Bahtera Merdeka - 50 tahun

Bahtera Merdeka

Bonda senyum riang

Menerima bahtera merdeka

Putra putri sayang

Putra putri sayang

Sedang berjuang

Fajar telah tiba

Nan menyinsing membawa harapan

Tanah Semenanjung

Tanah Semenanjung

Permata nilam

Jiwa dan raga

Buktikanlah pada nusa bangsa

Supaya negara maju jaya

Aman merdeka

Duhai ibu pertiwi

Putra putri datang sujud bakti

Ingin menunaikan

Ingin menunaikan

Sumpah dan janji

My Lil' Sweethearts

Top : Niece, Sh. Amni Damia. Now 3+

Bottom : Nephew, Sy. Daris. Now 1 day +.

Janji Joned, Jiang and Jeevan

It happened again, this time on the Seminar Pembangunan Insan. The seminar which was scheduled at 12, were delayed until 1.45pm. For those who came early before the event starts, had to wait for nearly 2 hours.

I wanted to blame the Organizer (KUAM), but they shouldnt entirely be blamed because they delayed the program based on past experience. Usually, the classic reason would be, "org belum ramai datang lagi, kita delay sikit majlis ni". Ha ? sikit ? sikit is 10-12 minutes. More than that the 'sikit' turns to 'sakit' you know. However, this has becoming a tradition in Malaysia. I've seen many organization practising the tradition, and it becomes worse when they had to deal with the protocoals.

As much as I wanted to cekik the organizer, I pretty much pity them because i understand that they were trapped in 2 situations. If they proceed the event on time, they fear that the VIPs would get offended because of the not much turn-up. Especially if the VIPs are the PM and the big shots. On the other hand, if they delay the program, those who came on time won't get a fair treatment.

Usually when it comes to making choice in this situation, they would DELAY THE PROGRAM. "Nevermind lah, those who are already here can wait". As usual.. the VIPs' feeling are more important, than those who put an effort to come early (sigh).

Not many can see the impact of delaying programs. Not many realize that when we delay a program, we actually fail to appreciate those who respect the time. Not only that, we demotivate those who really want to engage in a program or event. The impact does not stop there as there are actually long-term effect from this kind of practice. The recurring of such practice contributes to the weak minded of -"ala, diorang mesti start lambat punya", which results in many and increasing irresponsible attendees to come later than the event time.

An organization must change, they must play 'degil' with these irresponsible attendees. It is time for a student organization to teach these late comers. The organization must be able to start on time even if the VIPs have to face one attendee. Enough of succumbing to the late comers and the VIP feelings. The organizer must respect their own feelings and principle.

The organizers usually put their time and hardship weeks or years before they conduct an event. This include promoting the event which normally indicates the time of the event via posters, internet, etc. With this, it should be understood that those intended to come have already aware of the details. Thus, it is absolutely not an organizer's mistake when these people turn up late. Infact, the organizer should not feel guilty if they dont achieve the expected number of attendees on time during the day of the event.

The show must run on time. That is the only way to educate the attendees on respecting time. Let this be a lesson to the late comers - they dont deserve to be appreciated.

P/S To KUAM, u were unlucky to be appeared in this comment because I was there during your event. Dont get offended as MASCA too can be in the article if the seminar was their event. Thanks guys !

Around the World in 8 hours.

I went to Amila's house with 2 bunches of Jasmine flower after the seminar finished at around Maghrib (6pm). I reached Glenroy at around 7pm and Harith (Amila's husband) picked me up at the train station. Amila and Harith have a son, Malik. They are Bosnians. We waited for Jamal (a Kuwaiti friend) for dinner, but ended up eating first when mentioned that he will be late.


It was when Jamal arrived, that we had heavy discussions. It lingered around the first hand stories about
Bosnia
1. The Bosnia Massacre.
2. The History of Bosnian War.
3. How Bosnian views Serbs.
4. Bosnian foods.
5. The Bosnian Muslims effort to learn Islam.
6. Photos of the Bosnian family & land.
7. The killing of professionals and 200,000 bosnians.
8. The 4 years waiting for the neighbours and the US to help.
9. Bosnian children books were printed in Malaysia !

Arab
1. The cost of living in Arab, Kuwait.
2. The problems with Arabs.
3. The treatment received by Arab Muslimahs.
4. The status in Kuwait.
5. Enquire about Jamal's criteria for wife.

Malaysia
1. The real politics in Malaysia.
2. Why Malaysia and Singapore were separated.
3. How Malaysia developed so fast.
4. The threat Malaysia is facing.

Islam
1. Halal and Haram issue.
2. Scarf
3. Iman and the need to have iman.
4. marriage and the choice of partners.

Dinner
1. Beef
2. Baked potato with cheese.
3. Tzatziki
4. Smoked meat.
5. vanilla bean puff pastry- Yummmmmmmmmy !
6. Bosnian coffee.

And that was why I came home at 3am!

The Day my TRUST is broken forever.

I excerpt this from my fp.


I never thought that in my 4+ years of doing doctorate, i'd be tested again and again and again until it really made my knees weak. I started like everybody else, I brought along with me an ultimate TRUST. The trust is not only mine, it is my family's trust, my country's trust and the fellow taxpayers' trust. To whom this trust is given ? First, to myself and second, to my supervisor.

I wasnt an A-straight student. Infact, I wasnt a bright student. Therefore, I had to struggle hundred times more than my peers. It wasnt easy when you have to carry the trust in your head everyday, especially with the taxpayers' money. Having that thought in my mind, i told myself and my supervisor that I need to complete my research in three years. Yes. that is how i intended and i was determined.

I worked blood, sweat and tears throughout those 3 years. I didnt give myself any reason for not finish in 3 years. For me, reasons are for failures. I didnt give anybody the chance to say that 'she does not do anything'. Infact, i didnt give the chance for my supervisor to criticize my work. I even remember the dialogue between me and him. "I want to finish in 3 years, can you help me ? I'll put whatever I have in this 3 years", "why are you so worried, with your work style, i guarantee u'll finish less than 3 years. U just follow my instructions.". "Okay, i trust you". "Yes, trust me". So I trusted him, and I worked. Well, do i get praised ? Heaps ! Did i finish my work on time everytime I met my supervisor ? Not a single delay.

