Selasa, 17 September 2013

The Malaysian Insider :: Food

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The Malaysian Insider :: Food


Danish restaurant named most beautiful for barebones design

Posted: 17 Sep 2013 07:22 PM PDT

September 18, 2013
Latest Update: September 18, 2013 10:27 am

Höst in Copenhagen, Denmark. - AFP Relaxnews pic, September 18.Höst in Copenhagen, Denmark. - AFP Relaxnews pic, September 18.There are no monolithic art installations, state-of-the-art light projections, cascading chandeliers or gold-leafed plates at the most beautiful restaurant in the world.

Instead, the Copenhagen eatery which took the award for Best Overall Restaurant design at the Restaurant and Bar Design Awards in London last week could be described as rustic minimalism at its best.

The fact that industry experts chose Höst as the epitome of style at the fifth edition of the awards signals a deepening appreciation for pared down, rustic, Scandinavian design, executed thoughtfully and intelligently.

"The minimalism and simplicity so present in Höst give the impression that this isn't a commercial setting at all, but someone's country kitchen in rural Denmark," say editors of the site.

Judges of the influential competition include designers and experts from the UK and around the world, including editors of Wallpaper and Frame magazines.

A joint collaboration between Norm Architects and Danish designers Menu, vintage wooden chopping boards hanging on whitewashed, exposed brick walls, natural and weathered wood, and soft throw blankets warm up what would have been an otherwise cold and grey space with its concrete floors and wood-panelled ceiling.

Diners tuck into dishes such as North Sea cod with green tomatoes and smoked cheese or free-range pork with fermented garlic, pickled and raw beetroot on custom-designed ceramic and slate plates under black scissor spring lamps which hang overhead and offer a punch of urban and industrial modernity.

The intended result? To bring the feeling of eating outdoors on a rural, Scandinavian farmyard indoors, within an urban context, explained designer Jonas Bjerre-Poulsen.

Taking the international award for Best Bar, meanwhile, was Atrium Champagne Bar in London. - AFP Relaxnews, September 18, 2013.

Danish restaurant happy to serve throwaway food, and it’s good

Posted: 17 Sep 2013 06:46 PM PDT

September 18, 2013
Latest Update: September 18, 2013 12:47 pm

Rub og Stub. - AFP pic, September 18.Rub og Stub. - AFP pic, September 18.A restaurant serving dishes made from food about be thrown away by supermarkets and other companies opened its doors in Copenhagen on Tuesday.

"We had all worked in kitchens or supermarkets and seen how much food was thrown away, and we wanted to do something about it," said Sophie Sales, a co-founder of "Rub og Stub", which translates as "lock, stock, and barrel".

Denmark is already home to an active community of "freegans", people who eat discarded edible food to reduce waste.

But unlike activists, Rub og Stub won't go rummaging through trash to find its ingredients, and the restaurant doesn't accept food that's been found through so-called "dumpster diving".

Instead, they're trying to get to the food before grocery stores and other retailers throw it out.

"We had hoped to secure some permanent deals before the opening, but it was hard because this is such a new concept," said Sales.

The central Copenhagen restaurant, which is run by volunteers and will give all profits to three charities in Sierra Leone, had to buy some ingredients for the launch.

"Potential suppliers (donors) found it hard to believe that it's realistic and that we would really open," she said.

So far, major donations have come from two supermarket chains owned by Denmark's biggest grocery retailer, Coop Danmark.

"It's been everything from lamb chops and duck breast, to big bags of grapes and dairy products," Sales said.

Most products are given away because they're nearing their expiry date.

For supermarkets, the food "wouldn't be worth putting on the shelves since they could only keep it there for two or three days".

"If we get it on the last day before it expires, we can either put it in the freezer or use it on the same day," she said.

Rub og Stub doesn't accept food that's already been prepared elsewhere, and because of its sourcing methods, the menu changes every day.

On Tuesday, it was serving meat patties known as "frikadeller", with red cabbage.

The menu also included a vegetarian version of the traditional Danish dish, a pasta salad, and apple muffins with marzipan and nougat ice cream. - AFP Relaxnews, September 18, 2013.

Kredit: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com

The Malaysian Insider :: Sports

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Apologetic Ben Arfa regrets clashing with Blanc, Deschamps

Posted: 17 Sep 2013 07:22 AM PDT

September 17, 2013
Latest Update: September 17, 2013 10:33 pm

Hatem Ben Arfa (pic), left out of the France team since Euro 2012 after clashes with former coach Laurent Blanc and current coach Didier Deschamps, said he regrets his behaviour and wants to feature for Les Bleus again.

The Newcastle United forward reacted angrily after Blanc told him he could not use his phone at halftime in the dressing room after their 2-0 group stage defeat against Sweden last year.

"It is true that I messed it up. I had come out of this game very frustrated. I was only thinking about myself. And when Laurent Blanc made his remark about this phone call I received in the dressing room, instead of shutting my mouth, I talked back. I should not have," Ben Arfa told France Football magazine.

"It's not correct. I regret this behaviour. I want to apologise to him."

Ben Arfa, who was ruled out for almost a year after a leg fracture in October 2010 just after joining Newcastle from Olympique Marseille after refusing to play for OM, also admitted he had not been well behaved with his then Marseille coach Deschamps.

