Tiada Maruah or Lack of Integrity At The Very Top

M. Bakri Musa

Last week I wrote, “So we have two disturbing displays of less than exemplary behaviors if not outright lack of professionalism at the highest levels of our civil service. One is the Chief Secretary not hearing both sides to the Lim Eng Guan and Nik Ali squabble before rendering judgment, and the other, the Solicitor General failing to recognize a breach of professional ethics.”

I penned that piece too soon. For a few days later we have yet a third example from another top civil servant, this time Attorney General (AG) Gani Patail. Responding to the allegation of improper behavior by one of his prosecutors in the Sodomy II trial, Gani Patail simply reassigned her.

Living ten thousand miles away I have little to do with the Malaysian civil service. My daily life is thus not affected by these tiada maruah (lack of integrity) folks at the top. The organization however, is essentially Malay; likewise the political establishment. These top civil servants and political leaders are thus seen as representing the best of not just their organizations but also of Malays. Consequently, their shortcomings are viewed less as personal failures but more of our community. When they behave tiada maruah, collectively Malays are also seen as such. That is what makes me angry.

Essence of the Exposé

The AG justified his action “to remove any negative public perception of the prosecuting team.” He did not address the substance of the allegation; he managed only the perception and ignored the reality.

Raja Petra Kamarudin (RPK) first made the explosive allegation in Malaysia Today (mt.m2day.net). In a headline-blaring column titled, “The Bizarre Case of Sodomy 2,” RPK in his trademark style named the specific prosecutor, and rightly characterized the indiscretion as “a conflict of interest of the first degree.”

The allegation appeared at the end of a long article, and seemed more as an afterthought. You have to read his entire piece to get to the stunning revelation. Those who gave up earlier would miss it. It was as if RPK was challenging his readers to be thorough and not be content with only the headlines and few introductory paragraphs.

There was also a teasing coyness to the exposé; it was uncharacteristically brief. Beyond the mention of the name, there were no other details. It was as if RPK was laying a trap. Throw a teaser out, and then see those bastards falling all over themselves condemning him.

This time however, there was silence. There were no hysterical accusations or righteous condemnations that RPK was purveying “half-truths,” or as one novice politician would put it, “only 40 percent facts and the rest made up.”

My gut feeling is that RPK reveals way less than 40 percent of what he knows or has information on this evolving scandal. I had hoped that those UMNO jackasses would have resorted to their usual mouth-frothing denunciations of RPK. Then I could see him salivating like a lion that had successfully lured its prey to a trap where it could be pounced upon mercilessly.

Alas, no one walked into the trap. So we have to be patient with RPK or hope that someone would aggravate him enough for him to reveal the sordid details, perhaps titillating snippets of the videotape of the amorous illicit encounter!

The Larger Issue

It took less than a week for Gani Patail to respond to RPK’s revelation; unusually ‘efficient.’ This promptness, while laudatory, did not excuse his avoiding the heart of the matter – the truth to the allegation. For if the allegation were other than the “only 40 percent facts,” then the AG would have perpetrated a grave injustice on the young lawyer. Far from reassigning her, she should have been publicly exonerated, her integrity openly defended.

At the very least she should have been accorded due process. Even an accused murderer deserves that! The AG should be the last person to have to be reminded of this elementary legal tenet. Here we have the obscenity of the AG having a press conference first, with the poor prosecutor learning of her fate not from the media. Simple decency demanded that the AG should have met with the alleged wayward lawyer first, to get her side of the story and then to inform her of his decision.

If the allegation were true, then the AG has more than a serious disciplinary problem. There are the legal issues with respect to the Sodomy 2 trial. Additionally, the alleged act was also criminal per the Sharia.

Gani Patail cannot abrogate his responsibility. It is not enough for him to simply declare, “… [A]ny personal matter, if it can have any implication in whatever form on the department, will be handled very seriously.” He also has to demonstrate it.

If the allegation has substance, then the AG must remind himself that if she is not disciplined now, she would continue winding her up the civil service. She could one day be a judge or even the AG.

I am not concerned here with the career trajectory of a young lawyer. Nor am I particularly perturbed at the ineptness of some of our high level officials. I have seen enough similar examples elsewhere to be able to put that in perspective. The Peter Principle is after all universal.

