Behind the ups and downs of fuel prices

Between April and May 2020, fuel prices in Malaysia hit their lowest in many years with the widely used RON95 fuel at RM1.25 per litre, the premium RON97 at RM1.55 and diesel at RM1.40.Fast forward to today, the retail prices of petroleum products have risen drastically and not commensurate with wages or inflation.As of last Friday, RON95 was priced at RM1.89, RON97 at RM2.19 and diesel at RM2.05.Malaysia, the second largest oil producer in Southeast Asia, is home to approximately 400 oil and gas fields. It also holds the fourth largest oil reserves in Asia, with oil and gas accounting for some 20% of its gross domestic product.There are four key authorities responsible for regulating the oil and gas sector: Petronas, the international trade and industry ministry, the domestic trade and consumer affairs ministry, and the Malaysia Petroleum Resources Corporation (MPRC).National oil firm Petronas regulates all upstream activities while the two ministries regulate mid-stream and downstream activities.Malaysia, the second largest oil producer in Southeast Asia, is home to approximately 400 oil and gas fields and holds the fourth largest oil reserves in Asia.Since 2011, MPRC, operating under the Prime Minister’s Department, has been tasked with recommending policies and reviewing existing business regulations and tax incentives.So why do petrol prices rise and fall?In the long term, the single greatest factor influencing petroleum prices is the cost of crude oil as this contributes to almost 50% of the retail price of fuel. However, the market forces of supply, demand and competition have a significant effect on the price of petroleum in the short term.But here’s the concern: most of the world’s oil is located in some of the most politically unstable parts of the world. Supply disruptions, real or perceived, have dramatic effects on the price of crude oil.When the price of crude goes up, average petroleum prices rise significantly as well.In its efforts to keep prices relatively low, Putrajaya monitors the changes in world crude oil prices.The retail price of petroleum is not directly related to crude oil prices. Retail prices follow the price of the various refined products.One price base used by countries in Southeast Asia is Means of Platt Singapore, an index of average prices published McGraw-Hill’s price assessment agency Platts in Singapore.It is based on the daily average of all trading transactions between buyers and sellers of petroleum-based products.In Malaysia, the retail prices of petrol, diesel, and LPG or liquefied petroleum gas are set through the automatic pricing mechanism (APM) implemented in 1983. The change in prices at the retail level through the APM mechanism, made weekly at the discretion of the government, is intended to stabilise the prices of petroleum products.So why do our fuel prices keep going up?Despite a sharp decline in crude oil price over the last 12 months, it was not in terms of refined products. The cost used in the calculation of retail price based on APM is the cost of refined oil products, not the price of crude oil.The slower pace of reduction in retail price is compounded by the fluctuation of the ringgit against the US dollar.As Malaysian crude is of higher quality and largely exported, oil companies in Malaysia partly import crude oil for their refineries, and companies without refineries mainly import their refined products.Thus, the exchange rate factor plays an important role in determining the final retail price of petroleum products.Malaysian oil revenue has been on the decline since 2014. Changes to the retail price of fuel also depend on subsidies from the government.With oil prices low, government revenue drops and it compensates by reducing or removing oil subsidies.Optimism about short-term oil prices is subdued as demand for fuels takes a hit amid continuing lockdowns.The global oil market is in flux all over again. Oil prices hit 10-month highs on the back of extended production cuts from Opec+, but dark clouds have re-emerged on the horizon as the majority of OECD markets appear to be struggling with a new strain of Covid-19 as well as the lockdowns implemented around the worldThe new strain, first identified in the UK, has now been reported in China, Japan and other major Asian markets.Optimism about short-term oil prices is subdued as demand for fuels takes a hit amid continuing lockdowns. A potential new oil glut could be in the making for 2021.Anyone keeping tabs on the pulse of the oil market knows that current prices are driven by expectations and not by immediate realities. Major forecasters, including the International Energy Agency and the US Energy Information Administration, downgraded their oil demand growth estimates for 2021 in recent weeks.On April 20 last year, oil price made history when the US benchmark oil contract – known as West Texas Intermediate – ended the day at -US$37/barrel, entering negative territory for the first time. So much oil was available, with so little demand for it and barely any space left to store it, that producers had to pay buyers to take it off their hands.The crash in oil price is due to its inelastic demand. In simple terms, people buy oil no matter what its price. With people remaining indoors, no matter how cheap fuel is, they are unlikely to travel much.This year, there was good news for the oil market when Saudi Arabia said it was cutting output by about one million barrels a day, roughly 1% of global demand.The Saudis’ announcement helped propel Brent crude prices by 7% in two weeks to above US$55 a barrel.But developments in the world’s two largest economies, China and the US, could cut that joy short.It is uncertain that demand for oil will pick up any time soon, with Covid-19 likely to stay longer than expected and lockdowns reinstated worldwide.As volatility continues on the back of one of the largest price shocks in modern times, humbling the industry into accepting “lower for longer” prices, Malaysians best brace for further increases in fuel prices.Meanwhile, electric vehicle and battery technology development have global carmakers pledging to invest more than US$300 billion. It is worth keeping an eye on.


Now, Najib’s 1MDB trial postponed over MySejahtera status

Najib Razak’s 1MDB trial at the Kuala Lumpur High Court was postponed to tomorrow as his MySejahtera status is currently yellow, classifying him as a person under surveillance (PUS).Justice Collin Lawrence Sequerah vacated today’s hearing after Najib’s counsel Hariharan Tara Singh informed the court that the MySejahtera status of both Najib and his lead counsel Muhammad Shafee Abdullah remained as “PUS” and “casual contact” respectively, even after having informed the health ministry of their Covid-19 test results.Hariharan said upon their arrival at court earlier, Najib’s MySejahtera status was stated as a PUS, while Shafee’s status was “casual contact”.He said both turned to the blue, low-risk status after the court security instructed them to refresh their MySejahtera profiles.“However, they were asked to refresh their MySejahtera profiles again after entering the courtroom and their status reverted back to ‘casual contact’ and ‘PUS’,” said Hariharan.Sequerah then instructed Najib and Shafee to take a RTK Antigen test and to inform the health ministry of the results so that their status could be reassessed.He also ordered for the proceeding to resume tomorrow, for the defence to provide updates on their MySejahtera status.Meanwhile, deputy public prosecutor Ahmad Akram Gharib said the two witnesses who were supposed to testify this week, former 1MDB chairman Mohd Bakke Salleh and Najib’s special officer Wan Ahmad Shihab Wan Ismail, could not make it to court.“We have received an instruction from senior deputy public prosecutor Gopal Sri Ram to apply for the trial to be conducted in a hybrid manner,” said Akram.Hariharan however objected to the proposal for an online hearing, saying the prosecution had almost one month to prepare for the new witnesses to appear in court.Sequerah said he would decide on the hybrid trial application tomorrow.Najib, 68, is facing four charges of using his position to obtain bribes totalling RM2.3 billion from 1MDB funds and 21 charges of money laundering involving the same amount.


Biden fractures foot while playing with dog

President-elect Joe Biden has hairline fractures in his foot and will “likely require a walking boot for several weeks”, his doctor said in a statement on Sunday, after Biden slipped while playing with his dog, Major, on Saturday.“Initial x-rays did not show any obvious fracture, but his clinical exam warranted more detailed imaging,” Dr Kevin O’Connor said on Sunday. “Follow-up CT scan confirmed hairline fractures in the mid-foot.”On Sunday evening, President Donald Trump tweeted, “Get well soon!”Biden, who celebrated his 78th birthday on Nov 20, is set to be the oldest president in US history.During the campaign, Biden’s team released a summary of his medical history, which showed the former vice-president was healthy and fit for the presidency.The release included the results of a physical exam by O’Connor, Biden’s primary care doctor since 2009. O’Connor wrote that Biden is “a healthy, vigorous, 77-year-old male, who is fit to successfully execute the duties of the presidency”.The Biden family has two dogs, Major and Champ, both German Shepherds.


Health minister warns of 15% spike in late-stage Covid cases

The number of Covid-19 cases in categories four and five has increased to 15% during the third wave compared to just 5% previously, says Health Minister Dr Adham Baba.He said Covid-19 cases during the third wave have mostly involved those aged 20 to 40, in sporadic cases not linked to any clusters.“The number of people seeking (treatment) at stages four and five has increased of late. So I suggest that the public be more cautious because some asymptomatic cases have been detected in these categories.“Those in categories four and five require oxygen assistance and some need to be ventilated,” he said at a virtual press conference today.He added that 870 healthcare personnel who had been vaccinated under the first phase of the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme (PICK) had been infected with the virus.He said 219 of them were infected after receiving the first dose of the vaccine jab while 651 others were infected after getting the second dose.“Most of them did not experience severe symptoms because they had been vaccinated either with the first or second dose,” he said, adding that 449 healthcare personnel who have yet to be vaccinated had been infected with Covid-19.Adham also thanked private hospitals which had increased the number of beds in their Covid-19 ICUs to assist the health ministry in tackling the pandemic.He said the ministry welcomed the step taken by IHH Healthcare Malaysia, which had increased the number of beds set aside for Covid-19 patients in 16 hospitals under the company’s network nationwide.“So far, there are 110 private hospitals which have agreed to provide 1,173 beds in normal wards and 119 in the ICU, specifically for the treatment of Covid-19 patients from categories one to five,” he said.Meanwhile, Adham said the Covid-19 Vaccine Supply Access Guarantee Special Committee and Covid-19 Immunisation Task Force would meet to discuss the proposal to impose compounds and penalties against individuals who do not turn up at vaccination centres on the day of their appointments.


Second victory for PN after bloc vote on finance ministry budget

The budget for the finance ministry has been approved in the second bloc vote to be held following a committee-stage debate in the Dewan Rakyat today.105 MPs voted in favour of the budget with 95 against and 18 absent.This follows the government’s victory on the budget for the Prime Minister’s Office, which was passed by 105 against 95 with 20 absent.


