ULASAN: Perkataan “Liberal” ditambah kepada Rukun Negara?

Memahami asas kenegaraan adalah amat penting demi memelihara kesejahteraan dan keharmonian negara. Setelah peristiwa hitam 13 Mei 1969, kerajaan Malaysia telah merangka Rukun Negara sebagai satu inisiatif untuk menyatukan semula rakyat dan mempupuk semangat nasionalisme di antara masyarakat yang berbilang kaum untuk berdiri bersama tanpa pertelingkahan. Namun sejauh manakah rakyat menghayati erti Rukun Negara?

Baru-baru ini, telah tular sekeping gambar yang memaparkan Rukun Negara yang dikatakan diambil daripada sebuah buku sekolah. Saya menerima gambar dan mesej ini berulang kali di WhatsApp, manakala di Facebook pula, gambar itu muncul di Suapan Berita saya berkali-kali daripada berbagai-bagai sumber.

Mesej yang diterima menyatakan rasa tidak puas hati dan marah kerana terdapat perkataan “liberal” di dalam ayat:

“… membentuk satu sikap yang liberal terhadap tradisi kebudayaan yang kaya dan berbagai-bagai corak …”.

Ramai yang meminta kerajaan menyiasat penerbit dan penulis buku tersebut, kerana dikatakan telah menambah perkataan “liberal” kepada teks Rukun Negara dengan tujuan untuk mempromosikan ideologi liberalisme di sekolah. Malah ada juga yang telah menyalahkan kerajaan Pakatan Harapan.

Ini jelas membuktikan bahawa rakyat Malaysia sememangnya menolak ideologi liberalisme, khasnya liberalisme agama dan amat peka dalam memerangi ancaman ini. Namun di waktu yang sama ianya juga menunjukkan bahawa ramai daripada rakyat Malaysia tidak pernah membaca dan mendalami mukaddimah Rukun Negara.

Saya membaca ayat tersebut beberapa tahun yang lalu ketika saya sedang berusaha untuk memahami maksud dan semangat Rukun Negara. Untuk mendapat kepastian, saya bertanya kepada Prof. Dr. Shamrahayu Abd Aziz, seorang pakar Perlembagaan yang amat arif tentang Rukun Negara. Aunty Sham telah menerangkan kepada saya bahawa istilah “liberal” di dalam ayat tersebut bermaksud keterbukaan menerima budaya pelbagai kaum dan bersifat dan bersikap inklusif dengan prinsip asas; tetapi tanpa mengabaikan Tuhan, undang-undang dan prinsip kesopanan dan kesusilaan sebagaimana Prinsip Rukun Negara.

Jelas, perkataan liberal di dalam ayat tersebut hanyalah khusus kepada “tradisi kebudayaan” dan bukannya dalam konteks yang lain. Liberal di sini bermaksud sikap keterbukaan di dalam menerima tradisi kebudayaan kepelbagaian kaum dan bersikap inklusif terhadap berbezaan kebudayaan; dan bukannya merujuk kepada ideologi atau fahaman liberalisme agama. Buktinya Prinsip Pertama Rukun Negara adalah, “Kepercayaan kepada Tuhan” maka, tidak logik untuk ditafsirkan bahawa Rukun Negara bersifat liberal dalam konteks agama.

Inilah yang dikatakan sikap wasatiyyah ( وسطية ) atau sikap sederhana yang bermaksud tidak bersikap terlalu ekstrim, tetapi di masa yang sama, tidak juga bersikap terlalu liberal sehingga mengabaikan hukum agama. Malah inilah prinsip yang diamalkan sejak dahulu lagi, dan dengan prinsip dan sikap inilah kita dapat hidup dengan aman dan damai di dalam satu masyarakat yang majmuk. Namun tidak dinafikan bahawa ada juga golongan yang sengaja menyalah ertikan perkataan liberal di dalam ayat tersebut dan seterusnya mendakwa bahawa ideologi negara bersifat liberal. Oleh itu adalah penting untuk kita memahami Perlembagaan, Rukun Negara dan Kontrak Sosial agar kita tahu hak kita dan tidak tertipu oleh mereka yang dengan sengaja menyalah ertikan asas kenegaraan kita.

