International headlines: Fall of the pharoah; Mubarak steps down
After 18 days of revolt, Egyptians around the world rejoiced as Hosni Mubarak finally gave in to his people's will and stepped down as president, handing over power to the military on Friday. The announcement was made by vice president Omar Suleiman; which was a contradiction to Mubarak's earlier speech the day before in which he said that he would be remaining in power till September when a "peaceful transition" will take place.
Despite the people's victory, this is by no means the end of the sruggle. If anything, this is only the beginning of a slow and painful reformation process for the country's political system. As we have witnessed during the ousting of Suharto in Indonesia and Thaksin Sinawatra in Thailand, there will be many challenges ahead. For starters, every single person responsible for the violent attacks during the demonstrations need to be brought to justice. Besides that, the interim government should also start taking measures to undo the various wrongs done during Mubarak's tenure in order to stabilize and improve the economy. Also, having the country under military control, depending on the situation, might prove to be a worse option, as we have seen in Thailand during the coup.
Regardless of the challenges ahead, the affects of Mubarak's resignation has affected his people psychologically. For the first time in 30 years they feel liberated and hopeful. Of course the optimism is not shared by all walks of life. The rich, particularly the ones that benefited from Mubarak's regime are preparing for the worse, as they would probably have a lot to lose.
Putting this situation in a Malaysian context, one can see why most Malaysians are still reluctant to vote for anyone else other than the ruling party. While many in the urban areas, particularly the youth seek change, majority of Malaysians still have a sense of dependency for the government. Despite the various allegations of corruptions and mismanagement of funds, most Malaysians tend to look past those flaws and see the government as a stable source of support. Maybe it's because unlike in Egypt, our society isn't as segregated economically. There is no definite line dividing the poor from the middle class, and the middle class from the rich. Be as it may, the government should really focus on improving their efforts to serve the people and not simply rest on their laurels. There are still many issues which needs to be resolve in this country. As for Egypt, it is now up to the people and their interim government to decide where to go from here.
Sources from Al Jazeera, The Malaysian Insider and BBC News
Local headlines: The fatwa council's verdict on Valentine's Day
It was decided by the fatwa council recently after a round of discussions that Valentine's Day be classified as "haram". Thus, celebrating it is to be discouraged within the Muslim community in Malaysia. In lieu with the recent announcement, JAKIM had organized various anti-Valentine's Day campaigns, the most prominent among them being the "Mind The Valentine's Day Trap" campaign, aimed to prevent Muslim youth from celebrating Valentine's Day. PAS representatives had also called for the Kedah, Kelantan and Selangor governments to work with local authorities to organize crackdowns on Muslim youth caught doing immoral activities during the celebrations. The biggest controversy sparked by this whole issue however involves a youtube clip of a local tv program in which an Islamic motivational speaker featured on the show, Datuk Ustazah Siti Nor Bahyah Mahamood, spewed out insulting comments towards the Christian community by equating promiscuity and sinful acts as Christian values.
Being a Muslim myself, I've learned over the years to not depend too much on the findings and verdicts of JAKIM. It's not like I'm blasphemously disagreeing with everything they say or do. I just find their methods and priorities not in order. First of all let's clear a few things up shall we? Valentine's Day is not a Christian celebration. Yes it does hold some significance to them, but ultimately it's nothing more than a by-product of capitalism. How else could you explain jacked up prices of candy and flowers? Surely back in the day Jesus didn't preach to the Christians to decorate their shops in pink and red every february the 14th, and get people to buy boxes of chocolates and roses for each other. Besides, as most of us are aware, many celebrate it to express unconditional love and affection. It does not necessarily have to be physical or sexual in nature. For instance, it's common to see children celebrate it with their parents as a show of appreciation, similar to how we usually celebrate mother's day or father's day.
