This is my Father's world

It can get depressing when one survey the current political landscape. No wonder so many chose to emigrate. Is there yet hope for our nation?

I've just sang the hymn 'This is my Father's world' in my morning devotion and it has lifted my spirit especially verse 3

This is my Father's world, O never let me forget
That tho the wrong seems oft so strong, God is the Ruler yet
This is my Father's world! The battle is not done;
Jesus who died shall be satisfied, And earth and heaven be one

I also sang it in Mandarin which is slightly different

My translation

This is my Father's world, Lord help me not to forget
Though evil seems to triumph, my Father is still in control
This is my Father's world!, my heart need not be grieved
God is King, heaven and earth together sing, the music spreads everywhere

Yes. I believe in a God who is sovereign. The God of Augustine, Luther, Calvin, Owen, Edwards, Spurgeon, Lloyd-Jones, Packer .........

God have mercy on Malaysia

OHMSI Dialogue - The Christian and the GE - Core Issues

Attended the dialogue this morning. The panel speakers were:

• Dr Irene Fernandez, Executive Director, Tenaganita
• Dr Datuk Denison Jayasooria, Executive Director, Yayasan Sosial Strategic
• Mr Lim Guan Eng, Secretary General, DAP
• YB Loh Seng Kok, MP for Kelana Jaya
• YB Dato Dr Tan Kee Kwong, MP for Segambut
  

I'm not going to dwell on the actual dialogue but just bring to attention something that I find interesting that happened at the end of the dialogue. Someone was asked to close with a word of prayer. Before he prayed he said he felt led to read 2 passages from the Bible first. It was the 1st passage that caught my attention

Isaiah 1:23
'Your rulers are rebels,
companions of thieves,
they all love bribes
and chase after gifts.
They do not defend the cause of the fatherless;
the widow's case does not come before them.'

I know Isaiah was referring to Judah. But I couldn't but feel that it is an apt description of Malaysia with the UMNO led Government. I caught Lim Guan Eng smiling when the verse was read. I think he and I were on the same wavelength.

Various Issues - ISA, Body Snatchers etc.

My last post was more than 2 weeks ago. Hence, there are a few issues which I would like to cover.

1. ISA - An election issue

Haris Ibrahim has called for the ISA to be made an election issue. I support his call and I hope the Opposition parties will likewise do the same. After all in the 2007 Year End Poll conducted by blogger Jeff Ooi, the abolishment of the ISA is one of the top 3 areas that those who polled think Malaysia can do a lot more better, a lot more urgently.

The ISA is the most inhumane, unjust and immoral piece of legislation in our statute book. It remains there because according to our defective Law Minister the rakyat wants it. If not, the rakyat would not have voted for the BN and returned it to power every election. So following his logic a vote for BN is a vote for the ISA to remain.

In one of my previous posts I've call for my fellow Michaelians to reject the BN for the reason above. Now I'm calling for my fellow Christians to do the same. In fact the Malaysian church must make a stand on this. Though I believe the church should not be involved in partisan politics, it must never be apolitical. But the Secretary General of the NECF, an organization which is supposed to represent the evangelical churches in Malaysia thinks otherwise. He said that the church should be apolitical and he thinks the Bible is very clear on this. Wonder which version of the Bible he is using.

In fact, I now think the Malaysian church should make its stand that the ISA is evil and to vote for the BN is to condone this evil. Dare we make such a stand?


2. Body Snatchers

It happened again. It's not the first time, neither it's going to be the last time. A non Muslim family found out at the death of their loved one, the deceased has converted to Islam and the Islamic authorities laid claim to the body, applied to the Syariah court and snatch the body from grieving family members and buried it according to Islamic rites. The latest case is that of Gan Eng Gor. Read here the heart rending account from a blogger who is the deceased's daughter-in-law.

What actually pissed me off was reading the first comment left in the daughter-in-law's blog who commented something to the effect that why make a fuss over this matter. Funeral rites are just for show. So get on with the living and not the dead (I can't retrieve the exact comment as now it has been deleted). When condemned by some readers, she quoted from the Bible, that those without sin, should cast the first stone. Checking her link to her blog confirms that she is a Christian. It pains me that anyone whether a Christian or a non Christian can make such a insensitive remark. Secondly, I think she misses what is the real issue that is at stake.

The issue that is at stake is the Syariah court and the Islamic authorities are disregarding the rights of non Muslims to even to go the our civil court to seek justice by issuing such an order and enforcing the order. But can we really blame them when our civil court in similar cases have abdicated its duty to do justice?


3. To vote or not to vote

I came across an opinion in one blog, where the blogger thinks that by casting our vote, we are not only casting our vote for our candidate but also a vote of confidence for the electoral process. So why vote, if you think the electoral process is tainted? So he is still considering whether to vote or not. In addition he is not sure whether the opposition parties would be much more honest when they come to power.

This was my response to him

Your reasoning is pretty similar to that of the Election Commission Chairman's. He told the Opposition parties that if they are unhappy about the electoral process, they can boycott the election.

I think we have not reached the stage where the election process is completely rigged but it will if we do not turn out to cast our votes.

If you have no confidence about the electoral process, the thing to do is to support civil society groups like Bersih and call for electoral reforms. It is not by not casting your vote. No one will know what you think by not turning out to vote. No one will hear your voice.

There are also many like you who are thinking of not voting because they have no confidence in the Opposition parties either. The reality of Malaysian politics is if you do not vote for the Opposition, you are indirectly voting for the BN. If the Opposition are not going to be honest when they are in power, we can vote them out. That's the essence of democracy. The people decides and the elected government is merely a steward of the people. The people have the right to boot them out if they turn out to be a bad steward.