Sebagai asas pepaduan, Rukun Negara di mulai dengan mukadimah yang menggambarkan prinsip wasatiyyah yang merupakan antara dasar negara kita, selaras dengan Ayat 256 Surah Al-Baqarah:

Anda Menyokong Hishamuddin Rais? (Video)

Ateisme Mencabar Kedaulatan Negara

Sejak beberapa hari yang lalu, beberapa portal berita pro-pembangkang giat menyiarkan laporan yang bersifat tidak benar dan prujudis tentang isu golongan ateis yang asalnya beragama Islam di Malaysia ekoran pendedahan tentang kumpulan Atheist Republic.

Free Malaysia Today (FMT) melaporkan seorang ahli akademik Amerika Syarikat yang berpangkalan di Washington, Prof. Zachary Abuza mengkritik reaksi kerajaan Malaysia terhadap kumpulan ini.

Menurut FMT, Abuza berkata Malaysia bukan lagi sebuah negara yang mengamalkan kesederhanaan seperti sebelum ini.

Ini adalah satu fitnah jahat kerana fahaman ateisme adalah bercanggah dengan undang-undang tertinggi Negara; lebih-lebih lagi untuk bekas umat Islam.

Jelaslah, terdapat usaha terancang untuk menghalalkan ateisme dan murtad.

Menggunakan hujah liberal dari kumpulan yang sememangnya tidak faham atau ‘yang sengaja buat-buat tidak faham’, porta-porta berita pro-pembangkang dilihat cuba menimbulkan persepsi perundangan yang salah dan bertentangan dengan Perlembagaan Persekutuan untuk menjustifikasikan desakan mereka supaya orang Islam bebas berfahaman ateis.

FMT juga melaporkan kata-kata Prof. Datuk Dr. Shad Saleem Faruqi bahawa Perlembagaan Persekutuan tidak menyebut mengenai murtad dan “ia tidak mengharamkan murtad dan tidak membenarkannya”, yang memberi persepsi seolah-olah murtad tidak bercanggah dengan Perlembagaan Persekutuan maka tidak boleh ada peruntukan undang-undang yang sah untuk mengawal gejala songsang ini.

Perkara 3(1) Perlembagaan Persekutuan menyatakan:

“Islam ialah agama bagi Persekutuan; tetapi agama-agama lain boleh diamalkan dengan aman dan damai di mana-mana Bahagian Persekutuan.”

Ini membuktikan bahawa asas kenegaraan kita ialah Islam sebagai agama bagi negara ini tetapi agama-agama lain boleh diamalkan selagi amalan mereka tidak menjejas kesucian Islam dan tidak menimbulkan apa-apa ancaman atau apa-apa kemungkinan ancaman dan kemungkinan yang boleh menjadi ancaman terhadap agama Islam. 

Perkara ini telah ditegaskan oleh Tan Sri Apandi Ali  yang ketika itu Hakim Mahkamah Persekutuan, di dalam kes Mahkamah Rayuan Titular Roman Catholic Archbishop of Kuala Lumpur v Kementerian Dalam Negeri & Kerajaan Malaysia:

[33] In short, Article 3(1) was a by-product of the social contract entered into by our founding fathers who collectively produced the Federal Constitution, which is recognized as the Supreme Law of the country. It is my judgment that the purpose and intention of the insertion of the words: “in peace and harmony” in Article 3(1) is to protect the sanctity of Islam as the religion of the country and also to insulate against any threat faced or any possible and probable threat to the religion of Islam.

