COMMENT The 13th general election will be a battle of wits. Every national leader has his own ways and means to succeed in the arena of politics and power.

The main criteria in the assessment of a national leader’s performance is his ability to move the nation forward in the face of challenges or hold it together when great adversities befall the nation.

Ex-premier Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, though his government bore the hallmark of an undemocratic system intertwined with authoritarian rule and survived by the art of false leadership (deception), had managed to bring the nation to a greater height.

His successor, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi did not adopt the Mahathir doctrine and nor did he adopt good Islamic and universal values in his administration.

As such he did little in advancing the country and hence he is regarded by many as a failed leader.

Whereas Najib since taking over the premiership in 2009 has adopted a political system similar to that of Mahathir but intertwined with the art of psychological warfare to enable him to hold on to power and ward off opponents within Umno and the opposition

Todate his performance is similar to Abdullah, wherein he is yet to show any ability to improve the economic and national fundamentals.

But herein lies the difference.

Najib has a special wit and knowledge of psychological warfare. He is using it to win the hearts and minds of the people and to beat his political adversaries.

Najib’s strategy

In the presentation of the 2012 national budget, he unveiled both the budget and his veiled strategy which went unnoticed though the opposition had some misgivings about it.

That strategy came out in the open in the not guilty verdict handed out by the High Court judge on Jan 9, 2012.

After the 2008 general election, Najib who was the then deputy prime minister had already laid a witty plan to neutralise the opposition.

He needed to trap Anwar early, meaning by the time he became premier, Anwar will be half way stuck in a long court battle to the advantage of Najib.

Unlike Mahathir’s ploy in the Anwar Sodomy 1 trial where the former wanted to get Anwar convicted for good, Najib just wanted to buy time.

In the Anwar Sodomy II trial , the verdict showed that Najib did not want to convict Anwar outright but to go for a bigger kill later.

Najib’s plan was to first initiate a charge that would initially jeorpardise Anwar’s and Pakatan’s credibility in terms of leadership and ability to provide an alternative government respectively.

Whilst Anwar and Pakatan are busy with this, Najib focuses on Umno. He knows Umno has been struggling with the leadership and credibility troubles especially after 2008 and needs time to recover.

The verdict that Anwar was not guilty of the Sodomy II charge caught many by surprise. Many views have been put forth, as to who is the winner, loser in this case.

Najib, has the upperhand

Unbelieving, as it may be, such a straight forward court verdict could have many implications

Among them are:

i) The two year long trial has worn Anwar down mentally and physically. Consequently the Pakatan being dependent on Anwar as the supremo of the opposition coalition and provider of their sole leadership is in a weakened state.

ii) The not guilty verdict will have three psychological effects – Firstly that the judiciary under Najib is proven independent and fair.

Secondly on May 16, 2011, the High Court judge ruled that the victim Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan was a credible witness. But when he changed his mind and acquitted and discharged Anwar on Jan 9.

With this decision, the judge left in people’s mind the impression that he was biased and unjust to the victim Saiful Bukhari.

Thirdly should Anwar be found guilty, then it is confirmed that the judiciary under the Najib government is not independent and fair and this will definitely swing the people’s support away to the Pakatan in the 13th GE.

iii) In the first round of Anwar Sodomy II trial, Najib allowed Anwar to win in law but the former has scored a victory in the psychological warfare to win the hearts and minds of the people.

Should the prosecution file an appeal, it would appear they are seeking justice for the victim and not to get at Anwar. It is Saiful who wants justice.

There is a strong possibility the prosecution may file an appeal. The probability that the verdict could be overturned will definitely break Anwar and the opposition.

The victory would legally and psychologically go to Najib .

No polls yet

Najib will be ready to dissolve the Parliament, only when he has won this battle.

Hence I believe the general election will be put on hold. The 2012 budget as many people know is an election budget .

However what constitutes a decisive strategy is that the many goodies promised such as the salary increase and bonus to about 1.3 million civil servants and all kinds of financial assistance given to the poor families, university students, parents of primary and secondary pupils, ex-servicemen, taxi owners, Felda settlers and others will greatly influence the voting trend in the 13th GE in favour of the BN.

If you include the spouses and adult family members of these people, the benefits would cover a very large segment of the country’s voters.

These direct financial assistance by the Najib government will have a big influencial impact on the people’s minds.

The flooding of goodies is a psychological edge for Najib and a pleasant confusion for voters.

Such a political ploy will work for BN in the run up to the 13th GE.

Other moves to consolidate Najib’s power:

i) The conviction and one year jail term of former Selangor menteri besar Khir Toyo shows the Najib government is serious about eradicating corruption among politicians.

ii) The move to get as many local artistes to join Umno is in fact to get the support of thousands of their fans throughout the country to vote for BN.

Can Anwar handle Najib?

Anwar is no expert in psychological warfare though as a political fighter he can endure the kind of mental and physical pressures and risks set upon by his enemies which is quite an exceptional feat.

Anwar however is an expert in the strategy of politics of exposure.

Najib knows Umno has left many economic and political ills in its’ trails which Anwar has picked up and exposed to the full.

Such strategy has a very big political impact as proven in the 2008 GE.

Just after the verdict was announced on Jan 9, 2012 , Anwar boastfully said that he would topple the corrupt government of Najib.

Do you think Najib, the sly politician, will allow Anwar to do what is unthinkable to Umno?

Anwar should have reserved his statement.There are still many unfinished businesses in the run-up to the 13th GE.

We are yet to see the kind of undemocratic feats Najib will unleash should Umno’s defeat appear imminent.

Hearing the verdict on Jan 9, 2012, I now believe Najib is capable of committing the unexpected and is moving away from conventional strategies of political war.

Awang Abdillah is a political analyst, writer and FMT columnist.

http://mocsarawak.wordpress.com/2012/01/11/is-anwar-ready-for-najibs-psychological-war/

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — The surprise acquittal of Anwar Ibrahim, the Malaysian opposition leader, of sodomy charges is likely to make the country’s next national elections a tightly contested affair, analysts said Monday after the verdict was announced.
The verdict ended a politically charged trial in which Mr. Anwar, 64, faced as many as 20 years in prison. A conviction could have effectively ended his political career as well as possibly the opposition’s best chance at toppling the governing coalition.

There had been widespread speculation that Mr. Anwar would be found guilty of sodomizing a former political aide, Saiful Bukhari Azlan, a charge Mr. Anwar said was politically motivated. Instead, the ruling paves the way for Mr. Anwar to compete in elections — which must be held by mid-2013, although many in Malaysia say they could be held within months — and to capitalize on the gains his coalition made during the 2008 vote.

