Hantu Jembalang Lwn Iphone5

Ini adalah tulisan Tun Dr. Mahathir, bekas Perdana Menteri Malaysia, yang telah melalui banyak pengalaman dalam dalam mentadbir Negara. Saya petik tulisan ini, dan siarkan di blog ini kerana ada memang semakin jelas dalam masyarakat kita hal yang diberitahukan ini seolah kronik berlaku kepada masyarakat kita. Mungkin ada yang berbeza pendapat, dan yang jelas kita mempunyai matlamat hidup yang perlu dilaksanakan. Untuk membaca catatan asal sila ke http://chedet.cc/

1. Filem dan T.V. cerita yang paling popular di kalangan orang Melayu ialah berkenaan dengan hantu, pelesit, orang halus dan berbagai-bagai makhluk ghaib. Mereka bukan sahaja suka lihat dan dengar cerita-cerita berkenaan makhluk ghaib ini tetapi mereka amat mempercayai adanya makhluk ini dan kuasa luar biasa mereka ke atas manusia. Mereka diberi kuasa yang kadang-kadang menyamai Tuhan yang mereka sembah. Mereka mencari jalan supaya dilindungi dari makhluk ghaib. Dalam usaha ini mereka kerap mengguna doa dari agama Islam yang mereka anuti. Walaupun mereka percaya Allah S.W.T. boleh melindungi mereka tetapi kepercayaan bahawa makhluk ini juga memiliki kuasa ke atas mereka bertentangan dengan ajaran Islam yang menekankan bahawa hanya Allah S.W.T sahaja yang berkuasa ke atas segala-gala yang ada di dunia dan akhirat.

2. Kerana percaya akan kuasa makhluk ghaib ini mereka sering mengadakan acara yang dicampur aduk dengan agama yang kononnya boleh melindungi mereka daripada diserang oleh hantu jembalang dan orang halus.

3. Dalam Al-Quran tidak ada disebut berkenaan hantu dan orang halus. Yang disebut dalam al-Quran ialah shaitan, iblis dan jin yang suka memesongkan orang Islam daripada membuat suruhan Allah S.W.T. Iblis dan shaitan boleh disangkal dengan membaca ayat-ayat tertentu yang boleh mengukuhkan semula iman dan pegangan kepada ajaran Islam.

4. Di masa-masa yang lampau ini kita dapati ramai yang berusaha untuk melindungi pejabat dan hospital Kerajaan dari hantu dan orang halus. Acara ini termasuklah menanam telor, menyimbah air dan membaca doa-doa tertentu yang telah dikenalpasti oleh bomoh-bomoh. Ada juga yang menanam botol air di sudut-sudut tertentu bangunan berkenaan.

5. Yang anehnya Mat Saleh yang tidak percaya kepada hantu dan orang halus ini tidak dikacau oleh makhluk-makhluk ini. Mereka tidak perlu jampi dan simbah air di keliling bangunan-bangunan mereka.

6. Saya ingin tahu dari ulama-ulama akan kebenaran adanya hantu dan orang halus ini. Dari mana mereka datang. Apakah kedudukan mereka dalam agama Islam. Jika kita percaya mereka berkuasa dan kita perlu layan mereka jika ingin selamat, apakah tidak kita memperduakan Allah S.W.T. atau memberi kuasa kepada yang lain dari Allah yang kita sembah?

7. Saya percaya akan kejahatan manusia dan betapa ganasnya mereka. Tetapi saya tidak percaya dan tidak takut kepada orang halus atau lain-lain makhluk ghaib. Saya juga tidak percaya ada cara untuk jadi kebal dari tikaman dan peluru.

8. Dengan kenyataan ini akan adalah percubaan oleh orang tertentu dengan “ilmu ghaib” mereka untuk mengajar saya. Saya cuma akan menuntut pertolongan dari Allah S.W.T terhadap orang seperti ini.

Majlis Pertunangan Pipi 2013

Ketibaan rombongan meminang di pihak lelaki.

Rombongan meminang pihak lelaki.

Majlis risik dan perbincangan perminangan antara kedua belah pihak.

Pihak perempuan melihat hantaran perminangan yang diberikan.

