Why PAS will be KING if PR wins the GE13?

Tok Guru Nik Aziz’s rock concert like reception at Putrajaya confirms the idea I proposed after the 2008 general election that the real winner of the last GE is PAS.  I have explained this rationale in a blogpost, “Who won in Permatang Pauh?” right after the by-election that returned Anwar Ibrahim to parliament.

It is timely that I re-post the article. Here it is.

And the winner is PAS …

Immediately after the PRU 2008 in March, I suggested to some friends in Penang (Chinese guys who voted for the opposition) that the true political party who won was actually PAS, not PKR or DAP and definitely not the PAKATAN. They were a little confused but the Perak MBship helped them understand things a little better. My take is simple. Amongst all the political parties today, the most organized and the one that is most clear of its goal is none other than PAS. They also have quality leaders across the levels within the party, nationwide both for the state leadership as well as nationally.

PKR is overly dependent on the cult of Anwar – take him out of the equation and the PKR brand may just be deadish, DAP is a still a NATO party (even today after months of managing Penang - just listen to the debate between LGE and Dr KTK) and UMNO the largest party in the Parliament (actually UMNO has the most number of seats) is in shambles. So here comes the slow and steady PAS.

Now, why Permatang Pauh is a PAS win?

I say that PAS was instrumental in ensuring Anwars’s win especially in countering Saiful’s Quran swearing act. As I said in an earlier blog, that act is really big to Malay-Muslims. Deep inside the Malay- Muslims’ heart they still believe that the swearing is a dashat thingy but the Ulamaks have special powers in the Muslim psyche. And they managed to upturn it!

That is why Anwar owe PAS taikos big time. If you look at the PAS’ ceramah with Tok Guru seated cooly and with calm authority at the center flanked with his party stalwarts (and Anwar terperosok di belakang; Anwar actually looked like a little boy-teenager eagerly allowing the ‘adults’ to speak for him) you understand the power of the Ulamaks- a powerhouse based on religiosity – not money, not positions, not tenders or APs, not charismatic speeches and definitely not empty promises. In matters of religion, the hereafter and God a simple gentle whisper from a Tok Guru is more powerful than Anwar’s fiery speeches or the BN’s election machinery!!!

Anwar may have won the Permatang Pauh seat, but PAS just won the leadership of the Malays. My take is this. If Anwar managed to swing enough MPs to topple the BN… it may be immediate or just a little later … the PM ship goes to PAS. Now … that will be a real interesting twist in Malaysian Politics! Having a PM from a non-raced based political party with religion as its powerbase. 

The coming of PAS ... jeng!jeng!jeng! ( Original Post here http://letusaddvalue.blogspot.com/2008/09/who-won-in-permatang-pauh.html )

Malaysia’s Gov Debt to GDP

Many like to talk about our Gov Debt to GDP painting myopic pictures to where we stand today. While politicians have their own agendas in playing up or playing down on an issue, we the Malaysian voters must work a little harder and seek for truth, be rationale. We must not be  hoodwinked :).

Please use some IQ in analysing the data below. Make (1) a comparison of our debt in the early 90s  with today, and (2) also compare where we are with the other countries. Pls note that the Asian numbers below reflects total credit, not just Gov Debt. If anyone has a chart that shows Asia’s Govt Debt to GDP, pls oblige to send to me via email to anas@zubedy.com

Zakat collection is 4 ALL who R poor - Non-Muslims included

Muslim zakat collectors like JAIS is also responsible and must answer to God if anyone in Selangor, which is under their care, lives in poverty - like these families.

from Malaysian Insider -
KUALA SELANGOR, Feb 23 — Letchmy Ponasamy has not heard of a political tsunami. Neither has her friend Selvimari. The change that it was supposed to bring did not reach their village of Sungai Yu, Kuala Selangor.

Letchmy and Selvimari do not have identity cards. Nor do Lecthmy’s four children and Selvi’s middle child. The women cannot get jobs and their IC-less children have never attended school. To read further click here.

How come zakat (alms) in Malaysia is only for the Muslims when the Quran says...

"The alms are only for the poor and the needy, and those who collect them, and those whose hearts are to be reconciled, and to free the captives and the debtors, and for the cause of Allah, and (for) the wayfarers; a duty imposed by Allah. Allah is knower, Wise. - Quran 9:60

Interlok - My tots AFTER reading it :)

I finished reading the book yesterday.

