What is wrong with lobbying?

Assalamualaikum, On the surface, the letter below, originally published in Harakah, seems a very good letter indeed. But having read it about four times, I see confusion rather than clarity. Let me tell you why: 1. PAS practices democracy in electing its leaders. For democracy to operate properly, the electorates need to know as much as possible about the candidates. And for the candidates to be known to all, they need to be introduced. Their strengths and weaknesses need to be described and discussed at least among the voters. Their vision and capabilities must be understood. But how can these be achieved if lobbying were not allowed? How will the voters get the necessary information to make informed-decisions? 2. In the second paragraph, the author says that "ada juga tersebar surat-surat serupa di internet yang mendedahkan kelemahan individu tertentu". What is wrong with this? If someone were to contest for a public post, then surely their suitability should be discussed in public too. After all, many PAS leaders have been discussing the weaknesses of UMNO leaders all the times. How come it is right to discuss the weaknesses of UMNO personalities but when it come to the weaknesses of PAS' own personalities, oh no.... don't even dare to talk about it!!! If you can do it to those outside PAS, why can you not do it internally? 3. The author went on to say "Akan tetapi biarlah amalan demokrasi ini bertunjangkan Al Quran dan Sunnah". Well, fine. But please do describe to us what does he mean by it? What exactly is democracy based on Al-Quran and Sunnah? If you don't lobby, is that Islamic enough? 4. The author then said: "Biarlah pertandingan itu atas dasar kredibiliti calon tersebut". My reply is: Exactly!!! But how will you know about someone's credibility if lobbying is not allowed? If I were to nominate A for a post, I will need to tell the electorates about A's credibility. How am I supposed to do it if I am not allowed to lobby on his behalf? 5. The author went on to say "Siapa yang terpilih kelak samada mereka ini calon yang kita pilih atau bukan calon yang kita pilih, tanggungjawab kita sebagai ahli hendaklah ditunaikan". Once again, I would say: Exactly!!!. But please do tell me how can I "tunaikan tanggungjawab sebagai ahli" if I have no information about the candidates' abilities, strengths and weaknesses? 6. This is a good statement from the author: "Adalah tidak mustahil sebahagian daripada usaha lobi melobi ini, berkemungkinan sebahagiannya didalangi oleh pihak musuh". I can also say that the effort to prevent members from lobbying COULD (but not necessarily) also originate from the enemies of PAS. If the "enemies" believe that PAS in its current state is weak and divided, then of course they would want us to keep the status quo. Thus, they would not want any lobbying to occur as it may end up with a change for the better. Change scares the enemies. So, they want us to keep things as they are. How? By preventing members from lobbying for new faces who may bring change. 7. The author said "apa salahnya ahli PAS di seluruh negeri mengadakan solat hajat agar setiap cawangan, kawasan, negeri dan peringkat pusat di terajui oleh barisan pimpinan yang bertakwa dan berkaliber". Doa is undoubtedly the most potent weapon for us believers. But doa without action is futile. The real question is, after making the doa, WHAT are the actions that we should take? Should we just nominate and wait for voting day, and then vote without having any knowledge of the candidates? That is like a shop-owner stocking up his shop and then just pray that customers would walk in without even bothering to market his products. By preventing open lobbying, two things would result. Firstly, lobbying would be conducted secretively. This is surely unhealthy. Secondly, voters will only vote for people they know. They cannot judge based on capabilities due to the lack of info. They surely cannot judge new-faces as the new-faces do not yet have any track-record to be judged on. Once again, this too is unhealthy. What is wrong with lobbying? PAS does this all the time. We lobby for positions in government in every election. We lobby to become leaders of the country. Why does lobbying suddenly become wrong when it comes to choosing party leaders? It is indeed very easy to say that lobbying, campaigning, etc are bad. But please do tell me what alternative do we have? How can we ensure that electorates make informed decisions when voting day comes if lobbying and campaigning are not allowed? The key word here is "informed decision". Is there really an alternative to lobbying? If I have the choice, I would say that everyone should go all out, I repeat, "all out", to lobby for votes. PAS is a political party working within a democracy. If proper democracy cannot be practised internally, then what authority do we have to go outside and fight for democracy? The real answer is to create