REAPING THE BENEFITS

Sabah's very own oil towns

2010-05-09T11:15:00.002+08:00

Published on: Saturday, May 08, 2010

Kota Kinabalu: Kimanis and Sipitang have been earmarked by the State Government to be developed into oil towns, similar to Miri and Bintulu in Sarawak and Kerteh in Terengganu.

Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman said it is the State Government's hope to develop Kimanis into another Kerteh for Sabah although it may take some time.

"I was told by people in Terengganu that it took 20 to 30 years for Kerteh to be where it is now, so we don't mind to start from the beginning.

"We hope Kimanis will be developed like Kerteh now but it will take time," he said after launching the First Borneo International Oil and Gas Conference and Exhibition at Magellan Sutera Hotel, Friday.

The Sabah Oil and Gas Terminal (SOGT) project is currently ongoing in Kimanis, which Musa said would start small but would be modern and well planned with a green environment. A masterplan had been prepared.

Another area was Sipitang where more than 2,000 acres have been earmarked by the State Government for oil and gas industry by the seaside.

"It will also have a deep sea port. We will be developing Kimanis and Sipitang concurrently," he said, adding that Sipitang and Kimanis were chosen because it can accommodate deep sea port and is near the oil fields.

In his speech, Musa said the State Government envisioned Kimanis to be developed into a "Common Facilities" township with a helicopter hanger and airstrip, industrial and occupational health clinics, supply base and warehouses, workshops and service centres and offices apart from training schools with up-to-date equipment.

The town would also have supporting infrastructure like hotels and hostels, restaurants, schools and places of worships.

"Gas from offshore Sabah will land at the Sabah Oil and Gas Terminal in Kimanis in 2013, and this is something we are looking forward to.

Gas will be available for the domestic market, as well as for the Bintulu LNG plant through the Sabah-Sarawak Gas Pipeline," he said.

Since gas would become an important energy source, the State Government was working with Petronas on a master plan to promote gas distribution infrastructure to bring this resource to homes, businesses, the transportation sector and for industries.

"We recognise that this is a long-term and capital-intensive plan," he said.

Oil production in Sabah started in 1975 from the Samarang field, with Shell being the only upstream operator, while the North Sabah Trunkline, the longest offshore submarine pipeline in South East Asia at that time was built in 1979.

As a key component of Sabah's economy, the oil and gas sector accounts for 8.2 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product and crude petroleum accounted for 37.4 per cent of Sabah's total export with an approximate value of RM13.9 billion in 2009, he said.

"The oil and gas industry plays an important role in the State's economy and it will certainly expand rapidly in future, bringing economic spin-offs that benefit the State's economy," he said.

Source : Please click here.

Feri alternatif mudahkan penduduk Labuan ulang alik ke tanah besar bantu ekonomi

2010-04-27T15:22:00.000+08:00

25th April, 2010

LABUAN: Penduduk Labuan kini boleh berulang alik ke tanah besar Sabah dengan lebih kerap berbanding cuma dua kali sehari sebelum ini dengan beroperasinya satu lagi perkhidmatan feri dari Labuan ke Menumbok sejak Selasa lepas.

Perkhidmatan tersebut dikendalikan oleh Isro Group melalui anak syarikatnya Isro Shipping yang memiliki empat buah feri, yang dua daripadanya digunakan bagi perkhidmatan Labuan-Brunei-Labuan sejak beberapa tahun lepas.

Perkhidmatan sedia ada dikendalikan oleh syarikat Double Power yang menggunakan tiga buah feri.

Selain feri, penduduk Labuan berulang alik ke tanah besar dengan bot laju atau kapal terbang.

Yang Dipertua Dewan Perniagaan Melayu Malaysia Labuan, Datuk Yussof Mohammad memberitahu bahawa penambahan pengangkutan feri untuk ke tanah besar Sabah akan membantu merancakkan lagi ekonomi Labuan.

“Apa yang kita fahamkan, feri ini juga mengangkut barangan pengguna dari tanah besar dengan kos yang lebih rendah dan ini sekali gus dapat membantu mengurangkan harga barangan pengguna di Labuan,” katanya.

Beliau berkata feri tersebut Duta Muhibbah 3, mampu membawa 110 penumpang dalam satu masa.

Bagi Abu Bakar Selamat, perkhidmatan feri baru itu akan memudahkannya memasarkan hasil pertaniannya ke tanah besar.

“Saiz feri ini lebih besar dan saya dapat membawa lebih banyak hasil pertanian untuk dipasarkan ke tanah besar dengan kos tambang yang lebih murah,” katanya.

Selain penumpang, feri berkenaan juga mengendalikan perkhidmatan kargo.

Sumber: http://www.newsabahtimes.com.my/nstweb/fullstory/38064

Selesai rungutan penduduk Labuan mahu khidmat feri ditingkat: Abdul Rahim

2010-04-27T15:19:00.000+08:00

26th April, 2010

KOTA KINABALU: Timbalan Menteri Pengangkutan Malaysia, Datuk Abdul Rahim Bakri, berharap kerajaan negeri khususnya Kementerian Pembangunan Infrastruktur dapat melakukan sesuatu untuk menyelesaikan rungutan penduduk Labuan yang sangat berharap perkhidmatan feri Labuan-Menumbuk dapat dipertingkatkan.

Beliau berkata usaha memecah monopoli dapat dilakukan dengan tidak hanya terikat dengan satu operator seperti sekarang di mana perkhidmatannya amat dipersoalkan oleh banyak pihak.

“Ia juga menjadi isu berbangkit setiap kali persidangan Parlimen iaitu menjadi topik persoalan dan perdebatan ahli-ahli Parlimen Labuan dan Sabah.

“Secara prinsipnya Kementerian Pengangkutan Persekutuan tidak ada halangan mengeluarkan lesen operasi kepada syarikat yang berminat asalkan mereka memenuhi kriteria dan peraturan keselamatan.

“Namun kekangannya ialah kuasa hak pendaratan (landing rights) di bahagian Sabah iaitu di Menumbuk adalah tertakluk kepada keputusan kerajaan negeri sama ada membenarkan ‘landing rights’ selain operator sedia ada atau tidak,” katanya, dalam satu kenyataan di sini, kelmarin.

Abdul Rahim berkata, pihak Kementerian Pengangkutan Persekutuan telah menulis dan menyampaikan rungutan dan keluhan rakyat kepada pihak berwajib negeri Sabah tetapi akhirnya pihak kerajaan negeri memiliki kata putus.

Sumber: http://www.newsabahtimes.com.my/nstweb/fullstory/38100

K'mantan ferry service puts Labuan's to shame

2010-02-03T11:50:00.002+08:00

Published on: Tuesday, February 02, 2010

BANJARMASIN (South Kalimantan): The distance between Kariangau and Panjan, here, is about the same as Labuan Federal Territory and Menumbok in Sabah.
Nevertheless, the hour's ride on any of the seven roll-on roll-off ferries is both smooth and punctual and has been this way for decades for both people and cargo (mainly vehicles) commuting between both points along this coastal province.

"Water transport is a major means of communication for the people here.

The Government sees the ferry service as a bridge for the nation and you will find this stressed also on the sides of this ferry. We have to ensure there are no major breakdowns," said the Nakhoda (Captain), Buce Ahmad, 38.

Buce and the three fellow officers manning it - Chief Engineer Zainal, Suwanbee (Officer) and Ipung (Quartermaster) - had difficulty containing their laughter when told that a monopoly ferry service of similar size traversing between Labuan Federal Territory and Menumbok, in Sabah, has been plagued with recurring problems, including depending on a smaller boat to pull it because a propellor had gone unrepaired for months.

"That (kind of service) won't be tolerated by the Indonesian people.

It will become a big issue. In fact, the three private ones servicing this route are equally efficient.

"We also have a special team on standby in case of a major breakdown although this hardly happened the past 20 years," said Buce.

"I don't know where your Malaysian ferry was manufactured but ours are also 100pc Indonesian-made. This one you are travelling on was built in 1992 using Indonesian technology and resources.

"There have been minor problems which are to be anticipated but never where the ferry got stuck at sea or having to be towed by another vessel as you say happens in Sabah."

Asked how such efficiency was achieved, he said the vessels which are 48m long and 12m wide, are subjected to yearly maintenance.

They can accommodate up to 400 passengers and 22 vehicles per trip.

What is also remarkable is that this near zero-breakdown is achieved despite the ferries operating 24-hours, stopping only half hour for disembarkation.

"We have to operate whether the ferry is full or not. This means even if there is only one motor-cycle on board. It is during Hari Raya that we are busiest," said Ipung.

Asked if the private operators don't feel disadvantaged having to compete with the three government ones and considering that the economy-class fare was just 5,000 rupiah (RM2), he said if that was the case they (private ones) would not have survived. The fare for those bringing along vehicles is 100,000 rupiah (appox RM30).

Source: Please click here.

Menangani fitnah dunia siber

2010-01-17T12:25:00.006+08:00

Oleh Ku Seman Ku Hussain
17 Januari, 2010

Gambar hiasan. Pix courtesy of http://careybock.wordpress.com/

KHAMIS lalu seorang pelajar Akademi Seni Budaya dan Warisan (Aswara) didakwa di Mahkamah Seksyen Petaling Jaya kerana menghantar komen yang berunsur ugutan di laman sosial Facebook. Beliau menghantar komen ke laman Facebook individu lain mengenai isu sensitif kalimah Allah yang mahu digunakan oleh penganut Kristian.

Isu kalimah Allah berlarutan kepada insiden melontarkan bom petrol pada beberapa gereja di Lembah Kelang hingga menimbulkan kebimbangan kalangan rakyat. Kedua-dua kejadian ini adalah suatu yang sensitif dan boleh mencetuskan sentimen antara kaum dan agama.

Facebook merupakan salah satu laman sosial yang ditawarkan bersama kecanggihan teknologi di dunia siber. Dengan kos yang sangat minimum atau tidak mengenakan kos langsung, setiap individu boleh menjadi pemain dalam ledakan kecanggihan dunia siber. Mereka boleh mencambahkan dan mendapatkan maklumat, atau mengutarakan pandangan tanpa sebarang tapisan. Tetapi malangnya definisi “tanpa tapisan” ini selalu difahami sebagai terlepas daripada tindakan undang-undang.

Kes pelajar menghantar komen didakwa berbaur ugutan adalah yang terbaru dan sekaligus membuktikan dunia siber juga tidak pernah menjanjikan kebebasan tanpa had. Tetap ada peruntukan undang-undang untuk memastikan mereka yang menyalahgunakan kecanggihan dalam dunia siber dikenakan tindakan.

Banyak pihak menganggap apabila mereka bebas mengutarakan pandangan atau komentar, ini bermakna mereka bebas daripada sebarang tindakan undang-undang. Lebih buruk lagi apabila mereka menganggap penyebaran berbaur fitnah, ugutan atau penyebaran maklumat yang boleh menjejaskan ketenteraman awam sebagai satu kebebasan.

Apabila e-mel mengambil alih peranan surat konvensional ketika Internet mula-mula diperkenalkan di negara ini, ada pihak yang menulis “e-mel layang”. Dulunya ini dilakukan secara tradisional menerusi “surat layang.” Banyak yang percaya e-mel atau surat elektronik ini terlepas daripada tindakan undang-undang berbanding surat biasa.

Kemudian apabila diperkenalkan istilah citizen journalist menerusi kemunculan berjuta-juta blogger yang mempunyai laman blog sendiri, khalayak mendapat begitu banyak maklumat sahih dan juga palsu. Ketika ini semua orang boleh memiliki “surat khabar” sendiri apabila mempunyai laman blog atau laman web. Ini bermakna semua orang boleh menjadi wartawan dan menyiarkan pandangan mereka untuk tatapan umum.

Sebelum ini ada beberapa blogger yang mendepani tindakan undang-undang kerana isi kandungan dalam blog berkenaan dikatakan berbaur fitnah. Blogger Jeff Ooi, Ahiruddin Atan, Raja Petra Kamaruddin dan Syed Azidi antara yang pernah mendepani tindakan undang-undang berhubung isi kandungan dalam blog masing-masing.

Contoh itu mahu membuktikan bahawa dunia siber hanya menyediakan premis yang bebas untuk menyiarkan apa saja kepada khalayak. Tetapi dalam masa yang sama tidak bermakna bebas daripada tindakan undang-undang sekiranya ada pihak yang menganggap penyiaran itu fitnah kepada mereka.

Kewarasan

Dengan kewujudan media baru seperti laman sosial, blog dan laman web, khalayak dituntut menggunakan kewarasan untuk memanfaatkan kecanggihan teknologi komunikasi yang ditawarkan menerusi dunia siber. Tetapi disebabkan oleh sesiapa saja boleh memberi pandangan dan menyiarkan untuk tatapan umum, maka wujudlah salah tafsir mengenai suatu yang dikelaskan sebagai fitnah, ugutan dan sebagainya.

Sebelum ini penerbitan bercetak yang banyak diambil tindakan undang-undang oleh individu yang merasakan mereka difitnah atau dimalukan dalam penerbitan berkenaan. Penerbitan bercetak sentiasa diawasi oleh Akta Mesin Cetak, Akta Keselamatan Dalam Negeri (ISA) atau Akta Rahsia Rasmi (OSA). Penerbitan bercetak tidak boleh bermain dengan isu yang menyentuh kaum dan agama. Tindakan sedang menanti mereka. Selain itu penerbitan bercetak juga bebas diambil tindakan undang-undang oleh individu apabila isi kandungan dianggap sebagai menyentuh peribadi mereka.

Penerbitan bercetak berkerja dalam satu lingkungan yang sentiasa diawasi dengan ketat oleh bermacam-macam akta. Tetapi secara positifnya Ini dengan sendiri membentuk self-censorship yang tinggi untuk menilai sesuatu isi kandungan itu akan memudaratkan keharmonian negara atau sebaliknya. Ini kerana penerbitan bercetak lebih mudah dipantau berbanding media baru yang lahir dalam dunia siber.

Dengan kemunculan berjuta-juta blog, peserta dalam laman sosial selain laman web yang pelbagai, pemantauan terhadap penyiaran isi kandungan yang sensitif tidak dapat dilakukan dengan segera. Kalau dipantau sekalipun tindakan undang-undang tidak diambil dengan segera. Keadaan ini mengiyakan persepsi bahawa dunia siber semuanya bebas.

Maka yang kelihatan tidak bebas adalah penerbitan bercetak dan yang kononnya bebas adalaj penerbitan media baru di dunia siber. Sekalipun tanggapan ini tidak benar tetapi secara tidak langsung telah membentuk persepsi bahawa “kebebasan” ada di dunia siber.

Kecanggihan teknologi dunia siber sebenarnya memberikan banyak manfaat kepada rakyat khususnya untuk mendapat maklumat. Kini kita berada pada era limpahan maklumat dan tentunya suatu yang baik kepada semua orang. Lambakan maklumat juga ada masalahnya apabila individu di dunia siber tidak semuanya mempunyai kredibiliti untuk diterima sebagai pemberi maklumat yang sahih. Lebih teruk lagi bukan saja tidak sahih tetapi sengaja dilencongkan kepada maksud lain.

Di peringkat inilah kecanggihan dunia siber mendatangkan keburukan kepada khalayak. Semuanya kerana disalahgunakan oleh pihak tertentu untuk menyebarkan isi kandungan yang boleh menjejaskan keharmonian negara. Kebebasan menyiarkan maklumat atau pandangan telah digunakan untuk menyebarluaskan fitnah atau maklumat palsu yang menggoncang kestabilan negara atau untuk menjejaskan kredibiliti individu tertentu.

Kita kena realistik bahawa penerbitan di dunia siber negara ini terlalu bebas. Ia seolah-olah tidak ada pemantauan seperti yang dilakukan terhadap penerbitan bercetak. Mereka yang mengendalikan penerbitan siber bukan saja bebas menyiarkan maklumat tetapi juga bebas daripada tindakan undang-undang. Walaupun ada beberapa kes yang disebutkan di atas tadi tetapi ini sekadar membuktikan ada peruntukan undang-undang terhadap dunia siber. Bagaimanapun tidak ada tindakan yang boleh dijadikan iktibar oleh pihak lain.

Ini dibuktikan sebahagian daripada blog, komen-komen dalam laman sosial serta khidmat pesanan ringkas (SMS) bukan saja maklumat yang palsu tetapi boleh menggugat keharmonian negara. Komen-komen terhadap isu-isu yang melibatkan politik dan agama dibuat sewenang-wenang dengan unsur-unsur yang berbaur perkauman. Ini tidak boleh dilakukan sama sekali oleh penerbitan bercetak.

Mempunyai peruntukan undang-undang dan melaksanakan undang-undang adalah dua perkara yang berbeza. Peruntukkan undang-undang menuntut ia dilaksanakan sebaik mungkin. Ini adalah untuk memberi keadilan kepada individu yang menjadi mangsa kepada pengamal dalam dunia siber. Fitnah, hasutan atau ugutan tetap mempunyai makna yang sama tidak kira dalam dunia siber atau sebaliknya.

Kita semua percaya dalam isu kalimah Allah dan juga membakar gereja, bukanlah pelajar Aswara itu saja yang menghantar komen yang boleh ditafsirkan sebagai ugutan. Maka kita boleh membuat kesimpulan bahawa isu yang sensitif seperti itu telah bersarang di laman-laman web atau laman-laman sosial di negara ini.

Menteri Penerangan, Komunikasi dan Kebudayaan Datuk Seri Dr. Rais Yatim menganggap penguatkuasaan yang lemah menjadi punca utama penyebaran fitnah yang berleluasa di dunia siber. Sebaliknya beliau percaya, sekiranya penguatkuasaan dilaksanakan banyak bloger dan pengguna Internet tidak boleh bermaharajalela menyebarkan fitnah.

Semua yang bersifat fitnah, ugutan atau hasutan boleh diambil tindakan bawah Akta Komunikasi dan Multimedia. Tindakan kepada mereka yang tidak bertanggungjawab ada dalam peruntukkan undang-undang. Sebagai bukti, Kementerian Penerangan, Komunikasi dan Kebudayaan telah mengemukakan 18 kes bawah perkara 232 dan 233 Akta Komunikasi dan Multimedia kepada pihak pendakwa tetapi masih belum ada pendakwaan. Kenapa?

Melaksanakan dengan tegas Akta Komunikasi dan Multimedia bukanlah menyekat kebebasan bersuara seperti yang dilaung-laungkan oleh pihak tertentu. Dalam kehidupan manusia tidak ada kebebasan yang mutlak dan perkara ini mesti difahami sekiranya kerajaan mengambil tindakan kepada mereka yang melanggar akta tersebut.

Peruntukkan undang-undang berkaitan dunia siber adalah untuk menyekat segelintir pengguna yang tidak beretika atau sengaja mengambil peluang untuk mencetuskan keadaan tidak harmoni. Pada masa ini memberi banyak manfaat kepada majoriti khalayak yang lain. Sekiranya kerajaan berfikiran sempit tidak memberi kebebasan, sudah tentu tidak diperkenalkan Internet. Maka untuk menikmati kebebasan yang lebih bermakna kita perlulah mengorbankan kebebasan mutlak yang membawa banyak keburukan daripada kebaikan.

Sumber: Sila klik disini.

Pendakwaan pertama

2010-01-17T12:23:00.001+08:00

Kepada semua paadaian jaringan sosial interaktif facebook, berhati-hati membuat posting atau komen dilaman web facebook. - Penasihat KKS

Oleh SITI NOORALINA AHMAD
pengarang@utusan.com.my

MOHAMAD Tasyrif ketika dibawa ke Mahkamah Sesyen Petaling Jaya, semalam. (Gambar ihsan Berita Harian)

PETALING JAYA 15 Jan. – Seorang pelajar Akademi Seni Budaya dan Warisan Kebangsaan (Aswara) didakwa di Mahkamah Sesyen di sini hari ini atas tuduhan menghantar komen berbentuk ugutan dalam laman Facebook berhubung isu kalimah Allah.

Mohamad Tasyrif Tajudin, 25, merupakan individu pertama didakwa di mahkamah setelah tercetusnya bantahan berhubung isu penggunaan kalimah Allah dalam penerbitan Gereja Katolik.

Dakwaan terhadap pelajar tahun pertama jurusan Diploma Perfileman itu dibuat selepas dia dituduh menghantar komen: “Ke nak aku baling bom petrol di sana plak? Harga boleh runding...” di laman web rangkaian sosial interaktif tersebut.

Dia didakwa secara sedar menggunakan aplikasi dalam Internet bagi memulakan penghantaran komen yang bersifat mengancam dengan niat untuk mengganggu orang lain di laman Facebook milik individu bernama Shahrul Maizam.

Perbuatan itu didakwa dilakukannya di B-10-17-20, Blok 10, Jalan PJS 2B/1, Desa Mentari 2, di sini pada pukul 10 pagi, 10 Januari lalu.

Ketua Putera MIC Selangor, T. Dhinesh merupakan pengadu dalam kes ini.

Mohamad Tasyrif didakwa mengikut Seksyen 233(1)(a) Akta Komunikasi dan Multimedia 1998 dan boleh dihukum di bawah Seksyen 233(3) akta tersebut.

Jika sabit kesalahan, tertuduh boleh dikenakan hukuman denda sehingga RM50,000 atau penjara maksimum setahun atau kedua-duanya.

Mohamad Tasyrif mengangguk tanda memahami pertuduhan tersebut tetapi tiada pengakuan direkodkan kerana Hakim Aslam Zainuddin yang sepatutnya mendengar kes itu mempunyai urusan rasmi di Shah Alam.

Sumber: Sila klik disini.

2010 outlook: Flat is the new up

2009-11-21T07:00:00.006+08:00

You are also welcome to visit my other blogs http://darahkedayan.blogspot.com/ and http://simply-kedayan.weebly.com/

After the doom and gloom of 2008 and heady gains of 2009, experts think next year might be a calm, boring one for stocks. There's nothing wrong with that.

By Paul R. La Monica, CNNMoney.com editor at large
November 20, 2009: 12:48 PM ET

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- If 2008 was the year the stock market almost died and 2009 was the year that the market miraculously sprung back to life, then what will 2010 be?

It could wind up being a boring, relatively stable year. And you know what? There's nothing wrong with that.

Some market experts think that after last year's despair and this year's glee, everyone may take a deep breath and realize that the economy is neither sinking to an abyss nor on the road to a robust recovery.

"I think the market could fall a bit or stay flat during the first half of the year since the economic outlook is still relatively weak. But I'm looking for a strengthening economy sometime in the middle of next year since interest rates should stay low," said Doug Ober, chairman and CEO of Adams Express (ADX) and Petroleum & Resources (PEO), two closed-end funds that invest mainly in U.S. stocks.

Ober said that he's hoping to take advantage of any pullback in the markets over the next few months, particularly in the technology and consumer sectors.

He said that Microsoft (MSFT, Fortune 500) and Intel (INTC, Fortune 500), for example, should benefit from the launch of Microsoft's Windows 7 operating system.

As for consumers, Ober said that because he is not expecting a substantial economic rebound, he's steering clear of retailers and investing more in staples like Coca-Cola (KO, Fortune 500), PepsiCo (PEP, Fortune 500), Procter & Gamble (PG, Fortune 500) and Unilever (UL).
John Norris, managing director of wealth management with Oakworth Capital Bank in Birmingham, Ala., agreed that investors shouldn't get too optimistic about next year.

"The economy might experience tepid growth of about 2% next year. With 2% growth, people won't be as quick to put money in the market. We've priced in a good recovery and it might not live up to its billing," Norris said.

But that doesn't mean the market or economy are going to fall apart, Norris added. It just looks like a lot of the easy money has already been made in this rally now that the S&P 500 is up nearly 65% since March.

"This year, you just had to be in the market to do well. Next year will be more difficult. At the end of the year if the S&P 500 is up about 8%, that's probably about the best we can hope for," Norris said.

Norris also said that investors have to be more discriminating in 2010 - especially when considering some of this year's hottest sectors and stocks.

The financial services sector, for example, has surged this year. Nearly all banks have bounced sharply from their depressed lows - regardless of how strong their balance sheets really are. As a result, many bank stocks are significantly more pricey than they were only a few months ago.

So a strong focus on identifying winners and losers in an individual sector, and not betting the ranch on an entire group of stocks, may be one of the keys to successful investing in 2010.

Valuations matter once again as well. The S&P 500 now trades at about 14 times 2010 earnings estimates, according to Thomson Reuters.

That's not absurdly expensive by any means. But back in early April, just as the market was beginning to rally, the S&P 500 was trading at only 11 times next year's earnings estimates.

"Everything was cheap in early 2009. Now you have to be a lot more selective," said Blake Howells, director of equity research for Becker Capital Management, an investment firm in Portland, Ore., with about $2 billion in assets. "That's true for the market as a whole."

The Buzz is going on a break: This is the last column for awhile since I will be out on leave for several weeks. But I just wanted to take this opportunity to thank all the readers who have e-mailed me and contributed to the Talkbacks throughout this year.

I appreciate all the feedback and look forward to incorporating more of your comments into the Buzz columns and videos in 2010. Happy Thanksgiving to all and I hope that everyone has a joyous holiday season.

Source : Please click here.

Rakyat wajar bersyukur miliki k'jaan utamakan kesihatan: Sapawi

2009-11-19T19:45:00.005+08:00

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SERAH … Sapawi diperhatikan oleh Dr. Yassin menyerahkan tandas curah kepada wakil penduduk Matrin Payang Ketua Kampung Mentulud.

19th November, 2009

BEAUFORT: Rakyat negara ini wajar bersyukur kerana memiliki kerajaan yang turut memberi keutamaan kepada kesihatan.

Ahli Parlimen Sipitang, Datuk Sapawi Ahmad berkata, kerajaan tidak hanya memberi tumpuan kepada pembangunan fizikal semata-mata tetapi turut memberi keutamaan kepada kesihatan.

“Apa yang dilakukan oleh kerajaan sesungguhnya tidak berlaku di negara lain,” katanya pada majlis penyerahan tandas curah di Kampung Mentulud dekat sini, kelmarin.

Hadir sama pada majlis tersebut termasuklah Pegawai Kesihatan Beaufort, Dr. Yassin Kamaruljamal, Pegawai Perhubungan Parlimen kawasan Lumadan Sipitang, Amat Talip dan Pengerusi JKKK Kampung Mentulud, Sani Moksin.

Sapawi berkata, kerajaan tidak mengabaikan soal kesihatan dalam melaksanakan pembangunan dan juga kemajuan.

Ini kerana, katanya, jika pembangunan kesihatan tidak diberi keutamaan segala perancangan atau usaha pembangunan serta kemajuan yang dilaksanakan tidak akan memberi makna.

Seramai 75 isi rumah memperolehi tandas curah yang disumbangkan oleh Kementerian Kesihatan. Sebelum ini kampung tersebut telah dilanda wabak kolera.

Sapawi seterusnya berharap dengan adanya tandas curah itu, penduduk di kampung tersebut akan dapat menjaga kesihatan dengan lebih baik.

“Kemudahan yang diberikan diharap dapat dipergunakan dengan kita memberi perhatian terhadap kesihatan diri, keluarga dan seluruh penduduk kampung,” katanya lagi.

Beliau berkata penduduk yang bebas daripada penyakit sudah tentu dapat merangka perancangan ke arah hidup yang lebih baik dan bermanfaat.

Sumber : Sila klik disini.

KOMUNITI KEDAYAN MALAYSIA DI FACEBOOK

2009-11-10T14:15:00.009+08:00

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'Snap shot' muka hadapan Komuniti Kedayan Malaysia

Generasi muda Kedayan yang terdiri dari Sabran Mamit (creator), Julie Zuliana
(Perhubungan Lahad Datu), Salim Mamit (Perhubungan Subang, Selangor), Rosdi Kamis
(Perhubungan Kota Kinabalu), Siti Shaefaridah Bte Suhaili (Perhubungan Kuala Lumpur)
Aslina Juti (Perhubungan Terengganu), Maimon Semion (Perhubungan Seremban)telah merintis sistem interaksi social melalui Facebook yang bertajuk KOMUNITI KEDAYAN MALAYSIA (KKM). Tahniah saya ucapkan kepada mereka kerana berjaya mengwujudkan KKM dan saya dapati amat popular dikalangan komuniti Kedayan di seluruh Malaysia dan Brunei Darussalam.

Sabran Mamit (creator)

Julie Zuliana (Perhubungan Lahad Datu)

Salim Mamit ( Perhubungan Subang, Selangor)

Rosdi Kamis (Perhubungan Kota Kinabalu)

Siti Shaefaridah Bte Suhaili (Perhubungan Kuala Lumpur)

Aslina Juti (Perhubungan Terengganu)

Maimon Semion (Perhubungan Seremban)

Kepada anak Kedayan, keturunan Kedayan dan sesiapa saja yang berminat untuk menyertai komuniti ini sila daftarkan diri sekarang. Bahasa utama yang digunakan ialah Bahasa Kedayan. Hidup Kedayan!

Untuk akses anda perlu ada akaun Facebook dan taip Kedayan didalam ruang "search" atau klik disini.

Agama bukan hak eksklusif ulama

2009-11-09T14:35:00.007+08:00

You are also welcome to visit my other blogs http://darahkedayan.blogspot.com/ and http://simply-kedayan.weebly.com/

Agama bukan hak eksklusif ulama — Dr Asri Zainul Abidin

NOV 8 — Temuramah Berita Harian (BH) dengan Dr Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin

Dr. Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin

BH: Sehari sebelum ditahan Jais, Dr mengeluarkan kenyataan mengenai memorandum PGSM membantah pelantikan Dr sebagai Yang Dipertua Yadim. Dr didakwa ada agenda tersendiri kerana turut mendakwa Perdana Menteri yang mahu membuat pelantikan itu.

Dr Asri: Kalau ada agenda, ertinya saya juga mengerah berpuluh-puluh polis dan pegawai Jais menangkap saya. Dakwaan itu cuma teori kerana di luar kemampuan saya berbuat demikian. Siapa saya untuk membuat agenda membabitkan pihak keselamatan dan seumpamanya, tetapi saya melihat dari sudut lain, ada hikmah untuk saya dan untuk Malaysia; mengenai kebebasan bersuara, hak untuk bercakap.

BH: Dr ditahan kerana disyaki mengajar agama tanpa tauliah. Perlukah Jais mengeluarkan tauliah, terutama kepada pengajar berkelayakan mengajar agama?

Dr Asri: Tidak perlu kerana pertama, ia sedikit sebanyak menjejaskan hak bersuara, itu asasnya. Kedua, dari segi Islam, Nabi Muhammad mengajar “sampaikan daripada aku walaupun satu ayat.” Ertinya rakyat Selangor tidak boleh mempraktikkan hadis ini kecuali ada tauliah. Kalau dengar kuliah agama, hendak cerita kepada kawan di rumah apa yang diajar ustaz tak boleh kerana kena dapatkan tauliah dulu.

BH: Apakah maksud pengajaran agama?

Dr Asri: Perkataan agama amat umum. Sekarang pengajaran agama ialah kalau kita lihat pensyarah universiti mengajar agama di Selangor dan negeri lain. Cikgu nasihatkan anak murid dalam kelas supaya jaga solat, itu pun pengajaran agama... kena tauliah? Jemaah tabligh yang pergi dari masjid ke masjid, ada minta tauliah? Kadangkala orang jual ubat di tepi jalan pesan baca Bismillah sebelum makan ubat, ada unsur ajaran agama. Apa dimaksudkan dengan pengajaran agama? Itu yang Jais kena takrifkan.

BH: Mengapa pula (perlu tauliah) seseorang yang ada ijazah pertama, sarjana bahkan PhD (doktor falsafah) dalam pengajian Islam sepatutnya sudah layak. Sebahagian besar yang ada PhD ialah pensyarah universiti, mengajar orang yang akan keluar dapat sijil (ijazah), bahkan untuk PhD dan sarjana, tiba-tiba kena dapatkan tauliah, bukan saja untuk mengajar di masjid dan surau tetapi di seluruh Selangor.

BH: Tanpa merujuk kepada Dr, ada pihak membidas sikap ahli agama yang menganggap kebal dan tidak perlu tauliah. Mereka menyifatkan itu takbur?

Dr Asri: Saya tidak kata kerana orang sudah kenal saya, saya tidak perlu tauliah. Saya kata saya dikenali, boleh tengok laman web. Itu maksudnya orang sudah tahu saya, jadi tak payahlah takut ada ajaran lain. Saya bukan manusia yang baru muncul untuk kita selidik, itu maksud saya. Saya kata tak perlu (tauliah untuk orang berkelayakan) kerana saya tak bersetuju dengan dasar ini daripada asasnya lagi. Kalau seseorang tiada latar
belakang agama, mungkin patut (tauliah). Saya katakan ini untuk semua. Pensyarah universiti ada PhD tak payah disuruh ambil tauliah, cukuplah pengiktirafan universiti yang lebih besar. Yang langsung tiada latar belakang agama, boleh disuruh ambil tauliah.

