Mempertahankan Apa untuk Melayu Yang Mana? “Islam” pun perlu dipertahankan oleh manusia kerdil?

Kekadang saya tidak tahu samada saya harus  rasa kesian kepada kaum Melayu atau kepada pemimpin mereka kerana Melayu ini terlalu banyak pemimpin dalam terlalu banyak bidang. Mereka ada pemimpin politik, pemimpin perniagaan, pemimpin agama, pemimpin moral dan sebagainya. Kaum Melayu ini telah dijadikan sebagai satu kaum yang perlu dipimpin dalam segala hal dalam kehidupan mereka dari lahir sehinggalah meninggalkan dunia.

Kekadang juga saya tidak tahu samada saya harus berasa malu bagi pihak kaum Melayu atau bagi pihak pemimpin mereka.  Perasaan malu ini timbul kerana penyuaraan perjuangan konon oleh pemimpin-pemimpin Melayu yang melantik diri mereka sendiri sebagai “penyelamat kaum Melayu”  amat lapuk, namun mereka sendiri tidak sedar.  Tidak kah kita merasa malu melihat orang-orang dewasa melonjak-lonjak berbuih-buih membuat ucapan demi ucapan mengenai topik-topik yang sudah usang serta tidak lagi dipercayai oleh jenerasi Melayu yang terkemudian ini?

Walaubagaimanapun, marilah kita cuba memahami pemimpin-pemimpin Melayu ini yang tidak mahu sedar diri bahawa kaedah dan pemikiran mereka sudah dimakan masa.

Persoalan-persoalan Yang Harus diTanya

Ketua-ketua Melayu yang sering melaungkan kononnya mereka mahu mempertahankan Melayu tidak pernah bertanya beberapa persoalan berikut:-

a) Melayu mana yang mereka nak pertahankan?

b) Apa yang mereka nak mempertahankan?

c)  Adakah apa yang pemimpin-pemimpin ini hendak mempertahankan itu sesuatu yang kaum Melayu amnya mahu dipertahankan?

d) Adakah apa yang mahu dipertahankan demi kaum Melayu itu sesuatu yang baik bagi kaum Melayu itu sendiri.

Melayu yang Mana?

Ketua-ketua Melayu lantikan sendiri bercakap mengenai Melayu seolah-olah ada hanya satu “jenis” Melayu walhal hakikatnya ialah terdapat perlbagai “jenis” Melayu.

Fakta yang paling jelas ialah Melayu amnya pada hari ini jauh berbeza dari beberapa aspek dengan Melayu pra-Merdeka. 

Pertamanya, Melayu amnya tidaklah  miskin seperti keadaanya pra-Merdeka. Perlaksanaan DEB telah berjaya melahirkan kumpulan kelas pendapatan menengah yang besar dikalangan Melayu.   Dengan pembaikan serta peningkatan didalam tahap pendapatan, Melayu kelas menengah ini  menikmati satu tahap kebebasan kewangan dimana mereka tidak lah begitu tersepit seperti Melayu pra-Merdeka. Ekoran kebebasan kewangan ini, mereka lebih terdedah kepada pelbagai ide-ide serta pandangan hidup yang beraneka yang boleh mereka pilih. 

Disamping itu, Melayu kelas menengah ini juga mempunyai prioritas atau keutamaan yang berbeza dengan Melayu pra-Merdeka. Dimana dasar kelas Melayu menengah ini  telah menjadi besar, mereka mendapati bahawa persaingan sesama sendiri untuk memperolehi  sumber-sumber Negara serta peluang-peluang yang terhad telah menjadi lebih sengit. Jika satu ketika dahulu, mereka mungkin bersaing dengan kaum-kaum lain, hari ini hakikat membuat mereka bersaing sesama sendiri.  Maka, perjuangan untuk Melayu kelas menengah hari ini mungkin lebih cenderung kearah peningkatan tahap ekonomi, keselesaan kehidupan, pendidikan dan sebagainya dalam konteks ekonomi Negara yang berkembang. Saya percaya Melayu kelas menengah ini tidak lagi melihat perkara ini dalam konteks persaingan dengan kaum bukan Melayu sahaja. Maka, adakah ketua-ketua Melayu yang mahu memperjuangkan peluang-peluang ekonomi serta perkembangan ekonomi Negara supaya pendapatan dan tahap kehidupan Melayu boleh meningkat?

Keduanya, ekoran daripada beberapa fakta, termasuk pendedahan kepada ledakan maklumat yang dihasilkan daripada perkembangan teknoloji maklumat, Melayu hari ini telah menjadi lebih kritis terhadap ketua-ketua mereka.  Melayu tidak lagi begitu mudah untuk menerima laungan ketua-ketua mereka tanpa berfikir atau menilai. Melayu dapat melihat pembangunan ekonomi hebat yang berlaku dinegara-negara lain yang dicetuskan tanpa beroperasi dalam kerangka perkauman.  Pendedahan kepada lebih banyak maklumat dan fakta juga menyedarkan Melayu hari ini mengenai perkara-perkara berikut:-

a) Laungan slogan “memperjuangan Melayu” tidak semestinya memperbaiki kedudukan orang Melayu tetapi sering menjadi alat yang digunakan oleh ketua-ketua lantikan sendiri untuk menonjolkan diri mereka sendiri bagi tujuan kepentingan sendiri;

b) Sejak merdeka sehingga kehari ini, orang Melayu kebanyakkan melihat kelahiran Melayu-Melayu korporat yang amat kaya yang diragui asas atau sumber kekayaan mereka – yaitu, samaada kekayaan ini diperolehi daripada kebolehan berniaga atau melalui kronisme, nepotisme serta hubungan politik baik dengan pihak yang berkuasa dan berpengaruh. Keadaan ini melahirkan perasaan bahawa Melayu kebanyakkan dikhianati oleh segolongan Melayu elitis dengan memperalatkan sentimen Melayu. Melayu kebanyakkan melihat bahawa dimana anak-anak mereka sendiri terpaksa bertungkus lumus berjuang untuk hidup, anak-anak Melayu elitis mendapat segala sesuatu dengan begitu  mudah sekali.  Ini juga melahirkan rasa ketidakadilan didalam pengagihan peluang-peluang ekonomi.

c) Imej ketua-ketua Melayu yang menonjolkan diri mereka sebagai “pejuang Islam” serta  pemonopoli tafsiran Islam juga semakin terjejas. Banyak faktor yang menghasilkan keadaan ini termasuk faktor-faktor seperti pendedahan Melayu kebanyakkan kepada Al-Quran, internet, perkembangan sejak merdeka, gelagat ketua-ketua agama ini sendiri yang sering bertelingkah sesama sendiri, sikap ketua-ketua agama yang bersikap sebagai penentu mutlak hal-hal agama dengan mengenepikan hak serta tanggungjawap peribadi Muslim  terhadap Penciptanya, serta peribadi beberapa ketua-ketua agama yang bukan sahaja mempolitikkan agama namun bersikap sombong dan merendahkan kebolehan berfikir Melayu kebanyakkan. 

