“Orang Yang Arif Itu Berani, Bagaimana Ia Tidak Berani, Kerana Cintanya Akan Kebenaran Telah Menyebabkan Diri Tidak Takut Mati” - Ibnu Sina.

Hadi’s push for Islamic finance gets cross party support

By: Saadon Aksah

Kuala Lumpur: PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang has called for a review of profit oriented products to strengthen Islamic finance in light of the global conventional financial system meltdown.

Abdul Hadi who singled out Islamic finance product al-Bai’ Bithaman Ajil, noted that some of these products also failed to be recognized in the Middle Eastern countries due to its high profit margin.

Al-Bai’ Bithaman Ajil is deferred payment sale where payment is made by the bank in a single payment and customers would pay a certain amount of monthly installments.

Certain quarters have pointed out that even though the high profit margin does not violate the letter of the Syariah it however runs contrary to the spirit of the Syariah to ensure justice for all.

“I’d like to suggest that Bank Islam does not rely solely on (the concept of) al-Bai’ Bithaman Ajil, where its high profit (margin) is questioned by many and needs to be re-looked,” Abdul Hadi said.

“There are those who noted that the total repayment matched interest (plus principal of the conventional system, or even exceeded it),” he said when debating the Bank NegaraMalaysia Bill 2009 in Dewan Rakyat June 1.

Abdul Hadi who is also Marang parliamentary member said the case suggests a flaw in the formulation of the product. “I hope economists will have a detailed look on a better alternative and a more moral way of doing things so there will not be injustice,” he said.

Apart from having to pay a higher amount of profit margin to the bank compared to the conventional system, consumers also ran the risk of running into trouble if the house they bought using the product failed to be constructed on time.

They did not enjoy the current reduction in base lending (BLR) which is beneficial to the user of the conventional system. …

Abdul Hadi also called for the use of the gold dinar to prevent Islamic countries from relying on the dollar.

He also did not discount the possibility of working with the ruling party to improve the Islamic financial system in the country and called on an economic committee similar to the one formed during the administration of former Prime Minister Tun Mahathir Mohamad to be formed.

Extracted from Harakah, English Section, 6-9 July 2009, Bil. 1453.
Transcribed by Malakian: http://malakian.blogsome.com

Alhamdulillah, perjuangan dalam bidang ekonomi iaitu mengembalikan ekonomi kepada Allah seperti yang diperjuangkan oleh antara lainnya Shaykh Imran Nazar Hosein dan di Malaysia oleh Datuk Paduka Haji Husam Musa sudah mendapat tempat yang sewajarnya. Semoga segala al-Dukhan yang menyeliputi langit Malaysia dan negara umat Islam amnya akan hilang dan diganti oleh hujan rahmat daripada Allah; semoga umat Islam yang hidup miskin merana kerana terpaksa hidup di bawah payung Dajjal satu hari nanti dapat bebas daripada belenggu yang menimpa mereka.

Ibn Abbas berkata: “Mereka yang pertama mengikut Dajjal terdiri daripada 70,000 orang Yahudi… dan di antara tanda-tanda bahawa telah keluarnya Dajjal adalah… pengamalan riba.” (Ishaq ibn Basheer dan Ibn Asakir di dalam Kanz al-Ummal.)

Abu Hurairah berkata bahawa Nabi Muhammad s.a.w. telah bersabda: “Riba itu terbahagi kepada 70 macam jenis dan dosa yang paling kecil daripadanya bersamaan seperti seorang lelaki bernikah (iaitu menjalinkan hubungan kelamin) dengan ibunya sendiri”. (Hadith Riwayat Ibn Majah dan Baihaqi).

p.s/: Adakah golongan Elit masih akan mengatakan bahawa idea mengkaji balik Institusi Kewangan Islam dan pengenalan penggunaan dinar emas ini terlalu idealistik dan tidak berpijak di bumi nyata dan akan terus menggasak orang awam seperti saya dan rakyat Muslim Malaysia yang dirahmati Allah agar terus memakan bertih jagung dan dedak ayam yang ditaburkan di tanah?

Adakah kita dapat hidup selesa, termasuk selesa pemikiran apabila Allah dan Rasulnya mengisytiharkan perang terhadap kita:

Orang-orang yang makan (mengambil) riba tidak dapat berdiri melainkan seperti berdirinya orang yang kemasukan syaitan lantaran (tekanan) penyakit gila. Keadaan mereka yang demikian itu, adalah disebabkan mereka berkata (berpendapat), sesungguhnya jual beli itu sama dengan riba, padahal Allah telah menghalalkan jual beli dan mengharamkan riba. Orang-orang yang telah sampai kepadanya larangan dari Tuhannya, lalu terus berhenti (dari mengambil riba), maka baginya apa yang telah diambilnya dahulu (sebelum datang larangan); dan urusannya (terserah) kepada Allah. Orang yang kembali (mengambil riba), maka orang itu adalah penghuni-penghuni neraka; mereka kekal di dalamnya. (Al-Baqarah, 2: 275)

by M. Sarkissian - with permission

Ibn Taymiyya said in his book “al-qaida al-jaleela fit- tawwasuli wal-waseela”, with commentary of Dr. Rabi’a bin Hadi ‘Umayr al-Mudkhali, professor in the Islamic University of Madinah al-Munawwara, Page 162, para 478:

“But Ahmad ibn Hanbal and other scholars permitted the narration [of hadith] regarding the virtues of good what is not established [as authentic] as long as it is not known that it is a lie.” (laakinna Ahmad ibn Hanbal wa ghayruh min al-’ulama jawwazu an yurwa fee fada’il al-’aamal maa lam yu’lam annahu thaabit idha lam yu’lam annahu kadhib.)

And Ibn Taymiyya goes into a full chapter of discussion of this subject from here, Chapter 8 of “al-qaida al-jaleela fit-tawwasuli wal-waseela”, where he presents the views of the majority of the ‘ulama of Islam and he presents his own views of the subject. And here we will examine this in detail.

To continue, Ibn Taymiyya says, in para 478:
“and that is the action which is known to be lawful with a shari’ah evidence, and there has been narrated in its virtue a hadith that is not known to be a lie, it is possible that the reward will be true, although none of the Imams have said that it is permissible to consider something required (wâjib) or recommended (mustahabb) by way of a weak hadith, and whoever said so differed from the consensus (ijmâ’).”

So here we see that Ibn Taymiyya is explaining that if there is a hadith, even though it has not been judged to be authentic, if it encourages what is known as a good deed in Islamic shari’ah, something of virtue, a praiseworthy action, or idea, then it is fully acceptable to refer to such a hadith as an encouragement for that deed.

