Lies, lies, and more lies

by KJ John

Malaysiakini

Jan 28, 2014

First there was the assertion that there exists an attempt by Christians to make Penang a Christian state; simply because the chief minister is reputed to be a Christian. No evidence was ever found or elicited for these unfounded rumours. The perpetrators of the crime were not charged. I believe they were Umno-linked bloggers.

 Now there are ‘Jesus the son of Allah’ banners which, frankly, no Christian would ever make. The reason is simple: If we do, the whole sentence would be in Malay; never in English with the Arabic ‘Allah’ word. What will come next? Maybe a ‘Melayu balik kampung’ banner which then sparks another round of racial riot rumours, or pig-heads into mosques?

 These were standard tactics since 1969 in Penang but it was stopped in good time because of the then chief police officer’s (CPO) quick response and actions?

 But he was an outstanding Special Branch (SB) officer well-trained in the matters of psychological warfare, but there are no such people any more, since our communist threat is no more. Our current CPOs are only of one race and religion.

Today, police officers appear to pursue their partisan agenda against both citizens and foreigners alike. People are losing faith in the so-called ‘not-so-royal police force’, but which however does not act against Umno extremists. Selective persecution and prosecution seems the order of the day today.

 All these rumours when printed and taken up by both mainstream and even the sidestream media, become almost facts, and then the truth of matters. I would have thought there is a law against such rumour mongering. We also witnessed such abuse of print media before the 13th general election (GE13).

 Consequently, and because of our lack of faith in both the police and the Attorney-General’s Chambers, some of us with the Media Group @ MiDAS took the initiative to make a formal and written complaint to Suhakam about mainstream media distorting truth and promoting lies through advertorials; basically distorting truths and reporting untruths.

 To Suhakam’s credit, I believe that they called a formal meeting with all media to address the issue last week. We await the follow up action from Suhakam.

 But, why are the media lying instead of telling and promoting truths and facts? What do I mean?  On the ‘Allah’ issue; do Malaysians not really know that the first and original version of the Bahasa Melayu version of the Matthew’s Gospel was translated in 1621 by a Dutch scholar named AC Ruyl?

 The originals are still available at the University of Amsterdam and the University of Cambridge. By 1733, the first Malay Bible was complete and the word ‘Allah’ was consistently used.

 Are these newspaper editors really ignorant and condone their journalists to choose to spread lies and not state the facts. Do they not know that Sabahans and Sarawakians had Malay Bibles well before Malaysia was formed in 1963? Furthermore, do not the same idiocratic editors not know that under the 18 and 20 point demands before the Malaysia Agreement was voted upon, these states had clearly clarified that Islam is not the religion of these states?

Dr Tajuddin’s proposal and Dr Patricia’s response

 In a recent article submitted by Dr Mohd Tajuddin Mohd Rasdi, he sought to argue that Christians as a community should apply their love in action and learn to “turn the other cheek on this matter!” In reply, Dr Patricia Martinez has responded well on this issue. While his is a very noble and commendable effort, I think it is flawed both theologically and rationally.

 Let me try and explain to my good friend and academic colleague why this is not feasible for the same factual reasons of misinformation:

The ‘Allah’ issue is a bigger issue for bumiputra Christians of Sabah and Sarawak worshipping in Malay. Most peninsular Christians worshipping in English have no issue about this word and its non-usage. We would ordinarily not use the ‘Allah’ word unless when singing Malay songs or hymns;

The East Malaysian brothers and sisters, on the other hand, whose mother tongue is Malay, make up about 65 percent of all Malaysian Christians of about 3 million citizens.  Their language of heart worship is Bahasa Melayu. Nonetheless, peninsular Christians cannot speak for them;

They voted and elected, as moderated by the UN, to support the formation of Malaysia but under certain explicit conditions, which cannot be violated now;

The peninsular Malays have to instead be educated about the root of the ‘Allah’ word, and that the de-sacralisation of the name of Jesus, as ‘son of Allah’, is totally in bad taste and does not even make for good theology; and

The Christians worshipping in Malay use only the Malay Bible and have been using it since their days of the grandparents. They hardly even mix Malay and English and no English Bible would ever carry the word Arabic word ‘Allah.’

Conclusion and way forward

 Bumiputra Christians, whether from Sabah or Sarawak, have and will always use their heart language to worship in Malay. It is their heart language and mother tongue, and cannot be changed or imposed even through theologically sound teaching, like turning the other cheek, even if it is well-communicated and well reflects Christian-type unconditional love.

 Frankly, all this seems to reflect a clear and focussed agenda by some unscrupulous groups to create trouble through fear and uncertainty, but have we not learned that citizens in cities and towns today are more rational and cannot be so easily misled. There is another danger though, that all the ordinary and good hearted citizens may all get upset and decide to turn against the groups that are spreading such evil ideas and antics.

 Let us not however respond to fire with fire, because once fire begets more fire and once a wildfire starts, we will all have some serious issue to deal with. I am not sure the security forces are really prepared to deal with these issues. It is better to deal with these issues before the real problems start.

 Let us nip these symptoms in the bud; but that requires a police force that is indeed called to serve the public interest, not partisan interests. Let us all make March a month for prayer for good sense in this nation. May God bless Malaysia.

KJ JOHN was in public service for 29 years. The views expressed here are his personal views and not those of any institution he is involved with. Write to him at
[email protected]
 with any feedback or views.

                This entry was posted on Friday, 31 January 2014, 5:01 am and is filed under
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What a waste of a good generation

Azly Rahman

Malaysiakini

Jan 25, 2014

Are we addicted to testing the child in school? Tests, tests, and more tests. Test anything that moves.

 But what is the child’s mind and how to understand it to make Malaysian schools more than just training camps for dull young minds?

 The mind is all these: active, ready to learn new things, always hungry for knowledge, for deeply engaging environment of exploration that can be offered by the system.

 The mind is not a place to be made idle, or a temple of boredom, or a funnel to shove in mere facts, useless information that has no relevance to the idea of meaning and learning, or have no sense of connection to the child’s experience.

 The mind has to always be in a mode of higher order thinking, of the excitement generated in the upper brain or the corpus callosum and not be placed in the reptilian mode of “fight or flight”, where the body is to be caned and punished for not memorising by teachers who wish to impose their own understanding of things, or by those who think they have the answers to everything, or for teachers afraid of children’s questions.

 Learning that is not active will certainly activate the mode of resistance in the child’s consciousness. The more the child is bored, the more he/she will rebel – silently or violently – because his intelligence is not respected, nurtured, or challenged to greater heights.

 Criminals are made, not born, for as the philosopher Jean Jacques Rousseau said, “Everything is good in the hands of the Author of Things, everything degenerates in the hand of Man…

“Curiosity and the interest in learning is a gift to be nurtured… a Natural Gift and the Natural Rights of Man…”

Educators, teachers, headmaster, administrators, ministers of education: you must understand the nature of the mind, the learner, the teacher, the teaching styles, the appropriate tools and techniques, and the nurturing environment of joy and not fear to be created.

 Adding to that, the way to teach children to be researchers and producers of cultural artifacts useful to humankind, the deep interest in deeply engaging learning, the connectedness of knowledge to the spectrum of taxonomies of learning.

 From the whats to the hows to the whys and to what ifs and what elses… the knowledge, understanding, analysis, synthesis, to judgment, to new creations, new applications, and renewed dimensions that will break newer paradigms and discover newer frontiers.

All realities are not the same

 All these are the essential ideas of “Constructivism in Learning and Teaching” – ideas drawn from the complexity of the human mind as it interacts with the world in a constantly evolving world of learning and exploring endlessly as Socrates, Dewey, Piaget, Neill, Montessori, or cognitive scientists, and linguistic semioticians, etc. would advocate.

 We construct our own worldview based on our own exploration using a scientific and natural way of thinking.

 All realities are not the same as they are all constructed and reconstructed. This includes truth, representation and “realities in religion” to each his own construction of the meaning of “God” framed in whatever term and assigned to whatever name spiritually desirable and no one has a monopoly of another persons’ use of it.

 The Malaysian child in school is especially privileged with multi-cultural resources, with an environment of learning linking self to community, and self to meaningful history.

Linking each others’ wealth of cultural knowledge, linking the mind to the world of cybernetics or a networked world vastly available that can help provide endless possibilities of the nurturing and growth of the neural connections in those brain cells waiting to connect to one another, waiting to create new concepts and understanding.

 These can only be done in a classroom where active, reflective and constructivist learning is a set up, primarily in a place where teachers become a guide on the side and not a sage with a cane on stage; in an environment wherein each child is put at the centre of learning.