I was particularly peeved with the way the Ustazah, as well as various other Islamic experts who commented on the issue equated sinful activities(maksiat) with Christian values. What I've noticed with most Malay-Muslims in Malaysia, educated or otherwise, is that they are still confused with the usage of the terms "liberal" or "western" with "Christian". To them, "western"="English"(Orang Putih/Mat Salleh/Inggeris/Caucasians)=Christians. Thus in the minds of most Muslims here, every aspect of western life, even the negative ones is considered to be derived from Christian teachings. I believe this mind set came about as a result of British colonialism. Clearly though, no religion teaches people to live in sin. Even in the Quran itself, there is a verse telling Muslims that the closest to them in faith are the Christians; "...and nearest among them in love to the believers wilt thou find those who say, "We are Christians": because amongst these are men devoted to learning and men who have renounced the world, and they are not arrogant. And when they listen to the revelation received by the Messenger, thou wilt see their eyes overflowing with tears, for they recognize the truth: they pray: 'Our Lord! we believe; write us down among the witnesses." - verse 82 and 83, Surah Al Ma'idah.
I can never undestand how JAKIM can find time to condemn this and that, but can't sit down and focus on more productive activities that would not only benefit the community, but also the Muslims in particular. Instead of coming up with fatwas on clearly petty issues(like with the football jerseys), why not come up with campaigns to help ex drug addicts, convicts or alcoholics get back on their feet? Why not find ways to help single mothers or rape victims? Why not find ways to lower the divorce rates among Muslim couples? Why not do something to help the poor(which the last time I checked, still consisted of mostly Malay-Muslims)? Isn't that the purpose of the Zakat? Why are there still people living off the streets or in makeshift huts? Shouldn't the money reach them by now? The teachings of Islam can actually be a powerful tool for social and economic development. They just need to set their priorities straight. If a Muslim's faith is tested and shaken by trivial matters as they have so often claimed, then clearly most Muslims here have little faith in their own religion, let alone have enough knowledge about it.
Personally as a Muslim, I just don't agree with the idea of having a panel of "experts" telling me what to do. I don't mean this to offend anyone, but Islam does not work in the same way as the Catholic church. There's a reason why you never hear the phrase "of mosque and state". It's simply because Islam was created without such hierarchies. It's a religion open to reasoning and interpretation, within certain boundaries of course, but a democratic one nevertheless. We do not have "god's representatives" in Islam as we believe all man are created equal. There for all man should have equal access to Quranic knowledge, and thus are equally knowledgeable and qualified to debate on matters pertaining the religion.
FYI, Valentine's Day holds little significance for me. It's just one of those dates that passes me by, unnoticed, every year. Also I would like to apologize if I accidentally offended anyone in this article. The opinions are of mine and mine alone.
Sources from The Malaysian Insider and NST
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Top headlines: 4/2/11
International headlines: Day of departure; Egyptian protests continues
The protests in Egypt continue to dominate the international headlines this week. Tahrir Square became center stage as the thousand strong anti-Mubarak protesters grew into millions. Dubbed as the "March Of The Millions", it was a move initiated by Egyptian opposition leaders on the 1st of February, calling on the Egyptian people to march from Tahrir Square to the presidential palace in Heliopolis demanding Mubarak's resignation.
However, the demonstrators this week were met with violent opposition from pro-Mubarak supporters as well as police and military personnel sympathetic to Mubarak. Anti-Mubarak protesters were attacked with various weapons, not excluding Molotov cocktails and rocks, leaving at least 13 killed and 1200 injured. Various analysts have speculated that the pro-Mubarak forces are hired by the government regime itself as a means to stop the demonstrations from gathering more momentum. Besides the demonstrators, journalists too were made as targets of the attacks by security officials and pro-Mubarak supporters, leaving 1 of them dead. The UN, various world leaders and the global media community have condemned the violence inflicted on the demonstrators and journalists covering the events.
