The EC must serve the interest of Malaysians of all races, certainly not politicians as they come and go.

IT’S a good way out with the Barisan Nasional setting up a panel to assess and consolidate different views among the ruling coalition on the Election Commission’s proposed redelineation of electoral constituencies.

The objection from the MCA, MIC and Gerakan against the proposal is clear but Umno has also put on record that it is not happy with the proposed changes.

The proposal, had it been allowed to be implemented in the planned form, would have turned the clock back for Malaysia.

The last time Malaysia had a redelineation exercise was in 2002 after the 1999 general election which saw Umno politicians holding on to their seats because of the decisive Chinese votes.

In that elections, the old electoral logic of Malay voters in rural constituencies faithfully supporting Umno, was rudely chucked out.

If not for the Chinese votes, which many Umno politicians openly acknowledged, it would have been a disastrous outing for the Barisan, particularly Umno.

The Malay electorate, angry with Umno over the sacking of Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim from the party and his subsequent imprisonment, sent out its message loudly – via the ballots.

The effect was that in 2002, the ruling coalition, realising the danger of depending entirely on Malay voters, decided that the system needed a re-think.

So, it decided to reduce markedly the Malay bias of the electoral system and address the overall imbalance in the size of the constituency.

The 2002 exercise represented a “correction” of an increasing imbalance between patterns of the government’s electoral support and constituency delineations as researcher Graham Brown of the Centre for Research on Inequality, Human Security and Ethnicity (CRISE), Queen Elizabeth House Department for International Development, University of Oxford, wrote in his paper on Malaysia’s electoral system and ethnic voting.

He described it as the “most extensive electoral engineering for two decades”.

Brown’s research showed that between 1999 and 2004, all three main ethnic groups moved significantly towards equal representation.

“The Malay community lost a quarter of its over-representation, dropping to 5.3 %; the other communities reduced their under-representation correspondingly.

“In understanding the implications of this shift, two opposite factors are worth noting. Firstly, while constituency delineation has historically favoured rural, largely Malay constituencies, the Barisan has increasingly performed best in ethnically-mixed seats, most of which are urban.

“Secondly, in the 1999 general election, a drop in support of the Barisan regime was particularly evident among the Malay community.”

Fast forward to 2016 – if the EC is to have its way, it will be a return to a system that is Malay-biased.

What was passed in 2002 with greater emphasis to mixed ethnic constituencies will be replaced by the return of increasing Malay predominant constituencies.

To put it simply – it is a crude method of dumping racially-balanced constituencies to one that favours only the Malay electorate, in urban and rural areas.

In the peninsula, this will be a blow to non-Malay parties like the MCA, MIC and Gerakan, which could possibly find themselves elbowed out, with Umno possibly arguing that it should be the one contesting in these Malay majority areas. Rightly or wrongly, long-time partners of Umno – the MCA and MIC – could find themselves becoming footnotes in Malaysia’s political history, if the proposed redelineation is allowed to proceed.

To be fair, gerrymandering exercise is an acceptable democratic method, which is done in a way as to benefit the party in power.

Gerrymander, originally written as Gerry-mander, was used for the first time in the Boston Gazette on March 25, 1812. The word was created in reaction to a redrawing of Massachusetts state senate election districts under Governor Elbridge Gerry (1744-1814). In 1812, Governor Gerry signed a bill that redistricted Massachusetts to benefit his party, according to a report.

But if one were to look at the existing 222 parliamentary seats, it is already heavily in favour of the Malays and bumiputeras, with heavy rural weightage.

Of the 222 parliamentary seats, only 29 have more than 50% majority of Chinese voters and these were all won by the DAP in the 2013 general election. Some other mixed seats also benefitted PKR.

To put it bluntly, despite the huge number of Chinese voters returning from abroad to vote for the DAP in 2013, the reality is this – the system makes it impossible to overthrow the Barisan, in particular, Umno.

It is sheer wishful thinking, if not fantasy, for Chinese voters, to think they can overthrow the regime by just voting the DAP or any opposition coalition.

To make it worse, Chinese voters in Pahang, Kelantan and Terengganu voted for PAS – a move that has triggered great mistrust and unhappiness among Umno politicians until this day.

While many Umno politicians accepted the Chinese votes for DAP or even PKR, they could not fathom why the community voted for PAS, which has said in no uncertain terms that it wants to set up an Islamic state and implement Syariah laws.

As expected, today, PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang is persistent in pushing through his Syariah bill – along with his fellow PAS MPs – which many Chinese voters had ushered into Parliament in the 2013 elections.

But the miscalculation, if not damage, has been done. The MCA lost many of its representatives and this, for sure, has affected its clout in Cabinet.

In short, Umno does not think it can depend on Chinese votes in the next general election – expected to be held in mid-2017. The perception is that the anti-establishment sentiments among the Chinese has not changed.

But the 2016 proposed redelineation has serious implications – with the Chinese population shrinking to 20%, its relevance could diminish even sooner if the push for Malay-predominant constituencies increases.

In 2011, the national census revealed that Malaysia’s population doubled in size from 13.7 million in 1980 to 28.3 million in 2010 with 32 million now.

Bumiputeras numbered 17.5 million, or 67.4% of the population, while Chinese made up 24.6% at 6.4 million, Indians 7.3% at 1.9 million while “others” made up 0.7% of the population at 200,000.

Foreigners made up 8.2% at 2.3 million – much more than the Indians. That was in 2011 but updated figures in 2016 has suggested that the unofficial figure could go as high as seven million against the official estimates of three million. At seven million – that is 22.1% of the 32 million population.

Going by current trends, the projection is that the number of non-Malays will continue to drop further with some saying that by 2050, there could be 80% bumiputeras in Malaysia and just 15% Chinese and about 5% Indians.

In 2014, 75.5 % from the total of live births were bumiputeras, followed by Chinese (14 %), Others (6 %) and Indians (4.5 %).

Based on calculations, the Chinese’s birth rate of 1.4 babies per family in 2015 from 7.4 in 1957 means that their position in Malaysia will fall from 24.6 % in 2010, 21.4% in 2015 to 18.4 % or less in 2040, according to a report.

The reality is that the Malay majority constituencies will increase. Even in the present scenario, 138 out of 184 seats in the peninsula had an increase in the percentage of Malay voters between the 2013 and 2008 elections, transforming previously Chinese-majority seats — Serdang, Rasah, Kluang and Taiping — to mixed seats, according to a research.

But no Malay-based parties, especially Umno, should take for granted that Malay votes would stay with Umno as it may become increasingly irrelevant due to Malay urbanisation and shifting ethnic voting patterns. Having more Malay majority seats should never be regarded as a safety net.

Umno may be swayed by its increase in Malay support in five states: Kedah, Kelantan, Penang, Perak, and Kuala Lumpur in the Federal Territories in 2013 although it lost support in Terengganu, Johor and Malacca.

One research showed that Putrajaya in the Federal Territories saw 100% of its Malay voters leaning towards Barisan in the 2013 polls, after its total voters doubled from 6,608 to 15,791, with 46% of them transferred in from other states.

Politweet, a research group, noted that 59% of Malay voters in the peninsula leaned towards Barisan in 2013, a slight increase from 57% in the 12th general election.

But support from the Malay youth for Barisan, however, reportedly dropped from 57% in the 12th general election to 54% in the last election.

The increasing number of Malay-majority parties, beside PAS and PKR, such as Parti Amanah Negara and Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM) have entered the fray, all aiming at the mass Malay votes.

