Don’t blame deadly floods on God, you are at fault |
- Don’t blame deadly floods on God, you are at fault
- Yen rises against trend in flight to safety
- Penyebar khabar angin palsu, tiada lagi maaf bagimu!
- United Airlines, website Orbitz sue over ‘hacked’ airfares
- Being gay can mean being happy, too! — Lee Yew Meng
- My NYE wish: That politicians stop playing God
| Don’t blame deadly floods on God, you are at fault Posted: 30 Dec 2014 04:52 PM PST DECEMBER 31 — It is the wrath of the Man upstairs, so they say. The massive floods that hit most areas in the east coast is a real-life nightmare as the number of victims exceeds 200,000. The aftermath is unimaginable — an ugly sight to behold on the 10th anniversary of the deadly tsunami disaster. Images of flattened homes and toppled vehicles greet villagers as some returned home on Monday. Others are forced to remain at relief centres, unsure what their future holds once the waters subside. Perhaps watching innocent young children have fun in the water could put a smile on the faces of the elderly.
And to quote a leader who was elected to represent the people in Pasir Mas: "Bencana banjir ingatkan umat Islam agar kembali kepada Allah dan jauhi murkaNya. Ia wajarkan kerajaan Kelantan terus istiqamah laksana syariat Hudud." When translated, the MP Nik Mohamad Abduh had on his Facebook page said: "The flood is a reminder to all Muslims to return to Allah's ways and stay away from His wrath. It necessitates the perseverance of the Kelantan government to implement hudud laws." Sheesh! Nik Mohamad is the son of PAS spiritual leader Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat. Perhaps his humble father had failed to teach him the economics, landscape, history and environmental issues that has haunted Kelantan for decades. You don't need hudud laws to understand such subjects. New Straits Times (NST) had, in its article headlined Kelantan to stamp out illegal logging, on November 9, 1990, quoted then deputy Mentri Besar Rozali Isohak as saying the state government declared war on illegal logging which cost the government millions of ringgit in revenue losses. Rozali had, in the same article, said the activities had been going on for a long time and reached a serious stage. 1990 was the year Iraq invaded Kuwait, girl group Wilson Phillips' Hold On was No. 1 on Billboard's Hot 100 singles and West Germany defeated Argentina 1-0 in the World Cup football final in Rome, Italy. Ironically, nothing has changed. Kelantan Mentri Besar Datuk Ahmad Yakob was quoted in an NST report headlined Kelantan sets up special taskforce to curb illegal logging, published on Jan 13 this year, as saying: "We will form a special team under the state government to combat such (illegal logging) activities." In the same article, Ahmad had hoped the federal government would approve allocation for flood mitigation projects in Sungai Golok and Sungai Kelantan to help reduce flood risks faced by the state, every year. And yes, 2014 is the same year Germany edged Argentina 1-0 in the World Cup final as pop star Taylor Swift dominates Billboard through her song Blank Space. The song remains the same.
It is obvious illegal logging and environmental issues continue to hog the state, which is described as the poorest in the nation. It is clear such woes have contributed to rising waters. And floods have hit the east coast annually, a fact acknowledged by Ahmad and Co The federal government is also well aware of the situation there. The monsoon season makes it impossible for fishermen to head out to sea. Traders relying on fishery products are unable to replenish their stocks, even more so when floods hit the east coast states. Now they have to worry about their destroyed homes. The ripple effect is huge. It effects everyone. Without doubt the unusually heavy rainfall played a part. But one cannot blame Mother Nature for crying too much. But none of the supposedly learned leaders who boast good governance and having the people at heart have addressed these issues. If so, what efforts have been taken: by the state and federal governments to address environmental issues and illegal logging besides setting up task forces? to relocate villagers living in flood-prone areas? to introduce plans that will ensure the rivers especially in Kelantan do not overflow easily, and that there is a contingency plan when the 'bah' (Malay for floods) occur? What happened to the findings of the 1990 task force? It is safe to say they have failed and thus the nagging issue continues today? But the likes of Nik Mohamed blame it on the lack of faith and see this as an opportunity to introduce the implementation of Islamic law. How convenient, as they hide behind the name of religion. The only person who made any sense of this situation is Sultan Muhammad V. The Kelantan ruler had, at the investiture ceremony in conjunction with his 45th birthday celebration on Nov 11, said unethical logging and mining activities could have a serious adverse impact on water quality and the people's quality of life. On Dec 28, Sultan Muhammad hit the nail on the head by saying: "Let us extend a hand of friendship with the environment and let us be aware that all disaster problems that have occurred are the result of our own doings. "May Allah forgive us all and turn this plight into a much better situation." Daulat Tuanku! P/s: Looking forward to sunny days and happy faces in 2015. Happy New Year folks! * This is the personal opinion of the columnist.  |
