Such is a personality that he continues making headlines despite countless of allegations hurled at him & family, or more accurately – anyone who can be closely affiliated to him. For a progressive democratic nation, the Sodomy II is deemed weak, uncalled upon, and dubious in the eyes of truth-seeking public. In fact, this latest political setback has been more of a concern to majority Malaysians of late than perturbing economical issues.

9 January 2012′s verdict holds much significance as many predicted that upcoming election may be the Opposition pact’s only chance of taking Putrajaya. The turnarounds of 2008′s political tsunami has made the public more courageous to question Government’s unpopular moves. The once impossible coalition pact of Chinese-dominant DAP and Islamist PAS, together with PKR is beginning to portray the new image of Malaysia’s political landscape, calling for the ruling party of Barisan Nasional to liberate the public as the roars are beginning to extend to rural constituencies.

I was fortunate to be one of the thousands witnessing Anwar’s acquittal of the Sodomy II allegation.

Why fortunate? What’s so special of witnessing just another person coming out of court?

Anwar’s case is probably the last of such in the history of Malaysia’s judiciary. Having said that, the last (and first) Sodomy case recorded was also one involving Anwar and his personal aid, in which the later eventually confessed -in an undated video recording- of him being forced to concede to lies of politically-malicious intent. This verdict also bears weight to Malaysia’s future political landscape as the next General Election looms nearer. Anwar is said to be the unifying force of Opposition’s Coalition and it’s usually uncalled for political parties of different ideologies agreeing to one as their potential Prime Minister. However, the image of a sodomiser Anwar works more harm than good for a formidable Opposition force, especially when the connotation of Anwar being one is a major catch-word for the 150,000 daily readers of mainstream newspapers.

So..why was I there?

Having my political freedom restricted by AUKU (though not of the case here), it’s the usual wish for conventional parents not wanting their children to be affiliated to politics (especially Anwar) before the about time. It was the least of expectation for me to be part of the atmosphere, nevertheless one can always change his fortune of life, and unrelatedly – I did mine by doing my legal attachment at RamRais & Partners on 6 January 2012.

Syahredzan Johan, a partner of RamRais & Partners whom I was with.

Coincidentally, I was tasked on an immigration case (on my first day of work) handled by Syahredzan Johan and it happened that its case trial will be on the 9th at Jalan Duta Court Complex; the very place where Anwar’s verdict is to be released at.

I was walking behind Justice Bao.

Contrary to the previous rallies, the PDRM was surprisingly co-operative and non-violent to the public. Traffic towards the complex didn’t turn out to be as horrendous as many had anticipated, in fact, there were no road-blocks leading to the Court Complex despite the sporadic presence of PDRM. The amassing crowd started chanting as early as 8 in the morning, followed by speeches of Pakatan Rakyat’s politicians. (Fuziah of Kuantan and Nizar were the few I managed to listen to).

One of the common sights during the rally.

By 830, I had to get moving from the speech-platform and squeezed myself through the impatient, unnerving crowd as chants to release Anwar and reformation continues reverberating just outside the main entrance.

“HIDUP HIDUP! HIDUP ANWAR!”

“REFORMASI REFORMASI REFORMASI”

What happened inside the Court Complex?

It’s work as usual for the BlackandWhites inside the Court Complex, though a commotion can be obviously seen at the far-end of Level 5, mostly lawyers and journalists. As the case on immigration was postponed to 11am, Syahredzan and I waited along the corridor-approximately 20 metres away from the commotion- for the verdict on Anwar to be released.

*A BBM notification to Syahredzan verifies Anwar’s acquittal from the sodomy allegation.

Both of us were startled of this verdict, which led to the checking of Twitter updates to verify the information.

“YEAH YEAH BETUL LAH TU, EVERYONE IS SAYING SO”

Merely seconds after, a thundering roar erupted from the Court Complex’s parking place vicinity as Anwar’s supporters rejoiced at this triumphant verdict.

The actual atmosphere (from the ground) after verdict is out.

From the look at it, most lawyers (from the commotion) looked relieved as the jubilant crowd celebrated this emphatic win. A lady who later engaged into a conversation with Syahredzan said:

“I don’t care about Anwar or Najib, I’m just glad Anwar’s family doesn’t have to go through this suffering any longer”

Minutes later, Anway and his envoys came out from the verdict chamber, happily waving to the photographers. Meanwhile outside, most of Anwar’s supporters have started making their way home, leaving the few hundreds faithful ones by the Court Complex’s main entrance.

Selangor Menteri Besar, Khalid Ibrahim was the most exuberant as he walked out of the chamber, being among the earliest to give out interviews to info-hungry reporters. Khalid gleefully walked past us, and started lauding the victory to recognizable individuals as “A NEW START. THIS IS A NEW START”.

