Holistic Transformative Development Amid Global Pandemic - Singapore’s Journey

COVID-19 is a global pandemic (Jaihah) that brings hardships (Haraj). This has affected all aspects of our life. The United Nations Development Programme reported that uncertainties due to this global pandemic are manifold. Under a 'High Damage’ scenario, the world could see a staggering 251 million people driven into extreme poverty by the pandemic, bringing the total number to one billion by 2030. The Singapore government had made swift and comprehensive response by forming multi-ministry task force and galvanise various organisations, at all levels, including faith-based institutions to manage and address the multiple challenges in hands. This paper highlights the 3Rs approach adopted by the government through their policies, measures, and actions on various aspects of sustainability including climate and social changes and how the rest of the stakeholders come together for greater impact, with specific focus on the response from the Muslim community.

Penakrifan Semula Falsafah Sumber Asli untuk Pembinaan Peradaban Islam: Satu Sorotan Awal

Pembangunan yang digerakkan oleh sesebuah peradaban pastinya memerlukan sumber asli sebagai pemangkin. Justeru falsafah yang mendasari pembinaan sebuah peradaban akan menentukan kesan pembangunan terhadap kelangsungan sumber asli. Walaupun digerakkan dengan ilmu sains tabie yang sama, Islam dan Barat mempunyai pegangan asas yang berbeza dalam pembinaan peradaban masing-masing. Oleh yang demikian cara pengurusan sumber asli serta impak pembangunan yang dikemukakan juga adalah berbeza. Masyarakat Islam pada suatu ketika dahulu telah membina peradaban yang memberi kemakmuran pada kehidupan manusia. Namun, apabila puncak peradaban berpindah tangan kepada masyarakat Barat, kerakusan terhadap sumber asli dan kerosakan terhadap alam sekitar telah menjadi masalah yang tidak dapat dibendung lagi. Bagi memastikan pembangunan dunia pada masa hadapan berada pada landasan yang lestari untuk maslahat generasi seterusnya, artikel ini akan memberi penakrifan semula falsafah sumber asli berdasarkan kajian perbandingan antara pemahaman Islam dengan realiti pemahaman Barat dengan menggunakan kaedah kajian kepustakaan dan analisa perbandingan. Sebagai kesimpulan, manuskrip ini mencadangkan pemakmuran alam sebagai sebuah falsafah baharu sebagai rujukan aspek pengurusan sumber asli sebagai alternatif kepada pembangunan lestari yang dicadangkan oleh Barat.

Mineral Kritikal dari Perspektif Keselamatan Negara

Mineral kritikal (menurut United States Geological Survey, USGS) boleh dikategorikan sebagai 'komoditi mineral yang mempunyai kegunaan penting serta tiada pengganti berdaya maju, namun berdepan dengan potensi gangguan bekalan, ditakrifkan sebagai kritikal kepada keselamatan ekonomi dan negara'. Dalam tempoh 10 tahun yang lepas, negara-negara seperti Australia, Kesatuan Eropah (EU) dan Amerika Syarikat telah mula berusaha mengenal pasti, mengkategori dan memprioritikan secara strategik mineral kritikal, contohnya nadir bumi. Walaupun Malaysia kaya dengan mineral berharga (dengan anggaran nilai rizabnya sebanyak RM 4.11 trilion; dimana kemungkinan besar RM 1 trilion boleh dianggarkan sebagai nilai mineral kritikal), ia masih belum membangunkan pelan komprehensif untuk mineral kritikal yang boleh diekstrak. Kertas kerja ini, yang berdasarkan laporan tempatan dan antarabangsa bersama-sama dengan data yang boleh dipercayai, mencadangkan untuk Malaysia mula meneroka usaha mengenal pasti kedudukan sumber-sumber penting dengan sewajarnya. Seterusnya negara perlu mewujudkan perancangan strategik yang komprehensif dalam memelihara dan menggunakan mineral kritikal ini, dengan mengambilkira risiko rantaian bekalan dan pembangunan teknologi yang merupakan perkara antara paling utama kepada keselamatan negara.

Nearby Pockets for Promoting Students' Social Interaction on Malaysian Campus Ground

Recently, nearby pockets on campus ground have become an important tool to improve academic outcomes by enhancing students’ social-learning activities. However, nearby open spaces and pocket parks of Malaysian universities lack the promotion of social interaction and informal activities that affect the academic experience, especially in the outdoor spaces. Therefore, there is a need to enhance students' social interaction on campus ground in Malaysian universities. This study aims to understand the preferred attributes of nearby pocket parks in Malaysian universities to predict students’ social interaction. This study employed a visual preference survey (VPS) conducted in three Malaysian universities, including Universiti Malaya (UM), Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), and Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), to assess the visual preferences of 415 students toward six pocket parks photographs. Multiple regression analysis was used to predict the relationship between students' social interaction and preferred pocket parks. The results indicate that students preferred pockets that provide variety in softscape and activities as well as offer proper hardscape and shade to enhance their social interaction. The results also show that students from different ethnicities, education status and universities have different social interaction levels on Malaysian campus grounds. The current study contributes to integrating nearby pocket parks in outdoor social interaction to improve campus urban design and academic experience. Hence, the study's findings are of great importance for policymakers, architects, landscape architects, urban planners, and researchers in the field in creating sustainable-socially responsive campuses.

