Mari kita Memahami dan Menghadapi ini - 'Abang Jo Si Ahli Politik' BUKAN 'Adenan Ahli Negarawan'

 Mari kita Memahami dan Menghadapi ini - 'Abang Jo Si Ahli Politik' BUKAN 'Adenan Ahli Negarawan'

 

(Bahasa Melayu)

“Suara penentangan di Sarawak semakin meningkat sejak permulaan gerakan ‘Sarawak for Sarawakians’ (S4S).

Malah ia kemudiannya diterima lalu digunakan oleh Allahyarham Pehin Sri Adenan Satem, Ketua Menteri Sarawak ke- 5, sebagai perjuangan utamanya, 'dijenamakan semula' sebagai 'Faktor Adenan'

Bagaimanapun, pentadbiran Adenan tidak bertahan lama, oleh kerana beliau meninggal dunia pada 11 Januari 2017. Beliau telah memegang jawatan selama kira-kira dua tahun sahaja.”

'Ketua Menteri Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg berkata ungkapan ikonik 'Jaga Sarawak bait bait' (jaga Sarawak sangat baik) oleh pendahulunya seharusnya menjadi inspirasi kepada rakyat Sarawak terutamanya pada masa ini apabila orang lain sedang mengintai untuk menguasai negeri itu. '

Jangan sampai kita lupa…..

Dalam semangat perjuangan dalam hak MA63 dan bersumpah untuk melindungi serta menjaga Tanah Pameran Sekular Tercinta Sarawak, kata-kata Negarawan dan bekas Ketua Menteri kita yang dikasihi Pehin Sri Adenan Satem – 'Jaga Sarawak bait bait' (jaga Sarawak dengan baik) kekal sehingga hari ini .

“Ini Sarawak punya olang, bisi Melayu, bisi orang Cina, bisi orang Dayak, bisi orang Bidayuh, duduk sama, minum sama, makan sama, carik amoi pon sama.”

(Orang Sarawak ini, sama ada Melayu, Cina, Dayak, Bidayuh, mereka tinggal bersama, minum bersama, makan bersama, mencari pasangan bersama.)

Untuk menutup semula……

Imbas kembali…… 2015

Kemudian, Menteri Perumahan Datuk Amar Abang Johari Tun Openg berkata - “Hak Sarawak termaktub dan tertanam dalam Perlembagaan Malaysia dan Perlembagaan Sarawak. Jadi, kita mesti bersatu manakala Malaysia mesti kuat, dan Sarawak juga mesti kuat.

“Ini telah dipersetujui antara Borneo Utara, Sarawak, Singapura dan Persekutuan Tanah Melayu sebelum Perjanjian Malaysia ditandatangani pada 9 Julai 1963 di London,” katanya. [SUMBER: THEBORNEOPOST.COM PADA 25 OKTOBER 2015]

Abang Johari berkata, sambutan itu juga tertumpu kepada peristiwa bersejarah pada 1963 ketika Malaysia ditubuhkan, termasuk keistimewaan yang diberikan kepada Sarawak dalam perjanjian itu.

“Kami akan memaparkan perjanjian mengenai hak Sarawak yang mesti kami pertahankan di Malaysia. Kami mahu rakyat tahu bahawa Ketua Menteri Tan Sri Adenan Satem dan kerajaannya akan mempertahankan hak perlembagaan rakyat Sarawak," katanya. [Sumber: The STAR - Sabtu, 23 Jul 2016]

Agar kita juga tidak lupa…….

Ketua Menteri sekarang, Tan Sri Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg, menegaskan beliau adalah kapten baharu ‘Team Adenan’ untuk memperjuangkan pemulangan hak negeri seperti yang termaktub dalam MA63.

Namun, kita bingung apabila beliau kelihatan menyimpang daripada ‘semangat Pasukan’ yang berlandaskan prinsip ‘sekular’ Sembilan Prinsip Kardinal dan sejajar dengan Perlembagaan Negeri dan MA63.

YAB CM Abang Jo menyatakan bahawa “dengan perpaduan yang kukuh dalam kalangan rakyat dan berdasarkan persefahaman Piagam Madinah, Sarawak boleh dibangunkan untuk semua. Sebenarnya GPS (Gabungan Parti Sarawak) melakukan itu, yang berdasarkan Piagam Madinah.”

Inilah keunikan Sarawak dan ia mesti dipupuk. Abang Johari berkata adalah penting untuk membangunkan masyarakat berdasarkan apa yang terkandung dalam Piagam Madinah, pada masa yang sama mengamalkan keadilan untuk semua rakyat Sarawak walaupun berbeza kepercayaan mereka.”

Beliau berkata, “Di Malaysia, hanya Sarawak mempunyai unit untuk agama lain (Unifor) yang menjaga agama bukan Islam di negeri ini, dan ia dibiayai oleh Kerajaan Negeri. Melalui pendekatan sedemikian, ia akan memastikan keadaan politik Sarawak stabil. Ini kerana kami menghormati antara satu sama lain, dan ia membolehkan kami membawa kemajuan pembangunan yang adil untuk semua.”

Dengan semangat “jaga-jaga Sarawak bait bait” (jaga Sarawak sangat baik), kata-kata ini kedengaran agak hampa.

Pertama sekali, apakah kaitan ‘Piagam Madinah’ dengan Sarawak Sekular apabila Sembilan Prinsip Kardinal melambangkan maksud ‘perpaduan dalam kepelbagaian’ dalam konteks cara hidup penerimaan Sarawak yang tidak dicemari sebelum Malaysia wujud.

Sebaliknya, dengan memetik dasar tersebut, menerapkan prinsip semangat Piagam Madinah nampaknya lebih menyelaraskan Sarawak dengan agenda 'Ketuanan' Pas dan Unmo, yang secara kebetulan atau sebaliknya, telah menandatangani perjanjian. 'Piagam kerjasama' pada September 2021 berdasarkan Perlembagaan Madinah aka Piagam Madinah.

