Money Where Can Enough

"70% of retirees use up all their EPF money within three years after retiring."

Why… Poor financial management? Probably it happens to only a few people.

"Only 5% of Malaysians are prepared for retirement."

Ok, so it does not happen to only a few people. Maybe it’s because their EPF is too little?

"Inflation rate is 6% in urban areas."

"RM500,000 in your EPF at retirement may have the purchasing power of RM145,053 in 20 years."

"3 meals a day at RM20 now may cost RM64 in 20 years."

"A family with 2 kids and 2 cars needs RM747,000 if the retired wage-earner were to live for 25 years after retirement. But in average, he only has RM106,000 in his EPF when he retires."

So, inflation is the culprit. Remember how people always say money is never enough? It’s true! Half a million may not be enough to see you through your old age.

On the day of your retirement, you go and cash in your EPF. The first question you’ll ask yourself is, which will happen first – death, or bankruptcy?

Let’s say after you cash in your EPF, you go for a medical checkup.

Doctor: I’m sorry, Mr. Lim. You have less than 20 years left to live.

Mr. Lim: You mean I won’t live past 20 years, starting from today?

Doctor: Umm… Yes, I’m afraid so.

Mr. Lim: You mean… I’ll die before my EPF runs out?

Doctor: I… Umm… I guess…

Mr. Lim: YES!!! I mean… oh no… ummm… *confused*

And as if it can’t get any worse…

"Medical inflation is 15% each year."
-all quotes taken from The Star, May 27.

So what do we do?

We can earn as much money as we can, while we can! No… That doesn’t sound right, does it? That will be going down the path of materialism.

The other alternative is, we can invest! Yes… Even Jesus said in a parable that it is better to invest than to do nothing with the money.

But invest where?

On one end of the spectrum, people who don’t want to worry about money invest in fixed deposits. It’s the safest thing to do. It keeps your attention off money, gives you peace of mind, and it gives you a guaranteed profit upon maturity.

However, the interest rate for fixed deposits is 3.80% per annum. It’s below the inflation rate of 6%. Your money will just shrink with time. At your old age, you’ll still be wondering if death or bankruptcy will happen first.

On the other end of the spectrum, people who are risk-takers invest in the stock market. Big profits in a brief period of time.

However, the thing about stocks is, it can go up today. And it can also go down tomorrow. So you’ll have to monitor your stock investments all the time. Your attention will be captivated by the stock market. You can’t pass a day without worrying about it. Hence, you lose the fight against the lust of materialism.

In the middle of the spectrum, people who are moderate investors go for trust funds. But consider the irony…

If you invest in normal trust funds, you can be sure that your investment will be go into tobacco, alcohol or gambling. That doesn’t sound quite right, does it?

If you invest in Islamic Trust Funds, you can be sure that your investment won’t go into tobacco, alcohol or gambling. But the thing is, you’re investing in an Islamic thingy. That doesn’t sound quite right either, does it?

Is this one of the cases where there is no such thing as doing the right thing?

A friend said that it can be seen in this way: You invest in normal, non-Islamic trust funds. Your money goes to tobacco, alcohol or gambling. Those “sinful” companies will reap big profits. Therefore, they will pay big amounts of “sin tax” to the government. And the government can use the money to build infrastructures, develop rural areas, improve economy, etc. Hence, it gives rise to a better Malaysia and a better life.

So, it’s a case of “turning evil into a better good”, huh?

But when you walk by a liquor store, when you see families being broken because fathers are drunkards, when you see under-aged youth buying cigarettes when they could’ve had healthier addictions, when you see aunties and uncles wasting their EPF money at casinos, lottery tickets and “da ma cai”… How much do you really wanna be part of the cause?

I wonder and wonder…

I think and I ponder…

I think about my mansion in heaven. Where I don’t have to worry about house loans, car loans, investments and inflation. Where the rich don’t live in debt. Where the rich in God are truly rich.

10 Things I Miss About Penang

1. Great shopping malls. Can get to shopping malls at minimal cost. No need to think of jam factor. No need to worry about petrol. No need to agonize over “shall I take the LRT, or shall I drive?” The only thing you need to think of is which shopping mall you wanna go to.

