Time and Date

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Dinar Emas dan Dirham Perak

Kesohoran dinar sebagai satu mata wang rasmi dalam sektor ekonomi sudah lama tersemat dalam lembaran sejarah Tamadun Islam. Dewasa ini komoditi ini seringkali dicanangkan sebagai instrumen alternatif dalam aktiviti ekonomi dunia semasa. Fakta ini adalah berasaskan kepada nilai intrinsik atau tersendiri yang diyakini boleh digunapakai secara lebih meluas serta konsisten. Namun demikian, masih ramai belum mengetahui dari mana dan bagaimana ia boleh berkembang sehingga menjadi satu mata wang utama dalam kronologi ketamadunan Islam.

Sekiranya dinar emas mampu dinobatkan sebagai mata wang utama pada ketika itu adalah tidak mustahil seandainya penggunaan komoditi ini boleh diperkenalkan semula sebagai mata wang alternatif pada alaf baru ini. Barangkali slogan Nothing Beats Gold, Zero Inflation in 1400 years adalah amat berketepatan dan bersesuaian dalam menyatakan hakikat tersebut.


bersama admin jutawanemas.com..Syukor Hashim.

Terfikirkah anda semenjak zaman Nabi Muhammad SAW lagi, kita tidak pernah mendengar serta mengalami keadaan inflasi. Tetapi pada hari ini ungkapan tersebut seringkali “menjelma“ sambil disulami atau lebih sinonim dengan kelesuan ekonomi sejagat. Kenapa semua ini boleh berlaku? Jawapannya ialah mata wang konvensional yang tersedia ada tidak lagi berlandaskan pada sandaran emas secara mutlak. Justeru marilah kita mengimbas kembali keunggulan serta kegemilangan dinar emas semenjak bermulanya era ketamadunan Islam.

Kijang Emas keluaran Bank Negara.1 ounce= 31.105 gram.


Masyarakat Arab Jahiliyyah pada ketika itu menggunakan dinar emas Heraclius Byzantine yang berasal dari negeri Syam manakala dirham perak Sasaniyah pula dari Iraq. Tatkala itu mereka tidak mempunyai mata wang tersendiri untuk melaksanakan urusniaga perniagaan dalam mahupun luar negara.

Penggunaan kedua-dua mata wang ini adalah bagi memudahkan urusniaga terutamanya pada masa yang melibatkan perdagangan utama di Syam pada musim panas manakala di Yaman pada musim sejuk. Namun demikian, keadaan mulai berubah apabila Nabi Muhammad SAW dipilih sebagai Rasul, dinar dan dirham telah dinaiktarafkan sebagai matawang rasmi urusniaga sektor ekonomi kerana terdapat keseragaman bagi tujuan memudahkan urusniaga.

Ketika ini jugalah reka bentuk berunsur Islam mula digunakan dalam penempaan dinar serta dirham. Pada tahun 18H atau 20H, Saidina Omar RA telah menambah pada dirham Sasaniyah beberapa elemen dengan tulisan khat Kufi seperti Bismillah, Bismillah Rabbi dan Alhamdullillah serta sesetengahnya Muhammad Rasulullah yang ditempa pada keliling gambar Kisra.

Beliau turut menetapkan piawaian bahawa 10 dirham bersamaan 7 dinar dan ini kekal digunapakai sehingga kini. Satu dinar mempunyai 91.6 peratus atau 22 karat seberat 4.25 gram manakala dirham ialah syiling perak seberat 2.975 gram.

1 Dinar bersamaan harga seekor kambing dewasa..sejak Zaman Nabi lg.

Emas kebal inflasi. Sapa nak beli kambing? hehehe...

Pengalaman bersama Prof Ramli bersama team dia mengoperasi Kambing di UM.

Jermasia; Jerman + Malaysia..Baka yang berjaya di lahirkan.

Pregnancy Test..khas utk Kambing, ibu mengandung dilarang keras oleh Kementerian Kesihatan Malaysia untuk mencuba.

eh, iklan kambing byk la sangat..sambung balik.

Dalam rekaan ini ukiran pada permukaan mata wang adalah rekabentuk Islam yang khusus tanpa wujudnya elemen-elemen Byzantine dan Parsi muncul pada tahun 76H hasil cetusan idea Khalifah Abd al-Malik bin Marwan pada zaman Bani Umaiyyah. Senario ini turut dimangkinkan oleh perselisihan faham yang berlaku antara baginda dengan Raja Rom. Pada ketika itu khalifah Abd Al-Malik bin Marwan telah diktiraf oleh Ibn Jarir al-Tabari dan Ibn al-Athir sebagai perintis menempa dinar dan dirham dalam unsur-unsur Islam.

Aplikasi dinar tidak hanya berlegar di bumi Arab tetapi melangkaui kepada ketamadunan Andalusia. Kegiatan perdagangan berkembang pesat selama 700 tahun di Andalusia telah memangkin penggunaan dinar emas serta perak sebagai mata wang utama.

Pada tahun 716 M, umat Islam Andalusia telah mula menempa dinar emas dengan ukiran bahasa Arab serta ditulis “Muhammad Rasulluah” di samping mencatatkan nama Andalusia iaitu tempat tempahan dinar berserta tahun diperbuat. Di belakang dinar emas ini turut diukir dengan tulisan Latin yang bersesuaian dengan kehidupan masyarakat Islam Andalusia pada ketika itu.

Bukti sejarah juga menunjukkan bahawa setelah tamatnya pemerintahan Andalusia, masyarakat semasa pemerintahan Kristian masih meneruskan penggunaan dinar emas selama lebih 400 tahun. Dalam era moden ini, pada tahun 1992 dinar emas pertama Eropah kembali ditempah di Granada, Sepanyol yang sekaligus merupakan sesuatu peristiwa yang sungguh menarik.

Menurut analisa yang dibuat sepanjang kecemerlangannya dinar emas turut mengalami ketidaktentuan terhadap cabaran serta krisis semasa. Pada suatu ketika stok emas tidak mencukupi memandangkan siri peperangan semakin meruncing. Justeru perak dicampurkan tembaga menjadi matawang rasmi dan digunakan di Mesir serta Syam di bawah pentadbiran Bani Ayyub.

Penggunaan dinar serta dirham terus bertahan aplikasinya pada masa keagungan kerajaan Othmaniah Turki (1299M-1924M). Pada hari ini, nama dinar serta dirham masih digunakan sebagai mata wang rasmi di beberapa buah negara di Timur Tengah seperti dinar di Tunisia, Kuwait, Libya, Bahrain, Algeria, Jordan manakala dirham Di Emiriah Arab Bersatu, Qatar dan Maghribi.

Di Malaysia berkat pengalaman kelesuan ekonomi global pada 1997 dinar emas yang diperbuat daripada emas 916 telah mula dikembalikan kegemilangan sebagai medium penyimpan nilai yang tinggi, stabil, sentiasa berpotensi untuk meningkat nilai serta komoditi yang paling selamat.

Dalam konteks yang lebih luas dinar emas turut mampu dijadikan perantaraan urusniaga , gaji dan bonus pekerja, mahar dan hantaran perkahwinan, urusan haji dan umrah, zakat dan serta semua pembayaran perniagaan dalam dan luar negara bagi negara yang berminat.

Hal ini kerana dinar emas mempunyai nilai intrinsik atau tersendiri yang diterimapakai oleh masyarakat dunia. Nilai emas adalah stabil dan meningkat dari semasa ke semasa berbanding mata wang konvesional yang seringkali menjadi mangsa “serang hendap” para penyangak mata wang antarabangsa bagi mengaut keuntungan mudah dan besar.

Monday, December 27, 2010

Friday, December 24, 2010

Cashews



Cashews helps you "Eat for Your Immune System" because a serving (2oz - 58.6g) provides 10% or higher of your daily value for the immune healthy minerals selenium and zinc plus they contain antioxidants in the form of polyphenolic phytochemicals.

Selenium deficiency has been shown to impair the immune system, in fact some research suggests selenium can also stimulate an immune response even when selenium status is relatively normal. It is thought this mineral plays a role in the signaling involved in the eliciting of the immune response - some viruses are known to become more virulent when selenium is low. Similarly, low zinc status is also associated with an impaired immune response - those suffering from it become more susceptible to infections such as diarrhea, pneumonia and malaria.

Also, the sort of age-related declines in immune function seen in the elderly (increased infection rates etc.) mirror those of zinc deficiency. The antioxidant phytochemicals present in 2 oz of cashew nuts, as evidenced by an ORAC score of 1,106, may also play a key role in immune function. The decline in immune function seen in extreme athletes (marathon runners) and soldiers after physical exertion is similar to that seen in old age.

North Carolinas' Appalachian State University researchers suggest antioxidant polyphenols like quercetin can significantly reduce infection rates in such populations therefore improving a weakened immune function.

--link---

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18522619?ordinalpos=1&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

CASH FLOW MANAGEMENT

CASH FLOW MANAGEMENT: GETTING A CLUE.