It is a good book and one who has read it will wonder how the hell this controversy became what it is in the first place. Our 17 year olds must think we adults are really screwed :)

Politicians on both sides have managed to hoodwink us further going deeper into partisan positions, as such entrenching their places within their own supporters and sympathisers. In time for the next elections? They must be worried about those who are in the middle. But, the cheap trick seems to be working. We are indeed a nation with wounded hearts, and as such it is so easy to rile us up.

I have strong convictions you will change your stance once you have read the book. It is not only good for 17 year olds, but to all in the country – perhaps to mend the wounded hearts.

The book and the education ministry have an AGENDA – it is written at the back cover of the book, it reads..

“Interlock covers the period from the early 20th century to Malaya’s independence from British rule. The main theme in this novel is the integration of the various majority races of Malaya and how the Malays, Chinese and Indians, represented by three families, have contributed towards this sovereign nation”

The fiction showed that our lives are interlocked with each other. My wish is someone like Yasmin Ahmad is around to make it into a movie:)

Cheers, anas .

PAS Youth should ask for the banning of football instead.

PAS Youth wants the Subang Jaya Municipal Council (MPSJ) to uphold its decision to bar Muslims from working in places that sell liquor although there is pressure from DAP leaders to overturn the ruling. – The Star 16 Jan – read more click here

I would like to suggest that they focus on banning something that affects more Muslims. In fact millions of Muslims – football.

Traditional Islam suggests that men must not show skin (aurat) from the navel to the ankle.

As such, all football games are haram from traditional Muslim point of view. It is like Muslim women who are all covered up with tudung but are wearing tight skirts :)

Pas youth should express disapproval to their spiritual leader Tok Guru Nik Aziz for watching the final game between Kelantan and Negeri Sembilan (Malaysia Cup) and later jubilantly celebrated when they won. In fact by their standards the Tok Guru should announce that it was a KEMENANGAN YANG HARAM.

Why it is only women that are coerced, pressured and even forced to cover their aurat? Is it not hypocritical? Why all the billboards that have women showing skin are darkened with black ink? If you want to celebrate football, then let them women wear skirts too :)

Note : I do not agree with the banning of alcohol as it is and the intrusion of personal choice in the name of religion .

Azwan Ismail - I am Gay, I am Okay :)

Peace and sigh ...

Some ignorant Muslims want to kill Azwan simply because he confessed his feelings - that he is attracted to men, not women.

Something he has no control, something innate in his brainworks (go read the latest abt brain science). In short he is Gay. ( read here )

Some years ago, another Muslim by the name of Sulaiman X created a storm in doing the same. Not surprising, if you read the comments and threats thrown at him is similar to Azwan's case. I wrote back to him, with kind words and suggesting he be strong.

An ignorant Muslim was quik to write me a crude post - and straight away played God and called me a gay too, simply because I was kind to Sulaiman :)

Below, i reproduce the letters. In it there are some key points to ponder for those who want to kill Azwan :)


Subject: Salam
Date: Tue, 29 Dec 1998 15:28:12 +0800 (MYT)
From: Zubedy
To: gaymuslims@geocities.com

On At 10:32 12/28/98 PST, this chap wrote me this comments which i assume being a reaction to my note to Sulayman X on the subject earlier. They are derogatory remarks in crude language for Malaysian.

>Hoi!!!
>BArua cilaka lu..pondan gay ....
>Haram jadah ....
>Pundek>>>>>>>
>PAndai-pandai keluar fatwa...
>Setan Babi
>
>Kelab AntiGay SeMalaysia
>Vice President...
flowcontrol@hotmail.com

MY ADVISE/LETTER TO HIM/HER.

Salam,

I am not gay, pondan, etc and very much a lover of the Quran. My sexual inclination is 100% heterosexual. I belief in Allah, the Last Day and Taqwa. I read the Quran or Islamic writings almost everyday of my life. I think your note is very UnIslamic. Do not do that. Remember that our Prophet was even kind to his greatest enemies. So was Prophet Isa and all our past Prophets.