But in a two-minute speech that delivered a swift end to a nearly two-year trial, Justice Mohamad Zabidin Diah told a packed courtroom that DNA evidence presented by prosecutors could not be relied upon for a conviction. He said that in sex-offense cases, the court was reluctant to impose a conviction without corroborative evidence.

“This court at this stage could not with 100 percent certainty exclude the possibility that the sample is not compromised,” Justice Zabidin said. “Therefore it is not safe to rely on the sample.”

When he announced the acquittal, the courtroom erupted in cheers as Mr. Anwar hugged his family members, many of whom began to cry.

“Thank God justice has prevailed,” Mr. Anwar said. “I’ve been vindicated.”

The government said the decision proved that the judiciary was independent.

Sodomy, even between consenting adults, is still a crime in Muslim-majority Malaysia. A prison sentence of a year or more would have barred Mr. Anwar, a former deputy prime minister, from public office for five years after his release.

The charges against Mr. Anwar came several months after the opposition made historic gains in the 2008 elections, depriving the governing party of the two-thirds majority in Parliament for the first time since independence in 1957. He has said the administration of Prime Minister Najib Razak had a role in orchestrating the charges in a bid to damage his image. The government has denied the accusation.

There had been speculation that the opposition could suffer a leadership crisis if Mr. Anwar were jailed, as many thought he would be.

Ibrahim Suffian, director of the Merdeka Center, an independent polling company, said that the conclusion of Mr. Anwar’s trial meant that the next election would be based on policy ideas relating to governing and the country’s development.

Mr. Ibrahim said that the verdict would vindicate Mr. Anwar’s claim of a “political frame-up,” but the acquittal could also benefit the government. “It allows the prime minister to burnish his credentials as a reformer and is in keeping with his New Year’s message that he wants Malaysia to be a more democratic country,” Mr. Ibrahim said.

Mr. Najib has introduced a series of changes in recent months, but rights groups and the opposition have criticized him for not going far enough.

“I think both sides will benefit out of this, but it benefits Anwar a bit more,” Mr. Ibrahim said. “Anwar has been under this case for nearly three years. This has in some sense created a problem for him in terms of his domestic image with the Malay Muslim electorate, and today’s judgment allows him to be free from that.”

Ooi Kee Beng, deputy director of the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies in Singapore, said the verdict would provide a “morale boost” for Mr. Anwar, who had been in political limbo for the duration of the trial.

But Ong Kian Ming, a political analyst and lecturer at UCSI University in Kuala Lumpur, said the acquittal would deny the opposition the extra support a guilty verdict would have delivered. “The sympathy factor that would have given a 1- to 2-percent swing in favor of the opposition will not be present now,” he said.

In a statement, the information, communications and culture minister, Rais Yatim, said, “Malaysia has an independent judiciary, and this verdict proves that the government does not hold sway over judges’ decisions.”

This is the second time Mr. Anwar has fought sodomy charges. He was found guilty of sodomy and abuse of power more than a decade ago on charges that were also criticized by his supporters as politically motivated. He served six years in jail before the sodomy conviction was overturned in 2004.

After Monday’s verdict, three explosions were heard near the court, where thousands of supporters were celebrating. The police said five people suffered minor injuries.

Outside the court, Mr. Anwar told supporters the case was not about the freedom of one man.

“Our duty now is to free the rakyat,” he said, according to Malaysiakini, a news Web site, using the Malay word for people. “We want real democracy, free media and a just economy. Let us all unite and now save Malaysia.”

This article has been revised to reflect the following correction:

Correction: January 12, 2012

Because of an editing error, an article in some copies on Monday about the acquittal of the Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim on a sodomy charge misstated the action taken by the Kuala Lumpur High Court in 2004 in connection with an earlier conviction of Mr. Anwar on charges of sodomy and abuse of power. The court overturned the conviction for sodomy, not the entire verdict.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/10/world/asia/malaysian-opposition-leader-acquitted-in-sodomy-trial.html?_r=1&ref=anwaribrahim

There have been many fatal road accidents involving young people at the wheel or on motorcycles. As young people tend to take risks, should they be allowed on the road only when they are older?
P. Selvarani and Tan Choe Choe find out

THE country’s youngest driver to get into a fatal road accident was an 11-year-old motorcyclist. Last year alone, three 11-year-olds were killed when the motorcycles they were riding were involved in accidents.

By law, children below the age of 16 have no business riding anything other than a bicycle.

But the stark reality is that kids who are barely in their teens are speeding on our roads on borrowed motorcycles and cars with nary a thought for safety.

Over the years, statistics have indicated that young drivers make up a substantial portion of the fatalities in road accidents — an average of about 30 per cent annually.

In 2010, out of 6,872 fatalities, 28.7 per cent or 1,971 involved young drivers aged 25 and below.

“This is a trend that’s not only occurring in Malaysia but also in other parts of the world. This age group is problematic and a big challenge to road safety authorities.

“Our difference is we have a lot of motorcyclists. From the 1,971 fatalities, 1,733 involved motorcyclists,” said Malaysian Institute of Road Safety (Miros) director-general Professor Dr Wong Shaw Voon.

That means a staggering 88.9 per cent of young drivers getting into fatal accidents are motorcyclists.

“This is not just reflected in this age group, but also the overall road traffic accidents in the country (in 2010), where about 61 per cent involved motorcyclists,” he added.

And what’s worse — a big number of these young drivers below 25 — 38.2 per cent of them – do not actually possess a driving licence.

Road Transport Department statistics reveal that until October last year, 182,285 motorists were caught without a Competent Driving Licence (CDL). The majority, 84,246, were motorcyclists.

In 2010, more than half the 420,147 motorists caught without a CDL were motorcyclists.

Police data also showed that speeding was the main cause of fatal accidents — as seen in 25.6 per cent of the cases.

“Young people have a tendency to take risks and try new things. That’s human nature, and it is especially true of male drivers,” said Wong.

According to Road Safety Department director-general Leslie Leon surveys have indicated that new drivers were generally selfish and inconsiderate with a tendency to speed, cut queues and beat the red light.

Benedict Chan, 22, admitted to the New Sunday Times that he tends to speed, but thinks he is not the only one among his friends to do this.

“Most of my friends speed, too. Sometimes you feel like driving a bit faster. Maybe I’m a bit impatient. I just want to get to the next destination quickly.”

Michelle Ng, 21, however, said many of her friends still did not have the confidence and skill to handle the road.

“I have many friends who have already got their CDL but seldom, if at all, drive on their own. How is that competent?” she said.

The authorities are trying to put this right by revamping the driving school curriculum to produce more competent and considerate drivers.

