Prime Minister Najib: Make Malaysia great again as Malaysians want change
by Din Merican
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.”-Martin Luther King Jr.
Yesterday, when I wrote about Dato Ramli Yusuff’s acquittal, I quoted Martin Luther King. Jr., the much revered civil rights leader of the John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson era. As Malaysians, what affects you will affect me.So what happened to Dato Ramli and Lawyer Rosli Dahlan can happen to us and those who are prepared to speak the truth to power. Mr Prime Minister, Sir, I am going to speak to you from this blog.
Battered Image of Polis Di Raja Malaysia (PDRM) due to Musa Hassan, IGP
This is my continuing rally for change – about the battered image of the PDRM because of the dismal performance of its worst ever IGP, Musa Hassan. During his tenure as IGP, the illegal money lending syndicate flourished. Crime index soared to an all time high. The Police Force has become the most despised law enforcement agency in Malaysia, the only other contender is the re-imaged MACC. Both institutions have become instruments of brute power which started in the Mahathir era.
That IGP Musa Hassan has failed Malaysians, the government and the country is evident from the many and numerous
reports of crimes in the country. That IGP Musa Hassan is clueless on how to handle the situation is also evident when he keeps blaming everyone else except himself. He blamed corrupt elements within the PDRM. Using that excuse, he transferred officers at his whims and fancies and paralyzed the police intelligence capabilities.
He fixed up and eliminated tested and proven officers like Dato’ Ramli Yusuff who would have been a threat to him. According to the Statutory Declaration by Musa’s own ADC, the transfers were for the bigger agenda at the behest of the BK Tan syndicate. It was indeed a clean-up, but one that entrenches the syndicate’s hold over the PDRM!
Was that the hint made by Dato’ Ramli yesterday in his statement that the men in blue should not be fearful of the syndicate? Was this the fulfillment of Dato’ Ramli’s ominous warning in 2007 before he was stripped of all his powers by IGP Musa Hassan and persecuted by A-G Gani Patail on trumped up charges fabricated by the MACC?
Stop Blaming the best run Immigration Department
Musa Hassan also blamed the Immigration Dept for its laid back policy leading to the increased crime rate. And what happened to the Immigration Director-General? Was he also not charged by the MACC? Some say the D-G was just a fall guy. Soon, at Musa’s behest, there will be re-introduction of stringent VISA requirements for entry including for students. Unwittingly, that would be taking many steps backward towards Malaysia’s objective of being a global education centre. Tan Sri Aseh Che Mat, the architect of that open policy will have something to say about Musa Hassan and his bird brained ideas. After all, Aseh was once the Secretary of the Police Commission and the Secretary-General of the Home Ministry.
Today, we find closed and gated housing all over the country. People feel unsafe even in their own neighbourhood, and have to live in gated communities with their own security guards. That speaks volume about the “feel good/feel safe” factor in the country. The fact that PDRM and crime is one of the NKRA under Dato’ Idris Jala is more than just symptomatic of this public loss of faith in the Police to maintain law and order.
The fact that Dato’ Hishammudin has to do his crime prevention walk-about is illustrative of the crisis of confidence over the PDRM generally and with Musa Hassan’s leadership in particular. That Musa Hassan is so much scandalised and despised, simply makes it unacceptable for him to remain in office. He is a liability to the PDRM and Najib’s government. Res ipsa loquitur.(Latin: the affairs speak for themselves)
Some weeks ago, Raja Petra Kamaruddin reported about the raid on Musa Hassan’s house, resulting in the recovery of large amounts of cash. The whole of Bukit Aman was abuzz with such whisperings. The self exiled web-master and blogger reported that a deal was cut to allow Musa Hassan to retire by the end of March.
Only yesterday (March 12), the China Press reported as follows:
“The Inspector-General of Police, Musa Hassan has submitted his resignation to Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein Onn, five months before the end of his contract.
Apparently he planned to formally step down on March 25 at a function commemorating the 203rd Police Day. If true, this is good news to be celebrated as Musa Hassan should not have his term extended in the first place as his performance as Inspector-General of Police had been atrocious.”
