Ahad, 5 Januari 2014

The Malaysian Insider :: Sports

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The Malaysian Insider :: Sports

Premiership heavyweights kept apart in English FA Cup 4th-round draw

Posted: 05 Jan 2014 06:36 AM PST

January 05, 2014

Premier League leaders Arsenal were handed a home tie against third-tier Coventry City in the draw for the fourth round of the FA Cup today.

Arsenal, who last won the tournament in 2005, booked their place in round four with a 2-0 defeat of north London rivals Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday, while Coventry won 2-1 at Barnsley.

The Premier League's heavyweight clubs were kept apart in the draw, although Chelsea will face a home game against Stoke City if they win at Derby County later on Sunday.

Lower-league teams Bristol Rovers and Crawley Town, meanwhile, were given a potential shot at a home tie with Manchester United.

Fourth-tier Rovers and third-tier Crawley are still to play their second-round tie, which has twice been postponed due to a waterlogged pitch, with the winners set to face Championship side Birmingham City.

If either side reach round four, they will face the winners of the third-round tie between United and Swansea City that was due to take place later on Sunday.

Third-division Sheffield United's reward for upsetting Aston Villa was a home game against another top-flight team as Nigel Clough's side were drawn to face either Norwich City or Fulham.

The following are the matches to be played on January 25-26 after the draw for the fourth round of the English FA Cup, made at Wembley Stadium in London today. (Premiership teams in bold)

Arsenal vs Coventry City

Bolton Wanderers vs Cardiff City

Southampton vs Yeovil Town

Southend United vs Hull City

Stevenage vs Everton

Derby County or Chelsea vs Stoke City

Huddersfield Town vs Charlton Athletic or Oxford United

Nottingham Forest vs Ipswich Town or Preston North End

Rochdale vs Macclesfield Town or Sheffield Wednesday

Sheffield United vs Norwich City or Fulham

Wigan Athletic or Milton Keynes Dons vs Crystal Palace

Blackburn Rovers or Manchester City vs Bristol City or Watford

Bournemouth or Burton Albion vs Liverpool or Oldham Athletic

Port Vale or Plymouth Argyle vs Brighton and Hove Albion

Sunderland or Carlisle United vs Kidderminster Harriers or Peterborough United

Birmingham City or Bristol Rovers or Crawley Town vs Manchester United or Swansea City. - AFP, January 5, 2014.

Nottingham Forest thrash West Ham United in FA Cup

Posted: 05 Jan 2014 06:23 AM PST

January 05, 2014

Nottingham Forest's Djamal Abdoun scores a penalty past West Ham United's goalkeeper Adrian during their FA Cup third round match at the City Ground in Nottingham today. - Reuters pic, January 5, 2014.West Ham United became the second Premier League team to be eliminated by lower-league opposition in this season's FA Cup when they crashed 5-0 at Nottingham Forest today.

Jamie Paterson was the star man for Championship side Forest with a 14-minute hat-trick against a second-string West Ham team featuring three young debutantes.

West Ham's defeat at the City Ground follows Aston Villa's 2-1 loss at home to third-tier Sheffield United on Saturday.

Forest took a 12th-minute lead with an audacious dinked penalty from Algerian midfielder Djamel Abdoun, after Paterson drew a foul from George Moncur with a sharp Cruyff turn.

In response, Ravel Morrison saw a free-kick palmed over the crossbar by Karl Darlow, but Forest finished the first half strongly.

West Ham goalkeeper Adrian had to save with his feet from Eric Lichaj and Henri Lansbury blazed the rebound over the bar.

Paterson added a second in the 65th minute, drilling home a low shot, and he made it 3-0 six minutes later by stabbing home from Lansbury's square pass.

The 22-year-old forward completed his triple in fine style in the 79th minute, drifting past three visiting defenders on the edge of the penalty area before lashing a low shot into the bottom-left corner.

