1. Kadang-kadang aku kehairanan bila aku naik ke surau TM Annexe 2 pada waktu ramai jemaah sedang solat. Aku melihat sewaktu jemaah sedang solat, ada beberapa orang muslimah keluar dari surau muslimah. Kepelikan aku dibuatnya. Apa mereka ini tidak solat berjemaahkah? Suara imam kedengaran jelas di hadapan. Tak mungkin mereka tak dengar. Alang-alang berada di surau tu, solatlah berjemaah sekali.
2. Perkara ini aku baru terlintas dalam sebulan dua ni. Kelihatan orang-orang yang tidak yakin akan kebersihan seluar mereka, menyalin seluar & memakai kain pelikat sebelum solat atau sebelum berwudhu'. Seluar berkenaan diletakkan di atas lantai. Apa mereka kira kebersihan itu hanya untuk diri mereka sajakah? Lantai surau atau masjid itu tidak perlu bersihkah? Jika benar ada kekotoran di seluar mereka, maka terpalitlah cemar ke karpet surau berkenaan. Bagaiimana pula solat orang lain yang berdiri, sujud dan rukuk di tempat yang sama? Sahkah?
3. Ungkapan, "biarlah grand sikit, sekali seumur hidup saja ni..." atau yang sewaktu dengannya seolah-olah menghalalkan majlis persandingan. 'Menghalalkan' pakaian yang ketat-ketat bagi sang isteri. 'Menghalalkan' jurukamera mengambil gambar sewaktu bersolek dalam keadaan aurat yang belum sempurna ditutup. Apakah pasangan berkenaan tidak menyedari bersanding adalah adat yang tidak dibenarkan? Adakah pasangan berkenaan tidak tahu aurat yang perlu ditutup, labuh mana, longgar mana pakaian yang perlu dipakai? Adakah alasan "sekali seumur hidup saja, mestilah semua nak sempurna" itu mampu menjadi hujah kelak?
4. Menutup aurat adalah suruhan yang qat'ie. Ianya tertulis di dalam Al-Quran dalam Surah An-Nuur. Begitu juga ketidak bolehan mendedahkan aurat adalah sesuatu yang qat'ie. Namun, pengharaman rokok adalah sesuatu yang diqiaskan dari hadis Nabi SAW tanpa larangan yang jelas menyebut kalimah rokok. Pun begitu, mengapa lebih banyak papan tanda pengharaman dan keburukan merokok dari papan tanda dan simbol suruhan menutup aurat / larangan mendedahkan aurat? Mengapa diajarkan tudung itu pelbagai jenis dan pelbagai cara pemakaiannya dari yang rumit hinggalah yang selebet? Mengapa menutup aurat yang lebih utama tidak dititikberatkan?
5. Kementerian Pembangunan Wanita adalah lambang diskriminasi halus! Mengapa? Kenapa perlu diasingkan pembangunan manusia dari segi jantinanya? Adilkah dengan meniadakan portfolio khusus pembangunan lelaki sedangkan di dalam Al-Quran, disebut lelaki itu pemimpin bagi wanita dengan apa yang dikurniakan oleh ALLAH. Terbangun lelaki terbinalah wanita. Oh, aku lupa. Malaysia tidak menjadikan Al-Quran & Hadis sebagai pelembagaannya.
6. DSLR. iPad. iPhone. 3D HD LED TV. Blackberry. Kalian tahukah semua fungsinya? Jika ya, alhamdulillah. Kalian tidaklah tergolong dalam golongan yang terjebak dalam trend & technology victimization. Pantang melihat gajet baru sedikit, mulalah gatal tangan nak membelinya, tanpa sedar kemahiran diri yang terbatas dalam menggunakannnya. Keterbatasan itu hanya sesuai dengan gajet yang tidak semaju & sehebat gajet yang disebutkan di atas. Keterbatasan kemahiran itu makin menjelekkan dengan sifat tidak mahu belajar & bangga diri dengan apa yang dimiliki. Bukankah agak zalim membazir duit membeli apa yang tidak sepatutnya diguna, lantaran tidak semua fungsi alat berkenaan dapat dikuasai oleh kita? Lebih bagus dan menjimatkan jika kita beli alat yang sesuai dengan kemahiran dan kemampuan kita.
7. Politik itu kemahiran mengurus persepsi. Jika sebilangan orang mengasingkan diri dari politik kerana merasakan politik itu kotor, tidakkah perlu ada segolongan yang membersihkan kekotoran berkenaan? Jika tandas ada flush-nya, jika saluran pembetungan ada IWK-nya, jika plak ada Listerine-nya, mengapa tidak pada politik? Mengapa jijik sekali memandang politik itu, padahal kesatuan sekerja di tempat kerja kalian pun ada proses pemilihannya? Pulang berhari raya pun ada gilirannya? Adakah pemerintahan UMNO/BN itu tidak ada kesudahannya?
8. Tiap-tiap hari kita baca Berita Harian atau Harian Metro atau NST atau The Star atau Kosmo! atau Utusan Malaysia, atau lain-lain akhbar. Kepercayaan kita terhadap berita berkenaan sangatlah tinggi. Kita sering bersembang dan menyampaikan berita yang kita baca. Kenapa, Al-Quran yang mulia itu tidak boleh diperlakukan sedemikian rupa, dari segi pembacaannya, kepercayaannya, janji-janjinya? Al-Quran itu tidak dipercayai dengan sepenuh pasak keyakinan. Sebab itulah orang buat macam-macam perkara yang tidak betul dan meninggalkan macam-macam perkara yang betul...
Sekarang apa persepsi kalian?
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Thursday, November 25, 2010
'Iduladha kali ini
Alhamdulillah, selesai sudah menyambut 'Iduladha minggu lepas. Ada beberapa perkara yang nak dicoretkan di sini.
Sebelum pada itu, tahniah kepada kawan-kawan yang akan menyebabkan syaitan menangis berkali-kali tidak lama lagi. Mohon maaf tidak dapat hadir ke majlis kalian kerana keadaan zaujah yang semakin sarat tidak mengizinkan perjalanan jauh dilakukan. Pesan kami, isilah perkahwinan berkenaan dengan penuh keimanan dan ketakwaan. Semoga redha ALLAH menjadi milik kita semua.
Cuti hari raya yang diambil sudah diluluskan bos beberapa minggu sebelum jatuhnya 'Iduladha. Jadi tidak timbul kerisauan sangat. Bertolak balik Selasa lepas pada jam (asalnya nak gerak lepas zohor, tapi zaujah nak lengkapkan SKT dia) 3.30 petang, diiringi hujan sedikit-sedikit. Mujurlah, sekurang-kurangnya tidak hangat menyengat. Dalam fikiran sudah disetkan siap-siap yang trafik dalam perjalanan kali ini akan bertambah dan melimpah-ruah. Jangkaan tepat dan kami sampai di Ketereh pada jam 2.30 pagi! Lutfi pulak taknak tidur bila sampai rumah. 3.30 pagi baru berjaya lelap, dengan dia.
Sakura, kimi no koto aishkeruyou?
Saja je selit, sebab tengah dengar lagu ni masa menaip post ni.
Aku jumpa Fatah je masa solat 'Id. Yang lain aku tak perasan. Warga Masjid But yang biasa saling tegur-menegurlah dengan aku.
Alhamdulillah share dengan zaujah 1 bahagian korban tahun ni. Lembu Pokteh Kadir. Siapa dia? Dia ayah kawan aku, Ana. Ana penolong ketua kelas aku masa darjah tiga kalau tak silap. Bukan ana saya tu, adalah nama dia yang aku malas nak sebut. Nanti ada orang google lak. So lepas solat sunat 'Id, aku, Haizan & Lutfi dengan abah gi ke rumah Pokteh. Pokteh ni takda pertalian darah pun dengan aku. Bini dia Mokteh Bidoh, baik ngan mok sebab selalu mok hantar jahit butang kat dia. Maka Ana pun jumpalah zaujah aku yang lama dah katanya nak kenal & jumpa. Ana tak kahwin lagi. Dia staf UMK. Seorang demi seorang Mokteh perkenalkan anak dia kepada isteri aku, walaupun aku pun sebenarnya tak kenal semua anak dia. Mariam, Marni, Masliza, Marwanis, Ana dengan sorang lagi, aku lupa. Ada enam orang semuanya perempuan & semuanya sudah berumah tangga melainkan Ana.
Lembu Pokteh kali ini 5 bahagian diambil oleh anak, menantu & anak saudara dia, satu oleh kakak kawan aku dan kami satu. Kawan aku, Afzan. Kakak dia pun kawan aku jugak, Shuhada. Shuhada diwakili oleh adik dia Shafiq & suaminya. Afzan berkorban di bahagian lembu orang lain tahun ni.
Korban kat kampung tahun ni biasa tapi meriah. Meriah yang bukan macam kat bandar, ramai orang bawak kamera bermacam jenis... Boleh rujuk cerita dalam posting ni dulu.
Tahun ni, aku pegang kaki kanan belakang lembu bahagian yang dah direbahkan. Mungkin lebih tepat di bahagian paha belah luar. Betul. Kuat terjahannya. Aku dibantu seorang lagi. Ramai jugak, tapi semuanya anak-beranak Pokteh & Mokteh. Lutfi & Haizan tengok sekali, kemudian pulang ke rumah bila kerja melapah dah nak dimulakan. Selesai sembelihan yang diiringi niat sewaktu pancutan darah haiwan berkenaan, kerja-kerja melapah dimulakan. Dalam hati aku panjatkan sepenuh pengharapan kepada ALLAH, semoga korban kami diterima.
Aku tak sentuh pisau langsung hari tu. Tapi tolong orang sikit-sikit je, terutamanya tolong abah lapah daging lembu dari keempat-empat kaki & paha. Malu jugak sebab tak pandai. Seusai bahagian daging 'dikerjakan', aku longgokkan daging kepada 7 bahagian, dibantu Pokteh yang menimbang seadilnya. Pokteh timbang lepas habis kerja lapah-melapah dia. Bahagi-bahagi kerja, siapa ambil perut, siapa buat rusuk. Siapa chagho ko barang dalam, otak, kepala semualah.... Ada kerja dan bahagian masing-masing.
Pelapahan & pembahagian selesai dalam pukul 12.45 tengah hari. Agak lewat kukira. Barangkali disebabkan tukang sembelih datang lambat kali ini. Tok Imam Pudin yang sepatutnya sembelih, tapi sebab queue yang panjang, maka orang lain dipanggil.
Selain tu, aku nak juga cakap, aku jumpa Haninah balik secara kebetulan pada hari Jumaat. Dia kawan sePMIUPM dulu. Tak disangka-sangka langsung. Alkisahnya, kami (aku, zaujah & anak) ke kenduri kawan Haizan, Badi'in di Pasir Pekan. Sebelum balik, ke rumah kawan dia seorang lagi, Mek Zu yang baru melahirkan anak. Then nak ke rumah ustazah dia spt yang dipesan namun beliau tiada di rumah, Dia ke kenduri Badi'in. Setibanya kami semula ke rumah Badi'in, jumpa ustazah dan aku ditegur seseorang, "Teku, wat gapo sini?" Haninah rupa-rupanya.
Ustazah ni rapat dengan Haizan masa sekolah rendah dulu. Guru ajar mengaji. Sampai tidur rumah ustazah, Haizan & the team ni, bila ada sesuatu pertandingan, guna membuat persediaan intensif. Seminggu pun ada. So, Haizan kenallah anak dia, termasuk Abe Din yang jadi suami Haninah, kawan aku. Subhanallah, kecik betul dunia ini dirasakan. So kami patah la balik ke rumah Ustazah, berbual-bual, minum & kami solat Asar di situ sekali. Then dapat hadiah dari Abe Din & Haninah, tak sure untuk Lutfi atau adik Lutfi, tapi, takpelah.
So aku di Ketereh pada hari Selasa sampai petang Rabu, petang Khamis sampai pagi Sabtu. Di Morak, petang Rabu sampai petang Khamis, Sabtu pagi sampai Ahad pagi. Aku solat Jumaat di Masjid But dan sempatlah jumpa Syed, Hadri & Fatah. Bertolak balik dari Ketereh, dengan Din (abang aku laa) dalam jam 10.30 pagi dan sampai rumah di Kepong dalam pukul 12.00 tgh malam...
Alhamdulillah. Dah laa coretan kali ni.
(Aku teringat ayat aku kepada Salihah masa jumpa dia di kenduri Mawi & Sakinah dulu, "Salihah, wat gapo sini?" Sama je ke ayat kalau terjumpa kawan yang kita tak expect di majlis kawan kita yang lain...?)
Sebelum pada itu, tahniah kepada kawan-kawan yang akan menyebabkan syaitan menangis berkali-kali tidak lama lagi. Mohon maaf tidak dapat hadir ke majlis kalian kerana keadaan zaujah yang semakin sarat tidak mengizinkan perjalanan jauh dilakukan. Pesan kami, isilah perkahwinan berkenaan dengan penuh keimanan dan ketakwaan. Semoga redha ALLAH menjadi milik kita semua.
Cuti hari raya yang diambil sudah diluluskan bos beberapa minggu sebelum jatuhnya 'Iduladha. Jadi tidak timbul kerisauan sangat. Bertolak balik Selasa lepas pada jam (asalnya nak gerak lepas zohor, tapi zaujah nak lengkapkan SKT dia) 3.30 petang, diiringi hujan sedikit-sedikit. Mujurlah, sekurang-kurangnya tidak hangat menyengat. Dalam fikiran sudah disetkan siap-siap yang trafik dalam perjalanan kali ini akan bertambah dan melimpah-ruah. Jangkaan tepat dan kami sampai di Ketereh pada jam 2.30 pagi! Lutfi pulak taknak tidur bila sampai rumah. 3.30 pagi baru berjaya lelap, dengan dia.
Sakura, kimi no koto aishkeruyou?
Saja je selit, sebab tengah dengar lagu ni masa menaip post ni.
Aku jumpa Fatah je masa solat 'Id. Yang lain aku tak perasan. Warga Masjid But yang biasa saling tegur-menegurlah dengan aku.
Alhamdulillah share dengan zaujah 1 bahagian korban tahun ni. Lembu Pokteh Kadir. Siapa dia? Dia ayah kawan aku, Ana. Ana penolong ketua kelas aku masa darjah tiga kalau tak silap. Bukan ana saya tu, adalah nama dia yang aku malas nak sebut. Nanti ada orang google lak. So lepas solat sunat 'Id, aku, Haizan & Lutfi dengan abah gi ke rumah Pokteh. Pokteh ni takda pertalian darah pun dengan aku. Bini dia Mokteh Bidoh, baik ngan mok sebab selalu mok hantar jahit butang kat dia. Maka Ana pun jumpalah zaujah aku yang lama dah katanya nak kenal & jumpa. Ana tak kahwin lagi. Dia staf UMK. Seorang demi seorang Mokteh perkenalkan anak dia kepada isteri aku, walaupun aku pun sebenarnya tak kenal semua anak dia. Mariam, Marni, Masliza, Marwanis, Ana dengan sorang lagi, aku lupa. Ada enam orang semuanya perempuan & semuanya sudah berumah tangga melainkan Ana.
Lembu Pokteh kali ini 5 bahagian diambil oleh anak, menantu & anak saudara dia, satu oleh kakak kawan aku dan kami satu. Kawan aku, Afzan. Kakak dia pun kawan aku jugak, Shuhada. Shuhada diwakili oleh adik dia Shafiq & suaminya. Afzan berkorban di bahagian lembu orang lain tahun ni.
Korban kat kampung tahun ni biasa tapi meriah. Meriah yang bukan macam kat bandar, ramai orang bawak kamera bermacam jenis... Boleh rujuk cerita dalam posting ni dulu.
