Living On The Edge

I don’t talk much about who I am. Only BigDog actually sent me a private message on Twitter about four years ago asking if I am who he thought I am. I just said yes. Being who I am also means I do not have to rely on The Edge to know of some things. On that same note even Rahman Dahlan could dig up more information on things, better than a certain person who had to rely on The Edge ever did. 

Being who I am also means I still have strong links with my father’s former contemporaries. These once junior officers are now very senior ranking officers, and loyal to their profession and to the institution of the force.  I had dinner with a couple of them tonight and of course the discussion that ensued ranged from the old days to the current political circus. Much was revealed about the things that have been happening in the background.

And what a revelation it was.

It seems that a certain former senior minister had met up with the head of an opposition-led state government with thirty other MPs to discuss the formation of a coalition government to replace the current one.  Of course PAS was not invited, not the incumbents of course. There was also another similar meeting held at the KLGCC where around fifteen people attended. When the lead “guest” arrived, they changed the venue to a larger meeting room.

This seems to tally with the recent raids by the police on the MACC. Of course The Edge would not tell you that the raid is about leaking information pertaining to the investigation so everyone could be led on to believe that this is all a conspiracy to cover up. And this coming from the same people who complain about criminals going scott free due to leaks.

And being the person I am also means I know three other things: first, that the recent meeting with the Sultan of Johor by the former Deputy Prime Minister was not at the request of His Highness. Rather, it was arranged by a certain businessman who did not get to execute a project when Pak Lah was the Prime Minister. Second, that the former Attorney-General has to go for three dialysis sessions per week that takes up a whole work day each session. Third, the MACC head has been hospitalised to remove a growth near his spine. It is operable but has to be done quickly, and the good Tan Sri will be out of action for about a month.

Of course, you would not be able to read the above on The Edge. Therefore I felt that I’d have to pre-empt any talk of conspiracies.

Anyway, yesterday too there was a “guerrilla movement” (as described by the message originator) by a group of UMNO people, inviting non-UMNO party of the BN coalition members to join them in pressuring the Prime Minister to step down. When I asked my dinner companions, they just smiled and said, “Wait for it. We know.”

And know they do, as do I.

And we never knew this from The Edge.

The Malay Sybarites

This is a bit overdue. With all the “bangang” accusations being thrown to and fro between pro-UMNO bloggers (I was made there are several camps with different paymasters) and the independent pro-BN bloggers, I decided to hold the issue for a while until things have quieten down.  I am not exactly a pro-BN blogger, nor do I have any love for the opposition and their loose coalition, nor that I am a paid blogger as I have never had to use political connections to feed my family in any way whatsoever.  I am the simple nine-to-five, salary-earning employee who watches what goes on around him and voices out once in a while when things are not right.  The “bangangs” then would be those who are chosen by the rakyat to govern on the rakyat’s behalf yet think they can do no wrong and are above criticisms.

The reason for the title above is because people don’t find it bordering on racism if I bash the Malays.  Malay-bashing, in Malaysia, is not racist at all and outsiders (non-Malaysians) are often invited to bash the Malays as well.  Furthermore, being a Malay, it would make me a racist to bash those from my own race.  However, be advised that while what I will write will orbit around the title above, with a broader mental horizon you would be able to see that what follows may also apply to other races.  Of course, to maintain a non-racist post, I shall name my victims collectively as the Malays.

Like it or not, the UMNO of today is a far cry compared to the UMNO people of my age or older were.  I touched on how the late Tun Razak was when it came to shouldering the responsibilities the post of Prime Minister burdened him with.   In my opinion, UMNO was and is still regarded by those who join it as a platform to make money on the pretext of helping the Malays.  Mind you, the same phenomena also exists in other political parties on both sides of the fence.  You would not have seen this in the initial phase of the Barisan Alternatif; you’re seeing this now in the Pakatan-ruled states.  The saying “power corrupts” still holds true.

When one joins UMNO (or any other political party for that matter), it is almost always on the invitation by someone who already is a member.  The new member will first be introduced to the introducer’s circle of “friends” who will have a Padrone, who is either the Branch Head, or the Deputy Branch Head.  Then comes the need to champion whoever the Padrone is in order to put him in place, and make sure the Padrone’s people fill up as many committee posts as possible.  This is then replicated at the Division level.  Getting into the Division’s Padrone’s good books allows one Branch Padrone to solicit small contracts as a Bumiputera Class ‘F’ contractor, which job then gets sub-contracted to (almost always) a non-Bumi contractor.  This simply means that at times, a non-Bumi contractor will become a project-financier, or finance the bid for contracts that are meant for Bumiputera contractors simply because the Malay contractors are a lazy lot and all they want is big bucks for less or no work done.  So, for those who whine about inequality, please bear in mind that the Bumiputeras are only allocated 30 percent while the non-Bumiputeras have 70 percent to grab.  Demographically, 61.4 percent of the population are allocated 30 percent of the opportunities to make wealth while the other 38.6 percent (of which the Chinese make up 24.6 percent) have the 70 percent opportunities to make wealth.