a culture of lobbying with Islamic values and ethics. But please do not run away from the challenge by closing the door to critical examinations of each candidate. As an organization, PAS should allow and encourage candidates to say what they believe in. PAS should encourage open discussions on the suitability of each and every candidate. PAS should create a method to enable members to critically and systematically examine the capabilities of each candidate. PAS must encourage members to listen to all sides. PAS should give every candidate ample time to present and defend their vision. As candidates, they must be willing to be quizzed. The candidates must be willing to proclaim their vision for the party. The candidates must be willing to stand up and say "I believe this is the best way forward". The candidates must be ready to be defend their ideas and to critically appraise the ideas of others. They must be willing to defend their ideas, while at the same time admit if others' ideas are better. Most importantly, as individuals working in an Islamic movement, we should all learn how to agree to disagree healthily. We must learn to accept the decision of the syura (via voting) once the election results are announced. We should be willing to give our wala' to the leaders once they are constitutionally elected. We must put aside all divisions and differences after the election. We must adhere strictly to Allah's command that we obey Allah, Rasul and the leaders amongst us. And we must work together to strengthen the party once the election is over. After all, we have already been shown by the kuffar that healthy lobbying is possible. Kerry and Edwards fought each other healthily to get their party's nomination. Once Kerry received the party's backing, Edwards accepted defeat and subsequently agreed to team up with Kerry. They were rivals when it was time to show rivalry. They teamed up when it was time to team up. From rivals, they become running mates. Are we saying that these two non-muslims practices more Islamic values and ethics than those contesting for positions in PAS? Come on...... Pemilihan pucuk pimpinan PAS: Elakkan budaya melobi Tuesday, March 08 @ 16:09:19 MYT Oleh Rozmal bin Malakan Tahun 2005 adalah merupakan tahun pemilihan pucuk pimpinan PAS peringkat Pusat, Kawasan dan Cawangan.Sudah mula tersebar surat-surat tanpa nama di internet akan usaha-usaha untuk melobi nama seseorang sebagai mereka yang akan berada di barisan pimpinan di semua peringkat. Dan sudah ada juga tersebar surat-surat serupa di internet yang mendedahkan kelemahan individu tertentu. Jika dalam UMNO, politik wang digunakan dalam usaha lobi melobi ini. Tapi dalam PAS, disebabkan budaya politik wang ini bukannya menjadi amalan ahli, mungkin kerana Allah SWT belum uji lagi dengan kekayaan dan harta sepertimana yang dihadapi oleh UMNO, maka politik wang tidak digunakan. Maka pelobi-pelobi yang bernama dan tidak bernama tadi menggunakan amalan politik siapa yang lebih banyak berjasa pada parti, siapa yang lebih akrab dengan Almarhum Presiden dan juga siapa yang lebih mesra dengan Tuan Guru Presiden sedia ada dan pelbagai hujjah lain. Sememangnya amalan demokrasi diamalkan dalam PAS dalam pemilihan parti. Akan tetapi biarlah amalan demokrasi ini bertungjangkan Al Quran dan Sunnah. Calonkanlah apa-apa nama pun yang difikirkan sesuai dengan kebolehan mereka akan tetapi elakkan adanya puak-puak untuk setiap calon itu. Biarlah pertandingan itu atas dasar kredibiliti calon tersebut, bukannya atas dasar ada puak yang melobi sesetengah calon. Yang utama setiap ahli hendaklah berserah dan bermunajjat kepada Allah SWT, agar kita diberikan barisan pimpinan yang mantap yang dapat menerajui PAS ke arah memartabatkan dan mendaulatkan Islam di Malaysia ini. Siapa yang terpilih kelak samada mereka ini calon yang kita pilih atau bukan calon yang kita pilih, tanggungjawab kita sebagai ahli hendaklah ditunaikan. Amalan budaya kerja berjemaah dan bersama dalam misi dan visi barisan pimpinan haruslah dicernakan dalam setiap kawasan dan cawangan. Jika tidak kita akan hanya menjadi bak kata pepatah, "Menang bersorak, Kampung tergadai". Adalah tidak mustahil sebahagian daripada usaha lobi melobi ini, berkemungkinan sebahagiannya didalangi oleh pihak musuh, sepertimana usaha mereka untuk melemahkan Islam dalam strategi "Divide and Conquer". Melemahkan PAS dari dalam adalah apa yang diperkatakan oleh pepatah Inggeris "If You Can't Beat Them, Join Them", yang bermaksud kalau kita tidak boleh tewaskan mereka dari luar, sertai mereka. Sekiranya kita dibudayakan dengan melakukan solat hajat apabila menghadapi sesuatu situasi besar mengapa apa salahnya ahli PAS di seluruh negeri mengadakan solat hajat agar setiap cawangan, kawasan, negeri dan peringkat pusat di terajui oleh barisan pimpinan yang bertakwa dan berkaliber yang disenangi oleh semua ahli dan bukan ahli yang boleh membawa keadilan Islam di Malaysia ini. Wallahu a’lam.

