Najib: Taking us down the Road to Disaster

by Dato Ahmad Mustapha Hassan (received by email on 11-22-13)

It is quite normal for anyone to ask this question: Where are we going and where is Najib taking us? Since Najib took over the reins of government in 2009, we are  neither here nor there. Most people are baffled because Najib seems disconnected from reality while the country is facing innumerable critical problems which require urgent attention.

Even as these problems are left unattended, more problems are being added. Najib's words have no meaning whatsoever as his cabinet ministers have been acting to dismantle what he had promised the people before he was given the mandate to run the country.

Najib andTun Razak

His father was completely different. Tun Abdul Razak’s words were meant as instructions to all, ministers, civil servants and the people. No member of his cabinet would go against what he decided for the people. 

The Tun was very prudent and would not spend people’s money unnecessarily. He limited his overseas travel to not more than twice a year. He would cut out all non-essential expenses. He did not believe in creating unwanted and expensive icons. He was interested in uplifting the economic situation of the whole nation, not just creating a few wealthy and self-centred individuals. He believed that he should not waste the rakyat’s money by bringing hangers-on his overseas trips. That was how astute and concerned Tun Razak was about the welfare of the people and the country.

Najib, on the other hand, is away from the country most of the time and it had been reported that so far his travels have cost the country RM44 million. That is a very huge amount even for a prime minister.

Tun Razak relied on advice from local experts, and placed trusted people in positions, in the knowledge that their contribution would see to the success of projects. He started MARA to take over the role carried out by RIDA (Rural and Industrial Development Authority) before and placed capable officers to man the various divisions in MARA. He had the late Mansor Osman (later Menteri Besar of Negeri Sembilan) placed in the training division to offer scholarships and aid to needy rural students.

He entrusted Tan Sri Arshad Ayub to steer the MARA College (now Universiti Teknologi MARA) towards developing more Bumiputera professionals. He placed people where he knew they would be able to assist his goal in uplifting the professional capabilities of those who had been neglected before.

Tun Razak appointed an able and dedicated civil servant Tan Sri Thong Yaw Hong in a position to assist him realise the objectives of his rural development programme.

He recognised and trusted those civil servants whom he knew personally and appointed them to positions of high trust, like Tan Sri Ramon Navaratnam, Tan Sri Tunku Shahriman, Dr Agoes Salim, Raja Alias and Tan Sri Rama Iyer in planning and development units in the Prime Minister's Department.

To him, all were Malaysians and he overrode any racial or religious sentimentality. He was a man of the people of all shades and religious beliefs.  The Tun had only one goal in mind and that was the welfare of the people and to him it would take all Malaysians to achieve this. He was also not distracted by petty and hollow sloganeering.

None would dare to approach him and shout “Ketuanan Melayu” or any such nonsense. The government would help all the people towards achieving a better life.

Government involvement in religion, to him, should also be on a minimum scale. Religion was a faith adhered to by individuals and that should be about all there was to it. He did not encourage the religious department to expand its jurisdiction whereby it could pose a threat to national harmony.

But unfortunately, at present, things seem to have gone out of hand. Ministers contradict what the Prime Minister had promised. Voices of disharmony were allowed free reign. Acts that harm the sensitivities of those not of the Muslim faith are on the rise.

And yet Najib champions 1Malaysia. It was there all along but subsequent leaders, especially those from UMNO Baru, had dismantled that by allowing anti-national elements from the cabinet itself to “flourish” uncontrollably.

Najib told the Sabah and Sarawak people of the freedom in practising their religion and then a ban was imposed on their newsletter. Sarawak and Sabah together with Malaya then had formed Malaysia, and there was no need to tell them that they are part of Malaysia. They definitely were and are part and parcel of Malaysia.

One very important factor was that Tun Razak walked the talk. The Malay paper Utusan Melayu with national calibre editors like Yusof Ishak (later President of Singapore) and Said Zahari had been vocal in fighting for the truth and even when it was taken over by UMNO, it still remained as a national paper that was very much respected.

But once UMNO Baru led by Dr. Mahathir Mohamad took over the country, Utusan has become the party’s organ and has been allowed to become a national trash. The TV channels have also become the mouthpiece of the party. They have miserably failed to play a positive role in fostering national unity.

Every single effort should be coordinated like during Tun Razak’s time to achieve the national goal of equality, prosperity and happiness for all.  Pray! Tell us! Are you, Najib, taking us towards disaster!

 

 Ahmad Mustapha Hassan is a former press secretary to second Prime Minister Tun Abdul Razak Hussein and the author of the book, "The Unmaking of Malaysia".

‘Government no money, lah’

Selena Tay | November 20, 2013

What better way to obtain the funds than from the rakyat itself - take from the rakyat to give to the rakyat.

 

COMMENT

 

Friends, folks and fellow ordinary citizens, crunch time is here. The inevitable will happen. We must brace ourselves for the impact. Price and rates hikes are imminent between now and February next year and the hikes will involve petrol, diesel, electricity tariff, cooking gas, sewerage charges, quit rent and assessment rates.