Bekas Setiausaha Agung Umno Annuar Musa menyatakan bahawa "piagam Umno-PAS dibina atas prinsip bahawa umat Islam di negara ini mempunyai hak dan kewajipan untuk mempertahankan Islam. Pada dasarnya, apa jua pendirian PAS Umno akan menyokongnya. Kita adalah sentiasa bersetuju,"

Dengan cara yang sama, kita boleh membuat kesimpulan bahawa GPS juga dalam persetujuan tersirat dan penjajaran dengan PAS dan UMNO mengenai ‘Piagam Madinah’ sebagai titik permulaan penyatuan umat Islam di negara ini, tanpa mengabaikan kepelbagaian bangsa”.

Di manakah mereka meletakkan Sarawak sebagai rakan pengasas yang sama dalam pembentukan Malaysia, dengan perlindungan dan jaminan seperti yang termaktub dalam MA63? Atau adakah Sarawak sepatutnya menjadi pengikut 'lemah lembut dan senyap' ibarat “ good for the goose is also good for the gander’ ?

Ini menimbulkan persoalan - ke manakah semua ini membawa kepada konteks 'penyatuan umat Islam di negara ini'?

Adakah 'penyatuan Malaysia' akan terus mengambil jalan Negara Sekular yang dijanjikan oleh Rakan Kongsi dan Bapa pengasas, berdasarkan Perjanjian Malaysia yang telah dimasukkan ke dalam Perlembagaan Persekutuan kita untuk menjamin hak dan kebebasan orang bukan Islam untuk mengamalkan kepercayaan mereka dan cara hidup sedangkan Islam kekal sebagai agama rasmi negara ?

'Menjadi atau tidak menjadi' - jika peristiwa baru-baru ini merupakan petunjuk, kita tidak boleh mengabaikan tanda-tanda dan gejala, dan hala tuju Malaysia perlahan-lahan tetapi pasti menuju - 'pemerintahan Islam' atau 'Negara Islam' - dari ' Allah' kepada isu 'Timah Whisky' baru-baru ini kepada pengharaman terbaharu perjudian di Kedah pimpinan Pas yang jelas menimbulkan kebimbangan dan keresahan yang tidak perlu di kalangan masyarakat bukan Islam.

Sehubungan dengan itu, rakyat Sarawak tidak boleh lupa bahawa PAS kini sebahagian daripada kerajaan persekutuan berkat sokongan Abang Jo dan GPS dalam menyokong Gabungan PN yang rapuh. Rakyat Sarawak mesti mempertimbangkan dengan serius sama ada untuk membenarkan GPS terus mentadbir kita kerana kita mengemukakan soalan ini kepada semua dan pelbagai - apakah 'kebaikan' yang boleh diperoleh daripada hubungan Gabungan dari Negara Sekular yang berbilang kaum dan agama dengan berkongsi perkara yang sama dasar politik dengan Parti berasaskan Malaya yang didorong oleh kaum dan agama ?

Atau adakah mereka berkongsi agenda bersama dan 'kesatuan dalam tujuan' untuk "Islamisasi dan Malayanisasi' Sarawak?

Oleh itu, kita tidak perlu mengingatkan bahawa “unta itu tidak lagi meredah bukit pasir Arab Saudi” tetapi datang tepat ke tanah “ Sarawak Fairland”. Malah, unta itu telah pun mencucuk hidungnya ke dalam khemah Sekular Sarawak seiring dengan pepatah Arab bahawa "Jika unta sekali masuk ke dalam khemah, badannya akan segera menyusul."

CM kita juga turut sama mengangguk dengan menyebut Piagam Madinah sebagai 'jalan ke hadapan dalam mentadbir Sarawak'. He appears serious enough and lest we forget his “kalau saya cakap bohong, lidah saya kena potong” remark.

Pastinya itu bukan dibuat secara bergurau, bukan?

Adakah kita suatu hari nanti akan diklasifikasikan sebagai 'orang beriman' dan 'tidak percaya'?

Hanya masa yang akan menentukan – tetapi arwah Tok Nan tidak mempunyai apa-apa.

Adakah anda rasa sedemikian, wahai rakan-rakan Sarawak?

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(English)

Let’s face it – ‘Abang Jo the Politician’ is NOT ‘Adenan the Statesman’

“The voice of dissent in Sarawak picked up momentum ever since the dawn of the ‘Sarawak for Sarawakians’ (S4S) movement.

In fact it was later adopted by the late Pehin Sri Adenan Satem, the fifth Chief Minister of Sarawak, as his main struggle, ‘rebranded’ as ‘The Adenan Factor’

However, the Adenan administration was short-lived, following his untimely death on January 11, 2017. He had held office for about two years only.”

‘Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg said the iconic phrase ‘Jaga Sarawak bait bait’ (take very good care of Sarawak) by his predecessor should serve as inspiration for Sarawakians particularly at this present time when others are eyeing to control the state.’

Lest we forget…..

In the spirit of MA63 and sworn to protecting and safeguarding our Beloved Secular Fairland Sarawak, the words of our beloved Statesman and former Chief Minister Pehin Sri Adenan Satem – ‘Jaga Sarawak bait bait’ (take very good care of Sarawak) hold true till today.

“Ini Sarawak punya olang, bisi Melayu, bisi orang Cina, bisi orang Dayak, bisi orang Bidayuh, duduk sama, minum sama, makan sama, carik amoi pon sama.”

(These Sarawakians, whether they are Malays, Chinese, Dayak, Bidayuh, they live together, drink together, eat together, find partners together.)

To re-cap ……

Flashback…… 2015

Then, Housing Minister Datuk Amar Abang Johari Tun Openg said - “Sarawak’s rights are enshrined and embedded in the Malaysian Constitution and Sarawak Constitution. So, we must be united while Malaysia must be strong, and Sarawak must be strong.

