Kelayakkan Ugama atau Temberang Politik? (2)

Ingin saya menyiarkan sedutan dari laporan akhbar The Star yang diterbitkan dalam rujuk kembali dari siaran lepas lepas, Kelayakkan Ugama atau Temberang Politik?

Zahid the man of religion

By ZULKIFLI ABD RAHMAN
The Star, Wednesday, 02 April 2008

IT MAY have come as a surprise to some but not Datuk Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, when he was appointed as Minister in the Prime Minister's Department with the responsibility of managing religious affairs.

Zahid believed his religious background was a factor in Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi selecting him for the task.

Zahid's parents Raden Ahmad Tarmidzi Raden Abdul Fattah and Tuminah Abdul Jalil were adamant in ensuring he had a good religious upbringing. Born in Bagan Datoh, Perak, on Jan 4, 1953, he pursued his secondary school education in a religious school in Ipoh, SMA Izuddin Shah.

As a matter of fact Zahid's grandfather Raden Ahmad, who was born in Jogjyakarta in Indonesia, was a mudir or director of a tahfiz (Quran-reading) school in Bagan Datoh and also taught at religious schools and mosques there.

"My father also studied religion and was well-liked by Syeikh Abdullah Fahim, who was the mudir of Madrasah Idrisiah in Kuala Kangsar."

"Syeikh Abdullah, who is the Prime Minister's grandfather, was later appointed as the Penang mufti and brought my father along to study at a madrasah in Kepala Batas near his home," he added.

Zahid said it was not a problem for him whether people categorised him as a "modernist Muslim" or a "conservative." ...

Ini tambahan maklumat yang diberi dari keluarga terdekatnya.

Ayah Dato Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, Raden Ahmad Tarmidzi Raden Abdul Fattah adalah seorang guru Kemas. Bapa saudaranya, Ustaz Zabidi juga seorang pengajar ugama di sebuah sekolah rendah agama rakyat. Kedua-dua mereka belajar di Madrasah Idrisiyah, Kuala Kangsar.

Dikisahkan Sheikh Abdullah Fahim, Dato Pak Lah mengajar seketika di Madrasah terebut sebelum dipanggil balik ke Pulau Pinang untuk menjadi Mufti Pulau Pinang. Dari laporan berita itu, Zahid memberitahu ayahnya ikut ke Kepala Batas untuk terus berguru.

Itu sedikit sebanyak kisah ayah dan bapa saudaranya.

Pembelajaran formal Zahid adalah di Sekolah Menengah Agama Izuddin, Ipoh hingga ke Tingkatan 5. Kemudian dia berpindah sekolah biasa untuk Tingkatan 6 di Sekolah Menengah Tengku Ampuan Rahimah, Klang, Selangor. Antara gurunya di sekolah tersebut adalah Tan Sri Cikgu Onn Ismail (sekarang Tan Sri) yang kini menyandang jawatan Pengerusi Tetap UMNO.

Selepas itu, Zahid melanjutkan pelajaran ke Universiti Malaya dan memperolehi ijazah Sastera.

Pekerjaan pertamanya adalah di Overseas Chinese Bangking Corporation (OCBC). Selepas itu, beliau berpindah ke Permodalan Nasional Berhad (PNB). Pekerjaannya antara pekerjaannya di PNB dan menjadi Setiausaha Politik Najib, tidak diketahui.

Beliau dikatakan menyambung pelajaran ke peringkat Sarjana selepas meletak jawatan dari jawatan Ketua Pemuda yang dipegang dari tahun 1996-98. Baru-baru ini, dilaporkan beliau dianugerahkan Phd. Sedikit butiran mengenai kajian Phd Zahid dari tulisan di sini.

Deputy Information Minister Datuk Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has been conferred a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Communication by Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM).

He will receive the Phd at UPM's convocation in October, said the university's School of Graduate Studies Deputy Dean Prof Dr Hasanah Mohd Ghazali in a statement here today.

The university senate approved the degree at its meeting on Feb 21. For the Phd, Dr Zahid completed a thesis entitled "Barisan Nasional Manifesto As Agenda for Malay Language Newspaper During the General Election Campaign."

The study was undertaken to identify the usage of BN manifesto as an agenda for the Malay language newspapers namely Utusan Malaysia and Berita Harian during the general elections in 1982, 1986, 1990, 1995 dan 1999.
Ini semua dibentang untuk memahami latarbelakang Zahid yang politiknya sentiasa membawa imej agama.

Forum Perdana Ehwal Islam bersiaran di Singapura

Utusan Malaysia, Nov 11hb, 2008

FORUM Perdana Ehwal Islam kelolaan Jabatan Kemajuan Islam Malaysia (Jakim) yang memenuhi segmen Radio Televisyen Malaysia (RTM) saluran satu pada setiap malam Khamis kini mula melangkaui sempadan negara.

Buat julung kalinya slot keislaman yang mendapat rating tertinggi di kalangan penonton negara ini iaitu 1.3 juta penonton melangkah ke negara jiran Singapura.

Jika sebelum ini, kerjasama, hubungan dan penyiaran televisyen antara Malaysia-Singapura bercorak kepada hiburan dan pertukaran bahan berita, tetapi kali ini ia melibatkan program agama.

Ini selaras dengan usaha memperluaskan usaha dakwah dan mengetengahkan Islam secara keilmuan kepada masyarakat majmuk di negara serantau.

Menteri di Jabatan Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Dr. Ahmad Zahid Hamidi berkata, program sulung itu akan melibatkan dua rakaman yang bermula pada 8 November lalu.

“Ia membicarakan mengenai dua topik umum yang melibatkan kehidupan sejagat iaitu ‘yang abadi dan selamanya’ serta ‘kemanisan iman’,” katanya.

Rakaman tersebut jelas beliau, berlangsung di Hall 4, Ekspo Singapura. Siarannya dijadual akan dipancarkan di kaca televisyen pada malam ini dan 8 Januari 2009.

Beliau memberitahu demikian pada Majlis Sambutan Hari Raya dan Agihan Bantuan Baitulmal Majlis Agama Islam Wilayah Persekutuan (MAIWP) di Masjid Wilayah Persekutuan, Kuala Lumpur, baru-baru ini.

Pada majlis tersebut, Dr. Ahmad Zahid turut menyerahkan bantuan kepada 500 penerima asnaf zakat daripada kutipan Baitulmal MAIWP.

Menurut beliau, Timbalan Menteri di Jabatan Perdana Menteri, Senator Datuk Dr. Mashitah Ibrahim dan Pensyarah Kolej Universiti Islam Antarabangsa Selangor (KUIS), Mohd. Farid Ravi Abdullah dipilih sebagai panel dari Malaysia untuk kedua-dua rakaman segmen berkenaan.

Timbalan Mufti Singapura, Mohd. Fathris K. Bakaram dan ilmuwan Tengku Mohd. Fauzi Tengku Mahit Jumat pula adalah panel negara tuan rumah.

Katanya, forum itu dipengerusikan oleh pegawai Jabatan Agama Islam Johor, Syahrin Md. Jamaluddin manakala Mohammad Hafiz Hamidun sebagai perantara.

“Untuk menyerikan lagi siri rakaman berkenaan, Mohamed Hafiz yang juga penyanyi nasyid akan mempersembahkan beberapa lagu sebagai halwa telinga dan hiburan pengunjung,” jelasnya.

Usahasama terbaru yang mempelopori siri dakwah Islamiah melalui kaca televisyen serantau itu juga tambah Dr. Ahmad Zahid, turut menjadi wadah bagi mengeratkan lagi hubungan kalangan negara berjiran.

Kelayakkan Ugama atau Temberang Politik?

"I have also never put on an image of someone who is seen to be religious, like wearing a kopiah (skullcap), growing a beard and putting on a jubah (robe)." - The Star 2nd April 2008

Sungguhkah? Gambar diambil dari blog Perak Bangkit.

Blogger ~PakKaramu~ memberi komen di sini. Katanya,

"Datuk Zahid Hamidi satu-satunya orang UMNO yang faham tentang agama,biarkanlah dia bersama-sama pimpinan UMNO sekurang-kurangnya dia berguna pada orang melayu, jika tidak UMNO lagi payah."
Sejurus selepas Zahid dilantik Menteri "Agama", The Star memberi dia liputan istimewa. Ini mungkin sekali adalah kehendak seseorang untuk memastikan tidak ada persoalan mengenai kelayakkannya sebagai orang "ugama". Baca dahulu liputan The Star berikut:

Zahid the man of religion

By ZULKIFLI ABD RAHMAN
The Star, Wednesday, 02 April 2008

IT MAY have come as a surprise to some but not Datuk Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, when he was appointed as Minister in the Prime Minister's Department with the responsibility of managing religious affairs.

Zahid believed his religious background was a factor in Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi selecting him for the task.

Zahid's parents Raden Ahmad Tarmidzi Raden Abdul Fattah and Tuminah Abdul Jalil were adamant in ensuring he had a good religious upbringing. Born in Bagan Datoh, Perak, on Jan 4, 1953, he pursued his secondary school education in a religious school in Ipoh, SMA Izuddin Shah.

As a matter of fact Zahid's grandfather Raden Ahmad, who was born in Jogjyakarta in Indonesia, was a mudir or director of a tahfiz (Quran-reading) school in Bagan Datoh and also taught at religious schools and mosques there.

"My father also studied religion and was well-liked by Syeikh Abdullah Fahim, who was the mudir of Madrasah Idrisiah in Kuala Kangsar."

"Syeikh Abdullah, who is the Prime Minister's grandfather, was later appointed as the Penang mufti and brought my father along to study at a madrasah in Kepala Batas near his home," he added.

Zahid said it was not a problem for him whether people categorised him as a "modernist Muslim" or a "conservative."


People also know that he is an avid biker, a sort of person who likes the rugged life.

