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prayer for permatang pauh (warning from home ministry to herald)

The Herald, a Catholic weekly published in Malaysia, is under further pressure from the Home Ministry, which will be scrutinising its forthcoming editorial on the Permatang Pauh by-election. The edition will reach the churches in the peninsula this weekend.

“The editorial is only asking people to pray for a just and fair by-election. Can’t we Christians ask fellow Christians to pray? Is that against the law?” Herald editor Fr Lawrence Andrew, SJ was quoted as saying.

The paper was given three warning letters before receiving a show-cause letter last month. Its licence could be suspended if its latest editorial displeases the Home Ministry, which feels the paper should stick to “religion” – according to the Ministry’s understanding of the term.

and if you continue reading, you’ll be able to read report from the star and the sun in the same post (together with some related posts at the bottom).

yes, what is so wrong about praying for the by-election?? the home minister’s (arggh!! syed albar again!!) :mad brain must have gone for foreign holiday and never returned. in fact, last week at our office monthly prayer when we had this spontaneous prayer intention, while others pray for sick and suffering, for the church, for thier work and so on, i prayed thus "we pray for our country, especially for the coming by election in permatang pauh and for our merdeka day, that….."

a good christian should be concerned over the country’s current happening and should pray pray for them!! similiarly, a christian publication has the right to touch on the country’s current politcal and social matters and urged the readers to pray for a particular issue. if we christians overlook all these matters, what kind of christians are we??

as some of you are aware, i write for the herald quite often and i would be very very disappointed if herald is suspended… on a mere editorial that calls on the people to pray! that would be very silly, don’t you think so? it’s not that the prayer say "we pray that anwar will win"!! ok i already got hold of the coming issue of herald (17 aug) and here is the ediotorail, followed by the prayer for you to read and you judge for yourself anything wrong with it or not!!

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DAY OF RECKONING

Malaysia is at the crossroads! Should we continue to move along the racial path of the recently failed attempt at collaboration initiated by the PAS-UMNO meetings for an agenda of Malay-Muslim Unity or embrace the Bangsa Malaysia reality of the multi-racial parties? This is not going to be an easy question to answer. However, one acknowledged fact is that every Malaysian who travels with a Malaysian Passport to a foreign country is seen and accepted as a citizen of Malaysia rather than as a member of his race. We are Bangsa Malaysia!

Definetely we are Malaysians first and then members of our racial community. So, the impending by-election is also a test case of our status as Bangsa Malaysia. If we can all accept ourselves as Bangsa Malaysia, there will be no clamour for the supremacy of one race over the other.

This by-election is a new journey for al Malaysians rather than one only for those in Permatang Pauh constituency. Rightly then, it is being hailed as the Mother of all by-election. And what is at stake is how the votes will determine the orientation of this country for the next four years and even beyond. It is a serious election which we need to pray for: we cannot leave God out of the picture. He is the creator of all human beings – Muslims, Buddhists, Christians, Hindus, Sikhs, Taoist or followers of othe religions – who were obedient to this one God. Although we may express the obedience differently, all of us must submit our last breath to the one God and no other! Yes, as Shakespeare reminds us, even kings are subject to death, the great leveller.

Theologically, we are all journeying to eternity and we begin that journey not tomorrow but today. We had turned our backs on God when we upset the equilibrium of our nation, Malaysia, through the racial hatred and riots on May 13, 1969. Yet, our God, far from abandoning us, stirred in the hearts of ALL – inlcuding the leaders of the various races and religions – the need to once again honour God. Thus, was born the first principle of Rukun Negara.

When Beiief in God, the first principle of our Nation, is ignored, we may be infecting ourselves with racial prejudice and hatred. These are sins to be avoided in any religion or else we destroy truth in ourselves and society and live a life of lies. What a disastrous way to live, one that can only begets injustices. And we know that there are many abuses and injustices in our land because we deceive ourselves with pseudo-privileges.

How can we overcome them? The answer is simple. We must live truth in our lives and distance ourselves from abuses. To achieve this, we need "to act in accordance with the objective demand of moraltiy." (CSDC #198)

It may seem a tall order, but it is not! With God’s help, we can do it. Let us, during the next ten days go down on our knees and pray to God that our nation will live Truth and experience a Fair and Just by-election.

Remember, God hears the cry of the oppressed. The Lord said "I have observed the misery of my people who are in Egypt; I have heard their cry on account of their taskmasters. Indeed, I know their sufferings and I have come to deliver them." (Ex 3:7-8)

Yes, God will visit us in Permatang Pauh and deliver us. Let us pray!

PRAYER FOR PERMATANG PAUH BY-ELECTION

O God, we understand You today as Lord
not only of individuals but also of nations and governments,

We thank You for the graces you have given us
to exercise our political charity in Malaysia.

We also thank you for the opportunity of free choice offered to the people
of the constituency of Permatang Pauh for electing a leader.

Lord God, give them the courage to exercise their solemn duty
as citizens of Malaysia to vote on behalf of the whole nation.

Guide those voters with the wisdom of the Holy Spirit
so that they may choose a suitable and trustworthy candidate
in becoming the next Member of Parliament for Permatang Pauh

We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

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note: this issue of the herald’s front page carries the report of the protest at the bar council. gee, so will mr ‘foreign turn over home’ minister make noise again that it is not ‘religion’ and going to suspend herald? btw, the report was taken from the malaysian insider, not written by herald itself at all. this is an issue that concerns all of us and as one who fear god, we need to be aware of it. does mr home minister fear god? he does not care about the going ons, social and politcal issues while he prays 5 times a day? why must ‘religion’ focus on prayers prayers prayers, church church church only, and shut itself to the outside world, the injustices and disharmony and so on? what kind of religion is that? syed hamid albar’s brain is too small to understand that – sack him!

