The bogeyman’s to blame

By MARINA MAHATHIR

We see the constant blaming of foreign workers for all our ills, but none of it can really stand up to scrutiny.

IT’S a tried and true political strategy that when things aren’t quite rosy, one should distract the people by focusing on something else or coming up with a bogeyman.

The former diverts attention from what is really on peoples’ minds, while the latter seeks someone or something else to blame. Sometimes politicians even attempt a combination of both.

A recent survey by the Merdeka Centre for Opinion Research polled people on several issues, including what they deemed most currently important. At the top of the list was price increases and inflation.

Second, they are concerned about ethnic inequalities; and third, about crime and public safety. Everything else, including politics, corruption, drug abuse and illegal immigrants rank much further down the list.

What we think people should be concerned with, and what they actually are, can sometimes be very different. But anyone with a modicum of insight will already know that the issues highlighted in the survey are what people talk about all the time.

People are concerned about how they may go about their daily lives at a reasonable level of comfort and safety.

Can their lives carry on as before, or even improve? And can they and their families walk about without fear for their personal safety?

They obviously also see ethnic inequalities as a contributing threat to the peaceful environment in which they can earn a living, work and play securely.

But are these what matters to those up there? Instead, we have old stories regurgitated to distract from what is new.

For instance, the old story that in an opposition-held state supermarket lines are gender-segregated came immediately after an uproar over similarly-segregated schools in government-held states.

At least, in the first instance, this was a policy that was announced by the government in power, but in the second it was happening in defiance of regulations.

Both cases are of course “Band-Aid policies”, where male bad behaviour is accepted as normal while females are inconvenienced, rather than (shock, horror) empowered to deal with it.

The bogeyman tactic is rather like Margaret Thatcher starting a war over some distant islands in order to distract the populace from local economic issues.

Here, we see the constant blaming of foreign workers for everything, from lack of jobs, to crime and violence, and to the spread of diseases. None of it can really stand up to scrutiny.

It may be politically correct to complain about foreign workers taking jobs from locals, but these are not jobs that locals want.

Who exactly wants to work in plantations, clean toilets or care for other people’s babies?

If it were true that locals want these jobs, then we should set up job agencies specialising in filling up these vacancies with only locals.

It is disingenuous to say that foreigners keep “pouring in” to take up employment here when we know that many of these foreigners are being duped into selling everything they have to pay unscrupulous agents, and then finding that no jobs await them here.

If these jobs do not exist for them, then obviously they don’t exist for locals either.

Neither is it honest to say that foreigners are contributing to the rise in crime in this country. The police statistics themselves dispute these.

According to a fascinating paper by the Royal Malaysian Police, in 2004, the proportion of crimes committed by foreigners was only 2% of the total crime index, and on a per capita basis Malaysians commit more crimes than foreigners.

Incidentally, the police statistics do not really support the perception that there is a huge rise in violent crime. Most crimes in the country are in fact property crimes such as car theft.

But it serves political purposes to fuel this negative perception of foreigners with racist and stereotyped “facts”. For instance, it is not true that foreigners are running around full of disease and infecting locals.

Malaysians still make up the vast majority of people infected with HIV, and they are certainly infecting each other and not foreigners.

To imply that we should bar foreigners from coming in because of their alleged criminal intent and diseases is actually not going to contribute much to any sustainable solution.

Incidentally, the same police paper puts the blame on economic inequalities and unemployment as the reasons for crime, a situation not unlike many countries in the world.

Ahead of elections, we need to keep focused on the real issues, even while politicians try to distract us with fairytales. Like former US president Bill Clinton used to say, “it’s the economy, stupid”.

Malaysian opposition calls for end to 'body-snatching'

Malaysia's government must halt "body-snatching" by Islamic authorities, opposition lawmakers said after a series of tussles with families of deceased people.

In the most recent case, an elderly ethnic Chinese man was buried as a Muslim last week after his Buddhist family lost a battle with Islamic authorities who said he had converted.

"The spate of 'body-snatching' cases is a blot to Malaysia's international reputation for inter-faith understanding, goodwill and co-operation," Lim Kit Siang from the Democratic Action Party said.

He accused the government of "an unprecedented and lengthening catalogue of incidents aggravating religious polarisation."

And he called on Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to end the practice immediately to prove it is not condoned by the progressive form of Islam that his government promotes.

Police seized the body of Gan Eng For, who died a week ago aged 74, after his oldest son - himself a Muslim convert - said he had switched to the religion last year.

Other family members said Gan could not have converted because he was senile and paralysed after suffering two strokes.

"He could not even move his arms or talk," his other son, 42-year-old Gan Hock Sin, said.

"It is shocking that Islamic authorities say he recited some Islamic words when he was being converted last year."

The dispute came shortly after a court ordered a Christian woman's body be returned to her family after Islamic authorities admitted she had not converted.

In many instances the row is decided by Islamic Sharia courts where non-Muslim family members argue that they do not get a fair hearing.

The cases have fed accusations over the growing "Islamisation" of Malaysia, where the population is dominated by Muslim Malays living alongside ethnic Chinese and Indian communities.

- AFP

Suharto dies at 86

JAKARTA (Indonesia): Former Indonesian president Suharto, an army general who crushed Indonesia's communist movement and pushed aside the country's founding father to usher in 32 years of tough rule that saw up to a million political opponents killed, died Sunday. He was 86.

"He has died,'' Dr Christian Johannes told The Associated Press, adding that he died at 1.10pm (2.10pm Malaysian time).

Dozens of doctors on Suharto's medical team had been rushed to the Pertamina Hospital in the capital, Jakarta, after his blood pressure fell suddenly Saturday night. Suharto had slipped out of consciousness for the first time in more than three weeks of treatment, doctors said.

Suharto, had been in intensive care with lung, heart and kidney failure since he was admitted to the hospital on Jan 4. Over the past week his physicians had spoken of a recovery, but by Sunday that had changed dramatically. - AP

Like it or not, globalization is here to stay

By BARBARA FISCHER

(Milwaukee Journal Sentinel) - Globalization. It's a term likely to invoke anger from many. So much so that in 1997, then-Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad was quoted as saying, "Foreign currency traders should be shot." Why? Because he believed they were responsible for bringing Malaysia to the brink of bankruptcy.

In reality, it was the foreign exchange traders responding to the marketplace. The Asian flu was sweeping through Southeast Asia, partially as a result of real estate speculation, poor banking practices and corruption. Foreign exchange traders saw the handwriting on the wall and "sold" the Malaysian Ringgit. They liquidated their position in the Ringgit, causing its value to plummet and resulting in a severe economic downturn and massive unemployment.

Had Malaysia's economic house been in order, the foreign exchange traders could not have taken advantage of the situation. Therefore, Mahathir was threatening to shoot the messengers.

What does this all have to do with globalization? Plenty. Most people think of globalization as only trading in goods and services leading to the loss of jobs. This is too simplistic.