I am however concerned with the pattern of tiada maruah leadership in the civil service and other essentially Malay entities. The recent scandal at Sime Darby reflects the pervasiveness of this blight. Again this being Malaysia, the racial element is never far from the public radar. One only has to read the bigoted comments on the Internet and elsewhere to be painfully reminded of this.

These tiada maruah Malays only feed this ugly stereotype. Of all people I would have expected them to be conscious of this, and thus make every effort to ensure that their behaviors would help tear down this unfair image.

I am not in the least comforted by the fact the Indian civil service is even more bloated and lumbering, or that the folks in Beijing are hideously more corrupt (note the recent scandal of tainted baby formulas) and disrespectful of basic human rights (witness their all too frequent summary executions). We are talking about Malaysia here, with our own rules, norms and expectations.

The other communities too have their own peculiar blights. The scandals with MAIKA and Port Klang Free Zone Project are obscene reminders of that. To me that is neither an excuse nor a consolation.

I feel for those honest, competent and diligent public servants who are Malays. They give all they have for the nation but their good work is being overshadowed by these yahoos at the top. How did the likes of Gani Patail reach the top? Likewise, I keep wondering how such unimaginative, frankly corrupt, and not terribly competent people get to lead us. More importantly, why did we let them? The answers elude me.

We can only change the negative image of our community by changing the reality. Vote these corrupt and incompetent bastards out! Voting them in again would only encourage them. Indeed this is exactly what has been happening. By repeatedly voting them in for the past 50 years, we are implicitly condoning if not encouraging their wayward ways.

Once we have capable political leaders, they will take care of the Napoleons in the public service, the little as well as the big ones. In the meantime we must do everything we can to shame them. This essay is an exercise in that. Come the election, we can punish them.

Those who love our community and champion its cause, including the Ketuanan Melayu folks, would do well to enlist in this urgent and critical mission of ridding our community of these tiada maruah leaders and civil servants.

Unless we destroy the blight now, it will be the undoing of our society. This is where we should focus. We must not be distracted by such imagined enemies as the pendatangs (immigrants), capitalism, or globalization. The enemy is us, specifically our leaders.

A Dishonourable Man – ZAHRAIN HASHIM

Zahrain Hashim - Voted MP for Bayan Baru under PKR banner in 2008. Quit PKR in 2010 to become UMNO-friendly when his RM2.00 company didn't get contract to manage BJGCC.

Dear Bayan Baru MP Zahrain Hashim,

It has come to my notice that you have again provided the press with information pertaining to matters you actually have no knowledge of but are instead pretending to.

It seems to me that you are still so desperately trying to earn brownie points with your new masters that you have instead resorted to a pathetic and tenuous attempt to discredit my integrity based on nothing more than a feeble threat of being possessed of documentary proof of my wrongdoings, which I know for a fact you could not possibly have.

In the event you are unable to decipher the innuendo in that statement, then let me leave you in no doubt that apart from my observations of your dishonourable conduct as a parliamentarian, I am now calling you a blatant liar.

The only proof you could possibly have of any sponsorship of my expenses in London would be copies of my American Express and Visa card bills. If you do indeed have copies of these statements, then you will no doubt have realised that whatever it cost to fly to London from Australia, stay in a hotel there for seven nights and then return to Australia, was paid for out of my own hard-earned money and no one else's.

I understand this concept may be alien to a politician of your stature but please try and understand that ordinary people sometimes do pay their own bills.

So I am now going to detail those expenses for you, Zahrain. As I have said, I have bills to back these expenses and I have proof that I paid for them myself.

1. Qantas airfares for my wife and I from Perth to London return - AUD$12,560.24 (American Express)

2. Chesterfield Hotel, Charles St, Mayfair, London - Pounds Sterling 1,550 (Visa)

I also know for a fact that both Manjeet Singh Dhillon and Amarjit Singh Sidhu paid for their respective trips to London themselves but I do not have exact details of those expenses. Since you have not leveled any accusations against them as yet I will leave it at that.

You may question why we paid all this money out of our own pockets. You may also choose to question why the legal services we are providing P Balasubramaniam are pro bono. The answer is very simple and probably beyond your comprehension. We consider it part of our duty to the nation.

