Mentor and Successor...

Nothing is more heartening and reassuring than to see Pak Lah and Tun Dr. Mahathir standing together side by side on their way to The Beach Restuarant at the LID venue ( Bernama Picture, NST August 9). Mentor and Protege...But Protege is now King Mosabe ( The Boss). That's politics and that also happens in the working environment when your subordinate or even man/girl-Friday can suddenly become your boss, directly or indirectly......

Both faces reflect a magnanimity and the best spirit of the Islamic code of ethics viz. two old colleagues despite some differences of opinion do not show any rift or ill-feelings towards each other when in the midst of friends and guests. That's more than what I can say about other leaders today, who prefer avoidance rather than meeting up to promote common goals in spite of some divergent views and conviction.

Pak Lah's gesture in extending his facilitations to Tun and Tun Dr.Siti Hasmah on their 51st wedding anniversary and handing over his turn to speak on the last day of the Dialogue, was very gentlemanly to say the least. And Tun's response was simply magnanimous. Those at the Dialogue session who knew both of them must have been jubilant and deeply touched. Just reading about it in the papers makes me so happy because I've had the honour of serving both of them and.... what happened after the crooked bridge project was dropped, had made me very sad. They had complemented each other very well when Paklah was the DPM and to see an ex-boss getting angry with an ex-deputy is something else....

I think all Malaysians hope that the architect of Vision 2020 and the man who now holds the chisel to put the Vision into shape, can continue to work in the spirit of Islamic brotherhood as shown at the LID. With a hindsight of more than 20yrs as PM, Tun Mahathir has certainly a lot of good advice for Paklah. Sure Paklah must have innumerable advisors at his disposal now but Prof. Dr. Yusuf Abdullah al-Qardhawi in his book Fiqh al-Awlawiyyat said that quality must be given priority over quantity in choosing an action and I believe, that applies to getting advice as well. Especially since advice is often free. But it shouldn't come from the "inner circle" only.....Must have the "ad" element or it can become something else!

Hey, I'm straying. Here's to a happy and productive relationship between a great mentor and a great successor! My unreserved respect for both.

Planet Can-do in trouble....

Bloggers in cyberspace should keep track of the gems produced by bloggers in mediaspace. Kathirasen just came up with a very amusing ( and scathing) one-act play entitled "Meanwhile, on Planet Justica.." (NST August 9). The Elders on Planet Justica were
discussing the need to send Justiceman to save the inhabitants of Planet Cando from destroying themselves. Why so?..

- they have difficulties in upholding justice; even ceilings in governemt buildings were collapsing;
- many criminal cases were thrown out because of the incompetence of investigators and/or prosecutors;
- crime is on the rise and deterntion centers are full; many detainees and prisoners are aliens;
- they cannot decide on the appointment of a head "tribunator" ( Tribunal=Terminator);
- a few tribunatos are rather tardy in writing judgements; one has not written many judgements.

When Elder 4 asked Elder 1 why he was not informed, the latter answered he could not say it in public.
Elder 4: Oh, I see. ( O.I.C) ( He accepts the reason)
Elder 1: OSA, not OIC ( Would not say it in public because of OSA - Official Secret Act!)
A very subtle joke there! But that's not all the trouble yet. There are more:
- many officials in Planet Cando are rather adept at closing an eye when they need to ( in collecting import duties) when important or rich persons are entangled; a popular song among inhabitants is: (Sung to the tune of " Please Release Me" by Englebert Humperdinck):
Please release me, let me go
For I will give you money, more and more...

That's a real killer and A CHILLER! Imagine the number of Mafia-style bosses that can go scot free....

The rest is about the need to maintain justice and to appoint the head Tribunator quickly so that the inhabitants will not loose faith in the justice system. Is he to be appointed based on competency, qualification or seniority? Hey, there's a lot more of word-play and cynicism. But the disturbing closure is:
Elder 4: During my last visit to the planet, I found that they say nice things and mouth words of peace publicly, but at their closed-door meetings, they sing a different tune. Why can't their words and action match?

In Bloggerland lingo : CAKAP TAK SERUPA BIKIN! Is this the real malaise in Can-do land today?



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Street view of Islam...

