Goings On In Johor

Goings On In Johor

Here is some news from Johor. I received the following comment from an anonymous emailerobviously from Johor :

1. Assalamualaikum Tuan,  If it is not too much to ask for, may I ask your opinion on something?  I am a court officer from Johor and I am very concerned on this particular issue. 

I believe it has come to the knowledge and attention of all Malaysians that starting January 2014, the weekend holidays of Johor will be on Friday and Saturday, instead of Saturday and Sunday.  However, the banks are allowed to remain their weekend holidays on Saturday and Sunday.  Hence, there is no bank that opens on Sunday.  

My greatest concern is, there will definitely be fresh charges in court on Sunday.  

This means the Court will have to grant bail on Sunday.  Once the accused person is granted the bail order, the accused will have to go to the bank and make a Fixed Deposit (FD) which is to be given to the Court and after that the accused can be released.  

I have asked a bank officer previously and he answered, "Nak buat macam mana, the accused kena duduk lokap sehari lah".  

Why does the accused have to be locked up?  He can bail himself out, but it is the bank that closes on Sunday.  I have talked to my superiors and they said the accused persons have to wait for the bank to open on Monday.  As a banker, what do you think of this situation, Tuan?  Thank you for your time.

My comments : I am sure thought and wisdom went into the decision to change the weekend in Johor to Friday and Saturday. These things would not be done lightly because as you rightly point out - an individual losing his freedom even for just one day is unacceptable. 

All rules are man made. Hence they can always be unmade by men. May I suggest you look at Kelantan and see what happens there. Or is that a bad suggestion? 

The Quran says, "Ma asabaka min hasanatin famina Allahi" (4:79) which means 'anything good that happens to you is from Allah.."

The normal weekend (Sat & Sun) works very well in the rest of the world. It works well for the Muslims too. Therefore in my view, from 4:79 above it must be Islamic. 

The second item is a news report from today's Star :

2. Johor Palace accepts ex-CEO's decision to return state awards

• former Johor Corp CEO Tan Sri Muhammad Ali Hashim to return the state awards.
• Muhammad Ali, who is Malaysian Islamic Chamber of Commerce president, returned the Setia Mahkota Johor, Darjah Paduka Mahkota Johor (DPMJ) and Darjah Datuk Seri Paduka Mahkota Johor (SPMJ).
• Muhammad Ali helmed JCorp – the state investment arm for 28 years 
• decision to return the awards came after he wrote a letter ..to offer his explanation on his article “Menuntut hak, menebus masa silam” published in Sinar Harian Dec 2.
• Muhammad Ali said he had no ulterior motive or intention to portray a negative imageof Sultan Ibrahim as claimed by Abdul Rahim.

My comments : This is that pantun "Menuntut hak, menebus masa silam" that Tan Sri Muhammad Ali included in his column which I have extracted from the Sinar Harian. It is still available all over the Internet. Interestingly the pantun is in Malay and English.

...this heart aches at your very thought,

it grows heavier as my memories taunt me,

I can hold back these tears no longer,

many years have passed and I am now a man,

yet I still yearn for you, and that old house on the hill.

rindu dalam hatiku seperti ombak yang memukul pantai,

tidak akan henti sehingga akhir zaman,

sehingga daku dapat kembali ke

tanah asal, jiwaku akan bergelora ingin

kembali, walaupun ke tujuh

lautan ku merantau, Tanjung Puteri

tetap akan di kalbu.

you are the eternal jewel of the south,

the cradle of our civilisation, the custodian of our people,

a sanctuary of hope, an abode of dignity,

they basked in the light of your imperial glory,

and trembled at the might of your warriors.

hari berganti hari tahun berganti tahun,

namun malamku masih menjadi medan air mata,

jangan berani kau persoal cintaku, takkan dapat kau bayang rinduku,

anggaplah pantun ini sebagai janji,

akan datang suatu masa yang akan ku kembali,

menuntut hak dan menebus masa silam.

their blood coarses through my veins, their prayers guide my heart,

this bloodline is an oath of duty, a life of service,

sultan yang adil adalah sultan yang wajar disembah,

sultan yang zalim adalah sultan yang wajib disanggah...

Tan Sri Muhammad Ali Hashim

Presiden, Dewan Perdagangan Islam Malaysia (DPIM)

Ok here is a slightly older news item. This one from July 5, 2012.

3.  Blogger arrested for allegedly defaming Johor Sultan  -  July 5, 2012

JOHOR BAHARU: Johor police said today they have arrested paranormal practitioner Syed Abdullah Syed Hussein, who runs the blog, www.uncleseekers.blogspot.com, over remarks allegedly defaming the Sultan of Johor, Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar.

Syed Abdullah, 46, was held at 9.45 pm yesterday at the Senawang toll plaza in Seremban, the Johor Criminal Investigation Department said in a statement.

There seems to be a common run here - they all involve people from Johor.