Seriously can we get the country moving again?

OK...there is finally the cabinet reshuffle which most people were wondering before why it never happened ? Now that it has happened, many say many things including being surprised.

Many are surprised that Muhyiddin has been dropped. I find it surprising that these people find it a surprise. Nothing personal to Muhyiddin, I would have thought that Najib was a weakling if he had not dropped his deputy who had made many public statements especially on 1MDB which is not only confusing but downright offensive to the mind of anyone who can think.

Examples: “.....I don’t know what is happening..” – then resign lah as Musa HItam did.

               “......!MDB will cause BN and UMNO to fall” – and how do you intend to make BN and UMNO not fall?

              “......I don’t know what is 1MDB all about..” – and then how in the world did you chair some of the cabinet meetings?

If those above reports are true, he makes it sound like the DPM is clueless as to what is happening and that the other cabinet members are either too stupid or too concerned for their positions to speak up – which is very insulting to the cabinet and to himself.

I do not know this man, Muhyiddin personally enough, so I cannot judge him personally. Of course I have met him and sat down at the same table to chat ...I would rather not comment what I perceived of him – but then again I have never been easily impressed by our politicians.  I may be also prejudiced by thinking that like ALL politicians who have been around for more than 6 years, they think they can walk on water. They think only they have the brains and the right to express what is right for the country. Lebih kurang semua sama je. Cium tangan bos, lepas tu wajib orang-orang bawahan cium tangan dia. Malay first, Malaysian second. So funny and so twisted this last statement when I first heard him say that. What?? He is against 1Malaysia????? That’s the government policy la ooi!

Anyway, I do not want to waste time discussing UMNO politics. What I wanted to write was this -  the new cabinet has been formed..so please, please get to work on serving the Rakyat.

Ok, ok there is 1MDB but do not use that as an excuse to neglect the Rakyat on other MORE important aspects of life.

The new education Minister – please revamp the education policy and system which Muhyiddin complexly failed to do. Let’s have less of the “perjuangkan Melayu” rhetoric of his era and get on with the task of really preparing the Malays to face the new century. This is the challenge for Mahadzir Khalid – bring quality education system to the people of Malaysia. There is no need to be Malay first and Malaysian second, whatever that means. Once you are Malaysian, you are all that la!

There young ones and new ones in the cabinet – please do not get sucked into this typical “UMNO bangsawan political types” with that characteristic smiles, laughter, walk and gestures. Today we can accept you as you are so long as you speak intelligently and start performing.  Also,. No need to get into the “ demi agama dan banga” rhetoric. Demi Negara would be just fine. People today judge you by what you do and not what you say because we have already seen all the previous politicians retire very, very, very rich while many Malays and Malaysians are still very, very poor.

Peace!

Pengajaran Daripada Low Yat Oh Low Yat

Dari satu segi, kita bernasib baik sebagai Negara kerana di uji oleh Allah dengan kejadian di Low Yat. Mana tahu, kita sudah matang, sudah belajar bersyukur, sudah boleh mengenali kelemahan dan kekuatan diri daripada menyalahkan seluruh dunia kecuali diri sendiri ....maka dengan kematangan dan kesyukuran kita mungkin dapat bertindak terhadap apa-apa yang berlaku sebagai seorang Muslim yang bijaksana.

Malangnya sekali lagi, nampaknya ramai yang di pertanggungjawapkan oleh Allah dalam kedudukan tertentu telah gagal segagal-gagalnya.  Dalam kita menyorak “Allah hu Akbar” dan pelbagai lagi kata-kata yang kita sangka bersemangat kita lupa untuk beriman kepada surah Al-Israa ayat 36 dimana Allah mengajar kita supaya usul periksa sebelum mempercayai sesuatu berita.

Ketua Polis Negara telah mengesahkan bahawa insiden yang berlaku berpunca daripada dua orang pemuda yang telah mencuri talipon bimbit. (klik disini http://www.kinitv.com/video/20678O8) Berita ini telah di putar belit oleh manusia-manusia yang tidak bertanggungjawap dan lupa akan kewujudan Allah sehingga diwujudkan ketakutan dikalangan rakyat dan kerosakkan kepada harta benda.

Kerakusan untuk berpolitik didunia yang amat sementara ini telah juga melalaikan kita untuk membezakan diantara suatu perbuatan jenayah dan rusuhan kaum. Apakah kita berdoa kepada Allah untuk menurunkan musibah rusuhan kaum yang boleh merosakkan masa hadapan anak- anak di bumi bertuah Malaysia ini?  Apakah kita begitu angkuh berpolitik sehingga kita tidak lagi takut kepada azab Allah?

Apakah kerana matlamat politik, atau sentimen perkauman atau atas sebab-sebab kepentingan tertentu kita sanggup dengan sengaja kufur (enggan patuhi) kepada firman-firman Allah dalam Al-Quran yang membawa maksud berikut:-

1)      “Wahai orang-orang yang percaya, jadilah kamu orang-orang yang menegakkan keadilan, saksi-saksi untuk Allah, walaupun terhadap diri kamu sendiri, atau ibu bapa kamu, dan sanak saudara, sama ada orang itu kaya atau miskin; Allah paling dekat dengan keduanya. Kemudian janganlah mengikuti keinginan kamu supaya kamu tidak berbuat adil; kerana jika kamu memutarbelitkan, atau kamu memalingkan, maka sesungguhnya Allah menyedari apa yang kamu buat”  (Q4:135)

2)      “Wahai orang-orang yang percaya, jadilah kamu orang-orang yang menegakkan di hadapan Allah, saksi-saksi untuk keadilan. Janganlah kebencian pada kaum mendesak kamu untuk tidak berlaku adil; berlaku adillah, itu lebih dekat dengan takwa. Dan takutilah Allah; sesungguhnya Allah menyedari apa yang kamu buat” (Q5:8)

Sekadar berkongsi di bulan yang kita sendiri akui adalah mulia.

Salam.

You know what has annoyed and saddened me all my life???

Actually many things and I think many of these things are not my doing....

Let me list down some of them...

