Malaysia's Elections 2008 (Before, During & After)

[Adrian Wong]

Here's another level-headed piece by Farish A. Noor.

So Is Islam Hadari To Be Enforced By Whipping Now?

By Farish A. Noor

I am having a tough time writing this particular article as I am absolutely consumed by anger at the moment. In fact, I am livid as I have never been for such a long time.

The reason for this sudden rise in my blood pressure level is that after a two-day seminar organised by the Institute for Islamic Understanding (IKIM) and the Shariah Judiciary Department of Malaysia, it was suggested by some of those who took part that ‘non-Muslims found committing khalwat (close proximity) with Muslims (will) also be held liable’ and that they too will be under threat of punishment. (The Star, Proposal to Persecute Non-Muslims for Khalwat, 3 April 2008) According to the report ‘Syariah Court of Appeal Judge Datuk Mohd Asri Abdullah said the seminar had proposed that non-Muslims committing khalwat with Muslims should also be sentenced accordingly, but in the civil courts.’

Furthermore the participants of the seminar also proposed ‘to impose heftier penalties – of up to four times the current penalties – on Muslims caught for khalwat, prostitution, consuming alcohol and involvement in gambling activities.’

And what might these heftier penalties be? According to the same report ‘Ikim and the department were proposing that the Syariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act 1965 (Amendment) 1984 be amended to impose stiffer penalties of RM1,000 fine, or five years’ jail or 12 strokes of the rotan for Syariah Lower Courts and RM20,000 fine, or 10years’ jail or 24 strokes of rotan for Syariah High Courts’. It then added that ‘there was also a proposal for Syariah judges to enforce whipping for these offences’ and that ‘another proposal calls for the establishment of a rehabilitation centre for those convicted of offences related to morals and faith such as prostitution and effeminate men, and enforcement of Section 54 of the Syariah Criminal Offences Act (Act 559) to set up such centres’.

So this, apparently, is what the great minds of IKIM and the religious departments have been cooking up and intending to serve to us, the Malaysian public, all along. While Muslims are angry about the portrayal of Islam and Muslims in the film ‘Fitna’ by the right-wing Dutch politician Geert Wilders, one is left with the question: As long as Muslim leaders and intellectuals remain stuck in their morass of outdated conservative thinking, would it not remain the case that Islam is seen as a religious of violence? How, pray tell, can scholars like me defend the image of Islam and Muslims when Muslim governments like ours allows such outlandish and dangerous ideas to spread, and harbour such proponents of conservative-fundamentalist Islam in the very same institutions that were meant to open up the minds of Muslims and lead us – and Malaysian society – to a more modern, progressive and liberated understanding of Islam and religion in general?

The fact that such proposals could have been made at all speaks volumes about the state of Muslim thinking in Malaysia today. Worse still is the total disconnect between reality and ideals, and the fact that some of these Muslim thinkers fail to see just how unjust, inhuman and dehumanising these proposed punishments are in the eyes of millions of other Malaysians and foreigners alike. Whipping? In this day and age? And what would happen to the image of Malaysia as the so-called bastion of moderate Islam when the international media gets a glimpse of this non-so-moderate Islam at work? Is Islam Hadari to be enforced by the whip today?

The results of the recent general elections have shown that the Malaysian public has reached a level of political awareness and maturity that is unprecedented in our history. It also points to an increasingly urbanised, well-connected, better-informed and more politically-conscious electorate that will not be satisfied with empty slogans of a more ‘moderate’ Islam and theme parks with crystal mosques. Why, even in the ranks of the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS) there are more and more progressive voices who are calling for real economic and structural reform, and contemplating the possibility of creating a new social contract based on a welfare state model for all Malaysians.

But it is in the ranks of UMNO and the UMNO-led institutions of the state that we see the mental quagmire of the elite at its worst. IKIM and the Shariah Judiciary Department are both institutions that were created under the auspices of the UMNO-led government. Yet the so-called reforms we have been presented are not intended to open up the minds of Muslims, but rather to add yet another layer of moral policing on Muslim society today.

