Testimony of Australian Church an inspiration to Malaysian Church

This morning it was raining in Perth. Rain was precious to Australia. One of the reasons why the world suffered food shortage was the drought in Australia for the past 2 years. Australia is a main exporter in rice, wheat and oats, etc.

But lately there have been lots of rain in Western Australia throughout winter till now. Other states also improved. The Christians played a great role in crying out to God.

It is time for Christians here to rise up. Prayer works! Lat year May, Christians held a combined prayer rally at the stadium praying for a good government. They unanimously agreed that God would not bless Australia till the nation seek forgiveness from the Natives for ill treating them.

Then last year November God made a godly man, Kevin Rudd, win the election and became Prime Minister. Nobody thought John Howard would lose as the economy under him was booming.

The first major thing Kevin Rudd did was to apologize to the Natives.

Malaysian Church should be inspired by this testimony. We must see God transform our nation. Well, prayer is the answer.

Christians in Perth are praying for Malaysia. Please visit the website at:
http://www.churchinperth.com/prayer/index.htm

Preaching in dreams

This morning woke up, my left calf cramped. Good thing the car is of Auto-made.

Lately I have been preaching in my dreams including one time this morning. And in every dream I moved in compassion, urging people to turn to the Lord. Yes, the Holy Spirit groaned in my spirit, revealing to me my Lord Jesus is coming back soon.

God led me here in Perth, and kept me alone in a big bungalow house. You know Australia is very quiet at night, but I was not scared at all. It is a good place for me to wait upon the Lord.

Sep 16 at 12.01a.m.

It is Sep 16 at 12.01a.m.

What is it so special about?

Well, Pakatan Rakyat under the leadership of Anwar Ibrahim has been claiming that he will seize government on that day. There will be at least 30 MPs from Barisan Nasional shall jump ship to PR.

Let us see what will happen. Will Anwar's claim be fulfilled? Let's pray!

Toyota Camry for my use and bungalow for my stay

This evening, Tim was leaving for Cambodia for mission work via Singapore and Kuala Lumpur.

After he reached the airport, I drove the car back home. Now that Toyota Camry would be for my use for a week. And I am staying alone in a big bungalow at Fremantle. At least I'm feeling rich now! Anyway, I pursued the riches in my Father's mansion above!

Fremantle eateries

Date: 15 Sep
We went for lunch at Fremantle eateries at the seaside




The restaurant we were eating in was decorated with aquariums.

Along the corridor of Gents' and Ladies' Restrooms there were two

Even in the loos there was one! Guys, beware of Peeping Toms! Who? Fishes lah of course!

I think you don't see such packing in Malaysia

On the way back

Christians should be politics oriented

Date: 14 Sep
Venue: Full Gospel Assembly Marketplace
At 10.00a.m Worship Service began. After singing, Pastor Richard Sim preached a timely sermon. He encouraged Christians to concern about politics and involve in it.

Among the congregation, many of them were former citizens of Malaysia.




Resident Pastor Richard Sim delivered a sermon urging parishioners be politics oriented.

After the sermon, I talked on "Political Challenges in Malaysia". At meal-time, many indicated to me they were thankful for my enlightening message. I encourage them to uphold Malaysia in prayer by joining us on 24 Sep at 7.00p.m at Murdoch Healing Centre. Many Asian Pastors, Church leaders and members have pledged their support. It is a very critical moment for Malaysia as significant changes shall take place from tomorrow onwards.

For more details of the Prayer Meeting, please visit:
http://www.churchinperth.com/prayer/index.htm

Perth Chinese Christian Church, South of Swan River

Date: 13 Sep
Ocassion: Lantern Festival Evangelistic Meeting
About 6.30p.m buffet dinner.
At 7.30p.m service began. About 180 attendants. Mostly workers from China.
It began with my sharing of God's Word after Pastor Philip introduced me. Shared for 15 minutes. 2 young man and woman from China were saved. They were my first fruits in Australia. To God be the glory!




Three pastors, from left: Philip Tay, Allen and John Yap

从澳洲看大马的生活素质

我人目前在澳洲写这篇文章，每次到了西方国家，看到它们的生活水准优越，总梦想自己国家也早日达到它们的成就。我国家要进步，不应用借口说不可跟发展国家相比。

就以在这里朋友借我使用的丰田凯美瑞（CAMRY 3.0）为例，它的价钱并不贵。目前新款的3.5型取代3.0型的，只售3万5千澳元而已。而在大马我根本没机会使用它，更甭说有能力购买！它需要大约20万令吉（当然不要以货币兑换来算），须月入多少才能买得起它？要买一辆国产车花蝴蝶1.3型都需整4万令吉！

并且澳洲的食品和用品，价钱一般上比我们的低。澳洲友人说，在澳洲50元买到很多东西，而在大马50令吉看不到什么东西！他讲对了我国许多普罗百姓的心声，近几年来我国的通货膨胀压人，汽油涨价78仙几个月后通膨更达到高潮。

大城市如吉隆坡的房子，与同等规模的澳洲城市作比较的话，价钱没多大差异。但别忘了澳洲一般上的工资乃比大马的高，因此澳洲人的生活比我国的更写意。除了生活富裕的，国人就是为了还房贷和车贷一生人为债奴。

而其实大马人是可以追得上不少西方国家享受高素质的生活的，诸如新加坡资政李光耀对我国评述，说我国有丰富的资源包括石油，理应可以很发达的。他这番话值得我们反省，为何新加坡没有资源，人均收入却是我们的五倍呢？澳洲也是石油国，汽油每公升只1.43元，而我们高到2.55令吉。

要国家兴旺， 除了国家领袖的求进心态积极之外，唯才是用是最关键的秘诀。澳洲是一个移民国，向来许多亚洲专业人士已经移民澳洲。我国也为它“贡献”了不少专才，不少留学生留下发展。澳洲虽然人口不多，但却栽培了许多人才。9月8日<星洲日报活力副刊>刊登新加坡总理李显龙的访谈，他说新加坡要收纳全世界的人才。新加坡的大专每年年尾就从宽中“下订”优秀生，怎能讲不损失？

回顾新加坡还属大马时，李光耀呼吁建造一个“马来西亚人的马来西亚”，但巫统为了维护马来人特权而抗拒这理念，结果反而落得新加坡被逼脱离大马，大马乃因此错过了栽培人才挤挤的机会。

国阵种族政治，51年来导致人才流失。向来在国际有名的马来亚大学，排名不断猾落，甚至这回排行在理科大学后面。而以英语授课数理政策出现大多数老师们本身的英语欠佳的窘境，其实我国早已缺乏用英语在国际竞争的能力了。

世界进步日新月异，适者生存，否则被淘汰。1960至80年代，大马人称泰国为“隔壁忖”（意思是很落后），但今天泰国已经爬在我国前头，看它们汽车工业蓬勃，它们国人可低价拥车，汽车也出口到全世界，包括澳洲这里不少日本车是泰国生产的。看看大马的普腾，20多年还需政府补贴。大马若不积极整顿我们的政治，迎合全球化政策挑战的话，现在可要轮到泰国叫我们“隔壁村“了！

所以，狭隘的种族政治只带来固步自封。最近的政治出现新变化，308大选的成绩，显示人民开始厌倦种族政治。为何我们不开始拉倒种族的围墙，以“一个国家，一个人民”不分种族唯才是用，以同心制造更大的经济蛋糕呢？到时人人都能过一个更高素质的生活呢！

Chuck Pierce and Cindy Jacob August 2008 Surabaya prophesied on Malaysia

21-23 August, 2008 Prophetic Conference in Surabaya, Indonesia - With Chuck Pierce and Cindy Jacobs.
(conveyed by someone who attended the recent conference ending on 24 August, 2008, shared at WIN prayer meeting on August 25th, 2008) (Women Intercessors Network of Penang)

Chuck Pierce:
Year of 8 - new beginning
Hebrew number for 8 looks alike a door. We have to find the door and ENTER IN, otherwise we will go around in circles.
CP drew a circle around the number - a year where new things are happening.

CP asked the question – GOD is ready, are we ready?
Are we ready for increase? There will be increase of harvest, power, spiritual gifts, supply, authority and favour. To hear GOD in order to move into HIS VISION.

New season of harvest. GOD will again cause us to see the harvest in a new way as many have lost sight of the harvest field. To transform the nation, GOD will have to transform us first.

