FIKIR KRITIS #16

The Doctors Who Are Redefining Life and Death By William Saletan

Think being the next president would be a brutal job? Imagine being a transplant surgeon. You can't tell the parents of a dying kid when to pull the plug, but you have to be there, ready, the minute he expires. You have to wait until he's dead, but not so long that his organs become useless. You can give him drugs to keep his organs healthy, but you mustn't technically revive him. And you can't remove and restart his heart until it's been declared kaput.

Pick up a recent issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, and you'll see the far edge of this tortured world. In the journal, doctors at Children's Hospital in Denver describe how they removed hearts from infants 75 seconds after they stopped. The infants were declared dead of heart failure, even as their hearts, in new bodies, resumed ticking.

Is this wrong? We like to think that moral lines are fixed and clear: My heart is mine, not yours, and you can't have it till I'm dead. But in medicine, lines move. "Dead" means irreversibly stopped, and stoppages are increasingly reversible. And when life support ends, says one bioethicist, "not using viable organs wastes precious life-saving resources" and "costs the lives of other babies." Failure to take body parts looks like lethal negligence.

How can we get more organs? By redefining death. First we coined "brain death," which let us take organs from people on ventilators. Then we proposed organ retrieval even if non-conscious brain functions persisted. Now we have "donation after cardiac death," the rule applied in Denver, which permits harvesting based on heart, rather than brain, stoppage.

But stoppage is complicated. There's no "moment" of death. Some transplant surgeons wait five minutes after the last heartbeat; others wait two. The Denver team waited 75 seconds, reasoning that no heart is known to have self-restarted after 60 seconds. Why push the envelope? Because every second counts. Mark Boucek, the doctor who led the Denver team, says that waiting even 75 seconds makes organs less useful.

So how can death be declared based on irreversible heart stoppage when the plan is to restart that heart in a new body? Boucek offers two answers. First, even if the heart resumes pumping in a new body, it couldn't have done so in the old one. (That used to be true, but today, hearts can be restarted by external stimulation well after two or even five minutes.) Second, Boucek says the heart is dead because the baby's parents have decided not to permit resuscitation. In other words, each family decides when its loved one is dead. In a commentary attached to the Denver report, another ethicist proposes extending this idea -- letting each family decide not just whether to resuscitate but also at what point organs can be harvested. Brain death? Cardiac death? Persistent vegetative state? Death is whatever you say it is.

Robert Truog, an ethicist who supports the Denver protocol, says this redefinition of death has gone too far. Let's accept that we're taking organs from living people and causing death in the process, he argues. This is ethical as long as the patient has "devastating neurologic injury" and has provided, through advance directive or a surrogate, informed consent to be terminated this way. We already let surrogates authorize removal of life support, he notes. Why not treat donations similarly? Traditional safeguards, such as the separation of the transplant team from the patient's medical team, will prevent abuse. And the public will accept the new policy since surveys suggest we're not hung up on whether the donor is dead.

But down that road lies even greater uncertainty. How devastating does the injury have to be? If death is vulnerable to redefinition, isn't "devastating" even more so? The same can be asked of "futility," the standard used by the Denver team to select donors. Is it safe to base lethal decisions on the ebb and flow of public opinion, particularly when the same surveys show confusion about death standards? And can termination decisions really be insulated from pressure to donate? Even if each family makes its own choice, aren't we loosening standards for termination precisely to get more organs?

Modern medicine has brought us tremendous power. Boundaries such as death, heart stoppage and ownership of organs have guided our moral thinking because they seemed fixed in nature. Now we've unmoored them. I'm a registered donor because I believe in the gift of life and think that the job of providing organs falls to each of us. So does the job of deciding when we can rightly take them.

FIKIR KRITIS #15

How does the stock market work?

Story #1

Once upon a time, a man appeared in a village and announced to the villagers that he would buy monkeys for $10 each. The villagers, seeing that there were many monkeys around, went out to the forest and started catching them. The man bought thousands at $10 a piece and, as soon as the supply started to diminish, the villagers stopped their effort. He then announced that he would buy them for $20 each.

This renewed the villager's efforts and they started catching monkeys again. Soon the supply diminished again even further and people started going back to their farms. The offer was increased to $25 each, and the supply of monkeys became so small that it was a great effort to find even one monkey, let alone catch it!

The man then announced that he would buy the monkeys for $50! However, since he had to go to the city on some business trip, his assistant would now buy them on his behalf.

While the business man was away, the assistant told the villagers. 'Look at all these monkeys in the big cage that the man has collected.

'I will sell them to you at $35, and when the man returns from the city,you can sell them to him for $50 each.' The villagers rounded up all their savings and bought all the monkeys.

They never saw the man nor his assistant again, only monkeys, everywhere! Now you have a better understanding of how the stock market works.

Story #2

It was autumn, and the Red Indians asked their New Chief if the winter was going to be cold or mild. Since he was a Red Indian chief in a modern society, he couldn't tell what the weather was going to be.

Nevertheless, to be on the safe side, he replied to his Tribe that the winter was indeed going to be cold and that the members of the village should collect wood to be prepared.

But also being a practical leader, after several days he got an idea. He went to the phone booth, called the National Weather Service and asked 'Is the coming winter going to be cold?' 'It looks like this winter is going to be quite cold indeed,' the weather man responded.

So the Chief went back to his people and told them to collect even more wood. A week later, he called the National Weather Service again.

'Is it going to be a very cold winter?'

'Yes,' the man at National Weather Service again replied, 'It's definitely going to be a very cold winter.'

The Chief again went back to his people and ordered them to collect every scrap of wood they could find. Two weeks later, he called the National Weather Service again.

'Are you absolutely sure that the winter is going to be very cold?'

'Absolutely, ' The Man replied. 'It's going to be one of the coldest winters ever.

''How can you be so sure?' the Chief asked.

The weatherman replied,'The Red Indians are collecting wood like crazy.'

This is how stock markets work!!!

FIKIR KRITIS #14

7 Ways To Recession-Proof Your Life

by Amy Fontinelle

Are you worried about how a recession might affect you? You can put your fears to rest because there are many everyday habits the average person can implement to ease the sting of a recession, or even make it so its effects aren't felt at all. In this article, we'll discuss seven ways to do just that.

No. 1: Have an Emergency Fund
If you have plenty of cash lying around in a high-interest, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC)-insured account, not only will your money retain its full value in times of market turmoil, it will also be extremely liquid, giving you easy access to funds if you lose your job or are forced to take a pay cut. Also, if you have your own cash, it won't be an issue if other sources of backup funds dry up, such as a home equity line of credit.

No. 2: Always Live Within Your Means
If you make it a habit to live within your means each and every day, you are less likely to go into consumer debt when gas or food prices go up and more likely to adjust your spending in other areas to compensate. Debt begets more debt when you can't pay it off right away - if you think gas prices are high, wait until you're paying 29.99% annual percentage rate (APR) on them. To take this principle to the next level, if you have a spouse and are a two-income family, see how close you can get to living off of only one spouse's income. In good times, this tactic will allow you to save incredible amounts of money - how quickly could you pay off your mortgage or how much earlier could you retire if you had an extra $40,000 a year to save? In bad times, if one spouse gets laid off, you'll be OK because you'll already be used to living on one income. Your savings habits will stop temporarily, but your day-to-day spending can continue as normal.

No. 3: Have More Than One Source of Income
Even if you have a great full-time job, it's not a bad idea to have a source of extra income on the side, whether it's some consulting work or selling collectibles on eBay. With job security so nonexistent these days, more jobs mean more job security. If you lose one, at least you still have the other one. You may not be making as much money as you were before, but every little bit helps.

No. 4: Have a Long-Term Mindset With Investments
So what if a drop in the market brings your investments down 15%? If you don't sell, you won't lose anything. The market is cyclical, and in the long run, you'll have plenty of opportunities to sell high. In fact, if you buy when the market's down, you might thank yourself later. That being said, as you near retirement age, you should make sure you have enough money in liquid, low-risk investments to retire on time and give the stock portion of your portfolio time to recover. Remember, you don't need all of your retirement money at 65 - just a portion of it. The market might be tanking when you're 65, but it might be headed to Pamplona by the time you're 70.

No. 5: Be Honest About Your Risk Tolerance
Yes, investing gurus say that people in certain age brackets should have their portfolios allocated a certain way, but if you can't sleep at night when your investments are down 15% for the year and the year isn't even over, you may need to change your asset allocation. Investments are supposed to provide you with a sense of financial security, not a sense of panic.But wait - don't sell anything while the market is down, or you'll set those paper losses in stone. When market conditions improve is the time to trade in some of your stocks for bonds, or trade in some of your risky small-cap stocks for less volatile blue-chip stocks. If you have extra cash available and want to adjust your asset allocation while the market is down, however, you may be able to profit from infusing money into temporarily low-priced stocks with long-term value.The biggest risk is that overestimating your risk tolerance will cause you to make poor investment decisions. Even if you're at an age where you're "supposed to" have 80% in stocks and 20% in bonds, you'll never see the returns that investment advisors intend if you sell when the market is down. These asset allocation suggestions are meant for people who can hang on for the ride.

No. 6: Diversify Your Investments
If you don't have all of your money in one place, your paper losses should be mitigated, making it less difficult emotionally to ride out the dips in the market. If you own a home and have a savings account, you've already got a start: you have some money in real estate and some money in cash. In particular, try to build a portfolio of investment pairs that aren't strongly correlated, meaning that when one is up, the other is down, and vice versa (like stocks and bonds).

No. 7: Keep Your Credit Score High
When credit markets tighten, if anyone is going to get approved for a mortgage, credit card or other type of loan, it will be those with excellent credit. Things like paying your bills on time, keeping your oldest credit cards open, and keeping your ratio of debt to available credit low will help keep your credit score high.

Conclusion
The best part about these habits is that they won't only serve you well during times of recession - they'll serve you well no matter what's going on in the market. But if you implement these financial strategies, a recession is less likely to have a significant effect on your financial situation.

FIKIR KRITIS #13

Bismillahirrahmanir rahim...

Petikan kata-kataY. Bhg Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar Al-Bukhary

L/belakang Syed Mokhtar
- Umur - 53 tahun
- Pendidikan - SPM
- Mula berniaga - 19 tahun (jual beli lembu dan kerbau)
- Kekayaan -RM1,425 juta
- Ke 7 terkaya di Malaysia
- Ke 32 terkaya di Asia Tenggara (Forbes)
- Antara syarikat miliknya
- MMC, Pelabuhan Tg. Pelepas, BERNAS, Gardenia,
DRB-HICOM dan Bank Muammalat
- Kereta - Proton Perdana
- Sumbangan sosial -Yayasan Al-Bukhary, institusi pengajian untuk 3,000 pelajar,
Muzium Kesenian Islam, Kompleks Al-Bukhary, menaja kelas tuisyen untuk pelajar Melayu,
pengindahan Masjid Negara, sumbangan RM1 juta untuk Tabung Tsunami dan
menaja setiap tahun penghantaran rakyat Malaysia yang tak mampu untuk tunaikan haji.
- Bagaimana sumbangan sosialnya bermula
- Bila mana ibunya menyuruh memberikan sebahagian elaun (RM750.00) pertamanya
sebagai pengarah syarikat beras kepada jiran yang susah.
Sebahagian lagi (RM750.00) ibunya simpan. Selain itu, ibunya juga menyuruh
beliau menghantar lampu kerosen ke surau-surau untuk menerangi kegiatan
sepanjang malam bulan Ramadhan. Dari situ bermulalah pembentukan peribadi
dan pemikiran Syed Mokhtar yang kita kenali hari ini.