And here also, Ibn Taymiyya refers to the ijma’, the consensus, which is a clear reference to the concept of ijma’ of scholars of Islam as being a fully accepted concept and one which *he* accepts. And this is a clear proof that Ibn Taymiyya, though he considered himself a mujtahid mutlaq, capable of independent reasoning, nevertheless depended on the consensus (ijmâ’) of scholars as a proof for the opinions he considered acceptable. And this is the position of Ahl as-Sunnah wal-Jama’at.

Then Ibn Taymiyya continues in para 479:
“And just like it is not permissible to forbid something without a shari’ah evidence, (dalîl shar’î) but if it something is known to be forbidden and a hadith has been narrated in warning the one who commits such an action, and it is not known that it is a lie, it is permissible to narrate it. And it is permissible to narrate it in the manner of encouraging and discouraging (at- tarhîb wat-targhîb) what is not known that it is a lie. but in what is known that Allah has encouraged or discouraged with another evidence besides this [weak] hadith whose authenticity is unknown (majhûl hâluh).”

So from this we see that Ibn Taymiyya is using the weak hadith (ahadîth da’îf), to discourage people from doing an evil deed, as long as this deed is known to be forbidden in the shari’ah. If the deed is forbidden in the shari’ah, it is acceptable to use a hadith whose authenticity is unknown, as long as the hadith is known not to have been an actual lie. This principle is acceptable, in anything that it is known that Allah expressed its forbiddance. Ibn Taymiyya continues to explain this concept in para 480:

“This is like the [situation] of the Isra’iliyyât [stories related by the Jews]. It is permissible to be narrated as long as we know that it is not a lie, for encouraging or discouraging in what we know that Allah has ordered in our law (shar’) or forbade in our law (shar’).”

Here we see that Ibn Taymiyya is not only accepting that the weak are acceptable in the case of encouraging good deeds and disouraging evil ones, but he is showing clearly that he accepted the use of Isra’iliyyât, stories related from the Jews, which many Salafis reject today as unacceptable. And this is verified in the hadith of the Prophet , “narrate from the hadith of Bani Isra’il and there is no harm in doing it.”

Ibn Taymiyya continues in para 481:
“As for what has been authenticated as lawful to us, by way of the Isa’iliyyât that has not been proven and no scholar believes in that. And Ahmad ibn Hanbal and the like of the Imams never depend on hadith like this in shari’ah.

para 482:
“So he who transmitted from Ahmad that he used to use weak hadith to support his opinion, that is: neither authentic in grade nor good, he made a mistake about Ahmad.” (wa man naqala ‘an Ahmad annahu kâna yahtaju bil-hadith ad-da’eef alladhee laysa bi sahih wa lâ hasan faqad ghalata ‘alayh).

para 486:
“And this hadith and the like Ahmad calls it weak, and he acceped it as a support of his view.” (fa hadha al-hadith wa amthâlah yusammîhi Ahmad da’îfan wa YAHTAJU BIHI).

So we see here that Ibn Taymiyya on one hand is saying, that Ahmad did NOT use WEAK HADITH for establishing what is ordered by a shari’ah ruling AND that whoever said he did was wrong; whereas four paragraphs later he completely reverses himself and says that Ahmad called a hadith WEAK *and* he ACCEPTED IT to encourage someone to keep what is ordered by a shari’ah ruling! This is a disturbing method which we will see Ibn Taymiyya employ in numerous other places. We question here: was it intentional or was he just confused?

Here we quote from the muhaqqiq of Ibn Taymiyya’s book, Dr. Rabi’a bin Hadi ‘Umayr al-Mudkhali, professor in the Islamic University of Madinah al-Munawwara, in his footnote on paragraph 423, where he says, “I didn’t find this hadith and I am afraid that Shaykh ul-Islam’s mind has gone to the other hadith of Abu Hurayra (rad.ia-LLahu `anhu), that says “Allah has angels wandering on earth, in addition to what is in the record of deeds of the people; and when they find a group remembering Allah, they call each other ‘come unto what you desired’ and they come. And they surround them until the lowest sky. Allah says ‘what were My servants doing when you left them?’ They say, ‘we left them thanking You, praising You and remembering You.’…” Imam Ahmad, 2/251, Tirmidhi 5/579, 130 Chapter of what has been narrated regarding what Allah has wandering angels on earth. Tirmidhi said the hadith is hasan sahih, #3600, and Ad-Darimi 2/225, hadith #2777″ …

Muhammad Sarkisian

Validity Of Weak Hadith

If God Will, Insha Allah I will translate this article to Malay. I did learn Sciences of Hadith in my university study but it was only a minor course. The reason I bring back the issue in this blog is because a visitor pasted my previous post entitle Perihal Hadith Dhaif in a forum. And there was a confusion regarding the conditons of the lay men to practice Hadith Dhaif. My intention here is not to propagate or encourage people to exercise Weak Hadith without proper discernment regarding the status of the hadith nor I encouraged the use of Hadith Dhaif to be used as a proof regarding the basic and principle teachings of Islam and the articles of faith. My intention was to encourage the reader to do justice on this issue regardless of the reader sectarian affiliation and school of thoughts.

Insha Allah, I will try to make this blog as informative as possible and I will try to elucidate the tools used by the Devil to seduce us such as discord, deceit, and how the Elites used the tools to create discord between humankind and how the Devil try to ‘imitate’ God to create a new phenomenon in this world. I want to remind myself and the reader that our most vivid and real enemy is Devil. His tactics are so shrewd and latent that many will be seduced by his promises. May Allah help us all. Please do forgive me for all my shortcomings in this blog. -Malakian-

Tujuan saya menimbulkan isu ini bukanlah untuk mensucikan Anwar daripada sebarang kesalahan terutamanya dalam isu krisis kewangan 1997 dan seterusnya krisis ekonomi 1997-1998. Tujuan saya adalah untuk mengetengahkan satu sisi penjelasan dalam isu ini. Ini kerana, dalam isu ini, banyak pihak, termasuk pelajar-pelajar di universiti disogokkan dengan maklumat yang bersifat propaganda tanpa dapat mengetahui kebenaran dan keabsahan maklumat itu, dan apakah reaksi pihak yang dituduh.