GOD is looking for 3 generations to align themselves to HIM. When all 3 generations begin to speak the prophetic WORD of GOD in the earth realm, we will see HIS glory manifested.

GOD is calling forth intercessors and those with the prophetic gifts. Either we are surrounding our nation in prayer in a new way or the enemy is surrounding the nation in a new way. The NEED to build A NEW WALL around our nation NOW until end of 2009.

Make decrees into the atmosphere. Speak forth and say what GOD is saying to bring forth the transformation. Speak as a corporate group.

GOD is also asking – "Do you believe that I AM ABLE to bring change and transformation to this land? HE wants us to answer. What comes out of your mouth is what HE is going to work with. We can either agree with HIM or disagree with HIM. If we want to see change, we will have to prophesy. What has been started this year will ACCELERATE next year. If GOD can find a people that can prophesy everything that has been spoken, IT WILL BE DONE. GOD is raising up a prophesying people that will bring change to this whole region.

The enemy does not like GOD's people to prophesy. He will stir up unbelief to reject the prophecies. He will come up against the prophetic voice. We have to keep moving forward. Do not get distracted. DO NOT STOP.

Malaysia, you are at the most critical place. Your future is hanging on the ballots right now. You need to understand what GOD is saying RIGHT NOW. Things are going in a different direction in this nation. Someone must decree the prophetic declaration to determine the direction of the nation. Start to decree and you will see the changes taking place.

Timing is very important as you speak prophetically. You need to know GOD's perfect timing, speak it so that it will come to pass. Intercessory people will need to work with the prophetic people to bring the birth and change to the atmosphere.

Malaysia, the next 3 years is very crucial. You are on the verge of a great breakthrough. There will be a great manifestation of GOD's promises.

Warning: there are spiritual forces working against us. The enemy hates the thought of great change in this land. THE NEXT 3 WEEKS, things will change. This is a critical time, we MUST NOT BACK OFF but STAND FIRM. The heavens will manifest GOD's glory.

Next year, conflict will increase. KL (the capital) will resist the change. 8 regions will rise up to rally around KL. Next year, continue to declare, to take your stand and DO NOT GIVE UP.

Pray for an increase in the anointing and manifestation of GOD's power and glory.


Cindy Jacobs prophecy:
While in Israel, she saw a vision of a great tsunami hitting Asia. When she looked closely, the waves were made up of Asian faces. GOD is raising up a mighty army in Asia. The revival waves will hit South East Asia and the Pacific realm. GOD will use those HE has raised up to bring in the millions in the harvest field.

A New Move of GOD, new mantle of prayer.
Hab 2:14 - For the earth will be filled With the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, As the waters cover the sea.

Borneo, you are meant for revival. A revival fire is coming upon you, revival among the first nations group. GOD is using the children and the youth. There will be a cleansing of leadership.

Christians in Perth praying for Malaysia

Some of my itineraries
Date: 13 Sep at 6.00p.m
Venue: Perth Chinese Christian Church, South of Swan River
Ocassion: Lantern Festival Evangelistic Meeting
Target: Chinese from China
Estimated Attendance: >100

Date: 14 Sep at 9.30a.m
Venue: Full Gospel Assembly Marketplace
Ocassion: Sunday Worship
After the resident pastor's preaching, I will be given 30 minutes.
My topic: Political Challenges in Malaysia
My outline:
1. Background of Nation forming
2. Racial riot that had changed our destiny
3. Rise of political dictatorship
4. Recent wind of change giving rise to fresh hope
5. Prophetic message for the Nation

Important Prayer Meeting
In view of the current development in Malaysian politics, it is timely for me to be in Perth. We are gathering the Asian pastors and people here to pray for Malaysia. Please visit the following website:
http://www.churchinperth.com/prayer/index.h

Ministry in Perth, Australia - First three days

10 Sep - From Singapore to Perth
My younger brother Hoy Thin, together with his wife and daughter, sent me off at Changi International Airport. We took the sky-train at Terminal 1 to Terminal 2 and had lunch there. Later we took a shuttle bus to the Budget Flight Ter

Got on board Tiger Airways Airbus 320. This picture was taken from my seat at 17F.

On board, I bought a 300-ml mineral water for S$3.00 (RM7.20). It was the most expensive mineral water I have ever paid for. It was definitely a disadvantage for a low Malaysian currency spending in countries with high currencies!

The plane arrived at Perth International Airport at 9.00p.m. It was early Spring and temperature was 14 degrees C. The host, Tim, picked me up at the airport and headed straight to his holiday home at Mandura which was at the sea-side. The journey took about 45 minutes. Guess what the first food I ate in Perth? Malaysian durian. Tim's in-law Mike bought it at the supermarket. It was a factory-made frozen product from Malaysia. I ate 2 seeds.

11 Sep - Fishing at Indian Ocean
About 8 a.m the host, his in-law and I launched out into Indian Ocean for fishing. The sea was choppy and we sailed back. When we decided to do crabbing instead, at that moment rain began to pour. So the plan was cancelled. We cooked curry fish head and sambal squids for lunch.







12 Sep - Driving
I drove from the host's house at Fremantle to his office at Welshpool (18KM), navigating with the help of a GPS kit. After using it, I may consider owning a set back home. The car was a Toyota Camry 3.0. Price of cars are low in Australia. A new Camry current model of 3.5 only costs A$35K. How much is it selling in Malaysia? Of course don't count in rate conversion. To many, it costs you a bomb - RM200K! Malaysians are indeed miserable in terms of cost living. How I wish there will be a wise leadership to lead us into international competativeness!

Gov. Sarah Palin looked to biblical leaders for guidance

by KIRK JOHNSON and KIM SEVERSON
Published: September 5, 2008

WASILLA, Alaska — Shortly after taking office as governor in 2006, Sarah Palin sent an e-mail message to Paul E. Riley, her former pastor in the Assembly of God Church, which her family began attending when she was a youth. She needed spiritual advice in how to do her new job, said Mr. Riley, who is 78 and retired from the church.

Larry Kroon, pastor of Wasilla Bible Church, said most members were socially conservative because of their analysis of the Bible.

“She asked for a biblical example of people who were great leaders and what was the secret of their leadership,” Mr. Riley said.

He wrote back that she should read again from the Old Testament the story of Esther, a beauty queen who became a real one, gaining the king’s ear to avert the slaughter of the Jews and vanquish their enemies. When Esther is called to serve, God grants her a strength she never knew she had.

Mr. Riley said he thought Ms. Palin had lived out the advice as governor, and would now do so again as the Republican Party’s vice-presidential nominee.

“God has given her the opportunity to serve,” he said. “And God has given her the strength to carry out her goals.”

Ms. Palin’s religious life — what she believes and how her beliefs intersect or not with her life in public office in Alaska — has become a topic of intense interest and scrutiny across the political spectrum as she has risen from relative obscurity to become Senator John McCain’s running mate.

Interviews with the two pastors she has been most closely associated with here in her hometown — she now attends the Wasilla Bible Church, though she keeps in touch with Mr. Riley and recently spoke at an event at his former church — and with friends and acquaintances who have worshipped with her point to a firm conclusion: her foundation and source of guidance is the Bible, and with it has come a conviction to be God’s servant.

“Just be amazed at the umbrella of this church here, where God is going to send you from this church,” Ms. Palin told the gathering in June of young graduates of a ministry program at the Assembly of God Church, a video of which has been posted on YouTube.

“Believe me,” she said, “I know what I am saying — where God has sent me, from underneath the umbrella of this church, throughout the state.”

Janet Kincaid, who has known Ms. Palin for about 15 years and worked with her on some Wasilla town boards and commissions when Ms. Palin was mayor here, said Ms. Palin’s spiritual path, from the Assembly of God to Wasilla Bible, has had a consistent theme.

“The churches that Sarah has attended all believe in a literal translation of the Bible,” Ms. Kincaid said. “Her principal ethical and moral beliefs stem from this.”

Prayer, and belief in its power, is another constant theme, Ms. Kincaid said, in what she has witnessed in Ms. Palin. “Her beliefs are firm in the power of prayer — let’s put it that way,” she said.

Maria Comella, a spokeswoman for the McCain-Palin campaign, said Ms. Palin had been baptized Roman Catholic as an infant, but declined to comment further.

“We’re not going to get into discussing her religion,” she said.

In the address at the Assembly of God Church here, Ms. Palin’s ease in talking about the intersection of faith and public life was clear. Among other things, she encouraged the group of young church leaders to pray that “God’s will” be done in bringing about the construction of a big pipeline in the state, and suggested her work as governor would be hampered “if the people of Alaska’s heart isn’t right with God.”

