Syahredzan Johan
Syahredzan Johan asks during this holy month, are Malay-Muslims entitled to better rights than others?
So you are fasting. The sun is bearing down on you, your stomach is growling and your throat is parched. It is only 12.30 in the afternoon; you still have hours to go before you may break your fast. All of a sudden, a non-Muslim person appears before you, enjoying an icy cold can of your favourite cola. He looks like he is savouring the cola. You could imagine the sensation of that very same cola filling your throat with diabetes-inducing caffeine goodness. So you flare up. How dare this person drink in front of you? Does he have no respect for the holy month of Ramadhan, to be wantonly quenching his thirst in full view of Muslims? Does he not know that Muslims form the majority of this country and therefore must be respected?
This is the basic premise prevalent amongst many Malay-Muslims in this country. Muslims form the majority and therefore they are entitled to be respected. Malay-Muslim sensitivities must not be offended; the Malay-Muslim public must be protected from harm, confusion and many other bad and insidious things that may threaten the ummah. In recent times, these deep rooted sentiments are brought to the fore by opportunistic politicians. Thus it appeared as if Malay-Muslims have become more and more intolerant of minorities.
Malay-Muslims are entitled not to have a Hindu temple in the vicinity of their housing estate. Malay-Muslims are entitled to dictate what names others may use to invoke the Creator. Malay-Muslims are entitled to stop the sale of alcohol beverages and deny the establishment of a cinema in Malay majority areas.
Every Friday, Malay-Muslims are entitled to abandon their civic consciousness and park all over the place as if the streets belong to them. Malays-Muslims are entitled to blare religiousceramahs to every corner of the neighbourhood and into the wee hours of the night.
The prime minister must be Malay-Muslim, the civil service must be filled with Malay-Muslims and government bodies are seen as Malay institutions, tasked first and foremost to safeguard Malay and Muslim interests.
This premise of entitlement has also been used to justify the persecution and discrimination against sexual and religious minorities, purportedly because Article 3 provides that Islam is the religion of the Federation. So we say that LBGTs do not enjoy protection of the Constitution because their sexual orientations are against Islam, although we conveniently forget that other things, like gambling, are also forbidden in Islam but are still legal in this country. Books are seized and banned and fatwas are made absolute. In a recent decision, the Federal Court went so far to say that the integrity of the religion needs to be safeguarded at all costs. Does ‘at all costs’ include the supremacy of the Federal Constitution as the highest law of the land?
Make no mistake, this is not about Islam. It is about how we justify the discrimination, persecution and blatant disregard for fundamental liberties, all in the name of religion. It is how we view and treat others as inferior to us because we believe that we are entitled to do so. We permit transgressions because we labour under this presumption that Malay-Muslims, by virtue of being Malays and Muslims, are entitled to the best of the country as they occupy a higher standing than the rest of the rakyat out there.
There is no legal or constitutional basis for this. Article 3 does not make Malaysia an Islamic state and Article 4 expressly provides that the Federal Constitution is the supreme law of the land. Article 8 provides that every citizen is equal before the law and enjoys equal protection of the law. The oft quoted Article 153 does not make Malay-Muslims superior in law or fact, it only provides for the reservation of quotas for Malays and natives of Sabah and Sarawak in certain matters.
So what if Muslims are the majority? We have such a flawed understanding of democracy; as if in a democracy, the rights of minorities are inferior to the rights of the majority. That is why we have a Constitution, which protects and guarantees the fundamental liberties of citizens from the tyranny of the majority.
We find ourselves up in arms at the fate of Muslims minorities in other countries like Thailand, Philippines, Myanmar and China. We invoke freedom of religion when we hear of minarets being banned in Switzerland or burqas being banned in France. But if the rights of Muslim minorities should be protected in the face of the majority, why is it that we do not have the same vigour to protect the rights our non-Muslim minorities? Why must the rights of others here only be exercised if we deem those rights as exercisable?
So before you take offence at someone who is drinking in front of you while you are fasting, take a step back and think of your religion. Put aside your sense of entitlement and think; just because you are fasting, does it mean that everyone else around you must stow away their food and drinks?
Remember what Islam has instilled in you, not what Muslims have told you.
As a TRUE Muslim we treat all others as EQUAL
As a MALAY they want to be like GOD!
Comment by ISLAM — August 3, 2012 @ 4:15 PM |
The makings of an Umno politician
An old kampung imam had a teenage son, and it was getting time the boy should give some thought to choosing a profession.
Like many young men his age, the boy didn’t really know what he wanted to do, and he didn’t seem too concerned about it.
One day, while the boy was away at school, his father decided to try an experiment. He went into the boy’s room and placed on his study table four objects.
1. The Holy Quran.
2. A fifty ringgit note.
3. A bottle of whiskey.
4. And a Playboy magazine.
‘I’ll just hide behind the door,” the old imam said to himself. “When he comes home from school today, I’ll see which object he picks up.”
“If it’s the holy book, he’s going to be an imam like me, and what a blessing that would be!”