"I have also never put on an image of someone who is seen to be religious, like wearing a kopiah (skullcap), growing a beard and putting on a jubah (robe). But Pak Lah has recognised my contribution to Umno as well as in various religious organisations and I will do my best," said Zahid, who is the chairman of the Superbikers Association of Malaysia (SAM).

He escaped serious injuries while leading a SAM convoy during the Tour de Indonesia motorcycle expedition last year.

Zahid believed that among the things that caught Abdullah's eye was his ability to organise and promote major Islamic religious activities, including the special meeting between the Prime Minister and state muftis, and a national imam conference.

The Bagan Datoh MP is also the chairman of the Hadhari Foundation and Hadhari secretariat and chair of the Dewan Amal Islam Hadhari, which is an umbrella organisation to help unite the country's Muslim NGOs.

On his plans as Minister in charge of Religious Affairs, Zahid said he would give more input to strengthen the moderate Islam approach and improving relations with religious leaders in the country.

Zahid joined Umno in 1976 soon after graduating from Universiti Malaya. He said his uncle Ustaz Raden Zabidi Abdul Fatah, an Umno branch leader, was the one who talked him into it.

"My uncle, who was a teacher to many muftis and kadis, actually passed me an Umno membership form which I duly signed," he added.

Since then , the 55-year-old Umno supreme council member has had his fair share of political turmoil.

His star began to shine when Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak appointed him as his political secretary in 1987 while Zahid was the youth head of the Bagan Datoh Umno division.

He rose quickly to become the Umno Youth chief. His career, however, stalled when he was detained under the Internal Security Act, albeit for only 10 days, during the Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim-led reformasi campaign in 1998.

"I don't deny that I'm friends with Anwar but I was never influenced by him. I never served under him.

"I don't blame Tun (Dr Mahathir Mohamad) for detaining me under the ISA. Maybe he got feedback from people who thought I was a threat at that particular time," he added.

Zahid's political resurrection began in the 2000 Umno elections when he received the fourth highest number of votes in the contest for a supreme council seat. In 2004, he obtained the second highest number of votes to retain his seat comfortably.

Zahid has indeed come a long way from the boy who once sold ice-cream in primary school to learn to be self-sufficient and later helped in the school canteen as a teenager to earn extra pocket money.

But his determination to be the best that he can has always stood him in good stead and it is this quality that will serve him well as a full-fledged Minister
.
Adakah ini cukup sebagai kelayakkan untuk menjadikannya Menteri Hal Ehwal Agama?

Respon saya dalam komentar adalah:

"Beliau belajar hanya setakat Sekolah Menengah Agama Izuddin. Di Universiti Malaya, Zahid Hamidi belajar Sastera. (Maka hebatlah istilah kata Melayu dan lain-lain diguna dalam ucapan.) Masa bekerja, Zahid bekerja di Bank, Overseas Chinese Banking Corporation. Kemudian dia bekerja di PNB di bawah Khalid Ibrahim. Ph D yang dikompang2 pun dalam jurusan Sains Politik.

"Dia hanya kompang2 pertalian bapak atau atok dia dengan Abdullah Fahim."
Adakah Zahid faham isu-isu agama?

Zahid mempromosikan Islam Hadhari dan pendekatan Islam Moderat. Baca tulisan AnwarIbrahimDotCom tentang Islam Moderat di sini. Itulah agenda imperialis Barat dengan merosakkan akidah Islam.

Inilah laungan perjuangan Anwar Ibrahim dan Gus Dur. Mengapa Zahid sanggup memperjuangkan Agenda Hancurkan Islam perjuangan Anwar Ibrahim dan Gus Dur yang diatur Barat?

Sebagai kesimpulan, respons saya seterusnya berikut:

UMNO telah ketepikan kuota Naib Presiden agama setelah Wan Mokhtar kalah. Selama UMNO ada Naib Presiden UMNO kuota agama, adakah ada apa-apa perubahan kerohanian agama yang betul2 tulin? Saya tidak nampak releven dan efektifnya. Pada saya yang penting adalah kepimpinan.

Orang yang faham Islam faham bahawa keadilan dan kesucian Islam adalah meletakkan sesuatu pada tempatnya yang sepatut. Adakah patut Zahid diletakkan di tempat2 yang tidak patut dia berada?

Adakah Zahid menghayati apa yang dikata? Kes saham Kretam? Orang faham ugama terlibat dgn rasuah?

Kes Amir Bazli (yang akan saya siarkan poenuh perinci)? Orang faham agama membuat kerja ganas sesama insan. Dan memanipulasi (persekongkolan dengan) polis dan mahkamah?

Macam2 kes lagi ...

Keadaan UMNO tenat. Sebagai parti yang top bottom (dalam) proses demokrasi, hala tujunya dan nasib parti banyak terletak kepada pemimpin.

Mahukah kita bersikap "tak apa" dan menggunakan alasan "'sekurang-kurangnya" dalam memikirkan hala tuju parti dan perjuangan orang melayu?

Fikirkan dalam(-dalam) ...
Saya hanya sayangkan UMNO dan mahu menghindarkan UMNO dari dipimpin orang-orang yang berpura-pura.

Alasan, Alih Pandang, dan Nafi Kenyataan

Usah kompromi soal Islam

Utusan Malaysia, 25hb November, 2008

Mukaddimah

USAHA untuk menyatukan orang Melayu dalam satu barisan seolah-olah menjadi cabaran yang cukup besar ketika ini. Walaupun pelbagai kongres dan seminar diadakan serta diiringi pula dengan seruan-seruan supaya orang Melayu bersatu namun ia seolah-olah menjadi sia-sia.

Orang Melayu dilihat terus berpecah belah dalam beberapa kelompok dan ini memungkinkan pihak-pihak tertentu mengambil kesempatan mencabar apa yang sudah termaktub dalam Perlembagaan mengenai hak dan kedudukan golongan berkenaan.

Persoalannya, apakah masalah perpaduan di kalangan orang Melayu ini akan dibiarkan begitu sahaja? Untuk menjawab permasalahan ini, wartawan Utusan Malaysia, AZMAN ANUAR dan ZULKIFLEE BAKAR menemui Menteri di Jabatan Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Dr. Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

Ahmad Zahid dilihat pemimpin paling sesuai bercakap soal perpaduan Melayu itu yang sudah berkait rapat dengan perpaduan ummah. Portfolio beliau yang menjaga hal ehwal agama Islam dilihat platform terbaik bagi merealisasikan impian untuk menggerakkan usaha murni berkenaan.

Namun dalam pertemuan tersebut, Ahmad Zahid menegaskan, soal menyatukan orang Melayu bukan sahaja terletak di bahu satu pihak malah semua orang Melayu perlu memainkan peranan mereka.

Beliau yang bakal bertanding kerusi Naib Presiden UMNO turut mengulas mengenai pandangan bahawa kelemahan UMNO menjadi punca orang Melayu semakin diperkotak-katikkan.

UTUSAN: Walaupun menghadapi pelbagai cabaran namun orang Melayu masih dilihat sukar untuk bersatu, apa masalahnya?
AHMAD ZAHID:
Perpaduan Melayu bukan hanya satu retorik atau sekadar penghasilan resolusi. Ia harus dilihat melalui tindakan dan iltizam. Adalah lebih baik kita tidak membincangkan tetapi melakukan tindakan dengan cara membawa semua rakan-rakan yang mempunyai legasi pendapat dan wadah perjuangan berbeza duduk semeja. Beberapa langkah yang dibuat oleh NGO dan badan bertindak merupakan manifestasi terhadap ketidakpuasan hati terhadap tahap perpaduan ini. Berikutan tindakan pelbagai pihak yang mula mempertikaikan hak dan kedudukan orang Melayu dan Islam, maka kita harus melakukan muhasabah untuk melakukan tindakan bersama bagi mewujudkan perpaduan.

Apakah langkah atau tindakan itu?
AHMAD ZAHID:
Apa yang paling utama kita harus melihat apakah permasalahan yang timbul sekarang ini. Hakikatnya ia terkait dalam tiga situasi, pertama, situasi politik kontemporari, kedua, isu-isu keagamaan dan ketiga, isu ummah masa depan. Dari segi politik kontemporari saya lihat matlamat mencapai tujuan menjadi teras keutamaan sehingga ia melebihi daripada perpaduan Melayu sendiri. Dalam konteks ini kuasa Melayu harus dilihat menjadi asas induk negara kita. Apa yang dilontarkan oleh Raja Muda Perak jelas memperlihatkan manifestasi itu dan membuktikan bahawa bukan sahaja akar umbi malah pihak istana pun mula memperkatakannya. Ini berlaku kerana situasi yang berlaku sekarang menyebabkan seolah-olah orang Melayu sebagai induk negara ini sudah terhakis. Kedua, dari segi bagaimana kita harus berhadapan tindakan-tindakan pihak tertentu mempertikaikan apa yang termaktub dalam Perlembagaan apabila melihat perpaduan kita sudah longgar.

Apa yang malangnya, ada di kalangan orang Melayu sendiri yang menyatakan roh Melayu itu tidak lagi relevan. Malah mereka menuntut kesamarataan dan meritokrasi dilaksanakan dengan melupakan keindukan orang Melayu sendiri. Ketiga, soal masa depan apabila di kalangan orang muda berpendidikan tinggi merasakan apa yang mereka perolehi adalah kerana kebolehan bukan kerana dasar kerajaan yang membantu mereka.

Usaha menyatukan orang Melayu bukan perkara baru tetapi perbezaan politik yang menjadi benteng penghalang?
AHMAD ZAHID:
Dari segi politik, orang Melayu terpecah kepada tiga kumpulan iaitu orang Melayu UMNO, orang Melayu Pas dan orang Melayu PKR, ia mungkin terpecah kepada empat kumpulan iaitu orang Melayu yang tidak peduli di bawah parti politik mana pun negara ini diperintah asalkan ia melaksanakan demokrasi. Apabila Melayu terpecah kepada tiga, maka kita mesti mencari jalan bagaimana titik-titik pertemuan harus diadakan bukan hanya untuk menterjemahkan agenda keindukan Melayu tetapi bagaimana Melayu sebelum ini yang menguasai bidang politik dan pentadbiran diperkasakan tanpa meminggirkan bangsa serta agama lain.

