Religious cults are enemies of nation building and economic progress

The rise of cults like GISB or Global Ikhwan Sendirian Berhad and Holdings threatens planning for a prosperous and dignified Malaysia. — Bernama

The Madani budget has been tabled and it aims for development and progress hopefully will turn our lives around for the better.

The rise of cults like GISB or Global Ikhwan Sendirian Berhad and Holdings, which is believed to be a splinter of the Al-Arqam cult that was declared a deviant group, threatens our planning for a prosperous and dignified Malaysia.

Knowledge progress

One key aspect of human and nation development is the progress in knowledge. In order for knowledge to grow, thrive and be of use, it must developed in a critical and rigorously academic and practiced manner.

Information, experience and perceptions of societies must be framed within a critical discourse and questions formulated to break down the issues and rigorously examined to develop newer and better ways of doing things or thinking about things. With the presence of cult teachings, knowledge is inward and imprisoned and all interpretations will depend entirely on a group of self appointed people that would imprison the human minds to stagnate and eventually die. Billions of ringgit allocated for education and research would be wasted and the nation will never change and progress positively.

Prof Mohd Tajuddin opines that religious cults will undermine progress of the nation — dividing the community and stagnating progress with the rejection of discourse and critical thinking.

Secular education

An important part of education is profession-based knowledge and philosophical or social based knowledge. Both must come from a secular perspective with critical discourse and empirical findings being the basic tools for humanity to teach itself differently from the past.

Cults like GISB would stagnate and kill secular education as it is deemed unrelated to the world view of God and other religious teachings.

The budget had allocated almost RM90bil for schools and universities to make sure that the country has the work skills and the professional knowledge that would attract investors as well as provide a multi-national collaboration on many business and educational ventures.

Cult teachings abhor secular knowledge, which is deemed detrimental to the survival of the faith that deals with the idea of faith knowledge from the elders, with no chance for testing, examining and discourse.

Education religion

The budget also saw much money being allocated for religious teaching especially that of Islam. The Madani government seek a modern style education of the tahfizs, madrasah and Islamic education institutions in order to provide a perspective of both the worldly and spiritual development as one and growing at the same pace. Cults like the GISBH uses direct faith teaching that has gone far away from the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad. They rely only on their cult leader’s Abuya or Ashhaari’s visons and statements to guide their spiritual paths.

The cult believes in the continuity of the dead leader’s teachings through human vessels and even vassals in order to grasp a strong hold on the minds and soul of the followers. They will not be able to appreciate the real teaching of Islam from a platform that is more moderate and critical in approach.

Global work culture

A global work culture is no longer an “if” but is now a “must”. Work appointments now cross cultural boundaries and a global education construct that looks at the world is encouraged, and peering inwards at one’s own micro society is no longer an option. Universities must see that their curriculum accreditation aligns with the broader requirements of a borderless world. The idea of an education for a career destined mainly in a small geographical location is no longer an attractive or the only option.

A narrow-minded educational construct is no different than a cult holding back its followers under a coconut shell that would have apparent short term safety at the cost of larger and more golden opportunities.

Freedom and entrepreneurship

Freedom of expression and questioning leads to entrepreneurship where the talents and ideas matter most. The days of a fixed and boxed in ideas of cults like GISBH or even of professions in any practice are challenged with the rise of AI doing jobs that earlier graduates can perform.

The new ways are the management and the ideas of new ventures and cross cultural competition at the global levels are now the new gaming fields. The old borders should be no more. And yet, Malaysia is still stifled with old outdated practices and evaluations of a fast disappearing and extinct work constructs and policies. To be successful, new ideas must challenge the old ideas and practices with the ocean that has no shorelines to be the new battlefields of economies.

Democracy and dignity

In human history, religion was supposed to define the dignity of a person.

But then, religion became a tool of conquest and subjugation and has made man less than what he was meant to be by creating a class of clergy and followers.

It was democracy, socialism and communism that began to redefine the dignity of the person through ideas of economy, whether of a shared state or a capitalistic one.

The worth of a person is related to the idea of property ownership and currency exchange in one sense and also the ideas of human rights and civil liberties on the other. In a cult where the leadership owns and profits everything while treating workers as slaves without personal wealth, the dignity of a person decreases significantly as well as the idea of expansion and innovation. Without personal wealth and capital, new ventures would fail to materailise.

