The Misuse of Religion.

One of the brothers in Dostoyevsky's The Brothers Karamazov said "If god is dead then everything  is permissible".

That means conduct  like killing, rape, plunder, perjury etc can be done.

There are  no  more religious  injunctions  to restrain  you and society at large is mute and dumb.

These 2 things  explained  why Najib  plundered the country.

To Najib at that particular  time god  is dead.  there is no celestial being to restrain him.  Now of course he beseeches  god to let him of the hook! God is back.

If God can be switched off and  on it means God's existence  depends  on how Najib thinks at a particular time.
Surely on this point alone the religious zealots  must censure him.

At that particular  time, i.e. when Najib  stole billions through  the agency of 1MDB, God is either dead or non-existent.  Najib is both ungodly  and blasphemous. He should  be crucified  for this.

For being murtad and shirik shouldn't  death be the punishment?

If the religious fakers are silent on this-not only are they complicit  they undermine our beliefs in religious  morality.  It exposes them as hypocrites!

Aren't  they the ones clamoring  for the implementation  of hudud and shariah laws?

Excuse me-Najib  is not only stealing but behaves that God is dead or non-existent. Isn't that a mortal sin?

We must  not be lenient  towards a person teaching us that God is dead and non-existent. Actually  God has nothing  to do when we commit wrongs.

We are the architect of our conduct  and must answer  for it or be called to account. Doing  a Mad's Alfred-what me know or a Baldric-deny everything  is only sophistry.

Don't  make a sumpah laknat saying you don't  know about 1MDB or you have nothing  to do with a lady's murder, do a repentance because you behaved that God is dead or  does not exist.

Don't use  God when it's convenient  to. Like mullah Nasruddin says to the barber who cuts him as he shaves exclaiming  Allahuakbar and Astaghfirullahal azim -lets leave God aside!

Society is mute and dumb.  That's an insult to us. That's  saying  we don't have an innate sense of what's wrong  or right.
We don't need a terrestrial  big brother like the religious fakers to tell us what is right and what is wrong. No sir!

Like judge Thomas  says-its irrelevant! The concept of vicarious redemption is irrelevant.
Ask some of the humanoids to say they are guilty  on your behalf.  Then you are forgiven.

Is that how it works?

Must find a village  idiot!

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Part 2. Pas and Islamic politics

Another problem with PAS is that it claims legitimacy from God.
That is a troubling thought.

God's omnipotence is translated politically into absolute  rule.

There  are many ways to persuade  gullible  people. The clerics are the inheritors of the holy Prophet (pbuh)
There is a very thin  line that separates personal interests from  the common good.

Once this kind of rule is accepted, PAS can justify honour killings, violence and other forms of tyranny.

Our objections are grounded on:
(1) where are  the control mechanisms to reign in unbridled lust for power?
(2) if such mechanisms exist they are weak.

PAS will keep changing the goal posts when we want to score.

PAS derives its legitimacy from interpreting Gods message and since they are derivatives  they ought to be questioned.  But will PAS tolerate criticisms or perpetuate  its emotional manacles?

We don't need a dictatorship  to tell what is right or wrong. We have access to literature and our own reasoning  and abilities.
That makes PAS which eventually leads to dictatorship  irrelevant.

Can the wrongs of a particular person be forgiven  by punishing others? What kind of morality does PAS condone?

It's disturbing to see pas not condemning  the thousands of duds supporting Najib. It appears that PAS condones passing the blame morality.

Therefore, for PAS, its right for Najib to lie and its right  for others to shoulder blame.
Najib's guilt will be written off if others volunteer  to accept  punishment on his behalf.

Can we support a PAS like that?

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The PAS-inisation of Islam:-some preliminary views

In Indonesia, a Muslim cleric, Habib Riziq Shihab was deemed guilty when it was discovered  to have video WhatsApp his nude girlfriend.  He wasn't content to see still pictures.  He must see live action!

The male family jewel does not know it is attached to an ustaz or otherwise. It answers to the calls of its opposite member when appreciated.

Clearly I can also swear like a trooper like a former friend said. That is not the issue however.

A person who adopts a pious persona must behave accordingly. He owes a higher degree of responsibility.

We do not do a double standard here.  Its just the way life is.

Similarly, in Malaysia, a person who adopts a similar image owes a higher degree of own-upship.
There is no difference  between a Genteel and a Philistine  when  it comes to sex.

