‘I want to touch a dog’ event a big hit with Muslims

KUALA LUMPUR (Malaysia): Siti Sakinah Meor Omar Baki has been afraid of dogs all her life. Not only that, she was told that touching dogs is not allowed in Islam. That was the mentality and teaching instilled in her by her conventional family.

But today, Siti Sakinah, along with her four children, turned up at Central Park in Bandar Utama, Selangor, to participate in the "I want to touch a dog" event to overcome her fear.

"It is also to show that touching a dog is not haram. People are worried about touching the dogs more as it’s a sin instead of worrying about the biggest sins," said Siti Sakinah, a former religious teacher who currently works with an NGO.

She said her husband, an ustaz, gave her the permission to attend today's event.

"I wanted to jump for joy when he said 'yes' and I told my children they had to go. And all of them came today with me to overcome their fear and to learn that dogs are also creatures created by Allah that need love and care," said Siti Sakinah, who touched and petted a few dogs at the event.

"I am still scared of big dogs so I am touching the small ones first," she said gleefully.

Siti Sakinah and her children were among the many families who turned up at the event which was attended by more than 1,000 people.

The organiser of the event, Syed Azmi Alhabshi, said he was satisfied with the turnout.

"We only expected 60 but this is way more than 60. This is overwhelming and I hope I provided enough water for the dogs and apologise for any shortcomings," he said. Syed Azmi, who was busy making sure everything was in order, also managed to touch not one but a few dogs for the first time in his life.

"I wanted to touch a husky but I was so busy," he said.

Animal lovers who had arrived at Central Park since morning walked around with their dogs of various breeds like husky, German Shepherd, Doberman, Golden Retriever and poodle.

Chidren were elated touching the animals. There were also some Muslims yelping when the dogs sniffed them.

"I am curious, that is why I am here. I touched a few. I never had a chance like this before. I grew up in Kota Baru and I study at the International Islamic University Malaysia. My parents don’t know that I am here but my friends are very supportive," said Nik Farhana Nik Othman, 22.

Nik Farhana was accompanied by a friend.

Another woman who wished to be known only as Munirah Mohamad, 35, said her relationship with dogs began three years ago when she rescued a dog abused by her neighbour.

"I didn't know what to do. I was scared so I let the dog into my porch. I called the vet to come and pick him up for treatment. And I scolded my neighbour for abusing the animal," said Munirah.

Since then, she said she had rescued more than 50 dogs. Most of them are strays which she fed and treated. Some would return to the streets after being treated while others were adopted.

At present, Munirah has two dogs as pets. Both are strays but she only took one to the event today.

"I found my dog, Sasa, on the street with a broken leg. I took her home and nursed her to health. My family doesn't appreciate what I am doing. They feel that I am wasting my energy and money but, to me, dogs are also like other animals that need care and love," said Munirah.

She said all the negativity that she had encountered had made her think of migrating.

"Sometimes I think I want to leave but if I stay, I get to save more dogs. So I haven't decided what to do."

She said the event today was a good way to educate Muslims to love and show compassion towards animals.

"Sometimes people like to experience things themselves rather than be told what to do. Now, I rather show than talk. They are not listening anyway," said Munirah.

The "I want to touch a dog" event was put together to make Malaysians more aware of the furry four-legged creatures and also to educate others on how to practise "sertu" (cleansing).

This is to help many overcome their fear of dogs and bring together Malaysians to promote tolerance and understanding that goes beyond culture, race or religion.

Also present at the event was Ustaz Mohd Iqbal Parjin who gave talks on the touching of dogs in Islam.

"Dogs are also god's creatures. We need to overcome the mentality of seeing the animal as an offensive creature. Teach the young to love others but at the same time know the limit of touching one," said Iqbal.

YUKO OBUCHI

YUKO OBUCHI

TOKYO (AP) — Japan's trade minister resigned Monday amid growing controversy over allegations that she misused campaign funds, though she did not admit to any wrongdoing.

Yuko Obuchi, daughter of a former prime minister, has been viewed as a possible contender for prime minister.