Much of globalization is driven by the foreign exchange market, which is the largest financial market in the world. It operates 24 hours a day year-round, except on weekends. More than $3 trillion passes through the foreign exchange market every day.

Of this amount, two-thirds has nothing to do with the trading of goods and services. Rather, it is the result of asset investments on the part of pension funds, retirement funds, insurance companies, mutual funds, stocks, bonds and other assets.

U.S. citizens invest in other countries' stocks, bonds, etc., and foreigner citizens and governments invest in our companies' stocks and bonds as well as in U.S. securities from our national debt. U.S. corporations buy foreign corporations, and foreign countries purchase U. S. companies. In addition, foreign exchange traders react to underlying economic events, both domestic and worldwide.

A country's growth rate, interest rates, budget deficits, inflation, international events such as wars, rumors and expectations all lead to foreign currency trades. And should a country erect trade barriers, this, too, causes traders to "sell" that particular currency. No other market encompasses as much of what is going on in the world at any given time as the foreign exchange market.

Practically all of the money moves electronically and instantaneously as if there were no borders. In fact, the Internet has eliminated land borders. This type of globalization is virtually impossible to stop, just as preventing automation was in the 1980s when unions went on strike to prevent computers from eliminating their jobs.

The same argument was made then as it is now: "This will lead to the loss of family-supporting jobs." While this was understandable, it was a losing battle. In the end, individuals had to learn new skills.

The same could be said today; those losing their jobs have no choice but to update their skills. Today, we cannot even imagine the world without technology.

There are no more borders. Jobs will go to where they can be most efficiently performed.

As Robert Reich, labor secretary under President Clinton, was quoted last year as saying: "The truth is that trade is good for the U.S. but that some people are burdened by it far more than others. We've got to make them all winners, but you don't make them winners by attacking trade."

The keys are to stop fighting globalization, to get over it and to update one's skills. Globalization is here to stay.

We are truly one large melting pot. We are community.

Discrimination in free textbook scheme

As far as I know, chinese sc and math textbooks are not provided free by government in SJKC and chinese textbook is not free to secondary student who take chinese.

According to PM, every parents will not have to worry about buying textbooks for their children. Education for primary and secondary student will be totally free. But what I had seen was contradict with announcement by PM.

This is not matter about whether parents are afford to buy it or not, it's about unfair treatment to chinese students. I think this scheme should be rename as Free Textbook scheme except for Chinese Sci and Math.

The hardest choice is usually the right one

By AZMI SHAROM

EVERY day we make decisions. Most are pretty easy, for example, choosing what to have for lunch. Unless, of course, you are making an office group lunch decision. That would require professional negotiators.

The decision by the Education Ministry to introduce “pop culture” books into the syllabus of Form Five Bahasa Malaysia, at the expense of books by our National Laureates (because they are supposedly too difficult), is doing a great disservice to our children.

The Malay language literati have been up in arms at this decision – and rightly so – because they find it an insult to our language and our literary giants.

I agree. And it also shows very poor decision-making. When faced with the problem of students being unable to comprehend “more difficult work”, the answer is not to make the work easier because that would be lowering educational standards.

Sure, you might get a better pass rate, but at what cost? Education should not be about getting good pass rates; it is about challenging and stretching the minds of our young people.

Without this mental challenge we will be producing a generation of ignoramuses and this cannot possibly be good for the country.

As harsh as this may sound, exams are created to separate those who are academically inclined and those who are not. Making sure everybody passes means that that distinction can’t be made, and this in the long run would mean the wrong people would be doing the wrong thing.

There is no shame in not getting the right kinds of grades in order to move on academically. Some of our kids are that way inclined, and some are not. For those who are not, opportunities must be given to them to find their own path.

I work at the end of the academic chain and, believe me, if a student comes in when he should not be there, he suffers, his fellow students suffer, the lecturers suffer, the institution suffers and, ultimately, the nation suffers.

It’s so easy to just say “Let’s make the literature component simple so it won’t be tough on the kids”. It’s hard to say “Let’s make sure our teaching is better and more innovative so that these kids can understand”.

It’s easy to say “Let’s just keep on doing what we are doing and develop our economy like there’s no tomorrow”. It’s hard to say “Let’s make sure we don’t develop at the expense of tomorrow”.

We are faced with decisions constantly. We have to make choices where the easy one may be awfully tempting. But often, it is the hardest choice which is the right one.

Boycott hits Malaysia festival - Aljazeera reports

(Al Jazeera) - Thousands of Malaysian Indians have been taking part in the annual Hindu festival of Thaipusam. But the turnout for traditional ceremonies was much lower than previous years at the main temple outside Kuala Lumpur following calls for a boycott frm anti-government activists.

The annual event at the Batu Caves temple normally attracts a 1 million strong crowd, but locals said only 30 to 50,000 people turned up this year.

The festival is normally a popular spectacle, because of the colourful processions and the practice of many participants who use hooks and spears to pierce their flesh as a form of penance.

But Hindu activists called for a boycott of the temple in protest at the government's treatment of ethnic minorities, urging pilgrims to use other temples instead.

The Batu Caves temple is controlled by the Malaysian Indian Congress - a political party in the ruling National Front coalition which activists accuse of not doing enough for the ethnic Indian community.

Last November a massive rally in Kuala Lumpur by ethnic Indians protesting against alleged official discrimination was broken up by police using tear gas and water cannon.

Five protest organisers have since been arrested under Malaysia's Internal Security Act which allows for indefinite detention without trial.

TV@ tamil news says 100,000 crowd, samy vellu says 1 million, TV3 - 500,000, NTV7 - 200,000.

What are the Oppositions doing?

By Dennis Madden

It must be over six weeks since I wrote pleading with the Opposition Parties to get their act together and come up with an election platform which would be appealing to Malaysians

And what have we got so far??.... Almost nothing!

DAP have come up with some wonderfully imaginative scheme to dump the mega projects and use the money to subsidise the cost of fuel. Buying votes in the manner of BN is what I called that. Cant you get it into your heads that the the subsidies are paid for by the people... so you have a situation where the rubber tapper in his kampong riding his small motorbike is subsidising the fat cat in his fuel guzzling Mercedes as he sits in the traffic jam of KL with his aircon going full blast. The fact that most progressive governments have dumped the idea of subsidies should be a hint as to where you should be heading. Basically you are playing the BN game under rules dictated by them

Then today I got a circular in the mail from Tony Pua bemoaning the Islamisation of Malaysia. Once again you are playing BN's game.... this time its the game of divide and conquer. Do you really think that you will sway any Malay voters away from BN using those sorts of tactics? Anyway religion has no place in the governance any country and you would be doing Malaysia a great service by staying well away from that topic

To put it mildly you are showing the same lack of forward thinking, lack of imagination and lack of motivation that is the hallmark of the present government

PKN is doing slightly better with high sounding phrases like "stimulating the economy" bla bla bla. But how???. To my mind you talk to Malaysians as though they were a lot of kampong dwellers waiting for the next crop of durians to fall. Do you really think the voters are so naive as to vote for your warm and fuzzy... and vague promises?