You see the above also happening in the Pakatan-run states albeit with different mechanisms.  Same goal, nevertheless.

Money begets power, and with every party election, more money has to be made in order to retain the power and position to make money – and this is true on both sides of the political fence. Hence, you see absolute nepotism in parties like PKR and DAP, while cronyism remains rife in other political parties.  You have cronies becoming CEOs of important companies; young brats who cannot even make proper presentations.  Then you have the opposition condemning such arrangements as being non-ethical when they themselves do it in government machineries in the states that they control.  What makes it worse are those who continuously condemn the government in public and on social media, yet thrive on servicing government contracts.

Political parties and members no longer lead the monastic way of life as how the political parties and members were back in the 1950s, 1960s and the 1970s.  The uplines, if you must, live lavishly, while their downlines slog to maintain this while trying to earn some crumbs for themselves as religious acolytes would.  I don’t know how UMNO, or any other political party went down the drain this way, but this greed must have predicated on a system that was created perhaps in the late 1980s.  I have not made any mention of PAS because PAS is in a league of its own, abusing religion for its own survival as if it exists to represent God on Earth.

How do we change all this?  In my opinion it would take a miracle for this to change.  As long as the young idolise their sybarite leaders, this country will continue to slide into the cesspool of failed nations.  Perhaps, changing the system would help arrest the rot, but it would take political will to effect change.  And that is where we need miracles!

 

PKR: The Big Fat Joke – Part 4

KENYATAAN MEDIA DEWAN PEMUDA PAS WILAYAH PERSEKUTUAN 8 September 2014 / 13 Zulkaedah 1435H

Nik Nazmi : Langkah Kajang Yang Sumbang

Saya menggesa supaya Ketua Angkatan Muda Keadilan (AMK) merujuk terlebih dahulu punca krisis Menteri Besar Selangor yang bermula daripada Langkah Kajang sebelum membuat kesimpulan melulu terhadap kewibawaan Presiden PAS, Dato’ Seri Tuan Guru Abdul Hadi Awang.

Langkah Kajang yang dicatur jelas merapuhkan keutuhan Pakatan Rakyat dan menghakis semangat setiakawan yang dihulurkan oleh PAS.

Walaupun PAS telah menyatakan pendirian bahawa Langkah Kajang tidak berkaitan untuk menukar Menteri Besar Selangor, namun jelas pada tarikh 21 Julai 2014, PKR telah mengumumkan YB Dato’ Seri Dr Wan Azizah sebagai calon Menteri Besar yang baru. Sila rujuk juga kenyataan Presiden PKR yang disiarkan oleh laman berita Astro Awani bertarikh 5 Ogos 2014. “Kita merancang strategi ‘Langkah Kajang’ untuk membolehkan Anwar menjadi ahli dewan undangan negeri dan kemudiannya Menteri Besar tetapi telah digagalkan oleh kerajaan Barisan Nasional,” “Jawatan Menteri Besar sememangnya untuk Anwar pada awalnya, saya tidak akan teragak-agak untuk menjadikan beliau sebagai penasihat sekiranya saya menjadi Menteri Besar,”

Tindakan PKR tersebut memaksa PAS untuk mengadakan mesyuarat di peringkat Majlis Syura Ulama’ dan membuat keputusan untuk mengekalkan Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim sebagai Menteri Besar Selangor. Kemudian, apabila beliau dipecat pada tarikh 9 Ogos 2014, PAS sekali lagi terpaksa bermesyuarat pada 17 Ogos 2014 untuk membuat pencalonan baru kerana Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim sudah hilang kelayakan asas untuk menjadi Menteri Besar Selangor.

Mengambil kira keputusan PKR (21 Julai 2014), pemecatan Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim, pihak istana dan perspektif Islam, Presiden PAS turut menamakan YB Azmin Ali untuk jawatan itu selain daripada Wan Azizah. Secara tidak langsung dan diamati dengan cermat, ia menzahirkan pendirian PAS dalam menentukan pemimpin utama untuk mentadbir sebuah kerajaan yang mesti seseorang individu yang berkebolehan, berkelayakan dan memiliki ciri-ciri kepimpinan tertentu.

Isu ini berlanjutan dan sehinggalah pada tarikh 27 Ogos pihak istana meminta setiap pemimpin parti menamakan lebih dua nama untuk dipertimbangkan oleh Sultan Selangor bagi mengisi jawatan Menteri Besar. Perkara tersebut telah dipenuhi oleh Presiden PAS dan ia sekali lagi menunjukkan sikap matang dan bijak.

