Srebrenica: Foreword by Tun Mahathir

Salam. Good greetings to my fellow Malaysians. This is the foreword written by Tun M for the book 'The Story of Srebrenica' which portrayed the situations of the town of Srebrenica during the Bosnian War (1992 - 1995) It begins.

Foreword.

1. Srebrenica, the name of a town that I can hardly pronounce, is now etched deeply into my heart. We all remember 9/11, the eleventh of September, 2001 because on that day two aircrafts crashed into the twin towers of the New York World Trade Centre. 3000 people met horrifying death. But as Srebrenica more than 13,000 Bosnian Muslims were slaughtered by the Serbs virtually in the full view of the Dutch United Nations troops stationed there to protect them.

2. The Serbs knew the horror of what they were doing, the Dutch soldiers knew the killings that were going on and the Bosniacs, the Bosnian Muslims knew they were going to to be slaughtered. It was not instantaneous death, for every one of the victims knew they would be taken out one by one for slaughter. It took time to murder individually 13,000 people, all males.

3. The Serbs were intent upon wiping out the Bosnian Muslims, the last genuine European Muslims in Europe. They, the Serbs believe they were doing the other Europeans, all Christians, a favor. Europe must be freed from Muslims. To be freed, all male Bosniacs must be killed so they may reproduce no more. The women who were left alive were to be raped. Their children would not be Muslims, tainted as they were by non-Muslim Serbian blood.

4. 13,000 Bosniacs were slaughtered at Srebrenica. Yet today the world hardly knows, and those who know hardly remember the systematic massacre in Srebrenica. The world has gone to war against the terrorists because of September 11. The world should have gone to war earlier for what the Serbs did must certainly be considered as acts of terror, deliberate and systematic acts of terror which were prolonged and sustained, acts which were carried out in full view of the world as ethnic cleansing. But the world was only mildly horrified. The world went back to making money, to watching football and to their minor bickering. And the world would have gone on this way had it not been for September 11.

5. The deaths of people should not be compared as to which is more tragic, which is more brutal. All killings, all massacres are tragic and brutal. But one cannot help comparing the response of the world to September 11 and that to Srebrenica. Is it that the deliberate and methodical killing of eventually 200,000 Bosnian Muslims less horrifying than the equally deliberate destruction of an edifice which resulted in the death of 3000 people in New York? It cannot be. But the response seems to indicate differences.

6. Certainly the response is different from the massacre of 6 million Jews almost 60 years ago. To this day the holocaust is remembered and the world is forced to atone for it by excusing all Jewish crimes against Arabs who are not guilty of even a single death in the holocaust.

7. It would seems that the world response to horror and brutalities depends on who the victims are. Malaysia hanged numerous Asian drug traffickers but when two Australian trafficker were hanged, Australia and the European world kicked up a row and called Malaysians barbarians. It does not speak much of the caring society that we are to have in these days. The caring is selective, despite all the proceedings about equality, human rights, the rule of law and democracy.

8. The story of Srebrenica needs to be told and told over and over again. For it is a story of human suffering in an age which is equipped with all the means to stop these sufferings. Nothing could have been done to stop September 11. The whole world, the authorities in the country attacked, knew nothing, certainly not precisely about the attack that was going to be launched. If they did not stop the attack, we can understand why.

9. But the ethnic cleansing by the Serbs was known and the massacre at Srebrenica was known, was witnessed in fact by the very guardians of the victims. Yet nothing was done.

10. Under ordinary criminal law, a witness to a murder, unless he is restrained, is an accessory to the crime. The world is witness to the massacre of the Bosniacs, to the slaughter of the male Bosniacs, and the world must be regarded as accessories to the crimes, that constitute ethnic cleansing by the Serbs. And because the Serbs to all intents and purposes, got away with mass murder, we are seeing mass murder as a daily feature of our modern civilisation. We are seeing in fact assassins and murderers being supplied with arms to kill people and to be protected after doing so. And the people who provide protection are being actually nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.

11. Mr. Isnam Taljic (the author of the book) has decided not to condemn the murderers of his people. I hope the readers will appreciate his generosity of heart. It is noble. Although I hold a different view, I think this novel should be read by all, so we may appreciate that despite everything, there is still Bosniacs generous enough not to vent his anger through his writings. I salute Mr. Taljic for that and I will try to be as generous as he is.

Hati

Hati. Kuat. Keras. Ego akan kekal. Selama ini. Lembut. Jujur. Setia. Hati. Lemah. Jatuh. Kesejukan mendengar kata-kata itu. Biarpun hati yang kuat. Akan jatuh bila kesejukan. Aku kejam dan angkuh. Tapi tanya hati, siapa aku sebenarnya? Aku tak mengerti. Kau tak mengerti. Aku masih begini. Kau berubah cara. Lalu apa kesudahan? Hati. Akan kekal mencari Ilahi. Ku harap hati itu juga. Siapa tahu? Ilahi itu. Yang kan menemukan hati ke hati.

Croatia Trip - Zagreb to Rostoke

I've got the chance to go to Croatia and Bosnia Herzegovina last week. The trip lasted for 8 days or so. Went there with a friend of mine and we drove around starting from Zagreb to Sarajevo with many stops and then back to Zagreb for our flight back again. When we returned the car, i checked that we drove 1813.1 km. Was a marvellous trip. An awesome start to my first European holiday. I will update full details bits by bits as now am in Cordoba, Spain so will be quite hard to dedicate my time to writing as there are plenty of wonders and cultures to see around here. Here we go ;) Day One We arrived at Zagreb Airport and straight went to Europcar office to get our booked rental car. Apparently Afiq didn't bring his credit card so we can't get the car. It sucked cause the Europcar people wasn't friendly and not very helpful. Luckily we talked to this guy named Marko, and he let us settled for a car, paying via direct debit visa card. It was convenient and turned out it was cheaper than Europcar! So I learnt, if u want to rent a car, I believe you can settle for other better deals than Europcar. While Syafiq was settling our car thing, I talked to Tamara, the lady at tourist info office who is maybe in her mid twenties. Grabbed few maps and suggestions, we drove our car to our first stop, Rostoke. We didn't know what to do but since there is this magnificient waterfall and on water village in Rostoke, we decided to go and stop there. We didn't enter Zagreb city too. It was getting darker. Night comes faster in Winter as we drive in Croatia. Was a completely different scenery than other places I visited. Not many English speaking people. Lots of Zimmer (homestay, i guess) alongside the road. We stopped for a cup of honey & lemon tea on the way to Rostoke. There was nice and small cabin besides the restoran (spelled the same as BM here), we tried asking for the rent and the lady told us it was around 100 kuna (Croatian cash, around 13 Euro) each. The cabin was lovely but it didn't has heating facility and to take bath we'll need to walk outside in the coldness to the main building. We asked for discounts but were offered free breakfast instead. If only the lady agreed to lesser prices, I would have opted to spend a night there. As we drove, we got hungry and stopped to look for bread. Stopped at a small grocery shop but no bread was found. With no English, surprisingly it was easy to ask the shopkeeper for some bread. Made a gesture (like putting some jem on a bread) and immediately he showed us a Pekara (bread shop) few shops away from his store. I bought a loaf of bread for less than a pound, homemade bread, fresh from oven, the size of a thigh. The bread lasted for quite some time. We had no idea where to sleep but we arrived at Rostoke and saw this eye-catching waterfall besides the village and straight away decided that we would sleep in our car there, besides it with the sounds of gushing waterfall becoming our lullaby for the night. And I'm glad we decided it that way. ;) *Pictures to come later too.

Tujuan Menuntut Ilmu

Salam.

Memandangkan sesi pembelajaran bagi tahun 2011/ 2012 dah hampir tiba untuk aku dan rakan-rakan yang turut serta menyambung pelajaran di United Kingdom. Maka aku rasa artikel kali ini amat bersesuaian untuk ingatan bersama, semoga niat di hati dapat dibetulkan sepanjang setahun pembelajaran ini dan seterusnya.

1. Hadith riwayat Abu Daud:

Rasulullah SAW bersabda: "Barang siapa mempelajari suatu ilmu yang seharusnya dilakukan kerana Allah SWT, tetapi ia mempelajarinya hanya untuk memperoleh harta benda dunia, maka ia tak akan mendapatkan bau harum syurga pada hari kiamat."

2. Nasihat Khusus

Dalam hadith ni terdapat perkara yang umum dan juga yang khusus. Yang khusus adalah ucapan Nabi SAW yang sangat jelas bahawa barang siapa mempelajari suatu ilmu tertentu, yang tujuan sebenarnya adalah untuk memperoleh pahala dari Allah SWT dengan menolong orang lain, namun dia mempelajarinya dengan tujuan untuk memperoleh harta keduniaan, maka Allah SWT mengharamkan atasnya harum bau syurga pada hari kiamat.

3. Nasihat Umum

Perkara yang umum pula adalah tuntutan menuntut ilmu yang dikatakan penting untuk diri. Rasulullah SAW memberi petunjuk agar menjadikan ilmu yang dituntut sebagai untuk mencari kebajikan dengan pelbagai cara yang pastinya dengan niat kerana Allah SWT. Dengan ilmu ekonomi, kita dapat membantu memperbaiki ekonomi sekaligus menaikkan taraf hidup masyarakat semasa. Dengan ilmu juga kita dapat menghiasi budi pekerti, melapangkan jalan untuk menuju kehidupan mulia serta tidak akan menjadi jahil dan tidak pula menjadi penyakit bagi orang lain. Dengan ilmu, kita dapat membantu proses pembangunan bangsa dalam pelbagai bidang, pendidikan, politik, bahasa dan lain-lain lagi.

4. Waspada dengan ilmu

Namun demikian jangan sampai jadikan ilmu sebagai alat memperdaya atau menguasai orang lain. Serta jangan pula sampai menjadi alat atau jalan untuk membanggakan diri sendiri seperti kisah berikut yang terjadi pada seorang yang berilmu:

Ketika berdiri di hadapan Allah SWT pada hari perhitungan dan ditanya, "Apa yang kamu amalkan dari ilmumu?"

Dia menjawab, "Aku gunakan untuk ini dan ini."