If you want to help the Gays you hate so much, you must first learn to understand and care for them. That is what I am trying to do. But first we must have enough knowledge. For example, being Gay does not mean you must be a pondan. Pondans are transvestites or those such as who are born with a male body but want to be a female. By saying someone is a male gay, it is
usually implying that he is a man who finds another man attractive. He will not for example find a transvestite attractive. Similarly to a female gay(lesbian), she will find another female attractive and perhaps even a transvestite.

Furthermore, there are also those who were born with two sex organs. So , this subject is larger than we might think. What about heterosexual men who also get a kick at looking at transvestites?

If you are a Vice-President of the club, humbly I suggest you expand your knowledge on the subject. I hope you are aware that in history, Islamic Civilizations are the most tolerant to gays or 'khunsa' as compared to other civilizations. If you are serious about the subject and really want to make Islam relevant to our and the future generation, write back to me like a Muslim should with proper salutations of salam and I will help you understand things better.

If you prefer to just take the simple route of throwing insults without really striving and working hard, than go ahead but nothing much will grow out of your work.

As the Quran stressed ' Do you think that you would enter Jannah while yet God knoweth not those of you who
really strive, not knoweth those(of you)who are steadfast '(Quran 3:142).

Say you are right. That Islam is against homosexuality as you see it. What than is God trying to tell us in Quran 52:24-28 about Paradise? For your benefit I will provide you all the translations below in Bahasa Malaysia

Quran 52:24-28
'Dan mereka dilayani oleh anak-anak muda lelaki yang sentiasa beredar di sekitar mereka, (yang cantik parasnya) seolah-olah anak-anak muda itu mutiara yang tersimpan dengan sebaik-baiknya.Dan (dengan berada dalam ni'mat itu) mereka berhadap-hadapan satu sama lain sambil bertanya-tanya.Mereka berkata: "Sesungguhnya kamu dahulu, semasa berada dalam kalangan keluarga kami selalu merasa cemas takut (daripada berlaku derhaka kepada Allah),"Maka Allah mengurniakan kami (rahmat dan taufiqNya), serta memelihara kami dari azab neraka.'"Sesungguhnya kami dahulu tetap menyembahNya (dan memohon pertolonganNya). Kerana sesungguhnya Dialah sahaja yang sentiasa melimpahkan ihsanNya, lagi Yang Maha Mengasihani"

In my entire reading about our Prophet's call for Islam even to
those who tried to kill him, those who humiliated Muslims and Islam, torture good Muslims etc. etc. never once I found the Prophet using the arabic equivalent to the words you used like 'haram jadah,pundek,celaka, setan babi'.

For example " His own treatment with his bitterest enemies is the noblest example for his followers. At the conquest of Mecca, he stood at the zenith of his power. The city which had refused to listen to his mission, which had tortured him and his followers, which had driven him and his people into exile and which had unrelentingly persecuted and boycotted him even when he had taken refuge in a place more than 200 miles away, that city now lay at his feet.

By the laws of war he could have justly avenged all the cruelties inflicted on him and his people. But what treatment did he accord to them? Mohammad's heart flowed with affection and he declared, "This day, there is no REPROOF against you and you are all free." "This day" he proclaimed, "I trample under my feet all distinctions between man and man, all hatred between man and man." ("Islam and Modern age", Hydrabad, March 1978-By Prof. K. S. Ramakrishna Rao)

Surely you must have learned those words from outside the Islamic traditions. Do choose your teachers carefully.

" Are those who know equal with those who know not?
But only men of understanding will pay heed" Quran 39:9

If you have yet to understand my message, what I am suggesting is simple. Even if you are right about Islam's position with regards to Gays, your behavior is totally not Islamic.

Salam,

Anas Zubedy
29/12/98

Blanket Subsidies - We need to rise above politics!

I humbly suggest that politicians from both sides to view and act upon the subsidy issue based on economics rather than politics. Do not use the issue for political mileage, gain points for both internal party politics as well as the general elections. Whoever helm their party or the country sooner or later will need to face the consequences of blanket subsidies. There should not be any blanket subsidies, period . Here is an article I wrote with regards to the petrol subsidy – click here

I support with all my heart ...

