Being sinful, we fail. Being prone to sickness, we hurt. Being mortal, we die. Pressure wears on us. Anxiety gives us ulcers. People intimidate us. Criticism offends us. Disease scares us. Death haunts us.
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Sunday, August 08, 2010
Saturday, August 07, 2010
In Indonesia, Hajj has become more about business and money
In Indo
JAKARTA, Indonesia — As the nation with the world’s largest number of Muslims, Indonesia every year sends the most pilgrims to Mecca by far. About one out of 10 believers who performed the hajj last year were Indonesian.
“Maybe at the beginning, it was really about the religion,” said Ian Imron, a travel agency owner until 2006. “But then it became more about business.”
Some 1.2 million of the faithful are now on a government waiting list to go to Mecca, filling this country’s annual quota through the next six years. But if the rapidly lengthening list is a testament to Indonesia’s growing devotion, it has also become a source of one of its perennial problems: corruption.
Government officials and politicians misuse the money deposited by those on the waiting list — now totaling nearly $2.4 billion — according to government investigators and anti-corruption groups. With friendly travel agents and business allies, officials exploit the myriad requirements of the state-run hajj to fatten their own pockets, watchdog groups say. Corruption, they say, has contributed to consistent complaints about cramped accommodations for pilgrims in Saudi Arabia and catering services that stop delivering food midway through the trip.
The national Parliament and officials at the Ministry of Religious Affairs recently settled on the price of this year’s hajj after unusually protracted negotiations and accusations, widely reported in the news media here, that some lawmakers and bureaucrats had agreed to share $2.8 million in bribes from the ministry. The annual negotiations are used by veteran bureaucrats and lawmakers to hammer out personal deals, according to anti-corruption groups and the news media, which have labeled them the “hajj mafia.”
“We can’t prove the existence of the hajj mafia yet,” said Muhammad Baghowi, a lawmaker who was elected last year and sits on a parliamentary commission that oversees religious affairs. “But given all the indications, you can really sense it.”
Parliamentary leaders and ministry officials have denied the bribery accusations. Abdul Ghafur Djawahir, a high-ranking official at the ministry’s hajj division, said anti-corruption groups had misinterpreted the ministry’s procedures and handling of the deposit money. He said they had also wrongly evaluated the costs of flights to Saudi Arabia and unfairly compared Indonesia’s hajj management with that of Malaysia, where pilgrims are reported to pay less and get better service.
“That’s what, in the end, forms the public’s opinion that there is huge corruption here,” Mr. Djawahir said, adding that there was “no hajj mafia” and that the ministry was “completely clean.”
Ministry officials and lawmakers pointed out that the price for this year’s hajj, which is scheduled for mid-November, had been lowered by $80 to $3,342, compared with last year. But anti-corruption groups argue that without graft and mismanagement the cost would be several hundred dollars lower.
Despite the convictions in 2006 of ministry officials, including a former minister, for misusing hajj funds and bribing state auditors to validate the ministry’s accounts, anti-corruption advocates say that little has changed.
According to Indonesian Corruption Watch, in the deal-making between the ministry and Parliament, lawmakers win hefty allowances on hajj trips for themselves and their relatives, and travel agencies and other businesses with political ties are handed contracts for catering or transportation. In return, lawmakers do not question the ministry’s handling of the $2.4 billion in deposits, especially the accrued interest.
“What the money is used for, we never know,” said Ade Irawan, a researcher at Indonesian Corruption Watch, the country’s leading private anti-corruption organization. “That’s the people’s money, public money, the pilgrims’ money.”
The Indonesian Pilgrims Rabithah, a private organization that has long pressed for reform of the hajj management, said the ministry and lawmakers negotiated away from public forums to keep their deals hidden.
“There is never any public accountability,” said Ade Marfuddin, the organization’s chairman, adding, “No one knows who gets what except them.”
In a recent report, the Corruption Eradication Commission, the government’s main anti-corruption agency, identified 48 practices in hajj management that could lead to corruption. Mochammad Jasin, a deputy chairman of the commission, said the commission would wait to see whether the ministry carried out suggested reforms before considering a full-fledged investigation into possible wrongdoing.
According to quotas established by Saudi authorities, 211,000 Indonesians will be allowed to go to Mecca this year. About 17,000 of them will go on private tours costing several times the state-run package of $3,342 — a sum that often entails a lifetime of savings and the sale of property or livestock.