The ultimatum.
3 years and 2 months. I finished my first draft. I didnt expect my first draft to be entirely correct. But, well, i followed the trust, i followed what my supervisor had told me to do. Soon, i'll be back to my beloved family, right ? WRONG!

I gave 2 weeks for my supervisor to read my draft. I shouldnt be worried. I've already collected empty boxes for my stuff just in case I only need 2 months to do the correction. I shouldnt be worried as well when my supervisor said "I'm leaving to Monash Uni. But dont worry, I am responsible to make sure you finish your thesis. Infact, I am guilty because I should take a better care of you".

The Day.
It was on Friday, 3.00pm. Me, my supervisor and my new supervisor sat in our common room to discuss on the draft. My supervisor looked tense. He started with "Bloody hell, what have u done with your thesis ? " To my shocked, i asked him "Why?", he replied, "Heaven, the entire thesis is wrong !" "What ??" . "I dont know what you did, but these are rubbish" . Yes, he called my TRUST there rubbish. I sat there for an hour, keeping my fist together. Tremble inside. My face was red in embarrassment over the yelling, the 'bloody hells' and 'heavens' throughout the entire meeting. At the end of the meeting, he stood up and said to my new supervisor. "Well, i dont know what to do and how to fix this mess. Maybe u can look after her. I'm going to Monash. Haha..okay, i'll see you there" and there he went..to the BAR.

It was just a beginning.
I looked at my new supervisor. Trying so hard not to drop my tears infront of him. He politely said to me. "Go home first, we'll fix this tomorrow". No, i didnt go home straightaway. I went to his room and asked "Will you tell me how long will it takes to fix this ?" He answered, "Frankly, more than 6 months" His words shattered my dreams. I could see nothing for a few seconds. Blank. Weak. I could feel blood gushing out from my body. I walked blindly towards home. Crying as much as I could. Not over the yelling, but the TRUST that i've given him.

I occupied myself on that weekend and my friends noticed my pale face. On Monday I called Malaysia. "Mama, nak balik..."..And I took off to my homeland, unfortunately for only one month. Together with me, were the TRUST that had already broken...no..its not broken...it was BETRAYED!

Sindrom "nak letak jawatan"

This morning, while I was bersilat with my journal, a friend called me up to discuss about something related to an association which I'm the treasurer with. After asking about the financial thingy, she dropped a bad news "si X nak letak jawatan". Huh ?

Okay, let me tell, that since the organization has been properly established, so far, many of the committee members wanted to "letak jawatan". The irony is, the organization hasnt even started any serious program yet ! Luckily, the president is a very kind hearted person and has done his every effort to pujuk these people not to resign.

I notice that this has been a sydrome in most of the Malaysian organizations. Typical cause is "merajuk/sulking" when their ideas were challenged or put in rubbish bin. Another famous cause is "banyak kerjala" which actually spelt out "MALAS". It leads to "aku jadi org belakang je, ask me anytime, and i'll help you"..well guess what ? the organization need your help and that is why the members casted their votes for you because they trusted you to be the leader and run the show !

I simply link this syndrome with attitude of "mengada-ngada". The attitude is worse than the Oreo dip in-out act. What's wrong with holding a position for a year ? It is just a year, not forever. If they dont like it, hold it until the end of the term. Be patient.

What is the matter with "ok, because president pujuk i, i come back" attitude ? Arent we adult enough to stay firm with what we have decided ? There should be no such thing as I take back the job because I pity the president who came to me. This is just a small ORGANIZATION, not MNCs. Relax...you are not solving the world's problem.

The "nak letak jawatan" syndrom is okay when we were 24 years of age. But, when we grow older, we have to admit that that is not a choice. It is natural. The older we are, the more responsibility we have and the more we should contribute. To resign is not a reason for escaping the responsibility. In fact we should not retreat before the war begins. I believe we dont want to be like the Jews, escaping from responsibility right.

On a note, once in a while, learn to contribute. Enough mengada-ngada. We are the ladies and gentlemen, no more BIG girls and boys.

Waspishing the Weekend-Seminar Pembangunan Insan

25 Aug. 2007 - Saturday

Seminar Pembangunan Insan (Organized by Kelab UMNO Melbourne).

I went to the seminar after Tasha recommended that I should hear what Khairy Jamaludin (KJ) has to tell. I equipped myself with everything related to KJ since. Aside from the KJ-MK defamation, I read his DEB-Intipati, glanced through the e-book "KJ:Rasputin or A Boy Genious", Wikipedeaed him and read UMNO's and oppositions' blog which dubbed him as the Ultra Malay. Many thought that he can be a PM one day.

The Seminar started late (I'll write about this later). The presenters were Annuar Musa, KJ, Ahmad Ikmal, Norlee and Radzi. However, due the improper time management, the final three did not get the chance to talk - which I have a mix opinion on this: relief because I dont have to hear them babbling the politicians way, a bit regret because I wanted to hear them anyway.

Annuar Musa started by telling us the Malaysia history. I'm awaken by his many 'knowledge-by-experience' points. I really love when he clarified the 'UMNO is an assobiyah party'. KJ took over and continued with the topic related to political stability through to modal insan.

KJ rolled out the history. I like the fact that he is so knowledgable and he spoke fast too. Amy said he was able to sychronize his mind and talking at the same time. I envied that because I am still trying to learn how to do that ! By the end of his speech, he had many questions thrown to him. Overall, his speech was good and I admit that he is the best young orator that I've ever met. However, there was something unleashed in me about him. I couldnt stop thinking about him! Infact, many asked "cemana KJ ? Okay tak?" So, i guessed, my sms and Obi Wan Kenobi replies down can tell u something about what i think about him.

