Religious bigots becometh of Malaysians?

I wish there are more intellectual Malays like Dr. Azly Rahman in Malaysia as the religious bigots are destroying this country! Dr Azly Rahman The question of "proselytizing" is here again .. of "Christians spreading Christianity to Muslims" .. isn't this a political strategy to create fear amongst the people and next, a savior will come to the rescue? The process of "Islamization" is ongoing since time immemorial and so too has "Christian civilizing mission" ... what is there to fight against in a monotheistic context of believe? Why instill fear of worldviews that are supposed to be similar wherein one complements each other .. unless those fear-mongers target people of lower cognitive-class consciousness and choose to play this dangerous game of religious hatred ...? Have we not seen the consequence of this in the case of church burnings, temple demolition, cow-head dragging? Can't you sober up, Malaysians? Why don't you experts sit down and craft an educational program of awareness of the importance of building bridges of faith and help the next generation understand each other so that they will become "world-wise" and can talk sense about race, religion, creed, class .. and help each other understand what it means to be a "spiritual being framed cross-culturally"?. Politicians spend too much wasting time neglecting this aspect of nation-building and let religious bigots run around on a rampage to show-off their idiotic-religious pride ... shallow understanding of the evolution of religion, the nature of god and the ways to teach tolerance and understanding. Bigots many have become. Isn't religion about "making connections between the spirit and the divine" and a precondition of it is to understand the universality of the religious experience, of the phenomenology of belief? Malaysians, after 55 years of claiming to be "independent from the shackles of colonialism", what have you achieved? What would Jesus and Muhammad say to the current regime and the hatemongers ...? Did Islam not borrow heavily from Jewish, Sabean, and Christian sources to construct its doctrine ... ? "read ... Iqra' ... read ... " as Islam tells its followers .. read ... for is not the greatest enemy of knowledge the illusion of wisdom ...? DR AZLY RAHMAN, who was born in Singapore and grew up in Johor Baru, holds a Columbia University (New York) doctorate in International Education Development and Master's degrees in the fields of Education, International Affairs, Peace Studies and Communication. He has taught more than 40 courses in six different departments and has written more than 300 analyses on Malaysia. His teaching experience spans Malaysia and the United States, over a wide range of subjects from elementary to graduate education. He currently resides in the United States.

Why Malays need more rights than others

I read this article from loyar buruk webpage, finally someone writes sensibly. We are Malay-Muslims, we are entitled 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 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 religious ceramahs 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. Click here for more reading http://www.loyarburok.com/2012/08/01/we-are-entitled-malay-muslim/

Finding Equilibrium in Live

Today I just want to post something I wrote on my FB yesterday which a good friend of mine replied and we continue sharing our perspective. Lately I am having trouble with my thoughts as it was wandering without any specific direction or focus. Sharing the conversation. Me: Continuous struggle between the mind that wanders every minute and coping with the realities of this world. ‎ Friend: "What is destined to happen will happen, do what you may to prevent it," Ramana wrote on his slate. " Whatever is destined not to happen will not happen, try as you may. The best course, therefore, is to remain silent." Me: Tat would be a pessimistic approach to life...I doubt Ramana would have told us not to do anything ; no action. I think we need to do what we can possibly do to make the difference but whatever the outcome is,let it be as what we are destined to.It is all about accepting the fruits of our action either positive or negative. Yet it is difficult for many to accept the results as we are bound by our desires and expectation that we place upon our labour! Friend: You got it right, "remain silent is not merely literal silence but silence of the mind," alleviating the conflict that you mentioned earlier. To aptly put it Arjuna's dilemma and Krishna Upadesham. Your actions are bound by your duty, do it right in the best possible way you can, with an anticipated outcome. If it happens, that would be great but if it doesn't don't fret let it go and don't let it linger. By the way you are no Arjuna and neither am I Krishna.........we are mere mortals trying to do the best!!! Om Tat Sat. Me: The last sentence is debatable, who we really are? It has been a continuous struggle for many of us to manage to juggle the tide of thoughts that flood our mind and the reality of live itself. Have anyone of you found a way to find an equilibrium and peace within and out!

Life

Have been busy lately with work and thus does not help me to write as I wish or could yet more important is that I guess I lost the steam for being a political blogger. The Malaysian political scenario is in total chaos with BN trying to cover up their past mistakes and in-competencies in managing the country. Corruption and mismanagement of the public's funds have been surfacing one after another yet the PM and his counter parts are in total denial. How could he make the change that the professes as he is also involved in a major scandal!Whether he was involved directly or indirectly his continuous silence does not help in public opinion. Bersih's demand for fair and clean electrol process did not go well with the current government and EC is painting a negative picture of Bersih with some dick heads doing butt dance and even conducting the last rites for the chairman. How uncouth these dunggus could behave. Why they did not do it in front of a Bumiputera Bersih front runner. Talk about racial undertones! The other old dog that has been barking loudly is a former PM, spewing venom every time he opens his mouth depicting the opposition is all wrong and there has been no wrong doing by himself or the current government when all facts are glaring at his eyes. maybe he is suffering from some strange eye infection which has a mind of its own; selective viewing. The opposition is not faraway from controversies either, they have their own internal politics brewing each one trying to be the champion in securing a seat for the next GE. Not to mentioned the rumour of mass wealth by some top guns in a party.so the political out-look does not look so good from my perspective as the public who want change finds it hard to digest the current situation. So I just want to focus on my life and hope I can dance in the rain!

