PN still unhappy with end-year GE but will respect dissolution of Parliament

Perikatan Nasional (PN) today said it would respect Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob's decision to dissolve Parliament despite the coalition's stand that now was not the right time to hold a general election.
PN chairman Muhyiddin Yassin said the announcement had been made in accordance with the scope of the Federal Constitution and with the consent of Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah.
"This is despite PN's previous views of the current situation which is not very suitable," he said at a press conference in Pahang, several hours after the dissolution of Parliament.
"There is also the possibility of floods and other problems being faced by the country," he said.
"We have given our views on all of this. Nevertheless, as the decision has been made and obtained the consent of the Agong, we will respect it."
Twelve Cabinet members from PN previously wrote to the Agong, expressing their objection to any move to hold the 15th general election (GE15) during the end-year flood season.
They also cited the need to allow the economy to recover from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, to facilitate matters for the people who were also struggling with the rising cost of living and inflation.
Muhyiddin said PN had endeavoured to continue working for the people, efforts that would continue to ensure victory for the coalition in GE15.
He added that the prospect of GE15 was nothing new.
"We just hope that the election process will not be disrupted by the floods that have already begun to occur," he said.
"We also hope that the situation will not become worse, so that the people can fulfil their responsibility to cast their votes."
The Malaysian Meteorological Department previously advised against holding the election during the northeast monsoon season, even as Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi upped the pressure for polls to be called this year.
The department's deputy director-general Hisham Mohd Anip said that floods generally occur throughout the country during the monsoon period.
"Even during the transition period, many places have already flooded," he said on Oct 6, citing the recent floods in Perak and Johor.
"So in terms of suitability, it will not help to hold an election."


Russia drops vaccination target amid record deaths

The Kremlin on Tuesday conceded that Russia would not reach its 60% vaccination target by the end of summer as the country registered its highest daily death toll.Russia has grappled with a recent spike in infections spurred by the highly contagious Delta variant while struggling to get its citizens inoculated.An official government tally reported 652 coronavirus fatalities in the country over the past 24 hours, topping a record that was set in December last year.A record-high number of daily deaths – 119 – was also reported in Russia’s second city Saint Petersburg, which is due to host a Euro 2020 quarterfinal on Friday.Some experts say that Russia vastly underreports coronavirus fatalities, counting only cases when Covid-19 was found to be the primary cause of death after autopsy.Over the past few weeks, Saint Petersburg and the capital Moscow have seen a spike in infections, with authorities re-introducing virus restrictions and moving to boost a sluggish vaccination drive.Despite free jabs having been available since December, just 22.2 million out of a population of about 146 million had received at least one dose as of Monday, according to the Gogov website, which tallies Covid figures from the regions and the media.Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday that Russia would be adjusting its current vaccination target.“Only this week the number of those wishing to get vaccinated has more or less started growing,” Peskov told reporters.“Obviously it will not be possible to vaccinate 60% of the population” by the autumn, he said.Mandatory jabsMoscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin had said that the more contagious Delta variant first identified in India accounts for 90% of cases in the capital.To curb the spread of infections, the mayor ordered Moscow businesses to send home 30% of unvaccinated employees and restaurants to only allow inside patrons who have been inoculated or infected in the past six months.Moscow also became the first Russian city to introduce mandatory vaccinations, requiring at least 60% of service industry workers to be fully inoculated by mid-August.At least a dozen Russian regions followed suit, requiring certain groups of citizens to get one of Russia’s jabs. Polls show that the population remains sceptical of homegrown vaccines.The Kremlin maintains that vaccination in Russia is voluntary.Nationwide, infections grew by 20,616, bringing Russia’s caseload to nearly 5.5 million – the fifth-highest worldwide, according to an AFP tally.With 134,545 deaths from the virus, Russia has the highest toll from Covid-19 in Europe – even as authorities have been accused of downplaying the severity of the country’s outbreak.Under a broader definition for deaths linked to coronavirus, statistics agency Rosstat at the end of April said that Russia has seen at least 270,000 fatalities.


Brazil’s Bolsonaro in a bind over suspected graft in India vaccine deal

There was something fishy about the invoice: why was a company in Singapore billing Brazil US$45 million for an Indian Covid-19 vaccine that hadn’t been delivered?The request for payment for three million doses of Indian firm Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin vaccine landed on March 18 on the desk of Luis Ricardo Miranda, head of medical imports at the Brazilian health ministry.There were several red flags, according to Miranda, who testified Friday before a Senate panel investigating the government’s handling of the pandemic, which has claimed more than 500,000 lives in Brazil, second only to the US.It was peculiar Brazil was buying Covaxin at all, given that far-right President Jair Bolsonaro – who regularly flouts expert advice on Covid-19 – had previously rebuffed offers of cheaper, more effective vaccines.But what worried Miranda was that Brazil’s US$300 million contract for Covaxin made no mention of the firm that sent the invoice, Madison Biotech, an apparent shell company.Also, the vaccine had not arrived – and did not even have regulatory approval in Brazil.‘Excessive’ pressureYet Miranda started receiving phone calls at all hours from his bosses, putting what he called “atypical, excessive” pressure on him to approve the payment.Other irregularities in Brazil’s Covaxin deal soon emerged, forcing the administration to cancel it as prosecutors opened an investigation.According to newspaper Estado de Sao Paulo, Bharat Biotech initially quoted a price of US$1.34 a dose.But Brazil agreed to pay US$15 a dose, more than any other vaccine it purchased.Miranda took his concerns to his brother, Congressman Luis Miranda, a Bolsonaro supporter.Congressman Miranda went to the president – who is now in the hot seat over accusations the Covaxin deal was a front to embezzle millions of dollars, that a key ally masterminded the plan, and that Bolsonaro knew all about it.The scandal risks exploding: the Senate commission is now set to vote on whether to formally accuse the president of malfeasance, and opponents have called anti-Bolsonaro protests for Wednesday and Saturday.The plot thickensThe Miranda brothers say they met with Bolsonaro on March 20 to warn him the Covaxin contract could be a dirty deal.“The president looked me in the eye and said, ‘This is serious,'” testified Congressman Miranda.“‘If I interfere with this thing, you know what kind of shit it’s going to stir up. This must be So-and-So’s deal,'” he said the president told him.Pressed by senators to identify “So-and-So,” the congressman insisted he could not remember.Then, on the verge of tears at the end of a marathon hearing, he caved.“I’m going to be persecuted. I’ve already lost everything. I know what’s going to happen to me,” said Miranda, who arrived at the session in a bulletproof vest.But he coughed up the name: Ricardo Barros, a powerful congressman who is head of Bolsonaro’s coalition in the lower house.‘First big bomb’Barros, a former health minister, denied wrongdoing, as did Bolsonaro, who accused the Miranda brothers of a smear campaign.But the scandal could be devastating, at a time when Bolsonaro’s support is dwindling and polls place him far behind leftist ex-president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in elections next year.“It was the first big bomb” to come from the two-month-old Senate inquiry, said Geraldo Monteiro, a political scientist at Rio de Janeiro State University.“We’d had testimony showing the government’s negligence and denialism, but nothing really serious that could potentially lead to impeaching the president,” he told AFP.Now, Brazil’s shortage-plagued vaccination campaign and the lives it has cost look not just inept, but potentially criminal – with the president himself accused of wrongdoing.If senators formally accuse Bolsonaro of malfeasance for failing to have Barros investigated, he could theoretically be tried in the Supreme Court and removed from office – though it looks unlikely that Prosecutor General Augusto Aras, an ally, would bring charges.The more immediate problem for the president is Barros.Protect him, and Bolsonaro wrecks the anti-corruption platform that helped him win the presidency in 2018. Ditch him, and he risks shattering his alliance with Barros’ “Centrao” coalition.Bolsonaro has a fragile marriage of convenience with the Centrao, a loose group of parties known for their knack for gaining access to government pork.The alliance has notably protected the polarizing president from facing the more than 100 impeachment cases opponents have brought against him in Congress.The gatekeeper to open impeachment proceedings is the speaker of the lower house, Arthur Lira.Both Lira and Barros belong to the Progressives Party (PP), a key player in the Centrao.“Barros could start pressuring his party to break with Bolsonaro. At a time when Bolsonaro is losing popularity and the impeachment push is gaining momentum, he needs the PP more than ever to stay alive,” said public-law expert Michael Mohallem.It is still early days, and far from certain “CovaxinGate” could fell the president, who points out Brazil never bought the vaccine in the end.But the threat is in the air – and in a joke that went viral on social media: “Covaxin is so strong it’s going to bring down Bolsonaro.”