Deschamps has overlooked Ben Arfa since taking charge of the national side after the Euro 2012 finals. Les Bleus have secured a World Cup playoff spot and are hoping to feature in next year's finals in Brazil.

"We have crossed paths once since (the Marseille incident). We greeted each other, but it is true that our previous conversation had been a heated one," Ben Arfa said.

Asked whether he also wanted to apologise to Deschamps, Ben Arfa replied: "Yes, obviously. But it's not the same apologies than with Laurent Blanc... With Deschamps, it's different. I would rather explain myself to clear the air."

The 26-year-old Ben Arfa, who won 13 caps for France, scoring two goals, has been in fine form for Newcastle and has been tipped to shine for France by his club manager Alan Pardew.

"I know I can bring something to this France team," he added.

"But before claiming anything I need to be consistent at a high level with my club. If it works out well, I can't see why I would not go back to Les Bleus." – Reuters, September 17, 2013.

Apologetic Ben Arfa regrets clashing with Blanc, Deschamps

Posted: 17 Sep 2013 07:22 AM PDT

September 17, 2013
Latest Update: September 17, 2013 10:33 pm

Hatem Ben Arfa (pic), left out of the France team since Euro 2012 after clashes with former coach Laurent Blanc and current coach Didier Deschamps, said he regrets his behaviour and wants to feature for Les Bleus again.

The Newcastle United forward reacted angrily after Blanc told him he could not use his phone at halftime in the dressing room after their 2-0 group stage defeat against Sweden last year.

"It is true that I messed it up. I had come out of this game very frustrated. I was only thinking about myself. And when Laurent Blanc made his remark about this phone call I received in the dressing room, instead of shutting my mouth, I talked back. I should not have," Ben Arfa told France Football magazine.

"It's not correct. I regret this behaviour. I want to apologise to him."

Ben Arfa, who was ruled out for almost a year after a leg fracture in October 2010 just after joining Newcastle from Olympique Marseille after refusing to play for OM, also admitted he had not been well behaved with his then Marseille coach Deschamps.

Deschamps has overlooked Ben Arfa since taking charge of the national side after the Euro 2012 finals. Les Bleus have secured a World Cup playoff spot and are hoping to feature in next year's finals in Brazil.

"We have crossed paths once since (the Marseille incident). We greeted each other, but it is true that our previous conversation had been a heated one," Ben Arfa said.

Asked whether he also wanted to apologise to Deschamps, Ben Arfa replied: "Yes, obviously. But it's not the same apologies than with Laurent Blanc... With Deschamps, it's different. I would rather explain myself to clear the air."

The 26-year-old Ben Arfa, who won 13 caps for France, scoring two goals, has been in fine form for Newcastle and has been tipped to shine for France by his club manager Alan Pardew.

"I know I can bring something to this France team," he added.

"But before claiming anything I need to be consistent at a high level with my club. If it works out well, I can't see why I would not go back to Les Bleus." – Reuters, September 17, 2013.

Kredit: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com

The Malaysian Insider :: Features

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Damascus clubbers dance on in bid to forget war outside

Posted: 16 Sep 2013 08:50 PM PDT

September 17, 2013
Latest Update: September 17, 2013 12:25 pm

It's Syria, it's Damascus, and they are clubbing. - AFP pic, September 17.It's Syria, it's Damascus, and they are clubbing. - AFP pic, September 17.When night falls in Damascus, gaggles of determined revellers still head out on the town seeking to drown out the thunder of outgoing artillery fire with the boom of music.

The shells are raining down on suspected rebel positions in suburbs just a few kilometres away but, while most people lock themselves fearfully in their homes, some head out to try to forget the war on their doorstep.

"I come here for a change of atmosphere," says Mohammad, a 25-year-old car salesman, who has clearly had a drink or three.

"There is joy here," he says of the nightclub in the upscale Shaalan neighbourhood, where the barman juggles bottles of spirits.

"I want to live; I don't want to hear any more bad news."

On the dance floor, customers shake to a track popular among supporters of President Bashar al-Assad's regime.

"Don't ask me how or why, it's the army that protects us," the lyric goes.

"You and I salute General Maher," a reference to President Bashar al-Assad's brother, who heads the elite army Fourth Division but is in fact a colonel.

Among the performers is Mudi al-Arabi, a 22-year-old rapper, who returned to Damascus just two months ago after spending the previous two years living in Morocco. He is determined to keep up a happy-go-lucky lifestyle despite the constant threat of death.

"Everyone's going to die someday, but the Syrian people love life and the most important thing is to be happy," he said.

"If the United States attacks us, I'm sure our army will defend us," he added.

"Guys come here with their friends or with their girlfriends, to forget the week's routine."

Arabi's songs are heavy with nostalgia for the Damascus of before the war when there were regular music festivals.

Now he performs just once a fortnight at private parties. Since the uprising against Assad's rule erupted in March 2011, the authorities have been wary of public gatherings and it has become difficult to get the necessary authorisations.

"It's hard to get permission from the security services," Arabi said.

The nightclub does brisk business despite the war raging outside.

