More than churches opening doors

There has been a slew of new voters registration exercises happening of late. I hear so many things on the news and read many in the alternative media. I have heard Tony Pua ranting on how the Assistant Registrars have been given a tougher time in registering voters (with form restrictions).

I have also heard that there has been many issues that the EC are facing themselves as the political parties are ramping up their voters registration exercises (including UMNO youth wanting to register 4 million youth).

But this piece of news is by far the most encouraging piece of news. It is a great display of cooperation between the public office (SPR, State Govt), the civil society (church, GEL/EPIC) and private community (businesses sponsored food, drinks & thank you gifts).

I wish and pray more of such will happen in the future. And not just with churches but also with temples & mosques.

Read the Malaysian Insider Article here

The YOUNG has spoken

I am so proud of the young people these days!... me being one of them

But check out this link for EPIC!


http://dosomethingepic.net/

Why should this be an issue

I was recently sent this video that was done by KOMAS about the things that are happening in the PR governed states and also the things that were done in  Perak (before and after the fiasco)


Selepas Tsunami (After the Tsunami) from Pusat KOMAS on Vimeo.

Watch it and get it out to as many people as possible. Get the video to post from the below link. The government has banned this CD and have taken action against all who was caught with copies of these CDs (even if you were hitching a ride in a car where the boot has some of these CDs).
http://vimeo.com/11732348

Let there be true democracy, where matured, factual reporting (no matter how detrimental to the ruling government) should not be censured! This is what counts to the rakyat!
We don't care if you are BN or PR, we want to be free to voice a matured, factual opinion and point of views! If lies are told, there are libel laws to enforce the truth!!!

A Fragile Fabric

We are a multiracial society
held together by racial unity.
Our racial unity is like a fragile fabric that is easily torn
by a careless comment or thoughtless taunt.
In a flash igniting a communal clash.
Communal communications must be conducted with care
as though walking up a rickety stair.

Different faiths seek the same entrance at Heaven's Gate.
God is great.
There is no reason to hate
all the things that God create.


The seed of prejudice must find no place
in little children full of grace
who must be encouraged to play with and embrace
children of other faith and race.


Lawmakers must not break
the laws that they make.
Let not the bigot redefine and undermine
the spirit of our Constitution which had been carefully crafted by enlightened minds.


For our future generation we must remain as one nation
free from all forms of discrimination
by statutory deprivation.
To compete and succeed in an unforgiving foreign field,
let us start practising at home an even playing field.


Respecting the rights of our minority
will enhance the worth of our entire society.
Any economic policy must prosper all the poor of our society.
Respect our poor their pride and dignity
charity with sincerity needs no publicity.


That is a trust we all share and bear
to keep our country free and fair.
Our nation's fragile fabric needs our ever vigilant care
to never, never let it tear.

Yahya Sofi Hussain

Ampang Ulu Klang

12th March 2010

UK - Is this the way we are going?

United Kingdom is going to the polls today.

Even in our EX-colonial master's homeland, the voters want change too! And it is said that there is possibility of a hung parliament as it is a very close fight. This is where the Queen will play her role as a constitutional monarch (just like in 1974).
 
Will our Sultan's learn from her!? And take the courage to form a parliament for the people! Or NOT!

Interesting to see if we suffer the same fate in the next GE where it is a spilt in the country, and if we will be able to hold a matured decision making model, or are we going to show our immaturity.

Voice Your Choice

According to the Election Commission (EC) Deputy Chairman, Wan Ahmad Wan Omar in a report dated in January 2010, 4.39 million or some 28% of Malaysians over the age of 21 has yet to register as a voter. These are alarming statistics which we believe we have to do something about. To put things into perspective, the state of Selangor itself has an estimated 787,000 unregistered voters.

The decisions we make today shape our tomorrow, individually as a community, and ultimately as a nation.

That is why we are beginning this EPIC movement we call EPIC for Unity.

This is where we want the people to start having faith & hope in this nation that we call HOME and love dearly. It is understandable that it has indeed been challenging to develop such positive feelings toward a nation that displays such a blatant disregard for ethics and the rapid decay of moral values in our community. We understand that we are disillusioned and feelings of helplessness have inhabited our minds and wills, causing us to stop striving for what we youths want.

We want to believe that the power of ‘one’ is not simply overrated, just rarely challenged

We want Positive Action not Negative Reactions

We want to integrate not tolerate

We want to stop complaining, and start acting

We want our friends to stop migrating overseas and our parents to stop telling us to do so

We want to be colour blind to our neighbours

We want to stand up to be responsible for our collective future and believe that others want to as well
We want all this but what are you willing to do to get it?