4 MPs join Pakatan Harapan in calling for PM’s resignation

Four MPs have joined the Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition in calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin and his Cabinet in the Perikatan Nasional government.The MPs in question are Tuaran MP Wilfred Madius Tangau (Upko), Selangau MP Baru Bian (independent), Sri Aman MP Masir Kujat (Sri Aman) and Simpang Renggam MP Maszlee Malik (independent).“It is impossible that Muhyiddin still has the support of the majority of Dewan Rakyat members after the announcement yesterday regarding the withdrawal of support by a number of MPs,” they said in a joint statement issued with PKR chief Anwar Ibrahim, Amanah president Mohamad Sabu and DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng.Opposition parties have been stepping up their pressure on Muhyiddin to resign following a rebuke by the palace over the government’s move to revoke the emergency ordinances without royal consent.Anwar and Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi both said in recent days that Muhyiddin had lost the confidence of the majority.Just yesterday, Zahid announced that a number of MPs had withdrawn their support for Muhyiddin, adding that statutory declarations to this effect would be submitted to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.However Muhyiddin said today that he still commands the support of the majority, and that his position as prime minister would be determined through a vote of confidence at the Dewan Rakyat sitting in September.He also suggested that the opposition to him by some Umno MPs was due to his refusal to interfere in their ongoing corruption cases.Muhyiddin was appointed as prime minister following the collapse of the Pakatan Harapan government in February last year, after a series of audiences by MPs with the Agong to determine who had the majority support to form the government.


Nato chief to visit Ankara in 'near future' to push Sweden membership

Nato chief Jens Stoltenberg on Thursday said he would visit Ankara "in the near future" to push the ratification of Sweden's membership, after the re-election of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
"I'm confident of course that Sweden will be a member, and then we're working for that to happen as early as possible," Stoltenberg said at a meeting of Nato foreign ministers in Oslo.
Stoltenberg said he had already spoken to Erdogan by phone earlier this week to "highlight the importance of making progress" on Sweden's membership.
Turkey and Hungary are the only Nato countries that have yet to ratify Sweden's membership bid.
Finland formally joined the alliance in April.
Erdogan, who was re-elected Sunday for another five-year term as Turkey's president, has accused Sweden of being a haven for "terrorists", especially members of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).
Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom said Stockholm had fulfilled "all the commitments" to join Nato and urged Turkey and Hungary to allow his country into the alliance.
"It is time for Turkey and Hungary to start the ratification of the Swedish membership to Nato," he said.
"This was never a sprint, it's a marathon, and we now see the end of it."
Billstrom pointed to the entry into force on Thursday of new terror legislation in Sweden as the last step under an accord signed with Turkey last year.
Billstrom said he hoped to see a big step made towards membership at a meeting with representatives of Turkey in the coming weeks.
"Following that meeting, the ratification will happen," Billstrom insisted.


US flies to rescue of Americans trying to escape Kabul

The US military in Afghanistan sent helicopters to rescue over 150 Americans unable to reach the Kabul airport gates, an official said Friday, in the first evidence that US forces were willing and able to go beyond the US-secured compound to help people seeking evacuation.The news came as American officials confirmed evacuation operations from Afghanistan stalled for about seven hours Friday, because the receiving base in Qatar was overflowing and could not take in evacuees.That left thousands more Afghans already cleared to leave their country for the US waiting at the Kabul airport.“It was early this morning, and it lasted about six to seven hours,” Major General Hank Taylor told reporters, adding the backlog was subsequently cleared.The US State Department has been criticised for being overly bureaucratic and not having enough staff to process thousands of Afghans seeking to come to the US.Evacuee accounts from Qatar describe sleeping on the floor in sweltering heat in a US aircraft hanger for three days or more, with limited facilities.Taylor said US aircraft flew some 6,000 people, including a couple of hundred US citizens, out of Kabul in the 24 hours to early Friday, until the bottleneck halted flights.Close to the perimeterFlights from Kabul resumed late Friday after US operations in Qatar arranged for trips for many evacuees onward to the US military base in Ramstein, Germany.US citizens and Afghans who worked for the US forces in Afghanistan continued to attempt to get to the airport in Kabul to leave the country.There were numerous accounts of some struggling to reach and enter the airport, some impeded by Taliban fighters who now control Kabul.President Joe Biden said Friday that US troops had to go beyond the perimeter of the airport to retrieve 169 Americans, potentially risking a conflict with the Taliban.Pentagon spokesman John Kirby downplayed the incident.“They were very close to the perimeter of the airport. Very close,” he said, adding later that they had been airlifted from the Baron hotel, near the airport, by three US Chinook helicopters.The helicopters had been deployed due to concerns for the Americans’ safety in traversing a huge crowd that had gathered outside the airport’s Abbey entry gate.“There was a large crowd established outside the Abbey Gate, a crowd that not everybody had confidence in, in terms of their ability to walk through it, and so local commanders on the scene took the initiative and flew these helicopters out there to pick them up,” Kirby said.Taylor said the Taliban have mostly been cooperating with US officials to allow those with US passports or visas to get to the airport and that there was “constant communication” between the US commander on the ground and the Taliban.“We’re seeing that things that we are asking for,” such as passage to the airport, “is happening and getting better,” he said.


Apple sues Israeli spyware maker for targeting its users

Apple sued spyware maker NSO on Tuesday for targeting the users of its devices, saying the Israeli firm at the center of the Pegasus surveillance scandal needs to be held to account.The suit from the Silicon Valley giant adds new trouble for NSO, which was engulfed in controversy over reports that tens of thousands of activists, journalists and politicians were listed as potential targets of its Pegasus spyware.US authorities just weeks ago restricted relations between NSO and American groups over allegations the Israel firm “enabled foreign governments to conduct transnational repression.”“To prevent further abuse and harm to its users, Apple is also seeking a permanent injunction to ban NSO Group from using any Apple software, services, or devices,” Apple said in a statement announcing the lawsuit.“NSO Group creates sophisticated, state-sponsored surveillance technology that allows its highly targeted spyware to surveil its victims,” it added.Following the initial concern over Pegasus, a subsequent wave of worries emerged when iPhone maker Apple released a fix in September for a weakness that can allow the spyware to infect devices without users even clicking on a malicious message or link.The so-called “zero-click” is able to silently corrupt the targeted device, and was identified by researchers at Citizen Lab, a cybersecurity watchdog organisation in Canada.


Daily cases creep past 4,000 again

Another 4,097 Covid-19 cases were recorded today, taking total confirmed infections in the country to 2,699,240.Another 4,301 patients recovered, bringing total recoveries to 2,610,610.Meanwhile 382 are in the ICU, including 330 confirmed Covid-19 patients.A total of 201 are in need of respiratory assistance including 144 confirmed Covid-19 cases.Of the 4,097 cases reported today, 86 (2.1%) are in Category Three and above. The remaining 4,011 (97.9%) are in Category One and Two.


2 years into the job, Sanusi's popularity with Kedahans set to return him as MB

Outside a shopping centre in Alor Setar town, a group of young food delivery riders lounge about chatting as they wait for orders.
Laughter fills the air as they debate a question of particular interest.
"Is it fun, having a menteri besar who's famous on social media for fooling around and making jokes?"
The person they refer to is Muhamad Sanusi Md Nor, who was appointed as Kedah's 14th menteri besar to replace Mukhriz Mahathir after he lost the majority support of his state assemblymen two years ago, in May 2020.
Since then, Sanusi has spent a considerable amount of time in the public eye, especially on social media where users often criticise him for making immature statements.
For the young delivery riders outside the mall, though, Sanusi appears to be a man of great modesty.
They say his relaxed approach makes it easy for even villagers to stand shoulder to shoulder with their representatives and express their feelings.
"He's cool," they say. "He's the most good-natured menteri besar we have ever had."
As for his reputation for "trolling" others online, they chalk this down to others "teasing" him first – an apparent reference to the back and forth over football between Sanusi and Johor crown prince and Johor Darul Takzim owner Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim.
Sanusi had, in a series of Facebook posts, uploaded several pictures of himself playing football in a comment on Tunku Ismail's statement on outstanding salary payments for Kedah team players.
"I started playing football before you did," he said. "I'm still playing. Diet, what diet?"
Sanusi was also strongly criticised for a so-called joke on the freezer containers used to hold the bodies of Covid-19 victims in August last year.
These, and other comments by the outspoken politician have often raised questions about the effect of his character on his political career.
Analyst Mazlan Ali is inclined to agree with public sentiment, at least on the surface, questioning Sanusi's suitability for the role of menteri besar.
"But then I realised that his character is similar to that of former Kedah menteri besar Azizan Abdul Razak," he said.
"He has the same kind of style. When people want to put him down, he will get them back."
Mazlan, of Universiti Teknologi Mara, said it was possible that Sanusi's character emerged naturally from the people in the state.
"Actually, the people like leaders like this," he added, citing Sanusi's lack of protocol and readiness to chat with the man on the street.
This, he said, might be enough for the people of Kedah to excuse Sanusi's "strange" comments, passing it off as another of his jokes.
On how voters might view Sanusi, Mazlan said it would depend on which category they are from.
Those from parties other than Sanusi's PAS, he said, would almost certainly consider him a "stupid" menteri besar who does not know how to do a good job.
Urban voters are also likely to reject Sanusi as a candidate.
"But Kedah is a small state, and the urban voters are not many in number," he said.
"PAS is good at making inroads in the rural areas because there are many in Kedah who consider religion an important part of their lives."
But in urban centres, Mazlan added, PAS itself knew that it had no chance of winning.
He said a similar situation exists in Kelantan, which is also under PAS rule.
"So if you ask if a menteri besar like Sanusi can survive or not, going by current political assessments, he does have a chance in Kedah," he said.
Back in Alor Setar, an e-hailing driver who called himself Afiq said Sanusi was known even among visitors who come from other states.
He said the passengers whom he picks up from the airport or hotels often ask him about the Jeneri assemblyman.
"Is that the behaviour and attitude of most people from Kedah?" they ask. "Always fooling around and acting like a kid?"
In previous general elections, Afiq said, he had been disappointed by the gap between leaders and the ordinary people which made approaching the menteri besar impossible.
"But Sanusi, he goes to the villages and he sits there and has a drink. No one puts up tents for him. He's a menteri besar who doesn't play golf," he said.
"He plays football and rugby, sports that ordinary children play. So when people ask me questions like that, I always tell them: Sanusi is the best."


