Allah ruling: Can Christians use the word "Allah" or not? Do Muslims own the word "Allah"? One Malaysia-Two systems.

 

 

The following is a copy and paste from on-line newspapers in Malaysia. After reading it, please copy and remail it to as many people as possible. Those who receive the remail copy should remail it to others too. We must pass the word around. 

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Hornbill Unleashed, October 16, 2013

V. ANBALAGAN

Allah ruling could cut BN’s support in Sabah, Sarawak 

UPKO party president Tan Sri Bernard Dompok. – The Malaysian Insider pic, October 15, 2013.The ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) could lose its solid vote bank in both Sabah and Sarawak with yesterday’s Court of Appeal ruling which  banned the use of the word Allah in the Bahasa Malaysia section of the Catholic weekly, the Herald.
Sabahans and Sarawakians, who form most of Malaysia’s 2.8 million Christians, have continued to support BN despite the coalition continuing to lose ground heavily in the past two general elections. But they are spooked with the interpretation of the ruling which suggested there is a blanket ban on the use of the word Allah in Bahasa Malaysia or native language Christian publications. Other minorities such as the Sikhs have also expressed concern about the decision.
This fear was highlighted by the Christian Federation of Malaysia and lawyers after the verdict for a judicial review was delivered yesterday, nearly four years after the Kuala Lumpur High Court allowed the word to be used in the weekly.
BN politicians from Sabah and Sarawak have admitted they now have their work cut out to undo the damage brought about by yesterday’s ruling.
United Pasok Momogun Kadazandusun Murut (UPKO) party president Tan Sri Bernard Dompok felt the court decision was a blanket prohibition and had “fatally” affected the spirit behind the formation of Malaysia 50 years ago.
“I am terribly disappointed, especially for the natives of Sabah and Sarawak who had used the term in their churches even before Malaysia was established,” he told The Malaysian Insider.
He said that freedom of religion was one of the conditions attached when Sabah formed the federation with Malaya, Sarawak and Singapore in September 1963.
“I did not expect the word to be barred after 50 years and this is so sad,” he said.
Dompok, who was a cabinet minister before Election 2013 and had been vocal on the issue during his time in government, said the decision would affect the support for the BN among Christians.
“It did during the recent polls and will continue to erode our support base,” said Dompok who lost his Penampang seat to a PKR candidate in the May 5 election.
He was in the cabinet in April 2011 when Putrajaya allowed the Borneo states to import the Al-Kitab from Indonesia which contained the word Allah.
“I thought the issue was solved, but we have regressed,” he said.
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Idris Jala (pic) declined to comment until he read the judgments.
He said it was important to examine the judgment, and its implications, in relation to the 10-point solution as previously agreed by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and the Cabinet.
Jala was the prime mover behind the 10-point solution which allowed the import of Bahasa Malaysia bibles containing the word Allah and also to print them for local distribution. This was done just before the Sarawak state elections in 2011.
Political scientist Dr Jayum A. Jawan from Universiti Putra Malaysia said the Allah issue would be continued to be used by politicians in the peninsula.
“We saw that in the recent general election and the status quo will remain,” he said, adding that although the decision does not directly affect Sabahans and Sarawakians, it may have an impact among voters in the peninsula.
Political analyst James Chin agreed, saying that this matter will be prolonged, simply because it has been politicised.
“We need a political solution and at present there cannot be one because religion in this country is tied to ethnic identity and domination of one race over the other,” he told The Malaysian Insider.
He said Christians in Sabah and Sarawak would feel that the decision had violated their rights, particularly as it related to the terms and conditions when Malaysia was formed.
Chin said there was no politician who was strong enough to handle this issue currently.
“It can only get worse from now on and will become a key issue in further dividing the population,” he added.
Senior lecturer with the Faculty of Social Science Universiti Malaysia Sarawak Dr Arnold Puyok said, “The use of the word will continue to be a bone of contention in Malaysia’s race relations. Questions are raised such as whether the ban only affected the Herald and Catholics in the peninsula.
“How about the use of the word by Christians in Sabah and Sarawak? Putrajaya cannot have a different policy governing the use of the word,” he said.
Puyok said the Cabinet and perhaps Parliament must deliberate and make an inclusive decision.
However, he said it was too early to tell whether support for BN would plunge.
“Obviously, BN cannot depend on the politics of development to appease the Christian community.
“Most of them are aware of their political rights and are unafraid to give their critical views on issues related to religious freedom,” he said, adding that this where BN will be hit hard the next time around.

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The Malay Mail Online – Mon, Oct 14, 2013

Borneo churches insist on using ‘Allah’, slams appeal ruling

 

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 14 — Sabah and Sarawak churches maintained today that they will continue calling their god “Allah”, despite the Court of Appeal ruling today that the Arabic word was exclusive to Muslims.

Archbishop Datuk Bolly Lapok, chairman of the Association of Churches in Sarawak, said it was “utterly irresponsible” and “grossly demeaning, to say the least”, for the appellate court to rule that the use of the word “Allah” was not integral to the Christian faith.
“In the meantime, Christians in Sabah and Sarawak continue to reverently worship their Allah until the Kingdom comes.
“What are you going to do about it?” said Lapok in a statement today.
Bishop Datuk Dr Thomas Tsen, president of the Sabah Council of Churches, also said separately that Bumiputera Christians in Sabah will keep using the word “Allah” in their worship and in the Al-Kitab.
“We’ll still do what we’ve been doing all this time,” Tsen told The Malay Mail Online today.
“‘Allah, bapa di syurga’ (Our Father, who art in Heaven) — that’s our Lord’s prayer. You cannot ask me to change the way I call our Father,” he added.
Three Muslim judges in the Court of Appeal unanimously overturned today the 2009 Kuala Lumpur High Court ruling that allowed the Catholic Church to use the word “Allah” in the Bahasa Malaysia section of its weekly publication, the Herald.
“It is our common finding that the usage of the name ‘Allah’ is not an integral part of the faith and practice of Christianity,” Justice Datuk Seri Mohamed Apandi Ali said in the ruling.
“Such usage, if allowed, will inevitably cause confusion within the community,” he added.
Tsen, however, pointed out today that Arabic Christians in the Middle East use the word “Allah” in worship.
“It’s no problem. I don’t know why this is so sensitive to the peninsula,” he said.
“We are 1 Malaysia... It’s our language. Nobody can say this is a language that can bother other people,” added the church elder.
Two-thirds of Christians in Malaysia are Bumiputera who are largely based in Sabah and Sarawak and number some 1.6 million and who use Bahasa Malaysia and  indigenous languages in their prayer services and in the Al-Kitab, the Malay-language bible.
Christians comprise around 9 per cent of Malaysia’s 28-million strong population, the majority of whom are Malay-Muslims.
Lapok, who is also the Archbishop of the Anglican Church in Southeast Asia, said today that the Church did not need an apologist from the outside to determine “what decree is integral or not regarding her faith”.
“In fact, the ruling has far-reaching implications; it is not only insensitive to Christians in Sabah and Sarawak, but it is an insidious aberration to the spirit of ‘muhhibah’ (co-operation) which the government has been so desperately trying to promote among all Malaysians. It is repugnant to the universal common sense,” he said.
The Sabah and Sarawak churches said in a statement last Friday that prohibiting Christians from calling their god “Allah” violates the 1963 Malaysia Agreement upon which the country was founded.
They also stressed that the 10-point solution issued by the Najib administration in 2011 allows the printing, importation and distribution of the Al-Kitab that contains the word “Allah”.
The Catholic Church said today that it would contest the Court of Appeal’s decision, pointing out that the ruling contradicts Putrajaya’s 10-point solution.
Today’s verdict casts doubt over how the judiciary will rule on two similar court cases over the word “Allah”: one is by Sidang Injil Borneo (Borneo Evangelical Church) Sabah, who is suing the Home Ministry for confiscating its Malay-language Christian education publications, which contain the word “Allah”, in 2007.
The other is over the 2008 government seizure of audio CDs, which also contain the word “Allah”, that belong to Jill Ireland, a Sarawakian Christian.
Both cases have been put on the backburner the past few years pending the disposal of the Catholic Church’s case.
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The Malaysian Insider – Mon, Oct 14, 2013

Strong condemnation from Sabah, Sarawak leaders and church groups over Allah ruling

 

Bumiputera churches in Sabah have reiterated their stand to continue using the Al-Kitab (Bible) and the word Allah in their publications, church services and prayers despite the Court of Appeal ruling banning the word in Herald.

“We have made a very clear stand and we will stick to it,” Datuk Dr Thomas Tsen, president of the Sabah Council of Churches, said.
“We have purged our hearts and minds on whatever decision the court would make. Even if the court decides against us using the word, we will continue to use it.
“'Allah, bapa di syurga’ (Our Father, who art in Heaven) — that’s the first line in our Lord’s prayer. You cannot ask me to change the way I call our Father,” he said while noting that Christians in Sabah have used Allah for centuries with no problem and will continue to do so in the years to come.”
In a statement last Friday, Tsen said the council finds it “completely unacceptable that what are common practices of the Church in Sabah and Sarawak for hundreds of years and indeed for generations of Christians, even before the very idea of Malaysia was conceived, is now proscribed by administrative orders and laws”.
“It is to the great tragedy of Malaysia that one of the foundations of the formation of Malaysia – the agreement on the role of religion and religious freedom - is being progressively undermined and eroded.
“What we consider to be a most serious breach of the foundation pillar pertaining to religion and religious freedom is the unrelenting assault on the right of Bumiputera Bahasa Malaysia-speaking Christians to use the Al-kitab and the word Allah to refer to the Creator God.”
Tsen, Bishop of the Basel Church, a Lutheran church, reasserted the word Allah is an integral part of, and inherent, in the practice of Christians in Bahasa Malaysia-speaking churches in Sabah and Sarawak.
His statement also stated the Churches expect that the guarantee of religious freedom enshrined in the Federal Constitution when Sabah and Sarawak joined Malaya to form Malaysian will be fully respected and honoured and that the 10–point agreement by the Federal Cabinet on the printing, importation and distribution of the Al-Kitab in which the word Allah is an integral part of it will be fully honoured.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak made the promise prior to the Sarawak state elections in 2011.
The council also wants religious bigotry, racism and extremism not to be perpetuated and allowed “to fester and poison our Malaysian nation”.
On the views of right-wing Malay Muslim groups and their call to extend the court ban to Sabah and Sarawak, Tsen said Muslims in the peninsular should not export issues that could undermine the religious harmony in the two states.
“The call is already unfair to Christians here.”
One right-winger, Perkasa vice-president Datuk Zulkifli Noordin told reporters outside the Court of Appeals today that the Al-Kitab could continue to be distributed but insisted the holy book must not contain 32 words, including “Allah”, as the words are prohibited for use by non-Muslims, as stated in Islamic enactments in several states.
The council secretary, Pastor Wilson Ho, said the court ruling was “predictable” and the right-wingers view was also predictable.
The council said two-thirds of the church in Malaysia consists of 1.6 million Bumiputera Christians of Sabah and Sarawak who use Bahasa Malaysia to worship in addition to their native languages.

“We (Christians in Sabah and Sarawak) have been using the word Allah for over 100 years. Why suddenly we are now told we cannot use it?" - Sarawak State Land Development Minister Tan Sri Dr James Masing

Earlier, Sarawak State Land Development Minister Tan Sri Dr James Masing (pic) described the Court of Appeal ruling this morning as “not genuine”, saying the use of the word Allah predated Islam.
“We (Christians in Sabah and Sarawak) have been using the word Allah for over 100 years. Why suddenly we are now told we cannot use it?" he asked, adding that the court's decision would have a negative impact on non-Muslims beyond Sabah and Sarawak.
“Did they have a dream that Allah said that Christians can't use the word Allah?” he asked, referring to the opposition by some Muslim groups in West Malaysia on the usage of the word in Christian texts.
Referring to Muslims in Sabah and Sarawak as "brothers", Masing said they had no qualms about Christians using the word.
Masing reminded Christians in the state that Sarawak Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud had in the past weighed in on the issue by giving assurance that he would not stop them from using the word Allah.
PKR Sarawak chief Baru Bian, saying he was stunned by the decision, said churches and Christians in Sabah and Sarawak would continue using the word Allah.
“I am stunned by the decision. We have produced very clear facts that we were promised a guarantee by our forefathers when Sabah and Sarawak helped form Malaysia.
“The ruling appears to go against the fundamental rights that were promised," said Baru, adding that the decision goes against the Malaysia agreement.
Baru, a church elder of the Kuching Evangelical Church for over a decade until he joined politics, said the ruling went against Article 11 of the Federal Constitution which allows people to profess and propagate their religious beliefs.
Believing that the Catholic church would appeal today's decision, Baru appealed to Christians, who are majority in the two states, to remain calm and “look at the whole issue rationally”.
Association of Churches in Sarawak chairman Archbishop Datuk Bolly Lapok said it was “utterly irresponsible” and “grossly demeaning, to say the least”, for the appellate court to rule that the use of the word Allah was not integral to the Christian faith.
“In the meantime, Christians in Sabah and Sarawak continue to reverently worship their Allah until the Kingdom comes.
“What are you going to do about it?” said Lapok said in a statement today. - October 14, 2013.
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 Borneo Post on line, October 15, 2013, Tuesday

Upko to continue defending rights of all M’sians to use ‘Allah’

KOTA KINABALU: United Pasokmomogun Kadazandusun Murut Organisation (UPKO will continue to defend the rights of Malaysians to use the term ‘Allah’ in their worship, said its president, Tan Sri Bernard Dompok.
This is because it is within their human rights to use the word that has been part of their worship even before Malaysia was formed, he said.
Dompok was commenting on the Court of Appeal’s decision which held that the Catholic weekly, ‘The Herald’, cannot use the word ‘Allah’ in the publication to refer to ‘God’.
“It is really a disappointment for Christians and Sikhs in Malaysia. It is especially a sad day for the natives of East Malaysia who have been using the term in Christian worship well before Malaysia was formed. That to me is also part of the so-called ‘social contract’. Christians in Indonesia and the Arab world have no problem with name they call their God and I do not see why Malaysia has to be any different. The decision is against the spirit of the formation of this country. We will continue to defend the rights of Malaysians to use the term in their worship as it is their human rights,” Dompok said in a statement yesterday.

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Borneo Post on line, October 16, 2013, Wednesday

10 Points solution allows Christians in East Malaysia to use word ‘Allah’ – Ewon

KOTA KINABALU: In line with the 10 Points solution agreed on by the Federal Cabinet in 2011, Christians in Sabah and Sarawak can use the word ‘Allah’ in their worship.
This was revealed by Minister of Science, Technology and Information Datuk Ewon Ebin yesterday.
According to the UPKO Vice President, another point that was agreed on in the 10 Points solution was that Bibles in Bahasa Malaysia with the word Allah can be imported and printed too.
Ewon who is also Ranau Member of Parliament said this when commenting on the Court of Appeal’s decision, which held that the Catholic weekly ‘The Herald’ cannot use the word ‘Allah’ in the publication to refer to ‘God’.
“Christians can still use the word Allah as the Court of Appeal’s decision said that only the Herald is not allowed to use the word Allah in its publications. This is the misunderstanding.
“We have to remember that the case has not ended, it will still be appealed at the Federal Court. At the same time I hope all Malaysians will continue to have mutual respect for each other for the sake of unity,” he said.
Ewon also added that UPKO supports President Tan Sri Bernard Dompok’s statement on the party’s stand on the issue.
“As UPKO President, Tan Sri Bernard has rightly pointed out, Christians in Sabah and Sarawak have used the word ‘Allah’ in their worship for more than 100 years… the practice even predates the formation of Malaysia,” Ewon said.
On Tuesday, after the decision was made, Dompok said UPKO will continue to defend the rights of Malaysians to use the term ‘Allah’ in their worship.
This is because it is their human right to use the word that has been part of their worship even before Malaysia was formed, he said.
“It is really a disappointment for Christians and Sikhs in Malaysia. It is an especially sad day for the natives of East Malaysia who have been using the term in Christian worship well before Malaysia was formed.
“That to me is also part of the so-called ‘social contract’. Christians in Indonesia and the Arab world have no problem with the name they call their God and I do not see why Malaysia has to be different.
“The decision is against the spirit of the formation of this country. We will continue to defend the rights of Malaysians to use the term in their worship as it is their human right,” Dompok said.

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Free Malaysia Today
FMT Staff, | October 16, 2013

S’wak Christian BN leaders rebel

Administration remains cautious, refusing to comment on the banning of Christians from using 'Allah' in their prayers until it sees the written judgment.

