Treffen mit Anwar Ibrahim

By Alexander Lambsdorff

September 30th 2010

from http://anwaribrahimblog.com/2010/10/01/treffen-mit-anwar-ibrahim/

Die aktuelle politische Lage in Malaysia und das politisch motivierte Gerichtsverfahren gegen ihn waren die Themen bei einem Mittagessen mit dem malaysischen Oppositionsführer Anwar Ibrahim am Mittwoch in Brüssel. Anwar Ibrahim ist ein Kämpfer für die Demokratie.






English translation:

The current political situation in Malaysia and the politically motivated judicial proceedings against him were the subjects at a lunch with the Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim on Wednesday in Brussels. Anwar Ibrahim is a fighter for democracy.

IGP's plan for a 'polished force'

2010/10/01
By Lee Shi-Ian


from http://www.nst.com.my/nst/articles/9cop/Article/







KUALA LUMPUR: The nation's top cop yesterday unveiled his vision, the "4P" plan, for the police force to deliver more efficient services to the public.

Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Ismail Omar, flanked by his deputy Datuk Hussin Ismail, said the 4Ps stood for proactive, protective, performance-oriented and people-oriented.

"Previous IGPs have implemented their own visions on the police force and brought it to its current plateau.


"I am carrying on the good work as the present leader to take the force to greater heights," he said at the federal police headquarters in Bukit Aman.

Explaining the 4P plan, he said being proactive meant innovative thinking was required, allowing for the anticipation of new threats, having strategic planning and a firm action plan.

The second "P" showed the role played by the 100,000-strong police force as guardians of public order and internal security.


As for being performance-oriented, Ismail said this was clearly laid out, including in the force's national key result areas, that they should work to reduce crime.

"Lastly, people-oriented. The Royal Malaysian Police was formed, and exists, to serve the people. We have a duty and obligation to serve the public, regardless of their race, creed or colour."

Ismail said it was important to establish a strong fundamental vision for all policemen to follow as nothing could be achieved without a solid foundation.


"There are only about 100,000 policemen and officers serving in the force but there are 27 million people in Malaysia. So, initiatives such as reaching out via the Internet is important.

"I have held many rounds of discussions with Hussin but we both agree that without the support of the rest of the force, not much will be achieved. In six months' time, many will ask what I have achieved as the IGP.






"So, I am calling on all the men in the police force to support Hussin and me in taking the police force to new heights. Human capital is one of the core strengths of the force."

Tap the opportunities of biodiversity

Tap the opportunities of biodiversity

2010/10/01
By Zakri Abdul Hamid

from http://www.nst.com.my/nst/articles/17zakri/Article/


WE have all heard about climate change, but not many may be aware of the threat to life that experts are identifying as the next big environmental issue for us and business in particular.
This year is the United Nations International Year of Biodiversity. Biodiversity flourishes at all levels: from species to whole ecosystems, and represents the full measure of life on our planet. We are an integral part of this web of life. We also depend on it for our food, fuel, medicine and other essentials that we simply cannot live without.

However, life forms are being lost at an unprecedented rate due to human activities.


In world rankings, Malaysia is one of the world's 17 mega-diverse countries. In Asean, two other countries are members of this exclusive club, Indonesia and the Philippines. The region is home to 20 per cent of all known plant and animal species.

While we celebrate the abundance of biodiversity in our region, we should also be troubled about its loss of biodiversity. Consider these: 80 per cent of Southeast Asia's coral reefs are at risk due to destructive fishing practices and coral bleaching. Over 45 per cent of protected wetlands are considered threatened. While nearly half of Asean countries are covered by forest, during the last decade more than 10 million hectares of forest were lost due to fire.

I co-chaired the "Millennium Ecosystem Assessment" (MA), a global study undertaken by 1,400 scientists from 95 countries from 2001 to 2005. Its findings showed that despite significant steps to conserve biodiversity, the pressures continue to grow.


The findings of the MA are as follows. First, over the past 50 years, humans have changed ecosystems and biodiversity more rapidly and extensively than in any comparable period of time in human history.

This has resulted in a largely irreversible loss. For example, 20 per cent of the world's coral reefs were lost in the last several decades, and species extinction rates are now as much as 1,000 times higher than background rates typical over earth's history.

