Saturday, March 31, 2012

大选时机


Source of image: http://www.venusbuzz.com/archives/8453/its-time-to-vote-malaysians/

“大选快来了!”这样的声音,已经在一年多前开始听到至今仍不停。喊“狼来了!狼来了!”,总有一天狼一定来的呀!马来西亚的政治,过去所有的大选都是靠首相一人“感觉良好”来举行。

“感觉良好”就等于是“时机良好” ,你感到现在一切对你有利就是良好。孙子指出:“故善战者,求之于势。”这里的势,即是指时机(有利于我方的态势)。时机只有在悟性及懂得谋略者,才能发挥力量。

其实首相纳吉真的错过了一个良好时机,就是2010114日国阵一口气夺下沙巴巴都沙比(Batu Sapi)国会议席和吉兰丹州加腊士(Galas)州议席双补选胜利的时候。那时民联也正发生国会议员退出联盟的内斗,还有伊斯兰党有党员想拉拢该党与巫统合作而产生的分裂窘境。如果首相纳吉当时大选,选举成绩极可能跟2008年大选大同小异,国阵即使以简单多数议席执政,但总比失政权更好,起码纳吉可以有5年时间巩固政权。

西人谚语说:“机会是不会敲两次门的。”那是指好机会,若没有及时把握的话,那未来就不晓得会面对多大的挑战。虽说首相仍然还有一年时间,但分析每个月份情况,他并没多少选择的。这次4月国会在进行,为了满足净选盟的诉求,国会必须通过选举改革的议案,因此国会不适宜半途解散。加上元首在411日登基,为了尊敬元首,也不宜在登基前后解散国会。

5月份呢?纳吉打算趁着在51日工人节宣布最低薪金消息,相信是要赢取低收入人士的支持。低收入人士是基层人士,目前少于月薪500令吉的选民并不太多。我说选民,乃因为穷困人士都在偏远地区,很多还没注册为选民。但政府的最低薪金数目将对经济影响深远。许多商家已经发出反对设立最低薪金政策,因为最后商家的额外成本将转嫁于消费人身上。纳吉在宣布了最低薪金也可能不贸贸然放得太高。消息宣布不久解散国会的可能性是存在的,但看来这项所获得的支持票很不肯定,因为目前通货膨胀严重已经抵消了薪金涨幅!

令纳吉不敢随意在5月份大选的考量之一,乃砂拉越州宣称要在5月份过后才准备好应对大选。砂州是国阵定存州,纳吉不可忽视它的要求。加上53031日是沙巴州土著的丰收节,及612日是砂州土著的达雅节。即说应该是不适宜这段时期内让他们忙于进行群众大会的事务。彭博社报道说获得四个政府官员消息大选会在63日学校假期举行。行动党的刘振东分析,他不认为大选会在63日,因为在西马工作的砂沙子民回乡庆祝佳节,他们会投反对票的。此言有理,在西马工作的砂沙子民,多数都获得更多政治资讯的。

所以,在6月份学校假期期间,即使在610日大选也不利国阵,因为土著既然已经回乡庆祝佳节,就索性留下投票后才回西马。传统上,学校假期是大选日期好选择,因为老师是好帮手。我最近问一个曾经协助的老师,她说协助者都是自愿的,并不是强制性的。同时净选盟说为了公平,也要求协助员不要来自公务员。

6月份都是不少人看重是大选的热门日子,要不就在学校假期后,不然的话就要再等几个月了。原因是7月份是穆斯林的斋戒月,8月份是开斋节,9月份开斋节通常庆祝一个月。9月份过后大选对国阵有点冒险,因为一旦到时有丑闻出现的话,它真的没时间灭火了!不过行动党的林吉祥声称在前首相马哈迪最近批评巫统没人才后,大选不会在6月,会再推迟。

现在有人认为9月份是最可能。若要推迟,应该在这期间提呈2013年财政预算案,那么,10月份就举行大选。推到明年吗?更冒险。1月份学校开学,家长因着通胀而气氛。2月份华人新年,纳吉敢仿效前首相阿都拉在华人新年期间解散国会吗?若不,国会到了4月份将自动解散。

大马的大选日子是秘密,什么惊讶的情况都会出现。猜测归猜测,无论猜中猜错都无所谓,总之,大选已近了!

