DAP – bagaimana nak realisasi hasrat?

DAP – bagaimana nak realisasi hasrat?

Yesterday

Mohsin Abdullah

Bagaimana 'nilai semula hubungan' dengan perdana menteri pada masa sama parti duduk dalam kerajaan pimpinannya?

Now that DAP sudah memutuskan untuk kekal dalam kerajaan perpaduan, apa langkah seterusnya? Lebih tepat seperti apa yang tertera di tajuk artikel
ini – bagaimana mahu merealisasikan hasrat parti?

Kita tahu keputusan dicapai menerusi undi 1,857 pewakilan parti pada kongres khas DAP semalam. Hanya 242 perwakilan mahu parti keluar kerajaan.

Sebelum pengumuman rasmi dibuat malah sebelum pengundian pun, sudah agak nyata keputusan kekal akan dicapai. Ini kerana kebanyakan perwakilan yang berucap sebelum proses pengundian dijalankan, menyuarakan hasrat DAP kekal dalam kerajaan tetapi mahu parti meneliti kekurangan dan kelemahan yang ada untuk diatasi segera. Apa yang DAP mahu ada saya huraikan dalam artikel siaran Sabtu lalu.

Antara ucapan perwakilan semalam yang antara paling menarik menurut saya ialah yang dibuat Sangeet Kaur Deo, perwakilan DAP Selangor. Walaupun mahu DAP kekal dalam kerajaan beliau mempersoalkan tindakan melawan rasuah.

“Kita dapat mandat untuk memerintah atas janji mahu banteras rasuah. Adakah kita sudah melakukannya? Belum,” kata beliau. Untuk berlaku adil perlu dinyatakan kerajaan ada ambil tindakan banteras rasuah membabitkan kes profil tinggi. Untuk berlaku adil buat Sangeet pula mungkin bagi beliau itu belum mencukupi.

Menarik apabila Sangeet meneruskan hujah dengan berkata “Presiden Umno Zahid Hamidi dilepas tanpa dibebaskan bagi 47 pertuduhan ke atasnya.”

I must say she do have a point. Meskipun Peguam Persekutuan Ahmad Hanir Hambaly dipetik April lalu berkata keputusan DNAA Zahid tidak bercanggah undang-undang. Maka, wajarlah pihak berwajib khususnya yang memberi DNAA kepada Zahid memberi penjelasan sekali lagi. Sangeet kita semua tahu ialah peguam.

Sehari sebelum kongres khas DAP, Razlan Rafii salah seorang pegawai Zahid dipetik Malaysiakini mendakwa cadangan atau usul DAP keluar kerajaan “hanya satu usaha pressure Perdana Menteri Anwar Ibrahim dan desak kerajaan untuk memenuhi tuntutannya.”

Berbalik ucapan Sangeet. Kata beliau Umno secara terbuka menyerang DAP walaupun dua dua parti duduk dalam kerajaan perpaduan. She’s right. “Adakah mereka ini benar-benar rakan gabungan yang boleh kita bekerjasama?” soal beliau.

Justeru, (ini paling menarik pada hemat saya) Sangeet menggesa Jawatankuasa Tertinggi Pusat atau CEC DAP “dengan serius menilai semula hubungan kita dengan Anwar.”

Mengapa? Beliau mendakwa Anwar “memecah-belahkan dan melaga-lagakan kita” instead of “menyatukan rakan-rakan gabungan”. Adakah dakwaan itu betul? Atau adakah kata-kata itu bagi ‘menjaga air muka’ DAP jika parti memutuskan untuk kekal dalam kerajaan?. Saya ulang ucapan beliau disampaikan sebelem perwakilan mengundi.

Apa yang Sangeet mahu CEC parti lakukan? Bagaimana ‘nilai semula hubungan’ dengan perdana menteri pada masa sama parti duduk dalam kerajaan pimpinannya?

Semasa beliau berucap, PKR juga sedang mengadakan kongresnya tetapi di Melaka, dan Anwar selaku presiden parti memberitahu perwakilan dan juga semua ahli partinya bahawa beliau sebagai perdana menteri memilih meneruskan kerjasama dengan Umno dan Barisan Nasional dalam kerajaan perpaduan demi memastikan kestabilan serta kemamuran rakyat.

I am sure he was addressing concerns dan rasa tidak puas hati juga kemarahan ahli PKR yang tidak senang dengan kerjasama BN-Perikatan Nasional semasa PRN Johor dan Negeri Sembilan diadakan. Ketika berkempen BN mnyerang keras Pakatan Harapan khususnya PKR.