Bagaimanapun kita juga berhadapan dengan pendirian sesetengah pemimpin politik yang mahu memusatkan pembahagian kuasa atas nama perubahan sehingga keindukan Melayu tidak lagi menjadi keutamaan.

Namun begitu apa yang perlu difikirkan ialah kalau parti politik berbeza tetapi berasaskan etnik yang sama boleh duduk semeja walaupun secara tidak formal bagi membincangkan agenda mereka, kenapa tidak parti politik Melayu melakukan perkara yang sama tanpa mengenepikan etnik yang lain?

Apa yang dihadapi oleh orang Melayu sekarang adalah isu kritikal sehingga ia mendapat perhatian istana. Malah akibat longgarnya perpaduan di kalangan orang Melayu menyebabkan ia diambil peluang oleh kumpulan lain untuk menyanggah kedudukan orang Melayu di negara sendiri.

Adakah ini berpunca daripada kelemahan UMNO yang dilihat parti induk Melayu?
AHMAD ZAHID:
Bagi saya bukan sekadar kelemahan UMNO tetapi kelemahan dalam institusi Melayu sama ada institusi sosial mahupun politik. Apa pun masih belum terlambat untuk kita memperkukuhkan institusi Melayu sama ada dalam bidang politik mahupun sosial. Pada hemat saya kita perlu duduk lebih informal untuk bukan sekadar mengimbau permasalahan yang sedang dihadapi malah berusaha mengwujudkan perpaduan di kalangan kita. (Komen: Macam mana tidak mahu menerima kenyataan dan mengalih pandang lagi? Kalau UMNO kuat, cekap dan amanah seperti dahulu, parti-parti lain tidak boleh menang dan dakyah-dakyah lain tidak boleh menusuk.)

Siapa yang sepatutnya memainkan peranan bagi menyatukan orang Melayu ini?
AHMAD ZAHID:
Semua pihak, ini kerana perpaduan Melayu tidak boleh lari daripada perpaduan ummah. Cuba kita fikirkan kenapa sekarang ini fatwa mula dipertikaikan? Kenapa tentang hal-hal ibadah orang Islam dicampuri orang lain? Kenapa ada cadangan bahawa zakat perlu diberi kepada bukan Islam? Semua ini wujud kerana terdapat ketidakfahaman di kalangan orang Islam sendiri dan di kalangan bukan Islam terhadap Islam.

Oleh itu saya berpendapat dalam hal-hal berkaitan agama Islam jangan berlaku perbezaan pendapat terutamanya dalam perkara-perkara cabang (furuq).

Saya berterima kasih kepada semua ahli-ahli Parlimen Islam dari UMNO, Pas dan PKR yang telah duduk semeja dengan saya, mufti-mufti dan Majlis Fatwa Kebangsaan untuk membincangkan empat enakmen dan rang-rang undang-undang yang akan dibentangkan di Parlimen dan menangani beberapa isu kontemporari. Kami juga bersetuju untuk tidak memanjangkan perbezaan pendapat di Parlimen sebaliknya berbincang sesama sendiri secara tidak formal. Bagi saya ini langkah awal yang akan mewujudkan kesamaan dari segi pendapat.

Ada pandangan bahawa sikap bukan Islam mencampuri urusan orang Islam juga kerana bentuk dakwah yang dijalankan oleh agensi kerajaan tidak berkesan?
AHMAD ZAHID:
Pada saya orang Islam sendiri yang membuka ruang untuk ditembusi oleh orang bukan Islam terhadap soal-soal prinsip terutama hukum hakam dan fatwa yang dikeluarkan oleh Majlis Fatwa Kebangsaan. Persoalannya kenapa sekarang ia berlaku? Adakah kerana JAKIM atau jabatan agama atau Yayasan Dakwah Islamiah Malaysia yang bersalah? Malah kita ada IKIM yang berperanan bukan sahaja menjelaskan prinsip Islam kepada bukan Islam tetapi memberikan kefahaman kepada bukan Islam supaya memahami Islam di samping kita memahami isu-isu agama lain. Sebenarnya, soal utama ialah kita membuka ruang untuk menghadapi 'tembakan' daripada orang lain.

Adakah langkah membuka ruang ini berlaku kerana ada pemimpin terlalu inginkan kuasa politik?
AHMAD ZAHID:
Kebarangkalian itu cukup tinggi sebab kadang-kadang kita sebagai pemimpin Islam tidak pun menyanggah pendapat daripada bukan Islam kerana kita mahu menjaga hati walaupun ia bercanggah dengan prinsip Islam.

Bagi saya, dalam soal Islam kita tidak harus berkompromi tetapi ini tidak bermakna kita mahu menidakkan pengaruh dan pembahagian kek ekonomi serta kekuasaan kepada orang bukan Islam. Apatah lagi orang bukan Islam tidak harus khuatir kerana sejarah sudah membuktikan bahawa biarpun orang Melayu terus berkuasa tetapi tidak pernah sekalipun ada catatan bahawa orang bukan Islam terpinggir di dalam struktur sosial Malaysia.

Maknanya dalam soal Islam kita tidak harus berkompromi?
AHMAD ZAHID:
Tidak boleh berkompromi bukan bererti mahu menerjah keluar orang bukan Melayu daripada gelanggang politik dan institusi sosial yang ada, sunnatullah telah menentukan bahawa Malaysia adalah sebuah negara majmuk jadi ia mengikut prinsip Islam sama ada golongan minoriti atau bukan Islam mesti dijaga kepentingan mereka seperti mana Perlembagaan Madinah ketika Rasulullah mula mewujudkan pentadbiran Islam pertama di dunia.

Apakah kelantangan bukan Melayu akibat daripada dasar keterbukaan dan ketelusan yang diamalkan oleh kerajaan?
AHMAD ZAHID:
Kebebasan itu ada batasnya. Sebagai rakyat Malaysia apa pun bangsa yang melahirkan kita atau agama yang kita percaya Perlembagaan negara harus dihormati.

Dasar kebebasan yang dibenarkan oleh kepimpinan negara bukan bererti mereka bebas dalam semua hal tanpa menghormati isu-isu sensitif yang menjadi garis panduan agar perpaduan di kalangan orang Melayu dan pelbagai kaum dapat dipertahankan.

Mungkin juga kerana kerajaan tidak tegas dalam bertindak terhadap mereka yang berbuat demikian?
AHMAD ZAHID:
Bagi saya bukan soal ketegasan sahaja, kita sebagai warga negara Malaysia harus faham bahawa di mana langit di pijak di situ langit dijunjung. Pegangan ini harus menjadi sandaran biarpun tanpa penguatkuasaan. Kalau kita mahu mengamalkan demokrasi, sama ada ikut cara Britain atau Amerika Syarikat (AS), ikutlah yang baik. Umpamanya bila Barack Obama menang orang pertama yang menelefon mengucapkan tahniah ialah John McCain. Di Malaysia berbeza, bila seseorang itu menang, lawannya akan berkata tunggu empat lima tahun lagi untuk pilihan raya seterusnya atau pada hari pertama keputusan dikeluarkan sudah mula kempen memburuk-burukkan pihak yang menang. Kelompok itu langsung tidak mahu mengiktiraf kepimpinan yang dipilih oleh rakyat. Saya fikir itu tidak betul dan kita harus belajar apa yang baik yang ada pada Barat. Prinsip Islam dalam menghormati pemimpin dan mengiktiraf kerajaan harus menjadi keutamaan. (Komen: Orang itu kata kerajaan tidak tegas, kamu jawab mereka tidak iktiraf pemimpin. Blur ... Kenapa mereka tidak iktiraf pemimpin yang ada yang kamu "saya sokong".)

Dalam keadaan sekarang, apa yang seharusnya dilakukan oleh UMNO kerana parti itu dilihat semakin lemah?
AHMAD ZAHID:
UMNO adalah tulang belakang kepada komponen BN dan UMNO walaupun sebagai sebuah parti Melayu namun terbukti tidak meminggirkan bangsa dan agama lain. UMNO tidak lemah yang lemah adalah sebahagian daripada kepimpinan sama ada di peringkat cawangan, bahagian, negeri atau nasional. Dalam hal ini saya ingin merujuk bukan hanya kepada struktur UMNO sahaja tetapi putaran hayat sesebuah organisasi yang berusia lebih enam dekad. Permasalahan ini bukan berlaku di negara ini sahaja malah juga di India, Britain dan negara lain.

Justeru tugas pemimpin dan ahli UMNO sekarang ialah bagaimana hendak memastikan parti terus relevan kepada seluruh rakyat Malaysia. Dalam soal ini, pemilihan parti pada Mac depan akan menjadi penentu sama ada pemimpin dan ahli UMNO masih mahu berada di takuk lama atau mahu mewujudkan kepimpinan baru yang akan mencari jalan meremajakan UMNO. Peremajaan ini bukanlah mudah, ia harus disusuli dengan beberapa program mantap bagi menangani persoalan dan mengisi agenda Melayu tanpa meminggirkan kaum lain. (Komen: Meremajakan bukan hanya dari segi umur tetapi dari segi pandangan, program, ideologi dan intelek. Adakah kamu akan meremajakan? Apa ide yang telah dimajukan dalam temuramah ini? Tidak ada setakat ini.)

