God has promised those of you who have attained to faith and do righteous deeds that, of a certainty, He will cause them to accede to power on earth, even as He caused [some of] those who lived before them to accede to it; and that, of a certainty, He will firmly establish for them the religion which He has been pleased to bestow on them; and that, of a certainty, He will cause their erstwhile state of fear to be replaced by a sense of security – [seeing that] they worship Me alone, not ascribing divine powers to aught beside Me.

But all who, after [having understood] this, choose to deny the truth – it is they, they who are truly iniquitous!

AN – NUR (55)

LONGKANG POLITICS

UMNO Youth must be out of their minds if they think that the way to fight the gutter politics of Karpal Singh is to brandish their own version of longkang politics!

Their intrusion into the august House of Parliament can be construed as treason of  the highest order as they have not only invaded the physical space of the honourable Speaker and Members of Parliament but more significantly, the physical guardian of the Federal Constitution and everything that it stands for.

When the UMNO Malays defend their ketuanan and adab, the sovereignty of their Rulers, the Malay language and Islam don’t they realise that they themselves must be exemplary in upholding all of these? Do they remember at all that Islam and Malay adat is full of urgings for us to show good behaviour at all times?

When the Malays accuse others of derhaka and treason against the Sultan, are they aware that the House of Parliament is the rightful abode of our constitutional  monarchy, and to invade this sacrosanct space is more serious than demonstrating outside the Sultan’s istana?

What must our politicians be thinking when they engage their supporters in these absurd ways? Are they trying to provoke anarchy and rebellion among the irrational and emotional? Or are they trying to wrest votes in the coming party and bye elections?

Instead of redeeming UMNO’s image and standing in the eyes of the electorate, they are only destroying it further.

Ordinary Malaysians are a lot wiser than the politicians we have voted into power!

And hold fast , all together, unto the bond with God, and do not draw apart with one another. And remember the blessings which God has bestowed upon you: how when you were enemies, He brought your hearts together, so that through his blessing you became brethren; and [how, when] you were on the brink of a fiery abyss, He saved you from it.

AL IMRAN (103)

O you who have attained to faith! Pay heed unto God, and pay heed unto the Apostle and unto those from among you who have been entrusted with authority; and if you are at variance over any matter, refer it unto God and the Apostle, if you truly believe in God and the Last Day. This is the best [for you], and best in the end.

AN NISA (59)

All believers are but brethren. Hence,[whenever they are at odds,] make peace between your two brethren, and remain conscious of God, so that you might be graced with his mercy.

AL HUJURAT (10)

TIT for TAT

Islam and Christianity, as I’m sure the other faiths, enjoin believers to be concilliatory in our private lives as in nation building. Working together we aspire to and reach greater heights. Resources are used optimally to achieve the most desirable results be it in our physical development or in the realm of our intellectual and spiritual growth.

In a heteregenous society such as ours,  the fundamental aim of nation building  is to bring together  peoples of diverse racio-ethnic and socio-cultural backgrounds to partake of the nation’s bounties in good as well as bad times. United by a common dream and vision they will succeed against all odds.  

“True to the spirit of collaboration and cooperation inherent in Malaysian society these attributes should be shared and commonly pursued as they contribute to the ideals and vision of building a nation of peoples united in its national psyche albeit diverse in its local or regional cultures, minds and personalities. This diversity makes for a richer society where the different sub-groups of peole are integrated into the much bigger Malaysian nationality, and where their individual cultures contribute towards the enrichment of the national heritage.”  

In the tit for tat atmosphere of  current political developments it’s getting harder by the day to believe in this vision. Malaysians are being split right down the middle and views are as diverse as the complex political and constitutional issues that we are embroiled in! There is a convincing argument to support or attack each side’s stand!

Of course one can see this as the maturing of the Malaysian electorate who want their taxpayer’s money’s worth from their elected representatives.

Of course Malaysians are receiving free education  out of all the legal and constitutional argumentations that ensue. Now we look forward to what the “neutral” British Queen’s Counsel is going to say about the Perak impasse!

But what I’m really hoping for most from this political quagmire is the emergence of  solid and substantive political leaders who are not only people with the highest morals and integrity, but who have the wherewithal and the skills to reason at a more intellectual level and to articulate it effectively to the rakyat.

We need the right  leaders to say the right things to calm down the simmering emotions before they boil over into revolt and bloodshed!

O YOU who have attained to faith! Do not enter houses other than your own unless you have obtained permission and greeted their inmates. This is [enjoined upon you] for your own good, so that you might bear [your mutual rights] in mind.

Hence, [even] if you find no one within [the house], do not enter it until you are given leave; and if you are told, “Turn back,” then turn back. This will be most conducive to your purity; and God has full knowledge of all that you do.

AN-NUR (27-28)

PRIVACY RIGHTS

Privacy is a basic human right. The home is the bastion of one’s privacy. An invasion of your home is a serious violation of your privacy. And an invasion of your privacy is a serious violation of  human rights.

Your home is the place where the most  intimate things take place – marital, domestic and family intercourse and interactions, bodily and toilet functions and activities that maintain your health and vitality.

Your home is where you should feel most “at home” and relaxed, where you are away from public and even friendly gaze and where you can be as open and as natural as you want to be – without being scrutinised and judged by people other than your closest family members.

