27 MARCH 2008
YB EN KHALID ABU SAMAD, MP FOR SHAH ALAM, PAID A VISIT TO CHURCH OF DIVINE MERCY (CDM), SHAH ALAM.
The hall was packed, and some even lined the side walls to be closer to the front. The parishioners gave En Khalid a standing ovation when he entered, for we had heard that it was upon his initiative that this dialogue had come about; he had asked to meet with us! It was the first time a Malay Muslim politician had visited the church.
First impression
I suppose I had expected someone ultra-conservative in a turban and flowing robes a la Nik Aziz so I was pleasantly taken aback to see a tall, dignified gentleman, dressed in western garb, with a warm smile who would not have looked out of place in an MNC boardroom.
I don’t know what En Khalid expected – cold, suspicious glares? – because he seemed quite bemused and unprepared for the warm reception he got. He smiled in an unassuming way, and disarmed us all by saying that he had done nothing thus far to receive a standing ovation, that it was us, the people who voted in the opposition, who deserved the standing ovation for daring to break the mould.
Introductory words
En Khalid began by saying that Barisan Nasional had lost because of too much arrogance and abuse of power. Malaysians, he said, deserve a more transparent government, one that respects the people. His statement was greeted with uproarious applause and cheers of approval.
The Shah Alam MP pointed out that if we take Sabah & Sarawak out of the equation for a little while, what we have is the opposition’s 82 seats versus BN’s 86 – a mere 4-seat difference, an overwhelming indication of the inroads the opposition had made in the 2008 elections. En Khalid asserted that fear, misunderstanding & distrust were pivotal in maintaining BN’s power.
En Khalid’s introduction was short and sweet; he then asked for questions so that he could more accurately address the people’s concerns.
Q & A SESSION
Q1: The local councils are too powerful. Their officers make big mistakes and still get retained, transferred or even promoted. There’s a need to gazette green lungs.
En Khalid: Majlis Perbandaran Shah Alam (MPSA) has an annual income of about RM 230 million from licences, etc. There has been a lot of cronyism, people out to make money, gazetted land has been sold… The people appointed to local councils must have a strong sense of responsilbility to the public and look after public interest. The new state government is committed to protecting green areas.
Q 2: Shah Alam needs more burial grounds for people of all religions. CDM is in a remote place (in the middle of an industrial zone), far from where its parishioners live. The previous state government did not allow the church to put up a cross or signboards on the roads to lead people to where the church is. Will the new state government allow these?
En Khalid: You do not become a good Muslim by preventing other people from practising their religions. It is not just churches, but Muslim religious schools also which have been sidelined and not given adequate and proper allocation by the BN-led state governments. Churches, like mosques, should be situated within their communities, not far away where they do not benefit people. The Crystal Mosque in Trengganu, for example, is also situated in a remote area. Furthermore, BN says it cost RM 300 million to build, while the state JKR estimates its cost to be RM 50 million only! As for burial grounds, an application should be made, and if there is a need, land will be allocated. There should be no problem with putting up a cross & steeple, and signboards. From the PAS point of view, we want people to be religious; if not Muslims, then to be true to their own religions. As we always say in PAS, it is not the non-Muslims we fear, but those who do not fear God at all!
Due to ignorance, (thanks to BN!), many muslims have a misunderstanding of the use of the word, ‘Allah’. In Arabic, ‘al-illah’ is ‘the item of worship’. ‘La-illah Allah’ means ‘there is no item of worship except God’. The word ‘Allah’ means ‘the one we worship’, and this word existed BEFORE the time of Muhammad. Hence, there should be no problem with people of other religions using the word ‘Allah’. In the middle east, the churches use ‘Allah’ freely, even broadcast over the PA systems and audible from the road and neighbouring mosques, but the Muslims there have no problem with this! It is also alright for others to use ‘wassalamualikum’.
However, we need time to re-educate the Muslims who have been influenced by BN.
Q 3: I think we should have eradication of all segregation of race, religion, etc. We should be one Bangsa Malaysia.
En Khalid: The PR coalition was formed to make sure that the Malaysian public benefits as a whole, that they are given the right to change the government if it is not performing. The same morality applies to PR. It is a new political awareness.