In a multi-corner fight, it will be the non-Malay votes that will decide and the experiences of the Sungai Besar and Kuala Kangsar by-elections and the Sarawak state elections have shown that Chinese voters will return to Barisan.

If the purported 300,000 members of Perkasa headed by Datuk Ibrahim Ali and supported by Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, joins Parti Pribumi as speculated, the Chinese voters will revolt against any opposition front.

The Chinese electorate understands its minority status, and it realistically accepts Malay leadership – which is opposed to Malay supremacy, which smacks of racist, if not, feudalistic tendency, in modern Malaysia.

The EC’s proposal is to alter the boundaries of 128 of the 222 parliament seats – thus it does not need to get a two-thirds majority approval in Parliament.

Divisive politics, especially race and religious, has already damaged Malaysia in recent years. We don’t need the EC to make it worse.

If we allow the EC to push through this, we will be stuck with it until 2024, by which time the damage to race relations will be beyond repair. It is a point of no return, to put it bluntly.

Let’s do the right thing – be rational and sensible for Malaysia. Having more mixed ethnic constituencies will help Malaysia in the long term as a candidate contesting in such areas, will deter from playing the race and religion cards.

The EC must serve the interest of Malaysians of all races and it must not give rise to speculations that it wants to serve the interests of political parties and surely not politicians, as they come and go.

THERE was a time when to brand a fellow Malaysian as a communist would mean a kiss of death. There were some Malay politicians and journalists who were given this label, and it ruined their political career and probably their lives.

The late Samad Ismail, a veteran journalist, was detained without trial under the Internal Security Act, together with Tan Sri Abdullah Ahmad, allegedly, without proof, to be either ‘communists’ or ‘communist sympathisers’.

The late Abdullah Ahmad, former political secretary of Tun Razak, was then said to be “very close to the Soviet Union”.

They had to confess for their purported crimes over RTM in a manner that Pyongyang would be proud of even to this day.

Later on, in the early 1980s, Sidiq Ghouse, a political secretary of Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad was also detained under the ISA for allegedly being ‘a Soviet spy’.

To many political observers, they were victims of a political play, with the late Tun Muhammad Ghazali Shafie, whom, to many, was a ruthless Home Minister, being the one to blame.

Fast forward to 2016. Communism is as good as dead. China is only a communist state by name as it is more capitalist than many countries which advocate free trade.

Communism icons like Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels remain mere dead philosophers, who got their theories awfully wrong, as they didn’t see the emergence of the middle class.

They wrongly believed the world was divided between the “exploitative capitalists and the oppressed working class.”

Mao Zedong also could not imagine that human beings, by nature, wanted to be recognised, rewarded and praised, and that collective rewards did not promote initiative and only helped the lazy ones.

Like most political science students in the 1980s, I was required to study communism but I cannot imagine why anyone would want to learn or teach this totally irrelevant subject today. Maybe in the history department.

This was the pre-Internet age and the “Communist Manifesto” was kept under lock and key in the university library.

The curious young mind of mine wanted to read it badly, like the lure of all forbidden fruits, but only to find it was the ideal cure for insomnia after just a few chapters.

Fast forward – the present relevant subjects revolve around religious radicalism, especially politics and in particular, the Islamic State. Nobody cares about communism as they belong to a long lost era. Even al-Qaeda is regarded as irrele­vant now.

So in the year 2016, it was mind boggling, if not laughable, when a newspaper accused communists of being involved in the Bersih 2.0 rally in November, alleging links between the organisers, Filipino armed terrorists and an American pro-democracy NGO.

Again, no evidence is needed. Malaysian politicians and the public, after all, like conspiracy theories, rumours and they see shadows everywhere.

The Jews and Christians are often blamed for many things, and it doesn’t help that many Malaysians cannot differentiate between Zionist Jews and secular Jews, or Protestants and Catholics.

Anyone circulating copies of the printed Bible in Bahasa Malaysia run the risk of setting off a riot but in the same breath, anyone can just download the same Bible, with a click of the mouse. That’s the irony.

Among Muslims, to be labelled murtad or person born to a Muslim parent, who later rejects Islam and a person who converted to Islam and later rejects the religion, is a very serious and sensitive matter.

In Malaysia, non-Muslims have often being called kafir – an Arabic term for an unbeliever or disbeliever. Umno members used to be called that term in the 1980s and 1990s, until now, with the new political understanding between PAS and Umno.

Suddenly, Ummo leaders are no longer kafir. In fact, just before the 2013 general election, DAP leaders were also suddenly not kafir. It depends entirely on the whims and fancies of PAS.

That is why PAS is not an Islamic party but an Islamist party which interprets religious laws and practices according to the belief of its politician leaders.

And now, non-Malays are learning another term – dhimm – which is a historical term referring to non-Muslim citizens of an Islamic state, which is the ultimate goal of PAS.

It seems that the most dangerous political label to be associated with in Malaysia now is LGBT – lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender.

It has to be discussed in hushed tones. We are supposed to pretend that these people do not exist in conservative Malaysia.

They are supposed to only exist in “immoral, hedonistic and decaying western countries” – and anyone with non-conformist preferences must be shunned and punished.

There are not many Siti Kasim, the fiery orange-haired lawyer, who dared to stop moral guardians from stopping a private function, claiming that it was a beauty pageant. The intruders obviously couldn’t tell the difference between a show and a beauty contest.

Not many dare to lecture our moral policemen that compassion, tolerance and understanding are more important values than humiliating, embarrassing and intimating fellow human beings. LGBT is almost regarded as hysterical in Malaysia.

And of course, the latest undesirables are liberals and secular. Malaysians who uphold these principles are treated with contempt now, especially Muslims who dare to declare themselves as such. The advice from the Government is this – you can be “slightly liberal but not overly liberal.”

Even a few Cabinet ministers, who want to play the religious card, are openly offended by the stand taken by liberals. At the rate we are going, we hope Malaysians do not have to become closet liberals.

Not to forget, the remark of Pahang mufti Datuk Seri Dr Abdul Rahman Osman that non-Muslims who disagreed with PAS’ Private Member’s Bill on Syariah court amendments were classified as kafir harbi (those at war with Islam). He later clarified that he never called on Muslims in Malaysia to go to war with those who opposed Islam.

The rise of supremacist non-govern­mental organisations, mostly with questionable membership, which accuse others who do not share their mono-ethnic and mono-religious stand, as anti-Islam, anti-Malay and anti-monarchy, is most disturbing.

These individuals and groups intentionally appear irrational, racist and worse, the perception is that they appear to be “untouchable”.

As the Group of 25 rightly puts it, “these developments undermine Malaysia’s commitment to democratic principles and rule of law, breed intolerance and bigotry, and have heightened anxieties over national peace and stability.”

It makes some of us wonder if some of these political-religious figures are aware that the Rukun Negara is still in existence.

I have learned by heart the five principles – belief in God, loyalty to King and country, upholding the Constitution, rule of law and good behaviour and morality.

There are also the objectives of the Rukun Negara – to achieve a greater unity of all her peoples, maintain a democratic way of life, create a just society where the nation’s wealth shall be equitably shared, to ensuring a liberal approach to her rich and diverse cultural traditions and building a progressive society which shall be oriented to modern science and technology.

The key words are democratic, just, liberal, progressive and diverse cultural traditions – that’s the value and vision that Malaysia has all along.

We don’t have to listen nor oblige the religious and racial bigots, who want to impose their mono-ethnic and mono-religious agenda on us, and to violate these values.

We have just celebrated Malaysia Day but let us not forget the lyrics of the patriotic song, Malaysia Berjaya, which was first played in the 1960s after the Confrontation era with Indonesia (see box below).