The opposition is doing what they do best - oppose.

It seems to me, in Opposition, you have the easiest job on earth... Just about everything the present government has touched is rotten to the core. I'm sure there are plenty of 'experts' out there who can tell you how the improve the situation. All you have to do is choose the best option.

And then let the electorate know.

At the moment if you gather any extra votes they will be votes AGAINST the Government, not votes FOR the Opposition.

One people, one nation - Is it possible?

(Aliran) - P Ramakrishnan says that ordinary people should vote responsibly so that the BN is not given another huge mandate to perpetuate its arrogance and lack of accountability. Let me begin by asking you a question:

Do you think that it is possible to have one people, one nation? If I don’t hear a resounding “Yes” then you are going to give Nazri an excuse to say that it is only a perception and not a reality. He says a lot of foolish things. We don’t want him to trivialise an important issue such as this.

Of course, it is possible to have one people, one nation. By one people we don’t mean that everyone thinks alike. That is dangerous. When all men and women think alike, they are not thinking at all. That’s something the BN government would want but that is something we don’t want.

We want thinking people. We want caring people. We want people who can feel for another human being. We want people with compassion. We want people who can be outraged when an injustice is committed against another person. We want people who will be revolted when corruption takes place. We want people who will be angry when our money is squandered. We want people who will stand up for truth and justice.

When we have people with these attributes, then we can have one people, one nation. When people have a healthy respect for universal values and virtues such as justice, truth, freedom, accountability, abhorrence for corruption and arrogance, then we transcend our religious and racial barriers and come together in unity as one people.

This is what we should strive for: an ideal that will make us a better people and a better nation.

Politicians keep us apart

Why is it that after 50 years of nationhood, we are not one people, one nation? Well, we have the politicians to thank for that. They made sure that there would not be a united Malaysian nation sharing a common destiny.

By deliberate design they keep us apart, segregated through policies that cause anger and enmity, through denial that deprives the deserving from the poorer segments of our society. They discriminate along racial and religious lines. They reward one group and deprive some other group. By selective policies and unfair implementations, they have kept us divided for their own survival.

And sadly, too, it is the politicians who fan the flames of polarisation for their own political ends. They want to be seen as champions of their community and, for that, they have to constantly portray certain issues as being under threat and project themselves as the ones standing up for those rights. It is these short-term and shortsighted policies that have become a serious hindrance to our unity.

They will proclaim that others are out to grab their economic share of the cake. They will kiss the keris while some mad guy demands to know when the keris is going to be used. He won’t be reprimanded for the racial slurs hurled but he will stand out as the hero of his community.

But the sad fact is that the ordinary citizens don’t benefit from the rhetoric of these politicians. Can you understand why 1,555 national schools in the rural areas are without toilet facilities and 794 schools are without electricity? How come 39 per cent of the national schools are without toilet facilities and 29 per cent without electricity?

These are poor, deserving Malays and why are they being treated in such a cruel way? It is not that we don’t have money. After Tan Siew Sin, every Finance Minister has been a Malay and an Umno member. Every Education Minister has been a Malay and an Umno member. Why haven’t they served their community when they hold the purse strings and the political power to dispense justice?

It may be a ploy to keep them poor to serve their interests. It can always be justified that these poor rural Malays are in this unfortunate situation because of others and therefore the ruling party must be supported. This is how hatred is fed so that we cannot come together as one people and one nation.

But when people come together on common issues that unite them irrespective of their ethnicity, that gathering is dispersed in the most brutal manner. You remember the Bloody Sunday last year when Malaysians demonstrated as one people to condemn the hike in petrol price? Truncheons were used to beat up peaceful people who had gathered to show their grievance and chemically laced water was used to disperse the crowd that also had women and children in their midst.

They will not allow unity to be forged on common grounds. This will be seen as a threat to their power base.

Enough is enough!

This government is not capable of seriously inculcating universal values that will create a sense of belonging and togetherness among the various communities.
We cannot allow this to go on. It’s time to say. “Enough is enough!” The majority of people who are rational, well-meaning and deeply concerned about our well-being as a nation must stand up for what is right and good for the nation.

Hopefully the impending general election will motivate the ordinary people to vote responsibly so that the BN will not be given another huge mandate that has made them arrogant, unaccountable and undemocratic.

The sooner we make that stand the better our chances.

You will be promised all kinds of things in their impressive flyers; their manifesto will have glowing objectives to seduce you.

Ignore all that and remember only this. It is a saying from Eric Hoffer

“No matter how noble the objectives of a government, if it blurs decency and kindness, cheapens human life and breeds ill will and suspicion – it is an evil government”.

—— Eric Hoffer,
The Passionate State of Mind 1954

Merely a 'confidence trick'

'Two held to help in Nurin murder probe' and this picture was the HEADLINE for thestar on Monday after few months of 'quietness'. And this was what I found on a small CORNER few days later-- 'Duo held over Nurin's case freed'.

Do you get what I mean? They are actually 'play' the scene to boost confidence among people, especially Sharlinie's family. Oh yea, they are trying to tell everyone that they still haven't give up in Nurin's case too.

The Constitution and Malay Rights

Forty seven years after Independence, racial issues continued to monopolise national politics, and championing Malay rights remains the single dominant ideology of UMNO - the only ruling power that this nation has known since Independence.

Kim Quek

The recent HINDRAF demonstrations against racial marginalization of Indian Malaysians have again brought into focus the issue of Malay “privileges” as provided for under the Constitution. Judging from public utterances in the press and websites, there seem to be continuing wide-spread ignorance, misrepresentation and misunderstanding of what our Constitution precisely provides on this issue.

The center of controversy is Article 153 of the Constitution which provides for what is popularly known as Malay “privileges”. Due to misrepresentation by UMNO in the past, many have come to identify Article 153 – and even the entire Constitution – as racially discriminatory. This is not so. In spite numerous constitutional amendments, the egalitarian spirit of our Constitution in respect of racial equality remains largely intact. Public misunderstanding is attributed to UMNO hijacking Article 153 to practice unbridled racial discrimination for self-enrichment in the past few decades.

Due to the heightening racial tensions caused by UMNO’s retrogressive move to intensify its racial agenda under the NEP (New Economic Policy) and brewing racial discontent by HINDRAF, it is imperative and urgent that the truth be known with regards to the true legal standing of the various races as provided for in our Constitution - the legal foundation upon which this nation is built. For this reason, I am reproducing as follows the main part of an article I wrote three years ago (see note below), which analysed and clarified these controversial issues.

(commencement of previous article) Forty seven years after Independence, racial issues continued to monopolise national politics, and championing Malay rights remains the single dominant ideology of UMNO - the only ruling power that this nation has known since Independence. Thousands of speeches have been made championing this Malay cause, using various terminologies such as Malay “special rights”, Malay “special privileges” or simply Malay “rights”, often invoking the nation’s Constitution as the legal back-up. But, of the many politicians who have used these terminologies, how many have read through the Constitution to find out what these “rights” really are? Very few, I am afraid.