 The entire universe of the development of his or her own unique worldview would be designed around him/her and not based on what, essentially, the state wanted to child to become, based on the dictates of the state via banking in facts, facts, and facts through tests, tests, and more tests.

 I am done with my ranting in the interest of the child. I thought that with a “world-class” educational blueprint, we have learnt all these and are ready to create those everyday geniuses in our children.

 What happened? Have we been busy politicising education? What a waste of a good generation; go back to the drawing board, Malaysians.

DR AZLY RAHMAN, born in Singapore and grew up in Johor Baru, holds a Columbia University (New York City) doctorate in International Education Development and Masters degrees in four areas: Education, International Affairs, Peace Studies and Communication. He has taught more than 40 courses in six different departments and has written more than 350 analyses on Malaysia. His teaching experience in Malaysia and the United States spans over a wide range of subjects, from elementary to graduate education. He has edited and authored four books; Multiethnic Malaysia: Past, Present, Future (2009), Thesis on Cyberjaya: Hegemony and Utopianism in a Southeast Asian State (2012), The Allah Controversy and Other Essays on Malaysian Hypermodernity (2013), and the latest Dark Spring: Ideological Roots of Malaysia’s GE-13 (2013). He currently resides in the United States.

                This entry was posted on Friday, 31 January 2014, 5:22 am and is filed under
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Does the palm oil industry meet the UN’s Climate Change Convention?

– Koon Yew Yin

The Malaysian Insider

January 30, 2014

What kind of men would cut down these ancient irreplaceable giants trees? Each of them was over one thousand years old. Over a period of a few decades around 1850, 95% of the two million acres of Redwood forest in California were cut and destroyed.

Now they say we are wrong to cut our trees to plant oil palms. What do they say when Brazil cut down their rain forest to plant soya beans? Let us examine the true situation.

Oil palm smallholdings and plantations meet the United Nation’s Framework Convention on Climate Change which defines a forest as an area of 0.5 to one hectare having more than 30 per cent canopy cover and having a potential height of two to five metres.

To accuse the industry in Malaysia and Indonesia of contributing to global warming is sheer nonsense. In fact oil palm trees just as with other forest species, produce oxygen for us to breathe and act to counter coal and oil emissions which are the major cause of global warming.

Environmental activist groups such as World Wildlife Fund, Friends of the Earth and Greenpeace have launched many campaigns alleging that the expansion of oil palm plantations have destroyed forests, threatened endangered wildlife and robbed indigenous peoples of their land. Many of their arguments are not based on fact but are sensationalized from a small number of cases.

The anti-oil palm lobby in the west includes pro-soya bean and rape-seed groups who see oil palm as a major competitor and have recruited food lobbyists to play on fears of the health hazards of palm oil consumption.  Together with environmental activists, these well-funded groups have created trade barriers to the global oil palm trade under the pretext of environmental activism.

In a fair contest amongst competing vegetable oils, palm oil will win hands down. The oil palm tree is the world’s most efficient oil crop because one can harvest five tons of oil per hectare. This is 10 times more productive than soya bean planted in the West, including United States and five times more productive than rapeseed, Europe’s main oil crop.

It is an undeniable fact that palm oil is the cheapest and most popular form of cooking oil for consumers, including many poor families in the west. Should trade barriers to benefit rapeseed farmers who are already heavily subsidised by the European Union (EU) government be successfully implemented, this will hurt consumers all over the world.

Also should alternatives to oil palm be grown, more land would be needed to produce an equivalent volume of oil to replace palm oil, resulting in more deforestation and problems for Mother Earth.

Finally, the western environmental activists’ campaign against oil palm plantation expansion, in the name of “saving rainforests”, is a violation of international norms and Malaysia’s and Indonesia’s sovereignty.

 Conclusion: I believe our palm oil industry will remain competitive and profitable for a long time. – January 30, 2014.

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+1    FMN’s avatar – Go to profile

FMN 93p  · 1 day ago

Why can’t the Malaysian & Indonesian government take even more drastic actions against these disinformation campaign by Greenpeace, WWF & FoE?

Malaysian & Indonesian governments, including the Palm Oil growers can pool fund to setup counter-lobby group to expose their lies and sue them in court of law for damages/libel/slander/defamation and get compensation accordingly. There are cases where Greenpeace was sued for similar economical damages.

In national level, Malaysian & Indonesian governments can enact laws and rules, to punish these local branch activists of Greenpeace, WWF & FoE, everytime they caused economic disadvantage, by sentencing them to community service or hard labor, with the actual Palm Oil workers in the actual plantation.

In international level, Palm Oil producing countries (Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, African, etc) must form a cartel OPEC-like body to defend its survival and growth opportunities. Speak with one big voice in international forums to highlight the lop-sided treatments and protectionists’ attempt to undermine Palm Oil exports.

The ultimate solution to is to lump ‘EU/US funding to green groups’ together with illegal subsidies by WTO definition, because of its similar objectives. The shady funding is just ‘another mean to justify the same end’.

Palm Oil producing countries then must take unilateral measures by imposing punitive countervailing duty as a backup plan.

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 1 February 2014, 8:20 am and is filed under
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Jakim’s Friday sermon yesterday a triple regret, going against Najib’s positive response to Pakatan Rakyat’s olive branch for national reconciliation, his advocacy of Wasatiyyah for ASEAN and world conduct of nations and World Interfaith Harmony Week 3-9 Feb

The Friday sermon of the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (Jakim) yesterday  saying that the division among Muslims is not only caused by a weak faith but also because of the instigation of Christians and Jews is a triple regret as it goes against:

•	The Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and Cabinet’s positive response at its Cabinet meeting on 29th January 2014 to the Pakatan Rakyat’s olive branch reiterated by PR leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim on Sunday for a Barisan Nasional-Pakatan Rakyat Leaders’ Summit on national reconciliation to check worsening national situation in the country, in particular the worst racial and religious polarization in  the nation’s history as a result of incessant incitement of racial and religious hatred, conflict and tension by a small group of reckless and irresponsible persons  bent on destabilizing the country through lies and falsehoods, even to create another May 13;

•	Najib’s advocacy of Wasatiyyah (moderation in Arabic) as important policy in ASEAN and world conduct of nations – affecting not only Islam but also in respect of all other faiths; and

•	The World Interfaith Harmony Week (3 – 9 February 2014) proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly on 20th October 2010 as a way to promote harmony between all people regardless of their faith as “mutual understanding and  inter-religious dialogue constitute important dimensions of a culture of peace”.

The question that needs to be asked is whether Jakim officials who prepare the Jakim  Friday sermons are aware and support the Prime Minister and the Cabinet  on inter-religious harmony and dialogue, and in  particular to Najib’s promotion of the Global Movement of Moderates (GMM) and  the  “Wasatiyyah” concept as well as Najib’s support for the World Interfaith Harmony Week every February?

In April 2012, Malaysia succeeded in getting the ASEAN Summit in Phnom Penh  to unanimously adopt Najib’s  GMM concept for “the voices of moderation to drown the voices of extremism”.

This is what Najib said at the ASEAN Summit in Phnom Penh: “The voices of moderation should be from all religious beliefs and faiths, committed to  working together to combat and hence marginalise extremists.”

Najib advocated that the “Wasatiyyah” concept should address all forms of political extremism, including religious extremism, ultranationalism and radicalism.

He also proposed that ASEAN utilise the idea of GMM as part of its current agenda to raise the ASEAN value – the practice of moderation – at the international level.

He said: “If embracing and practising moderation has worked for ASEAN, it is not impossible for it to work in the global village.

“The movement of moderates is an important approach so that ASEAN can contribute to the world in achieving global peace.”

In February last year, Najib gave full support to the World Interfaith Harmony Week, a brainchild of King Abdullah II of Jordan, not only visiting the places of worship of the nation’s five main religions centred in Brickfields in Kuala Lumpur, but also addressing a gathering of religious leaders at his official residence Seri Perdana.

As Najib said last February, the “World Interfaith Harmony Week” sought to raise awareness and understanding between religions, for universal peace and drive the world to be a more progressive and prosperous.

Najib stressed that all faiths in principle promote moderation, through conduct and words.

Last February, Najib could boast that “if there is a country which wants to showcase itself as a model of multi-racial unity, I don’t think there is a country better than Malaysia”.

But Malaysia has lost its innocence, to the extent that we are chided by a Pakistani website which  headlined a blog:  “Malaysia no longer land of peace and tolerance”.

What has happened to the “Wasatiyyah” and three important principles which Najib said last February would be practiced and adhered by the people to ensure Malaysia continues to be a peaceful, stable and harmonious country and remain a model of world harmony – i.e. the principles of moderation, fairness and mutual respect.

