8 daerah Sabah diisytihar kawasan wabak ‘demam babi Afrika’

Lapan daerah iaitu Pitas, Beluran, Kinabatangan, Lahad Datu, Kota Marudu, Sandakan, Telupid dan Tongod disytiharkan sebagai kawasan penularan Demam Babi Afrika (ASF) di Sabah, kata Timbalan Ketua Menteri Jeffrey Kitingan.Kitingan, yang juga menteri pertanian dan perikanan Sabah berkata jangkitan virus ASF yang menyerang ternakan babi dan babi hutan itu turut dikesan di Tawau dan Nabawan, namun kedua-dua daerah ini belum diisytiharkan sebagai kawasan wabak.Beliau berkata setakat 18 Apri lepas, sejumlah 398 babi dilupuskan sementara 535 ekor lagi mati disebabkan ASF.“Jabatan perkhidmatan veterinar Sabah (JPVS) menjalankan 234 kempen kesedaran di 14 daerah, yang bukan sahaja untuk mendidik masyarakat tentang penyakit ini, tetapi juga menunjukkan usaha kerajaan dalam memastikan wabak ini tidak menular ke daerah lain.“Walaupun Sandakan diisytiharkan sebagai kawasan wabak ASF, namun wabak ini belum lagi merebak ke ladang pengeluaran babi utama di daerah itu. Virus ASF ini hanya membawa maut kepada babi, namun ia tidak berbahaya kepada manusia,” katanya dalam kenyataan di Kota Kinabalu hari ini.Kitingan berkata, JPVS melaksanakan peraturan baru untuk melindungi babi komersial, termasuk mendapatkan permit khas daripada jabatan itu untuk membolehkan babi hidup dan produk babi dipindahkan dari satu kawasan ke kawasan lain.“Gerai menjual daging babi yang dijangkiti virus ASF akan ditutup sehari untuk melaksanakan kerja-kerja kontaminasi dan pembersihan, manakala produk daging babi hanya akan dijual setelah disaring dan didapati bebas daripada virus ASF.“Penternakan babi yang disyaki menjadi punca babi dijangkiti ASF pula akan dikuarantin sehingga tujuh hari untuk membantu siasatan,” katanya.


Philippines confirms African swine fever outbreak in Cebu

The Philippines' agriculture department on Wednesday confirmed an outbreak of African swine fever in central Cebu province, and has deployed response teams to detect the extent of infection.
The department's Bureau of Animal Industry said 58 out of 149 blood samples from Carcar City in Cebu tested positive for the diseases, which is not harmful to humans but is highly contagious among pigs.
The latest outbreak adds to the list of active African swine fever cases in 12 of the Southeast Asian country's more than 80 provinces, based on the agriculture department's latest data.
"All swine raisers and stakeholders are encouraged to report any unusual pig mortalities and sickness to their respective agriculture/veterinary offices," the bureau said in a statement.
African swine fever was first detected in the Philippines in 2019, prompting the culling of thousands of pigs since then and significantly reducing the domestic hog population.
Reduced domestic pork supply prompted the Philippines to ramp up meat importation as local prices shot up, adding pressure on inflation.


No uniform, no problem, says Putrajaya ahead of school reopening

The education ministry today said students who have yet to obtain their uniforms by the time school reopens in March will be allowed to wear tidy and appropriate clothes to school for the first few weeks.It said permission would be given for this from March 1 to 26, until the mid-term break for the 2021 school year.Standard 1 and 2 pupils in the country will return to school on March 1, while other primary students will start school the week after.Secondary students meanwhile will start attending school on April 4, except for those in Form 5 who will start classes on March 8.The ministry said it had received many inquiries from parents about the rules for school uniforms once students return to the classroom.“Students do need to wear uniforms to attend school, as laid out in the Ikhtisas Circular Letter No. 3/1983 on School Uniforms of Pupils,” it said.“But taking into consideration the current circumstances, the ministry would like to announce that students who have not obtained their school uniforms may attend school wearing tidy and appropriate clothing instead.”It voiced hope that this would allow all students to return to school to resume face-to-face lessons.


New infections dip below 2,500 as another 5 deaths reported

Another 2,491 Covid-19 cases were recorded yesterday, taking total confirmed infections in the country to 4,774,003.
There were 3,715 recoveries, taking total recoveries to 34,508.
There are now 34,508 active cases, of which 33,090 or 95.9% are undergoing home quarantine.
Meanwhile, 22 (0.1%) are at quarantine centres while 1,324 (3.8%) have been hospitalised.
A total of 72 are in ICU with 49 in need of respiratory assistance. ICU utilisation throughout the country stands at 63.9%, with Covid ICU utilisation at 19.3%.
Another five deaths were reported, including one who was brought in dead. Total deaths now stand at 36,196.


Enforcement might return, Khairy says as health ministry warns of new Covid wave

The health ministry today said that it could begin enforcing the law on wearing face masks in public places under the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act 1988 (Act 342) once more, as cases of Covid-19 begin to rise again some four months after Malaysia began its transition to the endemic phase.
Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said his ministry had found that the fewer people were now wearing face masks indoors although this was still mandatory under the current SOPs.
He said the health ministry had stopped issuing compound notices after April 17, in line with the government's move towards endemicity on April 1.
"We placed more priority on community empowerment and individual responsibility, not the empowerment of the law," he added.
"If the number of cases continue to spike, the health ministry does not rule out the possibility of re-enforcing Act 342 against those who refuse to wear face masks."
Under Act 342, those found to have committed an offence can be fined a maximum of RM1,000 or imprisoned for not more than six months.
A total of 4,020 new Covid-19 cases were reported yesterday, the most since April 24 when 4,006 infections were logged.
There are now 33,839 active cases, of which 32,617 or 96.4% are undergoing home quarantine.
Speaking at a press conference in Putrajaya, Khairy said many were becoming careless and neglecting the use of face masks which he added were the best form of defence against the spread of the virus.
"I am still appealing for the empowerment of individuals and communities regarding the use of face masks in enclosed areas, except when eating, drinking and taking pictures," he said.
"In all other contexts, we must continue to comply as this is an effective measure against the spread of Covid-19."
He urged the public to remain vigilant and to adopt public health measures to protect themselves and their families from infection and the new wave of the epidemic.
He also advised those planning to return to their home towns for Hari Raya to test themselves for Covid-19, to protect those in the high-risk group, especially the elderly, from the risk of infection.


Slots of vaccine recipients not listed under Phase 1 cancelled, says Khairy

The appointments of those who are not listed under the first phase of the national vaccination programme have been cancelled following complaints by whistleblowers on queue cutting, Khairy Jamaluddin said today.Khairy, who is in charge of the country’s vaccine procurement, said some 200 complaints have been received on the issue so far.He said in one complaint dated March 4, it was found that some names on the list were not categorised under the first phase.“When I checked all the replies provided, some centres had already completed vaccinating frontliners so they added individuals from other agencies not listed under Phase 1.“Based on the complaints, we have cancelled all appointments of those who are not listed under the first phase,” he said at a joint media conference with Health Minister Dr Adham Baba on the development of the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme in Putrajaya today.Khairy said a briefing would be held for all MPs on the vaccination programme.“I will coordinate with them on the date and place so that all backbenchers will be briefed. It may be divided into an opposition backbencher session followed by a government backbencher session on the same day,” he said.