Second, although the changes made to ecosystems have contributed to gains in human well-being, particularly as a result of the spread of agriculture, these gains are being achieved at growing cost.


The MA examined the condition of 24 "ecosystem services" gained by people from ecosystems, such as food, freshwater and timber, the role of ecosystems in regulating climate and disease, and aesthetic, spiritual and recreational benefits. It found that 60 per cent of these services are being degraded on a global scale.

Third, the degradation of ecosystem services and the loss of biodiversity could grow significantly worse in the next 50 years. In particular, climate change is likely to become the single most important factor harming biodiversity by the end of this century.

Fourth, the scenarios developed by the MA show that it is possible to reverse the degradation of many ecosystem services but this would require political will. Indeed, the international community has missed achieving the 2010 target set during the World Summit on Sustainable Development in 2002 of a significant reduction in the rate of biodiversity loss at all levels.

The MA finding has serious ramifications for the world at large and will affect business and industry in three principal ways.

Firstly, if current trends continue, ecosystem services that are freely available today will cease to be available or become more costly in the near future.

Secondly, loss of ecosystem services will also affect the framework conditions within which businesses operate, influencing customer preferences, stockholder expectations, regulatory regimes, governmental policies, employee well-being, and the availability of finance and insurance.

Thirdly, new business opportunities will emerge as demand grows for more efficient or different ways to use ecosystem services. For example, palm oil and biofuel production will be radically changed over the coming decade as we run out of land to apply to these uses, new technologies are developed and demand skyrockets.

A recent McKinsey Global survey indicates that biodiversity now occupies a similar position in the public debate as climate change did in 2007. A majority of executives, 59 per cent, see biodiversity as more of an opportunity than a risk for their companies.

They identify a variety of potential opportunities, such as bolstering corporate reputations with environmentally conscious stakeholders by acting to preserve biodiversity and developing new products or ideas from renewable natural resources.

The above findings resonate well with our New Economic Model, which calls for Malaysia to build on its strategic advantages arising from its rich biodiversity. Our local business community should heed these findings as we ignore them at our own peril.



The writer is science adviser to the Malaysian Prime Minister and National Professors Council chairman. He is also former chairman of the 192-member Countries of the Convention on Biological Diversity's Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice

Final Round of PKR Divisional AGMs and Elections

Final Round of PKR Divisional Meetings and Elections

http://anwaribrahimblog.com/2010/10/01/final-round-of-pkr-divisional-meetings-and-elections/






The third and final round of Parti Keadilan Rakyat’s divisional annual general meetings and elections will take place this weekend on 2nd and 3rd October 2010. Divisional Annual General Meetings will be held in 38 divisions with contest taking place in 23 divisions – Selangor (14); Sarawak(4); Johore (2); Sabah (1); Kedah (1) and Penang (1).

Some of the logistical problems that affected a few divisions over the past weekend can be attributed to the high voter turn out. This, compounded by the unfamiliarity of members with the newly introduced system of voting, contributed to the logistical problems that were encountered.

It may not be widely known, but the divisional party elections involves members casting their votes for positions in the Jawatankuasa Cabang, the Jawatankuasa Wanita Cabang and Jawatankuasa Angkatan Muda Keadilan (AMK) Cabang. This means that where there is a contest, there are potentially three parallel elections taking place at the division level involving up to 46 positions:

a. Jawatankuasa Cabang – Ketua Cabang (1), Timbalan Ketua Cabang (1), Naib Ketua Cabang (1) and Ahli Jawatankuasa Cabang (15);

b. Jawatankuasa Wanita Cabang – Ketua Wanita Cabang (1), Timbalan Ketua Wanita Cabang (1), Naib Ketua Wanita Cabang (1) and Ahli Jawatankuasa Wanita Cabang (7); and

c. Jawatankuasa AMK Cabang – Ketua AMK (1), Timbalan Ketua AMK (1), Naib Ketua AMK (1) and Ahli Jawatankuasa AMK Cabang (15).

In contrast to a general election where a voter is required to remember say, two names, or more often than not just one logo, in the Pemilihan 2010 divisional elections, a voter has to choose up to 46 candidates. The actual process of marking and casting the ballot is thus more time consuming than in a general election. And when a voter is illiterate, this adds to the challenge.