“If he picks up the fifty ringgit note, he’s going to be a businessman, and that would be okay, too.”
“But if he picks up the bottle, he’s going to be a no-good drunken bum, and God, what a shame that would be.”
“And worst of all if he picks up that magazine he’s going to be a skirt-chasing womaniser.”
The old man waited anxiously, and soon heard his son’s footsteps as he entered the house whistling and heading for his room.
The boy tossed his books on the bed, and as he turned to leave the room he spotted the objects on the table. With curiosity in his eye, he walked over to inspect them. Finally, he picked up the Holy Book and placed it under his arm. He picked up the fifty ringgit note and dropped into his pocket. He uncorked the bottle and took a big drink, while he admired the magazine’s centerfold.
“God have mercy,” the old imam disgustedly whispered. “He’s going to be an Umno politician!”
Author unknown
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YES, LET’S MOVE ON
Malaysia Today, Friday, 15 May 2009
But burying the spectre of May 13 can’t be done just like that, even if we stop talking about it. 40 years is a long time. People can forgive. People can even forget. But to forgive and forget there must first be remorse.
NO HOLDS BARRED
Raja Petra Kamarudin
I know ‘Dollah Kok Lanas’, as he is fondly known back in his home state of Kelantan, pretty well. You can read his piece on ‘May 13’ below.
Dollah was once detained under the Internal Security Act during the time of Hussein Onn. He was also sacked as the Editor-in-Chief of the New Straits Times in 2003 at the request of Umno for the ‘crime’ of criticising Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia had earlier retaliated against this criticism by reducing Malaysia’s Haj quota. So the only way to pacify the Saudi government was to remove Dollah as head of the Umno-owned newspaper. (Who says Umno can’t be pressured?).
Dollah, for all intents and purposes, is a classic example of a loose cannon. I heard this is what Dr Wan Azizah also calls me. Other loose cannons — or close to loose cannons even if they are not quite fully-fledged loose cannons — would probably be Shahrir Samad (no need to say much about him), Mokhtar Hashim (the Minister indicted for murder), Anwar Ibrahim (yes, Wan Azizah has one in her own bed even though she may not realise it), Sallehuddin Hashim (if you don’t know him then I can’t help you), Haniff Omar (ex-IGP and Genting Chairman who said he did not find anywhere in the Quran a verse that forbids Muslims from being Chairmen of gambling companies), Yassin Malek (deceased but a ‘live wire’ till the very end), Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah (late Agong who married a girl younger than his granddaughter), Sultan Ahmad Shah of Pahang (phew, what can I say about him that no one already knows?), Tun Razak (Najib’s father, architect of May 13, and engineer of the NEP) Razali Ismail (diplomat and Malaysian Ambassador to the UN who the Burmese opposition party wants nothing to do with), Hani Mohsin (actor and deceased at a very young age), Effendi Norwawi (the Sarawakian tycoon who founded NTV7 and stole Hani’s wife), Justice Azmi Kamaruddin (deceased and one of the judges sacked by Mahathir), Hishamuddin Hussein (President of the Gay Club), Nazri Aziz (the man Mahathir can’t stand hearing his name mentioned), Dr. Hatta Ramli and Kamaruddin Jaafar (both of PAS), Rehman Rashid (either you hate him or you love him: nothing in between), Halim Saad (the man behind the PLUS Highway), Yahaya Ahmad (the ‘Car Czar’ of Malaysia who died in a helicopter explosion), Hishamuddin Rais (Malaysia’s first NGI: Non-Governmental Individual), Onn Jaafar (the man who left Umno in a huff because the party would not open its doors to non-Malays), the Semangat 46 crowd (Tengku Razaleigh, Manan Othman, Salleh ‘Speaker’, Tengku Paduka, and all those other ‘colourful’ characters), etc.
And what do all those loose cannons mentioned above have in common? Okay, they are all Malays and they are all men. But the one thing that ‘binds’ them, and the thing that probably turned them into loose cannons in the first place, is that they are all ‘Old Boys’ of the Malay College Kuala Kangsar (MCKK).
The names of all the 5,000 or so Old Boys — dead, still living, or are better off dead than alive — would be just impossible to list here. Take it from me, though, that most, if not all, are loose cannons in one way or another. In short, anyone who can be considered ‘a problem’ would most likely be an Old Boy of MCKK.
At one time, during the time of Tun Razak, half the Cabinet were Old Boys. Cabinet meetings, until today, are held on Wednesdays. And Wednesday is also the day that the Old Boys wear their old school ties — by coincidence rather than by design.
During the first Cabinet meeting that Hussein Onn chaired, after he took over as Prime Minister on the death of Tun Razak, he commented about this, disapprovingly of course. And in the next Cabinet meeting all the ties disappeared. You see, Hussein went to the English College in Johor Bahru, so he was not about to sit there staring at those red-striped College ties which must have been an eyesore as far as he was concerned.