2. Great food. You don't need to worry about price. You actually get to choose which kind of food you want, and which taste you’re hungry for. Economy factor and volume factor comes last. Char koay teow. Laksa. Loh mee. Hokkien mee. Sotong bakar…

3. Great drivers. Motorcyclists come at you from right and left. When you put on signal lights to change lane, it doesn’t mean you’ll get to change lane. When there’s a no parking sign, it doesn’t mean people won’t park there. When it’s a main road, it doesn’t mean people won’t stop there. Penang… Where great drivers are born.

4. Great parking. No need to worry about sky-high parking fees. There are lots of places you can park. You see where got people park, you just park there also. No need to pay wan.

No need to find the nearest parking machine. No need to always have 50-cent coins with you. No need to lock your car door, walk from the car to the parking machine, get your parking ticket, go back to your car, open the door, put the ticket on your dashboard, and lock your car door again.

In Penang, we still use the human parking system. The parking attendant comes and puts the parking ticket on your car. If he cannot be found when you’re about to leave, you can drive off and run away.

5. Great internet access. You don’t have to spend more than 10 bucks at Starbucks to enjoy free Wifi. You can go to Nasi Kandar Istimewa, order a limau ais, and go online for as long as you want. If your battery runs out, you can charge your battery there for an additional RM1.

Paling best, go to Borders at Queensbay Mall. You can sit at the magazine area just beside Starbucks, and enjoy free internet access. No need to order limau ais or Frappucino. Just pay RM1 per entry for your parking fee.

6. Great communication. When you see a Chinese guy, you automatically know which language to use. Just speak Hokkien. You can be sure that he will understand. You won’t look like a stuck-up chinese, speaking ang-mor. Guarantee they will layan you much better. If someone cannot understand Hokkien, he is the odd one out. Not you.

7. Great beaches. If you want to go to the beach, you can choose which beach you want to go to. Beach for makan and scenery, go Esplanade. Beach for hiking, go Pantai Kerachut. Beach for picnic, go Batu Ferringhi in the morning. Beach for pirated DVDs and authentic pasar malam products (guarantee fake), go Batu Ferringhi at night.

8. Great parks. If you wanna exercise, go Youth Park. Got jogging track. Got playground. Got fitness ground. Got foot reflexology pebble path. Got skating rink. Got extreme sports skateboarding rink. Got football field. Got netball court. Got ping-pong table Got tai-chi gang. Latest one, got swimming pool!

If you wanna see monkey, go Botanical Gardens. Mutiara Perdana got also. Block Cempaka, 4th floor, M-5.

9. Great hills. If wanna get fit, go Bukit Dumbar. Got people go jogging there all the time. Got squash court also. Nicol David’s training ground. If you look closely enough, you can still see her sweat stains on the court. If you wipe it with your handkerchief and keep it in your pocket, it will bring you good luck. If you’re still reading this and you think I’m serious, then something is wrong with you :)

If wanna enjoy cool weather, and green serenity, go to Penang Hill. Take the train up if you malas. Hike up if you rajin. Take long walks at the top of the hill, see all the quaint mountain houses, breathe fresh air, enjoy the peace and relax your mind. When hungry, there’s hot food served at the cafeteria. If you like reading, bring a good book with you, order a hot milo and spicy kacang kuda. You can sit there all day. If you want a 1-day getaway, you can book a room there and spend the night in a colonial-style hotel. Come down the next day, fresh and reinvigorated.

10. Great state anthem.

Selamat Tuhan kurniakan
Selamat Pulau Pinang
Negeriku yang mulia, ku taat dan setia
Aman dan bahagia.
Majulah, jayalah,
Negeriku yang ku cinta
Bersatu dan bersama
Untuk negeri kita.

Notice no praise-heaping about any particular person happens here. You don’t have to mention the name of which God you’re singing about. You can sing it without being an apostate. That’s why it’s unique :)

Easy Come, Easy Go

Finally got my pay yesterday! My long awaited, 3-month pay! I almost felt like jumping up and down at the bank. But scared that the security might throw me out. Hehehe... I was down to RM111.11 in my bank account. The cash injection came at just the right time... to spoil the number in my account :)

I went to Putrajaya today to get my payslip. Didn't want to wait for it to arrive at my school after the holidays. The longer I wait, the later my Iswara will arrive. Up to today, the process of getting my Iswara is still at Step 0. Without my payslip, I can't get a loan. So, I thought I'd better take action and hasten the process.

