Selasa, 25 Jun 2013

The Malaysian Insider :: Food

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The Malaysian Insider :: Food


Little chefs cook for dad

Posted: 25 Jun 2013 07:11 AM PDT

They were thrilled with their visit to the deep freezer, and came out of it rubbing their hands in glee. It was the second day of the cooking class for 13 children, aged five to 14, who prepared lunch at Lafite at the Shangri-La, Kuala Lumpur for their fathers on their special day.

In a programme for Father's Day titled "Little Chefs Meet Big ... Read More

A Palestinian farmer harvesting apples in the West Bank village of al-Faraa. - Reuters pic, 26 June, 2013.

Luxury bottled water pitched as “champagne of water”

Posted: 25 Jun 2013 06:45 AM PDT

U.S. Senators Urge Inclusion Of Food Safety In Smithfield Review

A bipartisan group of 15 U.S. senators urged the Obama administration on Thursday to consider whether the proposed sale of Smithfield Foods Inc to the Chinese meat company Shuanghui International posed a ... Read More

Yunnan Red, anyone? Chinese wine heads to Europe

For years the Chinese have been buying up wine from Europe, but with domestic wine production predicted to overtake Australia and Chile by next year, Tiana Wu is hoping European drinkers are ready to be ... Read More

Lacoste and Fauchon team up for limited-edition éclairs

For the 80th anniversary of Lacoste, the clothing brand's famous crocodile will be making a special appearance on éclair pastries by French luxury food retailer Fauchon. Starting June 17 and for a limited ... Read More

Belgian fast food chain creates Homer Simpson-themed menu

After launching burgers made with black buns to promote the last Star Wars release, novelty Belgian fast food chain Quick has struck again, this time appealing to "The Simpsons" fans with a Homer-themed ... Read More

Polish snail farms inch towards huge potential

Kransin, Poland, June 18, 2013 - At a snail farm in lake-rich northern Poland, one of a growing number of breeders across the country, it is easy to accidentally step on a mollusc making a break for ... Read More

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The Malaysian Insider :: Sports

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‘Rusty’ Serena enjoys easy win over Minella

Posted: 25 Jun 2013 08:24 AM PDT

June 25, 2013

Five-times champion Serena Williams dismissed her first-round opponent in less than an hour on Tuesday, opening her Wimbledon title defence with a 6-1 6-3 thrashing of Luxembourg's Mandy Minella.

The American world number one, who rattled through the first set on Centre Court in 19 minutes, stretched her unbeaten run to 32 matches.

Williams, playing her first match since winning the French Open a fortnight ago, was given a brief fright at the start of the second set when she lost her serve to go 2-0 down, hitting a double fault on break point.

The 16-times grand-slam winner, who admitted being "a little rusty" on grass, swiftly regained control, however, breaking in the next game when Minella, too, double faulted.

Minella, ranked 92nd in the world and who has never won a WTA singles title, drew warm and sympathetic applause from the crowd whenever she managed to steal a point off Williams but could do little in the face of the American's power.

The top seed blew one match point when she mis-hit a forehand high into the sky but wrapped up the win in 57 minutes at the second chance, when Minella put a forehand long.

Minella, whose supporters in the crowd included her 86-year-old grandfather Carletto, swiftly gathered her belongings and walked off court, not waiting for Williams.

The 31-year-old Williams, who will face France's Caroline Garcia in the second round, said the match was harder than expected.

"I feel like I was a little rusty for some reason today," she told a news conference. "I don't feel like I played my best. I felt really upset when I lost my serve in the second set."

Asked if anyone could seriously threaten her title defence, Williams said she guarded against thinking of herself as unbeatable.

"I never feel invincible, I always feel that I have to be ready for each opponent in each game," she said. "I never become over-confident and I think when I do, or if I do, that's the moment that I'm most vulnerable."

Williams was diplomatic when asked about a spat with world number three Maria Sharapova which has filled the tabloid newspapers after a remark she made which was interpreted as an attack on the Russian's relationship with Bulgarian player Grigor Dimitrov.

Were she and Sharapova friends again, a reporter asked. "We're playing on opposite days, so we don't really see each other," the American said before moving on to more questions about on-court matters.- Reuters, June 25, 2013.

50,000 turn out to back Madrid’s Olympic bid

Posted: 25 Jun 2013 06:38 AM PDT

June 25, 2013

Madrid's bid for the 2020 Olympic Games was given a resounding show of public support on Saturday night as 50,000 people took part in a range of sporting activities to highlight the city's desire to host the Games in eight years time.

