Pareira] Darmawan, Obama's former [1st-grade] teacher. Because Soetoro was a Muslim, Obama was listed as a Muslim, she said.
The enrollment form from the Catholic school, which has been cited as evidence that Obama was a Muslim in Indonesia [including by the Los Angeles Times], also was rife with errors. It listed Obama as an Indonesian, listed his previous school incorrectly and failed to list his mother, Ann, at all.
Barack Obama with his public school classmates in Indonesia.About Obama's time at a public elementary school, 1970-71, variously known as the Sekolah Dasar Nasional Menteng No. 1 or the Basuki school, Barker writes:
When Obama attended 4th grade in 1971, Muslim children spent two hours a week studying Islam, and Christian children spent those two hours learning about the Christian religion.
During a recent visit to this public school, Barker found that
Weekly religious classes are required for all students, whether Muslims, Christians or Hindus, under the government curriculum. A new shiny mosque is in the corner of the courtyard. "The Muslims learn about Islam, prayer and religious activity," said Hardi Priyono, the vice principal for curriculum. "And for the Christians, during the religious class, they also have a special room teaching Christianity. It's always been like that."
About Obama's step-father, Lolo Soetoro and his religiosity, Barker writes:
In their first neighborhood, Obama occasionally followed his stepfather to the mosque for Friday prayers, a few neighbors said. But Soetoro usually was too busy working, first for the Indonesian army and later for a Western oil company. "Sometimes Lolo went to the mosque to pray, but he rarely socialized with people," said Fermina Katarina Sinaga, Obama's 3rd-grade teacher at the Catholic school, who lived near the family. "Rarely, Barry [a nickname for Barack] went to the mosque with Lolo."
Barker learned from his friends and family that Lolo Soetoro, who died in 1987, was "much more of a free spirit than a devout Muslim" and "hardly the image of a pious Muslim."
His nephew, Sonny Trisulo, 49, said Soetoro always liked women and alcohol. One of his health problems was a failing liver. "He loved drinking, was a smart and warm person, the naughtiest one in the family," Trisulo recalled.
As for Zulfan Adi, cited in the Los Angeles Times piece:
Zulfan Adi, a former neighborhood playmate of Obama's who has been cited in news reports as saying Obama regularly attended Friday prayers with Soetoro, told the Tribune he was not certain about that when pressed about his recollections. He only knew Obama for a few months, during 1970, when his family moved to the neighborhood.
Does any of the above information from the Chicago Tribune article refute my analysis, as MMfA contends? It raises questions about two details in the Los Angeles Times account (the accuracy of the Catholic school's registration form and the reliability of Zulfan Adi as a source on Obama). But on the larger issue of Obama's religious practices during his Jakarta years, it confirms the Times account. Note in particular three excerpts from Barker's article:
"Interviews with dozens of former classmates, teachers, neighbors and friends show that Obama was not a regular practicing Muslim when he was in Indonesia" – implying he was an irregularly practicing Muslim.
"Obama occasionally followed his stepfather to the mosque for Friday prayers, a few neighbors said" – confirming that he did pray in the mosque.
"Obama's 3rd-grade teacher at the Catholic school, who lived near the family [said that] ‘Rarely, Barry went to the mosque with Lolo'" – confirming that Obama attended mosque services.
All this matters, for if Obama once was a Muslim, he is now what Islamic law calls a murtadd (apostate), an ex-Muslim converted to another religion who must be executed. Were he elected president of the United States, this status, clearly, would have large potential implications for his relationship with the Muslim world.
In sum: Obama was an irregularly practicing Muslim who rarely or occasionally prayed with his step-father in a mosque. This precisely substantiates my statement that he "for some years had a reasonably Muslim upbringing under the auspices of his Indonesian step-father."
Therefore, what MMfA calls the "Obama-Muslim falsehood" is in fact confirmed by both articles as truthful and accurate.
Calling this a falsehood is in itself a falsehood.
Election fever running high in Malaysia
Political parties and police gearing up as electoral body chairman says early polls 'just around the corner'
By Carolyn Hong, Malaysia Bureau Chief
Jan 7, 2008
KUALA LUMPUR - SPECULATION over Malaysia's impending general electionstepped up a notch yesterday when the election chief reiterated that thepolls are just 'around the corner'.All police officers and personnel have had their leave periods frozenindefinitely, further fuelling the speculation.'We have several reasons for doing so, the main reason being that we need tohave dry runs. There are many things that we need to do when the electionsare called,' police chief Musa Hassan was quoted as saying by The SundayStar yesterday.The Election Commission, which oversees the running of elections, is alsogearing up for the polls, chairman Abdul Rashid Abdul Rahman said in aninterview with the newspaper, the weekend edition of The Star, the biggestEnglish daily.'When I say the election is around the corner, you better believe me becauseit is not a joke. It is definitely not a joke. You don't joke about thesethings,' he said.This is the second time in recent weeks that he has hinted that electionsare close.NO JOKE'When I say the election is around the corner, you better believe me becauseit is not a joke. It is definitely not a joke. You don't joke about thesethings.''
ELECTION COMMISSION CHIEF ABDUL RASHID ABDUL RAHMAN
As well, Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) vice-president Fong Chan Onn confirmed yesterday that the party's election machinery has been asked togear up.The impending election - the second for Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi - hasbeen anticipated for a long time.His mandate does not end until mid-2009, but the speculation is that thepolls will be held sooner rather than later because of the uncertain globaleconomic outlook, among other factors.While the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition is expected to romp to victory,it is unlikely to repeat its spectacular performance of 2004 when Datuk SeriAbdullah had just taken office.The election will be closely watched because it will be seen as a reflectionof Malaysia's race relations, which are increasingly strained.The Sunday Star's front- page report yesterday feeds into growingspeculation among opposition and ruling party politicians that the pollswill be held within a couple of months.The conventional thinking is a date in March, just before the legal ban onformer deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim's eligibility to stand as an electoralcandidate expires in April. He is under a five-year ban on standing inelections due to a conviction over a corruption charge.Datuk Seri Abdullah has not given any hint, but pundits are reading signalsin the heightened grassroots preparations and the slew of announcements likea new body to investigate police misconduct.An official of the MCA told The Straits Times that the party is alreadypreparing for an early election.The opposition is doing the same. Mr Tony Pua, who will stand as candidatefor the opposition Democratic Action Party (DAP), said everyone seemed to beanticipating an election very soon.He told The Straits Times that the DAP recently found flags and bannersflying in three Selangor state constituencies, which suggest heightenedpolitical readiness.The government's recent tabling in Parliament of a Bill to set up a body toinvestigate police misconduct also sparked further speculation as this wasamong the promises made at the 2004 election.Last week, MCA president Ong Ka Ting announced a RM10 million (S$4.4million) government allocation for Chinese schools, seen as a move toplacate Chinese voters who have been angered by their perception of thegovernment's stronger Malay agenda.Government leaders have said they are convinced that the majority of votersare still behind them, despite facing problems over the spiralling cost ofliving, fear of crime, and increasingly strained race relations.____http://blog. limkitsiang. com/2008/ 01/07/najib- you-are-wrong/
Najib, you are wrong
Monday, January 7th, 2008 at 06: 06.30
by Richard Teo
Yes the tide is turning in Kelantan but certainly not in favour of BN butfor PAS. As a kelantanese I can safely tell Najib the true current politicalsituation in Kelantan. How could Zubaidah Abu Bakar speculate in the 6thJan.2008 NST that "there are many in Kelantan who want to see a change ofgovernment"?This is farthest from the truth. The Malay psyche in Kelantan is vastlydifferent from the psyche of Malays from the other states. The Malays inKelantan are astute when it comes to politics. That explains why it is theonly Malay state where the opposition party other than UMNO has ruled for asubstantial period since Merdeka.During BN's tenure, pork sellers in the Chinese market were harrassed daily.They were confined to a small inconspicous space where pork could be soldhidden from public view. There was conditional and restricted time when porkcould be sold. When PAS took over the government in 1990, they improved theChinese market and pork was sold without any restrictions. Inshort they were not harrassed.Again, during BN's tenure, Chinese could not buy houses built on Malayreservation land. Since most of the land come under the purview of Malayreservation, most Kelantanese Chinese could not own a home. But all thesechanged when PAS came to power.Under the able DUN of Kota Bharu, Dato Annuar Tan, 30% of houses built onMalay reservation land were allocated for sale to the Kelantan Chinese.Any doubts where the Chinese loyalty lies can easily be dispelled byvisiting the Chinese enclave in Jalan Kebun Sultan. Ask any Chinese businesscommunity there and they will brazenly tell you that they will vote for PAS.Yes the Chinese votes in Kelantan are solidly behind PAS.It is also a fact that the Chinese miniority's vote in Kelantan areinsignificant and confined to only few seats where their votes are crucialfor victory or loss. But in a state where a lot of seats are won and lost bya handful of votes this becomes immensely important where in the finalanalysis the fate of the government could merely depend on the margin of oneor two seats.The Malays in Kelantan were generous in giving Pak Lah a resounding victoryin 2004. But this was partly due to PAS over-zealous Islamic reforms whichpersuaded the Malays to vote for Pak Lah's Islam Hadhari. Further they werecaptivated by Pak Lah's assurance of tackling corruption which was beginningto be rampant in all branches of the government. But alas, Pak Lah was adisappointment. Instead he took it as an opportunity for his relatives andfamily to plunder the nation's wealth by giving contracts to his son andson-in law.There is a saying among the Malays in Kelantan that UMNO can fool the Malaysin the other states with their rhetoric of 'Ketuanan Melayu' but they cannotfool the Malays in Kelantan. They are aware that BN has introduced manyprogrammes and development projects.According to Datuk Annuar Musa "RM2 billion worth of projects are flowinginto the state". But the local malays will ask you who are the beneficiariesof these projects? Yes, its the UMNO cronies and the UMNO connectedpoliticians who will secure all the major contracts.Of late, the sprinkling of Indians are also behind PAS not due to Hindraf'seffort but because of the awareness that it was under PAS rule that aprominent land in Jalan Hamzah was approved for the Hindus to build a templewhen the same approval was rejected by BN four times before.Because of centuries of close proximity of Kelantan to Thailand and theclose rapport between the Chinese and the Kelantanese Malays, the localMalays are not only intelligent and well-versed in commerce but they arevery conversant with local and federal politics. This perhaps explain whyUMNO with their brand of politics can never fool the Kelantan Malays.In the coming general election BN will not only lose in Kelantan it willlose as badly as in 1990. This is not only a fact, it is a promise.