"We stay open until 2:00 am. It's going well," said 29-year-old manager Bashar.

"But please don't mention the club's name. I'm afraid someone might do us harm because they think we shouldn't be having fun while people are dying."

The club is one of a dozen still open in Damascus 30 months into a conflict that has killed more than 100,000 people and reduced some of the capital's suburbs to rubble.

Where Ahmad, a 22-year-old student, decides to go "depends on where my friends want to meet. There are even some clubs where the champagne is still flowing".

At one Damascus hotel, some 200 salsa lovers meet up every Thursday — the start of the Syrian weekend — to dance together to Cuban rhythms.

Yara, 22, drives 25 kilometres twice a week to the Bulgarian cultural centre in the Malki district, where she takes salsa, merengue, cha-cha-cha and tango lessons in preparation for the weekly night out.

"Here, I'm different, I feel happy. We've all become friends," said the young economics graduate.

A dozen couples practise on the dance floor, under the watchful gaze of their two teachers.

Fadi has a day job with the United Nations, while Mayss is a personal assistant for a telecommunications company director.

"We dance to get rid of our negative energy," said 30-year-old Fadi.

"Before the war, the Syrians didn't used to be so active. Now, we've understood life is short and that we need to live fully," said Mayss, 28.

In old Damascus the Baik Bash hotel runs karaoke nights for lovers of traditional Arabic music.

While Rasha Tabba sings "I'm in such a state" by Aleppo crooner Sabah Fakhri, her friends belly dance.

"The situation is bad and we come here to get a change of mood. I love singing, and I think I have a good voice," said the housewife, donning a white veil as she dances.

The club's owner, Arwa, is the proud mother of Mohammad Bash, who reached the semi-finals in the regional Star Academy singing competition.

"He loves coming here to sing along with his friends," said Arwa. - AFP, September 17, 2013.

Damascus clubbers dance on in bid to forget war outside

Posted: 16 Sep 2013 08:50 PM PDT

September 17, 2013
Latest Update: September 17, 2013 12:25 pm

It's Syria, it's Damascus, and they are clubbing. - AFP pic, September 17.It's Syria, it's Damascus, and they are clubbing. - AFP pic, September 17.When night falls in Damascus, gaggles of determined revellers still head out on the town seeking to drown out the thunder of outgoing artillery fire with the boom of music.

The shells are raining down on suspected rebel positions in suburbs just a few kilometres away but, while most people lock themselves fearfully in their homes, some head out to try to forget the war on their doorstep.

"I come here for a change of atmosphere," says Mohammad, a 25-year-old car salesman, who has clearly had a drink or three.

"There is joy here," he says of the nightclub in the upscale Shaalan neighbourhood, where the barman juggles bottles of spirits.

"I want to live; I don't want to hear any more bad news."

On the dance floor, customers shake to a track popular among supporters of President Bashar al-Assad's regime.

"Don't ask me how or why, it's the army that protects us," the lyric goes.

"You and I salute General Maher," a reference to President Bashar al-Assad's brother, who heads the elite army Fourth Division but is in fact a colonel.

Among the performers is Mudi al-Arabi, a 22-year-old rapper, who returned to Damascus just two months ago after spending the previous two years living in Morocco. He is determined to keep up a happy-go-lucky lifestyle despite the constant threat of death.

"Everyone's going to die someday, but the Syrian people love life and the most important thing is to be happy," he said.

"If the United States attacks us, I'm sure our army will defend us," he added.

"Guys come here with their friends or with their girlfriends, to forget the week's routine."

Arabi's songs are heavy with nostalgia for the Damascus of before the war when there were regular music festivals.

Now he performs just once a fortnight at private parties. Since the uprising against Assad's rule erupted in March 2011, the authorities have been wary of public gatherings and it has become difficult to get the necessary authorisations.

"It's hard to get permission from the security services," Arabi said.

The nightclub does brisk business despite the war raging outside.

"We stay open until 2:00 am. It's going well," said 29-year-old manager Bashar.

"But please don't mention the club's name. I'm afraid someone might do us harm because they think we shouldn't be having fun while people are dying."

The club is one of a dozen still open in Damascus 30 months into a conflict that has killed more than 100,000 people and reduced some of the capital's suburbs to rubble.

Where Ahmad, a 22-year-old student, decides to go "depends on where my friends want to meet. There are even some clubs where the champagne is still flowing".

At one Damascus hotel, some 200 salsa lovers meet up every Thursday — the start of the Syrian weekend — to dance together to Cuban rhythms.

Yara, 22, drives 25 kilometres twice a week to the Bulgarian cultural centre in the Malki district, where she takes salsa, merengue, cha-cha-cha and tango lessons in preparation for the weekly night out.

"Here, I'm different, I feel happy. We've all become friends," said the young economics graduate.

A dozen couples practise on the dance floor, under the watchful gaze of their two teachers.

Fadi has a day job with the United Nations, while Mayss is a personal assistant for a telecommunications company director.

"We dance to get rid of our negative energy," said 30-year-old Fadi.

"Before the war, the Syrians didn't used to be so active. Now, we've understood life is short and that we need to live fully," said Mayss, 28.

In old Damascus the Baik Bash hotel runs karaoke nights for lovers of traditional Arabic music.

