When fear rules

Fear!
That can help us avoid doing the things which can hurt us.
However, it can also sometimes prevents us from doing what is right.
And that is not the only consequence of experiencing fear. Remember that most of us are parents and as parents we are the examples which our children will follow. Our children will inherit the very same thoughts and attitudes towards things they face in life.

Now, where do the above thoughts emerge from? Well, in Malaysia today, the citizens have to be careful with what they utter in public, write on paper or on face-book. If the authorities were to deem what has been said or written as insulting to the government, the Islamic religion or one of our many rulers, the author of such material can be facing the sedition act.

So, it is not uncommon these days to not say what they see,  hear or know or believe in, for a statement of fact can be construed as seditious as long as certain people's feelings have been claimed to be hurt. So what kind of situation has arisen as a result of this? Perhaps, it is best illustrated by a comment from one of the readers from Malaysiakini, a news portal. Below is the copied comment with my comment given within brackets:
    
The comment: Remember the story of a young boy who shouted, "The emperor is not wearing any clothes"?

All the members of the court said the emperor’s clothes were the finest they had seen. The public agreed with the courtesans. (Why? Because all of them were afraid of disagreeing with the emperor. They fear the consequences of telling the truth!)

The emperor was fooled into believing the flattery of his inner circle. (And so, the emperor thought he was majestically right in his lovely invisible clothes when in actual fact he was totally naked.) Only the innocent boy really saw what everybody said they did not see. Sometimes real life is like that. (How true it is!)

It was only yesterday that someone told me her female neighbour was so stupidly courageous as to throw an old worn-out Malaysian flag into a dustbin. In a most horrified expression, she asked me to imagined what could possibly happened if somebody were to see it and report to the authorities. Oh, my God, imagine the trouble she could have got herself into, the lady cried.

Upon hearing this, I asked her what could be wrong with throwing away what is no longer useable. It obviously is the right thing for her neighbour to do. So, I asked her if she were the one with such a flag, how would she dispose of it.

"Oh, no!" she replied. If I were her, I would stealthily burn it when I am absolutely sure no one is around. I wouldn't want to get myself into trouble even though the flag ought to be replaced with a new one." she exclaimed. That is the kind of fear that may have got a good grip on Malaysians. 

"Not only that! Soon after that, another person came; wanted the stick holding the flag and so, ripped off the flag to be able to take only the stick home," she continued.

So, I asked her what was wrong with that. The guy wanted the stick but not the worn out flag. Certainly, he had to remove the flag from the stick.

"Ripping the Malaysian flag?" She put on a horrified face and stood rooted to the spot with some kind of fear in her expression.

Imagine such unwarranted fear even when there is no disrespect shown or felt for an object; even when it is doing the necessary.

Is such fear healthy? Maybe good for members of the Malaysian society to avoid being charged with sedition, but when society becomes so easily fearful over such small matters, there is certainly something wrong somewhere.

There are Muslims who do accept God's most intelligent animal.

It is heartening to read in the Malay Mail Online this morning of the acceptance of a dog by a Muslim cab driver.
Below is part of the report on Mohd. Kamil, the cab driver.

Mohd Kamil said he was not afraid of dogs as his mother once told him to help a stray dog that lay in the middle of the road after being hit by a car.

“It started in 2010 when I was sending mum to the airport for Umrah and then she saw a dog lying on the road helpless.

“She suggested that we help and I carried the dog to the side of the road and contacted the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals,” he said.

His view on dogs changed since then.

“Muslim passengers need not worry because I cover my seats with newspapers and clean it with a lint remover once the dog and its owner get off,” he said. 

“I was initially worried what the community will say if they found out. So I kept quiet about what I did. But I believe there is nothing wrong to help those in need.”

Mohd Kamil said there was no policy stating a taxi driver cannot carry animals. He had even consulted other Muslim taxi drivers regarding this matter. 

Land Public Transport Commission chairman Tan Sri Syed Hamid Albar previously said there should not be a problem allowing guide dogs to assist the disabled in using public transportation, as well as in public places.

“Most of the other Muslim taxi drivers I talked to were also receptive to ferrying animals including dogs but they rarely talk about it fearing negative reaction from the community,” Mohd Kamil said.

- See more at: http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/hop-on-board-doggie-says-cabbie#sthash.BKXS1HWa.dpuf

Without a doubt, the dog is one of the most intelligent animals, if not the most intelligent, created by God. As such, I have always felt so sad to see so many Muslim children throw things at them. Such ill-treatment from God-fearing children ought not to have happened. 