“This was agreed upon among North Borneo, Sarawak, Singapore and the Federation of Malaya before the Malaysian Agreement was signed on July 9, 1963 in London,” he said.  [SOURCE: THEBORNEOPOST.COM ON OCTOBER 25, 2015]

Abang Johari said the celebration also focused on historical events in 1963 when Malaysia was formed, including the special privileges accorded to Sarawak in the agreement.

“We will display the agreement on Sarawak's rights which we must defend in Malaysia. We want the people to know that Chief Minister Tan Sri Adenan Satem and we in the government will defend the constitutional rights of the people of Sarawak," he said.   [Source: The STAR - Saturday, 23 Jul 2016]

Lest we also not forget…….

The current Chief Minister, Tan Sri Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg, has asserted that he is the new captain of ‘Team Adenan’ to fight for the return of the State’s rights as enshrined in the MA63.

However, we are perplexed when he appeared to deviate from the ‘Team’s spirit’ which was premised on the ‘secular’ principles of the Nine Cardinal Principles and aligned with the State Constitution and the MA63.

YAB CM Abang Jo stated that “with strong unity among the people and based on the Medina Charter understanding, Sarawak can be developed for all. Actually GPS (Gabungan Parti Sarawak) is doing that, which is based on The Charter of Medina.”

This is the uniqueness of Sarawak and it must be nurtured. Abang Johari noted it is important to develop society based on what is contained in the Medina Charter, at the same time practising fairness for all Sarawakians despite their different beliefs.”

He said that “in Malaysia, only Sarawak has the unit for other religions (Unifor) which takes care of non-Islamic religions in the State, and it is funded by the State Government. Through such approach, it will ensure a stable political situation for Sarawak. This is because we are respecting each other, and it has enabled us to bring fair development progress for all.”

In the spirit of “jaga-jaga Sarawak bait bait” (take very good care of Sarawak), these words sound rather hollow.

First and foremost, what has the ‘Medina Charter’ to do with Secular Sarawak when the Nine Cardinal Principles epitomises what ‘unity in diversity’ means in the context of Sarawak’s unadulterated acceptance way of life way before even Malaysia came into being.

On the contrary, by quoting and in essence, applying the principles and spirit of the Medina Charter it appears more to bring Sarawak in alignment with Pas and Unmo’s ‘Ketuanan’ agenda, who had, by sheer coincidence or otherwise pre-planned, signed a ‘cooperation charter’ in September 2021 based on the Constitution of Medina aka The Medina Charter.

Former Umno Secretary-General Annuar Musa stated that "the Umno-PAS charter is built on the principle that Muslims in this country have the right and obligation to defend Islam. In principle, whatever PAS' stand is, Umno will support it. We are always in agreement,"

By the same token, we may conclude that GPS is also in tacit agreement and alignment with Pas and Umno on the ‘Medina Charter’ as the starting point for the unification of Muslims in the country, without ignoring the nation's diversity”.

Where does that put Sarawak as an equal founding partner in the formation of Malaysia, with the safeguards, protection and assurances as enshrined in MA63 ? Or is Sarawak supposed to be just a ‘meek and silent’ follower of what is good for the goose is also good for the gander’ ?

This begs the question – where do all these lead to in the context of ‘unification of Muslims in the country’?

Will the ‘unification of Malaysia’ continue to take the path of a Secular Country promised by the founding Partners and Fathers, premised on the Malaysia Agreement that was incorporated into our Federal Constitution to guarantee the rights and freedom of non -muslims to practise their beliefs and way of life while Islam remains the official religion of the country ?

‘To be or not to be’ -  if recent events were any indication, we cannot ignore the signs and symptoms, and the direction that Malaysia is slowly but surely heading towards - ‘islamic rule’ or an ‘Islamic State’ – from the ‘Allah’ to the recent ‘Timah Whiskey’ issue to the latest ban on gaming in Pas-led Kedah which had obviously caused unnecessary worry and anxiety among the non-muslim communities.

On that, Sarawakians must not forget that Pas is now part of the federal government thanks largely to the support of Abang Jo and GPS in propping up the fragile PN Coalition. Sarawakians must seriously consider whether to allow GPS to continue governing us as we pose this question to all and sundry – what ‘good’ can come out from the relationship of a Coalition from a multi-racial and multi-religious Secular State by sharing the same political bed with Malayan-based Parties driven by race and religion ?

Or are they sharing a common agenda and ‘oneness in purpose’ for the “Islamisation and Malayanisation’ of Sarawak ?

That said, we need no reminding that the proverbial camel is no longer trekking the sand dunes of Saudi Arabia but is coming right to the shore of Fairland Sarawak. In fact, the camel has already poked its nose into Sarawak’s Secular tent in tandem with the Arab proverb that "If the camel once gets his nose in the tent, his body will soon follow."

Our CM has also nodded the same by citing the Medina Charter as the ‘way forward in administering Sarawak’. He appears serious enough and lest we forget his “kalau saya cakap bohong, lidah saya kena potong” remark.

Surely that wasn’t made in jest, was it ?

Would we one day be classified as ‘believers’ and ‘non-believers’ ?

Only time will tell – but the late Tok Nan would have none of it.

Would we, fellow Sarawakians ?

Perlembagaan Sarawak Adalah Perlembagaan Sekular - Tetapi Sehingga Bila?

 Perlembagaan Sarawak Adalah Perlembagaan Sekular - Tetapi Sehingga Bila?

 

Seperti yang selalu dikata apabila seseorang meluahkan kebimbangan bahawa kejadian buruk boleh berlaku: Shit Happen!

Saya akan mulakan artikel ini dengan sedikit latarbelakang untuk kata kata yang akan menyusul.