The scenario of inter-racial and religious relations today is completely different from that a year ago.

For instance, the three  Wasatiyyah principles of moderation, fairness and mutual respect are not reflected in the Jakim’s Friday sermon yesterday.

Was yesterday’s Jakim sermon drafted well  before the Cabinet meeting on Wednesday to support a national reconciliation initiative to end the politics of  dissension, acrimony, hate and  incitement and there was an administrative lapse or  breakdown of communication to ensure that Jakim’s sermon yesterday fully endorse and not challenge or question the authority and decision of the Prime Minister and Cabinet on national reconciliation?

Is the Prime Minister and the Cabinet prepared to draw a clear line that Jakim’s sermon yesterday is not reflective of their decision on national reconciliation to end the racial and religious incitement of hatred, conflict and tension in the country?

Will Jakim’s Friday sermon next week be any different?

The Malaysian Insider reported today that Catholic Archbishop Emeritus Tan Sri Murphy Pakiam wants priests to go to the ground and meet other religious leaders to foster peace and tolerance.

“They should find out who are the Muslim leaders, the Hindu leaders, the Buddhist leaders and so forth, in their parishes,” said Pakiam, urging his Catholic priests to go to the grassroots level to seek out other religious leaders to work with them.

This is most commendable and exemplary attitude, for we cannot afford any  “An Eye for an Eye” response or Malaysia will go blind.

What is the best way for Malaysia to celebrate “World Interfaith Harmony Week” this year beginning on Monday?

There can be no better way than for a joint Barisan Nasional-Pakatan Rakyat declaration fully committing both coalitions to ending the incessant incitement of racial and religious hatred, conflict and tension and the kicking off of a genuine inter-religious understanding, harmony and tolerance Malaysia so that Malaysia can be the envy of the world as “the land of racial and religious peace and harmony” in the world.

I reiterate, for example, my belief that if the two coalitions of BN and PR are committed in their resolve that there will not be another May 13 in the country, and are prepared to do everything within their capability towards this end, there is no force in the country which can cause May 13.

Similarly, if the two coalition of BN and PR are prepared to be similarly resolved in their commitment to ensure inter-racial and inter-religious peace, harmony and understanding, it is not possible for the small group of irresponsible and reckless few to carry their nefarious and treacherous activities to cause inter-racial and inter-religious strife and conflict in the country.

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 1 February 2014, 4:01 pm and is filed under
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Najib must neutralise his enemy

Mariam Mokhtar| January 31, 2014

Free Malaysia Today

If Mahathir is allegedly trying to bring down the government of Najib, then isn’t this a coup?

COMMENT

Sometimes, leaders can be so silly. Najib Tun Razak, Malaysia’s prime minister, alleged to be the victim of a plot to oust him is desperate to cling on to power. Bizarrely he has done nothing to repel the attacks. He will almost certainly weaken his own position.

The bile must rise in Najib’s throat each time he reads allegations that former PM Mahathir Mohamad is plotting against him. If Najib were to arrest Mahathir for undermining his rule, his popularity rating which has dipped will soar to 97% overnight. The nation will be solidly behind Najib.

When groups of people like Perkasa react against Mahathir’s arrest, Najib should arrest them too.

Najib has the power, why does he not use it? Mahathir did, when he was PM. He used his sweeping powers to silence his detractors. In situations which could damage his career he would direct from behind the scenes whilst his deputy took the flak.

Of course Mahathir denies all allegations of plotting against Najib. Didn’t he claim that Project IC in Sabah was not his doing? Didn’t he say that he did not pull the trigger in the Memali incident? Didn’t he neuter the students (in 1975), with the Universities and University Colleges Act (UUCA)?

If Mahathir is allegedly trying to bring down the government of Najib, then isn’t this a coup? So, where is the IGP? Najib should use the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012 (SOSMA) to lock-up Mahathir.

The “Allah” debacle which has its roots in Mahathir’s time is like a runaway train. It has caused rifts in society, wrecked the nation’s economy and will destabilise the region.

Mahathir’s legacy is two-fold. First, he bestowed Umno Baru with the 4 Rs; race, religion, royalty and the rural masses, to control the rakyat’s behaviour. Second, he must ensure that his family line continues. Time is running out for Mahathir as the second part is yet to be fulfilled.

Najib is partly to blame for the Allah fiasco. At the last Umno Baru General Assembly he said that he would defend Allah for the Malays. This Malay clearly forgot that after GE-13, he became prime minister of a multiracial nation, not just the Malays.

Najib’s silence has damaged him further and given more ammunition to Mahathir, never mind his rivals, the Opposition party. A leader does not shun difficult situations. Are Najib’s advisers in the pay of his enemies?

Confused Malays?

Najib’s silence made things difficult for his family. Frustrations with Najib’s lack of leadership meant that the rakyat focused their attacks on his wife, the self-styled “First Lady” of Malaysia (FLOM) and his children.

Think back to last October when Justice Zawawi Salleh delivered his verdict on the Allah debacle. He said that the Muslims and Christians would be confused if The Herald continued to use Allah in its publication.

The irony is that one word, Allah, which means God, has caused divisions amongst God’s creatures.

The other irony is that the word Allah is not Malay in origin. What if the Indians decided to recall many of the Sanskrit words on loan to the Malay language? What if the Tamils, Portuguese, Dutch, Hokkien and English did the same?

When Justice Zawawi and Umno Baru Malays said that ordinary Malays would be confused, these men are accusing ordinary Malays of being imbeciles. They are also accusing ordinary Malays of being easily manipulated.

They are also admitting that religious teachers are useless, because their charges would be confused by one word in a Malay bible.

Don’t these Umno Baru Malays know that several thousand Malays including the children of Sultans, were educated at Mission schools but have not become Christians? Nor have the children of Umno Baru politicians, who were sent to boarding schools overseas, become Christians.

Ordinary Malays should question why Umno Baru is propagating the theory that Allah in a Malay bible will confuse the Malays.

The problem is that the Malay mind has become lazy, after decades of brainwashing by Umno Baru, a trend started by Mahathir. Ironically, Mahathir is the one who was confused about his origins and took out his angst on Malaysians.

Mahathir used to blame the failures of his government on Zionist conspiracies, the CIA, the west; anyone but himself.

There was a time, decades ago, when Malays were intelligent, articulate, reasonable, and believed in meritocracy.

Mahathir successfully changed many Malays into lemmings who are happiest when they are told what to do. They have also become deeply paranoid, lost the ability to rationalise and think for themselves.

Where is the proof?

Last week, former Chief Justice Abdul Hamid Mohamad said that the Allah row was a new tactic to convert Malays to Christianity. This former judge has acted irresponsibly. So, where is the proof?

When various religious men claimed that Malays were being proselytised with solar bibles or being baptised en masse, in churches, why did the authorities not demand proof of these conversions?

How many Malays were converted – one, 10, hundreds or thousands? Why were the ordinary Malay rakyat silent?

Demand proof or tell Jais, Mais and Jakim not to create unnecessary problems. Or are ordinary Malays afraid of the bullies?

Yesterday, in order to calm the tension arising from the Allah issue, Najib met Malay NGOs and told reporters: “We may have difference of opinions but we shouldn’t widen the gap between us. We can have differences, but we should not be divided.” (sic.)

What does Najib mean? Why can’t he speak simple English? Najib has only added to the confusion, and tension.

To save his own skin, Najib must act quickly to save the country, rebuild community bridges and find real solutions to problems. If not, he will be ousted from his job.

Mariam Mokhtar is a FMT columnist.

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 1 February 2014, 9:50 am and is filed under
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Anwar’s bumpy road to Kajang a reminder of Umno’s shenanigans

NEWS ANALYSIS BY THE MALAYSIAN INSIDER

February 02, 2014

In the throes of Malaysians debating the correctness of Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim contesting the Kajang state seat, comes a stark reminder that evil resides in Umno.

Umno and its so-called non-governmental organisations (NGOs) have started their campaign to block Anwar from reaching out to voters – the sure sign of how worried they remain of a politician they themselves have tagged as a has-been.

From Perlis down to Johor, every trick in the book has been employed against the opposition. At times, the royal households are used, sometimes the religious authorities are co-opted.

Often, laws are bent to suit the whims and fancies of Umno.

So it seems to be the case in Kajang where Anwar was barred from giving the tazkirah (a short speech before the Friday sermon) at the Impian Saujana mosque in Kajang on orders from the Selangor Islamic Affairs Council (Mais).

The PKR de facto leader was supposed to give the tazkirah before a Friday sermon delivered by party information chief Dr Muhd Nur Manuty.