... that BN and PR if they initiate a direct membership to the umbrella party without having to go through UMNO, MCA, MIC, PKR, PAS, DAP etc. This is a right step towards diluting the effect of racial based politics in the country.

One of the platform is to get the youth movements within the parties to become one, and vote their leaders respectively. This will be good training for the next generation.

Read here announcement by Hisham

Summary of Perak politics - have a few good laughs :)

I blogged this last february, since the Perak saga seems over, here's what actually happened in simple 30 second commercials.

click here

SISTERS & JAKIM - Why not have a thrash out session?

The High Court has lifted the ban by the Home Ministry on SISTERS’ book, “Muslim Women and the Challenge of Islamic Extremism” read here.

Now, JAKIM is worried that Muslims will ‘terpesong’ if they read such a book read here.

May I suggest having a session in the spirit of enquiry a thrash out session where both sides illustrate their points and ideas for the public in general and Muslim especially to decide for themselves? I offer to moderate (and those who have seen me moderating, I am strict, to the point and fair :) )

To make it kosher, all arguments must first and foremost be based on the Quran, since the Quran did say,

“Say: "What thing is most Weighty in evidence?" Say: "(Allah) is witness between me and you; This Qur'an hath been revealed to me by inspiration, that I may warn you and all whom it reaches. …..." (Quran 6:19).

"And we sent down the Book to thee for the express purpose, that thou should make clear to them those things in which they differ, that it should be a guide and a mercy to those who believe." (Quran 16:64)

Will JAKIM and SISTERS agree?

I too have been critical of Tun Dr Mahathir(TDM) but …

In 1995 I wrote (printed in Aliran Monthly 1995:14)

The Ghost of Mahathir

It amazes me how one normal human being like Mahathir has assumed such a powerful influence over intelligent thinking humans to such an extent that they make their decisions based on his presence or absence in officiating and delivering a keynote address at a function.

A man like him, who is a drop in the ocean compared to the vastness of the problem, will come and go. He, you or I were not present in 1492 when Colombus landed on the soils of the New World. He too is as helpless as you and I when confronted with the dying children in Africa or the thousands of women raped in Bosnia- Herzegovina.

One must also note that as a human being he too is not an absolute Satan only bent on doing wrong, or an absolute angel with one hundred per cent goodness. He is just a normal human being. He has done wrong, he has done right. Just like you and I.

I wrote the article in defense of a seminar organized by JUST ( Rethinking Human Rights) and my friend Dr Chandra to the immature attitude of certain human rights groups who went into conniption disagreeing almost wholesale the entire effort we undertook simply because TDM was the keynote speaker. (To read the entire article click here)

Sadly, our state of affairs has yet to see much progress. The attitude to curse those who we do not agree with to death and follow those we agree with blindly is still the fashion of the day. No wonder our country is still not moving forward as we wished for.

In a recent facebook discussion (with reference to TDM’s accusation of 9/11 being staged) one of the entries suggests that TDM’s day is long overdue and that it is high time he “kick the bucket”.

To my bigger surprise was when I wrote back to say that his statement is not right and uncouth, decent fellow Malaysians tried to justify his position!!! How sick can we be?

This epidemic of hatred is not confined to one side. It goes both ways. Last year an acquaintance I met at Bangsar, knowing that I am critical of Anwar (eg read here ), openly told me that his one BIG wish for Malaysia is to see Anwar dead! When I told him off, he was taken aback.

How did hate consume our hearts and make us uncivilized? We need to apply the Ghandian mantra “Hate the Sin and not the Sinner”. We need to cleansed our hearts of hatred especially those of which we have towards our enemies.

C'mon brother and sister Malaysians, we are better than this. We need to take action based on a good heart, even when we dislike the other. We can, if we look deeper into our humanity.

As I said, I too have been critical of Tun Dr Mahathir(read here as published in DAP's Rocket in 1988) but in no way I have allowed my heart to hate him.

coz,

"Hate in your heart, will consume you too,"

Will Smith's advise to his 5 year old son in the song, "Just The Two of Us" click here for the music video:)

anas zubedy

MACAMANA? Dr Asri, Ustaz Hadi and PKR's Dr Md. Nor also agree that "Allah" ...

... is not correctly translated as 'God' ? Hmmm... read here

Now, this I want to follow ...