Dalam hal ini, saya bukanlah seorang pakar ekonomi, tetapi saya akan mengutip sebahagian tulisan daripada Prof. Dr. Jomo K.S. di dalam buku Malaysian Eclipse: Economic Crisis and Recovery. Beliau merupakan editor kepada buku ini. Saya juga terpanggil untuk menimbulkan isu ini setelah saya mengutarakan komen saya dalam blog Anwar Ibrahim dalam post yang bertajuk: Isu IMF: Fahami Perkara Asas, Bukan Dakyah Umno & BTN Inilah komen ringkas saya:

Assalamu’alaikum Dato’ Seri. Kepada pembaca, untuk mendapat analisis yang adil dalam isu IMF dan krisis kewangan dan seterusnya krisis ekonomi 1997-1998, sila rujuk buku “Malaysian Eclipse: Economic Crisis and Recovery” editornya Jomo K.S. Kertas putih 6 April 1999 cuba membersihkan Mahathir dan Daim daripada sebarang kesalahan dalam krisis ekonomi 1997-1998 dan meletakkan seluruh kesalahan di bahu Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim. Sumbangan Anwar Ibrahim dalam mewujudkam Danamodal, Danaharta, dan CDRC disembunyikan. Anwar Ibrahim dituduh menjadi boneka IMF. Anwar Ibrahim bukan begitu. Anwar Ibrahim cuba untuk mengawal penggunaan sumber kewangan kerajaaan yang digunakan sewenang-wenangnya oleh Mahathir intuk menyelamatkan syarikat-syarikat yang berpengaruh dan berkepentingan di bawahnya dan anaknya seperti KUB dan Renong dan pengambilan duit daripada institusi-institusi yang berkaitan dangan hak rakyat seperti EPF dan Petronas untuk menyelamatkan kaum tetangga dan sahabat handai Mahathir. Tetapi pendekatan Anwar yang selari dengan rekomendasi IMF seperti dasar perbelanjaan kewangan kerajaan yang lebih ketat dan sebagainya dilihat oleh Prof. Dr. Jomo sebagai tidak membantu menyelesaikan krisis kewangan Malaysia. Tetapi menurut Jomo, Anwar telah menukar pendekatannya pada penggal kedua 1998, apabila perbelanjaan kerajaan mula meningkat dan polisi kewangan mula berubah.

Itu yang dapat saya ambil daripada pembacaan saya daripada buku ini. Dato’ Seri Anwar telah menjadi mangsa untuk meletakkan segala kesalahan di bahunya. Mahathir kemudian dilihat sebagai sole saviour of the country. Sedangkan, itu bukan yang sebenarnya berlaku. Mahathir telah bercakap terlalu keras di seminar Hong Kong di hadapan perwakilan bank Dunia dan IMF. Ini menuebabkan minat pelabur asing terhadap Malaysia menurun. Kedua,pendekatan Mahathir menyalahkan semata-mata George Soros dan spekulasi antarabangsa adalah tidak seluruhnya benar.

Akhirnya, Anwar Ibrahim sahaja yang disalahkan. Di mana-mana, di universiti, banyak pelajar salah faham tentang Anwar Ibrahim dan IMF. Anwar boneka IMF, Anwar boneka Amerika, Anwar bekerjasama dengan Yahudi, itulah tuduhan yang dilontarkan kepada Anwar Ibrahim. Mereka tidak kritikal untuk mencari apakah kebenaran di sebaliknya.

Berikut adalah tiga video ucapan Anwar Ibrahim di dalam Parlimen ketika mengulas Belanjawan 2009 selapas ditanya Azmin Ali tentang isu beliau menjadi boneka IMF dan Bank Dunia. Selaps itu saya akan masukkan tulisan Prof. Dr. Jomo daripada buku yang saya sebut di atas dengan sedikit perubahan perkataan dan tambahan untuk menjelaskan maksud ayat.

In the late 1980s, Malaysia experienced an acute banking crisis after a recession which has little to do with currency crisis. The export industry then was of the primary factors that contribute to the economic recovery. The 1997-1998 economic crises in East Asia had several common features, particularly with the importance of reversible capital flows, contamination and depreciation policy responses imposed by IMF. Malaysia’s position during this economic recession then was diametrically opposed with the experience of other South East Asia countries like South Korea, Thailand, and Indonesia as these countries have had much more bank-based financial systems compared to Malaysia’s more capital market-oriented system.

The collapse of the Thai baht in July 1997 was the precursor of Malaysia financial crisis and then economic recession. This phenomenon became severed due to the influence of the nature of Malaysia’s financial system and economy, as well as government policy responses as the situation changed. Several other factors also lead to this crisis – e.g. loss of investor confidence, sudden and massive capital outflows, credit crisis – all these led to adverse effects on the local economy and effected the common people in large. However the 1997 economic recession was not as severe as other counterparts like Thailand, South Korea, and Indonesia. After the severe banking crisis of the late 1980s, Malaysian far-sighted regulation was improved and had not been as badly undermined by liberalization pressures as in the other three economies.

There have been many explanations for the economic recession faced by Malaysia during the mid-1997. Western dominated media tried to portray that the crisis was mainly due to the crony capitalism. Other theory focused on the growing tendency of financial international liberalization. Others assumed that the current account deficits of Thailand and Malaysia contributed to this crisis.

This led to many observers to assume that the crises were due to poor macroeconomic management. However, data showed that Malaysia has sound macroeconomic fundamentals prior to the crises. Over the previous decade, Malaysia had enjoyed rapid growth, stable inflation, less unemployment and fiscal surpluses. Hence, the theory that focused on public sector debt related to fiscal deficits was not sharply relevant to explain the reason behind the financial crisis in Malaysia.

Despite ongoing debates about the significance of macroeconomic fundamentals and crony capitalism in contributing to the East Asian economic crises since mid-1997, there is ample proof that they began as currency and financial crises. The currency and financial crises in Malaysia became a real precursor behind the economic recession owing to the government’s policy responses, especially due to financial market pressures and the IMF. The loose economic policies of the government were not efficient enough to face the financial liberalization and globalization. Thus, the lack of effective financial governance at both international and national levels paved the way for the crises.

The ‘crony capitalism’ to some extent contributed to the economic recession. Industrial policy or selective state intervention in Malaysia was not motivated by developmental background but due to political inclination and agendas. This kind of ‘crony capitalism’ does not really explain the origins of the crisis, but it has certainly intensified the crisis in Malaysia.

Conventional policy response, including the implementation of IMF prescriptions, such as cutting the government spending in the eve of the crisis further transform the currency crisis into a full-blown financial crisis, then into a real economy crisis as the Southeast Asian countries facing an acute economic recession in 1998.

The then Prime Minister Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad potrayed the the ringgit’s collapse as being exclusively due to speculative attacks on Southeast Asian currencies. In a study published in mid-April 1998, the IMF acknowledges that currency speculation was the impetuous of the collapse of the baht, but denies the role of currency speculation in the collapse of the other East Asian currencies. While currency speculation per se may not have brought down the other currencies, the contagion effect undoubtedly contributed to the collapse of the other currencies in the region not protected by the large reserves held by China, Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Singapore.

On 20 September 1997, Tun Mahathir made a tough speech in Hong Kong at a seminar before the joint World bank-IMF annual meeting. He argued that currency trading is unnecessary, unproductive and immoral. And that it should be stopped and made illegal. This speech created negative international market reactions that effected the foreign investors mood. The most severe result is the threat made by Tun Mahathir on foreign exchange purchases unrelated to imports by the Malaysian authorities which was never happened actually. Even before this event, Tun Mahathir had blamed George Soros and international speculators for weeks, even attributing Western conspiracies to undermine Asian achievement. These harsh remarks led to less confidence from the international market and even the regional and local leaders.