I sms my Obi Wan Kenobi. It went like this.
"Bru habis. I tak suka lah. I akui dia pandai cakap,petah, byk ilmu, tp ada sumthg that I dint like. I donno why. I like annuar musa"
Obi Wan Kenobi replied,
"Why? What makes u pessimist ?You terpengaruh ngan gossip or jeles dgn rupa smart dia n kedudukan dia?"
I replied,
"No lah. I'm sceptical, but i lke that he is vocal. but i guessed i suka org yg tenang tp berisi."
Obi Wan Kenobi replied,
"Hahaha. Ya sebab tu dia sesuai utk politik bukan academic n civil servant."
I replied,
"A ah tp Mahathir and Pak lah x camtu,but they managed to be good leaders. how did they do ?"
OWK replied,
"Jgn banding gitu. Dr. M cuma tertarik pada kuasa dan ilmu, tp pemimpin baru cam KJ masih tertarik pada kuasa, wang dan perempuan. So, perspective yg berbeza. "
I replied,
"Ya la, dia masih muda kot. Pembawakan lain."
OWK replied,
"Ya, barangkali juga. Jgn lupa usia jadikan seseorang itu tamak n berfikiran pendek. "


Yes, who am I to judge KJ. I dont know him. I should not judge the book by its cover. In fact, so far, on surface, I think he has a leadership quality. However, to strecth it and compare it with Dr. M and other PMs & Nik Aziz, is overreacting.

It is amazing how subsconscious mind can wallop the conscious and it shows how important genuine value is when it comes to convince an audience. Audience may not be vocal, but they are not stupid. When a leader gives a speech, the 'hard' infos are only 20% absorbed, the possibility of another 80% of the infos to be absorbed depends on the confidence of the speaker. However, the confidence is still not enough because audience see speaker beyond his words. The mind may analyzes arrogance and translates it to 'cakap banyak je dia ni'. And that's how I felt with KJ. I hope I'm wrong, but i believe I didnt see him being genuine, or at least yet.

I learnt a thing and I shared it with mama.

"Tak semestinya bila seseorang tu ckp gedebung gedebang, kita boleh kata orang tu berpangkat besar. Yes, maybe some of them pangkat tinggi. But, it wont last long. Sebab kuasa Allah, kita boleh 'melihat' ketulusan hati seseorang melalui percakapannya".

To Annuar Musa, thanks.

Whitey Winter

Southbank, Melbourne.

2 weeks after the market crashed.

Today matches the 2 weeks after the market crashed in the US that led to subsequent slumped in the Asia's markets. Last week, have seen many Central Banks pumped in liquidity in the economy to curb the drain. A week after the crashed, the US Fed Rev announced its most anticipated move, declaring to cut the discount rate in order to curb major loss. It was from 6.25% to 5.75%, and lengthened the term of loans to 30 days. Elsewhere, Central Banks reduced or the least, halted the interest rate rise. The market calmed down but the investors are still loss direction.

The solution offered by the US Fed and the Central Banks is only a short-term measure. The underlying issues which relates to the subprime practice is still far from over. The issue concerns the mortgages and the credit-cards. Due to the subprime practice, the market that offers mortgages and the credit cards were booming before, due the easy loan applications. After the crisis, those who mortgaged their assets started to take out the assets back. This is due to the mistrust to the bank to handle them. Another reason, the mortgage holders are afraid the their collateral will increase higher.

In regards to this, bank really has to pull the trust because, the assets that are being taken back were used for investment. In order to do this, it is then up to the loan lenders to be more strict when approving loans. The issue of credit-cards has always threatened the economy. The inability for the credit-card holders to payback (rising unemployment) the debt adds to the economy suffering.

Chermin

This entry should follow the Red Kebaya entry. Anyway..nvr mind.

This time, I would like to comment on CHERMIN which was presented to us on the second day of the Australian-Malaysian Film Festival.

Chermin is a thriller movie which has Malay culture background. I wont talk about the actors, but I want to express my dissatisfactions over the storyline. It started well for the first few minutes but then it went boring for the rest of the story. I have to say that eventhough the movie shows the reality of the Malay culture about gossipping, it was done in a terrible way.

How many have we seen nowadays that the Malay wives gossipping at night on the staircase while waiting for the husbands to come home from the mosque ?

How many villages now that still have the jungle path in between houses ? Not many does not represent majority.

A scene portrayed a slaughtered cock in front of the house, okay..it may represent evil doing, but, what was that representing ?

A very stupid reason was given when Hussain wanted to marry another one. Hussain said he didnt like the first one, because she didnt bear any child for him. Hello....she didnt have child because Hussain didnt sleep with him, reflecting his noncompliance in responsibility as a husband!! I was so furious in this part because it tried to smirk the Islamic polygamy rule. Indirectly it said "A man can marry more than 1 if he doesnt like the first one without any valid reason". Stupid !!

The possessed Nasrin only prayed AFTER she has been medicated by the Imam. Now wonder she is being possessed !! She didnt try to pray during the time when she knew that the evil is trying to possess him.

Ya Allah, there are lots of mistakes and stupidity in this film. In short, I was embarrassed and I didnt know why Tourism Malaysia has chosen this film to represent Malaysia. They should show Pontianak Harun Sundal Malam instead.

GEGARRRR

Arrgghhh !! GEGAARRRRRRRRR !!!

I'm hopeless when it comes to taking indoor photos !! Geraaaaaaaaaammm !!!

The Red Kebaya

Zura and I went to the ACMI to watch The Red Kebaya, at the opening of the Australia-Malaysia Film Festival. The 'ceremony' started at 6, with kebaya nyonya worn-Malaysians lined up greeting us before we entered the party area. I assumed the Malaysians are from the Tourism Malaysia.

The ceremony actually started at around 6.30pm with the Zapin and Joget Lambak performance by the Malaysian students. They did a very good job and hearing the Malay musics overseas made me want to go home.

We had dinner 'roti canai' which were catered by Zam-Zam restaurant. I love it ! While queing, I saw many mat sallehs ate roti chanai with wine. I was curious, I mean, does the wine goes with the spicy gravy of roti canai. Can their tummy tolerates ? I guess it should be okay because I saw they enjoyed it.

The screening actually started at 7.45pm. In the first few seconds, they showed Pak Lah's greeting, Malaysia traditions and of course, KLCC. I was so proud and yes, I miss Malaysia. There were a lot of mat salleh in the cinema (around more than half).

As this was my first time watching a Malaysian movie in the overseas cinema and surrounded by the non-Malaysians, I have to say, I was a bit nervous. I felt as if I was carrying a big responsibility to make sure that the movie was not an embarrasment to Malaysia. Similarly, Zura shared the same feelings. I asked myself many questions. What if Mat Sallehs laugh ? What if they walked out in the middle of the screening ? What if the movie does not achieve a standard that earn Malaysia a respect ?