Unable to afford the state-run hajj, Arif Supardi, 53, entered Saudi Arabia on a business visa shortly before the hajj a couple of years ago. (The Saudi government estimated that 30 percent of the 2.5 million pilgrims last year went to Mecca without valid permits.) He said he managed to complete his pilgrimage for $2,000 by becoming what he and others called “hajj backpackers.”
“There were many from Indonesia, mostly because of the cost,” he said.
Prospective pilgrims must now deposit $2,500 to register for the hajj, effectively lending the ministry that amount until their turn to go on the hajj comes up six years later. According to the religion ministry, between 15,000 and 20,000 people register every month. Interest in performing the hajj, a pilgrimage that is an obligation for any physically and financially able Muslim adult, has risen in the past decade as Indonesians have grown wealthier and increasingly given Islam an important place in their lives.
But Ian Imron, 38, who owned a travel agency offering private hajj tours from 1988 to 2006, said the growing interest also led to an overemphasis on the business side of the hajj. Travel agencies with political ties and large capital have mushroomed. When he ran into financial difficulties in 2006, Mr. Imron took it as a sign to quit the business.
“Maybe at the beginning, it was really about religion,” Mr. Imron said. “But then it became more about business.”
In a wealthy neighborhood in southern Jakarta, Al Amin Universal travel agency boasts that it has taken prominent politicians on the hajj on private tours. Employees at the agency said its owners — the family of Melani Suharli, the deputy speaker of the People’s Consultative Assembly, a legislative branch — were unavailable to talk.
Despite the widely reported poor service on the state-run trips, most pilgrims do not complain as ministry officials warn them that airing grievances will mar their religious experience, anti-corruption groups said.
Achmad Fachin, 50, who sold his family car to go to Mecca with his wife, said he did not complain during their hajj but has grown angry about the corruption.
“But, in the end, let them be,” he said. “They’ll have to take responsibility for whatever they do. We were performing our religious duty and paid the fees with sincerity.”
my comment:
should be aware of
this...
Korupsi Naik Dua Kali Lipat!
source Kompas and ICW
"ICW-Indonesia Corruption Watch-mengungkap, korupsi pada semester pertama 2010 meningkat dua kali lipat dari periode sama 2009! (Kompas, [4-8])," ujar Umar. "Rekor tertinggi korupsi pada sektor keuangan daerah, terkait dengan dana APBD!"
"Kenyataan pahit itu menunjukkan pengelolaan negara ini semakin buruk!" sambut Amir. "Laju pemburukan terjadi bukan kepalang, dalam satu tahun bisa mencapai 100 persen!"
"Jika korupsi naik, tentu kinerja memberantasnya merosot!" tegas Umar. "Lebih parah lagi jika pada sisi pemberantasnya juga terjadi korupsi, seperti jaringan mafia hukum yang terbongkar di tubuh kepolisian, kejaksaan, dan pengadilan terakhir ini! Membersihkan lantai dengan sapu kotor, lantai jadi tambah kotor! Itu salah satu penyebab laju peningkatan korupsi bisa begitu pesat!"
"Penyebab kedua mungkin karena pemberantasan korupsi juga dilakukan secara simbolis!" timpal Amir. "Contohnya ketika Tim Anti-Mafia Hukum dari lembaga Kepresidenan sidak ke Rutan Pondok Bambu dan menemukan "istana" terpidana dalam penjara, tim itu bukan memproses hukum secara formal aparat yang terlibat, tapi menyerahkan kasusnya pada menteri terkait untuk diselesaikan secara internal! Jadi, penindakan cuma simbolis!"
"Lebih parah lagi penyebabnya adalah pembiaran terhadap indikasi korupsi! Contohnya di balik ledakan beruntun tabung gas yang menelan banyak korban jiwa, ada sembilan juta tabung gas dan perantinya dipasok tak sesuai dengan kualitas yang dibayar dengan uang negara!" tegas Umar. "Pemerintah menarik kembali sembilan juta tabung dan perantinya itu, tanpa mencari siapa yang bertanggung jawab atas kerugian negara dalam pengadaan tabung yang ditarik dan harus diganti dengan kualitas standar itu! Tak ada kontraktor, subkontraktor, atau pejabat yang menanganinya diproses hukum! Pembiaran atas masalah yang potensial korupsi itu bisa membuat tindakan penyimpangan sejenis menjadi hal biasa!"
