Sajakkini

Hishamuddin Rais

Tujuh tahun dahulu satelah bosan berulang alik mengikuti lebuh raya Kuala Lumpur-Seremban, saya telah cuba mencari jalan baru untuk pulang ke Jelebu. Satu petang, semasa tercari-cari jalan keluar ke Kuala Lumpur di daerah Broga Semenyih, saya terserempak dengan sebuah bangunan. Saya terperanjat besar. Struktur bangunan seperti ini telah selalu saya lihat dalam filem.

Kerana saya ini tahi wayang, maka saya jangkakan bangunan tersergam di pinggir jalan kecil ini pastilah sebuah ’set’ filem perang Dunia ke 2. Mana tahu, mungkin Stanley Kubrik pembuat filem yang kuat menyimpan rahsia tentang filemnya, secara diam-diam telah datang membuat penggambaran di Broga.

Anggapan saya ini tidak mungkin salah kerana apa yang saya nampak ialah tembok papan dan batu empat persegi seluas dua padang bola. Di keliling tembok ini ada pagar kawat berduri. Di setiap bucu tembok ini ada pula tangga kayu tinggi yang menghubung ke sebuah pondok papan pengawal yang beratap zinc. Di bucu tembok ini juga kelihatan lampu besar yang boleh dipusing-pusing sambil menyuluh jauh.

Sesiapa yang pernah menonton filem perang Dunia ke-2 pasti memahami bahawa inilah rupa bentuk kem tahanan tentera Nazi Hitler. Tembok dan kawat berduri yang saya lihat itu betul-betul seperti apa yang pernah saya lihat dalam filem The Bridge on the River Kwai. Hanya bukan soldadu Jepun atau askar Nazi German yang tegak berdiri di atas setiap bucu tembok. (more…)

James Wong Wing On

Although one school of thought opines that MCA’s politics does not matter because it does not affect national policy making or implementation, another school remains passionate about what is going on in the second-largest ruling party in Malaysia, simply because of the sheer number of its membership and size. (more…)

Lee Ban Chen

Di negara kita, jika sesuatu skandal didedahkan oleh pihak pembangkang, ia sering cuba diremehkan atau terus ditutupi melalui sekatan media. Kali ini, isu AP atau permit import kereta menjadi berita hangat kerana ia dicetuskan oleh bekas Perdana Menteri, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad selaku Penasihat Proton Holdings Bhd. Beliau meminta supaya senarai nama penerima AP didedahkan secara terperinci kepada umum.

Maksud permintaan Dr Mahathir tersebut jelas sekali, kerana ketika masih menyandang jawatan Perdana Menteri, beliau pernah megambil inisiatif untuk mengumumkan senarai nama penerima kontrak kerajaan bagi membuktikan bukan semua mereka terdiri daripada kroninya.

Demi membersihkan nama Kementerian Perdagangan Antarabangsa dan Indusri (MITI) daripada dituduh mempraktikkan amalan yang tidak diingini, maka rasanya amat perlu senarai nama penerima AP itu didedahkan, sepertimana yang disyorkan oleh Dr Mahathir. (more…)

Salbiah Ahmad

Most of us would like to believe the recent foreign press commentaries, that PAS has found its winning formula by the election of “reformist leaders to top posts, shunning hard-line clerics” in its 51st muktamar ( Washington Post, Jun 8 ). Or that the election of “Western-educated” Nasharuddin Mat Isa, as No 2 brings a promise of change.

As an aside, the foreign coverage is stereotypical. “Reformist” is equated with “Western”. “Hard-line clerics” are “fundamentalists”, as in not pro-reform or perhaps not pro-democracy.

But “hard-line cleric” Abdul Hadi Awang asserts that he is pro-democracy, “PAS akan memulihkan semula demokrasi di Negara ini yang semakin usang dan hampir lumpuh” (Harakahdaily.net, June 9).

The PAS president also reiterated that the party will not abandon among others, its Islamic state objective. He defended the leadership by ulama policy as the ulama are there “to criticize the party’s administration and to implement the party constitution which is based on the Quran and Hadith”. (malaysiakini, June 9) (more…)

Just as I don’t know exactly what it means to be a Malay, or whether I really prefer dogs or cats, I also don’t know what it takes to be a man, much less a REAL MAN. There. You can go back to whatever you were doing before this now. Or were the metrosexuals among you somehow hoping that I’d share some godforsaken secret that would help you redeem your self-esteem? You must think my surname is Spice, mate.

