My say....
So DAP now is caught in a bind. They went to the last General Election stating that Hudud will never be implemented and so the rakyat has no worries. How short is their memory nor their ability to defend their words. Their commander in chief, Anwar Ibrahim, has just shut DAP's objections effectively in today's The Star article.
Anwar may not realise that if Hudud is implemented, it does not only involve the Muslims. It will set the precedent that the Syariah courts will probably supercede the civil courts as final arbitrator for justice. This is wrong if we are still considered a country of "berbilang bangsa". Who is to know tomorrow that some non-muslims will not be flogged for khalwat cases or hands will not be chopped off ? Can Anwar, Kit Siang, Karpal or even Hadi Awang guarantees that?
Mahathir Mohamed, as a last act of defiance because of his inability to make the non-Malays buy his concept of Islam, swiftly stated that Malaysia is an Islamic country during his last days in office. He must have been desperate to leave an indelible mark of his administration that he has done something in the name of Islam. This was done, as far as this writer could remember, without consultation with other component leaders. That the other non-Malay component dare not even squeak, speaks of how strong the "charisma" of Mahathir then. The rakyat knows they were afraid of losing their status or job for that matter. MCA recognised that they had not dared to spoke out then and are now paying the price in the aftermath of the last Election. The leaders' sold out the non-Muslim communities' trust then. Mahathir said he is using the loosest possible term of the term Islamic in this particular case after the September 11th tragedy. And true to nature, 8 years later, we have now a legal boundry that Malaysia is and slowly switching to orthodox Islamic country if Anwar's admitance is anything to go by. This was the danger highlighted many times in this writer's blog that what is accepted in spirit will eventually turned dogmatic.
So now Anwar has effectively shut out DAP. He claimed now that Malaysia is an Islamic country and that DAP's objection are of no consequence. Mark this writer's words. We now have racial tension at its highest in Pak Lah's reign. If another racial clash comes to being, Malaysia will go under. If this is democracy as claimed practised by Pakatan Rakyat; a big Thank you to your disservice then!
Thursday January 8, 2009
PKR will not reject hudud
KUALA TERENGGANU: PKR will not reject outright PAS’ plan to implement hudud law, said its de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
He also dismissed Karpal Singh’s remark that such legislation was unconstitutional, saying that the DAP chairman was making a general statement.
He said there was no need to reject the proposal as it was only applicable to Muslims.
What was needed, said Anwar, was an in depth discussion among Pakatan Rakyat partners on contentious issues which had resurfaced following a debate between PAS vice-president Datuk Husam Musa and Umno Youth deputy head Khairy Jamaluddin.
“Hudud is not something new. There is allocation for it in Islam. This is what PAS has been saying all along, that it is solely for the Muslims,” he told reporters after launching the PKR main operation room for the Kuala Terengganu parliamentary by-election yesterday.
According to Anwar, all opposition parties understood Islam and that its legislative aspects should not just be confined to Syariah family or civil law.
Describing himself as a practising Muslim, Anwar stressed there was no blanket answer on hudud and that he would not emulate what former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad did, which was to oppose and reject outright hudud law when PAS first proposed it without fully understanding the issue.
He said detailed discussions on the issue could clear the air.
He also urged all dissenting voices to study the specific proposal and its provisions closely before opening their mouths.
Anwar also hit out at the media for attacking PAS over the hudud proposal and conveniently forgetting that it was the government that had declared Malaysia an Islamic nation.
“I do not understand why the media is harping on it. It is a non-issue in this by-election. The bigger issues are the policies of Barisan in contrast to what Pakatan is trying to do. That should be the focus,” he said.
He also said the alliance between the opposition parties was developing into a compact front despite the media’s reports on rifts in their pact over certain governance and political policies.
“We are not Barisan Nasional where supposedly Umno dictates and others just follow. We practice democracy,” said Anwar.
Source : http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2009/1/8/kuala_terengganu/2966643&sec=kuala_terengganu
also,
My first question for the first day of the budget Parliamentary meeting which started yesterday asked the Prime Minister whether on the occasion of 50th Merdeka anniversary, the Cabinet will reaffirm the Merdeka social contract and Malaysia Agreement that Malaysia is a secular state with Islam as the official religion but not an Islamic state.
The question was placed No. No. 24 out of 28 questions - no chance whatsoever to get answered during the 90-minute question session which saw only the first 10 questions answered.
It was a very simple and straightforward question which would have found favour and support from the first three Prime Ministers, Tunku Abdul Rahman, Tun Razak and Tun Hussein who were publicly committed to the Merdeka social contract and Malaysia Agreement that Malaysia is a secular state with Islam as the official religion but not an Islamic State.
In his written answer, the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has broken ranks with the first three Prime Ministers on this fundamental issue and has now come out into the public to give support to his deputy, Datuk Seri Najib Razak declare that Malaysia was an Islamic state - and in an unusually threatening manner which seemed to presage repressive times ahead.
This is the Q & A on Abdullah’s reply:
Tuan Lim Kit Siang (Ipoh Timur) minta Perdana Menteri menyatakan sempena Ulang Tahun Kemerdekaan Ke 50, adakah Kabinet akan berikrar semula kontrak sosial merdeka dan Perjanjian Malaysia bahawa Malaysia ialah sebuah negara sekular dengan Islam sebagai agama rasmi dan bukan sebuah negara Islam (Islamic State).