Bala travelled to London on a plane ticket he purchased himself in India from the funds he received from Deepak Jaikishan. He checked into a deluxe room in a 4-star hotel in Notting Hill Gate as required by the MACC (Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission). They had promised to reimburse him for his flight and accommodation. I have documents to prove this. Please also remember that the MACC pulled out of this deal at the very last moment as Bala was in mid flight.

We were forced to hold a roundtable discussion at the Lagenda restaurant Holliday Villa Hotel, London, after the press conference on July 7 because Bala informed us he did not have enough money to pay his hotel bill. He had assumed the MACC would be picking up the tab.

I must confess I was greatly impressed with the speed at which all those at the table pitched in. RPK was the first person to hand over 500 pounds from his own pocket whilst other persons present passed the hat around and in no time at all, Bala was in funds again.

Needless to say, the two Special Branch agents seconded to eavesdrop were no where to be seen when that hat was passed around. Donations were received from ordinary Malaysians who were there supporting the fight of good over evil and truth over deceit. A big heartfelt 'syabas' to them all. Your nation is proud of you!

Now Zahrain, if you have proof to contradict my claim that my expenses in particular were borne by no other person than myself, please be man enough to reveal it. May I suggest that you ask Mohd Nazri Abdul Aziz for those documents back. I am sure he would be only too happy to assist you in discrediting me.

Zahrain, be very clear that the reason why I called you a dishonourable man was for cheating those people who placed their trust in you by voting for you in the last elections. In the real world this would have meant that your credibility would have been irreparably destroyed. Not however, in the political world in which you now live, where chicanery of this nature is par for the course and is encouraged by reward.

Finally, Zahrain, even if PKR had sponsored my trip, (which unfortunately they have not), I am unable to comprehend why you would have considered this such a serious offence as to necessitate indignant press releases.

I would have thought support of this nature would have been lauded by any right thinking member of society as it would have shown a commitment by the opposition in ensuring that perpetrators of misdeeds are brought to justice, a concept you still appear not to appreciate very well.

So I have thrown down the gauntlet Zahrain. Produce your proof or forever hold your loquacity.

Let it be known that I am not intimidated by your threats. Paper tigers do not frighten me.

The writer is lawyer for private investigator P Balasubramaniam.

Paying as a Malaysian

Paying TOLs a burden?

Yes, I think they are. What do I get for paying toll everyday?
Now I have to pay an extra RM50 for each credit card. For what?
Extra GST (goods and services tax). Again, how does that benefit me?

Look at the long list:

I have to pay for security guards because the police are hopeless.
I have to install filters because the water supply is dirty.
I have to watch satellite tv because the government broadcasts crap. I mean REAL crAP !!

Many kids have to go for tuition or to private schools because the government schools are bad.
We have to pay IPPs (independent power providers) because the government cannot provide consistent electricity.

We have to pay Indah Water to clean up the sewers.
We have to pay tax on foreign cars because Mahathir wants to keep his dying local car industry alive. ON top of it APs cost bcoz of his cronies.
Most have to drive because the government cannot provide good public transport.

We have to pay to sustain the government's affirmative action policies.
We have to pay for private health care because the public hospitals are crowded .

All in all, we have to pay a PREMIUM to stay in this country!

1Malaysia Boleh!!!
DAMN!!!!!
But how is it that Opposition State Government in Penang can give her citizens free internet access within one year in Government , while BN Government in power since Independence cannot do it?
WHY ?

Carrots. Eggs, & Coffee

A carrot, an egg, and a cup of coffee...You will never look at a cup of coffee the same way again.

A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up, She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one problem was solved, a new one arose.

Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to boil. In the first she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and in the last she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil; without saying a word.

In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl. Turning to her daughter, she asked, ' Tell me what you see.'

'Carrots, eggs, and coffee,' she replied.
Her mother brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. The mother then asked the daughter to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard boiled egg.
Finally, the mother asked the daughter to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled as she tasted its rich aroma. The daughter then asked,
'What does it mean, mother?'
Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity: boiling water. Each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard, and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior, but after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened. The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water, they had changed the water.
'Which are you?' she asked her daughter. 'When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?
Think of this: Which am I? Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength?
Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat? Did I have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a breakup, a financial hardship or some other trial, have I become hardened and stiff? Does my shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and hardened heart?
Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water, the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavour. If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you get better and change the situation around you. When the hour is the darkest and trials are their greatest do you elevate yourself to another level? How do you handle adversity? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?
May you have enough happiness to make you sweet, enough trials to make you strong, enough sorrow to keep you human and enough hope to make you happy.
The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the most of everything that comes along their way. The brightest future will always be based on a forgotten past; you can't go forward in life until you let go of your past failures and heartaches.
When you were born, you were crying and everyone around you was smiling.