Perkara 11(4) Perlembagaan Persekutuan menegaskan:

Undang-undang Negeri dan berkenaan dengan Wilayah-Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Labuan dan Putrajaya, undang-undang persekutuan boleh mengawal atau menyekat pengembangan apa-apa doktrin atau kepercayaan agama di kalangan orang yang menganuti agama Islam.

Ini bermakna Perlembagaan Persekutuan membenarkan undang-undang Negeri dan Persekutuan digubal untuk menyekat penyebaran perkara yang boleh memurtadkan umat Islam termasuk penyebaran fahaman ateis.

Di dalam penghakiman kes Mahkamah Persekutuan ZI Publications Sdn Bhd dan lain-lain v Kerajaan Negeri Selangor, Presiden Mahkamah Rayuan ketika itu, Tan Sri Md Raus Sharif menegaskan:

Federal Constitution allows the Legislature of a State to legislate and enact offences against the precepts of Islam. 

Malah “Kebebasan bercakap, berhimpun dan berpersatuan” di dalam Perkara 10(1) adalah tertakluk kepada Fasal (2), (3) dan (4), dimana:

(2) Parlimen boleh melalui undang-undang mengenakan—(a) ke atas hak yang diberikan oleh perenggan (a) Fasal (1), apa-apa sekatan yang didapatinya perlu atau suai manfaatdemi kepentingan keselamatan Persekutuan atau manamana bahagiannya, hubungan baik dengan negara-negaralain, ketenteraman awam atau prinsip moral dan sekatan sekatan yang bertujuan untuk melindungi keistimewaan Parlimen atau mana-mana Dewan Undangan atau untuk membuat peruntukan menentang penghinaan

(c) ke atas hak yang diberikan oleh perenggan (c) Fasal (1), apa-apa sekatan yang didapatinya perlu atau suai manfaat demi kepentingan keselamatan Persekutuan atau mana-mana bahagiannya, ketenteraman awam atau prinsip moral.

Hujah ni diperkuatkan lagi oleh Perkara 37 yang mewajibkan Yang Di-Pertuan Agong untuk bersumpah di atas nama Allah S.W.T. untuk memelihara pada setiap masa agama Islam, seperti apa yang tertulis di dalam Jadual Keempat Perlembagaan Persekutuan, sebelum memulakan tugas Baginda sebagai Yang Di-Pertuan Agong.

Maka, negara mempunyai ‘constitutional duty’ untuk memelihara dan menjaga kesucian agama Islam daripada apa-apa ancaman, kemungkinan ancaman dan apa-apa yang akan memungkinkan berlakunya ancaman terhadap agama Islam, termasuk ancaman pemurtadan termasuk fahaman ateisme.

Malah, menurut Ketua Pegawai Eksekutif IKSIM yang merupakan seorang pakar Perlembagaan, Dato’ Prof. Mahamad Naser Disa, golongan ateis tidak mempunyai hak Perlembagaan (constitutional rights) di negara ini kerana Perlembagaan negara hanya mengiktiraf hak rakyat yang beragama seperti tertulis di dalam Perkara 3 dan 11 dan Prinsip pertama Rukun Negara iaitu “Percaya Kepada Tuhan”.

Huraian prinsip pertama Rukun Negara kepada kedaulatan negara amat terang dan jelas:

Bangsa dan Negara ini telah diwujudkan atas kepercayaan yang kukuh kepada Tuhan. Sesungguhnya dengan nama Tuhanlah, Bangsa dan Negara ini diwujudkan sebagai sebuah Bangsa dan Negara yang berdaulat. – Jabatan Perpaduan Dan Integrasi Negara (Jabatan Perdana Menteri) 

Namun terdapat pendapat songsang dan salah yang menafsirkan hak beragama seperti yang di jelaskan di dalam Perkara 11(1) Perlembagaan Persekutuan sebagai termasuk hak untuk tidak beragama dan kepercayaan kepada Tuhan juga merangkumi tidak percaya kepada Tuhan.