While Rasha Tabba sings "I'm in such a state" by Aleppo crooner Sabah Fakhri, her friends belly dance.

"The situation is bad and we come here to get a change of mood. I love singing, and I think I have a good voice," said the housewife, donning a white veil as she dances.

The club's owner, Arwa, is the proud mother of Mohammad Bash, who reached the semi-finals in the regional Star Academy singing competition.

"He loves coming here to sing along with his friends," said Arwa. - AFP, September 17, 2013.

Kredit: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com

The Malaysian Insider :: Books

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John Grisham’s Time to Kill adapted for Broadway stage

Posted: 16 Sep 2013 05:09 PM PDT

September 17, 2013
Latest Update: September 17, 2013 08:13 am

Best-selling author John Grisham's first novel, A Time to Kill, has been adapted for the stage and is heading for Broadway next month with an ensemble cast that includes Fred Dalton Thompson of TV's Law and Order and Tom Skerritt, an Emmy-award winner for Picket Fences.

Although many of Grisham's nearly two dozen novels have been turned into popular films, A Time to Kill, is the first to be adapted for the stage. The play will open on Oct. 20.

"This is a very different novel from all the other John Grisham novels," said Tony award-winning playwright Rupert Holmes, who adapted the legal thriller about racism in the 1980s in rural Mississippi.

"It sprawls and spills over with emotion and some of the characters are so much larger than life that you know they had to have existed because no one would dare invent them that way."

Holmes described the book as Grisham's most human novel and the ultimate courtroom drama, with a tautness that made it suitable for adaption for the stage.

"The reason everyone is in that courtroom is because of a murder that occurred in that very same courtroom in front of that very same judge with the same prosecutor in the room," Holmes said in an interview.

Timely Issues, Moral questions

Sebastian Arcelus, who appears as Lucas Goodwin in Netflix's original series House of Cards, plays Jake Brigance, the young, idealistic lawyer defending a black man accused of taking the law into his own hands after his daughter is brutally beaten and raped.

"The story brings up so many amazing issues that are inherently theatrical and for me, personally, they are of great importance," said Arcelus.

"The moral questions that are embedded in those issues are very timely and we try to approach them from the standpoint of this story and this context, and all the while putting in the context of the '80s in the South."

Skerritt, making his Broadway debut in the play with a cast of 14, portrays a disbarred attorney who helps the defense team, and Thompson plays Judge Omar "Ichabod" Noose.

"He's kind of like the lion tamer in a three-ring circus," Thompson said of his role. "He doesn't suffer fools or anyone gladly."

It was a role close to Thompson's heart. The former US senator and one-time Republican presidential hopeful was a small-town Southern lawyer early in his career, long before he turned to acting.

Skerritt, who recently has focused on writing and teaching in Seattle, said conflicts with his film and television work had prevented him from working on Broadway until now.

"I thought this was some sort of gift," he said. "I'm overwhelmed and excited and scared."

Grisham has sold more than 250 million books since A Time to Kill was published in 1988. The novel was made into a film in 1999 starring Matthew McConaughey, Sandra Bullock and Samuel L. Jackson.

Although Grisham has had some input in the play, director Ethan McSweeny said both he and Holmes had a real sense of freedom to do what was needed to adapt the story.

"I am determined to leave little Easter eggs for all aficionados of Grisham. There could be a trivia contest at the end," McSweeny said. - Reuters, September 17, 2013.

Kredit: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com

The Malaysian Insider :: Bahasa

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The Malaysian Insider :: Bahasa


Pasangan didakwa punca tumpahan minyak di Sungai Selangor

Posted: 17 Sep 2013 02:06 AM PDT

OLEH RITA JONG
September 17, 2013
Latest Update: September 18, 2013 01:06 am

Pasangan didakwa di Mahkamah Sesyen Shah Alam hari ini kerana menyebabkan tumpahan minyak di Sungai Selangor lebih tiga minggu lalu.

Mahkamah mendakwa Ng Kim Bok, 55 dengan 30 kiraan di bawah Akta Kualiti Alam Sekitar 1974 dan Enakmen Pihak Berkuasa Pengurusan Air Selangor.

Isterinya H'ng Soo Chiew, 56 turut dikenakan dakwaan bersama dengan 20 kiraan. Dakwaan dibuat terhadap mereka sebagai pemilik (bagi Ng) dan pengarah (kedua-duanya) bagi tiga syarikat.

Syarikat berkenaan adalah Muhibbah Mok Workshop, Muhibbah Mok Sdn Bhd dan Ng Kim Bok Realty Sdn Bhd.

Muhibbah Mok Workshop terletak di lokasi di mana tumpahan itu berlaku. Muhibbah Mok Sdn Bhd sebagai syarikat pemilik bengkel manakala Ng Kim Bok Realty memiliki tanah berkenaan.

Kedua-dua mereka tidak mengaku bersalah dan memohon untuk dibicarakan.

Tumpahan minyak di Sungai Selangor itu menyebabkan lebih sejuta penduduk mengalami masalah gangguan bekalan air. – 17 September, 2013.