She also told the group that her eldest child, Track, would soon be deployed by the Army to Iraq, and that they should pray “that our national leaders are sending them out on a task that is from God, that’s what we have to make sure we are praying for, that there is a plan, and that plan is God’s plan.”

Larry Kroon, who has been the presiding pastor at Wasilla Bible for the last 30 years, declined to describe Ms. Palin’s beliefs or the role she plays in the church, but suggested that she is more of a back-bencher than a leading light.

“Todd and Sarah come in as Todd and Sarah — they’re very discreet about it,” he said, referring to Ms. Palin’s husband.

One of the musical directors at the church, Adele Morgan, who has known Ms. Palin since the third grade, said the Palins moved to the nondenominational Wasilla Bible Church in 2002, in part because its ministry is less “extreme” than Pentecostal churches like the Assemblies of God, which practice speaking in tongues and miraculous healings.

“A lot of churches are about music and media and having a big profile,” Ms. Morgan said. “We are against that. That is why it is so attractive to politicians because they can just sit there and be safe.”

“We’ve gotten a lot of their people when the other churches get too extreme,” Ms. Morgan continued. However, she added, “If you lift your hands when we’re singing, we’re not going to shoot you down.”

Mr. Kroon (pronounced krone), a soft-spoken, bearded Alaska native, said he was convinced that the Bible is the Word of God, and that the task of believers is to ponder and analyze the book for meaning — including scrutiny, he said, for errors and mistranslations over the centuries that may have obscured the original intent.

It is that analysis, he believes, not anything he preaches, that makes most people in his church socially conservative, he said.

“I trust my people can go out with that and they can deal with an issue such as abortion — any issue out there — whether it’s in the public arena, or in the hospital room with their relative dying of cancer, because they will be equipped with a biblical perspective that will enable them to react in that situation,” said Mr. Kroon, who described himself as “pro-life.”

“Our congregation would tend to be conservative, and it’s not because I’ve told them to be,” he said.

Some Jewish groups have raised concerns since the announcement of Ms. Palin’s selection to the Republican ticket that discussions in the Wasilla Bible Church might go beyond conservatism. Last month, a leader in the group Jews for Jesus, which advocates converting Jews to Christianity — but which has been accused by some Jews of anti-Semitism — spoke at the church. The speaker, David Brickner, spoke enthusiastically about the “miracle” of conversions in Israel by the group’s missionaries.

The church has also come under fire among some gay advocacy groups for promoting an upcoming Focus on the Family conference in Anchorage dealing with the so-called curing of homosexuality.

The Wasilla Bible Church, which draws 800 to 1,000 people for Sunday service, itself is discreet to the point of self-effacement. Only a single small sign on the gravel road leading up to the property declares the name. On the three-year-old building itself, which looks more like a warehouse than a cathedral, a large cross over the rear entrance is the only declaration of purpose.

People who know the church and its parishioners say that the mix of simplicity and quirkiness is common in Alaska, where many people have moved over the years and left their pasts and old church lives behind.

Homegrown churches like Wasilla — started in the early 1970s by a handful of families, including Ms. Morgan’s, during the construction boom in building the Trans-Alaska pipeline — have become singularly Alaskan. Mr. Kroon still remembers the days of a single room with a wood-burning stove that he would have to fire up before services.

Mr. Kroon said the Alaskan spirit of go-it-alone individuality gives the church a mix of joiners and resolute nonjoiners. The church offers full-immersion water baptism, which some people want and others do not.

“I have people who’ve been here since I got here, and they still say, ‘Don’t put me on the membership roll,’ ” he said. “There’s definitely a cultural element.”

Source: www.nytimes.com

Long road to rights utopia

by SHAILA KOSHY

IT has been called a toothless tiger but Suhakam’s report to the Human Rights Council for Malaysia’s Universal Periodic Review shows it can still use its tongue and claws to improve the state of human rights here.

SUHAKAM submitted its report for Malaysia’s Universal Periodic Review under the United Nations’ new Human Rights Council on Thursday.

In accordance with UPR guidelines for only a five-page report, Suhakam assessed critically Malaysia’s human rights development.

“We are not trying to tell the world at large that we, as a reporting agency, are a dragon-slayer of the state,” says Suhakam commissioner Datuk Choo Siew Kioh, adding they had had consultations with NGOs on Aug 14.

“We have been critical in that we want to move the message of human rights forward, not kill it,” he adds in disclosing to The Star the contents of the report that had been agreed to by all 16 commissioners.

“We should look upon the UPR as a responsible exercise to inform the government and people where we all are on the road to a strong human rights culture. You may call it a wish list.”

The UPR process allows for a review every four years of each 192-member states of the UN on their human rights obligations and commitments. Malaysia’s review is in February and Suhakam and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) have to submit their respective reports to Geneva by Sept 8. The Government’s self-assessment is due later.

One way to look at this UPR, says Choo, is to see it as a test of political will using the markers: is political will sympathetic to human rights principles, how committed is the government to such principles/ practice in its international relations, how much has it done to translate international covenants into domestic law and how strongly does the government intend to exert its collective right to limit individual/minority/community rights?

The final marker, he adds, is: “Do you feel good after reading the report?”
So, what is the state of human rights here?

Saying Malaysia’s reference for the protection of fundamental liberties is the Federal Constitution, Choo notes however these freedoms are circumscribed by laws that have been applied often in the name of public order and security.

He adds the law now determines the courts’ jurisdiction and the use of ouster clauses had further strengthened the authorities’ hand.

Although there has been progress in the protection of civil liberties in the past four years, he says that in other areas they “have sadly regressed. The most assailed is the integrity of certain judges and individuals.”

Has the Government given Suhakam enough teeth?

While Suhakam was established with popular support, Choo says the Suhakam Act needs amending as it currently restricts the development of human rights, allows the Government to ignore Suhakam’s recommendations from public inquiries and for Parliament to not debate its annual reports.

On Aug 20, in Parliament, the Prime Minister said the Government would ensure Suhakam was strengthened. His written reply was in response to a query on the threat by the International Coordinating Committee for National Institutions for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights to downgrade Suhakam on grounds there was no transparency in the appointments of commissioners.

Has Malaysia met its international obligations?

Of the nine core international treaties on human rights, Choo says, Malaysia has ratified only two – Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (Cedaw) – and with reservations.

Suhakam notes the irony of the Government adopting a liberal stance on foreign policy but continuing to wield laws here for preventive detention under the Internal Security Act (ISA), Emergency Ordinance and Dangerous Drugs Act (Special Preventive Measures) Act and restrictions under the Official Secrets Act, Sedition Act, Printing Presses and Publications Act and Societies Act.

Among the Government’s positive steps were amendments to the Penal Code and Criminal Procedure Code with regard to investigations and prosecutions, for example, requiring detainees to be told of the grounds of their arrest within 24 hours; implementation of the parole system that has helped reduce congestion in prisons; setting up the Malaysian Integrity Institute; and promise to make the Anti-Corruption Agency independent, says Choo.

The Asean Declaration on the Protection and Promotion of the Rights of Migrant Workers signed last year could lead to measures to combat human trafficking and improvement in the rights and welfare of migrant workers but Suhakam recommends there be a regional basis to strengthen such efforts, he adds.

Choo lists some Suhakam concerns cited in the report:
> Government saying it would review the ISA but declining to give details;
> Delays in trials/ inquests and written judgments and that no Judicial Appointments Commission had been set up although the Government had announced in April it would;
> Deaths in police custody and the continued provision for the death penalty and natural life sentence;
> Not having completely free elections since the ruling party has wide control and use of public resources and the media;
> Insufficient attention paid to the rights of the indigenous peoples;
> Presence of illegal immigrants and foreign nationals in Sabah who have obtained citizenship through dubious means; and
> Inadequate attention for HIV/AIDs and access to healthcare services for the disadvantaged.

Would the UPR process effect change in Malaysia?

“There is no human rights utopia. There is only a continuous state of adjustment. Abuses will always occur. What we are trying to build is a culture that limits this – you’re bound to expect non-uniform progress and regressions because of political vicissitudes and changes in government actors,” adds Choo.

“So, how do you feel?” he asks.