CASH IS A KING; CASH IS THE OXYGEN. NO MATTER HOW YOU EXPRESS IT- YES, YOU’VE GOT THE IDEA. CASH IS CRITICAL. LET’S FIND OUT WHY..
A COMPANY MAY HAVE GOOD PROFIT BUT WITHOUT CASH, IT WILL DIE. SALES ARE VITAL TO YOUR BUSINESS BUT THAT IS ONLY THE FIRST STEP. ALWAYS REMEMBER THAT A SALE IS NOT A SALE UNTIL YOU RECEIVE THE PAYMENT. UNTIL THAT POINT, A SALE IS ACTUALLY A MERE GIFT.
ON THE OTHER HAND, COMPANES WHICH HAVE NOT MADE PROFITS FOR YEARS BUT HAVE A SOLID CASH-FLOW FOUNDATION WILL CONTINUE TO RUN. THIS SHOULD NOT BE A SURPRICE – THEY HAVE THE MONEY TO BUY GOODS; PAY SALARIES, RENTALS AND SO ON. FOR THIS REASON, THE INFLOW AND OUTFLOW OF CASH NEED TO BE CAREFULLY MONITORED AND CONTROLLED SINCE EFFECTIVE CASH FLOW MANAGEMENT WILL HELP PROTECT THE FINANCIAL SECURITY OF YOUR BUSINESS.
GOOD CASH FLOW

IF U ARE CURRENTLY RUNNING A BUSINESS,DO YOU KNOW IF YOUR BUSINESS HAS GOOD CASH-FLOW? YOU WILL DEFINITELY HAVE THE ANSWER IF YOU KNOW WHAT GOOD CASH-FLOW IS ALL AOUT. LOOK AT YOUR ABILITY TO PAY YOUR BILLS ON A REGULAR BASIS. THIS IS THE SIMPLEST FORM TO MEASURE YOUR CASH-FLOW. GOOD CASH-FLOW MEANS THAT THE COMPANY’S INCOME AND ECPENDITURES ARE MANAGED IN SUCH A WAY IT ALLOWS THE BUSINESS TO HAVE CASH AVAILABLE TO PAY BILLS ON TIME.
CASH-FLOW CYCLE.

FIRST, YOUR BUSIESS USES CASH TO ACQUIRE RESOURCES SUCH AS RAW MATERIALS, EMPLOYEES AND OTHERS. SECOND, USING THESE RESOURCES, GOODS AND SERVICES ARE PRODUCED. THIRD, THE GOODS AND SERVICES ARE THEN SOLD TO CUSTOMERS. FINALLY, YOU COLLECT AND DEPOSIT THE PAYMENT; AND NEXT, THE FLOW REPEATS. THIS IS A COMMON CYCLE IN A TYPICAL BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT, ISN’T IT?

WHAT IS EQUALLY IMPORTANT IS THAT YOU APPROPRIATELY MANAGE AND CONTROL THESE CASH ONFLOWS AND OUTFLOWS.
CASH-FLOW MANAGEMENT IS VITAL TO THE HEALTH OF YOUR BUSINESS. IF YOU DO NOT CAREFULLY MONITOR YOUR CASH-FLOW AND TAKE CORRETIVE ACTIONS WHEN NECESSARY, YOUR BUSINESS MAY FIND ITSELF SINKING INTO TROUBLE.

IN MOST CASES, CASH INFLOWS SEEM TO LAG BEHIND YOUR CASH INFLOWS SEEM TO LAG BEHIND YOUR CASH OUTFLOWS,LEAVING YOUR BUSINESS SHORT OF CASH. THIS MONEY SHORTAGE IS YOUR CASH-FLOW GAP. EFFECTIVE CASH-FLOW MANAGEMENT ENABLES YOU TO BUILD CASH BALANCES TO NARROW OR COMPLETELY CLOSE YOUR CASH-FLOW GAP. START BY EXAMINING THE VARIOUS COMPONENTS OF YOUR CASH INFLOWS AND OUTFLOWS THAT AFFECT THE CASH-FLOW OF YOUR BUSINESS.
CASH CONVERSION CYCLE
- THE PERIOD OF TIME REQUIRED TO CONVERT RESOURCE INPUTS INTO CASH FLOWS.
O FORMULA- (ICP+RCP)-PCP=CASH CONVERSION CYCLE.

1. ICP:INVENTORY CONVERSION PERIOD
A. DURATION TO CONVERT RAW MATERIALS INTO PRODUCTS AND SERVICES.

2. RCP: RECEIVABLES CONVERSION PERIOD
A. DURATION TO CONVERT SALES INTO CASH INFLOWS.

3. PCP: PAYABLES CONVERSION PERIOD.
A. DURATION BETWEEN PURCHASE OR USAGE OF INPUTS PAYMENT.



TRICK
 MINIMISE ICP
 MINIMISE RCP
 MAXIMISE PCP
 CONSIDER THE OVERALL NEEDS OF THE BUSINESS.

TIPS IN BRIEF
1. FIND THE RIGHT SUPPLIERS AND PRACTICE THE ART OF NEGOTIATION.
2. KEEP STOCK LEVEL UNDER CONTROL. CONSIDER TO ORDER LESS STOCKS BUT MORE

FREQUENTLY.
3. IMPROVE SALES OPERATIONS TO INCREASE SALES AND PROFITABILITY.
4. USE FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE AND OVERDRAFT FACILITIES TO COPE WITH SHORT-TERM DOWNTURNS,I.E ECONOMIC CRISIS.

Sunday, December 12, 2010

Mengapa kita perlu menyimpan emas?



Seperti yang kita sudah sedia maklum, emas memang menjadi sumber pelaburan paling selamat sejak dari zaman dulu lagi. Tetapi masih ramai lagi rakyat di Malaysia ini tidak menyedari akan kepentingan pelaburan emas ini.

Mengapa kita perlu menyimpan emas?

1. Emas ialah kekayaan yang sebenarnya
—————————————————-——
Sejak dari dulu lagi emas menjadi simbol kekayaan hinggalah zaman sekarang. Selain itu juga emas tidak boleh dibinasakan. Sesuatu benda yang menjadi penyimpan kekayaan mestilah mempunyai sifat tidak boleh dibinasakan. Sebab itu makanan, haiwan dan tumbuh-tumbuhan tidak boleh menjadi penyimpan kekayaan. Ini kerana di dalam jangka masa panjang kesemua benda tersebut akan binasa.

Sesuatu benda yang boleh dibinasakan dengan mudah tidak boleh
menjadi penyimpan kekayaan yang terunggul.

2. Harga emas sentiasa meningkat dalam jangka masa panjang.
—————————————————————–—————————–
Sejak 10 tahun yang lalu harga emas telah mula meningkat. Siapa
yang simpan emas sejak masa itu, memang menguntungkan!

Purata kenaikan harga emas adalah sekitar 27% setahun. Siapa nak
bagi anda untung setinggi ini? ASB jika tinggi pun, anda akan dapat 12% setahun. Yang mana satu lebih untung?

Jika anda kawin pada tahun 2001, barang kemas 916 dibeli pada harga RM50 segram. Pada hari ini, emas 916 mencecah harga RM150 segram!!

3. Nilai wang kertas sentiasa jatuh di dalam jangka masa panjang
—————————————————————–——————————-
Senang saja. Sebagai contoh, pada tahun 1980an, kebanyakan pelajar sekolah membawa antara 20 sen dan 30 sen sebagai duit poket. Duit tersebut cukup untuk membeli nasi dan air minum. Bagaimana dengan sekarang – tahun 2010? RM 5 sehari pun tidak cukup..

4. Aset yang terunggul
————————————
Tidak ada aset lain yang boleh menandingi kecairan emas. Ia bukan sahaja boleh dicairkan di Malaysia tetapi boleh dicairkan di seluruh dunia. Katakanlah negara kita dilanda peperangan. Kita lari dengan membawa emas ke negara lain. Ianya boleh ditukarkan kepada wang kertas negara itu. Dan dengan emas itu, kita mampu hidup di negara tersebut. Lain pula jika kita membawa wang kertas kita, adakah ianya laku di negara lain? Ibarat ‘wang kertas Iraq’ yang sama sekali tidak bernilai akibat peperangan.

5. Ia tidak boleh dimanipulasikan
—————————————————-
Emas sukar diperoleh dan tidak boleh dicipta. Jadi, ia tidak boleh dimanipulasikan. Kuantitinya tidak boleh ditambah dengan mudah. Ini menyebabkan emas sentiasa bernilai.

Ini berbeza sekali dengan wang kertas. Ia boleh dicetak sesuka hati oleh pemerintah. Jika jumlah cetakan terlalu tinggi, maka nilainya akan menurun. Rm 1 juta hari ini tidak akan bernilai RM1 juta lagi pada 5 tahun akan datang...=)

Abu Bakr ibn Abi Maryam reported that he heard the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, say: "A time is certainly coming over mankind in which there will be nothing [left] which will be of use save a dinar and a dirham." (The Musnad of Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal)

Gold and silver are the most stable currency the world has ever seen.Protect your wealth by buying gold and silver.

Saturday, December 11, 2010

Islam rejects 'Ketuanan Melayu'

I congratulate the former Mufti of Perlis for his recent statement chiding those who talk about "Malay supremacy".

Dr Asri Zainul Abidin is right in making a comparison between this silly battlecry of a section of politicians to Jewish supremacy, which underlines Zionism and all the ugliness that it represents. Of course, this statement by Asri did not make headlines in Utusan Malaysia or the other UMNO-owned media, unlike his previous opinion calling for Anwar Ibrahim's retirement.

It is also sad that while UMNO leaders in their ignorance keep harping on this racist and un-Islamic notion, not much effort was done by the leaders of PAS or the Muslim scholars in PKR to argue their opposition to this kind of racism from a religious point of view. Much of the issues have been argued from a political and constitutional point of view, and this has led many to suspect that PAS's stance has more to do with votes than their religious ideology.

A cursory glance of this hotch potch "Malay supremacy" will reveal that it has nothing to do with either the Federal constitution or the status of Islam. It is wrong to keep linking the position of Islam to this un-Islamic and racist belief that a certain race should be given preference and their culture should be held in more esteem than others.

Islam came to de-bunk the myth that there is any chosen race in the eyes of God, and characters like Perkasa and UMNO, who call themselves Muslims, threaten to bring us back to the age of the Jahiliyah Arabs.