So called accountability by BN

All Malaysian should be perplexed with the sheer wastage by the Ministry and their ministries and yet there are group of Malaysian still supporting the current government? Nothing wrong being politically inclined but not being able to see what is happening to the economic state of this country is outright stupidity.
Got this data from "Freemalaysiatoday' website.
http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/opinion/2012/04/11/wake-up-gullible-malaysians/
Among the ministries and national Institutions that consumed the rakyat’s money are:
1. Election Commission – RM48,770,200
2. Prime Minister’s Department – RM353,760,000
3. Public Service Department – RM782,516,100
4. Treasury – RM204,450,000
5. Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Ministry – RM5,000,000
6. Public Works Ministry – RM152,000,000
7. Transport Ministry – RM80,302,000
8. Health Ministry – RM621,870,200
9. Women, Family and Community Development Ministry – RM275,000,000
10. Home Ministry – RM545,627,000

I am asking the rakyat, have you benefited from any of this expenditures?
Even if you are an UMNO supporter, be open to facts and you'll can see that you are also paying more now than before i.e toll, fuel,groceries,water,electricity, Utusan Malaysia News paper (by the way it is not so cheap any more), public utilities and many more. I just wonder why you can't see what is happening to this nation?
Either you are damn stupid or retarded! Make your pick.

UMNO Empty Think Tank

ALIRAN

Not that Umno’s think tank has ever been full. There is plenty of evidence that it was not even half full at the best of times. After the Umno general assembly last year, it is really evident how depleted their so-called think tank is. The low and sometimes gutter-level discussions and debates are evidence of the grave poverty of intelligence and rationality within the ranks of Umno from top to bottom.

In other countries, people recycle garbage but Umno recycles political garbage. Look at the way Umno recycles defeated, discarded, disgraced, discredited retards. While doing this shamelessly, the leaders keep fooling the Malay rakyat that they want young leaders to revitalise the party. Just look at the Umno ministers in the Cabinet. They comprise not only of balding old folks but the defeated and the rejected not only in the party elections but also in the general elections, resulting in poor governance and consequent policy and performance paralysis.

The Auditor-General’s Report points out the inefficiency of the ministries and is a severe indictment of the Umno-dominated government. Nine Ministries had exceeded their budget allocations and the attendant corruption is horrendous. No wonder a regular feature writer for the Star suggested that Najib should sack 80 per cent of his Cabinet. He was kind enough not to suggest that Najib should sack himself first, in keeping with the government’s slogan of “leadership by example”.

Let us look at the rejects and retards in the Cabinet and government agencies:

1. Najib, apart from his alleged involvement in the Altantuya murder case, carries much baggage. It was during his watch as Defence Minister that the Scorpene submarine corruption scandal, which is being heard in French courts, took place. Also, the theft of jet engines took place.
2.Muhyiddin, reportedly the richest man in Umno, was removed as MB of Johor, and paachuted into the Cabinet for good reasons.
3.Tengku Adnan, implicated seriously in the Lingamgate scandal, is in the Cabinet.
4.Ali Rustam, found guilty of money politics in Umno, continues as CM of Malacca.
5.What Nazri said about the “Allah” issue, Bersih 2.0 and why Cabinet ministers cannot declare their income and assets in a public register reveals a short-circuited brain. His statement that Malaysia cannot afford the luxury of the separation of powers among the Executive, Legislature and Judiciary reveals his undemocratic character, yet he continues to be Law Minister.
6.Keris-kisser Hishammuddin did tremendous damage to inter-ethnic relations and was a contributory factor in the 2008 political tsunami. If he was not Najib’s cousin, he would not be Home Minister.
7. Ghani Othman, MB Johor, was implicated in the Gold Coin Scandal. As superior leader of a “superior race”, he continues as MB of Johor.
8.The Umno general assembly gave Rais Yatim a good kick in its elections but he is in the Cabinet.
10.The electorate gave Shahrizat a good kick in the general election but she came into the Cabinet through the Senate backdoor.
11.Mukhriz Mahathir got a good kick at the Umno general assembly elections but now is a Deputy Minister.

