LAPORAN KHAS ISTIMEWA HARI MERDEKA
Kekayaan negara masih lagi tidak diagihkan dengan sempurna. Bahasa Malaysia tidak digarap sepenuhnya oleh masyarakat. Dan terdengar sana sini suara-suara agen provokasi melaungkan sentimen rasis dan agama, mencemari sistem pilihanraya yang pincang.
Layari laman berikut untuk saksikan temuramah tersebut:
http://www.tvantara.com/v1/video?id=1414
WHEN I read that Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno was fined five thousand ringgit and ordered to receive six strokes of the rotan for drinking beer in a hotel bar, I thought the Talibans were in town.
I am not about to dispute the legitimacy of the sentence that had been imposed by the Syariah Court on Kartika. I will even go along with the argument that “the law is the law”, and Kartika herself, mind you, was the first to admit that she was wrong to drink alcohol as a Muslim.
The point I want to make in this case is that, in all the circumstances, justice should have been tempered with mercy because what is legal is not always moral or ethical. After all, Allah whom we Muslims worship is a compassionate and merciful God, and human beings administering the laws of God must never invoke His name in vain for it is a grievous sin.
From all accounts, Kartika was repentant and showed every sign of being sincerely remorseful. She did not plead for leniency, and offered no excuses for her unislamic behaviour. If anything, she begged the court in all humility, in a gesture that admitted of complete personal responsibility for her actions, that she be caned in public, at the first opportunity. In other words, this principled, gutsy lady accepted her punishment truly like a man. The lady was not for turning, with apologies to Margaret Thatcher. No theatrical farce or histrionics for Kartika, the young mother of two who displayed for all to see a streak of her extraordinary determination to face the music and get on with her life.
What a great loss of opportunity to show the world that Islam as a religion that is practised in Malaysia is moderate, compassionate and just. Instead, the Islamic authorities, by their single minded obsession with what I can only describe as the principle of absolutism that is thought to be capable of being applied to all situations, regardless, have succeeded in denigrating the true achievements, virtues and values of this great religion. They have done an enormous disservice to Islam, Malaysia and themselves.
Caning as a form of punishment is considered, and rightly so, barbaric, and no one has any right to inflict this indignity upon a fellow human. The entire civilised world totally rejects it, and for us to continue to adopt this practice is to be deliberately obtuse because Malaysia as an economic and political entity does not operate in isolation. Our religious leaders obviously haven’t much of a clue about the damage they can do to their country because Islam is our State religion according to the constitution, and we are under international scrutiny continually. Tun Dr. Mahathir felt constrained to comment that it mattered not what the world thought of us in relation to the corporal punishment being meted out to Kartika. It is his view of the world around us, but even he must know that our ability to be internationally competitive depends on how foreigners perceive us. Human rights have come into their own and have become part of the larger negotiating weapon in global trade. Trade and human rights are inter-linked whether we relish the idea or not.
Our proud boast of being a progressive Muslim country practising a moderate form of Islam rings terribly hollow when in practice we are not much different from what some our fellow believers do in Iran or Pakistan. What right have we to be seated at the top table with the civilised nations of the world?
Islam today is under severe threat of marginalisation because Muslims have committed acts of cruelty and inhumanity across the globe in the name of their religion, to serve their own ends. We know what the score is and yet persist in behaviour that is no longer acceptable to the overwhelming majority of enlightened people everywhere.
The news of this affront to human dignity about to be visited on a helpless woman has gripped the imagination of the world, and after watching the BBC, Al Jazeera and CNN, I was not surprised to see the next day the story splashed on the front page of every major newspaper from New York to London. This one single careless act by the Syariah authorities has undone all the good work of Tun Abdullah Badawi on Civilisational Islam that he promoted so assiduously in many international forums while he was prime minister.
Muslim authorities in Malaysia owe it not just to themselves but the larger Malaysian community to consider carefully the possible negative repercussions before embarking on actions that can have more than purely religious implications.
(By TUNKU ABDUL AZIZ/MySinchew)
MALAYSIA IS blessed in that there is a law for every situation; you name it and we have it all. Tragically, the mountains of statutes have done nothing more than to earn for us an international reputation of being an overregulated and an under enforced country, with the usual, predictable consequences.
In short, we have already become a first rate country run, generally speaking, by a third rate one race-dominated public service and who have, by their general attitude to their work, made it impossible for Malaysia to be taken seriously. We have, at the same time become a reactive, finger pointing society whenever the inevitable happens. Both on a personal as well as institutional level we have developed a propensity for “blame thy neighbour” into a fine art form.