Sebahagian daripada tetamu di sebelah perempuan.

Perbincangan peminangan dan nikah kawin juga diselitkan dengan gurau senda antara kedua belah pihak.

Cincin pertunangan disarungkan, tanda rasminya majlis pertunangan.

Pasangan yang bertunang.

Kedua ibu pasangan yang bertunang bersama-sama anak dan bakal menantu.

Rombongan lelaki bersama-sama pasangan yang bertunang.

Gadis yang bertunang bersama-sama ahli keluarganya.

Azam, bukan Fakhrul Azam...

Azam tahun 2014, Insya-Allah!

a. Kemas kini blog paling kurang seminggu sekali.
b. Kemas kini web gambar seminggu sekali.
c. Menulis isu semasa seminggu sekali.
d. Menulis isu politik seminggu sekali.
e. Menulis isu bahasa dan sastera seminggu sekali.
f. Memastikan kesemua yang di atas dipraktikkan :-)

MEMAHAMI HAK ASASI MANUSIA

Artikel 19 yang termuat dalam Pengisytiharan Hak Asasi Manusia Sejagat 1948 menyebut bahawa kebebasan bersuara atau ekspresi sangat penting kerana ia memperkasakan individu dan komuniti yang bebas dan demokratik. Malah kebebasan bersuara adalah asas untuk melindungi serta mempertahankan belahan atau aspek hak asasi manusia yang lain.

Oleh kerana kebebasan bersuara ini boleh dikekang, maka aspek-aspek hak asasi manusia yang lain seperti kebebasan beragama atau berkepercayaan juga tidak dapat dinyatakan dengan lancar. Ia juga dibimbangi membawa kepada cengkaman lebih keras dan permulaan kepada segala kuku besi.

Pada tahun 2012, Pertubuhan Bangsa-Bangsa Bersatu telah melancarkan UN Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity yang menekankan supaya negara dan masyarakat sivil bertindak melindungi jurnalis dari sebarang kekerasan termasuklah pembunuhan, penculikan dan gangguan suasana bekerja mereka.

Adalah penting untuk diingatkan bahawa Pertubuhan Bangsa-Bangsa Bersatu juga telah menerima pakai Deklarasi Windhoek 1991 dan dijadikan kempen utama oleh UNESCO selama dua puluh tahun kini. Deklarasi tersebut menekankan supaya kerajaan memberikan ruang penuh untuk kebebasan media, bahkan menyediakan persekitaran yang pluralistik untuk media.

Ini bermaksud Deklarasi tersebut menuntut supaya disediakan satu persekitaran media yang bebas dari cengkaman kerajaan, serta kawalan politik mahupun ekonomi. Lanskap pluralistik yang dimaksudkan dalam Deklarasi ini pula meminta kerajaan menyediakan platform seberapa banyak mungkin untuk komuniti media tanpa mengehad, atau menyekat mereka.

Deklarasi Windhoek tersebut hari ini turut merangkumi media cetak, penyiaran, bahkan media digital. Malahan ia turut melindungi kebebasan bersuara melalui telefon tangan, Internet, satelit atau dalam erti kata lain, apa sahaja jenis komunikasi.

Deklarasi ini sejajar dengan Pengisytiharan Hak Asasi Manusia Sejagat 1948; serta resolusi UN Commission on Human Rights 2005/81; dan resolusi Majlis Keselamatan 1738 pada tahun 2006.

Masyarakat yang sihat dan matang adalah masyarakat yang beroleh semua sumber maklumat. Deklarasi ini menunjukkan isu kebebasan media menjadi satu bahagian paling sensitif dan fundamental yang melibatkan badan-badan kerajaan, sektor swasta, masyarakat sivil, pengamal media dan setiap pengguna media.

Rencana asal Malayskini, oleh Dr. Mohd. Faizal Musa @ Faisal Tehrani

Masa untuk Kamera! Tahun 2014

Insan, Boleh Berubah...