Lalu dijawab, "Tidak, kamu belajar agar dikatakan bahawa kamu adalah orang yang berilmu."

Kemudian kamu diperintahkan untuk masuk ke dalam Neraka Jahanam dan diharamkan ke atasnya bau harum syurga.

*Artikel ni diolah daripada buku 50 Wasiat Rasulullah SAW untuk generasi Islam karya Muhammad Ali Qutub

Undilah video banning & perception

Pete Teo twits saying they (Undilah team) haven't contact TV stations and apply for approval from Film Censorship Board [Saturday, 24-September 11, around 12pm]

Opinion

I believe Undilah video is a respectable effort made to encourage voting. At least the video is better than other stock-'voting'videos aired usually in our television in the sense of it being fun to watch, entertaining while at the same time able to educate us all. The fact that opposition leaders are in the video should not be an excuse to ban the video because the message is clear, for us to go out and exercise our rights during election.

Approval and banning status

As readers we should understand the status of the video. Moreover those who tend to criticise our government agencies upon reading news reported about the banning mostly by online newspapers.

The video has yet to be submitted to FCB (Film Censorship Board) meaning the producer or person-in-charge of the project in this case Pete Teo has yet to submit the video for approval. Hence, it cannot be aired in the television companies officially.

That is why MCMC (Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission) gave out official order not to air the Undilah video. Hence we now understand that officially and superficially, MCMC made that decision because the video is not approved by FCB. Why is it not approved yet? Because Undilah team has yet to submit their video for approval.

Media reporting: Don't believe everything you read

As readers too, we need to be aware of the style of reporting by news-reporting medium. As for example in this article by malaysiansmustknowthetruth you can see there the highlight is "The censorship board has not cleared it says Khalid Ramli, MCMC-Chief" while the other side of the story being "Pete Teo has yet to submit the video for approval is not told in the news". If this is reported then viewers and readers will understand the situation thus making the reactions especially towards MCMC different.

Meanwhile if you read in this themalaysianinsider article by its Editor, it's even biased and fail to report the news so that common people like you and I manage to understand the situation. In this article, you can read in its first paragraph how the statement is misleading when it said the video is banned "because it contains opposition figures and Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah's speech talking about Malaysia's problem". While as I've explained earlier, the video is banned due to other formality reason.

Us, making conclusions

Hence, don't hate. I've been viewing comments from many of my online friends and reading some blogs who directly and indirectly hantam MCMC because of this banning without understanding the reason behind it. This partly I believe is due to biased reporting by some of the online news-reporting medium that are currently very popular in Malaysia. Because while we can rightly ask MCMC why they made such decision, Pete Teo should be asked too as to why he did not ask for approval from FCB for the video to be aired in televisions.

So I would urge us to understand the issue and the reason behind it and at the same time keep pushing to tell the person in charge in this case MCMC, that the video is a very good effort and should be allowed to be aired.

MCMC & Pete Teo - A different way to tackle the issue

I too believe MCMC should have tackled the issue in another manner, less provoking and more accommodating manner. Since we know, Undilah has not been submitted for approval, MCMC can lead the way in approaching the video producer to get it submitted and approved by FCB. This way it can satisfy both sides and at the same time thousands and maybe millions of Malaysians watching television will be able to enjoy the message in the video.

By handling the issue this way, chances for biased-reporting can be reduced too. However having said that, the damage is already done and most people are already expressing their discontentment towards the decision by MCMC.

Yet we must admit too that should Pete Teo and his team make it easier and apply for approval from FCB, the issue can be resolved more easily. Only if upon application it is still refused due to 'having opposition leaders in it' then we should all go against the decision but since Undilah has not ask for approval, it is not right to blame MCMC on such decision.

Undilah - Conclusion and Direction

Although it is admitted the video put forward more opposition leaders compared to government leaders (due to whatever reasons we can speculate), the fact that its message is to promote voting especially among youths should be appreciated. This should be looked upon as serious and healthy competition so government leaders (if they are not satisfied by the rate of opposition leaders promotion in the video) can come up with such method and idea when it comes to promoting voting during election especially among youths. After all, most youths are getting tired of the same, old, traditional, boring, orthodox and inefficient way of reminding us on our rights to vote when election comes.

Undilah too can be good a start towards us realising and discussing our problems in Malaysia openly and for us to be more inclusive rather than exclusive when it comes to 'who can talk about Malaysia's problems'. More and more such video should be produced to further develop the idea of democracy however tolerance towards others feelings and customs should be put into consideration too.

And now there is this Undilah video, being able to entertain, educate and attract us to vote. So ask yourself this question, why make it hard for such video to be viewed and appreciated?

Keputusan, deria, merubah.

Kadang-kadang sesuatu keputusan menyentap deria kita sepantas itu sahaja.
Tanpa sempat kita berkata apa-apa, kita dikelukan.
Lalu merubah segala pengisian hati dan penghayatan hubungan.
Cuma satu keputusan itu, sudah cukup untuk menimbulkan persoalan.

1 Malaysia: Favouring the poor

SEPT 16— We have lived with the concept of 1 Malaysia since its initiation on September 16, 2010. The idea of 1 Malaysia was instilled in an effort to unite Malaysians from all races. But really, have we asked ourselves what is 1 Malaysia? What defines 1 Malaysia? I myself can never really answer this practically, referring to current situations in Malaysia. Is 1 Malaysia about multiracial Malaysians being able to sit down and eat nasi lemak, yong tau foo or tosai together? Or is it about us visiting the open houses of our friends from other races during their festivals? One can interpret 1 Malaysia that way but is that the only 1 Malaysia that we want?

Since her inception, people have been talking about unity and harmony in Malaysia. The phrase “although we are multiracial, we can still sit together harmoniously and united” is not new to us. We are told to be thankful for the Malaysia that we have. Indeed, we are. It is just that the concern here is what are the directions of 1 Malaysia? What is expected of us, the citizens, to compliment our 1 Malaysia concept? More importantly, what is expected from the government to walk the 1 Malaysia talk? Although the government managed to publicise 1 Malaysia successfully to every Malaysian, I am afraid they have yet to explain their directions in accommodating the concept.

Government policies especially during Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s time were said to favour the Malays and the Bumiputera Malaysians. I myself am one of the beneficiaries to such policies and I am thankful to the government. Without those policies it will be almost impossible for me to afford a place in a reputable university in United Kingdom. I believe many of us, Bumiputera Malaysians, too feel the same and are thankful. The policies enforced during the era of Dr Mahathir were to help the majority of the poor and at that time, it helped improve the lot of the Bumiputeras. Indeed, the majority of the poor were Bumiputera Malaysians.

From such policies the number of middle-class Bumiputeras increased and their socio-economic background improved too. However, in the spirit of 1 Malaysia, this question needs to be asked: what about our fellow Malaysians of other races who are financially restricted too? Not all non-Bumiputera Malaysians are well off and not all Bumiputera Malaysians are impecunious.

When I was in school I have good and close Chinese and Indian friends. We studied and “lepak-ed” together. Alhamdulillah, when our SPM result came out we did well in and scored distinctions. We talked about what we wanted to do after SPM and started applying for various courses. While I got offers from a matriculation college and a public university, some of them were only offered Sixth Form education, not even a place in our public universities. May I remind you that these friends of mine do not come from silk-stocking families. They, like me, could not afford to pay for private universities, which left them no choice but to continue in Form Six. On the other hand, we have too in Malaysia the Malays and Bumiputera Malaysians who are rich enough to afford private education but were offered places in our public universities. This situation leaves the system abused by some people in power, reaping the benefit provided in the name of being a Bumiputera while those who really need the support do not get it.

I praised a few of my Malay friends who despite being Bumiputeras refused to apply for government scholarships. When asked why, they simply said the scholarships are to help the poor and they can afford to pay, so why should they apply for something not theirs in the first place? Hence from there I realised that it is our responsibility as citizens not to abuse the assistance we are getting from government policies. Yet at the same time, it is the function of our government to introduce policies to best help Malaysians who are in need regardless of race, religion or whatever differences we have.

Poverty is colour blind is a reality anywhere in the world, not only in Malaysia. It is a problem affecting people from any race and any religion. A policy such as the NEP did help a majority of Bumiputeras, giving us a break by assisting us financially and giving us hope to achieve better lives. Yet, there are people who abuse and use their Bumiputera status for their own personal advantage.

Hence, now under the concept of 1 Malaysia, this is the right moment and time for the government to rethink and redesign government policies to really include the poor non-Bumiputera Malaysians too. If our policies can be designed to help the poor regardless of their race, I believe everyone who is qualified can benefit. However the government needs to be clear and firm in such a decision to reformulate its administration in favour of the poor over the Bumiputera status. If this can be done, it will be a new transformation and direction for our 1 Malaysia concept. After all, if this is achieved, the poor among the Bumiputeras can still gain while giving the same fair chance to the impoverished non-Bumiputera Malaysians too.

This article came out in TheMalaysianInsider here as well.

Salam ;)

Teaching in Malaysia - Why is Teaching not a dream job in Malaysia

JUNE 14 — We realise that we live in a capitalistic world. The same goes for Malaysia. Where almost everything is judged according to its monetary value. If asked, not many will say they are doing or studying what they want because they love it. Instead, they are studying topics or subjects that can give them the assurance of a good life in the future. And in a capitalistic society, a good life is commonly measured according to its monetary value and worldly possessions.

I am a simple youth, studying to become a teacher as how both of my parents did in their time. However, if you were to ask me, how can we make teaching a dream job in Malaysia? The answer is simple. Raise teachers’ wages. Add up the monetary value of this profession and give extra bonus for teachers. If this is done, the reputation of this profession will rise too, thus making it the dream job of many students.

However, please do not misunderstand my statement. I do not mean to ask the government to raise the income of more than 300, 000 teachers in Malaysia. Even now the government is already spending most of its revenue on education. What I meant was to successfully raise the income and give bonus to good teachers. In short, favour meritocracy in the teaching profession and reward the teachers who are teaching wonderfully despite of their age.