We celebrated 53 years of nationhood on Friday and we are reminded that there are still those who seek to tear this nation apart with their divisive moves. We must be careful that their tactics do not take root.

For us to progress as a nation, we must share in a single purpose.

And we cannot allow, in particular, religious and racial disruptions to derail our country’s economic growth in these challenging times. Yes, Malaysia Berjaya, because we are in one accord to succeed. Our diversity is our strength.

Together, let us build bridges that unite, not walls that divide.

Statue in question: A religious figure recently suggested that Langkawi’s iconic eagle sculpture should be demolished because he claimed it was forbidden in Islam.

Sadly, Malaysians are now dealing with whether to shake hands or wish each other because we are no longer sure if it is okay. If these are not checked, we will surely lose our ‘moderate’ tag.

IT’S the kind of stuff that Malaysians read about happening in Afghanistan, Pakistan and in some Islamic State-controlled areas in the Middle East.

No one would ever have imagined that our religious leaders would call for statues, which are meant to be merely symbolic and perhaps for beautification purposes, to be demolished.

And many of us shudder at the thought that these religious personalities have become so powerful that even a mere proposal or a remark – not even an edict – is seen as being sufficient for the act to be carried out.

Our politicians, the ones we elected and whose authority we provided, are now seemingly mute, lacking the courage and power to bring some sense to these religious personalities, who are pushing their boundaries, more than ever before.

We expect our leaders to make rules that govern how we live our lives. For sure, this is not a task for the non-elected political-religious figures. The perception given now is that some of these political-religious figures, including those in Perak, are competing for puritanical notoriety.

Well, as we celebrate Malaysia Day this Friday, many of us have reasons to be worried about the rate religious and racial bigotry is taking root in Malaysia.

In 2001, the Taliban blew up the giant Buddha statues at Bamiyan in Afghanistan to the horror of the world.

Never mind if these statues were no longer used for worship and were more of a historic legacy but it was sufficient for these Taliban extremists to find these statues offensive with the same warped rationale used before destroying these structures.

And we always believed such religious idiosyncrasies in Malaysia would only be confined to states like Kelantan and Terengganu where PAS is strong.

After all, when PAS came to power in Terengganu in 1999, the first thing the then mentri besar Datuk Seri Hadi Awang did was to demolish a replica of a turtle at a roundabout in Kuala Terengganu, using the same reason that it was similar to idol worshipping.

One year later, Terengganu PAS state executive councillor Wan Hassan Mohd Ramli vowed to tear down every sculpture in the state, including those of prawns and squids in the fishing district of Marang, where Hadi holds the rein.

Again, no one in Terengganu, whether Muslims or non-Muslims, were known to have worshipped any of these sculptures of prawns or squids.

In Kelantan, the PAS state government destroyed the replica of a deer at the Tuan Padang roundabout in Kota Baru immediately after it came to power in 1990.

It also changed the name of the famous Pantai Cinta Berahi (Beach of Passionate Love) to Pantai Cahaya Bulan (Moonlight Beach).

But the religious push is no longer just confined to states controlled by PAS as officials in government departments attempt to push their narrow interpretation of religion in all states.

For example, they imposed dress codes which included ordering security guards or Rela officers to stop women, including non-Muslims, who wear skirts which they deemed as too short, from entering government offices.

If it wasn’t for the loud protests, we would have to live by the rules set up by these Little Talibans in the civil service.

Recently, two signboards forbidding couples from sitting close together placed at a popular park in Taman Jubli had to be covered up following protests from the public.

Workers from the Sungai Petani Municipal Council (MPSPK) used black plastic sheets to cover up the signboards.

The MPSPK expressed surprise at the strong reaction of the public.

That is basically the problem. No one told them that it is not the business of the council to be moral guardians. We are sure the council has got enough public problems to deal with.

MPSPK councillors, Ko Hung Weng, who is Sungai Petani MCA division secretary, and Tan Kok Seong, the Merbok Gerakan division chairman, reportedly watched as council workers taped up the two signboards with the sheets.

Not many of us want to talk about it but the reality in Malaysia now is that many of us do not quite know whether to shake the hands of Muslim women or not, for fear of feeling awkward if one were to be rejected. It is the same for non-Muslim women: many do not know if it is okay to offer a handshake to Muslim men.

My Muslim friends assured me that I should not worry too much as they too face the same predicament. Well, at least the Sultan of Johor has openly talked about some females who refused to shake his hand.

Another Sultan, who is the chancellor of a local university, lamented to me that some female graduates refused to shake his hand during convocation.

We can shrug off these little signs and practices that have surfaced, and pretend they are not a sign of creeping religious radicalism. But the reality is that they could one day become entrenched in Malaysia because our leaders are too weak to stop the trend or they prefer to close an eye because they need the votes.

Malaysia is at the crossroads. Our focus has turned upside down with Malaysians having to deal with issues like whether we can greet one another on festive occasions or to celebrate certain festivals, which we never had to think about previously.

And suddenly words like liberal, progressive and democrat have become politically incorrect, just because some people say so, which is incredulous really. And sadly, they include some personalities in authority.

If these extremists are not checked, Malaysia will lose its identity as an open and moderate country, no matter how much we claim ourselves to be to the world.

As the country celebrates its National Day and Malaysia Day, where the message is unity, some ‘lost’ individuals are going about their narrow-minded ways.

CONTROVERSIAL academician Ridhuan Tee Abdullah needs to see a psychologist or maybe even a psychiatrist. He seriously needs help.

He has a serious identity problem, that’s for sure.

Like I have said in previous articles about him, many Malay­sians are irritated by his rantings, especially those that take a racist slant.

I also feel very sorry for him because he just tries too hard to shed his real ethnic background when he makes such remarks.

You can change your religion, the language you speak and the way you dress but the reality is that you cannot change your ethnicity, no matter how hard you try. Ridhuan will be Tee Chuan Seng forever.

But of course, Ridhuan will argue and lecture us that the Federal Constitution states that a Malay is someone who professes the religion of Islam, habitually speaks Bahasa Malaysia and conforms to Malay customs.

It is interesting that we have recently been enlightened by the fact that the status of a Muslim convert’s right to be deemed a Malay simply on these conditions is still an area that has to be clarified.

According to an article written by lawyers Rosli Dahlan and Mohammad Afif Daud in the book Breaking the Silence: Voices of Moderation, which was launched at the G25 forum “Islam in a Consti­tutional Democracy” recently, the confusion between the constitutional definition and understanding of the word Malay is because it is used in many contexts.

But what is clear through Ridhuan’s writings is that he is emboldened in his rants against non-Malays because he wants to project himself as a fervent defender of Malay rights as well, the way he defines them. He also uses this argument to question the “loyalty status” of fellow Malay­sians.

Which is probably why he spends his time calling the Chinese community by many names, including his all-time favourite term – the “ultra kiasu” or one with a grasping selfish attitude.

In another of his warped articles in a Bahasa Malaysia daily, Ridhuan, who also passes himself off as a religious teacher on RTM, said: “Ultra kiasu athletes are more involved in individual sports rather than those which require teamwork.”

He reasoned that this is because individual events draw more attention and money compared with team events.

He claimed that for these athletes, “patriotism is merely lip service and not something kept close to heart”.

Ridhuan wrote that sports had become a business and also a means to gain popularity. He said that it is now only for show and no longer for patriotism.

He added that ultra kiasu (mercenary) athletes compete for monetary rewards rather than for patriotic reasons and are thus driven towards individualistic sports, rather than sports which require teamwork.