Di Melaka juga Anwar bercakap mengenai menuruskan reformasi. Sebelum itu yakni pada hari pertama kongres PKR, beliau mengumumkan pemansuhan Akta Universiti dan Kolej Universiti. Only one reform? Benar tetapi janji mansuhkan Auku sudah lama dibuat.

Di Putrajaya pada sidang media di akhir kongres DAP Loke Siew Fook berkata partinya menerima realiti perlu kerjasama dengan Umno dalam kerajaan perpaduan demi memastikan kestabilan pentadbiran negara dan membolehkan agenda reformasi diteruskan.

Keputusan DAP semalam saya berpendapat sesuatu yang logik dan pragmatik serta praktikal. Dan menunjukkan kesetiakawanan terutama ketika PH berdepan cabaran besar BN-PN. Namun, pasti DAP dituduh segala macam yang tidak perlu saya ulang.

Cuma, DAP perlu berhati-hati dalam usaha memastikan janji refromasi tertunai. Apa lagi dalam usaha mendapatkan semula keyakinan dan undi penyokong tegar mereka terutama masyarakat Cina.

DAP tidak boleh memaparkan imej ‘kecinaan’ keterlaluan kerana yang dikendong mungkin tidak berciciran tetapi apa yang dikejar pasti tidak dapat. Tidak perlulah saya huraikan.

Dan all the good work untuk menambat hati orang Melayu akan dipersia-sia. Benar kata Loke memang susah dapat sokongan Melayu. For obvious reasons. Susah bukan mustahil.

Sokongan pengundi Melayu kepada Loke sendiri meningkat meskipun beliau kalah di Chennah, Negeri Sembilan tempoh hari.

Ong Kian Ming calon DAP di kerusi Parlimen Bangi menang pada PRU 2018 dengan majoriti amat besar. Bangi kawasan majori Melayu. Dan apabila Ong digantikan oleh Syahredzan Johan pada PRU 2022 beliau menang juga di Bangi dengan majoriti besar. Bagi saya orang Melayu at least in Bangi tak marah orang Melayu bertanding atas tiket DAP.

Pasti ada yang kecewa DAP kekal dalam kerajaan perpaduan. Sebelum perwakilan DAP mengundi, Ketua Penerangan PAS Ahmad Fadhli Shaari sudah mendakwa kongres khas DAP hanya ‘wayang opera’.

Katalah kongres itu memutuskan DAP keluar kerajaan-pasti PAS melompat gembira lantas buat kenduri. Umno mesti dijemput. MCA pun tumpang semangkuk.

FT mufti rebuts Mujahid's claim of 'haram' Tabung Haji dividends

FT mufti rebuts Mujahid's claim of 'haram' Tabung Haji dividends


Published: Aug 17, 2026 2:18 PM
Updated: 7:05 PM


The “hibah” (dividend) money received by Tabung Haji depositors in years recorded with financial deficits is validly owned and does not need to be returned, said Federal Territories mufti Ahmad Fauwaz Fadzil.

In a “Tinta Mufti” article published yesterday, he explained that syariah law recognises the approach of validating transactions that have already occurred to protect the rights of contracting parties and avoid greater harm.

The approach, Fauwaz (above) said, aligns with the legal maxims of “fiqh”, which upholds hardship as an accepted principle in syariah, particularly when involving completed dealings that affect millions of depositors.

The mufti's statement comes after former religious affairs minister Mujahid Yusof Rawa described Tabung Haji’s payment of dividends despite its losses as “haram” money for depositors to receive.

In a "Kini Jelas" podcast produced by KiniTV, he said Muslims should not celebrate high dividend rates without asking whether the payments were lawful and complied with Islamic principles.


READ MORE: 'Sakau' or not? Five key takeaways from Tabung Haji RCI


‘Conditions fully met’

However, Fauwaz said the “hibah” cannot be categorised as "haram" or “syubhah” (doubtful) property because its receipt was made based on a “hibah” contract whose delivery conditions were fully met.

"The ‘hibah’ money received by depositors in those deficit years is validly theirs and does not need to be returned.

"It is not haram or ‘syubhah’ property because it was received based on a ‘hibah’ contract whose delivery conditions were fully met," he explained.