A Tea Poem

The first cup refreshes your lips and throat.
The second cup elates you from your lonely mood.
With the third cup you rack your brains, realizing you have only committed 5,000 volumes of literature to memory.
The fourth cup makes your perspire lightly, and through your skin the pent-up grievances in your life evaporates.
The fifth cup causes you to feel your muscle relax, and your bones lose weight.
The sixth cup leads you down the path of divine enlightenment.
Now! The seventh cup! The only feeling left is the air flowing beneath you.

- Lu Tong, Tang Dynasty

一碗喉吻润， 二碗破孤闷

三碗搜枯肠，唯有文字五千卷

四碗发轻汗， 平生不平事尽向毛孔散

五碗肌骨滑。六碗通仙灵。

七碗吃不得也，唯觉两腋习习清风生

Cabinet: 'Allah' for Muslims only

This is the headline on pg. 8 of theSun today. I didn't read it in any of the online news portal like Malaysiakini.

I quote 'The cabinet has decided that restrictions on the use of the word Allah still stand and Catholic weekly Herald therefore cannot use it although its printing licence has just being renewed'.

'In a statement yesterday, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Dr. Abdullah Mohd Zin said that apart from the Allah, the use of words Solat, Kaabah and Baitullah was also prohibited in the publications of religions other than Islam as per decision of the cabinet on July 30, 2002, which has been enforced since Dec5, 1986.'

I'm not sure whether the Sun got those dates right. How can you enforce a decision which has yet to be made?

Much has been said by others over this issue. But the best I've came across so far is the article written by Dr. Ng Kam Weng from Kairos. None of the main stream media wants to publish his article though theSun did published small excerpts from it. You can read the article here.

I'm to worship lead in my cell group tonight. The opening song I've chosen is one of my favourite worship songs in the Malay language

Kau yang terindah di dalam hidup ini

Tiada Allah Tuhan yang seperti engkau

Besar perkasa penuh kemuliaan

Kau yang termanis di dalam hidup ini

Ku cinta kau lebih dari segalanya

Besar kasih setiamu kepadaku

Ku sembah kau ya Allah ku

Ku tinggikan namamu selalu

Tiada lutut tak bertelut

Menyembah Yesus Tuhan rajaku

Ku sembah kau ya Allah ku

Ku tinggikan namamu selalu

Semua lidah kan mengaku

Engkaulah Yesus Tuhan rajaku

I'll sing it not only to worship God but as a protest against the Cabinet's decision to curtail my freedom of worship.

In the same report above, the Minister also said the use of the word Allah should not be made the subject of public debate such as to give the impression that there is no freedom of religion in the country. So now my freedom of expression has also been curtailed.

I say, 'Make this an election issue!'

Finally the minister said ' The use of the word Allah by non-Muslims may arouse sensitivity and create confusion among Muslims in the country'. Please don't insult your fellow Muslims.

I call upon all Christians in the country to support Sidang Injil Borneo's legal suit against the Govt in this matter. In prayer and moral support. Those of us who have been using English in our churches may not really appreciate the issue. But for our brothers and sisters who have been using the Malay language as the medium in their churches in particular those in Sabah and Sarawak, it is just like the Govt has now prohibit you to call your father by the name you have always been calling him.

Don't Touch My School!

Few days ago I took my family to Penang for a holiday. On the way back we stopped at my hometown, Ipoh. We actually by-passed Ipoh town first and stopped at Gunung Rapat to buy the famous Heong Piang. We could have just turned into Simpang Pulai after that and head home to KL. But I decided to turn back into Ipoh town because I wanted to show my daughters my school, St. Michael's Institution.

I'm sure those of us who were from these mission schools were pissed off by the remarks made by 2 UMNO MPs recently i.e. calling for the removal of the crosses, and demolition of the Christian statues and an end to church influence in mission schools including alleged control by Vatican, questioning their contribution and loyalty to Malaysia.

Well, the good thing was it also made me recall fond memories I have of my alma mater. 14 years of my life (including one year kindergarten) was spent in St. Michael. It has been a big part of my life, my growing up years.

Though St. Michael as an institution is much more than the building, I think the building itself is an outward expression of the Michaelian Spirit. Majestic, hardy, strong, tough, a never say die attitude yet gentle and compassionate. Qualities best exemplified by some of the Lasallian brothers who have taught in St. Michael.

Turning right from Ipoh Library, we were greeted by this majestic structure. The roof has been newly tiled. Unfortunately, the guard on duty didn't allow us to go inside the school. So I just have to be contented with taking a few photos from the outside. It would have been great if I could once again walk the school corridors with my family. I'm sure there will be another time.

So to the 2 UMNO MPs, this is my message and I'm sure the message of all true Michaelians.
'Don't you ever touch our school!'

School Rally

All through our College, a voice is resounding
Promptly respond to your duty's sweet call!
Harken you all for the trumpet is sounding
Your Mater's proclaiming her watchword to all
Forward my children dear!
Ever with heart sincere
Render with joy to your Mater her due
All that is vile, reject
Heaven will e'er protect
Sons of St. Michael
Valiant and true

Yes, Michaelians, reject all that is vile. Reject the BN in the coming general election. The ISA is the vilest of all laws. Nazri said that the rakyat wants the ISA since they continue to vote for the BN. So show Nazri what you want this coming GE.