FREEDOM OF OPINION AND SPEECH IN ISLAM: YOUR SUNDAY SERMON

Freedom of opinion and speech in Islam: your Sunday sermon

Posted by admin
Sunday, 08 March 2009 15:05

The concept of freedom of opinion as applied by the Prophet is mentioned in various verses of the Quran revealed in both Mekah and Medina. The total freedom of opinion and speech is a principle that was guaranteed by Islam since the beginning of the revelation.NO HOLDS BARREDRaja Petra Kamarudin
This is what the Star reported today in its news item: Stand as MP then, Malay traders tell Raja Petra.Online news portal editor Raja Petra Kamarudin should be an MP if he wants to criticise the Government and royalty, says a Malay industrialist group. Malay Businessmen and Industrialists Association of Malaysia (Perdasama) president Datuk Moehamad Izat Emir said Raja Petra’s constant criticism of the Government was bad for the economy and discouraged foreign investments.“He should contest in the next election if he feels the people support him. Parliament is the place for him to voice out, not by throwing stones from outside and hiding his hand afterwards,” Moehamad told a press conference at Perdasama headquarters yesterday.He was referring to an open letter to former Perak Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin purportedly written by Raja Petra and posted on his news portal Malaysia Today, encouraging Nizar to continue his struggle to reclaim his position.Moehamad urged the Government to take action before more Malaysians follow Raja Petra’s footsteps as this could further erode political stability, investor confidence and public harmony.
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I really don’t expect Izat to understand why I do not wish to become a MP or ADUN or whatever. DAP has, in fact, offered me a place in the party if I wish to hold public office. YB Ronnie Liu, the Pakatan Rakyat EXCO Member in the Selangor State Government, can testify to this.I just laughed and brushed off the idea. Ronnie, in fact, blames me for DAP not being able to become the Deputy Menteri Besar of Selangor. The problem is DAP does not have a Malay ADUN and he thought, if I had contested the recent general election, then DAP could have offered me the post of Deputy MB seeing that I would be the only Malay they have.I can’t pretend I was not thrilled with the idea, and deeply honoured as well, that Ronnie thought I was Deputy MB material. But I told him, as much as I was thrilled and honoured, I was, however, not in the least interested. He then tried offering me some other positions and I refused all those as well. I mean: having Saudara Karpal Singh, who I greatly respect, as one loose cannon in DAP is bad enough. Imagine me and Sam Haris and Datuk Zaid Ibrahim and maybe Malik Imtiaz, Bernard Khoo (Zorro), Azhar Harun, and a half dozen other Bloggers all in DAP. Menda gak?….kecoh…..bising bangau, as the Terengganu people would say.Is this the face of a Wakil Rakyat?
Hey, I love my lifestyle and make no bones about it (even my daughter and son-in-law are perturbed about my 1960s lifestyle). As a Wakil Rakyat I can’t any longer be as outrageous as I am now. And what am I going to do with my Hippie beads and my Paris Hilton DVD collection and my pipe and cigars all that other ‘unorthodox’ culture that I practice? You mean I actually got to wear a bush jacket? Pleeeeeeez.Anyway, while many Muslims are Muslims by birth or by ritual or in name only, I am Muslim by Akidah. And if a Muslim had any Akidah then he or she would understand the heavy responsibility one carries as a Wakil Rakyat. And if they understand this then they would never want to be a Wakil Rakyat in 1,000 years and for any amount of money.A Wakil Rakyat is God’s representative here on earth. He or she is a trustee of God. And a trustee of God who breaches this trust has sinned against God. But God is forever forgiving and can forgive your trespasses against Him. It is your trespasses against humankind that God can never forgive. Imagine come Judgement Day when you face God to be judged for all that you have done here on earth and your long list of sins the thickness of twenty volumes of Encyclopaedia Britanica are laid out before you and you are called to answer for these sins. And imagine if all your sins involve breaching God’s trust as a Wakil Rakyat and involve violations against humankind. God can forgive you for the first but never for the second.Yes, you go to Hell not for gambling or drinking beer or for not praying. You go to Hell because you did not serve the people you were supposed to serve as a Wakil Rakyat. No way, Jose. That is not the fate that I desire. A Wakil Rakyat is such a heavy responsibility that I just can’t understand why people would bribe voters and delegates just to win positions. I mean: it is bad enough these people are bribing, but they are bribing so that they can go to Hell. Hey, you can go to Hell for free without having to pay a cent, like me.But I don’t expect Izat to understand all this. This involves Akidah and I don’t expect him to understand the word, let alone the concept. This was the man who scolded his brother, Rahmat, because his brother had gone for his prayers and Izat was irritated that they had an appointment with a Datuk and were now late because his brother went to pray. “The appointment with the Datuk is more important than your prayers,” Izat scolded Rahmat. Rahmat decided, soon after that, that he would no longer work for his brother.Being in a political party -- any political party -- means I can no longer speak freely. As a party leader and Wakil Raykat I would have to toe the party line. And that is something I can never do. Islam is about freedom of opinion and free speech. You just can’t separate Islam from freedom of opinion and free speech. To deny one freedom of opinion and free speech would mean to deny Islam itself. If freedom of opinion and free speech ceases to exist, then Islam would cease to exist as well. That is the long and short of it all.I know, now many so-called Islamists will argue that Akidah is about praying, fasting, paying your tithes, going to Mekah and all that. To these people I say: bullshit. That is not Akidah. That is amalan (practice). And those are mere rituals. Even horses, penguins, seals, elephants, tigers, dogs, and whatnot can be taught to do tricks. This does not mean they all know why they are doing these tricks. They only know that if they do them then they get rewarded with food. So they do them….but for food.Those rituals that many Muslims perform are also for rewards -- mostly the reward of Heaven and to avoid punishment, meaning Hell. Assuming you get nothing and suffer nothing if you either do or do not do them, then 90% or more of Muslims would dump all the rituals. That is how ‘sincere’ these fakes are. They do not perform these rituals for God. They perform them for their own sakes, for the ‘rewards’ and to avoid punishment.Okay, now take a look at this:
Did you notice that Malaysia is number 132 on the list of countries that suppress freedom of opinion and speech? Even countries like Nigeria, Colombia, Cambodia, Algeria, Angola, Bolivia, Thailand, Indonesia, Sierra Leone, Uganda, Burundi, Senegal, Haiti, Zambia, Botswana, Serbia, etc., are all ranked above Malaysia.Now, Malaysia is supposed to be a Muslim country with Islam as the official religion of the country. And the leaders of UMNO (the dominant partner in the ruling coalition), which claims to be the largest Islamic party in the world, are also all Muslims. Should not this country, therefore, be setting an example to the rest of the Muslim world?In the first place, do Malaysian Muslims even understand the position of freedom of opinion and speech as espoused by Islam? Below is an extract of a 40-page paper written by Ahmed Mansour, which I feel Malay-Muslims, in particular Izat, should read and try to understand.This is what Ahmed Mansour said:Freedom of opinion refers to man’s total freedom of creed and thinking, as well as his freedom of declaring and expressing his point of view peacefully, without using a weapon. This definition of the concept of freedom of opinion is taken from verses of the Quran that are concerned with confirming the total freedom of opinion, and the application by Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) of these verses in his time with people around him. The concept of freedom of opinion as applied by the Prophet is mentioned in various verses of the Quran revealed in both Mekah and Medina. The total freedom of opinion and speech is a principle that was guaranteed by Islam since the beginning of the revelation, and applied by Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and some of his successors (Caliphs). Yet, this freedom had been forbidden during the time of the Umayyad Caliphate. Then the Abbassids came along and introduced a theocratic concept of governing the state. That concept was justified by religious texts opposed to the Quran, but was mischievously ‘credited’ to Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) through so-called Hadith created to justify the actions of the government. Man’s freedom of opinion is the origin of his existence, God’s creation of the universe, and the idea of the hereafter. This is how far the roots of freedom of opinion in Islam go. And this puts an end to every pretext of people supporting suppression of opinion in the name of religion. If man wants to be free, he will be, and if he wants to be a slave to another man or any thought, he will be too. What is important is man is able to choose, and through choice, man can use his freedom however he wants. However, man will choose to be a non-believer, and deny his inner instinct and God’s existence when others try to dominate him with their human laws and seize his right of being a non-believer. To this extent, God Almighty created man with free will. And man’s free thought can lead him to deny the existence of God, the Almighty. God did not authorise some people to punish, in His name, others just because they have different opinions or because they disbelieve in God. And those who proclaim their right to punish others spoil the case from its roots and play the role of God - as there is no god but Him. They dominate what God Almighty wanted to control as He created human mind free without restraints, able to think with no limits, and believe or disbelieve if it wants. They fake God’s religion and assault His powers that He saved for Himself to practice in the Hereafter, on grounds that there is no need for punishment and reckoning in the hereafter, as long as there is a compulsion in faith and religion. They form a bad, extreme, bloody, stubborn and fusty image of God’s religion, and contribute to get most people away from it. This bad image has nothing to do with God’s religion. It is their image and religion that is entirely opposing to God’s religion. Because they are the real enemies of God, He legislated militancy against them, not to force people to get into Islam, but to assure people’s right of faith or infidelity, as well as their right to get rid of the domination of insincere religious leaders. The insincere religious leaders (priesthood advocates) are those who pretend to be talking in the name of God, and controlling - in His name - people’s minds and thoughts. Islam fought them with the legislation of militancy. Yet the insincere religious leaders of Abbassids and Sheiks succeeded in reversing these concepts and misrepresented Islam. When we read the Holy Quran we find that God, the creator of the universe, doesn’t want to force people to believe in Him, His books, and messengers. And because God created people with free will, he conducts a dialogue with them to believe if they want to believe, and not because of force and compulsion used against them. As insincere religious leaders refuse to have a dialogue with people, and instead issue decrees condemning them -- because they have opinions that are different with theirs -- as being disbelievers and renegades, God conducts a dialogue with His worshippers, Adam’s sons, to convince them that He is the only God who has no companions. When we think about the verses of the Quran and look at ourselves, we feel sorry for what some of us, who bear the banner of Islam, do. They impose their own opinions and suppress others the right to express their opinions. Moreover, they offend and hurt these people through deeds and words. And they proclaim these people as disbelievers who must be killed, thinking they are fighting for the cause of God. If they properly considered the verses of Quran, they would find that they are repeating the deeds of the tribe of Quraish at the time of the Prophet (pbuh). The problem is that some people grant themselves an authority higher than that of the Prophet. In his book (Jame’a Bayan Al Elm Wa Fadleh Fadlan Kamelan) under the title of (Bab Zekr Karaheyat Al Elm Wa Takhleedah Fil Souhouf), Al Kortoby said that the Prophet ordered: “don’t attribute anything to me but what was mentioned in Quran”. He added that Zaid Bin Thabet said to Mouaweya that the Prophet (pbuh) ordered people not to write down any of his Hadith. Al Kortoby also said that there were various narrations that asserted that Omar, Abi Saad Al Khadry, and Ibn Massoud refused to write down the Prophet’s Hadith. Ibn Saad, the Prophet’s closest companion, didn’t narrate any of the Prophet’s Hadith. The Abbassid Caliph used those Hadith as a pretext to kill his enemies keeping his religious title of Mahdy, Hady or Rasheed without giving anyone a chance to practice his freedom of opinion. The Abbassid religious insincerity wasn’t limited to the suppression of religious and political opinion. It was extended to include scientific research and intellectual teachings. Many people sought to get closer to the Abbassid Caliphs through the invention of new narrations, interpretations and laws and attributed them to Ibn Abbass, the higher grandfather of Abbassid caliphs. Those innovations acquired a kind of sanctuary and its discussion attracted the Caliphs’ anger. The suppression of intellectual and scientific opinion increased when Al Mamoun tried to impose his own point of view concerning the issue of interpreting the Quran. And despite his open-mindedness and patience, Al Mamoun couldn’t resist the Abbassid influence. He tortured Ibn Hanbal and killed Ahmad Bin Nasr Al Kozaey when they rejected his opinions. The story began in the month of Rabee Al Awal, 218 hijri, when Al Mamoun issued a publication in which he ordered Islamic lawyers to embrace a creed that said that Quran was created by God after He created the universe and threatened whoever rejected that. These threats soon caused some scholars like Ibn Saad, Abou Muslim, Yazeed Bin Harwoon, Yehia Ibn Maeen and Abou Khothayma to submit. When they were released, Al Mamoun ordered the arrest of other scholars such as Ibn Hanbal to force them to agree that the Quran was created after the Universe. They all agreed except Ibn Hanbal and another three. Two of them retreated while Ibn Hanbal and Ibn Nouh kept insisting on opposing the idea that the Quran was created after the Universe. Before his death, Al Mamoun charged his successor with the investigation of the case. Ibn Hanbal was tortured for a long time and then and died from his wounds after he was released.





