Selamat Tahun Baru - Lets go back to basics

Don't be shocked if our youngsters don't know this flower.

1. Belief in God (Kepercayaan kapada Tuhan)

This Nation has been founded upon a firm belief in God. It was in the name of God that this Nation was established as a sovereign State.

Islam is the official religion of the Federation. Other religions and beliefs may be practised in peace and harmony and there shall be no discrimination against any citizen on the ground of religion.

2. Loyalty to King and Country (Kesetiaan kepada Raja dan Negara)

Malaysia is a constitutional monarchy and the Yang di‑Pertuan Agong is the sovereign Head of State. Parallel with this institution of the Yang di‑Pertuan Agong as a constitutional monarch is the continued existence of the institution of the State Rulers who are heads of their respective States.

The Yang di‑Pertuan Agong, the Rulers and the Governors are symbols of unity and therefore stand above politics.

The loyalty that is expected of every citizen is that he must be faithful and bear true allegiance to His Majesty the Yang di‑Pertuan Agong and be a true, loyal and faithful citizen of the Federation. In addition, and without derogating from such loyalty, citizens who are subjects of the Rulers mu"i bear true allegiance and loyalty to their respective Rulers.

Loyalty constitutes the soul of our nationalism.. It is this inherent loyalty to King and Country which binds together our various races into one single, united Nation. Loyalty to other countries is inconsistent with undivided loyalty to this Nation.


3. Upholding the Constitution (Keluhuran perlembagaan)

Citizenship confers on a person membership of a state. The Constitution confers on a citizen certain rights and privileges; it also imposes on him certain duties and obligations towards the Nation.

It is the duly of a citizen to respect and appreciate the letter, the spirit and the historical background of the Constitution. This historical background led to such provisions as those regarding the position of His Majesty the Yang di‑Pertuan Agong and Their Royal Highnesses the Rulers, the position of Islam as the official religion, the position of Malay as the national and official language, the special position of the Malays and other Natives, the legitimate interests of the other communities, and the conferment of citizenship. It is the sacred duty of a citizen to defend and uphold the Constitution.

4. Rule o f Law (Kedaulatan Undang-undang)

Justice is founded upon the rule of law. Every citizen is equal before the law. Fundamental liberties are guaranteed to all citizens. These include liberty of the person, equal protection of the law, freedom of religion, rights of property and protection against banishment.

The Constitution confers on a citizen the right of free speech, assembly and association and this right may be enjoyed freely subject only to limitations imposed by law. The rights and freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution do not include the right to overthrow the Government either by force or by other unconstitutional means.

The Rule of Law is ensured by the existence of an independent judiciary with powers to pronounce on the constitutionality and legality or otherwise of executive acts.


5. Good Behaviour and Morality (Kesopanan dan Kesusilaan)
Individuals and groups shall conduct their affairs in such a manner as not to violate any of the accepted canons of behaviour, which include the abhorrence and rejection of any conduct or behaviour which is arrogant or offensive to the sensitivities of any group. No citizen should question the loyalty of another citizen on the ground that he belongs to. a particular community. Good behaviour also includes a high standard of morality in both our personal and public life.


After reading and understanding the five tenets of this nation (above), you can't deny that we are/have been heading in the wrong direction.

We have almost completely abandoned the fundamental principles inked by our founding fathers. It may be bitter but that is the situation we are stuck in now.

Would it be impossible to drop the never ending political debates and blame game (in particular the multiple games played between races and our respective religious experts, politicians and their lackeys) and move on? 

I hope better sense prevails in this blessed nation. Malaysia was flying high, heading towards greater heights just slightly over a decade ago. What happened to her? 

Just slightly over ten years ago, we stood tall in the global arena. Our voices were loud and clear because we called a spade by its name. We were not feared by respected by friends and foes. 

Although we refused to kowtow to any superpower or their lackeys in this region we stood tall in Asia and Asean. 

We chair Asean now. That looks good on paper, but where do we really stand in the eyes of our Asean counterparts. 

Have we now become another lackey of those warmongers?  

There is a Malay saying which reads "Sesat dihujung jalan, pulang kepangkal jalan". If you are a Malaysian you should understand this simple saying.   

It's about going back to basics when everything else ends up in a mess. The Rukunegara could certainly provide some guidance, for the top most principle of the Rukunegara is 'Belief in God'.  