KUCHING: Christian BN leaders here have rebelled and declared that they will continue to mouth the term “Allah” in their worship irrespective of the latest ruling by the Court of Appeal barring its use.
Whilst BN leaders in Sabah have kept mum, in Sarawak the affront has been widely reported.
The majority of Sarawak’s population are Christians while in Sabah although on record Christians are a minority, in reality many of the outwardly Muslims are closet practitioners.
Many here are in shock over the court ruling, especially since Umno-BN’s hold in Putrajaya is hugely dependent on Borneo MPs.
Senior Minister James Masing called the decision the “second” misjustice by the judicial system which he alleged was ignorant of the socio-cultural and economic situation in Borneo.
Masing was referring to an earlier court decision on native customary rights (NCR) land sale.
“As a Christian I’m sad to know of the court ruling. The court must understand that Christians in Sarawak have used Allah for over 100 years in Sarawak.
“The court must realise that the the word Allah predates Islam. We must not politicise religion,” said Masing reminding those in power that history remembers that the most vicious wars were fought in the name of religion.
“We must never allow it to happen here in Malaysia,” said Masing who heads Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS).
PRS Youth chief Liwan Lagang, who is also assistant minister, said the people of Sarawak and Sabah were promised the right to practise their religion when courted for the formation of Malaysia.
“So we expect the federal government to abide by the Federal Constitution which guarantees religious freedom,” he stressed.
Meanwhile a former Sarawak federal Minister, who is still politically influential, said the ruling will not stop Christians in Sarawak from using the term.
Said Leo Moggie:”We will continue to use the word in reverence in our prayers.”
Both Masing’s and Moggie’s comments comes on the heels of dismissive remarks from ruling Muslim leaders.

Nothing to do with Sabah and Sarawak?
A senior minister in Chief Minister Taib Mahmud’s administration claims the Court of Appeal decision had “nothing to do with” Sarawak and Sabah.
Abang Johari Abang Openg, who is state tourism minister, said: “The ruling was made by the Court of Appeal. For Sarawak and Sabah, I don’t think it is an issue.”
Sarawak’s Minister for Islamic Affairs Daud Abdul Rahman, however, was less dismissive.
“(As of now) we are not yet certain of the effect of the ruling. I’m still waiting for the written judgment. In the meantime we just accept the verdict. I request the Christian community to remain calm and not to be over-emotional over the matter.
“I’m sure the problem could be solved amicably as we do not want this issue to create any tension between Muslim and non-Muslim communities in Sarawak or Sabah,” he told reporters.
When asked further if the decision will affect support for BN in the next state election due by 2016, Daud said: “It would”.
‘Demeaning decision’
Association of Churches Sarawak (ACS) had, in an immediate reaction to the ruling on Monday, described the decison as “demeaning”.
ACS chairman Bolly Lapok, who is also Archbishop of the Anglican Church in Southeast Asia said Christians in Sabah and Sarawak “will continue to worship their Allah until Kingdom comes. What are they going to do about it?”
Meanwhile in Sabah, opposition Bingkor assemblyman Jeffrey Kitingan has cautioned that the mishandling of the ‘Allah’ issue by the ruling BN may lead to the break-up of Malaysia.
He said Sabahans had always been uneasy by the Umno-led BN’s parochial policies and the latest ruling banning the use of the word ‘Allah’ by non-Muslims was another blow to unity.
“It‘s not the Court of Appeal ruling but the non-action and continued policies of the Umno-BN ruling regime that will cause the ultimate demise and break-up of Malaysia,” he said.
On Monday, the Court of Appeal overturned a December 2009 High Court ruling allowing Christians to use the term ‘Allah’ in the Bahasa Malaysia version of The Herald.
The decision has triggered anger in the Christian community particularly in Sabah and Sarawak were the term is widely used.


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Free Malaysia Today,
Queville To| October 16, 2013

‘Umno-BN taking us closer to the edge’

Bingkor assemblyman Jeffrey Kitingan feels the latest decision leaves no other possibility than a probable break-up of Malaysia if the race and religion division is allowed to continue.

 KOTA KINABALU: The faith-smeared politics emanating out of Peninsular Malaysia is sending jitters through the people in Sabah and Sarawak.

But while Sabah Barisan Nasional party leaders have had little to say about the increasing Islamic slant in national politics, opposition State Reform Party (Star Sabah) has warned of impending doom.
The party believes that mishandling the issue by the ruling BN may lead to the break-up of Malaysia.
The party’s chairman Jeffrey Kitingan said Tuesday that Sabahans had always been uneasy by the Umno-led BN’s parochial policies and the latest ruling banning the use of the word ‘Allah’ by non-Muslims was another blow to unity.
“It‘s not the Court of Appeal ruling but the non-action and continued policies of the Umno/BN ruling regime that will cause the ultimate demise and break-up of Malaysia unless the Prime Minister and Umno/BN show a genuine and sincere all-encompassing transformation of government and politics of inclusiveness and reconciliation,” said Kitingan.
In a response to the decision by the Court of Appeal to ban the The Herald from referring and using the Arabic word ‘Allah’, Kitingan reminded that the issue started with the BN government arbitrarily banning the use of the word by non-Muslims.
He said the ban arose from the Home Minister’s discretionary powers under the Printing Presses and Publications Act, 1984.
“It was an unequivocal act of the ruling Umno/BN government.
“From there, the downward spiral of race relations quickened with Umno’s political strategy to play the race and religion card to regain its Malay heartlands.
“It shook the very foundation of the official ‘Malaysia – Truly Asia’ and the PM’s own ’1-Malaysia’ rhetoric and (made it a) hollow slogan,” he said.
He said what had transpired had clearly showed that the Umno-led BN government had never been sincere in implementing multi-racialism and religious inclusiveness and had now discarded it altogether.
“There is no other possibility other than a most probable break-up of Malaysia if the race and religion division is allowed to continue,” he warned.
Stop the rot
Kitingan urged Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak to stop the rot at federal level and return to the politics of inclusiveness and reconciliation.
“The PM may be reluctant to act because of the pending Umno elections but he needs to remember that the country he is leading today is the Federation of Malaysia not the Islamic Federation of Malaysia.
“Lest it be forgotten, no Christian Malaysian is questioning or challenging that Islam is the official religion of the Federation.
“It is the treatment of the minority faiths and the actions and policies of the ruling government that is the root cause of marginalization and disenfranchisement.
“In Sabah, it is sad that the natives are being pitted against each other due to differences in religion when no such problems arise,” he said.
Kitingan also suggested that if the Prime Minister accepts the calls of a Muslim-based NGO that the Malaysian Christian community should leave the country if they cannot bear to accept the sovereignty of Islam, it is time to start disengagement talks and allow Sabah and Sarawak to depart Malaysia.
“There is no point in retaining Sabah and Sarawak within the Federation of Malaysia when the ultra-Malays in Malaya keep trying to break it up and without any appropriate response or with the silent acquiescence from the federal government,” he contended.
The Bingkor state representative reminded that the federal government are the government for all Malaysians and not only the Malays or only in the peninsula.
“They have forgotten that it is not the Federation of Malaya that they are ruling but the Federation of Malaysia where the founding fathers of Sabah and Sarawak were promised religious freedom.
“Religious freedom was so important that the natives in the interiors of Sabah erected a Stone Monument, known today as the Batu Sumpah in Keningau, to etch into perpetuity such freedom.
“If not for these promises, there is no Malaysia today,” he said.
‘Allah’ predates Malaysia Agreement
He pointed out that the use of the word ‘Allah’ in the Borneo States and even in neighbouring countries, pre-date the formation of the Federation of Malaya and the Federation of Malaysia and there were no turmoil or any threat of racial disruption.
“On the contrary, in Sabah and Sarawak, there was tranquility, racial and religious harmony without the rhetoric of 1-Malaysia.
“There was no need for a Muslim-Malay NGO to declare that ‘Christians are our brothers and sisters’ because in Sabah and Sarawak, brothers and sisters, fathers and mothers, husbands and wives were Christians and Muslims and of other religions,” he said.
Reminding the federal government that they are mere “passers-by and trustees” during their term in power, he said they should not regard themselves as an elite group with exclusive rights on the usage of words.
Kitingan also rounded on local BN component parties in Sabah and Sarawak for the quagmire the people of the two states now found themselves in.
He claimed that some were contemplating leaving the BN fold but feared being placed under investigation or even arrested.

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Don’t be a party of apologists – Dompok

Posted on October 23, 2013, Wednesday, Borneo Post on line.

PENAMPANG: United Pasokmomogun Kadazandusun Murut Organisation (UPKO) president Tan Sri Bernard Dompok has reminded members to stand by the party’s struggles.
He said UPKO leaders must not shy away from contentious issues that are within the core of the party’s struggles.
“I must agree we must be mindful of feelings of others and certainly the choice of language in bringing home the point must not unnecessarily cause discomfort to others. But you cannot not say anything because someone could be unhappy.
“We cannot be a party of apologists. Believe me, the very people that you are trying to please may not necessarily appreciate your gesture,” Dompok said when officiating UPKO’s triennial general meeting here yesterday.
He also spoke about the recent Court of Appeal’s decision on the usage of the word Allah by The Herald where he said many confusing statements and analysis had been made about the decision.
“We have to be guided by principles. Malaysia was founded upon freedom and religious freedom is one of them. In the case of Sabah, the usage of Allah has been before the nation of Malaysia was formed.
“The people of Sabah have since used Bahasa Malaysia and the language has become the lingua franca of the people of Sabah. The word Allah is therefore an integral part of Christian worship in Sabah and Sarawak and I would say among the Orang Asli community in Peninsular Malaysia.
“Don’t forget that the Sabahans and Sarawakians are also living and studying in Peninsular Malaysia and church services in Bahasa Malaysia are now available. Let us make an honest theme out of the Prime Minister’s call for 1Malaysia,” Dompok said.
He pointed out to UPKO members that the Allah use issue was an example of the issues that the party has to take up.
Another issue that UPKO has raised its concern about the presence of illegal immigrants in Sabah and this had led to the setting up of the Royal Commission of Inquiry by tne federal government to resolve the issue.
Dompok said, “The Royal Commission of Inquiry on illegal immigration which has been set up last year is now almost completed. All of you know the role we played in getting the federal government to agree to its formation.
“Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak himself acknowledged that role when he visited Penampang early this year. We must thank the Prime Minister for allowing the RCI to come into being. We have participated fully in the inquiry. I have presented on behalf of the party a research done specially for this where 1,000 respondents, 60 per cent of which came from the immigrant community itself,” he said.
UPKO’s focus, he said, was to bring a solution to the problem and the party’s main recommendation was for new identity cards to be issued.
This way, identity cards issued to non citizens including those who obtained citizenship illegally can be weeded out, he said and stressed that UPKO’s role now was to push for remedies it has identified.
On the party’s election, Dompok reminded UPKO members that the party needs all of them and called on them not to let the election hinder their unity of purpose.
“Don’t forget that our opponents are actually in the opposition and we reserve the ‘best’ for them. I would like to be able to say that we come out of this delegates conference and the big winner is UPKO,” he said.

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Christian body decries Herald seizure as rights violation

The Malay Mail Online

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 26 — Putrajaya's alleged seizure of copies of The Herald in Sabah is a violation of the church's right to distribute the newsletter to its own members, a Christian umbrella body said today in protest against the latest incident in the “Allah” controversy.

Council of Churches (CCM) general secretary Rev Hermen Shastri said if the ministry had indeed ordered for the 2,000 copies to be withheld without any acceptable grounds for doing so, the group would “definitely” voice its objection.

“This is shocking. It is unacceptable. It is a denial of rights of the church to distribute its newsletter, which is meant for its own members.

“If there are no grounds (for the ministry's order), we will definitely strongly protest,” Hermen told The Malay Mail Online here, adding that they will wait for further information from the Catholic Church on the issue.

According to Herald editor Fr Lawrence Andrew this afternoon, around 2,000 copies of the weekly publication were seized at the Kota Kinabalu International Airport (KKIA) on Thursday, apparently on order of the Home Ministry.

“The consignment arrived at 2.54pm on Thursday, and it was checked by KDN officials as the usual practice,” he told The Malay Mail Online, referring to the Home Ministry’s Malay acronym.

“The forwarding company were however told not to release the consignment. The company checked again on Friday at 10am, and were told that the consignment has been withheld. No reason was given,” Lawrence added.

The priest said that as of now, there is still no news as to the status of the consignment, which was supposed to have been distributed to churches in the Kota Kinabalu and Keningau dioceses.

The distribution ban is the latest incident to hit the controversial tussle between the Catholic Church and the government over the use of the word “Allah”.

Earlier this month, the Court of Appeal ruled that the Home Ministry's decision to ban the use of the word in the Herald was justified, as the use of the word “Allah” was not integral to the practice of the Christian faith.

The ruling - which overturned an earlier High Court decision that the ban was unconstitutional - has since sparked confusion over the use of the word by Christians in their worship, especially with conflicting opinions within the government itself on how far the ruling would affect practicing Christians.

Churches in Sabah and Sarawak, however, have said that they will continue their age-old practice of referring to God as “Allah” in their worship and in their holy scriptures.

Several ministers also said recently that the 10-point solution issued by Putrajaya in 2011 - which allows the printing, importation and distribution of the Al-Kitab, the Bahasa Malaysia version of the Christian bible, containing the word “Allah” - should stand, despite the appellate court ruling.

The Najib administration issued the 10-point solution shortly before the Sarawak state election in 2011 to end a Home Ministry blockade of shipments of Christian holy scriptures in the Malay language containing the word “Allah”.

The Cabinet, through Minister Datuk Seri Idris Jala, had stated in the resolution that the large Bumiputera Christian population in Sabah and Sarawak could use their holy books in the Malay, Indonesian, and indigenous languages.

Datuk Seri Panglima Dr Maximus Ongkili, the energy, green technology and water minister, said last Wednesday that the Court of Appeal's verdict should, “in no way”, affect the 10-point solution.

Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Tan Sri Joseph Kurup also reportedly said recently that the Cabinet has decided to stick to the 10-point solution.

Deputy Home Minister Datuk Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar and de facto law minister Nancy Shukri have said that the court ruling was restricted to the Herald.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak also said previously that the ruling would not affect Sabah and Sarawak, while separately another Cabinet minister claimed that Christians from the Borneo states could also use the word in peninsula Malaysia.

They were silent, however, on whether the Herald ruling meant the publication could be distributed in Sabah and Sarawak.

According to a 2010 census, Muslims are Malaysia’s largest religious group, followed by Buddhists. Christians are the third-largest at 2.6 million, which comes up to about 10 per cent of the entire Malaysian population.

Bumiputera Christians, who form about 64 per cent or close to two-thirds of the Christian community in Malaysia, have used the word “Allah” when praying and speaking in the national language and their native tongues for centuries.
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Queville To, Free Malaysia Today, October 28, 2013

Jeffrey: Postpone GST for Sabah, Sarawak

 The Bingkor assemblyman said if the federal government can "implement 1-country 2-laws on the “Allah” issue then it can also exempt Sabah and Sarawak from the GST.

 KOTA KINABALU: Maverick Sabah politician Jeffrey Kitingan has slammed the 2014 Budget as a  blow to the expectations of east Malaysians.