————————–

That was my short account of the much-hyped 9 January 2012 and I feel compelled to share my fortunate experience as I’m sure many would have longed for such opportunity. Likewise, let’s hope that this case won’t be prolonged & taken to the Court of Appeal as the judge had already made it clear by saying that he could not rely on controversial DNA evidence submitted by the prosecution in the case lodged by Anwar’s aide Mohamad Saiful Bukhari Azlan.

“The court is always reluctant to convict on sexual offences without corroborative evidence. Therefore, the accused is acquitted and discharged,” were the final words uttered in the verdict chamber. Malaysians are generally tired of this dirty politicking and enough is enough.

 by Dian Mashita

Just about 2 weeks ago, I was among the 120 government scholars who attended Biro Tatanegara (BTN) camp; it was basically a camp made compulsory for us to attend in order to deepen our understanding on the Federal Constitution and what 1Malaysia is all about.

I can’t help but notice that during the first 2 days there; before all of us were divided into groups enlisted by the organizers; in the Dining Hall, the Malays would sit with the Malays, and the same case goes for the Indians and the Chinese. Only one or two tables had the multi-racial ‘population’.

On the 3rd day of the camp, when all of us were assigned into 12 groups of 10; only then the tables in the Dining Hall were filled with mixed races; and this was because we were told to sit with our assigned group mates. This continued till the 5th or last day of the camp.

As I see it, this pretty much resembles how most of us Malaysians truly are. Most of us won’t mix around unless we’re told to.

“Melentur buluh biarlah dari rebungnya”.

This Malay proverb reminds us that in order to change something, we have to start from the early stage.

Therefore, here comes what I truly am opposed to; vernacular schools.

Some of us were already racially divided since the age of 7; how could 10 years of being among the same creed without having friends of other races; truly unite us?

I’m afraid what we have right now, is merely tolerance.

We accept the presence of one another, but do we embrace one another as how at least a family should be?

Unity in Strength

According to Tan Sri Professor Emeritus Khoo Kay Kim, prior to Malaya’s independence, vernacular school was set up by the British for the Chinese and Indians as they were very transient during those times. They were not looking to stay back in Malaya permanently, so British set up those schools to prepare them, and help them to get transitioned back to their home countries, if needed.

So, why do they still exist in this current time?

If the government is truly serious on conceptualizing the 1Malaysia slogan in reality, then there should only be one education system in Malaysia, where every Malaysian child could interact with one another and learn to genuinely embrace each other.

Although, I can’t deny that even in a national school with multi-racial students, some of them still prefer to group with their own people but won’t the increasing number of vernacular schools divide us more?

If one wants to learn their people’s own language (I did not say mother tongue because mother tongue is a language spoken at home, not necessarily by a race), then a special school could be set up as an extra class; just like how some of the Muslims attended national school in the morning, and religious school for another 2 hours in the afternoon.

I believe that for the sake of unity, all Malaysian children should attend the same kind of school; and if they must, learn the 3 languages of the 3 apparent majorities of this land: Bahasa Melayu, Mandarin and Tamil; because language is the window to the soul. If we can effectively communicate with one another then it could be the start of true unity.

I am part of the policy-tinkering generation of Malaysia’s education system, having studied Science & Mathematics both in Malay and English throughout 10 years of public schooling. It bothers me to read newspaper reports and articles of activists supporting either side, and honestly speaking, opinions that speak the greatest volumes must be from the students in this policy-changing phase themselves,  rather than parents who probably earn a handsome income.

Before indulging deeper into this most controversial policy debate, a brief account of my public education history does well to put me in such a position for my views on this matter to be respected.

Like most middle-income Malay families, I was raised in a family which speaks Malay nearly all the time but which also places strong emphasis on learning English as a pivotal learning tool. Despite not using English as the mother tongue, I’d describe myself as someone who can speak English fluently, and I guess good enough to write articles with minimal (or no) grammatical errors with extensive vocabulary. But then again, I wouldn’t credit the Government’s policies for it was my personal effort plus my supportive parents which enabled me to master English, which brings me to the whole dilemma this case is all about.

If anyone were to reflect on the effectiveness of policy-making, you’ll first have to place yourself in the position of an average Jack, not view things from the perspective of parents with professional backgrounds worrying about their children’s academic future. As a Malay guy hailing from a sub-urban area of the ‘modern state of Selangor’, the level of English competency among students is admittedly worrying. In fact, the core of this critical problem isn’t racial-centric, as the majority of Chinese and Indians from vernacular schools are not as fluent in English either. As students, we’re often taught to study English for the sake of scoring well in exams, hence you can see 17-year-olds writing a decent 10-year-old-standard essay scoring As for English in SPM, what more when speaking English, if not merely constructing sentences, in is a bane.

