KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 22 - Muslim opposition leaders want the National Fatwa Council to be more specific in its edict so that Muslims can decide what forms of yoga are permissible.
PAS research chief Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad told The Malaysian Insider that the council should not make a blanket ban but “lay down what is or is not permissible about yoga.”
“This allows a Muslim to be critical of their own faith and empower them to make judgments based on convictions.”
The Kuala Selangor MP added that if the intention of taking up yoga was for the well-being of the body, mind and spirit, then religion need not come into it.
“There is no need for this siege mentality where everything is viewed from the perspective of encroaching on Islam and attacking us,” he said, adding that if one wanted to stray from Islam, there were other ways besides yoga to do it.
PKR Youth’s chief strategist Yusmadi Yusoff also said that the council needed to be more specific with what forms of yoga it found objectionable as generalising the entire art under a ban was discriminatory and denied Muslims a choice of a healthy lifestyle.
“The form of yoga practised in Malaysia is simply a healthy exercise. If the fatwa is on the basis of religious rituals or inclinations, then it must be more specific and detail what parts exactly,” he said.
The Balik Pulau MP also noted that other martial arts, including those in Malay culture, had religious inclination but were not banned outright and doing so, as with yoga, would sacrifice a lot of benefits as a physical and mental form of exercise.
The National Fatwa Council, the country’s top Islamic body, today ruled against Muslims practising yoga, saying it has elements of other religions that could corrupt Muslims as it includes Hindu spiritual elements of chanting and worship.
Though the council’s decisions are not legally binding on Malaysia’s Muslim population, many abide by the edicts out of deference, and the council does have the authority to ostracise an offending Muslim from society.
This has come after it recently banned Muslim women from “tomboy” behavior, ruling that girls who act like boys violate the tenets of Islam. The majority of yoga practitioners in Malaysia are female.
Both Dzulkefly and Yusmadi, however, believe that the fatwas did not reflect gender discrimination against female Muslims as claimed by women’s group Sisters in Islam.
Dzulkefly said that it was wrong in principle for women to behave like men or men to behave like women and the earlier fatwa presented a set of guidelines rather than a ban on an entire artform.
Sisters in Islam programme manager Norhayati Kaprawi also came out strongly against the fatwa, calling it the latest in a regressive trend for the country’s multiculturalism.
“There has been no report or complaint of any practitioner converting to Hinduism or that yoga has caused a Muslim’s faith to weaken,” she added.
The spokesperson for the Muslim women’s group said that many Muslims have been practising yoga for decades but no one has seen it as a religious matter up to now.
She said that there was no need to be suspicious of other religions and that these presumptions were the cause of the edict.
“When you come up with a national ruling, there must first be evidence of a problem. This is all based on negative presumptions.
“Any activity done with bad intentions can lead to negative implications,” she said, in refuting council chairman Datuk Dr Abdul Shukor Husin’s statement that the physical aspect of yoga should be avoided by Muslims as “doing one thing could lead to another.”
Several Muslims have also expressed consternation with the edict.
The Associated Press reported that yoga teacher Suleiha Merican, who has been practising yoga for 40 years, called yoga “a great health science” and there is no religion involved.
“We don’t do chanting and meditation. There is no conflict because yoga is not religion based,” Suleiha, 56, had said.
Putri Rahim, a housewife, said she is no less a Muslim after practising yoga for 10 years.
“I am mad! Maybe they have it in mind that Islam is under threat. To come out with a fatwa is an insult to intelligent Muslims. It’s an insult to my belief,” Putri told AP.
In a recent blog posting, social activist Datin Marina Mahathir criticised the council for even considering a yoga ban, calling it “a classic case of reacting out of fear and ignorance.”
Sharizal Shaarani, an executive told The Malaysian Insider that he could not see how yoga could affect a Muslim’s relationship with God.
“It is a petty thing. There are more important fatwas like on corruption for the council to address,” he said, adding that as practising yoga did not adversely affect the lives of others, others should not impose a set of values on the practitioners.
The Other Press