UPDATED: ya listen to his reasoning on what herald suppose to print at another of anil netto’s post– his grey matter is missing! religion shouldn’t care about injustice and concern for the poor and down-trodden?? PIGILAH SYED HAMID ALBAR!!!! :mad

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Truth Seeker says:

22/08/2008 at 12:15 pm

Looks like we have to keep promoting awareness of what Good Governance is all about until it becomes a reality in our beloved Malaysia.

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Universal principles of good governance and rule of law …..

Can we learn from the Iraqi experience???

A global consensus recognizing that good governance is vital for economic development and poverty alleviation has emerged. Good governance provides an enabling environment for general economic development, human resources development, ensuring the prevention and resolution of conflict. All these elements are essential to build a firm common ground for Iraqi national reconciliation. Good governance, as we know, is a pillar of democracy. Finding a consensus on a definition of the concept of good government has not been easy. Does it apply to just sound administration and management or does it also refer to the political domain and political leadership? Is it a universal principle or does it vary according to context? This vagueness raises the risks associated with applying a concept, which may not be rooted in the particular socio-cultural and political environment of Iraq. It is generally accepted that in the context of a political and constitutional environment that upholds human rights, democratic principles and the rule of law, good governance is the transparent and accountable management of human, natural, economic and financial resources for the purpose of equitable and sustainable development. Citizens expect the government to respond to their needs through a systematic process of accountability, transparency, and checks and balances. Good governance ensures that political, social, and economic priorities reflect broad consensus, that decision-makers represent the voices of the poorest and the most vulnerable in allocating development resources, and that the rights of the people are respected. It entails clear decision-making procedures at the level of public authorities, transparent and accountable institutions, the primacy of law in the management and distribution of resources and capacity building for elaborating and implementing measures aimed in particular at preventing and combating corruption. Essentials of Good Governance, The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) defines good governance as “the responsible exercise of political, economic and administrative authority in the management of a country’s affairs at all levels”. Good governance, among other things, is participatory, transparent, accountable, effective, equitable, and fair. It promotes the rule of law. Participation ensures an open, inclusive, participatory political system. It involves citizens in the decision-making process and in implementing public projects orother government activity. Participation goes beyond mere consultation and implies the existence of opportunities to contribute through gainful employment; opportunities to move in the mainstream of political, economic, and cultural processes and the eradication of the marginalization of groups and discrimination, poverty, and deprivation; and freedom from vulnerability through a guaranteed system of social safety nets and social security systems. To this end, good governance embraces the concept of devolution of power to local authorities and communities. The right of citizens to participate in the conduct of public affairs is more directly exercised at local levels. The existence of local authorities that are given real responsibilities can provide an administrative system that is both effective and close to the citizen. Transparency involves establishing appropriate lines or forms of accountability between the government and the public, which should include access to information through suchmeasures as freedom of information legislation, open decision-making, and rules ofsubstantive and procedural fairness. The rule of law assumes the existence of inalienable rights and liberties for every citizen, which governments should not touch or violate. To some extent the essence of the rule of law lies in its juxtaposition to “the rule of men or women”. This aphorism seeks to state the following basic principles: that all state power ought to be exercised under the authority of law; and rules of law should govern the election and appointment of those who make and execute policy, as well as the manner in which such policies are made and executed to ensure rationality and fairness in the decision-making process. In addition, good governance must assure the equal participation of women with men in all processes of governance. Only complete equality between men and women in all legal, political, and social arrangements can create the proper conditions for human freedom and good governance. Establishment and protection of good governance whatever the case, it is agreed that good governance is above all a domestic issue and inadequate domestic policies have played a role in widening the gap between rich and poor and achieving good governance is a process which must come from within andsteps must be taken to support and recognize genuine initiatives to attain it. Transparency, good governance and development are closely linked and together they become a vehicle to improve the human condition. The promotion of good governance requires a determined campaign against corruption, which is one of the most concrete expressions of misadministration. The quality of the administration of a country’s resources is an essential factor that explains its development performances — good or bad. Good governance is the true test of democracy. A government, which administers scarce resources in accordance with the real needs of the population, must be fundamentally democratic.

The political, judicial and intellectual elite must be benchmark and models of integrity. The political leadership must be genuinely determined to attack the problem of corruption and must demonstrate that determination. Good governance like democracy must not be allowed to become just another slogan – a false front to placate the providers of funds. Experience shows that it is unrealistic to hope to change things at the instigation of civil society alone. The essential first step is to influence public opinion and make decision-makers and the public at large aware of the devastating effects of misadministration. Underemployment, inadequate or sporadic employment and low wages continue to contribute to a high level of poverty in Iraq which in turn feed the militias and terrorists groups. We have to extricate ourselves from our backwardness by building a strong and democratic Iraq. Debates on national issues are healthy and should continue even after the national reconciliation. Different point of views should be respected. After all, “in a democracy dissent is an act of faith, like medicine, the taste of its value is not in its taste, but in its effects.”

Conclusion

The success of efforts to improve governance, the respect of human rights and the rule of the law throughout Iraq will depend on the development and strengthening of institutions that underpin good governance, democracy and the rule of law. With respect to the current political process, these efforts cannot succeed unless economic conditions in Iraq improve and develop to a level where Iraq is able to develop and sustain the institutions necessary to promote governance, the protection of human rights and the rule of law. Good governance cannot flourish along side grinding poverty and weak state institutions.

Dr. Widad Al-Ali,
Executive Director
Al-Yaqeen Centre for Training, Studies and Development

prayer for permatang pauh (warning from home ministry to herald)

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