I learned that you need RM50 to get to Putrajaya via public transport! Terminal Putra to KL Central via LRT. KL Central to Putrajaya station via KLIA Transit. Putrajaya station to Parcel E 12 building via taxi. Then reverse the process to get back.

While waiting at KL Central to get back to Terminal Putra, I saw a foreign-looking couple. Maybe from Taiwan or Korea. The girl beckoned to the guy. She pointed to a sign that says "No chewing gum". And the guy spit his chewing gum into a rubbish bin.

Where do they think they are... Japan?? Hahahaha! I was smiling at the sight of that.

After arriving at Terminal Putra, I went to Sri Gombak. Emptied half of my 3-month salary for my Iswara's downpayment. I went straight to the Proton showroom before I got robbed, and passed my payslip to my agent.

I learned that the 3.1% Bank Rakyat loan was a farce. Learned that all other banks are offering the same amount anyway. So I'll be "working" for Bank Rakyat for the next 7 years at 3.88% interest rate.

I also learned that the price for Proton Iswara will be going up next month! By June, it will cost an extra RM3k. Good thing I rushed to see my agent to hand him my pay slip!

I managed to talk him into tinting my windows for free. And I'm changing my order to a "orange-like-Gen-2" colour.

So, yeah the Putrajaya trip was worth it. Better RM50 and 5 hours of my time, than to bear RM3000 over a much longer period of time.

In God's timing, it's all good:

1) The delay in getting a loan means my Iswara will be delayed.

2) The delay up to the 11th hour also means that by the time my Iswara comes, my salary will be steady enough to pay off the installments. If it had come any earlier, I may not afford to foot it.

And yeah... I'm halfway near broke again. After giving my tithe, I'll be even nearer. The church piano would better play a comforting tune when the offering bag is passed around. I need to feel soothed. Hehe...

You know why they make money using paper?

So it can fly.

Top 10 Peeves + 2

Be angry, and do not sin: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil.

According to Ephesians 4:26. From the easiest to do, to the hardest. In ascending order.

12) Clutter. It takes up space. It is disorganized. You can’t move about freely when there is a lot of clutter. And you can’t find things where you want them.

11) Things not working when you need them the most. Sometimes it’s the car. Sometimes it’s the computer. Sometimes it’s the internet. Sometimes it’s the printer. Sometimes it’s the DVD you just bought. Etc.

10) People who talk in cinemas. Especially those who spoil the show. Or give commentaries, ruining the effect of the scene. You’ve paid good money for a show you’ve been looking forward to watch for a long time. And someone takes it away from you.

9) Being forgetful. You forget one small, simple thing. And it becomes a very big inconvenience.

8) Deliberate anonymity. See long story at http://hastenministries.blogspot.com/2007/04/whats-in-name.html

7) Getting interrupted when you’re talking. You’ve been interrupted, but you don’t want to give in to the interrupter. So you go on talking, hoping that the interrupter gets the hint. But the interrupter keeps on talking too. He goes on talking louder and louder, hoping to drown you out, oblivious to the fact that he was interrupting. So both continue talking, and nobody listens. The one who can keep on talking the longest, wins.

6) Getting told how to dress. Or, getting told what kind of clothes to buy with your own money, when you didn’t ask for advice. I believe dressing is somehow incorporated with a person’s identity. If you change the way a person dresses, you change that person’s identity. So, please don’t try to change a person’s identity. If he looks dorky, he was loved anyway when he was dorky. If he looks old, people respected him more when he looked old. If he’s a conservative dresser, he is “safe” in any occasion he goes to. When you try to change someone’s dressing, it’s connected to something deeper too.

5) Getting told what to do with your hair, when you didn’t ask for advice. I believe the person on whose head the hair is growing has the right to his own hair. I’m already balding. At least let me do what I wish with whatever I have left.

4) Getting late. You are usually on time, because you do everything that is necessary to be punctual. It’s your way of life, your philosophy. But someone else makes you get held up. You turn up late. And it wasn’t even your fault. Or, you arrived on time, but someone else turns up late. Whatever professionalism you have put into your work made no difference anyway. Because things still turned out late no matter what you’ve done.

