Tovya's Xanga

Lee Kuan Yew's comments

Sun, 14 Oct 2007 05:03:41 GMT

Extracted from an interview between Tom Plate & Jeffrey Cole of AsiaMedia with Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore's 1st Prime Minister (click here for full interview).

Q: It's amazing, you come in here and you walk around here in one of the great cities in the world. Yet you are worried about survival.

Lee: Where are we? Are we in the Caribbean? Are we next to America like the Bahamas? Are we in the Mediterranean, like Malta, next to Italy? Are we like Hong Kong, next to China and therefore, will become part of China? We are in Southeast Asia, in the midst of a turbulent, volatile, unsettled region. Singapore is a superstructure built on what? On 700 square kilometers and a lot of smart ideas that have worked so far -- but the whole thing could come undone very quickly.

For this to work, you require a world where there are some rules of international law and there is a balance of forces of power that will enforce that international law and the U.S. is foremost in that. Without that balance of power and international law, the Vietnamese will still be in Cambodia and the Indonesians will still be in East Timor, right? Why are they out? Because there were certain norms that had to be observed. You can't just cross boundaries. This little island with four and a half million people, of whom 1.3 are foreigners working here, has got to maintain an army, navy and an air force. Can we withstand a concerted attempt to besiege us and blockade us? We can repel an attack, yes. Given the armed forces in the region and our capability, we can repel and we can damage them. Three weeks, food runs out, we are besieged, blockaded.

Q: Who will come after you? Who would come after you?

Lee: There are assets here to be captured, right?

Q: Some unnamed bad regime?

Lee: When [Malaysia] kicked us out [in 1965], the expectation was that we would fail and we will go back on their terms, not on the terms we agreed with them under the British. Our problems are not just between states, this is a problem between races and religions and civilizations. We are a standing indictment of all the things that they can be doing differently. They have got all the resources. If they would just educate the Chinese and Indians, use them and treat them as their citizens, they can equal us and even do better than us and we would be happy to rejoin them.

Hear ye, hear ye!

"Freedom" of religion in Malaysia

Wed, 30 May 2007 06:16:58 GMT

Malaysian Christian convert loses battle

May 30, 2007

Malaysia's best-known Christian convert, Lina Joy, has lost a six-year battle to have the word "Islam" removed from her identity card, after the country's highest court rejected the change.

The court's ruling helps define religious freedoms in multi-racial Malaysia, whose constitution guarantees freedom of worship but deems all ethnic Malays like Joy to be Muslims, subject to Islamic laws that bar her conversion to another faith.

"You can't at whim and fancy convert from one religion to another," Federal Court Chief Justice Ahmad Fairuz Sheikh Abdul Halim said in delivering judgment in the case, which has stirred religious tensions in the mainly Muslim nation.

About 200 Muslims, mostly youths, had gathered outside the domed courthouse for the ruling. They welcomed the news with shouts of "Allah-o-Akbar" (God is great).

The three-judge appeal bench ruled 2-1 against Joy. The dissenting judge was the only non-Muslim on the bench.

The chief justice said the country's highest civil court had no jurisdiction in the case and said it should be dealt with by the country's Islamic or sharia court system.

"The issue of apostasy is related to Islamic law, so it's under the sharia court. The civil court cannot intervene," Ahmad Fairuz said.

In practice, sharia courts do not allow Muslims to formally renounce Islam.

They often end up in legal limbo, unable to register their new religious affiliations or legally marry non-Muslims. Many keep silent about their choice or emigrate.

Lina Joy, 43, was born Azlina Jailani and was brought up as a Muslim, but at the age of 26 decided to become a Christian.

She wants to marry her Christian boyfriend, a cook, but she cannot do so while her identity card declares her to be Muslim.

In 1999, the National Registration Department allowed her to change the name in her identity card to Lina Joy but the entry for her religion remained "Islam".

