Thursday 29 January 2009

Cadangan Ku Din ibarat mencurah air ke daun keladi

Pengerusi Lembaga Disiplin UMNO, Tengku Ahmad Rithauddeen (Ku Din) jelas dah bosan dengan gejala rasuah politik atau politik wang dalam UMNO. Apa tidaknya, pihaknya berdepan dengan satu masalah yang amat serius dan beliau tahu apa yang diperkatakannya.

Bubar saja Wanita, Pemuda dan Puteri UMNO jika ia dapat mengubati penyakit tersebut. Itulah luahan rasa yang terbit dari hati kecil Ku Din. Dia ikhlas dan sudah memikir semasak-masaknya sebelum mengeluarkan kata-kata itu.

Apakah reaksi atau kenyataan balas daripada para pemimpin UMNO? Ya, seperti yang dijangkakan mereka terus menempelak saranan Ku Din itu dengan bermacam alasan.

Sudah tentu Wanita, Pemuda dan Puteri UMNO tidak setuju. Saya tidak menyebut Putera UMNO kerana ia sekadar sebuah Biro di bawah Pemuda UMNO sama seperti Biro Sukan atau Biro Kebajikan. Jadi ia tidak penting.

Kenapa mereka tidak setuju? Saya tidak salahkan mereka kerana siapa mahu kehilangan lubuk yang begitu berharga? Sudah tentu tidak.

Selain membuka peluang kepada mereka untuk memegang jawatan dalam Wanita, Pemuda dan Puteri UMNO, mereka juga berpeluang mendapat pangkat (Datuk dan sebagainya) dan berpeluang menjadi wakil rakyat (MP mahupun ADUN) atau dilantik sebagai Senator dan berpeluang menjadi sama ada Setiausaha Politik, Setiausaha Parlimen, Timbalan Menteri ataupun Menteri.

Andai kata Pergerakan Wanita, Pemuda dan Puteri UMNO dimansuhkan, maka dengan sendirinya peluang untuk mereka menjadi pemimpin, mendapat pangkat dan memegang jawatan dalam pentadbiran negara mahupun negeri agak tipis malahan amat sukar.

Oleh itu, siang-siang lagi mereka menentang cadangan Ku Din yang disifatkan oleh Wanita UMNO sebagai perbuatan membakar kelambu.

Inilah budaya yang masih tebal di kalangan mereka yang memimpin UMNO sama ada di peringkat induk, mahupun Wanita, Pemuda ataupun Puteri.

Mereka harus memikirkan kelangsungan hidup UMNO dan bukan kepentingan-kepentingan lain terutama peribadi. Mereka harus sedar bahawa sokongan terhadap UMNO semakin hari semakin pudar bukan semakin kukuh. Lihat saja perkembangan di Perak yang pada satu ketika kubu kuat UMNO yang kedua selepas Johor dan sebelum kemasukan Sabah.

Dunia sudah berubah tetapi UMNO masih dok tang tu!

Wednesday 28 January 2009

A Jew who is ashamed to be one and a Catholic pastor's prayers for Gazans




"I am a Jew but am utterly ashamed and disgusted to be one right now!

"My God in the Torah certainly does not stand for oppression, discrimination, injustice or terror," wrote Josh from South Africa as quoted by AlJazeera.

"What the Zionists are doing in my name is totally against Judaism and they will pay for their acts on the Day of Judgement'.

Meanwhile, Father Manuel Musallam, Pastor of the Catholic Church in Gaza, said: "Gaza was suffering prior to the war, it suffered during the war and it will continue to suffer after the war".

"Our people have endured the bombing of their homes, their crops have been destroyed, they have lost everything and many are now homeless.

We have endured phosphorus bombs which have caused horrific burns, mainly to civilians. Like the early Christians our people are living through a time of great persecution, a persecution which we must record for future generations as a statement of their faith, hope and love," Pastor Musallam said.

[The war has affected everyone in Gaza, Muslims and Christians. It is not between Muslims and the Zionists. It is a human tragedy.]

Father Musallam said the world has to find a solution for the Palestinian people and not simply revert to the position they were in before the war began. The borders with Israel must be redrawn and the occupation, which began 60 years ago, has to end.

The Catholic Church of Gaza said that the status of Palestinian refugees must be resolved pursuant to the Right of Return, and East Jerusalem must be the Palestinian state capital.

"We must tear down the Apartheid Wall, open the border crossings, free Palestinian detainees and remove Israeli settlements so the land can be returned to its original Palestinian owners," Father Musallam added.

He said, peace is only possible if it embraces justice. If the world grants the Palestinian people their human rights there will surely be peace in the Middle East.

"From all the people of Gaza we thank you, our friends everywhere, for your constant prayers and particularly for the support which we urgently need and we hope will reach us soon. We thank His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI for his stance in calling for peace in the Midle East and for his generous support to the poor of Gaza. And we thank all bishops, priests, pastors, monks and nuns across the world for remembering us in their prayers".

On behalf of every Gazan, we share your prayers and say to the world: "From now on, let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers. Amen." (Galatians 6: 17-18)

[This message was received and relayed by Stuart Littlewood, author of Radio Free Palestine.]

Source: aljazeera.com