Awat La

oleh Dr Asri Zainal Abidin

Saya sering bercakap tentang “Islamkan politik, jangan politikkan Islam”. Mungkin seseorang bertanya apakah beza antara kedua ini? Bezanya adalah jika kita berusaha mengislamkan politik kita memastikan tindak tanduk atau gerakerja politik itu tidak bercanggahan dengan Islam. Juga, jika ada pengamalan politik yang belum islamik, kita akan berusaha untuk mengislamisasikannya. Dalam ertikata lain, Islam adalah panduan sebelum tindakan.

Sementara mempolitikkan Islam adalah menggunakan Islam sebagai modal politik untuk kepentingan kuasa. Maka Islam bukan panduan tetapi sekadar alasan atau ‘cop halal’ yang dibuat untuk menjadikan masyarakat atau pengikut menerima sesuatu tindakan.

The unprecedented success of PAS in the 12th General Elections of March 2008 is due in no small measure to the unstinting efforts of relatively young professionals steeped in Islam.

That they are able to capture urban constituencies, as well as those with significant numbers of non-Malays, is certainly noteworthy. In the past the party did not venture beyond the relatively safe Malay Belt of the East Coast States.

As such, this represents a major breakthrough in terms of dismantling the then-prevalent conservative mental-block of party members and a bold overture to those of other faiths.

Read More...

That this historic success is also partly due to the consequence of the selfish, domineering arrogance of Umno and its unbridled corruption, as well as the spineless subservience of its equally morally weak partners in the BN is clear.

But what really stands out is the ability and novel approach of the party’s young professionals to overcome the apprehension of the non-Malays, conditioned by decades of negative Umno propaganda about PAS and its extremist ways, by emphasising on the universal commonalities and virtues of their faith in their writings and ceramahs.

What also helped was the enthusiastic endorsement of its Pakatan partners, namely DAP and PKR.

At this point, all 3 partners acknowledge their interdependence and that no one party could have achieved victory alone.

As such, it is incomprehensible to the public, both Muslim and non-Muslim, that the so-called religious scholars in PAS should stake claim to the leadership of the party.

What is not lost in the electorate is the fact that in the history of PAS it has never succeeded in making any critical gains beyond the Malay-Muslim belt of the East Coast States.

This is primarily due to the reluctance of the ulama leadership to venture beyond their safe confines or share their thoughts and visions with those of other faiths,

For a party that consists of aspiring leaders who are not hesitant to cite the Koran to back their cause this is one instance where the religious scholars of PAS would be hard-put to cite any Koranic verse to justify their claims to exclusive leadership. The uncompromising stance of some of the more ambitious ulamas tantamounts to a position whereby no matter how loyal, able, pious or well versed in Islam a professional is, he or she is just not good enough to assume the leadership of the party.

In other words, meritocracy has no place in the party and the top positions are strictly the preserve of the religious scholars.

One dreads to think of what would happen should PR be victorious in the next general election and PAS stakes a claim for the PM’s post. In the present complex world one needs more than a sound knowledge in religion to administer a nation that is as racially, religiously and culturally diverse as Malaysia.

Perhaps, it is pertinent at this juncture for PAS to seriously evaluate the possible contributions of both the ulamas and the professionals to not only the party but also the nation at this point of Malaysia’s history. The electorate has spoken and what they look forward to from Pakatan Rakyat is plain for all to see.

How effectively the coalition is going to work in delivering their promises to the people depends on whether PAS is going to retain its successful formula and team or take a gamble on a new strategy that may not go down well with its partners.

The ulamas of PAS will do well to also bear in mind that the electorate always have the final say. Whether they choose to vote PR to power as the new Federal Government or vote for the devil they once knew (Umno/BN) depends on the message PAS sends out by way of the leadership they choose in their coming big pow-wow in June.

Pas should take note of the support the non-Malays gave to Tok Guru Nik Aziz and Dato Seri Nizar Jamaluddin in the recent Bukit Gantang Parliamentary elections, to get an unmistakable idea of the kind of religious and professional PAS leaders that the people will support.

There must be balance.

THINK.

MAY 28 — Politics, among others, is about forming ideals and persuading others to agree with those ideals. In democracy, politics, ideally, is about representing the masses who share such ideals. It is about gaining power through the trust given by the masses and using that very same power to achieve the very ideals which form the basis of the support given by the masses.