?2007 Reuters

First, the CLP hoo-haa...now this

Tue, 13 Mar 2007 06:40:38 GMT

To be a practising lawyer in Malaysia, one must hold a law degree from either the UK, Australia and NZ (besides Malaysia and Singapore) and would either have to do the Bar Vocational Course (BVC) in the UK and then get called to the English Bar, or sit for the Certificate of Legal Practice (CLP) in Malaysia. I was unable to take the CLP because my high school diploma was 'unrecognised' (it was a Grade 13 Ontario High School Diploma, awarded by Canadian high schools) Somehow, the local Legal Qualifying Board does not recognise high school diplomas besides the ones awarded by local secondary schools and secondary schools in Australia and the UK. I know....!?!??!?!?!?!?

Then again, the CLP is full of controversies, too. Nevermind the fact that it's to enable law graduates to practice law.

And now, we've got this:

Another year before the Bar

By SHAILA KOSHY (Sunday March 4, 2007)

Come September 2008, fewer Malaysians may seek a law degree from Britain if a proposal to make compulsory a year of chambering in England is accepted. A decision on the matter is expected this month amid protests from the legal fraternity here and the four British Inns of Court.

MALAYSIANS wanting a law degree from Britain and the prestige of being called to the English Bar may want to think twice about it.

They or their parents may have to set aside more money on top of the estimated RM250,000 to RM400,000 for a three-year degree plus living expenses (depending on which university and city) if a British Bar Council proposal to defer call to the Bar comes into effect in September next year.

The decision by the Bar Standards Board (BSB) on the proposal is expected to be announced very soon.

After a three-year law programme, a student may have to take up a 12-month pupillage before being called to the British Bar.

The proposed year of chambering is to check the erosion of the quality of its barristers. It adds a new tier to the route for the prestigious British law degree to being called to the Malaysian Bar (see accompanying table).

The barrister-at-law title, currently obtained after passing the Bar Vocational Course (BVC) and completing the 12 requisite qualifying sessions, may now come with the cost of an additional year.

Despite the pupillage in Britain, returning Malaysians would still have to do nine months of chambering here before they can be admitted to the Malaysian Bar as advocates and solicitors.

According to the British Council, there were 540 Malaysians studying various law courses in the 2005/06 academic year.

The proposal came about as a result of public complaints about the quality of barristers and some cases of misrepresentation but it means that the 250-plus Malaysian students graduating a year will have to compete with other foreign as well as British students for the already limited pupillages.

According to the Bar Council, chambers had offered 711 pupillages in 2002/2003. This was less than the 766 the previous year.

But not every Malaysian doing the BVC intends to practise in Britain; more often than not it is for the knowledge and experience, the prestige, future networking, and lan B?if they decide to migrate.

While some organisations support the proposal in Britain, others have voiced their objections to BSB. The Inns of Court (through which students are called) have also expressed their concern for students from Malaysia and elsewhere.

Lawyer S. Radhakrishnan, Malaysian Inner Temple Alumni honorary secretary, reminded the BSB that the barrister-at-law title has been a recognised qualification in Malaysia for more than 100 years.

f the BSB is to adopt the proposal, we believe that this would discourage many Malaysians from enrolling with the Inns of Court, which is their preferred choice, to pursue their objective of becoming a lawyer.?

According to the Bar Council secretariat, of the total 2,017 British qualified lawyers in the Malaysian Bar, those from the Inns number 1,186 (Lincoln), 154 (Inner Temple), 419 (Middle Temple) and 242 (Gray).

By comparison, graduates from Australian universities number 543 and from New Zealand 88.

On a brighter note, all pupillages in Britain have to be paid a minimum of ?,000 (RM35,000) per six months plus reasonable travel expenses.

The ?33 (RM5,833) a month is useful but just like the ?50(RM3,850), which the Bar Council estimates for the pupils?wig and gown, there will be other expenses and incidentals depleting that little reservoir.

 can see them spending time and money to train someone who will end up leaving the firm and the country,?said a 1988 Kent University law graduate who did his Bar at Inner Temple.