1. Ada sebab kenapa saya bekerja seperti tiada hari esok. Agenda sosial dan kerja-kerja kemasyarakatan itulah antara sebabnya. Saya mahu meninggalkan warisan untuk anak bangsa yang kekal berpanjangan .

2. (berkenaan know who) Bangsa lain tak mengapa tapi orang Melayu kena berdamping dengan orang politik sedikit-sedikit. Tapi masalahnya kita tidak mahu melalui kesusahan; banyak yang mahu senang dengan mendampingi orang politik semata-mata.

3. Tiada apa-apa rahsia. Saya ini hamba Allah biasa, budak dangau macam saudara semua juga. Tuhan jadikan manusia ini sama sahaja. Proses kematangan saya yang membezakannya. Saya percaya sesiapa pun boleh menjadi apa sahaja asalkan mereka berusaha dengan tekun. Tetapi tentulah ia memakan masa. Tiada jalan singkat.

4. Saya mengenali kekuatan dan kelemahan saya. Apa yang tidak mampu buat saya akan minta orang lain tengok-tengokkan. Saya melalui jalan yang susah tapi itulah jalan yang kekal.

5. Kita perlu menggunakan kepakaran mereka (bangsa Cina) kerana mereka jauh lebih maju dan mahir daripada kita. Apa yang kita kurang faham kita berkongsi dengan tujuan untuk belajar dengan mereka. Apabila sudah faham baru kita boleh menjaga kepentingan kita.

6. Saya sedih melihat sistem sekolah pondok di Kedah. Saya ada cita-cita mahu memodenkan sekolah pondok. Kita kena maju.

7. Saya terlibat dalam perniagaan ini kerana saya tiada pilihan lain.

8. Untuk memajukan perniagaan, memang kena banyak sabar dan kuat berusaha.

9. Tidak ada jalan singkat. Saya belajar tentang perniagaan ini sejak kecil lagi dan saya juga biasa kena tipu.

10. Saya pun suka kemewahan. Saya pun suka tengok dunia, ke Tokyo, New York dan London . Saya pun suka pakai baju elok. Tapi kita hendak bermewah setakat mana, hendak pakai baju banyak mana, hendak tidur dalam berapa rumah satu malam, hendak makan pun sampai larat mana ?

11. Dalam hidup ini kita sebenarnya tidak ada status; ada masa di atas, ada masa di bawah.

12. Ketika Allah memberika kemewahan, kita kena turun ke bawah, tengok mana-mana yang boleh dibantu. Allah beri rezeki melalui kita untuk kita tolong orang lain. Rezeki itu bila-bila masa dia boleh ambil balik. Jika ada orang korporat Melayu yang tidak mahu turun ke bawah mungkin kerana bayangan duit itu lebih kuat daripada yang lain.

13. Korporat Cina turun ke bawah membantu. Orang Cina ada pelbagai persatuan. Kita tidak ada; kalau ada pun berpecah. Orang Melayu kita tidak mahu bekerjasama kerana perasaan dengki menguasai diri. Sudahlah tak mahu berusaha, apabila orang lain berusaha mereka marah.

14. Rezeki yang ada itu sebenarnya untuk orang lain. Memang dari segi hukum pun begitu. Kita kena keluar zakat dan fitrah. Tetapi zakat fitrah banyak mana sangat. Islam agama yang adil; ia minta sedikit saja. Oleh itu, kalau ada duit yang lebih ia seharusnya dibelanjakan dengan baik.

15. Saya tak kisah kalau saya tak buat semua ini. Saya boleh tak buat apa-apa dan balik ke Alor Star. Tetapi saya rasa hidup ini sia-sia. Orang Kedah kata kalau mati nanti mata tidak tutup rapat kerana tanggungjawab depan mata kita tidak buat. Orang lain ambil kekayaan kita, ambil hak kita dan pergunakan kita, kita masih tidak buat apa-apa !

16. Saya ada emotional attachment kepada agama, bangsa dan ummah. Saya bukan individualistik. Diri saya tidak penting. Pangkat dan gelaran ini kepada saya tidak mustahak.

17. Saya sedih media tonjolkan saya begini. Saya malu kerana orang Cina kaya beratus-ratus kali ganda daripada saya. Tapi saya tahu orang Melayu kalau hendak berjaya kena kerja kuat tidak kira siang malam. Kita ada kekuatan yang tuhan beri melebihi daripada bangsa lain. Tetapi untuk maju kita perlu berusaha.

18. Saya asal daripada tidak ada apa-apa. Apa yang saya tidak tahu saya belajar, minta tolong daripada orang. Saya tidak malu. Saya bukannya mencuri. Saya usaha sendiri. Sikap pemalas dan pemalu ini yang orang Melayu kena atasi. Kita kena berani kerana benar. Apabila kita dapat keuntungan dan rezeki lebih, bolehlah kita menolong orang.

19. Kaya itu bukanlah kepada diri sendiri. Kaya itu adalah kepada kumpulan perniagaan ini, kepada bangsa dan kepada orang ramai. Saya hanya memegangnya untuk sementara sahaja.

20. Saya tiada keinginan untuk menyimpan kekayaan ini untuk anak dan isteri. Duit ini tidak akan kekal. Saya percaya hanya perkara yang baik yang kita lakukakan akan kekal. Bukan duit yang akan melindungi saya nanti tapi apa yang saya lakukan sekarang.

21. Saya perlu terus mencari peluang dan perniagaan lain supaya kita terus dapat bantu orang lain mengembangkan diri masing-masing. Saya bukan buat semua ini untuk diri saya semata-mata.

22. Ada juga yang saya usaha tapi tak dapat dan orang tak tahu. Apa yang saya dapat itu yang jadi masalah kononnya Syed Mokhtar sapu semua. Bangsa lain memegang pelbagai kepentingan dalam ekonomi, siapa pun tak kata apa. Ini masalah orang Melayu. Di kampung orang Melayu berpecah kerana politik, di bandar berpecah kerana ini (wang).

23. Saya percaya kalau rezeki itu Allah beri kepada saya ia bukan untuk saya tetapi untuk orang ramai juga. Orang tidak tahu banyak syarikat yang saya ada ini gagal dan tidak maju kepada saya tetapi orang tidak tahu.

24. Banyak orang percaya bahawa dia mesti ada RM10 juta atau RM20 juta dalam tangan baru hidup boleh selamat. Ini yang menyebabkan mereka hanyut daripada menolong orang lain. Mereka lebih takutkan diri sendiri. Mereka lupa bahawa kekayaan tidak boleh membantu selama-lamanya.

25. Orang kata saya takda duit tapi banyak hutang. Orang berniaga mana yang tak berhutang. Tapi mesti tahu bagaimana hendak meminjam dan membayarnya semula. Ada cara boleh kita buat. Tapi sebelum berhutang RM100 juta mesti sudah fikir bagaimana hendak membayarnya balik. Mesti ada tanggungjawab. Banyak orang mahu senang tapi tidak ramai yang mahu bertanggungjawab.

26. (perasaan setiap kali mendapat rezeki). Saya ini kata orang Kedah, lebai kodok bukan lebai pondok. Tapi saya tahu hal-hal asas. Kalau mahu saya minta terus dari tuhan. Tuhan beri manusia akal dan fikiran. Kalau hendak pakai baju dan seluar biarlah padan dengan badan.

27. Kesenangan yang saya perolehi ini datang dengan tanggungjawab (bila pinjam bayar balik dan buat amal jariah). Kalau hendak dibandingkan dengan bangsa lain, perniagaan saya ini tidak ada apa. Tetapi walaupun sedikit tetapi yang sedikit itu ada berkatnya.

28. Saya suka kalau nikmat sedikit yang saya dapat itu orang lain boleh berkongsi sama.

29. Saya kadang-kadang kecewa dan sedih melihat anak orang alim yang sesetengahnya lupa diri setelah mendapat kekayaan. Saya pun sama seperti orang lain suka hendak ke luar negara tetapi kita tidak boleh lupa kubur kita dan asal usul kita. Di kampung kita mungkin ada jiran-jiran yang perlukan bantuan.

30. ......kalau tidak mungkin saya sudah ke Haatyai dan jadi nakal. Saya manusia yang banyak buat kesilapan. Tetapi saya insaf, beristighfar dan jalan lagi. Sejak awal saya ada kesedaran mahu mengekalkan hak kita sebagai orang Melayu.

31. Saya kata kepada diri sendiri kalau kerana itu saya terpaksa bersusah sedikit pun tidak mengapa.

32. Kekayaan ini tuhan beri kepada saya untuk saya menolong orang lain pula. Saya percaya kepada keberkatan rezeki. Hari ini kita tolong orang, esok lusa orang akan tolong kita pula dengan cara yang lain.

33. Kalaupun tidak sanggup tunggu 34 tahun seperti saya berilah sedikit masa untuk faham selok belok perniagaan, Insya Allah boleh maju.

34. Kita jangan cepat putus asa. Putus asa boleh tapi kena cepat-cepat kuatkan semula semangat untuk bangkit balik. Jangan jadikan agama hanya satu tempat untuk kita bergantung apabila kita susah. Tanggungjawab ibadah adalah tugas seharian.

35. Lifestyle ? Saya tidak ada lifestyle yang kena masuk kelab sana dan sini. Tapi tak semestinya saya tidak boleh turun ke kelab. Orang Melayu kalau hendak ke depan mesti ada cara hidup yang fleksibel, boleh naik dan turun.

36. Lifestyle ini sebenarnya satu penyakit. Saya biasa pakai Mercedes tapi sekarang saya pakai Proton Perdana untuk sokong kereta nasional. Kereta itu pun cukup untuk bawa saya ke mana-mana.

37. Tiada sebab orang kenapa Melayu tidak boleh maju. Ini saya berani perang dengan sesiapa pun. Orang Melayu boleh maju. Kalau saudara jadi wartawan saudara kena tanam semangat suatu hari nanti mahu ambil alih akhbar ini. Tidak ada sebab kenapa ia tidak boleh berlaku.

38. Kejayaan dan kelemahan orang Melayu bukan disebabkan oleh bangsa kita dan agama kita. Ia berkait dengan sikap dan cara kita berfikir. Gigih, tekun dan tidak mudah putus asa merupakan kunci kejayaan kita. Tapi perkara ini kurang wujud dalam cara orang Melayu berfikir.

39. Tuhan memberi peluang kepada siapa saja yang bekerja kuat. Apa yang ada pada saya ini hanya usaha. Kalau anak dangau macam saya boleh, tidak ada sebab orang lain terutama mereka yang dari pekan tidak boleh.

40. Kita tidak usahlah selalu mengulang-ulang perkara yang boleh memberikan kesan psikologi negatif kepada orang Melayu (kereta dan rumah besar). Kita kena kurangkan bercakap tentang kereta besar dan rumah besar. Sesiapa pun mahu pakai kereta mewah tapi bukan itu matlamatnya.

41. Orang Melayu sebenarnya kena membantu diri sendiri, kena bekerja keras dan fokus.

42. Sikap merendah diri perlu sentiasa ada dalam diri seseorang walau setinggi mana pun kejayaan dicapai.

43. Apa yang saya buat ini (kerja-kerja sosial) semuanya bermula daripada didikan orang tua saya sendiri.

44. Saya sendiri berhutang sambil berniaga dan buat sumbangan amal jariah. Saya tak mahu tunggu hutang habis baru hendak buat semua ini. Saya takut kalau hutang habis saya pun mati dan apa pun tak sempat saya buat.