1) When I was a kid, I looked up to adults because they seemed confident, knowledgeable and always spoke with authority. Whenever I asked questions or disagreed with them, I would be considered either as "rude" or 'speaking back".

But as I grow up, I realised that many of them are ignorant and pretending to know life when actually they too are trying to figure out what life is all about. Of course later I knew that most people do not think nor have the willingness to think....but certainly there is no reason to be dishonest with kids and worse to impose your unchecked, unverified beliefs on to them.

2) When I lost a class mate of mine in Form 5 in an accident, it really dawned upon me that we will for a certainty die one day. Life on earth will be meaningless if we do not make full use of it for the betterment of ourselves, our families, our friends, our society and our world.

Since we are all going to die, it makes sense to make this life as liveable as possible for all of us. Meaning - do not  make life too complicated. But it annoys me that we have made life so unnecessarily complicated due to various labels - culture, religion, protocol, ethnicity, economics, politics and so and so on.


3) It annoys me that some people make it their purpose in life to divide people according to religion and race. In fact they make money from this ignoble puropose. What is even more annoying is that they do this division of human beings by anointing themselves with fanciful and honourable titles and honorifics. .

It annoys me that some people have seminars, forums and even write so called "academic papers" to further dvide human beings. The heights of annoyance is when they speak in the name of God to divide people and make other people's lives as miserable as possible.

4) It annoys me that the masses allow their lives to be determined by the elitist few and keep honouring the masters who treat them and their children as slaves and tools for their own glory and power. It annoys me that masses live an automated life defined by the system which they did not create.

5) It annoys me that the masses do not want to support true reformers in society and recognise true thinkers.

6) It annoys me that powerful evil will get more powerful because they have all the resources to perpetuate their power.

7) It annoys me that the ordinary citizen in position of authority do not want to cooperate with another ordinary citizen and make the system pro ordinary citizen instead of being slavish enforcers for the elitists...and they grow old, retire and their children suffer from the corrupt system they created.

8) It annoys me that some men have the audacity to speak in the name of God and are brave to impose on you when they either have the power of authority or the power of violence.

9) It annoys me that the thinking ordinary masses do not translate their annoyance into something collectively useful to make our system better so that we can live better and happier.

What annoys you ???

PAS -DAP Crisis is good for DAP and the Country

Maybe I am going overboard calling the PAS-DAP "quarrels" as a crisis. Whatever it is, I think it it good for the political maturing in the country, good for DAP to evolve further into a truly Malaysian political party and good for some PAS members to rethink about PAS.

Marriage of Convenience

I think every political analyst knows that PAS will not last long in Pakatan. The political ideology of PAS and DAP, two main components of Pakatan is completely at variance. PAS stands for a theological ideology using the brand of "Islam" while DAP stands for secularism and a "Malaysian Malaysia"

The so-called coalition of Pakatan is nothing more than a marriage of convenience. I knew there was something amiss when PAS came out with their "Welfare State" trying to subtly get away from their decades of cry of "Islamic State" which, no thanks to IS, has become a bad word today.

So, Pakatan was just a political marriage of convenience foisted on the voters by three political parties with completely different agendas. In this marriage of convenience, only DAP is consistent with its "Malaysian Malaysia" and secular objective despite its "Chinese only image".

PAS practices politics of exclusivity

It should be clear as daylight to any Malaysian citizen that PAS brand of politics is by its very nature is exclusive - it excludes non-Muslims (do you know of any non-Muslim party member?) and excludes many Muslims (if not, why Muslims in UMNO or elsewhere never joined it?).

Hence, PAS's politics is about politics of exclusivism with its political insistence on imposing its brand of "Islam" and its own version of "syariah". This kind of politics does not only isolate the non-Muslims, it also isolates the Muslims who may not agree with PAS's interpretation of "Islam" and what it encompasses. PAS has always mixed religion with politics freely based on manipulating the argument that "Islam is all encompassing" while ignoring other equally valid arguments.

I strongly believe that if the economic and educational levels of the Malay Muslims increase in this country and there is greater freedom to discussion Islamic ideas and concepts, the political influence of PAS will naturally wane.  PAS will survive so long as there are Malay Muslims who are ignorant of the Quran or a certain kind of conservative interpretation of Islam continues to be mainstream.

The fact that many Muslim reformists themselves have been rejected at the recent PAS Assembly is evidence of the exclusivism of the conservative mindset in PAS. If the PAS members themselves cannot accept reformist interpretations from their own leaders, do you actually expect them to appreciate other Muslim scholarly views? What more the views of non-Muslims? So, voters better wake up to this fact.

Frankly the biggest mistake ever done by the government is to allow political parties to be identified with religion, what more Islam in this case, which is the religion of the majority of the citizens of this country. 

In India you have the RSS, which is considered as a Hindu Nationalist movement and the BJP which is considered as imbued with Hindu religious fundamentalism and often anti-science. Now, the BJP has somehow formed the government and expectations are that India will regress, unless BJP adapts to the national realities instead of fundamentalism. 

The biggest question that this theological politicians from PAS have yet to answer: What have they contributed in real terms to the Kelantanese after being in power for so long other than stories of fantasy and wishful thinking?

DAP promotes secularism and a Malaysian Malaysia.

If you compare DAP with either PAS or PKR, even if you do not support DAP, you have to admit that their political struggle is quite clear. The late Mr Karpal Singh, Lim Guan Eng and even Lim Kit Siang are clear that they support secularism, for lack of a better word. They allow for freedom of religion and are concerned about sensitivities of each communities religion.

More importantly, DAP has always focused on national issues affecting all citizens regardless of ethnic or religious origins. 

Of course, DAP has a past that has given it an image that it is a "Chinese chauvinist" party but I think it has changes and is changing under Lim Guan Eng. If more Malays join the party, I will not underestimate DAP to be a more formidable party acceptable by Malaysians.

Many scorned me when I predicted that DAP will wrestle Penang easily and that many Malays will join DAP.

With this rising tide of "religionisation" taking place in the country, especially UMNO behaving clueless in this area, I will not be surprised if many more Muslims join DAP as a platform to regain their right to practice Islam as they see it.

Irony? Wait and see.

Peace and Salam Ramadan.