Political parties and police gearing up as electoral body chairman says early polls 'just around the corner'
By Carolyn Hong, Malaysia Bureau Chief
Jan 7, 2008
KUALA LUMPUR - SPECULATION over Malaysia's impending general electionstepped up a notch yesterday when the election chief reiterated that thepolls are just 'around the corner'.All police officers and personnel have had their leave periods frozenindefinitely, further fuelling the speculation.'We have several reasons for doing so, the main reason being that we need tohave dry runs. There are many things that we need to do when the electionsare called,' police chief Musa Hassan was quoted as saying by The SundayStar yesterday.The Election Commission, which oversees the running of elections, is alsogearing up for the polls, chairman Abdul Rashid Abdul Rahman said in aninterview with the newspaper, the weekend edition of The Star, the biggestEnglish daily.'When I say the election is around the corner, you better believe me becauseit is not a joke. It is definitely not a joke. You don't joke about thesethings,' he said.This is the second time in recent weeks that he has hinted that electionsare close.NO JOKE'When I say the election is around the corner, you better believe me becauseit is not a joke. It is definitely not a joke. You don't joke about thesethings.''
ELECTION COMMISSION CHIEF ABDUL RASHID ABDUL RAHMAN
As well, Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) vice-president Fong Chan Onn confirmed yesterday that the party's election machinery has been asked togear up.The impending election - the second for Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi - hasbeen anticipated for a long time.His mandate does not end until mid-2009, but the speculation is that thepolls will be held sooner rather than later because of the uncertain globaleconomic outlook, among other factors.While the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition is expected to romp to victory,it is unlikely to repeat its spectacular performance of 2004 when Datuk SeriAbdullah had just taken office.The election will be closely watched because it will be seen as a reflectionof Malaysia's race relations, which are increasingly strained.The Sunday Star's front- page report yesterday feeds into growingspeculation among opposition and ruling party politicians that the pollswill be held within a couple of months.The conventional thinking is a date in March, just before the legal ban onformer deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim's eligibility to stand as an electoralcandidate expires in April. He is under a five-year ban on standing inelections due to a conviction over a corruption charge.Datuk Seri Abdullah has not given any hint, but pundits are reading signalsin the heightened grassroots preparations and the slew of announcements likea new body to investigate police misconduct.An official of the MCA told The Straits Times that the party is alreadypreparing for an early election.The opposition is doing the same. Mr Tony Pua, who will stand as candidatefor the opposition Democratic Action Party (DAP), said everyone seemed to beanticipating an election very soon.He told The Straits Times that the DAP recently found flags and bannersflying in three Selangor state constituencies, which suggest heightenedpolitical readiness.The government's recent tabling in Parliament of a Bill to set up a body toinvestigate police misconduct also sparked further speculation as this wasamong the promises made at the 2004 election.Last week, MCA president Ong Ka Ting announced a RM10 million (S$4.4million) government allocation for Chinese schools, seen as a move toplacate Chinese voters who have been angered by their perception of thegovernment's stronger Malay agenda.Government leaders have said they are convinced that the majority of votersare still behind them, despite facing problems over the spiralling cost ofliving, fear of crime, and increasingly strained race relations.____http://blog. limkitsiang. com/2008/ 01/07/najib- you-are-wrong/
Najib, you are wrong
Monday, January 7th, 2008 at 06: 06.30
by Richard Teo
Yes the tide is turning in Kelantan but certainly not in favour of BN butfor PAS. As a kelantanese I can safely tell Najib the true current politicalsituation in Kelantan. How could Zubaidah Abu Bakar speculate in the 6thJan.2008 NST that "there are many in Kelantan who want to see a change ofgovernment"?This is farthest from the truth. The Malay psyche in Kelantan is vastlydifferent from the psyche of Malays from the other states. The Malays inKelantan are astute when it comes to politics. That explains why it is theonly Malay state where the opposition party other than UMNO has ruled for asubstantial period since Merdeka.During BN's tenure, pork sellers in the Chinese market were harrassed daily.They were confined to a small inconspicous space where pork could be soldhidden from public view. There was conditional and restricted time when porkcould be sold. When PAS took over the government in 1990, they improved theChinese market and pork was sold without any restrictions. Inshort they were not harrassed.Again, during BN's tenure, Chinese could not buy houses built on Malayreservation land. Since most of the land come under the purview of Malayreservation, most Kelantanese Chinese could not own a home. But all thesechanged when PAS came to power.Under the able DUN of Kota Bharu, Dato Annuar Tan, 30% of houses built onMalay reservation land were allocated for sale to the Kelantan Chinese.Any doubts where the Chinese loyalty lies can easily be dispelled byvisiting the Chinese enclave in Jalan Kebun Sultan. Ask any Chinese businesscommunity there and they will brazenly tell you that they will vote for PAS.Yes the Chinese votes in Kelantan are solidly behind PAS.It is also a fact that the Chinese miniority's vote in Kelantan areinsignificant and confined to only few seats where their votes are crucialfor victory or loss. But in a state where a lot of seats are won and lost bya handful of votes this becomes immensely important where in the finalanalysis the fate of the government could merely depend on the margin of oneor two seats.The Malays in Kelantan were generous in giving Pak Lah a resounding victoryin 2004. But this was partly due to PAS over-zealous Islamic reforms whichpersuaded the Malays to vote for Pak Lah's Islam Hadhari. Further they werecaptivated by Pak Lah's assurance of tackling corruption which was beginningto be rampant in all branches of the government. But alas, Pak Lah was adisappointment. Instead he took it as an opportunity for his relatives andfamily to plunder the nation's wealth by giving contracts to his son andson-in law.There is a saying among the Malays in Kelantan that UMNO can fool the Malaysin the other states with their rhetoric of 'Ketuanan Melayu' but they cannotfool the Malays in Kelantan. They are aware that BN has introduced manyprogrammes and development projects.According to Datuk Annuar Musa "RM2 billion worth of projects are flowinginto the state". But the local malays will ask you who are the beneficiariesof these projects? Yes, its the UMNO cronies and the UMNO connectedpoliticians who will secure all the major contracts.Of late, the sprinkling of Indians are also behind PAS not due to Hindraf'seffort but because of the awareness that it was under PAS rule that aprominent land in Jalan Hamzah was approved for the Hindus to build a templewhen the same approval was rejected by BN four times before.Because of centuries of close proximity of Kelantan to Thailand and theclose rapport between the Chinese and the Kelantanese Malays, the localMalays are not only intelligent and well-versed in commerce but they arevery conversant with local and federal politics. This perhaps explain whyUMNO with their brand of politics can never fool the Kelantan Malays.In the coming general election BN will not only lose in Kelantan it willlose as badly as in 1990. This is not only a fact, it is a promise.