UN condemns Myanmar junta after 3 killed in anti-coup unrest

A lethal attack on anti-coup protesters in Myanmar sparked fresh UN condemnation of the country’s new military regime on Sunday, as mourners held a funeral for a young woman who has become a national symbol of resistance to the junta.Authorities have gradually ratcheted up their tactics against a massive and largely peaceful civil disobedience campaign demanding the return of ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi.Saturday marked the deadliest day so far in more than two weeks of nationwide street demonstrations after two people were killed when security forces fired upon a rally, while a third man was shot dead in Yangon overnight.As dusk fell Sunday in Yangon, Monywa and Myitkyina, protesters held candlelight vigils and prayer ceremonies to pay tribute to the dead.United Nations secretary-general Antonio Guterres condemned the use of “deadly violence” against the crowd in Mandalay.“The use of lethal force, intimidation & harassment against peaceful demonstrators is unacceptable,” Guterres wrote.Late on Sunday, Myanmar’s foreign ministry accused the UN, and other countries of “flagrant interference” in its internal affairs.“Despite facing the unlawful demonstrations, incitements of unrest and violence, the authorities concerned are exercising utmost restraint through minimum use of force to address the disturbances,” it said in a statement.Security forces in the country’s second-largest city Mandalay had attempted to raid a shipyard and detain port staff on strike to protest against the army takeover.Medical rescue workers said troops used live rounds and rubber bullets against a crowd of people who had started flinging rocks in an effort to stop the arrests.“Two people were killed,” said Hlaing Min Oo, the chief of a Mandalay-based volunteer emergency rescue team.Another 30 were wounded, with half of the injuries from live rounds, he added.A graphic video circulated on Facebook showing a teenaged victim splayed on the ground and bleeding from his head as a bystander placed a hand on his chest to feel for a heartbeat.State media made no mention of the deaths but blamed demonstrators for the affray and said protest leaders had been detained.“Some” protesters had been injured by security forces, the Global New Light of Myanmar reported, along with three soldiers and eight police officers.In a separate incident on Saturday, a 30-year-old man was killed in Yangon while patrolling the neighbourhood as part of an initiative to guard against night-time arrests of activists.Tin Htut Hein’s sister-in-law said he had been shot dead by police.“His wife is now heartbroken,” she said. “They have a four-year-old son.”Police claimed 20 people attacked a vehicle while officers tried to bring an injured man to hospital, the state-run broadcaster said, and reportedly fired warning shots to disperse the group.Large crowds had returned to the streets of Mandalay on Sunday, undeterred by the previous day’s violence, with rallies also staged further south in Yangon.In the capital Naypyidaw, a funeral service was held for a young protester who died Friday after being shot in the head at a rally.Mya Thwate Thwate Khaing, who turned 20 almost two weeks ago as she lay unconscious in a hospital bed, has since become a potent symbol of the campaign against military rule.A large motorbike guard of honour accompanied her funeral procession, alongside vehicles adorned with floral wreaths and large photos of the grocery store worker.Vigils in her honour have been held elsewhere in the country by protesters reciting the Metta Sutta, a Buddhist prayer urging protection from harm.National uproarMuch of Myanmar has been in uproar since troops detained Suu Kyi on Feb 1, with massive street demonstrations in major cities and isolated villages across the country.The US, Britain and Canada have all responded with sanctions targeting Myanmar’s top generals.European Union foreign ministers will meet Monday to discuss their own measures against the regime.Nearly 570 people have been detained since the army takeover, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners monitoring group.Among those targeted have been railway workers, civil servants and bank staff, who have walked off their jobs as part of the anti-coup campaign.Popular actor Lu Min became the latest high-profile celebrity taken into custody for denouncing the regime.“Many police trucks came and arrested (him),” said his wife Khin Sabel Oo, in a video she broadcast live on Facebook as her husband was taken away overnight.Suu Kyi has not been seen since she was detained in a dawn raid but has been hit with two charges by the junta, one of them for possessing unregistered walkie-talkies.Her hearing is expected on March 1.


Free public transport for a month on RapidKL services

Public transportation services under the administration of RapidKL will be provided for free for a month beginning today, in conjunction with the launch of Phase One of the Putrajaya MRT line.Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said these comprise the MRT, LRT, BRT, monorail and RapidKL bus services.Speaking at the event launch in Kuala Lumpur today, he said the full opening of the Putrajaya MRT line was expected to see an initial daily passenger count of over 104,000 people.He said Phase One alone was expected to trigger and revive development along the route.“The Putrajaya MRT line will continue to work as a catalyst for strengthening the ties between communities, especially those living nearby,” he said.“It will also be easier for the people to move to and fro from their workplace, and socialise and access other public facilities.“Through the opening of this route, the government is confident that areas along the line such as Jinjang, Sungai Buloh, Kepong and Bandar Sri Damansara will develop more rapidly, on par with areas in other cities.”


Automatic voter registration, Undi 18 to kick in after September 2022

Automatic voter registration and voting for those 18 and above will likely be implemented only after September next year, the Election Commission (EC) said today.EC chairman Abdul Ghani Salleh said preparations are on track, including system development, data review and coordination, and follow-up programmes with government agencies, political parties and NGOs.“However, the EC is realistic about current developments and the situation of the country, which is still under movement control order to curb the spread of Covid-19.“This directly affects the planning and preparation of the EC. Hence, automatic voter registration and Undi18 are expected to be implemented after Sept 1, 2022, considering the various constraints and issues that have affected planning and initial preparations,” he said.In a statement, he said the EC is also preparing an interim report about the two matters which is expected to be released in September.He said based on the EC’s records, there are 5.6 million Malaysians above 18. Of this number, 1.2 million are between 18 and 20 while 4.4 million, at above 21, are currently eligible to vote but have yet to register.“The EC will launch a pre-automatic registration checking system through its portal in August to allow the 5.6 million prospective voters to check and verify their information,” he added.On July 16, 2019, the Federal Constitution was amended by the then-Pakatan Harapan administration to lower the age of voting to 18.The bill which also allowed automatic voter registration and those 18 and above to contest in elections was passed with 211 votes in the Dewan Rakyat.


Does Brexit mean bye-bye British English, ‘allo ‘allo Euro-English?

Some EU officials are saying that with Britain gone, now is the time for the EU to develop its own version of the language of Shakespeare.The Brits’ departure from Brussels means they risk relinquishing their grip throughout the EU on one of their most precious assets: the English language.Some officials are arguing for the EU to establish a “European English” as an official and equally legitimate language alongside what purists would call the “proper” version.“It’s time for the people in mainland Europe who have English as a second language to determine the future of English for the European Union,” Marko Modiano, a professor of English at the University of Gavle in Sweden, told Politico.Modiano proposes that the EU should take the lead in defining and promoting what he calls Euro-English, complete with its own “punctuation, spelling, some grammar, and some vocabulary”.But other linguists are pushing back, arguing that there are both practical and democratic reasons for preserving British English in the EU’s official communications and using it as a standard second language across the Continent.The EU’s policy of multilingualism aims to put all of the bloc’s 24 official languages on an equal footing, but with the expansion of the EU in recent decades, the reality is that English has become the lingua franca in Brussels. Before being translated into the bloc’s other languages, around 90% of EU legislation now starts life in English.And it’s not Euro-English or American English, it’s British English.The domination of English in Brussels is much to the chagrin of the French, who have frequently bemoaned the Anglo-Saxon takeover. But most officials say French is never coming back as the EU’s dominant language and multilingualism is not a practical way to communicate across the Continent.Modiano argues a sort of Euro-English is already developing. It may not always sound correct to a native speaker, but it should be embraced, he says.For Modiano, this is also about power. “Someone is going to have to step forward and say, ‘OK, let’s break our ties with the tyranny of British English and the tyranny of American English.’ And instead say ‘we are competent second-language speakers. This is our language.’”But Jeremy Gardner, former senior translator at the European Court of Auditors, said there is no need for a new model, and warned that diverging from British English could be damaging.The reality is the average European citizen wants to speak in “proper” English not some peculiar European construct.Gardner argued that schoolchildren and other learners across the EU want to learn a form of English that is recognised the world over, saying, “They don’t want a model that will help them communicate with a professor in Sweden.”Another stumbling block for Euro-English is the fact that, in Ireland and Malta, the EU still has two countries where English is an official language. This makes a shift away from “proper” English even less probable.“We certainly would not want the non-English speaking member states to impose on Ireland a kind of English that Irish people can’t understand,” a highly placed EU official said.“In any case, we have no plans to use a new Euro version of English.”


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Views from a non on Bumi allocations in Budget 2022

In a few days, the government will table next year’s budget in Parliament, the second since the Covid-19 pandemic hit our shores.As many anticipate, the focus will be on those still adversely affected by the pandemic and carrying out initiatives aligned with the 12th Malaysia Plan.Going by the experience of previous budgets, a controversy that almost always crops up is the distribution of benefits between Bumiputeras and non-Bumiputeras.This issue has always been somewhat of a hot potato, especially when comparisons are made of the allocations for institutions like schools, places of worship or agencies like Mara.After decades of debate over this issue, perhaps it is time for us to stop looking at it through racially tinted glasses. It is certainly not easy to do, especially with politicians expected to stoke ethnic sentiments and chase after brownie points.Any government aid should be based on need. And the government has been doing that through intervention policies like cash aid for the B40 or the wage subsidy to help employers retain jobs. These policies or programmes are devoid of any racial bias.The reality is that the Bumiputera make up the majority of this country. Although affirmative policies have created a bigger Bumiputera middle class as well as more graduates and professionals, generally speaking there is still much catching up to do economically vis-a-vis other communities, particularly in terms of mean monthly household income, home ownership and equity ownership.The Covid-19 pandemic has also adversely impacted the Bumiputera community’s economy and income more than other races. The number of unemployed graduates increased by 22.5% to 202,400 in 2020 compared to 165,200 in the previous year. Out of this figure, 70% of were Bumiputera graduates.There is one simple reasoning: If the Bumiputeras, being the majority race, fall behind, the whole country will also fall behind. If the Bumiputeras advance economically, the country as a whole – and by extension, all races – will also advance.I have no idea what Budget 2022 will entail in terms of allocations to uplift the standards of living among the different communal groups. But we should not get overly worked up when we come across terms like “Bumiputera allocation”. Instead, we should scrutinise closer as to what such allocations truly means especially from a macro perspective.As far as we know, billions of ringgit in business-centric measures introduced through the numerous pandemic packages have naturally benefited specific races, simply because of their higher involvement in the business sector. Recently the human resources minister revealed that over RM18 billion was spent on the wage subsidy programme, benefitting over 300,000 employers. Now, how many Chinese business owners benefited compared to Bumiputera owners?We can already deduce the answer through the well-known fact that the Chinese form the majority in SME ownership. My own Chinese relatives in the business sector can testify to having benefited from such measures in the past 18 months. And they appreciate the wage subsidy which has proven to be a lifeline for many during the various lockdowns. Let us not even start on the billions provided for low-cost SME funds and other measures since the pandemic started in 2020.Instead of nit-picking on who gets the larger slice of a small pie, our priority should be on working together to ensure that the economy recovers, so that we can generate growth and enlarge the economic pie for the benefit of the many. The proviso to my saying all this is that the government must, however, be cognisant that poverty still exists in all communities regardless of race and creed, and that those who need to be helped should get the assistance they deserve from their government.For the sake of the bigger aspirations of this nation, let us not begrudge one another but set our sights on the long road ahead. Inequality still exists in many places, so let us work together with understanding and kindness, to create a far more equitable Malaysia.The views expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the position of MalaysiaNow.