The tragedy is that we Malays have made a virtue of “If it be the will of God” while forgetting, somewhat disingenuously, that in His infinite wisdom, “God helps those who help themselves.” It is not unlike some Malays practising polygamy and claiming their rights under Islam while ignoring studiously the very strict injunctions and responsibility that their religion demands of such an undertaking.
I am also reminded of Malays enriching themselves by corrupt means and claiming that it is “redzeki yang diberi oleh Tuhan” or loosely translated “God’s bountiful blessings” and who are they, they claim or we, for that matter, to question His wisdom and beneficence? What chance do we ordinary corruption-despising mortals have against those who believe quite sincerely that God is really on their side?
Yielding to what we want to believe to be “the inevitable” comes easily to us Malays because it takes responsibility out of our hands, and as a people, we are predisposed to shift responsibility and apportion blame to others. We find great emotional and psychological comfort that when something goes wrong; we can attribute it all to an act of God, or God’s will. We are from birth intoned to accept the inevitable even though we, through our criminal negligence, inefficiency or plain corrupt practice, allow what is largely preventable.
It is a fact that the vast majority of corruption cases involve Malays in government service and those who contribute to the corruption statistics are generally drawn from the lower ranks of the public service, the underpaid foot soldiers, and never the top dogs. The Malaysian Anti Corruption Commission, our custodian of all things good and wholesome in public behaviour may want, when they are tired of harassing the Pakatan Rakyat state assemblymen, to tell the world why Federal ministers have generally been left in peace to feather their own nests? And those reports made by the public against them?
To be fair to my own people, we Malays are not congenitally morally or ethically deficient. It would be wrong to suggest that we invented corruption. The blame must be placed squarely on the improper implementation of the New Economic Policy, a real curse, to the poor ordinary Malays. They find themselves suddenly wielding power over their fellow citizens, and that puts an enormous temptation in their way. Malays like others with power to abuse as they like can resist most things, but not temptation. They also know that they operate in a corruption friendly environment, and can get away literally with murder.
In the 52 years under the same government, no powerful minister or top bureaucrat for that matter, however corrupt, has ever been put behind bars. This led the Dr. Mahathir when he was prime minister to suggest somewhat cynically as is his trademark that Malaysian ministers were clean. Using his logic we must have the cleanest government in the world. We believe him at our peril. The next TI Corruption Perceptions Index will be an interesting barometer of the degree of corruption of Najib and his merry band. Corruption is not just about money changing hands. Using a government helicopter for party work is abuse of power. That in plain language is bending the rules. Don’t say you have not been warned. (By TUNKU ABDL AZIZ/MySinchew)
THE VISIT of Prime Minister Najib to Batu Caves a few days ago will not, I hope, be just a public relations exercise to gain some political mileage and win over the Indian poor who have long been left to their own devices, to fend for themselves as best they can, while the country as a whole has moved on.
Here is a great opportunity for Najib to give practical effect to the great humanitarian principles upon which the NEP, or to give it its full name, New Economic Policy, was conceived. These principles were based on empowering the poor irrespective of ethnicity, religion or political leanings, by giving them equal opportunities to participate in and enjoy the fruit of the country’s development.
Somehow, somewhere along the way, successive governments have allowed the NEP to be applied for the exclusive benefit of the Bumiputera. Counted among them are thousands upon thousands of hanger-on Indians professing the Muslim faith who claim to be more Malay than the Malays. Ever the opportunists, and who am I to blame them, for seizing the biggest prize the country has to offer under UMNO’s 1-Malay policy.
They needed little encouragement to wriggle themselves adroitly through a constitutional loophole, and reap the benefit of a system that is totally immoral, unethical and indefensible on humanitarian grounds as currently implemented. It is in serious violation of the basic objective of narrowing the gap between the rich and the marginalised poor of our society, which was what the NEP was intended to do in the first place.
We have, overnight, created a new class of super rich “Malays” who will, mark my word, be the ultimate undoing UMNO’s, and Najib’s legitimacy to govern. It is a pity that his deputy prime minister has been so blinded by his hatred of Anwar Ibrahim that he could not recognise who the real “traitors to the Malays” are. I would, if I were Najib, be wary of those surrounding him because there may well be a traitor or two lurking in his camp. One can’t be too careful.
Those in a position to make a difference have all, by default, failed in their duty to address the plight of the poor. Sensible measures must be put in train by the Najib administration to ensure that the vicious cycle of poverty is put to rest, sooner rather than later. Instead of wasting his time scheming, plotting and devising plans bordering on the morally dishonest, and ethically unwholesome, to disrupt and topple the states lost to the Pakatan Rakyat based on the last general elections that even the government admitted were free and fair, he should make it his priority to get the economy back on track quickly. The economic performance under his stewardship will be a deciding factor in how long he remains on top of the pile, and not whether he retakes Selangor or Penang.