Saya berpendapat, YB Nik Nazmi memulakan langkah sumbang sebagai Ketua AMK yang baru. Beliau harus akur bahawa liabiliti politik yang berlaku pada hari ini di Selangor menimbulkan kegusaran di peringkat akar umbi. Saya menjangkakan kita akan mengambil tempoh masa yang lebih lama untuk memulihkan sokongan kepada Pakatan Rakyat. Yang Benar, Ir. Hj. Khairil Nizam Khirudin, Ketua Pemuda, Dewan Pemuda PAS Wilayah

Page Rasmi Ir Hj Khairil Nizam Khirudin | Naib Ketua Dewan Pemuda PAS Malaysia, Ketua Dewan Pemuda PAS Wilayah Persekutuan
2014-09-08
 

What Selangor Crisis?

When people ask me about the Selangor crisis, I give them a simple answer in the form of several simple questions:

Is the Sultan of Selangor still the Head of State? The answer is Yes.

Is there a functioning Menteri Besar as the CEO of the State? The answer is Yes.

Are there four State Executive Committee members assisting the Menteri Besar of Selangor? The answer is Yes.

Are people still going to work and earning their daily bread peacefully? The answer is Yes.

Are parents more worried about the UPSR exams this coming Tuesday? The answer is Yes.

Is PKR getting its way to have only sole nominations for Wan Kipas Azizah to become the Menteri Besar? The answer is No.

Therefore the crisis is in PKR only, not in Selangor. They are stubborn and continue to defy the request made by HRH the Sultan of Selangor and are doing so with absolute arrogance.

Is this the kind of party we want leading the rakyat through misleadings?
Hell, No!

See how arrogant PKR is:

PKR arrogantly defies the HRH Sultan of Selangor and towards PAS

Masquerade

 

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Firstly, I do not know who gave the title “Constitutional Expert” to Professor Aziz Bari.  The fact that he used to lecture at the law faculty of the International Islamic University does not make him one.  It is like saying every soldier is a demolitions expert. However, everyone can safely deduce that he leans more towards Pakatan Rakyat, especially PKR, politically.

Probably every Tom, Dick and Harry might have responded to Aziz Bari’s claim that the Sultan of Selangor has no right to ask for more names for the latter to choose as the next Menteri Besar of Selangor.  He said this as reported by Malaysiakini’s Pakar: Sultan Tiada Kuasa Minta Banyak Nama (27th August 2014). In his statement, Aziz said that in a Parliamentary system, the (state) government is responsible to the state assembly, not to the Sultan. He added that the Sultan only has to agree to appoint the candidate with the most support in the state assembly as the Menteri Besar.

“Majority,” he said to Malaysiakini, “is the only (appointment) criteria, therefore the Sultan has no right to request for more names since there is already majority.”

Perhaps our “Constitutional Expert” does not know much on the history behind the Constitution. The Rulers may be Constitutional Monarchs but ours is not the same as the Westminster Monarch that they have in England.  In England, the monarchy was reinstated with the installation of King Charles II by Parliament after the failure of Oliver Cromwell’s Republic that followed the decapitation of King Charles I.  All laws are passed by Parliament without the Queen’s Consent (or King’s Consent if the Ruler of England is male) save for four things: bills affecting the royal prerogative (whatever the royal prerogatives are, are quite shady due to the nature of the uncodified Constitution in England). The second is bills affecting the hereditary revenues of the Duchy of Lancaster or the Duchy or Cornwall. Third, bills affecting the personal property of the monarch, and lastly, bills affecting the “personal interests” of the monarch.

To understand the role of the Rulers in Malaysia one must take several steps back in the history of this nation.  The mistake made by the government since those days is to instill the spirit of nationalism into every Malaysian.  The simplest way is to say that we were colonised by the British, and that we gained independence for them – which would only be true for Pulau Pinang, Melaka and Singapore. When Malaya gained “independence” only Pulau Pinang and Melaka rejoined Malaya while Singapore remained a British colony.  The British were here by virtue of the various treaties made with the respective Malay rulers.  British advisers were appointed and were paid by the Sultan who appointed them to administer the state on behalf of the Sultan.  They basically administered everything except for matters that affected Islam and the Malay customs, which remained the Sultan’s sole prerogative.  When the British administration left in 1957, this role was taken over by the Menteri Besar and the state executive assembly that form the administration part of the state government through elections.  The executive power remains with the Sultan. This is evident in Article 181(1) of the Federal Constitution that says:

“Subject to the provisions of this Constitution,” the “sovereignty, prerogatives, powers and jurisdiction of the Rulers…as hitherto had and enjoyed shall remain unaffected.”

