Democracy VS Authoritarianism?

Assalamualaikum…

Alhamdulillah, I managed to spend a few minutes to write here despite my busy schedule as a student.

Recently, I’ve been observing the electoral campaign closely. As expected, it is not as vibrant, lively, and merrier as before. Maybe the government brings nothing new in their manifesto (refer to www.bn2008.org). They just keep repeating their stance against corruption, rising prices, subsidy and so on (very common of BN). Maybe the campaign period is too long. Almost a month, it’s mundane.. yawn.. Perhaps, everybody has fed up with our immature politics environment. For them, Malaysian politicians are just like a bunch of school kids. The other probability is all Medias are controlled by government, which unbalance the campaign between the two. Therefore, the oppositions have a very infinitesimal chance to win the election. It’s completely opposite to other modern countries such as Australia where in the last election Kevin Rudd (formerly opposition) win the race against John Howard (formerly government) to overtake the position as Prime Minister.

So, this is something that clearly against the principals of democracy which is Medias and press are accessible to all. This predicament really limits the campaign of the opposition. Plus, they misuse it to cover their weaknesses and attack the opposition. Every single thing done by the opposition is argued and questioned even though it has nothing to do with the opposition. Sometime, the government tries to make a chaos and accuse the opposition for doing something that they didn’t (Isu tender Air Kelantan). Rakyat have no chance to evaluate their leaders (esp people from rural area). They have no choice but to believe the government. And the government always talks about mentality. Ironic, isn’t it? What kind of mentality do you want when you border their freedom to think, you give them no choice. This is totally unacceptable.

What is being practiced now is not democracy, but authoritarianism. If such things continue, then we are no different to Pakistan, Myanmar, Uzbekistan, North Korea and so forth. And it is not impossible that we are going to be like them. As our election is plagued with abuses of power, irregularities and unfair practices, the voters will be denied of their rights to choose their government. So, who knows one day we will have Malaysian version of Saddam Hussein's Regime. Nauzubillah…

This is just my personal opinion. Nothing to do with any political party. If you don’t like it, then leave it. I try to be rationale anyway. Tq…

Q&A: Malaysia elections

This article dated 27/02/2008 is taken from Al-Jazeera.net. Well, it's draw my attention as this article vividly picture to us how foreigner see our politic condition. So, let's read it.

Malaysia goes to the polls on March 8 to elect a new parliament.

The elections come at a time of increasing ethnic and religious tension, street protests and unhappiness over rising prices.

Al Jazeera takes a closer look at the forthcoming elections.

Why is the election being called now?

Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, the Malaysian prime minister, gave no reason but analysts say his Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition government wants a fresh mandate before the economy slows down and inflation picks up steam.

Although the next election is not due until May 2009, Malaysia has traditionally held polls in the fourth year of a five-year term.

Anwar Ibrahim, the former deputy prime minister, says Abdullah called an early poll to deny him a chance to contest, as a legal ban arising from a conviction expires in April.

Anwar, sacked in 1998 by Mahathir Mohamad, the prime minister at the time, was banned from standing for public office after being convicted in 1999 and jailed six years for corruption.

A second conviction for sodomy was quashed in September 2004.

How free will the 12th general elections be?

Elections in Malaysia have been fraught with allegations of fraud, including missing voters, child voters and "phantom" voters where names of dead people are still found on the voters' list.

The election commission has promised clean, free and fair elections, introducing for the first time the use of transparent plastic ballot boxes and indelible ink to deter multiple voting.

Late last year the Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections called for electoral reform by staging one of the biggest rallies in more than a decade.

What are the chances of a change of government?

The opposition has been unable to form

a strong front against the BN [AFP]

Virtually nil. The opposition hopes to dent the ruling coalition's overwhelming majority in parliament by getting it below two-thirds, a position that allows it to change the constitution.

But political observers say the BN will retain power, albeit with a lower majority. Abdullah's team won more than 60 per cent of the popular vote in 2004 to secure slightly over 90 per cent of the seats in parliament.

Analysts say a swing by disenfranchised ethnic Indians, about 8 per cent of the 26 million population, will hardly cause any damage, but could prove otherwise if combined with enough disgruntled ethnic Chinese votes.

Late last November, thousands of ethnic Indians took to the streets saying they were victims of official discrimination, claims the government has denied with statistics showing a monthly household income of RM3,456 compared to the national average of RM3,022.

