VOXPOP 'Islamic sex or whatever, just leave the Jews alone; they have nothing to do with your husbands' sexual appetite.'

Sex guide not un-Islamic, says Obedient Wives Club

Chikadee: Forget about sex if some of the husbands can't give even proper ‘nafkah zahir' (material provisions) to their wife/wives and can't even utter proper and appropriate words to them.

Let the husbands carry out their duty first before the wife/wives can entertain them.

Onyourtoes: To prevent husbands from looking elsewhere, first we allow them to have multiple wives. But then, that is not enough, so now wives must be obedient. Well, not just obedient, they must also be entertaining and good sex partners as well.

I wonder what is next, may be they must be able to clean and cook well, able to bear children with the right gender, and willing to be cast aside and be replaced with younger ones when the time comes. Hey, this is not new - this is what old China did.

Baiyuensheng: I take issue on this Al-Arqam matter. If they are banned, why is it there is no police action against them or the OWC (Obedient Wives Club) leader?

Changeagent: Spiritual sex with your four wives simultaneously, but nothing physical? Now, that is a concept that is way too spiritual for my secular mind to comprehend.

49boybum: During the formative years of Islam, there were wars that were fought which resulted in the loss of husbands, brothers and sons. This would have caused a major social disorder which resulted in the Holy Prophet to accept polygamous relationship.

This was to ensure protection to women, children and the weak. This was also done because in those days women were treated with the utmost respect and their dignity was not to be compromised come what may.

This noble intend now has been misconstrued as the bidding of the religion, which is totally contrary to its original intend.

Women now have the self-dignity and pride to be respected as equals or better, and not to be abused as an object of self-gratification. Women condoning this and justifying it are very un-Islamic.

BornInM'sia: Since the Sodomy I trials, all they talk about is sex, sex, sex and more sex.

MatrixLYN: I don't know whether to laugh or frown to this article. And what does sex have to do with the war against the Jews? Does it include instructions on how to last longer than the average Jew? This country is crazy!

Gordon Gecko: So now Hatijah Aam (author of the Islamic sex guide) is Malaysia's answer to the world famous sex therapist Dr Ruth Westheimer? By the way, Dr Ruth is of Jewish descent.

1M: Islamic sex or whatever, just leave the Jews alone; they have nothing to do with your husbands' sexual appetite.

'People expect more from civil servants today'

Keturunan Malaysia: With 1.3 million civil servants to a population of 26 million, Malaysia has one of the highest civil servants-to-population ratio in the world by OECD's (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development's) standards.

In 2009, Malaysia's civil servants-to-population ratio was the highest in Asia Pacific. The ratio was 4.68%, compared to Singapore's 1.5%, Indonesia's 1.79%, Korea's 1.85% and Thailand's 2.06% - all of which have less than half our ratio.

As much as three-quarters of the national budget is being spent on paying salaries and other benefits to the 1.3 million civil servants.

A post-2011 Budget dialogue session highlighted the massive amount (35% of the RM162.8 billion operating expenditure) were spent on emoluments, pensions and gratuities of civil servants.

ProtectMsia: Of course, we have every right to ask for more from our civil servants because we pay for their salaries through our taxes. The problem is they think the other way around - that the rakyat owe them.

Most of them come in at 8.30am (30 minutes late), then go for coffee for half an hour, then tea break at 10am for another 30 minutes, then lunch at 12pm for 90 minutes, then a 3pm tea break, and at 4pm or so, said goodbye.

So how much productivity and efficiency can they deliver to the taxpayers? I hope they will take DPM Muhyiddin Yassin's advice and have a paradigm shift.

Fillio: Civil servants need not work hard but just sit and count the days till the next payday and promotion.

They are drowned in their bloated numbers and work is delegated many levels from superiors to subordinates, and re-delegated from subordinates to other subordinates. The appraisal system is really about measuring how effective a subordinate wags his tail to his superior.

My government-linked company boss knows only how to sign, and he diligently signs all papers, even blank papers serving as separators. My board members diligently go to sleep when board papers are being deliberated but readily raise their hands when the need to concur with the chairman.

My spouse's big boss of a big government department went to sleep during a meeting, while his subordinates waited patiently till the boss finished his nap. Not to forget, a former prime minister who used to sleep when chairing meetings.

Onyourtoes: Muhyiddin, Malaysia is a market economy, not a communist-planned economy. That being the case, can you explain to me how and why 1Malaysia shops would be able to sell the same quality products at a lower price?

I saw the prime minister having good quality lunch at a shop at a low price the other day, but I think that the price and quality was only for that particular visit.

You want to wager with me? A lower price with better quality in the same market is not possible unless:

1) The government subsidise the 1Malaysia shops (this would be very unfair to other shops which receive no subsidies).

2) Those operating 1Malaysia shops are more benevolent and less profit orientated than others (which to me is not logical and unlikely to happen on a sustained basis).

3) The rental and other costs of doing business are lower in 1Malaysia shops (again you have to explain how this is possible).

The above is a selection of comments posted by Malaysiakini subscribers. Only paying subscribers can post comments. Over the past one year, Malaysiakinians have posted over 100,000 comments. Join the Malaysiakini community and help set the news agenda. Subscribe now .