Faktor-faktor yang diketengahkan diatas menjadikan Melayu hari lebih kritis terhadap ketua-ketua yang  melaungkan agama sebagai perjuangan jika dibandingkan dengan Melayu pra-Merdeka.  Maklumat mengenai ganjaran serta bayaran yang diterima oleh ketua-ketua agama juga menjadi pengetahuan umum dan ini dirasakan mencairkan keikhlasan ketua-ketua agama ini terhadap perjuangan agama. 

Ketiganya, Melayu hari ini yang lebih terdedah kepada maklumat dan pengetahuan serta mempunyai keyakinan diri yang lebih tinggi tidak lagi mudah diheret kehulu kehilir oleh ketua-ketua agama. Kalau satu ketika dahulu ketua-ketua agama dilihat dan diperlakukan hampir sebagai “dewa-dewa” dibumi ini, keadaan sekarang telah berubah.  Melayu hari ini sedar bahawa kebebasan untuk mencorak kehidupan mereka itu boleh dicabar serta diganggu gugat oleh ketua-ketua agama yang memperalatkan agama untuk menguasai kehidupan mereka.

Hari ini terdapat lebih banyak graduan-graduan Melayu dalam pelbagai bidang seperti kedoktoran, undang-undang, kejuruteraan, sains, pendidikan dan sebagainya . Graduan-graduan ini acap kali merasakan maruah mereka tercabar atau minda mereka dihina apabila graduan-graduan kelulusan agama seolah-olah memaksa orang lain menerima pandangan dan tafisran agama mereka tanpa penilaiaan. Mereka yang telah belajar diUniversiti mengetahui bahawa kelulusan daripada universiti tidak semestinya  bermakna graduan tersebut itu mahir dalam bidang yang dipelajarinya apatah lagi ikhlas dalam memahami serta memaplikasikan ilmu yang dibelajar. Mereka melihat bahawa ada doktor-doktor, peguam-peguam, jurutera-jurutera yang pandai dan berdedikasi manakala ada juga yang sebaliknya. Begitu juga dengan mereka yang berkelulusan daripada pengajian agama.

Semakin ramai Melayu hari yang mahu kebebasan serta hak untuk menentukan pemahaman mereka sendiri terhadap agama yang dianuti oleh mereka.  Melayu ini semakin sedar bahawa diri mereka sendirilah yang akan dipertanggungjawapkan oleh Allah dan bukannya ketua-ketua agama ini. Saya melihat pertembungan diantara Melayu yang mahu pertanggungjawapan diri dengan ketua-ketua agama yang bernekad untuk memaksa fahaman mereka semakin meningkat.  Ini dapat difahamai kerana graduan-graduan agama mahu mencari ruang dan peranan untuk diri mereka sendiri seperti juga graduan-graduan daripada jurusan lain.

Keempatnya, ketua-ketua Melayu sendiri telah melahirkan kekeliruan dan ketidakkonsistensi didalam melaungkan “perpaduan Melayu” serta “perpaduan umat”. Kita melihat bahawa apabila dilaungkan “perpaduan Melayu”, ketua-ketua ini tidak menerangkan beberapa perkara seperti berikut (sehingga kita terasa bahawa mungkin ketua-ketua itu sendiri didalam kekeliruan);-

a) perpaduan apakah yang dimaksudkan – perpaduan ekonomi, politik, sosial, dan sebagainya?

b) bagaimanakah ketua-ketua ini bercadang untuk mencapai perpaduan tersebut?

c) Mengapakah ketua-ketua yang melaungkan perpaduan itu sendiri tidak dapat bersatu sesama sendiri? Sebagai contoh kita dapati  Melayu-melayu dalam pertubuhan-pertubuhan politik, sosial, agama dan perniagaan yang mempunyai objektif yang bersifat bersaing, kekadang bertentangan, kaedah-kaedah yang berlainan dan sebagainya. Keadaan seperti ini menjadikan laungan ketua-ketua Melayu supaya Melayu “bersatu” sebagai sesuatu yang ironis dan mengelirukan.

d) Kewujudan kekeliruan diantara kepelbagaian pendekatan politik dan agama dengan perpecahan.  Perkara ini amat jelas apabila dibandingkan dengan budaya lain dimana kepelbagaiaan tidak dianggap sebagai petanda perpecahan tetapi sebagai kekayaan pemikiran.

e) laungan “perpaduan umat” juga sering diperlekehkan dengan tindakan-tindakan susulan oleh ketua-ketua agama dan politik ini yang tidak konsisten dengan apa yang dilaungkan.  Melayu hari ini tidak jelas samada “perpaduan umat” ini bermakna semua orang Melayu terpaksa menurut fahaman dan tafsiran segolongan elitis agama dan politik? Jika inilah yang diperjuangkan, maka ia bermakna penghapusan hak orang Melayu untuk menjalankan tanggunjawapnya sebagai seorang Muslim yang meng-kaji serta memahami Al-Quran untuk berkhidmat kepada Allah. Penghapusan hak sedemikian tidak akan disokong oleh beberapa Muslim dimana kuasa mutlak untuk menentukan nasih mereka diakhirat diletakkan bulat-bulat pada tangan graduan-graduan kelulusan pengajian “Islam”.

Maka, berdasarkan analisa diatas, terdapat ramai Melayu yang tidak lagi rela dengan percubaan beberapa ketua-ketua untuk mempermainkan isu perpaduan Melayu hanya semata-mata kerana ada Melayu yang tidak setuju dengan kaedah, pandangan atau cara hidup mereka. Disamping itu, semakin ramai Melayu yang tidak rela isu perpaduan umat diapi-apikan hanya semata-mata untuk menidakkan hak Muslim itu sendiri untuk menjalani kehidupan berdasarkan fahaman ikhlasnya sendiri terhadap Al-Quran dan Al-Sunnah. Adakah ketua-ketua Melayu kini akan mempertahankan hak ini?

Kelimanya, walaupun masih terdapat budaya baru mencium tangan orang-orang kenamaan dan berpengaruh yang tidak rapat, namun, sikap feudal dikalangan Melayu hari ini semakin hilang.  Ini juga adalah ekoran pendidikan dikalangan orang Melayu serta kefahaman mengenai nilai-nilai Islam yang semakin meningkat. Melayu yang terdidik semakin memahami bahawa sikap feudal ini melahirkan perhubungan Tuan-hamba yang sebenarnya menjatuhkan martabat manusia.  Maka, Melayu hari ini tidak mudah untuk memperhambakan diri kepada mana-mana ketua lantikan sendiri kerana peningkatan yakin diri. Maka, Melayu sedemikian mahu maruah mereka sebagai seorang dewasa yang bebas mencorakkan kehidupan mereka menurut kebolehan dan kemahiran mereka dipertahankan. Adakah ketua-ketua Melayu yang mampu memperjuangkan perkara ini tanpa mengkehendaki perhubungan feudal?