MENYUSUL LAGI

Khairy gembira dicabar anak Sanusi Junid

Posted: 17 Sep 2013 01:53 AM PDT

OLEH DIYANA IBRAHIM
September 17, 2013
Latest Update: September 18, 2013 12:53 am

Ketua Pemuda Umno, Khairy Jamaluddin Abu Bakar berkata beliau gembira dengan cabaran yang bakal diterimanya dalam pemilihan parti itu pada Oktober.

"Saya gembira bila adanya cabaran itu. Ia adalah pertandingan terbuka, saya mengalukan-alukan," katanya kepada media selepas program Lawatan dan Sesi Dialog Timbalan Perdana Menteri Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin bersama para pelajar di Universiti Islam Antarabangsa (UIA) hari ini.

Ini merupakan reaksi pertama beliau selepas pengumuman anak kepada bekas Naib Presiden Umno Tan Sri Sanusi Junid, Akhramsyah Sanusi Akhramsyah Muammar Ubaidah yang menyatakan akan mencabar Khairy bagi jawatan Ketua Pemuda Umno pada Oktober ini.

Akhramsyah merupakan ahli Umno cawangan Bendang Baru di Langkawi, Kedah. Beliau merupakan graduan mekanikal berumur 39 tahun. Hasratnya mencabar Khairy ditulis dalam blog peribadinya 'thoughtsintangents.blogspot.com'.

Dalam blognya, Akhramsyah berkata beliau memutuskan untuk menawarkan diri untuk jawatan itu kerana  ingin mengembalikan kegemilangan Pergerakan Pemuda Umno, terutamanya dalam perjuangan melaksanakan agenda Melayu.

"Agenda Pemuda Umno pimpinan saya bukanlah agenda saya sendiri, tetapi membawa harapan seluruh masyarakat Melayu amnya dan warga muda Umno khususnya," katanya.

Khairy, menantu kepada bekas Perdana Menteri Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi yang juga ahli Parlimen Rembau, mengumumkan akan mempertahankan jawatan itu.

Pada pemilihan parti 2009, Khairy menang selepas mendapat 304 undi dalam pertandingan tiga penjuru melawan Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir (254 undi) dan bekas Menteri Besar Selangor Dr Khir Toyo (232 undi). – 17 September, 2013.

Kredit: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com

The Malaysian Insider :: Opinion

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The Malaysian Insider :: Opinion


Malaysia hari ini

Posted: 16 Sep 2013 05:45 PM PDT

September 17, 2013

Meor Yusof Aziddin adalah Malaysian folk singer/songwritter yang telah menghasilkan 10 album indipenden sejak tahun 2000 sehingga 2011. Juga penulis untuk buku tentang kehidupan, "Sembang Tepi Jalan" dan "Syurga Yang Hilang." Memblog di www.pestajiwa.net. Berkerjaya sebagai "professional busker" di KL Sentral di bawah pengurusan KTMB sejak tahun 2010 sehingga ke hari ini.

Negara kita sudah semakin ke hadapan seiring dengan perkembangan pesat teknologi IT dan maklumat yang cepat dan terkini. Zaman berubah, segalanya juga berubah. Kalau dulu siaran TV kita hanya punya dua saluran, hari ini terlalu banyak saluran yang terhidang untuk kita pilih, cuma yang percuma hanya beberapa saluran sahaja, kalau mahukan perkhidmatan siaran yang berbayar kita perlu bayar.

Dulu kita hanya diberi satu pilihan yang terbaik (yang disarankan) untuk kita pilih dan itulah yang terbaik untuk kita waktu itu kerana pilihan yang kita ada juga agak terhad. Apa yang disaran, apa yang dicadang itulah yang terbaik.

Siaran televisyen pun waktu itu hanya ada TV1 dan TV2. Kedua-duanya pro kerajaan. Suratkhabar pula yang utama itulah Utusan dan Berita. Pun kedua-duanya media kerajaan juga.

Kita tengok wakil rakyat waktu itu kebanyakan mereka seperti dewa yang suci dan bersih hanya kerana datang melawat jamuan kenduri kendara warga kampung dan memberikan sekuntum senyuman. Itu pun datang melawat waktu menjelang pilihan raya atas dasar kepentingan belaka.

Bayangkan hanya dengan sekuntum senyuman maka segala dosa dan salah silap akan lenyap dengan sekelip mata saja.

Dan saya waktu itu di umur awal belasan tahun pernah menyaksikan seorang wakil rakyat datang singgah untuk jamuan majlis kawin seorang penduduk kampung saya. Betapa besar dan bangganya hati tuan rumah terharu dengan kehadiran YB tempat mereka bernaung dan menaruh segala kepercayaan dan menyokong penuh apa yang terhidang dan disaran untuk mereka tanpa berbelah-bagi.

Orang kita waktu itu kebanyakannya naif-naif belaka, baik segi pemikiran mahu pun kefahaman. Kita dididik supaya sentiasa bersyukur dengan apa yang ada. Kalau jadi penoreh getah, jadilah sesorang penoreh getah yang jujur dan sentiasa bersyukur.

Dan kita tidak akan bertanya bahkan seakan berbangga jika orang politik waktu itu berkereta besar datang melawat penduduk kampung sekali sekala dan kita tidak akan bertanya betapa banyaknya duit mereka dengan menunjukkan apa yang indah di mata walau gaji seorang YB tidaklah sebanyak mana waktu itu pada tahun 70-an dulu.