The same was noted by Mark R Gillen of the Faculty of Law, University of Victoria (Gillen 1994:7). In the words of the late Sultan of Perak, Sultan Azlan Shah, former Lord President, it is:

“a mistake to think that the role of a King, like that of a President, is confined to what is laid down by the Constitution, His role far exceeds those constitutional provisions” (Azlan Shah 1986:89)

On Aziz Bari’s claim that the (state) government is answerable to the state assembly and not to the Sultan, may I remind Aziz Bari that in Article 50 of the Selangor Constitution, 1959, it says;

“The executive authority of the State shall be vested in His Highness and exercisable, unless otherwise provided by the Federal Constitution or this Constitution, by him or by the State Executive Council or any member of the State Executive Council authorised by the State Executive Council, byt executive functions may by law be conferred on other persons or authorities.”

You cannot form a government without the consent of the Sultan; hence the need for the Menteri Besar and members of the Executive Council to take an oath of office before the Sultan to administer the State on behalf of the Sultan.

On Aziz Bari’s claim that the Sultan is only to appoint as Menteri Besar whoever has the support of the majority in the state assembly, Aziz Bari should go back to where he read law and ask for his money back.  The Selangor State Constitution explicitly states in Articles 51 and 53(2) that the appointment of the Menteri Besar is the prerogative of the Sultan. The person to be appointed as Menteri Besar is a person, IN HIS MAJESTY’S JUDGMENT is likely to command the confidence of the majority of the members of the Assembly.  Therefore it is right for His Royal Highness to ask for more than two names to be submitted by each political party that has the majority command of the state assembly.

The same happened in Terengganu when UMNO wanted Idris Jusoh to continue on as the Menteri Besar after the 2008 General Election but the Sultan overruled and insisted on Ahmad Said instead.

The above is the form of democracy with the Sultan having the right to choose whom to head the executive branch of his government to administer the state on His Majesty’s behalf.  What is not democratic is Rafizi Ramli’s instruction to Selangor State Assemblymen under PKR except Wan Azizah and Azmin Ali to decline if nominated as the Menteri Besar by the other parties.

This is to choose a state government FOR THE PEOPLE, not for PKR. Rafizi should just shut up and hide behind his boss, while Aziz Bari ought to ask for his law school fees back, find a better law school and stop this masquerade.

 

Monkey’s Bazaar

Khalid Ibrahim today was granted an audience with HRH The Sultan of Selangor to discuss the current impasse related to the Menteri Besar issue. After the meeting, the Office of The Sultan of Selangor issued this release:

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In the statement, HRH The Sultan of Selangor decreed that each of the party in the loose coalition called Pakatan Rakyat should submit MORE THAN TWO NAMES as candidates for the Menteri Besar post. In the meantime, Khalid Ibrahim shall continue to enjoy the confidence of HRH The Sultan of Selangor to continue head HRH’s government as the Menteri Besar.

Hours later, Parti Keadilan Rakyat and the Democratic Action Party issued a joint statement as follows:

KENYATAAN MEDIA
PARTI KEADILAN RAKYAT
PARTI TINDAKAN DEMOKRATIK

PERLANTIKAN DATO’ MENTERI BESAR
KEADILAN DAN DAP MENJUNJUNG TITAH DYMM TUANKU SULTAN SELANGOR

KEADILAN dan DAP merafak sembah menjunjung kasih dan rasa syukur dengan titah DYMM Tuanku Sultan Selangor mengenai pelantikan Dato’ Menteri Besar yang baru seperti kenyataan rasmi Pejabat DYMM Tuanku Sultan Selangor yang ditandatangani Dato’ Mohamad Munir bin Bani hari ini.

Titah DYMM Tuanku Sultan Selangor itu adalah sejajar dengan konvensi (convention) yang telah diamalkan secara berterusan dalam pelantikan Dato’ Menteri Besar sebelum ini.

DYMM Tuanku Sultan Selangor turut menitahkan parti-parti Pakatan Rakyat mencalonkan lebih dari satu nama dalam melantik Dato’ Menteri Besar dalam tahun 2013. Titah DYMM Tuanku Sultan Selangor itu disampaikan kepada KEADILAN, PAS dan DAP melalui satu surat bertarikh 7 Mei 2013 (yang disertakan bersama) yang melambangkan konvensi yang diamalkan DYMM Tuanku Sultan Selangor sebelum ini.

Susulan itu, mengambil kira titah DYMM Tuanku Sultan Selangor dan konvensi yang diamalkan sebelum ini dalam pelantikan Dato’ Menteri Besar, parti-parti Pakatan Rakyat telah mencalonkan satu nama iaitu Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim untuk dipertimbangkan DYMM Tuanku Sultan Selangor dalam tahun 2013. Pencalonan ini diperkenankan dan diterimapakai oleh DYMM Tuanku Sultan Selangor.