45. Saya biasa saja. Hidup saya tidak berubah, dari dulu beginilah. Saya terima apa saja nikmat yang diberikan oleh Allah. Tidak ada segelas air, ada setengah gelas pun saya bersyukur.

46. Kalau kerana sedikit bantuan itu mereka lulus peperiksaan dan hidup mereka menjadi lebih baik, saya sudah gembira. Saya tidak boleh buat banyak. Alhamdulillah, lebih baik buat sedikit daripada tidak buat langsung.

47. Saya tiada minat untuk beli kapal layar atau kapal terbang. Saya fikir kalau saya beli sesuatu biarlah orang ramai boleh pakai. Saya suka kalau saya beli sesuatu yang mahal, biarlah orang ramai boleh pakai.

48. Saya gembira dapat membantu. Saya mahu orang lain merasai (kesenangan) apa yang saya pernah rasa. Saya tahu bagaimana perasaanya. Saya kata kepada diri saya, apa yang saya dapat saya mesti beri orang lain merasainya sama. Jangan beri kurang, lebih tak mengapa. Itu yang membuat hati saya seronok.

49. Saya rasa saya ingin menyumbang lebih daripada ini. Saya kata kepada kawan-kawan ini baru warm-up saja; kita belum berjalan lagi. Saya rasa kita terlalu banyak ketinggalan.

FIKIR KRITIS #12

TAN Sri Syed Mokhtar al-Bukhary

TAN Sri Syed Mokhtar al-Bukhary adalah usahawan yang banyak menderma dan banyak melakukan kerja-kerja amal.

Latar belakang kehidupan

Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar dilahirkan di Alor Setar, Kedah pada tahun 1951. Keluarganya berasal dari Hadhramaut, Yemen. Sebelum mengambil keputusan menetap di Kedah, bapanya mengembara hingga ke Asia Tengah untuk berniaga. Seterusnya, bapanya ke Thailand. Pada pertengahan tahun 40-an, barulah bapa Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar mengambil keputusan menetap di Alor Setar, Kedah. Pada tahun 1946, bapanya mendirikan rumah tangga.

Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar mempunyai tujuh orang adik beradik dan dia adalah anak yang ketiga. Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar hidup dalam keadaan yang serba kekurangan hinggakan rumah kayunya yang terletak di Kampung Hutan Keriang tidak mempunyai katil, meja mahupun kerusi. Ini menyebabkan beliau susah hendak menelaah.

Walaupun demikian, setiap yang berlaku itu pasti ada hikmahnya. Keadaan itu juga mendorong beliau supaya memulakan kelas tuisyen percuma sebagai salah satu program kebajikan di bawah Yayasan al-Bukhary yang ditubuhkannya bagi menyumbang ke arah kebajikan. Kini, seramai 15,000 orang pelajar mendapat faedah daripada program tuisyen itu.

Pendidikan

Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar memulakan persekolahannya di Alor Setar tetapi apabila beliau berusia 9 tahun, beliau dihantar tinggal bersama-sama dengan bapa saudaranya, Syed Omar di Johor Bahru. Beliau berada di situ dari darjah empat hinggalah ke tingkatan dua. Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar kemudiannya kembali ke kampung halamannya di Alor Setar dan menyambung persekolahannya hingga ke tingkatan lima di Sekolah Saint Micheal’s.

Sebenarnya, Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar bukanlah orang yang berpendidikan tinggi. Beliau tidak pernah belajar hingga ke peringkat universiti. Namun, ini tidak bermakna beliau seorang yang tidak berilmu. Kebanyakan ilmunya diperoleh melalui pengalaman secara langsung apabila beliau bergiat dalam dunia perniagaan sejak kecil lagi.

Membantu keluarga

Disebabkan keadaan keluarganya yang kurang berkemampuan, Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar membantu ibunya menanam sayur-sayuran bagi menampung pendapatan keluarga. Mereka menjualnya di pasar di Jalan Telok Wan Jah. Beliau juga menjual roti canai di pasar yang sama.

Semasa waktu rehat di sekolah pula, ayahnya akan menemuinya di sekolah dan memintanya membuat simpan kira. Selepas waktu sekolah, Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar membantu menggembala haiwan peliharaan bapanya di pusat kuarantin berdekatan dengan stesen kereta api Alor Setar. Beliau banyak menimba ilmu dan pengalaman semasa melakukan kerja-kerja itu.

Mula berniaga

Pada tahun 1970-an, perniagaan binatang ternakan bapanya mengalami kemerosotan ekoran tercetusnya wabak kaki dan mulut. Wabak itu merebak ke seluruh Selatan Thailand, Kedah dan Perlis. Semua binatang ternakannya mati begitu sahaja. Sejak itu, Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar mengambil alih perniagaan bapanya dan membuat keputusan untuk tidak lagi melibatkan diri dalam bidang penternakan. Beliau mula menjual daging secara kecil-kecilan.

Sebenarnya, Beliau pergi dari pekan ke pekan di sekitar Alor Setar bagi membeli daging yang tidak terjual. Beliau kemudiannya membungkus daging itu bersama ais dan menjualnya kembali kepada peniaga Bumiputera dan restoran-restoran di sekitar Alor Setar. Beliau berjaya dalam perniagaan itu. Kejayaan itu menambahkan keyakinan beliau bagi memajukan diri dalam dunia perniagaan.

Daripada perniagaan menjual daging, beliau beralih pula kepada perniagaan pengangkutan. Pada tahun 1972, beliau berjaya mendapat permit bagi empat buah lori Kelas A. Beliau mendapat bantuan pinjaman sebanyak RM110,000 daripada pihak MARA yang digunakannya bagi membeli dua buah lori Mercedes 911LS. Sebenarnya, seorang peniaga Cina menawarkan sejumlah wang bagi baki dua permit yang tidak digunakannya. Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar enggan dan menyerahkan permit itu kembali kepada MARA. Selepas membeli dua buah lori itu, Tan Sri Syed membuka syarikat pengangkutan yang dinamakan Syarikat Pengangkutan Sentosa dan melantik kerani Cina sebagai pengurus syarikatnya itu.

Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar menggunakan lori-lorinya bagi memulakan perniagaan beras. Syarikat Kenderaan Sentosa masih wujud sehingga ke hari ini dan memiliki lebih daripada 40 buah lori.

Menubuhkan syarikat

Pada tahun 1974, Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar membeli rumah kedainya yang pertama di Jalan Telok Wan Jah di bawah perjanjian sewa beli dengan UDA atau Perbadanan Kemajuan Bandar.

Seterusnya, pada tahun 1975, beliau menubuhkan Syarikat Shah dan memohon lesen perdagangan beras daripada Lembaga Padi Negara yang kini dikenali sebagai Bernas. Tuah ayam nampak di kaki, tuah manusia siapa yang tahu. Dia berjaya mendapat kontrak bagi membekalkan beras ke pihak FELDA, MARA Senama, Pernas Edar dan juga Sergam Sdn. Bhd., iaitu anak syarikat Perbadanan Kemajuan Ekonomi Negeri Johor.

Selepas berjaya dengan Syarikat Shah, beliau menubuhkan syarikat usaha sama dengan dua orang peniaga Cina, iaitu Ng Ghiak Gee dan Chua Chong Tan. Ghiak Gee adalah pedagang beras manakala Chong Tan pula pengilang beras.

Dalam syarikat usaha sama itu, Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar memegang 52 peratus kepentingan manakala Ghiak Gee dan Chong Tan masing-masing 32 peratus dan 16 peratus. Perniagaan usaha sama yang diberi nama Bukhary Sdn. Bhd. itu memulakan operasinya pada 15 Julai 1976, di pejabatnya di Jalan Telok Wan Jah.

Perniagaan terus berkembang

Daripada beras, beliau kemudiannya mengembangkan perniagaannya kepada komoditi lain, iaitu gula. Ini masih dijalankan sehingga ke hari ini melalui Bukhary Sdn. Bhd. Pendapatan tahunan Bukhary Sdn. Bhd. kini mencecah RM250 juta.

Setahun selepas Bukhary Sdn. Bhd. memulakan operasinya, beliau menubuhkan Bukhary (KL) Sdn. Bhd. pada tahun 1977. Syarikat itu ditubuhkan khas bagi mendapatkan kontrak kerajaan yang pada masa itu banyak ditawarkan kepada usahawan Bumiputera. Operasi Bukhary (KL) Sdn. Bhd. dijalankan di rumah kedai empat tingkat di Jalan Pahang yang juga dibeli melalui perjanjian sewa beli dengan UDA. Usahanya membuahkan hasil lagi.

Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar diberikan kontrak bagi membekalkan beras, teh, tepung coklat, tepung susu dan juga minyak sapi kepada kerajaan. Bahagian bawah pejabatnya diubah suai menjadi pusat pembungkusan. Apabila beliau mendapat kontrak pembekalan itu, Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar menubuhkan Susu Mas Sdn. Bhd. pada tahun 1979. Syarikat itu juga adalah syarikat usaha sama di antara dirinya yang memegang 51 peratus kepentingan dengan New Zealand Milk Products yang memegang saham selebihnya. Produk Susu Mas Sdn. Bhd. dipasarkan di bawah jenama Fernleaf dan Anchor.

Pada pertengahan tahun 80-an, Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar menjual kepentingannya dalam Susu Mas Sdn. Bhd. ekoran kemelesetan ekonomi.

Strategi tersendiri

Pada tahun 1978, beliau dijemput menyertai delegasi perdagangan ke Ekso Perdagangan Canton, China. Semasa berada di China, Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar menjalankan sistem barter, iaitu menukarkan kokonya dengan teh dari China. Cuma bezanya sistem barter zaman sekarang dijalankan secara besar-besaran atau pukal. Contohnya, menukarkan 1 tan minyak sawit dengan 1 tan minyak mentah.

Perniagaan pakaian

Selepas mengembangkan perniagaannya bermula daripada bidang komoditi ke pengangkutan, pembungkusan dan barter, beliau kemudiannya melangkah kepada sektor pembuatan. Ini ekoran kejayaannya mendapat kontrak membuat pakaian seragam tentera bagi pihak Kementerian Pertahanan. Kontrak itu adalah bagi membekalkan pihak tentera dengan 120,000 pasang kasut dan 330,000 pasang pakaian seragam. Apabila berjaya mendapat kontrak itu, beliau mula mencari pembekal. Pada mulanya, beliau membeli secara terus daripada pengilang.

Selepas membeli daripada pengilang, beliau kemudiannya membuat keputusan menubuhkan dua buah syarikat, iaitu Amtek Holdings bagi mengeluarkan kasut dan Oriental Garments Uniform Division bagi mengeluarkan pakaian. Oriental Garments Uniform Division adalah syarikat usaha sama dengan Oriental Garment yang berpusat di Seberang Prai.

Apabila Amtek Holdings disenaraikan di Papan Kedua Bursa Saham Kuala Lumpur pada tahun 1998, beliau menggunakan wang penyenaraian yang diperolehnya bagi membeli Spark Manshop dan hak bagi mengeluarkan dan memasarkan pakaian berjenama Crocodile. Kini, anak syarikat Amtek Holdings mengeluarkan kasut tentera (Amtek Shoes) dan pakaian berjenama Lee Coopers dan Lois (Amtek Garments Sdn. Bhd.) bagi pasaran eksport.