Now, Anwar tests positive for Covid too

PKR chief Anwar Ibrahim today became the latest in a string of political leaders to test positive for Covid-19.His aide Shukri Saad said Anwar tested positive for the virus in a PCR test at Parliament.“He will self-quarantine for seven days in line with the health protocol laid out by the health ministry,” he said in a statement.Earlier today, DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang also tested positive for Covid-19 with his political secretary saying the Iskandar Puteri MP was experiencing only mild symptoms.Yesterday meanwhile PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang began home quarantine as well after a positive diagnosis of Covid-19.


Govt to review allowing refugees, asylum seekers to work in plantation sector

The government, under the National Security Council (MKN), is studying the possibility of allowing refugees and asylum seekers in Malaysia to work temporarily in the plantation sector as a way to overcome the shortage in workforce, the Dewan Negara was told today.
Deputy Prime Minister Fadillah Yusof, who is also plantation and commodities minister, said the government, under MKN, currently bans refugees and asylum seekers from working in any sector, including the plantation sector.
"There was a pioneer project previously implemented by the government that allowed these groups to work, but the project failed and the matter is under review by the MKN," he said during the winding-up session of the Supply Bill 2023.
The matter was brought up by Dominic Lau Hoe Chai.
Fadillah also said the government was committed to spurring the agri-commodity sector through various efforts to ensure that agri-commodity products are competitive and focused on the development and commercialisation of technology. "My ministry is always committed to implementing methods to modernise equipment and methods of planting in the oil palm sector, including intensifying the promotion of mechanisation and automation through the Mechanisation and Automation Research Consortium of Oil Palm (Marcop)," Fadillah said.
His ministry and industry players also funded Marcop through matching grants of RM60 million in 2021, with 23 applications received so far, he added.
"Also, RM50 million in funds has been prepared this year through matching grants as announced in Budget 2023, to encourage automation and plantation through the use of robotics and artificial intelligence," he said.
On upgrading the biodiesel programme from B10 to B30 as set out in the 12th Malaysia Plan, Fadillah said this was subject to the availability of infrastructure at the depots involved and would take at least three to four years.
"There is a need to review the target. Currently, the B10 programme in the transport sector is mandatory in Malaysia and the B20 programme has been implemented in Langkawi, Labuan, Sarawak except for Bintulu," he added.


Nearly 300 rescued in Indonesia ferry accident

Search teams are looking for one missing person after rescuing all other passengers from a large ferry that caught fire in Indonesia, an official said Sunday.The KM Karya Indah was heading to Sanana, a remote port in the northeast of the Indonesian archipelago when it was engulfed in flames.Shortly after departing, the ferry caught fire, forcing passengers and crew to jump into the sea to save themselves. There are no reported casualties.“There were 275 people on board, 274 had been evacuated safely,” Muhammad Arafah, the head of the local search and rescue team told Kompas TV Sunday. “One person, a 43-year-old man, is still being searched for.” He added that at least 35 passengers were children.Dozens of rescuers are still scouring the area for the missing person.Images shared by the search and rescue agency showed the large ferryboat enveloped in thick, dark smoke while passengers in life jackets were rescued by rafts.More than a dozen crew members have been detained and questioned by the local police to determine the cause of the fire.Maritime accidents are common in Indonesia due to poor safety standards. But passenger ferries are widely used for transport in the archipelago of some 17,000 islands.In 2019, 21 people died when an overloaded ferry sank in rough seas off Java’s north coast.In 2018, around 160 people drowned when an Indonesian ferry sank into the depths of one of the world’s deepest lakes on Sumatra island. And more than 300 people are estimated to have drowned in 2009 when a ferry sank between Sulawesi and Borneo.


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Authorities studying data of Israeli plane’s flight over Malaysian airspace

The aviation authority in Malaysia is investigating reports that an Israeli aircraft said to be equipped with intelligence gathering technology had flown over Malaysian airspace before being tracked to neighbouring Singapore where it landed at a military airbase in the city-state.This comes after an earlier report by MalaysiaNow which quoted a defence journal as well as a flight tracking site as showing that the Boeing 737-400 aircraft owned by Israel Aerospace Industries-Elta (IAI-Elta), a defence contractor for Tel Aviv, had hovered over Singapore airspace for about four hours on May 24 before landing at the Paya Lebar airport, a former US army base.“CAAM is in discussion with the transport ministry and is reviewing all technical data on this matter,” CAAM’s CEO Chester Voo Chee Soon told MalaysiaNow.A check on air traffic website Flightradar24 showed that the aircraft with the registration number 4X-AOO was still in Israeli airspace on May 18.A day later, the plane flew over much of the Klang Valley at an altitude of about 29,000 feet, way above the 15,000-foot control of airspace by Malaysian authorities.Defence news journal Defence Security Asia had speculated that the plane could be carrying sensitive radar and reconnaissance equipment and testing a “new system”.The report of the plane’s presence in the region had created anxiety in Malaysia, where anti-Israeli sentiments have been running high in the wake of renewed violence in the occupied territories.Malaysia is a strong advocate of the Palestinian cause, and unlike its tiny neighbour Singapore, has no diplomatic relations with the Jewish state.Earlier this month Putrajaya said it was on the alert for any possible attacks launched by Israeli agents targeting officials of the Palestinian resistance group Hamas residing in the country, following reports quoting warnings from Israeli spy agencies.Meanwhile, an aviation security source who declined to be named told MalaysiaNow that any breach of Malaysian airspace could fall under the purview of the National Security Council, which should refer the matter to the Air Traffic Control (ATC).“It all depends on whether the flight plan was a civilian airliner or a state aircraft. If indeed it was a state aircraft, the ATC was to divert the plane’s route,” it said.But the source said there are also complex jurisdictional issues involving airspace in Malaysia and Singapore, adding that Malaysia does not control airspace above 15,000 feet.“Most importantly, the question to be asked is whether there is coordination between relevant intelligence and enforcement agencies in Malaysia, as well as whether there are overlapping authorities between government agencies and the ministries,” the source added.


Christmas wishes allowed but not for display on halal-certified premises, products, says Jakim

The Department of Islamic Development, or Jakim, has clarified that it has not set any rule prohibiting the use of greetings such as “Merry Christmas” on products it certifies as halal.Jakim said the use of such greetings is allowed but should not be displayed at halal-certified outlets or on products bearing the “halal” logo.This was after an officer from the department’s communications unit confirmed to MalaysiaNow the prohibition by referring to a manual on halal certification.But Jakim in a statement said the report was inaccurate.“Festive greetings on products are permitted if they are not to be displayed on premises which have halal certification or on products bearing the halal logo.“There is no prohibition on non-Islamic celebrations in the Manual on Procedures For Halal Malaysia Certification (Domestic),” the department said in a statement, responding to a report by MalaysiaNow.‘Merry Christmas’ can invalidate halal certificate, says JakimHalal poser over ‘Merry Christmas’ greeting on cakeThe document was cited by a spokesman in Jakim, who told MalaysiaNow to attribute his comments to its communications unit.Jakim later said the document cited was for the purpose of applicants and holders of the Halal Malaysia certificate.MalaysiaNow earlier reported about a bakery which could not fulfil a customer’s request for “Merry Christmas” to be written on a cake he had ordered for delivery to a friend.Instead, the cake was delivered with the words “Happy Holidays”.The bakery owner said it was because he had to abide by the rules set by Jakim as part of the application process for getting halal certification.“The bakery was not wrong as it is part of the regulations,” an officer from Jakim’s communications unit told MalaysiaNow earlier.He cited a labelling rule stated in Jakim’s manual on the procedures leading towards halal certification.“Labelling and advertising of products and services should not involve the use of any religious or spiritual passage, symbol or noun such as the names of Allah, sunnah, idols and the like,” according to the document sighted by MalaysiaNow.The “Merry Christmas” greeting has been a subject of debate in Malaysia, with some Muslim preachers claiming Muslims are prohibited from using the expression as it is a veneration of Christ.Jakim is legally empowered as the sole authority to issue halal certification for food and goods as well as eateries nationwide.In the past, critics had questioned several conditions imposed by the department on food manufacturers and franchises seeking halal certification, including prohibiting certain names from being used on the product.Popular pretzel chain Auntie Anne’s and fast food franchise A&W were forced to rename their popular products due to a requirement by Jakim that words such as “dog” and “beer” are not used on their menu.Auntie Anne’s renamed its “pretzel dog” as “pretzel sausage”, while A&W was forced to change the names of two popular dishes for which it is known worldwide: Coney Dog and Root Beer, which were renamed as Chicken (or Beef) Coney and RB.


