1. Khalid Julong meninggal pada 18 November 2020. Dengan pemergiannya maka tamatlah satu generasi pejuang Melayu.
2. Kami berkenalan dan berdamping dalam arena politik apabila tamat sahaja perang Dunia Kedua. Kami berada dalam Saberkas, sekumpulan anak Melayu yang memiliki kesedaran akan bangsanya.
3. British merancang untuk rampas negeri-negeri Melayu untuk dijadikan tanah jajahan mereka. Malayan Union akan tamatkan kewujudan orang Melayu dengan Tanah Melayu mereka.
4. Khalid, Azahari Taib, Khir Johari, Khir Pa’ Awang, Hj Taha, Chegu Senu dan lain-lain sudah tidak ada.
5. Tinggal saya seorang. Saya sedih. Semua mereka kawan lama. Saya kesunyian.
6. Saya berdoa roh arwah Khalid Julong akan dirahmati Allah SWT.
COVID-19
2. While we should try to reduce the threat to our health and life, we should also try to resuscitate our economy. We know that certain industries actually do better during the pandemic. Certainly, the gloves industry has prospered greatly. But the automotive industry has also done quite well. Proton and Perodua are good examples.
3. I think there are many other businesses and industries which may benefit from the constrains due to the pandemic.
4. If we examine the demands worldwide, we may be able to identify industries we can go into. Even the businesses which have suffered because of reduced demand may present opportunities if we study the causes of the reduction in demand.
5. The Oil and Gas industry has declined resulting in a decline in the parts and component industry. Some of the suppliers have closed shop. But Oil and Gas still needs the support of numerous suppliers. Better marketing systems may enable the surviving suppliers or new suppliers to meet the reduced demands.
6. The cost of doing business must be lower now. The reduced demand which causes the closure of industries, would also result in loss of jobs. Cost of labour at all level would diminish. Even raw material would cost less. In many countries wage-earners are willing to accept cuts in their salaries. And this include top executives.
7. If production cost is less then products too would cost less. Investments which need less capital should make some projects feasible.
8. Today all transactions, buying, selling and delivering are done online. This had made the market bigger. More business can be done with this bigger market. We know how Jack Ma of Ali Baba has achieved huge sales volume. We should go for the world market. We should not confine ourselves to local markets.
9. Modern agriculture can contribute much to meeting food needs, through increases in productivity. It can also create new sources of income for those who have lost jobs. Modern agriculture does not depend on the size of the land available.
10. It is time we go into mix farming instead of depending on just one crop. Malaysia is blessed with having just one season throughout the year. When others are unable to farm in the winter, we can continue without stoppage.
11. The Government has a role to play to revive the economy. During the pandemic revenue must decrease but Government will need to support the people with stimulus packages. For this the budget needs to be adjusted.
12. Bureaucratic processes should be minimised when new products or new systems are introduced.
13. We need to be serious about reviving the economy. This pandemic is not going to end soon.
14. The economy cannot depend on old normals. New normals must be established taking the restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
EXPLORING SPACE
1. I must congratulate the United States Space Agency (NASA) for successfully landing a space craft and collecting samples of the soil on a meteorite situated so far away in space. Read here.
2. It is a fantastic achievement as it took the space vehicle more than 3 years to reach the meteorite, land on it, pick up some soil and then took off to ‘fly’ back to earth. It should take 3 years to return to earth.
3. It is a great feat. But we cannot know what the meteorite soil contains. We assume it would be of some elements that is found on earth.
4. But it could also be some matter that is harmful to us on earth.
5. Remember the atom bomb. The scientists thought it would just explode and kill the people of Hiroshima the same way that other bombs do.
6. But later we found it was lethal in other ways also. It produced radiation which killed people beyond the site of the explosion. Now we know that if we use this weapon in war the whole world will be affected. They will suffer from radiation disease and they may be killed.
7. And so we prohibit the use of nuclear weapons.
8. Now we have COVID-19. Again it is something we knew nothing about. We were not prepared to deal with this virus. And millions have been infected and more than one million have died. And more will die before we develop an effective vaccine.