Talk advert

A notice I received via email today: On behalf of the Society of Criminology, Professor John Lea will begiving a talk entitled "Terrorism, Crime and the collapse of Civil Liberties" on Tuesday, 12th April from 4.30pm to 6.00pm in LectureTheatre P8 at the Enfield Campus, Middlesex University, London. All are welcome.

To unite or not to unite?

Organization A was set up in the 1960s in Singapore. It sells gadget X to market sector Y in Singapore. And it has links with organization B in Thailand. Organization P was set up in the 1990s in Singapore. It sells gadget X to market sector Y in Singapore. And it has links with organization Q in Thailand. Both organizations A and P uses the same marketing strategy. Bearing in mind that the products, customers and marketing strategy have much resemblance, it is mind-boggling that the two still cannot merge. And it is also surprising to see that even though their works are rather similar, and that they both have links with Thailand, they still link with different organizations in Thailand. Why can they not merge and form one big organization? Does the problem lie with organizations A and P, or does the problem lie with organizations B and Q in Thailand? Mind-boggling..... And to think that I have to come out with a potential solution.... hmmmmm.....

sapa nak belanja kopi?

This, this and this would make an interesting topic to talk over coffee somewhere in London.... Any takers?

Ethical imperialism?

The article below, published in Malaysiakini's letters section, is very intriguing. The part I found most intriguing is in the very last para, which says "We must free ourselves from the poison of the British colonial propaganda in demonising these freedom fighters.". We are now so entrenched in the belief that democracy and capitalism is the answer. Are they really the answer? Or have our minds been "poisoned" to believe that anything other than democracy and capitalism are evil? Is it at all possible that we have been the subject of ethical and cultural imperialism for so long, that we fail to see it as a form of imperialism? Recognise Chin Peng’s efforts, let him go home SM Mohamed IdrisMar 15, 05 1:17pm It is sad and ironic that Chin Peng and his friends who spent the best part of their lives fighting the British colonialists to achieve independence are not allowed to return to their own homeland. The Malaysian government should show some magnanimity and compassion towards them as many of them are now in the twilight years of their lives. The peace accord signed on Dec 2, 1989 between our government and the Malayan Communist Party should have led to a full reconciliation and absorption of MCP members into the mainstream of Malaysian society. They pose no threat to the security of this country or to anybody else. We should have learnt from the experience of our neighbours, Indonesia and Thailand. The communists have been successfully accommodated in these countries and are playing useful roles in national development. The Indonesian Supreme Court has even recognised their right to form political parties and participate in elections. Our ideological differences should not blind us to the important contributions made by SA Ganapathy, Musa Ahmad, Chin Peng, Rashid Maidin, Chen Tien, Shamsiah Fakeh and other members of the left, including the MCP, to our struggle for independence. Our former deputy prime minister, the late Dr Ismail Abdul Rahman, acknowledged this indisputable fact. And during the peace negotiations, our former inspector-general of police, Rahim Noor, also recognised it. What is needed now is to give effect to this recognition by allowing Chin Peng and others who were involved in the armed struggle to return home if they so choose. They should not be forced to seek redress from the courts. After all, some have already returned and are playing useful roles in our society. We must free ourselves from the poison of the British colonial propaganda in demonising these freedom fighters. Let’s view the history of our anti-colonial struggle objectively and rationally.

Left or right?

Abidin wrote something interesting. (Am I allowed to put links to your page? People who don't know you wouldn't be able to read it anyway) . Below is my comments to his posting: Until today, I didn't realize Muslim Parliament still exist!. I met Dr Kalim once, and I also met the guy who was supposedly to be his successor. Can't remember his name now, but he was based in Manchester. Definitely not Dr Ghayasudin though. The history of the Muslim Parliament is interesting. Factionings were (and still is) widespread. But then again, it is a Muslim organization after all. The IHRC is good. I wish I have more time to help them out. But on the points of Muslim being left-wing or right-wing, I don't think Muslims are left-wing (if so) because of Islam. It has more to do with feeling that they are being oppressed and therefore, when trying to resist the oppression, they find themselves more in tune with the left. On some other things - business, individual liberty, etc - they may be more inclined with right wing ideas than they would like to admit. At the end, Islam is neither left nor right. It is the true middle-way. If you look for similarities between Islam and socialism, or between Islam and capitalism, you will see that elements of Islam exist in both. But I wouldn't say that Islam has elements of socialism or capitalism. It is these idealogies that have elements of Islam. When you stretch Islam to one extreme direction, you will end up with left-wing ideas. Stretch it the other way, you will end up with right wing ideas. It started in the centre, which is most natural, but circumstances made people stretch ideas to such extremes, you end up with opposing "wings". As for me, I am more inclined to the right, I think.

I am impressed!