Could those who had done pupillage in Britain be exempt from chambering here?

he procedures for even simple applications have changed so much over the years in both countries that a Malaysian lawyer who did pupillage in Britain and did not chamber here would be handicapping himself and his client,?said a Cardiff University graduate who returned home in 1996 to take the Malaysian Certificate of Legal Practice (CLP) instead.

While qualifying for the CLP might be easier, passing it may not be a walk in the park, going by the number of complaints after the results are released.

Taking the CLP option, however, would mean fewer or no ties with the four Inns.

In the last 100 years, thousands of Malaysians read law in Britain and returned to set up private practice or serve as a judge or Attorney-General.

From the time of Tun Syed Sheh Barakbah, the first local Lord President, all heads of the judiciary up to Tun Dzaiddin Abdullah have been members of one of the Inns; it is the same with Malaysia first three prime ministers and the current deputy prime minister.

Expressing concern for foreign students in a joint report, the Inner Temple and Middle Temple touched on networking in a global world: he international network of barristers is a valuable connection .... It reinforces the legal culture of the common law world and provides opportunities for international practice.?BR>
With the proposal, the trong and beneficial international relationships ... would be severed for good.?BR>
Retired British judge Baroness Elizabeth Butler Sloss, who came here last September to launch the Inner Temple alumni, said then: he proposals for Deferral of Call, if implemented in its currently proposed form, would turn the clock back by making it more difficult for young people from families without private means to study for the Bar.

nd we are well aware of the effect that these proposals might have here in Malaysia on deterring future generations of young student barristers from coming to Britain.?BR>
It was a surprise that British Minister of State for Lifelong Learning, Further and Higher Education Bill Rammell, who was here in February to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to foster collaboration, partnership and exchanges in education between the UK and Malaysia, was not aware of the proposal.

Rammell said he would look into it but the issue would certainly require some input from the Legal Profession Qualifying Board (LPQB) here as well.

There has been a suggestion that a title other than barrister-at-law be given after the Bar final but the LPQB will have to decide whether to accept such an alternative.

It would be ironic if, despite the MoU between the British and Malaysian governments, a solution is not found.

Take note of the last paragraph, Msian men

Sat, 20 Jan 2007 05:57:23 GMT

(taken from The Star Online; Friday 19th January 2007)

Too busy for love, too few to wed

WHY NOT?
By WONG SAI WAN

IN the past month, the findings of two surveys sent shivers down the spine of many men and women, mums and dads, and even bosses.

If the figures are to be believed, then the authorities had better act fast before there is a severe imbalance in the country.

Such inequality is not good for Malaysia and could ruin all plans that are in place to ensure sustainable development well past the time Malaysia attains developed nation status in 2020.

What am I rambling about? Gender imbalance.

Firstly, there are the findings of a study by Wanita MCA that 70% of all those joining the workforce as professionals are women.

This is not surprising because 60% of all students in public universities in the country are women.

Then there is the projection of the country male-female ratio. Another survey found that by 2020, 53% of the global population would be males. Yes, this means there will be more guys than gals in the future. In Malaysia, at present, males make up 49.1% of the population.

These two findings were the topic of discussion when three of us sat down for coffee at a shopping centre.

I listened attentively to the discussion between my two 30-something women friends who are no married.

These ladies, whom I shall not name out of fear for my personal safety, were quite frank in discussing the problem.

H said that even if the survey results were inaccurate, young single women today faced a serious problem when it came to finding a prospective husband.

ifty per cent of all available men are married or spoken for. Another 30% are gay and a further 10% are jerks.

his means that all of us single women are running around trying to attract only 10%. We have so little choice,?moaned H, much to my amusement.

However, my laughter did not leave my lips when I saw the killer stares from both the women. It was a serious and sensitive subject.