Andy Reid slammed home in injury time to complete a miserable afternoon for Sam Allardyce's West Ham, who are currently second from bottom in the Premier League table. - AFP, January 5, 2014.

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How a hunch led to stunning claim on Buddha birth date

Posted: 05 Jan 2014 03:15 AM PST

January 05, 2014

The Maya Devi Temple in Lumbini, some 200kms west of Kathmandu is dedicated to Buddha's mother and is one of the four most sacred places in Buddhism, as it is the site of his birth. – AFP pic, January 5, 2014.The two archaeologists had a hunch that the Buddha's birthplace in southern Nepal held secrets that could transform how the world understood the emergence and spread of Buddhism.

Their pursuit would eventually see them excavate the sacred site of Lumbini as monks prayed nearby, leading to the stunning claim that the Buddha was born in the sixth century BC, two centuries earlier than thought.

Veteran Nepalese archaeologist Kosh Prasad Acharya had carried out excavations in Lumbini before in the early 1990s, when Nepal was still ruled by a king and a Maoist insurgency had yet to kick off.

The project ended in 1996 but Acharya remained unsatisfied with the results.

"My belief was that there was another cultural deposit below, which we had not uncovered," the 62-year-old told AFP.

He headed back to his government job in the capital Kathmandu and waited to retire, restless to return to Lumbini.

The Buddha's birthplace was lost and overgrown by jungle before its rediscovery in 1896, when the presence of a third century BC pillar bearing inscriptions allowed historians to identify it as Lumbini.

Since then, it has been designated a UNESCO world heritage site, visited by millions of Buddhists every year, with numbers expected to rise exponentially in the following decades.

Acharya had just retired from his last job, as the director general of the department of archaeology, when UNESCO asked him to co-direct an investigation of Lumbini's foundations.

The cultural organisation asked Acharya and his longtime collaborator, Robin Coningham, Britain's leading South Asian archaeologist, to head a team that would examine the site so conservators could develop it for growing numbers of visitors.

Eureka moment

"In 2010, our first year there, we were pretty much the handmaidens to the conservators," Coningham told AFP in a phone interview from his office at Britain's Durham University, which helped fund the UNESCO project.

"The Eureka moment came in 2011, when we came across a brick temple located below the existing Asokan temple, and below that a sort of void.

"It became clear then that there was much more to this excavation."

Over the next two years, archaeologists, geophysicists and hired workmen from Nepal and Britain worked on the site, digging in the presence of meditating monks and nuns.

"It was a very moving, very special experience to dig for traces while pilgrims prayed and paid homage," Acharya said.

They dug for a few weeks each year and sent the samples to laboratories for analysis.

Radiocarbon and optically stimulated luminescence techniques were used to date fragments of charcoal and grains of sand found at the site.

The archaeologists also found holes, apparently meant to secure posts, in the open void below the brick temple.

"The intact holes suggested that whoever had built the brick temple had taken care not to damage the ancient structure below, suggesting the site was always considered holy," Coningham said.

Lab tests confirmed the existence of roots within the void below the brick structure, suggesting it may have been a shrine where a tree once grew, possibly the hardwood sal tree under which many believe the Buddha was born.

The discovery, revealed in November, sparked huge excitement, but some historians have urged caution, saying the ancient tree shrine could have been built by pre-Buddhist believers.

Tree worship

"The worship of trees, often at simple altars, was a ubiquitous feature of ancient Indian religions," Julia Shaw, a lecturer in South Asian archaeology at University College London told National Geographic's online edition.

"It is also possible that what is being described represents an older tree shrine quite disconnected from the worship of the historical Buddha," Shaw added.

According to Coningham, however, if the Buddhists had appropriated the tree shrine from non-Buddhists, the site would not have survived relatively unscathed.

"Also, the inscriptions at Bodhgaya (where the Buddha achieved enlightenment) reveal a thriving culture of tree worship, which suggests continuity," he added.

Much of what is known about the Buddha's life has its origins in oral tradition. The earliest decipherable written records in the region, the inscriptions of India's Buddhist emperor Asoka, are dated about 250 BC.