The teaching profession has always favoured seniority. As time passes, teachers will definitely get more salary. The percentage to be promoted too will get higher as the teacher grows older. This, however, does not attract the youths, especially those who are motivated and willing to go the extra mile. What is the point of doing extra work when you know you are not reaping any benefit? Well, you still need to wait between three and five years before getting the ‘eligible’ status to move up on the income ladder.

Hence, the youths with potential are deterred by this situation. So, to prevent this, the teaching profession should favour meritocracy over seniority to provide good, motivated and passionate young teachers the chance to be promoted too. If this is the reality, then this profession will be like a competition. A competition between teachers to be better than others in their teaching style, thus producing more good and able teachers who are committed to be the best. This will also prevent the kind of teachers who prefer to be ‘content’ and ‘stagnant’ in doing their jobs from getting a higher status. Such teachers cannot and should not have a bright future in our education system.

Then the question arises, how do we know if the teacher is doing a wonderful job? Please do not misunderstand a wonderful job with a score of multiple As. If this is the case, then we are not in any way helping our education system. I have experienced incidences where teachers are rewarded according to their final class results. More As will get them more bonus.

Oftentimes, such a system will either neglect the less-capable students in the scoring exam or lead to a conspiracy between teachers and students. How? It is easy. The teacher can always provide the students with a glimpse of what is to come in their big examination. After all, the teachers themselves set the questions. This will provide leverage for teachers who are elected to become a member of the board who set the questions.

When I was in school, we had a few teachers who were members of such a board and their classes always scored good marks in examinations. So I realised measuring academic excellence should involve more than just a score of straight As.

Thus measuring whether a teacher has done a good job should not only include academic achievements but also students’ development of soft-skills, intercultural understanding and their value of the world we live in. So that we will realise our existence in this world is not to gather more worldly possessions but instead to appreciate our family, friends, the individuals who surround us, nature and also ourselves more.

In short, it is for us to make good of the life that we have.

This is not an easy topic to debate. It is a matter of the future of Malaysia. Almost everything lies in education. A good country must have an excellent education system to be good. This article is also not a criticism of senior teachers.

As taught by my parents, I have always respected the importance of senior teachers and their experience as well as the need for them to guide young teachers by sharing their invaluable lessons with us.

However, let our education system be one of a kind, where not only seniority is valued but meritocracy is also celebrated indistinctively.

* Mohd Faiez Mohd Ali reads The Malaysian Insider.

* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication. The Malaysian Insider does not endorse the view unless specified.

(For this article at TheMalaysianInsider please visit this dot)

Peranan Belia dan NGO dalam sistem pendidikan Malaysia

1. Sistem akademik di Malaysia berpandu kepada peperiksaan ataupun 'exam-oriented'

2. Rata-rata kita terutamanya remaja dan anak muda tidak bersetuju dengan sistem yang sedia ada.

3. Mereka memberikan alasan pelajar ditekan untuk belajar dan hasilnya adalah pelajar umpama 'robot' yang hanya cemerlang dibidang akademik tetapi lemah dari segi lain.

4. Ada juga yang mengatakan bahawa sistem yang ada tidak menguntungkan para pelajar yang lemah dari segi akademik lalu mereka terus tersisih.

5. Saya setuju dengan kesemua kenyataan diatas tetapi bagi saya buat masa ini sistem yang sedia ada sudah cukup memadai untuk pendidikan dinegara kita.

6. Tetapi peranan guru dan NGO perlu dipertingkat dan diperluaskan lagi.

7. Selain daripada mengajar ilmu dikelas, para guru juga perlu memerhati, menilai dan cuba mencungkil bakat para pelajar serta mengarahkan perjalanan mereka kearah yang mereka mahir.

8. Saya ambil contoh seorang rakan yang merupakan guru berpengalaman bercerita kisah pelajarnya yang pemalu didalam kelas tetapi setelah dinilai dan diperhati sebenarnya dia mempunyai bakat tersendiri dari segi penghasilan video, montaj dan media artwork. Lalu bakat pelajar tersebut dicungkil apabila dia diarah membantu produksi teater dari segi media, video dan montaj. Ternyata bakatnya hebat sehinggakan video montaj yang dihasilkannya masih digunakan di SMK Munshi Abdullah sehingga masa kini. Dia sekarang menuntut di universiti di bidang yang diminati dan dia mahir.

9. Seterusnya peranan NGO terutamanya belia patut diperluaskan. Ambil contoh Projek Kalsom dan Teach for Malaysia.

10. Projek Kalsom ataupun kem motivasi pelajar yang disertakan dengan bengkel kerjaya, maklumat bidang-bidang ijazah dan pemantapan bahasa inggeris diterapkan dikalangan pelajar-pelajar susah. Projek ini merupakan gerakan dan inisiatif daripada pelajar universiti sendiri.

11. Begitu juga Teach for Malaysia dimana mahasiswa-mahasiswa dari luar negara pelbagai bidang boleh diserap masuk untuk program mengajar disekolah-sekolah kerajaan selama dua tahun.

12. Selain itu, pemantapan dan bengkel kemahiran seperti silap mata, teater, seni lukis serta musik boleh dijalankan dan dibantu oleh mereka-mereka yang berkemahiran dan diberikan secara percuma buat adik-adik dari keluarga susah.

13. Sekiranya NGO, belia dan guru-guru dapat memainkan peranan ini nescaya lompong-lompong didalam sistem pendidikan kita dapat diisi.

14. Lalu anda bagaimana? Apakah yang telah anda lakukan untuk menyumbang kepada sistem pendidikan dan anak bangsa kita?

15. Atau anda sekadar bercakap dan menuding jari tanpa melakukan apa-apa inisiatif secara sendiri?

16. "Some people want it to happen, some people wish it would happen, others make it happen" (Michael Jordan)

Salam dan selamat,
Reverie Malaya ;)

(Tak salah kalau bermimpi)

Konsep politik di Malaysia

Salam.

Daripada apa yang aku amati, politik di Malaysia kadang-kadangnya terlalu kearah kepartian. Yang mana terdapat golongan-golongan yang terlalu taksub terhadap parti masing-masing. Kalau tak, takkan lah sampai keluar isu masjid hijau dan masjid merah. Bagi yang hijau, ada yang mengatakan merah kafir. Bagi yang merah, ada yang mengatakan hijau sesat.

Daripada yang aku fahami, perselisihan pendapat dan salah faham adalah lumrah manusia. Boleh baca entri ini. Walaupun ada antara perkara lalu yang pernah disebutkan penulis yang mana aku tak setujui. Tetapi bagi aku entri yang ditulis ini amat bermakna dan berkesan.

Manusia tak boleh lari dari berselisih pendapat. Sedangkan antara sahabar besar Rasulullah saw, Ali as dan Muawiyah as juga pernah berselisih faham sehingga terjadinya episod peperangan yang diratapi oleh semua Muslim. Tetapi tetap tidak hilang hormat antara kedua sahabat besar Rasulullah itu.

Lalu apa yang boleh kita pelajari daripada peperangan antara Ali as dan Muawiyah as itu? Iaitu perbezaan pendapat adalah perkara lumrah tetapi ia juga merupakan ujian bagi kita. Sama ada kita mahu mengambil kebaikan ataupun keburukan daripada perselisihan pendapat itu.

Konflik dan berlainan pendapat merupakan satu petanda yang baik dimana idea yang ada mungkin dapat diperbaiki akibat daripada teguran orang lain. Hari ini, kita kena faham negara ditadbir oleh manusia dan manusia takkan lari daripada kesilapan. Justeru, memang terdapat kepincangan dalam pentadbiran negara. Dan disinilah terletaknya peranan parti-parti lain tak kiralah sama ada parti komponen atau perti pembangkang, untuk menasihati dan menunjukkan salah dan silap itu.

Tapi yang aku tengok lain, jika dia berbaju merah, cerita-cerita yang keluar pasti berkaitan keburukan hijau. Malah ada yang sampai keji mengkeji dan menghina ulama. Tak kurang juga yang berbaju hijau. Bila tengok ulama bercakap dipihak kerajaan terus dilabel ulama merah. Begitu juga ulama dan golongan professional. Kadang-kadang aku naik pening bila keluar statement-statement yang bercanggah antara satu sama lain daripada dua golongan yang tak kurang hebat ilmu agama masing-masing.

Bagi aku bila berpolitik biarlah berpaksi kepada keadilan dan perkara yang benar. Yang merah pasti ada kekurangan, tak kurang juga yang hijau. Maka baiki-memperbaiki antara satu sama lain.

Mungkin aku delusional, tetapi aku impikan satu keadaan dimana hijau dan merah boleh bekerjasama demi memartabatkan pelaksanaan Islam dan menaikkan reputasi Malaysia di peringkat dunia.

Dan janganlah kita lupa, syaitan selalu bersedia untuk mencari peluang membangkitkan permusuhan daripada salah faham sesama Muslim. Maka yang terbaik bagi aku ialah apabila kita dapat duduk sama berdebat berkenaan masalah dan sama-sama mencari penyelesaian.

Begitu juga dalam soal melabel puak masing-masing. Hari ini, janganlah kerana satu kelemahan, ditutup semua kebaikan yang dilaksanakan oleh sesuatu individu atau puak itu. Dan janganlah sentiasa beranggapan yang satu puak ni selalu betul saja.

Utamakan perpaduan, tolak ketaksuban politik kepartian. (Boleh jadi tagline political speech tak? ;p)

Selamat.

*Nak promote dua bacaan ni yang mana aku rasa bermesej dan berkesan juga: Blog A dan Blog B

Bringing Spanish Culture out of Spain!

Spanish band performance

Ibiza beaches style Lepak!

F1 Store

Sepak-sepak, dapat masuk nama dalam Top Scorer! haha

Paella. Nasi goreng ala Spanish

Orchestra main lagu Spanish

En. Amar Najib try score goal

Cups: Spanish La Liga & European Champions League

Cups: World Cup and Euro Cup 2008

I managed to attend the Spanish fiesta just now at Regent Street, London. It's quite a famous street for shopping with many designer boutiques alongside the road, and they close the road for Spanish Fiesta. It's super awesome! ;)

The World Cup's Cup is there because Spain won the last World Cup. Dapat tengok World Cup, Champions League Cup, Euro Cup. Dapat try Spanish food, taster. Entah apa nama, aku tak tahu. Aku rembat je, asal halal, jeruk Jalapeno pun ada. Boleh ambil gambar with the World Cup sebenarnya, tapi nak beratur punya panjang. Aku pass je la. Ambil gambar dari jauh saja.