"Apabila kita mencari sudut baik dalam jiwa manusia kita akan dapati di sana kebaikan yang banyak, yang barangkali mata tidak dapat melihatnya pada awal pandangan. Sesungguhnya kejahatan itu bukanlah sesuatu yang mendalam di jiwa insani sehingga ke peringkat yang kita bayangkan kadang-kala. Ia hanyalah kulit keras luaran yang manusia gunakannya untuk menghadapi kehidupan demi untuk bertahan. Apabila mereka beriman maka tersingkaplah kulit keras luaran itu, zahirlah buah manis yang menyelerakan. Buah manis ini hanya tersingkap kepada sesiapa yang mampu menjadikan manusia merasa aman di sisinya, dengan keyakinan terhadap kasihnya, dengan simpati yang hakiki atas masalah, kesakitan, kesilapan dan kebodohan mereka, dengan sedikit berlapang dada pada peringkat awal menjamin untuk merealisasikan itu semua. Ia lebih pantas dari sangkaan kebanyakan orang." 

Sayyid Qutb

Rolihlahla Mandela@Nelson Mandela

"I hate race discrimination most intensely and in all its manifestations. I have fought it all during my life; I fight it now, and will do so until the end of my days."

·         Yang amat menarik berkaitan hidup Mandela ialah, sifat pemaafnya sebaik dibebaskan dari penjara dan dilantik menjadi Prsiden Afrika Selatan. 

     NAME: Nelson Mandela

·         OCCUPATION: Civil Rights Activist, World Leader, Writer

·         BIRTH DATE: July 18, 1918

·         DEATH DATE: December 05, 2013

·         EDUCATION: Clarkebury Boarding Institute, Wesleyan College, University College of Fort Hare, University of London, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg

·         PLACE OF BIRTH: Mveso, Transkei, South Africa

·         PLACE OF DEATH: Johannesburg, South Africa

·         FULL NAME: Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela

·         AKA: Nelson Mandela

·         AKA: Rolihlahla

·         NICKNAME: Madiba

·         ORIGINALLY: Rolihlahla Mandela

·         NICKNAME: Black Pimpernel

Nelson Mandela was born on July 18, 1918, in Mveso, Transkei, South Africa. Becoming actively involved in the anti-apartheid movement in his 20s, Mandela joined the African National Congress in 1942. For 20 years, he directed a campaign of peaceful, nonviolent defiance against the South African government and its racist policies. In 1993,

Mandela and South African President F.W. de Klerk were jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for their efforts to dismantle the country's apartheid system. In 1994, Mandela was inaugurated as South Africa's first black president. In 2009, Mandela's birthday (July 18) was declared "Mandela Day" to promote global peace and celebrate the South African leader's legacy. Mandela died at his home in Johannesburg on December 5, 2013, at age 95.

Early Life

Nelson Mandela was born Rolihlahla Mandela on July 18, 1918, in the tiny village of Mvezo, on the banks of the Mbashe River in Transkei, South Africa. "Rolihlahla" in the Xhosa language literally means "pulling the branch of a tree," but more commonly translates as "troublemaker."

Nelson Mandela's father, who was destined to be a chief, served as a counselor to tribal chiefs for several years, but lost both his title and fortune over a dispute with the local colonial magistrate. Mandela was only an infant at the time, and his father's loss of status forced his mother to move the family to Qunu, an even smaller village north of Mvezo. The village was nestled in a narrow grassy valley; there were no roads, only foot paths that linked the pastures where livestock grazed. The family lived in huts and ate a local harvest of maize, sorghum, pumpkin and beans, which was all they could afford. Water came from springs and streams and cooking was done outdoors. Mandela played the games of young boys, acting out male rights-of-passage scenarios with toys he made from the natural materials available, including tree branches and clay.

At the suggestion of one of his father's friends, Mandela was baptized in the Methodist Church. He went on to become the first in his family to attend school. As was custom at the time, and probably due to the bias of the British educational system in South Africa, Mandela's teacher told him that his new first name would be Nelson.

When Mandela was 9 years old, his father died of lung disease, causing his life to change dramatically. He was adopted by Chief Jongintaba Dalindyebo, the acting regent of the Thembu people—a gesture done as a favor to Mandela's father, who, years earlier, had recommended Jongintaba be made chief. Mandela subsequently left the carefree life he knew in Qunu, fearing that he would never see his village again. He traveled by motorcar to Mqhekezweni, the provincial capital of Thembuland, to the chief's royal residence. Though he had not forgotten his beloved village of Qunu, he quickly adapted to the new, more sophisticated surroundings of Mqhekezweni.