Tetapi kalau dilihat ahli UMNO masih belum sedar tentang cabaran mereka sehingga sanggup mengamalkan politik wang dalam pemilihan?
AHMAD ZAHID:
Kita akui wujud laporan politik wang di dalam UMNO tetapi gejala itu juga berlaku dalam parti-parti lain tetapi bentuknya mungkin berlainan. Bezanya UMNO dengan parti lain ialah media tidak memberi liputan meluas kepada parti lain. Saya yakin wujud masalah dalam kepimpinan Pas, PKR dan DAP, begitu juga komponen BN tetapi tiada liputan yang dibuat. Minat kepada UMNO ini kerana kebetulan ia menjadi tulang belakang parti memerintah. Bagi saya, fokus berhubung gejala negatif ini tidak adil kerana hanya dituding kepada UMNO sahaja. Saya akui ia berlaku tetapi tidaklah seburuk yang digambarkan. Bagi saya, prinsipnya kalau tidak ada pemberi tidak ada penerima, soalnya kenapa ada pemberi? Bila ada orang memberi maka ada menerima dan apabila ada orang lain tidak memberi maka ia akan menjadi mangsa tidak diberi sokongan, ini tidak adil. (Komen: Respons Zahid kepada politik wang begitu defensive; orang lain buat tapi UMNO saja dapat perhatian. Zahid tidak pula mengutuk amalan politik wang. Dia hanya memberi alasan kenapa politik wang berlaku. Dia menyalahkan penerima tidak adil kerana tidak beri sokongan kepada orang yang tidak beri. Adakah dia bermaksud terpaksa beri untuk mendapatkan sokongan? Zahid mendapat sokongan pencalunan kedua tinggi, apakah maknanya!?)

Orang UMNO tidak berubah walaupun ada pindaan terhadap undang-undang politik wang dalam parti
AHMAD ZAHID:
Sebenarnya tata etika atau peraturan atau undang-undang hanya satu alat untuk membendung perkara negatif. Sebenarnya lebih penting adalah diri sendiri. Umpamanya, undang-undang arak di kalangan orang Islam, kalau di luar negara arak ada di depan mata tetapi kalau kita sendiri ada semangat yang kuat untuk tidak minum arak, maka arak itu tidak akan diminum walaupun orang tidak nampak atau tidak ada undang-undang.

Begitu juga peraturan dalam UMNO, peraturan boleh dipinda dan ditambah setiap waktu tetapi kalau kita sendiri tidak mencari ruang kosong untuk bolos daripada peraturan itu siapa lagi yang hendak melakukannya.
(Komen: Kenapa tidak disebut kekangan untuk undang-undang dan tata etika dijalankan dengan tulus dan tanpa sekatan? Mereka yang pernah membuat laporan peranh dipukul di Kubang Pasu. Apa UMNO lakukan?)

Bagaimana hendak 'mengubati penyakit' di kalangan orang UMNO itu?
AHMAD ZAHID:
Kepimpinan harus diserapkan dengan budaya baru, kalau itu tidak dilakukan maka kuasa politik kita akan terhakis, kita hanya boleh memegang jawatan di dalam parti tetapi kita tidak lagi mempunyai kuasa politik sebagai sebuah kerajaan. Mungkin hanya sebahagian yang menyedarinya sebab itu kepimpinan baru UMNO harus turun ke bawah memperjelaskan perkara berkenaan. (Komen: Orang tanya bagaimana, kamu tak kasi jawapan tepat. Cuma setakat serap budaya baru. Itu langkah jangkamasa panjang. Ini hanya lip service. Bukankah ini masa untuk langkah segera dan drastik? Kenapa Zahid tidak memberi jawapan yang ikhlas?)

Tidakkah gejala tersebut menyebabkan imej UMNO tercalar?
AHMAD ZAHID: Imej UMNO tercalar bukan salah orang di luar UMNO, tetapi salah segelintir daripada orang UMNO sendiri yang mengizinkan keburukan itu berlaku. Justeru tanggungjawab kepimpinan dari bawah ke atas ialah menterjemahkan apa yang kita hasratkan supaya tidak berlaku lagi keburukan ini. Semua itu perlu dilakukan melalui tindakan bukan retorik. (Komen: Masaalah UMNO adalah masaalah atas yang menular ke bawah. Kenapa Zahid mahu salahkan orang bawah. Orang atas tidak ada prinsip dan political will untuk melakukan sesuatu. Itu jawabnya sebenar.)

Layakkah Zahid yang hanya memberi alasan dan alih pandang untuk menyelesaikan masaalah parti UMNO? Bagaimana seorang yang tidak mempunyai ide untuk menyelesaikan masaalah dan terbabit memberi masaalah kepada parti boleh diberikan tempat dipucuk kepimpinan teratas parti?

Mengapa Zahid mendahului tuhan?


Dalam Sinar Harian tersebut, Zahid Hamidi dilaporkan bertanya, "... berapa kali dia sembahyang Jumaat selama ini."

Ramai dari kita mungkin tidak suka kepada Raja Petra yang menulis pelbagai pendapat mengenai Islam yang telah menaikkan kemarahan kita. Perbuatannya tentu sekali tidak patut. Ada yang tidak setuju dengan tuduhan-tuduhan melulu yang dibuat oleh Raja Petra terhadap Dato Seri Mohd Najib.

Walau bagaimana kita benci dengan pandangan, kelakuan dan cara hidupnya, kita tidak ada hak untuk mempersoalkan keimanan dan keislamannya. Itu adalah hak Allah.

Raja Petra mempersoalkan pihak yang bertanggungjawab kenapa tahanan ISA tidak dibenarkan sembahyang Jumaat. Katanya, ramai tahanan adalah orang-orang Islam.

Jawapan Menteri "Ugama" kita hanyalah solat Jumaat sememang tidak diizinkan bagi tahanan ISA dan janganlah sesiapa memberi alasan untuk mempertikaikannya. Sehubungan dengan itu, Zahid mempersoalkan amalan ibadah Raja Petra.

Mungkin persoalan Raja Petra itu mempunyai niat politik, tetapi zahirnya tidak. Persoalanya itu lebih merupakan persoalan peraturan. Sepatutnya Zahid tidak perlu menjawab perkara yang melibatkan urusan Kementeriaan Dalam Negeri.

Oleh sebab, Zahid telah melayan soalan wartawan, dia tidak sesuai mengetepikan soalan dengan berkata jangan cari alasan. Sebagai Menteri "Ugama", dia harus mempunyai jawapan dari sudut agama dengan tujuan memberi penerangan mengenai hukum dan amalan. Jika dia tidak tahu jawapannya, dia harus mengikut amalan untuk merujuk kepada mereka-mereka yang ahli dan arif.

Bagi Zahid mempersoalkan mengenai amalan ibadah seseorang, itu amat tidak patut sekali. Itu adalah urusan seorang insan dengan tuhannya.

Jawapan yang beliau berikan benar-benar menjatuhkan martabat jawatan yang dipegangnya itu. Tidak pernah kita mempunyai Menteri "Ugama" yang menjawab soalan dengan begitu kasar dan keras sekali.

Adakah disebalik senyuman dan kemesraan Zahid Hamidi, ini adalah sikap dan kelakuannya yang sebenar?

Amir Bazli pasti ada sesuatu yang ingin dikongsi. Tunggu posting akan datang.

Zahid Hamidi launch International Islamic Hub in i-City

The Star, Friday November 21, 2008

Big plans for i-City

SHAH Alam’s most advanced township, i-City, was honoured recently with the visit of two ministers.

Transport Minister Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat was the guest-of-honour at the official naming of the township’s main boulevard while Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi launched the International Islamic Hub in i-City.

I-City, developed by I-Berhad, is a RM2bil integrated commercial development on a 29ha site in Section 7, Shah Alam. I-Berhad chairman Datuk Lim Kim Hong’s vision is to make it a digital city where the entire township is connected by one fibre optic network and managed as one commercial complex.

Unique: The City Walk is a pedestrian mall in i-City, Shah Alam.

“The technology to make this vision a reality is the Cisco Connected Real Estate (CISCO CRE) platform. With this technology in place, all the buildings and offices within i-City can communicate with one another as well as with the global community via high speed Internet service,’’ Lim said.

Ong said the i-City management model had parallels to many agencies and GLCs under the Transport Ministry such as Port Klang and KLIA which manage large areas.

“In these organisations, it is recognised that the rapid evolution of the Internet into an ultra fast, powerful and borderless communication tool has transformed the course in which businesses are conducted.

These organisations have adopted Internet technology to better provide customer services. In many ways, they are no different than i-City in making use of the Internet as the technology platform.

”In the current economic climate, the i-City business model is one way to allow these agencies and GLCs to continue to invest in technology without creating additional burden on the shareholders and the Government”.

New: Lim (left) and Ong posing in front of the Jalan Multimedia signboard after the naming ceremony.

”Furthermore, as the i-City is near KLIA and Port Klang, i-City could be a support hub for the many logistics companies located there,’’ Ong added.

He said from his ministry’s perspective, such a centre would be good because it would enable many Malaysian logistics companies to compete cost effectively with the global players.

I-City also offers a campus environment where the communities gather, meet and interact. It is not only an MSC investment location for the international business community, but also an international cosmopolitan lifestyle centre. So far, there are 12 MSC tenants in i-City, and more are expected to move in by next year.

Salahlaku Pecah Amanah (CBT) Zahid Hamidi

Inilah sebenarnya wajah kepimpinan dalam UMNO yang mampu merosakkan imej negara. Kepimpinan seperti ini perlu ditolak. Kepimpinan seperti ini tidak seharusnya wujud. Berikut adalah hipnosis tambahan mengenai Dato Ahmad Zahid Hamidi dalam skandal kewangan yang berbau rasuah:

1. Yayasan gerak Bakti Kebangsaan (YGBK) ditawarkan oleh MITI saham Kretam Holdings berhad sebanyak 8,888,888 unit saham dan setiap satu berharga RM1.10.