9. So, what if the soil we bring back from the meteorite is totally new. What if it is an element which can poison the air we breathe, or the sea, or our soil. Are we sure that all the elements in the universe are like the elements we find on this earth? Can there not be something that is not in our planet. Can it be poisonous to life on our planet?
10. H.G. Wells told us the alien who attacked our planet were killed by our bacteria. But what if the material as creatures are different and lethal to life on earth, the whole world can be destroyed.
11. Already, right here on earth, a virus has made its appearance which can wipe out human life on earth. Yes, we are combating it. We may be successful. But we can also fail.
12. The people in America too must be familiar with invasive elements. We read about invasive predator fishes, the snakeheads, found in lakes and waterways in the US, most originating from parts of Asia and decimating the local fish populace.
13. That is within the context of invasive elements from merely other parts of the world.
14. So be careful about this soil from this meteorite in outer space.
THE 2021 BUDGET
1. For 2½ hours I sat down in my seat at the Dewan Rakyat listening to the Minister of Finance’s budget speech.
2. It was amazing. It was the biggest ever. For operation and development the Government will spend 322.5 billion altogether.
3. I am not a financier. These big figures are mind-boggling. It seems that the Government will be putting money in the pocket of everyone, rich and poor, employed and unemployed.
4. The question that I would like to ask is where the money will come from. The deficit is said to be about 85 billion Ringgit. It is bigger than the development budget of 69 billion.
5. We know that the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the economy badly. Although the glove industry has done well but Petronas and Tourism, the two biggest contributors to Government revenue, have done very badly.
6. All other industries have suffered badly. I don’t think income and corporate tax would amount to even 2/3 of the normal figures during normal times.
7. It is expected that vaccines would put an end to the pandemic. The industries, trade and business will recover. But can they recover fully so as to achieve a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth of 7.5%. Just think. From a shrinkage of 4% to growth of 7.5%, the recovery would be 11.5% – fantastic.
8. From the complaints I hear from the business community mere approvals would take more than a year. That means there would be practically no inflow of investment funds in 2021. Certainly, there would be no profits made, or taxes paid to the Government. Even local investors will meet with these delays.
9. Policies don’t grow economies. Only implementation will do so. I know of cases where multi-billion Ringgit projects have been delayed for years. If the investor pushed, he is likely to face even longer delays.
10. So don’t expect restarting or launching new industries to begin on the 1st of January. The rosy picture of immediate recovery once the COVID-19 pandemic is overcome is not going to happen. The pandemic would not end on new year’s day.
11. I suppose the Government will have to borrow to implement the budget. This is estimated to increase Government debt to 1.3 trillion. That is a lot of money. If you fail to service loans, you may be bankrupted.
12. I can understand the need but we can still prune the operation and development costs. In the last 15 years salaries had been increased at very high rates – as much as 25% each time. Ministers and members of parliament had been given numerous allowances. Such is the increase that everyone is keen to be members of Parliament and Ministers. Nothing will make them part with their position. Even when their leaders commit crimes, they will support them. Giving up their posts would deprive them of so much money. Principles don’t count anymore.
13. It is perhaps better to make these posts less lucrative.
14. This pandemic is affecting the poor the most. Those who have lost their jobs and the small traders have no income at all. They earn today for today. If they don’t then they will have no money to buy food even. They will starve.
15. On the other hand those who are paid high salaries continue to earn more than their daily needs. Of course, those who are paid high salaries, such as airline staff and business executives may also lose their jobs.
16. Dato Seri Shafie Apdal had suggested that Ministers should have their pay cut by 30%. That is a big figure. I think people earning high salaries in the Government or private sector should forgo 10% of their salaries. It is a sacrifice but I don’t think it would hurt them if there is a reasonable cut off point, say RM 20,000 p.m.
17. The money should be used to provide food to the unemployed and those without income.
18. Back to the budget. While the economic situation requires more money to be spent by the Government, the pandemic also affects the revenue for the Government.