Democracy as practiced now in many nations is an anchor of economic well being where justice for basic survivability and dignity of people are controlled by the masses rather than like a cult from the leadership alone. Political and religious cults destroys human dignity and thus the economies that go with them.

Conclusion

Religious cults will undermine our progress as a country and as a nation. They divide our community and stagnate our progress with the rejection of discourse and critical thinking. Without discourses and critical thoughts, entrepreneurship and progress die out along with whatever survivability or sustainability that we can ever hope for.

Prof Dr Mohd Tajuddin Mohd Rasdi is a professor of Architecture at the Tan Sri Omar Centre for Science, Technology and Innovation Policy Studies at UCSI University. He also sits on the Board of Governors of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM).

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What’s in the RM421bil 2025 budget

 What’s in the RM421bil 2025 budget

  Budget 2025: Singles, senior citizens to get RM600 Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim tabled the 2025 budget, of which RM335 billion, or 79.6%, .

Have they, not just politicians, civil servants no shame?

 With billions being spent on Budget 2025, it is important that the money reaches the people, and is not siphoned off by the corrupt and kept in ‘safe houses’. Good must triumph.

Dorairaj Nadason

Have they, not just politicians, civil servants no shame?

 With billions being spent on Budget 2025, it is important that the money reaches the people, and is not siphoned off by the corrupt and kept in ‘safe houses’. Good must triumph.

Dorairaj Nadason

I HAVE always loved spy stories. You know, the type where the hero kicks some serious butt and takes out the bad guys before rescuing the pretty scientist they are holding hostage.

The pretty hostage and the spy make their way to a safe house where she is debriefed and secrets are revealed. Then the hero and scientist go to some island in the sun where the hero “de-briefs” the scientist in another way. But hold on, I am going off on a tangent.

What I am really on about is that I have always thought of a safe house as a place where hostages and intended victims of killers are taken to stay safe.

Or places where kids bullied and mistreated by some cult are taken to be kept safe from the bullies, or parents who handed them over to the culprits.

In Malaysia, we have more. Here, we have safe houses that are literally houses that double up as safes.

The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) people raided a few houses belonging to a politician recently. They were “safe houses” holding close to RM5.5mil, both in local and foreign currencies.

Why would a person stash so much money away in a house and not put it in a bank account? Was it some ill-gotten gain? Or was it money to be used on the sly for some other reason?

First things first, though. We have not been told who the politician is and he is obviously innocent until proven guilty, and we do not know if there is more to these raids and seizures than meets the eye.

But one thing is certain. Corruption among politicians has for long been a big thing in Malaysia. And almost none would accept their guilt.

Scores of them – from both sides of the divide – have been charged and most of us believe that it is only the tip of the iceberg.

It’s not just politicians. Civil servants have also been caught with houses serving as safes.

Just last month, nearly RM800,000 in cash was found in the bedrooms of two Immigration Department officers who were caught for “counter setting”.

One of them had close to RM250,000 hidden under a mattress. Apparently, people still do keep money under mattresses and pillows. My late mother used to do that, but a quarter of a million?

MACC folk have seized more than RM1.5mil in their raids against dirty Immigration officers, according to chief commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki.

And who can forget the Sabah water scandal, where two senior officers in the state agency were arrested? Some RM52mil in cash was seized, RM3mil of which was in a safe deposit box in a suspect’s office with more in a “safe house”. There were also jewellery, luxury watches, cars and even land grants.

Here are some statistics, as given by MACC’s director of monitoring and coordination Mohamad Tarmize Abdul Manaf:

From 2019 to 2023, 2,163 public servants were arrested for corruption. This was 43.3% – almost half – of total arrests made by the commission. Of that number, 1,347 (62.2%) were arrested for soliciting and receiving bribes.

Oddly enough, 21 (1%) were arrested for offering and giving bribes.

Tarmize says there are many reasons why public servants should not take bribes. There’s the shame of being arrested, jail terms that can be as long as 20 years, and there are huge fines of up to five times the value of the bribe.

They can even be named and shamed in the MACC portal. Worse, civil servants will not only lose their jobs but also their pensions.