Keenamnya, terdapat juga Melayu yang berpendidikan jurusan pengajian barat (yang mana sekolah-sekolah kebangsaaan kita pada amnya adalah berbentuk sedemikian) serta mereka yang belajar dipusat-pusat pengajian tinggi diNegara-Negara barat yang tidak sehaluan dengan pemikiran dan halatuju beberapa ketua-ketua Melayu. Golongan ini merasakan bahawa kaedah pemikiran ketua-ketua ini agak primitif disamping bersifat “condescending”  sehingga menghina maruah seorang dewasa yang boleh berfikir. Melayu sedemikian tidak merasakan keperluan seorang ketua sebagai jurucakap bagi mereka.  Mereka mahukan seorang ketua Melayu yang kurang berretorik atau berceramah ala debat sekolah. Mereka juga mahukan seorang ketua yang pandai, efisien serta berkebolehan didalam mengwujudkan suatu sistem atau suasana yang membolehkan Melayu ini untuk berkembang dan mencapai cita-cita peribadi mereka. Adakah ketua-ketua Melayu yang boleh mempertahankan kemahuan ini?

Pendekata, Melayu hari ini semakin matang sejak merdeka dan mereka telah memerhatikan perkembangan dari pelbagai segi yang berlaku didalam Negara. Mereka telah melihat permainan politik dan ekonomi dikalangan ketua-ketua Melayu yang melaungkan slogan “mempertahankan Melayu” dan “mempertahankan Islam” yang akhirnya tidak memberi sebarang kesan positif pada kehidupan peribadi mereka.

Oleh yang demikian, apabila ada ketua-ketua Melayu yang melaungkan mahu mempertahankan “Melayu” dan “Islam”, timbul pelbagi persoalan yang antaranya telah diketengahkan diatas.

Salam.

Begitu Banyak Yang Nak "Pertahankan" Islam dan Melayu di Negara ini !!!

Satu lagi NGO bernama Jati baru dilancarkan pertubuhannya. Jati bertujuan, katanya, untuk mempertahankan "Islam, Melayu dan Raja".

Pertahankan Islam.

Jelas sekali dinegara kita ini ada banyak pertubuhan-pertubuhan, kerajaan dan bukan kerajaan, yang hendak "mempertahankan" Islam. Kalau saya hendak catitkan kesemua badan-badan ini disini, ia akan berjelar-jelar panjangnya! dalam senarai ini belum lagi termasuk kesemua jabatan-jabatan Islam disetiap Negeri.

"Cita-cita" untuk mempertahankan Islam ini mungkin boleh menimbulkan pelbagai persoalan, termasuk "mengapa Islam perlu dipertahankan, adakah ianya dicabar?", "dicabar oleh siapa?", "nak pertahankan dengan kaedah macam mana dan untuk siapa?", "Islam fahaman mana yang nak dipertahankan dan kenapa fahaman tersebut", "siapa yang memberi otoriti kepada pihak-pihak berkenaan untuk 'pertahankan Islam?' dan sebagainya.

Dengan begitu banyaknya pihak-pihak yang "mempertahankan Islam", adakah pengetahuan dikalangan Muslim berkaitan dengan isi kandungan Al-Quran itu telah meningkat sekian lama? Jika jawapannya tidak, apakah ada sebarang usaha dibuat untuk menkaji mengapa perkara ini berlaku? Apakah individu Muslim itu tidak terpanggil dengan sendiri nya untuk berusaha memahami isi kandungan Al-Quran tanpa pertubuhan-pertubuhan ini atau sering kali memerlukan dimotivasikan oleh orang-orang lain?

Mempertahankan Melayu

Ini menjadi lagi bermasalah bagi sau pertubuhan yang mengatakan mahu mempertahankan Islam tetapi juga kaitkan perjuangannya dengan "Melayu". Adakah ini bermakna bahawa pertubuhan ini tidsak akan "mempertahankan" hak-hak dan kepentingan Muslim yang bukan Melayu? Bagaimana pula dengan hak-hak bukan Melayu bukan Muslim yang ditindas? Islam dari segi ajaran Al-Quran amat jelas bahawa ia menjanjikan keadilan kepada semua makhluk (bukan sahaja manusia) tanpa mengira agama dan bangsa.. 

Satu lagi persoalan yang timbul ialah: adakah penubuhan Jati ini menampakkan ketidakyakinnya sebahagian orang Melayu kepada UMNO untuk membela nasib mereka? Perkasa juga ditubuh bagi menjaga kepentingan Melayu amnya. Apakah Perkasa juga dikira tidak efektif? Megapa tidak bergabung sahaja dengan UMNO jika UMNO dirasakan sebagai efektif dalam mempertahankan kepentingan orang Melayu?

Persoalan lagi ialah: adakah penubuhan Jati ini akan mengelirukan serta mencairkan "perpaduan sosio-politik" orang Melayu kerana terdapatnya begitu banyak pertubuhan yang bermotifkan mahu "menjaga kepentingan orang Melayu?"

Saya cuma berharap ini bukan lah satu lagi kaedah untuk memperalatkan label "Islam" dan "Melayu" untuk mencapai kepentingan peribadi.


salam.


 

The EW Cycle Will Impoverish the Average Citizens Further !!!

I know that I am going to sound very childish in this post but my lungs may just burst out if I do not get it off my chest.

It has been disturbing me for years. I thought it will go away as I grow older and therefore more mature to understand realism but it just disturbs me even more. It disturbs me that the elite few have too much, the majority almost never have enough and the rest have nothing.  

The majority have to go on working and slogging away in the system that clearly supports the elite few and will go on enriching them if the system continues to work the way it does now.   Wish that it does not have to be this way. 

I wish that no one will be deprived the right to life in the wholesome and true sense of the word.  But I know that this is a childish wish because the reality is that the rich and the powerful will not want their status to change at all. The rich and powerful can no longer be that rich and powerful if the available resources are more equitably distributed among the people.  

So to maintain the richness and the power, they will ensure that the resources are not fairly distributed.  They will also have to consider that as their family expands, they will have to increase the base of their power and their wealth. In order for this to happen, they know that they have to have greater wealth to spend to ensure that their wealth increases further. At the same time, they know that they must also increase their power so that with this power they can influence the ability to further increase their wealth and the power.

Most people have heard about the poverty cycle but almost none have discussed what I call the elitist-wealth cycle (“EW cycle”). The EW cycle keeps on perpetuating itself incrementally.  In simple language, wealth and power is used to create more wealth and power.  The downside of this EW cycle on the majority of the populace is that it displaces resources which are rightfully theirs into the hands of the elitist.  Let me illustrate this with a simple example – education.

While the elitist rich and powerful will not have to worry at all about the education of their children (nor even their children’s financial future), the majority of the populace will find themselves enslaved further to the system that supports the elitist.  Today for example, a young graduate of 23 years old will find themselves burdened with a study loan of RM25,000 to RM30,000.

 Imagine, you are 23 and you are already starting off life with a loan even before you earn.  To this, you have not even included the cost of living for “startup” and the car loan that you will eventually take. And also the housing loan. So, today, you will find that the young person will most probably start working for the bank all his life!

I believe that the study loan problem will not have arisen if the big bulk of the resources have not been taken away by the elitist few in the form of “projects”, leakages, corruption, economic rent (“duit buta”) etc which actually takes away the resources from providing free education and so on.  This is just one example to show how the income and “power” gap between the elitist few and the average majority will get wider through time.  In the process, we will end up having modern day landlord and peasants relationship, albeit that modern day peasants rents houses, flats and apartments! This is not even considering the many more who never even dream of owning a decent home. 