Many of the founding members of Umno were Old Boys. At the time of Merdeka, most of the Rulers were also Old Boys. You would not find many who walked in the corridors of power who was not an Old Boy. Malay Nationalism would have never happened if not for the Old Boys. Maybe even Merdeka would have been delayed like what happened to Hong Kong.
Old Boys consider themselves unique. Non-Old Boys, however, would, consider Old Boys as weird. I mean, which group of Malays would go to the mosque on Thursday night, play poker on Friday night, and consume crates and crates of beer on Saturday night?
They say the term ‘Ipoh lai’ was invented by Old Boys. As you may be aware, Kuala Kangsar is not far from Ipoh. And when Old Boys disappear for the day, you can certainly assume they have sneaked off to Ipoh to taste the delights of that once upon a time thriving mining town.
The word around Ipoh is that if you throw a stone into the air, chances are it would land on a massage parlour. There were certainly more massage parlours than mosques back in the days when I went to MCKK. I heard that, nowadays, there are not that many massage parlours in Ipoh any longer. Is it because of the collapse of Perak’s tin mining industry or because the Old Boys have, unfortunately, become more religious and spend more time in the mosque than in massage parlours?
Anyway, Ipoh is no longer what it used to be. Today, you can get arrested just for minding your own business while eating in a coffee shop wearing a black shirt. And it is very hard to find prostitutes in the massage parlours. Most of them are gainfully employed and can only be found in the Perak State Assembly.
I prefer the old days when RM30 could buy you a good time with a sweet young thing from Bidor, Tapah, Sungai Siput, or wherever they happened to have come from. I never remembered meeting anyone from Jelapang though. I was told they did have girls from Jelapang but that they are so ugly you would never pay them to sleep with you. They would have to pay you instead.
Anyway, the going price for these Perak girls would never exceed a few hundred Ringgit — even if you made promises your body can’t keep and booked a girl for the entire night. It would be best, however, you try the ‘one-shot’ package first and see how it goes. After all, in sex, just like in the banking business, you lose interest after you make the withdrawal.
Okay, let’s get to the serious business now. Yes, we must put May 13 behind us and move on. It is time we buried the spectre of May 13. But that can only happen if we do not constantly resurrect it time and time again. Umno, however, keeps reminding us of what happened in May 1969 when the non-Malays kurang ajar. Is it a reminder or a threat? Whatever it may be, picking on the scab will not only never allow the wound to heal, but even if it does it will leave a permanent scar that will remain till the end of our life.
But burying the spectre of May 13 can’t be done just like that, even if we stop talking about it. 40 years is a long time. People can forgive. People can even forget. But to forgive and forget there must first be remorse.
We need a national reconciliation program. Those who aggressed need to apologise to those who were oppressed. You can’t just say let’s forgive and forget. You also need to say sorry.
Is sorry really the hardest word as Elton John said? Would saying sorry give an impression that you are weak? Only the strong can say sorry. The weak will try to justify the wrong with all sorts of excuses and arguments.
The world over, governments are admitting the error of their ways. Sometimes it came three hundred years too late. But better late than never, they always say. Malaysia can demonstrate sincerity. And the mark of sincerity is first to admit your mistake, and then apologise for it. And only after that can we ask all Malaysians to bury the past and move on to build a better Malaysia, a One Malaysia, as Najib Tun Razak said.
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May 13 tragedy, we should move on
By Tan Sri Abdullah Ahmad
While we remember the 40th anniversary of the May 13 tragedy, we should move on. It’s time for closure of the sad, very sad incident.
The tragic and vicious incident need not have happened had Tun Razak’s message to Dato’ Harun Idris, the menteri besar of Selangor, reached him 30-minutes earlier or had Tan Sri David Tan Chee Khoon and Tun Lim Chong Eu spoken to Tun Razak 30 minutes earlier relaying their decision not to cooperate with DAP to form the state government of Selangor nor worked together in Perak and elsewhere. I was beside Tun Razak when he took the calls from them late past tea time on the fateful evening of 13 May. I recall clearly what Tun Razak told Harun “…the good news is you will continue to run Selangor. Chee Khoon and Chong Eu had just spoken to me that they want status quo preserved. So tell the people gathering at your house to disperse.” Harun thanked Tun and asked him to convey his gratitude to the two statesmen. Between five-to-ten minutes after that Harun rang Tun Razak to say that it was too late. As he was persuading them to disperse news reached the crowd that clashes had begun in Chow Kit Road and surroundings and beyond.
Tun Razak asked Harun to calm the gathering and urged him, in strong terms, to attempt his best to stop the clashes from escalating. The rest, as they say, is history. Though Harun and I were not on good political terms I must be fair. I think he did try, but by then, to no avail.
I left for home about maghrib. Informed Musa Hitam what happened and he asked his family to rush to my house. Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah and Musa and his family spent the night at my house in Jalan Bukit Bintang, a very Chinese area, and there was no trouble. I assured my Chinese neighbours and they, in turn, assured me we would together maintain peace and confront whoever the outside troublemakers would be. Thank God, the troubles were localised.