Perlembagaan Malaysia adalah perlembagaan yang berbentuk sekular walaupun ia mengandungi peruntukan yang menyatakan bahawa Islam adalah agama rasmi persekutuan. Status Malaysia sebagai negara sekular pun sudah diputus olih makhamah agung (hari ini dinama makhamah persekutuan) pada tahun 1988 dalam kes Che Soh Lwn Pendakwa Raya Persekutuan. Kes mercu tanda ini dirujuk dalam perbicaraan kes Indira Gandhi Mutho Lwn Pengarah Agama Islam Perak pada tahun 2013

Namun keputusan makhamah ini tidak menghalang Tun Mahathir Mohamad (Mahathir) daripada megumumkan bahawa Malaysia adalah negara Islam semasa persidangan perwakilan nasional ke-33 parti Gerakan pada tahun 2003. Tidak seorang pun dari perwakilan Gerakan bangun dan buat bantahan keatas pengumuman Mahathir itu. Hari ini Gerakan hampil tidak dikelihatan dilandskap politik di Malaysia.

Beralih ke Sarawak sekarang.

Perlembagaan Sarawak, seperti perlembagaan persekutuan, juga mengakui bahawa Islam adalah agama rasmi persekutuan. Perlembagaan Sarawak juga berbentuk sekular kerana ia tidak ada peruntukan yang mengatakan Sarawak mempunyai agama rasmi. Ini bermakna Sarawak adalah negeri berstatus sekular.

Namun ini tidak menghalang seorang pegawai kerajaan negeri Sarawak daripada menotakan dalam laman sesawang kerajaan negeri bahawa Sarawak adalah negeri Islam pada  bulan Desember 2015. Nota itu cuma dibuang selepas isu itu dibawa kepada Dewan Undangan Negeri.

Pada 8hb Nov 2021, KM Tan Sri Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari (Abg Jo)  dipetik mengata bahawa pembangunan Malaysia dan lebih lebih lagi pembangunan Sarawak perlu berjalan berlandas konsep Muqadimmah. Untuk pembaca yang belum pernah mendengar istilah itu sebelum ini, Muqadimmah adalah badan penulisan yang dikarya olih seorang ulama dan ahli sejarah Arab yang beragama Islam pada tahun 1377. Penulisan ini diselitkan dengan pengajaran yang terkandung dalam sharia dan figh.

Pendek kata, Abg Jo telah mengumukan secara tidak lansung bahawa pentadbiran kerajaan Sarawak yang deketuai beliau sebagai ketua menteri akan perpandu prinsip prinsip Islam.

Pada tahun 2019, Abg Jo dilapor mengatakan bahawa perhubungan diantara kaum dan agama di Sarawak akan diurus perpandu konsep Ta’ayush, sebuah konsep yang terdapat didalam Medina Charter atau dalam bahasa melayu Piagam Madinah. Apa itu Piagam Madinah? Saya akan muat naik satu pautan darimana pembaca bolih memperolihi fahaman asas berkenaan perlembagaan yang dinamakan Medina Charter ini.

https://ms.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piagam_Madinah

Terdapat dalam Piagam Madinah satu bahagian yang tidak selalu disebut didalam perbincangan perlembagaan Piagam Madinah iaitu bahagian yang berkenaan dengan cukai Jizya. Dari segi sejarah dan dalam fahaman orang Islam, cukai jizya itu adalah bayaran untuk perlindungan yang diberi untuk orang yang bukan Islam ( kafir) olih raja raja islam. Dengan adanya perlindungan dari raja islam golongan kafir bolih terus menganut agama mereka. Cukai Jizya ini juga merupakan satu tanda keadaan terhina dan bentuk hukuman bagi golongan kafir kerana enggan memeluk agama Islam.

https://ms.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jizyah

Sekiranya kita melakukan pembacaan sepintas mengenai apa yang terkandung dalam Piagam Madinah dan secara berpisahkan dari konteks yang jauh lebih luas, maka kita akan berpendapat bahawa sikap toleransi didalam piagam itu memang memuaskan. Jika kita melihat dengan lebih dekat pada piagam tersebut, satu kesedaran mula timbul dan kita akan mendapati bahawa Piagam Madinah bukanlah satu perlembagaan yang penuh dengan muhibah dan sikap bertoleransi seperti yang disangka pada mulanya.

Tidak boleh dinafikan bahawa pada masa ini terdapat sebilangan anak Sarawak yang bukan beragama Islam yang percaya bahawa penubuhan UNIFOR olih kerajaan GPS Sarawak itu merupakan satu bukti toleransi seperti yang dikatakan terdapat didalam Piagam Madinah. Susah untuk mereka percaya ada kemungkinan kerajaan GPS pimpinan Abg Jo, secara segaja atau tidak sengaja, sedang membina rangka kerja untuk sebuah kerajaan Islam di Sarawak.

PAS atau Parti Se-Islam Malaysia sekarang adalah sebahagian daripada kerajaan Perikatan Nasional (PN) bersama sama Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS). Memang tidak dapat dinafikan bahawa kemasukan PAS sebagai sebahagian daripada kerajaan persekutuan telah dipermudahkan oleh GPS. Selepas saja mereka memasuki kerajaan ahli PAS mula masuk campur dalam urusan perniagaan golong yang bukan beragama Islam dan mengancam akan menutup perniagaan yang mereka sasar atas alasan perniagaan berkenaan bertentangan dengan kepercayaan mereka.

Di tengah tengah semua ini, yang paling membingungkan ialah respon atau maklum balas daripada ahli parlimen dan dewan undangan negeri dari Sarawak dan juga dari ketua masyarakat dan ketua kampung. Mereka kata anak Sarawak seharusnya tidak terpengaruh dengan itu semua kerana ia sekadar politik kotor Malaya.  Ini adalah satu satunya kenyataan yang sangat jauh daripada kebenaran.

Sebagai mengakhiri artikel ini saya akan muat naik satu pautan yang mengandungi kata kata dari seorang ahli parlimen dari Sarawak yang berhubung kait dengan apa yang ditulis disini.

https://www.pressreader.com/malaysia/the-borneo-post/20211116/281556589074618

 

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(English)

Sarawak’s Constitution Is Secular - But For How long More?