This partly, but not entirely unfounded attacks reinforced the impression of the government’s denial, with the blame of the crisis fully attributed abroad. A post-Cabinet meeting announcement on 3 September 1997 of the creation of a special RM60 billion fund for selected Malaysians was understandably seen as a bail-out facility designed to save the cronies from disaster. Although the fund was never properly institutionalized, and many government officials deny its existence, government-controlled public funds, mainly from Employees Provident Fund (EPF) and Petronas, have been deployed to bail out some of the most politically well-connected and influential, including Mahathir’s eldest son Mirzan Mahathir, the publicly-listed corporation set up by his party cooperative (KUB) and the country’s largest conglomerate (Renong), previously controlled by his party and now believed to be ultimately controlled by him and his confidante, second-time Finance Minister Tun Daim Zainudin. This kind of lavish spending of the government to save the well-connected and influential organizations created a kind of social grievances among the citizens. Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim Ibrahim, the then Deputy Prime Minister was aware of this public reactions. Anwar Ibrahim then thought that a kind of tight government spending was essential to safe the country economy and political status.

The question of IMF intervention in Malaysia has become the subject of some mythology, as various groups have rather different perceptions of the IMF’s actual record and motives. Malaysia then took several measures which were akin to what the IMF would have liked to see. These measures (White Paper, Box 1, pp. 25-26) included: Bank Negara raising its three-month intervention rate from 8.7 percent at the end of 1997 to 11.0 percent in early February 1998; drastic reductions in government expenditure; and redefining non-performing loans as loans in arrears for three months, down from the previous six months.

Such measures helped transform the financial crisis into a more general economic crisis for the country. Tighter monetary policy from late 1997 exacerbated deflactionary pressures to government spending cuts from around the same time. Thus, macroeconomic policy responses to the currency and financial crisis can be said to have worsened the situation, through the adoption of contractionary policies.

The Malaysia Government’s White Paper on the Status of the Malaysian Economy, issued on 6 April 1999 sums up many of the factors contributing to the ongoing economic crisis as well as most of its policy responses. The reports tend to exclude Mahathir and Daim economic policies as one of the reasons of the financial crisis, and instead imply that Anwar Ibrahim Ibrahim was solely responsible for all the domestic policy errors. Ironically, Anwar Ibrahim Ibrahim is not even credited for his contribution in establishing the key institutions for financial restructuring and recovery such as Danaharta, Danamodal and the Corporate Debt Restructuring Committee (CDRC).

The economic situation throughout the region has improved since late 1998. There is an ongoing, but unresolved debate over why the turnaround has occurred. Those supporting the IMF implementation point to Korea’s impressive recovery and even to the Thai and Indonesian turnarounds from early 1999 to say that their policies have worked. Meanwhile, the Mahathir regime and its enthusiasts insist that its capital controls paved the way for recovery.

Even though the currency controls succeeded in killing the offshore ringgit market, thus restoring control over monetary policy, none can prove that this measures were fully successful in Malaysia’s economic recovery. At the same time also, the opponents of such controls cannot really show that the action was failed. This is because there is no clear cut evidence to show that to which extent that such measures are really the factors that contribute to the recovery.

The crisis indicated that Malaysia’s past economic prosperity had been built on shaky and unsustainable foundations. Earlier growth has too been relied upon foreign resources, both capital and labour. Limited and inappropriate investments in human resources continued to hold back the development of greater industrial and technological capabilities in the country.

The extent of the crisis worsen due to injudicious policy responses, compromised by nepotism and cronyism, though there is little evidence that cronyism in itself led to or an impetuous the economic crisis. Government efforts to bail-out politically influential business interests and protect certain key political figures by using public funds such as EPF and Petronas intensified the crisis in Malaysia by undermining public and foreign confidence.

The ringgit devaluation raised the prices of consumer as well as producer imports, particularly during 1998. The food prices rises reflected high import content of national food. The banking crisis of the late 1980s in Malaysia led to stricter prudential regulation that limited the vulnerability of the banking system to the latest economic crisis. Hence, unlike Thailand, Korea, and Indonesia, Malaysia did not need to seek emergency IMF credit facilities, and thus did not have to accept accompanying conditionalties. Thus, Malaysia avoided the forced closure of banks and financial institutions that occurred in the other three countries.

Malaysia did briefly adopt tighter fiscal and monetary policies, which in line with the IMF recommendations from late 1997 until early 1998. However, the depth of the recession in 1998 was probably due to other factors as well, most notably the negative wealth effect of the stock market collapse.

The political consequence from the 1997-1998 economic crises has greatly politicized the subsequent analysis and interpretation of the crisis. On September 2 1998, Anwar Ibrahim was sacked from the ruling party and Cabinet for alleged sexual misconduct. Anwar Ibrahim then was accused of having instituted IMF-type policy measures in Malaysia from late 1997 and blamed for causing the 1998 recession and intensified the consequences of the crisis. Several governmental documents were published such as the 1999 official White Paper to support this kind of propaganda. It appears that Anwar Ibrahim probably approved of the spending cuts and tighter monetary policy from late 1997, in response to market pressures as much as IMF recommendations. However, there is no such ample proof that Anwar Ibrahim suggested or initiated any mean to acquire IMF financial assistance. Instead of that, Anwar Ibrahim also began to reverse himself, at least from the second quarter of 1998, when government spending started to rise and monetary policy began to be relaxed. Anwar Ibrahim was also in charge when temporary capital controls were introduced in early 1995.

Danaharta, which was introduced by Anwar Ibrahim in mid-1998, functioned to take large out large non-performing loans from the worst affected banks and financial institutions. This measure combined with recapitalization of decapitalized banks by a companion agency which was Danamodal served to restore liquidity to the banking system.

Apa yang ingin saya copy and paste di bawah ini adalah apa yang sering saya fikirkan tentang institusi pendidikan. Pemikirannya sama, cuma saya keberatan untuk menulis. Ada saya sentuh sedikit tentang pendidikan dalam post ‘Menipu Semasa Peperiksaan’. Ada sedikit persamaan fikiran dengan apa yang ditulis Ivan Illich. Saya cuma ingin mengajak kita berfikir. Saya teringat, pensyarah saya di matrikulasi sering menyuruh pelajarnya berfikir secara kritikal. Saya tidak memahami maksud pensyarah saya ketika itu. Sekarang, apabila saya membaca Socrates, Imam al-Ghazzali, Hegel, (Hegelian Dialectic, Thesis x Antithesis=Synthesis), Egyptian religion, Ancient Jewish Mysticism, Kabbalah, Lucifer, Mind Control, dan lain-lain saya mula faham. Pengalaman dan sebagainya mengajar saya. Saya teringat, Alvin Toffler meletakkan ‘kebijaksanaan’ (Wisdom) sebagai peringkat tertinggi dalam hierarki ilmu - Symbol & Events - Data - Information - Knowledge - Wisdom. Setiap hari kita dipenuhi dengan maklumat, selalunya penuh dengan kekeliruan, kenapa semua ini terjadi. Tapi kita harus terus hidup, mencari rezeki, di dalam kekelaman ini, sambil memikirkan nasib anak-anak kita. Kenapa semua ini terjadi, apakah ada semacam ’sihir’ (atau memang sihir) mengawal dunia?