Tourism duo linked to 'dubious deals'Syed Jaymal Zahiid Jul 2, 08 9:51amTwo senior officials of a government-linked company have been implicated in a series of scams that have allegedly diverted millions of ringgit in tourism-development funds into private pockets.The duo are key figures in Pempena Sdn Bhd, or the national tourism development company. It was set up in 1976 by Tourism Malaysia, an agency of the Tourism Ministry.They are said to have:pocketed commissions when refinancing luxury vehicles for a high-end tourist taxi service;approved several contracts to RM2 companies supplying services for tourism-based projects;over-stated the cost of creating an e-tourism portal by about RM5 million; andbypassed the Pempena board of directors in ‘investing’ in a restaurant project in Melbourne.An insider said dissatisfied staff-members of Pempena had submitted a memorandum dated March 24 to current Tourism Minister Azalina Othman, but have not received a response to date.(Azalina, left, was appointed to the portfolio after the March 8 general election, but all the allegations are rooted in events that took place last year, when the Tourism Malaysia board of directors was helmed by former minister Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor, right.)The memorandum named accountant Lim Khing Tai and senior business development manager Raja Norsan Raja Nasron as the main persons behind the alleged scams.It also claimed that chief executive officer Razali Mohd Daud, who is also deputy director-general of Tourism Malaysia's promotions department, had done nothing despite having received complaints.“Pempena is in poor financial shape compared to 2003, when it had RM50 million for tourism development projects. It now faces several high risk non-profitable investments,” said the source, who gave Malaysiakini a copy of the memorandum.“The staff are angry because all this is due to corruption, criminal breach of trust and abuse of power by top managers.According to the memorandum, the RM2 companies were not examined properly for their track-record and background before the investment decisions were made, “which goes against company and financial institution rules”.“An accountant is professionally bound not to be involved in all tender-related matters, but Lim appointed his people to the tender committee in order to get projects for companies in which he has an interest,” alleged the source.When contacted for a second time on Monday, Lim denied all the allegations and suggested that he was being targeted by "racists" in Pempena. An independent probe is underway, he said.The other two officials could not be reached for comment since last Friday. Their personal assistants claimed that they were busy with meetings.Accusations in memorandumThe nine-page memorandum, entitled ‘Current Issues in Pempena Sdn Bhd’, was signed by 20 employees. Copies were sent to the four-member Pempena board of directors, and 11 directors of the Tourism Malaysia board.It outlined the main accusations. Specific details were missing from some of the points, but the source filled in a few of the gaps.Luxury taxi projectEarly last year, Tourism Malaysia approved RM5 million to provide a first-class taxi service - known as Pempena Executive Taxi - for the use of high-end tourists in Kuala Lumpur.According to the memorandum, Lim had an interest in the companies picked to supply the 30 luxury vehicles “and the contract was awarded to non-bumiputera companies”.“Then six months later, he applied for re-financing of the cars through a bank. He made a profit from the commission accruing from this transaction, which should have gone into Pempena’s accounts,” said the source, who could not specify the sum involved.Also alleged was that Lim had assigned seven of the 100 luxury cars - two Naza Ria, two Mercedes Vito and three Mercedes Benz E200K - for private use.The contract to convert the cars into taxis - including installing a NGV system - was also given to suppliers close to Lim, stated the memorandum.Contracts for servicesLim and Raja Norsan were also implicated in approving contracts to companies created to supply services for four tourism-based projects.One project allegedly involved an up-front payment of RM1 million to a communication development company. However, details were not available.Similar payments were approved last September to set up the Langkawi International Fashion Zone - a fashion hub - and MAS BE, a chartered airline operating China-bound flights.“In the Langkawi International Fashion Zone project, Lim managed to get companies affiliated to him to act as suppliers of equipment with the help of Raja Norsan and his minions,” said the source.“A contract for renovations under the same project was granted directly to the contractor instead of being put through an open-tender process. The cost ballooned, and Lim did not provide any proper justification to the board of directors.”The source questioned why the MAS BE project was used to fly tourists to China, when Tourism Malaysia had allocated RM600,000 for a promotional programme to bring tourists to Malaysia.A few months after the payment was received, “the venture died and no one has questioned what has happened to it”.E-tourism portal projectThe memorandum further claimed that Lim and Raja Norsan had manipulated the use of RM10 million allocated by the Tourism Ministry to set up an e-Tourism portal.“Only RM2.5 million was spent on the venture, and the rest has disappeared into thin air,” claimed the source.“Lim’s involvement was exposed by Pempena’s legal officers, when they were drawing up the contract documents for the company appointed to handle the project.”The source did not have further details on what happened subsequently.Restaurant in MelbourneThe duo was also said to have opened a restaurant in Melbourne, Australia, last year by using Pempena’s name to obtain a bank loan of RM500,000.“However, the project was not approved by the board of directors and it was carried out in collaboration with a company that had been blacklisted by Bank Negara,” claimed the source, without revealing the company’s name.Lim and Raja Norsan had gotten away with all this, alleged the source, by not revealing full details of the deals to the Pempena board.“They always used the names of Tengku Adnan and (former deputy tourism minister Donald Lim, left) in saying that the decisions had been approved. But did they really approve all this?” the source asked.Accountant denies claimsWhen first contacted last Friday, the accountant said he had seen the memorandum and that the allegations against him are baseless.“An independent audit (panel) has already been set up by Tourism Malaysia and Pempena,” said Lim, who sounded jovial during the five- minute phone conversation.He said the allegations may have been prompted by “racism in a Malay- dominated government-linked company”, referring to segments that highlight the awarding of contracts to non-bumiptera companies.Although he had initially declined to be named, he agreed to being quoted when contacted again on Monday. He also reiterated his earlier comments.On Jan 11, Malaysiakini had reported a scandal,where two high-ranking Tourism Malaysia officers in the South Korea office had allegedly pocketed RM850,000 slated for the production of a video to promote Malaysia to South Koreans.

