PRN JOHOR: Bagaimana pula dengan nasib rakyat Johor?

 

11 Julai, pengundi Johor akan sekali lagi keluar mengundi dalam Pilihan Raya Negeri. Sedikit maklum balas menunjukkan UMNO/BN dijangka menang besar di Johor. Ada yang mengatakan UMNO/BN boleh menang lebih daripada 40 kerusi (daripada 56 kerusi yang dipertandingkan). Ada juga yang kata UMNO mungkin dapat kurang daripada 40 kerusi, tapi akan tetap membentuk kerajaan negeri.

Beberapa faktor menjadi penentu. Jentera UMNO diketuai oleh Hishammuddin Hussein Onn, anak jati Johor yang mempunyai keturunan dan latar belakang Johor yang masih laku (di kalangan pengundi Melayu). Satu lagi aset UMNO ialah Menteri Besar Johor, Onn Hafiz Ghazi, yang juga mendapat penerimaan yang baik daripada orang Johor.

Terdapat juga seorang lagi tokoh gergasi yang dikhabarkan mahu melihat UMNO menang. Saya tidak akan menyatakan siapa tokoh gergasi itu. Yang lebih penting, saya dengar "Wak" telah diminta jangan terlalu menonjol dalam kempen. Biar senyap dan profil rendah dan jangan terlalu tunjuk muka depan orang. Orang Johor bukan suka sangat pada Wak. Satu Malaysia pun tak suka dia.  

Perkembangan lain juga sedang berlaku. Jika UMNO menang besar di Johor, dan mereka dijangka akan menang, maka imej Hishammuddin Onn dalam parti UMNO akan kembali pulih. UMNO  benar-benar memerlukan kepimpinan baharu, dan Hishammuddin dijangka boleh berada dalam kedudukan yang baik untuk mengambil alih jawatan Presiden parti. So brother Hisham make sure you win big.

Tetapi bagaimana pula dengan rakyat Johor? Apakah nasib mereka? Orang Johor perlu tanya satu soalan yang paling asas — apakah nasib saya bertambah baik dalam tempoh empat tahun yang lalu?

Pilihan raya datang dan pergi, tetapi adakah kehidupan rakyat Johor benar-benar berubah? Atau pi mai pi mai tang tu juga? Harga rumah di Johor telah meningkat dengan ketara. Pembeli Melayu biasa tidak lagi mampu membeli rumah teres dua tingkat yang kini dijual jauh melebihi RM500,000 di sekitar Johor Bahru. Pangsapuri juga sering kali berada di luar kemampuan isi rumah Melayu biasa. Tanpa bekerja di seberang Causeway di Singapura, rakyat Johor tempatan kini tidak mampu lagi membeli-belah di Orchard Road. Nilai Dolar Singapura kini mencecah RM3.15.

Jadi ini hanya satu lagi pusingan pilihan raya. Pada 11 Julai, tuan-tuan pengundi Johor diminta bangun pagi, gosok gigi, minum kopi dan sila pergi buang undi. Tetapi adakah PRN ini benar-benar membawa makna kepada para pengundi Johor? Adakah ia benar-benar membawa perubahan yang positif dalam kehidupan mereka? Adakah akan bertambah peluang pekerjaan yang mencukupi untuk mereka? Adakah anak-anak mereka akan dapat pekerjaan yang baik di Johor? Atau adakah mereka terpaksa berhijrah ke Lembah Klang dengan harapan mendapat peluang hidup yang lebih baik? Atau menyeberangi Causeway untuk bekerja 'manual worker' di Singapura?

Bukan sahaja rakyat Johor, tapi semua pengundi Malaysia, khususnya pengundi Melayu, perlu merenungkan persoalan ini. Apakah sebenarnya yang dibawa oleh pilihan raya? Adakah kehidupan anda benar-benar menjadi lebih baik? Anda yang bukan termasuk dalam kalangan orang kaya dan terkenal?  Atau pi mai pi mai tang tu juga?

A JEWISH PERSPECTIVE OF قبة الصخرة QUBBAT AL-SAKHRAH (THE DOME OF THE ROCK)

 

Here is a Jewish perspective of the Dome of the Rock (Qubbat al Sakhrah) in Jerusalem. If you listen carefully it is not difficult to follow. 