When it comes to this animal, it is one that we should care for for its loyalty, unconditional love and assistance towards mankind. I write through experience with this animal as i have reared them and in return it has given me so much love, happiness and feeling of security in my home.

Even the police in a country like Malaysia where Muslim form the majority of the citizens use dogs to help them to track criminals and smell out drugs. In doing so, they indirectly acknowledge the well-known intelligence of dogs. 

I have known of a Muslim teacher who have dogs in his plantation to look after it and from the way he talks about them, he obviously appreciated their presence.

I may have been wrongly informed but according to what i do know, dogs ought not to be ill-treated as all animals (Even pigs which I have written about elsewhere in this blog in which I reproduced with permission what a Muslim scholar said about them when people condemned a university student for holding one of them.) are the beloved creation of God. All followers of God have to admit that God is all powerful and having only creatures He wishes to have in this world is certainly within His power. Only atheists have the right to deny the power of God. 

I was also told, correctly or not, that a law was once passed to disallow the touching of the dog due to rabies, the mad dog disease which was prevalent at that period of time. However, rabies is no longer a problem during the 21st century and therefore such fear and dislike of the dog, one of God's most wonderful creatures, should no longer exist. 

Furthermore, where is the need to dislike dogs when it is said that what have to done after contact with the dog is to wash the hands a number of times.

So, it is so good to wake up to the fact that a Muslim cab driven can accept dogs in his cab when it is necessary to have them accompany their responsibilities to various destinations. Not only that! Sometimes the wisdom of ordinary people is so much greater than those who hold higher positions in society. In them, I see the greatness and blessings of God.

 

 

Mohd Kamil said he was not afraid of dogs as his mother once told him to help a stray dog that lay in the middle of the road after being hit by a car.
“It started in 2010 when I was sending mum to the airport for Umrah and then she saw a dog lying on the road helpless.
“She suggested that we help and I carried the dog to the side of the road and contacted the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals,” he said.
His view on dogs changed since then.
“Muslim passengers need not worry because I cover my seats with newspapers and clean it with a lint remover once the dog and its owner get off,” he said.
“I was initially worried what the community will say if they found out. So I kept quiet about what I did. But I believe there is nothing wrong to help those in need.”
Mohd Kamil said there was no policy stating a taxi driver cannot carry animals. He had even consulted other Muslim taxi drivers regarding this matter.
Land Public Transport Commission chairman Tan Sri Syed Hamid Albar previously said there should not be a problem allowing guide dogs to assist the disabled in using public transportation, as well as in public places.
“Most of the other Muslim taxi drivers I talked to were also receptive to ferrying animals including dogs but they rarely talk about it fearing negative reaction from the community,” Mohd Kamil said.
- See more at: http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/hop-on-board-doggie-says-cabbie#sthash.BKXS1HWa.dpuf

Truth, wisdom and the learned men of the law.

Below is an article from the Malaysian Insider which I have read a few times and yet was unable to understand how the other four judges could not agree with the views of the three judges given in support of the church's application to have its case heard in the Federal court.

If the views given in the article are true, I wonder where I have failed to fathom the four other judges' wisdom in not granting the application to be heard. (Before going further, i would like to state that I am not a follower of any religion but a monotheist, a believer of the existence of God. So, I am not interested in which religion emerging as the winner of any case.)

So, I have saved the views of those three judges so that I could conveniently return to them to see if a sudden enlightenment before I return to the Kingdom of God could help me see the brilliance of the four other judges and have me become a more wiser man. 

However, I cannot help but notice that there is so much truth in what the three judges below have said.

So, please read on and if, by chance, you see the precious gems of wisdom that I have missed, you will be doing me a favour if I can be enlightened, thank you.

What the 3 dissenting judges said about ‘Allah’ appeal

The Malaysian Insider – Tue, Jun 24, 2014

 

The Federal Court yesterday dismissed the Catholic Church's leave application to appeal the "Allah" ban in the Herald. Four of the seven-member bench ruled that the Court of Appeal was right in banning the word. Three judges, however, ruled in the Church's favour. The Malaysian Insider captured the essence of these dissenting voices. Report by V. ANBALAGAN, ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR.