 

As people says, when making provisions for unexpected calamitous happenings - Shit Happen.

Let me first start with a little background for what is to follow.

Malaysia’s constitution, while stating Islam as the official religion of the federation, is a secular constitution. This was clearly settled by the highest court in the country (then referred to as the Supreme Court, today as the federal court.) in the 1988 case of Che Soh Vs Federal Prosecutor. This land mark case was referred to in the 2013 case of Indira Gandhi Mutho Vs Pengarah Agama Islam Perak.

This however did not deter Tun Mahathir Mohamad (Mahathir) from making his very bold but now almost completely forgotten 929 Declaration during the Gerakan 39th national delegates conference in Sept 2003. At the event,  Mahatir who was then PM of Malaysia and chairman of BN, unilaterally declared Malaysia as an Islamic state. Nobody from Gerakan stood up to protest. Today Gerakan is almost invisible from the political landscape of Malaysia.

Moving now to Sarawak.

Sarawak’s constitution too acknowledges that Islam is the official religion of the federation of Malaysia but it does not provide for an official religion for Sarawak. In short, Sarawak’s constitution too is a secular constitution.

This however did not stopped someone, a state government appointed  administrator of a website, from stating in a state government website in December 2015 that Sarawak is an Islamic state. The notation was only removed after the issue was raised in the Dewan Undangan Negeri.

On the 8th Nov 2021, CM Tan Sri Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari (Abg Jo) was quoted as saying that the development of Malaysia and Sarawak must continue along the concept of the Muqadimmah. For the uninitiated, the Muqadimmah is a treatise written by a sunni muslim Arab scholar/historian by the name of Ibn Khaldun in 1377. The treatise is infused with the sharia and fiqh. In short, Abang Johari was saying that the administration by a Sarawak government headed by him will be along the teachings of Islam.  

In 2019 Abg Jo was was reported as having said racial and religious relations in Sarawak will be managed along the Ta’ayush concept found in the Medina Charter. What is the Medina Charter? I  include here a link which will provide a VERY BASIC understanding of what the Medina Charter is. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitution_of_Medina

There is a part of the Medina Charter is which very seldom talked about - the Jizya Tax. The Jizya Taz has been described in these words : Historically, the jizya tax has been understood in Islam as a fee for protection provided by the Muslim ruler to non-Muslims, for the exemption from military service for non-Muslims, for the permission to practice a non-Muslim faith with some communal autonomy in a Muslim state, and as material proof of the non-Muslims' submission to the Muslim state and its laws, Jizya has also been understood by some as a badge or state of humiliation of the non-Muslims in a Muslim state for not converting to Islam, (the Quran calling for unbelievers to pay jizyah "willingly while they are humbled" Q.9:29), a substantial source of revenue for at least some times and places  while others argue that if it were meant to be a punishment for the dhimmis' unbelief then monks and the clergy wouldn't have been exempted.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jizya

Suffice to say here that a cursory reading of the Charter of Medina, divorced from any kind of larger context, will intoxicate us with its apparent tolerance. If we look more closely at the charter, a degree of sobriety begins to set in and we will discover that the Medina Charter is not the enlightened constitution that some non-muslims would like to describe it.

Some non-muslims will point to the setting of UNIFOR as one visible proof of this apparent tolerance without pointing out that the GPS government led by Abg Jo may be quietly installing the framework for an Islamic government. Is this a figment of my imagination? You consider the following and you decide.

PAS, a known Islamist party, is now a partner in the Perikatan Nasional (PN) federal government together with Sarawak’s Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS). In fact GPS facilitated PAS’s entry into the federal government by helping to form the PN government. Since then, PAS has gone on to interfere in the management of a business which in all practical points do not infringe on the rights of muslims. The latest is the impending closure of all gaming/gambling outlets in Kedah. Some argue that closing gaming businesses is a good thing as gambling is not good and is not encouraged by any religion. The issue here however is not gambling perse. It is the gradual and insidious removing of the basic rights of non-muslims in Malaysia.

The most dangerous part in all this is the response by the Sarawak’s non-muslim lawmkers and the village level leaders commonly referred to as Ketua Kampungs and Ketua Masyarakat and of late, chairmans of local councils. They claimed that all these are the fruits of Malayan politics and has nothing to do with us. That unfortunately is furthest from the truth.

Finally, I include here a link to a statement issued by a Sarawak MP who seems to have acquired an appreciation of the very worrying state that we are heading to.

https://www.pressreader.com/malaysia/the-borneo-post/20211116/281556589074618

 

 

Budget 2022 Vs 12th Malaysia Plan - Comparative Study Of Cowshit & Bullshit

                Budget 2022 Vs 12th Malaysia Plan - Comparative Study Of Cowshit & Bullshit

 

16 days after PM Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri tabled the 12th Malaysia Plan in parliament on the 27th September2021, CM Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg (Abang Jo) was reported as saying that the federal government’s RM4.47-billion allocation for Sarawak under the 12th Malaysia Plan (12MP) is still low.

Under the GPS government Post Covid.19 Development Strategies 2030, Abang Jo was gunning for Sarawak’s economy to grow by 6% to 8% per year until 2030 and an allocation of 15% of the total amount allocated under the 12MP was simply insufficient to fuel the desired growth rate.

It was no surprise then that the response from Sarawak’s state lawmakers were noticeably muted. The only praise came from one MP who amongst other things said, “When you zoom in, there is a detailed set of development actions to make a significant difference in Sabah and Sarawak”

What was the promise for Sarawak in the 12MP?

This is how one online mainstream news portal puts it: Sabah and Sarawak will continue to receive between 15% and 18% each of the total basic development allocation annually under the 12th Malaysia Plan (12MP). At this point, it will do well to remember that there is only 4 years left in the 12th Malaysia plan. It is also necessary to remember that the development allocation for Sarawak in the federal budget must reflect the allocation mapped out for Sarawak and now pro-rated over 4 years i.e from 2022 to 2025.