Click here for more:http://aliran.com/8747.html

Malaysian Stupidity

I have not been writing for a while and a friend of mine from KL mentioned that to me last week. I guess I ran out of ideas not that Malaysia has no issues to talk about but just that it is the same old same old.Tired I suppose! A friend send me this mail to me and thought of sharing with the rest.

Gross stupidity might be a good reason for you to march — Abdul Haleem Abdul Rahiman
April 05, 2012
APRIL 5 — I will join the Bersih 3.0 rally because I can’t stand the gross stupidity that is crippling the entire nation. Honestly, as much as I agree stupidity has no limit, I can’t take this absurdity which has been feed to us in high doses on a daily basis.
Day in, day out the events unfolding in Malaysia make you sick and drive you insane. With all the transformation programmes and what-not, I believe we are on full speed in a very wrong direction. Almost every institution in this country is failing. Religious bigotry is at its peak. Most MPs, if not all, are busy politicking rather than working. Corruption is nothing but the norm. A priority list is something unfamiliar in our daily life in Malaysia. Common sense is not so common anymore.
What irks me the most lately is the amount of stupidity and bigotry.
The latest, in declining a permit for a Singapore ballet group to perform here, is just absurd. The reason given is indecent costumes. Ballet costumes deemed indecent? Are you joking? I will not buy that reason simply because it’s insane to agree ballet costumes can poke your eye! Assuming it does, how do we justify swimsuits then? A gymnast who will be performing in the coming Olympics? Are we going to censor all female categories in gymnastics? Perhaps we should censor all female sports from being broadcast then. When countries like Saudi Arabia are sending female athletes to participate in the Olympics, we are banning ballet costumes. We have banned books, movies, T-shirts, yoga and what-not. Can we ban idiots who can’t even speak or write English from standing for elections?
If Ibrahim Ali is toning down, worry not, we have a new champion. Another son of Ali. Hasan Ali. His stunt of accusing Christians proselytising Muslims is just too much to bear. A seminar for religious teachers to discuss the Christian threat is proof of how insecure we are. But the fact is only idiots like Hasan Ali thinks Muslims in this country are insecure. Furthermore, I am sick and tired of the reason they have been giving — to avoid young Malaysian Muslims from being confused. The only thing I am confused is — how did you pass your exams?
I have written on this subject many times. Just what is our problem with Israel? To the extent we have Jew-bashing Friday sermons. How pathetic is that? We have elected MPs and paying their salaries with our tax and they are busying arguing about Israel. Don’t you all think we have more pressing issues to deal with? Stop making Israel and the Jews a scapegoat for our political plays. Seriously, please move on or find something new to bash.
Knowing the election is around the corner, day by day we see our Parliament turning into a pig farm. The way things are going in there will amaze even a school kid. No civility, no respect for each other, shout to win publicity, scream to get attention, mock to make one look like a clown. If this is the state of Parliament then I wonder how comical the Cabinet meeting must be.
If the comedy episodes in Parliament are not good enough, we have the DPM-cum-education minister coming out with a statement saying that our education system is better than the United States’, Britain’s and Germany’s. To be frank when you read such statement you are stunned, unsure if one should cry or burst out laughing. If you laugh then remember this is our DPM who you are laughing at.
Last weekend at dinner with a couple of friends, we were served by a part-time waitress who had just finished her SPM. She scored 9As. And guess what? She had not heard anything on the NFC. When my friend asked her if she knows who Shahrizat is, she went blank. We stopped ourselves from asking if she knows who the PM of the country is because we did not want to lose our appetite.
The list can go on with me discussing the crime rate, the economy which is nose diving, the poor quality of our graduates, high-level corporate deals (or scams), etc. The point here is — this is a beautiful nation with amazing loving citizens. We are blessed with so much of nature and talented people. Unfortunately, politicians from both sides are taking this country down with not only their corruption but also their stupidity. Pure, gross stupidity. Let’s stop that. Let’s have a fair and clean election, thus we can vote people with principle and integrity into public office. Let’s clean this mess once and for all.

Make a difference!

Valentine Day

Just want to wish all Happy Valentine!
I don't see why the fuss about Muslim cleric instructing Muslims not to celebrate Valentine as it is their religious belief and their own conviction. If they impose on Non-Muslims then they have no grounds to do so and non-muslims can raise a case. Let it be if the Muslims want to ban, raid some hotels , prowl in some dark places looking for Muslim couples as it is their funeral. So Non-Muslims stop meddling into Muslim issues.

For those celebrating Valentine, Happy Valentine and for me its just a quiet dinner at home, cooked by my beloved wife.

