Poser to the Johor MB on Island Transfer

A Kadir Jasin

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيم

PREAMBLE: Views expressed herein are entirely mine. I am writing in my personal capacity as a blogger. It has nothing to do with whatever position I may hold.

Kukup Island is now "tanah raja"

UPDATE, Dec. 10 – KUDOS to the Johor Menteri Besar,  Datuk Osman Sapian, for declaring that he was nobody’s puppet and his masters were the people of the state.

He said it was they who voted in his administration in and he would never betray them. Read HERE.

So “orang Joho” if you are indeed democratic and brave, you should make sure that Osman takes charge of the running of your state and reinstate whatever that belongs to you that had been taken away – be they islands, hills, forest, seas or rivers.

I leave Osman to you. Thank you very much.

ORIGINAL POSTING

 

TO politicians, civil servants and businessmen who are being investigated or are already in the docks, this is what I have to say to them. You harvest what you sowed.

If you sowed good seeds and you tended to your garden well you will harvest a good crop. But if you sowed bad seeds and you sold the subsidized fertilizers, your crop will wither and all that you have to harvest is weed.

[Anonymous comments will not be published. Please use real or pseudonym. Thank you.]

And if you sow the wind and you must be prepared to harvest the storm and the roiling seas.

So much for being philosophical. Now for the hard stuff.

Tanah Raja

I would like to ask the Menteri Besar of Johor, Datuk Osman Sapian, if he was telling me the truth when he told me before the start of the Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM) Supreme Leadership Council meeting on November 28 that the Palace did not interfere with the administration of the state.

I asked him if there is truth to the rumours that the Palace was taking state lands – even those measuring as little as half an acre.

He said no. But said he wouldn’t know if such a thing happened during the last (Barisan Nasional) state government.

I reminded him that he was a member of the BN state government for three terms - from 1999 to 2013. It was only in the May 9 general elections that he contested as a candidate of Pakatan Harapan.

So I am surprised to read media reports that quoted the Crown Prince of Johor, Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim, as saying that the Kukup Island had been taken over and is now the sultanate land – tanah raja.

There is no need to beat around the bush. I would like to ask Osman and his PH colleagues if this is true and legal.

If the PH state government under Osman approved this deal then it is no better than the last BN government.

If Osman can’t explain to the satisfaction of the people who voted him and the PH in seven months ago then he should consider resigning.

Paid to Protest

As for the Kelantan “Islamic” government declaring a public holiday this Sunday so that the people of the "Serambi Makkah" can participate in the anti-ICERD demonstration in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday, I have already stated in my Facebook that the federal government should deduct it financial assistance to the state by one day.

The weekend in Kelantan is Friday and Saturday. The action by the Pas government amounts to paying its civil servants to participate in the demonstration.

The federal government should not be a party to it. The taxpayers must not be made to waste money on the Kelantan state civil servants.

According to reports, without subsidy from the federal government, the Pas government of Kelantan can’t even pay the salary of its civil servants fully or on time.

In Islam there isn’t such a thing as weekly holiday or Sabbath (like in Christianity and Judaism). Muslims are supposed to work hard, pay the zakat and be thankful to Allah.

But in the growingly “Arabic” Malaysia it seems that the people work very little and have more holidays than most non-Muslim countries.

Finally, no matter who you are and what station you occupy in life, if you play with fire sooner or later you will get burnt.

Wallahuaklam.

Protes 8 Disember: Tunjuk Kuat Tutup Malu

A Kadir Jasin

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيم

MUKHADIMAH: Pandangan yang terkandung dalam tulisan ini adalah pandangan peribadi saya. Saya menulis dalam kapasiti saya sebagai seorang blogger. Ia tiada kena mengena dengan apa-apa jawatan yang mungkin saya pegang.

Tunjuk perasaan awal kecil-kecilan bantah ICERD

NAMPAKNYA tunjuk perasaan anti-ICERD anjuran gabungan  parti pembangkang dan sekutu mereka akan tetap diadakan walaupun kerajaan telah memutuskan untuk tidak mengesahkan konvensyen Pertubuhan Bangsa-bangsa Bersatu (PBB) itu.

Sekali gus protes yang didakwa untuk mempertahankan Perlembagaan, Raja-raja Melayu dan agama Islam itu bertukar menjadi medan tunjuk kekuatan politik – political show of strength.

[Komen "Anonymous” tidak akan disiarkan. Tolong guna nama sebenar atau samaran.]

Dari awal lagi tunjuk perasaan itu mengambil kesempatan daripada ketidakfahaman orang ramai, khususnya orang Islam dan orang Melayu, mengenai konvensyen tersebut.

