We Are One Nation

I don't believe in 'race' or ethnicity. But people like to classify everything - races, ideologies, faiths, social systems - name it. And racial problems are still the major issues everywhere. In the United States (E.g Mississippi Delta - blacks and whites live separately), Brazil (whites are regarded as having higher status rather than the rest), and you don't have to go that far - the countries in South East Asia for example Malaysia and Indonesia. Both countries were once dominated by Austronesian people and after the colonization by the Europeans, they've brought new immigrants - the Chinese people and Indians.

Forget about the history. It has been decades, Malaysia has been a sovereign country. We are plural Malaysians, with a few races living in the Peninsular Malaysia and more than 60 races living in the Borneo Island itself. I never knew that people can't get along in the West Malaysia. I have been growing up in Sabah for 2 decades and I mixed with a lot of people there. Being as a minor in Sabah, I have only met a few people of my own race. Even in the parliament, there is only one representative of our own people, but he has denied his ancestry for all I knew.

The landlord has come to me and she is asking me whether I would like to switch apartment with an Indian guy (acquaintance of mine) as he feels he doesn't fit in with his mates as are all Malays. I am not trying to rise up a racial sentiment but I just feel weird as what is the big deal of mixing together with the other people of not your own skin colour? Of your own mother tongue? I have been blessed as I have met with a lot of people and I don't really have issues with them as long as they don't play with the race cards. I have met with one foreigner who loves his country so much and I am proud of him. Isn't that good if we have the sense of belonging to our country? 

Since the independence of Malaya, they have naturalized all the immigrants by the Jus Soli principle. Sadly to me, they have set up vernacular schools for them so that their generations won't forget their cultures and mother tongues. How about one  national school that teaches all the things in the vernacular schools to all of  its pupils? To me these vernacular schools and the set up of a University for a specific group of people are the mechanism of ethnic segregation.This makes the social integration to be difficult. Most of the non-Malays speak English or their mother tongue languages. Back in Sabah, when a Kadazan meets a Kadazan, they speak Malay language. A language is actually the medium for ethnic integration.I am quite fascinated by how Indonesia try to assimilate their native Indonesians and the non-natives. The non-natives speak fluent Indonesian Language and they use Indonesian names although the sad part is, they can't adapt to their own cultures and mother tongue languages. 

Malaysia has been modestly tolerating the non-Malays. Of couse there was one riot, called13th May Race Riots, but it is not as worst as 1998 riot in the neighbouring country. I have realized that the Malay people have been succumbed to the non-Malays' requests but it seems they have never satisfied with everything. We Borneons, have a lot of races and we don't even have our own vernacular schools. I can't even speak my mother tongue language (that is almost similar to Tagalog language). Yet we never complained. Even in the text book itself, the history of Sabah is not very clear. Well, we don't care much really. As long as everybody is happy, we are happy (although this makes us forgetting our own roots even more).

I know a lot of crises have been happening in recent years. I hope everything can be solved by gaining the mutual understanding between us. And must you all know that everything has its own pros and contras. Sometimes try understand other people will make a difference. Always keep in your mind, that I am also not a  Malay.

Why Sabah's 20-points Privilege Should be Amended?

Ask Kaveas. Ask Lim Kit Siang. And ask Ambiga. M. Kaveas has proposed in the parliament that these 20 points to be nullified. Lim Kit Siang and Ambiga S. are declined entrance to Sabah and Sarawak States due to the restrictive immigration practice restrained by the both States stipulated on the agreements signed by both states in prior of joining the Federation of Malaysia.

Ambiga files a suit (source: The Borneo Post June 21, 2011) challenging this act in which to her, is against the Federal Constitution. Datuk M. Kayveas on the other hand in 2004 gives a statement that says “The Sabah and Sarawak governments have been urged to take steps to review the Malaysia Act, the 20-point agenda and other rules and conditions agreed upon when they became part of Malaysia in 1963” in the parliament. There are a lot of challenges previously against these points of agreements for Sabah and Sarawak (particularly Sabah, as my own interest to write) but both states’ leaders rejected those proposals (may be it about the agreement itself, or about the immigration law etc) furiously, being resistant.