Source: http://www.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/9/6/nation/22243667&sec=nation

It's all money, money, money, money, money

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 3 — If it was put to a vote today, Gerakan members would choose to leave Barisan Nasional. That damning verdict was given by Tun Dr Lim Keng Yaik, the party's former president and most influential voice.

But he added that this major decision will not be made until the issue has been debated exhaustively, and certainly not while emotions are still raw in the party which was decimated in Election 2008.

Still, the Umno and BN leadership should be prepared for the exit of Gerakan, judging by his pungent and pessimistic reading of the political situation.

In a wide-ranging interview with Off the Edge, the politician, who has made a living out of shooting from the hip, paints a grim picture of Umno, a party incapable of change and reform.

Worse yet, he did not think the party's current or next generation of leaders are enlightened. During the interview, he sketched the underlying reasons for Gerakan's and Barisan Nasional's dismal performance in Election 2008.

"We had the worst kind of Umno arrogance as a result of the 2004 elections. The abuse of power, corruption, negotiated tenders with government tenders going mainly to Umno-associated companies. All this is not decided by the Cabinet but by the Ministry of Finance. You think people don't know. Prices are jacked up and there is no check on the implementation of these projects.

"And then you had the Umno assembly and everyone saw how racist its members can become. All these things put us as a component party in a very difficult situation. And then Hindraf came into the picture. So we knew before going into March 8 that it was very bad, '' he said.

Dr Lim alleged that money politics culture in Umno also had an impact on the general elections, saying that all new Gerakan candidates were given "hell by the Umno divisional chairmen''.

"It's all money, money, money, money, money, '' he noted.

So has Umno understood the message which voters sent them on March 8?

"I don't think so. Or maybe they are too preoccupied with their own party elections to come around to thinking and analysing what happened. But I think, being racially based, they think they can still turn the Malay votes. So the first thing they did was talk to Pas, '' said Dr Lim, who joined MCA in the aftermath of its disastrous showing in 1969.

Given this backdrop, the mood in Gerakan is one of anxiety. Still, Dr Lim appeared willing to give Umno one last chance.

"I have been saying that we are not deserters. We are willing to work with and talk to our Umno partners to change and follow what people want in terms of less racial politics, more transparency. Don't just say you want to go against corruption; you must really go against corruption, starting with your own party – with your own party leadership – instead of just going for the civil servants.

"We have said in no uncertain terms that Umno must change…have they fallen into a pit and cannot climb out of it? Or will they try after they settle down after their party elections, '' he said.

He brought up the topic of reform with Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak recently, pointing that the DPM's father rebranded the Alliance after the political tsunami in 1969, by roping in Gerakan, PPP and SUPP.

"I asked Najib, are you thinking about rebranding Umno and BN? In terms of consumerism, the existing brand tak boleh pakai lagi, '' said Dr Lim, who conceded that Pakatan Rakyat's Ketuanan Rakyat is a good brand.

He did not say if Najib offered him an answer. But clearly, Gerakan wants to see some signs that Umno is prepared to change before committing to remain in Barisan Nasional.

Source: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/index.php/malaysia/8459-keng-yaik-its-all-money-money-money-money-money

Massive churches are rising in Muslim Indonesia

JAKARTA, Sept 5 — Indonesia's sprinkling of small churches have periodically been raided, burned down or bombed by angry mobs. It would seem to be a good place for Christians to keep a low profile.

Instead, some wealthy Christian leaders in the predominantly Muslim nation have embarked on a bold and possibly provocative strategy: building megachurches as an assertion of their faith.

At least four multimillion-dollar churches that can seat thousands of people — patterned on the evangelical colossi of the US — are nearing completion around Jakarta, the capital, and others are cropping up elsewhere.

The striking edifices are one way Christians — who make up about 8 per cent of Indonesia's population of 230 million — are dealing with what some say is a rise in anti-Christian sentiment in Asia. They are an emblem of how the church here, financed by prominent businesspeople, is determined to make its presence known after a decade of persecution.

During the Asian financial crisis of the late 1990s, Indonesia's ethnic Chinese, who make up a large portion of Jakarta's Christians, were targeted in race riots. Denied permits by the government to build places of worship, congregations have met instead behind closed doors in malls and five-star hotels. Today, the government still blocks many requests to construct churches, fearing a backlash from extremist Muslim groups, and mobs still regularly attack churches.

But Christians say the decision to allow the massive churches signals a step forward and a reinforcement of Indonesia's secular constitution.

Indonesia's Religious Affairs Ministry declined to make the official who is qualified to respond on church permits available for an interview. In general, Jakarta prefers not to comment on the sensitive subject of religion.

The government appears to be allowing the megachurches at a time when organised Islamic terrorism has diminished as a threat to the nation.

Terrorists linked to al Qaeda, who bombed a string of Jakarta churches on Christmas Eve in 2000 and carried out the Bali nightclub attacks in 2002, have been greatly weakened by arrests under the leadership of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and haven't carried out a major assault on Western or Christian targets for three years. The megachurches, which have their own security, may yet offer a target to determined terrorists, but times have changed.

The lull in organised terror has, in turn, emboldened Jakarta's elite churches to put up the gleaming structures. Thanks to Indonesia's booming economy, rich ethnic-Chinese businesspeople can fund the projects.

In Kemayoran, a business district of high-rise offices near the city centre, the Reformed Millennium Cathedral is set to open officially on Sept 20. It will seat 8,000 and house a seminary, a university and a museum of Chinese porcelain.

Preacher Stephen Tong, a 69-year-old Chinese-born Indonesian, founded the Indonesian Reformed Evangelical Church in 1989 and says it took 16 years to persuade the central government to issue a permit to build the new church. In that time, hundreds of churches have been burned down by hardliners across Indonesia, he estimates.

"I've built a bigger one" than all the destroyed churches combined, says Tong, who used to hold his church's meetings in a hotel. "I want it to be an image that Indonesia still has freedom of religion."

Tong acknowledges persistent problems, and Christians complain that in day-to-day life, Yudhoyono, who faces re-election next year, has generally been slow to defend religious minorities. The police often turn a blind eye to Islamist violence against churches without security in poor parts of Jakarta and rural Indonesia.

In July, hundreds of Christian theology students were driven from their campus in east Jakarta after a group reportedly angered by the singing of hymns, considered an evangelical activity, attacked them with Molotov cocktails and spears, injuring scores of them. Police have taken no action. "We should remain faithful to the constitution," Tong says.

The population of Christians in Asia and the Middle East grew to 350 million in 2005, or 9 per cent, from about 100 million in 1970, or 5 per cent of the total population, according to a 2006 study on Asian Christianity by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, a project of the Pew Research Centre.

Many Indian states have passed laws making it harder to change religions. In Malaysia, powerful Islamic courts have increasingly blocked Muslims from converting. China's Communist government has suppressed a number of Pentecostal churches that were winning converts. Buddhists in Myanmar have accused evangelical Protestant movements of undertaking aggressive proselytisation campaigns.

Attacks on Christians are increasingly common in Asia. In the Indian state of Orissa, for instance, at least a dozen Christians have been killed by Hindu mobs following the recent death of a Hindu leader who Christians say was killed by Maoist rebels. Following the attacks, Vatican officials said they were concerned about growing "Christianophobia" in Asia.

Now, churches are starting to push back. A coalition of churches in Malaysia urged voters ahead of the general election in March to choose parties that protect freedom of religion. Christians in South Korea, home to some of the world's largest Protestant megachurches, are exporting their message to places like Cambodia, which is mainly Buddhist. South Korean missionaries are also targeting China, where worshippers may attend only state-sanctioned churches, forcing many more underground.

The megachurches in Indonesia — where local Christians largely refrain from proselytising — are another sign of the pushback. Tong says local-government officials recently asked him to remove a large cross from atop his new church. He refused.

Still, to avoid unwanted conflict, the new megachurches take precautions. Most are built either in commercial districts or in Christian parts of town.

Tong, who also holds services in Mandarin each week in Singapore, Taiwan and Hong Kong, has a wide network to draw on. His new church in Jakarta, which cost US$27 million (RM91 million) for the main auditorium alone, was partly funded by James Riady of Indonesia's Lippo Group.. Riady, who paid a huge fine for illegal contributions to former US PresidentBill Clinton's 1996 election campaign, says the megachurch phenomenon is an attempt to redress the balance after years of denying communities the right to build churches.

