Thank you, Dr Mahathir

Martin Jalleh
Malaysiakini 2:28pm Fri Oct 31st, 2003


You have been such a tolerant leader. You tolerated the abuses of your cronies, the wastage of billions by government departments and the corruption of cabinet ministers, numerous menteris besar and members of the ruling coalition.

You have transformed Parliament into a robust ‘rubber stamp’ of the executive, with MPs virile in verbal brawls and vulgar jokes, and more keen on venturing into the cafeteria than vital issues, and a venerable Speaker of 19 years becoming so much part of the varnish.

You have been so very courageous in your dealings with the judiciary as to declare "Hang the lawyers! Hang the judges!" and you have translated your true sentiments into reality. Chief Justices are ‘free’ - to go for holidays with lawyers and promote whom they want.

No other prime minister has brought so many changes to this country - especially to the Federal Constitution - the number of amendments to which we have lost count of. (The Internal Security Act was amended 18 times.)

You have nudged this country on in imitating feats already long established by others. Indeed, Malaysia Boleh! – we have achieved world standards in road accidents, drug addiction, crime, corruption and violence against women.

You have worked so hard and contributed much to unity as a one-man-show. You have made us feel so proud of being one as a nation – made up of predominantly one Malay party, one Chinese party and one Indian party.

You have been an example of cooperation and collaboration, made evident in your working relationship with the cabinet where open discussion and decision-making supposedly reigned - albeit the differing opinion of your first and third deputy.

Such is your versatility - you constantly warned us about re-colonisation and at the same time employed and honed to perfection the very tools left behind by the colonial master to silence those who disagreed with you.

You have been a powerful voice of the poor and the marginalised – in spite of the groups like the orang asli, plantation worker, Sarawak and Sabah natives not being fully aware of this nor enjoying the fruits of your pronouncements.

Our children and their children should be grateful to you for making them so much a part of the mega projects you have given us today, for they will have the privilege of contributing to the loans taken and the maintenance costs of these monuments.

Your openness to change could be seen in your passion for privatisation and in putting public utilities in the hands of a few private corporations (and compensating them handsomely when they failed) – whilst we paid more for supposedly better services.

A leader of the Third World, you have boldly spoken against the concentration of power in the hands of a few rich and powerful countries – to continue doing this you had to use every means, institution and person possible, to consolidate and perpetuate your own power.

You were loud and clear when you said that currency speculation was the cause of the economic crisis in the country. You should know, after all Bank Negara's speculation in the forex market in 1992 resulted in the loss of RM9 to RM15 billion.

You stood up for the small and weak nations of the South against the bullying West, and due to such preoccupation it was inevitable that you had little time or thought for the small man or woman in Malaysia without cash, clout or connection.

You were so wise in telling Malaysians to be wary of globalisation, as you traveled round the globe seeking foreign support for your government and putting the country's opposition parties in a poor light.

You have turned the police into a formidable and a fearsome force whose achievements are documented in Suhakam’s book of records – which help confirm the late Tunku Abdul Rahman’s prediction before he died that Malaysia has become a police state.

You have been so humble in insisting that the people who voted for you and the government are obligated to say "Thank You"; that government servants must pledge their loyalty, and that Malaysians should fly the national flag to express their patriotism.

Thank you Dr Mahathir, thank you for retiring.
22 years of hype, humbug and heights of hypocrisy is more than enough.

A MAN'S TRAIL

This is the story of an average human
From his story there is so much to learn
"I work through life working day and night
Let me tell you of my miserable plight

Before that, let me thank Allah Most Merciful too
That's why I'm sharing my story with you
From young I was told I had to be the best
I must learn to score for my exams and tests

I studied hard to be the top in class
So that my friends will respect me with all the fuss
In my youth days, I was actually insecure
So much temptations and many are impure

I prayed sparingly but it didn't help me
Why couldn't I feel that Allah was watching me?
I wanted to be the cream of the cake
I didn't allow myself to make a single mistake

I wanted more friends and also be praised
When I didn't get complimented, I felt so dazed
I began to doubt myself again and again
Was I not good enough or was I insane?

I was feeling inadequate for my lack of looks
Was I too fat, short, or did my smile give the spooks?
I learnt to dress up in trendy clothes bought from stores
I wanted people to look at me and say "wow" in awe

I wanted to be adored, praised and be popular
Success to me is to be top scholar
I wanted to shower myself in fame
I also hoped to earn a big name

I studied hard and topped my school
I believe that to make friends, success is a tool
Whenever my friends was just beside
I felt the pressure to display my witty side

I'm afraid my friends would leave me if I'm not nice enough
So I bought them gifts and other good stuff
Branded clothes, car, intelligence and friends indeed
You may think I have all that I need

But I'm still unhappy inside and I don't even know why
Was I not good enough, too ugly or too shy?
At work, I pleased my boss to show him I was the best
I treated my colleagues lunch and sacrificed all my rest

I was afraid that my boss disliked me if I lazed about
In front of him, I did my best and tried to stand out
Then I climbed the corporate ladder and be my own boss
Finally, I was successful but I was still in a loss

I was cheerful outside but scared inside
I was not even sure what I'm doing is right
I looked around to see all my best friends
I wonder if they still like me if my wealth ends?