| Yen rises against trend in flight to safety Posted: 30 Dec 2014 04:51 PM PST
Joe Manimbo, senior market analyst at Western Union Business Solutions, said investors fear an election victory by the hard-left Syriza party would reverse Greek austerity reforms and lead to the country's departure from the eurozone. "Worries about Greece's fiscal future weighed on markets to the benefit of safer assets like the yen," Manimbo said. "The greenback shed about one per cent against its Japanese counterpart as markets looked set to ring in 2015 on a nervous note." Manimbo warned that "broader sentiment remains poor" for the Japanese currency following aggressive stimulus measures. "But the yen should defy negative sentiment over the short run and outperform when markets turn risk-averse," he said. Forex.com analyst Matt Weller attributed the yen's rise against the dollar to "broad risk aversion," combined with low trading volumes. "With fewer traders at their desks, it takes less significant news to move the market meaningfully," he said. — AFP |
| Penyebar khabar angin palsu, tiada lagi maaf bagimu! Posted: 30 Dec 2014 04:43 PM PST 31 DISEMBER — Hari ini, 31 Disember merupakan hari terakhir dalam tahun 2014, suatu tahun yang cukup tragis dan menyedihkan dalam sejarah negara. Kebiasaannya, pada hari terakhir sesebuah tahun, ramai yang akan mengambil kesempatan untuk meraikan kedatangan tahun baharu. Bagaimanapun, tidak pada kali ini. Semua sedia maklum, negara telah ditimpa musibah demi musibah baik yang besar mahupun yang kecil sepanjang tahun ini. Musibah demi musibah yang menimpa ini seolah-olah memberi isyarat kepada manusia bahawa Tuhan memberi isyarat kepada umat manusia untuk bertaubat daripada segala dosa dan kemungkaran yang telah dilakukannya. Bagi kalangan pemimpin negara pula, kepimpinan mereka diuji. Mereka diuji bagaimana untuk menguruskan sesuatu krisis itu dengan baik dan terancang. Mereka diuji untuk lebih peka dan prihatin terhadap kebajikan mangsa-mangsa banjir yang terperangkap. Dalam kalangan rakyat pula, inilah ketikanya sikap kental mereka diuji bertubi-tubi. Bagi mereka yang kuat beriman sekalipun, ada kalanya bencana besar yang melanda ini boleh memberikan kesan psikologi serius kepada mereka. Sesungguhnya, tidak ada perkataan yang boleh menggambarkan betapa pilunya mereka yang kehilangan kaum keluarga tersayang akibat tiga tragedi nahas pesawat membabitkan syarikat penerbangan negara, Malaysian Airlines dan terkini, AirAsia. Perasaan pilu itu juga turut dikongsi bersama oleh ratusan ribu mangsa-mangsa banjir di beberapa buah negeri di Pantai Timur yang terpaksa mengharungi kehidupan seharian sehelai sepinggang. Hingga ke saat ini, seramai 21 nyawa telah melayang akibat bencana banjir ini yang disifatkan paling buruk dalam sejarah negara. Realitinya, perasaan pilu ini bertambah pilu apabila ada segelintir individu tidak bertanggungjawab yang cuba menyebarkan maklumat-maklumat palsu mengenai sesuatu berita seperti tragedi pesawat AirAsia dan bencana banjir. Sejak beberapa hari lalu, beberapa berita yang tidak berasas seperti keruntuhan pusat pemindahan banjir di Manek Urai dan bantuan banjir kepada mangsa banjir tidak sampai telah viral di media sosial. Lebih malang lagi, ada kalangan rakyat yang mempercayai bulat-bulat berita yang disebarkan itu. Terdapat juga segelintir pemimpin politik yang turut mengambil kesempatan untuk menangguk di air keruh dengan melemparkan tohmahan kononnya kerajaan pusat tidak melaksanakan tanggungjawab kepada mangsa-mangsa banjir. Agak menyedihkan apabila berita-berita yang tidak ditentukan kesahihannya menjadi viral di media sosial. Kini, seolah-olah timbul satu trend yang mana masyarakat lebih mempercayai sumber-sumber di media sosial daripada media arus perdana. Pendek kata, khabar angin lebih dipercayai daripada maklumat yang sahih. Ataupun mungkin mentaliti masyarakat kita yang lebih gemarkan berita-berita yang berunsur gosip, berniat jahat dan mempunyai elemen-elemen sensasi? Apakah masyarakat kita ini juga sebenarnya tidak matang, emosional dan sememangnya berniat untuk memporak-perandakan negara? Yang pasti, khabar angin akan tetap tinggal khabar angin. Melainkan khabar angin itu benar-benar telah ditentusahkan kesahihannya dan mempunyai sumber-sumber yang boleh dipercayai. Khabar angin memiliki elemen sensasi yang akan sentiasa menjadi tumpuan umum. Lagi popular seseorang personaliti dan lagi besar isu yang dimainkan, maka ia akan menjadi laris. Jujur kata, perbuatan menyebarkan khabar angin atau maklumat-maklumat palsu sebegini merupakan perbuatan orang yang tidak siuman. Hanya mereka yang tidak siuman sahaja yang akan menyebarkan khabar angin yang tidak berasas. Jika sekadar ingin mencari publisiti murahan sekalipun, lakukannya secara profesional.