Live your life so at the end, you're the one who is smiling and everyone around you is crying.
You might want to send this message to those people who mean something to you
(I JUST DID);
to those who have touched your life in one way or another;
to those who make you smile when you really need it;
to those who make you see the brighter side of things when you are really down;
to those whose friendship you appreciate;
to those who are so meaningful in your life.
May we all be COFFEE bean!!

Ulama UMNO Bakar Kapal

Disiarkan pada May 29, 2010|

Saya bukan orang politik. Bukan aktivis mana-mana parti. Saya seorang rakyat yang memerhati perkembangan pemikiran Islam dalam negara ini. Artikel ini akan menyebut istilah ulama UMNO atau ulama pro-UMNO. Walaupun istilah ini umum, namun saya mengecualikan mereka yang ikhlas dan tidak bersikap seperti yang disebutkan nanti.

Saya tidak faham mengapakah Umno kebelakangan ini suka berkeras mengambil pandangan-pandangan agama yang bersifat perkauman dan amat konservatif.

Dulu mereka lebelkan PAS demikian. Namun hari ini apabila PAS mula membuka ufuknya, melihat Islam dalam kerangka yang lebih luas, Umno pula yang cuba kembali ke zaman ortodoks tersebut.

Ya, memang masih ada dalam PAS sendiri kelompok yang ‘ala ulama Umno’ hari ini, yang juga mengurung diri dengan pandangan-pandangan yang agak konservatif dan menolak keluasan ijtihad.

Namun suara pembaharuan dan keterbukaan jelas kedengaran dalam PAS. Mursyidul Am PAS, Datuk Nik Aziz Nik Mat tidak lagi bersendirian dengan pandangan-pandangan pembaharuannya.

Pelik, sebagai pemerintah mengapa Umno menerima pandangan-pandangan yang sempit itu. Padahal pandangan-pandangan itu hanyalah tafsiran ‘kurang luas’ golongan konservatif agama, atau satu ijtihad yang boleh untuk dilihat atau dibandingkan dengan ijtihad yang lain.

Apakah kerana Umno merasakan bahawa mereka hanya mampu bernafas dalam iklim yang kurang ‘oksigen keluasan ijtihad’ atau hanya gas perkauman dan fahaman ’sempit’ agama sahaja yang mampu menghidupkan Umno.

Atau, apakah ulama-ulama pro-Umno hanya mampu bernafas selagi parti itu dikurangkan oksigen keluasan berfikir? Atau, apakah Umno melihat rupa paras Islam dalamnya hanya mampu dilihat jika ia bersifat keras dan sokongan Melayu pun akan datang kepadanya dengan membakar isu-isu tersebut?

Dimanakah keserasian wajah 1 Malaysia Perdana Menteri dengan pendekatan Islam Umno hari ini?

Sebagai pemerintah bagi sebuah negara yang berbilang bangsa dan agama, oksigen keluasan ijtihad diperlukan oleh Umno. Mengapakah Umno menerima pendapat-pendapat yang menajamkan salah faham terhadap Islam di negara ini.

Dulu Umno menolak pihak yang membangkitkan tuduhan 300 ribu orang Melayu murtad serta menuduh individu dan institusi itu dan ini sebagai pusat Kristian.

Hari ini pendapat pihak seperti tersebut diterima pakai. Bahkan beliau dijadikan perlambangan ulama pro-Umno. Atau memang Umno kini berminat dengan perdekatan yang sifatkan media antarabangsa sebagai ‘ala-ala Taliban’?

Segala tudingan Umno dahulu kepada PAS sebagai pembawa Islam sempit dan jumud, hari ini PAS hampir dapat membebaskan diri dan imejnya seumpama itu sedangkan sebaliknya Umno pula yang memakai seragam kejumudan dan kesempitan tersebut.