Missing Rohingya women trafficked to Malaysia from Indonesia refugee camp

Scores of Rohingya women missing from a refugee camp in Indonesia have been trafficked into Malaysia to reunite with their husbands, several sources have told AFP.Just over 100 refugees remain at the camp in Lhokseumawe on Indonesia’s northern coast, well down from the almost 400 who arrived in separate boat landings between June and September last year.Neither local authorities nor the UN could account for the whereabouts of the women, who are feared to have enlisted traffickers to help them cross the Strait of Melaka into Malaysia.“They talked with their husbands on the phone and made arrangements,” said Namashah, whose own reunification with his wife and daughter was profiled in an AFP series on trafficking networks.Relatively affluent Muslim-majority Malaysia is the main destination for Rohingya fleeing sprawling refugee camps in Bangladesh set up to house them after a bloody crackdown by Myanmar’s military drove them into the poor South Asian country.“We heard that some traffickers went to camp, took money and then helped the women escape,” he added.Some of the women had since called friends in the Lhokseumawe camp to say they had reunited with their husbands, Namashah said, but others may have fallen into more dire circumstances.“Some are missing and we don’t know what happened, whether they got there or were sold by traffickers,” he added.“We’ve heard some are with their husbands and others got caught,” said Fatimah Binti Azizulhaq, 20.At least 18 Rohingya from the Lhokseumawe camp and over a dozen suspected smugglers were recently caught by police several hundred kilometres south, in Medan city, a frequent staging point for illegal crossings into Malaysia.A Myanmar military crackdown in 2017, which UN investigators said amounted to genocide, forced 750,000 Rohingya to flee across the border into the Bangladesh district of Cox’s Bazar, where many ended up in sprawling refugee camps.Thousands have since paid smugglers to get them out of Bangladesh, enduring harrowing, months-long sea journeys punctuated by illness, beatings by traffickers and near-starvation rations to reach Indonesia and Malaysia.More than 100,000 Rohingya live on the margins of society in Malaysia, registered as refugees but not allowed to work, forcing the men into illegal construction and other low-paid jobs.Some Rohingya men in Malaysia pay smugglers to bring over their families, or new brides from arranged marriages.Another camp dweller, Asmot Ullah, said there were “parents crying in Bangladesh because they borrowed money to send their kids to Malaysia, but they reached Indonesia” instead.


New cases tumble below 2,900

Another 2,888 Covid-19 cases were recorded today, taking total confirmed infections in the country to 2,786,219.Another 2,714 patients recovered, bringing total recoveries to 2,714,614.Meanwhile 248 are in the ICU, including 206 confirmed Covid-19 patients.A total of 117 are in need of respiratory assistance including 73 confirmed Covid-19 cases.Of the 2,888 cases reported today, 36 (1.2%) are in Category Three and above. The remaining 2,852 (98.8%) are in Category One and Two.


Biden says ‘squarely behind’ US pullout from Afghanistan

President Joe Biden defended the US pullout from Afghanistan Monday, saying he stood by the policy and that it was time to leave after 20 years of conflict.“I am president of the United States of America and the buck stops with me,” Biden said in a much-awaited televised address from the White House, after several days of silence on the momentous developments.As scenes of mayhem unfolded in the Afghan capital, Biden said he was “deeply saddened” by the turn of events – and promised to “speak out” on the rights of women now facing a return to Taliban rule.But he was steadfast in insisting he did not regret pulling out America’s troops – despite a torrent of criticism of the chaotic end to two decades of US-led military intervention.“I stand squarely behind my decision,” Biden said. “After 20 years, I’ve learned the hard way that there was never a good time to withdraw US forces.”The US leader acknowledged that the Afghan government collapsed more quickly than he expected – and suggested that they had lacked the will to stand up to the Taliban.“The truth is, this did unfold more quickly than we had anticipated,” Biden said.“We gave them every chance to determine their own future. We could not provide them with the will to fight for that future.”Biden reiterated however that the US national interest in Afghanistan was always principally about preventing terrorist attacks on the US homeland – and that America would continue to “act quickly and decisively” against any terror threat emanating from the country.“The mission in Afghanistan was never supposed to be nation-building,” he said.And the US president issued a stark warning to the Taliban not to disrupt or threaten the evacuation of thousands of American diplomats and Afghan translators at the Kabul airport.“We will defend our people with devastating force if necessary,” he said.


Sorry.


US urges citizens to leave India ‘as soon as possible’ as medical care fails

The US has told its citizens to leave India as soon as possible as the country battles a devastating coronavirus wave and medical services rapidly deteriorate.The overall death toll in India officially surpassed 200,000 on Wednesday and the country reported 379,257 new infections on Thursday, the world’s highest single-day total. Yet it is widely accepted that the actual numbers are actually far higher.The US embassy warned that “access to all types of medical care is becoming severely limited” adding that some US citizens are reporting being denied entry to hospitals due to a lack of space.In the advisory, US citizens were told “not to travel to India or to leave as soon as it is safe to do so”.“US citizens who wish to depart India should take advantage of available commercial transportation options now,” it said.The Level 4 “do not travel” advisory is the highest of its kind issued by the Department of State.The US is also sending more than US$100 million in medical supplies to India, including almost one million instant tests.The White House said the US is also transferring its own order of supplies needed to make the AstraZeneca vaccine, so allowing India to make more than 20 million doses for its own use.The Indian government has welcomed what it called an “outpouring of solidarity” from around the world, with more than 40 countries pledging urgently needed equipment and supplies.Saudi Arabia has sent 80 metric tonnes of oxygen to India, Al Arabiya reported.Despite the ongoing national crisis, the state of West Bengal has been voting in the final phase of elections and long queues have been seen outside polling booths, raising concerns about the virus spreading further and faster.Experts fear West Bengal could be the next epicentre. Cases rose there by 17,000 on Wednesday – a state record.The state has already gone through seven phases of voting. West Bengal is one of the few states where Prime Minister Narendra Modi does not have a majority of parliamentary seats.Modi has been criticised for continuing to hold rallies there as the virus began overwhelming the country.