For example, I am a philistine for I have come to terms with how I conduct  my life. I don't know about others. It is not my business.

A person who does not go to a mosque frequented by a PAS member goes to hell does he?
That is a discomforting  thought.

It suggests that God is not fair.  He has chosen a side.
All our life we have been  taught that  our entry to heaven is determined  by our piety and definitely not party affiliate.

We don't know of any community  that says it's OK  to steal but pas aligns  itself with a known plunderer.
Pas cannot  work with DAP yet can sleep with heathens MCA and MIC.

We believe in Islam but cannot accept unquestioningly PAS version of our religion.

The problem with PAS is our total submission to the party. Unless we behaved in certain ways we are  not moral. But morality is defined by pas. And that morality is as big as Hj Hadi's nose. What he does not comprehend  are not moral.  So our morality  depends  on big brother. Where is our freedom then?
Politically that is a condiment to totalitarianism.

That is our strong objection to the politics of PAS. The party will lead to totalitarianism.
That is why it demands total submission. After all total are the first 5 words to totalitarianism!

Musyawarah masks total acquiescence actually.

Can we trust a party that has no finality in whatever it says?
Where is Tahaluf Siyasi now?
They cooperate when it profits them as what it did to DAP.  Hence to PAS only interests are permanent. All other things are ephemeral.

Why is it Tahaluf Siyasi now to work with MCA and MIC but not with DAP?
I remember Nazri Aziz once told me he trusts DAP more than the scheming  MCA.  And I assure you not a few in UMNO hold that view!

Do people ask what kind  of government  does  pas promote? Therein lies another of our opposition to pas.

The answer is an intolerant  government. That is surely against  free and inquisitive people unless  we don't mind   being muted  people.

Pas can only survive in a government  that broods no opposition to it. Any opposition  to it will be branded heretic or blasphemous.

Such a government only promotes pre emptive cowering  and submission. Can we allow pas to rule?

And since it views opposition  to its government  as blasphemous and heretic  that could only lead to violence. Using religion, pas can justify killing and violence.
Do we want that in a civilised community?

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The Religious Faker

When a few adulating sycophants ululate "bossku" to Najib - what has he done?

He's doing what many worshippers of the unknown are doing-rubbing a black goat and letting  it off in the desert to die of thirst and hunger.  We call it scapegoating.

What the selfish Najib  is doing is escaping from personal responsibility  and letting others fry for it! Some people's children!

I am surprised  to see some people falling for Najib.after all he has done doesn't he deserved a break?
Well, that does not excuse  his plunder.

The fact that US  has returned  over 1 billion confirmed that 1MDB has taken place. Surely someone  must be punished!

The sycophantic supporters of Najib  are sending the wrong message. We don't know of  any society that says it's okay to steal!

Its one of the 10 commandments.  Thou shall not steal. Show me where Islam says it's okay to steal. Does our religion, Islam says it's alright  to steal?

The problem  is that Najib  believes that it's his divine right to steal from  the country. Let's debunk that myth.

Could  it be that Najib uses religion  to justify his pillage?
Najib is a religious  hypocrite!

When I was information chief of Pekan UMNO, I volunteered  to do a session of Ratib Haddad at Najib's residence. The purpose was to bring in glad tidings and drive out evil.

After thinking a while Najib gently refused.  Perhaps he was afraid the session would blunt Rosmah's mandram!

Only God knows.  How do we know Rosmah directed her magic only on Najib? It could even be on Mahathir!

That would also make us question the allegiance  of some religious  people!.  A party like PAS that aligns with a known philanderer  is dangerous!

It's not all of a sudden Najib has turned religious. I hope the people will rule him out!
He has not got a leg up in terms of support.

The most vile of a person is one  who believes he or she gets permission  from god to do as he or she pleases. We ought to say that religion is the  refuge of scoundrels. Najib is a bloody scoundrel!
You may disagree with me, who cares.  But then  you are free to  shove any object down the place where the sun never shines! The choice is yours.

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An Asian looks at Trump's USA

We think America  has broken the rules in  international  trade. It uses economic and political tools to promote its own interests. It's promoting economic hegemony.

So let Trump howl and wail huff and puff about china's trade practice. They are just the rantings  of a schizophrenic man.

If America  does not respect  others she will be Isolated. The recent US -China  trade, war serves, only to expose. American  economic hegemonic tendencies.

