Day: February 3, 2013

— Asghar Ali Engineer
The Malaysian Insider
Feb 02, 2013

FEB 2 — It is believed by millions of Muslims across the world that sharia laws are immutable and represent divine will. This is based on serious misunderstanding. Sharia is not and cannot be immutable.

Recently I was invited to the Jaipur Literary Festival to be part of a panel discussion on the book “Heaven on Earth” by Sadakat Kadri of London, which is on the application of sharia laws across the Muslim world. He has travelled to different Muslim countries and talked to various ulama and muftis about sharia as applied to their respective countries.

All of them were defenders of conservative sharia formulations and refused to admit any change. They maintained that sharia being divine cannot be changed. It is from this rigidity of our ulama that the misunderstanding among common Muslims arises that sharia is divine and hence immutable.

In fact our ulama forget that ijtihad was not only permitted but encouraged by the Prophet of Islam (PBUH) and the hadith pertaining to Ma’adh bin Jabal is well-known. When the Prophet appointed him to the governorship of Yemen and he came to take leave of the Prophet, Ma’adh was asked how he would govern. Ma’adh said, according to the Quran. The Prophet thereupon asked what he would do if he did not find the solution to the problem in the Quran, to which Ma’adh said he would govern according to the Sunnah. But when the Prophet asked if he could not find it in the Sunnah also, Ma’adh said “ana ajtahidu” (I will exert myself to find the solution). The Prophet thereupon patted his back and told him he was right. Continue reading “Is sharia immutable?”

By Noorsila Abd Majid | 03 FEB 2013 12:19AM
ABN News

KUALA LUMPUR: South Korean superstar Psy will be performing at Barisan Nasional’s Chinese New Year open house in Penang on Feb 11.

But the question that’s buzzing in everyone’s mind is: who’s paying for Psy and how much is he paid?

According to an industry source, the Gangnam Style hitmaker commands a minimum pay cheque of US1mil (RM3.1mil).

That’s just for him to horse around to the quirky beats of his phenomenal YouTube hit, “Gangnam Style”.

Yes, Psy is more expensive than teen pop superstar Justin Bieber, who’s paid US1 mil for a full concert in KL.

The runaway rap star is expected to perform Gangnam Style in front of 60,000 guests, including Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

The BN Chinese New Year open house will be held at Han Chiang High School in George Town from 10am to 1pm.

Amat menyedihkan untuk melihat menjadi-jadinya penyimpangan dan histeria Presiden MCA, Datuk Seri Dr. Chua Soi Lek ke tahap beliau perlu merayu ahli MCA untuk memberikan tepukan kepada ucapannya dan pemimpin MCA lain dalam acara terbuka MCA seperti “makan malam mega” MCA yang diadakan di seluruh negara.

Chua membuat rayuan ini ketika majlis makan tengah hari sambutan ulangtahun MCA ke-64 Wilayah Persekutuan di Kepong semalam akan tetapi apa yang beliau dapat daripada ahli MCA yang hadir hanyalah sambutan yang dingin dan tidak sepenuh hati meskipun berkali-kali merayu tepukan untuk ucapannya.

Malah Chua cuba untuk mengelirukan ahli MCA untuk mengukuhkan rayuannya – meminta ahli MCA untuk mencontohi DAP dengan mendakwa bahawa apabila pemimpin DAP bercakap atas pentas, ahli DAP di bawah akan menyambut tanpa henti dengan tepukan untuk memberikan gambaran apa yang dikatakan adalah betul. Begitu juga, beliau meminta ahli MCA untuk melakukan perkara yang sama dengan memberikan tepukan gemuruh kepada pemimpin MCA ketika mereka bercakap atas pentas untuk mewujudkan keyakinan buat MCA.

Pertama sekali, izinkan saya nyatakan sepanjang 47 tahun di dalam politik, saya tidak pernah merayu supaya ucapan saya diberikan tepukan dan sorakkan – dan begitu juga dengan semua pemimpin DAP yang lain.

Kedua, jawapan mudah kepada Chua adalah bukan sahaja orang biasa, tetapi juga ahli MCA yang berasa marah dan terasing dengan lakonan yang dimainkan oleh kepimpinan MCA sebagai penyebar pembohongan dan ahli nujum malapetaka bagi membantu UMNO untuk menakut-nakutkan pengundi Cina bagi menyokong Barisan Nasional dalam pilihan raya umum ke-13. Continue reading “Pengiraan Detik 68 Hari ke PRU13 – Penyimpangan dan histeria Chua Soi Lek yang kian menjadi-jadi ketika semakin hampir dengan PRU13 amat menyedihkan”

Mahathirsime kembali lagi, dengan kengerian dan kebinatangan bersamanya.

