Link: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8286939.stm

Young adults are suffering from “anxiety overload”, a UK charity warns.

A survey of 18-24 year olds found 66% feel stressed or anxious at least once a week, with money and job worries being the main cause.

Almost a third of respondents said they did not tell anyone of their worries, raising the need to teach young people “coping strategies”, said Rethink.

Women seemed most badly affected, with one in three suffering frequent anxiety, compared with one in 10 men.

The YouGov poll of 2,000 adults, 250 of whom were aged 18-24, found 33% of young women felt stressed or anxious most days or every day.

Money worries were given as the main reason by 45% of respondents, followed by 33% having concerns about job prospects and 29% worried about pressures from school or university.

Some said they would seek advice or support from a partner or friend, but almost one third (31%) say they kept stress and anxiety to themselves.

Pressures

James Gorman, Rethink National Young Persons’ Programme Manager said the pressures on young people were “huge”.

“With the number of young people not in education or employment rising, it’s no wonder many are feeling the strain.

“It is extremely important that we teach young people strategies for coping with stress and protecting their mental health.

“Failure to get the right help at the right time can have lasting consequences.

“The longer people suffer in silence, the harder it is to help them recover.”

Lucie Russell, Young Minds campaigns director, said the survey suggested young people felt really stressed much of the time.

“It is worrying that young people are unable to speak openly about their anxieties.

“Young people should be taught coping strategies early on at school and at home, so they can deal with difficult feelings and situations.

“But there must also be readily available support both at school and in the community, so that young people don’t have to suffer alone.”

Paul Farmer, chief executive at Mind said young people were bearing the brunt of the recession.

“Employment is scarce and without a job, anxiety, low self-esteem and unhappiness can set in.

“Unfortunately, stigma around mental health is particularly bad amongst adolescents, which means they tend to bottle things up rather than seek support.”

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More and more young adults are facing depression, stress and anxiety every day. What can the church offer to them?

Link: http://themalaysianinsider.com/index.php/malaysia/39244-umno-losing-faith-in-barisan-partners

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 3 — Umno’s patience and confidence with the current power-sharing agreement with its partners in Barisan Nasional is wearing thin, judging by sentiments expressed during a closed-door retreat in Janda Baik.

During this rare three-day gathering of Umno divisions, which ended yesterday, a common refrain heard was that Umno should be less generous in giving up Malay-majority seats to representatives of MCA, MIC, Gerakan and other component parties.

The general view among division chiefs was that the component parties were much weaker than Umno and would not be able to swing votes from the non-Malays or the Malays.

In contrast, a strong Umno was better placed to win in Malay-majority seats.

The Malaysian Insider understands that party president Datuk Seri Najib Razak and senior party officials who attended the retreat — aimed at boosting the morale of grassroots leaders — were non-committal on the request for Umno to be less charitable in seat allocation with BN component parties.

If they do agree, it would represent a major departure from the power-sharing agreement that has been the hallmark of the BN coalition, and could be the death knell of MCA, MIC, PPP and Gerakan — political parties which have been allowed to field candidates in Malay-majority seats across Peninsular Malaysia.

Several Umno officials who attended the retreat told The Malaysian Insider that the most important consideration should be to field a candidate who can enhance the possibility of victory at the next general election.

“If a seat has 55 or 60 per cent Malay voters, it makes sense to field an Umno candidate. In the last election, we gave seats in Perak and Selangor to other parties and they were not able to deliver.

“These parties still have internal issues and will not be able to deliver the votes from the non-Malays. So it will be better if an Umno candidate is fielded to try and get the maximum possible support from Malay voters,” said an official, who requested anonymity due to the retreat being a closed-door affair.

During the retreat, officials were also in agreement that Umno’s/BN’s fortunes rested on the ruling party strengthening its standing among Malay voters — a backhanded acknowledgment that it was not pinning much hopes on getting support from non-Malays at the next general election.

This sentiment is consistent with the growing right-wing tendencies that party officials have exhibited in recent months.

There was little substantive discussion on how the party can reach out to Chinese and Indians who Umno officials have alienated in recent months.

Still, the mood during the retreat was one of optimism with Kelantan Umno declaring that it would be able to snare the state from PAS at the next polls. PAS has been helming the state since 1990 but Umno officials from Kelantan believe that the momentum is swinging their way.

Also confident was Perak’s Datuk Zambry Abdul Kadir. Beneficiary of a power grab, he was certain that Umno/BN would be able to hold on to the state.

Less hopeful about their future prospects were Umno representatives from Penang and Selangor.

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I’m sorry, Mr. PM. What is 1Malaysia? What is “bangsa” and “negara”? Satu bangsa dan satu negara. 1Malaysia???…..

