On Hudud

How will an Islamic state governed by Islamic laws be established under Pakatan? Comments have been made about there being one rule for Muslims and another for non-Muslims. So will we be living in a country where we will not be equal in the eyes of the law?

How will this work in practice? If Islamic law is to be implemented properly, then it will have to be done so in its entirety at all levels, from politics to the economy to the rule of the law. Will there be a different cabinet then for Muslims, as the current Parliamentary system is not based on Muslim law? Will there be a Majlis, with a leader who is ‘first amongst equals’ and a separate Prime Minister for the non-Muslims?

Will Acts be debated in Parliament? Or will they be decided by a council of men, who will make such decisions based on their interpretations of the scripture? And if so, does that mean that the rakyat, most of who will probably be told that they are not qualified enough to question, let alone debate, matters re religion be left out of the loop?

What about business transactions? If there is a disagreement between a Muslim and a non-Muslim that needs arbitration, which law will he/she have to follow? And criminal law? Can two individuals of different religious backgrounds who were involved in a rape be tried differently and be punished differently? How will the two sets of law cater for instances such as these?

Who will keep the peace? The police force? Comments have been made about the corruptibility of the police force, a force that is predominantly Muslim. How will this be different under Pakatan? Will they vet the police force with more stringent religious qualifications?

I think that if Islamic law is to be implemented, it has to be by the ‘all or none’ law. And more importantly, the rakyat will need to be made aware of what exactly 'Islamic law' entails. The law that prevails in our country is sufficient to meet the needs of the people at this point in time. It is not the legislation that is at fault, it is the implementation. This needs to be improved first, before any attempts at wholesale reconstruction.

At this stage however, the various components have agreed to sit down and discuss the issue at hand.

Bear in mind that Pakatan’s idea of all the different ethnicities coming together at a table to discuss their differences is not that novel an idea; it was the same concept that brought together the various components of BN in the 1950s. But if you do not have the specifics of a potential government in place (from a shadow cabinet to a consensus of the appropriate form of governance), how long do you think this unity will last?

Let’s take Iran for example.

Back in the 1970s, various factions that were opposed to the Shah decided to act together in unison to topple the Shah. There was no doubt that the ruling Shah led a corrupt regime; in fact the only thing that united the various opposing factions was the fact that they despised the (then) current government for its incompetence in protecting the people’s interest and the level of corruption that was pervasive within its ranks. The enemy of my enemy is my friend, after all.

Sound familiar?

As we all know, the Shah was toppled and Ayatollah Khomeini came into power. The initial rhetoric was all about freedom of speech, greater transparency and governance based on the precepts of Islam.

Not too long after, the Islamists (unsurprisingly) fell out with the communists. In fact, the revolution continued until every opposing faction of the Ayatollah was eliminated. And by eliminated, I mean executed. Thousands were killed in sham trials, there was clampdown of the media, women lost a fair number of rights and one man’s word became law. And it didn't end there. Later on, thousands of Bahaí adherents were executed for blasphemy.

Just? A price worth paying? Who are we to decide on the lives of the thousands of people who have died because they thought in a different way?

And this was in a country where the majority comprised a single ethnicity, but with differing ideologies. What about our country, where there isn’t only a variety of ideologies, but also of ethnicities and religions? On what basis can one guarantee that things will be different, if we cannot even agree on a method of governance?

If things are not thought through at present, if we seek change for the sake of change without thoroughly thinking through the alternative, then we are merely cooking a recipe for disaster.

As a Muslim, I do believe that we should work towards creating a government that is guided by Islamic principles. But the time is not ripe and the people are not ready for an Islamic state. Idealism must be tampered with pragmatism, and as George Santayana said, ‘those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it’.

Noteworthy events

A few silly things I have come across in the news recently. And I use the word ‘silly’ rather loosely.

1. Condoleeza Rice organising a UN Security Council resolution condemning the violence by Israel in Gaza, and then abstaining from voting following a phone call by George Bush. Oh, and the Israeli president has happily proclaimed on live telly that he spoke to Bush over the phone and told him that he can’t allow such a resolution to be passed. Disbelievers of the hold of Israel on American foreign policies take note.