Chief Judge of Sabah and Sarawak Tan Sri Richard Malanjum
There was a serious issue to be decided when the home minister banned the word "Allah" in the Herald.
While the Court of Appeal had ruled that it was the home minister's discretion to ban the word, Malanjum said this was an issue which only the Federal Court could decide.
He also pointed out that the Herald had been in circulation for 14 years before the ban was enforced by the home minister.
"There was also no evidence of prejudice to public order during that period and that the use of the word was also not prohibited in other publications like the Alkitab and the Sikh holy book.
"As such, the church has satisfied the requirements under Section 96 (a) and (b) of the Courts of Judicature Act to be granted leave to appeal.
"It deserves to be reemphasised that another factor that needs to be given serious consideration is the degree of public importance of legal issues raised by the applicant (the church).”
He said although the case only involved the Bahasa Malaysia section of the Herald, yet the Court of Appeal ruling seemed to sanction a sweeping, general prohibition against the use of the word "Allah" by non-Muslims in all forms, on all occasions.
"Most of the groups affected, such as the Sikh community, were not parties in this case."
Federal Court judge Datuk Zainun Ali
Zainun, who took the position that the Catholic Church ought to be given leave to appeal over the Allah row, criticised three lower court judges for exceeding their authority.
She said the Court of Appeal judges should have confined themselves strictly to legal issues since the correctness, or otherwise, of religious practices was beyond the competence of judges of fact and law.
"The answers which were met with rebuttal in the Court of Appeal are clearly non-justiciable because they are neither questions of law or facts capable of proof in a court of law by admissible evidence," she said.
Zainun said the judicial method was equipped to deal with only hard facts.
"A secular court such as ours is ill-equipped to determine the veracity, accuracy or even sincerity of subjective religious beliefs about doctrine and practices.
"Such disputes were certainly outside the recognised perimeters of judicial competence.
"More so, when the alleged historical 'facts' were based on affidavit evidence and the Internet which were unverified and, therefore, inadmissible.
"Plausibility should not be mistaken for veracity," she added.
Zainun said this was a fit and proper case for leave to be granted for public advantage and to put things in the proper perspective.
"The voice of reason should prevail and all parties must exercise restraint and uphold the tenets of their respective religious beliefs and exercise tolerance.
"It is imperative that the precious goodwill that all races and religious denominations possess be brought to the negotiating table and the matter resolved amicably.”
Federal Court judge Tan Sri Jeffrey Tan Kok Hwa
"This was a clear application where leave could not be refused as all the requirements had been met.
"There should not be a rush to judge the issues and their merits which in the instant case have yet to be canvassed and argued," Tan said.
Tan said the constitutional questions should be answered by the Federal Court.
"They are too grave to be answered by any other," he added.
Chief Justice Tun Arifin Zakaria, who led the seven-man bench, said the President of Court of Appeal Tan Sri Md Raus Sharif, Chief Judge of Malaya Tan Sri Zulkefli Ahmad Makinuddin and Federal Court judge Tan Sri Suriyadi Halim Omar agreed that the leave should not be granted to the Catholic Church.
They dismissed the church's application for appeal, citing that the Court of Appeal was right in its decision to ban the word in the Catholic weekly, Herald. – June 24, 2014.

A falling lift. Will this help?

Trapped In Lift?    

What could you do if such an incident did happen to you? Of course, and most fortunately, such occurrences seldom come into our lives. Nevertheless, it does not mean that it can never happen. Therefore, isn't it good to know what can be done at such a frightening moment if it ever takes place? Well, recently, I received an email from a friend in which was related such a happening. So, just for a little useful information, please read on:

  

This happened to a friend.
"One day, while in a lift, it suddenly broke down and it began falling from level 13 at a fast speed. Fortunately, I remembered having watched a TV program that taught me that the occupants of the lift must quickly press all the buttons for all the levels. Finally, the lift stopped at the 5th level." (What a huge relief!)

Important things to remember:
When you are facing life and death situations, whatever decisions or actions you make will determine the outcome  of the situation. Your survival will be at stake.
If you are caught in a lift breakdown, the first thought that comes to mind may be 'just wait to die'... 
But after reading some instructions below, the result can definitely be more positive, should such an unexpected event occur. 
 
First - Quickly press all the buttons for all the different levels of the lift. 
When the emergency electricity supply is activated, it will stop the lift from falling further. 
 
Second - Hold on tight to the handle (if there is any).... It is to support your position and 

prevent you from falling or getting hurt should you lose your balance. 
 
Third - Lean your back and head against the lift wall keeping your back in a straight line. 

Leaning against the wall is to use it as a support for your back/spine as protection. 
 
Fourth - Bend your knees Your ligament is a flexible, connective tissue. Thus, there is better hope of getting less severe fractures resulting from the impact.

Well, I must admit I have no experience with such happenings and, therefore, am unable to vouch for the above mentioned advice. Hopefully, an expert on the matter, can make comments on it and help make the necessary changes.

When there is excessive competition among schools.