Joint statement by lawyers against intimidation of judiciary

We, the undersigned, wish to express our support for the statement issued by the president of the Malaysian Bar on April 4, in relation to the so-called "leaked" document from the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) and the attacks against the Malaysian judiciary and judges thereof.
The continuing intimidation of the judiciary by irresponsible actors in connection with the SRC International case is a danger to the rule of law in our country, particularly as 14 judges have considered the SRC International case and 13 of them have handed down reasoned judgments upholding the conviction.
Further, the issue of the purported conflict of interest of Mohd Nazlan Ghazali was canvassed and argued by the lawyers for Najib Razak before two separate panels of the Federal Court (in the main appeal against conviction, and subsequently in the review application pursuant to Rule 137 of the Rules of the Federal Court 1995).
On both occasions, the Federal Court considered the matter and decided there was no merit in the allegation.
It is noted in this regard that the sole dissenting or minority decision in the review application did not offer any opinion on the issue of the alleged conflict of interest.
Thus, the allegation of conflict of interest against Nazlan has been decided with finality. The principle of "res judicata" applies and the matter cannot be reopened.
Certainly, it cannot be reopened as a collateral attack in the media or by any other means. To do so is a serious undermining of the administration of justice.
Another concern is the "leaked" MACC letter dated Feb 20, addressed to the chief justice that went viral and which was then released to the press containing a purported "finding" or "view" by MACC that Nazlan was in breach of the Judge’s Code of Ethics.
This constitutes a serious transgression by MACC of its authority and jurisdiction under its governing act. The MACC letter concerns issues that are not within the purview or competence of the MACC.
It is clear that the MACC cannot make findings or come to a view, nor decide on matters that fall outside its jurisdiction but which are squarely within the purview of the judiciary.
Moreover, it is astounding that such a sensitive and confidential letter could have found its way into the public domain, raising serious questions about the confidentiality of MACC processes which warrant immediate investigation.
We note that a letter from Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Azalina Othman Said to Najib's lawyers was similarly leaked to the press containing a repetition of MACC’s questionable "finding" or "view".
It is unusual that a minister has seen fit to respond and provide information to a litigant in respect of MACC’s letter to the chief justice. This reeks of interference.
We further wish to express our profound disappointment at the silence of the attorney-general:
(a) on the conflict issue which has been decided conclusively by the Federal Court; and
(b) in failing to publicly clear Nazlan of the scurrilous allegations of corruption (which even Najib has withdrawn).
More so, as the attorney-general is himself a former Federal Court judge and must surely appreciate the devastating effect of his silence upon the judiciary and the sanctity of the administration of justice.
This case has given rise to an unacceptable level of intimidation against judges who are doing their duty to uphold the law without fear or favour.
They are facing constant harassment, and are subject to machinations and schemes by some with vested interests.
All of this must stop as it does not serve the rule of law or the country. Those who have been found to have committed offences must pay for them. That is the Malaysian criminal justice system.
There should be no preferred class of people in this country who are permitted to tear down an institution to escape the law.
Everyone is said to be equal before the law. Does anybody believe that if it was not a powerful political figure involved in the SRC International case, the current attacks on the judiciary would occur?
Do Malaysians want to see, again, our justice system compromised by powerful politicians?
Finally, one may criticise a judgment of the court, but this must be done in temperate terms for a proper purpose, and without casting any aspersions or ascribing improper motives against a judge. This would be contemptuous, and liable to legal action.
Responding to MACC’s Ahmad Rosli Mohd Sham:
The response from MACC misses the woods for the trees. The two "surat pekeliling" (government circulars) referred to by the MACC committee are wholly inapplicable. They apply only to civil servants.
(Ahmad Rosli Mohd Sham is MACC’s Operation Review Panel chairman).
Judges of the superior courts (High Court, Court of Appeal and Federal Court) are not civil servants.
In any event, such circulars cannot override the MACC Act. MACC only has the power to investigate alleged corruption and matters related thereto. This is clearly set out in the MACC Act.
MACC does not have any power or jurisdiction to investigate, let alone make findings or come to a view of an alleged conflict of interest in a court matter and breaches of judicial ethics.
The position taken by MACC via its committee is untenable and serves to confuse the issue and the public.
Furthermore, and as stated earlier, this precise issue has been decided conclusively by the Federal Court and any reference to it as if it were a live issue is wholly improper.
This statement is signed by: • VC George• Param Cumaraswamy• Zainur Zakaria• Cyrus Das• Mah Weng Kwai• Kuthubul Zaman Bukhari• Yeo Yang Poh• Ambiga Sreenevasan• Lim Chee Wee• Steven Thiru• George Varughese• Fareed Abdul Gafoor• Salim Bashir• AG Kalidas
The views expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the position of MalaysiaNow.


Daily cases drop to just over 20,000 as death toll crosses 16,000

Another 20,579 Covid-19 cases were recorded today, taking total confirmed infections in the country to 1,706,089.Selangor recorded 4,591 cases, Sabah 2,578, Sarawak 2,522, Johor 1,852, Kedah 1,755, Penang 1,378, Kelantan 1,316 and Perak 1,208.Pahang recorded 839 cases, Terengganu 789, Kuala Lumpur 680, Melaka 636 and Negeri Sembilan 329.Perlis recorded 56 cases, Putrajaya recorded 48 and Labuan two.Active cases stand at 267,997 with 1,009 in the ICU and 477 in need of respiratory assistance.Another 20,845 patients recovered, bringing total recoveries to 1,422,005.However, 285 more deaths were reported, pushing the virus toll to 16,087.


852 cases bring daily numbers back down to 3 digits

Another 852 Covid-19 cases were reported today, pushing total confirmed infections in the country to 40,209.Of these, 524 were recorded in Sabah and 148 in Selangor.Active cases stand at 11,689 with 94 in the ICU and 32 in need of respiratory assistance.Another 825 patients were discharged, taking total recoveries to 28,234.However, four more deaths were reported, bringing the virus toll to 286.


