A man had to attend a large convention in Chicago. On this trip, he decided to bring his wife. When they arrived at their hotel and were shown to their room, the man said: "You rest here while I register - I'll be back within an hour." The wife lies down on the bed... just then, an elevated train passes by very close to the window and shakes the room so hard she's thrown out of the bed. Thinking this must be a freak occurrence, she lies down once more. Again, a train shakes the room so violently, she's pitched to the floor. Exasperated, she calls the front desk, asks for the manager. The manager says he'll be right up. The manager (naturally) is skeptical but the wife insists the story is true. "Look,... lie here on the bed - you'll be thrown right to the floor!" So, he lies down next to the wife... Just then the husband walks in. "What," he says, "are you doing here?" The manager replies: "Would you believe I'm waiting for a train?"
Why did the bike fall over?
It was two tired!
A member of our church choir arrives every Sunday morning with her seven children in tow, all a bit rumpled but never the less on time. Scarcely able to get my one child ready, I asked her how she managed her brood so efficiently. "Easy," she replied with a smile. "I dress them the night before!"
A small boy came running out of the bathroom in tears. "What's the matter?" asked his father. "I dropped my toothbrush in the toilet." "Okay, don't worry, but we'd better throw it out." So, the father fished the toothbrush out of the toilet and put it in the garbage. When he returned, the boy was holding another toothbrush. "Isn't that my toothbrush?" the father said. "Yes," said the boy, "and we'd better throw this one out too, because it fell in the toilet four days ago."
What did the policeman say to his belly button?
You’re under a vest!
At the height of a political corruption trial, the prosecuting attorney attacked a witness. "Isn't it true," he bellowed, "that you accepted five thousand dollars to compromise this case?" The witness stared out the window, as though he hadn't heard the question. "Isn't it true that you accepted five thousand dollars to compromise this case?" the lawyer repeated. The witness still did not respond. Finally, the judge leaned over and said, "Sir, please answer the question." "Oh," the startled witness said, "I thought he was talking to you."
Why do people say “break a leg” when you go on stage?
Because every play has a cast!
After a day fishing on Lake Michigan, a fisherman is walking from the pier carrying two brown trout in a bucket. He is approached by a Conservation Officer who asks him for his fishing license. The fisherman says to the warden, "I was not fishing and I did not catch these browns, they are my pets. Every day I come down to the water and dump these fish into the water and take them for a walk to the end of the pier and back. When I'm ready to go I whistle and they jump back into the bucket and we go home. The officer not believing him, reminds him that it is illegal to fish without a license. The fisherman turns to the warden and says, "If you don't believe me then watch," as he throws the trout back into the water. The warden says, "Now whistle to your fish and show me that they will jump out of the water and into the bucket." The fisherman turns to the officer and says, "What fish?"
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Political thuggery seems to be an effective way for Umno to get away with many things while increasing its popularity.
I have seen enough of this over 30 years of scrutinising Malaysian politics to conclude that it may not simply be the work of individuals seeking popularity. In fact, it appears to be an important strategy in politics.
Pundits should not be quick to judge Umno as a
bad
political party. As I have found during my time in academia, party members tend to relish these acts of political thuggery.
To many Malays, politicians engaging in political thuggery are
pahlawan
(warriors), although they tend to operate from within their circles of Malay groups when hurling insults at others.
Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s
pendatang
(immigrant) narrative and his branding of the Chinese community as
ungrateful
are prime examples of this, although, unlike many others, he has never stooped so low as to use sexual metaphors or make derogatory remarks.
How does political thuggery help Umno gain voters? First, it is the most popular method of winning over Malay sentiments. Malays tend to come across as a brotherhood fighting the
pendatang
, ignoring the fact that they are themselves immigrants from around the Nusantara.
Instant popularity
Insults spewed by Umno politicians at non-Malays like Teresa Kok, Nga Kor Ming and non-Malay groups such as DAP and Christians, tend to gain instant popularity and support among less educated, educated and even the highly-educated Malays.
Second, political thuggery has kept Umno as the
boss
of Malaysian politics. The term
gangster
may also be used if it is understood to mean
someone to be feared
. In fact, the late Nik Aziz Nik Mat of PAS once got into trouble for appearing to define the Almighty in such terms.
With Umno bossing politics in the country for many decades, political thuggery came into play as the party needed to be seen as the boss. Politicians from rival parties avoided doing the same, due to the risk of being accused of sedition.
Diversionary tactic
With Umno now only a small partner in the Pakatan Harapan-led unity government, the actions of politicians like Dr Akmal Saleh have helped maintain the party’s
boss
or
gangster
effect. That is how effective and important his role has been in Umno.