RTD deputy director-general Datuk Ismail Ahmad said the revised curriculum, due to be implemented this year, would see learner drivers assessed not just on driving skills but also their attitude and behaviour when on the road.

But it would be unfair to pin the blame of the high rate of accidents among young drivers entirely on the driving curriculum because many of these drivers did not even go to driving school in the first place, Wong pointed out.

“No matter how good our curriculum is, it will not solve the problem as long as you have parents who allow their underage children to ride motorcycles, which by design, are a more dangerous form of transport compared with cars, buses or trains. And there’s this group of kids who think they can, and so should be on the road.”

Wong thinks it is not necessary to raise the minimum driving age — 16 for motorcyclists and 17 for cars — until a more efficient public transport system is available.

“Mobility is a need. Some might even say it’s a basic human right and even our young need to get around,” he said, stressing that the present public transport system was insufficient to meet the needs of a growing population.

“We cannot just look at the public transport system in Kuala Lumpur, we have to look at other states as well.”

Driving school instructor Cikgu Yap, who also blogs at www.driving-school.com.my, in discussing “Why do young Malaysian drivers get into road accidents?”, wrote that it may be because: “Parents fail to realise or (are) unaware that their children are just only 17 years old … they seem oblivious to the fact that their children are still inexperienced.”

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents reported that 3,000 car drivers below 25 years of age are killed or injured in Britain every year.

Following a Swedish study that showed that accident rates fell when driving is introduced before the age of 17, a young drivers scheme has been introduced throughout the United Kingdom to equip children as young as 11 with some driving experience.

The children are trained off the road, in car parks, racing tracks and other such venues.

Asked if such a young drivers’ scheme was suitable for Malaysia, Wong said for it to work, parental participation would be necessary as they need to learn how a child can be properly introduced to driving.

Read more: Too young to drive? – General – New Straits Times http://www.nst.com.my/local/general/too-young-to-drive-1.38617#ixzz1konQZSUp

http://www.accidentin.com/articleW_read.php?idLink=13216516

KUALA LUMPUR : THE saying “do not anger your ancestors” carries extra weight for Mohd Khalid Husin as one of his distant forefathers was none other than the legendary warrior, Hang Tuah , or so he claims.

Khalid, 50, claimed that he and with his relatives were the descendants of Tun Perak, who was Hang Tuah’s father-in-law.

“My late grandmother told me when I was a boy that our family was descendants from these historical figures.”

Khalid, who lived in the same village as Hang Tuah (Kampung Duyung), said it was through word of mouth that the knowledge of his family’s lineage was preserved.

He claimed that after Malacca had fallen to the Portuguese in 1511, the immediate family members of high-ranking officials, such as Bendahara Tun Perak and Hang Tuah, fled to avoid persecution.

“The Portuguese soldiers would kill anyone they believed to be Hang Tuah’s kin, including those who were affiliated with Tun Perak.

“Those who remained kept the memories of their forefathers alive through word of mouth.”

Khalid’s family had also kept a salasilah or a lineage record, which detailed their ancestors’ names.

“There are almost 100 names on our salasilah, starting with Tun Sedang followed by Tun Kudu, Tun Perak and Tun Perpatih Puteh.

“My late grandmother’s name is Haji Puteh,” he told the New Straits Times yesterday.

Khalid claimed that the original salasilah was finally written down in document-form during the British colonial era, and that the one they had constantly updated was only a copy.

Khalid had also formed the Persatuan Sejarah dan Warisan Melayu Duyung, or Duyung History and Malay Heritage Association (Pesawad) in 2010, which he is the president of, in the hope to locate others who were also the descendants of Hang Tuah and Tun Perak.

“Hang Tuah was married and had children.

“After more than 500 years, there is bound to be a number of us scattered around the region.”

He said he had met with the others from all over the country, including Selangor, Johor and Singapore, adding that sometimes if the “connection was strong” between a seemingly distant relative, the sensation from a mere handshake was enough to convince him that the other person was also a blood kin.

He also alleged that some of his cousins and extended family members had kept heirlooms — trinkets and artifacts — from the days of the Malaccan Sultanate.

“My cousin, who is also a descendant living in Singapore, has an old kris, which he said was passed from generation to generation after Tun Perak.”

Khalid also said that his grandfather had a copy of an “original” Hikayat Hang Tuah (The Hang Tuah Epic).

“It was passed down from one generation to another, before my grandfather got his hands on it.”

Khalid said that, however, his grandfather had given the artifact to his brother in 1936.

“The contents were written in Jawi and the book was very old.”

When asked where was the book now, he claimed that his cousin had “given” the artifact to the National Archives because its condition was deteriorating.

Khalid said he had announced his claims to members of the public when he formed Pesawad, but, so far, no one had come forward to investigate or argue with him with regards to Hang Tuah’s existence.

“I welcome historians or academics to come and study or debate my family’s lineage.”

Read more: ‘Hang Tuah was my forefather’ – General – New Straits Times http://www.nst.com.my/local/general/hang-tuah-was-my-forefather-1.38113#ixzz1kokF6ifh

Read more: ‘Hang Tuah was my forefather’ – General – New Straits Times http://www.nst.com.my/local/general/hang-tuah-was-my-forefather-1.38113#ixzz1kok6MwNH

KUALA LUMPUR: The Bar Council has suggested that a Sentencing Council be set up to provide guidelines on punishments for motorists who cause accidents involving death.

Council president Lim Chee Wee said with the existence of the council, punishments meted out to offenders would fit the offences.

He said it was not proper to impose a mandatory sentence on an offender who caused an accident involving death as the merits of each case had to be reviewed.

“The discretion of the judge must not be restrained. Punishments are not just to punish but also to rehabilitate (the traffic offenders),” he said.

On Sunday, Road Safety Council member Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye suggested that a mandatory jail sentence be imposed on those who drove in a dangerous manner and caused accidents resulting in death.

Lawyer Datuk Mohd Hafarizam Harun, who shared Lim’s views, said a mandatory sentence was not suitable as road accidents were not heavy offences like drug distribution and murder.

“It is more appropriate to impose a heavier sentence on a reckless motorist.”

Nevertheless, Malaysian Road Safety Council Research Institute (Miros) director-general Associate Professor Dr Wong Shaw Voon said a mandatory jail sentence was a deterrent.

He said the punishment, however, should not be arbitrarily imposed without scrutinising the offence based on its level of seriousness.

He said a mandatory sentence, if implemented, would enhance the awareness of motorists to be more careful and prioritise safety when on the road.

Peninsular Malaysia Road Transport Officers Union president Hamzah Masri said he hoped more awareness campaigns would be held to boost understanding of the laws, to make them more effective.