I cannot bear to face rejection or even fail
If I become poor and old, will my friendships be stale?
I work hard, but who am I trying to impress?
The fear of losing my reputation is causing me stress

I want friends to respect me forever and ever
I could imagine my friendship to sever
But alas! My business failed me terribly
I was down with illness and suffered painfully

All the people whom I thought were faithful friends
Left me because my status has no stands
I'm left alone and wonder whether it is true?
To make good friends, wealth matters too?

I looked at the side of my bed and saw the Quran
Guilt enveloped me because the Quran I have read none
Since I was alone and feeling so bored
I explored the Quran to know about Allah the Lord

True Muslim friends start to befriend me
It doesn't matter whoever I'll be
They accept me and love me despite my flaws
I don't have to make them like me by using force

I don't have to impress Allah with my witty charm
I already know Allah loves us and protects us from harm
With Allah's help, we can attain peace in self
So let's put doubt back in Satan's shelf

If there are problems with work and with men
Please remember that it's part of Allah's plan
Ask from Allah because He listens to us always
Allah will help us with His Kindness and Grace

I met a man who is unfortunately blind
He then advised me with words so kind
He said, "Love yourself and be grateful for what you are
You owe it to Allah for coming this far

Allah loves us and makes us Muslims
But many people don't appreciate it, it seems
It doesn't matter if we're poor or earn less
Allah loves who we are and He cares

Don't do good deeds if you do it for show
Or else your spiritual status will sink below
If you're humble, do good deeds and pray to Allah Most Wise
You can earn yourself a place in Paradise

Good Muslims overcome worries and insecurity
They are unfazed even if they are treated with hostility
Why be a slave to affluence and glamour?
Why worry if we are not witty with humour?

Always be yourself, dear brother, have no pretence
Allah will still love you, even if you don't have any fans
Why be afraid, dear brother, when friends shun away
When Allah is there for you it's always that way."

After the blind man left, my mind started working
I was still surprised and truth starts coming
It seems that I may be a boss or lying here poor
But good Muslims greet me with salam, a smile and no fear

I kept wondering, what is success to me?
Is it about having friends, or earning a good degree?
I had all these and yet I was not satisfied
Could it be because that Allah was not on my side?

Then I realise that I have been foolish
My insecurity is the one that was my leash
Why was I ungrateful to Allah Most Great?
Allah is helping us all the way as Fate

Oh! I'm ashamed for being so proud
When my success was actually a passing cloud!
Now I realise my great big mistake
So I do more good deeds now with sincerity and no fake

Let's learn from this life and tread the virtuous road
Remember that this world is only a temporary abode
Now I live through my life devoted to the Islamic cause
And repent, so Allah will love me despite my flaws.

Remember true success is not about having lots of friends
In fact, it is about passing Allah's tests
Happiness is not about showing off your generous part
In fact, it's about the attitude of your heart

Say: "I like who I am and I'm glad to be me
I love being a Muslim and Allah sets my heart free!
I can feel in my mind and in my little heartbone
I confess - with Allah around, I know I'm never alone."

www.ikim.fm

We Muslims Must Reform Our Own Politics

From THE ASIAN WALL STREET JOURNAL
By Anwar Ibrahim

(Editor’s Note: Mr. Anwar, a former deputy prime minister of Malaysia, has been in jail since 1999. He is currently appealing his conviction by a Malaysian court on charges of corruption and sodomy.)

Affirmations of brotherhood and lamentations over the elusiveness of a long- sought fraternity are two perennial themes of modern Muslim rhetoric. It seems that no summit or conference would be worthy of the name unless displays of such sentiments were somehow woven into the agenda.

The 10th summit of the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) to be held outside Kuala Lumpur from Oct. 16-18, will probably be no different.

Few will be surprised if the opulence of the conference venue is matched by an appalling poverty of ideas on how to cure the Muslim malady – poor governance, the economic deprivation of millions, political restiveness among citizens, and, of course, the bad press the community has been receiving. Sure, the delegates will be vociferous in condemning terrorism. They will also express disgust with the U.S. for its imperialistic designs.

And they will launch diatribes against the World Trade Organization, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund for their failure to address the concerns of developing countries.