A final decision on whether it will be Madrid, Tokyo or Istanbul that wins the right to host the XXXII Olympiad will be made in Buenos Aires on September 7 and there is a growing belief that after failed bids for the previous two summer Games, the degree of public support could drive Madrid to success this time around.

"We deserve the Games and it is a collective dream, not just in Madrid but in Spain in general that it becomes a reality," mayor Ana Botella said as she formally opened the event.

In keeping with the bid for the games, a number of the city's landmarks were used for events with beach volleyball taking place in Retiro park, whilst crowds took part in aerobic and cardiovascular training sessions outside Real Madrid's Santiago Bernabeu stadium.

Table tennis, seven-a-side football, basketball and gymnastics activities were also held throughout the city.

However, the main event was an eight kilometre run that coincided with the time when the winner of the bid will be announced in Buenos Aires, in which 30,000 people took part.

And bid president Alejandro Blanco believes the event was a clear demonstration of the public support for the bid.

"The opinion polls talk of more than 80 per cent of public support, but it is enough to take a look at the streets of Madrid to see that this city wants the Games. This is the best opinion poll you could have and these images will be seen around the world," he said.

Indeed, 81 per cent of Madrid's citizens are said to be in favour of the bid despite Spain's ongoing economic crisis.

The bid leaders have consistently stressed that the cost of hosting the Games will not come close to the nearly £9 billion (RM 44.3 billion) the London 2012 Games cost due to the majority of the sporting stadia and infrastructure already being in place.

Moreover, there is the hope that the Games could even help stimulate the Spanish economy.

Today, the bid process will take another step closer to its conclusion as the International Olympic Committee's Evaluation Committee will publish its reports on the visits it made to all three cities back in March.- AFP, June 24, 2013.

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The Malaysian Insider :: Showbiz

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James Gandolfini funeral set for Thursday in New York

Posted: 24 Jun 2013 04:52 PM PDT

June 25, 2013

James Gandolfini will be buried on Thursday at the famed Saint John the Divine cathedral in Manhattan, HBO announced on Sunday.

"We can confirm, on behalf of the Gandolfini Family, that the funeral service for James Gandolfini will be held Thursday, June 27th. The service will be held at 10:00 AM at the Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine in Manhattan," the statement said.

The sudden death of the iconic actor at 51 on Wednesday, who was on vacation with his family at the time, shocked Hollywood and his legions of fans.

Earlier Sunday a family spokesman said that Gandolfini's body would be returned Monday to the United States for burial.

HBO released the statement by Gandolfini family spokesman, Michael Kobold, in Rome, Italy.

"Thanks to the collaboration of all these people and organizations I just named, we are now looking at hopefully getting James Gandolfini's remains back to the States tomorrow," he said. "The provisional plan is to depart Rome tomorrow afternoon and arrive in the U.S. in the evening."

Kobold thanked the Italian and U.S. governments for expediting a process that he said usually takes seven days. - Reuters, June 25, 2013.


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The Malaysian Insider :: Features

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China outsmarted US in Snowden chess game

Posted: 24 Jun 2013 07:15 PM PDT

June 25, 2013

China interceded to allow Edward Snowden's dramatic flight from Hong Kong, calculating that infuriating the United States for now was necessary to prevent longer-term corrosion to their relationship, analysts and media said Monday.

On a visit to New Delhi, US Secretary of State John Kerry said it was "deeply troubling" if requests for the former spy's extradition had been ignored -- and warned of consequences for Sino-US relations.

Despite its fury, Washington has been on the defensive for weeks as Snowden stepped up a drip-feed of leaks from his Hong Kong bolthole, including allegations of extensive US snooping on targets in the city and mainland China.

Beijing formally protested after the latest revelations came out at the weekend -- just as Snowden was deserting Hong Kong. State media called Washington a "villain" for its alleged hacking, flagging up the irony that the United States has long portrayed itself as a victim of Chinese cyber-espionage.

The Hong Kong government insisted that its decision to let the 30-year-old Snowden fly out on Sunday was governed strictly by the law, after a provisional US arrest warrant purportedly failed to meet its judicial requirements.

Breaking his long silence on the affair, Hong Kong leader Leung Chun-ying on Monday said "the people of Hong Kong expect Hong Kong to uphold its own laws".

In Beijing, the foreign ministry said the central government "always respects" Hong Kong's relative autonomy but sidestepped the allegations that it orchestrated Snowden's departure.