Tahun ni, aku pegang kaki kanan belakang lembu bahagian yang dah direbahkan. Mungkin lebih tepat di bahagian paha belah luar. Betul. Kuat terjahannya. Aku dibantu seorang lagi. Ramai jugak, tapi semuanya anak-beranak Pokteh & Mokteh. Lutfi & Haizan tengok sekali, kemudian pulang ke rumah bila kerja melapah dah nak dimulakan. Selesai sembelihan yang diiringi niat sewaktu pancutan darah haiwan berkenaan, kerja-kerja melapah dimulakan. Dalam hati aku panjatkan sepenuh pengharapan kepada ALLAH, semoga korban kami diterima.
Aku tak sentuh pisau langsung hari tu. Tapi tolong orang sikit-sikit je, terutamanya tolong abah lapah daging lembu dari keempat-empat kaki & paha. Malu jugak sebab tak pandai. Seusai bahagian daging 'dikerjakan', aku longgokkan daging kepada 7 bahagian, dibantu Pokteh yang menimbang seadilnya. Pokteh timbang lepas habis kerja lapah-melapah dia. Bahagi-bahagi kerja, siapa ambil perut, siapa buat rusuk. Siapa chagho ko barang dalam, otak, kepala semualah.... Ada kerja dan bahagian masing-masing.
Pelapahan & pembahagian selesai dalam pukul 12.45 tengah hari. Agak lewat kukira. Barangkali disebabkan tukang sembelih datang lambat kali ini. Tok Imam Pudin yang sepatutnya sembelih, tapi sebab queue yang panjang, maka orang lain dipanggil.
Selain tu, aku nak juga cakap, aku jumpa Haninah balik secara kebetulan pada hari Jumaat. Dia kawan sePMIUPM dulu. Tak disangka-sangka langsung. Alkisahnya, kami (aku, zaujah & anak) ke kenduri kawan Haizan, Badi'in di Pasir Pekan. Sebelum balik, ke rumah kawan dia seorang lagi, Mek Zu yang baru melahirkan anak. Then nak ke rumah ustazah dia spt yang dipesan namun beliau tiada di rumah, Dia ke kenduri Badi'in. Setibanya kami semula ke rumah Badi'in, jumpa ustazah dan aku ditegur seseorang, "Teku, wat gapo sini?" Haninah rupa-rupanya.
Ustazah ni rapat dengan Haizan masa sekolah rendah dulu. Guru ajar mengaji. Sampai tidur rumah ustazah, Haizan & the team ni, bila ada sesuatu pertandingan, guna membuat persediaan intensif. Seminggu pun ada. So, Haizan kenallah anak dia, termasuk Abe Din yang jadi suami Haninah, kawan aku. Subhanallah, kecik betul dunia ini dirasakan. So kami patah la balik ke rumah Ustazah, berbual-bual, minum & kami solat Asar di situ sekali. Then dapat hadiah dari Abe Din & Haninah, tak sure untuk Lutfi atau adik Lutfi, tapi, takpelah.
So aku di Ketereh pada hari Selasa sampai petang Rabu, petang Khamis sampai pagi Sabtu. Di Morak, petang Rabu sampai petang Khamis, Sabtu pagi sampai Ahad pagi. Aku solat Jumaat di Masjid But dan sempatlah jumpa Syed, Hadri & Fatah. Bertolak balik dari Ketereh, dengan Din (abang aku laa) dalam jam 10.30 pagi dan sampai rumah di Kepong dalam pukul 12.00 tgh malam...
Alhamdulillah. Dah laa coretan kali ni.
(Aku teringat ayat aku kepada Salihah masa jumpa dia di kenduri Mawi & Sakinah dulu, "Salihah, wat gapo sini?" Sama je ke ayat kalau terjumpa kawan yang kita tak expect di majlis kawan kita yang lain...?)
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
France's Sub Scandal Resurfaces - Asia Sentinel
Originally posted here.
France's Sub Scandal Resurfaces
Written by Gavin M. Greenwood and John Berthelsen
Monday, 22 November 2010
Torpedoes Running!
Questions over the sale of French-built Scorpène submarines to militaries across the world may finally ensnare some of France’s highest-ranking leaders.
They include former French President Jacques Chirac, former Prime Ministers Dominique de Villipin and Edouard Balladur and the country’s current president, Nicholas Sarkozy in addition to an unknown number current and former French defense executives. In addition, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak should be starting to get nervous, along with officials in India, Chile and Brazil.
Lawyers for the families of 11 French engineers killed in a 2002 bomb attack in Karachi were quoted Friday as saying they would file a manslaughter suit against Chirac, allegedly because he cancelled a bribe to Pakistani military officials in the sale of three Agosta 90-class submarines to that country’s navy. Sarkozy was Minister of the Budget when the government sold the subs, built by the French defense giant DCN (later known as DCNS) to Pakistan for a reported US$950 million.
Prosecutors allege that Pakistani politicians and military officials and middlemen received large “commissions” with as much as €2 million in kickbacks routed back to Paris to fund Balladur's unsuccessful 1995 presidential campaign against Chirac. As budget minister, Sarkozy would have authorized the financial elements of the submarine sale. At the time he was the spokesman for Balladur’s presidential campaign and, according to French media, has been accused of establishing two Luxemburg companies to handle the kickbacks.
It is alleged that when Chirac was re-elected, the president canceled the bribes to the Pakistanis, which resulted in the revenge attack on a vehicle in which the French engineers and at least three Pakistanis were riding. For years, the Pakistanis blamed the attack on fundamentalist Islamic militants, including Al Qaeda.
“Our complaint is going to target how the decision was arrived at to stop the commissions,” Morice told AFP, saying the suit was prompted by recent testimony from arms executives in the case. Morice also called for Sarkozy, who witnesses have told investigators was linked to the bribes, to be questioned. The French president angrily denounced the allegations. As president, he has immunity and can refuse to be questioned while in office.
Nonetheless, l'affaire Karachi, as it is widely known in France, has been called the most explosive corruption investigation in recent French history, according to AFP. It may well be far bigger than just the unpaid bribes to the Pakistanis. Executives of DCNS embarked on a global marketing drive to sell the diesel-electric Scorpène-class subs, a new design. They peddled two to the Chilean Navy in 1997, breaking into the market previously dominated by HDN of Germany.
DCNS also sold six Scorpènes in 2005 with the option for six other boats, to India, whose defense procurement agency has been involved in massive bribery scandals in the past. Defense Minister George Fernandes was forced to step down in 2001 after videos surfaced of procurement officials taking bribes. In 2008, Gen. Sudipto Ghosh, the chairman of the Ordnance Factory Board, was arrested and seven foreign companies were barred from doing business in India as a result of a bribery scandal.
In 2008, DCNS also won a bid to supply four Scorpènes to Brazil. DCNS is to provide the hull for a fifth boat that Brazil intends to use as a basis for developing its first nuclear-powered submarine.
DCNS sold the Scorpènes to Pakistan in 1994. At about the same time the French engineers were murdered in 2002, Malaysia placed an US1 billion order for two Scorpènes in a deal engineered by then-defense minister and Deputy Prime Minister Najib. In exchange, a company wholly owned by Najib’s close friend, Abdul Razak Baginda, was paid €114 million in “commissions,” according to testimony in the Malaysian parliament.
It is unclear why Malaysia decided to acquire the two boats. A new naval base is being built to house the two at Teluk Sepanggar in the East Malaysian state of Sabah because the waters around peninsular Malaysia are generally too shallow for optimal submarine operations. In addition, the boats were delivered without advanced navigational and weapons gear, which the Royal Malaysian Navy is acquiring at a high cost from individual suppliers.
That episode has been widely reported. Caught up in it, besides Najib and Razak Baginda, was Altantuya Shaariibuu, the Mongolian translator who was murdered in 2006 and whose body was blown up with military grade explosives. Razak Baginda, her jilted lover, was charged along with two of Najib’s bodyguards but was acquitted under unusual circumstances without having to put on a defense. Before she was murdered, Altantuya told witnesses she was to be paid US$500,000 for her role in the submarine deal.
After his release Razak Baginda immediately decamped for Oxford University and apparently hasn’t set foot in Malaysia since. On Nov. 5, Malaysian prosecutors closed the book on the case, despite statements by a private investigator that tied Najib to Altantuya’s murder.
The case, however, remains alive in France. In April, three French lawyers, William Bourdon, Renaud Semerdjian and Joseph Breham filed a case with prosecutors in Paris on behalf of the Malaysian human rights organization Suaram, which supports good-governance causes.
Breham journeyed to Malaysia later in April to interview further witnesses. In an email, Breham said he and Bourdon are returning to Southeast Asia to ask more questions next month. If the three lawyers — or any other French or Malaysian prosecutors for that matter — want a witness, Razak Baginda remains in the UK.
The efforts by prosecutors to link Sarkozy to corruption allegations in the Karachi affair may well have ramifications beyond French politics. France's commercial competitors in tightening global defense markets can also be expected to seek advantage from the affair.
The decision in mid-November by DCNS and Navantia of Spain to end their collaboration on building the Scorpène-class of boats purchased by Malaysia now make the companies commercial rivals. This seemingly bitter split may unleash new insights into past business practices, notably from the Spanish side as they seek to promote their S80 submarines against the Scorpènes. France can also expect little support from Britain, where suggestions that the two navies share aircraft carriers as a cost cutting measure have been met with a mixture of rage and derision.
Further, any revelations of systemic corruption within the French naval shipbuilding sector could present opportunities for in Britain seeking an escape from seemingly watertight contracts with French and shipyards for the construction of two large aircraft carriers.
Any investigation into corruption at the levels now underway in France is inherently unpredictable given the interests involved. What began as a ripple in Paris may yet build into a tsunami threatening individuals and plans previously thought impervious to such a threat. Questioning Abdul Razak Baginda might be a place to start.
Gavin M. Greenwood is a security consultant with the Hong Kong-based security risk management consultancy firm Allan & Associates. John Berthelsen is the editor of the Asia Sentinel.
France's Sub Scandal Resurfaces
Written by Gavin M. Greenwood and John Berthelsen
Monday, 22 November 2010
Torpedoes Running!
Questions over the sale of French-built Scorpène submarines to militaries across the world may finally ensnare some of France’s highest-ranking leaders.
They include former French President Jacques Chirac, former Prime Ministers Dominique de Villipin and Edouard Balladur and the country’s current president, Nicholas Sarkozy in addition to an unknown number current and former French defense executives. In addition, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak should be starting to get nervous, along with officials in India, Chile and Brazil.
Lawyers for the families of 11 French engineers killed in a 2002 bomb attack in Karachi were quoted Friday as saying they would file a manslaughter suit against Chirac, allegedly because he cancelled a bribe to Pakistani military officials in the sale of three Agosta 90-class submarines to that country’s navy. Sarkozy was Minister of the Budget when the government sold the subs, built by the French defense giant DCN (later known as DCNS) to Pakistan for a reported US$950 million.
Prosecutors allege that Pakistani politicians and military officials and middlemen received large “commissions” with as much as €2 million in kickbacks routed back to Paris to fund Balladur's unsuccessful 1995 presidential campaign against Chirac. As budget minister, Sarkozy would have authorized the financial elements of the submarine sale. At the time he was the spokesman for Balladur’s presidential campaign and, according to French media, has been accused of establishing two Luxemburg companies to handle the kickbacks.
It is alleged that when Chirac was re-elected, the president canceled the bribes to the Pakistanis, which resulted in the revenge attack on a vehicle in which the French engineers and at least three Pakistanis were riding. For years, the Pakistanis blamed the attack on fundamentalist Islamic militants, including Al Qaeda.
“Our complaint is going to target how the decision was arrived at to stop the commissions,” Morice told AFP, saying the suit was prompted by recent testimony from arms executives in the case. Morice also called for Sarkozy, who witnesses have told investigators was linked to the bribes, to be questioned. The French president angrily denounced the allegations. As president, he has immunity and can refuse to be questioned while in office.
Nonetheless, l'affaire Karachi, as it is widely known in France, has been called the most explosive corruption investigation in recent French history, according to AFP. It may well be far bigger than just the unpaid bribes to the Pakistanis. Executives of DCNS embarked on a global marketing drive to sell the diesel-electric Scorpène-class subs, a new design. They peddled two to the Chilean Navy in 1997, breaking into the market previously dominated by HDN of Germany.
DCNS also sold six Scorpènes in 2005 with the option for six other boats, to India, whose defense procurement agency has been involved in massive bribery scandals in the past. Defense Minister George Fernandes was forced to step down in 2001 after videos surfaced of procurement officials taking bribes. In 2008, Gen. Sudipto Ghosh, the chairman of the Ordnance Factory Board, was arrested and seven foreign companies were barred from doing business in India as a result of a bribery scandal.
In 2008, DCNS also won a bid to supply four Scorpènes to Brazil. DCNS is to provide the hull for a fifth boat that Brazil intends to use as a basis for developing its first nuclear-powered submarine.
DCNS sold the Scorpènes to Pakistan in 1994. At about the same time the French engineers were murdered in 2002, Malaysia placed an US1 billion order for two Scorpènes in a deal engineered by then-defense minister and Deputy Prime Minister Najib. In exchange, a company wholly owned by Najib’s close friend, Abdul Razak Baginda, was paid €114 million in “commissions,” according to testimony in the Malaysian parliament.
It is unclear why Malaysia decided to acquire the two boats. A new naval base is being built to house the two at Teluk Sepanggar in the East Malaysian state of Sabah because the waters around peninsular Malaysia are generally too shallow for optimal submarine operations. In addition, the boats were delivered without advanced navigational and weapons gear, which the Royal Malaysian Navy is acquiring at a high cost from individual suppliers.
That episode has been widely reported. Caught up in it, besides Najib and Razak Baginda, was Altantuya Shaariibuu, the Mongolian translator who was murdered in 2006 and whose body was blown up with military grade explosives. Razak Baginda, her jilted lover, was charged along with two of Najib’s bodyguards but was acquitted under unusual circumstances without having to put on a defense. Before she was murdered, Altantuya told witnesses she was to be paid US$500,000 for her role in the submarine deal.
After his release Razak Baginda immediately decamped for Oxford University and apparently hasn’t set foot in Malaysia since. On Nov. 5, Malaysian prosecutors closed the book on the case, despite statements by a private investigator that tied Najib to Altantuya’s murder.
The case, however, remains alive in France. In April, three French lawyers, William Bourdon, Renaud Semerdjian and Joseph Breham filed a case with prosecutors in Paris on behalf of the Malaysian human rights organization Suaram, which supports good-governance causes.
Breham journeyed to Malaysia later in April to interview further witnesses. In an email, Breham said he and Bourdon are returning to Southeast Asia to ask more questions next month. If the three lawyers — or any other French or Malaysian prosecutors for that matter — want a witness, Razak Baginda remains in the UK.
The efforts by prosecutors to link Sarkozy to corruption allegations in the Karachi affair may well have ramifications beyond French politics. France's commercial competitors in tightening global defense markets can also be expected to seek advantage from the affair.
The decision in mid-November by DCNS and Navantia of Spain to end their collaboration on building the Scorpène-class of boats purchased by Malaysia now make the companies commercial rivals. This seemingly bitter split may unleash new insights into past business practices, notably from the Spanish side as they seek to promote their S80 submarines against the Scorpènes. France can also expect little support from Britain, where suggestions that the two navies share aircraft carriers as a cost cutting measure have been met with a mixture of rage and derision.
Further, any revelations of systemic corruption within the French naval shipbuilding sector could present opportunities for in Britain seeking an escape from seemingly watertight contracts with French and shipyards for the construction of two large aircraft carriers.