Style karnival ini adalah street carnival. Sepanjang jalan, dia buka booth melambangkan tempat-tempat di Spain. Contoh tempat Real madrid they put Football Cups, Champions League and buat aktiviti shooting bola. Those yang dapat score more than 200 points dapat masuk top scorer. Nak score point byk, kena sepak bola kat penjuru gol. It's more or less like dart board game, dapat shoot tempat yang susah, dapat extra point. We tried twice and I managed to get into the scoreboard. Bangga, satu-satunya nama Melayu kat scoreboard. haha. ;p

Ada tempat dia buat macam beach style, to symbolise Ibiza. Other activities like basketball shooting, persembahan kuda, orchestra and band performance pun ada. It was fun and a very new and refreshing idea for me. Biasanya orang buat karnival dekat tempat dia and ajak orang datang to their country. But for Spain, they brought out their interesting places out of Spain to Regent Street, London which is a very cool tourism promotion thing for me. And they give out free stuffs too, termasuk free food, drinks, Spanish beer and others. Berbaloi juga jalan hujan-hujan, dapat baju Spanish selai.

Apa rasanya if Malaysia buat benda yang sama. If tak dapat London, kat Indonesia dahulu pun boleh. ;)

Jenama Islam: Ayam KFC atau Ayam Radix?

Lupakan jenama. Aku naik muak dengan senario jemaah Islam di Malaysia termasuk bagi komuniti Malaysia di United Kingdom. Ilmu berkaitan Islam aku cetek, ya. Tapi secara rasionalnya apa yang berlaku boleh memberikan tanggapan buruk orang terhadap Islam itu sendiri.

Muslim mana yang tak mahukan pelaksanaan Negara Islam mengikut utopia idaman semua Muslim dimana keadilan, kebajikan terjaga. Serta mudah untuk menjaga iman. Itu yang paling dimahukan dengan sistem Islam kerana sistem yang ada sekarang ini amat sukar bagi seseorang Muslim untuk menjaga imannya. Tapi kita perlu realistik.

Baru aku terpanggil untuk membaca satu status berkaitan isu 'daurah islamiyah' di newsfeed facebook aku. Dan status itu telah menunjukkan aku kepada status asal oleh seorang pemimpin gerakan Islam diMalaysia, gerakan yang agak popular dikalangan mahasiswa UK juga. Antara artikel yang diisukan adalah artikel oleh Dr. Asri berkaitan isu terma Daulah islamiyah yang disiarkan di MalaysiaKini. Klik sini untuk artikel.

Rasa terkilan pula bila tengok seorang Ustaz, pemimpin gerakan Islam diMalaysia mempertikaikan kewibawaan Dr Asri dengan ungkapan yang tak melambangkan tahap intellektual beliau. Ungkapan "Boleh pakai ke dia tu?" aku boleh bayang mana-mana Mat Rempit guna untuk chia-chia yang mereka bualkan bersama, tapi tak sangka seorang Ustaz, pemimpin besar macam tu pun turut sama mengistilahkan ungkapan sedemikian tanpa justifikasi yang memuaskan nafsu akal aku.

Tak ada masalah dalam mempertikaikan kewibawaan seseorang. Kalau tak tahu, tak setuju, tanya dan pertikaikanlah. Tapi at least kena bagi justifikasi mengapa. Baru betul, baru adil. Tak boleh juga nak kritik masakan orang, kata tak sedap. Bila orang tanya kenapa tak sedap, cakap la, kurang gula ke, terlalu pedas ke, baru tukang masaknya boleh perbaiki. Setakat nak kondem, budak baru belajar cakap pun boleh, ye dok mung?

Dan lepas tu perbalah soal istilah daurah islamiyah. Apa ke benda nya itu? Biar aku beri analogi, ayam KFC, biarpun ditukar nama menjadi Ayam Radix, bila orang rasa, mereka tetap tau itu Ayam KFC kerana rasanya. Begitu juga soal negara Islam. Letaklah Malaysia sebagai negara Islam contoh didunia contohnya, pasti akan ada orang mempertikaikan Malaysia kerana ciri-ciri yang ada di Malaysia langsung tak menunjukkan ciri Islamik.

Maka, daripada ustaz-ustaz dok berbalah soal terma daurah islamiyah atau negara Islam atau negara berkebajikan dihadapan khalayak ramai via facebook, perutusan rasmi, video dan lain-lain lagi sehingga mengelirukan golongan yang kurang arif tentang agama seperti aku ni sampaikan ada yang hilang kepercayaan dan berasa kecewa dengan kepimpinan ustaz-ustaz seperti ini, bukankah lebh baik diperdebatkan dan dihuraikan soal pelaksanaan negara Islam, ciri-ciri, contoh yang ada, kekurangan mana yang boleh diperbaiki dan seumpamanya. Seterusnya dikupaskan kepada orang muda seperti aku. Pasti ramai yang tertarik. Kemudian boleh juga buka soal jawab intelektual, baru bercambah ilmu. Jangan pula kata, kata-kata ustaz tak boleh dipersoalkan.

Janganlah sampai orang naik muak. Balik-balik golongan macam itu yang jadi pemimpin gerakan Islam di Malaysia. Siapa nak sokong kalau bukan yang berpemikiran ortodoks seperti mereka?

Bila buka TED, South Africa pun dah mula cakap soal investment in South Africa, Afghanistan sudah bercakap soal ekonomi di Afghanistan, isu-isu kemanusiaan, kebajikan, kemiskinan, development in technology dan macam-maca lagi. Tapi kat Malaysia, orang Islam dok berbalah soal nak buh nama produk ayam KFC atau ayam Radix?

Mati akal,
Reverie Malaya

Talk Poem: What is the similarity between a 5-footed cow and the reason RON97 price keeps on increasing?

It is actually very hard to comprehend the reasons thrown to our faces by the popular media,
although popular is now commonly and popularly misunderstood by as many people as the majority of citizens,
Who would nod if he was told that a cow has 5 feet?
Well, unless the person has never seen a cow before.

You see, there is this distinction of the old and young generation
and the common philosophy of the young opposing the old, and being right in doing so
We just need to realise who are we, if we can be defined with the word young or old?
A lot of people measure oldness with the number of wrinkles,
It can't be right, ain't it?

Many people are tiring, getting tired or already are,
and this includes me
There's not many things to go for, I mean what is the point of jumping in the competition,
Where the best you can win is a toy candy?
Not only it is a toy, but it's also a candy!

It does not matter which side we stand for, be it the right or the left side of the river bank.
Because all they do is prevent water from flowing.
But we know, at least those who learnt basic science,
that water fulfill all shapes and thus will keep on flowing until they are stopped
The question now is, how are they stopped?

Is it by throwing reasons all over again that we already know are artificial?
Or maybe by making us addicted to the toy candy, by giving value to them.
Perhaps we just stop being water?
In the end, anyone can believe a cow has 5 feet,
If he or she has a reason to believe in it.

Honestly,
Reverie Malaya

When I talked to my friends about girls, I seldom want to write this non-poetic poem

At many times, it's hard to really comprehend the way a girl think or feel.
They can say they are feeling cold but it means they are getting hot.
I mean a guy needs to really consider all options and answer possibilities when he has to answer a question as simple as "Do you want to eat a burger or a sausage?"
Now you think, what more will it take for that guy to answer the question of "When do you want to marry me?"
So, the point here is girl's thoughts and feelings are complicated.

But that's not the point. You see, the point can't always be about girls.
It is about guys too...
right?
So, many guys do love their women, really.
And as many guys want to see and make their women happy too.
However, a girl usually cannot take this understanding and locate it into her common sense.

When a guy stays with his friend, it does not mean he ignores you because he hates you.
And also please do not take it in a way that the guy likes to hang out with their friends more than hanging out with you.
It is to be understood, that unfair is a very simple, plain and meaningless word to be used when a girl ask if the guy likes to hang out with their friends more than with her. Because guys can not answer such statement.
You can not compare a cup of coffee to a can of coke.
While a can of coke offers you the joy and thrill of coolness during a sunny day, the cup of coffee gives you the feeling of elegance and warmth in your morning sip.

Hence people ask the question,
And many tried to provide answer to 'THE' question.
How to understand girls?
You can not. Simply.
How can you explain why the cloud is blue?

So what we can actually do is to write alphabets forming words.
Words creating sentences, sentences constructing paragraphs.
And paragraphs explaining nothing,
like this one.
Just to show that this nothing,
actually means a thing.

And if you read this until you arrive to this last paragraph of non-poem,
Could you please tell me, which one do you think symbolises a woman?
A can of coke or a cup of coffee?

-Peace out-

Sketsa dunia politik

Kalau politik boleh dpentaskan, pasti akan ada:

Terlalu banyak konflik, hidup laju entah hendak ke mana, permusuhan tanpa pengakhiran, pembunuhan dan tikam belakang kawan.

Terlalu banyak cium bontot, jadi puppet, dua muka, senyum plastik, hati hitam, masam muka, hidung tinggi dan besar kepala.

Sudah semakin susah untuk mencari kejujuran dalam politik.

Lagi baik kita hayati lagu ini. Salam!

Berita Hairan - Rider fixed-gear bicycle menggadai nyawa

Rujuk link artikel ini ---> X

Aku nak kupas sikit dari dua segi. Pertama segi penulisan, dan kedua segi pelaksanaan.

Untuk penulisan. Apa kata, daripada di kondem anak muda yang berbasikal didalam surat khabar nombor satu diMalaysia, kan lebih elok kalau ditulis dengan cara untuk create awareness of the new trend. So that government and local authorities will do something about it. Contohnya, kau tulis tentang sejarah, trend fixie sedikit and then give suggestion how can government help to make bicycle riding more safe in Kuala Lumpur. Or perhaps give some examples of cities yang ada implement such thing. Will be a much better article, ye dok?