The film started. I was awed by the movie introduction. Close-up of a red kebaya lace. That eased my nervousness. Hmm..quality shot. I let myself watched the movie with an open mind. The first few slots, were slow and a bit dragging. Anyway, i love the part where Latif went into the house and the scene entered the 1950-60s dimension. Brilliant! Remind me of Titanic.

Samantha Schubert gets a thumb up from me. Ramli Hasan, on the other hand, was a bit (10%) over-acted. Vanidah Imran's character did not actually stand up. Fauziah Nawi, what can I say..mat salleh loved her act. But, overall, I can say that this is a very good movie. Tak malu dibawa ke antarabangsa! The storyline is done with much careful. The Malay, India and Chinese relationship were briliantly portrayed in the movie. I love Maniam's wife when she answered to Mrs Reynold and Patrick Teoh scene when he was struggling with his sempoa. Simple yet deep.

The movie received a round of applause from the audience. Phew..!! I felt more relief than Ramli Hassan, I should say. I'm sure The Red Kebaya team is relieve too. It is not a commercial film but I must say that this movie is perfect if u were to show it overseas. From the bottom of my heart, thanks and Congratulation !

The Australian Malaysian Festival Film

Esok akan diadakan pembukaan rasmi The Australian Malaysian Festival Film. Films such as Putri Gunung Ledang, Chermin and The Red Kebaya will be participating in the Festival. I'm glad that the actors and actresses are from those who we can give credible credit on their profession. I wish there are several quality dramas by Rashid Sibir.

Fortunately, none of Razak Mohaideen's films were involved neither Yusof Haslam's. Needless to say how their qualities are. I also in great relief that none of botox-actresses were involved. If they are here, the audience would loss touch with the Malaysian heritage. Because, these botoxers have changed their face value to the unknown heritage - hence, make it unreliable for them to represent Malaysia.

Subprime crisis - Its effect on Malaysia, SEA

It has been one week since the Dow Jones plunged hard due the subprime crisis. We would like to know how it affects Malaysia and the region.

Malaysia.
Malaysia doesnt get direct impact from the crisis. However, we do get effected indirectly. What happened in the US has created panic among our institutional investors, especially the bank in our countries. The investors loss their confidence and sold their shares fearing that the market would stumble again. Personally, i dont think that our market will be hit hard because, given the subprime issue, we do not have such practice in Malaysia (even if we do have, the amount is insignificant).

Region.
Across the region, from Sydney (down 1.54%) to Singapore (down 4.3%), Manila (down 6.01%) to Mumbai (down 3.7%), Shanghai Composite Index off 2.4%, following Hong Kong's decline of 3.3% and Taiwan's 4.46% drop.

The news created panic, and if the selling off shares persist (big time cash-out), liquidity is drying out. However, I'm not sure why the ripple from the US impact Asia market hard, especially for the South Korean market. It is maybe due to South Korean banks and insurers invested a combined US$850 million in US subprime-mortgage-related bonds.

Japan (Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc, Mizuho Financial Group Inc and Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc) has also had financial deals with the subprime loan lenders, but in the small amount.

US Economy Crisis - Subprime mortgage financial crisis

Last week, Wall Street closed lowerdue to subprime mortgage financial crisis. Now, what is subprime mortgage ?

In order to know this, we have to go onestep backward to subprime lending. Subprime lending means the act of giving loan to borrowers who are not credible at the best market rate. Not credible means that they have poor credit history. This kind of lending has a very high risk because it involves a) high interest rate b) poor history of borrower. (we can say this like Along who lend the money at a very high interest rate to the borrower who has a bad financial history).

The word 'subprime' refers to the lower standard of the borrower. Several types of subprime mortgage includes

a) interest-only mortgages. In this case, borrowers pay interest only for a designated period.

b) pick-a-payment loan. Borrowers choose to pay a lower amount of loan repayment that what they should pay.

c) the easy convert from fixed interest mortgage to variable interest mortgage.

The thing take makes subprime lending risky is because it is done by the legal financial institutions not Along. This is how it works.

An investment bank buy loans from other bank, repackage and sell them to investors around the world. Their customers are like hedge fund and pension funds (in Malaysia similar tu EPF). The crisis started when a company (lender) called "New Century Financial" voiced their concern that they dont think they can survive because they have $8.4billion loan repayment problem. Market became panic and reacted negatively to the news.

Adding to the worse was when NCF told that they got their source from big names such as such as Morgan Stanley, Citigroup , Bank of America and Goldman Sachs. These big names used NCF services (that repackage the mortgage) to lend them to investors. Other businesses that are active in buying subprime loans and repacke them are like Lehman and Bear Stearns have been among the most aggressive in the business of buying subprime loans and repackaging them for sale to investors. Morgan Stanley and Merrill Lynch (Charts) have jumped even further into the business, by purchasing subprime mortgage lenders outright.

But some analysts said that the market were overreacting over the news.

Free market, socialism dan zakat.

Free market memerlukan undang2 untuk beroperasi kerana ianya tidak beroperasi dengan menurut arahan, sebaliknya melalui pilihan yang dibuat di bawah undang2. Nabi Muhamad bukan sahaja percaya kepada pasaran, tetapi baginda adalah seorang peniaga bersama dengan isteri baginda, Siti Khadijah. Pada zaman baginda dan Saidina Abu Bakar, harta dilindung. Sistem cukai ditetapkan dan bukan berbentuk rampasan. Kerajaan tidak campurtangan melainkan untuk mendedahkan penipuan, menghukum pencuri dan membasmi riba.

Malangnya, sedikit demi sedikit konsep sistem ini telah dilupakan terutamanya pada zaman Umayyah yang mana telah ditentang hebat oleh Umar bin Abdul Aziz. Umar bin Abdul Aziz, kemudian merombak sistem pada zaman Umayyah kembali ke ajaran Islam. Selama beratus-ratus tahun, konsep ekonomi Islam telah dipinggirkan oleh orang Islam sendiri, yang menyebabkan empayar Islam jatuh sebelum kedatangan Barat. Barat yang datang selepas itu, mencedok ajaran Islam dan menggunakannya sehingga membawa mereka ke merzu zaman Renaissance.