This is just speculation: Had communications then were as good and advanced as today, I think two things could have occurred: race riots would not have started or they could have become more brutal and widespread.
When the Pakatan Rakyat coalition unseated the BN governments in Selangor, Perak, Penang and Kedah last March (08) there were no tensions, perhaps because every one was in a state of shock but plausibly, too, the incoming governments of PKR, DAP and PAS like the defeated ones, were also interracial. The PKR, DAP and PAS alliance should be preserved. The PKR is about the nearest thing to being a genuine multi-racial party. There shall not be another May 13 like-incident if the ruling party coalition and the Pakatan share power or perceived to be sharing power fairly and the government, whether Federal or State, observes the constitution scrupulously, government policy implemented justly without fear or favour where talent is not only recognized but rewarded irrespective of race or religion. The public as well as the private sector must display and reflect that of the society we live in, not what we want it to be. The Bumiputra must accept unequivocally the others are co-owners of this country as much as the others must also accept, recognise and acknowledge unequivocally the Bumiputra is the biggest demographic group and growing, therefore deserves some entitlements, though not at the expense of fairplay.
I am not a soothsayer nor a prophet of doom. I strive to tell what I perceive to be the truth. It does seem the future of democracy in our nation is bright. A genuine two-party system is at last evolving after five decades of Merdeka. If the Pakatan Rakyat state governments deliver what they promised and the alliance stay cohesive and the rakyat see the bond or linkage is sustained the alliance can be potentially potent. However, having said that, please make no mistake of misjudging Najib. He is no Badawi; different educational and social background. Najib is Tun Razak’s son, he is more familiar with the wiles of Malaysian voters; he is positively more Machiavellian, positively more able and aware than his predecessor who was badly advised by his family, cronies and toadies in government and the media.
If Najib performs well and the economy recovers he is a tough nut to crack. His 1Malaysia is good and if he is not distracted, and properly advised, you all will face a tough time. You must at least be well-prepared and ready. Najib may falter, which I think is not impossible, for he is not infallible. I am also very conscious how fallible I can be.
In politics, a week is a long time and logic doesn’t always work. Always work hard and one must always do what one feels is right. The correct and sensible thing to do is to ensure that all Malaysians are treated justly in the public as well as in the private sector. Our democracy can only flourish if we have a strong, free and independent media.
Our future is very bright if Najib can deliver what he promises and the Pakatan its pledges. We aren’t going to achieve what we desire. Worse if a nation is perceived to be untransparent, unjust and draconian. I repeat a strong, free and independent media is critical for the future of Malaysian democracy.
The future of 1Malaysia looks well if the PM can deliver what he promises and if the economy thrives. This can be done if we can reconcile the past which none should forget with the present we must face, and the future we cannot avoid.
Whatever, the electoral test will be in the next general election.
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The makings of an Umno politician
An old kampung imam had a teenage son, and it was getting time the boy should give some thought to choosing a profession.
Like many young men his age, the boy didn’t really know what he wanted to do, and he didn’t seem too concerned about it.
One day, while the boy was away at school, his father decided to try an experiment. He went into the boy’s room and placed on his study table four objects.
1. The Holy Quran.
2. A fifty ringgit note.
3. A bottle of whiskey.
4. And a Playboy magazine.
‘I’ll just hide behind the door,” the old imam said to himself. “When he comes home from school today, I’ll see which object he picks up.”
“If it’s the holy book, he’s going to be an imam like me, and what a blessing that would be!”
“If he picks up the fifty ringgit note, he’s going to be a businessman, and that would be okay, too.”
“But if he picks up the bottle, he’s going to be a no-good drunken bum, and God, what a shame that would be.”
“And worst of all if he picks up that magazine he’s going to be a skirt-chasing womaniser.”
The old man waited anxiously, and soon heard his son’s footsteps as he entered the house whistling and heading for his room.
The boy tossed his books on the bed, and as he turned to leave the room he spotted the objects on the table. With curiosity in his eye, he walked over to inspect them. Finally, he picked up the Holy Book and placed it under his arm. He picked up the fifty ringgit note and dropped into his pocket. He uncorked the bottle and took a big drink, while he admired the magazine’s centerfold.
“God have mercy,” the old imam disgustedly whispered. “He’s going to be an Umno politician!”
Author unknown
Comment by Teddy Gumbang — August 2, 2012 @ 12:53 PM |
Together amongst the wealthy Islamic countries, they could have as much as under $10trillion in Wealth Funds making things work from space research to animal husbandry everywhere else except the Muslim citizens. Muslims citizens in Muslim countries, esp the poor ones don’t need to try to fast! They can’t help but fast!
So what is it all about? Is it about God or is it about arrogance, lust, money and power or what?
Muslim countries only need a fraction of that $10trillion to fund education and health …which they’ll never do…invest in Muslims future nor their other citizens’ future!
Today in Malaysia as elsewhere Ramadan is all about the months consumer spending index rise!
Comment by gozilla — August 2, 2012 @ 12:03 PM |
$10.0 tril for the Funds is exagerated…an afterthough…perhaps more like under $5.0 tril.