This columnist’s reliable source of information has mentioned that the nation is running on near-empty and that is the reason for the gigantic increase in assessment rates between 100% to 300% for properties in KL. A 10% to 20% hike is already substantial, over 20% is a lot but over 100% is just simply crazy and ridiculous.

The government is also in dire need of funds for the BR1M payout. Therefore they need to source for funds and what better way to obtain the funds than from the rakyat itself – take from the rakyat to give to the rakyat.

In actual fact, the nation is in ‘technical bankruptcy’ which means that the national debt is more than its reserves. The national debt stands at RM541 billion while reserves is less than RM500 billion.

Although there is trade surplus, this is being used as operating expenditure and does not help to lessen the national debt which also incurs servicing of its high interest of its loan.

A layman’s explanation goes as follows: You have only RM500 in your savings account but you are owing your friend RM700. Your salary is RM1,000 but you are still unable to pay your friend because your salary is used for daily expenses.

As the government is in dire need of funds for its operating expenditure, it has no choice but to tax the people. Actually, the government should cut down on its own extravagance and unnecessary spending instead of taxing the rakyat.

That is also the reason why the people of KL are unhappy with the hike in the assessment rate – they view it as mismanagement on the part of the government. More than 200 people interviewed by this columnist have only this to say about the BN government: ‘Government no money, lah’.

But now it is too late to do anything. BN has won the 13th general election and we will be on a slippery slide downwards swiftly as the government needs to source for funds from the citizens.

The way the government is running the country is akin to having 10 pots but nine lids. They are in hot soup and they choose to dump the hot soup on us – the ordinary rakyat.

This columnist’s source of information also revealed that the news that has been given to us is untrue especially news pertaining to the nation’s economic health because prior to the news being fed to the public, it first has to be filtered and then changed wholesale.

Therefore if you read a piece of news saying that such-and-such a world organisation is praising Malaysia for its financial prudence, then the opposite is true.

Something sinister

All this simply means that many Malaysians including urban folks are kept in the dark as to the actual health of the nation’s economy.

With the citizens being kept in the dark, the government continues to tax the ordinary people via the hike in rates while some gullible citizens still continue to believe that Malaysia’s financial situation is healthy and robust due to reading polished news in the media.

However the situation is like the Indian saying of using a coconut leaf to cover an elephant and someday in the near future, an implosion is imminent.

With the price hikes expected to take place before Chinese New Year on Jan 31, the Chinese are already grumbling due to the expected massive expenditure needing to be forked out besides the usual year-end expenses.

Is the government punishing KL folks for voting Pakatan Rakyat? The Chinese certainly think that there is something sinister behind this increase besides the fact that the government is in a dire financial situation.

Besides the hike in assessment rates, the petrol hike for RON95 is expected to be between 10 sen to 30 sen. After the petrol hike which is expected to be implemented very soon, the prices of all goods will of course follow suit.

This then will surely awaken many people to the fact that the government’s coffers must be quite empty. If the economy collapses, then the foreign workers here will be jobless, hungry and angry.

If such a situation were to occur in Malaysia, we the citizens will be at the mercy of the foreign workers because there are too many of them here and they can cause a great chaos if there is an economic downturn in Malaysia.

It is only a matter of time before an implosion occurs. What will Malaysia’s economy be like then?

Do not forget that we depend a lot on domestic consumption to fuel the nation’s economy. But for now, the situation is that the people of KL are angry with the federal government for being unreasonable and many have remarked that the government is robbing the rakyat.

It is useless for the government to give BR1M as it is not only a matter of giving out but taking back many times more from the citizens – the whole thing is nothing but a charade.

Selena Tay is a DAP member and a FMT columnist. - Free Malaysia Today

Voted by the DUN? New administrative block and mosque being put up on the historic site of the Astana

DUMPED! Rajah Brooke Memorial Cross Left Cracked And Neglected On Junk Heap

Consigned to the junk yard?

Shocking disrespect towards one of Sarawak’s most treasured historical figures has come to light, with this image of a Rajah Brooke memorial cross, plucked from its position outside the Governor’s Mansion in Kuching and dumped in a junk heap.

The white marble cross had stood in front of the Astana, as a memorial to three Brooke children, who were lost at sea.

It provided a poignant Christian symbol, with the famous phrase “suffer little children to come unto me” wrapped round its simple stem.

But, now as these exclusive photographs reveal, it has been unceremoniously ripped from its position and dumped lopsidedly alongside discarded junk, as an enormous building renovation gets underway.

At a time when extremist groups have started loudly targeting Christians and other faiths in Malaysia, this careless attitude towards a religious and historical symbol in Sarawak is particularly disquieting.

The militant Islamist ‘NGO’ Perkasa, has just announced it plans to open a branch of its agitator organisation in the state. Imagine the fury of its members if such a desecration had been meted out on a symbol that was held dear to Muslims instead?

Chief Minister Taib Mahmud, who has relentlessly promoted his own minority Muslim faith at the expense of the majority Christians in Sarawak during 30 years of government, has nevertheless insisted that he can be trusted to protect their religious rights.

If so, he needs to intervene to rectify this act of neglect in the grounds of the Governor’s own mansion in Kuching.