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Comments (58)
...written by glock17, March 08, 2009 15:21:21
we are all children of abrahamic teaching...why this must all this political diversion as we all pray to oness in different cultural/historical background.
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...written by Pakyeh, March 08, 2009 15:26:13
Ya baby, The Quran guarentees freedom of religion refer AlQuran 2:256 "There is no compulsion in religion"...within and without Islam. The Hadis however takes away our freedom of religion by coming out with a hadis allowing fo death penalty for Muslims who change their religion or differ in the Islamic jurispudence. The Muslim hadis like Christian trinity concept are political dogmas to monopolise a fixed brand of religion. Both these politicallized religions have killed many in the past. Islam that makes use of Hadis has evolved to be the Hadis Religion which contradicts the laws of the Quran and potray God as a tyrant who forces religion on mankind. Refer my article "The hard(ying) and the soft(yang) of Islamic Law" and "Oh Muslims Think"....at http://warongpakyeh.blogspot.com
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...written by OVERLORD, March 08, 2009 15:36:42
Pete, Your respectful stand reminds me of "Dale Chip" from the now defunct Australian Democrats party who once said these famous words when asked what is the justification of a democratic party :- "We have to keep those bastards honest!!" This is my interpretation on what you stand for....someone who conducts check and balances of the government policies and action (inclusive of a PKR government), a person who stands up for the rights of the minority, free from the shackles of bureaucracy and politics.
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...written by clusco, March 08, 2009 15:47:07
RPK, I agree with that you should be an MP. Its not because you'll win it or we as rakyat will make you win. As a MP, Im sure there'll be alot of people start to hear you and accept with what you say or what you would like to educate. As I can see, only RPK can educate Malaysian Chinese well. Only he knew the way and at the same time, alot of Chinese support RPK with hearts. Im saying this not because position and Im sure you wont accept any position but we love to see someone like Tuan Guru Nik Aziz and it came from other parties. Does anyone agree with me that Tuan Guru wont chase for wealth, power and position?? Im sure the answer will be 100%. Does anyone agree with me that RPK wont chase for wealth, power and position if he became MP? Im sure the answer will be 100% too.... This type of MP that rakyat want now.... Back to you RPK....
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...written by miwaki, March 08, 2009 15:49:07
Lots of people are bribing their wayy to hell ! They do not know that we can end up in hell for free.That's the best one for UMNO people to digest.
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...written by Limang, March 08, 2009 15:49:45
O yea, Malaysia is a model Muslim country - everywhere the Muslim government officers go, they trumpet how wonderful Malaysia is - how she has no problems at all, how progressive she is, how peaceful and harmonious it is, how Muslims can rule in a modern society, especially this loser called BODOHWI! But be careful, Pete, the way you blast at the Muslims, there is a price on your head. As Marina said, all you have to do to prove that Islam is a violent religion is just to say something true about Muslim religion and you have the world Muslim world up in arms, calling for blood and even killing each other trying to see who can champion Islam better! I AM GLAD I'M NOT A MUSLIM!!!!
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...written by Hello Keithy, March 08, 2009 15:55:14
Pete, I missed the earlier posting regarding this. I nust say, Pete, it's a bloody good idea. You should be an MP and that way all those blooming Moe, Larry and Curly of UMNO and Malay traders will be hopping mad. You have my vote.
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...written by rpremkumar2u, March 08, 2009 15:58:35
Thank you Pete, I am enriched by visiting your site.
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...written by Milo, March 08, 2009 15:59:02
In being a MP, RPK will be 'forced' to take side. We need intelligent, fair-minded and courageous person to stay out of politics, to ensure politicians on both sides of the fence have something to fear. Since those traders find it fit to criticize RPK for staying of the political box, they should first apply that rule to themselves - QUIT BUSINESS AND ENTER THE POLITICAL ARENA! Otherwise, stay in your hole, do business and keep diam!