His comments came after the end of the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics on Aug 21, where the Malaysian contingent delivered its best-ever Olympic performance ever – winning four silver medals and one bronze medal.

The silver medallists are Datuk Lee Chong Wei (badminton; men’s singles), Chan Peng Soon and Goh Liu Ying (badminton; mixed doubles), Pandelela Rinong and Cheong Jun Hoong (diving; women’s synchronised 10m platform), and Tan Wee Kiong and Goh V Shem (badminton; men’s doubles).

Azizulhasni Awang won Malay­sia’s sole bronze medal in the men’s keirin cycling event.

Ridhuan has written many stupid things in the past, but he has crossed the line this time. It is grossly unfair and irresponsible of him to run down our Olympic heroes who have sacrificed so much for Malaysia.

Ridhuan is a man who does not understand the meaning of decency. He should be ashamed of himself. If he is a man of religion, as he projects himself to be, he owes our Olympians and Malaysians an apology.

But we know that he is too proud and selfish, and in his own words, too ultra kiasu to make such a honourable gesture. It probably doesn’t exist in his vocabulary.

As a democratic country where diverse views must be accepted and tolerated, we should not provide a platform for extremists like Ridhuan to spew hatred and disunity. It’s like providing oxygen for his fanaticism.

We also need to make it clear that the remarks he made are offensive no matter what his ethnic identity may be or how he tries to hide it.

At a time when the nation is celebrating National Day and Malaysia Day, where the message is unity and togetherness, Ridhuan is doing exactly the opposite.

I also feel sorry for his like-minded friends in PAS who are playing moral guardians in Kelantan, going after non-Muslim shopkeepers who display posters of women models who do not wear a headscarf or cover their aurat.

In the past, non-Muslim women hairstylists have been fined by the Kota Baru Municipal Council for cutting the hair of customers of the opposite sex and of course, PAS will tell us that all the laws they are pushing do not affect non-Muslims.

Sure, we believe you, like how many people believed in the 2013 general election, with many non-Muslim supporters even going around carrying the party’s green flags.

Of course, how can we forget the gender segregation of check-out queues at supermarkets and in cinemas, where the lights must be switched on at all times.

Going by the puritanical arguments put forth by PAS, it would mean none of the party’s members would have watched the women’s athletics events on Astro during the Olympics.

With their tight-fitting sports gear, these athletes from all over the world would have driven those watching into an uncontrollable frenzy and perversion. The poor guys.

There would be no way that the party members could even watch the women playing beach volleyball or gymnastics or swimming.

Well, until now, the Kelantan PAS government cannot explain why the state still has the highest incidence of AIDS and drug addiction, for all its moral crusade against purported immorality, which seems to be the party’s obsession.

I guess if Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang becomes Prime Minister after the next general election, we won’t be able to watch these events on Astro – if they are not already banned by then – in the next Olympics in Tokyo.

And as he busies himself going around meeting leaders of Chinese guilds and associations, telling us why his proposed syariah Bill does not affect non-Muslims, he has not been able commit himself by stating in black and white that in his Bill, non-Muslims are exempted. Put it in, come on, talk is cheap.

But the biggest joke must be the reported statement of an obscure non-governmental organisation, Persatuan Mukabuku (Facebook Association, no kidding!), whose Penang secretary Muhsin Abdul Latheef was quoted as saying that the popular Zumba dance should be banned from being performed in public places in Penang – pointing out that the sport has been prohibited by the fatwa council of Sabah.

We know that come Malaysia Day, we like to talk about integration between the peninsula, Sabah and Sarawak, but surely this is not part of the deal.

Many of us are not even sure if this guy is serious or was misquoted, but he should be a stand-up comic.

Racial and religious politics have no place in Malaysia, but moderate Malaysians must be prepared to speak up against them.

Well done: Wong presenting a framed copy of The Star’s front-page showing Lee winning the silver in the badminton men’s singles final in the Rio Olympics.

Through his tough childhood and back-breaking training, Chong Wei has never lost sight of what matters most – self-discipline.

HE is truly an incredible man. And his journey is simply amazing. Badminton legend Datuk Lee Chong Wei is where he is today because of sheer determination and consistent discipline.

We watch his dazzling displays on the courts but are not aware of the long and strenuous hours he has to put in to be our Malaysian hero today.

He sleeps by 10 every night and is up by five. After he finishes his breakfast at seven, it is a whole day of non-stop regimented exercises.

This has been his pattern since he was 16 years old when he was admitted into the National Sports College in Kuala Lumpur.

At college, his day began at 5am and he was taken through various training programmes until 6.45am. After his shower and breakfast, normal school class would begin. Training would resume at 3pm and last until 6.30pm.

This is the man who not only has to lift weights and go through other forms of exercises, but often runs up and down the 272 steps of the Batu Caves temple to keep fit. For Lee, a run up and down is regarded as one set, not two.

The only day off for Lee, like for most ordinary Malaysians, is on Sunday when he spends time with his family. He is extremely careful with what he eats. He stays away completely from oily food and that is reflected on his body. There is almost not an ounce of fat, as we can see.

Tough has been the word he learnt from an early age, where he spent his childhood in Jelutong and Teluk Bahang before moving to Bukit Mertajam.

On Thursday, a group of Penangites, who live and work in Kuala Lumpur, hosted Lee to a dinner at a restaurant at the Bangsar Shopping Centre.

They were his hardcore fans, mostly businessmen, who wanted to pay tribute to this man who has shown them the meaning of patience, determination, perseverance and discipline.

It was just on Wednesday that Lee had arrived to a VVIP welcome, together with the other Rio Games medallists, at the KL International Airport where he was greeted by hundreds of fans after a gruelling journey.

The team had flown from Rio de Janeiro to Sao Paulo for a seven-hour wait before flying to Dubai on a 14-hour journey. There was more waiting time before the last leg of the flight home.

But the experienced traveller appeared fresh and well-rested when we had our fusion Japanese dinner. Naturally, when Penangites get together, much of the conversation was in Penang Hokkien and the subject of Penang food obviously cropped up.

As the evening progressed, we could see in Lee the qualities of a winner and it is something that even the Harvard Business School would not be able to teach.

Coming from a poor family, Lee spent most of his childhood days playing basketball, which was his favourite sport. But his mother and friends wanted him to play badminton instead, complaining of the many hours under the scorching sun if he had remained in basketball.

In his book Dare To Be A Champion, Lee recalled that his arrival into the family was difficult and that he was regarded as a burden to the family.

“Friends and relatives were concerned about us and they suggested mum and dad to consider giving me away,” he wrote. “But my mum disagreed and said she would never do that no matter how hard life was going to be.”

Drawing comparison to his mother, he wrote that “every time mum talked about it, I saw her persistence, her firm belief in family values and as a mother, her natural instinct to protect her own children. I think I bear some resemblance to my mum.

“The way I fight for things that I want, how I spare no effort to get them, and my perseverance. That’s exactly how my mum is.”

Recalling his early badminton days as a student champion, Lee said he did not start off well but he didn’t quit.

He was also regarded as too short and that is also obvious, even now, when he competes against his taller Chinese opponents. But that did not deter Lee.

In college, to prove himself and to catch up with his older mates, he decided to spend twice as much time practising to reach their level.

He would stay on to practise alone. Lee wrote, “even when my hands were blistered” and the “blisters turned into calluses”.

“My hands were sore but I bore with it, as I knew eventually I would reach the fruitful end.”