If you’re that interested to know more, well, all right, then. I shall tell you. But I warn you: I grew up without having any usable father figure type to model my behaviour after. (That’s why I’ve always had a problem with authority, but we’ll talk about that another time, I think.) So whatever tips you might find below, I’ve made it all up.

If you’re busy and stumped for time, here’s all you need to know about being a REAL MAN: stop wearing women’s accessories in your hair. Or anything that was designed for women, for that matter. In case you feel compelled to protest, let me ask you this: do women look good in a bushy mustache? There you go. Same dynamics apply. So kindly refrain from whupping my ass with your man-bags, please. (more…)

Sim Kwang Yang

Is PAS going through another exercise of reinventing itself, now that a new crop of young leaders has come to the fore?

As a political phenomenon, PAS is an amazing force to be reckoned with. They can have a peaceful democratic party election in bringing about the changing of some of the guards, without the usual acrimonious blood-letting that plagues other political parties in a similar situation.

In their half-century of tumultuous existence, they have also displayed great resilience to the vagaries of their changing fortune, surviving their ups and downs through periodic self-renewal and redefinition of their political direction. One cannot say that of many opposition parties in Malaysia. (more…)

Josh Hong

Imagine you are entrusted with the task of organising a party celebrating the founding of a neighbourhood committee soon. What would you do if two of the big players in the locality are quarreling with one another? Would you try to patch things up before the party, or call it off altogether?

Such was the dilemma uppermost on Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s mind when he delivered his keynote address at the Asia-Pacific Roundtable in Kuala Lumpur recently.

In his speech, the prime minister expressed his misgivings over the deteriorating bilateral relationship between the two East Asian giants – China and Japan – and appeared wary of its implications for the region as a whole. (more…)

Hishamuddin Rais

Presiden Gerakan, Datuk Seri Dr Lim Keng Yaik berkata, beliau menyokong cadangan Kementerian Kesihatan membekalkan jarum suntikan dan kondom secara percuma kepada penagih dadah bagi mengelak penyebaran penyakit HIV.

(Utusan Malaysia- 6 Jun 2005)

Pergerakan Pemuda Umno Negeri Sembilan menolak cadangan Kementerian Kesihatan membekalkan jarum suntikan dan kondom percuma kepada penagih dadah mulai Oktober depan bagi mengurangkan kadar jangkitan HIV.

Ketuanya, Ir. Jamlus Aziz berkata, cadangan tersebut hanya membazirkan wang rakyat dan secara tidak langsung menggalakkan lagi penagihan dadah.

(Utusan Malaysia - 28 Rabiul Akhir 1426)

Kadar jangkitan HIV dan Aids di negara ini kini berada pada tahap membimbangkan. Ini adalah suatu hakikat yang nyata. (more…)

Leon Wing

There were so many people who’d arrived, and were now talking to her, some putting a hand on her arm or shoulder, all mouthing the same words, or almost the same ones: …so sorry about your husband/grand dad/uncle/grand uncle/father/our relation of once/twice/that many times removed. These were her children, grandchildren, relatives, friends of hers and of her dead husband, most of them somber and subdued, except for a few, mostly women, who made some keening noises, drawing attention to them (and her), which she didn’t try to curb.While she nodded, without speaking or seeming to respond to their commiserations, they imagined she must be oh so grief stricken to be almost rendered speechless. But really, she was wondering about how her hair was looking to them, and about her clothes, all starched and in only black, even the shoes and the cowl, now that every mirror in the house in which she shared with her husband of fifty years had to covered up in white paper, following some funeral tradition. (more…)

Salbiah Ahmad

June 8 is Hari Hak Asasi Mahasiswa (Undergraduates’ Rights Day).

I had nearly forgotten about June 8 until I went to the magistrates’ courts in Jalan Raja to have the bail sum released for one of the ‘ISA 7’.

The date stamped on the savings account for the bail sum of RM2,500 (per accused) was July 19, 2001. This was the date when the seven students were charged under the Police Act for illegal assembly. Under this law, the state may deem a group of three as an illegal assembly.