Ketika negara sedang bersedih atas tragedi-tragedi yang menimpa, ada baiknya jika semua rakyat dan parti-parti politik bersatu tenaga dalam mengharungi detik yang sukar ini. Hakikatnya, tidak sukar untuk pihak-pihak berkepentingan ini untuk mengetepikan kepentingan peribadi masing-masing demi kepentingan nasional. Di mana ada kemahuan, di situ ada jalannya. Marilah kita sama-sama menggembleng tenaga bagi membantu mangsa-mangsa banjir yang lebih memerlukan perhatian dan sokongan kita. Apa yang dilakukan oleh pertubuhan-pertubuhan bukan kerajaan, bank, syarikat korporat dalam mengutip derma dan sumbangan kepada mangsa-mangsa banjir adalah sesuatu yang dituntut di sisi agama. Justeru, inilah masa terbaik untuk kita menunjukkan keprihatinan, sokongan, simpati malah juga solidariti dengan mangsa-mangsa banjir tanpa mengira batasan kaum dan agama. Rakyat Malaysia sememangnya terkenal dengan sikap pemurah ketika sesebuah negara atau pihak dilanda musibah dan sikap pemurah itu seharusnya diteruskan, Penulis juga menyokong tindakan yang diambil oleh Suruhanjaya Komunikasi dan Multimedia Malaysia (SKMM) dalam menangani isu penyebaran maklumat palsu mengenai bencana banjir ini. Pada hemat penulis, pihak berkuasa perlu menghantar satu isyarat penting kepada kumpulan manusia sebegini untuk tidak mengulangi perbuatan yang tidak bertanggungjawab itu. Pihak berkuasa tidak perlu lagi teragak-agak untuk mengenakan hukuman ke atas kumpulan manusia ini jika mereka benar-benar didapati bersalah. Pendek kata, tiada lagi maaf bagimu. Kepada si penyebar maklumat-maklumat palsu ini, gunakanlah kebijaksanaan anda untuk perkara-perkara yang lebih bermanfaat. Kikiskan tabiat suka menyebar maklumat-maklumat palsu di media sosial sehingga boleh mencetuskan panik dalam kalangan masyarakat. Akan tetapi, jika anda masih berkeras ingin memuatnaik maklumat-maklumat sedemikian, tentukan kesahihannya dahulu. Jangan disebabkan orang lain menyebarkannya, anda juga terikut-ikut dengan sikap itu. Anda seharusnya bertanggungjawab terhadap apa yang dimuatnaik dalam media sosial. Kuasa terletak di tangan anda. Jika berani buat, beranilah untuk menanggungnya. Sempena kedatangan Tahun Baru 2015, mungkin ada baiknya pengguna media sosial di negara ini bermuhasabah diri dan bertanyakan kepada diri sendiri — apakah peranan anda setakat ini dalam membantu mewujudkan suatu persekitaran yang kondusif lagi sihat dalam konteks penggunaan media sosial? Jika anda masih belum berbuat demikian, mungkin ada baiknya ini dijadikan sebagai salah satu daripada azam Tahun Baru 2015 nanti. Pastinya juga anda tidak mahu melihat keharmonian dan kesejahteraan negara diganggu-gugat oleh penyebaran maklumat-maklumat palsu oleh pihak tidak bertanggungjawab. Moga-moga tahun 2015 akan menjanjikan tahun yang lebih baik bukan sahaja untuk negara bahkan juga untuk diri kita sendiri. Selamat Tahun Baru 2015! ** Pandangan di atas hanyalah pandangan peribadi penulis dan tidak mewakili pandangan Malay Mail Online. |
| United Airlines, website Orbitz sue over ‘hacked’ airfares Posted: 30 Dec 2014 04:38 PM PST
The lawsuit filed last month in Illinois federal court alleges that Aktarer Zaman, who operates the website Skiplagged.com, illegally promoted use of the technique to get discounts. Skiplagged, launched last year by the recent university graduate, enabled travellers to get a fare below the published rate by skipping the final leg of a flight. The so-called "hidden city" fares provide tickets to a location that is not the final arrival destination, but an intermediate or connecting city. The technique exploits a quirk in airfares — where some long-haul flights are less expensive than a short-haul journey. For example, a customer buying a ticket from New York to Los Angeles, where competition is high, could get a lower rate than a flight to Chicago, but could simply get off the plane during a stop in Chicago and avoid a higher fare. The lawsuit alleges that this technique represents "federal unfair competition, tortious interference with contract, breach of contract, and common law misappropriation." The complaint maintains that "hidden city" ticketing "is strictly prohibited by most commercial airlines because of logistical and public safety concerns" and violates the terms of service of carriers. Orbitz and United have asked the court to shut down Skiplagged and to award monetary damages. Zaman, who according to media reports is 22, posted a notice on his website that the lawsuit could "force us to remove