A respected Muslim in Malaysia

Read this article and wanted to share a good man's thoughts!
Mohamad Tajuddin Mohamad Rasdi says he does not believe in such celebrations, but because others do and it makes them happy, what is the big deal?
I wish to contribute my thoughts on the Valentine-Christian issue with respect to the renowned speaker Ustazah Siti Nor Bahyah.
The main message of my thoughts is simply that Muslim scholars and clerics must be made to understand that they are not experts in everything … particularly a good many things about other faiths like Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity and Judaism.
Muslim clerics like the Ustazah merely receive their education from traditional Islamic Institutions that do not have the subjects of Philosophy, Civilisation and Religious Studies.
All they know and have learnt are only from a single source of Muslim Studies.
As an academic, I will admit and clearly explain what I do know and what I do not know. If I had to respond to a certain question or comment with respect to knowledge that I do not possess much, then I am most humble in answering and never in an absolute or commandeering tone … much lest in a sarcastic or demeaning manner.

It is most unfortunate that in Malaysia, as well as perhaps in other Muslim countries too, Muslims think that it is their ‘divine’ duty to hate people of other faiths.This is done to the point that a non-Muslim chief minister is despised despite his excellence in governance but a Muslim minister is supported and protected when allegations of rape, murder or bribery seem apparent.
This is the ‘racism’ of religion. These Muslims are completely unaware that Islam is here to bring peace of mind and heart and that one should love all of mankind.
The one that Muslims should despise are the wrongdoers … yes even if they are Muslims! When Muslims read the Al-Qur’an and come to the verses where Allah chastise the wrongdoers, the Malays would automatically assigned in their minds people of other faiths such as Christian, Hindus and Jews. Islam, as I have come to understand it, does not teach this idea of ‘you are either with me or with them’ situation.

Yes, Muslims may point to the Surah al-Kafirun but that is meant for a particular situation where Islam is being challenged directly in a crude and vicious manner.
We should not be too hard on the Ustazah for two reasons. Firstly, her racial stance is very clear towards non-Malays and this is simply the product of NGOs like Perkasa and certain political parties stoking the racial flames.Many Ustaz that I have heard from my collection of CDs would often denigrate other religions in front of Muslims in the mosques and suraus. Many of these statements remain in complete silence as only some Muslims are purview to them.

Siti Nor Bahyah was unfortunate enough to have said it on TV and so it exploded in her face. So we should not be too hard on her as she is just a small tip of the iceberg; there are hundreds of others clerics guilty of the same matter.
We should also take a long hard look at our leaders who allow such NGOs as Perkasa seemingly to champion the fate of one race by denigrating loudly, rudely and dangerously issues concerning Malaysian society.Secondly, we should not be too hard on her because her education at a religious institution is, to me, outdated in its curriculum content and course intentions.

Although I myself have never attended any religious institution locally or overseas, I would venture an educated guess that these institutions do not offer subjects such as philosophy, civilisational elements of humankind, comparative religions, modern social issues and psychology.I judge this from the hundreds of CDs of religious lectures by the most acclaimed ulamak in our country.

It is therefore my own conclusion that Ustaz and Ustazah of these kinds can only teach Muslims in mosques and suraus and should never be invited to speak and comment on national television with respect to issues such as Valentine’s Day, yoga or Christianity.They simply do not know what they are talking about!

Furthermore, these people have never gone through a Ph.D process; in such training one would have to break down all the knowledge that one knows and research it to its root and reformulate a new understanding with a clear set of views and assumptions.
In the university, one is not allowed to teach students if one does not have a Ph.D. But in the religious arena such as in Islam, a simple degree or a diploma graduate is let loose among the Muslims to air their limited views about Islam in the modern world. This is a very dangerous situation.As an architecture academic, I myself have had experience engaging in discourses with ulamak or clerics concerning issues of mosque design and conservation as well as the language of Islamic architecture.

Very few clerics are humble enough to say they do not possess knowledge to make a religious verdict but there are many more who are arrogant enough to show that they and only they know about all things related to Islam because they went to a religious institution, can speak Arabic and that people like me have only got knowledge from books and in a ‘kafir’ institution.Well, to these people, do they know about environment behaviour studies, or architectural anthropology, or relating the values of the sunnah and inventing new architectural language?

Do they even know what is the technology history and meanings of domes in Islam? They certainly DO NOT! But they fall prey to their own deluded sense of importance and knowledge.What are my suggestions to remedy this educational malady?

Firstly, I recommend that people such as Siti Nor Bahyah, who shows a great talent for speaking, should follow a post-graduate course in philosophy or comparative religion.In fact I would advocate that all graduates of Islamic Studies attend at least a two-year Masters course in something outside of Islam such as spending time in a non-Muslim community and reporting their beliefs and concerns and thus evaluating them in relation to the Islamic principle of dakwah.

That would give them a better perspective from the people and provide much-needed vocabulary to speak with that culture.A friend of mine from UKM read his Ph.D from the Divinity School in Edinburgh to learn the strategy of dakwah on television used by the Christians.This shows that if we, Muslims, are humble and admit that all knowledge belong to Allah, then we will respect even knowledge from the ‘infidels’ or ‘non-believers’.