Any investigation into corruption at the levels now underway in France is inherently unpredictable given the interests involved. What began as a ripple in Paris may yet build into a tsunami threatening individuals and plans previously thought impervious to such a threat. Questioning Abdul Razak Baginda might be a place to start.
Gavin M. Greenwood is a security consultant with the Hong Kong-based security risk management consultancy firm Allan & Associates. John Berthelsen is the editor of the Asia Sentinel.
Monday, October 25, 2010
Bowling di Ampang Superbowl
Alhamdulillah, berjaya memenangi tempat pertama berpasukan dengan jatuhan pin yang sama dengan pasukan di tempat kedua. Baru tahu, jika jumlah jatuhan pin berpasukan adalah sama di antara para pemenang, pemenang sebenar ditentukan melalui jumlah jatuhan pin berpasukan yang paling banyak pada game pertama.
Terlebih dahulu, dikhabarkan pertandingan boling yang beryuran RM12.50 ini hanyalah untuk tujuan suka-suka. Dipanggil pada saat terakhir untuk menggantikan beberapa orang bos yang tidak dapat menghadirinya. Menjadi bidan terjunlah barangkali.
Mengesahkan corak permainan dengan penganjur supaya ianya selari dengan syariat Islam dan tidak jatuh dalam kategori haram perjudian adalah perkara vital. Setelah pengesahan diperolehi, jadual aktiviti hujung mingggu disemak dan segalanya kelihatan meyakinkan, maka pengesahan kehadiran diberikan melalui sms Jumaat lepas.
Sebelum permainan dimulakan Ahad semalam, telinga kami semua yang menanti lane disediakan, disajikan dengan alunan muzik dan nyanyian Maher Zain. Sungguh, tak pernah mendengar ianya dimainkan di mana-mana pusat boling sebelum ini. Memang satu fenomenalah kita katakan kepada penghibur global ini. Masakan tidak, pengusaha pusat boling berkenaan memecah tradisi dengan memainkan lagu Maher Zain. Walaupun satu pusingan album sahaja, berbaloilah sebagai permulaan.
Satu saja. Pakaian sesetengah kaum hawa yang menjadi peserta. Aku cukup rimas. Adakah tidak ada cara berpakaian yang lebih baik untuk digayakan? Pemain profesional pun tidak berpakaian sedemikian rupa. Namun yang demikian, ketidak profesionalan kalian bukanlah tiket untuk berpakaian sedemikian rupa. 'Tiket-tiket' seperti santai hujung minggu, acara membebaskan diri dari kurungan baju kuung, busana muslimah terkini ala-Rosmah, hak peribadi hak asasi dll sama sekali tidak boleh untuk diterima. Ini bukannya sesi berjalan di tepi pantai, juga bukan sesi lawatan dan menyinggah ke sauna dan butik mewah. Berapa kali demikian daa....
Lepas ni sebarang jemputan main boling kena dalami dan pertimbangkan lagi sebaik mungkin jika ini adalah hasilnya...
p/s anak Dzul namanya Damiya sudah besar setahun lebih, sangat comel dan pandai dah berjalan...
Monday, October 18, 2010
Jawapan Balas Terhadap Kenyataan Ketua Pemuda MCA dan Gerakan
Jawapan Balas Terhadap Kenyataan Ketua Pemuda MCA dan Gerakan - Kenyataan Media Dewan Pemuda PAS Pusat
KENYATAAN MEDIA
18 Oktober 2010 / 10 Dzulkaedah 1431
Jawapan Balas Terhadap Kenyataan Ketua Pemuda MCA dan Gerakan
Pertama, Dewan Pemuda PAS Pusat (DPPP) mengucap terima kasih atas kritikan biarpun keras dari Ketua Pemuda Gerakan Kedah, Tan Keng Liang dan Ketua Pemuda MCA, Datuk Dr Wee Ka Siong ekoran tindakan kami membantah penganjuran Konsert Artis Gay Adam Lambert di Stadium Putra Bukit Jalil baru - baru ini. (merujuk kepada kenyataan Tan Keng Liang yang disiarkan dalam laman web Free Malaysia Today, 15 Oktober 2010, manakala kenyataan Wee Ka Siong dalam The Star Online, 16 Oktober 2010. Kedua-dua pemimpin pemuda tersebut membidas sikap DPPP dalam membantah konsert Adam Lambert yang didakwanya sebagai berfikiran sempit, ekstrim dan tindakan untuk mendiskriminasikan komuniti gay di Malaysia)
Kedua, mereka harus memahami bahawa Malaysia adalah sebuah negara yang majoriti ummat Islam dan mempunyai lunas perlembagaan serta undang-undang yang tersendiri. Adalah tidak manis sekiranya Malaysia menjemput seorang artis yang mempopularkan budaya homoseksual yang jelas bertentangan dengan imej, budaya dan agama di Malaysia. Malah, perbuatan tersebut disifatkan sebagai satu kesalahan dalam undang-undang di Malaysia. Ini menunjukkan sikap tidak sensitif kerajaan dalam membenarkan penganjuran konsert tersebut di negara ini.
Ketiga, DPPP menginginkan sebuah negara maju yang tidak meruntuhkan naluri kemanusiaan dan kemuliaan seorang manusia. Apakah maknanya sebuah negara maju sekiranya perbuatan songsang dianggap sebagai satu kebiasaan, trend masa kini dan adakah ia memberikan kebaikan kepada rakyat Malaysia? Jika benar dakwaan Tan Keng Liang bahawa terdapat satu komuniti gay di Malaysia, inilah masanya untuk kita sama-sama bimbing dan membentuk mereka ke arah perbuatan yang betul dan bukannya membantu untuk menyuburkan budaya tersebut.
Keempat, DPPP juga khuatir sekiranya artis luar negara, Adam Lambert akan melakukan sesuatu perkara yang bercanggah dengan garis panduan persembahan artis luar negara yang telah ditetapkan oleh Kementerian Penerangan, Komunikasi dan Kebudayaan Malaysia iaitu mengenai gerak laku semasa persembahan. Pihak DPPP tidak mahu sekiranya Adam Lambert akan mengulangi tindakan yang pernah dilakukan di American Musics Award sebelum ini di
Malaysia pula.
Kelima, suka DPPP mengajak Ketua Pemuda MCA dan Ketua Pemuda Gerakan Kedah untuk turun bergandingan dan berkerjasama dengan Pemuda PAS membimbing dan menyelamatkan generasi muda dari terus terjebak dalam cara dan gaya hidup yang songsang dan tidak bermoral.
Keenam, atau apakah kalian mahu membiarkan budaya songsang dan tidak bermoral ini menular di dalam negara kita tanpa dibendung ? Apakah sebenarnya matlamat perjuangan Pemuda MCA dan Pemuda Gerakan ? DPPP tidak fikir kalian mahu negara ini terdedah kepada budaya kuning dari barat itu menular masuk ke dalam negara kita . Marilah kita selamatkan negara dan generasi mudanya dari budaya kotor seperti seks bebas dan homoseksual ini. DPPP mengajak kalian untuk bersama berjuang menjadikan Malaysia negara kita sebagai zon bebas dari budaya hidup yang songsang dan tidak sihat ini lantara implikasinya adalah sangat buruk buat pertumbuhan sosial negara kita.
Ketujuh, sebagai contoh, andainya gejala songsang dan homoseksual ini berlaku dalam MCA dan Gerakan , apakah kalian mahu membiarkan ia menular lantas kalian membela dan mempertahankan cara hidup mereka? Mudahnya, jika itulah sikap yang diambil oleh kalian, DPPP percaya suatu masa nanti Pemuda MCA dan pemuda Gerakan akan pupus ketiadaan waris yang meneruskan perjuangan kalian justeru homoseksual tidak akan melahirkan waris.
Kelapan, DPPP ingin menekankan bahawa PAS tidak anti hiburan. Namun, corak persembahan, lirik lagu, budaya dan peribadi artis yang diundang mestilah diambil kira kerana ia boleh mempengaruhi sikap individu terutamanya golongan muda. Malah, kami menyeru agar semua pihak bersama-sama membentuk rakyat agar memiliki jati diri yang teguh, mengamalkan corak hidup yang sihat dan bertamadun ke arah menuju sebuah negara yang maju.
Kesembilan, DPPP bukanlah ekstrim sebagaimana yang didakwa. Justeru ekstrim itu ialah mereka yang degil untuk melakukan maksiat dan mungkar biarpun mereka menyedari ia adalah terlarang. Ekstrim ialah mereka yang degil melakukan perbuatan yang merosakkan moral dan akhlak biarpun mereka mengetahui implikasinya membinasakan pertumbuhan sosial negara. Sementara mereka yang berjuang untuk kebenaran dan menyelamatkan generasi dari terjebak dalam pengaruh mungkar serta kerosakan moral ini pula ialah golongan yang berprinsip bukan ekstrim.
Kesepuluh, DPPP mengharapkan Kalian tidak salah faham apalagi buat-buat tidak faham, kenapa Pemuda PAS bangkit membantah budaya seperti ini. Tidak cukup lagikah kebejadan yang berlaku menimpa negara hari ini akibat berleluasanya pengaruh cara hidup barat dalam negara dan generasi muda kita ? Kalian tentu tidak mahu rosaknya peradaban dan tamadun negara kita sebagaimana rendah dan runtuhnya moral dan tamadun kemanusiaan di barat
hari ini.
Disediakan oleh:
Ust.Nasruddin Hassan At Tantawi
Ketua Pemuda
Dewan Pemuda PAS Pusat
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Emas ke-9 Malaysia
Emas ke-9 Malaysia dalam Sukan Komanwel 2010, dari acara beregu campuran badminton.
Thursday, October 07, 2010
Qiraat: Saya bukan ahli
Ada beberapa permintaan untuk menjelaskan tentang sejarah qiraat tertentu yang diterima oleh saya. Juga, beberapa persoalan lain berkenaan tarannum dan lain-lain ilmu pembacaan Al-Quran yang saya memang kurang arif.
Saya yakin berdasarkan statistik Blogger untuk blog saya ini, semua soalan in adalah ditujukan apabila penyinggah membaca artikel ini. Artikel itu ialah salinan tanpa pindaan dari emel seorang sahabiah ke dalam satu e-group yang saya sertai. Ianya ditulis oleh sahabiah berkenaan apabila tercetus satu persoalan berkenaan qiraat dan tarannum yang hangat dicari dan ingin diketahui di era permulaan rancangan Akademi Al-Quran disiarkan.
Saya sendiri ingin menjelaskan bahawa salinan berkenaan hanyalah sekadar perkongsian. Saya sendiri tidak ada kemahiran dan pengetahuan yang mendalam di dalam ilmu qiraat dan tarannum yang berkenaan. Justeru sebarang pertanyaan tidaklah dapat saya jawab dan perlulah ditujukan kepada mereka yang lebih arif dalam bidang ini.
Wallahua'lam.
Saya yakin berdasarkan statistik Blogger untuk blog saya ini, semua soalan in adalah ditujukan apabila penyinggah membaca artikel ini. Artikel itu ialah salinan tanpa pindaan dari emel seorang sahabiah ke dalam satu e-group yang saya sertai. Ianya ditulis oleh sahabiah berkenaan apabila tercetus satu persoalan berkenaan qiraat dan tarannum yang hangat dicari dan ingin diketahui di era permulaan rancangan Akademi Al-Quran disiarkan.
Saya sendiri ingin menjelaskan bahawa salinan berkenaan hanyalah sekadar perkongsian. Saya sendiri tidak ada kemahiran dan pengetahuan yang mendalam di dalam ilmu qiraat dan tarannum yang berkenaan. Justeru sebarang pertanyaan tidaklah dapat saya jawab dan perlulah ditujukan kepada mereka yang lebih arif dalam bidang ini.
Wallahua'lam.
Pemantun
Di manakah dia?
Sudah lama aku tidak mendengar khabarnya. Sihatkah, gembirakah, semua itu aku tidak tahu.
Sepanjang pengetahuan aku dia sudah berkahwin. Adakah dia sudah mempunyai zuriat? Berapa orang?
Di manakah dia tinggal sekarang?
Di manakah dia bekerja atau mungkin mengajar sekarang?
Ada pautannya di Friendster yang sudah lama tidak kubuka, namun aku gagal mengesannya di Facebook...
Adakah dia masih aktif berpantun?
Sudah lama aku tidak mendengar khabarnya. Sihatkah, gembirakah, semua itu aku tidak tahu.
Sepanjang pengetahuan aku dia sudah berkahwin. Adakah dia sudah mempunyai zuriat? Berapa orang?
Di manakah dia tinggal sekarang?
Di manakah dia bekerja atau mungkin mengajar sekarang?
Ada pautannya di Friendster yang sudah lama tidak kubuka, namun aku gagal mengesannya di Facebook...
Adakah dia masih aktif berpantun?
Monday, September 27, 2010
My Public Apology
This morning, on my way to work with my bike, I've accidentally and unintentionally hit front-left bumper of a red, old Kancil with reg no BGU 2877. It happened at Chinese's Pasar Pagi near tu Balai Polis Kepong. If I'm not mistaken, the road's name is Jalan Kepong Utama. The road is best known for busy, jam-packed daily morning market which made the pathway a bit narrower, thus maneuvering motorcycle will be put at its highest skills, for specky, single-eye user like me.
After I hit, I just stopped my bike a bit because I thought it banged a bit loud. I saw a crack hole in front of the car's left bumper. After taking a glance view & thinking for a while, I decided to just proceed to work but some guilt had redirected me back to the hit spot. I rode my bike, make a turn to another route and went back to that busy road. I tried to find the car. I wanted to apology.
The events kept replaying in my mind during my search. Actually at first I'm riding behind him. Then cars started to move slowly, giving me chance to increase my speed. Then I thought I've rode at the left side of the driver when the car started to turn left. I believed I've evasively left-maneuvered my bike after realizing that the care have not given the left signal. I didn't know where the driver wanted to go; to park at the left car park or to turn left. Suddenly the ramming happened with with quite a bang sound. I'm not so sure either my bike's exhaust had smacked the front bumper of that or that car had collided with my exhaust. Nevertheless my exhaust was left intact.
After I found the car which was parked properly in front of the front-most shop lots, I waited for a while, hoping to meet the driver. Yet after 6 to 7 minutes, I decided to go to work.
Here, if it's considered my fault I'm so sorry and I wanted to apology. If not, just let it go by itself...
Allah the Almighty, thanks so much to let both of us safely uninjured. For those who drove the car, or knows who's the car driver, or knows the car, I'm in the full of hope that this sincere, humble apology will echo in your sight/heart/hearing/sense. Please send my best regards to the driver.
After I hit, I just stopped my bike a bit because I thought it banged a bit loud. I saw a crack hole in front of the car's left bumper. After taking a glance view & thinking for a while, I decided to just proceed to work but some guilt had redirected me back to the hit spot. I rode my bike, make a turn to another route and went back to that busy road. I tried to find the car. I wanted to apology.
The events kept replaying in my mind during my search. Actually at first I'm riding behind him. Then cars started to move slowly, giving me chance to increase my speed. Then I thought I've rode at the left side of the driver when the car started to turn left. I believed I've evasively left-maneuvered my bike after realizing that the care have not given the left signal. I didn't know where the driver wanted to go; to park at the left car park or to turn left. Suddenly the ramming happened with with quite a bang sound. I'm not so sure either my bike's exhaust had smacked the front bumper of that or that car had collided with my exhaust. Nevertheless my exhaust was left intact.
After I found the car which was parked properly in front of the front-most shop lots, I waited for a while, hoping to meet the driver. Yet after 6 to 7 minutes, I decided to go to work.
Here, if it's considered my fault I'm so sorry and I wanted to apology. If not, just let it go by itself...