No doubt, these groups are all culpable in some way, but ranting about insidious neo-colonialism and issuing pious platitudes about the superiority of the Islamic approach are no substitute for a workable plan to address the depressing state of the Muslim community. And their Muslim audiences are not likely to miss the irony of living under virtual one-party systems.

The Palestinian question will continue to be the dominant issue at the conference. Israeli state terrorism must be condemned before there can be any effective check against the desperate and retaliatory acts of terror that the dispossessed Palestinians resort to. Many Muslims see the U.S. stance in this conflict as diabolical, and the outrage has been aggravated by the occupation of Afghanistan and Iraq.

But concerned Muslims are asking where this Muslim outrage was when the Taliban insulted the Islamic tradition of respect for other religions in their destruction of the two statues of Buddha at Bamiyan?

And why was there damning silence for decades in the face of Saddam Hussein’s atrocities against the Kurds, Marsh Arabs and Shiites; and what about his war against Iran and conquest of Kuwait? Indeed, when the body count is tallied, Muslims will find that more of their brothers and sisters have been butchered by their own leaders than by non-Muslims. Even now, Muslim governments have expended little or no effort in the quest for a just and peaceful resolution to the conflicts in Chechnya, Kashmir and Aceh.

Thus one can appreciate the widespread cynicism among ordinary Muslims about the OIC. They see it as a body too frail to champion Muslim causes and a loose ensemble operating on ideas out of tune with the tenor of the times. One testimony to their ineffectuality is the Islamic News Agency. Formed in the early days of the conference, it was, on the face of it, a noble idea.

Its role was to correct an imbalance in international news coverage due to the perceived biases of Western news agencies.

But it was doomed at its very inception because it was not to be an agency selling uncensored news and featuring vigorous reporting and critical commentary. Its creators meant, instead, for it to be a recorder of official views and a peddler of reports on national development and successes. In short, it was to be an internationalized propaganda agent. It is not surprising, then, that al Jazeera, hailed as a new voice of independent journalism in the Middle East, is viewed with apprehension by many Arab governments, even as it irks the U.S.

Paradoxically, though, the controlled national media have been parroting the most naive utterances, perpetuating stereotypes of Islam and Muslims.

Thus the ruthless and secular Saddam Hussein has been styled an “Islamic dictator,” the perverse policies of the Taliban equated with the Shariah, terrorism ascribed to Wahhabi teachings and the Shia community characterized as people with a propensity to violence. And then, it is a simple matter of sticking the label Taliban, Wahhabi or Shia on dissenters and political opponents before eventually arresting them under draconian laws allowing detention without trial.

Many developing countries welcome the wind of democratic change sweeping across the globe, embracing reform to ensure the enlargement of democratic space, the entrenchment of fundamental liberties and the promotion of economic growth. But a large section of the Muslim belt remains stuck in political systems that are anathema to freedom. And, as a cultural group, Muslims appear to be the most resistant to democracy. Their economies, straining under dirigiste systems, are slumping the fastest. Western academics observe that the few Muslim majority countries that can claim some measure of economic success have done so because of secularism and democracy, as in Turkey, or the presence of industrious Chinese, as in Malaysia and to some extent Indonesia.

To them, the dynamics of Islam have no relevance.
Yet after half a century of independence, we hear the standard sermon of the self-serving Muslim autocrats that their subjects are incapable of participating in a democracy. Who in his or her right mind does not want to be free to exercise choice? Could there be morality without freedom? These are questions that should be hurled at the enemies of democracy. They have to be reminded that the notion of choice is deeply embedded in Islamic theology.

It is a moral imperative for Muslims to make the leap to responsible government, departing from oppressive and corrupt policies. Having been embittered by the Central Intelligence Agency and Mossad, as they claim, Muslim leaders should know better than to use intelligence apparatus such as Saddam’s Mukhabarat or the Special Branch in Malaysia to harass or terrorize citizens.

Instead of denigrating the Shariah and demonizing Ulama, the Islamic council of wise men, Muslim leaders should ponder the reasons why an increasing number of Muslims, including young professionals, see the Shariah as a viable alternative to the current systems in their countries, where the rule of man has supplanted the rule of law and the institutions of justice have been all but physically destroyed.

A legitimate and representative government, with adequate constitutional safeguards is the best insurance of peace and harmony, and economic progress.
And while it would have clearly defined parameters against threats to stability, it would have the flexibility and latitude to engage those leaning toward extremism.
To be relevant to our times, those claiming to represent Muslims cannot afford to gloss over these burning issues. Most of all, they must accept the inevitability of a predominantly democratic and pluralistic world. The Muslim world must navigate its way toward freedom and justice, which, after all, were integral components of the Prophet Muhammad’s mission. What path it should take is secondary, but the commitment is indispensable.

(END) Dow Jones Newswires 13-10-03 2130GMT

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