PAS and PKR leaders should argue the Islamic stand on "Malay supremacy", and as said by PKR president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail recently, it is better for the Malays to become a dignified race rather than clinging on the 'ketuanan Melayu'. One also should appreciate our former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who once said that there is no point talking about ketuanan Melayu when most Malays work as coolies. Of course, this great Malaysian uncle keeps evolving despite his age.

The Qur'an is explicit of its stance against any notion of racial supremacy and many verses remind us of our origin from Adam and Eve, and who the real chosen people are, i.e. those who are fearful of Allah Almighty.

Prophet Muhammad's final sermon is also a warning to all those Muslims who are toying with racism, when he declared: "An Arab has no superiority over a non-Arab nor a non-Arab has any superiority over an Arab; also a black has no superiority over white, nor a white has any superiority over black, except by piety and good action (Taqwa). Indeed the best among you is the one with the best character (Taqwa).

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Pemimpin Patut Lapar?

"Pemimpin sepatutnya berlapar kerana rakyat bukan rakyat berlapar kerana pemimpin," kata pensyarah Universiti Utara Malaysia, Dr Ahmad Bashir Abdul Aziz.
Beliau menyatakan ketika menyampaikan ceramah pada Sambutan Maal Hijrah 1432H Peringkat Negeri Pualu Pinang di perkarangan Masjid Daerah Seberang Perai Tengah, Bandar Perda, malam tadi.

Menurutnya, pemimpin hari ini wajar meniru apa yang Rasullulah s.a.w lakukan sewaktu berusaha mengorek parit ketika menghadapi perang Khandak yang mana Baginda turut bersama sahabat bertungkus lumus bekerja mengorek parit untuk menghalang kemaraan tentara kafir.

Tetapi, katanya hari ini orang kenyang dengan makanan sehingga tidak menghiraukan Islam serta membiarkan rakyat menderita dengan masalah.

Hari ini, katanya ada juga rakyat terpaksa meletakkan batu di atas perut bukan kerana menahan lapar sebaliknya kerana terlalu kenyang atau kata lain 'mengah' dengan tujuan membuang angin.

Ketika Baginda sedang menahan lapar rupa-rupanya Abdullah bin Jabir sedang melihat kelakuan Baginda, maka terus menghampiri untuk mengajak Baginda makan kerana ada sedikit makanan di rumahnya.

Selepas diberitahu sambungnya, Rasullulah s.a.w memanggil semua sahabat dan petugas yang begitu ramai untuk bersama menikmati makanan yang ada di rumah Abdullah bin Jabir.

"Sekali lagi menyaksikan Baginda s.a.w bukan orang yang tamak atau mementingkan diri sebaliknya mementingkan rakyat untuk bersama menikmati makanan yang ada.

“Jika kita, yang penting sapu dulu baru bagi tahu orang," ujarnya diiringi ketawa orang ramai.

Beliau menambah, apabila Rasullulah tiba di rumah Abdullah, Baginda berpesan agar isterinya tidak mengangkat makanan daripada dapur apabila siap masak dan meletakkan tangan di atas makanan serta berdoa.

Akhirnya, makanan yang boleh dimakan dua hingga tiga orang dapat dinikmati oleh ribuan sahabat yang lain.

“Kalau hari ini ramai orang hilang tanggungjawab untuk menjaga kepentingan umum sebaliknya lebih kepada mengutamakan dirinya,” ujarnya.

Walaupun Baginda s.a.w berhadapan dengan adu domba, fitnah, provokasi dan cabaran yang teruk tetapi Baginda menghadapinya dengan baik dan dilihat mampu merealisasikan apa yang diinginkan oleh Islam.

Justeru itu, katanya sikap tamak, kepentingan diri, bongkah dan berbangga diri hendaklah dibuang jauh sempena Maal Hijrah mudah-mudahan apa yang dilakukan mendapat keberkatan dari Allah SWT.

Turut sama mendengar ceramah beliau ialah Tun Dr Abdul Rahman Abas, Ketua Menteri, Lim Guan Eng, timbalannya, Dr Mansor Othman, Pegawai Kewangan Negeri, Datuk Farisan Darus, Yang Dipertua Majlis Agama Islam Pulau Pinang (Maipp), Ustaz Elias Zakaria, ketua-ketua jabatan dan orang ramai.

Sambutan kali ini juga menyaksikan Profr Madya Dr Radzi Othman dianugerahkan sebagai Tokoh Maal Hijrah. Manakala Tokoh Saudara Kita diberikan kepada Muhamad Asyraf Tan Abdullah, Ibu Mithali Puan Juriah, Bapa Mithali Haji Abdul Razak Zakaria dan Tokok Pendakwah dianugerahkan kepada Ustaz Roslan Che Ros.

Monday, December 6, 2010

Hadeeth 6 from Imam Nawawi's Forty Hadeeth

"Truly, what is lawful is evident, and what is unlawful is evident and in between the two are matters which are doubtful which may people do not know. He who guards against doubtful things keeps his religion and honour blamless, and he who indulges in doubtful things indulges in fact in unlawful things, just as a shepherd who pastures his flock round a preserve will soon pasture them in it. Beware, every king has a preserve, and the things Allah has declared unlawful are His preserves. Beware, in the body there is a flesh; if it is sound, the whole body is sound, and if it is corrupt, the whole body is corrupt, and behold, it is the heart."

(Mutafaqqun Alaih)


Lessons from the Hadeeth

Imam al-Bukhari recorded this Hadeeth as the opening of his Musannaf on the Book of Trade. There is much wisdom as to why he did that.


If one is to find much contentment in striving for the path of Allah, then maintaining a life clearly within the permissible bounds, is a crucial necessity.


Consider the following daily matters;
- our food
- our dressing
- our work
- our worship elements
- our interaction with others

Don't look at how minor the sin that is you committed, but look at the glory of the one you disobeyed.

Take home message; stay away from the grey area as that is better for you..[Allah knows best]..



Salam Maal Hijrah! May Allah shower us with His guidance and bless...

Saturday, December 4, 2010

Corruption

The word “corruption” comes from a Latin word meaning “to break” or “to destroy”. Corruption is a cancer that steals from the poor, eats away at governance and moral fibre, and destroys trust. Although corruption exists in both the private and public sector, the corruption of the public sector is a more fundamental evil. This is because the public sector is the enforcer and arbiter of the rules that hold us together, the custodians of our common resources.

Corruption is the abuse of public office for personal gain.

• Corruption exacts a huge toll on our economy

o In a survey of more than 150 high ranking public officials and top citizens from over 60 developing nations, these officials ranked corruption as the biggest obstacle to development and growth in their countries.

o Corruption empties out the public purse, causes massive misallocation of resources, dampens trade and scares away investors

o The World Bank estimates that corruption can reduce a country’s growth rate by 0.5 to 1 percentage points per year. Where there is a lack of transparency and a weak court system, investors stay away.

o Corruption is a form of theft. But it is a form of theft that also damages what is not stolen. This is because corruption involves the capture of decisions involving public funds. Corrupt decisions mis-allocate public resources and cause tremendous waste in the expenditure of public money. Public money is poured down the drain when projects are selected not because of the value they deliver to the public but because of what can be skimmed from them.

• But corruption is more than an economic cost. It is a curse that attacks the root of the tree. Corruption destroys trust, which is nothing less than the glue holding a society and its institutions together. When it becomes rampant and is conducted with impunity, it also demoralizes even those public servants not involved in it. The common people’s experience with government breeds the expectation that they need to pay before things will move. Small businesses suffer as city hall officials come on their rounds to collect mandatory “donations.”

It is time we recognized corruption as the single biggest threat to our nation. In our economy, corruption is the root of our inability to to make the economic leap that we know we are capable of. There is no other reason why a country so blessed with natural resources, a favourable climate and such immense talent should not have done a lot better than we have.

In our political system, corruption is the real reason why our political parties refuse to reform. In the party I belong to it has debased a once noble nationalism and a concern with the welfare of marginalised people into a rush for the gravy train. The economic development we must bring our people is reduced to nothing more than patronage, and patronage is inflated into a right.

The root cause is in our political parties. It is an open secret that tender inflation is standard operating procedure. Within the parties and among politicians, it is already an understood matter that party followers must be ‘fed’. Politics is an expensive business, after all. Where else are we to get the funds? Thus theft of public goods is normalised and socialised among an entire community, and what we had planned to attain by capability is seen by some as something to be attained through politics.

Politicians are the villains in this piece, but they themselves the villains but they themselves are also trapped. The leadership is trapped because they are beholden to political followers who demand that they are looked after. They demand patronage, and the turn the party’s struggle for the welfare of a community into their sense of entitlement to that patronage. So they take their slice of the project. By the time they they and each person down the line all the way down to the contractor takes a lot and there is not enough left to do a decent job, bridges collapse, highways crack, stadiums collapse, hospitals run out of medicine, schoolchildren are cheated in their textbooks. Corruption may look to its perpetrators like a crime without victims, but it leaves a trail of destruction.

No domain seems safe. The humble school canteen is the domain of Umno branch chiefs. The golf course become a favoured way to pass the cash over. We can place bets for RM5000 a hole. For some reason one party keeps losing. And there are 18 holes. Money thus obtained is legal. It can be banked.

We spend billions on the refurbishment of defence equipment; on fighter jets, frigates and submarines. Whe a supplier lays on an exorbitant commission to some shadowy middleman, that commision is built into the price the government pays. That money comes from the ordinary Malaysian.

Military toys are very expensive. I remember from my time in the Ministry of Finance. Even then, patrol craft cost about RM280mil each.

We loved Exocet missiles. As Minister, I had to sign each time the military fired an Exocet missile for testing. Every time we test fired one of them, RM2mil literally went out with a bang. When the UK went to war against Argentina, the UK Government came back to borrow them from us because outside of the UK we had the most of them in the world. We must have been under some extraordinary military threat which I did not understand.