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

殡葬不宜迷信

最近有几篇对于“仙逝”一词该用于男或女身上的文章,让我感概于华人传统的殡葬事情。

人对于死后的世界有着许多的疑惑,许多迷信习俗都是人为造成,主要是为了安抚恐惧的心理。甚至满腹学问的孔夫子都避谈死的问题,他曰:“未知生,焉知死?”

人离世了,无论你用什么“仙逝”啊,“千古”啊,“归西”啊,“蒙主宠召”啊等去形容,它是给男死者或是给女死者,也不会对他们造成影响。

以我多年的观察,传统的华人家庭办丧事,不少家人居于六神无主之下,就轻易受到别人给予迷信的摆布。不久前,有个朋友向我诉苦,当时他正在办母亲的殡葬。他们几兄弟为了所谓的“风水殡葬”而闹翻。他们向一个殡葬业公司买了一块风水地,价钱20多万令吉。不过该推销员再进一步游说那有权作主的兄弟,劝他也一并雇用风水师做风水。

朋友诉苦说既然是风水地,还要做风水干嘛?我已经看惯这种的事情,许多推销员是为了自已能够赚更多钱。他介绍一个风水师,他能够多抽一项佣金。

几个月前我去新加坡参加一个亲戚丧礼,家属没亲戚是从外国回来奔丧的,却摆灵堂五天。那里的人说新加坡一般上是停柩五天,或者七天。我惊讶这么一个文明的国家,但人民仍然很迷信,比大马人更迷信。这么多天,辛苦的是家人和亲友!

更惊讶的是做法的和尚乃中国过来干活的,收费比新加坡人收的便宜。我妹妹告诉我,她说大马的道士(俗称喃無佬)也不是在感叹找不到吃?因为近来很多中国人在抢滩,该行业老板声称聘请中国人比较划算。

死者已矣,千万不要跟从迷信,办一场殡葬需使到后人负担沉重,何必?所谓要有风水是为后人过好生活,未必!事实上,许多后人并不见得因此变得更好,反而需要多年还债。目前中国大城市,政府已经规定使用纸皮棺材,谁敢说这对死者不敬和对后人不祥?殡葬业老板告诉我,在大马目前使用纸皮棺材还行不通。我认为问题出于大马人惯于风光大葬。

以华人几千年的文化,我们是注重孝道的子民。我认为作为子女的,趁着父母还在时就要尽孝道。否则当他们离世后给他们风光大葬,做功德仪式,及清明焚烧多少东西都没有意义。广东人说:“生前请我吃粒豆,好过死后请我吃猪头!”

请阅读:

http://opinions.sinchew-i.com/node/23093
http://opinions.sinchew-i.com/node/23094
http://opinions.sinchew-i.com/node/23208
http://opinions.sinchew-i.com/node/23281

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Remembering China’s Christian Pioneers

(Revival Chinese Ministries International)

Among China’s ethnic minorities, the Miao, Yi and Lisu have the most Christians—making up about 30 percent to 60 percent of their population. In certain ethnic regions in Yunnan and Guizhou, the Christian population exceeds 80 percent. More than a century ago, many missionaries came from afar to sow the gospel seeds in Yunnan and Guizhou resulting in these two provinces having the largest concentration of ethnic believers. Let’s look at three of these missionaries who committed their lives to serving these people groups.

Samuel Pollard: blessing the Miao: In 1887, a 23-year-old British missionary named Samuel Pollard arrived in China in response to God’s call to evangelize a people group. Initially Samuel labored in the city of Zhaotong, Yunnan. Later he took on more of a risk and began to work among the Yi people of Liangshan in the Jinsha Jiang region. And in 1905, he relocated to Guizhou to begin his ministry among the Miao. In those days, the Miao lived under very harsh conditions in extreme poverty, but Samuel chose to live among them and live like them.