But while his badminton records are well recorded, many people should also understand how he keeps himself mentally prepared. This is especially important in the international arena where he has to make last-minute changes in strategy to catch the opponent off-guard.

Malaysian politicians are fond of using the term “world class” because they sound good and they want to be remembered for setting lofty targets, but we know most of the time the projects end miserably.

But Lee is surely world class and all that is possible because he has worked hard.

He added that “these records were the outcome of my perseverance in challenging my body and mind continuously to the limit.

“I can never loosen my self-discipline. It is how I have managed to set those records, by working hard, by training every day. Although sometimes I have failed, but inside my mind, I clearly understand that failure actually makes me stronger.

“Losing is winning. People claim that I fear my opponents. In fact, a winner always fears being defeated or to be overtaken. As long as we face our failure with a right mindset and attitude, we will still be on the right course to success,” he wrote.

If Lee has accumulated wealth for his many years of playing as a full time player, whether via sponsorship or prize earnings, he deserves it all.

For Lee, as we celebrate the National Day, he has been a true Malaysian champion. At a time when some politicians fail miserably in their duties, preferring to use race and religion to cling on desperately, he and his team-mates have brought Malaysians together.

He provides hope to Malaysians and has shown us that perseverance and hard work can make us world class, not mere rhetoric.

Thank you Datuk Lee Chong Wei! Respect!

We are certainly proud of our athletes, our Anak-Anak Malaysia who did what politicians could not do – unite Malaysians with their grit and determination.

DATUK Lee Chong Wei played his heart out but it was not enough to bring home the elusive gold medal for Malaysia.

After that pulsating win against Lin Dan in the semi-finals, Chong Wei had to settle for silver, losing to China’s Chen Long 18-21, 18-21.

But we are rejoicing. And we have every reason to.

The whole nation has practically come to a standstill with all the action going on in Rio de Janeiro in these past weeks.

Whether in the comfort of our living rooms or in the bustling environment of the neighbourhood mamak shops, we have stayed glued to the television sets to watch our Malaysian athletes perform in true Olympian spirit.

What this Rio Olympics has shown us is that our athletes in all the sports that they took part in have risen to the occasion. It is not just about badminton. We have the talent and the potential to do well in many other sports.

Our total haul of 4 silver and 1 bronze is a record. What is even more commendable are some of the heart-wrenching stories our athletes shared.

On our TV screens, we could see the Malaysians in Rio cheering these athletes on, waving the Jalur Gemilang and holding up banners proclaiming “Malaysia Boleh!”.

The athletes also knew that the whole nation was behind them. In the wee hours of the morning, we put aside our political differences. We forgot about our racial and religious backgrounds and we just cheered for our heroes, our Anak-Anak Malaysia.

It was a grand showcase to remind us that sports unites and our diversity is truly our strength. And, for a change, Malaysia was getting the attention of the world press, for all the right reasons.

Watching the badminton matches was heart-stopping for all of us. For most of us, including this writer, our blood pressure must have shot up, especially in those matches when our Malaysians were in action. Some of us might have been worried that we could end up in hospital but I was quite certain that ambulance drivers were too busy for me and were probably watching the game as well.

The badminton players brought Malaysians as truly One Malaysia and not Once Malaysians.

They did what our politicians could not do – unite Malaysians with their grit and determination. Malaysia Boleh was not just a political slogan, in their case.

Chong Wei’s victory over his nemesis Lin Dan in the semi-finals on Friday is a match that will go down in the annals of the sport’s history. I would say it was even more exciting than the final.

The men’s doubles final which followed was just as exciting. Goh V Sham and Tan Wee Kiong had to settle for a silver medal. It was so close but we must not forget that based on their current world ranking, they were not expected to get into the final in the first place.

We didn’t expect anything from them although they have had impressive records at the Commonwealth and Asia levels. But they surprised us all and captured the imagination of all Malaysians. What an incredible fight they put on against their more experienced and higher ranking opponents.

We were just a whisker away from the gold medal. The Malaysian pair put their heart and soul into the fight against fourth seeded Fu Haifeng and Zhang Nan from China.

The two Chinese had also won the gold medal in the London games four years ago, although not as a pair. Fu won the doubles with Cai Yun while Zhang won the mixed doubles title with Zhao Yunlei.

In short, while Goh and Tan are currently ranked 12th in the world, they are certainly newbies to the scene.

So, we need to be realistic although we did not hide our feelings that we wanted them to get that elusive gold medal so badly.

Goh and Tan are 27 years old and from now on, their remarkable rise will be under the watchful eyes of China and Indonesia. They have a good future ahead.

It’s the same with the mixed doubles team. Most of us are still celebrating the achievement of Goh Liu Ying and Chan Peng Soon who clinched the silver medal.

Overnight they have become household names. They are surely our heroes. Considering that most of us did not give them much thought in the first place, their appearance in the final is already an achievement in itself.

No, they did not let us down, as some news reports chose to report. No wonder many Malaysians were offended with the headlines. And what about the heart-wrenching posting by Liu Ying on Facebook?

“The moment I was standing on the podium and watching our (Malaysian) flag raised, tears were in my eyes. This kind of picture I have only been dreaming about, but dared not hope… there are too many competitors above us,” she wrote.

And we also learnt how she had to undergo knee surgery just two years ago. That she is able to play at such a competitive level so soon after speaks volumes of her tenacity.

However we may look at it, it has been an incredible experience for Malaysians. We salute our other Malaysian Olympians who got medals – cyclist Azizulhasni Awang got a bronze and divers Cheong Jun Hoong and Pandelela Rinong got a silver in the women’s 10m platform synchronised event.

Pandelela had her hopes on the individual 10m event but it was not to be. But we could see how hard she tried, despite emerging 11th in the final of 12 divers. And what is interesting is that team mate Nur Dhabitah Sabri came out 9th, showing that there is much potential for Malaysia in the diving scene.

Nur Dhabitah is only 17 and she captured our hearts with her beaming smiles after each dive.

It is a feat for anyone to get medals at the Olympics. This Rio Olympics has shown us that there can be hope in everyone selected to be part of the contingent. They are not there just to make up the numbers. They are there to be among the best in the world.

Chong Wei, in a live telecast after the match, said sorry to Malaysia, that although he tried his best, he could not bring home that elusive gold. He looked the saddest of us all.

Well, Chong Wei, you need not say sorry at all – for you have already done so much for us.

Ahead of National Day, we are certainly proud of our Anak-Anak Malaysia who have done us proud. We are mighty proud as Malaysians.

They have been truly inspirational to everyone in Malaysia and for all their sacrifices that they have made for their sports and for Malaysia, we surely want to say THANK YOU to them for bringing glory to our country.

Barisan will not call for an early general election unless it is sure of winning. The harsh reality is that it is the rural bumiputeras who will decide and not the ‘Wall Street Journal’.

THE word in Putrajaya these days is that the next general election will be held as early as next year although the term of the present administration will only end in May 2018.

All indications point to the possibility of an early poll and the order has been given to heads of the Barisan Nasional component parties to activate their campaign machinery soon.

One component party has already notified its chosen candidates to enable them to get down to work in the respective parliamentary constituencies and to work with the respective division heads to get operations started.

Last week, former Deputy Prime Minister Tun Musa Hitam predicted that the Barisan will hold the next general election “very soon,” saying this had to be done before Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s new party, Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia, gained a foothold.

But Musa was reportedly rebuked by Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar who said elections should not be called merely because a new party had been formed.

Instead, the government of the day should take into account every other factor, including its performance thus far, he was quoted as saying.

