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KUALA LUMPUR (AFP) — Malaysian Catholics on Monday won the right to mount a legal battle against a government ban on the use of the word “Allah” as a translation for “God” in their main publication.

The Muslim-dominated government last year declared that the word could only be used by Muslims and threatened to close down The Herald newspaper if it defied the prohibition.

The newspaper, which features articles written in English, Chinese, Tamil and Malay, is circulated among the country’s 850,000 Catholics. In January it nearly lost its publishing licence after using “Allah” in its Malay section.

Authorities warned The Herald not to print the word in future, but instead it is asking the High Court to revoke the ban and make a declaration that its use is legal.

High Court judge Lau Bee Lan on Monday overruled objections by the state’s counsel to the case going ahead, saying they were “without merit and therefore dismissed.”

“The issues should be determined in the next stage,” she said.

Father Lawrence Andrew, editor of The Herald, welcomed the decision which paves the way for a judicial review of the government ban.

“I am very pleased that we can now proceed. We will see what will happen at the next stage,” he told reporters.

The church’s lawyer Porres Ryan said they would soon submit an application to proceed with the case.

“The effect of the decision today is that our application is not frivolous and we can now proceed to address the issues at the review,” he said.

Malaysia is dominated by Muslim Malays and the minority ethnic Chinese and Indians have become concerned over the growing “Islamisation” of the country.

In recent months there have been controversies over a ban on the construction of a Taoist statue on Borneo island and the destruction of Hindu temples by local authorities.

Kehakiman hari tidak lagi memihak kepada kepentingan majoriti negara, malah kehendak minoriti, yang sengaja mencari ruang dan peluang untuk menyelitkan agenda mereka mendapat kelebihan strategik. Tidak sebagaimana yang lepas, apabila Ketua Hakim Negara bertindak tegas, bertindak menurut lunas lunas Perlembagaan dan menentukan kepentingan kumpulan majoriti dipertahankan dahulu.

Kepimpinan hari ini sungguh lemah dan tidak lagi mampu mempertahankan apa yang HAK bagi Orang Melayu-Islam dalam tanahair bumi Melayu ini. Apa yang selama ini menjadi hak eksklusif orang Melayu-Islam kini boleh dijarah oleh orang lain, tanpa sempadan.

Apakah ini permulaan ketirisan budaya Melayu-Islam, yang dibuat secara berstruktur, menurut Perlembagaan tetapi acuan pihak tertentu yang sengaja berusaha melihat Melayu-Islam Malaysia terdedah dan mudah dipengaruhi elemen dan anasir yang melemahkan jatidiri, iman dan sifat memperjuangankan agama Allah, terutama zaman mencabar globalisasi ini?

Nampaknya Laksmana Legenda Hang Tuah sebenarnya salah! Melayu akan hilang didunia. Ianya sedang berlaku sekarang. Tanpa Islam, Melayu tidak bererti lagi, malah merupakan rumpun Malayo-Polynesia, tidak ubah seperti di Ambon, Luzon atau Samoa. Ini semua berlaku semasa PM ‘Flip-Flop’ Dato’ Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi menerajui Kepimpinan.

Hari ini kita khalifah Allah dibumi Nusantara bertuah. Apakah kita bersedia berdepan dengan Allah s.w.t., tatkala kita gagal mempertahankan nama Allah itu sendiri, dalam tanahair kita sendiri?

on May 5, 2008 at 1:59 pm

Posted in: Catholic, Christian, ISLAM, Malaysian Government, Religion | Comments(0)

April 17, 2008

There is growing belief among some Malaysians that our country is ready for non racial politics.

It seems to me that they also believe that they represent the majority in this country.

I hate to burst the bubble, but realistically, this issue will require a debate and an honest self-examination on the rakyat’s part considering the historical and cultural framework of the country to achieve an acceptable formula.

And the majority of the Malaysian electorate must be ready to give to the proposing political party the following mandate:

1. A two-thirds majority in parliament, because any party which intends to change the constitution must have this
2. The Elimination of Article 153 which defines the Malay Rights in the Constitution, and with the two-thirds majority, it gives the proposing party local standi
3. Ban all race based political parties and enshrine it in the Constitution
4. To close all the ethnic base school as non-malays accept national schools as the sole school system

But let’s be realistic. What are we going to do if we ban all race based political parties? The elimination of race based parties would create a vacuum when there will be a need for institutions will be there to cater for each races’ needs in terms of culture, religion and education.

As a mandatory precondition to achieve the above objective, we must step forward and volunteer our time and money to create more NGOs to cater for the social needs of the individual races. This model has proven somewhat successful in the United States where various Asian, Black or Latino NGOs have taken steps to address issues local to their own communities.

And let’s not start about how we need to first improve the quality of our education system.

A quick think of the situation will tell us that all this will take a lot of hard work, painful sacrifices and therefore take time to implement.

Do not get me wrong. I am all for a non racial Malaysia. And this must be the long-term target for the nation.

But we must admit that It is not possible to implement a non racial Malaysian society without equalizing the economic and social welfare of all the races in Malaysia first.