The state assembly representative said the people of Sabah and Sarawak had high hopes that the two states would be rewarded for keeping the Barisan Nasional government of Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak in power.
But Kitingan said some amendments could still be made to the disappointing budget announced by Najib to give some relief to the long-suffering people of the two Borneo states.
One such measure, he said would be to postpone implementing the Goods and Services Tax (GST) in Sabah and Sarawak scheduled to come into effect nationwide in 2015.
“If the federal government can implement 1-country 2-laws on the “Allah” issue which indirectly is a recognition of the 1-Country 2-System, the federal government can exempt Sabah and Sarawak from the GST scheduled in 2015, at least for 3-5 years,” he said yesterday.
The Bingkor assemblyman also questioned the rationale of allocating funds to help reduce the prices of necessities in Sabah when the same could be accomplished by abolishing the cabotage policy.
The Budget 2014 allocation of RM331 million to continue the price uniformity programme and subsidies including transport cost and RM30 million for an additional 60 Kedai Rakyat 1Malaysia (KR1M), he said, did not make economic sense.
He called it stop-gap measures which would not resolve the systemic problems of higher costs of living and high unemployment in Sabah.
“Both the federal and Sabah governments should undertake a study on the impact of the KRIM in Sabah as there are complaints that the KRIM has affected the small sundry and provision shops in Sabah and many will eventually close down,” he said.
Kitingan also agreed with other 2014 budget critics in the state that the allocation of RM2 to RM3 billion development expenditure for Sabah and Sarawak was a slap on the status of the equal partnership of Sabah and Sarawak in Malaysia.
Pittance for Borneo
He described the allocation of RM500 million for upgrading of the Pan Borneo Highway as a disgrace and totally unacceptable.
“For the record, RM400 million was announced for the 33km. Sibu-Kapit road. How far can RM500 million do for the Pan Borneo Highway?” he asked.
He reminded that just recently the state Public Works Department had revealed that RM2 billion was needed for urgent road repairs in Sabah and another RM700 million was needed to urgently repair and upgrade 65 bridges in Sabah.
“Yet there is not even a mention of any allocation in Budget 2014 (for this) … (this is) not the right way to treat Sabah which contributed 22 out of 25 MPs that help keep the Umno/BN federal government in power,” he said.
The budget planning for next year, he said, had come as “a huge disappointment to the people of Sabah” as well as senior state leaders like his elder brother Joseph Pairin, the president of BN coalition member Parti Bersatu Sabah.
“The PM himself had whipped up expectations of Sabahans especially the PBS delegates at their general assembly by asking Sabahans to wait for Friday’s Budget announcement,” he said.
On national level, Kitingan said that Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak, who is also the Finance Minister, missed the opportunity to put the national economy on a stronger footing by reducing operating expenditure of RM217.7 billion.
In contrast, he said, only RM46.5 billion was set aside for development.
Reducing expenditure, he said, would have improved the country’s international credit rating and at the same time increase the well-being of the people especially the lower income groups.
Water tanks
Kitingan also lashed out at the cash handouts being made by the BN government, calling them approach as ill-conceived and leading to bigger expectations and greater dependency among the rural poor.
“There is no need to fish for votes for election season is over. The government should have invested more money in boosting the income earning capacity of the poor.
“Giving of RM75 million in water tanks is no way to treat the rural voters who voted to retain the Umno/BN federal government. If not for the 25 BN MPs in Sarawak, the budget would have been presented by a different Finance Minister,” he noted.
“It would have been better to spend RM500 million on 20 water treatment plants of RM25 million each to provide clean piped water in rural Sarawak given the many big dams there,” he said.
Kitingan also warned that the withdrawal of sugar subsidies would bring about an instantaneous price increases.
Taking a swipe at Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin on the reasoning behind the end to the subsidy, he said it was “laughable” and bordered on “absurdity” that the subsidy cut was paired with reducing the incidence of diabetes in Malaysians.
“It is an undisputed medical fact that diabetes is not caused by sugar alone and a lower sugar intake alone does not reduce the diabetic rate,” he said.
The budget for next year, he said, proved that the BN government was continuing to disregard the importance of Sabah and Sarawak.
“It is high time for the Sabah and Sarawak governments to re-assess their support of the Umno/BN federal government.
“Perhaps a withdrawal of support and change of the federal government may bring about a better 2015 Budget for Sabah and Sarawak and a shot in the arm for both local economies and a better outlook and way of life for Sabahans and Sarawakians,” he said.

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Don’t be silent, Archbishop to Christians

Winston Way, Free Malaysia Today,  November 14, 2013

Southeast Asia’s Anglican Archbishop Bolly Lapok said non-Muslims need to 'hear and see more than just a display of ad hoc benevolence by the Malaysian government.

KUCHING: A high-ranking church leader has urged non-Muslims and Christians in particular “not to be silent” and reminded the government that these communities want ‘a tangible commitment’ on the assurance of freedom of religion.
Archbishop of Southeast Asia’s Anglican Church, Bolly Lapok, said the ‘Allah’ controversy was about unfair government laws and policies that contravened the right of non-Muslim Malaysians to observe their respective religion.
“We need hear and see more than just a display of ad hoc benevolence by the Malaysian government.
“We need a tangible commitment from the authorities to respect and uphold the freedom of religion guaranteed by the Federal Constitution which is the supreme law of the nation,” he said in a statement released here after a public forum involving theology, history of churches and the Malaysian constitution.
Lapok said the churches in Sarawak, under the Association of Churches of Sarawak (ACS), had made a three-point request for the government. Lapok is ACS chairman.
He said to prove their stronger commitment to religious freedom in Sabah and Sarawak, the Malaysian government must recognize and confirm that the word ‘Allah’ is an integral part of the Christian prayer in the Malay language and used by native speaking churches in Sarawak and Sabah.
The churches, he said, also expected the federal government to respect, honour and abide by the guarantee of religious freedom as enshrined in the Federal Constitution and which was agreed to when Sarawak and Sabah joined Malaya in 1963 to form the Malaysia.
He also requested  the federal government to honour the 10-point Agreement by the federal Cabinet in April 2011 on the printing, importation and distribution of the Al-Kitab in which the word ‘Allah’ appears.
He said 1.6 million Bumiputera Christians in Sabah and Sarawak worshiped in Bahasa Malaysia and in their own native tongues and the rights of these communities must be respected.
Christians in Sabah and Sarawak make-up two-thirds of the faith’s followers in Malaysia.
“Any attempt to forbid the use of the word ‘Allah’ by non-Muslims would be most regrettable and wholly unacceptable as it is a flagrant disregard and betrayal of the Malaysia Agreements which guarantees the inalienable rights of non-Muslims in Sarawak and Sabah to complete religious freedom,” Lapok said.
Court ruling ‘makes no sense’
He also reiterated that the Bumiputera churches would carry on using the word ‘Allah’ as it was ‘fundamental to all aspects of their profession and practice of their Christian faith’.
“It is used in all aspects of Christian faith and practice by Bahasa Malaysia-speaking Christians and other natives  including in services, prayers praise, liturgy, worship and religious education.
“As such, it is reasonable to expect that the word also be used in our Christian publications and multi-media resources,” he said.
Lapok, also noted it did not make any sense that only Christians in Sarawak and Sabah were being allowed to use the term Allah.
“Christians from Sarawak and Sabah move across the country from East to West to live and work and carry with them their Alkitab and other Christian materials in the Bahasa Malaysia language.
“Even non-natives from West Malaysia own and read the Alkitab as Bahasa Malaysia is our national language.
“It also makes no sense for the Court of Appeal’s recent judgment to be interpreted as being applicable only to The Herald.
“While The Herald may have been the case brought before the court, it is our view that the judges have overstepped their boundaries in determining that using the word ‘Allah’ was not “integral to the Christian” faith,” he added.
In deciding thus, he said, the judges have ‘arrogated to themselves a right that did not belong to any human court of law-the (which is) the right to determine religion.
“It is the fundamental right of every religion to determine its expression and practice of its own faith.
“The right of native Bumiputeras to profess and practice their faith in their own language is safeguarded by the Federal Constitution.
“When Sarawak and Sabah agreed to join in the formation of Malaysia in 1963, they did so as sovereign states and with conditions attached; these being known as the Sarawak 18-point and Sabah-20-point Agreements a kind of covenant to which Malaya was a party,” said Lapok.
Don’t allow bigotry
He said it was not a coincidence that freedom of religion was the first point in both these agreements.
“Sarawak and Sabah consented to form Malaysia with Islam as the Federation religion, on the express condition that there would be absolute freedom of religion without obstacle placed on other religions.
“According to these agreements, Sarawak and Sabah were not to have any official religion.
“We thus view with grave concern the Court of Appeal judgment on The Herald which has re-interpreted Article 3 of the Federal Constitution to mean that non-Muslim religions may only be practiced in peace and harmony subject to Islam.
“We do not believe this was ever the original meaning of Article 3, which simply states that other religions may be practiced in peace and harmony in any part of the Federation,” Lapok said.
He also advocated that the “‘religious bigotry, racism and extremism should not be allowed to show its ugly head.”
“Non-Muslims, Christians especially, cannot and should not remain silent,” he said.
The Malaysian Catholic weekly publication, The Herald, was prohibited from using the word ‘Allah’, following a unanimous decision of the Court of Appeal in Putrajaya on Oct 14.

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Christians must make their voices heard

The Sun daily, 14 November, 2013..
KUCHING (Nov 14, 2013): Christians in Sabah and Sarawak have the power to shape the future political direction of the country.
"You can't blame the BN government or the political leaders, but you yourselves for continuing to elect the Barisan Nasional to rule for another five more years," Prof Dr Jayum Jawan from Universiti Putra Malaysia said at a forum on the use of the word "Allah" organised by the Association of Churches in Sarawak (ACS) on Wednesday.
"You have done a disservice to yourselves," he said when speaking on the topic "The Role of the Church in Nation Building".
Jayum said the BN has continued to remain in power because of the support of the people of Sarawak and Sabah, which provide 25% of the total number of parliamentary seats.
In an immediate reaction, Sarawak Workers Party (SWP) deputy president George Lagong agreed with Jayum's analysis on why the people, especially the Dayaks, continue to support and vote for the BN in every election.
"The Dayaks, most of whom are Christians, are unaware of their rights and that is why we are far behind other ethnic groups in Sarawak," Lagong, who is also the assemblyman for Pelagus, said.
Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) Bau branch leader Boniface Tumek said the problems among the Christian Dayaks is that they have failed to recognise the curbing or removal of their religious rights by the federal government.
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The Malaysian Insider, 17 November 2013.

Umno young guns straining ties between Putrajaya and Sarawak, says James Masing

Sarawak's outspoken Land Development Minister, Tan Sri Dr James Masing, has accused young federal leaders, particularly those from Umno, of causing friction between Putrajaya and the state government.

He said their lack of understanding of the Malaysia Agreement and how the federation was formed, makes them think that they are the masters and leaders from Sarawak and Sabah should be subservient to them.
Without wanting to name names, Masing, a senior minister in Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud's Cabinet, said in state capital Kuching that these young Umno leaders should be humble enough “to pick up the history book and relearn the history of Malaysia”.
“They should be reminded of the understanding for the formation of Malaysia, the agreements that were signed, the position of Sarawak and Sabah in the federation and the special rights and autonomy we have.
“When they talk to us, they make themselves feel as if they are superior while we in Sarawak, are their coolies.
“Personally, I get irritated with those leaders who do not treat us from Sarawak as equal partners in the administration of this federation,” he said yesterday.
Masing also said he gets upset with Umno leaders asking him questions like: “Oh! When did you leave Malaysia?” when in Kuala Lumpur or Putrajaya to attend meetings.
“I told them I never left Malaysia. I only just flew in from Kuching. It maybe small talk but it showed their thinking.
“We in Sarawak and Sabah seemed to be like an appendix to West Malaysia."
“There are only four signatories to the formation of Malaysia – Malaya, representing the 11 Straits Settlements and Malay states, Singapore, Sarawak and Sabah (then known as British North Borneo).
“Not 11, 12 or 15 signatories. Only four. Sarawak and Sabah are regional entities of their own and we should be regarded and treated like one," he pointed out.
Masing said unless and until these young leaders understand all these historical facts and start respecting the agreement, there will always be friction between Putrajaya and the state particularly when federal policies do not take into account Sarawak and Sabah's special position.
Issues that are currently straining state-federal ties, Masing said, is the Home Ministry's decision to ban the use of the word "Allah" in Christian publications, a decision which the Court of Appeal upheld in a controversial ruling last month.
The decision had fanned the anger of the 1.6 million Christians in East Malaysia against Putrajaya as it was seen by people in the two states as breaching the very first point of the terms Sabah and Sarawak drew up when Malaysia was formed.
“How could they then say the ruling is applicable only in West Malaysia and not in East Malaysia? How could we have two sets of rule for one country?
“Then you get an Umno minister saying that if East Malaysians were to come to the peninsula, they have to respect the laws of the peninsula as West Malaysians are not used to Christians using Allah,” he said in reference to Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz who recently warned East Malaysian Christians that they cannot use the word in Peninsular Malaysia.
“That's arrogance."
Sarawak's autonomy over immigration, which places curbs and restrictions on people from the peninsula from coming into the state freely and to work, is another matter that has also been continually questioned by members of parliament.
Masing said BN leaders, whether they are from the peninsula, Sabah or Sarawak, “must discuss issues intelligently, with great sensitivity and as equal partners and not as boss and subordinate”.
“Arrogance must not come into the picture. There must be a spirit of understanding.
“If our federal leaders are not mindful of the Malaysian Agreement, then the fears voiced by one of our Malaysia founding fathers, Tun Jugah Barieng, might ring true,” Masing said.
Jugah, the paramount chief of the Ibans, voiced loudly his scepticism and doubts of sincerity on Sarawak's long-term position in Malaysia when he famously said: “Anang Malaysia sebaka tebu, manis di pohon, tawal dihujung” (Malaysia should not be like the sugar cane, sweet at the head and getting less sweet towards the end).
“That would be most unfortunate,” he added.
Masing said his criticism was not to demand a review of the Malaysia Agreement but a demand that federal leaders be reminded of the terms and agreements in the formation of Malaysia and start respecting them.
The friction, he noted, could jeopadise the chances of the Barisan Nasional (BN) in the coming state election. The mandate of the Sarawak government ends in 2016.
“I hope the federal leaders take this as a constructive criticism as I want the BN to administer this nation for years to come.”
Parliament last Wednesday rejected an emergency motion tabled by Darell Leiking (PKR - Penampang) for a special committee to review the 18 and 20-point agreements.
Deputy speaker Ismail Mohamed said although the motion is definite and of public interest, he still rejected it on the grounds it was not urgent. - November 17, 2013.

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Iban Christians rally in Kuching, seek full religious freedom

The Malay Mail Online 

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 14 — Citing the 1963 Malaysia Agreement, Christians from Sarawak’s dominant Iban ethnicity group held a rally in Kuching today to press for full religious freedom promised their community half a century ago as concerns rise within the country’s minority groups over Putrajaya’s attitude towards their respective creeds.

The Iban Christians pointed out that the indigenous tribe had largely decided to support the 1963 formation of Malaysia due to “special safeguards” promised to Sarawak in the 18-point agreement, which they said had been made part of the covenant that led to the country’s founding and its supreme law, the Federal Constitution.
In a media statement, Pastor Greman Ujang Slat, the leader of a nationwide network of Iban-speaking Christians, said that 75 per cent of the Iban tribe had in 1962 asked for the safeguard of “complete religious freedom” in their submissions to the Cobbold Commission of Inquiry.
As the chairman of Iban-speaking Christian network Gempuru Besai Raban Kristian Jaku Iban Malaysia(GBKJIM), he issued a public proclamation to affirm the stand by Iban Christians, who make up 52.6 per cent of Sarawak’s Christian community.
He said an estimated 6,000 to 7,000 Iban Christians had gathered at the 16^th Gempuru Besai or “grand gathering” in the Borneo state capital to vow they “will remain faithful to God in giving our utmost best in securing, for this and the future generations, complete religious freedom (freedom to profess, practice and propagate any religion) that our forefathers fought so hard for us to retain in the formation of Malaysia.”
Among the five points contained in their declaration was the pledge to “pursue a decade of unprecedented unity among the Iban tribe and with other people groups of Sarawak.”
The Gempuru Besai is held annually and was this year held from December 12 to December 15 in Kuching’s Borneo Evangelical Church, better known as the Sidang Injil Borneo (SIB), reportedly Malaysia’s fastest-growing church.
Last month, the Sabah Council of Churches similarly pointed out that the north Borneo state was assured “complete freedom of religion” in the 20-point agreement drawn up before it agreed to form Malaysia together with Sarawak, the Federation of Malaya and Singapore in 1963.
“We have repeatedly said under the terms of the 20-points to the Malaysia Agreement, Sabah is to continue enjoying complete freedom of religion after the formation of Malaysia in 1963,” said the council president, Bishop Datuk Dr Thomas Sen in the November 26 statement.
It reminded the federal government that the churches in East Malaysia were older than the country itself, and called on all Malaysians to recognise and honour the right of Bumiputera Christians to call their god “Allah” in the practice of their faith.
In the original 20-point agreement drawn up before the formation of Malaysia, it was agreed that there should be no state religion in North Borneo, and the provisions relating to Islam in the present Constitution of Malaya would not apply to North Borneo.
The Sabah Constitution was amended in 1973 by the state government to make Islam the religion of the state of Sabah.
In October, the Court of Appeal ruled that the Home Ministry’s decision to ban the use of the word in the Catholic Church weekly Herald was justified, saying that the use of the word “Allah” was not integral to the practice of the Christian faith.
The ruling — which overturned an earlier High Court decision that the ban was unconstitutional — has since sparked confusion over the use of the word by Christians in their worship, especially with conflicting opinions within the government itself on how far the ruling would affect practising Christians.
Since the ruling, churches in Sabah and Sarawak have become more vocal in pressing for their right to use the term that they say is entrenched in the 20- and 18-point agreements with the two states, insisting they will continue their age-old practice of referring to God as “Allah” in their worship and in their holy scriptures.
The Catholic Church has since appealed to the country’s top court this week for clarity on the religious row that has drawn deep lines between Malaysia’s non-Muslim minorities and its 60 per cent Muslim population, with the Federal Court fixing February 24 next year to hear the application for appeal.
Several ministers also said recently that the 10-point solution issued by Putrajaya in 2011 — which allows the printing, importation and distribution of the Al-Kitab, the Bahasa Malaysia version of the Christian bible, containing the word “Allah” — should stand, despite the appellate court ruling.
The Najib administration issued the 10-point solution shortly before the Sarawak state election in 2011 to end a Home Ministry blockade of shipments of Christian holy scriptures in the Malay language containing the word “Allah”.
According to a 2010 census, Muslims are Malaysia’s largest religious group, followed by Buddhists. Christians are the third largest at 2.6 million, which comes up to about 10 per cent of the entire Malaysian population.
Bumiputera Christians, who form about 64 per cent or close to two-thirds of the Christian community in Malaysia, have used the word “Allah” when praying and speaking in the national language and their native tongues for centuries.

