Permatang Pasir

Rohaizat's offence a personal misconduct, Ragunath says

Written by Regina William

The Edge, Monday, 17 August 2009 15:38

PERMATANG PAUH: The offence for which Permatang Pasir Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate Rohaizat Othman was struck off the Malaysia Bar Council's list involves the individual lawyer.

Bar Council president Ragunath Kesavan told The Edge Malaysia that the proceedings under Section 103D of the Legal Profession Act 1976 involved misconduct of the individual lawyer.

"The offence was for personal liability and does not involve any other persons as Rohaizat was named by the complainant, and not his partner.

"Rohaizat was disbarred on March 7 last year and he appealed against the Bar Council decision to the High Court, which also dismissed his appeal on Aug 12 this year," he added.

Ragunath said the offence committed by Rohaizat involved stakeholders' money from Koperasi Pekebun Getah and there was no account for it.

"When the board looked into this matter and the order was made, there was no reimbursement to the stakeholders involving the sum of RM140,000.

"Even if you pay, the offence has been committed and it is a serious offence as this involves dealing with client's money.

"If you are an innocent party, you would not be found guilty by the disciplinary committee and the charge leveled under Section 103D is tantamount to criminal misconduct," he added.

Ragunath said the other partners only would be penalised if it involved negligence of the law firm concerned, but the offence committed under Section 103D was for personal misconduct.

On Sunday, Penang Umno chief Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi told a press conference that it was Rohaizat's partner who was involved in the scandal which resulted in Rohaizat being struck off.

Meanwhile at the nomination centre, when asked whether Rohaizat's credibility would come into question following the revelation of him being disbarred, Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said: "There is no controversy with regards to his candidacy as we have done our homework.

"As far as the law is concerned, he has been declared eligible to contest and we believe the voters will understand when we explain to them what actually happened.

"We have our ways of explaining to the voters, the opposition can do whatever character assassinations they want.

"We will expose all their lies and the rakyat can judge for themselves," he added.

No more honour in men

I was at a grand wedding dinner function in Seberang Jaya with the wife. I had the fortune or misfortune, whichever way we want to put it, to be in the esteem company of UMNO bigwigs at our table. It occurred to me that the person sitting right in front was none other than the former YB for Permatang Pasir. We had met once before on a solemn occasion at Masjid Cherok Tokun way back in 1998 on the eve of Anwar Ibrahim’s inglorious sacking. This person was the sole UMNO dignitary accompanying Anwar officiating the mosque newly installed ICT facilities except for the many stern looking standard issue bodyguards who were all about the place. It looked to be that Anwar was being deserted. It was then indeed a foreboding sign of things to come.

Well, let us go back to the wedding and our dinner table. As the former YB sat down, he spewed forth expletives condemning Anwar Ibrahim as a traitor to the Malay race and implied that in Anwar’s greed and eagerness to become prime minister he had even sold Penang to the Chinese by handing over the Chief Ministership to DAP.

Now we have all heard this fanatical mantra before, and we shall continue to hear them and UMNO is repeating it in unison this time, over and over again. Even the DPM is leading the same regurgitated tune unbecomingly. It is the usual Anwar bashing but in an orchestrated and fever pitched manner spouted profusely and spun in a frenzy by the media as if there is some frenetic mass political trance going on in the party. It is now made out in incendiary terms, extreme and as racial as one can get.

Yes, the stakes are being raised up to dangerous levels built upon fallacies, desperation and the malicious invectives are simply plucked from figments of delusional rage and agitation. The former YB and the DPM as well as others were friends, supporters and comrades of Anwar in the hey days of the party. Suddenly they became declared enemies and now they have emphatically sworn to remain enemies. Fortunately for them they did not need to suffer the tribulations that their reviled and denounced colleague had to go through because their loyalty was frail and they did not want anything to do with it. Actually, if they are just honest with themselves, it was they who let him down. He was not only put down but he was made to crawl in the gutter and many thought that Anwar would never be able to come out of this horrible black hole. As one blogger puts it aptly: - Anwar is by far the most talented of Malay leaders in his generation by keeping the PR coalition together and by marching forward in the face of overwhelming odds and a terminator-like enemy.