Our Constitution is printed in a small booklet titled “Federal Constitution” that can be bought for RM10 in the book shops. Buy one copy and read through to find out what it says about these “rights”. After all, these issues - more than any others - have dominated our lives, and all citizens should know what these rights truly are as spelled out in our Constitution.

If you have read through the Constitution to look for an answer to these Malay “rights”, perhaps the first thing that has struck you is that, familiar terminologies such as Malay “special rights”, Malay “special privileges” or Malay “rights” are no where to be found in the Constitution. Instead, we only find the term “the special position of the Malays”, which appears twice, in Clause (1) and Clause (2) of Article 153, which is titled “Reservation of quotas in respect of services, permits, etc, for Malays and natives of any of the States of Sabah and Sarawak”.

(The words “natives of Sabah and Sarawak” were only incorporated into the Constitution upon the formation of Malaysia in 1963, during which Sabah, Sarawak and Singapore were merged with Malaya to form Malaysia. In this article, these words will not be repeated after the word “Malay” when I quote from the Constitution, for abbreviation purpose).

Anyone who has read through Article 153 might be surprised to discover that the provisions favouring Malays are in fact quite moderate, and certainly no way as stretched out in intensity and scope as our politicians would want us to believe. Similarly, those provisions protecting the non-Malays as a counter-balance to the special position of the Malays under the same Article 153 are also surprisingly quite well conceived and fair. In fact, when read in conjunction with Article 8 (Equality) and Article 136 (Impartial treatment of Federal employees), Article 153 cannot be construed as having significantly violated the egalitarian principles of our Constitution, contrary to common perception.

Since the egalitarian nature of our Constitution is largely intact, in spite of the presence of Article 153, then why should it have acquired such an adverse reputation as the legal root of all kinds of racial inequalities in this country?

Answer: the fault is not with our Constitution, but with our politicians twisting, misinterpreting and abusing it.

ARTICLE 153

It is perhaps high time we get to the bottom of Article 153.

Clause (1) of Article 153 states: “It shall be the responsibility of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to safeguard the special position of the Malays and the legitimate interests of other communities in accordance with the provisions of this Article”.

So, the first understanding that we must have on Article 153 is that it is meant to protect the interests of not only the Malays, but also those of the non-Malays.

Next, note the deliberate use of the words “safeguard” and “special position” (instead of “special rights” or “special privileges”). The choice of these words must be understood in the historical context of the drafting of this Constitution half a century ago when Malays were economically and educationally backward in relation to other races. It was thought fit and proper then that there must be “safeguards” to protect the Malays from being swarmed over by other races. Hence, the creation of the “special position” of the Malays, which was obviously intended for defensive purpose: to protect for survival. The meticulous avoidance of using words like “rights” and “privileges”, and the choice of the word “safeguard” were clearly calculated to reflect its defensive nature. Under that historical context, the provision of the special position of the Malays in the Constitution certainly could not be interpreted to mean the endowment of racial privileges to create a privileged class of citizenship. If it were otherwise, this country would have been turned into a racist and feudal state right from day one of our Independence.

Clause (2) says that the Yang di-Pertuan Agong shall safeguard the special position of the Malays by reserving positions “of such proportion as he may deem reasonable” in a) the public service b) educational facilities and c) business licenses.

Clauses (3) & (6) say that the Yang di-Pertuan Agong may, for purpose of fulfilling Clause (2), give general directions to the relevant authorities, which shall then duly comply.

There is a separate clause covering the allocation of seats in tertiary education – Clause (8A). It says that where there are insufficient places for any particular course of study, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong may give directions for the “reservation of such proportion of such places for Malays as the Yang di-Pertuan Agong may deem reasonable; and the authority shall duly comply with the directions.”

As for the protection of non-Malays against possible encroachment of their existing interests, there are several provisions under different clauses in this Article, prohibiting the deprivation of the existing facilities enjoyed by them, whether in public service, education or trading licenses. Of these protective clauses, Clauses (5) and (9) are particularly significant.

Clause (5) consists of one sentence, which reads: “This Article does not derogate from the provisions of Article 136”.

Article 136 also consists of one sentence, which reads: “All persons of whatever race in the same grade in the service of the Federation shall, subject to the terms and conditions of their employment, be treated impartially.”

Clause (9) consists of one sentence, which reads: “Nothing in this Article shall empower Parliament to restrict business or trade solely for the purpose of reservations for Malays.”

ARTICLE 8

Reading Article 153 will not be complete without reading Article 8 (Equality). I will quote the more significant Clauses (1) and (2) of this Article in full, as follows:

Clause (1) of Article 8 states: “All persons are equal before the law and entitled to the equal protection of the law.”

Clause (2) states: “Except as expressly authorized by this Constitution, there shall be no discrimination against citizens on the ground only of religion, race, descent or place of birth in any law or in the appointment to any office or employment under a public authority or in the administration of any law relating to the acquisition, holding or disposition of property or the establishing or carrying on of any trade, business, profession, vocation or employment.”

After reading through these Articles of the Constitution, we are able to draw the following conclusions:

1. The present clamour for Malay “special rights” as sacrosanct racial privileges of a privileged race, especially under the ideological ambit of Ketuanan Melayu (Malay the master race), is in conflict with the letters and spirit of the Constitution.

2. The special position of the Malays as prescribed under Article 153 of the Constitution is limited in scope to only the reservation of reasonable quotas in these 3 sectors: public services, educational places and business licenses. Hence, the present rampant racial discriminations practiced on almost every facet of our national life are mostly violations of the Constitution. Examples of these violations are:

a) Racial discrimination in the appointment and promotion of employees in publicly funded bodies, resulting in these becoming almost mono-raced bodies (particular so in their top strata). These bodies include: the civil service, police, army and various semi and quasi government agencies.

b) Barring of non-Malays from tenders and contracts controlled directly or indirectly by the government.

c) Imposition of compulsory price discounts and quotas in favour of Malays in housing projects.

d) Imposition of compulsory share quota for Malays in non-Malay companies.

e) Blanket barring of non-Malays to publicly funded academic institutions.

f) Completely lop-sided allocation of scholarships and seats of learning in clearly unreasonable proportions that reflect racial discriminations.

Our Constitution provides for only one class of citizenship and all citizens are equal before the law. The presence of Article 153 does not alter this fact, as it is meant only to protect the Malays from being “squeezed” by other races by allowing the reservation of reasonable quotas on certain sectors of national life. However, this Constitution has now been hijacked through decades of hegemony of political power by UMNO to result in the virtual monopoly of the public sector by a single race. The ensuing racism, corruption and corrosion of integrity of our democratic institutions have brought serious retrogression to our nation-building process in terms of national unity, discipline, morality and competitiveness of our people.