When it comes to education, politicians have often put in their hands to create results among school-children, sometimes with undesirable results.

In Malaysia, for instance, the demand for even better grades in examinations have caused much unnecessary worry among school authorities, parents and school-children.

At one time, there was a kind of grading of schools to indicate the type of results schools can achieve.
So schools coud be considered exemplary, promising and, should we say 'need further improvement'. Of course, no school would want to carry the stigma of being considered to be in a state of 'requiring more effort to raise the standard of the school. So, there was much competition among the headmasters/headmistress or principals of the schools. I know it for a fact that such competition did lead to immoral acts and behaviour of some school authorities.

During my schooldays and during the first fifteen years of life as a teacher, there was no such unhealthy competition among schools although the heads od schools did their level best to motivate the students to give of their best.

I remember that, as a student, I had to strive to perform well to be eligible for a school which is known to be the best. Very few students had to go for tuition and life in school could be said to be happy and what we looked forward to. Life in Hutchings School, Penang, was a joy I looked forward to each day. It was a primary school where I turned up each morning; or afternoon, if that particular year required me to attend afternoon classes; eager fr a day with my friends, games and learning. Certainly, there were days when school was not a rose garden. On such days, learning can be more difficult, understanding not as simple and mistakes happen too frequent to be allowed to go not reprimanded by a teacher. However, most of us accept evening fairly severe punishments without complaint as if we tried hard enough, we were often rewarded with encouraging words and approval.

Though it could not be claimed to be blood and sweat most of the time, I managed to be chosen to enter the then prestigious Penang Free School after my standard six examination.

So, any present day student reading this would certainly envy my school life. There was no need for any rush after or before school for one subject tuition or another. No burning the midnight oil. There was sufficient time for fun in the sun and a laze on the beach or grass. There was lots of physical joy and fun.

And once a school has been considered the best, somehow the teachers and the students managed to keep the standard high while less favoured schools remained so with not much pressure for the already mostly hard-working teachers and students. (Of course, at any time in history, there will always be the good, the bad and the ugly, be they teachers or students.) This is not to say that there were no better individual performances or results than those of prestigious schools but they were usually less than the number of outstanding achievers in the prestigious school where the pressure to uphold the name of the school was ever present.

When schools were graded according to the the yearly performance of the schools and there was a demand for better examination grades by the ministry of education, school authorities and the parents; students, academically capable or not, had to depend upon tuition to assist in obtaining those grades. In such a situation, the students are always the victims, at the mercy of their parents, the school and the system.. They are expected to perform. They had to produce excellent grades.

And the expectations are some parents are really ridiculous. I one was talking to a music teacher at a music center when a little nine-year old girl hurried towards the door. Upon seeing the girl, the music teacher reminded her to practice more at home. When received the advice to work on her piano, she sobbingly told the teacher, "My mother says I have to study more to improve my English as ninety-five marks out of a hundred was not good enough and I was given a stroke of the cane on my palm."
When I heard that I could not help but ask to see her mother. I very much would like to ask her mother whether she ever got ninety-five percent of her work in school right. And even if she did, how often was that possible. Imagine that! No approval for such good marks. So, to please their parents, some children may have to forgo the joy of childhood.

Then, the school authorities and the teachers play a part to create a grade A school. And i hear of a headmistress who would hunt for excellent students from other schools so that she could get them to attend her school. Of course, that was difficult but she did try and that was how other teachers got to know about it.

Another way to achieve exemplary schools is to weed out weaker students and discourage them from taking examinations. I heard that this did happen. Knowledge of this came about when one such exemplary school's action to prevent a few students from sitting for the examination  was revealed though complaints. In fact, other schools in the area were encouraged to go to the exemplary school to learn how the school achieve results. I went together with my wife whose school decided to visit such a school. We were taken round to the library and the toilet as well as some classes. When it comes to classes, it is quite normal to have lots of cards with knowledge and information displayed. What struck me  was the library and the toilet.

In the library, the books were stacked very neatly in their shelves with many displayed on the tables. I saw not a library but a book exhibition. It gives an unwritten  'Do not touch!' warning to anyone seeing the arrangement.

And the toilet was spotlessly clean. Along the walls were strings stretched from one corner to the next and attached were cards with multiple tables and other information. The aim must be to have the children learn even as they pee.

Fortunately for our students, the authorities have done away with such competition among schools and turn to other methods to improve the education of the children although the stress in still on scoring more and more As.

However, among the teachers I talked to, we believe that it may be possible that marks have been lowered to enable more students to get an A. For example, it is noted that B students in the 1960s can write and speak English better than today's A students.