We want to voice our choice the best and most civil way we know how in practicing our democratic right...

By Voting

However before that happens, you first have to register as a voter... Have you?

If you have, GOOD ON YA! If not, don’t feel bad, because the time is now.
We are on an EPIC Mission to gather 1,000,000 voters by the end of the year to mark the end of the first decade of this millennium.

Yes, we SAID IT! ONE MILLION

We believe that we will definitely hit and even exceed this number if you join us on this EPIC adventure to truly impact our community in an extraordinary way.

We will be launching of our yearlong campaign which we believe belongs to all of us on the 3rd and 4th of April.The launch will start of by setting up booths in high traffic malls which will be confirmed ASAP.


We will need at least 150 hands in promoting, registering,
setting up booths and pasting up posters.

We are targeting 20,000 people for the 2 day launch.

*We have no political affiliations whatsoever*

WE NEED EACH OF YOU TO SUPPORT THIS,
IF YOU ARE INTERESTED PLS EMAIL US YOUR DETAILS and JOIN THE EVENT ON FACEBOOK.  http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=321108432874&index=1
Name:
Age:
Tel#:
Email:
Profession:
If you cannot support this physically, you can also contribute monetarily to

Bank: CIMB
Branch: Subang Jaya
Account Number: 1261-0002228-05-3
Account Holder: GROWING EMERGING LEADERS CENTRE
Reg Number: SA0143174-D

We would greatly appreciate it if you pass the word around.
For further inquiries do email us at dosomethingepic@gmail.com

Federal Constitution vis-a-vis Syariah Rule

Below is the news that Utusan Malaysia has published, and I have never trusted this publication for all the blatant spins they have made in the past (to further their bigoted propaganda). Therefore, I have my reservations as to actual context of the words spoken by the Selangor Sultan. For all I know, the whole spin is taken out of context COMPLETELY.

Having said that, Utusan is now spewing their illogical rationale that Islam being the national religion in Malaysia is enshrined in the Constitution and therefore everything that Islam uses in this country is exclusively for Moslems, above what the common law covers for the other rakyat who are not Moslems. Utusan is spouting that the Constitution, that protects ALL Malaysians, is subservient to Syariah by virtue of one section within the Federal Constitution. It is so preposterous it does not bear thinking about anymore.

On the issue of Allah, I believe in my Moslem brothers and sisters are not so easily confused by mere usage of words. I know they are of higher and greater intelligence than what UMNO, Utusan and their cohorts say they are.

Hey UMNO... the Moslems in Malaysia are highly intelligent and not easily confused. So, please stop abusing Islam in order to keep yourself in power!