19. When business do not do well, they would pay less tax to the Government. Indeed, when they fail to make profits, they would pay no taxes to the Government.
20. Government revenue must shrink during this pandemic. But the Government needs to offer stimulus packages. That cost a lot of money.
21. Additionally, Government has to service loans and also reduce the principals. For this RM35 billion would be needed. Total charge expenditure is RM72.3 billion or 30.6% of Operating Expenditure of RM236.5 billion.
22. I must admit to being frightened. It is a behemoth of a budget but can we raise the money to finance it. Government debt will be RM1.3 trillion. How do we pay.
23. The budget is for the Year 2021. The expectation of economic recovery is too optimistic. I can think of lots of other things which can be done to lower cost and increase income. But I suppose the Minister of Finance has considered all of them.
24. What is a fact is that most people are not happy. That is shown by their reaction.
25. I hope this budget would be modified in order to become more realistic. Then we can support it. We need not be bribed for our support. We do not want to precipitate a crisis.
DARURAT
1. Saya difaham pihak Kerajaan masih berusaha untuk isytihar darurat di negara tercinta ini.
2. Mengikut hujah mereka kononnya negara berada dalam keadaan krisis, dengan 10,000 anggota polis diserang COVID-19, satu juta orang asing sudah melanda negara ini dan kononnya jika darurat tidak diisytihar sebelum Isnin, 2 November, pasar saham akan jatuh merudum.
3. Ya, benar COVID-19 sudah meningkat sehingga lebih dari Satu Ribu Dua Ratus pada beberapa hari. Tetapi ini disebabkan Kerajaan Pusat sengaja rebut kuasa di Sabah. Kesan dari Pilihan Raya Negeri (PRN) ialah ramai rakyat Sabah diserang COVID-19 dan mereka dari semenanjung yang ke sana untuk berkempen dijangkiti COVID-19. Apa perlunya Perikatan Nasional (PN) merebut kuasa Kerajaan Sabah – terutama semasa kita diserang COVID-19.
4. Saya tidak tahu benar atau tidak 10,000 anggota polis diserang COVID-19. Menteri Dalam Negeri Hamzah Zainudin kata 10,000 anggota dan pegawai polis telah dikuarantin, dan 200 disahkan positif.
5. Ya! 10,000 anggota polis diserang COVID-19 menggerun kita. Tetapi Ketua Polis Negara Tan Sri Hamid Bador dilapor berkata jumlah tersebut adalah kumulatif dari bulan Mac. Jadi bukanlah 10,000 pada satu masa! Laporan Hamzah tidak sebut perkara ini.
6. Walaupun angka kes baru tinggi tetapi tidaklah seburuk seperti negara lain. Di Amerika Syarikat hampir 100,000 kes baru dilapor setiap hari. Kematian meningkat sampai 200,000 lebih berbanding hampir 300 di Malaysia.
7. Benar penduduk Malaysia 32 juta sementara penduduk Amerika Syarikat 360 juta atau lebih 10 kali ganda ramai. Jika kadarnya sama kematian maka di Malaysia jumlah tentu lebih dari 300,000. Jadi sebenarnya kematian di Malaysia kurang seribu kali.
8. Berbanding dengan jiran-jiran kita juga keadaan kita lebih baik.
9. Apakah kuasa penuh oleh Perdana Menteri melalui darurat boleh kurangkan lagi kes COVID-19. Apakah yang boleh dilakukan oleh Perdana Menteri dengan kuasa penuh dari darurat yang tidak boleh dilakukan sekarang.
10. Belanjawan pun boleh dilulus oleh Parlimen. Tetapi takkanlah tanpa melihat belanjawan, kita luluskan belanjawan. Itu seperti menandatangan “cek” kosong (blank cheque). Kita percaya pada Perdana Menteri tetapi Perdana Menteri adalah manusia biasa – mungkin tersilap. Kita juga ada idea yang baik yang boleh dimasukkan. Selepas itu kita luluslah.
