Jumaat, 26 Ogos 2011

The Malaysian Insider :: Food

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The Malaysian Insider :: Food

BBQ feast in a Chinese restaurant?

Posted: 26 Aug 2011 04:44 PM PDT

The Yorkshire pudding was just perfect; buttery and crusty. — All pictures by Eu Hooi Khaw

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 27 — Roast beef and Yorkshire pudding in a Chinese restaurant such as Chef Choi may sound incredible to some but its owner, himself a very versatile and talented chef, likes to spring delicious surprises on his guests.

It may be a Thai dinner with duck noodles and all the killer sauces for the various Thai salads. It could be Hokkien noodles, a tiramisu or even a heavenly Cherry Jubilee for dessert.

The BBQ Prime Rib was absolutely yummy.

Fine Cantonese cuisine is what it's mainly known for, but here we were for its BBQ feast, Western style. We looked forward to a meat-filled evening ahead, but first we lined our stomachs healthily with this very colourful salad of cucumber, lettuce and tomatoes with a choice of lemon cilantro dressing, or a sesame shoyu one. The lemon cilantro won approval for its tart, yet mellow notes.

The Yorkshire pudding was so yummy. These brown-edged saucer-like puddings had me having double helpings. I poured the brown sauce into the well of the pudding, and I got buttery, slightly crusty bites, sinking into a delectable soft centre, the sauce spilling over.

For more carbs, there were the Boulangere potatoes, thin slices of potatoes layered with onions and herbs, baked with some stock. They tasted creamy and flavourful.

The barbecue feast started out with the first meat of the evening – Pork Belly, Chef Choi style. The crispy roasted skin was detached from the meat which was moist and tender. A plate of this was cleared off in a jiffy, so good it was.

Scrumptious seafood paella, you will want more than one serving.

The BBQ lamb shank, well infused with rosemary, and with slivers of garlic tucked in the meat, tasted so good. The meat had a creamy, smooth texture, with the fragrance of the herb, and the almost subtle garlic. You would want to eat a lot of this.

The question was what did we like better: the Prime Rib on the bone or the Steak Florentine. You could tell the difference just from the appearance of the two meats. I liked the darker, luscious Steak Florentine better, for the seared aroma and the texture of it.

It's lovely with the bits of fat on it. On its own, you can't ask for a better cut than the prime rib. I remember all those amazing roasted prime ribs I have had in great hotel restaurants in the past.

Snap peas stir fried with lots of chopped garlic was a healthy interlude between the meat dishes. I enjoyed these crunchy peas with the garlic clinging to each one.

Like I said Chef Choi is not your usual Chinese restaurant. Seafood paella , cooked in a family-sized pan, turned up next. Cooked with Arborio rice and saffron, with prawns, squid, mussels and Serrano ham, it was scrumptious.

The texture of the rice was just right, it had soaked up the tasty stock it had been cooked in, and rested for 10 minutes. We only had a tasting portion of this each, and I would go back to the restaurant for this in a heartbeat!

A healthy salad of cherry tomatoes, cucumber and lettuce.

We weren't as crazy for the Spaghetti a la Vongole, though it was al dente and had all the right flavours.

Dessert was a Tart Tartin, served with a pouring cream. We drenched our portions with the delectable cream that still had dark specks of vanilla in it. It was ambrosial.

We also had a taste of the fine mooncakes that Chef Choi makes for the festival. These are of white lotus paste, both the snow skin and the baked variety, with or without the salted egg yolk.

You will need to book in advance for this barbecue dinner, which should be shared with five or 10 people, depending on what you order. There were 14 of us at the table, and for what was served, the food was ample. The cost: The Pork Belly is RM120, Steak Florentine RM240, Chilled Prime Rib on the Bone RM190, and Rosemary infused Lamb Shank RM160.

Chef Choi is located at 159 Jalan Ampang, Kuala Lumpur, Tel: 03-2163 5866, website: chefchoi.com. It's non-halal.

Something Just Heavenly for Raya

Posted: 26 Aug 2011 12:34 AM PDT

The lovely Wau cake makes a great centrepiece on any Raya table.

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 26 — Molasses and egg white are alkaline, chocolate is acidic. It's important to know this because if you make a cake using pure chocolate, it will suck up all the moisture and you will end up with a very dry cake. "It's best made with high quality cocoa," said Nigel Skelchy one of the owners of Just Heavenly, and A Slice of Heaven.