Lee, in defending his proposal, said mandatory jail sentences were the best way to check increasing deaths from accidents each year.

“Deaths from accidents went up to 6,282 in 2007, 6,527 in 2008, 6,745 in 2009 and 6,872 in 2010. Sixty per cent of the dead were motorcyclists.”

He also said mandatory jail sentences had been implemented in Australia, and that the time had come for Malaysia to adopt the regulation. Bernama

Read more: Set up Sentencing Council, says the Bar – General – New Straits Times http://www.nst.com.my/local/general/set-up-sentencing-council-says-the-bar-1.37779#ixzz1kojMzbob

©The Star (Used by permission)
by HARIATI AZIZAN

There are laws that you may be breaking online without your knowledge.

TECHNICAL glitches and Internet security issues are the top tasks for national cyber security specialist centre Cyber Security Malaysia.

Lately, however, the reported incidents they have received are falling more in the difficult-to-define “human behaviour” category, says the centre’s responsive services vice-president Adli Abdul Wahid.

“Technical complaints are still high, but we are also getting an increased number of reported incidents connected to behavioural issues,” he tells Sunday Star, “with some of the more frequently asked questions including Is this sue-able?’ You read this XXXXX should I be offended?’”

What is clear is that the ever-changing landscape of the Internet means that the legal and ethical lines online are also constantly moving.

The obvious misdemeanours are the illegal downloading and file sharing and the death threats but there are also many common “crimes” that you may be committing unknowingly.

Defamation

How can you be sued for defamation if no name is mentioned, right?

Wrong!

If rumour about someone is spreading around on the Internet, and you post your two sen on the matter “I knew it! He is like that.” without the name appearing anywhere in your posting, you can still be sued for defamation.

You may say that it is freedom of speech but to the person concerned it is defamation, and he or she can file a suit against you.

Basically, you cannot accuse someone of something without concrete evidence.

Injunctions a ban on making comments on a person’s private life are also becoming popular among the rich and famous. Although the gag order is often targeted at the media, the average person on Twitter and Facebook will still need to be careful about making comments if they don’t want to be taken to court.

Sedition

Religion, race and politics topics that you are advised not to take to the dining table are also generally off limits on the Internet in Malaysia.

While the laws governing these national security issues are sometimes vague something that is acceptable to some are offensive to others, so the police will take action if they receive reports from the public.

As Adli puts it, there are unwritten rules where you don’t comment about these issues publicly, and public includes the Internet and the mobile phone network (text messages are also not advisable).

“Many social network providers do not have filters (so) they will not stop you from committing the mistakes in the first place. You hope that you could be alerted if you say something that will get you into trouble and delete it before anyone sees it. Unfortunately, you will not (be alerted),” he says.

Instead, more social media network and telecommunications providers are carrying disclaimers stating they will not be held responsible for any crime committed via their network. They will also not hesitate to share evidence with the authorities.

Pornography

If you receive a racy picture or video in your e-mail, don’t be too quick to share it with your colleagues. Internet pornography is not yet a crime in Malaysia (it is, however, illegal to sell or possess pornographic material and carries a fine of up to RM10,000) but it is against the policy and ethics of most companies, and may even get you sacked.

Child pornography is governed by international laws, so if you post or forward any picture and video of children in indecent poses, you will be counted as a criminal.

These days with over-zealous parents posting and sharing pictures of their children in various kinds of poses and states of undress online, you may need to be extra careful that no moral lines are crossed.

Cyber stalking

It usually starts innocently. You finally find your primary school classmate on Facebook and you become enthralled by all the latest information on the friend. Before you know it, that excitement has become an obsession you keep going back to check on the friend’s photos and updates every 10 minutes.

“It is an interesting concept in the e-world. We keep our distance in the physical world but in the cyber world what is the personal space?” poses Adli.

If you do not like someone, he says, you will automatically keep your distance and if you see that person hovering around your house, you may get worried and inform the authorities.

Online, this concept is a bit more vague, he concedes, and it is difficult to trace the “silent” follower. “Most of us will not like it if we have someone following us all the time and writing on our wall, commenting on various things.”

Adli believes these issues will be defined and checked as we evolve in the cyber world. For now, though, the individual will have to practise self-monitoring.

“If people are warning you not to follow them or are un-friending’ you, then you know that you may have crossed the line. Or if you have been blocked, so you create a new profile under a pseudonym or nickname to be his or her friend, then you know that you have a problem. Sometimes you may just need to get a life,” Adli says.

Content uploading

These days, it is rare not to see camera phones clicking and blinking away at private functions and public events, from concerts to talks, seminars, forums and baby showers.

“The issue is that most of the time people do it without getting permission,” Adli says.

“Then they upload the pictures onto the Net without realising the consequences of making the content public. Will it backfire on the individual concerned?”

At forums and talks, the speaker may be saying confidential things that he or she does not want to be made public, says Adli. In some cases it may be a copyright infringement for example, some musicians state clearly on the back of their concert tickets and at venue entrances that recording is prohibited.

It is also a question of etiquette: you don’t go to someone’s house, take spontaneous photos of them in compromising situations or embarrassing poses and then upload the pictures without their permission.

Sometimes people underestimate the number of those who will view the pictures and videos, says Adli.

And all the fancam videos online? They may not be “legal” either, so be careful about sharing them.

Fraping

Said to be the current rage online, fraping is signing into someone else’s Facebook page and changing their status.

Although many insist that they do it for fun, this is basically account hijacking and is illegal.

A harmless prank can sometimes have harmful consequences: for example, your boss may see your false status and take disciplinary action against you, or a potential employer may think twice after seeing the photo that you have been falsely tagged in.

At the very least, your Facebook account may be closed for being against the social media network’s terms of service, and you lose all your data.

Corporate secrets

“A bad day at work.” This Facebook status update caused a father of three in Britain his job. His argument that he did not mention the name of his company was deemed as irrelevant. As the industrial court judge ruled, his FB friends knew where he worked!

He was told that the comments breached his company’s “social networking policy” and could “damage the reputation of the company”.

So, even though it is not illegal, many companies now restrict the use of social media network during working hours, as well as monitor their employees’ work “grumbles”.

“Even though you don’t mean anything by it, your postings can affect the organisation’s reputation or stock prices,” warns Adli, adding that it is legally binding if you have signed the company’s Standard Operating Procedure.

There have also been many incidents related to social media network which involve people posting corporate secrets or giving out information that is supposed to be confidential to their company or privy to a certain number of people, he says.

One is through photos of restricted areas at some companies.

Many people are caught unaware when they upload photos of themselves taken in supposedly restricted areas.