In Kelapa Gading, a suburb of Jakarta where many residents are Christians, workers are putting the finishing touches on a megachurch that has cost US$8 million to build and will seat 10,000 people and include two indoor waterfalls. Its senior pastor, the Rev. Yacob Nahuway, is from Ambon in eastern Indonesia, where thousands died in Muslim-Christian fighting earlier this decade before a ceasefire was reached. Refugees from Ambon are working at the site.

Construction sometimes goes ahead without a permit. Just off a major toll road in Sentul, a town about 45 minutes outside Jakarta, a stadium-like building owned by the GBI Bethany Church is set to open later this year. Unable to get a permit, the church has to call it a convention centre. Local officials "know the building will be used for a church," says a construction manager who attends the church. "But they close their eyes." — The Wall Street Journal Asia

The Lost Gift of Discernment

The Holy Spirit has provided a way for us to sort truth from error. But in this season of spiritual compromise, discernment is not popular.

When I began making regular ministry trips to Nigeria a few years ago I learned that a peculiar Nigerian minister named T.B. Joshua was causing quite a stir in that country. Often referred to as “the Man of God” or “the Man in the Synagogue” by his followers, this African preacher founded a massive religious compound in Lagos called The Synagogue, Church of All Nations. He began attracting big crowds because of his healing powers.

I was initially excited to hear about a new healing ministry on the international scene, but when I talked to pastors in Lagos I learned that no mainstream Christian church or denomination in Nigeria embraced Joshua as authentic. In fact, Pentecostal leaders had denounced him publicly because of his occult background and because he mixed Christian terminology with pagan healing methods.

I finally sat down with Joshua in 2003 to confront him about his story (including his claim that his mother carried him in the womb for 15 months because he was “special”). After being in his offices, talking with his zombielike followers, interviewing ex-members of his cult and watching videos of his bizarre methods (which include a form of magic writing), my own gut feelings confirmed what I had already been told by countless pastors in Lagos, Port Harcourt, Abuja and other cities: This man was not operating by the Holy Spirit’s power.

“God gave us spiritual gifts in a package, and discernment is part of the set. It is not optional.”

What was even more shocking was seeing planeloads of Christians from South Africa, Europe and North America arrive in Nigeria to attend this man’s meetings. The excited pilgrims came to receive a touch from God. They wanted a spiritual impartation. Some left claiming they had been healed.

It was through this experience that I realized how desperately devoid of discernment the American church has become.

When the charismatic movement was at its zenith 30 years ago, Christians rediscovered the gifts of the Holy Spirit listed in the apostle Paul’s letter to the Corinthians. We embraced healing, prophecy, speaking in tongues and miracles—gifts that had been ignored by the mainstream church for centuries.

We also learned that discernment is one of these nine supernatural gifts (see 1 Cor. 12:8-10). We were taught that since the devil has the ability to counterfeit, and since Satan’s activity includes “all power and signs and false wonders” (2 Thess. 2:9, NASB), God’s people must be equipped with the supernatural power to tell the difference between the true and the false.

God gave us spiritual gifts in a package, and discernment is part of the set. It is not optional. Yet today it seems we’ve set discernment aside—perhaps because we’re suspicious of any gift that requires us to exercise clear judgment.

We live in a confusing season marked by spiritual compromise, moral relativism and deceptive imitations. In our culture today up is down and right is wrong. Oprah tells us that Jesus is not the only way to God. Spirituality is up for grabs, and you can define it however you want. The broad way to destruction is celebrated while the narrow way to salvation is criticized.

And in some charismatic churches, hunger for the supernatural is encouraged while leaders seem reluctant to put boundaries around it for fear of seeming intolerant. We stopped teaching discernment because it forces us to draw lines. We desperately need to return to what the Bible teaches us about this important subject:

1. We are commanded to discern. The apostle John instructed us to “test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1). The word “test” means to “examine as metal”—the process a jeweler would use to prove authenticity. Metals may look the same; only when you apply heat will you find which ones are fake or of low quality. All that glitters, in such cases, is not gold.

We don’t like to test because it seems harsh. We don’t like confrontation. We want to be nice to everybody. But it is the Lord who tells us to test the spirits. Will we please people, or fear God?

2. Discernment is a sign of spiritual maturity. The author of Hebrews told his readers that they were immature babies who couldn’t handle eating spiritual meat. “Solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil” (Heb. 5:14). The implication here is that those who don’t learn to discern are spiritually stunted.

Is it possible that we in the American church have been so focused on satisfying our own material or emotional needs that we have gotten stuck in perpetual infancy? The Bible offers a remedy: Grow up! We will never come to full adulthood in a spiritual sense if we don’t develop discernment.

3. Discernment is damaged when leaders compromise. The prophet Ezekiel denounced the priests and governors of Israel because they didn’t teach the people to discern. “They have made no distinction between the holy and the profane, and they have not taught the difference between the unclean and the clean” (Ezek. 22:26). Discernment, according to this passage, is shaped by the choices leaders make.

When shepherds don’t build fences, sheep wander into wolves’ territory. That’s why God holds leaders to a stricter standard. In some cases today, leaders have brought their flocks to feed near toxic streams. The gospel has been polluted by false prophecies and poisonous doctrines and, in some tragic cases, by the direct impartation of immorality and greed from the pulpit.

Do you want discernment? It will probably not make you popular. But I pray we will be willing to risk our popularity in order to become mature disciples of Jesus—and to guard the American church from deception.

J. Lee Grady is editor of Charisma.

Obama And The End Of Racism

by Dinesh D'Souza

Who could not be moved at the sight of a major political party naming Barack Obama, an African American, as its presidential candidate? To me, there could not be a better sign that America has left behind its racist past. We are now approaching what may be termed "the end of racism." The End of Racism was the title of my 1995 bestseller, hugely controversial when it was published, but now it seems to have been a decade ahead of its time. If we appreciate the significance of our current moment, we are driven to an ironic but rational conclusion: perhaps the best way to recognize Obama's historic achievement is to vote for John McCain this November.

Consider this: for the past several years we have been hearing liberal Democrats emphasize how racism still defines America, how things haven't really changed all that much, how racism has gone underground and is now more covert and more dangerous than ever. It may seem strange that a racist country would adopt legal policies that discriminate against the majority and in favor of minorities. Even so, liberal activists and civil rights activists continue to browbeat white America in the schools, in the universities, in politics and in the media if there is the slightest dissent from civil rights orthodoxy.

Well, I don't know how many people have been drinking the liberal Kool-Aid, but these people must be utterly shocked at the success of Barack Obama. Here is a guy who could not possibly have made it as far as he has with only black votes. He has attracted not only white votes but the votes of some of the most affluent and successful segments of the white community. Obama, not Hillary, is the pillar of the white establishment.

Moreover, Obama's own campaign is based on the premise that America is no longer racist. Far from making race-based appeals, to blacks on the basis of solidarity, and to whites on the basis of guilt, Obama campaigns on the expectation that whites share his economic values and foreign policy positions and view of America. In other words, Obama's public message is that race doesn't matter and that transracial alliances should be built on shared political and cultural values. It's a good message, and how it must dismay professional civil rights activists to hear it. I wouldn't be surprised if Jesse Jackson is telling family members, "If race relations keep improving like this, I may have to get a real job."

Clearly there are many in the liberal Democratic camp who are made profoundly uncomfortable by the recognition that racism is no more a defining feature of American life or even African American life. Don't get me wrong: I'm not saying that racism does not exist. This is a big country, and surely one can find several examples of it. But racism, which used to be systematic, is now only episodic. In fact, when I ask young blacks on the campus today whether America is racist, many say yes. But if I ask them to give me examples of how that racism affects their lives, they are hard pressed to give a single one. The best they can do is to mention "Rodney King" or provide some well-known, recycled horror story.

Recently someone told me that McCain is still winning the white vote by a substantial majority and that shows "we have a long way to go" in overcoming white bigotry. By this logic, blacks are have even longer way to go in overcoming their bigotry since Obama is winning almost 98 percent of the black vote. When your logic leads to an absurd conclusion, go back and re-examine the premise.

Even though Obama's candidacy signals that America is overcoming its racial past, neither Obama nor his wife recognize that. Their personal statements, as seen for example in Obama's books, are suffused with race-consciousness, race-obsession and even racial resentment. The more privileges they have received on the basis of race, the more embittered they seem to become. The source of these pathologies is the very liberalism that the Obamas have embraced: a liberalism that declares them equal while treating them as inferiors who need preferential treatment. (Liberals hate to have this pointed out; hence the irrational invective of the early responses to this post.)