“The government must assess whether the ministries have completed their roles and tasks as we have various agenda to look into,” he said.

“So, let the Government do its job, complete its work, perform for the good of the nation and people. That is the most important matter the Government should look into, rather than worrying about snap polls.”

But I believe the most important factor that the Barisan should consider, if not the most important, is how it would perform if elections were called early.

It has to be sure it can win. The 1MDB issue has surely put the Barisan in a spot but the reality is that Umno, the main component party of Barisan led by Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, is still in a strong position.

Within Umno and Barisan Nasional, Najib continues to remain very much in control against the barrage of negative reports surrounding the 1MDB issue against him.

One must also understand the psyche and hearts of the Malay heartland to understand the voting behaviour.

The reality is that rural voters in the peninsula will determine who forms the government and not urbanites. Besides the rural Malay voters, Sabahans and Sarawakians will also play a crucial role in delivering the votes.

If national issues such as 1MDB and the economy are determinants in the urban seats, it is the opposite in rural seats where issues are more needs-based.

It is hard to tell a voter in rural Sarawak, who has to travel by boat and foot to a grocery shop to buy a bag of fertilisers and a tin of cooking oil, about the US Department of Justice. Such travels, sometimes, take a few days. In Sabah’s Banggi, near the tip of the Philippines, you will face the same difficulties. It is pointless talking about complex financial systems when all the voters want is piped water.

Urban voters will never be able to fathom the needs of these voters unless they have travelled deep into these constituencies.

There is no point scolding them for their purported lack of political knowledge because their concerns are entirely different. Unfortunately, these factors are not taken into consideration when discussions on elections are made.

You can see there is plenty of wishful thinking and assumptions, based on WhatsApp chats among common-minded friends, when they analyse the outcome of the next general election.

It is to the Barisan’s advantage to call for polls now because again, the reality is that the opposition is in disarray.

The entry of Dr Mahathir’s new party – Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia – has, in effect, even made the opposition market more crowded.

It remains to be seen whether Parti Pribumi can even be registered on time, and even if it is, it is hard to imagine how Parti Keadilan Rakyat president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail will support the idea of a grand coalition headed by Dr Mahathir, the person who put her husband in jail.

So far, Dr Wan Azizah has stayed away from meetings or press conferences called by Dr Mahathir, with the exception of those called by Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, who is leading the new party. Anwar, however, has asked Muhyiddin to get the party going.

Despite the criticism hurled at Parti Pribumi for keeping its membership to only Malays and bumiputeras, it also re-emphasises the point that Muhyiddin understands the country’s political pulse well – the kingmakers are the Malays.

It is determined to be another Umno party. The challenge is whether it can succeed when others before it have failed. Veteran Umno leader Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah’s Parti Semangat 46 died a natural death.

But the more difficult part will be to carve out the seat allocation – will PKR and Parti Amanah Negara, a splinter group of PAS, want to give up what they feel is theirs to Parti Pribumi? And of course, don’t forget that there is still PAS, whose organisation structure in the rural Malay areas is strong.

If the Opposition cannot get things right, we can expect to see many three or four-corner fights and this can only benefit the Barisan, in particular Umno.

Out of the 222 parliamentary seats, only about 30 are predominantly Chinese seats. So, even if planeloads of overseas Chinese were to return to vote, as in the 2013 general election, there is little the anti-establishment voters can do to overthrow the Government.

And unlike 2013 when Chinese voters threw their votes for PAS, this time around, they won’t do the same. PAS can forget about getting the Chinese votes and the appeal of Parti Pribumi remains to be seen.

It is here that the Chinese voters in Malay areas, if it is a two or three-way fight, can be the deciders. In the recent by-elections for the Kuala Kangsar and Kuala Selangor parliamentary seats, Chinese voters returned to the Barisan because the community is aghast with PAS and its hardline Islamist stand.

Although PKR has remained strong in the Klang Valley, especially Selangor, with Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali enjoying the support of urbanites, PKR’s base outside remains weak.

That was the fundamental reason PKR was reluctant to contest in a snap polls in Penang, so badly sought by Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng.

While the DAP is confident of making a sweep in Penang, its partner is worried that it may even lose some seats to Umno – a scenario openly shared by certain DAP leaders which irked PKR, resulting in a social media tiff. Worse, relations between DAP and PKR leaders in Penang are not exactly “BFF status”.

The absence of PAS in the opposition front has been glaring. When Bersih called for its series of protests around this time in 2015, the absence of the Malays, was obvious. Although several face-saving reasons were given, the bottom line was that it was predominantly Chinese and the PAS factor in refusing to galvanise the Malays was obvious. The irony is that the Chinese should not rejoice if the Malays in rural areas vote for PAS and kick Umno out in the next election.

As the saying goes, be careful with what you wish for, as having more PAS MPs, or even Amanah MPs, may just mean making Malaysia closer to being a puritanical Islamic state with strict religious laws.

In short, PKR is not able to mobilise the Malay protestors into the streets, unlike PAS in previous Bersih protests. If there is Bersih 5, the test will be on PKR, Amanah and Parti Pribumi – three Malay-based parties – to get the Malays into the streets.

If these opposition parties are able to do so, then Umno will have plenty of reasons to be worried and that would be a factor to consider.

In 2013, 108 out of 133 seats won by Barisan came from rural seats. A total of 72 out of 89 seats won by Pakatan Rakyat came from urban and semi-urban seats.

While it is true that Pakatan won every Chinese-majority seat, there are a little over 30 Chinese-majority seats in the country. That leaves at least 59 seats won with the support of voters of other races.

In Malay-majority areas, Pakatan won more seats than the Barisan in both semi-urban and urban categories. A Malay-majority seat cannot be seen as a guaranteed victory for the Barisan.

As one commentator wrote, the political urban-rural divide in Malaysia is clear. The Barisan represents rural majority and can still retain power with rural and semi-urban seats alone.

The 2013 election highlighted the Opposition’s weak areas which are rural seats, especially in the bumiputera Sabah and bumiputera Sarawak majority seats, the article said.

It is a no brainer. The Barisan will not call for an early general election unless it is sure of winning and it has to look at the existing windows of opportunities.

The harsh reality is that it is the rural Malays and bumiputeras who will decide and not the Wall Street Journal, as much as many angry urbanites would not want to hear it.

Malaysians have had enough of politics and religion being used to divide the country. Surely, the arts should and must remain a platform for keeping Malaysia and Malaysians together still.

IT’S totally absurd – to put it bluntly. It is a no-brainer that the best picture of the year has to be the Malaysian favourite OlaBola but we are now told that the movie has been disqualified because it is not entirely in Bahasa Malaysia.

This has taken place because organisers of the annual Film Festival Malaysia (FFM) have tied themselves up with inflexible rules.

The rule has always been there – the movie dialogue must always be 70% in Bahasa Malaysia – to be eligible for nominations and subsequently for awards.

The local film industry has been a mono ethnic one and no one thought that local movies, in Chinese or Tamil, would emerge, and in the case of OlaBola – a mix of Bahasa Malaysia, Chinese, Tamil and English, which is certainly Malaysian.

In short, Malaysia has changed but FFM hasn’t. Suddenly, a superb movie like OlaBola, emerged, winning accolades, breaking box office and getting the support of all races.

The FFM, stuck with its archaic rules and inability to adapt efficiently, has now found itself caught in a controversy and worse, accused of being racist which is a little harsh as the issue in contention is language. To be fair, non-Malay directors have won previously.