And now, to add to our woes, we are faced with the negative impact of a slowing global economy, rising prices of commodities and declining standard of living for Malaysians in general, the economic welfare of the rakyat becomes more important than the ideal of a non racial Malaysia.

It is difficult to narrow the gap in the well being of different races if the economy does not generate new wealth to be fairly distributed among the races.

So these are the medium term targets that we need to achieve:

1. New wealth in the economy that is fairly distributed among the races,
2. a world class education system that is both colour blind and economically efficient, and
3. new NGOs as institutions that will fill the vacuum when race based political parties are gone.

Only when Malaysia is in such a position we can truly consider to further dismantle the racial shackles that bind us.

But for the mean time, let us concentrate on pressing matters.

By Jazlan

Posted in: ISLAM, Malaysia GE 2008, Malaysia Politics, Malaysian Government | Comments(0)

April 16, 2008

This article first appeared in the Malaysian Insider

Let’s face it. The honeymoon is over. Barisan Nasional under Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi won 91 per cent of the parliamentary seats in the 2004 elections but only 63 per cent this year.

I thanked Pak Lah last Friday for the opportunity to contest in the last and this elections when nobody else gave me the chance. But I had to say what I had to say when no one else wanted. Just like when he gave me the opportunity.

I was polite. I asked Pak Lah to consider stepping down earlier as prime minister to stop Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah from disturbing the party and our efforts to rebuild the party after our considerable losses in the 2008 elections.

In my mind, only a smooth transition will stop the party from splitting up. And that has to be done sooner than later. Now. Not tomorrow. Not next month. Not December.

The 2008 elections have thrown up one fact. The young voters had determined the results. They are impatient and demand quick results.

In 2004 the young voters were attracted by Pak Lah’s promise to be more transparent, eliminate corruption and nepotism and gave Pak Lah a resounding mandate to carry his reforms and to me this was Pak Lah’s victory rather than BN. But unfortunately in 2008 the voters thought that Pak Lah fell short on his promises and voted otherwise.

But we cannot blame the voters. They are young and idealistic and we must accept their decision. The young are more attracted to join the other side because they can achieve their objectives faster than in Umno where the institution slows them down. As a result we have young MPs in their 20s representing them and carry the potential of changing the political environment forever.

I do not believe that Umno can recover its historical position in the country and must learn to behave like Golkar in Indonesia where the party is still influential despite a shrinking base of support and no longer politically dominant. Therefore, Umno cannot afford to change gradually when the Opposition has undergone a radical change.

Umno failed to see the ground shift and as a result, BN lost five states, the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, and even had problems with the royalty as they did not agree with the Prime Minister’s choice of Menteris Besar in two states.

The PM has been weakened by the rejection of the young voters in the recent elections and a weak PM is not good for Umno.

And Umno is stuck in the old way of solving problems where we believe we Umno is the epicentre of the Malaysian political universe and Malaysia’s problems can be simplistically resolved by solving Umno’s internal problems first and then only later to solve national issues and the public would obediently submit to our will.

The situation now requires Pak Lah to separate the position of the prime minister and president of the party.

The voters have decided that they do not want Pak Lah as PM by voting against him in the recent general elections. And they do not care about who becomes the president of Umno because they are trying to replace Umno with a new political institution.

The honeymoon is over. There is nagging in the house. We have to solve that. Now.

By Jazlan

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Posted in: Malaysia GE 2008, Malaysia Politics, Malaysian Government | Comments(0)

March 25, 2008

Full house: Audience members applauding during the forum titled ‘New Politics in Post-Election Malaysia’ held at Menara Star Monday.

From the Star: By Jazlan

PETALING JAYA: The five opposition-held state governments must compete among themselves as well as with the Federal Government to prove to the electorate they are viable, a public forum was told yesterday

DAP Petaling Jaya Utara MP Tony Pua said the competition was actually extremely healthy for the country.

“In these states, the competition will be immense in bringing the country forward in terms of economic policies and politics,” he said.

“The Barisan will have to face the pressure of Penang becoming a fantastic success compared to the previous government.

“Will it lose more states in the peninsula if Penang becomes a model state for investment and economic administration?” he asked at The Star-ACMS public forum titled New Politics in Post-Election Malaysia.

Pua added that in Parliament, there would be competition between a possibly viable two-party system.

Among the Opposition parties, there would also be competition in the states they ruled. He said the DAP would set the pace to show that it could do the job better.

“If we do well, other states will also have to do well to prove to the people that their choices were not wrong.

“Before this, there was no competition to show that one could do better but more of a competition of who could make more money as an Adun (assemblyman),” he said.

On cooperation, Pua said in the past it was easy for Barisan to alienate the Opposition-led Kelantan as its economic contribution was minimal. However, in the current scenario, the Opposition rules the rich states of Penang, Perak and Selangor.

Pua said the reality was that there had to be politics of cooperation for Malaysia to move forward and for the Barisan to prove itself competent to win back the people’s trust.

He said the likelihood was that both parties would try to continue improving the economy and political affairs in the states but both would take credit for it.

“The strategy will not be to sabotage. You cannot do that anymore as too many states are involved and the stakes are too high for Barisan,” he said.

Former Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek said the political landscape had now changed completely and it could not be business as usual for Barisan nor the Opposition now.

