Most suitable candidate as Premier from PAS
Many people are upset that Hadi from PAS is not acceptable as alternative candidate for Premiership beside Anwar. There are making accusation that the Rakyat want to ride on an experience party like PAS but not willing to accept someone from the party as Premier.
If one were to learn from history, then all these accusations of making use of PAS is nonsense. Hadi make many mistakes in Terengganu when he was the MB which resulted in PAS losing the state at the next following election which self explain his unpopularity. I believe there are many bloggers who can outline all the mistakes of Hadi. I respect PAS but Hadi is not the one.
Why is no-one looking at Khalid Samad?
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The day Catholics welcomed a man from PAS in Shah Alam
Partai Islam SeMalaysia or PAS often conveys a fundamentalist, hard-line image to non-Muslims. Getting behind the rhetoric, Insider's DEBRA CHONG shows there's a more engaging, even openly embracing, side to some PAS politicians.
Malaysian Insider (5/4/2008): “Better the devil you know than the angel you don't”. Those familiar with this phrase by Ethiopian satirist Hama Tutu usually hear it advocated in the face of change, when those in power anticipate a revolt.
In Shah Alam, however, some 2,000 Christians have learnt that it's better to embrace the unknown entity than to put up with and suffer a known demon.
On March 27, Khalid Abdul Samad became the first elected Muslim Member of Parliament to step into the Roman Catholic Church of the Divine Mercy since it was completed in 2005. The congregation gave him a standing ovation.
Perhaps more stunning is that Khalid is from Parti Islam SeMalaysia and was the one to initiate contact. And he reassured the Christians in attendance that they could continue to use the word “Allah” in their worship without fear of persecution.
Previously, the federal government had banned Christians from using the word “Allah” in referring to God in their worship for fear that it would confuse the Muslim Malays and lead them astray from Islam. Bibles printed in the national language were also seized. This was reversed sometime last year, but the damage was already done.
Khalid said that in all Arabic-speaking communities, “Allah” just means “God”, therefore it is not “unique to Islam”. He had once attended church in the Middle East and heard a Christian priest preach in Arabic with no trouble.
“For us, the problem is we're not an Arabic-speaking country. Therefore some people question why non-Muslims have to use this word when it is not really necessary. People then make all sorts of speculations about idealogy. But there's no reason for the word to be banned from Christian worship. We're quite happy if people use it.
“It's not just my personal opinion but is consistent with the party's view. Basically it shouldn't be any problem. And I made it quite clear to the people in church that night,” Khalid explained over the phone yesterday.
The parishioners were especially impressed that Khalid was the one who approached them.“It was his own initiative. He contacted our parish priest, Father Paulino Miranda, and said he wanted to come and talk to us,” Joseph Victor, chairman of the church's parish pastoral council told The Malaysian Insider on behalf of Fr Paulino who is away on sabbatical till April 18.
In Shah Alam, however, some 2,000 Christians have learnt that it's better to embrace the unknown entity than to put up with and suffer a known demon.
On March 27, Khalid Abdul Samad became the first elected Muslim Member of Parliament to step into the Roman Catholic Church of the Divine Mercy since it was completed in 2005. The congregation gave him a standing ovation.
Perhaps more stunning is that Khalid is from Parti Islam SeMalaysia and was the one to initiate contact. And he reassured the Christians in attendance that they could continue to use the word “Allah” in their worship without fear of persecution.
Previously, the federal government had banned Christians from using the word “Allah” in referring to God in their worship for fear that it would confuse the Muslim Malays and lead them astray from Islam. Bibles printed in the national language were also seized. This was reversed sometime last year, but the damage was already done.
Khalid said that in all Arabic-speaking communities, “Allah” just means “God”, therefore it is not “unique to Islam”. He had once attended church in the Middle East and heard a Christian priest preach in Arabic with no trouble.
“For us, the problem is we're not an Arabic-speaking country. Therefore some people question why non-Muslims have to use this word when it is not really necessary. People then make all sorts of speculations about idealogy. But there's no reason for the word to be banned from Christian worship. We're quite happy if people use it.
“It's not just my personal opinion but is consistent with the party's view. Basically it shouldn't be any problem. And I made it quite clear to the people in church that night,” Khalid explained over the phone yesterday.
The parishioners were especially impressed that Khalid was the one who approached them.“It was his own initiative. He contacted our parish priest, Father Paulino Miranda, and said he wanted to come and talk to us,” Joseph Victor, chairman of the church's parish pastoral council told The Malaysian Insider on behalf of Fr Paulino who is away on sabbatical till April 18.
The parishioners applauding at what YB Khalid Abdul Samad was saying
(Photo courtesy of Herald Catholic Weekly)
(Photo courtesy of Herald Catholic Weekly)
“That's a good sign. Everybody was very happy. This is the first time a Pas MP is coming to a Catholic church. It shows they're not against Catholic churches,” he added.
It was the first time an MP for Shah Alam had, unasked and unaided, actively engaged the non-Muslim community in public discourse in their own backyard, at least on this side of the peninsula.It spurred a parishioner, Tony Yew, to blog about the experience on his website.