3) Bad debtors. When it is a small amount, you don’t want to ask for it and look like a scrooge. When it adds up to a big amount, you don’t want to ask for it and come across as heartless. Because it’s clear if he can’t pay up his smaller debts, there’s no way he can pay up the larger ones. Even if he wanted to.

2) Getting told why it’s a bad choice to be a school teacher. He comes and tells you how to make more money if you leave the profession. Or how to make more money inside the profession. And he doesn’t know when to back off. On a good day, I’ll laugh it off. On a not-so-good day, he will hear some straight-talking about worldliness and materialism. Friend or foe.

1) Ending the day with an argument. Your mental gears are still whirring. You’re still feeling hot. You can’t sleep properly. The next morning, you still feel worn out as though you haven’t rested at all. You’re already grumpy even before the day began.


Goosefraba! :)

What They Don't Teach You in Class Control 101

Do not withhold correction from a child,
For if you beat him with a rod, he will not die.
You shall beat him with a rod,
And deliver his soul from hell (Proverbs 23:13-14)

How do you maintain class control when you don’t have a cane?

Zero in on the chief of the mischief. Then, either:

A) Pull yourself up to your full height, walk right up to him, stare at him straight in the face until he backs down to submission. You don’t have to say a word.

B) Give him the “look of death” from long distance. Look him straight in the eye and don’t break your gaze until he stops his malfunction.

C) Mutter strong rebuke in a hushed tone until everyone notices that you are mumbling something way below your normal volume. Continue in your best vocabulary until the class falls into a pin-drop silence. Whether or not they understand it is another matter.

D) Tell him to sit somewhere else.

Or, when you are not teaching but you have to be in class (e.g. relief periods and exam invigilation):

E) Tell him to come and sit by your side. Ask him why he is exhibiting paranormal behaviour and listen to him. Then ask him about his background and tell him the facts of life.

Or, if you’re just not in a nurturing, counseling mood:

F) Hit the table once, very hard, with a flat palm and create a thunderbolt sound. Make sure you get it right, because you can do it only once. You don’t have to move from where you are sitting nor say a word.

I’ve been put in the school’s Biro Disiplin. All I do so far is enter Merit-Demerit points into the computer. Will I be ever given a cane?

I dunno. And I don’t think I’d want to carry it around either. I think it’s a sign of insecurity.

By the way, do you know that the Education Ministry outlines very clearly the methodology for caning a student? You have to tuck a book under your caning arm. This is to prevent the teacher from caning too hard.

But you know how we do it here? We leave the book on the table. What you don’t know won’t hurt you :)

I don’t think I am the type who can give a Surat Buang Sekolah. I can do all the other things. But somehow, not expelling them.

These kids, they do not want to go to school. They don't have any interest in it. They don’t even see the point of it. But give them a few more years, and they will see it. By then, they can’t go to school anymore. I feel that expelling them is hastening that process.

Once, two Chinese Form 3 boys were involved in a Malay vs Chinese fight. On of them got hit in the head by a chair. I took them to a government clinic for a check-up and waited with them for more than 2 hours.

2 weeks later, the same boys got involved again in a bigger fight. Believed to be a continuation from the previous episode, this time it involved all races. Until the police came to control the situation.

The Chinese boy’s mother came to school. The Guru Disiplin issued him a Surat Buang Sekolah. The mother felt it was not fair. She thought it was a Malay-bias-Chinese-prejudice thing. She got upset and marched to the Pengetua’s office. She wanted to pull the boy out from school and let him start working.

I was at the Pengetua’s office when the mother arrived. Nobody could converse with her, since she spoke very bad BM. The office people pointed her to me, and she started talking to me. Good thing she could understand Hokkien.

I told her, why not pull him out of this school, and register him into another school? It may not work for him here, but it may work for him elsewhere. I told her life would be hard if he cannot complete his education. He is only 15.

I told the boy, why not go to a new school, start anew, and don’t get into trouble anymore. At least try to finish your secondary education. Give yourself a shot in life.

I don’t know what was the outcome. Probably he has stopped schooling by now. It wouldn’t be strange, because his family didn’t go any further than a Form 3 education as well.

Time and time again, I remind myself that these kids here have problems. No matter how paranormal or dysfunctional their behaviour is. Beneath their angst, restlessness and annoyance, there lies beneath it anguish, frustration and hopelessness. If you look at it seriously, at the rate they are going, they don’t even have a shot in life. Some of them already know it. And they have to live with it.