Catatan kematian II
Ahmad Lutfi Othman Wed Nov 12, 08 6:05:11 pm MYT
Ramai juga yang agak terkejut dengan tulisan saya minggu lalu mengenai kematian. Ada kawan-kawan yang khuatir, menyangka mungkin penyakit saya di tahap kritikal. Mereka maklum tentang kondisi tubuh saya yang sering lemah sejak lama.
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Saya mengaku sedang bercuti panjang tetapi artikel itu hanya peringatan untuk diri, dan juga pembaca, lagi pun ini bukan kali pertama saya mengimbau tentang panggilan maut. Pemergian secara tiba-tiba anak perempuan saya, Nurul Syafiqah, ketika berusia 11 tahun, 1 Ramadan tiga tahun lalu, pernah saya rakamkan, dan ia mendapat reaksi meluas.
Akur saat pemisah semakin dekat
Tidak mudah mengajak orang berfikir dan merenung tentang hakikat mati yang pasti tiba itu. Semua akur bahawa saat pemisah itu tidak akan mungkir. Setiap detik berlalu bermakna kita makin dekat menghampirinya. Setiap majlis hari lahir yang disambut bermakna kian singkatlah baki umur. Hakikatnya, usia kita semakin berkurang, bukan bertambah.
Kehidupan sebenarnya semakin bermakna dan dihargai jika mati sering diingati. Lalu, silaplah tanggapan teman saya yang menelah artikel saya itu bernada kecewa dan pesimistik.
Kita juga tidak perlu diberitahu bila ajal bakal menjemput - misalnya dua bulan lagi, seperti mungkin pernah dialami individu yang kita kenal - sebelum kita dapat melihat kehidupan ini dari sudut pandang berbeza. Pesalah yang menunggu jerutan tali gantung mungkin mempunyai tempoh hayat lebih lama berbanding kita - saya atau anda!
Tertarik saya dengan ulasan seorang blogger terhadap buku Memaknai Kematian, karya Jalaluddin Rakhmat: " ... kebanyakan (buku tentang mati) dengan cara penyampaian yang "menyeramkan" dan "mengancam". Selalu terasa, kematian adalah sesuatu yang menakutkan. Mulai dari prosesnya sampai setelahnya. Alam kubur begitu seram kita bayangkan dengan serangkaian siksanya. Namun tidak dengan buku ini. Ia memberikan cara lain dalam penyampaian tentang apa itu kematian sekali gus menyajikan perspektif lain dalam memandang kematian.
"Dalam buku ini kematian diibaratkan dengan kamar mandi. Tempat menyucikan diri dari kotoran yang melekat pada tubuh. Karena itu adalah tempat untuk membersihkan, buat apa kemudian kita takut?"
Diceritakan cucu Rasulullah yang kesembilan, ketika mengunjungi seorang yang sakit parah. Orang yang sakit itu takut luar biasa menghadapi kematian. Wajahnya resah gelisah, sama sekali tak tampak kedamaian. "Wahai hamba Allah, kamu takut kematian karena kamu tidak memahami arti kematian. Sekarang katakan kepadaku, andaikan tubuhmu dilumuri kotoran, sehingga kamu merasa tidak enak dan merasakan kepedihan dalam seluruh tubuhmu. Lalu kamu membersihkannya di kamar mandi, sehingga kamu merasa bebas dari kotoran dan rasa sakit itu. Dalam kondisi demikian, apa yang hendak kamu lakukan: Ingin membersihkan diri dari kotoran itu atau kamu enggan mandi dan senang dalam keadaan kotor?" Orang yang sakit itu menjawab, "Wahai cucu Rasulullah, saya lebih baik memilih mandi membersihkan diri."
Kematian kesempatan untuk membersihkan diri
Cucu Nabi berkata, "Ketahuilah, kematian sama dengan kamar mandi. Kematianmu adalah kesempatanmu yang terakhir untuk membersihkan kamu dari dosa-dosamu. Membersihkan kamu dari keburukan-keburukanmu. Jika kematian menjemputmu sekarang, tak meragukan lagi bahwa kematian itu akan membebaskanmu dari semua derita dan kepedihan serta akan memperoleh kebahagiaan yang abadi."
Orang yang sakit tadi berubah cerah ceria, kedamaian tampak di wajahnya. Kemudian dengan cara yang sangat indah, ia menyerahkan dirinya pada kematian, dengan penuh harapan akan akasih sayang Allah. Ia menutup matanya, kerana telah melihat kebenaran dan segera menemui tempat tinggalnya yang abadi.
Ibnu Qayyim pernah menyebut bahawa sakaratul maut adalah salah satu cara penebusan dosa manusia.
Kang Jalal seterusnya melanjutkan, lantaran kematian itu sesuatu yang pasti, kita tidak hanya dituntut mempersiapkan diri untuk menghadapinya, tetapi juga, kalau bisa, memilih cara kematian itu terjadi. Cara kematian yang terhormat, punya makna bagi kehidupan orang lain. Bukan kematian yang sia-sia dan tidak bermakna, seperti kematian seorang pengecut.
"Berani menghadapi kematian, sama artinya dengan berani menghadapi kehidupan," ujarnya.
Saya tidak pasti siapa pernah menuturkan, namun ia membekas dalam diri: "Apa yang ditakutkan dengan mati di medan tempur, atau di tali gantung, atau di depan penembak tepat, sekiranya kita di atas landasan kebenaran. Sakit menghadapi mati itu sama sahaja walaupun nafas kita berakhir di atas tilam yang empuk kerana yang menentukan derita sakaratul maut adalah amalan kita, bukannya cara kematian itu sendiri."
Persiapan mati mementingkan diri?
Soalan timbul, apakah dengan mengingati mati maka hidup ini akan ditumpukan demi "kepentingan diri" melakukan ibadah khusus semata? Ia sebenarnya tidak berbangkit memandangkan amal soleh itu sendiri mencakupi semua dimensi, duniawi dan ukhrawi, daripada bangun di tengah malam sehingga menyantuni fakir miskin dan memenuhi keperluan golongan terpinggir.
Siapa tidak terkesan dengan detik-detik akhir Nabi menjelang kewafatan, meskipun baginda bakal menemui Kekasih yang dirinduinya. Apabila diberitahu Jibril bahawa "pintu-pintu langit telah terbuka, para malaikat telah menanti ruhmu. Semua syurga terbuka lebar menanti kedatanganmu," ia masih tidak menggembirakan lagi Rasulullah.
"Khabarkan bagaimana nasib umatku kelak?" kata Nabi. Maknanya, baginda sentiasa memikirkan nasib "orang lain". Malah, ada riwayat mengatakan Nabi mahu memikul segala keperitan maut asalkan siksanya tidak ditimpakan kepada umatnya. Selain membisikkan nasihat terakhir kepada menantunya Ali agar memelihara solat, Nabi berpesan, "peliharalah orang-orang lemah di antaramu". Dan kalimah "ummati, ummati, ummati," mengakhiri kehidupan insan paling mulia itu.
Justeru, "kepentingan orang lain" harus menjadi keutamaan kita meskipun sibuk membuat persiapan menghadapi mati.
Ketika menulis artikel ini, saya baru saja tamat membaca riwayat hidup bekas Timbalan Perdana Menteri, Tun Dr Ismail Abdul Rahman, karya Ooi Kee Beng. Tun Ismail dan rakan karibnya, Perdana Menteri Tun Abdul Razak Hussein didapati menghidap penyakit serius, masing-masing masalah injap jantung (juga kanser leher) dan leukemia. Penyakit Tun Razak dikesan sudah begitu serius pada akhir 1969.
Rahsia itu hanya diketahui mereka berdua dan dua tiga sahabat peribadi Tun Ismail yang semuanya diminta bersumpah tidak akan membocorkannya. Doktor memberitahu hayat Tun Razak paling lama empat tahun, meskipun akhirnya bertahan enam tahun.
Rahsia dibawa ke mati
Takdir menentukan Tun Ismail pergi dahulu, pada malam Jumaat 2 Ogos 1973, ketika isterinya baru selesai operasi pembedahan kecil di hospital, manakala Tun Razak di Ottawa, Kanada, menghadiri mesyuarat ketua-ketua kerajaan Komanwel. Pada sebelah petangnya, Tun Ismail, pemangku Perdana Menteri, baru merasmikan sambutan jubli perak GPMS di Kampung Bahru.
Satu letupan sebagai kesan bunyi acara sambutan begitu mengejutkan Tun Ismail. Anaknya, Zailah, 20 tahun, yang menonton majlis itu melalui televisyen di rumahnya melihat Tun Ismail bermandi peluh selepas letupan berlaku.
Menarik untuk diperhatikan bagaimana dua negarawan ulung itu memanfaatkan baki usia mereka selepas mengetahui detik-detik kematian begitu hampir. Buku yang baik untuk dibaca. _

Obama Wins, Muslims Divided
by Daniel PipesPhiladelphia BulletinNovember 12, 2008http://www.danielpipes.org/article/6017
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Ali ibn Abi-Talib, the seventh-century figure central to Shiite Islam, is said to have predicted when the world will end, columnist Amir Taheri points out. A "tall black man" commanding "the strongest army on earth" will take power "in the west." He will carry "a clear sign" from the third imam, Hussein. Ali says of the tall black man: "Shiites should have no doubt that he is with us."