C quickly agreed with H, saying that in the business they were in, they hardly had a chance to meet ood guys?

The girls are all professionals and holding managerial posts. One is in a multi-national company and the other in a local listed corporation.

(A qualifier at this stage is needed. The two of them are very attractive and their single status has always puzzled me.)

 start work at 8am and don finish till about 8 or 9pm. So the only way I will meet any guy is through work.

n our trade (retail) most of the guys are TEAPOTS!?said C while arching her wrist to mimic the snout of a teapot.

Without trying to sound homophobic (which I am NOT), the term teapot refers to gay males who are effeminate. The snout of the teapot looks like the limp wrist that is commonly associated with men of such sexual persuasion.

H then jumped in, probably realising that I was male and heterosexual, saying that they were not desperate for a partner, as they were happily single.

The two girls went to great pains to explain to me that this subject of ot enough good guys available?was the rave topic among women of their age.

I teased them by asking them to join the MCA Cupid Club set up with women like them in mind.

heh! We will only find desperate men there,?the two girls said almost in unison.

C explained that her biggest fear was meeting a guy who might turn out to be a weirdo with a perverse sexual orientation.

Thinking back, I felt that it was quite bold for the two to be so frank with me especially since we were talking quite loudly at a Starbucks outlet.

Those at the other tables must have overheard our conversation.

On Monday, H sent me an e-mail entitled hy ladies today are still single?

It was a funny piece, origin unknown, that must have been forwarded many times around. But it described very aptly our conversation that day.

I reproduce it here:

Why ladies today are still single:

1. The nice men are ugly.

2. The handsome men are not nice.

3. The handsome and nice men are gay.

4. The handsome, nice and heterosexual men are married.

5. The men who are not so handsome, but are nice men, have no money.

6. The men who are not so handsome, but are nice men with money think we are only after their money.

7. The handsome men without money are after our money.

8. The handsome men, who are not so nice and somewhat heterosexual, don think we are beautiful enough.

9. The men who think we are beautiful, that are heterosexual, somewhat nice and have money, are cowards.

10. The men who are somewhat handsome, somewhat nice and have some money and thank God are heterosexual, are shy and NEVER MAKE THE FIRST MOVE!!!!

11. The men who never make the first move, automatically lose interest in us when we take the initiative.

Now, who the hell understands men?

Men are like fine wine. They all start out like grapes, and it our job to stomp on them and keep them in the dark until they mature into something you like to have dinner with.

Teasing H with a reply, I asked her which category I fell into.

She promptly replied o 10?

There is no intention here to reinforce the old-fashioned thinking and apply pressure on everyone to get married hastily before they get too old but if C and H are typical of the young ladies, then something needs to be done.

I dread to think we may one day have to go the way of Singapore where the government organises lonely heart clubs for the single guys and girls to meet. In our daily pursuit of material gain, we sometimes tend to forget the need to take time off to meet other people outside our working life.

So to the somewhat handsome, somewhat nice and have some money and thank God are heterosexual men, make the first move.

Forty-something Wong Sai Wan, who denies being too slow, is our Senior News Editor.

My Christmas (and birthday) Wish List

Fri, 15 Dec 2006 02:51:29 GMT

Yup yup yup...it's the time of the year again! And as usual, it is also the busiest time of the year for me. From the 17th December to 25th December, my days will be jam-packed with activities for Christmas. Good thing I am able to take leave from my work (and clear my leave at the same time, too, before the year ends).

I feel blessed and honoured to be able to serve in this manner...namely in the Youth Ministry and the Praise and Worship team in my church. It also helps to keep me on my toes! I can't wait for Christmas!

(and as my birthday, well....it's three days after Christmas)

And here's my Christmas (and birthday) wish list...the top 2 ones are the ones I really really want, though. :

A Nokia 7360. I know it's not the latest model from Nokia - it's about a year old! But I just want a basic phone. Uhm, "basic" as in, it plays MP3s, and has a camera and speakerphone. I don't need 3G nor Bluetooth. And I think this is nicest-looking model Nokia has in recent years!