So why do they still do it?

Does the lure of extra money really overshadow the punishments they potentially face? Or are they paid so little that they need to find extra funds to survive? In just over a couple of months, civil servants will get a hefty pay hike. Will that bring down corruption?

I am not sure, but most would agree that corruption is a serious matter in Malaysia.

In 2023, we ranked 57th out of 180 countries in the Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index with a score of 50, up from 47. A year earlier, we were ranked 61st.

There has been an improvement, but obviously, we have a long way to go.

Take our southern neighbour. In the same index, Singapore was ranked the fifth least corrupt country and remains the only Asian country ranked in the top 10. Even its politicians would not dare to be dishonest.

Earlier this month, S. Iswaran, a senior Cabinet minister in the republic’s government, was sentenced to 12 months in jail.

His offence? He accepted gifts worth more than S$403,000 (RM1.32mil) while in public office. The gifts included tickets to the Formula 1 Grand Prix, a Brompton T-line bicycle, alcohol, and a ride on a private jet. There were no huge sums of cash hidden in his house.

It probably would not have been a big deal in Malaysia.

And Iswaran’s response to the verdict? The 62-year-old accepted that he was wrong to accept the gifts, declined to appeal, and went to jail.

There is a sense of shame there. Former Singaporean national development minister Teh Cheang Wan who was investigated in 1986 for accepting bribes even took his own life before he was charged.

Malaysia really needs honest politicians, or at least those who know the difference between right and wrong. Yesterday, a RM421bil Budget was unveiled. It must reach the people, not be siphoned off by corrupt officials.

We will also be celebrating Deepavali in 10 days, and it is a good time to reflect on the integrity of our leaders. After all, Deepavali is also about the punishment of thieves and the corrupt.

The evil demon Narakasura not only tormented the worlds, he kidnapped 16,000 women, and stole the earrings of Aditi, the heavenly mother goddess, and usurped her territories. That was the last straw, and Lord Krishna came to earth to slay him. That was the hero kicking some serious butt.

In some parts of India, they celebrate Deepavali as the day Lord Rama came home after rescuing his wife Sita from the evil Ravana. And that was the hero rescuing the pretty hostage.

Which is why I really like those stories too. Have a happy – and safe – Deepavali.

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What’s in the RM421bil 2025 budget

What’s in the RM421bil 2025 budget

  Budget 2025: Singles, senior citizens to get RM600 Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim tabled the 2025 budget, of which RM335 billion, or 79.6%, .

What’s in the RM421bil 2025 budget

 

Budget 2025: Singles, senior citizens to get RM600

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim tabled the 2025 budget, of which RM335 billion, or 79.6%, accounted for operational expenditure. (Bernama

PETALING JAYA: 

Prime minister and finance minister Anwar Ibrahim has tabled the 2025 federal government budget, with a total allocation of RM421 billion.

This represents a RM27.2 billion increase compared with the RM393.8 billion that was allocated for 2024, and is the first time that the budget has exceeded RM400 billion. 

Operational expenditure accounts for RM335 billion, or 79.6%, while RM86 billion is allocated for development expenditure.

Here are the highlights of the 2025 budget:

Economy and investments

GLICs to invest RM120 billion domestically over the next five years. RM25 billion is allocated for next year, while projects worth RM9 billion will be developed through public-private partnerships.

Government to introduce the New Investment Incentive Framework in the third quarter of 2025. RM1 billion in investment funds will be allocated to train local talent and encourage high-value activities.

RM300 million for Khazanah’s National Fund-of-Funds to support investment in startups.

Development and utilities

Allocation for the National Energy Transition Facility raised to RM300 million for 2025 from RM100 million this year.

The Net Energy Metering programme is extended to June 30, 2025, for the installation of photovoltaic solar panels.

RM1 billion for the green technology financing scheme.

UEM Lestra and TNB to invest RM16 billion to improve transmission and distribution networks as well as to decarbonise industrial areas.

All government agencies to sign energy performance contracts to slash electric bills by 10%.

Taxes

Sales tax to be imposed on premium imported food items like salmon and avocado from May 1.

Service tax will be widened to include commercial services, including businesses like fee-based financial services.

Full implementation of the expanded SST starts May 1, 2025.

