Apakah itu Wang?/What is Money?

Atas permintaan ramai,saya hari ini menulis blog dengan dua bahasa,Melayu dan Inggeris.

Nampaknya Nami terlalu kental ideologi socialismnya.Tak salah,dan tak betul.Sebelum ingin berkata tentang "sistem ekonomi yang mana satu",eloklah saya memberitahu fundemental(asas) ekonomi itu--wang.

Apa itu wang?Wang itu ialah sesuatu yang kita gunakan untuk menukar dengan barang yang kita nak.Zaman dahulu,mereka mengamalkan sistem barter,iaitu sistem tukar barang.Jika saudara Nami nak ayam,tetapi ada sayur,saudara Nami perlu cari orang yang nak sayur,tapi ada ayam.Tapi ekonomi dulu tak sekomplikated sekarang.Oleh itu,kita perlukan wang untuk membeli dan menjual.

Pada zaman dahulu,masyarakat menggunakan kulit kerang,daun dan batu sebagai alat pertukaran menggantikan sistem barter.Tapi semua itu tidak ada nilai.Jadi,mereka gunakan emas dan perak.Kerana nilainya yang berharga,jadi nilainya akan sentiasa kukuh.

Ekonomi Islam berkembang dengan Dinar Emas.Sehingga tahun 1924 apabila Kerajaan Uthmaniyyah digulingkan oleh Mustafa Kemal Attartuk,maka ekonomi berdasarkan Dinar Emas telahpun musnah.

Pada tahun 1944,negara-negara Eropah mengalami hutang yang sangat tinggi akibat krisis Perang Dunia Kedua.Oleh itu,Amerika telah mengeluarkan satu usul,iaitu sistem ekonomi Bretton Woods.Oleh kerana semua emas yang dirizabkan di negara-negara Eropah telahpun habis akibat perang,nilai matawang franc(Perancis),mark(Jerman),lira(Itali),dan sebagainya telah jatuh merudum.Bagi menyelamatkan Eropah,Amerika telah meletakkan perjanjian Bretton Woods,dimana semua negara-negara haruslah meletakkan matawang mereka bersandarkan dolar Amerika,dan dolar Amerika akan disandarkan dengan emas iaitu 1 auns=USD30.

Tetapi apabila Perang Vietnam semakin meningkat belanjanya,maka Presiden Nixon mengemukakan usul untuk mengeluarkan wang untuk belanja perang.Belanja keseluruhan ialah USD100 billion,tetapi rizab emas Amerika cuma mempunyai USD30 billion.Jadi,Presiden Nixon mengarahkan Federal Reserve Bank untuk mencetak wang lagi.Ini ialah wang fiat.Jadi,secara tak langsung,wang kita ini semua tidak ada nilai lagi.Kenapa?Kerana semua matawang di dunia bersandarkan dolar AS.

Jadi,kita semua telah lihat kegagalan socialism dalam era lewat 80an,dan kita semua tahu yang socialism hanya membawa padah.Akan mewujudkan diktator-diktator seperti Hitler,Stalin,Jozep Tito,Mao Zedong,Pol Pot dan lain-lain lagi.

Kita juga sudah melihat kegagalan capitalism.

Jadi,kenapa nak sandarkan sesuatu yang telah gagal,Nami?Terima kenyataan,socialism sudah gagal.

Wang kertas ialah wang fiat.Anda semua sebenarnya gagal untuk memahami apa fungsi wang kertas.Ia hanya "surat bukti" menunjukkan kita mempunyai harta,bukan harta itu sendiri.Jadi,jika saya tunjuk not C$10 saya,saya mempunyai emas yang berharga C$10 di dalam bank.Seharusnya begitu.Takkan sekeping kertas mempunyai nilai setinggi C$10 itu,atau C$100?Kertas tetap sama nilainya,bukan?

Jadi ekonomi kita seharusnya bersandarkan kepada Dinar Emas.Itulah syariat Islam yang sebenarnya.Ia kalis inflasi,sentiasa bernilai,tidak akan jatuh harganya.Nilai ringgit Malaysia yang ada sekarang mungkin sudah turun 30 peratus berbanding 10 tahun yang lalu.Maknanya,setiap RM1 yang ada hari ini,berharga 70sen pada 10 tahun yang lalu.Sebab itu harga barangan sentiasa meningkat.

Allah pun dah berfirman "tidak sekali-kali Aku ubahkan nasib sesuatu kaum itu,melainkan kaum itu sendiri yang mengubahnya".So,kenapa nak masih kekal dengan socialism yang dah memang terbukti gagal?Capitalism pun gagal,gunakan cara Islam.

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It's seems Nami is a staunch supporter of socialist economy system.It's not wrong,and it's not right.Before answering his question on his blog "Which Economy System Shall We Follow",perhaps I should tell him about fundemental of economy system--money.

Money is a tool,for us to buy goods.Long before monetary system was found,we used barter system--which trade goods for goods.If Nami want chicken and only got vegetables,you need to find someone who want vegetable and got chicken.However,those days aren't so complicated compared as for today economic situation.We need money to buy,it's practical.

Those days,we used sea shells,leaves,or rocks for our currency.But it's not valuable.Then people used gold and silver as their currency.Because it is precious metal,so the price won't falling down.

Islamic economy rised with Gold Dinar.Until 1924 when Mustafa Kemal Attartuk launched coup d'etat against Uthmaniyyah Empire in Turkey,and economy based on Gold Dinar demolished.