The total allocation for development under the 12MP is RM400 billion, touted as the biggest 5-year road map ever. Taking the 15% of that means Sarawak share of the development allocation is RM60 billion. Spread over 4 years, Sarawak’s share of the development allocation in the federal budget should be RM15 billion per year for 4 years starting with Budget 2022 but Sarawak’s allocation under the 1st Rolling Plan of the 12MP was only RM4.47 billion.

What was the promise for Sarawak under the national Budget 2022?

The promise for Sarawak under the Budget 2022 is the mirror image of the amount allocated under the 1st Rolling Plan of the 12MP mentioned earlier.

Why is there such a huge difference between the promised allocation under the 12MP and the allocation under the 1st Rolling Plan as reflected in the Budget 2022? How did it happen?

Just in case there are readers who missed it, the difference is more than RM10 billion. In other words, Sarawak has been short-changed by RM10 billion.

Even if we put aside the RM400 billion total development budget target in 12MP and take the development budget of RM75.6 billion in the 2022 budget, the promise of 15% for Sarawak should have seen us receiving RM11.4billion. Instead we were given just RM4.6 billion which is a paltry 6%. In contrast, the Bumiputera (read Malay) agenda was given RM11.4 billion.

Here it is of the utmost importance to remember that RUU MA63 was scheduled for the 1st reading in parliament on the 26th Oct 2021 but it was put off to the 3rd Nov 2021. Why is this significant?

The RUU MA63, which every single Sarawakian was looking forward to, was the instrument that is supposed to restore Sarawak’s status as an equal partner to Malaya and Sabah in the federation of Malaysia. Closely tied to this is the expectations of Sarawakians that the spirit of equal partnership will be reflected in the development allocations under the 12MP and the accompanying rolling plans. This expectation was running high as Sarawak prepare for the impending state elections.

Sarawakians who followed this developments closely were then left to wonder if the postponement of the 1st reading of the RUU MA63 was purposely done to facilitate the passage of the Budget 2022 with its RM4.47 billion allocation instead of the RM15 billion promised in the 12MP. This was and still is the red hot topic of conversations in kopitiams and the kaki lima.

If this was the case, then it would confirm the suspicions of many Sarawakians that our leaders in both the GPS government and the PN federal government are so completely subservient to the leaders from Malaya, especially leaders from UMNO, PBM and PAS that they cannot bring themselves to say a word of dissent in defence of Sarawak’s rights. It is no wonder that we continue to be treated as the meek orphan cousin who happens to own a cash cow in resources, instead of a strong and equal partner deserving of our dues. We are not asking for the moon and the stars, only what is rightfully ours. GPS is clearly incapable of getting even that for us.

Show GPS the exit door in the coming PRN! Vote them out!

Pembinaan Negara Bangsa Di Malaysia - Pernah Bermula?

Pembinaan Negara Bangsa Di Malaysia - Pernah Bermula?

Saya merujuk kepada kenyataan yang dikeluarkan oleh Menteri Perumahan dan Kerajaan Tempatan, Dato Sri Dr. Sim Kui Hian bertarikh 1hb Nov 2021 dan juga kepada kenyataan dari Menteri Kebajikan, Kesejahteraan Komuniti, Wanita, Keluarga dan Pembangunan Kanak-Kanak, Datuk Seri Fatimah Abdullah pada 29hb Okt 2021. Kenyataan kenyataan tersebut berhubung kait dengan kontroversi Timah Whisky. 

Kedua kenyataan yang dirujuk menyentuh kepada kesan negatif kepada keharmonian kaum akibat komen-komen oleh warga maya dalam media sosial dan juga daripada kenyataan dalam akhbar.

Terdapat ramai orang yang tidak peduli atau tidak ambil berat mengenai kontroversi Timah Whisky ini. Mereka mengatakan bahawa kontroversi ini sengaja dibesar-besarkan oleh pihak tertentu dengan tujuan mengalih perhatian rakyat Malaysia dari isu serius dan besar seperti isu Pandora Papers dan isu RUU355.

Pucuk pimpinan parti PAS berulang kali berjanji kepada ahli dan kepada penyokong mereka bahawa apabila mereka berjaya membentuk kerajaan pusat atau berjaya menjadi sebahagian daripada kerajaan pusat, maka RUU355 akan menjadi salah satu daripada keutamaan tertingggi mereka.

Sekarang mereka sudah menjadi sebahagian daripada kerajaan pusat Perikatan Nasional (PN) bersama rakan mereka Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) dari Sarawak. Akan tetapi sehingga hari ini RUU355 belum lagi dibentang di parlimen. Sementara itu, PAS sekarang bersiap sedia untuk bertanding dalam pilihanraya negeri Melaka yang akan berlangsung pada 20th Nov 2021.

Disini saya ingin mengajak semua rakyat Malaysia, terutama sekali rakyat yang berasal dari Sarawak, supaya berfikir mendalam mengenai hala tuju negara Malaysia kita daripada segi pembinaan negara bangsa. Soalan yang wajib kita fikir adalah sekarang adalah, apakah yang kita sebagai individu dan sebagai rakyat biasa boleh lakukan demi mengelakkan negara kita daripada jatuh ke pereputan nasional tahap 4 iaitu tahap terminal.

Terdapat banyak bukti bahawa Rukun Negara, yang diartikulasikan atau digubah dari apa yang pernah dipanggil ‘ 7 Pillars of the Nation ‘, dibuat atau diguna sebagai batu asas dalam usaha pembentukkan pembinaan negara bangsa oleh pemimpin-pemimpin awal Malaysia. Salah satu daripada buktinya terdapat di sistem pendidikan kita. Pelajar-pelajar Malaysia, daripada tahap yang terendah dibangku sekolah wajib hafal dan mengerti apa yang terkandung didalam Rukun Negara. Rukun Negara secara kebiasaannya ditulis dihalaman belakang atau muka surat terakhir buku eksais yang digunakan dalam bilik darjah.