Personally I just like to use the term non-Muslim because the other two represent a tone of hostility.My next suggestion is to change the madrasah curriculum to add the subject of comparative religion with a real expert that gives a fair view of the religions or else invite priests, padres or monks to lecture about their own faiths in the madrasah.Why not? Is this a sin? This is knowledge. If you want to set up a business in a foreign country, you would get all the necessary information about their culture from a local and not from a secondary source!So if we are to live side by side with non-Muslims we must have knowledge and respect of their religion and culture.When did Muslims become so arrogant to think that only they are the beloved of Allah and that only they will go to heaven? That sounds exactly what the Jews said to the Prophet Muhammad.

To me it does not mean that Judaism is a ‘bad’ religion but the arrogance of the individuals who think so. I know so many Muslim individuals like that holding the reins of power in various positions in Muslim countries.And what of the Valentine’s Day issue? Or for that matter why don’t we drag celebrating birthdays and wedding anniversaries?As a man, I do not really prefer to celebrate birthdays or anniversaries. But I am a father of five children and husband.

If my children expect some birthday celebration, I would always give them presents a week before their birthday and say that it was a present because they have been good in this way or that.On the day itself, I would surprise them with a cake or eating out at Pizza Hut or McDonalds. I do the same for my wedding anniversaries and my wife seems to be happy with it.I do not believe in all those celebrations, but because others do and it makes them happy and I can provide it, what is the big deal?

I do not say that the celebration is part of the sunnah and I don’t go overboard celebrating them.If people of different religions send me a birthday card, I would thank them for remembering! I would not feel sad if nobody remembers my birthday but if they do … well and good.Come to think of it, why do Muslims celebrate the Prophet’s Birthday? Why celebrate the Isra’ Mi’raj or The Ascension? The Hijrah?

I have read many hadiths and stories of Sahabah. None of them celebrates these dates.
Where do we come off denigrating other faiths? We, Muslims, must remember that Valentine’s Day is not responsible for our children’s immoral activities.
We are.Look deep into ourselves and ask what we have done to nurture our children in these modern times.It is a hard thing but every conscious parent has to go through it. How do we teach the values we hold dear.Certainly NOT by denigrating other people’s faith! Let them know it through your actions but you must have knowledge in them.
Lastly, on the matter of saying Christians are bad … well, my children, my wife and I have been treated by the best doctors who are mostly non-Muslims and I thank Allah for their skill and knowledge.I have been taught more by non-Muslim lecturers and teachers who cared about my future and I thank Allah for their dedication.

Am I a Christian or a Buddhist? No … I am still a Muslim. I read the teachings of the Buddha and the Bible in the spirit that all religion come from the same source and there is much to teach us if we are humble in our search for spiritual peace.
Let us all be humble in learning and much more humble in teaching knowledge.

No historical evidence of Hang Tuah

Historian Prof Khoo Kay Kim says that the Ming dynasty's records do not mention the princess or the famous warrior. He also points out that early Malaysian history is based on stories.

PETALING JAYA: According to history, Chinese Princess Hang Li Po was the fifth wife of Malaccan Sultan Mansur Shah who reigned from 1456-1477.During this period, there was also the legend of the Sultan’s five famous warriors, Hang Tuah, Hang Jebat, Hang Kasturi, Hang Lekir and Hang Lekiu. It is a tale of friendship and loyalty, which every Malaysian had heard.
However, renowned historian Prof Khoo Kay Kim told radio station BFM this morning that Hang Li Po and the five warriors never existed.Speaking to FMT later, he explained: “The Chinese Ming dynasty of the 16th century does not have records on them. These are very well preserved records.”The KDU college chancellor also said he had read the writings of two Western historians and another prominent historian Wang Gung Wu on the Ming records which did not mention the characters either.“History must be based on empirical records. Historians must only accept written records,” he said, adding that empirical records available here were at best “skanky”.
“There is no evidence in the Malaysian records,” he said. “These are stories. Early Malaysian history is based on stories.”“We have had many stories. Only recently historians have taken the trouble to research the early Malaysian history period. A lot of stories accepted in the past cannot be proven,” he added.
Khoo also told FMT that there are rumours that the Malacca kingdom was founded in 1292 even though there were records to prove that it was formed in the 15th century.
He added that the government had instructed the syllabus committee to go through the school history syllabus to rectify the errors.The syllabus, said Khoo, would be introduced in the year 2014.

Islamization in National Schools

A mail to Malaysiakini!

