by Richard Loh
I was having a beautiful dream, sleeping among the other 100 ringgit notes banded in stack of 100, when suddenly the loud noise from the opening of heavy metal door woke me up. The lights were switched on and by now all other denominations notes were wide awake as well.
We were inside a strong bank vault with two armed security guards guarding the opened vault. Inside, all new notes comprising of the various denominations were stacked separately from the old notes.
I was part of the new note, under the 100 ringgit denomination. I was just released yesterday, after being dressed so beautifully in colors with security input and a serial number which I supposed was to be my name, from the authority of Bank Negara to my new owner, the Bank.
The old notes were laughing at us, the new notes, and I asked why they are laughing at us. One 5 ringgit note started yelling, afraid that we could not hear him because the bankers inside the vault were talking so loudly. “You all are going out to face the world, you will be squeezed, splashed with saliva, argued and fought over, love and hate, all kinds of hands will be touching you and you may get to travel all over the world. The Chinese New Year is just a week away and you all will be in great demand. We the old notes are tired and needed some rest, so good luck to you all.”
One banker started to grab us and stacked them inside a tray and after taking a few more stacks he walked out of the vault and ordered the security to lock the vault.
Once outside, he counted the stacks again together with a nice looking lady, I supposed must be the cashier over the counter. We were roughly handled and squeezed together inside a drawer. After a while I heard the cashier asking someone over the counter, “you want the 100 ringgit new notes as well” and that someone, a bank customer answered yes, he wanted some new 100 ringgit notes.
The cashier opened the drawer and took a stack of the 100 ringgit note which included me and placed us inside a machine. Suddenly we were shaking so vigorously and one by one we were jammed through a tiny slot and came out to the other side. Still dizzy from the shaking machine, which I learned later was a money counting machine, we were picked up and handed over to the customer, a middle age man. Before leaving the man requested for some ang pow envelope which the cashier gladly gave him.
My long journey into this new world started with this man, an office manager. He took me back to his office and sitting behind his chair, he pulled me out but not before he put his finger in his mouth to get wet from his saliva and recounting his stack of note. Still wet from his saliva, I was slided into the red packet and sealed. He continued with what he was doing with the other notes.
Before the office closes he called in his secretary, a malay lady and gave her an ang pow with me inside. The manager told the secretary that this ang pow was his personally and her bonus from the company will followed suit. The secretary thanked him and left for home feel with happiness.
The next day, my new owner went to the market to but some vegetables. I was traded for the vegetables to an Indian vegetable seller. With me tagging along, the Indian vegetable seller went to a toddy shop and passed me to another Indian selling the toddy.
Before going home, the toddy man pass by a 4D outlet and gambled me away. By now, I was a little soiled with me been squeezed into the vegetable seller’s pocket and spilled with toddy. I remained with the 4D owner for a while locked inside a little safe. I guess it was about a week before I was taken out.
I heard the 4D owner talking to someone over the phone, “we have to kow tim them, a few hundred ringgit should solved our problem”. Out I go again, this time to a small secluded coffee stall. I was handed over to someone who converse in malay. This man took me to a money changer and exchanged for Thai baht.
The money changer then exchanged me to a Chinese who just came back from holiday and wanted to change his remaining US dollar back to ringgit.
The Chinese man with his family traded me for some pork and the pork seller took me to Genting. What a nice and cool place. The pork seller exchanged me for the casino chips and play his heart out while I was squeezed into a small box near the gambling table mixing with other notes of various denominations. I stayed there for a while until the casino security took the box and delivered us to the casino vault where we were separated and went through the counting machine. I was so dizzy that I doses of and when I woke up I was about to be exchanged to a young lady for her winning chips.
The young lady was so thrilled with her winning and now she can pay her government tax with her winning without hurting her monthly income. There I go inside a government office for the first time after the young lady paid her tax. The government has to pay the civil servants through their bank accounts and I was bundled by the bank into an atm machine.
Today is pay day for the civil servants and you can see almost all banks with atm machines were crowded. Most of the civil servants were muslim malays and they started emptying the atm by withdrawing their salary. I was withdrawn by an elderly civil servant and he put me inside his newly bought wallet. Coincidentally today was also a Friday and with me inside this civil servant’s wallet, he went for his prayer.
Over the weekend the son of the civil servant requested some money to buy some books. The father took out his wallet and pulled me out and the son took me and went in search for his books. Finally I landed inside the cashier box of a book shop.