Najib has made all the right noises and, on paper at least, he appears sensitive to the long-standing issues of public concern. However, unless people see the results, born of concrete and positive actions quickly, his credibility will go out of the window, and the proverbial closet perceived to hide a multitude of sins will throw its doors wide open before an excited gaggle raised on a diet of regurgitated conspiracy theories long past their shelf life. Malaysians are a funny people; they want to see you put your money where your mouth is!
I myself will not touch the NEP with a long barge pole, but it is a personal preference. I do believe that if it is applied in the right spirit in accordance with its original purpose of eradicating poverty across the board, it can be an important tool for the greater good of our society.
Personally I have never played my Bumi card because it was never the intention that it was created for the professional group of people to which I belong. My sense of fair play would not allow me to take something that does not belong to me. The NEP belongs to the least educated, the marginalised, and the underclass. I can look after myself without assistance from the state, but millions of our people need temporary crutches before they can stand on their two feet unaided. And they are to be found all over this land of plenty.
So, Prime Minister, the time to act is now. Do not leave it too late because before you know it, the next general election will be upon you, and there is a saying I remember vaguely about the futility of crying over spilt milk. Show the poor that they can trust you even though your detractors think they don’t trust you enough to buy a second hand Proton Saga from you. Well, I suppose you cannot please all the people all of the time. (By TUNKU ABDUL AZIZ/MySinchew)
The Star
KUALA LUMPUR: Barisan Nasional will perform better if a general election is called now, as compared to the March 8 polls last year, said a Merdeka Centre director.
The political polling research company’s director and co-founder Ibrahim Suffian said this was in line with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak’s improvement in approval ratings, which went from 39% on the day he took office to 65% after 100 days.
He said when Najib assumed premiership, the level of expectations was very low but the latter had shown that he could set a direction for the nation.
“He has improved his approval ratings but whether he can translate it into support for the next general election remains to be seen.
“Right now, the public are relieved that they have a Prime Minister who knows what they want. What is important now is that he fulfils his promises in the next two to three years,” he said.
Ibrahim said the young generation of voters had “no affinity to political parties” and would cast their ballot according to current issues.
“If an election is held now, Barisan will do better, but not significantly,” he said at a panel discussion during the launch of The Edge new media editor Oon Yeoh’s book “Najib’s first 100 days: No Honeymoon”.
Other panelists were Coalition for Free and Fair Elections (Bersih) spokersperson Wong Chin Huat, Centre for Indepen-dent Journalism executive director V. Gayathry, Selangor Mentri Besar’s research officer Tricia Yeoh, Singapore Management University associate professor Bridget Welsh, Malay Mail editor Ahirudin Atan and Jelutong MP Jeff Ooi.
Senator Tunku Abdul Aziz Ibrahim, who admitted to being no admirer of Najib, launched the book.
As Najib had yet to be tested in a general election since taking office, Wong urged him to call for polls now but DAP’s Ooi said Pakatan Rakyat was not prepared.
“Should Najib call for general election now, (it does the Opposition no favours as) Pakatan is in a state of disarray,” he said, adding that if Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was convicted of sodomy, the coalition would be without a Prime Minister-designate.
THE Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission is angry, so I gather, because the Prime Minister has agreed to set up a Royal Commission of Inquiry into their interrogation procedures and methods they employ. The MACC officers feel that they are not getting the support they believe they have a right to from the Prime Minister. There are two aspects about all of this that really trouble me:
One, on the question of the RCI, the MACC is being unacceptably presumptuous even to think that it has a right to determine whether there is any necessity or need for a group of independent eminent citizens to be appointed to look into the way our anti-corruption boys and girls conduct themselves. Their attitude is symptomatic of a deep problem inherent in the mental makeup of these MACC functionaries who seem to have great difficulty in understanding and accepting their place in the larger scheme of things.
There is also the fear that their much proclaimed professionalism cannot in truth bear close public scrutiny. I can understand their feeling of being abandoned like an unwanted diseased pet or a rag doll after the Teoh Beng Hock affair. After all, haven’t we, by default, allowed them to develop a culture of their own, one of impunity? However, circumstances have caught up with them, as they have a habit of doing, and now they are being held accountable for their actions, probably for the first time, and don’ they resent it?
They must now cooperate and support the work of the RCI. My advice for what it is worth is for them to focus on simply doing a better job and not straying into areas that do not concern them. As with all public servants, they have to remember that they must operate within the law because they are, after all, creatures of the law. They must expect the law to apply equally to them.