Allah untuk Islam – Sultan Selangor  

BERITA/KOMENTAR

Tuesday, 12 January 2010

(Utusan Malaysia) - Sultan Selangor, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah menitahkan semua pihak di negeri ini berpegang teguh kepada pendirian mengharamkan pengunaan kalimah Allah oleh agama selain Islam.
Pengerusi Majlis Agama Islam Selangor (MAIS), Datuk Mohamad Adzib Mohd. Isa hari ini memberitahu, titah itu dinyatakan dalam pertemuan beliau dengan baginda pada 5 Januari lalu.
Katanya, turut menghadap baginda ekoran isu pengunaan kalimah Allah oleh akhbar Herald-The Catholic Weekly ialah Mufti Selangor, Datuk Mohd. Tamyes Abdul Wahid; Ahli MAIS, Datuk Salehuddin Saidin; Setiausaha MAIS, Abdul Halem Hapiz Salihin serta Penasihat Undang-undang MAIS, Nurhani Salwa Jamaluddin di Istana Mestika di sini.
Menurut beliau, baginda memaklumkan pendiriannya mengenai perkara itu bertujuan memelihara akidah umat Islam serta menjaga keharmonian beragama setiap rakyat di Selangor.
“Dalam pertemuan itu, baginda menitahkan supaya isu penggunaan kalimah Allah oleh bukan Islam dibincangkan dengan teliti oleh ahli-ahli MAIS.
“Sebagai Ketua Agama Islam negeri, baginda mahu semua peringkat berpegang teguh dengan pendirian mengharamkan penggunaan kalimah Allah oleh agama lain,” katanya.
Beliau berkata demikian kepada pemberita selepas majlis taklimat dan perbincangan dengan 38 pertubuhan bukan kerajaan (NGO) Islam di masjid negeri di sini hari ini.
Mohamad Adzib berkata, Sultan Selangor turut meminta MAIS memaklumkan kepada rakyat tentang wujudnya undang-undang menghalang pengunaan kalimah Allah dalam agama bukan Islam.
Menurutnya, larangan itu termaktub dalam Enakmen Ugama Bukan Islam (Kawalan dan Perkembangan di Kalangan Orang Islam) yang diwartakan sejak 1988.
Malah, jelas beliau, larangan juga diputuskan Jawatankuasa Fatwa negeri pada 10 Jun 2008 yang memutuskan kalimah Allah khusus untuk umat Islam dan tidak boleh digunakan atau dimasukkan dalam agama lain.
Ekoran keputusan jawatankuasa itu serta Jawatankuasa Fatwa Kebangsaan yang memutuskan larangan tersebut pada Mei 2008, beliau menegaskan, MAIS membuat 14 ketetapan berhubung isu tersebut.
Menurutnya, antara ketetapan itu ialah istilah Allah bermaksud Tuhan Yang Maha Esa dan berlainan dengan maksud God dalam agama Kristian yang berkonsepkan Triniti (tuhan bapa, tuhan anak dan roh kudus).
“Jika kalimah Allah dibenar digunakan dalam ajaran Kristian, ia mendatangkan pelbagai implikasi membahayakan umat Islam pada masa depan kerana ia mengelirukan,” katanya.
Selain itu, Mohamad Adzib berkata, MAIS berpendirian keputusan Mahkamah Tinggi Kuala Lumpur pada 31 Disember lalu membenarkan Herald-The Catholic Weekly menggunakan kalimah Allah tidak selaras dengan Perlembagaan Persekutuan.
Perlembagaan menetapkan Islam agama rasmi Persekutuan dan keputusan itu juga bertentangan dengan Enakmen Ugama Bukan Islam (Kawalan dan Perkembangan di Kalangan Orang Islam) 1988 yang digubal berasaskan Perkara 11(4) Perlembagaan negara, katanya.
Beliau menegaskan, penggunaan kalimah Allah bagi merujuk agama bukan Islam tidak wajar dibicarakan di mahkamah kerana institusi itu bukan forum sesuai membincangkannya memandangkan ia perkara ‘non-justiciable’ di bawah bidang kuasa raja-raja Melayu.
Beliau turut memohon campur tangan Majlis Raja-raja selaku Ketua Agama Islam negeri-negeri selaras sumpah raja-raja Melayu untuk mempertahankan Islam pada setiap masa.
“Selain itu ialah mendesak Kerajaan Persekutuan menetapkan kes-kes berkaitan agama Islam tidak lagi dibicarakan di Mahkamah Sivil terutama melibatkan Hakim bukan Islam,” katanya.

Blowing up Malaysia!

Many people are angry now, there are alot of Malaysians who are aghast at what has happened!
Note, I say MALAYSIANS are aghast! Not chinese or indians, not buddhist or hindu. This is an attack on Malaysia, all of us has taken a hit.

It is indeed a very very sad thing to see a property destroyed to such degree. I guess, the thing to be  thankful for is that no one was actually hurt in all these attacks. 

Even the night guard (who was on duty at the Metro Tabernacle) escaped as he needed to use the toilet. It is amazing how God has protected all in this situation. The perpetrator and the victims are taken care of by God.

Having said all that, it was still sad to hear the building so badly damaged. I was thinking to myself, there must be a silver lining to this situation. There must be a reson this has happened, and how do we turn such a negative event into something positive and productive. There must be a good reason that this has happened. There must be a very good reason.., THERE HAS TO BE.

Then, the reason was revealed in the show of support from Muslims & other Malaysians alike. A nation that can rise to condemn and speak against this atrocity will unite as a people. We will no longer look at each other based on our differences, but based on our commonality. We are Malaysians and no one does something like that to our people and hear nothing from ALL of us (even if the perpetrators are amongst us).

One of our pastor friend received this wonderful text from the President of the Islamic Propagation Society International (IPSI).
"Good Evening Mr Kuilan, I Haji Kamaruddin Abdullah of IPSI strongly condemn the arson attack of the Metro Tabernacle Church in KL. We are now prepared to protect the safety of the churches in Malaysia. Please call us. OUR LOVE AND CARE TO OUR CHRISTIAN BRETHREN."

So, while the building is destroyed, I am glad to say that the spirit of unity is strengthened. And that is what we should all focus on. At this time of trouble, there is enemy in our midst hoping to tear us Malaysians apart. After they have done that, they will rape our country and pillage our people.

Let all Malaysians stand together against this act of violence and terrorism. Let us unite for our beloved country.