Fauwaz added that any depositors who have used the “hibah” money, including for the purpose of performing haj, need not worry, as their pilgrimage remains unaffected.

He further affirmed that issues of account mismanagement, non-compliance with legal provisions, and allegations of inaccurate accounting reports were the responsibility of the management, and not the depositors who were unaware of the institution's actual financial standing.

"Any pilgrims who have performed the haj using the ‘hibah’ money need not feel anxious because their pilgrimage is valid and completely unaffected.

"All issues (affecting Tabung Haji) are the responsibility of the management at the time, not the depositors or the public who did not know the reality of Tabung Haji's internal financial position," he stressed.

Harapan's final kamikaze mission before losing

Harapan's final kamikaze mission before losing

Andrew Sia
Published: Aug 17, 2026 11:30 AM
Updated: 1:30 PM



COMMENT | The drama over DAP leaving or staying with the government (DAPxit or DAPstay) doesn’t really matter, because the BN-PAS Malay tsunami will probably sweep the next elections.

That’s why Pakatan Harapan should go all out on a final kamikaze mission to deliver the real reforms they promised - because they have nothing to lose anyway.

This would be a great “farewell gift” for a better Malaysia.

Meanwhile at the PKR congress, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim defended his economic record, as he had given out more free money than Najib Abdul Razak.

Many mock Anwar as the “leader of Palestine”. His daughter Nurul Izzah is aware of this but defended her father's advocacy for the Global South.

“If you don’t like it, turn off the TV,” she jibed.

Nurul Izzah Anwar

Anwar seems to be behaving like a certain German leader during the final days of World War 2.

As Russian troops were closing in on his Berlin bunker, he was busy moving imaginary armies around the map, thinking he could still win.

Saudara Anwar should wake up. Please stop worrying about which political donors, groups of civil servants, or other powerful interests will get “offended” by real reforms.

Stop being a politician and become a statesman instead. It’s his last chance in his last year of power.


Anti-corruption farce

His biggest promise was to crack down on corruption. Yet a Malaysian pilot could carry 26kg of drugs through KLIA and somehow the security people “didn’t see” it.

The drug case proves Tourism Minister Tiong King Sing was right.

He did a spot check at KLIA after tourists complained they were being extorted by rogue immigration officials in June 2023. He said there was a chronic “culture of corruption” there.

Ten tourism and retail associations lauded Tiong for going on the ground to obtain first-hand information on the problems facing tourists at KLIA.

But Umno rabble-rouser Dr Akmal Saleh slammed Tiong, saying he had no right to enter KLIA and reveal alleged wrongdoings.

“You should remember, you are a minister, not a bak kut teh seller”, chided Akmal.

He added that Tiong should be stripped of his Malaysian citizenship. This was a full display of the entrenched, privileged deep state in action.

Anwar responded with a so-called “surprise visit” to KLIA and pronounced that only “a small group” are responsible for problems.

Meanwhile, a supermarket in Teluk Intan, Perak, had to close down for one day of ritual Islamic cleansing after a clueless lady from China brought her small dog in on a trolley.

Should allegedly tainted government departments also undergo purification - by the MACC?

Some sign of a spine growing was the release of the Tabung Haji royal commission report, but this happened only after Umno backstabbed Anwar in two recent state elections.

So here are more reforms for Harapan’s final kamikaze mission.

1) Local council elections

This is what affects urban dwellers’ everyday lives - be it garbage collection, potholes, the butchering of trees, or the killing of stray dogs.

But racial politicians have been screaming that this will give power to non-Malays, even though many cities now have Malay majorities. Not just Alor Setar, Kuantan, Shah Alam, and Kota Bharu, but also Kuala Lumpur.

In February 2024, Nga Kor Ming, the housing and local government minister, gave another excuse - he was instead focusing on potholes plus cleaner public toilets and drains!

The truth is, all politicians want to keep control over rich cities, with lucrative planning permissions and contracts. But now that Harapan looks set to lose, please forget about such narrow interests.

2) Reduce soaring medical insurance costs

This is the biggest concern of middle-class urban Harapan supporters.

Control the profits of private hospitals and insurance companies, or create a good, affordable Madani health insurance.

Call it Anwar-care if you like.

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim

3) Allow refugees to work

Imagine hiring a maid without having to pay RM20,000 to crony agents to import them from overseas. Apart from families, small businesses will also rejoice.

Refugees are already in this country, so why not allow them to work? The current system forces them into semi-legal sources of income and creates social backlash.