More worrying is the fact that now the scope of UMNO’s Islamisation policy has extended to cover non-Muslims as well, and this can only be read as yet another attempt to impose Islamic legal and political hegemony on the non-Muslims of Malaysia. How and why should a non-Muslim be taken to court for simply being in love with a Muslim? And why, for that matter, should a Muslim be punished for simply loving a non-Muslim? Furthermore the non-Muslim partner in such a relationship may not even regard it as wrong to simply be in love with another. Yet the advocates of this reform are suggesting that he or she has committed a sin even if he or she has not done anything wrong according to his or her belief system.

This in turn points to the slow erosion of respect for diversity and pluralism in Malaysia, where a group of Muslim communitarians do not seem realise the fact that Islam is simply one of many belief-systems in Malaysia and that the values of Islam may not be relevant to those who are not part of that faith community. Yet by calling for these legal reforms, these sectarian leaders seem to be implying that what constitutes an offence for Muslims must also constitute an offence for others too. How does this communitarian slant fit with the universalist and pluralist claims of Islam Hadari then?

That such a conference could have been held so close after UMNO’s disastrous showing at the recent elections would indicate that this UMNO-led government is totally bankrupt of ideas and can only shore up what little support it has left by playing the Islamic card and pandering to the gallery yet again. Moral policing of any kind is just one further layer of policing on society, and this is fundamentally part and parcel of the state’s attempt to remain in power at all costs. The net result would be the further control of Malaysian society as a whole and the costs will be borne by those Malaysians who are Malaysian-minded enough to see beyond race and religion, and to cross these cultural-religious frontiers by falling in love with others. Instead it is those very Malaysian-Minded Malaysians who are under threat now, by laws and regulations that make it virtually impossible for us to love one another and live with one another.

Finally, this is further proof that the so-called ‘moderate and progressive’ brand of Islam that was sold to us as ‘Islam Hadari’ was little more than another UMNO propaganda device; serving to placate the concerns of the international community while in fact serving only to extend the power and hegemony of the state at home. Should these reform measures come to pass, it is our duty to remind ourselves, our fellow Malaysians and the international community that what passes under the label of Islam Hadari is really a conservative brand of statist Islam that promotes imprisonment, detention, moral policing and whipping. Let the cameras of the international media come to Malaysia to film the spectacle of Malaysians being arrested, detained in rehabilitation centres, whipped and injured for life by the morality police and religious authorities. Let the whole world know that ‘Islam Hadari’ has never opened up the minds of Muslims. Let us expose this lie once and for all, and the liars behind the lie as well.

Dr. Farish A. Noor is a senior fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University of Singapore; and one of the founders of the The Other Malaysia - Home research site.

[The_YongGrand]

So how's Penang now? Have they cancelled the million-ringgit projects, or have they changed these projects to something more useful?

[Adrian Wong]

Originally Posted by The_YongGrand

So how's Penang now? Have they cancelled the million-ringgit projects, or have they changed these projects to something more useful?

Well, they should not cancel the Second Penang Bridge. The first one's overloaded as it is.

I believe YAB Lim Guan Eng is now looking into all the land scams that have been going on in the last government. I'm sure people like Patrick Lim are now shitting in their pants.

[Adrian Wong]

Here is a good example of the kind of theft BN has conducted :

"Datuk" under probe over cover-up of land seizure in Sabah

(New Sabah Times) - A top-ranking senior law enforcement officer holding the title of “Datuk” is being investigated for allegedly offering “protection services” to a real estate company which allegedly seized 787 hectares (about 4,000 acres) of oil palm plantations belonging to smallholders in Kunak, Sabah.

In exchange for his “services”, the company, which is also involved in money lending, has reportedly given the officer kickbacks and other benefits, including offering its company’s shares.

The shares, it is learnt, are under the names of his nominees and it is also learnt that some Sabah land and survey department’s senior officers might be linked in the scandal.

Bernama understands that the Sabah Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) had taken all files related from the Sabah Land and Survey Department to determine the alleged involvement of the officer.