Anwar Ibrahim's Visit to Kuala Kangsar and Lumut: More than 15,000Perakians Heard HimBy Din MericanJanuary 5, 2008.The Winds of Change have come to Perak Darul RidzuanThe trip with Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim to Kuala Kangsar and Lumut onJanuary 4, 2007 was indeed a punishing one. My colleagues and I didnot return to Kuala Lumpur until 3.a.m on January 5. But it providedme with the opportunity to be in another part of our country where Ihad not been for long time (I was a frequent visitor during my schooldays at the Penang Free School for competitive soccer and hockey withour great rivals, Maktab Melayu). Except for Kuala Kangsar, the placeswe traversed that day were unfamiliar to me.The programme was packed with places to visit, each precisely timed.We arrived on time for Friday prayers at Masjid Ridzwaniah (adjacentto the famous Maktab Melayu/Malay College) in Kuala Kangsar town. DatoSeri Anwar was warmly received by mosque officials and the jumaah,including the students who waited patiently to shake his hands andexchange pleasantries with their famous old boy. After prayers, weaccompanied Dato Seri Anwar to Taman Chandan Puteri for the opening ofa new Parti KeADILan Rakyat branch where some 230 Indian members werereceived. He spoke to a gathering of 500 people and encouraged them towork hard as the 12th national elections is only months away.We then proceeded to meet with Mesyarakat Sayong by the great SungaiPerak where we were treated to a nice lunch. The KeADILan de factorleader addressed a group of some 600 people including some Indiansfrom the neighbouring areas. His message to them was simple. It wasone of unity and tolerance. He also asked them to vote for agovernment that would have their interest at heart, not those who werecorrupt and incompetent. After that, he was introduced to a youngex-warder who was in Sungai Buloh when Dato Seri Anwar was the guestof the Agong for 6 years.Our delegation then proceeded to Kampong Senggang. It is an UMNOstronghold, as evidenced by the buntings and flags of UMNO and BarisanNasional that had been put up to eclipse those of KeADILan. This placewas off the beaten track, but the visit was made because the peoplethere wanted to personally thank Dato Seri Anwar for starting ahousing project for the poor there when he was Deputy Prime Ministerand Deputy UMNO President.Apparently, the people at Kampong Senggang had ignored theinstructions of the local UMNO politikus and decided, almost indefiance, to hold a simple function in his honour. He made a shortspeech in which he said that he was against UMNO leaders because theywere corrupt and arrogant. He was not against the ordinary UMNOmembers. In stead, he said that he had their interest at heart andwould continue to fight for justice for all Malaysians. This was alifelong struggle since the days he was a student at the University ofMalaya. He reminded them that for standing up for the poor people inBaling, Kedah, he spent two years (1974-1976) in Kamunting under theInternal Security Act. After that, he joined the Government and roseto be Deputy Prime Minister before being put in gaol for 6 years in 1998.The Pantai Remis ceramah was arranged for the Chinese community. Itattracted some 1000 people who were entertained to a meal. I am toldthat this is the way the practical and down to earth Chinese communityoperates: no meal, no talk. A number of KeADILan leaders from HeadOffice and local representatives spoke about the level of corruptionand incompetence of the present UMNO-BN leadership and emphasised theneed for change.When it came to his turn to speak, Dato Seri Anwar focused on thestate of the economy and the challenges the country faced in thecoming years. He said that Malaysia had been less attractive as aninvestment centre, losing out to Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan,Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia, not to mention India and China. Hetold them that they should vote in a government led by KeADILan as itwill be able to implement polices and programmes that will create newbusiness opportunities and new jobs. He said that his government ifelected will fight corruption. He called on his audience to"Selamatkan Malaysia".After Mahgrib prayers and a brief speech at Surau Sri Manjung Lama, weproceeded to Setiawan where Dato Seri Anwar spoke briefly topredominantly Indian audience. He told that the Malays, Chinese andIndians must live in peace and that the Indian problem is not due tothe Malays but to the UMNO-BN leadership. He reminded the audience isthat he is committed to justice for all, each having rights of theirown. In order to achieve distributive justice, he would ensure thatour economy performs to its full potential. He opened a branch officeof the party. His speech at Kampong Koh was before an audience of some3,000. His message was loud and clear and the opportunity for changeis now and that the people must seize the opportunity to make thechange. It lasted for an hour.The highlight of our visit was without any doubt the Ceramah Umum inTeluk Rubiah, Sri Manjung (near Lumut). When we arrived at the venue,we noticed that there was a huge gathering of predominantly Malayswith a spatter of Indians and Chinese. Judging from the number of carsand other vehicles parked in a row stretching some 3 kilometers longon both sides of the road, I could say that there were at least 12,000people.Dato Anwar told the audience that he was here to explain the issuesand challenges facing Malaysia. He had been talking about them, butbecause the media including television is tightly controlled, hisviews and comments have not reached ordinary Malaysians. All they hearis about the good things the government have done and that he is demonand a traitor to his own race. He said in 1998 he was regarded as anagent for the Jews, in 2006 he was viewed as pro-Chinese ,and now heis seen as pro-Hindraf.He said he is a Malay and Muslim leader who seeks to speak the truth,to be transparent and to work for justice for all. He would protectthe rights of the Malays and those of the Chinese and Indians. AllMalaysians have rights under the Constitution. As a leader, he willdefended and respect the sanctity of the Constitution. He will not usepolitical power to amend the Constitution to suit his purposes. Hewanted to make his position clear so that people would not be taken inby propaganda by UMNO Youth.On the economy, he said that Malaysia is now longer in the same leagueas Singapore, Taiwan and South Korea. For example, he said thatSingapore's average income is five times compared to Malaysia. Ateacher there would earn fives times compared to a Malaysian in thesame profession. In terms of economic growth, Malaysia is performingunder its full potential. It is also losing out to Singapore and ourother ASEAN neighbours, not mention India and China.The reason is very simple. We have not been managing our economy well.Investors no longer have any confidence in our economic policies andpeople who are in charge of our country. We still depend on foreigninvestment and when foreigners do not invest here, there will nogrowth and no new jobs. Corruption and crime are on the rise. Socialproblems like drug addition and moral degeneration are common. Oureducation system is in a mess.So the time for change is now. He appealed to his audience to vote forchange in government. We need an honest, transparent and responsiblegovernment that serves the people, not one that is corrupt andincompetent. A responsible government will manage our resources likeoil and gas for the benefit of the present and future generation.These resources belong to the people and must be used to benefitpeople in terms of quality education, healthcare and socialinfrastructure, not to be wasted in bailing out loss making governmentcompanies and on mega-projects.In response to Dato Najib's statement that if we use Petronas' profitsto reduce the price of petrol, diesel and gas, Malaysia would bebankrupt, Dato Seri Anwar said that if we managed the country to serveour personal interest and those of our families and cronies, then wewould be bankrupt in no time and that is why we must stop the rot. We,therefore, need a government that is open, accountable, competent andhonest.Sdr Mustafa Kamil and his team, thanks for your hard work and forarranging a very productive visit.
Kes Subashini & Suaminya Dalam Bidangkuasa Mahkamah Sivil
Mahkamah Persekutuan hari ini menolak rayuan R Subashini untuk menghalang suaminya yang telah memeluk Islam daripada membawa kes perceraian mereka ke mahkamah syariah, atas sebab-sebab teknikal.
Dalam keputusan majoriti 2-1, mahkamah tertinggi di Malaysia itu, memutuskan ia kerana Subashini telah memfailkan petisyen perceraian mereka terlalu awal daripada tempoh yang ditetapkan di bawah Akta Undang-undang Pembaharuan (Perkahwinan dan Perceraian) 1976 (LRA).
Bagaimanapun, mahkamah memutuskan bahawa pertikaian bagi membubarkan perkahwinan seorang bekas setiausaha itu dengan suaminya yang memeluk Islam serta bagi mendapatkan hak penjagaan anak mereka terletak di bawah bidangkuasa Mahkamah Sivil.
Rayuan Subashini itu didengar oleh panel tiga orang hakim - Datuk Nik Hashim Nik Ab Rahman, Datuk Azmel Ma'amor dan Datuk Abdul Aziz Mohamad.
"Perkahwinan bukan menurut Islam antara seorang suami dan isteri masih kekal sehinggalah ia dibubarkan oleh Mahkamah Tinggi berdasarkan petisyen perceraian oleh pasangan yang kekal dengan agamanya mengikut Seksyen 51 (1) Akta Membaharui Undang-undang (Perkahwinan dan Perceraian) 1976," kata Nik Hashim.
Beliau yang mengetuai panel hakim itu berkata Subashini berhak meneruskan permohonan mendapatkan hak penjagaan itu tetapi dia hendaklah mengemukakan petisyen baru untuk bercerai.
Nik Hashim berkata, perintah mahkamah syariah membubarkan perkahwinan sivil tidak mempunyai kesan dari segi undang-undang selain ianya merupakan satu keterangan perceraian mengikut hukum Syarak.
Pertukaran agama
Bagaimanapun, mahkamah menetapkan bahawa suami Subashini, T. Saravanan, berhak merujuk kepada mahkamah syariah kerana beliau tertakluk kepada undang-undang Islam selepas menjadi seorang muslim.
Di bawah LRA, Subashini hanya boleh memfailkan petisyen perceraian tersebut selepas tamatnya tempoh tiga bulan dari tarikh suaminya, T Saravanan memeluk Islam.
Bagaimanapun, Subashini memfailkan petisyen perceraian itu 12 hari sebelum tamat tempoh tiga bulan berkenaan.
Oleh itu, petisyen perceraian tersebut dianggap batal dan tidak sah.
Subashini, 28, yang beragama Hindu, mahu menghalang suaminya itu, yang telah memeluk Islam dengan nama Muhammad Shafi Saravanan Abdullah, daripada membawa prosiding perceraian mereka ke mahkamah syariah.
Suaminya telah memeluk agama Islam pada bulan Mei 2006 bersama-sama dengan anak lelaki sulung mereka, Dharvin Joshua, 4.
Suaminya kemudiannya membawa prosiding perceraian mereka ke mahkamah syariah serta memohon hak penjagaan anak lelaki kedua mereka, Sharvin, 2.