Allah the Almighty, thanks so much to let both of us safely uninjured. For those who drove the car, or knows who's the car driver, or knows the car, I'm in the full of hope that this sincere, humble apology will echo in your sight/heart/hearing/sense. Please send my best regards to the driver.
Monday, September 20, 2010
MU lwn Liverpool: a September 2010 comment
This review is loosely related to the posting made here.
The full coverage and match report can be found here at EPL website & here at BBC News website.
Berbatov glamorously scored a hat-trick and this made him the top goalscorer for Man Utd's 2010/11 EPL season. Maybe this year, Rooney's reign as a top striker will be overshadowed a bit at club level. Although Liverpool's 2 goals comeback courtesy of Gerrard's effort, both given by the ref seem a bit threatening, it posted no serious challenge to United.
United's lack of composure in the last 15-20 minutes of the game has to be improved if they want to be serious contender of league title this season.
Nani's injury is thought not to be serious at first until he himself asked to be replaced in 88th minute.
The full coverage and match report can be found here at EPL website & here at BBC News website.
Berbatov glamorously scored a hat-trick and this made him the top goalscorer for Man Utd's 2010/11 EPL season. Maybe this year, Rooney's reign as a top striker will be overshadowed a bit at club level. Although Liverpool's 2 goals comeback courtesy of Gerrard's effort, both given by the ref seem a bit threatening, it posted no serious challenge to United.
United's lack of composure in the last 15-20 minutes of the game has to be improved if they want to be serious contender of league title this season.
Nani's injury is thought not to be serious at first until he himself asked to be replaced in 88th minute.
Sambutan 'Idulfitri 2010 1431H
Alhamdulillah, walaupun tak banyak perjalanan ke rumah kawan-kawan, aku sempat juga dikunjungi oleh kawan-kawan yakni Afzan, Syed & Pok Din. Jazakumullah. Aku sempat juga ziarah Salmi Koh suami isteri & anaknya yang baru berusia sebulan lebih.
Sebenarnya lepas Afzan, Syed & Pok Din berangkat pulang dari rumah aku pada tengah hari raya kedua, aku ada peluang nak jumpa Hadri & Wana sebab mereka bertiga menuju ke rumah kedua-dua sepupu berkenaan. Ingat bolehlah kami berenam ni jumpa selepas sekian lama tak jumpa, namun tak berkesempatan. Aku terpaksa ke Kok Lanas untuk beli susu lutfi yang dah nak habis. Itu lebih penting. Di Ketereh susu Mamex Gold tak dijual di mana-mana supermarket.
Raya tahun ni, aku berhari raya pertama di Morak. Di rumah, Izam je takde sebab dia beraya di Sabah.
Aku berpeluang menjejakkan kaki ke Perlis tahun ni, sebab transit kat rumah Kak Ti, Haizan's elder sister sempena majlis menhantar Nonie ke Changlun. So sekarang ni tinggal Sarawak saja yang belum kujejaki.
Sebenarnya lepas Afzan, Syed & Pok Din berangkat pulang dari rumah aku pada tengah hari raya kedua, aku ada peluang nak jumpa Hadri & Wana sebab mereka bertiga menuju ke rumah kedua-dua sepupu berkenaan. Ingat bolehlah kami berenam ni jumpa selepas sekian lama tak jumpa, namun tak berkesempatan. Aku terpaksa ke Kok Lanas untuk beli susu lutfi yang dah nak habis. Itu lebih penting. Di Ketereh susu Mamex Gold tak dijual di mana-mana supermarket.
Raya tahun ni, aku berhari raya pertama di Morak. Di rumah, Izam je takde sebab dia beraya di Sabah.
Aku berpeluang menjejakkan kaki ke Perlis tahun ni, sebab transit kat rumah Kak Ti, Haizan's elder sister sempena majlis menhantar Nonie ke Changlun. So sekarang ni tinggal Sarawak saja yang belum kujejaki.
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
re-structure lagi (4)
Sebelum pergi lebih jauh mungkin kalian sidang pembaca menginginkan pembacaan prequel-prequel artikel ini di sini.
re-structure lagi
re-structure lagi (2)
re-structure lagi (3)
Sungguh, ketidak tentuan ini memeningkan. Mengapa perlu ada penyusunan semula yang kerap? Aktiviti ini sudah pasti melibatkan kos. Ianya juga bakal menampilkan komen-komen negatif dari pelbagai pihak dalaman dan luaran yang berurusan dengan kita. Kesannya, KPI-KPI berkaitan dengan perhubungan pelanggan yang amat diagung-agungkan itu akan merudum dengan teruk.
Jari-jemari mulalah sibuk tuding-menuding siapa yang silap, siapa yang salah dan siapa yang bakal dikambing hitamkan dengan men'dua'kan grade bonusnya. Pada hal sudah jelas lagi bersuluh, bahawa pertukaran dan perubahan yang dilakukan adalah punca rendahnya prestasi KPI berkaitan pelanggan yang berkenaan.
Masakan tidak, mengapa KPI berkaitan pelanggan yang berkenaan, tinggi di peringkat orang bawahan namun sangat rendah dan memalukan di peringkat istana negara?
Adakah quote di bawah sesuai atau terlalu keras di musim bulan Ramadhan yang harinya tinggal separuh lebih sahaja lagi?
"The ultimate stupidity is doing the same thing again and again hoping for a better result. "
re-structure lagi
re-structure lagi (2)
re-structure lagi (3)
Sungguh, ketidak tentuan ini memeningkan. Mengapa perlu ada penyusunan semula yang kerap? Aktiviti ini sudah pasti melibatkan kos. Ianya juga bakal menampilkan komen-komen negatif dari pelbagai pihak dalaman dan luaran yang berurusan dengan kita. Kesannya, KPI-KPI berkaitan dengan perhubungan pelanggan yang amat diagung-agungkan itu akan merudum dengan teruk.
Jari-jemari mulalah sibuk tuding-menuding siapa yang silap, siapa yang salah dan siapa yang bakal dikambing hitamkan dengan men'dua'kan grade bonusnya. Pada hal sudah jelas lagi bersuluh, bahawa pertukaran dan perubahan yang dilakukan adalah punca rendahnya prestasi KPI berkaitan pelanggan yang berkenaan.
Masakan tidak, mengapa KPI berkaitan pelanggan yang berkenaan, tinggi di peringkat orang bawahan namun sangat rendah dan memalukan di peringkat istana negara?
Adakah quote di bawah sesuai atau terlalu keras di musim bulan Ramadhan yang harinya tinggal separuh lebih sahaja lagi?
"The ultimate stupidity is doing the same thing again and again hoping for a better result. "
Friday, August 13, 2010
Keadaan
Peraturan dan undang-undang gunanya untuk memandu dan mengawal hidup. Segala-gala yang berlaku di sekeliling kita, ada peraturan dan hukum yang ALLAH SWT telah tetapkan. Dalam mengatur hidup, banyak peraturan yang sering kita persoalkan. Bukan peraturan dan undang-undang gubalan manusia saja yang kita ragu dan bantahkan, terkadang sampai satu tahap undang-undang dan hukum ALLAH pun sanggup kita sanggahi dan engkari. Sangatlah melampaunya orang yang tidak mahu mematuhi perintah ALLAH yang Maha Sempurna dan Maha Menghukum; Maha Adil dan Maha Bijaksana.
Undang-undang ciptaan manusia tidak sempurna. Jika diambil contoh terdekat, masyarakat umum di Malaysia amat membenci Akta Keselamatan Dalam Negeri (ISA). Whistle-blowers amat anti dengan Akta Rahsia Rasmi (OSA) dan pengamal media amat membantah Akta Media & Mesin Cetak. Ada provisi di dalam akta-akta berkenaan tidak selari dengan prinsip syariah Islamiyyah seperti contohnya, konsep penahanan tanpa bicara yang diwarisi dari asas "seseorang itu bersalah melainkan dibuktikan sebaliknya." Dalam Islam, seseorang itu tidak bersalah melainkan dapat dibuktikan bahawa dia bersalah.
Bagaimana dengan akujanji? Pelbagai jenis akujanji yang pernah dijumpai dalam hidup ini termasuklah aqad jual beli kediaman dan kenderaan, aqad nikah, pengakuan untuk tidak berpolitik bagi mahasiswa dan kakitangan kerajaan, akujanji merahsiakan maklumat sulit kerajaan atau syarikat, perakuan merahsiakan info tender, sebut harga mahupun kontrak dan pelbagai jenis lagi. Akujanji juga satu bentuk kawalan.
Apabila sesebuah syarikat berada di tahap kritikal atau cemerlang, seringkali mereka memerlukan akujanji untuk memaksa kakitangan mereka merahsiakan keadaan terkini syarikat, apa yang menyebabkan syarikat sangat cemerlang atau bencana apakah yang mengusutkan hati kepimpinan syarikat. Satu contoh yang ingin dibawa di sini, pelaksanaan langkah penjimatan kos yang sangat luar biasa di peringkat bawahan tanpa seiring dengan penjimatan kos di peringkat atasan adalah sesuatu yang amat mencurigakan. Pekeliling yang disiarkan hanya sampai di peringkat atasan saja. Apa yang berlaku sebenarnya cuba ditutup pelaksanaan akujanji.
Sekali lagi diulangi, peraturan dan undang-undang adalah untuk mengawal. Kadang-kadang rasa tersepit. Kadang-kadang merasakan akujanji ini seperti OSA yang amat dibencikan itu. Namun jika tidak ada kawalan, dikhuatiri bercemperalah maklumat yang tidak sepatutnya di khalayak umum. Tetapi jika pelaksanaannya terlalu ekstrim dan mendahului apa yang Islam benarkan, maka seharusnya ianya ditentang.
Tentang? Beranikah?
Bagaimana dengan membetulkan dari dalam? Ah, keadaan tidak berkuasa menyebabkan perubahan ke arah kebaikan tidak mampu untuk dilaksanakan.
(Akujanji ini tidak harus ditanda tangani.)
Undang-undang ciptaan manusia tidak sempurna. Jika diambil contoh terdekat, masyarakat umum di Malaysia amat membenci Akta Keselamatan Dalam Negeri (ISA). Whistle-blowers amat anti dengan Akta Rahsia Rasmi (OSA) dan pengamal media amat membantah Akta Media & Mesin Cetak. Ada provisi di dalam akta-akta berkenaan tidak selari dengan prinsip syariah Islamiyyah seperti contohnya, konsep penahanan tanpa bicara yang diwarisi dari asas "seseorang itu bersalah melainkan dibuktikan sebaliknya." Dalam Islam, seseorang itu tidak bersalah melainkan dapat dibuktikan bahawa dia bersalah.
Bagaimana dengan akujanji? Pelbagai jenis akujanji yang pernah dijumpai dalam hidup ini termasuklah aqad jual beli kediaman dan kenderaan, aqad nikah, pengakuan untuk tidak berpolitik bagi mahasiswa dan kakitangan kerajaan, akujanji merahsiakan maklumat sulit kerajaan atau syarikat, perakuan merahsiakan info tender, sebut harga mahupun kontrak dan pelbagai jenis lagi. Akujanji juga satu bentuk kawalan.
Apabila sesebuah syarikat berada di tahap kritikal atau cemerlang, seringkali mereka memerlukan akujanji untuk memaksa kakitangan mereka merahsiakan keadaan terkini syarikat, apa yang menyebabkan syarikat sangat cemerlang atau bencana apakah yang mengusutkan hati kepimpinan syarikat. Satu contoh yang ingin dibawa di sini, pelaksanaan langkah penjimatan kos yang sangat luar biasa di peringkat bawahan tanpa seiring dengan penjimatan kos di peringkat atasan adalah sesuatu yang amat mencurigakan. Pekeliling yang disiarkan hanya sampai di peringkat atasan saja. Apa yang berlaku sebenarnya cuba ditutup pelaksanaan akujanji.
Sekali lagi diulangi, peraturan dan undang-undang adalah untuk mengawal. Kadang-kadang rasa tersepit. Kadang-kadang merasakan akujanji ini seperti OSA yang amat dibencikan itu. Namun jika tidak ada kawalan, dikhuatiri bercemperalah maklumat yang tidak sepatutnya di khalayak umum. Tetapi jika pelaksanaannya terlalu ekstrim dan mendahului apa yang Islam benarkan, maka seharusnya ianya ditentang.
Tentang? Beranikah?
Bagaimana dengan membetulkan dari dalam? Ah, keadaan tidak berkuasa menyebabkan perubahan ke arah kebaikan tidak mampu untuk dilaksanakan.
(Akujanji ini tidak harus ditanda tangani.)
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Teka-teki
Mcm mana 14 batang paku blh dibuat begini.hny 1 paku dibenarkan cecah papan.paku-paku lain mesti bersentuhan antara satu sama lain tanpa blh menyentuh lantai dan papan.
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Blogging via Sony Ericsson mobile phone
The post below (bowling) is the first post sent via my SE K770i. Actually that's the second one, the first belong to a test post which has been deleted.
It's so nice to know that how easy you can update your blog via mobile, on the go. You can add single photo or single video from your SE phone's File Manager directly to your desired blog if you already have a Blogger account. Just select the photo or video, press More, press Send and select To blog. Oh, one more thing, you have to have internet access on your phone, preferably postpaid unlimited internet access (no matter via 3G or GPRS or whatsoever). The phone also should have been configured to send MMS at the first place.
At first attempt, you will find the pics/vids sent to the randomly generated blogspot URL. Then you'll receive an SMS from Blogger informing you your token. You have to go to http://go.blogger.com/ to sync your mobile & desired blog address using that token. You can choose to stick with randomly generated blogspot URL for the default mobile posting location or select from a list of your existing blog.
The second time you post in the same manner stated above, you'll find the post will go directly to your existing blog. In seconds, you'll have yourself updated.
Have a good try!
It's so nice to know that how easy you can update your blog via mobile, on the go. You can add single photo or single video from your SE phone's File Manager directly to your desired blog if you already have a Blogger account. Just select the photo or video, press More, press Send and select To blog. Oh, one more thing, you have to have internet access on your phone, preferably postpaid unlimited internet access (no matter via 3G or GPRS or whatsoever). The phone also should have been configured to send MMS at the first place.
At first attempt, you will find the pics/vids sent to the randomly generated blogspot URL. Then you'll receive an SMS from Blogger informing you your token. You have to go to http://go.blogger.com/ to sync your mobile & desired blog address using that token. You can choose to stick with randomly generated blogspot URL for the default mobile posting location or select from a list of your existing blog.
The second time you post in the same manner stated above, you'll find the post will go directly to your existing blog. In seconds, you'll have yourself updated.
Have a good try!
Main bowling kat cineleisure Ahad lepas
Menang tempat pertama b'pasukan dlm game dgn TM RnD. Skor dlm 2 game tu 202 dgn 132. Team score 1311.
Monday, July 12, 2010
Setelah lapan tahun Fadzil Noor pergi
Setelah lapan tahun Fadzil Noor pergi
(sumber)
SELEPAS 8 tahun Almarhum Ustaz Fadzil Noor meninggal, Jun 2002, Jun 2010 Ustaz Shukri pula meninggal.
Memperingati lapan tahun Presiden PAS kembali menemui Tuhannya, PAS Kawasan Permatang Pauh menganjurkan majlis memperingati perjuangan pemimpin besar ulama negara dasawarsa 90an dan 2000.
Saya diberi penghormatan untuk meriwayatkan beberapa perkara penting dalam sejarah dan kehidupannya sepanjang lebih 60 tahun itu.
Bagi saya beliau dilahirkan bagi menjadi pemimpin Islam yang tabah, berhati-hati, teliti, berpandangan jauh dan berfikiran tajam serta penyabar.