Vast building project at the Governor’s Palace

Mysterious Building Project

This issue throws light on another significant matter that has so far received little attention, even though it concerns the development of one of Kuching’s most iconic historical buildings at evidently large public expense.

What on earth is going on down at the Astana?

Onlookers have been increasingly amazed at the sheer scale of the “renovation works” that have been taking place in the heart of the capital, on the once green banks opposite the town centre.

The gracious, low-level, colonial-style mansion was built by the second Rajah and is a nostalgic piece of period architecture.

It has already been recently over-shadowed by the high-rise, gold roofed “hat” that forms the new DUN Assembly, built of course by the Chief Minister’s family company CMS.

But, now it appears that it is about to be dwarfed and destroyed by what the signage describes as a new “administrative wing”, which looks to be far larger than the original palace itself.

Inevitably, it seems, the new wing will also contain a Surau, a mini-mosque.

One onlooker told Sarawak Report:

“We have just seen the site for ourselves and the new wing is going to dwarf the original Palace! What is going on with this ‘Administrative Wing?’ The Governor has no administrative role in the state. He appears in public three times a year: his birthday when he confers honours, his birthday dinner later which is really not all that grand, and at the Independence Day parade. So, what on earth is going on?”

New Administrative Block and Mosque?

Brookes’ dismay?

The insensitivity of this destruction of a historic building comes hard on the heels of the recent 50th Anniversay celebration of Sarawak’s Independence – or at least its union with Malaysia.

On this occasion the State Government seemed willing enough to take the highly popular step of inviting the descendants of the Raja Brooke family to join the consecration of the ashes of the last Rajah Mudah of Sarawak, Anthony Brooke, who wished to be laid to rest in the state.

Consigned to history? – Jason Brooke (2nd left) the next in line, led members of his family at the consecration in Kuching

Many might consider it to be with unseemly haste that the old mansion of the Rajahs is now being torn apart, the  Christian cross plucked from its position and replaced with a mosque.

Taib Mahmud has every right to his faith, but should he not show more respect to the majority religion of the people of the state?

So who is moving into the Astana?

Traditional style – the current Astana building sums up Kuching’s unique historic heritage.

Which brings us to the nub of this issue.  The speculation on everybody’s tongues is that the reason for all this building frenzy is that the elderly Chief Minister is finally making his move – a move that he plans will take him into the Governor’s Palace!

After all, this would explain the administrative wing, because Taib Mahmud would certainly expect to continue to rule the country, even if he stepped aside into the Governor’s role. It would also explain the mosque.

The speculation is backed up by the news buzzing round Kuching that various Taib cronies have been busy in Europe, ordering the bespoke guilt furniture, which the elderly Chief Minister is well-known to favour over traditional local products.

After all, the current Governor is in his 90s, two decades older than Taib and Taib has been under intense pressure to move.  There is also the suggestion (untrue) that has long been circulated that by moving into the role of Governor, Taib would somehow become immune from all laws of prosecution.

Massive new wing is already being thrown together

Perhaps he has done a deal with Najib?

Could it have finally have been agreed that if Taib takes his increasingly discredited personage out of the position of Chief Minister, the Prime Minister will play lip-service to the fiction that Governors are immune to prosecution for crimes, including kleptocracy (vast theft of public monies)?

This way, UMNO/BN may be hoping that the people of Sarawak will continue to vote for a similar successor.

This might well partly depend on what they do about the cross in the back yard dump at the Astana!

Poignant history – In memory of three of the Rajah’s children who drowned at sea in 1875

State rulers have no right to dictate religion to non-Muslims, says constitutional expert

BY LEE SHI-IAN
November 18, 2013

State rulers in Malaysia have no power to suspend or deny the rights of non-Muslims to refer to God as Allah or their rights to religious freedom, which are guaranteed under the Federal Constitution, says constitutional law expert Dr Abdul Aziz Bari.

He said the laws are clear about the authority of the state rulers, just days after Selangor's Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah reminded non-Muslims in the state not to refer to God as Allah, which was affirmed a month ago by an appeal court ruling.

"The powers of all the rulers must be seen within the context of the Federal Constitution. The authority of the rulers as heads of religion only applies to Muslims within their respective states," Abdul Aziz told The Malaysian Insider.

"But the non-Muslims, even those who are residing in those states, are outside the jurisdiction of these rulers. Even with regard to Muslims, orders issued by the rulers are not absolute as they are subject to Islamic laws," he added.

For example, the former academic said the rulers cannot ask Muslims in their states to do something which goes against the Islamic religion.

Although the Federal Constitution has made clear the councils and clerics were under the authority of the rulers, there was nothing which empowered the rulers to issue their own laws.

Abdul Aziz said when the Federal Constitution was drawn up, it was envisaged that the rulers would be allowed to retain their religious authority free of government interference.

But the Federal Constitution certainly never imagined that the rulers might go against the tenets of Islam, he added.

"Islamic law is not entirely clear on the issue of Allah. Religious authorities in the Middle East, which has long been the cradle of Islam, have expressed their views that prohibition on the usage of
Allah by non-Muslims has no basis in Islam," Abdul Aziz said.