On the fringes of Muar, traders rank business over politics

In Muar, one of the oldest settlements in Johor, the air is thick with a sense of peace and serenity that appears to have been accumulated throughout the years.Through the royal town of Johor flows Sungai Muar, which is lined on either side with restaurants and eateries where customers flock to enjoy a view of the water as it makes its gentle way into the Straits of Melaka.Every once in a while, a boat makes its way across the water, sending small ripples across the otherwise placid surface.But beneath the veneer of calm projected by the river lies a quiet anxiety, a blanket of which hangs over the traders in the area.Many of these traders have their stalls set up in the old colonial-era buildings north of the Muar bridge.Here, trade appears brisk despite the several empty lots still awaiting tenants.But Benny Fong, who sells pau or steamed buns in Jalan Khalidi, said his business is beset with uncertainty.“It used to be that by 10am, most of my paus were sold,” he told MalaysiaNow. “I could close shop.“But now, business is very slow, especially post-Chinese New Year.”Fong attributes the lacklustre business to public concern over the Covid-19 situation, in addition to the closure of factories and schools in the area.For 10 years, he has been running the family business at his small stall. Now, though, he struggles to find customers each day. Those who come do not buy as much as they used to.Gesturing at the rows of unsold paus before him, Fong said he was nonetheless more fortunate than some of the other traders in the area who had been forced to close shop.Tan peels dried ikan bilis or anchovies to be sold at his stall in Muar.At a nearby stall selling dried fish, a trader named Tan said the drop in purchasing power and increase in cost of goods had had an impact on the business.“I get my raw goods from Pulau Ketam in Selangor, and some from Kedah and Thailand,” Tan, who has been selling dried fish in Muar for 50 years, said.Today, he said, the price of fish is quite high and customers are careful in how they spend their money.It used to be that customers would buy as much as a kilo or two of ikan bilis or anchovies – but not anymore.“There used to be a lot of tourists from Singapore too, before Covid-19,” he said.“Now, no one comes from Singapore. We have really been affected.”Tan, who runs the stall with his son, said the cost of wet goods is less than that of dried, which has also had an effect on customer preferences.The area in the middle of the city is within the state constituency of Bentayan, whose incumbent is DAP’s Ng Yak Howe.At the Johor election on March 12, Ng will face off against MCA’s Gan Qi Ru and Tan Kok Hong of Perikatan Nasional.Ng won the seat with a comfortable majority of over 13,000 at the 2018 general election. However, it remains to be seen whether he will be able to replicate his success at the Johor polls.The psychological impact of Covid-19 and the gloom of economic uncertainty appears to have dampened the spirits of voters in Bentayan, the majority of whom are Chinese.Zulkifli Abdul Hamid checks a bicycle at his rented shop at the Maharani Riverview in Muar.Over at Maharani Riverview, Zulkifli Abdul Hamid who owns a bicycle shop said stability, aid and business continuity are the main focus of traders at the moment.“I don’t think the results in Johor will be too far off from that of Melaka,” he said.“People aren’t thinking too much, all they want is stability.”From his point of view, many have become indifferent towards the various political blocs.Zulkifli’s business is still far from the level it was at before the Covid-19 pandemic, but he is fortunate to have rented his spot at the arcade for less than the market price.Nevertheless, Barisan Nasional may have accurately gauged the mood on the ground in rehashing its slogan from the Melaka polls – “Stability for the future”.While the momentum for the Johor election has yet to build, Amanda Yeo from think tank Emir Research cautions that tactics used in the last general election such as tarnishing opposing parties or spreading negative issues will not go far in attracting the support of voters.“Campaigns to muddy opposing parties will not have a big impact on voters,” she said, adding that the opposition has still yet to name its candidate for the position of menteri besar.“The opposition is also split – DAP, Amanah and Muda are working together,” she said, referring to PKR’s decision to contest using its own logo.Yeo also said that a growing number of voters wish to evaluate the candidates’ abilities before casting their votes.“For instance, MCA might not be a favourable party among the Chinese community, but some Chinese have decided that they will vote for the MCA candidate if he or she can serve the people well.”Yeo also said that the attention now would be on improving the living environment as well as the ability to generate incomes.Back in Muar, Fong appears to agree. Speaking to MalaysiaNow at his stall, he dodges questions on political parties.He said the only thing that could be hoped for from those who become representatives is that they will serve the people as they should.“Whoever forms the government, our situation remains the same,” he said.“They can’t do anything. We just hope that they will help a little bit.”


Major Israel army raid kills 9 Palestinians in West Bank

Israeli forces killed nine Palestinians in a large-scale operation Monday in the occupied West Bank that the army labelled an "extensive counterterrorism effort," involving air strikes and hundreds of troops.
The raid, launched under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's hard-right government, targeted the northern city of Jenin and was the biggest in the West Bank for years, featuring armoured vehicles, army bulldozers and drones.
Since the start of the operation in the early hours of Monday about 3,000 people had left their homes in the Jenin refugee camp, deputy governor of Jenin, Kamal Abu al-Roub told AFP, adding arrangements were being made to house them in schools and other shelters in the city of Jenin.
Firefights and explosions rocked the city and  adjacent refugee camp, a militant stronghold home to about 18,000 people, as Palestinians threw rocks at soldiers and smoke from blasts and burning barricades darkened the sky, an AFP correspondent said.
"There is bombing from the air and an invasion on the ground," said Mahmoud al-Saadi, director of the Palestinian Red Crescent in Jenin.
"Several houses and sites have been bombed... smoke is rising from everywhere."
Nine people were killed and 100 others wounded, 20 of them seriously, the Palestinian health ministry said – exceeding the toll of seven dead in an Israeli raid in Jenin two weeks ago which saw the rare use of helicopter missile fire.
Netanyahu said in a statement that Israeli forces in "the nest of terrorists in Jenin" were "destroying command centres and seizing considerable weaponry".
The Palestinian foreign ministry called the escalation "an open war against the people of Jenin".
Army spokesman Daniel Hagari told reporters that Israeli troops did "not intend to stay in the camp", but "we are getting ready for the more severe situation" of prolonged fighting.
The army said soldiers and gunmen exchanged fire at a mosque in the Jenin camp and that weapons and explosives were later found in the building.
Jenin resident Badr Shagoul told AFP: "I saw them taking bulldozers into the camp, they were destroying buildings... These were people's homes."
At a hospital morgue some bodies were covered in blankets and others were heavily bandaged, an AFP correspondent said, adding that the fighting continued into the late evening.
"In the last five years, this is the worst raid," nurse Qasem Benighader said, noting "many" patients with bullet wounds and injuries from explosives.
Israel had already stepped up operations in the northern West Bank, which has seen a recent spate of attacks on Israelis as well as Jewish settler violence targeting Palestinians.
Jenin camp resident Mahmoud Hawashin called the situation "catastrophic", and predicted that "if there is more Palestinian blood shed, there will be more Israeli blood shed."
UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres is "deeply concerned" about the violence, and called for the respect of international humanitarian law, a spokesman said in a statement.
'Escalating campaigns'
The Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad said "all options are open to strike the enemy in response to its aggression in Jenin".
The US said ally Israel had a right to "defend its people against... terrorist groups" but called for the protection of civilians.
The Arab League said it will convene an emergency meeting Tuesday to discuss "an Arab mobilisation to counter the Israeli attack on Jenin".
Neighbouring Jordan called the raid "a clear violation of international humanitarian law", while the United Arab Emirates urged "the immediate halt of repeated and escalating campaigns against the Palestinian people".
Earlier on Monday the army said it had struck a "joint operations centre" of a group called the Jenin Brigade, a weapons depot, an "observation and reconnaissance" site and a hideout for alleged attackers of Israeli targets.
Army spokesman Richard Hecht said troops were after "specific targets", adding the operation had no defined timeline.
Israeli-Palestinian violence has worsened since last year, and escalated further under the Netanyahu coalition government that includes extreme-right allies.
The Jenin area is nominally controlled by president Mahmud Abbas's Palestinian Authority, which has partial administrative control in the West Bank.
In a separate incident, Israeli fire killed a Palestinian youth near the West Bank city of Ramallah, the Palestinian health ministry said.
Settlements
Israel has occupied the West Bank since the Six-Day War of 1967.
Excluding annexed east Jerusalem, the territory is now home to around 490,000 Israelis in settlements considered illegal under international law.
The Palestinians, who seek their own independent state, want Israel to withdraw from all land it seized in 1967 and to dismantle all Jewish settlements.
Netanyahu, however, has pledged to "strengthen settlements" and expressed no interest in reviving peace talks, moribund since 2014.
After last month's Jenin raid, four Israelis were killed by two Palestinian gunmen – who were shot dead – near the West Bank settlement of Eli.
That same week, Israel said a drone strike killed three members of a "terrorist cell" in the West Bank.
At least 186 Palestinians, 25 Israelis, one Ukrainian and one Italian have been killed this year, according to an AFP tally compiled from official sources from both sides.
They include, on the Palestinian side, combatants and civilians, and on the Israeli side, mostly civilians and three members of the Arab minority.