Third, political thuggery also distracts from important and critical matters such as corruption and conferring more projects on Malays. For instance, it tends to draw the spotlight away from Najib Razak’s wrongdoings and Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s proposals to increase the stake held by the Bumiputera and the Malays in the economy.
In war, it is called a diversionary tactic. This tactic can be highly effective when the issue involves religion, such as the KK Mart sock issue.
Switching sides
Finally, political thuggery also opens a door to the possibility of Umno switching coalitions. Umno has repeatedly signalled that it is open to joining Perikatan Nasional provided it is on Umno’s terms. Meanwhile, it also serves as a negotiating tool for more perks from PH.
Although Zahid has dismissed a revival of Muafakat Nasional with PAS, anything can happen in the name of political survival.
Recently, Umno Supreme Council member Nur Jazlan Mohamad has been accused of attempting to sow discord within the unity government. That may well be another attempt at political thuggery.
After all, political thuggery is a weapon of choice and necessity for Umno. - FMT
The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.
Several areas in Kuala Lumpur are affected by the water supply disruption that began at 6am today. (Bernama pic)PETALING JAYA: Emergency repairs on a burst pipe at the Pasar Seni hub in Kuala Lumpur are in progress and are expected to be completed by 1am on Wednesday, Air Selangor said.
It said the unscheduled water disruption began at 6am today, and full supply restoration is expected by 1pm tomorrow.
The recovery time will vary based on the location of the consumer premises and the water pressure at the distribution system,
it said in a statement.
Air Selangor said the areas affected include Apartment Putra Ria, Brickfields, Bukit Bandaraya, Bukit Bangsar, Bukit Damansara, Bukit Persekutuan, Bukit Tunku, Damansara Heights, Damansara Town Centre, Idamansara, Jalan Sultan Hishamuddin, Kampung Attap, Kampung Padang Merbuk and Kuala Lumpur City Centre.
Other impacted locations are KL Sentral, Medan Damansara, Parliament, Persiaran Sultan Salahuddin, Semantan, Taman Bandaraya, Taman Bangsar Baru, Taman Damansara Endah, Taman Duta, Taman Lucky, Taman SA (Bangsar), Taman SA (Damansara), Taman Tasik Perdana, Taman Tunku, and Tijani.
Air Selangor will mobilise water tankers to the affected areas, with priority given to critical premises such as hospitals, clinics, dialysis centres, and funerals during the disruption,
it said.
Consumers may stay updated via the Air Selangor app, Facebook, Instagram, X, or by contacting the call centre at 15300 or visit www.airselangor.com. - FMT
Police claim GISBH, led by CEO Nasiruddin Ali, practised beliefs introduced by Ashaari Muhammad’s banned Al-Arqam movement.PETALING JAYA: Over the past month much discussion has centred around the activities of Global Ikhwan Services and Business Holdings Sdn Bhd (GISBH), with questions raised over its connections to 20 welfare homes across the country from where 402 children were rescued by the authorities.
According to information released by the police, health screenings conducted on the rescued children suggested that at least 13 had been sodomised while several others claimed they were forced to carry out sexual assaults.
GISBH initially denied operating the homes and rejected the abuse allegations. However, its CEO Nasiruddin Ali later admitted that
one or two cases
of sodomy had occurred within the organisation.
Several other GISBH-run premises nationwide have been raided since then, leading to the arrests of the company’s top leadership and the freezing of various bank accounts.
Investigations also uncovered that GISBH members were practicing the Aurad Muhammadiah, a meditation linked to the Al-Arqam movement, a religious group banned in 1994 for its deviant teachings. Leaflets and books promoting Al-Arqam founder Ashaari Muhammad’s teachings were uncovered during the raids.
FMT takes a closer look at the origins of the Al-Arqam movement, its beliefs, and the controversies surrounding claims of its deviant teachings and practices.
Origins
Al-Arqam began as a Sufi-influenced Islamic movement in 1968, led by religious teacher Ashaari. Initially active in PAS, Ashaari became disillusioned by the party’s political priorities and shifted his focus to Islamic principles.
He went on to establish a self-sustaining village in Sungai Penchala complete with a mosque, school, and businesses, all of which operated based on principles derived from Ashaari’s teachings.
Followers lived in socialist-style communes, emphasising autarky and equality, where income and aid were distributed based on need rather than occupation.
According to Universiti Sains Malaysia professor Ahmad Fauzi Abdul Hamid, the movement stemmed from Ashaari’s desire
to combat the moral, political, economic, and cultural degradation
of Malay-Muslims in the 1960s and the
apparent unwillingness of political and religious leaders to address the situation.