An Iranian in Tehran sports a badge of Barack Obama. (AP: Hasan Sarbakhshian)Barack Hussein in Arabic means "the blessing of Hussein." In Persian, Obama translates as "He [is] with us." Thus does the name of the presumptive American president-elect, when combined with his physical attributes and geography, suggest that the End of Times is nigh – precisely what Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has been predicting.
Back down on earth, the Muslim reaction to Obama's victory is more mixed than one might expect.
American Islamists are delighted; an umbrella group, the American Muslim Taskforce on Civil Rights and Election, opined that, with Obama's election, "Our nation has … risen to new majestic heights." Siraj Wahhaj, Al-Hajj Talib Abdur Rashid, the Council on American Islamic Relations, the Muslim Public Affairs Council, the Islamic Society of North America, the Islamic Circle of North America, and the Muslim Alliance in North America responded with similar exuberance.
Hamas, and Islamist movements in Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, India, Indonesia and the Philippines delighted in Obama's election. Robert Spencer of Jihad Watch generalizes that jihadists and Islamic supremacists worldwide showed "unalloyed joy." The New York Times finds public reaction in the Middle East mostly "euphoric." John Esposito of Georgetown University emphasizes the Muslim world's welcome to Obama as an "internationalist president."
But plenty of other Muslims have other views. Writing in Canada's Edmonton Sun, Salim Mansur found John McCain the "more worthy candidate." Yusif al-Qaradawi, the Al-Jazeera sheikh, endorsed McCain for opposite reasons: "This is because I prefer the obvious enemy who does not hypocritically [conceal] his hostility toward you… to the enemy who wears a mask [of friendliness]." Al-Qaradawi also argued that twice as many Iraqis died during Bill Clinton's two administrations than during George W. Bush's.

For tactical reasons, the influential Sunni sheikh Yusif al-Qaradawi wanted John McCain to win.Iran's hardliners also favored a McCain victory (according to Iran's former Vice President Mohammad Ali Abtahi) "because they benefit more from enmity with the U.S., which allows them to rally the Islamic world behind their policies and at the same time suppress dissent at home." The Taliban took note of Obama's election promise to increase U.S. troops in Afghanistan, warning that, should he fulfill this plan, "jihad and resistance will be continued."
Iraqis are intensively divided about Obama's plan quickly to withdraw U.S. troops from their country. That plan, plus promises to end U.S. dependence on Middle East oil and to negotiate with Iranian leaders, rattled the leaders of Saudi Arabia and other Persian Gulf governments.
Some commentators argue that Obama cannot make a real difference; an Iranian newspaper declares him unable to alter a system "established by capitalists, Zionists, and racists." Predictably, the appointment of Rahm Emanuel as Obama's chief of staff confirmed Palestinian perceptions of an omnipotent Israel lobby. A commentator in the United Arab Emirates went further, predicting Obama's replication of Jimmy Carter's trajectory of flamboyant emergence, failure in the Middle East, and electoral defeat.
In all, these mixed reactions from Muslims suggest puzzlement at the prospect of a U.S. president of Islamic origins who promises "change," yet whose foreign policy may buckle under the constraints of his office. In other words, Muslims confront the same question mark hanging over Obama as everyone else:
Never before have Americans voted into the White House a person so unknown and enigmatic. Emerging from a hard-left background, he ran, especially in the general election, mostly as a center-left candidate. Which of these positions will he adopt as president? More precisely, where along the spectrum from hard- to center-left will he land?
Looking at the Arab-Israeli conflict, for example, will Obama's policies reflect Rashid Khalidi, the ex-PLO flak he befriended in the 1990s, or Dennis Ross, his recent campaign advisor and member of my board of editors? No one can yet say.
Still, one can predict. Should Obama return to his hard left roots, Muslim euphoria will largely continue. Should he seek to make his presidency a success by moving to the center-left, many – but hardly all – Muslims will experience severe disillusionment.

Dr Mahathir persoal dari mana pendapatan Zaid Ibrahim
Abdul Aziz Mustafa Wed Nov 12, 08 1:39:28 am MYT
KUALA LUMPUR, 12 Nov (Hrkh) - Bekas Perdana Menteri, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad mempersoalkan adakah bekas Menteri di Jabatan Perdana Menteri, Dato' Zaid Ibrahim tidak menutup peguam Bumiputera jika pendapatannya yang tinggi datang daripada urusan-urusan berkaitan dengan kes-kes penswastaan kerajaan.
"Apakah mungkin pendapatan yang tinggi dan banyak ini datang daripada urusan-urusan berkaitan dengan kes-kes penswastaan Kerajaan dan lain-lain keperluan "conveyancing" Kerajaan? Ini sangkaan saya sahaja. Jika tidak benar tunjuk bukti yang ianya tidak benar.
"Jika benar patutkah bekas Menteri ini tutup mata pencarian yang lumayan ini kepada peguam Bumiputera yang lain kerana ingin dikenali sebagai seorang yang liberal yang tolak Dasar Ekonomi Baru dengan peluang-peluang untuk Bumiputera?" beliau mempersoalkan ketika mengulas kenyataan Zaid bahawa bahawa bayaran ex-gratia kepada hakim-hakim yang dipecat oleh tribunal dalam krisis kehakiman 1988 adalah bersesuaian.
"Saya bersetuju dengan Datuk Zaid Ibrahim, bekas (mantan) Menteri Undang-undang de fakto bahawa bayaran ex-gratia RM5 juta adalah bersesuaian jika dibanding dengan pendapatan peguam terkemuka di negara ini yang mencecah RM2 juta setahun.
"Bahawa peguam terkemuka di Malaysia mendapat RM2 juta setahun amat memberangsangkan saya. Jelas sekali saya telah pilih karier yang salah kerana Perdana Menteri mendapat hanya RM240,000 setahun. Ini tentulah kerana tanggungjawab Perdana Menteri tidak seberat peguam," kata Dr Mahathir dengan nada sinis yang menjadi kebiasaannya.
Dakwaan Zaid tentang pendapatan peguam terkemuka tentulah diasaskan kepada pengetahuan dan pengalaman beliau sebagai pemilik firma guaman yang mempunyai 100 peguam, kata Dr Mahathir.
"Saya tidak pernah baca berkenaan Datuk Zaid Ibrahim, bekas Menteri Undang-undang mempertahankan mana-mana penjenayah atau anak guam dalam mahkamah.
"Jadi saya tertanya-tanya daripada manakah datangnya pendapatan yang lumayan bagi firma guamannya dan sudah tentu dirinya sendiri," katanya.
Dengan nada sinis Dr Mahathir bertanya "apa perlunya dasar-dasar DEB selepas kita sudah sampai ke atas?"
"Buang sahajalah supaya orang lain tidak mendapat manfaat daripadanya".
Parti Keadilan sedang menggamit, katanya lagi.
"Tempat tertentu boleh dikosongkan supaya calon baru dapat mengisinya. Duit tak penting. Apabila pendapatan sudah sebanyak RM2 juta setahun siapa perlu jawatan Menteri yang tidak menjanjikan pendapatan yang setanding?"_