Amerika sangat bangga dengan 3 fungsi kerajaan; the executive, the judiciary and the legislature. Dalam Islam, konsep fungsi ini adalah lebih meluas. Pemerintah adalah executive. Hakim diberi masa tempoh tertentu. Perundangan sebenarnya terpisah kerana ia bukan sebahagian dari kerajaan. Sebenarnya, ia bukanlah perundangan dalam erti kata sebenar sebab Islam tidak mencipta undang2. Ianya dicipta dari Allah. Dan dengan itu, menuntut hambanya untuk mengkajinya dan menuruti, bukan mencipta. Konsep hamba dalam shariah berfungsi sebagai saintis, bukan penggubal.

Pada era dimana pintu ijtihad telah dipinggirkan, para ulama telah dibayar oleh kerajaan untuk tujuan mengkaji shariah. Imam Al Ghazali menyatakan hal ini "pemerintah yang selalu melawat scholar adalah bijak, sebaliknya, scholar yang selalu melawat pemerintah ada buruk"

Isu demokrasi adalah amat penting. Ia bukan kerana moral sesuatu demokrasi itu tinggi atau ia menyokong majoriti (kerana majoriti kadang-kadang ada membuat kesalahan). Tetapi ia lebih kepada konsepnya yang memberi jalan kepada penyelesaian sesuatu isu secara adil melalui sistem majoriti. tetapi, ini tidak bermakna ia boleh menidakkan hak minoriti.

Mengkaji tentang sosialisme dan Islam. Socialism adalah pemilikan harta oleh kerajaan ke atas faktor2 pengeluaran. Sedangkan Islam tidak. Apabila sekular barat mengatakan ada persamaan di antara socialism dan islam, mereka merujuk pada zakat. Tetapi, Islam menyangkal dakwaan ini kerana konsep zakat adalah termaktub kepada konsep 'penyucian' harta bukannya perampasan.

Waiting for the Master

I've invited my Master Obi Wan Kenobi to be a writer. Soon, if he agrees, this blog will be shared by us. I hope he can share his brilliant ideas with us.

Thank you bus driver.

Kemalangan yang berlaku di Taiping semalam menarik perhatian saya kerana ramai yang menunding jari, dan melepaskan diri dari rasa bertanggungjawab. Isu penundingan jari yang menariknya bertumpu kepada alasan jangka pendek - contoh, soal gaji dan gantung lesen.

Berikutan alasan jangka pendek, jika diperhatikan cara penyelesaiannya juga bersikap jangka pendek. Tiada satu pun alasan berteraskan penyelesaian jangka panjang dan moral.

Saya tertarik dengan alasan pemandu bas kurang. Alasan utama, gaji pemandu bas murah, jadi mereka beralih kepada memandu lori kerana memandu lori gajinya mahal. Persoalannya, sampai bilakah isu perbezaan pendapatan akan selesai ? Kenapa fokus penyelesaian lebih tertumpu kepada memberi gaji tinggi sahaja ?

Isu gaji kurang dan pemandu kurang berpunca pada nilai hormat yang hilang. Pemandu kurang adalah disebabkan kurang hormat masyarakat kepada pemandu-pemandu bas. Memandu bas dilihat sebagai pekerjaan bawahan. Mereka dilayan secara tidak adil dan dipandang rendah. Diperhentian bas, kemudahan yang diberikan setakat ala kadar. Di Klang, pemandu berlegar-legar diluar saja. Tiada bilik khusus yang menawarkan tempat rehat yang mencerminkan mereka ini sepatutnya dihormati selepas penat membawa bas. Tiada lagi rasanya tempat rehat pemandu Malaysia bertaraf 'lounge', lengkap dengan penghawa dingin, cafe, sofa. Belum lagi ada syarikat bas yang mengangkat taraf pemandu mereka dengan menyediakan bilik untuk berehat dan memisahkan mereka sekejap dari dunia membawa bas.

Sedangkan hakikatnya, pemandu bas adalah golongan yang paling penting kerana memikul amanah secara terus membawa penumpang dan barang dari mula destinasi hingga sampai ke destinasi dengan SELAMAT. Tidak ramai yang mencungkil hakikat penat dan jemu bila kena memandu dalam keadaan bas yang buruk, berkuap dan membawa penumpang yang adakalanya cerewet. Tidak ramai yang menghargai rasa letih pemandu bas yang membawa penumpang berjam-jam lamanya. Tidak ramai yang hargai rasa tersiksa pemandu yang perlu memberi sepenuh perhatian terhadap jalan raya ketika memandu kenderaan yang besar.

Saya juga pasti, tidak ada syarikat bas yang memastikan tahap kesihatan secara formal pemandu sebelum memandu. Kebanyakan yang kita lihat, pemandu datang kerja sejam sebelum memandu, dan terus memandu. Tiada ruang rehat yang cukup untuk memastikan emosi mereka stabil sebelum memandu.

Dipihak rakyat, berapa ramai yang berterima kasih dan senyum kepada mereka? Oleh kerana kita mempunyai tanggapan bahawa pemandu bas adalah sekadar memandu, rasa hormat kita terhadap mereka juga kurang. Padahal, mereka mempunyai nilai kerja sama seperti kita. Membawa amanah yang besar iaitu nyawa. Oleh kerana nilai hormat pekerjaan mereka kurang, tauke-tauke bas mempunyai alasan yang kuat untuk tidak menawarkan gaji dan infrastruktur yang sepatutnya dinikmati oleh pemandu bas. Mereka tidak berusaha untuk menggembirakan pemandu bas dan malas memikirkan rancangan yang perlu membuatkan pemandu ini sayang dan bangga dengan kerja mereka.

Ringkasnya, tidak ramai yang mahu tahu isi hati pemandu dan menyelesaikannya melalui kaca mata pemandu. Saya cadangkan, mereka yang tahu bercakap mengenai kamera, gaji, dan tol cuba membawa bas penumpang ke destinasi jauh untuk masa seminggu untuk mengetahui susah payah pemandu bas.

TERIMA KASIH PEMANDU BAS.

Perbezaan asas undang2 Islam dgn yg lain.