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...written by clusco, March 08, 2009 16:01:42
RPK, We didnt choose MP from a face. We didnt care if you're not wearing shirt when doing campaign. As we know that you're type of rakyat that will understand what rakyat suffer. There got alot of MP/Adun from Kedah that already forgot who they are. Bila ditanya jawapannya "Kita sekarang kerajaan, bukan lagi pembangkang macam dulu". At the same time they are busy making money for their pocket, not for rakyat. We also not asking you to wear like a Jew, just be yourself and MP for us. You can keep your Paris Hilton DVD collection as what Dr Chua keep his sex DVD. Love to see you became MP in next general election. Will U?
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...written by Heaven8402, March 08, 2009 16:08:40
Yes, Malaysia is a Muslim country but what makes Malaysia different from Nigeria and other countries is those celaka umno-goons that came from caves!!
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...written by lamepug, March 08, 2009 16:22:09
i think you all do not understand the FEEL part of the success and do not want to take credit from it...that's RPK... the true gentlemen!
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...written by san amin, March 08, 2009 16:41:39
EXCELLENT ARTICLE RPK! THIS IS THE MAIN REASON WHY MT N RPK ARE A CLASS APART. AM I DEEP INTO UR ARSE? SORRY CANT HELP MAKING AN HONEST COMMENT. THANKS.
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...written by san amin, March 08, 2009 16:50:21
COMMON GUYS! RPK BECOMING A POLITICIAN? JUST GIVE ME ONE NAME OF A POLITICAL LEADER IN THIS WORLD THAT U REALLY, I MEAN REALLY THINK IS OR WAS HONEST. A SURGEON BECAME A POLITICAL LEADER IS ALREADY ENOUGH, LET ALONE A BLOGGER.
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...written by patriotic1994, March 08, 2009 17:08:46
It depends on how you ask RPK to be MP. If you say it like "He should contest in the next election if he feels the people support him. Parliament is the place for him to voice out, not by throwing stones from outside and hiding his hand afterwards", then of course RPK won't be MP, let alone anyone. RPK didn't need to contest in election to get people support. What RPK fight for is that "you" as an ordinary people on street can make a different to tell government to behave and serve the people! People "is" the boss. We give them power to manage the country, not stealing money!
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...written by roggon, March 08, 2009 17:11:12
MP is just the voice of the rakyat. RPK is the voice of all malaysians except if they are classidied under "Morons".
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...written by Qcumber, March 08, 2009 17:13:40
NO... not MP, I wish RPK can be the PM
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...written by Shane, March 08, 2009 17:15:33
Yet another excellent article , good move . Micasa sucasa bro .
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...written by imanj, March 08, 2009 17:17:21
The KORAN declares that "reforming the earth" is the ideal human endeavor.The basic criticism of humanity in the KORAN is that it is too proud and too petty,narrow-minded,and selfish. "When evil befalls man,he panics,but when good things come to him he prevents them from reaching others." The KORAN insists that individuals transcend their pettiness and enlarge themselves. By doing so,they develop the inner moral quality that the KORAN calls 'taqwa'. [translated as fear of GOD but usually meaning 'to guard against danger'] By this quality humans can discern right from wrong and above all,can evaluate their own actions properly,escaping self deception,a danger to which they are always exposed.Often people think they have done something consequential,but the deed has no importance in the long run.THE REAL WORTH OF A PERSON'S DEED CAN BE JUDGED ONLY THROUGH "taqwa" AND AN INDIVIDUAL'S AIM SHOULD BE THE ULTIMATE BENEFIT OF HUMANITY,NOT IMMEDIATE PLEASURES OR AMBITIONS OF THE SELF.... Freedom of opinion refers to a man's total freedom of creed and thinking,as well as his freedom of declaring and expressing his point of view peacefully without using a weapon... My point of view,to ascertain oneself is the hardest task for mankind,so people dig deep into your hearts to find compassion and an ounce of goodness to surpress anger and hatred.It's more dignified and would help solve matters...
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...written by Sabahfan, March 08, 2009 17:18:35
Dear RPK YOU know dammmed well that freedom of opinion is not practical in the islamic world because it would prevent the greedy leaders as in UMNO to hold power for eternity... That would totally negate their efforts to set up a dynasty....
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...written by Saint, March 08, 2009 17:24:50
Thanks RPK, I have always felt something was wrong with Islam as a religion where humans (Muslims) are more powerful then God Himself.I am a bit more clear now.
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...written by carribeanking7, March 08, 2009 17:28:34
Who the hell is Izat ? How much FDI has he personally brought in to comment in the first place ? Parliament is not the only bastion of democracy, we need courageous people like RPK, Irene fernandez, haris Ibrahim and many others to act as a voive of conscience as well. This Izat fellow reminds me of the time when Azlina Othman told Citizen Nades to "stand for elections" when the latter took her to task. On top of table provided above reports by Amnesty International and Transparency International are not very flattering either, these reprts are perused by most foreign investors before deciding on whether to invest or not. Our largest trading partner, the US confered accolades on bar Council's Ambiga for her efforts on human rights. New US sec of state Hilary Clinton gave Malaysia a miss during her recent Asean tour. The reason Izat is that foreign investots think that BN sucks. I am willing to wager that if the BN govt is toppled and Pakatan implements measures similar to Penangs CAT govt, foreign investors will come in by the droves. In my line of work I come into contact with foreign fund managers, as well as the investment community in General and they tell me that Malaysia seems to be run by a half past six government who have the mentality of 3 year olds. Dont belive me ? go ahead do a poll and find out what foreign investors think of the current BN govt.
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...written by parsona, March 08, 2009 17:30:56
Personally I would love to see our dear Pete as someone in power, someone with integrity thats willing to do the necessary to fight evil and corruption. However I understand that your need to remain solely as an observer and a critic of the wrongdoers regardless of which party they are from. Pete, you have a great command of respect from a large segment of society, and with some power you will be able to achieve so much. Might I suggest that you, for now, accept some power and use that to fight the plague that is known as UMNO. The pendulum now swings too deep into the shadows of BN, use your influence and power to bring Malaysia back to the way its meant to be, then you can quit and go back to being the hippie reporter of injustice that you are now. Regardless of whats done, we will still support anything you do!
