What is Merdeka without free and fair elections?

As we draw near to Merdeka Day, I begin to reflect on the real meaning of Merdeka. We may have gained independence from the British in 1957 but have we gained true freedom from our colonial masters?

Have we grown as a nation united with one common goal or vision? Or have we become more disunited since 1957, having lost our direction as to where we are heading to as an independent nation.

Despite 54 years of independence, are we really free when we have oppressive laws in place, such as the Internal Security Act (ISA), the Emergency Ordinance and The University and University Colleges Act (UUCA)?

For me, the real meaning of Merdeka is achieved when we have freedom to determine our destiny through a free and fair electoral system. As a young Malaysian, I realise the importance of being an agent of change, not because we want change for the sake of change, but because we want real change that will transform this nation to be an Asian tiger once again.

Many took part in the Bersih 2.0 rally because they know how unjust the Malaysian electoral system is. On July 9, Malaysians braved tear gas and water cannons because of their strong desire to see real change for a better Malaysia.

These are the true present generation of Merdeka warriors in the 21st century. It is simply incomprehensible that as a nation, we still have to rely on archaic laws, such as the recently used Emergency Ordinance on Malaysians who had no intent to declare war on His Majesty but merely to demand free and fair elections as a tax payer and as an ordinary citizen.

It is simply unacceptable for a modern nation like Malaysia to depend on such laws which are increasingly being used as a political tool for oppression to scare Malaysians into submission when they have done no wrong but merely to wish for a more transparent and corrupt free electoral system.

It is with this backdrop, that the BN government has clearly lost its moral authority to rule with their brutal crackdown on Bersih participants during both pre and post-July 9peaceful rally.

What moral authority does BN have when freedom of assembly and freedom of speech under the Federal Constitution is rendered meaningless? Instead, oppressive laws such as the Police Act are being used as a political tool to deny us of our basic human rights by giving flimsy and lame excuses such as protecting public safety and security.

We should not be cheated of our basic freedoms, but rather we must draw inspiration from the Bersih 2.0 rally when the true spirit of Merdeka was on display, when Malaysians from all races walked together hand in hand demanding free and fair elections.

These are the true Malaysians who have overshadowed the celebration of Merdeka Day this year.

Merdeka to me means freedom from fear, as well as freedom from oppression. It is a precious personal characteristic that we must have as ordinary Malaysians fighting for our basic freedom in determining our destiny as Malaysians.

If we truly love our country, we must take up the fight for freedom and justice in our land. The most basic fight for freedom now is for free and fair elections. It is only when this is achieved, that we can at last experience the real meaning and true spirit of Merdeka.

Saving Islam or same old race-religion games?

I read with dismay when Jais officials raided the Dream Centre on August 3 during a thanksgiving dinner held by an NGO named Harapan Komuniti to appreciate their efforts in helping Malaysians from all walks of life. This was simply a community event where the Dream Centre was used as a venue to host this event.

What was supposed to be a dream celebration turned out to be a nightmare for the participants, when they were rudely interrupted and premises trespassed by the police and JAIS without a warrant.

The Dream Centre is merely a venue that is rented by DUMC and Community Excel Services. There is no justification to believe that this dinner would be used for proselytisation, other than to host events from any organisation that would like to rent its premises with the number of halls that are available.

The recent raid by Jais on a church has brought to the fore the element of instilling fear in our society. It has brought about a situation where human rights and the freedom to assemble under article 10 of the federal constitution are rendered illusory, based on a mere complaint that certain individuals are found in its premises.

Does this warrant Jais to infringe on basic human rights and freedom to assemble, without an iota of concrete evidence of proselytisation has been found? Jais is simply abusing its powers under the so-called state enactment that was passed by the BN state govt in 1995.

It would seem that Jais has acted on its own with the blessings of a renegade state exco Hasan Ali. Such departure from the basic norm of fact-finding and investigation prior to any action is simply shocking to human rationale and decency.

It creates a dangerous precedent whereby a mere complaint or a hunch could give a blanket licence to the religious authority to launch a raid on private property anytime it wishes. It is learnt that Hasan Ali has evidence to show that DUMC has attempted to proselytise Muslims who were present at the dinner function.