Islam mempunyai konsep undang-undang yang berbeza dengan zaman kuno Greek dan Medieval Christians. Greek dan Christians membina asas undang-undang mereka berteraskan liberalisasi. Stanton, pakar sejarah mengatakan bahawa Greek kuno tidak akan faham dengan undang-undang yang kita gunapakai sekarang. Pada Greek, pemimpin lebih berkuasa dari undang2. Undang2 pada pandangan mereka ialah satu badan untuk seseorang menghukum seseorangn yang lain.

Pada zaman moden, kita faham bahawa undang-undang diadili kepada semua termasuk raja dan parlimen. Staton menegaskan bahawa konsep undang2 ini dicipta oleh medieval Christians dan skolar.

Imad bagaimanapun, mengingatkan bahawa medieval Christians sebenarnya mempelajari undang-undang ini daripada orang islam. Orang-orang Islam pada masa sebelum zaman medieval Christian telah mengkaji terlebih dahulu undang-undang Greek. Orang-orang Eropah yang berada di zaman Kegelapan tidak tahu warisan mereka. Orang2 Islamlah yang terlah menterjemahkan teori2 Aristotle dan yang lain2 ke bahasa Arab dan membuat komen ke atas teori2 mereka. Kebanyakan terjemahan Arab ini, kemudiannya diterjemahkan pula ke bahasa Latin yang diguna pakai sebagai sumber pengetahuan sekarang.


Sebenarnya, konsep undang2 yang diguna pakai sekarang berasal dari zaman Islam lagi. Apabila Stanton menyatakan konsep undang2 sekarang bermula dari kurun ke 11, Imad menyanggah dgn mengatakan bahawa konsep ini telah bermula pada zaman ke 7, iaitu pada zaman Khalifah Abu Bakar.

Pada zaman Saidina Abu Bakar, dalam teks ucapan perlantikan, beliau telah menyeru "Adalah benar kamu melantik aku sebagai pemimpin kamu. Jika aku memberi perintah menurut apa di dalam Al Quran dan sunnah Nabi, ikuti aku. Tetapi jika aku memberi perintah yang lari dari ajaran Quran dan sunnah, jangan ikuti tetapi perbetulkan aku. Kebenaran adalah kejujuran, dan penipuan adalah khianat."

Komen Saidina Abu Bakr amat penting kerana beliau memperkenalkan asas perbezaan antara proses membuat keputusan dibawah sesuatu undang2 dari sistem perintah zaman kuno. Kita pernah dengar "command economy" dan "law-based economy". Command economy adalah berdasarkan undang2 kuno-manusia memberi arahan ke atas manusia. Sistem ini diguna pada masa awal kejatuhan Soviet Union dimana kerajaan Soviet telah memberi arahan kepada rakyat.

Law based economy pula, lain, kerana ia berkisar kepada satu set perundangan yang mengawal proses membuat keputusan dan rakyat. Ianya berjalan bukan secara menurut arahan tetapi atas kebebasan membuat pilihan. Inilah sebenarnya hukum Islam. Konsep ini ditekankan melalui Rukun Islam yang pertama-Tiada tuhan Melaikan Allah. Antara lain, ia menekankan bahawa tiada perantaraan antara Tuhan dan manusia. Manusia bertanggungjawab terus kepada Allah. Jika manusia mengikut perintah/arahan selainNya, telah jatuh hukum Syirik ke atas hamba tersebut.

Next: Ekonomi Islam

Islam, Market Economy and Rule of Law

Islam, Market Economy and the Rule of Law"Law is in Islam a process of discovery. Just as the physical scientist believes that the laws of physics exist as an absolute, waiting to be discovered rather than invented, so the Muslim legal scholar believes that the shariah has been created by God and his role is to discover and articulate it rather than invent it."

by Imad-ad-Dean Ahmad, Ph.D.

Everybody, Malay, Chinese, India, Greek and so on must have the knowledge about the history of Islam, particularly its law. Muslim, particularly, has a big responsibility to educate the world about politico-economic theory. At the same time, Muslim has a big role to understand their own heritage.


Even the so called 'free' market should have law. The Quran favours productivity and free trade. Free markets need the rule of law to operate. The Qur'an explicitly favors productivity and free trade. Many blindly think Islam put a rigid line when it comes to economy, but many tend to forget that Islam encourages moderation when it comes to consumption. Infact, Islam has actually participated in the rules, contract in the economy.

Masyarakat Islam yang jitu pada zaman dahulu menjaga harta benda kepunyaan mereka. Tidak banyak mempunyai sistem cukai dan campurtangan kerajaan kecuali dalam hal-hal yang berkaitan dengan mendedahkan penipuan, menghukum perompak dan mengahpuskan riba (interest). Tetapi, secara perlahan-lahan, masyarakat Islam melupai ajaran agama sehingga menyebabkan berlakunya "closing of the door to ijtihâd (the exercise of reason)", seterusnya menyebabkan undang-undang keadilan Islam pada masa-masa tersebut hilang kekuatan dan dinamiknya.

Mereka yang menuduh Islam sebagai sistem ekonomi dan politik solo tidak dapat membuktikan apa yang dimaksudkan dengan sistem itu sendiri. Undang-undang shariah Islam itu sendiri sebenarnya mengandungi perintah-perintah etika penting yang perlu diikuti oleh sistem politik dan ekonomi. Prinsip etika dalam Al Quran sepatutnya menjadi undang-undang, bukan diarah oleh mana-mana ahli politik. Ini adalah kerana, undang-undang di dalam Quran adalah dicipta oleh Tuhan yang sama yang mencipta undang-undang hidup masyarakat. Jadi, jika terjadi konflik mengenai pemahaman undang-undang Islam, ia adalah kesalahan menginterpretasikan undang-undang tersebut. Dan perlulah diselesaikan melalui perbincangan (ijtihad), bukan melalui kata-kata kasar politik.

Apa yang menyebabkan sistem demokrasi bagus ialah ia menyediakan cara terbaik untuk menyelesaikan sesuatu masalah. Keutamaan diberikan kepada majoriti untuk mengundi ketua, bukan bergaduh dan berebut. Sesetengah isu bagaimanapun, tidak membenarkan majority menidakkan kuasa minoriti.