Saya terjumpa artikel ini. Artikel keseluruhan tidak semestinya menggambarkan pendirian saya. Tetapi apabila membacanya ia memberi ketibaan makna bagi saya. Saya terjumpa semasa mencari tentang “The All Seing Eye” M, T.N.W.O, Y.Turks, Illuminati, Jack The Ripper (Is He a FM? - Filem From Hell lakonan Johnny Depp ), symbolism, dan sebaginya. Apabila saya mula mengkaji tentang subjek ini beberapa lama, melalui buku-buku, video-video dokumentari, internet saya teringat pesanan pensyarah saya tadi, agar berhati-hati. Panjang sebabnya dia suruh saya berhati-hati, antara sebabnya minat saya yang mendalam dalam membaca dan memahami tulisan-tulisan beberapa ahli akademik. Panjang ceritanya. Cuma apabila pemahaman saya semakin jelas, susunan-susunan pemikiran yang terpecah selama ini semakin dapat disusun, membentuk satu pemahaman yang lebih jelas. Cuma sukar untuk ditulis. Kini saya faham maksud pensyarah saya. Saya harap saya dapat bertemu beliau suatu hari. Saya teringat, ketika saya menang menjadi ‘amir’, saya tidak pergi mengambil hadiah yang diberikan oleh beliau. Tidak patut saya buat begitu. Banyak yang perlu ditulis tapi tak dapat ditulis. Ini cuma cerita pengalaman saya. Maaf tulisan tidak teratur.

Peringatan untuk saya: ‘M’ereka mempercayai tentang Tuhan Osiris, The Light, The All Seing Eye mata Horus anak Osiris, mempunyai hikmah yang nyata, ‘m’ereka kata ‘m’ereka telah menerima cahaya dari ‘The All Seing Eye’, tapi percayalah, kita juga boleh mempunyai ‘The All Seing Eye’. Ia ada di dalam hati kita, tajamkan ‘mata’ hati kita, nescaya kita akan faham mengapa semua ini terjadi. Anda juga boleh memiliki ‘The All Seing Eye’. Apabila anda ada ‘mata’ ini, ada akan faham maksud ‘m’ereka. Saya harap saya tidak menjadi paranoid.

The educational system is heavily responsible for the shaping of people’s world view. We all go through school and are presented with certain ‘facts’ and are also presented with an accepted world view. If we dispute or question these ‘facts’ we will suffer in our grades, thus without us realising we are being manipulated into a ‘correct’ thinking pattern.

Much of history has been rewritten. No longer are children being taught where freedom comes from, what it cost and how it was established. Children are simply taught that democracy is freedom. The young generation is extremely ignorant of documents which guarentee freedom such as the United States Constitution and the Bill of Rights. People know the names of these documents but they do not know what is actually in them or the principles they expound.

The fact today is that schools, universities and other educational institutions are vast indoctrination centers which are churning out people who are unquestioning as to the reality they have been presented and are also highly suggestable as in regards to their acceptance of the mainstream outlets of information. This is a sad scenario indeed. Now you may not like to hear these things but the evidence leads to this conclusion.

Also one point I have noticed which I find interesting is that the more formal education an individual aquires the less open minded and questioning they become. Personally I believe this is so because people wish to feel secure with regards to their present position in society. When these people are presented with an alternative world view they immediately dismiss it as false without even examining the evidence and thinking about it. An alternative view of the world is a threat to these people as it immediately puts their life and position in question and people just want to feel comfortable. Also these people have invested significant amounts of money, time and effort to gain their qualification and the last thing they want to be confronted with is a reality which will interfere with their plans. This also applies to those with a high standing in life. To be open minded and willing to challenge what one believes can entail massive implications especially in regards to this particular subject of the New World Order. It changed basically every aspect of my life, these issues caused me to step back and reconsider my life and completely alter my direction.

An important aspect which the current educational institutions do not teach is that of the process defined as ‘critical thinking.’ Critical thinking is a process of thinking that someone will undertake when presented with information, no matter what the source, they take in the information and then think about it in a critical way before accepting it as fact. Critical thinking is basically just questioning information instead of blindly accepting information. Today the majority of people blindy accept most of what they are told by so called ‘experts’ and they never even question what they are told, this can be termed as the ‘authority syndrome.’

Now in saying all this I am not trying to devalue the education system as many important and helpful things are learned in universities, technical colleges and schools. Most of the things taught in the various educational institutions are beneficial. The problem lies in the fact that much of the information taught is biased towards a world view which is simply not true and also people are manipulated so as to never question what they have been taught. Also there is much information which simply is not taught.

Educational institutions are funded heavily by many foundations such as the Rockerfeller Foundation and the Carnegie Foundation. The foundations have heavy influence on the subject matter taught, the bias put forth, and many other areas through grants to textbook departments and other areas. Government funding also serves the same purpose. This is why one of the planks of the Communist Manifesto was a state controlled public education system. By teaching socialist ideals to the fresh young minds of a nations youth ensures a compliant and supportive population once the system is implemented. The people enduring the system will actually believe that the system is of benefit to them.

Baca lagi.

Star Education pada hari ahad yang lepas ada menyentuh tentang isu menipu semasa peperiksaan.
Satu kajian yang dijalankan di US pada tahun 2006 menunjukkan 60% pelajar sekolah menengah mengaku pernah menipu dalam peperiksaan. Itu baru yang mengaku, belum termasuk yang tidak mengaku.

Aktiviti menipu dalam peperiksaan bukan sahaja hanya menggunakan cara-cara lama seperti menulis jawapan di lengan, meletakkan jawapan di dalam stoking, ataupun yang lebih berani meniru daripada buku yang diletakkan di bawah meja. Teknologi sekarang telah digunakan untuk lebih memudahkan aktiviti menipu dalam peperiksaan. Di dalam artikel tersebut menyatakan banyak video tentang cara-cara untuk menipu dalam peperiksaan boleh diperolehi secara mudah di internet contohnya di laman web Youtube.com. Selain itu, mereka juga menggunakan teknologi video telefon mudah alih, sistem pesanan ringkas (SMS), dan menggunakan kemudahan yang terdapat di dalam iPods.