Ethnic Chinese and ethnic Indians are fed-up with pro-Malay policies under an affirmative action programme that has been in place for more than 30 years.

The policies pervade almost all spheres of Malaysian life, openly favouring Malays at the expense of other ethnic groups.

Other major concerns include allegations of corruption, as well as worries over inflation, the economy and unemployment. Voters are also worried about crime, quality of education, racial and religious discrimination, and the erosion of fundamental liberties.

What sort of challenge do the opposition parties pose?

Anwar, right, and his wife Wan Azizah

Wan Ismail [EPA]

Fractious, at best. The fairly young Keadilan party led by Anwar claims it is ready to govern but the established DAP says it will be happy to deny the BN its majority.

Both the Keadilan and DAP have agreed to field one candidate in every constituency in four key states to avoid split votes that would benefit the ruling party.

Keadilan is also courting Islam-based PAS, the third major opposition party, although it is not clear whether PAS will contest in the same areas as the DAP. A DAP-PAS alliance in 2004 backfired and cost the DAP several key seats.

The entry of a number of young professionals, some of whom are prominent bloggers and social activists, into the political fray is also a new trend in this election, promising an element of the unexpected as far as the predictable outcome of Malaysian elections go.

How will the opposition run its campaign, given that the government controls the media?

The 12th general election in Malaysia is seeing a new phenomenon – internet campaigning – with potential candidates using it to reach out to the electorate.

Blogs and online news websites have been used to successfully mobilise mass support for several public rallies staged in Kuala Lumpur in recent months.

Among the related online campaigns is a call to boycott all local newspapers due to their pro-government stance.

Source: aljazeera

P/S: Shame on you my dear Pak Lah... you protect all those liars and keep them in the government just because of your togetherness principal. There's no togetherness in doing the things that prohibited by Allah.. Subhanallah... Please be fair to other parties also. give them chance to voice out their opinion. I believe that will balance our government.. Just pray for the improvement of Malaysia..

Salahkah aku menyintainya?

Apakah cinta itu sebenarnya? Bagaimana Islam memandang cinta? Bagaimana pula jika cinta telah menghampiri kita?

Cinta atau mahabbah asalnya bermakna bening dan bersih. Boleh diertikan juga air yang melimpah ruah selepas hujan turun dengan lebatnya. Oleh itu boleh disimpulkan al Mahabbah sebagai luapan hati dan gelojak rindu ketika diselubungi keinginan untuk bertemu dengan kekasih. Cinta boleh membawa sengsara namun boleh juga membawa bahagia. Ianya bergantung kepada bagaimana kita mengurus cinta itu. Islam memandang cinta terhadap berlainan jenis dalam 3 perspektif :

1. Menyintainya kerana Allah (mendekatkan diri pada Allah dan mentaatiNya) . Ini termasuk cinta yang bermanfaat. Contohnya cinta suami isteri yang bernikah untuk menjaga dirinya dari perkara maksiat dan juga bernikah kerana mengikuti sunnah Rasulullah menyambung generasi pejuang.

2. Cinta yang mendatangkan murka Allah. Lebih kita kenali sebagai cinta kerana nafsu berahi. Cinta inilah yang memalingkan kita dari Allah, membuat kita lupa akanNya dan mendorong untuk melanggar syariatNya. Firman Allah yang bermaksud "Dan di antara manusia ada orang yang mengangkat sesembahan selain Allah, mereka mencintai sebagaimana mencintai Allah. Adapun orang-orang beriman sangat cintanya pada Allah. Dan Allah tidak akan menunjuki orang-orang fasik." ( al-Baqarah :65)

3. Cinta yang mubah (harus), adalah cinta yang tidak ada unsur kesengajaan. Misalnya 'cinta pandang pertama' yang tidak sampai kita membuat maksiat kepada Allah. Kita merahsiakannya dan menahan diri kita untuk tidak melakukan perkara-perkara yang dilarang.

Jadi bagaimana kita menanggapi dan mengurus perasaan cinta yang menghampiri kita?