“But after subuh prayers on Januari 30, the mosque’s caretaker told us that they were pressured by Mais to stop the event. So the mosque committee did not dare go ahead with the plan.

“So we had to quickly look for another mosque,” said the source, who is part of Anwar’s team, explaining how the programme was later moved from the Impian Saujana mosque to the Kariah mosque in Batu 10 Cheras, which is part of the Kajang state constituency. This, too, was blocked by Mais at the last minute.

The source said Mais and the Selangor Islamic Religious Department (Jais) threatened to arrest Anwar if he delivered the tazkirah, pointing out that he did not have tauliah (certificates of approval) to give talks or sermons in Selangor mosques.

Due to the ban, Anwar, Muhd Nur, Selangor Menteri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim and other Pakatan Rakyat leaders who were present, performed their prayers at the Kariah Mosque.

They later spoke to the congregation after the prayers.

Of course, there are state laws that say such speeches are not permissible. But it is apparent it only applies to those who do not enjoy the favour of the powers-that-be.

This has also happened to other opposition leaders and preachers or lecturers who are not in line with Umno or groups aligned to it, reflecting institutionalised and feudal reverence to the dominant Malay nationalist party.

If anything, it plays into the hands of Anwar and his cohorts who say his candidature is to prevent such a scenario from happening – that agencies and departments will be used by Umno to recapture the country’s wealthiest state from Pakatan Rakyat.

In other words, it is a self-fulfilling prophecy that the Selangor government is under threat and some departments are playing right into Anwar’s hands when they act against the state government.

And its speaks volumes that such agencies and departments which insist that they are independent of any political party, are actually doing the bidding of one side to the detriment of the other side and the people of Selangor.

It will not get easier for Anwar or the opposition but these authorities should know that their actions will only push people to blame Umno for it and support the underdog.

It is perverse, but so are the authorities when they forsake their independence and act against the people. – February 2, 2014.

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 2 February 2014, 5:33 pm and is filed under
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HERITAGE: Poetry in motion

By Pauline Fan

New Straits Times

02 February 2014

Pauline Fan delves into the significance of the horse in human civilisation, imagination, ritual and material culture the world over

Lean in build, like the point of a lance;

 Two ears sharp as bamboo spikes;

 Four hooves light as though born of the wind.

 Heading away across the endless spaces,

 Truly, you may entrust him with your life — Du Fu (8th Century Chinese poet)

 THE great Tang Dynasty poet, Du Fu, composed these lines about the horse of an imperial officer named Fang. Du Fu was captivated by the supple grace and swiftness of Fang’s stallion, a magnificent breed of Central Asian origin known as the Ferghana. These Ferghana horses were so revered in China that a legend arose that they were spawned from celestial steeds.

Believed by some historians to be descendants of Alexander the Great’s mighty black stallion, Bucephalus, these horses were first introduced to China in the 2nd Century BC, during the reign of Emperor Wu of the Western Han Dynasty.
 It is often recounted how Emperor Wu went to war against the Kingdom of Ferghana (in modern-day Uzbekistan) to obtain these precious horses that could help China fend off the nomadic horsemen from the north. After a successful conquest, the Emperor’s expedition brought back thousands of Ferghana horses, allowing imperial grooms to breed them with the smaller Chinese horses and establish a formidable cavalry, fundamentally transforming China’s military prowess.

The Ferghana horse seemed to be the earthly embodiment of the Chinese mythical “heavenly horses” (tianma) and “dragon-horses” (longma), fabulous winged creatures associated with certain stellar constellations. The Ferghana came to be known as “thousand-li horses” (qianli-ma), able to travel the great distance of a thousand li in a day, as well as “blood-sweating horses” (hanxue-ma) because of the red droplets they perspired as they galloped, now thought to be naturally caused by a parasite under their skin.

These horses were depicted time and again in exquisite bronze and ceramic figures, and inspired the birth of horse painting as an aesthetic category in China.

The horse became one of the favourite subjects of great Tang Dynasty painters including Han Gan, whose Night-Shining White (a portrait of Emperor Xuanzong’s favourite stallion) is one of the most iconic paintings in Chinese art. The motif of the horse in Chinese painting persisted through centuries of dynastic change, upheaval and revolution, mastered by painters such as Li Gonglin (Song Dynasty), Zhao Mengfu (Song Dynasty), Ren Renfa (Yuan Dynasty), and the modernist Xu Beihong.

Xu’s popular and often-emulated ink paintings of galloping horses evoke the Chinese people’s longing for freedom, their hardships during the war with Japan, as well as their indomitable spirit.

Horses have left their mark in Chinese literature as well. In the 14th Century classic, Romance Of The Three Kingdoms, the Ferghana horse is immortalised as Red Hare, the powerful steed of the ruthless warrior Lu Bu. Red Hare eventually comes into the possession of the honourable General Guan Yu. After Guan Yu’s death, Red Hare refuses to follow a new owner and starves himself to death to join his beloved master.

SACRED STEEDS

 The significance of the horse in human civilisation reaches as far back as 30,000 years into prehistory. The Paleolithic cave paintings of wild horses at Chauvet, Pech Merle and Lascaux in France and Altamira in Spain are early testimonies to the prominence and persistence of the horse in human imagination, ritual and material culture the world over.

A striking theme in horse symbolism across cultures is the horse as a vehicle of spiritual elevation, transporting the rider between earthly and divine realms to accomplish heroic tasks or receive sacred wisdom.

In ancient Greek mythology, for instance, the white winged stallion Pegasus carried the mortal hero Bellerophon to slay the chimera.

The Islamic tradition tells of the Prophet Muhammad’s ascension to heaven upon the back of an equine, Al-Buraq, during the Isra and Mi’raj (The Night Journey). The Prophet Muhammad’s flight with Al-Buraq is both a physical and spiritual journey from earth to the realm of the Divine.

Hindu mythology abounds with horse symbolism. Surya, the Sun God, steers a chariot drawn by seven majestic steeds and the Mahabharata depicts Lord Krishna as a charioteer who counsels Prince Arjuna on the battlefield of Kurukshetra. Two of Lord Vishnu’s avatars are closely associated with horses — Hayagriva, deity of knowledge and wisdom, has a human body and a horse’s head, while Kalki, the 10th and future incarnation of Vishnu, is foretold to appear riding a white horse at the end of the Kali Yuga (the present age of darkness) to herald a new age of hope.

The eschatological symbolism of the horse is also found in the Christian scriptures: The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse in the Book Of Revelation. In the iconography of the Catholic, Anglican and Orthodox churches, Saint George is commonly portrayed astride a white stallion as he slays a dragon. He is also the patron saint of horsemen.

In Buddhism, there is Prince Siddhartha’s beloved horse Kanthaka, who helped his master to escape from the palace grounds to fulfil his destiny of becoming Gautama Buddha. This scene is often reproduced on stupas and in Buddhist art. It is said that Kanthaka’s love for Siddhartha was so great that he died of a broken heart after Siddhartha’s farewell, and was reincarnated as a Brahmin who followed the Buddha and his dharma teachings.

HORSES OF THE SOUTHERN SEA

 The historic and symbolic significance of the horse in the Malay Archipelago and present-day Malaysia is no less fascinating. Fossil remains in Southern Luzon of the Philippines suggest that horses have existed in the Malay Archipelago since the Neolithic period.

Charles Darwin, in his book The Variation Of Animals And Plants Under Domestication, remarked on the diversity of horses in the Malay Archipelago: “Thus in Sumatra there are at least two breeds; in Achin and Batubara one; in Java several breeds; one in Bali, Lomboc, Sumbawa (one of the best breeds), Tambora, Bima, Gunung-api, Celebes, Sumba, and the Philippines.”

In the 14th Century, constant threat of attacks from the Mongols urged the imperial admirals of the Ming Dynasty to seek out new suppliers of horses. One source came from the region they called Nanyang (Southern Sea), particularly the Kingdoms of Lusung (Central Luzon), P’ing-ka-shi-lan (Pangasinan) and Sulu (encompassing the Sulu Archipelago and parts of Sabah). The small but strong ponies of this region were sent as tribute and also imported to China, and were well-suited to navigate perilous terrain and patrol the Great Wall.

The horse trade in the Malay Archipelago flourished again during the 16th Century with the arrival of the Portuguese and the Dutch, who acquired horses from eastern Indonesian islands for their colonial stables. The Dutch East India Company imported Arabian and Barb horses to Java, which they crossed with local ponies, engendering various Indonesian breeds still found today. Batak and Sandalwood ponies, partly bred from Arabian blood, remain among the finest of the Indonesian steeds.