Perdana Menteri -
Semakin dekat kita menghampiri ulangtahun kemerdekaan negara yang ke 50, semakin kerap kita mendengar pihak Pembangkang mempersoalkan isu seperti kontrak sosial dan status Malaysia sebagai sebuah negara Islam ataupun sekular. Walaupun telah beberapa kali penjelasan saya berikan, namun isu ini tetap dibangkitkan, sehingga menyebabkan saya membuat kesimpulan, bahawa ianya sengaja dipanjangkang untuk kepentingan politik pihak Pembangkang. Oleh itu, saya berdiri di Dewan yang mulia pada hari ini untuk menjawab isu ini dengan sejelas-jelasnya, agar isu ini tidak dipanjangkan sehingga menimbulkan ketidakselesaan di kalangan penduduk pelbagai kaum di Malaysia.
Seperti yang telah saya nyatakan sebelum ini, Malaysia bukanlah sebuah negara sekular ataupun negara teokratik. Malaysia adalah sebuah negara Islam, yang ditadbir berlandaskan prinsip-prinsip Islam, dan pada masa yang sama, berpegang teguh kepada prinsip-prinsip demokrasi berparlimen yang berpandukan kepada undang-undang tertinggi negara, iaitu Perlembagaan Persekutuan.
Prinsip Islam yang saya maksudkan di sini dapat dilihat melalui pendekatan Islam Hadhari yang telah saya perkenalkan. Di bawah pendekatan Islam Hadhari, kerajaan memberi penekanan kepada pembangunan yang menjurus kepada pembinaan peradaban dan memberi fokus kepada usaha mempertingkatkan mutu kehidupan melalui penguasaan ilmu, pembangunan insan, kesihatan dan fizikal. Pendekatan Islam Hadhari adalah satu panduan kepada Kerajaan dalam melaksanakan tanggungjawabnya dengan adil dan saksama kepada semua rakyat Malaysia. Pendekatan Islam Hadhari ini juga memenuhi keperluan untuk mengekalkan keharmonian di kalangan penduduk yang berbilang kaum dan berbilang agama di negara kita ini.
Pemakaian pendekatan Islam Hadhari, bagaimanapun, tidak bermakna kita adalah sebuah negara teokratik. Kerajaan yang saya pimpin adalah sebuah kerajaan yang berasaskan kepada prinsip demokrasi berparlimen dan bertanggungjawab kepada Parlimen. Pada masa yang sama, Kabinet terdiri dari menteri-menteri yang beragama Islam, Buddha, Hindu, Kristian dan lain-lain, sama-sama bermuafakat membincang dan menghasilkan dasar-dasar pembangunan negara. Kerajaan sentiasa memberi perhatian dan menjaga kepentingan rakyat, termasuk memastikan setiap seorang penganut agama bebas untuk mengamalkan ajarannya sendiri. Semua pihak mendapat bantuan daripada Kerajaan sama ada masjid, surau, kuil atau gereja. Pembangunan negara telah dilaksanakan dengan adil, tanpa menindas mana-mana kaum atau agama. Sebenarnya, inilah juga yang dimaksudkan oleh YAB Timbalan Perdana Menteri ketika beliau menyatakan bahawa Malaysia adalah sebuah negara Islam.
Cara pemerintahan sebeginilah yang telah dipakai oleh Kerajaan Malaysia selama lebih 50 tahun lamanya. Formula unik ini telahpun diuji dengan jayanya dan saya tidak nampak kenapa Kerajaan yang dibentuk seperti ini tidak boleh diteruskan pada masa hadapan. Saya juga menolak hujah bahawa ia adalah bertentangan dengan kontrak sosial yang telah dirunding sesama pemimpin kita dahulu. Kita perlu mengingati bahawa Perlembagaan Persekutuan telah berjaya digubal atas sikap tolak ansur dan kerjasama yang ditunjukkan oleh ketiga-tiga kaum terbesar di negara ini sewaktu menuntut kemerdekaan, dan ianya mengandungi artikel yang mengambil kira keperluan pelbagai kaum untuk hidup dengan aman-damai. Contohnya, walaupun agama Islam menjadi agama rasmi Persekutuan, penganut agama-agama lain adalah bebas mengamalkan agama masing-masing. Pemakaian prinsip-prinsip Islam dalam pentadbiran negara, seperti yang telah saya nyatakan tadi, tidak sesekali mengubah kontrak sosial atau asas Perlembagaan kita.
Kerajaan sememangnya memberikan ruang kepada pelbagai pihak untuk bersuara. Namun amat salah sekali sekiranya ada pihak yang menyangka bahawa ruang tersebut tiada batasnya. Bukannya menjadi maksud Kerajaan untuk menyekat kebebasan menyuarakan pendapat, tetapi sebarang perbuatan atau kata-kata yang boleh membangkitkan emosi atau perasaan marah antara kaum di Malaysia sememangnya melampaui kebebasan yang dibenarkan. Kita mesti sedar bahawa terlalu banyak yang dipertaruhkan di sini — kestabilan ekonomi, politik dan sosial semuanya akan musnah sekiranya sensitiviti keagamaan atau perkauman tidak diambilkira. Oleh itu, Kerajaan tidak akan teragak-agak mengambil tindakan undang-undang sekiranya ada pihak yang cuba mengambil kesempatan dan menyalahgunakan kebebasan bersuara yang telah diberikan.
Sempena kita menyambut ulangtahun kemerdekaan negara yang ke-50 ini, saya menyeru agar kita semua memperbaharui semangat cintakan negara dan bukannya mencari ruang untuk mempolitikkan sesuatu yang telah diterima pakai dari dahulu lagi. Kita mesti mendahulukan keperluan menyatupadukan rakyat, dan bukannya menimbulkan isu yang hanya menimbulkan ketegangan sesama kita.
Source : http://blog.limkitsiang.com/2007/08/28/malaysia-an-islamic-state-now-pak-lah-says-it-in-a-threatening-manner/
also from International Herald Tribune : http://www.iht.com/articles/2005/05/12/news/malaysia.php