The White House said it was "just not buying" explanations that the decision was simply a determination handed down by local Hong Kong authorities.

"This was a deliberate choice by the government to release a fugitive despite a valid arrest warrant, and that decision unquestionably has a negative impact on the US-China relationship," spokesman Jay Carney said.

For many observers, such a high-profile case -- carrying the potential to destabilise Sino-US ties for years if Snowden had fought a lengthy legal battle in Hong Kong -- must have provoked intense interest among the territory's overseers.

Hong Kong political analyst Johnny Lau said he believed that Chinese representatives "must have drained him in depth and exhausted him (for intelligence) before letting him go".

Lau argued that Hong Kong's government was a pawn, with Beijing guiding the pieces.

"Hong Kong is just part of a chess game. It was the same when it was part of Britain," he told AFP.

Albert Ho, one of Hong Kong's most respected pro-democracy lawmakers, revealed that he had been hired as Snowden's lawyer and that he had relayed a message from a mystery intermediary several days ago.

The intermediary did not specify whether he represented the government in Beijing or Hong Kong, but Ho said: "I have reasons to believe that... those who wanted him to leave represented Beijing authorities.

"Bejing would not step forward to the front stage because it (would) affect Sino-US relations," he told reporters.

"So, it would operate behind the scenes to make Snowden go. The Hong Kong government may not have had any role other than not stopping him at the airport."

After arriving in Hong Kong on May 20, armed with laptops containing a wealth of information on National Security Agency (NSA) eavesdropping of private Internet users and cellphones around the world, Snowden explained his choice of destination in a newspaper interview.

"My intention is to ask the courts and the people of Hong Kong to decide my fate. I have been given no reason to doubt your system," he told the South China Morning Post.

But something changed over the weekend, after the United States issued its arrest warrant with a view to instituting formal extradition proceedings.

The former NSA contractor and CIA agent fetched up in Moscow where he was last believed to be in a transit area of the airport, and has asked Ecuador to grant him asylum.

Aghast lawmakers in Washington expressed strong suspicion of Chinese as well as Russian meddling.

"I had actually thought that China would see this as an opportunity to improve relations and extradite him to the United States," Senate Intelligence Committee chairwoman Dianne Feinstein said on CBS television.

"China clearly had a role in this, in my view."

Whatever the answer, newspapers in China and Hong Kong said Beijing had no interest in allowing Snowden's fate to fester as the new government of President Xi Jinping looks to reboot its overarching relationship with the United States after a troubled period.

The South China Morning Post declared in an editorial: "There could be no better outcome for our city and China."

Shen Dingli, an international relations professor at Fudan University in Shanghai, agreed that Beijing probably took the final decision on the Snowden case.

"For such a vital national security interest, how can Hong Kong decide by itself? If we want to have good US-China relations, it benefits China" to have let Snowden leave, he said.

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The Malaysian Insider :: Books

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French childhoods re-created in adult kitchens

Posted: 25 Jun 2013 05:34 AM PDT

Few takers at Faulkner auction in NY

June 17, 2013, New York - A major auction of manuscripts and letters of American writer William Faulkner, a Nobel laureate, drew an underwhelming public response at auction in New York Tuesday, with the ... Read More

Book Talk: English History With A Twist In ‘The Boleyn King’

Posted: 24 Jun 2013 10:10 PM PDT

Few takers at Faulkner auction in NY

June 17, 2013, New York - A major auction of manuscripts and letters of American writer William Faulkner, a Nobel laureate, drew an underwhelming public response at auction in New York Tuesday, with the ... Read More

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The Malaysian Insider :: Bahasa

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The Malaysian Insider :: Bahasa


Menteri muda Sarawak ingatkan umat Islam tak ambil mudah fatwa haram merokok

Posted: 25 Jun 2013 02:49 AM PDT

June 25, 2013

Masih ramai umat Islam di negara ini mengambil mudah mengenai fatwa "merokok adalah haram" yang diputuskan oleh Muzakarah Jawatankuasa Fatwa Majlis Kebangsaan Hal Ehwal Agama Islam pada 1995.

Justeru, Menteri Muda di Pejabat Ketua Menteri (Hal Ehwal Islam) Sarawak Datuk Abdul Rahman meminta umat Islam, khususnya di negeri itu memahami maksud tersirat di sebalik pengharaman berkenaan.