He said although the Court of Appeal ruled on October 14 to uphold the ban by the Home Ministry on the use of the word Allah by Catholic publication Herald, perhaps it was better for the highest court in Malaysia to make an ultimate decision.

"While the rulers are free from the advice of the government of the day in exercising their powers as the heads of Islam in their respective states, but they are still bound and subject to the provisions of the Federal Constitution," Abdul Aziz said.

"With regards to the various councils, they have no legislative authority to make laws. Even when it comes to Muslims, what eventually binds them is the legal provisions, not the decision of the councils," he said, adding that Islamic religious councils only had the authority to assist and advise the rulers.

Selangor is Malaysia's richest state and counts many Christians from Sabah and Sarawak as its residents. Most of them worship in Bahasa Malaysia and refer to God as Allah.

Putrajaya has said that it would stick to a 10-point agreement that would allow the usage of the word in East Malaysia but not in Peninsular Malaysia where the majority are Muslims.

Restrictions on other religions using certain Arabic words was first introduced in 1982 just after Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad took power but they were never strictly enforced until the past few years, much to the chagrin of the Catholic Church and other Christian denominations who use Bahasa Malaysia to preach to a generation of Malaysians who use the language more than English. – November 18, 2013. -- The Malaysian Insider

Of Parliamentary "APES" and Penchant for Con-Sultants

by A Kadir Jasin

On June 27, I published a posting entitled Malaysian Parliament vs Animal Planet. On November 14, judging from media reports, the Dewan Rakyat was transformed from the more respectable Animal Planet into a mere zoo.

It was the climax of yet another uncivilised behaviour of our elected representatives, when the Opposition PKR member from Padang Serai, N. Surendran was suspended for six months for allegedly insulting Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia outside the House on November 12.

How I wish the government of Prime Minister Mohd Najib Abdul Razak acts equally swiftly and decisively on the plights of the rakyat, like the plan by the Kuala Lumpur City Hall to hike assessment rates by as much as 200% or the spike in deadly shootings around the country.

It is interesting that the National News Agency, Bernama should use the term “allegedly” to describe the circumstance surrounding the Surendran’s suspension.

Does this mean that the charges against the PKR member were never conclusively proven?

According to Bernama, the suspension motion, which was tabled by Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Nancy Shukri (left) amid protest by members of the Opposition, was passed via block voting.

The Opposition questioned the legitimacy of the motion, triggering a heated argument, which lasted almost 90 minutes.

When the division was called by Deputy Speaker, Datuk Ronald Kiandee, 92 BN parliamentarians voted for the motion while the opposition representatives abstained.

On Tuesday, Surendran was given a marching order by Pandikar Amin for challenging his decision to reject an emergency motion he proposed over the alleged demolition of the extension to Sri Maneswarar Kaliyaman Temple extension in Jalan P. Ramlee, Kuala Lumpur.

The dissatisfied Surendran told a press conference outside the chamber that Pandikar Amin was bias and likened the Dewan Rakyat to the Zimbabwean Parliament.

They deserve no honour

I have no intention of honoring the bravado of these people, be they on the government or opposition bench.These people are not fit to be elected “wakil rakyat”. Sadly, over the years, we see more and more of these characters being elected to the august house.

I miss the gentler and more decorous days of the Parliament when members were more civilized, tolerant and more gentlemanly in their verbal exchanges.

As one former members of Parliament noted, those were the “jahiliah” days when liquor was served in the Parliament and some members took time off to play a round of poker.

Has the current breed of politicians lost the ability to debate with civility, flair and candor using powerful yet inoffensive terms and expressions? Or does this mean that the standard of the Malay language and the intellect of today’s YBs are so inadequate that they have resort to uncouth language and vulgarities when making their points?

Somebody should broadcast parliamentary debate in totality for the entire period of sitting so that the rakyat can judge for themselves who are humans and who are apes among the YBs. Maybe live telecast will force them to be more civilized and thoughtful.

It is puzzling that a temple issue should lead to expulsion. I am not saying that it was not an important issue, but no less important were debates on top government leaders and important people spending RM182 million last year alone on private jet travels.

Or more shocking is the revelation by the Finance Ministry that the Federal government had spent RM7.2 billion since 2009 to hire private consultants for national projects.

It is clear that Mohd Najib as PM and Finance Minister loves private consultants despite the government having a whopping 1.4 million staff. This is not counting his special envoys and special advisers with ministerial status.

In response to question by the DAP MP for Kelana Jaya, Wong Chen, the ministry revealed a gradual rise in the bills for private consultancy firms from RM1.3 billion in 2009 — the year Mohd Najib became PM — to RM1.63 billion in 2010, RM1.8 billion in 2011, RM1.82 billion in 2012 and RM722 million from January to October this year.

In a damning indictment of the civil servants, the Finance Ministry said: “The capabilities of government researchers are limited in terms of their competency and human resources.”

If they are not good, sack them or train them. What's the point of having a million over civil servants and paying them better salaries if Mohd Najib has to rely on outsiders and foreigners? Actually we can get free consultancy from such multilateral organisation as the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank if we want to.