Trump is, a bully  narcissistic  sociopath who has, managed fo transfer these onto  American  life. The trouble  is many accepted  this as, the new normal.

Well he's not pulling a fast one on us like he did to Huawei.

Huawei is just a casualty to Trump's bizarre economic  policies. Friedman  would be, rolling in his grave.

How should  we deal with a Huawei for Instance?
We should do like Russia  does-open her arms to Huawei. By blockading  Huawei US is exposing  its incapable  of overcoming china's technological prowess.

We, should welcome  Huawei to develop our 5G internet  technology like Russia  does. We take, advantage of US Parochialism.
Its, an extension of Trump's  narcissism anyway.

But there's more than just Huawei and Panda diplomacy. They have technological advances. In Tula Russia, Great Wall Motors is investing USD 500m in a car factory producing Haval SUV. Now they can produce 1500 cars and 1000 jobs. Imagine  that  kind of investment  to us.

China possesses wind turbine technology  and solar technology which we can transfer.

While on this subject we can have more economic relationships with Russia.  Perhaps  she is not an ogre as painted by US.

We can do this by being not  too attached  to the USA.
After  all free market means free trade and that means we  are free to trade with anyone.

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The Economic Transformation of Malaysia part of part 3

Part 1
Part 2

I am directing  my attention  to rural economic transformation or traditional economy and less on urban economics or modern economy.

In a sense the attention is intentional because the income gap between rural and urban economy must never be allowed to widen.  It would lead to confrontation.

The rural problem, simply put is: How do we raise the nominal and real income of rural economic  actors?

We are already familiar  with price support and subsidy policies.  We should focus on economic and social policies.

People in rural areas are either self-employed or farmers as landowners or tenant farmers.

Some farmers cultivate government -owned lands.  They are frequently  raided by settlement  officers.

Tenant farming  should be abolished, tenant farmers should  be given lands. Those who open up government  owned lands should  be given lands, regularised in  size.

From here we can move on to the next  step  to help both the self-employed  and farmers.

But the transformation is not overnight. The individual farmer who railed over the minister of agricultural is expecting a quicksilver solution, the transformation of the rural economy of which agriculture is but a part requires time.  When it happened the individual farmer must seize the day and cannot expect to be spoon-fed.

Assuming the "challenge and respond" attitude is there, here are some measures which the government can facilitate.

I believed every district  should  have their own marketing premises, Alor Star has its Pekan Rabu, Kuala  Terengganu has it's Pasar Payang, Kota Baru it's Pasar Khatijah etc. The gov should build these in every district.

There, the rural economic actors can sell  their goods and services. Each premise should  have their own stage premises  to hold  cultural shows. That  would attract people  to come.

Farmers markets  should  be permanent premises. The premises should  have permanent  stalls. Refrigeration  facilities, toilet and prayer hall facilities  and rubbish Collection  facilities.

A previous  agriculture Minister, Ismail Sabri  I think, supplied 3 wheeled vehicles to farmers. I think this practice should be continued.  So is the supply of things  like coconut milk Extraction  machines and food-trucks.

Really it should  be the rural development ministry looking after these things because  of direct effects to rural folks

Certainly more pusat kemahiran should be built in the districts including vocational  training in agriculture

There must be institutions that promote growth!

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You cannot please everyone!

I once talked to Najib  about winning.  You see, he's obsessed  about  getting  support from everyone.  I said that's not necessary. You can't please everyone.

If you win 60% you are winning.

It's pointless to please everyone. Since Tun Razak's time there's always about 10000 who for 1001 reasons will not support him.

I have long learnt  that you can't please everybody. So those who disagree with me are no problem  to me. But unless they write to argue properly I will hold tight to my opinion.

For instance there are some envious souls who say I do  not write my articles.  They say its written by some ghost writers.

Some people just can't believe some can write better than them.

I tolerated even Caucasians who commit grammar and tense mistakes because I know what they want to say!

The same people say my writings are crap. How do we reconcile  the allegations that I do not write but attribute crappiness to me?

Usually fellow bloggers do not question me but those who cannot even construct some sentences do.
Perhaps  they engaged in some empty  talk among the chattering class or hope to score with somebody.

Ah well you cannot please  everyone. Like John  Maynard Keynes said, "In the long run, we are all dead!"

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