Islam faham akan fungsi penting sesebuah keluarga dan masyarakat. Islam juga faham keperluan individu untuk menjalankan tanggungjawab kepada keluarga dan masyarakat. Tetapi ini tidak bermakna, peranan ini perlu dilakukan dengan kekasaran. Kerana, Quran bertujuan mengubah sesuatu masyarakat melalui perubahan individu. Ia mementingkan moral dari kekasaran yang mana sama-sekali ditolak.

Dialog yang konstruktif perlu diadakan diantara Islam liberal dan pejuang Islam. Ini perlu untuk yang liberal kembali ke pemahaman asas etika-agama undang-undang Natural. Dan yang memperjuangkan Islam melalui dialog tersebut, perlu membentuk budaya Islam sebenar yang selari dengan abad sekarang. Setidak-tidaknya, melalui proses dialog ini, tidaklah ada lagi yang meniru dan mengulangi kesilapan undang-undang institusi barat.

Ketegangan yang berlaku diantara pihak pejuang Islam, Islam sekular dan kafir dapat dilihat dimana-mana. Sebab itulah pihak sekular dan kafir perlu diberi pendidikan dan pendedahan mengenai keadaan sebenar sejarah Islam dan intipati sebenar undang-undang Islam. Ini tidak terkecuali bagi orang Islam sendiri. Sejarah di Turki menunjukkan bahawa perubahan yang berlaku dalam negara sejak bertahun-tahun telah menyukarkan orang Islam untuk mengenali latar belakang Islam sebenar.

Next: Bagaimana sistem asas perundangan Islam berbeza.

Liquidity - what does the figures show ?

Based on the report by the BNM, i've tried to look at the BNM Assets and Liabilities Statement as on July 31, 2007.

The Assets component value minus the reserves are around RM86billion. This is the amount of BNM Deposits with other financial institution and its loans and advances.

The liabilities component value minus reservers are around RM270billion. This is the amount of money deposited by other financial institutions and fed government.

Clearly, if we only depending on these assets and liabilities there is a huge negative balance. Obviously, liabilities comprise of 76% of this 'direct' cash flow account. This also indicates that, much of our liabilities are being 'compesated' by the BNM reserves (RM340billion).

The next question : Is it normal to have the 80% liabilities ? Comparing BNM, US Fed Res, Sweden, Ecuador, Turkey and Latvia. Insya Allah.

Sistem kewangan negara tidak perlu suntikan - understanding a report

There are several things that I need to know regarding this statement. I'll dig it.

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Sistem kewangan negara tidak perlu suntikan
Oleh Daliza Ariffin (Utusan Malaysia)
Zeti Akhtar Aziz berucap semasa melancarkan Forum Kewangan Islam Malaysia (MIF) 2007 di Kuala Lumpur, semalam.

KUALA LUMPUR 13 Ogos – Sistem kewangan tempatan tidak memerlukan suntikan mudah tunai ketika ini kerana ia mempunyai dana mencukupi (the source) bagi mengelak kesan krisis subprima di Amerika Syarikat (AS). Gabenor Bank Negara Malaysia, Tan Sri Dr. Zeti Akhtar Aziz berkata, apa yang perlu dilakukan ialah memantau situasi semasa krisis itu dengan teliti.

‘‘Sekiranya keadaan memerlukan, bank pusat boleh menyediakan dana,’’ katanya kepada pemberita ketika ditemui selepas melancarkan Forum Kewangan Islam Malaysia (MIF) 2007, di sini hari ini. Beliau berkata demikian sebagai mengulas kebimbangan beberapa bank pusat mengenai krisis tersebut sehingga menyebabkan bank-bank pusat di Amerika Syarikat, Eropah, Australia, Jepun dan Kanada menyuntik mudah tunai (how) ke dalam sistem kewangan mereka.

Dr. Zeti berkata, buat masa sekarang terdapat kadar kecairan yang tinggi (by how much ? what is the benchmark ?) dalam sistem kewangan tempatan.‘‘Malah beberapa minggu lalu, pasaran telah menyerap kecairan (what event was it),’’ katanya.

Ketika ditanya sama ada BNM telah bekerjasama dengan bank pusat lain untuk menghadapi krisis semasa, beliau berkata, sebelum ini hubungan antara bank-bank pusat negara-negara lain sentiasa baik. ‘‘Di rantau Asia Timur, hubungan kami adalah baik sebelum ini dan berada dalam kedudukan yang baik untuk memahami apa yang berlaku di rantau ini dan kami akan memberi reaksi segera terhadap apa yang mungkin berlaku,’’ jelasnya.

Zeti yang menyifatkan situasi masih stabil berkata, sistem kewangan di rantau ini berada dalam keadaan kukuh untuk menghadapi sebarang masalah pada masa depan.

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This articles invite us to discuss about liquidity. In economy, liquidity (kecairan) means the ability of an asset to convert easily to cash (the most liquid form of value) through buying or selling activity without losing its value (or at least lose minimum value) and without causing the price to change significantly. For an easy example, when I sell my bracelet to Sy. Emas Jaya, the company is willing to buy it without much fuss, while maintaning my bracelet's value as how it was when I first bought it.

Liquidity also refers to how fast a company, in our example, Sy. Emas Jaya pay the value of my bracelet.

When BNM says they are having sufficient funds and does not have to inject liquidity in an economy, this means, the BNM has successful in maintaining its cash flow. This also means that the BNM is doing a good job in monitoring the short-term asset and short-term liabilities; i.e., positive balance.

To a bank, loan is translated as asset, while deposit is translated as liabilities. Investment portfolio (collection of investments) is a set of assets owned by a bank. When there is asset, obviously, it has the characteristic of the ability to be liquidated. When I have a lot of bracelets, it means, I am in the position to be able to liquidate my bracelets into cash (for eg). Therefore, these bracelets are my primary source of assets.

What if a bank experience a negative balance in their cash flow account ? It shows that, the liabilities are larger than the loan being lent. How can a bank correct the balance ? One, is through liquidating the investment portfolio. It means, bank sells a portion of its assets in the market to get cash. How can the liquidation help ? There are 2 ways: 1) The cash can help satisfy the deposit witdrawal (to reduce the liabilities) and 2) The cash is used to meet the loan demand (to increase the assets).