Mahkamah Persekutuan juga memutuskan hari ini bahawa Muhammad Shafi tidak menyalahgunakan proses mahkamah apabila menukar agama anaknya yang berusia empat tahun itu tanpa pengetahuan ibunya.
Menurutnya, mengikut undang-undang Islam, hanya seorang sahaja - ibu atau bapa - mesti dimaklumkan mengenainya pertukaran agama anak tersebut.
Bawa ke mahkamah syariah
Dalam rayuan Subashini kepada Mahkamah Rayuan pada 13 Mac, Hakim Datuk Suriyadi Halim Omar dan Datuk Hassan Lah - dalam penghakiman 2-1 - telah memutuskan wanita itu membawa kesnya ke mahkamah syariah. Seorang lagi panel hakim ialah Datuk Gopal Sri Ram.
Menurut penghakiman majoriti itu, mahkamah memutuskan bahawa perintah yang dipohon oleh Subashani adalah tidak perlu kerana mahkamah syariah layak dan berkemampuan untuk memutuskan kes tersebut.
Bagaimanapun, pada 30 Mac, Subashini mendapatkan perintah sementara dari Mahkamah Rayuan untuk menghalang Saravanan daripada mengemukakan tuntutannya itu di mahkamah syariah.
Perintah mahkamah itu juga melarang Saravanan daripada menukar agama anak bongsunya serta melarangnya daripada membawa kes tuntutan hak penjagaan anak-anaknya ke mahkamah syariah.
Ia juga memutuskan bahawa seseorang pasangan yang telah memeluk Islam boleh memohon kepada mahkamah syariah untuk menukar agama anak-anak mereka yang masih di bawah umur, kepada agama Islam, tanpa perlu mendapatkan kebenaran daripada pasangan yang seorang lagi.
Subashini, suami tidak hadir
Bagaimanapun, panel hakim sebulat suara tidak bersetuju dengan penghakiman majoriti 2-1 Mahkamah Rayuan sebelum ini yang meminta Subashini membawa kesnya ke mahkamah syariah kerana bidangkuasa mahkamah tersebut adalah ke atas orang Islam sahaja.
Subashini dan suaminya - seorang ahli perniagaan - tidak hadir ketika mahkamah mengumumkan penghakimannya hari ini.
Sementara itu, peguam Subashini, K Shanmuga berkata pelanggannya tidak berjumpa dengan anaknya Dharvin, yang tinggal bersama suaminya sejak suaminya itu memeluk Islam.
"Beliau juga sangat bimbang tentang anak bongsunya, Sharvin, kerana berdasarkan keputusan hari ini, agamanya juga boleh ditukar pada bila-bila masa tanpa pengetahuannya," kata Shanmuga.
Shanmuga menyifatkan keputusan mahkamah hari ini sebagai 'satu pukulan' terhadap pelanggannya itu.
"Keputusan tersebut...menimbulkan ketidaktentuan mengenai anak-anaknya dan apa akan! jadi dengan agama mereka serta hak-hak penjagaan mereka," katanya.
Subashini gagal mendapatkan perintah mahkmah untuk menghalang suaminya itu daripada membawa prosiding perceraian mereka ke mahkamah syariah dan untuk menghalangnya daripada menukar agama anak-anak mereka.
Shanmuga berkata, Subashini tidak mencabar perceraian mereka tetapi mahu ianya diputuskan di mahkamah sivil.
Shanmuga juga menggesa kerajaan supaya menyegerakan pembaharuan undang-undang yang memberi hak yang sama kepada ibu dan bapa dalam perkara seumpama itu.
"Ini memerlukan pembaharuan perundangan yang segera bagi memastikan kedua-dua ibu dan bapa mempunyai hak yang sama dalam menentukan agama anak-anak mereka dan menghalang satu pihak daripada pergi ke mahkamah syariah berhubung sebarang perkara yang membabitkan perkahwinan bukan Islam," katanya.
Seorang peguam yang terbabit dalam kes tersebut berkata, keputusan hari ini mungkin memaksa Subashini lari bersama anak bongsunya kerana bimbang suaminya akan cuba menukar agama anaknya itu.
"Berdasarkan keputusan mahkamah, nampaknya suaminya boleh menukar agama anaknya untuk memeluk Islam," katanya kepada AFP tetapi tidak mahu namanya disebut.
"Satu-satunya pilihan yang ada padanya sekarang ialah untuk meninggalkan negara ini bersama anaknya itu bagi mengelaknya daripada masuk Islam," katanya lagi.
Sumber : Jundullah - Malaysiakini
Layari : http://www.pasjohorbahru.com/
Mahkamah Persekutuan hari ini menolak rayuan R Subashini untuk menghalang suaminya yang telah memeluk Islam daripada membawa kes perceraian mereka ke mahkamah syariah, atas sebab-sebab teknikal.
Dalam keputusan majoriti 2-1, mahkamah tertinggi di Malaysia itu, memutuskan ia kerana Subashini telah memfailkan petisyen perceraian mereka terlalu awal daripada tempoh yang ditetapkan di bawah Akta Undang-undang Pembaharuan (Perkahwinan dan Perceraian) 1976 (LRA).
Bagaimanapun, mahkamah memutuskan bahawa pertikaian bagi membubarkan perkahwinan seorang bekas setiausaha itu dengan suaminya yang memeluk Islam serta bagi mendapatkan hak penjagaan anak mereka terletak di bawah bidangkuasa Mahkamah Sivil.
Rayuan Subashini itu didengar oleh panel tiga orang hakim - Datuk Nik Hashim Nik Ab Rahman, Datuk Azmel Ma'amor dan Datuk Abdul Aziz Mohamad.
"Perkahwinan bukan menurut Islam antara seorang suami dan isteri masih kekal sehinggalah ia dibubarkan oleh Mahkamah Tinggi berdasarkan petisyen perceraian oleh pasangan yang kekal dengan agamanya mengikut Seksyen 51 (1) Akta Membaharui Undang-undang (Perkahwinan dan Perceraian) 1976," kata Nik Hashim.
Beliau yang mengetuai panel hakim itu berkata Subashini berhak meneruskan permohonan mendapatkan hak penjagaan itu tetapi dia hendaklah mengemukakan petisyen baru untuk bercerai.
Nik Hashim berkata, perintah mahkamah syariah membubarkan perkahwinan sivil tidak mempunyai kesan dari segi undang-undang selain ianya merupakan satu keterangan perceraian mengikut hukum Syarak.
Pertukaran agama
Bagaimanapun, mahkamah menetapkan bahawa suami Subashini, T. Saravanan, berhak merujuk kepada mahkamah syariah kerana beliau tertakluk kepada undang-undang Islam selepas menjadi seorang muslim.
Di bawah LRA, Subashini hanya boleh memfailkan petisyen perceraian tersebut selepas tamatnya tempoh tiga bulan dari tarikh suaminya, T Saravanan memeluk Islam.
Bagaimanapun, Subashini memfailkan petisyen perceraian itu 12 hari sebelum tamat tempoh tiga bulan berkenaan.
Oleh itu, petisyen perceraian tersebut dianggap batal dan tidak sah.
Subashini, 28, yang beragama Hindu, mahu menghalang suaminya itu, yang telah memeluk Islam dengan nama Muhammad Shafi Saravanan Abdullah, daripada membawa prosiding perceraian mereka ke mahkamah syariah.
Suaminya telah memeluk agama Islam pada bulan Mei 2006 bersama-sama dengan anak lelaki sulung mereka, Dharvin Joshua, 4.
Suaminya kemudiannya membawa prosiding perceraian mereka ke mahkamah syariah serta memohon hak penjagaan anak lelaki kedua mereka, Sharvin, 2.
Mahkamah Persekutuan juga memutuskan hari ini bahawa Muhammad Shafi tidak menyalahgunakan proses mahkamah apabila menukar agama anaknya yang berusia empat tahun itu tanpa pengetahuan ibunya.
Menurutnya, mengikut undang-undang Islam, hanya seorang sahaja - ibu atau bapa - mesti dimaklumkan mengenainya pertukaran agama anak tersebut.
Bawa ke mahkamah syariah
Dalam rayuan Subashini kepada Mahkamah Rayuan pada 13 Mac, Hakim Datuk Suriyadi Halim Omar dan Datuk Hassan Lah - dalam penghakiman 2-1 - telah memutuskan wanita itu membawa kesnya ke mahkamah syariah. Seorang lagi panel hakim ialah Datuk Gopal Sri Ram.
Menurut penghakiman majoriti itu, mahkamah memutuskan bahawa perintah yang dipohon oleh Subashani adalah tidak perlu kerana mahkamah syariah layak dan berkemampuan untuk memutuskan kes tersebut.
Bagaimanapun, pada 30 Mac, Subashini mendapatkan perintah sementara dari Mahkamah Rayuan untuk menghalang Saravanan daripada mengemukakan tuntutannya itu di mahkamah syariah.
Perintah mahkamah itu juga melarang Saravanan daripada menukar agama anak bongsunya serta melarangnya daripada membawa kes tuntutan hak penjagaan anak-anaknya ke mahkamah syariah.