Islam has been misunderstood and often misinterpreted by Western media, especially with the horror and brutal actions of the suicide bombers and the jihadists, the extremities of the Talibans, the strictness of Iran, the clashes between Shiites and the Sunnis,the antagonism between Hamas and Fatah etc. I fear that some of our non-Muslim friends are also getting jittery and confused. Prof Kay Kim in a TV program ( Debat Agung, August 8) stated blandly that "no one takes the trouble to explain Islam to the (non-Muslim) Malaysians themselves. Robert Teoh, in one of his blogs said that," all religions are good," but the implementation makes it otherwise ( can't remember the exact words!)

There're of course mountains of learned books on the religion of Allah. They'll be full of quotes from the Quran and Hadiths which a non-Muslim ( even a Muslim with no knowledge of Arabic whatsoever) will find impossible to follow and understand.
When I was studying in the US, a studious looking man of about 60 approached me and asked me for a book on "Instant Mohamedan". I just couldn't name one and offerred to tell him the basics.

I think we need to have something like a Street view of Islam, covering just the basics to enable a non-Muslim to understand his/her friend and neighbour better. I have no doubt that even a Malay youth brought up in a modern home with "liberal" and "technocratic" parents have many hang-ups about the religion, especially on the way it is enforced affecting the youths. Why can't we stress just the basic requirements to be a good Muslim and leave the rest to those who're seeking Allah's Grace and Heaven without reserve....

What I fear most are the DISTORTIONS created by the west and the RESTRICTIONS imposed by local ulamas. Between them Islam may appear to be rigid, barbaric, even murderous. Even a young couple holding hands in a park may be dragged to the Syariah Court for indecent behavior!


A street view of Islam would see a Muslim as a normal, friendly man (or woman), who believes in Allah and His Prophets ( Muhammad being the last, pbuh), the Quran, the Angels, Judgment Day and Predestiny. He/she proclaims the belief through the "kalimah" ( recitation): There's no God but Allah and Muhammad His Prophet", prays five times a day, fast in the month of Ramadhan, pay tithes, and does pilgrimage to Mecca to perform the Haj if affordable. He/she is required to do good (amar makruf) and avoid wrongdoings ( nahi munkar) and follow the injuctions of the Quran and the ways of the Prophet ( pbuh) - the sunnah - in conducting all the affairs of life.

Simple isn't it? But each injuction of the al-Quran and Sunnah is subjected to several interpretations by the various theological schools ( Mazhab) and several Imams. That's where the problem begins. And, there's no highest authority to solve
disagreements and coflicts of opinions. Malaysian Muslims generally follow the Syafie school of thought but there are deviants, overt or covert. There are endless controversies surrounding the finer points of Islamic Laws or Fiqh and it is in these regards that a Muslim youth may turn around and say, " Gee.....which interpretation shall I adhere to?"

So, for the non-Muslim on the Street, don't be surprised if you see Muslims behaving in several ways, quite different from each other in terms of observing the injunctions of Allah ( not in terms of normal human characteristics and habits!) Some pray diligently, some don't ( though required to). Some consider man & woman ( girl & boy) who are not related by blood shaking hands (let alone embrace each other) as "haram" (prohibited), others turn a blind eye for it has become a social necessity. Spying and evesdropping to seek the fallibility of others is prohibited in Islam. In fact even saying bad things about others is forbiddened. But, how else can "policing" work be undertaken? Spilling human blood, hurting people or even yourself, adultery, thefts, cheatings etc. are prohibited as in all religion. But this is the world, not heaven!

A short comment on polygamy. It was allowed at a time when men went to war and died leaving many widows behind. Alas the "visa" was not withdrawn since Islam under the Caliphs after the demise of the Prophet (bpuh) continued to be engaged in war. Even "Contract Marriage" or Mut'ah ( you pay the maskawin, live together for the contracted period then part company), was allowed then but the law haad not been rescinded though the act is now fobiddened.

There are four categories of sanctions under Islam: Permissable ( Halal), Prohibitted (Haram,) Disliked ( Makruh) and Necessary or just okay ( Mubah). The first two categories are reinforced through the laws of a country but the fourth, and even the third, are too all-ambracing to regulate. So, that's were the zone of freedom is. Smoking is considered as Makruh by some but Haram by others and in between cigarettes continued to be sold like teh tarik in Malaysia. Liqour is Haram but okay for medical purposes. Under emergency situation, a Muslim is allowed to bend a rule, like not fasting in Ramadhan because of gastric, eating something that's haram when ther's nothing else to eat,etc. But bending the rule under emergency situation is not breaking it. No go there!