Tafsiran songsang itu tidak benar kerana asas pengertian sesuatu undang-undang itu mestilah, pada mulanya, dicari dalam bahasa undang-undang itu ditulis, dan jika bahasanya terang dan jelas, maka kewajiban tafsiran tidak timbul dan fungsi tunggal mahkamah adalah untuk menguatkuasakannya mengikut istilahnya.

The 1917 American case of Caminetti v. United States had held that “it is elementary that the meaning of a statute must, in the first instance, be sought in the language in which the act is framed, and if that is plain… the sole function of the courts is to enforce it according to its terms.” And if a statute’s language is plain and clear, the court further warned that “the duty of interpretation does not arise, and the rules which are to aid doubtful meanings need no discussion,”

Jelasnya tafsiran undang-undang tidak boleh dibuat dengan sesuka hati, apalagi dengan menambah perkataan yang tidak ada tertulis di dalam undang-undang itu, dalam hal ini, di dalam Perlembagaan Persekutuan.

Inilah nilai dan fahaman songsang golongan liberal yang mahu merosakkan tatasusila dan tamadun rakyat Malaysia untuk membebaskan diri daripada undang-undang agama yang akhirnya mennghakis sifat ketamadunan masyarakat kita.

Menurut seorang lagi pakar Perlembagaan Prof. Dr. Shamrahayu Abd. Aziz, hak asasi hanya boleh menjadi hak apabila ianya tidak melanggar undang-undang, maka mereka yang berfahaman ateis tiada hak dan tidak boleh menuntut hak mereka kerana Perlembagaan Persekutuan hanya mengiktiraf rakyat yang beragama.

Sesungguhnya dengan nama Tuhanlah, Bangsa dan Negara ini diwujudkan sebagai sebuah Bangsa dan Negara yang berdaulat, maka jelaslah fahaman ateisme yang tidak percaya kewujudan Tuhan mencabar dan menjejaskan kedaulatan negara.

Siti Kasim Finally Supports Act 355?

Liberal lawyer and activist, Siti Zabedah Kasim seems to be very mad, in fact it looks like she is steaming, raging mad after being advised by the Mufti of Perak, Tan Sri Harussani to not touch on matters concerning tauhid.

On her Facebook page, claiming that the Mufti of Perak accused her of “being an apostate”, she wrote that the Mufti is “punishable by 80 kali sebat according to the Quran” for making “a very big fitnah to accuse woman wrongly”; and she quoted the 4th verse of the Surah An-Noor to prove her point.

I am appalled by her arrogant attitude and her out of context self-interpretation of the holy Quran to suit her needs.

Fortunately, she is not a Syariah lawyer; as it will cause a deafening uproar in the courtroom if she insists that her out of context self-interpretation of the Quran is valid!

Anyway, it puzzles me when she talks about the punishment from the Quran; after all, isn’t she is the one who vocally complains about the proposed amendment of Act 355?

As I understand from her ridiculous stunts at numerous public forums, she is against the implementation of “80 kali sebat” and wants the maximum limit for whipping stays at only six strokes. 

May be her anger made her confused… 

As I wrote in my previous post, ‘Siti Kasim: Drowned by Freedom of Speech it is best for her to stand up tall and clarify the matter with JAKIM to solve the problem.

I also asked, “Or is she going to deny what she had said in the video and says something weird like, the video was edited by somebody to defame her?”

And I was right because on her Facebook page she told the Mufti to listen to her original interview and “not to get confused by the cut paste fitnah version by menara.my, fundamentalist website that is out to attack what the Islamofascists term as liberals”. 

Has she changed her mind regarding the proposed amendment of Act 355 so that the people who accused her can be punished as according to the Quran?

Siti Bedah must make up her mind!

G25, Another Voice Of Liberal Muslims?