Mandela was given the same status and responsibilities as the regent's two other children, his son and oldest child, Justice, and daughter Nomafu. Mandela took classes in a one-room school next to the palace, studying English, Xhosa, history and geography. It was during this period that Mandela developed an interest in African history,

from elder chiefs who came to the Great Palace on official business. He learned how the African people had lived in relative peace until the coming of the white people. According to the elders, the children of South Africa had previously lived as brothers, but white men had shattered this fellowship. While black men shared their land, air and water with whites, white men took all of these things for themselves.

When Mandela was 16, it was time for him to partake in the traditional African circumcision ritual to mark his entrance into manhood. The ceremony of circumcision was not just a surgical procedure, but an elaborate ritual in preparation for manhood. In African tradition, an uncircumcised man cannot inherit his father's wealth, marry or officiate at tribal rituals. Mandela participated in the ceremony with 25 other boys. He welcomed the opportunity to partake in his people's customs and felt ready to make the transition from boyhood to manhood. His mood shifted during the proceedings, however, when Chief Meligqili, the main speaker at the ceremony, spoke sadly of the young men, explaining that they were enslaved in their own country. Because their land was controlled by white men, they would never have the power to govern themselves, the chief said. He went on to lament that the promise of the young men would be squandered as they struggled to make a living and perform mindless chores for white men. Mandela would later say that while the chief's words didn't make total sense to him at the time, they would eventually formulate his resolve for an independent South Africa.

From the time Mandela came under the guardianship of Regent Jongintaba, he was groomed to assume high office, not as a chief, but a counselor to one. As Thembu royalty, Mandela attended a Wesleyan mission school, the Clarkebury Boarding Institute and Wesleyan College, where, he would later state, he achieved academic success through "plain hard work." He also excelled at track and boxing. Mandela was initially mocked as a "country boy" by his Wesleyan classmates, but eventually became friends with several students, including Mathona, his first female friend.

In 1939, Mandela enrolled at the University College of Fort Hare, the only residential center of higher learning for blacks in South Africa at the time. Fort Hare was considered Africa's equivalent of the University of Oxford or Harvard University, drawing scholars from all parts of sub-Sahara Africa. In his first year at the university, Mandela took the required courses, but focused on Roman Dutch law to prepare for a career in civil service as an interpreter or clerk—regarded as the best profession that a black man could obtain at the time.

In his second year at Fort Hare, Mandela was elected to the Student Representative Council. For some time, students had been dissatisfied with the food and lack of power held by the SRC. During this election, a majority of students voted to boycott unless their demands were met. Aligning with the student majority, Mandela resigned from his position. Seeing this as an act of insubordination,

the university's Dr. Kerr expelled Mandela for the rest of the year and gave him an ultimatum: He could return to the school if he agreed to serve on the SRC. When Mandela returned home, the regent was furious, telling him unequivocally that he would have to recant his decision and go back to school in the fall.

Mandela's Imprisonment

A few weeks after Mandela returned home, Regent Jongintaba announced that he had arranged a marriage for his adopted son. The regent wanted to make sure that Mandela's life was properly planned, and the arrangement was within his right, as tribal custom dictated. Shocked by the news, feeling trapped and believing that he had no other option than to follow this recent order, Mandela ran away from home. He settled in Johannesburg, where he worked a variety of jobs, including as a guard and a clerk, while completing his bachelor's degree via correspondence courses. He then enrolled at the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg to study law.

Mandela soon became actively involved in the anti-apartheid movement, joining the African National Congress in 1942. Within the ANC, a small group of young Africans banded together, calling themselves the African National Congress Youth League. Their goal was to transform the ANC into a mass grassroots movement, deriving strength from millions of rural peasants and working people who had no voice under the current regime. Specifically, the group believed that the ANC's old tactics of polite petitioning were ineffective. In 1949, the ANC officially adopted the Youth League's methods of boycott, strike, civil disobedience and non-cooperation, with policy goals of full citizenship, redistribution of land, trade union rights, and free and compulsory education for all children.