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...written by tan_eng, March 08, 2009 17:33:09
Hi Guys, Hmm. i read that article in Star today and i was laughing all the way. I would really like RPK to get involved in politics but hey if you are not interested, i guess i can't force you. You are right about one thing RPK, about toeing the party principals.It will definitely shut you down and we Malaysian can't afford to have the truth hidden even with you around. But i think we need a political party for Malaysians. DAP-PAS-PKR all sounds well but all are not sync together. The only thing keeping these guys together is Anwar Ibrahim and not Malaysian spirit. That has been bothering me for a while now. Perhaps we can start with registered entity such as Malaysia - Today Team (If you don't want to call it Political Party). We all should get together and discuss policies and culture while radiating it through physical world as well as virtual world. We can't just stay offline. We would have a social platform then, for same minded people to share their thought and express our views in a more concrete manner. People need to know what Malaysia - Today is all about. We are not condoning or condemning anyone but we are preaching TRUTH, FAIRNESS AND JUSTICE For all malaysians. We could be the think - tank for the current Pakatan Rakyat Team (They could use our help sometimes, as i see those guys are still struggling to get their act straight :-) ). Hopefully these guys gets what we Malaysians think rather than what Malay, Indian or Chinese Thinks. What you think RPK ? Malaysian Fighthing For Malaysia.
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...written by Proarte, March 08, 2009 17:33:18
Unfortunately Muhammed did not not allow Kafirs to have freedom of worship and thought. He brutally wiped them out in Arabia along with the Jews and Christians the so called ' the People of the Book'. The fact is the Koran lends itself to contradictory interpretations. It gives succour to the most placid Sufi intellectual as well as the most bloodthirsty Al-Qaeda terrorist. UMNO and PAS are simply following the example of Muhammed. Is that such a bad example? In Malaysia, the Shariah courts which Anwar Ibrahim( the intellectual and rational face of Islam we are led to believe) has so much confidence in, has declared that a Muslim is a Muslim for ever and cannot change his or her faith. How does this square with freedom of worship? Is Raja Petra right and the Shariah courts and Anwar Ibrahim wrong? It is about time that we acknowledge that the Koran is a book written and put together by humans many years after Muhammed died and that it is riddled with contradictions. The problem with Muslims is that they regard the Koran as 'Perfect' when clearly is it not. Only Allah is perfect, not a book written by fallible humans.
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...written by Oscar Winner, March 08, 2009 17:48:02
And I quote Datuk Moehamad Izat Emir : "He should contest in the next election if he feels the people support him. Parliament is the place for him to voice out..." Unquote. The august house is the place for those goons to rubber-stamp bills only and then plan their plunder. With a dewan rakyat speaker who is also of the same feather as those goons, I am sure most of the time our RKP would not even have the opportunity to open his mouth, let alone voicing out. Come on, Datuk, don't be an idiot and become a laughing stock!! Datuk, your dear XMNO youth can even ambush a wheelchair-bound OKU outside the parliament and get away scott-free, I fear what they will do to RPK if he is ambushed. RPK is already a Wakil Rakyat on a different platform. I would say, unless he's offered PM's post, otherwise anything less, he should just stay the way he is now
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...written by Wudan, March 08, 2009 17:52:19
Is this the face of a Wakil Rakyat? ------------------------------------- Errrr...! Let's see. Beads, Dog Tag, Quantum Pendant and Magnetic Bracelet. If you are a Wakil Rakyat then 'tukartiub' should be a Dewan Speaker. Kah kah kah! Salam RPK. 'Whoso would be a man, must be a nonconformist'. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
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...written by teo siew chin, March 08, 2009 17:55:31
ya know....come to think of it...wouldn't it be a hoot if YM RPK becomes a YB or ADUN! he'll be de only one goin around looking exactly like that pic which actually is soooooo cool !!! and it'll be so easy to spot when he 'jumps' cos he'll be in a bush jacket...yukkkk! and we will all soooo anticipate his 'naked' fotos floating around.
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...written by Joe, March 08, 2009 18:02:11
RPK, I dont trust politicians, I do trust you. If you become a politician, I will stop trusting you... and I know I am not alone in that thinking. You take great risk upon yourself by prevailing on sensitive issues relating to Islam. Your attempt at making the mass public understand Islam better in this forum is commendable, but the mass public who need to hear what you have to say do not browse here. I would recommend, you set up another site. all comments in Malay only. Then you might get somewhere.
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...written by wongnoball, March 08, 2009 18:06:59
Waaah...Sunday Sermon....Soooooo...Why not just get rid of the Syriah Courts Altogether? What purpose it serves if Akidah is real Deal?? What are malays thinking that they need a Policeman to guard,judge their moral behavious and yet this police can be bribed, take sides and also corrupted like some churches, buddism, hinduism? It does make a Mockery of Islam! Civil courts would do!! Disband Syriah COurts..costing taxpayers 1 Billion a year to maintain those USELESS "religious" People, building who make no contribution to a better Malaysia! We have only seen Corruption, racism, crime Increase...spend the money for poor is better and raise their Financial and Moral, Financial & racial IQ is better!! Preaching to the converted here in MT....need to workon UMNO and PAS to not lelong Islam for 51 years and counting!!