As a footnote, I congratulate a former BN MP, who now chairs a statutory body, for telling two Ministers –Mustapha Mohamed and Idris Jala – in a meeting with journalists a few days ago to stop hiring foreign consultants. I would not ask if he dares saying that if he is still an MP.-- kadirjasin.blogspot.com,

Sarawak church SNUBS Najib's hazy Allah assurance, hints of Taib's support, wants CLARITY

Written by Bolly Lapok 

 

The Bumiputera Church will continue to use the word “Allah” as it is the fundamental to all aspects of our profession and practice of our Christian faith.

As we have heard from the public forum today, and has been stated numerous times to the media by church leaders from both East and Peninsula Malaysia, the word “Allah” has been used or spoken by the native communities of Sarawak and Sabah for generations. “Allah” has been used long before the formation of Malaysia and is part of our native language. It is used in all aspects of Christian faith and practice by Bahasa Malaysia-speaking Christian and other native speaking including in services, prayers praise, liturgy, worship and religious education. As such, it is reasonable to expect that the word also be used in our Christian publications and multi-media resources.

It thus makes no sense that only Christians in Sarawak and Sabah may use “Allah”. Christians from Sarawak and Sabah move across the country from East to West to live and work and carry with them their Alkitab and other Christian materials in the Bahasa Malaysia language. Even non-native from West Malaysia own and read the Alkitab as Bahasa Malaysia is our national language.

Nonsense to say judgement to be 'interpreted' as only for the Herald

It also makes no sense for the Court of Appeal’s recent judgement to be interpreted as being applicable only to The Herald. While The Herald may have been the case brought before the court, it is our view that the judges have overstepped their boundaries in determining that using the word “Allah” was not “intergral to the Christian” faith. In deciding thus, the judges have arrogated to themselves a right that does not belong to any human court of law-the right to determine religion. It is the fundamental right of every religion to determine its expression and practice of its own faith.

As such, the “Allah” controversy is about unreasonable government policies and laws that infringe on the right of non-muslim Malaysians to practice their religion of choice. In the face of such unreasonableness we cannot and should not remain silent.

The right of native Bumiputras to profess and practice their faith in their own language is safeguarded by the Federal Constitution. When Sarawak and Sabah agreed tojoin in the formation of Malaysia in 1963, they did so as sovereign states and with conditions attached; these being known as the Sarawak 18-point and Sabah-20-point Agreements a kind of covenant to which Malaya was a party.

Very first point concerns freedom of religion

It was not coincidence, it was intentional that the first point in both these agreements concerns the freedom of religion, Sarawak and Sabah consented to form the greater Malaysian nation with Islam as the religion of the Federation on the express condition that there will be complete freedom of religion without hindrance placed on other religions. According to these agreements, Sarawak and Sabah were not to have any official religion.

Appeals court re-interpreted Article 3

We thus view with grave concern the Court of Appeal judgement on The Herald which has re-interpreted Article 3 of the Federal Constitution to mean that non-Muslim religions may only be practiced in peace and harmony subject to Islam. We do not believe this was ever the original meaning of Article 3, which simply states that other religions may be practiced in peace and harmony in any part of the Federation.

We need more that just a display of and ad hoc benevolence by the Malaysian Government. We need a tangible commitment from the authorities to respect and uphold the freedom of religion guaranteed. By the Federal Constitution which is the supreme law of the nation.

We thus ask the Government to recongnise and affirm:

1. that the word “Allah” is an integral part of, and inherent to the practice of the Christian faith by Bahasa Malaysia-speaking and other native speaking churches in Sarawak and Sabah and Christians in and from these two States;

2. that the Churches expect that guarantee of religious freedom enshrined in the Federal Constitution when Sarawak and Sabah joined Malaya to form the Malaysian nation will be full respected and honoured; and

3. that the 10-point Agreement by the Federal Cabinet in April 2011 on the printing, importation and distribution on the Alkitab in which the word “Allah” is an intergral part of the Bahasa Malaysia Holy Scriptures and also on the practice of the Christian faith in Bahasa Malaysia-speaking churches based on the Alkitab, will be fully honoured.

Full backing from Taib and the Council Negeri

Two thirds of Christians in Malaysia are the 1.6 million Bumiputra Christians of Sarawak and Sabah who use the Bahasa Malaysia language of worship in addition to their native languages. The rights of these Bumiputra Christians must be respected and upheld.

Any attempt to forbid the use of the word “Allah” by non-Muslims would be most regrettable and wholly unacceptable as it is a flagrant disregard and betrayal of the Malaysia Agreements which guarantees the inalienable rights of non-Muslims in Sarawak and Sabah to complete religious freedom.

With greatest respect, we asked that these rights be given its rightful place and that religious bigotry, racism and extremism should not be allowed to show its ugly head. Mutual respect and acceptance of each other community of faith should be the order of the day in a plural society like Malaysia.

We are most heartered by YAB Pehin Sri Chief Minister of Sarawak public stand that Allah is non-issue in Sarawak. We are also most encouraged to know that many members of Council Negeri had expressed their dismay and deep disappointment over how the Allah issue was handled.

Malaysia was formed and built upon trust and mutual respect of all that made the rich diversity of Malaysia. Let us build upon that foundation and defend it from any who would want to rob it away from us.

God bless Malaysia!