The list is long: procurement of food and clothing for the military, medicine for hospitals and so on. In all these things the Government has been extraordinarily generous. And paid extraordinarily high prices.

Government servants have to face pressure from politicians who expect to be given these contracts because they need money for politics. This corruption is justified because the party’s struggle is sacred. The civil servants can either join the game or be bypassed.

For every government job big or small that goes down, someone feels entitled to a slice of the pie, not because they can do the job, not because they have some special talent or service to offer, but because it is their right. They do not realise that what they demand is the abuse of power for the sake of personal gain, or party gain. They elect those leaders among themselves who are most capable of playing this game. So we get as our leaders people who have distinguished themselves not by their ability to serve the public but at their long proven ability to be party warlords, which is to say, distributors of patronage. And that is a euphemistic way of saying that because of corruption the old, stupid and the criminal are elevated to positions of power while young, talented and honest individuals are frozen out. Corruption destroys national wealth, erodes institutions and undermines character. And it also destroys the process by which a community finds its leaders.

The consequence of this is that the majority are marginalized. Government contracts circulate among a small group of people. Despite all attempts at control and brainwashing, the majority soon catch up to the game.

This game cannot last forever. The longer it is played the more people hate the government and the governing class. They vote against the government, not for the Opposition. They resent the government of the day. In 2008 we saw how the Malaysian people feel about the abuse of power and incompetence caused by corruption.

Since party funding has become the excuse and the vehicle for wholesale corruption, any measure we take to fight it must include the reform of political funding.

It is time we enact a law regulating donations to political parties. Donations must be capped. No donor is to give more than a specified limit, on pain of prosecution. This it to try to prevent special interests from dominating parties. Such money is source of corruption.

Let us limit political donations by law. On top that let the government set up a fund to provide funding to registered political party for their legitimate operational needs. This money can be distributed based on objective criteria and governed by an independent panel. This would close off the excuse that the parties need to raise political funding through government contracts.

Another idea is that we should freeze the bank accounts of people who are being investigated for corruption. Public servants and politicians are by law required to be able to demonstrate the sources of their assets. Those with suspiciously ample asssets should have these assets frozen until they can come up with evidence that they have accumulated them by political means.

This may sound harsh, but only because we live in a country in which almost no one ever gets nabbed for corruption. In China, those found guilty are shot.

In Malaysia we read about MACC investigating this and that but there are no convictions. No one has been punished. We are the nation with no consequences. The MACC finds no fault. The courts do not convict. And our newspapers do not have the independence and vigour to follow up.

We have an MACC with no results. It was a good idea to model our anti-corruption agency after one of the most successful in the world, Hong Kong’s ICAC. However we have taken just bits and pieces of that model. So really this will be no more than PR exercise unless we adopt the model wholesale.

We should repeal the OSA so that people can go to the MACC and the authorities with documentary information on corrupt practice. As things stand, any document which might be incriminating to corrupt public officials is stamped an Offical Secret. A whistleblower risks 7 yrs jail for being in possession of such documents.

We need to identify rot eating through our roots as a nation. It is corruption. We cannot expect the corrupt to embrace reform. It is time for our citizens to stand up and call corruption by its name, and demand reform.

Monday, November 15, 2010

Peristiwa besar bulan Zulhijjah

Di sebalik bulan Zulhijjah yang terkenal dengan bulan haji, ia juga mencatatkan beberapa peristiwa di dalam diari sejarah pembinaan dan perjuangan umat Islam. Ia menjadi nadi dan titik-tolak kepada pengukuhan akidah dan pemantapan sahsiah serta kekuatan ukhwah ummat di dalam meneruskan perjuangan Baginda s.a.w.

Antara peristiwa tersebut adalah:

1. Nabi Muhammad s.a.w membawa dagangan Khadijah ke negeri Syam, di sana baginda diberitahu tentang kenabiannya oleh pendita Nasthurah. Ia berlaku pada tahun kelima sebelum pelantikan baginda menjadi nabi.

2. Peristiwa Baiah Al-Aqabah (perjanjian setia Al Aqabah) pada tahun ke-13 selepas pelantikan baginda menjadi nabi. Ia disertai oleh 73 orang lelaki dan 2 orang perempuan dari kaum Aus dan Khazraj.

3. Peperangan As Sawiq pada tahun kedua Hijrah,Nabi s.a.w keluar mengekori kumpulan Abu Sya’ban yang menceroboh dan memerangi penduduk pinggir kota Madinah. Semasa melarikan diri mereka mencampakkan guni-guni gandum yang dibawa bagi mempercepatkan perjalanan supaya tidak dapat diekori oleh baginda.

4. Pada 7 Zulhijjah tahun kelima Hijrah satu kumpulan tentera Islam dihantar ke perkampungan Bani Sulaim yang diketuai oleh Ibnu Abi Al ‘Arjak.

5. Kelahiran Ibrahim putera Nabi s.a.w pada tahun kelapan Hijrah, ibunya bernama Mariyah Al Qibtiyah.

6. Pada tahun ke-10 Hijrah, Nabi s.a.w mengerjakan ibadah Haji yang dikenali dengan Hajjatul Wada’. Di sana baginda menyampaikan amanat-amanatnya yang kesemuanya adalah peraturan dan aturcara kehidupan di dalam Islam.

7. Abu Bakar As Siddiq mengerjakan ibadah Haji bersama umat Islam selepas kewafatan Nabi s.a.w pada tahun 12 Hijrah.

8. Peperangan Dathin yang dipimpin oleh Umamah Al Bahiliy menentang tentera Rom, berakhir dengan kemenangan tentera Islam.

9. Kemenangan tentera Islam yang diketuai oleh Yazid bin Abi Sya’ban menentang tentera Rom yang dikepalai oleh Sarjius di dalam pertempuran Wadi ‘Arabah di Palestin.

10. Pada tahun 23 Hijrah, Khalifah Umar Al Khattab meninggal dunia dibunuh oleh Abu Lu’luah Al Majusi.

11. Pelantikan Uthman bin ‘Affan sebagai khalifah yang dipilih sebulat suara oleh sebuah majlis Syura yang ditubuhkan oleh Umar Al Khattab sebelum kematiannya.

12. Pelantikan Ali bin Abi Talib sebagai khalifah menggantikan Uthman bin Affan pada tahun 35 Hijrah.

13. Kematian Yahya bin Aktham seorang ulama dan panglima tentera Islam pada tahun 242 Hijrah di Rabdah, sebuah kota di pinggir Madinah semasa berusia 82 tahun, pernah menjadi hakim kota Basrah, kadi besar dan penasihat kerajaan.

Sunday, November 14, 2010

Viability of The Islamic Dinar


Topik Dinar Emas mula diperbualkan selepas Krisis Kewangan yang melanda Malaysia pada tahun 1998. Selepas itu, mantan Perdana Menteri Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad pernah mencadangkan negara-negara OIC untuk melakukan perdagangan dengan menggunakan Dinar Emas.


Kemudian, kewujudan Dinar Emas telah diperkenalkan secara rasminya dan diperdebatkan di Malaysia pada 19 Ogos, 2002 di satu persidangan antarabangsa bertajuk 2002 International Conference on Stable and Just Monetary System: The Viability of the Islamic Dinar yang dianjurkan Universiti Islam Antarabangsa di PWTC, Kuala Lumpur.


Hasil dari persidangan tersebut, kajian menyeluruh mengenai Dinar Emas telah dibentangkan oleh ramai ahli akademik dan profesional dari jurusan kewangan, ekonomi, syariah dan undang-undang. Kesemua kajian-kajian tersebut telah dikompilasikan dalam satu prosiding bertajuk Proceedings 2002 International Conference on Stable and Just Monetary System: The Viability of the Islamic Dinar.




Pada awal pengenalan Dinar Emas, ramai ahli kewangan dan ekonomi skeptikal tentang kewujudan Dinar Emas dan keupayaannya untuk menggantikan sistem kewangan yang sedia ada, yakni yang berasaskan wang kertas (paper currency). Walaupun demikian, sekumpulan kecil penggiat Dinar tetap meneruskan usaha mereka meyakinkan orang ramai tentang kebaikan Dinar. Alhamdulillah, berkat usaha mereka ini, Dinar semakin diterima dan diyakini terutama apabila tanda-tanda kehancuran ekonomi Amerika Syarikat semakin jelas kelihatan. Kini, apabila keyakinan terhadap matawang Dollar Amerika semakin rapuh, seluruh dunia semakin yakin terhadap Emas. Di sesetengah negara seperti Indonesia, stok emas kehabisan disebabkan para pelabur berpusu-pusu membeli emas (gold rush). Secara tidak langsung, semakin ramai yang berminat menyimpan Dinar Emas disebabkan denominasinya yang kecil berbanding bullion.


Walaupun sudah 6 tahun berlalu dari persidangan pertama Dinar di Malaysia, masih ramai yang tidak jelas tentang kewujudannya. Maka disebabkan itu, banyak kekeliruan timbul dari segi spesifikasinya, mengapa Dinar Emas diperlukan dan bagaimana melaksanakannya. Soalan-soalan lazim seperti -tidakkah berat membawanya, keselamatan menyimpannya, bagaimana untuk mendapatkannya dan bagaimana hendak menggunakannya akan hanya dapat dirungkai oleh sesiapa yang rajin membuat pembacaan dan melibatkan diri secara lansung dalam penggunaan dinar...sekian.

Saturday, November 13, 2010

Myanmar democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi released


YANGON, Myanmar – Pro-democracy hero Aung San Suu Kyi walked free Saturday after more than seven years under house arrest, welcomed by thousands of cheering supporters outside the decaying lakefront villa that has been her prison.