Early voting tomorrow for Padang Serai, Tioman seats

A total of 76 early voters comprising police personnel will cast their ballots tomorrow for the Padang Serai parliamentary seat in Kedah, while 243 police personnel will cast their votes in the Tioman state seat in Pahang.
Election Commission (EC) secretary Ikmalrudin Ishak said in a statement today that the early voting process for the Padang Serai parliamentary seat at the multipurpose hall at the Kulim district police headquarters would run from 8am to 2pm.
As for the Tioman state seat, he said the early voting process would take place at the Rompin district police headquarters (from 8am to 5pm) and the Tekek police station, Pulau Tioman (from 8am to 12pm).
"The EC advises (early) voters who are Covid-positive to contact the district health officer to facilitate their early voting process.
"The early voting process will also be observed by the agents of the candidates," he said, adding that the process at selected voting centres would also be streamed live on the EC’s Facebook page.
Ikmalrudin said the ballot boxes would be kept at police station lockups, with the counting of ballot papers conducted on Dec 7 starting at 4pm at the designated counting stations.
The EC also advised early voters to check their voting information at https://mysprsemak.spr.gov.my or by contacting the EC hotline at 03-88927018 or 03-88880040 or via the MySPR Semak application.
The contest for the Padang Serai parliamentary seat will see a six-cornered fight among Pakatan Harapan (PH) candidate Mohamad Sofee Razak, C Sivaraajh (Barisan Nasional), Azman Nasrudin (Perikatan Nasional) and Hamzah Abd Rahman (Pejuang).
The other two contenders are Mohd Bakhri Hashim, representing Warisan, and independent candidate Sreanandha Rao.
Warisan had announced that it would not take part in the election, although the party logo would still appear on the ballot paper as it had already been registered as one of the competing parties.
Meanwhile, the Tioman state seat will witness a five-cornered fight among PN candidate Nor Idayu Hashim, Mohd Johari Hussain (BN), Osman A Bakar (Pejuang), Sulaiman Bakar (independent) and Mohd Fadzli Mohd Ramly of PH.
Fadzli is making way for the BN candidate to increase the latter’s chances of winning, but his name will still appear on the ballot papers.
The EC has set Dec 7 as polling day. Nomination was held on Nov 24.


Now not the time for a crackdown on migrants, immigration boss told

A rights activist has cautioned against launching a crackdown on undocumented migrants during the pandemic, amid repeated threats by the home minister and the immigration chief of a massive operation targeting the group.Adrian Pereira said any crackdown would only aggravate the Covid-19 crisis and endanger the lives of many.“This is a state of emergency with a specific purpose of solving the pandemic,” he told MalaysiaNow.“Now is not the time for such enforcement which will cause the Covid-19 situation to further escalate.”Home Minister Hamzah Zainudin today again insisted that undocumented migrants should be detained, this time adding that it was to make it easier for authorities to administer the vaccines.Putrajaya had earlier said that it would also extend its free vaccine programme to all foreigners as well as undocumented workers, in a bid to accelerate the goal of achieving herd immunity.That gesture differs markedly from remarks by immigration director-general Khairul Dzaimee Daud.Khairul recently raised eyebrows when he vowed to go after illegal immigrants whom he claimed worked in the country without paying taxes while “reap[ing] all the benefits”.There have been concerns that such a stance would only undermine the government’s vaccination programme, the success of which would depend greatly on its outreach to millions of undocumented workers.But Pereira, who is executive director of NGO North South Initiative, spoke of an amnesty in light of the ongoing recalibration programme for undocumented migrants, saying enforcement operations during this time would contradict Putrajaya’s promise that undocumented migrants would be rehired under its Labour Recalibration Programme.Under the programme, employers are allowed to rehire foreign workers in four sectors: the restaurant sector, cargo, wholesale and retail, and cleaning and laundering.Home Minister Hamzah Zainudin and Human Resources Minister M Saravanan, who announced the programme in April, said the government had agreed to include undocumented workers from several categories in the plan, namely those who have registered for the rehiring programme but have not completed the registration process and have yet to receive a temporary pass, those who have fled but have not been reported by their employers, and those with valid travel documents from their country of origin.Questioning the move to crack down on undocumented migrants during an amnesty, Pereira said it “doesn’t make sense”.He also said that any move to arrest undocumented migrants during a public health crisis would have a negative impact on the economy.Meanwhile, an Indonesian community leader who works closely with undocumented migrants in the country questioned Khairul’s claim that they “reap all the benefits” without paying taxes.“Isn’t paying all that (taxes) the employer’s obligation?” he said.Speaking to MalaysiaNow on condition of anonymity, he said migrants are currently too afraid to be screened for Covid-19, let alone register for vaccination.This is despite repeated assurances by Khairy Jamaluddin, the minister in charge of the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme, that undocumented migrants who come forward for the jab will not be arrested.“In a situation like this, friends are afraid to do a Covid test or register for vaccination, but this virus will spread to everyone because Covid does not choose citizens,” he said.“Even though we have convinced friends to register for vaccination through the application provided by the government, they feel scared because of the home ministry’s statement.”He voiced hope that the recalibration programme would remain in place so that more migrant workers could come forward and “settle the problem”.Pereira meanwhile urged the government to reconsider its identification of undocumented workers as “pendatang asing tanpa izin” or Pati.“Some of them are victims of modern-day slavery who should not be punished.“We believe more than 90% of undocumented migrants are victims of forced labour and human trafficking. So the term Pati is actually very misleading.”


Umno won’t push for snap polls if Covid situation is not good, says Tajuddin

Umno is not desperate enough to push for a snap election, including in August, if the Covid-19 situation is not good, the party’s election director Tajuddin Abdul Rahman says.He said the party places the interest of the people first and does not only chase positions to the detriment of public health.“If there are still high Covid-19 numbers in August, definitely we will not push for GE15 to be called. Umno leaders are not brainless. We don’t just want to chase or be hungry for positions.“We take note of the Covid-19 situation. We just hope that Parliament will be dissolved in August if the situation allows. But if the cases are high, numbering in the thousands, we will reconsider about the right time to hold the GE.“We will do it when the time comes. How to cross the bridge if we haven’t arrived yet? We have to abide by the Covid-19 situation,” the Pasir Salak MP said at an event in his constituency today.in January, Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi was reported as saying the party was confident that the Election Commission (EC) would set SOPs if a snap election was called.He said more than 30 countries, including the US, had held general elections even though they had to contend with the Covid-19 pandemic.At the Umno general assembly in March, Umno had demanded that GE15 be held after the emergency period ends on Aug 1 or at an earlier date if the emergency is terminated earlier.Umno, the lynchpin of the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition, had also stated that BN would withdraw its support for the ruling Perikatan Nasional government when the emergency ends and go it alone in GE15.The current term of Parliament ends in 2023.The country has seen a surge in COvid-19 cases of late with 4,519 new cases and 25 deaths reported today. This brings cumulative cases to 436,944 while the death toll stands at 1,657.