For 20 years, Mandela directed peaceful, nonviolent acts of defiance against the South African government and its racist policies, including the 1952 Defiance Campaign and the 1955 Congress of the People. He founded the law firm Mandela and Tambo, partnering with Oliver Tambo, a brilliant student he'd met while attending Fort Hare. The law firm provided free and low-cost legal counsel to unrepresented blacks.

In 1956, Mandela and 150 others were arrested and charged with treason for their political advocacy (they were eventually acquitted). Meanwhile, the ANC was being challenged by Africanists, a new breed of black activists who believed that the pacifist method of the ANC was ineffective. Africanists soon broke away to form the Pan-Africanist Congress, which negatively affected the ANC; by 1959, the movement had lost much of its militant support.

Prison Release and Presidency

Upon his release from prison, Nelson Mandela immediately urged foreign powers not to reduce their pressure on the South African government for constitutional reform. While he stated that he was committed to working toward peace, he declared that the ANC's armed struggle would continue until the black majority received the right to vote.

In 1991, Mandela was elected president of the African National Congress, with lifelong friend and colleague Oliver Tambo serving as national chairperson. Mandela continued to negotiate with President F.W. de Klerk toward the country's first multiracial elections. White South Africans were willing to share power, but many black South Africans wanted a complete transfer of power. The negotiations were often strained and news of violent eruptions, including the assassination of ANC leader Chris Hani, continued throughout the country.

Mandela had to keep a delicate balance of political pressure and intense negotiations amid the demonstrations and armed resistance.

In 1993, Mandela and President de Klerk were jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for their work toward dismantling apartheid. And due in no small part to their work, negotiations between black and white South Africans prevailed: On April 27, 1994,

South Africa held its first democratic elections. Nelson Mandela was inaugurated as the country's first black president on May 10, 1994, at the age of 77, with de Klerk as his first deputy.

Also in 1994, Mandela published an autobiography, Long Walk to Freedom, much of which he had secretly written while in prison. The following year, he was awarded the Order of Merit.

From 1994 until June 1999, Mandela worked to bring about the transition from minority rule and apartheid to black majority rule. He used the nation's enthusiasm for sports as a pivot point to promote reconciliation between whites and blacks, encouraging black South Africans to support the once-hated national rugby team. In 1995, South Africa came to the world stage by hosting the Rugby World Cup, which brought further recognition and prestige to the young republic.

Mandela also worked to protect South Africa's economy from collapse during his presidency. Through his Reconstruction and Development Plan, the South African government funded the creation of jobs, housing and basic health care. In 1996, Mandela signed into law a new constitution for the nation, establishing a strong central government based on majority rule, and guaranteeing both the rights of minorities and the freedom of expression.

Retirement and Later Career

By the 1999 general election, Nelson Mandela had retired from active politics. He continued to maintain a busy schedule, however, raising money to build schools and clinics in South Africa's rural heartland through his foundation, and serving as a mediator in Burundi's civil war. He also published a number of books on his life and struggles, among them No Easy Walk to Freedom; Nelson Mandela: The Struggle is my Life; and Nelson Mandela's Favorite African Folktales.

Mandela was diagnosed and treated for prostate cancer in 2001. In June 2004, at the age of 85, he announced his formal retirement from public life and returned to his native village of Qunu.

On July 18, 2007, Mandela convened a group of world leaders, including Graca Machel (whom Mandela would wed in 1998),Desmond Tutu, Kofi Annan, Ela Bhatt, Gro Harlem Brundtland,Jimmy Carter, Li Zhaoxing, Mary Robinson and Muhammad Yunus, to address some of the world's toughest issues. Aiming to work both publicly and privately to find solutions to problems around the globe, the group was aptly named "The Elders." The Elders' impact has spanned Asia, the Middle East and Africa, and their actions have included promoting peace and women's equality, demanding an end to atrocities, and supporting initiatives to address humanitarian crises and promote democracy.

In addition to advocating for peace and equality on both a national and global scale, in his later years, Mandela remained committed to the fight against AIDS—a disease that killed Mandela's son, Makgatho, in 2005.