Islamisation of national schools - a parent's view

Not that this is unknown or new. However, as a parent, I found it quite disturbing that this has reached an alarming state. Allow me to give you a first-hand insight. We had enrolled our daughter at a national school in Bandar Sri Damansara for Primary 1. What was supposed to be an eagerly anticipated 'graduation' into formal schooling turned out to be a worrying scenario that has caused us to rethink our future in this country as well as our plans for our kids. We had, of course, heard of the instances of the growing Islamic influence in national schools and some horror stories to go along with it. But perhaps we underestimated the level of abuse that was occurring. Orientation was conducted on Jan 2 and the very first horror story to greet us was that all children were required to attend Arab language classes. Don't get me wrong. I am of the opinion that learning a foreign language is beneficial. However, in this case, rather than it coming across as knowledge, it smells of propaganda and a subtle attempt to reinforce Islamic principles on us - Muslims and non-Muslims alike. We insisted that our children be exempt from the class. What perplexed us the most was the lack of options presented for non-Muslim students. When we inquired, the response was that there were no teachers for other languages, namely Mandarin or Tamil. Also, it was told to us that the children need not worry about the Arab classes as it was purely language and there were no elements of religion in it - something that we came to discover was not true. This became apparent when this morning one of the parents chanced upon the Arab language teacher in class. Prior to starting the lesson, the teacher made all the students rise and lift their hands to recite the 'Bismillah' prayer and other chants. There was no attempt to inform the non-Muslim students that they did not need to do so. Just imagine, these were impressionable seven-year-olds who have just come out of kindergarten. The fact that there was no regard for the rights of the non- Muslim kids by these teachers was just unbelievable! One would easily be tempted to think that this was part of a bigger plan to influence non-Muslim children into embracing Islamic way of life. This should not be happening in national schools. There was more to come. Not only was it necessary for the children (Muslims) to start off the assembly with a prayer (Islamic, of course), the teachers also made it a point to enforce this before and after recess. The students would be ushered out of the classrooms and be made to line up prior to visiting the canteen. But just before that, the 'Bismillah' prayer is recited (there were attempts to inform the non-Muslims that they were not required to do so) and once recess is over, the Muslim students are again required to recite another prayer. All this is done together with the non-Muslim students. Would this not confuse a child that is eager to learn and yet be constantly reminded that they should not do this and that? There's a lot more but I just wanted to highlight the crux of the matter. I just cannot comprehend the need for all this when, at the heart of the matter, is sound education and growth of the children that matters. The religious needs are already met by the Agama/Moral studies, so why the need for Arab classes? What is the objective of these programmes? Why is there no proper alternative for those who do not practice Islam? What scares me the most is that this is being practiced or implemented at the national level. If this is the case, then why talk of national integration and a new education blueprint? How can you achieve this with so many divisive policies? To say I am disappointed is an understatement. I just hope that common sense will prevail - but as they say, common sense is not so common after all. The school later did accede to our request to have the children segregated during Arab classes, but after having one too many encounters with the lackadaisical attitude of the teachers, we are not convinced.

Be worried, very worried abaout non-muslim childrens future.

Hassan Ali-The Defender of Islam

The Selangor Islamic Affairs Department, JAIS made raids during the New Year weekend that ended with the arrests and charging a number of Muslim Malaysians for offences related to alcohol consumption and khalwat and we all know that consuming alcohol is an offence for Muslims. The defender of Islam, Dr. Hasan Ali, in defending the JAIS raids said that 10 people would be charged in the Syariah Court for consuming alcohol.He went on to say that 46 others would have to undergo counseling for being present at an outlet that served alcohol!If that is the case, many Muslims would loose their job even the hard-working Muslim Malaysian with honest jobs in hotel bars, restaurants, our national airline, golf clubs,those working in the hypermarkets which sells beer and etc to earn a decent living for themselves and their families? Do they need to be counseled or need to look for another job. I suppose Hassan Ali would come up with a proposal on the kind of jobs that Muslims could do and cannot do, so look out for a pamphlet! Way to go Hassan!

BN really must GO! - Capt. Iskandar Dzulkarnain

I received this in my mail and find it an interesting article not only for its content but also for the author- a proud Malay/Malaysian.

Read this article by Capt Iskandar Dzulkarnain.The Malays too are unhappy over what is happening.What an Embarrassment

During Mahathir's rule many non-B's in the armed forces resigned due to lack of promotion opportunities because of his new govt policies. Before that we had 7 Chinese and 2 Indian Generals.Tun Dr Mahathir was Prime Minister of Malaysia for 22 years. All of us lived under his leadership during his tenure, and many of us have come to admire him and regard him with our deepest respect, for what he had done for the country.

His Vision 2020, the Look East Policy, the Multimedia Super Corridor, the Internet and his efforts to industrialize the country has brought countless prosperity to our nation.Lately, we see a sudden about turn to his speeches and rhetoric. Many who listened with interest to his sermons, are alarmed at the vast distortion of everything he has tried to impress upon us in the past.He is beginning to sound incoherent, with a tinge of cynicism.