He pointed out that the governments in the five states were under the microscope and faced many challenges as well as opportunities.

“But don’t forget that a new broom always sweeps clean, anywhere in the world,” he said, adding that other than PAS, none of the other parties had experience in administering states.

“If your learning curve is slow, you will be shown the door by voters in the next election the same way Barisan was shown the door on March 8.”

Dr Chua said people should be concerned about whether the new coalition partners could sit down together and administer the states or whether they would bicker among each other on who should call the shots.

He also questioned whether the Federal and state relationship would be one of confrontation or cooperation.

He added that even if there was cooperation, he wondered if it was because of political convenience or a genuine deal on a win-win basis.

Contending that it would likely not be all smooth sailing, he said the Opposition also faced tremendous challenges such as getting cooperation from the civil servants.

“If they succeed in overcoming the problems then it would present a challenge to Barisan as the people will then have a real alternative for Government.”

Pointing out that the people had voted for change, he said the Barisan component parties must change and the MCA should re-brand and re-strategise itself to regain the people’s support.

“We can no longer sing the same old tune of development, peace and stability as promises to the people as these are what the people expect from their Government,” he said.

He added that the party could no longer talk about new villages and its success in setting up TAR College and Utar as the Chinese now demanded more from the MCA and the young were alienated from issues like new villages.

MCA, he said, should feel the pulse of the Chinese community to enable it to articulate their fears, resentment and frustrations.

“However, Umno too, must accept the fact that the component parties must be more vocal and seen as championing the cause of the people they represent.

“Umno has to see that championing ethnic causes will not cause instability,” he said, adding that the MCA leadership must be interactive to reach out to the people.

Umno’s Pulai MP Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed agreed with Dr Chua that Umno needed to change.

He was concerned with the present situation in the country and for Umno.

He added that Umno had been rejuvenating itself over the years and the problem was how it should communicate the message that it had changed.

“We have rejuvenated the party but it’s just that we have been attacked from all sides and maybe we have a problem trying to respond in a way people want to hear,” he said.

He said many of the old parties in the region had gone through this painful process.

Giving an example of Indonesia, he said after the fall of Suharto many competing interests claiming to be forces of democracy stymied the political system and stunted the economic development of the country.

“Until today, Indonesia is struggling to find a clear cause in the absence of a shared vision in its direction because of the lack of leadership but Golkar, which is closely aligned to Suharto, defied its critics and still plays a major role in the political scene and has significant grassroots support,” he said.

He also pointed out the recent election victory of the Kuomintang presidential candidate despite the party being thrown out in 2000 when it was seen as promoting a concept of guided democracy despite developing Taiwan as an Asian economic tiger.

“The voters’ experiment with unbridled democracy was costly to the economy of Taiwan,” he said, adding that they now apparently were willing to sacrifice some independence and democracy in return for economic well-being and development by accepting the return of Kuomintang.

Nur Jazlan said there was a need to keep a balance between democracy and economic development by limiting and keeping check of the competing interests to have a clear and firm long-term direction for Malaysia’s development.

“My hope is the new non-Barisan governments, Barisan state governments and Federal Government act responsibly and find a shared goal as our forefathers did and continue their dream,” he said

However, DAP’s Klang MP Charles Santiago said that the election was about “reining in Umno”.

The Malays and Indians voted against Barisan because they felt their lives, families and jobs were not protected, he said.

He listed job security, intake of foreign workers and privatisation that caused higher cost of living as among the reasons for the discontentment among the lower-income Malays and Indians.

Santiago added that it was only fair to allow the Opposition governments to make some mistakes but it must be responsible to the people.

Gerakan secretary-general Datuk Seri Chia Kwang Chye said he would like to believe that there were positive changes, based on the election results, and that the people had done away with race-based politics.

By Jazlan

Posted in: Education, Human Rights, Malaysia Politics, Malaysian Government | Comments(0)

March 25, 2008

Wong (fourth from left) moderating the forum in Petaling Jaya Monday. The panellists were (from left) Pua, Nur Jazlan, Dr Chua, Chia and Santiago.

From the Star: By Jazlan

PETALING JAYA: Amending the constitution is a sensitive issue and it must not be treated like a small matter, said a speaker at The Star-ACMS Public Forum: New Politics in Post Election Malaysia.

Touching on the situation in Perak where the state constitution requires the Mentri Besar to be a Malay and Muslim, former Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek said changing the constitution that infringed on the rights of the Sultan was not a small matter.

“I must say that this is a very sensitive question. Please don’t treat changing the constitution like a joke.

“It is a big thing to a lot of people,” he said in replying to a question by a participant at the forum at Menara Star here yesterday.

He said the people must understand how the country achieved its independence and the spirit behind the constitution.

“During independence, in order to placate the feelings of the Sultan, Muslims and Malay community, it was enshrined in the state constitution that a Mentri Besar must be a Muslim. The Sultan has the power to give exemption, but none of the Sultans has exercised it.”

Dr Chua said he doubted that anybody would have the courage to change the state constitution and challenged the current Perak Government to convince the Sultan on the need to change it.