Perniagaan perkapalan

Tidak cukup dengan perniagaan pakaian, beliau juga bergiat dalam perniagaan perkapalan. Beliau menubuhkan Bukhari Shipping dan mendaftarkannya dengan pihak Perbendaharaan. Bukhari Shipping bertindak sebagai broker kapal di bawah polisi CABOTAGE. Melalui Bukhari Shipping, Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar membeli sebuah kapal buatan Jerman yang berusia 28 tahun pada harga USD1 juta.

Kapal yang diberi nama Angsa Mas itu digunakan bagi mengangkut beras dari Thailand ke Sabah dan Sarawak. Walau bagaimanapun, perniagaan itu mengalami kerugian yang menyebabkan beliau terpaksa menjual kapalnya pada harga USD600,000, iaitu rugi sebanyak USD400,000 (USD1 juta – USD600,000).

Pada masa yang sama, beliau mula membabitkan diri dalam sektor pembangunan hartanah. Beliau membeli beberapa bidang tanah di Alor Setar dan memulakan beberapa projek perumahan di bawah syarikat Bukhary Development.

Penglibatan dalam projek penswastaan

Beliau terlibat dalam projek penswastaan Johor Port Sdn. Bhd. dan Johor Tenggara Oil Palm Sdn.Bhd. Beliau membeli Johor Port melalui tender pada harga RM330 juta. Johor Tenggara Oil Palm Sdn. Bhd. pula dibelinya pada harga RM135 juta. Melalui Johor Port Sdn. Bhd., beliau menjayakan projek Pelabuhan Tanjung Pelepas.

Kini, Pelabuhan Tanjung Pelepas semakin maju hingga mereka berjaya meyakinkan dua buah syarikat perkapalan antarabangsa, iaitu Maersk Sealand dari Denmark dan Evergreen Marine dari Taiwan supaya berpindah dari Pelabuhan Singapura ke Pelabuhan Tanjung Pelepas.

Projek penswastaan ketiganya adalah penswastaan air yang mana beliau menubuhkan Equiventure Sdn. Bhd., iaitu syarikat usaha sama di antara syarikatnya, Kem-bangan Dinamik dan Pilecon Bhd. serta syarikat Perancis, Oneo. Pegangan Kembangan Dinamik dalam syarikat itu adalah sebanyak 49 peratus.

Kepentingan

Beliau membeli MMC Corporation, iaitu syarikat kejuruteraan pada harga RM3 sesaham daripada Permodalan Nasional Berhad (PNB). Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar juga memiliki 22.7 peratus pegangan dalam Malakoff Berhad, iaitu syarikat pembekalan elektrik dan 20 peratus pegangan dalam IJM Corporation Berhad di mana perniagaan utamanya adalah pembuatan.

Selain itu, beliau memiliki 18 peratus pegangan dalam Bernas yang terlibat dalam perdagangan beras dan 32 peratus pegangan dalam Pernas International Holdings Berhad, iaitu konglomerat yang terlibat dalam banyak sektor perniagaan. Manakala 18.7 peratus pegangan dalam Fiamma Holdings Berhad, syarikat pemasaran dan pengedaran barangan elektronik serta 100 peratus kepentingan dalam MPH, iaitu syarikat peruncitan dan pengedaran buku.

Objektif penubuhan Yayasan al-Bukhary

Yayasan al-Bukhary ditubuhkan pada Mac 1996 sebagai badan kebajikan yang berperanan membantu golongan miskin, menyokong perkembangan seni dan budaya Islam dan juga menggalakkan persefahaman antara peradaban.

Antara objektif utama Yayasan al-Bukhary adalah menggalakkan persaudaraan sesama Islam. Yayasan ini terdiri daripada dua buah bahagian. Satu bahagian menjalankan kerja-kerja kebajikan manakala satu bahagian lagi menguruskan penyaluran dana daripada setiap syarikat yang mana Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar ada kepentingan di dalamnya.

Sehingga kini, Yayasan al-Bukhary membelanjakan lebih RM300 juta bagi aktiviti keagamaan, kebudayaan dan pendidikan. Selain itu juga, Yayasan al-Bukhary hanya membiayai pelajar miskin. Antara inisiatif yang dilakukan adalah membiayai pelajar Muslim miskin dari serata ASEAN supaya belajar di Malaysia.

Projek-projek utama Yayasan al-Bukhary

Antara projek terbesar yang sedang dijalankan adalah pembinaan Kompleks al-Bukhary yang bernilai RM400 juta di Kedah yang dijangka siap pada akhir tahun 2004. Kompleks itu kelak memainkan peranan sebagai kompleks yang lengkap dengan pelbagai kemudahan seperti masjid, pusat perubatan, pusat komuniti, rumah anak yatim, akademi khas bagi warga tua dan pusat pengajian tinggi.

Antara projek besar yang disiapkan adalah Muzium Kesenian Islam Malaysia di Kuala Lumpur yang bernilai RM100 juta. Muzium empat tingkat itu adalah muzium pertama di rantau Asia Pasifik yang memaparkan hasil seni Islam. Yayasan al-Bukhary juga membina 12 buah masjid di serata negara.

Sumbangan dalam bidang pendidikan

Pada tahun 2000, Yayasan al-Bukhary mendermakan sejumlah RM7.75 juta kepada Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies, iaitu pusat pengajian Islam yang terkenal di serata dunia. Yayasan al-Bukhary juga kini sedang membantu Institut Pembangunan Pendidikan Maju (MIED) dalam projek bagi mengasaskan Institut Perubatan, Sains dan Teknologi Asia (AIMST) di Sungai Petani, Kedah.

Selain itu, Yayasan al-Bukhary juga sering mengadakan dialog peradaban bagi menggalakkan toleransi dan persefahaman antara masyarakat berbilang agama dan kepercayaan.

Penglibatan Yayasan al-Bukhary dalam projek yang dimulakan oleh bukan Islam juga terserlah. Walaupun Yayasan al-Bukhary lebih menekankan kepada projek kebajikan yang bercirikan Islam, ia tetap menyumbang kepada projek yang dijalankan oleh organisasi bukan Islam. Contohnya, Yayasan al-Bukhary menyumbang sebanyak RM satu juta bagi Projek Langkawi, iaitu projek yang dimulakan oleh MCA bagi mengumpul dana bagi menjalankan projek pendidikan di luar bandar dan juga memberi biasiswa kepada para pelajar yang kurang mampu.

Tan Sri Syed adalah usahawan Bumiputera yang terkaya di Malaysia dengan kekayaan yang bernilai RM1.67 bilion.

FIKIR KRITIS #11

FIKIR KRITIS

Apabila Ketamakan Menguasai Jiwa

Oleh SS Dr Mohd Asri

Jika anda berniaga, anda mestilah memikirkan dari segi ekonomi bagaimana hendak untung dan tidak rugi. Jika anda pengamal undang-undang, anda mestilah berusaha agar keadilan dinikmati oleh setiap yang berhadapan dengan proses penghakiman. Jika anda berpolitik, anda sepatutnya berfikir bagaimana untuk memberikan kesejahteraan kepada rakyat. Jika anda menyeru kepada Islam, anda sepatutnya berfikir bagaimanakah cara agar mesej Islam yang benar atau hidayah sampai dan berkesan untuk sasaran.

Bagi setiap bidang itu ada regunya atau hala tuju yang mesti jelas dalam pemikiran pengamalnya. Jika regu bidang ini ditukar putar sehingga tidak menepati matlamat yang sepatutnya, maka rosaklah bidang tersebut. Seseorang mungkin boleh mendapat faedah sampingan daripada bidang tertentu. Namun faedah tersebut jangan sampai menjejaskan matlamat yang asal.

Umpamanya jika pengamal undang-undang berfikir bagaimana untuk menghasilkan wang semata sehingga mengenepikan soal keadilan. Atau jika ahli politik menganggap tujuan kegiatan politiknya untuk mengaut keuntungan sekalipun mengkhianati amanah rakyat. Atau jika penyampai dakwah islam bertujuan memperolehi habuan dunia walaupun menjejaskan tujuan asal dakwah. Maka pincanglah alam, rosak imbangan dan musnah segala peraturan dan tujuan kehidupan. Namun inilah realiti yang sedang kita hadapi sekarang..

Pagi semalam (sabtu) saya menerima mesej daripada seorang sahabat yang dahulunya pensyarah UIAM dalam bidang ekonomi Islam. Beliau meninggalkan jawatannya kerana masuk bertanding dalam pilihanraya yang lepas dan tewas. Saya kenal kesungguhan cita-cita Islam dan kebaikan dirinya. Dia bukan sahaja memiliki Ph.D dalam bidang ekonomi Islam, bahkan mempunyai pengetahuan dan disiplin Islam yang baik dalam perkara-perkara yang lain.

Namun mungkin masa tidak menyebelahinya, walaupun hasratnya baik untuk membaiki kepincangan politik. Sehari dua ini, parti yang dimasukinya sibuk membuat mencalonan jawatan itu dan ini, dan dia juga mencuba nasib untuk jawatan ketua pemuda di suatu bahagian tertentu. Dalam mesejnya itu, setelah menyatakan parti yang dimasukinya tidak sesuai lagi untuk orang sepertinya, dia menyebut: “Saya kalah kepada lawan yang tidak lulus SPM, kerja penyeludup beras dan bekas penagih ubat batuk hanya kerana wang. Dia diongkosi oleh Ketua Bahagian yang melihat saya sebagai ancaman. Jawatan parti hari ini adalah jawatan yang disandang berasaskan siapa yang dapat membida harga tertinggi bukan siapa yang berkualiti dan mahu berbakti”.

Mesejnya jelas menunjukkan dia amat kecewa dengan partinya. Itulah natijahnya apabila politik yang bertujuan untuk membaiki dan mengendalikan urusan umat agar selaras dengan kehendak wahyu dijadikan medan pertaruhan demi membolot harga dan kuasa, maka manusia atau organisasi itu akan menjadi binasa.

Ustaz-ustaz dalam negara ini sering membaca hadis dhaif : “Hampirlah kefakiran itu menjadi kekufuran”. Hadis ini lemah dan tidak boleh dijadikan hujah. Namun hadis ini sering dibaca oleh panel-panel forum atau ceramah yang kurang teliti disiplin hadis, atau agak terburu-buru ingin memenuhi hasrat pihak menaja ceramah atau forum perdana yang biasanya dianjurkan oleh pihak yang dinamakan diri dengan “kemajuan Islam’.

Malang sekali mereka melupai hadis yang sahih yang merupakan amaran Nabi s.a.w terhadap umat ini. Iaitu hadis yang diriwayatkan oleh al-Imam al-Bukhari dan Muslim:

“Demi Allah, bukan kefakiran yang aku bimbang menimpa kamu, tetapi aku bimbang dibentangkan kepada kamu dunia seperti mana dibentangkan kepada mereka yang terdahulu dari kamu (umat yang silam), lalu kamu bersaing untuk mendapatkannya seperti mana mereka bersaing. Lantas dunia itu memusnahkan kamu seperti mana ia telah memusnahkan mereka”.

Ya, inilah realitinya. Memang, Islam tidak menyukai kefakiran, sebab itulah diperintahkan agar setiap muslim berusaha dan bekerja, menjadi rezeki dan menanggung bebanan keluarga, juga diperintahkan agar dibantu fakir miskin. Namun ketamakan kepada harta jauh lebih merbahaya daripada kefakiran.

Apabila ketamakan menguasai diri, manusia bersaing sesama sendiri sehingga ke peringkat bunuh membunuh, jatuh menjatuh, dan tumbang menumbang. Dipertaruhkan maruah, harga diri, amanah, harta rakyat bahkan mungkin nyawa orang lain hanya semata kerana ketamakan harta. Hampir semua orang yang fakir ingin keluar dari kefakirannya, namun si tamak amat sukar untuk diheret keluar dari daerah ketamakan.