"Dan banyak faktor lainnya, seperti pelemahan KPK, perpecahan di tim antimafia hukum, yang secara komprehensif menjadi paduan kekuatan memacu laju pemburukan usaha pemberantasan korupsi!" timpal Amir. "Karena itu, jika semua faktor pelemah pemberantasan korupsi itu tak dibereskan satu per satu, laju peningkatan korupsi bisa terus semakin pesat! Celakanya, pihak yang berwenang membereskan masalah itu tak terlihat berusaha ke arah sana! Sebaliknya, malah beretorika usaha memberantas korupsi telah maksimal dan sukses!"
H. Bambang Eka Wijaya
"ICW-Indonesia Corruption Watch-mengungkap, korupsi pada semester pertama 2010 meningkat dua kali lipat dari periode sama 2009! (Kompas, [4-8])," ujar Umar. "Rekor tertinggi korupsi pada sektor keuangan daerah, terkait dengan dana APBD!"
"Kenyataan pahit itu menunjukkan pengelolaan negara ini semakin buruk!" sambut Amir. "Laju pemburukan terjadi bukan kepalang, dalam satu tahun bisa mencapai 100 persen!"
"Jika korupsi naik, tentu kinerja memberantasnya merosot!" tegas Umar. "Lebih parah lagi jika pada sisi pemberantasnya juga terjadi korupsi, seperti jaringan mafia hukum yang terbongkar di tubuh kepolisian, kejaksaan, dan pengadilan terakhir ini! Membersihkan lantai dengan sapu kotor, lantai jadi tambah kotor! Itu salah satu penyebab laju peningkatan korupsi bisa begitu pesat!"
"Penyebab kedua mungkin karena pemberantasan korupsi juga dilakukan secara simbolis!" timpal Amir. "Contohnya ketika Tim Anti-Mafia Hukum dari lembaga Kepresidenan sidak ke Rutan Pondok Bambu dan menemukan "istana" terpidana dalam penjara, tim itu bukan memproses hukum secara formal aparat yang terlibat, tapi menyerahkan kasusnya pada menteri terkait untuk diselesaikan secara internal! Jadi, penindakan cuma simbolis!"
"Lebih parah lagi penyebabnya adalah pembiaran terhadap indikasi korupsi! Contohnya di balik ledakan beruntun tabung gas yang menelan banyak korban jiwa, ada sembilan juta tabung gas dan perantinya dipasok tak sesuai dengan kualitas yang dibayar dengan uang negara!" tegas Umar. "Pemerintah menarik kembali sembilan juta tabung dan perantinya itu, tanpa mencari siapa yang bertanggung jawab atas kerugian negara dalam pengadaan tabung yang ditarik dan harus diganti dengan kualitas standar itu! Tak ada kontraktor, subkontraktor, atau pejabat yang menanganinya diproses hukum! Pembiaran atas masalah yang potensial korupsi itu bisa membuat tindakan penyimpangan sejenis menjadi hal biasa!"
"Dan banyak faktor lainnya, seperti pelemahan KPK, perpecahan di tim antimafia hukum, yang secara komprehensif menjadi paduan kekuatan memacu laju pemburukan usaha pemberantasan korupsi!" timpal Amir. "Karena itu, jika semua faktor pelemah pemberantasan korupsi itu tak dibereskan satu per satu, laju peningkatan korupsi bisa terus semakin pesat! Celakanya, pihak yang berwenang membereskan masalah itu tak terlihat berusaha ke arah sana! Sebaliknya, malah beretorika usaha memberantas korupsi telah maksimal dan sukses!"
H. Bambang Eka Wijaya
charity money in Saudi Arabia may end up in wrong hands, including terrorists
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article96153.ece
'Charity money may end up in wrong hands'
By ARAB NEWS
Published: Aug 5, 2010 23:00 Updated: Aug 5, 2010 23:00
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia is popularly known as the "Kingdom of Humanity" and
Saudis are known across the world for helping the poor, the needy and
victims of calamities.
As a result, beggars can often be seen collecting money in the Kingdom,
especially outside mosques, Qur'an schools and in shopping districts.