Jho Low among 10,000 names in RM8 trillion dirty money expose

Major banks including Citibank, HSBC and Standard Chartered have been named as parties which allowed criminals to move dirty money worth US$2 trillion over the years, leaked documents on suspicious activity reports, or SARs filed to the US Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), reveal.The documents provide details linked to more than 10,000 people and organisations in over 170 countries.Investigations by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) and BuzzFeed News showed that at least 25 people named in the files appeared on Forbes’ list of billionaires in 2018, 2019 and 2020.Spanning some 22,000 pages, the FinCEN files also named Malaysian financier Low Taek Jho, or Jho Low, a key player in the 1MDB scandal, confirming earlier claims of US bank JP Morgan’s involvement in the scandal.The leaked records show that Jho Low moved over US$1.2 billion (RM4.1 billion) through JPMorgan from 2013 to 2016.Low has been accused by authorities in several countries of laundering money through Goldman Sachs and other banks to acquire artwork, expensive real estate and a luxury yacht.According to the FinCEN files, banks in the US have reported 103 suspicious money transfers totalling US$2.53 billion involving companies linked to Jho Low and 1MDB.BuzzFeed News and ICIJ have made public some of the 2,000 leaked documents on their website.“These documents are so closely protected that they are never supposed to be available to the public. You can’t get them through Freedom of Information requests and you can’t subpoena them in legal proceedings. Banks are not supposed to admit the existence of a SAR – even to other banks,” said BuzzFeed News.The portal also listed the top 10 banks represented in the FinCEN files.InstitutionSARsAmount FlaggedDeutsche Bank982US$1.3 trillionBank of New York Mellon325US$64 billionStandard Chartered232US$166 billionJPMorgan Chase107US$514 billionBarclays104US$21 billionHSBC73US$4.4 billionBank of China35US$1.3 billionBank of America35US$384 millionWells Fargo21US$57 millionCitibank18US$251 millionTable: BuzzFeed NewsFinCEN is tasked at the US Treasury to combat financial crime.It did not respond to BuzzFeed News for comment, but warned that the leak of the files was a crime and that it would refer the matter to the Department of Justice.


96.7% of adults in Kuala Lumpur, Selangor given first vaccine jab

A total of 96.7% of the adult population in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor have received at least a first dose of Covid-19 vaccine as of yesterday, said coordinating minister for the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme (PICK) Khairy Jamaluddin.He said Operation Surge Capacity, held from July 26 to Aug 1, had increased the number of first-dose vaccine adult recipients in the Klang Valley, with a total of 1,655,217 appointments issued during the period.Operation Surge Capacity was implemented to ensure that every adult in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur aged 18 and above receives at least one dose of Covid-19 vaccine by Aug 1.Based on data from the statistics department, the adult population in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor is currently at 6.1 million.“It has been successful despite not hitting 100% of the adult population with at least a single dose. We will work on those who have yet to receive the vaccine in the first week of August,” Khairy said at a press conference on developments pertaining to PICK today.He said cancelled appointments and no-shows were among the reasons why there are still adults in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor who have yet to receive their shots.As for the fully vaccinated, he said 37.5% of the adult population in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor have completed both doses.


Putrajaya appeals ruling on Christians using ‘Allah’

The government Monday appealed a court’s decision to overturn a decades-old official ban and allow Christians to use “Allah” to refer to God.The word has long been divisive in multi-ethnic Malaysia, with Christians complaining that attempts to stop them using it highlight the growing influence of conservative Islam.But some Muslims accuse the sizeable Christian minority of overstepping boundaries, and the subject has fuelled religious tensions and sparked violence over the years.Last week the Kuala Lumpur High Court ruled that Christians can use “Allah” in publications, siding with a member of the minority and striking down a ban that dated back to 1986.A judge ruled the ban was unconstitutional, as the constitution guarantees freedom of religion.But the government lodged a challenge at the Court of Appeal saying it was “not satisfied” with the ruling, according to documents seen by AFP.Authorities have long argued that allowing non-Muslims to use “Allah” could be confusing, and entice Muslims to convert.The case began 13 years ago when officials seized religious materials in the local Malay language from a Christian at Kuala Lumpur airport that contained the word “Allah”.The woman – Jill Ireland Lawrence Bill, a member of an indigenous group – then launched a legal challenge against the ban on Christians using the term.Malaysia has largely avoided overt religious conflict in recent decades, but tensions have been growing.In 2014 a church was hit with petrol bombs, while Islamic authorities have seized Bibles containing the word “Allah”.Less than 10% of Malaysia’s 32 million people are estimated to be Christians, coming from mostly ethnic Chinese, Indian or indigenous backgrounds, while 60% are ethnically Malay Muslims.


March 24 hearing for Rosmah’s last bid to nullify graft case, remove Sri Ram

Rosmah Mansor’s final bid to nullify her corruption trial over a hybrid solar project in Sarawak and to remove Gopal Sri Ram as the lead prosecutor in the case will be heard in the Federal Court on March 24.Deputy public prosecutor Poh Yih Tinn said the date was fixed by Federal Court deputy registrar Siti Hajar Mustaffa during the online case management today.“Both parties must file their submissions on March 9,” he said when contacted by reporters.Also attending the proceedings was lawyer Jagjit Sing, representing Rosmah.Rosmah, the wife of former prime minister Najib Razak, is appealing against the Court of Appeal’s decision on Dec 6 rejecting her application to nullify her entire trial in an effort to be freed of all three charges and to remove Sri Ram as the lead prosecutor in the case.A three-man Court of Appeal bench led by judge Hanipah Farikullah unanimously rejected Rosmah’s appeal, agreeing with the prosecution’s contention that the criminal court has no jurisdiction to grant the declaratory relief sought by Rosmah as the appellant.On Sept 24, High Court justice Mohamed Zaini Mazlan had dismissed her application saying that the authorisation given by then attorney-general Tommy Thomas to Sri Ram to conduct the criminal prosecution in Rosmah’s case was validly done under Section 376 (3) of the Criminal Procedure Code in his capacity as the public prosecutor.Rosmah faces a charge of soliciting RM187.5 million and two charges of receiving bribes totalling RM6.5 million from Jepak Holdings Sdn Bhd managing director Saidi Abang Samsudin through her former assistant Rizal Mansor as a reward for assisting Jepak Holdings to secure a RM1.25 billion project to equip 369 schools in rural Sarawak with solar hybrid power.The trial is scheduled to resume on Jan 10.


Lunchtime with colleagues, a thing of the past?

At a shopping mall in Ara Damansara, Petaling Jaya in Selangor, the food court is bustling with its usual lunchtime crowd.
Most of those queuing at stalls and seated at tables are office workers although there are also a handful of shoppers who have stopped for a quick bite before resuming their errands.
Where just an hour ago there was only silence, the place now rings with the sound of laughter and conversation, accompanied by the clang of forks and spoons on plates.
But while many office workers are out with their colleagues, many tables meant to seat four or even six are occupied by only one person.
Unlike the crowds of laughing, chattering co-workers, they have come to enjoy their lunch alone.
Teo Kai Xin, an assistant at an aesthetic clinic, is one of them.
For three years, she has eaten lunch in her own company and she prefers it that way.
"It's easy and it saves time because I don't need to wait for my friends to finish eating," she said.
"I have more time to do other things. I call my child who normally gets home from school around then, and I ask how things are in the house."
Recalling the days when she used to have lunch with her friends, Teo said things were always chaotic and she had to spend a long time chatting and waiting for them to finish their meals.
For many, lunchtime is about more than just eating – it's a time for catching up, taking a break from work, and indulging in the latest workplace gossip.
But for the last few years, eating alone has been considered a new lifestyle in the modern world.
The habit begins even before work, with commuters scoffing down sandwiches en route to the train station or as they weave their way through fellow pedestrians on the street.
Today's hectic schedules make it harder than ever for family members and friends to sit down for a meal together.
In Britain, for example, the 2016 Wellbeing Index found that nearly a third of adults eat alone.
Three years later, a similar survey conducted by the UK's National Centre for Social Research and Oxford Centre for Economic and Social History found that the number had increased to half.
In the US, meanwhile, the Hartman Group research organisation found that solo diners accounted for 27% of all restaurant visits.
In Malaysia, there are no specific studies on the trend of eating alone. However, data from food handling companies indicates that solo meal-times are on the rise.
A year before the Covid-19 pandemic, online food ordering platform Eatigo which has more than 700,000 users nationwide reported an increase in sales from solo customers since its launch in 2017.
It said anywhere from 8% to 15% of its users were solo customers, and that some 80% of them were between 25 and 35 years old and located in the Klang Valley.
When contacted by MalaysiaNow, Teo's boss said he had not noticed a particular preference for eating alone among his employees.
Ashman Wong and his wife, who have run the clinic since 2015, said they have 11 female employees, seven of whom are permanent staff.
His workers get an hour and 45 minutes off for lunch – more than enough time to eat, run errands and pray.
After learning of Teo's routine, though, he said he had realised a change in his employees' quality of work which he described as for the better.
"The clinic used to be empty at noon," he said. "Customers might come in at 1pm but find no one to greet them.
"Now, I do realise that when customers come, there is someone there to register them."
He also said he had noticed his employees eating alone in the pantry while watching television.
He said this "new norm" among his workers began after the pandemic, when he realised that they preferred to eat in the clinic instead of going to restaurants.
"Maybe they are worried about catching Covid-19," he said.
For Teo, though, it is more about getting a break from the pressures of work.
"When I am alone, I feel better," she said.
"It's not so strange, eating alone. Many people are comfortable with eating by themselves during their lunch break."
The operator of the chicken rice stall at the food court who introduced himself as Huzman said he had had dozens of customers each day eating alone even before the onset of the pandemic.
At first, he feared that this would mean losses, but his concerns were soon allayed.
"I still get a normal amount of orders," he said. "Even though they eat alone, some of them also order more to take back with them.
"Some also make orders on behalf of their friends. So I haven't had to worry about losses."


May 10 hearing for Najib’s appeal for bank documents

Najib Razak’s appeal hearing in the Court of Appeal to obtain documents which he claims are relevant to his defence in his trial for the misappropriation of RM2.3 billion from 1MDB funds has been rescheduled for May 10.The date was fixed following case management today before Court of Appeal deputy registrar Nurul Azrina Mohamed Yusof.Deputy public prosecutor Mohamad Mustaffa P Kunyalam who appeared for the prosecution, and Nur Syahirah Hanapiah, who is representing the former prime minister, were present.“The court fixed hearing on May 10. Submissions have already filed by the parties involved,” Mustaffa told reporters.On July 12 last year, High Court judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah dismissed Najib’s applications to obtain documents involving US investment bank Goldman Sachs, former Bank Negara Malaysia governor Zeti Akhtar Aziz’s family, and fugitive businessman Low Taek Jho.On March 24 last year, Najib filed a court order to compel the prosecution to provide several banking statements from companies including Aktis Capital Singapore Pte Ltd, Country Group Securities Public Company Ltd, ACME Time Ltd, Butamba Investments Ltd, and Central Holdings Ltd, believed to be related to Jho Low and Zeti’s family in his 1MDB case.The Pekan MP filed his second application on April 7 last year, seeking to obtain the confidential settlement agreement between the government and Goldman Sachs Group in 2020 and the transcripts or forensic report on the phones of former Goldman Sachs partner in Asia, Tim Leissner.Najib is on trial for four charges of using his position to obtain bribes totalling RM2.3 billion from 1MDB funds and 21 charges of money laundering involving the same amount.The trial is ongoing in the High Court before Sequerah.