It is sad that as long as the system continues the way it works today and the mindset of the majority is still in the “hopeful state” it is in today, the condition of the majority will only get worse and worse. The majority is still being fooled by "clever sounding solutions' that do not address the root of the problem - equitable and transparent distribution of resources. By the time they realize it, they may be too weak or too weary to even think of reforming the system.

The majority think that they are helpless to reform the system not realizing that their apathy now will render them truly hopeless in the future.

I know, this is just my childish idealism.

Peace!

Doesn't Take Much To Be Happy !

I saw this kid playing at 1U, Bandar Utama while the parent was just sitting on the stairs watching him!

Nothing is Business, It is All Personal !!!!

Some people like to do all the evil and wrong things and then say that "its just business" or "I am just doing my job". Sometimes, that do not work if you meet the wrong person !!!

Peace !

What does it take to change a Bully?

Rapera is on Googlegroups !!!!

We are pleased to inform you that Rapera is on google groups. This is a private forum that will allow members with common interests to discuss various issues.

If you are interested to join the Rapera movement, please send an invite to: rapera@googlegroups.com.


Lets rock and roll !!!


Peace !

IRAN: THE PRICE OF RESISTANCE

By Dr Chandra Muzzafar             

European Union foreign ministers have agreed to a full-fledged embargo on all imports of Iranian crude oil. Towards this end, various measures will be adopted gradually from 23^rd  January to 1^st July 2012.  In December 2011, the US Congress (with a 100 to 0 vote in the Senate)   presented a mandatory sanctions package to President Obama  which starting June 2012 will prohibit  any third-country banks and companies from dealing with Iran’s Central Bank.  Both the EU and US moves, it is alleged, are aimed at pressurising Iran to stop its so-called ‘nuclear weapons’ programme through the emasculation of its oil exports which account for more than 80% of its national revenue.   

Nuclear Weapons Programme

The first question we should ask is: Does Iran have a nuclear weapons programme? The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) --- its mischievous attempt to raise doubts about Iran’s nuclear energy programme notwithstanding--- admits in its November 2011 Report that there is no evidence of a nuclear weapons programme.  Incidentally, every nuclear installation in Iran has been inspected hundreds of times by the IAEA making them the most thoroughly inspected nuclear facilities on earth!  Even the US’s own classified National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) 2011--- which the well-known investigative journalist, Seymour  Hersh, had exposed in May 2011--- states quite clearly that Iran is not producing nuclear weapons and had in fact halted such a programme way back in 2003.  NIE 2011 in a sense reiterates what is contained in NIE 2007.

Of course, Iran continues to enrich uranium up to the 20% level required for the production of medical isotopes. This is far below the 85% plus necessary to manufacture a nuclear bomb.  Every major leader in Iran has emphasised over and over again that they have no intention of making a bomb. They regard it --- rightly--- as haram (or prohibited in Islam).

Because its nuclear programme is for peaceful purposes--- medical research and electricity---- the Iranian government agreed to a nuclear fuel swap deal initiated by Brazil and Turkey in May 2010 which would have seen Iran shipping low-enriched uranium to Turkey in return for fuel for a research reactor.  The Western powers and Israel rejected the deal.

Their rejection underscores the stark hypocrisy that surrounds the entire issue of Iran’s nuclear programme.  If it is nuclear weapons that they are concerned about why didn’t they accept a deal that would have, to a large extent, curbed any clandestine move by Iran to produce such weapons?  Or, are certain Western powers and Israel against Iran producing nuclear energy even for peaceful purposes --- a right that Iran possesses as a signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)?  

It is important to raise these questions for two other reasons.  One, the countries that are most vocal in demanding that Iran terminate its uranium enrichment programme are all nuclear weapon states.  The US has an arsenal of more than 5000 nuclear warheads while Israel, an undeclared nuclear state---- the only nuclear weapon state in West Asia and North Africa (WANA) --- has perhaps between 200 and 400 warheads.  Two, countries such as the US, Britain, France and even Israel had no qualms about assisting Iran to launch its nuclear programme in the fifties when it was under the Shah, Reza Pahlavi.  US President, Dwight Eisenhower, saw it as an “atoms for peace” enterprise.  One does not have to second guess why they were all so enthusiastic about the Shah’s nuclear energy programme---- because the dictator was their gendarme in that corner of WANA, protecting their strategic, political and oil interests with all his brutal might.

Why did the West and Israel change their attitude towards Iran’s nuclear programme?  Was it because an Islamic Revolution had occurred in Iran in 1979?  Was Islam the decisive factor?  Islam per se was not the major reason for the change in attitude. After all, the West counts as its allies a number of countries that view themselves as ‘Islamic States’ and   subscribe to a somewhat narrow, exclusive idea of Islam and Muslim identity.  Saudi Arabia, Qatar and most of the Gulf Sheikhdoms would be outstanding examples.  Colluding and collaborating with these states and other Islamic movements has never been a problem for the centres of power in the West.

Independence

The real reason why the Islamic Republic of Iran and its nuclear programme became anathema for the West and Israel was because of Iran’s defence of its independence and integrity in the face of US and Western hegemony.  The Islamic Republic under the guidance of its charismatic leader Ayatollah Khomeini was not prepared to submit to US dominance or acquiesce with Israeli arrogance. From the outset --- from 1979 itself--- Iran was determined to manage its own destiny which is why it nationalised oil and strengthened its self-reliance.

In an earlier period--- in 1953 to be exact--- another Iranian leader, this time a highly principled secular democrat, Mohammad Mosaddegh, had also sought to assert Iranian independence and sovereignty by nationalising oil.  This incurred the wrath of the British and American elites whose companies dominated the local oil industry.  With the help of their intelligence services, they managed to oust Mosaddegh from his Prime Ministership and restore full authority to the Shah.

Others in WANA, at different times and in different circumstances, have also paid the price for resisting dominance.   Gamal Nasser in Egypt, Houri Boumediene in Algeria, Hafiz Assad in Syria, Yasser Arafat in Palestine (and other Palestinian freedom fighters), Saddam Hussein in Iraq, and Muammar Gaddafi in Libya, had all at some point or other in their lives refused to yield to hegemonic power.  Today, there are leaders like Hassan Nasrallah in Lebanon, Khalil Meshal in Palestine, and Bashar Assad in Syria who continue to resist Israeli power and US hegemony and are therefore targeted by Tel Aviv and Washington.

It is appropriate to observe at this juncture that resistance to US hegemony has had a longer and perhaps more tragic history in parts of Latin America.  From Simon Bolivar and Jose Marti to  Salvador Allende, Fidel Castro, Hugo Chavez, Evo Morales, and Rafael Correa these and other illustrious leaders have unflinchingly opposed attempts by the US elite to subjugate the people of Latin America and subordinate the continent to the whims and fancies of its northern neighbour.  Indeed, today there is a new determination in Latin America to strengthen the independence of individual states and of the region as a whole through cooperation and collective action that is both innovative and dynamic.

There is no doubt at all that it is Iran’s refusal to be subservient to the US, Israel and their allies, its readiness to resist, that has incensed the powers-that-be.  It explains why they are going all out to emasculate the Iranian economy, manufacture mass disaffection with the government and, at the right moment, engineer a regime change.  The excuse they are using for this manipulation is of course Iran’s unproven nuclear weapons programme.  In the scenario that is unfolding before our eyes, there are shades of the build-up that led to the invasion of Iraq and the overthrow of Saddam Hussein 2003.