Peguam bukan Islam

Lihat, isu peguam bukan Islam di Mahkamah Syariah. Media-media Umno membesar-besarkan isu ini seakan ia akan memusnah orang Islam.

Diambil pendapat pihak yang menyatakan bahawa itu akan mengelirukan umat Islam dan mengancam Islam. Saya ditanya oleh Utusan Malaysia, namun apabila saya beri pendapat yang berbeza, ia tidak disiarkan.

Isu itu boleh memberikan gambaran salah kepada bukan Islam, dan juga generasi baru Muslim mengenai Islam.

Bagaimanakah mungkin, universiti rasmi kerajaan UIAM memberikan sijil yang sah dalam bidang tersebut kepada peguam berkenaan, tetapi kerajaan yang sama menyatakan ia tidak boleh digunapakai?

Apakah ini secocok dengan keadilan Islam?

Kedua, bayangkan dalam sebuah negara Islam sepenuhnya yang hanya bertunjangkan Mahkamah Ssyariah, tiba-tiba kita beritahu bukan Islam tidak boleh menjadi peguam!

Apakah dalam negara yang berbilang agama ini, mereka akan pandang tinggi tentang konsep keadilan di mahkamah yang bersifat Islam seperti itu?

Peguam ialah pembela. Sesiapa sahaja boleh membela tertuduh di mahkamah Islam. Yahudi pernah menang kes menentang Saidina ‘Ali dalam pertikaian baju besi.

Pada zaman Nabi SAW dan al-Khulafa al-Rasyidin, tiada sistem guaman secara rasmi. Seseorang boleh menuntut keadilan dengan hujah-hujahnya di hadapan hakim. Untuk membela atau berhujah, sesiapa pun boleh berhujah.

Penentunya, sistem kehakiman itu sendiri, bukan peguam. Di zaman kini lebih jelas. Undang-undang telah dienakmenkan. Ia bertulis dan setiap pihak terikat dengan undang-undang bertulis itu.

Sesiapa sahaja yang berhujah, sama ada Islam atau bukan Islam, mereka terikat dengan hal tersebut. Hakim akan menentukannya secara adil. Keadilan sebenar dapat diperolehi jika hakim adil.

Setiap pihak berhak membela diri, dan berhak meminta sesiapa sahaja yang mampu membelanya. Keadilan itu buta warna kulit dan jenis agama.

Islam yang seperti itulah patut digambarkan jika kita ingin menuju kepada Islamisasi negara yang sebenar. Jika ada beberapa peruntukan undang-undang yang kurang sesuai dalam masyarakat yang rencam ini maka ia perlu diubah.

Cara Umno mengendalikan isu tersebut, mengelirukan bukan Islam!

Jika tidak mahu benarkan, mengapa dia diizinkan melalui pengajian dan menghabiskan masa untuk itu, kemudian dimaklumkan ’sijil awak tidak laku’.

Ulama pro-Umno bising. Menariknya, apabila ada orang yang ditahan tanpa diberikan hak perbicaraan, mereka diam! Tidakkah ini mengelirukan Islam dan bukan Islam?

Jika ini tidak diubah, Islam di negara ini terus menjadi defensive, takut pada bayang-bayang sendiri dan gagal memahamkan bukan Islam tentang keindahan Islam.

Lebih 50 tahun Umno memerintah, generasi baru bukan Islam bertambah prejudis dengan Islam yang dibawa oleh Umno. Golongan muda Islam juga demikian.

Agama dijadikan senjata permusuhan, bukan lagi rahmat yang menimbulkan kedamaian dan keyakinan rakyat kepada keindahan Islam.

Jika tanpa pendakwah-pendakwah dan tokoh-tokoh yang ikhlas menjelaskan tentang hakikat Islam sebenar, tentu bukan Islam bertambah prejudis kepada Islam.

Generasi Islam yang terpelajar juga akan mula mempersoalkan Islam seperti ini.

Isu kalimah Allah

Isu kalimah Allah juga demikian. Ulama pro-Umno, termasuk ‘ala Umno‘ yang berada dalam PAS membakar rakyat awam dengan isu ini.