The ‘hidden epidemic’ lurking behind everyday life

Dismissing mental health disorders as a ploy for attention or a condition that can be “snapped out of” could lead to a “hidden epidemic” of individuals afraid of seeking help, a mental illness NGO warns.Mental Illness Awareness and Support Association president Anita Abu Bakar said these perceptions are still the norm, along with the belief that mental health disorders are a choice or even a trend with the younger generation.But she warned that this response could further exacerbate the situation for such individuals.“People think it (the disorder) will go away. Unfortunately, that’s not the case.”“Being stigmatised and discriminated against by others, or simply not having adequate health literacy to understand that they need help – things might end up badly for them,” she told MalaysiaNow.According to international psychiatric journal Asia-Pacific Psychiatry, depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia are among the most common diagnoses of mental health disorders.Malaysian Mental Health Association executive director Cheong Sue Jen refers to them as “the flu and fever” of mental health – and, according to her, they are not something that can be made to disappear completely.“People think it (the disorder) will go away. Unfortunately, that’s not the case,” she said.With a good support system in place, a gradual recovery is possible. Even then, this does not mean an absence of symptoms but rather the ability to manage them.“If all the contributing factors are good, then it will be manageable,” she told MalaysiaNow.“But once one of them is triggered, the symptoms might come back.”‘Weak’Dr Ooi Soon Ming, a psychiatrist at Hospital Miri, said the general perception of people who struggle with mental health disorders is that they are weak, lacking in faith, or just incapable of working out their issues.“Families and individuals who suffer from mental illness tend to hide it, suppress it and condemn it until it’s too late.”He, too, believes in the power of a good support system.“If communities are more accepting of mental illness, the challenges of the family and individual can be sufficiently addressed and attended to,” he said.According to last year’s National Health and Morbidity Survey, the prevalence of depression among Malaysian adults was 2.3% – about half a million individuals.The survey said 2.7% of the B40 community, 1.7% of the M40 community, and 0.5% of the T20 community are depressed.A total of 424,000 Malaysian children have mental health or behavioural problems, with higher prevalence rates observed among those in the age bracket of 10-15 years (9.5%), children from the B40 group (9.2%), those from rural areas (8.8%) and girls (8.4%).But treating mental health disorders can be a problem, due in part to the shortage of mental health professionals in Malaysia.“Families and individuals who suffer from mental illness tend to hide it, suppress it and condemn it until it’s too late.”Anita told MalaysiaNow that there were 52,000 individuals per counsellor as of this year. The psychiatrist-to-individual ratio meanwhile stands at 1.27:100,000 while the clinical psychologist-to-individual ratio was 0.29:100,000 as of 2017.There is also a lack of anti-discriminatory laws and practices, access to free or affordable mental health care, and attention to the psychosocial development of children and adolescents.If left untreated, Ooi said, mental illnesses would become worse and spread to more areas of life.But Cheong also notes the existence of what is known as high-functioning depression, where those with disorders can still be productive in the workplace while battling their illnesses.More relevant than everThe subject of mental health disorders has been thrown into sharp relief by the Covid-19 pandemic, which saw a movement restriction order enforced for three months earlier this year.Since then, conditional and targeted lockdowns have been implemented in various parts of the country as authorities continue to battle the surge in new cases.Anita said the pandemic had affected the mental health of many.The government’s psychosocial hotline alone received 11,791 calls as of August, while the national fire and rescue department attended to 88 attempted suicides between March and July, successfully intervening in 78.But there is also a silver lining: “Unfortunately and fortunately, we are now able to talk about mental health and mental health issues and disorders in a big way.”Cheong said the mushrooming of cases during the various lockdowns showed that many had been living with suppressed symptoms.“They were distracted by their daily routines,” she said. “They go to work, they run errands, they take care of their families and they end up not acknowledging the symptoms they have.“But when you are locked down at home, you can’t escape, and you’re forced to look into these symptoms.”Still, it remains to be seen how many will venture forth to seek help.“Many individuals remain quiet about it for fear of ridicule,” Ooi says.“I have had more than a few encounters, even with healthcare personnel who are afraid to consult us for mental health issues as they do not want to leave a record.”


Russia says Sputnik V virus vaccine 92% effective

Russia’s Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine is 92% effective according to initial test results, its developers said on Wednesday, as Moscow races against its competitors in the West.The calculations were based on results from 16,000 individuals who received both doses of the vaccine, Russia’s health ministry, the state-run Gamaleya research centre and the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) said in a statement.“The Sputnik V vaccine had an efficacy rate of 92% after the second dose,” the statement said, after 20 of the volunteers, some of whom were given the placebo, tested positive for coronavirus.The adenovirus vector-based vaccine uses modified viruses of the regular flu.Some of those vaccinated experienced “pain at the injection site, flu-like syndrome including fever, weakness, fatigue and headache,” the statement said.Russia in August became the first country to register a coronavirus vaccine but did so ahead of the large-scale clinical trials that are still underway.Forty thousand volunteers at 29 medical centres are taking part in the third and final phase of Sputnik V trials.In September, the vaccine was separately administered to medics and other at-risk people working in Russian hospitals, demonstrating an efficacy rate of “over 90%,” the statement said.Regional authorities in Siberia’s Altai region on Tuesday said that at least three medics out of the 42 that received the vaccine had contracted the virus.Wednesday’s statement added that the interim research data will be published in one of the world’s “leading peer-reviewed medical academic journals”.Observation of trial participants will continue for six months, after which the full clinical trial report will be presented, it added.The statement said that RDIF, which is funding development of Sputnik V, will provide research data to countries that are interested in purchasing the Russian vaccine.Overseas trials are also taking place in the UAE, Venezuela, Belarus and other countries, the statement said.The announcement of Sputnik V’s interim results comes days after Western vaccine developers Pfizer and BioNTech said that their vaccine was more than 90% effective.


1,317 new cases, nearly half in Selangor, Sarawak

Another 1,317 Covid-19 cases were recorded today, taking total confirmed infections in the country to 362,173.Sarawak recorded 351 cases followed by Selangor (303), Kuala Lumpur (116), Penang (112) and Sabah (109).Negeri Sembilan recorded 63 cases, Johor 61, Kelantan 58, Kedah 47, Pahang 32, Terengganu 22, Perak 21, Melaka 11, Putrajaya nine and Perlis two.Active cases stand at 15,835 with 188 in the ICU and 84 in need of respiratory assistance.Ten new clusters were detected;1. Leepang (Rompin in Pahang; 62 screened, 23 positive)2. Indera Mahkota Tiga (Kuantan in Pahang; 145 screened, 16 positive)3. Industri Balakong Lapan (Hulu Langat in Selangor; 202 screened, 56 positive)4. Jalan Perjiranan Empat (Johor Bahru and Kulai in Johor; 285 screened, 19 positive)5. Jalan Stadium Empat (Kota Bharu, Bachok, Pasir Mas, Pasir Puteh and Tumpat in Kelantan; 263 screened, 35 positive)6. Ara Murni (Hulu Terengganu, Kuala Terengganu, Marang, Setiu and Kuala Nerus in Terengganu; 156 screened, 16 positive)7. Persiaran Salahuddin (Putrajaya and Sepang in Selangor; 92 screened, 10 positive)8. Kabu (Baling, Kota Setar, Kuala Muda and Kulim in Kedah; 59 screened, 21 positive)9. Kampung Paya Pulai (Temerloh in Pahang; 44 screened, 10 positive)10. Jalan Canning Estate (Kinta in Perak; 60 screened, 39 positive)Eight others ended, leaving 345 active clusters across the country.Another 1,052 patients were discharged, bringing total recoveries to 345,005.However, four more deaths were reported, pushing the virus toll to 1,333.


No withdrawals by Najib despite billions deposited in his accounts, banker tells court

The Kuala Lumpur High Court was today told that Najib Razak never made any cash withdrawals from his personal bank accounts, despite the deposit of billions of ringgit.
Jalan Raja Chulan AmBank (M) Bhd branch manager R Uma Devi, 43, who confirmed this based on Najib’s bank statements, said the former prime minister did not issue any cheques under his name, either.
The 37th prosecution witness said this when cross-examined by Najib’s lead counsel Muhammad Shafee Abdullah at the former prime minister's corruption and money laundering trial involving RM2.3 billion belonging to 1MDB.
Uma Devi previously told the court that Najib had issued cheques for RM2,494,000 to various parties, namely Semarak Konsortium Satu Sdn Bhd (RM494,900), Yayasan Rahah (RM1 million), ORB Solutions Sdn Bhd (RM450,000), Mashi Publication Sdn Bhd (RM30,000) and Transformasi Kreatif (RM520,000).
Najib, 69, faces four charges of using his position to obtain bribes amounting to RM2.3 billion belonging to 1MDB and 21 charges of money laundering involving the same amount.
The hearing before judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah continues tomorrow.


Kelana Jaya LRT line back in service after 2-train collision

The Kelana Jaya LRT line began operating at 6am this morning using a single track and supported by a free shuttle bus service.Prasarana Malaysia Bhd, in a statement, said the service would operate with a train frequency of 10 minutes during peak hours and 30 minutes at other times, as well as a 50% capacity reduction, following the government’s announcement on stricter measures in the implementation of the movement control order.“Passengers are expected to have to wait a little longer than usual. However, the train frequency may be modified according to needs during the operation,” it said.To facilitate the movement of passengers during peak hours, five double-decker shuttle buses are provided, free of charge, with a frequency of between 15 and 20 minutes during peak hours, to ferry passengers to any station between Pasar Seni and Ampang Park.The line’s LRT service is expected to be fully restored within three days after clean-up and repair work is completed, including sanitation at KLCC Station and the surrounding area to prevent the spread of Covid-19.“Prasarana deeply regrets the incident and will continue to monitor the progress of passengers involved in yesterday’s incident and will give full cooperation to the authorities regarding the incident.“Rapid KL service users can now plan their journey more easily using the PULSE application which can be downloaded through the Google Play Store or Apple Store,” Prasarana added.In the 8.45pm incident yesterday, a total of 213 passengers were injured, 47 of them seriously, following a collision of two LRT trains on the Kelana Jaya line, which occurred in a tunnel between KLCC LRT Station and Kampung Baru LRT Station, involving one train carrying passengers and another train, which was said to have been test-driven following a fault, carrying only a driver.