Magistrate Mohd Khairi Haron acquitted the students of the charge on April 22 this year. While they were charged in 2001, the hearings only began from 2003. (more…)

Lee Ban Chen

Pada penghujung bulan April 2005 yang lalu, Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi telah mengumumkan bahawa kerajaan telah memutuskan bahasa Cina dan Tamil akan diajar di sekolah kebangsaan (SK).

Oleh kerana tujuan kerajaan mengambil langkah baru tersebut ialah “bagi memperkasakan SK supaya ianya menjadi sekolah pilihan utama rakyat”, ia nescaya dikhuatiri mungkin akan “mengancam” kewujudan aliran SJKC dan SJKT jika ia merupakan langkah yang akan disusuli dengan pengubahan dasar pendidikan negara.

Seperti hujah Ketua Menteri Melaka Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam, langkah tersebut bukan saja memberi peluang kepada pelajar Melayu untuk mempelajari bahasa Cina dan Tamil, ibubapa pelajar bukan-Melayu juga tiada alasan tidak menghantar anak mereka ke SK, kerana pendidikan bahasa ibunda tidak timbul lagi.

Menurut rasional ini, tidaklah memeranjatkan jika pada suatu masa nanti ada pihak yang mendesak supaya SJKC dan SJKT dihapuskan demi perpaduan nasional kerana pelajar bukan-Melayu sudah berpeluang mempelajari bahasa ibunda mereka di SK. (more…)

Aman Rais

PAS terpaksa berubah. Parti ini tidak mempunyai pilihan lain, selain dari melakukan reformasi atau penjenamaan semula. Ia perlu dilakukan demi survival (terus wujud) parti itu.

Ini yang dilakukan oleh para perwakilan di muktamar ke-51 parti itu baru-baru ini. Barisan pemimpin dan ahli-ahli PAS berharap dengan adanya kepimpinan baru yang diterajui para professional dan ulama liberal, parti itu mampu memulihkan pengaruhnya.

Setelah kecundang dalam pilihanraya umum tahun lalu, PAS berada dalam keadaan tertekan. Lebih-lebih lagi apabila Umno begitu agresif dan proaktif untuk memenangi hati rakyat khususnya golongan muda. (more…)

Democracy is a nice concept on paper, but unfortunately it doesn’t work. And quite frankly, I don’t see how it can ever work in the real world. Because for democracy to work, we need thinking masses. And that, as history has shown us time and again, ain’t gonna happen.

The brutal truth is that the mainstream will always be blinkered with prejudices. If it’s not about religion, race, gender or social class, you can bet your freezing grandmother’s last hot water bottle that they will think of something else as a way to exclude people. That alone defeats the lofty ambitions of democracy - people simply cannot be trusted to vote for what is good for everyone involved.

And - snrkkk - liberty and equality for all? They forgot to say, “Only if you can afford it, brader”. Frankly, it’s ridiculous - what kind of fair system calls for you to be a multi-millionaire before you can even have a shot at wresting the reins of power?

(US Democratic Senator Howard Dean was, and still is, lauded by some as the best hope America never had. Unfortunately for the world, the Senator had to pull out mid-way through the political race: he didn’t have enough money. In the so-called modern democratic system, you need about US$100 million just to count a serious campaign. To keep things in perspective: amount spent by USAID to buy food for the entire country of Liberia last year? US$35 million.) (more…)

Azly Rahman : Illuminations

Happy Mother’s Day and Happy May Day! May the labours of love reign supreme.

I recall an old Malaysian radio advertisement: “May Day… May Day… I’m itching all over!” I suppose this is the predicament we all are in when we speak of the ‘mother of all issues’: culture!

Mothers give birth to babies. Babies do not know what racism means until they learn from adults. And then they become defined through institutionalised racism produced by the ideological state apparatus. The child, is the father of Man, said a sage.

Where are we at on the 50th anniversary of the national alliance? (more…)

Fathi Aris Omar : Tiada Noktah

Barisan tokoh baru dalam senarai teratas barisan pemimpin PAS pasti menarik banyak orang. Minggu-minggu ke depan kita akan menyaksikan ulasan dan harapan tentang perubahan dalam parti agama ini. Tetapi apakah benar dan serius parti ini mahu perubahan dan demokrasi?