Hey, is that enough for now? Let us see what other more learned Muslims have got to say about this Street view of Islam. The Ulamas might come in with their war song. But I'm only writing this for the bloggers so that they won't be baffled by the idiosyncrasies of their Muslim friends.

LID and Eradicating Poverty

LID 2007 is over and some clear guidlines on how to eradicate poverty have been laid down. They include an Action Plan (AP)and a list of Actions to be Undertaken (AU).

The AP includes: Creations of jobs..by providing access to land, capital etc.; creation of conducive environment for economic self-treliance; development and provision of social services and basic infrastructure; empowermenrt of women...to tap potential for econimc and social development; protection of rights of children and youth to education and healthe services; and good governance, effective administration.

Actions to be Undertaken ( AU) include: Establish a body at national level to coordinate ministries and agencies involved in poverty eradication; estab. a centralised database; prioritize the goal of poverty eradication in education, health, employment etc.; encourage participation of mu;ltinational corporations in pverty eradication programs; encourage media to raise public consciousness on issues of development and poverty; estab. programs for povertuy eradication based on proven models; and estab. basic target performance indicators....

Good God........! All those to be undertaken by relatively poor countries with more than 60% of the people living in poverty! Where can you get the money and the trained man/woman power to undertake them all? The Plan is, of course, brilliant!

In looking back at what Malaysia did to reduce poverty from more than 60% in the 1960s to some 4% as of today, I see two collosal tasks that had been successfully undertaken -

ENHANCE THE INCOME GENERATING CYCLE in the national economy, and
ESTABLISH AN EFFECTIVE INCOME REDISTRIBUTION CYCLE to assist the poor.

What constitutes the income generating cycle is for the economists to elaborate. They include encouraging the businessmen and entrepreneurs to make as much money as they can to increase govt, revenue, attract foreign capital, step up production, marketing, increase export and reduce import etc.,etc. There must be more money to redistribute...

The income redistributing cycle must be clearly identified, developed and activated for you cannot rely on the Trickle Down theory anymore. With so many opportunists around in a developing environment, nothing trickles down easily. We established FELDA, FELCRA, MIDA etc and hundreds of Funds to promote specific development of the less fortunate who are not able to compete on their own. They gave direct help to the poor with little "leakage". Mending that leakage is a huge problem, which Malaysia itself may not have succeeded in overcoming 100%. But.... the resources did reach the poor and we see result.

I think the two cycles must be emphasized. Otherwise we end end up with a rich country with many poor people or a poor country with nothing to distribute to the poor. A simple two-point plan like the above may help better than a grand plan with so many complications and prerequisites for effective implementation.

National Unity....

Nothing is more important in Malaysia than maintaining unity among its multiracial population. Almost all govenment policies are geared towards promoting national unity and racial harmony. Yet, some people questioned some of them.

The latest "Debat Agung" on RTM1 aired tonight ( august 7) discussed National Unity again (it has been disucussed many times before) with Prof, Khoo Kay Kim, YB Dr Fuad and YB Mumtaz as the panelists and Datuk Johan Jaafar in the chair. Chairman asked how they'd rate national unity now on a scale of 1-10 and Prof. Kay Kim gave a 4-5 (between pass and fail), Dr Fuad a clear 8 and YB Mumtaz, similar to Prof Kay Kim..



To me that's quite disturbing. Dr Fuad is an UMNO man and feels that everything is okay. Prof Kay Kim is a realist and tells history as it is (or was). YB Mumtaz represents PAS, a natural critic of govt. We've one optimist against two pessimists. I think Dr Fuad as a prominent member of UMNO shoud not be too complacent. Much needs to be done to improve the reading of the scale, however crude it is. As U Thant, a former UN Sec-Gen once said, " It's better to be a live pessimist than a dead optimist."

There should be a better scale for measuring national unity. A simple one that comes up in my mind is: how many friends from a different ethnic group does one have? If each Malaysian has some 10 or more friends from a different ethnic group to his credit, we should be doing quite well. But the term "friend" needs to be defined - not just an aquaintance but one you can
join your group in any discussion of festivity.