“What was evident from the points raised by those who could get their voices heard was crystal clear, abundance of local council issues and the fear of 'subtle religious' persecution.
“With no one to turn to, YB Khalid took all the questions one by one and stressed that the newly-formed coalition government of PKR-Pas-DAP (in no order) was one of consensus by nature,” he wrote.
But Khalid was quick to disclaim credit for the unprecedented move. He said the discourse was made possible because of the mixed effort on both sides.
“Our people working in the (Shah Alam) area heard that the parish priest was campaigning for change in the elections and advocated the congregation to use their votes to bring about change,” said Khalid.
He recounted that he wanted to speak to them, to thank them for giving the Oposition their mandate for change. “I tried my best to answer most of the questions. We talked about government policies, about discrimination – there shouldn't be any! – enforcement and implementation, which would require more detailed explanations, but I just talked about it in short.”
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He joined PAS in 1983 and became a central committee member from 1987 to 1993.[2] He had unsuccessfully contested the Kuala Krai, Arau, Sri Gading and Shah Alam parliamentary seats before winning the Shah Alam seat in the 2008 general election.[2]
In 1987, he was detained for nine months under the Internal Security Act during Operation Lalang.[2]
In 2010, Khalid became engaged in a feud with fellow opposition Member of Parliament Zulkifli Nordin over the use of the word "Allah" by non-Muslims. After Khalid stated that he opposed a Selangor law that prohibited non-Muslims from using the word "Allah", Zulkifli lodged a police report accusing Khalid of sedition.[4] He was also suspended by PAS from his official party posts in January 2010. A PAS disciplinary committee found that he had divulged confidential party information and criticised its leader in Selangor, Hassan Ali.[5]
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Taken from Khalid's blog
About Me
I was born in Kota Bharu, Kelantan in 1957 and I grew up all over the country. My parents are originally from Muar, Johor but my father was a civil servant and he was posted to different states – Kelantan, Terengganu, Pahang, Selangor and even up to Sabah. Yes Shahrir Samad is my brother and yes we are from the same parents. I studied Fuel and Energy Engineering in Leeds University, UK and I graduated in 1979. As a student in the UK, I was a member of a group called ‘SUARA AL-Islam’. When I returned to Malaysia, I joined PAS in 1983. I was a PAS C.C. member from 1987 to 1993. I have never been a member of IRC, JIM or any other Islamic organization, although I often interact with their members.
Beloved parents - Hj Abd Samad & Hajjah Rashidah
I joined Petronas soon after returning home and left when I contested for the Kuala Krai parliamentary seat in 1986 as a PAS candidate. Following that, I set up my own company and continued to be actively involved in PAS. I have never sat for the Board of Engineers exam, so please don’t address me as ‘Ir.’. I was referred to as an Engineer in my early ceramahs and it somehow got converted along the way! In 1987, I was detained under the ISA for nine months under ‘Ops Lalang’. I have also contested for the Arau, Sri Gading and Shah Alam parliamentary seats in the previous general elections and lost. PRU12 was my fifth attempt and Alhamdulillah made it to the Parliament. I am married and blessed with two sons, two daughters and currently, six grandchildren.
Brothers & Sisters (left to right) - Shahrir, Ali, Khalid, Arshad
Suraya, Sabiha, Abah, Mak, Humairah, Norhayati
At the moment, I am the YDP PAS of Shah Alam, member of PAS Central Political Bureau and the MP for Shah Alam. I gave many ceramahs but obviously not everyone can attend. Blogging is another avenue which I can use to share my thoughts and opinions on current issues pertaining to Islam and Malaysia. With this effort, I do hope the message can be reached by a bigger audience.
Memories from Jordan with wife - Zaitun Abu Bakar
Beloved parents - Hj Abd Samad & Hajjah RashidahI joined Petronas soon after returning home and left when I contested for the Kuala Krai parliamentary seat in 1986 as a PAS candidate. Following that, I set up my own company and continued to be actively involved in PAS. I have never sat for the Board of Engineers exam, so please don’t address me as ‘Ir.’. I was referred to as an Engineer in my early ceramahs and it somehow got converted along the way! In 1987, I was detained under the ISA for nine months under ‘Ops Lalang’. I have also contested for the Arau, Sri Gading and Shah Alam parliamentary seats in the previous general elections and lost. PRU12 was my fifth attempt and Alhamdulillah made it to the Parliament. I am married and blessed with two sons, two daughters and currently, six grandchildren.
Brothers & Sisters (left to right) - Shahrir, Ali, Khalid, ArshadSuraya, Sabiha, Abah, Mak, Humairah, Norhayati
At the moment, I am the YDP PAS of Shah Alam, member of PAS Central Political Bureau and the MP for Shah Alam. I gave many ceramahs but obviously not everyone can attend. Blogging is another avenue which I can use to share my thoughts and opinions on current issues pertaining to Islam and Malaysia. With this effort, I do hope the message can be reached by a bigger audience.
Memories from Jordan with wife - Zaitun Abu Bakar
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