The public forum is the latest in a series organised by The Star and the Asian Centre for Media Studies.

Yesterday’s forum, moderated by The Star Group Chief Editor Datuk Wong Chun Wai, was to analyse the new political landscape in the country post-election.

Besides Dr Chua, the other speakers were Pulai MP Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed from Umno, newly elected DAP MPs Tony Pua and Charles Santiago, and Gerakan’s secretary-general Datuk Seri Chia Kwang Chye.

Pua concurred that some of the proposed constitutional changes demanded by the opposition were very sensitive but they could be worked out for the interests of the people.

“They are very sensitive. They touch on race and religion. I think everyone is nervy about this issue but that doesn’t mean that we can’t work towards something that applies to all Malaysians.”

He pointed out that the Barisan Nasional Government had amended the Federal Constitution many times over the last 50 years but the changes were to protect the rights of the Sultan, uphold Islam and interests of the ruling coalition to consolidate its position.

Santiago, however, pointed out that former premier Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad had, in the 1980s, successfully amended the constitution limiting the powers of the Sultans.

“Nobody could have realised the outcome of the March 8 polls. There’s always a new beginning, shared hopes and collective aspiration,” he said.

Nur Jazlan said any amendment to the constitution would require the agreement of parties concerned including the Sultan.

“Our country is the product of history. If you want to change the constitution you’ve got to deal with the conflicting interests that created the constitution.

“It is not easy for us as the people just demand things. Under the law, you must get the agreement of parties involved including the Sultan.”

Nur Jazlan also called for an institution to control the conflicting interests compared to when the country gained independence 50 years ago.

“The problem is the interest groups are not unified and are pulling Malaysians in different directions. This is the biggest threat to the legacy left to us by our founding fathers,” he said.

By Jazlan

Posted in: Christian, Malaysia Politics, Malaysian Government, Those Blogs | Comments(0)

YOUR Prime Minister (mine is coming soon) said: I do not see why we should apologise (to Tun Salleh Abas. Tan Sri Wan Sulaiman Pawanteh and Datuk George Seah), but let us decide when a cabinet paper on the matter is presented.

He used the majestic WE, which according to adat is reserved for royalty. He should have said, “My government…..”. A royal rap on the knuckles is appropriate. No?

Is it so difficult to just say, “Sorry, we have messed up your life and put your reputation and that of the judiciary into disrepute.”

He could even have said (and maybe gain some credit points that he very much must accumulate, if he intends to hang on before MY PM announces his imminent advent.): “I will say it for Tun Mahatir, because it is only the right thing to do: Sorry SIRS”


Say it lah, with truthfulness and humility and in the true spirit of Islam Hadhari. That could gain you some time and maybe forestall the impending entry of my next PM.

We are used to deriding the Australians every time they make a misstep towards us. We call them children of ex-convicts. etc, However, there is still honor amongst them. John Howard was arrogant and he paid for it. Bush was arrogant and he is the most abhorred US President and he is lucky not to be impeached for lying about the WMD. Blair was arrogant and he got dumped. BN was arrogant and they got snuffed and now possibly dysfunctional. WE JUST NEED TWO GUYS TO SAY SORRY. If they continue to be recalcitrant, I hope this clip can do some good. In the name of the Almighty, be humble. BOTH OUR RELIGIONS ASK US TO BE HUMBLE and it was Thomas a Kempis who said: HUMILITY IS TRUTH. Allow me to say it for Barisan Rakyat (I am not comfortable with Pakatan…..as it has connotations with pakat): WE THE RAKYAT ARE SORRY FOR THE MISDEMEANORS INFLICTED ON YOU AND YOUR FAMILIES ALL THESE YEARS. FORGIVE US FOR TAKING SO LONG TO APOLOGISE TO YOU AND YOUR FAMILIES.

CURRENT AUSTRALIAN PREMIER KEVIN RUDD APOLOGISED TO THE WHOLE NATION AND WE ARE ASKING OUR GOVERNMENT TO APOLOGISE TO THREE AND THEIR FAMILIES AND TO THE FAMILIES OF TWO WHO HAVE PASSED ON.
WE STILL CANNOT AND WILL NOT SAY “SORRY”?

JUST REFLECT ON THIS CLIP. IT CLEANSED A WHOLE NATION.

Posted in: Malaysia Politics, Malaysian Government | Comments(0)

From : Malaysian Minorities’ Human Rights Blogspot

Mahathir is the true enemy of Rakyat. He destroyed all key civil society institutions, destroyed social institutions, jailed human right champions, jailed elected representatives of the people especially the opposition members of parliament, allowed fascism to permeate into his political party (UMNO).

In that process he had his own political party de-registered and opened a fake UMNO in which he had total and absolute control to the extent he rule unopposed and unchallenged without internal party elections for years.

On the commercial front he squandered billions on Putrajaya and Cyberjaya, two towns (that’s what they are, not cities) that are not functional, effective and useful to the citizens.

When his poor financial management of the country collapsed under the 1997 financial contagion, he conveniently blamed the Jews. In his own country he called the Chinese people “Communists” in one of their own party conference -they kept quiet.