Another aspect that troubles me is that they expect, as a birthright, government support irrespective of the merit of their case or their actions. I can understand their feeling of being unfairly treated after all these years of doing little chores for the likes of Tun Mahathir Mohamad, Tun Abdullah Badawi and even the current Prime Minister. This, mind you, is what is perceived by the public, rightly or wrongly, as the principal work of the MACC when they are not out scooping up ikan bilis. I know, of course, that this is not true, but try convincing the public. Perceptions may not have any basis in fact, but they are real.
The MACC must be prepared to put all of its actions under public gaze. We are not interested to know who they are investigating and why, but we have every right to expect them to act in strict adherence to the law, and in faithful observance of the principles of human rights and dignity. If they have to use force and inflict torture in as part of their investigation procedure, then they are not in the wrong organisation.
I am of an age when I remember quite clearly the Japanese occupation and the methods the Japanese devised to interrogate their suspects. I will not go into any detail, but suffice to say they were not human. Now, do not get me wrong. I am not suggesting that the MACC interrogators use similar methods, but there again the public perception is that questionable methods have been applied by the MACC. All this suggests that members of the community at large do not trust the MACC to do the right thing by the people they deal with.
Like their counterparts in the police, the MACC is part of the larger community within which they operate. How well they succeed in their assigned roles, duties and functions depends on public support, cooperation and confidence. As we know, confidence is a fragile commodity. It is not something you can buy off a supermarket shelf. It is difficult enough to earn it, and even more difficult to retain it. People will want to be convinced that their trust will not be misplaced. On current showing, I fear both the MACC and the Royal Malaysia Police have a lot of confidence building ahead of them.
The police, in spite of claims by the IGP and others to the contrary, have not changed one bit. The Royal Commission that inquired into the police service, for all practical purposes, might as well not have been appointed judging by the outcome. The police will continue to be regarded, again rightly or wrongly, as an oppressive occupation force. I know this is not entirely true but it is up to the police to prove the public wrong by reversing these negative perceptions by being seen to act properly. It will not be easy, but under the right leadership, it can be done. Part of the problem with the police leadership culture is that the top echelons of the service are not good listeners; they take criticisms personally.
There is also a highly developed tendency to assume that they know everything there is to know about policing. Being thirty years in the police or any service, merely means doing the same rotten things over and over again for thirty years. It surely is not a good enough qualification to lead a modern service with emphasis on integrity, efficiency and a heightened sense of the rights of the people they have to deal with in the course of their work.
We who pay the piper should be calling the tune, and not the other way round. The Minister of Home Affairs might want to get on the podium and wave the baton, or in this case a really big stick, to keep both the police and the MACC playing to a strict ethical tempo. It would be a nice change for once.
(By Tunku Abdul Aziz/MySinchew)
It would be an untruth if I said I was ever a fan of Datuk Seri Najib Razak. Be that as it may, I am sorry about his coming into office, unlike all his predecessors, weighed down by the heaviest baggage imaginable, stuffed up to the neck with allegations of impropriety that I’d rather not bore you with.
I will not enumerate them either as they are too many. Also it would be pointless to waste our time dwelling upon unproven allegations that should have been nipped in the bud before they got out of hand, but for some unexplained reason, Najib had allowed them to fester like tropical sores on his credibility and honour.
I, like many other Malaysians, want very much to keep an open mind. We earnestly hope that he will give serious consideration to confronting, in a court of law, those who have defamed and reviled him.
His studied indifference might be considered by some to be an appropriate response, but he is not helping his own cause. He is pandering to the insatiable appetite of the noisy rumour mongering, chattering classes.
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WE have a slew of unloved government agencies in this country, more than in nations at a similar stage of development, so I gather. Without exception, these are enforcement agencies. The antipathy towards those who work in these powerful organisations has less to do with the nature of their work which all law-abiding citizens support, and more with the impunity with which they abuse their powers, often ignoring the fact that these are nothing more than vested powers to be used solely for the purpose of protecting and defending human rights, first and last.
The Royal Malaysia Police, rightly or wrongly, is perceived as the leader of the pack, and this is a perception that will be difficult to shake off because there have been far too many unexplained incidents involving deaths in custody which have led people to believe that torture, in one form or another, is part of the standard police operating procedure. All this is unfortunate because in a police service as old as ours, it is replete with its own detailed rules and procedures governing every conceivable aspect of modern policing. So, what really has gone wrong with the police?
The only reasonable explanation we can offer is that because of the generally abysmal quality of the officer cadre, these rules are more honoured in their breach than their observance. All this leads me to my favourite observation that there are no bad rank and file, only bad officers. The Inspector-General must be held accountable for the present sorry state of affairs of the service. The responsibility is his and, this dear Tan Sri Musa is the ultimate price and challenge of true leadership.
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