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Lingam Tape – Haidar Inquiry end up as biggest sham with no proof either way of being authentic or otherwise?

With the three-man special panel inquiry into the authenticity of the Lingam Tape holding its first meeting today, two questions uppermost in the minds of Malaysians who want to be able to be proud again about the Malaysian judiciary and system of justice after 19 years of being the laughing stock of the world are:

  • Will the Haidar inquiry drag its feet until after next month when the Chief Justice Tan Sri Ahmad Fairuz Sheikh Abdul Halim would have retired from the highest judicial office of the land, justifying the stance that the whole issue had become quite academic although Ahmad Fairuz was clearly the other party in the Lingam Tape despite the Chief Justice’s unorthodox “denial” through the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz; and
  • Will the Haidar Inquiry end up as the biggest sham of all inquiries in five decades of Malaysian nation-building, furnishing excuse for inaction by Cabinet because there is no concrete proof either way of its being authentic or otherwise?

Nazri said on Monday that “the result of the Haidar investigation will determine the next course of action, which will be decided by the cabinet”.

This is a very curious statement as the establishment of the Haidar panel was not decided by the Cabinet in the first place.

This is the chronology of events: Continue reading “Lingam Tape – Haidar Inquiry end up as biggest sham with no proof either way of being authentic or otherwise?”

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Ramadan Is More Than Just Fasting

by M. Bakri Musa

In the documentary film American Ramadan, a Christian minister related his experience in Malaysia. It was during Ramadan, and he was at the airport at dusk to collect his luggage, but everyone at the counter was intently watching the clock, eagerly awaiting the breaking of fast. He did not know then the significance of the month and thus could not comprehend the workers’ apparent obsession with time. An older clerk however came over to help and spent over an hour with the visitor while the others were busy eating.

To me, that older clerk best demonstrates the true meaning and spirit of Ramadan. It is more than just fasting during the day; it is about being generous. He was generous with his time and himself to help a total stranger, albeit a customer. The older clerk could just as easily join his co-workers in eating after a day of fasting, or simply have the counter “Closed for lunch!”

Ramadan As Allah’s Special Blessing

Tradition has it that during Ramadan the doors to Hell are closed while the gates to Heaven are wide open. That reflects the generosity of Allah during this holy month. As our Imam Ilyas Anwar said in the first Friday sermon of this Ramadan, we should use fully this opportunity afforded by Allah. The best way for us to show our respect for Ramadan, and thus for Allah, is to reciprocate His generosity by being generous to our fellow humans and to His other creations.

We should not however, take that tradition literally and consider it a license to be reckless and get killed during Ramadan just to secure a slot in Heaven. Nor does it mean that an evil person dying in Ramadan would be spared Hell. Such decisions after all are the prerogative of Allah, and only of Him. Continue reading “Ramadan Is More Than Just Fasting”