The Malaysia Insider reported that a “group of retired Malay civil servants of G25 against religious extremism plans to seek an audience with the Malay rulers to petition for a committee that will review the application of Islam in Malaysian law.”
G25 wrote an open letter dated December 7, 2014 (please click here for the open letter) among others expressed that they are disturbed and deeply dismayed “over the continuing unresolved disputes on the position and application of Islamic laws in this country” and stated that “the teachings of our faith must continue to evolve” to be relevant.
They wrote that:

“The on-going debate over these matters display a lack of clarity and understanding on the place of Islam within our constitutional democracy.”

Actually, there should not be any question about the place of Islam within our constitution because it is clearly stated in Article 3(1) of the Federal Constitution of Malaysia that Islam is the religion of the Federation and the oath pledged by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong as in accordance to Article 37(1) is made in the name of Allah, “Wallahi Wabillahi Watallahi” and the Yang di-Pertuan Agong pledges to uphold Islam at all time.

Article 3(1) said that:

“Islam is the religion of the Federation; but other religions may be practised in peace and harmony in any part of the Federation.”

Article 37(1) stated that the Yang Di-Pertuan Agong needs to take his oath before exercising his functions:

“The Yang di-Pertuan Agong shall before exercising his functions take and subscribe before the Conference of Rulers and in the presence of the Chief Justice of the Federal Court (or in his absence the next senior judge of the Federal Court available) the oath of office set out in Part I of the Fourth Schedule; and the oath shall be attested by two persons appointed for the purpose by the Conference of Rulers.”

The oath pledged by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong:

“Wallahi: Wabillahi: Watallahi,

Maka dengan lafaz ini berikrarlah Kami dengan sesungguhnya dan dengan sebenarnya mengaku akan taat setia pada menjalankan dengan adilnya pemerintahan bagi Malaysia dengan mengikut sebagaimana undang-undang dan Perlembagaan yang telah disahkan dan dimasyurkan dan akan disah dan dimasyurkan di masa hadapan ini. Dan lagi Kami berikrar mengaku dengan sesungguh dan dengan sebenarnya memeliharakan pada setiap masa Agama Islam dan berdiri tetap di atas permintaan yang adil dan aman di dalam Negeri.”

G25 also wrote:

“We refer specifically to the current situation where religious bodies seem to be asserting authority beyond their jurisdiction; where issuance of various fatwa violate the Federal Constitution and breach the democratic and consultative process of shura; where the rise of supremacist NGOs accusing dissenting voices of being anti-Islam, anti-monarchy and anti-Malay has made attempts at rational discussion and conflict resolution difficult; and most importantly, where the use of the Sedition Act hangs as a constant threat to silence anyone with a contrary opinion. These developments undermine Malaysia’s commitment to democratic principles and rule of law, breed intlerance and bigotry, and have heightened anxieties over national peace and stability.”

Contrary to the accusation made by G25, the religious bodies are not “asserting authority beyond their jurisdiction, but they are doing their job to uphold Islam as the religion of the Federation as stated under Article 3(1) of the Federal Constitution.

“…the rise of supremacist NGOs accusing dissenting voices of being anti-Islam, anti-monarchy and anti-Malay has made attempts at rational discussion and conflict resolution difficult…” – G25

From the above statement I guess the NGOs that G25 called supremacist are the Malay and Islamic NGOs who are fighting to uphold Islam which is the religion of the Federation as written in Article 3(1) and protecting the rights of the Malays as written in Article 153 of the Federal Constitution.
I just wonder why the Malays of G25 are so disturbed by people fighting for Islam and the rights of the Malays?
And why is G25 quiet when liberal NGOs like COMANGO questioned, humiliated and challenged Islam, the Malays rights and our Rulers?
Does G25 think that it is constitutional when people like Lim Kit Siang, Eric Paulsen and Tony Pua humiliate and slender Islam, the Friday Sermon and JAKIM?
What about some illegal coalition of NGOs such as BERSIH who went against the law by organising illegal street demonstrations, with the hope to topple a democratically elected government?
G25 also attacked Datuk Seri Jamil Khir Baharom for doing his job as the minister in charge of the Islamic affairs:

“…we are particularly concerned with the statement issued by Minister Datuk Seri Jamil Khir Baharom, in response to the recent Court of Appeal judgement on the right of transgendered women to dress according to their identity.”