A growing issue now, Adli highlights, is the leak of company secrets through personal devices such as pen drives.

“Now organisations are allowing employees to bring their own devices, which are usually used for both corporate information and personal data. Many also share these devices with their family members.

“If you or your family members do not follow the best practices online, or if the computer is compromised, then it may cause information leaks. You need to make sure that you comply with your company’s policy,” he says.

http://www.malaysianbar.org.my/legal/general_news/are_you_guilty_of_cyber_crime_.html

Raja Petra Kamarudin

For about ten years and over three Prime Ministers, the current Prime Minister included, the contract for the double-tracking electric train from Gemas to Johor Bahru has been ding-donging. Despite what was agreed between the leaders of China and the three Prime Ministers, which was later confirmed by the issuance of a Letter of Intent to China Railways Engineering Corporation (CREC), the government is again backtracking.

Najib now wants to award the contract to China Harbour Engineering Co. Ltd. (CHEC) instead, the company that is building the Second Penang Bridge — which shot up from RM1 billion to RM4.5 billion and now to RM22 billion (read more on the matter below).

The man behind this is Tan Kay Hock, Najib’s golf buddy. He is brokering the deal on behalf of CHEC.

The Chinese say that Tan Kay Hock is demanding RM500 million from CHEC and he told them that RM200 million is for Najib’s family. And this is making the Chinese very unhappy because, in China, both the givers as well the receivers of bribes will be sentenced to death with a bullet in the head plus the cost of the bullet is charged to the family of the deceased.

When the Chinese government offered the Malaysian government a loan to construct the Gemas to JB railway they indicated that CREC should be the contractor. CREC is one of the biggest specialist contractors for electric trains while CHEC has not constructed even one kilometer of electric railway (more details below).

A Letter of Intent had already been awarded to CREC. Now the government wants to cancel this Letter of Intent and issue a new Letter of Intent to CHEC. But for the new Letter of Intent to be issued to CHEC they must fork out RM500 million, which Kay Hock claims RM200 million will be paid to the Prime Minister of Malaysia’s family.

This is not only a violation of the terms of the loan from China but CREC is the company with the experience in constructing electric railways, not CHEC, the company already involved in the construction of the Second Penang Bridge. Added to the withdrawal or cancellation of the Letter of Intent to CREC and a new one issued to CHEC, with a RM500 million ‘price tag’ attached, it puts the Chinese government in a dicey spot when the risk would be a bullet in the head for those who approve the payment.

The Chinese are wondering whether it is worth the risk to pay Kay Hock the RM500 million he is demanding. If the Letter of Intent to CREC can be withdrawn after issuing it, what guarantee is there that the new Letter of Intent to CHEC will also not be withdrawn after they pay the RM500 million?

The Chinese are very aware that Vincent Tan also received a Letter of Approval for his gaming licence, signed by the Deputy Minister of Finance. However, after he paid RM170 million ‘under the table’, Najib denied in Parliament that Vincent Tan had been given a gaming licence and subsequently the Letter of Approval was withdrawn.

KTM is being used as Najib’s new cash cow. The EMU coach was a deal involving Rosmah Mansor (Najib’s wife), Mumtaz Jaafar (Saiful Bukhari Azlan’s ‘godmother’) and Cindy (Desmond Lim’s wife). Desmond, in fact, handled the deal where KTM coughed out RM1.4 Billion for coaches that cannot function. According to KTM, the coaches are not even worth RM300 million.

The saga gets more interesting with Najib and Rosmah holidaying in Monaco as guests of Jho Low — who told everyone that the yacht belongs to the Prince of Qatar. It was later revealed that Jho Low rented the yacht for Euro 90,000 per day to allow Najib and Rosmah to rub shoulders with Hollywood Starlets.

That brings us to a very crucial question. Where did Jho Low get that kind of money? Well, you see, after Malaysia Today exposed Deepak Jaikishan — Rosmah’s carpetman cum bagman cum toyboy — she was forced to dump him. So now Jho Low is Rosmah’s new Mister Fixit and Collector of Commissions.

Let us see how the CHEC-Tan Kay Hock saga is played out. Now that the Chinese government knows that we know about the RM500 million deal would they dare still proceed with it? And does Tun Dr Mahathir Mahathir know that Najib has hijacked his pet electric train project?

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Mr Tan is said to be a golf buddy of Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak

He is the low-profile controlling shareholder of Johan Holdings, a public-listed investment holding company, and said to be a golf buddy of Najib Tun Razak.

The Financial Times had reported that Tan Sri Tan, 61, was the owner of the 607ha Guiana Island, which is now at the centre of a fraud case brought by the United States authorities against Texan billionaire businessman Allen Stanford. — The Straits Times (Singapore)

Read: The crooked faces of Najib Altantuya’s Cronies and their Related Companies (http://ckcounterpunch.wordpress.com/2009/04/04/the-faces-of-najib-altantuya-cronies-and-their-related-companies/)

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CREC is the third largest civil construction enterprise in the world, and the Asian and Chinese largest railway, road and tunnel construction contractor. It has a leading position in China’s construction market, and participates in many large-scale infrastructure projects overseas (especially in countries in the Southeast Asia and Africa). Fortune magazine in the United States reported that CREC ranked 342 in the 500 world’s largest enterprises in 2007.

CREC consists of 31 member enterprises including:

- 16 super-large construction enterprises

* China National Overseas Engineering Corporation

* China Railway Resources Co., Ltd.

* China Railway First Group Corporation

* China Railway Erju Group Corporation (China Railway Second Group Corporation)

* Third Engineering Group Co. Ltd

* China Tiesiju Civil Engineering Group Co. Ltd (China Fourth Group Civil Engineering Group Co. Ltd)

* China Railway Wuju Group Corporation (China Railway Fifth Group Corporation)

* China Railway Sixth Group Co. Ltd

* China Railway Seventh Group Co. Ltd

* China Railway Eighth Civil Engineering Group Corporation

* China Railway No. 9 Group Co. Ltd

* China Railway No. 10 Group Corporation

* China Zhongtie Major Bridge Engineering Group Co. Ltd (China Railway Major Bridge Engineering Group Co. Ltd)

* China Railway Tunnel Group

* China Railway Electrification Bureau Co. Ltd

* China Railway Construction Engineering Group

- 3 large or super large surveying and designing enterprises

* Second Survey and Design Institute of China Railway

* China Railway Engineering Consultants Group

* China Major Bridge Survey and Design Institute

- 3 large R&D enterprises

* Northwest Research Institute

* Southwest Research Institute of CREC

* Engineering Machinery Research and Design Institute

- 5 large manufacturing enterprises

* China Railway Shanhaiguan Bridge Group Co. Ltd

* China Railway Turnout Bridge Inc.