Jan 11 hearing for Anwar’s appeal on suit against pardon

Anwar Ibrahim’s appeal against the High Court’s dismissal of his application to strike out the originating summons filed by a lawyer on the pardon granted to him for his conviction and imprisonment for sodomy will be heard at the Court of Appeal on Jan 11 next year.His lawyer J Leela said the date was fixed when the matter came up for case management before Court of Appeal deputy registrar Noridah Adam through e-review today.“Anwar’s appeal will be heard together with that of the Pardons Board,” she said in a WhatsApp message.The plaintiff, Mohd Khairul Azam Abdul Aziz, was represented by Mohamad Farhan Kamarudin.On Sept 21, High Court judge Akhtar Tahir dismissed the PKR president’s application and a similar application by the Pardons Board after finding, among others, that Khairul had the locus standi to initiate the suit as he was a member of the public and a qualified person as lawyer.The Port Dickson MP filed the application on May 13, claiming that Khairul had no locus standi to file the originating summons. He also said the suit was frivolous, an embarrassment and abuse of the court process.In his summons filed on Feb 26, Khairul, through legal firm Raja Riza & Associates, had named the Pardons Board and Anwar as the first and second defendants.The lawyer claimed that the pardon granted to Anwar by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong contravened Articles 42 (4) and (5) of the Federal Constitution, in view of the fact that pardons granted by the Agong should be based on the advice of the Pardons Board which Khairul argued had not yet been formally established following the 14th general election on May 9, 2018, and the formation of the new government.Khairul also claimed that following the election, several unconstitutional actions had been taken to ensure that Anwar received the pardon which released him from prison.Anwar was sentenced to five years’ jail for sodomising his aide, Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan. The conviction and sentence were affirmed by the Federal Court on Feb 10, 2015.


European volleyball player banned over ‘slanty Asian eyes’ gesture

A Serbian volleyball player has been banned for two matches after making a racist gesture during a game against Thailand last week.Sanja Djurdjevic was shown on camera using her fingers to pull her eyes into a “slanty” shape that is sometimes used by Caucasians to signify a “Chinaman”, causing outrage from fans online.The player has since apologised along with the Volleyball Federation of Serbia, who described the incident as a “simple misunderstanding”.The federation has also been fined over US$22,000 and the money will be donated to “a cause tackling discriminatory behaviour and/or to fund educational programmes on cultural sensitivity for the global volleyball family”, the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) announced on Tuesday.Djurdjevic will now miss her team’s upcoming matches against Belgium and Canada at the women’s international volleyball tournament.She made the gesture during a match in Italy on June 1, prompting thousands to sign a petition calling for her to be disciplined for her actions.“We apologise sincerely to the Thailand team, people of Thailand and to all of you affected by this,” the federation wrote on Facebook.“Please don’t blow this out of proportion! Sanja is aware of her mistake and she immediately apologised to the whole Thailand team. She only wanted to show her teammates ‘let’s start playing defence like them now’, she didn’t mean any disrespect.”The incident comes amid a rise in anti-Asian rhetoric and attacks on Asian people since the coronavirus pandemic began last year.In January, a Starbucks branch in Dublin, Ireland, was ordered to pay compensation to a customer of Thai heritage after an employee drew “slanty” eyes on her cup.The Workplace Relations Commission found Suchavadee Foley was racially harassed under the Equal Status Act.Foley attempted to give a shortened version of her name at the counter as she made her order so it could be written on the cup. The barista serving her drew a smile and what was referred to in the hearing as “slanty” eyes on the cup as a way of marking it as Foley’s cup.Foley said she was Irish, that she and her parents had moved to Ireland from Thailand when she was five or six, and she felt offended and demeaned by the incident and that she had been racially abused.“This was not a drawing of the complainant, but a sketch of one part of her and one clearly associated with race,” the adjudication officer said.The barista serving Foley, who was from Brazil and gave evidence through an interpreter, said she had drawn a smiley face on the cup “as she thought the complainant was glamorous”.She had been working at the branch for about a month when the incident happened and said she had been “trained to be nice”.The employee said she no longer drew on cups, unless a child was looking for a birthday-related drawing.


Ringgit slides further against US dollar

The ringgit continued to decline against the US dollar at the opening today with the dollar supported by recent statements from US Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell on taming US inflation.
US inflation is currently rising at its fastest pace in more than 40 years, a dealer said.
At 9am, the local currency slipped to 4.6140/6155 against the greenback from yesterday’s closing of 4.6100/6120.
ActivTrades trader Dyogenes Rodrigues Diniz said one of the most effective ways to combat high inflation was to raise interest rates, which could have a negative impact on the economy.
“With higher interest rates, households are expected to spend less, thus reducing economic growth,” he said in a note today.
Meanwhile, the ringgit was traded higher against a basket of major currencies.
It went up further against the euro to 4.4165/4180 from 4.4321/4340 at yesterday’s closing, and appreciated against the Japanese yen to 3.1876/1890 from 3.1925/1941 previously.
The local note also rose versus the Singapore dollar to 3.2031/2045 from 3.2099/2117 on Tuesday and strengthened against the British pound to 4.9328/9344 from 4.9770/9791.


Musk's bankers mull new Tesla margin loans to slash Twitter debt, reports say

Billionaire Elon Musk's bankers are considering providing the Tesla Inc Chief Executive Officer with new margin loans backed by the US automaker's stock to replace some of the high interest debt on his Twitter deal, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday.
The margin loans are one of the options that the Morgan Stanley-led bank group and Musk's advisers have discussed to ease the US$13 billion (about RM52.3 billion) debt Twitter took on as part of Musk's US$44 billion deal, the report said, citing people with knowledge of the matter.
The discussions have so far centered around replacing the US$3 billion of unsecured debt on which Twitter pays an interest rate of 11.75%, the maximum banks had agreed to finance the acquisition in April, the report said.
Morgan Stanley, Bank of America Corp, Barclays Plc and Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc the US$13 billion financing for the bid by Musk.
Tesla and Morgan Stanley did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
The banks are not expected to offload any of the Twitter debt to institutional investors until the new year, Bloomberg reported.
Reuters reported in October that banks had abandoned plans to sell the debt to investors because of uncertainty around Twitter's fortunes and losses.
Musk closed the deal with US$13 billion in loans from banks and a US$33.5 billion equity commitment, which included his 9.6% Twitter stake worth US$4 billion and US$7.1 billion from investors including Oracle Corp co-founder Larry Ellison and Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal.