It is about serving the State in a way he or she thinks is right. In a way which the voters believe to be right. It is at the point where the beliefs, dreams, aspirations and wishes of the voters meet with the beliefs, dreams, aspirations and wishes of the politician that the premise for the support for that politician is built.

Read More...

Upon the procurement of that support, the politician must pursue such beliefs, dreams, aspirations and wishes on behalf of the State and her people to the best of his or her ability. Because those beliefs, dreams, aspirations and wishes have become the politician’s trust.

All the powers which come with the position of the politician are to be used only for the purpose of achieving those things. And not for any other purpose.

That to my mind is the function of a politician who seeks to be in power and who is possessed with the power.

However, sadly, in our country, most politicians seek power — in various means — because of vanity, greed, ego and the primordial need to lord over the masses. Most of those who walk along the corridors of power are merely interested in the pursuit of self preservation and the idolisation of their “leaders” as if those “leaders” are some God-sent creatures worthy of adulation and worshipping.

The beliefs, dreams, aspirations and wishes of the masses are not important. In fact, they are never mentioned or thought about. Politics, to these creatures, is about them and themselves. And themselves. And nothing more.

These people ought to be tied up and thrown into the sea, with a very heavy bulk of steel attached to their feet.

Just look at this report. There was nary a mention about serving the people. Or hatching a plan to make the State a better place. About dreams. About aspirations. All they talked about is about money. About this and that persona. About me scratching your back and you licking my balls. The people? The State? Well, who the hell are they?

Now if PKR is just about this and is full of people like these sad and moronic flesh and bones, may I suggest that PKR either clean its act NOW or it can choose to dissolve the party.

It just proves that morons are everywhere.

I am disgusted! — www.art-harun.blogspot.com

* Art Harun is a lawyer practising in Malaysia.

By Shanon Shah ~ shanonshah@thenutgraph.com

REPORTERS have shared many an exasperated laugh over the clucking and cackling of chickens in independent candidate Aminah Abdullah's 13 May 2009 audio recording of an alleged attempt to bribe her. In the 47th minute of the recording, even Lim Eng Nam — the special assistant to Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR)'s Bukit Tambun assemblyperson Law Choo Kiang — is distracted by the chickens.

"You don't rear them for eating, right?" he can be heard asking. Aminah's husband, Mohd Rofi Osman, says, "They're pets — they have no meat on them anyway."

Barely into the one-hour mark, the first of many offers is made by Lim and Cheah, "You could withdraw from the (Penanti) by-election and say it's a gesture of goodwill to (Penang PKR chief) Datuk Zahrain (Mohamed Hashim)."

They then say that PKR candidate Dr Mansor Othman could counter offer Aminah with an invitation to rejoin the party.

Aminah retorts, "Do you think this will get past Zahrain? You know (PKR adviser Datuk Seri) Anwar Ibrahim is partial to him?"

Read More...

And over the remaining couple of hours, Lim and Cheah suggest a combination of "packages" that could be offered to Aminah in accordance with varying scenarios. They discuss at length her options:

If she withdraws before nomination day on 23 May;

If she withdraws within three days after 23 May; or

If she contests and defeats Mansor.

In this sense, Aminah is truthful in saying she was offered the posts of Penang deputy chief minister 1, president of a local council, and reimbursement of her RM80,000 campaign expenses. Lim can be heard explicitly offering these options to Aminah and Rofi.

But at the same time, Cheah and Lim are also truthful in saying that they were talking as personal friends who have known each other for nearly a decade. In between plotting about politics, they joke, talk about Aminah's daughter's upcoming wedding, and as Cheah emphatically says to the press, "everything under the sun".

PKR's internal bickering

Nevertheless, after listening to the entire recording, what is also noteworthy is that the "bribing" is but one of many complex issues that have brought this, yet another PKR spat, to public attention.

For example, immediately after enjoying a home-cooked fish head curry lunch, Lim launches into some serious ribbing of Zahrain.

In minute 54 of the recording, Lim says, "I asked Zahrain jokingly — I heard you want Mansor to lose in Penanti. Zahrain was seriously shocked, and said (PKR's Penang government exco) Abdul Malik (Abul Kasim) is the one sabotaging Mansor!" Everyone has a good chuckle over this.

And hence, what has not been reported is that the more than three-hour conversation is also a lament by four grassroots party veterans about what has happened to the party. They talk about Zahrain's dictatorial tendencies and alleged corruption; about Zahrain's strong connections to Anwar; about Mansor's incompetence; about Malik's disgruntlement within the party; about party activities having gone quiet ever since Anwar was released from detention.