We were attending a masterclass at Just Heavenly's headquarters in Bangsar... what better way to introduce their range of Raya cakes and goodies this festive season.

Nigel showing us how it's done.

Yes, Nigel is the master baker and we his students got to lick the cake batter off the spoon (yes!). We were making a Spiced Date Fruit, and he explained the ingredients to us. It's got soft dates, prunes, raisins, molasses, spices and ground almonds in it. Fruits are acidic and baking soda added to the cake counteracts it.

The mix of dried fruits, unsalted butter, brown sugar, honey, orange juice, orange zest, molasses, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt are taken away to be boiled, then cooled and the other ingredients added before baking. This produces a moist, dense cake that tastes good and obviously keeps well.

We had a tasting and loved it for its texture, light sweetness and fragrance of the spices. It says festive straight away, and a cake just as it is or finished with fondant icing, makes a great Raya gift.

In between, Nigel showed us how to make Torrone or Chewy Nougat. It's a soft, nutty one, with dried fruits like cranberries, currants and raisins, with lemon zest, and Orange Flower Water making all the difference. The last is passed around and we breathe in this exotic Moroccan Orange Flower Water

Making this nougat is an exact science; a sugar thermometer is needed to measure the temperature of the honey, glucose and granulated sugar set to melt over medium heat. At 155 degrees Centigrade, the heat is turned off and the syrup let to cool to 150 degrees Centigrade.

The Angry Birds and Plants vs Zombies cupcakes ... so cute.

While this is happening, egg whites and cream of tartar are beaten in the mixer, then the syrup drizzled slowly into it. More whisking and beating, and the paddle beater is coated with this thick, shiny mixture. There's the glorious scent of the orange flower. The roasted nuts and dried fruit are folded in, and the mixture poured into a tray, brushed with oil and cling filmed to be chilled for four hours. The paddle beater is passed around for everyone to get a taste. It tastes... well, just heavenly.

Later we have the exquisite nougat, soft and lovely, the Spiced Date Fruit Cake, Sugee Fruit Cake, Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcake and Chocolate Cake for tea. All these cakes are available for Raya.

A Slice of Heaven (which is the retail store) and the parent company Just Heavenly have also come up with Centrepieces, a collection of delicious and pretty cakes that can be personal or corporate gifts for the Raya celebration.

A Slice of Heaven has also launched its latest range of Angry Birds and Plants vs Zombies cupcakes.

You can contact them at Jaya One, 03-79555212, Pavilion Kuala Lumpur, 03-21415150 or for Corporate Orders 03-22879866. For more information on the cakes, click here or here.

Kredit: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com

The Malaysian Insider :: Sports

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The Malaysian Insider :: Sports

The Barclays reduced to 54 holes due to Hurricane Irene

Posted: 26 Aug 2011 10:50 AM PDT

This NASA satellite image, released to Reuters August 25, 2011, shows Hurricane Irene (centre left) moving through the Bahamas on August 25, 2011, at 10.02am EDT. Hurricane Irene bore down on North Carolina on Friday, tens of thousands of people evacuated, and East Coast cities including New York braced for a weekend hit from the powerful storm. — Reuters pic

EDISON, New Jersey, Aug 27 — The PGA Tour has cancelled tomorrow's scheduled play at The Barclays and reduced the opening tournament of the FedExCup playoffs to 54 holes due to safety concerns surrounding Hurricane Irene.

The Barclays, the first of four lucrative season-ending events on the US circuit, will now conclude at the end of today's third round at Plainfield Country Club.

Hurricane-fuelled storms are expected to hit the area late today and further saturate a course that is already soggy from more than a foot of rain last week and another drenching on Thursday.

"We weighed all the options available to us, and under normal circumstances, we would obviously prefer to complete 72 holes," PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem said in a statement.

"But these aren't normal circumstances. We realise that 'waiting it out' until Hurricane Irene passes and trying to play golf on Monday or Tuesday would only add unnecessary strain to those who will be trying to help the community recover from whatever potential damage this storm causes.

"The safety of the community, our fans, players, sponsor guests, television partners and staff is of the utmost importance."

The Barclays is the first event on the PGA Tour to be reduced to 54 holes since the 2009 Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. — Reuters

Webber on top at rainy Spa

Posted: 26 Aug 2011 07:56 AM PDT

Mercedes's Michael Schumacher marks his three decades in Formula One with his golden helmet. — Reuters pic

SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS, Belgium, Aug 26 — Michael Schumacher today entered his third decade in Formula One on top of the practice timesheets at his favourite Belgian Grand Prix before Red Bull's Mark Webber raised the pace in the afternoon.