results only we find, getting in the way of saving you lots of money on airfare." He asked for contributions to his legal defence. "I launched Skiplagged.com last year with the goal of helping consumers become savvy travellers," he wrote on the online forum Reddit, adding that the method "has potential to easily save consumers up to 80 per cent when compared with the cheapest on Kayak, for example. Finding these has always been difficult before Skiplagged because you'd have to guess the final destination when searching on any other site." According to his LinkedIn page, Zaman graduated last year from Rensselaer Institute of Technology and has worked as a software engineer for Amazon and Cisco. — AFP |
| Being gay can mean being happy, too! — Lee Yew Meng Posted: 30 Dec 2014 04:38 PM PST
Their 21-year relationship can finally be recognised by the British state. Elton did try "conventional" marriages twice, and finally came out of the closet after his second divorce in 1988, to say he was "comfortable" being gay. Rock Hudson, a major Hollywood romantic leading man of the 50s and 60s hid his homosexuality by marrying a studio secretary. His sexual orientation only became public in 1985 when his gaunt physique became apparent he was very sick. He died of AIDS-related complications that year.
When too ill to attend a benefit, he sent this message: "I am not happy that I am sick. I am not happy that I have AIDS. "But if that is helping others, I can at least know that my misfortune has had some positive worth." The Witchcraft Act 1735 was a law passed by Great Britain, which meant that witchcraft was "no longer to be considered a criminal act but rather an offence against the country's newly 'enlightened state'". The last person executed for witchcraft was in 1727. This Act made it an offence to claim any human being had magical powers or was guilty of practising witchcraft. It was a 180-degree reversal of the earlier view. The penalty for homosexual acts in the British Empire was death (Buggery Act 1533). It was said that in 1806, more men were executed for homosexual offences than for murder. By the late 1800s, buggery meant "sexual assault", even when consensual. Penalties included imprisonment, hard labour and flogging. Oscar Wilde (celebrated writer/poet 1854-1900) was sentenced to two years with hard labour under the 1885 Act. It was only decriminalised in England and Wales under the Sexual Offences Act 1967. Scotland followed in 1980 and Northern Island in 1982. The age of consent for gay men was 21, and then lowered to 18 in 1994, and in 2001, to 16. Many countries have accepted LGBT (lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgender) to serve in the military. One of the earliest was the Netherlands, in 1974. Thailand lifted its ban on LBGT in 2005, while Philippines's ban on gays ended in 2010. The US tempered with the "Don't ask, don't tell" policy in 1993 as a compromise but the ban on gay service was repealed in 2011. The UK ended the discrimination in 2000. Alan Turing (1912-54) was a British pioneering computer scientist who played a pivotal role in cracking intercepted coded messages, enabling the Allied forces to defeat the Nazis in several critical battles. Sir Winston Churchill credited Turing as making the single biggest contribution in Allied victory against Nazi Germany. He was prosecuted for homosexual acts in 1952 and accepted chemical castration (to curb his libido) as an alternative to prison. He committed suicide by cyanide poisoning in 1954, 16 days before his 42nd birthday. In 2009, following a well-supported campaign, prime minister Gordon Brown made an official public apology on behalf of the British government for "the appalling way he was treated". Turing subsequently received a posthumous pardon in 2013. There were films, Breaking the Code (1996), Codebreaker (2011) and Imitation Game (2014) and plays, portraying Turing's life and his work. In films, many leading men like Laurence Olivier, Michael Redgrave, Raymond Burr, Montgomery Clift and Anthony Perkins had to be closet gays to avoid prosecution and keep their marketability. A key tactical manoeuvre during the studio system was to get their stars "married". The Kinsey Report (1948) on male sexual behaviour states that four per cent are exclusively homosexual. The 1953 report on women states that two per cent are exclusively lesbian. In essence, the reports say it wasn't an option for them. The 1961 British film Victim was about homosexuals