Prasarana to review maintenance of rail services

The government will implement a paradigm shift in terms of the method of maintaining rail transport under the supervision of Prasarana Malaysia Berhad, by focusing more on breakdown prevention measures, says Transport Minister Anthony Loke.
He said the review would, among other things, consider more relevant maintenance and engineering operation times to reduce the risk of trains breaking down and causing service disruptions.
"One of the components in maintenance culture is to have longer engineering hours every day, this is one key component that we will introduce in our line and operation.
"We have to look at these longer hours of engineering, it means we might close the operation a bit earlier, probably half or one hour earlier to have longer maintenance and engineering time, but we will give ample notice to the passengers to adapt to the changes," he said at a press conference held during the Prasarana Group Hari Raya open house in Kuala Lumpur today.
Loke said he was confident that Prasarana would be able to achieve the MKBF target of one million kilometres for the Kelana Jaya line light rail transit (LRT), the Ampang line LRT and the Kajang line mass rapid transit (MRT) as well as 150,000km for the Monorail by the third quarter of 2026. According to him, MKBF is an internationally recognised way of assessing service reliability derived from the average distance a train travels before a failure or breakdown causing a delay of more than five minutes occurs.
He said the MKBF - used by train operators around the world including in Singapore, Thailand and Taiwan - was also part of the main KPI (key performance indicator) and a transparent evaluation method for MRT, LRT and Monorail.
"This report is indeed prepared by Prasarana every month and will be submitted to the ministry, but now this report will be displayed online (through the website and social media) to the public," he said.
He added that the initiative was also seen as a more transparent method to improve the public transport system and that he was open to receiving views from the community and any interested parties who could monitor service performance through the KPI.


Muhyiddin’s report card, one year on

It has been a year since Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin took office. One year on, he’s struggling to shake off the “backdoor government” label. But what’s the verdict on his premiership thus far?An honest assessment needs to be based on his track record over the past 12 months. In other words, what are the tangible results that he has achieved? What are the areas that his administration needs to improve upon? Too often, the “report card” of high-profile political offices tend to be clouded by prejudices.In assessing Muhyiddin, one must take into account the twin crises that coincided with his premiership: the Covid-19 pandemic and the resulting economic fallout.Did the Muhyiddin administration handle the pandemic well? Until about September last year, Malaysia was an exemplary nation in containing the outbreak. The World Health Organization representative to Malaysia, Brunei Darussalam and Singapore Dr Ying-Ru Lo was quoted as saying that Malaysia had been an excellent case study of managing the pandemic.Our experience in handling the Nipah outbreak in the late 1990s certainly helped. The government on March 18 last year swiftly imposed the movement control order that saw the number of new Covid-19 cases plumet.The euphoria did not last for long. The Sabah election in September last year resulted in a spike in cases owing to poor adherence to Covid-19 SOPs. This, and the explosion in cases involving dormitories of foreign workers and prisons saw our daily cases hover between 3,000 and 5,000 daily, pushing our healthcare capacity to breaking point.To stem the rise, the government introduced MCO 2.0 on Jan 13. This time, the government wisened up. Instead of a strict lockdown, it allowed more economic sectors to operate, giving a lifeline to many businesses that would have otherwise folded.On the one hand, the new Covid-19 cases started to decline, albeit more slowly than before, but businesses were kept afloat. It was a “lives vs livelihood” tightrope that the government tread with care, without toppling over and sending the nation into a tailspin.As for the economy, our GDP for the fourth quarter of last year contracted by 3.4%, better than projections by the International Monetary Fund (-5.8%), the World Bank (-5.8%) and the Asian Development Bank (-6.0%).The government’s swift decision to introduce four economic stimulus packages amounting to RM305 billion – or 20% of the GDP – is estimated to have contributed four percentage points to the economic growth for 2020. The packages include Penjana, Prihatin, Permai and Budget 2021 – the latter the largest the country has ever seen.The aid, whether wage subsidy for employers to retain jobs or cash for taxi and ride-hailing drivers, incentives for SMEs or loan moratorium for borrowers, helped cushion the impact of the economic fallout, travel restrictions and loss in businesses Covid-19 had brought about.All in all, Muhyiddin has done a fair job trying to contain the Covid-19 outbreak and mitigating its economic fallout. Even more advanced countries like the US, UK and Italy fared worse in managing Covid-19 despite the huge resources at their disposal.To his credit, Muhyiddin did not fall into the trap of engaging in political rhetoric despite the incessant snipping at him by his political enemies like Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Anwar Ibrahim and Ahmad Zahid Hamidid.At a time when the lives and livelihoods of its people are at stake, the last thing the public wants is for their political leaders to be busy playing power games. For that, we ought to give Muhyiddin credit where credit is due.The views expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the position of MalaysiaNow.


Court cluster broke promise to step aside until cases resolved, says Nazri Aziz

Padang Rengas MP Mohamed Nazri Aziz today revealed a previous agreement in Umno that any individual embroiled in court cases would resign and focus on their respective trials.
He said the agreement was reached in 2009, and that those involved included former prime minister Najib Razak and his one-time deputy, Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
"Now, they are taking control of the party instead of keeping to the rule," he added at a forum in Singapore.
Najib was convicted in July 2020 of criminal breach of trust, abuse of power and money laundering involving RM42 million in SRC International funds.
He was sentenced to 12 years in jail and fined RM210 million.
His conviction and sentence were upheld by the Court of Appeal in December last year.
Zahid, meanwhile, was told in January to enter his defence against 47 charges of criminal breach of trust, corruption and money laundering involving tens of millions of ringgit in Yayasan Akalbudi funds.
Umno its own enemy
When asked by the forum participants if Umno wished to continue the memorandum of understanding (MoU) inked by Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob with the opposition, Nazri said the party was inclined to do so.
However, he said Umno was its own worst enemy as a number of party leaders had dissented from this view.
"The ones who are opposing the MoU are not the opposition, but from within our party," he said.
"I am worried about Umno. Not about PAS or Bersatu. Umno is our biggest enemy at the moment."
He also commented on calls by some Umno leaders for the MoU to end and the 15th general election to be held immediately.
"These come from my own party, why?" he said. "Personal interest. They want to avoid their court cases.
"What will happen to them if the court finds them guilty? This is shameful and ridiculous."
Nazri added that Umno was not in a position to demand whatever it wished as the party only had 42 MPs in Parliament.
"We are not dominant (but) we want to do what we want – to sleep with this party and that party.
"It's not our choice," he said. "We don't have a choice."


Rafizi backs down from threat against MACC chief

PKR deputy president Rafizi Ramli has backed down from his warning that he would "look for" Azam Baki if Pakatan Harapan (PH) came to power in the recent general election, denying as well any move on his part to threaten the anti-graft chief.
"I don’t think that’s exactly what I said," he was quoted as saying by The Malay Mail when questioned by a reporter while clocking in for his first day of duty as the economic affairs minister.
Adding that it had made "for a good political sound bite", he said he had meant that the priority for a new government would be "to make everything independent and by the law, and not just Azam Baki or anyone else or even myself".
Rafizi, in the run-up to the Nov 19 polls, had condemned what he called a raid by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission at Invoke Solutions, the PKR-linked company he heads.
He also said that a PH government would "look for" Azam if it won the general election.
"Saturday we vote. After we win the elections, we will look for Azam Baki," he said at a campaign event in Johor Bahru.


Conditional approval granted for AstraZeneca, Sinovac jabs as boosters

The Drug Control Authority (DCA) has granted conditional approval for the use of the Sinovac and AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccines as booster shots for those who initially received the same type of jab, health director-general Dr Noor Hisham said today.In a statement, he said this would apply to individuals aged 18 and above.“The AstraZeneca booster dose will be given after an interval of six months from the receipt of the second dose, while the CoronaVac vaccine will be given as booster shots three to six months from the date of the second dose,” he said.He added that the administration of booster shots comprising these two vaccines to specific target groups will be detailed by the Covid-19 Booster Immunisation Task Force, with notifications issued from time to time.“Approval of this conditional registration requires information on the quality, safety and effectiveness of the vaccine product to be monitored and evaluated based on the latest data,” he said.“This is to ensure that the comparison of benefits over risks for the vaccine remains positive.”The government began administering booster shots for fully vaccinated people on Oct 13, to ensure that the immunity received after completing their doses can be maintained for an optimal period, especially against infection caused by the Delta variant.The Pfizer vaccine was the first to be granted approval for use as a booster, on adults aged 18 and above at least six months after receipt of their second dose.