She said at a news conference that the investigation into the allegations would interfere with her duties as minister of economy, trade and industry. The duties include overseeing the cleanup and decommissioning of the wrecked Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant.

"I take seriously the impact I have caused," Obuchi said. "My heart is pained by this."

Obuchi's resignation is the first for the current administration of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and could dent his efforts to raise the profile of women both in politics and business.

The questions over Obuchi's use of election funds are the latest in a series of uproars over activities by some members of Abe's Cabinet. Obuchi is one of five women Abe appointed to Cabinet-level posts in a reshuffle last month that highlighted his commitment to promoting women to leadership positions.

"I apologize for not being able to make any contributions as a member of the Abe Cabinet in achieving key policy goals, including the economic recovery and a society where women shine," Obuchi said.

Abe's justice minister, Midori Matsushima, has been under fire for distributing hand-held fans, called "uchiwa," to supporters, also in possible violation of the Political Funds Control Law.

Since taking office in late 2012, Abe had managed until now not to lose any of his Cabinet members to scandal or other problems. The conservative Sankei newspaper ran a headline recently that read "Government's 'Resignation Dominos' Alert."

Grilled by opposition party members in parliament last week, Obuchi apologized for funding irregularities, though she said she had found no evidence of alleged personal use of campaign funds that were paid to a company run by a relative. Obuchi said neckties and handkerchiefs designed by her sister were used for political activities, as gifts and souvenirs.

All purchases using election funds, including for baby clothes, vegetables and other gifts, were for her political activities such as promoting her home prefecture, not her personal use, Obuchi said.

But discrepancies in the accounting for several years have raised a "major doubt," she said.

"This is my own fault and I will focus on investigating so that I can retain trust from my supporters as soon as possible," Obuchi said.

Indonesian officials ordered to pay for second wif

 AN Indonesian district has ordered male civil servants to pay $80 to marry a second wife to crack down on polygamy, officials said Wednesday, but activists criticised it as a "crazy" bid to profit from the practice.

Male officials in the world's most populous Muslim-majority country were already required to get written permission from their superiors if they wanted a second wife. Under Islamic law, men can have up to four wives.

But in East Lombok district, they will now also have to pay a one million rupiah fee to the local government under a new regulation introduced last month, officials said.

"The regulation was issued to make polygamy more difficult for those working in the civil service," said Kharul Rizal, head of the local parliament, which passed the law.

Male civil servants are required to pay the fee -- a large amount for the average Indonesian -- for each new marriage after their first.

Polygamy is technically legal in the country of 250 million people, but only when the husband registers his marriages and receives the consent of his other wives.

However the number of men having secret, second marriages has increased in recent years, leading to a jump in women divorcing polygamous husbands and sparking concern among officials.

Women's rights groups reacted angrily to the law, however, saying it may actually encourage polygamy as it amounted to official approval, and that the local government was seeking to profit from the practice.

"It's crazy polygamy has been turned into a source of government revenue," Baiq Zulhiatina, head of the local branch of the Women's Solidarity group, told AFP.

District head Mochamad Ali bin Dahlan, who pushed the idea, insisted the move would help the local community.

"If a man has to contribute one million rupiah, that's for residents here not for me. It's a donation towards the development of our people," he said.

Power was heavily decentralised across Indonesia from the capital Jakarta after the 1998 downfall of dictator Suharto, meaning local governments can now make their own laws in many areas.

PUNCA CARI MAKAN TERPUTUS

Mohd Khairy Abdullah

KENINGAU (Malaysia): Ia Cuma mengenai empangan air sawah, namun ia sangat bermakna kepada kira-kira 100 orang petani di Kg. Keningau yang mendakwa punca cari makan mereka terputus selepas empangan yang dibina sebulan lalu musnah akibat banjir.

   “Ini adalah ketiga kali musnah sejak Tahun 1960,” dedah Pengerusi JKKK Kg. Keningau, Tensu Guili 55 (gambar).

   Tiga tahun yang lepas empangan itu dinaik taraf dengan menggunakan struktur gabion, tetapi musnah selepas sungai Liawan banjir, menyaksikan penduduk tidak dapat bertani pada tahun itu.