Now he is in a hurry to kill off Badawi politically so as to avoid a situation where Anwar may come to power and unravel Mahathir’s sins. If only he can get Najib into power, he may be able to direct a “Operasi Lalang” II which may see Anwar going into ISA detention thus preventing him from being an effective threat to Mahathir.

Who and what can be done about this? Nobody and Nothing. All powers rest in the hands of the future PM who will replace Badawi.

Mahathir is returning to power, only this time via someone else. Anwar is going back to jail. The rakyat will continue to be “occupied” by these rapacious colonist.

Posted in: Human Rights, Malaysia Politics, Malaysian Government, Those Blogs | Comments(0)

Media Release by Wee Choo Keong, PKR candidate for P116 Wangsa Maju

In the 2004 General Elections (GE) campaign, Datuk Seri Abdullah Badawi (Badawi) had pledged that fighting corruption was his first priority if he were to win the GE. The nation gave him a landslide victory.

Fighting Corruption

Soon after Badawi took office of the Prime Minister (PM), after Kasitah Adam was charged for corruption involving RM3.5 million, Badawi announced that it was one down and there were 18 more big “sharks” to go. The nation backed Badawi all the way with his call to fight corruption.

Four years passed by, and while Badawi was still having his “honeymoon,” most of these 18 big “sharks” were still swimming in Parliament until it was dissolved on 24-02-08. Malaysians laughed at the bribery charge of RM3.5 million against a minister as in the case of Kasitah Adam because it is an open secret that bribery at high places involves a few hundred million Ringgit.

How can one fight against corruption when the Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) itself is corrupt. During the Royal Commission of Inquiry, Dato V K Lingam’s secretary, Ms Jeyanthi, said that an ACA officer had told her that the ACA had to close the investigation because the case involved powerful people in the BN administration and she was paid RM3,000-00 to keep ‘quiet.’ If the ACA was also involved in such corrupt activities, then Badawi’s record for fighting corruption was just another misleading and meaningless public statement that he had been known to make.

In fact, it is an open secret in Malaysian society that BN has inculcated a culture that generally if the rakyat want to get things done fast then they had to pay bribes for quick delivery. When one is stopped by the traffic police, one is expected to pay bribes otherwise one will be issued with a summons and face inconveniences. CORRUPTION HAS BECOME A WAY OF LIFE UNDER THE BADAWI’S ADMINISTRATION. IT HAS GONE FROM BAD TO WORST.

Launching of National Plans

Badawi had launched the 9^th Malaysian Plan some two years ago with massive publicities in our controlled mass media. Until this very day, there has been no public debate on the 9^th Malaysian Plan nor has it been put into action. It was a total failure for Badawi, as the ex-PM, for treating the 9^th Malaysian Plan, a serious national agenda, as a joke and another of his publicity stunt.

I call upon Badawi to produce his record on fighting corruption since 2004 and how many of the plans and/or projects that he had announced had been implemented.

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Posted in: Human Rights, Malaysia GE 2008, Malaysia Politics, Malaysian Government, Religion, Those Blogs | Comments(0)

Posted in: Malaysia GE 2008, Malaysia Politics, Malaysian Government | Comments(0)

written by Bill Gates,

February 25, 2008 
10:30:54

Ask yourself these questions and then you decide on March 8:

1. Does any of the BN candidates dare to question Pak Lah and the government why he was present in Parliament for only 5 times?

2. Does any of the BN candidates dare to question Pak Lah and the government why there are very few non-Bumis in the civil service?

3. Does any of the BN candidates dare to question Pak Lah and the government why only he and Najib are guaranteed as cabinet members?

4. Does any of the BN candidates dare to question Pak Lah and the government why Gerakan need to submit 3 names of prospective CM post when they should be deciding themselves?

5. Does any of the BN candidates dare to question Pak Lah and the government why the NEP has to be extended beyond 1990?

6. Does any of the BN candidates dare to question Pak Lah and the government why price of petrol have to go up when Malaysia produces oil?

7. Does any of the BN candidates dare to question Pak Lah and the government what action has UMNO taken againts KJ and UMNO cikus in questioning Koh Tsu Koon that Malays in Penang are being marginalised?

8. Does any of the BN candidates dare to question Pak Lah and the government why action was not taken against Kerismuddin for wielding his keris?

9. Does any of the BN candidates dare to question Pak Lah and the government why the Sabah CM’s post was not rotated as promised?

10. Does any of the BN candidates dare to question Pak Lah and the government why the qualified non-Malays are not given enough places in local public university?

11. Does any of the BN candidates dare to question Pak Lah and the government why the SRJK and SMJK schools are not fully funded by the government??

12. Does any of the BN candidates dare to question Pak Lah and the government to release the Hindraf 5 detained without trial under ISA?

Remember, development has been guaranteed under the federal constitution and it is the responsibility of the government. It is the tax payers money and mind you the chinese contribute 80% of the tax.

Vote for any opposition to deny BN the 2/3 majority to kick start the begining of the end of UMNO hagemony.