Seven times world champion Schumacher made the most of the changeable conditions in the morning session, setting a time of one minute 54.355 seconds in his Mercedes on a dry track before the rain fell.

Webber, who was on pole at Spa last year and celebrates his 35th birthday tomorrow, then set the day's fastest lap of 1:50.321 in another rain-hit session after lunch, with Schumacher fading back to 11th.

Ferrari's Fernando Alonso and the McLaren pairing of Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton followed the Australian, with Red Bull's champion and runaway leader Sebastian Vettel back on 10th place.

With eight races left, Vettel has an 85-point lead over Webber and is 88 ahead of Hamilton.

Schumacher, wearing a golden helmet to mark the 20th anniversary of his grand prix debut at the circuit on August 25, 1991, and teammate Nico Rosberg were the only ones to lap in the dry in the morning.

A heavy shower hit the circuit in the Ardennes forests with only 10 minutes gone, and drivers completed the session on wet specification tyres with little action for much of it.

Further showers punctuated the afternoon.

Button, winner of the last race in Hungary before the summer break, was third fastest in 2:02.740 behind the Mercedes duo in the morning, with Vettel fourth.

Lewis Hamilton, last year's race winner at Spa but recovering from a cold on his return, was behind Button in both sessions.

Brazilian Bruno Senna made his Renault debut as a replacement for ousted Nick Heidfeld but blotted his copybook by spinning into the tyre wall with just over half an hour to go.

Senna ended the first session in 23rd place, still only one behind Russian teammate Vitaly Petrov. The Brazilian improved to 17th in the afternoon while Petrov was caught out by the rain and ended up last on the timesheets.

The first session was halted for nine minutes when British rookie Paul di Resta followed Senna into the barriers with 16 minutes remaining and the rescue crane still busy removing Senna's damaged Renault.

Indian Karun Chandhok took the place of Finland's Heikki Kovalainen at Team Lotus for the first session. — Reuters

Kredit: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com

The Malaysian Insider :: Showbiz

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Poll crowns Michael Jackson king of MTV VMAs

Posted: 26 Aug 2011 07:43 AM PDT

LOS ANGELES, Aug 26 — King of Pop Michael Jackson is gone, but he is not forgotten — not by MTV Video Music Award voters.

Two days before the widely watched awards show, MTV today released a poll of the top moments chosen by voters in the programme's nearly three decades with Jackson singled out for most iconic and best pop performances for a medley of songs he sang in 1995.

Michael Jackson, in this 1997 file photo performing his "HIStory World Tour" concert in Vienna, tops the voter poll. — Reuters pic

Jackson singing and dancing to "The Way You Make Me Feel", "Scream", "Beat It" and "Smooth Criminal" picked up 57 per cent of the vote for most iconic performance, beating the likes of Madonna with "Like a Virgin" in 1984 and Lady Gaga's "Paparazzi" from 2009.

The "Thriller" singer, who died in June 2009 from a drug overdose, also got the nod for best pop performance with the same medley, again topping artists including Britney Spears, Justin Bieber, TLC and his own sister, Janet Jackson, who performed a tribute to Michael the year he died.

MTV annually gives away awards for best videos in what has become one of its most-watched telecasts. Last year's VMAs were seen by 11.4 million viewers, its biggest audience since 2002.

Perhaps more important than awards and stars, the programme is known for its sometimes impromptu, often planned, outrageous moments that grab headlines around the world.

Last year, Lady Gaga showed up in a dress made completely of raw meat. Two years ago, Kanye West jumped onstage and grabbed a microphone from a stunned Taylor Swift to tell audiences that Beyonce, not Swift, should have won one award.

But where outrageousness is concerned, nothing beats the kisses shared among Madonna, Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera at the 2003 show. It was voted the most outrageous moment of the VMAs history, with 53 per cent of the votes from some 15 million total ballots cast online.

The infamous kiss, during a performance of "Like a Virgin" and "Hollywood", beat out the fight between Kid Rock and Tommy Lee in 2007, Howard Stern appearing as Fartman and Diana Ross jiggling Lil Kim's breast at the 1999 show.

In fact, the flashy purple pantsuit Lil Kim wore, which left one breast exposed except for a pasty over her nipple, was picked by 39 per cent of voters as the wildest outfit ever worn to the show, beating Lady Gaga's meat dress and Britney Spear's black leather biker ensemble from 2002.