2% tax on dividend income of more than RM100,000 earned by individual shareholders. This will start from the 2025 assessment year.

Carbon tax to be imposed on steel, iron and energy industries in 2026, to encourage use of low-carbon technology.

Individual income tax relief for education and medical insurance premiums raised to RM4,000.

Tax exemption on foreign-sourced income extended until Dec 31, 2036.

Additional 50% tax deduction for employers who hire women returning to the workforce.

Subsidies

Targeted subsidies for RON95 petrol to be implemented mid-2025.

Education

RM64.1 billion in total allocated to the education ministry.

RM2 billion to upgrade and maintain schools nationwide.

Construction of 44 new schools nationwide to commence next year.

RM870 million for the supplementary food programme in schools.

Nearly RM800 million for early schooling aid.

RM18 billion for the higher education ministry.

RM4 billion for scholarships, loans, and education allowances.

RM500 million provided by PTPTN for students in STEM-related courses in public universities.

Tax relief for savings in the National Education Savings Scheme (SSPN) extended by three more years.

RM20 million for UiTM to produce more engineers in the semiconductor sector.

RM50 million to teach AI-related subjects at all research universities.

RM600 million for research and development under the higher education and science, technology and innovation ministries.

RM7.5 billion allocated for TVET.

RM55 million for GiatMara and community colleges to train 10,000 children from tahfiz and pondok schools over five years.

RM120 million for MCMC to improve internet connectivity at public universities, schools, military camps and Mara institutions.

RM300 million to build two new special needs schools, one focussing exclusively on autism.

Health

RM45.3 billion for the health ministry.

RM1.35 billion for maintaining and repairing health facilities.

Government to raise excise duty on sugary drinks by RM0.40 per litre, starting Jan 1, 2025.

Security

RM19.5 billion for the home ministry.

RM560 million to enhance border security.

RM21.2 billion for the defence ministry.

RM5.8 billion to maintain and repair assets of the armed forces.

Allocation for the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) increased to RM360 million from RM338 million.

RM20 million to strengthen the National Scam Response Centre.

Additional staffing of 100 people for the National Cyber Security Agency (Nacsa), along with an additional allocation of RM10 million.

Environment

The Ecological Fiscal Transfer fund to be raised to RM250 million to support state efforts in protecting forests and wildlife.

Social welfare

RM13 billion for Rahmah cash aid initiatives, compared with RM10 billion this year. This increase will benefit 60% of the adult population.

4.1 million households will get RM100 in cash aid a month, compared with 700,000 households this year. The cash will be credited into the MyKad of recipients from April 2025, and can only be spent on essential goods.

Singles will get RM600 each.

Social welfare department to get RM2.9 billion, compared with RM2.4 billion in 2024.

Senior citizen aid increased from RM500 to RM600 a month.

Low-income families to get RM250 in aid for each child aged six and under; RM200 for each child aged seven to 18. This is higher compared with RM200 and RM150, respectively, for 2024. This is however capped at RM1,000 per family.

The federal territories general aid is raised from RM100 a month to RM150, with a cap of RM500 per family.

RM300 million for an enhanced Rahmah programme to offer essential goods at reasonable prices.

RM250 million to enroll more low-income individuals in the People’s Income Initiative (IPR).

RM84 million to upgrade facilities at New Villages.

Income eligibility for disabled worker aid relaxed to RM1,700 a month.

Additional tax relief for disabled couples raised to RM6,000.

Additional tax relief for taxpayers with unmarried disabled children raised to RM8,000.

Aid for army veterans raised from RM300 to RM500.

Housing

Nearly RM900 million for 48 People’s Residency Programmes and 14 Rumah Mesra Rakyat projects.

RM12.8 billion in guarantees for over 57,000 first-time home buyers, with ongoing guarantees of RM10 billion for 20,000 buyers.

Jobs and community support

Minimum wage raised from RM1,500 to RM1,700 per month, effective Feb 1, 2025.

Enforcement of the new wage will be postponed for employers with fewer than five employees for six months (starting Aug 1, 2025).

RM200 million allocated to carry out the Progressive Wage Policy.

GiatMara to provide short-term training for 3,000 gig workers.