* China Railway Bus. Co. Ltd.

* Wuhan Engineering Machinery Works of CREC

* Hengping Trust and Investment Co. Ltd.

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The Second Penang Bridge

The Second Penang Bridge is a new bridge under construction in Penang, Malaysia. It will connect Batu Kawan on the mainland Seberang Perai and Batu Maung on Penang Island. It will be the second bridge to link the island to the mainland after Penang Bridge.

READ MORE HERE: http://www.penang-traveltips.com/second-penang-bridge.htm

The total length of the RM4.5 billion bridge is 24 km and will become the longest bridge in Malaysia and Southeast Asia. China Harbour Engineering Co Ltd (CHEC) expected to start work on the second Penang bridge in November 2007 for completion in 2011, but it had to be postponed for completion in May 2012, as the construction started late in November 2008, due to Umno-owned United Engineers Malaysia Berhad’s demand for a higher contract price. (Read more below).

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Second Penang bridge: ‘UEM making outrageous demands’

UEM Builders Bhd has been making “outrageous” demands for financial assistance for the construction of the second Penang bridge, a state assemblyman charged today.

And the federal government is bowing to this government-linked company, said Sim Tze Tzin, Pantai Jerejak PKR state assemblyman.

He said the matter came to light after a “whistle-blower” produced a confidential letter from UEM to the Economic Planning Unit (EPU) soon after Pakatan Rakyat took over Penang two years ago.

Sim, who showed the letter to reporters in Parliament, said the letter, dated Aug 8, 2007, was signed by UEM chief executive officer Ahmad Pardas Senin and was addressed to EPU’s director-general Dr Sulaiman Mahmod.

Sim said the contents of the letter revealed, among other things, that UEM has asked for financial assistance to the tune of RM22 billion to build the bridge although the actual cost of the project is only RM4 billion.

“This is a very outrageous demand and the federal government has complied with it. We are afraid that the federal government would blindly agree to all other kinds of assistance requested by UEM,” he said.

“The letter is genuine. So far, any request from UEM has been complied with by the federal government,” he added.

In the letter, UEM has also asked for a concession period of 45 years, including seeking government soft loan and grant.

Something ‘amiss’

According to Sim, UEM has also requested that the toll rate be fixed at RM9.40 for the second Penang bridge. It also wants the toll price for the first bridge, currently at RM7, be increased to RM9.40, with the maximum tagged at RM11.50. This price structure will go on till 2051.

The toll collection is expected to amount to RM7 billion.

But Sim said the concession for the first bridge expires in 2018 and “so why did the letter state that it (toll price) will go on until 2051?”

He said UEM had also asked the government to scrap the 20% discount for the Touch ‘n’ Go cards.

“Lately, the government had announced it would abolish this discount, which goes to show that what the letter had stated is true. But due to public pressure, the government backed down and said the discount would only be for Penangites.

“Last week, the prime minister has said the toll price for the second bridge will be at RM9.40. Now, we are worried if the government had given in to UEM’s demand,” said Sim.

He added that there is something amiss in the second Penang bridge project, as the federal government is providing a huge amount of financial assistance to UEM. — Free Malaysia Today, 22 June 2010

HOW does one insult Islam in Malaysia? And how does one insult Muslims in Malaysia?
Over the past few years and increasingly over the past months, the state, politicians and pressure groups like Perkasa have demonstrated just how to do either one or both. For the most part, these incidents are an insult to Muslims in Malaysia, rather than to the world’s fastest growing religion per se.
Here’s my take on how these groups have been giving lessons to the nation, and to the world, on Insulting Muslims 101.
Step 1: Weak and wavering
Here’s how to portray Malaysian Muslims as weak and easily swayed by all manner of external influence:

The film Babe, about a little pig who wanted to be a sheepdog
Ban a movie about a pig because it may just convince Muslims to eat what their faith teaches them to be haram. Don’t stop there. Discipline a child for bringing to school the pork lunch his Christian mother prepared for him. Similarly, make sure alcohol can’t be sold in Muslim-majority areas.
Tell Muslims that if they practise yoga, they might be tempted to worship Hindu gods. If there is a Hindu temple in their neighbourhood, their faith might be threatened.
Ban the use of “Allah”, and three other Arabic words, in non-Muslim worship. Send a message to Muslims in Malaysia and in other parts of the world, where incidentally “Allah” is used by non-Muslims in their worship, that Malaysian Muslims are easily confused.
Step 2: Intolerant and judgemental
This is oh-so-easy to execute especially post-Sept 11 when many fear Muslims to be violent and irrational terrorists. Within that global context, adding “intolerant” and “judgemental” to the cocktail of bad traits Muslims purportedly have doesn’t require very much effort.
Projecting an image of Malaysian Muslims as intolerant and judgemental can be done in several ways. For example, show them in an 8TV Ramadan ad as being affected by a non-Muslim Chinese Malaysian who wears a sleeveless top to a Ramadan bazaar. Let them be police and judge in these TV ads who can tell non-Muslims what good, moral behaviour is all about and how non-Muslims should dress.

Step 3: Constantly needing state intervention
If Step 1 is effectively executed, Step 3 is a logical next step. Because Malaysian Muslims are purportedly so weak and easily swayed, the state must step in to protect Muslim faith. And so apostasy is made a crime under syariah law in Malaysia. Not fasting during Ramadan is a punishable offence for Malaysian Muslims. Never mind that in Indonesia, in the most populous Muslim country in the world, no such regulation is needed.
Ostensibly, it’s also because Muslims are so weak in Malaysia that should a non-Muslim marry a Muslim, she or he must convert. No such legal requirement is imposed on non-Muslim couples of different faiths who marry each other. Neither is this legal requirement in place in Indonesia where Malays can even be Christians and yet this poses no threat to Indonesian Muslims.
Yes, and because Malaysian Muslims are weak, they need a Faith Rescue Unit in Selangor and at the federal level, they need an Islamic Affairs Ministry in an already over-bloated cabinet. Without the state watching over how Muslims live out their faith and intervening in both their public and private lives, woe is sure to follow the ummah.

