Monday, 23 August 2010

"What does Umno Penang fear?" Dato' Mohd.Ariff Sabri

Some Muslims in Penang were highly agitated when the khatib ( the man who reads sermons) offered prayers for the Penang chief minister. In what manner was it said? Was LGE's name mentioned in the context of something?

Actually we have not heard what actually transpired other than listening to a few emotionally charged statements from some people. Who are these people? If they are UMNO members, then their response was hardly surprising.

To me, the fearful responses thus far only reflect how desperate UMNO is in re capturing the Malay support in Penang. I won't say re-capture Penang, because that is already impossible. what UMNO fears now is losing Malay support in Penang. That is like the end of the world.

What UMNO fears is a rising consciousness among Penang Malays that despite detaching themselves from UMNO, their lot can still be improved. This will be the beginning of a wider consciousness debunking the myth that equates loyalty and allegiance to this country to loyalty and allegiance to UMNO. The two things are not the same. If Penang is successful in demolishing this long perpetuated myth and this awareness becomes a national phenomenon, UMNO is in serious trouble.

Neither UMNO nor Zaid Hamidi who is the Pengerusi Perhubungan UMNO Penang have the answer to counter this rising tide. The only way they can hit back is by manipulating the sermon issue. You hope this will escalate into a tidal wave of resentment.
I say, if we truly love UMNO we should stop this childish and very shallow strategy. offer Penang Malays a better vision and promises of a better future. Zahid Hamidi is wishing he is not the Pengerusi Perhubungan UMNO Negeri. Ini kes nyaya kat chek no.
Since capturing Penang from Gerakan and UMNO in the last elections, the state government has made serious inroads into winning the hearts and minds of the Muslim community. Mosques and suraus have been receiving a lot of facilities and assistance from the state government. What is the civil thing to do if someone has given you assistance? You say thank you sir.

So the particular imam who created the present controversy who happens to be the brother of the Penang mufti was telling the congregation that Muslims should pray the good deeds undertaken by the state government under Lim Guan Eng are carried out continuously. Muslims are thanking the state government under LIM Guan Eng. In addition, Muslims should be hopeful that Lim Guan Eng embraces Islam. What probably happened was perhaps Guan Eng's name was mentioned in that context.

To me, this is a stupid way of trying to leverage on a religious issue. The present controversy serves to further expose our hypocrisy. For so many years while Penang was under the JV government of Gerakan and UMNO, the lot of Penang Malays has not improved greatly. You even had a PM from Penang and he didn't achieve anything much for Penang Malays. He could offer only some nebulous ideas about Islam. People wanted more physical improvements not more sermonizing.

Before that you also had a former deputy PM from Penang, who did not achieve much either. All he could do was gurmal here and gurmal there. Senator Koh Tsu Koon could never match what Guang Eng has achieved in 2 years with what he has done all those years while in power. So really, you don't have any defense against what the present state government is doing.

The better action by Penang Malays is to throw out all those useless UMNO leaders who rose to prominence not through offering great ideas and thinking, but got where they are by mastering political intrigues. It's the comeuppance for many of these hollow leaders. For years you have come up not through the brilliance of your ideas or competency but you rise because you are more skillful at demolishing your political rivals, you rise by stabbing the backs of your political comrades, you rise because you plot here and there- suddenly you find you don't have the substance to sustain your political relevance.

So you have incompetent UMNO leaders thinking they can stand toe to toe with better qualified Gerakan leaders. Suddenly you realize, your skills in removing your own political comrades don't work when dealing with people from other parties.
So I find the Penang UMNO leadership and its 'spokesmen' behaving hypocritical in using religion to counter the state government.

Let's have some finesse fellers.

Dato' Mohd.Ariff Sabri bin Hj. Abdul Aziz. He was ADUN of Pulau Manis, Pekan.(2004-2008)

Sunday, 15 August 2010

Akta Keselamatan Dalam Negeri (ISA), .













Pengerusi baru Suruhanjaya Hak Asasi Manusia (Suhakam) Tan Sri Hasmy Agam membuat cabaran kepada semua rakyat Malaysia - "jika tidak mahu Akta Keselamatan Dalam Negeri (ISA), maka bersatulah menentangnya"


Dalam masa yang sama, siapalah yang lebih malang dari bekas tahanan ISA, Abdul Malek Hussin akibat akta yang zalim kuku besi ini. Nasib malangnya itu bermula pada akhir tahun 1998 apabila dia ditahan selama 57 hari mengikut ISA yang menafikannya sebarang hak untuk dibicarakan bagi mendapatkan keadilan yang sewajarnya. Sepanjang tahanan itu, Abdul Malek didera secara mental dan fizikal. Malah dia mendakwa pernah dipaksa minum air kencing.