But the arguments put forth have been flimsy. Does it mean that if someone were to make a movie about the Tang Dynasty in China or geishas of Japan with a script fully in Bahasa Malaysia, the movie would be acceptable even though it has nothing to do with Malaysia?

A movie about Malaysia and Malaysians, produced and directed by Malaysians, and acted by Malaysians isn’t “Malaysian enough” because it has a mixture of languages and dialects spoken by Malaysians?

No one wants to say it straight but essentially, OlaBola may not be Malay enough. No one cares if it is Malaysian enough.

The Malaysian Film Producers Association (PFM) said the segregation of award categories in FFM is based on language, saying it was to uphold Bahasa Malaysia in local films.

According to a news report, FFM and PFM led by SKOP Production chief Datuk Yusof Haslam, made the decision due to the use of mixed languages in OlaBola and another movie, Jagat.

Director Chiu Keng Guan’s movie OlaBola, which is more well-known, was inspired by the multiracial Malaysian football team that qualified for the 1980 Moscow Olympics and it certainly stirred the hearts of most Malaysians.

According to press reports, within just 18 days of its release in cinemas nationwide as well as in Brunei, the football-themed movie made more than RM12mil.

Previously, the Astro Shaw-produced movie crossed the RM2.5mil mark in just four days before growing to RM8mil after 13 days of showing.

Jagat is about the plight of Malaysian Indians during the post-estate era, set in the early 1990s. The film directed by Shanjhey Kumar Perumal is about a mischievous 12-year-old boy named Appoy and his relationships with his father, Maniam, and uncle, who is a former drug addict and local gangster.

This film is said to be the first Tamil language Malaysian movie to screen in cinemas for eight weeks running although it did not make the kind of money as OlaBola did.

But here’s the real sad part. The movie was called a Malaysian movie at the New York Asian Film Festival, and in India, where it was sent for a Digital Cinema Package (DCP) process, it was classified as a Malaysian film.

And here, we learnt that these two films are not Malaysian enough and that these films have to be categorised according to language. Those behind the decision to change rules midway should just listen to how Malaysians speak in real life.

That’s how Malaysians speak, like the characters in OlaBola, and in the estates, where many of the Indians lived. And yes, they are Malaysians too. Yes, they speak Tamil. Surely, we wouldn’t expect them to speak in Bahasa Malaysia, which would have been unreal.

Last week, prominent banker Datuk Seri Nazir Razak openly supported the call by comedian Afdlin Shauki to boycott the FFM.

In a post on his Instagram account, the CIMB chairman questioned the language division for the Best Picture category in the national film awards ceremony and congratulated Afdlin Shauki for taking a stand.

“Respect. I was aghast to hear that my favourite, OlaBola, and others can’t compete for best Malaysian movie. Why the segregation?

“Change will only happen because individuals like Afdlin make a principled stand, well done!” he said, captioning an image of a news headline which read “Actor Afdlin Shauki boycotts Festival Filem over racial segregation”.

AirAsia Group CEO Tan Sri Tony Fernandes has joined in to support the move, saying the racial diversity portrayed in local movies like OlaBola and Jagat was a strength that shouldn’t be penalised.

“When will we realise our strength against the world is our diversity? Come on Malaysia. The world is changing,” he said in a comment on Nazir’s Instagram post.

There may be a perfectly logical and fair rationale for the rules being interpreted in this manner, but the explanation so far hasn’t been convincing.

The organisers may perhaps want to encourage non-Malay movie producers to enter the local film industry by creating more ca­tegories.

As in any contest, there are always other contenders, which included Munafik, a horror movie, directed by Syamsul Yusof, about Adam, a Muslim medical practitioner, who is unable to accept the fact that his wife is no longer in this world.

The movie is produced by Yusuf Haslam and has grossed RM19mil in the box office.

The movie is now competing in the Bahasa Malaysia best movie category – along with Mat Moto – Kami Mat Moto Bukan Mat Rempit and action-packed Polis Evo.

Director Saw Teong Him’s Jejak Warriors is said to be another front runner in this category. The movie is about a teenager, Wan Raja, whose father was a fanatical fan of the Kelantan football team and how he fulfilled his late dad’s dream to get the autographs of every player.

One should also point out that in Polis Evo and Jejak Warriors, the use of the Terengganu and Kelantanese dialects are so heavy that standard Bahasa Malaysia is almost non-existent.

The decision of the FFM, even with the best of intentions, is perhaps not well thought of, because arts, like sports, is about bridging people and surely not dividing and sub-dividing them into categories.

Malaysians have had enough of politics and religion being used to divide Malaysia, with unnecessary suspicions, and surely, the arts should and must remain a platform for keeping Malaysia and Malaysians together still. Of course, fair play, too.

I am reminded of the final scene in OlaBola when Soh Chin Aun, who played the role of the older Chow Kwok Keong (the character based on himself), was interviewed.

Asked how the team was so united, he said: “We speak diffe­rent languages, but we all sing the same song.”

Changed world: Sam (right) walking down Petaling Street with Rumah Petros house leader Martin Claude Balhetchet.

A lesson learnt from Sam, who was recently pardoned, was to never give up. For me, it was very emotional to know that his biggest campaigners were the prison wardens themselves.

IT is very rare indeed – probably unheard of – to have prison officials campaigning hard to seek the release of a prisoner but that was precisely what happened.

After years of failed appeals to the Pardons Board, Sam Kian Seng – Number 1000 2901 – who has been in jail for 28 years, walked out of Kajang Prison a free man at 2pm on Monday, July 25.

It was nothing short of a miracle and it reaffirmed my faith in God and the goodness of human beings.

It also refreshed my belief that no one should give up hope, even in the most difficult moments, and this man, Sam Kian Seng, is a living example.

Sam, who was arrested for armed robbery in 1988, was never sent to the gallows because he was not the principal offender. Charged with gun possession, he was found guilty and sentenced to natural life imprisonment and also given six strokes of the rotan.

This is different from a normal life sentence which carries a maximum of 30 years jail but in Sam’s time, a life sentence was 20 years. There is also a one-third remission for good behaviour.

Natural life imprisonment, however, meant that Sam, no matter how well behaved, was doomed to die behind prison walls. His only hope was to get a pardon.

His story has been an extraordinary one. Each time his appeal got rejected by the Pardons Board, it upset the wardens more than Sam himself.

After all, they said they watched over Sam daily and they knew him better than members of the Pardons Board.

The telephone call came to me one day in 2010 from a senior prison official whom I have known for a long time.

He said the media was their last hope and they chose me.

A prison visit to Kajang Prison was arranged and I came face to face with this total stranger who sought my help to get him pardoned.

The prison official showed me a thick dossier of appeal letters from politicians, lawyers, faith-based groups and prison officials – all supporting his case. Some of them have since passed away.

I was told how this long-serving prisoner was able to do what many prison wardens and counsellors could not do – he turned hardcore criminals into church mice, literally.

He counselled the inmates, led daily worship and conducted Bible classes in cells. He also provided information about non-governmental organisations like Malaysian Care and halfway houses to prisoners about to be released.

Every Sunday, more than 60 inmates, including former hardcore criminals, spent their time in worship under his leadership.

In a smattering of Cantonese and English, Sam spoke extensively to me of how he intended to carry on with his counselling work once he was released from jail.

I just let him speak, not interrupting at all, and when he finally stopped, I told him that I would try my best to help him.

I wasn’t even sure when and how I should start. I may know several Sultans, who would chair the Pardons Board in their respective states, but this case was carried out in Kuala Lumpur and that meant it came under the King. For sure, I do not know the King.