Sehingga ada ulama pro-Umno yang cuba mengkafirkan orang lain dalam isu nama Allah tersebut. Tidak cukup dengan 300 ribu yang dimurtadkan dulu, ditambah pula ahli politik yang cuba dijadikan murtad baru.

Semuanya kerana tafsiran yang sempit. Padahal, isu itu boleh diselesaikan dengan adil dan saksama. Diraikan hak agama lain dan dibuat beberapa peraturan untuk ketenteraman awam. Saya sendiri telah menggaris panduan dalam media. Bukan Islam ramai yang setuju.

Namun, ada yang cuba bermain sentimen rakyat yang kurang faham.

Media Umno pula hanya menerang pendapat sebelah pihak. Namun sekarang apabila melihat kekalahan di Sibu yang membabitkan penduduk Kristian, Umno mula gelisah. Apakah Umno akan meminta fatwa baru dari ‘mufti’ yang setia berkhidmat itu?

Isu masuk masjid

Isu bukan Islam tidak boleh masuk ke dalam masjid juga dipopularkan oleh media Umno. Padahal larangan bukan Islam masuk masjid hanya salah satu pendapat dalam kalangan ulama.

Ulama hadis ramai berpendapat sebaliknya. Ini disebabkan hadis-hadis menunjukkan bukan Islam pada zaman Nabi SAW masuk ke dalam masjid dan mempelajari Islam.

Jsuteru, di zaman kini yang banyak salahfaham terhadap Islam, mereka lebih patut dibenarkan masuk.

Cumanya, letakkan beberapa peraturan atas asas siyasah syar’iyyah (islamic administration). Namun, jika apabila dikemukakan pendapat bahawa bukan Islam boleh masuk ke masjid, bangkitlah ulama-ulama pro-Umno dengan fatwa-fatwa ketat dan seakan hendak berjihad mempertahankannya.

Malang sekali, apabila timbul isu judi bolasepak, tidak pula mereka berani lantang dan tegas. Tidakkah ini mengelirukan? Apa tidaknya, apabila bukan Islam hendak masuk masjid dihalang, tapi apabila diberikan keizinan berjudi didiamkan!

Isu Sebat

Isu sebat tiba-tiba muncul. Dulu Umno sensitif dengan hudud. Dalam persekitaran yang ada, saya juga fikir PAS tidak perlu menegaskan isu hudud. PAS sejak dulu patut angkat isu keadilan seperti mereka lakukan sekarang.

Keadilan itulah objektif. Hudud adalah mekanisma yang boleh diselaraskan apabila keadaan wajar.

Hukum yang baik untuk tempat yang sesuai. Sama seperti wanita yang baik untuk lelaki yang baik. Jika wanita yang baik dikahwinkan dengan lelaki yang jahat, kepincangan akan berlaku.

Demikianlah hudud. Saya telah beri pandangan dalam masalah ini.

Tapi kini, tidak semena-mena tanpa mukadimah yang jelas agar rakyat faham, Umno mencanangkan isu sebat Kartika dan tiga wanita di Wilayah Persekutuan.

Menurut laporan media, mufti Perak Tan Sri Harussani Zakaria kata sesiapa hina hukum sebat murtad kerana ia hukum Allah. Namun, apabila Sultan Pahang batalkan hukuman, beliau berkata itu hak Sultan.

Saya telah beri pandangan dalam kes ini, boleh rujuk laman web saya. Keajaiban ulama dalam media Umno!

Perarakan Maulid

Apabila Menteri Besar Kelantan Datuk Nik Aziz Nik Mat kata perarakan maulid bukan galakan agama, media Umno dan ulama pro-Umno membuat ulasan.

Ketua Menteri Pulau Pinang, Lim Guan Eng diserang. Walaupun saya ketika itu menulis dalam Mingguan Malaysia, saya memberikan pandangan yang berbeza.

Artikel saya ‘Melayu dan Mamak Penang’ boleh dirujuk. Media Umno jadikan seakan isu itu benteng Melayu-Islam di Malaysia.

Di Kelantan, lebai entah dari mana datangnya, pun menulis di Mingguan Malaysia kononnya Nik Aziz - Wahabi disebabkan isu-isu seperti ini.