Prior to this discovery, most scholars said that the Buddha -- who renounced material wealth to embrace and preach a life of non-attachment -- lived during the fourth century BC, founding a religion that now counts 500 million followers.

Buddhists in Nepal and Sri Lanka, however, have always believed that the sage was born around 623 BC, a date that now seems more accurate.

"It's one of the great puzzles, this discovery reveals the endurance of oral traditions," Coningham said.

"This is one of those very rare times when tradition, belief and archaeology all come together." – AFP, January 5, 2014.

‘Battling Begums’ bring Bangladesh to brink

Posted: 04 Jan 2014 04:15 PM PST

January 05, 2014

Bangladeshi opposition leader Khaleda Zia and prime minister Sheikh Hasina. - AFP pic, January 5, 2014.When they joined forces two decades ago, Bangladesh's "Battling Begums" ousted a dictator and ushered in a new era of democracy.

But now the toxic rivalry between Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and opposition leader Khaleda Zia is threatening to bring the country to the brink once more.

As Bangladesh goes to the polls today, Hasina is guaranteed to be re-elected in what is effectively a one-party contest.

But while voters prepare to cast their ballot, Zia is under de facto house arrest after her party decided to boycott an election it says would be rigged.

Until this week, there had been hopes the two women would be able to put aside their differences and come to some kind of compromise after the deadliest year of political violence in Bangladesh's short history.

But mediation efforts failed to persuade either woman to back down and analysts say the situation is only likely to worsen.

"Sunday's election is a warm-up match before a more deadly battle between the Begums. It could bring the country to the brink," said Ataur Rahman, a Dhaka-based political analyst.

"Begum" is an honorific used for respected Muslim women.

Ever since the elections were called in October, Zia has been demanding that Hasina stand aside and let a neutral caretaker government organise the contest.

But Hasina has refused to bend and accused Zia of holding the country hostage after her Bangladesh Nationalist Party organised a series of blockades.

The extent of their enmity was laid bare in October when transcripts were leaked of their first phone conversation in 15 years.

Slanging match

After some initial pleasantries, the conversation soon developed into a mutual slanging match with Hasina accusing Zia of attempting to kill her.

The premier even accused Zia of falsifying her birth certificate so she could celebrate her birthday on the anniversary of the 1975 assassination of Hasina's father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

"Why did you cut cake on August 15?" Hasina, 66, asked.

"Can't anyone be born on that day?" the 69-year-old Zia responded.

An invitation to dinner at the prime minister's residence was turned down by Zia.

The ramifications of their mutual dislike was seen in January 2007 when their failure to agree on an electoral framework prompted the military to step in, impose emergency rule and set up a caretaker government.

Both women were jailed for a year on corruption charges before later striking deals that allowed them to take part in a December 2008 election which Hasina won by a landslide.

Early years

In the early years of their political life, the two women worked together, combining to help topple another military regime in 1990.

But the allies become rivals in elections the following year, trading often personal insults at rallies.

Hasina first came to power in 1996 after she led mass protests against Zia's re-election in a contest that was riddled with irregularities.

Zia was forced to stand aside only 43 days after being declared the winner, reluctantly agreeing to a re-run organised by a neutral caretaker administration -- Zia's demand of Hasina this time round.

After Hasina's first premiership was blighted by corruption allegations, Zia then bounced back and defeated her nemesis in a 2001 election.

Relations hit their nadir in August 2004 when Hasina survived an assassination attempt at a rally where 20 of her supporters were killed in a grenade attack.

Having suffered permanent damage to her hearing, Hasina has consistently maintained the attack was orchestrated by Zia's son.

Despite their mutual accusations of power-grabbing, both women were initially reluctant politicians and were catapulted into the limelight by tragedy.

Zia was a 35-year-old housewife and mother of two young sons when her husband, general-turned-president Ziaur Rahman was killed in an attempted coup in 1981.