When contacted, Sabah ACA director, Latifah Md Yatim confirmed that the agency had begun a probe into the land issue.

“We have begun investigations and are seriously looking into the matter and gathering the relevant information,” she said.

However, she declined to comment on the involvement of the said officer, who is in his 50’s.

In early January, the company concerned was said to have employed more than 100 illegal immigrants to seize the land worth about RM40 million.

Using attack dongs, samurai swords and shotguns, the foreigners muscled their way into the oil palm plantation in Kampung Tingkayu and prevented 171 smallholders from entering the land, which they had toiled for the past 23 years.

The thugs stay in makeshift huts to carry out 24-hour patrol to guard the entrance to the plantations.

More than 40 police reports were lodged between January and March this year at the Kunak police station and numerous letters were sent to the Sabah Land and Survey Department but until today,the plight of the smallholders remains unchanged.

One of the affected smallholders who wished to be known as Lee, 56, said roads leading to their plantations were illegally diverted and iron chain perimeter fences were put up to prevent them from entering their own plantations.

“The illegal immigrants use scare tactics – they fire warning shots with their shotguns, brandish samurai swords and spears and threaten to unleash the attack dogs on us.

“When we tell them that we have a restraining orders from the court,they mock us by saying their bosses have the funds to even buy the courts.

“In the same breath, the thugs tell us we could enter our land and harvest the crops, but on condition we pay them RM50 for every tonne of the harvested crops,” he said.

Lee claimed that when reports were lodged against the thugs at the Kunak police station, the police officers did not entertain the smallholders and often advised them not to waste their time.

In one incident, Lee said a thug threatened a smallholder by training his shotgun at his forehead and a sword to his abdomen-for failing to take instructions from them.

“They are dictating to us what to do on our own land. We want to state government and the police to rescue us from this nightmare,” he told Bernama yesterday.

[Adrian Wong]

And this is the kind of federal government we have - one that will actively sabotage the state government just because it is now being ruled by the opposition.

Since the federal government intends on abusing our money, should we, the people, really pay our taxes to the federal government? Perhaps, it's time for the state governments to exert greater control over matters like taxation...

All JKKK members in Penang to quit

(STAR) NIBONG TEBAL: All 4,000 members from the 200 Barisan Nasional-appointed Village Development and Security Committees (JKKK) will quit en bloc and join a new federal-level JKKK.

State Barisan deputy liaison committee chairman Datuk Seri Abdul Rashid Abdullah said the new committee would report directly to the federal government.

“This new JKKK, which will continue to receive allowances from the federal government, will focus on federal-initiated projects and activities.

“They will not duplicate or overlap the duties carried out by the JKKK members that the new state government plans to appoint,” he told reporters at his residence here yesterday.

Abdul Rashid, who was former Deputy Chief Minister, said the current JKKK members were expected to tender their resignations this week.

All these village heads and JKKK members have no honour, or sense of duty. They are obviously only in it for the money.

[Adrian Wong]

Interesting... Rumours have it that the Opposition might be closer to wresting the Federal Government from BN than we thought....

34 BN MPs Prepare To Turn To Pakatan Rakyat

According to sources, there were 34 members of Parliament preparing to turn to Pakatan Rakyat and they were waiting the "signal" from Parti Keadilan Rakyat Advisor Anwar Ibrahim.

It was believed that once Anwar Ibrahim's ban on active politics ended on April 15, everything would be clear.

"Most of the MPs are from East Malaysia, and half of them are from Peninsular Malaysia. It's about 80 percent that two UMNO MPs will turn to Pakatan Rakyat."

Sources told Sin Chew Daily that these two UMNO MPs would announce to turn to Pakatan Rakyat recently.

It was believed that some MPs from West Malaysia were not satisfied with Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and they were at the cross junction.

They would either turned to Pakatan Rakyat or joined Gua Musang MP Tengku Razaliegh to confront with Abdullah.

"UMNO will collapse if these MPs join Pakatan Rakyat. If they turn to Tengku Razaleigh, UMNO will not collapse but Abdullah will be threatened."