Abad ke-21 ramai warga semakin bijak dan cerdik belaka. Pilihan? Hari ini kita punya banyak pilihan, segalanya di tangan kita belaka. Kekuatan di antara kiri dan kanan agak seimbang dan hak rakyat semakin terbela. Apa saja yang dilakukan demi untuk rakyat warga marhen terutamanya, kita sokong 100%!

Bercerita tentang hal kemodenan, hari ini kamera ada di mana-mana, kita seolah-olah diperhatikan di mana saja kita berada.

Kalau dulu hanya pemegang watak utama seperti orang politik, selebriti, penyanyi atau pelakon yang diberi perhatian, hari ini semua kita adalah watak utama asal apa yang kita lakukan itu sesuatu yang sensasi, menghiburkan dan berjaya menarik perhatian.

Apa yang kita lihat hari ini, apa saja yang kita lakukan, asal saja janggal di mata dan luar daripada kebiasaan maka cepatlah ceritanya tersebar sehingga memberikan kesan yang positif mahu pun negatif serta-merta.

Masyarakat suka cerita yang luar dari kebiasaan kerana ianya babak yang menarik untuk ditonton. Sebab itu kalau ada kemalangan, jalan raya akan sesak kerana setiap pemandu akan memperlahankan kereta untuk melihat walau sepintas lalu keadaan kereta yang remuk atau jika ada kemalangan jiwa itu lebih menariklah.

Seorang kawan wartawan saya pernah berkata jika ada berita tentang kemalangan, benda yang paling menarik untuk ditulis adalah jika ada kematian dan jika lebih ramai yang terkorban, itu lebih menarik, jika tak ada apa atau hanya cedera ringan, itu kira tidak akan menjadi bahan yang menarik untuk dibaca.

Kalau perjalanan kita dari destinasi A ke B itu lancar, itu biasa. Kalau tidak lancar atau kereta kita rosak tengah jalan atau mendapat kemalangan, itu tidak biasa berlaku, begitulah.

Baru-baru ini atau sepanjang bulan Ramadan yang lalu sehingga Syawal menjelma macam-macam hal yang berlaku dan menjadi perhatian pula. Isu anjing, kalimah, surau, kantin sekolah, kongsi gelap dan juga tentang seorang lelaki yang memukul isterinya dalam lif.

Semuanya menjadi tajuk utama di akhbar juga di portal online terutamanya. Segalanya akan bermula di Youtube mahupun Facebook dan jika ia isu yang sensasi dan sensitif, akan lebih menjadi perhatian sehinggalah pihak yang berwajib akan masuk campur dan seterusnya akan menjadi topik dan berita yang hangat di pasaran.

Lelaki yang memukul isterinya dalam keadaan emosi yang tidak terkawal itu memang salah dan sudah pun didakwa di mahkamah dan dia minta dibicarakan.

Memukul atau membunuh dalam keadaan emosional itu biasa kerana itu sifat manusia mengikut tahap emosinya ketika itu. Tapi jika membunuh dalam keadaan rasional itu bukan perkara biasa dan itu hanya mampu dilakukan oleh mereka yang profesional seperti watak mafia dalam filem barat yang kita tonton, siri Godfather atau Goodfellas umpamanya.

Kita perlu berhati-hati dengan sikap dan langkah kita kerana dunia hari ini semakin kecil dan langkah kita juga semakin singkat. Hari ini dengan segala kemudahan yang canggih apa saja berita yang akan akan cepat tersebar jika kita tersilap langkah.

Positifnya kita akan cuba menjadi sesempurna malaikat yang tidak buat dosa, atau kita belajar bagaimana untuk menghadapi dan menerima apa saja cerita takdir yang akan menimpa kita. – 17 September, 2013.

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

Ulama dan bukan ulama lagi?

Posted: 16 Sep 2013 05:01 PM PDT

September 17, 2013

Mujahid Yusof Rawa is MP for Parit Buntar and PAS National Unity Committee chairman.

Setiap kali muktamar menjelang pelbagai isu termuncul untuk dijadikan bahan sensasi media mahupun kelompok yang bersaing dalam PAS.

Khusus dua tahun sekali, perwakilan akan mengadakan pemilihan kepimpinan, maka fenomena persaingan dan dinamika sebuah parti Islam akan terselah dalam bentuknya yang tersendiri. Bagi saya ia adalah fenomena biasa yang berlaku dalam mana-mana organisasi politik.

Isu mendasar

Fenomena itu ialah apa yang dilihat dan ditafsirkan oleh pengamatnya dengan memberi nilai kepada fenomena ini. Persaingan dalam  PAS adalah fenomena.

Bagi yang pesimis ia akan melihatnya sebagai 'bala' yang akan menghancurkan parti manakala bagi yang optimis ia melihat ini sebahagian daripada dinamika evolusi perkembangan sebuah parti politik. Bagi musuh politik PAS ini adalah peluang baik untuk melihat lawannya berpecah sesama sendiri walaupun sesekali dia akan melihatkan simpatinya pada pihak tertentu. Atas apa jua perspektif yang kita lihat, kita harus bertanya apakah isu yang mendasar dalam fenomena ini?