Hasina took on the mantle as leader of the Awami League after her father, Bangladesh's founding leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, was gunned down by renegade army officers in 1975.

The future premier also lost a mother and three brothers in the massacre at their family home. Hasina was in Germany at the time but later returned to take the Awami League, while she was also aged in her early 30s.

Despite being accorded the respectful honorific "begum", many observers say the pair deserve opprobrium rather than respect for poisoning the political climate.

"Now is the time that both the leaders in question should stop and look for an honourable exit," said an editorial in Saturday's Daily Star.

"Enough is enough." - AFP, January 5, 2014.

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The Malaysian Insider :: Showbiz

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Oscar-winning Hollywood producer Saul Zaentz dead at 92

Posted: 04 Jan 2014 09:19 PM PST

January 05, 2014

Film producer Saul Zaentz (pic), winner of best picture Oscars for 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest,' 'Amadeus' and 'The English Patient,' has died at age 92, US media reported yesterday.

Zaentz died due to complications from Alzheimer's disease at his home in San Francisco on Friday, according to his nephew Paul Zaentz.

"He was an extraordinary man," Paul Zaentz, who worked with his uncle for 37 years, said. "He had a lot of guts, a lot of integrity."

Zaentz, who began in the music business before moving into films, was known for producing highbrow movies, and even ran his independent film production company from Berkeley – near San Francisco – to keep a distance from Hollywood.

'One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest' (1975), co-produced with actor Michael Douglas, starred Jack Nicholson as a patient in a mental institution.

The movie won five Oscars, including best director for Milos Forman.

Zaentz and Forman teamed up again for 'Amadeus' (1984) about the life of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The movie won eight Oscars, including best picture, best director and best actor for F. Murray Abraham.

For 'The English Patient' (1996), a drama set in World War II, Zaentz teamed up with director Anthony Minghella. The movie won nine Oscars, including best picture and best director.

On Oscar award night in 1977, Zaentz was awarded the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award for lifetime achievement.

Other movies that Zaentz had a role producing include 'The Unbearable Lightness of Being' (1988), 'At Play in the Fields of the Lord' (1991), and 'Goya's Ghosts' (2006).

He also produced an animated version of The Lord of the Rings (1978).

Earlier in his career, Zaentz made a fortune with Fantasy Records, a label that he bought, which represented jazz musicians and rock group Creedence Clearwater Revival.

Later however, Zaentz was involved in bitter and lengthy litigation with Creedence singer John Fogerty over the rights to several of the group's hit songs. – AFP, January 5, 2014.

Genesis union on the cards?

Posted: 04 Jan 2014 05:52 PM PST

January 05, 2014

In an interview with the German newspaper Bild Am Sonntag, former Genesis member Phil Collins indicated that he was 'thinking about doing new stuff' and possibly playing 'some shows again, even with Genesis.'

A few weeks later, his former bandmate Peter Gabriel (pic) confided to Rolling Stone that the idea of a Genesis reunion 'has never been ruled out.'

Founded in 1967, Genesis rose to worldwide fame in the 1980s and 90s.

The band reformed in 2007 for their last world tour together.

According to the band's label, Atlantic Records, Genesis has sold over 150 million albums worldwide.

Last September, Peter Gabriel released the concept album 'And I'll Scratch Yours,' on which he invited Arcade Fire, Lou Reed, Elbow, David Byrne, Bon Iver, Paul Simon and others to record their covers of his songs. – AFP Relaxnews, January 5, 2014.

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The Malaysian Insider :: Books

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Interactive ‘book hive’ installation welcomes library visitors

Posted: 04 Jan 2014 11:16 PM PST

January 05, 2014

Designed by Rusty Squid, the installation features a modular 'honeycomb' of animatronic books in hexagonal frames that open and close using movement sensors.Dancing books might not be the most conventional way to welcome library visitors, but it seems to be a hit in the UK city of Bristol.

The Book Hive, an immersive installation of choreographed literature, was installed in Bristol Central Library's main entrance last month in an interactive exhibit which will run until March 2014.