11. Jika keadaan kritikal, Parlimen boleh sebulat suara tangguh pilihan raya. Fikirkanlah, jika berada dalam peperangan, kita nak ada pilihan raya jugakah? Tentu kita tangguh. Kita akur akan undang-undang. Tetapi tak akanlah sehingga mati. Kita sedar jika diadakan pilihan raya, beribu-ribu akan mati. Nak buat jugakah?
12. Kita pegang kuat kepada Perlembagaan. Tetapi Perlembagaan boleh dipinda jika lebih dari 2/3 bersetuju.
13. Berkenaan dengan dakwaan kononnya jika tidak diisytihar darurat sebelum 2 November, pasar saham akan jatuh merudum pada 2 November. Yang kita lihat ialah walaupun darurat tidak diisytihar sebelum Isnin 2 November, pasar saham tidak jatuh merudum. Sebaliknya pasar saham berada dalam keadaan sihat.
14. Jelaslah dakwaan bahawa pasar saham akan jatuh merudum jika darurat tidak diisytihar adalah cara untuk memaksa Duli Yang Maha Mulia Seri Paduka Baginda Yang Di-Pertuan Agong isytihar darurat.
15. Fikir. Fikir dalam-dalam. Undang-undang untuk selamat kita, bukan untuk bunuh kita.
LANGKAWI
1. Saya baru pulang daripada lawatan tiga hari ke Langkawi.
2. Langkawi hijau, iaitu bebas dari Covid-19.
3. Namun penduduk patuh SOP dan pemeriksaan untuk Covid-19 dikenakan kepada semua pelawat.
4. Tetapi semasa saya di sana saya dapati keadaan muram. Perintah Kawalan Pergerakan yang dikenakan di daratan akibat Covid-19 menjejaskan industri pelancongan Langkawi.
5. Hanya dua tiga penerbangan sahaja dari Subang/Sepang masuk Langkawi tiap hari. Jadual penerbangan masuk, serta perkhidmatan feri amat berkurangan setelah kawalan pergerakan terbaru dikenakan ke atas Selangor, terutamanya.
6. Walaupun beberapa bulan lalu terdapat peningkatan kemasukan pelancong tempatan, malangnya pertambahan mendadak kes-kes Covid-19 telah membantutkan kedatangan pelancong ke Langkawi.
7. Peniaga-peniaga merungut, banyak kedai ditutup, ada yang hanya sementara tetapi ada juga yang gulung tikar. Pusat-pusat pelancongan kelihatan sepi. Kereta-kereta sewa banyak yang tersadai kerana ketiadaan pelanggan. Restoran-restoran yang dulunya tumpuan pelancong juga sepi.
8. Nyata PKP terbaru ini menjejas sektor pelancongan kerana ramai pelancong tempatan, terutamanya dari Selangor dan Kuala Lumpur tidak dapat berkunjung ke Langkawi.
9. Saya khuatir kesan jangka panjang kepada ekonomi Langkawi dan kepada kehidupan penduduk pulau ini.
10. Sebenarnya terdapat banyak cara dan cadangan untuk memperbaiki ekonomi Langkawi. Tetapi setakat ini kebenaran Kerajaan tidak dapat diperolehi. Mungkin ia disebabkan wabak Covid-19. Tetapi jika dirancang dengan mengambilkira SOP Covid, industri pelancongan dan lain-lain industri boleh diperbaiki.
11. Ini bukan sahaja boleh dilakukan tanpa peruntukan Kerajaan tetapi boleh menyumbang kepada pertambahan dana Kerajaan.
12. Saya fikir penyakit ini akan ambil masa yang lama. Kita tidak mungkin dapat hapus terus penyakit ini dalam masa terdekat.
13. Sementara itu, rakyat perlu terus hidup dan menjana pendapatan untuk sara kehidupan serta keluarga. Mereka harus diberi peluang jika tidak negara akan mengalami kehancuran ekonomi.