Guidelines coming on use of ‘Allah’, home minister says

The home ministry says it will issue guidelines soon on use of the word “Allah” following a High Court ruling overturning an earlier ban against which Putrajaya is currently appealing.Home Minister Hamzah Zainudin said the guidelines would be based on existing laws, and would be acceptable to those from every group.He said discussions had been held with representatives of different religions to ensure that an agreement is reached on the matter.He added that guidelines would be issued from time to time to ensure that every religious group has a proper understanding of the issue.“If possible, we want this to be done as soon as possible,” he said at a press conference today.“We don’t want this issue to be the one that divides all of us.”The Kuala Lumpur High Court on March 10 ruled that Christians could use “Allah” along with three other Arabic words – “Baitullah”, “kaabah” and “solat” – in their religious publications for educational purposes.Court of Appeal judge Nor Bee Ariffin, sitting as a High Court judge, allowed a judicial review application by Sarawak native Christian, Jill Ireland Lawrence Bill, whose legal battle on the matter began 13 years ago.Nor Bee in her ruling held that the 1986 directive by the home ministry barring the use of the four words was filled with illegality and irrationality.She also said that the words could be used by the Christian community for teaching purposes as they had been in use for more than 400 years.However, Putrajaya lodged an appeal, saying it was “not satisfied” with the ruling.The matter has sparked debate on whether the word should be used, with Selangor ruler Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah saying last month that the ban would remain in the state.Sarawak Chief Minister Abang Johari Openg meanwhile said earlier this month that non-Muslims in the state could use the word “Allah” any time.


Philippines’ Duterte condemns South China Sea flare-up

Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday condemned the latest flare-up in the disputed South China Sea after Chinese coastguard ships fired water cannon at Filipino boats.Duterte made the remarks at an Asian regional summit hosted by Chinese President Xi Jinping, who vowed his country would “never seek hegemony, and certainly not bully the small”.China claims almost all of the waterway, through which trillions of dollars in trade passes annually, with competing claims from Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam.Beijing has ignored a 2016 ruling by The Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration that its historical claim is without basis.Tensions over the resource-rich sea spiked last week when Chinese coastguard vessels fired water cannon at Philippine boats delivering supplies to Filipino marines on Second Thomas Shoal, in the contested Spratly Islands.Manila expressed outrage at the incident, but Beijing said the Philippine boats had entered its waters without permission.“We abhor the recent event in the Ayungin Shoal and view with grave concern other similar developments,” Duterte told the meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and China, using the Filipino name for the shoal.“This does not speak well of the relations between our nations and our partnership.”Duterte’s remarks were unusually strong for a leader who has fostered warmer ties with Beijing since taking power in 2016 in the hope of extracting promised investment and trade.It is not clear if Xi was participating in the meeting when Duterte was spoke.For his part, Xi told the gathering “we must jointly maintain the stability of the South China Sea and build the South China Sea into a sea of peace, friendship, and cooperation”.The renewed tensions over the waters have drawn international concern.The US on Friday warned China that an armed attack against Philippine public vessels would invite a US response under its treaty obligations to the Southeast Asian nation.The European Union also called on “all parties to respect freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea”.Philippines Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said the supply boats would resume their mission to Second Thomas Shoal after China’s ambassador to the Philippines gave assurances they would not be impeded.China controls several reefs in the South China Sea including Scarborough Shoal – which Beijing seized from Manila in 2012 – just 240km west of the main Philippine island of Luzon.It has asserted its stance by building up small shoals and reefs into military bases with airstrips and port facilities.After China occupied Mischief Reef in the mid-1990s, the Philippines marooned a derelict navy vessel atop the nearby Second Thomas Shoal to assert Manila’s territorial claim. Members of the Philippine marines are based there.


Hemmed in by Covid curbs, Beijingers seek respite in urban outdoors

On a hot, sunny day, children and adults splashed in the cool run-off of the Yongding River in a park on the western outskirts of Beijing, a city under near-lockdown in China’s head-on battle with Covid-19.While gatherings are discouraged and many parks in the sprawling city of 22 million are shut, Beijingers – like others across China with limited travel options – have taken up outdoor pursuits such as camping and picnicking after more than two years of strict and often claustrophobic pandemic curbs.Li Xiaoming, manager of Sanfo Outdoor, the largest outdoor equipment store in west Beijing, told Reuters sales of camping products had quadrupled from a year earlier since the Tomb Sweeping holiday in early April.Customers, typically middle class urbanites, snap up camp chairs, canopies and tents, which range in price from 800 to 2,000 yuan (US$120-US$300), Li said.One customer surnamed Wang tried on camping hats during a recent shopping expedition.“I’m longing to be closer to nature to get relaxed. Camping may gradually become a way of life for me,” she said.Research firm iiMedia Research predicts that China’s camping industry will grow 19% this year to 35.46 billion yuan (US$5.3 billion). The number of camping-related businesses grew by 22,000 in 2021, an increase of 55%, according to Travel China, a government website.Near the banks of the Yongding, high school student Huang Xiaowen played guitar and sang as she and two friends sat on a plaid picnic cloth before getting up to play volleyball.Huang, whose classes have moved online, said she often visits the park on weekends to relax with her classmates to escape hemmed-in city quarters and enjoy the quiet.“We cannot have sports classes so there is no balance between schoolwork and rest,” she said.Nearby, families and groups of friends ate lunch under the shade of trees, some with camping gear including tents, tables and chairs. Children caught tiny fish in pails as trains rumbled past on a nearby elevated track.Beijing resident Teng Fei was picnicking with his family.“Because of the pandemic, both young and old people in the city are in a depressed mood,” he said.“Camping makes everyone relax a little bit.”


Ghana hold off battling South Korea to win dramatic match

Ghana survived a furious late siege of their goal to revive their World Cup chances in a dramatic Group H clash on Monday, holding off South Korea to secure a 3-2 victory that was greeted with as much relief as it was celebration.
The African side earned their first points of the tournament and can still reach the second round on the back of two goals from Mohammed Kudus and desperate defending in a roller-coaster match at the Education City Stadium.
Mohammed Salisu scored the opener and Kudus headed home as Ghana took a 2-0 halftime lead, only to allow South Korea to fight back with two goals in three minutes from Cho Gue-sung, who epitomised his side’s fighting spirit by attacking the ball to head home twice in quick succession.
Ghana snatched back the lead within seven minutes, however, taking advantage of their one chance in the second half for Kudus to deliver the winner.
"It was emotional with the ups and downs. South Korea did very well, pushed and pressed us," said Ghana coach Otto Addo.
"We were struggling, we wanted to stop the crosses, but we didn’t put enough intensity into stopping the crosses. There was passionate defending and very good goalkeeping... in the end we were a bit lucky.”
Mixed emotions
Ten minutes of stoppage time only served to heighten the drama, culminating in a contrast of emotions at the final whistle as an exhausted Ghana celebrated and the Koreans were left in tears.
They had fought back in spectacular style, making only one second-half error which ultimately proved costly.
Ghana’s first-half lead was down to two perfect crosses from the left delivered by the right-footed Jordan Ayew – both perfectly weighted and with the requisite pace to catch out the Korean defence.
The first in the 24th minute caused chaos and Salisu snapped up the loose ball to score and the second 10 minutes later found Kudus who glanced a header into the net.
Korean changes at halftime put them right back in the match, even if talisman Son Heung-min, again playing with a black face mask to protect his facial fractures, proved surprisingly ineffectual.
Overrun
Cho’s goals were both powerful headers as the Ghanaian defence was overrun, first in the 58th minute and, with the Korean supporters behind the Ghana goal already in delirium, a second followed three minutes later.
South Korea looked favourites to win the game but offered Ghana a sudden window of opportunity which Kudus took in the 68th minute.
Ghana sat back and were besieged for about half an hour, with Lawrence Ati-Zigi making several good saves and his defenders putting their bodies on the line as they blocked efforts from all angles.
"The result is totally unfair, even a draw would be unfair. We deserved a win," said Korea’s assistant coach Sergio Costa, forced to do the post-match news conference after Paulo Bento was red-carded as his frustrations boiled over at the final whistle in a verbal tirade at English referee Anthony Taylor.


Russia won't stop war even if Ukraine drops Nato hopes, says Putin ally

A top ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that Moscow would not stop its military campaign in Ukraine even if Kyiv formally renounced its aspirations to join Nato.
Former president Dmitry Medvedev, now deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council, also said in a French television interview that Russia was prepared to hold talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky subject to certain conditions.
Even before the February invasion, Moscow made clear Ukrainian membership of Nato was unacceptable to it.
"Renouncing its participation in the North Atlantic alliance is now vital, but it is already insufficient in order to establish peace," Medvedev told LCI television in quotes reported by Russian news agencies.
Russia, he said, would continue the campaign until its goals had been achieved. Putin says he wants to "denazify" Ukraine. Kyiv and the West say this is a baseless pretext for a war of conquest.
Russia and Ukraine held several rounds of talks after the invasion began, but they made no progress and there are few prospects for a resumption.
"This (talks) will depend on how events unfold. We were ready before to meet (Zelensky)," Medvedev said.
In his comments, he also said US weapons already supplied to Ukraine – like Himars multiple-rocket launchers – did not yet pose a substantial threat.
But that could change, he said, if US sent weapons could hit targets at longer distances.
"It means that when this sort of missile flies 70km, that is one thing," he said. "But when it's 300-400km, that is another, now that would be a threat directly to the territory of the Russian Federation."