Calling the Sedition Act as a tool to silence the voices with a contrary opinion shows that one does not understand the Sedition Act.
According to Tan Sri Aziz Abdul Rahman, (please refer to this article) the Sedition Act or Akta Hasutan was written after the government identified four serious issues as one of the major causes of the serious 1969 racial riot:

  • Article 153 of the Federal Constitution: Special Rights For The Malays
  • Article 152 of the Federal Constitution: Malay As The National Language
  • Part III: of the Citizenship Rights                 
  • Article 181 of the Federal Constitution: Rights, Status, Sovereignty Of The Rulers

I just do not understand why G25 members want the four sensitive issues to be questioned when open debates on the four issues could actually “heightened anxieties over national peace and stability.”

The G25 further wrote:

“The Federal Constitution is the supreme law of the land and any law enacted, including Islamic laws, cannot violate the Constitution, in particular the provisions on fundamental liberties, federal-state division of powers and legislative procedures”

How could the Islamic laws violate the Federal Constitution when Islam is the religion of the Federation as stated in Article 3(1) of the the Federal Constitution?
In the ruling of the Court of Appeal’s three-member panel led by Federal Court judge Datuk Seri Mohamed Apandi Ali on the Kalimah Allah case:

[31] It is my observation that the words “in peace and harmony” in Article 3(1) has a historical background and dimension, to the effect that those words are not without significance. The Article places the religion of Islam at par with the other basic structures of the Constitution, as it is the 3 rd in the order of precedence of the Articles that were within the confines of Part I of the Constitution. It is pertinent to note that the fundamental liberties Articles were grouped together subsequently under Part II of the Constitution.

And in the case of Ramah v Laton, it has been decided that the Islamic laws are the laws of the land, so it does not violate the Federal Constitution.

G25 then wrote:

“It is our fervent belief that for Islam to continue to be relevant and universal in our times, the understanding, codification and implementation of the teachings of our faith must continue to evolve.”

We have to follow the real teaching of Islam. We are the Muslims of Ahli Sunnah Wal Jamaah from the Shafie school of thought or madhhab, so this is the guideline followed by our Islamic authorities.
The true teaching of Islam is always relevant, therefore it must never be evolved or liberalised by anybody.

Tun Musa Hitam Proud To Be A Liberal, What A Pity

Tun Musa Hitam

Always a moderate and proud to be one – said Former Deputy Prime Minister, Tun Musa Hitam to The Star in an interview at his house in Bukit Tunku.

“First let me say this emphatically and very firmly – I have always been a liberal and a moderate and am proud of it. I have been brought up from young until now as such. My family, my parents, my elders brought me up that way, and in my more grown up days since I entered politics, my political party Umno adopted the stance of moderation from the early days that we gained Independence. But I don’t know what’s happening there now,” Tun Musa Hitam. – The Star

“I have always been a liberal and a moderate and am proud of it”?

I do not understand how could a Muslim be proud to disobey the rules of Islam.

It is very sad when a person says that he is proud to be a moderate and a liberal because being a liberal  means that the person rejects the fundamental principal of his own religion as well as the fundamental principals of his country.

As a Muslim, he must understand that a Muslim must obey the fundamental principal of Islam and Islam cannot be liberalised.

It is very unfortunate for a Muslim to be a liberal because rejecting the principal of Islam is against the rules of Islam and will affect his ‘akidah’.

Has Tun Musa Hitam forgotten that Clause 3.3 of the Umno Constitution states that Umno will defend and spread Islam?

And liberal is against Islam.

It is very sad to see a former leader who not only had forgotten the core spirit of his party but also proud to reject the fundamental principals of his country, for Islam is the religion of the Federation of Malaysia.

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