Ia juga memutuskan bahawa seseorang pasangan yang telah memeluk Islam boleh memohon kepada mahkamah syariah untuk menukar agama anak-anak mereka yang masih di bawah umur, kepada agama Islam, tanpa perlu mendapatkan kebenaran daripada pasangan yang seorang lagi.
Subashini, suami tidak hadir
Bagaimanapun, panel hakim sebulat suara tidak bersetuju dengan penghakiman majoriti 2-1 Mahkamah Rayuan sebelum ini yang meminta Subashini membawa kesnya ke mahkamah syariah kerana bidangkuasa mahkamah tersebut adalah ke atas orang Islam sahaja.
Subashini dan suaminya - seorang ahli perniagaan - tidak hadir ketika mahkamah mengumumkan penghakimannya hari ini.
Sementara itu, peguam Subashini, K Shanmuga berkata pelanggannya tidak berjumpa dengan anaknya Dharvin, yang tinggal bersama suaminya sejak suaminya itu memeluk Islam.
"Beliau juga sangat bimbang tentang anak bongsunya, Sharvin, kerana berdasarkan keputusan hari ini, agamanya juga boleh ditukar pada bila-bila masa tanpa pengetahuannya," kata Shanmuga.
Shanmuga menyifatkan keputusan mahkamah hari ini sebagai 'satu pukulan' terhadap pelanggannya itu.
"Keputusan tersebut...menimbulkan ketidaktentuan mengenai anak-anaknya dan apa akan! jadi dengan agama mereka serta hak-hak penjagaan mereka," katanya.
Subashini gagal mendapatkan perintah mahkmah untuk menghalang suaminya itu daripada membawa prosiding perceraian mereka ke mahkamah syariah dan untuk menghalangnya daripada menukar agama anak-anak mereka.
Shanmuga berkata, Subashini tidak mencabar perceraian mereka tetapi mahu ianya diputuskan di mahkamah sivil.
Shanmuga juga menggesa kerajaan supaya menyegerakan pembaharuan undang-undang yang memberi hak yang sama kepada ibu dan bapa dalam perkara seumpama itu.
"Ini memerlukan pembaharuan perundangan yang segera bagi memastikan kedua-dua ibu dan bapa mempunyai hak yang sama dalam menentukan agama anak-anak mereka dan menghalang satu pihak daripada pergi ke mahkamah syariah berhubung sebarang perkara yang membabitkan perkahwinan bukan Islam," katanya.
Seorang peguam yang terbabit dalam kes tersebut berkata, keputusan hari ini mungkin memaksa Subashini lari bersama anak bongsunya kerana bimbang suaminya akan cuba menukar agama anaknya itu.
"Berdasarkan keputusan mahkamah, nampaknya suaminya boleh menukar agama anaknya untuk memeluk Islam," katanya kepada AFP tetapi tidak mahu namanya disebut.
"Satu-satunya pilihan yang ada padanya sekarang ialah untuk meninggalkan negara ini bersama anaknya itu bagi mengelaknya daripada masuk Islam," katanya lagi.
Sumber : Jundullah - Malaysiakini
Layari : http://www.pasjohorbahru.com/
Kenyataan Media
PEJABAT PRESIDEN
PARTI ISLAM SE MALAYSIA (PAS)
318A, Jalan Raja Laut, 50350 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03-26925000 Faks: 03-26938399
To : All News Editors
From : Roslan Shahir bin Datuk Mohd Shahir
Date : 3rd. January, 2008
KES DR CHUA SOI LEK TIDAK BERAKHIR
DENGAN PERLETAKKAN JAWATAN
PAS memandang serius isu pembabitan seorang Menteri Kabinet dalam perlakuan seks luar nikah yang dirakamkan dan diedarkan kepada orang-ramai dalam bentuk DVD. Sungguhpun Dato' Dr Chua Soi Lek telah pun mengumumkan perletakkan jawatannya semalam dan perletakkan jawatan itu diterima oleh Perdana Menteri, namun PAS merasakan tindakan tersebut sekadar suatu tindakan politik demi memelihara imej Barisan Nasional dalam menghadapi Pilihan Raya Umum yang akan datang.
Sesungguhnya perlakuan seks luar nikah bukan hanya bertentangan dengan Islam tetapi ia juga bercanggah dengan mana-mana anutan, kepercayaan, amalan dan budaya serta nilai moral yang dipegang oleh rakyat Malaysia. Pemimpin negara ini perlulah memiliki akhlak dan keperibadian yang baik dan sempurna sehingga boleh menjadi contoh dan ikutan rakyat jelata.
PAS merasakan sepatutnya Perdana Menteri selaku Pengerusi Barisan Nasional mengarahkan parti MCA agar mengambil tindakan disiplin terhadap Dr Chua. Perletakkan jawatannya yang lebih merupakan tindakan menyelamatkan imej dan kedudukan BN itu tidak bererti tanpa sebarang tindakan disiplin diambil terhadap seorang pemimpin bertaraf menteri cabinet seperti beliau. Ini bermakna Perdana Menteri dan BN bersekongkol dengan pemimpinnya yang memiliki masalah akhlak.
PAS juga memandang serius kenyataan Dr Chua semalam bahawa bukan semua yang duduk dalam kerajaan itu bersih, ini mencerminkan yang barisan kepimpinan kerajaan BN yang ada pada hari ini menghadapi krisis moral dan akhlak yang serius yang perlu diberi perhatian oleh rakyat khasnya apabila mereka membuat pemilihan dalam Pilihan Raya Umum yang akan datang.
Rakyat perlu pastikan yang mereka dipimpin oleh pemimpin yang bersih dan berakhlak mulia demi kesejahteraan dan keselamatan mereka dan negara yang tercinta ini.
3 Januari 2008
DATO' SERI TUAN GURU HJ ABD HADI AWANG
PRESIDEN PAS
Sepasang suami dan isteri petani pulang kerumah setelah berbelanja. Ketika mereka membuka barang belanjaan, seekor tikus memperhatikan gelagat sambil menggumam "hmmm...makanan apa lagi yang dibawa mereka dari pasar??"Ternyata yang dibeli oleh petani hari adalah rerangkap tikus.Sang tikus naik panic bukan kepalang. Ia bergegas lari ke sarang dan bertempik, " Ada perangkap tikus di rumah....di rumah sekarang ada perangkap tikus...." Ia pun mengadu kepada ayam dan berteriak, " Ada perangkat tikus !"Sang Ayam berkata, " Tuan Tikus ! Aku turut bersedih tapi ia tak ada kena-mengena dengan aku." Sang Tikus lalu pergi menemui seekor Kambing sambil berteriak seperti tadi.Sang Kambing pun jawab selamba, "Aku pun turut bersimpati...tapi tidak ada yang boleh aku buat.Lagi pun tak tak ada kena-mengena dengan aku. " Tikus lalu menemui Sapi. Ia mendapat jawaban sama. " Maafkan aku. Tapi perangkap tikus tidak berbahaya buat aku sama sekali. Tak kanlah sebesar aku ni boleh masuk perangkap tikus." Dengan rasa kecewa ia pun berlari ke hutan menemui Ular. Sang ular berkata " Eleh engkau ni...Perangkap Tikus yang sekecil tak kan la nak membahayakan aku." Akhirnya Sang Tikus kembali kerumah dengan pasrah kerana mengetahui ia akan menghadapi bahaya seorang diri.Suatu malam, pemilik rumah terbangun mendengar suara berdetak perangkap tikusnya berbunyi menandakan umpan dah mengena.Ketika melihat perangkap tikusnya, ternyata seekor ular berbisa yang jadi mangsa. Buntut ular yang terperangkap membuat ular semakin ganas dan menyerang isteri pemilik rumah. Walaupun si Suami sempat membunuh ular berbisa tersebut, isterinya tidak sempat diselamatkan.Si suami pun membawa isterinya kerumah sakit. Beberapa hari kemudian isterinya sudah boleh pulang namun tetap sahaja demam.Isterinya lalu minta dibuatkan sup cakar ayam oleh suaminya kerana percaya sup cakar ayam boleh mengurangkan demam. Tanpa berfikir panjang si Suami pun dengan segera menyembelih ayamnya untuk dapat cakar buat sup. Beberapa hari kemudian sakitnya tidak kunjung reda. Seorang teman menyarankan untuk makan hati kambing.Ia lalu menyembelih kambingnya untuk mengambil hatinya.Masih juga isterinya tidak sembuh-sembuh dan akhirnya meninggal dunia. Inna lillahi wa inna ilaihi raji'un.Banyak sungguh orang datang melawat jenazahnya. Kerana rasa sayang suami pada isterinya, tak sampai hati pula dia melihat orang ramai tak dijamu apa-apa.Tanpa berfikir panjang dia pun menyembelih sapinya untuk memberi makan orang-orang yang berziarah. Dari kejauhan...Sang Tikus menatap dengan penuh kesedihan. Beberapa hari kemudian ia melihat Perangkap Tikus tersebut sudah tidak digunakan lagi.