In Recent Years

Nelson Mandela made his last public appearance at the final match of the World Cup in South Africa in 2010. He remained largely out of the spotlight in his later years, choosing to spend much of his time in his childhood community of Qunu, south of Johannesburg. He did, however, visit with U.S. first lady Michelle Obama, wife of President Barack Obama,during her trip to South Africa in 2011. 

After suffering a lung infection in January 2011, Mandela was briefly hospitalized in Johannesburg to undergo surgery for a stomach ailment in early 2012. He was released after a few days, later returning to Qunu. Mandela would be hospitalized many times over the next several years—in December 2012, March 2013 and June 2013—for further testing and medical treatment relating to his recurrent lung infection. Following his June 2013 hospital visit, Mandela's wife, Graca Machel, canceled a scheduled appearance in London to remain at her husband's his side, and his daughter, Zenani Dlamini, Argentina's South African ambassador, flew back to South Africa to be with her father. Jacob Zuma, South Africa's president, issued a statement in response to public concern over Mandela's March 2013 health scare, asking for support in the form of prayer: "We appeal to the people of South Africa and the world to pray for our beloved Madiba and his family and to keep them in their thoughts," Zuma said.

Death and Legacy

On December 5, 2013, at the age of 95, Nelson Mandela died at his home in Johannesburg, South Africa. Zuma released a statement later that day, in which he spoke to Mandela's legacy: "Wherever we are in the country, wherever we are in the world, let us reaffirm his vision of a society ... in which none is exploited, oppressed or dispossessed by another," he said. For decades to come, Nelson Mandela will continue to be a source of inspiration for civil rights activists worldwide.

In 2009, Mandela's birthday (July 18) was declared Mandela Day, an international day to promote global peace and celebrate the South African leader's legacy. According to the Nelson Mandela Centre of Memory, the annual event is meant to encourage citizens worldwide to give back the way that Mandela has throughout his lifetime. A statement on the Nelson Mandela Centre of Memory's website reads: "Mr. Mandela gave 67 years of his life fighting for the rights of humanity. All we are asking is that everyone gives 67 minutes of their time, whether it's supporting your chosen charity or serving your local community."

Personal Life

Mandela was married three times, beginning with Evelyn Ntoko Mase (m. 1944-1957). The couple had four children together: Madiba Thembekile, Makgatho (d. 2005), Makaziwe and Maki. Mandela wed Winnie Madikizela in 1958; the couple had two daughters together, Zenani and Zindziswa, before splitting in 1996. Two years later, Mandela married Graca Machel, with whom he remained until his death, 5 December in 2013.

Oh! Lahad Datu

Belum berkesempatan menulis panjang isu berkaitan Lahad Datu di ceroboh oleh tentera kesultan Sulu, kerana ada urusan lain yang lebih 'SEGERA', yang harus diutamakan. Rasa hiba bila diketahui saudara terdekat kami turut berada di Lahad Datu untuk menjaga keselamatan di sana. Insya-Allah, semuanya akan dipaparkan disini.

Belangsukawa Hugo Chavez 1954-2013

6 MAC ― Presiden Hugo Chavez, meninggal dunia awal pagi ini akibat daripada penyakit barah yang beliau deritai selama bertahun-tahun.Bekas pemimpin tentera itu mati pada usia 58 tahun.Tamatlah pemerintahan selama 14 tahun pemimpin sosialis itu terhadap negara Amerika Latin yang kaya dengan minyak itu.

Pembedahan terakhir Chavez adalah pada 11 Disember lalu dan beliau tidak kelihatan di pandangan umum semenjak itu. Chavez menang dalam pilihan raya presiden Oktober lalu yang memberikan mandat kepada beliau untuk memimpin negara minyak itu selama enam tahun lagi.

Akan tetapi ajal beliau tiba lebih awal hanya beberapa bulan selepas menang pilihan raya.Sudah pasti sebahagian besar rakyat Venezuala dan pengkagum-pengkagum Chavez di seluruh dunia akan berdukacita mendengar berita sedih ini.

Semasa hidup, Chavez adalah wira kepada masyarakat tertindas bukan sahaja di Venezuela, tetapi di seluruh dunia. Beliau memberikan inspirasi kepada anak-anak muda di seluruh pelusuk dunia untuk bangkit melawan penindasan.