2. Untuk membeli saham tersebut, YGBK terpaksa mendapat pinjaman sebanyak RM10 juta.

3. Lembaga Pemegang Amanah YGBK ketika itu adalah:-

Pengerusi: Dato Seri Mohd Najib Tun Abdul Razak
Setiausaha: Dato Ahmad Zahid Hamidi
Bendahari: Dato Seri Tengku Adnan tengku Mansor
Ahli: Dr Tajuddin Jali, Datok Seri Dr Jamaluddin Jarjis
- telah bermesyuarat untuk membuat pinjaman tetapi undang-undang tubuh YGBK mengatakan bahawa mereka tidak boleh membuat pinjaman. Sebuah Syaraikat Sden Bhd sepatutnya ditubuhkan bagi pihak YGBK.

4. Walaubagaimanapun Dato Seri Mohd Najib Tun Abdul Razak telah menegluarkan surat tawaran tanpa izin daripada MITI kepada Syarikat Nipah Tech Sdn Bhd, dua pengarah adalah Abd latif dan Hamidah Khamis.

5. Dato Seri Mohd Najib Tun Abdul Razak sendiri telah mengeluarkan surat 'Letter head Menteri pertahanan' kepada Nipah Tech Sdn Bhd untuk beli saham tersebut dengan janjinya sebanyak 10 sen didermakan kepada YGBK. Dato Ahamd Zahid telah bersekongkol dengan pegawai MITI supaya syarikat Sdn Bhd 100% dibawah kawalannya ditawarkan akan saham tersebut.

Dato Ahmad Zahid Hamidi sebagai Setiausaha Politik dan Setiausaha Lembaga Pemegang Amanah ketika itu telah menggunakan pegawai MITI (orang dalam) untuk kepentingan dirinya supaya tawaran 8,888,888 saham Kretam Holdings Berhada diberikan kepada syarikat peribadinya di mana Hamidah Khamis (isterinya) adalah pemegang utama.

6. Dato Ahmad Zahid Hamidi melakukan pecah amanah:-

i) Saham itu adalah kepunyaan YGBK
ii) Tidak memberi 10 sen seperti yang dijanjikan
iii) Menipu Abd Latif Jantan dengan meminta MITI menawarkan saham kepada syarikat lain daripada Nipah Tech Sdn Bhd.


7. Satu masa nilai saham itu naik sehingga RM19 sesaham dan dikalikan dengan 8,888,888 saham menjadi nilai RM168,888,872. Beli cuma RM10 juta, dapat untung RM158,888,872.00, dan sepatutnya YGBK dapat untung lebih kurang RM145 juta ke RM152 juta selepas ditolak interest RM8 - 15 juta.

8. RM145 juta ke RM152 juta inilah modal politik Dato' Ahmad Zahid Hamidi dengan pengeluaran pertama RM30 juta difaraidkan kepada adik beradik dan keluarga.

- Seterusnya belanja kempen bertanding Ketua Pemuda UMNO Malaysia juga habis sekitar RM20-30 juta. Bbagi pengeluaran RM40 juta yang kedua dan seterusnya dikeluarkan secara berperingkat-peringkat.

9. Dato Seri Hishamuddin, Dato Hasni Mohamad (Pontian), Dato Aziz Sheikh Fadzir dan Dato Mokhzani Mahathir telah mengadap Tun Dr Mahathir. Keputusannya ada unsur pecah amanah (CBT).

Namun sekali lagi Tun Dr Mahathir bertoleransi dan menyelamatkan Dato Ahmade Zahid Hamidi daripada didakwa di mahkamah, tetapi Dato Ahmad Zahid Hamidi masih tidak mengenang budi. Sepatutnya Dato Ahmad Zahid boleh didakwa pada masa itu atas tuduhan pecah amanah.


10. Semasa menjadi ahli Parlimen biasa, Dato Ahmad Zahid telah dilantik sebagai Pengerusi di salah sebuah anak syarikat PKN Perak. Beribu-ribu ekar tanah kepunyaan anak syarikat PKN Perak diselewengkan. Tanah yang sepatutnya dibina rumah dan dimajukan untuk golongan sederhana rendah dan rendah telah habis kepada tangan taukeh-taukeh Cina di Lembah Kinta (wang komisyennya sahaja cukup berbaloi untuk dibahagikan).

- Adakah ini orang yang layak untuk kita amanahkan untuk menjaga tanah Tabung Haji? (Dato Ahmad Zahid Hamidi sebagai menteri yang bertanggungjawab ke atas Tabung Haji). alamat tergadailah tanah dan harta Tabung Haji. (Awas! Waspada wahai pemegang saham Tabung Haji!)

Akhirnya:

Adakah orang ini orang yang layak kita amanahkan untuk menjaga tanah Tabung Haji? (Dato Ahmad Zahid Hamidi sebagai Menteri yang bertanggungjawab ke atas Tabung Haji), alamat tergadailah tanah dan harta Tabung Haji. "Awas! Waspadalah wahai penyimpan Tabung Haji!)

Zahid naik jadi Ketua Pemuda UMNO dengan bantuan Anwar

Berikut adalah sedutan dari blog Free Anwar Campaign yang menceritakan peranan Zahid bersama Anwar untuk menjatuhkan Rahim Tamby Chik dari jawatan Ketua Pemuda UMNO dari pandangan pembangkang. Dengan terjatuhnya Rahim, Zahid pun naik sebagai Ketua Pemuda proxy Anwar:

Wednesday, 16-Jul-2003 12:00 AM

A person of loose morals is not a believable witness: Mahathir

When an underage girl admitted that she had an affair with one-time Chief Minister of Melaka State, Rahim Thambi Chik, Malaysian Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad declared that she is not to be believed because she is a girl of loose morals.

That she is of “loose morals” was “confirmed” by someone close to Rahim and this Rahim aide went on to relate how his Chief Minister Boss got entangled with the girl.

“One day, Rahim phoned her house to speak to the elder sister. Rahim was in fact having an affair with the elder sister,” said the Rahim aide.

“The elder sister was not home, though, and the younger sister took the call. This younger sister then said she had been meaning to meet Rahim for some time, so Rahim invited her over to his office.”

“The younger sister then went to Rahim’s office where she told him she wanted to borrow some money. Rahim told her to return the next day as he did not have any cash on him, but to come after 4.00pm when everyone had gone home.”

“The next day, the younger sister went to Rahim’s office after 4.00pm and that’s when the affair with the younger sister started. In fact, they had sex, there and then, in the office,” said the Rahim aide chuckling with delight.

The girl disappeared soon after the story broke and, according to this Rahim aide, he and two other people had smuggled her to Thailand for a “holiday”. The girl’s frantic grandmother, after failing to find her granddaughter, made a police report. It was feared she had been arrested to get her out of circulation.

Lim Guan Eng, the son of Lim Kit Siang, the Chairman of the Democratic Action Party, came to the grandmother’s defence and took the police to task for persecuting the underage rape victim while allowing the criminal Chief Minister to walk free. For his outspokenness, Lim Guan Eng was sent to jail for 18 months.

Anwar Ibrahim, who was then still in the government, was terribly unhappy about the whole matter. In a meeting with Malaysian students in London, Anwar spoke about how these are some of the many travesties of justice that need to be addressed.

Even when still in the government Anwar was calling for Reformation, which is “Reformasi” in Malay. Anwar was bent on bringing Rahim to book and, through Umno Youth, he pressured Rahim to resign as the Umno Youth Chief as well as Chief Minister of Melaka. Zahid Hamidi, the Deputy Youth Chief then, took over as the new Umno Youth Chief.

But that was all Rahim suffered - he had to resign from his posts as Umno Youth Chief and Melaka Chief Minister. He was never brought to trial for his crime of statutory rape as, according to the Attorney-General then, “there was not enough evidence to press charges.”

And who was this Attorney-General? Mohtar Abdullah, of course; who recently died after lingering in a coma for 11 months.

Zahid Hamidi, who was by then the new Umno Youth Chief and who, today, is still in Umno as a “has been”, was outraged. He went round the country telling the Umno Youth grassroots leaders that Mohtar Abdullah had “fixed” Rahim’s case.

Zahid related how he had led an Umno Youth delegation to meet Mohtar to enquire into the progress of the case against Rahim and the Attorney-General told them he had received instructions from the top to drop the case.

The way it was done, said the infuriated Zahid, was they told the girl to describe the crucial part of Rahim’s body that was instrumental in the deed, basically his private parts. When the girl could not make a specific description - such as its length and size - it was declared that they lacked sufficient evidence and the case against Rahim was dropped.

Zahid was disturbed by all this and he made his concern known to the Umno Youth grassroots leaders. He felt that Mohtar had intentionally created this “technicality” to enable them to drop the case against Rahim. In fact, said Zahid, the Attorney-General never said Rahim was innocent of the charge. He merely said there was insufficient evidence to proceed further.

Zahid was subsequently detained under the Internal Security Act (ISA) in September 1998 on grounds of being a “threat to national security” – he and a few others were alleged to be behind the pro-Anwar Reformasi demonstrations.

“My arrest under the Internal Security Act had nothing to do with Anwar Ibrahim though that’s what they made it look like,” said Zahid. “I was detained because of the Rahim Thambi Chik case.”

“To secure my release from ISA detention, I was forced to confess that I believe Anwar is guilty of sodomy. In fact, even if Anwar himself had confessed in front of me that he had sodomised Azizan, I would still not believe it,” said Zahid.

Rahim was spared prosecution because the underage girl he was alleged to have raped could not precisely describe certain parts of his body. And her word alone was not good enough because she is supposed to be someone of loose morals.

Anwar Ibrahim’s accuser, Azizan, not only could not be specific about exactly when Anwar was supposed to have sodomised him (was in 1993, 1994 or 1995 and was it in January, February or March?), but he even testified under oath, THREE TIMES, that Anwar NEVER sodomised him, yet, not only was Anwar indicted, but they even secured a conviction. And Azizan was subsequently arrested and jailed six months for a sexual offence, which certainly makes him a person of loose morals according to Dr Mahathir’s interpretation, and therefore one not to be believed.