The cycle of me going round and round continues for a couple of years. I was owned by all different races one time or another, muslim and non muslim and all kinds of hands had handled me. There are the hands of Indians selling vegetables and toddy, the Chinese hands selling pork, non halal food and from gambling outlets, the malay hands selling nasi lemak, tom tam, ikan bakar and the mamak stalls and even through the hands of the corrupt. The government had used me to pay the salary of the civil servant through the banks.
One day I found myself back inside the government treasury. The government had announced that those elderly citizen 60 years and above will received 100 ringgit each as appreciation for their contribution. Some will be receiving by cash while others through the bank.
On the day of distribution, I was given to an old elderly malay woman. She was so happy and she decided not to used me as yet and she kept me inside her locker at home.
There was no problem of me being circulated among the different races, religious and non religious, Malays, Chinese, Indians and even foreigners for so many years and there was not a single complain about me.
Out of the blue the elderly malay woman who owned me, after hearing rumors that I was dirty and non halal or whatever they claimed me to be, decided to give me up. I was shocked because all these years I was appreciated and happily owned without any fussed.
What is happening, is there something that I don’t know of and why condemned me for being dirty after being so useful to everyone for so many years?
What is the government and bank negara going to do with me, clean me up or burn me? I pray that those who had insulted me to face the reality of the world and not by using religious argument to discredit me for I am non political, non religious and I am born into this world just to serve everyone human being without discrimination or distortion.
#1 by k1980 on Monday, 4 October 2010 - 1:52 pm
When asked for donations or alms, just say that your money is from gambling and non-halal activities. Then the pious, god-fearing collector will refuse to touch your “dirty” money and quickly leave you alone.
#2 by k1980 on Monday, 4 October 2010 - 2:04 pm
A little bit of investigation will show that the “holy” senior citizens who returned their “unholy” RM100 appreciation award had already be re-compensated by their instigators. Any man in the street would gladly return their RM100 if they were given RM150 or more to do so.
#3 by pohbh73 on Monday, 4 October 2010 - 2:21 pm
Since the appreciation award is considered ‘non-halal’ and unholy, then i think tax money paid by non-muslim should be considered as ‘non-halal’ too!
#4 by sotong on Monday, 4 October 2010 - 2:31 pm
It is disgusting and shameful to exploit ordinary senior citizens……some politicians do not have any morals whatsoever!
#5 by yhsiew on Monday, 4 October 2010 - 2:38 pm
Lim Guan Eng said none of the returned RM100 notes reached him!
#6 by boh-liao on Monday, 4 October 2010 - 2:50 pm
Don’t forget many notes had also gone 2 exotic n erotic places n body parts
No C ah, in strip bar erotic/exotic dancers perform on table top or poles, notes r inserted near booobs, public hair, n holes, oozing slimy smelly colored exudates
Not 2 forget notes handled by hookers n gigolos 4 services rendered
Surely many notes were handled by ful of sai who stained them with U know what
Notes glorious notes, 1 n all, halal tak halal, sapu by UmnoBputras
But they misled poor old dears, Muslim senior citizens
#7 by Taxidriver on Monday, 4 October 2010 - 2:56 pm
Dear 100 Ringgit Note,
I empathize with your feelings of disappointment and anger toward people who do not appreciate your loyalty and worth. But please believe me that those unappreciative people are small in number who have been instigated by some other bad people to use you as their cover for some other purpose. Just to make sure you understand, those people are actually NOT against. They are against a man called by his initials-LGE. You get it now?
Dear 100 Ringgit Note, you will believe what I said. You will become happy again in no time, and I can assure you that you will get to go on holiday to some distant land ( the name of the place will be decided by the person taking you ) together with hundreds of millions of your brothers and sisters. There they will put you all in a nice bank to ‘relek’ again. Your new owner loves you very much and will visit you once in a while to find out how you all are doing, perhaps too, bring some more millions of your brothers and sisters to join you.
Don’t Worry, Be Happy
#8 by artemisios on Monday, 4 October 2010 - 3:22 pm
it’s strange someone would REFUSE $$$$ assistance.
Is there something better than cash aid? food? water? a hand shake?
No. There is nothing better than cash aid when someone is strapped for cash. There is nothing better than cash EXCEPT…………………… more cash.
Could it be that someone is paying RM200 to any muslim that returns Penang Govt’s cash aid?
Additional RM100 if that person agrees to talk bad about Penang Govt to the press?
#9 by baochingtian on Monday, 4 October 2010 - 3:28 pm
Come to me, RM100. There’s a warm bed for u in my pocket.
