“Herald” (28 October 2007, Vol.14, No.42)
‘Ruangan pembaca’ (p. 19)
‘Rasuah cemar nama dan bangsa Malaysia’ Jenny’Dore, Kuala Lumpur
Salam damai Editor,
Saya suka sekali membaca rencana bertajuk “Creating controversy where there is none”. Saya berharap rencana ini akan diterjemahkan ke dalam bahasa Malaysia juga.
Transparency International (TI), sebuah badan yang bertanggungjawab meletakkan ranking negara-negara rasuah meletakkan Malaysia pada tempat ke-44 daripada 163 negara pada tahun 2006. Dan saya terkejut, bila sebuah akhbar tempatan memberi ulasan bahawa ini bukan satu ranking yang buruk?
Dalam usaha menangani masalah rasuah maka Institut Integriti Malaysia (IIM) ditubuhkan. Kemudian semua ketua-ketua jabatan, ahli-ahli akademik, ahli-ahli politik berkumpul dan berbincang dengan pelbagai pendapat dan cadangan. Tetapi ceritanya sama sahaja. Banyak masa terbuang begitu sahaja.
Bagi saya, rasuah membawa imej yang buruk kepada Negara yang dipanggil sebagai sebuah Negara Islam.
(Tamat)
‘Letters to the editor’ (p.11)
‘Language belongs to no one’ by Lucille Dass, Penang
Dear Editor,
Your editorial “Creating controversy when there is none” (HERALD, Oct 14) is the sum and substance of the futility of laying claims over a common and shared use of words. In my short take, “The world in English” (MOE, The Star, 28 Sept, 2006), I similarly note, “Borrowed words in English testify that there can be no individual ownership of the language (or any language for that matter).” David Crystal, author of The Cambridge Encyclopaedia of English Language, declares, “The language〔any individual language〕as a whole belongs to no one and yet everyone owns a part of it, has an interest in it, and has an opinion about it. In a sense, we are all truly equal when we participate−even though this democratic vision is disturbed by the widely-shared perception that some are more equal than others.”
Besides the shared-use of words, religious practices have also developed, evolved, and entered “the universal arena”…”through human interaction.” The word puasa in your editorial, prompts me to share excerpts from “Ramadan’s peaceful roots”, an interesting item I came across in the International Herald Tribune (Sept 18, 2007). James Carroll, the columnist, explains the meaning of Ramadan−the Muslim holy month, as “a time of penitence, care for deeper things, including needs of the poor and familial solidarity.” And, lamentably adds, “But Ramadan has come to have less godly significance, as well.”
Lily's nNote: The rest in the letter was omitted by Lily due to the‘irrelevant’information.