Kita rakyat Malaysia sepatutnya hidup selesa dalam suasana dan keadaan yang penuh dengan kemakmuran, kesaksamaan dan keadilan tetapi keadaan sebenar sekarang sedikit pun tidak mencerminkan apa yang sepatutnya berlaku. Ini adalah kerana pemimpin kita, dulu dan sekarang, langsung tidak endah (ambil endah???) akan kepentingan Rukun Negara dalam kepimpinan mereka. 

Keadaan dimana kita berada sekarang amat menyedihkan. Kaum-kaum di Malaysia sudah menjadi kumpulan yang terkutub keliling bangsa dan agama. Jurang diantara kaum sudah berada ditahap yang amat membingungkan dan menyedihkan. Kalau dulu, kita harap-harap Malaysia akan menjadi syurga kepada kita, malangnya, kita sekarang hidup dalam keadaan dimana sebahagian daripada rakyat ditindas dan dipinggirkan.

Apabila seorang perdana menteri berpendapat bahawa wajarkah dia menghadiri satu perhimpunan gergasi yang dianjur oleh satu kaum, iaitu perhimpunan dimana kaum-kaum lain dimaki dan dihina, dan apabila seorang ahli parlimen menghina secara terbuka didalam parlimen mengenai agama Kristian, maka susah hendak berpura pura bahawa semuanya baik-baik sahaja.

Baru-baru ini, timbul pula kontroversi Timah Whisky. Amatlah sedih apabila dua orang menteri GPS di Sarawak masuk campur dalam kontroversi tersebut. Kontroversi Ini menambah kepada persepsi bahawa Malaysia sekarang sedang menuju kepada status negara apartheid.

Hari ini, ramai pemimpin didalam kerajaan sudah lupa bahawa penghormatan itu boleh dibandingkan dengan jalan dua hala. Menghargai dan memahami hakikat itu dan menggunakan ilmu itu sebagai pedoman akan membawa kepada hormat dan menghormati diantara rakyat atau kaum yang datang dari berbilang latar belakang agama dan bangsa.

Dalam keadaan sekarang, mendengar lagu patriotik boleh menjadi satu pengalaman yang tidak menyenangkan kerana lirik lagu jauh berbeza dengan keadaan sebenar.

Pada 8hb Okt 2021, Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob telah melancarkan konsep Keluarga Malaysia beliau. Dia berkata pimpinan beliau akan perpandu nilai-nilai keluarga yang sempurna. Maka timbul lah harapan bahawa kereputan dalam Malaysia boleh dibendung dan dihentikan. Namun Bajet 2022 yang baru dibentang telah menghancurkan ilusi bahawa esok akan menjadi lebik baik dan cerah.

Bajet 2022 memperuntukkan RM11.4 BILION untuk memperkasakan Bumiputera, istilah atau akronim yang difahami oleh kaum Dayak di Sarawak untuk tidak merangkumi mereka. Anak-anak Sarawak dan Sabah diperuntukkan sejumlah RM10 juta untuk membolehkan mereka lebih memahami budaya dan warisan. Tidak ada satu sen pun peruntukkan untuk menaikkan status kehidupan dan status ekonomi mereka.

Daripada RM75.6 bilion yang diperuntukkan untuk perbelanjaan pembangunan, Sarawak cuma diberi RM4.6 bilion atau hanya 6.08% daripada jumlah keseluruhan peruntukan. Perlu juga ditegaskan di sini bahawa pada tahun 2020, Sarawak merupakan penyumbang ke-4 terbesar kepada KDNK negara. Dan untuk lebih menekankan perkara itu, saiz Sarawak, pada 124,449 km persegi, adalah 94% daripada saiz Tanah Melayu. Ketidakadilan dalam belanjawan pembangunan yang diperuntukkan kepada Sarawak adalah sangat terang, seperti matahari tengah hari.

Secara ringkasnya, jawapan kepada penyakit atau masalah yang sedang kita harungi sekarang ini tidak didapati dalam kerajaan persekutuan PN atau mana-mana kerajaan yang dipimpin oleh pemimpin dari UMNO mahupun dari PAS atau dari mana-mana parti politik Malaya yang tidak mempunyai belas kasihan untuk mengengkang ultra dalam barisan mereka.

Percaya atau tidak, keadaan negeri Sarawak yang menakutkan ini adalah hasil perbuatan kita sendiri. Terlalu ramai rakyat Sarawak memilih untuk mempercayai pemimpin yang mulutnya s tertutup  sebaik saja mereka menang dalam pilihan raya dan menjadi sebahagian daripada kerajaan.

Hari ini kita melihat beberapa wakil rakyat kita yang berada di peringkat atasan kerajaan, selepas menyedari bahawa mereka berada di bawah pengawasan rapi, tanpa merasa malu, mengeluar kenyataan dalam media sosial yang menyatakan mereka  tidak setuju dengan rakan-rakan mereka. Kenyataan dan tindakan yang meradang dari rakan rakan mereka tersebut terus mengoyakkan talisilaturahim masyarakat Malaysia. Ada juga diantara pemimpin pemimpin kita yang mengambil petikan ayat-ayat suci agama mereka untuk cuba menghalang pengundi mereka daripada perbuatan tertentu yang berpotensi mencetuskan sensitiviti rakan sekerja mereka.

Antara perbuatan yang tidak digalakkan ialah meminum minuman beralkohol.

'Pemimpin' ini sememangnya gagal menyedari bahawa kitalah yang memilih mereka untuk menjadi suara kita dalam badan perundangan. Kita memilih mereka dengan mempercayai mereka akan memikul dan menunaikan amanah yang diberi kepada mereka dengan sepenuhnya, namun, mereka hanya seperti 'melepas batuk di tepi tangga' dan sama sekali tidak kisah dan langsung tidak peduli untuk membela nasib kita.