And we thought we had it bad when we didn’t get the course of our choice.

Happy Teacher’s Day, everyone. No matter how tough the going gets, remember that we are already way better than them, their parents, and their families. Even when you feel like pulling your hair out… Let’s help them get their shot in life.

Kepada Ibuku...

With mother's day around the corner, I thought of reflecting about my mother.

A quarter of a century back, I was conceived in my mother's womb during her honeymoon night. Yes, I was a honeymoon baby. Was it a mistake? I think not. I hope not :)

Carrying me around wasn't easy. She told me she flushed glasses and glasses of milk down her throat, because she knew that milk was good for babies. She drank so much milk until she grew so gemuk. Once, when I looked at her wedding portrait in the house, I said, "Eh, mummy... Who is that?" She said it's an imposter. Hahaha...

Look at me now... I've got strong teeth! Unlike my sister. She's got a bit of teeth problems when she was young. My mum must've gotten sick of milk.

Nothing about me is easy, since before I was born. Even the way I was born wasn't easy! I sat in the womb, head up. I refused to turn. I refused to budge. Even after 9 months. The doctors had no choice. Bring in the kitchen knife!

I remember seeing the marks on her womb when I was young enough to be allowed to see it. Big, huge scar. Yeah man. I was difficult then. Am still difficult now :)

Being difficult has its price. I remember when I was young, I had my share of beatings. Sometimes I don't even know why I kena. Usually, the words I hear before I kena were "ahn chua lu ah neh kuai koo eh..." (why are you so mischievous wan). But I really dunno what I did that was considered "mischievous". I didn't climb tree what... Dunno why I always kena for being mischievous. Hehehe...

When I was teaching the Form 1 kids in my school, then I kinda understood. Kids don't know it when they're mischievous. Only adults can see it. To them, they're doing something totally normal. To us, it's hell broken loose.

Another one is "ahn chua lu ah neh gao in ua" (why you so clever answer back wan). She would tarik the last syllable panjang panjang "ah neh gao in uuuuuuaaaaaaa..." when I kena belasah la. But I really don't understand why she said I always answer back. No mah. I was just talking only what. She ask me, I answer lah! *Whack* (confused). Hahaha...

Dunno if she did a good job. I think she wasn't quite successful. Until today, I'm still cheeky. Until today, I still like to answer back. Even worse, argue and quarrel with people. Hehehe...

Once, in a new and creative way to teach me not to answer back, she used cili padi. She squeezed it, took out the juice, applied it on my lips, and made me eat the rest of it. Wah, siao man! So hot!! (But I quite smart also la. I put the cili padi under my tongue, so it won't burn so bad.) She must've expected me to spit it out. But I didn't. So, after some time, she said, "If you like it so much, you can just eat it!" Then I knew it was ok to spit it out :)

Well, they are not all bad. There are some good ones too.

I remember how much I liked it when my mother would come to USM with me. (Not during university days lah! Gila... Die man! Before I was 10 lah.) My father would take me to the pool to swim everyday. Sometimes, on Fridays, my mum would tag along. We would have dinner at the Red House, buy some kacang, and we would wait at the steps of the pool until training starts.

I remember that whenever she was there, I would imagine that she was watching me. Looking at every single thing I did. Watching me chase that other kid and overtake him from behind. I always felt as though I had some extra energy coming from somewhere. I performed best in training whenever my mother was around. It's like, I wanted to show her what I could do. So she would be impressed.

Look at me. I have hundreds of medals hanging on my bedroom wall today. It was my mum who framed the medals I won at each competition. She kept all of them for me.

I remember how she encouraged me. During my primary school days, I was quite into writing my own storybooks. My mother took my book, brought it to Mr. Chang (the bookshop man) and asked him to sell it. "You never know, people may like it," she said.

True enough, the next day, Mr. Chang (who also happened to be my English teacher) came to my class and handed me a 5 Ringgit bill. "Someone bought your book," he said.

I couldn't believe it! I told my mother. "Cannot be mah... Who would buy my book? Nice meh?" I asked. "Got wan... I'm sure someone did. Maybe some standard 4 boy," she said. I was just in Standard 3.

I started to write a sequel.

It was only during Form 6 that I found out what really happened. During a casual conversation, I struck up this old memory about me selling my storybooks in SK Minden Heights.