Our focus is on the poor. The PR theme is ‘Negara yang Kebajikan’, a state that takes care of its people (which is not the same thing as a welfare state). The demolition of squatter areas was BN’s simplistic solution to do away with squatters by 2008. These squatters are th eones who provided the labour for the building of Shah Alam. The past government promised them loans to enable them to buy flats, but this promise was not fulfilled. Over 200 families have been chased out of their squatter homes. They were given the notice today (27/3) to move out by Monday (31/3)! That’s where I was earlier, that’s why I was late.
Diversity is a sign of God’s munificence, and mankind should not try to limit God’s great variations. PAS has never taken a stand against the use of mother tongues, except that there must be a common lingua franca for practical purposes of communication, and this should not be used as a tool of racial chauvinism. PAS has no problem with Christian processions, e.g. the Stations of the Cross. It has been imprinted into the national psyche by Barisan Nasional that religious processions can spark unrest & chaos.
(My comment: It looks like En Khalid side-stepped the issue of one united unsegregated Bangsa Malaysia!)
Q 4: I’m against the ‘moral police’. Also, how can PR attract foreign investment?
En Khalid: We do need to have certain moral standards that we can agree on, but it’s a question of implementation. We cannot give complete licence (to people to behave in anyway they wish), but the idea of officers fining people, slapping people .. is repugnant.
On the issue of the economy, when PAS took over Kelantan, it was the 2nd poorest (sic – poorest but one) state in Malaysia. Now, it is # 6. However, this is highlighted in the mainstream media. The economy will grow; we will make fewer mistakes; there will be less, and hopefully in time, NO corruption. Investors will come.
Q 5: I don’t trust the mainstream media anymore. I only read Internet news for the true picture. What can the new government offer young Malaysians?
En Khalid: I think that the mainstream media has learnt its lesson. Be careful about believing fully in Internet sources. For example, there were a lot of false rumours on the Internet and via sms when the opposition won in the election.
The government has to realise that they have to be responsible with respect to how they use the official media. There is danger when there are many inaccuracies. There is a need for an official media that is truthful, balanced and responsible.
(My comment on the questioner: How naive & closed-minded! But then, the questioner was a very young man in his early twenties. I hope he learns to cross-reference the ‘true pictures’ he gets quickly, or that’s one blinkered, blinded, misled youth!)
Q 6 (mine!): First, a heartfelt “Thank you” to En Khalid for his sincere gesture of reaching out to the Catholic Christian community. Exactly how strong is the Barisan Rakyat (now known as Pakatan Rakyat) coalition? You have such diverse policies, what are the common goals that you can strive together for? There are many instances of alleged corruption/ misconduct, for example, the Selangor Exco Village, the disbursement of the 5% oil royalty in Trengganu, state land sold in Penang, to name a few recently highlighted in the media. Exactly how committed are the newly-elected Barisan Rakyat state governments about rooting out and exposing past wrong-doings? When we voted opposition, it was a leap of faith for us; it was with the intention that past misdeeds would be corrected.
En Khalid: Each component party of the PR emphasised its own message during the ‘opposition days’. Now, PR has the responsibility to govern 5 states. We emphasise on areas that we agree on, i.e. government by consensus. We carry out discussions to find common ground, in order to benefit the people.
DAP & PAS have been around for many years, & we realise that this is a very important opportunity to show that the people deserve a good clean government.
We have enough common areas to keep PR going for years. We are VERY serious about exposing corruption. The Selangor State Exco told the Speaker that not only files are missing, but even tables & chairs! Contracts that have been made in the past (e.g. the Puncak Niaga water contract) will be reviewed; those which are questionable might be terminated. Khir Toyo (ex-Selangor Chief Minister, BN) signed contract awards worth over RM 80 million just before the elections. Did he get a cut? All these will be reviewed.
Closing Remarks by En Khalid:
The faults of the old (BN) government are that there was discrimination, mismanagement & meddling by politicians. Malaysia needs a new vision of governance, and jopefully, Pakatan Rakyat can show the way with their 5 states, and by appreciating our diversity. The BN government was full of hypocrisy; there is a need to walk the talk.
We have enough common areas to keep PR going for years. We are VERY serious about exposing corruption. The Selangor State Exco told the Speaker that not only files are missing, but even tables & chairs! Contracts that have been made in the past (e.g. the Puncak Niaga water contract) will be reviewed; those which are questionable might be terminated. Khir Toyo signed contract awards woryh over RM 80 million just before the elections. Did he get a cut? All these will be reviewed.