This is a no-brainer to win votes - unless Anwar and his shady human resources minister are too busy protecting dubious foreign worker cartels.

4) Reform elections

Redraw boundaries to create more mixed-race seats to reduce toxic racial politics. Politicians must then appeal to all races.

This can be done with a simple majority in Parliament as long as the number of seats is not increased.

Johor Amanah deputy chief had also pointed out that it’s unfair that urban votes are much less valuable compared to votes in smaller rural seats.

To further reduce racial politicking, state seats can also be added in Penang and Selangor.

Prof Wong Chin Huat explained that these extra assemblypersons can be chosen by “proportional representation”, ie: the proportion of votes received.

Wong Chin Huat


Extra assemblypersons were recently appointed in Johor (May 2026) and Malacca (July 2026). But they were not elected democratically.

Instead, they were appointed by the winning party to tighten political control. Harapan can and must show a better way forward.

Malay fears can be addressed, as even smaller parties like Pejuang and soon Bersatu and Amanah can survive in this PR system.

Idealistic parties like Bersama, Muda, and PSM may also get seats if they obtain a certain percentage of ballots.

Thus, people can vote for policies they believe in, rather than fearing they will “waste their votes”.

This creates healthier politics, rather than the juvenile fearmongering of “you must vote for us, or the Big Bad Wolf will get you”.

5) Fight corruption quickly

One of our open secrets is that some officials are clearly living beyond their means.

If Anwar is sincere about cracking down on corruption, he must pass a UWL or “Unexplained Wealth Law”.

So if a civil servant earning RM7,000 monthly has three bungalows and five luxury cars, they can be quickly seized if he can’t explain how he could afford them.

There’s no need for court cases dragging on for years.


Other reforms to consider

Ban political interference in government-linked bodies; learn from Tabung Haji.


Pass a Racial Harmony law to stop the endless poisonous politicking.


Set up a National Ombudsman to resolve complaints against civil servants.


Allow electric tuk-tuks to provide jobs and cheap transport.


Recognise the Unified Examination Certificate as Penang, Selangor, Sabah, and Sarawak already do.


Free the MACC and public prosecutor from political control.


Ensure fair, equal funding even for opposition MPs. Harapan will soon need this!


The Iran war shows we can no longer afford blanket subsidies. Aid should be given based on need, not to subsidise petrol for luxury cars.


Conclusion

Since Harapan will probably lose power in Putrajaya, it’s time to throw away narrow political calculations and do what’s right - at long last!

Harapan will then have some bullets, some good record to regain power after greedy Umno and incompetent PAS screw up, get into new scandals, or fight each other.

Who knows, if they can show voters what a great job they can do, Harapan may even score a last-minute goal and pull off an injury-time victory.

ANDREW SIA is a veteran journalist who likes teh tarik khau kurang manis. You are welcome to give him ideas to brew at tehtarik@gmail.com

US Military Morale in Middle East in the Overflowing Toilet

Consortium News
Volume 31, Number 223— Monday, August 17, 2026


US Military Morale in Middle East in the Overflowing Toilet


Ann Wright says the frustration expressed by military families at a recent Veterans for Peace conference echoed those of families with relatives on U.S. military bases in the Middle East

U.S. aircraft on the flight deck of USS Abraham Lincoln on Feb. 28 in support of the U.S.-Israeli assault on Iran. (U.S. Department of Defense /Wikimedia Commons/Public Domain)

By Ann Wright

Rotten food, overflowing toilets into bunking areas, no room in the incoming missile shelters, confiscated cellphones that are the notification devices for incoming missiles, infrequent mail, social media closed down: these were some of the issues that military families identified at the Aug. 6 national conference of Veterans For Peace.

Spouses and parents of Air Force, Army, Marine and Navy members and members of Military Families Speak Out told of plummeting morale, lack of basic supplies and attacks on U.S. military bases that are not reported in the U.S. media.

These frustrations echoed those of military families who met with senior military officials to describe conditions on U.S. military bases in the Middle East that are coming under attack from Iran in response to the brutal U.S.-Israeli five-month offensive.

On Aug. 6, the Navy’s senior leadership held listening sessions with the families of aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln’s sailors — one in-person session in San Diego, and a second online session later the same evening, according to The Maritime Executive. Family members leaked recordings of those sessions to MS NOW that described conditions aboard the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln: showers plagued with stubborn mildew, flagging morale, heavy fatigue, shortages of supplies and food, contaminated water supplies and lost mail.