Step 4: Afraid of Christians and Christianity
Are Malaysian Muslims so threatened by Christians and Christianity? Apparently, they are or even if they really aren’t, they need to be.
And that’s why Christian events should not be held during Ramadan. And of course, Muslims must be shown that that it would be disastrous for them to attend any event held on church premises. Muslims who do attend such events must go for counselling so their faith can be protected.
How is this insulting? Well, I’m reminded of my own experience living as a Catholic with other non-Muslims in Third College in Universiti Malaya where the boarders and administrators were predominantly Muslim. And where the loudspeaker for the azan was just outside the bedroom I shared with a Hindu senior. Even though we were bombarded with the call for Muslim prayer five times a day, every single day, and surrounded by Muslims and their practises, that didn’t stop us from going to church or the temple or from practising our faith. Somehow, we were not tempted to apostasise.
So, if even stepping onto church premises for a community dinner can so quickly turn their faith on its head, Muslims must be particularly vulnerable to Christian influence. We must remember though, that this vulnerability may not be applicable for Muslims, including Malaysian Muslims, in other countries where Muslims can visit cathedrals and temples and not feel compelled to apostasise.
It must be this special vulnerability to Christians in Malaysia that forms the reason for Perkasa wanting Christian teachers to be barred from teaching in national schools or at least, to have them monitored. Never mind that our prime minister and other notable Malaysian Muslims attended Christian missionary schools and today remain Muslims. Or that Datuk Seri Najib Razak was at the Vatican with the head of the Catholic Church and did not recant his faith. The prime minister must be in a league of his own compared to other Muslim mortals who don’t hold such high office.

Is Najib’s faith in danger after meeting the pope? (source: insightsabah.gov.my)
The sting of the insult
Why are these insults really insulting?
Well, because Malaysian Muslims, at least most of them, are far more certain about their faith, and less susceptible to non-Muslim influence and lifestyles, then they are made out to be.
During Ramadan for example, I stayed in a Muslim household for a week to help a good friend with her new-born. Guess what happened when I had breakfast and lunch in front of the fasting Muslims? Was I chastised for tempting these Muslims and endangering their faith? Not at all. Even though they could not eat, they made sure food was available for me, even cooking for me.
On another occasion, a non-Muslim friend who was dressed in a spaghetti strap top didn’t receive stares or rebukes at the Ramadan bazaar we were at in Section 3, PJ. The Muslim vendors and customers weren’t interested in looking at her bare arms and shoulders, nor did they find it offensive. They were more interested in the food so that they could break fast.
So who are these people who would insult Malaysian Muslims and make them out to be so weak and so much in need of state support? And why would they want to do that?
The politics of fear

Super Straw Man: helping you solve the problems he made up?

One way to answer this question is to ask: Whose interest would it serve to have Malaysian Muslims believe they are weak and under threat from non-Muslims, and hence need constant rescuing?
Seems to me it would serve the interest of the politicians and state and non-state actors who insist that without them, Muslims in Malaysia would indeed be lost souls.
Who might these be? Well, Umno and PAS for certain, who demonstrate repeatedly just how much they would like to control the lives of Muslims — even to the point of disrupting the lives of non-Muslims — in Malaysia. That Utusan Malaysia, TV3 and TV1 — all of which fall under Umno either through ownership or government control — have published and broadcast inaccurate reports about Christian proselytisation of Muslims is yet another sign of what is at stake. The possibility that the religious beliefs of the majority in Malaysia are being threatened by the minority is surely one of the easiest ways to fester disharmony and distrust in multi-racial Malaysia.
And of course, there’s Perkasa which, in the name of Islam, would emasculate all Malaysian Muslims with their politics of fear and animosity, and threat of violence against non-Muslims and non-Malays.
If Muslim and non-Muslim Malaysians were to believe everything that is done from Steps 1 to 4, this country would have crumbled a while ago from the strain of having a fearful, besieged Muslim majority reacting to every external influence as a threat.
That we haven’t become a Humpty Dumpty nation suggests that we are all far more resilient and respectful of each other than what has been portrayed. And yes, that includes the Muslims who live among us. Question then is, what will we do to stop this campaign of insulting Muslims in Malaysia?

http://www.thenutgraph.com/insulting-muslims-101/

Jacqueline Ann Surin wonders just how the revived Inter-faith Relations Working Committee will address the phenomenon of Muslims insulting Muslims and Islam in Malaysia.

“SEKUMPULAN WANITA BERSKIRT MINI BERHIMPUN DI JAKARTA”,
“PAKAI SKIRT BANTAH GABENOR”

Bila baca tajuk berita sedemikian, imej apa yang terus terbayang di fikiran pembaca? Mungkinkah: “Whoo, perempuan seksi!” Atau: “Teruk betul wanita yang berdemo itu kerana pakai mini skirt.” Mungkin: “Inilah bila wanita kebaratan sangat…!”
Tetapi, berapa ramai agaknya yang merasa mahu tahu isu apakah yang membuatkan wanita-wanita itu berdemonstrasi?
Berita mengenai wanita berdemonstrasi di Jakarta baru-baru ini tersiar di akhbar-akhbar perdana di Malaysia. Mereka memprotes kenyataan gabenor Jakarta yang menyalahkan cara perempuan berpakaian sebagai punca mereka dirogol.
Mangsa yang diperkosa adalah seorang mahasiswi yang masih berpakaian seragam dalam perjalanan pulang dari kampus. Gabenor terus menuduh punca wanita diperkosa di dalam bas pengangkutan awam adalah kerana wanita memakai skirt pendek. Apakah kenyataan itu benar dan patut?
Justeru, para wanita berdemo dengan memakai pelbagai jenis pakaian untuk menunjukkan bahawa pakaian bukanlah menjadi penyebab wanita diperkosa.

Masyarakat memangsakan mangsa
Antara faktor pemerkosaan adalah kerana penjenayah merasa mempunyai kuasa untuk melakukan kekerasan ke atas orang yang lebih lemah dari dirinya.
Hakikatnya, bayi, kanak-kanak kecil, nenek-nenek dan wanita yang bertudung labuh pun ada yang dirogol.
Malaysia masih ingat kes Nurul Huda Abd Ghani, murid Tahun 4 yang dirogol oleh tiga lelaki di pondok pengawal TNB di Johor Bharu. Juga kes Noor Suzaily Mokhtar, jurutera komputer yang dirogol dan dibunuh dengan kejam oleh pemandu bas. Noor Suzaily tidak memakai skirt pendek semasa beliau menaiki bas tersebut. Beliau bertudung kepala.
Apa yang sering berlaku, reaksi spontan ramai orang adalah untuk terus menyalahkan si mangsa. “Mesti kerana dia berpakaian yang menjolok mata”, atau “Gaya dia membuatkan lelaki tergoda”.
Jangan terperanjat jika reaksi sebegini turut datang dari orang-orang yang berpendidikan tinggi, termasuk yang dikatakan tinggi ilmu agamanya.
Bila rogol dianggap halal dalam Islam
Seorang pemimpin parti politik bergelar ulama berkata wanita yang tidak menutup aurat memang layak dirogol. Ceramah beliau tersiar di YouTube, ditonton lebih dari satu juta kali.
Baru-baru ini juga seorang pemimpin tertinggi di Acheh Barat juga mengeluarkan kenyataan yang serupa, iaitu wanita yang tidak berpakaian menurut Shariah layak diperkosa.