BH: Dr mendakwa ada tangan ghaib di sebalik kes ditahan Jais. Apa maksudnya dan adakah ia juga berkaitan dengan Yadim. Dr juga dapat publisiti percuma?

Dr Asri: Ini (kes tangkapan) bukan perkara kecil kerana cara mereka jalankan operasi membabitkan berpuluh-puluh polis dan pegawai Jais, mungkin mereka nak gari saya kalau tidak dengan perundingan. Saya tidak tahu (puncanya). Sudahlah ditangkap begitu, pergi ke balai polis, siasatan tak buat, esoknya seluruh negara tunggu, tiba-tiba kata belum ada siasatan dan tuduhan. Bayangkan kalau belum ada siasatan dan tuduhan, takkan ada operasi sebesar itu.
Mengenai publisiti percuma, saya tak promosi diri, tak berani cakap lebih, tetapi al-Quran ingatkan kita, kadang-kadang orang rancang tak elok tetapi Allah rancang lain dan Allah sebaik-baik perancang. Kadang-kadang ada orang rancang nak aniaya orang, tetapi berlaku sebaliknya. Saya harap Allah tolong saya.

BH: Adakah Dr rasa ini usaha untuk menyekat fahaman Wahabi yang dikaitkan dengan Dr?

Dr Asri: Saya rasa mungkin mereka cuba kaitkan saya dengan Wahabi. Cuma saya nak
tanya apa itu Wahabi? Saya kata berulang kali dalam pelbagai media, saya bukan manusia ghaib. Penulisan saya dalam akhbar secara mingguan, ada blog, ceramah dalam televisyen dan ada siaran tetap, saya ada laman web YouTube dalam internet. Boleh ambil dan senaraikan (penulisan dan ceramah) yang dianggap menyanggah prinsip ajaran Islam, jangan buat tuduhan.
Wahabi bukan saja dituduh kepada saya, tetapi juga tokoh pembaharuan sebelum ini. Za’aba pernah dituduh, Prof Hamka juga dituduh dan dalam buku Ayahku, Hamka menceritakan hal ini. Dalam Teguran Suci dan Jujur Terhadap Mufti Johor, Hamka ceritakan tuduhan seperti ini dan menjawab kes suka menuduh orang Wahabi kerana berbeza beberapa amalan.

BH: Berbicara mengenai Wahabi, Dr didakwa menggalakkan jangan baca qunut serta talkin?

Dr Asri: Jika tak mahu baca qunut ketika solat Subuh, adakah dia sesat? Bagaimana orang yang bersembahyang di Masjidil Haram, Masjid Nabi. Bagaimana kawan India Muslim kita yang sembahyang di Masjid India, juga tak baca qunut. Melainkan jika (imam) baca qunut, ada orang lain yang mengikut suruh berhenti, menyebut Subhanallah di belakang, tetapi itu tidak ada, itu (baca qunut) satu hak. Jika nak dijadikan perkara besar, lebih baik besarkan isu mereka yang langsung tak sembahyang Subuh.
Jika saya tengok imam baca qunut, saya akan qunut bersama imam. Jika saya bersolat dalam majoriti makmumnya berqunut, saya berqunut. Saya akui ketika di Perlis tidak ada qunut dalam solat Subuh. Apa yang saya buat menunjukkan keluasan sikap. Adakah Jais nak halang rakyat Selangor sembahyang di Masjidil Haram dan Masjid Nabi?

Talkin pun satu hal. Apa masalah talkin? Macam mana orang yang mati di Madinah dan Makkah yang tak ditalkin. Adakah pernah (di negara kita) orang bertalkin, orang lain pergi ketuk kepala dia, pergi tarik dia, tak ada. Ini satu penyakit kronik sesetengah golongan agama yang pantang ada orang berikan pendapat berbeza, kerakusan membolot bidang kuasa. “Saya ustaz, saya tidak boleh dicabar, jangan tanya masalah dalil saya, penghujahan saya, cukuplah tahu saya ustaz, siapa yang banyak bertanya lemahlah imannya”. Begitulah sikapnya, itu tidak betul.

BH: Apakah yang dikatakan itu jadi ikutan kerana ‘fatwa’ dikeluarkan seorang mufti?

Dr Asri: Jika saya tak cakap pun, generasi moden sekarang dengan beberapa klik saja mereka boleh masuk internet, boleh baca beribu fatwa, siapa nak halang? Adakah Jais, jabatan agama atau mufti mahu kerajaan buat tapisan internet supaya jangan dibaca melainkan kandungan yang mendapat restu mereka. Dalam dunia teknologi maklumat ini orang boleh menilai, boleh baca, biarlah. Ada orang tidak pandai dalam bidang guaman tetapi kerana banyak membaca di internet, dia pandai. Macam mana kita tiba-tiba nak kata, “awak bukan mufti, bukan ustaz... awak tidak akan faham agama, kami saja faham”. Agama tidak eksklusif seperti itu.

Di manakah tempat saya larang orang baca qunut di Selangor? Pada pandangan saya, pendapat lebih kuat ialah Subuh tidak (perlu) qunut, tetapi jika anda ikut imam yang baca qunut, hendaklah qunut. Jika imam tidak qunut, jangan qunut kerana hormati imam. Sebab itu orang kita pergi Makkah kena hormat imam (tidak baca qunut). Ini yang saya kata penyakit kronik, membolot “apa saja yang kami buat tak boleh langsung dipertikaikan”.

Apabila mereka (penguat kuasa agama) tahan orang kerana dituduh khalwat padahal suami isteri dan dibawa ke balai polis, bahkan dikurung dalam lokap kerana tak bawa surat nikah, esoknya dibawa surat nikah dan ditunjukkan, mereka dibebaskan begitu saja. Tidak pula minta maaf, sebabnya “saya ustaz, saya tak boleh minta maaf, awak kena hormat saya.”

BH: Mengenai PGSM mendakwa Dr memperbesarkan cerita memorandum itu kerana apa yang berlaku cuma kesilapan teknikal?

Dr Asri: Apakah kesilapan teknikal jika letak dalam laman web tuduh saya cerca Imam Nawawi, cerca sembahyang hajat menyebabkan kegelisahan seluruh negara. Saya tak tahu sejauh mana saya sebabkan kegelisahan itu kerana apabila ke seluruh negara, Alhamdulillah! Kalau tidak ribuan, ratusan rakyat sambut saya. Jadi, saya tidak tahu kegelisahan apa? Ini semua tuduhan besar dan bukan petisyen yang disimpan di bawah bantal, ia dihantar kepada Yang di-Pertuan Agong. Kemudian (PGSM) kata ini benda kecil, inikah mentality peguam syarie? Saya tahu bukan semua peguam syarie begitu, ramai juga telefon saya menyatakan bantahan terhadap tindakan kurang bertamadun itu.

BH: Dalam hal membabitkan Dr, adakah kerana pertembungan ulama tradisional dan muda?

Dr Asri: Saya menyatakan supaya golongan muda menghormati ulama, tetapi pada masa sama jangan gugurkan hak anda untuk bertanya, minta penjelasan, ulasan dan penghujahan. Ulama juga perlu ada perasaan kasih sayang kepada orang awam, jangan jadikan agama hak mutlak sehingga mereka tidak boleh dipersoal dan ditanya alasan atas apa yang mereka kata dan buat. Agama berdasarkan al-Quran dan sunnah, bukan berdasarkan apa orang kata.

Kalau ulama Pas kata lain, ulama Umno kata lain, ulama PKR kata lain, kita nak pakai yang mana, ulama Perlis kata lain, Perak kata lain.

Walaupun kadang-kadang mereka kata semua sama tetapi banyak benda juga mereka berbeza pandangan. Bukan semua tradisionalis setuju dengan fatwa Datuk Dr Mashitah Ibrahim (Timbalan Menteri di Jabatan Perdana Menteri) mengenai kes wanita melacur umpamanya.

BH: Apakah pertembungan ulama muda yang lebih terbuka pemikirannya dengan ulama tradisional boleh memecah-belahkan umat Islam?

Dr Asri: Kena takrifkan apa maksud memecah-belah? Pernahkah orang muda pergi tumbuk ulama, adakah ulama muda kacau orang baca kitab? Tidak ada. Pertembungan dalam politik lebih serius dan ramai ulama tradisional ada dalam politik. Saya tidak nampak ada pertembungan. Ia istilah yang selalu dikeluarkan apabila ada orang berbeza pandangan dengan mereka kerana menganggap mereka di pihak atas. Begitu juga dengan tindakan sebahagian pemimpin kerajaan apabila rakyat berbeza pendapat, dikatakan rakyat menderhaka, sedangkan pandangan mereka sebenarnya minoriti, pandangan rakyat adalah majoriti.

Dalam kes saya, saya rasa mereka tidak boleh berkata pandangan pembaharuan ini mewakili minoriti kerana ia kelihatan kalau tidak majoriti pun, suaranya agak sama kuat. Majoriti senyap belum tentu menyokong ulama tradisional, mereka juga mahu perubahan dan mungkin mereka tak bercakap sebelum ini. Saya rasa ramai wanita sokong apabila saya kata tak boleh tangguhkan kes cerai di mahkamah sehingga bertahun-tahun, ia menzalimi mereka. Kakitangan pejabat agama kena hormat apabila pergi sana (mahkamah), tak boleh berkasar walaupun (wanita dalam kes cerai) tak pakai tudung, hormati dia, hormati hak dia menuntut keadilan, jangan lihat pemakaiannya. — Berita Harian

Sumber: Sila klik disini.

Bahaya Wahabi

2009-11-07T12:11:00.009+08:00

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Oleh Roslan Ibrahim dan Mohd Fadly Samsudin
rencana@hmetro.com.my

GERAKAN Wahabi diasaskan Imam Muhamad bin Abdul Wahhab At-Tamimi (1703-1791). Beliau muncul ketika pengaruh mazhab Hambali sedang merosot dan umat Islam ketika itu melakukan pencemaran akidah seperti khurafat dan bidaah.

Pix : Courtesy of MyMetro.

GERAKAN Wahabi diasaskan Imam Muhamad bin Abdul Wahhab At-Tamimi (1703-1791). Beliau muncul ketika pengaruh mazhab Hambali sedang merosot dan umat Islam ketika itu melakukan pencemaran akidah seperti khurafat dan bidaah.

Perkembangan fahaman berkenaan di Malaysia kebanyakan dibawa pelajar yang pernah menuntut ilmu agama di negara Arab yang terpengaruh dengan ajaran itu.

Kehadiran golongan itu di sini dapat dirasakan berikutan ada pengikutnya berani mencerca ulama ahlu Sunnah Wal-Jamaah termasuk amalan sunat yang terdapat dalam ajaran Islam seperti doa qunut dan berzikir selepas solat.

Aliran Wahabi ibarat api dalam sekam dan boleh mengancam negara dan menyebabkan umat Islam bergaduh sesama sendiri jika tidak dibendung pihak berkuasa agama di Malaysia.

Mereka juga seperti musuh dalam selimut kerana sukar untuk mengenal pasti golongan ini apatah lagi mereka turut hadir dalam majlis agama, bersolat di masjid atau surau dan tidak mengaku diri mereka pengikut ajaran Wahabi.

Bagaimanapun, secara halus mereka menyusup dalam kelompok masyarakat Islam di negara ini dengan menghina mazhab Ahlu Sunnah Wal-Jamaah yang menjadi rujukan umat Islam dengan membawa Islam mudah sehingga masyarakat keliru.

Mazhab Ahlu-Sunnah dalam syariat beragama sangat penting bukan saja kepada umat Islam sendiri, malah seluruh masyarakat.

Fahaman Wahabi turut menolak ijmak dan qias. Ijmak ialah persepakatan dalam hukum syarak di kalangan umat Islam dari satu zaman ke satu zaman selepas Nabi Muhamad s.a.w wafat.

Ini jelas dibuktikan dengan firman Allah s.a.w yang bermaksud: "Dan sesiapa yang menentang (ajaran) Rasulullah sesudah terang nyata kepadanya kebenaran petunjuk (yang dibawanya) dan ia pula mengikut jalan yang lain dari jalan orang-orang yang beriman. Kami akan memberikannya kuasa untuk melakukan (kesesatan) yang dipilihnya, dan (pada hari akhirat kelak) Kami akan memasukkannya ke dalam neraka jahanam dan neraka jahanam itu adalah seburuk-buruk tempat kembali." (Surah an-Nisaa', ayat 115).

Jadi, wajib kita mengikut apa yang diputuskan ijmak kerana ia senarai yang ketiga terpenting daripada sumber perundangan Islam.

Menurut Ahli Jawatankuasa Pemantauan Akidah dan Pentauliahan Majlis Agama Islam Selangor (Mais), Ustaz Mahfuz Mohamad, fahaman Wahabi bertapak di negara ini sejak awal tahun 1900 apabila Sheikh Abdul Hadi membuka sekolah agama di Melaka.

"Bagaimanapun, sekolah itu tidak mendapat sambutan dan beliau berpindah ke Pulau Pinang. Melalui sekolah itu lahir tokoh fahaman Wahabi iaitu Sheikh Abu Bakar al-Ashaari.

"Selepas menamatkan pengajian di sekolah terbabit pada tahun 1925 beliau menyambung pengajiannya di Mesir dan pulang ke negara ini pada tahun 1932.

"Beliau menyebar fahaman Wahabi di Pulau Pinang, tetapi mendapat tentangan hebat ramai tokoh ulama ahlu Sunnah, antaranya Sheikh Abdullah Fahim.

"Beliau lari ke Kedah dan kemudian menetap di Perlis bagi menyebarkan fahaman Wahabi," katanya.

Mahfuz berkata, ketika itu ia dinamakan fahaman muda atau mudah kerana mereka selalu bermudah-mudahan.

Ini dicatatkan di dalam Kitab Senjata Syariat yang diterbitkan pada tahun 1953 khas bagi menjawab gerakan Wahabi oleh tiga tokoh ulama besar ketika itu: Sheikh Abdullah Fahim, Haji Ahmad Tun Hussein Pokok Sena dan Sheikh Abdul Rahman Abdullah Merbok.

Abu Bakar as-Ashaari pernah menerbitkan buku bertajuk Ibadah Rasulullah s.a.w yang menimbulkan keraguan kerana 'menjelmakan' petua menghalalkan memakan biawak, ular, labi-labi dan penyu.

"Di dalam buku itu, Abu Bakar as-Ashaari mencaci amalan bermazhab yang dikatakan haram dan bidaah dalal.

"Ulama ketika itu sudah memberi amaran bahawa gerakan Wahabi sudah menyusup dalam masyarakat dan perlu membendung segera," katanya.

Hasil ketegasan ulama sebelum ini, fahaman Wahabi kian menyepi, tetapi kini muncul kembali berikutan banyak kelonggaran yang diberikan kepada sesiapa sahaja atas 'tiket' menyebarkan Islam.

"Golongan Wahabi tidak berpegang kepada mana-mana mazhab kononnya hanya berpegang kepada al-Quran dan hadis.

"Tetapi, sejarah membuktikan ramai tokoh tersohor Islam seperti Imam Nawawi, Imam al-Ghazali, Termidzi, Bukhari dan Muslim berpegang kepada mazhab yang empat itu," katanya.

Katanya, tuduhan Wahabi terhadap beberapa amalan yang sudah menjadi kebiasaan masyarakat Islam di Malaysia seperti doa qunut, membaca al-Quran di atas kubur dan wirid selepas solat membuatkan umat keliru.

Merujuk kepada buku Makna Sebenar Bid'ah : Satu Penjelasan Rapi yang dikarang oleh Abdullah al-Siddiq al-Ghumari yang turut disemak oleh Mufti Negeri Sembilan Datuk Mohd Murtadza Ahmad, Bekas Mufti Wilayah Persekutuan, Datuk Md Hashim Yahya serta Yang di Pertua Persatuan Ulama Malaysia, Saleh Ahmad menyebutkan ulama bersepakat mengenai pembahagian bid'ah antara yang terpuji dan tercela. Orang pertama yang mengatakan demikian ialah Umar r.a.

Ulama juga bersepakat bahawa sabda Rasulullah s.a.w yang menyebutkan: "Setiap yang bid'ah itu sesat" adalah hadis umum yang perlu dikhususkan.

Imam al-Syafie berkata: "Setiap yang mempunyai sandarannya dari sudut syarak, bukannya bid'ah sekalipun tidak diamalkan oleh generasi salaf. Mereka meninggalkan perkara itu mungkin kerana keuzuran."

Al-Imam Ibn Lub dalam menyangkal pendapat golongan yang tidak menyenangi amalan berdoa selepas sembahyang mengatakan perkara berkenaan tidak diamalkan generasi salaf.

Namun, tidak mungkin mengatakan hukumnya haram atau makruh kerana perkara yang dilakukan itu mempunyai asas dalam syarak.

Mengenai amalan membaca wirid beramai-ramai selepas sembahyang. Memang ia tidak pernah berlaku pada zaman Nabi s.a.w, tetapi tidak haram. Sesiapa yang mendakwa amalan ini diharamkan bererti dia melakukan pembohongan atas nama Allah s.w.t.

Pengharaman amalan itu tidak disebut dalam al-Quran dan al-Sunnah.

Hadis Muslim yang diriwayatkan daripada Abu Hurairah menyebutkan sabda Rasulullah s.a.w yang bermaksud: "Tidaklah berkumpul satu kaum di dalam rumah Allah sambil membaca al-Quran dan mengulangkaji antara sesama mereka melainkan turunlah kepada mereka ketenangan, dan mereka diliputi oleh rahmat dan dinaungi oleh malaikat, dan Allah menyebut perihal mereka kepada makhluk yang di sisiNya."

Hadis ini memberikan kefahaman bahawa membaca al-Quran secara beramai-ramai di dalam masjid adalah disyariatkan.

Dalam Sahih Muslim terdapat juga hadis yang diriwayatkan daripada Abu Musa al-Asya'ari daripada nabi s.a.w yang bersabda yang maksudnya: "Selalulah membaca al-Quran, demi Dia Yang jiwa Muhammad berada di tangan-Nya, al-Quran itu lebih mudah terlepas (hilang) daripada unta yang diikat." (Muslim. Kitab Salah al-Musafirin (231/791).

Kesimpulannya, dari segi tauhid, fahaman Wahabi bukan ajaran baru atau termasuk antara 73 cabang ajaran sesat, cuma ia boleh menimbulkan suasana tegang dalam masyarakat Islam kerana pendekatan yang diambil terlalu mudah tetapi bahaya.

INFO

Amalan dalam fahaman Wahabi antaranya:

Dalam mempelajari ilmu Usuludin hendaklah berpegang kepada fahaman yang diasaskan Ibnu Taimiyyah

Di dalam amalan fiqh pula tidak berpegang kepada mana-mana mazhab, malah boleh berpegang antara satu sama lain (Talfiq)

Berpegang kepada sumber al-Quran dan hadis sahih sahaja tanpa berpegang kepada Ijmak dan Qias

Melarang keras umat Islam berdoa melalui tawassul (perantaraan)

Melarang ziarah kubur walaupun makam Rasulullah s.a.w

Menghancurkan tugu peringatan kerana semua itu menjadikan umat Islam syirik

Melarang membaca qasidah dan berzanji yang memuji Rasulullah s.a.w. tahlil dan seumpamanya

Melarang umat Islam mengadakan sambutan hari kebesaran Islam seperti Maulid Nabi, Israk Mikraj dan lain-lain

Melarang umat Islam belajar sifat 20 dan seumpamanya

Fahaman Asa'ari iaitu fahaman Ahlu Sunnah Wal-Jamaah dibuang jauh-jauh

Imam dilarang membaca Bismillah pada permulaan Fatihah

Tidak boleh membaca wirid-wirid yang memuji Rasulullah s.a.w

Tidak boleh melagu-lagukan lafaz al-Quran dan laungan azan, tetapi boleh baca dengan lurus sahaja

Mengadakan majlis zikir secara berjemaah dilarang

Amalan tariqah dilarang sama sekali

Amalan berwirid selepas solat berjemaah dilarang keras

Sumber : Sila klik disini.

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Sapawi: Penduduk main peranan penting wujud perkampungan harmoni

2009-11-06T21:42:00.010+08:00

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6th November, 2009

SAPAWI dan Kamarlin menyampaikan sijil kepada wakil peserta.

BEAUFORT: Penduduk memainkan peranan penting dalam mewujudkan perkampungan yang aman dan harmoni.

Ahli Parlimen Sipitang Datuk Sapawi Ahmad berkata sikap bekerjasama, saling tolong-menolong dan sikap ambil berat antara satu sama lain perlu disemai di sanubari masing-masing.

“Buang sikap suka memfitnah, saling bertelagah dan enggan untuk bekerjasama kerana ini tidak membantu kita mewujudkan perkampungan yang aman dan harmoni,” katanya pada seminar desa toyyibah peringkat Beaufort di Kampung Lawa dekat sini kelmarin.

Program yang dihadiri lebih 100 peserta itu turut dihadiri wakil rakyat Lumadan Kamarlin Ombi, Iman Masjid Beaufort Mat Jalin Saramali, Pegawai Perhubungan Parliman Sipitang Kawasan Lumadan Matbali Musah, Pengerusi Masjid Kampung Lawa, Beaufort Jamaludin Musleh dan Ketua PBS Beaufort Roslan Muharam

Sapawi berkata perkampungan yang aman dan harmoni akan juga dilihat sebagai perkampungan yang cemerlang.

Katanya, dalam menjadikan suasana perkampungan seumpama itu, setiap penduduk perlu memainkan peranan dan mengetepikan sikap pentingkan diri.

“Dengan kestabilan politik, usaha mewujudkan perkampungan yang aman dan harmoni bukanlah sesuatu yang sukar … persefahaman, kerjasama dan saling mengambil berat antara satu sama lain akan membantu usaha itu,” katanya dan menambah seminar seumpama itu mampu memberikan pengetahuan kepada peserta bagi menyedari pentingnya perkampungan yang aman dan harmoni.

Beliau berkata keharmonian dan keamanan tidak akan mampu dinikmati sekiranya penduduk lebih mementingkan diri sendiri, enggan menjalin persefahaman dan juga kerjasama.

Sikap seumpama ini, katanya tidak harus diamalkan sehingga ia menjadi budaya dan diwarisi oleh generasi masa depan.

Sapawi juga menegaskan tentang pentingnya pendidikan di kalangan generasi muda di perkampungan.

Menurutnya kecemerlangan sesebuah kampung bukan sahaja mampu dipertahankan tetapi berupaya dipertingkatkan jika memiliki generasi yang berilmu.

Sumber : Sila klik disini.

A family of maid abusers

2009-11-05T15:23:00.008+08:00

A family of maid abusers

Combo picture of the abused maid Badingah (left) and Maselly who was jailed three years

CRUELTY doesn’t seem to have bounds and this time, the culprits are a family of them.

On Wednesday, the last of them – 39-year-old grandmother Maselly Abdul Aziz – paid the price for going to the extreme.

She was jailed three years for pouring boiling water on maid Badingah’s genitals and joining in to extract the Indonesian woman’s two front teeth with pliers.

Her two older children and a woman described in court as Maselly’s lesbian lover were jailed last year for their part in abusing the maid, the Singapore Straits Times reported.

Nur Rizan, 18 and Muhammad Iz'aan, 20 were jailed for six weeks

Maselly, a divorcee, will start her jail sentence on Dec 28 as her elder daughter Nur Rizan Mohd Sazali, 19, would be released on home detention by then to look after her (Nur Rizan’s) two-year-old son.

After the three-week trial, Singapore District Judge Jeffrey Sim was also convinced that Maselly had hit Badingah with a metal rod and threatened to kill her.

She pleaded guilty to employing another foreign maid without a work permit between March and December 2005 and was fined S$7,500.

Nur Rizan had acted as the “dentist” in extracting the maid’s teeth. Elsa Elyana Said, 25, a container driver and said to be Maselly’s lesbian lover, held the maid’s head still and forced her mouth open.

Nur Rizan was jailed 26 months – 12 months for forcibly extracting the two teeth and another 14 months for pouring boiling wax on the maid.

Elsa was jailed 17 months while Nur Rizan’s brother Muhammad Iz’aan, 21, a waiter, was jailed six weeks for caning Bandigah.

Badingah, who now wears dentures, showing where he teeth were pulled out

In the teeth extraction incident, Bandigah had been accused of theft and kept protesting her innocence. But she was not believed – and went on to lose her teeth.

Bandigah, in one of the punishments meted out for an unnamed infraction, had been ordered to stand facing the door through the whole night with one leg off the ground and holding her ears.

Muhammad Iz’aan caned her when she put down that leg.

In July 2007, Badingah escaped by jumping from a window of the second-storey flat near Havelock Road to seek help.

She was found with numerous injuries including bruises, cuts, an infected scalp and scalding on her genitals, thigh, arms, and back.

* Pictures courtesy of Singapore Straits Times
Montage by Amira Hakmal Hakim

Published Nov 4 2009

Source : Please click here.

Lifetime free flights for baby born on plane

2009-10-23T22:21:00.007+08:00

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Fri Oct 23, 3:49 am ET

AFP/File – A baby boy who made a surprise arrival on board an AirAsia flight this week will be given free flights …

KUALA LUMPUR (AFP) – A baby boy who made a surprise arrival on board an AirAsia flight this week will be given free flights for life with the budget carrier, as will his mother, the airline said Friday.

AirAsia said 31-year-old passenger Liew Siaw Hsia went into labour on Wednesday's flight from the northern island of Penang to Kuching on Borneo island.

The aircraft made an emergency diversion to the Malaysian capital but the baby arrived just before landing, delivered by a doctor who was on board and who was assisted by the airline's flight attendants.

"The baby was safely delivered when flight AK 6506 was approaching Kuala Lumpur for landing at 2,000 feet," the airline said in a statement, adding that mother and baby were taken to a nearby hospital following touchdown.

"To celebrate this momentous occasion, we decided to present both mother and child with free flights for life," said AirAsia's director of operations Moses Devanayagam after visiting them in hospital.

Source : Please click here.

16 Sept. Hari Malaysia cuti umum

2009-10-20T08:33:00.004+08:00

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Oleh HERMAN HAMID, NIZAM YATIM dan MOHD. ASRON MUSTAPHA
pengarang@utusan.com.my

KUALA LUMPUR 19 Okt. - Mulai tahun depan, ulang tahun sambutan Hari Malaysia pada 16 September diisytiharkan sebagai cuti umum di seluruh negara.

Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak mengumumkan keputusan itu yang dibuat oleh Jemaah Menteri baru-baru ini bertujuan mengingati sejarah penubuhan Malaysia pada 16 September 1963.

Menurutnya, ini bermakna mulai 2010, rakyat akan merayakan dua hari kebangsaan secara berkembar iaitu Hari Kemerdekaan dan Hari Malaysia.

Tambah beliau, menerusi Hari Malaysia, kerajaan mahu suka duka rakyat di Sabah dan Sarawak selepas mereka membuat keputusan untuk menyertai Malaysia sejak 1963 turut dirasai penduduk di Semenanjung.

"Hari Merdeka pada 31 Ogos kekal diraikan bagi mengingati perjuangan mencapai kemerdekaan dengan pelbagai acara rasmi seperti perarakan untuk mengingati detik bersejarah itu.

"Hari Malaysia pula dirayakan dengan acara-acara bersifat mengerat perpaduan, persefahaman antara kaum, kejayaan dan pencapaian masyarakat dalam bidang sukan, sosiobudaya, dan kesenian bagi menyemarakkan semangat 1Malaysia," katanya.

Perdana Menteri berkata demikian ketika menjawab soalan lisan Datuk Dr. Marcus Majigoh (BN-Putatan) pada sidang Dewan Rakyat di sini hari ini.

Majigoh sebelum itu ingin mengetahui sejauh mana penerimaan rakyat ke atas seruan 'kita berdiri, kita berfikir dan bertindak sebagai bangsa Malaysia'.

Perdana Menteri menjawab soalan Majigoh itu serentak dengan 15 soalan Ahli Parlimen lain yang turut menyentuh isu serupa.

Dalam pada itu, Najib menambah, bagi meningkatkan lagi perhubungan antara Semenanjung, Sabah dan Sarawak, kekerapan penerbangan akan dipertingkatkan, pembinaan prasarana bakal diperbanyakkan dan isu kerakyatan akan diberi perhatian serius oleh kerajaan.

Dalam jawapan lisan itu juga, Najib mengambil kesempatan menerangkan bahawa gagasan 1Malaysia yang diperkenalkan beliau selepas dilantik sebagai Perdana Menteri telah menjadi gagasan yang digemari ramai khususnya generasi muda.

"Boleh dikatakan tahap pertama dalam pelaksanaan gagasan 1Malaysia telah mencapai matlamatnya. Sama-samalah kita berdoa semoga niat suci kerajaan untuk memupuk perpaduan tulen benar-benar berjaya," katanya.

Menjawab soalan tambahan Majigoh sama ada negara ini wajar mempunyai satu identiti bangsa seperti di Indonesia, Thailand dan Filipina, Najib menjelaskan, beliau bersetuju dengan pendapat tersebut.

Bagaimanapun, katanya, asas pembinaan negara sejak dari awal lagi berasaskan mengintegrasi dan bukannya mengasimilasi seperti yang berlaku di Indonesia, Thailand dan Filipina.

"Ini menunjukkan kepimpinan kita dari awal lagi bersifat terbuka dan inklusif kerana kerajaan melihat itulah jalan terbaik apabila kita dapat menampilkan suatu kekuatan berdasarkan bersatu dalam kepelbagaian.

"Tidak ada negara lain yang unik macam Malaysia. Kita berpegang kepada teras perlembagaan dan boleh menerima unsur-unsur yang berbeza sebagai budaya yang terkandung di bawah bumbung 1Malaysia," jelasnya.

Sementara itu, menjawab soalan Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang (Pas-Marang) mengenai dasar Islam Hadhari, Perdana Menteri berkata, setiap dasar baru merupakan kesinambungan kepada dasar terdahulu dengan mendasari nilai menyokong usaha mencapai Wawasan 2020.

Menurut beliau, tidak mungkin sesuatu dasar yang digubal itu boleh berjaya dalam satu penggal kerana ia merupakan kesinambungan perjalanan yang panjang.

Sumber: Sila klik disini.

Police report against Liow referred to MACC

2009-10-19T20:54:00.013+08:00

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By MAZWIN NIK ANIS

Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai
Health Minister

PUTRAJAYA: A police report containing allegations made in a letter against Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai has been referred to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).

MACC deputy commissioner Datuk Abu Kassim Mohammed, who confirmed this, said the commission had received information on the case from the police, which had referred the matter to anti-graft agency.

“We are the body that conducts investigations into corrupt cases. We will study and will look into the report before deciding on appropriate action,” he told reporters at the commission’s Hari Raya open house on Monday. Read more.....

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Quite a Touching Story

2009-10-17T12:41:00.003+08:00

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Truly, a wish come true

Published on: Friday, October 16, 2009

Kota Kinabalu: Six-year-old Norashikin was lying on bed at the Hospital Likas' paediatric care section with her father sitting beside her and wondering why many people were taking her pictures and posing a lot of questions to her father.
In the room were her older sister Nurazila, 8, younger sister Nurafazirah, 4, youngest brother Mohd Abdul, nine months, and mother, Noryanah Muksin, who had just arrived from the kampung.

She recognised a face among the visitors, Dr Ong Eng Joe, who has been monitoring her since she was admitted to the hospital.

But whatever confusion and pain she was suffering, it momentarily vanished when she saw a portable DVD player taken out of a shopping bag.

Her eyes brightened and she quickly struggled to sit up when Alan Yip Hong Kum brought it to her. Read more.....

SPSB Jadi KPI Biro Penerangan Umno

2009-10-15T22:51:00.004+08:00

14 Oktober, 2009 18:32 PM

KUALA LUMPUR, 14 Okt (Bernama) -- Program Satu Bulan Satu Program Penerangan Setiap Bulan Setiap Bahagian (SPSB) akan menjadi penunjuk prestasi utama (KPI) bagi Biro Penerangan Umno.

Ketua Penerangan Umno Datuk Ahmad Maslan berkata program bertujuan memperkasa jentera penerangan parti itu dijalankan di kesemua 191 bahagian bermula Ogos lepas.

"Laporan SPSB ini akan dimajukan kepada Majlis Tertinggi Umno sebagai KPI penerangan," katanya ketika melawat pusat operasi Bernama pada Persidangan Agung Umno di Pusat Dagangan Dunia Putra (PWTC) di sini Rabu.

