Muntahan berbisa dari Mimbar

Saya hampir angkat punggung untuk  keluar tinggalkan Jumaah semasa Khatib membaca khutbah semalam.

Saya merasakan  khatib telah memesongkan para Jemaah dengan pandangan sempit dan rasis nya. Jelas dia anti Yahudi dan mimbar digunakan  untuk menyebarkan prejudisnya.

Tajuk khutbah memang kena pada keadaan semasa: Palestin. Tidak pelik.  Khatib seperti politikus, artis, agamawan berhujah dan berkempen memperjuangkan Palestin dengan ceramah lagu  dan puisi. Bahayanya ialah apabila ia  diselitkan fahaman chauvinis dan rasis  yang mengelapkan fikiran manusia.

Tugas Imam atau ketua memimpin Jemaahnya dari kegelapan ke penceraha,  dari bodoh kepada pandai, dari jahil jadi berilmu. Namun apa yang berlaku semalam, Sang Khatib membawa jemaahnya dari medan yang terang ke gua yang gelap dari keadilan ke zaliman.

Saranan untuk memboikot barangan itu dan ini telah biasa kita dengar. Jemaah pun telah lali. Ramai yang  tahu bahawa saranan tersebut tidak berkesan.  Namun  saya tak bermasaalah dengan saranan  sedemikian diatas dasar kuasa beli dan bebas memilih.

Tetapi Khatib melampaui kesusilaan apabila menyatakan bahawa darah Yahudi itu Halal. Khatib memesongkan jika dikatakan  dunia perlu dibersihkan  daripada Yahudi sebelum kiamat. Ketika itulah tergerak hati untuk angkat punggung. Namun saya terus duduk kerana terfikir yang kehadiran saya di Masjid bukan kerana Khutbah tetapi kerana Allah.

Apa bezanya fahaman sedemikian dengan Zionis yang dimusuhinya?  Apakah dia jahil perbezaan Yahudi dan Zion.? Tak tahukah dia ada Yahudi yang Muslim?

Tiada bezanya beliau dengan mereka yang telah disogok dengan fahaman bahawa darah Arab itu halal, bahawa keringat Arab itu keringat hamba, Palestin itu tanah Yang dijanjikan Hashem,  bahawa membebaskan Israel dari Arab adalah tugas mulia tertulis dalam Torah dan Talmud.

Malangnya  jemaah terus disedut kedalam lembah perkauman yang jijik yang tiada kesudahan. Salah siapa? Dalam kes yang saya alami semalam ia  salah mereka yang ditugas memanggil kepada kebaikan, memanggil manusia kepada pencerahan, salah agamawan yang benarkan dirinya jadi alat politik dan gunaan pemegang kuasa.

Mat Indera & MPAJA – your hero could be my villain

The Malayan People Against the Japanese Army, MPAJA, played the role of a resistance movement, during the Japanese occupation of Malaya. Now, after 60 years, Mat Indera, a key member of the Johore MPAJA is the subject of a controversy. Should the MPAJA/Mat Indera  be honored? Is Mat Indera a hero, a freedom fighter? Such debates  if done without  chauvinism and cynicism could be healthy . Unfortunately, that is not often the case. The cynicism and chauvinism that skew rational arguments are too visible.

If only  Malaysians could discuss the subject openly and rationally, it would reflect well of a maturing, self-assured nation, with diminishing insecurities. Malaysian should be confident and magnanimous to recognize the roles of the many people from all sides of the divides who charted the history of the country.

Was the MPAJA effective in fighting against the Japanese, to merit honor? The Japanese surrendered because of Hiroshima. The  MPAJA was no match for the might of the Japanese Imperial Army. But, neither was the last stand of the platoon led by Lt Adnan of the Royal Malay Regiment in defending Bukit Timah.

It is not about winning or the right match to merit honor. It is the courage, the spirit, the patriotism, the valor, that are to be admired and earn  a place in the honour’s roll.

To the proponent of the MPAJA , the sales pitch has been to tell the people that  the 3 star symbol  signify the three main component races of the then Malaya. But it has been well understood that  it is the same  red stars of the Communist Party of China. The British knew very well that the organization had been infiltrated by the communists but they were pragmatic  and smart  enough to exploit the anti Japanese sentiments amongst the Chinese, exploiting the deep resentment of the Japanese after  the massacre of Nanking.

It did not help the MPAJA cause  that it was disproportionately represented by the Chinese with a sprinkling of Malay fighters one of which was the BATU PAHAT born Mat Indera. The communist inclined MPAJA did not appeal to the Malays. The frustration and the resistance and the retaliations by both sides proved to be MPAJA’s undoing in Batu Pahat, the hot bed of anti Japanese and anti MPAJA movement in Malaya.

To honor means, to give high respect, credit and distinction. However, before honoring people with hero status let us examine the quality of heroes we want.  We want our heroes to be having  distinguished courage or ability, admired for brave deeds and posses noble qualities.

If we apply the above test to the MPAJA, the group would have easily qualified for courage, ability, brave deeds but unfortunately they failed in the noble qualities test. Even their patriotism is suspect to some, because of the link with the anti communist led  Japanese movement of CHINA.