Kalau orang ramai tahu, mereka tentulah tidak melatah seperti sekarang. Konvensyen ini bukanlah baru. Ia berkuat kuasa mulai tahun 1969.

Mereka sepatutnya lebih marah dan buat tunjuk perasaan besar-besaran mengutuk penyelewengan kerajaan BN yang menyebabkan Tabung Haji, Felda dan banyak lagi badan amanah Bumiputera dan Islam mengalami kerugian teruk.

Apalah sangat ICERD. Berapa kerat orang Melayu dan Islam tahu atau peduli mengenainya sebelum ini?

Tahukah mereka bahawa sehingga hari ini hanya 88 daripada 192 negara anggota PBB menandatangani konvensyen itu dan yang meratifikasinya baru 27?

Daripada yang menandatangani dan meratifikasinya termasuklah lapan negara Islam yang ada antaranya negara beraja dan tidak pula rajanya terbuang.

Tetapi majoriti negara Islam yang menjadi ahli ICERD itu adalah negara yang tidak pernah ada raja atau telah memansuhkan institusi raja.

Oleh sebab peka kepada kehendak majoriti rakyat jelata yang berasa konvensyen itu tidak diperlukan maka kerajaan Pakatan Harapan (PH) telah membuat keputusan untuk tidak menandatangani dan meratifikasinya.

Bagaimanapun disebabkan sudah terlanjur maka penganjur demonstrasi itu terpaksalah meneruskannya dengan mengubah jalan cerita.

Maklumlah perasaan peserta sudah dibakar, duit sudah dipungut, bas sudah disewa dan baju khas sudah ditempah. Kalau dibatalkan malulah.

Di satu pihak, tunjuk perasaan yang dicadangkan itu menggabungkan Umno dan PAS manakala dipihak yang lain pula berupa manifestasi persaingan di antara Umno dengan PAS.

Kedua-dua belah pihak menggunakan protes itu untuk menunjukkan siapa lebih kuat dari segi pengaruh.

Tidak mahu ketinggalan dan bagi membuktikan yang mereka juga relevan maka beberapa pertubuhan berjenama Melayu dan Islam akan turut serta.

Polis dan Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur membenarkan demonstrasi itu, namun ini tidaklah bermakna penganjur dan peserta boleh berbuat sesuka hati.

Polis wajib bertindak tegas – seperti yang dilakukan dengan rusuhan di kuil Sri Maha Mariamman di USJ pada 26 November lalu – ke atas sesiapa sahaja yang mengapi-apikan sentimen kaum dan agama sepanjang tunjuk perasaan itu diadakan.

Sekarang polis ada banyak alat pengawasan (surveillance) yang canggih. Jadi mereka wajib guna untuk mengawal dan memungut maklumat mengenai tunjuk perasaan itu.

Kita tahu semua itu sebab dulu mereka gunakan ke atas kita waktu kita pembangkang. Sekarang kita kerajaan dan Umno pembangkang. Polis kenalah profesional dan bersikap adil.

Umno dan Pas terpaksa menggunakan apa saja kesempatan untuk mencari dividen politik bagi menutup malu setelah kalah dalam pilihan raya umum 9 Mei lalu.

Bagi Umno, keadaan terdesak ini semakin memuncak dengan bertambah ramai ketua-ketuanya dihadapkan ke mahkamah atas berbagai-bagai tuduhan jenayah dan semakin ramai ahlinya keluar parti atau tidak cergas lagi.

Pas pula mahu berpakat dengan Umno kerana terhutang budi dan beranggapan bahawa parti yang pernah dilabelkannya assabiyah itu masih mendapat sokongan.

Umno memerlukan Pas untuk mengatur protes jalanan kerana ia sendiri tidak berpengalaman sebab sudah lama tidak turun ke jalan raya berdemonstrasi sebaliknya menyekat orang lain berdemonstrasi.

Apa pun kita harap tunjuk perasaan yang diuar-uarkan akan disertai oleh setengah juta orang itu berjalan lancar tanpa terlalu banyak mengganggu kegiatan harian orang lain.

Wallahuaklam.

Good Governance Is For All

A Kadir Jasin

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيم

PREAMBLE: Views expressed herein are entirely mine. I am writing in my personal capacity as a blogger. It has nothing to do with whatever position I may hold.

The headline says it all

I COULD not agree more with the Deputy Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah, when he said dishonest leaders hurt the people.