Rahim eventually got his revenge on Anwar when he “sponsored” the book “50 Reasons Why Anwar Cannot Become Prime Minister” that was the basis of the police investigation on Anwar’s “sexual misconduct”. Is it a coincidence that the book was published by a company in Melaka that was “renting” a building owned by Rahim and was it by chance that 2,000 copies of the book mysteriously found its way into the folders of the Umno delegates at the 1998 General Assembly?

Oh, and for his “service”, the Rahim aide was given 1,000 acres of prime land in Melaka, beside the PLUS Highway, which he subsequently sold to HICOM for a princely sum – and he and Rahim lived happily after.

KOMEN: Mungkin kita patut tanya Zahid sekarang. Adakah dia masih percaya Anwar tidak lakukan sodomi?

Malaysia: Dr Zahid Urges Malaysian Firms To Expand Into OIC Countries

Thursday, 20 November 2008

SHAH ALAM, Nov 19 (Bernama) -- Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi Wednesday urged local firms involved in Islamic based businesses to expand their business to the member countries of the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC).

The Islamic business and financial market offers an alternative venue for Malaysian companies in the midst of the challenges brought by the current global financial crisis, he said in his keynote address at the launch of the International Islamic Hub in i-City, the 29-hectare digital township here.

"In view of this, it is timely for all business sectors to look into the possibility of using Islamic instruments and Islamic financial institution services in place of the present conventional financial instrument and banking," Dr Ahmad Zahid said.

He said the recent global financial meltdown had illustrated the need for a system based on profit sharing principle, where both parties in a contract are subjected to potential losses and returns, something which is underlined under the Islamic business principles.

Under the Islamic system, both parties would have a win-win situation as losses would not burden only one party, he pointed out.

He said many of the OIC economies were showing strong fundamental growth potential and were increasingly becoming part of the global emerging markets, while a variety of existing and new forums have been established to promote OIC based corporate interaction and to help leverage trade opportunities.

Malaysia recently organised the World Islamic Tourism Conference and Expo 2008 and played its role in the establishment of the International Centre for Education in Islamic Finance in this country to overcome the shortage of finance staff with Syariah knowledge.

Dr Ahmad Zaid Wednesday also commended i-City for taking the initiative to engage with the OIC community.

"Its strategic alliance with Al Rajhi Banking Group in its cybercentre office development is a reflection of the opportunities that are available with the OIC member countries," he said.

He said Malaysia was also unique in its promotion of Islamic financial products as it marketed them both in the English and Bahasa Malaysia language, and where the non-Muslims understood them, unlike other countries where the products were promoted mostly in Arabic.

Dr Ahmad Zahid also said he had advised Islamic scholars here not to use difficult Arabic words like Bai Bithamin Ajil in promoting Islamic based loans but to simplify the terms to BBA for example, so as not to "scare" the people.

He also called on Muslims and non-Muslims to do away with their differences and work together to promote Islamic financial products as one did not have to be a Muslim to promote Islamic products.

Meanwhile, the director of I-Bhd, Eu Hong Chew, said in his presentation Wednesday that the company has set aside two hectares from its total development area of i-City for the international Islamic hub.

The hub will consist of an Information Communication Technology Centre for OIC countries, Islamic Financial Education Centre, Support Centre for Halal Product Logistic and Islamic Resource Centre.

Eu said the centres will help in the development of Islamic knowlegde based economy as they would provide cost effective operations and provide the environment for innovation of new ideas in the development of Islamic business and finance sectors.

The centres are expected to cost around RM800 million and their completion would be between three and four years.

i-City which is developed by I-Bhd provides high speed broadband connectivity at 20 megabit per second, and its features include a backup power supply system, data centre and fibre optics interconnectivity among the buildings. Among its other facilities will be a shopping mall, hotel and office towers.

Masjid Bandaraya masjid hadhari kedua negara

Utusan Malaysia Okt 19, 2008

Oleh Abdul Rashid Abdul Rahman


DR. AHMAD Zahid Hamidi (empat dari kanan) dan Nasir Tun Sakaran (lima dari kanan) menyaksikan KY Mustafa (tiga dari kanan) dan Amri Suratman bertukar dokumen perjanjian di Masjid Bandaraya, Kota Kinabalu, kelmarin.

KOTA KINABALU 18 Nov. - Masjid Bandaraya yang terletak di Likas di sini mencipta sejarah apabila diisytiharkan sebagai masjid hadhari kedua negara semalam.

Masjid yang mempunyai reka bentuk seakan-akan masjid Nabawi serta dikelilingi air itu menjadi masjid kedua yang mendapat pengiktirafan berkenaan selepas Masjid Jamek Bandar Baru Uda, Johor.

Menteri di Jabatan Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Dr. Ahmad Zahid Hamidi berkata, pemilihan masjid tersebut sebagai masjid hadhari amat wajar sekali berdasarkan kepada peranan yang dimainkan masjid berkenaan.

"Pemilihan tersebut amat tepat kerana masjid berkenaan menepati kriteria yang disyaratkan seperti mempunyai kemudahan prasarana mesra jemaah khususnya untuk Orang Kurang Upaya (OKU).

"Selain itu, masjid ini berjaya menggerakkan pelbagai aktiviti dakwah, kebajikan dan juga ekonomi yang memberi manfaat kepada ummah," katanya.

Beliau berkata demikian selepas menyaksikan majlis menandatangani memorandum persefahaman (MoU) Program Akuakultur antara Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) Link dengan Masjid Bandaraya di sini semalam.

Perjanjian tersebut ditandatangani oleh Pengerusi UMS Link Holding Sdn. Bhd., Datuk KY Mustapha; wakil Naib Canselor UMS, Prof. Dr. Roslinah Ahmad Saufi; Pengarah Jabatan Hal Ehwal Agama Islam Negeri (JHEAINS), Amri Suratman dan Timbalan Pengerusi Masjid Bandaraya, Ab. Jamal Tun Sakaran.

Turut hadir, Ketua Pengarah Jabatan Kemajuan Islam Malaysia (JAKIM), Datuk Wan Mohammad Abdul Aziz dan Menteri di Jabatan Ketua Menteri, Datuk Nasir Tun Sakaran.

Menurut Zahid, JHEAINS telah memainkan peranan besar bagi memastikan masjid di negeri ini khususnya Masjid Bandaraya menjadi sebuah institusi yang mesra rakyat.

"Kewujudan perkhidmatan klinik bergerak, mesin pengeluaran wang automatik (ATM), kolam ternakan ikan serta pusat kecemerlangan ilmu merupakan antara elemen penting menjadikan masjid ini menarik perhatian masyarakat sekali gus memberi input terhadap perancangan masjid hadhari," katanya.

Sementara itu, Zahid berkata, masjid mempunyai peranan luas dalam kehidupan masyarakat Islam.

Katanya, masjid bukan sahaja sebagai tempat ibadah tetapi menjadi pusat perpaduan ummah, kecemerlangan ilmu dan nadi utama aktiviti pembangunan ekonomi.

KOMEN: Peh ...! Kira Masjid Hadhari ni lagi hebat dari Masjid Haram Mekah dan Masjid Nabawi. Pasai dia Hadhari ... Ha ha ha


Jakim not involved in Rebana Ubi arch project

The Star, Thursday November 20, 2008

SHAH ALAM: Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has denied that the Islamic Development Department (Jakim) is involved in the construction of the Rebana Ubi arch, which will reportedly be built on the Federal Highway.

He said the department was not involved in any construction involving arches, adding that he would not know if other religious authorities were involved.

Impressive: I-Berhad chairman Datuk Lim Kim Hong (second from left) showing Ahmad Zahid (left) a model of the International Islamic Hub in Shah Alam yesterday.

“Jakim definitely has many other more important things to do than to construct arches along the Federal Highway,” he told reporters after launching the 29ha International Islamic Hub at I-city here yesterday.

“I deny that Jakim is involved in the construction of any arch.”

He was responding to a news report on public outcry that they had been kept in the dark over the project that was reportedly being carried out by Jakim.

The newspaper claimed that there were plans to build the arch near the UEM and Malay College Old Boys Association buildings at the Jalan Syed Putra stretch of the Federal Highway.

City Hall and the Federal Territories Ministry have since denied any links with the project, which is said to have left thousands of consumers without water on Tuesday night due to work carried out by Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor for the project.

Earlier in Serdang, Ahmad Zahid said the authorities would charge heretical Islamic sect founder Ayah Pin or Arifin Muhamad, 65, in court in Kuala Terengganu once he returned to the country.

He said the authorities had identified Ayah Pin’s location and were working on bringing him home.

In Kuala Terengganu, Mentri Besar Datuk Ahmad Said slammed the state’s religious department for its weak stance over the Ayah Pin case although it had the opportunity to apprehend him recently.


KOMEN: Macam mana I Berhad ini boleh baik dengan Zahid? I Berhad adalah kawan baik dan pembiayai Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim, bekas bos Zahid di PNB dan kroni Anwar Ibrahim. Macam nak berbalik dan berbaik ke Anwar juga kamu, ye?

Politik bermuka-muka dan lalang Zahid Hamidi. Mana aperjuanagn orang macam ini. Hanya boleh harap syarahan saja hebat.

Syor wujud Majlis Peguam Syarie

Utusan Malaysia Okt 19, 2008

Oleh FAIZAH IZZANI ZAKARIA

KUALA LUMPUR 19 Nov. - Menteri di Jabatan Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Dr. Ahmad Zahid Hamidi berkata, Jabatan Kehakiman Syariah Malaysia (JKSM) telah diminta berbincang dengan Jabatan Peguam Negara mengenai usaha persefahaman undang-undang sivil dan syariah.

Beliau berkata, kerjasama tersebut mampu merealisasikan usaha penyeragaman kedua-dua undang-undang tersebut pada masa depan.