Ashaari, also known as
Abuya
or
father
to his followers, led the movement as it grew significantly between the 1970s and the 1990s, despite facing hostility. It was reported that the group even had 7,000 members in the civil service as of 1994.
Fauzi, whose research includes political Islam and Islamist movements, told FMT Al-Arqam’s appeal lay in offering a
third way
between Umno, viewed as hypocritical and corrupt, and PAS, seen as anti-development.
“It operated outside the conventional political and economic system. It did not participate in electoral politics, nor did it subscribe to conventional banking practices.
Its economy was based on sacrifice, hard work and devotion to the struggle (perjuangan). Its political and economic behaviour was therefore inherently subversive to the capitalistic and democratic systems of modern Malaysia,
he said.
Government persecution
In 1986, religious authorities raised concerns about a book written by Ashaari, which suggested that Prophet Muhammad could be physically encountered, leading to its ban. Ashaari defied the ban, left Malaysia, and challenged the authorities while publishing books defending his movement.
Allegations of unIslamic practices, such as Ashaari’s claims of divine connections and magical powers, increased scrutiny on the movement. He was accused of attempting to form an Islamic government and stirred controversy by predicting the fall of then prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s administration.
In 1994, the National Fatwa Council deemed Al-Arqam a deviant organisation, leading to its ban. However, Fauzi suggested that there were some political motivations in this.
“Umno politicians had used religion for selfish political purposes, specifically to safeguard its position as the sole protector of Malay-Muslims, which was being threatened by Al-Arqam’s rising influence.
The trigger (for the ban) was a tabloid opinion poll that presented Ashaari as a credible alternative to Mahathir as prime minister,
he said.
At the time, then inspector-general of police Abdul Rahim Noor even compared Ashaari to cult leaders like Jim Jones and David Koresh. In 1978, Jones, founder of the People’s Temple in Guyana, led a mass murder-suicide of some 900 followers, dubbed the Jonestown Massacre.
Meanwhile, in 1993, Koresh led a 51-day standoff in Waco, Texas between his Branch Davidians sect and US federal agents, which ended in a fire that engulfed the community and claimed 86 lives.
Terrorist death squads?
Al-Arqam’s influence extended beyond Malaysia, reaching countries like Indonesia and Thailand.
Fauzi said allegations of its deviance were soon overshadowed by accusations from the Islamic affairs division of the Prime Minister’s Department that the group had formed a 313-man
suicide army
in Bangkok with the aim of seizing power in Malaysia.
However, Thai authorities denied this claim after investigations found no concrete evidence, according to the Bangkok Post.
“The allegations by Mahathir, prior to the 1994 clampdown, that Al-Arqam was maintaining a suicide squad called the Badar Army, were slander, for which neither Mahathir nor the Malaysian government has formally apologised.
It was not just a tactic to foment hatred against the group, but rather a propaganda exercise to prepare Malaysians for the wholesale banning of the group,
he said.
A week before the fatwa was issued, Abdullah Fahim, chief research officer at the Islamic affairs division, admitted to reporters that the
suicide army
claim was
a propaganda exercise to prepare people for a comprehensive fatwa
, reported Sabah’s Daily Express.
However, Fauzi said the admission went unnoticed as the Sabahan newspaper’s circulation was limited and unlikely to reach Malay-Muslims in the peninsula. He added that Al-Arqam was an easy target due to its non-violent nature, as it submitted to authorities without resistance.
On the other hand, Universiti Malaya professor Abu Hanifah Haris pointed out that, unlike other Islamic revival movements, Al-Arqam lacked a military branch.
“There wasn’t a military wing trying to form its own government. This is unlike other movements in the region, such as Jemaah Islamiyah or the Al-Ma’unah movement, which raided military camps and seized weapons, causing security issues in the past.
Al-Arqam focused more on economic struggles, or jihad, as their goal. That’s why they were able to produce a variety of products, not just food,
he told FMT.
Detention and public renouncement
The top leadership of Al-Arqam was detained under the Internal Security Act (ISA) in September 1994, leading to the closure of its schools and businesses.
The following month, Ashaari appeared on national television to denounce his movement as deviant, and pledged to disband it.
Suaram co-founder R Sivarasa, however, told FMT the confession may have been made under duress, adding that this was a
regular feature
of the ISA. However, he said none of those who confessed had publicly reported being tortured.
The movement’s commune settlements were closed, and former members were prohibited from intermingling to prevent its revival.
Ashaari was placed under house arrest until October 2004 and died six years later, but the movement persisted through organisations founded by his widow and followers, including Rufaqa’ Corporation (1997-2007), and more recently, GISBH. - FMT