Selalu dinyatakan bahawa menipu semasa peperiksaan adalah seolah-olah menipu diri sendiri. Sememangnya kita bersetuju dengan pernyataan ini. Lebih daripada itu, aktiviti buruk ini menunjukkan bahawa pelajar tersebut tidak dapat memanfaatkan ilmu yang telah dipelajari selama bertahun-tahun di sekolah. Perspektif yang salah tentang misi sebenar dalam menuntut ilmu pengetahuan turut menyumbang masalah ini. Jelas bahawa mereka lebih mementingkan segulung ijazah. Sememangnya ijazah/sijil itu amat penting, tapi apakah nilai ijazah/sijil itu hasil daripada penipuan? Apakah pelajar tersebut dapat menanggung pengkhianatan yang dilakukannya terhadap rakan-rakan lain? Tidakkah dia malu dengan kemiskinan etikanya? Adakah hatinya tidak berasa berat menanggung dosa menipu dalam peperiksaan atau adakah dia merasakan dosa itu seperti lalat yang hinggap di hidungnya lalu ia menghalaunya dengan tangan sahaja?

Jelas bahawa setiap manusia itu pernah melakukan kesalahan. Tetapi kesalahan yang dilakukan berulang-ulang tanpa rasa penyesalan adalah sesuatu yang memalukan. Ibu bapa, guru-guru, dan pensyarah-pensyarah perlu mengambil berat tentang masalah ini. Jangan sekali-kali biarkan perkara ini berlaku di depan mata kita tanpa sebarang tindakan. Tidak semestinya tindakan itu tindakan yang keras, tapi ambillah tindakan yang terbaik melalui pemikiran yang rasional dan budi bicara.

Ingatlah pendidikan itu bukan hanya tentang pelajar duduk di dalam kelas mendengar guru mengajar tanpa penilaian kritikal, ataupun pendidikan itu adalah pelajar universiti yang berulang-alik dari kelas ke hostel, ataupun pendidikan itu adalah satu madah untuk mengukir cinta di IPT (C U D IPT), ataupun pendidikan itu adalah pelajar universiti yang tinggal di dalam hostel, ataupun pendidikan itu adalah makan di cafe setelah habis kelas sambil bertepuk tampar antara lelaki perempuan, ataupun pendidikan itu adalah satu cara untuk institusi pendidikan menyekat pelajar berfikir secara kreatif dan kritis (without any assessment from the student). (Pemikiran kritikal bukan hanya melalui Socratic method of inquiry yang sememangnya satu pendekatan yang sangat bagus tetapi juga melalui pendekatan syak (method of doubt) Imam al-Ghazzali). Pendidikan itu antara misi utamanya adalah untuk melahirkan manusia yang berguna, yang sejahtera akal fikirannya, baik akhlaknya, jauh pemikirannya, tajam pandangannya, rasional akalnya, dan melihat sesuatu berdasarkan sesuatu itu.

Harapan saya, semoga saya dan pembaca semua boleh mengambil manfaat daripada pendidikan yang kita kita tempuh selama bertahun-tahun. Semoga saya dan pembaca semua menjadi insan yang lebih baik hasil daripada pendidikan yang telah kita lalui. Wallahua’lam.

Sebuah video bertajuk Scary School Nightmare yang mengambil inspirasi daripada buku Deschooling Society karangan Ivan Illich.

Selamat datang saya ucapkan kepada En. Albakri bin Mohamed dan pelajar-pelajar e-PJJ IS110 ke blog saya ini. Harap blog ini bermanfaat kepada anda semua. Terima kasih.

Menurut Physician’s Desk Reference 1997, vaksin mengandungi ramuan berikut:

1. Aluminium hidroksida
2. Aluminium fosfat
3. Amphotericin B
4. Tisu binatang (contohnya: buah pinggang monyet, embrio anak ayam, telur ayam, tisu otak arnab)
5. Serum anak lembu
6. Beta-propiolactone
7. Serum janin lembu
8. Formaldehid (menurut Prof. Madya Dr. Mohd. Isa Abdul Majid dari Pusat Racun Negara, USM, formaldehid boleh menyebabkan kanser)
9. Formalin
10. Gelatin (gelatin selalunya dihasilkan daripada sumber binatang)
11. Gliserol
12. Sel diploid manusia - daripada tisu janin manusia yang digugurkan
13. Gelatin yang dihidrolisis
14. Monosodium Glutamate (MSG)
15. Neomycin (sejenis antibiotik)
16. Neomycin sulfate
17. Penunjuk merah fenol
18. Fenoksietanol (anti sejuk beku)
19. Kalium disfosfat
20. Kalium monofosfat
21. Polymyxin B
22. Polysorbate 20
23. Polysorbate 80
24. Hydrolysate kasein pankreas babi
25. Sisa protein MRC5
26. Sorbitol
27. Sukrosa
28. Thimerosal (mengandungi raksa)
29. Tri(n)butylphosphate
30. Sel-sel VERO (sel buah pinggang monyet)
31. Sel darah merah biri-biri yang dibersihkan

Pada bahagian lain, akan diterangkan apakah kesan-kesan ramuan-ramuan di atas ke atas kesihatan manusia, bahan-bahan yang boleh mendatangkan keraguan tentang kesuciannya dalam vaksin, mengapa para doktor sendiri menolak suntikan vaksin, sejauh mana keberkesanan vaksin, kritikan para doktor dan ahli perubatan terhadap penggunaan vaksin dan lain-lain. Fakta-fakta yang akan dikemukakan adalah berdasarkan kajian para doktor dan ahli perubatan. Maka kita tidak perlu bimbang untuk melihat ‘wajah’ sebenar vaksin di sebalik tabir yang ditutup rapat oleh syarikat-syarikat farmaseutikal, pihak kerajaan, pihak doktor yang tidak jujur dan mereka yang berkepentingan dalam industri ini.

(Rujukan utama: Bahaya Tersembunyi Dalam Vaksin, penerbit CAP)

Perubatan: Barat Lawan Alami

Oleh Prof. Dr. Ananthan Krishnan
Perunding Farmasi dan Pakar Naturopati
Institut Penyelidikan Perubatan Alternatif (Asia)
Kuala Lumpur.

Untuk memperkatakan tentang sistem penjagaan kesihatan dan perubatan biomedikal kini sedang berantakan adalah isu lama.

Dunia sedang menyaksikan pertambahan kos penjagaan kesihatan yang begitu tinggi di dalam beberapa dekad kebelakangan ini walaupun kononnya banyak pembangunan teknologi dan kepandaian sains telah dimeterai oleh golongan profesional alopati (perubatan Barat).

Namun hakikatnya, pembangunan kesihatan manusia masih tidak bangkit dari darjatnya yang rendah, tidak setanding dengan perakuan-perakuan kejayaan yang telah dicapai oleh mereka.

Di manakah silapnya? Ini adalah soalan yang sedang mencabar para pemimpin dalam penjagaan kesihatan dan menyeksa masyarakat yang dibebani kos penyenggaraan kesihatan yang tinggi, yang dikenakan oleh pusat-pusat perubatan.

