Wednesday 16 February 2011

MUIS, TOO PREOCCUPIED TRIVIAL THINGS



By : HAJI AMDE SIDIK

I’VE been receiving emails and calls from religious educated persons ustaz and imam alike, academicians and professional among them that I should query Majlis Ugama Islam Sabah (MUIS), which seen hasty on the issue of banning valentine celebration ‘haram’ for Muslims to celebrate following the instruction by JAKIM.

Most people on the street said, the problem with religious officers, they are too pre occupied with trivial matters when a lot more important and pressing matters are neglected.

Real problems are not taken as priorities, among them are: corruptions, abused of powers, wasting time of office hours, misappropriation of public properties, ‘stealing’ properties of orphans, neglecting of work, mismanaged public properties and facilities, and the list can go endlessly.

Bad images associated with other Islamic institutions such as Tabung Haji and Bank where high ranking officers were dragged to court of law for corruptions charges in the past isn’t helped me stop thinking how to improve the image of our Islamic Religious institution such as MUIS.

I’m not saying other religious institutions are all good and fine. But being a Muslim I must mention this, it isn’t something I fancy saying because I am a politician, even if I am not a politician I would still want to say it except, very often no one wants to listen a lone voice.

I’m not giving lecture on good governance as to how it should go about doing governing, because most senior officers in the government departments understand what I’m talking about.

That good governance isn’t about enforcing and coercing belief to others, especially in our context of multi racial and multi religious, which have existed since immemorial day.

We have no problem in the past, doing it abruptly today as if we’re panicking doesn’t do any good to anyone. Whose fault is this when ways and means are at our disposal? Have we no faith in ourselves?

One cardinal rule in good governance is to understand our surroundings especially living in a ‘colorful’ community.

I mentioned the same in my recent press statement with regard to good governance related to procedure (law of apostate)

I must mention again here in reply to the Internet report (not printed media). That it wasn’t me who offered to challenge, instead, I was looking for someone to offer me a debate on the field of good governance and law. The offerer therefore has to provide me the premises both the topic and other essentials not the offeree. I would counter offer if it doesn’t suit me. Because the writer didn’t seem to grasp what I wrote, I therefore didn’t bother to continue responding; worst of all, he couldn’t even spell my name correctly let alone the gist of my argument (internet report).

Administrator of JHEAINS like Haji Amri Suratman should know it well that Sabah is quite different in a way compare with states found in Peninsular in as far as religious and ethnics make up are concerned. By the way, Hj Amri Suratman was my college mate, we knew each other in our younger days what changed his thought might be because of his position today.

I would have thought he needs to use a little intuition to make the Syariah law works in the Sabah, not solely going by where finger is pointing in this is JAKIM, bearing in mind there is no uniform Syariah law yet in the whole nation.

Still many people in Peninsular don’t understand about us. The fault lies either our leaders from Sabah were or are too lazy to explain to them or our Peninsular leaders didn’t bother to know what differences we have.

If God wants a country like ours to only have one religion or one race. God can, and could have done it well. I believe there must be reason behind why we are as we are.

Laws of the country are in place above anything else country’s constitution, one among them is law on freedom of religion. If we so dislike about the law, our lawmakers can amend it by democratic process, that’s how parliamentary system works.

Jabatan Hal Ehwal Agama Islam Sabah JHEAINS talked about enforcing the Syariah law; law derives from Jakim that is, banning Valentine celebration to all Muslims while at the same time talking bad about other religion.

Many even Muslim are taken a back, what has Valentine done for the last hundred years in Sabah, wonders if anyone can prove by showing us the records the good and the bad of it.

Our young girls can get pregnant and do ‘maksiat’ even without Valentine; every parent is responsible for what their kids do. I would want to hear more solid reasons before I buy the idea rather than blaming them entirely and other religions.

Certain thing has to be adhered to before JHEAIN can implement this particular Syariah law, procedurally is, the law must first be consented by TYT, since the TYT is the head of Islamic religion in the state of Sabah, has this been done so? Otherwise it will be ultra vires by extending its power.

Beyond Valentine issue, let talk about MUIS and its management.

Many people are discontented over the years about the management of the state government institution like MUIS.

Twenty years ago I was informed MUIS has an asset amounting to RM400 million recently someone whispered to me only RM200 million. By logic it should be more, if it’s less due to deflation or for any other reasons it must be substantiated. I want to know the reasons behind the depreciation of value.

What has MUIS contributed to Muslims of Sabah in particular, and to all Sabahans in general that can be seen in tangible form? Say, institutions for ‘Ibu Tunggal’, Orphanage Centre, or Social Problem Centre for juvenile, and etc. If these institutions sound bias to one religion, what about enforcing law arbitrarily? Can MUIS be transparent showing us its inventory over the years?

To date, no one knows who is the Chairman of MUIS upon the expiration of Datuk Abbas Ali’s tenancy? While the Trustees has ceased to exist since November last year. How does the system work? Is it not a matter of urgency?

In another, what actually is the position of Baitul Mal in MUIS?

A Baitul Mal is an equivalent to national treasury, which every Muslim contributes-pays tax known as zakat fitrah used to fund the state and support the poor

By the constitution of MUIS Baitul Mal is under the jurisdiction and purview of MUIS but according to one officer of MUIS I knew, all he can tell me is that Baitul Mal operates separately; wonder if this doesn’t contravene the law?

When come to distributing the ‘zakat fitrah’ which means to be given to the poor its the politicians who decide according to the insiders. Far too much politic inside, that perhaps reflective of is achievements so far.

That zakat money should be open to public scrutiny.

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