Mengubati kefakiran sebenarnya lebih mudah dari mengubati ketamakan. Penyakit kefakiran itu pula khusus untuk yang tiada harta dan amat miskin, sementara tamak boleh menimpa yang kaya dan miskin, yang jutawan dan yang dalam kefakiran. Ia boleh mengenai pemerintah dan rakyat, mat rempit dan ustaz.

Bukan Islam anti-harta, sama sekali tidak. Islam agama kerja dan mencari rezeki. Sehingga selepas solat Jumaat pun Islam tidak pernah mewajibkan untuk duduk di masjid untuk panjang-panjang. Sebaliknya disuruh untuk kita bertebaran mencari rezeki. Ini seperti firman Allah: (maksudnya)

“Wahai orang-orang yang beriman! Apabila diserukan (azan) untuk mengerjakan solat pada hari Jumaat, maka segeralah kamu pergi untuk mengingati Allah (dengan mengerjakan Solat Jumaat) dan tinggalkanlah berjual-beli (pada saat itu); yang demikian adalah baik bagi kamu, jika kamu mengetahui (hakikat yang sebenarnya). Kemudian setelah selesai Solat Jumaat, maka bertebaranlah kamu di muka bumi (untuk menjalankan urusan masing-masing), dan carilah limpah kurnia Allah, serta ingatlah akan Allah banyak-banyak (dalam segala keadaan), supaya kamu berjaya (di dunia dan di Akhirat)” (Surah al-Jumuah, ayat 9 -10).

Dalam ayat ini juga menunjuk Hari Jumaat pun tidak disuruh kita menutup kedai sepanjang hari, sebaliknya hanya disuruh meninggal perniagaan apabila azan dilaungkan. Jika kedai ditutup pada Hari Jumaat, tentu tiada faedah Allah mengarahkan agar meninggalkan jual beli apabila mendengar azan. Selepas Solat Jumaat disuruh sambung bekerja. Demi sesungguhnya Islam tidak anti-harta. Bahkan Nabi s.a.w. menyebut:

“Sebaik-baik harta yang baik adalah untuk seseorang yang baik” (Riwayat Ahmad, al-Bukhari dalam al-Adab al-Mufrad, dinilai sahih oleh al-Albani).

Apa yang Islam musuhi adalah ketamakan. Apabila kegilaan kepada harta memalingkan tujuan atau matlamat kehidupan, maka harta adalah perosak. Apabila kehendakan kepada harta memusnahkan agama, politik, keadilan maka harta itu menjadi fitnah. Ia akan memusnahkan rangkaian masyarakat muslim dan dunia keseluruhannya.

Hari ini dunia menderita disebabkan dasar kapitalisma yang diamalkan oleh para penindas yang menghisap darah rakyat di negara yang lemah. Kegilaan dalam mengaut keuntungan tanpa sempadan kemanusiaan telah memporak perandakan imbangan kehidupan manusia di dunia ini. Sehingga ada negara yang begitu miskin dan melarat, sedangkan di negara lain manusia begitu mewah melepasi sempadan igauan. Ketamakan harta jugalah sebenarnya yang menimbulkan kefakiran.

Maka perlaksanaan sistem Islam dalam ekonomi mestilah dapat menangkis kerakusan manusia dalam membolot harta sehingga menindas orang lain. Maka Islam mengharamkan riba kerana itulah pintu kepada kerakusan. Sistem riba itulah sekarang ini yang memiskinkan sejumlah besar manusia dalam dunia ini. Jika ada pengurusan kewangan atau perniagaan yang cuba menggunakan nama Islam tetapi tidak melepaskan diri dari unsur penindasan, maka Islam itu hanya sekadar kosmetik sahaja tanpa makna.

Barangkali orang ramai akan menyangka pengurusan itu sangat Islamik sebab ada ‘panel syariah’ yang dibayar elaun oleh pihak yang meminta difatwakan untuk bisnes mereka. Namun jika fatwa itu gagal membebas pihak yang berurusan dari penindasan ekonomi, maka itu bukan syariah namanya. Jika fatwa yang diberikan itu membebaskan pengurusan ekonomi dari unsur kezaliman dan penindasan, maka panel tersebut benar-benar menunaikan amanah ilmu.
Jangan sampai jadi cerita kononnya satu syarikat telekomunikasi yang berhempas pulas menghalal pertaruhan yang bersifat judinya dengan menjanjikan jawatan kepada seorang panel syariah yang akan dilantiknya.

Sebab itu Allah menyebut harta sebagai musuh dan fitnah iaitu ujian. Firman Allah: (maksudnya):

“Dan ketahuilah bahawa harta benda kamu dan anak-anak kamu itu hanyalah menjadi fitnah (ujian), dan Sesungguhnya di sisi Allah jualah pahala yang besar”. (Surah al-Anfal, ayat 28).

Maka, kerana harta manusia sanggup jual agama atau menyalahgunakannya. Agama Allah yang diturunkan untuk memberi hidayah kepada manusia telah dijadikan saluran untuk memakan harta orang lain dengan cara yang tidak benar. Allah menyebut tentang perangai ahli-ahli dahulu yang mengetahui Taurat dan Injil tetapi menyalahgunakannya.

Firman Allah: (maksudnya)

“Wahai orang-orang yang beriman! Sesungguhnya banyak antara pendeta-pendeta dan ahli-ahli ugama (Yahudi dan Nasrani) memakan harta orang ramai dengan cara yang salah, dan mereka menghalangi (manusia) dari jalan Allah (ugama Islam)..” (Surah al-Taubah ayat 34).

Perangai Ahlul Kitab berterusan sehingga ke zaman ini.

Kematian merupakan kesedihan dan kita disuruh membantu keluarga si mati. Namun berapa ramai manusia yang menggunakan nama agama mengambil bayaran itu dan ini daripada keluarga si mati. Direka bacaan dan solat itu dan ini yang tidak buat oleh Rasulullah s.a.w dan para sahabah, lalu bayarannya dikenakan kepada keluarga si mati. Seakan di tangan golongan yang mengambil kesempatan inilah kunci pahala.

Inilah masalahnya, jika kita berfikir bagaimana ingin menjadikan Islam sebagai punca mengaut keuntungan, maka agama ini akan menjadi mangsa. Saya masih teringat cerita bagaimana ada pihak tertentu yang menubuhkan persatuan ‘solat jenazah’ dengan tujuan menghasilkan pendapat sampingan. Apabila ada saja kematian maka mereka pun akan dijemput dengan bayaran tertentu. Tanpa bayaran mereka tidak akan hadir.

Upacara-upacara ‘tambahan’ yang dikaitkan dengan agama juga akan diwujudkan yang mana bilnya terpaksa dibayar oleh keluarga si mati. Apabila mereka hadir ke tempat kematian wajah mereka kelihatan sedih dan sayu. Namun, apabila banyak hari tiada kematian atau pihak yang menjemput bagi upacara kematian, mereka sesama sendiri bersungut ‘tiada siapa-siapa yang nak mati ke? Sekurang-kurangnya lepas juga duit kopi..”

Maka, tidaklah dapat diketahui, apakah mereka suka dengan kematian atau dukacita mengenangkan keluarganya? Adakah di sana akan terdapat keikhlasan doa daripada mereka yang bersolat jenazah untuk mendapatkan upah? Namun masyarakat yang jahil termakan juga..
Bukan sedikit manusia yang berfikir bagaimana untuk menggunakan kehendak orang ramai kepada agama sebagai sumber pendapatan. Umpamanya, saya amat terkejut apabila dimaklumkan ada syarikat yang mengambil upah ‘menyamak’ rumah atau bangunan yang hendak didiami oleh orang Islam.

Barangkali rumah tersebut akan dibasuh dengan selut kerana bimbangkan penghuni bukan muslim yang tinggal sebelumnya membawa masuk anjing atau babi. Sedangkan Allah memaafkan apa yang tidak diketahui dan zahir. Namun mereka berlebih-lebihan. Maka habislah rumah dan bangunan itu berlumuran selut. Kosnya pun boleh tahan.

Namun, seperti mana sebahagian mereka yang terpengaruh dengan kempen ‘jualan langsung’ maka ada orang Islam yang menempah ‘kontrak selut’ itu kerana kononnya nanti solat tidak diterima Allah sebab ada kesan najis yang kita tidak nampak. Untunglah syarikat berkenaan apabila ada yang tidak faham hakikat Islam atau berjaya dikaburkan atas nama Islam. Padahal, pada zaman Rasulullah s.a.w anjing berkeliaran dan ramai orang arab yang membela anjing.

Apabila Islam datang, Islam mengizinkan anjing digunakan untuk buruan dan menjaga keselamatan, tetapi tidak untuk belaan biasa di rumah. Pada masa dahulu, para sarjana Islam mengulas larangan tersebut menyatakan antara hikmah daripada larangan tersebut kerana anjing yang dipelihara di rumah boleh menimbulkan ketakutan kepada tetamu yang datang, menyalak tidak menentu dan sebagainya yang mempunyai kemungkinan yang besar mengganggu orang lain. Sains moden juga membuktikan adanya ancaman penyakit dari haiwan berkenaan.

Namun baginda tidak pernah pun mengarahkan supaya mana-mana sahabah baginda menyamak satu rumah. Paling tinggi baginda menyebut tentang jilatan anjing:

“Apabila anjing menjilat bekas kamu, maka basuh sebanyak tujuh kali” (Riwayat Muslim).
Dalam riwayat lain ditambah lafaz “ke tujuhnya dengan tanah” ada pula yang menyebut kali ke lapan (Riwayat Muslim).

Ulama berbeza pendapat tentang anjing. Ada yang menyatakan, berdasarkan hadis hanya jilatan anjing sahaja yang wajib dibasuh sebanyak tujuh kali dan bersama tanah pada kali ke tujuh, atau ke lapan. Ada yang meluaskan sehingga sentuhan basah anjing pun wajib dilakukan demikian, walaupun hadis tidak pun menyebutnya. Ada yang berpendapat, basuhan dengan air tanah hanya pilihan. Apa pun, Nabi s.a.w tidak pula menyebut mesti menggunakan selut dan menyuruh menyamak bangunan atau rumah. Apatah lagi jika tidak nampak kesan najisnya. Namun, akal bisnes kadang-kala lebih lajak dari lajunya.

Category : Fikir Kritis

FIKIR KRITIS #10

FIKIR KRITIS category

10 Cara Membahagiakan Ibu Bapa Buat renungan

Setiap anak wajib berbakti dan mentaati ibu bapa bertujuan membahagiakan kehidupan mereka melalui hari tua. Ajaran Islam meletakkan ibu bapa pada kedudukan yang mulia.

Banyak bakti yang boleh dilakukan kepada ibu bapa. Bakti itu dalam bentuk metarial dan hubungan kasih sayang. Ini bersesuaian dengan fizikal ibu bapa yang semakin uzur dan memerlukan lebih perhatian.

Terdapat sekurang-kurangnya 10 bakti perlu dilakukan setiap anak terhadap ibu bapa.

1. Memberi nafkah. Terdapat ibu bapa yang berdepan dengan masalah kewangan. Mereka tidak dapat lagi melakukan tugas seharian disebabkan faktor usia. Kalaupun berkerja, tetapi tidak mencukupi untuk menampung perbelanjaan keluarga yang semakin meningkat. Justeru menjadi tanggungjawab anak memberi nafkah atau bantuan kewangan kepada ibu bapa. Sumbangan itu tidak seberapa berbanding yang dibelanjakan ibu bapa untuk membesar dan mendidik anak.