Untuk pelaksanaan. Kan lebih elok daripada dikondem, dibiarkan masuk berita hairan dan rancangan 999, lebih baik dibuat projek circuit berbasikal seluruh bandar Kuala Lumpur ke, hari berbasikal sekuala lumpur ke. Atau apa-apa projek yang bicycle-related. Jadikan ianya bandar yang bicycle friendly. Bagi aku it's much better for them to cycle daripada merempit. A new trend that is to be celebrated and not condemned.

Make the city more community and socially friendly. Then reduce the number of vehicles on the road. Cuba ikut macam ex-mayor Enrique Penalosa ni. Macam mana dia boleh tukar his 'drug-city' into something different. Cerita about bandar Bogota, Colombia sepatutnya ditulis dan dikaitkan sekiranya journalist nak cakap pasal transportation sistem. Bukan quote cakap abang hampir langgar adik-adik berbasikal tengah malam sahaja.

I know that the article written is true in many sense. Aku sendiri kadang-kadang menyumpah kalau jenis rider yang tak tengok kiri kanan, kita pula nak kena perhati dia. But the article that she wrote, doesn't offer any solution at all. It's an article to condemn and buat controversy. And I believe, there are much better way to write the article from another angle. But what to expect from Berita Hairan, kan?

Inilah akibatnya kalau jadi journalist tapi tak rajin membaca, aku rasa.

Salam

Projek Kalsom 17 - Pendaftaran dibuka!

Baru aku sedar yang kita selalunya perlukan suatu dunia yang lain supaya kita boleh terus kekal waras dan committed dalam dunia ini.

By the way, application to become facilitators for Projek Kalsom 17 has open. Please check out www.projek-kalsom.com for information and to apply, pergi dekat 'information' and then click 'join us'.

Hope to see you there this summer in another wonderful and unforgetable chapter of Projek Kalsom - the 17th Edition.

;)

Pertemuan, perpisahan & pengakhiran

Memang kita ditemukan untuk melalui perpisahan,

Kerna dengan perpisahan itu terasa manisnya pertemuan.

Memang perjalanan kita ini untuk ditemukan penghujungnya,

Kerna dengan penamatan itu terasa makna perjalanan.

Semoga kau dan aku saling melengkapi, mengingatkan,

Agar pengakhiran kita nanti hanya yang indah-indah belaka.

Sejujurnya milikmu,

Pemimpi disiang hari

Politik Malaysia dan kematangan!

a) Isu video seks memang tak sepatutnya menjadi agenda dan perkara highlight utama di Malaysia. Terdapat lebih banyak lagi isu-isu kebajikan, rakyat dan pendidikan yang lebih penting dan perlu dikehadapankan. Ini aku setuju.

b) Namun kita perlu faham dan lihat situasi ini daripada kedua-dua pihak. Bagi aku apabila pihak yang satu bermain soal isu moraliti, maka adalah adil apabila dia turut terkena isu moraliti. Tatkala kredibiliti kepimpinan PM Najib dipersoalkan kerana kes Atlantuya dan juga pemimpin-pemimpin BN lain, maka adalah tidak pelik apabila kes liwat, seks dan sebagainya turut dimainkan oleh BN untuk pembangkang.

c) Soal moraliti tak layak disentuh pembangkang kerana mereka turut mempermainkan isu moraliti apabila mempunyai peluang. Jika berani meludah kelangit, kena sedia untuk terkena batang hidung sendiri.

d) Bukan soal politik atau ahli politik. Politik satu dunia beraruskan seperti ini dimana isu moraliti dimainkan. Yang penting adalah pembaca, pengundi dan rakyat mematangkan fikiran, menapis hujah2 kedua pihak dan membuat pertimbangan melalui rasionaliti dan bukti-bukti yang ada. Politik tidak akan matang, tetapi kita perlu!

e) Kredibiliti pihak polis dipersoalkan. Kredibiliti mahkamah direndahkan. Kredibiliti media dipijak-pijakkan. Jadi disini nak dengar cakap siapa? Cakap mereka saja?

f) Media dibayar kerajaan pasti mengutamakan kerajaan. Begitu juga media dibiayai pembangkang pasti mengutamakan pembangkang. Ini lumrah! Siapa bayar, dia dapat nama. Akhbar keadilan, harakah dsbnya, pasti menyokong pembangkang dan menjalankan agenda pembangkang. Ini bukan perkara baru! Usah dijadikan isu.

g) Yang lebih penting bagi aku adalah kemakmuran beragama dan keamanan berpenduduk. Dan ini masih ada didalam negara. Kepincangan rasuah, pengurusan yang teruk pasti perlu diperbaiki, jika tidak kerajaan akan jatuh lambat laun. Cuma buat masa ini, biarlah memilih yang dapat memberi keamanan dan kemakmuran beragama. Yang penting bukan racial chauvinist yang bersejarahkan parti diktator PAP!

h) Jangan kerana lembu dan kambing bergaduh, babi dapat buat kandang!

Selamat.

Mempersoalkan dunia.

Manusia dilahirkan dengan akal, nafsu dan emosi. Setiap satu melengkapi antara satu sama lain. Tanpa nafsu dan emosi tiada kegembiraan dan motivasi dalam kehidupan sehari-hari. Tanpa akal, maka manusia akan tiada daya untuk menjadi progresif dan kreatif dalam hidup.

Semua ini ketentuan Allah, apa yang diberikan oleh Allah adalah berdasarkan apa yang terbaik untuk kita.

Banyak daripada kita sering mempersoalkan banyak perkara-perkara secara rambang. Ini tidak salah, memang akal dijadikan untuk menafsir kehidupan dan nafsu dijadikan untuk motivasi dan ghairah manusia dalam mencari kebenaran serta emosi untuk mendekatkan diri secara emosional dengan Allah.

Tapi kita perlu faham satu benda, apa yang kita sangkakan terbaik, tak semestinya terbaik untuk kita.

Pernah aku terdengar persoalan daripada seorang rakan yang agak rapat, mengapa tuhan menjadikan kita dengan emosi? Atau mengapa Islam membenarkan perang untuk menyebarkan ugama.

Jujur, aku gagal menemui jawapan yang memuaskan hati aku bagi persoalan-persoalan ini sejak beberapa lama berfikir. Bukan aku nak jawab kepada kawan aku, tidak. Sekadar untuk pemahaman dan kepuasan diri, betul juga apa yang ditanyanya.

Kemudian suatu hari aku menemui jawapan yang dicari-cari dan memuaskan hati aku. Seorang syeikh ketika program talk di Warwick University oleh Warwick ISOC berkata kepada aku setelah aku tanyakan kepadanya soalan mengenai perang dan islam itu.

Antara poin-poin penting dalam perbincangan aku dan dia adalah seperti berikut. Perang dijadikan oleh Allah sebagai satu naluri dalam ciri manusia. Sejak dahulu lagi manusia telah berperang dan sebagainya atas sebab penciptaan nafsu, emosi dan sebagainya. Antara perang terbanyak yang meragut nyawa manusia bukanlah peperangan disebabkan agama tetapi perang sekularisme iaitu Perang dunia pertama dan kedua, perang untuk kekuasaan, ekonomi dan dsbnya yang meragut beratus juta nyawa dalam siri peperangan yang hanya memakan masa beberapa tahun. Didalam Quran juga disebut oleh Allah untuk memerangi musuh-musuh yang menjatuhkan Islam, bukan memerangi orang bukan Islam tetapi memerangi 'musuh-musuh' Islam. Jadi hari ini, keputusan untuk membenarkan perang, adakah ianya milik manusia atau pun hak milik Pencipta manusia?

Apa yang aku dapat fahami ialah, terdapat perkara yang memang dijadikan oleh Allah untuk manusia sebagai ujian, sebagai peluang dan lain-lain. Tertakluk didalam tanggungjawab kita untuk menggunakannya berdasarkan keredhaan dan ketentuan Allah.

Sekiranya kita mahu mempersoalkan semua perkara didalam dunia, memang bermacam persoalan boleh diajukan. Tapi jawapan apakah yang kita harapkan untuk persoalan-persoalan kita? Lebih baik kita tanya, kenapa Adam diturunkan dari syurga sekaligus membawa seluruh bangsa manusia kemuka bumi ini? Kan lebih baik sekiranya manusia dicipta untuk hidup didalam syurga dan berzikir kepada Allah? Tetapi bagi aku, segala keputusan oleh Allah ada hikmahnya. Bukanlah untuk kita manusia mempersoalkan keputusan-keputusan sebegini sehingga ketahap ekstrim dan menggoyahkan akidah, kerana jika ia pun, tiada jawapan yang dapat kita harapkan selain dengan ilham daripada Allah.

Dan segala persoalan dan pemikiran ini sepatutnya akan lebih mendekatkan diri kita dengan Pencipta dan menyedarkan kita betapa kerdilnya pemahaman dan kekuatan yang ada dalam diri ini jika dibandingkan dengan kekuasaan Allah, insyAllah.

Wallah'ualam.

The danger of a welfare state!

1) Sejak beberapa tahun lepas, slogan negara kebajikan semakin didengari oleh pihak pembangkang.

2) Memang rata-rata atau ramai orang akan bersetuju dengan konsep negara kebajikan. Siapa tak mahu barang percuma atau barang murah ye dok?

3) Jadi konsep negara kebajikan adalah merupakan satu konsep yang populis bagi meraih undi rata-rata masyarakat.

4) Namun bagi yang melihat kepada perspektif yang lebih besar, kita akan sedar keburukan konsep negara kebajikan dimana bagi aku, keburukannya adalah lebih daripada kebaikan.

5) Satu analogi yang aku boleh berikan, sekiranya ada 2 kedai menjual nasi lemak dikawasan yang sama tetapi gerai A jual dengan harga Rm1 sebungkus dan gerai B dengan harga Rm0.50 sebungkus. Apakah perbezaan yang kau dapat agak daripada kualiti, kuantiti atau servis kedua-dua kedai?

6) Kawan aku kata, "Persoalkan kenapa barang itu murah dahulu daripada mempersoalkan barang yang mahal kerana kita faham mahal itu mungkin resources yang mahal, nak untung lebih dsbnya. Tetapi murah itu mungkin disebabkan kualiti yang teruk, side-effect yang lebih dan sebagainya."