Other results of the MTV poll, which also looked at best videos of the 1980s, '90s and '00s, as well as top performances in hip hop and rock, can be found at newsroom.mtv.com.

The VMAs air on Sunday, starting at 9 pm. — Reuters

Rihanna tweets down talk of sex tape

Posted: 26 Aug 2011 03:48 AM PDT

Rihanna dares Hustler to produce sex tape. — Reuters pic

LOS ANGELES, Aug 26 — Rihanna may like to sing about sex and she may like to wear sexy costumes on stage, but the "S&M" singer says there is no videotape of her having sex with rapper J. Cole.

The singer responded to media reports that adult magazine Hustler had such a tape by tweeting, "We don't believe U, U need more people . . . AND of course an actual sextape!."

J. Cole, 26, also replied with a tweet, saying "Gossip, Gossip . . . Just stop it."

Cole performed on Rihanna's Loud tour recently, and will release his debut album, "Cole World: The Sideline Story", in September.

Earlier, Hustler magazine told celebrity news website RadarOnline.com and others that it had a video of the singers but did not know what they would do with it.

Rihanna, 23, has scored numerous hits including "Rude Boy" and "Only Girl (In the World)". She is known for skimpy outfits on stage, and "S&M" features overtly sexual lyrics. — Reuters

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The Malaysian Insider :: Features

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‘Soul-searching’ chef Ferran Adria looks to Asia

Posted: 26 Aug 2011 12:12 AM PDT

Adria closed his El Bulli restaurant last month. — file pic

HONG KONG, Aug 26 — Groundbreaking chef Ferran Adria is on a quest to find the soul of Asian cooking, which could perhaps provide key hints for future gastronomic inventions from the man who brought the world culinary foam.

Considered the world's best chef by several critics, Adria and his El Bulli restaurant became synonymous with a transformation of traditional dishes into fun and funky culinary adventures.

But, pleading a need for transformation, he last month shut the restaurant down — at least in its current incarnation. It will re-open in 2014 as the El Bulli Foundation.

"I don't know much about Asia, and Asia could be an archive of ideas," Adria told Reuters in Hong Kong, on the sidelines of a trip promoting Spanish food, after a visit to Beijing and Shanghai.

"The gastronomical culture of China is very, very important. Simply to just get to know all the products that exist in China but not exist in the West would take months."

Roughly 15 trips to Japan have helped him understand the country and its cuisine a little, but this has merely whetted his appetite for learning about the rest of the continent.

"I've looked at the soul of the cooking and the reason of things (in Japan) and then I started looking at cooking techniques. But I haven't got to that point for the rest of Asia yet," he added.

At this stage he said his visit had almost sparked more questions than answers.

"What kinds of Chinese cuisine are there? Does imperial cuisine come from traditional cuisine or not? These are all the things we need to know," he said.

"You cannot get an influence from the cuisine of a country if you don't understand it. And to understand it, you've got to study it."

TAMING THE MONSTER

At the final El Bulli dinner last month Adria said the restaurant had become "a monster" that needed taming and transformation.

Its new incarnation, the El Bulli Foundation, will be a centre for new culinary inventions from the Catalan who gave the world paella made of Kellogg's Rice Krispies and gazpacho popsicles.

Asked about his comment, Adria chuckled but said that success requires transformation, especially once things becomes as complex as the restaurant had. But he is confident the foundation will again stamp his mark on the gastronomic world.

It will be open to the public, although reservations and opening hours will not be those of any usual eatery.

"(It) is to be a think tank where we will share everything that we create and divulge it around the world," he added. "It's going to be a place for reflection."

The sharing could extend to agreements with governments, most likely centring around products such as Iberian ham and olive oil at first, perhaps through exports. But no deals will be sealed until at 2013 at the earliest.

Other initiatives could include exchanges of cooking techniques and ideas, part of the reason behind his current culinary quest — although he dismisses the idea of popular "fusion" cuisine as "a lie" and something that always existed.

"Think for example of Chinese cuisine. What would it be without corn, without tomato, without peppers, without all those ingredients that came from America that weren't there before, or all the elements from the Arab world?" he said.

"That's fusion cooking."

Though Adria acknowledged that much about his future and that of the foundation remains unknown, he added that uncertainty often resulted in new questions that led to fresh ideas and initiatives.

"When somebody doesn't understand things very well, it means you're on the right path in terms of creativity," he said, noting that it had taken time before his culinary ideas caught on.