   Katanya, pengurusan kampong telah memohon sejumlah peruntukan untuk tujuan membina empangan yang lebih kukuh, tetapi mereka dimaklumkan bahawa tidak terdapat bajet untuk tujuan tersebut.

   Walaupun tidak dapat bersawah selama tiga tahun jelas Guili, namun penduduk yang rata rata penyokong kuat kerajaan tidak berputus asa, sebaliknya berusaha secara gotong royong untuk membina empangan tradisional yang mereka namakan sebagai tinokop.

   Dengan menggunakan batang bamboo sebagai benteng, penduduk Berjaya membina sebuah ampangan untuk pengairan kepada kira-kira 200 ekar sawah di situ, namun hajat itu tidak kesampaian apabila sekali lagi musnah pada hujung minggu yang lalu.

   “Harapan kami untuk bersawah pada tahun ini sekali lagi musnah,” jelasnya kepada Borneo Digest.

   Mendakwa bahawa aliran sungai Liawan yang tidak menentu sejak kebelakangan ini, berpunca daripada ekologi alam sekitar yang tidak terkawal.

   Penerokaan yang tidak terancang, selain sikap dingin orang ramai terhadap pemuliharaan sungai, menjadi factor utama yang menyumbangkan kepada aliran banjir yang tidak dijangka.

   Katanya, nenek moyang mereka yang membina empangan tradisional itu pada tahun 1960, tidak pernah mengeluh mengenai kekurangan air untuk bekalan sawah, dan begitu juga dengan empangan mereka yang tidak pernah musnah sekalpun sungai itu banjir.

   “Sesuatu yang tidak masuk akal pada ketika ini bahawa sebuah empangan kukuh boleh dimusnahkan banjir, dan anda tentu tertanya-tanya kenapa mengenai ini,” katanya.

   Guili menerangkan bahawa beliau menyusun sepuluh jari untuk memohon maaf kepada kerajaan, kerana tujuan pemaparan berita ini bukan bertujuan untuk mendesak, tetapi berkata air sangat perlu untuk sawah penduduk.

   Jika masalah itu tidak selesai katanya, rakyat Kg. Keningau sangat tertekan dengan harga beras yang melambung tinggi, pada ketika kuasa beli mereka merundum disebabkan kegawatan ekonomi.

   “Sepastinya beras berlambak di luar sana, tetapi bukan semua yang mampu untuk membeli,” tambahnya dan berkata tahun ini adalah yang kempat penduduk kampong itu tidak bersawah.

   “Kesihani lah kami,” katanya. 

Neglect us and we will vote against you, Sabah BN rep tells Putrajaya

KUALA LUMPUR (Malaysia): ― A government lawmaker from Sabah has warned the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition that voters from the Eastern Malaysian state will not hesitate to vote differently if they continue to be neglected .

Kalabakan MP Datuk Seri Abdul Ghapur Salleh lamented that the federal government has continued to treat Sabah like a “step-child” even after the state chose to unite and form Malaysia 51 years ago, noting that most of its indigenous inhabitants remain poor despite claims of national  growth.

“51 years since we have gained independence but Sabah continues to be treated like a stepson. If the rural folks there hear of what I say I guarantee you they will vote against us,” Ghapur said while debating Budget 2015 in the Dewan Rakyat here.

The veteran Umno leader pointed out that development has been scarce in Sabah and official income statistics mask the reality that many indigenous people of the state live in abject poverty.

Pointing to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak's recent claim that his government has managed to slash hardcore poverty to 1.7 per cent nationwide, Ghapur said there is a disconnect between the official figures and on-the-ground reality.

“He said it is 1.7 per cent, we all know this is not the case. People there are still struggling to meet ends meet,” he said.

Ghapur also pointed to federal control of Sabah’s development and resources as evidence of Putrajaya’s unfair treatment of the state.

He noted that the state receives only 5 per cent of royalty in return for oil extracted from its territory, while development in Sabah is controlled by companies from the peninsular.

Ghapur said it was no surprise that a so-called secessionist movement was taking root in Sabah given the lopsided policies accorded to a state that helped BN retain power in the previous two general elections.