The other $5.0 tril could well be in secret accounts in off-shore banks.
Aren’t all men brothers?
Comment by gozilla — August 2, 2012 @ 5:06 PM |
I love that you pointed out how in other countries, the minorities are protected. Sadly, in Malaysia the minorities are continuously persecuted and racism is daily norm. I love Malaysia and I really hope that someday, all Malaysians are treated equal.
Comment by Shiree Pannu — August 2, 2012 @ 11:10 AM |
“We find ourselves up in arms at the fate of Muslims minorities in other countries like Thailand, Philippines, Myanmar and China”
MUSLIM BROTHERS & SISTERS ENLIGHTEN YOURSELF ON THE FACTS & DO NOT MAKE QUICK FALSE ASSUMPTIONS ABOUT CHINA’S POLICY TOWARDS MUSLIM.
MUSLIMS HAVE BEEN IN CHINA FOR OVER 500 YEARS & THEY ARE ACCORDED FULL CITIZENS RIGHTS & TREATED AND RESPECTED AS PART OF THE CHINESE POPULATION UNLIKE UMNO ABYSMAL TREATMENT OF NON-MUSLIMS
At least the last part of the sentence in the above quote is highly inaccurate! Malayan Muslims need to educate themselves rationally not on emotional reactions.
China has 56 national minorities and among them are the Hui, Uyghurs, Kazaks, Turkish, Tajiks who are Muslims.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam_in_China
Muslims have made great contributions to China’s cultural life and many were considered as patriots and heroes who fought against foreign invasions of China. One of the most famous Chinese Muslims is Admiral Zheng He or Cheng Ho- a Hui Muslim is honoured by the Chinese Government. UMNO has never considered any non-Muslims as national heroes such as Chin Peng who led the anti-Japanese resistance in Malaya. Hang Tuah and Hang Jebat were demoted by UMNO from hero status to non persons after discovery that they were Chinese. Read the news item below on Zheng He.
Zheng He: http://www.cnngo.com/shanghai/life/china-maritime-hero-theme-park-reopened-978499
Famous Muslim generals in Ming China: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam_during_the_Ming_Dynasty
In recent times there have been the issue of Uyghur independence which has given rise to the idea that Muslims are mistreated in China. Minority frustrations manipulated by anti-China forces have led to riots and killings a few years ago.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terrorism_in_the_People%27s_Republic_of_China
While there will always be issues of intolerance, the government policy is different from UMNO policy.
UMNO officially discriminates against non-Muslims while in China the government policy is to preserve minority rights and culture. UMNO does not care a dam about Dayaks or Kadazans apart from stealing their land.
An interesting western media interview on Muslims in China
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=93587280
This is a short article by Abdur Rauf on treatment of Muslims in China. The Manchu Dynasty was foreign rule imposed on China and the Manchus mistreated both Muslims and Chinese. The cruel conditions under Manchu rule led to the Chinese revolutions of 1911 and culminated in the 1949 liberation.
http://www.themodernreligion.com/convert/china.html
Islam in China
by Abdur Rauf
History of Islam in China
During the days of the third caliph of Islam, Uthman Ghani (rta), a Muslim deputation led by Sa`ad Ibn Abi Waqqas visited China in 651 A.D (29 A.H.) to invite the Chinese emperor to embrace Islam. They built a magnificent mosque in Canton city. This mosque is known as “The Memorial Mosque”.
Islam and Muslims in China
After the early beginnings, relations between the Muslims and the Chinese progressed fairly well. The first Muslim settlement in China was established in Cheng Aan port during the Tang dynasty. Thousands of Muslims have been turning to China in different times. Sometimes these neo settlers had petty skirmishes with the local Chinese. The first regular war was waged at the Chinese border in 133 A.H. The Muslims were led by Ziyad. They were far less in numbers. But they gave a crushing defeat to the Chinese. After this victory, the Muslims came to command complete control over the entire Central Asia.
These early successes opened the doors of China for the Muslim missionaries. In 138 A.H. General Lieu Chen revolted against Emperor Sehwan Tsung. On a request for help from the emperor the Abbasid caliph, Al-Mansur deputed a unit of 4,000 armed Turk Muslim troops to China. With their help the emperor overpowered the rebellion. After crushing the rebellion, the Turk soldiers settled in China. They married Chinese women. The Muslim influx to China continued thereafter through sea and land routes.
The early Muslims settling in China bore all sorts of circumstances. The long rule of the Manchu dynasty (1644-1911 AD) was the hardest for the Muslims. During this period the following five wars were waged against the Muslims: (1) the Lanchu War, (2) the Che Kanio War, (3) the Sinkiang War, (4) the Uunanan War, and (5) the Shansi War. In these destructive wars, the Muslims suffered inestimable losses. Countless Muslims were martyred. Half of Kansu’s population, totalling 15 millions, was Muslim. Only 5 million could escape alive. Chinese Muslims sustained similar setbacks in several other small and big wars. During the past three centuries, the Muslim population has decreased at 30%.