I would like to remind all Malaysians that Borneo is invited to join the Federation of Malaysia - therefore these 20-point agreement for Sabah and 18-point agreement for Sarawak that made us to accept the Federation of Malaysia, although most of the Malaysians celebrate Malaysian Independence Day on 31st August every year and not 16th September. (Some say that the independence day of Sabah is 31st August too, but the accuracy has not been proven yet). What Datuk M. Kaveas is telling to the parliament, to me, is just the same way he is suggesting that Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC) and Malaysian Chinese Association to dissolve, and to abolish the Malays’ privilege stipulated on the constitution if you Malaysians put yourselves in our shoes. At first, it is going to be a slight amendment, and later, it is going to be a  major amendment which then abolishing entire agreement.

In the Borneo Post regarding to Ambiga’s case, it is written that for having such law will disadvantaging the nation building as the government is with its 1 Malaysia agenda. This is hilarious to me, as we Borneons have 72 ethnics and sub ethnics with different languages and we have been living here for thousands of years in harmony. ‘1 Borneo’ was created long time ago. Why assimilation between Borneons and Penisular Malaysians but not AMONG THE PENINSULAR MALAYSIANS ITSELF? Anyway, Borneons are assimilated people. We cherish ones’ ideology, customs and traditions. No backstabbers. A lot of interracial marriages (to me, all are bumiputeras, sons and daughters of the land, may it be the Chinese People or Indians, as we are the historical products of Sabah @ Jesselton). So, why bother?

In contrast, I have to say that the Borneons are stupid too. Uneducated and are having low nationalism spirit. We are people who are easily get satisfied with what we have until we are unable to identify those bad guys sucking us inside out. What has happened to our petroleum? For 2011 budget, we only given 5% royalties from the Federal Government amounting RM721.7 M which is used for our annual expenditure. This value is only for 5%, so how much the total profit that we have contributed to the Federal Government? 26.9% of 637,000 barrels of crude oil produce per day in Malaysia is the contribution from Sabah State alone.
(source:http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/2011/06/17/sabah-sarawak-may-lose-oil-gas-forever/)

Therefore, I am calling to all Borneons and particularly Sabahans, that our agreement has been breached many times without our consent may it be direct or indirect. We don’t have to wait until it is too late for us to wake up. Take this as a wake up call. We together should think the best solutions for our rights as Malaysians and as A STATE in the federation of Malaysia. There are a lot of unsettled problems that I would like to mention, but just let it be short for this time. Living in peninsular Malaysia has opened my eyes that everybody wants to be a leader of Malaysia in this place. But we Borneons are keeping silent without saying anything about the leadership of the Malaysian Federation. (I don’t give a damn who’s going to be the prime minister actually).Even our TYT is just a puppet. Our CM? Is just the FG bulldog.

Interfaith Marriage in Islam

As the title suggests, I have a discussion with one of my family members recently. It is initially a light conversation about the girl that I have a relationship with. Next, without realizing that I have disclosed her identity, it becomes a huge debate. It starts simply like this, “It will be great if both of you could make it to the aisle in the future,” my aunt says and she continues, “but make sure she converts to Islam”. In my mind at that time it is not something THAT serious, so I simply say “Oh, we don’t have to,” spontaneously. “What does it mean? It is not permissible (in Islam) if she doesn’t convert,” at this point, she realizes that her nephew had gone astray (God Forbids).