Her guards effectively announced the end of her detention, pulling back the barbed-wire barriers that sealed off her potholed street and suddenly allowing thousands of expectant supporters to surge toward the house. Many chanted her name as they ran. Some wept.

A few minutes later, with the soldiers and police having evaporated into the Yangon twilight, she climbed atop a stepladder behind the gate as the crowd began singing the national anthem.

"I haven't seen you for a long time," the 65-year-old Nobel Peace Prize Laureate said to laughter, smiling deeply as she held the metal spikes that top the gate. When a supporter handed up a bouquet, she pulled out a flower and wove it into her hair.

Speaking briefly in Burmese, she told the crowd, which quickly swelled to as many as 5,000 people: "If we work in unity, we will achieve our goal."

"We have a lot of things to do," said Suu Kyi, the charismatic and relentlessly outspoken woman who has come to symbolize the struggle for democracy in the isolated and secretive nation once known as Burma. The country has been ruled by the military since 1962.

But while her release thrilled her supporters — and also clearly thrilled her — it came just days after an election that was swept by the ruling junta's proxy political party and decried by Western nations as a sham designed to perpetuate authoritarian control.

Many observers have questioned whether it was timed by the junta to distract the world's attention from the election. It is also unlikely the ruling generals will allow Suu Kyi, who drew huge crowds of supporters during her few periods of freedom, to actively and publicly pursue her goal of bringing democracy to Myanmar.

While welcoming the release, European Commissioner Jose Manuel Barroso urged that no restrictions be placed on her.

"It is now crucial that Aung San Suu Kyi has unrestricted freedom of movement and speech and can participate fully in her country's political process," he said.
Other international leaders also welcomed the end to her detention.

President Barack Obama called Suu Kyi "a hero of mine."

"Whether Aung San Suu Kyi is living in the prison of her house, or the prison of her country, does not change the fact that she, and the political opposition she represents, has been systematically silenced, incarcerated, and deprived of any opportunity to engage in political processes," he said in a statement.

Jared Genser, president of Freedom Now and Suu Kyi's international counsel, also sounded a note of caution.

"The good news is that she can now speak on her behalf," Genser, told The Associated Press in Washington D.C. "But I would caution people in the international community being overly optimistic about the future of the country just yet because we should recall that she's been released three times previously in prior years and nothing fundamentally changed."

While the government had not announced the date of the release, Suu Kyi's lawyer had said the detention would end Saturday. Her supporters began to gather near the house starting Friday.

Their reactions reflected Suu Kyi's widespread popularity.

"She's our country's hero," said Tin Tin Yu, a 20-year-old university student, standing near the house later Saturday night. "Our election was a sham. Everyone knows it, but they have guns so what can we do? She's the only one who can make our country a democracy. I strongly believe it."

Critics say the Nov. 7 elections were manipulated to give the pro-military party a sweeping victory. Results have been released piecemeal and already have given the junta-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party a majority in both houses of Parliament.

The new government is unlikely to win the international legitimacy that it craves simply by releasing Suu Kyi because the recent elections were so obviously skewed, according Trevor Wilson, former Australian ambassador to Myanmar.

What happens next will depend on what kind of restrictions the regime puts on Suu Kyi — and what she says if she is allowed to speak, said Wilson.


"We will have to wait and see. It could be a little bit of a cat-and-mouse game," Wilson said. "The regime may wait for her to make a tactical error and crack down on her again."

Suu Kyi — who was barred from running in the elections — has said she would help probe allegations of voting fraud, according to Nyan Win, who is a spokesman for her party, which was officially disbanded for refusing to register for the polls.

Such actions pose the sort of challenge the military has reacted to in the past by detaining Suu Kyi.

Myanmar's last elections in 1990 were won overwhelmingly by her National League for Democracy, but the military refused to hand over power and instead clamped down on opponents.

Suu Kyi's release gives the junta some ammunition against critics of the election and the government's human rights record, which includes the continued detention of some 2,200 political prisoners and brutal military campaigns against ethnic minorities.

Despite that, it was hard not to see some hope in her release.

"There is no formal opposition (in Myanmar) so her release is going to represent an opportunity to re-energize and reorganize this opposition," said Maung Zarni, an exiled dissident and Myanmar research fellow at the London School of Economics.

But he also said the release was "a tactical move by the regime. It is not out of compassion or as an act of adherence to any legal norms."

The Thailand-based Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, which tracks political detainees in Myanmar, drew attention to continuing abuses.

"In the absence of rule of law, with the lack of an impartial judiciary and with laws that criminalize basic civil and political rights, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi will continue to face the threat of re-arrest," said the group's Joint Secretary, Bo Kyi. "Daw" is a Burmese term of respect for an older woman.

Suu Kyi was convicted last year of violating the terms of her previous detention by briefly sheltering an American man who swam uninvited to her lakeside home, extending a period of continuous detention that began in 2003 after her motorcade was ambushed in northern Myanmar by a government-backed mob.

Suu Kyi, something of an accidental political leader, took up the democracy struggle in 1988.

Having spent much of her life abroad, she returned home to take care of her ailing mother just as mass demonstrations were breaking out against 25 years of military rule. She was quickly thrust into a leadership role, mainly because she was the daughter of Aung San, who led Myanmar to independence from Britain before his assassination by political rivals.

She rode out the military's bloody suppression of street demonstrations to help found the NLD. Her defiance gained her fame and honor, most notably the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize.

Her popularity threatened the country's new military rulers. In 1989, she was detained on trumped-up national security charges and put under house arrest. She was not released until 1995. Out of the last 21 years, she has been jailed or under house arrest for more than 15.

Suu Kyi's freedom had been a key demand of Western nations and groups critical of the military regime's poor human rights record. The military government, seeking to burnish its international image, had responded previously by offering to talk with her, only to later shy away from serious negotiations.

Awaiting her release in neighboring Thailand was the younger of her two sons, Kim Aris, who is seeking the chance to see his mother for the first time in 10 years. Aris lives in Britain and has been repeatedly denied visas.

Her late husband, the British scholar Michael Aris, raised their sons in England. Their eldest son, Alexander Aris, accepted the Nobel Peace Prize on his mother's behalf in 1991 and reportedly lives in the United States.

Michael Aris died of cancer in 1999 at age 53 after having been denied visas to see his wife for the three years before his death. Suu Kyi could have left Myanmar to see her family but decided not to, fearing the junta would not allow her to return.

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Propaganda – Jangan Jatuh Dalam Perangkapnya!


Politik negara kita ni asyik porak peranda aje kebelakangan ini. Tiap kali buka suratkhabar, macam-macam yang ditulis. Tak henti-henti tuduhan yang dilemparkan oleh ahli-ahli politik kita. Rakyat pun celaru – yang mana benar, yang mana sekadar propaganda saja? Kalau betul, tak apa. Kalau sekadar propaganda saja, mampuslah kita semua – entah-entah ramai yang terpedaya dan betindak melulu kerana tak tahu apa yang benar-benar sedang berlaku.

Jadi amatlah penting untuk kita tapis apa yang kita baca dan dengar. Janganlah terbawa-bawa dengan kata-kata yang merupakan hanya propaganda politik saja. Kita mesti celik propaganda supaya kita tidak tertipu dan diperalatkan ahli-ahli politik. Ini penting untuk kesejahteraan negara, sebab kalau kita bertenang, kita boleh menangani apa jua situasi politik yang timbul dengan tindakan yang betul.

Mari kita tengok bagaimana propaganda mempermainkan fikiran kita supaya ahli politik boleh mengekploitasikan sokongan kita.


Propaganda Tu Apa Bendanya?

Propaganda jauh berbeza dari penyebaran pengetahuan ataupun maklumat. Sebenarnya, propaganda ialah alat untuk mengaut kuasa. Tujuan sebenarnya ialah untuk meyakinkan rakyat bahawa seseorang itu patut diberi kuasa yang diingininya.

Menurut Jospeh Goebbels (orang kanan Hitler semasa pemerintahan Nazi), “…tugas propaganda adalah untuk mengambil idea (yang telah berjaya disebarkan kepada) rakyat dan membolehkannya mengambil alih sebuah negara.” (Dipetik dari ucapannya kepada ahli parti Nazi semasa kem latihan propaganda, 9 January 1928. Kebanyakan dari ucapannya dalam rencana ini dipetik dari ucapan yang sama.)

Contoh unggul propaganda jenis ini boleh dilihat di dalam kerjaya Jospeh Goebbels sendiri. Dalam tahun 1930-an, parti Nazi Jerman berjaya merampas kerajaan pusat kerana kempen propagandanya.Goebbels berjaya menukar imej parti Nazi sebagai sebuah parti perkauman ektremis kepada sebuah parti nasionalis yang memperjuangkan ketuanan kaum majoriti Jerman. Beliau juga berjaya memusnahkan imej musuh politik mereka. Dengan sokongan kuat dari golongan majoriti rakyat, parti Nazi menang besar dalam pilihanraya 1933. Maka mulalah pemerintahan Hitler yang membunuh berjuta-juta rakyat Jerman dan membawa kepada Perang Dunia Ke-2.

Itulah…jangan sokong sembarangan – buruk padahnya nanti! Ingat: celik propaganda.

Apa Kerja Propaganda Ni?

Tujuan propaganda ialah untuk membahagikan masyarakat kepada dua kumpulan – “Kita” dan “Mereka”. Rakyat akan dipengaruh untuk menyertai “Kita” dan menolak “Mereka”. Mereka yang tak mahu memilih pihak pula sekurang-kurangnya mesti menyangka bahawa “Kita” lebih baik dari “Mereka”.

