Tetamu Malam

SEORANG sahabat datang menemui Rasulullah SAW mengadu kelaparan dan kesusahan yang dialaminya. Keadaan sahabat itu sangat daif dan miskin dengan pakaian yang compang-camping, rambut kusut-masai dan badannya kurus serta cengkung. Melihat keadaan sahabat itu, baginda menjadi sedih dan simpati.

Sebagai tetamu baginda menerimanya dengan seikhlas hati. Kebetulan pada ketika itu baginda tidak mempunyai apa-apa makanan dalam rumahnya untuk dirinya ataupun untuk diberikan kepada sahabat tersebut.

Baginda pun memanggil sahabat-sahabatnya lalu bertanya: "Adakah sesiapa yang sanggup melayani sahabat ini sebagai tetamu bagi pihakku pada malam ini?"

Mendengar pertanyaan baginda itu, seorang Ansar telah menyahut: "Ya Rasulullah saya sanggup melakukan seperti kehendak tuan itu."

Lantas tetamu itu pun dibawa pulang ke rumahnya dan beliau memberitahu isterinya bahawa orang itu adalah tetamu Rasulullah.

Oleh itu, mereka dikehendaki melayan dengan sebaik-baik layanan sekadar yang mampu. Mereka juga hendaklah menjamu orang itu dengan apa jua makanan yang ada.

Isteri orang Ansar itu memberitahu suaminya bahawa di rumah mereka tidak ada apa-apa makanan kecuali sedikit makanan untuk anak-anaknya sahaja.

Sambil berfikir, orang Ansar itu menyuruh isterinya bermain-main dengan anak-anaknya sehingga mereka tertidur. Jadi makanan yang ada itu dapatlah diberikan kepada tetamu tadi.

Orang Ansar itu juga berpesan kepada isterinya agar semasa tetamu itu sedang makan, dia hendaklah memadamkan pelita dan berpura-pura memperbaikinya. Isterinya hanya menurut kata suaminya itu dengan patuh dan taat.

Rancangan orang Ansar itu berjalan lancar. Dia pun menjemput tetamu itu untuk makan sambil duduk bersama-sama dengan tetamu tadi.

Apabila isterinya memadamkan pelita, si suami tadi berpura-pura mengambil dan mengunyah makanan. Tetapi sebenarnya dia langsung tidak mengambil makanan. Dia hanya berpura-pura di hadapan tetamu tadi.

Dalam keadaan yang gelap, tetamu tadi menyangkakan orang Ansar itu sedang makan bersamanya. Dia tidak tahu bahawa makanan itu hanyalah cukup untuk dirinya sahaja.

Keesokan harinya, pergilah orang Ansar ini menemui Rasulullah. Dia disambut baik oleh Rasulullah dan berkatalah baginda: "Wahai orang Ansar! Allah sangat menghargai layananmu semalam terhadap tetamu."

Sikap orang Ansar itu sangat menyenangkan hati Rasulullah. Baginda turut menasihati para sahabat dan seluruh kaum Muslimin supaya mencontohi sifat yang ada pada pemuda Ansar itu. Perbuatan menghormati tetamu sangat baik dan harus dipuji serta dicontohi.

Chatting Turut Sumbang Kepada Perceraian

KUALA LUMPUR 15 Nov. - Chatting atau berbual di Internet merupakan antara penyumbang kepada peningkatan kes perceraian di kalangan pasangan Islam di negara ini.

Pengerusi Majlis Amal Islami Malaysia, Datuk Nakhaie Ahmad berkata, ini kerana chatting biasanya disusuli dengan pertemuan yang jika diketahui oleh suami atau isteri boleh menyebabkan perceraian.

"Chatting didapati tiada landasan moral atau etika kerana mereka yang terlibat menganggap tiada sesiapa mengetahuinya.

"Kadang kala isteri chatting dengan orang lain serta disusuli pertemuan di luar rumah dan sekiranya diketahui oleh suami akan menyebabkan perceraian," katanya ketika dihubungi Utusan Malaysia di sini hari ini.

Nakhaie mengulas kenyataan Timbalan Ketua Pengarah (Dasar) Jabatan Kemajuan Islam Malaysia (Jakim), Othman Mustapha bahawa perkahwinan dalam tempoh 10 tahun terdedah kepada keruntuhan rumah tangga.