On Friday the 4th, another march to Heliopolis were to take place right after Friday prayers. Dubbed as the "Day Of Departure", it was supposed to be a deadline for Mubarak to give in to the people's demands and surrender his powers. In a show of unity, Christian and non-Muslim Egyptians formed a human chain around the Muslims who were performing Friday prayers, to protect the congregation from any potential disruptions.
The effects of the Egyptian protests were particularly felt through out the middle east as well as in Malaysia. For many governments in the middle east, it was a wake up call of sorts, demanding them to change their game plan to incorporate more people friendly policies lest they want their citizens to revolt against them. For the Malaysian government, the concern was more for the safety of Malaysian students studying there and the efforts needed to make sure they return home safely.
There were also anti-Mubarak rallies here in Malaysia organized by various NGO's as a sign of support for the people of Egypt. These rallies ended with the police forcefully dispersing the crowd and arrests being made. One would suggest that the events in Egypt resonated well with any citizen of any country seeking true democracy and transparency in the government. It holds true for Malaysians too, in the sense that for too long we are bound and restricted by the shadow of the ISA, various unreported human rights violations and police brutality inflicted upon many Malaysian citizens. Similar too the situation in Egypt, many citizens in the middle eastern countries as well as in Malaysia had to cope with decades of ongoing corruption by the ruling governments, and any efforts to rectify the situation so far have been stifled by the ones in power.
As we have witnessed in Tunisia and Egypt, the common folk are starting to realize their rights and the power they actually have in their hands to topple their government when they need to. It would be wise for any ruling party, anywhere in the world to be more sensitive to the people's demands to avoid such a thing from happening to them.
Sources from Al-Jazeera and BBC News
Local headlines: Floods down south
Locally, it was the massive floods in the states of Johor, Pahang, Melaka, Negeri Sembilan and Sabah that made the headlines through out the week. Johor being the worst hit, had 2 casualties as a result of the floods, while 2 other deaths were reported in Melaka and Negeri Sembilan respectively.
In response to the event, 356 relief centres were opened throughout the country to house the 60 389 victims affected by the flood, from 13 826 families. Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yasin had announced that helicopters would be used to send supplies to the affected areas which were not accessible by trucks or boats. 20 army platoons were also deployed to assist the flood victims. Later that week, prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, his wife Datin Rosmah, as well as the Menteri Besar of Johor, Abdul Ghani Othman personally visited the affected areas to hand out supplies.
According to the prime minister via consultation from the meteorology department, the flood was caused by irregular weather; "the amount of rainfall the state received in a day was equivalent to that received in two months". Experts have chalked it up to global warming as the main cause for the sudden occurrence. Later that week as the rain began to ease up, many families were allowed to return home.
The recent floods were comparable to the 2006 floods, "which saw more than 60,000 people relocated, 17 reported deaths and over RM1.5 billion in economic damage across the months of December 2006 and January 2007". It was reported that the costs for repairs to federal roads as a result of the recent flood was RM40 million. According to the deputy prime minister, priority will be given to the state of Johor to carry out projects such as the deepening and straightening of rivers to avoid similar flash floods from happening in the future.
The actions of the federal government during the crisis were definitely commendable. They responded instantly and managed the crisis well. Supplies reached the victims without any interruptions and further deaths were prevented. I believe that if they were more consistent with their service to the people, and applied a similar approach to other aspects of their governance, they might be able to solve many of the social and economical problems plaguing the country.
Sources from NST and The Malaysian Insider
The protests in Egypt continue to dominate the international headlines this week. Tahrir Square became center stage as the thousand strong anti-Mubarak protesters grew into millions. Dubbed as the "March Of The Millions", it was a move initiated by Egyptian opposition leaders on the 1st of February, calling on the Egyptian people to march from Tahrir Square to the presidential palace in Heliopolis demanding Mubarak's resignation.