Politics aside, I agree with the DPM’s major concern of prioritising the pinnacle of the problem first. If English is really the main problem, let’s improve on how we teach English first before anything else. If students are grappling to even construct decent, grammatically-correct sentences, how can they even understand a Biology text to begin with?

I’ve gone through these phases of learning Science and Mathematics in both languages, and I reserve no credit to PPSMI for my current level of English, in fact, it saddens me to see the ridiculous approach adopted by some students who read dictionaries and ‘example essays’ for their English writing papers.

It’s best if we look beyond the strive to have English as the medium for Science and Mathematics and figure out first the best way to learn English, rather than the unproven successes of merely using the language on the basis that ‘the world of Sciences is in English’.

We know for a fact that it’s beneficial for our students to know English, so that it’d be much easier for them upon reaching tertiary education. However the mindset transformation doesn’t start by tweaking the medium of instruction. Even worse, the already-inept English teaching system is making it harder for rural students especially to comprehend the essence of Sciences, which may result in their inability to grasp the ‘why, when and how’ concepts. Truth be told, reality is far from what we may imagine our students to be. We can’t deny that the policy may in fact spur the English learning process, but again let us get back to the root of the problem, which is English incompetency. I see no reason for our students to struggle with tertiary commitments in Sciences if they can already master the concepts while in high school, even if it were to be in Bahasa Melayu.

Using Bahasa Melayu to learn will enable almost everyone to understand the concepts first, and once they do, it’d be much easier to deal with the various nuances of Sciences rather than looking at them from a single viewpoint. Provided that our English learning system is going to be implemented in as heavenly a manner as the DPM envisioned, not only students are able to comprehend the essence of Sciences (on the assumption that everyone understands Bahasa Melayu), the supposedly improved system of English education can provide the necessary tool for students to explore Science more deeply, in contrast with the status quo of being spoon-fed by SPM reference books.

My fervent hope is for English to be enhanced again, and having said that, I don’t think the right way is by making it the medium for learning Science and Mathematics. We know that most Malaysians of late are grappling with English. It’s time for us to reflect on this fragility of our education system first before more of our students get left out, not just with regard to English but to Sciences and Mathematics as well.

It’s time for the ruling party to revamp our English syllabus. As of now, the status quo has clearly failed to produce the English-speaking generation we wished for. If my opinions were ever to be taken into your mindful thoughts, please consider these reforms for the sake of our nation:

1. Your textbooks are mostly useless to inculcate the fun of learning English. Students don’t usually grasp the idea of grammar and comprehension, thus are unable to apply the basics in their everyday use of English. We must now seek help from acclaimed linguistic experts to meddle with our syllabus. We can’t go far if 17-year olds are still getting diagrams and excerpts from passages. Circling the right answer from a choice of simplistic statements do not by any means develop a student’s critical insight, but merely spoon-feeds answers in the study of literature.

2. It’s time to do away with our one-off oral test. There should be many avenues for students to be continuously aware of the need to speak English, rather than just a pre-memorized casual conversation with their English teacher once or twice a year. Sadly, some English teachers even speak Malay in class. Perhaps things would be much better if English teachers can start conversing entirely in English as how foreign teachers may do.

3. Communication is often missed out during English classes. There’s minimal or no interactivity between learners and educators, which is something to be focused on during lessons. In the USA, the first and last phases of learning are always about recap-ing discussions and getting feedbacks from the majority of students. As far as my experience has shown, learning English in public schools constitutes more of bringing homework home after 20 minutes of jotting down notes, and another 20 minutes of listening to explanation, rather than a time for reflection on what has been studied in class by the students themselves.

As the world today is rapidly advancing on development of technology, many countries all around the world had aggressively trying to secure their dominance by developing numerous extremely lethal weapons. While ‘mutually assured destruction’ had always been an excuse, millions of innocent civilians suffered from indiscriminate eradication ranging from phosphorus bomb, indiscriminate mine as well as weapon of mass destruction.

Being a debater, I had been presented with opportunities to travel abroad and debate on several issues pertaining to conflicts in the Middle East, Africa, Korea as well as in other regions. It is amusing to see how people from different socio-economical and cultural background have a different interpretation on certain matters. Morality as well as individual liberty also often viewed differently. However, I firmly believe that in order to secure the rights and basic needs of the general public, international laws such as International Humanitarian Law as well as Non-Proliferation Treaty is not to be violated. The International Criminal Court is also to be respected, if not ratified.

It is saddening to see that as nations advance, some tend to oppress those who were behind. Offence is suddenly the new method of defense. Violence is the new method of peace. We can see bodies of children scattered all over the floor, ripped apart due to indiscriminate bombing. Family members were no longer within reach. Crops and houses now become nothing more than a deserted land. A hypocrisy from a system that promises peace and security.