That is the voice of the Chinese community speaking. If you, PM Najib is serious about 1Malaysia, listen to that! It is only to be expected that Musa Hassan would use his own cohort like the Star’s pimp editor Lourdes Charles to refute that as follows:
Published: Saturday March 13, 2010 MYT 10:58:00 AM
Updated: Saturday March 13, 2010 MYT 11:08:41 AM
IGP Musa denies he’s quitting
By LOURDES CHARLES
KUALA LUMPUR:
The Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan has denied that he has resigned while questioning the source of the information.
“I have not submitted any resignation letter to the Prime Minister or anyone. I want to know if the source is from an official channel or from the ‘underground’,” he said when contacted on Saturday.
“I know it is not from the (Home) Ministry as I have checked with its Secretary-general Datuk Mahmood Adam, who denied any knowledge.”
Musa said if information in the article published was obtained from unofficial channels including the “underground” such as syndicates, then he “felt sorry” for the country. He said if the “underground” could manipulate the post of the IGP, then Malaysia was heading for disaster.
“I have asked my officers to check with the newspaper that published the article and find out the source who gave them the misleading information,” he added.
Musa had been given an extension to his one-year contract and he is due to retire in September.
A Chinese daily had reported that Musa was expected to step down on March 25 during a Police Day function. It quoted sources that said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein accepted his resignation.”
Message to Musa Hassan
Listen to this, Musa Hassan- no amount of denial can change the public’s perception that you are unfit to be IGP. The people of Penang are angry with you for making your policemen to lodge various reports to harass CM Lim Guan Eng, whereas there are many things undone by the police. If you care for PDRM, if you have any maruah left in you as the son of a much admired Ustaz Hassan Azahari from whom I learned to sharpen my reading of the Koran while watching TV, then leave before you are hounded out.
Message to Attorney-General Gani Patail
I now say the same thing to A-G Gani – do not desecrate your office by appealing against Dato’ Ramli’s acquittal. Do not waste public funds by continuously prosecuting the innocent. Spend your time and effort to get the real murderers of Altantuya, start by appealing against Razak Baginda’s acquittal. Restore religious harmony by prosecuting the two Al-Islam reporters for desecrating a Holy Communion.
Restore integrity to the august office of the A-G by prosecuting the MACC officers who murdered Teoh Beng Hock, begin by ensuring government doctors do not fabricate medical reports. But then you would have to first resign since you were already implicated in falsifying the medical report in Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s black eye incident, and your role in Sodomy II.
Message to MACC Abu Kassim and DPP Dzulqarnain
I now say to the MACC Abu Kassim, withdraw the charge against Lawyer Rosli Dahlan because your
misguided DPP Kevin Morais cannot be more straight than the man he is prosecuting. To DPP Dzulqarnain, remember that as an IIU graduate you must demonstrate and embody that principle of “amar ma’ruf nahi mungkar” and desist from the being a party to the persecution of Rosli Dahlan. Lest history will judge you for “bersubahat” against Rosli Dahlan who is from the first batch of IIU graduates together with Dato’ Ramli. The loyalty he has shown of that IIU brotherhood to the extent of endangering himself should cast shame on you.
In the name of change, I say to IGP Musa Hassan- step down. To A-G Gani -give way to Dato’ Yusof Zainal Abidien. To MACC Abu Kassim- be firm, do not bow to the other two, break away from being the third in that Unholy Trinity.
To PM Najib, I say – Malaysians want the above changes! Let the healing process begin.
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Which way Islam? |
BROOKLYN, NEW YORK |
John Esposito, given his celebrity and scholarship, is among perhaps only a handful of individuals who have met both these prospective challenges head-on with some success. His latest offering in a line of timely scholarly works, The Future of Islam, provides a refreshingly holistic assessment of the challenges Muslims face from increased pluralism on the one hand, and heightened hostility on the other. The book is, however, not without its biases and consequent missed opportunities. Overall though, the far more genuine appraisal of Muslims in The Future of Islam is a powerful counterweight to the sensational depictions found in (sadly, more in demand) Islamophobic publications.