Kepentingan keuntungan telah mendahului kepentingan merawat, kesediaan dan kerelaan menolong yang sakit dan cedera telah merosot dan hilang ditelan masa.

Itulah senario menjijikkan dunia perubatan masa kini. Sebenarnya, masalah yang melanda merupakan satu krisis persepsi, yang mana telah mengelirukan masyarakat.

Jika kita toleh ke belakang, kita dapat mengesan di mana permasalahan bermula daripada falsafah kolot Cartesian-Newtonian mengenai rupa dan bentuk dunia yang telah dijadikan asas sains.

Falsafah model dunia ini yang mengatakan bahawa hanya fizikal sebagaimana yang diperjuangkan oleh dua nama besar sains – iaitu Descartes dan Isaac Newton – kononnya adalah kebenaran terunggul dan tidak tercabar oleh mana-mana pihak. Pemandangan sejagat Cartesian-Newtonian telah mendominasi kesemua ajaran sains, tidak ketinggalan bidang perubatan dan pembedahan.

Kesemua ajaran sains pada masa itu menerima pandangan mekanistik ilmu fizik klasik ini sebagai satu deskripsi realiti yang unggul. Namun, ia membangkitkan paradigma ilmu sains yang pincang dari kebenaran.

Atas dasar ilmu yang terpesong jauh daripada realiti ini, Albert Enstein dan rakan-rakannya pada awal abad ke-20 telah menyingkap pula teori mengenai alam semesta berasaskan prinsip bahawa ukuran ruang dan masa (ilmu fizik kuantum dan teori relativiti) adalah berkaitan.

Teori ini terbukti benar, telah membuka dan memperjelaskan bahawa pandangan mekanistik Cartesian-Newtonian adalah amat terhad, antik dan kesahihannya boleh dipertikaikan.

Teori Albert Einstein ini juga telah memberi laluan kepada konsep kewujudan organik dan kosmik dalam dunia sains perubatan.

Fritjof Capra di dalam buku Space, Time & Medicine oleh Larry Dossey secara terang-terangan turut memperkatakan tentang krisis persepsi ini.

Dengan itu, sistem biomedikal alopati sekarang memang telah tersasar dari mula lagi, sama seperti falsafah teori perkumuhan yang dikatakan sebagai penyebab penyakit sebagaimana yang dihuraikan oleh Hippocrates dan Galen suatu ketika dulu.

Jika dilihat dan dikaji dengan keterbukaan minda, pengamalan sistem alopati ini menghasilkan banyak penyakit yang berpunca daripada cara pengubatan pengamal itu sendiri.

Ia berpunca daripada kesan sampingan ubat-ubatan berasaskan dadah, kimia dan racun secara berpanjangan atau disebut juga sebagai iatrogenisis.

Misalnya, pesakit arthritis yang diberikan rawatan bagi mengubati penyakit keradangan sendi itu akhirnya menderita pula penyakit gastritis.

Penyakit-penyakit iatrogenik ini telah timbul sejak lama dahulu, berasal daripada ilmu sains, protoksol, instrumentasi, metodologi penyelidikan, diagnosis dan rawatan sistem biomedikal itu sendiri.

Protokol penyelidikan perubatan moden yang dikenali sebagai single blind studies, double blind studies, randomized studies kononnya untuk menjunjung kebenaran demi kemajuan sains, namun telah terbukti mempunyai keterbatasannya dengan kewujudan penyakit-penyakit iatrogenic daripada sistem itu.

Adalah perlu untuk alat yang kononnya berpiawaian sains ini dirombak dan diperiksa semula dengan menggunakan sifat ilmu sains yang lebih luas dan tepat, mangambil kira pemandangan sejagat mengenai ekologi dan alamiah asas kejadian serta kosmik yang berkaitan dengan kejadian, kehidupan dan keihatan manusia.

Inilah dimensi penjagaan kesihatan manusia dan perubatan yang telah lama diketepikan atas dasar kemajuan dan keuntungan.

Di dalam banyak perkara, limpahan penyakit iatrogenics yang diwujudkan oleh dunia sains biomedikal serta pengamalnya, pada takat yang tertentu, telah disorokkan daripada masyarakat ramai dengan menguarkan kejayaan, keberkesanan dan kekuasaan industri perubatan alopati ini.

Ini disokong pula oleh syarikat-syarikat pembuat ubat-ubatan gergasi, telah menjadikan pengamalnya berfikiran sempit, sengaja menutup kelemahan sistem daripada pandangan masyarakat dunia dengan menggunakan bahasa dan terminologi Greco-latin yang langsung tidak difahami oleh awam untuk pengamalan dan dokumentasi.

Melihatkan senario kewujudan penyakit iatrogenics yang semakin meningkat kini, sistem perubatan biomedikal akan mengalami kemerosotan, melainkan ia menjalani satu reformasi dan pembaharuan sikap pengamal dan sifat perubatannya.

Kos rawatan yang semakin meningkat seakan menarik orang ramai untuk mencari sistem rawatan yang lebih selamat dan murah; maka sistem biomedikal akan semakin ketinggalan dan hanya menjadi satu sistem yang kolot.

Masyarakat dunia mesti dipaparkan dengan penyakit-penyakit iatrogenic ini.

Kajian sistematik mengenai penyakit iatrogenics yang pertama telah dilakukan oleh Dr. Lucian L. Leape, salah seorang pengasas National Patient Safety-Foundation di Amerika Syarikat (AS).

Hasil kajian beliau telah diterbitkan di dalam Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) pada tahun 1994.

Pada tahun 1995, sebuah laporan di dalam JAMA mengatakan lebih satu juta pesakit dimasukkan ke hospital AS setiap tahun.

Daripada jumlah tersebut, 280,000 orang mati setiap tahun disebabkan oleh penyakit iatrogenics, dan angka ini telah mengecilkan bilangan kematian akibat kemalangan jalan raya.

Angka ini sungguh memeranjatkan. Ia memberi gambaran sebenar mengenai perubatan moden bahawa, walaupun kejayaan demi kejayaan yang digembar-gemburkan menyinari dunia perubatan moden, namun kepincangannya jelas.

Jika mereka terus-menerus menentang kehadiran dunia alami, ditakuti mereka akan ditelan zaman apabila masyarakat mampu melihat kepincangan itu sebagai sesuatu yang tidak diperlukan lagi.

Adalah menjadi harapan orang ramai untuk melihat satu reformasi yang lebih telus di dalam sistem penjagaan kesihatan yakni, satu sistem yang tidak dilindungi dari dalam.

Ia juga merupakan sistem yang terbuka kepada ilmu dan pengetahuan yang menjurus kepada peningkatan minda, yang dapat melindungi tubuh badan kurniaan tuhan dari dicemari oleh bahan kimia, racun mahupun dadah.