However, the demonstrators this week were met with violent opposition from pro-Mubarak supporters as well as police and military personnel sympathetic to Mubarak. Anti-Mubarak protesters were attacked with various weapons, not excluding Molotov cocktails and rocks, leaving at least 13 killed and 1200 injured. Various analysts have speculated that the pro-Mubarak forces are hired by the government regime itself as a means to stop the demonstrations from gathering more momentum. Besides the demonstrators, journalists too were made as targets of the attacks by security officials and pro-Mubarak supporters, leaving 1 of them dead. The UN, various world leaders and the global media community have condemned the violence inflicted on the demonstrators and journalists covering the events.
On Friday the 4th, another march to Heliopolis were to take place right after Friday prayers. Dubbed as the "Day Of Departure", it was supposed to be a deadline for Mubarak to give in to the people's demands and surrender his powers. In a show of unity, Christian and non-Muslim Egyptians formed a human chain around the Muslims who were performing Friday prayers, to protect the congregation from any potential disruptions.
The effects of the Egyptian protests were particularly felt through out the middle east as well as in Malaysia. For many governments in the middle east, it was a wake up call of sorts, demanding them to change their game plan to incorporate more people friendly policies lest they want their citizens to revolt against them. For the Malaysian government, the concern was more for the safety of Malaysian students studying there and the efforts needed to make sure they return home safely.
There were also anti-Mubarak rallies here in Malaysia organized by various NGO's as a sign of support for the people of Egypt. These rallies ended with the police forcefully dispersing the crowd and arrests being made. One would suggest that the events in Egypt resonated well with any citizen of any country seeking true democracy and transparency in the government. It holds true for Malaysians too, in the sense that for too long we are bound and restricted by the shadow of the ISA, various unreported human rights violations and police brutality inflicted upon many Malaysian citizens. Similar too the situation in Egypt, many citizens in the middle eastern countries as well as in Malaysia had to cope with decades of ongoing corruption by the ruling governments, and any efforts to rectify the situation so far have been stifled by the ones in power.
As we have witnessed in Tunisia and Egypt, the common folk are starting to realize their rights and the power they actually have in their hands to topple their government when they need to. It would be wise for any ruling party, anywhere in the world to be more sensitive to the people's demands to avoid such a thing from happening to them.
Sources from Al-Jazeera and BBC News
Local headlines: Floods down south
Locally, it was the massive floods in the states of Johor, Pahang, Melaka, Negeri Sembilan and Sabah that made the headlines through out the week. Johor being the worst hit, had 2 casualties as a result of the floods, while 2 other deaths were reported in Melaka and Negeri Sembilan respectively.
In response to the event, 356 relief centres were opened throughout the country to house the 60 389 victims affected by the flood, from 13 826 families. Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yasin had announced that helicopters would be used to send supplies to the affected areas which were not accessible by trucks or boats. 20 army platoons were also deployed to assist the flood victims. Later that week, prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, his wife Datin Rosmah, as well as the Menteri Besar of Johor, Abdul Ghani Othman personally visited the affected areas to hand out supplies.
According to the prime minister via consultation from the meteorology department, the flood was caused by irregular weather; "the amount of rainfall the state received in a day was equivalent to that received in two months". Experts have chalked it up to global warming as the main cause for the sudden occurrence. Later that week as the rain began to ease up, many families were allowed to return home.
The recent floods were comparable to the 2006 floods, "which saw more than 60,000 people relocated, 17 reported deaths and over RM1.5 billion in economic damage across the months of December 2006 and January 2007". It was reported that the costs for repairs to federal roads as a result of the recent flood was RM40 million. According to the deputy prime minister, priority will be given to the state of Johor to carry out projects such as the deepening and straightening of rivers to avoid similar flash floods from happening in the future.
The actions of the federal government during the crisis were definitely commendable. They responded instantly and managed the crisis well. Supplies reached the victims without any interruptions and further deaths were prevented. I believe that if they were more consistent with their service to the people, and applied a similar approach to other aspects of their governance, they might be able to solve many of the social and economical problems plaguing the country.
Sources from NST and The Malaysian Insider
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