I'm sure there're many Malaysians today who don't have a single friend from another ethnic group. That is a tragic situation and must be remedied. All organizations, including schools and institutes of higher learning should check on their members
(students, employees, members) and anyone with no friend(s) from another ethnic group should be assisted to work on that problem. There're many, I must say, who are just too shy to mix around, especially with someone who's well-to-do and class
conscious. I was a very poor boy at school and if Lee Chwee Ho, Kim, Leong, Vasudeva ( son of a lawyer), Gucharan Singh, etc. etc. had not made me their friend, I would not have been able to go to the cinema as often as I did. With them!

Where are they now, I'm not sure! I still love you guys and will remember you always.

Quips and Quotes.

NST Monday August 6, adumberated some 28 ISSUES currently holding the attention of Malaysians, attached to the quote from Raja Nazrin's now famous Keynote address at the First Malaysian Student Leaders Summit 2007. They cover the range from "The Rule of Law and Inviolability of the Constitution.., Economic and Social Justice..." to " Cynicism and Opportunism, Preconceptions, Parochialism dan Chauvinism...Communal interaction," etc.

I'm not sure that all the issues mentioned are raised in the very perceptive and well-worded Keynote address. The list of issues is, I think, concocted by the NST itself to capture the attention of readers.

Reading the list alone, with some imagination on how they can be handled, can cause a headache. I mentioned this to a friend and he just smiled at me.
" Are they real issues or just topics for discussion?" I asked. " What are ISSUES and what are just MATTERS OF IMPORTANCE TO BE CONCERNED ABOUT? As I understand it ISSUES are MATTERS BEING DISUPUTED, ARGUED ABOUT, and becoming so controversial that they are disrupting society. As it is Malaysians are okay, all happy and united. Of course there are arguments here and there, brawls may be...and serious crimes that must be effectively dealt with. As for politicians, they must continue to yek and fight things out for that's their jobs...play to the gallery.... create issues to become a platform to show their oratorial finnesse......." As I rattled on, loosing my own head, my friend's smile became wider cutting his face into a top half and a bottom half, with two gaping holes in the middle.
" Why worry about issues?" he said.
" What do mean by that?" I replied astonished and flabbergasted. " They will tear people apart!"
" I can easily tear and throw all issues down the drain....."
"How?......"
" Put a "t" in front of issues....and they become tissues, right? It's all a matter of perspective!"

I have to agree with him, for now!

10 Top Reasons for Making Love...

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Read NST Thursday, August 2, on 237 reasons why people have sex? The researchers at the University of Texas spent 5 years studying the subject. Man!! They really know what's important in life - the thing that drives people crazy, irrespective.......

A proposal from a local University for such a study would not get beyond the Head of Depatment, if those involved are not flayed for just making the proposal. Yet, what is more important? What moves the animal, men and women, more than the natural urge to corpulate and procreate?


The 10 top reasons given were quite the same among college men and women. No significant difference between them except that men gave sex a higher rating as "fun" (no.4) compared to the women ( placed it at no.8). But it's there, mentioned as if it's of the same category as going to the cinema. What about the other reasons? Search for the paper again and read it if you haven't! I've no comment...

Now that sex education is already given in the schools, Malaysians shouldn't blush talking about it. It's not taboo anymore to do so but talk about it in a scientific way and ...don't push your luck too far. You might still get a slap in the face for being saucy or "horny". Some people still think about it as DIRTY and only appropriate for discussion behind closed doors. Funny that "it" is described as dirty among unmarried people but almost sacred between married couples. A sacred act that begets children - a gift of God. One authoress created a character who described marriage as "sanctified whoredom" - Anne Rice in her novel "Atlas" if I'm not mistaken. All living things are endowed with the gift of reproduction. Animals cannot think or reason. Yet they do indulge in the act as actively as their thinking neighbours. So, do they have 10 or 237 reasons, or are they driven by pure instinct???

Only human beings have a reason for doing anything at all. Without reason and a sense of purpose, they're not human beings.That perhaps is how we should categorized those who committed the hedeous act of rape, then kill their victims, both adult, teenager and children. They are driven by pure instinct (called lust) like the animals but worse, they kill their preys.
Maybe women should behave like praying mantis and slay the male, who ( in the human case) took them by force. No, I'm not insinuating murder or manslaughter, But are dealing with Man or what? There're just too many cases of teenagers and children becoming the victims now and society need to act on even mere suspicion to prevent it..... There's only prevention.
No cure once a teenager or child is preyed on!