"When I first started in 1994 creating this new language in cuisine, people did not understand me. And there's still a lot of people who don't understand me," he laughed.

"But it's a good sign that if 20 years later it's still a controversial issue and a controversial subject. It means that it's still worth it, it's still avant garde." — Reuters

Mining, police work make most dangerous jobs in 2010

Posted: 25 Aug 2011 09:50 PM PDT

Participants gather around crosses honouring the workers who died on the Deepwater Horizon oil platform, during a service marking the one-year anniversary of the BP Oil Spill in Grand Isle, Louisiana April 20, 2011. — Reuters pic

WASHINGTON, Aug 26 — Disasters at a coal mine in West Virginia and aboard an oilrig operated by British Petroleum in the Gulf of Mexico again made mining one of the most dangerous American jobs in 2010, the US Bureau of Labour Statistics reported yesterday.

In private mining, fatal work injuries rose 74 per cent to 172 in 2010 from 99 a year earlier, according to the government agency's census of deaths.

Fatality rates for mining rose to 19.9 in 2010 from 12.4 in 2009 per 100,000 full-time equivalent workers.

The Deepwater Horizon oil rig off the Gulf coast, licensed to British Petroleum, exploded and killed 11 workers last April, causing the largest accidental oil spill into an ocean in history.

Also last April, an explosion at the Upper Big Branch coal Mine in West Virginia owned by Massey Energy Co killed 29 miners.

The police profession was not far behind mining as a dangerous occupation, with the number of fatalities increasing by 40 per cent to 134 last year from 96 in 2009.

Of the total police officers who died on the job in 2010, 57 cases involved highway incidents and 48 involved homicides.

A preliminary total of 4,547 fatal work injuries were recorded in the US in 2010, a slight drop from the final count of 4,551 fatalities in 2009, according to BLS.

When the Occupational Safety and Health Act passed in 1970, some 14,000 workers died each year on the job, according to a statement on the report from Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis.

Now an average of 12 workers die on the job every day.

"My constant focus is 'good jobs for everyone,' and safety is an essential part of that equation," Solis said.

As for causes, deaths from fires more than doubled to 109 in 2010 from 53 in 2009, the highest count since 2003.

Transportation accidents decreased slightly but still accounted for almost two of every five fatalities in 2010.

Workplace homicides declined to their lowest total ever recorded by the census, dropping seven per cent in 2010 to 506. That was a decline of more than 50 per cent from the high of 1,080 homicides reported in 1994. But workplace homicides involving women increased by 13 per cent last year. — Reuters

Kredit: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com

The Malaysian Insider :: Bahasa

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Selangor tubuh Unit Selamat Akidah tangani isu murtad

Posted: 26 Aug 2011 04:22 AM PDT

Hasan menggesa penganut-penganut Islam yang menerima bantuan daripada gereja agar menghubungi pejabat exco beliau. — Foto fail

KUALA LUMPUR, 26 Ogos — Exco kerajaan negeri Selangor Datuk Dr Hasan Ali hari ini mengumumkan penubuhan Unit Selamat Akidah yang akan bertindak sebagai platform menerima aduan dan permohonan bantuan daripada umat Islam di negeri itu.

Hasan, Exco Hal Ehwal Islam, Adat Melayu, Infrastruktur dan Kemudahan Awam Selangor berkata, penubuhan unit itu diwujudkan berikutan masalah umat Islam terutamanya berhubung "dengan persoalan kristianisasi yang kini telah menarik perhatian umum."

"Orang-orang Islam yang dihimpit oleh kesusahan dan kesempitan hidup didapati terdedah kepada risiko meggadaikan akidah mereka demi menyambung kehidupan yang lebih baik bersama ahli keluarga.

"Pejabat ini memandang berat segala bentuk pandangan negatif terhadap apa yang sedia dilakukan oleh agensi-agensi kerajaan negeri, badan-badan dan pertubuhan sukarela yang dianggap tidak banyak membantu menyelesaikan masalah golongan ini," katanya dalam satu kenyataan.

Kata beliau, unit akan menjadi pusat khidmat menerima aduan dan permohonan untuk mendapatkan apa jua bentuk bantuan bagi mengurangkan tekanan kehidupan yang mereka alami.

Penubuhan Unit Selamat Akidah itu dibuat ekoran isu kontroversi pemeriksaan Jabatan Agama Islam Selangor (Jais) ke atas Gereja Methodist Damansara Utama di Petaling Jaya pada 3 Ogos lalu.