Program SPSB dilancarkan Presiden Umno Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak semalam.

Melalui program itu, Ahmad berkata 20 modul program merangkumi ceramah umum, ceramah perdana, dialog dan penggunaan laman web itu dirangka Biro Penerangan Umno bagi setiap Ketua Penerangan Umno negeri.

Penetapan KPI adalah sebahagian usaha transformasi Umno untuk mengembalikan sokongan rakyat kepada Umno sebagai parti teras dalam parti pemerintah Barisan Nasional (BN).

-- BERNAMA

Sumber : Sila klik disini.

Presiden Umno Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak diperhatikan oleh Ketua Penerangan Umno Malaysia Datuk Ahmad Maslan menyampaikan Modul Program SPSB kepada Ketua Penerangan Umno Sabah Datuk Sapawi Ahmad sejurus menyampaikan taklimat presiden sempena persidangan khas Umno di Pusat Dagangan Dunia Putera (PWTC), Kuala Lumpur.
Program tersebut mempunyai 20 modul yang dicadangkan meliputi ceramah umun, Ceramah perdana, dialog dan penggunaan laman web.

Melalui SPSB juga lebih kurang 191 program penerangan akan diadakan pada setiap bulan di seluruh negara bukan hanya terhad kepada peringkat bahagian tetapi melibatkan jentera penerangan diperingkat sayap Umno.

Sumber : Sila klik disini.

AWAN TERBELAH DUA SEMASA UJIAN PELURU BERPANDU IRAN

2009-10-15T11:36:00.011+08:00

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Para penganalisis UFO barat banyak memperkatakan berkaitan klip video yang menunjukkan awan terbelah dua semasa ujian peluru berpandu Iran, Shahab-3. Apabila diamati klip video seolah-olah terdapat objek yang bergerak “amat pantas” membelah awan semasa peluru berpandu meluncur diudara.

Seorang pakar UFO berkata, “Sebuah objek (berkemungkinan pesawat) – yang bergerak seolah-olah memantau pelancaran peluru berpandu tersebut dengan kelajuan yang luar biasa (phenomenal speed).”

Kejadian awan terbelah dua ini berlaku selepas 38 saat peluru berpandu itu dilancarkan ke udara.

Nick Pope, seorang bekas penganalisis UFO yang disegani dari Kementerian Pertahanan, Amerika Syarikat berkata, “Apa juga yang membelah awan semasa pelancaran Shahab-3 bukanlah objek buatan manusia.”

Beliau menambah, “ Satu teori ialah ciptaan US yang dinamakan “American drone”. Pada bila-bila masa pihak US menguji pesawat dan “drones” prototaip yang dikendalikan tanpa pengetahuan umum untuk bertahun-tahun lamanya. Contohnya pesawat Stealth telah ujud sekian lama tanpa pengetahuan umum. Tetapi kelajuan dan pemecutan adalah amat luar biasa (phenomenal), saya tidak yakin kita mempunyai sesuatu yang mampu melakukan pergerakan seperti itu.”

Sumber maklumat : Sila klik disini.

Dow 10,000: First close in a year

2009-10-15T10:10:00.010+08:00

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Note : Dow Indu closed above 10,000 Wednesday and for Malaysian stock market investors, there is something to look forward to. It is a sign of US economic recovery in particular and world's economies in general. We have heard our leaders telling us that Malaysian economy will recover fully by 2012 and if the trend continues that forecast would be realised even sooner.

For those of us who are not quite familiar with investing our monies in stock market, probably it is high time to start learning now. It is "risky" but profitable venture. If you are able to manage the risks properly, there is no reason why you couldn't make a fortune out of your investment... A.S. Kasah

Blue-chip average ends at key milestone for the first time since Oct. 3, 2008 following better-than-expected results from JPMorgan and Intel.

By Alexandra Twin, CNNMoney.com senior writer
Last Updated: October 14, 2009: 6:07 PM ET

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- The Dow industrials closed above 10,000 Wednesday, ending at the key psychological milestone for the first time in more than a year, following upbeat profit reports from Intel and JPMorgan Chase.

The Dow Jones industrial average (INDU) rose 145 points or 1.5%, finishing at its highest point since Oct. 3, 2008, when it closed at 10,325.38.

The S&P 500 (SPX) index rose 19 points, or 1.8%, and the Nasdaq composite (COMP) added 32 points, or 1.5%.

The advance was broad-based, with 25 of 30 Dow stocks rising. JPMorgan Chase (JPM, Fortune 500), Caterpillar (CAT, Fortune 500), Chevron (CVX, Fortune 500), Hewlett-Packard (HPQ, Fortune 500), IBM (IBM, Fortune 500), 3M (MMM, Fortune 500), United Technologies (UTX, Fortune 500) and Exxon Mobil (XOM, Fortune 500) were the biggest contributors to the Dow's gains.

"Today's market action is all about Intel and JPMorgan and just earnings in general," said Tom Schrader, managing director at Stifel Nicolaus.

He said that the weak retail sales report, released Wednesday, indicates that the economic recovery is not going to be smooth sailing. Nevertheless, "people are looking forward," Schrader added.

While 10,000 is significant on a psychological level, it is not especially meaningful on a technical level.

"I don't put a lot of weight into it just because it's a round number," said Rick Bensignor, chief market strategist at Execution LLC. "The Dow isn't a benchmark for most portfolio managers."

He said that the number isn't going to bring in a new wave of buyers, not after the major gauges have spiked so much in the past seven months.

Since bottoming at 12-year lows in March of this year, the S&P 500 has surged a little over 61% as of Wednesday's close, and the Dow has jumped 53%.

"If the market keeps moving higher it will be because the earnings continue to surpass expectations," he said.

Other than a few modest pullbacks, stocks have mostly managed to keep moving higher, with investors jumping in to buy the dips on worries that they are missing the boat. Repeated calls for a correction of 10% to 15% have gone unmet, and are likely to continue going unmet for the short term, Schrader said.

"The problem is that it is consensus that we need a selloff and consensus is rarely right," he said.

Earnings: Two Dow issues reported better-than-expected third-quarter results, following component Alcoa (AA, Fortune 500)'s better-than-expected profit report last week. The results have fueled hopes that the third quarter could mark a turning point for corporate profits in the same way it seems to have marked a turning point for the economy.

JPMorgan Chase (JPM, Fortune 500) said it earned $3.6 billion in the quarter, as strength in its investment banking business tempered rising loan losses. The company said that consumer loan delinquencies are showing signs of stabilization, but that the trend may not continue.

JP Morgan reported higher quarterly sales and earnings that topped analysts' estimates, according to tracker Thomson Financial. Shares gained 3.3% Wednesday.

Late Tuesday, chipmaker Intel (INTC, Fortune 500) said quarterly sales and earnings fell from a year ago, but topped estimates.

Intel also issued a bullish forecast, saying that it expects fourth-quarter revenue of between $9.7 billion and $10.5 billion versus the $9.51 billion consensus. Intel also said it expects gross margins, a key measure of profitability, in the 59% to 65% range versus the 56.7% consensus. Shares gained 1.7% Wednesday.

Economy: Retail sales fell 1.5% in September, the Commerce Department said, surprising economists who were expecting sales to fall 2.1%.

Sales rose 2.7% in August thanks partly to the impact of the government's Cash for Clunkers auto stimulus program.

Sales excluding autos rose 0.5% in the month versus a rise of 1.1% in August. Sales were expected to rise 0.2%.

Import prices edged up 0.1% in September, the government said, after climbing 1.6% in August. Export prices fell 0.3% in September versus a revised 1.6% in August.

In the afternoon, the Fed released the minutes from the last interest-rate policy meeting. The bankers said that while the economic outlook has improved, activity is still weak. Additionally, most of the bankers raised their economic projections for the second half of the year and for the next two years.

World markets: Global markets were mixed. In Europe, London's FTSE 100 rose 2%, France's CAC 40 gained 2.1% and Germany's DAX added 2.5%. Asian markets ended higher, with the exception of Japan.

Bonds: Treasury prices tumbled, raising the yield on the 10-year note to 3.38% from 3.35% late Tuesday. Treasury prices and yields move in opposite directions.

Currency and commodities: The dollar fell versus the euro and the yen, extending its recent losses.

U.S. light crude oil for November delivery rose $1.03 to settle at $75.18 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange, the highest level in a year.

COMEX gold for December delivery fell 30 cents to $1,064.70 an ounce after ending the previous session at a record close of $1,065. Gold has been hitting record highs almost daily in response to a weak U.S. dollar and ongoing concerns about inflationary pressures.

Market breadth was positive. On the New York Stock Exchange, winners beat losers five to two on volume of 1.35 billion shares. On the Nasdaq, advancers topped decliners by nearly three to one on volume of 2.38 billion shares.

First Published: October 14, 2009: 9:41 AM ET

Source : CNN Money.com

A Halo Over Moscow

2009-10-14T20:12:00.017+08:00

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by Mike Krumboltz

Image source: Please click here.

A MYSTERIOUS glowing halo that appeared in clouds over Moscow looks like an Independence Day-style alien attack.

Independence Day, Director Roland Emmerich (1996)
Image source : Please click here.

And you thought rainbows were cool. A few days ago, a mysterious cloud shaped like a halo appeared over Moscow, and the buzz has yet to break.

We're the first to admit that a photograph of the heavenly cloud appears to be photoshopped. It's just so...perfect. But meterologists have spoken up and said the cloud wasn't digitally altered. However, it wasn't exactly what it appeared to be, either.

When the cloud initially formed, some UFO enthusiasts declared it to be a "true mystery." Some even compared it to the giant spaceship hovering over Earth in the movie "Independence Day." Reality quickly dashed any predictions of an alien invasion. An article from the Daily Mail explains that the "luminous ring-shaped cloud" was simply an optical effect.

An official spokesperson for Moscow's weather department said, "Several fronts have been passing through Moscow recently, there was an intrusion of the Arctic air too, the sun was shining from the west — this is how the effect was produced."

The cloud loomed last week, but the searches are still soaring. Lookups on "halo cloud" and "moscow cloud" are both booming, and a video clip has garnered hundreds of thousands of views on YouTube. You can check it out for yourself below...

Source : Please click here.

Pesan Illahi dalam Waktu Gempa Padang

2009-10-12T22:33:00.021+08:00

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Catatan: Topik ini mengundang perdebatan sengit di Indonesia kerana melihat kekuasaan Allah SWT dari sudut jam dan minit. Ada yang berpendapat perkara ini adalah satu kebetulan dan yang lain pula berpendapat kebetulan tersebut merupakan satu peringatan dari Allah SWT.

Saya tertarik dengan soalan yang berbunyi "Kenapa gempa tidak berlaku di Jakarta tetapi di Padang? Sedangkan Jakarta lebih parah dari segi kedurhakaan dan kemewahan"

Jawapan yang diberikan cukup jelas. Firman Allah SWT didalam Surah Ali Imran ayat 178 yang bermaksud "Dan jangan sekali-kali orang-orang kafir menyangka bahawa Kami membiarkan (mereka hidup lama) itu baik bagi diri mereka; kerana sesungguhnya Kami biarkan mereka hanyalah supaya mereka bertambah dosa (di dunia) dan mereka pula beroleh azab seksa yang menghina (di akhirat kelak)" - (Al-quran 2:178). Wallahu'alam.

Rencana dibawah ini dipetik dari eramuslim - media islam rujukan bertarikh 5/10/2009. Ditulis dalam Bahasa Indonesia.

Senin, 05/10/2009 14:16 WIB

Subhanallah. Sungguh di balik semua kejadian ada hikmah di baliknya. Begitupun gempa yang meluluhlantakkan Kota Padang dan sekitarnya.

Menteri Pertahanan, Datuk Seri Dr. Ahmad Zahid Hamidi melihat runtuhan Hotel Ambacang di Padang, Sumatera Barat yang musnah dalam kejadian gempa bumi pada 30 September lalu. - Gambar ASMARUDDIN JAMALUDDIN, Utusan Malaysia

Jika kita telusuri waktu terjadinya gempa Padang, berdasar catatan waktu kejadian yang dilansir Kompas, 1 Oktober 2009 bahwa gempa pertama terjadi pada pukul 17.16 WIB. Sedangkan gempa susulan terjadi pada pukul 17.38.

Saudara, marilah sejenak kita cermati dalam Al Qur'an. Jam menunjukkan nama surat, dan menit menunjukkan ayat. Jika kebetulan Al Qur'an terjemahan yang dilihat adalah terbitan Asy Syamil maka akan jelas alur pesan-pesan Illahi tersebut.

Dalam sudut pandang kausalitas, sebab-akibat, waktu gempa pertama menunjukkan Akibat (QS. 17:16) dan waktu gempa susulan menunjukkan Sebab (alasan terjadi)--(QS. 17:38).

Dalam Surat Al Isra' ayat 38 ini pada catatan kaki, diterangkan uraian-uraian "kejahatan" manusia yang kita sadari wujud dan intensitasnya makin sering kita temui di tengah masyarakat kita.

Ala kulihal, marilah kita renungkan pesan Illahi tersebut. Mengapa Padang? Saya yakin, mereka para korban baik yang meninggal maupun keluarga yang ditinggalkan adalah pihak-pihak yang dipilih Allah. Mereka adalah orang-orang yang kuat, tabah dan sabar. Allah tidak akan menimpakan cobaan melebihi kemampuan umat-Nya.

Dus, untuk terakhir kalinya, mari kita doakan mereka yang telah menjadi korban dan bangun solidaritas sekemampuan kita.

Wallahu'alam bishawab.

Agung Budiono

Catatan : Terdapat fakta yang bercanggah berkaitan waktu gempa yang kedua melanda Padang. Waktu yang dicatatkan oleh Agung Budiono yang disiarkan di eramuslim seperti yang dipaparkan diatas ialah 17:38 HRS sedangkan mesej teks yang tersebar luas di Malaysia ialah jam 17:58 HRS. Begitupun, saya perturunkan terjemahan ayat-ayat suci tersebut dan satu ayat lagi yang secara kebetulan waktu kejadian gempa di Jambi pada keesokan harinya berlaku pada jam 8.52 pagi. Firman Allah SWT yang bermaksud:

17:16 (QS. Al Israa’ ayat 16):

Dan apabila sampai tempoh Kami hendak membinasakan penduduk sesebuah negeri, Kami perintahkan (lebih dahulu) orang-orang yang melampau dengan kemewahan di antara mereka (supaya taat), lalu mereka menderhaka dan melakukan maksiat padanya; maka berhaklah negeri itu dibinasakan, lalu kami menghancurkannya sehancur-hancurnya.

17:38 (QS. Al Israa' ayat 38):

Tiap-tiap satu perintah itu, menyalahinya adalah kejahatan yang dibenci di sisi Tuhanmu.

17:58 (QS. Al Israa’ ayat 58):

Dan tiada sesebuah negeri pun melainkan Kami akan membinasakannya sebelum hari kiamat atau Kami menyeksa penduduknya dengan azab seksa yang berat; yang demikian itu adalah tertulis di dalam Kitab (Luh Mahfuz).

8:52 (QS. Al Anfaal: 52):

(Keadaan orang-orang kafir itu) samalah seperti keadaan Firaun dan kaumnya serta orang-orang yang terdahulu dari mereka. Mereka kufur ingkar akan ayat-ayat Allah, lalu Allah menyeksa mereka dengan sebab dosa-dosa mereka. Sesungguhnya Allah Maha Kuat, lagi Maha berat seksaNya.

Subhanallah. Begitulah Maha Berkuasanya Allah SWT dengan apa jua yang ada di muka bumi ini. Wallahu'alam bishawab.

Catatan-catatan lain berkaitan perkara yang sama, sila klik disini dan disini.

TERKINI

SMS dan Pesan Berantai Ayat Al Qur'an ttg Azab Gempa yg Meresahkan

Selasa, 13/10/2009 12:59 WIB

Beberapa hari yg lalu saya mendapatkan pesan SMS isinya ttg Hubungan wktu gempa dgn Ayat Al Qur’an. Gempa Tasikmalaya 15:04 Alloh membinasakan suatu negeri. Gempa Padang 17:16 Alloh membinasakan suatu negeri karena orang2 yg hidup mewah durhaka. Gempa Padang susulan 17:58 Negeri yg di binasakan seblm kiamat atau diazab. Gempa Jambi 8:52 Srupa dgn keadaan Firaun & pengikutnya & orang2 serupa yg diazab dgn pedih..

Pesan tersebut juga tersebar di internet, facebook, dsb dan ternyata salah satu sumbernya adalah dari ERAMUSLIM.COM. Saya yakin kebanyakan para penulis ataupun penyebarnya tidak berniat buruk tetapi ternyata dampak pesan berantai tersebut luar biasa. Negeri-negeri yg terkena bencana yg besar2 tsb kebanyakan adalah negeri2 muslim. Mulai dari NAD Aceh, Tasikmalaya, Jogja, Padang, Jambi, Bengkulu, dsb. Apalagi mereka baru saja kembali Fitri setelah sebulan berpuasa Ramadhan. Lantas mengapa dikaitkan dengan azab? Kalau lah negeri2 itu adalah gudang maksiat maka mungkin dapat dimaklumi, tetapi negeri2 itu adalah negeri2 muslim yg masih ditegakkan sholat 5 waktu dan dakwah di atasnya. Kalau negeri2 muslim yg relatif iman & islamnya baik (dibandingkan negeri2 lain) tersebut diazab karena durhaka maka tidak salah bila kemudian hal tersebut dijadikan bukti bagi orang2 non muslim misionaris untuk membenarkan ajarannya, bahwa negeri2 muslim diazab karena tidak percaya kepada Yesus juru selamat, seperti yg saya temukan telah terjadi di internet.

Ternyata data yg benar dari BMG.go.id adalah Gempa Tasikmalaya terjadi pada 14:55 (7,3 SR) dan Surat ke 14 (Ibrohim) tidak sampai 55 ayatnya. Gempa susulan di tasikmalaya terjadi pada 15:15 dan 16:28. Tidak ada gempa di padang pada 17:58. Gempa Jambi terjadi 8:52. Selain itu masih ada gempa2 lain di indonesia yg telah terjadi dalam kurun waktu dekat maupun jauh yang tersebar sampai ke papua. mengapa tidak ikut dihubung-hubungkan dengan ayat Al Quran, jam, atau waktu terjadinya?

KESIMPULANNYA jangan mudah menghubung2kan Gempa dan kejadian2 alam dengan ayat suci, apalagi dengan ayat-ayat azab. Introspeksi memang harus, tetapi jangan membabi buta, dan lebih bijak apabila diiringi dengan doa dan bantuan... terbaik yg kita bisa. Kasihan mereka, sudah terkena ujian gempa dianggap terkena azab pula. Apalagi kalau ternyata kita turut menyebarkannya..
Bagi yg ikut turut menyebarkan berita bohong ataupun yang peduli, harus bertanggung jawab untuk memberikan klarifikasi kepada semua pihak yg telah disebarkannya..

Bram.

Sumber : Sila klik disini.

Najib writes on Umno’s weaknesses

2009-10-12T09:05:00.005+08:00

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Monday October 12, 2009

KUALA LUMPUR: A book written by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak on the weaknesses of Umno is now available in MPH bookstores outlets nationwide.

Entitled Menakhoda Zaman (Helming the Times), the book, comprising 11 chapters is based on five of Najib’s speeches when he was Umno deputy president from 2004 and 2009.

In the book, Najib, who is now Umno president, used materials from the speeches to help the readers assess and understand the current political situation in the party.

He said members should be confident in facing whatever possibilities and be ready to defend the party.

For you: Najib signing a copy of Menakhoda Zaman for Siti Nurhaliza at the launch of his book in MidValley shopping mall in Kuala Lumpur Sunday.

Najib then went on to propose practical methods and approaches to face challenges.

He also warned of the danger of losing power as a result of leaders who lacked wisdom when exercising their powers.

The first 1,000 copies of the books were made available at the MPH outlet in MidValley shopping mall here yesterday.

Local songstress, Datuk Siti Nurhaliza and her husband, Datuk Khalid Mohamad Jiwa were among the first 100 to buy books with Najib’s autograph.

The book, which is in Malay and English, is jointly published by the National Translation Institute and MPH Group Publishing.

It is sold at RM42 a copy in Peninsular Malaysia and RM45 per copy in Sabah and Sarawak.

Source : Please click here.

Thumping win for Isa

2009-10-12T08:58:00.005+08:00

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Monday October 12, 2009

Victory celebration: Tan Sri Mohd Isa Abdul Samad with Barisan deputy chairman Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin (third right), Umno vice-presidents Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal (right) and Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein (second right) celebrating their victory in the Bagan Pinang by-election at the counting centre at the Port Dickson Municipal Council hall. Sharing the jubilation were Negri Sembilan Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan (second left), state MCA leader Datuk Dr Yeow Chai Thiam and state MIC chief Datuk T. Rajagopalu.

PORT DICKSON: Barisan Nasional’s Tan Sri Mohd Isa Samad scored a historic win in the Bagan Pinang by-election yesterday, thumping his PAS rival with a 5,435-vote majority.

He also brought an end to Pakatan Rakyat’s eight consecutive by-election victories in the peninsula, when he polled a staggering 8,013 votes against PAS’ Zulkefly Mohamad Omar’s 2,578 votes.

A beaming Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, who was present when the official results were announced just after 8pm, said the people had endorsed Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s 1Malaysia concept.

“This is a significant victory and more importantly the people’s endorsement of the Prime Minister’s policies. I congratulate the people of Bagan Pinang, including the Indians and Chinese, who came out in full support of Barisan,” he said at the tallying centre at the Port Dickson Muncipal Council hall.

The turnout was 82% out the total of 13,664 eligible voters. There were 223 spoilt votes. The racial breakdown for the seat is 63% Malays, 20.7% Indians, 10.8% Chinese and 5.5% others.

Isa, 59, also created history when he won all 18 streams, including votes from Indian and Chinese majority areas.

Former state assemblyman Azman Moha-mad had won the seat against PAS’ Ramli Ismail in the March 8, 2008 general election with a 2,333-vote majority, polling 6,430 votes against his rival’s 4,097.

After thanking the Barisan machinery, Isa walked about 300m to the main road leading towards Jalan Pantai to personally thank his supporters.

Word of a Isa victory came as early as 5.30pm.

Isa secured 3,521 postal votes while Zul received 601.

In the last general election, Barisan obtained 3,080 postal votes while PAS got 1,189.

The ballot boxes from the plantation areas of Ladang Sua Betong, Siliau, Ladang Atherton and Ladang Bradwall were the first to come in. The other four polling centres were Si Rusa, Kg Bagan Pinang, Teluk Kemang and Taman Eastern.

There were loud cheers for Isa when returning officer Abdul Wahab Shamsuddin made the official announcement.

Isa also thanked Negri Sembilan Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan for his support.

Zulkefly and his supporters did not turn up at the counting centre and could not be contacted for comments.

With the victory, Barisan controls two of the five state seats in the Teluk Kemang parliamentary constituency. The other is Linggi which is held by state exco Datuk Ismail Taib.

The Opposition controls Chuah, Port Dickson (both by PKR) and Lukut (DAP).

The Teluk Kemang parliamentary seat is also held by PKR state chief Datuk Kamarul Bahrain Abbas.

Source : Please click here.

Rehula comes from behind to win Putrajaya Ironman

2009-10-08T15:11:00.014+08:00

Rehula comes from behind to win Putrajaya Ironman

By SHAMSHUL FITRI

PUTRAJAYA: Jan Rehula of the Czech Republic emerged as the champion of the inaugural Ironman 70.3 Putrajaya triathlon race yesterday after making a sprint 500m from the finish line to overtake Italy’s Domenico Passuello.

Rehula clocked 4’01:19 to win the race (1.8km swim, 90.1km cycle and 21.1km run) ahead of Passuello (4’01:53). Australian Cameron Watt was third in (4’03:52).

“I was trailing Passuello after the swim and he maintained the lead going into the run segment,” said Rehula.

Tough guy: Jan Rehula celebrates his triumph

“The run was pretty hard because of the high humidity. But I felt great and decided to give it a push to overtake Passuello near the end.”

In the women’s category, Rachael Paxton of Australia showed her true strength in cycling when she came from fifh place out of the swim to grab the lead and hold on to it until the end.

Paxton clocked 4’30:47 and American Katya Meyer finished second in 4’36:17 followed by New Zealander Erin O’hara in 4’37:33.

Malaysia’s best finisher in the men’s race was Shahrom Abdullah, who clocked 4’32:44 for fifth place.

The race in Putrajaya yesterday attracted 300 participants and 25 slots will be given to athletes to race in the Ironman 70.3 World Championships in Florida on Nov 14.

Source : Please click here.

Probably the first Kedayan to participate in the Ironman Competition?

Fadhli Khairon bin Abd Samat

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Unity not necessarily means only among Muslims: Sapawi

2009-09-28T21:48:00.009+08:00

Published on: Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Datuk Sapawi Hj. Ahmad

Sipitang: Hari Raya Aidilfitri should be a platform to further strengthen the existing unity and understanding, said MP Datuk Sapawi Ahmad.

Sapawi who is Umno Sipitang chief said unity and understanding not necessarily means only among the Muslims but others as well.

"Such understanding has enabled the country to continue to prosper and progress, which is being enjoyed by the people," he said at the Umno Sipitang Raya open house here Monday.

Also on hand to greet the more than 3,000 visitors were Lumadan Assemblyman, Kamarlin Ombi who is also Umno Sipitang deputy chief, Sindumin Assemblyman, Ahmad Bujang, Umno Sipitang Youth chief, Yamani Hafez Musa and Umno Sipitang Puteri Chief, Maimunah Sifek.

During the open house, the crowd was entertained by AF champion, Stacy and her brother Chaq who was a finalist of TV3's Mentor talent reality show.

Source : Please click here.

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AS THE ARABS SEE THE JEWS

2009-09-25T08:10:00.015+08:00

In conjunction with the 64th UN General Assembly which is currently in progress, I present to you an interesting article entitled AS THE ARABS SEE THE JEWS by the late King Abdullah I (1882 - 1951) of Jordan. - A.S. Kasah

Summary: This fascinating essay, written by King Hussein’s grandfather King Abdullah, appeared in the United States six months before the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. In the article, King Abdullah disputes the mistaken view that Arab opposition to Zionism (and later the state of Israel) is because of longstanding religious or ethnic hatred. He notes that Jews and Muslims enjoyed a long history of peaceful coexistence in the Middle East, and that Jews have historically suffered far more at the hands of Christian Europe. Pointing to the tragedy of the holocaust that Jews suffered during World War II, the monarch asks why America and Europe are refusing to accept more than a token handful of Jewish immigrants and refugees. It is unfair, he argues, to make Palestine, which is innocent of anti-Semitism, pay for the crimes of Europe. King Abdullah also asks how Jews can claim a historic right to Palestine, when Arabs have been the overwhelming majority there for nearly 1300 uninterrupted years? The essay ends on an ominous note, warning of dire consequences if a peaceful solution cannot be found to protect the rights of the indigenous Arabs of Palestine.

I am especially delighted to address an American audience, for the tragic problem of Palestine will never be solved without American understanding, American sympathy, American support.

So many billions of words have been written about Palestine — perhaps more than on any other subject in history — that I hesitate to add to them. Yet I am compelled to do so, for I am reluctantly convinced that the world in general, and America in particular, knows almost nothing of the true case for the Arabs.

We Arabs follow, perhaps far more than you think, the press of America. We are frankly disturbed to find that for every word printed on the Arab side, a thousand are printed on the Zionist side.

There are many reasons for this. You have many millions of Jewish citizens interested in this question. They are highly vocal and wise in the ways of publicity. There are few Arab citizens in America, and we are as yet unskilled in the technique of modern propaganda.

The results have been alarming for us. In your press we see a horrible caricature and are told it is our true portrait. In all justice, we cannot let this pass by default.

Our case is quite simple: For nearly 2,000 years Palestine has been almost 100 per cent Arab. It is still preponderantly Arab today, in spite of enormous Jewish immigration. But if this immigration continues we shall soon be outnumbered — a minority in our home.

Palestine is a small and very poor country, about the size of your state of Vermont. Its Arab population is only about 1,200,000. Already we have had forced on us, against our will, some 600,000 Zionist Jews. We are threatened with many hundreds of thousands more.

Our position is so simple and natural that we are amazed it should even be questioned. It is exactly the same position you in America take in regard to the unhappy European Jews. You are sorry for them, but you do not want them in your country.

We do not want them in ours, either. Not because they are Jews, but because they are foreigners. We would not want hundreds of thousands of foreigners in our country, be they Englishmen or Norwegians or Brazilians or whatever.

Think for a moment: In the last 25 years we have had one third of our entire population forced upon us. In America that would be the equivalent of 45,000,000 complete strangers admitted to your country, over your violent protest, since 1921. How would you have reacted to that?

Because of our perfectly natural dislike of being overwhelmed in our own homeland, we are called blind nationalists and heartless anti-Semites. This charge would be ludicrous were it not so dangerous.

No people on earth have been less “anti-Semitic” than the Arabs. The persecution of the Jews has been confined almost entirely to the Christian nations of the West. Jews, themselves, will admit that never since the Great Dispersion did Jews develop so freely and reach such importance as in Spain when it was an Arab possession. With very minor exceptions, Jews have lived for many centuries in the Middle East, in complete peace and friendliness with their Arab neighbours.

Damascus, Baghdad, Beirut and other Arab centres have always contained large and prosperous Jewish colonies. Until the Zionist invasion of Palestine began, these Jews received the most generous treatment — far, far better than in Christian Europe. Now, unhappily, for the first time in history, these Jews are beginning to feel the effects of Arab resistance to the Zionist assault. Most of them are as anxious as Arabs to stop it. Most of these Jews who have found happy homes among us resent, as we do, the coming of these strangers.

I was puzzled for a long time about the odd belief which apparently persists in America that Palestine has somehow “always been a Jewish land.” Recently an American I talked to cleared up this mystery. He pointed out that the only things most Americans know about Palestine are what they read in the Bible. It was a Jewish land in those days, they reason, and they assume it has always remained so.

Nothing could be farther from the truth. It is absurd to reach so far back into the mists of history to argue about who should have Palestine today, and I apologise for it. Yet the Jews do this, and I must reply to their “historic claim.” I wonder if the world has ever seen a stranger sight than a group of people seriously pretending to claim a land because their ancestors lived there some 2,000 years ago!

If you suggest that I am biased, I invite you to read any sound history of the period and verify the facts.

Such fragmentary records as we have indicate that the Jews were wandering nomads from Iraq who moved to southern Turkey, came south to Palestine, stayed there a short time, and then passed to Egypt, where they remained about 400 years. About 1300 BC (according to your calendar) they left Egypt and gradually conquered most — but not all — of the inhabitants of Palestine.

It is significant that the Philistines — not the Jews — gave their name to the country: “Palestine” is merely the Greek form of “Philistia.”

Only once, during the empire of David and Solomon, did the Jews ever control nearly — but not all — the land which is today Palestine. This empire lasted only 70 years, ending in 926 BC. Only 250 years later the Kingdom of Judah had shrunk to a small province around Jerusalem, barely a quarter of modern Palestine.

In 63 BC the Jews were conquered by Roman Pompey, and never again had even the vestige of independence. The Roman Emperor Hadrian finally wiped them out about 135 AD. He utterly destroyed Jerusalem, rebuilt under another name, and for hundreds of years no Jew was permitted to enter it. A handful of Jews remained in Palestine but the vast majority were killed or scattered to other countries, in the Diaspora, or the Great Dispersion. From that time Palestine ceased to be a Jewish country, in any conceivable sense.

This was 1,815 years ago, and yet the Jews solemnly pretend they still own Palestine! If such fantasy were allowed, how the map of the world would dance about!

Italians might claim England, which the Romans held so long. England might claim France, “homeland” of the conquering Normans. And the French Normans might claim Norway, where their ancestors originated. And incidentally, we Arabs might claim Spain, which we held for 700 years.

Many Mexicans might claim Spain, “homeland” of their forefathers. They might even claim Texas, which was Mexican until 100 years ago. And suppose the American Indians claimed the “homeland” of which they were the sole, native, and ancient occupants until only some 450 years ago!

I am not being facetious. All these claims are just as valid — or just as fantastic — as the Jewish “historic connection” with Palestine. Most are more valid.

In any event, the great Moslem expansion about 650 AD finally settled things. It dominated Palestine completely. From that day on, Palestine was solidly Arabic in population, language, and religion. When British armies entered the country during the last war, they found 500,000 Arabs and only 65,000 Jews.

If solid, uninterrupted Arab occupation for nearly 1,300 years does not make a country “Arab”, what does?

