Politik, Legislatif, Dasar dan Tadbir Urus

By William Pesek Bloombergview.com If Malaysian leader Najib Razak thought he already had problems at home, now he also needs to worry about a “Jokowi effect” spreading from neighboring Indonesia. On Monday, fresh-faced Joko "Jokowi" Widodo took the helm of the world’s fourth-most-populous nation. Throughout Southeast Asia, young voters have been gripped by the rise of this small businessman -- effectively a nobody -- to his nation’s highest office. Jokowi isn't the scion of any political dynasty or wealthy family, the normal routes to power in Southeast Asia . He’s a self-made outsider known for hands-on solutions and personal incorruptibility. Voters have to ask themselves why Jokowi’s story can’t be replicated in their own countries, many of which are crying out for more credible, effective leaders. Najib has particular reason to be concerned. His personal background -- as the son of Malaysia's 1970s Prime Minister Abdul Razak Hussein -- is one of privileg...

My article was earlier published in TheAntDaily.com on 17/10/2014 After more than 57 years of independence, it is indeed sad that we have yet to achieve the much desired one-nation and one-identity concept which stresses on equality for the citizenry regardless of race, culture or belief. The running of our nation’s affairs is still heavily dependent on race-based policies. In addition to all those race-based policies and systems, some followers of one particular religion have also systematically evolved into a machinery of threat and fear in order to control and subdue others into submission. A large number of elected representatives from the ruling party have also proven to be unable to articulate and analyse logically on issues of distributive and regulative justice. Instead, it seems that they prefer to harp on issues involving race, religion, the rulers, as well as fan hatred, violence and suspicion among Malaysians. Other concerns which are equally disturbing are the unjust poli...

By Peter Hartcher While Indonesia marked another democratic advance on Monday, democracy in neighbouring Malaysia goes backwards. Indonesia inaugurates the man that most voters chose to be leader, while Malaysia concludes a sham trial to destroy the man that most voters chose to be leader. Indonesia is conducting the first transfer of power from one directly elected president to another. Illustration: John Shakespeare And Malaysia? It remains under the control of the same party that has ruled continuously since independence in 1957. "While Indonesia is making huge progress, we are rewinding and the democratic space is going back to the Mahathir era of the 1990s," says Malaysia's opposition treasury spokesman, Rafizi Ramli, during a visit to Australia on Monday. "We have not recovered from last year's election." There is more than democracy at stake. A professor of political science at Monash University's Malaysian campus, James Chin, says...

By Richard Spencer, The Telegraph He has been in prison before, and has no wish to return. But when Anwar Ibrahim, long-serving figurehead of Malaysia's opposition, steps back on a plane he knows that may be exactly where he is headed. "Quite a few of my friends have tried to persuade me to stay away," he told The Telegraph on Friday. He would not be the first politician in flight from his government to seek refuge in London. "It is very difficult, particularly for my family. But when I started this case for reform in Malaysia I knew it was not going to be easy. "We are facing not just a political party but a whole system that is corrupt and repressive. But if people like me can't stand up against these atrocities what can we expect from young people?" Mr Ibrahim has been at the heart of one of the longest-running and most personal legal battles in world politics. Once upon a time, he was an internationally respected finance minister and deputy to Ma...

Indonesian scholar Dr Ulil Abshar Abdalla has waded into Malaysia's controversial "Allah" edict, saying Muslims who believe the word is exclusive to Islam were “confused” and noted the Arabic term predates Islam. Ulil, who was denied entry into Malaysia this month for allegedly opposing its Islamic stand, said Muslims did not have a monopoly of the word “Allah” as it was a general term to refer to God. Malaysia has declared “Allah” is exclusive only for Muslims, who are the majority among the 30 million population. “The term ‘Allah’ comes from two words which are ‘Al’ ‘and ‘Ilah’ which means God. “If we mention the word ‘Allah’, it is translated as God. The people of Mecca also used the word ‘Allah’ before Islam came,” he said in a recent telephone interview with The Malaysian Insider. Ulil said it was wrong for people to claim that Muslims alone could use the word “Allah” as it had been in use among the Arabs during the pre-Islamic era. “If Muslims now feel that the w...

Putrajaya is showing its "fundamentalist" stripes and is insulting the intelligence of Malaysian Muslims with its ban on Indonesian Muslim scholar Dr Ulil Abshar Abdalla from entering the country, say critics. Ulil's sponsor, the Islamic Renaissance Front (IRF) chief Dr Ahmad Farouk Musa said the government was showing its inconsistency in promoting moderation by preventing Ulil from visiting Malaysia to speak against religious fundamentalism. Former minister Datuk Zaid Ibrahim, meanwhile, called the government "fundamentalist" and said this episode was just the latest event that showed how extremist Malaysia had become. Zaid also called on Commonwealth countries leaders to stop being "polite" to Malaysia and to make it answer for its actions. "The government thinks that we do not have a mind of our own and we need to be guided on what to hear, what to read and what to think. Could there be anything more condescending than that?" F...

Mengimbas lebih 2,000 tahun, Datuk Zaid Ibrahim mengumpamakan keadaan semasa di Malaysia dengan Athens di mana pemimpinnya menghukum Socrates kerana mempromosikan 'idea berbahaya' kepada anak muda. Socrates, kata bekas menteri undang-undang itu, sebaliknya hanya meminta warga Athens mengemukakan soalan. Sama dengan keadaan sekarang, kata Zaid, orang Islam di Malaysia tidak dibenarkan mendengar pandangan berbeza kerana mereka kemudiannya mungkin belajar bertanya soalan. Beliau mendakwa pemimpin yang ada sungguh mengecewakan dan mementingkan diri sendiri. Menulis di blognya, Zaid turut membangkitkan persoalan bagaimana orang Melayu dan Islam akan menjalankan kewajipan mereka jika mindanya kaku. “Bagaimana mereka akan lakukannya tanpa kemampuan berfikir secara kritikal dan bertanya soalan? “Apa yang mereka tahu bagaimanapun menerima membuta tuli segala ritual yang diluluskan Jakim (Jabatan Kemajuan Islam Malaysia), tetapi ini tidak akan memacu minda aktif yang diperlukan untuk...