At this critical juncture, when nations in this region and around the world are urgently restructuring and shaping up to cope with globalization, our nation stagnates in a cesspool that has been created through decades of misrule. Unless urgent reforms are carried out, beginning with the dismantling of the anachronistic racial edifice, we are in for serious troubles in the days ahead. (end of previous article)

Note: The above article was written on 3rd Dec 2004 in response to a controversy in Parliament over Lim Kit Siang’s move to reprimand an UMNO minister for radical racial utterances in the freshly concluded UMNO annual assembly. This article is included in my book “Where to Malaysia – A future with Anwar’s Reformasi or back to Mahathirism?”, and also published in several websites.

Treachery, unlimited

The Ancient Mariner

During my early morning brisk walk yesterday, I bumped into the MP from Kepong who is also the vice chairman of the parliamentary Public Accounts Committee (PAC). I asked him when will PAC get the Attorney General to explain why the Klang Port Authority ignored his (the AG's) recommendations regarding the purchase of land for the Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ). The YB told me that he now has a sneaking suspicion that chairman Shahrir Samad never really had any intention to summon the AG, despite his seeming bravado and posturing in the past, perhaps just to toe the party line.

Now that the general elections is around the corner and what with the intense lobbying and backstabbing amongst the hopefuls and the incumbents, I suppose a lot of these 'sensitive' matters will now be swept under the carpet. Yesterday's the Star weekly maritime supplement, for example, highlighted and glossed over the current developments in PKFZ (read about it, here). But the question that I have been frothing at the mouth asking all this while still remains unanswered: Whatever happened to all the money? I hear rentals and leases are now going as low as 15 sen per sq foot per month which I believe will not even be enough to pay salaries, let alone to pay back a RM4.6 billion 'soft' loan.

Our mainly God fearing rakyat must be told that it is a major sin to return corrupt politicians to power, somewhat akin to bersubahat or becoming accessories after the fact. But perhaps there is still hope yet, maybe a divine intervention, as cracks begin to appear in the solid Barisan Nasional wall. (Someone tells me even Sammy Vellu is now in India to mantram and pray for his own political survival.) Hopefully more young politicians will now have the balls to break ranks and speak up with their conscience without fear or favour. Surely they who thrive on treachery and conspiracy must reap what they sow.

M'sian state sued for demolishing church: church leader

A GROUP of indigenous Malaysians has launched a suit against the country's only Muslim-ruled state for allegedly tearing down a church built on their property, a church leader said on Monday.

The church in northeast Kelantan was demolished by district officers in June last year, shortly after construction of the wood and brick building was completed.

Moses Soo, who was to have been the church pastor, said the case will be heard on Tuesday in the high court of state capital Kota Bahru.

'We are suing the state government and the Gua Musang municipality for tearing down the church. They have no right to tear down the church on orang asli land,' Soo told AFP.

The land belongs to the orang asli - original inhabitants of Malaysia - under traditional title, he added.

'The village headman sacrificed his orchard for the church,' Soo said, adding that they are seeking compensation from the state government to rebuild.

The National Evangelical Christian Fellowship of Malaysia has said it was told the church was torn down because it was built without permission.

Malaysian commentators have sounded alarm over the growing 'Islamisation' of the country and the increasing polarisation of the three main ethnic communities, who mix much less than in the past.

Religion and language are sensitive issues in multiracial Malaysia - dominated by Muslim Malays living alongside minority ethnic Chinese and Indian communities - which experienced deadly race riots in 1969.

Recently there have been controversies over the banning of construction of a proposed Taoist statue on Borneo island and the destruction of Hindu temples by local authorities.

The orang asli make up less than one percent of the nation's population and are disadvantaged in terms of income, health, education and living standards. -- AFP

Outcry as Muslim M&S worker refuses to sell 'unclean' Bible book

(Daily Express) - A MUSLIM store worker refused to serve a customer buying a children's book on Christianity because she said it was "unclean".

Shopper Sally Friday felt publicly humiliated at a branch of Marks & Spencer when she tried to pay for First Bible Stories as a gift for her young grandson.

When she put the book on the check-out counter, the young assistant refused to touch it, declared it was unclean and summoned another member of staff to serve instead.

Last night politicians and religious leaders supported her in condemning the high street giant and reigniting the debate over religious beliefs in the workplace.

Conservative MP Philip Davies said the refusal to serve Mrs Friday, 69, was "unacceptable" and "damaging" to community relations.

Inayat Bunglawala, assistant secretary-general of the Muslim Council of Britain, described the assistant's comments as "offensive" and called for Marks & Spencer to carry out a thorough investigation.

Mrs Friday said her trip to the sales in Reading, Berks, with her daughter had been ruined.

"I went to the till and heard the girl say it was unclean and then she got someone else to serve me," said Mrs Friday.

"At first I wasn't sure what was going on and then I realised she was wearing a headdress and I clicked that the title of the book had Bible in it. I felt very humiliated and immediately left the store."

Mrs Friday, from Old Basing, Hants, added: "I have given it careful thought and still feel humiliated that, because I am purchasing a children's Bible story book, a cashier is able to object and refuse to put it through the till.

"Had this been a copy of the Koran I am confident any Christian person would be happy to do her job, and for this to happen in a Marks & Spencer of all places beggars belief.

"I am not racist but I have vowed never to let a person wearing a headdress serve me again. It will be a long, long time before I shop again at M&S." Mr Davies, Conservative MP for Shipley, west Yorkshire, said: "I find it unbelievable. We are a Christian country. I'm afraid it is no good for people to work in Marks & Spencer and not serve their products.

"For M&S to put one of their customers in that position is totally unacceptable. If a Christian lady had refused to serve a Muslim on religious grounds there would have been hell to pay.

"In fact, I am sure someone would be sacked if it had been the other way round. But that won't happen this time, will it? These kind of things do not do anything for community cohesion. In fact, they damage it."

Mr Bunglawala said: "This appears to be a very regrettable incident and the 'unclean' remark was clearly very offensive and unacceptable.

Many Biblical stories complement the teachings of the Koran. We hope that M&S will investigate this incident." A spokesman for Marks & Spencer said an investigation was underway. "We would like to apologise to Mrs Friday for any offence this incident has caused," he said.

"Reading is a very multicultural store and we are surprised and disappointed by this reported incident.

"It does not reflect Marks & Spencer policy and simply should not have happened.

"We will remind all staff at the Reading site of our policy and will contact Mrs Friday to apologise for her distress."

A source close to the shop assistant claimed there had been a misunderstanding.

"I think there was some confusion over what the customer heard," she said.

But Mrs Friday's treatment is just the latest example of Muslim staff refusing to serve customers on religious grounds.

In October 2006, Lloyds chemist was forced to apologise to mother Jo-Ann Thomas after a Muslim pharmacist refused her a morning-after contraceptive pill on religious grounds in Rotherham.

A smoker was refused cigarettes at a Cambridge store in January last year because the Muslim shop assistant said it was against her religion to sell tobacco.

Islamic checkout staff at Sainsbury's who refuse to sell alcohol are allowed to opt out of handling bottles and cans of drink by calling other staff to take their place.