The Ruler of  Perak, who is now performing the duties of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, said so when speaking at the national level Prophet Muhammad’s birthday celebration in Putrajaya on November 20^th.

According to a Bernama report of November 2, the Sultan would be exercising the functions of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong from that date to December 31.

The King is reported to be “resting following treatment”. Not much is known about the nature of the King’s illness but there had been international media reports claiming that his majesty is in Russia.

When asked about it by the media yesterday, Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said: “I don’t know. I don’t have any official confirmation so I can’t say anything.”

The Star reported that speculation is rife that the 49-year-old Ruler has married a former Russian beauty queen.

On my part, I am told by the chairman of a media organisation that journalists who contacted the media officer of the Istana Negara were told that he could not reveal anything but acknowledge that there had been many queries from the media.

[Anonymous comments will not be published. Please use real or pseudonym. Thank you.]

Back to Sultan Nazrin, he was reported as saying that the many problems confronting the people today are caused by leaders who lacked integrity.

He said: "Material wealth that is earned through suspicious means will make someone rich instantly.

"And sudden wealth without the enrichment of the mind, intellect, knowledge and the soul is not the true meaning of being wealthy, and wealth that is earned this way does not last.

"This would only give birth to boastfulness and a culture of showing off which will then lead to unnecessary wastage."

Gods and Goddesses of the Gods

Does it not sound familiar to you?

It does to me – the US$27.3 million (about RM113.7 million) pink diamond necklace, hundreds of Hermes Birkin handbags, super expensive wrist watches and stacks of cash.

If this is not boastfulness and an extreme case of showing off, then what is it?

Such a culture, said Sultan Nazrin, would lead to the wastage of precious resources, poor development and unemployment in the country.

This sobering reminder, coming as it did from an intellectual Ruler, is refreshing and should be accorded recognition and be put into practice.

I don’t think that leaders – elected and hereditary – who took the oath of office in the name of God - should be scrambling for wealth.

In our country, irrespective of whether leaders are elected by the people or inherited their thrones, they are sufficiently provided for by the people.

There is no need for them to scramble to earn an income like a padi farmer, rubber tapper, fisherman or Grab driver.

They are not in the business of amassing wealth and competing with the people. Their duty is ruling and administering the country.

They are not expected to be involved in launching IPOs, owning IPPs or meddling in political affairs.

Intellectual Ruler

In recent years, Sultan Nazrin has emerged as a royal articulator and voice of reason. Rightly since his assumed royal title “Muizzuddin” in Arabic means the defender of the faith.

I had said the same thing in my Sinar Harian column on Sunday, November 18. He could be considered a royal intellect and thinker based on his speeches and statements. There is idealism in his voice.

It is not an easy task for a young ruler, who ascended the throne only four years ago, to position himself as "spokesman" of the royal institution. monarchs.

Educationally he is well equipped. He received a bachelor degree in philosophy from the Oxford University, Masters in Public Administration from the Harvard University and PhD in Political Economy also from Harvard.

If what has been articulated by Sultan Nazrin is put into practice we would have constitutional rulers who could fulfill the expectation of the people and be in sync with the new millennium.

I had the opportunity of reading and quoting from his late father Sultan Azlan Shah’s landmark “without fear or favour” rulings and speeches on many court cases and public speeches.

I even had the honour of being summoned to the old Istana Negara and lectured on proper “royal reporting” when the New Straits Times’ report on his visit to the Asian Defence Exhibition in Kuala Lumpur sometime in the late 1980’s caused his displeasure.

In leadership, therefore, irrespective of whether one is a lowly Ketua Kampung (village head) or a mighty King, good leadership is supreme.

Just as a reminder to all of us, during the October 22 installation of the Sultan of Kedah, Tuanku Sallehuddin Ibni Almarhum Sultan Badlishah Al Aminul Karim, the doa (blessings) included a Quranic quotation from the chapter Al-Imran (The Family of Imran) - verse 26

قُلِ اللَّهُمَّ مَالِكَ الْمُلْكِ تُؤْتِي الْمُلْكَ مَنْ تَشَاءُ وَتَنزعُ الْمُلْكَ مِمَّنْ تَشَاءُ وَتُعِزُّ مَنْ تَشَاءُ وَتُذِلُّ مَنْ تَشَاءُ بِيَدِكَ الْخَيْرُ إِنَّكَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ

“O Allah, Lord of all dominion! You give dominion to whom You will, and take away dominion from whom You will, and You exalt whom You will, and abase whom You will. In Your Hand is all good. Surely You are All-Powerful.”

So King and pauper let us all be reminded.