His devotion to them won him their trust and Samuel had a very successful ministry among them. He built churches, created the Miao written script (the Miao previously only had a spoken language) and translated the Bible into the Miao language. As a result, the gospel spread rapidly among the Miao in the surrounding regions. Other ethnic groups like the Lisu, Nu, Dulong, Yi, Jingpo, Lahu and Wa also began to receive the gospel message.

Pollard continued his ministry, which included the setting-up of more than a hundred schools, hospitals, orphanages and also China’s first leprosarium. Ten years after this accomplishment, he died at the age of 51. By then, an estimated 10,000 Miao had become believers.

James Fraser: pioneering in Yunnan: James Outram Fraser was born into a wealthy family in Britain. Because of his burden for lost souls, in 1908 at the age of 22 he came to southwestern Yunnan to serve among the Lisu people of Nu Jiang. He traversed the Yunnan-Guizhou highland, learning the Lisu language and sharing the gospel with them. For 14 years, his ministry bore no fruit and he had no converts among the Lisu villagers. In fact, the Lisu attempted to kill him by setting fire to his house one night.

Fraser escaped death because of an alert by a young man and he later appeared before the petrified Lisu villagers who thought they were seeing a ghost. He said: “Do not be afraid for I am not a ghost. It’s just that my God is the true God and He has saved me from your plan to kill me. What you should do now is to believe in Jesus who is the savior of the world!” The villagers believed in Jesus that morning. After this, Fraser ministered in more than 30 Lisu villages and all were won to God’s kingdom. This happened in 1930 and started the great spiritual transformation among the Lisu people.

For the backward and desolate Lisu people, Fraser created a written language. With that, he wrote a question-and-answer guide on Christian practices and also translated the Gospels of Mark and John into the Lisu language. He went on to write about Lisu history and produced a handbook on the Lisu language.

By 1936 Fraser completed the translation of the New Testament. Furthermore, he learned about and taught vine-growing and other agricultural skills to help the Lisu people upgrade their livelihood. To promote culture, Fraser built churches and schools to benefit thousands of Lisu children. Like Pollard, Fraser also set up hospitals and clinics. He died of sickness due to overworking at the age of 52.

Isobel Kuhn: handmaid to the Lisu: In 1923 at a small retreat in England, Isobel Selina Miller heard Fraser sharing on his Lisu ministry in China. Deeply touched, Isobel committed her life to serve the Lisu people.

In 1934, Isobel and her husband John Becker Kuhn went to China and started their work among the Lisu people, assisted later by a Mandarin-speaking local co-worker. Yunnan’s living conditions then were very bad and basic necessities were lacking. But in spite of this, they were able to build a fairly spacious and durable meeting place, which they called the “House of Grace.” Their ministry faced an uphill task owing to difficulties of local traveling and the animistic practices of the people. However, the Kuhns persevered in taking the gospel to the unreached places.

To help the Lisu believers in understanding the Bible, they brought along with them hand-copied New Testament Lisu Bibles. They also had a typewriter for the Lisu language. Each year from June to August, Isobel conducted their Bible school—“The Rainy Season Bible School.” The intensive Bible-training classes helped train many Lisu co-workers and build strong Lisu churches.

In 1950, the Kuhns left China following changes in domestic politics. They relocated to Thailand to continue serving the Lisu there. In 1954 they returned to their home country due to sickness. By then the Lisu believers were estimated at 3,600 in number or about one-third of its population. Today, the Lisu believers in China exceed 80 percent of its population.

Dennis Balcombe is the founder of Revival Chinese Ministries International and a sought-after speaker around the world. He speaks fluent Cantonese and Mandarin. He is currently involved in ministering to the Chinese as well as non-Chinese throughout Asia.

Source: http://charismanews.com/world/33020-remembering-chinas-christian-pioneers

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Where have all the bold pastors gone?

No matter which country, Christians Leaders should spearhead in electing a virtuous governance.
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Dr. Jerry Newcombe - Guest Columnist - 3/12/2012 10:00:00 AM

Dr. Jerry Newcombe (Coral Ridge Ministries)During this election season, the issue of religion has come up on many occasions. But for the most part, we haven't heard from many pastors -- except, for example, from the brave priest from Indiana, with his denunciation against the Obama administration's move to force Catholic agencies to fund contraceptives and abortifacients against their consciences.