(and my current Samsung E700 is dying...)

Oswald Chambers' Biblical Psychology. I've been drooling over this book for ages, but it's quite pricey here in Malaysia. I should have searched for it when I was in England - it could have been cheaper there.

John & Stasi Eldredge's Captivating. I've read John Eldredge's Wild at Heart, which is a book I recommend all men to read. Captivating is specifically written for women...and I can't seem to find it here in Malaysia!

A single oven would be nice...(*ahem* I am a domestic goddess in the making, after all). My current one is working but...

This necklace from Claire's is so cool! (in England, everyone goes to Accesorize but everyone shops at Claire's)

A Dell XPS...hmm....

Have a very blessed Christmas and all the best in your endeavours in the year 2007!

Tagged!

Sun, 26 Nov 2006 14:06:09 GMT

Chmmr_X tagged me, and so here are my answers:

4 things many don't know:

- I love quiet strolls alone. Used to do that alot in Sheffield. But can't do that here in Malaysia because of the weather and also for safety reasons. Ish.

- I'm not a morning person.

- I absolutely, totally, massively, really love cats, but I don't want to own one.

- I can be really, really mean...if I wanted to

4 movies I could watch over and over:

- The Sound of Music

- LOTR (all three of them)

- Mary Poppins

- Forrest Gump ("Run, Forrest! Run!")

4 places where I've lived:

- Sian Tuan Avenue, Bukit Timah, Singapore

- SS 18/4, Subang Jaya, Malaysia

- Ranmoor House, Sheffield, UK

- 68 Brunswick Street, Sheffield, UK

4 TV shows I love:

- House

- Blackadder (it seems like I follow Hugh Laurie!)

- Scrubs

- Touched by an Angel (darn, Hallmark Channel ain't showing it anymore)

4 places i've been for vacation:

- Scotland

- Czech Republic

- Paris

- Hong Kong

4 of my favourite foods:

- Assam Laksa. Those were the days in England when I used to dream of that scrumptious dish...now I can just pop over to Taipan to get some - if they are not sold out, yet. Yup, it's that popular...

- Nasi Lemak

- Noodles (all sorts, except wan tan noodles)

- Italian!

4 places i would rather be:

- Ground Floor, 68 Brunswick Street in Sheffield. It was as close as staying in my own home! And if I want to take some fresh air, I could easily go out for a nice, quiet stroll...

- The Peak District National Park (I miss the English countryside)

- God-Aunt's house in Holland...she cooks well, has a lovely house, and hey, the Netherlands is one of the best places to live in the world!

- Uhmm...I want to be a full-time student again. I know it's not a place per se, but that's where I would rather be!

4 favourite songs:

Only four!?!?!?

- Pachelbel's Canon in D

- Maksim's Croatian Rhapsody

- Maksim's Claudine

- Hillsong's With All I Am

4 others I wanna tag:
Errr...I'll just tag anyone who's got nothing else better to do :P

Boleh-land news

Tue, 21 Nov 2006 01:53:37 GMT

First, there was this fabulous article written by a Brit for an Aussie newspaper.

Then, someone commented on it in The Star newspaper...of which I shall reproduce here, since The Star only stores articles for a week on their website:

Rafidah plays down Aussie barbs

KUALA LUMPUR: An article in an Australian newspaper The Age ridiculing Malaysia and calling Malaysia ?I>bodoh?(stupid) has left International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Rafidah Aziz unperturbed.

hat do we care? Obviously, this person doesn know Malaysia. He is an outsider and he can say what he likes. I don really care about what others say ?as long as it is not a Malaysian saying it,?she said.

The Wanita Umno chief said the Australian writer had apparently not followed the Umno general assembly proceedings closely.

f he did, he would have seen things differently.?