However, despite the great Muslim massacres during the past, the present Chinese Muslim population still exceeds 60 million. The Chinese Muslims follow the Islamic theory and practice. They practice all the five fundamentals of Islam. They differentiate between the forbidden (Haram) and the permissible (Halal). They are leading a decent and a civilized life in China.
Pro-Muslim Shift in Chinese Policy
The great Chinese statesman, Mao Tse-tung (1893-1976) achieved his political objective through ‘The Long March’. When he settled down at his headquarters at Niyan, the Chinese Muslims supported him. The Muslims also joined his Red Army. However, at no stage of their cooperation with the great Chinese leader did the Muslims forsake their Islamic identity even for a while. In 1954, the Muslims were given guarantees about their prayers, traditional rites, civilization and culture. As compared to other minorities they were extended more liberal facilities, especially in the matters of cementing ties with the Muslim world. Friendly relations with the Muslim countries is a great economic need for modern China. Muslims have accordingly loomed large in China’s foreign policy ever since 1985. The under-developed areas predominated by the Muslims are now extended preferential treatment.
During China’s Cultural Revolution (1966-76) locks were forcibly put on a number of Chinese mosques. All such mosques have now been restored to the Muslims. Chinese Muslims have been accorded complete religious freedom. The Chinese Radio even broadcasts Qur’anic lectures. The Muslims feel satisfied with such welcome official measures. The pleasant pro-Muslim shift in the Chinese policy is currently making an exceedingly favourable impact on the dissemination of Islam in China. China has exceptionally cordial relation with its neighbouring Muslim state, Pakistan. Throughout this period only on unpleasant incident of a petty clash between Chinese and Muslims was reported in 1990 at the Pakistan – China border at Khunjrab.
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Comment by Abang — August 2, 2012 @ 10:26 AM |
Despite all that is written above, UMNO/Perkasa are creating fears among the non Muslim what PAS will do when and if they do come to power. Just a reminder, everyone in Sarawak used and still have lots of mutual respect and tolerance among all its various races with have different religious believes.
So don’t UMNO/Perkasa come in and spoil everything for us.
Adding to the comment from Mata Kuching, Indonesia has a very much bigger Muslim population then Malaysia. And there’s a very popular band in the 60′s called ‘The Mercy’ who recorded Christmas Songs in Indonesia Malay.
Comment by gagojackman — August 2, 2012 @ 9:57 AM |
First and foremost, I wish to convey this: “Selamat berpuasa to all our muslim brothers and sisters where ever you are”.
Well said and written, Johan. As a non-muslim I highly respect Islam and its teachings and I still remember vividly in my mind in one Ulama’s religious speech that he mentioned the following: ” Islam is the religion of peace, tolerance and compassion”. Allow me to quote from your article above:”Take a step back and think of you religion” and that is in consistent with the said Ulama’s statement addressing his audience.
In the malaysia’s context, a few of politicians have been unscrupulously contributing to the misunderstanding between muslims and non-muslims due to their grossly personal and political interests so much so that at one time in the recent past, the good relationships between muslims and christians were nearly at stake. The hurt after a relationship breaks up can be awful and very difficult to heal. So, malaysians of various religious faiths should take heed and do not by all means allow such incidence to happen again.
I look forward to seeing the day that muslims and non-muslims in this beloved country are heading towards “the ideal of the brotherhood of man” despite our multiracial and different religious beliefs in nature.
Comment by Justice Lover — August 2, 2012 @ 9:33 AM |
ORANG ASLI should deserve the best treatment of all
ORANG ASLI the real Bumiputera original owner of Tanah Semenanjung 100,000 years ago
ORANG ASLI should have been our Prime Minister not some pendatang son from kerala india or pendatang bugis etc
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Orang Asli upset with BR1M rejection
Malaysia Kini, 5 Mar 2012
A member of the Temuan Orang Asli tribe is vexed that his BR1M application has been rejected despite his not having an income.
Dewi Malam, 52, who hails from Kampung Orang Asli Pulau Kempas in Hulu Langat, Selangor, said the received a reply from the Finance Ministry on Feb 16 that he was not qualified.
“I have not had a regular income in the last seven years. If the government doesn’t give the money, it’s fine, but don’t deprive the people who really need it,” Dewi said.
He said in an interview with malaysiakini.tv that he suffered disabilities in his left arm and has had trouble finding a job.
Among the reasons cited in the reply was that Dewi’s pay was not under RM3,000, on top of him not being in the National Registration Department’s (JPN) database.
He later produced his identity card to prove his citizenship.
‘JPN is saying I’m not a Malaysian’
“What JPN is saying… means I am not Malaysian and I am not a voter in my own country.
“After the country has achieved development, they want to get rid of people such as myself,” said the father of four who does odd jobs to support his family.
Dewi’s children are aged 16, 17, 25 and 27 years and one of them suffers from a congenital heart condition.
The two eldest children are working, one as a cleaner and the other as a security guard while the other two are of schooling age, but Dewi cannot afford to pay for their education.