Amazon to pay US$61.7 million to settle charges of withholding driver tips

Amazon has agreed to pay US$61.7 million to settle charges it withheld tips from its independent delivery drivers over two and a half years, US officials said Tuesday.The US Federal Trade Commission said the agreement settles a complaint that Amazon failed to give the full tip amounts to drivers in its Amazon Flex programme.“Rather than passing along 100% of customers’ tips to drivers, as it had promised to do, Amazon used the money itself,” said Daniel Kaufman, acting director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection.“Our action today returns to drivers the tens of millions of dollars in tips that Amazon misappropriated, and requires Amazon to get drivers’ permission before changing its treatment of tips in the future.”The settlement bars Amazon from misrepresenting driver earnings, pay or percent of tips paid to drivers, or changing its handling of tips without drivers’ consent, the FTC said.Amazon is one of several e-commerce firms that have been accused of misappropriating tips while promising to give the full amounts to drivers.According to the FTC’s administrative complaint, the company regularly advertised that drivers participating in the Flex program would be paid US$18 to US$25 per hour along with “100% of the tips you earn”.In late 2016, the FTC alleged, Amazon shifted to a lower hourly rate without disclosing this and used the customer tips to make up the difference. This resulted in hundreds of complaints from drivers, according to the agency.The company reverted to its previous policy in August 2019 after the FTC began its investigation, according to the complaint.An Amazon spokesman said in response to an AFP query: “While we disagree that the historical way we reported pay to drivers was unclear, we added additional clarity in 2019 and are pleased to put this matter behind us.”The company said its drivers “play an important role in serving customers every day, which is why they earn among the best in the industry at over US$25 per hour on average”.


Is Ambiga now against a clean govt, Sarawak MP asks after lawyer backs Mahfuz

A vocal Sarawak MP says he finds it “ridiculous” that a lawyer has joined hands with two Amanah MPs in rejecting Perikatan Nasional’s (PN) demand for a Cabinet free of corruption-tainted individuals.Saratok MP Ali Biju said the stand by Ambiga Sreenevasan, Mahfuz Omar and Hanipa Maidin questioning the validity of Ismail Sabri Yaakob’s majority support among MPs was not only in violation of the constitutional provision requiring the Agong to appoint a prime minister based on majority support, but also called into question their commitment to a clean government.“It is astonishing that Mahfuz, Hanipa, and Ambiga who was a former Bar president, have taken this extreme and illogical position; one would have thought that they would have warmly welcomed the support of PN for a clean government as well as the independence of judiciary. Instead their desperation for PH to take federal power has driven them all to a new low,” Ali said.This comes after Ambiga echoed the stand of Mahfuz in questioning the validity of the PN coalition’s stand that the 50 MPs under its banner would support Ismail’s candidacy for the top post as long as individuals facing corruption charges are not part of the administration.PN chairman Muhyiddin Yassin had also said that the next prime minister should uphold the principles of separation of powers, independence of judiciary and constitutional monarchy.But Mahfuz argued that such a condition made PN’s votes invalid, and cited a letter by the Dewan Rakyat speaker to MPs telling them to individually submit their choice of prime minister.The speaker, advising MPs on the format of their letters to the Agong, said they must clearly state their choice without any reservations besides ensuring confidentiality.Ali said the argument by opposition supporters was “absurd, baseless and a measure of PH’s desperation at failing to gather enough support to claim the post of prime minister”.He said the demands by PN meanwhile were based on the constitution.“Any coalition that takes power in Malaysia must in any event adhere to these conditions. No decent reasonable person, MP or political party, can possibly object to it.“Are Pakatan Harapan and Ambiga now against clean government and independence of the judiciary?” he asked.Ali said MPs in their meeting with the Agong yesterday had also reiterated their choice of prime minister.“Mahfuz, Hanipa and Ambiga totally disregard the purport of Article 43(2)(a), which is that the support for prime minister is gauged by the stand of members of the Dewan Rakyat individually,” he said, referring to a provision under constitution on the Agong’s duty to appoint as prime minister “who in his judgment is likely to command the confidence of the majority”.“And this stand has been disclosed to the king twice over by the MPs,” said Ali.


Open top Umno posts to competition, analysts say

Analysts have criticised the suggestion for the posts of president and deputy president to go uncontested at the Umno elections to come, following Barisan Nasional's (BN) move to join hands with Pakatan Harapan (PH) in the coalition government led by Anwar Ibrahim.
Speaking to MalaysiaNow, Azizi Safar said the support of Umno division leaders for the current president, Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, would be a decisive factor.
"Following the government's decision to discontinue political appointments for positions in government agencies, statutory bodies and government-related companies, only a few division leaders will reap the rewards of the spoils of war from the general election," he said.
"Can Zahid still 'buy' the support of division chiefs by offering them positions?"
Zahid had previously announced the reappointment of Machang Umno chief Ahmad Jazlan Yaakub as Felcra chairman.
However, the reappointment was subsequently postponed by the prime minister.
Azizi, a former executive secretary for Penang BN, said this had come as a blow to Umno.
Umno, which recently amended its constitution, must hold its party polls within six months of the general election.
Zahid became president at the 2018 election, defeating contenders Khairy Jamaluddin and Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah for the top post.
Mohamad Hasan meanwhile became deputy president, defeating Annuar Musa.
Most recently, Johor Umno deputy chairman Nur Jazlan Mohamed said there was no need to contest the top two positions, to prevent splits within the party.
The names bandied about as contenders for the presidency include former prime minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob and former defence minister Hishammuddin Hussein.
The practice of not contesting the Umno presidency began during the era of Dr Mahathir Mohamad, after the party was banned and then re-registered.
The top two posts went uncontested until Anwar ran against Ghabar Baba, becoming the deputy president.
Mazlan Ali of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia said Umno's history showed that it could be expected to split in the event of a contest at the highest level.
"Right now, the party has set a requirement for enough nominations to run for the highest office," he said.
"It's difficult for anyone to challenge the president and his deputy. This might be one of Umno's ways of avoiding division."
He also referred to the experience of PAS, which split after its elections in 2015 with several leaders leaving the Islamist party to form Amanah.
Azizi meanwhile said that the government led by Anwar, which has the support of 148 MPs, would remain intact even if a shake-up occurred in the Umno leadership.
"A number of Umno MPs will continue to support Anwar as prime minister," he said.
"The loyalty and support of his student and friends will not change," he added, referring to an exchange in an audio clip of a conversation between Anwar and Zahid after the Umno general assembly in 2021.
BN performed poorly at the November 2022 general election, winning just 30 seats in a historic low.
It later joined hands with PH to form a coalition government despite its long-held mantra of "No DAP, no Anwar", as well as objections from a number of top leaders.
Azizi said opening the top two posts to competition could put an end to the question of their legitimacy and Umno's support for Anwar.
"The competition for office would become a referendum for the support of the grassroots," he added.


Thousands given fake Covid jabs in India

Indian police said Friday that around 2,000 people were injected with fake Covid-19 vaccines in Mumbai, and another 500 – some of them disabled – may have suffered the same fate in a second major city.Vaccination rates rose sharply this week after the Indian government made shots free following a devastating pandemic surge in April and May.Police in Mumbai said that around 2,000 people who thought they were being vaccinated were in fact injected with a saline solution.Ten people had been arrested including two doctors at a private hospital in the financial hub, police told a news conference.Media reports said that the shots were given at nine different locations.Police in Kolkata meanwhile have arrested a man posing as a civil servant with a master’s degree in genetics who reportedly ran as many as eight spurious vaccination camps.Police said at least 250 disabled and transgender people were injected at one site, and that in total nearly 500 people may have been given counterfeit jabs across the city.Kolkata official Atin Ghosh said that the seized vials were falsely labelled as containing the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine, branded in India as Covishield.“It was found that the Covishield label was stuck over another label, that of Amikacin Sulphate 500mg, an antibiotic used to treat bacterial infections of the urinary tract, bones, brain, lungs and blood among others,” Ghosh told AFP.The scam came to light after an actress and politician, Mimi Chakraborty, who received a shot at one of the camps to raise awareness, became suspicious and alerted police.Police seized fake ID cards from the suspect, one of an information ministry official and another as a municipal commissioner. His car sported Kolkata government stickers.Debashis Barui, a Kolkata health official, said that many of those who had been injected were now “panicking” about the possible side effects.“If any emergency arises, civic authorities will organise medical camps in the area to take care of those who have had fake shots,” Barui told AFP.One of them, Ruma Sikdar, 35, said that she had been feeling drowsy and had discomfort in her arm.“What I am worried about is how to get the real dose before the third wave hits,” the home-maker said.“We didn’t think that this could happen when the world is battling the pandemic,” said student Debjit Majumdar, who also received the fake jab.