Satu Ketika Dahulu Kita Lawan Komunis

Satu ketika dulu kita lawan Komunis untuk pertahankan negara

Kita lawan Jepun .....

Kita pun "lawan" dengan British...

Kini...kita lawan sesama kita.


Salam.

Apa Yang YAB Lim Guan Eng Cakap Ni ????

(image thanks to nasionalis.my)

Betul kah lapuran berita berita bahwa Lim GUan Eng suruh PAS keluar daripada Pakatan kalau masih berpegang pada "hudud ala PAS"?

Betul kah Guan Eng cakap wakil-wakil PAS harus berhenti menjadi wakil-wakil dalam kerajaan Pulau Pinang memandangkan muktamar PAS terima usul putuskan hubungan dengan DAP?

Kalau dan KALAU, lapuran itu semua betul...saya setuju dengan Guan Eng. Bukan kah kalau muktamar dah cakap tak nak berkawan....yang pemimpin dok nak berkwan buat apa? rasa macam tak ikut kehendak ahli parti.

Lagi pun, kalau betul lah DEWAN ULAMAK PAS dah cakap jangan dok berkawan dengan DAP...jangan lah dok berkawan.

Kan DEWAN ULAMAK PAS itu di anggap sebagai orang-orang yang pakar agama oleh ahli-ahli PAS...tentu sekali mereka dah belek belek apa-apa kitab-kitab yang dianggap suci oleh mereka untuk membuat keputusan itu. Jangan main-main...ni semua "ulamak" ooii..."pewaris Nabi", depa kata.

Tapi betul ke dewan ulamak PAS cakap macam tu? macam tak caya je....Tolong sesiapa cek dulu betul ke tak betul.

Hadi pun sepasai.....apa yang susah sangat nak putus hubungan dengan DAP? Dah mu nak "hudud", depa tak nak. Tak sehaluan...so belah je lah. Tak payah saya nak guna bahasa akademik atau pemikiran intelektual untuk nak hurai keadaan PAS ni...waste of Allah given valuable resources.

Sebagai seroang Muslim, saya setuju dengan Guan Eng. Islam pun mengajar kita berpegang pada prinsip dan janji. Ini kan pula PARTY yang mau rakyat percaya mereka "perjuangkan Islam"...

Problem is....PAS ni parti politik...jadi dia kena la buat kiraan politik dulu.

Saya harap sangat2lah bulan puasa ni PAS dapat buat muhasabah diri yang cukup baik dalam bahasa yang mereka faham.

But my late grandmother once said....a leopord won't change its spots. Hmmm....


Salam.

Ramadan Thoughts: Ramadan is Here Again.

I am repeating last year's post as it is still relevant.

Salam Ramadan

1. The Ramadan month is here again. This is the time where the Muslims undergo disciplinaryTRAINING of abstinence from food, drinks, lust and management of emotions for the love of Allah.

2. The month is also filled with nightly ritual prayer of terawih, aSPECIAL prayer which is much longer than the normal five times per day prayers.

3. Correctly practiced, the Ramadan month is capable of being a month that transforms the caterpillar into a butterfly, change of bad habits into good ones. It can cause the Hijrah or migration of a person from a lower state into a higher state, a poor character into an examplary one.

4. Whether Ramadan serves the purpose of transforming a person into aBETTER human being or it only serves as a mere religious ritual depends on many factors, primarily how the individual Muslim sees it.

5. On the one hand, Ramadan also witnesses many hypocritical, commercial and purely selfish behaviour.  The business entities, especially the food industry seems to ironically have a boost in sales!CORPORATE and political personalities also use this period to network for commercial and political purposes.

6. The most basic and fundamental teachings of Islam comes from the Quran.  If the Muslim takes the trouble to allocate a mere one hour a day in the month of Ramadan to study the Quran, he mayEMERGEmore knowledgeable about true Islam as contained in the Quran at the end of the Ramadan month.

7. With the knowledge gained from the Quran,he may then use it as a criterion to evaluate his life, the life in the society he lives in, the values and the events that he has witnessed in his society - and decide whether it reflects the mercy, blessings, and teachings thatBENEFIT human kind as contained in the Quran.

8. It will be sad and futile if the Ramadan month is turned into pure ritualistic exercise for the sake of a tradition or religion without the spirit. Then there will be no migration or Hijrah of the person's character and perspectives.

9. Salam Ramadan to all and may you each be blessed with what you sow.

Peace !

My Wish For Malaysia

Very basic really.

That we all become and behave as human beings with compassion and love first.

That we stop making life difficult for each other in the name of politics, religion, ethnicity and so on.

That we realise that none of us - however learned we claim to be - has the right or authority to play God.

That we allow the diligent to be diligent, the talented to be talented.

That the powerful and rich do not oppress the weak and poor - know that we are mortals who will disintegrate one day.

Let's share a dream together - to make Malaysia our home and us, a Malaysian family.

MALAYSIA

OUR 

HOME!

Peace !

Penghinaan Terhadap Orang Islam harus berhenti !!!

(image thanks to http://wellcomehistory.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/anger.jpg)


Sejak kebelakangan ini terlalu banyak penghinaan terhadap umat Muslim yang berlaku. Sebenarnya, dalam negara ini, penghinaan demi penghinaan terhadap minda dan imej orang Islam berlaku sejak 9 tahun yang lalu.

Yang menyedihkan ialah penghinaan ini dilakukan oleh..........................orang-orang yang mengaku orang Islam !

Penghinaan-penghinaan ini amat dahsyat sekali sehingga sekumpulan kecil dominan yang kuat bersuara ini cuba untuk menampilkan orang Islam sebagai bodoh, percaya tahyul dan fantasi, tidak berkeyakinan diri, pak turut yang tidak tahu untuk menilai, tidak ada jati diri, pengacau keamanan, rasis, hipokit, dogmatik dan "sexist" (kalau tak faham tengok kamus), ritualistik semata-mata dan sebagainya yang negatif.

Oleh kerana kumpulan dominan ini kuat bersuara tanpa malu dan harga diri serta tanpa menilai tahap ilmu dan tahap pemikirannya, maka penghinaan bertubi-tubi diteruskan teradap umat Muslim.