The BR1M is a one-off payment of RM500 from the government to households with an income of less than RM3,000 a month.
Last month, it was reported that Bera MCA division chairperson Tang Hock Lok, who holds a datukship, raised eyebrows when he obtained RM500 aid from the government.
However, Tang has denied any element of fraud and said his intention of applying was to donate the money to charity.
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Dr M’s Orang Asli statement ‘reckless’, says Bar Council
Orang Asli have continuously occupied peninsular Malaysia for thousand of years
By Yow Hong Chieh, The Malaysian Insider – Tue, Mar 15, 2011
KUALA LUMPUR, March 15 — The Malaysian Bar has slammed former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s statement disputing the status of the Orang Asli, calling it “reckless” and “insensitive”.
Bar Council president Lim Chee Wee said there was “ample” historical evidence that Orang Asli have continuously occupied peninsular Malaysia for thousand of years with their own form of self-government, customs, traditions and practices.
He said Dr Mahathir’s claim went against the position of the court, pointing out that the Court of Appeal had recognised the Orang Asli as the “First People” in the Sagong Tari case.
“Dr Mahathir’s views are just plain and simply wrong,” Lim told reporters today.
He said both the Federal Court and the Aboriginal Peoples Act 1954 recognised the status of the Orang Asli and their customary rights over their ancestral land.
Lim added that the government had the duty to halt steps to amend or introduce legislation affecting Orang Asli ancestral lands until it obtains their “free, prior and informed consent” as Malaysia had voted in favour of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP).
“Malaysia is both morally and legally committed to recognising and protecting the status and proprietary rights of aboriginal peoples,” he said.
Dr Mahathir said last Thursday that the Orang Asli did not have more right than Malays to claim Malaysia as they did not set up their own states or governments.
He wrote on his blog that giving Orang Asli greater rights to claim Malaysia as their own would be like handing back the United States, Australia and New Zealand to the Native American, Maori and Aborigine natives respectively.
Malaysia’s longest-serving prime minister pointed out that when European and Japanese colonisers came to Malaysia, they had dealt with and acknowledged the Malay governments.
Although admitting his Indian roots, he argued that Arabs, Indians and Indonesians who adopted the Malay language, practised Malay culture and embraced Islam have become constitutional Malays through assimilation.
“It is important to note that the Malay rulers only recognised Malays as their natural ‘rakyat’. They also recognised ‘Orang Asli’ and non-Malays who had been assimilated as ‘rakyat’. However, non-Malays who continued to identify themselves with their countries of origin were not regarded as rakyat,” Dr Mahathir had said.
Centre for Orang Asli Concerns (COAC) coordinator Colin Nicholas said today it was untrue that there was no Orang Asli civilisation before the arrival of the Malays some 600 years ago, which he described as a “recent phenomenon”.
He said the Malay sultanates were born out of the support of Orang Asli communities, citing the backing the Orang Laut gave the Johor Sultanate.
He also pointed out that the first ‘sultanah’ of Perak was a White Seman and that it was not possible to become an Undang in Negeri Sembilan without Orang Asli blood through the mother’s line.
“So the talk about Orang Asli having no civilisation before the Malays is not true,” Nicholas said.
“The reason why we have a Malay civilisation is because the Orang Asli supported it, and that’s how it started.”
Peninsular Malaysia Orang Asli Villages Network (JKOASM) coordinator Tijah Yok Chopil added that Dr Mahathir’s antagonistic statement “twisted the facts” and appeared to be laying the ground for a land grab by “greedy parties”.
While she admitted that the Orang Asli had not been wiped out like natives in the US, Australia and New Zealand, she likened the government’s assimilation policies and loose enforcement of ancestral land rights to a “cruel murder”.
The Malaysian Bar also urged Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak to “come out strongly” against Dr Mahathir’s statement and affirm that his administration was in favour of native rights.
“The government must, once and for all, put a stop to these ridiculous kinds of comments,” Bar Council human right committee chairman Andrew Khoo said.
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Dr M: Malay claim to country stronger than Orang Asli’s
By Shannon Teoh, Malaysian Insider, 11 March 2011
The Orang Asli’s failure to create an administration cost them their rights to the country, said Dr Mahathir. — file pic
KUALA LUMPUR, March 11 — Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad yesterday said the Orang Asli did not have more rights than the Malays to claim Malaysia as their own, as they did not set up their own states and governments.
The former prime minister said giving Orang Asli greater rights to claim Malaysia as their own would be like handing back the United States, Australia and New Zealand to the Native American, Maori and aborigine natives of those countries respectively.
“In Malaysia, the Orang Asli are as much citizens of the country as are the people of other races. They had never set up their own states and governments,” he wrote in his blog yesterday.
Malaysia’s longest-serving prime minister said that when Europeans and even the Japanese occupiers came to Malaysia, they had dealt with and acknowledged the Malay governments.
Dr Mahathir, who is now patron of right-wing Malay rights group Perkasa, has been vigorously defending the special position of Malays of late, and last week dismissed claims that Malays are immigrants just like Chinese and Indians.