Many of these beggars are also women.
Most people who give alms do so with the intention of reward from Allah.
However, there is hardly any way of verifying whether these people
deserve the alms they receive. In fact, there is a possibility such
money ends up in the hands of terrorists.
In March this year, police arrested a woman in Buraidah, Haila
Al-Qusayyer, where she had been collecting donations for Al-Qaeda in the
Arabian Peninsula claiming the money would go toward building mosques
and orphanages in Yemen. She also played a significant role in helping
Wafa Al-Shehri, the wife of Al-Qaeda's No. 2 in Yemen Saeed Al-Shehri,
enter Yemeni territory. On account of this, some people oppose giving
alms to people they meet on the street, Al-Riyadh newspaper reported.
Amal Muhammad, an employee in the private sector, recalled that her
mother, who is studying at a Qur'an school, mentioned that a teacher
asked her to bring donations. "The teacher was raising funds to open a
new Qur'an school. I told my mother not to give any money as most Qur'an
schools already receive endowment funds. There is no need for Qur'an
learning centers to collect money from students to buy furniture and
stuff like that," she added.
Secondary school teacher Sara Al-Ajami says she has often encountered
female preachers engaged in collecting donations. "We don't know whether
they have been entrusted by somebody to collect money or they're just
doing it on their own. I'm afraid of giving charity to such people who
could be involved with terrorists, especially in light of recent
revelations about terrorists planning to use women," she said.
She added that there is a need to work out a proper mechanism to collect
and distribute donations. "The security bodies should question women
involved in collecting donations without the permission of concerned
government bodies," she said.
Teacher Al-Anoud Khaled said she used to hand out alms to women beggars
but stopped after hearing of Al-Qusayyer. "Some of these women may be
collecting money for terrorists, and there's no way we can verify this.
Therefore, the best way is to give donations through reliable government
or private agencies and organizations," she said.
Laila Za'azou, a researcher who specializes in criminology, said
terrorists use women to collect donations. "These deviant people see
women as effective ways to collect money from the general public. The
authorities should come out with a robust mechanism to collect and
distribute donations and monitor where the money is spent," she said.
Saham Al-Azzam, assistant undersecretary at the Department of Sociology
and Community Services at Riyadh's Imam Muhammad bin Saud University, is
of the same view. She underscored the need to set up an independent
government agency that will be responsible for collecting donations and
distributing them through charities in a more organized and effective
manner.
She said that there are some people who are engaged in collecting
donations by exploiting the soft nature of women. "These people
frequently visit places where women gather, like shopping areas,
hospitals and schools, and even make home visits to collect donations.
They also misuse occasions such as marriage parties and funerals," she
added.
'Charity money may end up in wrong hands'
By ARAB NEWS
Published: Aug 5, 2010 23:00 Updated: Aug 5, 2010 23:00
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia is popularly known as the "Kingdom of Humanity" and
Saudis are known across the world for helping the poor, the needy and
victims of calamities.
As a result, beggars can often be seen collecting money in the Kingdom,
especially outside mosques, Qur'an schools and in shopping districts.
Many of these beggars are also women.
Most people who give alms do so with the intention of reward from Allah.
However, there is hardly any way of verifying whether these people
deserve the alms they receive. In fact, there is a possibility such
money ends up in the hands of terrorists.
In March this year, police arrested a woman in Buraidah, Haila
Al-Qusayyer, where she had been collecting donations for Al-Qaeda in the
Arabian Peninsula claiming the money would go toward building mosques
and orphanages in Yemen. She also played a significant role in helping
Wafa Al-Shehri, the wife of Al-Qaeda's No. 2 in Yemen Saeed Al-Shehri,
enter Yemeni territory. On account of this, some people oppose giving
alms to people they meet on the street, Al-Riyadh newspaper reported.
Amal Muhammad, an employee in the private sector, recalled that her
mother, who is studying at a Qur'an school, mentioned that a teacher
asked her to bring donations. "The teacher was raising funds to open a
new Qur'an school. I told my mother not to give any money as most Qur'an
schools already receive endowment funds. There is no need for Qur'an
learning centers to collect money from students to buy furniture and
stuff like that," she added.