Oleh yang demikian, KEADILAN dan DAP menjunjung titah DYMM Tuanku Sultan Selangor itu dan akan mempersembahkan pencalonan YB Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail untuk dipertimbangkan DYMM Tuanku Sultan Selangor sejajar dengan konvensi yang diamalkan oleh Pakatan Rakyat dalam tahun 2013 memandangkan YB Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail sudah mendapat sokongan majoriti sekurang-kurangnya 30 orang Ahli Dewan Negeri (termasuk YB Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail sendiri).

KEADILAN dan DAP merakamkan doa dan menjunjung kasih atas budi bicara ke bawah DYMM Tuanku Sultan Selangor.

DATO’ SAIFUDDIN NASUTION ISMAIL
Setiausaha Agong KEADILAN

TONY PUA
Setiausaha Publisiti DAP

26 Ogos 2014

I am beginning to wonder if any of the monkeys above understand Bahasa Malaysia? I can forgive Tony Pua as I doubt his want for a Malaysian Malaysia includes the abolishment of vernacular schools. What of Saifuddin Nasution? Perhaps this monkey would like to use the Prefix “71” in his identity card number as an excuse to not have a god command of Bahasa Malaysia.

Well, if they claim to be human beings, then I would categorise them as “derhaka” and should be banished from the state of Selangor.

By the way, please note the sidelining of PAS from this communiqué.

This truly is becoming a Monkey’s Bazaar!

Khalid Ibrahim Complains To ROS

The Menteri Besar of Selangor has lodged a complaint to the Registrar of Societies to declare his sacking by Parti Keadilan Rakyat null and voide as it is ultra vires of PKR’s Constitution. This is the latest in a series of legal moves by Khalid Ibrahim against PKR and pakatan-leaning media:

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Surat Terbuka Untuk Pengundi Melayu

Pada 9hb Mac 2008, buat pertama kalinya saya melihat seorang remaja Melayu dengan megahnya memakai sehelai kemeja ‘T’ yang tertera perkataan “DAP” dan mempunyai lambang roket DAP. Saya hanya mampu menggelengkan kepala. Di dalam hati saya teringat laporan kata-kata yang diungkapkan oleh Setiausaha Agung DAP, Lim Kit Siang:

“Melayu keluar! Apa lagi duduk sini, kita hentam lu…sekarang kita sudah ada kuasa…”

Begitulah bunyinya ungkapan beliau yang dilaporkan telah dilaung-laungkan di sekitar Jalan Khir, Kampung Baru, Kuala Lumpur pada 12hb Mei 1969. Sikap anti-Melayu Lim Kit Siang bukanlah suatu perkara yang baru, dan yang diungkapkan oleh beliau di atas bukanlah ungkapan anti-Melayu yang pertama pernah beliau ungkapkan. Sekiranya kita melayari laman http://bibliotheca.limkitsiang.com dapat kita membaca siri ucapan dan surat-surat beliau yang dibuat sejak 1968, kita dapat melihat bagaimana beliau sering menggunakan isu perkauman untuk membuat kaum lain di Malaysia ini membenci kaum Melayu.

Apabila kita langkaui masa selama 44 tahun selepas itu, kita dapati parti DAP itu sendiri masih tidak berubah, malah masih mempunyai Lim Kit Siang sebagai Penasihat Parti. Yang berubah hanyalah sikap Lim Kit Siang yang lebih cauvinis. Beliau bukan sahaja masih bersikap anti-Melayu, malah anti-Islam juga. Sebagai contoh: dalam satu risalah yang dikeluarkan di media Internet, Lim Kit Siang berkata:

“Saya berpendapat Malaysia tidak akan dapat mencapai kemuncak potensinya sebagai sebuah negara maju kerana sekatan-sekatan dalam Islam. Sekaranglah masanya untuk untuk kita mengalihkan kesemua rintangan dengan menukar kerajaan yang sedia ada dan juga perlembagaan, Ini Kalilah!”

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Maka tidak hairanlah kita apabila para pemimpin PAS yang kita mengharapkan dapat mengekang kemaraan sikap cauvinis ini sering lari bertempiaran dengan ekor dikepit dicelah kangkang disergah oleh DAP setiap kali isu Hudud atau penggunaan kalimah Allah dalam kitab Injil diutarakan. Malah, masih ingat saya sebuah artikel mengenai amaran Karpal Singh dalam Utusan Malaysia bertarikh 18hb Oktober 1990 yang menyebut:

“Mahu wujudkan Negara Islam langkah mayat kami dulu – Karpal Singh”

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Disebabkan perbalahan di antara dua parti ini juga kita melihat pendirian PAS yang sering berubah-ubah. Dalam Utusan Malaysia bertarikh 4hb Ogos 2001, YAB Datuk Nik Aziz Nik Mat dilaporkan berkata:

“Bukan sahaja dalam manifesto, dalam perlembagaan PAS sendiri tidak mengandungi satu perkataan pun untuk menubuhkan Negara Islam, dia (DAP) boleh tengok sendiri dan baca perlembagaan itu.”