Targeting Iran 

While Iran’s desire to remain independent has been a prominent feature of the nation’s personality since the Revolution 33 years ago, there must be situations and circumstances that are more current and contemporary which have given rise to this obsession in Tel Aviv and in certain Western capitals with the targeting and taming of Iran. What are these situations and circumstances?  There are many.  We shall highlight some of them.

1)      In the wake of the Arab uprising, the Israeli elite has become extremely apprehensive about the state’s security and its future.  It is afraid that popular movements sweeping through WANA would eventually challenge the legitimacy of the Israeli regime.  Though Israel’s protector, the US, has sought assurances from some of the Islamic parties that have come to power that they will not question the Israeli presence, the Israeli elite regards the increasing influence of states and movements in WANA that are firmly opposed to Israeli suppression of Palestinian rights--- the most powerful of which is of course Iran--- as a huge threat to Israel’s very existence.  This is why it wants its protector, buttressed by its European allies, to castrate Iran immediately.

2)      This fear has increased dramatically in recent months with the economic decline of its protector and the economic crisis embroiling various European states. Israel knows that the US’s decline is part of a general decline which in a sense is irreversible and would therefore want its protector to act decisively against Israel’s foes like Iran now when the US still has the military muscle rather than wait until it is too late.   For the US elite itself, the most serious implication of its decline is its loss of control over WANA, the world’s major oil exporting region which is, at the same time, of tremendous geostrategic significance.  When hegemonic powers are losing their dominance, do they not become more bellicose in attempting to perpetuate their power and privilege?  Should we be surprised when they turn against other actors on the ascendancy who are perceived as the cause of their decline?

3)      For both the US and Israeli elites and European leaders allied to them, it is Iran which is the lynchpin of the challenge to their hegemony over WANA.  Iran maintains a tried and tested link to the Syrian leadership and to the Hezbollah in Lebanon. Hamas is also to a certain degree part of this link which in broad terms constitutes the resistance to US-Israel hegemony.  As the fulcrum of this resistance, Iran has displayed remarkable tenacity--- a tenacity which is now expressing itself in its ability to take on US drones and US spies and to openly challenge US military power. Similarly, the Syrian crisis, orchestrated to a large extent by external forces, has revealed the resilience of the Bashar Assad government.  Likewise, in defending Lebanon against the Israeli assault in 2006, the Hezbollah showed that it possesses both strategic depth and immense courage which in the end thwarted the Israeli agenda. Both Israel and the US are determined to not only break the link of resistance but also to crush each of the component elements of the link.

4)      What has strengthened their determination to act against Iran in particular is the situation in Iraq.  The Israeli and US elites had hoped that the conquest of Iraq would help to create a new environment in WANA which would reinforce their grip over oil and strengthen their geostrategic position in the region through a subservient leadership in Baghdad eager to do their bidding.  Given Iraq’s importance, the Baghdad leadership, they reckoned, would succeed in shaping an atmosphere in the region conducive to Israel even if it were at the cost of Palestinian self-determination.  However, things have not worked according to plan.  While US and British companies have managed to secure lucrative oil deals, Israeli and US elites have failed to gain political control over Iraq.  A nation that is politically unstable, socially chaotic and deeply divided along sectarian lines, there is endless jockeying for power among contending groups.  In the midst of this maelstrom, most of the groups within the majority Shia community seem to have gravitated towards Shia Iran.  Shia affinity has undoubtedly smoothened the forging of political ties across the Iraq-Iran border. Recent political developments in Iraq indicate that the influence that emanates from these ties is considerable.  It is this that annoys and angers the Israeli, US and British elites.   Their political defeat in Iraq which is a major setback for them in WANA and beyond is one of the primary reasons why they are now training their guns on Iran.

5)      Iran’s influence over Iraq has also riled some regional actors.  The monarchical elite in Saudi Arabia, with its Wahabi orientation, often manifests an almost visceral hatred towards the Shia sect.  Some Saudi leaders regard it as their duty to defend the Sunni majority against the rising Shia tide. They are not alone in perceiving growing Shia influence and power --- in Iraq, in Syria through the Alawite  elite, in Lebanon via Hezbollah, and in Bahrain--- as a mortal threat to the Sunnis.  The Qatari leadership and even some Turkish politicians and intellectuals have begun to ring the alarm bells.  The latter, it is said, are backing some hard-line Sunnis in Iraq.  These anti-Shia sentiments which are spreading quite rapidly in WANA have heightened the antagonism towards Iran.  They have strengthened the hand of the US and Israel and their European allies as they prepare to move against the Iranian Republic.

6)      For the US curbing Iran’s influence goes beyond WANA.  Iran has become close to Russia in the last couple of years. The relationship is strategic and economic especially since they have overlapping interests in Central Asia and the Caspian region.  Russia itself is re-asserting its power in Eastern Europe, Central Asia, West Asia and South Asia, much to the chagrin of the US.  That is why it is uneasy about a Russian-Iranian nexus developing in the future.

7)      Of even greater significance to the US’s hegemonic agenda is the relationship between Iran and China.  Largely economic in nature, China imports 9% of its oil and 15% of its gas from Iran.   China has massive investments in the oil and gas industry in Iran, and is helping to upgrade its infrastructure in general.   Since access to energy is critical for China’s development, the US which is determined to contain China, is keen on exercising control over China’s sources of energy supply. What this means is that curtailing Iran’s oil and gas exports may in fact be part of a larger agenda whose principal goal is the containment of China, the nation that the US and the West view as the most formidable challenge ever to their centuries old dominance.

8)      Iran’s expanding ties with various Latin American countries also irks the US. Countries such as Cuba, Venezuela, Nicaragua, Ecuador, Bolivia and Brazil, among others have become good friends of Iran in recent years. Most of these states are opposed to US dominance over Latin America.  A couple of them have become very critical of Israeli occupation of Palestine.  Since Venezuela and Ecuador are also major oil exporters, the US is worried that the ties that Iran, also an important oil exporter, is forging with them could enhance their collective clout in the global economy to the detriment of the US.  This is yet another reason why the US sees Iran as a challenge to its hegemonic power.

9)      It is not just because of Iran’s ties with oil exporting states in Latin America or its export of oil to China that oil is also a factor that explains the targeting of Iran.  As one of the top five oil exporters in the world, Iran is an attractive destination for a lot of oil companies especially from the US --- a country which has been excluded from Iran’s petroleum sector for more than three decades. According to petroleum experts there are oil and gas fields that have yet to be explored fully.  There is also money to be made from infrastructure investments.  US and other Western oil firms are hungering to go in--- just as they moved into Iraq after the invasion in 2003.