"Kita tidak mahu kehidupan kita dibelenggu dengan perbuatan yang diharamkan oleh Islam serta memudaratkan kesihatan kita," katanya ketika berucap merasmikan Seminar Pendidikan Fatwa Kesihatan 2013, di sini hari ini.

"Keputusan muzakarah yang diputuskan banyak berkait rapat dengan kepentingan nasional dan masyarakat awam yang perlu diberi perhatian dan dipatuhi. Program seperti ini merupakan wadah yang amat baik bagi menyebar luas keputusan-keputusan fatwa yang telah dibincang bagi pengetahuan kefahaman masyarakat  awam," katanya.

Seminar hari ini menumpukan tiga isu penting iaitu rokok, pelalian, dan pengguguran bayi dengan penekanan kepada isu kesihatan yang telah dikenal pasti bagi mendidik masyarakat Islam tentang pandangan agama dan hukum mengenai isu berkenaan. - Bernama, 25 Jun, 2013.

Pakatan: Tanpa perkongsian maklumat, ‘kabinet bayangan’ tidak berguna

Posted: 25 Jun 2013 02:33 AM PDT

Oleh Md Izwan
June 25, 2013

Pakatan Rakyat (PR) menyambut baik cadangan Yang di-Pertua Dewan Rakyat (Speaker)  Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia supaya penubuhan "Kabinet Bayangan" tetapi menyifatkan ia tidak berguna selagi tiada perkongsian maklumat dengan kementerian-kementerian dalam kerajaan.

Dalam ucapan pemasyhuran semalam, Pandikar memberikan amanat kepada ahli-ahli Parlimen supaya berubah dan langkah tersebut boleh dimulakan dengan penubuhan "kabinet bayangan" bagi memudahkan proses perdebatan dalam sidang Dewan Rakyat.

"Tidak ada perkongsian maklumat, kami tidak diberi maklumat dan boleh memperolehnya menerusi pertanyaan soalan di dalam Dewan Rakyat sahaja.

"Jadi, macam mana nak jadi menteri dalam 'Kabinet Bayangan' yang berkesan?" soal ahli Parlimen Seputeh (DAP), Teresa Kok kepada The Malaysian Insider selepas selesai majlis mengangkat sumpah di Parlimen semalam.

Naib Pengerusi Kebangsaan DAP itu juga mempertikaikan layanan tidak adil yang diberikan kepada ahli-ahli Parlimen pembangkang oleh Putrajaya sebagai salah satu faktor cadangan Pandikar tidak akan berjaya dicapai selagi sistem tersebut tidak diubah oleh kerajaan.

"Kalau di luar negara dalam sistem mereka sangat hormat kepada MP alternatif, walaupun bukan dalam kerajaan... Bukan macam disini, peruntukan kepada MP pembangkang pun tidak ada.

"Ini salah satu contoh saja, kami dipinggirkan begitu sahaja dan tidak diberikan maklumat. So, macam mana nak mainkan peranan? So ini nanti tinggal hanya nama sahaja," katanya lagi.

Ahli Parlimen Shah Alam (PAS) Khalid Samad juga senada dengan Teresa kerana menyifatkan sesebuah "kabinet bayangan" sewajarnya dibekalkan dengan maklumat-maklumat daripada kementerian kerajaan kerana setiap anggota Dewan Rakyat perlu mengetahui tentang isu dan perkara yang berlaku dalam sesuatu kementerian.

"Perkara-perkara ini perlulah dilaksanakan untuk menentukan keberkesanan seorang menteri 'kabinet bayangan', kerana kalau nak bercakap tentang sesuatu isu tersebut dia juga perlu tahu tentang isu tersebut," kata Khalid mengulas tentang cadangan Pandikar.

Khalid dalam pada itu juga berkata sekiranya kementerian-kementerian tersebut enggan berkongsi maklumat, sekurang-kurangnya Putrajaya memberikan kebebasan kepada media untuk melaporkan sebarang perkembangan ataupun berita bagi memudahkan kepada menteri "kabinet bayangan" mendapat akses.

"Itulah, kalau kita nak kabinet ini efektif, sekurang-kurangnya perlulah free media lah... Kalau tidak ada free media, payahlah nak kongsi maklumat," kata Khalid lagi disamping bertegas ia lebih baik sekiranya kebebasan media diberikan dan pada masa sama kementerian memberikan maklumat kepada menteri "kabinet bayangan".