All over the country there are still living custodians of history, with first hand experience of going through hell, being at the receiving end of the MPAJA.  Before HIROSHIMA, there were just too many fellow Malayans, who suffered for refusing  to support the likes of Mat Indera and Chin Peng. THE MPAJA failed miserably  to win the hearts and mind of the people particularly the Malays. The chauvinism amongst many chinese in the MPAJA did not help either.

In Johor, particularly in Parit Sulong, Sri Medan, Bagan, Batu Pahat the atrocities of the MPAJA, the banning of religious related activities amongst the Malays and the notoriety  of  Mat Indera, not to mention the numerous Chinese, resulted in the uprising against the MPAJA led by Panglima Salleh. Dato Onn the district officer of Batu Pahat at that time, was the person responsible to arrest the uprising from flaring further before law and order was restored.

The people themselves revolted against MPAJA without the Police or Government intervention.  The Malays established a self defence movement named the GERAKAN MUHAMADIAH. They did not fight for the Japanese nor was it on behalf of the British. They were fighting against the notoriety of the MPAJA. This revolt was more widely known as Perang Parang Panjang  and it stretched over a few years and not just the period after the fall of the Japanese.

Mat Indera and the MPAJA were just too atrocious to the Malays. The communist streaks were laid bare, the Malays were given a baptism of fire by the MPAJA who by then were inspired by what was happening in China and further motivated by the fall of Japan. Because of their notoriety they became enemies of the people.

The Perang Parang Panjang has often been wrongly projected as a chinese-malay  racial clash. No it was not, there were many innocent victims, no doubt. It was a faith-based fight to protect their own interest and their rights against the communist ideology. The big picture was the fight against the suppression, the chauvinism and  notoriety of the communist inclined MPAJA. The account  of the war is best and fairly narrated and recorded in the book Red Stars over Malaya.

To classify Mat Indera and MPAJA  as a   resistance movement   should be acceptable ,a notorious, communist inclined resistance movement,  but  to make heroes out of them, in my opinion is rather misplaced.

750000 Malaysian Professionals Overseas -Malaysian Employers Federation Survey

750,000 Malaysian working overseas.

That is good news. It is good news that professionals are well represented. In this context , as professionals they are engaged in one of the learned professions and  they are characterized by or conforming to the technical or ethical standards of a profession. They also live on this axiom that they will earn as much money and serve whoever that pay them well and treat them professionally.

A growing number of The new age Malaysian professionals have no qualm serving anywhere in the world, if the return  commensurate with the discomfort, discrimination, loneliness, of the new country. I am happy to see a growing numbers are Malays and other non-chinese. . This has been accelerated due to the fact that Malaysian Engineering degrees are getting recognition in Europe and the US.

In UAE there are 2000+ Malaysian Expatriates. There are thousands  In Saudi, South Africa, Sudan, Turkmenistan, PakisTAN, KelanTAN,  CHINA. My team was in Shanghai and the guy they met was a young  Malay chap. If you ask them the main reason they left TEchnip, Petronas, TNB, or any Malaysian company  , etc. etc, the simple answer  is the pay is just TOO good. many consider themselves citizens of the world. I would encourage  Malaysian to migrate and see the world. I personally have contemplated acquiring an EU citizenship. So what?

Admittedly there are people who migrated due to frustrations, and those who find living conditions in South Africa, Auistralia, London as livable   and many other reasons . Naturally  this is being exploited to the fullest by the DAP, MCA, GERAKAN, to their advantage. Do you buy this ? we can buy some, but not rod, line and sinker.

I never take pride that t KL is the cheapest city in the world.  Pay people decent and competitive wages, a big percentage will scramble back. Not all, but the TRUE  professionals will.

Doing it righteously – taqwa, doing the right thing

I was at the farmers market, pasartani, this morning. Cuttle fish, the tiny type is called comek in Malay. A kilo of the normal sized cuttle fish is RM 14 a kilo, but the comek, it is only RM 6 a kilo. Those not in the know would avoid these small baby squids but I love them. Squids when they are oversized could taste like scrap rubber, chewable gummers. But comek are the opposite. Combined that with the more ink that you get they are a bargain.

The vendor was very generous. It was a good 100gram more, and I commented.

His reaction was not to show off his generosity.

“I am worried I short changed you” He said

“That is very righteous” I said.

“Not at all, it is the right thing to do” he replied.

I was impressed.

At the Sungai Way market, i saw an old Chinese lady manning her stall. She was really old. She must be approaching 80. I normally try to avoid the mention of race but I am here to illustrate that poverty knows no color.

Out of pity I bought a kilo of tomatoes I did not need. To my surprise it was only Rm 2.20 for a kilo.    Shiny, beautiful, succulent tomatoes but I will remember the wrinkles, the hunch, and the rickety arms.

Talentime, Yasmin Ahmad

” all around us, we see prejudices. They are our eternal enemies”

The No 12 theatre @ OU was 3/4 filled. 95% were malays and a fraction chinese in this chinese majority area.

but cecilia, shasaha, angeline, cherish love it.