Malaysia's Anwar condemns use of security lawKUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Five ethnic Indians held under a Malaysianlaw that allows detention without trial should be charged in courtimmediately to avoid the risk of rights abuse, Malaysian oppositionfigure Anwar Ibrahim said on Friday.Authorities have said the activists, members of a group that staged amassive anti-government protest last month, were detained on Thursdayfor up to two years on the grounds that their actions had threatenednational security.The group, the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) alarmed thegovernment by bringing more than 10,000 ethnic Indians onto thestreets of the capital to complain of racial discrimination.Anwar, a former deputy prime minister who was once himself locked upunder the colonial-era law originally designed to fight communists,said the legislation was easy to abuse."We are, as a principle, against the Internal Security Act and the useof the Act against anyone," he told reporters."We have evidence, we have experience of the abuse of the Act againstpolitical personalities and civil society leaders throughout the yearsafter independence."Anwar was himself beaten by the then police chief during his owndetention under the Act in 1998, for leading anti-government protestsdemanding political reform in the wake of being sacked by former PrimeMinister Mahathir Mohamad.Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak said the government had been verypatient with the Hindraf group, and acted only after having given it asufficient chance to conform to the law."The public wanted the government to take a stern action much earlierbut we were very patient and tolerant," state news agency Bernamaquoted Najib as saying. "When the ISA was invoked, it should not havecome as a surprise to anyone."The Hindraf rally was one of two mass protests last month. A separatecrowd of around 10,000 people had earlier turned out on the streets ofthe capital to demand electoral reforms, amid expectations of a snappoll by March 2008.But the Indian rally, though largely peaceful, aroused deep concernswithin the government, and also among many ordinary Malaysians,because of the country's history of tense and sometimes explosivelyviolent race relations.In 2001, five people were killed and 37 wounded in riots betweenmajority ethnic Malays and Indians that began after an Indian kickedover a chair at a Malay wedding. In 1969, hundreds were killed inrioting between Malays and ethnic Chinese.But Anwar said he believed more arrests could follow, because PrimeMinister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi appeared to have decided to take a hardline against the protesters."I am extremely -- not only disappointed, but appalled -- by themanner in which Prime Minister Abdullah is acting right now," hesaid."He has just succumbed to pressures of extremist hue. From therhetoric of the government, the prime minister and the leaders, Iwouldn't be surprised if more arrests were made."
http://asia.news.yahoo.com/071213/3/3cbhh.htmlFACTBOX - Five facts on Malaysia's Internal Security ActREUTERS - Malaysia has invoked its notorious Internal Security Act(ISA) to detain five ethnic Indians from a group that staged a massanti-government protest last month.There are currently 74 people, mostly suspected Muslim militants,being detained under the ISA, the government said last month.Here are five facts on the ISA.-- Passed in 1960, three years after Malaysian independence, the ISAwas designed to curb a perceived communist threat. It grew out ofemergency regulations that were part of then Malaya's campaign againstthe Malayan Communist Party in British colonial times. NeighbourSingapore, once part of Malaysia, kept the ISA after leaving theMalaysian Federation in 1965.-- The act allows for the arrest and detention for an indefiniteperiod of a suspect judged as "likely" to commit an act deemeddangerous to national security. Detainees can be held for 60 dayswithout legal counsel, and preventive detention can then be renewedevery two years.-- Amended dozens of times, it also has provisions to restrict freedomof assembly, expression and movement, among others. Since the Sept.11, 2001 attacks on U.S. cities, it has been used to lock up dozens ofsuspected Islamic militants. Most ISA detainees are kept at Kamuntingprison in northwest Perak state.-- The Human Rights Watch has said governments have consistently usedthe ISA for their own political purposes to detain thousands ofcitizens, including political opposition leaders, academics, tradeunionists as well as religious, social, environmental and women'srights activists. Rights groups criticise the ISA as a draconianviolation of international human rights standards, and a tool tostifle peaceful political dissent.- In October 2007, opposition figure Abdul Malek Hussin became thefirst person to win a significant payment for illegal detention underthe ISA. He was awarded nearly $750,000 in damages for his Sept 1998detention, for addressing a "Reformasi" demonstration calling forpolitical reform.Source: Reuters
PARTI ISLAM SEMALAYSIA (PAS)
PEJABAT AGUNG
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Kenyataan Akhbar
&nbs p;
PAS KUTUK PENGGUNAA ISA TERHADAP PIMPINAN HINDRAF
PAS kesal dengan penahanan lima orang pimpinan Hindraf (Hindu Rights Action Front) di bawah Akta Keselamatan Dalam Negeri (ISA) semalam. Penggunaan akta yang zalim dan menahan individu tanpa hak untuk dibicarakan ini jelas membuktikan yang pihak kerajaan sudah k! etandusan idea untuk menangani masalah yang dicetuskan oleh pihak Hindraf.
PAS merasakan pihak kerajaan sepatutnya meneruskan usaha mendakwa mereka yang berkenaan menerusi proses undang-undang di mahkamah yang terbuka sebagaimana yang telah pun dimulakan dan tidak sewenang-wenangnya menggunakan ISA. Tindakan menahan tanpa bicara melalui akta kejam ISA ini hanya akan mencetuskan ketegangan dan membuktikan yang negara ini sesungguhnya menuju ke arah "Negara Polis" sebagaimana yang dinyatakan oleh Presiden PAS baru-baru ini.
Sehubungan dengan itu PAS sekali lagi menegaskan yang kami sentiasa bersedia bekerjasama dengan semua pihak bagi mempertahankan kemanan dan keharmonian rakyat dan negara dan tidak sekali-kali cenderung kepada sebarang tuntutan melampau dari mana-mana pihak yang berkemampuan menjejaskan kestabilan yang sedai ada.
PAS dan semua pihak yang prihatin terhadap agenda perpaduan nasional sekali lagi mengulangi kesediaan bertemu dengan Perdana Menteri untuk berbincang bagi mengatasi kekusutan yang meruncing yang sedang kita semua hadapi ini.
14 Disember 2007
YB DATO KAMARUDIN JAFFAR
SETIAUSAHA AGUNG PAS*****.*.*****husammusa.com
PAS dan Isu Kebebasan Beragama
Terlalu banyak diperkatakan tentang hak asasi manusia dan kebebasan beragama di negara kita se! jak kebelakangan ini. Dakwaan orang-orang Hindu (melalui Hindraf) berh ubung isu perobohan kuil-kuil mereka dan terbaru cadangan beberapa orang ahli parlimen UMNO supaya dibuang lambang-lambang Kristian seperti tanda salib dan patung di sekolah-sekolah tertentu telah menghangatkan lagi suasana politik negara yang telah pun sedia panas.
Kadang-kadang kita rasa hairan bagaimana selepas 50 tahun memerintah, UMNO dan BN masih lagi terkial-kial mencari penyelesaian isu perkauman dan agama di tanah air kita. Malah tidak keterlaluan jika kita katakan bahawa macam ada satu agenda tersembunyi UMNO dan BN, acapkali rakyat menolak mereka maka mereka akan mainkan isu perkauman dan agama untuk menarik kembali sokongan kaum masing-masing.
Berikut cuba kita teliti kenyataan dan pengakuan pihak ketiga berhubung tindakan kerajaan Kelantan yang diterajui PAS berkaitan isu di atas.
Terdapat lebih daripada 30 buah kuil Buddha di seluruh Kelantan. Ini adalah agak pelik memandangkan penduduk Kelantan terdiri daripada 95% beragama Islam. Antara kuil yang paling popular ialah Wat Pothvihan yang terletak di Cabang Empat, yang menempatkan patung Buddha yang panjangnya 40m. Patung yang sedang berbaring ini dianggap antara yang terbesar di dunia dalam kategori yang serupa dan ia dikenali sebagai “the sleeping Buddha”. Wat Uttamaram pula yang terletak di Pasir Mas dianggap sebagai kuil Buddha tertua dan tercantik di Malaysia…..
(The most popular Buddhist temple in Kelantan would be the Wat Pothvihan near Cabang Empat, which houses the 40m long reclining Buddha (one of the largest of its kind in the world) draped in pink robes -- it is larger than the one in Wat Chaiya Mangkalaram in Penang. This statue took six years to build. It is known as the sleeping Buddha…..)- Petikan daripada Wikipedia
Mujahid Yusof Rawa, Pengerusi Lajnah Perpaduan Nasional PAS telah menulis surat kepada Malaysiakini mengutuk tindakan merobohkan kuil Hindu di Kampung Rimba Jaya. Malah wakil PAS berkenaan telah menyatakan kekesalan yang amat sangat terhadap bagaimana kasar isu berkenaan ditanggani. Sesuatu yang menghairankan! Saya maksudkan, ini adalah PAS, Parti Islam Se Malaysia. Kuilnya pula adalah untuk penganut agama Hindu. Sepatutnya ia bukanlah perkara yang perlu mereka beri perhatian. Mungkin PAS bukanlah golongan yang 100% tidak boleh bertolak ansur sebagaimana yang cuba digambarkan oleh pihak-pihak tertentu. Kelantan, yang diperintah oleh PAS, juga menempatkan Wat Pothvihan, patung Buddha yang sedang berbaring terbesar di Asia Tenggara. Ada juga khabar angin yang tersebar bahawa PAS malah telah membenarkan kuil Hindu dibina di kawasan parlimen yang mereka baru menangi. Orang-orang Hindu telah cuba mendapatkan kebenaran daripada AP terdahulu, yang dari parti lain, bertahun-tahun lamanya tetapi gagal. Mungkin sudah sampai masanya kita melihat dengan lebih lanjut apa yang PAS ingin tawarkan kepada rakyat…..
