There has been a lot of emotional reactions from CUEPACS and PERKASA about my statement regarding the oversized civil service. Perhaps the sensitivity is due to the fact that the civil service is mainly Malay and Malay dependence on the civil service for employment is very high. The right sizing through voluntary separation scheme is much needed. There are ways of doing it in a humane and caring manner. First, the government can start with retraining of redundant employees by

Interculturalist Dr Asma Abdullah calls for more focus from talking about unity to looking for ways to increase interaction among our young people GRADUATE students at the Putra Business School are asked to play a card game highlighting 16 cultural dimensions, when they take a cross-cultural management course from Dr Asma Abdullah. The real purpose of the colourful game is to help them understand the hidden dimensions of culture which affect them and their worldview. Just as

KLANG, Feb 25 — Malaysia should look at improving its Islamic education instead of wanting to impose harsher punishments for Muslims, an Islamic women’s rights group said today. Sisters in Islam (SIS) executive director Rozana Isa explained that despite the reasoning given behind the private member’s Bill to reduce crime, the lack of Islamic education was a bigger factor contributing to notorious activities. “They are bringing all this punishment but Islamic education is not

Seperti lazim, sejurus selepas sesuatu perhimpunan besar, ramalan jumlah peserta menjadi tajuk hangat media. Begitu juga hal untuk perhimpunan RUU 355 tempoh hari yang diadakan di Padang Merbok, Kuala Lumpur. Polis Kuala Lumpur melaporkan jumlah kehadiran senagai 20,000 orang sementara portal Malaysiakini kata 50,000. Utusan Malaysia sebut 15,000 sementara Harakah rekodkan 100,000. Paling menarik, pengerusi perhimpunan iystihar 300,000 peserta. Setahu penulis, mengikut DBKL,

It is not whether the shariah should be reintroduced or reinforced as statutory law, but rather how can medieval Islamic jurisprudence be adapted to meet the needs of justice in modern societies. The two leading Malay-Muslim political parties, PAS and Umno have been competing to be the greater defender of Islam since the early eighties – a necessary stratagem in bolstering the credibility of their Islamic credentials in the eyes of the Malay electorate. Due to the multi-relig

RUU 355 Langgar Syariah Dakwa Bekas Pakar JAKIM. Seorang pakar syariah yang pernah berkhidmat sebagai penyemak penerbitan Islam dan penulis fatwa Jabatan Kemajuan Islam Malaysia (Jakim) mempertikaikan cadangan PAS mengenakan hukuman lebih berat ke atas pesalah syariah, menyifatkan ia “produk politik” untuk meraih sokongan umat Islam. Nurul Haq Shahrir, kini sebahagian panel Transformasi Undang-Undang Islam di bawah Majlis Dakwah Negara, menepis dakwaan kononnya cadangan pinda