Although admitting his Indian roots, he argued that Arabs, Indians and Indonesians who adopted the Malay language, practised Malay culture and embraced Islam have become constitutional Malays through assimilation.
“I would not say I am a Malay or Malaysian of ethnic Indian origin. My mother tongue and home language is Malay, my culture and tradition is Malay and I am a Muslim. The constitution defines a Malay as a person who habitually speaks Malay, practises Malay custom and tradition and is a Muslim,” he had said.
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Suhakam: Amend constitution to include Orang Asli as bumiputera
by Claudia Theophilus, Malaysia Kini, 11 Feb 2004
The Human Right Commission (Suhakam) has called on the government to amend the Federal Constitution to accord bumiputera status to the Orang Asli, the country’s indigenous peoples in the peninsula.
In its 91-page report entitled ‘The Human Rights of Orang Asal’ – released this morning – it pointed out that section 153(1) of the constitution only recognises Malays and the indigenous peoples of Sabah and Sarawak (Orang Asal) as bumiputera at present.
“The Federal Constitution should be amended to include the Orang Asli as bumiputera similar to the Malays and the Orang Asal in Sabah and Sarawak,” Suhakam said in the report.
The long-awaited report – based on a number of workshops held by Suhakam over the last two years – also made key recommendations regarding the land rights of the native communities.
Native customary land
It call for an urgent review of three main laws pertaining to native customary land in Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak.
The report stated that a review of the laws – the National Land Code, the Sarawak Land Code and the Sabah Land Ordinance – would accord proper recognition of native customary land rights.
The native communities in Malaysia have long complained that their rights to land and forest produce have been largely ignored.
This has led to encroachment of land that they have occupied for generations. They have alleged that much of the encroachment has been due to massive, and at times illegal, logging and mining activities.
“Native customary land should not only be recognised, protected and acknowledged but (native communities) also need to be given the space to continue their traditional activities,” said Suhakam.
Native communities have expressed dissatisfaction over certain conditions that prohibit them from carrying traditional activities such as hunting, agriculture and gathering forest produce on such lands.
Land titles
The commission also called for the Orang Asli Act 1954 to be amended to ensure that permanent land titles are issued instead of a 99-year lease as is done in most cases now.
The report recommended that the changes be based on Malay Reserve provisions in order to guarantee the permanent status of Orang Asli reserves.
Suhakam also suggested that the government set up a special commission or a dedicated department to handle native customary land issues faced by the Orang Asal.
According to Suhakam, the lack of grassroots consultation and contradicting priorities are the major reasons for failure to improve the standard of living of the native communities.
“Not only are the Orang Asal/Asli not consulted, they are not even given an opportunity to work with the government agencies in charge of the development project,” stated the report.
“Furthermore, most development plans fail to meet the needs of the native communities because they are usually left out of environment impact assessment studies.”
Inadequate compensation
Other problems faced by the communities include displacement and frequent relocation to make way for development project, as well as inadequate compensation that is in violation of the Land Acquisition Act provisions.
Suhakam’s other recommendations include the improvement of access to free health and education, particularly in remote areas. At present, the school dropout rate among Orang Asal children is 60 percent.
Financial constraints have left many deserving students without the opportunity to further their education while clashing traditional celebrations have led to high absenteeism in schools, the report noted.
In this respect, affirmative action with quota and scholarships has been recommended for the Orang Asal children.
“A study under the Eight Malaysia Plan found that the Orang Asal community represents the group with the lowest income. About 80 percent of the Orang Asli in Peninsular Malaysia live below the poverty level.”
The lack of political representation of the native communities is another shortcoming.
Another recommendation is to set up a ministry under the Prime Minister’s Department to handle Orang Asal affairs.
Others include systematic registration of birth and citizenship documents, and for the Orang Asli Affairs Department to employ those from the native communities.
Comment by Teddy Gumbang — August 2, 2012 @ 8:38 AM |
GOOD ON YOU TEDDY KEEP EXPOSING THE BASTARDS!
Comment by anon — August 5, 2012 @ 10:43 AM |
Rais Yatim, the Misinformed Minister, must have been inspired by his lust for Indonesia maid that he chose the “Janji Ditepati” (Promises Fulfilled) melody picked for National Day celebration this year. Some quarters had noted that the melody has a striking resemblance to a 2008 gospel song by Jakarta-based Christian band True Worshippers, featuring Indonesian songstress Ruth Sahanaya.
Comment by Mata Kuching — August 2, 2012 @ 8:08 AM |
Rais Yatem is morally corrupt.
If you want to symbolize “janji ditepati” it would have to be about justice and fairness, not some stupid spunk they teach in our schools and our education system.
No, Rais Yatem cannot tell the difference between his maid and his mate.
Comment by gozilla — August 2, 2012 @ 11:43 AM |
Rais yatim is leading Najib to his Waterloo.
Comment by Sufiah — August 3, 2012 @ 1:08 PM |