A quest for conflict
(1)
Yesterday the Information Ministry announced the decision to move Selangor FM out to Angkasapuri. Selangor MB had given one week ultimatum to Selangor FM to either allocate weekly air time a slot for new State Government leaders to address issues related to people of Selangor, or pack out from its current premise in the state owned building. The latter looks set to confront the state government directive, and opts to move out.
Then, what is Selangor FM for? If it chooses to parrot Nasional FM, it would be a clear redundant. If it wants to establish a Selangor identity, it should not place itself in such an awkward position against the state government.
When a radio station like Selangor FM moves out to new premise, big amount of public fund would also be spent, unnecessarily. The staffs would have to endure worse traffic condition because Angkasapuri is a lot worse for driving than Shah Alam is.
It was also informed yesterday that Selangor FM would operate temporarily in Angkasapuri as the station radio would eventually move to its own premise in Shah Alam when its building on an 8-acre-land in Shah Alam is completed. But, what if the state government decides to turn the table against Selangor FM by making approval for the building difficult for them, as in principle, no building could be erected without state’s local authority approval.
I am amazed and puzzled. What on earth has triggered Selangor FM to take all these troubles in place of just airing one-hour-a-week programme for its new states leaders? It defies logic at its worst, to say the least.
(2)
Idiocy, practically means doing things exactly in the same old ways while expecting different results. Ong Ka Chuan, the new Housing and Local Authority Minister, stated that the Federal Government has decided to appoint its people from state levels “federal officers” down to village affairs committee (JKKK) to manage federal funds in the states ruled by Pakatan.
The creation of parallel administrations to deal with people in these states would actually complicate matters, and generate a lot of waste. This is exactly the same old practices applied in Kelantan since 1990 when Angkatan wrested control of the state. It has worked for no one. Neither the federal government, nor the state has benefited from such policy for the past 18 years. BN had hoped this policy would help them capture Kelantan, but the reality on the ground showed otherwise. The money BN dumped in Kelantan had only widened the rift among its leaders.
Kelantan, for most of the period, was all alone in tolerating this assault from the federal government for the past 18 years. But now, with Pakatan take control of 4 other states, they could work collectively to make things equally painful for the federal government officers to operate in these states. State governments have full authority over lands and many aspects of construction works approval. Without state governments cooperation, federal officers could be reduced to merely handing out minor goodies without real development activities. State governments could even introduced high taxes on all premises owned by federal GLCs in the states.
It is not that I like to see conflicts being aggravated between the states and the federal government, but it seems some people need to learn simple lessons the hard ways. Let them taste their own medicines. This may make them much wiser in the future.
(3)
“Secularism cannot be made a new religion…You cannot impose secularism by force!” said Joseé Manuel Barroso, the President of the EU in his speech last Friday.
He made this speech in Turkey where the AK Party, the ruling party, is facing a looming legal proceeding for its closure due to allegation that the party has become hot bed for anti-secularism activities.
Ong Ka Ting should have been listening to the speech too, I hope. He was cited to say that PAS has ulterior motives for hoping that hudud laws could one day be implemented in this country. The fact is, not one thing could be imposed on people by force against people’s wills. As Mr. Barroso clearly stated, not even secularism could be imposed by force.
If Hudud is to be implemented, it must have become clear choice for the majority of the people. PAS simply holds dearly a belief that Islam, and all its components including Hudud, is erected firmly on the foundation of justice and truth, in tandem with universal natures of humanity. If it ever seems to produce injustice, then it must have been due to misunderstandings or abuses. Thus, reforms must then be carried out to correct these misunderstandings and abuses. But villifying Islam dan hudud, the way Ong Ka Ting does, would not hold water in improving intellectual discourses within our democratic spheres.
Yesterday the Information Ministry announced the decision to move Selangor FM out to Angkasapuri. Selangor MB had given one week ultimatum to Selangor FM to either allocate weekly air time a slot for new State Government leaders to address issues related to people of Selangor, or pack out from its current premise in the state owned building. The latter looks set to confront the state government directive, and opts to move out.
Then, what is Selangor FM for? If it chooses to parrot Nasional FM, it would be a clear redundant. If it wants to establish a Selangor identity, it should not place itself in such an awkward position against the state government.
When a radio station like Selangor FM moves out to new premise, big amount of public fund would also be spent, unnecessarily. The staffs would have to endure worse traffic condition because Angkasapuri is a lot worse for driving than Shah Alam is.
It was also informed yesterday that Selangor FM would operate temporarily in Angkasapuri as the station radio would eventually move to its own premise in Shah Alam when its building on an 8-acre-land in Shah Alam is completed. But, what if the state government decides to turn the table against Selangor FM by making approval for the building difficult for them, as in principle, no building could be erected without state’s local authority approval.
I am amazed and puzzled. What on earth has triggered Selangor FM to take all these troubles in place of just airing one-hour-a-week programme for its new states leaders? It defies logic at its worst, to say the least.
(2)
Idiocy, practically means doing things exactly in the same old ways while expecting different results. Ong Ka Chuan, the new Housing and Local Authority Minister, stated that the Federal Government has decided to appoint its people from state levels “federal officers” down to village affairs committee (JKKK) to manage federal funds in the states ruled by Pakatan.
The creation of parallel administrations to deal with people in these states would actually complicate matters, and generate a lot of waste. This is exactly the same old practices applied in Kelantan since 1990 when Angkatan wrested control of the state. It has worked for no one. Neither the federal government, nor the state has benefited from such policy for the past 18 years. BN had hoped this policy would help them capture Kelantan, but the reality on the ground showed otherwise. The money BN dumped in Kelantan had only widened the rift among its leaders.
Kelantan, for most of the period, was all alone in tolerating this assault from the federal government for the past 18 years. But now, with Pakatan take control of 4 other states, they could work collectively to make things equally painful for the federal government officers to operate in these states. State governments have full authority over lands and many aspects of construction works approval. Without state governments cooperation, federal officers could be reduced to merely handing out minor goodies without real development activities. State governments could even introduced high taxes on all premises owned by federal GLCs in the states.
It is not that I like to see conflicts being aggravated between the states and the federal government, but it seems some people need to learn simple lessons the hard ways. Let them taste their own medicines. This may make them much wiser in the future.
(3)
“Secularism cannot be made a new religion…You cannot impose secularism by force!” said Joseé Manuel Barroso, the President of the EU in his speech last Friday.
He made this speech in Turkey where the AK Party, the ruling party, is facing a looming legal proceeding for its closure due to allegation that the party has become hot bed for anti-secularism activities.
Ong Ka Ting should have been listening to the speech too, I hope. He was cited to say that PAS has ulterior motives for hoping that hudud laws could one day be implemented in this country. The fact is, not one thing could be imposed on people by force against people’s wills. As Mr. Barroso clearly stated, not even secularism could be imposed by force.
If Hudud is to be implemented, it must have become clear choice for the majority of the people. PAS simply holds dearly a belief that Islam, and all its components including Hudud, is erected firmly on the foundation of justice and truth, in tandem with universal natures of humanity. If it ever seems to produce injustice, then it must have been due to misunderstandings or abuses. Thus, reforms must then be carried out to correct these misunderstandings and abuses. But villifying Islam dan hudud, the way Ong Ka Ting does, would not hold water in improving intellectual discourses within our democratic spheres.
posted by Jamna at
10:34 PM
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