Posted in: Malaysia GE 2008, Malaysian Government | Comments(0)

From the Herald  

Posted in: Catholic, Christian, ISLAM, Malaysia GE 2008, Malaysian Government | Comments(0)

By : Azly Rahman

The economic anarchy of capitalist society as it exists today is, in my opinion, the real source of the evil. We see before us a huge community of producers the members of which are unceasingly striving to deprive each other of the fruits of their collective labour - not by force, but on the whole in faithful compliance with legally established rules. - Albert Einstein in ‘Why Socialism?’ (1949)What do I think of Western civilisation? I think it would be a very good idea. - Mohandas K GandhiWill Queen Elizabeth II of England pay for the 150-year suffering of Indian Malaysians? How would reparations be addressed in an age in which we are still mystified by newer forms of colonialism - the English Premier League, Malaysian Eton-clones, Oxbridge education, and British rock musicians such as the guitarist-astrophysicist Dr Brian May of the better-than-the-Beatles rock group Queen (and recently appointed chancellor of a Liverpool university)?Who in British Malaya collaborated with the British East India company in facilitating the globalised system of indentured slavery? Will the current government now pay attention to the 50-year problems of Indian Malaysians? We need to untangle this ideological mess and listen to the pulse of the nation. We are hyperventilating from the ills of a 50-year indentured self-designed pathological system of discriminatory servitude of the mind and body, fashioned after the style of colonialism. We need a crash course in the history of reparation, slavery, and the declaration universal human rights. We need to understand the style of British colonialism as it collaborated with the local power elites of any colony it buried its tentacles in and sucked dry the blood, sweat and tears of the natives it dehumanised and sub-humanised. We need to calculate how much the imperialists and the local chieftains gained from the trafficking of human labour - across time and space and throughout history. In short, we need to educate ourselves on the anatomy, chemistry, anthropology and post-structurality of old and newer forms of imperialism. British imperialism has successfully structured a profitable system of the servitude of the body, mind and soul and has transferred this ideology onto the natives wishing to be “more British than their brown skins can handle”. We need to encourage our children to read about the system of indentured slavery - of the kangchu and kangani and how the Malays were also relegated to becoming ‘reluctant’ producers of the colonial economy. The Malays’ reluctance led to the British designation “lazy native”. We need to also learn from the Orang Asli and the natives of each state and how their philosophy of developmentalism is more advanced that the programmes prescribed under the successive five-year Malaysia Plans. A philosophy of development that respects and is symbiotic with Nature is certainly more appropriate for cultural dignity that the one to which we have been subjected; one that exploits human beings and destroys the environment under the guise of ‘progress’. Caged construction Our history lessons mask the larger issue of traditional, modern and corporate control of the means of production of Malaya. We see the issue of race being played up from time immemorial; issue of convenience and necessity to the sustenance of the status quo and the proliferation of modern local oligopoly and plutocracy. Our history classes have failed our generation that is in need of the bigger picture; ones that will allow us to see what is outside of our caged construction of historicising. Our historians, from the court propagandist Tun Sri Lanang to our modern historians written under the mental surveillance of the ruling parties, have not been true to the demand of the production of knowledge based on social and humanistic dimensions of factualising historical accounts. We need to study the political-economy of the rubber and canning industry and the relationship between the British and the American empire as industrialisation began to take off. The Indians in Malaysia have all the right to ask for reparation and even most importantly they have the rights as rightful citizens of Malaysia to demand for equality and equal opportunity as such accorded to the ‘bumiputera’. Every Malaysian must be given such rights. Failure to do so we will all be guilty of practising neo-colonialism and we will one day be faced with similar issue of reparation; this time marginalised Malaysians against the independent government of Malaysia. How are we going to peacefully correct the imbalances if we do not learn from the history of international slavery, labour migration and human labour trafficking that, in the case of Hindraf, involved millions of Tamils from Tamil Nadu province? I once wrote a piece calling for all of us to help the least privileged of our fellow Malaysians - the Indians. The piece called for the leaders to stop fighting and to help each other as well. I wrote a passage on the need to help each other in the spirit of selflessness and collaboration: “It is time for the other races to engage in serious and sincere gotong-royong to help the poorest of the poor among the Indians. It is time that we become possessed with a new spirit of multi-cultural marhaenism. The great Indonesian leader Ahmed Soekarno popularised the concept of marhaenism as an antidote to the ideological battle against materialism, colonialism, dependency and imperialism. The thought that the top 10 percent of the richest Malaysians are earning more than 20 times compared to the 90 percent of the population is terrifying. What has become of this nation that promised a just distribution of wealth at the onset of Independence?” Not a Hindu problem Now we have a better scenario - we have the rights group that is beginning to pull together,-close ranks and demand for their basic human rights that have been denied. Not only their rights to be accorded places of worship and economic justice, but also the rights to look at history and ourselves and interrogate what actually happened and who actually was responsible for the misery, desolation and sustained abject poverty to which they have been subjected. It is not a Hindu problem - it is universal problem that cuts across race and religion. If we believe in what religion has taught us about human dignity and the brotherhood and sisterhood of humanity, we will all be speaking in one voice rallying for those who demand for their rights to live with dignity. In Hindraf, I believe there are Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Catholics, atheists, Buddhists, Sikhs, Bahais, Jains, etc rallying for the cause. In other words there are human beings speaking up for peace and social justice. It is the right of every Malaysian to lend support to their demands. We have let the Indians in Malaysia suffer for too long. We ought to have a programme of affirmative action in place. We ought to have a sound programme for alleviation of poverty for the Indians and radically improve their conditions through political action, education and cultural preservation. We ought to extract the enabling aspects of culture though and perhaps reconstruct the our understanding of the relationship between culture and human progress. But can the current political paradigm engineer a solution to the problems of the Malaysian Indians, as long as politics - after 50 years - is still British colonialist-imperialist-oppressive in nature? We have evolved into a sophisticated politically racist nation, hiding our discriminatory policies with the use of language that rationalises what the British imperialists brutally did in the open. But our arguments cannot hold water any loner. Things are falling apart - deconstructed. The waves of demands, the frequency of rallies and the excavating of issues drawn from the archaeology of our fossilised arrogant knowledge - all these are symptoms of deconstructionism in our body politics. It is like the violent vomit of a rehabilitating cocaine addict undergoing treatment in a Buddhist monastery somewhere in northern Thailand. We cannot continue to alienate each other through arguments on a ‘social contract’ that is alien from perhaps what Jean Jacques Rousseau wrote about some 300 years ago - a philosophy that inspired the founding of America, a nation of immigrants constantly struggling (albeit imperfectly) to meet the standards requirements of equality, equity and equal opportunity especially in education. How do we come together, as Malaysians, as neo-bumiputeras free from false political-economic and ideological dichotomies of Malays versus non-Malays, bumi versus non-bumi and craft a better way of looking at our political, economic, social, cultural, psychological and spiritual destiny - so that we may continue to survive as a species for the next 50 years? As a privileged Malaysian whose mother tongue is the Malay language and as one designated as a bumiputera, I want to see the false dichotomies destroyed and a new sense of social order emerging, based on a more just form of linguistic play designed as a new Merdeka game plan. Think Malaysian - we do not have anything to lose except our mental chains. We have a lot to gain in seeing the oppressed be freed from the burden of history; one that is based on the march of materialism. We are essentially social beings, as Einstein would emphasise. Our economic design must address the socialism of existence. Let us restructure of policies to help the Indian Malaysians - they are our lawful citizens speaking up for their fundamental rights. Let us help restructure the lives of the poor before they restructure the lives of the rich.