14. Mungkin ada sesiapa dalam Kerajaan yang boleh dengar rintihan peniaga kecil seperti ini dan beri pertimbangan. Saya akan terus berikan idea lain jika ianya dapat membantu.
MISREPRESENTED CONTEXT
1. I am indeed disgusted with attempts to misrepresent and take out of context what I wrote on my blog yesterday.
2. Those who did that highlighted only one part of paragraph 12 which read: “Muslims have a right to be angry and to kill millions of French people for the massacres of the past.”
3. They stopped there and implied that I am promoting the massacre of the French.
4. If they had read the posting in its entirety and especially the subsequent sentence which read: “But by and large the Muslims have not applied the “eye for an eye” law. Muslims don’t. The French shouldn’t. Instead the French should teach their people to respect other people’s feelings.
5. Because of the spin and out of context presentation by those that picked up my posting, reports were made against me and I am accused of promoting violence etc… on Facebook and Twitter.
6. FB and Twitter had then requested the administrators of my Facebook and Twitter accounts to remove the postings. Despite attempts to explain the context of the posting, they were removed.
7. There is nothing I can do with FB and Twitter’s decision to remove my posting. To my mind, since they are the purveyor of freedom of speech, they must at least allow me to explain and defend my position.
8. But that is what freedom of speech is to them. On the one hand, they defended those who chose to display offending caricatures of Prophet Muhammad S.A.W. and expect all Muslims to swallow it in the name of freedom of speech and expression. On the other, they deleted deliberately that Muslims had never sought revenge for the injustice against them in the past.
9. Even my appeal that the French should explain the need to advise their people to be sensitive and respect the beliefs of other people is left out.
10. What is promoted by these reaction to my article is to stir French hatred for Muslims.
RESPECT OTHERS
1. A teacher in France had his throat slit by an 18-year-old Chechen boy. The killer was angered by the teacher showing a caricature of Prophet Muhammad. The teacher intended to demonstrate freedom of expression.
2. The killing is not an act that as a Muslim I would approve. But while I believe in the freedom of expression, I do not think it includes insulting other people. You cannot go up to a man and curse him simply because you believe in freedom of speech.
3. In Malaysia, where there are people of many different races and religions, we have avoided serious conflicts between races because we are conscious of the need to be sensitive to the sensitivities of others. If we are not, then this country would never be peaceful and stable.
4. We often copy the ways of the West. We dress like them, we adopt their political systems, even some of their strange practices. But we have our own values, different as between races and religions, which we need to sustain.
5. The trouble with new ideas is that the late comers tend to add new interpretations. These are not what the originators intended. Thus, freedom for women, meant the right to vote in elections. Today, we want to eliminate everything that is different between men and women.
6. Physically we are different. This limits our capacity to be equal. We have to accept these differences and the limitations that are placed on us. Our value systems is also a part of human rights.
7. Yes, sometimes some values seem to be inhuman. They cause some people to suffer. We need to reduce the sufferings.
But not by force, if the resistance is great.
8. The dress code of European women at one time was severely restrictive. Apart from the face no part of the body was exposed. But over the years, more and more parts of the body are exposed. Today a little string covers the most secret place, that’s all. In fact, many in the west are totally naked when on certain beaches.
9. The West accepts this as normal. But the West should not try to forcibly impose this on others. To do so is to deprive the freedom of these people.
10. Generally, the west no longer adhere to their own religion. They are Christians in name only. That is their right. But they must not show disrespect for the values of others, for the religion of others. It is a measure of the level of their civilisation to show this respect.
11. Macron is not showing that he is civilised. He is very primitive in blaming the religion of Islam and Muslims for the killing of the insulting school teacher. It is not in keeping with the teachings of Islam. But irrespective of the religion professed, angry people kill. The French in the course of their history has killed millions of people. Many were Muslims.
12. Muslims have a right to be angry and to kill millions of French people for the massacres of the past. But by and large the Muslims have not applied the “eye for an eye” law. Muslims don’t. The French shouldn’t. Instead the French should teach their people to respect other people’s feelings.