Melayu paling ramai berpendapatan bawah RM1,000
Roy Rasul Tue Nov 11, 08 3:55:36 pm MYT
KUALA LUMPUR, 11 Nov (Hrkh) - Jabatan Perdana Menteri mendedahkan orang Melayu paling ramai yang berpendapatan di bawah RM1,000 sebulan berbanding dengan kaum lain di negara ini.

Perkara ini diperolehi melalui perangkaan yang dibuat oleh Penyiasatan Pendapatan Isi Rumah (HIS) yang terkini tahun 2007 yang dijalankan Jabatan Perangkaan Malaysia, kata Timbalan Menteri di Jabatan Perdana Menteri, S K Devamany di Persidangan Dewan Rakyat, dekat sini, hari ini.
Beliau berkata, anggaran isi rumah yang berpendapatan di bawah RM1,000 sebulan itu dijalankan ke atas seramai 496,500 isi rumah.
Daripada jumlah tersebut katanya, pecahan mengikut kaum ialah seramai 301,000 (Melayu), 50,900 (Cina), 29,000 (India), 29,300 (Kadazan), 7,500 (orang Asli) dan kaum lain - 78,800.
Bagi kumpulan berpendapatan RM1,001 hingga RM2,000 pula, keseluruhan bilangan isi rumah ialah 1,695,900 di mana daripada jumlah tersebut 976,500 adalah (Melayu),300,800 (Cina), 121,500 (India), 15,300 (Kadazan), 2,500 (orang Asli) dan lain-lain 89,9000," katanya yang menjawab soalan yang dibangkitkan Dr Michael Jeyakumar Devaraj (KeADILan - Sungai Siput) dalam sesi soal jawab.
Keseluruhan bilangan isi rumah berpendapatan RM2,001 hingga RM3,000 Melayu juga paling tinggi iaitu 614,700, berbanding Cina 300,800 dan India 121,500 daripada jumlahnya keseluruhan isi rumah iaitu sebanyak 1,144,700.
Manakala, kumpulan pendapatan RM3,001 hingga 4,000 kaum Melayu berada di tempat teratas iaitu 380,500 daripada keseluruhan isi rumah 734,000.
Beliau berkata, bagi julat pendapatan antara RM5,001 hingga RM10,000 yang melibatkan 914,200 isi rumah Melayu sebanyak 419,200 berbanding Cina sebanyak 368,400.
Sementara itu beliau berkata, kumpulan berpendapatan RM10,001 -RM20,000 dengan melibatkan 235,300 isi rumah kaum Cina menguasai pendapatan tersebut iaitu sebanyak 118,700 berbanding Malayu 85,700 dan India 23,400.
"Kumpulan pendapatan melebihi RM20,000 pula terdapat 49,500 isi rumah dan daripada jumlah tersebut 16,500 merupakan isi rumah Melayu, 27,900 Cina, 3,600 India dan 1,500 dari lain-lain kumpulan etnik," katanya. - mks. _

Jika mengetahui penghujung usia kita
Ahmad Lutfi Othman Mon Nov 10, 08 1:31:08 pm MYT
Apa perasaan anda jika tiba-tiba diberitahu menghidap penyakit kronik, yang selalunya - berdasarkan pengalaman pesakit serupa - tidak mempunyai peluang untuk hidup lebih lama?
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Atau mungkinanda dapat terus menghirup udara segar, namun sudah tidak berupaya bebas bergerak, segalanya perlu dipapah dan bantu, dan hanya terlantar menanti keajaiban untuk sembuh. Allah Maha Mengetahui akhiran hidup kita.
Perhatikan sekeliling kita. Tidak perlu pergi jauh untuk mencari contoh. Berapa ramai anggota keluarga dan kenalan rapat pergi buat selamanya tanpa sempat mengucapkan selamat tinggal.
Ada teman baik yang nampak sihat, segar bugar, tiba-tiba kita mendapat khabar meninggal dunia ketika tidur.
Ada saudara-mara yang baru bertemu pada hari lebaran lalu, di hening malam kita dikejutkan panggilan telefon memaklumkan diserang angin ahmar, terus koma hingga dijemput Ilahi.
Ada rakan sekerja, belum pun mencecah usia 30 tahun, berpotensi hebat dalam kerjaya, hanya mengadu sakit sekitar matanya, bila diperiksa doktor, masya-Allah, rupanya tanpa disedari sudah lama kanser bersarang. Tidak sampai dua minggu selepas itu, ajalnya tiba. Itu belum dihitung kes-kes kemalangan maut yang menyambar tanpa sebarang amaran awal.
Sememangnya kita dituntut agar sentiasa bersedia, membuat persiapan secukupnya, bagi menghadapi maut. "Dan hendaklah kamu membawa bekal dengan secukupnya, sesungguhnya sebaik-baik bekal itu ialah takwa; dan bertakwalah kepadaKu wahai orang-orang yang berakal." (maksud al-Baqarah: 197)
Saidina Ali r.a. ketika ditanya tentang takwa menjawab: " Taqwa adalah takut kepada Allah Yang Maha Agung, melaksanakan segala perintah yang diturunkan, reda dengan nikmat yang ada meskipun sedikit dan sentiasa dalam keadaan siap sedia menghadapi maut sebelum kedatangannya."
Soalnya, berapa ramai yang mengambil pengajaran dan iktibar daripada terkaman maut, kecuali dalam tempoh masa yang begitu singkat, untuk kemudiannya melupakan, hinggalah dikejutkan kembali dengan tragedi seterusnya. Ya, sesungguhnya, insan memang mudah alpa dan banyak pula dalehnya.
Benar, sakit merupakan nikmat, mengingatkan yang lupa, menyedarkan yang leka, dan jugasatu "cara" untuk meningkatkan martabat seseorang jika setulusnya reda dengan ujian Tuhan itu.
Berapa ramai orang yang disuntik kesedaran mendalam, keinsafan seikhlasnya, hanya setelah melalui sakit dan derita berpanjangan. Tidak kurang yang mengucap syukur kerananyawa tidak direntap dengan tiba-tiba, tetapi didahului peringatan sakit, membuatkan kita sempat bertaubat, sehingga mampu merencana hidup baru dengan usia yang berbaki.
Dengan begitu banyak peristiwa yang hadir di kiri kanan, mengapa terlalu sukar untuk rasa insaf merubah gaya hidup kita? Mengapa hati ini terlalu keras untuk memerhatikan kejadian dan gerak alam untuk kita mengambil manfaat daripadanya, sebelum segalanya sudah terlambat apabila roh tercabut dari jasad?
Perhatikan jejak usia yang ditinggalkan. Memang pantas sekali ia beredar. 40 tahun berlalu seolah-olah baru semalam dilepaskan. Masih terbayang-bayang zaman kanak-kanak di kampung.
Lintasan ingatan kian segar di bangku sekolah, guru-guru yang mendidik, kawan-kawan sepermainan, ibu ayah yang menyayangi, nenek dan datuk yang mengambil berat. Satu demi satu adegan kehidupan pahit-manis bersilih ganti.
Dan kerdilnya diri mengenangkan dosa dan maksiat, sambil membilang sekelumit jasa yang ditinggalkan, ya ... alangkah kecilnya.
Menginjak dewasa, kesibukan berkeluarga dan berkerjaya sering menjadi hambatan. Banyak yang dikejar umpama fatamorgana, dan kegelisahan menggapai cita-cita sukar diredakan. Segalanya seperti tidak mencukupi.
Dalam keadaan itu, jika kita dapat berhenti sejenak, dan sempat bermuhasabah tentang erti hidup yang makin hilang, mungkin ia seperti satu kurniaan nikmat yang begitu hebat.
Ramai yang bergelut hanya mencari kehidupan untuk diri sendiri. Amat kecil sumbangan untuk orang lain. Walhal sebahagian kebahagiaan adalah apabila kita dapat membahagiakan orang lain, apatah lagi mereka yang memusuhi kita.
Ingatlah, janji dengan Allah masih banyak belum tertunai. Dosa dengan makhlukNya tidak tertebus. Sedang malaikat maut mungkin sedang mengintai di jendela. Lalu, apa jawab nurani anda jika mengetahui derap langkah kita di dunia ini menghadapi penghujungnya.
"Cepat-cepatlah tulis autobiografi," gurau seorang kawan bila mendapat tahu saya sering sakit. Saya tidak pula mengambil berat saranannya kerana ... apalah sangat yang mahu dikongsi pengalaman hidup yang mendatar-kelabu ini, dan benarkah sudah singkat benar baki usiaku! - mks. _