Setelah menamatkan ijazah sarjana mudanya di Universiti Azhar, Ustaz Fadzil telah mendaftar untuk melanjutkan pelajaran ijazah sarjana. Ketika itu pemimpin Kedah Datuk Abu Bakar Umar, yang berkunjung ke Mesir mencadangkan kepada beliau agar menangguh pengajian dan pulang ke Kedah kerana PAS Kedah memerlukan pemimpin pelapis dan bakat dan ilmunya ada sudah memadai bagi memimpin PAS Kedah.
Kata isterinya Kak Jah Ibrahim, Ustaz Fadzil menyambut pelawaan Datuk Abu Bakar Umar dan pulang. Tetapi keadaan menyebabkan cadangan untuk bersama memimpin PAS Kedah tertangguh. Beliau tidak segera menjadi pemimpin.
Keadaan menjadikannya seorang pensyarah jurusan Islam di Universiti Teknologi Malaysia yang membawanya jauh dari Kedah.
Sebagai pensyarah universiti banyak pantang larang untuk bergiat dalam politik, apa lagilah dalam PAS yang menjadi penentang utama UMNO. Ruang tidak mengizinkannya untuk bergiat cergas dalam PAS, tetapi ruang yang terbuka dalam dakwah ialah dalam Abim. Di sinilah bakat pimpinannya terselah.
Walau pun tidak menjadi pemimpin utama Abim tetapi beliaulah penasihat utama Anwar Ibrahim yang memimpin Abim yang kepimpinannya terserlah ke seluruh alam.
Dari Abim inilah UMNO menonjolkan bakatnya untuk menjadi pemimpin PAS dari hujung tahun 70an hingga awal tahun 2000. Bukan kerana UMNO sayang kepadanya mahu beliau menjadi parti seterunya, tetapi dera yang UMNO kenakan kepadanya menyebabkan beliau menjadi pemimpin PAS dan menjadi penentang utama politik UMNO.
Banyak pantang larang berpolitik bagi pensyarah. Larangan itu menyebabkan para pensyarah Islam yang memimpin berundur dari pimpinan kerana dikehendaki menumpukan tugas di universiti saja. Pantang larang inilah yang menghalang Ustaz Fadzil untuk bergerak cergas.
Tetapi dalam pilihan raya umum 1978, beliau bertanding sebagai calon PAS bagi kawasan Parlimen Kuala Kedah dan kalah. Tindakannya itu bertentangan dengan kemahuan UMNO. Dengan pengaruh yang ada pada UMNO, UTM memecatnya.
Jika beliau diberi amaran saja, mungkin beliau akan mematuhi larangan berpolitik seperti lain-lain penyarah yang meninggalkan pimpinan PAS untuk memberi penuh masa mengajar universiti. Bukan senang bagi seseorang untuk meninggalkan gaji besar di universiti semata-mata untuk berpolitik yang tiada janji berjaya.
Tetapi UTM memilih untuk memecatnya. Beliau yang biasa bergaji besar tiba-tiba jadi penganggur. Bagi mengisi masa menganggur inilah Ustaz Fadzil diberi sebuah bilik di Pejabat Agung PAS dan menggunakan sepenuh masanya untuk menjelajah seluruh negara berceramah di pentas PAS.
Keperluan hidup Ustaz Fadzil ditanggung oleh kawasan-kawasan PAS yang mengundangnya berceramah dan bantuan rakan-rakannya.
Ketika yang sama beliau memfailkan saman kepada UTM atas pemecatannya. Beberapa tahun kemudian beliau memenangi perbicaraannya dan disambung semula perkhidmatannya. Mahkamah memerintahkan dibayar gajinya selama tempoh penganggurannya.
Ustaz Fadzil yang sudah sekian lama merasa bebas, terasa terikat apabila terpaksa ke kampus semula. Tidak dapat berceramah lagi.
Oleh kerana beliau sudah tahu bagaimana hendak hidup tanpa gaji semasa penganggurannya dulu, maka beliau tidak takut untuk tidak bekerja semula. Beliau berhenti dari universiti untuk bergerak sepenuh masa dalam politik.
Keadaan inilah membuka jalan baginya untuk menjadi pemimpin. Bermula dengan menjadi jawatankuasa PAS Pusat yang dilantik, beliau menjadi Naib Presiden, Timbalan Presiden dan akhirnya menjadi Presiden dan anggota Majlis Syura Ulama.
Jika beliau tidak dipecat, saya tidak dapat membayangkan beliau akan meninggalkan tugasnya di universiti. Seperti lain-lain pensyarah masa mereka untuk terjun aktif dalam PAS ialah setelah bersara. Orang bersara adalah orang tua yang tenaga pun sudah tidak kuat. Sudah tidak banyak masa dan tenaga yang dapat diberikan kepada PAS.
Kerana Ustaz Fadzil dipecat dalam usia 40an, masih belia yang bertenaga, maka pengalaman itu mengajarnya untuk berdikari, maka beliau memanjat tangga pimpinan PAS dan terbukti beliau muncul sebagai seorang pimpinan gerakan Islam yang disegani olah kawan dan lawan.
Di zaman pimpinannya beliau membuka semula peranan Muslimat untuk menjadi calon. Dan peranan luas yang diisi oleh Muslimat sekarang dimulai di zamannya.
Beliau mengambil masa untuk mengadakan hubungan dengan masyarakat bukan Islam. Tetapi persetujuannya untuk membentuk CCC, kumpulan komuniti Cina untuk bekerjasama dengan PAS dalam tahun 1986, membuka kerjasama PAS dengan masyarakat bukan Islam dan muafakat dengan DAP dan lain-lain badan bukan Islam secara terbuka.
Ia adalah antara peninggalan pimpinannya.
(sumber)
SELEPAS 8 tahun Almarhum Ustaz Fadzil Noor meninggal, Jun 2002, Jun 2010 Ustaz Shukri pula meninggal.
Memperingati lapan tahun Presiden PAS kembali menemui Tuhannya, PAS Kawasan Permatang Pauh menganjurkan majlis memperingati perjuangan pemimpin besar ulama negara dasawarsa 90an dan 2000.
Saya diberi penghormatan untuk meriwayatkan beberapa perkara penting dalam sejarah dan kehidupannya sepanjang lebih 60 tahun itu.
Bagi saya beliau dilahirkan bagi menjadi pemimpin Islam yang tabah, berhati-hati, teliti, berpandangan jauh dan berfikiran tajam serta penyabar.
Setelah menamatkan ijazah sarjana mudanya di Universiti Azhar, Ustaz Fadzil telah mendaftar untuk melanjutkan pelajaran ijazah sarjana. Ketika itu pemimpin Kedah Datuk Abu Bakar Umar, yang berkunjung ke Mesir mencadangkan kepada beliau agar menangguh pengajian dan pulang ke Kedah kerana PAS Kedah memerlukan pemimpin pelapis dan bakat dan ilmunya ada sudah memadai bagi memimpin PAS Kedah.
Kata isterinya Kak Jah Ibrahim, Ustaz Fadzil menyambut pelawaan Datuk Abu Bakar Umar dan pulang. Tetapi keadaan menyebabkan cadangan untuk bersama memimpin PAS Kedah tertangguh. Beliau tidak segera menjadi pemimpin.
Keadaan menjadikannya seorang pensyarah jurusan Islam di Universiti Teknologi Malaysia yang membawanya jauh dari Kedah.
Sebagai pensyarah universiti banyak pantang larang untuk bergiat dalam politik, apa lagilah dalam PAS yang menjadi penentang utama UMNO. Ruang tidak mengizinkannya untuk bergiat cergas dalam PAS, tetapi ruang yang terbuka dalam dakwah ialah dalam Abim. Di sinilah bakat pimpinannya terselah.
Walau pun tidak menjadi pemimpin utama Abim tetapi beliaulah penasihat utama Anwar Ibrahim yang memimpin Abim yang kepimpinannya terserlah ke seluruh alam.
Dari Abim inilah UMNO menonjolkan bakatnya untuk menjadi pemimpin PAS dari hujung tahun 70an hingga awal tahun 2000. Bukan kerana UMNO sayang kepadanya mahu beliau menjadi parti seterunya, tetapi dera yang UMNO kenakan kepadanya menyebabkan beliau menjadi pemimpin PAS dan menjadi penentang utama politik UMNO.
Banyak pantang larang berpolitik bagi pensyarah. Larangan itu menyebabkan para pensyarah Islam yang memimpin berundur dari pimpinan kerana dikehendaki menumpukan tugas di universiti saja. Pantang larang inilah yang menghalang Ustaz Fadzil untuk bergerak cergas.
Tetapi dalam pilihan raya umum 1978, beliau bertanding sebagai calon PAS bagi kawasan Parlimen Kuala Kedah dan kalah. Tindakannya itu bertentangan dengan kemahuan UMNO. Dengan pengaruh yang ada pada UMNO, UTM memecatnya.
Jika beliau diberi amaran saja, mungkin beliau akan mematuhi larangan berpolitik seperti lain-lain penyarah yang meninggalkan pimpinan PAS untuk memberi penuh masa mengajar universiti. Bukan senang bagi seseorang untuk meninggalkan gaji besar di universiti semata-mata untuk berpolitik yang tiada janji berjaya.
Tetapi UTM memilih untuk memecatnya. Beliau yang biasa bergaji besar tiba-tiba jadi penganggur. Bagi mengisi masa menganggur inilah Ustaz Fadzil diberi sebuah bilik di Pejabat Agung PAS dan menggunakan sepenuh masanya untuk menjelajah seluruh negara berceramah di pentas PAS.
Keperluan hidup Ustaz Fadzil ditanggung oleh kawasan-kawasan PAS yang mengundangnya berceramah dan bantuan rakan-rakannya.
Ketika yang sama beliau memfailkan saman kepada UTM atas pemecatannya. Beberapa tahun kemudian beliau memenangi perbicaraannya dan disambung semula perkhidmatannya. Mahkamah memerintahkan dibayar gajinya selama tempoh penganggurannya.
Ustaz Fadzil yang sudah sekian lama merasa bebas, terasa terikat apabila terpaksa ke kampus semula. Tidak dapat berceramah lagi.
Oleh kerana beliau sudah tahu bagaimana hendak hidup tanpa gaji semasa penganggurannya dulu, maka beliau tidak takut untuk tidak bekerja semula. Beliau berhenti dari universiti untuk bergerak sepenuh masa dalam politik.
Keadaan inilah membuka jalan baginya untuk menjadi pemimpin. Bermula dengan menjadi jawatankuasa PAS Pusat yang dilantik, beliau menjadi Naib Presiden, Timbalan Presiden dan akhirnya menjadi Presiden dan anggota Majlis Syura Ulama.
Jika beliau tidak dipecat, saya tidak dapat membayangkan beliau akan meninggalkan tugasnya di universiti. Seperti lain-lain pensyarah masa mereka untuk terjun aktif dalam PAS ialah setelah bersara. Orang bersara adalah orang tua yang tenaga pun sudah tidak kuat. Sudah tidak banyak masa dan tenaga yang dapat diberikan kepada PAS.
Kerana Ustaz Fadzil dipecat dalam usia 40an, masih belia yang bertenaga, maka pengalaman itu mengajarnya untuk berdikari, maka beliau memanjat tangga pimpinan PAS dan terbukti beliau muncul sebagai seorang pimpinan gerakan Islam yang disegani olah kawan dan lawan.
Di zaman pimpinannya beliau membuka semula peranan Muslimat untuk menjadi calon. Dan peranan luas yang diisi oleh Muslimat sekarang dimulai di zamannya.
Beliau mengambil masa untuk mengadakan hubungan dengan masyarakat bukan Islam. Tetapi persetujuannya untuk membentuk CCC, kumpulan komuniti Cina untuk bekerjasama dengan PAS dalam tahun 1986, membuka kerjasama PAS dengan masyarakat bukan Islam dan muafakat dengan DAP dan lain-lain badan bukan Islam secara terbuka.
Ia adalah antara peninggalan pimpinannya.
Monday, June 28, 2010
Muhasabah buat England
Bersumberkan artikel ini.
Where did it all go wrong?
Sun Jun 27 09:46PM
On the bright side, a depressing loss is marginally better than a heartbreaking loss. And at least England's atrocious defending lessened the significance of Frank Lampard's absurdly disallowed goal - fingers crossed it will not get as many replays as the Hand of God, Gazza's tears or David Seaman watching a Ronaldinho lob sail over his head.
But England's 4-1 capitulation against Germany provides more questions than answers. Let's try and make sense of it all.
Why can't our players perform at the World Cup like they do in the Premier League?
This was the question posed repeatedly by BBC commentator Guy Mowbray when Rooney, Gerrard and company toiled in vain going forward. But England's real problem is that they DID play like a Premier League side, especially in defence. People love English football because it is chock-full of action and mistakes, and physical power is prized above technical ability. England were tactically moronic in the second half, throwing players forward with no thought to the consequences. Inter Milan side might not be the biggest crowdpleasers, but would they have conceded any of the four goals England did? Absolutely not. John Terry and Matthew Upson's defensive clowning was pure Premier League.
But what about the midfielders? Why didn't they perform?
You cannot expect Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard to both recreate their 20-goals-a-season club form for England, because they are the undisputed kingpins for Chelsea and Liverpool. Lampard is used to playing in a central midfield trio, while Gerrard is certainly not shunted out on to the left at Anfield. Most importantly of all, they are both surrounded by quality team-mates, most of them foreign. Look at how Gerrard's form dipped after the brilliant passer Xabi Alonso left Liverpool. England do not have a Xabi Alonso. On this tournament's evidence, they don't even have a Lucas Leiva.
Why didn't Capello change the formation?
Look at the CV. Serie A titles with AC Milan, Roma and Juventus, two Liga titles with Real Madrid, and a Champions League. All won playing 4-4-2. Unpopular as it is, the formation is not fatally flawed - you can win lots of stuff if you have the right players playing it the right way. Which is precisely what England had during a brilliant qualifying campaign. You might argue Croatia and Ukraine are not as good as Germany, but if 4-4-2 could overcome those two sides, why not USA or Algeria? Also, most proponents of the 4-2-3-1, with Wayne Rooney playing on his own up front, had Joe Cole in their first XI. Yet Cole, while undoubtedly a fans' favourite, did very little during his appearances in the tournament.
Wouldn't it have helped Rooney?
The formation was not to blame for Rooney's woes. It wasn't like he showed flashes of brilliance, or kept getting possession in the wrong part of the pitch. He was total rubbish in every aspect of his game. Putting him on his own up front wasn't going to solve that. This is the same man who spent a season on the left wing for Manchester United, won the Premier League and Champions League, and was roundly praised for his versatility. He has also played plenty of games in a front two with Carlos Tevez, Dimitar Berbatov and Emile Heskey for that matter. 4-2-3-1 might have been the right formation, but don't blame 4-4-2 for the Rooney debacle.
Just how bad was Rooney?
Here are some stats (courtesy of Optajoe)
-Rooney has failed to score in his last nine games for England, his longest barren run for the national team.
-Rooney has lost the ball by being tackled in possession 32 times, more often than any other player at the 2010 World Cup.
-Rooney completed only 55 per cent of his passes for England against Germany - the lowest rate in the game.
This wasn't just a star player failing to live up to his billing. This was one of the best players in the world playing like one of the worst.
What if Frank Lampard's goal had stood?
Given the abject nature of England's performance, it is tempting to think all Lampard's goal would have done is make it 4-2 instead of 4-1. But as sickening a cliche as it may be, goals do indeed change games. At two apiece, both teams would have changed their approach - most importantly England would not have over-committed and made themselves so vulnerable to counter-attack. And even a team less mentally fragile than England could be forgiven if they felt a bit discouraged after they put the ball a yard over the line and had the goal chalked off. The goal came just after Matthew Upson's goal during England's best spell of dominance - for 90 glorious seconds we looked like contenders. After referee Larrionda and his team's blunder, England were never the same again.