Beliau menambah, golongan isteri juga terlalu sensitif terhadap poligami sehingga sanggup meminta cerai sekiranya mengetahui suami mempunyai hubungan sulit dengan kakitangan wanita sepejabat.

Katanya, pergaulan bebas dan perbuatan sumbang suami dengan kakitangan wanita di pejabat jika diketahui oleh isteri juga akan menyumbang kepada perceraian.

Dalam pada itu, katanya, tiada peraturan khusus boleh menyekat perhubungan antara kakitangan wanita dan lelaki melainkan dengan keimanan, pegangan agama dan tatasusila.

Beliau menasihatkan pasangan yang mahu mendirikan rumah tangga supaya mempunyai pekerjaan untuk menyara kehidupan keluarga dan bukan bergantung kepada ibu bapa.

Peguam syarie, Ikbal Salam pula berpendapat, faktor lazim perceraian ialah masalah ekonomi, kurang pengetahuan agama dan tidak setaraf (sekufu) antara pasangan.

Bagaimanapun, katanya, tanggapan serong kepada suami yang ingin berpoligami juga antara punca perceraian.

"Sebagai pengamal undang-undang sivil dan syariah saya mendapati banyak kes isteri memberontak kerana enggan menerima suami yang ingin berpoligami.

"Isteri pertama berasa tergugat dan akan memberi kata dua kepada suami untuk menceraikannya jika berhasrat untuk berkahwin lain," katanya.

Ikbal memberitahu, dalam keadaan tersebut kebahagiaan pasangan berkenaan akan mula berkurangan dan seterusnya menuju kepada perceraian setelah suami berasakan isteri menyekatnya daripada berpoligami.

Walaupun isteri menentang suaminya berpoligami, katanya, dalam beberapa kes tertentu perkahwinan kali kedua dan seterusnya tetap dilakukan di luar negara.

Koordinator Program Pengajian Gender Universiti Malaya, Prof. Madya Dr. Shanthi Thambiah pula berkata, beberapa ratus tahun lalu suami isteri Melayu bertani, menjaga anak-anak dan melakukan kerja rumah bersama yang menyumbang kepada hubungan yang erat antara mereka.

"Hari ini amalan itu berkurangan sebaliknya pasangan kurang menghormati antara satu sama lain, enggan berkongsi tanggungjawab seperti menjaga anak-anak dan melakukan kerja-kerja rumah bersama," katanya.

Jelasnya, keadaan itu jauh berbeza di Eropah dengan trend penurunan kadar perceraian berikutan sikap saling menghormati antara suami isteri serta semangat sebagai 'rakan kongsi' yang kukuh menghadapi kehidupan berkeluarga.

Katanya, masyarakat di Eropah mula menghargai nilai-nilai hidup berkeluarga, perkahwinan, perkongsian hidup serta anak-anak.

Anwar’s Lawyers Say WikiLeaks Sex Expose Is ‘Subjudice’

By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 13 — A leaked US diplomatic cable is not only rocking Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s political future but also his Sodomy II trial, prompting his lawyers to say it is subjudice and warn against its publication

Defence counsel Sankara Nair revealed that he and another Anwar lawyer, Karpal Singh, have had preliminary discussions over the whistleblower WikiLeaks expose about intelligence agents who believe the opposition leader was “set up” but that he “walked” into a trap.

“I have consulted my colleague Karpal Singh with regards to this matter. For one thing, we feel that it is actually subjudice to carry these stories as it could affect the integrity of the trial. If you look at it properly, the story was published via a third party. In law, this is hearsay until it is factually proven otherwise,” the lawyer told The Malaysian Insider.

Sankara said they needed to consult Anwar first before making any decision, adding that the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) de facto leader could not be reached at all for the moment.

Anwar has dismissed a revelation by WikiLeaks that Australian intelligence believes he engaged in sodomy, claiming the source was Malaysia’s Special Branch police.

The opposition leader did not take calls to comment on Australia’s The Sun-Herald report but responded via his Twitter micro-blogging account when queried.

“Source? Polis SB Msia. Bukti tak ada (Who is the source? Malaysian police Special Branch. There is no proof whatsoever),” Anwar replied.

In an earlier reply, the former deputy prime minister wrote: “Source? Msian SB ha ha.”

Sankara claimed that Anwar’s remarks were not far off the mark, saying that intelligence reports should not be used as a basis for news or information, and that the facts in these reports could often be misleading or entirely wrong.