7) Ambil contoh 'Great' Britain, negara yang kebajikannya agak kuat, namun masalah sosial seperti minum, teenage pregnancy, drugs abuse dan sebagainya disebabkan bantuan sosial yang diberikan oleh kerajaan mereka. Siapa nak kerja kerana bila kerja kau kena tax tinggi tapi kalau homeless, dapat duit setiap bulan, boleh buat beli booze. Buat sex, dapat anak dapat extra benefit lagi.

8) Walaupun PLUS charge harga tol, tetapi kualiti servis yang diberikan adalah baik. Sekiranya kenderaan kau rosak, setiap beberapa km ada booth untuk telefon PLUS, sekiranya penat sepanjang perjalanan ada R&R yang beroperasi 24 jam. Kalau percuma, agak-agak boleh dapat? Servis di UK punya highway pun tak sebaik servis di Malaysia.

9) Cuma kerajaan perlu bertindak kearah maintaining the current price of Tol dan janganlah melampau-lampau naikkan harga termasuk komoditi-komoditi keperluan rakyat yang lain. Biar adil.

10) Subsidi minyak dimana Ron95 telah distabilkan harga adalah satu langkah permulaan oleh kerajaan kearah keputusan yang lebih bijak dan bermanfaat bagi kerajaan dan rakyat dimasa hadapan.

11) Tak adil kita nak bandingkan Malaysia dengan negara-negara seperti di Timur Tengah, atau negara-negara dunia ketiga yang masih teruk pambangunannya. Di Malaysia, servis kesihatan kita cas minimum dan mampu diperolehi ramai rakyat. Kemudahan infrastruktur yang baik dan semakin menyeluruh. Masyarakat luar kampung sekarang pun sudah semakin diutamakan dari segi infrastruktur asasi kehidupan. Pembangunan sekolah-sekolah dan universiti juga semakin banyak. Bantuan pelajaran diberikan kepada semua yang mahu belajar.

12) Kalau semua benda mahu free, habis telokop lah kerajaan. Nak masuk universiti untuk dapatkan ijazah kena hutang PTPTN pun bising. Habis bila kualiti universiti teruk, tak masuk list top dunia salahkan sistem pendidikan negara. Macam mana nak bangunkan universiti kalau bayar sikit pun tak mau.

13) Benda percuma bawa banyak side-effect. Percuma = less quality. Percuma = bebanan hutang dan sebagainya. Percuma = poor maintenance.

14) Our government is improving and starting to hear the voice of rakyat more and more. It's better this way daripada sekadar berkempen habis air liur setiap malam tapi apa hasil pembangunan, kemajuan pun tarak. Bercakap semua orang boleh. Tapi untuk perform, perlukan istiqamah dan kekuatan.

15) Akhir sekali bagi aku, a good governance is not about giving free things to the rakyat but it's more about equipping the rakyat to be able to stand on their own feet and resist any challenges they'll face in the daily life. Esok dah asek sangat dengan benda free, masyarakat macam mana yang kau harapkan? Anak sendiri pun jangan biasakan diberi barang percuma, supaya dia tahu susah payah kehidupan dan belajar dari situ, kan?

Forum Perdana Hal Ehwal Islam: Peranan Remaja oleh Dr. MAZA & Dr. UZAR

Salam.

Aku berkesempatan menyertai Forum Perdana Hal Ehwal Islam di UCL London. 2 topik disentuh oleh 4 orang speakers. Topik 1: Pemuda sebagai pemangkin kegemilangan ummah dari perspektif sejarah dan Topik 2: Islam and the global movement of the moderates.

Untuk kali ini biarlah aku berkongsi serba sedikit berkaitan topik pertama yang melibatkan Dr Zaharuddin (UZAR) dan Dr MAZA yang diterbangkan khas dari Malaysia. Moderator adalah ustaz kesayangan ramai siswa Malaysia di UK, iaitu Ustaz Erfino yang merupakan pegawai khas Menteri Pengajian Tinggi sekarang kalau tak silap aku.

Antara isu yang disentuh yang menarik adalah kupasan mengenai kelebihan pemuda dalam Al-Quran. Kedua-dua speakers menyentuh tentang pemuda seperti disebut dalam Al-Quran dan sejarah Islam.

Menurut Al-Quran, keunikan pemuda terletak pada kemampuan mereka untuk menetapkan pendirian mereka dalam sesuatu perkara tanpa dipengaruhi faktor-faktor lain. Maksudnya, sekali dah tetap pendirian maka susah nak diubah pendirian mereka kerana mereka tetap pendirian. Namun ini boleh menjadi perkara positif atau negatif dimana pendirian yang tetap sekiranya benar maka tiada masalah cuma sekiranya pendirian tetap yang dibuat itu adalah berdasarkan perkara-perkara yang tidak benar, atau tidak tepat maklumatnya. Justeru, pemuda perlu lebih matang dalam menilai sesuatu maklumat dalam menetapkan pendirian mereka.

Aku tersentuh dengan komen ini kerana bagi aku, ini kali pertama aku melihat pengertian pemuda atau anak muda secara begini dimana anak muda adalah tetap pendiriannya. Sepanjang penglibatan dengan organisasi-organisasi disini, aku mula refleks balik pengalaman aku. Rata-rata antara ramai-ramai anak muda yang aku temui dan bekerja bersama mereka, aku lihat pendirian berubah-berubah. Ada yang malah bersifat talam dua muka, depan kata lain dan belakang kata lain. Ada yang bersikap membodek orang-orang besar. Ini semua membuat aku terfikir, nilai anak muda itu tidak tertakluk kepada umur, kemudaan paras rupa atau organisasi yang melelongkan nama pelajar atau pemuda tetapi pada pendirian yang dibuat.

UZAR dan MAZA juga menyentuh berkaitan tokoh-tokoh Islam yang muda-muda. Bagaimana Islam berkembang ditangan orang muda. Bagaimana Sultan Muhammad Al-Fateh membuka kota constantinople diusia yang muda. Bagaimana Ali bin Abi Talib membanggakan Islam disaat usia muda. Dan begitu juga tokoh-tokoh lain yang melakukan pelbagai perkara-perkara hebat disaat mereka muda. Kepentingan anak muda didalam Islam terlihat jelas daripada contoh-contoh yang diberikan. Dr MAZA turut menyentuh bagaimana sejarah berkaitan anak muda banyak yang dipadamkan dan betapa kita hidup didunia yang dikuasai oleh senioriti dan pengaruh golongan tua yang tidak melihat kepada meritokrasi. Justeru anak muda perlu sedar peranan mereka dan mengambil jalan dan peluang untuk menyampaikan pandangan dan pendapat mereka. Namun begitu, jelas seperti ditekankan oleh Rasulullah saw. Yang tua perlu dihormati dan yang muda pula dikasihi. Golongan tua yang berpengalaman perlu bersama dengan golongan muda dalam bermusyawarah dan membuat keputusan. Usah takabbur iaitu menolak yang hak dan menegakkan yang batil serta memperlekehkan orang lain. Ini adalah tanda-tanda takabbur. Maka begitu juga sekiranya orang tua memperlekehkan orang muda kerana usianya yang muda, maka itu adalah tanda-tanda takabbur.

Kedua-dua speakers merumuskan yang golongan tua dan muda sama pentingnya dan saling memerlukan antara satu sama lain dan memang terdapat perbezaan dalam pemikiran orang tua dan orang muda. Maka, orang tua perlu memahami dan mengikut nilai orang muda kerana itulah nilai semasa. Apa yang orang muda mahukan akan menjadi 'trend' untuk masa itu dan bukannya apa yang orang tua mahukan sewaktu mereka muda-muda dahulu. Usah ketinggalan zaman!

Antara rumusan lain juga adalah, golongan muda perlu menjadikan diri sebagai ulul Albab iaitu golongan yang berpemikiran matang. Tidak hanya tertakluk kepada emosi. Membuat pertimbangan menyeluruh sebelum membuat keputusan. Jika ini dapat dicapai, nescaya masa depan sesuatu negara akan lebih cerah dan hebat. Namun, ini susah untuk dicapai tanpa bantuan dan galakan oleh orang tua. Maka, kerjasama antara kedua-dua golongan adalah amat penting dan diperlukan.

Itulah serba sedikit perkongsian berkaitan anak muda oleh Dr MAZA dan Dr UZAR. Harap bermanfaat.

Selamat.

Interview with Khairy Jamaluddin

First of all I would like to praise the good work by UKEConnect to initiate the start of Connectwork team. Connectwork is a division aiming to interview professionals, academicians, politicians, young leaders and also get student opinion on issues that matters. It's a new way of approaching the students in public and get their voices heard.

As a start, we manage to interview YB Khairy Jamaluddin. The editorial team came up with questions ranging from brain-drain, student activism, AUKU until the personal question of is KJ leaving the arena of politics and why?

So here's the new v=interview video on youtube: ---> An Interview with Khairy Jamaluddin

Although KJ isn't favoured by many people including people in his own UMNO camp. We cannot deny the fact that his stance on the issues of meritocracy and justice is very important and true and we need to accept what he said about this matter.

*Congratulations to the Connectwork team especially the editorial team, excellent questions we came up with. ;)

Selamat.

Diskusi: Trends Ahead of the 13th General Elections with YB Khairy Jamaluddin

Salam sejahtera.

Sabtu yang lepas aku berkesempatan untuk turut serta dalam satu sesi diskusi bersama YB Khairy Jamaluddin di London. Topik yang diperbualkan adalah tentang perubahan landskap politik Malaysia selepas pilihanraya umum yang ke-13. Antara perkara yang kita sedia maklum, Pilihanraya Umum ke-12 yang lepas telah menandakan 'kekalahan' untuk Barisan Nasional apabila kali pertama hilang majoriti 2/3 undi. Khairy menyentuh tentang isu berkaitan pilihanraya umum ke-12 dalam mengupas tentang landskap pengundi dan politik diMalaysia.