I truly wish, pray and hope that we in Malaysia and the rest of the world have a better 2015.

Happy New Year Malaysia! 

Do the right thing Prime Minister, you can't go wrong

 

 

 

 

Rethink BR1M aid, say analysts 

By MUHAMMED AHMAD HAMDAN | news@nst.com.my 

REDIRECT: Call to focus on welfare, social programmes

KUALA LUMPUR: THE government's 1Malaysia People's Aid (BR1M) cash aid programme to help low-income earners  tide over the rising cost of living, should have an exit plan, said some analysts who also believe that it should be given in other forms.

An analyst, who did not want to be named, said the government should shift its focus on improving the services provided by the Welfare Department (JKMM) and other aid agencies rather than continuing with the cash aid.

"BR1M is not the way. We already have various ways to help the poor like through those distributed through JKMM," he told the New Straits Times yesterday.

"I think they (the government) should focus on improving the existing aid agencies, including zakat (tithes) and others, rather than adding another inefficient delivery channel. I would just abolish it and redirect attention and funds to improving the services of JKMM and have more spotlight on it."

The government's BR1M programme has become a hot topic of discussion among Malaysians since it was introduced in 2012, with negative views seeming to outweigh the positive, especially those coming from economists and analysts alike.

They argue that while the cash handout would not have a significant impact on households, it was also not a good mechanism in reducing poverty in the long term.

Universiti Malaya Centre for Poverty and Development Studies economist Associate Professor Dr Fatimah Kari said the cash handout did not provide a holistic social protection programme or provide incentives to get out of poverty.

"As an economist, I don't believe in BR1M. The government must announce an exit policy for BR1M. This can be done by providing comprehensive social programmes that give access to public health, education and jobs."

Similar sentiments were shared by other economists who urged the government to fine-tune the aid programme to ensure it meets the objective of cushioning the impact from the rising cost of living.

Socio-economic Development and Research Institute (SEDAR Institute) executive director Ivanpal S. Grewalin, in a recent report, was quoted as saying that it was only appropriate for the government to refine the method employed, given that the payout amount would increase over the next few years.

Ivanpal added that the aid delivery could be channelled in other forms, including utilities rebate vouchers or even food stamps.

The BR1M money first started as a one-off cash payment of RM500 to households with an income of less than RM3,000 a month.

This year, the government has increased the amount to RM650, which will benefit some seven million people compared with last year's 6.8 million, amounting to a disbursement of RM3.7 billion.

The government also announced its intention to distribute the cash hand-out twice this year to enable recipients to use it within a specified time and in a more careful manner compared with a one-off hand out.

In light of the government's intention to increase the BR1M amount from time to time, economists warned that expanding BR1M or any social safety net might not be sustainable in the long run.

"This may sound cliche, but the government should come out with a more effective mechanism to teach the rakyat to fish rather than feeding them with fish," said another analyst. - NST

 

 

 

 

Maybe some of the Prime Minister's able advisors and apple-polishers may not like to hear this but Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad had made it very clear from day one that BR1M was a bad idea.

Do read Dr M's thoughts in Fuel Subsidy (Sept 2013) and the latest BR1M (March 2014). It was crystal clear and some of us are very sure that months before penning his thoughts Dr M had infact relayed his reservations or rather objections to the Prime Minister himself.

Of course when it comes from Dr Mahathir many a consultant and self appointed financial gurus would find it hard to digest the logic, simply due to their bloated ego and misplaced motivation.

Something must be very wrong somewhere if those rating agencies and financial analysts, whom the Government of the day is so fearful of, demand us to do away with fuel subsidy but at the same time silently agree to wasteful handouts like BR1M.

Where is the logic ?

The fact that BR1M is being finally debated openly by the mainstream media, I pray, is a strong indication that the Government has finally come to a realisation that such handouts can't possibly go on. BR1M is absolutely irresponsible and even the handsomely paid foreign consultants and their ilk can't deny this fact.

As the Malay saying goes - Bila sesat dihujung jalan, pulanglah kepangkal jalan.

Just stop BR1M and, as those analysts are saying now (in the NST article above), go back to basics.

P/s I don't think we should appoint another consultant to review BR1M. TQ

 

Stop undermining them, they sacrifice for our safety.

Don't let such crime and' kurang ajar-ness' be a norm in our society, 
the implication runs deep.