Were Germany even that good?
Well, they took their chances with aplomb, but England did not make them work hard for them. Four separate doses of awful defending led to the German goals. In general play, England had more possession and more shots on target, but you would need a particularly warped mindset to argue that they actually deserved to win. And as any German will tell you, tournament football is about beating the team opposite you on the day - they did that with ease. Argentina might be a tougher proposition, though.
Should we be surprised?
Probably not. England always lose against the first top nation they encounter at World Cups, although they usually keep it closer than they did today. Here are the teams England have beaten at World Cups since 1986: Poland, Paraguay, Egypt, Belgium, Cameroon, Tunisia, Colombia, Argentina (the notable exception), Denmark, Paraguay, Trinidad and Tobago, Ecuador, Slovenia. The teams who have knocked us out? Argentina, West Germany, Argentina, Brazil, Portugal, Germany. Does that really sound like a team that should have started as favourites in Bloemfontein?
So what now?
Even though England's so-called Golden Generation was pronounced dead at 10 to five, it may well be that not much changes. The European Championship is only two years away, and it is highly unlikely that Terry (29), Gerrard (30) and Lampard (32) will just jack in international football. More worryingly, it's not like there is a bumper crop of young players waiting to step up. Jack Wilshere and Jack Rodwell look the only members of the current Under-21 side with genuine international ability. That said, it is unlikely we will see any of James, Terry, Upson, Carragher, King, Ferdinand, Gerrard, Lampard, Joe Cole, Barry, Crouch or Heskey in Brazil in 2014.
And the manager?
There was much rejoicing last month when Capello removed a clause allowing either him or the FA to get out of his contract without compensation. At the time, it looked like a show of commitment - now it looks like a superb ruse to ensure a £6 million pay-off if the FA sack him. Capello has said he will not resign, but is to hold crisis talks with the FA, and the bookies have him odds-on to go. It is a strange one alright. After cruising through qualifying, Capello has done worse than Sven-Goran Eriksson at the World Cup, and presided over an unhappy and underperforming squad. His reputation has taken an absolute battering, and his claim that England "played a good game" against Germany will not help. Neither will his borderline treasonous decision to bring on Emile Heskey and Shaun Wright-Phillips when England were 4-1 down.
Now, let's set aside the England inquest for a couple of weeks and enjoy watching some other, better teams, battle it out for the World Cup. It will be fun.
Where did it all go wrong?
Sun Jun 27 09:46PM
On the bright side, a depressing loss is marginally better than a heartbreaking loss. And at least England's atrocious defending lessened the significance of Frank Lampard's absurdly disallowed goal - fingers crossed it will not get as many replays as the Hand of God, Gazza's tears or David Seaman watching a Ronaldinho lob sail over his head.
But England's 4-1 capitulation against Germany provides more questions than answers. Let's try and make sense of it all.
Why can't our players perform at the World Cup like they do in the Premier League?
This was the question posed repeatedly by BBC commentator Guy Mowbray when Rooney, Gerrard and company toiled in vain going forward. But England's real problem is that they DID play like a Premier League side, especially in defence. People love English football because it is chock-full of action and mistakes, and physical power is prized above technical ability. England were tactically moronic in the second half, throwing players forward with no thought to the consequences. Inter Milan side might not be the biggest crowdpleasers, but would they have conceded any of the four goals England did? Absolutely not. John Terry and Matthew Upson's defensive clowning was pure Premier League.
But what about the midfielders? Why didn't they perform?
You cannot expect Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard to both recreate their 20-goals-a-season club form for England, because they are the undisputed kingpins for Chelsea and Liverpool. Lampard is used to playing in a central midfield trio, while Gerrard is certainly not shunted out on to the left at Anfield. Most importantly of all, they are both surrounded by quality team-mates, most of them foreign. Look at how Gerrard's form dipped after the brilliant passer Xabi Alonso left Liverpool. England do not have a Xabi Alonso. On this tournament's evidence, they don't even have a Lucas Leiva.
Why didn't Capello change the formation?
Look at the CV. Serie A titles with AC Milan, Roma and Juventus, two Liga titles with Real Madrid, and a Champions League. All won playing 4-4-2. Unpopular as it is, the formation is not fatally flawed - you can win lots of stuff if you have the right players playing it the right way. Which is precisely what England had during a brilliant qualifying campaign. You might argue Croatia and Ukraine are not as good as Germany, but if 4-4-2 could overcome those two sides, why not USA or Algeria? Also, most proponents of the 4-2-3-1, with Wayne Rooney playing on his own up front, had Joe Cole in their first XI. Yet Cole, while undoubtedly a fans' favourite, did very little during his appearances in the tournament.
Wouldn't it have helped Rooney?
The formation was not to blame for Rooney's woes. It wasn't like he showed flashes of brilliance, or kept getting possession in the wrong part of the pitch. He was total rubbish in every aspect of his game. Putting him on his own up front wasn't going to solve that. This is the same man who spent a season on the left wing for Manchester United, won the Premier League and Champions League, and was roundly praised for his versatility. He has also played plenty of games in a front two with Carlos Tevez, Dimitar Berbatov and Emile Heskey for that matter. 4-2-3-1 might have been the right formation, but don't blame 4-4-2 for the Rooney debacle.
Just how bad was Rooney?
Here are some stats (courtesy of Optajoe)
-Rooney has failed to score in his last nine games for England, his longest barren run for the national team.
-Rooney has lost the ball by being tackled in possession 32 times, more often than any other player at the 2010 World Cup.
-Rooney completed only 55 per cent of his passes for England against Germany - the lowest rate in the game.
This wasn't just a star player failing to live up to his billing. This was one of the best players in the world playing like one of the worst.
What if Frank Lampard's goal had stood?
Given the abject nature of England's performance, it is tempting to think all Lampard's goal would have done is make it 4-2 instead of 4-1. But as sickening a cliche as it may be, goals do indeed change games. At two apiece, both teams would have changed their approach - most importantly England would not have over-committed and made themselves so vulnerable to counter-attack. And even a team less mentally fragile than England could be forgiven if they felt a bit discouraged after they put the ball a yard over the line and had the goal chalked off. The goal came just after Matthew Upson's goal during England's best spell of dominance - for 90 glorious seconds we looked like contenders. After referee Larrionda and his team's blunder, England were never the same again.
Were Germany even that good?
Well, they took their chances with aplomb, but England did not make them work hard for them. Four separate doses of awful defending led to the German goals. In general play, England had more possession and more shots on target, but you would need a particularly warped mindset to argue that they actually deserved to win. And as any German will tell you, tournament football is about beating the team opposite you on the day - they did that with ease. Argentina might be a tougher proposition, though.
Should we be surprised?
Probably not. England always lose against the first top nation they encounter at World Cups, although they usually keep it closer than they did today. Here are the teams England have beaten at World Cups since 1986: Poland, Paraguay, Egypt, Belgium, Cameroon, Tunisia, Colombia, Argentina (the notable exception), Denmark, Paraguay, Trinidad and Tobago, Ecuador, Slovenia. The teams who have knocked us out? Argentina, West Germany, Argentina, Brazil, Portugal, Germany. Does that really sound like a team that should have started as favourites in Bloemfontein?
So what now?
Even though England's so-called Golden Generation was pronounced dead at 10 to five, it may well be that not much changes. The European Championship is only two years away, and it is highly unlikely that Terry (29), Gerrard (30) and Lampard (32) will just jack in international football. More worryingly, it's not like there is a bumper crop of young players waiting to step up. Jack Wilshere and Jack Rodwell look the only members of the current Under-21 side with genuine international ability. That said, it is unlikely we will see any of James, Terry, Upson, Carragher, King, Ferdinand, Gerrard, Lampard, Joe Cole, Barry, Crouch or Heskey in Brazil in 2014.
And the manager?
There was much rejoicing last month when Capello removed a clause allowing either him or the FA to get out of his contract without compensation. At the time, it looked like a show of commitment - now it looks like a superb ruse to ensure a £6 million pay-off if the FA sack him. Capello has said he will not resign, but is to hold crisis talks with the FA, and the bookies have him odds-on to go. It is a strange one alright. After cruising through qualifying, Capello has done worse than Sven-Goran Eriksson at the World Cup, and presided over an unhappy and underperforming squad. His reputation has taken an absolute battering, and his claim that England "played a good game" against Germany will not help. Neither will his borderline treasonous decision to bring on Emile Heskey and Shaun Wright-Phillips when England were 4-1 down.
Now, let's set aside the England inquest for a couple of weeks and enjoy watching some other, better teams, battle it out for the World Cup. It will be fun.
Monday, May 03, 2010
Tolaklah kejahatan sebaik mungkin
Sedikit peringatan dari surah Fussilat:
33. Siapakah yang lebih baik perkataannya daripada orang yang menyeru kepada Allah, mengerjakan amal yang saleh dan berkata: "Sesungguhnya aku termasuk orang-orang yang berserah diri?"
34. Dan tidaklah sama kebaikan dan kejahatan. Tolaklah (kejahatan itu) dengan cara yang lebih baik, maka tiba-tiba orang yang antaramu dan antara dia ada permusuhan seolah-olah telah menjadi teman yang sangat setia.
35. Sifat-sifat yang baik itu tidak dianugerahkan melainkan kepada orang-orang yang sabar dan tidak dianugerahkan melainkan kepada orang-orang yang mempunyai keberuntungan yang besar.
36. Dan jika syaitan mengganggumu dengan suatu gangguan, maka mohonlah perlindungan kepada Allah. Sesungguhnya Dia-lah Yang Maha Mendengar lagi Maha Mengetahui.
(http://bit.ly/8YpZlf)
Wallahua'lam.
33. Siapakah yang lebih baik perkataannya daripada orang yang menyeru kepada Allah, mengerjakan amal yang saleh dan berkata: "Sesungguhnya aku termasuk orang-orang yang berserah diri?"
34. Dan tidaklah sama kebaikan dan kejahatan. Tolaklah (kejahatan itu) dengan cara yang lebih baik, maka tiba-tiba orang yang antaramu dan antara dia ada permusuhan seolah-olah telah menjadi teman yang sangat setia.
35. Sifat-sifat yang baik itu tidak dianugerahkan melainkan kepada orang-orang yang sabar dan tidak dianugerahkan melainkan kepada orang-orang yang mempunyai keberuntungan yang besar.
36. Dan jika syaitan mengganggumu dengan suatu gangguan, maka mohonlah perlindungan kepada Allah. Sesungguhnya Dia-lah Yang Maha Mendengar lagi Maha Mengetahui.
(http://bit.ly/8YpZlf)
Wallahua'lam.
Friday, April 23, 2010
Suddenly...
Sudah lama aku tidak menulis di laman sesawang ini, mungkin penuh bersawang dah laman ni. Tapi sekali sekala aku masih menjenguk blogku ini andainya ada comment yg perlu diluluskan.
Quite a time that I didn't jot anything in this web log, probably it might has been fulled with webs... Despite that, sometimes I did visit my blog to moderate comments. Or just to monitor the chatterbox for unintended chat posts....Or just to click my favorite sites which I forget their links.
The parliamentary poll at Hulu Selangor is around the corner. Blasts of personal attacks, campaigns, blog posts, mass-media biased coverages etc hit the hotly contested seat. I hope the people there will wisely decide the best rep for them. Providing the evidences of corruptions, admin negligences, dishonesty, racist political approaches, leapfrogging (silap2, frogs leaping) etc, I have to say the PKR candidate is the most suitable person there to be chosen.
Back to the post.
Recently, I've slowly lost my willing to go exercising silat. I didn't know why. I left the once-a-week training ground after three consecutive weeks attending it. I didn't lost faith in silat, but I have no motivation. The surrounding is not supportive plus there are so many commitments to be accomplished. Clashes with other meetings and programs did contribute a lot to my lack of will.
In this last two or three months, somehow the people have changed the meeting day. Nevertheless I still feel very arduous to attend the practice.
Earlier this week, I read an article in BBC News about spare tyre from the Firefox's Latest Headlines live RSS. Many people ignored the health of their spare tyres. That headline attracted me to further understand the topic. At first, I thought that it's all about your spare tyre in your car bonnet. I'm totally out of the scope. It's about muffin tops. Please read it here.
We must do exercise at least an hour daily to decrease fat, to stay slim. It's impossible for me. I must strive for not having that type of spare tyre....!
I need motivation. Correct drive. Solid enthusiasm. Strong reason. Stimulus package? Nope.
The moment I remember guys like Jet Li, Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung, Donnie Yen, Wu Jing... I'm far away to achieve their level at my current stage. Never. Then today I watch Ip Man 2 movie trailer. I'm very happy to know that the movie will be released worldwide in stages, firstly at East Asia on this 29 April 2010.
Seeing fights in the trailer inspires me to train again, particularly, the fight between Sammo Hung & Donnie Yen on the restaurant big round table. Awesome! Although it was staged and the thriller was short, I got some excitement from it. To see Donnie Yen, Sammo Hung and Wu Jing reunite again after SPL: Sha Po Lang is quite interesting. In SPL, Donnie Yen fought Wu Jing with close knife combat. After defeating Wu Jing, he challenged Sammo Hung in empty hand-to-hand combat. What is our expectation from these trio in Ip Man 2? Donnie Yen will maintain his Wing Chun style while Sammo Hung and Wu Jing will be experts in Hung Gar.
Cannot wait to train and watch the movie!!
Quite a time that I didn't jot anything in this web log, probably it might has been fulled with webs... Despite that, sometimes I did visit my blog to moderate comments. Or just to monitor the chatterbox for unintended chat posts....Or just to click my favorite sites which I forget their links.
The parliamentary poll at Hulu Selangor is around the corner. Blasts of personal attacks, campaigns, blog posts, mass-media biased coverages etc hit the hotly contested seat. I hope the people there will wisely decide the best rep for them. Providing the evidences of corruptions, admin negligences, dishonesty, racist political approaches, leapfrogging (silap2, frogs leaping) etc, I have to say the PKR candidate is the most suitable person there to be chosen.
Back to the post.
Recently, I've slowly lost my willing to go exercising silat. I didn't know why. I left the once-a-week training ground after three consecutive weeks attending it. I didn't lost faith in silat, but I have no motivation. The surrounding is not supportive plus there are so many commitments to be accomplished. Clashes with other meetings and programs did contribute a lot to my lack of will.
In this last two or three months, somehow the people have changed the meeting day. Nevertheless I still feel very arduous to attend the practice.
Earlier this week, I read an article in BBC News about spare tyre from the Firefox's Latest Headlines live RSS. Many people ignored the health of their spare tyres. That headline attracted me to further understand the topic. At first, I thought that it's all about your spare tyre in your car bonnet. I'm totally out of the scope. It's about muffin tops. Please read it here.
We must do exercise at least an hour daily to decrease fat, to stay slim. It's impossible for me. I must strive for not having that type of spare tyre....!
I need motivation. Correct drive. Solid enthusiasm. Strong reason. Stimulus package? Nope.
The moment I remember guys like Jet Li, Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung, Donnie Yen, Wu Jing... I'm far away to achieve their level at my current stage. Never. Then today I watch Ip Man 2 movie trailer. I'm very happy to know that the movie will be released worldwide in stages, firstly at East Asia on this 29 April 2010.