Tok Guru Nik Aziz says OK, but Tok Guru Hadi says not OK - So PAS macamana ? PKR' s Tok Guru says not OK, but Brother Anwar say OK - so PKR macamana? PR = PKR + PAS + DAP, so PR macamana? DAP lani macamana?

Now, Dr Asri is sort of the 'liberal Malaysian Muslim' Tok Guru, but if he says its not OK, 'liberal Malaysia Muslim" macamana?

But the Quran says its OK (read here) so if you are a Muslim who wants to follow the Quran, macamana? Pandai-pandai lah pilih whom to follow...

“If any do fail to judge by (the light of) what Allah hath revealed, they are (no better than) unbelievers. (Quran 5: 44)

“Say: "What thing is most Weighty in evidence?" Say: "(Allah) is witness between me and you; This Qur'an hath been revealed to me by inspiration, that I may warn you and all whom it reaches. …..." (Quran 6:19).

MACAMANA NI?

Tun Dr Mahathir is saying that 9/11 was staged

Wow! Wow! Wow! This is going to be BIG!!!

I guess he is striking back at the US. Anyway, the theory is not new. I got my sisters in the US to send me the DVD and have viewed the entire documentary
" In Plane Sight " sometime ago where the producer showed the many inconsistencies with the official report about 9/11.

It is unfortunate that those who are not crazy about Tun is focusing on the part that he said " If they can make Avatar, they could make anything ". That was not the main message. It was just a passing statement. Read it in full here.

You guys are missing the point - the message is that Tun has accused the West as the people responsible for the 9/11 attack.

Whether you like Tun or not, a prominent man with an international standing has open up the Pandora’s box!

I am all excited . I have waited for years for someone prominent to bring this matter up and ... how often can you see Antares and Tun on the same page?!!!.

Do not judge nor decide until you have watched this documentary and it's critic– click here

For a quick look, click here . (Note that at the Pentagon you dont see any plane wreckage at all.)

Put your politics aside, and go seek for the Truth :)

Peace, anas

Jesus, The Government, Israel and Malaysia.

Have you ever wondered why ...

When Jesus wanted to liberate Israel from tyrannical Rome (the Government during the time), instead of asking Rome to change, he seeks to persuade Israel to change. Jesus felt that without the change of hearts in Israel itself, liberation in any form is impossible.

Jesus went at great length to explain that the resentment and bitterness that his fellow brethrens carry in their hearts and their attitude is nothing short of suicidal. In fact he suggested that they be smart and read the sign of the times ( Eg in Luke 12: 54-56) and not to follow the Zealots.

No… not just the Zealots, he told them not to even listen to their own leaders and priest, and he called them hypocrites ( refer Mk 12: 14-17). He warned them not to fight a battle that they cannot win(Luke13:3).

He suggested that the best way to liberate their enemies is to love them. To do good to those who hate you and to pray for those who hurt you.

"But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you” ( Luke 6 : 27-28 )

Without love and compassion all your religiosity is empty and of no use.

"If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I deliver my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing. ( 1 Cor 13 :1-3)

My dear Christian brothers and sisters, is there not a lesson or two here for all of us?

Torched churches ... reaping what is sown – Akhramsyah Muammar Ubaidah bin Sanusi

JAN 10 - Churches are now being torched, four at last count. I believe more churches will be torched, stoned, graffitied, sullied, picketed, etc, for as long as the use of the word “Allah” by the Catholic church issue is not resolved to the satisfaction of Muslims in this country.

to read further click here

What do you think?

I will find time to write a larger picture within this week. A quick outlook -

It is unfortunate that most Malaysians today is rather black and white in the way we look at things. So you will find those who fully support an article like this, or those who condemned it 100%.

We need to look at things more like a scientist, study why people behave the way they do. Here, dont focus on Akhramsyah, but his ideas and his perception of the Malay ground.

I have written a few times before about the Malay sentiments at the ground and commented about a speech by Tun Dr M here. Tun at that time in a nutshell summarised the Malay sentiment here. I may not agree with tun in many key issues and have written about them in the late 80s but when dealing with the Malays and how to manage this country, I will at the least listen to his thoughts.

Read to understand not to agree or disagree.