Anyway, back to the dining table, just after the former YB expressed such unsavoury words, I looked to my wife and she smiled and gave me the smirky look. A live band was playing by so the noise and din was just too loud. I thought of a terse reply but the atmosphere was just not right so I kept it to myself. Providence had it then that the host came by and upon recognizing the dignified guest, he was ushered away to the main table to gather with a gallery of party officials.

I am certain now that there is no more honour in such men.

Zahid ada Problem!

Zahid ada Problem

1. Dia tidak dapat bedakan siapa PM Israel, siapa Netanyahu dan siapa Barak.

2. Dia agak dangkal dan naif apabila cuba membayangkan bahawa pemimpin Zionis yang sangat licik memandang tinggi kepadanya dan memberi penghormatan kepadanya.

3. Dia tidak tahu bahawa Israel memang sudah iktiraf kerajaan Palestinian Authority sejak perjanjian Oslo pada 1993 lagi semasa Arafat. Israel cuma tidak mahu keamanan!

4. Dia bersalaman dan berjumpa secara terang-terangan dengan pemimpin negara yang tidak di iktiraf mahupun ada hubungan diplomatik dengan Malaysia. Lebih buruk lagi, tiada pemimpin atau umat Islam yang bermaruah mahu dilihat bersama seorang pembunuh seperti Ehud Barak.

5. Dia ada masalah bahasa Inggeris. Tidak mungkin mereka bertemu berduaan sahaja. Kalau bertemu dalam keadaan bahasa berterabur, belum sempat beradu lagi Israel sudah jumpa lubuk negara.

Di bawah ini dikutip daripada Aisehman.org:-

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This is a riot.

A few days ago, defence minister Zahid Hamidi said he had met with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss the Middle East:

… “I said that if he wanted to have a meeting with me, he should not bring along any Israeli aide or photographer and he should not indulge in double standards, and he agreed,” Dr Ahmad Zahid told Malaysian reporters here. He is on a six-day visit to Lebanon.

Zahid said that at their meeting of 35 minutes, he stated that if Israel was sincere about establishing peace in West Asia, it should recognise the Palestinian government.

“If Israel wants to extend a hand to establish peace, it must not resort to violence against the people of Palestine and neighbouring countries,” he said. [Bernama via Malaysian Insider]

Turns out it wasn’t Netanyahu:

Special Officer (Media) Abd Halim Ab Majid here today … explained that Ahmad Zahid had instead met with Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak during a cocktail function at the air show. [Bernama via Malaysian Insider]

I can understand Zahid’s confusion, inexcusable though it was. Barak is a former prime minister.

Talking heads: It’s remarkable how politicians put up the same face when they open their mouths. That said, guess which one of the three is not prime minister material.

I can also understand a member of the Malaysian government meeting with a member of the Israeli government. These behind-the-scenes, out-of-the-public-eye manoeuvres between governments happen all the time.

But there’s a problem here — Malaysia does not recognise Israel, so Zahid should not have told the media about the meeting.

What was he trying to do? Brag about lecturing the Israeli prime minister?

I HOPE he spoke through a translator.

Zahid’s command of English is so deadly it has the potential to start wars.

When pigs fly

When pigs fly

A well known English idiom.

It will happen "when pigs fly". Pigs do not fly, so it will never happen. Usually it means it will be prevented from happening, that it is politically impossible, at least for many decades. (usingenglish.com)

People used to say this before PRU-12, the March 2008 elections, "when pigs fly" meaning a PAS-DAP pact or cooperation will never ever happen.