Matthew 11:30

“For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Link: http://www.malaysiakini.com/columns/110731

Kempen media aliran perdana untuk memburuk-burukkan DAP sebagai parti anti-Islam telah berhasil buat sementara.

Sekurang-kurangnya polis mengambil keputusan untuk memanggil Ketua Pemuda DAP Loke Siew Fook dan ahli parlimen Jelutong, Jeff Ooi untuk disiasat bawah Akta Hasutan 1948.

Perkembangan terbaru ini tindakan susulan selepas Perdana Menteri Najib Razak meminta pihak berkuasa menyiasat kes-kes terbabit akibat desakan agar Akta Hasutan atau Akta Keselamatan Dalam Negeri (ISA) digunakan terhadap pemimpin-pemimpin DAP terbabit, yang kononnya menghina Islam.

Rasanya kempen ini bukan insiden terpencil terhadap DAP semata-mata, ia mungkin sebahagian strategi Umno/BN yang lebih besar, bertujuan untuk merampas kembali kuasa pemerintahan di Selangor.

Anwar Ibrahim memberi amaran tentang konspirasi Umno/BN tersebut, dan Najib sendiri juga tidak sembunyikan agendanya hendak merampas kembali kuasa pemerintahan negeri tersebut daripada Pakatan Rakyat.

DAP dituduh sebagai anti-Islam, pada masa yang sama Anwar dituduh sebagai pengkhianat bangsa dan agama, dan PAS sebaliknya dipelawa untuk menubuhkan kerajaan perpaduan bersama Umno, taktik-taktik ini berpusat pada strategi yang sama.

Iaitu mengadudomba PAS dengan DAP dan PKR bawah slogan menyatupaduan Melayu dan penganut Islam, agar Pakatan Rakyat berpecah-belah dan kuasa pemerintahan Selangor boleh dirampas seperti yang berlaku kepada kerajaan Pakatan Rakyat di Perak.

Mari kita meneliti kes-kes dakwaan menghina Islam secara lebih perinci. Kes pertama, Jeff Ooi yang disiasat bawah Akta Hasutan padahal beliau hanya menyifatkan Pertubuhan Jemaah Islah Malaysia (JIM) sebagai pertubuhan ekstremis, dan beliau telah menarik balik ulasan terbabit atas arahan Ketua Menteri Pulau Pinang, Lim Guan Eng.

Sama ada JIM pertubuhan ekstremis atau tidak terpulanglah kepada tanggapan masing-masing. Yang penting, kita harus bersikap liberal dan menghormati kebebasan bersuara setiap rakyat Malaysia membuat kritikan dan kritikan balas.

Tidak dapat dinafikan bahawa kritik-mengkritik atau berdebat secara rasional dan membina menjadi amalan lumrah dalam sesebuah demokrasi yang matang. Mendesak agar Akta Hasutan atau ISA digunakan untuk menindas kebebasan bersuara jelas sekali bertentangan dengan semangat demokrasi, tidak kira dengan apa alasannya.

Ketika insiden desakan gabungan NGO Cina, Suqiu, pada 2001, pimpinan Dong Jiao Zong (DJZ) pernah dicap oleh perdana menteri masa itu, Dr Mahathir Mohamad sebagai “komunis dan al Maunah”. DJZ terpaksa mempertahankan pimpinannya melalui sanggahan dan perdebatan menurut amalan demokrasi.

Dalam peristiwa kafir-mengkafir antara PAS dan Umno, yang diuji ialah dakwah dan ajaran Islam yang lebih sempurna, bukan kekuatan Akta Hasutan atau ISA.

Malah apabila cadangan Nik Aziz Nik Mat agar Kelantan PAS bekerjasama dengan kerajaan persekutuan BN diputarbelitkan sebagai hasrat PAS ingin bekerjasama dengan Umno, tok guru begitu marah sekali sehingga menengking: Pergi jahanamlah Umno!

Namun, tiada pihak yang menganggap kenyataannya itu sebagai menghina Melayu atau Islam, dan mendesak agar tok guru didakwa bawah Akta Hasutan atau diambil tindakan ISA.

Logiknya mudah saja: mengkritik Umno tidak boleh disamakan dengan mengkritik orang Melayu atau Islam; justeru, mengkritik JIM atau ahlinya juga tidak boleh disamakan dengan mengkritik Islam.

Sekalipun pertubuhan Islam berasa terhina, ia juga tidak boleh disamakan dengan Islam pada keseluruhannya telah dihina!

Lantaran itu, jika Ooi menyifatkan JIM sebagai pertubuhan ekstremis, maka terserahlah kepada JIM untuk respons. Oleh kerana JIM tidak sama dengan Islam, maka tidaklah logik jika ulasan itu diperbesar-besarkan dan disamakan dengan Islam telah dihina, lalu didesak agar Akta Hasutan atau ISA diambil terhadap Ooi.