We are lucky that our nation does not have what our neighbour have like Laskar Indonesia or the "Green Faction" in the military (making it a state sponsored militant organization) and the likes. Perhaps the good point of having the ISA - you see, something like the ISA also have the positives. As such our arsonist are individual small cells, disorganised, basically dysfuctional brothers who wanted to be heard - I do not worry a larger outbreak , we do not have well organised militant groups.

While in no way I would agree that a religious institution can deserve to be disrecpected but we need to understand the feelings at the ground and help solve this problem.

Peace, anas

Allah, the Bible, Christians and Muslims.

I am happy that today in Malaysia, Christians and Muslims can share the word Allah. But ...

Sigh ......

It is sad, unfortunate and bad for UNITY that we had to go through the courts to get a go-ahead to use the term “Allah” in the Bible. This is because the real issue is not about language or semantics, it is about TRUST.

Because we Christians and Muslims cannot be truthful to ourselves and each other and hide what is in our hearts, we pretend to debate and argue using the legal framework instead of using our religiosity and good hearts to come to a working relationship – and we call ourselves the followers of Christ, followers of Muhammad?

We fail to frame important questions like “How would Jesus deal with this issue?” or ‘What would Muhammad do in a similar situation?”

The verdict be it “for or against” is a lose-lose situation.

Today, a segment ( I think it’s a large one) of Muslims will see this as “ The Christians has won!” and will likely take prejudiced and narrow-minded counter actions ( Even Rockybru an open minded Muslim is not happy – rockybru). The Christians on the other hand will perceive the verdict as the triumph of truth over evil. But in actual fact it is a triumph of insecurity over trust in God, ourselves and fellow mankind.

Christians must know better. This is just a triumph in a legal sense, but is it a moral one? Do you remember the trial that Jesus had to go thru before his cruxifixion? Who was trying to use a legal avenue? Christ or his enemies?

As a morally oriented religion, Christians must seek a moral victory and winning of the hearts. Did the Christians win the hearts of the Muslims with this verdict? Are the Muslims feeling closer to the Christians because today we can share the word Allah?

I have written an extensive article on the subject showing that the Quran is okay with using the tern Allah in the Bible. Why then is a segment of Muslims dead against it? Below is the conclusion, it may shed some light. To read the entire article, click here.

I call likeminded Muslims and Christians who know in their hearts what the real issues are, come forward and make good the situation – and provide a platform of TRUST – a win-win solution. Share what is said behind each other's back, things our own people and leaders do or say behind closed doors.

We need whistle blowers on both sides.

Come forward and tell the truth about our own fellow faithful's mistakes, wrong deeds and intentions. We are interested in Truth. If any Muslims say an untruth -not in line with the Quran or something that is not good for all, Muslims must come forward and whistleblow. Similarly within Christianity (and Hinduism, Buddhism, etc.).

So we can learn to deal with such issues in more Christlike manner, more like Muhammad and be better Christians, be better Muslims and be a true child of God.

The Conclusion

It is clear that it is not just permissible to use the term Allah to refer to God in the Bible, it is exactly what the Quran wants us to do. Is it not an irony?

I would like to thank my Christian brothers and sisters in their effort to make Allah the universal name of God and wanting the name to be the preferred reference to God in the Bible.But, you must not stop there.You must also strive hard to ensure that not just the Bahasa Malaysia and Bahasa Indonesia Bibles use the term Allah but all the other translations in the world regardless if they are in Japanese, English, Russian or Hindi uses the same term.

Malaysian Christians can lead the world of Christianity to make Allah the universal name for God with the solid support of their Muslim brothers and sisters. Anything that can bring us closer together must be supported. A shared universal name to call our God Allah seems most appropriate beginning.Failing to do so will create mistrust because the correct term for God in Malay is Tuhan.The Muslims will question your consistency and sincerity.

Because the real issue here is Trust. Not the technicality of the term Allah, Tuhan, Elohim, Elah etc.

This is where we need to focus.There are three levels of trust missing.

Firstly we do not trust each other. The Muslims perceive the inconsistency of Christians wanting to use the term Allah in the Malay bible and not the other translations as a plot to convert Malay Muslims to Christianity. And, the Christians perceive the Muslims rejection to the usage of the term as another strategy to block the spread of the Christian faith to Muslims in Malaysia. This feeling is deep in the Christians' psyche as they find it as unfair the lopsided law on conversion in Malaysia (Check what the Quran say about this at 83:1-3 and 5:8).