Flood victims top 36,000 in four states

The number of flood evacuees in four states has continued to rise, with those in Johor surpassing the 33,000 mark this morning.
In Johor, the flood situation worsened with the number of evacuees rising to 33,149 as of 8am today, compared to 28,486 at 8pm yesterday.
The state disaster management committee (SDMC) said in a statement that 19 more relief centres had been opened, bringing the total to 217 in all 10 districts.
Segamat is the worst affected district with 12,186 people from 3,519 families evacuated to 77 centres, followed by Kluang with 5,174 people from 1,507 families at 38 centres and Batu Pahat with 4,340 people from 1,174 families at 24 centres.
Also affected is Kota Tinggi with 3,689 people from 971 families at 19 centres, Muar (2,829 people from 836 families at 18 centres), Tangkak (1,999 people from 541 families at 19 centres), Johor Bahru (1,216 people from 356 families at six centres, Mersing (722 people from 214 families at eight centres), Kulai (630 people from 156 families at three centres), and Pontian (364 people from 90 families at five centres).
In Pahang, the SDMC secretariat reported that the number of evacuees this morning increased to 2,031 at 30 centres, compared with 1,769 at 27 centres last night.
Rompin continued to record an increase in the number of evacuees with 1,355 people evacuated to relief centres this morning compared to 1,068 last night.
The number of flood victims in other districts, namely Pekan (106), Jerantut (96), Raub (68) and Bera (29), remained the same.
However, the number of evacuees in Maran dropped to 355 from 402 last night while Temerloh became the latest district to be hit by floods with a relief centre opened early this morning to accommodate 22 people.
In Negeri Sembilan, state Civil Defence Force (APM) director Mohd Nazri Mes Kam said a total of 1,061 people from 301 families were placed in 12 centres in Tampin and Jempol as of 8am today. In Melaka, the number of evacuees rose to 144 people from 35 families as of 8am compared to 78 people from 20 families at 8pm yesterday.
In Sarawak, the number of evacuees in the Engkelili and Julau areas remained at 43 people from 18 families at two relief centres.


Johor Umno to help in Negeri Sembilan campaign

Johor Umno will be mobilised to help the campaign of its Negeri Sembilan counterpart in the coming state polls, says Johor Umno deputy chairman Ahmad Maslan.
"Johor has been assigned to help Negeri Sembilan. I hope all 26 divisions in this state will send those who are experienced and committed to help our friends.
"I would like to suggest that division chiefs go to their adopted divisions early and not wait until the dissolution of the state assembly or nomination day," he said at a press conference in Johor Bahru yesterday.
The Umno Supreme Council member said this when asked which state Johor had been assigned to help at the coming polls in Selangor, Penang, Negeri Sembilan, Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu.
Ahmad, who is also Pontian MP, said the Johor Umno machinery should go all out to help Negeri Sembilan Umno, just as Kedah Umno had assisted Barisan Nasional to win the last Johor election.


Cops offer up to 50% discount for summonses settled online

Police have introduced an app and online portal to allow those issued compounds or summonses to pay their fines directly online.Through the MyBayar Saman portal and app, to be launched by top cop Abdul Hamid Bador this afternoon, users can view their summonses and make payments with just a few clicks.Police are also offering an introductory 50% discount on summonses paid through either the portal (mybayar.rmp.gov.my) or the app, available on Google PlayStore and Apple Store, from today until April 11, subject to terms and conditions.This comes in the wake of an increase in maximum compound amount issued for violations of Covid-19 SOPs from RM1,000 to RM10,000.Those fined for breach of SOPs are also eligible for a 50% discount if the compound is paid within a week of the date of issue, and a 25% discount if it is paid in two weeks.


Academics tell how universities can shake off 2020

Covid-19 severely impacted higher institutions of learning in 2020, with campuses across the country closed down and face-to-face classes replaced by online lectures for much of the year.Working from home via video-link meant the computer screen became the new seminar room for both students and lecturers.Universities all across the world are being challenged by the same problems.For foreign students, as cases spiked globally, international flights were grounded and borders closed. It became difficult or impossible for students to enter the country in which they had registered to study.Malaysia is one of the most popular higher education destinations in Asia. It is home to several prestigious private universities as well as internationally ranked public universities.Students from around the world come to this country in search of good academic qualifications, and for many years universities have prospered on the fees they received from their international students, who are charged twice as much in tuition fees as Malaysians.The steady flow of international students prior to the pandemic was a major reason why higher institutions flourished for years.But now Covid-19 is pulling the rug out from under much of this.Public universities are mainly funded by the government, but private colleges and universities do not have that luxury and are being forced to find new ways to make money.Nik Safiah Abdul Karim, a former lecturer at Universiti Malaya, tells MalaysiaNow that the rapid growth of higher education Malaysia experienced before is now part of the problem.“The expansion of higher education in this country has been too fast to produce satisfactory results,” she says. “I also believe that there has been too much outside interference in the field of education.”She maintains that unsatisfactory academic results have weakened faith in the ability of universities to boost growth. People are questioning the quality not only of the graduates but also the teaching staff, the research facilities, and the suitability of courses to the needs of the country.The vice-chancellor of Asia e University, Hassan Said, says there are other ways universities can cope and even improve their product during the pandemic.“Universities can still enrol foreign students but they must facilitate their studies by means of an e-learning environment,” he tells MalaysiaNow. “They could start using a blended learning approach by offering courses with non-laboratory-based programmes via e-learning.”Hassan also has answers to the problem of earlier rapid expansion and poor productivity.“Shorter courses are needed, as companies want to reskill their staff in order to meet new job requirements. Innovations are required to move products to a new value chain, which requires high-level research and developments by the universities,” he says.The future of Malaysian universities is hard to predict. While public universities are expected to survive, some private universities – especially smaller ones – may go out of business due to lack of funding.Hassan says the future of universities could go either way. “If they start to adopt technology for the new learning requirements, optimise costs, bring new skill sets into their organisations and introduce new programmes for the new jobs this pandemic is creating, they will thrive.”But for Nik Safiah, it’s too soon to predict the future of Malaysian universities.Instead, she suggests developing digital learning, readjusting the structure of universities and ensuring a balance between e-learning and face-to-face communication.“I don’t see the immediate closing down of major public universities in this country. Neither do I expect the emergence of new institutions until we have recovered from the effects of Covid-19,” she tells MalaysiaNow.


No place for disruptive ethnocentric politics

There is no moral basis for accentuating the trend of ethnic polarisation and divisive identity politics capitalising on race and religion. Racism isn’t supported by Islamic teachings, value-based leadership or even science.In addition to Malaysia’s historical context, the fact that Malays make up more than 60% of the population by race and Muslims make up 61% of the population by religious beliefs provides the demographic basis for Malay rights, leadership and protection of the Islamic faith. However, this is not an excuse for discriminatory and polarising racial and religious rhetoric.Capitalising on the traditional collective memory of the romantic past, identity insecurities and demographic nature at the expense of others and using race and religion to push for personal interest and political gains is wrong.It has to be made clear that Islam is against racism, chauvinism and religious extremism. The Almighty declares in the Quran: “O mankind, We have created you male and female, and appointed you races and tribes, so that you may know one another. Surely the noblest among you in the sight of God is the most God-fearing of you (49:13).”Prophet Muhammad was reported in an authentic hadith (narration) to have said: “There is no superiority of an Arab over a non-Arab, or of a non-Arab over an Arab, and no superiority of a white person over a black person or of a black person over a white person, except on the basis of personal piety and righteousness.”The two undisputed sources for the Islamic perspective on the matter provide clear confirmation of racial equality, and that the true measure of one’s superiority over another is one’s spiritual and moral standing.Therefore, as far as political morality goes, it is clear that sowing hatred, promoting distrust and discord, injustice, corruption, blind pursuit of worldly desires and extravagance (especially at the expense of others) have gone beyond identity politics and are repugnant to the tenets of Islam.Any parties claiming to represent the “ummah” or to be defenders of Islamic principles must not be plagued with such “diseases”. Can a political party with leaders that are embroiled in court cases, corruption charges and convictions of criminal cases confidently and truthfully make this claim?Despite some historical grounds for such claims, loyalty and commitment should be to principles and praiseworthy values. Blind loyalty to a particular party that has lost its way cannot be justified through any moral lens.In addition to defending Islamic values and principles, Muslim leaders should ensure that non-Muslim fellow citizens under the administration of Malay leadership are not deprived of their rights.In Chapter 60 verse 7 to 9 of the Quran, The Almighty ordained: “It may be that Allah will grant love (and friendship) between you and those whom you (now) hold as enemies. For Allah has power (over all things); And Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful (60:7).”In Verse 8: “Allah forbids you not, with regard to those who fight you not for (your) Faith nor drive you out of your homes, from dealing kindly and justly with them: for Allah loves those who are just (60:8).”In Verse 9: “Allah only forbids you, with regard to those who fight you for (your) Faith, and drive you out of your homes, and support (others) in driving you out, from turning to them (for friendship and protection). It is such as turn to them (in these circumstances), that do wrong (60:9).”Thus, The Almighty ordained that Islam is against racism, chauvinism and ethnic prejudices. In fact, the verses encourage kindness to non-hostile non-Muslims.Unfortunately, under the incumbent polarising identity politics, even non-Malay Muslims could be in a dilemma without proper democratic accommodation of their minority position.Furthermore, divisive identity politics based on race and religion for the sake of votes is inherently unjust and discriminatory, and against the philosophy of effective “da’wah” (the act of inviting and calling people towards the truth, towards God, and towards the teachings of Islam) and goes against the core principle of justice in Islamic leadership.If anything, such dirty tactics which sow the seeds of hatred between ethnic and religious groups through polarising rhetoric and discrimination undermine the proper upholding of Islamic teachings, the proper representation (and therefore, dissemination) of Islam, as well as the overall efforts for peaceful co-existence and national unity.The issue does not only concern Muslims. Racial discrimination also goes against value-based leadership (VBL) which is applicable to all leaders. According to Mary Kay Copeland in an article published in the International Journal of Leadership Studies, VBL is a leadership philosophy that started to emerge from the early 1990s, catalysed by the extensive leadership failures due to moral and ethical deficiencies of leaders.Joseph P Hester, a retired educator, consultant and author of “Values-Based Leadership in a Time of Values Confusion” mentioned “service and moral acuity” as central to VBL. Hester quoted another author, Stephen Carter, in pointing that living a common life with others is a key characteristic of “servant leadership”.Thus, discrimination and polarisation are antithetical to VBL or servant-leadership practices. Hester acknowledged that servant leadership in a society with ethnic and religious diversity can be challenging, but it can be done. Relatedly, Hester mentioned the importance of a “moral anchor” to values.For Muslims, the moral-ethical source (or moral anchor as Hester puts it) of values is clearly defined and provided by religion. Thus, for Muslim leaders, the reason for the loss of good values in VBL is the loss of true understanding and practice of the source of value itself.It is one thing to not understand or practise the religion fully from a personal perspective, but it’s an entirely separate matter to “use” it as a divisive political tool to garner populist support in view of the unpredictable forthcoming GE15.Accordingly, VBL in politics fails according to the perspective of decent, rational, and peace-loving, multiracial people of Malaysia. Current grassroots generations that may have lost touch with higher values in Islamic teachings, nationalism, patriotism and other deeper values and principles (that were probably more present in Malaysia’s forefathers and true national leaders) would naturally gravitate to the actual “values” practised by some political leaders such as “warlordism”, political patronage, and money politics.Degradation (if not absence) of a moral compass which leads to the death of good values in VBL, combined with the historical trust deficit in the judiciary, allows questionable leadership (such as the so-called “court cluster”) to remain at the top of political parties, despite convictions of serious crimes and multiple corruption charges.For Muslims, religion clearly lays down the principles for social change or transformation. The Almighty decrees in the Quran: “Indeed, Allah will not change the condition of a people until they change what is in themselves (13:11).”Malay Muslims should take heed of the divine decree, which means that the internalisation and therefore true practice of Islamic teachings, and the collective improvement of the people in any matter of the worldly life (knowledge, skills etc) are the prerequisites for the change in the state or condition of a people. It is not rooted in perpetual political patronage which is not only discriminatory but also unsustainable.Instead of this realisation, what we witness is the never-ending ethnocentric division by leaders and people who are drowned in material pursuit and self-interest. And when issues related to Islam and Malays are challenged (due to weaknesses among Muslim leaders), the same “music” of identity insecurities gets played over and over again.For those who do not subscribe to religious and value-based leadership philosophies, hard-line discourse and narratives of chauvinism and racialism are not supported by science, either. Human beings are genetically 99.9% identical.An American Association of Physical Anthropologist statement on race and racism framed this perfectly, saying: “Notably, variants are not distributed across our species in a manner that maps clearly onto socially-recognised racial groups. This is true even for aspects of human variation that we frequently emphasise in discussions of race, such as facial features, skin colour and hair type. No group of people is, or ever has been, biologically homogeneous or ‘pure’. Furthermore, human populations are not – and never have been – biologically discrete, truly isolated, or fixed.”In other words, biologically we share more traits with one another than we share differences, despite outward appearances. Thus, in the Malaysian context, the term “pure” Malays or “pure” Chinese or “pure” Indians are more of a social construct rooted in culture and geography than a strict biological reality. In fact, there is genetic genealogical evidence suggesting a common ancestry for all humans, which could be aligned with the “Adam and Eve” central dogma of common human lineage mentioned in Abrahamic religions.The self-destruction due to divisive identity politics and the failure to uphold the true teachings of Islam and promote internal unity will be the undoing of Malays and Muslims. Given that this forms the majority of the Malaysian society, its impact will have far reaching consequences beyond its own sphere, negatively impacting the nation from the social, economic, and political perspective.Ameen Kamal is head of science & technology at independent think tank Emir Research.The views expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the position of MalaysiaNow.