Antara perkara yang disentuh oleh Khairy adalah, BN perlu menerima keputusan p/raya umum ke-12 sebagai satu tanda kekalahan dan perlu bekerja lebih keras dalam memastikan mereka masih relevan untuk kekal berkuasa diMalaysia. Selepas ditanya soalan oleh seorang penonton, "Bukankah lebih baik sekiranya BN kalah dalam p/raya seterusnya untuk membolehkan BN membuat revolusi besar-besaran dalam parti komponen mereka?", KJ memberi respon bahawa BN tidak perlu kalah dan tidak mahu kalah. Kehilangan majoriti 2/3 undi sudah cukup menunjukkan kekalahan dipihak mereka. Dan BN terutamanya UMNO sudah mula berevolusi dan melakukan reformasi dalam parti mereka sendiri dimana suara-suara muda mula diketengahkan dan meritokrasi mula dihargai.

Berkaitan tentang pengaruh BN atau UMNO diMalaysia sekarang ini, KJ memberi contoh bahawa BN masih berpengaruh hasil daripada beberapa p/raya kecil yang berlaku sejak p/raya umum yang lalu dimana BN telah menang kerusi-kerusi yang ditandingi dan juga menunjukkan peningkatan undi dibeberapa kerusi hangat yang mana sebelumnya dipegang oleh parti lawan. Namun KJ sedar, kawasan2 yang berlaku p/raya kecil semuanya adalah kawasan semi-urban dan merupakan antara kawasan2 yang tidak maju atau moden. Maka, pengaruh BN dikawasan bandar dan urban terutamanya seperti diSelangor, Kuala Lumpur, Pulau Pinang dan kawasan Kinta City, Ipoh masih belum diuji sejak p/raya umum yang lalu. KJ menyatakan kefahaman dan berpendapat BN perlu bekerja lebih keras untuk p/raya umum ke-13 kerana p/raya-p/raya yang akan datang tidak lagi mudah untuk BN seperti keadaan yang lalu dimana rakyat Malaysia cenderung kepada sistem 1-parti.

Pengundi dan rakyat Malaysia sedang menuju kearah kematangan dalam sistem p/raya dan demokrasi dimana kewujudan parti lawan semakin diterima dan sistem 2-parti telah semakin diterima oleh kebanyakan rakyat terutamanya mereka dikawasan bandar. Dengan ini, BN juga perlu keluar daripada kepompong lama dan zon selesa mereka. KJ berpendapat pemimpin BN perlu berdiri dan mempertahankan kebenaran dan bukannya agenda berdasarkan fahaman parti mereka. Apa yang benar, perlu dipertahankan. Dia memberi contoh, apabila gereja dibakar dan KJ mahu turun melawat tempat kejadian, dia mendapat panggilan mengatakan tindakan dia itu tidak digalakkan kerana kurang relevan dengan perjuangan parti yang disertainya. Namun dia berkeras dan tetap turun kerana KJ berpendapat yang benar tetap benar dan yang salah walaupun daripada pihak yang sama dengan kita akan tetap dikatakan salah.

Seterusnya KJ menyentuh juga tentang revolusi UMNO yang rata-rata mengamalkan warlordism. Dimana ketua-ketua bahagian yang akan diangkat menjadi calon. Calon-calon yang dicalonkan dalam p/raya selalunya mempunyai hubungan baik dengan 'orang-orang atas'. Keadaan ini mewujudkan situasi dimana meritokrasi ditolak ketepi dan kronisme serta senioriti digunapakai dan KJ berpendapat yang warlordism ini perlu dikikis daripada BN untuk terus kekal relevan dalam pemerintahan Malaysia. Anak muda perlu mengambil inisiatif melibatkan diri dan bersama mengubah struktur yang sedia ada kearah yang lebih demokratik dan pro-meritokrasi.

Selain daripada itu, KJ berkata soal 'bila p/raya baru nak turun bagi sekolah, padang, rumah, sumbangan dan sebagainya'. Dengan nada sinis dia melabel perlakuan itu sebagai 'BN-style'. Namun dia turut menekankan yang pihak lawan juga melakukan perkara yang sama dan apabila mereka melakukan perkara itu, tak pula orang cakap rasuah.

Antara kenyataan lain yang menarik minat aku adalah "Personally I think AUKU should be diminished because it's unfair and it doesn't show that BN is a party of change." Ini menunjukkan kematangan dan prinsip keadilan yang dibawa olehnya. Sayangnya, pendapat ini adalah pendapat peribadi. Antara pendapat peribadi yang lain adalah sekiranya Kelab UMNO dibenarkan diUnited Kingdom maka kelab-kelab lain juga perlu diberi kebenaran dan tidak wajar dibataskan pergerakan mereka.

Pada pendapat aku, KJ adalah satu simbol suara baru, generasi muda dalam UMNO dan BN yang melambangkan kematangan fikiran dan prinsip keadilan yang sejak kebelakangan ini jarang-jarang kita dapat lihat dalam gerakan BN atau UMNO itu sendiri. It's good to have such leaders in the government camp in order to get the voices of justice and youths supaya didengari oleh 'orang-orang lama' atau 'old-timers' yang kadang-kadang tak tau bila entah mereka ni nak bersara contohnya seperti manusia di Sarawak tu. Adakah nak sampai orang keluar berdemonstrasi baru terfikir untuk turun dan beri laluan kepada orang yang lebih layak?

Berkaitan ura-ura yang dia akan bersara sebentar daripada politik, KJ berkata itu adalah keputusan peribadi kerana bagi dia, terlalu lama dalam politik boleh menjadikan seseorang itu bodoh kerana sistem politik itu akan mempergunakan dia sehingga dia tiada masa untuk diri sendiri, membaca dan sebagainya. Justeru, sekali-sekala politician perlu keluar daripada politik dan buat perkara yang mereka mahukan supaya apabila masuk semula, mereka dapat masuk dengan visi yang baru dan lebih bersemangat.

*Banyak lagi poin-poin yang dinyatakan tapi cukup lah setakat ni kerana ini antara yang menarik minat aku.

Salam semua.

You gave me the feeling of heart beats

You make me feel my heart beats

and all the rush, vibrating conciousness

make my hefty breath heavier

sling me into a state of extreme apprehension

It is you, by the will of God

will I ever get through this

perhaps how is the question

God and His plannings

with us in His designs

and all destinies are His craft

And my feeling is as night

dark, quiet or calm?

alone or together?

prayers or lustful play?

Or merely lurching keel?

with undefined ending

O you,

you gave me the feeling of heart beats.

The matter of hearts, in the hand of Allah

A meet with Dato' Shabery Cheek

Salam sejahtera to all fellow Malaysians.

Alhamdulillah, I've gotten the chance to meet with Dato' Shabery Cheek with some of my friends and counterparts on the capacity of Projek Kalsom Deputy Director. I would like to say Alhamdulillah again as our proposal for Projek Kalsom 17 was endorsed by the Minister of Youth and Sports and he expressed full support and interest to assist us in ways he can. This is good news, and the Projek Kalsom 17 committee will commit to our level best to fulfill what we can achieve.

Now please allow me to share a bit of my experience with this leader of ours. My first unofficial 'meet' with him was when I saw him debating Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in television and honestly from that point of view, I felt the debate got carried away in a very personal way by him which is not so professional. Hence, my first impression of him is not quite good.

However now I can confirm that this humble minister of ours is quite a down to earth guy. He's very friendly, very nice and smiles a lot. He scooped food for us while we waited in a line for the buffet. He scooped until all the rice in the tray finishes. And he went to all the tables talking to us students. He invited students to join him in his table for dinner. And the best part is when we(the Projek Kalsom 17 committee) approach him to propose our Projek, he spent some of his time to understand our projek and straight away call his p.a to give instructions on how to help us with. A straight away endorsement! I find this very nice of him as a minister, although he can ask us to send the proposal to him and he'll look at it, but he took some time reading it and asking questions to understand it and straight away give things that we need.

Kata orang, tak kenal maka tak cinta. I feel he's a good person and my first impression of him is a total opposite impression as how I view him after today. I hope and will pray for his success and may many more leaders who are down to earth like him been born in Malaysia not caring whether they're from government or opposition. Good leaders are for us to respect and pledge full support.

At least he's unlike some so-called people leaders who care about how many people will come to his event or talk, or berkira sangat penat nak jumpa student. This kind of leader, boleh bungkus nanti. I would want a leader who's approachable, friendly and open and now I can confirm, Dato' Shabery Cheek is one of them, as for now.

Will be meeting Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil and Khairy Jamaluddin next weekend, insyAllah. Is hoping to pitch another proposal for Projek Kalsom to Datuk Seri Shahrizat, please do pray for us. ;)

* Hail to our national racer hero, Azizulhasni Awang who had an accident during race tragically but still managed to make us proud. I'm so touched by his spirit and patriotism! More of his story HERE.

A good explanation on V-Day issue recently by Dr. MAZA.

Click this link for the youtube video ----> HERE

the unseen, can it be seen?

Smoke all over the room,

clothes, bags, shoes, books scattered

all these seen messiness

are as the feelings shattered.

Life's tough, good thing we can dream of a utopia.

Discussion: Meaning of patriotism in Malaysia

Salam and hye to all.

Are you familiar with such statements:

"Ah, Kerajaan ke kera-jaan? Rasuah teruk!"

"All government servants only know how to procrastinate, everything they do take twice as long!"

"Why should I work in Malaysia? I'm treated as second-class citizen. Everything is Malay! Better if I work in other countries."

From the statements above I would like to raise the issue of patriotism in Malaysia. The question is, is criticising the same as being patriotic? When we listen to people who criticise and we ask them, why are you criticising? Kutuk saja tau! Most of the time, the response is "Because I care lah, I criticise! If not, I buat diam saja."

I would say, such people is patriotic but in a very negative way. I was once like that. Anti-establishment, anti-everything, rebellious, everything is not right. But joining Projek Kalsom last year made me realised that criticising alone is not and never enough. We'll need to start doing something to improve the condition in Malaysia. Talking and finding faults,everyone can do yet the truly patriotic and nationalist will find cure and solutions to the problems. I believe this is how we should act. It's okay to criticise but at the same time, do or suggest things to improve the situation. In simple words, walk the talk!