“Our people remain poor. Our oil royalty remains low and when there is development, like the upgrade of the pan-Borneo highway, it is given to Syed Mokhtar,” he said.

It was reported that UEM Group Bhd will be partnering MMC Corp Bhd, an engineering and construction group owned by tycoon Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar Albukhary, for the project.

Ghapur warned that Putrajaya cannot continue to ignore the frustration of Sabahans and urged for immediate action to address the grievances of its people to avoid a voter backlash in the upcoming national polls.

“Please listen. I am conveying the voice of Sabahans’ hearts. Put your ear to their chests and listen.”

Sabah and Sarawak came to BN’s salvation amid an opposition onslaught that saw the ruling coalition take one seat more than the Pakatan Rakyat pact in the peninsula during last year’s general election.

The results prompted Prime Minister and BN chairman Datuk Seri Najib Razak to appoint more Sabahan BN leaders into his Cabinet, but the move did not dispel grouses over lopsided treatment by Putrajaya.

Political observers have said the two east Malaysian states will be the key battleground that will decide if BN will continue to rule over Malaysia.

MANUSIA TERKAYA DI MALAYSIA - 2014

ROBERT KUOK

Kedudukan	Nama	Kekayaan (Billion)
1	Robert Kuok Hock Nien	54,480.00
2	T Ananda Krishnan	33,193.88
3	Tan Sri Teh Hong Piow	18,066.20
4	Tan Sri Quek Leng Chan	14,110.81
5	Tan Sri Lee Shin Cheng	13,115.37
6	Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar Albukhary	11,070.00
7	Tan Sri Lim Kok Thay	9,434.18
8	Puan Sri Lee Kim Hua	7,467.00
9	Datuk Mokhzani Mahathir	4,222.26
10	Tan Sri Azman Hashim	4,108.45
11	Tan Sri Tiong Hiew King	3,790.00
12	Ong Beng Sheng	3,530.00
13	Tan Sri Yeoh Tiong Lay	3,220.83
14	Tan Sri Lau Cho Kun	3,120.67
15	Tan Sri Shahril Shamsuddin	2,506.03
16	Datuk Shahriman Shamsuddin	2,468.65
17	Tan Sri Jeffrey Cheah Fook Ling	2,153.15
18	Datuk Lee Yeow Chor	2,033.81
19	Lee Yeow Seng	2,006.13
20	Tan Sri Vincent Tan	1,924.12

Sumber rujukan: Bernama dan Malaysian Business, majalah Perniagaan

ALIBABA FOUNDER

Fresh off the biggest IPO in history, Alibaba founder and chairman Jack Ma is now the richest person in China. Ma is now worth an estimated $25 billion, which includes his 7.8% stake in Alibaba and a nearly 50% stake in payment processing service Alipay.

   Ma is a true rags-to-riches story. He grew up poor in communist China, failed his college entrance exam twice, and was rejected from dozens of jobs, including one at KFC, before finding success with his third internet company, Alibaba. 

   Jack Ma (a.k.a. Ma Yun) was born on October 15, 1964, in Hangzhou, located in the southeastern part of China.

   He has an older brother and a younger sister. He and his siblings grew up at a time when communist China was increasingly isolated from the West, and his family didn’t have much money when they were young. 

    Source: 60 Minutes, USA Today   Ma was scrawny and often got into fights with classmates. “I was never afraid of opponents who were bigger than I,” he recalls in “Alibaba,” a book by Liu Shiying and Martha Avery. Still, Ma had hobbies just like any other kid.

   He liked collecting crickets and making them fight, and was able to distinguish the size and type of cricket just by the sound it made.Source: USA Today, Business Insider After then-US president Richard Nixon visited Hangzhou in 1972, Ma’s hometown became a tourist mecca. As a teenager, Ma started waking up early to visit the city’s main hotel, offering visitors tours of the city in exchange for English lessons.

BUDU

BUDU is a fish sauce and one of the best known fermented seafood products in Kelantan, Terengganu and southern Thailand. It is traditionally made by mixing anchovy and salt, and fermented for between 140 and 200 days. It is used as a flavouring and is normally eaten with fish, rice and raw vegetables.