The Nov 15 article by Michael Backman said it was time Malaysia grew up and stopped arguing about what proportion of the economy the Chinese and Malays owned.

The Government was more interested in stunts like sending an astronaut into space when the country inadequate schools could have done with the cash, the writer said, adding hat's not Malaysia Boleh, that Malaysia Bodoh.?nbsp;

Denial is not just a river in Egypt.

Monday, October 16, 2006

Mon, 16 Oct 2006 03:38:49 GMT

Shufflestop

Got this from Lawrence, since he tagged anyone who had nothing better to do :P

1. Put your music player on shuffle.
2. Press forward for each question.
3. Use the song title as the answer to each question.
4. NO CHEATING.

I purposely chose to play only secular songs...is that cheating?

***

1. How am I feeling today?

Shuffle says: Careless whisper by Wham!

Well, I'm down with a bad cough now anyway, so....

2. Where will I get married?

Shuffle says: A Public Affair by Jessica Simpson

Errrr....in other words, my wedding will be a public affair? But it doesn't say where!

3. What is my best friend's theme song?

Shuffle says: You're Beautiful by James Blunt

A melancholy song...perhaps?

4. What was high school like?

Shuffle says: Pachebel's Canon in D

It's a classical song! It doesn't say much!

5. What is the best thing about me?

Shuffle says: Heartbreaker by Dionne Warwick and the Bee Gees

This is hillarious!!!! Me, a heartbreaker? HAHA!

6. How is today going to be?

Shuffle says: You Get What You Give by The New Radicals

Isn't it true? You reap what you sow, after all.

7. What is in store for this weekend?

Shuffle says: Shiver by Natalie Imbruglia

Uhmm...I was shivering last weekend, because I was sick. I hope I won't be again this weekend!

8. What song describes my parents?

Shuffle says: You Make Me Feel Like Dancing by Leo Sayer

Errr...........

9. How is my life going?

Shuffle says: The Boy Is Mine by Brandy and Monica

I'm in no tug-with-war with another girl over a guy! Okay, there is something wrong with the shuffle!

10. What song will they play at my funeral?

Shuffle says: Bridge Over Troubled Waters by Simon and Garfunkel

Is this an appropriate song to play in a funeral?

11. How does the world see me?

Shuffle says: Love In The First Degree by Bananarama

What the...???

12. What do my friends really think of me?

Shuffle says: Wake Me Up When September Ends by Green Day

????

13. Do people secretly lust after me?

Shuffle says: One Headlight by The Wallflowers

The song ain't saying....

14. How can I make myself happy?

Shuffle says: Love Won't Wait by Gary Barlow

True love waits, never mind what Gary Barlow is singing here (and Madonna wrote - after all, she was the one who wrote the lyrics).

15. What should I do with my life?

Shuffle says: When It All Falls Apart by The Veronicas

"Tell me what do you do/when it all falls apart?" they sing....

16. Will I ever have children?

Shuffle says: Oops...I Did It Again by Britney Spears

So my children will be 'accidental'?!?!

17. What is some good advice?

Shuffle says: Don't Look Back In Anger by Oasis

This is a good advice, indeed! Okay, so the shuffle is working now.

18. What do I think my current theme song is?

Shuffle says: ...Baby One More Time
Nope, this isn't my current theme song. The shuffle isn't working again!

19. What does everyone else think about my current life?

Shuffle says: (You Drive Me) Crazy by Britney Spears

It is crazy in some ways, but I don't know what would everyone else think...

20. What type of women do you like?

Shuffle says: You'll Be In My Heart by Phil Collins

Okay, if the question is "what type of men do you like?", yup, that'll be it.

21. Will you get married?

Shuffle says: Tea and Sympathy by Jars of Clay

"Don't trade our love for tea and sympathy" they sing. So is this a yes?

22. What should I do with my love life?

Shuffle says: Believe by Cher

But of course.