Awal sekali saya ingin nyatakan bahawa "Islam" itu adalah Adeen atau "Cara HIdup" atau "The Way" yang amat rasional, yang galakkan pemikiran, penilaian dan kajiselidik, syumul dan bertepatan uttuk semua masa serta relevan kepada yang percaya dan yang tidak percaya. Ia adalah Adeen yang inklusif (kalau tak faham, tengok kamus) dan bukan agama yang eksklusif seperti kebanyakkan agama. Ini lah diantara rahmah, mukjizat dan barakah Adeen Allah yang mungkin ramai Muslim sendiri tidak sedar,

Diantara penghinaan-penghinaan ialah seperti berikut:-

(image thanks to http://www.mauroferrario.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/dontThink.jpg)

1) Orang Islam begitu lemah dengan "aqidah" mereka sehingga begitu mudah terpengaruh dengan simbol-simbol agama lain seperti "salib" tokong, gereja, dan lain-lain.

2) Orang Islam begitu lemah mnda sehingga kehadiran buku-buku "suci" agama lain boleh memesongkan mereka - ini pula di Negara kita dimana setiap ceruk negara terdapat "ceramah agama" yang begitu banyak!

(image thanks to http://godspeaksilisten.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/stupid-best.jpg)

3) Orang Islam tidak pandai menilai, tidak pandai berfikir sehingga terpaksa setiap kali dalam semua hal "agama" merujuk" kepada "ustad", "tok/tuan guru", "ulamak", "Sheikh" dan sebagainya.  Pandangan-pandangan "orang agama" ini pula harus di terima bulat-bulat seolah-olah ianya firman Allah tanpa pertikaian. Seolah-olah orang-orang Islam tidak mampu bertanggungjawap terhadap ubudiyyah nya sendiri kepada Allah !

(image thanks to http://cookouteveryday.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/ScreenHunter_29-Jun.-09-12.24.jpg)

4) Orang Islam tidak mampu menghadapi kepelbagaian tafsiran dan fahaman sehingga mudah menjadi ganas atau emosi jika orang lain yang berilmu mempersembahkan tafsiran berbeza. Cara paling mudah untuk membela fahaman sendiri ialah dengan menidakkan hak orang lain untuk menyuarakan fahaman dan hujahnya! "Adabal Khilafiah" yang di ajar oleh Allah dalam Al-Quran diketepikan

(image thanks to http://www.lovelifelivenow.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Anger_2.jpg}

5) Digambarkan Islam sebagai agama yang suka melarang, mengharamkan segala, tidak ada kerasionalan dalan tindakan, yang mengekalkan dirinya dengan kuasa dan bukan pengajaran dan hujah. Ini disebabkan orang-orang agama yang suka menunjukkan kuasa melalui melarang itu dan ini, dan sebagainya. Walhal Adden Allah adalah berdasarkan hujah, nas, pelawaan dan tiada paksaan langsung.

(image thanks to: http://i.ytimg.com/vi/fGR-adEEkNg/0.jpg

6) Digambarkan Agama sebagai penuh dengan kerahiban dalan pelbagai segi dimana orang agama diangkat ketahap tuhan sehingga pendangan dan tafsiran mereka tidak boleh di cabar atau dipertikai oleh Muslim2 lain yang mungkin lebih pandai, berilmu daripada mereka walaupun tidak khusus pada agama secara formal atau rasmi.












(image thanks to https://chloeannjacobs.files.wordpress.com/2014/07/sexism2.jpg)


7) Baru-baru ini saya diberitahu oleh seorang pelajar kolej bahawa guru agama mereka mengajar bahawa "Islam tidak mengalak wanita berkerja tetapi harus duduk di rumah dan lelakilah yang harus buat segala sesuatu".  Kononnya menurut beliau "wanita adalah bunga yang harus dijaga lelaki supaya berseri di rumah untuk menyejukkan hati lelaki" ! Kalau ini bukan ajaran yang menjadikan wanita sebagai simbol seks semata-mata, saya tidak tahu apa yang nak digelarkan ajaran sedemikian!

8) Digambarkan sebagai wanita lah sumber maksiat dan lelaki Muslim amat rendah kawalan mereka terhadap nafsu sehingga mudah goncang dengan kehadiran wanita. Bentuk badan wanita dijadikan isu. Tidak kah tension bila orang-orang ini mengambarkan masalah peribadi dan kelemahan mereka sendiri sebagai ciri manusia?? Tidak kah ini penghinaan pada minda Muslim yang beretika dan boleh mengawal diri?

(image thanks to https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJbH6TEGtYGhId3cQEfRlmQdGB8WtU9RQqqkb-EFExHFbzH0KG6X2nnaZHkSRYFfwEF5hm5RdfrRZtJLh3ULlPpBAW16FjB5k88d46qb_Bs3X4zDz1nnvOoIvNphRppQKcXu5OcDfck62p/s1600/Is+SWTOR+Bringing+Back+Retro+Sexism+Issues+for+Women+Gamers.gif)

9) Di satu sekolah rendah, guru agama mengajar bahawa orang Islam tidak boleh merayakan Hari raya Cina sebab "cina makan babi dan ini adalah perayaan orang kafir". Perkara ini saya telah seselaikan sendiri dimana ustazah itu ikhlas mengaku tersilap kerana tidak faham sebelum ini perkara-perkara yang saya jelaskan pada nya. Namun, amat menakutkan berapa sekolah lagi ada orang-orang agama sedemikian???

9) Keganasan di "halalkan" atas nama agama walhal amat jelas Islam mengharamkan mengambil nyawa manusia yang tidak bersalah.

Saya juga tertanya-tanya, tidak mampu ke "orang agama" berdebat dengan mufakkir dan Muslim-muslim yang jauh lebih pandai daripada mereka walaupun tidak berkelulusan formal agama secara rasional dan beradab?

Tidak malu kah kita sebagai Muslim bila ada orang-orang Islam yang bercakap bodoh dikhalayak ramai atas nama Islam?

