KUDA RANGGI

KUDA RANGGI

The Island of Penang - the island city of Malaysia

Pulau Pinang or the island of Penang is now a  city. Yes, the whole island, not the State of Penang or Negeri Pulau Pinang comprising Penang Island and Seberang Perai (Province Wellesley). Seberang Perai is under the Majlis Perbandaran Seberang  Perai (MPSP) or Seberang Perai Municipal Council.

So what is new? Nothing, if I may say so. At least to most of us, Penangites. City status is nothing new to us. George Town is  a city. Administratively and politically, it may not be, but historically and legally it is a City. 

The George Town City status was awarded by the command of Queen Elizabeth II on January 1, 1957. The city status was not revoked.

In the late fifties and early sixties, I used to travel by buses and trolley-buses operated by the Transport Department of the City Council of George Town (CCGT), power was supplied by the Electricity Supply Department and city dwellers paid their quit rents and other utility bills at the City Hall, Esplanade. 

CCGT also issued licences to trishaws and bicycles, yes bicycles, from its office at Penang Road next to the City's Fire Department. Both buildings were torn down to make way for the construction of KOMTAR.  Bicycle owners were required to register for a nominal fee and provided with number plates that must be screwed to the vehicle. 

The peculiar situation of George Town, a city minus a proper council, was the result of the then Gerakan-led state government's decision to merge CCGT with the Rural District Council (Majlis Daerah Luar Bandar or MDLB) to form the Municipal Council (MPPP).

At its an augural meeting on January 2, 1957, lawyer G.H. Goh of the Alliance Party was elected President defeating D.S. Ramanathan (Labour Party). However, Ramanathan was elected as George Town's first mayor, a post created by an amendment to the constitution by the State Legislature. The City Council of George Town never failed to hold elections (local council elections) to elect a mayor and its councillors. The city's taxpayers continued to vote in the Labour Party and later the Socialist Front to head the City Council until it was replaced by the MPPP.

Penang's main stadium (before the construction of the Batu Kawan state stadium - a white elephant to many), is the City Stadium. It was named so because it was under the City Council of George Town  and till now, a preferred venue by the football association. 

      

The economic and political goliaths of Singapore

The once powerful and invincible Lee Kuan Yew is finally gone, after suffering for 46 agonising days hooked to a mechanical ventilator in the Singapore General Hospital, wrote Mr Yoong Siew Wah  in his Singapore Recalcitrant blog.

"The Chinese believe that how well a person dies reflects on his or her kindness or cruelty in his or her life," he wrote while asking whether it was the passing of a Titan. He said it would depend on which side of the political spectrum one stands.

He said PAP diehards and mesmerised aficionados will of course hail him as a great man who has brought Singapore from a third-world backwater to its first world status today.

" Is this an honest assessment ?" he asked.

In actual fact, Yoong, Singapore's former Internal Security Department Director (1971-1974) and before that the director of the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB), said Lee Kuan Yew merely provided the figurehead leadership and without the indispensable expertise and monumental efforts of PAP pioneers like Dr Goh Keng Swee, S. Rajaratnam, Hon Sui Sen and the eminent United Nations Economic Advisor Albert Winsemius, the much vaunted Lee Kuan Yew would have been reduced to a nonentity.

"These economic and political goliaths, especially Albert Winsemius, helped build Singapore to what it is today. This has been the narrative among discerning Singaporeans," he added.

      

  

Patahiyah dilantik Datuk Bandar, Bandar Raya Pulau Pinang

Presiden Majlis Perbandaran Pulau Pinang (MPPP), Datuk Patahiyah Ismail diumum sebagai Datuk Bandar pertama bagi Majlis Bandar Raya Pulau Pinang (MBPP). Beliau merupakan Datuk Bandar wanita pertama di Pulau Pinang.

Perlu diingatkan bahawa George Town merupakan Bandar Raya pertama di Tanah Melayu apabila menerima watikah pemasyuran oleh Ratu (Queen) Elizabeth II berkuatkuasa 1hb Januari 1957. Taraf itu masih kekal tetapi telah tidak terpakai apabila Majlis Bandar Raya George Town digabung dengan Majlis Daerah Luar Bandar (bahagian pulau) untuk membentuk Majlis Perbandaran Pulau Pinang (MPPP).