Saya ingin mengulas kenyataan tiga tokoh PAS – presiden, ketua pemuda dan seorang tokoh muda yang dianggap berfikiran maju, Mujahid Yusuf Rawa. Ketiga-tiganya, pada hemat saya, sama ada memberikan isyarat yang bercampur-campur atau tidak benar-benar memahami demokrasi.

Kita mulakan dengan artikel Mujahid, ‘Masa depan PAS di kaca mata rakyat’ (Harakah, 1-15 Jun 2005) yang saya kira – aktivis media Melayu seperti saya – sangat menyejukkan jiwa dan membuka seluas-luasnya harapan. (more…)

Hishamuddin Rais

(It is good that Dr Mahathir has come out strongly against corruption but personally, I wish he could have done more during his over 20 years in office, such as carrying out anti-corruption campaigns to create awareness of the delibitating impact of corruption).

Dr Mahathir berkata:” Saya fikir ini satu cara nak tahan saya, nak tutup mulut saya. Apa yang saya cakap ini bukan kerana saya nak cakap tetapi kerana ada orang tanya tentang rasuah. Jadi kalau tanya, saya jawablah, kalau tidak mahu, tak usah tanya saya”.

Dr Mahathir berkata beliau sampai menangis secara terbuka dan membaca doa macam-macam, meminta (orang) supaya jangan terlibat dengan rasuah sebab ini soal nilai hidup yang mulia. (Bernama 30 Mei, 18:40 PM)

‘Saya buat macam-macam (ketika menjadi Perdana Menteri) tetapi saya tak nak ceritalah apa yang dibuat. Tidak adillah kalau nak kata saya tak buat apa-apa,” katanya pada sidang akhbar di kediamannya di Seri Kembangan semalam berhubung tulisan editor kanan The Star, Datuk Wong Chun Wai, yang disiarkan akhbar itu kelmarin. (Berita Harian 31 Mei 2005)
(more…)

Josh Hong

At a press conference held in Beijing in June 1999, a Hong Kong journalist sought the view of Zhu Rongji, then premier, in regard to the 10th anniversary of the June 4 massacre. Zhu, ever so cool and steady, uttered, ‘I have completely forgotten it.’

Needless to say, all those present were seasoned enough to not pursue the issue further.

Did the bloody incident that took place in the summer of 1989 in the heart of the Chinese capital truly escape Zhu? I think not. Most likely, he did what other leaders of the Party Central would do, that was to forcibly pluck the people from the bloody memory of the Chinese nation in the most recent past, all under the canonical principle of ‘stability above all else’.

Maurice Halbwachs, a French sociologist, stresses strongly that social processes influence not only people’s personal memories of their own lifetimes, but also a community’s shared memories of the past. To say that social processes have contributed tremendously to fostering the shared memories is hence an understatement. For a society, nation or state to continue in existence, a cautious and conscious selection of memory reins supreme. (more…)

James Wong Wing On

A keen observer of Chinese Malaysian politics Phoon Weng Keong continues his analysis on the rise and fall of MCA’s presidents since the 1980s, and compares and contrasts the party’s turbulent history with the seeming stability of Gerakan and MIC. Phoon, however, opines that MCA, despite its many problems, is still relatively more democratic than Umno. (more…)

Did you know I read that if you don’t have sex for a year, you can actually become re-virginized? Charlotte York, Sex and The City

I was back in KT recently, and bought the May issue of Forum Perdana, solely for its very arresting headline: Pulih Dara Guna Chopsticks. Loosely translated, it meant that you could become a virgin again using chopsticks, and only Bomoh Cha had the gift to re-virginise you. According to the article, he practised traditional Islamic healing, and by using chopsticks, he would not have to touch his female patients. How he treated them was not explained, my theory was that all he could do was poke a woman’s nether regions, but he did advertise his cell-phone number, which I’ll furnish at the end of this article, so you can call him and ask.