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It is time to have more than one definition for the term mother-tongue. It is time to have more than one meaning for the term mother tongue. How many mother-tongues does a bi-racial person have? How many mother-tongues does a tri-racial person have? Is English the mother tongue of Jamaicans? I am sure Swahili and Zulu are not as popular as English in Jamaica. I am sure English is widely used in Jamaica. I am sure Jamaicans are comfortable with English. Jamaicans and New Yorkers may speak English with a different accent. In a multi lingual nation like Malaysia, some Malaysians do speak English at home. Thus, English is the mother tongue of some Malaysians.  Many Malaysians do code switching when communicating. Many Malaysians are bi-lingual. Those Malaysians who are comfortable with English should be allowed to claim English as their mother tongue. Those Malaysians who value English should be allowed to claim English as their mother tongue. People should be allowed to claim two mother tongues if that’s what they want to claim. In short, we need several definitions to the term “mother tongue”.

Coming to the schools in Malaysia, Lembah Pantai MP Nurul Izzah Anwar is in favor of teaching mathematics and science in the mother tongue, not English. But English is a mother tongue to those Malaysians who claim it to be a mother tongue. There are different kinds of Malaysians and some may consider English to be their mother tongue. Some may have two mother tongues. Every family is different. This is the diversity; and diversity is the strength of Malaysia. Some of us are good in English, others good in Malay, and still others good in Tamil or Mandarin. Some mother tongues are good in the private sector, while others are good in the government sector. Some mother tongues are good in basketball while other mother tongues are good in long distance jogging. I hope Lembah Pantai MP Nurul Izzah Anwar will accept the fact that some Malaysians who value English as a family first language will be allowed to accept English as their mother tongue.  I think that accepting mathematics and science to be taught in the various  mother tongues is a good idea provided English is recognized as a mother tongue too for those who consider it as a mother tongue. Those who want to have two mother tongues should be allowed to do so. We need to find several definitions for the term mother tongue. It is indeed a good idea to support the teaching of mathematics and science in the mother tongue because this idea will probably get votes from all the different mother tongues including English. We will end up with multi-stream education (including English stream). Diversity is indeed the strength of Malaysia. I hope Malaysians will vote for politicians who accept English as a mother tongue in Malaysia. Multi-stream education will give parents and students more choices.

Diversity is indeed the strength of Malaysia. A Chinese who eats nasi lemak is probably from Malaysia. An Indian who uses chopsticks when eating is probably from Malaysia too. A Malay who eats stir fry noodles is probably from Malaysia too. And this is why Malaysia is truly Asia. Malaysians are a lot luckier than they realize. The co-existence of Malay, Chinese, and Indian cultures have helped to enrich Malaysia.   Teaching mathematics and science in the mother tongue is indeed a good idea because it is in line with Malaysia’s diversity. And Malaysia’s diversity is Malaysia’s strength. English is a mother tongue among some Malaysians. Therefore, mathematics and science should be taught in Chinese to those who claim Chinese as a mother tongue. Mathematics and science should be taught in Tamil to those who claim Tamil as a mother tongue. Mathematics and science should be taught in Malay to those who claim Malay to be their mother tongue. Mathematics and science should be taught in English to those who claim English as their mother tongue.  Any politician who accepts this idea will probably get votes to build a diversity vote bank. You build a vote bank by getting support from the different communities. If you can play the diversity card well, you can build the diversity vote bank; and the diversity vote bank will make the difference in the 14^th General Elections (GE14) in Malaysia. I’m almost about to predict that GE14 will be won by the diversity vote bank. So build your vote bank, Mr.Politician.

After reading this posting of mine, please copy and remail it to as many people as possible; and those who receive the remail copy should also remail it to others, who in turn should remail it to others.  Please use Facebook and Twitter to spread the word around. We must get the word around to as many people as possible.

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The Malaysian Insider – Wed, Dec 25, 2013

Archbishop Pakiam prays that PM will remember where he came from

Archbishop emeritus Murphy Pakiam (pic) has urged Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak to cement his own call for an end to Muslim-Christian hostility by withdrawing Putrajaya’s legal challenge against the Catholic Church’s use of 'Allah.'

The Archbishop, retired recently and now administrator of the Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur, made the call in response to Najib’s speech at the National Christmas Open House in George Town, Penang when he called on followers of the two faiths to set aside their differences and seek common ground.
"What did he say? Even if the world talks and laughs about this 'Allah' issue, Malaysia will not allow (its use by non-Muslims), we (government) will defend the exclusivity of its use.
"This is not a man who was educated in our Catholic school. By talking like that, you are just a bickering politician. I am praying that Allah will enlighten him to become a statesman," the Malaysiakini news portal reported him as saying today.
Najib was educated at St John's Institution, adjacent to the Archbishop's house where the Christian Federation of Malaysia (CFM) annual Christmas high tea was held today.
Pakiam said Najib was the one who should not stop preventing Christians from using the word 'Allah'.
Pakiam used Najib's experience in school as an example of how the Christian community had helped Najib as a boy in a Catholic school and respected his Muslim faith.
"From a small boy, from primary school until form 3, he (Najib) was there (St John's Institute).
"When it came to catechism (classes), his mother was disturbed because he was a small boy going to a (Christian) religious class.
"But his mother had confidence in our brothers and phoned Brother Matthew who said: 'Please don't worry, we will see that he doesn't go in'," the portal reported.
As such, Pakiam said he hoped Najib would do his duty and serve all Malaysians.
"You think I am not angry? But he is the prime minister, so I have to pray to God to please help him do his duty for the whole country and not just Umno," he said.
The Court of Appeal had in October overturned a High Court decision which ruled that the Home Ministry's ban against Christian publication The Herald from using the word 'Allah' was unconstitutional.
The Church is now appealing the decision at the Federal Court in the hope of reinstating the High Court's ruling.
Pakiam added that Najib's insistence of exclusivity for the word 'Allah' was inciting right-wing groups against the Christian community.
"He knows the law. He knows the judgment the judges gave and he (Najib) is saying: 'Oh, it's allowed there (Sabah and Sarawak), but be careful in peninsula. Don't stir this up. You are playing with fire.'
Legal experts have questioned the government's move to permit the use of the word 'Allah' in East Malaysia, yet continuing defending the Court of Appeal's decision.
The Court of Appeal had ruled that the word 'Allah' was "not an integral part of the Christian faith", a decision that affects Christians in both East and West Malaysia. - December 25, 2013.

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The Malaysian Insider, 27 December 2013

We will keep on using Allah in Selangor churches, says priest

Catholic churches in Selangor will continue to use the word Allah during its weekend services in Bahasa Malaysia despite the state’s Islamic Religious Department (Jais) intention to send them reminders on a 1988 state enactment prohibiting non-Muslims from using the word.

Catholic weekly Herald editor Rev Father Lawrence Andrew said Article 11(3) (A) of the Federal Constitution prescribes that every religious group has its right to manage its own religious affairs.
“Our religion cannot be managed by any Muslim group. It is against the Federal Constitution.
"We will continue to use the word Allah in our masses,” he told The Malaysian Insider today.
He said that Jais as an Islamic body has no jurisdiction over other religious bodies.
“At the moment, the case is still in court and no decision has been made yet. They can’t pre-empt this,” he added.
Aside from the Catholic church, other Christian churches, such as the Sidang Injil Borneo, also conduct services in Bahasa Malaysia and other native languages from East Malaysia, with the use of the word Allah.
In an interview with news portal The Malay Mail Online, newly-appointed Jais director Ahmad Zaharin Mohd Saad had said the Islamic authority would draw up a list of Selangor churches before writing letters asking them to comply with the Selangor Non-Islamic Religions (Control of Propagation Among Muslims) Enactment 1988.
“We will write letters to all the churches in Selangor to respect the law that is in force in relation to this,” he was quoted as saying.
The enactment, which was passed by the Barisan Nasional state government, prohibits non-Muslims in Selangor from using 35 Arabic words and phrases in their faith, including “Allah”, “Nabi” (prophet), “Injil” (gospel) and “Insya'Allah” (God willing).
The Catholic church has been on a collision course with Putrajaya over the use of the word Allah.
Many Islamist groups in Malaysia had insisted that the word Allah belongs exclusively to Muslims, although Christians and other faiths have argued otherwise.
In December 2009, the High Court made a landmark ruling in favour of the Catholic Church, when it said Allah, which means God in Arabic, was not the exclusive right of Muslims and the Catholic weekly Herald could publish it in its Bahasa Malaysia section, which caters to its East Malaysian Bumiputera congregation.
This led to the Home Ministry appealing against the ruling in January 2010.
On October 14 this year, the Court of Appeal overturned the High Court decision, and said the ban was justified as "the word Allah was not integral to the practice of the Christian faith".
The church’s leave application to appeal the appellate court’s decision will be heard on February 24.
The decision spooked Christians in Sabah and Sarawak as many felt the ban was not exclusive to Herald but was binding to all Christians.
This led to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak assuring Christians in East Malaysia that they could continue using the word and that the Federal Government will honour the 10-point solution.
Under the 10-point solution announced in 2011 by Datuk Idris Jala, it was agreed that bibles in all languages can be imported into the country, including Bahasa Malaysia/Indonesia.
The 10-point solution also states that bibles can be printed locally in Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak.
The Court of Appeal decision also received worldwide attention, with respected American Muslim theologian Reza Aslan, among others, criticising the decision.
The debate on the matter continues, with the Sun newspaper reported on October 30 that the Bar Council was considering following in the footsteps of the Sabah Lawyers Association (SLA) and throwing its weight behind the Catholic weekly in the appeal process.
This raised the ire of Muslim Lawyers Association, who strongly opposed the move. – December 27, 2013.
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For Sarawak Christian body, Jais raid an act of “treason”

The raid by the Selangor Islamic Religious department (Jais) on the Bible Society of Malaysia is an act of “treason”, Datuk Bolly Lapok, chairman of the Association of Churches in Sarawak, said today.

“If an action assumes such arrogance that violates the Federal Constitution (that guarantees religion freedom) and pays total disregard to the Prime Minister's directive (the 10-point Solution to address the Bahasa Malaysia/Indonesia Bible and other related issues) is not treason, I do not know what is,” Lapok, who’s also the Anglican Archbishop, said.
He added the dispute over the use of the word “Allah” is now “poisoning our fledging interreligious harmony and fracturing the fabric of our plural society”.
“In the face of the unrelenting dispute, a voice of reason among us has called for all citizens to respect honour and abide by the guarantee of religious freedom as enshrined in the Federal Constitution and which was agreed to when Sabah and Sarawak joined Malaya to form Malaysia.
“How Jais had the audacity to do what it did to the Bible Society Malaysia which resulted in the arrest of its two officials, seizure of 320 copies of AlKitab and 10 copies of Bup Kudus is shocking.”
Lapok said in the handling of such a sensitive issue, “it is imperative that we exercise maximum restraint and without undue prejudice”.
“Our action will either convict or commend us before men and God.
“Jais has much to answer for its action.”
In 10-point Solution agreed by the federal cabinet on April 2011, Bibles in all languages could be imported into the country. These Bibles could also be printed locally in Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak.
Christians form about 9% of Malaysia's 29 million population.
Almost two-thirds of Christians in Malaysia are Bumiputera and are largely based in Sabah and Sarawak, where they routinely use Bahasa Malaysia and indigenous languages in their religious practices, including describing God as “Allah” in their prayers and holy book.
Besides the Bumiputera Christians from Sabah and Sarawak, some of whom have moved to the peninsula to live and work, Orang Asli Christians in the peninsula also typically use Bahasa Malaysia in their worship.
Meanwhile, DAP Sarawak vice-chairman Leon Jimat Donald said the “Allah” dispute has not only set the country's race relations back another 50 years, it has practically thrashed Prime Minister's Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak's 1Malaysia concept,.
“Who is listening to Najib and his 1Malaysia? The misguided people in Jais? His ministers in Umno?
“Looks like Najib's efforts is thrashed by people who are not doing anything good to their race and religion,” Donald said.
He believed the raid yesterday was deliberate “to distract people from the bread and butter issues” that are affecting the people.
“Patriotism is the last refuge of the scoundrel. When all reasonable explanations are gone, politicians or fanatics love displays of patriotism/holier than thou attitudes, especially when a government is in trouble, or trying to divert the people's attention.” – January 3, 2014.

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The Malay Mail Online, 11 Jan 2014.

Sabah Christians claim bribed, tricked into Islam

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 11 — Amid a raging religious row in Selangor, a group of Sabah villagers have alleged they were deceived into embracing Islam for RM100.

In a report on its website, The Daily Express reported a group of 27 people from a remote village in the north Borneo state had filed a police complaint last Wednesday, claiming to have been converted from Christianity to Islam on New Year’s Day by a Muslim welfare group without being fully aware of the conversion rites, after being promised aid.
“When we arrived at the venue, our MyKads were collected and later returned and we were told to sign a form which we were not able to understand as most of us are illiterate,” Makadan Masabu was quoted as saying by the local Sabah newspaper.
The 54-year-old was reported to be the spokesman for the villagers who hail from Kampung Maliau in the Pitas district.
He related that he was informed by an acquaintance last month that a group from Kuala Lumpur would be visiting the district to hand out “welfare” aid.
According to the news report, Makadan said he provided his acquaintance with a list of villagers who were seeking welfare assistance; the unnamed acquaintance later told him they could expect RM800 in cash aid at a ceremony on New Year’s Day.
On January 1, some 43 villagers travelled by van to Pitas, Makadan recounted, and separated into smaller groups and recite words they claimed not to understand.
“After that an unknown man told us we had converted. We were shocked and panicked,” Makadan told the newspaper.
He added that the villagers were each given an envelop that contained RM100 in cash.
When contacted last night, Kota Marudu police chief Deputy Superintendent Mohd Isa Yusof — whose jurisdiction covers Pitas — confirmed to The Malay Mail Online that a report was filed.
Lawyer Francis Pereira told The Malay Mail Online it is not an offence in Malaysia for a Muslim to convert a person of a different faith to Islam.
But he added that the authorities can investigate the case for criminal elements if the claims of bribery, as the villagers alleged, were to be proven.
“Those are Penal Code offences, (and) also the Corruption Act,” Pereira said last night when contacted, referring to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission Act 2009.
“Those are criminal in nature,” he added, pointing to the allegations raised by the villagers.
Relations between Malaysia’s majority Muslim and minority Christian communities have been strained of late, as the country continues to grapple with who holds the right to use the word “Allah”.
Sabah and Sarawak have largely escaped the religious fires that have broken out in Peninsular Malaysia.
The latest flashpoint happened last week, when Selangor Islamic Department (Jais) officers accompanied by policemen raided the Bible Society of Malaysia (BSM) office in Petaling Jaya and confiscated 300 copies of the bible in the Malay and Iban languages, which contained the word “Allah”.
Faced with flak, Jais defended its operation, saying it was empowered by the Selangor Non-Islamic Religions (Control of Propagation Among Muslims) Enactment 1988 that prohibits non-Muslims in Selangor from using 35 Arabic words and phrases, including the word for God, “Allah”.
The incident sparked outrage among Malaysians, with lawyers arguing that the raid — and the very Enactment used to validate it — were unconstitutional, illegal and an act of harassment against Christians in the country.
Jais’ recent action reignited long simmering tension in the country that followed the Kuala Lumpur High Court’s decision four years ago in favour of allowing Catholic weekly the Herald to continue to use the word “Allah” despite an earlier prohibition by the government.
The ongoing legal dispute between the government and the Catholic Church is still pending before the Federal Court, which is set to hear arguments from both sides on February 24 before it decides on whether it will hear an appeal by the Catholic Church.
Christians make up about 10 per cent of the Malaysian population, or 2.6 million. Almost two-thirds of them are Bumiputera and are largely based in Sabah and Sarawak, where they routinely use Bahasa Malaysia and indigenous languages in their religious practices, including describing God as “Allah” in their prayers and holy book.
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The Malaysian Insider, 23 January, 2014

Sabah Christians band together to stop conversions to Islam

A Christian group, representing various denominations in Sabah, is embarking on a major religious revival campaign following dubious attempts to convert some of their flock to Islam.