In present-day Malaysia, the West Coast Bajau people of Sabah — who traditionally reside in and around Kota Belud — are renowned as expert horsemen. Their inherited equestrian dexterity has earned them the affectionate designation “Cowboys of the East”. For horse riding competitions and ceremonies, they decorate their Bajau ponies in brightly-coloured fabric, saddles made from buffalo hide, and brass bells. For the West Coast Bajau people, the horse is a symbol of life itself.

THE SEMANGAT OF STALLIONS

 In the villages of Johor — particularly in the areas of Batu Pahat, Muar and Pontian where Javanese migrants settled centuries ago — young men still dance the Kuda Kepang, straddling hobby horses made of woven rattan as they stride and sway to the trot-like rhythms of the kenong, gong and gendang.

Originating from Java, the Kuda Kepang tradition is said to commemorate the Wali Songo (Nine Saints) who spread Islam to the interiors of Java in the 15th and 16th Centuries. According to the legend, the Wali Songo travelled on horseback and captured the attention of locals by dramatising stories of the triumphant battles of Islam, including those fought by Imam Ali upon his swift white stallion.

Rooted in myth and mysticism, the Kuda Kepang horse symbolically transports the rider-dancer between mundane reality and kayangan (the celestial realm), leading some dancers to fall into trance. The dancers invoke and express the semangat (spirit) of brave stallions within themselves, as well as other celestial beings such as royal guardians, valiant warriors, and ferocious tigers.

In Malaysia’s layered history and confluence of cultures, the horse has various incarnations.  One can even sense the presence of the horse in discreet corners of Kuala Lumpur. The towering gopuram (gateway) of the Sri Maha Mariamman Temple on Jalan Tun H.S. Lee displays a pair of warriors riding white stallions who guard the entrance to the temple. Another noteworthy instance of temple horses is the Ayyanar Temple in Taiping, where the two white horse guardians of the Tamil folk deity Ayyanar stand vigilant. Ayyanar is related to Muneswaran, a fierce warrior god who is a popular folk deity among the Tamils in Malaysia, and is sometimes depicted riding a horse.

Among contemporary Malaysian artists, Lee Joo For has made his mark with his paintings of wild horses, expressionistic in style yet drawing from elements of tradition. The painter Lim Ah Cheng is also known for capturing the dynamism of running horses in his works.

Equine sports are also gaining popularity in Malaysia. The turf clubs in Selangor, Penang and Perak — vestiges of British colonialism — are still active, while the past few decades has seen a rise in recreational horse-riding at clubs such as the Bukit Kiara Equestrian Club in KL. Meanwhile, bare back horse riding is an increasingly popular sport in the villages of Kelantan.

Strength, beauty, freedom, loyalty — these are just some of the attributes we associate with horses. Their agile movements and wind-swept manes are the very expression of energy, effervescence and independence. They embody the power of the earth and evoke the transcendence of the divine, affirming the old Arabic proverb: “The wind of heaven is that which blows between a horse’s ears”.

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 2 February 2014, 9:32 pm and is filed under
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Zainuddin’s infantile but dangerous gambit to racialise Kajang by-election is utterly irresponsible and cause  of worsening racial polarization in Malaysia

Former Cabinet Minister Tan Sri Zainuddin Maidin is up to his mischief of communal politicking again.

He  said in his blog that  the Chinese community has a “golden opportunity” to regain the trust of the Malays in the wake of the so-called “Chinese Tsunami” of Election 2013.

He said: “The Kajang by-election is not the chance for Malays to repay the ‘Chinese Tsunami’ but must be seen as a golden opportunity for the Chinese community to overturn Malay views that the Chinese can no longer be trusted as political allies.

He said that “it is undeniable that this trust was broken by the ‘Chinese Tsunami”.

Zainuddin said a BN victory would also serve as a platform to rebuild Chinese-Malay co-operation that will benefit racial harmony, boost the economy and stabilise the political climate in the country.

Zainuddin’s infantile but dangerous gambit to racialise Kajang by-election by describing it as a golden opportunity for Chinese to regain the trust of Malays in the wake of so-called “Chinese Tsunami” is utterly irresponsible and it is prevalence of such racist attitudes in the corridors of power which is the cause  of worsening racial polarization in Malaysia.

It is most deplorable that while the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak had used his 2013 New Year’s Message to  try to clarify his unfortunate and inappropriate term  of  “Chinese Tsunami” on the night of the 13GE, which was downright racist, against his 1Malaysia signature policy and contrary to his talk of “national reconciliation”, Zainuddin wants to resurrect the spectre of “Chinese Tsunami” to racialise politics in Malaysia.

This was also why the Utusan Malaysia, of which Zainuddin was formerly editor-in-chief, had carried the  screaming headline “What else the Chinese want?” as an immediate follow-up to Najib’s initial “Chinese Tsunami” statement on 13GE polling day.

I was not the only one who immediately challenged Najib’s “Chinese Tsunami” sweeping generalization. Among those who disagreed with Najib at the time were:

6.5.2013
– Datuk Kadir Jasin, former editor of Umno-owned New Straits Times – who said Barisan Nasional’s  (BN) weaker showing in the 13GE points to a strong wave of rejection from all Malaysians and not just from the minority Chinese.

On BN losing winning fewer seats both in Parliament and the State Assemblies, Kadir  asked: “Is it not possible that this is not a Chinese tsunami or racial chauvinism but a Malaysian tsunami that is centred on the aspiration and new reality, especially among young voters”?

7.5.2013
– Datuk Dr. Shamsul Amri Baharuddin, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia  (UKM) founding director of Institute of Ethnic Studies (KITA): The outcome of Election 2013 was not simply the result of a “Chinese tsunami” as Najib has claimed but a major swing in the urban and middle-class electorate that saw Malaysia’s urban-rural rift widen.

Despite the increase in Chinese  support for PR, the political tsunami had also swept with it “large numbers of the Malays”, many of them forming part of the country’s middle- to upper-class voters.

“They received Malay middle-class support, especially urban areas. So the DAP majority increased because of disgruntled Malay young voters’ support…in conclusion, to label racial polarization is too easy. Two other factors operate simultaneously with race: class (rich-poor, middle class) and spatial (urban and rural).”

Dr. Lim Teck Ghee, Centre for Policy Initiative (CPI) director: PR won more than half of the popular vote, showing that the coalition had received support from “large numbers of Malays and other non-Chinese voters”.

“The results in Selangor, which has the highest percentage of urban populations, as well as in the other west coast states, certainly showed this urban middle-class trend.

“Large numbers of Malays form part of this middle class, perhaps as many as non-Malays.”

10.5.2013:
 Merdeka Centre executive director Ibrahim Suffian: Election 2013 was not simply a “Chinese tsunami” as it showed a major swing among the multiracial urban and middle-class electorate against the BN.

At a time when the Prime Minister and Cabinet has just responded positively to the olive branch by the Pakatan Rakyat for a Leaders’ Summit for “national reconciliation” to put an end to the dangerous trend in the country which has threatened the very fabric of our plural society because of incessant incitement of racial and religious hatred, conflict and tension, Zainuddin’s attempt to turn  the Kajang by-election into  racial contest by resurrecting the “Chinese tsunami” is an act of  great national disservice most unbecoming of a former Cabinet Minister.

In the 13GE, 59.3% or 1,044,758 voters in Selangor voted for Pakatan Rakyat while 38.94% or 685,502 voters supported Barisan Nasional.

Zainuddin can hope that  the majority of voters who had voted for the PR in 13GE would change sides to vote for  BN in the by-election, but what is the logic for  Zainuddin to turn the  Kajang by-election into a communal affair, claiming that it  is a chance for the Chinese to redeem themselves and regain the trust of the Malays?

Zainuddin must respect the democratic rights of the  59.3% of the electorate who voted for Pakatan Rakyat in Selangor – also  the 67.7% or 492,863 voters of the Penang electorate, the 53.7% or 412,949 of the Kelantan electorate, and most important of all, the 51% or 5,624,084 of the national Malaysian electorate who voted for Pakatan Rakyat to elect the government of their choice without turning their democratic rights   into a communal issue.

It is sad that after  56 years of nationhood, a former Cabinet Minister and former editor of a leading newspaper is still  so steeped in communal thinking that it is very clear that he is  completely bereft of any notion of Malaysian identity as espoused by Najib 1Malaysia policy.

For the information of Zainuddin, the 59.3% of the electorate in Selangor and  51% of the electorate in Malaysia who voted for Pakatan Rakyat come from all races who support the concept of power-sharing as represented by PR in contrast to the power-sharing of BN, which is basically power monopoly of UMNO Baruputras.