Dalam kes exco kerajaan Selangor Ronnie Liu daripada DAP dituduh sebagai campur tangan dalam tindakan Majlis Bandaraya Shah Alam (MBSA) yang merampas minuman keras di kedai 7-11 di Seksyen 8, Shah Alam, penjelasan Liu juga perlu diambil kira.

Menurut Liu, penjualan bir yang kandungan alkoholnya kurang daripada 8.8 peratus, mengikut Akta Eksais 1976 yang digunapakai sekarang, tidak memerlukan lesen.

Ia bermakna serbuan dan rampasan bir oleh MBSA sebenarnya salah di sisi undang-undang yang dikuatkuasakan sekarang, dan kesalahan ini telah diakui oleh pihak berkuasa yang terbabit.

Sebagai ahli exco yang bertanggungjawab untuk menyelia portfolio terbabit, Liu padahal hanya menjalankan tugasnya untuk membetulkan tindakan yang salah di sisi undang-undang, supaya bir yang dirampas itu dipulangkan kepada pemilik kedai terbabit.

Dalam hubungan ini, Liu tentu tidak boleh dituduh sebagai menghina Islam.

Yang menghairankan, inisiatif untuk membelasah Liu secara terbuka bukan datangnya daripada Umno atau BN, tetapi seorang lagi exco Selangor merangkap pesuruhjaya PAS negeri Dr Hasan Ali. Nampaknya kes ini mungkin ada udang di sebalik balik batu!

Kes ketiga yang lebih menggemparkan berkaitan dengan ahli parlimen Rasah dan ketua Pemuda DAP Anthony Loke Siew Fook. Beliau dituduh menulis beberapa artikel menghina Islam dan juga Sultan Perak serta Raja Muda Perak, Raja Nazrin Shah.

Antara lain, ahli parlimen Kulim, Zulkifli Noordin, membelasah laman sjsandteam.wordpress.com yang memuatkan kenyataan akhbar Loke dan kemudiannya menyiarkan komen, yang menurut pemimpin PKR itu, menghina agama Islam dengan bahasa kesat, lucah, biadab dan melampau terhadap Dr Mohd Ridhuan Tee Abdullah.

Loke mengaku beliau mengeluarkan kenyataan akhbar yang bertajuk “Ridhuan Tee harus minta maaf daripada keluarga Teoh Beng Hock” untuk mengecam penulis kolum itu kerana membuat “ulasan yang kejam dan tanpa hati perut berkaitan isu bayi Teoh yang belum dilahirkan” dan “menyeru agar Dr Mohd Ridhuan segara meminta maaf daripada keluarga Teoh, China Press dan Nanyang Siang Pau”.

Namun beliau menafikan mempunyai sebarang hubungan dengan pemunya laman web yang tidak bertanggungjawab serta komen-komen terbabit.

Dalam laman Rocky’s Bru, “artikel asal” yang didakwa ditulis oleh Loke telah disiar semula, sekali lagi tanpa pengesahan dengan Loke (sama ada beliau penulisnya seperti yang didakwa).

Maka terletuslah hamburan sumpah seranah dan caci maki rasisme yang amat melampau sekali, lantas menjadi perdebatan dan konfrontasi aneka jurusan (sudah lebih 200 komen pada saat ini) antara mereka yang berbeza latar belakang ideologi dan politik, dan terbahagi menjadi dua kumpulan besar, iaitu pro-Umno dan anti-Umno.

Dalam surat kepada Rocky, Loke dengan sekeras-kerasnya menafikan beliau pernah menulis artikel menghina Sultan Perak dan Raja Nazrin seperti dituduh.

Tambahnya, beliau tidak tahu-menahu tentang laman web sjsandteam.wordpress.com sebelum ini. Satu-satunya blog miliknya lokesiewfook.blogspot.com.

“Saya tidak pernah menulis sebarang artikel untuk menghina keluarga diraja, Melayu atau Islam di sepanjang hayat saya. Ada usaha hendak menfitnah Pemuda DAP dan saya dengan sebaran penipuan bahawa kami ini anti-Islam dan anti-keluarga diraja.

“Saya tidak tahu gerangan siapakah yang mengendalikan laman web terbabit, saya tiada sebarang hubungan dengannya.

Sebagai seorang pengendali laman web yang bertanggungjawab, menjadi harapan saya kamu membuat pengesahan mengenai faktanya sebelum membuat sebarang dugaan.

“Saya akan membuat aduan polis hari ini untuk menafikan saya yang menulis artikel terbabit, dan saya harap kamu akan siarkan penjelasan saya untuk menjernihkan suasana. Terima kasih,” kata Loke seperti diterbitkan di Rocky’s Bru.