Changing Mindsets
M. Bakri Musa (www.bakrimusa.com)


[Talk given at a forum at the University of Buffalo, on November 1, 2008, themed “Alif Ba Ta, Towards the New Malay,” organized by Kelab UMNO New York-New Jersey.]


We are familiar with E H Weber’s three-bowl water experiment where if you were to put your right hand in a basin of warm water and the left in cold, and then both in a bowl of water at room temperature, the right would feel it as cold while the left, warm. The physical reality is the same yet your perception is very different, in fact the very opposite.
Dispensing with the philosophical discussion on the meaning of reality, I would modify the oft-quoted observation that “perception is reality” to “perception creates the reality.”
We view reality through our own special lens, which imparts its own hue and tint, the consequence of our experiences and expectations as shaped by, among others, our culture, language, and environment. Language especially, as it is more than just a means of communication; it is also our collective way of looking at and understanding the world, the basic thesis of Edward Sapir.
Additionally, the reality we perceive depends on how it is being framed. Framing, by definition, means highlighting certain elements and excluding others.


Fixed Versus Growth Mindset

While we cannot remove those personal lenses, we can be made aware of the consequent possible distortions and amplifications. One way would be to purposefully put on another pair of lens over it. Only then would we notice that all lenses carry their own special tinting and refracting.
Behind those lenses is our brain that processes all these signals and tries to discern the pattern. This neurological complex is our mindset, the fixed mental attitude or disposition that predetermines our responses to and interpretations of situations; our inclination or habit.
The Stanford psychologist Carol Dweck suggests that one has either a “fixed mindset” or a “growth mindset.” The first group view their talent and ability as fixed, and that their lot in life is ultimately tied up with their innate nature.
Those with the growth mindset believe that their fate is dependent on how adaptive they are in seizing opportunities, as well as how well they grow with and adapt to their experiences. They do not believe that their fate is dependent on what nature had bestowed upon them, the benevolence of some remote emperor, or what had been written in the book of life.
In medieval times those of the fixed mindset believed that their fate was set at birth. Born a peasant and you would always remain one, and so would your children and their children. This was continually reinforced by cultural beliefs and religious convictions (predetermination). In this scientific age, those with a fixed mindset attribute their success to their innate ability, which ultimately is related to their genes.
Scientific sophism aside, this biologic determinism is just as crippling as the religious pre-determinism of yore (or still is today in many Muslim societies).
The good news is that even if you are of the fixed mindset, you can change it into the growth mindset. Dweck’s book, Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, suggests a number of ways of recognizing whether you are of a fixed mindset, and then learning on how to change it to a growth one.
Changing mindset requires tackling the problem at two levels: individual and societal. Your being here at this conference means that you already have a growth mindset, you have the curiosity to consider contrasting viewpoints.
Your studying at an American university means that you are primed for a growth mindset. To come here you have to have learned English, which is not your native language. That also opens up your mind to looking at the world in a different way, as per Sapir’s thesis. The earlier you learn this second language the greater is the ease with which you can learn it, and the easier is it for you to appreciate that reality can be viewed from different perspectives. This confers other significant cognitive advantages.
Coming here also means living in a different culture in the formative years of your life, another growth mindset primer. To get the maximal benefit however, you must partake fully in your new environment and seize it as an opportunity to enrich your life. You would limit this opportunity were you to cocoon yourself within the familiar environment of your campus and fellow countrymen.
American universities have a unique tradition of liberal education. The best definition of a liberal education is this: It cultivates the mind and refines judgment. Few systems of higher education in the world offer this opportunity to indulge your intellectual curiosity, and explore disciplines that at this stage may seem unrelated to your ultimate career choice. I say at this stage, for as you advance in your career you will find that you will fall back on the wisdom and insights you have gleaned from those apparently unrelated disciplines.
These advantages would be for naught if you have a fixed mindset. Indeed that would only reinforce your preexisting perceptions and prejudices, what social scientists refer to as “confirmation bias,” the tendency to search for or interpret new information in a way that confirms your preconceptions and avoid those that do not. If you believe that the West is inherently decadent, then when visiting Washington, D.C., all you would see only are the porn shops, street potholes, and the homeless pandering. You would certainly miss Georgetown University, Library of Congress, and the National Institutes of Health.
The writer Anis Sabirin, a former Fulbright scholar and who spent decades living in Los Angeles, related in her memoir Dua Dunia (Two Worlds) her experience driving across America and visiting the Library of Congress. She was treated with the utmost courtesy and given all the help she needed, in contrast to her miserable experience at the University of Malaya library where she was a former faculty member!
Anis Sabirin is a Claremont PhD in economics; she is the beneficiary of America’s tradition of liberal education. Even though she is passionate about her love for Malaysia as reflected in her stirring syairs, yet she has an open attitude to discern these differences. That is the essence of having a growth mindset.
These two activities – traveling and reading (as reflected by visiting libraries) – are the best ways to enhance a growth mindset, as long as you keep an open mind and be aware of the dangers of confirmation bias. Restrictions on travel, standard in China, Russia and other repressive societies, together with book banning and burning, are the crudest expression of this fixed mindset.
While all of you here are primed for a growth mindset, the opportunities for those back home are much more restricted if not non-existent. Even if they were so inclined to be curious and explore new vistas, the environment is far from conducive, in fact it is downright repressive.