Since departing from Naval Base San Diego on Nov. 21, 2025, the USS Abraham Lincoln and its crew of 5,000 sailors and Marines has been deployed more than 250 days, with only a stop in Guam in December and a brief visit in Oman in June after 208 days at sea.

A second aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford had similar problems when it sailed from the Caribbean to the Middle East after being off Venezuela in the kidnapping of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife in January.

During that deployment, the ship’s toilets kept failing, with sewage often overflowing and spilling onto the floor. Additionally, a fire broke out in the laundry room, causing enough damage that the Ford went into a port on the Greek island of Crete for repairs.

More than 200 sailors on the Ford were treated for smoke inhalation, according to USNI News, “with one sailor medically evacuated from the carrier after being injured in the damage control effort. Two others were treated for lacerations. The smoke damage from the laundry-room fire extended to the berthing.” More than 100 bunks and personal gear were destroyed in the fire.

Articles in Stars and Stripes and the Navy Times detail at least six attempts by crew members to jump overboard from the USS Abraham Lincoln, with interviews conducted with sailors and families of those on board who described the impacts of the lengthy deployment.

Jefferson Kelley, the father of a USS Abraham Lincoln sailor wrote to his U.S. senator, Bernie Moreno, asking Moreno to make an official inquiry to the U.S. Navy to see if he could do a “parent swap” with his son, Jackson, 20, due to the terrible conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln.

Kelley said he had not been asked by his son to make the swap, but he had read of the conditions on the aircraft carrier that included food rations, safety concerns, water contamination and poor mental health, which has purportedly led to some sailors attempting to jump overboard during the 250 days at sea and felt that he as a parent should share the burden.


Army & Marine Ground Forces Under Missile Attacks

Satellite imagery of black smoke rising from the Port of Salalah on March 13 during Iranian strikes on Oman. (CC BY 4.0 /Wikimedia Commons)


Families of U.S. ground forces on the U.S. military bases scattered all over the Middle East describe extreme overcrowding in shelters for incoming missile attacks.

According to the news outlet War Horse, the only public source for injuries during the U.S. attack on Iran is the Defense Casualty Analysis System, which provides monthly totals for the war on Iran with limited demographic data.

More than 400 casualties (non lethal) were recorded from Feb. 28 and April 8 due to the U.S. attack on Iran, War Horse reports, adding:


“More than 270 of the roughly non-lethal 400 casualties were Army soldiers, and about one-third of those were reservists. Enlisted soldiers accounted for most Army casualties, including 57 sergeants and 53 specialists. But also wounded were 64 Army officers, including 20 captains and 13 lieutenant colonels or colonels….

The Navy reported 64 casualties, none of whom were classified as seriously injured. The Air Force recorded 51 casualties, and the Marine Corps recorded 19. Unlike the Army, the other branches did not list the type or cause of injury.”

U.S. troops suffered shrapnel wounds, broken bones, smoke inhalation and other injuries. But one category appeared far more often than any other: head trauma.

At least 170 troops sustained head trauma between the start of the war to early April, according to the data.”

Some military health experts, according to War Horse, worry that the large portion of the wounded suffering from traumatic brain injuries —caused by damage to the brain that can impact thinking, movement and emotion — could become the signature injury of this war, as in the U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The Pentagon has attempted to reduce the accounting on the number of U.S. military killed and wounded in the war on Iran by separating those killed/wounded before the May 1 ceasefire and after.

In a total accounting, from before and after the ceasefire, 18 U.S, troops have been killed and 624 wounded since the U.S. began its war against Iran on Feb. 28.

US Senate Finally Getting Involved

The bodies of six U.S. soldiers killed in the Port Shuaiba, Kuwait, drone attack being transferred to the U.S. on March 7. (The White House /Wikimedia Commons/Public Domain)

The U.S. Congress is finally getting involved. On Aug. 12, Sen. Richard Blumenthal, a member of the Armed Services Committee, wrote a letter to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and the Acting Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao to express “serious concern” about the increasing length of deployments and demand answers about living conditions aboard the carrier.

“There have been widespread reports of shortages of basic supplies, water contamination, plumbing issues, deteriorating mental health, deck safety concerns,” aboard the ship, he said in the letter, as well as “disruptions in the mail system, which have caused many care packages in route to the ship to be lost in transit for months.”