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Closure Of Abattoir, A Relief For Residents

ALOR SETAR, July 3 (Bernama) --

Residents in Kampung Berjaya here have requested all quarters not to politicise the closure of a pig abattoir in the village because they want it so. Trader Azizan Ahmad, 50, said residents staying within the vicinity of the abattoir, which had been operating for more than 30 years, had long wanted it to be closed as they could not stand the stench."The matter should not be politicised or made an excuse by Kedah DAP to pull out of the state Pakatan Rakyat government," he told Bernama here Friday.

Basharudin Said, 65, said the action by DAP reflected that the party did not care about the needs of the local residents who wanted the abattoir to be closed."Everybody agrees that the abattoir be closed because of the stench...food operators nearby also complain of poor business because not many people go to their shops," he added.

A mechanic, Tan Khien Hin, 48, regarded DAP's action as a futile move because majority of the residents supported the closure of the abattoir."It is apt that the abattoir be closed because it has been there for a long time, not suitable anymore. Furthermore, there are other places to slaughter (pigs)," he added.

Last Wednesday, Kedah DAP chairman Thomas Su Keong Siong announced that DAP was pulling out of the state Pakatan Rakyat government because of the party's dissatisfaction over several issues, especially the demolition of the pig abattoir in Kampung Berjaya.Kedah Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Azizan Abdul Razak, when asked to comment on the matter, said it was up to DAP whether or not to remain in the state Pakatan Rakyat government as the state government had done its best accommodate their demands.

KUALA LUMPUR, July 3 (Malaysian Insider excerpts)–

Kedah DAP has applied more pressure on the PAS-led state government in a move that seems to be fueled by the public backing of DAP supremos, Its sole state assemblyman Lee Guan Aik made clear today. While acknowledging that the illegal pig abattoir has been a problem for decades since Barisan Nasional (BN) were in charge, he said that the people voted for a new government “because they want to see a change for the better.”

Kedah DAP has claimed that six sites had been suggested for a relocation but all were shot down while Azizan insists that a site in Pendang near a Chinese village had already been earmarked.
Lee today also said that the 28 butchers at the abattoir “were made to believe that the government was looking for a new site.”

However, PKR Kedah chief Ahmad Kassim said that while the mentri besar promised to facilitate the application process for the new site, the operator had only submitted his application last week.His deputy Tan Show Kang also pointed out that the operator has also been asked to relocate by the BN state government more than 10 years ago but this was not executed.

Pemuda UMNO bertindak berang terhadap DAP dan PAS di Melaka

MELAKA, July 3 (Malaysiakini excerpts)

Pemuda Umno Bukit Katil mengaku ahlinya telah bertindak memecahkan sebuah meja dalam kekecohan dengan DAP dan PAS di pasar malam Taman Melaka Baru, malam tadi.Selain seorang wakil rakyat DAP didakwa mengalami luka-luka, seorang ahli Umno ditahan di balai polis Batu Berendam selama enam jam sejak 9 malam bagi membantu siasatan.

Setiausahanya Safrie Abdullah berkata, kejadian tersebut berlaku selepas pertikaman lidah antara kira-kira 40 ahli dan penyokong Pemuda Umno dengan kumpulan seangkatannya dalam DAP dan PAS.

Pemuda Umno Bukit Katil, Melaka didakwa bertindak liar dengan memecah peralatan milik PAS dan DAP dan menimbulkan kekecohan sehingga tercedera seorang ADUN pembangkang, malam tadi.Sewaktu kejadian, dua parti Pakatan Rakyat itu - yang sedang mengalami konflik besar di Kedah - sedang berkempen menggalakkan orang ramai mendaftar sebagai pemilih baru di sebuah pasar malam.

Naib Ketua Pemuda Umno bahagian Jailani Khamis "dengan bongkak dan sombong memaki hamun pemimpin DAP dan PAS" yang membuka kaunter pendaftaran di Taman Melaka Baru, kata ketua penerangan PAS Melaka, Sofi Wahab hari ini.