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...written by areenna, March 08, 2009 18:53:53
RPK: "I know, now many so-called Islamists will argue that Akidah is about praying, fasting, paying your tithes, going to Mekah and all that.." Yes, Akidah is not about about praying, fasting, praying. Its about you acceptance or believing in Allah, The one and Only god and five others more as stated clearly in Pillars of Image (Rerun Islam). Thus, 'believing and acceptance" is what's in your mind, it's between you and god. Since its something in your mind, anybody can say he or she got akin and nobody can argue. Be is Side Humid, be it Izat, be it Raja Petra, or whoever says that. Anyway, akidah is beyond either you 'have it' or 'not'. It also about your 'strenght' of akidah or how strong you believe in God and also others as stated in Pillars of Iman. If a Muslim akidah or iman in God and His Messengers (2nd in Pillars of Iman) are at high level, then Muslim will not take moneys belong to rakyat or commits other sins. If a Muslim iman is really 'strong' in God, and admit that they the just 'creation' or 'servant' of God, they will perform rituals such as solat. They, as the humble servant or creation need to obey the God's command. Muslim with akidah at 'strong' level will follow as per God's instructions to not to abuse power, be it the the power of 'position' or 'money'. Sadly, both tend to be abuse. Even if horses, penguins, seals, elephants, tigers, dogs can be taught by human to do tricks such as performing Solat it will be rendered meaningless because the 'akidah' or 'iman' is not behind the ritual. There's no "I am a servant of god" behind the trick performed. These animal need to be teach of 'akidah' first. Certain type of animal do fasting, is 'akidah' behind in the action? Nobody can read this creature's mind/brain. Akidah should be translated into actions. Akidah and actions come hand in hand Action alone not enough too. Some Muslim just perform the the ritual to show off or to say, "See, I am holier than thou". Some just acting. What sins they do behind the stage or under the table, only God knows. Before anybody (be it Muslim or not) decide to become wakil rakyat, just remember the Spiderman tagline, "With great power comes great responsibility."
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...written by areenna, March 08, 2009 18:55:59
Typo error: "Pillars of Image (Rerun Islam)" should be typed "Pillars of Iman (Rukun Iman)"
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...written by Fido, March 08, 2009 19:00:23
Too bad, I would have loved to see RPK as a Wakil Rakyat or a Dep MB
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...written by malaysianohope, March 08, 2009 19:02:35
Abang, Whether you are an MP or not is non of anybody business especially that "Moe" but I like the way you are & I think you are better at a watchdog role. I do share your reasoning that you are not shackled by all the rigid behavour that come with the position of an MP, you know wearing a tie with a suit & not allowed to curse & swear at people etc. etc. So to "Moe" bugger off.
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...written by kota marudian, March 08, 2009 19:13:29
Dear RPK, I love your understanding of life and agree with you 100%. I am not a Muslim, more like a free ranger but I believe that what we do on this earth is for a higher power. I could use Allah or God but it seems even the name has become hard to say without insulting someone or other. If all were aware of this responsibility then life here would be much better. I will try my best to make the world around me better but also remember for any wrong I do there will be a payback day. I would not like to be a crooked big shot who dies and goes to the promised land and gets asked, what did you do with the life I gave you. How did you serve my people?
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...written by malsia1206, March 08, 2009 19:35:53
In Malaysia only, the open blunt truth of the matter at hand - 1.Politics 2.Religion 3.NEP are the 3 main factors destroying this Nation. Not sure in which main order though.
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...written by Lembing, March 08, 2009 19:49:21
Extract from this article:- "The total freedom of opinion and speech is a principle that was guaranteed by Islam since the beginning of the revelation, and applied by Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and some of his successors (Caliphs)." Then why should we be charged under the sedition act if we question and/or discuss the Sultans' positions and role?????????
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...written by Iliyas, March 08, 2009 21:33:30
Pete,you don't need to be an MP to change the country.Your very tougue and presence alone shivers the bad and the ugly.I'm convince the bunch of UMNOputras will testify to this.Your article will surely add more punch to the efforts of Concerned Citizens of Sabah in their pursuit for Prime Minister to lift the ban on the word"Allah"in Christian literature.MT readers support their call for a better and fair Malaysia.Log on to www.PetitionOnline.com/sabahan/petition.html
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...written by Azril Way, March 08, 2009 21:48:57
Dear RPK, I wish that you can upload bigger resolution of your pic so i can use it as my wallpaper. maybe 1600x1200? what say you? Peace and takecare
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...written by Almighty, March 08, 2009 23:13:36
VOTE RPK FOR for Malaysia PM ..........The changes we believe in
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...written by chelly, March 08, 2009 23:32:36
DEAR RPK, I STILL REMEMBER THE SAYING OF THE LATE TAN SRI ZAIN AZRAI(FORMER MAS CHAIRMAN AND TREASURY BIG SHOT,CANT REMEMBER HIS POSITION),POLITICIAN IS THE MOST NOBLEST PROFESSION IN THE WORLD, DIDNT UNDERSTAND THEN BUT I DO NOW, THE RESPONSIBILITY OF A GOOD AND HONEST POLITICIAN IS A BURDEN NOT EASY TO WEAR,HOPE MOST OF THE POLITICIAN REALISE HOW HIGH AND EXALTED A POSITION THEY HAVE ONLY TO BE CREDIBLE AND HONEST, NOTHING ELSE.
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...written by lynn, March 08, 2009 23:49:53
RPK, I imagine you are either our new IGP or MACC chief - bakri zinin, patail, musa, will be lining up to carry your b@lls, sucking your toes, stroking your beard or polishing your head to make it shiny... ha ha ha. You rock, man!
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...written by taishan, March 09, 2009 00:24:27
"The total freedom of opinion and speech is a principle that was guaranteed by Islam ......." And the poet Asma bte Mawan was killed for mocking the Prophet.