Kerajaan Negeri Pulau Pinang memohon kepada Kerajaan Persekutuan untuk mengisytihar seluruh Pulau Pinang (bahagian pulau) dinaik taraf kepada Bandar Raya. Seri Paduka Baginda Yang di-Pertuan Agong telah berkenan  menganugerah taraf itu berkutkusa 1 Januri 2015.

Ketua Menteri Lim Guan Eng berkata satu majlis rasmi pemasyuran dan pelantikan Datuk Bandar akan diadakan pada 31 Mac ini dimana Yang diPertua Negeri, Tun Abdul Rahman Abbas akan menyempurnakannya.

Pelaksanaan Undang-undang Islam

Isu pelaksanaan atau bakal pelaksanaan kanun jenayah yang terkandung dalam undang-undang Islam atau ringkasnya hudud, membangkitkan bermacam pendapat yang tidak bersetuju, menentang atau menyokongnya. Rata-rata rakyat bukan Islam, khususnya parti-parti politik sama ada yang bergabung dalam Barisan Nasional ataupun pakatan pembangkang, membantah. Sebuah parti politik yang majoriti pemimpin dan ahli beragama Islam, iaitu Parti KeAdilan Rakyat (PKR) pun menyatakan tidak setujunya.

Mereka berbuat atau berpendirian demikin kerana tidak faham apa itu hudud, tidak bersetuju kerana ia sebahagian daripada undang-undang Islam dan mempertahan undang-undang sekular. Selain itu, kepentingan politik kepartian juga menjadi penghalang.

Apa itu undang-undang Islam? Persoalan ini harus difahami terlebih dahulu sebelum memperkatakan mengenai hudud. Malaysia telahpun melaksana undang-undang Islam di semua negeri dan ini dapat dilihat daripada wujudnya Mahkamah Syariah yang memberi tumpuan khusus kepada isu nikah cerai, pembahagian harta dan soal yang berkaitan keluarga Islam. Yang belum dilaksana hanyalah kanun jenayah kerana isu itu tertakluk kepada bidang kuasa Kerajaan Persekutuan.

Harus diingat bahawa Perlembagaan adalah undang-undang utama Persekutuan dan kanun jenayah termasuk dibawah bidang kuasa Polis Di-Raja Malaysia, iaitu sebuah institusi  Kerajaan Persekutuan. Jika mana-mana negeri ingin melaksana kanun jenayah Syariah, maka ia perlu mendapat kelulusan Dewan Undangan Negeri dan kemudian Parlimen. Ini kerana ia melibatkan bidang kuasa Persekutuan dan Parlimen perlu meluluskan pindaan undang-undang dengan majoriti dua pertiga ahli Dewan Rakyat. Sama ada pihak yang bakal membawa usul berkaitan pelaksanaan hudud di Kelantan akan mendpat sokongan Dewan Rakyat atau tidak, atau sama ada usul tersebut diterima terlebih dahulu oleh Speaker menjadi satu tanda tanya. 

Suka atau tidak, seorang yang mengaku dirinya Muslim, semestinya tidak ragu-ragu menerima hukum Islam, iaitu undang-undang Syariah pada keseluruhannya. Yang menjadi musykil dikalangan khalayak ialah sama ada pihak yang ingin melaksana kanun jenayah Syariah benar-benar bersedia dan mampu melaksanakan seperti yang dikehendaki oleh Islam.

Seperti yang pernah dijelaskan oleh almarhum Prof. Tan Sri Ahmad bin Mohamad Ibrahim, mantan Dekan, Kuliyyah Undang-undang, Universiti Islam Antarabangsa, hukum Islam berpunca daripada ajaran-ajaran yang diturunkan sebagai wahyu kepada Nabi Muhammad (S.A.W.). Baginda berada dalam masa yang bersamaan dengan abad yang ketujuh Masehi dan agama Islam dan prinsip-prinsip hukum Islam telah ditentukan pada masa wafatnya Baginda pada tahun 682 Masehi. Hukum Islam kemudian  diperkembangkan oleh Khulafa Rasyidin dan Tabi'un. Satu dan dua abad selepas kewafatan Baginda, mazhab hukum telah berkembang. Menurut Prof. Ahmad Ibrahim, bentuk dan prinsip-prinsip hukum Islam telah ditetapkan dalam abad kesembilan tahun Masehi.