2. Anwar Ibrahim comparing UMNO to Israel. A political move that serves to both exaggerate the situation at home as well as trivialise the situation in Gaza.

3. PETA (that organisation that loves animals more than humans, from what I can gather) campaigning against the consumption of fish by asking fish to be renamed ‘sea kittens’.

4. The Malaysian government giving the initial green light for an airport to be built in Negeri Sembilan, supposedly to cater to local flights/smaller planes when a modern, severely under-utilised airport exists approx 10km away. Sime Darby is once again involved, the same company whose spokesperson happily proclaimed that privatising IJN will lead to both greater profits as well as greater service provision to the rakyat. Does anyone know who advises Sime Darby on strategy? And which planet he/she/it is from?

5. Librarians to be renamed 'audience development officers' under plans by the Edinburgh council to bring them into the 21st century. Obviously people are unaware of the role that librarians play.

On a more personal note, I am kinda chuffed at present, having been informed that I have been successful in obtaining a training post in Respiratory medicine.

Traditionally, getting a job as a registrar in a training scheme is the last major hurdle to overcome, as once you’re in it, you’re pretty much sorted until you complete the training and reach the necessary qualifications to be called a consultant/specialist. It’s no wonder that most of the registrars I’ve spoken to have said that being offered their job was one of the most memorable moments of their lives.

It has been a relatively smooth process for me, as I have been fortunate enough to be at the right place at the right time. I can understand the frustration of those who have been stuck in the limbo between the old and new systems as the process is a lot more difficult for them. In fact, one of them made his views known and was rather dismissive of the whole process.

At the end of the day though, I have worked hard to tailor my CV towards getting the job that I want, and that, along with the huge amount of invaluable support and advice from various sources, has played as much a role as all the luck in the world. So I will savour this momentary triumph, before reality kicks back in and I settle down to work my ass off again.

Oh, and being chuffed is probably an understatement. I’m fucking ecstatic!

Happy New Year

I am never very comfortable with the period between Christmas and New Year. I (and the people around me) appear to exist in a zombie-like state; where everything appears to move in jagged, raggedy motion like an old 1930s black & white despite the very necessary urgency of now. On an intellectual level, you know it can't be true. But looking around, one can almost imagine that those people running to the cardiac arrest are doing so in slow motion, ala a scene from Scrubs.

But now, 2009 is well and truly here. As we limped through the final trimester, hoping and praying that our struggle will gain just rewards, we learn that deliverence isn't all that it's made out to be, despite the anaesthesia induced by the festive spirit. The euphoria of political upheavel back home has been dampened by the slap of reality. The world is still in the midst of an economic crisis, as politicians grapple with uncertainty. The Zionists are still treating human lives like cattle as they wage war with the Hamas militants. Obama is just another US president.

And there's the afterbirth to look forward to.

It's not all that bad though. The realisation that life is fragile, that the mightiest empires crumble or the cleverest tupai will fall is good as it makes you appreciate what's important and close to your heart. The little moments/people in your life that make you smile, that burn a warm amber within you during the darkest cold of winter.

If nothing else, 2009 shall be that year for me - the culmination of a long-fought battle, and the celebration of life in a world that is inexorably heading for damnation. I'm not much for resolutions, but if I had to choose one, I'd say it's time we choose to celebrate life as we know it, to enjoy the good times for as long as they last.

And I wanted to share this old favourite of mine, brought back to mind recently by a brother of mine. I'm sure its poignancy will find a home in most of us. Damn, I really should catch Eddie Vedder the next time he's in town.

Wishlist - Pearl Jam

I wish I was a neutron bomb, for once I could go off
I wish I was a sacrifice but somehow still lived on
I wish I was a sentimental ornament you hung on
The christmas tree, I wish I was the star that went on top
I wish I was the evidence, I wish I was the grounds
For 50 million hands upraised and open toward the sky

I wish I was a sailor with someone who waited for me
I wish I was as fortunate, as fortunate as me
I wish I was a messenger and all the news was good
I wish I was the full moon shining off a camaros hood

I wish I was an alien at home behind the sun
I wish I was the souvenir you kept your house key on
I wish I was the pedal brake that you depended on
I wish I was the verb to trust and never let you down
I wish I was a radio song, the one that you turned up

I wish I wish I wish