Pengarah Strategi PKR Rafizi Ramli bagaimanapun menyambut baik cadangan itu tetapi membayangkan barisan pemimpin yang akan berada dalam "kabinet bayangan" perlulah dikalangan mereka yang mempunyai kapasiti dan pengetahuan dalam portfolio bakal akan ditetapkan.

"Masanya sudah tiba untuk kita ada kabinet bayangan, ia tidak ada isu dengannya.

"Cuma kita kena pastikan mereka yang berada dalam Kabinet ini dia kena bagus lah... maknanya bila ada Kabinet ini, harapan rakyat juga mestilah tinggi dan kita kena juga kena pastikan kualiti mencapai tahap yang rakyat mahu," kata Rafizi.

Rafizi juga berkata ahli Parlimen yang dilantik berada dalam Kabinet juga perlu lebih mendekatkan diri mereka dengan pihak luar dan tidak hanya aktif semasa sidang Parlimen sahaja.

PR pada sidang Dewan Rakyat Ke-12 lalu tidak pernah mengemukakan sebarang "kabinet bayangan" malahan sebarang usaha ke arah mewujudkannya mendapat tentangan dan tidak mendapat persetujuan secara kolektif.

Malahan, pada Oktober 2012 lalu berlaku pertikaian antara parti dalam PR apabila satu senarai "kabinet bayangan" yang dikeluarkan oleh PKR telah bocor dan menyebabkan timbalan pengerusi DAP, Dr Tan Seng Giaw mengecamnya sebagai sebagai khayalan kerana Parlimen belum dibubarkan tetapi sudah meletak calon dalam kementerian tertentu.

Pilihan Raya 2013 menyaksikan Barisan Nasional (BN)  yang diterajui Perdana Menteri Datuk Najib Razak kembali berkuasa dengan memenangi 133 daripada 222 kerusi Parlimen, yang turut menyaksikan Anwar dan PR tidak berpuas hati dengan keputusan itu dan mengadakan perhimpunan Black 505 di seluruh negara sejak 8 Mei. - 25 Jun, 2013.

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The Malaysian Insider :: Opinion

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Satu persimpangan sejarah

Posted: 24 Jun 2013 05:30 PM PDT

June 25, 2013

Syawal Hafriz is a third-year Government & Economics undergraduate at LSE, and the former chairman of UKEC. He also writes for CEKU at http://www.ceku.org.

Malaysia adalah sebuah negara yang cukup istimewa. Waima berbilang bangsa, keamanan dan perpaduan negara boleh dibanggakan, sekalipun belum cukup sempurna.

Kurang tiga bulan sahaja lagi, genaplah usia 56 tahun kita mencapai kemerdekaan. Akan tetapi, usia yang bertambah tidak menjanjikan kemakmuran yang berterusan. Ancaman datang dari dalam dan luar negara. Seharusnya kita kian matang dan lebih dewasa dalam mengorak langkah untuk terus kekal sebagai negara yang aman.

Sejarah menyaksikan perpaduan bangsa diuji berkali-kali, namun setiap dugaan berjaya kita hadapi. Justeru, polarisasi politik yang kian menebal usai pilihanraya umum yang lalu tidak seharusnya dilihat lebih dari sekadar satu cabaran yang mampu untuk kita tangani, sebagaimana kita bangkit dari cabaran-cabaran yang lampau. Katarsis yang diharapkan akan bisa dinikmati seandainya semua dalam kalangan kita memainkan peranan dalam menyelesaikan kekusutan ini.  

Sememangnya, album bangsa sarat dengan potret luka. Episod berdarah 13 Mei tidak harus kita lupakan. Sebaliknya, jadikan ia sebagai satu iktibar kerana sesungguhnya kita tidak pernah lari dari melakukan kekhilafan. Usahlah digunakannya sebagai satu wahana untuk membangkitkan api perkauman. Jangan dicetuskan rasa tidak percaya dalam kalangan masyarakat dengan momokan persengketaan kaum yang silam.

Hakikat inilah yang perlu disedari oleh UMNO. Tidak ada salahnya menjadi parti keramat yang memperjuangkan nasib bangsa Melayu, apatah lagi dengan amanah yang dipikul. Namun, adalah satu kesalahan seandainya agenda dan prakarsa bagi meningkatkan daya saing Melayu dibiarkan tenggelam dalam teriak sorak laungan keramat untuk mempertahankan kedaulatan bangsa.

Yakinlah, bahawa jatuh bangun sesebuah bangsa itu terletak pada keupayaannya sendiri.