Deconstructing a monolith
Both novice and more advanced readers on the subject will find much of Esposito’s narrative as insightful as it is comprehensive. The first chapter of the book includes a standard primer on the five pillars, the divisions between Sunni and Shia, and some brief remarks on the more “controversial” subjects of shariah and jihad. This introductory information is supplemented, however, with a less common examination of the racial and intellectual diversity of Muslims in the West, and an even rarer assessment of the legitimate grievances Muslims around the world have with America and its allies. Through this balanced breakdown, Esposito not only debunks the perceived uniformity of Muslims and exposes the fiction of the neo-con anchor, “They hate us for our freedoms,” but manages to humanize his subject at a time when most depictions of Muslims border on caricature.
For those possessing a firmer grasp of Islamic attitudes and beliefs, this book doubles as a clear and concise distillation of the Western Muslim experience. From the factors that distinguish American Muslims from their European counterparts, to the distinction between integration and assimilation, to the misapplication of terms such as “moderate” and “fundamentalist”, Esposito’s fluid analysis on these topics, often backed by empirical data, makes even the most complex phenomena easily digestible. This lucidity and equity suffers a bit, however, when Esposito moves to a discussion of his central thesis.
An Islamic reformation?
At its core, this book is an examination of the current prospects for Muslim reformers around the globe. By reform, Esposito ostensibly is referring to the reinterpretation of Quran and hadith to produce new legal and social models that better meet the challenges of an ever more globalized world. While acknowledging the breadth of Islamic jurisprudence and of debates over theological matters, Esposito nonetheless promotes certain positions, both implicitly and explicitly, throughout his narrative. More specifically, a liberal interpretation of women’s rights, as exhibited through the likes of Amina Wadud; a more pluralistic approach to salvation, in contrast to the belief in salvific exclusivity; and the legitimacy and expansion of lay ijtihad, which undercuts the traditional role of ulema, are all featured prominently in Esposito’s discussion of reform and “a new way forward” (a phrase he borrows from President Obama’s inauguration speech).
To be fair, Esposito is careful not to dismiss more traditional or conservative positions in Islam. He clearly cautions against facile labeling of a person or group as “extreme” simply because their understanding of a particular issue doesn’t mesh with a Western, supposedly enlightened perspective. Moreover, Esposito sincerely highlights the work of more mainstream Islamic jurists and activists such as Yusuf Al-Qaradawi, Amr Khalid, and Farhat Hashmi. Where Esposito is not so balanced, however, is in his handling of “Salafism”, or its more ominous pseudo-synonym, “Wahabism.”
Salafi skepticism
It’s not uncommon, I’ve found, to come across the works of otherwise insightful and compelling writers who trip over themselves when talking about Islam. Similarly, it seems that Islamicists adept at deconstructing the generally monolithic perception of Muslims curb their sense of nuance and complexity when describing Salafism or Salafis. Esposito, whose projects are ironically quite often funded by Saudi princes, seems content with, and indeed promotes, an overly simplistic portrait of “Saudi Islam” and the sentiments it produces. An uninitiated reader could easily, upon finishing this book, be convinced of the evils of “Saudi influence” in the abstract.
Where, then, does that leave the masjids, Islamic centers, and educational institutions in America and Europe that employ Saudi-trained scholars yet are an invaluable resource in combating extremism, and advancing integration? Esposito could have easily highlighted the laudable efforts of many “Salafis” in the West who are not only educating a new generation on what it means to be Muslim, but are consciously placing this identity within a more inclusive societal framework. This small gesture could have gone a long way towards dispelling some of the lingering myths about this misunderstood segment of the Muslim community.
A pluralistic prescription
Esposito’s keen socio-political acumen and sense of historical perspective return with his concluding remarks on the future of Muslim-West relations. He once again underscores that majorities of Muslims globally don’t conflict with the West on religious or civilizational grounds, but distinguish between various nation-states based upon their policies. Esposito goes on to encourage Western powers to curtail and ultimately eliminate their support for authoritarian regimes across the Muslim World, and to reconcile with the fact that clear majorities in these countries wish to see Islam play a greater role in government.
Finally, to counteract the viral spread of Islamophobia, Esposito emphasizes that Americans and Europeans must acknowledge a missing link in what Jews and Christians have come to regard as a shared heritage. Only when Muslims are no longer viewed as the “other,” but as integral elements of a rich Judeo-Christian-Islamic history, can serious headway be made against the forces of extremism. A nice thought – but with the status quo always being the easier and more marketable route, it’s hard to see this notion transitioning into reality.
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