Mengikut sejarah perkembangan hukum Islam boleh dikatakan, pada amnya prinsip dan dasar hukum Islam telah ditentukan pada abad yang kesembilan, dan telah dijelaskan dengan sepenuhnya dalam abad yang ke-13 Masehi. Sama ada ia telah melalui pindaan atau ditokok tambah sepanjang tempoh selepas kewafatan Nabi Muhammad (S.A.W.) tetap bermain dalam fikiran kerana pelaksanaan kanun jenayah Syariah atau hudud berbeza mengikut fahaman dan penguatkuasaannya. 

      

The country owes Syed Ahmad a debt of gratitude

The country owes Syed Ahmad a debt of gratitude

It is not easy to implement hudud laws unless we are truly ready to do so.

At last, after taking a long break, precisely more than a year, it is time to pen my thoughts. There are many interesting topics to be said or write. Altantuya, Najib Tun Razak, 1MDB and hudud are the most popular subjects. For a start, I would like to discuss hudud since the Kelantan Sharia Criminal Code Enactment II 1993 attracted much media attention, traditional and social.

In the present borderless world coupled with the advancement of information technology, the hudud debate attracted comments from both Muslims and non-Muslims. Islamic scholars and politicians from both sides of the divide, voiced their interpretations of hudud, correctly or otherwise. Some gave general statement while others touched on specifics.

Less we forget, the Islam that has to be lived and implemented is a religion of three basic elements:- the Islamic Creed or aqeedah, Rituals and Practices and Jurisprudence or ibadah or more known as fiqh  and thirdly Noble Character and Etiquette or akhlaq.

Each one have their own elaborations,  importance  and priorities that cannot be neglected. Therefore, when we talk about implementing Sharia in its general and wide term or in simple language implementing Islam as a way of life,  we must first secure the true aqeedah, the just and correct jurisprudence and noble characters. When we talk about implementing the Sharia in its specific interpretation meaning fiqh or jurisprudence such as hudud laws, we cannot ignore the other two elements of securing the Islamic creed and inculcate the akhlaq or noble characters. It is important to note that the Islamic creed has to be the basis for implementing the laws and should be congruent with observing high standards of moral. Therefore, it does not suffice for a Muslim to have faith and proclaim his Islam, but not to observe the laws and the moral standards.

In the context of Islamic Criminal Laws, hudud means all offenses committed not on humans and carry specific punishment. Criminal offences which do not carry specific punishment are called  ta'zeer such as vandalism. Offences with specific punishment and inflicted upon human life itself such as murder  and injuring others is called qisas. 

Hudud, Qisas and Ta'zeer form the Islamic Laws of Jinayat or Crimes.

One need to understand the aspects of how to provide evidence, execute the punishment, the rationale behind the laws and the wisdom of these laws in order to understand hudud offenses comprehensively in order to avoid misunderstanding of the Devine laws. For example, it is common for people to criticize the amputating of hands for stealing without first understanding what is the definition of stealing, when does stealing carry such a punishment.  What is the philosophical dimension to such a ruling? As if if someone steals two ringgit, his hands will be cut off.

To implement hudud is not that easy. It can only be done after preparing the proper infrastructure such as having a trained group of people and an effective judiciary system. The community must be ready to accept such laws as part of their lives because the Islamic way of life is not built upon laws only, but aqeedah and imaan (faith). 

Hudud is just part of the many obligations that we, Muslims, have to fulfill. We have to prioritize our obligations, which one need to be fulfilled first. If we are unable to implement hudud, it does not mean that our Islam is of a lesser quality. Remember, we are required to strive within our own limitations.