2. Menyediakan tempat tinggal. Dalam kes ibu bapa yang hilang tempat tinggal, atau tidak sesuai untuk didiami, adalah menjadi tanggungjawab anak menyediakan tempat tinggal yang lebih sesuai kepada ibu bapa. Paling baik jika ibu bapa dibawa tinggal bersama agar dapat menjamin keselamatan dan keperluan harian mereka diuruskan dengan baik.

3. Memberi kasih sayang. Kasih sayang adalah sebagai membalas kasih sayang yang selama ini telah dicurahkan ibu bapa. Kasih sayang ibu dan bapa tidak pernah padam terhadap anaknya. Jadi seharusnya kasih sayang itu dibalas dengan sebaik-baiknya.

Anak yang baik tidak melupai jasa dan kasih sayang kedua ibu bapa. Anak soleh sentiasa memohon kepada Allah agar ibu bapa mereka diberkati dan dicucuri rahmat.

Firman Allah bermaksud: ?Wahai Tuhanku! Cucurilah rahmat kepada mereka berdua sebagaimana mereka mencurahkan kasih sayang memelihara dan mendidikku ketika kecil.? (Surah al-Isra, ayat 24).

4. Memberi perhatian. Ibu bapa yang diabaikan akan merasai kesunyian. Mereka terasa disisih dan dan seperti tidak diperdulikan. Hal ini memberi tekanan perasaan dan menyebabkan kemurungan. Keadaan ini jika berterusan memberi kesan kepada kesihatan fizikal dan mental ibu bapa.

Penerapan amalan memberi perhatian terhadap ibu bapa perlu disemai, dibajai serta disuburkan dalam kehidupan masyarakat kita. Kes anak yang membuang ibu bapa semakin meningkat. Anak memandang jijik terhadap ibu bapa sendiri.

Banyak ibu bapa yang disisihkan dan dihantar ke rumah rumah penjagaan orang-orang tua. Sukar diterima akal anak mendakwa tidak mampu menjaga ibu bapa. Sedangkan, ibu bapa mampu menjaga dan membesarkan beberapa orang anak.

5. Memenuhi permintaan. Ibu bapa seringkali memerlukan bantuan anak untuk melaksanakan sesuatu keperluan. Permintaan itu mungkin dalam bentuk kewangan, tenaga dan masa.

Memenuhi permintaan ibu bapa perlu diutamakan berbanding melakukan tugas lain. Sesungguhnya, memenuhi permintaan ibu bapa lebih baik berbanding melakukan ibadat sembahyang sunat, berpuasa sunat, dan seumpamanya.

Malah keutamaan berbakti kepada ibu bapa lebih utama berjihad di medan perang. Diriwaytkan daripada Bukhri dan Muslim, Ibnu Umar berkata: ?Saya telah bertanya kepada Nabi Muhammad: Apakah perbuatan disukai oleh Allah??

Lalu baginda bersabda: Sembahyang pada waktunya. Kemudian apa?? tanya saya lagi. Baginda menjawab: Berbakti kepada kedua ibu bapa. Saya bertanya: Apa lagi. Jawab baginda: Berjihad pada jalan Allah.

6. Melakukan apa yang disukai. Ibu bapa sudah tentu mengharapkan anaknya melakukan sesuatu yang baik pada pandangan mereka. Melakukan perkara yang tidak sukai ibu bapa bermakna melakukan perbuatan derhaka.

Anak derhaka kepada ibu bapa tidak mendapat keberkatan dalam kehidupannya. Sesiapa derhaka kepada ibu bapa disegerakan balasan di dunia dan tidak terlepas di akhirat.

Sabda Rasulullah bermaksud: Dua kejahatan yang disegerakan balasan di dunia ialah zina dan menderhaka kepada dua ibu bapa.(Hadis riwayat Tirmizi).

Dalam hadis lain diriwayatkan al-Hakam bermaksud: Semua dosa akan ditangguhkan Allah, yakni balasan menurut kehendak-Nya hingga ke hari kiamat, kecuali balasan menderhaka kepada kedua ibu bapa. Maka sesungguhnya Allah menyegerakan balasan kepada pelakunya pada masa hidupnya sebelum mati.

7. Bercakap dengan lemah lembut. Satu cara menjaga perasaan ibu bapa ialah bercakap lemah lembut dengan mereka. Suara hendaklah direndahkan dan jangan membantah permintaan mereka.

Firman Allah bermaksud: Tuhanmu telah memerintahkan, supaya kamu tidak menyembah selain Allah, dan hendaklah berbuat santun terhadap kedua orang tua. Jika salah seorang telah lanjut usianya, atau kedua-duanya telah tua, janganlah sekali-kali engkau berani berkata cis! terhadap mereka dan janganlah engkau suka menggertak mereka. Tetapi berkatalah dengan sopan santun dan lemah lembut. (Surah al-Israk, ayat 23).

Sesungguhnya, anak ditegah membantah kata-kata ibu bapa dengan suara tinggi atau bermaksud merendahkan kedudukan ibu bapa. Lebih baik berdiam diri daripada berkata- kata yang mungkin menyinggung perasaan ibu bapa. Kemudian jika ada kesempatan, gunakan cara yang lembut untuk menjelaskan keadaan sebenar.

8. Menghadiahkan kejayaan. Ibu bapa sentiasa mengharapkan kejayaan anak mereka. Anak hendaklah berusaha bersungguh-sungguh untuk mencapai kejayaan agar dapat dikongsi kegembiraannya bersama-sama dengan ibu bapa.

Jadi, jika memperoleh kejayaan dalam pelajaran, mendapat pekerjaan, dinaikkan pangkat dan seumpamanya, seharusnya dimaklumkan kepada ibu bapa. Ibu bapa dibawa bersama-sama dalam majlis untuk meraikan kejayaan itu.

9. Meluangkan masa bersama-sama. Anak yang tinggal berasingan dengan ibu bapa perlu kerap meluangkan masa mengunjungi ibu bapa. Ibu bapa berasa senang menerima kunjungan dan menatap wajah anaknya.

10. Mendoakan kebaikan untuk ibu bapa. Anak perlu sentiasa mendoakan kebaikan untuk ibu bapanya. Amalan mendoakan kebaikan untuk ibu bapa perlu diteruskan biarpun ibu bapa telah meninggal dunia.

Sabda Rasulullah bermaksud: Apabila meninggal seseorang itu, maka terputuslah segala amalannya, melainkan tiga perkara iaitu sedekah jariah yang berterusan memberi manfaat, ilmu yang memberi kebaikan diajarkan kepada orang lain dan anak yang soleh yang sentiasa mendoakan kebaikan kepada kedua ibu bapanya. (Hadis riwayat Muslim).

Kebaikan dilakukan anak terhadap ibu bapa sebenarnya amat kecil Anak tidak mampu untuk membalas jasa ibu bapa sepenuhnya biarpun dia berbakti sepanjang hayatnya. Gunakan kesempatan yang ada untuk melakukan bakti terhadap ibu bapa sebaik mungkin. Masa untuk anak berbakti kepada ibu bapa sebenarnya semakin suntuk. Lambat laun ibu bapa akan meninggal dunia. Bertindaklah sebelum terlambat, selagi ibu bapa atau salah seorangnya masih hidup.

Category : FIKIR KRITIS

FIKIR KRITIS #9

FIKIR KRITIS category

CHANGE THE BABY

After a young couple brought their new baby home, the wife suggested that her husband should try his hand at changing diapers. "I'm busy," he said. "I'll do the next one." The next time came around and she asked again. The husband narrowed his eyes as he looked at his wife. "I didn't mean the next diaper. I meant the next baby.

WHY YELLING AT A MAN DOESN'T WORK

What a woman says: This place is a mess! C'mon! You and I need to clean up! Your stuff is lying on the floor and you'll have no clothes to wear if we don't do laundry right now!

What a man hears:
blah,blah,blah,blah, C'MON
blah,blah,blah,blah, YOU AND I
blah, blah,blah,blah, ON THE FLOOR
blah,blah,blah,blah, NO CLOTHES
blah,blah,blah,blah, RIGHT NOW

DECISION MAKING - Which one will you choose?

The story given below is quite interesting and really. A group of children were playing near two railway tracks, one still in use while the other disused. Only one child played on the disused track, the rest on the operational track.

The train came, and you were just beside the track interchange. You could make the train change its course to the disused track and saved most of the kids. However, that would also mean the lone child playing by the disused track would be sacrificed. Or would you rather let the train go its way?

Let's take a pause to think what kind of decision we could make.

Most people might choose to divert the course of the train, and sacrifice only one child. You might think the same way, I guess.

Exactly, I thought the same way initially because to save most of the children at the expense of only one child was rational decision most people would make, morally and emotionally.

But, have you ever thought that the child choosing to play on the disused track had in fact made the right decision to play at a safe place?

Nevertheless, he had to be sacrificed because of his ignorant friends who choose to play where the danger was.

This kind of dilemma happens around us everyday. In the office, community,in politics and especially in a democratic society, the minority is often sacrificed for the interest of the majority, no matter how foolish or ignorant the majority are, and how farsighted and knowledgeable the minority are.

The child who chose not to play with the rest on the operational track was sidelined. And in the case he was sacrificed, no one would shed a tear for him.

The friend who forwarded me the story said he would not try to change the course of the train because he believed that the kids playing on the operational track should have known very well that track was still in use, and that they should have run away if they heard the train's sirens. If the train was diverted, that lone child would definitely die because he never thought the train could come over to that track!

Moreover, that track was not in use probably because it was not safe. If the train was diverted to the track, we could put the lives of all passengers on board at stake! And in your attempt to save a few kids by sacrificing one child, you might end up sacrificing hundreds of people to save these few kids.

While we are all aware that life is full of tough decisions that need to be made, we may not realize that hasty decisions may not always be the right one.

"Remember that what's right isn't always popular... and what's popular isn't always right."

A CUP OF TEA (water)

A group of working adults got together to visit their University lecturer.

The Lecturer was happy to see them. Conversation soon turned into complaints about stress in work and life.

The Lecturer just smiled and went to the kitchen to get an assortment of cups - some porcelain, some in plastic, some in glass, some plain looking and some looked rather expensive and exquisite.

The Lecturer offered his former students the cups toget drinks for themselves. When all the students had a cup in hand with water, the Lecturer spoke: "If you noticed, all the nice looking, expensive cups were taken up, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is normal that you only want the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress. What all you wanted was water, not the cup, but we unconsciously went for the better cups."

"Just like in life, if Life is Water, then the jobs, money and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold/maintain Life, but the quality of Life doesn't change." "If we only concentrate on the cup, we won't have time to enjoy/taste the water in it."

Category : FIKIR KRITIS

FIKIR KRITIS #8

FIKIR KRITIS category
Malaysia slips a bit in Corruption Perception Index
by Maria J. Dass

PETALING JAYA (Sept 23, 2008) : The people's perception on the state of corruption has not changed despite concerted efforts by the government to beef up the Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) and put in place mechanisms to combat corruption.
Malaysia’s corruption perception score for 2008 remains at 5.1 -- the same as last year -- and its ranking down from 43 out of 179 countries in 2007 to 47 out of 180 countries in 2008.
Although Malaysia is placed second among the Asean countries, its world ranking is way below Singapore's, which stands at No. 4.

