Roketkini reported Dato Abdul Malik Kassim, the Penang exco member in-charge of Islamic matters for the state saying the state government plan to audit the Zakat Pulau Pinang, the body for adminstering zakat for the state.
Although DAP's SEACAT program in Selangor and Penang suffered the perception of being used to justify Pakatan Rakyat's state leaders wrongdoings and to ban BN state assemblymen, for the sake of CAT (Competency, Accountability and Transparency), why not?
Zakat is administered by government servants, thus open to buruecratic inefficieny and abuse.
However, Malik Kassim, whose nicname as told by a former PKR MP from Penang is Malek Itek, maybe stepping on some explosive mine with the statement. In his first term as exco member, he had been quacking strange statements.
That time it was excusable, he was new.
The former MP told us that Malek is of a mamak or Indian Muslim stock which is quite abundant in the northern states of Penang and Kedah. Mamak have been stereotyped as having the tendency to simplify and redah (bulldoze) matters in their way of doing things.
However, this time it is not just about tradition, etiquette or protocol, but the demarkation of power between state and sovereign.
Hopefully, this time this comment will not be the subject of commentaries. One way to reduce ethnic tension is to be comfortable with our ethnicity; the good, the bad and the quirky side. Unless it is insulting and demeaning, take it with a sense of humour and be less argumentative about it.
In that matter, Malays have a tendency to be too sensitive. The polemics on rights, attempts to remove it, and the pittance that actually come with the rights is getting tiring. The Indians and Mamak should not emulate this short fuse of the Malays and be argumentative too.
Stay in their cool composure ....
First, the Rocketkini.com report (quite sure most of you read the national language) on Malek Kassim's statement, below:
Kerajaan negeri akan audit Zakat Pulau Pinang (ZPP)WTF is he talking about forensic audit? Has something bad happened in Zakat Pulau Pinang? Don't tell us someone swindle zakat money.
5 Januari 2015
GEORGE TOWN, 5 JAN: Kerajaan Negeri Pulau Pinang akan meneliti dan merancang untuk melakukan audit keatas Zakat Pulau Pinang (ZPP).
Perkara tersebut dinyatakan oleh Pengerusi Jawatankuasa Tetap Hal Ehwal Islam, Perdagangan Domestik dan Hal Ehwal Pengguna, Datuk Abdul Malik Kassim dalam satu kenyataan.
Ujarnya, tindakan itu akan dibuat berikutan aduan pelbagai pihak, selain bagi memastikan urustadbir telus, cekap dan berhemah.
“Audit akan dijalankan dengan segera bagi memastikan urustadbir yang telus, cekap dan akauntabiliti dalam pengurusan zakat negeri,” kata Malik dalam.
Ujarnya, pihaknya sedang mendapatkan kerjasama daripada ahli Majlis Agama Islam Pulau Pinang (MAINPP), pejabat Setiausaha Kerajaan Negeri dan Pejabat Kewangan Negeri.untuk menjalankan audit terhadap Zakat Pulau Pinang (ZPP).
“Kerajaan negeri melalui Majlis Agama Islam Negeri Pulau Pinang (MAINPP) akan mengambil tindakan selanjutnya setelah memperolehi laporan lengkap, termasuk mengadakan ‘audit forensik’ sekiranya perlu,” kata Malik yang juga ADUN Batu Maung. – Roketkini.com
All seemed to be within the power of the state. As Chairman on Islamic matters for the state, Malik Kassim may be empowered to take necessary action. Furthermore, Malek is a member of the MAINPP and Zakat Pulau Pinang is answerable to them.
However, DAP and PKR is not likely to forget the seizure of Malay Bibles containing the illegal kalimah Allah issue in Selangor. Only last Christmas that Lim Guan Eng provoke the kalimah Allah issue again as per the Christmas in the year before.
In the issue, the the line of authority between the Sultan and the state executive on religious matter was invoked. Sultan of Selangor is the head of Islam for the state and his Majesty dictated the appointments in the Majlis Agama Islam Selangor (MAIS).