What I find interesting is that this is a discussion between three people, two of whom are Christian evangelicals and the third person is a Jewish researcher who seems to know the Arabic Quran inside out. His pointing out about thaluth (three) and thalatha (also three) is very perceptive.

But observe how they conduct themselves - professionally and in an academic manner - although they are at opposite sides of their beliefs. None of them is reaching for the suicide bomber vest or yelling and screaming at each other.   

JULY 4TH 1776 - AMERICAN INDEPENDENCE DAY

 

The greatest calamity to befall the British Empire (something they have always regretted) was the loss of their north American colony which became independent on July 4th 1776. So today July 4th 2026 marks the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States of America.

When we lived in Melaka in the 1970s we lived in a house on Heeren Street (Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock) which was built by the Dutch when they were in Melaka for 163 years from 1641 to 1824.  So that house in Melaka was possibly older than the United States. 

In the past 250 years the United States has grown to become a collossus among countries and societies. Never before has the world seen any country or society grow up to become such a huge influence on the human race in so short a time. Within 150 years of their independence the USA was already the greatest country on the surface of the earth. 

Well now they have already been overtaken by China. And possibly by Russia but that will take some time.

To commemorate their 250th anniversary the US is putting on a major birthday party. There is going to be a SEVEN HOUR aerial display over Washington DC.

NASA-affiliated aircraft, including F-5 Tiger IIs jets, will kick off roughly seven hours of flyovers above Washington, D.C., to mark the Fourth of July. Today, NASA also officially unveiled an F-15D Eagle and an F/A-18B Hornet jet wearing new star-spangled paint schemes as part of larger celebrations marking the 250th anniversary of the United States. The aerial showcase over the nation’s capital tomorrow will also see wave after wave of fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters from across the U.S. military, as well as foreign air forces. It is set to be an unprecedented aerial review, unlike anything seen in recent decades.

I lived in the United States for over four years. I went to school there, worked among the Americans, came to know them and understand their culture, their habits and their language. They are just people but without a doubt they are a great people.   

FRIDAY NOTES (3/07/26) FROM THE QURAN : DO NOT KILL YOUR CHILDREN

 

There are several verses in the Qur'an that strongly condemn killing one's own children, particularly the pre-Islamic practice of infanticide out of fear of poverty or shame.

The most direct verses are:

6:151    وَلَا تَقْتُلُوا أَوْلَادَكُم مِّنْ إِمْلَاقٍ ۖ نَّحْنُ نَرْزُقُكُمْ وَإِيَّاهُمْ
"Do not kill your children because of poverty. We provide for you and for them."

17:31     وَلَا تَقْتُلُوا أَوْلَادَكُمْ خَشْيَةَ إِمْلَاقٍ ۖ نَّحْنُ نَرْزُقُهُمْ وَإِيَّاكُمْ ۚ إِنَّ قَتْلَهُمْ كَانَ خِطْئًا كَبِيرًا
"Do not kill your children for fear of poverty. We provide for them and for you. Indeed, killing them is a great sin."

Another verse condemns child sacrifice:

6:137   وَكَذَٰلِكَ زَيَّنَ لِكَثِيرٍ مِّنَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ قَتْلَ أَوْلَادِهِمْ شُرَكَاؤُهُمْ لِيُرْدُوهُمْ وَلِيَلْبِسُوا عَلَيْهِمْ دِينَهُمْ
"Likewise, their associates made the killing of their children seem attractive to many of the polytheists (mushrikeen), to destroy them and to confuse them in their religion."

And regarding the killing of infant girls:

81:8–9      وَإِذَا الْمَوْءُودَةُ سُئِلَتْ • بِأَيِّ ذَنبٍ قُتِلَتْ
"And when the baby girl who was buried alive is asked: For what sin was she killed?"

GUTSHOT PODCAST EP 92 THE DEEP STATE

 

The Unbelievably Stupid Germans.