Secondly, we do not trust ourselves. The Muslims lack confidence of fellow Muslims and feel that by just using the term Allah, their faith towards Islam can be shaken. The Christians lack confidence that being Christ like is enough to attract others to the faith.

Yet the deepest rot is the lack of trust in Allah or God or Tuhan or any other names you want to call upon Him! Both Muslims and Christians fail to trust that Allah will be with those who are true and love those who trust Him. If we do so, we have nothing to fear and nothing to grieve. Failing to trust Him, we become weak, insecure and misguided.

"There are many Lamps, only one Light" Rumi

Anas Zubedy

Related articles

http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/index.php/malaysia/48112-headline-court-says-yes-to-allah-for-christians

http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/index.php/malaysia/48190-allah-for-all

http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/index.php/malaysia/48127-umno-man-says-allah-judgment-will-stir-racial-tension-

http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/index.php/bahasa/48196-kalimah-allah-ngo-mahu-majlis-raja-raja-campur-tangan

Malaysians, PLEASE dont be stupid lah !

Contrary to what some of our politicians (on both sides) want us to believe, our key challenge in 2010 and this decade is not about who runs the country but it is about economics.

It is not about who gets more or whether Ketuanan Melayu is a myth or reality but it’s about the quality and quantum of our people’s productivity and how we manage our economy.

It is not about the ratio of faithfuls to the number of mosques, churches and temples that we have.

It is not about whom’s religious structure is taller or more grandeur than the other.

It has not much to do with the number of times we pray each day or how hard we try to show that our religion is better than another’s religion.

It is not about who to blame for past mistakes or about catching those who have cheated us in the past.

It is not about proving who is smarter, better or cleverer.

It is not about Najib or Anwar, BN or PR.

It is not about politics.

IT IS ABOUT THE ECONOMY!!!

It is about paying attention to and concentrating on what is important, what are the few things we need to do right to give maximum impact to the livelihood of the poor, the middle income and the rich (yes they are all important, they are all humans and they are all Malaysians).

It is about how hard we are willing to push our hearts, minds and souls at creating value added work and innovation that create wealth and prosperity – together.

It is about consolidating our efforts – not about poking every idea from a partisan point of view. Why? just to show that you are smarter?

It is about putting your overexpanded ego aside and WORKING WITH each other’s ideas.

It is about you and I spending more time and effort making things happen instead of reacting, debating and arguing about non-productive and academic issues like “Can a Non- Malay be a PM?”, “Is Malaysia a secular or Islamic country?”,” Who is more racist UMNO, DAP or Utusan Malaysia?”, “Did DAP chicken out to PAS?”, “Did PAS sold its soul to DAP?”, “Is MCA kowtowing to UMNO?”, “What do you think about Ridhuan Tee’s article?”,etc.

None of these issues will have a direct impact to the amount and quality of food we put on the table. They are just unproductive distraction taking and sapping away our best minds and limited resources and energy from doing what we should – make things happen at the economic front.

We are trapped in the middle – our labor is no longer cheap and we have not move up the value chain to higher-levels of economic activities – our livelihood is at a great risk.

When the economy is bad, we quarrel about racial equality, Ketuanan Melayu, social contract, and the likes. When the economy is good, we are happy with our shopping sprees, holidays, OGAWA massage chairs and be merry with each other.

We are being silly. During bad times we should put aside all these problems and work towards survival.

We should argue, when times are good not when we have an economic tsunami coming our way. So keep a note or park all these issues that is pulling us apart somewhere safe, bring them back when our economy is growing at 8% or more.

Otherwise, we all will end up with lots of rights but no rice.

So let me repeat myself …

Contrary to what some of our politicians (on both sides) want us to believe, our key challenge in 2010 and this decade is not about who runs the country but it is about economics.

ISA and the Rakyat’s opinion – What is to be done?

The better way to get feedback from the rakyat is to

1. Have a referendum, or,
2. Commission a thorough market research using professional research agencies – with adequate sample size and concrete research methodologies to truly represent all the various segments of the Malaysian population.

The first option is straightforward.