The JPP has taken note of these issues and steps have been taken to try to ensure that voting over the coming weekend takes place in a smooth and orderly fashion. We call on all candidates and the incumbent leadership at the division level to work with us towards this end and to give the Keadilan Secretariat and our volunteers their full cooperation.






Dr. Molly Cheah
Chairperson
Jawatankuasa Pemilihan Pusat (JPP)

New planet 'like earth'

New planet 'like earth', say astronomers

from http://uk.news.yahoo.com/4/20100930/twl-new-planet-like-earth-say-astronomer-41f21e0.html

Experts say an earth-like planet that they have discovered has the crucial conditions needed for life to exist.

It sits directly in the middle of what is referred to as the habitable or Goldilocks zone.

It is unlike any of the nearly 500 other planets astronomers have found outside Earth's solar system.

The planet is said to be neither too far from its star nor too close, and it could contain liquid water.

"People have been getting closer and closer over the last couple of years, they have been finding planets that are on the hot edge of the habitable zone and on the cold edge of the habitable zone, but finally we have one right in the middle," said co-discoverer R. Paul Butler of the Carnegie Institution of Washington on Wednesday.

But there remain many unanswered questions about this strange planet.

It is about three times the mass of Earth, slightly larger in width and much closer to its star, 14 million miles away versus 93 million.

It is so close to its version of the sun that it orbits every 37 days.

And it does not rotate much, so one side is almost always bright, the other dark.

Temperatures can be as hot as 160 degrees or as frigid as minus 25 degrees below zero, but in between, in the land of constant sunrise, it would be "shirt-sleeve weather," according to co-discoverer Steven Vogt of the University of California at Santa Cruz.

Islam and Democracy are destined to coincide

Keynote address by Anwar Ibrahim, Parliamentary Opposition Leader of Malaysia at Brussels, 28th September, 2010

First and foremost, there is essentially no problem in terms of compatibility, not a foundational problem at least that would make it impossible for a country with a majority of Muslims to be governed according to the requirements of a constitutional democracy. In other words, the notion of Islam being diametrically opposed to democracy and its principles is a fallacy.

Islam enjoins the faithful to uphold equality, justice, and human dignity. If violence and terror are being spread by Muslims in the name of Islam then it is an aberration reflective of such people and the focus should rightly be on the underlying causes of such actions, not Islam. Blaming Islam won’t solve the problem as long as the underlying causes are not addressed and resolved.

But detractors say that Islam not only condones but urges the faithful to commit acts of violence in the name of jihad. This is nonsense. But they cite chapter and verse to support this view. Yes, but it is only by extreme distorting of the textual interpretation. On the contrary, the truth is that Islam prohibits violence and terror by virtue of the principles of moderation and the protection of life, limb and property. This is subsumed under the doctrine of the maqasid al-Shari’ah, a most crucial and significant tool for the progress of Muslim societies, a tool which unfortunately has been much ignored. By virtue of this doctrine for example, jihad is a call to the faithful to fulfill the tenets of the religion by doing good and averting evil, establishing justice, promoting charity and helping the weak and the marginalized. It is not a battle cry for war, let alone one to justify mayhem and murder. Above all, jihad enjoins Muslims to maintain peace and harmony and safeguard the sanctity of life and property. These are ideals completely in consonance with the dictates of democracy.

But what about this incarceration/liberation dichotomy? The answer lies in debunking the school of ideological rigidity which is largely responsible for making the religion very rigid and exclusive. The fact is that Islam is amenable to adapting to modern times with its defining feature being its inclusive nature. Empirically, we know that Islam in Southeast Asia is a case in point. So is Turkey though the same may not be said about the Islam of the Middle East but that ought to be seen in the context of the geopolitical situation there.

The modernity of Islam in Southeast Asia is reflected for instance in the adoption of the principles of freedom and democracy for the establishment of an independent state. In this regard, the region’s transition to democracy debunks the notion of incompatibility between Islam and democracy.

As for equating Islam with intolerance and violence, that again finds no basis in reality. Muslim rule for centuries in Spain remains in the history books as clear testimony to the tolerance and spirit of convivencia among Muslims, Christians and Jews. In Southeast Asia, traders and Sufis spread the religion through their accommodative style of proselytizing which attracted adherents who have also kept some significant aspects of their pre-Islamic cultures. This explains why multi-cultural and multi-religious societies evolved in Muslim majority countries.

