The Response of the Ulama Dayah to the Modernization of Islamic Law in Aceh. 2005. Penerbit UKM: Bangi. ISBN 967-942-687-4 (paperback). 94 pp. RM

The Response of the Ulama Dayah to the Modernization of Islamic Law in Aceh. 2005. Penerbit UKM: Bangi. ISBN 967-942-687-4 (paperback). 94 pp. RM 30.00. M. Hasbi Amiruddin

Historically the dynamics of the intellectuals that took place in Aceh brought about significant impacts on science in the archipelago or event in Southeast Asia. This occurred because the Acehnese scholars at that time incessantly made attempts to take initiatives to deal with the challenges confronting the community. Since the initial stage of the advent of Islam in Aceh, the islamic scholars had played a vital role as models who made efforts on developing Islamic traditions of science. Hence, there were a large number of them who spread the Islamic teachings to other regions in Southeast Asia. Furthermore, the Acehnese scholars were actively involved in preventing the penetration of the colonists to Aceh and in fighting against their occupation. At this time, they played a double role, that is, on the other hand, they assumed a role as a teacher to empower or enlighten their community and, on the other, he was actively indulged in political struggles to free their country. There were a countless number of scholars who died for the sake of nation and religion. During the time of independence, they were very energetic to address varied kinds of social, religious and political matters in order to update them as different kinds of transformation took place over the period.

M. HASBI AMIRUDDIN, Ph. D., is a Professor and the Dean, Faculty of Education, Institut Agama Islam Negeri (IAIN) Ar-Raniry Darussalam, Banda Aceh, Sumatera, Indonesia.

Elections and Democracy in Malaysia. 2005. Penerbit UKM: Bangi. ISBN 967-942-737-4 (hard cover). ISBN 967-942-736-6 (paper back) 474 pp. RM 60.00.

Elections and Democracy in Malaysia. 2005. Penerbit UKM: Bangi. ISBN 967-942-737-4 (hard cover). ISBN 967-942-736-6 (paper back) 474 pp. RM 60.00. Mavis Puthucheary & Norani Othman (eds.)

Elections and Democracy in Malaysia provides a composite study of the role and functions of elctions in Malaysia by locating the electoral system within its broader historical and socio-cultural milieu. Its chapters cover such diverse subjects as the limits to democracy, the party system and how the dominant party system has evolved in Malaysia, the way political parties have functioned at the national, state and local government levels, and the role of the media and the judiciary in the electoral process. The nature of political representation in Malaysia and its consequences for political participation and the various way in which civil society organizations have become engaged in the electoral process and politics are also explored. Some of the contributors to this study consider whether or not elections in Malaysia are reasonably free and fair by highlighting areas where the conduct of elections may be called into question, such as the periodic redelineation of constituency boundaries, the maintaining of up-to-date and accurate electoral rolls, and the administration of the mechanisms for the nomination of candidates and polling procedures. Its various chapters, including both scholarly analyses of formal party politics and also accounts of civil society activities, will have a significant effect on how people think about and prepare for Malaysia’s next elections, and for citizens’ attempts to enlarge the meaning of Malaysian democracy generally. This study will long stand as an interim assessment of Malaysian politics towards the end of the first half-century of independence: as a ‘mid-term review’ of the continuing development of Malaysian democracy as a ‘work progress’.

MAVIS PUTHUCHEARY is Associate Senior Fellow at the Institute of Malaysian and International Studies (IKMAS), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM). NORANI OTHMAN is Associate Professor and Senior Fellow at the Institute of Malaysian and International Studies (IKMAS), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM).

Published by:

Penerbit UKM

Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia

43600, Bangi, Selangor

Malaysia

Issues in Records Management.

Issues in Records Management. 2005. Penerbit UKM: Bangi. ISBN 967-942-731-5 (paperback). 174 pp. RM 25.00. Zawiyah M. Yusof & Robert W. Chell.

Records are products arise naturally from the functions, activities, processes and transactions, substantive and facilitative, of the creating organization. They are all those documents, in whatever medium, received or created by an organization in the course of its business, and retained by that organisation as evidence of its activities or because of the information contained apart from fulfilling the requirement to comply with the relevant laws and regulations. The knowledge contained in records must be captured into the organisation’s memory if it is to be managed and shared for organization prosperity. But the awareness of managing records has not been at par with the increasing acknowledgement of its benefit it has received worldwide. In this book issues on what prevented organization from developing and implementing programmed to retain and preserve its corporate memory is discuss. Also underline the need for organization to change the way it thinks and behaves in order to achieve the goal of managing records. Apparently, there will have to be a cultural shift in an organizationis perception of its records in order to foster awareness of the importance of records management. Information technology developments in the last two decades have created problems and opportunities for records personnel. The materials that now need to be controlled and managed extend beyond the traditional paper based records into web pages and multimedia. The speed of change in technology demands that the records management function is prepared for a new wave of demands in terms of the way information is managed and recorded.

ZAWIYAH M. YUSOF, Ph. D., an Associate Professor at the Department of Information Science, Faculty of Information Science and Technology, UKM. ROBERT W. CHELL, Principal Archivist a West Glamorgan Archive Service, Swansea.

Published by:

Penerbit UKM

Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia

43600, Bangi, Selangor

Malaysia

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