Perpaduan Anak Negeri Sabah (PAN) will go on a six-month campaign to gather indigenous Christians to unite and urge Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak to speak up on the “Allah” issue for Christian Bumiputeras.
“We want the PM to say something. He is not a PM for the Malays only but a PM for everyone,” PAN chairperson Esther Golingi told The Malaysian Insider.
PAN is reviving the spirit of an old Kadazan Dusun Murut war cry “mamangkis” which was a used by their ancestors to rally warrior troops for battle.
However, Golingi said the calls now are being “contextualised as a Christian clarion call for revival.”
PAN will hold a mamangkis event in Ranau tomorrow as part of its statewide programme. It expects several hundred Christians to turn up.
PAN’s mobilisation effort comes amid reports of a group of about 64 people, including children, from three villages in the remote Pitas district – Kampung Layung Maliau, Dowokon and Sosop – being tricked into converting to Islam.
They claimed a neighbour told them “some people from Kuala Lumpur” were offering them “financial assistance” of RM800 but only if they went to Pitas to collect it.
On New Year's Day, they did. Instead of receiving the financial assistance at the Pitas town hall, they claimed they were made to go to a nearby mosque instead.
There the villagers were given RM100 and asked to put their thumbprint on a document. They were then told to stand in a line and recite some "foreign words".
The villagers claimed they only realised they were converted when some of them brought home the document and showed it to their church leaders.
Upset over broken promises by Putrajaya to Sabah when Malaysia was first formed, PAN said that it is worried that the religious freedom guaranteed in the Federal Constitution was no longer being upheld.
“We hold nothing against Islam if it was embraced with free choice. But we condemn such conversions as they were done through deceit, intimidation or bribery,” she said.

“We want to worship God. We want to be united as Christians. With more than 30,000 Sabahans working in the peninsula, what happened to our religious freedom?” said Golingi, adding that Sabahan Christians can no longer carry their Malay language Bibles, Alkitab, with them when in the peninsula.
Groups in Sabah and Sarawak are growing restless over the “Allah” issue as most indigenous tribes, who are Christians, are feeling the religious tension as the issue boils over from the peninsula to the two states.
“Today, we have lost our God-given freedom in every sense of the word. We are not even allowed to refer to God as ‘Allah’ in our liturgical language. Worse, we are not even allowed to teach our children and their children about God, whom they know as ‘Allah’, the almighty creator of the universe and all that is in it.”
Golingi said that religion was now used as a political tool and that Malaysia should go back to basics.
“We need to uphold the Constitution of our land and it says we have our freedom of religion. Freedom of religion means freedom of religion.”
Religious tension between Muslims and Christians in the country heightened after the Selangor Religious Affairs Department (Jais) seized some 300 copies of the Bible in Malay and Iban.
The raiding party also detained BSM chairman Lee Min Choon and manager Sinclair Wong.
Following that, Muslim groups had protested near a church in Klang against the right of Malay-speaking Christians to worship in Bahasa Malaysia using the word “Allah”.
Prior to the 2011 Sarawak elections, Putrajaya had endorsed a 10-point solution to allow Christians in Sabah and Sarawak to use “Allah” in the Malay version of the Bible, which was negotiated by Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Idris Jala.
The editor of Catholic weekly Herald Rev Father Lawrence Andrew is being investigated for sedition after he had been reported by The Malaysian Insider as saying that churches in Selangor would continue using the word “Allah” during their Bahasa Malaysia services.
His statement was in response to Jais's announcement that it would write to all churches in Selangor and tell them not to use the word "Allah" in their worship and publication.
Last week, church leaders of various denominations had come out to say that they were united with the Catholic church on the stand that Bahasa Malaysia-speaking Christians should be allowed to use the word "Allah" in their worship.
Throughout this, Putrajaya has kept silent on the issue even as Christians looked to Idris Jala for an explanation.
Christians form about 9% of Malaysia's 29 million population. Almost two-thirds of Christians in Malaysia are Bumiputera and are largely based in Sabah and Sarawak, where they routinely use Bahasa Malaysia and indigenous languages in their religious practices, including describing God as “Allah” in their prayers and holy book.
Besides the Bumiputera Christians from Sabah and Sarawak, some of whom have moved to the peninsula to live and work, Orang Asli Christians in the peninsula also typically use Bahasa Malaysia in their worship. – January 23, 2014.

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Dear Mr.President Barak Obama,

I understand that you would be visiting Malaysia in April 2014. Thank you, Sir. Malaysia is divided into the ruling political parties and the opposition political parties. I understand that you. Sir, would be meeting only ruling political party officials, not the opposition party officials of Malaysia. I do not think this is fair. I think you should take a neutral stand, which would be in the best interest of USA. USA has to trade with the whole world; and similarly China has to trade with the whole world. Malaysia too has to trade with the whole world. Let’s have a new world order. This would be better. Ganging up against China is not a good idea. May be one day China will have a multi-party system, and a one person one vote system too. We will wait and see.

You are hearing all this from me, a person who has rarely ever been anti-USA. I spend almost half my life in USA. I do know Punahou School(Honolulu), the school you attended. I have eaten ice-cream at the same Baskin Robins in Honolulu that you used to work at. I do know the hospital that you were born at. By now you would know that I have spent many years in Honolulu. How can I ever be anti-USA? I will always love Hawaii.

It is a changing world and we have to change with it. I fear to say that if USA abandons the opposition parties in Malaysia, then the opposition parties will slowly align closer to China. May I remind you that China ain’t too bad to deal with for Third World nations. China is growing economically and it would be naïve for other nations not to align with China; and this is an important factor that you should consider. In fact, this is the most important factor you should consider. People are trying to deal with China, not stay away from China. People are trying to deal with China because she is a growing economic power.

If USA abandons the opposition political parties in Malaysia, then the opposition political parties will align with China, and there is nothing I can do to stop it from happening. And you are hearing this from a person who has lived in Honolulu for many years. I appeal to you, Sir, not to abandon the opposition parties in Malaysia. The President of USA must at least keep some ties with the opposition parties. Therefore, I appeal to the President of USA to meet both ruling and opposition party officials in Malaysia. I appeal to President of USA to take the middle path: not pro-ruling party or not pro-opposition party. The middle path would be better in the best interests of USA. If USA abandons the opposition parties, then China will seize the opportunity to be closer to the opposition political parties in Malaysia. And this position would become difficult to reverse later on. And there is nothing I can do to change things once it happens that way. I think the middle path would be better for USA. And you are hearing all this from a person who loves Hawaii, USA.

Those of you read the above composition of mine, please feel free to copy and remail it to as many people as possible. I want this to be known to the President of USA as soon as possible.

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Coming back to multi stream education in Malaysia, again. The problems started when they decided to do away with English medium schools in Malaysia. Then the decline in the standard of education started. By year 2010 the market has changed. Nowadays, if you are young and ambitious you had better plan to be bilingual or even tri-lingual. It would be difficult to climb the corporate ladder if you know only Malay. This is what I do not understand about the Malay supremacist groups in Malaysia. They want to make Malay the dominant language, when in fact, English has been the dominant language in this nation for about 200 years; and will probably remain so for the next 2000 years. India will have the single largest English speaking population in the world in some decades into the future. English has and is the dominant language in Malaysia because at the university level most of the books are in English; and this is what the Malay supremacists have to fathom; and if they put on their thinking caps, they can fathom. You cannot compare Japan with Malays or Indians. You cannot compare Germans and the French with Malays or Indians. Both Malays and Indians cannot translate everything from English to Malay. It is impossible. The Japanese can, the Germans can, and the French can. But Malays and Indians cannot. Malays and Indians cannot because they cannot.

I don’t see why Malays should have ill-feelings towards English language. On the contrary, Malays are the ones who mimic the Americans all the time. For example, try going to some of the shopping malls and you would see Malay musical bands singing American songs and a large crowd of Malays listening to them. I must salute the Malay singers because they mimic well. Some of the spectators donate money to the mimicking singers; and the same spectators later go to work or dine at Pizza Hut, Seven Eleven, MacDonalds, KFC, etc all of which are American franchises. Thousands of Malays have gotten scholarship to have a higher education in USA and the West. Malays mimic the West all the time in fashion and dressing, dying the hair, lipstick, smokey eyes, nail polish, mascara, etc,etc. Very few Malay males walk around malls in sarong without a western style under ware which is how they were. Very few Malay females nowadays go around without a Western style brassier or feminine pad. Malays are just like me; I mimic whatever I like, the West or the East. I benefited from the English language and cannot live without it. I always use a Western style underwear which my grand father probably never used to.   I think it’s time to check the undergarments of the Malay supremacist groups!

Coming back to the shutting down of English schools in the 1970’s. This was a big mistake. It is time go back to Tunku’s Malaysia. Tunku is the first Prime Minister of Malaysia. May his soul rest in peace. It is time to go back to Tunku’s Malaysia when we had Tamil medium, Chinese medium, Malay medium, and English medium schools coexisting. Everybody was happy and Tunku claimed to be the happiest Prime Minister in the world. What we need to do is to re-open the English medium schools and in the process go back to Tunku’s Malaysia. Is this Karma? There are several definitions for Karma and one of them is what goes around comes around. I think it is time to do a Karma by reopening English schools.

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How to end “insults” to Islam? That’s an easy questions. Just make sure that come General Election Fourteen(GE14), all voters must vote against National Front(NF). That’s all. We will take care of other things later. We have to do first things first. Just vote against NF come GE14. That’s all.

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Is the honorable Anwar  Ibrahim responsible for dividing the Malays? I don’t think so. I shall now try to prove that Anwar Ibrahim is not responsible for dividing the Malays. Malays of the 1950’s and Malays of year 2015 are different. Malays of the year 2015 are better educated as compared to year 1950. The self-esteem and self-image of Malays have grown. Let’s look at divorce rates. Divorce rates have increased because the self-esteem and self-image of Malaysians have increased. As they become more and more educated, their self confidence has increased and there is a desire to stand on their own two feet; this has led to increase in divorce rates.  As they become more and more educated, their self confidence has increased and there is a desire to stand on their own two feet; and this has led more individuals to disobey their own parents. As they become more and more educated, their self confidence has increased and there is a desire to stand on their own two feet; and this has led more and more Malays to leave UMNO and form a political party of their own.  This phenomenon is for all races and religions. In the West, it is common for the youth to leave home and live elsewhere once they reach age 18. As you can see, it happens in all nations and therefore it is not the responsibility of Anwar Ibrahim that Malays are politically divided. In any case, if human beings are too close to each other, they will become quarrelsome. If human beings are too far away from each other, then they will become lonely. The right distance among human beings is unknown and varies from culture to culture and individual to individual. Once again, it is wrong to hold the honorable Anwar Ibrahim responsible for dividing the Malays.

Self confidence means to stand on your own two feet. Self confidence means to have the courage to disobey your parents. Self confidence means to think out of the box. Self confidence means to have the courage to do things your own way. More and more Malays are displaying self confidence and this has resulted in disunity among Malays. Perfect unity is hard to achieve and probably not desirable. Totalitarian nations like one party communist nations use enforcement to achieve unity. Unity among people may not be desirable because, as I have already explained, if human beings are too close to each other they risk becoming quarrelsome; and at the same time, if they are too far away from each other, then they become lonely. The right distance among human beings is hard to determine. Therefore, it is wrong to hold the honorable Anwar Ibrahim responsible for dividing the Malays. The Malays are more divided today because they have more self-confidence and are capable to stand on their own two feet. Being divided is a worldwide phenomenon. As the desire for individuals to stand on their own two feet increases, the disunity among the community increases too. This is understandable. Once again, it is wrong to hold the honorable Anwar Ibrahim responsible for dividing the Malays.

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I would like to respond to the honorable Abdul Hadi Awang of the Islamic Party, PAS in Malaysia. He is rather puzzled why non-Muslims do not accept hudud and Islamic economics as an ideology. He further claims that communism collapsed in Russia and China because of the absence of the Almighty in the system. He does not think too highly of “soulless” capitalism either. I’m a non-Muslim and wish to respond. On the contrary “soulless” capitalism may be the only way. Both Russia and China were probably “soulless”, but not capitalistic enough; and if you are not capitalistic enough, then it is difficult to raise living standards. Profit is a good word, not a bad word. If you do not espouse capitalism, meritocracy, and a free market economy, people will not have the freedom to choose. When we have the freedom to choose, people will emphasize on their differences. Everybody is different, and we are good at different things. In a free environment, you will eventually find your own niche, and I will find my niche. We are talking about avoiding slow growth and high unemployment.

As regards to religious scriptures, they are all old books. The Buddhist scriptures, Hindu scriptures, Muslim scriptures, Christian scriptures, and Jewish scriptures, are all old books. How loyal should we be to old books? I feel that we should distance ourselves from old books. Old books become redundant after some time. The only constant in this world is CHANGE. We have to take decisions based on current realities. History has never been accurate and we do not know who wrote the old books; and we do not know what the words in the old books mean either. Yes, the only constant in this world is change; and sometimes you have to reinvent yourself so that you remain relevant. We keep making mistakes and learning from our mistakes.

As regards to Islamic news and information, I have been monitoring Islamic news and information for decades. Muslims have been spreading misinformation for decades. I think it is safe to say that the predominantly Muslims nations are at the lower rungs of the global socio-economic ladder. But Muslim propaganda claims that Muslim nations are the best. The honorable Abdul Hadi Awang and people who think like him should realize the damage they are doing to Muslims by propagating misinformation. Honorable Abdul Hadi Awang, I do not think it is a good idea to raise your children or grandchildren, or great grand children on fiction. Fiction is just fiction. The so called “soulless” free market economies are more competitive and are able to raise living standards. This is the age of small government, not big government.

I hope the honorable Abdul Hadi Awang will espouse small government and become more moderate. We have to accept contemporary wisdom, not the old books.  Muslims should stop raising their children on fiction. The fiction is that Muslim nations are the best. It is the Arabs wrote the Koran; and it has never been proven that Arabs are the smartest in the world. I hope the honorable Abdul Hadi Awang will reinvent himself. I hope all Malaysians will periodically reinvent themselves.

It is time for Muslims to face up to the truth; and the truth is that they are a nobody in this world. There must be freedom of expression so that people can debate and exchange views. You would be surprised by how much you would learn from debates and differing views. Sometimes the truth hurts; sometimes the “insults” hurt. You must face the so called “insults” to Islam or other religions. You must achieve so that people will back off and leave you alone. Just ignore those who throw “insults”; and make sure that you work harder than those who throw the insults. It has never been proven that praying five times a day is the solution to slow growth and high unemployment. It has never been proven that being loyal to the old books/old scriptures is a cure for slow growth and high unemployment. We make mistakes, but we also learn from our mistakes; and this is to reinvent yourself periodically. I have lost count over the number of mistakes I have made. I think that being loyal to old books is a mistake. There are many new things to learn.

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As citizen of Malaysia it is my duty to explain the situation in beloved Malaysia. As citizen of Malaysia it is my duty to demystify the situation in beloved Malaysia. As citizen of Malaysia it is my duty to clarify the situation in beloved Malaysia. We will talk about SHORTAGES , SURPLUSES,RISING  CONFIDENCE, and WANNABE PM’S: the shortage of graduates , to the surplus of graduates, rising confidence, leading to wannabe Prime Ministers. I will try to link all four: shortages, surpluses, rising confidence, and wannabes. Just keep thinking of the shortage of graduates and the surplus of graduates, rising confidence, and wannabe Prime Ministers and you would be able to explain and demystify the situation in Malaysia. The explanation is as follows.

Tunku Abdul Rahman(TAR), the first Prime Minister of Malaya/Malaysia, had it easy because there were not very many Malays who questioned his authority: that is, he faced only  compliant Malays. The honorable TAR had some education but the rest of Malays could barely read and write; and this phenomenon put him in his comfort zone. This means there was a shortage of graduates among Malays during TAR’s time. The shortage of Malay graduates in Malaya made the first Prime Minister’s job easy.

You can say that the late Tunku Abdul Minister’s job easy; and he claimed to be the happiest Prime Minister in the world; and he probably was because he was dealing with compliant Malays. Actually, his authority was never questioned by obedient/compliant Malays because Malays in the 1950’s and 1960’s could barely read and write. The Malays of 1950’s and 1960”s were compliant Malays. You can say that a shortage of Malay graduates is synonymous to obedient Malays. If you say that SHORTAGE of Malay graduates is synonymous with OBEDIENT Malays, then it follows that the SURPLUS of Malay graduates is synonymous with DISOBEDIENT Malays. DISOBEDIENT means the right to be different. Disobedient means non-compliant.  DISOBEDIENT also means the desire to stand on your own two feet. Disobedient Malay is not necessarily a bad Malay. A disobedient Malay is one who thinks out of the box; someone who is bold enough to break ranks; a non-conformist: these are the break ranks Malays who want to stand on their own two feet.  That’s it. It’s been demystified. Just remember this all the time. A DISOBEDIENT Malay is one who is non-compliant, confident and bold and has Prime Ministership in his blood: irrespective of whether he is willing to admit it or not, he’s a wannabe Prime Minister .