On Wednesday 9 March 2005, I saw this article on malaysiakini: Biar Azizan jawat timbalan presiden PAS Firdaus Jaafar Mar 9, 05 1:31pm Dewan Pemuda PAS Kedah ingin menyatakan pendirian kami bahawa para perwakilan ke Muktamar tahun kali ini perlu memilih calon-calon kepimpinan tertinggi PAS daripada kalangan mereka yang banyak bercakap tentang negara Islam kerana itulah perjuangan sejati PAS. Kami merasakan Ustaz Azizan Abdul Razak amat layak dimartabatkan sebagai Timbalan Presiden PAS yang baru. Ini bukan di atas dasar beliau merupakan seorang pemimpin PAS dari Kedah, tetapi sebaliknya di atas pelbagai faktor penting demi kemajuan parti kita ini. Untuk pengetahuan umum, Ustaz Azizan merupakan pemimpin PAS yang telah diasuh oleh Almarhum Ustaz Fadzil Noor sejak dari zaman pengajian universiti beliau. Almarhum adalah orang yang bertanggungjawab membawa masuk Ustaz Azizan ke dalam PAS setelah beliau bersara daripada mengajar di Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. Ustaz Fadzil telah berusaha memberi ruang kepada Ustaz Azizan untuk berada dalam saf kepimpinan PAS Pusat. Ustaz Azizan amat rapat dengan Ustaz Fadzil sehinggakan ketika mereka berada di Mekah, Ustaz Azizanlah yang telah membasuh baju Ustaz Fadzil. Ketika Ustaz Hassan Shukri merasmikan Ekspo Perdagangan Islam Kedah Kawasan Kulim Bandar Baru pada 4 Mac lalu, Ustaz Hassan sempat berbincang dengan Ustaz Azizan dengan memaklumkan bahawa beliau akan menarik diri dari mempertahankan jawatan Timbalan Presiden. Beliau yang akan bersara dan bertindak sebagai penasihat berharap agar Ustaz Azizan dapat menggantikan tempatnya. Ustaz Azizan merupakan calon terbaik Timbalan Presiden kerana beliau dapat bekerjasama dan membantu Presiden Tuan Guru Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang dalam urusan seharian PAS Pusat. Tidak ramai yang mengetahui bahawa Ustaz Azizan sebenarnya yang telah mendraf ucapan dasar presiden pada muktamar tahun lalu. Begitu juga dengan buku “Hadarah Islamiah Bukan Islam Hadhari” yang merupakan cetusan idea Ustaz Azizan yang bertanggungjawab mendraf segala isi kandungan draf buku tersebut. Dalam pertemuan pihak kami dari Dewan Pemuda PAS Kedah baru-baru ini dengan Ustaz Azizan yang juga merupakan pesuruhjaya kami, kami dapat melihat dengan jelas peribadi mulia Ustaz Azizan yang mempunyai akhlaq yang baik yang memenuhi ciri-ciri sebagai antara pemimpin utama PAS. Kami mendoakan supaya Ustaz Azizan dapat menjadi sebagai Timbalan Presiden PAS yang baru. Beliau sahajalah harapan kami sebagai pemimpin yang kerap mengetengahkan tentang negara Islam. This article prompted me to write the letter below to Malaysiakini's editor: Dear Sir, I read the letter below with great interest. But I must say that it creates confusion in my mind. The letter seemingly claims to be an official release from Dewan Pemuda PAS Kedah. But what evidence is there that the letter was really from them? Do you check the origin of each letter prior to publication? Or do you just publish everything as they come, without checking? Is it really the official opinion of Dewan Pemuda PAS Kedah, or is it just the opinion of one person? As someone who has previously written to your letters section, I know that I can write under pseudonyms and you would not usually check my identity prior to publication. If the same applies to letters claiming to represent official views of organizations, then I cannot help but to worry that Malaysiakini is open to abuse by those who claim to be someone they are not. Is the author really Firdaus Jaafar whom I know, or is it just someone else writing under that pseudonym? More importantly, even if it was really the Firdaus Jaafar, was this an official release from DPP Kedah, or just his personal opinion? Perhaps it is better if official statements are double checked for authenticity and reported in the proper news section rather then in the letters section. As it stands, I do not know whether the content of the letter is trustworthy, or has Malaysiakini been abused by those with another agenda? Further clarification (or responsible retractions and apology if necessary) would be greatly appreciated. And I was (and still am) very impressed to receive a reply from Malaysiakini just 40 minutes after I sent my letter to them. The reply is as below: Dear Sir, We thank-you for your e-mail below and the issues raised therein. We wish to reassure you that we have an internal system to verify the authenticity of letters received under pseudonyms. Nevertheless, no system is foolproof and malaysiakini's offer of pseudonym use is open to abuse by irresponsible parties. We are currently investigating the matters highlighted in your e-mail. Pending this, the said letter has been removed. Thank-you once again for your initiative and concern. Warmest regards, vkiieditor, malaysiakini.com Bravo Malaysiakini!!!