Biasanya berbagai isu lain akan dibangkitkan dengan mendadak juga. Ini untuk mengaburkan mata rakyat supaya mereka tak dapat lihat isu-isu yang sebenar. Propaganda mendadak ini juga direka untuk memaksa rakyat memilih “Kita” tanpa memikir panjang. Jadi kita harus celik propaganda – jangan dipaksa membuat pilihan yang bukan-bukan!

Siapa Menjadi Mangsa Propaganda?

Propaganda tidak akan menyerang rakyat jelata kerana sokongan dari kita inilah yang mereka perlukan. Jadi tujuan propaganda adalah untuk memusnahkan sokongan untuk pihak “Mereka” dan agihkan sokongan ke pihak “Kita” sebaliknya.

Dalam menjual cerita propaganda politik, yang biasa dijadikan penyangak ialah (1) pemerintah, (2) pemimpin, (3) dalang (yang tak akan dikenali), (4) pihak minoriti tertentu. Propaganda yang berkesan akan menyakinkan rakyat dan penyokong “Mereka” yang mereka sebenarnya adalah kawan “Kita” dan mereka telah menjadi mangsa penipuan penyangak itu dan sedang diperalatkan oleh “Mereka”. Oleh itu, penyangak- penyangak “Mereka” ini bukan sahaja musuh “Kita” tetapi juga musuh kepada rakyat dan penyokong “Mereka”.

Kerja ini memang menjijikkan kerana sokongan rakyat dimenangi bukan dengan kebolehan dan kebenaran tetapi dengan mempermain-mainkan fikiran kita. Jadi kita mesti celik propaganda supaya kita tidak diperolok-olokkan oleh ahli-ahli politik yang hanya pentingkan diri sendiri sahaja.

Macam Mana Nak Celik Propaganda?

OK. Sekarang kita lihat apa taktik-taktik propaganda yang biasa digunakan.

1. Memberi gelaran. Taktik ini amat cepat dan mudah. Mulut cakap, telinga dengar – senang saja. Contoh-contoh gelaran propaganda yang diberi adalah – “DAP anti-Islam”, “PAS diperkudakan Cina”, “Anwar pengkhianat”, “UMNO rasis”, “Cina kiasu” dan sebagainya. Walaupun sesetengah gelaran ini memang kesat dan mengguris hati dan ada juga yang terang-terang bohong belaka, itu tidak penting dalam tujuan propaganda.

Menurut Jospeh Goebbels, “Tiada siapa boleh mengatakan yang propaganda anda terlalu kesat atau bertaraf rendah atau kejam, ataupun ia kurang ikhlas, kerana itu bukan kriterianya. Tujuan propaganda bukan untuk menjadi ikhlas atau halus atau lemah atau rendah diri. Tujuannya ialah untuk berjaya.”


Gelaran yang diberi mesti terlekat di dalam minda pendengar, walau betapa kesatnya. Samada orangramai mempercayainya atau tidak, itu boleh dipengaruhi dengan aktiviti fasa kemudian. Inilah yang disarankan oleh Joseph Goebbels, “Tak kira samada mereka suka kami atau benci kami, asalkan mereka kenali kami. Setelah kami mencapai tujuan pertama ini, kita boleh berusaha menukar benci kepada suka, dan suka kepada benci, tetapi jangan sampai mereka tak endah.”

Ini memang taktik kotor kerana berbagai tuduhan dilemparkan untuk memusnahkan musuhtanpa bukti kukuh.

2. Kenyataan Am Berseri-seri. Taktik ini banyak persamaan dengan taktik Memberi Gelaran. Tapi dalam Kenyataan Am Berseri-seri, pihak “Kita” akan dilabelkan dengan positif. Label ini pula tak perlu benar atau jelas. Yang perlu hanya selalu menggunakannya supaya label positif ini dikembarkan dengan pihak “Kita”.

Kalau label itu berdasarkan fakta atau penjelasan tertentu, ia akan ditolak oleh mereka yang tidak bersetuju dengannya. Oleh itu, Kenyataan Am Berseri-seri tak akan dijelaskan supaya pendengar boleh membuat andaian sendiri apa maksudnya. Bila ini berlaku, label ini boleh diterima oleh sebanyak rakyat yang mungkin.

Contoh-contoh Kenyataan Am Berseri-seri adalah “1Malaysia”, “UMNO mempertahankan Raja-raja Melayu”, “Pakatan Rakyat perjuangkan Ketuanan Rakyat”, dan sebagainya.

3. Agihan. Taktik ini akan meminjam prestij, pengaruh atau kemuliaan dari satu pihak dan agihkan kepada pihak “Kita”. Taktik ini sengaja mengabaikan fakta-fakta dan penjelasan. Tujuannya ialah untuk naikkan semangat rakyat dan “meminjam” sokongan untuk tokoh itu untuk kepentingan “Kita” sendiri. Keagamaan juga digunakan, di mana tokoh-tokoh agama atau kerja-kerja keagamaan akan digunakan untuk menaikkan kredibiliti “Kita”.


Taktik “Agihan” boleh digunakan untuk menentang pihak lawan juga. Dengan mengaitkan pihak lawan dengan benda-benda yang negatif, imej “Mereka” bolah dimusnahkan. Contohnya ialah “DAP komunis”, “PAS diperkudakan Cina”, “UMNO rasis” dan sebagainya. Contoh-contoh lain penggunaan taktik agihan adalah mengibarkan bendera-bendera, mengadakan himpunan besar-besaran, pengesahan dari agensi-agensi kerajaan, serta sumpah-menyumpah di masjid,

4. Mangsa. Satu lagi taktik propaganda ialah untuk menggunakan “mangsa”.Isu “mangsa” ini akan diapi-apikan sehingga rakyat menuntut keadilan untuknya. “Mereka” akan dicabar untuk mempertikaikan samada “mangsa” itu mempunyai hak menerima keadilan. Taktik “mangsa” ini amat berkesan kerana orangramai akan dibuai emosi dan akan kurang rasional dalam isu-isu sebegini.

“Mangsa” ini tidak perlu berbentuk seorang manusia – mangsa ini juga boleh berbentuk institusi, agama, kumpulan, pertubuhan, konsep atau sebagainya. Apa yang penting adalah SIFAT kemangsaannya yang boleh dijadikan modal politik. Contoh-contoh “kemangsaan” di dalam politik negara ialah “Melayu hilang kuasa”, “MACC dikecam ahli politik”, “Pembangkang menjadi sasaran kerajaan” dan sebagainya.

5. Kesaksian.Taktik ini menggunakan orang ternama untuk menyokong “Kita”. Tujuannya ialah untuk mengagihkan kekuatan imej positifnya kepada pihak “Kita”. Kita pernah lihat artis-artis terkemuka dan tokoh-tokoh negara digunakan untuk berkempen dalam pilihanraya, kan? Orang yang berpelajaran tinggi juga digunakan. Mereka ini akan kerap menggunakan kata-kata teknikal atau keagamaan yang sengaja dipilih kerana ia TIDAK akan difahami oleh pendengar. Ini akan mengagumi pendengarnya dan mereka akan lebih percayakan kepakarannya. Contohnya ialah isu Ridhuan Tee mencaci keluarga Teoh Beng Hock baru-baru ini.



Katak pun boleh digunakan. Ahli-ahli politik yang berpaling tadah akan diperagakan dan diberi peluang luas untuk memburuk-burukkan parti lamanya. Ramai sangat katak di Malaysia, tak payahlah namakan semuanya. Kita sendiri pun tahu, kan?

6. Kelab.Tema taktik ini ialah – “semua orang berfikiran begitu, awak masih nak pertikaikan ke?” Kebanyakan orang lebih suka memihak majoriti kerana (1) majoritilah yang memegang kuasa politik, dan (2) kebanyakan orang ingin berkompromi dan bukannya melawan arus. Berbagai-bagai aktiviti akan diadakan untuk membuktikan penerimaan idea “Kita” seperti himpunan besar-besaran, siaran temuduga dengan orang ramai, sokongan media dan sebagainya.

Strategi ini juga boleh digunakan dengan sebaliknya – menghina pihak minoriti supaya rakyat akan kekal bersama pihak majoriti.

Sekarang Dah Celik. Lepas Ni Macam Mana?

Kita tak boleh lari dari propaganda politik selagi wujudnya orang yang ingin berkuasa. Jadi, kita mesti bijaklah menilai mesej-mesej yang diterima. Ingat, tujuan propaganda untuk mengaut sokongan dari rakyat dan penyokong “Mereka”, ataupun menyebabkannya menerima “Kita”, membelot “Mereka”, putus asa atau apa-apa saja tindakan yang menguntungkan “Kita”.

Jadi kita mesti celik propaganda. Selalu bertenang dan pandai-pandailah bezakan yang mana propaganda dan yang mana maklumat sebenar. Dengan ini, kita boleh elak diri dari dipergunakan oleh pihak-pihak tertentu serta mampu membuat pilihan yang tepat.

Friday, November 5, 2010

"DUIT adalah segalanya"

Orang kata DUIT adalah SEGALANYA… Tanpa duit macam mana nak hidup?
Dengan kata lain, Segalanya memerlukan DUIT... Adakah ianya Benar?? (penulis: SETUJU!!!)

Ada jugak Orang kata DUIT bukanlah segala-galanya. DUIT bukan alat untuk mencapai kebahagian. Betul?? (penulis: TAK SETUJU!!!)

Dalam dunia hari ini kalau tak ada DUIT mana boleh hidup......
kalau tak ada DUIT mana boleh sekolah tinggi2…
kalau tak ada DUIT mana boleh maju.....
dan lain2 lagi.....

Kalau saya cakap BETUL…setuju tak??? Tolonglah setuju..

Sebelum saya mulakan hujah2 saya, ingin saya mendefinasikan dahulu maksud DUIT di sini..