Mahkamah Persekutuan mengenepikan permohonannya untuk mendapatkan gantirugi sebanyak RM2.5 juta yang dianugerahkan kepadanya oleh Mahkamah Tinggi pada 2007. Selain dinafikan gantirugi itu, Abdul Malek juga diarahkan membayar RM20,000 sebagai kos kepada ketiga-tiga responden. Iaitu Rahim Noor bekas Ketua Polis negara yang didapati bersalah memukul Anwar di lokap danBorhan Daud, seorang pegawai cawangan khas yang didakwa Abdul Malek menderanya ketika di dalam tahanan.


Tan Sri Hasmy Agam, bekas diplomat negara, secara sambil lewa menyebut 'Malaysia tanpa ISA adalah situasi yang ideal tetapi mengakui ia tidak semudah itu. Hak asasi akan hanya diletakkan di tempatnya yang sewajar di negara ini, apabila semua pihak, bermula daripada kanak-kanak sekolah sehingga pegawi penguatkuasa memahami hak masing-masing'


Seperti biasa alasan lapuk bahawa kerajaan dan polis mempunyai beberapa justifikasi bagi mengekalkan ISA kerana masyarakat Malaysia terdiri daripada pelbagai lapisan yang kompleks. Momokan peristiwa berdarah 13 Mei 1969 seringkali dijadikan alasan supaya ISA terus dikekalkan. Walhal ISA ini adalah tinggalan penjajah. Dunia sudah jauh berubah. Darurat sudah berakhir. Tidak ada lagi komunis. Mengapa ISA perlu dikekalkan? Malaysia mempunyai undang-undang lain bagi menjamin ketenteraman awam dan keamanan. Undang-undang hasutan, akta polis cukup sediaada sudah cukup ketat menjamin semua itu. Jika perlu mungkin juga adakan akta anti-pengganas.


Yang penting perlu ada iltizam yang kuat dari semua pihak. Kalau pengerusi Suhakam, kononnya untuk memantau hak asasi manusia di Malaysia dilantik dari kalangan orang seperti Tan Sri Hasmy Agam, iltizam kerajaan masih jauh dari yang diharapkan. Kalau seorang bekas peguam yang mengaku pernah merasuah pegawai mahkamah boleh dilantik menjadi Ketua Hakim Negara, tidak mustahil juga pegawai cawangan khas, Borhan Daud, yang didakwa Abdul Malek Hussin menderanya dilantik menjadi Pengerusi Suhakam suatu hari nanti. Inikan Malaysia. Segalanya serba boleh!

Wednesday, 11 August 2010

Pelajar terlalu muda untuk melibatkan diri dengan politik, bagaimana dengan yang terlampau tua?

Ada pemimpin besar baru-baru ini menyebut 'Students should not involve themselves with politics during their studies'.

Pelajar disekat menyertai politik walau pun mereka layak mengundi sebaik berumur 21 tahun. Ini bermakna sekurang-kurangnya pada pilihan raya pertama mereka layak mengundi, mereka ‘tidak berhak’ berkata apa-apa tentang politik, tetapi dalam masa yang sama pilihan mereka akan menentukan pemerintahan negara untuk tempoh 5 tahun kemudian. Dalam tempoh 5 tahun itulah pelajar ini akan menghabiskan tempoh pembelajaran mereka, mencari peluang pekerjaan dan memulakan hidup. Menghairankan? Tidak di Malaysia!

Malah ini juga bukan perkara baru. Sekian lama perkara ini disebut oleh pemimpin politik. Berbagai undang-undang dan akta dikuatkuasakan memenuhi saranan pemimpin yang sebenarnya gila kuasa ini. Pelajar tidak di benarkan menyertai politik kerana golongan rakus ini khuatir pelajar yang terbuka luas minda mereka akan terkehadapan dalam menerangkan kepada masyarakat kebobrokan yang dilakukan selama ini. kepada ahli politik yang berkuasa, selagi manusia cerdik tidak menyertai politik selagi itu lah mereka beraja dimata bersultan dihati. Meneruskan penguasaan ini, mereka akan berbuat apa saja menjamin status quo mereka.

Dalam keadaan biasa, kebanyakan pemimpin samaada di Asia atau di seluruh dunia lahir ketika mereka di bangku universiti. Di sini pelajar-pelajar belajar bercampur, berbincang, bertukar-tukar fikiran. Di sini mereka membentuk peribadi menjalani proses ‘pendewasaan’ ke arah menjadi pemimpin dengan kebolehan dan peranan masing-masing. Di Malaysia, perkara sebaliknya yang berlaku, kita berada dalam keadaan dimana pemimpin yang tidak berkualiti menguasai pentas politik kita. Bukan setakat kelulusan akademik, malah pemikiran mereka juga jauh tertinggal di belakang.

Apa yang menarik, pernyataan di atas di sebut oleh Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamed, Perdana Menteri Ke 5. Berumur LEBIH 80 tahun. Kalau Tun menyebut ‘Students should not involve themselves with politics during their studies’, Bagaimana pula dengan saranan ini? ‘Not only students should not be involved in politics, but also retirees above 80, lest they forget what they're saying’.Itu agaknya ada yang menyebut ‘The longer Mahathir lives to talk nonsense, the worse this country is becoming