 

Remember when the Ukraine War started in February 2022 (FOUR YEARS AGO) I said that it was a British war against Germany (and Russia). It was a clever chess movement in the Great Game (which the British are still playing).  

The Great Game was the strategic and geopolitical rivalry between the British Empire and the Russian Empire during the 19th century and early 20th century, primarily over influence in Central Asia.

And their strategy has worked. The British wanted to cut Germany down to size. True enough Germany is now dying. First listen to this eight minute video. Volkswagen of Germany is cutting 100,000 jobs and closing down FOUR of their gigantic car manufacturing plants inside Germany.

Because of their really foolish support for the war in Ukraine, Germany has on its own shut off cheap natural gas supply from Russia. Germany now pays FOUR TIMES the market price for natural gas which they import via LNG tankers.  The oil majors are making money. And two of the seven oil majors are British. The British are making super money from the Germans.

So energy costs for German industries have gone up FOUR TIMES. So how do they expect to compete with even Zimbabwe or Papua New Guinea, let alone super efficient and super high tech China? The Germans are losing their underpants. 

And here is more stupidity (yes they are stupid) by the Germans. They have about 40 BILLION tons of coal reserves in Germany. They can use this coal to make really, really cheap electricity. And make German industry great again. But Germany only produces about 130 MILLION tons of coal per annum. That is less than 0.5% of their total coal deposits. Why so? Because of global warming, zero carbon, the sky is falling and other bullshit. 

Want to hear  more stupidity? After Fukushima the Germans shut down all their nuclear power plants - permanently.  Want to hear the funny part - even the Japanese did not permanently shut down their nuclear power plants. The Japanese paused their nuclear plants for safety inspections and upgrading. And the Chinese have 39 new nuclear power plants under construction (producing 39 GIGAWATTS of electricity) of which about 25 will come on stream in the next five years. 

China already has 1,250 GIGAWATTS of coal fired power plants in operation. Another 300 GIGAWATTS of coal fired power plants are also under construction in China.  China is going to beat the crap out of the Germans and the Europeans.

The Germans are having their cyanide capsule cravings again.  

FRIDAY NOTES (12/06/26) FROM THE QURAN - SURAH YASIN

Non Muslims can read this. Some general knowledge. Out of the 114 surahs or chapters in the Quran, chapter 36 is called Surah Yasin. This chapter has much significance because it is often recited during special occasions especially at funerals and when people visit the graves of their dearly departed. It is often recited as a prayer at the graves of the dead people.

However with the appearance of Salafism there is debate because the Salafis do not practise the reciting of the Surah Yasin at funerals or at the graves of dead people.

Of course the vast majority of non-Arab Muslims do not understand Arabic and so they do not understand what they are reciting in Arabic.

Here are a few verses from Surah Yasin (36:60-64) with English translation.

Surah Yasin (36:60-64) 

60  وَأَلَمْ أَعْهَدْ إِلَيْكُمْ يَٰبَنِيٓ ءَادَمَ أَن لَّا تَعْبُدُوا۟ ٱلشَّيْطَٰنَ ۖ إِنَّهُۥ لَكُمْ عَدُوٌّ مُّبِينٌ  

61 وَأَنِ ٱعْبُدُونِى ۚ هَٰذَا صِرَٰطٌ مُّسْتَقِيمٌ  

62 وَلَقَدْ أَضَلَّ مِنكُمْ جِبِلًّۭا كَثِيرًا ۖ أَفَلَمْ تَكُونُوا۟ تَعْقِلُونَ 

63  هَٰذِهِۦ جَهَنَّمُ ٱلَّتِى كُنتُمْ تُوعَدُونَ  

64 ٱصْلَوْهَا ٱلْيَوْمَ بِمَا كُنتُمْ تَكْفُرُونَ 

Here is the English translation (36:60-64)

60 Did I not enjoin upon you, O children of Adam, that you not worship Satan—indeed, he is to you a clear enemy?

61 And that you worship only Me? This is a straight path.

52 And he had already led astray from among you much of creation, so did you not use reason?

63 This is the Hellfire which you were promised.

64  Enter it today because you disbelieved.

This is part of the recitation at funerals and at the graves of the dearly departed.