The installation features a modular 'honeycomb' of animatronic books in hexagonal frames that open and close with the help of movement sensors.

The collection will be added to until there are 400 books in the structure, to celebrate the Library's 400th birthday this year.

The books' movement patterns and the structure's shape will be altered in relation to how the public interacts with the installation over the coming months.

Creative studio Rusty Squid designed the installation, financed by a £90,000 (RM401,611) award from Arts Council England.

According to the group, the work represents the effect the digital world has had on libraries and the changing human relationship with books as objects.

Phil Gibby, Area Director, South West, Arts Council England, said, "This is an imaginative and inventive installation that brings together past, present and future in a way that is both thought-provoking – and marvellous fun."

The 400 books will be installed by February 7, 2014.

Book Hive will be on display at Bristol Central Library until March 2014. – AFP Relaxnews, January 5, 2014.

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Buat pendirian dalam debat isu Allah, kata Anwar kepada Najib

Posted: 05 Jan 2014 01:53 AM PST

OLEH EILEEN NG
January 05, 2014

Ketua Pembangkang Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim (gambar) menyertai debat isu Allah apabila meminta Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Najib Razak menyatakan pendiriannya sambil menegaskan dia tidak menyokong cara Jabatan Agama Islam Selangor (Jais) menyerbu Persatuan Bible Malaysia (PBM) yang merampas 300 Bible berbahasa Melayu dan Iban.

"Jika Jais rasa ada tindakan yang melanggar undang-undang, mereka sepatutnya memanggil pihak berkenaan untuk memberi penjelasan.

"Tetapi anda tidak boleh berbuat tindakan drastik sedemikian kerana akan dilihat sebagai tindakan anti Kristian.

"Tidak perlu sedemikian kerana ia akan melahirkan ketegangan," katanya selepas memberikan ceramah di Pusat Reformasi, Demokrasi dan Inisiatif Sosial, memecah kebisuannya selama ini.

Semasa menyerbu PBM, Jais turut menahan dua pegawainya dan meminta mereka ke Balai Polis Damansara.

Tetapi para peguam mempertikaikan tindakan Jais menyerbu premis PBM dan merampas Bible kerana jabatan itu tidak ada kuasa ke atas yang bukan Islam.

Mereka juga mempertikaikan keabsahan enakmen yang digunapakai dalam tindakan itu kerana ia melanggar kebebasan beragama orang bukan Islam.

Anwar percaya tindakan ini adalah untuk mengalihkan pandangan rakyat dari isu sebenar yang melanda negara iaitu kenaikan harga barangan dan perkhidmatan ekoran pemotongan subsidi.

"Saya tidak menolak kemungkinan mereka cuba mengalih perhatian dari masalah ekonomi dan lain-lain masalah yang dihadapi negara termasuk kualiti pendidikan, ketidakadilan ekonomi dan kebejatan moral," katanya sambil meminta Najib menyatakan sikapnya dalam isu ini.

"Kerajaan perlu menghadapi semua ini bukan dengan cara menyerang perkara lain," katanya.

Namun Anwar tidak bersetuju dengan tindakan tiga Ahli Dewan Undangan Negeri DAP – Yeo Bee Yin (Damansara) Rajiv Rishyakaran (Bukit Gasing) dan Lau Weng San dari Kampung Tunku yang mencadangkan agar pindaan dibuat ke atas Agama Bukan Islam di Selangor (Kawalan penyebaran agama bukan Iskam) Enakmen 1988.

Enakmen yang diluluskan oleh kerajaan Barisan Nasional lalu menyekat bukan Islam dari menggunakan 35 perkataan Arab dalam amalan beragama mereka termasuk Allah, Injil dan Insya'Allah.

Anwar berkata, beliau tidak setuju tindakan itu kerana ia dilihat tergesa-gesa kerana masih ada saluran yang sesuai untuk menyampaikan pandangan mereka.