Other staff have refused to work stacking shelves with wine, beer and spirits and have been found alternative roles in the company.

Sainsbury's said it was keen to accommodate the religious beliefs of all its staff.

No more hope for Malaysia's University?

According to Spanish ranking system, Webometric Ranking of World Universities, the Top 10 universities in South-East of Asia are :

1. NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF SINGAPORE
2. NANYANG TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY
3. KASETSART UNIVERSITY
4. CHULALONGKORN UNIVERSITY
5. PRINCE OF SONGKLA UNIVERSITY
6. ASIAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY THAILAND
7. CHIANG MAI UNIVERSITY
8. THAMMASAT UNIVERSITY
9. ASSUMPTION UNIVERSITY OF THAILAND
10. KHON KAEN UNIVERSITY

Out of the top 10 ranking South East Asia universities, 2 are from Singapore, and the balance 8 universities are from Thailand. Also, on the Top 100 list, Thailand has 41 universities, Myanmar 18, Indonesia 14, the Philippines 13, and Singapore 7.

In Asia, the Top 10 universities are :

1. UNIVERSITY OF TOKYO
2. NATIONAL TAIWAN UNIVERSITY
3. KYOTO UNIVERSITY
4. BEIJING UNIVERSITY
5. KEIO UNIVERSITY
6. NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF SINGAPORE
7. UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG
8. CHINESE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG
9. NATIONAL CHIAO TUNG UNIVERSITY
10. NAGOYA UNIVERSITY

Out of the Top 10 ranking universities in ASIA, 4 are from Japan, 5 are from China, and the remaining 1 is from Singapore. We are also nowhere near the Top 100 universities in Asia. In terms of Global Ranking, None of Malaysia's universities are anywhere near the TOP 1000 universities.

Well, the fact speaks for itself ! Thailand, Myanmar, Indonesia, Phillipines, and Singapore are way ahead of Malaysia. Despite all our constant shouting of Malaysia bolih this and that, and all the emotional rhetorics of shiok sendiri and self denials, we are already an academic backwaters nation in South East Asia, I shake my head.

Whither public security in Malaysia?

RM1.5 million gem heist in two minutes, guard hit
Thursday January 11, 2008

SUBANG JAYA: Two minutes – that was all it took for five robbers to flee with RM1.5mil worth of jewellery from a goldsmith outlet at a hypermarket in USJ Subang Jaya yesterday.

A man with a gun and wearing a baseball cap shot a security guard while the others broke the showcase with hammers and scooped the jewellery into bags in the 1pm heist.

The 34-year-old guard was warded for treatment at the Kuala Lumpur Hospital. He is said to be in a stable condition.

Robbers cart away RM1 million in jewellery
Friday January 11, 2008

SUNGAI PATANI: Four armed men in masks escaped with about RM1mil worth of jewellery including diamonds from a shop here.

Two of them armed with a pistol each were believed to have fired more than six shots at the ceiling before fleeing with the loot on two motorcycles in the 10.30am incident Friday.

Johor MIC assembly man shot dead
Friday January 11, 2008

JOHOR BARU: Tenggaroh Assemblyman Datuk S. Krishnasamy was shot dead in the lift at the state MIC headquarters in Jalan Seget.

Krishnasamy, who is state deputy MIC chief, was shot by a gunman just as he was about to attend a meeting at about 2.30pm.

Police have cordoned off the area around the MIC building and forensics team has been sent to the crime scene.

Eye-witnesses said they heard people screaming that a man had been shot and were shocked to find the assemblyman victim lying in a pool of blood.

Now, it's all too easy for a thug to get a gun... You may die without knowing the reason even though you are inside a crowed supermarket.

A car for only $2,500

Mr. Ratan N. Tata, Chairman of the Tata Group and Tata Motors, today unveiled the Tata ‘NANO’, the People’s Car from Tata Motors that India and the world have been looking forward to. A development, which signifies a first for the global automobile industry, the People’s Car brings the comfort and safety of a car within the reach of thousands of families. The People’s Car will be launched in India later in 2008.

Speaking at the unveiling ceremony at the 9th Auto Expo in New Delhi, Mr. Ratan N. Tata said, “I observed families riding on two-wheelers – the father driving the scooter, his young kid standing in front of him, his wife seated behind him holding a little baby. It led me to wonder whether one could conceive of a safe, affordable, all-weather form of transport for such a family. Tata Motors’ engineers and designers gave their all for about four years to realise this goal. Today, we indeed have a People’s Car, which is affordable and yet built to meet safety requirements and emission norms, to be fuel efficient and low on emissions. We are happy to present the People’s Car to India and we hope it brings the joy, pride and utility of owning a car to many families who need personal mobility.”

Stylish, comfortable

he People’s Car, designed with a family in mind, has a roomy passenger compartment with generous leg space and head room. It can comfortably seat four persons. Four doors with high seating position make ingress and egress easy.

Yet with a length of 3.1 metres, width of 1.5 metres and height of 1.6 metres, with adequate ground clearance, it can effortlessly manoeuvre on busy roads in cities as well as in rural areas. Its mono-volume design, with wheels at the corners and the powertrain at the rear, enables it to uniquely combine both space and manoeuvrability, which will set a new benchmark among small cars.

When launched, the car will be available in both standard and deluxe versions. Both versions will offer a wide range of body colours, and other accessories so that the car can be customised to an individual’s preferences.

Fuel-efficient engine

The People’s Car has a rear-wheel drive, all-aluminium, two-cylinder, 623 cc, 33 PS, multi point fuel injection petrol engine. This is the first time that a two-cylinder gasoline engine is being used in a car with single balancer shaft. The lean design strategy has helped minimise weight, which helps maximise performance per unit of energy consumed and delivers high fuel efficiency. Performance is controlled by a specially designed electronic engine management system.

Meets all safety requirements

The People’s Car’s safety performance exceeds current regulatory requirements. With an all sheet-metal body, it has a strong passenger compartment, with safety features such as crumple zones, intrusion-resistant doors, seat belts, strong seats and anchorages, and the rear tailgate glass bonded to the body. Tubeless tyres further enhance safety.

Environment-friendly

The People’s Car’s tailpipe emission performance exceeds regulatory requirements. In terms of overall pollutants, it has a lower pollution level than two-wheelers being manufactured in India today. The high fuel efficiency also ensures that the car has low carbon dioxide emissions, thereby providing the twin benefits of an affordable transportation solution with a low carbon footprint.

Shocking 13.4% rise In Crime Index in 2007

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi had expressed alarm at the shocking rise in the crime index with serious crimes rising by 13.4 per cent nationwide last year, particularly gang robbery without the use of firearms rising by more than 159 per cent and rape cases up by about 30%. However he should be even more worried at the anti-crime remedial measures proposed that are too little, too late as well as not tough enough in fighting both crime and the causes of crime.