10)  A final factor that is responsible for this fixation with Iran is perhaps the position of the US dollar. The dollar, needless to say, is one of the most crucial pillars of US global hegemony. This is the reason why any attempt to redefine its role as the world’s principal reserve currency elicits an immediate response from US financial and political circles.   In the last few years Iran has been steadily distancing itself from the US dollar in its trade transactions. At the end of December 2011, it signed an agreement with China that states that the Iranian rial and the Chinese yuan would be used in bilateral trade.  In early January 2012, Iran made a similar arrangement with Russia, the rial and the rouble replacing the US dollar. Iran and India are holding discussions on moving out of dollar settlements.  Trading in gold is an option they are considering. These moves by Iran have assumed great significance because others, including US allies, are abandoning the dollar in some of their bilateral trade arrangements.   Japan and China, for instance, have announced that they will trade in yen and yuan.  Because Iran is perceived as one of those nations pushing hard for the abandonment of the dollar, the US has her in its sights.  It has been suggested that one of the reasons why the US decided to invade Iraq in 2003 was because Saddam Hussein had switched from the dollar to the euro for the sale of his country’s oil.

Suffering; Mistakes

The ten points elaborated here prove that the US and its allies have zero tolerance for any challenge, however minor, to US hegemonic power or to the position of Israel.  Those who resist their power and position will pay the price. In the last 30 odd years, Iran has paid the price of resistance in hundreds of ways.  Less than a year after the Islamic Revolution, a war was imposed upon Iran --- a war led by the Iraqi dictator, Saddam Hussein, on behalf of all the Gulf Sheikhdoms, a number of other Arab states, the US, Britain, certain other Western governments, and even the Soviet Union.  Though Iran’s adversaries had different motives, their common objective was to crush the Revolution which they saw as a challenge to their interests.  A million lives were lost on both sides of the divide in the eight year war which emasculated the Iranian economy and sapped the nation’s energy.   In June 1981, a vicious bomb explosion wiped out some top political leaders, a huge number of parliamentarians, and leading figures in the Judiciary.  This, and other subsequent terrorist attacks, it is alleged, were master-minded by a militant group operating from Iraq called the Mujahideen-e-Khalq.   In recent years the Islamic Republic’s nuclear programme has been subjected to a cyber- attack and four of its scientists have been assassinated. And for decades, Iran has been under US economic sanctions which have had a negative impact upon its development programme.

Indeed, very few countries have been subjected to the pain and suffering that Iran has gone through in the last 33 years. The perseverance and fortitude of the Iranian people, as we have alluded to, is awe-inspiring.  And yet, an objective analysis of Iran’s response to hegemony would suggest that Iranian leaders and activists have also made serious mistakes. From the perspective of international law and diplomacy, it was clearly wrong of Iranian students to seize the US Embassy in Tehran on 4 November 1979 and hold its occupants hostage for 444 days.   Storming the British Embassy in the nation’s capital on 29 November 2011 was also a foolish act for which Iran’s Minister of Foreign Affairs has apologised. Likewise, allegations of foul-play in the June 2009 Presidential Election could have been better handled. The Iranian authorities should have countered those allegations by demonstrating their commitment to total electoral transparency and accountability. The language that the current Iranian President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, sometimes employs on matters of grave international significance is intemperate and injudicious.  However difficult the situation maybe, there is no need to deliberately provoke or irritate one’s enemies.  As a case in point, though Ahmadinejad’s oft-quoted remarks about Israel were distorted and twisted by the Western media and politicians, the Iranian President could have adopted a more mature yet principled stance vis-à-vis the Jewish state.

Hegemonic Agenda

Ahmadinejad’s predecessor, Muhammad Khatami, proved that it was possible to defend Iran’s independence and dignity without being unduly confrontational.  He sought to meet the challenge of hegemony by insisting upon dialogue among civilisations and the politics of inclusiveness.  Khatami was prepared to talk to the US leadership.   But instead of welcoming the offer of dialogue, US President, George Bush Junior, chose to castigate Iran as part of an “axis of evil.”

The demonization of Iran proves yet again that regardless of whether the target adopts a confrontational or conciliatory approach, the hegemon will continue to pursue its agenda. It is an agenda that has a power and potency of its own.  In the context of WANA, Israel, it is so apparent, is the driving force behind US hegemonic power.

Making people everywhere aware of this and what its consequences are is one of the most urgent tasks at hand.  This task is perhaps a little less difficult today compared to the past for two reasons.  One, as we have stated a number of times before, US helmed hegemonic power is declining. People are becoming much more critical of US’s global role now.  Two, the citizens of WANA in particular are acutely conscious of what hegemonic intervention can lead to after witnessing the chaos and catastrophe that have befallen Iraq and Afghanistan. They are also beginning to sense--- after the initial euphoria---- that Libya may also be heading towards calamity.  Foreign intervention they know is not the solution.  It is the problem.

Immediate  Measures

While mass consciousness building about the danger of hegemony as the ultimate repudiation of human dignity will take time, we could propose some immediate measures that should be taken to avert military strikes against Iran and to prevent a war in WANA.  The BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) grouping could through the UN Security Council suggest a new nuclear deal which would allow Iran limited uranium enrichment under strict supervision within a larger treaty signed by all the states in WANA and other leading powers that pledges to create a nuclear weapon free zone in the region within a certain time-frame. The manufacture, storage, sale and distribution of other weapons of mass destruction should also be prohibited.   As the formulation of such a treaty begins in earnest, all sanctions against Iran should also be lifted.  There are other challenges notably the Israeli occupation of Arab lands, the establishment of an independent, sovereign Palestinian state and the status of Israel, which should also be resolved at the same time.

Is there still time to persuade the powers-that-be to consider proposals like this?  Or is it already too late in the day?  Is the hegemon--- or is Israel--- about to strike?     

........................................................................................................................................................ 

Dr. Chandra Muzaffar is President of the International Movement for a Just World (JUST) and Professor of Global Studies at Universiti Sains Malaysia.

Malaysia

27 January 2012               

"Malay Traitors" Join DAP ???

The latest on the road to PRU13 is the (non) issue of some Malays turning “traitors” by joining DAP.  Quite a number of bloggers have taken up this (non) issue, some UMNO politicians have asked DAP to “reveal” how many Malays there are in DAP.

One fact is not disputed – that DAP is a legally registered political party and is in fact the government of Pulau Pinang.

Let me try to understand this carefully. 

Why would any Malay joining DAP become a “traitor” or even become a shocking fact? Surely, a Malay like anyone else has the mental ability and decision making skills to decide through which political party he chooses to serve his country. In a democracy, which our political system is, any citizen has the right to join any political party that he wishes.

Are we now saying that one more channel is to be closed to the Malays ie the right to choose the political channel through which he wished to serve his or her country? Surely, the Malays too should be left free to live like thinking adult.

But I am still trying to understand the spin that joining DAP is being a traitor. The question is: traitor to whom?

If the reply is that “being a traitor to the Malay community”, then this gives rise to further enquiries that needs to be addressed. The most obvious question being – since Merdeka until today, has the DAP been responsible for any acts or omission that has caused great damage to the Malay community? For example, has it been responsible for the poverty that still exists among the Malays or has it been responsible for the Malays not been able to cope effectively in businesses, especially at the cottage industry levels? The thinking person can ask many more such legitimate questions.

On another point, if a Malay joining DAP means being a traitor to the Malay community, what about a Malay joining PAS or PKR or even UMNO? After all, we have all heard speeches from political leaders how the Malays are ”split and disunited” by the three parties is PAS, PKR and UMNO.  For more than 20 years we have heard that the Malays are split by the “kafir mengakfir” issue between UMNO and PAS. 