It is of my biggest hope that one day people will come to realize that peace requires sacrifices. May we be able to put aside our differences and begin respecting others. United under the true cause of justice.

by Ellsee

I recently read George Orwell’s classic Politics and the English Language essay, in which he discusses the condition of the English language and the ways in which he believes it has seriously deteriorated.  While I’m not fully inclined to agree with his rather extreme position, nor do I have much to comment about his specific criticisms against political writing, I find that his general diagnosis of what ails modern English can be applied rather aptly to essay-writing in the context of Malaysian students.

Basically, Orwell accuses modern users of English of having become so lazy that we often fall back on using whole chunks of ready-made phrases when we speak or write, so that instead of letting “the meaning choose the word”, it is often the other way about.  He argues that this is a very serious fault because such phrases “will construct your sentences for you – even think your thoughts for you, to a certain extent – and at need they will perform the important service of partially concealing your meaning even from yourself”.  I leave you to contemplate the implications of that last assertion.

What’re more important is to understand the gist of the message

Skimming through the examples he gives of convenient so-called arbitrary gap fillers like a not unjustifiable assumption, leaves much to be desired, would serve no good purpose and a consideration which we would do well to bear in mind, I am reminded of how pervasive such lengthy turns of phrases are in the generic essays we often write at school.  They become literal padding in the sense that the added length they give to our essays impress our teachers and peers alike.

Yet the irony of it all is, due to the horrendous level of English that now plagues Malaysian education, a decreasing minority of students possess even the basic knowledge of the language to know when and how to use such things.  So much so that, to be able “to say In my opinion it is not an unjustifiable assumption that than to say I think” has now become a thing sought after instead of scorned and avoided. It comes to the point where teachers actually teach and encourage their students in such usage as something that would help set their essays apart from the rest.

Language barrier can be a boon

When it comes to Malay essays, the illness takes on a slightly different form.  The glut of having to compose essay after essay with such generic and boring themes as pemanasan global, pembentukan modal insan, amalan membaca and semangat patriotisme drives many of us to the phenomenon Orwell describes as “the concrete melts into the abstract and no one seems able to think of turns of speech that are not hackneyed: prose consists less and less of words chosen for the sake of their meaning, and more and more of phrases tacked together”.

Consider the following paragraph:

Sebagai kesimpulan, pemanasan global merupakan suatu masalah yang mampu mendatangkan impak yang amat serius kepada alam sekitar di samping mewujudkan kekangan terhadap kesejahteraan and ketamadunan manusia sedunia.  Oleh yang demikian, semua pihak harus berganding bahu dalam melaksanakan pelbagai usaha untuk membanteras masalah ini dan seterusnya memelihara dan memulihara alam sekitar agar generasi masa depan akan dapat terus menikmati sebuah dunia yang indah dan selamat.           

There you are, sixty words of thoughtless fluff (we all know that penanda wacana‘s count as one word), and absolutely nothing that we haven’t read dozens of times before.  I can understand the time constraints and the mental strain that we might experience during exams, but at this point the question arises as to whether we are really writing ‘original’ essays at all instead of constantly recycling age-old junk we’ve accumulated at the back of our minds from years of so much essay-drilling that we’ve become “almost unconscious of what [we are] saying”.  I wouldn’t blame teachers for feeling that they should be happy as long as the sentences are ‘logical’ and grammatically correct. After all, so-called ‘impression marks’ constitute only three or four marks at best.  From the average student’s point of view, why bother?

And then there’s that somewhat farcical issue of peribahasa.  For many of us, it has become more or less like a ritual.  Even as we slog through our essay, our mind is scanning through our (woefully limited) vocabulary of peribahasa, trying to find one that would fit.  (Perhaps that’s one of the reasons why that precious peribahasa typically appears in the concluding paragraph, but that’s just me being cynical.) Over time, we fall snugly into our preselected sets of peribahasa and thereafter refuse to budge, so much so that the peribahasa to be used often snaps to mind even while we’re still studying the question. Unless you’re one of those few competitive valedictorians at the very top of the classroom hierarchy, one peribahasa is as good as any other, and berat sama dipikul, ringan sama dijinjing serves just as well as something obscure like hendaklah seperti tembikar, pecah satu pecah semuanya.  Again, why bother?

Catching up 

In the end, there can be no simple cure to such a complex malady that has its roots in deeper social and cultural issues that I shall not discuss here.  However, it would do well to heed Orwell’s warning that “in prose, the worst thing one can do with words is to surrender to them”.  What’s more, things have most likely deteriorated even further since his time (he died way back in 1950).  The least we can do is to try our best and catch ourselves whenever we find ourselves simply mechanically doling out phrases that look and sound good together, or in Orwell’s terms, “one can choose – not simply accept – the phrases that will best cover [our] meaning”.