Denmark, New Zealand and Sweden rank the highest in the world -- with identical scores of 9.3 of a possible 10 -- and the lowest is Somalia, with a score of only one.

Transparency International (TI) Malaysia president Tan Sri Ramon Navaratnam said today that when it comes to corruption perception, Malaysia "just has its head above the water".

"If we start sliding below five, then it is the start of the slippery slope leading down where we need to avoid," he said.

"Among the contributing factors to this perception index is the failed link between poverty and the misallocation of resources, unfair distribution, and the exploitation of the poor by the rich."

He said that while efforts and measures to fight corruption have been put in place, there must be strong will power to implement them by the leaders elected by the people, but if these leaders themselves are corrupt, then it make it all the more difficult.

Admitting that perception is something that will take time to alter, Navaratnam said Malaysia’s CPI reflects this, having moved form 5.1 in 2005 to 5.0 in 2006, and then back to 5.1 in 2007 and this year.

"This shows that all that the government has done has not made any impact on the perception. People don’t believe the changes are real or meaningful because they do not see the difference," he said.

Tan Sri Ramon NavaratnamNavaratnam said the perception will have an impact on business and foreign direct investments as people will shy away from doing business in a country where their cost goes up because they have to fork out money to get things moving.

"If the government is not moving then the people must act," he said.

"Leaders who do not fight corruption should be replaced because the country cannot carry on like this. Other countries have move forward while we seem to be heading for the slippery slope.

"The government will have to walk the talk if the people tell them 'if you don’t sack the people who are corrupt, we will sack you'."

Navaratnam said Asean countries need to do more to address corruption, too, because most of them have fared poorly in ranking and score.

Tan Sri Megat Najmuddin Khas, a TI executive council member and committee member of the Umno disciplinary committee, said addressing money politics in the party is an uphill battle.

He said among the measures being discussed to curb this are putting in mechanisms for transparency in the funding process, enacting laws. ande public funding for political parties.

Category : FIKIR KRITIS

FIKIR KRITIS #7

Fikir kritis category

CHANGE YOUR LIFE : THE 90/10 FORMULA

What is the 90/10 Principle? 10% of life is made up of what happens to you.90% of life is decided by how you react. What does this mean? We really have no control over 10% of what happens to us.We cannot stop the car from breaking down. The plane will be late arriving, which throws our whole schedule off. A driver may cut us off in traffic.We have no control over this 10%. The other 90% is different. You determine the other 90%. How? By your reaction. You cannot control a red light, but you can control your reaction. Don't let people fool you; YOU can control how you react.

Let's use an example. You are eating breakfast with your family. Your daughter knocks over a cup of coffee onto your business shirt. You have no control over what just happened. What happens during the rest of the day will be determined by how you react over the next 30 seconds. You curse. You harshly scold your daughter for knocking the cup over. She breaks down in tears. After scolding her, you turn to your spouse and criticize her for placing the cup too close to the edge of the table. A short verbal battle follows. You storm upstairs and change your shirt. Back downstairs, you find your daughter has been too busy crying to finish breakfast to catch the school bus. She misses the bus. Your spouse must leave immediately for work. You rush to the car and drive your daughter to her school.Because you are late, you drive 70 miles an hour in a 30 mph speed limit. After getting a traffic summons and another 15-minute delay, you finally arrive at her school. Your daughter runs into the building without saying goodbye. After arriving at the office 20 minutes late, you find you forgot your briefcase. Your day has started terribly. As it continues, it seems to get worse and worse.You look forward to coming home but when you arrive home, you find a small wedge in your relationship with your spouse and daughter.

Why? Because of how you reacted in the morning. Why did you have a bad day?

A) Did the coffee cause it?
B) Did your daughter cause it?
C) Did the policeman cause it?
D) Did you cause it?

The answer is D.

You had no control over what happened with the coffee. How you reacted in those 30 seconds is what caused your bad day.

Here is what could have and should have happened. Coffee splashes over you. Your daughter is about to cry. You gently say, "It's ok honey, you just need, to be more careful next time." Grabbing a towel you rush upstairs. After grabbing a new shirt and your briefcase, you come back down in time to look through the window and see your child getting on the bus. She turns and waves. You arrive 5 minutes early and cheerfully greet the staff. Your boss comments on how good the day you are having.

Notice the difference? Two different scenarios. Both started the same. Both ended different. Why? Because of how you REACTED. You really do not have any control over 10% of what happens. The other 90% was determined by your reaction. Here are some ways to apply the 90/10 principle.

If someone says something negative about you, don't be a sponge. Let the attack roll off like water on glass. You don't have to let the negative comment affect you! React properly and it will not ruin your day. A wrong reaction could result in losing a friend, being fired, getting stressed out etc. How do you react if someone cuts you off in traffic? Do you lose your temper? Pound on the steering wheel? A friend of mine had the steering wheel fall off! Do you curse? Does your blood pressure skyrocket? Do you try and bump them? WHO CARES if you arrive ten seconds later at work? Why let the cars ruin your drive? Remember the 90/10 principle, and do not worry about it. You are told you lost your job. Why lose sleep and get irritated? It will work out. Use your worrying energy and time into finding another job. The plane is late; it is going to mangle your schedule for the day. Why take out your frustration on the flight attendant? She has no control over what is going on. Use your time to study, get to know the other passenger. Why get stressed out? It will just make things worse.

Now you know the 90-10 principle. Apply it and you will be amazed at the results. You will lose nothing if you try it. The 90-10 principle is incredible. Very few know and apply this principle. The result? Millions of people are suffering from undeserved stress, trials,problems and heartache. There never seem to be a success in life. Bad days follow bad days. Terrible things seem to be constantly happening. There is constant stress, lack of joy, and broken relationships. Worry consumes time. Anger breaks friendships and life seems dreary and is not enjoyed to the fullest. Friends are lost. Life is a bore and often seems cruel. Does this describe you? If so, do not be discouraged. You can be different! Understand and apply the 90/10 principle. It could change your own life.

Category : FIKIR KRITIS

FIKIR KRITIS #6

FIKIR KRITIS category

Why do ours never resign?

WIDE ANGLE
By HUZIR SULAIMAN

By global standards of ministerial responsibility, Malaysia’s performance leaves much to be desired.

THE Westminster Parliamentary system, for better or for worse, is our former colonial masters’ gift to us, and to many Commonwealth countries. According to its conventions, Cabinet ministers are bound by both collective and individual responsibility.

Collective ministerial responsibility means that the Cabinet must speak with one voice. Whatever disagreements may take place behind closed doors, there must be a united front on policy matters in public.

A rare example of a Malaysian breach of the convention of collective responsibility occurred in 2005 when Deputy Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Dr Sothinathan questioned the Government’s decision not to recognise Ukrainian medical degrees, and as a consequence was suspended for three months.

The Westminster principle of individual ministerial responsibility, however, is probably of greater concern to Malaysians. It is explained by Rodney Brazier in his 1997 book, Ministers of the Crown:
“Broadly, each Minister is responsible for
(1) his private conduct,
(2) the general conduct of his department, and
(3) acts done (or left undone) by officials in his department.”

Let’s look at the first responsibility: private conduct. When confronted with evidence of personal impropriety, Malaysian ministers – with the recent exception of Chua Soi Lek – usually do not resign. In other democracies, resignation, though reluctant, is still the norm.

Looking at House of Commons research papers, for example, we find that of the 125 British ministerial resignations in the 20th century, no fewer than a dozen were for reasons of “private scandal” and two were for “private financial arrangements”.

In many democracies, even unproven allegations are sufficient to provoke resignation. In November 1997 the Portuguese Minister for Defence, Antonio Vitorino, resigned following accusations that he had not paid the full property tax on his country house.

“If there are doubts or suspicions over my behaviour, the situation must be fully clarified and therefore I must take responsibility as a citizen,” Vitorino said. “In view of the way I have always conducted myself in political life, I think it is impossible to hold public office at my level under any type of suspicion.”

Among legislators more sensitive to questions of honour and shame, the desire to minimise the stain on one’s reputation can lead to tragedy. Last year, Toshikatsu Matsuoka, the Japanese Agriculture Minister, went a step further then mere resignation when, embroiled in allegations that he filed false expense claims, he hanged himself in his Tokyo flat.

Perhaps the most stringent standard for private conduct was set by Mick Young, the Australian Immigration Minister who resigned in the 1980s. His crime? He failed to declare a stuffed toy in his suitcase to customs officers when he returned to the country.

The “Paddington Bear Affair” led to his resignation but established in the minds of many the international standard of conduct for ministers – a standard of probity to which I think even Barisan Nasional supporters would agree our Cabinet does not hold itself.

So much for private conduct. What of a minister’s responsibility for “the general conduct of his department, and for acts done (or left undone) by his department”?

As Noore Alam Siddiquee of South Australia’s Flinders University wrote in 2006 in the International Public Management Review, “the principle of ministerial responsibility as seen in mature democracies is either weak or missing in Malaysia. The principle means that the minister accepts responsibility for any lapses or irregularities within his ministry and resigns from the office.

“Despite reports of numerous irregularities in various agencies at different levels, misappropriation of funds by individuals and groups and increasing volume of complaints received from the public on the quality of services and responsiveness, rarely has a minister chosen to accept responsibility for such irregularities.”

Siddiquee points out that despite the 2004 public outcry over shoddy construction projects, the then Works Minister “not only rebuffed calls for him to step down, he practically took no responsibility for the defective projects and other anomalies, and has had no problem retaining his ministerial office.”

But Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu was able to rebuff those calls for resignation – which came not just from civil society groups and Opposition lawmakers, but also from BN backbenchers – in large part due to the unwillingness of his Cabinet colleagues to apply the doctrine of individual ministerial responsibility to him, perhaps lest they themselves be judged by the same standards.

In Cabinet Governing in Malaysia (2006), Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim reveals how they protected Samy Vellu: “Finally, after what was a prolonged episode that almost cost him his job, the Cabinet found that he took it upon himself more than he should have shouldered. ?. The Cabinet session of 20th October 2004, chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Sri Mohd Najib Tun Abdul Razak, discussed at length the background of this public outcry. Datuk Seri Samy Vellu’s extensive reports to the session were noted by the Cabinet with the view that the Minister ought not to take it upon himself all the blame hurled by the public as there were various parties that were responsible like consultants, contractors, engineers, architects, etc.”

Following this logic, it would appear that a Minister only need resign if he were a one-man ministry, doing everything himself. In reality other parties, whether external or in the civil service, are always there to take the blame.

In Cabinet Governing Dr Rais repeatedly talks about the difficulties that ministers have with the civil service, shifting the responsibility onto them:

“It takes years to rid a public servant who misbehaves or who does not perform and by the sheer procedural rigmarole it involves, bosses are quite reluctant to effect the actual brunt of the General Orders.

It is instructive to know, lacking in acumen and productivity are not listed as grounds for dismissal. Neither is the inability to achieve results put in as a factor to dismiss or suspend.”
While this might perhaps be true, it is distinctly at odds with the principle of ministerial responsibility in the Westminster system, and it leads to a complete abdication of a minister’s duty of ultimate supervision.

Contrast this Malaysian blame-shifting with the 1954 resignation statement of Sir Thomas Dugdale, the British Minister for Agriculture:

“I, as Minister, must accept full responsibility to Parliament for any mistakes and inefficiency of officials in my Department, just as, when my officials bring off any successes on my behalf, I take full credit for them.