Posted by DR. AZLY RAHMAN at 10:57 PM  

Posted in: Hinduism, Human Rights, Malaysia GE 2008, Malaysia Politics, Malaysian Ethnic Indians, Malaysian Government | Comments(1)

Posted in: Malaysia GE 2008, Malaysia Politics, Malaysian Government | Comments(0)

Posted in: Malaysia GE 2008, Malaysia Politics, Malaysian Government | Comments(0)

Can Abdullah check the rise of LMNs in bureaucracy ?  Why is government  super-efficient and super-responsive only  when general election is around the corner? 

 “Fu: seized Bible copies returned to owner” was the headline in yesterday’s Star – on  copies of the Bible taken from a woman at the Low Cost Carrier Terminal recently  which were promptly returned to her within 24 hours of the matter being highlighted in electronic media like Malaysiakini and foreign agencies and press like the International Herald Tribune and  the protest of the Council of Churches Malaysia (CCM). 

The question every Malaysian is asking is – why is the government so super-efficient and super-responsive only when the general election is around the corner but such traits are totally forgotten after polling day? 

It is just no good enough for Fu to say that the confiscation of 32 Bibles from a woman who had just returned from a visit to Manila was done by a Customs officer and did not involve his Ministry. 

This is the account of missionary Juliana Nicholas on her ordeal, as reported by Malaysiakini, which vindicated Malaysiankini columnist Helen Ang’s coining of the term “Little Mullah Napoleons” (LMN): 

“On Jan 28, missionary Juliana Nicholas returned from a trip to the Philippines carrying with her two boxes containing 32 bibles meant for her church group.”Upon arrival at the Low-Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT) in Kuala Lumpur, she was told to declare and open the contents of the boxes.

”Having done so - and despite showing them a letter from her parish priest stating the texts were for use by the church - Nicholas was shocked to be hear subsequently that the bibles would be ‘referred’ to the Internal Security Ministry’s Publications and Al-Quran Texts Control Division.

”Protestations that they could check the bibles there and then without the inconvenience of referring them to the ministry fell on deaf ears, said Nicholas.

“’When I objected as these were English bibles, the ministry official I spoke to said, ‘Oh, we do this even with the Qurans that come through this way’. But these are not Qurans, these are English bibles!’ Nicolas said when contacted.

”As to when the bibles can be returned to her ‘would depend on those people at the division’, Nicholas said she was told further.”

Faced with the rise of LMNs in the public service and the growing  number of incidents showing an alarming change in  the bureaucratic  mindset from liberal acceptance and respect for the multi-religious characteristics of Malaysia in the first four decades of Malaysian nationhood to an increasing intolerance of the rights and sensitivities of other religions, the time is well past for Fu to indulge in hair-splitting and buck-passing in the latest insensitivity for a plural Malaysia of diverse races, languages, cultures and religions. 

