WHY POLITICAL CRABS ARE MORE DANGEROUS THAN POLITICAL FROGS

Malaysia has a bigger problem than Political Frogging - Political Crabbing.

Crabbing is more dangerous as it is not as visible as frogs jumping. It is also more widespread. The culture of crabbing is the deeper reason why we are in a catch-22 situation. In fact, today, frogging is but a tool to crabbing.

Let me explain.

To understand the Crab Culture, one first need to get familiar with the Crab Theory or better known as the “The Crabs in a Bucket Phenomenon”.

When you place crabs in a bucket or container, even if one can escape, it would not be able to because the other crabs will pull down the one trying. This will happen even if there are just two of them in the bucket. This behaviour makes sure that no matter how hard anyone of them works and tries – none will be successful.

Ditto Malaysian politics.

Crabbing in Malaysia is not confined at the national level between two political blocks like Perikatan Nasional and Pakatan Harapan, but also within political parties, like today’s UMNO – between the Kluster Kabinet and Kluster Mahkamah. Some time ago crabbing was the standard operating procedure in PKR until the eventual split.

Leaders and their factions hold the other leaders and factions down so nobody can clearly win and nobody can lead effectively. This “if I can’t have it, neither can you” approach is classic Crab Culture. Sadly, I have strong convictions that this Crab Culture is not only confined to the leaders, but the followers and the rakyat who continue to cheer the behaviour.

At the national level, when one side tries to unseat a sitting Prime Minister in parliament, it is not that they are sure and confident of having a clear majority but it is about trying to prove that the other side does not – this is crabbing at work. Please bear in mind that I do not belong to any political party or coalition. I dare say that the other side would do the same if the situation is reversed. It is our unfortunate Crab Culture that may eat up our nation if we remain unconscious and continue as we are.

That was why I was one of the early individuals who proposed a state of emergency and am still until today at two hearts about the re-opening of the parliament. Do not get me wrong, I strongly believe in a functioning parliament but I have little confidence in our lawmakers shedding the Crab Culture. Are you? Have you not seen how one side will shout loudly and the other yell back hysterically to drown out each other’s voices so no one ends up hearing anything substantial during a session in parliament? It even took place during the inauguration of a new speaker! That is crabbing at work.

When confined inside a parliamentary sitting especially these days when the government in power has a thin majority, I find the Crab Culture manifest its power even more potently. It is like putting 222 crabs in a “Parliament Bucket” setting them into frenzy. Even decent lawmakers are dragged down or simply drown out and trampled by the Crab Culture.  Is it a wonder that the YDP Agong agreed to a state of emergency?

With the emergency in place crabbing rears its ugly head through other ways like the Covid-19 numbers. Each increase in cases reported is a good chance to pull the other ‘crab’ down and vice versa. The more dire our Covid-19 situation, the more noises from one side that we need to reconvene the parliament. So more crabbing can take place. As I said earlier, I am not a party to any coalition, and it is likely that the same would happen if the situation is in reverse. The Crabbing Culture is fuelled firstly by the desire for power.

I am not saying that our politicians are heartless human beings who do not care about the rakyat. Be that as it may, gaining or keeping power is a very large part of the equation (or is it the larger?) even when dealing with Covid-19. Remember the Sabah state election? Every single politician from the Peninsular, whether from the government or opposition and their thousands of campaigners who returned to their home states after the state polls were the main contributors to our current coronavirus massive numbers.  It all started then. The Prime Minister himself admitted this last November.

So, do please stop crabbing and pointing fingers. Admit your mistakes and apologize instead of hiding using crabbing antics. Even if you had quarantined yourself for 14 days thereafter. Ask if you had ensured your cohorts of campaigners did the same. Did they? Can you guarantee that they did? Stop lying to yourselves and the rakyat. If you had placed the rakyat first instead of crabbing for power, you would have stayed home in the Peninsular and let the Sabah state elections be strictly a people of Sabah affair. Period.