Coming back to TAR, even though he claimed that he was the happiest Prime Minister in the world, he ruled over obedient/compliant Malays. This is almost like one man rule or unopposed rule, which made him happy. The more compliant the Malays were, the more happy he was, I guess.

More than 50 years have passed since year 1960. This is year 2015. This is a different Malaysia. There are so many Malay graduates now.  Over the years, the SHORTAGE of Malay graduates has turned into a SURPLUS of Malay graduates. Which means that, over the last 50 years, the number of OBEDIENT Malays have decreased and the number of DISOBEDIENT Malays have increased. Year 2015 is indeed not TAR’s Malaysia. Year 2015 and TAR’s Malaysia are different. There is a shortage of obedient Malays now; even divorce rates have increased!  Any Prime Minister of Malaysia nowadays can hardly claim to be a happy Prime Minister. We need only one Prime Minister at a time, but there are so many Malay graduates who want to be the Prime Minister these days: and these are the wannabes. There are so many Malay graduates who are ambitious these days. There are so many Malay graduates who want to be the Prime Minister these days; and even if he eventually becomes the Prime Minister, he will be surrounded by disobedient Malays; and TAR never faced this phenomenon. TAR, indeed, had it easy. Nowadays even if a Malay eventually becomes the Prime Minister, he will be surrounded by other Malays who would want to unseat him; and TAR never faced this phenomenon. TAR, indeed, had it easy.

Nowadays, if you want to be a happy Prime Minister, you should have been born in year 1903. It’s too late for that. You can never get back TAR’s Malaysia; and perhaps we don’t need TAR’s Malaysia. A surplus of Malay graduates means that Malaysia will never be the same as TAR’s Malaysia.  It’s irreversible. The past is the past. Unfortunately, we need only one Prime Minister in the Federation at a time, and with so many ambitious Malays aspiring, it is competitive. Unfortunately, we need only one Chief Minister/Menteri Besar in each state at a time, and with so many ambitious Malays aspiring, it is competitive. Year 2015 gives a different Malaysia. Nowadays, if you want to be a Prime Minister or Chief Minister/Menteri Besar, you should be content with being not-so- happy because there will be more Malay graduates conspiring to unseat you. The change from shortage of Malay graduates to surplus of Malay graduates has resulted in more and more ambitious Malay leaders mushrooming. The change from obedient Malays  to disobedient Malays has resulted in ambitious Malay leaders mushrooming all over the nation.  It means that over the past 50 years, the self-confidence of Malays has increased.  But don’t be disheartened: this phenomenon of moving from SHORTAGES to SURPLUSES happens world-wide, not just in Malaysia.

So, what does it take to be a Prime Minister? I really don’t know? Though I have emphasized on graduates, actually being a graduate may be the least of our concerns. But it might help. Sometimes I feel that Prime Ministers are born. It’s genetics. May be. That is, you must have Prime Ministership in your blood: you must feel like a Prime Minister. If you have sufficient Prime Ministership in your blood, you are virtually unstoppable.  Whether you are a taxi driver, janitor, goat farmer, or medical doctor if you feel like a Prime Minister, you have it; and if you have it,you would gradually become politically emboldened. You would become daring. It’s a feeling, a sensation. It’s a vigilance and perseverance which will consume half your energy. Either you have it or you don’t. If you have it, you will find ways to move forward politically. It may have something to do with genetics or sometimes life experiences or both. Over the past 50 years, more and more Malays have it. Once again, this is a worldwide phenomenon, not just among Malays. There is nothing unusual. Nothing to be ashamed of. It’s a worldwide phenomenon.  Some of those who have it will become leftists, still others as rightists, and still others as centrists, postmodernists, or whatever else. Leaders are those who take on the competition (no matter how tough it is) and keep moving ahead (no matter how tough it is); and such people have it.

The Malays of the 1950’s were different, the Malays of the 1960’s were different, the Malays of the 1970’s were different and so on and on. As time passes they are becoming more and more self confident with a desire to stand on their own two feet. This is a worldwide phenomenon, not just among Malays.

So, how does Malaysia’s  future look like? I think it looks good. Before, we had to depend on one person, namely TAR to lead. Now more and more confident and non-compliant Malays are mushrooming. Many leaders are better than one. There you go. MANY LEADERS ARE BETTER THAN ONE. I think the future looks good. But I must forewarn you that you cannot expect to be a happy Prime Minister.



I forgot to tell you, it does not matter whether you have a university education or not; but you must have your own vote bank if you want to be a politician. As a politician you are a nobody without your own vote bank. The onus is on you to forge your own vote bank.
 


This is my national service. As a loyal citizen of Malaysia, it is my duty to explain and demystify what’s going on in beloved Malaysia.  It is my duty to explain; and this is my national service.

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I would like to commend the Sultan of Johore for his views regarding the English medium schools in Malaysia. The Sultan feels that Malaysia must use Singapore as a role model. Like Singapore, Malaysia must also use English to unite Malaysians. He further feels that many Malaysian politicians were hypocrites because while they promote Malay schools, they themselves send their children to English medium schools in Malaysia or the West.  I hope the Sultan is also not a hypocrite. He has already highlighted the merits of English medium schools in Malaysia. Therefore, he must follow through with that. He must make sure that English medium schools happen at least in his home state, Johore. We will wait and see what he does or can do? Now what he needs is a vote bank. The onus is on him to fashion a vote bank. He is a nobody without a vote bank.

Further, the Sultan of Johor has mentioned Bangsa Johor. What does Bangsa Johor mean? If Bangsa Johor means using English to unite Johoreans, then I’ll support Bangsa Johor. If Bangsa Johor means using English as the medium of instruction in public schools, then I’ll support Bangsa Johor. If Bangsa Johor means having 4 mediums of instruction in public schools, namely Malay medium, Chinese medium, Tamil medium, and English medium, then I’ll support Bangsa Johor. So, what does Bangsa Johor mean?

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I would like to commend the Sultan of Johor, Sultan Ibrahim Ismail. I just read an interview with him on the Internet. You do not share Putrajaya’s plans for your state. You do not share Putrajaya’s vision: you have your own vision for Johor.  You’d rather be more autonomous and have your own plan for Johor. (Firstly, Bangsa Johor should be changed to Orang Johor; but we will discuss that another day). You have your own plan for Orang Johor. You plan to attract Singaporeans to live in Johor and work in Singapore. They will commute: Johor-Singapore-Johor. If you allow the re-opening of English medium schools in Johor, the resident Singaporeans can be persuaded to send their children to English medium schools in Johor; and it will enrich Johor with an addition of Singapore dollars into Johor. You, the Sultan, plan to use English to unite Orang Johor; and this is a big plus. You plan to invite China investors. Now, coming to how you are going to achieve your plan. You need an adequate vote bank: the electorate will decide.  The Johor vote bank should be loyal to Johor.  Come the next general elections (GE14), you must make sure that all the Johor candidates share your vision. If the Orang Johor election winners are going to take orders from Putrajaya, then you can forget about your vision for Johor. Sometimes autonomy from Putrajaya may be the best. For example, Singapore succeeded after it separated from Malaysia. For example, Hong Kong is successful probably because it is autonomous from China. So you should make sure that Johor candidates (irrespective of race or religion) must share your vision for Johor. What the Sultan of Johor needs is Orang Johor and Parti Johor. It is time to for Orange Johor to register a new political party, Parti Johor. Parti Johor will be Johor- centric. You must be bold enough to face GE14 with your own party.  May be you will end up being a precursor; and other states too will have their own vision for their own state. And if Johor succeeds, then more Malaysians will re-locate to Johor; and Johor will end up being the most populous state. And once it becomes the most populous state, everything in Malaysia will become Johor-centric. I think you can do it with Parti Johor. Good luck

Johor needs a contingency plan. The older party is having some popularity problems, to say the least; and we do not know if it will sink or sail. In case the older party sinks, then what next for Johor? It is time for Johoreans to think about it. It is time for Johoreans to have a contingency plan. Enter Parti Johor. If Parti Johor does well in GE14, can it form the government in Putrajaya? May be. If Parti Johor forms a coalition with other like-minded parties, it might just capture Putrajaya. Or it may become a third force. It may become a kingmaker. I am sure if Johoreans become serious about Parti Johor, there will many other political parties which will make a beeline to form a coalition with Parti Johor. May be, this will usher in the era of regional parties as against race based national parties. We will wait and see. It is much easier to get the loyalty of Johoreans  if you present a “Johor for Johoreans” slogan. Johoreans who agree with me, kindly forward this posting to other Johoreans. Try and register a new political party, Parti Johor, before GE14. Don’t wait. Good luck.

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I am disappointed that Mr.Muhyiddin Yassin(MY)is no longer in the Malaysian Cabinet as from the last week of July 2015. He was the former Deputy Prime Minister. I think he did stand up for righteousness. Nevertheless, he has been removed from the Cabinet. I think we had more confidence (in the national Cabinet) when Mr.MY was in the Cabinet. It means that we have less confidence in the same Cabinet when Mr.MY is missing from the Cabinet. Never mind Mr.MY. There is nothing to be ashamed of or regret about when you serve the citizens of Malaysia. There is nothing to be ashamed of or regret about when you do the right thing for Malaysia. Please continue your struggle, Mr.MY.

Allow me to introduce Mr.MY. He was born in Muar, Johor in May, 1947. He is a son of Johor. At the time of writing he is still the Deputy President of United Malay National Organization. From the University of Malaya he received a Bachelor’s degree in Economics and Malay Studies.

Is it over for Mr.MY? Are you kidding? Career politics is not for everybody. Those who choose career politics have a conviction. Those who choose career politics are those who are willing to run the gauntlet. Please continue on Mr.MY. Do not give up. We depend on you to restore morality in Malaysian politics. Do a post-mortem.(As far as I am concerned, for the last two months-June and July 2015-, you have done nothing wrong, but they still terminated you.)It doesn’t matter.  Re-invent yourself to become relevant. Focus on your beloved Johor. Only Johor. You are the son of Johor. I am sure that at least some Johoreans love you. Johor is a good vote bank. You need to exploit the opportunites in the Johor vote bank.

May be some people do not want you in the Cabinet, Mr.MY. It’s OK. Johor wants you. I am sure Johor will stand up for you. I also hope the Royal family of Johor will also stand up for a fellow Johorean. I call upon all Johoreans to support Mr.MY. If you are a Johorean, please do spread the word around to other Johoreans. Johor is a strong vote bank. Use your Johor vote bank to teach the people in Putrajaya a lesson. Soon we will have the 14^th General Elections (GE14). We will wait and see what happens. In the mean time Johoreans must give their support to Mr.MY. It means that Johoreans need to do their homework: Johoreans must spread the word around about Mr.MY, about the strength of the Johor vote bank, and about GE14.

Who’s Billy Ocean? He sang the song, “When the going gets tough, the tough get going”. Good luck.

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I would like to commend Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar of Johor for donating money to Tamil schools and Hindu temples mid-August 2015.  

LANGUAGE

The Johor Sultan has plans to follow Singapore and use English to unite cosmopolitan Johoreans. If there were English medium schools in Johor, then may be Singaporeans could be attracted to buy real estate in Johor and live in Johor. Singaporeans can live in Johor and work in Singapore. They will commute daily, Johor-Singapore-Johor. The same Singaporeans will also send their children to English medium schools in Johor. It will enrich Johor with lots of Singapore Dollars. This will be a big plus for Johor. The Sultan gave the example of China-Hong Kong-China daily commuting. He said, “Over 200,000 people cross to Shenzen each day in just 45 minutes. That is how the cross-border culture has changed dramatically”. I guess Shenzen is a modern metropolis that links Hong Kong to China.

This is similar to what some Sabahans call the quest for FULL AUTONOMY. Even Sarawak wants AUTONOMY and English medium schools. So the Sultan of Johor is not alone.

In India, there are local political leaders who, to build a vote bank, champion the sending of children to native Indian language medium schools. They are hypocrites. When you monitor the same political leaders closely, you will note that they are actually sending their own children to English-medium schools. They send their own children to English-medium schools, but recommend to the voters to send their children to native Indian language schools. The problem is that, unlike the Western nations, most of the Indian voters live in villages where native languages are more popular. (Politics in the West is urban-centric, while in Third World nations, it is rural-centric) In the urban areas in India, where the bigger retail outlets are located, people send their children to English-medium schools because they want a better future for their children. But the point is that politics in India is controlled by rural voters, not the minority urban voters. It would be politically suicidal for politicians to go against rural voters in India.

Politicians are often two-faced people. May be even multi-faced people. They show one face to the voters and another face to their own families. This is life. What can we do? It may be a multi-faced world.

Politicians are like the wind: they are not permanent but temporary. Like the wind they (politicians) come and go. Since different politicians are changing the public education system differently, it is better that the families rely on private tuition to supplement their children’s education. Send your children to public schools (if you want to), but please do supplement it with private tuition.

RELIGION

There are different kinds of religions. They all have their respective old books or old scriptures. It is not a good idea to be loyal to old books. We have to use moderation. We are talking about being supportive of moderate Islam, moderate Judaism, moderate Christianity, moderate Hinduism, moderate Buddhism, etc.

There are economically successful people who recommend that we not be loyal to degrees, diplomas, and certificates. There are economically successful people who recommend that we avoid going for higher education. Once you get a degree or diploma, you will become attached and loyal to it which in turn will result in your downfall. If you are loyal to a piece of paper called a degree or diploma, you will refuse to think out of the box. If you are loyal to a piece of paper called a degree or diploma, you will refuse to stand on your own two feet. University professors are supposed to live in ivory towers; and they issue degrees, diplomas, and certificates. Are you sure you want to be loyal to degrees, diplomas, and certificates? Think carefully. Ultimately, it is CONFIDENCE that counts. With confidence you can stand on your own two feet.

Coming back to what I said earlier: being loyal to old books/scriptures is risky. Old books/scriptures claim that they are the WORD OF GOD. But may be they are just WORD OF MAN. So we need to use moderation: moderate Islam, moderate Judaism, moderate Christianity, moderate Hinduism, moderate Buddhism, etc.

Being loyal to old religious scriptures has its risks. It is a baggage from the past. We need to shed the baggage from the past. We need to become more contemporary. We need to stand on our own two feet instead of being loyal to old scriptures. We learn from our mistakes. We all make mistakes and learn from our mistakes. Periodically we need a new beginning. Periodically we have to re-invent ourselves because we learn from our mistakes. We have to take decisions based on our own realities. Periodically, the ground realities change; and we have to re-invent ourselves in order to remain relevant. We have to change with the times. Being loyal to old religious scriptures is probably the worst thing to do. Old religious scriptures are not relevant today because the world has changed so much. The only constant in this world is CHANGE. If ever you go for religion, please use moderation: moderate Islam, moderate Judaism, moderate Christianity, moderate Hinduism, moderate Buddhism, etc. We learn from our mistakes; and we have to have a new beginning. We learn from our mistakes and we have to re-invent ourselves.

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The Bersih Rally is to be held 2pm, Saturday, 29 August 2015 to Sunday, midnight August 30^th 2015. We need a location in Johor Bahru for the Johoreans to assemble and express themselves. They have a location in Kuala Lumpur, and East Malaysia, but how come they do not have a location in Johore Baru? I hope the Crown Prince of Johor will take the initiative to hold a Johor Bersih rally in Johor Bahru so that Johoreans can express themselves. (The Crown Prince served in the Indian Army. That’s interesting).

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She is a politician. She is the UMNO Women’s Division leader from Langkawi. Her name is Anina Saduddin. She’s brave to break ranks with the PM. I’m embarrassed to say that this is all I know about her. I wished I knew more about her. It’s something like she is taking out a lawsuit against the PM regarding the money he has in his name in a bank. It’s something like she wants the money to be returned to Malaysia from Singapore.

It’s people like her that make me feel proud to be a Malaysian. It’s like restoring faith among Malaysians. It’s like there are still some good people in Malaysia. I have respect for Anina Saduddin. If I bump into her, it would be an honor to shake her hands. I call upon all UMNO Women’s wing members to support her. I call upon all Malaysians to follow her case closely.