New cases rise to 3,270

Another 3,270 Covid-19 cases were recorded today, taking total confirmed infections in the country to 2,773,156.Another 3,195 patients recovered, bringing total recoveries to 2,701,808.Meanwhile 257 are in the ICU, including 197 confirmed Covid-19 patients.A total of 137 are in need of respiratory assistance including 89 confirmed Covid-19 cases.Of the 3,270 cases reported today, 69 (2.1%) are in Category Three and above. The remaining 3,201 (97.9%) are in Category One and Two.


Administrative EMCO in Kedah district after spike in virus cases

The government will enforce an administrative enhanced movement control order (EMCO) in 28 areas in Kota Setar, Kedah from 12.01am tomorrow until Sept 25.Senior Minister for Security Ismail Sabri Yaakob said this would involve a total of 366,787 residents.He said the matter was decided at a special meeting today after taking into account the increase in Covid-19 cases involving the Sungai and Tawar clusters in the district.“This is also in line with the proposal made by the Kedah menteri besar,” he said in a press conference at Putrajaya.Ismail added that the SOPs in the district would be the same as those in other areas under administrative EMCO, including entry and exit bans with roadblocks manned by the police and Armed Forces.“Individuals who need to work are not allowed to leave the area during the administrative EMCO, and those from outside are also not allowed to come to work in the area.“I hope employers will not take action if any of their workers cannot come to work because they reside in the affected areas, and allow their employees to work from home,” he said.He said the international entry point in Bukit Kayu Hitam would also be shut down, while all ferry operations at the Kuala Kedah jetty will be halted.Mosques and houses of worship as well as educational institutions are also required to close.Only essential services are allowed to operate, such as eateries, grocery shops, petrol stations, pharmacies, clinics and hospitals.


Anti-political sentiments in the cross hairs ahead of polls

An observer has called for a careful study of anti-political sentiments ahead of the Nov 19 polls, saying these could be a comment on more than just the voter turnout on election day.
Drops in voter turnout were witnessed at both the Melaka and Johor state polls on Nov 20, 2021 and March 12, 2022, where the number of people participating in the election process was far lower than the target set by the Election Commission.
Both elections were held as the Covid-19 situation was brought under control, with the turnouts linked to an anti-political movement attributed to feelings of widespread discontent with politicians and politics as a whole.
Members of the public were seen as distancing themselves from political matters over dissatisfaction with the mainstream political system and the belief that such issues did not benefit the ordinary people.
Anis Anwar Suhaimi, chief researcher at O2 Research Malaysia, said a closer look was needed at the indicators expressed by the people.
He said a look at the country's election history would show that 11 of the 14 national polls held since independence were marked by a voter turnout of more than 70%, dipping to 69% for the first time only in 1995.
Meanwhile, the last two elections – GE13 in 2013 and GE14 in 2018 – saw voter turnouts of more than 80%.
"Such numbers showed a healthy democratic process in Malaysia," Anis told MalaysiaNow.
Nevertheless, he cautioned against comparing turnouts for general elections with those of state polls, saying the public sentiments, interests and considerations would vary accordingly.
He also noted that the latest state elections had been held during the Covid-19 pandemic, adding that voters might consider elections at this level of less significance than national polls.
Youth vote
Anis said it would be difficult to predict the voter turnout for GE15 as, for the first time at a general election, Malaysia would witness the involvement of the Undi 18 group – those aged 18 to 21 – who were automatically registered to vote.
At any rate, he said, it would be hard to top the turnouts recorded at GE13 and GE14.
"The people as a collective could still pull off a surprise," he said.
He said the voter turnout for GE15 would also depend on state-specific sentiments, especially in states that had decided against dissolving their legislative assemblies.
"The people will then decide whether to vote twice or to just choose one," he said.
He said there was no denying that some no longer cared about politics, feeling that there was no difference between the leaders of one party and the next.
But he said a large number of voters would likely head to the poll booth on Nov 19, in order to assess the record of the past three federal administrations.
"It's also important for parties and leaders to reflect and practise politics that will prioritise the interests of the people," he said.


Jab or jail, Philippines president warns vaccine vacillators

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has threatened to arrest those who refuse Covid-19 vaccines, as the nation grapples with one of Asia’s worst outbreaks.The Philippines has recorded 1.3 million cases and over 23,000 deaths. It has also recorded 17 cases of the delta variant that has been rampaging across India, reports local website Rappler.“If you don’t want to get vaccinated, I’ll have you arrested then I’ll inject a vaccine into your buttocks,” said Duterte in a televised address on Monday. “Get vaccinated, or I’ll jail you in a cell.”He said those who do not want the vaccine should leave the Philippines and “go to India if you want, or America, or somewhere. But for as long as you are here and you are a human being and can carry the virus, you should get vaccinated”.He threatened to keep a record of people refusing vaccinations and inoculate them with Ivermectin, an anti-parasitic drug for animals that is rumoured to help treat Covid-19 but is not approved, reported The Philippine Star.However, he did not provide any legal basis for his orders. Justice Secretary Menardo Gueverra told The Philippine Star’s Kristine Patag that there is no law in the country yet that criminalises refusing to take the Covid-19 vaccine.Gueverra added that he believed Duterte “merely used strong words to drive home the need for us to get vaccinated and reach herd immunity as soon as possible”.If his new arrest order is realised, it will be the harshest measure the Philippines has introduced to counter the pandemic so far.“I will think it over very hard, legally of course, in pursuance of a policy of crisis, this health issue,” said Duterte during the televised speech, according to Rappler.A spokesperson from his office said on Tuesday that the government would not implement the orders until Congress passes a law that allows such arrests, reported the Philippine news site.Duterte has previously said he would not obey court rulings regarding his handling of the pandemic after being questioned by lawyers from the province of Cebu.The Philippines vaccine rollout has been relatively slow. As of Sunday, under 6% of its 110 million population has received one dose.An early May survey by social research organization Social Weather Stations found that only one third of Filipinos were willing to get vaccinated, with the rest citing fears over side effects and that the vaccines are unsafe.“Don’t get me wrong, there is a crisis in this country,” said Duterte. “I’m just exasperated by Filipinos not heeding the government.”


Record 126 deaths as over 7,700 new cases logged

Another 7,703 Covid-19 cases were recorded today, taking total confirmed infections in the country to 587,165.Selangor recorded 2,728 cases, Kuala Lumpur 701, Sarawak 588, Negeri Sembilan 586, Johor 554, Kelantan 541, Penang 407, Kedah 283, Sabah 254, Pahang 237, Perak and Terengganu 224 each, Melaka 209 and Labuan 159.Perlis recorded seven cases and Putrajaya one.Active cases stand at 82,274 with 878 in the ICU and 441 in need of respiratory assistance.Another 5,777 patients were discharged, bringing total recoveries to 501,898.However, 126 more deaths were reported, pushing the virus toll to 2,993.