23. Where will you live?

Shuffle says: Sunshine by Gabrielle

In other words: in the sunshine?

24. What will your dying words be?

Shuffle says: Geek in the Pink by Jason Mraz

Riiiiiiiiiiiiiight....

25. When I'm having sex, I say...

Shuffle says: Xian Zai Hen Xiang Jian Ni by Daniel Lee

Errrrr....translation, please?

26. When I meet a guy/girl for the first time I say...

Shuffle says: To Love You More by Celine Dion

For the first time? No way!

27. When my parents are angry I say...

Shuffle says: I Love You by Celine Dion

To say that when they are angry? Hmm...

I also tag anyone who has nothing better to do

There's a time to be silent & a time to speak up...

Thu, 07 Sep 2006 08:20:09 GMT

This issue has been on my mind for some time as a non-Muslim practising a minority religion in Malaysia and I am currently in the legal field, but I really must post this here!

Thanks, Rachel & John.

Malaysia's secular vision vs. 'writing on the wall'

Thomas Fuller International Herald Tribune

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 30, 2006

From: http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/08/28/news/letter.php

KUALA LUMPUR 'The idea of a secular state is dead in Malaysia," says Farish Noor, a Malaysian scholar who specializes in politics and Islam. "An Islamic society is already on the cards. The question is what kind of Islamic society this will be."

It is hard to square this view with a drive through modern Kuala Lumpur, its downtown bars and nightclubs not exactly the symbols of a budding theocracy. Yet as Malaysia marks 49 years of independence from Britain on Thursday, lurking behind a cosmopolitan facade is a tense and divisive battle over the country's future.

Those who want to maintain the country's secular roots are fighting what they call creeping Islamicization. Muslim women who at the time of independence often wore silky, tight-fitting outfits today do not leave the house without a head scarf, which is now also required for female police officers of all religions during official functions.

Muslim prayers are piped into the loudspeakers of government offices in the new administrative capital, Putrajaya. And Islamic police officers routinely arrest unmarried couples for "close proximity."

"I see the writing on the wall," said Ivy Josiah, the director of the Women's Aid Organization, a group that lobbies the government on women's issues. "It's only a matter of time before Malaysia becomes another Taliban state."

Malaysia, a multiracial country where just over half the population of 26 million is Muslim, is testing the limits of compatibility between traditional Muslim beliefs and Western- style democracy.

In Europe, the threat of terrorism posed by disaffected Muslims has spurred religious leaders and politicians to wonder whether there is a better way to assimilate Muslim and Western traditions. The experience of Malaysia appears to show that there is no easy solution, even after five decades of trying.

In recent years, a number of high- profile court cases have highlighted the clash between Muslim and secular laws, but none so much as the lawsuit brought by Lina Joy, a computer saleswoman, who is challenging the Malaysian government over its refusal to officially acknowledge her conversion from Islam to Christianity. After two lower courts ruled for the government, Joy awaits a judgment from the country's highest court.

The case has aggravated already mistrustful relations between Muslim, Christian and Hindu communities. It has led to death threats against one prominent lawyer, large protest gatherings and a ban by the government on any further public debate. At the heart of the case is the fundamental question of which is supreme in Malaysia: Muslim law or the country's secular Constitution.

Malaysia has a hybrid legal system that incorporates both Islamic and civil laws for personal and family matters: Muslims are governed by religious laws against drinking, eating during the daylight hours of Ramadan and having close proximity between unmarried women and men. Marriages, divorces, funerals, and inheritance are governed by Islamic laws.

For non-Muslims - Christians, Buddhists, Hindus and Sikhs - civil laws apply. But the hybrid system is now in crisis and the multiracial fabric could fray.

Critics complain of Islamic influence in day-to-day governance. When the government recently debated whether free needles should be distributed to drug addicts, Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said he would first check with the Muslim authorities for guidance on whether this followed Islamic principles.