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I’m a non-Muslim. I was at the Bersih Rally, 29/30 August, 2015, at Kuala Lumpur. Yes, unfortunately there were inadequate Malay participants at the rally. But the non-Malays, please be at rest. Give the Malays sometime to think. Give the Malays a few months to think and they will change from pro-Najib to anti-Najib. Human beings need time to think before they can change their mind. Please avoid knee-jerk reactions. We need to use English language to unite Malaysians. We need to restore Malay medium schools, Mandarin medium schools, Tamil medium schools, and English medium schools just like what it used to be in the 1960’s. In the 1960’s English schools were increasingly popular. Just give Malays some time to think and they will slowly become anti-Najib. Just give the Malays some time to think and they will find a solution. In the mean time the non-Malays please give the Malays time to think. This is the truly Asia nation.  

Religion:

We need to espouse moderation: moderate Islam, moderate Christianity, moderate Judaism, moderate Hinduism, moderate Buddhism, etc. Strictly speaking Christianity advocates a property-less society, Islam allows slavery and polygamy, Hindu scriptures allows for the caste system, and I could go on and on. (As regards to slavery within Islam, it has nothing to do with Malays, Chinese, or Indians. Islamic slavery may be about light skinned Arabs enslaving Black skinned Africans, which is permitted in Islam. Nevertheless, it can never be justified. The reason why Muslims are silent about it is because they are embarrassed about Islamic history).

The role of money cannot be underestimated. Just about everything has a price. If we give everything away free, then how do we get things free? Who will give things free? Those who give things free will find it hard to get things free. Yes, we need compassion. We all sometimes give things free, but we cannot live by it. It is better to live by ‘buy and sell’. We are all buyers and sellers.  Generally speaking do not give anything free, and do not take anything free. Religions do not think highly of money and profit, but we cannot manage the world that way. We have to find ways to obtain money and profit. Once we get money, we can pay our bills and feed our families. Profit is a good word. No matter how many times you pray a day, you still have to work to obtain money. If you do not pay your employees, then it is slavery; and slavery is illegal. Therefore, moderate Islam, moderate Christianity, moderate Judaism, moderate Hinduism, moderate Buddhism, etc.

Yes, unfortunately there were inadequate Malay participants at the Bersih 4.0 Rally. I think the non-Malays have done their part. The Malays have to do their part too. Please give the Malays some time to think. Please give the Malays some time for soul searching. In the mean time the non-Malays must wait. I am sure the Malays will eventually do something.

We have to chart the future of this beloved nation. We have to make sure that no group attempts to secede. Therefore, we have to use English language to unite Malaysia and thwart secession. If you continue to use Malay to unite this nation, then it would fuel secession by those who oppose Malay as the first language. They say that prevention is better than cure. Try reopening the English medium schools. I’m not asking much. I’m just saying that we should go back to the 1960’s model and reopen English medium schools. Reopening English schools is a small price to pay to thwart secession.

Let’s take the case of Sri Lanka. The Singhalese government made Singhalese as the first language; and it established the era of Singhalese supremacy. Slowly the politics of separatism set in. One thing leads to another. Secession attempts were soon followed by the Tamil minority because Singhalese was made the first language. Thousands died in the Sri Lankan civil war. What a terrible price to pay. Looking in retrospect, they should have made English as the first language to thwart secession. They should have made English as the neutral language between Sinhalese and Tamil. This is what I think. But I may be wrong.

Another point is you must take religion out of politics. Again, it is to thwart secession. Again, prevention is better than cure. If secession attempts start, what are the Malays going to do?  Are the Malays, going to ask the non-Muslims for all the help they can get to put down the secession? How many non-Muslims will help Malays when the Constitution itself gives special rights only for Muslims.

I’m a Malaysian citizen and a proud Malaysian. I will be glad to defend and lay my life for Malaysia if directly requested by the Parliament of Malaysia. When I say Malaysia, I mean Malaysia without Islam. When I say Malaysia I mean Malaysia with English medium, Malay medium, Chinese medium, and Tamil medium schools. It is important to remember that Muslim Malaysians have no moral authority to ask non-Muslim Malaysians to give up their life in defence of Malaysia. I, as a non-Muslim Malaysian, do not have give up my life for Islam; and Muslim Malaysians have no moral authority to make such a request. This is the truly Asia nation; and this is the kind of Malaysia I am proud of.

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There’s an idiot. There is an immature person. His name is Alvin Tan, residing somewhere in USA. He put a tattoo on his thigh with the inscription “ALLAH”. How do Malaysians respond? We don’t have to respond to idiots because we are more interested in Albert Einstein and other people of that caliber. Why do Malaysians care about Alvin Tan? Why should Malaysians care about Alvin Tan? Alvin Tan is a nobody. Just ignore that idiot. He is immature. He is an overgrown baby. I’m sure his father made a mistake and his mother wasted her labor. Not all Chinese Malaysians are as stupid as him. Just ignore that idiot. If you ignore him, you will take the wind out of his sail. If you respond to him, you will increase the wind in his sail. He needs attention. Don’t give him attention. Think carefully. Just ignore him. There are only 24 hours in a day, and within the 24 hours, you have your daily personal matters to take care off. If you have some free time, taking a nap is better than responding to immature idiots. Anything is better than Alvin Tan because Alvin Tan is a nobody.  Take the wind out of his sail by just not responding to him. Extraditing him to Malaysia is also not a good idea because if he makes children in Malaysia, he would pass his unwelcome genes to the next generation inside Malaysia. Let him have his children outside Malaysia. In fact, he must never have any children anywhere. He must certainly undergo a vasectomy as soon as possible. We don’t want stupid people in Malaysia; and if he comes to Malaysia, there is a danger that he will impregnate a Malaysian female using his stupid genes which will result in stupid babies being born; and all these stupid babies will claim Malaysian citizenship. We don’t want stupid people in Malaysia. Ignore that idiot. Take the wind out of his sail. He is not of the caliber of Albert Einstein. He is unwelcome.

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I’m a non-Muslim. I was at the Bersih Rally, 29/30 August, 2015, at Kuala Lumpur. Yes, unfortunately there were inadequate Malay participants at the rally. But the non-Malays, please be at rest. Give the Malays sometime to think. Give the Malays a few months to think and they will change from pro-Najib to anti-Najib. Human beings need time to think before they can change their mind. Please avoid knee-jerk reactions. We need to use English language to unite Malaysians. We need to restore Malay medium schools, Mandarin medium schools, Tamil medium schools, and English medium schools just like what it used to be in the 1960’s. In the 1960’s English schools were increasingly popular. Just give Malays some time to think and they will slowly become anti-Najib. Just give the Malays some time to think and they will find a solution. In the mean time the non-Malays please give the Malays time to think. This is the truly Asia nation. 

Religion:

We need to espouse moderation: moderate Islam, moderate Christianity, moderate Judaism, moderate Hinduism, moderate Buddhism, etc. Strictly speaking Christianity advocates a property-less society, Islam allows slavery and polygamy, Hindu scriptures allows for the caste system, and I could go on and on. (As regards to slavery within Islam, it has nothing to do with Malays, Chinese, or Indians. Islamic slavery may be about light skinned Arabs enslaving Black skinned Africans, which is permitted in Islam. Nevertheless, it can never be justified. The reason why Muslims are silent about it is because they are embarrassed about Islamic history. Just like all other communities, Muslims also whitewash Islamic history).

The role of money cannot be underestimated. Just about everything has a price. If we give everything away free, then how do we get things free? Who will give things free? Those who give things free will find it hard to get things free. Yes, we need compassion. We all sometimes give things free, but we cannot live by it. It is better to live by ‘buy and sell’. We are all buyers and sellers.  Generally speaking do not give anything free, and do not take anything free. Religions do not think highly of money and profit, but we cannot manage the world that way. We have to find ways to obtain money and profit. Once we get money, we can pay our bills and feed our families. Profit is a good word. No matter how many times you pray a day, you still have to work to obtain money. If you do not pay your employees, then it is slavery; and slavery is illegal. Therefore, moderate Islam, moderate Christianity, moderate Judaism, moderate Hinduism, moderate Buddhism, etc.

Yes, unfortunately there were inadequate Malay participants at the Bersih 4.0 Rally. I think the non-Malays have done their part. The Malays have to do their part too. Please give the Malays some time to think. Please give the Malays some time for soul searching. In the mean time the non-Malays must wait. I am sure the Malays will eventually do something. Giving Malays time to think also means that, slowly but surely, the voter sentiments will percolate from urban voters to rural voters. The voter sentiments take time to percolate from one individual to another or from urban to rural. Just give the Malays some time. Slowly but surely the anti-Najib sentiments will percolate. The longer you wait, the more the sentiments will percolate.

We have to chart the future of this beloved nation. We have to make sure that no group attempts to secede. Therefore, we have to use English language to unite Malaysia and thwart secession. If you continue to use Malay to unite this nation, then it would fuel secession by those who oppose Malay as the first language. They say that prevention is better than cure. Try reopening the English medium schools. I’m not asking much. I’m just saying that we should go back to the 1960’s model and reopen English medium schools. Reopening English schools is a small price to pay to thwart secession.

Let’s take the case of Sri Lanka. She got independence from the British in 1948. In 1956 the Singhalese government made Singhalese as the first language; and it established the era of Singhalese supremacy. I’m sure the Singhalese were celebrating and the Tamils were disappointed. Why? Because both communities were uneducated and uncivilized in the 1950’s; and they made all the wrong choices because they were uneducated and uncivilized. It turned out to be a slippery slope for Sri Lanka. Slowly the politics of separatism set in. One thing leads to another. Secession attempts were soon followed by the Tamil minority because Singhalese was made the first language. Slowly but surely, Sri Lanka slided into a civil war. Thousands died in the Sri Lankan civil war. What a terrible price to pay. Looking in retrospect, they should have made English as the first language to thwart secession. But the Singhalese and Tamil voters were both uneducated and uncivilized in the 1950’s; and so they made all the wrong choices. They should have made English as the neutral language between Sinhalese and Tamil. It is time to undo everything that the stupid Singhalese and stupid Tamils of the 1950’s have done. They have to use English as the first language. They have to undo the mistakes of the past. This is common in many Third World nations: the voters of the 1950’s were uneducated and uncivilized; and the voters of the year 2015 are better educated. Therefore it is time to undo the laws of the past and start anew. Both Singhalese language and Tamil language are nothing in this world. The VIP’s of Sri Lanka use Western-style underwears which they learned from the British. I’m sure their grandfathers never used any underwears. The women use modern feminine pads today, but their grandparents never used modern feminine pads. It is the same with my grandparents too. English language brought changes. It is a changing world and we have to espouse modernism, or we will be left behind by the competitive world. I have heard of a Tamil Sri Lanka leader (1954-2009) who, to my knowledge, can hardly speak English, though he made sure his children can. If anybody in Sri Lanka is opposed to modernism and English, then please check his or her underwear! If they are opposed to English, why are they using modern underwears? As regards to modernism, there is nothing that Singhalese or Tamil language can offer. Modern sewing machines were not invented in Sri Lanka, but they use it always. Modern manufacturing techniques were not invented in Sri Lanka too. I could add concrete technology, railways, medicine, and so on. If I continue it will just prove that both Singhalese and Tamils are just Third World people who need to hold on to English language for dear life. The mistake was made by the older generation of Sri Lankans of the 1950’s who were uneducated and uncivilized; and they did not know anything about the digital age or social media of today. For instance, somebody burned the Jaffna Municipal Public Library during the civil war years; and communal tensions rose. Who cares about public libraries today? Nobody. I haven’t been to a public library in more than a decade because I can use the Internet. (If you are working for a library, you might want to look for another job because the demand for libraries is decreasing). This is the Internet age. I bet a Singhalese family living in Argentina, Japan, or Nigeria could keep in touch with Singhalese ways by using the Internet. In the old days, some governments try to ban some books. Who cares? I can use the Internet and access information.  The younger generation today, who are better educated, must undo the pro-Singhalese language laws, and add English as the first language; and the choice of second language is your own. Let this be a lesson for many Third World nations, not just Sri Lanka. The choice of first language makes a big difference. Choose wisely. The Taliban and ISIS-like people are what they are, because they are uneducated and uncivilized. Please continue to resist governmental/political interference in your life by using the Internet to reach out to people all over the world. Receive and transmit information using the Internet. This is the age of the social media. The social media people can even decide who will win the next elections. In the old days, the government decided what you will learn and be exposed to, but today you can decide for yourself using the Internet. Nobody cares about government anymore. Nobody cares about libraries anymore. This is the age of small government, not big government. Big government is a thing of the past. Therefore, English becomes first language and choice of second and third language is your own. It is also good to be multi lingual. You might have increased job opportunities by being multilingual. Before I forget, I think Sri Lanka is pretty much like India. Sometimes it takes 3 days of ceremony for an Indian to get married; while in USA a person can get married in one day, half a day, or 1 hour. Divorce is equally fast in USA. As you can see, everything is more efficient in USA. There’s an old USA saying, “There’s probably more culture in yogurt than in USA”. The socio-political culture in India is extensive and has bogged down and made economic India inefficient. The solution is that Indians please get married in 1 hour and go back to work. That’s all.

In the Indian subcontinent, during the Mughal era, Farsi or Urdu was used as the first language. Neither Farsi nor Urdu was incorporated with technology or modernism; in fact no Indian language is a match to English. Farsi or Urdu are just nothing compared to English. Using Farsi as first language alienated the majority Hindu and Sikh communities who could neither read nor write those strange unintelligible languages (Farsi/Urdu) which had no technology or modernism incorporated. Later, the British came by and defeated the Hindus, Muslims, and Sikhs and gave central rule, law and order, and started using the neutral language, English which replaced Farsi/Urdu. English language replacing Farsi/Urdu is a gift for India. The British brought major changes to India. English endures at the university level even today in India. The British went on to build the Indian Railways, missionary schools and hospitals. Even the late Mahatma Gandhi was fluent in English. Today, India is known for computer software and pharmacology; and she achieved it using English language. The Indians love cricket too, a game I don’t understand. Cricket was introduced by the British and is popular in other English speaking nations such as Australia, South Africa, West Indies, etc. Within a few decades, into the future, India may have the single largest English speaking population in the whole world. As far as I know, Indians have never been opposed to the English language. In India today, those who can afford to send their children to English language schools will most certainly send their children to English language schools. Those who cannot afford to send their children to English language schools, send their children to cheaper schools such as native Indian language schools. British rule and English schools have left an indelible impression in India.  

Another point is you must take religion out of politics. Again, it is to thwart secession. Again, prevention is better than cure. If secession attempts start, what are the Malays going to do?  Are the Malays, going to ask the non-Muslims for all the help they can get to put down the secession? How many non-Muslims will help Malays when the Constitution itself gives special rights only for Muslims.

I’m a Malaysian citizen and a proud Malaysian. I will be glad to defend and lay my life for Malaysia if directly requested by the Parliament of Malaysia. When I say Malaysia, I mean Malaysia without Islam. When I say Malaysia I mean Malaysia with English medium, Malay medium, Chinese medium, and Tamil medium schools. It is important to remember that Muslim Malaysians have no moral authority to ask non-Muslim Malaysians to give up their life in defence of Malaysia. I, as a non-Muslim Malaysian, do not have give up my life for Islam; and Muslim Malaysians have no moral authority to make such a request. This is the truly Asia nation; and this is the kind of Malaysia I am proud of.

Something will happen only if we pass the word around to others. Using social media to contact voters makes a lot of difference. Today’s world is the social media world. News and information that is obtained should be shared with others. Using camera phone, social media, and internet, you can share globally. Please do feel free to copy and paste the above document to others. Discuss it in the social media. Share it with others. The more Malaysians know, the better it is.

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Red Shirt, white shirt, yellow shirt, blue-black shirt, no shirt, shirtless. What’s going on? I’m a non-Muslim Malaysian. I urge the non-Muslim Malaysians to remain calm. Some Muslim Malaysians may have had a demonstration in Kuala Lumpur on 16 September 2015 using the Red Shirt. Please give Muslim Malaysians time to think. Human beings need time to think before responding. As the Muslims think, they will slowly change from pro-Najib to anti-Najib.

They say that patience is golden. If you are a non-Muslim, please give the Muslim Malaysians some time. Please give the Malays some time to think. Please give the Malays some time for soul searching. In the mean time the non-Malays must wait. I am sure the Malays will eventually do something. Giving Malays time to think also means that, slowly but surely, the voter sentiments will percolate from urban voters to rural voters. The voter sentiments take time to percolate from one individual to another or from urban to rural voters. Just give the Malays some time. This is the social media age, and social media can even decide who wins in the general elections. In the old days, the government decided what you will learn and be exposed to, but today you can decide for yourself using the Internet. Nobody cares about government anymore. I have not been to a library in more than a decade because I use the Internet. Nobody cares about libraries anymore. This is the age of small government, not big government. If you are working for a library may I suggest that you seek alternative employment because the demand for libraries is reducing. We are moving from hard copy to softcopy world. Big government is a thing of the past. In the old days the government used to ban some books, but today you can circumvent that using the Internet. Please give our beloved Muslim Malaysian sisters and brothers some time to think and understand things. Human beings need some time to think before they can change their mind from pro-Najib to anti-Najib. The non-Muslim Malaysians have been serving this beloved nation, Malaysia, for about 100 to 150 years. Slowly but surely the anti-Najib sentiments will percolate. The longer you wait, the more the sentiments will percolate and build up the anti-Najib feelings. You too must do your part by passing the word around using the Internet.