Kadang-kadang saya rasa lucu bilamana seorang yang tidak berkemampuan untuk berhujah secara logik dan berdasarkan Al-Quran mengambil jalan keluar dengan membunyikan beberapa bahasa Arab yang ia sendiri tidak faham tetapi popular dikalangan mereka.

Masalah lah masyarakat bila ianya didominasi oleh orang-orang yang lemah daya pemikiran, bersikap burung kakak tua, tidak berani berhujah berdaarkan ilmu dan nas, dan paling sedih ialah ia begitu tidak berkeyakinan diri sehingga marah bila orang berlainan pendapat !!!

(Image thanks to: https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/0d/80/74/0d80746b5ae6ff2d867d002a43cef30a.jpg)

Muslim harus bangkit untuk mengembalikan maruah dan berhenti dihina oleh orang-orang "Islam" yang bodoh dan jahil atau yang tampak berpendidikan tetapi sijahil terdidik.

Salam.

Apakah GST Sebenarnya?

oleh: YB Datuk Hj Ahmad Bin Hj Mazlan.

Timbalan Menteri Kewangan Malaysia.

Pernahkah kita terfikir mengapa 170 drpd 193 negara dlm dunia ini (88%) sudah melaksanakan GST, Goods & Services Tax atau CBP, Cukai Barang & Perkhidmatan atau VAT, Value Added Tax? Adakah mereka ingin menzalimi rakyat di negara masing2 itu?
Angka 170 itu termasuk negara mundur, berpendapatan sederhana rendah, berpendapatan sederhana tinggi (Msia termasuk kategori ini) dan juga negara2 maju.

Pernahkah kita cuba ingin mencari jawapan mengapa 43 drpd 57 negara (75%) dlm OIC, Organisation of Islamic Cooperation sudah melaksana GST/VAT? Tentu negara2 itu tahu yg GST hukumnya harus & dibolehkan drpd sudut agama Islam.

Jawapannya ialah kerana GST lebih baik drpd sistem cukai kepenggunaan yg lain spt SST Sales & Services Tax atau CJP, Cukai Jualan & Perkhidmatan yg di Msia ini sudah pun dilaksana sejak 1972 & 1975.

SST? Apa itu? Pembangkang sebut selama ini kita tak ada kena cukai tapi sekarang semua org kena. Betul ke itu? Black box kapal terbang warna hitam. Betul ke? GST cukai yg zalim. Betul ke? Kotak hitam rupa-rupanya berwarna jingga/oren. GST model Msia yg sebenar adalah cukai yg adil & tidak zalim.

Selama ini rakyat Msia sudah pun membayar cukai SST dlm banyak barang & perkhidmatan iaitu 5% atau 6% atau 10%. Malangnya SST itu kurang telus sbb ianya termasuk dlm harga barang yg rakyat tidak perasan sedangkan GST kini telus kerana ada dlm resit. Rakyat Msia tiba2 menjadi tambah celik kewangan bermula 1/4/15. Dulu tidak pernah simpan resit barang2 yg dibeli, skrng resit dibaca, disimpan & di whatsapp ke seluruh dunia !!

Berikut adalah sbhg drpd kebaikan GST utk rakyat & negara:

1) Sistem cukai yg berkesan, telus dan cekap kerana GST mempunyai aturan yg baik, penggunaan sistem komputer dgn perisian yg tepat & boleh diurus sendiri. Buku akaun jadi satu dokumen yg lengkap, bukan sentiasa rugi jika diguna waktu membayar cukai kpd Lembaga Hasil, LHDNM.

2) Mengembangkan ekonomi negara kerana GST jadikan perniagaan berkembang lebih teratur dgn rantaian jualan jadi lebih baik. GST boleh kembangkan ekonomi negara 0.3 - 0.5% dlm tahun pertama pelaksanaannya.

3) Mengurangkan ekonomi terselindung (pengelakan / penipuan cukai). Kini ekonomi gelap di Msia menurut kajian Bank Dunia berjumlah 30% drpd KDNK, Keluaran Dlm Negara Kasar / GDP Gross Domestic Product. Dan dgn GST "the shadow economy" ŵini boleh dikurang kpd 10-15%. Pembangkang yg tak sokong GST adakah mereka sedar ini bermaksud ingin lindungi penipuan cukai??

4) Membantu sektor eksport negara kerana semasa SST cukai dikenakan kpd eksport. GST tidak dikenakan terhadap eksport maka jadikan eksport lebih murah & berdaya saing di peringkat antarabangsa. Pembangkang tidak setuju kpd langkah yg baik ini?

5) Membantu sektor pelancongan kerana pelancong boleh claim GST di airport terhadap barang yg dibawa pulang. Namun khidmat & belanja dlm negara tetap pelancong bayar GST.

6) Mengurangkan kos perniagaan kerana peniaga boleh claim cukai input 6%. Rantaian kilang, pemborong & peruncit boleh claim balik yg akan turunkan kos niaga. Pengguna tidak claim balik sbb jika claim maka tiadalah sebarang cukai akan dikutip. Tapi pengilang, pemborong & peruncit adalah rakyat yg juga pengguna.

7) Menjadikan harga barang lebih patut bila kos niaga berkurang. Semasa SST, cukai dianggap sbg kos maka ianya dipindah kpd pengguna utk membayarnya. GST bukan suatu kos kpd peniaga. Pembangkang tidak suka harga barang jadi lebih patut?

8) Menambah hasil negara utk manfaat rakyat sbb cukai diguna utk pendidikan, kemahiran, kesihatan, keselamatan, kebajikan, ratusan touchpoints Bajet tahunan & pembangunan negara secara keseluruhan. Cukai adalah dari rakyat, dikutip & di bajet dgn adil oleh Kementerian Kewangan, diproses / lulus di Dewan Rakyat / Dewan Negara dan dikembalikan semula kpd rakyat.

9) GST sistem cukai yg lebih baik drpd cukai jualan & perkhidmatan SST kerana berlaku cukai atas cukai & pindahan nilai dlm SST. 5% SST jadi 8% dan 10% jadi 15%. Ini jadikan harga barang naik. Kesan 8 & 15% itu kini turun kpd hanya 6% GST. Pembangkang tidak suka cukai  diturunkan?