Blumenthal’s letter ends with six questions for Hegseth and Department of Defense to answer concerning conditions on the USS Abraham Lincoln and a call to treat servicewomen and men properly:


“The men and women aboard the Lincoln have answered the call to serve their country. The Department owes them not only adequate supplies, maintenance, and support during this deployment, but a sustainable force-generation model that does not rely on repeatedly extending sailors and ships to meet persistent operational demands.

Our servicemembers deserve nothing less than the full support of their government — and the American people deserve a military strategy that is worthy of the sacrifices we ask them to make.”

Ann Wright served in the U.S. Army/Army Reserves for 29 years and retired as a colonel. She was also a U.S. diplomat for 16 years and served in U.S. embassies in Nicaragua, Grenada, Somalia, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Sierra Leone, Micronesia, Afghanistan and Mongolia.

***

UK and most Commonwealth nations (including Malaysia and Singapore) considers the 2nd MOST important Principle of War as:

• Maintenance of Morale – Morale is a positive state of mind derived from inspired political and military leadership, a shared sense of purpose and values, well-being, perceptions of worth and group cohesion.

USA's 2nd most important principle of war is "Offensive action" 😞😟😠

'Not just a monastery', says head monk of Tambun spiritual site facing demolition

'Not just a monastery', says head monk of Tambun spiritual site facing demolition

Malaysiakini Team
Published: Aug 18, 2026 9:29 AM
Updated: 11:29 AM



The air at the foot of Gunung Kanthan, Tambun, Perak is cool and pleasant, accompanied by the chirping of birds and the sounds of insects amid the greenery surrounding the century-old Sakyamuni Caves Monastery.

However, the area is no longer easily accessible, with an auxiliary police booth at the monastery’s main entrance controlling the entry and exit of visitors, who are greeted by signs declaring the Buddhist sanctuary as “private property”.

A volunteer at the monastery, Yap Seong Yee, told Malaysiakini that boulders were placed by volunteers to restrict movement towards the spiritual and meditation centre.

After squeezing through small gaps between the boulders, visitors must climb stairs that cross a rocky, damp corridor before reaching the main place of worship located higher up in a cave.

As Malaysiakini journalists climbed the stairs with sweat-drenched faces despite a chill in the air, repeated reminders of “be careful, there is moss” were issued.

“The closer to this place, the cooler the air feels. If you go inside, it’s even cooler,” the head monk of the place, Bhante Kusala, said while leading journalists up the stairs where limestone formations act as natural walls and roofs, with stalactites hanging above the place of worship.

When Kusala stopped to talk, a few flies occasionally landed on his face. He ignored them and continued to share about the monks’ lives at Gunung Kanthan as if that minor annoyance did not exist, hinting at a calmness that comes after years of meditation.

The Sakyamuni Caves Monastery is a place of worship and retreat for a group of monks threatened by development due to a land dispute with the cement company Associated Pan Malaysia Cement (APMC), a subsidiary of YTL Corporation Berhad.

A Court of Appeal decision three years ago ruled against the monastery, which now faces potential demolition.

However, for its inhabitants, relocation is no simple matter as the monastery holds great significance for them, especially from a spiritual aspect.

READ MORE: Protect Gunung Kanthan's unique biodiversity, NGOs urge Perak govt


With Malaysiakini’s attempt to contact YTL Corporation yet to yield a response, Perak Menteri Besar Saarani Mohamad told Malaysiakini that the state government will not comment on the matter as “the court has made a decision”.

Malaysiakini visited the monastery to understand why the place was important to the 15 Buddhist ascetics who remain there.

‘Calmness, serene air’

When most people are still fast asleep, a monk’s day at the Sakyamuni Caves Monastery begins between 2am and 3am, using the time before sunrise for meditation.

“It is very quiet here in the morning, no disturbance at all. The air is clean; all the sounds are natural.

“(Meditation) starts from 3am until it turns bright (with the first signs of daylight),” said Kusala, a former veterinarian who has distanced himself from the comforts of the material world for 25 years.

Conditions outside of the monastery, Kusala said, are not the same.

Head monk Bhante Kusala


“There is the noise of cars, people shouting, the sounds of handphones, but here, everything is natural,” he added.

The meditation sessions can last until 6.30am or 7am before time is spared for breakfast, with some monks eating only once or twice a day from home-cooked meals brought by devotees or food prepared by themselves in the monastery’s kitchen.