Isu yang mendasar ialah persaingan, Merasionalkan kewujudan parti dan Evolusi organisasi. Persaingan ialah bentuk dinamika sesebuah organisasi, faktornya ialah kelompok yang terbentuk dengan membawa idea tertentu dalam parti.

Selalunya idea ini menampakkkan pihak yang mahukan pembaharuan manakala sebuah kelompok lagi melihat status-quo yang ada mencukupi malah meyakini bahawa keadaan yang ada yang membawa parti ke tahapnya hari ini.

Mereka melihat pembaharuan akan mengubah asas dan dasar parti sedangkan golongan pembaharuan mahukan lonjakan besar parti untuk terus mampu berada di persada.

Persaingan dalam PAS

Apa yang kita saksikan dari berbagai kenyataan dan sensasi majlis tertentu seperti Multaqa Ulama baru-baru ini mengisyaratkan persaingan kelompok dalam PAS terdiri dari dua kategori besar para konservatif dan reformis.

Saya kurang setuju kategori ulamak dan profesional, ia hanya label yang tidak banyak membantu perspektif yang tepat persaingan dalam PAS, tetapi konservatif dan reformis lebih membawa makna dalam memahami persaingan itu.

Konservatif adalah golongan dalam parti yang melihat status-quo dan tidak berani keluar dari status-quo kerana menganggap itulah prinsip dan asas tertegaknya parti ini.

Kelompok reformis mahukan parti keluar dari keadaannya dan melonjak kepada identiti baru untuk menggamit perubahan yang ada di sekelilingnya. Berita baiknya ialah kedua-kedua kelompok yang bersaing ini mahukan kebaikan untuk parti dengan perspektif yang berbeza.

Kepimpinan ulama

Salah satu tajuk perdebatan kelompok yang bersaing ialah tentang kepimpinan ulama. Gagasan pemikiran organisasi yang diperkenalkan tahun 1980-an ini seiringan dengan krisis besar organisasi PAS yang berlaku semasa era Datok Asri Hj Muda. Sebab kepada krisis dan faktornya telah saya sentuh dalam buku Menuju PAS Baru (terbitan The Malaysian Insider).

Apa pun, krisis itu membuka peluang kepada PAS melalui desakan kepimpinan pemudanya melahirkan ide gagasan baru iaitu Kepimpinan Ulama. Ciri utama kepimpinan ulama ialah wujudnya kuasa baru dalam parti bernama Majlis Syura Ulama di mana keanggotaanya secara eksklusif ialah mereka yang berstatus ulama.

Pengerusi Majlis Syura ialah Mursyidul Am. Sifat Majlis Syura Ulamak ini lebih kepada legislatif dan nasihat. Bahagian eksekutif parti seperti Jawatankuasa Pusat, dewan-dewan dan lain-lain sampai ke cawangan kekal seperti sediakala.

Tetapi sepanjang 80-an hingga kini, tiba-tiba isu ulama tidak ulama menjadi perbahasan sampai kepada persoalan sama da bahagian eksekutif parti mesti juga di kalangan ulama atau tidak.

Secara konvensionalnya juga,  presiden, timbalan dan salah seorang naib mesti dari kalangan ulama. Kecuali Mat Sabu, semua timbalan sebelum ini dalam kepimpinan ulamak dikategorikan sebagai ulamak. Kelompok yang bersaing tidak mempertikaikan keahlian ulama dalam Majlis Syura, mereka cuma mempertikaikan kenapa jawatan eksekutif lain mesti di kalangan ulama juga. Untuk mengenalpasti bukan ulama maka terciptalah label profesional. Akhirnya isu sebenar yang boleh memajukan parti diabaikan dan isu ulama tidak ulama pula menjadi perdebatan yang tidak produktif.

Tuntutan ulama

Istilah ulama dalam PAS mesti difahami daripada sudut operasinya sebagai mereka yang berlatarbelakangkan pengajian agama secara formal dalam atau luar negara, peringat rendah atau pun tinggi.

Apa yang dituntut dalam Multaqa Ulama untuk diberi ruang kepada ulama agak mengelirukan kerana selama ini mereka ada Dewan Ulama yang sifatnya adalah eksekutif.

Ketua Dewan Ulama secara otomatis menjadi Jawatankuasa Pusat dan di peringkat negeri dan kawasan. Malah ulama ada dalam jawatankuasa pusat dari sudut mereka yang berlatarbelakangkan pengajian agama, walaupun mereka bukan dalam dewan ulama.

Apakah ulama merasakan diri mereka terpinggir? Atau ia hanya tuntutan bagi menegaskan kewujudan mereka dalam parti? Atau ia satu motif politik untuk menguasai parti sempena muktamar akan datang?

Merit

Persaingan dalam parti  sepatutnya bukan berdasarkan latarbelakang pengajian tetapi ditentukan oleh merit atau kelayakan. 