Ekoran daripada pertikaian yang berlaku kerajaan negeri pimpinan Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim telah membentuk Jawatankuasa Pendengaran untuk mendapatkan penjelasa daripada Jais dan gereja.

Gereja Methodist Damansara Utama menjadi tumpuan sejak beberapa minggu lalu selepas Jais melakukan pemeriksaan ke atas satu majlis makan malam muhibah anjuran Harapan Komuniti di premis itu.

Tindakan Jais itu mendapat bantahan banyak pihak namun dipertahankan Hasan yang menegaskan terdapat usaha untuk memurtadkan umat Islam dalam program itu.

Menurut Hasan, Unit Selamat Akidah akan bekerjasama dengan Lembaga Zakat Selangor dan badan sukarela yang prihatin untuk membantu umat Islam.

"Lembaga Zakat Selangor akan menamakan kakitangan yang dikhususkan untuk memproses permohonan yang diterima dan sekiranya permohonan-permohonan tersebut menepati syarat dan peraturan yang dikenakan maka bantuan segera yang sewajarnya akan dikeluarkan kepada mereka," katanya.

Ekoran penubuhan unit itu, beliau meminta mana-mana umat Islam yang mahu mendapatkan bantuan agar memberikan maklumat kepada Unit Selamat Akidah.

"Diharapkan orang-orang Islam yang selama ini menerima atau bercadang mendapatkan bantuan daripada gereja atau pertubuhan-pertubuhan Kristian dapat tampil ke pejabat exco untuk diambil butir-butir diri yang diperlukan yang kemudiannya akan diproses agar bantuan yang diperlukan dapat disalurkan dengan segera," katanya.

Kata beliau, sebarang maklumat atau pertanyaan boleh menghubungi Unit Selamat Akidah di talian 03-5544 7104/7105 atau Wildanul Syukri 012-952 5247, Al-Hafiz Abdul Wahab 013-295 0149 dan Nadzril Beedin 012-334 4543.

PKR: Politik kotor Umno punca Melayu pecah, bukan kerana Anwar atau Pakatan

Posted: 26 Aug 2011 03:32 AM PDT

KUALA LUMPUR, 26 Ogos — Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) menyifatkan pendedahan Mufti Perak Tan Sri Harussani Zakaria mengenai perpecahan Melayu membuktikan ia berlaku disebabkan "politik kotor" Umno, bukannya disebabkan faktor-faktor lain.

Ketua Penerangan PKR, Dr Muhammad Nur Manuty, berkata, pendedahan Harussani juga membuktikan perpecahan Melayu bukan berpunca daripada Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim dan Pakatan Rakyat.

"Beliau (Harussani) juga menyatakan bahawa demi menjaga perpaduan Melayu, pernah menasihati (Tun) Dr Mahathir Mohamad agar tidak memecat timbalanya ketika itu iaitu Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim serta membuat tuduhan liwat tanpa membawa empat orang saksi.

"Dengan kenyataan di atas, jelaslah bahawa apa yang ditanggapi sebagai perpecahan Melayu-Islam pada masa kini adalah berpunca dari permainan politik kotor para pemimpin Umno sendiri bermula dari Dr Mahathir," katanya dalam satu kenyataan.

Jelas beliau, pendedahan yang dibuat Harussani itu juga membuktikan tuduhan liwat terhadap Anwar pada 1998 adalah fitnah dan konspirasi Dr Mahathir.

"Kenyataan Mufti Perak tersebut juga mengesahkan pendirian kita selama ini bahawa tuduhan liwat ke atas Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim adalah tidak sah dan fitnah semata-mata untuk menjatuhkan beliau sebagai pemimpin politik harapan orang Melayu-Islam.

"Adalah jelas bahawa pemecatan Anwar bukan kerana faktor moral tetapi konspirasi jahat Dr Mahathir dan para pengikutnya," katanya.

Harussani dalam Wacana Ulama Politik Untuk Dakwah Atau Parti di Shah Alam kelmarin berkata, beliau pernah cuba untuk bertemu dengan Dr Mahathir agar tidak memecat dan juga tidak mengenakan tuduhan liwat ke atas Anwar.

Beliau berkata pemecatan Anwar akan mengakibatkan perpecahan orang Melayu kerana Anwar mempunyai pengaruh yang besar.

Kata Muhammad, ekoran pendedahan Harussani itu rakyat perlu sedar dan menolak fitnah yang dilemparkan ke atas Anwar.

