Clean Up Your Own Backyard, Zul

We did hear thunder up north, but there seems to be no rain in sight, still. It was just some angry rumblings from certain pas quarters when they found out that their gig was up. The incredible revelations by Kedah bloggers that the pas State Government of Kedah never built any of the 12 mosques that they proudly listed in their "book of achievement", Sayangi Kedah Sejahtera was indeed too bitter for them to swallow.

“Siapa yang politikkan isu ini? Yang penting dalam isu pembinaan masjid ialah mengimarahkannya bukan berbangga kononnya pihak mereka yang membina, sedangkan sumbernya adalah dari duit cukai yang dikutip dari rakyat.”

That statement was from Zulkifli Yahya, who unleashed brimstone and treacle over the issue through Warta Kedah, the State Government's official publication.

So, who is this Zulkifli Yahya? He is the Pengarah Urusetia Penerangan Kerajaan Negeri Kedah...usually the master of misinformation. Some of you might recall him from information disasters such as "the Al-Bukhary Complex was built on the former Alor Malai Mosque", among the most famous.  It was during that time when he alleged that the Alor Malai Mosque was demolished for the purpose of building the commercial business centre known as Kompleks Al-Bukhary. He was, after all, trying to justify pas' means of demolishing the 100+ year old Madrasah Salihiah for the purpose of building a shopping center. It was amazing that, with all the technology at hand, he couldn't see better, as below:

Will he visit this place and repair the damages?

As we can see from the satellite picture, the commercial and business centre known as Souq Al-Bukhary, the social and religious centre known as Kompleks Al-Bukhary is nowhere on the former site of the Alor Malai Mosque. (For full article, click here ). Even if he ever visits the Al-Bukhary Mosque, he will find a spot in front of the Muslim cemetery with the sign saying "Tapak Asal Masjid Alor Malai". In fact, many times, pas supporters from out of state were left speechless when they saw the sign...or was it the cemetery?

Did he learn his lesson? If he did, he wouldn't be stating what he stated in Warta Kedah lately.

The booklet Sayangi Kedah Sejahtera is an indicator for the achievement of the Kedah State Government under pas, namely under the tyrannical old flop called azizan. Of course, there are many claims of what they did, along with cumulative gains, but that will be discussed later. One fact that remains clear at the moment, the State Government under Pas never played any role in building mosques. No, wait...my apologies...their only role in building mosque is just the claim to fame. They can always show the picture of HRH The Sultan of Kedah officiating the opening of mosques, but Kedahans know that officiating new/newly renovated mosques are within his power as the Head of Majlis Agama Islam Kedah, and under that, no person(s) of political party are allowed to do so as mosques are to remain apolitical. In any case, none of these can justify pas' blatant fib over building the 12 mosques.

Zul Yahya claimed that it is of no importance to be proud over building the mosques...really, then what was the Sayangi Kedah Sejahtera for? To quote their own people:

The young, the proud...hey, where's the truth?

“Objektif utama penerbitan buku Sayangi Kedah Sejahtera bertujuan mendokumentasikan dan mempromosi siri-siri kejayaan dan pencapaian Kerajaan Negeri Kedah di bawah pimpinan Menteri Besar, YAB. Dato’ Seri DiRaja Ustaz Azizan Abdul Razak sepanjang tempoh sepenggal bermula Mac 2008 sehingga 2013 meliputi semua aspek, jabatan, agensi dan GLC,” ujarnya.(Pegawai Khas (Penerangan) Kepada Menteri Besar Kedah, Ustaz Musoddak Haji Ahmad - Warta Darul Aman Khamis, 28 Februari 2013 )

"Series of success and achievements"? If that is not a proud statement, then pas really is an idle boaster. In fact, if pas never lied about building these mosques, it wouldn't even be an issue. But hey, Zul did say that the book never mentioned that the State Government built them. Okay, fine...so, as I understand from Zul's statement; Sayangi Kedah Sejahtera listed 12 mosques that they never built as their achievement in administering Kedah...anybody has an Omega-sized headache yet?

While Zul Yahya stated that the Federal Government should not to be proud about this, his statement "Yang penting dalam isu pembinaan masjid ialah mengimarahkannya bukan berbangga kononnya pihak mereka yang membina, sedangkan sumbernya adalah dari duit cukai yang dikutip dari rakyat” is just one of the million ways of admitting that pas built nothing, and it is just another political way of throwing his tantrum at the truth. Money collected from you and me in taxes, in however form it may be, with whatever name it is called, it still came from the Federal Government.

Really?

It is strange, though, to see that all the money from the entertainment outlets that pas approved, logging concessions and many more failed to even trickle towards building a single mosque. In fact, where is all the money?

So, who politicized the issue? Think of it. Why would pas need to include 12 mosques that Zul Yahya indirectly admitted they never built as an achievement by that political party if not for political mileage? Pas started it, now they have to live with it. As I understand it:

If you prick us, do we not bleed?
If you tickle us, do we not laugh? 
If you poison us, do we not die? (Merchant of Venice : Shakespeare)
and my own addition:
If you bluff us, do we not demand the truth? (Hmmm, doesn't even sound classical...Hey, I'm no Shakespeare)

Mendaulatkan Islam? So much for that. It's strange how a person like Zul Yahya can appear on record, talking about mosques twice, and misleading on both counts. It was bad enough that pas tried to spread their propaganda using sermons in mosques, now they even include mosques in physical form into their propaganda.

I guess it is about time that I place Zul Yahya into the same category of the people whose information must be verified first before becoming regretful. Concocting falsehoods about the houses where we worship God is wrong, and that's evil.