Archbishop Datuk Bolly Lapok

Chairman, Association of Churches in Sarawak

Full article: http://www.malaysia-chronicle.com/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=186871:swak-church-snubs-najibs-hazy-assurance-hints-of-taibs-support-demands-clear-affirmation&Itemid=2#ixzz2kWfpk0vm

Follow us: @MsiaChronicle on Twitter

Pope Francis Embraces a Modern Leper and the World is Drawn to its Knees

• By Deacon Keith Fournier
• 09/11/2013
• Catholic Online (www.catholic.org)

The moving encounter caught the attention of those in the square. The scenes of the tender embrace went viral.

Pope Francis kissed a modern day leper on Wednesday. The whole world is being drawn to its knees. I believe this a move of the Holy Spirit. I only pray that Christians will respond and seize the moment.Pope Francis, a man who moves in the Holy Spirit, responded to Jesus Christ on Wednesday. He left the pope mobile and embraced this man with the affection of a spiritual father. He kissed him with paternal tenderness. He recognized his beauty as a gift from God, the source of all beauty. He saw this man as the Father does and drew us to our knees. In so doing, he calls us all to conversion. 

May this beautiful action of love by Pope Francis, a new Francis, draw the whole world back to God.

---

VATICAN CITY (Catholic Online) - On Wednesday, November 6, 2013, Pope Francis traveled through the crowd of the faithful gathered in St Peters square to hear his weekly catechesis. This is a tradition of the modern popes. Each, in their own manner and style, teach the Christian faithful on an aspect of living the Christian life.

The whole world paused in the face of an authentic witness of God's love and Mercy on Wednesday.  The gates of hell were rattled. We all beheld the very heart of the Gospel of Jesus Christ spoken in a language much more powerful than words.

Francis usually delivers a simple and popular exposition on living the Christian life. He is a pastoral pope, a man who speaks in simple words and prophetic action. On Wednesday, after his beautiful address, he followed his customary practice of driving through the crowd in an open pope- mobile.

This is an evangelical Catholic Pope. He is a man deeply in love with Jesus Christ, the Living Word - and deeply in love with the people whom Jesus loves. He speaks with words and actions. Like his namesake, he is a word walking, a living testimony to the prophetic meaning of the Christian message.

Pope Francis saw a man in the crowd who was severely disfigured by neurofibromatosis. This is a debilitating disease which has devastating effects. The effects can include intense pain and suffering, vision problems, learning impediments, cancerous lesions and severe disfigurement.

The physical effects can sometimes render those afflicted with such severe disfigurement that people recoil from even being around them. This reaction is much akin to the reaction people had toward lepers during the life of Francis of Assisi. He was among them. He hated lepers and avoided them at all cost.

However, during the movement of God's grace which occasioned his profound conversion and commission, Francis confronted a leper. He was moved by the love of God to embrace and kiss this leper. When he did, the leper was revealed as Jesus Christ.This changed Francis and spawned a movement which changed history.

Pope Francis kissed a modern day leper on Wednesday. The whole world is being drawn to its knees in response. I believe this a move of the Holy Spirit. I only pray that Christians will respond and seize the moment.Pope Francis, a man who moves in the Holy Spirit, responded to Jesus Christ on Wednesday.

He left the pope mobile and embraced this man with the affection of a spiritual father. He kissed him with the paternal tenderness of the heavenly Father. He recognized his beauty as a gift from God, the source of beauty. He saw this man as the Father does and drew us all to our knees. In so doing, he calls us all to conversion. He saw this man as one of those whom God fashioned in His Image.  We do not see with the eyes of the Lord.

Our capacity to see true beauty is limited and fractured by sin.  

The moving encounter caught the attention of those in the square. The scenes of the tender embrace  went viral. News sources around the globe covered the event, with very little commentary. Instead, the photo footage spoke the mystery. Many in the main stream media were - finally - at a loss for words. It touched that place in all of us which needs to be reawakened. Our heart - Our soul - Our deepest center - this is a prophetic moment.  

The successor of Peter, the Vicar of Jesus Christ, the man who took the name of the little poor man of Assisi, Pope Francis, kissed a modern day leper on Wednesday. The whole word is being drawn to its knees. I believe this a move of the Holy Spirit. I only pray that Christians will respond, and seize the moment.

This event is one more demonstrated that we are entering into a time of conversion, a moment of grace, for the whole word. Dear Lord, please help us to seize the moment and turn back to you. Help us to seize the moment to lead others back to you.

There is a saying attributed to St Francis of Assisi.  Whether he actually said it or not matters little. It expressed the heart of his charism, I preach the Gospel at all times and sometimes I use words.
St. Francis became a living word from the Lord - through the witness of his life. Chapter 11 of the Legenda Maior, the testimony of St. Bonaventure, explains what Bonaventure called the spirit of prophecy in the life of Francis of Assisi.

Francis of Assisi was a word walking, a living letter of the Gospel. (2 Cor. 3:2) He lived the Christian vocation through example - and those who encountered him were drawn to Jesus. He invited others to follow the same pattern of life. I suggest that his namesake, the 265th successor of Peter, also named Francis, is following in his footsteps.