“I was part of the Branch before, I know what it is like. The last thing you do is trust an intelligence report, you cannot simply make allegations, to do so is absolute conjecture and hearsay. A person is innocent until proven guilty,” said Sankara.

The lawyer told The Malaysian Insider that Sodomy II trial judge Datuk Mohd Zabidin Mohd Diah had the power to summon the local news organisations which had reported the expose, and issue them a show-cause letter.

“The judge can call up the newspapers and ask them to explain why they wrote the piece, and where is their proof. The situation here is similar to that of the case with Utusan earlier this year,” said Sankara.

He was referring a photo caption published by Umno-owned Utusan Malaysia earlier this year which, according to Anwar’s lawyers, alluded to the PKR leader being guilty of the charges against him. Back then, the lawyers had objected in court to the Utusan piece.

“The thing we want to avoid is unsubstantiated matters against my client during the course of his trial. It is prejudicing the issue,” said Sankara.

PR lawmakers have demanded Singapore respond to the WikiLeaks’ revelation that regional intelligence agencies believe Anwar had committed sodomy, claiming that it was a “high-level conspiracy” implicating both the Malaysian and the island republic’s Special Branch police.

They also want an explanation on leaked US State Department cables which reported Singaporean senior government officials as saying that Malaysia’s “decline” was due to “incompetent politicians.”

“With WikiLeaks’ revelation, it looks like Singapore is undermining its relationship with Malaysia. Whether or not the leaks are entirely accurate, what remains clear is that Singapore’s relationship with Malaysia remains dubious, to say the least.

“PKR will be sending an official letter to the Singapore High Commissioner tomorrow, demanding an explanation on both issues. The Anwar expose as well as Singapore leader’s remarks on Malaysia,” said PKR vice-president Chua Tian Chang.

He also said that PR MPs were currently considering raising an emergency motion in Parliament this week on the matter as it affected “national interests.”

The WikiLeaks website has promised to release some 250,000 diplomatic cables from the United States that reveal explosive private views across the world. Nearly 1,000 are said to be related to Malaysia, including candid observations about Putrajaya’s refusal to co-operate on several fronts.

WikiLeaks was founded by Australian journalist Julian Assange, now being held by the Scotland Yard for sexual assault charges in Sweden. Australian commentators have compared Assange’s charges to Anwar, who was sacked as deputy prime minister in September 1998 on sodomy and corruption charges.

US President Barack Obama has called the WikiLeaks’ actions “deplorable” in phone calls to his counterparts who agreed that it should not hurt ties with Washington. US diplomats in Kuala Lumpur have also expressed the same sentiment to Wisma Putra although they have also made their concerns known about Anwar’s sodomy trial.

The cable that dealt with Anwar’s sodomy case was dated November 2008 and said: “The Australians said that Singapore’s intelligences services and [Singaporean elder statesman] Lee Kuan Yew have told ONA in their exchanges that opposition leader Anwar ‘did indeed commit the acts for which he is currently indicted’.”

ONA stands for Australia’s Office of National Assessments.

The document also stated the Singaporeans told ONA they made this assessment on the basis of “technical intelligence”, which was likely to relate to intercepted communications, the newspaper said.

“ONA assessed, and their Singapore counterparts concurred, ‘it was a set-up job and he probably knew that, but walked into it anyway’,” the cable states.

Sodomy is illegal in Malaysia and carries a jail sentence of up to 20 years. Anwar was jailed for six years in 1999 on charges of corruption and sodomy but was later freed in 2004.

His former aide Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan complained of sodomy in June 2008 but Anwar had maintained the case against him was fabricated and trumped up by his political enemies who fear his political resurgence.

Saiful, a university dropout, had admitted to meeting Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak before making his complaint but said the meeting was about a scholarship.

Anwar’s sodomy trial has been postponed to next year but a prosecutor was earlier dropped after she was accused of having an affair with the 25-year- old Saiful.

Anwar, Najib & Wikileaks

Posted by Khoo Kay Peng

Subjudice or not, opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim should know best that politics is nearly about perception. Wikileaks suggested that Anwar had walked into a trap.

The cable that dealt with Anwar’s sodomy case was dated November 2008 and said: “The Australians said that Singapore’s intelligences services and [Singaporean elder statesman] Lee Kuan Yew have told ONA in their exchanges that opposition leader Anwar ‘did indeed commit the acts for which he is currently indicted’.”

ONA stands for Australia’s Office of National Assessments.