The Jews say, and rightly, that Palestine is the home of their religion. It is likewise the birthplace of Christianity, but would any Christian nation claim it on that account? In passing, let me say that the Christian Arabs—and there are many hundreds of thousands of them in the Arab World—are in absolute agreement with all other Arabs in opposing the Zionist invasion of Palestine.

May I also point out that Jerusalem is, after Mecca and Medina, the holiest place in Islam. In fact, in the early days of our religion, Moslems prayed toward Jerusalem instead of Mecca.

The Jewish “religious claim” to Palestine is as absurd as the “historic claim.” The Holy Places, sacred to three great religions, must be open to all, the monopoly of none. Let us not confuse religion and politics.

We are told that we are inhumane and heartless because do not accept with open arms the perhaps 200,000 Jews in Europe who suffered so frightfully under Nazi cruelty, and who even now — almost three years after war’s end — still languish in cold, depressing camps.

Let me underline several facts. The unimaginable persecution of the Jews was not done by the Arabs: it was done by a Christian nation in the West. The war which ruined Europe and made it almost impossible for these Jews to rehabilitate themselves was fought by the Christian nations of the West. The rich and empty portions of the earth belong, not to the Arabs, but to the Christian nations of the West.

And yet, to ease their consciences, these Christian nations of the West are asking Palestine — a poor and tiny Moslem country of the East—to accept the entire burden. “We have hurt these people terribly,” cries the West to the East. “Won’t you please take care of them for us?”

We find neither logic nor justice in this. Are we therefore “cruel and heartless nationalists”?

We are a generous people: we are proud that “Arab hospitality” is a phrase famous throughout the world. We are a humane people: no one was shocked more than we by the Hitlerite terror. No one pities the present plight of the desperate European Jews more than we.

But we say that Palestine has already sheltered 600,000 refugees. We believe that is enough to expect of us — even too much. We believe it is now the turn of the rest of the world to accept some of them.

I will be entirely frank with you. There is one thing the Arab world simply cannot understand. Of all the nations of the earth, America is most insistent that something be done for these suffering Jews of Europe. This feeling does credit to the humanity for which America is famous, and to that glorious inscription on your Statue of Liberty.

And yet this same America — the richest, greatest, most powerful nation the world has ever known — refuses to accept more than a token handful of these same Jews herself!

I hope you will not think I am being bitter about this. I have tried hard to understand that mysterious paradox, and I confess I cannot. Nor can any other Arab.

Perhaps you have been informed that “the Jews in Europe want to go to no other place except Palestine.”

This myth is one of the greatest propaganda triumphs of the Jewish Agency for Palestine, the organisation which promotes with fanatic zeal the emigration to Palestine. It is a subtle half-truth, thus doubly dangerous.

The astounding truth is that nobody on earth really knows where these unfortunate Jews really want to go!

You would think that in so grave a problem, the American, British, and other authorities responsible for the European Jews would have made a very careful survey, probably by vote, to find out where each Jew actually wants to go. Amazingly enough this has never been done! The Jewish Agency has prevented it.

Some time ago the American Military Governor in Germany was asked at a press conference how he was so certain that all Jews there wanted to go to Palestine. His answer was simple: “My Jewish advisors tell me so.” He admitted no poll had ever been made. Preparations were indeed begun for one, but the Jewish Agency stepped in to stop it.

The truth is that the Jews in German camps are now subjected to a Zionist pressure campaign which learned much from the Nazi terror. It is dangerous for a Jew to say that he would rather go to some other country, not Palestine. Such dissenters have been severely beaten, and worse.

Not long ago, in Palestine, nearly 1,000 Austrian Jews informed the international refugee organisation that they would like to go back to Austria, and plans were made to repatriate them.

The Jewish Agency heard of this, and exerted enough political pressure to stop it. It would be bad propaganda for Zionism if Jews began leaving Palestine. The nearly 1,000 Austrian are still there, against their will.

The fact is that most of the European Jews are Western in culture and outlook, entirely urban in experience and habits. They cannot really have their hearts set on becoming pioneers in the barren, arid, cramped land which is Palestine.

One thing, however, is undoubtedly true. As matters stand now, most refugee Jews in Europe would, indeed, vote for Palestine, simply because they know no other country will have them.

If you or I were given a choice between a near-prison camp for the rest of our lives — or Palestine — we would both choose Palestine, too.

But open up any other alternative to them — give them any other choice, and see what happens!

No poll, however, will be worth anything unless the nations of the earth are willing to open their doors — just a little — to the Jews. In other words, if in such a poll a Jew says he wants to go to Sweden, Sweden must be willing to accept him. If he votes for America, you must let him come in.

Any other kind of poll would be a farce. For the desperate Jew, this is no idle testing of opinion: this is a grave matter of life or death. Unless he is absolutely sure that his vote means something, he will always vote for Palestine, so as not to risk his bird in the hand for one in the bush.

In any event, Palestine can accept no more. The 65,000 Jews in Palestine in 1918 have jumped to 600,000 today. We Arabs have increased, too, but not by immigration. The Jews were then a mere 11 per cent of our population. Today they are one third of it.

The rate of increase has been terrifying. In a few more years — unless stopped now — it will overwhelm us, and we shall be an important minority in our own home.

Surely the rest of the wide world is rich enough and generous enough to find a place for 200,000 Jews—about one third the number that tiny, poor Palestine has already sheltered. For the rest of the world, it is hardly a drop in the bucket. For us it means national suicide.

We are sometimes told that since the Jews came to Palestine, the Arab standard of living has improved. This is a most complicated question. But let us even assume, for the argument, that it is true. We would rather be a bit poorer, and masters of our own home. Is this unnatural?

The sorry story of the so-called “Balfour Declaration,” which started Zionist immigration into Palestine, is too complicated to repeat here in detail. It is grounded in broken promises to the Arabs—promises made in cold print which admit no denying.

We utterly deny its validity. We utterly deny the right of Great Britain to give away Arab land for a “national home” for an entirely foreign people.

Even the League of Nations sanction does not alter this. At the time, not a single Arab state was a member of the League. We were not allowed to say a word in our own defense.

I must point out, again in friendly frankness, that America was nearly as responsible as Britain for this Balfour Declaration. President Wilson approved it before it was issued, and the American Congress adopted it word for word in a joint resolution on 30th June, 1922.

In the 1920s, Arabs were annoyed and insulted by Zionist immigration, but not alarmed by it. It was steady, but fairly small, as even the Zionist founders thought it would remain. Indeed for some years, more Jews left Palestine than entered it—in 1927 almost twice as many.

But two new factors, entirely unforeseen by Britain or the League or America or the most fervent Zionist, arose in the early thirties to raise the immigration to undreamed heights. One was the World Depression; the second the rise of Hitler.

In 1932, the year before Hitler came to power, only 9,500 Jews came to Palestine. We did not welcome them, but we were not afraid that, at that rate, our solid Arab majority would ever be in danger.

But the next year — the year of Hitler — it jumped to 30,000! In 1934 it was 42,000! In 1935 it reached 61,000!

It was no longer the orderly arrival of idealist Zionists. Rather, all Europe was pouring its frightened Jews upon us. Then, at last, we, too, became frightened. We knew that unless this enormous influx stopped, we were, as Arabs, doomed in our Palestine homeland. And we have not changed our minds.

I have the impression that many Americans believe the trouble in Palestine is very remote from them, that America had little to do with it, and that your only interest now is that of a humane bystander.

I believe that you do not realise how directly you are, as a nation, responsible in general for the whole Zionist move and specifically for the present terrorism. I call this to your attention because I am certain that if you realise your responsibility you will act fairly to admit it and assume it.

Quite aside from official American support for the “National Home” of the Balfour Declaration, the Zionist settlements in Palestine would have been almost impossible, on anything like the current scale, without American money. This was contributed by American Jewry in an idealistic effort to help their fellows.

The motive was worthy: the result were disastrous. The contributions were by private individuals, but they were almost entirely Americans, and, as a nation, only America can answer for it.

The present catastrophe may be laid almost entirely at your door. Your government, almost alone in the world, is insisting on the immediate admission of 100,000 more Jews into Palestine — to be followed by countless additional ones. This will have the most frightful consequences in bloody chaos beyond anything ever hinted at in Palestine before.

It is your press and political leadership, almost alone in the world, who press this demand. It is almost entirely American money which hires or buys the “refugee ships” that steam illegally toward Palestine: American money which pays their crews. The illegal immigration from Europe is arranged by the Jewish Agency, supported almost entirely by American funds. It is American dollars which support the terrorists, which buy the bullets and pistols that kill British soldiers — your allies — and Arab citizens — your friends.

We in the Arab world were stunned to hear that you permit open advertisements in newspapers asking for money to finance these terrorists, to arm them openly and deliberately for murder. We could not believe this could really happen in the modern world. Now we must believe it: we have seen the advertisements with our own eyes.

I point out these things because nothing less than complete frankness will be of use. The crisis is too stark for mere polite vagueness which means nothing.

I have the most complete confidence in the fair-mindedness and generosity of the American public. We Arabs ask no favours. We ask only that you know the full truth, not half of it. We ask only that when you judge the Palestine question, you put yourselves in our place.

What would your answer be if some outside agency told you that you must accept in America many millions of utter strangers in your midst—enough to dominate your country—merely because they insisted on going to America, and because their forefathers had once lived there some 2,000 years ago?

Our answer is the same.

And what would be your action if, in spite of your refusal, this outside agency began forcing them on you?

Ours will be the same.

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Important that ethnic labels are not tampered with

2009-09-24T20:06:00.007+08:00

By: Amde Sidik

I NOTICE an upsurge in enthusiasm lately in discussing the subject of ethnics in Sabah. Couldn't make out why? Perhaps this is partly due to the media. They get fed up with the routine subjects, for example the never-ending political debacles ever since after the last general election.
Many people feel demoralised. Even their thinking capacity is geographically reduced to only knowing what is going on in the five opposition States.

Four, if Perak is excluded due to Shakespearean-style political dramas we see these days.

Maybe there is a real need for Sabah and Sarawak to tell the nation that they have plenty to talk about in terms of ethnicities.

Our leaders should be reminded both in Borneo and Peninsular that they must take cognition, don't just hantam (strike) with couldn't-care-less attitude. Ethnicity may be a trivial subject for them but may mean differently to local people.

Our multi-ethnic society has been a source of inspiration and an achievement. We have lived harmoniously without being suspicious of one another for hundreds of years but now even talking about it is becoming a taboo. What more about religion.

A couple of months ago there was much discussion on Kadazan/Dusun issue. Suffice to say that many opinions were proffered by eminent people like Datuk Fauzi Patel, Datuk Ayub Aman, Datuk Dr Herman Luping, etc.

I must give credit to the Daily Express for exploring the subject in the context of where the Kadazandusun community went wrong over its labelling due to a mistake before just before independence by Tun Fuad Stephens, as also admitted in 1967.

Our archives, museum and library alike should keep proper inventory so that in the future our young can see and evaluate our status based on the records. In this respect what the Daily Express had done by inviting those who witnessed the events to speak about it enhances our understanding of Sabah's post-independence history.

One note of caution though, don't modify and change the written history, nobody can update history, one can only update where one keeps it.

In my experience with university students today, about 80-90 per cent of our first year students aren't even sure when Malaysia was formed. Was it 31st August 1957 or 1963 or 16th September 1963?

When asked what made them confused about the date, their answer is that's what they read in the text books. My response to them usually is to ask them to throw away that textbook.

Back to discussing about ethnics, what intrigued me was when Tan Sri Bernard Dompok in the Daily Express interview on the Kadazan-Dusun issue mentioned the word Kedayan. Which later he corrected the spelling from Kedayan to Kadayan. But before anything else, changing the spelling like this, in my experience, was difficult enough. Let alone changing the meaning. An example, I've been writing all this while word Kadayan, not Kedayan in many official or unofficial materials. I know for sure the spelling of Kadayan is without an "e".

The fruit of my labour only begins to emerge after very long years, meaning today, if anyone finds that something isn't right about his or her ethnic, I would say only he or she knows best and should be allowed to amend before it creates more confusion.

In the case of Kadazan or Dusun issue or vice versa, which is a slightly different argument, I would consider it really is up to an individual to decide. I can only anticipate that the young are interested to know the origin of the dispute and have the legitimate right to search.

On the issue of name of Kadazan since the word Kadazan is relatively new, (compared to Dusun), why has it overshadowed the word "Dusun" and why is perhaps what bugs their mind. When Dompok said, that people in Inobong called them as Kadayan, so too in his part of Penampang called Kadayan, he says that a letter "z" in Kadazan actually is pronounced as "Y" makes it Kadayan.

So as far as I can tell, those who asked me question about Dompok's statement, and from what I understand, he was only talking about the word Kadayan and was not talking about Kadayan as an ethnic.

Some years back an official from KDCA said to me that in Dusun Lutod, the word Kadayan means a guidance or escort. This definition is akin to the explanation found in Javanese language. This is, perhaps, why there is continued debate about the origin of Kadayan.

Kadayan were thought to be from Java island, but as of now, in as long as no one can prove it, I would say Kadayan couldn't be from Java. I would love to see someone overwrite and rewrite the present history. That would be more challenging.

In Sabah, local Sabahan Muslims don't usually identify themselves as Malay, all too often, they prefer to be identified by their ethnic origin, which they feel perfectly happy. Yet though, most ethnics aren't obsessed about it, it isn't something they bring home and quarrel about.

A few years back I met one dark skinned guy married to my relative This guy when ever we met always speak Kadayan and his Kadayan is far better than mine, to my astonishment. One fine day, I found out that he was, in fact, a Bajau from Kota Belud. That was fun and an unsusual discovery.

The moral of my story is whether one wants to be called Kadazan, Kadayan, Dusun, and Bajau alike, it really depends on one choice. My Bajau relative is comfortable being called Kadayan.

My journalist friend in Sarawak asked my view recently because the Iban, Bidayuh, Kenyah and a few more ethnics are talking about changing their name "Orang Ulu" (group name of the above) to something else.

In their mind is Lun Daya. Of course, in Sabah we have such an ethnic called nearly similar, the Lundayeh in Sipitang and Tenom.

The reason for the re-branding, according to him, is that the name Orang Ulu is too archaic, and doesn't sound glamour. He also experienced once in peninsular, when asked about his race, he replied he is from Orang Ulu.

To his surprise none of his friends from peninsular had an inkling. He was asked if Orang Ulu is equivalent to Orang Utan. That infuriated him.

Borneo has a population of over nine million, the majority are Dayaks and second largest group is called coastal Malay (mostly Muslim) comprising many smaller ethnics, including, Banjarese, Kutai, Tidung in East Kalimantan and Baju, Melanau, Brunai, Kadayan, etc, in the West Coast of Borneo. While the Bugis are not local as they are from Sulewasi.

The Borneo Dayak comprise many other ethnics as in the case of Orang Ulu of Sarawak, usually referred to those from the interior or highland but once they move to the coastal area they either call themselves Banjarese or Malay. This is perhaps why many Banjarese are also aren't Muslims.

The Dayaks and the coastal Malays had no trouble living harmoniously for many hundred years. They identify themselves as locals of the island, but thing can get nasty as in the Madura incident.

Recently there was another clash in Nunukan, just south of Tawau between one group that had been around for centuries and another perceived as "outsiders".

Source : Sila klik disini.

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UCAPAN TAKZIAH BUAT KELUARGA CHARLES AYUB

2009-09-20T14:52:00.008+08:00

Charles Ayub Tabed,58 seorang sahabat dan kenalan yang saya kenali sejak dibangku sekolah telah meninggal dunia pada hari Ahad, September 13, 2009 di Sipitang. Beliau meninggalkan seorang isteri, Anna Sali dan lima orang anak.

Semasa di bangku sekolah, beliau amat aktif dibidang sukan terutamanya sukan bola sepak. Disamping itu beliau adalah salah seorang pengasas Persatuan Kebudayaan Lundayeh Sabah dimana beliau telah menyandang jawatan Setiausaha Agung pertama persatuan tersebut pada tahun 1979. Dengan kesempatan ini saya ingin menyampaikan ucapan takziah saya kepada keluarga mendiang, semoga tabah menghadapi situasi ini.

Berikut ialah maklumat lanjut mengenai perkara tersebut dari akhbar tempatan Daily Express.

Former Govt printing Dept Director passes away
Published on: Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Sipitang: Former Sabah Director of the Government Printing Department, Charles Ayub Tabed (pic), passed away at the age of 58 at his hometown early Sunday.
He is survived by his wife Anna Sali and five children.

He was also a former State footballer and one of the four Lundayeh boys selected to represent Sabah in the Burnly Cup and Borneo Cup in 1971 and 1972.

Tabed was responsible for setting up a body to take care of the welfare of people from villages in Tenom and Sipitang when they visited sick family members at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital. Later, he helped form the famous Dayeh United Football and Hockey Clubs.

He was responsible for drafting the constitution of the Persatuan Lundayeh Sabah and later became its first secretary-general and eventually elected as one of its presidents.

In honour of his dedication and commitment to his job, Tabed was awarded the ADK in 2000 and ASDK in 2007 by Head of State Tun Ahmadshah Abdullah.

Sumber : Sila klik di sini.

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SELAMAT HARI RAYA AIDIL FITRI. MINAL AIDZIN WAL FAIDZIN

2009-09-17T11:29:00.007+08:00

Dalam kerendahan hati ada ketinggian budi. Dalam kemiskinan harta ada kekayaan jiwa. Dalam kelembutan lidah ada juga keterlanjuran kata. Dalam gurau dan senda ada khilaf dan dosa. MOHON AMPUN DAN MAAF DI ATAS SEGALANYA. EID MUBARAK.

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Pusat Pengajian Tahfiz Al-Quran As-Syatibiyah

2009-09-15T23:04:00.017+08:00

Aie ku balajaa di Maktab Sabah mulanya (1971 -1972), pembangunan dan bandaa Kota Kinabalu inda ya macam kaang anie. Jalan daie Tanjung Hauu ka Kota Kinabalu sabuting nganya, Jalan Mat Salleh / Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman. Jalan Coastal masa atu balum ada.

Jadi bila aie anam atau aie minggu ka KK tah kami amai-amai naik bas daie Gurdwara, Sikh Temple di hadapan Bangunan Persekutuan kaang anie. Di atas bukit atu asrama Maktab Sabah. Jadi bila naik bas lalu Jalan Mat Salleh / Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman sudah hampiee ke KK (subalah kanan atas buhuu) atu kalihatan tia Gaeja SDA (Seventh Day Adventist) dian salib (pangkah uja Kadayan) nya basaa hantap tapampang atas bangunan gaeja atu.

38 tahun salapas atu, kaang ani taya, inda lagi ada salib atas bangunannya! Jadi masjid taya. Kaadaan baaubah, bangunan yang mulanya Gaeja SDA kaang ani jadi Masjid dan Pusat Pengajian Tahfiz Al-Quran As-Syatibiyah taya. Basaa pahala jalama yang mbali tanah dian bangunan atu. Atu tah yang didamaie amal jariah bapanjangan yang inda pandai putus masipun jalamanya nuhun sudah. Wallahu alam.

Ini adalah satu-satunya bangunan gereja yang telah dijadikan Masjid Kota Kinabalu (atas bukit). Asalnya gereja SDA Seven Days, pada tahun 80-an telah dibeli oleh Tun Mustapha lalu dijadikan Masjid. Sekarang dijadikan lokasi sementara Pusat Tahfiz As-Syatibiyah di Bandaraya Kota Kinabalu

Bila ada asanya yang kan baamal jariah, Sumbangan boleh disalurkan melalui MAYBANK2U ke dalam akaun PUSAT PENGAJIAN TAHFIZ AL-QURAN AS-SYATIBIYAH
NOMBOR AKAUN MAYBANK : 160214045547
Dan letakkan alamat email assyatibiyah@gmail.com

Klik disini untuk malawat laman web Pusat Pengajian Tahfiz Al-Quran As-Syatibiyah

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PUASA ENAM HARI BULAN SYAWAL

2009-09-13T20:40:00.006+08:00

Maklumat dibawah ini dipetik dari laman web Jabatan Mufti Kerajaan Negeri, Negeri Sembilan Darul Khusus

1. Apakah fadhilat puasa enam hari bulan Syawal?

Sunat puasa enam ini berdasarkan sabda Baginda yang maksudnya :

" Sesiapa yang berpuasa Ramadan kemudian diikuti dengan puasa enam hari pada bulan Syawal, seolah-olah dia berpuasa sepanjang tahun." (Hadis riwayat Muslim).

Mengerjakan puasa sunat sebanyak enam hari dalam bulan Syawal setelah berpuasa Ramadan sebulan penuh diibaratkan oleh Rasulullah Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam sebagai berpuasa sepanjang tahun kerana sebulan puasa Ramadan itu menyamai puasa sepuluh bulan dan puasa enam pula menyamai dengan 60 hari atau dua bulan. Jika dicampurkan sepuluh bulan dengan dua bulan, maka genaplah ia setahun, itulah yang dimaksudkan dengan puasa sepanjang tahun. Perkara ini dijelaskan lagi dalam sebuah hadis, sabda Baginda yang maksudnya :

"Berpuasa sebulan (disamakan) dengan sepuluh bulan puasa, dan berpuasa enam hari selepasnya (disamakan) dengan dua bulan puasa, maka kedua-duanya itu (jika dicampurkan) genap setahun." (Hadis riwayat Al-Darimi).

Berdasarkan hadis di atas juga, sebahagian ulama menjelaskan bahawa puasa enam hari dalam bulan Syawal diberikan ganjaran yang sama dengan ganjaran puasa di bulan Ramadan, kerana setiap kebajikan itu dibalas atau diberikan dengan sepuluh kali ganda. Sebagaimana juga mereka mengatakan : "Membaca Surah Al-Ikhlas itu sama dengan membaca sepertiga Al-Quran.

Sabda Rasulullah saw,

Yang bermaksud, "Sesiapa yang berpuasa Ramadan kemudian diikuti dengan puasa enam hari pada bulan Syawal, keluar (dihapus) dosanya seolah-olah dia baru dilahirkan oleh ibunya.

2. Seseorang mukmin yang mengqada'kan puasa fardhu dalam bulan Syawal untuk tujuan dapat fadhilat puasa enam hari dalam bulan Syawal, bagaimana pandangan Islam tentang perkara ini?

Bagi sesiapa yang mengqada'kan puasa fardhu dalam bulan Syawal akan mendapat puasa enam hari dalam bulan Syawal sekalipun dengan niat qada' sahaja. Sekiranya dia berniat qada' berasingan dengan niat puasa enam hari bulan Syawal itu adalah Afdhal.

Hal ini ditasybihkan dengan pendapat tentang solat sunat Tahiyyat al-Masjid. Seseorang itu memperolehinya sama ada dengan solat fardhu atau solat sunat yang lain sekalipun tidak berniat solat Tahiyyat al-Masjid Tahiyyat al-Masjid.

3. Seseorang muslim yang sedang berpuasa sunat enam hari di bulan Syawal pada waktu yang sama dia meraikan Aidil Fitri (ziarah atas undangan atau menyambut tetamu) dalam keadaan dirinya berpuasa, bagaimana penyelesaian yang Islam anjurkan untuk dua keadaan ini?

Sebagai maklumat awal:

• i. Haram berpuasa pada awal Syawal. Sehubungan dengan itu, kebanyakan orang mengambil peluang pada hari tersebut untuk memenuhi undangan dan berziarah.

• ii. Puasa sunat enam hari bulan Syawal boleh dilakukan secara berturut-turut atau berasingan dalam bulan Syawal.

• iii. Ia merupakan puasa sunat dan bukannya wajib.

• iv. Bagi seorang isteri perlu mendapatkan keizinan daripada suaminya.

Sekiranya dia didatangi tetamu hendaklah dia meraikan tetamunya. Sunat dia berbuka puasa sunat tersebut. Hal ini sebagaimana sabda Rasulullah,

Yang bermaksud, Sesiapa beriman dengan Allah dan Hari Qiamat maka muliakanlah tetamunya.

Ini kerana tetamu yang datang membawa rezeki kepada tuan rumah. Sabda Rasulullah,

Yang bermaksud, Wahai manusia! Janganlah kamu membenci kehadiran tetamu. Sesungguhnya mereka datang membawa rezeki dan apabila keluar (pulang) membawa dosa ahli rumah tersebut keluar.

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MENYEMPURNAKAN ZAKAT FITRAH

2009-09-07T12:39:00.008+08:00

"Rasulullah SAW telah mewajibkan zakat Fitrah sebagai pembersih bagi orang-orang yang berpuasa dari perbuatan yang tidak berguna dan dosa serta sebagai makanan bagi orang-orang miskin”

Oleh: Wan Marzuki Wan Ramli

Seiring dengan kedatangan Ramadhan Al-Mubarak, salah satu lagi kewajipan umat Islam adalah mengeluarkan zakat. Pensyariatannya telah ditetapkan oleh Islam sejak diutuskan baginda Rasulullah SAW lagi.

Seseorang muslim yag melaksanakan kewajipam berzakat ini sebenarnya akan merasa lebih tenang dan damai hatinya kerana telah berjaya melalui proses pensucian dengan mengeluarkan sebahagian hak Allah yang diamanahkan kepada sipemiliknya kepada sebahagian individu lain yang memerlukannya.

Zakat fitrah hukumnya fardu ain ke atas setiap umat Islam yang cukup syarat-syaratnya. Jumlah zakat adalah bersamaan sekilogram dari makanan yang mengenyangkan bagi sesebuah negara. Bagi kita di Malaysia sudah tentulah beras kerana ianya menjadi makanan ruji semua penduduknya.

Waktu-waktu tertentu umat Islam mengeluarkan zakat fitrah adalah seperti berikut:

- Waktu Harus dari awal bulan Ramadhan hingga akhir bulan tersebut.

- Waktu Wajib ialah selepas terbenamnya matahari pada hari akhir Ramadhan.

- Waktu yang paling afdal pula ialah selepas solat Subuh pada hari terakhir Ramadhan.

- Waktu Makruh ialah selepas terbenamnya matahari pada hari raya Aidilfitri.

Dalil pensyariatan zakat fitrah antaranya ialah sabda Rasulullah SAW dari riwayat Abi Daud yang bermaksud: Rasulullah SAW telah mewajibkan zakat Fitrah sebagai pembersih bagi orang-orang yang berpuasa dari perbuatan yang tidak berguna dan dosa serta sebagai makanan bagi orang-orang miskin”

Dalam al-Quran pula Allah Taala telah berfirman dalam surah at-Taubah ayat 103 yang bermaksud: ”Ambillah sedekah atau zakat dari sebahagian harta mereka, dan berdoalah sesungguhnya doa kamu itu (menjadi ) ketenteraman jiwa bagi mereka. Dan Allah Maha Mendengar lagi Maha Mengetahui.”

Orang-orang yang berhak menerima zakat pula adalah seperti berikut:

Orang-orang miskin yang mempunyai harta sebanyak satu keperluannya atau tidak mencukupi

- Amil, iaitu orang yang dilantik untuk menguruskan pungutan dan pembahagian zakat.

- Muallaf, iaitu orang yang baru memeluk agama Islam.

- Hamba, iaitu orang yang mahu menebus diri dari tuannya.

- Orang yang berhutang dan hutang itu bukan untuk tujuan maksiat tetapi untuk kepentingan masyarakat dan keperluan hidupnya.

- Untuk kegunaan pada jalan Allah (Fi Sabilillah), iaitu bagi setiap tentera yang berjuang kerana Allah atau kegiatan amal seperti membina masjid, rumah anak yatim dan sebagainya.

Zakat Fitrah Fixed At RM5 To RM8 Nationwide
Thursday, 20 August 2009 22:19

The zakat fitrah (tithe payment per person in Ramadan) rates have been fixed at RM5 to RM8 nationwide, depending on the price of rice in the market.

Selangor, Perak, Kedah and Penang have set the rate at RM7 per person.

The increase in Selangor is by RM1.80 from RM5.20 last year, with the State Islamic Religious Department (Mais) expecting to collect RM12 million from zakat this year.

Zakat fitrah per person is fixed according to the staple food item of a country and in Malaysia, it is equivalent to the price of 2.27kg of rice.

In Terengganu, it is fixed at RM5, RM7 and RM8, depending on the price of the rice consumed. The rates were RM6, RM7 and RM8 last year.

The state’s religious authorities have appointed 1,247 amil (tithe collectors) this year.

Johor has set two rates, RM5 for those who consume the normal rice and RM7.50, the more expensive rice. Only one rate was set last year — at RM6.50.

The zakat fitrah in Sabah is RM6.60, Negeri Sembilan RM6.50, Melaka RM6.30, and Sarawak and Perlis, RM6.

Melaka Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam, who is also advisor to the State Islamic Religious Council (Main), said the rate was fixed based on the current price of the super local rice.

The zakat fitrah for Kelantan and the Federal Territories have not been announced.

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NUZUL al- Quran Dan Lailatul Qadar

2009-09-04T23:01:00.004+08:00

NUZUL al- Quran Dan Lailatul Qadar

Sirah

Nuzul al-Quran dan Lailatul Qadar
Oleh; Dr. Samsu Adabi Mamat
Jabatan Pengajian Arab dan Tamadun Islam
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia

Nuzul Al-Quran

Peristiwa nuzul al-Quran menjadi satu rakaman sejarah dalam kehidupan Nabi SAW hingga seterusnya berperingkat-peringkat menjadi lengkap sebagaimana kitab al-Quran yang ada pada kita hari ini. Peristiwa Nuzul al-Quran berlaku pada malam Jumaat, 17 Ramadan, tahun ke-41 daripada keputeraan Nabi Muhamad SAW. Perkataan ‘Nuzul’ bererti turun atau berpindah dari atas ke bawah. Bila disebut bahawa al-Quran adalah mukjizat terbesar Nabi SAW maka ianya memberi makna terlalu besar kepada umat Islam terutamanya yang serius memikirkan rahsia al-Quran.

‘Al-Quran’ bererti bacaan atau himpunan. Di dalamnya terhimpun ayat yang menjelaskan pelbagai perkara meliputi soal tauhid, ibadat, jinayat, muamalat, sains, teknologi dan sebagainya. Kalimah al-Quran, sering dicantumkan dengan rangkai kata ‘al-Quran mukjizat akhir zaman’ atau ‘al-Quran yang mempunyai mukjizat’. Malah inilah sebenarnya kelebihan al-Quran tidak ada satu perkara pun yang dicuaikan atau tertinggal di dalam al-Quran. Dengan lain perkataan segalanya terdapat di dalam al-Quran. Firman Allah:

Dan tidak seekor pun binatang yang melata di bumi, dan tidak seekor pun burung yang terbang dengan kedua sayapnya, melainkan mereka umat-umat seperti kamu. Tiada Kami tinggalkan sesuatu pun di dalam kitab Al-Quran ini; kemudian mereka semuanya akan dihimpunkan kepada Tuhan mereka (untuk dihisab dan menerima balasan). (Al-An’am:38)

al-Quran adalah hidayah, rahmat, syifa, nur, furqan dan pemberi penjelasan bagi manusia.. Segala isi kandungan al-Quran itu benar. Al-Quran juga dikenali sebagai Al-Nur bererti cahaya yang menerangi, al-Furqan bererti yang dapat membezakan di antara yang hak dan batil dan al-Zikr pula bermaksud yang memberi peringatan.

Dalam sejarah kehidupan Nabi SAW ayat al-Quran yang mula-mula diturunkan Allah kepada Nabi Muhammad SAW melalui perantaraan malaikat Jibrail ialah lima ayat pertama daripada surah Al-‘Alaq. maksudnya:

”Bacalah (wahai Muhammad) dengan nama Tuhan mu yang menciptakan (sekalian makhluk), Ia menciptakan manusia dari sebuku darah beku; Bacalah, dan Tuhan mu Yang Maha Pemurah, -Yang mengajar manusia melalui pena dan tulisan, -Ia mengajarkan manusia apa yang tidak diketahuinya.” (al-‘alaq:1-5)

Hubungan Lailatul Qadar dan Nuzul al-Quran

Lailatul Qadar pula ialah suatu malam pada bulan Ramadhan yang begitu istimewa sekali fadilatnya. Malam al-Qadar adalah suatu malam yang biasanya berlaku pada 10 akhir Ramadhan dan amalan pada malam itu lebih baik baik dari 1000 bulan.