Jais menyerbu PBM ketika isu penggunaan kalimah Allah oleh Kristian sedang hangat dibahaskan dimana sesetengah kumpulan Islam bertegas ia hanya eksklusif untuk Islam sahaja.

Serbuan ini dipercayai ekoran kenyataan Pengarang Herald, Paderi Lawrence Andrew yang memberitahu The Malaysian Insider bahawa pihaknya akan meneruskan penggunaan kalimah Allah dalam program ibadat berbahasa Malaysia mereka.

Bagi beliau, Perkara 11 (3) (A) Perlembagaan Persekutuan menetapkan bahawa setiap kumpulan agama yang berhak mengurus hal ehwal agama masing-masing.

Ekoran itu, kumpulan Islam membuat perhimpunan membantah Andrew dan menuntutnya memohon maaf. – 5 Januari, 2014.

Kementerian Pendidikan akan siasat kenaikan harga di kantin sekolah, kata Idris Jusoh

Posted: 05 Jan 2014 01:21 AM PST

January 05, 2014

Kementerian Pendidikan akan menyiasat dan menyemak harga makanan dan minuman di kantin sekolah di seluruh negara bagi memastikan tiada kenaikan melampau dilakukan pengusaha kantin yang boleh membebankan ibu bapa mahupun pelajar.

Menteri Pendidikan Kedua Datuk Seri Idris Jusoh (gambar) berkata siasatan itu akan dilakukan satu jawatankuasa yang akan dipengerusikan oleh Ketua Pengarah Pendidikan Tan Sri Abd Ghaffar Mahmud.

Bagaimanapun setakat ini, katanya pihak kementerian tidak menerima sebarang aduan atau laporan rasmi daripada pentadbir sekolah mahupun ibu bapa mengenai perkara itu.

"Pengusaha kantin sekolah tidak sepatutnya menaikkan harga makanan dan minuman yang dijual atas alasan kenaikan harga beberapa jenis barangan terutamanya gula hingga membebankan pelajar," katanya ketika ditemui pemberita di rumahnya di Kampung Tok Has di Besut hari ini.

Dalam perkembangan lain, Idris berkata kementerian akan berusaha mencari jalan terbaik bagi meringankan beban para guru yang tidak berjaya mendapat kelulusan pertukaran balik ke negeri masing-masing sebagaimana keputusan dikeluarkan oleh kementerian baru-baru ini.

Katanya, pihak kementerian tidak dapat memenuhi permintaan mereka kerana tiada kekosongan dengan memberikan contoh di Kelantan yang mempunyai kelebihan
30,000 guru manakala di Terengganu dan Kedah pula masing-masing mempunyai kelebihan 10,000 orang.

Antara masalah lain ialah ialah mereka yang memohon balik ke negeri-negeri berkenaan tidak memenuhi kekosongan opsyen (aliran) yang diperlukan di negeri berkenaan, katanya.

"Mereka memang wajar dibantu tetapi kena ingat kerana masih ramai memohon dari aliran Bahasa Melayu manakala keperluan ialah untuk mengajar Bahasa Inggeris dan dari kalangan yang mengajar Sejarah tetapi keperluan pula untuk mata pelajaran Sains," katanya.

Idris berkata satu mesyuarat peringkat kementerian akan diadakan pada pertengahan bulan ini bagi membantu guru yang mempunyai alasan kukuh untuk bertukar seperti ibu atau ayah yang sakit, hendak bersama isteri atau suami yang telah lama tinggal berasingan dan berjauhan dan juga kerana masalah keselamatan atau sakit.

Sementara itu, beliau meminta semua Anggota Parlimen, Anggota Dewan Undangan Negeri, Pentadbiran Daerah maupun Pengetua dan Guru Besar memastikan tiada pelajar yang tercicir dari persekolahan kerana faktor miskin.