(Mujahid Yusof Rawa, Chairman of National Unity Bureau of PAS had written a letter to Malaysiakini condemning the demolition procedures of the Hindu temple in Kampung Rimba Jaya. In fact, the PAS representative had expressed deep regret over the violent manner the issue was handled. Surprising isn’t it? I mean, this is PAS, the Islamic Party of Malaysia. The temple was of the Hindu religion. It is supposed to be no concern of theirs. Perhaps, PAS is not 100% intolerant as certain parties painted it to be. Kelantan, the state in which PAS reigns, houses Wat Photivihan, biggest reclining Buddha statue in Malaysia. There were rumours circulating that PAS even allowed a Hindu temple to be built in one of their newly obtained constituency. The Hindus were asking for permission from a previous MP of another party for years but to no avail. Maybe it is high time that people take a deeper look at what PAS has to offer for the people…..)- www.sagaladoola.blogspot.com
Di Kelantan (di mana kami dibesarkan), kerajaan fundamentalis Islam PAS di Kelantan dan cawangan-cawangan PAS pun tidak pernah membantah kuil Sivan Hindu ditempatkan di tengah-tengah 99.99% kampong Melayu di Kota Bharu. Malah, Menteri Besar Kelantan telah meluluskan 1 ekar tanah tambahan berhampiran ku! il Hindu yang sedia ada supaya kuil berkenaan dapat dibina dengan lebih teratur dan lebih besar kerana seluruh kampong Melayu terpaksa dipindahkan untuk memberi laluan kepada pembesaran Bandar Kota Bharu. Kuil Hindu yang baru ini sekarang berdiri megah di tengah-tengah Bandar Kota Bharu. Juga, Kuil Hindu Sri Maha Mariamman yang terletak di tengah-tengah kawasan kuat PAS di Tumpat, Kelantan yang dikelilingi oleh 99.99% orang-orang Melayu juga tidak pernah menghadapi sebarang masaalah…..
(In Kelantan (where we were brought up), even the fundamentalist Islamic PAS government in Kelantan and PAS branches had never objected to the Sivan Hindu temple being located in the midst of a 99.99% Malay village in Kota Bahru. In fact the said Kelantan PAS Chief Minister had granted a bigger one acre nearby land for this Hindu temple to be properly relocated built and expanded as the said whole malay village had to make way for the Kota Baru town expansion. This brand new Hindu temple now sits majestically in the heart of Kota Bahru town. Further, the Sri Maha Mariamman Hindu Temple in the fundamental Islamic PAS stronghold in Tumpat, Kelantan is also surrounded by 99.99% Malays but we never ever had problems…..) - Hindraf in www.bangkit.net
Kerajaan yang diterajui PAS di Kelantan tidak pernah merobohkan satu pun kuil Hindu atau kuil Buddha. Malah, patung Buddha berbaring yang terbesar di Asia Tenggara bukanlah di Thailand tetapi di Kelantan, di Kampung Neting, Tumpat, di tempat saya dibesarkan. Kerajaan PAS tidak merobohkan kuil-kuil, hanya kerajaan UMNO yang merobohkan kuil-kuil…..(The PAS-led government in Kelantan has not broken a single Hindu or Buddhist temple. In fact the largest sleeping Buddha in Southeast Asia is not in Thailand but in Kelantan in Kampung Neting, Tumpat, where I grew up. The PAS-led government does not break temples, only the Umno-lead government breaks temples…..)- Uthayakumar in malaysiakini.com
Pernah pada satu hari MB Kelantan (Tok Guru Nik Aziz) telah mendapati salib di sebuah gereja di Kota Bharu telah tiada (yakni salib gereja tertua dan terbesar di Kota Bharu, Church of Our Lady Fatima). Lantas beliau pun bertanya kepada Dato Annuar Tan (EXCO Kerajaan Negeri) kemana perginya salib besar di atas gereja berkenaan? Rupanya Tok Guru perasan yang salib di gereja berkenaan telah tiada. Tok Guru mengarahkan Dato Annuar supaya menyiasat jika salib itu diturunkan atas arahan mana-mana pihak samada PBT atau kerajaan negeri, maka ianya mesti dinaikkan kembali. Setelah disiasat didapati bahawa pihak gereja yang menurunkannya untuk kerja-kerja pengubahsuaian…..
(It happens that one day, the CM of Kelantan, Tok Guru Nik Aziz found that a cross fronting th! e oldest church in Kelantan (Church of Our Lady Fatima) was missing. He immediately consulted Dato Annuar Tan (the state’s EXCO) on the cross’s disappearance. It is surprising that he noticed the cross was missing. Tok Guru instructed Dato’ Annuar to investigate if the cross was brought down upon instruction from local authority or state government, and if it is so then it must be reinstated. Upon investigation, it was found that it is the church authority which brought down the cross for some repair works…..)- Hu Pang Chow, Pengerusi Kelab Penyokong PAS
Ini hanyalah sebahagian daripada testimoni pihak ketiga berhubung layanan baik kerajaan PAS Kelantan kepada kaum dan agama lain di negeri yang penduduk Islamnya melebihi 95%. Ini belum kita berbicara mengenai bagaimana PAS membantu sekolah-sekolah Cina dan menyelesaikan masaalah hakmilik tanah mereka dan lain-lain lagi. Semua ini adalah contoh praktikal yang telah ditunjukkan oleh PAS dan bukan retorik semata. Saya bersetuju dengan saranan saudara Sagaladoola bahawa sudah tiba masanya rakyat Malaysia meneliti betul-betul parti PAS dan segala tawaran mereka kepada rakyat.Anak Bapa: Sejarah tidak akan menipu kita kerana faktanya tercatat jelas untuk dilihat semua. Peristiwa hitam 13 Mei umpamanya, memaparkan dengan jelas wajah sebenar PAS. Ketika peristiwa ini berlaku kebetulan PAS yang memerintah Kelantan. Di kala negeri-negeri yang diperintah UMNO berlaku pertumpahan darah sesama kaum, di Kelantan satu bulu roma kaum lain pun tidak disentuh oleh penduduknya majoriti Melayu Islam. Malah kerajaan PAS pada masa itu telah mengeluarkan arahan kepada penduduk Melayu Islam supaya melindungi kaum lain daripada sebarang ancaman dan bahaya. Ini satu hakikat yang tiada sesiapa boleh nafikan. Cuba kita ramai-ramai renungkan…..
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PAS KUTUK PENGGUNAA ISA TERHADAP PIMPINAN HINDRAF
PAS kesal dengan penahanan lima orang pimpinan Hindraf (Hindu Rights Action Front) di bawah Akta Keselamatan Dalam Negeri (ISA) semalam. Penggunaan akta yang zalim dan menahan individu tanpa hak untuk dibicarakan ini jelas membuktikan yang pihak kerajaan sudah k! etandusan idea untuk menangani masalah yang dicetuskan oleh pihak Hindraf.
PAS merasakan pihak kerajaan sepatutnya meneruskan usaha mendakwa mereka yang berkenaan menerusi proses undang-undang di mahkamah yang terbuka sebagaimana yang telah pun dimulakan dan tidak sewenang-wenangnya menggunakan ISA. Tindakan menahan tanpa bicara melalui akta kejam ISA ini hanya akan mencetuskan ketegangan dan membuktikan yang negara ini sesungguhnya menuju ke arah "Negara Polis" sebagaimana yang dinyatakan oleh Presiden PAS baru-baru ini.
Sehubungan dengan itu PAS sekali lagi menegaskan yang kami sentiasa bersedia bekerjasama dengan semua pihak bagi mempertahankan kemanan dan keharmonian rakyat dan negara dan tidak sekali-kali cenderung kepada sebarang tuntutan melampau dari mana-mana pihak yang berkemampuan menjejaskan kestabilan yang sedai ada.
PAS dan semua pihak yang prihatin terhadap agenda perpaduan nasional sekali lagi mengulangi kesediaan bertemu dengan Perdana Menteri untuk berbincang bagi mengatasi kekusutan yang meruncing yang sedang kita semua hadapi ini.
14 Disember 2007
YB DATO KAMARUDIN JAFFAR
SETIAUSAHA AGUNG PAS*****.*.*****husammusa.com
PAS dan Isu Kebebasan Beragama
Terlalu banyak diperkatakan tentang hak asasi manusia dan kebebasan beragama di negara kita se! jak kebelakangan ini. Dakwaan orang-orang Hindu (melalui Hindraf) berh ubung isu perobohan kuil-kuil mereka dan terbaru cadangan beberapa orang ahli parlimen UMNO supaya dibuang lambang-lambang Kristian seperti tanda salib dan patung di sekolah-sekolah tertentu telah menghangatkan lagi suasana politik negara yang telah pun sedia panas.