Secondary school teacher Sara Al-Ajami says she has often encountered
female preachers engaged in collecting donations. "We don't know whether
they have been entrusted by somebody to collect money or they're just
doing it on their own. I'm afraid of giving charity to such people who
could be involved with terrorists, especially in light of recent
revelations about terrorists planning to use women," she said.
She added that there is a need to work out a proper mechanism to collect
and distribute donations. "The security bodies should question women
involved in collecting donations without the permission of concerned
government bodies," she said.
Teacher Al-Anoud Khaled said she used to hand out alms to women beggars
but stopped after hearing of Al-Qusayyer. "Some of these women may be
collecting money for terrorists, and there's no way we can verify this.
Therefore, the best way is to give donations through reliable government
or private agencies and organizations," she said.
Laila Za'azou, a researcher who specializes in criminology, said
terrorists use women to collect donations. "These deviant people see
women as effective ways to collect money from the general public. The
authorities should come out with a robust mechanism to collect and
distribute donations and monitor where the money is spent," she said.
Saham Al-Azzam, assistant undersecretary at the Department of Sociology
and Community Services at Riyadh's Imam Muhammad bin Saud University, is
of the same view. She underscored the need to set up an independent
government agency that will be responsible for collecting donations and
distributing them through charities in a more organized and effective
manner.
She said that there are some people who are engaged in collecting
donations by exploiting the soft nature of women. "These people
frequently visit places where women gather, like shopping areas,
hospitals and schools, and even make home visits to collect donations.
They also misuse occasions such as marriage parties and funerals," she
added.
Friday, August 06, 2010
Oxford Dictionary has vault of 'non-words'
source: news.com.au
August 6, 2010 02:50PM
NOT every word has what it takes to be in the dictionary and many will fade away if they're not used. The Oxford English Dictionary apparently has a vault of "non-words" which is home to contenders deemed unfit for inclusion unless they enter common parlance in the future.Graphic designer Luke Ngakane, 22, found hundreds of such words as part of a project at Kingston University, London."It's a very hush, hush vault and I struggled to find out information about it because it is so secretive," he said."They did send me some examples and I picked out the words that resonated with me and really seemed to fit the purpose they were intended for."I get really excited when I hear someone using one of them because if enough people pick them up then maybe they will make it into the dictionary."But will any of these? Fans of any of these contenders should start bandying them around today to help their case:* Furgling: the act of fumbling in pockets for keys or loose change.* Dringle: The watermark left by a glass of liquid.* Fumb: your large toe.* Museum head: Feeling mentally exhausted and no longer able to take in information.* Earworm: A catchy tune that often gets stuck in your head.* Pregreening: To creep forwards while waiting for a red light to change.* Wikism: A piece of information that claims to be true but is wildly inaccurate.* Scrax: Waxy coating scratched off an instant lottery ticket.Oxford English Dictionary's Fiona McPherson said: "I don't like calling them reject words because we will revisit them at some point and they may well go in. There's not enough evidence that people are using them."Tell us below: what words have you made up that should be in the dictionary?
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August 6, 2010 02:50PM
NOT every word has what it takes to be in the dictionary and many will fade away if they're not used. The Oxford English Dictionary apparently has a vault of "non-words" which is home to contenders deemed unfit for inclusion unless they enter common parlance in the future.Graphic designer Luke Ngakane, 22, found hundreds of such words as part of a project at Kingston University, London."It's a very hush, hush vault and I struggled to find out information about it because it is so secretive," he said."They did send me some examples and I picked out the words that resonated with me and really seemed to fit the purpose they were intended for."I get really excited when I hear someone using one of them because if enough people pick them up then maybe they will make it into the dictionary."But will any of these? Fans of any of these contenders should start bandying them around today to help their case:* Furgling: the act of fumbling in pockets for keys or loose change.* Dringle: The watermark left by a glass of liquid.* Fumb: your large toe.* Museum head: Feeling mentally exhausted and no longer able to take in information.* Earworm: A catchy tune that often gets stuck in your head.* Pregreening: To creep forwards while waiting for a red light to change.* Wikism: A piece of information that claims to be true but is wildly inaccurate.* Scrax: Waxy coating scratched off an instant lottery ticket.Oxford English Dictionary's Fiona McPherson said: "I don't like calling them reject words because we will revisit them at some point and they may well go in. There's not enough evidence that people are using them."Tell us below: what words have you made up that should be in the dictionary?
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