One may successfully argue that the “split” among the Malays is more real because of UMNO and PAS because of the religious factor involved which has been severely politicised to the detriment of Muslims in the country.  Would it then not be “tenable” to argue that joining UMNO or PAS will mean being a traitor to the Malay community? If this logic is to be followed, then to be “loyal” to the Malay community, all Malays should not join any political party! Surely, this cannot be the case.

Let’s get out of the “Malay box” for a while and look at the Indians and the Chinese.

You have only Indians in MIC, only Chinese in MCA, and largely Malays in UMNO (due to bumiputras included who are not Malays).  Are we going to argue that the Indian or the Chinese is also being a traitor to their respective communities because they have joined a political party which is not of our preference? It clearly appears that it is a non-issue with the Non-Malay politician which political party they choose to join.

Why is it then an issue with some Malay politicians? What is the real agenda or fear? Surely these Malay politicians are not saying that the Malay polity is gullible or unable to think for themselves?

MCA, MIC and UMNO come together with some other political parties and form a multi-racial political component called the Barisan Nasional.  They have recognised that in Malaysia, only a multi-racial, multi religious political grouping will work. You have to be really One Malaysia in Malaysian politics. Let us contrast this with Pakatan Rakyat.

Pakatan Rakyat is mainly made up of PAS, PKR and DAP. Other than PAS which is largely Malay (like UMNO), PKR and DAP is already multi-racial or at least, there is no racial qualification to be a member such as UMNO, MIC, MCA and even PAS (yes I know, you will say Muslim. I will take up that point some other time!).  Pakatan Rakyat therefore is not a coalition that comes together because of the “race or religious” factor but for political expediency ie to provide an alternative to the voters in this country.

While DAP may be largely Chinese in terms of its members, the Lion of DAP is a Punjabi – Mr Karpal Singh. The point is that a capable non-Chinese can “rise” up the political ladder in DAP. Such points alone will successfully dismiss the allegation that DAP is a Chinese chauvinistic party in the light of the race qualifications for membership that MIC, MCA and UMNO is saddled with.

As I said in the beginning of this article, the fact of any Malays joining the DAP or any political party is a non-issue as far as national political maturity, service to the Nation or democracy is concerned. In the larger picture, it should not matter which political party a citizen wants to be a member of as long as he serves the Nation well without selfish and parochial ends.

I really, really pray that the politicians will move onwards to issues of substance that is facing the Nation instead of playing child-like games like this. Evan a political spin should be sophisticated and not insulting to the intelligence.

Peace !

(Note: This article merely addresses the issue of citizens’ freedom (in this instance the Malay’s)  to be a member of any political party he wishes and should NOT be viewed as a personal endorsement or otherwise of DAP by this blog.)

What Does "Pro-Rakyat" Mean?

Over the Chinese New Year holidays, I had the opportunity to meet several interesting groups of people, including a group of young people who called themselves "rapera youths" - which obviously touched me! It is humbling and encouraging to see young people embrace the idea of self leadership and self responsibility in shaping the future of the Nation.

Incidentally, the discussions over the holidays centred around what is meant by the word "pro-rakyat" that I often use in my discussions and talks. Other than the concept of "Rapera", I also try to promote the concept of "pro-rakyat" in politics and Nation building. 

Admittedly, it is difficult to encompass the concept in a simple sentence but if I was to try, it would probably mean this: doing things and matters that would benefit the Rakyat in real terms and in the long run. Let me illustrate this idea by the following explanation:

Politics as we know is about influencing voters to place power in the hands of the politicians. To get the power and to influence the voters, the politicians will employ many strategies, most of which may be unethical,  immoral and damaging to Nation building in the long run. 

One of the key sources of power for the politician is information. Every single politician will try to manage and manipulate information that the Rakyat is able to get with the view that his power is not affected or can be enhanced further. In other words, he will control and curb the nature and quantity of information that is available for the Rakyat, that is media control and media biasness. The Machiavellian politician will even unashamedly resort to creating disinformation or in plain language creating lies to mislead the Rakyat. This kind of behaviour is certainly not "pro-Rakyat". I am certain that every politician detests the internet because it allows free flow of diverse information to the ordinary people.

All the resources of the country belongs to the Rakyat. Any policy that is designed to distribute the resources fairly to the Rakyat is a "pro-rakyat" policy. A "pro-rakyat" policy should include the creation of equal opportunities of accessing the resources of the Nation. Poverty eradication, free education, free health care and such should be among the priorities of a "pro-rakyat" policy. 

On the other hand, sporadic hand-outs or "goodies" with the sole view of influencing voters may benefit the Rakyat in the very short term. However, in its true analysis, it may tantamount to insulting the dignity of the Rakyat because you are actually trying to delude the Rakyat with the Rakyat's own funds. We must never forget that every government is the custodian and not the owner of the Rakyat's funds or the Nation's wealth. Such a behaviour is certainly not pro-Rakyat.

It would have been "pro-rakyat" if policies are designed to increase the standard of living of the Rakyat while keeping the cost of living down. Hence, it will be trickery and deceit of the highest order if the salaries or wages of the Rakyat are increased while allowing prices to inflate. 

Pro-rakyat policies will only come about if and only if the Rakyat remains constantly vigilant of the politicians.

I support pro-rakyat policies and programmes. 

Peace !

Is the Registrar of Societies Anti - Rakyat ???

Every Rakyat has the duty to serve the country in the best way they know how.

There are many ways by which the Rakyat can contribute to the Nation instead of being indifferent bystanders. They can get together to achieve certain social or national objectives through non-political forums and associations by forming an NGO. However, the registration of the NGO has to be approved by a very powerful person called the Registrar of Societies.

This one person, the Registrar can determine whether the Rakyat is allowed to participate actively in the development of his own country or not. The impression is that it is almost difficult to get certain NGOs to be registered.

Likewise, it is the right of every Rakyat to be active in the political activity of the Nation. They have the right to form political parties. Once again, whether or not the Rakyat can form political parties and shape the politics of the Nation will depend on the discretion of this one powerful person called the Registrar of Societies.

The question is: is the Registrar exercising his powers pro-Rakyat or anti-Rakyat?

Tidak Perlu Lah Keluar Untuk Berkumpul Bagi 901 !!!

Amat menyedihkan bahawa politik begitu berleluasa dalam Negara kita sehingga dirancang untuk sampai keserambi Mahkamah.

Pada 9.1.2012, Hakim Mahkamah Tinggi, setelah berjalannya suatu perbicaraan yang panjang akan memutuskan samada seorang tertuduh yang terkemuka dalam Negara ini salah atau tidak salah berkaitan dengan satu pertuduhan jenayah iaitu meliwat sipengadu dalam kes tersebut. Bagi mereka yang sering ke Mahkamah, ini adalah satu proses yang amat lazim dimana proses keadilan berjalan setiap hari bagi menegakkan kedaulatan undang-undang seperti yang termaktub didalam Rukun Negara.

Tidak pernah kita dengar dimana orang-orang yang dituduh diMahkamah disertai dengan perhimpunan oleh penyokong-penyokong mereka pada hari keputusan diberikan.