Mana mampu kita hendak menolak cinta yang datangnya tanpa diundang. Memang perasaan cinta tidak boleh ditahan dan dibendung cuma kita hendaklah berlaku jujur dan menyalurkannya mengikut kehendak syariat. Perasaan 'cinta suci remaja' memang biasa diucapkan Cuma dalam hal ini syaitan memainkan peranan dalam menggelincirkan kitakepada kemungkaran dan larangan Allah. Memang adat bercinta semuanya mendakwa cinta mereka ikhlas dan suci murni tetapi syaitan memainkan peranannya sehingga tidak kita sedari ia banyak melanggar larangan Allah. Ingatlah bahawa setiap yang haram itu adalah haram walau apa keadaan sekalipun cuma kita yang kadang-kadang cuba 'menghalalkannya' dengan membuat pelbagai alasan, itu dan ini. Di sisi Allah ia adalah satu dosa dan setiap dosa layaknya adalah neraka. Apa kata kita lihat hadis Rasulullah ini dalam sunah Ibni Majah : "Tidak ada yang lebih patut bagi dua orang yang saling mencintai kecuali nikah"

Tidak mungkin... sekolah pun belum habis, bagaimana nak bernikah?

Marilah kita lihat apa yang dikatakan pencipta kita : "Janganlah kalian dekati zina..." (al Isra':32)

" Ah, terlalu ekstrim! Takkanlah bercinta dianggap mendekati zina?" Tapi bukankah kita pernah dengar sabda Rasulullah: "Janganlah engkau bersendirian dengan seorang wanita¡¦ Tidaklah bersendirian diri dengan seorang wanita kecuali ketiganya syaitan¡¦" (hari Tabrani). " Kedua tangan juga dapat berzina dan zinanya adalah menyentuh dan kedua kaki juga berzina dan zinanya adalah berjalan (menuju tempat maksiat) dan mulut juga berzina dan zinanya adalah ciuman" (hari. Muslim dan Abu Daud)

Jadi apa penyelesaiannya?
Bagi yang sudah jatuh cinta, rasakan cintamu dalam hati, berusahalah untuk melupakannya buat sementara waktu dan sibukkan diri dengan sesuatu yang bermanfaat. Tahanlah dirimu dari hal-hal yang dilarang agama seperti mengelamun, berangan-angan dan membayangkan wajahnya yang tampan dan menggoda. Bersabarlah menghadapi ujian cinta ini. Jagalah batas batas pergaulan. Peliharalah kehormatan diri. Jangan biarkan cinta yang mubah ini menjadi cinta yang salah. Berdoalah kepada Allah agar dipertemukan kamu jika dia paling sesuai untukmu, agamamu dan keluargamu. Apabila tiba masanya nanti, apabila jodohmu ada insyaAllah kamu akan ditemukan dalam hubungan yang diredhai Allah.

Review on BN, PKR and PAS manifesto

Assalamualaikum…

Well, sorry for not updating this blog for such a long time. Either I was busy or drying out of idea. But, I still write in my friendster blog and other website though.. hehe.. juz giving my opinion which sometime not really appropriate.. Yeah, as a human, of course I do have flaws.

So, this time, in conjunction with General Election, I’m very eager to work out on the comparison of several major parties manifesto.

Let’s take brief view on BN’s manifesto first…

The economy

· Raise the nation’s productivity, income and competitiveness levels.

· Cushion the effects of rising prices.

· Create two million job opportunities.

· Further reduce the Budget deficit.

· More development funds, without increasing taxes.

· Follow through on five Development Corridors to bring equitable growth, investment and job opportunities to all parts of Malaysia.

Balanced Development

· Eradicate hardcore poverty.

· Reduce poverty rate to 2.8 per cent by 2010.

· Increase quality rural jobs and incomes.

· Ensure access to modern quality healthcare.

· Upgrade urban public transport and reduce traffic congestion.

· Provide affordable housing

Law & Order

· Bring down the country’s crime index.

· Tackle drug abuse and other social ills.

· Address issue of illegal immigrants.

· Boost police force by 60,000.

· Increase neighbourhood police presence by building more than 150 police stations and beat bases.

· Improve safety in schools, playgrounds and public areas.

· Focus police operations and resources on crime hot spots.

Education

· Raise teachers’ minimum qualifications and provide more training opportunities.

· Continue to make national schools the school of choice by, among others, offering Mandarin and Tamil classes. Safeguard the position of national-type schools.

· Provide more scholarships for needy undergraduates regardless of race.

Public Services
· Speed up implementation of e-government initiatives.

· Complete overhaul of all land offices and district offices.

· Speed up issuance of licenses and permits.