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Maka, bolehlah kita simpulkan di sini bahawa menubuhkan Negara Islam itu bukanlah perjuangan sebenar PAS, malah dikeji oleh sekutunya DAP. Ini juga merupakan pendirian PKR sepertimana yang dilaporkan dalam akhbar Kosmo bertarikh 25hb April 2013:

“PKR, DAP tetap bantah rancangan PAS untuk laksanakan hudud jika menang PRU-13. Khalid tolak hudud di Selangor.”

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Pakatan Rakyat di dalam manifestonya (Manifesto Rakyat: Pakatan Harapan Rakyat) ada menyebut di dalam Bahasa Malaysia seperti berikut:

“Menghayati kedudukan Islam sebagai Agama Persekutuan, menjamin hak kebebasan beragama.”

Tetapi dalam terjemahan kedalam Bahasa Inggeris pula, ianya ditulis sebegini:

“Respecting the position of Islam as the OFFICIAL RELIGION, guaranteeing the freedom of religion. (menghormati kedudukan Islam sebagai AGAMA RESMI, menjamin hak kebebasan beragama)”

Saudara dan saudari perlu membaca dan telitikan dua maksud yang berbeza di atas.

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Jelas untuk pengundi bukan Melayu/Islam, agama Islam hanya menjadi agama resmi Persekutuan dan bukan agama Persekutuan seperti yang termaktub dalam Artikel 3(1) Perlembagaan Persekutuan Malaysia. Ini bakal member kebebasan mereka untuk memujuk orang Islam, terutamanya dari kaum Melayu, untuk orang Islam menukar agama, dan juga kebebasan untuk mereka menggunakan apa jua bahasa termasuk kalimah Allah dalam kitab-kitab serta bahan cetak lain-lain agama.

Untuk memahami sebab kalimah Allah tidak dipakai di Semenanjung Malaysia tetapi digunakan di Sabah, Sarawak dan Indonesia, saudara-saudari pembaca perlu memahami sejarah kolonisasi rantau nusantara serta perjanjian-perjanjian di antara Raja-Raja Melayu negeri-negeri Bersekutu dan tidak Bersekutu dengan pihak British.

Sehingga tertubuhnya Malayan Union pada tahun 1946, kecuali Pulau Pinang, Melaka dan Singapura yang membentuk Negeri-Negeri Selat, Tanah Melayu tidak pernah dijajah. Negeri-Negeri Melayu Bersekutu yang dianggotai Perak, Selangor, Negeri Sembilan dan Pahang menandatangani perjanjian perlindungan (independent protectorate) dengan pihak British dengan syarat seorang pentadbir British (Residen) digajikan oleh pihak Raja-Raja Negeri Melayu Bersekutu kerana mempunyai system pentadbiran yang seragam, manakala negeri-negeri lain mempunyai seorang Penasihat (Adviser). Contoh seorang Residen ialah Frank Swettenham, manakala Penasihat kepada Negeri Kedah ialah William George Maxwell.

Berbeza dengan Indonesia yang mana ianya ditakluk dan dijajah oleh Belanda, dan Sabah dan Sarawak yang dimiliki syarikat-syarikat kepunyaan warga British. Oleh sebab itu, di Indonesia, kolonialis Belanda memperkenalkan agama Kristian dan kitab Injil di dalam Bahasa Indonesia serta mengharamkan ibadah lain-lain agama termasuk Islam.

Thomas Stamford Bingley Raffles, yang lebih dikenali sejarah sebagai Sir Stamford Raffles, gabenor British di Singapura, merupakan seorang mubaligh Krisitan yang masyhur. Beliau telah menggunakan kuasanya untuk menjemput rakan-rakan mubaligh dari England ke Borneo Utara dan Sarawak kerana “pulau tersebut didiami oleh satu kaum yang masih hidup belum keluar dari sifat kegasaran.” Di sinilah bermulanya titik permulaan penggunaan kalimah Allah dalam kitab Injil dan lain-lain penerbitan Kristian yang menggunakan bahasa Melayu seperti Buletin Ariffin, Cermin Mata, Sahabat dan Warta Melayu.

Beliau bukannya tidak pernah mencuba untuk mengKristiankan orang Islam di Tanah Melayu, tetapi mendapatinya sukar dilaksanakan memandangkan perjanjian di antara pihak British dengan Raja-Raja Melayu yang mempertahankan agama Islam dan adat-istiadat orang Melayu. Di dalam surat beliau kepada sepupunya, beliau menulis:

“Agama dan undang-undang adalah terlalu sebati sehinggakan memperkenalkan agama Kristian akan membawa kepada kemusnahan, dendam dan perbalahan.” (Buitenzorg, 10hb Februari 1815, Mss. Eur. F.202/6)

Itulah sebabnya apabila ahli-ahli Dewan Undangan Negeri dari parti DAP mengangkat sumpah pada tahun 2008, mereka menunjukkan sikap biadap terhadap Raja-Raja Melayu. Tidak cukup dengan itu, digalakkan pula anak-anak muda Melayu bersikap biadap terhadap institusi Raja. Serang pengaruh Raja-Raja Melayu maka ianya akan melemahkan kepercayaan dan sikap hormat orang Melayu terhadap institusi Raja-Raja Melayu yang menjadi penjaga dan pemelihara agama Islam dan adat-istiadat orang Melayu.