Apakah kaitannya malam al-Qadar dengan nuzul al-Quran? Sebenarnya al-Quran dan malam Lailatulqadar mempunyai hubungan yang rapat antara satu sama lain sebagaimana yang diterangkan di dalam kitab Allah dan hadis Rasulullah SAW di antaranya firman Allah SWT

Maksudnya: Sesungguhnya Kami telah menurunkan (Al-Quran) ini pada Malam Lailatul-Qadar, Dan apa jalannya engkau dapat mengetahui apa dia kebesaran Malam Lailatul-Qadar itu? Malam Lailatul-Qadar lebih baik daripada seribu bulan. Pada Malam itu, turun malaikat dan Jibril dengan izin Tuhan mereka, kerana membawa segala perkara (yang ditakdirkan berlakunya pada tahun yang berikut); Sejahteralah Malam (yang berkat) itu hingga terbit fajar! (al-Qadar:1-5)

Mengikut satu pandangan, ayat ini diturunkan berdasarkan satu riwayat dari Ali bin Aurah, pada satu hari Rasulullah SAW telah menyebut 4 orang Bani Israel yang telah beribadah kepada Allah selama 80 tahun. Mereka sedikit pun tidak derhaka kepada Allah, lalu para sahabat kagum dengan perbuatan mereka itu. Jibril datang memberitahu kepada Rasulullah SAW menyatakan bahawa Allah SWT menurunkan yang lebih baik dari amalan mereka. Jibril pun membaca surah al-Qadar dan Jibril berkata kepada Rasulullah ayat ini lebih baik daripada apa yang engkau kagumkan ini menjadikan Rasulullah SAW dan para sahabat amat gembira.

Dalam hadis yang lain Aishah juga meriwayatkan bahawa Rasulullah SAW bersabda bersedialah dengan bersungguh-sungguh untuk menemui malam Lailatul qadar pada malam-malam yang ganjil dalam 10 malam yang akhir daripada bulan Ramadhan.

Panduan

Dari maklumat serba sedikit di atas tadi sebenarnya banyak boleh dijadikan panduan kepada umat Islam seluruhnya. Antara panduan berkenaan ialah seperti:

1. Tidak ada perkara yang tidak terdapat dalam al-Quran

2. Ayat pertama diturunkan ialah ‘iqra’ iaitu ‘baca’ dan Tuhan mengajarkan manusia melalui perantaraan Pena dan Tulisan.

3. Kelemahan umat Nabi Muhammad beribadat maka dianugerahkan satu masa yang apabila kita mendapatkannya kita akan digandakan pahala melebihi seribu bulan.

Apabila disebutkan bahawa tidak ada perkara yang tidak terdapat di dalam al-Quran itu maka ianya memberikan makna bahawa segala ilmu pengetahuan yang merangkumi fardu ‘ain dan fardu kifayah dalam segenap aspek kehidupan merangkumi ekonomi, sosial, perundangan, pendidikan, sains dan teknologi dan lain-lain, segalanya terdapat dalam al-Quran. Tafsiran, kupasan analisa dan penyelidikan membolehkan umat Islam maju mendahului umat-umat lain di dunia ini.

Manakala penurunan al-Quran pula didahului dengan suatu kalimah ‘iqra’’ iaitu ‘baca’ di mana membaca adalah kunci kepada penerokaan ilmu. Selepas itu pula Allah mengiringi dengan ayat yang bermaksud; Yang mengajar manusia melalui pena dan tulisan, -Ia mengajarkan manusia apa yang tidak diketahuinya.” Keadaan ini menguatkan lagi bahawa pembacaan dan penulisan itu menjadi antara perkara yang paling penting dalam penguasaan ilmu pengetahuan. Di mana sebagaimana diketahui umum melalui satu ungkapan bahawa: “ilmu pengetahuan dan teknologi itu adalah kuasa”.

Perkara ketiga ialah hikmah dari anugerah malam al-qadar kepada umat Nabi Muhammad SAW sebagai umat akhir zaman. Mengetahui kelemahan umat Islam akhir zaman ini dalam beribadah maka dianugerahkan satu peluang di mana ibadah yang dilaksanakan pada malam itu digandakan sehingga 1000 bulan. Bermakna kiranya kita dapat melaksanakan ibadah dengan penuh keimanan di 10 akhir Ramadhan, kita akan berpeluang mendapat malam al-Qadar. Ini akan menjadikan kita seolah-olah beramal ibadah selama 1000 bulan iaitu sekitar 83 tahun. Menjadikan kita seolah-olahnya menghabiskan seluruh hidup kita dan usia kita dalam ibadah.

Bagi mencari malam-malam yang berkemungkinan sebagai malam al-qadar, maka kalangan ulama ada menyatakan bahawa, malam-malam yang ganjil yang tersebut ialah malam 21, 23, 25, 27 & 29 dari bulan Ramadhan. Dalam pada itu terdapat juga beberapa hadis yang menyatakan bahawa malam al-qadar itu pernah ditemui dalam zaman Rasulullah SAW pada malam 21 Ramadhan. Pernah juga ditemui pada malam 23 Ramadhan. Terdapat juga hadis yang mengatakan bahawa baginda Rasulullah SAW. menjawab pertanyaan seorang sahabat yang bertanya mengenai masa Lailatulqadar supaya ianya bersedia dan menghayatinya. Baginda menjelaskan malam Lailatulqadar itu adalah malam 27 Ramadhan. Dari keterangan-keterangan di atas dapatlah kita membuat kesimpulan bahawa malam Lailatulqadar itu berpindah dari satu tahun ke satu tahun yang lain di dalam lingkungan 10 malam yang akhir dari bulan Ramadhan. Yang pastinya bahawa masa berlakunya malam Lailatulqadar itu tetap dirahsiakan oleh Allah SWT supaya setiap umat Islam menghayati 10 malam yang akhir daripada Ramadhan dengan amal ibadat. Dengan beribadah di sepuluh malam terakhir itu, mudah-mudahan akan dapat menemuinya sebagai bekalan kehidupan akhirat.

Kesimpulan

Sebagai kesimpulannya marilah kita sama-sama menghayati nuzul al-Quran ini sebagai suatu peristiwa besar yang penuh makna dan hikmah. Kita seharusnya melihat al-Quran itu sebagai ‘kitab induk’ panduan Ilmu pengetahuan untuk memajukan manusia seluruhnya. Memajukan manusia yang lebih penting adalah memajukan umat Islam terlebih dahulu melalui penguasaan ilmu pengetahuan dan teknologi. Membaca al-Quran itu adalah suatu ibadah. Sekarang bolehlah kita panjangkan ‘membaca’ al-Quran itu kepada menganalisa, mengkaji, menyelidiki dan mencari rahsia ilmu pengetahuan di dalam al-Quran dan seterusnya menghasilkan penulisan-penulisan yang akhirnya memajukan dunia ini dan khasnya memajukan umat Islam dan seterusnya mengeluarkan umat Islam dari belenggu kelemahan dan penghinaan. Umat Islam juga perlu mempertingkatkan amal ibadah terutamanya mengejar anugerah Tuhan yang tidak terhingga kepada umat Islam akhir zaman. Beribadah di 10 akhir Ramadhan memberikan kita peluang keemasan ganjaran pahala seolah-olah beribadah sepanjang hidup kita iaitu 1000 bulan (sekitar 83 tahun).

You are also welcome to visit my other blogs http://darahkedayan.blogspot.com/ and http://simply-kedayan.weebly.com/

2009-09-01T20:34:00.007+08:00

Surah Yunus Ayat 37 yang bermaksud, Al-Qur'an ini tidak mungkin diada-adakan oleh selain daripada Allah, tetapi ia adalah satu pengesahan bagi apa yang sebelumnya, dan satu penjelasan Kitab, yang di dalamnya tiada keraguan, daripada Pemelihara semua alam. - Surah Yunus Ayat 37

Surat Toha Ayat 2 yang bermaksudnya, Kami tidak menurunkan al-Qur'an kepada kamu supaya kamu menjadi sengsara. - Surat Toha ayat 2

Artikal-artikal Terbaru di Fast Forward

2009-09-01T17:58:00.002+08:00

Berikut adalah artikal-artikal terbaru yang saya tampilkan di blog saya http://darahkedayan.blogspot.com/

1. Panduan Sembahyang Sunat Tarawih
2. Lafaz Takbir Raya
3. Sebuah Puisi Indah Nukilan Sdra Hipani Alwi dan
4. ANUGERAH ILAHI TERISTIMEWA DI BULAN RAMADAN AL-MUBARAK

Sila klik disini.

Coldest, driest, calmest place on Earth found

2009-09-01T15:10:00.002+08:00

Coldest, driest, calmest place on Earth found
It's at bottom of the world, more than 13,000 feet high on Antarctic Plateau

updated 8:56 p.m. ET Aug. 31, 2009

Chinese researchers survey Dome A in the Antarctic, a geographical feature about 90 miles from Ridge A.

The search for the best observatory site in the world has led to the discovery of what is thought to be the coldest, driest, calmest place on Earth — a place where no human is thought to have ever set foot.

To search for the perfect site to take pictures of the heavens, a U.S.-Australian research team combined data from satellites, ground stations and climate models in a study to assess the many factors that affect astronomy — cloud cover, temperature, sky-brightness, water vapor, wind speeds and atmospheric turbulence.

The researchers pinpointed a site, known simply as Ridge A, that is 13,297 feet high up on the Antarctic Plateau on the continent at the bottom of the world.

The study revealed that Ridge A has an average winter temperature of minus 94 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 70 degrees Celsius) and an extremely low amount of water in the air.

The site is also extremely calm, which means that there is very little of the atmospheric turbulence that elsewhere makes stars appear to twinkle.

"It's so calm that there's almost no wind or weather there at all," said study leader Will Saunders, of the Anglo-Australian Observatory in Australia.

All these elements combine to make the perfect recipe for an astronomical observation post: "The astronomical images taken at Ridge A should be at least three times sharper than at the best sites currently used by astronomers," Saunders said. "Because the sky there is so much darker and drier, it means that a modestly sized telescope there would be as powerful as the largest telescopes anywhere else on earth."

The site would even be superior to the best existing observatories on high mountain tops in Hawaii and Chile, Saunders said. Researchers assert that a telescope at the site could take images nearly as good as those from the space-based Hubble telescope.

Located within the Australian Antarctic Territory, the site is 89 miles from an international robotic observatory and the proposed new Chinese "Kunlun" base at Dome A, a higher point on the Antarctic Plateau.

The finding was detailed on Aug. 31 in the Publications of the Astronomical Society.

Source : Please click here.

Overheating iPhone reports 'exploding' all over France, Apple responds

2009-08-29T21:00:00.004+08:00

Reports of iPhones exploding, starting fires and killing people in cold blood have been around since the inception of the handset. They've also been relatively sporadic, seemingly short on evidence, and Apple hasn't given complaints much credence or response. So when we heard a story from France the other day about a security guard's iPhone "exploding" and sending a shard of glass into his eye (though apparently not serious enough to warrant a hospital visit), it was a little hard to believe, but with a few other stories of cracking screens due to overheating cropping up in Europe over the past couple weeks, French authorities have taken an interest in the story. Anecdotally, a teen says his phone "imploded" in Belgium and gave him a headache, a woman's phone cracked without warning, and ten or so victims in France have come forward to complain of similar problems, picking up the interest of a French consumer watchdog group. Apple is naturally not new to the concept of overheating in its battery-powered devices -- in fact, it's just entered into its first full-on iPod nano recall in Korea of the 1st-gen players after numerous reports of battery faultiness worldwide -- but with 26 million iPhones out and about, and the iPhone 3GS tending to run a bit hotter than its siblings, a systemic problem with one or all models of the handsets isn't something consumers or Apple would take lightly.

Herve Novelli, France's top trade official, met with Apple France's Michel Coulomb today to discuss the problem, and so far Apple is sticking to its guns: it claims that reported incidents are in the single digits, and that all cases it's investigated fully so far have turned out to be blamed on "external force" to the screen. Herve and Michel seem to have parted on friendly terms, promising to keep in touch over the issue, and the EU's alert system for dangerous consumer products (inexplicably dubbed RAPEX) is staying in the loop as well, asking the 27 member nations to keep tabs on the situation. Novelli says it's "too early to blame anyone," and we'd have to agree, but we hope Apple keeps up the (freshly) open communication about this issue going forward.

Read - French minister meets Apple exec over iPhone problems
Read - Apple denies 'exploding' iPhones
Read - Apple denies battery problem with exploding iPhones
Read - Belgian teenager latest victim of exploding iPhone phenomenon

Source : Please click here.

BELGIAN TEENAGER LATEST VICTIM OF EXPLODING iPhone PHENOMENON
by Robin Wauters on August 28, 2009

A 15-year old Belgian by the name of Salvatore is the latest victim in a series of mysterious iPhone explosions that have captured the attention of France’s and the European Commissions’ consumer affair watchdogs. Details are scarce for the moment, but according to local news reports the teenager was holding his iPhone in his hand, about to make a call, when the device suddenly ‘imploded’. The incident didn’t cause any serious injuries but reportedly gave Salvatore a headache for a couple of days. He has been promised a free replacement unit by Apple but hasn’t yet received a new phone.

There have earlier been numerous reports of exploding iPhone devices in the United States, United Kingdom and France, with most recently about ten cases having emerged in France where the official competition, consumer affairs and fraud watchdog DGCCRF has now launched an investigation to find out whether the popular Apple smartphone could pose a threat to consumers. Apple, which has sold 26 million iPhones and 200 million iPods to date, said it had been informed of the French cases, but would not comment until it had closely examined the damaged phones.

Update: Apple has now said iPhones turned in by customers in France and elsewhere in Europe with shattered screens showed external pressure that would have caused the cracking. More on Bloomberg and Techmeme.

In one instance, a French teenager claimed he was hit in the eye with a glass shard when the screen of his iPhone cracked up. He said he would seek a full refund and file suit for damages. In another case, Apple came under fire for allegedly asking a young British girl’s family to sign a confidentiality agreement (aka a gagging order) before it would agree to refund her.

Earlier this month, Apple reportedly informed the European Commission that it regards all reported iPhone explosion cases as isolated incidents and have no evidence of a general problem. The European Commission, which has stated that the U.S. technology giant has been very cooperative, has asked all 27 EU nations to keep it informed of any problems under the community’s rapid alert system for dangerous consumer products, known as RAPEX.

(Image via QuickPWN)

Source : Please click here.

Selamat Menjalani Ibadah Puasa

2009-08-16T21:39:00.002+08:00

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ

شَہۡرُ رَمَضَانَ ٱلَّذِىٓ أُنزِلَ فِيهِ ٱلۡقُرۡءَانُ هُدً۬ى لِّلنَّاسِ وَبَيِّنَـٰتٍ۬ مِّنَ ٱلۡهُدَىٰ وَٱلۡفُرۡقَانِ‌ۚ فَمَن شَہِدَ مِنكُمُ ٱلشَّہۡرَ فَلۡيَصُمۡهُ‌ۖ وَمَن ڪَانَ مَرِيضًا أَوۡ عَلَىٰ سَفَرٍ۬ فَعِدَّةٌ۬ مِّنۡ أَيَّامٍ أُخَرَ‌ۗ يُرِيدُ ٱللَّهُ بِڪُمُ ٱلۡيُسۡرَ وَلَا يُرِيدُ بِڪُمُ ٱلۡعُسۡرَ وَلِتُڪۡمِلُواْ ٱلۡعِدَّةَ وَلِتُڪَبِّرُواْ ٱللَّهَ عَلَىٰ مَا هَدَٮٰكُمۡ وَلَعَلَّڪُمۡ تَشۡكُرُونَ

Bulan Ramadan yang padanya Al-Qur'an diturunkan untuk menjadi satu petunjuk bagi manusia, dan sebagai bukti-bukti yang jelas daripada Petunjuk itu, dan Pembeza. Maka hendaklah orang-orang antara kamu yang menyaksikan (hadir) pada bulan itu, berpuasa; dan sesiapa yang sakit, atau dalam perjalanan, maka sebilangan daripada hari-hari yang lain. Allah menghendaki kemudahan bagi kamu, dan tidak menghendaki kesukaran bagi kamu; dan agar kamu mencukupkan bilangan, dan mengagungkan Allah, bahawa Dia telah memberi petunjuk kepada kamu supaya kamu berterima kasih - 2:185

Sipitang as 'nenas' nucleus

2009-08-03T21:07:00.003+08:00

3rd August, 2009

SIPITANG: The Sabah Land Development Board [SLDB] has suggested that Sipitang be made the nucleus for the fledgling pineapple industry in Sabah because of the suitable soils found there as well as in the surrounding districts.

And with assistance from the Malaysian Pineapple Industry Board forthcoming soon, SLDB is hopeful that Sabah can become a net exporter of the succulent fruit, with Japan, Korea and the Middle East as its target markets.

SLDB General Manager Jhuvarri Majid said Sunday that trials would be carried out at its Agro Park in Ulu Bongawan to source the best variety and to produce sufficient hybrid seeds to enable smallholders to get sufficient plants.

He told this to reporters after Chief Minister, Datuk Seri Musa Haji Aman visited the SLDB expo booth here yesterday in conjunction with the Sipitang Gasing & Tamu Besar Festival (GATA) 2009 closing ceremony.

The pilot pineapple project in Sipitang will involve 50 acres of land in Banting, said Jhuvarri. SLDB eventually hopes to develop at least a 2,000-acre pineapple farm in the district with people from the district engaged to work in this venture.

Recently, the MPIB disclosed that it wanted to develop some 15,000 hectares of land to plant pineapples in Sabah and have pledged financial assistance, technical know-how and marketing expertise to the SLDB to help Sabahans seriously venture into this sector.

All the MPIB needs now is to extend the Pineapple Industry Act to Sabah so that it can spread its wings to East Malaysia to carry out its various programmes, which includes planting and fertiliser subsidies.

While the overseas markets opt for fresh fruits, the MPIB has come up with 10 products which include juices, canned cubes, pineapple-flavoured tea and coffee, jam and fritters as downstream products for odd-sized fruits.

Smallholders and cooperatives reap rewards in pineapple cultivation as a 10-acre farm can earn the farmer a monthly RM5,000 income after the first crop is harvested.

Pineapples should be planted where the temperature remains warmest. The best soil for the pineapple is a friable, well-drained sandy loam with high organic content. The pH should be within a range of 4.5 to 6.5.

Soils that are not sufficiently acidic can be treated with sulphur to achieve the desired level. The plant cannot stand waterlogging but is surprisingly drought tolerant.

Meanwhile, Jhuvarri said SLDB had major plans for agriculture development in Sipitang with the focus on paddy with some 1750 acres of land available in Tunggul Tinggi Kawang-Kawang Sindumin and Long Pa Sia.

The highlands, especially in and around Long Pasia have also been found to be suitable for planting temperate vegetables and some 500 acres would be earmarked for such activity.

Long Pasia would also have a 100-acre coffee project with the Catimore variety being planted. Another 50 acres would be allocated for planting spices such as cloves, nutmeg and cinnamon.

SLDB, added Jhuvarri, would open up a palm oil mill at Sindumin on a joint-venture basis with the District Council as well as a commercial estate of 650 acres at Katipoh, Mesapol complete with a 50-acre oil palm nursery for high quality seed production.

Another 5,000-acre plotted project for settlers is earmarked for Mandulung.

And Long Miau will have an Agro Park which is part of the Agro Tourism project that SLDB has planned.

Source : Please click here.

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1,000 top spinners coming for the Sipitang Gasing fest

2009-08-03T21:00:00.004+08:00

Published on: Friday, July 17, 2009

Kota Kinabalu: The 2009 Sipitang Gasing and Tamu Besar Festival (Gata Sipitang 2009) for the first time will attract the participation of 1,000 gasing (top) spinners from Sipitang, the largest number yet for the festival.
Sipitang Member of Parliament Datuk Sapawi Ahmad said they were currently negotiating with the Malaysia Book of Records (MBR) to see if the feat could be entered into the book as it had never been attempted before.

"We were informed that we may need more than 1,000 participants (to qualify) but as a trial, we will bring in Sipitang folk, including students and youths, to participate. We hope the feat can make it into the MBR," he told a media conference here, Thursday.

He said Sipitang was known as a district with many top-spinning courts and had won several national-level competitions. It also made into the MBR in 2003 after building the biggest top in Malaysia, which is now showcased at the State Museum.

Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Ahmad Shabery Cheek is expected to launch the festival on July 31 at the Sipitang town field. The festival will go on until Aug 2.

Sapawi, who is also the State information executive councillor, said thousands were targeted to attend the festival, as in previous years.

He said the biennial festival, which started in 2003, attracted almost 30,000 visitors at the end of 2007 from within and out of Sabah, especially from Sarawak and Brunei.

This year's theme, "Daie Sipitang Kuan Biskita" (From Sipitang For You), is a combination - of the languages of the Kedayan, Murut, Lundayeh and Brunei people, who make up the majority of the Sipitang people.

Gata Sipitang 2009, organised by the Sipitang District Office and the Government and corporate agencies in the districts, will showcase traditional top-spinning with participation of teams from Brunei, Sarawak, Labuan and Singapore, besides Sabah.

Other programmes are 'Tamu Besar' (bazaar) Sipitang, traditional food carnival where 22 traditional "kuih" will be displayed, "silat" performances and other traditional games.

Source : Please click here.

BN perlu bertanding DUN Penanti: Dr Mahathir

2009-04-19T16:43:00.003+08:00

RAUB: Bekas Perdana Menteri, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad berkata Barisan nasional (BN) perlu bertanding pada pilihan raya kecil Dewan Undangan Negeri (DUN) Penanti, di Pulau Pinang.

Bekas Pengerusi BN itu berkata jika tidak ia bermakna BN sudah mengaku kalah.

"Saya fikir kalau kawasan BN kita bertanding tapi bila kita ingat kawasan parti lawan sebab tu tak nak bertanding," katanya di sini hari ini.

Sumber : Sila klik disini.

Najib: BN may not contest Penanti by-election (Update)

2009-04-18T23:48:00.003+08:00

Published: Saturday April 18, 2009 MYT 2:40:00 PM
Updated: Saturday April 18, 2009 MYT 5:37:43 PM

By SIMON KHOO and KEVIN KAM

PEKAN: Barisan Nasional might not contest the Penanti state by-election if it obtains the consensus of all component parties, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

In this context, Najib said he would hold a meeting with the Umno Supreme Council and meet with the presidents of the Barisan component parties to discuss the matter.

"I will raise the matter at the next Umno Supreme Council meeting. If I don't have the time, I will bring it up to the Political Bureau, and discuss with the Barisan component party presidents," he said.

Najib said he did not rule out the possibility of Barisan not contesting as the latest by-election in Penang was clearly a "political ploy" by the Opposition.

"No, we are not afraid of losing to them but it is a sheer waste of public funds.

"Whatever decision we make, we will take into consideration whether it benefits the people," he told reporters at a press conference at his residence near here on Saturday.

On the party’s new appointed office bearers and state Umno liaison chiefs, Najib said he would announce the names after the supreme council meeting.

“I need some time to consult several senior party leaders first as the appointment is the prerogative of the party president under the party’s constitution.

“I do not know yet if any of the Mentri Besar or Chief Minister will be replaced,” he said adding that no one should speculate as it would not be fair to the parties involved who might experience “sleepless nights.”

On the political storm in Terengganu, Najib said he would be monitoring the situation closely and had listened to explanations from both factions.

“I hope the state leadership can resolve the situation amicably,” he said, adding that it was important to have a strong team who could quell any tension and be acceptable to all Umno leaders in the state.

Najib reiterated that no decision had been made by the Government pertaining to the crooked bridge project.

He also expressed his support to a proposal by the Election Commission to limit the number of supporters allowed at nomination and polling centres.

“We want a smooth elections process and no disturbances by any party supporters,” he said.

Earlier, Najib was given a rousing welcome in his home state and parliamentary constituency by some 30,000 people of all races.

It was the first time Najib, the Pekan MP, returned to his constituency as the Prime Minister of Malaysia.

Source : Please click here.

Kabinet harus dengar suara rakyat

2009-04-18T10:07:00.003+08:00

Penulis : TAN SRI LEE LAM THYE

PERDANA Menteri Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak telah berjanji untuk menjadikan Kabinet barunya itu berupaya menunjukkan prestasi dan menyampaikan perkhidmatan dengan mengadakan petunjuk prestasi utama (KPI) yang menitik beratkan tentang impak dan status penyampaian perkhidmatan tersebut.

Penekanan ke atas prestasi dan komitmen Perdana Menteri untuk memantau secara peribadi kemajuan semua Menteri sekali dalam enam bulan adalah suatu langkah penting memandangkan wujudnya ketidakpuasan rakyat di masa lalu tentang prestasi menteri dan beberapa penjawat awam.

Nyata sekali kini masa telah tiba untuk mewujudkan sebuah kerajaan yang berorientasikan rakyat dan tindakan dimulakan dengan Kabinet yang mempunyai kepekaan dan sensitif terhadap keperluan rakyat dan negara terutamanya ketika saat kegawatan ini.

Tidak boleh dinafikan bahawa harapan rakyat terhadap pentadbiran Najib ini adalah sangat tinggi dan adalah menjadi suatu kewajipan bagi pentadbiran baru ini untuk menunjukkan prestasi dan menghasilkan perkhidmatan efisien berasaskan budaya penuh integriti dan kecemerlangan.

Ini bermakna setiap anggota Kabinet benar-benar menanggung tugasan berat dalam merealisasikan jaminan dan komitmen pentadbiran baru.

Anggota pentadbiran Najib harus mendampingi rakyat untuk memahami rintihan serta keperluan dan kehendak mereka diikuti dengan bertindak melakukan segala perubahan yang perlu untuk memulihkan kembali keyakinan rakyat.

Sumber : Sila klik disini.

Suhaili dropped as Labuan Umno chief

2009-04-16T21:35:00.002+08:00

Published: Thursday April 16, 2009 MYT 8:53:00 PM
Updated: Thursday April 16, 2009 MYT 8:56:54 PM

KUALA LUMPUR: Datuk Suhaili Abdul Rahman has been dropped as Labuan Umno chief with immediate effect, according to a statement published on the party’s official website.

This was in accordance with Clause 10.10 of Umno’s constitution whereby a leader automatically loses his party posts in the event of being charged in court, the statement said.

On Tuesday, Suhaili, 48, was charged with making a false statement to Mohd Naser Mohd Noor, a Justice of Peace, in relation to the registration of a company, Syarikat Saraequity Sdn Bhd, in August 1995.

According to the charge, he is alleged to have given false information in his statutory declaration by using the name Ahmad Suhaily Abdul Rahman with the identifification card bearing serial numbers H 0552182.

Suhaili pleaded not guilty to the charge in the Kota Kinabalu Magistrate’s Court and Magistrate Noor Hafizah Mohd Salim allowed an application by the prosecution to have the case transferred to another court to enable it to be heard together with a cheating case involving the accused.

Suhaili, the former Member of Parliament for Labuan, is also charged with cheating Malayan Banking Bhd’s Kota Kinabalu branch of RM160,000 in connection with the purchase of apartment in the city in 1996.

Suhaili, when contacted by Bernama in Labuan, confirmed receiving a letter on his removal as Labuan Umno chief.

“The letter was signed by Umno secretary-general Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan,“ he said.

Expressing dissapointment with this, he said that he had met Umno deputy president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin about the issue and was advised to file an appeal.

He was of the view that the decision should have been made only after the Umno Supreme Council had deliberated on it.

“I should have been given a chance to defend myself. I have shown a good performance in the two terms I was MP of Labuan and this can been seen from the results in the last general election,” he added. -- Bernama

Source : Please click here.

Dilema BN terhadap pengundi bukan Melayu

2009-04-16T12:54:00.001+08:00

Penulis : DR. ALIAS MOHAMED Presiden Pertubuhan Kebangsaan Wartawan dan Penulis Melayu Malaysia

SATU perubahan yang agak besar di dua pilihan raya kecil Bukit Selambau, Kedah dan Bukit Gantang, Perak sejak Pilihan Raya Umum Ke-12 pada Mac 2008 ialah peningkatan undi Melayu kepada calon-calon Barisan Nasional (BN). Namun beberapa kelemahan jentera pilihan raya BN perlu dinyatakan dengan jelas untuk difikir dan diperbaiki serta-merta.

Pertama, pengundi-pengundi bukan Melayu masih terpedaya dengan dakyah-dakyah parti pembangkang yang yakin boleh merealisasikan Malaysian Malaysia. Kemenangan DAP di Pulau Pinang dalam Pilihan Raya Umum 2008 memperkukuhkan azam dan keyakinan ini.

Oleh itu, mereka cuba menterjemahkan kejayaan DAP di Pulau Pinang menerusi undi orang bukan Melayu di Selambau dan Bukit Gantang.

Dengan kata lain, semangat kecinaan dan keindiaan pengundi-pengundi bukan Melayu ini adalah tebal. Mereka menolak dasar-dasar arus perdana yang diterajui oleh UMNO.

Kedua, sikap ini secara umumnya mendorong para pengundi bukan Melayu supaya tidak mengundi BN walaupun segala permintaan yang dikehendaki oleh pengundi bukan Melayu telah dipenuhi oleh BN dengan pemberian pelbagai peruntukan di kawasan-kawasan berkenaan.

Mereka mengambil sikap: ambil kemudahan kerajaan tetapi tolak pentadbirannya, walaupun tidak ada kemudahan yang serupa diberi oleh pembangkang kepada pengundi-pengundi bukan Melayu. Sekali gus, ini bermakna mereka menyatakan hasrat perkauman par excellence.

Trend yang serupa dipamerkan dalam pilihan raya kecil Parlimen Kuala Terengganu. Penolakan pengundi Cina terhadap BN boleh dilihat, sungguhpun mereka mendapat bantuan kerajaan dan tidak mendapat bantuan pembangkang.

Di sini, sokongan mereka kepada calon Pas bukan bermakna mereka menyokong parti itu, tetapi sebenarnya menolak kerajaan - untuk menunjukkan sokongan kepada parti pembangkang lain.

Ketiga, parti-parti komponen BN - MCA dan Gerakan - perlu dipertanggungjawabkan terhadap senario ini, terutama amalan dalam MCA yang mendesak kerajaan memberi itu dan ini kepada mereka melalui akhbar-akhbar Cina.

Beberapa bulan kebelakangan ini, sebelum pilihan raya kecil Selambau dan Bukit Gantang, pemimpin-pemimpin mereka mempersoalkan ketuanan Melayu dan kontrak sosial - dua isu sensitif yang menarik imaginasi orang Cina dan India.

Keempat, tindakan-tindakan pembangkang di mahkamah yang melibatkan Perlembagaan negara juga satu lagi punca yang menghakis keyakinan pentadbiran negara yang dipimpin oleh UMNO.

Di samping itu, tindakan-tindakan berani pemimpin-pemimpin DAP yang meletakkan papan-papan tanda jalan dalam bahasa Cina di Pulau Pinang dan Selangor sebenarnya manifestasi politik yang berasaskan aspirasi orang Cina, bukan berdasarkan asas-asas pemerintahan di Malaysia.

Kelima, pengundi-pengundi bukan Melayu teruja dengan rentak kempen dan propaganda anti UMNO dan BN. Sikap dan tindakan mereka disokong oleh Pas dan PKR yang hanya ingin menang dalam pilihan raya dan tidak mempedulikan ground rules dalam politik di Malaysia.

Kepada mereka ini, tidak mengapa kalau kuasa orang Melayu diambil alih orang lain asalkan mereka menjadi sebahagian kecil daripada pasukan yang menang.

Hakikat ini sehingga hari ini masih gagal dicanang oleh pemimpin-pemimpin UMNO untuk menyedarkan orang Melayu.

Akhir sekali, pemimpin-pemimpin BN, terutama UMNO, perlu memahami trend pemikiran parti-parti politik Cina hari ini. Apakah yang harus mereka buat dalam keadaan seperti ini?

Adakah perlu mereka mengambil risiko dalam Pilihan Raya Umum Ke-13?

Sumber : Sila klik disini.

Suhaili claims trial to another charge

2009-04-15T21:22:00.004+08:00

Published on: Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Kota Kinabalu: Former Umno Labuan Member of Parliament Datuk Suhaili Abdul Rahman, who on Monday pleaded not guilty in the Sessions Court to cheating a bank 13 years ago, was charged in the Magistrate's Court again Tuesday with making a false statement in a statutory declaration 14 years ago.
Suhaili, 48, is accused of committing the offence before Justice of Peace (JP) Haji Mohd Naser Mohd Noor at the JP's office here on Aug. 3, 1995, for the purpose of registering Saraequity Sdn Bhd.

The ex-MP allegedly made the false statement in a Statutory Declaration under the name of Ahmad Suhaili Abd Rahman with Identity Card No: H0552181, which he knew to be false, touching a material point for which the declaration was made for registering the said company.

The offence under Section 199 of the Penal Code is punishable under Section 193 of the Penal Code which carries a jail term of up to three years and liable to a fine on conviction.

Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission's Deputy Public Prosecutor Kevin Morais who conducted the prosecution together with DPP Joyce Blasius, applied for the case to be transferred to the Sessions Court and to be heard jointly before the same judge who heard Suhaili's cheating case on Monday.

Counsel Rakhbir Singh informed the court that the defence supported the application for transfer on the basis that the documents used in both cases were virtually identical.

Magistrate Noor Hafizah Mohd Salim allowed the prosecution's application to transfer the case to the Sessions Court.

Hafizah, however, said that it was a matter for the Sessions Court to decide on whether the case would be heard before the same judge.

No bail was given.

On Monday, Suhaili, pleaded not guilty before Sessions Court Judge Caroline Bee Manajil to cheating a bank by using someone else's identity to act as a guarantor for a RM160,000 housing loan 13 years ago.

Majanil released Suhaili on RM20,000 bail with RM3,000 deposited in one surety pending trial fixed from Feb 8 to 12, next year.

Sumber : Sila klik disini.

Suhaili mengaku tidak bersalah beri maklumat palsu

2009-04-15T21:17:00.001+08:00

KOTA KINABALU 14 April - Sehari selepas menghadapi tuduhan menipu seorang pengurus bank, bekas Ahli Parlimen Labuan, Datuk Suhaili Abdul Rahman, hari ini didakwa di Mahkamah Majistret di sini atas tuduhan memberi maklumat palsu dalam satu akuan bersumpah pada 1995.

Bekas Pengerusi Perbadanan Labuan itu bagaimanapun mengaku tidak bersalah di atas dakwaan yang dibacakan di hadapan Majistret Noor Hafizah Mohd. Salim.

Majistret Noor Hafizah kemudian membenarkan permohonan pihak pendakwaan memindahkan kes tersebut ke Mahkamah Sesyen bagi membolehkan ia didengar serentak dengan satu lagi tuduhan menipu melibatkan Suhaili.

Permohonan itu dikendalikan oleh Timbalan Pendakwa Raya dari Suruhanjaya Pencegahan Rasuah Malaysia (SPRM), Kevin Morais, mengikut Seksyen 193 Kanun Keseksaan yang membawa hukuman penjara sehingga tiga tahun serta sebat dan denda.

Suhaili, 48, yang juga Ketua UMNO Bahagian Labuan, dituduh membuat kenyataan palsu itu kepada Mohd. Naser Mohd. Noor, seorang Jaksa Pendamai, berhubung pendaftaran Syarikat Saraequity Sdn. Bhd. pada 3 Ogos 1995.

Mengikut pertuduhan, Suhaili dituduh memberi maklumat palsu kepada Mohd. Naser Mohd. Noor dalam akuan berkanun, menggunakan nama Ahmad Suhaily Abdul Rahman dengan kad pengenalan bernombor H 0552182.

Semalam, Mahkamah Sesyen di sini menetapkan 8 Februari hingga 12 Februari tahun depan perbicaraan kes penipuan bank melibatkan Suhaili.

Dalam kes tersebut, Suhaili didakwa atas tuduhan menipu Malayan Banking Bhd. cawangan Kota Kinabalu sebanyak RM160,000 untuk membeli sebuah apartmen di sini, pada 1996.

Sumber : Sila klik disini.

Bekas Ahli Parlimen Labuan didakwa tipu RM160,000

2009-04-15T21:14:00.002+08:00

KOTA KINABALU 13 April - Bekas Ahli Parlimen Labuan, Datuk Suhaili Abd. Rahman didakwa di Mahkamah Sesyen di sini hari ini atas tuduhan menipu Malayan Banking Bhd. cawangan Kota Kinabalu sebanyak RM160,000 untuk membeli sebuah apartmen, 13 tahun lalu.

Dia yang juga Ketua UMNO Bahagian Labuan, bagaimanapun tidak mengaku bersalah di hadapan Hakim Caroline Bee Majanil terhadap tuduhan tersebut.

Mahkamah membenarkan tertuduh itu diikat jamin sebanyak RM20,000 dengan seorang penjamin sementara menunggu perbicaraan pada 8 hingga 12 Februari 2010.

Mengikut pertuduhan, dia didakwa melakukan perbuatan itu di Pejabat Malayan Banking itu pada 3 April 1996 bertujuan untuk memohon pinjaman perumah-an sebanyak RM110,00 dan overdraf RM50,000.

Pinjaman itu didakwa dilakukan atas nama syarikatnya, Sara Equity Sdn. Bhd. dan pinjaman itu untuk membeli sebuah apartmen di unit 3-R2-32, Tingkat 2, Api-api Centre, Fasa 1A di sini.

Suhaili yang juga bekas Pengerusi Perbadanan Labuan didakwa bertindak sebagai penjamin tetapi telah menggunakan nama dan kad pengenalan dipercayai palsu untuk proses pinjaman tersebut.

Dia didakwa memperdaya pengurus bank tersebut, Ismail Jantan, dengan menggunakan nama Ahmad Suhaily Abd. Rahman yang memegang kad pengenalan bernombor H 0552182.

Suhaili didakwa di bawah Seksyen 420 Kanun Keseksaan yang boleh membawa hukuman penjara sehingga 10 tahun dan boleh dikenakan sebatan atau denda.

Tertuduh diwakili peguam bela, Rakhbir Singh manakala pendakwaan dikendalikan oleh Timbalan Pendakwa Raya dari Suruhanjaya Pencegahan Rasuah Malaysia (SPRM), Kevin Morais.

Sementara itu, Suhaili ketika ditemui di luar mahkamah memberitahu, dia masih menunggu keputusan Kementerian Wilayah Persekutuan sama ada akan melanjutkan jawatannya sebagai Pengerusi Perbadanan Labuan.

Jelas Suihaili, jawatannya sebagai pengerusi perbadanan tersebut tamat pada 31 Mac lalu.

Sumber: Sila klik disini.

Senarai penuh barisan Kabinet baru

2009-04-09T20:51:00.004+08:00

09/04/2009 4:23pm

NAJIB Tun Razak bersalam dengan timbalannya, Muhyiddin Yassin selepas mengumumkan barisan Kabinet barunya di Putrajaya, semalam. – UTUSAN/SAIFUL BAHARI ASHARI

KUALA LUMPUR 9 April - Berikut ialah senarai penuh barisan Kabinet baru yang diumumkan oleh Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Najib Razak sebentar tadi.

PERDANA MENTERI : Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak

TIMBALAN PERDANA MENTERI: Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin

JABATAN PERDANA MENTERI:

Menteri:

1. Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon (Hal Ehwal Perpaduan & Pengurusan Prestasi)

2. Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz (Hal Ehwal Perundangan dan Parlimen)

3. Tan Sri Nor Mohamed Yakcop (Unit Perancang Ekonomi)

4. Mejar Jeneral (B) Datuk Jamil Khir Baharom (Hal Ehwal Agama Islam)

Timbalan Menteri:

1. Datuk Liew Vui Keong

2. Datuk Dr. Mashitah Ibrahim

3. Datuk S.K. Devamany

4. Ahmad Maslan

5. T. Murugiah

KEMENTERIAN KEWANGAN:

Menteri: Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak

Menteri II: Datuk Ahmad Husni Mohamad Hanadzlah

Timbalan Menteri:

1. Datuk Chor Chee Heung

2. Datuk Dr. Awang Adek Hussin

KEMENTERIAN PELAJARAN:

Menteri: Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin

Timbalan Menteri:

1. Datuk Dr Wee Ka Siong

2. Dr. Mohd Puad Zarkashi

KEMENTERIAN PENGANGKUTAN:

Menteri: Datuk Ong Tee Keat

Timbalan Menteri:

1. Datuk Abdul Rahim Bakri

2. Datuk Robert Lau Hoi Chew

KEMENTERIAN PERUSAHAAN, PERLADANGAN DAN KOMODITI:

Menteri: Tan Sri Bernard Dompok

Timbalan Menteri: Datuk Hamzah Zainudin

KEMENTERIAN DALAM NEGERI:

Menteri: Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein

Timbalan Menteri:

1. Datuk Wira Abu Seman Yusop

2. Jelaing anak Mersat

KEMENTERIAN PENERANGAN, KOMUNIKASI, KESENIAN DAN KEBUDAYAAN:

Menteri: Datuk Seri Utama Dr. Rais Yatim

Timbalan Menteri:

1. Datuk Joseph Salang Gandum

2. Senator Heng Seai Kie

KEMENTERIAN TENAGA, TEKNOLOGI HIJAU DAN AIR:

Menteri: Datuk Peter Chin Fah Kui

Timbalan Menteri: Noriah Kasnon

KEMENTERIAN KEMAJUAN LUAR BANDAR DAN WILAYAH:

Menteri: Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal

Timbalan Menteri:

1. Datuk Hassan Malek

2. Datuk Joseph Entulu anak Belaun

KEMENTERIAN PENGAJIAN TINGGI:

Menteri: Datuk Seri Mohd Khaled Nordin

Timbalan Menteri:

1. Datuk Dr. Hou Kok Chung

2. Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah

KEMENTERIAN PERDAGANGAN ANTARABANGSA DAN INDUSTRI:

Menteri: Datuk Mustapa Mohamed

Timbalan Menteri:

1. Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir

2. Datuk Jacob Dungau Sagan

KEMENTERIAN SAINS, TEKNOLOGI DAN INNOVASI:

Menteri: Datuk Dr. Maximus Ongkili

Timbalan Menteri: Fadillah Yusof

KEMENTERIAN SUMBER ASLI DAN ALAM SEKITAR:

Menteri: Datuk Douglas Uggah Embas

Timbalan Menteri: Tan Sri Joseph Kurup

KEMENTERIAN PELANCONGAN:

Menteri: Datuk Ng Yen Yen

Timbalan Menteri: Datuk Seri Sulaiman Abdul Rahman Abdul Taib

KEMENTERIAN PERTANIAN DAN INDUSTRI ASAS TANI:

Menteri: Datuk Noh Omar

Timbalan Menteri:

1. Datuk Johari Baharum

2. Datuk Rohani Abdul Karim

KEMENTERIAN PERTAHANAN:

Menteri: Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi

Timbalan Menteri: Datuk Dr Abdul Latiff Ahmad

KEMENTERIAN KERJA RAYA:

Menteri: Datuk Shaziman Abu Mansor

Timbalan Menteri: Datuk Yong Khoon Seng

KEMENTERIAN KESIHATAN:

Menteri: Datuk Liow Tiong Lai

Timbalan Menteri: Datuk Rosnah Rashid Shirlin

KEMENTERIAN BELIA DAN SUKAN:

Menteri: Datuk Ahmad Shabery Cheek

Timbalan Menteri:

1. Datuk Razali Ibrahim

2. Wee Jeck Seng

KEMENTERIAN SUMBER MANUSIA:

Menteri: Datuk Dr S.Subramaniam

Timbalan: Datuk Maznah Mazlan

KEMENTEIAN PERDAGANGAN DALAM NEGERI DAN HAL EHWAL PENGGUNA:

Menteri: Datuk Ismail Sabri Yaakob

Timbalan Menteri: Datuk Tan Lian Hoe

KEMENTERIAN PERUMAHAN DAN KERAJAAN TEMPATAN:

Menteri: Datuk Kong Cho Ha

Timbalan Menteri: Datuk Lajim Ukin

KEMENTERIAN PEMBANGUNAN WANITA, KELUARGA DAN MASYARAKAT:

Menteri: Datuk Seri Sharizat Jalil

Timbalan Menteri: Datin Paduka Chew Mei Fun

KEMENTERIAN LUAR:

Menteri: Datuk Anifah Aman

Timbalan Menteri:

1. A. Kohilan Pillay

2. Datuk Lee Chee Leong

KEMENTERIAN WILAYAH PERSEKUTUAN:

Menteri: Datuk Raja Nong Chik Raja Zainal Abidin

Timbalan Menteri: Datuk M. Saravanan

Sumber : Sila klik disini.

Empat pemimpin Sabah dilantik menteri

2009-04-09T20:48:00.011+08:00

Menteri Kemajuan Luar Bandar dan Wilayah, Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal

Menteri Luar, Datuk Anifah Aman

Menteri Perusahaan, Perladangan dan Komoditi, Tan Sri Bernad Dompok

Menteri Sains, Teknologi dan Inovasi, Datuk Dr. Maximus Ongkili

09/04/2009 4:50pm
KUALA LUMPUR 9 April – Empat pemimpin Sabah dilantik sebagai menteri.

Mereka ialah Menteri Perusahaan, Perladangan dan Komoditi, Tan Sri Bernad Dompok; Menteri Kemajuan Luar Bandar dan Wilayah, Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal; Menteri Sains, Teknologi dan Inovasi, Datuk Dr. Maximus Ongkili dan Menteri Luar, Datuk Anifah Aman. - Utusan

Sumber : Sila klik disini.

Dr. M sertai UMNO

2009-04-06T00:16:00.005+08:00

Dr. Mahathir Mohamad menyerahkan borang keahlian UMNO kepada Najib Tun Razak sambil disaksikan Tun Siti Hasmah Mohd. Ali dan Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor di Sri Satria, Putrajaya, semalam.

Oleh ZULKIFLI JALIL dan
HASHNAN ABDULLAH
pengarang@utusan.com.my

PUTRAJAYA 4 April – Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad hari ini kembali menyertai UMNO setelah hampir setahun meninggalkan parti tersebut.

Bekas Presiden UMNO itu bersama isteri, Tun Dr. Siti Hasmah Mohd. Ali menyerahkan borang keahlian yang kekal bernombor 001 dan 002 kepada Presiden UMNO, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak dalam satu majlis ringkas tetapi penuh bermakna di Sri Satria di sini.

Bercakap kepada pemberita, Dr. Mahathir, 84, melahirkan rasa gembira kerana dapat kembali dan diterima semula oleh UMNO.

‘‘Walaupun saya berada di luar UMNO tetapi dalam hati saya masih orang UMNO. Walaupun saya tegur UMNO, saya fikir teguran itu adalah untuk membina UMNO, bukannya untuk menghancurkan UMNO.

‘‘Oleh itu saya berharap yang keluar UMNO sama dengan saya akan kembali semula dan harap parti akan menerima mereka,” katanya.

Hadir sama isteri Najib, Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor.

Pada majlis itu juga, anak Dr. Mahathir iaitu Datuk Mokhzani turut mengambil langkah sama menyertai semula UMNO.

Dr. Mahathir mengisytiharkan keluar daripada UMNO dalam satu ceramah di Alor Setar pada 19 Mei tahun lalu kerana hilang keyakinan terhadap parti itu.

Pada sidang akhbar yang dihadiri puluhan wartawan tempatan dan media asing tersebut, bekas Perdana Menteri itu secara berseloroh tidak menafikan penyertaan semula beliau ke dalam UMNO hari ini mirip perkara sama 40 tahun lepas ketika parti itu di bawah kepimpinan Allahyarham Tun Razak Hussein.

‘‘Satu pakatan kekeluargaan yang tidak sengaja tetapi benarlah, saya dapat masuk balik UMNO dahulu pun kerana Tun Razak yang menerima saya dan kali ini, anaknya yang terima saya.

‘‘Mengenai jawatan (dalam UMNO atau kerajaan), tak payahlah tetapi kalau nak kerjasama, saya bila-bila masa bersedia untuk memulihkan semula parti kerana saya dipercayai oleh rakyat,” katanya.

Serentak itu, Dr. Mahathir menyatakan kesediaannya untuk membantu UMNO dan Barisan Nasional (BN) dalam pilihan raya kecil Parlimen Bukit Gantang dan Dewan Undangan Negeri Bukit Selambau serta Batang Air.

Ini kerana, kata beliau, adalah menjadi tanggungjawabnya sebagai ahli UMNO untuk terus membantu parti dan BN termasuk berkempen pada pilihan raya walaupun telah bersara.

‘‘Saya tidak suka kalau dah bersara ini, kita pisah diri sama sekali dengan UMNO kerana saya naik pun kerana UMNO.

‘‘Dari dulu pun, saya menawarkan diri untuk berkempen jika diperlukan dan hari ini nampaknya saya diminta untuk berkempen. Saya sudah bersedia kerana ia adalah parti saya,” katanya.

Ditanya adakah beliau akan meneruskan sikap kritikalnya terhadap UMNO sebagaimana sebelum ini, Dr. Mahathir berkata, sikap demikian berlaku apabila ‘kesilapan dilakukan’.

‘‘Jika tidak, saya rasa tidak perlu jadi kritikal dan saya rasa Datuk Seri Najib tidak akan terkeluar dari landasan (corak kepimpinan) yang telah ditetapkan oleh bapanya dan bukan oleh saya,” katanya.

Sumber : Sila klik disini.

Najib angkat sumpah PM ke-6

2009-04-06T00:11:00.002+08:00

KUALA LUMPUR 3 April - Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak hari ini mengangkat sumpah jawatan sebagai Perdana Menteri Malaysia yang keenam menggantikan Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi yang berundur selepas menerajui negara lebih lima tahun.
Najib, 55, mengangkat sumpah jawatan di hadapan Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin di Istana Negara.

Beliau mengikut jejak Allahyarham ayahandanya, Tun Abdul Razak Hussein, yang menerajui negara dari tahun 1970 sehingga 1976 sebelum meninggal dunia akibat leukemia.

Segak berbaju Melayu hitam, Najib tiba di Istana Negara pada 9.42 pagi diiringi isteri Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor. Pasangan itu kemudian memasuki Balairong Seri pada 10 pagi diikuti Abdullah dan isteri Datin Seri Jeanne Abdullah.
Kenamaan lain yang turut hadir termasuklah anggota Kabinet, Menteri Besar dan Yang Dipertua Dewan Negara serta Speaker Dewan Rakyat.

Seramai 319 tetamu kehormat hadir pada majlis bersejarah itu termasuk bekas Perdana Menteri Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad dan isteri, Tun Dr. Siti Hasmah Mohd Ali.
Acara penuh istiadat itu bermula apabila Tuanku Mizan dan Raja Permaisuri Agong, Tuanku Nur Zahirah berangkat memasuki Balairong Seri pada pukul 10.05 pagi.
Upacara dimulakan dengan lagu Negaraku dimainkan oleh pancaragam Angkatan Tentera Malaysia.

Istiadat Pengurniaan Suratcara Pelantikan dan Istiadat Mengangkat Sumpah Jawatan dan Taat Setia serta Sumpah Menyimpan Rahsia oleh Najib sebagai Perdana Menteri dimulakan pada 10.10 pagi.

Najib kemudian membaca ikrar mengangkat sumpah taat setia serta menyimpan rahsia sebelum menandatangani keempat-empat Suratcara Pelantikan, diikuti dengan bacaan doa selamat.

Keempat-empat Suratcara Pelantikan itu kemudiannya ditandatangani oleh Presiden Mahkamah Rayuan Tan Sri Alauddin Mohd Sheriff sebagai saksi yang kemudiannya diserahkan kepada Ketua Setiausaha Negara, Tan Sri Mohd Sidek Hassan.
Pada majlis yang sama, Abdullah dikurniakan anugerah Seri Maharaja Mangku Negara (SMN) manakala Jeanne menerima anugerah Seri Setia Mahkota (SSM), kedua-duanya membawa gelaran Tun, daripada Seri Paduka.

Najib dilahirkan di Kuala Lipis, Pahang, pada 23 Julai 1953 dan merupakan anak sulung kepada Tun Abdul Razak dan Tun Rahah Mohd. Noah.

Pelantikan Najib hari ini cukup signifikan kepada sejarah negara kerana ini merupakan kali pertama anak kepada perdana menteri dilantik ke jawatan yang sama.
Karisma kepimpinannya dalam politik mula terserlah apabila beliau dilantik sebagai Ketua Pemuda Umno Bahagian Pekan pada 1976 sebelum mencatat sejarah pada tahun yang sama sebagai anggota Parlimen termuda, pada usia 22 tahun, dengan memenangi tanpa bertanding kerusi Pekan dalam satu pilihan raya kecil apabila ayahanda meninggal dunia.

Bermula dari situ, Najib secara beransur meniti kejayaan dalam bidang politik dan pentadbiran kerajaan sehingga menjadi Presiden Umno dan Perdana Menteri. - BERNAMA

Sumber : Sila klik disini.

KELAHIRAN BLOG-BLOG KEDAYAN / KADAYAN

2009-01-29T21:15:00.022+08:00

Alhamdulillah, nampaknya pada akhir-akhir ini terdapat banyak blog orang Kedayan / Kadayan dilahirkan. Diantara blog-blog yang berkualiti milik orang Kedayan / Kadayan adalah seperti berikut: -

Kamus Kedayan. Sila klik disini.

Minda Kedayan. Sila klik disini.

Kadayan Banting. Sila klik disini.

[TERBARU] BeritaBorneo. Sila klik disini.

Untuk mengenali dan mengetahui dengan lebih lanjut pemilik dan bahan-bahan yang dipamerkan, sila layari blog-blog berkenaan. Syabas dan tahniah saya ucapkan kepada bloggers Kedayan / Kadayan. Hidup Kedayan!!

PRESS RELEASE FROM YAB PERDANA MENTERI

2008-10-09T07:34:00.002+08:00

Wednesday October 8, 2008 MYT 9:31:45 PM

1. I have been in public service for over 45 years. I have served this country as a civil servant, and as an elected representative of the people. I have served as a member of government and feel blessed to serve in the highest office in the land. I have seen this country grow from a small, poor nation into the modern, prosperous Malaysia that we live in today.

2. Despite our successful track record, for the past few years I have firmly believed that our nation is standing at an historic crossroads. We must reform some elements of our nation, we must evolve and mature, or we risk losing all that we have gained in over 50 years. Throughout this time of reform and transformation, we Malaysians need to be united now more than ever before.

3. In all my years of service, I have always been guided by my conscience. I have always placed the interests of the nation above all else. It is with this in mind that I announce I will not stand for the Presidency of UMNO. I do not want a divided party and governing coalition, but one that is united and harmonious. A united Barisan Nasional is vital in order for the country to face the global challenges ahead and for Malaysia to become a fully developed nation, with prosperity and fairness for all.

4. My current term as President of UMNO ends in March next year. There are several initiatives I intend to see through before I leave office. These initiatives are important because they are necessary to move our country forward. These initiatives are needed to regain our country's competitiveness. They are necessary to enable our nation and our society to face the challenges that the world has in store for us. I ask all Malaysians to unite and join me in working towards making Malaysia a better place.

5. First, our institutions need to be reformed and strengthened.

i) The judiciary needs to enhance its stature and credibility in the eyes of the public. Before I end my term, I will table a Parliamentary Bill to establish a Judicial Appointments Commission. Such a Commission will propose judicial appointments in a transparent and merit-based manner.

ii) We also need a strong and effective anti-corruption body that can combat the cancer of corruption without fear or favour. Before the end of the year, I will table a Parliamentary Bill to establish the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, with greater powers of investigation and enforcement. The Commission's oversight structure has been modelled after the successful ICAC in Hong Kong.

iii) I also intend to complete the establishment of a Special Complaints Commission to enhance the integrity and effectiveness of enforcement agencies

6. Second, I have long spoken about the need to ensure that the fruits of growth are more equitably distributed. In the recent Budget, I explained the government's commitment to strengthening and enlarging the Social Safety Net.

We will speed up work on this front to help poor and disadvantaged Malaysians, regardless of background, race or religion.

I will also work to ensure that tangible results can begin to be enjoyed in Iskandar, as well as the development corridor initiatives around the country.

7. Third, I would like to see the Government and Barisan renew their commitment towards building a united and harmonious nation.

Society has seen an alarming decline in inter-racial and inter-religious relations. Various issues have cropped up which threaten to tear the very fabric of Malaysian life.

We need to tackle these issues head-on, through dialogue; deal with the issues constructively and even-handedly; ensure greater clarity and certainty for the people; and focus on the points that unite us, rather than the points that divide us.

For this reason, I will convene a BN Convention early next year. This is a long-term effort that I hope to kick-start and continue to contribute towards.

I fully intend to see through my mission, and I am sure that my successor will carry on this agenda.

I want to hand over to my successor a Malaysia that is capable of weathering the challenges of a dangerous global economy, a Malaysia not of rich and poor, of young and old or of the city or the kampung (village), not of south and north, and not of one religion or another but of unity and harmony.

This is not the time for infighting and narrow politics but for greatness, unity and cooperation.

PM will not defend Umno post

2008-10-09T07:20:00.006+08:00

"I will not contest in the Umno elections," - Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi

Wednesday October 8, 2008 MYT 9:31:45 PM
KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi will not defend his Umno presidency in the party polls next March, paving the way for his deputy Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

"I will not contest in the Umno elections," he told reporters after a Barisan Nasional Supreme Council meeting at the Putra World Trade Centre here on Wednesday.

"I do not want a divided party, or a divided government," he said.

Abdullah also told reporters that he would "stay on as Prime Minister" till March.

He also outlined several initiatives he wanted to see implemented before he leaves. These will be tabled in Parliament by the end of the year, he said.

They involve his on-going commitment to reforming the judiciary; an anti-corruption Bill to give more clout to combat corruption; and the special complaints commission to revamp the police force.

By tradition, the Umno president and deputy president become the prime minister and deputy prime minister respectively. Najib is expected to run for president, and if he wins, would become the nation’s sixth prime minister.

Abdullah also said he would discuss handing over the prime minister's post to Najib after the Umno elections.

"I know I've not been doing well; it's time for someone else to take over," he said, adding that Barisan leaders have received the news well.

He said that he believes that other Barisan leaders would accept Najib as his successor and that the latter would win the Umno polls.

He added that he would not pick a deputy for his successor Najib.

Abdullah had said after a special Umno supreme council meeting on Sept 26 that he would decide by Oct 9 whether he would defend his party presidency.

At the meeting, it was also decided that the Umno general assembly and supreme council elections, scheduled for Dec 16 to 20, will be postponed to March next year to facilitate an early transition of power from Abdullah to Najib.

Abdullah had also said then that the original June 2010 plan to hand over power as Prime Minister and Umno president was now off.

"We are talking about an earlier transition, so the 2010 plan does not arise any more," he had said.

Earlier on Wednesday, groups of supporters gathered outside the Umno headquarters here ahead of Abdullah’s meeting with the supreme council.

The supporters claimed to be from Umno divisions in Perak and Johor, as well as various non-governmental organisations.

Abdullah arrived at about 3.36pm to shouts of “Hidup Pak Lah” (Long live, Pak Lah).

Supporters were also heard shouting for Abdullah to follow the transition plan instead of stepping down now.

The supporters gathered outside the Umno building were holding banners which read “Hidup Pak Lah”, “Hormati Pengalihan Kuasa” (Respect the transition of power) and “Elak Perpecahan party” (Avoid splitting the party).

Source : Please click here.

SELAMAT HARI RAYA AIDIL FITRI. MINAL AIDZIN WAL FAIDZIN

2008-09-30T01:06:00.006+08:00

What is the Story Behind the Eviction Order

2008-09-28T22:11:00.006+08:00

After reading a newspaper report pertining to the Eviction Order given to Some 10,000 villagers from 13 Kedayan-Malay villages in Miri, is enough to make me, as a true-blooded Kedayan, terribly angry and disappointed on the inhumane actions by the authority which serves the Eviction Order.

More often than not, newspaper reports, is not telling the real story behind the Eviction Order. What we read from the newspaper reports is one-sided view, particularly on the timeline given by the authority in the Eviction Order. According to the report the villagers received the eviction notices from the Land and Survey Department recently (date not stated) asking them to move out by tomorrow (Monday, September 29, 2008).

If the report is true, the authority in Miri is indeed too cruel, unjust and inhumane towards the 10,000 Kedayan people particularly at the end of Ramadhan, merely two days before Hari Raya Aidil Fitri. As a true-blooded Kedayan, this is too much for me to swallow.

It is hard for me to evaluate the situation without the facts and figures. If there are any visitors / readers from Miri who are well versed with the issues and challenges faced by the 10,000 Kedayan people from 13 Kedayan villages in Miri, kindly post your comments or email to me direct at askasah@gmail.com.

At this moment in time the best thing I could do is to pray to Allah SWT, asking for His mercy to resolve the problem amicably in the shortest possible time. Amin.

Villagers see red over eviction order

2008-09-28T21:49:00.004+08:00

Sunday September 28, 2008

MIRI: Some 10,000 villagers from 13 Kedayan-Malay villages in northern Sarawak are up in arms over a move to evict them from their century-old settlements.

They received the eviction notices from the Land and Survey Department recently asking them to move out by tomorrow.

The villages are located some 40km south of Miri City, along the Sarawak Second Coastal Highway near the Miri-Bintulu division boundary.

Yesterday, scores of villagers staged a demonstration by the road to tell motorists about their plight.

They unfurled banners and placards denouncing the eviction. The crowd grew as passers-by joined in the protest.

Two elderly Kedayan chieftains, Penghulu Sahar Pusha and Bengkil Bangkol, joined in the demonstration.

“This move to evict us is a huge shock. We have been living in these villages since 1910.

“We were told that they have plans to build a sawmill and develop oil palm plantations. We were informed that 1,800ha of our land had already been allocated for a sawmill.

“Where are we to go? This is our ancestral home. We have been here for almost 100 years,” said Sahar.

Bengkil claimed that the developer had already cleared four cemeteries to build access roads.

“We have sought urgent meetings with the relevant authorities to help us. We recently met Miri Land and Survey Department officials but they told us we have no right over the land because we only have provisional leases.

“We protested saying that we have native customary rights because our ancestors have been there since 1910 but they refuse to withdraw the eviction notices,” said Bengkil.

The villagers are now appealing to Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud to intervene and stop the eviction.

Source : Please click here

SELAMAT MENUNAIKAN IBADAH PUASA

2008-08-31T17:27:00.003+08:00

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ

In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful

Surah Al-Baqarah Ayat 185

شَہۡرُ رَمَضَانَ ٱلَّذِىٓ أُنزِلَ فِيهِ ٱلۡقُرۡءَانُ هُدً۬ى لِّلنَّاسِ وَبَيِّنَـٰتٍ۬ مِّنَ ٱلۡهُدَىٰ وَٱلۡفُرۡقَانِ‌ۚ فَمَن شَہِدَ مِنكُمُ ٱلشَّہۡرَ فَلۡيَصُمۡهُ‌ۖ وَمَن ڪَانَ مَرِيضًا أَوۡ عَلَىٰ سَفَرٍ۬ فَعِدَّةٌ۬ مِّنۡ أَيَّامٍ أُخَرَ‌ۗ يُرِيدُ ٱللَّهُ بِڪُمُ ٱلۡيُسۡرَ وَلَا يُرِيدُ بِڪُمُ ٱلۡعُسۡرَ وَلِتُڪۡمِلُواْ ٱلۡعِدَّةَ وَلِتُڪَبِّرُواْ ٱللَّهَ عَلَىٰ مَا هَدَٮٰكُمۡ وَلَعَلَّڪُمۡ تَشۡكُرُونَ (١٨٥)

The month of Ramadân in which was revealed the Qur'ân, a guidance for mankind and clear proofs for the guidance and the criterion (between right and wrong). So whoever of you sights (the crescent on the first night of) the month (of Ramadân i.e. is present at his home), he must observe Saum (fasts) that month, and whoever is ill or on a journey, the same number [of days which one did not observe Saum (fasts) must be made up] from other days. Allâh intends for you ease, and He does not want to make things difficult for you. (He wants that you) must complete the same number (of days), and that you must magnify Allâh [i.e. to say Takbîr (Allâhu-Akbar; Allâh is the Most Great) for having guided you so that you may be grateful to Him. – Surah Al-Baqarah Ayat 185

Selamat Menjalani Ibadah Puasa. Semoga Allah SWT menerima puasa dan amalan-amalan lain yang kita tunaikan serta amal kebajikan yang kita lakukan di bulan Al-Mubarak ini. Amin.

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More Motoring Tips - 10 Easy Ways to Save Over a Grand on Gas

2008-06-28T07:37:00.008+08:00

by Sean Tucker
Tuesday, June 24, 2008 provided by U.S.News

According to the mileage book in my glovebox, I averaged about 21 miles per gallon in May. So far in June, I'm at 26.

New, more fuel-efficient, car?

Nope, I'm commuting in the same old Volvo S60 that has seen better days. Same dent in the right rear door. Same old Cheerios wedged under the child safety seat in back. (Yeah, I know. I'll get to it, Honey).

So how did I do it? I'm trying to learn to drive more efficiently, and little by little, it's working. With a few simple changes, you can easily squeeze more gas mileage out of the car you're already driving.