Today, those who call for violence and terror in the name of jihad can find little traction for their brand of Islam. A case in point is Indonesia two elections back when the people overwhelmingly rejected the radicals who rode on the jihad ticket. This is significant in debunking the notion that democracy in a Muslim majority nation can be easily hijacked by extremists and radicals.

Turkey is a fine example of what a Muslim nation can achieve if its leaders remain steadfast in observing the basic tenets of Islamic statecraft: modernist, moderate, progressive and tolerant with justice and the rule of law as a motto for governance. The recent referendum of the Turkish people in favor of fundamental constitutional changes to further strengthen democracy speaks volumes. In this regard, Turkey’s leaders stand in sharp contrast to the autocrats and dictators in some other Muslim countries who continue to deny the people democracy by raising the hijacking by extremists’ spectre.

The question arises as to whether there has been any real progress in political reform in the Muslim world apart from Turkey and Indonesia? Isn’t it true that certain states continue to be under one-man or one-party rule despite the trappings of reform? And even though certain states appear to moving on the path to real democracy, the rhetoric often exceeds the reality. There must therefore be greater resolve for Muslim countries to embrace constitutional democracy and translate that into reality: hold free and fair elections, ensure the separation of powers and guarantee fundamental civil liberties including allowing the full participation of women in political life. Vindictive prosecutions, arbitrary arrests, and the use of the state apparatus to silence political dissent must be a thing of the past. Unless and until such reforms are in place, the convergence of Islam and democracy will only be a mirage.

As for the process of democratization itself, there is the troubling question of the real intention of certain Western powers. You cannot turn a blind eye to blatant human rights violations in some countries and condemn these practices in others. You cannot say to one country, give us your support in this current war we’re waging, and we won’t interfere in your administration. The “you scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours” diplomacy may be good realpolitik but it is a betrayal of the cause of democracy and freedom.

Unfortunately, however, it is partly because of this hypocritical approach to democratization that we still see many Muslim societies languishing under sham democracies. These are governments with the trappings of democracy but are in fact masquerades perpetuating injustice, human rights abuses and corruption. These ‘democracies’ employ the entire state apparatus and exploit the people’s hard earned money to promote their personal and vested interests. They plunder the state coffers, parcel out vast tracts of prime commercial land to relatives and cronies, and expropriate millions of hectares of virgin forests transforming them into wasteland.

So, the truth is that the assault on freedom and democracy is not from Islam, though the bulk of the perpetrators are Muslims. Indonesia and Turkey have demonstrated that democracy is not only acceptable but essential to Islam and that the enemy of Islam is not democracy but injustice, corruption, tyranny and greed. Indeed, freedom and democracy is part and parcel of the self-evident truths that would set mankind apart from the rest of God’s creatures.

The real issue is not whether Islam and democracy are destined to coincide but whether those in power in Muslim majority countries will uphold freedom and democracy, respect the rule of law and fulfil their duties to the people. If that doesn’t happen then it is incumbent on us to make it happen. And that is a cause worth fighting for.

Thank you.

Good Deeds

From Abu Hurairah (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) who said that Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) said:
"Charity (sadaqah) is due upon every joint of a person on every day the sun rises. Administering justice between two people is an act of charity; and to help a man concerning his riding beast by helping him on to it or lifting his luggage on to it is an act of charity; a good word is charity; and every step which you take to the prayer is charity; and removing that which is harmful from the road is charity."
(Hadis reported by Bukhari and Muslim)

So if the servant (of Allah) is able to spend all his days and nights in obedience to Allah and in doing actions pleasing to Him then let him do so ! He should not let Satan cause him to refrain and avoid good deeds! This is not abstemiousness (zuhud) as pointed out by Sheikhul-Islam Ibn Taimiyyah, rather it is a deception which Satan is only able to perpetrate upon those who are weak with regard to the Religion, lacking certain conviction, so that you find Satan sitting comfortably upon his heart, erecting his throne upon it! So the more good deeds which the Muslim performs the closer he will draw to his Lord, the One free and far removed from all imperfections and his love for Him will increase.

Furthermore even though abstemiousness is to be given special attention by the rich due to their ability to spend, and their wealth, as opposed to the poor, then this will not prevent the Muslim, rich or poor, from having a contented and rich soul, since: The Muslim is Contented and Satisfied.