The power-sharing formula of Pakatan Rakyat will not undermine the political power of the Malays, the constitutional position of Islam and the Rulers and will ensure that there is a place under Malaysian sun for every one in pursuit of the Malaysian Dream, whether Malays, Chinese, Indians, Kadazan, Ibans or Orang Asli.

The question is whether the Kajang by-election is going to be a symbol of “national reconciliation” where all racial and religious incitement of hatred, conflict and tension will end or Malaysians will see the worst case at racial and religious polarization as Zainuddin has tried so early to instigate?

This is why it is urgent and imperative that the decision of the Prime Minister and the Cabinet last Wednesday to positively respond to the olive branch of Pakatan Rakyat on national reconciliation should be acted on immediately without any delay, so that both coalitions can agree on a code of conduct in the by-election which completely bans all incitement of racial and religious hatred, conflict and tension or to raise the spectre of May 13.

The Pakatan Rakyat representatives are prepared to meet with Barisan Nasional representatives immediately to finalise the agenda, place and date of such a Barisan National-Pakatan Rakyat Leaders’ Summit. The ball is in the court of the Prime Minister and the BN leadership.

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 2 February 2014, 3:55 pm and is filed under
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Dare Shafie attend a get-together with Teresa to prove that Teresa had lampooned security forces and Lahad Datu incursion tragedy or apologise and withdraw baseless charges against Teresa?

Within hours of the Minister of Rural and Regional Development Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal demanding that action be taken against DAP National Vice Chairperson and MP for Seputeh Teresa Kok for her Chinese New Year video titled
“Onederful Malaysia CNY 2014”
for ridiculing the Malaysian security forces, the Police Internal Security and Public Order director Datuk Seri Salleh Mat Rashid swung into immediate action and declared that Teresa’s video clip would be investigated for sedition or defamation.

Shafie accused Teresa’s 11-minute video of mocking Lahad Datu folks, saying that “the feelings of the community in Sabah, especially Lahad Datu, is very deep” following the intrusion into Kampung Tanduo by terrorists from southern Philippines last year.

He said issues of national security should not be lampooned as fellow Malaysians sacrificed their lives in defending the country in the Lahad Datu incursion and the killing of some members of the Malaysian security forces from Sabah, Sarawak and Peninsular Malaysia by the terrorists was not a matter to be belittled and joked about .

Today Teresa denied that her video of political satire belittled the security forces as the dialogue of the feng shui panel in the video did not touch on the Lahad Datu intrusion but referred to  security issues in Sabah as the case of the Taiwanese tourist who was shot dead and his wife taken hostage by gunmen in Sabah.

Shafie could not understand the video as it was in Cantonese and Mandarin. He had clearly been misinformed but he was irresponsible and reckless in making baseless but  serious allegations against Teresa.

Was Shafie trying to incite hatred among the Malays and the security forces against Teresa?

Would Shafie be investigated by the police for making baseless allegations against Teresa?

I am prepared to play host for a get-together with Shafie and Teresa and for Shafie to be accompanied by his experts on the 11-minute video for his team to  point out where the security forces or the Lahad Datu intrusion tragedy had been the subject of ridicule in the video satire.

Is Shafie prepared to come to such a get-together and to publicly apologise and retract his statement attacking Teresa if he cannot back up his charges against the video for lampooning the security forces and the Lahad Datuk intrusion security?

Note: On its sixth day, Teresa’s
“Onederful Malaysia CNY 2014”
 video on youtube has received over 117,000 hits and still going strong.

                This entry was posted on Monday, 3 February 2014, 5:41 pm and is filed under
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Let all Malaysian moderates commemorate WIHW 2014 with resolve to save Malaysia from extremists and traitors who want to tear the country asunder with incessant incitement of racial and religious hatred, conflict and tension

Today, the world begins a week-long celebration of World Interfaith Harmony Week (3rd – 9th Feb) first proposed by King Abdullah of Jordan and endorsed by the United Nations General Assembly in October 2010 to spread the message of harmony and tolerance among the followers of the three monotheistic faiths and all the world’s religions.

It also seeks to promote the common basis of “Love of God and Love of the Neighbour, Love of the Good and Love of the Neighbour” among religions to safeguard world peace.

Malaysia was in the global forefront last year in the celebration of World Interfaith Harmony Week.

The Prime Minister not only visited the places of worship of the nation’s five main religions in Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur, but also addressed a gathering of religious leaders at his official residence in Seri Perdana.

At this gathering, Najib stressed that the “World Interfaith Harmony Week” sought to raise awareness and understanding between religions, for universal peace and drive the world to be more progressive and prosperous.

He said that all faiths in principle promote moderation, through conduct and words.

He also boasted that “if there is a country which wants to showcase itself as a model of multiracial unity, I don’t think there is a country better than Malaysia”.

Najib would not dare to repeat such a boast 12 months later in this year’s World Interfaith Harmony Week, as Malaysia has fallen from its pedestal as a model of interfaith harmony.

In fact, in the past weeks and months, Malaysia has become a sick example of “interfaith disharmony” in a multi-racial multi-religious country.

What is worse and most deplorable, Najib as Prime Minister did nothing in the past few weeks and months to stop or check the seditious and treacherous conduct of a small number of irresponsible and reckless people to incite racial and religious hatred, tension and conflict to create racial chaos and religious conflagration in plural  Malaysia.

Last Friday’s sermon of the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (Jakim) ,which comes under the Prime Minister’s Department, was the best example as it incited inter-religious acrimony, animosity and hatred instead of spreading the message of interfaith harmony and goodwill in the mosques, churches, temples, synagogues and other places of worship.

Najib should take serious note of the World Interfaith Harmony Week message of the United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who said:

“It is imperative that the moderate majority is empowered to stand firm against the forces of extremism. But, this can only be achieved through strong leadership.”

Najib failed  the moderate majority in Malaysia  in recent months as he defaulted in standing firm against the forces of extremism in Malaysia, who were allowed a free hand to escalate their incitement of racial and religious hatred, conflict and tension to destabilize the country and  most blatantly and wantonly to even raise  the spectre of May 13 riots.

Does the right hand of Najib know what his left hand is doing?

How can he allow Jakim under the PMO to incite religious acrimony, animosity and hatred while another department in PMO, the Department of National Unity and Integration is entrusted with promoting inter-racial and inter-religious goodwill, understanding and harmony?

On the occasion of the 2014 World Interfaith Harmony Week, will Najib provide the necessary  leadership as Prime Minister of Malaysia?

I visited the website of the National Unity and Integration of the Prime Minister’s Department to find out what are the activities planned by the government to celebrate the 2014 World Interfaith Hamrony Week, but I could not find any reference to any such programme, as if the Department is quite abashed about the whole subject this year.

However, there are silver linings to the black clouds from the incessant incitement of racial and religious hatred, conflict and tension to destabilize the country  –  that the moderate Malaysians from all races and religions are beginning to move and speak up as they are not prepared to allow the country’s inter-racial and inter-religious unity, goodwill,  understanding and harmony to be torn asunder by a  small group of irresponsible and reckless traitors  out to achieve their nefarious and treacherous ends.

The “silver lining” incidents of Malaysian moderates from all religions speaking up dissociating themselves from the forces of extremism include:

•	Flower-bearing progressive Muslims led by Datuk Paduka Marina Mahathir who took a stand outside the Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Klang on Sunday, January 5, as mass was in session to send a clear message that Islam is a religion of peace and to show solidarity and defend Christian Malaysians from a conservative Muslim group threatening protest;

•	The revelation by the Council of Churches secretary-general Herman Shastri that the Church, over the years, engaged with several prime ministers over the fears that the use of the word ‘Allah’ by Christians in the Malay language Bible could confuse Muslims, but the three Prime Ministers, Tun Mahathir, Tun Abdullah and Najib had all failed to uphold the formula worked out with them – the latest being the 10-Point Solution to resolve the Bible controversy endorsed by the Federal Cabinet in April 2011;

•	Shastri’s reaffirmation that the Christian community is committed to peaceful negotiations and solution because of the sensitivity of the matter;

•	The statement by Tan Sri Razali Ismail, the Chairman of the Global Movement of Moderates Foundation (GMMF) that Malaysians should reject the “extreme position” taken by the “minority factions” in the country opposing Christians’ use of the word ‘Allah’;

•	A group of ordinary Malaysians, dressed in purple,  who handed out flowers, candies and bookmarks at Kuala Lumpur City Centre Park on Sunday Jan 26 to promote interfaith solidarity and peace; as social activist Azrujl Mohd Khalib said: “We must reject this hatred, we believe in a pluralistic society, one which is united regardless of different creed, religion and race”.

•	A group of Malaysians  led by Ally Hazran Hashim and his friends handing out oranges, goodies and flowers at the Kajang Holy Family Church  yesterday to foster ties between Muslims and non-Muslims.