I am for the second option - it is more cost effective and harder to manipulate.

To follow the second option, we will need to first organize a quantitative research and get a wide (breadth) picture of the rakyat’s opinion and stand on the issue. This usually will cost about RM 140K - RM160K – if we were to use a reputable research agency.

Once we have the quantitative results, it is advisable to look for depth via a qualitative research, generally in the form of Focus Group Interview to explore, help explain and find out the motivation behind the rakyat’s attitude towards the issue. It can tell us why they feel the way they do, capture if their decision is based on hearsay, real understanding or political biasness. This would cost roughly between RM 60K to RM 80K – (same as the above)

I don’t have RM200+K to spare but if any of you know someone who is serious about finding out the TRUTH (e.g. not just wanting to make lots of noise for political gains) and have loads of money, please contact me.

I can assist (at no cost - the RM200+K is for the research agencies) to work with the research agencies making sure,

1. 
   The research brief is written in a neutral manner, communicate all the relevant information in order to get actual feedback from the rakyat,
2. Define the research objectives clearly,
3. Develop the research plan for collecting information methodologically,
4. The collection and analyzing of data is done properly, minimizing errors especially during fieldwork and focus groups,
5. Interpretation of the research will not sway towards either side and the final report is easily digested by the average reader.

Any takers?

Related articles –
http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/index.php/malaysia/47660-journalists-union-want-public-feedback-on-isa

and read my Xmas blogpost below stressing on SWOT and clear thinking :)

Are we Malaysians racist?

I recently queried through the facebook about Malaysian’s perception if we The Malaysians are racist. More than 40 frank comments were generated. This is my summary and thank you note.

Thanks for the feedback.

Your answers have helped me frame ideas for a larger survey i would like to undertake early next year. Let's find out the perceptions and why ... and hope the answers can help prepare a remedy.

Eileen, as for your inquiry of my tots on the subject, I think Malaysians are generally racial which is natural because Malaysia has chosen 'an integration approach' rather than ' assimilation' as practiced by Thailand and Indonesia. So we Malaysians still have our ethnic identity intact .

Our forefathers i guess were optimists and see the wisdom of multiculturalism. If we went the Indonesian way, history would be different - for good or for worst. I do not see any problem for anyone to be racial. Our familiarity and liking towards things that are familiar to us is only natural. For example, we Penangites love the laksa, but my relatives in Medan tot I was crazy to love such a 'sour and smelly bowl of shit' (haha! that was a cousin's summary of Penangites favorite dish!!!)....

But because we kept our ethnic identity intact, it is easier to turn racist. But I see Malaysians turning to racism as a reaction to perceive or real feelings of discrimination or being left out of development. It does not originate from the inside, but triggered from the outside.

For example, there seems to be a correlation to the height of racism over the years with the economic environment. When the economy is bad, it goes up, but when it’s good it goes down.

Even Indonesia which where ethnic Chinese are assimilated and would proudly answer " Saya orang Indonesia" as oppose to " I am Chinese ", were bashed, raped and persecuted during the height of the 97/98 economic crisis. The perception of wealth being usurped by a particular community triggered the animal in many to the point that even children were not spared.

Perhaps, after a deeper research I can give u all a better overview and perhaps some action ideas we can all take to make good this country and make a difference.

peace, many colors one race, anas

Can a nonMalay/Muslim be our PM?

A facebook friend, a young Malaysian asked if a Non Malay/ Muslim can be a PM ... here's my brief answer -

"siapa saja boleh jadi pemimpin jika sekiranya beliau boleh dapat cukup/ majoriti pengikut :) . Jadi, persoalan dimana bolehkah seorang bukan Melayu/Islam boleh menjadi PM adalah bersifat akademik dan tidak sebegitu penting atau relevan.

Kebanyakan pehak politik dan bukan politik yang mendepankan perkara ini besar kemungkinan tidak begitu arif mengenai fitrah kepimpinan ataupun sengaja menggunakan topik ini untuk populariti.

Pertikaian ini adalah salah satu pembuangan masa yang kita selalu buat di Malaysia. Saya mengesyorkan supaya masa kita harus diguna pakai dengan lebih baik seperti membaca ataupun bekerja dengan lebih kuat dan efisyen. "