Memaknai PRU-12

Memaknai PRU-12

Perubahan pada tahap nasional yang semakin jelas riak dan gejolaknya ialah Tarikh 8 Mac 2008 (PRU ke-12) peristiwa penting yang cukup momentous, tidak hanya dalam konteks politik kepartian, tetapi juga dalam konteks perkembangan pola fikir umat dan rakyat. Ia sebagai jelmaan wisdom of the crowd yang berintikan aspirasi perubahan, politik idealisme, kemampuan berfikir dan keberanian bersikap. Ia dapat membangkitkan ghairah dan optimisme baru dakwah pencerdasan dan pencerahan.

Bagi kaum da`i, pemaknaannya harus dengan catatan bahawa misi dakwah tidak terbatas pada perubahan politik dalam erti sekadar pertukaran parti pemerintah. Yang kita perjuangkan adalah misi islahi, perubahan substantif-kualitatif, perubahan yang menepati idealisme pemerintahan yang adil dan beradab, sesuai dengan prinsip dan nilai syari`at.

Kita cuba memahami dan menangani perubahan yang sedang terjadi, dan seterusnya menggagas senario perubahan yang kita inginkan. pemikiran umat telah mulai terkondisi untuk menerima perubahan; malah mereka telah berani menuntut perubahan, termasuk pelayanan yang selayaknya sebagai rakyat yang bermaruah dan berharga diri.

Mereka menolak politik wang dan politik pembodohan. Mereka malu berada di tengah keleluasaan budaya rasuah dan amalan kroni, mereka malu berada di tengah ketempangan sistem kehakiman dan kepolisan, dan mereka malu berada di bawah pimpinan orang lemah. Mereka juga marah terus-menerus diperbodoh.

Krisis Harapan dan Krisis Kepercayaan

Tamatnya era Mahathir dan bermulanya pentadbiran Badawi telah tumbuh segunung harapan perubahan. Era Badawi hanya berisi declaration of intentions, pengumuman demi pengumuman tanpa perubahan yang bererti. Badawi mengakhiri kerjaya politiknya dengan mewariskan krisis harapan dan krisis kepercayaan yang serius. Penggantinyalah yang harus memikul beban warisan di samping beban peribadi yang tidak kurang beratnya .

Krisis yang membelit memang cukup gawat kerana liputannya telah meratai hampir segenap sektor. Institusi kehakiman yang tercemar dengan skandal video Lingam belum dapat memulihkan kredibilitinya. Mereka yang terlibat, termasuk dalang utamanya tetap berleluasa memencak-mencak, mendabik-dabik dada, bercakap besar di sana sini.

Tanpa tumpuan yang secukupnya, ekonomi negara yang memang sedia bermasalah akan menjadi semakin parah. Hingga ke saat ini tidak banyak yang dilakukan untuk memperbaiki kadar petumbuhan ekonomi yang jauh di belakang negara-negara jiran, “Malaysia is in trouble. It shouldn’t be. … And in many respects Malaysia has done well. But it could have done so much better. Instead of being successful, too often Malaysia has tried to buy the ornaments of success -- the world’s tallest building, an unnecessarily large international airport, and so on. But in 2025, the one commodity that has paid for much of this -- oil -- is due to run out.

Tidak kurang celarunya adalah bidang pendidikan yang tanpa henti menjadi sasaran kritik dan protes rakyat. Nama kementerian dirubah dari pendidikan kepada pelajaran tanpa justifikasi yang rasional, Falsafah Pendidikan Negara yang kemudian menjadi Falsafah Pendidikan Kebangsaan semakin tidak dipedulikan, protes terhadap PPSMI terus berlarut-larut tanpa pelayanan yang positif, malah digawatkan lagi dengan protes baru terhadap isu wajib lulus bahasa Inggeris dan pembatasan 10 subjek.

Apa yang sedang terjadi adalah krisis kependidikan yang telah menggugat esensi pendidikan sebagai humanizing process atau proses pembinaan dan pengutuhan insan.