Another outspoken minister has been Dr. Robert Jeffress of Dallas, who was castigated about half a year ago for stating he preferred a Christian politician to a Mormon one. He was simply quoting founding father John Jay, first Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court, who said, "Providence has given to our people the choice of their rulers, and it is the duty, as well as the privilege and interest of our Christian nation to select and prefer Christians for their rulers" (October 12, 1816). First Chief Justice or not, one of only three authors of The Federalist Papers or no -- that's too politically correct to say nowadays.

Many of the controversial issues of our day, such as abortion and marriage, have become political. But in reality, they are simply moral issues that have changed into political ones.

I think part of the reason we don't hear much from pastors these days is because of a misunderstanding of the law. Some fear -- wrongly -- that if they say anything viewed as a political statement, then they might lose their tax-exempt status. I plan on addressing this point in a subsequent article.

In any event, we should remember that some biblical figures, like Moses and John the Baptist, spoke out against the rulers at the time and paid a price for it. Historically, being faithful to their God sometimes had a high price to it, as seen by those brave Christians fed to the lions in the arena rather than renounce their faith.

There's a great painting at the Art Institute of Chicago showing St. Ambrose rebuking Roman Emperor Theodosius (around the end of the 4th century) for an imperial massacre in Thessalonica. The bishop took his life in his hands by making such a pronouncement against the lord of the whole empire. Thankfully, Theodosius repented.

Thomas More wasn't so fortunate in his stance in refusing to give into King Henry VIII's demand for divine sanction for his divorce. More was beheaded for his courage to go against the king.

The price a bold pastor has to pay in our culture is generally a much smaller one than those sometimes demanded in the past -- or even today in some of the world's hot spots, such as in the Middle East. There's an Iranian pastor on death row right now for having converted from Islam.

Historically, in the American context, pastors and the church have often led the way in societal reforms -- some of which had political implications. Two-thirds of the members of the abolition society in 1835 were ministers of the gospel. Also, the anti-slavery Underground Railroad was run by churches.

For good or bad, there's no doubt that prohibition was led by ministers, churches, and laywomen.

The civil rights movement was essentially born in the basement of Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, led by their minister, Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. on December 1, 1955, the night Rosa Parks was arrested for not giving up her seat on the bus after a hard day's work. Watch raw tapes of the civil rights marches and you'll see many different Christian groups participating.

Before we even became a country, pastors (especially in New England) would preach election day sermons, not necessarily endorsing particular candidates, but explaining biblical civic duties. Georgetown-educated Dr. Donald Lutz, political science professor at the University of Houston, even notes that even the word "election" comes from the Bible and not from politics.

Dr. Donald Lutz told me: "Elections were designed by these Americans in the early era for a virtuous people to help identify who amongst are more virtuous. Who are those who are most likely to be among the elect, those who are most likely to be saved? Elections are an attempt to recognize those who are among the elect, those are more likely to have been saved and going to heaven. Therefore, we, in this country, expect those people who are elected to be virtuous."

Dr. Lutz added: "This drives the Europeans crazy. Why do we expect our president and our representatives to be good and Godly people? It's because this is the habit we got into in the very beginning. It's a Puritan notion, which we Catholics buy into right away."

The professor notes that it wasn't enough that the candidate simply said that they were decent people. Their actions had to match their words: "And then, we would quiz them very carefully. How did you perform in the past? Were you God-fearing and were you pursuing the common good in the way you voted, the way you behaved, the way you acted? If not, I'm not going to vote for you. And so, we would filter upward men or women of greater virtue to higher office."

We are far removed from our Puritan roots. But I think some of their core principles still apply -- especially the idea that the church should not completely abandon the political process.

For years, my pastor was the late Dr. D. James Kennedy, who noted: "Someone said to me, 'Do you think Christians should be involved in politics? That's dirty business.' I said, 'Of course not, you should leave it to the atheists; otherwise, you wouldn't have anything to complain about.' Well, we have got plenty to complain about today, because that is exactly what we've done."

Source: http://www.onenewsnow.com/Perspectives/Default.aspx?id=1554652