It is clear from the recording that the four are united by a common enemy — Zahrain. But as Cheah and Lim try to explain to Aminah, her quitting the party in 2007 has not helped dislodge Zahrain.

Several times during the party, Lim can be heard telling Aminah, "Lebih baik Kak Nah masuk balik parti, lawan dari dalam. (It's better for you to rejoin the party and change it from the inside.)"

But why should such internal politicking be more damning to PKR than any other party? This is, after all, not only politics, but politics at a time when the Malaysian political landscape is shifting very rapidly. PKR has gone from a party with merely one seat in Parliament in 2004, to the biggest parliamentary opposition, and the leading Pakatan Rakyat partner in the Selangor government.

Perhaps this is also what Cheah, Lim, Rofi and Aminah are trying to grapple with. Time and again, Aminah says, both in the recording and to the press, "PKR is not the same anymore. Gone are the days when we used to shout 'Reformasi' slogans and served the party selflessly."

The insinuation seems to be that the party has grown too quickly — old friends have become political rivals, and young upstarts have joined the party and displaced party elders, all under Anwar's gaze. And perhaps the four are also yearning for a return to Parti Keadilan Nasional (KeAdilan), not the new party that was borne out of a merger between KeAdilan and a faction of Parti Rakyat Malaysia.

The mystery of Aminah's motives

The question now is, why did Aminah need to betray the trust of her friends and expose them to the country the way she did? She tells The Nut Graph, "I know Cheah and Lim are my friends, but there are just too many rotten people in PKR and I am sick of the party."

So although the spat between Aminah and PKR is now degenerating into he-said-she-said kindergarten-speak, perhaps this episode is a blessing in disguise for PKR. As the party contemplates how it is going to grow and be a democratic alternative to the Barisan Nasional (BN), it would be useful for the party to take stock of how it has evolved so far. As Lim says in the recording, "I don't want the party to be another Umno."

And whether or not Aminah is "sponsored" by the BN or ex- or even current PKR elements, the party still needs to reflect on why she was driven to do what she did. She was there when the party was born, and it is clear she gave her heart and soul to it. It is also clear that Cheah and Lim have the party's best interests at heart. And yet it has come to this.

Aminah, Rofi, Cheah and Lim sound genuinely fond of each other in the recording. In fact, during Aminah's 26 May press conference at the Penang Election Commission in Komtar, her eyes became wet when reporters pressed her on questions about Cheah and Lim.

"I'll need to call Kah Peng after all this is over to clear things up with him — I really do care for him and Lim," she said.

Similarly, when asked if he would still be friends with Aminah, a consistently defensive Cheah seemed suddenly vulnerable when he confessed, "I have mixed feelings." Lim, who earlier confessed to feeling "sad and hurt", was downcast and silent.

It would be too convenient for PKR to deflect all responsibility and blame towards the BN. It would be more constructive, though, for PKR to genuinely reflect on whether its internal democratic processes and mechanisms are strong and functioning.

Yellow bellied Husam Musa, PAS Vice President who is challenging Nasharudin Mat Isa for the No 2 post said he wants PAS to replace UMNO and not for PAS just to complement UMNO.

“The incumbent No. 2 seems to have close ties with Umno leaders and he seems not focused on making our party the anchor party,” he said.

“I want to put a stop to activities destructive to the idea of PAS replacing Umno,” added Husam.

“I feel my time in the party is wasted if the party only wants to complement Umno,” he said.

Read More...

Husam said since the official announcement on Monday he has been getting a lot of text messages supporting his decision to contest.

“I think on the ground there is some of dissatisfaction with what is going on, but PAS members are disciplined, so most of the time they hide their feelings, but they have their own assessment of what is going on,” he said.

He also said he was not worried that the wide publicity given to his candidacy would backfire — as PAS members are known to reject candidates who are too eager to contest.

“If I remain quiet, it is not fair to the members... they need to know my objectives,” said Husam.

“I hope PAS members understand why I am contesting,” he added.

Husam Musa 'ran like a bald chicken' from Hujah@TV9 disgracing himself and PAS. He was suppossed to debate Ezam Mohd Noor on " Rasuah Politik". Husam Musa himself had been insinuated by the more conservative faction in PAS, the pro-Ulamak to has been involved in money politics.

Husam Musa had self-proven to be all talks kind of leader. Does he has the courage to bring PAS forward or just talks?