D = Doa
U = Usaha
I = Ikhlas
T = Tawakal

Dengan penuh keyakinan, saya rasa semua orang yang faham definasi di atas akan bersetuju bahawa DUIT adalah segalanya…tanpa DUIT hidup kita tak akan ke mana...tanpa DUIT kita tak akan pernah dapat majukan diri…tanpa DUIT memang tak akan dapat sekolah tinggi2...tanpa DUIT jugak kebahagiaan hidup tak akan pernah dicapai… =)


Note: This article is specially dedicated to those who is going to sit for the exam soon!!! (Uni. Students and adik2 form5).

Friday, October 29, 2010

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Kena Saman



melepasi deretan kereta,lori,bas,motosikal,basikal dan segala kenderaan yang ada dengan lancar sekali...yang hijau nampak hijau yang merah nampak hijau yang oren pun nampak hijau..semua hijau...malam yang hijau. dentuman motosikal aku tak mampu dihalang sebarang halangan.jam tepat pukul 8.30 mlm. kurang lebih 15 minit lg ada perjumpaan penting dengan budak siam atas temujanji urusan kerosakan laptop.kebiasaan masa 30 minit ingin dijadikan hanya 15 minit.2 kaedah yang boleh di amalkan,1.pulasan penuh,2.hijau semuanya. hujan renyai renyai tak sedikit menghalang aku dari meluncur laju. puas rasa di hati bila masa yang dikehendaki menepati sasaran.lokasi ini masih pada masa ini,maka ada kebarangkalian tepat akan sampai pd masa yg tertanam di benak.

dengup jantung mula terasa kencang bila tiba-tiba terdengar siren yang kuat datang dari belakang. umpama seekor raksaksa mengejar ultromen. bunyi yang semakin kuat membuatkan aku terasa begitu lemah sekali.seorang dari 'raksaksa2' itu menjerit "ketepi! ketepi! "..aku akur.. "mak datok,5 orang pak polisi kepong aku " bilang aku dalam hati saja. gaya mereka yang memang smart dgn motosikal ala2 mafia honda st1300.jentera aku tak mampu lagi mencilok dan menyorok. aku kelu.kelu 1000 bahasa. tak terkata apa. senyap saja. tapi masih cool dan steady.
"tengok lesen,tengok ic,tengok road tax..."...aku hulur semua apa dokumen yang ada.



'ehem2..lesen awak dah mampos lebih sebulan'. bilang abg hensem yang mengecheck lesen aku.adoi,aku tak perasan lansung.

maka tercatatlah dalam sejarah hidup aku di saman buat kali pertama atas kesalahan lesen dah tamat tempoh.walau sebenarnya aku buat kesalahan lain!
dulu buleh buat rayuan,kurang2..sekarang dah tak boleh lagi...terbang RM300...

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Introducing the Islamic Dinar & Dirham



Abu Bakr ibn Abi Maryam reported that he heard the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, say: "A time is certainly coming over mankind in which there will be nothing [left] which will be of use save a dinar and a dirham." (The Musnad of Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal)

1. History of the Dinar & Dirham

In the beginning the Muslims used gold and silver by weight and the dinar and dirhams that they used were made by the Persians.

The first dated coins that can be assigned to the Muslims are copies of silver dirhams of the Sassanian Yezdigird III, struck during the Khalifate of Uthman, radiy'allahu anhu. These coins differ from the original ones in that an Arabic inscription is found in the obverse margins, normally reading "in the Name of Allah". Since then the writing in Arabic of the Name of Allah and parts of Qur'an on the coins became a custom in all mintings made by Muslims.

Under what was known as the coin standard of the Khalif Umar Ibn al-Khattab, the weight of 10 dirhams was equivalent to 7 dinars (mithqals).

In the year 75 (695 CE) the Khalifah Abdalmalik ordered Al-Hajjaj to mint the first dirhams, thus he established officially the standard of Umar Ibn al-Khattab. In the next year he ordered the dirhams to be minted in all the regions of the Dar al-Islam. He ordered that the coins be stamped with the sentence: "Allah is Unique, Allah is Eternal". He ordered the removal of human figures and animals from the coins and that they be replaced with letters.

This command was then carried on throughout all the history of Islam. The dinar and the dirham were both round, and the writing was stamped in concentric circles. Typically on one side it was written the "tahlil" and the "tahmid", that is, "la ilaha ill'Allah" and "alhamdulillah"; and on the other side was written the name of the Amir and the date. Later on it became common to introduce the blessings on the Prophet, salla'llahu alayhi wa sallam, and sometimes, ayats of the Qur'an.

Gold and silver coins remained official currency until the fall of the Khalifate. Since then, dozens of different paper currencies were made in each of the new postcolonial national states created from the dismemberment of Dar al-Islam.

Allah says in the Qur'an:
And amongst the People of the Book there are those who, if you were to entrust them with a treasure (qintar), he would return it to you. And amongst them is he who, if you were to entrust him with a dinar would not return it to you, unless you kept standing over him. Qur'an (3,75)
Qadi Abu Bakr Ibn al-Arabi, the greatest authority on Qur'anic Law wrote in his famous "Ahkam al-Qur'an" about this ayat:
"The benefit that can be taken from this is the prohibition of entrusting the People of the Book with goods".

Qadi Abu Bakr said: "The question concerning entrusting property is legislated by the text of Qur'an." This means that the ayat is a legal judgement of absolute validity and of the greatest importance to the deen.

Entrusting wealth to non-Muslims is not allowed, but furthermore, taking a non-Muslim as a partner outside Dar al-Islam (where we stand over them) is extremely restricted, because they might cheat or might use our wealth in forbidden transactions.

Since paper-money is a promise of payment, can it be permitted to trust the issuers while they hold the payment (our property) outside our jurisdiction? History has also demonstrated repeatedly that paper money has been a permanent instrument of default and cheating the Muslims. In addition, Islamic Law does not permit the use of a promise of payment as a medium of exchange.



2. What are the Dinar & Dirham?

The Islamic Dinar is a specific weight of 22k gold equivalent to 4.25 grams.
The Islamic Dirham is a specific weight of pure silver equivalent to 2.975 grams.

According to Islamic Law...

The Islamic Dinar is a specific weight of 22k gold (917.) equivalent to 4.25 grams.

The Islamic Dirham is a specific weight of pure silver equivalent to 3.0 grams.

Umar Ibn al-Khattab established the known standard relationship between them based on their weights: "7 dinars must be equivalent to 10 dirhams."

"The Revelation undertook to mention them and attached many judgements to them, for example zakat, marriage, and hudud, etc., therefore within the Revelation they have to have a reality and specific measure for assessment [of zakat, etc.] upon which its judgements may be based rather than on the non-shari'i [other coins].

Know that there is consensus [ijma] since the beginning of Islam and the age of the Companions and the Followers that the dirham of the shari'ah is that of which ten weigh seven mithqals [weight of the dinar] of gold. . . The weight of a mithqal of gold is seventy-two grains of barley, so that the dirham which is seven-tenths of it is fifty and two-fifths grains. All these measurements are firmly established by consensus." Ibn Khaldun, Al-Muqaddimah
How are the Islamic dinar used?

1.- The Islamic Dinar can be used to save because they are wealth in themselves.
2.- They are used to pay zakat and dowry as they are requisite within Islamic Law.
3.- They are used to buy and sell since they are a legitimate medium of exchange.

Sunday, October 10, 2010

Dari Tronoh ke Toronto.

salam.
melepasi waktu dari pagi ke petang yang santai agak menyeronokan.pagi membaca pasal GPS,GIS,Presicion Agriculture,Fertilizer recommendation,semivariogram,Interpolation,
DGPS..bla..bla..bla...
petang pula menafsir apa dan menghurai apa itu semua...itulah test. selesai.

selesai acara formal terus aku menuju ke alam maya..dok baca paper sambil melayari maklumat sepatutnya. tut2 aku terbaca satu article pasai budak UTP 'chong' utusan. baca tajuk pun dah gelak sakan. sebab aku pernah terfikir nak buat mcm tu. rupa2nya mereka pun ada fikiran mcm itu...hahaha. aku punya pendapat peribadi...benda tu kecik sebenarnya....tok sah la dok hebah mcm nak cari publisiti pulak utusan ni. byk lagi berita sepatutnya diperbesarkan.sepatutnya org yg publish benda tu la kena jawab..nampak sgt tak pandai tapis.(sedap komen weh)..dah tau rugi tu mula la dok buat benda pelik2.itu lah dia bila penipu di tipu.....dari toronto balik ke tronoh..mmg 2,2 tak senonoh!

ni blog yg aku baca pasai isu ni --->http://syahrilkadir.wordpress.com/

Saturday, October 9, 2010

Pelancaran Gerai Online



Salam semua. salam 1 malaysia. salam pantai timur. salam perpaduan.
bersempena dengan tarikh hari ini tepat pukul 10.10 minit pagi 10.10.10..
blog alam maya mula melancaran alam gerai online.
pengunjung alam ini boleh mula mengunjugi alam tersebut.
gerai2@produk2@barang2 akan ditambah dari semasa ke semasa.
mungkin ada yang berminat untuk menjual@membeli boleh hubungi ambo deh..=)