10) Membantu Msia jadi negara maju thn 2020 nanti kerana GST menepati standard antarabangsa. Sbb itulah maka majoriti negara di dunia ini sudah laksanakannya. 9 drpd 10 penduduk di dunia berada dlm negara yg laksanakan GST/VAT.

Namun jika GST baik mengapa harga barang naik? Hakikatnya tidak semua peniaga naikkan harga. Peniaga2 yg sokong pembangkang tidak akan jayakan inisiatif baik Kerajaan BN. Mereka suka "sabotaj" ekonomi negara ini, dgn naikkan harga barang agar rakyat marah kpd BN.

Peniaga yg beretika spt puluhan cawangan Mydin, 165 Kedai Rakyat 1Msia, lebih 300 cawangan Pasar Tani, 21 cawangan Jakel, lebih 600 cawangan KFC, Domino Pizza, sbhg besar pasar2 raya besar seluruh negara, hampir semua pengeluar kereta spt Proton dll menjual barang dgn sama harga atau lebih rendah dibanding sebelum GST. Ya GST yg sebenar boleh menurunkan harga barang. Jika barang turun maka pembangkang akan susah hati. Oleh itu adalah menjadi kegembiraan pembangkang jika GST dapat dimanipulasi dgn menaikkan harga barangan.

Penguatkuasaan sedang dilaksanakan oleh KPDNKK & Kastam. Rakyat sedang menanti ada peniaga yg akan dihadapkan ke mahkamah kerana melanggar Akta Kawalan Harga & Anti Pencatutan dll Akta yg berkaitan dgn perlindungan  rakyat & pengguna. Mahkamah baru itu kini ada di setiap buah negeri utk percepatkan perbicaraan.

Denda & penjarakan mereka yg mengambil kesempatan dgn naikkan harga spt kpd barang2 yg sebelum ini ada 10% SST maka patut turun harga kerana tolak SST 10% baru dicampur GST 6% jadi barang turun sekitar 4%. Peniaga mesti ikut SOP GST yg sebenar. Pengguna pula gunakan kuasa 3M, memilih, melapor & memboikot peniaga yg degil.

Sifar GST utk makanan asas yg dibeli dlm peratusan yg tinggi drpd belanja rakyat yg berpendapatan rendah, 4200 ubat2an, buku2, air paip, gas masak, susu bayi. Juga sifar GST utk beras, tepong, gula, garam, rempah, sayur, ulam, buah2an, semua makanan laut basah & kering, daging lembu, kambing, ayam, itik, telur dll.

Kedai kecil, warung2, pasar2 kecil yg pendapatan mereka kurang rm500 ribu setahun tiada GST. Perkhidmatan asas spt pendidikan, kesihatan, pengangkutan awam, penyewaan rumah & urusan Kjaan juga dikecualikan GST. Model GST sifar yg banyak begini hanya ada di Msia. Kadar 6% pula adalah terendah di dunia selepas 3 negara lain yg kadarnya 5%.

Kerana GST maka cukai SST turun 10% kpd 6%, cukai pendapatan individu turun 1-3%, cukai koperasi diturunkan 1-2%, cukai syarikat turun 25% kpd 24% dan cukai PKS/SME turun 20% kpd 19%. Kerana GST maka BR1M dinaikkan kpd rm950. Rakyat tentu inginkan akan ada lagi program2 kebajikan lain yg akan diumumkan dari semasa ke semasa.

GST adalah perubahan sistem cukai yg terbesar dlm sejarah Msia. Perdana Menteri sebut fakta ini dlm perjumpaan dgn Kastam pada 30/3/2015. GST akan stabil dlm masa 6 bulan drpd tarikh 1/4/15, menurut Kastam. Saya harap GST boleh stabil dlm masa 3-4 bulan, mudah-mudahan.

Ada orang minta saya berhenti bercakap ttg GST. Jika saya ikut kata mereka itu maka pembangkang akan menang dlm putar belit mereka merosakkan minda rakyat. Saya tidak akan berhenti menjelaskan yg GST lebih baik drpd SST. Anda boleh ikuti penjelasan GST saya dlm twitter @ahmadmaslan.

Atau dapatkan maklumat GST yg ada di hujung jari kita drpd telefon pintar dll di alamat:
www.gst.customs.gov.my
www.gstmalaysiainfo.com
www.gstpedia.my
www.treasury.gov.my
www.kpdnkk.gov.my

Terima Kasih.

Farewell and Rest In Peace Mr Lee Kuan Yew

Without doubt he is a great leader. He built up Singapore when Singapore had no natural resources at all.

I have read many books on him especially the book below since I love to analyse the mind of great political leaders. I must have read the book at least 5 times since I find it the best account.

He is indeed the father of Singapore's birth as a successful Nation State. I respect his intellect, knowledge of society and history which he exhibits in his speech and writings - a quality many leaders lack. He had a vision and I believe he achieved more than his vision for Singapore.

He also had the leadership and firmness to do what is necessary for Singapore rather than what is populist.

In short, I believe his life was useful to Singapore and probably to many others. I wish him rest in peace and my condolences to his family and Singapore.

Even at time of grieve, Singapore is efficient where the Prime Minister's announcement of Mr Lee's passing away is done in three languages - beginning in the Malay language. HOw not to respect Singapore?



Peace !

Slaves of Men in the name of God

This is nothing new. All through the history of humankind, there are many who are willing to become slaves of men in the name of God.

A belief in God is supposed to give a sense of confidence in existence, a sense of being free from the tyranny of men, a sense of gratitude for life and a sense of being good. These are some of the values and aspirations of most religions. It is equally supposed to bring inner peace to humans through the special and personal relationship with their creator/God.

In the realm of faith however, logic and rational thinking often takes a back seat as opposed to the mysterious "heart". Hence, not every conduct that is carried out in the name of religion can be explained logically. Emotions tend to be stronger than rational or scientific thought and therefore the need for proof is often dispensed with. It is almost impossible to debate with emotions.

Slavery can take many forms. One of the highest level of slavery to me is when a person gives up his thinking and his right to mould his life to someone else or a group of others.  This often happens in religion.