Manifestasi terkini kembalinya Mahathirisme adalah melalui tuduhan liar di dalam politik Malaysia – bahawa pemimpin Oposisi Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim adalah dalang sebenar di dalam penipuan “kewarganegaraan untuk undi” di Sabah pada tahun sembilan puluhan yang dikenali sebagai “Projek M”.

Bilakah mantan Perdana Menteri Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad mula menyedari yang Anwar merupakan dalang projek yang dinamakan “Projek M” sempena namanya?

Jelas bukan pada 16 Januari, 2013 apabila pendedahan di Suruhanjaya Siasatan Diraja (RCI) Sabah terhadap pendatang tanpa izin melibatkan dua orang kanan Mahathir, bekas Timbalan Menteri Dalam negeri, Megat Junid Megat Ayub dan bekas Setiausaha Politik Abdul Aziz Shamsuddin dalam penipuan “Projek M” dari tahun 1990 – 1995 yang mengeluarkan beratus ribu kad pengenalan biru palsu dan surat pengesahan surat beranak sebagai tukaran untuk undi kepada pendatang tanpa izin.

Bukan juga pada hari berikutnya pada 17 Januari apabila buat pertama kalinya dalam dua dekad Mahathir secara terbuka mengakui kewujudan “Projek M” tetapi mempertahankannya sebagai mengikut undang-undang berdasarkan hujah pendatang tanpa izin Filipina boleh berbahasa Melayu dan “mempunyai hak untuk menjadi warga negara”, sambil melemparkan penghinaan kepada nama baik Tunku Abdul Rahman dengan menuduh Bapa Malaysia telah melakukan perkara yang lebih buruk kerana memberikan kewarganegaraan kepada satu juta orang yang tidak layak sebelum Merdeka, rungutan yang tiada siapa menjadikannya satu isu. Continue reading “Pengiraan Detik 69 Hari ke PRU13 – Mahathirisme kembali lagi dengan kengerian dan kejahatan”

“Najib tidak akan menjadi perdana menteri terakhir Umno”, begitulah kata seorang pemimpin lama Umno Tan Sri Abdullah Ahmad di Malaysia Strategic Outlook Conference ke-15 yang dianjurkan oleh Asian Strategy and Leadership Institute (Asli) hari ini.

Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Najib Razak jelas tidak mermpunyai keyakinan dan rasa optimis Abdullah, jika tidak tentu beliau telah memanggil untuk pilihan raya umum dan bukannya berbolak-balik dengan ragu-ragu dan tidak yakin sejak dua tahun lalu, memberkannya reputasi sebagai Perdana Menteri Berubah-Ubah lebih teruk berbanding perdana menteri sebelumnya, Tun Abdullah.

Begitu juga Menteri Besar Johor, Datuk Ghani Othman yang memberitahu pertubuhan Cina Kulai kurang daripada tiga minggu lalu bahawa Pakatan Rakyat boleh menawan Putrjaya dalam PRU13 walaupun beliau memberi amaran bahawa paling banyak PR boleh menang cuma majoriti tipis 5% hingga 10% kerusi parlimen – iaitu majoriti daripada 12 hingga 22 kerusi parlimen.

Dan juga manusia berkuasa di dalam UMNO/BN, Tun Mahathir, yang kelihatan semakin pesimis tentang peluang UMNO menawan Putrajaya dalam PRU13, membuatkannya menyeru pengundi Malaysia menyokong “syaitan yang dikenali bukannya malaikat yang tidak dikenali”, dan baru-baru ini membuat kenyataan yang lebih semberono dan terdesak seperti:

• tuduhan tidak berasas beliau bahawa Himpunan Kebangkitan Rakyat at Stadium Merdeka (KL112) yang aman dan berjaya dengan kehadiran 100,000 rakyat Malaysia dari pelbagai kaum, agama dan tempat adalah cubaan menggulingkan melalui jalan keganasan kerajaan UMNO/BN yang dipilih rakyat.
• tuduhan tidak berasas beliau bahawa Perdana Menteri pertama, Tunku Abdul Rahman sebelum Merdeka pada 1957 telah memberikan kewarganegaraan kepada satu juta bukan Melayu yang tidak layak dalam cubaanya untuk menjustifikasikan penipuan “kewarganegaraan untuk undi” dalam Projek M di Sabah, malah mencadangkan satu Suruhanjaya Siasatan Diraja untuk menyiasat isu Tunku Abdul Rahman dan kewarganegaraan satu juta bukan Melayu sebelum Merdeka.

Continue reading “Pengiraan Detik 70 Hari ke PRU13 – Adakah Najib akan menjadi Perdana Menteri terakhir UMNO?”