By: Ellsee (not her real name)

Famine in Africa, desperate offshore asylum seekers, underground slavery, global warming and the crumbling world economy – such are the ominous sets of keywords that have been drilled into us from young as the ultimate hurdles to ‘making the world a better place’, so much so that chills of guilt and discomfort creep down our spine whenever we think of them.

Yet we can hardly be blamed. For most of us, such weighty issues are so far removed from our everyday lives that they exist as mere concepts in our minds, the actual details of which are fuzzy and indistinct.

Truly, when we think of trying to make a difference, we find that there is just so much to be done that it is mind-boggling to even contemplate on where to begin. This is the first stumbling block for many of us. We must first realize and accept that we as individuals can make a difference, because if we’re not part of the solution, then we’re part of the problem. Everyday there are tiny little ways in which we can contribute – those few cents we decided to save instead of spending on sweets, or that advertisement that we decided to keep as rough paper instead of throwing it away. Even one such person, when evaluated over the course of a lifetime, is no less an activist.

However, our sphere of influence is not limited to our own selves, as there are two main groups of people that we as young people can greatly affect. It is a well-known fact that parents will pull out all the stops when it comes to the comfort and happiness of their children. Hence, if we were to harness this incredible pester power and extend it beyond the purposes of personal benefit, we will be able to bring about even greater changes.

Compared to wheedling our parents into buying unnecessary things, surely it would be easier to persuade them to use the money for a noble cause instead.

The other group of people within our reach are our friends. We have all witnessed the potency of peer pressure when it comes to things like smoking and premarital sex, because we are at an age where we become preoccupied with making a good impression among our peers. As such, the volatile nature of what is ‘cool’ and ‘in’ among the country’s youth can be swayed towards the direction of diligence and thrifty spending, for instance, provided that enough of us advocate them by exemplifying what is good and frowning upon what is not.

With a little effort from everyone, we can transform our current social atmosphere from within and become a force to be reckoned with, even on a global scale.

At the end of the day, it does not take much to bring about positive changes in our immediate environment.

All it takes is a strong personal conviction and effective use of the 4 p’s mentioned above: pester power and peer pressure.

To chicken out in the face of daunting challenges, real or perceived, would only be doing ourselves an injustice. We deserve that much, and so does the wonderful world we live in.

by Taufiq Shaikh

The average  age of this ummah is 65 years, out of that 15 years are passed away in childhood and early teenage, almost one third of the remaining 50 years is lost to sleep, so subtract approximately 16 years from the remaining and you’ll get 34 years as balance to live.

What we do in this 34 years will shape our afterlife. The choice is ours, whether we waste it away or use it for ourselves and others. In simpler words, are we merely  spending our time or investing it?

Watching time passes by

That draws our attention towards the common term we use as ” Time Pass”. In fact, there is nothing like time pass, it’s matter of wasting your time or using it. The time is passing anyhow and you cannot control it by slowing or fastening it.

What is the difference between time wasted and time invested ?

Imam Al-Bukhari’s Tomb in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

Imam Bukhari, the author of the Master piece in Islamic literature Sahih al Bukhari invested 18 years of his time to compile a book that gives him extra ordinary dividends while he sleeps in his grave. Day in and day out, he analysed through his sets of strict rules before picking up around 2230 hadith. The book explains the Islamic jurisprudence in detailed and is used for 1200 successive centuries! He travelled extensively throughout the Arabia while cross-examing the 2,00,000 hadith that he had memorised during his tenure as a student ! Amazing feat ! Every year, hundreds and thousands of ‘Madrasas’ across the world quote Bukhari to learn and teach Islam.

The Hadith has mentioned;

“When a man dies, he leaves behind three things that benefits him even after  his death;  Righteous children who would pray for him, a  Sadaqa e Jariya (continuous charity) and the knowledge that he leaves behind for the people to benefit”

How do we use our time? Are we merely spending or investing? Time is wealth and you cannot buy it, nor can you transfer yours from to some one else’s life. It is a thing which you can never get back. If you loose your wealth, you can by chance earn it back, but lost time can never be recalled. If you failed in exams, you can always try again but you’d never get another chance if you failed your life.

The following hadith will make it clear how precious this life is

“..The Martyr will be allowed to roam in the paradise any where he wishes to.. and he will be asked by Allah..”Do you desire any thing more ?”.. “Yes My Lord ! I want to go back in the world and get martyred again”, he will desire… “NO! you cannot go back” !

The people before us lived for centuries.. Noah (pbuh) worked among his people for 950 years! Yet we are assured that though we are the last of generation, we’re promised to be the first entering paradise ! How come?

The answer is simple.