The solutions are obvious. If you want to get rid of racial obsession, stop talking and thinking about race so much. If you want to remove race as the basis of decision-making in America, let's eliminate America's policies that make race the basis of decision-making. And if you want a party that stands for color-blindess and equal opportunity, you might consider voting for the Republicans.

Source: http://townhall.com/columnists/DineshDSouza/2008/09/01/obama_and_the_end_of_racism

追溯历史驳“寄居”论

作者：黄怀乐

巫统升旗山区部主席阿末依斯迈在峇东埔国会补选期间，发表华人只是“寄居”在大马的言论，引起华基政党与华社的强烈不满。

若追溯历史，我国现有国民，无论来自哪个种族，都没有资格发表“寄居论”，因为，根据学者的记载，于纪元２世纪，居住在马来半岛的是一些矮小、大脸、皮肤白皙的原始人种。后来，以缓慢秩序及固定人潮移居此地的原生马来族（Ｔｈｅ Ｐｒｏｔｏ-Ｍａｌａｙｓ），属于中国南部移向东南亚一带的移民。第一波移民浪潮始于公元前３千年左右，他们将原始居民逼近内陆，在沿海一带定居下来。第二波由云南下移的Ｄｅｕｔｅｒｏ-Ｍａｌａｙｓ则始于公元前３００年，他们也将原住民逼近内陆，并占据了马来半岛上的肥沃平地和山谷。

从学者记载了解原住民

６００多年前，来自印尼苏门答腊巨港的拜里米苏剌，在争夺满者伯夷王位继承权不果后，逃至淡马锡（现在的新加坡），后来，他将掌理该地的暹将杀害，并自立为领袖。

及后，他被暹罗的从属者以武力驱逐出淡马锡，他和来自巨港的随从在逃往麻坡后，再南下到一个渔村，并建立了马六甲王朝。

他的王朝受到了暹罗武力威胁，使到他惶惶不可终日；当中国明朝航海家郑和南下西洋时，拜里米苏剌趁机寻求中国的保护以抗衡暹罗的势力，从此解除了暹罗的威胁，并创下了马六甲王朝的辉煌历史。

另外，根据新加坡历史学者韩山元指出，１６１３年，葡萄牙人伊里德所绘的马六甲地图，标有“中国村”、“漳州村”、“中国溪”及“中国山”，这一切说明马来亚很早就有华人的足迹。

张木钦引述陈祯禄的话

我国著名写作人张木钦也曾在《荷兰街口夕阳斜》一书里引述了敦陈祯禄的一段话：“事实上，全马居民除极少数住在深山中的土番外，其余各民族都是同样从外地移居而来的，马来人多数来自爪哇，论时间也不过比华人早１００余年而已，至于开发此地劳迹，则我们华人应列第一……总之，当这儿还是山林野兽盘据的原始时代，我们的祖先已经来此谋生了，他们披荆斩棘，和瘴病毒蛇斗争，不知牺牲了多少生命，流了多少血汗，才造成今日辉煌的马来亚，能说我们没有份吗？不，我们也是这土地的主人，这铁一般的事实，是谁也不能否认的。”

换言之，马来人、华人和印度人同样拥有移民史，大家曾齐心合力为了国家的建设和独立流血流汗，谁都不能贬评谁；马来西亚是个多元种族主权国家，无论过去、现在或将来，都属于铁一般的事实，这不是政客们的一些狂妄言论，就能够否定的！

来源： http://www.nanyang.com/index.php?ch=29&pg=791&ac=878801

When will a lady president surface in America?

Do you want Obama or McCain to be the president of America?

If I were to choose, I will base it on Biblical Moral Values. Obama supports Homosexuality as well as abortion, whereas McCain was against these.

Quite many people also think that the whites are still unable to accept a black man as president.

But it is understood that the elites of New World Order are the ones who fix up the presidency. Whoever the president may be, he or she must accept their mission in setting up a one world government.

When will a lady president surface in America? Well, maybe it is soon. Let be analyze:

1. If Obama loses, Hillary will be the next candidate 4 years later.

2. If Obama wins, he will probably be so unpopular that 4 years later Hillary will be fielded instead of him.

3. If McCain wins, but somehow something happens to him during his term in office because of his old age and poor health, Sarah Palin will take over the president's office.

4. If McCain were to complete his full term, and since by then he is too old, Sarah may want to stand for election next term.

4. So it is possible that the next presidency fight will be Hillary Clinton vs. Sarah Palin.

Many years ago, a well-respected late Pastor in America (I forgot who he was) saw a vision that a lady president was to surface in America. And she will be the last president of America too!

What is the logic then? Could that be by her 2 terms in office America will come to oblivion? Or America will declare an Emergency Rule after a major disaster and the president will remain in office infinitely? And soon after the country will decline into oblivion?

"Oblivion" does not mean America will be diminished from the world map but rather her sovereignty will be dissolved. Yes, the sovereignty of America and all countries must be dissolved. By then the one world government, that is, the Antichrist government will dominate the world with their 666 microchips system.

Well, it is always difficult to analyze end-time events with Bible prophecies. But for me I always liked to exercise my brain.

Welcome to the World, Trig Paxson Van Palin

A little boy with an extra chromosome was born on April 18. His name is Trig Paxson Van Palin and his new home is the Alaska Governor's Mansion in Juneau. His mom is Governor Sarah Palin, who along with her husband Todd, has welcomed Trig as their second son and fifth child.

Governor Palin has already made a mark on the political scene. A high school basketball star and beauty queen, she was elected Alaska's governor in 2006. She is often mentioned as a potential running mate for Sen. John McCain. The Palins' other children include Track, their oldest son, who now serves in the U.S. Army. They also have three daughters, Bristol, Willow, and Piper.

Trig made news long before he was born, as Alaska's citizens learned that their governor was pregnant. Then, for the Palins, the story got more complicated.

This past December, Sarah Palin was told that her baby was likely to have Down syndrome -- just one extra chromosome.

As the Associated Press reports:

The doctor's announcement in December, when Palin was four months pregnant, presented her with a possible life- and career-changing development.

"I've never had problems with my other pregnancies, so I was shocked," said Palin.

"It took a while to open up the book that the doctor gave me about children with Down syndrome, and a while to log on to the Web site and start reading facts about the situation."

When he was told, Todd Palin quickly said, "We shouldn't be asking, 'Why us?' We should be saying, 'Well, why not us?'"

The Palins never considered aborting the baby. That means that Trig Palin is now is a very rare group of very special children, because it is now believed that the vast majority of babies diagnosed with Down syndrome before birth are being aborted.

Modern diagnostic tests are driving a "search and destroy mission" to eliminate babies judged to be inferior, disabled, or deformed. Some experts now believe that up to 90 percent of all pregnancies diagnosed as having a likelihood of Down syndrome end in abortion.

Back in 2005, ethicist George Neumayr commented: "Each year in America fewer and fewer disabled infants are born. The reason is eugenic abortion. Doctors and their patients use prenatal technology to screen unborn children for disabilities, and then they use that information to abort a high percentage of them. Without much scrutiny or debate, a eugenics designed to weed out the disabled has become commonplace."

The Palins would not even consider aborting their baby. "We've both been very vocal about being pro-life," Governor Palin said. "We understand that every innocent life has wonderful potential."

She loves her baby boy and is proud of him. "I'm looking at him right now, and I see perfection," Palin told the Associated Press. "Yeah, he has an extra chromosome. I keep thinking, in our world, what is normal and what is perfect?"

Some ethicists now go so far as to argue for a "duty" to abort a baby with a Down diagnosis. This is an assault upon the dignity of every human being. The fact that so few Down syndrome babies now make it to birth is a sign that America is making its own pact with the Culture of Death.

Trig Paxson Van Palin has an extra chromosome, two proud and loving parents, four very happy siblings, and he will bring his own joy to untold numbers of lives.

He will face some unique challenges, but he has a loving family who will face those with him. They will learn together the wonder and beauty of a Down syndrome child and will learn to see the glory of God in his trusting face.

Mothers Day 2008 is certain to be a special day in the Alaska Governor's Mansion. What an unspeakable tragedy that so many other homes will have aborted that joy.

Welcome to the world, Trig Paxson Van Palin. Your very existence defies the Culture of Death and gives us all hope.