The great empire he built in the last 22 years is slowly unraveling, crumbling, torn asunder by the words that spew forth from his mouth.Everyone, who knows him in the past, is becoming disappointed in what he holds dear to.At his age, we expect the Grand Old Vizier with wide political experience to advise us, and tell us where we went wrong, and to correct us.To warn us of the pitfalls of racism, corruption and to protect this country from tearing itself apart.Lately, many of his speeches have been met with disgust as he keeps on leveling criticism on the different races.

Even Singapore was not spared.His latest speech that Malaysia belongs to the Malays, that Malays think 1Malaysia is about abolishing vernacular schools, and that Chinese and Indians think that 1Malaysia means abolishing Malay Rights, is really hurtful and hard to swallow.

Today, he is championing Malay Rights.He is angry that Non-Malays are questioning these rights. He is also angry that Malays themselves are questioning these so-called Rights. He wants the other races to acknowledge that the Dominant Malays are the rightful heirs to this country called Malaysia .It is an embarrassment to the Malays. What special rights is he talking about? If the Malays have benefited from it, why have the Malays not advanced any further?

All these years, the Special Rights has only led the Malays to acknowledge that it is only a big pie in the sky. If the Malays has Special Rights, why are the Malays still lagging behind? Did anybody actually accorded the Malays these Rights in the past? Did the Malays reject these Rights, so much so that they are now living in utter poverty? Can someone start going around and bestow this Rights upon the Malays right now? As far as we know, we never had any Rights!!!Only the Chinese and Indians think we have Special Rights.

They can do and go where they want.Can a Malay drink where he wants?
Can a Malay eat what and where he wants? Can a Malay believe in whatever God he wants, like the Chinese and Indians? No, he can't. He has no rights!To have rights means to have freedom to do what you want. It seems that the Chinese and Indians and the other races seem to have more rights than us Malays.Most Malays don't give two hoots about Tanah Melayu, Ketuanan Melayu or Special Rights, because it does not exist.We just want a decent life, job, a brighter, predictable future and the Right to practice our religion free of oppression. We are a loosely knitted race that comprises mixed Javanese, Sumatran, Indian, Hunanese, Thai, and Middle East blood bound together by our religion Islam. And yet in the INTERLOK novel we branded other communities as Pariahs. Why, why, why???

Being good Muslims, why must we insult other races??? And if there is a Special Right, I think I would want to have the Right to mingle freely with our Chinese and Indian friends, step into a church and listen with interest to their choirs singing Christmas Carols, drop by a Chinese temple, and observe the monks chanting their mantras, or to an Indian Temple to see how they worship. And to drop by the Pub, for a glass of cold Coke, without feeling a little peculiar.I want the right to tell all our fellow citizens that we do not harbour any ill will against them, that we are just like them and that we will always stand by them.22 years in power, and yet so many of us Malays still live in misery. We are not asking for utter riches, just a decent life, but many Malays still live in utter misery, except the Super rich UMNOPutras.

And in the last election, many disappointed Malays were abandoning BN in droves. Lastly, keep this in mind, 99 percent of Malaysians are not racist. We are too busy living our lives than to check on our neighbours. It is the one percent who are UMNOputras desperately clinging on to power, and who will do anything at any cost, even selling their souls to the devil, that is causing all this ruckus about Racism in this country. Malays, in their right minds are not going to support this bunch of losers. That is why they say that the Malays are split between UMNO and PAS. And the blame was put on poor old Nik Aziz, who became the scapegoat for splitting the Malays. Really BN and it's UMNOputras must go! Life isn't about how to survive the storm,But how to dance in the rain...

Syabas Capt Dzulkarnain!

UMNO-BN Contribution towards the nation

I have not been writing since Aug 2011, for many reasons and hope to continue writing in 2012.Anyway came across this information that I wanted to share as the rakyat has been asking what the UMNO-BN government has contributed towards the nation.Well there are many good deeds by UMNO and thees are the very few.

UMNO_BN's Contribution or "JASA BESAR" UMNO-BN KEPADA RAKYAT MALAYSIA.


1. PKFZ RM12bill

2. Submarine RM500mil

3. Sime Darby RM964mil

4. Paya Indah Westland RM88mil

5. Posmalaysia (transmile) RM230mil lost

6. Eurocopter deal RM1bil waste?

7. Terengganu Stadium Collapsed RM292mil

8. MRR2 repair cost RM70mil

9. Maybank Overpay for BII RM4bil

10. Tourism -NYY kickback RM10mil

11. 3 paintings bought by MAS—————– RM 1.5M

12. Overpayment by Sport Ministry————- RM 8.4M

13. London 's white elephant sports complex —- RM 70M

14. MRR2 Repairs—————————— RM 70M

15. MATRADE repairs ————————– RM 120M

16. Cost of new plane used by PM————– RM 200M

17. InventQ irrecoverable debt —————- RM 228M

18. Compensation for killing crooked bridge —– RM 257M

20. Lost in selling Augusta ——————— RM 510M

21. Worth of AP given out in a year ———— RM 1.8B

22. Submarines (future Muzium Negara artifacts)- RM 4.1B

23. PSC Naval dockyard ———————— RM 6.75B

24. The Bank Bumiputra twin scandals in the early 1980s saw US$1 billion (RM3.2 billion in 2008 ringgit)

25. The Maminco attempt to corner the world tin market in the 1980s is believed to have cost some US$500 million. (RM1.6 billion)