Washington says US$5,800 bottle of whisky gifted by Japan is missing

The US State Department is looking into the whereabouts of a bottle of whisky worth US$5,800 given to former president Donald Trump’s secretary of state Mike Pompeo by the Japanese government in June 2019, according to a document made available on Wednesday.In the list of “overvalue gifts” received from foreign governments in 2019, the department said the disposition of the Japanese whisky is “unknown” and attached a footnote saying that it is “looking into the matter and has an ongoing inquiry”.It is unusual for the department to take the step of noting that the whereabouts of such gifts is unknown, according to The New York Times. Similar filings over the past two decades make no mention of any similar investigations, the NYT said.The list also mentioned that Matt Pottinger, then senior director for Asia at the US National Security Council, received a bottle of Japanese whisky worth US$8,374 in May 2019 from Yoshihide Suga, then chief Cabinet secretary and now prime minister.In Pompeo’s case, the New York Times reported that it was unclear whether he ever received the gift, as he was in Saudi Arabia on June 24, 2019, the day that Japanese officials gave it to the State Department.Government officials are often insulated by staff members who receive gifts and messages on their behalf, the newspaper said.American officials can keep gifts that are worth less than around US$400, but if they want to keep gifts worth more than that, they must purchase them, according to the NYT.Regarding both bottles of whisky, the document said “non-acceptance would cause embarrassment” to both the donor and Washington, and this is why such gifts are accepted.So wherever the whisky is now, face has been saved all round.


Torrential rains kill at least 15 in southwest China

Fifteen people are dead and four are missing after torrential rain lashed the Chinese metropolis of Chongqing, local officials and state media said Wednesday.
"The latest round of torrential rains since Monday had killed 15 people and left four others missing in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality as of 7am Wednesday," state news agency Xinhua said, citing local authorities, who confirmed the toll to AFP.
"The heavy rains, mainly seen in the areas along the Yangtze River, have triggered floods and geological disasters, disrupting the lives of more than 130,000 people in 19 districts and counties," Xinhua added.
The confirmation of casualties comes after officials on Tuesday put in place an alert for rain-triggered disasters across large swathes of central and southwestern China.
And President Xi Jinping ordered that "authorities at all levels must give top priority to ensuring people's safety and property", Xinhua said Wednesday.
"Xi underlined that leading officials at all levels must take the lead in fighting the floods, put the people's safety and property first, and strive to minimise all kinds of losses," the agency added.
In a sign of how extensive the damage is, workers on Tuesday discovered that a closed-off railway bridge on the outskirts of Chongqing had collapsed after it was "damaged by the impact of mountain torrents", state broadcaster CCTV said.
In neighbouring Sichuan province, authorities said more than 460,000 had been affected by the heavy rain this month, Xinhua reported.
About 85,000 people have been evacuated from their homes as a result of the rain, officials said, with "flash floods in mountainous areas" and "possible mudslides in some parts" of the country expected this week.
Scientists say that rising global temperatures – caused largely by burning fossil fuels – increase the likelihood of extreme weather events such as the flash floods and heatwaves experienced in many Asian countries in recent weeks.
The floods coincided with record heatwaves in other parts of China, with the country's National Meteorological Center warning residents in the capital Beijing and a dozen other regions to stay indoors with temperatures topping 35 degrees Celsius.
China recorded an average of 4.1 days in which temperatures exceeded 35 degrees every month in the first half of this year, the highest since national records began in 1961, according to a National Meteorological Center statement on Sunday.
In June, Beijing sweltered through a total of 14 days of temperatures exceeding 35 degrees, matching the record set in July 2000, according to the state-run Beijing Evening News.
This week's torrential rains in Chongqing represent one of the deadliest natural disasters to occur in China so far this year.
A deluge last November in the country's northwestern Qinghai province claimed 16 lives, affecting more than 6,200 people from six villages, state media reported at the time.


Covid deaths drop to double digits as 52.6% of people complete vaccination

The number of deaths due to Covid-19 in the country over the past 24 hours dropped to two digits for the first time since July 6.The health ministry said a total of 99 deaths due to Covid-19 were recorded yesterday.The same number of deaths was recorded on July 6.Meanwhile, the backlog in cases not previously reported totalled 292, bringing the total number of Covid-19 deaths in the country to 20,711.As of yesterday, 52.6% or 17,177,911 individuals had completed their Covid-19 vaccination.A total of 65.4% or 21,372,276 individuals have received at least one dose of vaccine, including recipients of the single-dose CanSino jab.In terms of daily vaccination rate, a total of 227,476 doses of vaccine were administered yesterday, bringing the total doses given through the National Covid-19 Immunisation Program to 38,488,051.


‘Sweet 16’ party becomes ‘superspreader’ event in New York

A 16th birthday party in New York state became a super-spreader event with dozens of attendees contracting coronavirus, according to officials.The Sept 25 shindig at the plush Miller Place Inn on Long Island left 37 people infected with Covid-19 and forced more than 270 into quarantine.Over 80 people attended the party, known as a “Sweet 16” in the US, well above the state’s 50-person limit. The venue has been closed temporarily and fined US$12,000, local officials said.“We’ve never seen a super-spreader event like this before in Suffolk County,” tweeted the area’s county executive on Wednesday.“People have to act responsibly so that we do not have another economic setback.”New York state has largely kept coronavirus under control in recent months after 33,000 residents died from the virus, mainly in the spring.But in recent weeks, infections have multiplied in some areas, especially in neighbourhoods with large Orthodox Jewish populations.Governor Andrew Cuomo closed non-essential businesses and capped places of worship at 10 people in the so-called red zones.New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio defended the measures on Thursday, citing tightened restrictions in Europe where cases are on the rise.“If for a few weeks we’re asking people to do something exceptional to help stop a problem from growing and stop it from spreading, I think that’s fair,” he said.