· Tie civil service promotions, rewards and penalties more closely to performance targets.

· Increase ethnic diversity in the public sector

Reducing Corruption and Improving Government

· Continue to enforce anticorruption measures without fear or favour.

· Strengthen monitoring and enforcement by agencies such as the ACA, Customs, Inland Revenue and local authorities.

Religion & Unity

· Build better understanding of Islam among Muslims and non-Muslims through Islam Hadhari.

· Facilitate construction, consolidation and relocation of all places of worship via state government mechanism, coordinated at federal level.

· Increase inter-faith dialogue.

Foreign Policy

· Continue to play an active, principled and impartial role in international affairs.

· Expand trade and investment linkages.

· Advance the economic agenda of the OIC through capacity-building in less developed OIC countries.

· Contribute towards a development agenda for the world’s poorest countries.

Now, we come to PKR’ manifesto. It centers on 5 central positions that they believe are key to beginning the healing process in Malaysia:

1. A constitutional state for all: Upholding unity, integrity and human’s rights.
2. A vibrant, prosperous economy for all: Equitable distribution for better competitiveness.
3. A safer Malaysia for all: A cleaner police force for safer street.
4. An affordable Malaysia for all: Better control of prices and basic goods.
5. Better education for all: universal access to higher quality education.

Last but not least, we look into the PAS manifesto:

1. A Trustworthy, Just and Clean Government
2. A Prudent Financial and Transparent Management of the Economy
3. Defend the Safety of Lives and Dignity and Security on Property Through Waging War-On-Crime
4. Empower education as transformational force
5. A national health care system that caters for all
6. Well-being of worker both in the public and private sectors
7. Project a policy of care and service to the entire rakyat, by advocating and implementing
8. Special offers to the women of the nation.
9. Pro-farmers and pro-fishermen policy of defending their rights and the nation’s.
10. Ethical, fair and clean mass media policy prescriptions.
11. Environmental-friendly policy.
12. National-integration and unity policy.

For BN as the government that lead Malaysia since Merdeka, many political experts predict that they will win the election but with reduced majority. Research made by UKM shows that the popularity of Pak Lah has fallen down from 90% to 60%. This is because of the government’s failure to fulfill most of their promises. One of the major issues that failed to be overcame is the issue of corruption which ironically is part of the latest BN manifesto. Honestly, people doubt the government capacity to enforce anticorruption measures as there are actually a series of high-profile cases that sparks the media since 2004 are not solved satisfyingly and with full of integrity. For instance, Tan Sri Chia’s case that involve multi-million ringgit, Tan Sri VK Linggam’s video, Tan Sri Musa Hassan’s case and so on.

In Education, the major issue is no Malaysian university in the world top 200 university. Therefore, government should reevaluate the policy imposed to the university. On the other hand, many children leave the national school system nowadays. Why is it so? Some says, with politics already penetrate our education system, many students score very well in public exam. Yet they don’t really perform when they are in the university. That leaves a big question mark what happen to our education system. Seems like everything is ruined when politics penetrate them.

One more thing regarding Islam Hadhari. Personally, I don’t believe IH is going to ignite the improvement in Malaysian mentality as in reality; there is no rigid approach from BN to implement Islam except merely rhetoric. Instead, it’s going to bring Malaysia to the dawn of disaster. In addition, IH doesn’t include the establishment of syariah. That shows BN is not serious in bringing back the light of Islam to heal the sick society but making them sicker with all the hedonism stuffs. We Muslim whose embrace the Islam Samawi can’t bear all this anymore. Instead of lighten up the society with the beauty of Islam, they try to drag our attention from the true Islam with Islam Hadhari which allow the excess liberalism of religion(Islam). Please have fear on Allah.

Looking at PKR manifesto, seems like they are ready to destroy the BN’s ambition to win more than 2/3 parliamentary seats with their realistic goal. However, anwar-led PKR is not proven yet and predicted not to win the hearts of majority even though they have Dato’ Seri Anwar as one of the most influential leader in Malaysia.

While PAS looks so ambitious. Eventhough PAS is not as bad as propagated by BN, still PAS is not really strong in economy control matters. They need a slight changes to perform better in the future and bring Islam to the peak.

Whatever it is, we cannot accept the leader who lack of moral. So, vote the right one for the sake of Islam. No system can really fulfill our fitrah but Islam. Wallahua’lam…