Malangnya, dirancang supaya penyokong-penyokong orang yang tuduh berkumpul beramai-ramai dikawsan diluar Mahakamah. Akibat daripada pengemuman ini, hari Isnin menjadi satu hari yang menyusahkan orang ramai. Tenaga polis terpaksa dikerahkan untuk mengambil pelbagai tindakan awalan bagi memastikan tidak berlaku sebarang kekecohan. Ini merupakan pembaziran wang rakyat. 

Sebenarnya, "kekecohan" telah pun berlaku kerana mereka yang lazim nya pergi ke Mahkamah terpaksa pergi seawal-awal 6 pagi. Itu pun, mereka tidak akan dibenarkan untuk meletak kereta dalam perkarangan Mahkamah - maka terpaksa lah peguam-peguam berjalan jauh dan membawa bag-bag mereka yang berat dengan hujah-hujah dan otoriti. Orang awam yang mempunyai kes-kes mereka juga akan disusahkan dengan kehadiran perhimpunan ini. Semua ini menggangu perjalanan proses keadilan dalam Negara dan juga menyusahkan orang ramai.

Saya menyeru supaya mereka yang pentingkan keamanan serta menghormati perjalanan proses undang-undang dalam Negara ini supaya tidak berserta sama dalam perhimpunan ini.

Jangan biarkan proses politik menganggu proses keadilan!

Salam.

Hassan Ali, Raid on Pubs and UPSI Demo

GoAnimate.com: Has%21%26+%40%23i%2C+raids+on+Pubs+and+UPSI+Demo by calebforever


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Peace !

Happy New Year 2012 ???

GoAnimate.com: Happy New Year 2012 by calebforever

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Peace !

People are enslaved?

GoAnimate.com: Politicians+Dream%3A+People+are+slaves+of+the+System by calebforever


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Owning Earth, By Whose Authority?

Raperas, watch this video and deeply reflect on it.




Peace !

Khairy Jamaludin: Transformation by the Transitional Generation

I must confess that I am moved to analyse some parts of YB Khairy Jamaludin’s speech this time because, for a change, it is not rhetoric and more importantly, it contains various messages and analysis which I think we should think about.

On Rapera, since 2008, I have been advocating radical changes in the political landscape that will leave behind the old, inefficient and almost intelligence insulting ways of doing things. I have actually been advocating transformation in political thought since early 2000. I have spoken about these ideals to many politicians on both sides of the political divide. I do not think many understood nor were interested. They exhibited greater concern for political pragmatism.

Hence, it is refreshing when the UMNO Youth Chief said this in his speech at the UMNO Assembly recently: 

“In the history of human civilisation, there have been moments depicting transformation grounded in generational transitions. I believe a generational transition happens when change or transformation is not limited to new policies or new faces. More significantly, it ushers in an era of visionary leaders ahead of their time, who strive for profound transformations that lay to rest old norms and practices”.

Rightly, it is profound transformations that Malaysia needs today in the political arena. After more than 50 years of independence, the Rakyat is rightly fed up with feudalistic political behaviours. Khairy correctly analysed what he calls the “generational transition” has taken place and that “President, YAB Dato’ Seri Mohd Najib Tun Abdul Razak is the first to have been brought up in the post-Independence era. It thus comes as little surprise that he understands that an epochal change is now occurring.” Some ideas do not come into fruition until such a transitional change takes place and it has in the person of Najib Tun Razak.

It is no secret that I am an ardent supporter of 1Malaysia. I was even concerned that Najib may not have the political courage to announce the policy, as admittedly, it has political risks for him within UMNO. Events have proven that Najib not only announced it but he is serious in developing it as the policy foundation of the Nation. Further, there has been much liberalization of democratic space under Najib’s government in line with the changes in the current generation. As Khairy, again, rightly pointed out:

“On the question of politics, the old worldview contained a simple logic: might is right. Force and might underpinned our actions in the past. When faced with problems, our immediate response was to arrest and jail people. When confronted with challenges, we literally “banned” them. This Cold War mentality might have served as well in decades gone by but the realities of the present demand a more measured and transparent approach. As a reflection of this approach, the Government will amend Section 15 of the UUCA to open the space for students to participate in politics. In my view, this is a bold step born out of a strong leadership committed to the change agenda”.

Any politician who is more concerned with preservation of power will not be bold enough to do away with draconian laws thinking that such legal powers can be used to quash political dissent. However, world view today has changed and this requires leaders who are able to cope and emphatise with this new world view. I agree with Khairy when he says “It would be fair to say that the Government Transformation Program and the New Political Model underlined by YAB President would not be possible without this new worldview. It is a new perspective requiring us to be bolder, more mature and more confident in facing the challenges that come with this new reality”.  Times have indeed changed and this is the opportunity to embark on true radical political reforms that will benefit the Rakyat and encourage transparent, efficient, intelligent  and ethical political behaviours.

Notwithstanding the reforms that Najib is bringing to the country, I share the same reservations about UMNO members that Khairy seems to have eloquently elucidated:

“In this context, I want to stress the importance of fully appreciating the meaning and implication of these concepts of generational transition and new worldview, as well as the philosophy that underpin them. It is utterly pointless to merely clap and cheer at the Prime Minister’s every announcement without understanding its rationale and purpose. Our support for progressive measures like the abolishment of ISA must be based on a deep appreciation of the demands of the new worldview, and not for the sake of sucking up to leaders”.

I have known, for a long time, that there are many capable, efficient and idealistic “1Malaysia” leaders in UMNO way before 1Malaysia came into the picture. However, these leaders who are truly Malaysian in spirit and in conduct have been suppressed from rising by the older generation “cold war” leaders who are caught up with the feudalistic political thoughts and conduct. It is therefore important that UMNO members understand the rationale and the purpose of the PM’s transformation programmes because it actually requires a major paradigm shift in one’s political outlook. 

It is actually irritating that some UMNO “has-been” leaders are being stumbling blocks to the radical changes that the PM is advocating. These old ways of thinking and the culture that “WAS”, stifles mental development in UMNO converting any creative young leader back into old age. Khairy echoed my thoughts when he said it thus; “Otherwise, we will be young in age, but ancient in mentality. This is no time to be cheerleaders who express enthusiatic support without knowing why we do so”.  I must however add that there are some young people in UMNO today who really behave old thinking that is the correct political behavior in UMNO!!! This has to change.

The other interesting parts of his speech concerns the systematic attempts by various parties to destroy key institutions of the Nation. I was actually wondering when some political leader was going to speak on this.  There is a big difference between being critical of our institutions and undermining them. For example.  you may be critical of the  judiciary but you do not encourage the culture of breaking the prison walls. 

I find it pleasing that the UMNO Youth Chief’s speech, though delivered at the UMNO and hence Malay forum, it is Malaysian in nature. This should be the way as UMNO had always been the backbone of the Barisan Nasional Government which had served Malaysians irrespective of race or religion.  There is none of racial overtones or rhetoric which dominated the 2008 assembly. 

Looks like the UMNO delagtes have taken the “que” from the party President – be 1Malaysian ! Racial and religious politics is outdated for now and highly repugnant. 

Well done Khairy. I hope you will be consistent with your views.

Peace!