But I never forgot Sam. He made sure I didn’t either. He frequently sent out messages, via non-governmental organisations doing work in prison, to enquire about the progress I had made to secure his pardon!

Sam’s pardon by the King is a result of NGOs and individuals working patiently to seek his release and even if at some point some of us thought it would never happen, we knew we mustn’t give up because Sam has not given up on us.

The messages that suddenly cropped up from NGO workers were simply reminders that he was fighting on the inside there.

As many others worked, I finally sought the help of businessman Tan Sri Barry Goh and his assistant, Johan Abdullah, to convey the appeal personally to the King. I also revisited my encounter with Sam in this column on May 24, 2015 (“Hope Within the Prison Walls”) to get the attention of the palace.

We do not know if what we have done has been critical or pivotal, but it doesn’t really matter, and no one is out to claim credit, as what is important is that Sam left a mark on those who met him inside the Kajang Prison.

It has been very impactful, and even emotional, for me because among his biggest campaigners were the Muslim prison wardens, even though Sam’s work was primarily Christian. For these wardens, Sam was just a good man and that his choice of faith wasn’t an issue.

On Monday, when he walked out of Kajang prison at 2pm, the message was conveyed to me by Malaysian Care that Sam was finally out!

It was unbelievable! As the news spread, I called up the prison officials who had alerted me about Sam earlier, and the joy at the other end of the line was emphatic as they expressed their thanks to Allah.

They shared with me about another case – and how exhilarated they were when this person, too, was pardoned for a crime committed when he was a boy. As a minor, he was held “at the pleasure of His Majesty” with no fixed term and sometimes, they get forgotten.

All Sam wanted was his first plate of wantan mee on Monday evening. On Tuesday morning, he was still eating wantan mee.

He has bought himself some new clothes and he is learning to use a mobile phone. He kept calling me, wrongly, and kept apologising for that.

He is clearly eager to join in what most of the world is keen on now – starting with creating a Facebook account and discovering the wonders of social media.

His parents died when he was serving his time. He didn’t get to attend the funerals unlike some privileged politicians serving jail sentences.

At 59 years old, the bachelor is now busy catching up on lost time with his brothers and sisters. The news report in The Star on Wednesday was the top read item online and I got plenty of calls from reporters including an international TV station seeking to interview him.

Let Sam have his space. He has plenty to catch up with his family and adjusting to life in the new Malaysia.

There is one lesson for me from Sam which will remain etched in my mind forever – how not to give up hope and to remain steadfast in the belief in God, regardless of our religion.

I remember that interview with Sam and how he pressed his hand against the glass panel separating us to say goodbye, fervent in his belief that he would walk out of prison one day and continue his mission work outside.

When I asked him why he should be optimistic, he looked at me and said: “Sir, even the word hopeless begins with hope.”

Unnecessary controversy: Yuna has been criticised for sharing a friendly hug with Usher.

We need to stop any kind of religious-political culture from rearing its ugly head in Malaysia. We just need to be bold and say no.

IT’s unbelievable. A friendly hug, which is more sisterly and brotherly in nature, between Malaysian singer Yuna (pic) and Grammy award winner Usher can actually become a controversy.

There was nothing sensual about it but for some people, these holier-than-thou critics, it has become an almost punishable moral crime, but luckily they are only in the minority.

The majority of her fans, who are rational people, have chosen to support her via social media but it must have hurt the US-based Yuna badly.

For one, she wears a headgear and her body is mostly covered up, even though it is well-known that her American friends have often told her it is all right to drop her fashion taste, thinking she is under some form of religious pressure.

But that does not seem to be enough for some critics, who supposedly uphold religious principles, but could in the same breath fire away profanity and curses.

Last week, Yuna, through her Instagram account, wrote: “I’ll show my appreciation whether it’s a handshake, or a hug, to my friends, this is me.”

“They call me ‘perempuan sampah’ and tell me to ‘might as well go naked’. The worst, hurtful & sexist things I’ve ever had thrown to me, were from the lips of the Malays,” Yuna added.

The hugging incident happened spontaneously while they were singing their hit song, Crush, at The Roots Picnic 2016 in Philadelphia, USA, last month.

The video was posted on Instagram and Twitter by Yuna on June 5, and her act was immediately criticised by some bloggers.

Yuna has been reported as saying that “I have some Americans telling me to take my hijab off, and I tell them no. I have some Malays tell me to take my hijab off because ‘from wearing a turban might as well take off your hijab’, I tell them no too.”

Usher could have chosen anyone to duet with him. We are talking about a huge name who has partnered with the likes of Pharrell and Justin Bieber but he has given the privilege to Yuna, who may be a nine-time Anugerah Industri Muzik (AIM) winner, but isn’t exactly a household name in the United States.

The collaboration has given Yuna international fame and instead of cheering and being proud of our local brand, some of us are kicking her for the most ridiculous things.

What did we expect her to do? Push Usher away, who is simply not used to Muslim etiquette but was merely hugging her without any sinister intentions?

She has signed up with Fader Label and this means she has also started working with Pharrell, whom we all know for giving us monster hits like Happy and Blurred Lines with Robin Thicke.

Her critics clearly can’t see the forest for the trees. Can Malaysians be blamed if some of us are beginning to be concerned with the new kind of intolerant religious-political culture that is taking shape in our country?

Even His Royal Highness the Sultan of Johor, in an interview, has expressed his worry that many Malaysians are becoming more Arab than the Arabs, with some female Malaysians refusing to shake his hand.

Sultan Ibrahim Ibni Sultan Iskandar said in an interview: “If there are some of you who wish to be an Arab and practise Arab culture, and do not wish to follow our Malay customs and traditions, that is up to you. I also welcome you to live in Saudi Arabia.”

And of course, picking on entertainers didn’t end with Yuna. The Islamist party, PAS, threw a tantrum when it heard that Selena Gomez was putting up a concert in Shah Alam tomorrow.

The party, which was only momentarily moderate in the last general election, has gone back to its fanatical ways.

The wing’s dakwah committee chairman Hafez Sabri claimed that the American singer’s “sexy appearance” would tarnish the sanctity of the month of Syawal, which is when Muslims celebrate Hari Raya.

The state religious affairs executive council member Ahmad Yunus Hairi, who is from PAS, then ordered all mosques throughout the state to hold solat hajat (special prayers) to pray for the cancellation.

Obviously, Ahmad Yunus isn’t aware that although he may be the exco member in charge of religious affairs, it is the Selangor Islamic Religious Department (Jais) which carries more clout. Jais issued a statement late Friday to say it did not issue any notice or order for mosques to hold special prayers.

Its director Datuk Haris Kasim said any decision to cancel the show will be up to the local authorities, adding “as the people already know, the concert is set to take place on July 25.”

To top it all, the Raja Muda Selangor Tengku Amir Shah sent out a cheeky Instagram posting, on Friday night, which says “Welcome to my home town @selanagomez!” with a poster of the concert.

If PAS has its way, Malaysia will become another Taliban state. In Kelantan, its members are still dead against the revival of cinemas in that state.

Its youth wing has imposed conditions, such as gender segregation with the need to have the lights switched on while movies are going on.

So, if a husband takes his wife to the cinema, he would have to bring along their marriage certificate to prove they are married and we are not even sure if non-Muslims are exempted.

No wonder the Kelantanese prefer to just go to Golok and of course, bring back all kinds of diseases.

We need to bring back sanity and must be bold enough to stop this kind of religious-political culture, which is completely alien to Malaysia, but justified in the name of religion, as interpreted by PAS.