According to the latest crime index released by the police today, the average increase in overall crime in 2007 is 7.1%. But the percentage of increase in selected breakdown of serious crimes for 2007 will frighten ordinary Malaysians, especially women and children:

• Rape - 3,177 cases (+ 29.5%)

• Outraging modesty - 2,320 (+ 12.4%)

• Night-time home break-in - 24,440 (+ 21.7%)

• Day break-in - 9,159 (+4.2%)

• Motorcycle theft - 67,854 (+ 3.2%)

• Car theft - 12,427 (+ 11.4%)

• Snatch theft - 11,127 (+0.5%)

Abdullah government’s has failed dismally to provide one of the basic functions of good governance which is public safety. With 3,177 rape and 2,320 outraging of modesty cases last year, this means that there are 8.7 rapes and 6.4 women molested daily last year. In other words 15 women are raped and molested a day last year. These are only reported figures and the actual rapes and molest cases could be much more as it is generally known that for every report lodged there are as high as 5 unreported cases.

Fighting crime is never in the list of priorities of this PM and his government. His first priority is his political survival and PDRM has been given the task to mobilize all its strength to ensure that the Opposition is defeated. That is why PDRM is only good at going after soft targets like - peaceful rallies, raiding brothels and arresting prostitutes, going after gamblers and sex video dealers and detaining opposition leaders.

Would you expect a country to be peaceful and free from crime when their leaders are actually protecting Mat Rempits, a social pain in the neck whom are notorious to commit crimes?

Malaysian riot police break up rally to protest detention without trial law

(The Associated) - Press Banging batons against their shields, Malaysian police Saturday chased away hundreds of demonstrators who held a candlelight vigil to protest against a decades-old law allowing indefinite detention without trial.

A water cannon fired a single burst to drive away the last stragglers among the crowd in downtown Kuala Lumpur, ending a 90-minute standoff.

Police had banned the rally to protest the Internal Security Act. It was the latest in a series of protests that had rocked the government in recent months. Any gathering of more than four people requires a police permit.

"It is a peaceful gathering just to send a message that all citizens have a right to voice their feelings," said Syed Ibrahim Syed Noh, chairman of the Abolish ISA Movement that organized the rally.

"This law is unjust. I think it is time to voice our human rights," he said, adding that the group would hold more protests.

About 300 people lit candles and gathered behind a police barricade that prevented them from marching to the nearby Independence Square, where they had originally planned to hold the protest.

Police gave them 15 minutes to disperse, during which the protesters chanted "No ISA!" before being pushed back by riot police and a water cannon truck.

The crowd retreated but gathered again about 100 meters (330 feet) from the police barricade. After a while, riot police began chasing protesters away. One person was seen being dragged away by police but it was unclear if he has been arrested.

Police officials declined to comment.

Malaysian opposition and human rights groups have repeatedly called for the ISA, a colonial-era law allowing indefinite detention without trial, to be repealed, saying the law is abused to silence dissidents. The government has said it is necessary to protect national security and ensure stability.

The ISA was most recently used to detain five ethnic Indian leaders who organized a massive rally on Nov. 25 to demand equal right for their minority community in the Muslim-majority country.

Saturday's protest was not as large as the one on Nov. 25 involving some 20,000 people, but still reflected growing anger among Malaysians against the law.

"We have heard firsthand experiences of ISA detainees. I cringed when I heard how they were tortured," said Lim Sze Ming, a 29-year-old engineer. "The law has to go."

Today, it is the word “Allah’, and tomorrow?

The Cabinet’s decision to prohibit the The Herald – The Catholic Weekly- from using the word Allah despite having its publishing permit renewed for this year, is a major step backwards for democracy.

The government is wrong in restricting the religious liberty of Malaysians, many East Malaysian Christians have been using the word for a long time. Why the sudden concern now? Why resurrect a dead issue?

Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi had rescinded the ban on the Alkitab previously and blamed the resulting fiasco on an "overzealous bureaucrat" so why is he back flipping again and allowing the Christian community to feel the full brunt of the Cabinet's bizarre ban.

Since the impetus to make Malay the pre-dominant language in the country many Malaysians are now more conversant in their national language and many Bahasa speaking Christians prefer to use the Indonesian Bible, the Alkitab.

t does not add up. On the one hand the government talks about a progressive nation and freedom of religion and on the other, we see more and more erosion of the fundamental liberties of Malaysians guaranteed under the Malaysian constitution.

We must remember that any act even a decision taken by the Cabinet can be challenged if it contravenes the provisions of the constitution. This one certainly does. The decision to ban the use of words traditionally used in non-Muslim religions is unconstitutional and therefore unenforceable. In an independent court the ban will not stand. Article 11 of the Constitution speaks nothing of the ban on religious terms of non-Muslim religions and gives no power for the government to interfere in non-Islamic religions.

While some states ban the use of the word 'Allah' it has not be enforced for the simple reason that it is unenforceable. My opinion is the Muslim understanding of 'Allah' in some major aspects are very different from the Christian teachings on God.

I don't use the word 'Allah' and I am sure many Christians who are conversant in English or Mandarin would have no difficulty not using the word but as I mentioned earlier, many Malaysians have traditionally used the term, and it was one they had a right to use because it existed long before Islam and older Malay bibles have always used it.

The issue is one of religious liberty, more than a quibble over words. It is also about how important Malaysians especially the government views its country's constitution. Is it supreme or only symbolic and political expediency rules the day? Does the cabinet understand the ramifications of its decision?

By imposing gratuitous restrictions on religion the country will surely be seen as undermining its own constitution and aim in creating a progressive society. It is one way to lower the esteem of the country in the eyes of a free world .

What is so wrong with the Christians using the term anyway? What is the real worry?

Progressive countries move forward in their intellectual prowess not backwards. Censorship of this nature is retrograde.

While others are unbridling themselves from the reins of religious extremism, it is puzzling why Malaysia should be going in the other direction. Why stir a hornet's nest? Fortunately all is not lost for from time to time we hear the voices of light and reason resound the same concern.

The form over substance approach to religion is one reason why actions by the government's religious departments have created disunity and feelings of resentment in the community. The government now is responsible for more acts that divide than unite. This latest ban is seen as another act of injustice. The effect is to polarise people.

It does not augur well for the nation's future. By its decision the government has signalled to the world that it is pursuing a policy of intolerance and censorship of religion against all known conventions of religious liberty and human rights. Today it is the word 'Allah' and tomorrow?

(By STEVE OH/ Perth, Western Australia)

In the name of Allah, God of everyone

Bramantyo Prijosusilo, Ngawi, East Java, THE JAKARTA POST

I used to say to my Western friends, "In Indonesia Christians worship Allah!"

They would often be surprised, as if they had never imagined Christians could worship Allah.

In the West, I have found the word Allah is used to refer to the Islamic God. This God is further mistaken to be a different God than the God worshiped by Christians.

Of course educated people know this is not the case, but the average Western news consumer could be forgiven if they were to make such a mistake.