•	Incident-free Sunday in Penang after the Molotov cocktail attack on the Church of the Assumption and the hanging of provocative banners with the word of Allah outside five churches without the knowledge of the church authorities.  Tribute to the no-nonsense warning given by the Penang Chief Police Officer Datuk Abdul Rahim Hanafi of a war against those out to stoke religious tensions with a 283-strong police squad to monitor all places of worship in the state.

I call on all patriots and moderates in Malaysia to step forward to commemorate World Interfaith Harmony Week 2014 with the resolve to make Malaysia a global model of interfaith harmony and not example of inter-faith acrimony, strife and conflict, by dissociating themselves from the extremists and traitors in the country who want to create chaos and conflagration with their irresponsible and reckless incitement of racial and religious hatred, conflict and tensions.

Let them in their everyday life and own circle of contact  spread the  message of inter-religious unity, goodwill and harmony. It is now left to the moderates of all races and religions to save Malaysia from the extremists and traitors!

                This entry was posted on Monday, 3 February 2014, 11:20 am and is filed under
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The calm before the storm

 – Nehali

The Malaysian Insider

February 01, 2014

Recently, various community leaders and politicians appeal for calm, in view of recent simultaneous firebombing of churches in Penang.

Yes, we all need to stay calm but it can be the calm before the storm of racial, religious conflict and violence.

Police is working hard to apprehend the culprits for the Molotov.  This is important to send the message that violence should be punished.

However, of greater importance is to investigate and punish the instigators of violence and sowers of hatred. We know who they are.

They are the Yang Berhormats who wear holy garbs or suits with neckties. They spread lies, fears, fanned hatred and division in the name of protecting the “inalienable” rights of one particular race.

They claimed exclusive rights to the name of God and acted as though God is weak and needed their protection.  What most people fail to see is that beneath the sheep’s clothing is the ugly wolf, seething with the lust of selfish political agendas.

These hypocrites are a minority. Yet their influence is far and wide. Their influence can only be stemmed by the waking up of the silent majority.

This peace-loving, silent majority needs to rise up to the occasion to silence the voices of these hypocrites with what I call, some “creative energy.”

For example, the walk in the park of KLCC by a group of passionate people distributing flowers and chocolates of goodwill is symbolic of the creative energy that can be harnessed for the good of the nation.

Even a jog around the park by tens of thousands of people, along with media coverage, will speak volume. It does not always have to be a demonstration.

Even printing car stickers with messages such as, “I reject gutter politics” or “Bribery is not my way of life. Is it yours?” is also a good way to promote a good culture. Companies can lend their support by sponsoring these stickers by endorsing the community message with their company logo.

Others like Datin Marina Mahathir and Sisters in Islam have also done what most people are “afraid” to do. I was pleasantly surprised that Marina led a group of people to protect the churches. It is because of such creative energy that Marina had harnessed to stand in the gap, the extremists did not dare to move forward with their plans.

In coming months, we know that Umno Selangor has vowed that they would go on a roadshow to explain why Allah is an exclusive name for Muslims, although we know that the issue is more political than religious.

By standing up to the wolves in sheep clothes, the moderates can help to bring about calmness that is the result of genuine peace and harmony among the people of Malaysia.

Then and only then, the storm that may threaten the calmness would be but a storm in the tea cup at worst. – February 1, 2014.

                This entry was posted on Monday, 3 February 2014, 6:54 am and is filed under
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When satire is seen as a national threat

COMMENTARY BY THE MALAYSIAN INSIDER

February 03, 2014

Can Malaysians take a joke? Can Malaysians take satire or parodies?

Well, it would seem that there is a segment of society that takes offence at jokes, satires or parodies – and these people are usually your generic Umno member.

This past few days, Malaysians have been treated to the spectacle of some Umno members, including Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal, taking offence at Seputeh MP Teresa Kok’s Lunar New Year greeting video clip.

And they want action taken against her, notwithstanding that she has a right to self-expression and not be dictated by others on what she should say in her new year greeting and how she should say it.

Has Malaysia reached a point where everything said is seen as an attack against Umno or the Malays?

Every right-thinking Malaysian (this excludes Umno) should defend this right because it is easy to see where the likes of Shafie Apdal are taking this although Kok has denied the satirical video clip she uploaded on YouTube a few days ago was an insult to the Malays, the security forces, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and his wife.

“I hope they stop it as the false allegations can cause racial tension. They should research on Mandarin and Cantonese before making baseless accusations as they are only embarrassing themselves,” said Kok, who is also a DAP national vice-chairman.

Kok said the video, titled ‘Onederful’ Malaysia CNY 2014, was meant to be humorous and directed at those who spoke Mandarin and Cantonese.

The thing is, any video or writing critical of Umno and the government is being framed in racial and religious terms.

And if Umno cannot control the discourse by demolishing the argument, it will want to intimidate Malaysians by constantly waving threats of punitive action. That would be the only way to shut criticisms.

Or as Kok suspects, Umno’s intention in playing the racial card could be a ploy to divert the rakyat’s attention from the real issues affecting Malaysians, like the rising cost of living.

Such games and diversions are not necessary. Counter her arguments if need be but without threat, which has now made her video clip even more popular.

That popularity does not make satire a national threat. It just makes the accusers a bigger joke. – February 2, 2014.

                This entry was posted on Monday, 3 February 2014, 8:01 pm and is filed under
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Anwar Ibrahim in Kajang state seat is good for Malaysia

By Augustine Anthony

4.1.2014

When Dato’ Sri Anwar Ibrahim’s decision to run for the now vacant Kajang state seat in Selangor was announced by Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim, the current Mentri Besar of Selangor, the extent of criticism against Anwar Ibrahim, PKR and Pakatan Rakyat as a whole ranged from thumbs down and negative to downright hostility.

The looks on the ordinary and mostly educated middle class people whenever this issue was raised was one of disgust.

You cannot defend the indefensible and, in this case Anwar Ibrahim’s candidacy for the Kajang state seat, is the general feeling.  A betrayal of voters’ hopes, aspirations and confidence is no small matter and such an act must bear the full brunt of the nation’s backlash.

But there was an unusual landscape during the announcement by Khalid Ibrahim. Not as picturesque as anyone would have expected and not quite like the time during the 13th General Elections and the accompanying euphoria whenever opposition candidates names were announced.

Amidst the gloom, there sits “THE” towering figure in the Malaysian politics. His  appearance cleverly hides the depth of his experience, knowledge and understanding of the Malaysian political, social, as well as matters of national policies. The honourable Lim Kit Siang sits on the right side of Anwar Ibrahim while Khalid Ibrahim sits on the left side of the Opposition Leader. That caught my attention.

From the time of my childhood days I have admired Lim Kit Siang. He is a Malaysian success story and richly deserving too. A success story imagined, engineered and achieved not by sheer luck but by unrelenting pursuit and single mindedness of the goal ahead.

I have seen  many politicians  and their  antics, idiosyncrasies and often reckless behaviour all at great cost to the Malaysian people. I do not get angry at the things that I see in them because that is what they are and they are doing what they do best and that is, to put their worse foot forward. But Lim Kit Siang is different and so very different from many others. His simple short sleeved white shirt still remains the trademark of simplicity and the common man’s touch thus making him approachable. But beneath that simple appearance lies a complex mind that sees things differently and read things differently.

I pay attention to what Lim Kit Siang says in his public statements and if I am doubtful or cannot see the bigger picture of his words and actions, I usually pause in my thoughts and ask a variety of questions as to why he has done or has not done certain things.

My initial and immediate reaction when I saw Lim Kit Siang during the announcement, which I perceived as a scheme ill thought of and designed to betray the Malaysian voters, ranged from one of disappointment to disgust and to a total despair for a reformed Malaysian politics of the future.

What happened in the following days only confirmed that I was probably right in the way I felt for I was not alone. The social media “Facebook” was filled with scorn, vulgar shouts and what not. All the opposition’s gains in capturing the imagination of Malaysian people are now fast fading. So it seems.

Now a week has passed. Some have come forward to defend Anwar Ibrahim’s Kajang state seat candidacy but not without being given the proverbial brick bats. Could it be a case of defending the indefensible? Can anyone who defends this Pakatan Rakyat move come out unscathed? Not likely. And not when Dato’ Ambiga Sreenevasan herself had gone public to say that PKR must give the Malaysian public an overwhelmingly good reason for this Kajang by election.

Why did Anwar Ibrahim decide on this move and more importantly why did Lim Kit Siang show support, which I take as express and unconditional  by his presence and seated on the right side of Anwar Ibrahim?