If I sound sceptical and doubting, my apologies. Unless our lawmakers and politicians call for a genuine truce until we no longer have any Covid-related death and have vaccinated 80% of our population, I will remain distrustful. Meaning, no power grabbing, organising of frogging or testing who has a thinner majority in parliament and the forcing of a general elections.

Allow the parliament and the government of the day to function till the next General Election even if they have a one seat majority. That is political maturity that avoids the Crab Culture. This has been done before by Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi who ensured and guaranteed the smooth functioning of the Kelantan State Government from 2004 to 2008 even when PAS at that time had a majority of only one seat. That is political maturity minus Crab Culture.

You see, at this point of time we do not need a change in leadership. What we really need is a change of leadership behaviour.  We need to shed the Crab Culture and focus on the rakyat,

Is that too much to ask for?

Peace.

Anas Zubedy,

Kuala Lumpur.

THE MAKING OF THE MALAYSIAN CONSTITUTION by Prof Shad - YouTube Link for those who missed it.

 

THE MAKING OF THE MALAYSIAN CONSTITUTION by Prof Shad.

YouTube link

For those who have missed it.

Thanks and peace, anas

HAVE A MEANINGFUL WESAK

 

On this Wednesday

HAVE A MEANINGFUL WESAK 

The Dhammapada reminds us that life is easier for the corrupt, as they do not have conscience. They are the shameless ones who are bold as a crow, arrogant and loves to show off. They are greedy.

On the other hand, life if difficult for those with conscience. 

“ Easy is life

For someone without conscience,

Bold as a crow,

Obtrusive, deceitful, reckless, and corrupt.

Difficult is life

For someone with conscience,

Always searching for what's pure,

Discerning, sincere, cautious, and clean-living”

Dhammapada 244-245

This Wesak, let us resolve that it is better to choose the more difficult path as long as we practice clean-living that is free from corruption.

Have a Meaningful Wesak from all of us at zubedy.

Sadhu! Sadhu! Sadhu!

anas zubedy

THE ISRAELIS HAVE THE RIGHT TO DEFEND THEMSELVES

In broad daylight a group of robbers with machine guns and heavy weaponry forced their way into a house.

The husband pleaded for the robbers to spare his belongings and family. His wife who was in her third trimester begged the robbers to spare her jewelries - her family heirloom for many generations.

While she tried to hold back a favorite necklace, one of the robbers kicked her in the belly. Her husband rushed to defend her but was shot point black right through his face dropping dead onto his groaning wife who later lost her baby too.

The teenage son who could not hold his anger charged forward with a lampshade but was overpowered, beaten and shot in the forehead and chest 6 times.

His ten-year-old brother cried and threw a few pieces of Lego at the robber so he too was shot in his face.

By now, the man’s mother and his teenage daughter were screaming hysterically and his year-old toddler held firmly in the grandmother’s arms were crying loudly.

The robbers got annoyed and demanded them to shut up, slapping the young girl. She spitted onto his face, so they took turns to rape her.

Her grandmother fainted from shock leaving the baby crying ever so loudly by her side. This irritated the robbers further, so one of them smash the toddlers face onto the wall killing her instantaneously.

BUT … because the wife resisted giving her heirloom to the robbers, the husband rushed to defend her, the teenage son charged forward with a lampshade, his ten-year-old lad threw a few pieces of Lego, the teenage daughter and granny annoyed them by screaming and later spat on their face and the toddler irritated them by crying incessantly ...

... the US PRESIDENTS insist that, “The robbers have a right to defend themselves”.

Peace.

anas zubedy

MPPI SERIES : The Making of The Malaysian Constitution - by Prof Shad

 TO EDUCATE, DISCUSS AND PROMOTE THE EXCHANGE OF IDEAS

 

THE MALAYSIAN POLITICS AND PUBLIC ISSUES (MPPI) TALK SERIES

– a zubedy-Taylor’s collaboration

The Malaysian Politics and Public Issues (MPPI) Series of talks and forums is an initiative by zubedy’s Unity & Harmony Mediators Movement (MEDIATORS) and Taylor’s School of Liberal Arts & Sciences (SLAS) to educate, discuss and promote the exchange of ideas on the nation’s politics and public issues.