Are we hearing that message? Are we responding? Are we willing to be a prophetic sign?

The world is beginning to pay attention. A world which routinely looks aside when our youngest neighbors are killed every day through the evil of procured abortion - is beginning to see the implications and obligations of love, mercy and authentic solidarity.

This is a moment of grace. Are those who bear the name Christian ready to act?

When I read the 25th chapter of Matthews Gospel I am drawn to my knees by the words of Jesus, "I was hungry, and you gave me food; I was thirsty, and you gave me something to drink; I was a stranger and you welcomed me; I was naked and you gave me clothing; I was sick and you took care of me; I was in prison, and you visited me." (Matt. 25: 31-46)

I understand the question posed by his stunned disciples, "Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison, and not minister to your needs." (Matthew 25.35-36) It was an extraordinary statement!

I have come to see there are so many faces of poverty. I am just beginning to learn to recognize the face of Jesus revealed in them all. Pope Francis is becoming my teacher. I am certainly not alone.
Have you ever considered the significance of the fact that the same Jesus who promised to be with us always also told us that the poor would be with us always? That is because they are connected.

Indeed, in a sense, they are one and the same - in a way that is revealed with the eyes of living faith.
"The poor you will always have with you; but you will not always have me" (Jesus, Matthew 26:11) "And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age." (Jesus, Matthew 28:20)

The face of Jesus is revealed in the face of the poor, for those with eyes to see. The word of Jesus is spoken through the poor, for those who cultivate the ears to hear Him asking for love. The cry of Jesus is heard in the cry of the poor, at least for those who stop to listen.

This is the deeper meaning behind the sobering scene recounting the last judgment recorded by the Evangelist Matthew in the 25th Chapter of his Gospel:

Then the king will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.

Then the righteous will answer him and say, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?' And the king will say to them in reply, 'Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.
Those who love the poor - like Jesus loved the poor- are given as a gift and instruction manual for the rest of us. They are a sign of the kingdom, making it present in their wake. We have a Pope named Francis who is such a man. He teaches us in prophetic action.

I will never forget that visit to the Jail on Holy Thursday. As he washed the feet of those prisoners, he washed the feet of Jesus with an alabaster flask of ointment and tears.  I asked in an article I wrote back then, whose feet did Pope Francis really wash?
I answered my own question in that article. He washed the feet of Jesus. I know, even some well intended folks were caught up in examining the rubrics. After all, this was Holy Thursday! Why did he wash the feet of women when the event commemorated the Lord calling the Apostles? The connection between the Lord's Supper and the Institution of the ministerial priesthood prompted such concern.

I wrote in that same article on the two streams of footwashing in Christian history. It was an effort to try to quell the growing animosity between the "camps" which arose over the Popes action. The one tradition, connected to the Last Supper and the Institution of the ministerial Priesthood, and the other, reflecting the Christian call to practice hospitality. The latter reflected the practice of footwashing which had become the custom at monastries and religious houses, where both men and women religious lived.There, footwashing was a sign of charity. 

However, I suggest the Holy Spirit wanted us all to dig deeper and put aside controversy. That the action taken by Pope Francis was prophetic. We must all turn back to Jesus Christ and His mission.We need to open ourselves to this moment in the history of the Church.We are called to radical charity in imitation of Jesus Christ.That is the way that this culture will turn away from the sin and idolatry of this age - and turn toward the Cross.

Pope St Leo the Great once wrote of Jesus: He took the nature of a servant without stain of sin, enlarging our humanity without diminishing his divinity. He emptied himself; though invisible he made himself visible, though Creator and Lord of all things he chose to be one of us mortal men. Yet this was the condescension of compassion, not the loss of omnipotence. So he, who in the nature of God had created man, became in the nature of a servant, man himself.

God became the least of these. Will we? Will we allow the truth revealed in the life, death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ to become our pattern for daily living? Will we cooperate with the grace of conversion and be emptied of ourselves for others? When we empty ourselves, He comes and takes up His residence within us.

Then, we can become His arms, embracing the world; His legs, still walking its dusty streets; and His Heart, still beating with the Divine Compassion manifested in Jesus Christ, the One who became the least of these in order to bring all of us into the full communion of Love. The Call we are witnessing is a call to return to Gospel Simplicity.

I believe we have been given a real gift from heaven in Pope Francis, just  in the knick of time. He is another Francis for the Third Christian Millennium. God knows we desperately need such a witness. This pope chose the name Francis under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

Once he did, that same Holy Spirit has been speaking to and through him. The world is enamored with the message. May the God of mercy use this moment for conversion. Francis of Assisi was a word walking. He lived the Christian life and vocation in a manner that was intended - through example- to invite others to follow the same pattern.

I suggest that his namesake, the 265th successor of Peter, also named Francis, is following in his footsteps. Are we hearing the message? This embrace of this modern leper by Pope Francis is a moment of grace. It is akin to the actions of the little poor man of Assisi. It is a prophetic moment.

May the loving Father, in the name of Jesus, and in the power of the Holy Spirit, bring about a spiritual movement of renewal like that which accompanied the first Francis. May the one whose embrace of a leper effected his own conversion and has come to symbolize the heart of the Gospel, draw us to repentance through his prayers and example.