Akibat politisasi dan komersialisasi yang berlebihan pendidikan lebih terorientasi ke arah memenuhi keperluan politik dan permintaan pasaran sehingga mengabaikan asas keinsanan. Krisis kependidikan tentunya membawa implikasi besar dalam pelbagai bidang lain, termasuk bidang sosial .Terlalu banyak masalah sosial yang sedang menggejala, terutama yang melibatkan generasi muda .

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Bahagian Ketiga sedutan intisari daripada Amanat Pimpinan WADAH
Dato’ Dr Siddiq Fadil
Muktamar Nasional Ketiga Wadah Pencerdasan Umat Malaysia (WADAH)

Amerika dan Perubahan

Amerika dan Perubahan

Dengan b’il hikmah dan ‘ala basirah kita harus membaca makna perubahan yang sedang meratai dunia, termasuk kemunculan fenomenal Barack Hussein Obama . Apakah pula kesan dan implikasinya nanti jika berjaya berlaku perubahan ke atas Amerika Syarikat terhadap Dunia Islam. Apa yang dapat diharapkan dari pidato Kaherah?

Adalah bijak untuk tidak mengharap terlalu banyak dari Obama agar nanti tidak kecewa berat andainya beliau gagal memenuhi harapan. Tetapi tidak pula ada salahnya bagi umat Islam menyambut pelawaan memulakan dialog baru.

Amerika sedang berusaha mencipta perubahan, tetapi ia juga harus menerima hakikat perubahan bahawa dunia hari ini sudah menjadi multipolar. Kenyataan tersebut tidaklah bermakna kejatuhan Amerika, tetapi kebangkitan negara-negara lain atau the rise of the rest . “The rest” yang dikatakan sedang bangkit itu termasuklah Asia . Kebangkitan yang paling fenomenal adalah China dan India.

Amerika yang ketika ini sedang terbelit pelbagai masalah, terutama masalah ekonomi

tidak akan mudah memaksakan hegemoninya ke atas bangsa-bangsa lain. Negara-negara

“the rest” yang menjadi semakin kuat tidak akan mudah menerima agenda hegemoni

Amerika yang terselubung di balik retorika penyejagatan demokrasi, hak-hak asasi

manusia dan masyarakat madani. The financial crisis has undermined not just the

U.S.’s economy -- but also its authority. Sekarang sudah bukan zamannya Amerika

menggurui dunia. “The era of American global leadership is over.” Gejala hilangnya kepercayaan dunia terhadap idea-idea besar Amerika, kapitalisme dan demokrasi model Amerika.

Dunia memandang sinis terhadap demokrasi jajaan Amerika yang pada hakikatnya hanya topeng untuk menutupi tindakan biadab campur tangan ketenteraan dan penggantian rejim. Citra demokrasi model Amerika semakin tercemar dengan Guantanamo Bay dan penjara Abu-Ghrayb yang mengeri dan menyeramkan.

Pencarian Alternatif

Kita sedang menyaksikan suatu fenomena sejarah yang cukup penting dan genting --

proses reinvention of the world. Kekalutan berlaku dalam mencari alternatif sistem

apakah yang mampu tampil sebagai penyelamat krisis. Antara yang difikirkan ialah authoritarian capitalism sebagaimana yang diamalkan di China dan Singapura. krisis ini juga membuka ruang kepada sosialisme. Tidakkah umat Islam merasa terpanggil untuk menangkap saat strategik ini dengan mengangkat alternatif Islam, sistem ekonomi Islam, sejenis faith based economy yang manusiawi dan bermoral tinggi?

Dalam keadaan terdesak seperti sekarang ini, mungkin orang lebih bersedia mempertimbangkan idea-idea alternatif. ”If there’s anyone out there who has a better idea, I’m sure the world would love to here about it.” Alangkah malangnya jika yang sedang terjadi ini benar-benar suatu kesempatan sejarah yang terlepas.