"Sekiranya ada, saya minta pentadbir sekolah segera membuat laporan kepada KPM di samping memaklumkan juga kepada Ahli Parlimen, Adun, Pegawai Daerah dan Pegawai Pendidikan Daerah supaya ia dapat diatasi segera," katanya. – Bernama, 5 Januari, 2014.

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The Malaysian Insider :: Opinion

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2014: Malaysia bertukar menjadi negara Islam ‘fasis’

Posted: 04 Jan 2014 02:55 PM PST

January 05, 2014

Amin Iskandar adalah penerima anugerah zamalah Asian Public Intellectuals (API) bagi sesi 2009-2010. Kini merupakan Pengarang Berita bagi The Malaysian Insider. Beliau "berkicau" di www.twitter.com/aminiskandar.

Tahun 2014 dibuka di Malaysia dengan petunjuk bahawa pergolakan antara agama di negara ini akan berterusan sepanjang tahun dan tidak mustahil akan menjadi semakin memburuk.

Tindakan Jabatan Agama Islam Selangor (Jais) merampas 300 kitab Injil berbahasa Melayu membuktikan Malaysia sedang bertukar daripada sebuah negara yang mengamalkan toleransi diantara agama menjadi negara Islam "fasis".

Jika dahulu kita boleh berbangga dengan negara kita yang mengamalkan Islam sederhana, kini sudah tiada bezanya dengan Taliban yang memusnahkan patung Buddha di Bamiyan semasa memerintah Afghanistan.

Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Najib Razak yang mahu mengamalkan kesederhanaan dalam pemerintahannya kelihatan terlalu lemah untuk mengawal keadaan.

Tiada lagi 1Malaysia dan dasar inklusif. Selepas Pilihan Raya Umum ke-13 (PRU13) Najib dilihat semakin gagal dalam memastikan Malaysia kekal aman untuk semua agama dan kaum.

Kuasa politik yang ada padanya tidak dapat digunakan kerana beliau bukanlah seorang pemimpin yang kuat dan tegas dalam membuat keputusan.

Saya sekarang sedang berada di sebuah "negara kafir" di Eropah tempat di mana pemimpin-pemimpin tertinggi negara membeli-belah semasa "boxing day" pada hujung tahun.

Akan tetapi sayangnya, walaupun setiap tahun pemimpin-pemimpin tertinggi negara kita melawat negara kafir ini, akan tetapi tiada apa yang mereka pelajari.

Hairan sekali bagaimana negara kafir ini begitu menghormati kebebasan beragama.

Masjid-masjid didirikan oleh komuniti Islam di sini tanpa sekatan.

Lebih mengejutkan lagi, stesen minyak di tepi lebuh raya juga terdapat surau bagi orang Islam untuk menunaikan solat dan tempat khas untuk berwudhu.

Tiada demonstrasi dilakukan penduduk majoriti Kristian di negara ini berhubung penyediaan surau di stesen minyak dan pembangunan masjid yang semakin meluas.

Pertumbuhan masjid dan surau di sini tidak dianggap sebagai "ancaman kepada akidah" mereka yang majoritinya beragama Kristian.

Mereka tetap dengan agama mereka, kita tetap dengan agama kita.

Di Malaysia sebaliknya yang berlaku. Allah yang seharusnya menjadi tuhan kepada sekalian alam bertukar menjadi tuhan kepada orang-orang Melayu sahaja.

Mengapa kejahilan ini dibiarkan? Kalau pun Najib mahu terus menang dalam pilihan raya akan datang, mengapa harus dibiarkan kebodohan dan kejahilan ini terus membarah?

Jika Najib tidak melakukan sesuatu untuk menamatkan segala kebodohan ini, tidak mustahil Malaysia yang pada satu ketika dahulu turut dibina oleh arwah ayahnya Tun Abdul Razak Hussein akan musnah.

Kalau Razak dikenali sebagai bapa pembangunan Malaysia, Najib kini dilihat tidak lebih dari bapa pemusnah Malaysia. – 5 Januari, 2014.

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

Kredit: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com

Ahad, 5 Januari 2014