I have been asking questions too in the last one week. Irrational outburst had now given way to more discerning mind manoeuvres. I think I see the bigger picture and Ambiga may even get her “overwhelmingly good reason” too.

I am now of the view that Anwar Ibrahim, standing as a candidate in the Kajang by election is the single most important and sound decision taken by Pakatan Rakyat in recent times and it augurs well not just for Selangorians  but for Malaysians as a whole. The perceived Azmin and Khalid Ibrahim feud may not be the reason for this decision seeing things from the future. This design whether by an intentional act or an accidental occurrence is certainly for the greater good of this country.

One may ask why Pakatan Rakyat didn’t think of this contingency plan during the 13th General Election. Isn’t the answer clear that we humans have always had the ability to learn from our past mistakes and to forge a better and brighter future – all by trial and error? A human trait clearly evident in all of us.

I now give my reasons.

1.	Debates in State Legislative Assemblies can often turn into a joke. There is ample proof of this in media archives.

2.	If Malaysians think they can look to our Parliament for any inspiration for the shortcomings of Legislative Assembly meetings, they will be sorely disappointed. Yes, there are some politicians who speak and raise issues intelligently for the benefit of Malaysians as a whole. I make mention here a few names as it comes to my mind as I write though I am aware that there are other parliamentarians deserving praise for their good work. Lim Kit Siang raises mega issues and pursues them unrelentingly. M. Kulasegaran raises substantial issues on labour and employment matters.  Young ones like Rafizi Ramli, Khairy Jamaluddin, Nurul Izzah indicate that there is still hope. But apart from some notable  parliamentary debates, many  other debates  do not show real and noteworthy deliberation. Bills are fast tracked with little or no quality deliberations and public outcry usually follows immediately after it is passed as an Act of Parliament.   Worse, and it is now  an increasing and obscene trend in parliament where more and more parliamentarians are eager and willing to partake in fruitless shouting matches and name calling. Just read the Hansard. It is all there for us to see.

3.	When the public perceives the State Legislative Assemblies and Parliament as places where members do more disservice rather than service to Malaysians, surely there must be a place where this nation could turn to where the hopes and aspirations of Malaysians could be articulated with dignity, respect and mutual reverence. Is there such a place for Malaysians in our Constitution? Yes indeed. It is the Conference of Rulers (Majlis Raja Raja) as provided for under Article 38 of the Federal Constitution.

4.	There are many amongst us who think that since Malaysia practices a Constitutional Monarchy, it would necessarily mean that the monarchs are mostly ceremonial with little and limited powers. This is a misconceived thought. Far from it, the Raja Raja and the Majlis Raja Raja is such a powerful body with enormous responsibilities and powers. Their Highnesses the Raja Raja bring great balance for the continued peace and well being of this country. All of this is done with little publicity but with great dignity and respect.

For more on the powers of Conference of Rulers, please read the
article
 by Prof Shad Saleem Faruqi.

5.	Article 38(3) of the Federal Constitution says – “When the Conference deliberates on matters of national policy the Yang di-Pertuan Agong shall be accompanied by the Prime Minister, and the other Rulers and the Yang di-Pertua-Yang di-Pertua Negeri by their Menteri-Menteri Besar or Chief Ministers; and the deliberations shall be among the functions exercised, by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong in accordance with the advice of the Cabinet, and by other Rulers and the Yang di-Pertua-Yang di-Pertua Negeri in accordance with the advice of their Executive Councils.”

6.	Article 38(3) of The Federal Constitution is so apt, timely and interesting for the current political climate that must urgently address many pressing issues ranging from race, religion, economy and so on.

7.	In 2013 13th General Election Pakatan Rakyat, led by Anwar Ibrahim, commanded the confidence of the majority of Malaysian voters by garnering 50.87% of the popular votes. For the first time in Malaysian history, the Conference of Rulers may see the leader of the Government i.e. The Prime Minister who commands the confidence of the majority in the parliament, articulating or exchanging views with the Leader of the Opposition who commands the confidence of majority of Malaysians voters.

8.	Can the above scenario happen in Malaysia? Yes and only if Anwar Ibrahim wins the Kajang state seat and goes on to become the Mentri Besar of Selangor.

9.	Anwar Ibrahim, with his wealth of knowledge and political experience both internationally and locally, can be a great service to this nation by his presence in the Conference of Rulers.

To me it will be a great joy to know, see and hear that the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition articulate all that is best for Malaysians in the presence of the best arbiters this country can provide and what better arbiters can Malaysians ask for these holders of the highest offices in this country if not the Conference of Rulers where all that is for the greater good of this country could be deliberated with respect, reverence and true statesmanship befitting their office.

We will wait for interesting times ahead in our Malaysian history.

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 4 February 2014, 8:53 am and is filed under
Anwar Ibrahim
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Augustine Anthony
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Elections
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Pakatan Rakyat
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Comeuppance or deja vu, Najib feels the heat from old Umno hands

NEWS ANALYSIS BY THE MALAYSIAN INSIDER

February 04, 2014

Just after the 2008 elections, Datuk Seri Najib Razak watched as the then prime minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi got skewered for Barisan Nasional’s (BN) abysmal showing at the polls, with Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad leading the campaign to oust Pak Lah from office.

The constant hammering took its toll and in March 2009, Abdullah made way for Najib. Until today, Abdullah’s supporters believe that the so-called groundswell against the PM was not as widespread as painted by Dr Mahathir and his instigator-in-chief, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.

But Abdullah had little drive to stay and fight, concerned that a war with his nemesis would mortally wound Umno.

Truth be told, he also never recovered from that day in March when BN lost five states and the two-thirds control of Parliament.

So he handed power over to Najib, though his men on the ground told him that Najib was part of the campaign to unseat him.

By then, he either chose not to believe that his deputy was plotting against him or was indifferent.

Wounded and upset, some of Abdullah’s supporters consoled themselves with the belief that Najib would receive his comeuppance one day.

It seems that day has come.

What goes around comes around.

It has taken about five years but Najib now knows what it feels to be under siege by Dr Mahathir and his supporters.

He is concerned. He should be.

Because he has witnessed the tenacity and destructiveness of Dr Mahathir; the manner in which the former prime minister keeps chipping away at the perceived weaknesses of his

 enemy and the doctor’s ability to paint a dire picture for party and country if his target remains at the helm.

The Mahathir machinery has started moving, with the former PM meeting small groups and repeating the mantra about Najib being a weak leader and the real possibility of BN losing power in the next polls if he is still at the controls.

For good measure, Dr Mahathir has also hammered Najib’s reliance on advisers, consultants and Pemandu, the government efficiency unit led by former Malaysia Airlines managing director Datuk Seri Idris Jala.

Sound familiar? It should. In 2008, the attack was on Abdullah’s reliance on the Fourth Floor, his group of youngish advisers.

Najib’s circle knows the parallel between then and now.

They have no intention of waging open warfare against Dr Mahathir and other critics.

What the PM and his team intend to do is meet as many powerful individuals in Umno and influential Malay groups to explain his political and economic strategy as well as answer directly criticisms raised against him by Dr Mahathir, Tun Daim Zainuddin and others.

By doing so, the Najib camp hopes that the attempt to create a groundswell against him in Umno would be stillborn.

The PM and his team know that critics in Umno are predicting that there would be a change in leadership soon, as early as April.

But they scoff at this talk, pointing out that Najib has the powerful Umno Supreme Council in his corner and, unlike Abdullah, is prepared to use all the powers of incumbency to stay in office.

The only problem with relying on Umno bigwigs for support is that the support is never ironclad.

Often enough, the lure of lucre and power can tempt even the “staunchest” supporter.

At the height of the attacks against Abdullah, several powerful politicians swore to defend him.

But in closed-door sessions, they, too, attacked Abdullah.

Today, one of these individuals is holding a powerful position in Umno and has reportedly pledged his allegiance to Najib.

Najib’s challenge is to persuade/convince/cajole the power brokers in Umno that he is going to end up winning any war of attrition being mounted against him by his critics.

But it will not be a walk in the park. Far from it.

There is anger over the rising cost of living; the seemingly endless missteps by government ministers and the sense of drift in Malaysia.

Given this uneasy equilibrium, Najib and his team cannot afford an all-out war against their critics, a situation that will roil the country further.

He has to show his party that he remains their best bet and that his critics are coming to the table with dirty hands, motivated by self-interest and family considerations.

Abdullah’s supporters in Umno are watching this drama unfold with an equal measure of indifference and glee.

What goes around comes around. – February 4, 2014.

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 4 February 2014, 9:30 am and is filed under
Abdullah Ahmad Badawi
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Mahathir
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Najib Razak
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