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...written by Davy McChester, March 09, 2009 00:27:06
1400 hundred years ago everything what God is all about revealed in the deserts of Saudi Arabi by bediouns? And 2000 years ago by Jesus Christ ? Give me a break ! Please do not underestimate the human capacity to think and act to take the bull by its horns. Those were the days of ignorance so prevalent ,and some smart men among them ,just like today,knew how to manipulate the masses. Nothing better to use than the fear of the unknown.And God and devil match perfectly. Move on ,baby,we are past that age of ignorance. We want to unite the world to one single thought: Wherever we are we are linked by our DNA and from the same family .It is the evil men who wants to control us by fear of god and devil;and also use us to kill each other to keep the tyrants in power.
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...written by confuseus, March 09, 2009 00:33:40
Another one bites the dust, Sir. Just ignore this carpet salesman ... he is not your match. Secularism has placed politics above religion so no amount of sermon can wake them up.... they need to be whacked, whacked and whacked till kingdom come and that is the Freedom of Expression!!!
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...written by Fart Fart Wah, March 09, 2009 00:57:22
we do not need to quote the Bible or Koran if people are educated to think as humans. The teaching of a religion is to enlighten a human that he is made by some higher intelligence. For all the religious teaching, some Muslims still cannot come out from the dark tunnel. Religious education has made them see that they are humans and the rest sub-humans. The squint eye look that they are more "holier than thou" believe has led them to assume that they are standing next to the creator. You can bring these type of people out of the kampung but you cannot take the kampung mentality out of them. Education is wasted. It is the same ..you take a mat-rempit as an example. He is taught, instructed and given all the knowledge about being responsible,accountable for his actions and his standing before God....and its all wasted. The education did not take effect..for the knowledge did nothing to make them more aware that the wrong they do is not right..for EDUCATION WILL MAKE ONE TO SEE THE RIGHT AND WRONG OF THINGS AND BE ABLE TO WEIGH IT WISELY BEFORE MAKING THEMSELVES A NUINSANCE AND DANGER TO SOCIETY. DO YOU THINK THE UMNO MORONS HAVE THIS???? SO NOT AMOUNT OF ISLAM OR KNOWLEDGE WILL MAKE THEM SEE WHAT YOU SAY... ..THEIR HEARTS ARE CLOSED(COLD)...AND THEIR MINDS ARE ALWAYS WORKING ON HOW TO MAKE MISCHIEF.... IF THEY LOVE THE NATION....THEY WILL NOT DO WHAT THEY ARE DOING....
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...written by PresleyP, March 09, 2009 05:06:13
Is surprise but not surpised that the Chairman of Perdasama is unable to view things in proper perspective. RPK is perfectly alright to stay as non MP so there is no restriction for his writings. And BN will have reason to bombard whenever he criticised the BN. And he will not have to worry about being naked in his room too. Yet RPK still have a lot more respect and influence without being an MP. I support him totally and respect him. George Soros said before that if the tree is not rotten, he can't pushed the tree down. There are many reason for investors to shun away from Malaysia, definitely nothing to do with RPK. Firstly, the Government regulation of 30% quota to Bumis. Secondly, the political instability. Such as the unfair change of MB in Perak. Existence of 2 MB ? Whom should an Investor go to visit to talk about his business proposal ? Thirdly, injustice in court. How do you think the world outside Malaysia view our judiciary system, regarding the judgement of Altantuya ? It is even being documented in the Wikipedia Encyclopaedia. Finally, the tainted name of our future PM. And it appears that the rakyat, current PM and Monarchy is allowing him to be PM without any objection. Do you think anybody would like to invest their money here ? How can they guarantee that their money will not disapper like the immigration record of Altantuya ? How can they guarantee that thier body will not be C-4ed ? It has nothing to do with RPK. RPK definitely helps to "clean" up the name of Islam which had been being abused by a lot of people for political gain.
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...written by JC Tan, March 09, 2009 09:10:44
There is always the religion and the human interpretation of the religion. For you, the follower of the faith, please read your holy book(s) and understand your religion based on your own interpretation. Every being has the right to believe in, why believe in what others told you, instead of what you understand? Regards, -JC Tan (Advocate of Darwinian Buddhism)
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...written by Panca Indera, March 09, 2009 09:47:53
Freedom of speech does not gives the right to tell lies written by taishan, March 09, 2009 00:24:27 "And the poet Asma bte Mawan was killed for mocking the Prophet. " The Above story is a lie and forgery told to discredit Islam and Insult the Prophet. Taishan should check the authenticity of the article first but then being Islamophobic, does not care what he wrote as long as it insults Islam. Refer link http://www.answering-christian...illing.htm The Christian missionary, Silas, has accused Prophet Muhammad(P) of being responsible for the killing Abu 'Afak and 'Asma bint Marwan. The implications of these charges are that he(P) "stiffles" criticism by murdering his opponents. In this paper, insha'allâh, we are going to refute these false charges against the Holy Prophet(P), wa Allah-ul-Must’aan…….. Click on link for more on silas http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silas Silas first appears in Acts (15:22-29) with Barnabas, after the Council of Jerusalem, as carrying a letter with the council's decision, to Antioch. After his disagreement with Barnabas over John Mark (Acts 15:37-40), Paul then selects Silas to accompany him west to Derbe, Lystra (where they recruited Timothy), Troas, Philippi, Thessalonica and Beroea, where he remained with Timothy while Paul continued to Athens (Acts 16, 17).