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Bahagian Kedua sedutan intisari daripada Amanat Pimpinan WADAH
Dato’ Dr Siddiq Fadil
Muktamar Nasional Ketiga Wadah Pencerdasan Umat Malaysia (WADAH)

Dakwah dan Misi Perubahan

Menangani Politik Perubahan dan Perubahan Politik (Bahagian 1)

Dakwah dan Misi Perubahan

Dialah yang telah mengutuskan dalam kalangan orang-orang (Arab) yang Ummiyyin, seorang Rasul (Nabi Muhammad s.a.w) dari bangsa mereka sendiri, yang membacakan kepada mereka ayat-ayat Allah (yang membuktikan keesaan Allah dan kekuasaanNya), dan membersihkan mereka (dari iktiqad yang sesat), serta mengajarkan mereka Kitab Allah (Al-Quran) dan Hikmah (pengetahuan yang mendalam mengenai hukum-hukum syarak) dan sesungguhnya mereka sebelum (kedatangan Nabi Muhammad) itu adalah dalam kesesatan yang nyata. (al jumu’ah:2)

Misi nabawi yang kita warisi terungkap dalam 3 T – tilawat (al-ayat), tazkiyat (al-nafs) dan ta’lim (al-kitab wa al-hikmah).

Ungkapan di hujung ayat….dan sesungguhnya mereka sebelumnya benar-benar dalam kesesatan yang nyata – adalah isyarat perubahan radikal iaitu dakwah transformatif.

Perjuangan 3 T menghasilkan transformasi kemanusiaan – perubahan bermakna, pembebasan daripada kesesatan dan pencerahan daripada kebingungan (taghyiriy-tahririy-tanwiriy).

Itulah teras perjuangan para anbiya’ dan mursalin sepanjang zaman.

Agen Perubahan

Kita tampil sebagai agent of change dengan komitmen suatu generasi. Kian perubahan yang diungkapkan dengan kata seperti change, reformasi, transformasi menjadi aspirasi masakini.

Krisis dan Perubahan (Dalam kesempitan selalu ada kesempatan)

Krisis politik-sosial-ekonomi ternyata mengandungi hikmah sebagai katalis perubahan. Krisis ekonomi Mesir membuka jalan kepada kebijaksanaan Nabi Yusuf a.s. Krisis kemanusiaan akibat regim teror Fir’aun memunculkan Nabi Musa a.s. dengan agenda perubahan nasib. Krisis keselamatan akibat teror ya’juj dan ma’juj mencetus model perubahan Dhu’l-Qarnayn.

Dakwah harus tajam daya renung, tepat analisis dan bijak manfaatkan saat strategik sejarah bagi menepati dakwah bi’l hikmah dan dakwah ’ala basirah:-

Katakanlah (wahai Muhammad): “Inilah jalanku, aku dan orang-orang yang menurutku, menyeru manusia umumnya kepada ugama Allah dengan berdasarkan keterangan dan bukti yang jelas nyata. Dan aku menegaskan: Maha suci Allah (dari segala iktiqad dan perbuatan syirik); dan bukanlah aku dari golongan yang mempersekutukan Allah dengan sesuatu yang lain.” (Yusuf:108)

Seorang ahli dakwah – da’i, perlu memahami segala maqasid segenap bidang – 'aqa'idnya, hukum-hakamnya dan adab-adabnya. Dakwah ’ala basirah bermakna ia perlu kenali realiti zaman, masyarakat zamannya, medan gelanggangnya dan pendekatan terbaik.

Para da’i perlu faham hakikat agama, realiti zaman dan suazana lingkungan. Perubahan (taghayyur) harus sentiasa diperhati dan diperhitungkan.


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Bahagian pertama catatan intisari daripada Amanat Pimpinan WADAH
Dato’ Dr Siddiq Fadil
Muktamar Nasional Ketiga Wadah Pencerdasan Umat Malaysia (WADAH)