Seeing fights in the trailer inspires me to train again, particularly, the fight between Sammo Hung & Donnie Yen on the restaurant big round table. Awesome! Although it was staged and the thriller was short, I got some excitement from it. To see Donnie Yen, Sammo Hung and Wu Jing reunite again after SPL: Sha Po Lang is quite interesting. In SPL, Donnie Yen fought Wu Jing with close knife combat. After defeating Wu Jing, he challenged Sammo Hung in empty hand-to-hand combat. What is our expectation from these trio in Ip Man 2? Donnie Yen will maintain his Wing Chun style while Sammo Hung and Wu Jing will be experts in Hung Gar.
Cannot wait to train and watch the movie!!
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Harapan
"Dan tidaklah Kami mengutus kamu melainkan hanya sebagai pembawa kabar gembira dan pemberi peringatan.[56]
Katakanlah: "Aku tidak meminta upah sedikitpun kepada kamu dalam menyampaikan risalah itu, melainkan (mengharapkan kepatuhan) orang-orang yang mahu mengambil jalan kepada Tuhannya. [57]
Dan bertawakkallah kepada Allah Yang Hidup (Kekal) Yang tidak mati, dan bertasbihlah dengan memuji-Nya. Dan cukuplah Dia Maha Mengetahui dosa-dosa hamba-hamba-Nya. [58]" - Surah al-Furqan ayat 56-58
"Sesungguhnya kamu tidak akan dapat memberi petunjuk kepada orang yang kamu kasihi, tetapi Allah memberi petunjuk kepada orang yang dikehendaki-Nya, dan Allah lebih mengetahui orang-orang yang mau menerima petunjuk. [56]" - Surah Al-Qasas, ayat 56
Sumber.
Katakanlah: "Aku tidak meminta upah sedikitpun kepada kamu dalam menyampaikan risalah itu, melainkan (mengharapkan kepatuhan) orang-orang yang mahu mengambil jalan kepada Tuhannya. [57]
Dan bertawakkallah kepada Allah Yang Hidup (Kekal) Yang tidak mati, dan bertasbihlah dengan memuji-Nya. Dan cukuplah Dia Maha Mengetahui dosa-dosa hamba-hamba-Nya. [58]" - Surah al-Furqan ayat 56-58
"Sesungguhnya kamu tidak akan dapat memberi petunjuk kepada orang yang kamu kasihi, tetapi Allah memberi petunjuk kepada orang yang dikehendaki-Nya, dan Allah lebih mengetahui orang-orang yang mau menerima petunjuk. [56]" - Surah Al-Qasas, ayat 56
Sumber.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Kalimah Allah
1. Allah ialah Tuhan Yang Maha Esa.
2. Kalimah Allah digunakan dalam semua agama samawi sebagai kalimah Tuhan Yang Tunggal, Tuhan Yang Maha Esa, tiada yang layak disembah melainkan Dia.
3. Tiada halangan bagi bukan Islam untuk menggunakan kalimah Allah dari segi hukumnya. Begitu juga dengan perkataan-perkataan ibadah umat Islam yang lain.
4. Penggunaan kalimah Allah bagi bukan Islam perlu dilihat dari segi aspek sosio-budaya dan maslahah umum. Penggunaan yang membawa kepada terjejasnya maslahah umum adalah tidak dibenarkan. Kita tahu, kalimah Allah telah pun digunakan secara spesifik oleh penganut bukan Islam, tapi penggunaannya tidak mengganggu atau menjejaskan maslahah umum. Penggunaannya mestilah dalam makna yang sebenarnya dan bukan dengan maksud yang boleh menyentuh perasaan umat Islam.
5. Saya menyokong pendirian PAS & bekas Mufti Perlis dalam isu ini.
6. Saya menyalahkan kerajaan UMNO yang tidak mengamalkan ajaran syariah ALLAH sepenuhnya (dan tidak pernah mencuba untuk mengamalkannya pun). Ketidak patuhan ini membuka ruang untuk cabar-mencabar & bereaksi secara negatif, seperti kes kalimah Allah yang berlaku di mahkamah sekarang. Bagaimana ianya berkait? Pengamalan syariah Islam akan meningkatkan rasa peka masyarakat terhadap apa yang baik sebenar-benar baik & berpahala serta apa yang jahat sebenar-benar jahat & berdosa. Maka tindak balas reaktif yang negatif dapat dihindari dari isu-isu kontroversi seperti ini. Implementasi syariah Islamiyyah melalui pengamalan undang-undang Islam mampu mengawal cabar-cabar seperti ini.
7. Allah tidak menjadikan sesuatu itu sia-sia sahaja. Apa yang berlaku ini ada hikmahnya. Namun kita tidaklah dituntut untuk memfokuskan diri mencari hikmah sesuatu perkara semata-mata. Kita dituntut menyampaikan kebenaran, berdakwah menyeru sekalian manusia ke arah Islam yang sebenar-benarnya.
2. Kalimah Allah digunakan dalam semua agama samawi sebagai kalimah Tuhan Yang Tunggal, Tuhan Yang Maha Esa, tiada yang layak disembah melainkan Dia.
3. Tiada halangan bagi bukan Islam untuk menggunakan kalimah Allah dari segi hukumnya. Begitu juga dengan perkataan-perkataan ibadah umat Islam yang lain.
4. Penggunaan kalimah Allah bagi bukan Islam perlu dilihat dari segi aspek sosio-budaya dan maslahah umum. Penggunaan yang membawa kepada terjejasnya maslahah umum adalah tidak dibenarkan. Kita tahu, kalimah Allah telah pun digunakan secara spesifik oleh penganut bukan Islam, tapi penggunaannya tidak mengganggu atau menjejaskan maslahah umum. Penggunaannya mestilah dalam makna yang sebenarnya dan bukan dengan maksud yang boleh menyentuh perasaan umat Islam.
5. Saya menyokong pendirian PAS & bekas Mufti Perlis dalam isu ini.
6. Saya menyalahkan kerajaan UMNO yang tidak mengamalkan ajaran syariah ALLAH sepenuhnya (dan tidak pernah mencuba untuk mengamalkannya pun). Ketidak patuhan ini membuka ruang untuk cabar-mencabar & bereaksi secara negatif, seperti kes kalimah Allah yang berlaku di mahkamah sekarang. Bagaimana ianya berkait? Pengamalan syariah Islam akan meningkatkan rasa peka masyarakat terhadap apa yang baik sebenar-benar baik & berpahala serta apa yang jahat sebenar-benar jahat & berdosa. Maka tindak balas reaktif yang negatif dapat dihindari dari isu-isu kontroversi seperti ini. Implementasi syariah Islamiyyah melalui pengamalan undang-undang Islam mampu mengawal cabar-cabar seperti ini.
7. Allah tidak menjadikan sesuatu itu sia-sia sahaja. Apa yang berlaku ini ada hikmahnya. Namun kita tidaklah dituntut untuk memfokuskan diri mencari hikmah sesuatu perkara semata-mata. Kita dituntut menyampaikan kebenaran, berdakwah menyeru sekalian manusia ke arah Islam yang sebenar-benarnya.
Wednesday, January 06, 2010
Sedekad Liga Perdana Inggeris, 2000 - 2009
Sepintas lalu dari link yang diperolehi dari laman web rasmi BPL.
Review of the decade
The Noughties proved to be a stunning success for the Premier League which went from strength to strength.
With ever-improving facilities and an influx of top stars from across the globe, the game has become more popular than ever.
The likes of Alan Shearer, Thierry Henry, Cristiano Ronaldo, Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard and many more have captured the imagination of fans the world over.
The standard is now higher than ever, the game more exciting than at any time in its history - and the next 10 years look likely to be even better.
The decade ended as it began - with Manchester United reigning supreme as Premier League champions.
Even new £10.5m signing Thierry Henry couldn't keep the Gunners in the chase. Leeds finished third while Chelsea beat Aston Villa 2-0 to win the last FA Cup final at the old Wembley stadium.
The year saw the demise of fairytale club Wimbledon who joined the Football League in 1977 and took just nine years to reach the top flight.
They were relegated 12 years to the day since beating Liverpool to win the FA Cup. A 2-0 final-day defeat at Southampton saw them take the drop instead of Bradford City.
The Bantams survived on the last day of the campaign thanks to a 1-0 win over Liverpool who missed out on a Champions League spot as a result.
Also relegated were Sheffield Wednesday and newly-promoted Watford with 24 points, then a Premier League record low total.
The United manager said: "This is the toughest league in the world and winning three in a row is something special. Perhaps we're like a great artist whose work is only really appreciated with the passing of time."
To their fans, their triumph was made all the sweeter as neighbours Manchester City were relegated in their first season back in the top flight.
They finished third from bottom, eight points behind Derby County to go down alongside Bradford City who equalled Swindon Town's unwanted record low number of wins with just five.
Also taking the drop were Premier League founder members Coventry City after 34 years in the top flight.
Chelsea striker Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink finished as the leading marksman in the FA Carling Premiership with 23 goals, four more than Marcus Stewart of Ipswich Town.
Tipped for relegation before the season started, the Tractor Boys stunned even their own fans by emerging as unlikely challengers for a Champions League spot. They eventually finished fifth, qualifying for the UEFA Cup for the first time since 1982. Manager George Burley was voted "Manager of the Year" for the achievement.
Liverpool finished third, just ahead of Champions League semi-finalists Leeds United who broke the English transfer record when they signed Rio Ferdinand from West Ham United for £18m.
Matthew Le Tissier scored the last ever goal at The Dell as Southampton beat Arsenal 3-2 before moving to St Mary's.
Fired by Thierry Henry's 24 goals (one more than Hasselbaink and Shearer), the Gunners won 13 matches in a row to finish seven points ahead of nearest challengers Liverpool. They became the first side to score in every Premier League match, remaining unbeaten away from home.
In a moment of sweet irony, Arsene Wenger's Double winners clinched the crown with a 1-0 win at Old Trafford of all places.
Despite a nine-match winning run, Manchester United finished only third after winning just six of their opening 15 matches, a run which saw them slip to ninth at one stage - although they did stage a memorable fight-back to win 5-3 at Tottenham Hotspur after being 3-0 down at the break.
All three promoted sides (Blackburn Rovers, Bolton Wanderers and Fulham) stayed up - for the first time ever in the Premier League.
Instead Ipswich were relegated just a year after qualifying for the UEFA Cup and seeing Burley take the Manager of the Year prize.
With just one win from the opening 18 matches, their fate seemed sealed. But a run of six victories in seven matches lifted them to 12th place and possible safety. However, a second loss of form, culminating in a 5-0 thrashing at the hands of Liverpool on the last day of the season, sent the Tractor Boys down along with Leicester City and Derby County who lost seven of their final eight fixtures.
Arsenal had looked odds-on to retain their title as they led the league by eight points in March but Sir Alex Ferguson's men came up strongly on the rails, not losing a match after their 3-1 Boxing Day defeat by Middlesbrough.
By 3rd May, the Red Devils were nine points clear of their London rivals whose cause was lost the following day thanks to a 3-2 reverse at the hands of Leeds who secured safety in the process.
Arsene Wenger's men did have the consolation of retaining the FA Cup, beating Southampton 1-0 at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium.
Sunderland finished bottom with just 19 points - a new Premier League record low. They were joined through the trapdoor by newly-promoted West Bromwich Albion.
The final relegation place went to luckless West Ham United who went down with 42 points - the highest tally for a relegated side under the 20-club format.
Peter Schmeichel - now with Manchester City - brought down the curtain on his illustrious career while City themselves called time on their Maine Road home, losing 1-0 at home to Southampton before their move to the City of Manchester Stadium.
With Henry banging in 30 of his side's 73 goals and the defence shipping just 26, the Gunners became the first team since Preston North End in 1889 to go the entire season unbeaten in the league.
They clinched the title with four matches to spare, thanks to a 2-2 draw at the home of local rivals Tottenham Hotspur.
Arsene Wenger's side finished 11 points clear of Chelsea whose new owner Roman Abramovich had spent £100m in pursuit of the crown.
Manchester United were third after losing David Beckham to Real Madrid for £25m - replacing him with then unknown winger Cristiano Ronaldo from Sporting Lisbon.
The Red Devils had the consolation of defeating Millwall in the FA Cup final after beating Arsenal in the semi-finals.
Leeds United's financial problems caught up with them as they were relegated with Wolverhampton Wanderers and Leicester City - all on 33 points. Everton survived, finishing fourth from bottom.
With flamboyant character Jose Mourinho at the helm, the Blues racked up a new Premier League record total of 95 points.
The self-declared Special One breezed in saying before the season: "We have top players and, sorry if I'm arrogant, we have a top manager."
He made actions speak as loud as his words as the most expensive team ever (costing an estimated £250m) conceded just 15 goals and won 29 matches - also new records.
They lost just once - to a Nicolas Anelka penalty at Manchester City. The title was secured with a 2-0 win at Bolton on 30th April.
The relegation battle was the closest ever in the Premier League. Going into the final day of the campaign, no-one had gone down and four clubs were battling to avoid the three places through the trapdoor.
West Bromwich Albion defied the "Christmas curse" by becoming the first team to stay up after being bottom of the table on Christmas Day.
They beat Portsmouth 2-0 to survive at the expense of Norwich City, Crystal Palace and Southampton.
Despite selling Wayne Rooney to Manchester United, Everton finished fourth in a remarkable 12-month transformation.
Liverpool finished in fifth but beat AC Milan on penalties to win the Champions League in dramatic fashion coming from 3-0 down at half-time to level the scores. They were allowed to defend their crown, which meant that the Barclays Premiership had five representatives in the following season's competition.
They suffered their first reverse in November, going down 1-0 at rivals Manchester United who were to string together a 10-match winning run but left themselves too much to do.
Sir Alex Ferguson's men finished eight points behind the Blues but won the League Cup, beating Wigan Athletic 4-0.
Liverpool were third with 82 points - their highest top-flight total since 1988. They also won the FA Cup on penalties after Steven Gerrard's last-minute screamer salvaged a 3-3 draw against West Ham.
Champions League runners-up Arsenal retained their place in the competition on the final day of the season with a 4-2 win over Wigan in the last ever match at Highbury.
That saw them leapfrog neighbours Tottenham who went into the final day of the campaign holding the whip-hand in fourth place but an attack of food poisoning contributed to a costly 2-1 defeat at West Ham.
Sunderland were relegated with a new record low points tally - just 15. They were joined by West Brom and Birmingham.
Portsmouth survived after Harry Redknapp made a shock return to Fratton Park from local rivals Southampton and sparked an amazing transformation in their fortunes.
Last-gasp winners against Fulham and bitter rivals Liverpool kept United firmly in control and the destination of the title was all but mathematically decided when United came back from two goals down to beat Everton 4-2 and Chelsea were held by Bolton Wanderers.
The Blues' hopes were hindered by a nasty head injury to goalkeeper Petr Cech who was hurt at newly-promoted Reading. The Royals finished a creditable eighth but narrowly missed out on a UEFA Cup place on the final day of the season.
West Ham pulled off a great escape as manager Alan Curbishley dragged them to safety, beating Manchester United 1-0 at Old Trafford on the last day of the season to secure Barclays Premier League football for another year.
A dramatic final day of the campaign saw West Ham, Wigan Athletic and Sheffield United all desperate to avoid the drop - with the latter two playing each other. Sheffield United were the unlucky losers as a 2-1 defeat sent them down with Watford and Charlton Athletic. Wigan escaped on goal difference.
In its 15th season, the Premier League saw its 15,000th goal, scored by Fulham's Moritz Volz in their victory over Chelsea on 30th December.
However it was Arsenal who led the table for most of the season, until they suffered a loss of form in March.
They let slip the lead at Stamford Bridge going down to a Didier Drogba double as Chelsea took over as the main threat to United.
Grant's side held the advantage until they conceded a costly late equaliser at home to Wigan who then lost 2-0 at home to Sir Alex Ferguson's men on the final day of the campaign.