Source: Posted: http://albertmohler.com/blog_read.php?id=1144
Tuesday, May 06, 2008 at 1:49 am ET

McCain picks Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin for VP

by Sarah Pulliam

Sen. John McCain chose Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate, and so far, it seems like bells and whistles from the conservative evangelical community.

Roberta Combs, president of the Christian Coalition of America said in a statement: "Governor Sarah Palin is a bold choice for Vice President who is a courageous advocate for unborn children. In addition, she is a conservative who is a reformer not afraid to shake up the establishment."

Back on Aug. 8, Richard Land told CBS she would be the pick that would most excite Southern Baptists and other conservatives.

"Richard Land: Probably Governor Palin of Alaska, because she's a person of strong faith. She just had her fifth child, a Downs Syndrome child. And there's a wonderful quote that she gave about her baby, and the fact that she would never, ever consider having an abortion just because her child had Downs Syndrome. She's strongly pro-life.

She's a virtual lifetime member of the National Rifle Association. She would ring so many bells. And I just think it would help with independents because she's a woman. She's a reform Governor. I think that, from what I hear, that would be the choice that would probably ring the most bells, along with Mike Huckabee, of course, who's a Southern Baptist."

Family Research Council Action President Tony Perkins said in a statement:

"On February 11th of this year, for example, she signed into law the 'Safe Haven for Infants Act,' facilitating the safe surrender of an unwanted newborn to a place of safety and hope. Her actions contrasts sharply with the Democratic nominee, Senator Barack Obama (D-Ill.), who when he was in the Illinois Senate repeatedly helped to kill a bill that sought to protect babies who survived abortion."

Over on the Between Two Worlds blog Andy Naselli has found an article from four months ago when Al Mohler highlighted the Palin family in an article (”Welcome to the World, Trig Paxson Van Palin“) and on his radio show (also titled “Welcome to the World, Trig Paxson Van Palin“).

Here’s a description of the radio show:

A little boy with an extra chromosome was born on April 18. His name is Trig Paxson Van Palin and his new home is the Alaska Governor’s Mansion in Juneau. His mom is Governor Sarah Palin, who along with her husband Todd, has welcomed Trig as their second son and fifth child.

On today’s show, Mohler explains why Trig’s very existence defies the Culture of Death and gives us all hope.

In 2006, the Anchorage Daily News included her religion in a series of articles on her.

"Her Christian faith, they say, came from her mother, who took her children to area Bible churches as they were growing up (Sarah is the third of four siblings)," Tom Kizzia wrote. "They say her faith has been steady since high school, when she led the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and grew stronger as she sought out believers in her college years."

Anwar our best and only chance for justice and equality for everyone

by John Lee, The Malaysian Insider

AUG 29 — As the Permatang Pauh by-election fades into the recesses of our memories, there is talk of it being a turning point in our country's history. Unfortunately, this talk habitually and routinely focuses on the possibility of changing the government by Sept 16.

It ignores a simple reality: Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has already made history by being the first Malay politician to ever actually win more political support through an explicitly non-racial platform. It is practically impossible to underestimate how Anwar bucked the trend; he has completely turned our understanding of politics in this country on its head.

History has already made it crystal-clear; Malay politicians who try to unite the country by appealing to a common sense of Malaysian-ness inevitably wind up heading into political oblivion. Dato Onn Ja'afar's political career went up in flames the moment he founded the first multiracial political party in the country, in spite of it having every conceivable advantage — it was literally the incumbent party of the time because of Onn's towering status in Malayan politics. And it, of course, foundered completely.

Since then nobody has even tried to unite the Malays as Malaysians. Unite the Malays as Malays, of course; Syed Jaafar Albar famously proclaimed in the 1960s that he was a Malay first and a Malaysian second. Syed Hussein Alatas made an admirable attempt to change Malaysian politics through Gerakan, and we all know how that turned out. Literally every Malay leader who has tried to be Malaysian first ever since has risked being branded as a sell-out, a puppet of the non-Malays and a stooge of Lee Kuan Yew.

The one exception was Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who experienced some brief success with his Bangsa Malaysia idea. This only makes sense, considering Dr Mahathir's iron-fisted handling of anyone who dared to oppose him; it is thus a pity that he never took this policy beyond mere words.

The moment Dr Mahathir handed over the reins to his successor, Malay politicians were up in arms criticising Bangsa Malaysia as a "nebulous" and untenable concept for daring to acknowledge that the non-Malays have a place in this country too.

So here we are today: 51 years after independence, the easiest way to tar a Malay politician next to calling him a Jew-lover is to accuse him of saying this country belongs to the Chinese and Indians too. That is simply how Malaysian politics works; to win the support of the Malays, you need to denounce the non-Malays as foreign squatters, who are only here as a matter of privilege rather than right, a privilege revocable at any time.

And what a coincidence it is — that is exactly how the Malaysian government works too. If you're not an Indonesian who can be counted as a Malay, your application for permanent residency or citizenship can never hope to see the light of day. If you're not a Malay, you can expect to hear your fair share of racist remarks in a public national school — and not from students, mind you, but teachers. As a student you can expect a syllabus which teaches you about the meaning of ketuanan Melayu rather than bangsa Malaysia. As an employee you can expect a civil service where you're not welcome unless they need you to fulfil their minuscule quota of non-Malay recruits. As an entrepreneur you can expect a government — and many government-linked companies — which will not give you any business unless you are a Malay. Half a century after independence, and that's what 40% of this country has to look forward to.

And since this is how the government works, up-and-coming politicians and political activists realise this is how politics works too. That is why even though you will never hear the typical Malaysian voicing such sentiments, political activists will readily denounce the non-Malays as foreign squatters here at the behest of a social contract which gives them the privilege, not right, to stay and live here.

Since this is how politics and government have worked since time immemorial, we owe Anwar an incredible debt for nearly single-handedly turning all this — everything — completely on its head. For the past half century, to be a good Malay leader, you have either had to publicly proclaim your support for ketuanan Melayu — and not the mild ketuanan as in strong leadership, but ketuanan as in "blood will run in the streets if our demands are not met" — or you have had to simply avoid commenting on the issue and just hope you can be all things to all people. Anwar ran on a platform, not of vague meaningless nice-sounding platitudes, but a platform explicitly against everything ketuanan Melayu stands for.

This is a man, mind you, who celebrated the end of his ban on active politics by damning ketuanan Melayu and consigning it to the dust heap of history. This is a man who has publicly and repeatedly proclaimed that his commitment is to the sovereignty of the people — ketuanan rakyat — rather than the dominance of the Malays.

This is a man who has never wavered from his stand that the philosophy of government assistance based on racial origin, rather than economic status, is fundamentally and morally wrong. This is a man who has repeatedly, wherever he goes, whoever he speaks to, driven home the same point, again and again: "Anak Melayu, anak saya. Anak Cina, anak saya. Anak India, anak saya."

And this is a man who has had everything in the traditional playbook of Malaysian politics thrown at him. He's been labelled a heretic, a sodomite, a liar, a hypocrite, a traitor willing to sell the Malays and Malaysians out at a moment's notice. The ruling coalition has done everything in their power to make it known far and wide that this is a man committed to non-racialism; committed to a Malaysia where everyone belongs.

Regardless of whether you think he deserves it, or if he was just lucky, credit is due to Anwar: where so many brave Malay leaders have fallen and failed, he has won an incredible victory. Onn Ja'afar was vilified simply for opening up his political party to Malayans of all creeds and colours; Anwar has gone above and beyond, explicitly declaring that this is a country for all Malaysians, whoever they might be. And he has won a resounding victory.

It would be one thing if he scraped through with a majority of less than 5,000 votes in the recent by-election, but the fact is, it was not even close — not with a landslide majority of 15,000, larger even than the majority his wife won before he explicitly condemned ketuanan Melayu. Anwar has succeeded where everyone else has failed; he has carved out a broad base of political support, not on a platform of rights or privileges for one community, but a platform of justice and equality of opportunity for all communities.

Criticise Anwar all you like for his inconsistent and wishy-washy stands on other issues. Criticise his coalition for its internal dissension and strange hypocrisy all you want. You can even say you have no intention of trusting a man who might just stab you in the back the moment he gains power.

The fact of the matter is, you do not have a choice between Anwar and your ideal, committed, consistent, sincere Malaysian leader. Your choice, in the here and now, is between Anwar and a regime built on racism, built on stoking the flames of mistrust and hatred. This regime of hatred has delivered its promise of ketuanan Melayu; why should we expect things to be any worse under a regime promising ketuanan rakyat? At the worst, it's the same old shit under a different government; at best, we might finally have a government and a political system which works for all Malaysians rather than whoever yells the loudest and threatens the most blood.