In the privacy of your  home you have the right to slink around in your favourite item of clothing – like the old, tattered and torn Marks & Sparks T shirt or the outrageously gaudy housecoat – without having to apologise for showing a lack of ettiquette or dress sense. All this and more if you do not offend the other people you share your home with.

On a hot sultry day you can sleep naked if you so choose. On a freezing night you can wear your long- forgotten silver fox and mink fur coat if you so desire. In the privacy of your room you can do all these things and more… without being called a pervert or a social misfit!

You can stay as long as you like in the bathroom or on the toilet bowl and assume whatever position you fancy…as long as you are not intruding into the time and space of the other occupants.

The thought that there is a CCTV or bug strategically placed to record your most private bodily functions is absolutely reprehensible!

 The thought that the most private images of you will be circulated for all and sundry to see is entirely unacceptable!

The idea that a sleazy ex husband/boyfriend/partner/politician/lawyer is using it to publicly slander or blackmail you is abominable!

The individual’s right to privacy in his or her own home and natural abode must be protected at all cost!

AND DO YOU, now that a calamity has befallen you after you had inflicted twice as much [on your foes], ask yourselves, “How has this come about?” Say: “It has come from our own selves,”

Verily, God has the power to will anything: and all that befell you on the day when the two hosts met in battle happened by God’s leave, so that He might mark out those who were tainted with hypocricy and, when they were told, “Come, fight in God’s cause” – or, “Defend yourselves” – answered, “If we but knew [that it would come to a] fight, we would indeed follow you.”

Unto apostacy were they nearer on that day than unto faith, uttering with their mouths something which was not in their hearts, the while God knew fully well what they were trying to conceal:

AL IMRAN (165-167) 

 UMNO REBORN

It pains me to see the party that fought for Malaya’s independence and established the sovereignity of the Malay people, the Malay Rulers, the Malay language and Islam their religion, being relentlessly pursued for its present incompetence.

Not only is UMNO and its leadership being slandered by the non-Malays, but what is even sadder is that the Malays themselves are repulsed by the perceived wrongdoings and mismanagement within the party and in its dealings with the greater Malaysian society.  

Malay unity which was once represented by UMNO is crumbling and will soon become obsolete. The younger generation Malays, equipped with knowledge about democracy, justice, legal and constitutional  procedures and a more equitable approach to affirmative action, are questioning every move, every action taken by the party which their fathers and grandfathers pledged allegience to for the better good of the Malays.

Even the old-world loyalists are beginning to doubt UMNO’s ability to survive the next general elections. And the Perak political impasse has only served to exacerbate these sentiments!

It’s easy to be critical and condemning (of anything)! The real challenge  for the Malays – if they are at all worth their own salt and the “ketuanan” that they valiantly defend – is to remain steadfast! 

Instead of deserting the Malay cause which UMNO has fought to establish, they should consolidate it with new insights! 

I challenged some young people to suggest a few things that UMNO must do immediately to show its seriousness in dealing with the corruption and abuses within the party hierarchy and in its business undertakings. Chief among  these is money politics in the party elections and the wheeling and dealing of UMNOPUTERA in business.

They said 3 announcements must be made immediately:

1. THE QUOTA SYSTEM IN THE PARTY ELECTIONS WILL BE ABOLISHED

2. TENDERS AND CONTRACTS WILL BE AWARDED IN AN OPEN CYCLICAL  SYSTEM WHERE  THE RACES WILL GET EQUAL OPPORTUNITY TO PROVE THEIR EFFICIENCY AND EFFICACY

3. THE BIG FISH WHO ARE CORRUPTED WILL BE CAUGHT AND EXPOSED  

  UMNO’s credibility is hard to reestablish but I believe it is not impossible if the Malays are serious about their “maruah”!

From My messages shall I cause to turn away all those who, without any right, behave haughtily on earth: for, though they may see every sign [of the truth], they do not believe in it, and though they may see the path of rectitude, they do not choose to follow it – whereas, if they see a path of error, they take it for their own: this, because they have given the lie to Our messages, and have remained heedless of them.

AL-A’RAF (146)

PARTY HOPPING

LOYALTY must have a special meaning in Perak politics for their politicians to be hopping around like drunken frogs. Integrity, of which loyalty is an aspect, must be a bad word in Perak because nobody seems to be saying that party hopping shows a lack of personal as well as political integrity.

The Pakatan Rakyat leadership of course sees party hopping as an acceptable political strategy. Even the Barisan Nasional leadership has said it welcomes hoppers into UMNO and the other component parties.

Don’t our leaders see that party hopping is unethical and immoral?

Besides showing a lack of loyalty and commitment to a cause or party one has chosen to be a member of, it also opens up a range of social ills like lying, bribery, slander and legal entanglements.

What’s the point of establishing the National Institute of Integrity and making integrity a tag line if you don’t understand the first thing about the concept of integrity?

What’s the point of making the eradication of corruption a platform if you don’t see party hopping as a serious form of corruption?

To me, integrity is the very antithesis of corruption. In fact it is the antidote to corruption. There is a strong correlation between the two.

You cannot eradicate corruption in society without establishing a strong sense of personal integrity among the people.

Corruption in UMNO and the other political parties can only be eradicated when their members understand what integrity is and live by it.

To me, integrity is a composite concept which subsumes simpler moral attributes like honesty, uprightness, sincerity, trustworthiness as well as keeping one’s word and loyalty.

Whether at the personal or political level, one cannot compromise one’s integrity!