"You are seeing worldwide a common thing happening," said Malik Imtiaz Sarwar, a Muslim lawyer. "Muslims are defining themselves by their religion instead of their country." Malik recently asked for police protection after receiving death threats for his role in the Lina Joy case: he submitted a brief in defense of Joy's right to convert.

"Lina Joy is important because it's finally brought to light the tensions that exist between those who favor an Islamic state and those who believe in the universal values entrenched in the Constitution," Malik said in an interview.

Lawyers who back the government's position in the case say Muslims in Malaysia are subject to Islamic law. "We are not saying you do not have any choice of religion. But if you want to convert out you must do so in the Islamic court," said Zulkifli Noordin, a lawyer who submitted a brief in support of the government's position.

In reality, converting out of Islam is frowned upon if not actively discouraged in Malaysia. Only one state, Negri Sembilan, allows apostasy and usually after ordering the person through a lengthy rehabilitation program - an attempt to keep them from converting.

Zulkifli says 18 people have successfully left the faith, although many others are thought to have done so unofficially. In the country's most conservative state, Kelantan, local laws call for the death penalty for apostates. The law has not yet been applied.

The context of the tensions in the Lina Joy case is a Muslim community that says it feels under siege and threatened by a thriving evangelical Christian movement. Newspapers cite wild estimates of mass conversions if Lina Joy wins her case and call for a strengthening of religious law.

Over the past 30 years, the percentage of people who call themselves Christians has doubled to 10 percent, according to Wong Kim Kong, secretary general of the National Evangelical Christian Fellowship. Wong says the growth in the church has come from Christians "sharing their faith in a very natural way."

"People experience God and naturally tell people about God," Wong said. "We don't have missionaries coming from overseas and doing that kind of work. No more." Josiah, the director of the Women's Aid Organization, says the most regrettable consequence of the Lina Joy case and other inter-religious disputes that preceded it is the strain it is placing on personal interaction between people of different ethnic groups.

"The whole thing about being multicultural, multiethnic is not just a tourist attraction," Josiah said. "We live it and breathe it."

Mission impossible - because it is not yet known

Sun, 28 May 2006 12:30:28 GMT

Lately, through conversations with various friends, I have been sensing an urgent need to know what God wants me to do with the rest of my life - not just a rough outline but a definite plan - and wondered if this is a common question among our generation.

Then just a few days ago, I was having tea with my boss. Out of the blue, she asked me "why did you do law?"

"It a good general degree," I said honestly.

"Youe the first person I know to say that," she said. "I still asking myself why I did law."

"I think it a common question among law grads," I said.

She laughed in acknowledgement. Then she suddenly stopped. "I have lawyer friends who still ask themselves that question and are miserable. But they are stuck in the legal field because they are married and have families to support."

Lawyers are not risk-takers, I thought amusedly to myself.

She continued. "The other thing is that they have spent three years in law school, one year for their Certificate of Legal Practice or the Bar Vocational Course and 9 months as a chambering student. They have spent so much time and energy just for legal studies alone that they do not know what else to do. They want to get out of the legal field because they know it is not for them but they don know where to go next. Law is the only thing they know."

A shiver went down my spine.

So there are people from other generations who seem just as lost as I am as to what our mission in life is.

But I don want to be another casualty. To be lost and miserable for the rest of my life? No! Instead I should make use of every opportunity now to know what my mission in life is - as given by God - and bear that as my Cross (Matt. 16:24) until The Day comes.

It is meaningless to live a life without a mission. But I think it is sadder when we do not pursue God to ask Him what is our mission on earth, when we have every opportunity to do so...until it is too late and we become aimless drifters in life.

What on earth am I here for? That is one question that would lead to a journey in life that all of us would have to make. The answer is our God-given mission on earth where God Himself will equip us, use us and bless us. He does not promise an easy life, but it is definately a life that is not filled with regrets and most of all, it will not be an aimless one.

So let the journey begin!