The document also stated the Singaporeans told ONA they made this assessment on the basis of "technical intelligence”, which was likely to relate to intercepted communications, the newspaper said.

“ONA assessed, and their Singapore counterparts concurred, ‘it was a set-up job and he probably knew that, but walked into it anyway’,” the cable states.

Similarly, Najib had been accused of playing a part in the political conspiracy to set up Anwar and destroy his political career.

Najib's own controversy with the sensational murder of a Mongolian model, Altantuya Shaaribu, may turn out to be a heavy political baggage for him. French investigation on the submarines' kickback is still ongoing. It may disclose more than what the Wikileaks did.

Anwar's lawyers were quick to dismiss the expose by Wikileaks and claimed that it may be subjudice to carry the stories. Understandably, the stories on Anwar will do more to damage his leadership at a point when Pakatan is still wobbling and recovering from the internal conflicts of PKR.

PKR leaders should know that perception is key in politics. Moreover, they had tried to link Najib to the Altantuya gruesome murder with the intention of destroying his leadership integrity.

These controversies will not do both leaders any good. At this point in time, there is no indication that Najib is going to allow the Altantuya controversy to affect his leadership. His political baggage together with other controversies will be exploited thoroughly by the opposition in the next GE.

Anwar will face the same baptism of fire in the next GE. It has come to a time for Anwar to reflect on the survival and success rate of Pakatan in the next GE. He has been a target and will continue to become a prime target. This newly minted coalition especially PKR cannot be stuck in an individual quagmire for too long. To be successful and feature prominently in the Malaysian political landscape, PKR needs to grow beyond Anwar.

As long as the party feels that Anwar is the only capable PM material, it is likely that the party will follow Anwar's downfall if his opponents succeeded in tarnishing Anwar and his credibility.

Anwar should seriously consider taking a role of an advisor and rise above his desire to become the next PM. His party should focus on moulding and promoting other younger leaders, especially those with less baggage, to be prepared to accept the leadership mantle should Pakatan wins federal power.

If Anwar is unable to lose his marksmen, he may bring the whole coalition down with him. The next battle is going to be massive, crucial and survival threatening for Pakatan. It should shed as much baggage as it could in order to be more nimble, efficient and focused.

What Anwar has achieved is already history making. His next move will determine if his legacy will be embedded in a historic event which may change the shape and face of Malaysian politics permanently.

The next battle is a battle to select a lesser devil. Next, we will talk about good governance and visionary leadership. There is still a long way for Malaysia.

We need to get rid of institutional racism, corruption and abuse of power first before we can talk about sustainable development.

Torpedoes Running!

Written by Gavin M. Greenwood and John Berthelsen

Monday, 22 November 2010 - Questions over the sale of French-built Scorpène submarines to militaries across the world may finally ensnare some of France’s highest-ranking leaders.

They include former French President Jacques Chirac, former Prime Ministers Dominique de Villipin and Edouard Balladur and the country’s current president, Nicholas Sarkozy in addition to an unknown number current and former French defense executives. In addition, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak should be starting to get nervous, along with officials in India, Chile and Brazil.

Lawyers for the families of 11 French engineers killed in a 2002 bomb attack in Karachi were quoted Friday as saying they would file a manslaughter suit against Chirac, allegedly because he cancelled a bribe to Pakistani military officials in the sale of three Agosta 90-class submarines to that country’s navy. Sarkozy was Minister of the Budget when the government sold the subs, built by the French defense giant DCN (later known as DCNS) to Pakistan for a reported US$950 million.

Prosecutors allege that Pakistani politicians and military officials and middlemen received large “commissions” with as much as €2 million in kickbacks routed back to Paris to fund Balladur's unsuccessful 1995 presidential campaign against Chirac. As budget minister, Sarkozy would have authorized the financial elements of the submarine sale. At the time he was the spokesman for Balladur’s presidential campaign and, according to French media, has been accused of establishing two Luxemburg companies to handle the kickbacks.

It is alleged that when Chirac was re-elected, the president canceled the bribes to the Pakistanis, which resulted in the revenge attack on a vehicle in which the French engineers and at least three Pakistanis were riding. For years, the Pakistanis blamed the attack on fundamentalist Islamic militants, including Al Qaeda.

“Our complaint is going to target how the decision was arrived at to stop the commissions,” Morice told AFP, saying the suit was prompted by recent testimony from arms executives in the case. Morice also called for Sarkozy, who witnesses have told investigators was linked to the bribes, to be questioned. The French president angrily denounced the allegations. As president, he has immunity and can refuse to be questioned while in office.