I had to buy it. I thought to myself, on how virginity is still prized in this modern world, despite the fact that it is no longer such a precious commodity to many. And in this age of STDS, HIV/AIDs, virginity and loyalty do not protect you from harm. (more…)

James Wong Wing On

For several weeks up to last weekend, the Malaysian Chinese Association’s (MCA) elections dominated space in local newspapers, in particular the Chinese-language dailies.

Contradictory impressions have emerged from the coverage. One common impression gained is that MCA is more democratic than the United Malays National Organisation (Umno) and the Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC).

Umno seems to allow procedurally freer elections at all levels of the party, while the MIC is more autocratic and paternalistic.

However, there is also an observation that MCA’s ‘internal democracy’ has been plagued by money politics, triad connections, warlord-ism, phantom members and poison-pen letters. (more…)

Aman Rais

Sekarang ini musim orang bermesyuarat dan bermuktamar. Sana sini orang Umno, MCA dan MIC berhimpun. Ahli-ahli Pas juga akan berkumpul di Kota Bharu pada 1 hingga 5 Jun ini untuk memilih saf pemimpin baru.

Begitulah adanya, sebulan dua ini hingga ke Julai nanti tiada cerita lain - kisah orang berpolitik sahaja hinggakan slot berita di TV kalau hujung minggu sarat dengan cerita mesyuarat parti. Membosankan!

Mesyuarat bahagian Umno sedang rancak diadakan. Setiap minggu kita dihidangkan dengan pelbagai retorik dari para pemimpin yang merasmikan mesyuarat berkenaan. (more…)

Pity the people who have to portray others as inferior savants in order to feel good about themselves. What must that say about their sense of worth and self-esteem, we may wonder.

And this is a sword that cuts in all directions, mind you. It applies equally to the Muslims content to live under their coconut shells while swiping away at the invisible Jewish conspiracy, as it does to those white colonial types still dreaming of the glory of empire.

It applies just as much to the Malays who clutch their precious lands so tightly to their chests while railing against phantoms wanting to steal everything away from them, as it does to those Chinese who call for parity and a rescaling of the NEP even as they continue to consciously employ methods of excluding other races from gaining access to their jealously guarded distribution networks. (more…)

Sim Kwang Yang

The small band of mud-caked near-naked young boys were tearing through the lalang and the undergrowth from the direction of the river bank, shrieking and laughing as they stumbled over one another towards the foot of the staircase of this lone kampong house.

I was alarmed by their state of unusual excitement, and moved to the doorway to investigate. Gasping for breathe, they fought among themselves for the chance to report their discovery, “Uncle, a crocodile! At the river bank!” Arms were flung apart at various lengths to indicate the size of the feared reptile.

This was a matter of grave concern indeed for the Iban communities living along the placid Stutong Rive meandering around the outskirt of Kuching City. The dozen or so adults sitting in the room behind me immediately exploded into an animate discussion. (more…)

Josh Hong

If the US voters were given a chance to recast their vote, would some of them vote differently, calling for Senator John Kerry instead of re-electing the jingoistic, bellicose George W Bush?

Since none of us is granted the divine power to turn back time, those Americans who regret having given Bush a second chance can only live with a sense of remorse that may never go away. Why?

For when the US went to polls in November last year, little did the Americans realise what a surprise Bush was prepared to give them. In March this year, the Pentagon unveiled the carefully crafted, best kept National Defense Strategy of the United States of America and, lo and behold, preemptive strike is now officially a state policy, as clearly indicated in the document.

As rightly pointed out by Jim Lobe, the Bush administration appears to be willing to bypass international bodies, such as the United Nations Security Council, and regional military structures, such as Nato, in order to secure US interests around the globe. Quite clearly, the president is still haunted by the debacle of consensus within Nato, when France and Germany decided against the war on Iraq in 2003. (more…)

I have four stories for you.

I.

She was heartbroken. As she wailed her grief out loud, a long teardrop of her saliva dangled from her mouth before it snapped and dropped to the floor.

I have prayed, begged, asked from God, that after this, He would give me peace. A happier life. Is it too much to ask for? I do not ask for wealth. I do not ask for the worldly. I just want happiness. Why do the wrong, the bad have everything?

He has forgotten me. (more…)

Aman Rais

Beberapa bahagian Umno mahu parti itu menubuhkan sebuah universiti. Kononnya untuk kepentingan pendidikan dan membela masa depan orang Melayu. Kemungkinan besar cadangan dari akar umbi Umno itu akan dibawa ke perhimpunan agung parti Julai nanti.