"Malah, semua yang cintakan keadilan perlulah bersama-sama bertanggungjawab dan bertindak untuk membela beliau dari segala kezaliman dan pembohongan berterusan sejak lebih satu dekad yang lalu.

"Kita menyeru pemimpin Umno supaya melakukan muhasabah diri dan menghentikan kezaliman ke atas Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim demi perpaduan seluruh masyarakat Malaysia. Kita berkeyakinan penuh bahawa selagi kezaliman terhadap Datuk Seri Anwar tidak dihentikan, isu perpaduan Melayu-Islam tidak akan dapat diselesaikan secara tuntas," katanya.

Anwar dipecat daripada jawatan timbalan perdana menteri dan timbalan presiden Umno pada September 1998.

Kemudian beliau berhadapan dengan kes salah guna kuasa dan liwat.

Anwar, Ketua Umum PKR, menghadapi tuduhan liwat kali pertama pada 1998 yang dikaitkan dengan beberapa individu yang rapat dengannya seperti Azizan Abu Bakar dan Sukma Darmawan.

Anwar kini berdepan dengan satu lagi tuduhan liwat yang melibatkan pembantu peribadinya Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan - kes masih dalam perbicaraan.

Kredit: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com

The Malaysian Insider :: Opinion

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Learning multiculturalism from television

Posted: 25 Aug 2011 05:05 PM PDT

AUG 26 — Ever since the arrival of little Athena, the television at home has been dominated by baby and children's programmes. And one of our favourites is BBC's CBeebies.

It's a blessing when you just need some quiet time and you can plonk the little pooper in front of the television for 20 minutes.

My wife and I find it way better than the Disney Channel since it doesn't mind numb kids into wanting to be princesses or buy expensive toys. But that discussion will be for another week.

So we were watching CBeebies one afternoon together with Athena and I noticed how the BBC tried very much to be inclusive of all the communities in Britain.

They had TV presenters who were of all colours, from white to black, and even brown. It was very inclusive indeed.

The kids who came on were of different cultures too. From very pale looking, blonde Scottish girls to brown and tanned, hair-in-a-bun Punjabi boys!

And the best thing is that none of the programmes that featured this multiracial cast ever made any reference to race and ethnicity.

Everything just went on as usual as if all these races really existed and interacted with each other on a natural level in the country (which, of course, they do!).

Now that's exactly what I want Athena to learn – to recognise that there are many different cultures and ethnicities around us, and not make a big deal out of it.

In Malaysia, children's television is slightly different when it comes to what it believes are programmes that are multiracial.

Yes, it is true that many of the main races that exist in Malaysia do have roles in local television programmes, just like on CBeebies.

But unlike CBeebies, local children's television usually portrays these characters according to all the generalisations and stereotypes of their races.

The Chinese boy is usually smaller than the others, wears glasses, carries a calculator and can't kick a football to save his life.

The Indian boy usually talks a lot, likes to shake his head a lot and likes to irritate other people a lot too.

Then there's the Malay boy and girl. They, of course, always have to be the hero and heroine, or the leader of the group.

Don't ask me where the Orang Asli character is because I have yet to see any local children's programme feature a character from that community.

It's also always funny how in these programmes, the non-Malay characters always seem to speak Malay with a funny accent and wrong grammar.

The Malay characters will then play the role of teacher who teaches the non-Malay characters how to speak proper Malay accompanied by the complimentary light-hearted laugh.

It makes you wonder why people think that non-Malay Malaysians, who have been born Malaysians for generations, still can't be Malaysian enough.

It also makes you wonder how much longer will people in Malaysia see ethnicity as defining whether someone is Malaysian enough to be Malaysian.

I hope that as little Athena grows up, Malaysians can see each other as more than just typical generalisations and stereotypes.

I want Athena to learn that you can be Malay, Indian, Chinese, dan lain-lain, and yet the main thing is that everyone is Malaysian.

And I hope as Athena grows up, the "harmonious multiculturalism" that exists in Malaysia would have already evolved into actual harmonious multiculturalism.

Kejadian di GMDU boleh musnah 1 Malaysia

Posted: 25 Aug 2011 04:59 PM PDT

26 OGOS — Tidak tahu siapa hendak disalahkan dengan peristiwa yang berlaku di Gereja Methodist Damansara Utama antara gereja yang mengadakan jamuan yang ikut dihadiri oleh orang Islam dan kedatangan rombongan Jais ke tempat jamuan itu?