Dalam PAS corak pemilihan oleh perwakilan akan terpengaruh dengan ciri tertonjol pada calon antara aktivis, latar belakang agama dan ilmuan. Masalahnya ialah tidak semua aktivis ustaz dan tidak semua ustaz adalah ilmuan mahupun aktivis dan tidak semua ilmuan itu ustaz dan aktivis.

Corak ini kadang kala terlalu simplistik sehingga asas utama iaitu kelayakan atau merit diabaikan. Merit atau kelayakan mesti dinilai daripada sudut pencapaian dalaman dan luaran parti, kejelasan hendak membawa visi dan misi parti ke hadapan dan tahap pengorbanan dan susah payah calon sebagai aktivis.

Asas ulama vs non-ulama menjadi tidak relevan jika kita memahami asas kedudukan seseorang ialah kerana kelayakan yang dinilai perwakilan terhadapnya bukan kerana mereka ulamak atau tidak. Apatah lagi sebagai sebuah parti politik yang inginkan kuasa ke Putrajaya isu merit sepatutnya menjadi persoalan pokoknya. Hal ini tidak bercanggah dengan kaedah Islam memilih seseorang kepada sesuatu tugasan iaitu al-Qawi dan al-Amin iaitu berkemampuan (berkelayakan) dan beramanah. Mengapa pulak ulama dan non-ulama menjadi isu?

Persaingan sihat

Persaingan yang sihat ialah persaingan yang berlumba untuk menengahkan idea kepada parti dan membuat perkiraan rasional bagaimana parti harus terus efektif memimpin orang ramai membentuk negara yang diidamkan.

Saya membawa idea dalam dua buku saya bagi mewajarkan lonjakan baru yang saya namakan sebagai Keluk ketiga untuk PAS. Dalam Rejuvanasi PAS saya memperkenalkan empat tingkap atau bahagian organisasi yang perlu diberi penyegaran iaitu struktur dengan menawarkan 'institusi presiden' yang kuat, manakala dalam sumber manusia saya mencadangkan Jabatan Sumber Manusia parti untuk mengurus perkembangan parti yang pesat. Dalam budaya saya mencadangkan pengukuhan akhlak Islam dan professionalism manakala dalam persaingan dalaman saya mencadangkan ketelusan dalam proses pemilihan.

Daripada sudut strategi luaran kejelasan tentang penglibatan PAS dalam masyarakat sivil dan demokrasi serta advokasi dasar perlu kepada penyegaran semula.

Malangnya parti diheret untuk membincangkan sama ada ulama atau tidak ulama yang layak memimpin PAS. Saya beberapa kali mengulangi kenyataan saya bahawa jika ulama itu layak bukan kerana dia adalah ulama dan jikalau bukan ulama, dia layak bukan kerana dia tidak ulama, mereka diletakkan di situ kerana perwakilan melihat kemampuan (al-Qawi) dan amanah (al-Amin) yang mereka miliki untuk membawa bahtera perjuangan PAS di Malaysia.

Sepatutnya kepimpinan mendidik ahli kepada budaya memilih kerana kelayakan dan bukan statusnya.

Implikasi

Malangnya perkataan ulama diberi makna yang berbeza, di mana sepatutnya istilah ulama melambangkan keilmuan dan keterbukaan tetapi kini menjadi status yang dipertaruhkan untuk bersaing dalam parti.

Apakah status ulama itu mewajarkan segala-segalanya daripada sudut kelayakan? Penglibatan seseorang yang berstatus ulama dalam sebuah organisasi parti politik Islam bukan menentukan jaminan dia mesti ada jawatan dan kedudukan dalam parti tetapi sebagai ahli parti macam yang lain, dia perlu menunjukkan keberkesanannya dan kemampuannya membawa visi dan misi parti.

Dalam buku saya, PAS Baru dan Rejuvinasi PAS, isu dikotomi (pemisahan) ulama dan tidak ulama mesti diselesaikan segera melalui penyegaran sistem sumber manusia parti dengan membuat penarafan piawaian ahli yang ada dalam PAS daripada pelbagai latar belakang kepada piawaian yang dipersetujui dan jangan biarkan pihak tertentu yang memandai-mandai menarafkan kelayakan hanya berbekalkan status semata-mata.

Inilah yang akan berlaku apabila pengurusan parti tidak ada strategi sumber manusia parti yang melihat segenap aspek perkiraan bagi melahirkan kelayakan kepimpinan yang terbuka untuk semua.

Apa yang disaksikan hari ini adalah dinamika sebuah parti politik dan sebagai parti politik Islam keunikannya membentuk evolusi perkembangannya menarik untuk diberi perhatian.

Nama Islam pada parti politik tidak menjamin ia suci dari kerenah manusia yang menggerakkan parti Islam. Apa yang perlu ada ialah kemahiran menguruskan dinamika ini kerana ia akan memberi peluang yang cerah kepada perubahan yang amat diperlukan oleh PAS hari ini jika ia mahu kekal relevan.

Mengurus konflik dan krisis tidak memerlukan ulama atau tidak, ia memerlukan seseorang yang mampu melihat secara positif bahawa dalam krisis dan konflik ada peluang untuk penyegaran baru bagi Pas melonjak ke hadapan, sudahkah kita yang cintakan pada perjuangan ini memikirkannya? – 17 September, 2013.

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

Kredit: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com
 

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