Jika Umno memiliki sebuah pusat pengajian tinggi, ia akan seiring dengan MCA yang kini mempunyai Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (Utar). Tetapi persoalannya sekarang, perlukan parti Melayu terbesar itu mempunyai universitinya sendiri?

Apa implikasinya nanti? Cadangan itu perlu ditimbang sehalus-halusnya kerana ia bukan semata-mata isu pendidikan, malahan akan melarat menjadi polemik politik kelak. Sebelum ini kita ada mendengar MIC mahu menaiktarafkan institusi teknikalnya di Negeri Sembilan menjadi sebuah kolej universiti, tetapi permintaanya tidak dilayan. (more…)

“Here, you guys must read this,” his message said. An e-mail I’d just got from a friend, with a Word file attached. It’s rather long, the message went on, but you really should read it. “It’s very well written and it makes a lot of sense.”

So I opened it. And recognised the first sentence right away. It was an article I had written, what, must be two years ago now. Posted into the ether and forgotten about, like all the others. It was like getting a postcard from the past.

Funny how things come back to bite you in the arse like that. And funny how good that can feel. Apparently, it’s been making the rounds anonymously, like so many attachments. Which has always been how it’s supposed to work. But - heh - doesn’t hurt to gloat once in a while, eh. Flattery, even when it’s unintended, does add a certain spring in your step. (more…)

Hishamuddin Rais

Kerajaan setuju tempoh tahanan ISA hanya 30 hari

Kerajaan pada dasarnya bersetuju dengan syor Suruhanjaya Diraja Penambahbaikan Perjalanan dan Pengurusan Polis Diraja Malaysia (PDRM) supaya tempoh tahanan Akta Keselamatan Dalam Negeri (ISA) dipendekkan kepada 30 hari berbanding 60 hari pada masa ini.

Menteri di Jabatan Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Radzi Sheikh Ahmad berkata, kerajaan merasakan tempoh itu perlu disingkatkan bagi mengurangkan kos dan kerenah birokrasi.

“Jika tahap profesionalisme polis kita tinggi untuk menjalankan siasatan dalam tempoh yang singkat, saya rasa kita tidak perlu tahan seseorang itu dalam tempoh yang terlalu lama.

“Kita sebenarnya cuba mengimbangi kehendak masyarakat yang tidak mahu seseorang itu ditahan terlalu lama selain kerajaan terpaksa berbelanja lebih terhadap tahanan itu,” katanya.

(Utusan Malaysia 18 Mei 2005) (more…)

The Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him), in the Year 11, on the 27th day of the month of Rejab, experienced a journey of a lifetime. The journey that he took is now known as Israk Mikraj ~ The Journey by Night.

After about 10 years of dakwah (missionary work), two people that were the closest to him died. They were Abu Talib, his beloved uncle and his wife, Siti Khadijah. Muhammad (pbuh) consoled himself through prayers and supplications to God.

How the Messenger prayed was like how his former predecessors prayed. The first prayer ever was performed by the prophet Adam. When he was cast out of heaven, and landed in Sarandib (Sri Lanka), he was directed by God to walk towards Mecca, and build the Ka’abah.

When that was completed, he performed thawaf, circumvating around the Kaabah seven times and prayed two rakaat. Thawaf is the practise of the malaikats – angels – that circumvate the Baitul Makmur in the seventh layer of the sky. Each action of the prayer is an ode to God, and revelling in His creations. (more…)

KJ John

I love the new advertising campaign by Telekom Malaysia to reflect her new identity. Neither are they paying me to write this piece.

The News Straits Times (NST) reported that they are spending RM9million on this re-branding exercise through their advertising campaign. On the inside of the first pull-out cover page of their advert was the picture of many Malaysians, each with their uniqueness recognised individually, personally and some professionally and the words of the advert read, ‘You are anything but a number’ in answer to their ad’s own question ‘Are you treated like a number?’

The final promise to all the readers is … ‘Time for a change’. Their promise to the nation, of change and for change, I suppose. If not to the nation, then at least to the readers of such an advertisement. (more…)