Personal Merdeka

Tradition has it that when an Orang Asli young man comes of age, he would be given his axe and then told to leave the tribal home to fend for himself in the jungle. That is one quick and sure way to learn your way in this world! This ritual “leaving home” symbolizes liberation, a personal merdeka of sorts. The axe represents the appropriate tool for surviving the jungle. That is what we should be doing with our young; liberate them and equip them with the necessary tool, which in the current world would mean knowledge.
We can nurture a growth mindset in our young through enlightened educational policies. One way would be to develop the child’s full spectrum of talent, from learning a second language early to exposing them to the performing and fine arts as well as sports. Only through this wide exposure would we ensure not missing the child’s hidden talent. Further, studies have shown that when a child excels in one area, that transfers on to other areas.
Our universities should emphasize liberal education, with students exposed to the humanities as well as the social and natural sciences regardless of their ultimate career choices. Professional qualifications like law and medicine should be graduate degrees after having obtained a solid liberal education.
As for culture, its tendency is inherently conservative, towards maintaining the status quo. Culture nurtures the fixed mindset, especially so in traditional societies. Malay culture is definitely that, with its emphasis on titles, honorifics, and social hierarchy.
This deference is reinforced by our religion, or rather the way we teach it. We emphasize taqlid, the following of edicts of earlier scholars. It is interesting that the word taqlîd is derived from the root qallada, meaning, “to place a collar (qilâdah) around the neck,” thus leading someone “by the collar.”
We should pay due deference to precedents so as to maintain stability, but we should not be trapped by it. To me that is what taqlid means, not blindly following those before you but being guided by them.


Fear of Failure

One crucial cultural attribute to enhancing the growth mindset is the healthy attitude towards failure. In Silicon Valley, a failed entrepreneur would recoup and then try again. He or she considers his failure as a badge of honor, at least on becoming successful. Failure is viewed as a learning experience. In Malay culture we berate those who have bravely tried but failed, instead of offering help and encouragement. Worse, he or she would forever be tagged as a failure and be looked upon as reflecting all the inadequacies of his race.
This fear of and stigma associated with failure are destructive. As Hamka wisely observed, “Takut gaggal adalah gagal sejati!” (The fear of failure is the real failure).
Mistakes and failures are part of life. Physicians have a pragmatic approach to mistakes. In making clinical decisions, all things being equal, we would pursue a path where should we make a mistake it would be more readily corrected than one where our mistakes would be more difficult to remedy. For example, surgeons will opt to operate on a suspected acute appendicitis and find out that it is normal (that is, a “mistake”) rather than risk missing an inflamed appendix that would later rupture and put the patient’s life in jeopardy.
Geography also plays a role in shaping our mindset. Throughout the world coastal areas and others exposed to large body of water are more cosmopolitan than inland. In China, it is Shanghai; Malaysia, Malacca; and India, Goa. With the traditional mode of transportation being over water, areas easily accessible to water would be open to new visitors (traditionally mainly traders). Their residents are thus used to the infusion of new people, cultures, and ideas.
I end my discussion on changing mindset by referring to that delightful feature animation movie, Happy Feet. Even if we are all singers, we should still respect those who cannot sing, for they may well be great dancers. Their rhythmic dancing may complement our fine singing. That film captures the essence of what I am trying to convey here about having an open mind and a growth mindset.