How to generate liquidity (read, how to get a lot of cash). A bank can a) sell their investment portfolios, b) sell the loan, c) borrow from other bank and d) raise additional capital. It is always a problem when a bank has problem to liquidate its asset, for example to meet the depositors' demand to withdraw the money. That is why, in this case, the bank must impose a minimum level of reserve to help out the bank in case of the crisis.

C.H.E Det Writes

Tun Dr. Mahathir writes on Harta Intelek here. This concerns the students who are currently studying abroad.

When The Moon Splits, DEB Intipati and Lebanon.

Assalamualaikum,

I spent my weekend reading 2 books and an article:
a) When The Moon Splits.
b) Dasar Ekonomi Baru: Intipati.
c) The Concise History of Lebanon - article.

When The Moon Splits.
This is a biography of Prophet Muhammad. I haven't finished reading it. But, last weekend, i read it from the back. This is one of my weird habits. The last few pages describe the physical of Rasulullah, His children and His wives. However, it was a relationship between Rasulullah, a maid (Mariya Qibtisa) and their son, Ibraheem that awaken me in a high curiosity level. I was restless and had to fight with principle over this case. I rang up Jan and asked him to clarify the story. I argued for a few hours before I could satisfy myself. At the end, I was only 70% satisfied. Not wanting to feel 'there is something wrong' here, the next afternoon, I called up Nushi. I explained to him the reasons Jan gave. He agreed with Jan and gave the same reasons. This time, my satisfaction level increased up to 90%. By now, I need another 10% reason. I know only time and Allah can satisfy my curiosity. Insya Allah.

I dont dare to write the things that triggered me last weekend. I'm afraid that my words are not strong to make people understand. For those who want to know, I urge you to read on Rasulullah and Mariya Qibtisa.

Dasar Ekonomi Baru: Intipati.
This book is edited by Mukhriz Mahathir and Khairy Jamaludin. Interesting because it describes the latest Malay and Chinese stand in equity holding in Malaysia. Sad, because not many that has been described favour Malay. Refreshing, because it gives us the idea on how hard we should work in order to stand tall with others.

The Concise History of Lebanon.
This article gives me a short summary but precise for me to understand what was the origin of Lebanon. It started from the WW1 aftermath, the British and the French occupation in Arab, the starting of Jews claiming their territory and the basic problem in Lebanon. I intend to translate the article to Malay to share with those who are interested in it. Insya Allah.

Contribution-A source to wealth.

Assalamualaikum,

Contribution. Generally, contribution is an act of giving something to others. It is an act to share, to offer something to others. The results of a sincere contribution is the most powerful gift that we can get from God. The feeling, the joy of giving sincerely to others are more valuable than the amount of stakes that we own. It is miracle how God make the smile of the person who we helped soothe every sadness there is in our heart. Even to the tiniest thing, the 'smiling' gesture of a cat which we fed, infact, make us smile and feel appreciated. In today's world, we are too occupied with being rich but neglect our rights to feel happy. As a result, the world has many rich men, but so little that have happy life.

Some people keeps their wealth to themselves. But, what makes some become wealthier and richer ? My solid believe is they dont keep it to themselves, they contribute. Regardless of their religions and faith, God impose His law equally to everybody. Those who give, will be repaid. This is the law that we often forget when it comes to contributing positive things. For most of us, we are too scared to let go what we love because we fear that we might lose it all. Therefore, we let go 'some' of what we like, but often accompanied with the feelings of insecurity and insecerity.

I believe we can be rich through contribution. We live in the world where many of wealth discussion have their end objective to be 'rich'. For example, many show us how to become rich to GET what we want. Many starts with "YOU CAN GET WHAT YOU WANT IF U APPLY THE TECHNIQUES DISCUSSED IN THE BOOK". This cliche motivation has no doubt will let we get what we want and sadly, only WE will get what we want. Even if we contribute to others, after getting what we want, the percentage of the contribution is very minimum.

I believe, if we channel our objective to be rich because we want to contribute, we will be rewarded with even more wealth to compensate our objective. We should start focusing on what to give to others. If we want to drive a good car, we must think of how can we let others to drive good car as well. If we want to eat a delicious food, we must think of how can we share with others the delicious food. By wanting to let others share what we want, we will not only creating one car for ourself, but producing cars to the entire community. Also, by giving others the chance to taste a delicious food, we will create enough delicious food for others.

By thinking about others, we are actually creating a way to supply things for everybody. We think how can we find a source to make car, following how can we capitalize the factors of production to sell cars at an affordable price. And the economies of scale follows suit and as a result, we can obtain reasonable returns, long-term survival and the most important thing- we feel good.

Contribution does not necessarily means charity. Contribution should be defined as making ways to create opportunity for everybody to share what we want to have. Yes, it still involve cost, but at least, we think how to make it cheaper. We must obtain profit out of our contribution, because we want to use that profit to share our next dreams with others. This is different from wanting profit because we personally want to have 1 good car for us.

Why The Existence re-emerged ?

Assalamualaikum,

The Existence. This blog has actually emerged 2 years ago. But nothing has been posted since. I have a lot of reasons to that. By and large, they are associated with the peak time of my study. I am still in my peak time of study. I guess, there will never be a slow time for me be it during my study and post study. So, i decided to let my interests walk parallel with my core work. After all, I need a channel for me to learn about myself, through myself.

The Existence is all about contributing. Now I feel the need to contribute aggressively. I've found that the only way to learn about myself is through contributing. I noticed that by contributing I can challenge the enemy in me. I only have 30-40 years left to contribute. I have to ensure that every minute is spent with contributing.

I am indebted to many people of great history. Prophet Muhamad (s.a.w) is always one of them. Prophet's way of life has always challenged my principles. I envy the Sahabats because they got to know every answer to every big problems in their life because Prophet was with them. Yes, today, we have the clerics, but sometimes their answers did not satisfy me. Although I always have the choice to believe in so many faith, I asked God to always and always show me the right path.

A contribution can takes in many forms. My main way is to be an example to others. I believe, every each of us has what they call as 'aura'. I will use my little positive aura to contribute to others. I want to share the positivity in me with others. And I hope, others will share theirs with me.

Salam.