Everybody knows that the LMNs are not within the remit of Fu to contain and discipline.   

Malaysians want to know from the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi  whether the custom officer who had seized the 31 bibles  had been suspended pending  a full inquiry for more  severe disciplinary action  to be taken in view of the gravity of the action. 

Even more important, Malaysians are asking whether Abdullah can check the rise of LMNs in the bureaucracy or his Islam Hadhari is creating the opposite effect – providing fertile ground for the LMNs to bully their way in the civil service!

Posted in: Catholic, Christian, Malaysia Politics, Malaysian Government | Comments(1)

As a non-Muslim, I ask, “Are we allowed to discuss how Islam affects our lives? Can this be made into an election issue? If so, are we fanning racial and religious hatred?”

1. Are we allowed to discuss how Islam affects our lives?My answer to this is ‘yes’.Over the years, especially under former premier Mahathir Mohamed and deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim, Malaysian government institutions and society have become more Islamic.To me, it first started when Mahathir gave the Syariah Courts the last say in conversion. Before that, Muslims could just go to court to change their official religion.As the past few years have shown, disputes among Muslims and non-Muslims remain unresolved. Muslims are legally subjected to Syariah Law, in some civil matters. The main areas of conflict are:a. Officially leaving Islam. Those who left argue that since they no longer believe, they are no longer Muslims. Hence, they are not bound by Syariah Law. The courts, however, have ruled that they will need to go through proper procedures within the Syariah System, including a period of rehabilitation, before the decision is made. In Islam, believers are not allowed to leave Islam.b. Rights of non-Muslim relatives of converts. I’ve discussed this here.2. Can this be made into an election issue?Yes. Because it is a main concern for non-Muslims. We feel that increasingly we are unable to seek legal redress in civil courts. Also, we are concerned that conversion to Islam may be exploited by some to cut relatives out of a deceased’s wealth.However, we have to be tactful about it and try to see the other side of the story too. Hence, as best as possible, our arguments should be balanced.From articles on blogosphere and people I’ve talked to, Muslims are divided over the Islamisation issue. But most are fair-minded and see that if there is any injustice, it must be resolved. Then we hit a snag because non-Muslims involved in such cases object to resolving such matters in Syariah Courts.Interestingly, Islamisation is not a Chinese issue. Many Malays in KL said they don’t think much about religion. A survey by Merdeka Centre on youth last year also shows that race and religion are at the least of our “younglings” pre-occupations.I hope the Government will allow us to voice our grievances.3. If so, are we fanning racial and religious hatred?This actually DEPENDS on both sides. IF those who raise the issues are insensitive, for sure Muslims may be offended. Then again some people are easily offended. I believe strongly a spirit of mutual respect and understanding is needed. Both sides need to sit and listen.Inciting racial and religious hatred is blaming a certain community for your problems and suggesting that the solution is to perhaps get rid of the community. For example, saying something like “The crime rate is high because of Malays,” which is false. Another is “The economy is down because of the Jews,” which is also false. Or to overly blame a particular community for your community’s problems, eg. the Malays are backward because the Chinese are out to dominate them.The important thing to remember is emotions are within our own control. No one can make you hate anyone. They can say whatever they like but we should be able to control our emotions.The last point I want to make is defending religious freedom is not attacking Islam or “Malays”. In my view, Islam does not equal “Malay”. Contrary to the artificial definition in our Constitution, your religion doesn’t make you “Malay”. Also, Islam is an ideology. An ideology should stand up to criticism. A criticism of your chosen ideology or belief is not a personal attack on you.

Posted in: Catholic, Christian, ISLAM, Malaysian Government | Comments(0)

Bishop Dr. Paul Tan Chee Ing, SJ
Chairman, Executive Committee,
Christian Federation of Malaysia
5th February 2008

The Christian Federation of Malaysia registers its protest in the strongest terms, at the action of a Custom Officer at LCCT, who confiscated 32 English Bibles belonging to a Christian, who was bringing it from Manila for use in her church.The reason given by the Custom Officer is that since it is the Bible, it needs to be cleared by the Internal Security Ministry’s Control Division of Publications and Al-Quran Texts.Since when has English Bibles become a “security issue” in our country?We have received many complaints from Christians being told to hand over religious books to custom officers at various checkpoints in the country. Now they even want our Bibles!The Bible is our holy and sacred book. We will not comply with any directive from government or its agencies that infringe on our right to use our sacred book and other Christian literature.We appreciate that the Deputy Minister of Internal Security, YB Dato’ Fu Ah Kiow has taken action to have the Bibles returned to the person concerned, explaining that the Customs officer had no such authority to seize the Bibles.But in view of the fact that this is not an isolated case, we call upon YB Dato’ Fu to come up with a directive restraining all government agencies from future harassment especially by the internal security enforcement officers.In the run-up to the National Elections, it is important for the churches to be convinced that the policy of the Barisan Nasional guarantees religious freedom and would not tolerate any actions that undermine the religious rights of all citizens of Malaysia.

Bishop Dr. Paul Tan Chee Ing, SJ
Chairman, Executive Committee,
Christian Federation of Malaysia
5th February 2008

Posted in: Catholic, Christian, Malaysian Government |