However, the fact that he has failed to produce the evidence thus far and even offered to resign proves that he is not being truthful all this while, but is merely fabricating a story.

Efforts by certain quarters to lay blame on the Christian community is most unfair and high handed. Hasan Ali and his like-minded people are in effect driving a wedge between peoples of different faiths. The driving of this wedge has made it seem that only fear and intimidation rules, whilst freedom under the federal constitution is dead.

As Malaysians, we must not let fear overrule our right to freedom of assembly and association as guaranteed under the federal constitution. We must not let state religious authorities hijack our basic fundamental human rights of freedom of assembly with the flimsiest excuse of acting on a complaint without proof.

The mere fact that the new Association for the Promotion of Human Rights (Proham) had a talk on electoral reform in Dream Centre on July 29, where top Bersih leaders like Ambiga were there just a week prior to the raid on the thanksgiving dinner will only raise questions as to the timing of the raid.

I believe the notion of a conspiracy will become more credible each day, as being hatched from powers that be to create fear in the Christian community for their support of Bersih, whereby Muslims are being instigated at the mere mention of the word 'proselytisation', thereby straining the good relationship between people of different faiths for the sake of clawing back lost Malay Muslim support, but sacrificing and rendering the concept of 1Malaysia as nothing more than a myth.

It is hoped that all Malaysians, regardless of race and religion will weed out religious extremism amongst us and work towards moderation and national reconciliation in the spirit of love, truth and justice. Jais and the police must endeavour to exercise wisdom and not subject Malaysians to fear and intimidation.

Freedom should reign and let fear be buried for a better Malaysia. We certainly do not need Hasan Ali's independent stance and extremism to instill fear in Malaysians.

Let's join the march!

Bersih 2.0 has identified three rally points for their protest march on July 9 to call for electoral reforms.

Participants have been asked to gather at Sogo shopping complex, the PAS headquarters and the Kampung Baru mosque at 2pm.

Previously, Bersih 2.0 had said it was rallying the public to march with the movement's leaders to hand over a petition to the King at Istana Negara.

The petition will carry seven demands:

•Automatic voter registration at the age of 21
•Reforms to the postal voting system for out-of-town voters
•Use of indelible ink to avoid repeat voting
•Access to mainstream media for opposition parties
•Minimum campaign period of 21 days
•Independence of enforcement bodies on election offences
•Stamping out electoral graft
Bersih, the predecessor to the current movement, had organised a mass rally for similar demands in November 2011, but none has been met thus far.

The movement's leader, Ambiga Sreenevasan, said the protest was a “last resort” after attempts at engaging the relevant authorities have failed.

Ambiga said that Bersih 2.0 is also inviting all political parties, NGOs and the public to join the rally to voice their demand for free and fair elections.

Malaysiakini

Utusan & Ibrahim Ali: Why are they above the law?

I refer to the recent statement by the Prime Minister in an Oxford lecture that moderation is the best course of action.

My question is, if the prime minister can make such a statement, why is there no firm action taken against Utusan like suspending the editors?

Especially when they carried the ridiculous report of a Christian state conspiracy between the church and a DAP leader?

It only proves that Utusan is untouchable due to its ownership by Umno. By the same token, the prime minister would be reluctant to even punish Ibrahim Ali because of his links to Umno.

It is clear that the prime minister is playing a dangerous game of inciting religious hatred and causing a 'fear psychology' to the Malays that Islam is under threat from other faiths.

It all boils down to one thing, that the 1Malaysia concept is an utter failure and that Umno can never change but need to be removed in the next general election.

This is quite similar to the Christian headgear issue worn by Tengku Razaleigh which caused fear among the Malays in the 1990 general elections and ensured the retention of the two-thirds majority of BN in Parliament.

It also proves that Umno is being two-faced and that people like Ibrahim Ali and Utusan will continue to use the race and religion cards to incite hatred and fear in the people until the next general election, as long as there is no firm action by the government.

This lack of action may risk further damage, as the previous incident of firebombing of a church in Desa Malawati proved last year over the "Allah" issue.

It is such people like Ibrahim Ali who feel insecure just by relying on unsubstantiated reports by Utusan with no basis whatsoever.