BN holds 140 seats among 222 parliamentary seats. Meanwhile, Pakatan Rakyat owns 82 seats. (Sin Chew Daily)

[Adrian Wong]

Here are some thoughts on the latest face-off between the BN government and the Opposition BR.

When Bush won the US Presidency, he appointed his ‘mortal enemy’, Senator McCain, as the Chairman of the International Republican Institute (IRI). In Malaysia, ‘Bush’ would have jailed ‘McCain’ on trumped-up charges of sodomy. Awhile back in Australia, ‘Barisan Nasional’ formed the federal government while every single state was under opposition control. Things worked out very well and none of the states suffered sabotage by the federal government.

That is what we call political maturity but this political maturity is absent in Malaysia. In Malaysia’s case, the federal government is currently going all out to sabotage the five state governments so that, in about six months or so from now, Barisan Nasional can grab back the states, in particular Penang, Perak and Selangor.

We must understand that all the states are running at a deficit. None of the states are self-sufficient and all depend on federal government funding. If these funds are not forthcoming, then expect the states to fall within six months, as predicted by Barisan Nasional. And this is a promise, not a threat.

Barisan Nasional is not having wet dreams or fantasizing. They know what they are talking about. Pakatan Rakyat is in control of the steering wheel but the car has only a gallon of petrol and soon it will run out of fuel. And rest assured Pakatan Rakyat will be denied petrol, which is under the control of Barisan Nasional. How, therefore, do we continue with our journey once the car is stalled beside the road with a totally empty fuel tank?

That is the crux of the matter. To add to Pakatan Rakyat’s problems, all the members of the government such as ketua kampong, JKKKK, etc., are being told to resign en bloc. This will not only cripple the government right down to the grassroots, but even if the state governments replace all these people there would be a serious continuity problem and it would take a long time for them to pick up the pieces. And that fact that the offices have been stripped off everything, including computers, furniture and fittings, means that picking up the pieces will be like looking for a needle in a haystack.

Yes, the great sabotage has begun. They are now also looking at the ‘Terengganu Wang Ehsan’ model to implement in all states. This would mean federal funds would bypass the state and end up in the hands of the de facto Menteri Besar or Chief Minister like what happened in Kelantan in 1990 and Terengganu in 2000.

The federal government has 18 years experience doing this so they know exactly how to do it. The Rakyat of Kedah, Penang, Perak and Selangor can only stand by helplessly and watch their money go straight into the pockets of the ‘shadow government’ like how the Kelantanese have been doing since 1990 (into Anuar Musa’s pocket) and the Terengganians since 2000 (into Idris Jusoh’s pocket -- and which is still going on in spite of Terengganu falling back to Barisan Nasional in 2004).

There are two ways to solve this. One would be for Pakatan Rakyat to form the federal government. To do this Pakatan Rakyat would need no less than 112 seats in Parliament. It currently has only 82 so it is short of 30. The second would be for an ‘agreement’ to be reached between Pakatan Rakyat and Barisan Nasional.

Of course, both options are difficult. To get another 30 Parliament seats or more would mean a few Barisan Nasional MPs would have to cross over. But will they really be crossing over or are they Pakatan Rakyat candidates ‘planted’ in Barisan Nasional to start off with (sort of like Trojan Horses)? Were these so-called Barisan Nasional candidates actually people who wanted to resign from their party before the recent general election with a view to contest the election under the opposition banner but Anwar Ibrahim told them to stay in Barisan Nasional and ‘cross-over’ later once they have won their seats?

Yes, that is certainly a most-interesting question. If they were ‘sleepers’ or Trojan Horses to start off with, then they would not be crossing-over as such. They could be considered ‘opposition candidates’ sent to infiltrate Barisan Nasional with an objective to weaken the ruling party once the time is ripe. And, knowing Anwar Ibrahim, I would not put it pass him to come up with such a grand scheme. After all, do they not say: all is fair in love and war? And is not politics, in a way, the art of war?