Kadang-kadang kita rasa hairan bagaimana selepas 50 tahun memerintah, UMNO dan BN masih lagi terkial-kial mencari penyelesaian isu perkauman dan agama di tanah air kita. Malah tidak keterlaluan jika kita katakan bahawa macam ada satu agenda tersembunyi UMNO dan BN, acapkali rakyat menolak mereka maka mereka akan mainkan isu perkauman dan agama untuk menarik kembali sokongan kaum masing-masing.
Berikut cuba kita teliti kenyataan dan pengakuan pihak ketiga berhubung tindakan kerajaan Kelantan yang diterajui PAS berkaitan isu di atas.
Terdapat lebih daripada 30 buah kuil Buddha di seluruh Kelantan. Ini adalah agak pelik memandangkan penduduk Kelantan terdiri daripada 95% beragama Islam. Antara kuil yang paling popular ialah Wat Pothvihan yang terletak di Cabang Empat, yang menempatkan patung Buddha yang panjangnya 40m. Patung yang sedang berbaring ini dianggap antara yang terbesar di dunia dalam kategori yang serupa dan ia dikenali sebagai “the sleeping Buddha”. Wat Uttamaram pula yang terletak di Pasir Mas dianggap sebagai kuil Buddha tertua dan tercantik di Malaysia…..
(The most popular Buddhist temple in Kelantan would be the Wat Pothvihan near Cabang Empat, which houses the 40m long reclining Buddha (one of the largest of its kind in the world) draped in pink robes -- it is larger than the one in Wat Chaiya Mangkalaram in Penang. This statue took six years to build. It is known as the sleeping Buddha…..)- Petikan daripada Wikipedia
Mujahid Yusof Rawa, Pengerusi Lajnah Perpaduan Nasional PAS telah menulis surat kepada Malaysiakini mengutuk tindakan merobohkan kuil Hindu di Kampung Rimba Jaya. Malah wakil PAS berkenaan telah menyatakan kekesalan yang amat sangat terhadap bagaimana kasar isu berkenaan ditanggani. Sesuatu yang menghairankan! Saya maksudkan, ini adalah PAS, Parti Islam Se Malaysia. Kuilnya pula adalah untuk penganut agama Hindu. Sepatutnya ia bukanlah perkara yang perlu mereka beri perhatian. Mungkin PAS bukanlah golongan yang 100% tidak boleh bertolak ansur sebagaimana yang cuba digambarkan oleh pihak-pihak tertentu. Kelantan, yang diperintah oleh PAS, juga menempatkan Wat Pothvihan, patung Buddha yang sedang berbaring terbesar di Asia Tenggara. Ada juga khabar angin yang tersebar bahawa PAS malah telah membenarkan kuil Hindu dibina di kawasan parlimen yang mereka baru menangi. Orang-orang Hindu telah cuba mendapatkan kebenaran daripada AP terdahulu, yang dari parti lain, bertahun-tahun lamanya tetapi gagal. Mungkin sudah sampai masanya kita melihat dengan lebih lanjut apa yang PAS ingin tawarkan kepada rakyat…..
(Mujahid Yusof Rawa, Chairman of National Unity Bureau of PAS had written a letter to Malaysiakini condemning the demolition procedures of the Hindu temple in Kampung Rimba Jaya. In fact, the PAS representative had expressed deep regret over the violent manner the issue was handled. Surprising isn’t it? I mean, this is PAS, the Islamic Party of Malaysia. The temple was of the Hindu religion. It is supposed to be no concern of theirs. Perhaps, PAS is not 100% intolerant as certain parties painted it to be. Kelantan, the state in which PAS reigns, houses Wat Photivihan, biggest reclining Buddha statue in Malaysia. There were rumours circulating that PAS even allowed a Hindu temple to be built in one of their newly obtained constituency. The Hindus were asking for permission from a previous MP of another party for years but to no avail. Maybe it is high time that people take a deeper look at what PAS has to offer for the people…..)- www.sagaladoola.blogspot.com
Di Kelantan (di mana kami dibesarkan), kerajaan fundamentalis Islam PAS di Kelantan dan cawangan-cawangan PAS pun tidak pernah membantah kuil Sivan Hindu ditempatkan di tengah-tengah 99.99% kampong Melayu di Kota Bharu. Malah, Menteri Besar Kelantan telah meluluskan 1 ekar tanah tambahan berhampiran ku! il Hindu yang sedia ada supaya kuil berkenaan dapat dibina dengan lebih teratur dan lebih besar kerana seluruh kampong Melayu terpaksa dipindahkan untuk memberi laluan kepada pembesaran Bandar Kota Bharu. Kuil Hindu yang baru ini sekarang berdiri megah di tengah-tengah Bandar Kota Bharu. Juga, Kuil Hindu Sri Maha Mariamman yang terletak di tengah-tengah kawasan kuat PAS di Tumpat, Kelantan yang dikelilingi oleh 99.99% orang-orang Melayu juga tidak pernah menghadapi sebarang masaalah…..
(In Kelantan (where we were brought up), even the fundamentalist Islamic PAS government in Kelantan and PAS branches had never objected to the Sivan Hindu temple being located in the midst of a 99.99% Malay village in Kota Bahru. In fact the said Kelantan PAS Chief Minister had granted a bigger one acre nearby land for this Hindu temple to be properly relocated built and expanded as the said whole malay village had to make way for the Kota Baru town expansion. This brand new Hindu temple now sits majestically in the heart of Kota Bahru town. Further, the Sri Maha Mariamman Hindu Temple in the fundamental Islamic PAS stronghold in Tumpat, Kelantan is also surrounded by 99.99% Malays but we never ever had problems…..) - Hindraf in www.bangkit.net
Kerajaan yang diterajui PAS di Kelantan tidak pernah merobohkan satu pun kuil Hindu atau kuil Buddha. Malah, patung Buddha berbaring yang terbesar di Asia Tenggara bukanlah di Thailand tetapi di Kelantan, di Kampung Neting, Tumpat, di tempat saya dibesarkan. Kerajaan PAS tidak merobohkan kuil-kuil, hanya kerajaan UMNO yang merobohkan kuil-kuil…..(The PAS-led government in Kelantan has not broken a single Hindu or Buddhist temple. In fact the largest sleeping Buddha in Southeast Asia is not in Thailand but in Kelantan in Kampung Neting, Tumpat, where I grew up. The PAS-led government does not break temples, only the Umno-lead government breaks temples…..)- Uthayakumar in malaysiakini.com
Pernah pada satu hari MB Kelantan (Tok Guru Nik Aziz) telah mendapati salib di sebuah gereja di Kota Bharu telah tiada (yakni salib gereja tertua dan terbesar di Kota Bharu, Church of Our Lady Fatima). Lantas beliau pun bertanya kepada Dato Annuar Tan (EXCO Kerajaan Negeri) kemana perginya salib besar di atas gereja berkenaan? Rupanya Tok Guru perasan yang salib di gereja berkenaan telah tiada. Tok Guru mengarahkan Dato Annuar supaya menyiasat jika salib itu diturunkan atas arahan mana-mana pihak samada PBT atau kerajaan negeri, maka ianya mesti dinaikkan kembali. Setelah disiasat didapati bahawa pihak gereja yang menurunkannya untuk kerja-kerja pengubahsuaian…..
(It happens that one day, the CM of Kelantan, Tok Guru Nik Aziz found that a cross fronting th! e oldest church in Kelantan (Church of Our Lady Fatima) was missing. He immediately consulted Dato Annuar Tan (the state’s EXCO) on the cross’s disappearance. It is surprising that he noticed the cross was missing. Tok Guru instructed Dato’ Annuar to investigate if the cross was brought down upon instruction from local authority or state government, and if it is so then it must be reinstated. Upon investigation, it was found that it is the church authority which brought down the cross for some repair works…..)- Hu Pang Chow, Pengerusi Kelab Penyokong PAS
Ini hanyalah sebahagian daripada testimoni pihak ketiga berhubung layanan baik kerajaan PAS Kelantan kepada kaum dan agama lain di negeri yang penduduk Islamnya melebihi 95%. Ini belum kita berbicara mengenai bagaimana PAS membantu sekolah-sekolah Cina dan menyelesaikan masaalah hakmilik tanah mereka dan lain-lain lagi. Semua ini adalah contoh praktikal yang telah ditunjukkan oleh PAS dan bukan retorik semata. Saya bersetuju dengan saranan saudara Sagaladoola bahawa sudah tiba masanya rakyat Malaysia meneliti betul-betul parti PAS dan segala tawaran mereka kepada rakyat.Anak Bapa: Sejarah tidak akan menipu kita kerana faktanya tercatat jelas untuk dilihat semua. Peristiwa hitam 13 Mei umpamanya, memaparkan dengan jelas wajah sebenar PAS. Ketika peristiwa ini berlaku kebetulan PAS yang memerintah Kelantan. Di kala negeri-negeri yang diperintah UMNO berlaku pertumpahan darah sesama kaum, di Kelantan satu bulu roma kaum lain pun tidak disentuh oleh penduduknya majoriti Melayu Islam. Malah kerajaan PAS pada masa itu telah mengeluarkan arahan kepada penduduk Melayu Islam supaya melindungi kaum lain daripada sebarang ancaman dan bahaya. Ini satu hakikat yang tiada sesiapa boleh nafikan. Cuba kita ramai-ramai renungkan…..
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