The talk of the country today is the 13GE secret weapon of the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak to attract 60,000 people to his Chinese New Year Open House in Penang at the iconic Han Chiang High School on Feb. 11 by inviting South Korean superstar Psy to perform Gangnam style.

The invitation to Psy is going to cost UMNO/BN and eventually the Malaysian people a “bomb” but most Malaysians, including Najib and UMNO/BN leaders, have missed the most pertinent point of the invitation to Psy for Najib’s CNY Open House in Penang.

Malaysians must not just idolise Psy and Gangnam Style but learn the most important lesson that UBAH in the 13th General Elections is a prerequisite for Malaysia to make the quantum leap to become a fully developed country like South Korea.

UMNO/BN leaders have been trying to scare Malaysian voters by warning that if there is a change of Federal Government in Putrajaya in the 13GE, there will be chaos like the “Arab Spring” countries and Malaysia will become bankrupt in five, three or two years – depending on which BN leader is talking!

Why do Malaysians want change in the 13GE? Is it because Pakatan Rakyat leaders and Malaysian voters who support the notion of ending the 55-year UMNO hegemony and one-coalition government want chaos in the country and for Malaysia to become bankrupt in two, three or five years’ time?

It is only the politically mendacious or the mentally retarded who could believe in such nonsense and garbage. Continue reading “67-Day Countdown to 13GE – Don’t just idolise Psy and Gangnam Style but learn the most important lesson that UBAH in 13GE is a prerequisite for Malaysia to make the quantum leap to become a fully developed country like South Korea”

Azly Rahman
Malaysiakini
Feb 2, 2013

“Alif-Mim-Nun-Wau… sarkis!” – said a character in P Ramlee’s movie Pendekar Bujang Lapok.

Of late I have been hit by nostalgia, reminiscing and even romanticising the 60s, 70s and the early 80s before Mahathirism took root.

My last column on Malaysia in the 70s was an enjoyable piece of journaling and from the numerous comments I read from all the blogs that carry it – my own blog Between Cybernetics and Existentialism, my Facebook page, Malaysia Today, etc – I feel that there was a time when a good Malaysian spirit was about to be forged.

This was that sense of a historical block, until May 13, 1969 came, of course; whether it was orchestrated or a victory campaign that went wrong we are beginning to find out, as alternative accounts of it continue to be written.

After languishing in sweet memories of the 70s, I next thought of the 60s; the time when I was growing up in Johor Baru and how the kampong and the city and the school I went to became my “global classrooms”.

My fond memories always go back to a “multicultural Malaysia I knew – especially how I owed my interest in learning and insatiable urge to acquire knowledge through the selfless work of my teachers – Malay, Chinese, Indians, Sikhs, and even my Peace Corps American teachers.

Without them, I would not have been able to write honestly about the need not just to “tolerate” other cultures but to learn from each one of them, embrace the dynamics of each, and to bring out the universality of the values, and next to design good learning systems and environments that will nurture these differences into commonalities and to hybridise the wisdom we will acquire.

This is what has been lacking in our education system – critical sensibility and the embracing of the idea of “cultural action for freedom”, as the Brazilian educational philosopher Paulo Freire would say. Continue reading “Malay politics and Ramleeology”

by Pak Sako
CPI
01 February 2013

Speaking at the launch of a book on the Malaysian monarchy, Malaysian prime minister Najib bin Razak said that the Malay Rulers “are above politics” (see ‘Najib: Constitutional monarchy fosters stability, prosperity’, The Malaysian Insider, 30 Jan 2013).

He said that the Malaysian monarchy “provides a solid foundation” for turning Malaysia into a high-income nation.

To be above politics means to not interfere in the political workings of the country and to take no sides in party politics.

To act as a foundation to the economy so that Malaysian citizens enjoy high incomes means abstaining from and disapproving the undemocratic use of the public’s wealth and resources.

So is the prime minister’s statement about the Malaysian monarchy true?

The evidence paints a different story. Continue reading “Is Malaysia’s monarchy “above politics”?”

– George Lee
The Malaysian Insider
Feb 02, 2013

FEB 2 – Today I made a difficult decision not to return to Malaysia for the upcoming Chinese New Year. It is an inevitable sacrifice I have to make. There will be no family reunion dinner on Chinese New Year eve. I will miss the rare opportunity to meet up old friends from elsewhere as some only return to Malaysia during this festival period.

My ageing parents are longing for their favourite son to come home but it is not to be. I hope they understand my choice. I am going to miss all the fun, joy and get together. It saddens me for not able to be with my family but my love for my country Malaysia and the aspiration to carry out changes make the sacrifice a worthwhile endeavour.

In a nutshell, I am forgoing this once a year Chinese New Year festivity so that I can return on a later date for the upcoming general election. Continue reading “No homecoming for Chinese New Year”