"Among politicians the esteem of religion is profitable; the Principles of it are troublesome”
Benjamin Whichcote.
How long did it
take for Australia to get a new Prime Minister? I went to sleep close to
midnight on Wednesday and woke up Thursday morning with a new Prime Minister.
It took Mahathir eighteen months. Pak Lah almost a year. But that is Australia.
Now I want to talk about Malaysia.
The threat of
the ISA, the Special Branch or any organ of the Barsian Nasional government or
of Najib’s, is of no concern to me. They cannot use the IRS to audit my income
tax returns to intimidate me. Use any academic, cultural or sports organization
to impose sanctions on my family or me. There is no licence that I need to
apply for that they could prevent me from having nor can they take away any
license that I might have. I do not need to take my car to Puspakom for any
inspection that they can fail me on. I do not need to go to Immigration to
apply for any passport to travel anywhere in Malaysia or anywhere in this
world. There is nobody close enough to me in Malaysia that they can use to
persuade me to behave myself. They have already close what Bank Accounts I have
in Malaysia. In other words I can tell them to go take a flying leap into the swamp
and there is nothing they can do to me. And it gives me great pleasure to know
that I can do that! They being the Barisan Nasional government!
I am sure they
cannot understand why I spend time telling them to go jump into a swamp. Try
the Police murder of Kugan. Try Najib’s complicity in the murder of Altantuya.
I want to express my abhorrence for a government where people are prepared to
be beaten, jailed and even die – do almost anything to try and ensure the
political demise of the government that Najib leads. At the very least I can
write about it.
Hold
on to your baju melayu and songkok. Make sure that your cheongsam and samfoo
are well fitted and tight around you. And draw your sari closer to you. For the
Ibans make sure that your longhouses are secure against the coming monsoon. O
Bhai wear your turban with pride and stand together with us. To the others who
are with us call upon your Gods to be with you - if you have them. We are all
going on a wild ride if UMNO have their way! And methinks they will if cooler
heads do not prevail because we are not talking about race and religion!
The
partition of India and Pakistan, the conflict between the Bosnian Muslims and
the Serbs in Yugoslavia and the resulting partition of the country into Bosnia
and Serbia all happened within our lifetime. It happened because religion
created the notion that one identity was superior to the other.
Race
and religion lives in our hearts – not in our minds. When race and religion is
used as a tool for politics then the potential for misuse is great. And more
worrying – the potential for people to spiral out of control because their
hearts, their emotions are being manipulated is too great a risk for any multi
ethnic community such as ours. And this is what the BN government is now
embarking tentatively into. This is what a bankrupt UMNO had now decided what
it must do to keep power.
Use
race and religion to ensure their continuing survival as the government in our
country. UMNO now dares to claim itself as “ALLAH” official party and
shamelessly use religion to further its cause? But even as we tell ourself that
politicians will use anything, ALLAH included to win elections and maintain
power, we must have a moment of clarity and pause. A moment of clarity to understand
where this “ALLAH is on our side” rhetoric’s will take UMNO and will take us.
Already
we hear of UMNO executive secretary Abdul Razak Yusuf saying that the ulama are expected to
"refresh" the party and "enhance" the confidence of the
Malays in Umno as the party headed for the 13th general election.
And then another report claims that
100 "highly qualified" ulama will be joining Umno via the party's Dataran
Merdeka Umno branch.
Let us err on the side of caution.
Religious fanaticism once released is a tide that nobody can curtail. We are
talking about planned and cold-blooded murder, organized religious gangs going
on rampages and riots - killing women and children – the systematic slaughter
of those who are “not with us”. Have we not learned enough from the May 13th
Riots? The May 13th racial riots will pale in comparison with what
can happen when religion and race becomes the reason for people to start
killing each other.
We do not want to go there. So we
ask of UMNO, those that are still in UMNO who have the interest of all our
people at heart. We ask that you tell those War Lords, your Gung-ho elites,
your win at all costs die hards – that we cannot go there. We cannot use
religion or race to win election. Because, as I have said earlier on, Race and
Religion is in our hearts not our minds. We can manage our minds with reason
and rationality. We cannot do that with out hearts – so in the name of ALLAH do
not go there.
Allāhu Akbar (الله أكبر).
Allāhu Akbar (الله أكبر).
[23:72]
ReplyDeleteAre you asking them for a WAGE? Your Lord's WAGE is far better. He is the best Provider.
[26:109][26:127][26:145][26:164][26:180]
"I do not ask you for any WAGE. My WAGE comes from the Lord of the universe.
[7:169] Subsequent to them, He substituted new generations who inherited the scripture. But they opted for the worldly life instead, saying, "We will be forgiven." But then they continued to opt for the materials of this world. Did they not make a covenant to uphold the scripture, and not to say about GOD except the truth? Did they not study the scripture? Certainly, the abode of the Hereafter is far better for those who maintain righteousness. Do you not understand?
3:14]
Adorned for the people are the worldly pleasures, such as the women, having children, piles upon piles of gold and silver, trained horses, livestock, and crops. These are the MATERIALs of this world. A far better abode is reserved at GOD.
[11:15]
Those who pursue this worldly life and its MATERIAL vanities, we will pay them for their works in this life, without the least reduction. [11:16] It is they who gave up their share in the Hereafter, and, consequently, Hell is their lot. All their works are in vain; everything they have done is nullified.
42:20]
Whoever seeks the rewards of the Hereafter, we multiply the rewards for him. And whoever seeks the MATERIALs of this world, we give him therefrom, then he receives no share in the Hereafter.
[43:32]
Are they the ones who assign your Lord's mercy? We have assigned their shares in this life, raising some of them above others in ranks, in order to let them serve one another. The mercy from your Lord is far better than any MATERIAL they may hoard.