26. Betting in foreign exchange futures cost Bank Negara Malaysia RM30 billion in the 1990s.

27. Perwaja Steel resulted in losses of US$800 million (RM2.56 billion).

28. Use of RM10 billion public funds in the Valuecap Sdn. Bhd. operation to shore up the stock market

29. Banking scandal of RM700 million losses in Bank Islam

30. The sale of M.V. Agusta by Proton for one Euro making a loss of €75.99 million (RM 348 million)

31. Wang Ehsan from oil royalty on Terengganu RM7.4 billion from 2004 – 2007

32. For the past 10 years since Philharmonic Orchestra was established, this orchestra has swallowed a total of RM500 million. Hiring a kwai-lo CEO with salary of more than RM1 M per annum !

33. In Advisor Fees, Mahathir was paid RM180,000, Shahrizat AbdulJalil (women and social development affairs) RM404,726 and Abdul Hamid Othman (religious) RM549,675 per annum

34. The government has spent a total of RM3.2 billion in teaching Maths and Science in English over the past five years. Out of the amount, the government paid a whopping RM2.21 billion for the purchase of information and computer technology (ICT) equipments which it is unable to give a breakdown. Govt paid more than RM6k per notebook vs per market price of less than RM3k through
some new consortium's that setup just to transact the notebook deal. There was no math & science content for the teachers and the notebooks are all with the teachers' children now.

35. The commission paid for purchase of jets and submarines to two private companies Perimeker Sdn Bhd and IMT Defence Sdn Bhd amounted toRM910 million.

36. RM300 million to compensate Gerbang Perdana for the RM1.1 billion "Crooked Scenic Half-Bridge"

37. RM1.3 billion have been wasted building the white elephant Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) facilities on cancellation of the Malaysia-Singapore scenic bridge

38. RM 100 million on renovation of Parliament building and leaks

39. National Astronaut Programme – RM 40 million

40. National Service Training Programme – yearly an estimate of RM 500 million

41. Eye on Malaysia – RM 30 million and another RM5.7 million of free ticket

42. RM 2.4 million on indelible ink

43. Samy announced in September 2006 that the government paid compensation amounting to RM 38.5 billion to 20 highway companies. RM380 million windfalls for 9 toll concessionaires earned solely from the toll hike in 2008 alone.

44. RM32 million timber export kickbacks involving companies connected to Sarawak Chief Minister and his family.

45. Two bailouts of Malaysia Airline System RM7.9 billion. At a time when MAS incurring losses every year, RM1.55 million used to buy three paintings to decorate its chairman's (Munir) office.

46. Putra transport system bailout which cost RM4.486 billion.

47. STAR-LRT bailout costing RM3.256 billion.

48. National Sewerage System bailout costing RM192.54 million.

49. Seremban-Port Dickson Highway bailout costing RM142 million.

50. Kuching Prison bailout costing RM135 million.

51. Kajian Makanan dan Gunaan Orang Islam bailout costing RM8.3 million.

52. Le Tour de Langkawi bailout costing RM 3.5 Million.

53. Wholesale distribution of tens of millions of shares in Bursa Malaysia under guise of NEP to cronies, children and relatives of BN leaders and Ministers worth billions of ringgits.

54. Alienation of tens of thousands of hectares of commercial lands and forestry concessions to children and relatives of BN leaders and Ministers worth tens of billions of ringgits

55. Since 1997, Petronas has handed out a staggering 30 billion ringgit in natural gas subsidies to IPPs who were making huge profits. In addition, there were much wastages and forward trading of Petronas oil in the 1990s based on the
low price of oil then. Since the accounts of Petronas are for the eyes of Prime Minister only, we have absolutely no idea of the amount.

56. RM5700 for a car jack worth RM50

57. Government-owned vehicle consumed a tank of petrol worth RM113 within a few minutes

58. A pole platform that cost RM990 was bought for RM30,000

59. A thumb-drive that cost RM90 was bought for RM480
60. A cabinet that cost RM1,500 was bought for RM13,500

61. A flashlight that cost RM35 was bought for RM143

62. Expenses for 1 Malaysia campaign paid to APCO?

63. RM17 billion subsidy to IPP

64. USD24 million diamond ring for Ro$mah --- cancellation of order -- how much compensation???

65. Cattle/Cow gate by family of Sharizat RM250 million

Thank You UMNO-BN
Remember, remember what they did to the rakyat!