Isu ladang babi: RTM,TV3 berniat jahat terhadap Kedah
Mohd Khalil Abdullah Sat Nov 22, 08 2:51:45 pm MYT
KUALA LUMPUR, 22 Nov (Hrkh) - Media pro Umno-Barisan Nasional (BN) sekali lagi cuba menjatuhkan kerajaan Pakatan Rakyat yang didukungi oleh PAS,KeADILan dan DAP.
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Jika sebelum ini, media cetak memainkan peranan dengan menjadi agen penyebar dakyah dan permainan licik politik BN,kini media elektronik menjadi senjata apabila RTM dan TV3 cuba memutarbelitkan fakta untuk menjatuhkan nama baik Kerajaan Negeri Kedah.
Setiausaha Akhbar Menteri Besar Kedah, Mohd Helmi Mohd Khalid dalam satu kenyataannya kepada Harakahdaily hari ini mendedahkan bagaimana kerajaan Kedah dijadikan mangsa dengan corak pemberitaan yang memesongkan dan berniat jahat.
Menurutnya, siaran berita RTM di TV1 sekitar jam 1.00 petang 19 November 2008 dan siaran Buletin Utama TV3 jam 8.00 malam 19 November 2008 mendedahkan tembelang sebenar kedua-dua stesen televisyen tersebut apabila menyiarkan berita yang jauh terpesong dan berniat jahat.
"Kedua-dua siaran tv ini melaporkan bahawa Kerajaan Negeri Kedah bakal membuka sebuah ladang ternakan babi di Kedah.
"Saya ingin tegaskan bahawa kedua-dua berita tersebut adalah satu pembohongan dan telah memutarbelitkan fakta seperti yang tercatat dalam buku Jawapan Bertulis Mesyuarat Keempat Penggal Pertama Dewan Undangan Negeri Kedua Belas (Mesyuarat Bajet 2009),"jelasnya.
Tambahnya,siaran berita tersebut hanyalah berbentuk jahat untuk menjatuhkan nama baik Kerajaan Negeri Kedah dan menghasut rakyat untuk bencikan Kerajaan dan berbentuk provokasi.
"Sebagai makluman pembukaan ladang itu hanya akan berlaku jika terdapat aduan kacau ganggu di ladang-ladang yang sedia ada.
"Selebihnya, keputusan tersebut telah dibuat oleh Kerajaan terdahulu melalui surat UPEN (K) 707 SK.4 ( ) bertarikh 4 Disember 2007 bertajuk: Keputusan Majlis Mesyuarat Kerajaan Negeri Kedah (MMK) Mengenai Ladangan Masa Depan Industri Ternakan Khinzir di Negeri Kedah Darul Aman,"katanya lagi.
Helmi juga mendedahkan,sekalipun telah dijelaskan dalam sesi penggulungan Sidang Bajet pada 20 November dan sidang akhbar pada hari yang sama oleh Menteri Besar, Dato' Seri Ustaz Azizan Abdul Razak, bahawa ini adalah keputusan Kerajaan terdahulu (Barisan Nasional) bagaimanapun TV3 khususnya masih menggunakan perkataan 'hasrat Kerajaan PAS Kedah membuka ladang babi'.
"Bagi saya ia jelas satu pembohongan fakta yang amat jelas oleh stesen televisyen swasta berkenaan dalam siarannya pada 20 dan 21 November melalui slot Buletin Utama.
"Saya juga ingin menjelaskan bahawa dalam sidang akhbar, Menteri Besar juga telah memberitahu bahawa beliau dan Kerajaan Negeri Pakatan Rakyat menghormati keputusan Kerajaan terdahulu (BN) bertarikh 4 Disember 2007 itu dan setelah mendapat nasihat daripada pihak Vertarina negeri, pihaknya belum lagi memutuskan tempat atau bila ladang berpusat itu akan dibina,"jelasnya lagi.
Beliau juga menambah, bahawa Ustaz Azizan juga menyatakan pembinaan ladang ternakan itu adalah untuk kebaikan semua pihak untuk mengelakkan sebarang kemungkinan masalah seperti pencemaran, bau busuk dan seumpamanya.
Menurut Ustaz Azizan,kata Helmi, bukan hanya ladang babi, jika terdapat ladang ayam, lembu, kambing, kerbau sekalipun telah menimbulkan keresahan rakyat, maka ladang tersebut akan dipindahkan.
Oleh itu katanya, dari penjelasan itu, amat jelas bahawa Kerajaan Negeri memikirkan satu tempat dan kaedah terbaik untuk mengatasi permasalahan yang mungkin atau telah wujud berpunca dari ladang ternakan tersebut.
"Adalah di luar dari jangkauan pemikiran saya jika pemberita TV3 Kedah lebih suka melihat ladang babi dibina berdekatan kawasan perumahan jika dibandingkan dengan usaha Kerajaan Negeri untuk memindah dan memusatkan ladang dan sembelihan di satu kawasan yang jauh dari kawasan penempatan penduduk.
"Saya juga menjangkakan, jika ladang baru itu nanti terbina sekalipun jauh dari kawasan penempatan, sekali lagi akan ada pihak memainkan isu bahawa Kerajaan Pakatan Rakyat telah membina ladang ternakan babi yang luas, jika andaian saya ini benar-benar berlaku, sahlah bahawa berita berkenaan bukannya membela hak dan kepentingan rakyat tetapi ia lebih membela hak binatang ternakan tersebut kerana telah dipinggirkan dan ditempatkan di kawasan yang terpencil,"tegasnya.
Pimpinan Pakatan Rakyat kecam media pro Umno-BN
Sementara itu, baru-baru ini pemimpin Pakatan Rakyat, Dato' Seri Tuan Guru Abdul Hadi Awang, Dato' Seri Anwar Ibrahim dan Lim Kit Siang sepakat mengecam konspirasi media pro Umno-BN yang sedang bertungkus lumus untuk menjatuhkan kerajaan Pakatan Rakyat dengan menabur fitnah, adu-domba dan memainkan isu-isu sensitif bagi mengelirukan rakyat.
Selain untuk mencetuskan kemarahan rakyat, tindakan media pro Umno-BN itu juga bertujuan untuk menjatuhkan reputasi lima kerajaan Pakatan Rakyat yang dipimpin.
Perkara ini didedahkan oleh ketiga-tiga mereka pada 'Majlis Makan Malam dan Bengkel Mini Pakatan Rakyat' yang diadakan di Hotel De Palma, Ampang dekat sini baru-baru ini.
Presiden PAS dalam penegasannya bimbang peranan yang dimainkan oleh media arus perdana boleh mengancam kestabilan dan kemuafakatan parti-parti dalam Pakatan Rakyat sekiranya perkara ini tidak dapat dibendung dengan segera.
Kata beliau, peri pentingnya media telah dibuktikan oleh MCA dengan mengambil alih dua buah akhbar utama berbahasa Cina, Nyangyang Siang Pau dan Sin Chew Daily selepas pilihan raya kecil Lunas bagi menyekat sokongan orang-orang Cina terhadap pembangkang.
Sementara itu, Ketua Umum KeADILan menyifatkan media arus perdana bertindak 'kasar' dengan melaporkan isu-isu sensitif yang boleh mencetuskan perbalahan kaum dan agama seperti yang berlaku ke atas exco kerajaan Pakatan Rakyat Selangor, Teresa Kok dan Ronnie Liu serta editor Malaysia-today, Raja Petra Kamaruddin.
"Media sekarang ini mainkan isu perkauman. Bangkitkan isu agama. Seolah-olah terdapat pergeseran dikalangan pemimpin Pakatan Rakyat dan ini amat merbahaya," tegas Penasihat DAP, Lim Kit Siang.
Justeru itu, ketiga-tiga pemimpin mengingatkan rakyat agar tidak terpedaya dengan laporan-laporan berniat 'jahat' yang disiarkan oleh media cetak dan elektronik yang dikuasai Umno-BN. - mks. _