Kita dapat lihat dengan jelas bagaimana mubaligh-mubaligh Kristian mula menyiarkan risalah-risalah dan lain-lain penerbitan dalam Bahasa Malaysia bertujuan untuk memesongkan aqidah umat Islam di Negara ini. Sebagai contoh, di Johor, sebanyak 250 buah buku bertajuk seperti Kaabah, Mengenal Rasul dan Wahyu Illahi disebarkan tetapi dirampas oleh Jabatan Agama Islam Johor dan Kementerian Dalam Negeri. Dalam sebuah negeri yang 58 peratus penduduknya beragama Islam, manakala hanya 2 peratus penganut agama Kristian, untuk siapakah yang saudara-saudari pembaca sekalian rasa risalah-risalah ini dicetak?

Semua ini dilakukan demi kuasa. Dan demi berkuasa, insan yang bernama Anwar Ibrahim sering berdolak-dalik dalam isu penggunaan kalimah Allah oleh penganut agama lain.

Pada 24hb Jun 2010 di Woodrow Wilson International Centre di Washington D.C, Anwar Ibrahim telah mengulas isu kalimah Allah dan menyatakan:

“Trend di Malaysia, yang pertama sekali isu kalimah Allah. Ia benar-benar tidak waras sekiranya tidak teruk untuk mengesyorkan, bahawa anda memaksa, bukan Muslim menerima undang-undang yang menafikan hak mereka, memanggil Tuhan mereka dengan apa-apa nama. Anda boleh memanggil nama-nama lain kecuali Allah. Tetapi perkara ini hanya boleh datang daripada golongan Pemerintah yang tidak berpandangan jauh, bersifat perkauman, tidak bersikap toleran dan tidak demokratik. Kami di dalam Pakatan Rakyat, bukan sahaja PKR dan DAP, malahan PAS telah mengambil pendirian bahawa kami tidak boleh menerima undang-undang ini. Kami mesti menghormati hak agama atau kepercayaan lain untuk memanggil Tuhan mereka dengan nama Allah.”

Saudara dan saudari sekalian, cukuplah Melayu diperbodohkan atau buat-buat bodoh terutamanya dalam isu yang melibatkan agama Islam serta maruah bangsa Melayu. Silap kita memangkah nescaya yang bakal menerima akibat khilaf kita adalah anak cucu kita. Janganlah kita fikirkan bahawa kita akan tetap selamat sekiranya calon tersebut Melayu PKR atau PAS menentang bukan Melayu dari MCA atau MIC. Kita perlu lihat siapa peneraju dan terbuktikah beliau mempertahan dan memperkasakan kedudukan Islam dan Melayu di Negara ini. Lihat juga siapa menjadi dalang utama di dalam Pakatan Rakyat – tidak lain tidak bukan DAP yang tidak pernah berubah sejak tahun 1969.

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Ingat saudara-saudari sekalian, satu undi untuk PKR mahupun PAS adalah merupakan satu undi terhadap penguasaan DAP ke atas agama Islam dan bangsa Melayu.

Sekian, terima kasih.

When Islamists Worship Money

“This is the Book; In it is guidance sure, without doubt, to those who fear God” (Qur’an, 2:2)

For Muslims who are not familiar with this verse, this is the second verse from al-Baqarah. This verse talks about the Quran as a guidance for those who fear God, and serves as part of the epistemological parameters for the Quran. In other words, if you say you live on the path of Allah, you should heed to this verse. If you say you uphold Islam, this is the verse you should not veer from this. Furthermore, God said:

“…Nothing have We omitted from the Book…” Qur’an, 6:38

For 20 years, the so-called Islamist government in Kelantan have been raping the jungles of Lojing, and most recently the land given to DAP duo, Ngeh Koo Ham and Nga Kor Ming. (read here for more.)

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The so-called Islamist government of Kedah managed to outdo Kelantan in a short five years. Pedu Lake where I used to go back in the 1990s is now hardly recognisable. Blatant uncontrolled logging have stripped the virgin jungle bare! And this is definitely unIslamic.