Our lives may be shortened but our rewards are multiplied. Instances are as such that if we perform five obligatory prayers, we are rewarded as though for praying 50 times. If we pray in congregation, we’re considered to have prayed  27 times. If we pray Isha’ & Fajr’ in congregation, it’s as good as praying for the whole night. If we’re blessed for Laylatul  Qadr, it’s equivalent as 1000 nights of Ibadah.

There are many things we want to do in our lives yet we’re unable so. They may be to fulfil our dreams of Sawab e jaariah… but have you noticed that there are many things which we can, which we are supposed to do, and yet we are not doing it ?

Make a list of your pending good works that you desire to do and squeeze out time to do it.

Time slipping through our very hands.

Remember. Time is not wasted in hours but in minutes..or even seconds in which we let it slips til the then eventual.

“When death approaches one of them he say. O my Lord give me send me back. That I go back and work righteousness in the things I neglected…  NO! you cant go back!!!!”  (Surah al Mo’minoon 23:99-100)

*Taufiq Shaikh is an Indian national from Ahmedabad, India and was one of the few lucky ones from the Sub-Continental country for the prestigious Youth Exchange and Study (YES) Scholarship to United States of America in the year 2010. He’s currently studying Engineering at Indus Institute of Technology and Engineering, India.

by Nas Syahirah

“Budak pakai tudung labuh tu mesti baik”

“Pakai tudung pun tak jamin syurga lah”

“Tak pakai tudung, confirm neraka!”

So my dear Muslim mates, (especially you girls since you can relate more to this topic because we have more obvious aurah to cover than men) I bet you are aware of situations like this where, by what you wear, your faith is judged.

As the third party observing the observers and the observed, I came to the conclusion that most people tend to judge ‘How Good A Muslim Is?’, by what they put on. What we portray explicitly are the things we allow people to form hypothetical statements, but remember, hypothesis could be wrong.

Example of two extreme ends:

Example 1;

A girl with a bunch of pictures of her in miniskirts or dresses that flaunts their womanly assets, normally, our first impression of her is, we might think she is a party-going socialite with attitude problem. We will never think that she might be a hafiz of the Quran or she never missed her daily prayers. So negative.

Example 2;

A girl with full hijab on (not the normal-casual hijab we put on), what goes in our head is she is a very Islamic and a very faithful servant of God, but, for all you know she has an illegitimate foetus in her womb.

Hijab minds personal relation with God that should not be subjected to public’s opinion. It’s a matter of choice.

No no no, it’s not my point to tell you people to think negatively about girls with hijab on. The purpose of me writing here is, I want people to not put a sharp end to someone’s faith from what they see superficially. We are not anyone to judge the heart.

First impression is almost never accurate, so beware of jumping to conclusions without any proper observations or solid evidences. There are rules of being a judge too sweeties. I know a lot of people who looks deviant on the outside but on the inside, really is a good soul (InsyaAllah). Talking based on experience here mates, not just making up stories!

You can’t know a person till you dig in their essence.

So please please please, stop judging people by what you see before capturing.

There’s nothing wrong to advice if you are not pleased, but a curse for you who backstabs. Not everything sketchy is bad, not everything caked-up is good.

What’s in the heart is only known to God and we as human can only advice the wrongs and encourage the rights.

If wrong judgment is made, it is considered as fitnah, a sin that is worse than killing. Better to stay off that path and leave it all up to God because faith-judging is beyond our power!

*Subjected to her personal view on interpretation of Hijab

* NAS despises formal education but managed to survive the system! Being independent and thick-skinned is her defense mechanism to live. Loves traveling but just locally for now cause she apparently still doesn’t own the money-making-machine, YET. She blogs at nassies-s.blogspot.com & is currently studying Human Sciences at International Islamic University Malaysia.

by Ellsee (nickname)

The Academy Award for Best Picture, the coveted award that is only given to the very best of films each year, has been the subject of increasing controversy. While the award is supposed to reflect the overall success of a movie (including its popularity), past winners like A Beautiful Mind (2001), No Country for Old Men (2007) and The Hurt Locker (2009) have baffled countless onlookers, so much so that various groups have begun to question the integrity and motives of the Academy itself because these films, while having received rave reviews from critics, admittedly did not do particularly well in the box office and were nowhere near the public’s favorite to win.

Russel Crowe starred in ‘A Beautiful Mind’ as a a young schizophrenic prodigy.

A deeper look at this extraordinary phenomenon reveals a telling trend that has been silently creeping into modern society. For decades, the differences of interest between the intellectuals and the lay-people have been widening and is continuing to widen.

To the film scholars and critics, the definition of a ‘good movie’ is one that places significant emphasis on the artistic aspect of the film, whereas the general public’s notion is that a ‘good movie’ should be one that is engaging and entertaining.