13. Since you have blamed all Muslims and the Muslims’ religion for what was done by one angry person, the Muslims have a right to punish the French. The boycott cannot compensate the wrongs committed by the French all these years.
PENOLAKAN USUL DARURAT
1. Bagi pihak Pejuang saya alu-alukan keputusan Duli Yang Maha Mulia Seri Paduka Yang di-Pertuan Agong bersama-sama Raja-Raja Melayu untuk tidak mengisytihar darurat di Malaysia seperti yang dipohon dan dipersembahkan oleh YAB Perdana Menteri Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.
2. Rakyat tentu gembira dengan keputusan yang dibuat oleh Seri Paduka Yang di-Pertuan Agong.
3. Pejuang juga sambut baik nasihat Yang Maha Mulia Duli Tuanku supaya orang politik kurangkan politik. Sudah tentu ini tidak terhad kepada ahli politik pembangkang sahaja, tetapi termasuklah ahli politik Kerajaan.
4. Oleh itu, diharap sementara ahli politik pembangkang menghormati nasihat Duli Yang Maha Mulia, ahli politik Kerajaan dan Kerajaan juga henti tindakan politik seperti melucutkan jawatan orang politik yang tidak sokong Kerajaan, memberhentikan peruntukan wakil rakyat yang tidak sokong Kerajaan, membeli penyokong parti lawan untuk menjatuhkan Kerajaan Parti lawan, memaksa pilihanraya diadakan kerana percubaan merebut Kerajaan, menolak pendaftaran parti politik seperti Pejuang, dan bermacam lagi tindakan politik seperti sogokan wang dalam pilihanraya.
5. Pejuang tetap akan patuh kepada nasihat DYMM YDP Agong, supaya politik di Malaysia menjadi stabil. Pejuang sanggup bekerjasama dalam usaha semua pihak menangani ancaman Wabak Covid-19.
6. Akhir kata, sebagai pemimpin Pejuang yang belum didaftar, saya ingin menyatakan kesyukuran kami dan junjung kasih kami kepada Kebawah Duli Tuanku YDPA yang telah utamakan kepentingan rakyat dengan membuat keputusan yang bijak terhadap cadangan mengisytihar darurat di negara tercinta ini.
STATE OF EMERGENCY
1. Covid-19 has been used to justify Parliament being delayed, shortened and void of any debates.
2. Now it is to justify declaring a State of Emergency. But the power and authority in today’s Government have been adequate to deal with the pandemic.
3. We don’t find the kind of objection by the people as seen in the US and Europe. Our people have very largely obeyed the restrictions such as the MCO.
4. What can Emergency do to stop the pandemic more than what we can do now. Nothing.
5. But an Emergency would give extra power to the Prime Minister. What he has done so far has not mitigated the political, economic and social problems affecting the country.
6. He has a huge Cabinet which has contributed nothing to the well-being of the people and the country.
7. Most of the things done is about the political situation. This Government is not the Government elected by the people. It has come to power by undemocratic means. And now it is only concerned about staying in power.
8. Faced with the possibility of being overthrown, the Prime Minister wants the powers under a state of Emergency. The only benefit would accrue to the Prime Minister, as Parliament would be paralysed. He would claim that it is the wish of the Palace.
9. Already, the mere rumour of an emergency has resulted in the stock market taking a deep dive.
10. If Emergency is declared then the market will collapse completely. The investors have no faith in the Prime Minister being able to manage the economy.
11. He messed up the Covid-19 situation by trying to grab the Government of Sabah. The present spike is entirely due to the Sabah elections.
12. So, the Government has been changed. What good has it brought to Sabah.
13. Countries with more severe Covid-19 problems have not declared emergency for the whole country but only for the affected areas.
14. That was specific for dealing with the local problem. But none have suspended laws and Parliament as it would if Emergency is declared in Malaysia.
15. There are no riots or violence in Malaysia, no breakdown of laws and order to justify an Emergency.
16. But there is a need for some changes to be made to the Government which seized power through undemocratic means.