All forms of conduct and living which in a civilised society may be considered as primarily a private matter becomes the subject of control in a religious society . Most of these restrictions on speech, dressing, diet, thought, general behaviour and socialisation are often determined exclusively by a few men in the name of God for the vast ignorant majority. 

These few elitist men, often portrayed as knowledgable due to their attendance at certain universities or mastery of certain information and language are held in high regard almost to the level of a god when it comes to the force with which thier views are expected to be complied with. 

Often any dissent against the views of these select elitist religious groups are met with a finality of punishment including the cruel method of social and legal ostracisation.  Increasingly, due to fear of being ostracised and the unpleasant repercussions that may follow, these elitist group solidify their position as controllers of human behaviour in the name of God. People relent because they want to get on with their lives not realising that they have become slaves to a few human masters.

The position of the elitist groups as the only spokesman for all things Godly often begins with the indoctrination of children - either at home or in schools. These children are taught that there are certain "knowledgable religious persons" whose views are never to be questioned.  These children also are taught that in matters of religion, many things can be imposed or forced upon them without the need for explanation or acceptance.  

Religion hence becomes a powerful tool to control humans.

It has the power to make slaves of men to other men who speak in the name of God.

Peace !reli

How we destroy local businesses.

i can never understand how the minds of those in authority work.

One would think that authorities will seek out talents and skills and create an environment to enable them to prosper in the economy.  Laws will be enacted to enable the entrepreneurs to be more effective and the consumers protected while safeguarding other national interests. Good business is good for the country.

But we seem to do the exact opposite with the available technology and the desk knowledge that our "brains" in the authorities have studied in the universities.

Singapore is a financial hub and we are not. That is not a surprise.

Bank Negara and the latest Money Services Business Act seems  more to curb and diminish the efficiency of money changers rather than use them to develop a vibrant financial market. Everyone knows that money changers are experts and efficient in efficiently performing exchange transactions. Some of them are able to remit currencies faster than any bank. They have been around longer than even bank negara whose officers had to go to university to understand what curency exchange and remittance is !!!

Prior to the MSB Act, quite a number of money changers have been chatged for remittance without licence. Instead of studying how they are able to do it, we clamp down on them on the pretext of money laundering. No one is denying that there may have been instances of money laundering but the solution is not to "burn the kelambu because of the nyamuk!"

Thanks to the MSB Act and bank negara's failure to understand the  practicalities of doing business, many money changers have gone out of business because they do not know how to put on tht neck tie and use the complex online forms that BNM insists must be filled up.

The MSB Act itself is a joke to the point of being oppressive when one considers the overbearing punishments contained in it. Even efficient Sinagpore does not have punishments like RM5 million for a simple offence!

The cost of doing businessfor money changers have gone up and it can be foreseen that in the long run, the small money changers may be a distant past taken over by bigger boys - this is called progress! The fact that even thier association is controlled by BNM is another joke in a democracy.

On another note, the forceful implementation of the GST against small traders who are not IT savvy is yet another cruel joke. We are very busy with enforcement until we forget completely about assisting the traders to understand the new technology. It is a "I don't care attitude".

If this is the way forward, we are going to kill our small businesses which are the fundamentals of our economy.

Peace !

No Draft Hudud Bill Yet By PAS ????

I read this report in the malaymailonline with total surpirse !!!

I thought that PAS was still hanging on to its controversial 1993 Draft Bill which had received much opposition, even from Muslims.

If the Malay Mail report is true, why is PAS not letting the Muslim Public view its draft Hudud Bill which it wants to implement as "Islamic Law". It is so easy - just upload it on their website and make and announcement. Why hide? If it is already there, can someone point out the link to me?

I want to support it if it is consistent with the justice element as ordained by Allah. Otherwise, how can I determine if I am being led astray or not ???

Don't the Muslim have a Allah given right to determine whether it is consistent with the principles of the Quran and the most authentic Sunnah ???

Or is PAS expecting the ordinary Muslims to just accept everything that PAS claims to be Islamic and reject surah 17 verse 36?

 I recall reading parts of the 1993 Hudud Bill where PAS placed six offences as hudud completely contrary to even the jurists understanding of what "hudud laws" mean.

PAS categorised six as "hudud" while the juristic definition what "hudud" means only admits four.

I recall that PAS even put irrtidad or ridddah (apostasy) as a hudud offence despite the clear evidence in the Quran that there is no temporal punishment for apostasy. Also, the Quran is as clear as daylight that there is absolutely no compulsion in faith. All you have to do is study the Quran and you will know this. There are so many verses to this effect ( see also 10:99).

I recall clearly that the only character that imposes punishment for change of faith in the Quran is Firaun.

However, I stand to be corrected whether PAS has made amendments to its 1993 Bill.

I support completely Allah's will but not man made designs masquerading as Allah's will.

I am sure (hope) PAS leaders must have read the following verses:

"068.036  What is the matter with you? How judge you?

068.037  Or have you a book through which you learn-

068.038  That you shall have, through it whatever you choose?

068.039  Or have you Covenants with Us to oath, reaching to the Day of Judgement,

(providing) that you shall have whatever you shall demand?

068.040  Ask you of them, which of them will stand surety for that!

068.041  Or have they some "Partners" (in Godhead)? Then let them produce their

"partners", if they are truthful!"

(Yusuf Ali translation).

So are PAS leaders giving the guarantee that they know what is Allah's will and they stand guarantee that their "Islamic Law" is Allah's will - or should I not ask that question and just accept?

Peace !

NOTE' NO ONE INCLUDING PAS LEADERS ARE EXPECTED TO AGREE WITH THE VIEWS ABOVE. I WISH NOT TO, (FOR I CANNOT) PLAY GOD ON EARTH WITH THE FAITH OF OTHERS BECAUSE THAT IS CLEARLY ALLAH'S JURISDICTION. ALSO,  PLEASE REFER TO YOUR OWN COPY OF THE QURAN TO ASCERTAIN WHAT VIEWS YOU HEAR OR READ.

Future Earth : Scary things that will Happen in Future (Full Documentary)

What does “protecting Islam” mean?