It would be inconceivable to even think that anyone in their right frame of mind would conspire to set up a Christian State when they are only a minority.

As such, Umno's refusal to brand Ibrahim Ali an 'extremist' proves two things to be true of BN - that 1Malaysia is a sham and Najib's premiership is two-faced.

Sarawak for Change

What it means to be part of the cell

In Psalm 92:12-15: “The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; planted in the house of the LORD, they will flourish in the courts of our God. They will still bear fruit in old age; they will stay fresh and green…” I begin to reflect on my cell leadership for the past 6 years and realised that in order to stay fresh, I would need to be rooted in my understanding of the purposes for which God has called me to serve Him.

This is because the Psalmist says that we have to be planted in the house of the LORD in order to flourish, bear fruit and stay fresh. For example, the cedar of Lebanon is an evergreen tree that can live for a thousand years and is a symbol of eternity, strength and endurance, because it is deeply rooted in fertile soil.

If we settle in fertile soil, like being planted in a cell, where the Word is deeply rooted in our lives, we can flourish, stay fresh and bear fruit. In order to do that, we need to pray that God will use us through the cells which make up His Body (the Church) to bless others in our community.

As a devoted Christian, we should never ask the question, "what’s in it for me, if I join the cell?" Rather, we should ask, "what can I do to serve others in need in the cell?" "For even Jesus did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many,” (Mark 10:45). Only then, we can look forward to cell meetings joyfully with a Christ-like character of serving others.

It is all about serving God, whenever we come to the cell. How do we serve God more effectively, if we are not planted in a cell? As Christians, we need to own the purposes of the cell and not just the cell programs. We need to own the presence of God and not just the presence of a leader. We need to own the people around us who are in need and not just the pastors or leaders. In other words, we need to have a sense of ownership as a royal priesthood of believers, to “serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men.” (Ephesians 6:7).

In Acts 2:42-47, “They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles…” The early Church had a great sense of ownership in everything they did, because they had the same passion for a shared vision. They simply devoted themselves for a greater cause and the Lord added daily to their number. There can be no unity in the cell without devotees. When we devote ourselves for a greater cause which is the extension of God's kingdom; unity and transformation of society will be there.

Let us have a sense of ownership of the cell by sharing the same passion for a transformed society, through strong and united cells that are planted in the house of the LORD that will flourish, stay fresh and bear much fruit for His kingdom.

We will certainly make a difference in transforming society by being a devotee for the Lord in impacting cells and owning the vision of building God's community and making known His glory!

Sham sodomy trial won't fool anybody

Sham sodomy trial won't fool anybody
Ashvin Raj | May 12, 10 3:20pm

I refer to the report on PM accused of plotting Anwar sodomy trial where PM Najib has been implicated in this shameful conspiracy to frame Anwar.

The rot in the Malaysian judiciary started in 1988 by the then PM, Dr Mahathir which was perpetuated by his successors like Pak Lah and Najib to secure their political hegemony. Our system of justice which was once held in high esteem internationally prior to 1988 has been destroyed by Dr Mahathir.

Justice has sunk so low that it has reached rock bottom and lost the respect of well-meaning Malaysians who must be disgusted with the latest sodomy trial against Anwar.

Even an ordinary layman, who has not studied law, would make better ‘judges’ that the ones sitting on the bench. They would know that this charge is nothing but a conspiracy to remove Anwar Ibrahim and hope that Pakatan Rakyat will lose its direction and collapse without his leadership.

It is obvious from this sham sodomy trial that the judiciary no longer commands the confidence of the citizens and will not as long as the sodomy trial on Anwar persists with the aim of diverting attention away from other pressing issues such as corruption and the long list of deaths at the hands of the police.

Judges seem to deliver judgments to please the executive rather than satisfy the requirements of impartiality in the interest of justice. The sodomy trial on Anwar is nothing but a waste of time and judicial resources with the sole intention of serving a political purpose.

By right, there should not be any form of interference by the executive in the Anwar sodomy trial if justice is to be done.

But it seems like justice will never be manifestly seen to de done, as long as the prime minister has ways to manipulate our system of justice where past history has proven that.