Rocky sudah menyiarkan surat Loke dalam lamannya seperti yang diminta dan Loke juga telah membuat aduan polis di ibu pejabat polis daerah Dang Wangi untuk menafikan beliau pernah menulis artikel untuk menghina Islam, Sultan Perak dan Raja Nazrin seperti yang dituduh.

Kini, Loke dan Ooi sedang disiasat polis bawah Akta Hasutan. Moga-moga keadilan akan tercapai akhirnya!

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Police!!!……Do your work with a heart of justice and ethics…

Quotation from my sermon:

“Our knowledge in God does not save entirely, our faith and experience in Him will understand how God works in our salvation.”

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Some church members claimed that they know and learn most of the God’s Word. But, the Words are not “digested” into their stomach and subsequently into “digestion system”.

Rev. Dr. Chew once said, “If you know that you are saved by Christ, it is by grace you live today….why are you not serving the Lord as your response to Him…if you are not serving, its show that we do not understand what is true salvation is….”……

“There is no Christianity without the cross. A Christianity without the cross is a fraud.”

Quotes from Warren Wiersbe:

In the life of believer, love is an act of will; we choose to relate to God and to other persons in a loving way no matter how we may feel.


Link: http://themalaysianinsider.com/index.php/malaysia/36129-race-card-proves-dicey-in-permatang-pasir

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 27 — As the dust settles on Malaysia’s eighth by-election — predictably won by the opposition Pakatan Rakyat — it’s become apparent that the prevailing trend has prevailed again.

The Permatang Pasir by-election in Penang was won decisively on Tuesday by PAS, making it a clean sweep of seven by-election wins in Peninsular Malaysia for the opposition alliance since last year’s general election. A by-election in Sarawak was won by Barisan Nasional.

PAS candidate Mohd Salleh Man, 52, defeated Umno’s Rohaizat Othman, 38, in Permatang Pasir, where the seat fell vacant after the incumbent, a PAS assemblyman, died of a heart attack last month.

An analysis of the voting results indicated again that race or religious rhetoric is a dicey strategy for electoral success.

Analyst Ibrahim Suffian, whose Merdeka Centre does independent polling, said studies have shown that such rhetoric may swing a small percentage of Malay voters, but alienate a far larger number of non-Malay voters.

“It does not help to win substantial Malay votes, but it repels others,” he said.

The Permatang Pasir by-election reflected this. Of the 20,000 voters, 72 per cent are Malays, 26 per cent Chinese, almost 2 per cent Indians, and the rest are classified as others.

The PAS candidate took 65 per cent of the total votes, just slightly lower than the 66 per cent in last year’s general election.

A look at the racial breakdown showed that PAS’ share of Malay votes fell by 3 percentage points, but its Chinese support rose by 6 percentage points.

Political analyst Ong Kian Ming said PAS’s Malay support fell from 65 to 62 per cent, but its share of Chinese votes went up from 71 to 77 per cent.

Analysts agree that the ratcheting up of Malay rhetoric had sent the Chinese votes fleeing from Umno. In recent weeks, the Umno-linked Utusan Malaysia newspaper had repeatedly called on the Malays to rise up as they were losing political power.

The death in custody of opposition aide Teoh Beng Hock also stirred anger.

Ibrahim said some of Umno’s rallies during the Permatang Pasir by-election were strong on race rhetoric. He noted that as a result, Umno had won some of the older Malay voters.

But significantly, the Chinese had disregarded recent PAS-led measures to enforce Islamic laws more strictly in Selangor. Clearly, the Chinese see PAS as a more moderate party than Umno.

“Umno has cemented its position in public perception as the more extreme,” said Ong.

Going by the eight by-elections, analysts believe that parties which occupy the middle ground in public perception have the best chance of winning seats.

This is because the Malay swing vote tends to be very limited. Ibrahim said the Malay core vote base for PAS and Umno is fairly entrenched.

It’s unclear which direction PAS will take now. The party is split between those who want to stick to a multiracial platform, and those who want a stronger Islamic agenda. This struggle has yet to be resolved. Some within PAS will see the Permatang Pasir win as “a vote for a moderate stance, but some may interpret it as an approval for an Islamic agenda”, said Ibrahim. — The Straits Times

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Please practice what you have been talking, Mr. BN…..You are losing your grounds…

Many times people tend to ask:

Why there are so many challenges in my life? I just could not understand.

Why there are so many hindrances that cast doubts on my faith? I just could not understand.

Why other people seems to have better life than me? I just could not understand

The list of “whys” goes on and on….

Our “answer” for them will be: Don’t worry, God is in control. Our God is sovereign. He knows everything.

My question will be: Does it solve their worries?

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While I’m busy with my things, this song refresh me once again. A touching song that pierced through my heart and almost caused my tears to roll down…

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