Trump booed by public at Ginsburg’s coffin

US President Donald Trump has paid his solemn respects to the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who died last week after a long battle against cancer.He and First Lady Melania Trump stood masked in black, silently marking the passing of the fighter for women’s rights, known by all as RBG.Hundreds of mourners gathered near the Supreme Court, most of them socially distanced and united in grief.Ex-President Bill Clinton who nominated Ginsburg to the Supreme Court also showed his respects at the flag-draped coffin.As the Trumps stood silently behind the casket, members of the public at the bottom of the court steps began booing and loudly chanting “Vote him out!”Many viewers in other countries were puzzled and appalled at the lack of respect shown by the vocal minority of onlookers whose behaviour prompted questions like, “Is this how Americans respect the dead in their coffins?”Of course, normally the answer is no – Americans are very respectful. But these are not normal times, and such is the hatred that Trump generates among far-left liberals who want to see him gone, they forget decorum and eschew respect.Ginsburg herself was of the political left, a lifetime liberal who championed equality. Some would say it’s curious that her political fellows would defile her memory in such a way.A block away, as Trump’s motorcade passed on the way back to the White House, other bystanders shouted, “Honour her wish!”“My most fervent wish is that I will not be replaced until a new president is installed,” Ginsburg had reportedly said, her granddaughter told the BBC.Questioned about the disruptive scenes later in the day, Trump said he could barely detect the boos.“I think that was just a political chant. We could hardly hear it from where we were,” Trump said. “We heard a sound, but it wasn’t very strong.”White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany dismissed the protesters. “The chants were appalling but certainly to be expected when you’re in the heart of the swamp,” she told reporters.Ginsburg, an associate justice who became a historic influence on the court and an American icon, died last Friday. She was 87.


Wagner chief to leave Russia in deal to ease crisis

The chief of the rebel Wagner mercenary force will leave Russia and won't face charges after calling off his troops' advance on Saturday, Moscow said, easing Russia's most serious security crisis in decades.
The feud between Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin and Russia's military brass came to a violent head in the past day, with his forces capturing a key army headquarters in southern Russia and then heading north to threaten the capital.
Within hours of Prigozhin's about-face, the Kremlin announced he would leave for Belarus and Russia would not prosecute either him or the group's members.
It had been a dramatic day of developments, with President Vladimir Putin warning against civil war, Moscow telling locals to stay off the streets and Kyiv revelling in the chaos engulfing its enemy.
The tide shifted suddenly when Prigozhin made the stunning announcement that his troops were "turning our columns around and going back to field camps" to avoid bloodshed in the Russian capital.
Prigozhin, who has feuded bitterly with Moscow's military leadership even as his outfit led parts of Russia's Ukraine offensive, said he understood the importance of the moment and did not want to "spill Russian blood".
Wagner troops cheered
By early Sunday Wagner had pulled fighters and equipment from Rostov-on-Don, where they had seized the military headquarters, said the regional governor.
But before they left, dozens of residents were cheering and chanting "Wagner! Wagner!" outside the military headquarters they had captured.
Authorities in the southern Lipetsk region announced the lifting of restrictions after earlier reporting Wagner fighters in their territory, where the local capital is just 420km south of Moscow.
Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko said he had negotiated a truce with Prigozhin, drawing thanks from Moscow.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov later told reporters that the "criminal case against him (Prigozhin) will be dropped. He himself will go to Belarus."
Peskov also said that members of Wagner who had taken part in what authorities termed an "armed rebellion" will not be prosecuted.
"Avoiding bloodshed, internal confrontation, and clashes with unpredictable results was the highest goal," Peskov added.
Kyiv revelled in the chaos that engulfed its enemy.
"Prigozhin humiliated Putin/the state and showed that there is no longer a monopoly on violence," presidential aide Mykhailo Podolyak said on Twitter.
While Russia claimed the rebellion had no impact on its Ukraine campaign, Kyiv said the unrest offered a "window of opportunity" as the nation pressed its long-awaited counter-offensive.
Moscow's warning
The US and its allies publicly stayed on the sidelines as officials waited to see how the revolt would play out.
US President Joe Biden spoke with the leaders of France, Germany and Britain amid concerns that Putin's control over the nuclear-armed country could be slipping.
Moscow issued a stiff warning to the US and allies to stay back.
"The rebellion plays into the hands of Russia's external enemies," the foreign ministry said.
Before Prigozhin's climbdown, Russian regular forces had launched what one regional governor called a "counter-terrorist operation" to halt the Wagner advance northwards up a main highway towards Moscow.
In the capital, the mayor urged Muscovites to stay indoors and declared Monday a day off work.
Security was tightened in the city centre, with armed men in flak jackets guarding the parliament building and Red Square closed off to the public.
"I don't know how to react. In any case it's very sad this is happening," 35-year-old Yelena told AFP, declining to give her last name.
The measures came after Prigozhin announced his troops had taken control of the military command centre and airbase in the southern city of Rostov-on-Don, the nerve centre of Russia's offensive in Ukraine.
'A blow to Russia'
Responding to the challenge in a televised address, Putin accused Prigozhin of a "stab in the back" that posed a threat to Russia's very survival.
"Any internal turmoil is a deadly threat to our statehood and to us as a nation. This is a blow to Russia and to our people," Putin said, demanding national unity.
"Extravagant ambitions and personal interests led to treason," Putin said, referring to Prigozhin, who began building his power base as a catering contractor.
Another Putin ally, Chechen strongman Ramzan Kadyrov, declared that he had dispatched his own units to help quash the Wagner rebellion.
Armed Wagner fighters deployed around administrative buildings in Rostov and tanks were seen in the city centre.
As the insurrection force headed north through Voronezh and Lipetsk towards Moscow, the capital's mayor announced that "anti-terrorist" measures were being taken.
Critical facilities were "under reinforced protection", TASS reported, citing a law enforcement source.
While Prigozhin's outfit fought at the forefront of Russia's offensive in Ukraine, he repeatedly blamed Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and Valery Gerasimov, chief of the general staff, for his fighters' deaths.


ChatGPT-maker says doubling down on preventing AI from 'going rogue'

ChatGPT's creator OpenAI plans to invest significant resources and create a new research team that will seek to ensure its artificial intelligence remains safe for humans - eventually using AI to supervise itself, it said on Wednesday.
"The vast power of superintelligence could... lead to the disempowerment of humanity or even human extinction," OpenAI co-founder Ilya Sutskever and head of alignment Jan Leike wrote in a blog post. "Currently, we don't have a solution for steering or controlling a potentially superintelligent AI, and preventing it from going rogue."
Superintelligent AI - systems more intelligent than humans - could arrive this decade, the blog post's authors predicted. Humans will need better techniques than currently available to be able to control the superintelligent AI, hence the need for breakthroughs in so-called "alignment research," which focuses on ensuring AI remains beneficial to humans, according to the authors.
OpenAI, backed by Microsoft, is dedicating 20% of the compute power it has secured over the next four years to solving this problem, they wrote. In addition, the company is forming a new team that will organise around this effort, called the Superalignment team.
The team's goal is to create a "human-level" AI alignment researcher, and then scale it through vast amounts of compute power. OpenAI says that means they will train AI systems using human feedback, train AI systems to assistant human evaluation, and then finally train AI systems to actually do the alignment research.
AI safety advocate Connor Leahy said the plan was fundamentally flawed because the initial human-level AI could run amok and wreak havoc before it could be compelled to solve AI safety problems.
"You have to solve alignment before you build human-level intelligence, otherwise by default you won't control it," he said in an interview. "I personally do not think this is a particularly good or safe plan."
The potential dangers of AI have been top of mind for both AI researchers and the general public. In April, a group of AI industry leaders and experts signed an open letter calling for a six-month pause in developing systems more powerful than OpenAI's GPT-4, citing potential risks to society. A May Reuters/Ipsos poll found that more than two-thirds of Americans are concerned about the possible negative effects of AI and 61% believe it could threaten civilisation.


Be humane in enforcing SOPs, PM tells authorities

Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin today urged enforcement agencies to exercise prudence in ensuring that members of the public comply with Covid-19 health SOPs, in the wake of news that a burger seller in Kelantan had been fined RM50,000 for violating the movement control order (MCO).“I understand the difficulties faced by the people in finding a source of income to ensure their survival in this pandemic situation,” he said in his speech at the launch of the Covid-19 Green Zone Community Competition.“Some try to run small businesses to cover their expenses, selling burgers, snacks, drinks or the harvest from their crops.“They are not company owners or large business establishments. They are only licensed to run their own small businesses.”While a firm hand is needed to ensure that rules are obeyed, he said there must also be discretion and a sense of humanity on the part of the authorities so that efforts to educate the community will be met with greater acceptance.“This is very important, especially in this pandemic situation which has had a huge impact on people’s lives,” he said.The burger seller in Kelantan was slapped with the maximum compound on Sunday for breaching the MCO, including by operating his stall beyond the permitted hour of 10pm.The health ministry said yesterday that it would re-evaluate the man’s case and look into whether to give him a reduction or exemption.Health Minister Dr Adham Baba also said that the ministry’s purpose in enforcing the law and issuing compounds was to educate and not merely to punish.“The ministry views this as a special case and it needs to be addressed immediately,” he said in a statement.


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PN banking on surprise win in Negeri Sembilan

In 2018, Pakatan Harapan (PH) took the country by surprise when it toppled the government led by Umno deputy president Mohamad Hasan in Negeri Sembilan, a state long seen as a Barisan Nasional (BN) stronghold.
At the historic election which saw BN ousted from federal power for the first time since independence, PH won 20 seat states to BN's 16, and Aminuddin Harun from PKR was installed as menteri besar instead.
Now, with Negeri Sembilan on the brink of election once more, the question is whether PH will be able to defend its hold on the state, where Malays form the majority of more than 60% of the electorate.
Many believe that BN will be able to make a comeback, a view reinforced by the results of last year's general election where BN won five parliamentary seats in the state compared to PH's three.
The voting pattern according to demographics shows BN with the upper hand in rural areas such as Rembau, Jelebu, Jempol, Kuala Pilah, and Tampin.
In more developed areas like Seremban, Port Dickson, and Rasah, meanwhile, PH continues to hold sway.
This time around, though, there will be a third contender in the running: Perikatan Nasional (PN), which came from behind at the Nov 19 polls to win a sizeable chunk of the Malay vote.
While PN does not currently hold any seats in the state legislative assembly, speculation is swirling over whether it will be able to pull off the same stunt at the state level, replacing BN as the coalition of choice for rural Malay voters and ousting PH at the administrative level.
Ahmad Faizal Azumu, PN's newly appointed chairman in Negeri Sembilan, is confident that the coalition will be able to expand its influence in the state.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with MalaysiaNow, he said this was especially so as Umno had joined hands with DAP at the federal level – a move he described as unpalatable for many of the state's rural voters.
While nothing is certain, he expects the situation to give PN the edge and allow it to put up a good fight.
"We believe that today, sentiments especially among the Malays, not only in Negeri Sembilan but throughout the country, have changed direction, what more when parties which previously represented the Malays like Umno are now working with their enemy DAP," he said.
Election plans
According to Faizal, the deputy president of Bersatu, the distribution of seats in the state is complete and will be announced at the appropriate time.
He said every PN component party including Bersatu, PAS and Gerakan would be involved with candidates from a variety of backgrounds.
On Bersatu's offer of membership to former Umno man Khairy Jamaluddin, Faizal said PN would do well in Negeri Sembilan with or without the help of the one-time Rembau MP.
However, he acknowledged that Khairy's presence would make a difference in PN's support in the state.
"We don't think about individual leaders," he said.
"To us, the main thing is the interests of the people. That is the basis of our struggle.
"If Khairy wants to join us, good. If not, the struggle will still continue."
Faizal also confirmed that he would not be PN's candidate for menteri besar, saying a local candidate will be chosen if the coalition receives the mandate in Negeri Sembilan.
"It won't be me because I will not be contesting," he said.
"I am only taking over the chairmanship of PN in the state so that I can help the local leaders focus on their respective areas.
"We would welcome the support of big names like Khairy. But what we have now is enough to attract support on our own."