The goal is to provide the basic foundation and framework by experts in the subject through well thought-out talks and also create a platform for dialogue, discourses and debates via public forums.

The series of talks and forums will cover key topics like the Malaysian Constitution, socio-political history, public policies, and specific topics like education, national culture, general elections, integration and economics.

This is the first of our series. I hope you will join us in our series of talks and forums.

EDUCATE, DISCUSS AND PROMOTE THE EXCHANGE OF IDEAS

Peace, anas

SALAM AIDILFITRI : Rasuah LAWAN Sirat-al-Mustaqim

SALAM AIDILFITRI : Rasuah LAWAN Sirat-al-Mustaqim

Izinkan saya berkongsi mesej #RasuahBusters sempena Hari Raya Aidilfitri tahun ini.

Amalan rasuah dilarang dalam Al-Quran dengan kerana ia menghalang daripada pelaksanaan keadilan. Dalam Islam, berkelakuan adil adalah sifat paling dekat dengan orang soleh, atau memiliki Taqwa.

Taqwa adalah istilah dalam ajaran Islam yang membawa maksud satu kesedaran mendalam akan kewujudan Allah dan KebenaranNya. Tanpa Taqwa, Allah tidak terpahat di dalam hati dan fikiran kita.

Maka, Rasuah menjauhkan kita dari Sirat-al-Mustaqim.

Sirat-al-Mustaqim merujuk kepada jalan Islam yang menuju ke arah jalan kejayaan di dunia mahupun akhirat. Ia adalah jalan yang lurus, iaitu jalan yang direstui Allah. Mereka yang memberi dan mengambil rasuah memilih jalan yang sesat dan dimurkai Allah.

Sebagai orang Islam, kita berdoa setiap hari kepada Allah, "Ihdinā ṣ-ṣirāṭa al-mustaqīm" – “Tunjukkanlah kami jalan yang lurus”. Amalan memberi dan menerima rasuah membuat kita tergelincir daripada Sirat-al-Mustaqim dan menjadikan doa kita tidak telus, tidak serius dan kepuraan.

Bersempena Aidilfitri ini, marilah kita berusaha untuk terus mengambil jalan yang lurus, jalan berpandukan Sirat-al-Mustaqim supaya tidak terjerumus dalam amalan rasuah. Dengan Taqwa teguh di dalam hati kita, kita pasti berjaya.

Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri, MAAF ZAHIR & BATIN dari kami semua di zubedy.

anas zubedy,

may 13, 2021

Note: Gambar ini adalah pertemuan Aidilfitri keluarga anas pada tahun 2018. InshaAllah, pada tahun 2022 kelak dapat bertemu beramai-ramai sekali lagi.

HAVE A MEANINGFUL AIDILFITRI

HAVE A MEANINGFUL AIDILFITRI

Peace,

Allow me to share a #RasuahBusters message for this year’s Hari Raya Aidilfitri.

Rasuah is forbidden in the Quran on the basis that Rasuah distorts the course of justice. In Islam, being just is nearest to being righteous, or having Taqwa.

Taqwa is an Islamic term for being conscious of God and Truth. Without Taqwa, we do not have Allah in our hearts and minds.

As such, Rasuah takes us away from Sirat-al-Mustaqim.

Sirat-al-Mustaqim refers to the path of Islam which leads to the path of success here on earth and the hereafter. It is the straight path, the path of those favoured by God. Those who give and take Rasuah are those who have gone astray.

We Muslims du’a daily to God “Ihdinā ṣ-ṣirāṭa al-mustaqīm” - Guide us along the Straight Path. The giving and taking of Rasuah directly derail us from following Sirat-al-Mustaqim and make our du’a insincere, frivolous and hypocritical.

This Aidilfitri, let us strive to constantly take the straight path and never fall to Rasuah. With Taqwa anchored deeply in our hearts, we will succeed.

Have a Meaningful Aidilfitri, MAAF ZAHIR & BATIN from all of us at zubedy.