Saya menyeru agar para pemimpin kita untuk menyedari kesusahan yang kita hadapi dan keperluan untuk mereka menjadi suara yang berkesan kerana mereka sudahpun dipilih sebagai wakil kita. Sehubungan dengan itu, mereka mesti mula bertindak dan bersuara di parlimen dan di DUN Sarawak dengan cara yang kita harapkan mereka lakukan, iaitu tanpa gementar dan sependapat dalam menyuarakan aspirasi kita. Jelas disini, tidak memadai jika tugas mereka hanya menjadi fasilitator kepada projek pembangunan di kawasan masing-masing.

Nation Building In Malaysia - Did it Actually Take-Off?

 Nation Building In Malaysia - Did it Actually Take-Off?

I refer to a statement from Housing and Local Government Minister Dato Sri Dr. Sim Kui Hian dated 1st Oct 2021 and carried by the Borneo Post and also to a statement from Minister for Welfare, Community Wellbeing, Women, Family and Childhood Development Datuk Seri Fatimah Abdullah dated the 29th Oct 2021. Both statements referred  to are in relation the ongoing Timah Whisky controversy. 

Both statements alludes to the adverse effects on racial harmony in Malaysia caused by the numerous comments made by netizens on the issue. 

Many have dismissed the furore the controversy has raised, saying it was purposely stirred by some quarters to distract the general Malaysian public from the Pandora Papers and more specifically, the muslim population in Malaysia from the RUU355 issue. 

The leadership of PAS had promised their constituents that RUU355 would be among  their top priority once they are the federal government or part of the federal government. They are now part of the Perikatan Nasional (PN) federal government, together with the Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) but the RUU355 has not been tabled in parliament. In the meantime, the Melaka state election has been scheduled for the 20th Nov 2021 and PAS has announced that they will be contesting in the elections.

What I would like do here is to sincerely invite all Malaysians in general and Sarawakians in particular, to reflect on where our Malaysian society is heading in terms of nation building and what we can do to head-off the slide into national decay stage 4.

There is plenty of evidence to indicate that the Rukun Negara (National Principles), built on what has been referred to as the ‘ 7 Pillars of the Nation’ was crafted and agreed upon by our early leaders to be the building block of our nation. One such evidence is to be found in our education system. Malaysian students, from their earliest years in school were drilled in the Rukun Negara. The back page of exercise books had the Rukun Negara printed on it.

We could have easily find ourselves  in our own utopia had our leaders, both in the present and in the yesteryear internalised the ideals of the Rukun Negara and conduct themselves by it. Unfortunately for us the common man on the street, they did not.

The state in which we find ourselves today is saddening to say the least. Malaysians have become so polarized around race and most especially around religion that sometimes it seems that Malaysia is no longer the haven that Malaysians, of diverse racial and religious backgrounds, had hoped for. When a sitting Prime Minister saw it fit to attend a massive and chauvinistic gathering of one particular racial group in which other races were   derided and when an MP saw it fit to bring bigotry to our legislative body by running down Christianity in parliament and subsequently refusing to apologize for that most offensive act, it becomes difficult to continue to pretend that all is well in Malaysia.  

The recently started and still ongoing Timah whisky controversy, into which two of our state ministers have waded, seems to indicate that Malaysia is firmly on the road to becoming an apartheid state where the interest and well being of other races is subjugated to the interest and well being of just one particular race. 

Many of our leaders appears to have forgotten that respecting the sensitivities of others is a two way street. Appreciating that fact, internalizing it and practising it is what caused someone to earn the respect of another who is of a different racial and religious background.

Today just listening to patriotic songs on the radio can become  an excruciatingly painful experience.

When PM Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob launched his Keluarga Malaysia concept on the 8th Oct 2021, he said that the concept was founded upon the Rukun Negara. There was hope that this Keluarga Malaysia concept will prove to be the beginning of the reversal from the slide into total decay for Malaysia. Sadly the national Budget 2022 quickly put an end into the illusion of a better tomorrow. 

Budget 2022 allocated RM11.4 BILLION for empowering the Bumiputra, a term or acronym which dayaks in Sarawak understand not to include them. The children of Sarawak and  Sabah were allocated a combined sum of RM10 million to enable them to better understand culture and heritage. 

Of  the RM75.6 billion allocated for development expenditure, Sarawak was given a measly RM4.6 billion or just 6.08% of the total allocation. It must also be pointed out here that in 2020, Sarawak was the 4th largest contributor to the national GDP. And just to further emphasize the point, the size of Sarawak, at 124,449 km sq , is 94% of the size of Malaya. The injustice in the development budget allocated to Sarawak is as glaring as the mid-day sun. 

In short, the answer to the malady that we are wallowing in now is not to be found with the PN federal government or any other government led by the ultras from UMNO and from PAS or from any other Malaya based political parties that does not have the stomach to reign in the ultras within their ranks.

Believe it or not, this terrible state that Sarawak is in today is our own doing. Too many Sarawakians choose to elect leaders whose mouths are closed up almost immediately after they win in an election and becomes part of the government. 

Today we see some of our elected representatives in the upper echelon of the government, after realizing that they are under close scrutiny, taking to social media to express their disagreement with their colleagues who brazenly continue to tear at the fabrics of our Malaysian society with their inflammatory statements and actions. Some have taken to quoting  verses from the holy scriptures of their religion to discourage their constituents from certain acts that has the potential of triggering the so-called sensitivities of their colleagues. 

Among the acts discouraged is drinking alcoholic drink.

These ‘ leaders ‘ have failed to realize that we elected them to be our voice in the legislative bodies that we elected them into and it is not their ‘ melepas batuk di tepi tangga ‘ that we need to rescue us.

I now called upon our leaders to both recognize this predicament that we are in and the need for them to be effective voices for us whom they represent. Accordingly, they must start to act and taIk in parliament and in Sarawak’s DUN the way we need them to - fearless and single-minded in voicing our needs. It is not enough for them to be just facilitators of development projects in their respective areas.