Jangan asyik bangsa lain yang dipersalahkan atas kegagalan kita sendiri. Ramai di antara kita yang masih ketinggalan dan memerlukan bantuan, sekaligus menjustifikasi hak dan keistimewaan bangsa yang termaktub dalam Perlembagaan. Namun, sampai bila kita mahu terus berbicara soal hak dan keistimewaan Melayu andai kita masih berada di takuk lama.

Mutakhir kini, kita melihat bagaimana Melayu yang menekankan isu persaingan dan kesamarataan terus dianggap sebagai pengkhianat bangsa. Tidak ada silapnya untuk menyeru bangsa sendiri untuk bangkit dan bersaing dalam pentas permainan yang sama rata. Jangan mudah kita menghukum sesama bangsa. Mentaliti sebegini yang perlu dikikis andai kita ingin terus maju sebagai sebuah bangsa yang progresif.

Budaya mengharapkan tongkat nan sebatang tidak seharusnya diambil sebagai jalan penyelesaian yang abadi.

Dalam pada masa yang sama, pemansuhan hak dan keistimewaan Melayu juga bukanlah jawapan kepada kekusutan yang membelenggu kita sekian lama. Jangan kerana marahkan nyamuk, kelambu kita bakar.

Permasalahan ini harus diperhalusi dengan teliti. Kerajaan harus memainkan peranan untuk mengurangkan kebergantungan Melayu terhadap keistimewaan tersebut tanpa mengendahkan nasib mereka yang benar-benar memerlukan, dan dalam pada masa yang sama mengambil inisiatif bagi meningkatkan potensi dan kemahiran bangsa Melayu.

Dasar afirmatif tidak harus dijadikan alasan untuk kita kekal di kepompong lama. Selagi mana kita bergantung kepada dasar kerajaan, selagi itulah kita tidak akan mencabar keupayaan diri sendiri.
Kita harus berani mendepani zaman. Perjuangan memartabatkan agenda Melayu pada hari ini bukan lagi sekadar berkisar tentang persoalan untuk mempertahankan hak dan keistimewaan kita di negara bertuah ini. Agenda Melayu harus mencakupi persoalan yang lebih besar daripada itu.

Dalam era globalisasi kini, kita harus mara ke hadapan dan berani bersaing dengan bangsa lain di seantero dunia. Keengganan untuk menerima hakikat bahawa cabaran yang mendatang adalah kian meluas hanya akan menyebabkan kita terus hanyut ketinggalan. 

Hilangnya Melayu dari dunia bukanlah bererti lesapnya terus sebuah bangsa dari muka bumi ini. Sebaliknya, apabila kita sudah jauh terkebelakang dan suara kita tidak lagi didengari, maka di saat itulah kita akan meratapi kehilangan Melayu di dunia.

Megahnya bangsa Melayu satu ketika dahulu bukanlah hanya bersandarkan pada status selaku bangsa majoriti di negara ini semata-mata. Kemasyhuran yang dikecapi adalah hasil daripada keagungan politik dan ekonomi, seperti mana  yang terukir dalam lipatan sejarah Kesultanan Melayu Melaka.

Bangsa Melayu bukanlah bangsa yang lemah. Sejarah membuktikan kita mampu untuk bersaing di pentas antarabangsa. Kepimpinan Melayu akan terus dihormati oleh masyarakat berbilang bangsa seandainya isu-isu pokok diberikan lebih penekanan. Kerajaan harus lebih serius dalam soal membasmi salah guna kuasa, meningkatkan mutu pendidikan, meningkatkan kawalan keselamatan dan pelbagai lagi. Kepercayaan rakyat akan diraih kembali seandainya realiti ini ditangani dengan teliti oleh pucuk pimpinan.

Sedar ataupun tidak, kita sebenarnya berada di satu persimpangan sejarah. Setiap pilihan yang diambil akan menentukan hala tuju dan nasib bangsa.

Apa yang pasti, pilihan terletak di tangan kita sendiri. Yang bulat tak datang bergolek, yang pipih tak datang melayang. Samada kita bermuhasabah dan berusaha memperkasa keupayaan diri untuk terus berlari, atau kian lena dibuai mimpi mempertahankan hak bangsa yang seakan tiada pengakhirannya.

Takkan Melayu hilang di dunia. - 25 Jun, 2013.

* Ini adalah pendapat peribadi penulis dan tidak semestinya mewakili pandangan The Malaysian Insider.

Kredit: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com
 

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