How the hell si-asshole tu identify which is haram and which is halal note? His one all halal??? Others’ all haram ??? Really so so sorry for u si-asshole, not sure GOD will forgive u for misleading the senior citizens ???
#10 by Taxidriver on Monday, 4 October 2010 - 3:29 pm
artemisios #7
CORRECT, CORRECT, CORRECT
#11 by k1980 on Monday, 4 October 2010 - 3:43 pm
Millions of Pakis were left destitute during the recent floods, the worst in that country’s history. Many countries offered aid, among them the US.
umno should had sent its saboteurs there to tell the starving Paki refugees that that the American aid was collected from taxes levied at the non-halal casinos of Las Vegas.
#12 by cemerlang on Monday, 4 October 2010 - 3:59 pm
Senior Ringgit Malaysia tells Junior Ringgit Malaysia ” I once was as valuable as gold. Now you have to collect so many of us to buy one miserable nugget of gold. How our positions have dived right from heaven down to earth and lower still. Now wonder we are worthless now. So sad. ” With that, Senior Ringgit Malaysia sobbed while Junior Ringgit Malaysia stares still unable to comprehend the reality of the situation.
#13 by Jeffrey on Monday, 4 October 2010 - 4:04 pm
The point of this story is that when some one or some party like Penang state govt gives you, by way of benefit, money, one ought not go behind and ask from where that money is obtained by that giver – whether from a non halal source like Penang Turf Club or elsewhere.
Because even if it does come from a halal source, that halal source may have obtained the money (further back) from another non halal source. So how far one wants to trace back? The RM100 may have passed through prostitutes’ hands or panties somewhere along the line of circulation.
It makes sense to draw the line – halal or non halal – at the immediate source the Penang State Govt, which is halal!
If one goes behind and ask Penang Govt from where it got the money from, and rejects it because it was from non halal Penang Turf Club, would it make any difference if it were a donation from some halal source which in turn (further back) got it from non halal source (ad infinitum)?
If Penang Turf Club makes a donation to the Penang State Government, then that donation becomes Penang State Government’s monies and properties.
Any subsequent donation by Penang State Government to the poor from what it receives is a donation from the Penang stae Govt (halal) – and not from Penang Turf Club, period!
#14 by Jeffrey on Monday, 4 October 2010 - 4:32 pm
It is simple : when I receive money from Penang Turf, and accepts it, it is conevrted to upon acceptance and becomes my property. Then I take something from my property and give RM100 to you, it is halal because you are receiving my property – and if I am halal so is my gift – and not the non halal property of Penang Turf. Any other way of looking at it is illogical and wrong.
#15 by boh-liao on Monday, 4 October 2010 - 5:12 pm
Following d same argument, UmnoBputras, if they truly believe in their cause, shld STOP BREATHING, cos d air around us is TAK HALAL n has gone through d lungs of PIGS, gamblers, murderers, rapists, ….. etc etc
UmnoBputras shld NOT DRINK water as water at 1 time was contaminated with non-halal animal n human wastes
UmnoBputras, blardy hypocrites
#16 by Taxidriver on Monday, 4 October 2010 - 5:49 pm
That part of the Quaranic teaching on ”Duit Haram” has been misunderstood or deliberately twisted for obvious reasons. Actually, the teaching of ”Duit Haram” is for the purpose of instilling in muslims not to induldge in sinful or undesirable activities for monetary gains. For example, all forms of gambling is bad because a gambler will gamble away everything he has, consequentialy causing family break-ups.
The bottom line is to strongly discourage unhealthy and immoral activities by categorising such activities as sins. Muslims are taught to reject monies offered by fellow muslims if such monies are derived from the givers’ direct involvement in unhealthy or immoral activities. The whole idea of refusing “Duit Haram” is to check on, and to discourage fellow muslims from getting into troubles which later will affect their spirituality.
So in the current RM 100 issue, the giver is the Penang State Government, The person who handed over the money did so as a government representative. A non-muslim at that.
What then is the problem?
#17 by Loh on Monday, 4 October 2010 - 6:21 pm
The complaint was not about the currency note passing through different hands ended the last but one time at the Penang Turf club. The complaint was that the money was earned by Penang Turf club non-halal-ly. My question is why gambling is non-halal, or is it the gains from gambling that is non-halal? Interest earned in bank deposit is considered non-halal, and surely banking activities are halal, or is it not? Is it because gambling and interest earned are not considered the production of goods and services, and hence the profits gained in such activities are haram? Then the money offered to settle traffic offence received by say, policemen are haram.