Kejadian itu sudah menimbulkan kontrovesi tegar antara penganut Islam dengan penganut gereja secara umum.

Reaksi beberapa NGO Islam membangkitkan kehadiran orang Islam dalam jamuan itu adalah dikira satu usaha memurtadkan orang Islam. Murtad adalah satu kesalahan besar yang Islam tidak dapat terima sekali pun ia atas sebab-sebab sendiri. Apabia ia didorong oleh pihak lain, lagi ia tidak dapat diterima.

Reaksi itu tidak ditujukan kepada gereja itu saja tetapi juga kepada gereja secara umum yang antara tugasnya adalah untuk mengajak semua orang untuk berbuat baik mengikut kepercayaanya.

Jais tidak dapat menangani dan menghalang isu panas itu, yang secara tidak langsung dapat membantut dan menggagalkan usaha mempromosikan gagasan 1 Malaysia.

1 Malaysia adalah program bagi merapatkan semua kaum dan semua penganut agama dalam satu bangsa besar yang bersatu. Ia adalah bagi membendung kegagalan negara dan kerajaan mengatasi masalah perkauman. Kegagalan membendung perkauman itu mengancam kestabilan dan masa d epan negara.

Sambutan terhadap cita-cita yang dicetuskan oleh Perdana Menteri Najib mendapat reaksi spontan yang menggalakkan. Bermacam transformasi diperkenalkan dalam semua aspek bagi menjayakan suara 1 Malaysia itu.

Tanpa disedari kejadian di geraja dan reaksi orang Islam itu boleh mengundang kegagalan projek 1 Malaysia itu.

Reaksi dari NGO Islam yang lantang itu menyuarakan tidak gembira kepada gereja dan mulai meragui peranannya. Reaksi yang sebegitu boleh merenggang hubungan masyarakat gereja dengan masyarakat Islam.

Hubungan baik telah terjalin dan berjalan lama antara penganut gereja dengan masyarakat semua kaum dan agama, dan hubungan baik yang serupa juga telah berjalan lama antara masyarakat Islam dengan masyarakat semua kaum dan agama.

Sekali pun semangat perkauman tidak dapat dihapuskan, tetapi semua pihak adalah bekerja untuk memupuk perpaduan dan persefahaman.

Memang gereja membuat banyak kerja-kerja kebajikan di tengah masyarakat. Ia menguluarkan bantuan kepada yang memerlukan termasuk memberi makan dan membekalkan makanan. Ia membina klinik memeri rawatan murah dan sebabgainya.

Kecuaiannya ialah mengadakan jamuan makan di gereja yang dihadiri oleh orang Islam. Memang ada peraturan menarik orang Islam kepada lain-lain agama dilarang. Dan memang sensitif bagi orang Islam mendekati dan masuk gereja.

Oleh kerana tiada tindakan ketara kepada orang Islam yang masuk gereja, maka semua terlepas pandangan terhadap larangan itu. Apa lagi tidak pernah ada penguat kuasa masuk ke gereja bagi menyiasat adakah orang Islam dating ke geraja. Boleh jadi jamuan itu adalah sekadar satu kerja sosial. Tetapi jamuan di gereja yang melibatkan orang Islam, mengundang berbagai-bagai tanggapan termasuklah usaha murtad yang tidak diingini.

Kelemahan negara majmuk kita ini ialah tidak diperuntukkan undang-undang anti murtad. Jika undang-undang itu ada, sudah tentu lain-lain agama akan berhati-hati dengan peraturan itu dan orang Islam sendiri akan menjauhi gereja dan kuil.

Jika ketika perlembagaan negara digubal dulu selain mengadakan peruntukan dilarang lain-lain agama mengembangkan agamanya kepada orang Islam, diadakan sama satu akta anti murtad, maka sudah tentu kontrovesi atas isu murtad tidak berbangkit lagi.

Tidak dapat diagak hingga bila isu murtad ini dapat diredakan. Selagi isu yang berbangkit tidak diselesaikan, maka sukar bagi kerajaan menyempurnakan program penyatuan bangsa dalam program 1 Malaysia.

Selagi peraturan anti murtad tidak diadakan, akan berlaku murtad. Apabila ada murtad, akan panas dan bergolak semula keadaan. Dengan semua kejadian ini, matlamat 1 Malaysia tidak mendapat laluan yang mudah.

Kredit: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com

Jumaat, 26 Ogos 2011