May this beautiful action of love by Pope Francis, a new Francis for this age, draw the whole world back to God.

Please Lord, renew your Church. Then, through her vibrant witness of love, let the world of our age be drawn to the foot of the Cross where Love was fully revealed - and to the empty tomb where hope is made manifest and the meaning and end of life revealed in glory.  Give all of us the courage to do what the moment requires. Amen.

Sun, sex and Muslim tourism

Mariam Mokhtar | November 1, 2013

Najib delights in telling the world that Malaysia is a 'moderate Muslim nation', but his failure to make his country practise what he preaches, is a total disgrace.

 

COMMENT

 

The president of the extremist NGO Ikatan Musliman Malaysia (ISMA), Abdullah Zaik Abdul Rahman said that Muslim tourists from the Middle East would “cringe” at the manner in which the government promotes “infidel religions”, like Hinduism.

Zaik claimed that Muslim tourists “looked up to Malaysia as a modern Islamic country” and he issued a thinly veiled warning that Umno Baru president, Najib Tun Razak should maintain religious harmony.

ISMA objected to the Sri Sundaraja Perumal Hindu temple renovation in Klang, because the effort involved in the upgrade would imperil Malaysia’s image as a “model Islamic country”.

If anyone is wrong, it is ISMA. Multi-cultural Malaysia, and its present liberal stance, attracts Muslims from the Middle East; but once we become as extremist and intolerant as ISMA, or some middle-eastern nations, we might as well wave goodbye to all those middle-eastern petro-dollars which the nation currently enjoys.

Zaik and other members of ISMA should travel to Bangkok, Phuket, Jakarta, Manila or London, to witness the major attractions for Muslims tourists.

Zaik may be delightfully surprised to find that many “unhealthy, infidel practises” are a magnet for the Muslim tourist who finds that being in these countries is liberating, unlike the repressive and stifling atmosphere which he faces in his own country.

London’s Hyde Park and the banks of the Serpentine in summer are bathed in a sea of black robed middle-eastern women walking hand in hand with their husbands. Young middle-eastern women, in western clothing, drive or are seen clinging to young men, safe in the knowledge that they will not be accosted by their religious police.

Zaik will find many similarities between the Malaysian Muslims and the middle-eastern Muslims who choose to go to places which are free of people, who share the views of ISMA.

Many of the Londoners are angry that their city is hijacked for three months of the year, every summer, by the middle-easterners who take over the centre of their city and treat their roads as racing tracks. These rich playboys are like the infamous Umno-Baruputra children who run riot in Kuala Lumpur.

The rich middle-easterners think they own the city, they park indiscriminately, they drive recklessly, they do not pay their parking fines and they drive without insurance. Their cars are often impounded.

Total disgrace

The night clubs are full of young middle-eastern men and women enjoying themselves, whilst the casinos are full of middle-eastern men, spending their money on a past-time which they cannot enjoy in their own homelands.

Zaik must know that Thailand, a Buddhist nation, attracts large numbers of tourists from the Middle East. By day, the temples have not proved a deterrent to these tourists; nor have the nightspots in Patpong, been off-limits to any of their men-folk.

Last September, ISMA declared that syariah law should be the only law that is practiced in Malaysia and last week, continued their uncompromising stand, saying that the ban on the word ‘Allah’ should be applied to all Christians throughout Malaysia. ISMA alleges that the ‘Allah’ debacle is an attempt to convert Malays to Christianity.

ISMA demanded to know why the Bible should be translated into Malay and said that Chinese and Indian Christians read Bibles in English. He then said that Christians in East Malaysia did not necessarily read Malay Bibles and said, “Malay bibles are published in a larger number than the Christians themselves. Which means, to whom are they meant to be distributed?” (sic)

Zaik is wrong, again. He claims that our moderate Muslim image is at risk, but Malaysia’s moderate credentials were destroyed by the extremists like Hasan Ali, Ibrahim Ali and organisations like Perkasa.

Najib delights in telling the world that Malaysia is a “moderate Muslim nation”, but his failure to make his country practise what he preaches, is a total disgrace.

Keen to cultivate the friendship of foreign heads of state and mindful of their investments, Najib thrives on the false image that he has presented to them.

These leaders either do not know, or have chosen to ignore, that Malaysians back home are subjected to one of the most intolerant societies and unjust rules ever imposed on a modern quasi-democratic state.

He has not accepted that he is responsible for the deep divisions in society, nor has he shown remorse for encouraging the attacks, both verbal and physical, on the non-Muslims and non-Malays.

Najib’s inability to censure the extremists and advise them that non-Muslims have a right to practice their religion freely, have shown us precisely why he is not fit to lead Malaysia.

The irony is that a conservative Malaysia has no appeal to the tourists from the Middle East. Zaik has a difficult choice.

Would he prefer a multi-cultural moderate Malaysia which attracts an influx of middle-eastern wealth and all the benefits or drawbacks which this brings? Or would he prefer the purity of a truly religious and conservative Muslim nation, like Iran or the Yemen?

p/s: Happy Deepavali to everyone

Mariam Mokhtar is a FMT columnist.