This ages-old debate between art and entertainment is not merely confined to the movie industry. Literature students the world over groan at having to plow through such morbid volumes as To Kill a Mockingbird and Brave New World, bitterly commenting to themselves that were it not for the sake of scholarly study, these books would have long been phased out of bookstore shelves.

One thought can fulfill immensity.

Indeed, today’s bestsellers consist of modern fiction that is easy-reading and not emotionally taxing, on par with the likes of the Twilight saga and chic-lit by Sophie Kinsella and Meg Cabot. All this hardly comes as a surprise, because in this modern and hectic world, people are simply too busy and burnt out to fork out the time and energy to digest any amount of deep, solid literature.

Because whether we like it or not, art by nature pokes and prods at our conscience in an attempt to make us a better person. Literature is in essence a social commentary meant to draw our attentions beyond our pitiful selves to the world at large and the issues that plague it. And for that, art requires the onlooker to be emotionally involved and above all, to think and understand. Yet, after a nerve-wrecking 8-hour day at work or school, the last thing people want when they finally get to stumble back home is to get entangled with a lengthy storybook not-very-subtly discussing the fate of humanity and the evils of colonialism.

What the modern person wants and needs the most is entertainment, something to get their mind off current troubles; an emotional catharsis that will make them feel good and not be left facing even deeper concerns than their own. Hence the huge successes of a slew of feel-good movies that inundate today’s movie industry (which is, aptly, slowly being referred to more and more as a part of the ‘entertainment industry’).

Are you looking for artistry or entertainment?

Incidentally, no word harbors greater promises of entertainment and fun than the word ‘swashbuckling’. When this word appears, one can be assured that the story up ahead will be filled with delightful romance, thrilling adventures, and exciting fight scenes, all coupled with a nice, happy fairy-tale ending to round it all up.

Such is pure entertainment, with a few family values and lessons on self-esteem and hard work thrown in for good measure in order to satisfy the minimal demands for upholding social morals and values. However, the repercussions of this unbalanced shift towards entertainment among the masses are, to say the least, worrying.

It is no coincidence that the newly unveiled syllabus for the KBSM Literature Component has experienced a significant degradation in terms of literary quality and pedigree. The last vestiges of mainstream classic literature have all but dissipated, indeed Shakespeare has completely vanished. PMR-level novels (so-called) are really adaptations into what can only be labeled as comics, with full-color illustrations and fun activities to do after each chapter. Yet it is hard to blame the Education Ministry for all this.

I know for a fact that less than 30% of my fellow students in the (top) class actually read and finished Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde back in Form 3, most of them with marked difficulties. Because literature is not just about the grammar and vocabulary, plot and themes. Most of them probably knew the story like the back of their hand, but it is an entirely different story to be able to understand and relate to it. “Yes, I know what’s going on. But I don’t get the point of the whole damn thing.” Why write an improbable story about some doctor who could turn himself into his evil alter ego, and most importantly, why on earth study it? For someone who has had zero exposure to the whole world of classic literature (with all its grand nuances, symbolisms, subtleties and complexities), and whose universe had previously revolved solely around rote study, entertainment and relationships, it is understandably perplexing.

The cold, hard truth is that people, especially the younger generation, are losing their ability to appreciate artistry and hence, their ability to ponder on issues that surpass their own private sphere of existence. It is a vicious cycle. The more we focus on entertainment instead of art, the less inclined we become to think intellectually and philosophically; and the less inclined we are to think deep thoughts, the more we shun artistic expression for simple entertainment.

That’s why many people’s lives come across as shallow.

That’s why it’s so hard to discuss theology or philosophy with the people around you.

That’s probably why there will be people who don’t get the title of this article.

That’s also probably why Fidzi finds it so hard to find people to write for his blog.

*Ellsee is an oddball in many ways.  She is an SPM Straight-A student who is studying for STPM as a private candidate and plans to major in Linguistics.  A self-described hermit, she spends most of her time at home, where she gleefully delves into her books, her stories, and of course, her studies

Anwar Ibrahim is a great orator, but can he walk the talk?

Despite being a controversial figure, I find his speeches & antics interesting to be dwelled in. It’s never easy to get the audience’s total attention what more for them to fathom the essence of speech, but Anwar Ibrahim is known for his riveting echoes. I’m writing this column not out of political inclination or personal admiration, in fact I’d prefer to be non-partisan in voicing my views. I thought it’ll be interesting for the recent ‘Anwar Ibrahim’s Closed Dialogue Session with Young Professionals’ to be shared online as not many may have heard his talk (s) live, but those selectively aired on TV (on preference of course).