(This article was inspired by Kadir Jasin’s latest posting where he mentioned what is important is to “protect the future of UMNO. Malays and Islam..”  No fault of his.)

We often hear this phrase “protecting Islam”, “protecting the sanctity of Islam”, “memartabatkan kedudukan Islam”, “mempertahankan Islam” and so on. What do they exactly mean when they say that?

Firstly, I must confess that I as a Muslim do not know exactly which interpretation of “Islam” they are referring to though I know that there is no single interpretation. All the evidence is out there and in particular, globally, the Muslim world is theologically and politically divided in two major denominations - the “Sunni” and “Shia” Islam world.  The Shias and the Sunnis do not accept each other’s collection of hadiths (“saying of the Prophet”), notwithstanding the fact that each claims “authenticity” and academic verification of the same .

Even within the said denominations, there are diverse sects with their own interpretation of what constitutes “Islam”. In the Sunni world itself there are four main schools of thought namely, Maliki, Shafie, Hanbali and Hanafi equally diverse in views on many topics including those related to pure faith issues.

Fundamentally the divisions in the “Islamic” world arises due to the differences in the sources relied upon to build the structure of Islam.  While all of them claim to accept the Quran, much of the structure of Islam today is build not necessarily from the explicit injunctions of the Quran per se but mostly from the jurists or fuqahas efforts of exegesis. In simple words, derived from the reasoning and interpretation of the jurists.

In the Sunni world, it is “accepted” by their collective mainstream clergy that the sources of Islam in Islamic jurisprudence or usul al-fiqh is primarily the Quran, the Sunnah and hadith, Ijma’ (consensus of the scholars) and Qias (anology).  There are many other sources of islam that have been created to assist in addressing a particular issue such as istihsan, urf and so on.

Even the idea of maqasid al-syariah (objectives of the shariah) is a concept created by the jurists or religious scholars/clergy by way of deducing and inferring from the “accepted” sources aforementioned.

It is understandable that human beings will have to interpret, deduce, and infer from facts and evidence to arrive at a conclusion or to create a concept from which everything else is build. There is nothing unique about this process of thinking and is common to all aspects of our life. This is how values and systems of beliefs and behaviour evolve in societies.

The problem only arises when we deny our interpretative role and equate our ideas, concepts and conclusions to that of the Divine or God. Hence, criticisms and alternative interpretations become impossible and would immediately be cast as blasphemous or unthinkable.

This is what I call the confusion between the views of the Interpreter (“the clergy or anyone) and the actual intent of  the Giver of the Text (“Divine/God”).  Would not equating the views of the interpreter (clergy) absolutely with the intent of the Giver of the Text (“God”) equate the position of the clergy with the position of God?

So back to the question of “protecting Islam”, those who say this cannot and should not assume the serious reader or serious audience knows what they are talking about. They must specify which “Islam” they are talking about.  A generalisation in matters pertaining to Islam is completely unhelpful if they understand the realities of the situation and the diverse academic discussions on Islam and most importantly, the contents of the Quran itself.

Say for example, they were to say “protect the Shia Islam”, then it will be easy to make a choice whereby those who prefer the Sunni version can reject that call. And similarly if one was to say “protect the Sunni version”, then those in favour can support that call.  Even this however may pose a problem in a seemingly Sunni society because of the differences in the opinions of the four schools of thought.  

So, maybe it becomes clearer if the caller was to say “protect the Shafie views of Islam” and so on.

However, do we see this manner of calls as promoting unity among the Muslims? What then will those adhere to the Maliki or Hanafi view do? If you say accept all, then what do you do when there is a conflict of views?

Would it not be easier and more efficient for Muslims to make the call from one book which all of them do not dispute – the Quran?  And mean it too when the call is made and Muslims heed the call by adhering to the Quran. Otherwise, you will be guilty of causing further disunity among the Muslims.

Hence, be careful when you say you want to “protect Islam” for you may be doing the exact reverse by your futile call due to your ignorance of the complexities and the Quran.

Peace !

NOTE: THE AUTHOR DOES NOT REQUIRE NOR EXPECT ANYONE TO ACCEPT OR AGREE WITH HIS VIEWS STATED HEREIN. IN MATTERS OF ISLAM, THE AUTHOR WARNS THAT THE READER SHOULD CHECK WITH HIS OWN COPY OF THE QURAN AND MAKE UP HIS OWN MIND.

Ok, If I am Ok !!!

By: ASP Nik Ezanee

 1. When the topic of corruption comes up, people are quick to point
fingers and the usual suspects are the politicians and the police.

2. There are probably many good reasons why most fingers are pointed
to that few direction. Some may agree, some not. However, we can agree
that many people want this to change.

3. Have we checked in with ourselves lately? What I have notice is
that people are quick to point the mistakes of others, while condone
the very same mistake if it benefits them personally. Hence, "It is ok
if I am ok with it."

4. It is NOT ok for Officials to accept gifts. But it is OK for me to
buy the Officials the latest Iphone 5 each to maintain good rapport
with them. Dinner, overseas trips, golf? karaoke sessions?

5. It is NOT ok for Police to accept bribe. But it is OK for me to
offer it to them to save my neck. (and later brag about it to friends
and family, "they even settled for $50", "oh I paid $100, rather than
getting $300 ticket")

6. It is NOT ok for ME to take bribes, but it is OK to ask my staff to
find sponsors for golf games, company events, overseas trips, birthday
gifts for bosses. "Sponsors" ??

7. It is NOT ok to take $100 from contractors like the previous guy!!
That is Corrupt and Arrogant! But it is OK to take $60.

8. It is NOT ok to ask for $100, but it is OK to receive $100 since it
was offered and not demanded.

9. It is NOT ok to accept bribe but it is OK to add extra milage on
that claim. How about that extra hours or 'business lunch with
friends' claim? How about using company's property for personal use?
Car, helicopter, jets? Stationaries maybe?

10. It is NOT ok that politicians live lavishly but it is definitely
OK to hide some amount of my income from the IRB.

11. It is NOT ok for everyone else to do it.. But it is definitely OK
FOR ME to do it.

12. Change doesn't mean you have go out there condemning everything
about our country.

13. Change starts from you and me.

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