Keynote Speech: Colonial-Capitalism and Its Impact on Natural Resources in The Colonised World

This keynote speech was delivered at the International Conference on Interdisciplinary and Strategic Studies (ICRIS) on August 12, 2021. It explains the concept of colonial-capitalism and highlights the importance of understanding the underlying logic of capitalism behind the praxis of colonialism. From the middle to late stages of colonialism over the past 500 years, the underlying logic of colonial conquest continued to evolve. Initially, it was the Crusades that prompted the Europeans to start their exploration but then it was the conflicts and competition among the European powers themselves that galvanised their desire to conquer the world. This speech also illustrates how colonial-capitalism has changed our view of nature and our human relationship with the natural world, which in turn has influenced how we manage our natural resources. It concludes by reflecting on how we are still living in the long shadow of the 19th century and why the struggle for mental liberation continues until today.

Implikasi Pandemik COVID-19 terhadap Ekonomi Global dan Ekonomi Malaysia

Situasi semasa dan cabaran yang dihadapi oleh semua negara menunjukkan bahawa pandemik COVID-19 yang sedang berlaku ini merupakan sebuah krisis berskala global. Dalam penulisan ini, pendapat dan penulisan daripada ahli akademik, pemerhati politik dan laporan-laporan daripada institut-institut kajian telah ditinjau dan disaring untuk mendapatkan idea-idea utama yang dilontarkan terhadap setiap implikasi yang dibincangkan. Bagi menghadapi kesan kegawatan ekonomi ini, negara-negara di seluruh dunia melancarkan Pakej Rangsangan Ekonomi untuk mengurangkan risiko kegawatan pada masa hadapan. Malaysia juga mengeluarkan pakej rangsangan kewangan sebanyak RM250 bilion. Sekiranya pakej rangsangan ini terus bertambah, jumlah hutang negara akan semakin meningkat dan negara-negara di seluruh dunia tidak dapat lagi menanggung beban hutang yang tinggi. Ini akan membawa kepada situasi yang seterusnya, iaitu negara-negara tersebut terpaksa meminjam daripada institusi-institusi kewangan dunia yang didominasi oleh elit kuasa iaitu Amerika Syarikat dan China seperti IMF, World Bank dan AIIB.

Tapping the Potential of Rice Research for Sustainable Agricultural Development: Lessons from Malaysia’s Public Research Institutions

This paper explores the achievements, implications and future potential of rice research to achieve sustainable agricultural development in Malaysia according to the Quadruple Helix Innovation Model. The case study on Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (MARDI) reveals that there are three elements that drive food security and sustainable rice research and development – quality research by Public Research Institutions (PRIs), cooperative private firms in supporting national agricultural agenda and productive farmers in delivering high-yields farming. This paper claims that the presence of public-driven objectives in rice research is the crucial pivot in achieving national food security. The study also found that the cooperation from private firms is key in steering national agricultural agenda towards self-sustaining. The study also found the potential of civil society organisations (CSOs) to transform farmers into more active key players in sustainable agricultural development.

Intra-Regional Alignment Strategy of Small States in Gulf area: Cases of Qatar and United Arab Emirates (UAE)

The Middle East may not possess any great power, but the region has, within itself, several states that hold relatively bigger capabilities and resources compared to the others. Saudi Arabia, Iran, Israel, Egypt, and previously Iraq, are competing to be the main stakeholder in this highly chaotic region. This paper attempts to do a comparative analysis on two gulf countries: Qatar and United Arab Emirates (UAE). The two countries are selected as both are the key economic and strategic players among the small states in the Middle East. The intra-regional alignment behavior of Qatar and UAE as small states in Middle East proves that even in a region where alignments are multi-layered (with intra-regional powers and with international big powers), small states alignment behavior is heavily driven by the intention of minimalizing threats, if not to diminish it completely. Such behavior is expected from states that feel vulnerable within the anarchical environment externally. The external threats and uncertainties, however, are selected and faced according to how the ruling elite perceives it. To preserve domestic political legitimacy, threats and alignment choices become the useful cards for the ruling elites to show their authority, performance, and stature to their domestic audience.