as victims of blackmail. It was then deemed too frank and liberal with its open depiction on homosexuality. The British film censors gave the film an X-rating, while it had an even stronger opposition from the Hollywood Production Code. What was truly amazing was Dirk Bogarde's acceptance of the leading role. The protagonist was a successful barrister, happily married and on course to becoming a Queen's Counsel. His character was blackmailed for an "almost" homosexual liaison, together with some other victims, and they fought back! Bogarde was then arguably the most popular actor in Britain, and a closet homosexual. It must have exacted immense courage for him to take on the part. It is plausible he wanted to make a strong statement against the criminality imposed by the Act. He died in 1999 aged 78. He was never married and lived together for 40 years with his male manager. There have been more than sufficient studies to support that homosexuality is not a result of any mental disorder and is non-communicable. It is certainly not a deviant activity. While those who cross-dressed suffer from a medical condition known as Gender Identity Disorder, they are not "sick" people. Just like those suffering from hearing or speech impediments; are neither "deaf" nor "dumb". In the earlier centuries through the mid 20th century, laws were enacted based on fear of the unknown and social norms skewed towards puritanism. Human rights were non-existent. To be different was to be "queer". In this 21st century we must endeavour to make corrections, for restitution is nigh impossible. Mankind has been cruel to fellow mankind for far too long. *This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail Online. |
| My NYE wish: That politicians stop playing God Posted: 30 Dec 2014 04:35 PM PST DECEMBER 31 — I'm not sure whether to blame Malaysians or politicians when it comes to religion. Our politicians use God as a tool and to be honest, they succeed because we silly Malaysian sheep let them. Look at PAS' recent inane attempt to say that the coming of the floods was justification to implement hudud as soon as possible. I wasn't aware that we were living in biblical times in which God would personally rain down retribution. Didn't God make a covenant once, long ago, that he would no longer wipe man out and have a do-over, the way he did in Noah's time? Oh, wait, perhaps that is only something Jews and Christians believe — PAS followers obviously still think God has nothing better to do than to personally advise Kelantan how to run its state. I would like to see the specific verse that states "If you don't have hudud, bad things will happen." Looking at the nations that already have hudud in practise, I see bad things still happening. And no assurance either that hudud is an instant, redeemable ticket to paradise. Let's be honest: joining politics is an almost sure-fire way to get on the fast track to Hell. The temptations to take bribes, cut corners, the job's necessity to lie (when you promise things in your manifesto which you have no intention of implementing, it's called lying, folks) and the way politics is just managed in this country, the last person you should turn to when it comes to religion are politicians. My suggestion is that PAS en masse just go to the afterlife and report back whether everything really is how they tell it. I know they don't have 4G or LTE there, but we can always fall back on bomohs and pawangs, right? I hear many of them are Umno members so they might charge a bit more. It's not practical to tell them all to, ahem, visit heaven without ceasing to live? I don't really mind that particular side-effect but I suppose that could be a problem. How can you trust politicians, who instead of mobilising forces to care for their people in distress, start talking about divine law. Say we implement hudud tomorrow—is it going to stop raining? Will the people who drown come back to life? Will angels personally come down to earth to help disaster relief efforts?
The circus will close when people stop coming. So please, can we ignore the sideshows, clowns and distracting magic shows (where our money mysteriously disappears and reappears in the Cayman Islands) and start to focus on the really important things. I believe in God. I just don't believe in the idiots who claim to speak for God. And honestly, neither should you. ** This is the personal opinion of the columnist. |
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