If Saidin Chik had access to health services from the government hospital, he would have utilized the services from funds derived from haram sources such as Magnum or Genting, or Toto. But he/she is right to try to give up money that are haram. The government should stop the programme, such as the 30% equity for Malays, that would make Malays receive haram money.
#18 by Ray on Monday, 4 October 2010 - 6:46 pm
BTW, for God’s sakeThis is NOT corruption money or duit haram>>BUT rather a sum which was earned and given with a good humanity conscience.
Unlike these Umnoists Corrupted leaders and supporters being incalcated by their Failed leaders theredby have this cultured haram ideology and thoughts.
As PR Rakyats definitely needs to point out these Bigot Umnoists ‘ reality lack of substances.
#19 by k1980 on Monday, 4 October 2010 - 6:53 pm
umno’s line of reasoning—
If you cannot afford to give appreciation awards to senior citizens in BN-ruled states, then make sure that Penang cannot give appreciation awards to its senior citizens
#20 by dcasey on Monday, 4 October 2010 - 6:57 pm
All ministers and govt servants who are malays and muslims are to immediately freeze all plans to go overseas. This is because in every part of this world including the middle-east (Arab countries), monies are flowing in from all kinds of sources, doesn’t matter halal or not halal. You think the Arabs, Indonesians or whatnot are going to ask where the foreign money is coming from? Now you have the Iskandar project and the Malaysian govt is talking to all foreign investor until their mouth turn dry, are our PM, DPM and ministers going to ask where the investors’ sources of money are coming from? Once the money is in which is paid for by the foreign investor, is it not going to be used for all kinds of development including building of mosques etc? If all the answers to the questions above are in the affirmative, would it not look stupid on UMNO to dig this issue up to spite the Penang govt at the expense of the datuks and neneks who really needed the money most? Shame on UMNO to take away what little dignity is left in this senior citizens who’s trying to make life just a little better in their remaining twilight years. Unless of course all these naughty old men and ladies are exchanging their RM100 given by LGE for RM200 from UMNO….which means good for you LGE because you have done a good deed. You have multiplied the returns of these old folks in just a blink of the eye. I would say please give more RM100 notes to these old folks so that they can get more returns immediately. High ROI mah….
#21 by Taxidriver on Monday, 4 October 2010 - 8:38 pm
Going by logic, the receivers of RM 100 did not sin.The sinners are those who instigated receivers of the money by distorting the teachings of Islam with motives to run down the State Government and the CM. But those who are fully aware that the whole issue smelt of politics and yet chooses to go against their own conscience, the are committing a Big sin ( dosa kering ) I would advise such people to think again, lest they sin against Allah.
The State Government under LGE gave with sincerity and the Malay pak ciks and mak ciks should reciprocate in like manner which is in accordance with the teachings of the great PROPHET MOHAMMAD. Do not allow some UMNOB dirty politicians leed you into sinning. You pray to Allah with your heart; UMNOB politicians pray with their lips because their heart is far removed from Allah.
#22 by Taxidriver on Monday, 4 October 2010 - 8:42 pm
typo error ( last para, 3rd line ) ‘leed’ shoud be spelt ‘lead’
#23 by cemerlang on Monday, 4 October 2010 - 9:13 pm
You can halalkan the money. Wash the cash notes and coins with earth unearthed from 7 feet deep and say your prayers. That is how they halalkan anything they suspect is not halal.
#24 by raven77 on Tuesday, 5 October 2010 - 12:01 am
Well done Richard Loh.
Money is apolitical. It’s how you use it that counts.
#25 by good coolie on Tuesday, 5 October 2010 - 12:20 am
If a Muslim earned money through gambling activities, then it would indeed be haram money. This is not so if a Non-Muslim earned it that way. Can not a pork seller donate money to a Muslim orphanage? Cannot the money given as donation by church-goers or temple-devotees be given, subsequently, as donation to Muslim organisations?
#26 by Jeffrey on Tuesday, 5 October 2010 - 7:03 am
In reference to some of the issues raised in #16 above, it is the Islamic belief that prosperity must come from honest or hard work and effort, not luck and, besides that, gambling is (intrinsically) addictive and damaging to both gambler and those around him.
The argument appears that although Penang Turf Club also provides equestrian facilities and a golf course, its still however major horse racing course.