Modus Operandi Gerakan Liberalisme di Malaysia

Abstrak Liberalisasi adalah proses tersusun dalam mempromosi dan menerapkan bentuk-bentuk pemikiran bebas dalam minda masyarakat khususnya umat Islam. Matlamat asasnya adalah untuk membebaskan pemikiran umat Islam daripada pandangan-pandangan turath yang dianggap tidak munasabah dan menyekat kemajuan. Kepercayaan daripada matlamat ini jelas bertentangan dengan prinsip-prinsip asas Ahli Sunah Waljamaah yang menuntut umat Islam berpegang teguh kepada al-Quran dan hadis serta pandangan-pandangan mujtahid dari pelbagai bidang dan sudut. Tulisan ini bertujuan mengenal pasti modus operandi penyebaran pemikiran liberal dalam masyarakat Islam di Malaysia. Kajian ini menggunakan pendekatan kualitatif yang melibatkan analisa kandungan dan temu bual separa berstruktur bersama lima orang belia yang menyokong idealisme liberal dan agenda liberalisme kepada masyarakat Islam di Malaysia. Dapatan temu bual dianalisis menggunakan kaedah analisa perkataan dan thematic. Hasil dapatan kajian menunjukkan gerakan liberalisme di Malaysia mempunyai kerangka modus operandi yang tersusun dalam menyebarkan fahaman tersebut kepada masyarakat di Malaysia. Mereka menggunakan sembilan (9) kerangka modus operandi iaitu persepsi, prinsip, motif, skala, propaganda, perkaderan, proksi, lingkaran sosial dan indoktrinasi. Dapatan ini mendedahkan tentang modus operandi gerak kerja liberalisme dalam mempengaruhi pemikiran masyarakat Islam dan menjauhkan masyarakat daripada peraturan hidup Islam yang sebenar. Namun begitu, kekuatan Islam yang terkandung di dalamnya akidah, syariah dan akhlak dapat menjadi perisai utama dalam mendepani pelbagai ancaman pemikiran khususnya ancaman liberalisme di Malaysia. Kata Kunci: Liberalisme; Pemikiran Islam; Ahli Sunah Waljamaah; Islam; belia Abstract Liberalization is a structured process in promoting and implementing forms of free-thinking in the minds of the people, especially Muslims. Its basic purpose is to free the minds of Muslims from the views of turath which are considered unreasonable and to hinder progress. Beliefs of this aim are clearly at odds with the fundamental principles of the Sunnis who require Muslims to adhere to the Qur'an and the hadith as well as the views of the mujtahid from various fields and angles. This paper aims to identify the modus operandi of disseminating liberal thought in the Muslim community in Malaysia. This study uses a qualitative approach that involves content analysis and semi-structured interviews with five youths who support liberal idealism and the liberalism agenda for the Muslim community in Malaysia. Interviews were analyzed using word and thematic analysis methods. The findings of the study show that the liberalism movement in Malaysia has a modus operandi framework in place to disseminate that understanding to the Malaysian public. They use nine (9) modus operandi frameworks namely perception, principle, motive, scale, propaganda, proportion, proxy, social circle, and indoctrination. This finding reveals the modus operandi of liberalism's work in influencing the thinking of the Muslim community and keeping society out of the true rules of Islamic life. Nonetheless, the Islamic power contained in the creed, sharia and morals can be a key shield in dealing with various threats of thinking especially the threat of liberalism in Malaysia. Keywords: Liberalism; Islamic thought; Ahlus Sunnah wal Jamaah; Islam; youth

Konsep Bandar Menurut Peradaban Melayu

Peradaban Melayu memanifestasikan falsafah kehidupan mereka ke dalam bentuk sebuah kota. Kerajaan Melayu agraria mengutamakan ekonomi pertanian dan bertempat di sepanjang sungai. Manakala kerajaan Melayu maritim pula yang melaksanakan perdagangan di pesisiran laut. Kedua-dua jenis kerajaan dalam peradaban Melayu ini membina kota mereka berlandaskan kepada keperluan setiap kerajaan. Seni ukiran merupakan antara salah satu unsur terpenting dalam aspek estetika Peradaban Melayu. Lima jenis motif yang biasa digunakan adalah flora, fauna, kosmos, geometri dan khat. Seni ukiran ini berkonsepkan keseimbangan alam daripada aspek komposisi, pemilihan motif dan bentuk ukiran. Nilai-nilai yang diterapkan ialah penghormatan kepada sesama manusia, alam dan menyingkir sifat sombong yang diwakili dengan gaya daun yang sentiasa menunduk ke bumi. Prinsip kelestarian alam dan hubungan harmoni antara manusia dan alam diterapkan melalui pantang-larang dan adat dalam pemilihan kayu yang akan ditebang, jenis-jenis kayu dan waktu pokok boleh ditebang. Masa lapang orang Melayu pula digunakan untuk menghasilkan peralatan rumah dan keperluan harian, menghasilkan alat permainan kanak-kanak dan peralatan-peralatan lain. Kota Melayu Melaka yang merupakan model Bandar Melayu dibina berasaskan falsafah Islam tidak lari daripada memaparkan unsur-unsur keislaman dalam seni binanya. Konsep pembandaran Islam di Alam Melayu pula merujuk kepada struktur binaan bandar atau kota yang kompleks yang lengkap dalam segala aspek seperti unsur pentadbiran,ekonomi mahupun agama, seperti yang terdapat dalam pusat kota Kesultanan Melayu Melaka.