Every Muslim in Malaysia is subjected to the Malaysian Syariah Law and of course, the ruling is much (or perhaps, totally) more different than in the Saudi Arabia, adaptable to the local understanding of Islamic teachings, cultures, socioeconomics, and certain conditions. It is her right, for a female divorcee to request for a shelter from her husband for a certain period until she has ended her third menstrual cycle after the divorcement and it is permissible for them to live under one roof. But vast majority of Malaysian Muslims think this is ‘khalwat’ or proximity between a man and a woman which is impermissible in Islam, most of them are elderly people or people with less knowledge about Islam This topic is actually being taught at Islamic Studies in form 5 and also in tertiary education.

 The Quran 5:5 states that,

“Today, the good things have been made lawful to you, the food of those who have been given the book is lawful for you, and your food is lawful for them; and the acknowledging independent women from the people of the book before you, when you have given them their wages, protected, chaste, and not seeking to take lovers. Whoever rejects the acknowledgment, then his work has fallen, and in the Hereafter he is of the losers.”(Quran, A Reformist Translation)

“This day are (all) good things made lawful for you. The food of those who have received the Scripture is lawful for you, and your food is lawful for them. And so are the virtuous women of the believers and the virtuous women of those who received the Scripture before you (lawful for you) when ye give them their marriage portions and live with them in honour, not in fornication, nor taking them as secret concubines. Whoso denieth the faith, his work is vain and he will be among the losers in the Hereafter.” (Pickthal)

From this verse, we can conclude that:

1. The food eaten by the People of the Book is lawful for Muslims, vice versa including their slaughter (shechita in Judaism);
2. Muslims are permitted to take chaste women from the People of the Book as wives (Muslims are required to give them their needs and treat them in good manners);
3. Whoever reject these lawful bounties or acknowledgement from the Almighty, they are people who have gone astray. And I would like to let you guys know that people who reject the Quranic verses directly or  indirectly are simply Munafiqqun.

In Islamic Countries it is permissible for a Muslim man to get married with a Jew or Christian. I tell my Arab friends that Malaysia doesn’t not permit it and they say “WHY!?”. To them Malaysian Muslims are weird.  Malaysian Muslims think that the People of the Book are no longer exist. I ask them why? “Because they have abrogated their original teachings and so on,” this is how they reply. But they can’t simply point out the abrogation and the distortion of the bible itself. The Bible has been codified hundred years ago before Quran (codex vaticanus was coded in 325AD and how about Jewish canon? Long time ago for sure) and First Nicene Council was held in 325AD . The trinity concept has been adapted by Christians ever since then. And what Quran says?

“Ingrates indeed are those who have said, “God is the Messiah the son of Mary.” Say “Who has any power against God if He had wanted to destroy the Messiah son of Mary and his mother and all who are on earth!” To God is sovereignty of heavens and earth and all that is in between; He creates what He pleases. God is capable of all things.” Quran 5:17 (Quran, A Reformist Translation)

“They indeed have disbelieved who say: Lo! Allah is the Messiah, son of Mary. Say: Who then can do aught against Allah, if He had willed to destroy the Messiah son of Mary, and his mother and everyone on earth? Allah's is the Sovereignty of the heavens and the earth and all that is between them. He createth what He will. And Allah is Able to do all things.” Quran 5:17 (Pickthal)

We know that Muhammad, peace and blessing be upon him, encountered Jews and Nasranis before. We know people of the book have been given scriptures, Taurat and Injil. We know that the Pentateuch or the 5 books of Moses are in the Old Testament (I don’t believe there are old and new testaments. I only believe there is Tanakh), and the gospels are the 3 earlier books in the New Testament beside of the Pauline epistles (take aside certain hot, debated issues on it). This verse concludes everything, and the trinity concept is present until today. So, what we should call these people? I don’t wish to elaborate more on this issue though.

I have found it very peculiar for Muslims to decide on certain matters without evaluating the Quran, Hadiths, and the previous scriptures before making a decision on certain issues, particularly in Malaysia. They say that Arabs are wrong, but they never realized that the Quran is in Arabic itself and how many Malaysian Muslims are very fluent with Classical and Modern Arabic? Even I have to use several translations just to get the clear message of the Quran as my Arabic is very limited.