Goals by Ronaldo (his 31st of an amazing campaign) and Ryan Giggs sealed the silverware while the Blues were being held 1-1 at home by Bolton Wanderers to finish two points adrift.
United also got the better of Chelsea in the Champions League final, winning on penalties.
Derby County always looked destined for the drop but the battle to avoid the other two relegation places went to the final day of the campaign.
Two from Birmingham City, Reading and Fulham would slip into the Championship. Roy Hodgson had earned much praise for bringing Fulham back from the brink, and his side were in control of the situation on the final day, knowing that a win at Portsmouth would keep them up.
Birmingham and Reading did all they could to avoid relegation, beating Blackburn and Derby 4-1 and 4-0 respectively but a 76th minute header from Danny Murphy saw Fulham maintain their Barclays Premier League status at the expense of the Blues and the Royals.
Sir Alex Ferguson's men clinched a hat-trick of titles on the penultimate weekend following a 0-0 draw at home to Arsenal on 16th May 2009. It was the Red Devils' 18th championship overall putting them level with Liverpool.
They held off a strong challenge from Liverpool who ended Chelsea's 86-match unbeaten run at Stamford Bridge with a 1-0 win in October.
Chelsea were third but won the FA Cup under the short-term charge of Guus Hiddink who replaced Luis Felipe Scolari. Harry Redknapp took over from Juande Ramos at Tottenham Hotspur who endured their worst start to a Premier League season but finished the campaign strongly.
Manchester City hit the headlines when they smashed the British transfer record to sign Brazilian superstar Robihno from Real Madrid for £32m.
Another record went as Edwin van der Sar pipped Petr Cech with 14 straight clean sheets.
Ex-Newcastle United striker Alan Shearer returned to his old club as manager for the final eight matches due to Joe Kinnear's ill health but he could only register one victory in that time as the Magpies were relegated with West Bromwich Albion and Middlesbrough. Hull City and Sunderland survived on the final day of the campaign.
Roy Hodgson's Fulham claimed the final place in the newly-formed Europa League, finishing a highly creditable seventh just a year after avoiding the drop on the final day of the 2007/08 season.
The Barclays Premier League reached 500 goals at the earliest point in its history.
Nadir Belhadj chalked up the milestone when he put Portsmouth in front against Liverpool at Fratton Park, beating the previous fastest in the 1994/95 season when it took 185 fixtures to reach the milestone.
This time the tally has been chalked up 17 matches earlier than ever before - in just 168 fixtures.
With Liverpool making a stuttering start and an early Champions League exit, Chelsea and Manchester United have again disputed top spot.
Arsenal remained hard on their heels and Manchester City signalled their intent by sacking manager Mark Hughes and replacing him with Roberto Mancini. The year finished with another managerial casualty as Gary Megson lost his job at Bolton Wanderers.
Review of the decade
The Noughties proved to be a stunning success for the Premier League which went from strength to strength.
With ever-improving facilities and an influx of top stars from across the globe, the game has become more popular than ever.
The likes of Alan Shearer, Thierry Henry, Cristiano Ronaldo, Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard and many more have captured the imagination of fans the world over.
The standard is now higher than ever, the game more exciting than at any time in its history - and the next 10 years look likely to be even better.
The decade ended as it began - with Manchester United reigning supreme as Premier League champions.
2000
Manchester United went into the new millennium in second spot behind Leeds but came good to win the title in 2000 with an enormous 18-point margin over runners-up Arsenal and scoring 97 goals in the process. Even new £10.5m signing Thierry Henry couldn't keep the Gunners in the chase. Leeds finished third while Chelsea beat Aston Villa 2-0 to win the last FA Cup final at the old Wembley stadium.
The year saw the demise of fairytale club Wimbledon who joined the Football League in 1977 and took just nine years to reach the top flight.
They were relegated 12 years to the day since beating Liverpool to win the FA Cup. A 2-0 final-day defeat at Southampton saw them take the drop instead of Bradford City.
The Bantams survived on the last day of the campaign thanks to a 1-0 win over Liverpool who missed out on a Champions League spot as a result.
Also relegated were Sheffield Wednesday and newly-promoted Watford with 24 points, then a Premier League record low total.
2000/01
Sir Alex Ferguson's men won the 2000/01 FA Carling Premiership title by 10 points from their fierce rivals Arsenal to become the first team to take the crown three years in a row.The United manager said: "This is the toughest league in the world and winning three in a row is something special. Perhaps we're like a great artist whose work is only really appreciated with the passing of time."
To their fans, their triumph was made all the sweeter as neighbours Manchester City were relegated in their first season back in the top flight.
They finished third from bottom, eight points behind Derby County to go down alongside Bradford City who equalled Swindon Town's unwanted record low number of wins with just five.
Also taking the drop were Premier League founder members Coventry City after 34 years in the top flight.
Chelsea striker Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink finished as the leading marksman in the FA Carling Premiership with 23 goals, four more than Marcus Stewart of Ipswich Town.
Tipped for relegation before the season started, the Tractor Boys stunned even their own fans by emerging as unlikely challengers for a Champions League spot. They eventually finished fifth, qualifying for the UEFA Cup for the first time since 1982. Manager George Burley was voted "Manager of the Year" for the achievement.
Liverpool finished third, just ahead of Champions League semi-finalists Leeds United who broke the English transfer record when they signed Rio Ferdinand from West Ham United for £18m.
Matthew Le Tissier scored the last ever goal at The Dell as Southampton beat Arsenal 3-2 before moving to St Mary's.
2001/02
With a new sponsor, the Barclaycard Premiership saw a shift in power as Arsenal lifted the title after three successive seasons as runners-up.Fired by Thierry Henry's 24 goals (one more than Hasselbaink and Shearer), the Gunners won 13 matches in a row to finish seven points ahead of nearest challengers Liverpool. They became the first side to score in every Premier League match, remaining unbeaten away from home.
In a moment of sweet irony, Arsene Wenger's Double winners clinched the crown with a 1-0 win at Old Trafford of all places.
Despite a nine-match winning run, Manchester United finished only third after winning just six of their opening 15 matches, a run which saw them slip to ninth at one stage - although they did stage a memorable fight-back to win 5-3 at Tottenham Hotspur after being 3-0 down at the break.
All three promoted sides (Blackburn Rovers, Bolton Wanderers and Fulham) stayed up - for the first time ever in the Premier League.
Instead Ipswich were relegated just a year after qualifying for the UEFA Cup and seeing Burley take the Manager of the Year prize.
With just one win from the opening 18 matches, their fate seemed sealed. But a run of six victories in seven matches lifted them to 12th place and possible safety. However, a second loss of form, culminating in a 5-0 thrashing at the hands of Liverpool on the last day of the season, sent the Tractor Boys down along with Leicester City and Derby County who lost seven of their final eight fixtures.
2002/03
Stung by their slip and buoyed by the British record signing of Rio Ferdinand from Leeds for £30m, Manchester United regained the Barclaycard Premiership crown finishing five points clear of the Gunners.Arsenal had looked odds-on to retain their title as they led the league by eight points in March but Sir Alex Ferguson's men came up strongly on the rails, not losing a match after their 3-1 Boxing Day defeat by Middlesbrough.
By 3rd May, the Red Devils were nine points clear of their London rivals whose cause was lost the following day thanks to a 3-2 reverse at the hands of Leeds who secured safety in the process.
Arsene Wenger's men did have the consolation of retaining the FA Cup, beating Southampton 1-0 at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium.
Sunderland finished bottom with just 19 points - a new Premier League record low. They were joined through the trapdoor by newly-promoted West Bromwich Albion.
The final relegation place went to luckless West Ham United who went down with 42 points - the highest tally for a relegated side under the 20-club format.
Peter Schmeichel - now with Manchester City - brought down the curtain on his illustrious career while City themselves called time on their Maine Road home, losing 1-0 at home to Southampton before their move to the City of Manchester Stadium.
2003/04
The following campaign proved a landmark in the history of the Premier League as Arsenal's "Invincibles" claimed the crown - without losing a single match.With Henry banging in 30 of his side's 73 goals and the defence shipping just 26, the Gunners became the first team since Preston North End in 1889 to go the entire season unbeaten in the league.
They clinched the title with four matches to spare, thanks to a 2-2 draw at the home of local rivals Tottenham Hotspur.
Arsene Wenger's side finished 11 points clear of Chelsea whose new owner Roman Abramovich had spent £100m in pursuit of the crown.
Manchester United were third after losing David Beckham to Real Madrid for £25m - replacing him with then unknown winger Cristiano Ronaldo from Sporting Lisbon.
The Red Devils had the consolation of defeating Millwall in the FA Cup final after beating Arsenal in the semi-finals.
Leeds United's financial problems caught up with them as they were relegated with Wolverhampton Wanderers and Leicester City - all on 33 points. Everton survived, finishing fourth from bottom.
2004/05
Chelsea's massive investment paid off as they won what was now the Barclays Premiership.With flamboyant character Jose Mourinho at the helm, the Blues racked up a new Premier League record total of 95 points.
The self-declared Special One breezed in saying before the season: "We have top players and, sorry if I'm arrogant, we have a top manager."
He made actions speak as loud as his words as the most expensive team ever (costing an estimated £250m) conceded just 15 goals and won 29 matches - also new records.
They lost just once - to a Nicolas Anelka penalty at Manchester City. The title was secured with a 2-0 win at Bolton on 30th April.
The relegation battle was the closest ever in the Premier League. Going into the final day of the campaign, no-one had gone down and four clubs were battling to avoid the three places through the trapdoor.
West Bromwich Albion defied the "Christmas curse" by becoming the first team to stay up after being bottom of the table on Christmas Day.
They beat Portsmouth 2-0 to survive at the expense of Norwich City, Crystal Palace and Southampton.
Despite selling Wayne Rooney to Manchester United, Everton finished fourth in a remarkable 12-month transformation.
Liverpool finished in fifth but beat AC Milan on penalties to win the Champions League in dramatic fashion coming from 3-0 down at half-time to level the scores. They were allowed to defend their crown, which meant that the Barclays Premiership had five representatives in the following season's competition.
2005/06
Champions Chelsea picked up where they left off, winning their first nine matches of the new campaign before finally being held 1-1 at Everton on 23rd October.They suffered their first reverse in November, going down 1-0 at rivals Manchester United who were to string together a 10-match winning run but left themselves too much to do.
Sir Alex Ferguson's men finished eight points behind the Blues but won the League Cup, beating Wigan Athletic 4-0.
Liverpool were third with 82 points - their highest top-flight total since 1988. They also won the FA Cup on penalties after Steven Gerrard's last-minute screamer salvaged a 3-3 draw against West Ham.
Champions League runners-up Arsenal retained their place in the competition on the final day of the season with a 4-2 win over Wigan in the last ever match at Highbury.
That saw them leapfrog neighbours Tottenham who went into the final day of the campaign holding the whip-hand in fourth place but an attack of food poisoning contributed to a costly 2-1 defeat at West Ham.
Sunderland were relegated with a new record low points tally - just 15. They were joined by West Brom and Birmingham.
Portsmouth survived after Harry Redknapp made a shock return to Fratton Park from local rivals Southampton and sparked an amazing transformation in their fortunes.
2006/07
Chelsea missed out on a hat-trick of titles but it was one of the closest title races for years, even though a Ronaldo-inspired Manchester United eventually finished six points clear.Last-gasp winners against Fulham and bitter rivals Liverpool kept United firmly in control and the destination of the title was all but mathematically decided when United came back from two goals down to beat Everton 4-2 and Chelsea were held by Bolton Wanderers.
The Blues' hopes were hindered by a nasty head injury to goalkeeper Petr Cech who was hurt at newly-promoted Reading. The Royals finished a creditable eighth but narrowly missed out on a UEFA Cup place on the final day of the season.
West Ham pulled off a great escape as manager Alan Curbishley dragged them to safety, beating Manchester United 1-0 at Old Trafford on the last day of the season to secure Barclays Premier League football for another year.
A dramatic final day of the campaign saw West Ham, Wigan Athletic and Sheffield United all desperate to avoid the drop - with the latter two playing each other. Sheffield United were the unlucky losers as a 2-1 defeat sent them down with Watford and Charlton Athletic. Wigan escaped on goal difference.
In its 15th season, the Premier League saw its 15,000th goal, scored by Fulham's Moritz Volz in their victory over Chelsea on 30th December.
2007/08
Now known as the Barclays Premier League, the title race went down to the final day of the campaign with Manchester United again just edging out Chelsea who replaced manager Jose Mourinho with Avram Grant in September.However it was Arsenal who led the table for most of the season, until they suffered a loss of form in March.
They let slip the lead at Stamford Bridge going down to a Didier Drogba double as Chelsea took over as the main threat to United.
Grant's side held the advantage until they conceded a costly late equaliser at home to Wigan who then lost 2-0 at home to Sir Alex Ferguson's men on the final day of the campaign.
Goals by Ronaldo (his 31st of an amazing campaign) and Ryan Giggs sealed the silverware while the Blues were being held 1-1 at home by Bolton Wanderers to finish two points adrift.
United also got the better of Chelsea in the Champions League final, winning on penalties.
Derby County always looked destined for the drop but the battle to avoid the other two relegation places went to the final day of the campaign.
Two from Birmingham City, Reading and Fulham would slip into the Championship. Roy Hodgson had earned much praise for bringing Fulham back from the brink, and his side were in control of the situation on the final day, knowing that a win at Portsmouth would keep them up.
Birmingham and Reading did all they could to avoid relegation, beating Blackburn and Derby 4-1 and 4-0 respectively but a 76th minute header from Danny Murphy saw Fulham maintain their Barclays Premier League status at the expense of the Blues and the Royals.
2008/09
Holders Manchester United defended their crown to win the Premier League for the 11th time.Sir Alex Ferguson's men clinched a hat-trick of titles on the penultimate weekend following a 0-0 draw at home to Arsenal on 16th May 2009. It was the Red Devils' 18th championship overall putting them level with Liverpool.
They held off a strong challenge from Liverpool who ended Chelsea's 86-match unbeaten run at Stamford Bridge with a 1-0 win in October.
Chelsea were third but won the FA Cup under the short-term charge of Guus Hiddink who replaced Luis Felipe Scolari. Harry Redknapp took over from Juande Ramos at Tottenham Hotspur who endured their worst start to a Premier League season but finished the campaign strongly.
Manchester City hit the headlines when they smashed the British transfer record to sign Brazilian superstar Robihno from Real Madrid for £32m.
Another record went as Edwin van der Sar pipped Petr Cech with 14 straight clean sheets.
Ex-Newcastle United striker Alan Shearer returned to his old club as manager for the final eight matches due to Joe Kinnear's ill health but he could only register one victory in that time as the Magpies were relegated with West Bromwich Albion and Middlesbrough. Hull City and Sunderland survived on the final day of the campaign.
Roy Hodgson's Fulham claimed the final place in the newly-formed Europa League, finishing a highly creditable seventh just a year after avoiding the drop on the final day of the 2007/08 season.
2009
The first half of the 2009/10 Barclays Premier League campaign has been more exciting than ever with goals flying in.The Barclays Premier League reached 500 goals at the earliest point in its history.
Nadir Belhadj chalked up the milestone when he put Portsmouth in front against Liverpool at Fratton Park, beating the previous fastest in the 1994/95 season when it took 185 fixtures to reach the milestone.
This time the tally has been chalked up 17 matches earlier than ever before - in just 168 fixtures.
With Liverpool making a stuttering start and an early Champions League exit, Chelsea and Manchester United have again disputed top spot.
Arsenal remained hard on their heels and Manchester City signalled their intent by sacking manager Mark Hughes and replacing him with Roberto Mancini. The year finished with another managerial casualty as Gary Megson lost his job at Bolton Wanderers.
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