Historically, Christianity arrived in Indonesia after Islam, so in terms of language, Indonesian Christianity borrows heavily from Islam. In Indonesia, Christians refer to God as Allah, and the biblical Temple of Jerusalem is called Baitallah. Jesus is called Al Masih and the disciples are called Rasul-Rasul. The "daily bread" in the Lord's Prayer is translated as rezeki by Roman Catholics here.

Islamic words in Indonesian Christianity are sometimes used with a slightly different meaning than in Islamic traditions. In Indonesia, without Islam, Christianity would not be what it is today. There were never any problems with this until recently, when a Christian publication in Malaysia was told it could only get its permit renewed if it stopped referring to God as Allah.

I always thought the sharing of theological vocabulary between Christianity and Islam in Indonesia was beautiful. It was something I could be proud of because in my mind, it proved there was some substance to our myth of religious tolerance.

This is why I viewed the news of what happened in Malaysia with concern. I believe the Malaysian authorities are making a grave mistake. As Muslims we know that the Koran states again and again that Allah is the God of Adam and all his descendants and also of the Universe and everything in it.

Islam is a blessing for the universe and not only a blessing for Muslims. Allah is God of all Creation and the idea of a "copyright" over Allah's name is ridiculous.

As a Muslim, I am proud Islam has influenced Christianity here and I think the use of Islamic concepts and words in Christianity is testimony to the Message of Truth. I think Islamic concepts such as ikhlas, tauhid and barakah, for example, are extremely useful when elaborating on spiritual experiences and can be used outside of the Islamic tradition by people of any religious or non-religious denomination.

This is the same as members of the public, including Muslims, using concepts such as Yin-Yang, Tao, Yoga and Zen, or taking phrases out of Buddhist texts such as bhineka tunggal ika (unity in diversity), which is our national motto. If religious groups begin to claim "copyright" over spiritual concepts such as Allah, ikhlas, sembahyang and so on, we will be arguing until after the Day of Judgment.

Should we conduct a world-wide cultural appraisal to determine whether Islam has been robbed of any spiritual or theological concepts? Or should we rejoice and praise Allah when we find an Islamic concept, like hygiene for example, being practiced all over the world, from atheist hospitals in China to the chambers of the Vatican?

Islamic values are universal values and because of that you can find Islamic values in every single culture. Truth, honesty, chivalry, justice, living thoughtfully, being thankful, respecting parents and elders, gentleness in relationships, equality, respect for nature -- just about every value that rings true in life is an Islamic value. At the same time, these values are often held dear in other cultures.

Is the struggle to manifest justice any less sacred if it is undergone by non-Muslims? Are Muslims the only people who look after orphans and other weak members of society? Or have Western countries nursed and cared for their poor better than us?

This type of pedantic behavior reflects a small-mindedness that shouldn't be allowed to influence mainstream interpretations of the teachings of Islam. It comes from the same world view that believes it is possible and desirable to literally replicate Muslim society around the Prophet Muhammad even though of course it is not.

We can't just wear a robe and turban and grow our beards and become like the Prophet. A white cotton robe worn in the Prophet's time is not the same as a white cotton robe worn today. In the older robe you can see the organic cultivation of cotton and the hand spinning and weaving behind it.

In a contemporary cotton robe you have agricultural chemicals, industrial relations, banking, transportation and all the vices of the modern world. So although donning a white robe would make me appear to be dressed like the Prophet, we would share no other resemblances.

In Malaysia, the dangerous idea that Christians should not use the name Allah has been created. A lot of trouble may be stirred up from what appears to be such a small statement. Rather than worry about how other people refer to God, the clever men and women of Malaysia should look at more important problems in their society, including their treatment of migrant workers, race relations and their failures in achieving democracy.

The God of Christians is the same as the God of Muslims and is the same as the God of the Jews. A righteous person before God is a righteous person whether he is Muslim, Christian, Jewish or none of the above. The Almighty is Almighty forever, whatever name one uses for Him. But the idea of imposing a "copyright"(Herald can’t use ‘Allah’ in its publications) over one of His names surely should be viewed as an absurdity.

How Money Shrinks and Grows

johnleemk

Two economic phenomena people are likely to take an interest in are inflation and deflation. Simply put, when inflation occurs, the same amount of money gets you less, while when deflation occurs, the same amount of money gets you more.

Between 1986 and 2006, the value of the US dollar nearly halved — to buy what cost a hundred dollars in 1986, you would need over USD180 today. Even though economists generally agree the inflation rate has been somewhat overstated, the fact is, there has been substantial inflation.

Indeed, it would be very surprising for any developed nation not to experience inflation in a time of economic growth. As dealt with in my earlier article, deflation is an extremely undesirable state of affairs. But why would we want inflation — especially inflation as shockingly large as that which the US has apparently experienced?

The answer is growth. Believe it or not, there is a correlation between inflation and growth, both in the long and short run — albeit for different reasons.

In the short run, what would you do if you had more money in your pocket? Chances are you would spend it — at least, that's what most people would do. If the amount of money in circulation has been increased, but shopkeepers have yet to change their prices (a reasonable assumption in the short run), you will go out and buy things — and this is what will make the economy grow in the short run.

Now, what will happen in the long run? Shopkeepers will realise that the money supply has increased, so they won't be as free and easy with their prices, raising them. People stop spending, and equilibrium is restored. There is a bit of a bump from the people who took their extra money and saved it, since these savings would be invested in firms and result in long-term economic growth, but otherwise, you won't see anything interesting happen in the long run.

The real long run correlation between inflation and economic growth is that inflation is a symptom of growth. If you know your history well, you should recall that one pound sterling in the 16th century was dozens, if not hundreds of times more valuable than one pound sterling today. But would anyone in our time prefer to live in the 16th century, given the choice? The answer is simple — much of that inflation has simply arisen because the economy has grown.

We tend not to see the link between inflation and growth because we usually think of ourselves as consumers. We look at the increasingly less affordable consumer items out there and sigh — it is classic supply-side inflation. When prices of commodities we consume go up, things are bad — "aggregate supply" (the economic term for the general supply of goods and services) has gone down, meaning we have more money chasing fewer goods. Things stink.

But we never stop to think about demand-side inflation — what happens when our wages and salaries go up? Of course we're happy — but that is inflation too. When our skills are in demand, the price for our labour increases, but we acknowledge this as a good thing. The economic equivalent is when the general demand for goods and services (aggregate demand) is high — of course the economy will grow when people want to buy things. The inflationary side-effects in this case are a symptom of that growth.

It is not enough to point at the inflation rate and shriek at how things are going so badly with the economy. You must first determine what kind of inflation you are dealing with — only then can you decide whether the inflation is a sign of things going wrong, or a sign of growth.

Economics is not as open-and-shut or dogmatic as it seems to be sometimes. There are a lot of open questions, a lot of room for disagreement. Inflation and deflation are an example of this; it is not a clearcut case, as it may seem to the layman who likes to see prices drop, without appreciating that this implies his salary will drop too.