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Revealed: Najib opted for most expensive ‘privilege’ after turning down ‘cheaper’ land

Najib Razak opted for the most expensive land on a list of housing allowances offered by the government to the ex-prime minister, it has been learnt following further investigations by MalaysiaNow into the controversy of the RM100 million home for the convicted former leader.It is also understood that Najib could have settled for a monthly rental allowance of RM10,000 if he chose to remain in his current Taman Duta bungalow, or to stay in a government home complete with amenities without any ownership transfer.“But he personally sent in an application for the more costly option of the government surrendering a plot of land. In addition, he also opted for the government to construct a house on that land,” a source familiar with laws on the maintenance of top government officials and senior civil servants told MalaysiaNow.It is understood that Najib personally visited the site before officially making known his desire for the property early this year, even as he was busy accusing the administration of Muhyiddin Yassin of ignoring the welfare of Malaysians affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.His request for the land only received serious attention after the appointment of Ismail Sabri Yaakob, who replaced Muhyiddin following a coup engineered by Najib and Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi with the backing of opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim.The highlighted part of an aerial picture of Bukit Petaling, Kuala Lumpur, the location of a plot of land where a free house for Najib Razak has been proposed at a total cost of RM100 million to the government.However, the move drew protests from within Ismail’s own Cabinet, including from senior ministers Tengku Zafrul Aziz and Mohamed Azmin Ali, Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin as well as Environment and Water Minister Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man.Yesterday, Najib defended the gift as legal after coming under fire from Dr Mahathir Mohamad in the Dewan Rakyat.The Pekan MP said he had picked one of three options of properties offered by the government.“It’s a government land near Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, because my family feels the location is most suitable for them,” he said, before listing what he claimed were his contributions to the nation during his nine-year administration.Najib also denied that the property would cost the government RM100 million, adding that news of his request for the land was timed to coincide with the election in Melaka where he has been busy campaigning for Barisan Nasional candidates.‘Cheaper’ land, lower costAn investigation by MalaysiaNow, which first revealed the decision to gift Najib with the property, pinpointed the land to a plot nestled in Bukit Petaling, one of Kuala Lumpur’s most expensive real estate pieces.Measuring about 120,000 sq ft or 2.8 acres, the vacant land is bigger than the size of two football fields.Zafrul, at least 3 ministers protested move to award Najib RM100 million houseDr M questions RM100 million house for ‘thief’Revealed: Najib to get free house worth RM100 million in posh KL neighbourhoodA source said Najib chose that land over another offer, also located in a premium neighbourhood, which would have cost the government only half the amount.“That land which he rejected is somewhere off Jalan Duta, and it measures two-thirds the size of the land that Najib wanted.“By current market price, the land alone would have cost the government some RM20 million less than what he has chosen,” the source said.Checks showed that the “cheaper” option offered to Najib had a market value of about RM45 million, with a double storey bungalow already in place on the site.“A high-end refurbishing and modification job would have cost the government between RM3 and RM5 million, tops,” a home renovation contractor said when asked for a rough estimate.That would bring the total cost of providing a free home for Najib to less than RM50 million.MalaysiaNow previously reported that the government had agreed to spend RM100 million gifting a property for Najib under the Members of Parliament (Remuneration) Act.The hefty sum takes into account the market value of the land as well as the cost of constructing the house.Checks with several real estate agents specialising in luxury properties in Kuala Lumpur showed that the vacant lot in Bukit Petaling chosen by Najib could fetch close to RM70 million in current real estate value.“So if the government agrees to spend RM100 million, that would mean the house would cost RM30 million,” said one luxury property specialist based in Bukit Damansara.Since MalaysiaNow first revealed the controversial gift for Najib on Nov 12, social media has been abuzz with Malaysians condemning the decision, many of whom cite the latter’s corruption conviction last year.After being booted out of power in 2018 and despite facing dozens of corruption charges, Najib has rebranded himself as the champion of the ordinary man using the “Bossku” tagline through the use of social media platforms.In the raids that followed his fall from power, authorities confiscated a long list of luxury items from properties linked to him, including jewellery, watches and handbags valued in the hundreds of millions of ringgit which investigators believe are linked to the 1MDB scandal.Last year, the High Court sentenced him to 12 years in jail and fined him RM210 million after finding him guilty of seven counts of criminal breach of trust, money laundering and abuse of power involving RM42 million in funds from former 1MDB unit SRC International.Last month, he won a bid against the Inland Revenue Board to defer payment of some RM1.7 billion in taxes owed to the government.In August, some RM114 million in cash confiscated in 2018 was returned to him, following the government’s failure to forfeit the money said to have been misappropriated from 1MDB.


Activist Lalitha ‘untrustworthy’, MACC chief Azam Baki says

Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) chief commissioner Azam Baki has described C4 senior researcher Lalitha Kunaratnam as an untrustworthy person and not an investigative journalist as she claims to be.Azam, in his reply to Lalitha’s statement of defence against his defamation suit filed through Messrs Ibrahim & Fuaadah today, also questioned her claim that she had a good working relationship with him and MACC staff members.Azam said if this was at all true, it should have made it easier for Lalitha to seek confirmation from him before publishing defamatory articles and tweets.“Instead, the defendant (Lalitha) had written, published and re-published the articles and tweets without first obtaining confirmation and feedback from me.“The defence statement here clearly intends to mislead the court by claiming that she purportedly had a close working relationship with me and my staff when in fact the MACC and I have never had any personal contact with her,” he said.Azam said the defendant also did not provide the contact details of her alleged informant.“As an ‘investigative journalist’, it is a basic requirement for her to get the full details or at least the full name of the MACC officer identified as ‘Hong’ and the number of the informant given by the authorities (as claimed in her statement of defence),” he said.Lalitha’s counsel, Mohamed Ibrahim Mohamad, when contacted by reporters, said case management for the suit has been fixed for March 8.On Jan 12, Azam, 59, filed a suit against Lalitha for allegedly publishing defamatory articles related to the purchase of shares in the Independent News Service (INS) news agency portal.Azam’s statement of claim said the defendant had written two articles titled “Business Ties Among MACC Leadership: How Deep Does It Go? (Part 1)” and “Business Ties Among MACC Leadership: How Deep Does It Go? (Part Two)” published in INS on Oct 26 and republished on Dec 15 last year.He also claimed that the defendant had shared links to the articles on her Twitter account @LalithaVelvet that were still accessible at the time the suit was filed.Azam claimed that the articles were sensational, scandalous and offensive and were written and republished with malicious intent to give a bad perception to readers that the plaintiff was a corrupt civil servant or one who had abused his position as a senior MACC official for his or his sibling’s interests.Meanwhile, Lalitha through her statement of defence filed on Feb 3 claimed that the contents of the article and her tweets involving Azam were obtained from legitimate sources.


Fear stalks Rohingya refugee camps after murders

Bloodstains still mark the spot where assassins gunned down Mohib Ullah, an activist who was a leading voice for the 850,000 Rohingya living in fear in Bangladeshi refugee camps.In the weeks since the murder, a senior member of the now-shellshocked volunteer group that Ullah headed has received phone calls telling him he’ll be next. And he’s not alone.“They can hunt you down the way they have brazenly shot dead our leader and so many people,” Noor, too frightened to give his real name or be filmed, told AFP.“They”, he believes, are members of the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (Arsa), an insurgent group fighting the Myanmar military but also thought to be behind a wave of killings and criminal activity in the camps.Arsa has denied it killed Ullah.Most of the Rohingya have been in the camps since 2017 when they fled a brutal military offensive in Buddhist-majority Myanmar, where the predominantly Muslim minority are reviled and seen as illegal immigrants.Refusing to go back until they are assured of security and equal rights, the refugees remain stuck in bamboo-and-tarp shacks with no work, poor sanitation and little education for their children.Overflowing latrines fill narrow mud lanes with excrement in monsoon season, and fires can rip through the flimsy homes in minutes during the hot summers.By day the Bangladesh authorities provide some security. But at night the camps become the domain of gangs – allegedly linked to Arsa – that traffic millions of dollars worth of methamphetamine from Myanmar.“The scenario is different as soon as the sun sets,” Israfil, a Rohingya refugee who goes by one name, told AFP.“The dark time is the long hours when they do whatever they want to do,” he added.‘Brutal carnage’Working among the chaos and unease in the camps, Ullah and his colleagues quietly documented the crimes that his people suffered at the hands of the Myanmar military, while pressing for better conditions.The former schoolteacher shot to prominence in 2019 when he organised a protest of around 100,000 people in the camps to mark two years since their exodus.That year he met US president Donald Trump in the White House and addressed a UN meeting in Geneva.But his fame appears to have gone down badly with Arsa.They saw Ullah as threatening their place as the sole voice representing the Rohingya – one who was opposed to their violence, his colleagues and rights activists say.“He became a thorn in Arsa’s side,” said Nur Khan Liton, a top rights activist in Bangladesh.“Arsa was also frightened by his enormous popularity.”Three weeks after Ullah’s murder in late September, gunmen and machete-wielding attackers slaughtered seven people in an Islamic seminary that had allegedly refused to pay protection money to Arsa.“The brutal carnage bore all the marks of Arsa. The group previously slaughtered at least two top Islamic clerics because they didn’t back Arsa’s violent struggle,” said a top expatriate Rohingya activist.“Arsa has carried out the murders to establish its full control in the camps. After the latest carnage, everyone seems to be silenced,” he added, asking to remain anonymous.‘No presence’After the attack on the seminary, the UN refugee agency urged the Bangladesh authorities “to take immediate measures to improve the security in the refugee camps”.A series of turf war killings in 2019 prompted the Bangladesh army to erect barbed-wire fences around the camps. The elite Armed Police Battalion was tasked with patrolling the area.Police have also carried out a series of security operations that have killed dozens of alleged Rohingya drug traffickers.But although they have arrested dozens of people over Ullah’s killing, they are in denial about Arsa’s activity, blaming instead “rivalries” in the camps.“Arsa has no presence in the camps,” Naimul Haque, the commanding officer of the Kutupalong camp, insisted to AFP.‘Extreme fear’Members of Ullah’s group are far from reassured, saying that their security concerns fall on deaf ears.Some even mutter that Arsa and the Bangladesh security forces are in cahoots – something Dhaka vehemently denies.Kyaw Min, a top Rohingya leader, said police assist Arsa to “reign” at night by “conveniently” not being around when they operate.A month before he died Ullah sent a letter, seen by AFP but which could not be independently verified, to the Bangladesh authorities.He named 70 men in the camps he said were Arsa members, and said he and his colleagues feared for their lives.Bangladesh’s refugee commissioner Shah Rezwan Hayat and camp-in-charge Atiqul Mamun denied receiving any such letter.Family members of senior Rohingya leaders told AFP that Bangladesh security forces have since relocated at least six families including Ullah’s, fearing they will be targeted.“We thought we would be safe in Bangladesh. But now we don’t know when the killers will knock on our doors,” activist Sa Phyo Thida told AFP.“Just like those genocide days in Myanmar in 2017 when we were living in fear of the military death squad, we now live in extreme fear.”