Covid-19 vaccine not a green light for GE15, says health expert

While the first deliveries of Covid-19 vaccines are expected to hit Malaysian shores next month, this is no guarantee that the 15th general election (GE15) can be held this year as demanded by Umno, a health expert warns as daily case numbers continue to rise, topping 3,000 in a new high on Thursday.Dr Zainal Ariffin Omar, president of the Malaysian Public Health Physicians’ Association, also cautioned that vaccinating the people would take a long time, perhaps up to a year to reach the government’s target of 80%.“In the early stages, the vaccine will only be given to frontline workers, not the general public.“Most people will still be vulnerable to infection,” he told MalaysiaNow, adding that it would take some time for the vaccines to result in a decline in case numbers.On Wednesday, the Umno Supreme Council urged the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government to dissolve Parliament to pave the way for a general election to be held within the first quarter of the year.Its call sparked a strong reaction from the public which has been grappling with daily new cases in the four-figure range.“The Sabah polls are the best example of the consequences for the people as well as the country.”More than a dozen MPs from seven opposition parties also condemned the plan, accusing Umno of wanting to use fresh elections “as a trump card to grab more power at the expense of Malaysians’ well-being and health safety”.If an election is held now, Zainal said, the country would need to prepare for a spike in infections, as had occurred after the Sabah state election last year.“It would be best to avoid holding GE15 for now,” he said. “The Sabah polls are the best example of the consequences for the people as well as the country.”Even vaccines would not be able to halt the spread of Covid-19 within communities in such a short period of time, he added.“So whatever the case, the best way to prevent the spread of infection is to follow SOPs such as observing physical distancing, wearing face masks and avoiding crowded places – all of which will be jeopardised if a general election is held in the near future.”“Political stability will not be achieved even if GE15 is held some time soon.”He said it made no sense for politicians to cite the example of other countries that had held elections in the midst of the pandemic in order to justify their pressure on the government to dissolve Parliament.“The US with its high case load and death toll is the best example,” he said. “We don’t need to risk the country and the people.“Politicians should think rationally. Political stability will not be achieved even if GE15 is held some time soon.”Last week, Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi accused the Perikatan Nasional government led by Muhyiddin Yassin of being afraid to hold a general election.Addressing Umno members at his Bagan Datuk division, he questioned the view that a general election should not be held during the pandemic.“More than 30 countries have already done so. Why is Malaysia afraid? I think that we’re not worried about Covid-19, but about other things,” he said.But Zainal urged MPs to think rationally about what to prioritise in life.“Think well,” he said. “Where are our priorities? They should go ask their voters, what do the people want?“Strive for political stability with unity and tolerance. Don’t gamble with the lives and health of the people.”


Ismail as GE ‘poster boy’, a ploy by Umno to dissolve Parliament?

Any questions about who Umno and Barisan Nasional (BN) would put forward as their candidate for prime minister were answered this week, when the country’s biggest Malay party unanimously agreed to name Ismail Sabri Yaakob as its “poster boy” for the 15th general election (GE15).The announcement put to rest speculation swirling about other possible names including Umno deputy president Mohamad Hasan, who had previously voiced his interest in contesting a seat in Parliament.However, it also gave rise to further questions about whether the move was part of a ploy by the Umno court cluster to get Ismail’s consent for the dissolution of Parliament, to pave the way for early polls.Oh Ei Sun, an analyst at the Singapore Institute of International Affairs, believes this might be the case.“It must have been a compromise struck by the mainstream Umno faction with Ismail, who now has no more excuse to delay the general election,” Oh said.“In a sense, he has been checkmated.”Speaking to MalaysiaNow, Oh added that the move did not mean Ismail could now rest on his laurels.“There could be a thousand and one reasons or grounds not to make him prime minister after Umno wins, especially if it wins big,” he said, adding that a similar situation had played out in Johor, where Hasni Mohammad was touted as BN’s candidate for menteri besar but unexpectedly replaced with Onn Hafiz Ghazi.Awang Azman Awang Pawi of Universiti Malaya meanwhile agreed that Umno appeared to be trying to speed up the holding of GE15.However, he said this did not mean that Ismail would end up sharing the same fate as Hasni.“The likelihood of this happening cannot be determined as the final say lies with the Yang di-Pertuan Agong,” he said.Umno strategy?Kartini Aboo Talib of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia said the announcement was part of Umno’s strategy to reassure the people who were growing accustomed to Ismail’s leadership.He said the Bera MP was also being used as bait to attract the support of voters.“Ismail might be able to defend his parliamentary seat through his dedication and successful management of the country so far,” he said.“But Umno should realise that the trend in the appointment of the prime minister is changing – it’s no longer a given that the person must be the Umno president.”He said the appointment would be made openly, determined through the support of the majority of MPs and agreed to by the Agong through Articles 40 (2) and 43 (2)(a) of the Federal Constitution.Umno in a statement on April 14 had also ruled out any extension of the memorandum of understanding (MoU) inked between the government and Pakatan Harapan (PH) last year.Awang said the position of the MoU had become more fragile following Umno’s announcement of Ismail as its prime ministerial candidate.Oh meanwhile said the opposition did not appear ready for an election.“Voters have long since rejected them, and many have returned to their support of BN. This will not change barring a big scandal or a misstep by the government bloc,” he said.Kartini meanwhile referred to a recent statement by Permatang Pauh MP Nurul Izzah Anwar which he said encapsulated the condition of the opposition, in particular PH.“She said PH would need more than 10 years to make a comeback,” he said.“This means PH has lost even before it contests. The opposition will face its share of challenges at GE15.”


Indonesia receives over a million Chinese Covid-19 vaccine doses

Indonesia has received 1.2 million doses of a Covid-19 vaccine made by China’s Sinovac, officials said, as the world’s fourth most populous nation struggles to get soaring case rates under control.The doses arrived in Jakarta late Sunday on a flight from Beijing, with another 1.8 million expected to be sent again next month.Although Chinese regulators have yet to clear any of country’s vaccines for mass distribution, they have approved some advanced candidates for emergency use.On Monday, Indonesia’s Covid-19 response team chief Airlangga Hartarto said the first batch of doses will be examined by the food and drug agency, with plans to distribute them to medical workers and other high-risk groups.The country’s top Muslim clerical body, the Indonesia Ulema Council (MUI), will also check the first consignment, officials said – to ensure it meets halal requirements in the world’s largest Muslim-majority nation.Late Sunday, President Joko Widodo welcomed the delivery.“We are grateful that the vaccine is now available and we can immediately prevent the spread of the Covid-19 outbreak,” he said.“(But) I have to reiterate, first, that all procedures must be followed properly to ensure public health and safety, and the efficacy of the vaccine,” he added.In August, Indonesia launched human trials of the Sinovac-made jab, with around 1,600 volunteers taking part in the six-month study.The Indonesian government has paid some 637 billion rupiah (US$45 million) for the three million Sinovac doses. Another 100,000 are set to be delivered by another Chinese firm, CanSino.China has promised to make its vaccines available as a “global public good” as it seeks to counter global criticism for its early handling of the pandemic.“We expect that multilateral vaccines (from other countries) will also start to arrive gradually in 2021,” Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said Monday.Indonesia has been in talks with other pharmaceutical firms, including UK-based AstraZeneca.The country is one of the Asian nations worst hit by the pandemic, with Covid-19 infections topping 575,000, and more than 17,000 deaths.However, the true scale of the crisis is widely believed to be much bigger, as the country has one of the world’s lowest testing rates.


From Sri Lanka, hazardous waste now sailing back to Britain

Twenty-one containers full of rubbish and hazardous waste which the UK shipped to Sri Lanka are now on their way back.They departed Sri Lanka on Saturday, bound for Britain.The containers were supposed to contain used mattresses, carpeting and rugs destined for recycling, but were discovered to also contain hospital waste, plastic and polythene, officials said.Customs did not reveal the type of hospital waste, but previous illegally imported containers had included rags, bandages and body parts from mortuaries, according to officials.The 21 containers were part of a shipment of 242. The remaining 221 are abandoned at a free trade zone outside Colombo.The UK Environment Agency said it was committed to tackling illegal waste exports.A spokesman said, “We are in contact with the Sri Lankan authorities and have requested more information which would allow us to launch a formal investigation.”In recent years, several Asian countries have reconsidered being the wealthy world’s rubbish dump.Since China stopped importing foreign waste, countries such as Malaysia began to take up the slack by importing more, usually illegally.But in January, Malaysia sent 42 containers of imported plastic waste back to the UK after disposing of it in illegal factories caused significant pollution problems and consequent protests.