"Penyeragaman undang-undang sivil dengan syariah tidak mustahil untuk dilaksanakan di negara ini pada masa depan dengan adanya komitmen daripada pengamal dan penguatkuasaan undang-undang serta kerajaan," katanya.

Beliau berkata demikian pada sidang akhbar selepas mengadakan lawatan ke Institut Penyelidikan Produk Halal Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) di sini hari ini.

Beliau diminta mengulas mengenai jaminan Ketua Hakim Negara, Tan Sri Zaki Tun Azmi untuk mencari jalan penyelesaian ke arah mewujudkan persefahaman antara kedua-dua undang-undang tersebut supaya tidak timbul konflik pada masa depan.

Zaki berkata, persefahaman yang baik antara kedua-duanya amat penting bagi menangani lebih banyak isu perundangan yang semakin rumit melibatkan umat Islam dan bukan Islam yang dikemukakan di mahkamah.

Ahmad Zahid menjelaskan, antara langkah awal yang telah dilakukan kerajaan sebelum ini bagi mewujudkan persefahaman antara kedua-dua undang-undang tersebut termasuk mewujudkan Jawatankuasa Bersama Mahkamah dan Pengamal Undang- undang Syarie dan Sivil sebelum ini.

"Ini telah dibentuk untuk mewujudkan beberapa kes yang harus tidak dibawa ke kamar terbuka tetapi dibincangkan secara tertutup bersama peguam syarie dan sivil," katanya.

Dalam pada itu, Ahmad Zahid berkata, pihaknya akan mempersembahkan cadangan mewujudkan Majlis Peguam Syarie kepada Majlis Raja-Raja Melayu untuk diperkenankan bagi menyelaraskan Sijil Amalan Guaman Syarie yang dikeluarkan kepada peguam syarie.

Katanya, perkara ini telah dibincangkan bersama Persatuan Peguam Muslim Malaysia dan Persatuan Peguam Syarie Malaysia untuk dibentangkan kepada Jabatan Peguam Negara dalam sedikit masa lagi.

"Apabila majlis ini dibentuk kelak, amalan peguam syarie akan diselaraskan. Bukan seperti sekarang yang mana peguam syarie yang menjadi ahli Majlis Peguam hanya dapat menjalankan amalan undang-undang syariah di negeri yang mengeluarkan sijil amalannya sahaja.

"Jika dia mahu mengamalkan di semua negeri, maknanya dia kena ada semua sijil dari semua negeri itu. Apabila majlis ini ditubuhkan maka sijil amalan itu akan diselaraskan di satu peringkat sahaja," katanya.

KOMEN: Tahulah kamu ada Phd, tapi ini bukan jurang bidang kamu. Ini biarlah peguam dan hakim bincangkan sedalam. Kamu nampak sangat tak faham implikasi dan hanya melompat untuk kepentingan politik saja.

Baru seorang bekas Hakim beri pandangan, kamu dah main setuju. Ada banyak lagi isu perlu didalami dalam syor itu. Bolehkah peguam dan hakim yang tidak terlatih dalam hukum syarie menjalankan tugas?

Jangan main cepat melompat saja, Zahid. Tak ada kelas sebagai Menteri ...

BIjaknya "Dr Zahid Hamidi" Jawab ...

Dari Pahangdaily

Eksklusif: Zahid Hamidi Selar Raja Petra Pertikai Prosedur Tahanan ISA Tidak Dibenarkan Solat !!

PUTRAJAYA - Menteri di Jabatan Perdana Menteri, Zahid Hamidi hari ini menyelar tindakan bekas tahanan Akta Keselamatan Dalam Negeri (ISA), Raja Petra yang mempertikaikan prosedur ISA yang tidak membenarkan tahanan mengerjakan solat Jumaat.

"Solat Jumaat memang tidak diizinkan pada tahanan ISA. Jangan bagi alasan untuk mempertikaikannya.

"Saya bukan nak tuduh tapi saya nak tanya, berapa kali dia (Raja Petra) sembahyang Jumaat selama ini," katanya pada sidang media ketika melawat ke Institut Penyelidikan Produk Halal di Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) di sini, hari ini.

Zahid yang enggan mengulas lanjut berhubung hal itu bagaimanapun berkata, Raja Petra tidak sepatutnya mencabar aspek agama Islam yang telah ditetapkan itu. "Setakat mana pegangan agama Islam dia? Sedangkan dalam blognya, dia ada juga menghentam tentang Islam," kata Zahid.

Ditanya mengenai dakwaan Raja Petra mengenai ceramah seorang ustaz dari Jabatan Kemajuan Islam Malaysia (Jakim) yang dikatakan menghentam agama lain dan kitab-kitab suci mereka, Zahid hanya berkata: "Saya tidak tengok. Itu dia (Raja Petra) yang kata.

"Saya tak pernah duduk dalam ISA dan saya tak tahu," katanya.

Semalam, Raja Petra yang pernah ditahan di bawah ISA selama 52 hari sebelum ini membuat laporan polis di Ibu Pejabat Polis Daerah (IPD) Sentul terhadap pusat tahanan ISA di Kamunting kerana tidak membenarkan beliau menunaikan solat Jumaat.

Beliau juga membuat laporan terhadap Jabatan Kemajuan Islam Malaysia (Jakim) kerana dikatakan menghina agama-agama lain. Beliau membuat laporan tersebut setelah menolak untuk memberi kenyataan lain berhubung dakwaan Jakim yang mengatakan beliau menghina orang Melayu, agama dan orang Islam.

KOMEN: Raja Petra memang critikal dan mulut celupar. Kalau dia tak sembahyang, itu hal dia dengan tuhan dan bukan untuk kamu mempersoalkan samada dia sembahyang atau tidak?

Di mana kebijaksanaan daalm cara Zahid sebagai Menteri "Ugama"? Adakah ini mencerminkan dirinya sebagai pemimpin Islam yang boleh menjadi contoh dan dihormati pengkritik dan masyarakat? Ini yang orang menyampah dengan orang Islam ...

Did Zahid Hamidi really had a Phd?

Phd for Zahid Hamidi

From blog Education in Malaysia

A few friends emailed me recently to tell me that an UMNO leader, Zahid Hamidi, currently a Minister in the PM's department and former UMNO Youth Chief when Anwar was still DPM, was recently conferred a PhD in Communications from UPM. I applaud his resilience in doing his PhD part time despite his busy schedule as a politician. But I am probably a bit suspect in regard to the content of his PhD thesis.

I heard Zahid Hamidi speak at a small PROMUDA function a few years back and he came across as an intelligent and intellectually curious UMNO leader. This was in 2003 and he was already doing his PhD then. I was impressed because he didn't really need to get a PhD to bolster his political credentials. I'm glad that he managed to finally finish his PhD. It's a long process which I can certainly attest to as I'm working hard to finish my own PhD thesis next year.

But I can't help but have a niggling doubt as to the quality of his PhD research. For now, I'll have to give him the benefit of the doubt in regard to whether he did all the work himself or if he hired researchers to some at least part of the work on his behalf. I'll reproduce a brief description of his thesis which appeared on the Ministry of Information
website and I'll comment after that.

Deputy Information Minister Datuk Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has been conferred a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Communication by Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM).

He will receive the Phd at UPM's convocation in October, said the university's School of Graduate Studies Deputy Dean Prof Dr Hasanah Mohd Ghazali in a statement here today.

The university senate approved the degree at its meeting on Feb 21. For the Phd, Dr Zahid completed a thesis entitled "Barisan Nasional Manifesto As Agenda for Malay Language Newspaper During the General Election Campaign."

The study was undertaken to identify the usage of BN manifesto as an agenda for the Malay language newspapers namely Utusan Malaysia and Berita Harian during the general elections in 1982, 1986, 1990, 1995 dan 1999.

Dr Zahid, when asked to comment on the degree, hoped that it would spur the young generation to pursue their education to a higher level. He said that the major factor for his success was his belief in life long learning and hoped that it would encourage his children to follow in his footsteps.

"I hope this success will spur my political colleagues, especially the younger ones to study to a higher level. "If I can do it at the age of 55, the young generation should feel challenged (by it)," he said.

Commenting on his thesis, Dr Zahid said that based on the research the manifesto, which is regarded as a promise by BN, was the basis for the success and support obtained by the party during the general elections.

If the manifesto announced provided something good for the rakyat, the effect would be seen from the number of popular votes and increase in the number of seats won by BN, he said.
I'm not sure if this article quoted him correctly but I find the last remark quite disturbing. Has there been a case in the past whereby a BN manifesto would NOT provide something good for the rakyat thereby leading it to lose popular votes and seats? I'm not sure if he had a well defined dependent variable and a set of independent variables which he used in a regression analysis to test his hypothesis but from that statement alone, I find this hard to believe.

Furthermore, he tracked the usage of the BN manifesto in Utusan and Berita Harian in the elections starting from 1982 and ending in 1999. Unless you used very sophisticated coding to pick out and define different categories of reports and later quantify them, I suspect that you would not get much variance in regard to how these papers presented the BN manifesto to its readers - overwhelmingly POSITIVE! In social science methodological speak, you don't get any variance in the independent variable i.e. the BN manifesto or the newspapers reporting them.

In any case, I don't really think there's enough variance on his dependent variable i.e. electoral outcomes in the 6 elections he covered. He cannot possibly use the outcomes in individual constituencies as his dependent variables since you cannot possibly measure the impact of newspaper reporting on the BN manifesto by individual constituencies.

My sense is that he may have been poorly guided by his advisers at UPM who might not have wanted to piss off a high ranking UMNO leader and deny him his PhD. Every PhD inevitably has its share of weaknesses (I'm sure my own will be the same) but some methodological shortcomings will not pass muster in most universities where the advising committee does some sort of quality control.

I hope I can get my hands on his PhD thesis. If anyone has access to it, please email me.