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...written by Wave33, March 09, 2009 11:31:47
I agree with RPK, he serve the Raykat better being independent. Being an MP there is alot of restriction and commitment. Commitment towards the Rakyat is of course good but commitment towards party lines are questionable at times. Knowing RPK, he is as free as a bird. He wants to be that way. This I hope RPK would be able to do in a BIG scale. Setup an NGO, perhaps the NGO name would be like "Movement for Truth", "Freedom of opinion and speech Organisation", something on these lines. There is a partial success on candlelight vigil held every Sunday in PJ, it is able to create a fellowship but the scale is just not large enough to be taken seriously by the Polis Raja Di Malaysia. With NGO setup and with multiple branches throughout the country, it is more effective to combat such suppression by force from BN and Polis Raja Di Malaysia With multiple branch, the Rakyat is able to provide information and the NGO can disperse such information to the public, we need more cases like koret, koret, koret. With hard evidence, to prevent BN or PR or TDM to deny any case, because there is no prove, they would deny until the 46 cows comes home. This is how politician speaks, so says DPM, he has never met a lady called Altantuya until prove of photo. What so difficult to get those photo or video, don't these foreign countries have CCTV all round to record the close encounter of the third kind. PLEASE GO GET IT! Yeah, the problem, we do not have a large enough organisation and enough funds to do it. RPK can't do it alone, we have to come in to support in term of manpower and funds. By doing so, we are helping ourselves, our children and our generations to come, to have a better Malaysia. Cintai Malaysiaku
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...written by Jit Dharma, March 09, 2009 12:14:06
What has happened is that we have moved on to another plane, a higher one, and those stuck in the mold of yesterdays false theology are being exposed as the narrow minded bigots that they are by the fruits of their own actions.
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...written by taishan, March 09, 2009 13:22:54
Panca Indera - think i am making that up... ? Here's the verses. Look it up in your holy book. Muhammad was enraged at their criticism. When he heard the verses composed by Asma Bint Marwan he was infuriated and screamed aloud, "Will no one rid me of this daughter of Marwan!" That very night a gang of Muslims set out to do the dirty deed. They broke into the poets' house. She was lying in in her bedroom suckling her newborn child, while her other small children slept nearby. The Muslims tore the newborn infant off her breast and hacked it to pieces before her very eyes. They then made her watch the murder of all four of her children, before raping and then stabbing her repeatedly to death. After the murder when the Muslims went to inform the Prophet, he said "You have done a service to Allah and his Messenger, her life was not worth even two goats!"
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...written by chronos, March 09, 2009 14:24:08
Izat of Perdasama, how you all become Industrialist, we also know, you dapat contracts from the various govt ministries without any qualifications thru your contacts with corrupt officials. then these corrupt officials by dubious means secure bank loans for you, then you get manufacturers of those machines to hike up their quotations so that you can squeeze extra money from the banks. Then, you get the corrupt govt officials to demand that the foreign manufacturers must give bumiputra Companies 40 - 50% of their outsourcing contracts, which happens to be you or one of your members. That is how you buggers become Industrialist, bukan???? You have no integrity, no business accumen, no nothing. So, you have no right to make any call to RPK to do anything. RPK is about, Integrity, Honesty, Truth, Fairness, bila bila, sapu you and any of your perdasama members.
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...written by clarity, March 09, 2009 16:01:47
In fact there was a misprint when this moehammad izat said your incessant criticisms were bad for business. It should have been your incessant criticisms were bad for corrupted business.
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...written by kawaafi, March 09, 2009 16:42:23
Salam RPK, Ahmed Mansour while refuting Hadith, but had used one to justify his point when he quoted from the book by Khortubi. So there goes his argument out of the window. If he think the opinion of the people who were closer to Prophet Muhammad pbuh is unusable, he is even useless after more than 1400 years later. That is about rejecting Hadith as the source of Islamic religion only. Freedom of speech that Islam protect is when anybody want to speak or uphold the truth, and nothing else. Islam vehemently reject the act of mocking, ridicule or play a joke on any religiuos figure be it Muslim and especially non-Muslim religiuos figure. Anyway, here we are with RPK who openly declare he feared Allah punishment, but refuse to upgrade himself to be an MP or Dep MB or PM even. For fear of the responsibilities that tag along. What a shame.. Knowing for a fact that the very person who going to be our next PM does not fear Allah swt.
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...written by R020998, March 09, 2009 17:36:26
betullah Pete baling batu sembunyi tangan... aku teringat ada kes mahkamah berkenaan artikel menghina Nabi Muhammad yg membabitkan si Pete nih. Pete, artikel tu ko yg tulis kan... Tapi apsal bila masuk mahkamah, ko tak mengaku ko yg tulis? Kalau kau ni sorang jantan, bila masuk mahkamah, ko patut argue ttg artikel tu, bukan ttg samada ko tulis atau tidak artikel tu. Takdak teloq ka? Hang pondan Lorong Gaharu ka? Dajai punya mat saleh celup...
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...written by trublumalaysian, March 09, 2009 22:04:42
QUOTE written by R020998, March 09, 2009 17:36:26 betullah Pete baling batu sembunyi tangan... aku teringat ada kes mahkamah berkenaan artikel menghina Nabi Muhammad yg membabitkan si Pete nih. Pete, artikel tu ko yg tulis kan... Tapi apsal bila masuk mahkamah, ko tak mengaku ko yg tulis? Kalau kau ni sorang jantan, bila masuk mahkamah, ko patut argue ttg artikel tu, bukan ttg samada ko tulis atau tidak artikel tu. Takdak teloq ka? Hang pondan Lorong Gaharu ka? Dajai punya mat saleh celup...UNQUOTE Err .. hello? what planet you come from>
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...written by uxzee, March 09, 2009 22:31:26
As president of Perdasama, Moehamad Izat Emir's work is to get contracts from the govt and distribute these to bumiputra contractors who are members of Perdasama. How do you think he distributes these contracts ? Can we expect this to be transparent. It is based on croyny policy. And where did Izat learnt that one should be an MP if he wants to criticise the Government and royalty ?