A Note on the Calculations:

Your mileage will vary. Governments and automakers estimate fuel mileage savings by percentage -- do x and you'll get five percent better fuel mileage. I wanted to know what they meant in real dollars, so I used the average mileage Americans actually got from their cars in 2007 (22.4 mpg, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics) and boosted it by the percentage each tip should gain. I've assumed you spend 55 percent of the time driving in the city and 45 percent driving on the highway. I borrowed those assumptions from the formula EPA uses to calculate the mileage of new cars.

Using the average price of a gallon of gas as of June 12 ($4.05, according to AAA) and assuming you drive 15,000 miles a year (according to EPA estimates), I calculated what each tip would save in a year. The numbers aren't a perfect prediction -- I have no idea what you drive, or what's in your trunk -- but they do provide an interesting perspective. Here are ten easy ways to put the math to the test and put some more cash in your wallet.

1. Get that "Check Engine" Light Checked Out:

Possible Savings: Off the charts

A faulty oxygen sensor -- a fairly common cause of those unexplained "check engine" lights -- can actually cost you up to 40 percent of your engine's performance. If the light's on, make the appointment now. It could pay for itself very quickly.

2. Check Your Tire Pressure:

Possible Savings 133.9 gallons/year ($542/yr)
According to some government estimates, the average driver could boost their fuel efficiency by 25 percent just by keeping their tires inflated. That's often a free, or cheap, repair. On my way to work, I pass two gas stations with air compressors I can use for free, and three -- apparently owned by cheapskates -- that take quarters.

3. Change Your Air Filter:

Possible Savings 60.9 gallons/yr ($247/yr)

Gas is half of the combustion equation. Air is the other half. A clogged air filter can rob 10 percent of your engine's efficiency. A new air filter can get that 10 percent back -- usually for under $15.

4. Drive 60 on the Highway, Not 75:

Possible Savings: 57.8 gallons/year ($234/yr)

On the highway, stay close to the speed limit, and keep your speed as constant as traffic allows. Most cars reach optimal gas mileage at about 60 miles per hour. Speeding up increases wind resistance against the car, making the engine work harder and burn more gas. According to the EPA, each 5 mph over 60 that you drive decreases fuel efficiency by up to seven percent.

5. Turn Off the A/C:

Possible Savings 31.9 gallons/yr ($129/yr)

Some air conditioners rob an engine up to five percent of its fuel economy. There is some controversy about this one -- many newer cars are able to compensate for the energy used by an air conditioner and don't suffer the same penalty for keeping cool.

6. Get Your Engine Tuned:

Possible Savings 25.8 gallons/year ($104/yr)

Most of us can boost our mpg by four percent with a simple tune-up.

7. Drive Calmly in the City

Possible Savings: 17.9 gallons/yr ($73/yr)

There's a red light up ahead. You're going to stop when you get to it. Do you keep your foot on the gas until it's time to brake for the light? Most of us do, but that doesn't necessarily make sense. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that accelerating rapidly and braking hard can reduce your car's fuel efficiency by as much as five percent. And that may be a low estimate. Look at it this way -- are you willing to spend money to stop at that light sooner?

8. Lose Weight:

Possible Savings 13.1 gallons/yr for each 100 pounds you remove ($104/yr)

Government estimates say that an extra 100 pounds in your car can reduce fuel efficiency by up to two percent. And that's an average -- the smaller the car, the more extra weight makes the engine work harder.
So, empty the trunk. In winter, don't just scrape the windshield, scrape the entire car -- snow and ice add to the weight of your car.

9. Lose the Roof Rack

Possible Savings 13.1 gallons/year ($53/yr)

Wind resistance is the enemy of fuel efficiency. Do you have a roof rack? Every time you drive, it's making your car fight wind resistance, and burn fuel. Most of the time, that's money you're spending to carry an empty roof rack. Get a two percent boost by taking the thing off.

10. Change Your Oil on Time

Possible Savings 6.6 gallons/year ($27/yr)

After 3,000 miles, changing your oil (using the recommended grade) gives you back one percent of your car's mpg rating.

How Much Can You Save?

If you follow the tips above, that's $1,514 less you could spend on gas in the next year. Though it's a rough estimate, it shows you what small changes in your habits -- most of which you can make for free -- could do for your wallet.

Source : Click here .

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2008-06-24T22:16:00.005+08:00

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Tips on Filling your Vehicles...

2008-06-19T08:29:00.001+08:00

This is a Message received from a friend:

I don't know what you guys are paying for petrol... but here in Durban, we are also paying higher, up to 47.35 per litre. But my line of work is in petroleum for about 31 years now, so here are some tricks to get more of your money's worth for every litre.

Here at the Marian Hill Pipeline, where I work in Durban, we deliver about 4 million litres in a 24-hour period thru the pipeline.

One day is diesel; the next day is jet fuel, and petrol, LRP and Unleaded. We have 34-storage tanks here with a total capacity of 16,800,000 litres.

ONLY BUY OR FILL UP YOUR CAR OR BIKKIE IN THE EARLY MORNING WHEN THE GROUND TEMPERATURE IS STILL COLD. Remember that all service stations have their storage tanks buried below ground. The colder the ground, the denser the fuel, when it gets warmer petrol expands, so buying in the afternoon or in the evening.... your litre is not exactly a litre.

In the petroleum business, the specific gravity and the temperature of the petrol, diesel and jet fuel, ethanol and other petroleum products play an important role. A 1degree rise in temperature is a big deal for this business. But the service stations do not have temperature compensation at the pumps.

WHEN YOU'RE FILLING UP, DO NOT SQUEEZE THE TRIGGER OF THE NOZZLE TO A FAST MODE. If you look, you will see that the trigger has three (3) stages: low, middle, and high. In slow mode, you should be pumping on low speed, thereby minimizing the vapours that are created, while you are pumping. All hoses at the pump have a vapour return. If you are pumping on the fast rate, some of the liquid that goes to your tank becomes vapour. Those vapours are being sucked up and back into the underground storage tank so you're getting less worth for your money.

ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT TIPS IS TO FILL UP WHEN YOUR TANK IS HALF FULL. The reason for this is, the more fuel you have in your tank, the less air occupying its empty space. Petrol evaporates faster than you can imagine. Petroleum storage tanks have an internal floating roof. This roof serves as zero clearance between the petrol and the atmosphere, so it minimizes the evaporation.

Unlike service stations, here where I work, every truck that we load is temperature compensated, so that every litre is actually the exact amount.

ANOTHER REMINDER, IF THERE IS A FUEL TRUCK PUMPING INTO THE STORAGE TANKS, WHEN YOU STOP TO BUY, DO NOT FILL UP - most likely the petrol/diesel is being stirred up as the fuel is being delivered, and you might pick up some of the dirt that normally settles on the bottom.

Hope, this will help you get the maximum value for your money.

“FuelStretch” TIPS

2008-06-19T08:11:00.003+08:00

The Taylors’ Guinness World Record challenge will provide comprehensive insights for a fuel efficiency programme which Shell is promoting called “FuelStretch.” This programme is designed to help everyday motorists cut the cost of motoring through a mix of enhanced fuel technology and education in fuel-efficient driving techniques. So, when the Taylors leave London, they’ll be conscious that fuel-saving their way across the planet will mean they need to adhere to the following principles:

1. Drive smoothly - Aggressive driving can use as much as a third more fuel than safe driving*. Avoid accelerating or braking too hard and try to keep your steering as smooth as possible.

2. Use higher gears - The higher gear you drive in the lower your engine speed is, which can improve fuel efficiency. So change up a gear whenever you can, without labouring the engine.

3. Tune and service your engine - A well tuned engine can improve fuel economy by up to 4%**, so change your oil and follow your car manufacturer’s recommendation on servicing.

4. Keep your tyres at the right pressure – Correctly inflated tyres are safer and last longer. A tyre that is under inflated by just 1psi can reduce fuel efficiency by as much as 3%**. An under or over inflated tyre is also more susceptible to failing.

5. Avoid carrying excess weight – For every extra 100 lbs (45 kg) you carry your fuel efficiency can drop by 1-2%*. So keep your boot or back seat clear of unnecessary items that just add weight to your vehicle.

6. Keep the windows closed - Wind blowing through an open window will slow you down. To compensate, you may put your foot down harder, using more fuel.

7. Take the roof rack off - If you’re not using your roof rack then remove it. They affect the aerodynamic efficiency of your vehicle and create drag, reducing fuel economy by as much as 5%*.

8. Use the correct oil - Always use the recommended grade of motor oil. Using the manufacturer’s recommended lubricant can improve fuel efficiency by 1-2%**. Higher quality motor oils can also help your engine operate more efficiently.

9. Fuel Matters – All fuels are not created equal. Fuel economy is maximised in the engine through a combination of good driving habits and using the best fuel…one that helps reduce friction and improve cleanliness in the engine, thereby boosting fuel efficiency. The Taylors have chosen Shell fuel to power their world record attempt as a result of their own personal tests of several commercially-available fuels and their belief in Shell’s product quality and 50-year heritage of innovative fuels research and development.

10. Use cruise control - Using cruise control on major roads helps you maintain a constant speed and, in many cases, will improve fuel consumption.

11. Avoid excess idling - Idling gets you nowhere but still burns fuel. Turn the engine off when you’re in a queue, or waiting for someone, until you need it.

12. Plan trips carefully - Cutting down on the time spent in the car is the easiest way to conserve fuel. To reduce driving time, combine all your short trips and errands into a single journey.

13. Avoid over revving - Change gear in good time when you pull away or when you’re accelerating. Never ‘redline’ the rev counter.

14. Avoid high speeds - The faster you go the more wind resistance you’ll encounter and the more fuel your vehicle will consume just to maintain speed. Driving just 5mph over the speed limit can affect fuel economy by up to 23%***.

15. Keep your distance - Leave a sensible distance between yourself and the car ahead to give you ample time to brake evenly.

16. Use air conditioning sparingly – Air conditioning puts added strain on the engine and uses fuel to operate, so limit use to particularly hot or cold days. On temperate days use the fan instead.

17. Check the air filters - Air filters keep impurities from damaging your engine. Replacing a clogged air filter can improve fuel economy by as much as 10%** and will help protect your engine.

18. Avoid rush hour - If you can travel outside of peak times, you’ll spend less time stuck in traffic and consume less fuel as a result.

19. Conserve momentum - Think ahead when you’re driving. For example, slow down early to let traffic lights change, rather than stopping completely, or speed up a little before you reach the foot of a hill.

20. Avoid small fuel fills – Fuel evaporates every time you open the fuel cap. To stop this, avoid repeatedly topping up your tank. Also check the seal on your fuel cap is airtight.

It might sound like an awful lot to keep in mind: but once these tips are absorbed into drivers’ everyday approach to motoring and maintenance, they become second nature. What also becomes second nature is the knowledge that trips to the forecourt will become less frequent, which – in these days of rising costs – has to be a major benefit for each and every driver on the road.

*Estimates for fuel savings from sensible driving are based on studies and literature reviews performed by Energy and Environmental Analysis, Inc., Washington, DC.

**Estimates for fuel savings from vehicle maintenance, keeping tyres properly inflated, and using the recommended grade of motor oil are based on studies and literature reviews performed by Energy and Environmental Analysis, Inc., Washington, DC. Assumes fuel price of $3.07 per gallon.

***Estimates for the effect of speed on MPG are based on a study by West, B.H., R.N. McGill, J.W. Hodgson, S.S. Sluder, and D.E. Smith, Development and Verification of Light-Duty Modal Emissions and Fuel Consumption Values for Traffic Models, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, March 1999. Assumes fuel price of $3.07 cpg.

Source : Autoworld

STACY, WINNER OF AF6

2008-05-25T08:42:00.008+08:00

Stracie Angie Anam (Stacy)

This 18 year old, beautiful lass from Kota Kinabalu, Sabah finally emerged as the winner of Astro Reality Show, Akademi Fantasia 6. She is none other than Stracie Angie Anam or just Stacy. The final concert was held last night, Saturday, May 24, 2008 at Stadium Bukit Jalil.

Stacy performed two numbers by which one of the songs was especially composed for her entitled Aku Stacy. The other song is Atas Nama Cinta (original song by Rossa). Stacy beat other four finalists Riz, Nubhan, Toi and Nadia.

She bags more than RM700,000 worth of prizes which include a bungalow house at A’Famosa Villa D’Lagos, Melaka, holiday packages to South Africa, a Peugeot 307XS car, RM25,000 and a trophy.

The first and second runner-ups are Riz (Mohammed Idris Bin Mohd. Zaizizi) and Nubhan (Ahmad Nubhan Bin Ahmad) respectively. The fourth place went to Toi (Khairul Nizam Bin Baharom) and Nadia (Nadia Haswani Binti Hasnan) at the 5th place.

Congratulations to Stacy. Being Sabahan myself, I am proud to see such a talented singer like you. Your achievement made Sabah very proud. Your performance has been consistent throughout the 10 concerts and you truly deserved what you have got. Good luck and Kotobian Tadau Tagazo do Kaamatan.

Pedra Branca belongs to Singapore - The Straits Times (Singapore)

2008-05-24T07:12:00.004+08:00

World court ends 28-year dispute, declaring main island is Singapore's; Malaysia gets Middle Rocks
By Lydia Lim, Senior Political Correspondent

HISTORIC ISLAND: Pedra Branca, the size of a football field, is 40km east of Singapore. Horsburgh Lighthouse, built over 150 years ago, is the oldest here. In the background, at left and right, are a pair of outcrops called Middle Rocks. -- PHOTO: GOVERNMENT OF SINGAPORE

AT THE HAGUE - A LONGSTANDING tussle for sovereignty over Pedra Branca and its outcrops came to an end yesterday when the International Court of Justice (ICJ) awarded the main island to Singapore, and two smaller outcrops nearby to Malaysia.
The court did not make a definitive ruling on the third rock of contention, South Ledge, which is visible only at low tide. It belongs to whoever owns the territorial waters it sits in, said the court.

The judgment was telecast live in both countries, and when Judge Awn Shawkat Al-Khasawneh concluded his two-hour statement at 6pm, Singaporeans and Malaysians alike applauded the decision.

Deputy Prime Minister S. Jayakumar told reporters at The Hague: 'We are pleased with the judgment because the court has awarded sovereignty over Pedra Branca, which is the main feature in dispute, to Singapore.'

Malaysia's Foreign Minister Rais Yatim described it as a 'win-win' judgment and said that both countries would 'forge ahead' in their bilateral relationship.

In Singapore, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong declared that he was pleased with the result, saying that resorting to the ICJ was 'a good way for (the two countries) to resolve disagreements or problems while maintaining good relations with each other'.

In Malaysia, Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak called it a 'balanced decision', with Malaysia 'partly successful' in its territorial claims.

The two hours at the ICJ were suspense-filled and had the Singapore delegation, led by Professor Jayakumar, on the edge of their seats for much of the time.

For the first hour, it actually seemed as if the court would find in Malaysia's favour.

Reasoning from various historical writings, treaties and letters relevant to the case, the court decided that these showed that the Sultanate of Johor possessed original title to the island, dating back to the 16th century.

This meant that the court rejected Singapore's argument that Pedra Branca was terra nullius, that is, belonged to no one, in 1847 when the British took ownership of it and built Horsburgh Lighthouse there.

But things started looking up in the second hour, when the focus shifted to the various activities that Singapore had carried out on the island in the latter half of the 20th century.

These included its investigation into marine accidents in the waters around Pedra Branca, control of visits to the island, plans to reclaim it and installation of military communications equipment there.

The court found that all these activities were carried out a titre de souverain, that is, in a manner that conferred title on the state responsible.

It also noted Malaysia's failure to protest against these acts, all of which - except for the installation of military equipment - it had noticed.

The court also highlighted as of 'major significance' a 1953 letter from the Johor Acting State Secretary informing the colonial authorities in Singapore that Johor did not claim ownership over Pedra Branca.

The reply made clear that in 1953, Johor understood that it did not have sovereignty over Pedra Branca.

That reply would also have left the authorities in Singapore with no reason to doubt that Britain had sovereignty over the island, the court concluded.

The court thus judged that although Johor had possessed an original title to Pedra Branca, that title subsequently passed to Singapore.

The dispute between Singapore and Malaysia over sovereignty of the island arose in February 1980, when Singapore protested against a 1979 Malaysian map that placed Pedra Branca within its territorial waters.

The court ruled that by that critical date, sovereignty over the island had already passed to Singapore.

'The court concludes that sovereignty over Pedra Branca belongs to Singapore.' As Judge Al-Khasawneh pronounced these words, smiles broke out on the Singapore side of the Peace Palace's Great Hall.

The 16 judges of the ICJ voted 12 to four in Singapore's favour.
On the issue of Middle Rocks, the court said that Malaysia's claim of original title still held, as there had been no activities on Singapore's side which made it pass to Singapore.

While the ICJ ruling has settled sovereignty issues, other issues remain.

For one thing, Singapore and Malaysia have to discuss how to delimit the territorial waters in the Pedra Branca and Middle Rocks area.

There will have to be 'sensitive management' of navigational rights, said Mr S. Kesavapany, a former Singapore high commissioner to Malaysia.

'For instance, both our navies will go through the waters, so you need clear understanding of the circumstances under which this can be done,' he said.

A joint technical committee is already in place to discuss these and related issues.

lydia@sph.com.sg

Source: Click here.

Singapore gets Pulau Batu Puteh

2008-05-24T06:43:00.010+08:00

2008/05/23

LATEST!:
Singapore gets Pulau Batu Puteh while Malaysia given Middle Rocks
- Bernama

PULAU BATU PUTEH: The ICJ has ruled that the disputed island (above)belongs to Singapore while Malaysia has sovereignty over Middle Rocks.

THE HAGUE, Fri:

The International Court of Justice here today ruled Singapore has sovereignty over Pulau Batu Puteh while Malaysia owns Middle Rocks, and South Ledge belongs to the state in whose territorial waters it is located.

The judgment brought to a close a 28-year-old territorial dispute between Malaysia and Singapore over the island which Singapore called Pedra Branca, Middle Rocks and South Ledge.

Pulau Batu Puteh is located 7.7 nautical miles off the coast of Johor's Tanjung Penyusuh. Both countries have pledged to abide by the decision of the ICJ, the principal judicial organ of the United Nations, whose decision is final and not subject to appeal.

Malaysia and Singapore have also repeatedly emphasised that whatever decision handed down by the ICJ, would not strain ties between the two neighbours.

ICJ Vice-President Shawkat Al-Khasawneh delivering his judgement

The judgment was delivered by ICJ Vice-President Shawkat Al-Khasawneh, who was the Acting President in the case, at 10am Netherlands time and ended reading out the verdict five minutes before noon.

Shawkat and 15 other judges had heard oral submissions by both countries from Nov 6-23 last year.

Malaysian Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim regarded the judgment as a "win-win" situation and stated that the status quo remained although Singapore had sovereignty over Pulau Batu Puteh and Malaysia over Middle Rocks.

The delivery of the judgment was televised live by RTM from The Hague, Netherlands, from 10am (4pm in Malaysia).

Source : Click here.

WINNING OVER SABAH AND SARAWAK

2008-05-20T10:34:00.002+08:00

Interesting article by Zainon Ahmad, The Sun, Tuesday, July 24, 2007 reproduced in a blog entitled 31august1957 for your reading pleasure - Blog Administrator

Winning over Sabah and Sarawak

INITIALLY the leaders of Sabah (then British North Borneo) and Sarawak were opposed to Malaysia or at best gave it a lukewarm welcome after it was proposed by Tunku Abdul Rahman on May 27, 1961 at the Foreign Correspondents Association in Singapore.

“Let us become independent first and then we will decide whether to join Malaysia or not,” said Tan Sri Ong Kee Hui, the Kuching mayor and leader of the Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP), formed in 1959.

Other prominent Sarawak leaders like Datu Abang Haji Openg – later the first local governor – and Abang Mustapha Abang Haji Abdul Gapor who are also members of the Council Negeri, considered the oldest legislature in the country, were unanimous in their opposition to the Tunku’s plan.

In Sabah, Tun Fuad Stephens (then Donald Stephens), a newspaper publisher, a member of the State Council and Huguan Siou (paramount leader) of the Kadazan/Dusun people, shared the same view as Ong. “We must not be seen as changing colonial masters,” was the response of the United National Kadazan Organisation (Unko), a party Fuad formed with Keningau

community leader GS Sundang. They contacted leaders from the other territories to see whether they should revive the idea of a federation of Borneo states of Sabah, Sarawak and Brunei instead.

Read more from source.

Pengumuman Keluar Dari UMNO

2008-05-19T23:16:00.005+08:00

Berikut adalah kenyataan Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad yang di petik dari blog beliau untuk tatapan semua. - Blog Administrator

Pengumuman Keluar Dari UMNO

Hari ini, Mei 19, 2008 saya mengumumkan keputusan saya untuk keluar daripada UMNO. Isteri saya turut bersama.

Keputusan ini dibuat kerana UMNO yang ada sekarang bukan lagi UMNO yang ditubuh 62 tahun dahulu yang berjuang untuk bangsa Melayu, Agama Islam dan Negara Malaysia (Malaya); UMNO yang menggagalkan Malayan Union, memperjuangkan kemerdekaan Malaya dan Malaysia dan membangunkan Malaysia sehingga menjadi Negara yang termaju di antara Negara membangun di dunia.

UMNO yang ada sekarang hanya wujud untuk menyokong Dato Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, keluarganya dan tindakan serta dasar yang tidak secocok dengan kepentingan bangsa, agama dan negara.

[Selanjutnya....]

Dr M Quits UMNO - New Straits Times

2008-05-19T19:57:00.008+08:00

2008/05/19
Dr M quits Umno after accepting ‘dare’ to be first to resign By : Noor Adzman Baharuddin & Adib Povera

OUT OF UMNO, AGAIN: At Alor Star while giving a talk in a forum today, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad announced that he was quitting the party with immediate effect, sending wide reverberations throughout the party and country, with many Umno leaders and members shocked by his action. This is the second time he is out of the Umno, the first was in 1969 when he was sacked for dissenting against Tunku Abdul Rahman. Will there be a third act for Dr Mahathir?

ALOR STAR, Mon:

After goading Umno members today to temporarily resign from Umno as a sign of protest against the party president, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad took up a “dare” to take the lead by resigning from the party he had been a founding member of since 1946. However, he implored Umno members taking up his challenge not to join any other party and remain independent, at least until the Umno leadership was determined (after the December party elections). He indicated that he will only rejoin the party when Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi steps down as Umno president.

Dr Mahathir, an Umno life member, was answering questions from the floor after giving a talk at a forum entitled 'Future of the Malays after the 12th General Election' at the Star City Hotel in Alor Star, organised by the Kedah Malay Assembly Hall, when a member of the audience asked him if he would take the lead in quitting Umno.

Identifying himself as Ismail Jaziz, he asked Dr Mahathir if he would take the lead since he had mooted the idea. To this, Dr Mahathir, in a serious tone said: “Waa, saya di cabar ni…(looks like I have been dared). Yes, I will leave Umno...until the party leadership is determined. Other Umno members should follow me.”

Loud cheers erupted from the 1,500 attendees, which included assembly chairman Tan Sri Khalid Ahmad, Jerlun Umno division chairman Datuk Abdul Rahman Ariffin, State Assemblyman for Kuala Nerang Datuk Syed Sobri Syed Hashim, State Assemblywoman for Sungai Tiang Suraya Yaacob and former Kedah Menteri Besar Tan Sri Sanusi Junid.

"Malays, Umno members and many other people have sent Abdullah messages to express dissatisfaction with his leadership, especially after the March 8 general election but he remains unaffected. We have to be radical and brave and this is the only way to bring him down," he said.

It is not immediately clear if his son, Datuk Mukhriz, also the MP for Jerlun and an Umno Youth Exco member, would follow suit. Another of Dr Mahathir’s son, Datuk Mokhzani, was reported as saying that his father's decision was a “sign of no confidence” in Abdullah’s leadership.

Abdullah, in an immediate reaction, expressed shock at Dr Mahathir's resignation, saying" I didn't expect him to leave but I will continue to fight for the party."

One notable Umno leader who has apparently took on Dr Mahathir's call to resign is Sanusi, who said he will release an official statement later.

However, Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah, once Dr Mahathir's greatest foe but now seen as a key ally, dismissed expectations that he too would quit Umno, saying that he will continue with his bid to challenge Abdullah for the party presidency in the December party elections.

Datuk Shahrir Samad, an Umno supreme council member and Minister of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs, was quoted by AFP as saying that Dr Mahathir's resignation may precipitate a general election.

"The shock resignation may compel many Umkno members, especially MPs, to quit Umno, thus forcing the Prime Minister to form a new Government or call for a snap election," Shahrir was quoted as saying.

The former Prime Minister's announcement also caught his aides by surprise.

Dr Mahathir explained that this was not the first time he was out of Umno. “Between 1969 and 1970, I was expelled from Umno but later, when many Malays and Umno members still supported me, I re-entered Umno. There was no problem. Just don’t join other parties.”

At a Press conference later, Dr Mahathir said he will submit his resignation from Umno as soon as possible.

He explained that that he decided to leave Umno because he felt the party could no longer serve as a genuine political party to protect Malay rights and interests, Umno's founding objectives.

Dr Mahathir claimed Umno had now been made a party to only recognise Abdullah as Umno president and accord importance to the prime minister's family interests, with the nation's welfare taking a backseat.

"I can list out the things that Abdullah had done to the detriment of our nation's interests," he said. "The Umno of today no longer holds to the party's founding goals when it was formed 62 years ago. That is why I have no hesitation whatsoever to leave the party," he said.

Dr Mahathir said it was high time for Umno members who love the party to be bold for the future of Malays and that such a move would not cause the Malays to lose their political power.

"The Malays would not lose their political power. They want to correct things not because they simply want to leave. If they are brave to safeguard the party and the Malay struggles, then they must also be brave to take actions. However, we find that many Umno members can't even attend certain gatherings...division chairmen also cannot attend...what is this?"

Dr Mahathir said when Tengku Razaleigh opposed him in 1988, former prime minister Tunku Abdul Rahman had thrown his support for his opponent but he had never stopped any member to campaign against him (Dr Mahathir).

"Now, we cannot say anything against the prime minister or the party president. This is not Umno," he said.

Asked if Umno state assemblymen and MPs should also quit the party, he said they should if they truly love the party.

Asked if his call and decision could be construed as him giving up on Umno, Dr Mahathir said he would not ask others to follow him if he himself was afraid to do so.

Asked if his call would give added pressure for Abdullah to resign from his posts soon, Mahathir said: "I don't know about pressure. This man could not understand anything."

Dr Mahathir insisted that his resignation had nothing to do with the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Lingam video clip.

"That is a court matter and I go to the courts. If they make allegations against me, I could also do the same and if I am found guilty, they can put me in jail but if I am not guilty, please don't arrest me anyway," he said. “I am just protesting against the Abdullah’s leadership of Umno and country."

In their report leaked to the Press, the Commission of Inquiry named Dr Mahathir, lawyer Datuk V. K. Lingam, former chief justices Tun Ahmad Fairuz Sheikh Abdul Halim and Tun Eusoff Chin, tycoon Tan Sri Vincent Tan and former tourism minister Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Mansor, for conspiring to fix the appointments and promotions of judges.

The government's then instructed the Attorney-General to begin investigations into the six figures named but Dr Mahathir responded by claiming that he would "not settle for less" than his day in court so that he could defend himself against allegations that he was at the centre of a judicial appointments scandal in 2001.

Dr Mahathir had hoped that when investigations into the conspiracy were completed, he would be charged so that he can reveal what really went on behind the scenes at the time, including instances of judges lobbying him for promotions.

Mahathir’s resignation was a culmination of two years of vitriolic criticisms against Abdullah. Dr Mahathir began finding fault with Abdullah after the latter cancelled several mega projects initiated by the ex-PM, notably the new bridge that would link Singapore with Johor Baru.

In an immediate reaction, former Umno secretary-general Tan Sri Mohamed Rahmat said Dr Mahathir is was the only leader who left Umno, pointing to Tunku Abdul Rahman and Tun Hussein Onn who never returned to Umno.
“Yet, they were founding fathers of the party. They never return to the party after retiring so there is nothing unusual about his resignation. It has happened in the past and it happens now. It is unfortunate that after making so much noise, he is leaving the party.

“His leaving would not have a serious effect to the party and I do not think that his action will be heeded by other members as they still love the party. After the last general election, Umno members have reflected deeply on what they should do to revive and revitalise Umno. They would not desert the party.”

MCA vice president Datuk Ong Tee Keat said the resignation came as a shock to him because he never expected Dr Mahathir to do it. “Not at this juncture. At the moment, I am not sure what sort of effect or ripples it will cause BN and MCA. But I am convinced Umno, as an established party within the BN coalition, would have sufficient experience and maturity in resolving such problem. What is more important now is for BN to stay firmly together”.

Gerakan secretary general Datuk Seri Chia Kwang Chye expressed shock at Dr Mahathir’s resignation. “This is shocking, it’s hard to believe. I hope this will not bring further instability to Barisan Nasional. I also hope things will settle down and the matter resolved in a calm manner.”

MIC secretary-general Datuk Dr S. Subramaniam said it was unfortunate for Dr Mahathir to resign from the party which he had been a president for a long time. “His instigating others to follow suit in light of the current problems faced by the party, will further weaken it. We hope other members will be clear-headed in this matter.”

Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) president Datuk Yong Teck Lee said Dr Mahathir’s resignation sent shock waves because of his immense influence among Umno grassroots.” I think the nation is in for some exciting politics,” he said.

Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) president Datuk Liew Vui Keong said Dr Mahathir’s decision should be respected and accepted by all concerned. “I can only wish him the best. His resignation may cause a ripple, but how far it will have an effect is best left to the party.”

Sabah Umno liaison committee secretary Datuk Yahya Hussin described the resignation as “very unfortunate” because he was “our president.”

Source : Click here

WHAT THE PROMINENT BLOGGERS SAY ABOUT THE LATEST DEVELOPMENT

Comments by A Kadir Jasin,

1. Adalah hak mutlak Dr Mahathir menarik diri daripada menjadi ahli Umno;

2. Seperti saya menghormati keputusan beliau meletakkan jawatan sebagai Perdana Menteri pada tahun 2003, saya menghormati keputusan beliau keluar daripada Umno;

3. Dr Mahathir tidak mahu lagi tercemar dengan Umno yang pada pandangannya sudah tidak demokratik dan tidak ada keberanian lagi;

4. Pasti akan ada ahli yang mengikut jejak beliau dengan keluar parti atau sekurang-kurangnya dengan tidak lagi bergiat cergas;

Click here to read the full comments by A Kadir Jasin.

Comments by Nuraina A Samad,

"And I agree with many many people -- Dr Mahathir outside Umno will be a BIGGER pain (for Pak Lah et al) than inside."

Click here to read the full comments by Nuraina A Samad.

Comments by rocky's bru,

Vesak Day bombshell. "Dr Mahathir Mohamad has quit the party he led for 22 years. The announcement, made about noon, caught even his closest aides by surprise."

Click here to read more.

PANGGILAN SANTAU KARUT - Harian Metro

2008-05-17T12:03:00.010+08:00

SMS memberi peringatan yang saya terima

Dua tiga hari sudah, heboh satu Malaysia tentang "panggilan santau" atau "tarik nyawa" yang kononnya sesiapa yang menerima panggilan tersebut akan menerima ajal. Amaran berkaitan "panggilan santau" tersebut telah tersebar luas di Malaysia dan saya juga tidak terkecuali dari menerima peringatan berkenaan.

SMS tersebut berbunyi demikian "JIKALAU ANDA MENDPT PNGGILAN TLFON YG BRNOMBOR PANJANG Cnth: +62852731520946 DAN NMBR ITU BRWARNA MERAH,DHRAP2 SGT JGN DIANGKT DAN DJWB PANGGILAN ITU.INI KERANA DI INDONESIA SKRG, SEKUMPULAN PENUNTUT ILMU HITAM SDG MENGUJI ILMU MEREKA MELALUI TELEFON,JIKA SESIAPA YG MENJWB PNGGLA ITU MULUT AKAN BERGUIH DAN AKAN MATI SLPS ITU.DI INDONESIA SDH 9 ORG MATI DAN MLM TD DIPUCHONG 2 ORG MATI.INI BNR2 TRJADI,TLG SEBARKAN MSG".

Semalam, Jumaat May 16, 2008, Harian Metro telah merungkai perkara berkenaan seperti yang dilaporkan di akhbar berkenaan. Berikut diperturunkan laporan berkenaan untuk tatapan pembaca yang mungkin masih belum mendapat maklumat terkini berkaitan "Panggilan Santau" tersebut.- Blog Administrator

Panggilan santau karut

Oleh Mohd Jamilul Anbia Md Denin, Amir Abdul Hamid, Salman Hamat, Norfaisal Jahuri dan Sulaiman Salleh am@hmetro.com.my

KUALA LUMPUR: Menggemparkan! Ramai pengguna telefon bimbit mula panik berikutan penyebaran SMS yang meminta orang ramai berhati-hati dengan panggilan santau atau ‘tarik nyawa’ yang kononnya boleh membunuh mereka sejurus menjawab panggilan itu.

