The operative word is prioritise

ARCHIVES 2009

By MT Webmaster On Oct 25, 2009

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The system has failed. The education system has not achieved results. But instead of admitting that the system has failed, you ban condoms, as if condoms, and not the system, is to be blamed.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

The Pakatan Rakyat people still can’t seem to get it. As much as we try to ram it through their heads they still focus on the small issues while ignoring the bigger picture. For example, they think just because we oppose their opposition to beer and condoms this means we are in support of them.

Small things please small minds, as they say in English. I suppose, in that same spirit, small things also upset small minds. And I take it those who froth at the mouth and scream about the enemies of Islam plotting to destroy Islam must be extremely small-minded indeed. I suppose having a small mind is not as bad as having a small…well, you know what…which would probably be worse.

The operative word here is prioritise. You jot down your list of priorities and tackle them one at a time, starting from the very top, and work your way down the list. Chances are, as I wrote in a previous article, by the time you get to number five or six on the list, the bottom would self-correct because some of the lesser problems are the result of a bigger problem. So, solve the bigger problems and the smaller problems may even disappear by themselves without any assistance from us.

Take one example: opposition solidarity and coherency. Trying to tackle this problem may be a non-starter as long as there is really no opposition coalition to shout about. What we have is basically an electoral pact or understanding of not engaging in three- or four-corner fights and ensuring that Barisan Nasional is faced with a one-on-one situation.

In the event the three very diverse and opposite opposition parties manage to win enough seats to form a government, then they do so on a unity government basis. And this is how the governments were formed in Penang, Perak and Selangor, and to a lesser extent in Kedah and Kelantan. But what happens if the opposition wins enough seats to form the federal government?

I do not want to even start speculating on what will happen.

So we need a legally registered Pakatan Rakyat with a common party constitution and a common election manifesto. Granted, each party will have its own constitution. This is also so for the 14 parties in Barisan Nasional. But there must be only one election manifesto, not four — meaning one for Pakatan Rakayat and one each of PKR, DAP and PAS.

So, tackle this and some other issues get solved as well, or at least the problem is reduced.

Now, back to the issue of beer and condoms. No, we are not saying we oppose the opposition to them. But do you not think that the problem lies elsewhere and not on the fact that condoms are too easily available?

Okay, say we go along with you and agree that condoms are banned. Will this solve the problem of kids indulging in extra-marital sex? If it does, well and fine. I too will support the banning of condoms.

What will happen instead is that kids will still indulge in extra-marital sex but with dire consequences. First would be the problem of HIV, which will increase and probably turn into an epidemic. Then we will have the problem of unwanted pregnancies and illegal backstreet abortions. There is also a danger that those who can’t afford the abortions will abandon their babies in dustbins, like what is already happening even now in spite of the availability of condoms.

No, banning condoms will NOT eliminate or reduce extra-marital sex. Instead, it would create a huge social and probably health problem as well. So you need education to solve the problem. And if the education system, in particular Islamic education, can’t stop the young and unmarried from indulging in extra-marital sex, then banning condoms will not do the trick.

The system has failed. The education system has not achieved results. But instead of admitting that the system has failed, you ban condoms, as if condoms, and not the system, is to be blamed.

That is the crux of the matter. And that is why I am opposed to the practice of looking for scapegoats. And that is what this whole issue of banning of condoms is all about, trying to blame condoms for the failure of the system, in particular the Islamic education system.

And the same goes for the other issues as well. This call to review and amend the Constitution to clarify the status of Islam is pure and unadulterated bullshit. The police brutality and killings under custody are done by Muslims. The highest corruption in the civil service is perpetuated by Muslims. And so on and so forth. Everywhere you look you see the hands of Muslims. You mean to tell me that by amending the Constitution and by adding a few extra words to it the Muslims will now start conducting themselves like the Muslims in Medina during the time of the Caliphs?

No way Jose! Corruption, abuse of power, brutality, etc., can never be eliminated by just adding a few extra words into the Constitution. It takes more than that. We need to educate Muslims to become more sincere. We need to educate Muslims to become Muslims of the heart and not Muslims on the lips. We need to ‘bury’ Islam into their hearts and minds instead of asking them to dress in Arabic clothes so that they can appear to look like good Muslims.

That is what we need, not a few words added to the Constitution to clarify the status of Islam.