In 1944,there's an agreement signed by Europeans after handling a huge debts of World War II.Bretton Woods agreement,which let franc,mark,lira and European currencies pegged by US Dollar,while US Dollar pegged by gold.1 ounce of gold is USD35.

Until 1971 when President Nixon signed the decree for Federal Reserve Bank to print more US Dollar for war in Vietnam.In that time,United States only have USD30 billion worth of gold,but need USD100 billion for war.Then this is what really happens--fiat currency.Our money that been pegged with US Dollar is not worth anymore.

We all see the failure of socialism in late 80s,and we all know,socialist will only create dictators like Hitler,Stalin,Jozep Tito,Mao Zedong and Pol Pot.

And we already see the failure of capitalism,too.

Why still want to rely for something that already failed?

Paper money is fiat money.It's not really worth what it's worth.It's like I hold this 10 loonies(10 Canadian Dollar),is that really worth 10 loonies?How about 100 loonies?

So,I support our economy return back to Gold Dinar,an ideal Islamic system.It's inflation proof,always precious and the price won't fall down.Today's Ringgit Malaysia is less than 30 percent of it's value compared 10 years back.Your RM1 is actually 70sen in 1998.That's why the price is climbing up.

Allah won't change mankind's fate unless mankind themselves change it with their own hands.Socialism already dead,capitalism already failed,Islamic economy is way to go!

Dear Hafiz,You Really Want to know about Islamic Economy Mechanism,Aren't You?

Well,since I do blog,there's a lot of comments and thoughts that been shared together among bloggers,especially about politics,economy and "What I do Believe in".I'm glad to share my knowledge,my ideas and thoughts to be shared,or to be criticized.

And one of my blogger's friend,Hafiz or simply known as "Mata Rakyat",is a staunch supporters of Parti Keadilan Rakyat.Unlike his friend,Nami,which not clear the party he really supports,but clearly supports the socialist ideas,Hafiz clear out and say,"I support Islamic economy",but according to his article(link),he didn't have a clear idea "what is Islamic economy" anyway.What he just telling me,he just want to look for the Merciness and Berkat of Allah to the country that implement Islamic economy system.

What is Islamic Economy?


Good news for Hafiz.Today,at Memorial Park Branch Library(pic) I found a book about Islamic economy.The writer,Muhammad Umar Chapra,is a Senior Research Advisor at the Islamic Research and Training Institute (IRTI) of the Islamic Development Bank in Jeddah,Saudi Arabia.The book,"Money and Banking in Islamic Economy",is actually answered Hafiz questions that lingering his mind,and I'm glad to help him.

Islamic economy,basicly "a capitalist system backed by government interference[Bayt-al-Mal/Baitul-Mal] funded by zakat,jizya,and nisab.The taxation in Islam requires wealth people to help poorer people,causing Robin Hood effect,to against economic inequality.So the social welfare will be together with merchant businesses will get along within Islamic economy system.

Some might say it's Third Way system,"Mixed Economy System"(based on Malaysian Basic Economy text book),or some might say it's market socialism.No,all of them were wrong.

According to this book,the real Islamic Economy System is "merchant capitalism with generosity".

So,if you ask people like Nami,he will definitely supports socialism,and blatantly agrees that the government is the one providing everything from head to toe and you'll follow the government like an idiot because you'll afraid your life may at risk if you don't follow the government.

I hate socialism.And communism as well.

Anyway,merchantilism in Islam is drives Islam from Mecca to as far as Malacca to East,as far as Cordoba to West,and opens Silk Road to China,and this concept is already done by Prophet Mohammad s.a.w himself when he helps his wife Khadijah,as a merchant.And this is a strong proof that "Islam support merchant capitalism,Islam supports businesses",even Prophet Mohammad s.a.w. once said,"Merchant and businesses is 9/10 of entire income in this world".Even the first establishment of Islamic state of Madinah,Prophet Mohammad established Masjidil Nabawi,and a market besides the mosque.Now you see,how important merchant capitalism in Islam,Nami?Not SOCIALISM!

So,is socialism helps a lot Nami?No,it didn't.It will create "lazy bum society" who begging to knee of governments to helping them.Government will act like God.I told you this before you're going far away,Nami.

OK,this article is for Hafiz anyway,so I hope Hafiz can change Nami's opinion back about merchant capitalism.I bet Hafiz will.

Islamic monetary is related with monetary economy based on Dinar,or gold coin.So,NO FIAT MONEY IN ISLAMIC MERCHANT CAPITALISM,NAMI!Because of stability of gold price,it's always be precious,the price won't going low.It is a measurement of wealth.Dinar gold coins is to pay,and to accepted for goods.So,it's so stable that Islam empire so strong for few hundred years until corruption and idioticity of some Islamic countries leader using Baitul-Mal money for sex and fun.

So,the fundemental of Islamic economy will be determined by dinar(now you clear,Hafiz?),and the supply and demand basicly by buyers and sellers.And the merchant,won't be easily filthy rich,just like that.Islam put a compulsory of zakat,to give compulsory donation to poorer people,in order for these poorer people to starts their own business.And it goes on until no longer poor people in that country.

So,Baitul Mal will determine how much Dinar at the treasury,and it measures by "how many people paying for zakat".And there's no fiat money,because fiat money is somehow like "empty promises",saying that there's gold in the bank,but it's not there.

So,Hafiz,I haven't read it completely yet,but are you so far clear about Islamic Economy System?Comment me okay?