The next question is, people who leave Malaysia because they feel they are being treated as a second-class citizen and not given equal opportunity in Malaysia, are they right? Or is it fair for them to criticise the government for their decision to move and work abroad and thus creating brain-drain problems in Malaysia?

I feel such people are not patriotic and are putting the blame on others to try and justify things on their behalf. The argument is for such people who leave Malaysia to work abroad and at the same time, criticise the government and the system in Malaysia to justify their actions. I feel it's not right and by doing that it shows although they have the professional knowledge yet they lack patriotism and willingness to strive to improve the situation in Malaysia.

Brain drain is not a new problem for Malaysia. We should all work and try our best to come back to Malaysia and serve the country in however way we can. I can only find one justification in the actions of the people who move and work abroad, they are materialistic and want the extra cash they can get by working in other countries. Let's not just put the blame on the government but we ourselves don't do anything to improve things. Things won't improve if we don't take actions. I'm firm to a believe, "take a small step, it will lead to big changes in the future. So, start now!"

What's your take on this?

Together for a united Malaysians! ;)

Strengthening the refutation

Salam and hye to all.

I believe the post before drew many attention, which is good. I hope it was able to educate some people to understand the Islamic principle on this matter.

However, like according to 'clear conscience', who commented saying that the discussion has gone off topic and I agree to that. What I intend to do is to share understanding of Islamic principle on 'immoral activities' and for us to realise the existing of difference perspectives in interpreting 'immoral activities' due to our different beliefs. Yet, for Islam, that's how we interpret 'immoral activities' and none can force us to say no as that's how we see things.

Then, the core argument I intended to bring up is to show that Mr Tan is not right to criticise Ustaz Nasrudin's campaign because the campaign is for Muslims and doesn't involve the non-muslims. And the term 'immoral activities' is used from the point of view of Islam. Hence, due to the practice of democracy, it is unwise and rude for such politician like Mr Tan to use phrase like 'mind your own business' in his post to refute a campaign which he doesn't really understand the nature of it. Again let me kindly remind, that the campaign is for muslims and doesn't involve the non-muslims.

Now perhaps some people still doesn't get it, so I'll use an analogy. We know the Hindus don't eat cow meats because of its prohibited by their religion. Hence, if the hindus want to make a campaign to 'check the other hindu people and make sure that they don't slaughter cows and eat their meats', then it's their rights and I won't interfere because it's the matter of their religion. The same case and thing is happening right now with Ustaz Nasrudin campaign. The campaign is done by Muslims and for muslims according to Islamic principles. Hence, why must such non-muslim who doesn't understand the nature of the campaign criticise and say the campaign must be stopped? Furthermore, he accused the campaigner of extremism. As politician, his views may carry weight and it is worrying to have such person being a Malaysian politician. Can't even imagine if he's elected to become our high-profile ministers!

Keep in mind, I would like to bring your attention to this issue because I feel this isn't how we should do things in Malaysia, we need understanding between each other. Because from understanding then only will come tolerance.

The same goes, if the chinese wants to start a campaign 'to make sure the other fellow chinese do not sweep the floor of their house during the first day of Chinese New Year', then people of other religion and beliefs do not have rights to stop this campaign.

As long as the campaign doesn't go into extreme like for the V-Day campaign, if unmarried muslim couples caught kissing each other are killed or beaten like hell then we should stop such campaign. Otherwise, we shouldn't interfere as it's to help our fellow Muslims to avoid from sinning. A brother will take good care of his other brothers and sisters and this is what we are practicing, hence your understanding of this issue is needed to create a situation of tolerance between us although we have different beliefs.

The differences between people should be celebrated yet people are using such things as reason to fight each other.

Selamat.

Valentine's Day: Refuting Tan Keng Liang

Referring to the post by Tan Keng Liang click --> here.

Stating my opinion, I would like to express disagreement towards the views expressed by Mr Tan in his post. I feel Mr Tan has poor understanding of Malaysian multiracial and multireligion society and thus leading him to produce such statement.

First argument:

Quoting his statement "I regret the statement by PAS Youth Chief that implied Valentine’s Day would be filled with sinful activities and immoral acts.",

followed by his other statement "This is clearly a blatant insult to those who celebrate Valentine’s Day in Malaysia. It would indirectly cast doubt over the morality of all those who will celebrate Valentine’s Day."

From these two statements it is clear that Mr Tan doesn't really understand the situation in our multireligion society in Malaysia. By saying that Valentines Day would be filled with sinful activities and immoral acts, PAS Youth Chief Nasruddin Hassan is generally viewing Valentine Day from the point of view of Islam. Mr Tan needs to understand that for Muslims, it is sinful even for unmarried couples to be alone together. Moreover in Valentines Day where most couples will take opportunity of this day to embrace each other in manners intolerable to Islam or in even worse condition leading to sexual intercourse between unmarried couples.

The reason for this is because Islam respect the value of women and the right of men. Value of women where women are to take good care of their chastity and good morality. This is important to ensure the 'right' for her 'future' husband is fulfilled because it would be unfair for the man to find out that his 'future' wife is no longer chaste and had been 'enjoyed' by other men due to various reasons, one of it being the reason of 'love'.

The second reason for this is to help prevent further social problems. All of us agree that abortion is immoral because it's the same as killing a soul with life. Having said this, we also agree to abandon newly born baby due to various factors is even worse. The problem is, Mr Tan, unmarried couples who get involve with sexual intercourse and then leading to the girl being pregnant, the result in most cases of unwanted pregnancy by unmarried couples is either abortion or the baby being born and abandoned. This leads to other social problems which will take another thousand of words to be discussed on so I'll leave it for now.

Second argument:

Quoting another sentence from the blog, "PAS Youth must understand the nature of Valentine’s Day with an open mind and do not interpret the celebration with their “narrow mind”"

Reversely, I would want to plead Mr Tan to view the issue of Valentine's Day from a 'bigger' and not such narrow perspective of celebrating love. We should see the issue of Valentine's day from a wider perspective of morality, social problems, value of women and the rights of men rather than only talking from the point of view of love. There are bigger implications from Valentine's day towards social problems and issues of morality rather than just celebrating love. Should this issue not addressed, Malaysia is in danger of being in serious social dilemma like what the United Kingdom is facing.

Having the chance to study in the United Kingdom I come to understand, among biggest social problems faced by the UK Government are 'alcohol consumption' and 'teenage pregnancy'. Even modern and developed country like UK is facing problem with teenage pregnancy which impacted them not only socially but also in many other aspects. So, why should us, Malaysia, which is still a developing country, take the issue of 'teenage pregnancy' lightly? Hence, Valentine's day play quite a significant role in contributing to unwanted pregnancy and teenage pregnancy because the day itself is used as a 'formal' platform where most teenage lovers will find opportunities to embrace each other.

Third argument:

Quoting his statement in the post, "Malaysia, a multiracial and religion country, has long been a moderate country and free of extremism." Being an active politician, Mr Tan should understand that a multiracial and religion country and society consist of people with different views and beliefs. Hence, in order to make decisions we will need to consider people of different beliefs. I would not say things on behalf of other group of people, instead I would refer to this issue from the point of view of Islam.

As a nationalist in Malaysia, Mr Tan should understand more than 50 percent of Malaysians are Muslims. The nature and teaching of Islams are such where we prohibit sexual intercourse before getting married. Having said this, it also means all actions directing to sexual intercourse before marriage should be actively discourage. Hence this is why our good Malaysian, Ustaz Nasrudin Hasan Tantawi is initiating a campaign to discourage such activities which happen rampantly during Valentine's Day.

I understand, being a non-muslim, Mr Tan might not comprehend fully the understanding and the preachings of Islam. However, there is no excuse for a politician like Mr Tan to disrespect the rights and beliefs of other group of people, in this case, the Muslims in Malaysia to discourage the celebration of Valentine's Day as this is our right.

Fourth argument:

Quoting another statement by Mr Tan: "This latest statement by PAS clearly signify more efforts by PAS (with the support of their partners in Pakatan Rakyat) to create their extreme version of Islamic State in Malaysia."

In my defence of the action, I would like to call upon Mr Tan to understand that what is done by PAS Youth Chief, is not in any sense considered as extremism. Instead we are trying to defend the teachings of Islam and at the same time will be benefiting Malaysia and Malaysian society by helping to prevent social problems from increasing.

On the other hand, I would like to point out that to disallow and disrespect others rights, in this case, the Muslims rights to practice the teaching of our religion which is to discourage the celebration of something detrimental to Islam and the society such as Valentine's Day among Muslims is a sign of extremism itself. So perhaps Mr Tan can reconsider the stance taken by yourself in this issue.

Lastly, quoting the last statement from Mr Tan: "PAS must learn to understand the culture of all Malaysians, comprising of various race and religion.". I would like to kindly urge Mr Tan to learn and try to understand the nature and culture of all Malaysians, comprising of various race and religion because if you do understand, then you'll know why are Muslims such as Ustaz Nasrudin actively discouraging the celebration of Valentine's Day. This is a friendly reminder to Mr Tan as it is important for yourself because if you want to develop your career and become successful politician, you will need to fully understand the context of pluralism in Malaysia.

Fifth argument:

Having done with my arguments rebutting Mr Tan's post, I would like to point out a statement from our Ustaz Nasrudin quoted from thestar online:

"In Penang, PAS youth is working closely with the Islamic Religious Department to check immoral activities among Muslims, he said."

Having said this, this activity of discouraging the celebration of Valentine's Day only involves the process to check immoral activities among 'Muslims'. Hence, if Mr Tan wants to celebrate Valentine's Day, feel free to celebrate. However, I would like to stress, the right to take care and monitor our own beloved brothers and sisters of Islam is still our right and I shall support this noble campaign as a Muslim.

Conclusion:

The intention of this post is not to undermine any individual but to educate the people as to why do Muslims are against Valentine's Day. Furthermore, this post is to stress that we should have proper understanding of certain issue to make a fair judgement to it. And to our Muslim friends, we should start educating our non-Muslim friends as to why we discourage the celebration of Valentine's Day so all of us can have the same understanding. From understanding then only will come tolerance.

This post is written and consist of personal opinion by,

Mohd Faiez Mohd Ali

A Malaysian undergraduate student.