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Umno Sungai Besar division chief Jamal Md Yunos wants traders to stop selling fake goods in Petaling Street. Well, Malaysia is a capitalist nation. Commerce made Malaysia into what it is. All kinds of things happen in capitalism, good and bad, but it is still better than communism. Under capitalism, both Muslims and non-Muslims sell all kinds of things for profit. I hope Jamal Md Yunos is not a communist. If he is against capitalism, he might be a communist. In capitalism the buyer must be aware. And that’s why we say that buyer beware. I don’t think that Jamal Md Yunos will be popular among the business community. Those who support him will have a hard time getting a job with other traders because these are dangerous whistleblowers. No employer will hire a whistleblower. If you want to follow and support Jamal Md Yunos, please go ahead. Remember, no employer will hire a whistleblower. If Jamal Md Yunos leads a group of his supporters to Petaling Street, then he will be doing a disservice to his followers because no employer will hire a whistleblower. He will be doing a great disservice to Malaysia’s economy. Investors will be nervous. Just remember, in capitalism BUYER BEWARE. I will never say that capitalism is perfect. If he loves Malaysia, he will espouse capitalism and BUYER BEWARE. Anyone who loves Malaysia should immediately contact him and ask him to support Capitalism. Never act against Capitalism. Malaysia survives on Capitalism. Malaysia survives on investors. It is hard for whistleblowers to seek employment. Please contact Jamal Md Yunos immediately and persuade him to espouse capitalism. Capitalism is not perfect, but is still better than the other systems. In capitalism, we push the responsibility to the buyer and therefore we have BUYER BEWARE. Please contact Jamal Md Yunos immediately.

Both Muslims and non-Muslims are involved in selling all kinds of things for profit. Both Muslim and non-Muslim employers would be reluctant to hire whistleblowers. Each time the political power interferes in economic activity, the business community becomes nervous. Malaysia is built by capitalism. Malaysia needs the business community. Malaysia needs investors. Every nation needs investors. For example, Russia was capitalist, became communist, and then again became capitalist. China was capitalist, became communist, and then again became capitalist. Vietnam was capitalist, became communist, and then again became capitalist. It means that only capitalism eventually works. The less politics interferes in the economy, the better it is; and this is what, my friend, Jamal Md Yunos should always remember.

Jamal Md Yunos should not be hated. May be, like many Malays, he has never studied economics in his life before. He should make it his mission to educate Malays to save Malaysia by saving capitalism. As I have said, and I repeat, capitalism is not perfect but it is still better than all the other systems. Ask Russia, China, and Vietnam why did they revert back to capitalism? If

Jamal Md Yunos can transform into a saver of capitalism, he would be doing a service to Muslims and Malaysia. Besides, I cannot be educating Malays for the rest of my life, free of charge. It is time for people like Jamal Md Yunos to take the responsibility to educate Muslims to save capitalism to save Malaysia. We make mistakes but we also learn from our mistakes. Jamal Md Yunos must learn from his mistakes and transform into a saver of capitalism.

Just as Russia, China, and Vietnam reverted back to capitalism, Malaysia too has to revert back in its education policy. Malaysia has to reopen the English medium schools. Eventually Malaysia has to have English medium, Malay medium, Mandarin medium, and Tamil medium schools. Each family can decide for itself the school they want to send their children to.

I read something about the National Service in Malaysia. They plan to add on English language instructions to the National Service in Malaysia. That seems like a good idea too. Please try. I cannot say that it will be a success but please try. We will wait and see.

So for economic activity we will have capitalism and for education we will have English medium, Malay medium, Mandarin medium, and Tamil medium schools.

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I’ve been to Petaling Street/China town and also to Pasar Seni/Kasturi Walk. Both locations are about 200meters from each other. They are just outlets for sellers. Hopefully, the buyers will buy. The sellers like all people everywhere are making a living. It may be competitive. I guess, you must sell something unique to make good profits. I guess, there are some Muslim Malaysians who think that the sellers of Petaling Street are making big bucks. Looks can be deceiving sometimes. There is a feeling among some Muslim Malaysians that the Chinese Malaysian sellers of Petaling Street must share their wealth with Muslim Malaysians. This is a dangerous phenomenon. This is what the communists do. When you forcefully take wealth from others, you are a communist. The communists believe in achieving economic equality by forcefully taking wealth from the rich and giving it to the have nots. You don’t ever take wealth from the rich. On the contrary, you create your own wealth. Only the communists forcefully take wealth from others. I guess you have to sell something unique to create your own wealth. If you start taking wealth from what is perceived to be the rich, then it would make investors nervous; and that would be the end of the nation. Please stop this jealousy driven actions. Please stop this communist habits. You have to create your own wealth: don’t take wealth from others. If employers do not pay employees, then it is slavery. If employers do not pay employees, legal action should be taken against them. Make sure that the employers pay the employees.

You have to create your own wealth: don’t take wealth from others. You may not be suitable for working in Petaling Street, but you may be good in something else. Try something else. You must find your own niche.

Even Dr.M is finding it hard to obtain profits from his bakery business. I guess you have to just keep trying. Petaling Street may be competitive, or may not be competitive. I don’t know. May be you have to find another niche in another location. You cannot just look at Petaling Street and assume that they are all making big bucks. Please stop these jealousy driven actions. Making profits may be much easier said than done. We don’t want this jealousy driven politics in Malaysia. There will always be some people who are richer than others. A free market does not give equality but might give equal opportunity. It is still better than communism. I have lived in USA for years, and I have a friend who sleeps in a jalopy VW van parked in a school parking lot. Another friend of mine puts his hands into garbage cans everyday to search for bottles and beer cans which he sells for profit. Somehow, we all survive.

There is no substitute to work; and the Chinese Malaysians are a good model. They don’t waste time with religion. They don’t waste time with praying 5 times a day. Somehow some Muslims think that Islam is the cure-all. I think that money is a better cure-all. But to get money you must keep working long hours.

Furthermore, if Muslims victimize USA, other Muslims are so happy. Muslims are happy when USA is targeted. Muslims must work more hours. I have seen many pictures of Muslims sitting in groups and smoking shisha; and when they are intoxicated with shisha, that’s when the political discussions ensue. I don’t know anything about shisha discussions, but I bet the shisha discussions revolve around discrimination, being short-changed, anti-USA rhetoric, pro-Palestinian rhetoric, etc.  The Chinese, on the other hand, are so engrossed in their work, that besides their own business, they almost know nothing else. They have no time for anti-USA rhetoric. After 30 years, the Chinese are ahead of Muslims economically. At this juncture the Muslims transform into Communists and find ways to forcefully take wealth from the wealthy.

Educationally, we have to go back to what we used to have in the 1960’s: English medium schools, Malay medium schools, Mandarin medium schools, and Tamil medium schools. In short, we have to reopen the English medium schools.

So, economically, we must continue to support free market economy; and educationally, we must reopen the English medium schools.

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We need to use Muslim whistleblowers to penetrate the mosques and the discussion groups. We need to know what they are discussing. Muslims almost always are obsessed with discrimination, being politically, and socio-economically short-changed, support anti-USA/anti-Israel activities, support pro-Palestinian activities, etc. In sharp contrast, the Chinese Malaysians only care about work. Besides work, the Chinese Malaysians don’t know or care about anything else. So we need to use Muslim whistleblowers to penetrate Mosques and Muslim discussion groups to find certain things about Muslim views. Are the Muslim preachers inside the mosques rabblerousers? We need to find out, using Muslim whistleblowers, if the Mosque people are giving anti-USA, anti-Israel, speeches. What topic do the Muslims talk about when they are sitting in groups and chit-chatting. Somehow, many of the Muslims become anti-USA, anti-Israel, in their views. Why? We need to find out. It baffles me. We need to use Muslim whistleblowers to find out about Muslims. What the Muslims do affects us too, so we need to find out why they are anti-USA and anti-Israel. I know that numerous Muslim Malaysians who have used Malaysian government scholarships to get a good education in USA, but they still become anti-USA.

What abhors me most as a Malaysian, is to see Muslim Malaysians(MM) socializing with Muslims from other countries. I fear that the MM will learn the bad habits of the foreign Muslims. The MM will learn very little from foreign Muslims. I strongly recommend the MM not to learn the habits from foreign Muslims. Sitting in groups and chit-chatting for long is not the best habit.  

The Chinese and Indian communities have lived in Malaysia for 100 to 150 years. Over the past 150 years, the nation has changed so much. Over the past 150 years, both the Muslim and non-Muslim Malaysians have benefited and by the 1960’s  Malaysia had the 2^nd highest standard of living in Asia, below Japan.

As regards to Umno Sungai Besar division chief Jamal Md Yunos, we need to find out more about him. Is he just another Malay who never bothered to be fluent in English? If he doesn’t know English, I hope that he will make sure that his children are fluent in English. Jamal Md Yunos, wants the government to take action against Chinese Malaysian traders in Petaling Street. I have been ripped off by Malays, Chinese, and Indian sellers. For example, many times I give my money to a Malay bus conductor but never get a bus ticket in return. I’m sure many other Malaysians have experienced this. Targeting the Chinese Malaysians alone is wrong because it’s like selective persecution. There are many sellers who use tricks of the trade, including Malay bus conductors, to make profits.

So, economically, we must continue to support free market economy; and educationally, we must have English medium schools, Malay medium schools, Mandarin medium schools, and Tamil medium schools.

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The Johor Sultan has plans to follow Singapore and use English to unite cosmopolitan Johoreans. If there were English medium schools in Johor, then may be Singaporeans could be attracted to buy real estate in Johor and live in Johor. Singaporeans can live in Johor and work in Singapore. They will commute daily, Johor-Singapore-Johor. The same Singaporeans will also send their children to English medium schools in Johor. It will enrich Johor with lots of Singapore Dollars. This will be a big plus for Johor. The Sultan, in an interview, gave the example of China-Hong Kong-China daily commuting. He said, “Over 200,000 people cross to Shenzen each day in just 45 minutes. That is how the cross-border culture has changed dramatically”. I guess Shenzen is a modern metropolis that links Hong Kong to China.

After having explained the plan of the Sultan of Johor, I must add that Sarawak has overtaken Johor. The Sarawak state government has made English an official language on par with Malay language inside Sarawak. How will this affect the Sultan of Johor’s plan? I don’t know. We have to wait and see. I guess each state should have its own plan for its own progress.

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I don’t know what that organization is called. Is it Daesh, IS, ISIL, Islamic terrorists or what else. I don’t care about them. I think they desire an Islamic state. May be they are extremists. Is the word shariah connected with them? I don’t know. These extremists may be responsible for a grenade attack on a night club in Puchong, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on June 2016. . These Daesh people must be stopped. All Malaysian citizens must join the fight to crush the Daesh. I also read the report some Bangladesh citizens have infiltrated the Malaysia Daesh organization. All the Daesh people must be crushed.

After the Second World War, Malaysia was one of the first nations in the world to experience the Communist insurgency; and she was one of first nations in the world to crush the Communist insurgency. I am proud that this was Malaysia’s finest hour. Many years have passed. Now we are on the verge of Insurgency 2.0. Insurgency 1.0 is the Communist insurgency. Insurgency 2.0 has to do with Daesh.  We will deal with the Daesh just as we dealt with the Communists. I have to give thanks to British, Australia, NZ, some African troops, even Fiji troops, the Gurkhas, etc, etc. to help Malaysia in her hour of need. Now we have an hour of need again. Now as we face the Daesh, we will not surrender. Just as some communists ended up in graveyards, the Daesh may too. We will encounter the Daesh and they will end up where they should. To Malaysians I say that this may be your finest hour. We will move forward, and there will be no retreat. Please flock to the military recruiting station. I’m Hindu Malaysian. I suggest that we have an army recruiting station in Batu Caves. I’m Hindu Malaysian, but too old to join the army. But my heart is with Defence of Malaysia. I’m unwilling to become a refugee. Therefore, if you are Malaysian citizen, and young enough to join the army, please do so. You join the army because you do not want to become a refugee. If you do not want join the army, then leave the nation and become a refugee. If you do not want to become a refugee, then join the Malaysian army. Daesh deserve to be put in graves like the communists. The Hindu Malaysians have served this nation for about 150 years; and together with other communities (by the1960’s) gave this beloved nation the second highest standard of living in Asia, below Japan. The anti-communist vigilance of the 1960’s consumed half my energy. Now it is the anti-Daesh vigilance. Most parts of Europe have come to rest with the ballot box. Most parts of the Americas have come to rest with the ballot box. Most parts of Asia have come to rest with the ballot box. However, the Islamic world still has many failed states. Just about every 30 years, the older generation die and the younger generation take over. It brings change. And change is a constant. Being glued to old books like the Old Testament, New Testament, Koran, Bhagavad Gita, Buddhist scriptures and so on runs contrary to the every 30 years the older generation die and the younger generation take over concept. We should accept change as a constant. There is no such thing as word of God. There is only word of Man; and change is a constant. Every 30 years the older generation die and are replaced by the younger generation; every 30 years change is palpable.

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I never have believed in History. I am sure it has been fabricated. It is something between fact and fiction. It seems Muslims ruled and invaded parts of India and they destroyed Nalanda university. May be. It would be difficult to prove or disprove. Some people consider it as the biggest crime of Islam. May be. It seems in AD 1194 Muslim invaders burned the university and reduced it to ash. Centuries of manuscripts were reduced to ash; and with that act, India irreversibly lost her greatest wonder. But I think her greatest wonder is yet to come.

Modern India became independent in 1947. We need to look to the future. There are more universities today than ever before in India. There are more graduates today than ever before. India's economy is improving. Politically democracy has firmly established itself. There are advantages about making mistakes. We learn something from mistakes. Something will come out of mistakes. Black Africans were enslaved by Muslim Arabs; and then Black Africans were sold to Christian Whites who transported them across the ocean to the Americas, particularly Brazil. Black Africans have the unique distinction of having been enslaved by both Muslim Arabs and Christian Whites. Many nations have sob stories. Whatever the past, we have to keep working. There is no substitute to work. India is improving day by day. Keep working. Forget the past.

Hopefully, basic training in the army will instil discipline and turn you into a tough person. A tough citizen is an asset for the nation. A tough citizen is an asset for the economy. We don't want any sob stories. Keep working. When you are tired, you sleep. When you wake up, you work. A tough citizen is an asset for the nation.

A tough citizen is an asset for the nation. A tough citizen is an asset for the economy. We don't want any sob stories. Keep working. When you are tired, you sleep. When you wake up, you work. A tough citizen is an asset for the nation. India lost Nalanda University because she was weak. India's record is nothing to be proud of. Many smaller nations get more gold medals in the Olympics than India. Promote basic training in the military. Keep pumping iron to be tough. When you are tired, you need sleep. When you wake up keep busy with work.

Reduce your daily activities to sleep and work. Distill your activities to sleep and work. If you reduce and distill your activities to sleep and work, you will stink like a raccoon or is it a camel's breath. To stink is a good think. To work long hours means you never wasted your time. The 3 day marriage, common in India, has to be discontinued. Don't waste time. Sleep or work. Life is about work and sleep. Slowly your body will strengthen and you can work even longer hours. This is how you attract investors.

Nalanda University may have disappeared forever. But there are more universities today in India than ever before. There are more graduates today than ever before. India has come a long way since Nalanda. Every nation has sob stories. Forget the past. It is a changing world. Please keep physically fit. The best training is a few years in the boot camp in the military. No time for sob stories. Boot camp, yes. Recommend the military.

The late Michael Jackson hardly saw this world because he was always busy training or performing. For the same reason, the late Albert Einstein hardly saw this world too. There are many successful people who hardly see this world because they are busy working. They have reduced their life to work or sleep.

In sharp contrast, the 3 day marriage in India; it has to be discontinued. It would be hard to prove that the 3 day marriage is brief. It would be hard to prove that it is efficient. I think Indians must lead simplified lives. Everything is complex in India. Just think of two words “work” and “sleep”. That’s all. Or maybe three words, or may be four words. That’s all. You know what I mean. They have everything in India; the only problem is that everything is complex. They need to simplify life to two words or three words or may be four words. That’s all.