KOMEN: Adakah betul Zahid dapat Phd? Tajuk macam begitu bolehkah jadi dissertation Phd? Ijazah doktorat yang dibeli untuk mengaburkan rakyat seolah-olah dia pandai dan cerdik. Cari pemimpin kena elok dan pandai. Tapi rakyat akan pilih pemimpin yang penipu...

Checkmate and Gameover for Anwar Ibrahim

From Malaysia Instinct.com

This needs to be said.

Once upon a time I knew almost all of the PKR personalities who are around today. They were once members of Umno. I once knew this arrogant pseudo-intellectual Khalid Jaafa, PKR supreme council member, who was one of Anwar Ibrahim's press secretaries.

Khalid is one detached fellow human being who has a serious personality flaw, that is, he is not able to reach out. He is one who is not able to have two way communications. He will always be seen to have this superior and snooty look about him. No wait, we believe that he believes he is much a superior being who always carries a thick book, thicker than the War and Peace edition, to prove it. He is one who never fails not to answer any straight question given to him.

When he was a press secretary to Anwar Ibrahim, he had a knack of not making reporters feel welcome. Well today he is still the same way, I was told, and he is now seriously thinking of ruling this country with his PKR cohorts. Good luck!

Then there was this Azmin Ali, who struck me as a Malay boy who had a very unhappy childhood. I was told he subscribes to Frederich Nietzsche’s theory of going against any moral philosophy. To him, Anwar Ibrahim is a perfect human being and when he was a private secretary to Anwar, he was also detached from the rest of the world. He is convinced Umno philosophy is wrong from day one!

I was told, yet to be verified, that he would asked for a "token" sum if an appointment was to be made with his boss. He has a sister who accused his boss of having an affair with his (Azmin’s) wife, and she also accused Anwar of buggery.

Azmin also has another brother, a very irritating TV "personality", a role model for future Malaysians! Sigh! After watching his brother on TV I am not sure whether this guy is gay, a cross dresser or what. Anyway he is quite irritating to me, just my opinion. Sorry to deviate, this is another story!

Then there is this very volatile Saifuddin Nasution. He is one angry young man. Trying to have a conversation with him is like preparing for war. He is always very belligerent. When he was with the Umno youth he tried very hard to "Abim-mise", or "Abrar-rise " or "Arab-ise", "what ever-ise" Umno; he failed and he left.

Umno Youth under Zahid Hamidi was an early failed attempt to turn or shape it into a very dangerous secret society-like organisation. At that point in time Zahid Hamidi, who was the youth head, was also perceived then to be pro-Anwar.

The only one of Anwar's "cohorts" that is still in contact with me is his other press secretary, Adlin Zabri. Adlin is a good guy who just got caught in an unfortunate political whirl pool. However, after many, many years of being treated like a leper, he is now doing very well on his own and the rest, according to him, was just a bad "dream". Well done Adlin.
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What prompted me to write this? Well, there are times when I wake up in the morning and I would say to myself the hell with the Malays, my own people, why should I bother in defending their rights, in my own way that is.

For as long as I can remember the Malays are either in total ignorance, or in total disarray and I am beginning to believe they are suffering from this "bodoh dan sombong" syndrome or to loosely translate, it means "stupid and ignorant" or "stupid and very proud to admit the stupidity".

The assumption here is that if you admit that you are stupid it shows you want to learn and to know what it is all about. But to not admit you are stupid and then to pretend you are intelligent and smart. Well that spells the end of you.

Speaking on behalf of the Malays, this is what is happening to them now. It is refreshing to hear Umno secretary-general Tengku Adnan Mansor admitting to the fact that Umno is sick and in dire need of medication.

Of course Umno is sick, when the whole bunch of them nominate a leader who is already tarnished due to corruption. I am talking about the nominations given to Muhamad Muhammad Taib.

A friend from Sabah was so tensed up when she asked why Umno divisions nominate this man who is clearly corrupt when he was caught with a bunch of currency in his bag? "If Umno is not sick Muhamad Muhamad Taib would not have gotten one single nomination," she said, and I agree with her.

Then there is this Rahim Thamby Chik, former Chief Minister of Malacca, who had to step down as Umno Youth chief over over investigations of beng involved with an underaged girl, and yet he was nominated for a vice-president post even though he was not qualified to contest. Nevertheless some Umno buffoons nominated him.

Then Umno has got this Nazri Aziz who uses such word as “celupah” without respect for an elder statesman like Tun Mahathir. Celupah is not a nice way to describe a man penchant for explaining. Nazri is also arrogant, and he is the symptomatic to Umno ailment.

Again what prompted me to write this piece? After reading PKR’s announcement to hold a congress at a stadium somwhere, and Anwar Ibrahim will again "explain" read "fooled" to PKR members with his rhetoric as to why he could not form a government on Sept 16.

Well, this man has a gift of gab, read lies, and rest assured his explanations will be accepted by all of the "bodoh sombong" Malays at this congress.

It was reported that about 2,000 morons from 160 divisions were expected to attend this three-day congress from Nov 28, beginning with the Wanita and Youth meetings, at the Stadium Melawati in Shah Alam.

According to Khalid, this year’s theme is Harapan Baru (A New Dawn), might as well call it A New Lie. Khalid said Anwar would introduce new and sophisticated lies on changes in store for PKR. “This congress will not just be a routine meeting. We have to mobilise the party since 2009 will be volatile with the (scheduled) power transition in Umno,” he added.

Well Malays, go on a “disarray binge” for all I care, for as a race you do not deserve a country, and you deserve a leader like Anwar Ibrahim, who after saying Najib as a prime minister will be a dictator, and will accuse Najib when he takes over as the next prime minister about something else.

There will be no end to the Malay Dillema as long as this man Anwar is around. -(Courtesy of BarkingMagpie, with a bit of changes)

Wanita diminta jangan berpecah

Utusan Malaysia, Nov 13hb, 2008

KUALA LUMPUR 12 Nov. - Pergerakan Wanita UMNO diminta kekal bersatu di bawah satu pasukan walaupun jika wujud pertandingan bagi jawatan Ketua dan Naib Ketua.

Ahli Majlis Tertinggi UMNO, Datuk Seri Dr. Ahmad Zahid Hamidi berkata, adalah satu perkara yang menyedihkan jika perpecahan terjadi di kalangan ahli Wanita semata-mata pertandingan tersebut.

''Umpama 'biduk berlalu, kiambang bertaut,' begitulah juga diharapkan seandainya pertandingan di dalam pergerakan Wanita sudah tidak dapat dielakkan lagi, mereka mesti kembali bersama di dalam satu landasan selepas Perhimpunan Agung UMNO.

''Namun, saya amat menghormati hak Wanita membuat keputusan sendiri dalam isu ini, tetapi mereka perlu memberi keutamaan kepada cita rasa serta perasaan ahli akar umbi sebelum membuat sebarang keputusan,'' katanya ketika ditemui selepas merasmikan Majlis Ihtifal Perdana dan Penyampaian Sijil Tadika Islam Jabatan Agama Wilayah Persekutuan dan Majlis Agama Islam Wilayah Persekutuan (MAIWP) di sini hari ini.

Beliau mengulas isu pelan peralihan kuasa Ketua Pergerakan Wanita UMNO, Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz yang dipersetujui pada 4 Ogos lalu telah ditolak oleh Naib Ketuanya, Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil dan Datuk Kamilia Ibrahim, semalam.

Mereka berdua meminta agar Rafidah menyelaraskan pelan peralihan kuasa tersebut pada bulan Mac serentak dengan peralihan pucuk pimpinan parti.

Selain itu, Ahmad Zahid yang bekas Ketua Pergerakan Pemuda UMNO mengakui amat memahami aspirasi Wanita dan berharap pihak luar tidak mengeruhkan lagi masalah tersebut.

''Kata sepakat perlu dicapai di kalangan pimpinan Wanita dan pertelagahan sesama sendiri perlu dielakkan di kala proses pengukuhan parti UMNO sedang berjalan dengan agak baik pada masa kini,'' jelasnya.

KOMEN: Jangan cakap banyaklah, Zahid!

Kau nak lawan Muhyiddin walaupun muka kau hanya harga sepuloh sen pun buat apa? Bukankah itu boleh dikatakan akan pecahkan parti? Kalau lawan Muhyiddin itu untuk demokrasi, biarlah Wanita dengan hal mereka.

Main duit lagi pecahkan parti. Kau setuju tak Zahid, Menteri "Alim Ugama"?

Ahmad Zahid: Entry of more candidates good for democracy

The Star, Tuesday November 11, 2008

PUTRAJAYA: The Umno division meetings officially ended last weekend but Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Ahmad Zahid Hamidi reckons it can still be a nine-way fight for the vice-president posts instead of eight.

Five divisions are only convening next week because their meetings had been postponed due to various reasons, said Ahmad Zahid, a vice-president aspirant himself.

“The entry of yet another candidate for the party polls in March will be good for democracy within Umno,” he told reporters after giving an interview on wakaf issues at the Islamic Development Department (Jakim) here yesterday.

So far, the ones who have qualified to contest for the three vice-president posts are Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein, Ahmad Zahid, Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal, Datuk Seri Khaled Nordin, Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar and Tan Sri Mohd Isa Samad, Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim and Datuk Seri Dr Jamaluddin Jarjis.

Ahmad Zahid has the second highest number of nominations at 103 after Hishammuddin. A candidate needs at least 20 nominations to contest.

Risda chairman Tan Sri Rahim Thamby Chik, who now has 16 nominations, may qualify if all the five divisions give him their nominations.

Ahmad Zahid said the high number of nominations he received was an indication that his offer to vie for the vice-presidency had strong grassroots support.

“However, the number cannot be used as a gauge to determine if I would obtain the highest number of votes from among the 2,565 delegates in the polls in March.”

Ahmad Zahid also decried the recent reports of money politics, adding that the scourge only involved a few members or divisions.

“It is not fair to accuse all divisions and members of practising money politics,” he said.