A monk’s life, however, involves more than just quiet meditation, as they also perform various chores around the monastery.

For example, if any part of their home is damaged, they try to repair it themselves.

“If we only sit and meditate, our health won’t be so good. If we do work, it’s like a form of exercise,” Kusala explained, noting that their time is also filled with reading religious texts, listening to teachings of Buddha, and seeking guidance from more experienced monks.

The monastery


For over 30 years, a Bodhi tree with seeds originating from India has stood near the path leading to the caves as a silent witness.

The Bodhi tree is significant in Buddhist tradition as the founder of Buddhism, Siddhartha Gautama, attained enlightenment while meditating under a Bodhi tree.

Weekend teachings, guidance

On weekends, some devotees come to the monastery to meditate, learn Buddhist teachings, or seek views on life problems, including issues with their families and work.

“Money is only temporary. What is important is the heart, how it can be quiet,” Kusala said, noting that “quiet” is not merely a condition where birds do not chirp, or humans do not talk.

Expounding on the state of “Nirvana” (blissfulness), the Ipoh native said “quiet” also refers to what happens within a person - including being free from desires, anxieties, anger, and other emotions that could disturb the mind.

Kusala, who spent five years working before choosing to become a monk in 2001, admitted that like any other normal person, he had also pursued worldly achievements typically deemed as indicators of one’s success.

“Finding money was not what I truly wanted. The material world is important, but can everything I gained give me a quiet heart or soul? No,” he said.

At a lower part of Gunung Kanthan, there are several small spaces between tree trunks and rock surfaces green with moss used by monks to meditate.

One enclosure looks far from how one would typically imagine a “room” by average standards.

A green mosquito net is hung at the entrance of a small cave-like space nestled between rocks, forming a thin boundary between the monk sitting inside and the mountain environment.

“Sometimes, we want fresh air, so monks will come out and sit here, but if we want a truly serene and quiet atmosphere, we go inside the cave.

“Mobile phones are completely useless. Signals cannot enter,” Kusala said, adding that some monks have camped in the outdoor space for up to a year.

‘Buddha statue in the belly of the mountain’

In its main place of worship, man-made structures seem to adapt to the cave’s natural shape, with stalactites hanging over a marble-laid floor and Chinese calligraphy on its walls proving that the place of worship has existed since at least 1951.

According to Kusala, building materials were arduously brought in by previous generations of monks, who did not enjoy the luxury of modern equipment - a feat made even more impressive when gazing at a golden Buddha statue over two metres tall in the cave.

Inside that statue is a smaller Buddha statue which, according to tales, was brought from Thailand by the monastery’s founder known as “Lao Shi Fu” (grandmaster) when he arrived at Gunung Kanthan a century ago after travelling to seek the place he had seen in a vision.

The Buddha


In the past, when the trees in front of the cave were not as tall as they are now, the statue could even be seen from outside the cave.

‘For those seeking solace’

Kusala, who was named Chiong Sai Tin before his ordination, is among the fourth generation of monks to live at the monastery, and has experienced firsthand why the place of worship is so vital, not just for him and his peers, but also for others seeking solace.

Although its surroundings offer views rarely seen in the middle of a city, Kusala, who has resided at the monastery for around 25 years, does not consider the monastery a tourist destination.

“People who come really know they want to learn, (then) only they come. They come here, they make this place their home. That is why we say this place is not just ours,” he said.

Malaysiakini also saw several dogs roaming around the monastery area, occasionally following those walking from one section to another.

Kusala said some of the dogs were abandoned by people around the area before being taken in and cared for by the monastery dwellers, while some were passed on to the monks after owners fell ill and were no longer able to care for their pets.


‘Come here and experience’

After traversing the monastery area, climbing the stairs, entering the cave, and seeing the small spaces where monks meditate, one question remained: what actually makes the Sakyamuni Caves Monastery special from others of its kind?

When the query was posed to Kusala, he did not cite architecture, statues, or the monastery’s age.

Instead, he said evidence of the location’s speciality is something difficult to explain to people who have never set foot there, adding: “Even if I speak, you will not feel it is special. If people want to feel that specialness, they must walk in here and feel it.”

While ongoing efforts to defend Gunung Kanthan require much time and energy, Kusala said his religious convictions, shared by many others, have eased their concerns in some way.

“It would be a waste for these mountains to be ruined… what is God’s property cannot be destroyed.

“How can money buy God?” he asked.