As far as taking power is concerned, this is still a long shot. Anwar may yet turn out to be a flop on delivering if he ever gets the chance to govern. But the simple and stark reality is, as far as we who live in the present are concerned, he is our best and only chance to put a stop to this insanity.

Anwar is not the perfect vessel for uniting the country, but there is a reason he scares the powers that be: he is the first real chance we have ever had to unite the country against the demons of racialism and parochialism. And for now, he is our only chance. He is the only one who can cross ethnic barriers to proclaim a commitment to a Malaysia where Malaysians, not Malays, are sovereign, and actually win more support than before.

I am no huge fan of Anwar, but I recognise what he has done, and how far he has come. I support him, not because I like him as a person, but because I believe in the cause he champions, and because I believe that if there is any person in this country who can make that dream a reality, it is Anwar Ibrahim.

John Lee is a second-year student of economics at Dartmouth College in the United States. He has been thinking aloud since 2005 at infernalramblings.com.

PM uses Budget speech to attack Anwar

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 29 — The government announced today wide-ranging aid for the poor and higher development spending in its 2009 budget aimed at shoring up its popularity amid spiralling inflation and political weakness.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, whose administration has been shaken by an election debacle and slowing economic growth this year, also used his annual budget speech in Parliament to mount a scathing attack on the revitalised opposition led by Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

Anwar, who was sworn in as a lawmaker yesterday after winning a by-election, wants to unseat Abdullah by Sept 16 through parliamentary defections. Anwar's opposition alliance won an unprecedented 82 of Parliament's 222 seats in March general elections – 30 short of a majority.

Abdullah warned that efforts by certain parties to destabilise the country by attempting to seize power through illegitimate means and without the mandate of the people must be rejected.

“I will not allow disturbances to continue. I will not permit the mandate given by the people to be seized” from the ruling party, he said.

In a clear reference to Anwar's pledge to cut retail gasoline prices if he seizes power, Abdullah blasted his “populist claims”.

If implemented, they “would undermine the government's financial position and bequeath a bankrupt nation to the next generation”, Abdullah said.

Anwar, however, shot back at Abdullah's accusation of "opportunistic threats of seizing the people's mandate through undemocratic means".

"He still has the audacity to preach about democracy. Look at his media policy, corruption, judiciary. A no-confidence vote is a normal process and is the decision of the MPs," Anwar said.

The newly appointed opposition leader said when Abdullah talked of "mandates, he sounded like a dictator. What snatching? It is the will of the people and their representatives. He himself wanted to snatch Permatang Pauh."

He defended his claims that petrol prices could be lowered to RM2, saying that Abdullah "has not read my economic agenda and knowing him, I don't think he will. I think he does not realise that it can be done without affecting our revenue."

The former deputy prime minister, who seeks to take over the federal government on Sept 16, called the continuous deficit budgets an exception among oil-producing countries and said the lack of competitiveness in our country would not attract foreign direct investment.

Source: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com.my/index.php/malaysia/8286-pm-uses-budget-speech-to-attack-anwar

How Beijing Olympics logo came about?

Cosmos order proves God exists: Rudd

10:48 AEST Fri Aug 29 2008

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd says the ordered nature of the cosmos convinces him of the existence of God.

Mr Rudd, a regularly practising Anglican, was on Friday asked on Fairfax Radio in Brisbane to give his single biggest argument in favour of the existence of God.

"As you know I'm a believer and I've never pretended not to be and I respect those who have no religious belief - it's a free country," Mr Rudd said.

"For me, it's ultimately the order of the cosmos or what I describe as the creation.

"You can't simply have, in my own judgment, creation simply being a random event because it is so inherently ordered, and the fact that the natural environment is being ordered where it can properly coexist over time.

"If you were simply reducing that to mathematically probabilities I've got to say it probably wouldn't have happened.

"So I think there is an intelligent mind at work."

Mr Rudd said in his entire political life he had never been asked in a media interview to prove the existence of God.

"You ... have a world first," Mr Rudd said.

Source: http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=622733

Anwar’s Landslide Victory and what is next?

The Permatang Pauh (PP) by-election on 26th August took place in the midst of Malaysian Christians’ 40-day fast. And Anwar Ibrahim wins by a landslide majority of 15,671 votes was not by chance. God has a hand in it. Anwar, the PKR adviser, secured 31,195 votes, against Arif Shah’s (UMNO, Barisan Nasional) and Hanafi Hamat’s (Individual) 15,524 and 92 votes respectively. Anwar’s wife, Wan Aziza, whose majority was 13,388 votes last term, had earlier vacated her seat on 31st July for her husband. The move was to pave way for PR to capture power from BN on 16th September.

On 28th, Anwar was sworn in as MP of PP as well as the Opposition Leader of Pakatan Rakyat (PR). Malays voters in PP constituency made up of 65%. The result showed that most of the Malays supported Anwar’s call for transform.

Could Anwar make it to the Prime Minister’s office in Putrajaya on schedule? He is running out of time. The sodomy case against him begins on 10th September. And the case will likely be transferred to the High Court. Would the High Court judge order his detention? Besides, Syed Hamid, the Minister of Home Ministry tabled the DNA bill on 18th Aug for the first reading. And he hurriedly tabled for the second reading on 26th, the day when most of the PR MPs were away in PP helping in the by-election. When the third reading is tabled soon and the bill passed, the police will have the right to collect DNA samples from any criminal suspects without prior approval from the court.

Why the need for the government to do it in such a hurry? If the accused of Saiful (“the victim” of sodomy) was not Anwar but somebody else, would Syed Hamid treat the case as urgent or not? Thus the BN government’s denial that the move had nothing to do with politics was unconvincing. Therefore, Anwar’s future is clouded by uncertainties. Adding to that, PAS, a component party of PR, had earlier explored the possibility of pulling out from the coalition should the number of non-Muslim MPs dominate the Muslim ones!

As I looked back the past few months since the 8th March General Election, Anwar had in fact made a mistake by not standing for a by-election much earlier than 26th August. He was a free man by 17th April after being prohibited from election for five years. The proverb says “Beat the iron while it is hot.” Anwar should have ridden on the wind of change when many voters were asking for reform. PKR had been claiming that at least 30 MPs from BN would defect to join PR. Anwar should have understood that he had to first prove his strength by becoming a MP. If he had made it to become a MP earlier, he would have a stronger bargain power. The long delay had allowed the enemy to prowl on him.

On 18th June, Sabah’s SAPP made a stand that they have lost confidence in Abdullah Badawi, the PM of Malaysia. Yong Teck Lee, the president of SAPP, claimed that Sabah should negotiate for her rights with the Federal government while the window of opportunity was still opened wide. But with Anwar’s sodomy case setting in, the window of opportunity for him to take over the government was about to close.

But with Anwar’s landslide victory in the by-election, it has prevented the window from being shut. Now Anwar needs to exert a greater strength to force the window to open wide again! He has to beat against time. Would he be able to make it before he is put to jail? Should he miss his targeted date of 16th September, he should do it by not later than October. In October, both MCA and Gerakan, the two partners of BN, would hold a General Meeting. These two parties have indicated the intention of pulling out from BN. And PR stands a chance in pulling them into the coalition.

UMNO, for the past 51 years, had been arrogant, and subsequently its component parties were hard to push their voices through. Thus BN was run on a one-party show. Orders from UMNO had to be taken without query. UMNO has been playing with race cards. They repeated it again during the PP campaign. UMNO lost the by-election was a proof that even the Malays abhorred such a game! It showed that UMNO had never learnt from the lesson of 8th March. It was no surprise to see that none in the top leadership feel a disaster in UMNO is looming large. They were unrepentant! They did not feel anything wrong when the leadership under their regime all these years had eroded the judiciary, the royal police force, the media, and so on. Racial and religious harmony was undermined. The country needs a leader who is a visionary capable of bringing about a thorough and immediate reform. Does Anwar fit into the description?

Is Anwar God’s choice for Malaysia as a Prime Minister? Christians, continue to come before the throne of grace. Let us pray in the Spirit to push through the force of darkness. As God had used many prophets prophesying over Malaysia that a wind of change will take place this year, let us trust that God is in control of everything. The righteous and just God will bring about healing in our land. And a new wave of Gospel Revival will roar onto our shores.