MACC raids Mara HQ, Mara Corp offices in KL over claims of power abuse

The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) today raided several Majlis Amanah Rakyat (Mara) offices over alleged integrity issues involving a number of senior officers.According to an MACC source, the raids were conducted at both the Mara and Mara Corporation headquarters, and at a corporate secretary company around the city in an operation that began at 10.30am involving 11 MACC officers.It is understood that the raids were for the purpose of collecting documents related to power abuse linked to several officers at the agencies, which went viral on social media.On Saturday, MACC confirmed that it had received a report on alleged integrity issues involving several senior officers of Mara who were being investigated internally.MACC said it took the allegations seriously and that an investigation would start today with the taking of statements from several witnesses from Mara Corporation.“The investigation is being conducted under Section 23 (1) of the MACC Act 2009 relating to the offence of any public body officer who uses his/her position to obtain bribes,” the statement said.


Umno Supreme Council meeting to discuss party election

The Umno Supreme Council meeting for January, scheduled for Thursday, will, among others, discuss the party's election, says secretary-general Ahmad Maslan.
"The Umno election has not been discussed. Of course, the (party) election can be discussed on Jan 5," he said at a press conference in conjunction with the 2022 Umno general assembly today.
Ahmad said the monthly meeting will also discuss invitations to the 2022 general assembly for the parties currently in the coalition government.
He added that an Umno management meeting will be held tonight, chaired by deputy president Mohamad Hasan.
On Dec 26, the Umno secretary-general said a decision on whether the position of president and deputy president will be contested would only be decided during the special Supreme Council meeting on Jan 12.
The 2022 general assembly, previously scheduled for Dec 21 to 24, 2022, was later postponed to Jan 11 to 14, 2023.


Economy on track for recovery, better growth prospects, says Azmin

International Trade and Industry Minister Mohamed Azmin Ali today said Malaysia’s economy is on the path to recovery and is projected to chart better growth this year.He said the brighter economic prospects were attributable to rising global demand, increased public and private spending, and continued policy support.“This will also be reflected in the recovery in labour market conditions and higher production in the manufacturing sector, particularly in the electrical and electronics (E&E) and oil and gas facilities,” he said in his keynote address at the Malaysian Economic Summit 2021 webinar today, which was read out by deputy minister Lim Ban Hong.Azmin said due to Malaysia’s open economy, enhancement of productivity and economic growth would be further underpinned by an improvement in the global technology upcycle as well as policy support from various fiscal and monetary measures, including the additional economic stimulus packages.“This positive outlook is reinforced by the World Bank’s most recent forecast, where it projected that the Malaysian economy would grow by 4.5% in 2021, albeit revised down from our own more robust projections by Bank Negara Malaysia,” he said.He also said Malaysia’s economic fundamentals remain resilient even during these difficult times, underpinned by the country’s broad-based economic structure which lends strength to its competitiveness.He noted that last year, Malaysia ranked 12th in the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business ranking, 27th in the IMD World Competitiveness ranking, and fourth out of 17 economies as a manufacturing hub.“This is significant because our services and manufacturing sectors account for 58% and 23% of the economy respectively, while the commodity sector accounts for 14%, which reflects the increasing sophistication, depth and complexity of the Malaysian economy,” he said.He said Malaysia had formulated five national investment aspirations to serve as a framework in reinvigorating the national investment landscape as well as enhancing long-term national competitiveness.In this regard, he said Malaysia aims to increase its economic complexity by ensuring that the country’s economy is increasingly built on skills-based industries, with significant production capabilities to create high-value products and services.“We seek to create higher value job opportunities for Malaysians to ensure that our people are equipped with sufficient skills for the future,” he said.“We also intend to extend our domestic linkages through integration with the regional economy, and to empower more local businesses to better participate in the global value chain.”He said Malaysia wants investments that are interested in expanding across the Asean region, and aims to develop new and existing clusters that play a fundamental role in driving economic spillovers which are they key to delivering holistic ecosystem benefits.“Finally, we aspire to improve inclusivity by championing equitable growth for the nation, ensuring equal opportunities and adequate safeguards for the people.“This aspiration seeks to unlock Malaysia’s full potential, fundamentally lowering barriers to access as well as better integrating the economy,” he said.


Govt to return RM2.1 million allegedly linked to 1MDB

The government will return a sum of RM2.1 million allegedly linked to 1MDB and forfeited from two political parties and the family of the late former Paya Besar MP Abdul Manan Ismail.
The political parties are the Pahang MCA liaison committee and Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah (PBRS).
This was after deputy public prosecutor Kamal Baharin Omar informed the Court of Appeal today that the Attorney-General's Chambers had received representations from the three appellants – the Pahang MCA liaison committee, PBRS and Manan's family – and agreed not to contest their appeals.
He said the funds and interest accrued, which were forfeited by the government, would be released to the three appellants within two months from today.
Lawyer Ben Chan, representing the Pahang MCA liaison committee, told the court that his client's representation was for the AGC to consider, to allow its appeal. Following this, a three-member bench of the Court of Appeal led by justice Kamaludin Md Said allowed the appeals and set aside the rulings of the High Court.
The other members of the bench were justices Abu BakarJais and Supang Lian.
In 2020, three separate High Courts allowed the prosecution's applications to forfeit a total of RM2.1 million from the Pahang MCA liaison committee, PBRS and Manan's family.
Of the amount, RM1 million was from PBRS, RM835,258.19 from the Pahang MCA liaison committee, and RM265,146.16 from Rohizah Ahmad and six others.
On Jan 30 this year, the prosecution withdrew its appeals in the Court of Appeal to forfeit RM21.7 million belonging to 11 entities and individuals, including Pekan Umno and the Johor Umno liaison committee, allegedly linked to 1MDB.  The other funds were from Jakel Trading Sdn Bhd, Jakel Trading, Johor Bahru Barisan Nasional division, Mediaedge CIA Malaysia Sdn Bhd, Sarawak United People's Party, Strategic Engagement Media Sdn Bhd director Sim Sai Hoon, AGA Touch Malaysia Sdn Bhd, Yayasan Persatuan Bekas Anggota Kemas Malaysia and former land and cooperative development minister Kasitah Gaddam.
The three cases today are the last of the 41 entities from which the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission sought to recover assets said to have been paid for with funds from 1MDB.
At today's proceedings, lawyer Avinash Kamalanathan represented PBRS, Chan and Sangeetha Vasanth Kumar represented the Pahang MCA liaison committee and Nur Jehan Abu Bakar represented the family of Manan.
Also appearing for the prosecution were deputy public prosecutors Samihah Rhazali and Nik Haslinie Hashim.


Meritocracy the loser, thanks to stories from the wilderness

Just a few decades before Barack Obama was proclaimed the 44th US president in 2008, it was unimaginable, a fantasy – indeed an aberration – to even suggest that a black man, whose ancestors were kidnapped from a faraway land, put into ships little better than human cages and sold as slaves, could become the main tenant of the White House.But Obama did, and after eight years as the world’s most powerful leader, his biggest legacy was probably this: that he would not be the last non-white person to hold that position.Today, the idea of a black man, or a man with Indian, Chinese and Arab heritage, becoming the US president is no longer an aberration or a utopian fantasy.Why? Because a huge psychological barrier has been lifted – mainly because Obama left office without venting about the biases with which he grew up, or mixing ancestral sufferings with current realities in an environment that has been the playground of white America.Such psychological breakthroughs are not unique to the US. In other parts of the world, too, we have seen individuals from minority groups climbing to places of power in societies that were long dominated by a single race.In 2018, Tommy Thomas became the first non-Malay to be given one of Malaysia’s most powerful legal positions – one that allows even a prime minister to be charged with wrongdoings.The road to getting him appointed was filled with thorns. Activists and NGOs worked hard to lobby for him, with statements calling on the Agong to accept the recommendation of Dr Mahathir Mohamad – also after a series of meetings to convince the veteran politician to take the huge risk of appointing Thomas as the attorney-general. And from Thomas’ own community came an abundance of prayers, as he himself put it after being named as attorney-general.It was a risk Mahathir took at the cost of further accusations by Malay groups that he was undermining Malay dominance in key positions.But a huge racial barrier to a key post normally given to a Malay man with equal if not more qualifications than Thomas had been lifted.Here was an opportunity for Thomas to correct the national narrative. He would prove to his critics that a non-Malay AG was just as good and fair, if not more so.It was with this confidence that Mahathir chose Thomas, knowing that he was risking the vote bank of both he and his party.Thomas’ book “My Story: Justice in the Wilderness”, however, dashed these hopes. He mixed up his personal failures in getting things done with a deep racial bias developed within the perspective of his minority upbringing.He also failed to understand the repercussions that his misplaced honesty would have on the future of many qualified non-Malays.Thomas left a bitter taste in the mouths of a huge section of the population by the arrogant and patronising words in his memoir, a book that even Anwar Ibrahim, who was spared some of the worst attacks, found hard to stomach.Will we ever again see a non-Malay occupying a top office such as that of the AG after Thomas decided to go public with his rants?All of the hard work, the lobbying and the prayers that went into his appointment as AG have come to naught.And this is not because of his failures or weaknesses, for a man can still leave a good legacy despite these.It is because of his attempts to shift his failures by frequently slipping into Freudian biases about a community persuaded to accept that meritocracy would be good for the country.The fact is that Thomas, despite the opposition from right wing groups, was given the goodwill of the vast numbers of Malays who voted in the previous government.They had begun to accept the experiment of a non-Malay occupying a post intrinsically linked to the complicated world of post-colonial Malay political dominance.That goodwill was squandered by a writing littered with personal biases, based largely on an ignorance of the majority. It is a mistake often committed by minorities, including many pockets of Muslim minorities in the West.Thanks to his stories from the wilderness, it will take decades of rebuilding trust, lobbying, and a good dose more of prayers for a miracle like a non-Malay AG to happen again in Malaysia.Abdar Rahman Koya is CEO & editor of MalaysiaNow.