Fauzi Bowo Canisius, gabenor Jakarta (Wiki commons)
Mesej apakah yang diberi oleh tokoh-tokoh Islam ini? Ajaran Islam apakah yang disampaikan? Apakah pelaksanaan negara Islam mereka lebih kepada untuk menghukum? Adakah menurut kefahaman mereka, merogol wanita yang tidak menutup aurat itu hukumnya halal?
Dalil apa yang mereka pakai? Apakah ada ayat al-Qur’an yang mengatakan hukum perempuan tidak berpakaian sopan adalah dirogol? Apakah Rasulullah pernah mengeluarkan hadith yang sekejam itu?
Bercakap atas nama agama
Ini yang menjadi ironisnya. Orang Islam marah benar bila orang Barat atau bukan Islam menuduh agama Islam sebagai mengamalkan diskriminasi, keras dan tidak berperikemanusiaan. Akan tetapi, orang Islam seperti mereka jugalah yang mengatakan perempuan memang layak diperkosa jika pakaiannya tidak sopan.
Mereka bercakap atas nama agama. Walaupun mereka mempunyai ilmu tentang Islam, namun mereka tetap merupakan manusia yang pemahamannya tentang agama dan kemanusiaan masih terbatas mengikut kadar pemahaman, tafsiran dan pengalaman mereka sendiri. Lantas, ternodalah nama Islam akibat pemikiran sempit dan sikap sadis mereka.
Teramat jarang sekali saya dengar tokoh agama di Malaysia yang kritikal tentang punca masalah keganasan seksual dan menawarkan pemikiran yang membina dalam usaha membanteras jenayah rogol. Usaha penyelesaian memerlukan pemikiran yang berupaya mengharmonikan objektif Shariah dengan konteks masyarakat moden.
Di Indonesia, saya berkesempatan bertemu beberapa tokoh Islam yang menawarkan cara pandang baru untuk masyarakat Islam di Malaysia.
Konsep dan objektif mahram
Ibu Nyai Masriyah Amva adalah seorang ulama wanita yang memimpin sebuah madrasah di Cirebon, Indonesia. Di dalam sebuah buku karangannya, beliau menceritakan pengalaman semasa di tanah suci Mekah dan Madinah.
Bagi wanita yang berasal dari negara yang secara amnya menyediakan ruang kebebasan untuk wanita bergerak ke mana saja, beliau hairan bagaimana wanita seperti beliau yang berada di kota-kota suci Islam malah lebih terdedah pada gangguan lelaki. Betapa kota yang menempatkan rumah Allah sangat tidak ramah pada perempuan.

Ibu Nyai Masriyah Amva (Sumber: kebonjambu.org)
Beliau justeru sedar bahawa perempuan adalah korban dari budaya dan undang-undang yang membunuh kekuatan-kekuatan wanita, yang membuatkan wanita terpaksa bergantung pada lelaki untuk jaminan keselamatan dirinya. Beliau lalu menyeru kerajaan Arab Saudi untuk menyediakan suasana yang aman dan kondusif agar wanita dapat bergerak bebas dan beribadah pada Tuhannya tanpa perlu bimbang dari gangguan lelaki.
Kiyai Husein Muhamad, seorang ulama tradisional di Indonesia yang berkelulusan dari universiti Al-Azhar, Mesir, memahami keadaan sukar yang dialami para wanita termasuk Ibu Nyai Masriyah.
Beliau lalu menjelaskan bahawa pada zaman Nabi yang masyarakatnya mengamalkan hidup nomad serta keadaan tanah Arab yang berpadang pasir, dengan kedudukan bandarnya yang berpuluh-puluh atau beratus-ratus batu jauhnya, memang boleh difahami mengapa wanita perlu ditemani mahram, yang biasanya adalah orang lelaki. Tujuannya agar keselamatan wanita terjaga dari anasir buruk seperti dirompak, diculik, diperkosa atau dibunuh.
Akan tetapi, di dalam sistem negara moden seperti Malaysia dan Indonesia, beliau berpendapat bahawa negaralah yang seharusnya berperanan sebagai mahram dalam memastikan keselamatan semua rakyatnya terjamin.
Ia boleh dilaksanakan dengan menyediakan sistem yang baik dan efisien. Ini termasuklah menyediakan lampu-lampu bagi memastikan jalan terang, sistem pengangkutan yang cekap yang mana kesemua kakitangan dan pemandu bas hendaklah berdaftar dan tiada rekod jenayah.
Negara yang berperanan sebagai mahram juga termasuk pasukan polis yang cekap dan mesra rakyat, dan sistem perundangan yang cekap dan tegas dalam menghukum pelaku jenayah. Penting juga dari segi pendidikan ialah memberi ilmu mempertahankan diri, menerapkan dalam sistem pendidikan agar manusia saling menghormati antara satu sama lain walaupun mereka berbeza dari pelbagai segi, termasuklah agar lelaki menghormati orang perempuan, dan sebagainya.
Menggunakan akal dalam agama
Ramai ulama mendakwa dalam Islam tidak boleh menggunakan akal fikiran, harus berdasarkan keimanan. Pada saya, kenyataan sedemikian bertentangan dengan wahyu Allah yang pertama, iaitu “Bacalah”. Tentu saja membaca memerlukan akal fikiran yang tajam bagi memproses informasi yang dibaca dengan menghubungkannya dengan alam dan hidup kita.
Dalam hal ini misalnya, apakah beriman atau meyakini itu adalah dengan meyakini apa yang dikatakan oleh pemimpin-pemimpin Islam yang mengatakan perempuan boleh dirogol? Bukankah pandangan mereka juga hasil dari menggunakan akal fikiran mereka?
Jika kita benar-benar meyakini Islam adalah agama yang baik, adil, penyayang dan mencintai keamanan, maka umat Islam harus mengelak dari mengambil sikap menyalahkan, tetapi menggunakan akal fikiran dalam mencari jalan penyelesaian terbaik terhadap masalah yang dihadapi oleh masyarakat kita di zaman ini.

Norhayati Kaprawi adalah seorang aktivis wanita dan juga pembuat filem. Filem dokumentarinya Mencari Kartika dan Aku Siapa menimbulkan perbincangan yang rancak dan menjadi bahan mengajar di banyak universiti di dalam dan luar negara.

http://www.thenutgraph.com/bila-rogol-dikatakan-halal/