“Any departure from this long-established rule is bound to bring the Civil Service right into the political arena, and that we should all, on both sides of the House, deprecate most vigorously.”
Similarly, when in 1982 the junior British Foreign Office Minister, Richard Luce, resigned along with his two ministerial colleagues, accepting responsibility for the Argentine invasion of the Falklands, he said, “It is an insult to Ministers of all Governments, of whatever colour or complexion, to suggest that officials carry responsibility for policy decisions. Ministers do so, and that strikes at the very heart of our parliamentary system.”

In November 2002 South Korea’s Justice Minister and the prosecutor general both resigned to take responsibility for the death in policy custody of a murder suspect.
In the same year, Britain’s Education Secretary resigned because the nation failed to meet targets for child literacy and numeracy.

Last month, the South Korean Prime Minister and his entire Cabinet offered to resign in response to public unhappiness about the beef import deal South Korea has made with the United States.

Would our ministers do any of that?

Huzir Sulaiman writes for theatre, film, television, and newspapers.

Category: FIKIR KRITIS

FIKIR KRITIS #5

FIKIR KRITIS category

“Many people would sooner die than think. In fact they do.”

When we talk about thinking, we are using the mental operation to find meanings from experiences. The discrete and simple operation involved is called the thinking skill, whereas the complex and difficult operation is called the thinking process.

Let us look at the types of thinking skills involved. Thinking skills can be divided into two main types:

Critical thinking skill
Creative thinking skill

We will first look at what critical thinking is. Well, critical thinking actually involves the rearranging of concepts with the aim of evaluating certain ideas, issues, things or situations. It involves the ability to understand by way of rebutting statements, making judgments between the good and the bad, collecting information, and discarding hazy meanings and illogical conclusions. For example, in a scientific research, we must conduct an experiment in order to test a theory, hypothesis or principle of something. Through testing and experimentation, our thinking and the mind will make use of the above skills in reaching its aim of evaluating the validity of something.

The critical thinking skill can be further divided into:

the skill to analyze critically
the skill to evaluate critically

The skill to analyze critically improves one's experience and the ability to use the existing information. The skill to evaluate critically, on the other hand, will look into the logic behind the idea.
The other type of thinking, which is, creative thinking, is simply the ability to be original. This means a person has the potential to process information that can produce a new idea that is totally unique.
Creative thinking also involves the ability to produce many ideas, as well as being flexible in accepting and rejecting those ideas. Furthermore, a creative person is never static in his thinking, rather, he is able to elaborate and explain an idea analytically.

So, you see, critical and creative thinking skills are related and are used together while we are thinking. These skills are used when an individual is undergoing two thinking processes:

Decision making
Problem solving

Usually, a person will integrate both the thinking skills when making a decision based on the relevant information or when trying to solve a genuine problem faced. This is in order to evaluate the logic and rationality of every choice made so that the decision can be one that is based on the best option. This is what we call an integration of the process of thinking.

FIKIR KRITIS Critical Thinking Standards
Universal intellectual (Critical Thinking) standards are standards which must be applied to thinking whenever one is interested in checking the quality of reasoning about a problem, issue, or situation. To help students learn them, teachers should pose questions which probe student thinking, questions which hold students accountable for their thinking, questions which, through consistent use by the teacher in the classroom, become internalized by students as questions they need to ask themselves. The ultimate goal, then, is for these questions to become infused in the thinking of students, forming part of their inner voice, which then guides them to better and better reasoning. While there are a number of universal standards, the following are the most significant:

1 Clarity is the gateway standard. If a statement is unclear, we cannot determine whether it is accurate or relevant. In fact, we cannot tell anything about it because we don't yet know what it is saying.

2 Accuracy: A statement can be clear but not accurate, as in “This chicken weighs over 300 pounds."

3 Precision: A statement can be both clear and accurate, but not precise, as in “Yao Ming is tall!" (We don't know how Tall Yao Ming is. E.g. Precise = Yao Ming is 2.29 (7-6) meters tall. )

4 Relevance: A statement can be clear, accurate, and precise, but not relevant to the question at issue. For example, students often think that the amount of effort they put into a course should be used in raising their grade in a course. Often, however, the "effort" does not measure the quality of student learning, and when this is so, effort is irrelevant to their appropriate grade.

5 Depth: A statement can be clear, accurate, precise, and relevant, but superficial (that is, lack depth). For example, the statement "Just say No" which is often used to discourage children and teens from using drugs, is clear, accurate, precise, and relevant. Nevertheless, it lacks depth because it treats an extremely complex issue, the pervasive problem of drug use among young people, superficially. It fails to deal with the complexities of the issue.

6 Breadth: A line of reasoning may be clear accurate, precise, relevant, and deep, but lack breadth (as in an argument from either teacher or student standpoint which gets deeply into an issue, but only recognizes the insights of one side of the question.)

7 Logic: When we think, we bring a variety of thoughts together into some order. When the combination of thoughts are mutually supporting and make sense in combination, the thinking is "logical." When the combination is not mutually supporting, is contradictory in some sense, or does not "make sense," the combination is not logical.

8 Fairness: Critical thinking demands that our thinking be fair: Open-minded, Impartial and Free of distorting biases and preconceptions

Category: FIKIR KRITIS

FIKIR KRITIS #4

FIKIR KRITIS category

1. Regular naps prevent old age... especially if you take them while driving.
2. Having one child makes you a parent; having two makes you a referee.
3. Marriage is a relationship in which one person is always right and the other is the husband!
4. They said we should all pay our tax with a smile. I tried- but they wanted cash.
5. A child's greatest period of growth is the month after you've purchased new school uniforms.
6. Don't feel bad. A lot of people have no talent.
7. Don't marry the person you want to live with, marry the one you cannot live without... but whatever you do, you'll regret it later.
8. You can't buy love. . But you pay heavily for it.
10. Forgiveness is giving up my right to hate you for hurting me.
11. Bad officials are elected by good citizens who do not vote.
12. Laziness is nothing more than the habit of resting before you get tired.
13. My wife and I always compromise. I admit I'm wrong and she agrees with me.
14. Those who can't laugh at themselves leave the job to others.
15. Ladies first. Pretty ladies sooner.
16. It doesn't matter how often a married man changes his job, he still ends up with the same boss.
17. They call our language the mother tongue because the father seldom gets to speak.
18. Saving is the best thing. Especially when y parents have done it for you.
19. Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools talk because they have to say something.
20. Real friends are the ones who survive transitions between address books.

THE SEVEN DANGEROUS ACTS

DON'T ACT THE 7 ACTIONS BELOW AFTER YOU HAVE A MEAL

1. Don't smoke- Experiment from experts proves that smoking a cigarette after meal is comparable to smoking 10 cigarettes (chances of cancer is higher).

2. Don't eat fruits immediately - Immediately eating fruits after meals will cause stomach to be bloated with air. Therefore take fruit 1-2 hr after meal or 1hr before meal.

3. Don't drink tea - Because tea leaves contain a high content of acid. This substance will cause the Protein content in the food we consume to be hardened thus difficult to digest.

4. Don't loosen your belt - Loosening the belt after a meal will easily cause the intestine to be twisted & blocked.

5. Don't bathe - Bathing will cause the increase of blood flow to the hands, legs & body thus the amount of blood around the stomach will therefore decrease. This will weaken the digestive system in our stomach.

6. Don't walk about - People always say that after a meal walk a hundred steps and you will live till 99. In actual fact this is not true. Walking will cause the digestive system to be unable to absorb the nutrition from the food we intake.

7. Don't sleep immediately - The food we intake will not be able to digest properly. Thus will lead to gastric & infection in our intestine.

Psychopath Test

Read this question, come up with an answer and then scroll down to the bottom for the result. This is not a trick question. It is as it reads. No one I know has got it right.

A woman, while at the funeral of her own mother, met a guy whom she did not know. She thought this guy was amazing. She believed him to be her dream guy so much, that she fell in
love with him right there, but never asked for his number and could not find him. A few days later she killed her sister.

Question: What is her motive for killing her sister?

[Give this some thought before you answer, see answer below]
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Answer:

She was hoping the guy would appear at the funeral again. If you answered this correctly, you think like a psychopath. This was a test by a famous American Psychologist used to test if one has the same mentality as a killer.

Many arrested serial killers took part in the test and answered the question correctly.
If you didn't answer the question correctly, good for you.
If you got the answer correct, please let me know ...

Category: FIKIR KRITIS

FIKIR KRITIS #3

FIKIR KRITIS category

Decision making in the book Management Information Systems 6th edition by Kenneth C Laudon and Jane P Laudon, Prentice Hall 2000 pp109-120.

1. Levels of decision making
- Strategic Level
- Management Level
- Knowledge Level
- Operational Level

2. Types of decisions
- structured
- unstructured
- semistructured

3. Stages in decisions making – accoding to Herbert Simon
- Intelligence – when the individual collects information to identify problems
- Design – when the individual conceives of possible alternative solutions to a problem
- Choice – when the individual selects among the various solution alternatives
- Implementation – when the individual put the decision into effect and reports on the progress of the solution.

4. Individual models of decision making
- Rational Model – model of human behavior based on belief that people, organizations and nations engage in basically consistent, value maximizing calculations or adaptations within certain constraints.
- Bounded rationality – idea that people with avoid new, uncertain alternatives and stick with tried-and-true rules and procedures.
- Satisficing – choosing the first available alternative to move closer toward the ultimate goal instead of searching for all alternatives and cosequences.
- “muddling through” – method of decision making involving succesive limited comparisons where the test of a good decision is whether people agree on it.

5. Organizational models of decision making
- Bureaucratic model – model of decision making where decisions are shaped by the organizaton’s standard operating procedures (SOP).
- Political Model – model of decision making where decision result from competition and bargaining among the organization’s interset group and key leaders.
- Garbage can model – model of decision making that states that organizations are not rational and that decisions are solutions that become attached to problems for accidental reasons.


Category: FIKIR KRITIS

FIKIR KRITIS #2

FIKIR KRITIS category
A 1st grade school teacher had twenty-six students in her class. She presented each child in her classroom the 1st half of a well-known proverb and asked them to come up with the remainder of the proverb. It's hard to believe these were actually done by first graders. Their insight may surprise you. While reading, keep in mind that these are first-graders, 6-year-olds, because the last one is a classic!

FIKIR KRITIS
1. Don't change horses ................................. until they stop running.
2. Strike while the ........................................ bug is close.
3. It's always darkest before ...................... Daylight Saving Time.
4. Never underestimate the power of ....... termites.
5. You can lead a horse to water but ......... How?
6. Don't bite the hand that .......................... looks dirty.
7. No news is ................................................. impossible
8. A miss is as good as a .............................. Mr.
9. You can't teach an old dog new ............. Math
10. If you lie down with dogs, you'll ........... stink in the morning.
11. Love all, trust .......................................... Me.
12. The pen is mightier than the ................ pigs.
13. An idle mind is ........................................ the best way to relax.
14. Where there's smoke there's ................ pollution.
15. Happy the bride who ............................. gets all the presents.
16. A penny saved is .................................... not much.
17. Two's company, three's ......................... the Musketeers.
18. Don't put off till tomorrow what ........... you put on to go to bed.
19. Laugh and the whole world laughs with you, cry and ........... You have to blow your nose.
20. There are none so blind as ................... Stevie Wonder.
21. Children should be seen and not .......... spanked or grounded.
22. If at first you don't succeed .................. get new batteries.
23. You get out of something only what you ........................... See in the picture on the box
24. When the blind lead the blind .............. get out of the way.
25. A bird in the hand .................................. is going to poop on you.

And the WINNER and last one!

26. Better late than ...................................... Pregnant

Category : FIKIR KRITIS