As the unquestionable guidance for mankind, the Quran mentions about the role of man as the guardian of God’s Earth:

“It is He who has made you (His) vicegerents, inheritors of the earth: He has raised you in ranks, some above others: that He may try you in the gifts He has given you: for your Lord is quick in punishment: yet He is indeed Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful.” Qur’an, 6:165

But this does not mean that man’s vicegerency does not come unobserved:

“Then We made you heirs in the land after them, to see how you would behave!” Qur’an, 10:14

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Obviously, the government of the states of Kedah and Kelantan have misbehaved. The two state governments, led by members of an Islamist party, seem to prefer selling their soul for filthy lucre than to uphold the Words of God Himself as they portray themselves to the masses.

Looking at the pictures of Lojing and Pedu above, what justification do you think the two states’ government have to cause such damage? Pedu is so far away from civilisation, and so is Lojing, that it would be incomprehensible that such a magnitude of destruction was done in the name of development. As believing God’s Messengers and His Prophets is part of the six Pillars of Islamic Faith, Muhammad (pbuh) saying below should serve as a reminder not just to the two states’ government, but also to ALL Muslims who support them without question:

“He who cuts a lote-tree [without justification], God will send him to Hellfire.” (At-Tirmidhi #5239

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On the eve of the Chinese New Year, Mukhriz Mahathir led a group of people to protest the destruction of the Pedu ecology and the mismanagement of natural resources by the Kedah state government.

Mukhriz reminded the 10,000 who congregated at the water catchment site that the Kedah state government had plundered the area for personal economic gains with little regard for the environment and how it would affect the people of the state. He then led them in a tree-planting effort to help revive the plundered land. Even legendary singer, Zainal Abidin, known for his support for the environment, was there to lend his support.

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This is the kind of effort that Muslims should support, one that preserves God’s Earth as required in the Quran. Islam encourages the planting of trees. When done intentionally for the sake of God, they are considered and rewarded as acts of worshipping. Jaber reported that the Prophet [S.A.A.S] said:

“No Muslim, who plants a shoot, except that whatever is eaten or stolen from it, or anyone obtains the least thing from it, is considered [like paying] almsgiving on his behalf until the Day of Judgment.”(Muslim)

Remember Allah’s warning:

“But whosoever turns away from My Message, verily for him is a life narrowed down …” Qur’an, 20:124

The million-dollar question now emerges for the Muslims who have been supporting PAS:

Should you support the one upholding acts favoured by Allah and Muhammad, or will you continue to support the ones who use Allah and Muhammad for their own interests?

The Case For God – Jesus Must Win

When I started writing this (The Case For God) series, I had in mind the difference between the Peninsula and Sabah and Sarawak in the acceptance of the use of “Allah” in the Malay Bible, or in any other material of Christian origin. To refresh, whilst the peoples of Sabah (North Borneo) and Sarawak were British subjects as they were under direct British rule and were therefore subjugated, the people of the Peninsula (Malaya), save for the Strait Settlements, were not. Therefore, the British dared not influence especially the Malays of Malaya to convert to Christianity.

Today, I read with alarm Helen Ang’s posting. There clearly is a call by Reverend Datuk Ng Moon Hing, Datuk Rev. chairman of the Christian Federation of Malaysia and the Bishop for Anglicans of West Malaysia, for Christians to “rise during the next general election, and vote in a government that will allow Christianity to flourish”,and in his own words:

…to…propagate one’s religion is allowed, without undue curtailment from the law, restrictions or even prohibition…

No, I did not make this up. In fact, you can view it yourself in Helen Ang’s posting above, or see it for yourself below:

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What Bishop Ng is seeking is for the amendment to Article 11 of the Federal Constitution, and in a blatant challenge to Article 11(4), the sanctity of Islam as the nation’s religion as specifically guaranteed by Article 3(1).

And among the reasons for the call to Malaysian Christians to rise is to prevent “a government which plays God or a government which exclude God“. According to him, “It is very dangerous and bad for the nation.” The former is a veiled reference to PAS, while the latter is the Barisan Nasional that they are eager to kick out.

Evangelism, my friends, cuts across the board and knows no boundaries. Traditions die and families get broken up. I have a family friend, an octogenarian Taoist, almost paralysed by a stroke, and whose daughters have all converted to Christianity. Two out of three daughters have migrated with their husband. His concern as life ebbs away is: which daughter would burn joss sticks and incense for him when he dies? It may seem a small thing for some, but a last grasp at salvation for others.

Maybe the people of this nation was not ready for the immediate openness introduced by the Abdullah government , which Abdullah later backtracked on with dire results for Barisan Nasional. The consequence of that is gutter politics and a more polarised Malaysia. And that has nurtured disrespect, even for the very law that has held this nation together.

The Barisan Nasional may not be the best legally-registered coalition around, but in the slightly over 55 years of existence, this nation has come to be a hero from zero. Of course, there is still a lot of room for improvements. And I mean A LOT!

But to vote in the alternative, in my strong opinion, is even worse.