Chavez dibenci oleh musuh-musuhnya kerana berpendirian menentang kekuasaan arus perdana dunia dan seringkali memihak kepada negara-negara tertindas. Penulis menghormati keperibadian Chavez yang tidak pernah mengalah dengan apa yang diperjuangkannya. Hanya kematian yang menghentikan beliau dari terus membela golongan tertindas.

Kematian Chavez menyebabkan pilihan raya presiden perlu diadakan semula dan sudah pasti ianya akan menjadi perhatian dunia yang mahu melihat apakah dasar sosialis tokoh tersebut mampu bertahan tanpa batang tubuh beliau yang berkarisma itu. Belasungkawa buat Hugo Chavez.

Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez has died aged 58, after 14 years in power.Mr Chavez had been seriously ill with cancer for more than a year, undergoing several operations in Cuba.Crowds of supporters gathered outside the Caracas hospital where he died, chanting "We are all Chavez!"

A self-proclaimed revolutionary, Hugo Chavez was a controversial figure in Venezuela and on the world stage. A staunch critic of the US, he inspired a left-wing revival across Latin America. Following his death, Vice-President Nicolas Maduro will assume the presidency until an election is held within 30 days, Foreign Minister Elias Jaua said.

"It is the mandate that Comandante President Hugo Chavez gave us," Mr Jaua told state television, adding that Mr Maduro would also be the candidate of the governing United Socialist Party (PSUV).It was not immediately clear when the election would take place.

Mr Chavez's illness prevented him from taking the oath of office after he was re-elected for a fourth term in October.The exact nature of his cancer was never officially disclosed, leading to continuing speculation about his health, and he had not been seen in public for several months.

Vice-president Nicolas Maduro was emotional as he announced Hugo Chavez's deathSeven days of national mourning have been declared and his body will lie in state until a funeral on Friday.Opposition leader Henrique Capriles, whom Mr Chavez defeated in October's election, called on the government to "act in strict accordance with its constitutional duties".

Mr Capriles offered his condolences to Mr Chavez's family, saying "we were adversaries, but never enemies". A former paratrooper, Hugo Chavez burst onto Venezuela's national stage in 1992 when he led a failed military coup. After two years in prison he returned to politics and was swept to power in a 1998 election.

A self-proclaimed socialist and revolutionary, he won enduring support among the poor and repeated election victories by using Venezuela's oil wealth to pursue socialist policies. But his opponents accused him of mishandling the economy and taking the country towards dictatorship.

Internationally, he was a staunch critic of US "imperialism" and accused Washington of backing a failed coup against him in 2002.In Tuesday's televised address, a tearful Mr Maduro said the president had passed away "after battling a tough illness for nearly two years".

The death of Hugo Chavez, the vanguard of what he called "21st Century Socialism", sends ripples not just through the Venezuelan people, but across Latin America and beyond. In particular, the impact of his loss will be felt most keenly in Cuba, Bolivia and Ecuador, his closest allies in the region. The updates on his health in recent days had seemingly been aimed at preparing the Venezuelan people for the worst, with each bulletin more serious than the last. Now Mr Chavez will take on iconic status as his revolution looks for a route forward without him, the man it was designed by and constructed around.

But his millions of followers in Venezuela will take some comfort from the fact that it wasn't the failed coup in 2002, nor the repeated efforts at the ballot box, but rather ill health - or for many of his devotees, the hand of God - that took Mr Chavez away from them. "We have received the toughest and tragic information that... Comandante President Hugo Chavez died today at 16:25 (20:55 GMT)," he added.

Mr Maduro called on the nation to close ranks after its leader's demise. "Let there be no weakness, no violence. Let there be no hate. In our hearts there should only be one sentiment: Love."He promised to maintain Mr Chavez's "revolutionary, anti-imperialist and socialist legacy".

Police and troops would be deployed nationwide "to guarantee the peace", he added.The vice-president also spoke of a plot against Venezuela, saying he had no doubt that Mr Chavez's cancer, first diagnosed in 2011, had been induced by foul play by Venezuela's enemies - the US promptly rejected the accusations as "absurd".

He said a scientific commission could one day investigate whether Mr Chavez's illness was brought about by what he called an enemy attack.Two US diplomats had been expelled from the country for spying on Venezuela's military, he added.