As understood, Jabatan Agama Islam Selangor (JAIS) is merely the government bureacucrasy to handle the administration and carry out the decisions of MAIS. MB basically handle the table and chairs. The resolution to the issue could only be executed upon the Sultan's consent. It gave Azmin a good start as MB.
MAINPP also operates under the consent of the Head of Islam for Penang and it is the DYMM Seri Paduka Baginda Yang Dipertuan Agong (Agong). The Head of Islam for Penang is not the TYT or the closet evangelical Christian, Chief Minister, Lim Guan Eng.
This is despite Guan Eng delivered a speech several months ago esponding the virtues of the Quranic tahfiz. Taken from this blog here, below, he said:
“Para huffaz sama ada yang hadir pada hari ini atau yang ada di luar negara adalah harta yang tidak ternilai pada negara. Kepimpinan yang berakhlak mulia akan mengemudikan negara dengan baik,” ujarnya ketika berucap sempena Majlis Pengiktirafan Al-Hafiz dan Ijtimak Huffaz Negeri Pulau Pinang di Dewan Sri Pinang, pagi tadi.Back to the crux to the matter, can Agong act independently of the state exco on Islamic matters in Penang as what happen in Selangor?
All members of MAINPP are appointed by Agong. The final say should be Agong. So Malek is advised to be clear on the law and constitution. And, he should get the concurrence of the Agong.
Otherwise, he will be back in another controversial hot soup and be seen returning to his quacky self.
Was this the very reason Christopher Ross Lim aka Zairil asked for autonomy?
ReplyDeletePastor Ngeh Koo Ham used to raise issue asking non muslim should have access to the zakat fund.
Zakat is muslim institution contributed by muslim for muslim.
Greedy logger ... so rich and yet the pittance zakat fund pun mintak.
Mereka mmg muka tak malu. Bangsa tamak semua nak. Hak org pon nak hak dia kita tak.mintak pon. Pathetic.
DeleteAlso we the rakyat, would like to have Forensic Audit on all Vernacular School!
ReplyDeleteas salam Malik,
ReplyDeletekalau hang silap langkah kerana politic hang sangup jual ugama, hang jawap di ahkirat nanti. Mati kalau sempat taubat tak apa tapi kalau tidak kubur hang berasap nanti.
"kawan sekolah hang"
Masa ini malek hang seronok dalam kebendaan, umok hang tue pun Dah tidak Muda lagi, Nanti kena sentap tak sempat mengucap. Hang tak tengok drama "tanah kubor". Sudah lah mamak, kekayaan tak boleh bawak masok kubok. Pikir2 lah .....
Deletewow i guess we are the sensetive lots are we not.
ReplyDeletewell i think weve been very patient.
but i guess its up to u and me and the rest of the malays to decide tht for themselves.
nough said
Looks like it's an attempt to cari nama, nak menunjukan dia pandai, rajin kerja, dsb nya.
ReplyDeleteMamaks are prone to that, too.
But he's learning from the ultra kiasu. In every action he wants to tembak others, put the Jabatan Agama down, implying there is hanky panky.
I agree that the Agong has the last say on Islamic matters. And I wish action is sometimes taken to sorely embarrass these Pakatun people when they try to be clever at the expense of their opposition.
I thought A Voice is done with his tirade against the Menacing Mamaks?
ReplyDeleteAll Majlis Zakat Negeri must be subjected to proper audit. We want to know exactly where the money goes, and also to ensure that the money is spent exactly as what they claim. Remember, the Quran it said most pendeta-pendeta agama are the worst kind of human. On the one hand busy telling people to pay zakat, but on the other hand they do not want to be transparent on what they spent.
ReplyDeletewhat to do...too many mamaks in malaysia yang main redah. Nombor satu ialah mamak Mahathir yg tunjuk jalan. So the lesser mamaks (and mami) also follow the leader. witness Reezal Marican, Azeez, Shahrizat, Musa Fadzeer, just to name a very few of these clan.
ReplyDeletesri hartamas
Some mamaks...
ReplyDelete