Its principal activity as well as principal source of money/income – it being difficult to differentiate between the two from perspectives of halal or non halal/haram – is still gambling of which horse racing is!
Here the argument is that based on the letter of receipt of RM500,000 dated 9th July 2010 from CM Penang’s office to the Pengurus Besar and Setiausaha of Penang Turf Club, the money from the Turf club was intended the Turf club to be used for Penang State Govt’s Poverty Eradication programme (whether for Muslims or Non Muslims). The caption of the letter of receipt from the CM’s office was “Baki Sumbangan Derma Untuk Program “Parties Against Poverty”. So this how the “tracing” and the link of the intention of the money/donation from Penang Turf Club (a Non halal source) is made – and attacked by UMNO.
In the other case of taxes from Non halal sources whether collected by Federal or State Govt, the argument is that they are all “mixed” with those for halal sources for which their application for any State’s purpose cannot be so easily and directly traceable to use by Muslims as compared to the case of the donation from Penang Turf club when the receipt makes specific reference to the State’s Poverty Eradication Programme for the poor of all races/religion.
The point about banking and interest – interest is associated in historical context to economic abuses, mostly of the masses and of the poor.
The main moral/religious argument is that usury creates excessive profit and gain without “labor” which is deemed “work” in the Biblical context. Profits from usury – just like gambling – are argued not to arise from any substantial labor or work but from mere avarice, greed, trickery and manipulation.
This the common link between gambling and interest earning. Of course in same vein you may argue that affirmative policies also do not conduce towards effort and hard work.
In fact the malaise today is the mindset of people that prefers to work smart than work hard for the good things in life – but even so to work smart and not hard is still an activity not viewed as intrinsically bad and sinful as gambling is or exploitative as usury/interest earning is.
(One recalls in Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice, Jewish money lender Shylock is depicted cruel for wanting to exact his ‘pound of flesh’ if principal and interest not repaid.)
#27 by waterfrontcoolie on Tuesday, 5 October 2010 - 7:21 am
I am really amused by the write-up of Che det, questioning the currency players of gambling with trillion of dollars in the market and no other people really gain anything except those ” gamblers themselves”. would he ever relate what he had done to the nation through his so-called piratization programme of selling off the national assets at token price and then purchase them back at a loss with public money? So how much difference is he from those who play the money game? I see no difference! just because you could not beat them you curse them but while you ruled the nation with an iron fist, you did the very thing you are moaning about.
#28 by Jeffrey on Tuesday, 5 October 2010 - 7:58 am
There is however another countervailing argument : when an activity is deemed socially undesirable and harmful, it is either illegalized or banned (as in the case of drugs) or if, in context of secular principles, they are not – by virtue that their effects whilst harmful are not so harmful to the extent that it needs to be illegalized for examples, case of regulated and licensed gambling and vending of alcohol/tobacco & cigarette smoking – then these activities might be higher taxed (for purposes of discouraging their indulgence) and the monies so taxed used by way of recompense for doing good for the community, in mitigation of their deleterious effects and compensation for tolerance shown by the community for allowing continuance of these activities.
This is the only way the Federal Govt could justify licensing and taxing Genting, Magnum, Sports Toto, Carlsberg Brewery Malaysia Berhad etc – no different from Lim Guan Eng’s allowing continuance of Penang Turf Club, a major horse racing course in Penang, Malaysia established since 1864, and licensed.
This vitiates the claim that it is wrong to directly take money from Non halal source for social good to Muslims and non Muslims alike.
The case in point is Pan Malaysian Pools which I believe is the corporation licensed to operate our Social welfare Lottery tickets. By definition social welfare is for the poor , handicap and disabled of Muslims and Non Muslims alike. … Lottery is gambling and non halal, which is precisely why some of its proceeds are used for social welfare!
How is this in principle different from licensed Penang Turf Club donating for welfare – eradication of poverty programs- that Penang state Govt is accused to have been callous of religious sensitivities whilst the Federal Govt allowing social welfare tickets directly for social welfare is not???
There ought not to be so blatant and naked double standards and hypocrisy even in political contestation.
#29 by TheWrathOfGrapes on Tuesday, 5 October 2010 - 11:32 pm
For those who think that their money is haram, I am prepared to be selfless and do them a service – please send your haram money to me. I will not charge you a single sen to get the rid of those dirty money for you.
#30 by undergrad2 on Wednesday, 6 October 2010 - 7:34 am
Obviously WrathOfGrapes is a whore who would suck your dick for any price.