The second option would be to come up with a truce with Barisan Nasional. Pakatan Rakyat will not ‘sabotage’ Barisan Nasional at federal level by ‘stealing’ 30 or 40 of their Parliamentarians while Barisan Nasional will reciprocate by not sabotaging the five states by denying it federal money. Then, maybe, one or two Federal Minister posts with, maybe, a couple more Deputy Minister posts will be offered to Pakatan Rakyat so that the opposition can now be part of the federal government. The numbers and ministries concerned will certainly be subject to negotiations but the concept must first be agreed before we can get down to the arithmetic and mechanics.

Too revolutionary and idealistic, you may say? Not if we want to get down to the business of running the governments. Today, we have just crossed the first month anniversary of the 8 March 2008 general election and we are still politicking. Pakatan Rakyat is focused on how to grab the federal government while Barisan Nasional is focused on how to grab back the five states. One of the two may succeed or both could still be trying without success six months from now. The politics needs to end some time and the business of running the government needs to start some time. But this can’t happen while both Pakatan Rakyat and Barisan Nasional are on war alert.

If, for the sake of the ‘bigger picture’, the voters are not too worried about the economy and about whether development in the states grind to a halt, then well and good, then let’s keep the war going. But we, the Rakyat, must be prepared to first accept the fact that a prolonged war will certainly result in adverse conditions and we must be prepared to tighten our belts and take the lumps and bruises with our heads held high and without any whining, grumbling and *****ing. The Kelantanese have been doing so for 18 years. Will we emulate the Kelantanese, come hell or high water? Or will we do what the Terengganu people did: give the state back to Barisan Nasional after just one term because tak boleh tahan takde pembangunan

[Adrian Wong]

And this is what the Sarawak Headhunter has to say about the fantastically stupid and arrogant Azalina Othman. For those who think lesbians are hot, well she will turn you off.

On BN doesn't discriminate, Azalina tells MBs (as per the report in Malaysiakini), Azalina in showing the vindictiveness of the BN, is equally showing her own stupidity. Does she expect her stand, which reflects Federal Government policy, to endear herself and the BN to the people, both those who in the last election chose to vote against the BN as well as those who voted for the BN?

Obviously, the Federal BN Government is unable to discriminate between what it can legitimately do and what it cannot. Then again, who will they blame for their own stupidity when they get kicked out, if not sooner, then in the 13th GE?

The BN seems to know nothing about constitutional government, yet it expects the people to pay Federal taxes. Why should people of these 5 states pay taxes to the Federal Government if they or their legitimate representatives (the State Governments) are going to be discriminated against?

Does Azalina think that Federal Government funds only belong to the BN?

If UMNO (and the BN) doesn’t reform, then obviously it is looking for a revolution against it. Looks like the BN has not learned anything from the last election.

This stupid arrogant woman’s (?) head must roll! Better still along with the rest of the present useless idiots in the Cabinet.

They are now even thinking of channeling Federal funds to the 5 States as “wang ehsan”. Do they think that the people of these States are beggars and have no legal right to these funds? I am thoroughly disgusted at their sheer stupidity, ignorance and arrogance.

Obviously, this is normal modus operandi for the BN, as we have seen all too often in Sarawak.

What does her Deputy Minister Sulaiman Taib say about this? He's probably trying to slink away with his tail between his legs after being kicked by Azalina.

[Adrian Wong]

Uh-oh... Looks like MCA is in deep shit!

400 to join DAP

(The Sun) PETALING JAYA (April 10, 2008): Some 400 mostly MCA members, led by the party's Pandamaran branch youth chief Teh Kim Huat, are joining DAP, the Chinese press reported today.

Teh, who announced his decision to quit the party yesterday, said the non-MCA members who have joined him in applying for DAP membership include Indians and Malays.

On the MCA who are defecting en bloc, he said they are doing it voluntarily and not at his behest.

As for him, he said he is leaving for DAP due to differences with the party leadership.

"My enthusiasm to serve the people has always been seen (by the party's state leadership) as an attempt to gain personal fame," he lamented.

He claims he has the support of the people in the branch who felt that his hard work in serving the public will not be recognised by the party if he continued to stay in MCA.