A statement by the military issued after Mr Chavez's death said it would protect the sovereignty, integrity and security of the country. It would remain loyal to the vice-president and to parliament, it added, urging people to remain calm.

Mr Jaua said a procession would carry Mr Chavez's body to the Military Academy in Caracas on Wednesday, where it will lie in state until Friday to allow his supporters to pay their respects.

He added that the official funeral attended by foreign heads of state would take place at 10:00 local time (14:30 GMT) on Friday, and called on Mr Chavez's supporters to wear clothes in the three colours of the Venezuelan flag in his honour.

Thousands of Chavez supporters took to the streets of Caracas, chanting: "We are all Chavez!" and "Chavez lives!"

One of them, Francis Izquierdo, told Agence France-Presse: "He was a man who taught us to love our fatherland. The comandante is physically gone but he remains in our hearts and we must continue building the fatherland."

Some opposition politicians had argued that the President of the National Assembly, Diosdado Cabello, should take over as interim president in the event of Mr Chavez's death. However, he was not among the political and military leaders who flanked the vice-president when he announced the news.

The opposition has yet to confirm who will be its official candidate for the presidential election, but Mr Capriles is widely expected to be chosen to stand against the vice-president.

The BBC's Irene Caselli, in Caracas, says Mr Maduro will probably win, but the question remains whether he will be able to lead Venezuela following the loss of its iconic president.

The US described the death as a "challenging time", reaffirming what it described as its support for the Venezuelan people and its interest in developing a constructive relationship with Caracas.

• 1954: Born 28 July in Sabaneta, Barinas state, the son of schoolteachers
• 1975: Graduated from Venezuelan Academy of Military Sciences
• 1977: Becomes involved in revolutionary movements within the armed forces
• 1981: Returns to the military academy as a teacher
• 1992: Leads doomed attempt to overthrow government of President Carlos Andres Perez, jailed for two years
• 1994: Relaunches his party as the Movement of the Fifth Republic
• 1999: Takes office after winning 1998 election
• 2002: Abortive coup. Returns to power after two days
• 2011: Reveals he is being treated for cancer
• 2012 (October): Re-elected for another six-year term
• 2012 (December): Has fourth cancer operation in Cuba
• 2013 (February): Returns to Venezuela to continue treatment
• 2013 (March): Death is announced by Venezuelan government

"As Venezuela begins a new chapter in its history, the United States remains committed to policies that promote democratic principles, the rule of law, and respect for human rights," said a statement from the White House.

Russia's permanent representative to the UN, Vitaly Churkin, said Mr Chavez had been a great politician, for his country, for Latin America and the world.

The government of Cuba declared three days of national mourning. In a statement read out on state television, it said Mr Chavez had "stood by Fidel [Castro] like a true son", referring to Cuba's former president, who stepped down in 2006 due to ill-health.

In Argentina, President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, a close friend, suspended all activities after the death was announced. Peru's Congress held a minute of silence in his honour while Bolivia's President Evo Morales said he was leaving immediately for Caracas.

The Ecuadorian government said it felt the loss as its own, and hoped its neighbours could carry on Mr Chavez's revolution.Analysts say Mr Chavez's death could alter the political balance in Latin America - dealing a blow to leftist states while favouring more centrist countries.

There could also be an economic impact given that Venezuela sells oil at below market prices to some neighbouring countries, especially in the Caribbean. UK Foreign Minister William Hague said he was "saddened" to learn of the death, saying Mr Chavez had left a "lasting impression" on Venezuela.

One of the most visible, vocal and controversial leaders in Latin America, Hugo Chavez won the presidency in 1998 and had most recently won another six-year presidential term in October 2012.

His government has implemented a number of "missions" or social programmes, including education and health services for all. But poverty and unemployment are still widespread, despite the country's oil wealth.

Last May, the former army paratrooper said he had recovered from an unspecified cancer, after undergoing surgery and chemotherapy in 2011 and a further operation in February 2012.

However, in December, he announced he needed further cancer surgery in Cuba, and named Mr Maduro as his preferred successor. Mr Chavez returned to Venezuela in February, but was confined to hospital