Kelahiran Pertama





Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Diari Semalam-7.10.10

Salam perpaduan.salam 1malaysia.salam pantai timur..
Pagi semalam sebelum bertolak ke ladang sawit Prof Manaf aku macam tak bersemangat. Mungkin sebab penat ke hulu ke hilir hari sebelum tu. Menguruskan order replika menara eifel tower ke sabah di samping mencari hormon utk ikan keli aku nnti. Semua berjalan lancar, menara selamat sampai ke destinasi ptg smlm.transaksi selesai mlm tadi jugak.maybank memudahkan lg.selesai segalanya terus melompat ke kolam.melepaskan penat dan serabut ke dalam air. Skill kuak lentang tak menjadi lg. Sian kat kwn aku yg semangat mai tapi lupa bwk benda wajib.haih..tengok saja.
Pagi yang sama sementara menuntu triton cukup panas, dean nak pakai pulak. Tukar pada alza. Hj Razak dari jauh datang dekat aku.”eh annas,kambing awk selamat melahirkan anak”. Sekor bilang Hj. Seronok dan gembira.gelak pon ada.nnti sabtu ni buleh pi tengok.jadi 21 dah. 21 number fav aku. Sapa nak beli lembu atau kambing?
Ladangnya jauh sekali. Sampai setelah perjalanan beberapa hari.hanya dgn berjalan kaki.tapi dgn kereta hanya sejam sebih cket2..usia 8 tahun.pokok tak berapa bosar.buah ada.agak berbukit areanya.6 ekar. Dekat dgn tapak latihan mara. Dekat jugak dgn sungai yg lawa dan mempersona. Aku fikir buleh buat resort lagi bagus.tapi mau bagi popular sikit area tu macam sekayu.btul2 tepi sungai.
Mr Azhar yang order menara itu rupanya pengumpul bangunan @ binaan yang hebat di dunia. Dia sudah ada 4 yg hebat mcm piramid. Dia bilang sama aku mau cari Taj Mahal pula. Sapa tau bagi info sama aku.kerja dia sebonarnya seorang Chef di K.Kinabalu,Sabah. Hotel kot.
Tidoq lena bila penat.bagai ngantuk di sorong bantal.kawan ihsan mai dari russia pon x perasan.maaf tak dapat layan.aku yg layan tidoq. Hari yang membahagiakan walau pada mula nampak mcm suram..

Sunday, September 26, 2010

Caca Marba

Salam semua..salam 1Malaysia....
merapu selepas makan ikan kerapu bakar..

aku rasa blog aku perlu diolah dgn lebih baik..mmg tujuan asal utk tulis apa2 ajer..tapi biaq la terarah pada isu yang menyengat minda. terkadang melihat blog yang sgt tinggi nilai tulisan @ pandangan tersangat la terasa aku punya minda mcm budak darjah 2..

bertanya jgn malu,malu bertanya sesat jalan..aku main tanya sapa yang aku rasa mudah ditanya..berblog ni bukan hobi yang mai sendiri tapi mai bila abang aku yang dok suruh aku buat blog.ehemm..tapi blog dia ntah pi mana..

walaupun aku pernah join rancangan blog di TV1 (2008)tapi aku masih tak paham macam mana nak buat blog yang tidak caca marba.oleh hal yang demikian nak tanya la pada sapa yang rajin dan baik hati nk menjawab.Sila la cadangkan pada aku macam mana aku nak meriahkan blog aku ni dengan benda yang sepatutnya..apa benda kena isi apa benda kena buang...apa isu kena isi apa isu kena halusi..email aku- annas3d@yahoo.com cadangan terbaik akan mendapat hadiah misteri. =)

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

When its begin...

Have you ever thanks to Allah for what you have now and even since you were born???

Have you ever thought who gave you chance to live in this world, to enjoy the world???

If not…lets flash back what had happen before…and where it started…

The journey begins…




Janin manusia itu ditenun dalam rahim ibu dan disusuli dengan kelahiran…dimana kelahiran seorang bayi merupakan pengakhirankepada sebuah episod kesengsaraan dan permulaan kepada sebuah episod kebahiagaan.


Fasa kelahiran normal…





Renung sejenak kelahiran secara cesarean…


Saturday, September 18, 2010

Ekonomi Malaysia Terus Merudum

Laporan terbaru menunjukkan Malaysia telah menjadi negara paling tidak menarik bagi pelaburan. Ini berdasarkan laporan terbaru Bank of America-Merill Lynch yang menyatakan Malaysia adalah pasaran yang paling tidak menarik bagi pelaburan.

Laporan terbaru ini mengingatkan saya kenyataan seorang rakan saya dari Singapura. Beliau berkata ekonomi Malaysia sedang menurun ke tahap Filipina. Dengan kata lain, selepas ini rakan bersaing Malaysia hanyalah negara-negara seperti Burma, Laos dan Timur Leste. Malahan, Filipina akan mempunyai ekonomi yang lebih maju dari Malaysia.

Malahan, sejak akhir-akhir ini kadar FDI yang masuk ke Filipina lebih tinggi dari MAlaysia. Tanpa FDI, bagaimana ekonomi Malaysia hendak membangun?

Saya tidak terkejut sekiranya ekonomi Malaysia merudum ke tahap di bawah Filipina. Bagaimanakah Malaysia mampu naik taraf dari segi ekonomi sekiranya wang MAS sebanyak RM600 juta boleh lenyap sebegitu mudah sekali tanpa sesiapa pun mengetahui kemana wang tersebut telah lesap.

Maknanya, hanya pelabur yang kurang siuman sahaja yang akan melabur di Malasia selepas apa yang telah berlaku kepada MAS. RM600 juta boleh lesap begitu sahaja.




Investors shun Malaysia for neighbours
By Yow Hong Chieh
September 16, 2010

Najib’s bid for private investment to drive Malaysia’s economy has been hampered by resistance to his planned reforms. — file pic
KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 16 — Malaysia is now the “least favoured market” in Asia Pacific for investors after nearly doubling its underweight rating from last month, according to a recent Bank of America Merrill Lynch report.

The country slipped two spots — from 10th place to dead last — in the investment bank’s latest Fund Managers Survey, even as the Najib administration prepares to unveil ambitious economic reforms meant to boost investor confidence.

The report appears to be the latest indictment of Malaysia’s inability to compete with rival regional markets. In the past decade, the once roaring Asian Tiger has seen its dominant position as an investment destination in Southeast Asia crumble even as neighbouring countries push to the fore.

A survey last week by the World Economic Forum (WEF) of 139 nations showed that Malaysia had slipped two places in global competitiveness rankings to 26th in the past year, while Indonesia surged 10 places to 44th.

The government is nonetheless optimistic that reforms under Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s New Economic Model (NEM) — details of which will be revealed next month — will revitalise the economy and help Malaysia achieve developed nation status by 2020.

However, Najib’s economic transformation is hinged on the government’s ability to galvanise RM2.2 trillion in investments over the next 10 years — 92 per cent of which is to come from the private sector — and it remains to be seen if the prime minister can overcome investors’ muted response to his plans so far.

Najib also faces stiff opposition from Malay rights groups who feel such reforms threaten what they perceive to be Malay “special rights”, and seems unable to push them through without significant compromise.

Elsewhere in the region, China remained the favourite market by far despite an uncertain global outlook. A net 11 per cent of investors expect China’s economy to strengthen, up from -39 per cent in July, according to Merrill Lynch.

Indonesia, slightly underweight last month, jumped to second place on an overweight call, edging out Hong Kong in the process. New Zealand, Taiwan, South Korea and India remained neutral.

Emerging markets outperformed developed markets this year and remain the preferred destination for investors, although emerging market allocations have been trimmed due to growth uncertainty and risk aversion.

Brazil and Russia continue to be favourites, but appetite for Turkey has fallen in the past two months.

The consumer discretionary sector is still the most popular among emerging market investors, followed by industrials, telecoms and financials.

Defensive sectors like utilities, staples and healthcare remain least favoured but have reduced their underweight positions from last month.

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Robust, transparent and sophisticated



Phil Baty explains how in-depth consultation with the global academic community has produced the most exact and relevant world rankings yet devised

It is, of course, rather crude to reduce universities to a single number.

We are aware that higher education institutions are extraordinarily complex organisations. They do many wonderful, life-changing and paradigm-shifting things that simply cannot be measured. Data on some of their most valuable endeavours simply do not exist or cannot be meaningfully compared on a global scale; many of the proxies commonly used are less than satisfactory.

The 2010-11 Times Higher Education World University Rankings have been compiled with these limitations very much in mind.

The tables' methodology was determined only after 10 months of detailed consultation with leading experts in global higher education: more than 50 senior figures across every continent provided extensive feedback on our plans, amounting to more than 250 pages of commentary. The wider university community also had its say via more than 300 postings on our website.

So, despite the inherent limitations, these tables represent the most comprehensive and sophisticated exercise ever undertaken to provide transparent, rigorous and genuinely meaningful global-performance comparisons for use by university faculty, strategic leaders, policymakers and prospective students.

The aim over the past 10 months has been to create a genuinely useful tool for the global higher education community and beyond, not just an annual headline-driven curiosity.

So what is the result of perhaps the largest consultation exercise ever undertaken to produce world university rankings?

The tables use 13 separate indicators (up from just six under our old system) designed to capture a broad range of activities, from teaching and research to knowledge transfer.

These elements are brought together into five categories:

* Teaching — the learning environment (worth 30 per cent of the final ranking score)
* Research — volume, income and reputation (worth 30 per cent)
* Citations — research influence (worth 32.5 per cent)
* Industry income — innovation (worth just 2.5 per cent)
* International mix — staff and students (worth 5 per cent)

The weightings for the five categories, and the 13 indicators within them, vary considerably. High weightings are given where consultation has shown unmistakable enthusiasm for the indicator as a valuable proxy and clear confidence in the data we have. Lower weightings are employed where confidence in the data or the usefulness of the indicator is less pronounced.
The future



This is the first year of a highly ambitious new rankings system. In all such systems, compromises must be made, proxies must be applied and data-collection issues will arise.

However, we are confident that by creating our methodology in open and detailed consultation over the past 10 months, we have produced a robust and evidence-based ranking that paints a realistic picture of the global landscape.