Nonetheless, l'affaire Karachi, as it is widely known in France, has been called the most explosive corruption investigation in recent French history, according to AFP. It may well be far bigger than just the unpaid bribes to the Pakistanis. Executives of DCNS embarked on a global marketing drive to sell the diesel-electric Scorpène-class subs, a new design. They peddled two to the Chilean Navy in 1997, breaking into the market previously dominated by HDN of Germany.

DCNS also sold six Scorpènes in 2005 with the option for six other boats, to India, whose defense procurement agency has been involved in massive bribery scandals in the past. Defense Minister George Fernandes was forced to step down in 2001 after videos surfaced of procurement officials taking bribes. In 2008, Gen. Sudipto Ghosh, the chairman of the Ordnance Factory Board, was arrested and seven foreign companies were barred from doing business in India as a result of a bribery scandal.

In 2008, DCNS also won a bid to supply four Scorpènes to Brazil. DCNS is to provide the hull for a fifth boat that Brazil intends to use as a basis for developing its first nuclear-powered submarine.

DCNS sold the Scorpènes to Pakistan in 1994. At about the same time the French engineers were murdered in 2002, Malaysia placed an US1 billion order for two Scorpènes in a deal engineered by then-defense minister and Deputy Prime Minister Najib. In exchange, a company wholly owned by Najib’s close friend, Abdul Razak Baginda, was paid €114 million in “commissions,” according to testimony in the Malaysian parliament.

It is unclear why Malaysia decided to acquire the two boats. A new naval base is being built to house the two at Teluk Sepanggar in the East Malaysian state of Sabah because the waters around peninsular Malaysia are generally too shallow for optimal submarine operations. In addition, the boats were delivered without advanced navigational and weapons gear, which the Royal Malaysian Navy is acquiring at a high cost from individual suppliers.

That episode has been widely reported. Caught up in it, besides Najib and Razak Baginda, was Altantuya Shaariibuu, the Mongolian translator who was murdered in 2006 and whose body was blown up with military grade explosives. Razak Baginda, her jilted lover, was charged along with two of Najib’s bodyguards but was acquitted under unusual circumstances without having to put on a defense. Before she was murdered, Altantuya told witnesses she was to be paid US$500,000 for her role in the submarine deal.

After his release Razak Baginda immediately decamped for Oxford University and apparently hasn’t set foot in Malaysia since. On Nov. 5, Malaysian prosecutors closed the book on the case, despite statements by a private investigator that tied Najib to Altantuya’s murder.

The case, however, remains alive in France. In April, three French lawyers, William Bourdon, Renaud Semerdjian and Joseph Breham filed a case with prosecutors in Paris on behalf of the Malaysian human rights organization Suaram, which supports good-governance causes.

Breham journeyed to Malaysia later in April to interview further witnesses. In an email, Breham said he and Bourdon are returning to Southeast Asia to ask more questions next month. If the three lawyers — or any other French or Malaysian prosecutors for that matter — want a witness, Razak Baginda remains in the UK.

The efforts by prosecutors to link Sarkozy to corruption allegations in the Karachi affair may well have ramifications beyond French politics. France's commercial competitors in tightening global defense markets can also be expected to seek advantage from the affair.

The decision in mid-November by DCNS and Navantia of Spain to end their collaboration on building the Scorpène-class of boats purchased by Malaysia now make the companies commercial rivals. This seemingly bitter split may unleash new insights into past business practices, notably from the Spanish side as they seek to promote their S80 submarines against the Scorpènes. France can also expect little support from Britain, where suggestions that the two navies share aircraft carriers as a cost cutting measure have been met with a mixture of rage and derision.

Further, any revelations of systemic corruption within the French naval shipbuilding sector could present opportunities for in Britain seeking an escape from seemingly watertight contracts with French and shipyards for the construction of two large aircraft carriers.

Any investigation into corruption at the levels now underway in France is inherently unpredictable given the interests involved. What began as a ripple in Paris may yet build into a tsunami threatening individuals and plans previously thought impervious to such a threat. Questioning Abdul Razak Baginda might be a place to start.

Gavin M. Greenwood is a security consultant with the Hong Kong-based security risk management consultancy firm Allan & Associates. John Berthelsen is the editor of the Asia Sentinel.