Bisinglah mereka. Malangnya, media dan ulama pro-Umno tidak pula bising keruntuhan moral muda-muda Melayu-Islam saban tahun disebabkan perhimpunan pesta sambutan tahun baru yang dibuat oleh pemimpin-pemimpin politik!

Inilah ulama yang pro-Umno sekarang. Apakah mereka ini dapat menarik perhatian generasi baharu Islam dan bukan Islam kepada Islam?

Barah

Banyak lagi isu lain jika hendak disebutkan yang membabitkan ulama dalam Umno.

Saya bukan anti-Umno tetapi inilah realitinya. Saya ramai sahabat dalam Umno. Kepimpinan Umno bermula dari Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Najib Razak sehingga ke lapisan bawah, ramai yang baik dengan saya. Tapi ini realiti. Kritikan saya untuk semua. Kali ini khas untuk Umno.

1 Malaysia yang dicanangkan oleh Najib akan tenggelam dibakar oleh pemikiran sempit dan berkepentingan oleh sesetengah ulama Umno ini.

Malang sekali, di kala rakyat Malaysia mula bersikap terbuka, memahami Islam dari kerangkanya yang luas, menelaah ijtihad yang berbagai dan bersedia untuk berhujah secara matang, Umno memilih fatwa atau pandangan yang kian sempit dan berkepentingan.

Dunia sudah terbuka disebabkan media baru, Umno cuba kembali ke zaman selepas kemerdekaan.

PAS yang dahulunya dilihat kolot, mula dipenuhi dengan tokoh-tokoh politik Islam yang kian matang dan mampu mengadaptasi Islam dalam lakarannya yang luas. Pada masa yang sama Umno sedang kerumuni oleh sesetengah mereka yang ‘narrow-minded’ dan melihat Islam dalam kerangka perkauman.

Bolehkah 1 Malaysia tajaan Perdana Menteri berjaya jika ini terus berlaku. Generasi muda Islam dan bukan Islam telah jauh ke hadapan meninggalkan kesempitan ini. Islam dalam kerangkanya yang lebih universal akan mengambil tempat.

Ulama Umno sebenarnya sedang membakar kapal sendiri dan menenggelamkannya. Perdana Menteri, patut menilai semula agenda 1 Malaysia!

* Tersiar dalam Malaysiakini pada 28 Mei 2010.

Sibu the "Sifu"
Sixteenth of May a date to remember
In Sarawak a history was created
The people awaken, tis the signal
In her fortress BN was defeated

It is historical, this month of May
A tragedy in nineteen sixty nine
Never should it be repeated, we pray
And that's your wish and mine.

The youths had a grand celebration
And the teachers day too did follow
Whilst Pakatan was in jubilation
Barisan Nasional plunged in sorrow.

It was the bye-election in Sibu
The spirit that we shall nurture
Little Sibu became the "SIFU"
Giving hope to Malaysia's future.

The BN team had almost everything
Whilst PR had only grit and guts
Government machinery in full swing
Till the end from an early start.

Undoubtedly they had tons of money
Main-stream media was far from fair
Happily flashing carrots and honey
But Sibu made them to despair

My tribute to the work-horses in DAP
Not forgetting PAS and PKR too
It is in this spirit, it shall be
Facing BN in the "battle of Waterloo".

The people of Sibu, we salute thee
Glad to say you really made our day
You taught us that little word "dignity"
Towards victory, you've led us the way.

When Malaysia is wrong, let us put it right

This country is ours, wrong or right,
That nobody can deny,
When she is wrong we’ll put her right
When she is right, we’ll keep it tight
Then there will be no sigh…..

Diverse as we are, united we ought to be,
As we swore to live in harmony,
Malaysia indeed is a blessed country,
Together we’ll create a common destiny.

This a blessed country, I'll say it again,
Prosperous, and wealth aplenty,
God gave us sunshine and the rain,
Helps enriching the soil's fertility,

From this earth, minerals are mined,
And "black gold" off the shore,
It's God's gift, "search and you'll find",
Malaysians just can't ask for more.

God endows, and we are still fighting,
That's mere selfishness and greed,
Must learn to live a life of sharing,
Lest, we are just a useless breed.

When evil combines, the good must unite,
Or we will be pushed down the drain,
The country is wrong, let's put it right,
Humpty and Dumpty is together again.


Far_man
5/5/2010.