Perhaps due to my past involvement with loyarburok.com, I was again invited for a talk on empowerment of youth and Malaysia’s liberation from oppressiveness under the banner of opposition’s stalwarts, this time featuring Anwar Ibrahim on the 29th of May. I didn’t take it as a political measure, but more of an outreach of concern on policies & disheartening reality of political ploy. Never once did Anwar urged the audience to vote for the opposition, his speech was merely a reflective view on what could have been done if he were to be Malaysia’s next Prime Minister (which is a matter of ‘when’ & not ‘if’ according to Anwar)

Anwar started his speech by emphasizing the propensity of learn and change, on the need not to have punitive laws, rejecting its assertions contrary to normative mode of thinking. This chauvinistic policy must be challenged on conceptual framework of moral sentiments and not solely capitalism’s inequality in market economy. He made known of his major concern that irrespective of races or political relations, the rule of Law is beginning to fade from our society.

“For evil to triumph, good men and women do nothing!”

Anwar demands a change to Malaysia’s landscape of of politics and conversations. In order for any sense of positivity be inculcated, Malaysians generally must dare to move forward and let go of racist stereotypical thinking to each another. Every concerning citizen must develop a profound interest for the beloved motherland, and this can be done by engaging themselves in wiser and respectful interactions. Malaysia’s economical competitiveness is wading due to racial-based policies benefiting the top echelon but nonetheless minimal improvement for most. The younger generation has not realized the declining economical state for achievements are not compared perennial to countries on par, but lesser ones. While portraying the incumbent government as a triumphant evil, Anwar urges a united and formidable youth force particularly the professionals to kick-start a revolution for the many flaws of a corrupted system bottoms-up.

On the issue of championing Malay rights, the Malays do know the fact they’re losing the global race for being too dependent. ‘Championing Malay rights’ according to Anwar is more of a tool for the riches to protect their interests out of proxies. His idealism is more focused on moulding a well-educated, healthy natives/Malays that none will be left out from the spillover of rapid development anymore. The Malay rights is better streamlined based on needs rather than privilege for all as we’re no more in the state of colonial rule. A balanced measure is necessary for other races to feel as part of the whole concept, and not just a surplus.

Egyptian youth started the revolution toppling Hosni Mubarak.

Youth empowerment doesn’t necessarily equate to large commotion (referring to ‘One Million Youth’ event by the Government), history has proven that youth idealism can never support a decedent, corrupt, and obsolete system. Youth movement is born from the inner struggle of conscience, not merely echoing the stand of a ruling leader. It’s the nature of youth to be rebellion upon oppressiveness, they’re now wiser with the existence of virtual connection for better and wider outreach to educate, exchanging views.

It’s time for the love-hate relationship to end.

Responding to a question asked, Anwar reiterated his stand for a total abolishment of ISA & AUKU. Such draconian laws are no more relevant to the progress of a modern world. He cheekily added that in Malaysia, there’s no doubt for the freedom of speech to prevail as per agreed in our constitution. the daunting problem is alas the freedom AFTER speech! Despite restrictive measures by the authority, the youngs are urged to counter racist remarks to teach others a lesson. The youth shall rise to bombard slanders with factual evidences and reasonings, all must unite to be against malices transcending beyond norms of politics.

On his comment regarding ‘brain drain’ issue, the problem is no more racial but national when all including the Bumiputras are beginning to desert our motherland. Anwar pinpointed the essence to rakyat’s empowerment by being need-based as nobody should be denied of rights by ‘habits of the heart’. The ruling party’s dominant say in decision-making must be addressed accordingly as ‘democracy can be a tyranny to majority’ if not managed wisely. We must bear the responsibility of check and balance to counter any misleading policies benefiting no one but certain individuals.

Before the session is wrapped up, Anwar gave his insight on the ‘pendulum swing’ of Malay-English dilemma in education.

“Assimilation of knowledge for dissemination of truth”

The problem now is the Malays wanted a sign of recognition to Bahasa Melayu, only that we did it at the expense of English. While admitting the noble intention to language’s mastery, it’s barbaric for education to be used as a political instrument. Anwar didn’t really give a say on how the education policy is gonna be like if he were to be in power, but he hinted for mastery of language be enhanced while acknowledging good command of Bahasa Melayu as the unity and national language. Clear, concerted effort to train teachers and more emphasis on literary works for students seemed to be part of his agenda to improve our declining quality in education particularly in language proficiency.

To conclude, it was casually interesting to listen and observe Anwar Ibrahim’s leadership antics in person. I see no wrong for the youngs to be more exposed in a direct conversation with leaders be it the ruling or opposition side, definitely more good is done than harm contrary to the typical mindset of majority Malaysians. When I was in USA, students can even discuss politics & national issues with teachers in a comforting situation, in fact, they’re encouraged so to sharpen their thinking as well as inculcating a stronger sense of patriotism and care for the country.

Yet we’re still in the fear of ISA & its repercussions…