The EPF i-Saraan incentive is raised to 20% from 15%, subject to a cap of RM500 a year or RM5,000 in a lifetime.

Government to make it mandatory for foreign workers to contribute to EPF. This will be done in stages.

Rural communities

RM100 million for services like mobile clinics to cater to rural communities.

RM2.9 billion to upgrade basic infrastructure in rural areas.

RM380 million for the Orang Asli from RM330 million this year.

Civil Service

On-call duty allowance for medical and dental officers to be increased between RM55 and RM65, depending on the department.

Over RM1.8 billion for the construction, maintenance, and renovation of civil servants’ quarters.

RM500 in special cash aid for civil servants Grade 56 and below.

Transport

Prasarana to provide vans to shuttle students from selected train stations at the cost of 50 sen per ride.

RM2.8 billion to maintain federal roads. RM1 million earmarked for secondary, Felda and industrial roads, as well as roads damaged due to floods.

RM5.5 billion for maintenance of state roads.

Commodities

RM60 million in grants for rubber smallholders.

RM100 million in incentives for smallholders to replant oil palm.

RM2.6 billion for Felda, Felcra and Risda.

Industries and businesses

Multi-tier levy to be implemented in early 2025 to reduce reliance on foreign workers.

RM200 million for Retirement Fund Incorporated (KWAP) to invest in local startups.

RM50 million in matching grants for local entrepreneurs to digitalise.

RM3.2 billion for micro loans from Tekun and BSN for small traders, including the disabled, Chinese and Bumiputera communities.

RM800 million in funds under Mara and PUNB for Bumiputera entrepreneurs, including artisans.

RM1.3 billion to empower G1-G4 contractors to undertake small and medium projects.

Agriculture and food security

RM300 million to collaborate on agricultural projects with state governments to boost local food production.

RM1 billion for initiatives to control prices and supply of goods.

Tourism, arts and culture

Almost RM550 million to enhance tourism promotions and activities for Visit Malaysia 2026.

RM110 million for improving tourist facilities, pursuing Unesco nominations for various cultural sites, and establishing ecotourism cooperation.

RM600 million to restore key cultural sites in Kuala Lumpur.

RM50 million for Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka to collaborate with language activists in promoting language and literary activities.

Youth and sports

RM50 million for PLKN (National Service Training programme) 3.0.

RM25 million for the Rakan Muda programme.

RM230 million for national sports development.

RM15 million for Harimau Malaya and the Under-18 and Under-13 teams.

Sabah and Sarawak

Sabah and Sarawak will get RM6.7 billion and RM5.9 billion in development funds, respectively.

Special grants for Sabah and Sarawak doubled to RM600 million in 2025.

Over RM200 million for flights to interiors in Sabah and Sarawak.

Disaster management

RM150 million to mitigate flash floods.

RM600 million for the National Disaster Management Agency to prepare for flood disasters.

RM250 million allocated for slope repairs nationwide.

RM20 million for GLIC and GLC foundations to help them provide aid to flood victims.

Islamic affairs

RM2 billion for Islamic affairs.

Halal Development Corporation to merge with Matrade.

RM100 million matching grant to encourage the development of new Islamic finance solutions.

Jakim to hire 100 halal auditors.

RM200 million for the Urban Development Authority to develop affordable homes on waqf land.

RM35 million for Kafa teachers, imams and related personnel.

Laws and legal reforms

Allocation for the legal affairs department raised from RM194 million to RM209 million.

RM200 million for the national audit department, an increase from RM173 million.

Government to form a law reform committee to update commercial laws.

RM60 million for the judiciary to upgrade its infrastructure, including the e-Kehakiman system.

RM25 million for the Special Agency Reform Task Force (STAR).

Others

RM27 million allocated to the Malaysia Competition Commission (MyCC) to bust cartels.

50 acres from the Bandar Malaysia project designated as Malay reserve land.

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elated post:

Have they, not just politicians, civil servants no shame?

 With billions being spent on Budget 2025, it is important that the money reaches the people, and is not siphoned off by the corrupt and kept in ‘safe houses’. Good must triumph.

Related:

Budget 2025: New dividend tax, higher sugar tax, wage floor up to RM1,700  

INTERACTIVE: Key points from Budget 2025    

Highlights of Budget 2025