Sesungguhnya, sistem yang diperlukan oleh manusia adalah sistem penjagaan perubatan dan rawatan alamiah, secara semula jadi, juga sistem lain yang berpotensi berkesan dan selamat digunakan.

Disalin taip daripada suratkhabar Mingguan Malaysia : Kesihatan Ahad, 19 November, m.s. 28.

Artikel Berkaitan:

1. Spices Can Cure Drug Addiction, Says Researcher

October 23, 2006 10:21 AM

KUANTAN, Oct 23 (Bernama) — Drug addiction can be treated with a blend of spices, nuts and cereals, according to Prof Dr Ananthan Krishnan, the chief executive officer of the Alternative Medical Research Institute (Amri).

However, the patient needed consistent treatment with the blend for three months to wean him of the drugs, he said.

“This formula may be effective in three months but the patient needs to be consistent in undertaking the treatment,” he told Bernama.

Dr Krishnan, a pharmacist who spent more than six years studying natural resources as alternative medicine, said drug addiction was both a physical and mental illness.

“As such, apart from the consistent treatment for three months, moral support from family members is also crucial,” he said. He was reported to have treated liver patient Farah Najihah Zulkifli, 10, with his blend of organic and natural resources.

Farah, who was confirmed by specialists of having a fatal liver ailment, was reported to be recovering after more than two months of the alternative medical treatment.

Dr Krishnan said initial check-ups and studies on a patient must be done first before deciding on the alternative treatment for drug addiction.

“Drug addiction is a totally different illness as we need to identify the type of drugs to decide on the dosage,” he said.

— BERNAMA

2. Malaysian researcher nominated for Nobel

June 14, 2004 | The Straits Times

TF! Editorial Comment: Many individuals labor in relative obscurity to make the world a better place. We hear a few stories through the many awards that seek to honor excellence. In the article below, a Malaysian pharmacist is being nominated for his pioneering work in alternative medicine.

KUALA LUMPUR - A Malaysian researcher’s studies on the potency of seeds, beans and cereals as natural preventive medicine has put him in the running for a Nobel Prize.

Professor Ananthan Krishnan, 53, a pharmacist, conducted six years of research into the benefits of alternative medicine, resulting in breakthrough medicinal formulae.

This prompted three institutions from Canada and the United States to nominate him for the Nobel Prize for natural medicine.

The Alternative Medicine Research Institution, Weston Reserve University in Canada and the American College of Integrated Medicine in the US will jointly nominate Prof Ananthan for the Nobel Prize honouring outstanding individuals in different fields.

Natural medicine is a new category, introduced last year, so the nomination is all the more meaningful for Prof Ananthan, whose main aim is to promote a healthier alternative to Western medicine.

‘As a pharmacist for 18 years, I saw sick people pumping themselves with medications which were basically chemicals that could create degeneration of the body’s major organs in the long run,’ he said.

‘I have seen the good and bad of such allopathic medicine. The drugs might work to cure a patient of his illness but they leave side effects which, over time, can have an adverse effect on the kidney, liver, lungs and heart.’

Prof Ananthan’s search for safer alternatives led him to conduct research on natural substances with medicinal properties consumed by humans for centuries.
Through studying traditional treatments such as ayurveda and homeopathy, he discovered that the safest and most potent substances for the promotion of good health and healing were edible spices, beans and cereals.

He set up the A.K. Pharmacy and Naturopathy Centre in 1996, and in six years treated nearly 12,000 patients for various ailments.

Diabetes, hypertension, gastric problems, hormonal imbalances and allergies were some of the many health problems successfully treated.

Prof Ananthan’s research was carefully documented in his doctoral dissertation on The Use of Spices, Beans and Cereals in the Prevention and Management of Human Health Problems. –New Straits Times

Mungkin anda semua pernah mendengar nama Persatuan Pengguna Pulau Pinang atau dalam Bahasa Inggerisnya Consumers Association of Penang (CAP). Persatuan pengguna ini merupakan antara persatuan pengguna yang paling aktif di Malaysia. Presiden CAP ketika ini ialah S. M. Mohd Idris. Beliau juga merupakan Pengerusi Citizens International (CITIZENS). Beliau bukan sahaja aktif dalam persatuan pengguna ini, malah beliau sering menulis artikel-artikel di kolum Surat Pembaca suratkhabar-suratkhabar tempatan.

Saya mendapat pendedahan awal tentang persatuan pengguna ini ketika saya masih kecil lagi. Ketika itu, ibu saya melanggan Utusan Pengguna yang diterbitkan oleh CAP secara berkala. Tetapi sekarang, saya tidak pasti sama ada Utusan Pengguna masih diterbitkan lagi atau tidak. Tetapi saya masih mengikuti perkembangan CAP dengan membeli buku-buku kecil yang diterbitkan olehnya. Mungkin ada di antara kita tidak senang dengan buku-buku kecil yang dikeluarkan CAP. Antaranya: “Bahan Penyebab Kanser dalam Kosmetik & Produk Kegunaan Harian“, “Kenapa Telefon Bimbit Tidak Selamat serta Bahaya Menara Pemancar“, dan “Keburukan Makan Daging: 50 Alasan Kenapa Anda Perlu Kurangkan Daging.” Apa tidaknya, melalui buku-buku ini, CAP membariskan produk-produk yang berbahaya kepada kesihatan kita, dan boleh dikatakan semua produk-produk itu, kita gunakan dalam kehidupan seharian kita. Dan mungkin kita menganggap, “Kalau semua tak boleh, habis nak pakai ape lagi?”.

Tetapi bagi saya, mungkin kita boleh menggunakan kaedah ini,: ‘Kalau tak dapat tinggalkan semua, tinggalkan apa yang boleh ditinggalkan.’ Mungkin kaedah ini kelihatan terbalik daripada kaedah yang sering kita dengar berkenaan melakukan ibadah-ibadah sunat dan amalan-amalan dalam Islam. Tetapi di sini, kaedah tersebut bukan untuk digunakan dalam konteks melakukan amalan-amalan soleh, tetapi dalam menghadapi produk-produk harian yang mengandungi bahan-bahan yang berbahaya contohnya bahan-bahan karsinogen. Menurut Dorland’s Illustrated Medical Dictionary (Edisi ke-23), karsinogen merupakan “apa juga bahan yang boleh menyebabkan kanser.”

Pada kali ini, saya akan memetik teks daripada sebuah buku yang diterbitkan oleh CAP yang bertajuk: “Bahan Penyebab Kanser dalam Kosmetik & Produk Kegunaan Harian.” Kali ini, saya akan memetik teks yang menyentuh tentang ubat gigi berfluorida. Sebelum itu, saya ingin memetik sebahagian kata-kata pengenalan Presiden CAP di dalam buku ini:

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