"Eh, you remember or not, last time I wrote storybooks to sell in school?"

"Yah."

"Someone bought it, rite."

"No la. Actually I bought it."

WHAT?????? AND ALL THIS WHILE????

My goodness. It took me 9 years to figure it out.

But look at me today. I wouldn't have been good at writing if it were not for her. I write too much nowadays. Until people complain I'm too wordy.

My mother never failed to believe in me. She always thought I was a super genius (which is not true). She thought I could've become a doctor if I wanted to (not true also). She believed in me when no one else would.

At one time, I joined a multi-level marketing company. Of course, I needed some "buyers" to start off with. I asked my mum if she would help me out. "When this works out, I could be earning RM3000 a month!" I said. She believed in me.

Together, we squandered more than half a grand.

Look at me today. I wouldn't have turned out to be a confident person, if it were not for my mother. Because she always believed in me.

Here's to my mother. Happy Mother's Day. From your difficult son :)

What Would A Christian Court Do?

A Muslim marries a non-Muslim. The non-Muslim must convert. Or else, the marriage is considered null and void.

The Muslim is called an apostate for marrying a non-Muslim. She is put into a rehabilitation center to straighten out her beliefs.

Therefore, the Muslim wants to convert out of Islam. She contends that she did not choose to convert into Islam in the first place. She was merely called a Muslim just because she was born into a Muslim family. She did not consciously choose to convert into Islam, but she cannot consciously choose to convert out of it.

We see the Civil Law and the Syariah Law running concurrently in our country, with the Syariah Court taking precedence over the Civil Court.

See video clip here.

Question of the day: Do religious governments work, or is a secular government for the better good?

Let's examine the similar case according to the Bible. What will the outcome be if we had a Christian Court?

Can a Christian marry a non-Christian?

Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? And what agreement has the temple of God with idols?... Therefore, "Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord" (2 Corinthians 6:14-17)

The answer is no. It is a clear case of disobedience against the Lord. It is a sin.

So, if a Christian chooses to marry a non-Christian, what is the church to do?

The church will not give its blessing. The church will not perform a wedding, or unite the couple before God under holy matrimony.

Can such a couple ever get to marry at all?

If that couple chooses to marry, they cannot have a Christian wedding. They must do it outside the church, i.e. register with the Civil Court.

Will the church recognize the couple as husband and wife?

Now to the married I command... A wife is not to depart from her husband. But even if she does depart, let her remain unmarried or be reconciled to her husband. And a husband is not to divorce his wife (1 Corinthians 7:10-11).

Yes. Even though the church does not give the couple its blessings, the church still recognizes their marriage. The church upholds the sanctity of that marriage, with the hope that it works out for the better in due time.

A non-Christian man marries a non-Christian woman. After the marriage, what if one of them decides to become a Christian?

If any brother has a wife who does not believe, and she is willing to live with him, let him not divorce her. And a woman who has a husband who does not believe, if he is willing to live with her, let her not divorce him (1 Corinthians 7:12-13).

The Christian spouse is not to ask for a divorce. If the non-Christian does not mind living with a Christian spouse, the sanctity of marriage takes precedence over the freedom of religion.

What if the non-Christian cannot live with his/her spouse that has just become a Christian?

But if the unbeliever departs, let him depart; a brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases (1 Corinthians 7:15a)

Under the worst case-scenario, the non-Christian can divorce the Christian spouse.

What happens after that? Who gets custody of the children? Who gets the property? Will the divorced spouse be compensated financially?

If the children are above the age of consent, they should be allowed to choose which parent they want to live with. If they are under the age of consent, custody of the children will go to whomever is better able to provide for the children and raise them. Custody of the children does not automatically go to the Christian parent just because he/she is the Christian partner in that marriage. Just as the children's religion is not pre-decided for them.

As for the rest of the arrangements, I believe that it will be done fairly. For "God has called us to peace" (1 Corinthians 7:15b).

The wonderful thing about Christianity is that its laws can withstand the test of time. It may have been written more than a millennium ago. But its laws are still applicable in today's context. And that, I should say, is a very strong test that swings in God's favour. His laws withstand the test of time. In His wisdom, He has given us laws that are not static, but dynamic. He shows us how to live, so we can find our way back to Him.

For these reasons, I dare to believe that a Christian government works.