Nadia and atiqah sneaked out but Daddy has his ears and eyes that will report any misdeeds. She is fined RM 20 deducted from her monthly pocket money.

do not make daddy loses his trust, she has been appropriately advised.

My wish list for 1malaysia, people first, performance first, congratulations DS Najib Razak

Congratulations Dato Seri Najib. You have a good start.  Your tagline 1malaysia,  people first and performanc first, captures my imaginations and my hope. I am willing to give you a chance

It may mean different things to different people. Here is my take, my hope, my wish, my understanding of 1malaysia, people and performance first

1. There is only ONE government of the day. I know it is a coalition government, but i do not expect many governments within the Government of Malaysia. Often Malaysians are sent to different directions by statements made by various leaders of the ethnic based parties, particularly the MCA, the MIC, Gerakan and PPP through their various medias. The STAR once carried a piece of news that the MCA is sending a delegation to CHINA headed by its President. The MIC headed by its president was in INDIA attending the World Indian Congress. Can these leaders be more sensitive towards their homeland if Malaysia is their homeland!!

2. NEP is for the eradication of poverty and color blind. The rights of the Bumiputras are protected in the Constitution, but at the same time we must not ignore the displaced Indians at Kg Kassipillay, jalan kelang Lama, and the Chinese  fishmongers and rural farmers. I had a shock of my life to see the delapidated slums fit for slumdogs of mumabai and Kolkatta, along Jalan Kelang Lama.

3. Meritocracy among the Malays. Special rightsof the Bumiputra means the practice of meritocracy amongst them to prepare them to accept open meritocracy. Once the best of the crop  have the confidence and the support of Bumiputra, open meritocracy will not be an issue.

4. Zero Tolerance for Chauvinisms. Chauvinisms, in whatever form, race or religion, is cancerous. Get them and do not give them the space to influence, be seen and heard.

5. Guarantee Rights to education. That was the focus of Tun Razak. These are his legacies. Mahathir allowed Malaysians to be skinned and squeezed. The Rights of Bumiputra are to the rights to education. Give Bumiputras access to the best instittions in the world.

6. First Class Education and Health. We do not want megastructures, new cities, we want access to world class education and health.

7. Water, we want clean water. No Malaysians shall be denied access to clean water. Do not allow  Muhamad taib and Khir Toyo and the Ghani Othman to mutate in different forms.

8. English, english and English side by side with Malay. Empower the people with the command of English. If the Chauvinists think their mother tongue is supreme, let them do that in the SRJK, religious schools or independent schools. There is only one School of choice that is the sekolah Kebangsaan.

9. Clean up the Police. It is rotten, it is sick, it is doing disservice to the government of the day. Appoint the right IGP. Your father appointed a young officer Tun Hanif who became the youngest IGP ever, and he did a superb job.

10. Clean up the local government. Sink it in the head of the Minister of Local Government that all of them have failed to function. They have done great disservice to the BN . You may think the local government is not an important portfolio but that was the cause of dissatisfactons amongst urbanites.

You get my support ( for now) !!!

I have to say something on the KUGAN’s case

I just have to let it out. It was brutal, it was incompetence, it was inhumane, it was a failure of leadership.

It was brutal. Even if he was a criminal he did not deserve such torture. What has become of hadhari?

It was incompetence. It was plain stupidity. It was a total lack of professional integrity and I am not talking about the police, I am referring to  the keepers of the Hippocratic oaths. The learned, the knowledgeable, but lacking in integrity and holistic principle. Where is  the wisdom ? Lost in the pile of knowledge?.

It was inhumane. It was a total lack of justice.  Humanity was murdered in Gaza and in Taipan. But why on earth, SERDANG gets sucked into it?

It was a total failure of leadership. Instead of protecting the institution individuals are being protected. It was  a simple Crisis Management yet the leadership of the various institutions involved failed to respond appropriately. . The well tested and always proven,  effective response plan would have been to  dissociate, dissociate, dissociate. Promise Justice. Take action. But when, injustice is the norm, when the herd culture is the norm, the bearers of responsibility are likely to  blinded in their sight, the heart and the soul. I see nothing, I hear nothing, I have no conscience.

When religion is ritual, when the words of God are sold for pittance, when hypocrisy thrives on hypocrisy, even a simple case of leadership and governance become an issue. When patronage and moral corruption is one and the same thing, what is there left to do? Clean them up!!

DISSOCIATE, dissociate,condemn, condemn, get the culprit fast. Malaysia dissociates from the TAIPAN Police Investigation team. Malaysia dissociates from the CPO who defended his Policemen. Malaysia dissociates from the first pathologist and the SERDANG Hospital Director. Malaysia wants justice. Malaysia wants these people involved to search their souls.

If people entrusted with power and authority fail  in executing their  duties and responsibilities, the most honorable thing they can do  is to RESIGN!!!

Let us do that cultural transfer instead of just technology transfer. Bring the samuari sword!!! but let us be realistic. It will take some time they can accept harakiri as a cullture. For the time being a simple resignation letter would do.