Lebih menakutkan apabila kandungan SMS itu mendakwa panggilan maut itu sudah meragut sembilan nyawa di Indonesia sejak bulan lalu dan kini mula menular kepada jutaan pengguna telefon di negara ini bagi menagih korban terbaru.

Kemunculan SMS peringatan berhubung panggilan maut yang kini amat digeruni penduduk Indonesia dikesan mula diterima pemilik telefon bimbit di negara ini sejak minggu lalu dengan amaran supaya tidak menjawab panggilan telefon daripada nombor melebihi lapan angka itu.

Malah, panggilan terbabit yang turut digelar di Indonesia sebagai panggilan santet, deringan syaitan atau telefon maut, didakwa angkara pengamal ilmu hitam yang kononnya mahu menguji tahap keberkesanan ilmu hitam dipelajari.

Berdasarkan laporan media utama Indonesia, penerima panggilan itu bakal menjadi mangsa ‘kes pembunuhan jarak jauh’ didalangi dukun ilmu hitam yang menghantar syaitan atau jin melalui panggilan telefon untuk membunuh mangsa.

Bagaimanapun, dakwaan terbabit dianggap tidak berasas kerana tiada yang dilaporkan mati setakat ini berkaitan penerimaan panggilan maut yang kini merebak ke Malaysia, dipercayai dibawa rakyat negara berkenaan.

Siasatan dilakukan pihak berkuasa Indonesia mendapati nombor pengirim SMS itu berasal dari Sumatera Selatan dan Kepulauan Riau, Indonesia.

Susulan maklumat dikumpulkan, seorang remaja perempuan yang disyaki mencipta dan menghantar SMS terbabit sudah ditahan minggu lalu oleh polis Indonesia di Riau.

Selepas disoal siasat, remaja terbabit mengaku menyebarkan SMS itu hanya untuk gurauan kepada rakannya.

Perkara itu didedahkan Ketua Bahagian Umum Direktorat Jenderal Pos dan Telekomunikasi Indonesia, S Dewabrata kepada media, Selasa lalu, yang mendakwa SMS terbabit dipercayai ada kaitan dengan usaha pihak tertentu bagi mengaut keuntungan selain meningkatkan jumlah pelanggan talian prabayar.

Bagaimanapun, kegemparan mengenai kes itu berterusan apabila laman web berita Kompas.Com semalam melaporkan, seorang pegawai bank ABN di Jalan Petamburan, Jakarta, menjadi individu terbaru menerima panggilan berkenaan selepas M Fani Bratawijaya, 25, sebelah tengah hari.

Pejabat Harian Metro di sini, Melaka dan Seremban turut dihujani panggilan telefon bertanyakan mengenai SMS terbabit.

Mesej sepanjang 73 perkataan itu menyatakan kumpulan terbabit akan menghubungi sesiapa menerusi talian antarabangsa secara rambang dan sebaik saja mangsa menjawab panggilan itu mereka kononnya akan mati terkena sihir.

Pengguna telefon bimbit talian prabayar, Ismail Che Nordin, 42, turut melahirkan kegelisahan selepas menerima SMS terbabit sebaik tiba di pejabatnya di Taman Segar, Cheras, pagi semalam.

Menurutnya, kemunculan SMS itu boleh mencetuskan ketakutan kepada orang ramai yang menyangka panggilan santau benar-benar wujud dan boleh mendatangkan malapetaka kepada pemilik telefon bimbit.

“Lebih menakutkan apabila SMS terbabit mendakwa dua mangsa di Puchong sudah mati dan meminta disebarkan kepada umum,” katanya yang bekerja sebagai jurujual di sebuah syarikat di Selayang di sini.

Di SEREMBAN, seorang pekerja swasta yang hanya mahu dikenali Sufiah berkata, dia mengetahui mengenai penyebaran SMS itu daripada beberapa rakan sekerjanya sejak beberapa hari lalu.

Katanya, dia menerima SMS itu petang semalam yang mengingatkannya supaya mengambil langkah pencegahan awal apabila menerima panggilan daripada kumpulan yang dikatakan sedang menguji ilmu hitam.

“Kami mengharapkan pihak yang berkenaan menyiasat penyebaran SMS terbabit kerana boleh menjejaskan akidah kalau ada orang yang percaya,” katanya kepada Harian Metro, semalam.

Dia juga berharap supaya mereka yang menerima SMS itu tidak menghantarnya kepada orang lain kerana sukar diterima akal.

“Bagaimana orang yang menulis SMS itu boleh mengetahui berapa ramai yang sudah meninggal dunia sedangkan kes seperti itu tidak pernah dilaporkan media, malah ajal manusia ditentukan Tuhan bukan kerana menjawab panggilan telefon,” katanya.

Sumber berita, sila klik disini.

Laporan Harian Metro hari ini, Sabtu, May 17, 2008

‘Tiada santau melalui SMS’
Oleh Muhd Izawan Baharin
izawan@hmetro.com.my

SEREMBAN: Santau tidak mungkin boleh disebarkan melalui talian telefon kerana ada syarat tertentu yang perlu dipatuhi pengamal ilmu sesat itu bagi memastikan ia berkesan.

Malah, mereka yang terkena ilmu hitam itu tidak akan terus meninggal dunia kerana pengamal santau biasanya mahu mangsa menderita terlebih dulu.

Pengamal perubatan Islam di Pusat Rawatan Terapi Al-Quran Darul Hikmah di Alor Star, Kedah, Abdul Malik Lazim, berkata memang jin dikaitkan dengan gelombang tetapi ia tidak boleh sewenang-wenangnya diarahkan untuk ‘mengena’ mangsa kerana ada syarat tertentu perlu dipatuhi.

“Pengamal ilmu sihir biasanya akan meminta pertolongan jin dengan menyatakan nama orang yang akan disantau. Mangsa yang terkena tidak tahu dia menderita, malah saya sendiri pernah merawat pesakit yang terkena santau selama 30 tahun,” katanya yang dihubungi semalam.
Beliau berkata, penyebaran khidmat pesanan ringkas (SMS) kononnya ada pengamal ilmu hitam mahu menguji ilmunya melalui talian telefon mengarut dan tidak masuk akal.

“Penyebaran SMS itu bukan saja menyusahkan orang ramai malah boleh menyebabkan perkara khurafat. Saya meminta sesiapa yang menerimanya supaya tidak menghantarnya kepada orang lain,” katanya.

Beliau mengulas mengenai laporan Harian Metro semalam mengenai keresahan orang ramai apabila menerima SMS berantai yang memberi amaran supaya tidak mengangkat telefon jika dihubungi satu nombor pelik, kononnya boleh meragut nyawa mereka yang menjawab panggilan itu.

SMS yang tersebar luas sejak seminggu lalu menasihatkan orang ramai tidak menjawab panggilan misteri yang dikatakan mengandungi unsur sihir kononnya sedang diuji sekumpulan penuntut ilmu hitam.

Sumber berita, sila klik disini.

Helah sesatkan akidah umat Islam

KUALA LUMPUR: Orang ramai dinasihatkan supaya tidak terpengaruh dengan penyebaran panggilan maut akan menerima kesan buruk kerana semua itu adalah satu kesempatan yang mungkin diambil syaitan bagi memesongkan akidah umat Islam.

Presiden Pertubuhan Perunding Latihan dan Motivasi Muslim Malaysia (Tamrin), Dr Tengku Asmadi Tengku Mohamad, berkata kewujudan jin dan syaitan jelas ditunjukkan dalam al-Quran dan mereka hanya menunggu peluang untuk menyesatkan manusia.

“Apabila isu seperti ini mula heboh diperkatakan, timbul keraguan di kalangan masyarakat,” katanya.

Sumber berita sila klik disini.

Laporan dan berita berkaitan perkara yang sama oleh media Indonesia. Klik disini.

KUDOS TO SELANGOR AND MELAKA POLICE!

2008-05-13T10:20:00.025+08:00

Kudos to Selangor and Melaka Police!

Click here to enter.

Losing something that you treasure most is an agonising experience. This happened to my son, Fadhli last week when the hard-earned personal property he treasured most disappeared within a matter of hours.

Fadhli (left) with friends in Putrajaya

After work he visited his friend at USJ 10, USJ, Subang Jaya and parked his car outside a friend’s apartment. At approximately 21:00 HRS he left his friend’s apartment heading for home. Upon reaching a place where he parked his car, he was shocked to see his car was nowhere within the vicinity of the parking area. Being a sportsman, he managed to compose himself and controlled the situation quite well. Firstly he informed his friend he just visited about the incident and called his brother to pick him up to lodge a police report at the nearby Balai Polis USJ 8.

My son worked hard to save money for the down payment of his first car. He bought the car about three months ago after having enough money for the down payment. Prior to having the car he was using his motorbike for work, where as usual the mother gets worry everyday about the safety of her son riding a motorbike enduring the rain & shine and busy roads from Bangsar to Subang Jaya. Finally the mother’s worries ended when he bought his first car none other than the most affordable brand new car in town, the Proton Saga Aeroback. The fun and enjoyment of driving his new car ended abruptly last week when his car went missing suspected of theft.

Inside the missing car was another most treasured possession of his, i.e. his sport bicycle which cost him about RM6, 000.00. Being a cyclist, losing a car is hard enough pain to endure but losing a sport bicycle was indeed an agonising experience. He was supposed to participate in a tournament at A’Famosa, Melaka last weekend but he had to forego the idea. Anywhere he went to Melaka with his friend just as a spectator.

He lodged a Police report at the nearby Balai USJ 8 and the Investigating Officer (I.O) assigned to his case was Sgt Azlan Sabtu. Being an experienced IO, Sgt Azlan knows his stuff well and the first thing he did was to confirm with MPSJ (Majlis Perbandaran Subang Jaya) Towing Division whether the car was towed away by the authority due to the indiscriminate parking. The answer was negative. Subsequent to that Sgt Azlan paged the MPV (Mobile Patrol Vehicle) within his area of command to look out for the vehicle. At the same time he input the vehicle details into the PDRM IT System that can be accessed both by PDRM and JPJ online. The idea is to facilitate online checking of missing or stolen vehicles in the event of the recoveries of the suspected stolen vehicles by the Police.

As usual a standard security protection system made available by Proton to the vehicle was the alarm system. On top of that my son asked the vendor to sand-blast the chassis and car registration numbers on the wind-screen of the vehicle.

Way down in Bandaraya Bersejarah Melaka, Cpl Mohamad Hakem and his team was conducting routine patrolling duties in a mobile patrol vehicle (MPV) around Melaka Sentral when they noticed a new Proton Saga Aeroback with an old Melaka registration number parked at the Melaka Sentral parking area. For an experienced policeman like Cpl Mohamad Hakem, such situation warranted him to probe further. He checked on the vehicle and his hunch was right.

The vehicle road tax disc (pic) was severely damaged (peeled off) and upon checking for other clues, Cpl Mohamad Hakem noticed the sand-blasted car registration number was different from the one attached to the front and rear of the vehicle (pic). Following the standard operating procedure (SOP), Cpl Mohamad Hakem and his team covertly observed the vehicle for one hour for any suspicious person(s) approaching the vehicle. The result was negative.

Cpl Mohamad Hakem and his team further checked the condition of the vehicle and they found out that the vehicle was unlocked and there was a key attached to the car ignition system. Cpl Mohamad Hakem used the key to start the engine and it worked. He took the car to Balai Polis, Melaka Tengah to be processed further.

Upon reaching his office, Cpl Mohamad Hakem checked with the PDRM IT System and he found out that vehicle was reported stolen in Selangor. He contacted Sgt Azlan, the IO assigned to the case and subsequent to that Sgt Azlan informed my son about the recovery of his car and asked my son to go to Melaka to verify and confirmed that the recovered vehicle was his. The very next day, last Friday, I accompanied my son to Melaka to meet Cpl Mohamad Hakem for confirmation and verification purposes.

With all the documentations available, the verification was simple and since the car did not suffer major damage, Cpl Mohamad Hakem allowed my son to take back the vehicle to be surrendered to the IO, Sgt Azlan of Balai Polis USJ 8.

It took only four days after the vehicle was reported stolen in Selangor, the Melaka Police recovered the vehicle in good condition. The fast recovery and identification of the vehicle was attributed to two important factors i.e. the efficiency of the patrolling policemen and PDRM IT System. No matter how good the IT System is if the human intervention is not there, the system would not be able to serve its purpose.

Kudos to Melaka and Selangor Police! The high level of efficiency and professionalism of the Police personnel particularly Sgt Azlan of Balai Polis USJ 8 and Cpl Mohamad Hakem of Balai Polis Melaka Tengah were indeed commendable. Knowing that my son was not familiar with Melaka town, Cpl Mohamad Hakem took the initiative to lead my son on his motorbike to the nearest petrol station. What more do you expect from a kind and helpful Police personnel like Cpl Mohamad Hakem! He really made my son’s day. The courtesy of Cpl Mohamad Hakem was enough to make the pain and agony my son has to endure for the past few days disappeared.

What do we learned from the above incident? A lot actually.
1. If you are in the same predicament, trust the Police. Trust me, the Police knows what they are doing;
2. Engage additional security protection to your vehicle such as steering lock, gear lock, etc;
3. If you have to park your car at night, choose a well-lit area and near to the public area;
4. Service your vehicle in a trusted workshop; if you owned a Proton car do not send your vehicle to a workshop not approved by Proton. Even if the workshop is Proton approved, make sure your vehicle key is securely kept by the workshop personnel. It is recommended that you wait at the workshop until the completion of the servicing
5. Sand-blast the car registration number and chassis number on the windscreen, no matter what’s the age of your car. The sand-blasting of the registration number on the windscreen would facilitate fast identification by the Police and other law enforcement agencies;
6. Make sure to retrieve any documents, letters, envelopes, etc that bear your name and address from your vehicle before servicing or washing your car. Once someone gets hold of your address, the next step will be easier. Just be careful.

What happened to my son’s car was quite straight forward. The car key was cloned or duplicated. By whom? Only one suspect i.e. the workshop personnel. They are the only people who have access to the car key. My son never sends his car for washing. He did his own washing at home. So be careful to which workshop / car wash you send your car for servicing or washing.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY

2008-05-11T06:56:00.005+08:00

Send this eCard !

CHE DET ENTERS BLOGSPHERE

2008-05-02T15:05:00.007+08:00

Sneak peek of Tun Dr Mahathir's blog.

Click here to enter.

Depicted below is a media report about Tun Dr Mahathir's blog. - Blog Aministrator

New Straits Times
2008/05/02

PUTRAJAYA: Che Det, the critical Malay writer of the 1940s whose essays explored the problems of the Malay world, is back - in the blogosphere.

It was the pen name used by Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad when he wrote essays for the then Straits Times newspaper.

Yesterday, he joined a growing number of local politicians who, since the March 8 general elections, have started blogs to express their views.

His site at www.chedet.com is simply titled "Dr Mahathir Mohamad".

"This site is dedicated to publishing my writings as and when I am able to pen my thoughts and opinion," he says.

Dr Mahathir's first entry was on the judicial appointments commission proposed by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

In point form and succinct language, he noted the lack of details as to how the commission would operate.

He questioned the extent of the powers to be given to the commission, whether it could appoint or merely recommend judicial candidates for the prime minister's or for the King's approval.

He also questioned if the Conference of Rulers would have a greater say in rejecting and requesting new candidates.

Dr Mahathir's maiden post was on Labour Day at 1.27am and it drew over 100 comments by mid-afternoon.

Many welcomed and congratulated him on becoming a blogger, while a few stated their disagreement with his statement that the government would display weakness should it work with the Opposition.

Please click here to read from the source.

THE NET: TO CUT OR NOT TO CUT?

2008-04-28T17:37:00.017+08:00

Stories by Rozana Sani

Ruby feels the moves taken to censor the Internet are doomed for failure.

Muhamad Akmal says objectionable info can be countered with feedback.

Chan cites learning to recognise what is right or wrong is important.

Abdul Samat thinks that self-censorship is the most practical method.

Internet censorship seems to be gaining momentum as there is growing concern that certain information on the Web could lead to various sensitivities related to religious, moral, social, financial and political issues. Is this a step in the right direction, or another pointless exercise?

Blocking bad vibes

THE online environment where there is a free flow of information contains both good and bad, depending on one’s point of view. Some believe the “bad” content need to be controlled or suppressed from being accessed by the general public to stem negative actions or reactions – hence, the measure to censor the Internet as in the case of Indonesia and France.

Others think censorship of information is futile due to the underlying distributed technology of the Internet. For example, residents of a country that bans certain Web sites can easily find the content on servers outside the country. Hence, the need for other types of measures.

Trained architect, businesswoman and self-confessed serial blogger Ruby Ahmad strongly feels the moves taken to censor the Internet are all doomed for failure.

“We live in a highly wired, interconnected world and I can only think of one way to prevent users from not using the Internet ‘correctly’, and that is by preventing them from buying or using computers,” she said, tongue-in-cheek.

“Unsavoury content is deemed disgusting and unacceptable to some, but is very acceptable to others. It’s like the durian. I heard a food critic described it as perhaps the most revolting thing on earth. But personally, I quite like the D22!

“Law enforcement as an effective way to filter content is only possible if there is a unified global law in place. This is not possible as all countries have their separate agendas, goals, aspirations and other differing reasons,” she continued.

Student Muhamad Akmal Mohammad said rather than rely on content censorship which has technology limitations and inadequacies, a piece of objectionable information can be countered with feedback. This should be done in an intelligent manner, like answering the issues which were expressed by videos in YouTube, by producing videos, or maybe research papers.

“When it comes to sensitive issues, it is normal to see people get angry. It is, in fact, necessary to get angry to show that we are concerned about the issue, but being angry alone won’t help much in dealing with such issues and situations. Speculations arouse because people want to talk about something, but they actually don’t know much about it. Or even if they do know, they only know about it on the surface.

“If we are to provide them with what’s what, how’s how and why’s why regarding the issues they are speculating, we are actually doing two things here: putting a full-stop on the speculation, and spreading the truth. Isn’t that good?” said Muhamad.

For Janet Chan, chief executive officer of interactive marketing specialist Tyraco Sdn Bhd, learning to recognise what is right and what is wrong is the only way to avoid the negative impact of the Internet.

“The Internet, in my opinion, should not be barred as a medium unless it is necessary to keep check and balance of the most precious things on earth – which is life itself,” she shared.

Chan said a person would only know if something is right or wrong when he or she is exposed to, told or learn through experiences. And there is experience in abundance on the Net.

“Sometimes right or wrong can be very subjective in many different cultures on different things. Things could be white for me and white means good and black is considered bad or evil for many. But in some cultures, black means good and brave and white is the other way round, etc. The Internet can provide that kind of exposure for us to learn from different opinions and point of views,” she said.

Meanwhile, blogger Abdul Samat Kasah feels that Net censorship is not a long-term solution pertaining to issues like religion sensitivities, hate speech, pornography, excessive violence, bomb-making instructions, and information about crime, violence and drug use. Self-censorship, he feels, is the most practical method to overcome the woes of restricting or regulating Internet access.

“People would know what is on a particular site if they already knew how to get there. It is their responsibility to make their own decisions as to whether or not this material is appropriate for them. If they feel there is a possibility they might be appalled by this material, they can choose not to view it.

“If people are not sure about this material, or if they are in favour of it, then they take an acceptable risk when they choose to view it. Undoubtedly, this material should not be censored merely because some people cannot make rational decisions for themselves,” he said.

In conclusion, where restricting or regulating Internet access is concerned, Malaysia has to strike a balance where in one hand, we would like to narrow the digital divide and on the other hand, we want to take back what is given, he added.

SELF-REGULATION SHOULD BEGIN AT HOME

IN Malaysia, matters involving objectionable online content is governed by the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 (CMA ‘98) that covers the main areas for electronic content issues. There is also the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Content Code (Content Code), enforced by the Communications and Multimedia Content Forum of Malaysia (CMCF), covering the do’s and don’t’s that is to be adhered to by the communications and multimedia industry.

According to CMCF’s executive director Mohd Mustaffa Fazil Mohd Abdan, the body had received several complaints on issues over Internet content that took various forms in the past.

Where complaints were of a seditious nature, inciting racial disharmony or in any other form that contravenes the provisions of the Act that is further expanded by the Content Code, the CMCF will take the necessary action via its Complaints Bureau.

“Through the bureau, appropriate actions may be taken by either the CMCF itself or the case may be referred to the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), or even the complainant may be advised to lodge a police report if need be. We may also liaise with our members who are specialists in the industry to advise and implement any action to be taken,” he said.

“As the public may be unaware of our role, the number of complaints received have not been immense. However, we hope to change this through future awareness programmes,” he added.

Mohd Mustaffa said the CMCF is a strong proponent of having “self-regulation” in place for the industry.

“As we are the designated body for industry self-regulation, we continuously urge the industry and members of the public to exercise it. The key to self-regulation is that it begins at home,” he stressed.

As for the content, whether it may be “savoury” or “unsavoury”, it may be accessed with considerable ease nowadays. The responsibility to ensure that only desirable content is consumed lies with the individual. An individual should be his or her own moral guardian and to those under their respective care (for instance, children, students, etc).

“This is where the Content Code exists to provide a platform of guidance for the public and industry to determine what kind of content is considered desirable and acceptable,” said Mohd Mustaffa.

Individuals can play his or her part in dealing with “unsavoury” content via self-regulation or by lodging a complaint with the CMCF Complaints Bureau in writing, e-mail to secretariat@cmcf.org.my or filling out the online complaints form available on www.cmcf.org.my.

“In the global sphere, should there be any offences that may be committed abroad and having its effect locally, the CMCF will work with the MCMC as the appropriate body to deal with such issues,” he added.

THE NET: TO CUT OR NOT TO CUT?

2008-04-28T17:10:00.002+08:00

Tech&U Channel of New Straits Times today's edition (Monday, April 28,2008)is featuring an article (cover story) entitled "THE NET: TO CUT OR NOT TO CUT". Several comments by the general public, including my comments are featured inside the article.

The article is written by Tech&U editorial, Rozana Sani. To know more about the contents of the article please get a copy of today's edition of NST newspaper. The full article will be published in this blog tomorrow (Tuesday, April 29, 2008). - Blog Administrator

E-mail Hijacking / Friend Scams

2008-04-24T10:05:00.004+08:00

How it was done?

Furtherance to the email I received from Anthony Lammert, I just would like to elaborate a little bit of what he meant by “Only an artful 'IT savy tech’ person would be able to circumscribe 'through the back door' to obtain such data!” The technique used to obtain data from the back door is called phishing or key logger. For the benefit of readers who are not familiar with the terminology, I have the pleasure to provide a little bit of information on E-mail Hijacking / Friend Scams as what happened to our unfortunate friend a couple of days ago.

Some fraudsters hijack existing e-mail accounts and use them for advance fee fraud purposes. The fraudsters e-mail associates, friends, and/or family members of the legitimate account owner in an attempt to defraud them. This ruse generally requires the use of phishing or keylogger computer viruses to gain login information for the e-mail address.

Phishing is an e-mail fraud method in which the perpetrator sends out legitimate-looking email in an attempt to gather personal and financial information from recipients. Typically, the messages appear to come from well known and trustworthy Web sites. Web sites that are frequently spoofed by phishers include PayPal, eBay, MSN, Yahoo, BestBuy, and America Online. A phishing expedition, like the fishing expedition it's named for, is a speculative venture: the phisher puts the lure hoping to fool at least a few of the prey that encounter the bait

Phishers use a number of different social engineering and e-mail spoofing ploys to try to trick their victims. In one fairly typical case before the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), a 17-year-old male sent out messages purporting to be from America Online that said there had been a billing problem with recipients' AOL accounts. The perpetrator's e-mail used AOL logos and contained legitimate links. If recipients clicked on the "AOL Billing Center" link, however, they were taken to a spoofed AOL Web page that asked for personal information, including credit card numbers, personal identification numbers (PINs) , social security numbers, banking numbers, and passwords. This information was used for identity theft.

A phishing technique was described in detail as early as 1987, while the first recorded use of the term "phishing" was made in 1996. The term is a variant of fishing, probably influenced by phreaking, and alludes to the use of increasingly sophisticated baits used in the hope of a "catch" of financial information and passwords. The word may also be linked to leetspeak in which ph is a common substitution for f. Several recent phishing attacks have been directed specifically at senior executives and other high profile targets within businesses, and the term "whaling," has been coined for these kinds of attacks

The readers are advised to be suspicious of any official-looking e-mail message that asks for updates on personal or financial information and urges recipients to go directly to the organization's Web site to find out whether the request is legitimate.

Email RECEIVED FROM AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND

2008-04-23T17:31:00.004+08:00

Depicted below is an email I received from New Zealand pertaining to the Nigerian Scam. The same email was sent to Frisco and several other recepients. It seems the scam is going global and readers are advice to be vigilant for such emails. Thank you.

QUOTE : from: Anthony Lammert
date : Wed, Apr 23, 2008 at 11:53 AM
subject : Re: Scam
mailed-by : gmail.com

11:53 AM (5 hours ago) Reply

Good day!
Well,well Fris, I got this 'anon plea' through our good kawan true email yesterday and by the very familiar art of writing, and from Nigeria too, I knew for once it's just a BIG SCAM indeed! The likelihood of this Niger trickster in obtaining our good friend's particular could be from his www portal.(as it is a public domain). Only an artful 'IT savy tech person' would be able to circumscribe 'through the back door' to obtain such data! In Nigeria it's soooo easy to open a bank acc. by using assumed names and in this case it's a 'so-called hotel manager' acting as 'proxy' of our good friend! So, be smart and don't get caught! But. who's in the right mind would send such considerable sum to a suspiciuos bank acc.?

Cheers all!
Antonio, St Johns, Auckland - UNQUOTE

BE WARNED OF THE NIGERIAN SCAMMER

2008-04-23T08:55:00.016+08:00

F.C. Salleh Salam (pic). Click here to access his blog.

I was on my way to KL yesterday (Tuesday, April 22, 2008) sending my daughter to her office in Jalan Raja Chulan when I received a SMS from F.C. Salleh Salam (Frisco), a close friend of mine in Kota Kinabalu. I was talking to myself, it was rather awkward for Frisco to send me a SMS that early in the morning (07:46HRS) that was after glancing at my PDA screen that the SMS came from him. Too early also for SMS jokes unless he is in a different time zone. After reaching my daughter’s office, I stopped for a while to read the message and the SMS read “Askum. I wrote email to you urgent. Have you read? What say you.”

After reaching home in Subang Jaya, I switched on my pc, opened my email and as usual I have lots of emails from friends and associates flagged as unread. I opened the email from my friend Frisco and it read like this:

QUOTE: Samat. I don't really know if this letter is genuinely written by our friend, (friend’s name). I've been receiving emails from him earlier which appear normal. We were supposed to meet up tomorrow for the first time, and he gave me a number to call. Suddenly I have this email which clocked him at 4:39 am, just about an hour from now. It seemed real as the English sounds like him, but I am not too sure firstly, about the method of payment is the way how to send as well. Secondly, I am certain he would be able to call the embassy for help if his problem is real. Thirdly, I am certain he has other friends and relatives upon which he can also seek immediate assistance. Maybe he was too embarrassed but if you are in trouble what is there to feel shy about. Whatever do CALL me when you receive this, although he did not want anyone to disclose to anyone but I feel a few things are not that right and I would like your opinion. Naturally I would like this email be kept secret from him whatever the situation as I trust you. Indeed if he needs help right now, He could be genuinely in Ghana and his email address and password was stolen as these people are capable of. But for mere $800 request is no big deal. I can do something but unfortunately I have an appointment to visit the Padas gorge by which we will be leaving KK by 8. Do call me ASAP.UNQUOTE

The email Frisco received purportedly from our friend is as follows:

Date: Tue, Apr 22, 2008 at 4:39 AM
Subject: Emergency
To:

How are you doing today? I am sorry I didn't inform you about my travelling to Africa for a program called "Empowering Youth to Fight Racism, HIV/AIDS, Poverty and Lack of Education, the program is taking place in three major countries in Africa which is Ghana, South Africa and Nigeria. It had been a very sad and bad moment for me here; the present condition that I found myself is very difficult for me to explain.

I am really stranded in Nigeria at this moment because I forgot my little bag in a Taxi where my money, passport, documents and other valuable things were kept on my way to the Hotel I am staying, I am facing a hard time and lots difficulties here because I have no money on me. I now owe a hotel bill of $850.85 and they wanted me to pay the bill soon else they will have to get me embarrassed up and detained by the hotel management. Please I need urgent help from you, I only need you to help me with the hotel bill and I will also need $800 to feed and help myself back home. I had been to the State Embassy and they were so kind to assist me with some money and I paid part of the hotel bill.

Please can you help me with a sum of $1,500 to sort out my problems here and get back home, I don't even have money to feed myself for a day, which I had to starve for many days if I continue staying here. Kindly help me transfer some money as soon as you got my e-mail either through the Western Union or Money Gram to re-arrange from my misfortune here and help myself get back home soon.

Try to understand how bitterer I feel this moment I'm writing you. I needed this help so much and on time to get out of this mess because I am in a terrible and tight corner right now. Also thank the hotel manager "Mr. John Ken" he had so much helped me here, he assisted talked to the hotel management behalf before they extended my days of staying even after my misfortune until I get in touch with any of the friends that cares to help me out here. Please don't feel so much bothered in case you called and couldn't hear from me because many a times the hotel management does not allow emergency calls here due to languages involved and other security reasons, I am alright presently all I needed right now is your financial aid to sort things out here and get back home safely.

I am sending you this e-mail from the city local Library and I only have 30 min, I will appreciate what so ever you can afford to send me for now and I promised to pay back your money as soon as I get back home, I'm forwarding along with my personal details for you to go any Western Union or Money-gram immediately and transfer the money because I need to be safe here and get back home shortly. It very unfortunate i lost all my contact with most Friends that would so much loved helping me back home if they get to know this. I will contact to create your awareness immediately I received the funds. I am so much glad I contacted you in a bad moment like this because of your concern and lovely care.

Please if you really care for me, want me happy and need me safe back home; kindly take my below details to the nearest Western Union or Money Gram and Transfer some money for me to pay the hotel bill and return home. You can get back to me through the e-mail or the hotel manager "MR.JOHN KEN" regarding the MTCN for pick up as soon as you transfer the money.

Please don't disclose my request before friends, just keep everything within yourself until I get back I will explain better. Below are my details you can transfer the money so that i will return home happily. Take this to the Western Union OR Money Gram immediately you got my e-mail.

Thanks allots for your care and concern helping me back home.

Details You Need Now;
Full Name: (friend’s name)
TEXT QUESTION: Who is the Receiver
ANSWER: (friend’s name)
Country&Code: Nigeria / 23401
Address:23/25, Maryland Street, MI NIGERIA
Hotel Name: Quarter Jack Mild Int'l Lodge & Suits
Hotel Line: +234-705-5610-969, +234-806-5261-102

Best Regards
(friend’s name)

When I browsed further in my Inbox, I found out one email was marked from our friend in “dilemma”. When I opened the email, it was exactly similar to what Frisco received. The email came with his legitimate email address and his full name. So, Frisco and I traded some SMS just to ascertain that our friend is alright.

Be warned that the above email is a SCAM. Frisco and I did some investigation ourselves where Frisco found out that our friend is “alive and kicking” in Kota Kinabalu and at the same time I found this information. Please click here for explanation that cleared our worries.

How did thing like this happened? For our friend’s case, there is a legitimate explanation as told by him to Frisco. He lost his PDA while in KL. That could be the explanation, particularly when passwords and other critical information are stored inside the PDA. Once lost, many times shy.

So my advices to the readers are (a) Please change you email password regularly and ATM, credit cards passwords as well and all other passwords for that matter. (b) Never store critical information in your PDA or hand phone. Of course it is very handy to have everything in a single gadget but the repercussions are agonising.

If you received similar emails as mentioned above please do not deposit any money to the said account, no matter how in sympathy are you for a friend in need. Please verify accordingly.

Reaping the Benefits Quoted by CNN

2008-04-01T00:13:00.019+08:00

CNN

CNN websites quoting Reaping the Benefits. Please click here. Avilable for a limited period of time only.

The article entitled FITNA - ANTI-ISLAM FILM BY Geert Wilders as featured in Reaping the Benefits has been quoted by CNN today. The readers may access CNN website which quoted Reaping the Benefits by clicking here then click From the Blogs as shown in the page.