851 new cases, 658 recoveries

Another 851 Covid-19 cases were recorded today, taking total confirmed infections in the country to 68,020.Of these, 249 (74.6%) were reported in Selangor, followed by Sabah with 229 cases (26.9%) and Johor with 102 cases (12%).Kuala Lumpur recorded 85 cases, Negeri Sembilan 62, Penang 60, Perak 34, Kedah 26, Kelantan two, and Pahang and Melaka one each.Active cases stand at 10,686 with 122 in the ICU and 47 in need of respiratory assistance.Another 658 patients were discharged, bringing total recoveries to 56,969.However, two more deaths were reported, pushing the virus toll to 365.


China foreign minister calls Uighur Muslim genocide accusations ‘absurd’

China’s foreign minister Wang Yi said on Sunday, allegations his country is carrying out genocide against Muslim Uighurs are “ridiculously absurd” and “a complete lie”.A number of nations have used the term to describe Chinese treatment of Uighur people amid growing evidence of abuses at “re-education camps” in Xinjiang province.BBC investigations suggest that Uighurs are being used as forced labour and have revealed allegations of systematic rape and torture.China has banned BBC World News television over the corporation’s coverage of the Uighur issue and coronavirus.The UN says at least one million members of the Muslim minority are being held in the camps, which China says provide vocational training for jobs and are aimed at eradicating Muslim extremism.But both the current and former US secretaries of state have described China’s treatment of Uighurs as genocide, as has Canada and the Netherlands.The allegations have prompted calls in some countries to boycott the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.Speaking on Sunday, the minister said Western politicians were choosing to believe lies about what is happening in Xinjiang and said China would welcome people to visit the region.“The so-called ‘genocide’ in Xinjiang is a rumour with ulterior motives and a complete lie,” the Reuters news agency quoted him as saying.“When it comes to ‘genocide’, most people think of native Americans, African slaves, Jews in Germany, and indigenous Australians,” he said, taking a swipe at the human rights records of some of Beijing’s critics.Asked about friction with the US over Taiwan and the South China Sea, Wang said Beijing “will never accept baseless accusations and smears”.He defended Beijing’s newly announced plans to reform the electoral system in Hong Kong, saying the changes were constitutional and justified.“Hong Kong’s transition from chaos to governance is fully in the interests of all parties,” he insisted, claiming reform would bring a “brighter future” to the city.Critics accuse Beijing of crushing dissent in Hong Kong and eroding rights under the “one country, two systems” agreement it made with the UK when Hong Kong was handed back to China.


Group ramps up pressure over Selangor highway, forest transfer

A residents group in Petaling Jaya has upped the pressure on the Selangor government over the controversial PJ Dispersal Link (PJD Link) highway project and the move to degazette part of a forest reserve for development, saying the Pakatan Harapan (PH) administration in the state has failed to show transparency and accountability in both issues.The group said PH in its election manifesto before the 2018 polls had criticised the Barisan Nasional government at the time for allowing development to take place without regard for the environment and sustainability, accusing it of “being dictated (to) by large corporations and their crony capitalists”.It also recalled PH’s pledge to govern the country “based on the principles of sustainability and sustainable development”.“Thus, we are shocked to witness the political arrogance on the part of Hee,” it said, referring to state exco in charge of the environment Hee Loy Sian, who said in the Selangor assembly sitting on Aug 30 that the administration had already given the green light for the degazettement of the Kuala Langat North Forest Reserve (KLNFR).Hee told the assembly that the PKR-led government had degazetted more than 530 hectares of the KLNFR for a mixed commercial development by private company Gabungan Indah Sdn Bhd.“Since PH promised in its manifesto that all development projects must comply with international environmental protection standards before being granted approval, the onus is now on the Selangor PH state government to explain to the public on what basis has Gabungan Indah Sdn Bhd been granted the right to develop the degazetted portion of KLNFR,” the group said.The KLNFR was gazetted as a forest reserve in 1927, covering more than 7,000 hectares, although only about 13% of that area remains a green lung today.The group also hit out at the state government over the PJD Link project which had drawn comparisons with the Kidex highway, scrapped in 2015 by then-Selangor menteri besar Mohamed Azmin Ali following strong public pressure.“The fact that the state government was willing to even consider a highway project similar to Kidex that was already scrapped by the previous administration is troubling,” it said.“It would mean any developer who has its proposal rejected by the state government could repackage it in the hope of an eventual approval. That would be a waste of public resources and cause unnecessary anxiety to residents.”It likewise reminded the PH state government of its election pledge to remain committed to economically sustainable public transportation.“We are therefore dismayed that the Selangor government has not only failed to present a comprehensive public transportation plan for the state, but has instead gone against its own manifesto by agreeing ‘in principle’ to a toll highway that would cut through mature townships and further damage the environment.“It is a highway that Petaling Jaya residents do not want, plain and simple.”The group also urged Menteri Besar Amirudin Shari to rescind the degazettement of KLNFR and to cancel the PJD Link project.“Until and unless these are done and officially documented in the state executive council minutes of meeting, the people of Selangor will continue to protest against the two plans,” it said.


Zahid applies for passport to seek medical treatment in Germany

Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, who is facing 47 charges of money laundering, criminal breach of trust (CBT) and corruption, today applied for the temporary return of his impounded passport to seek medical treatment in Munich, Germany.The former deputy prime minister’s counsel Hamidi Mohd Noh informed High Court judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah that his client was suffering from back and neck pain and needed to get treatment from a leading specialist in Munich.“My client has been suffering from back and neck pain. He was originally treated by a doctor from Germany in 2013, 2014 (and) 2016.“We are making this application to allow the accused treatment to the effect where it is effective and that is required. The pain intervention in Malaysia (is) not sufficient for Zahid,” he said.The application was filed on Oct 4 and came up for case management today.Deputy public prosecutor Gan Peng Kun, who did not object to the application, said: “The prosecution received instructions not to object the application.”Judge Sequerah then fixed Monday for his decision on the matter.Hamidi, when met after the proceedings, said Zahid applied for his passport to be released on Oct 26 and that it would be returned on Nov 21.“We will make the same application (to obtain the passport) at the Shah Alam High Court this Monday,” he said.Zahid, 68, is facing 47 charges – 12 of CBT, eight of corruption, and 27 of money laundering – involving tens of millions of ringgit belonging to Yayasan Akalbudi.


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They might want to catch a glimpse of the thief, Muhyiddin says on crowds for Najib

Perikatan Nasional (PN) chairman Muhyiddin Yassin today said that the crowds at programmes featuring former prime minister Najib Razak, who has been found guilty of corruption, is not necessarily a positive thing.Speaking to reporters in Johor, he said the audiences could quite likely have come in order to see for themselves the face of Najib, who was convicted of graft by the Kuala Lumpur High Court in 2020 – a ruling upheld by the Court of Appeal last year.“They want to see, is this really the person who was declared a thief? Is this really the person who has been convicted and sentenced?“So we should not assume that those who come, come because they are fans,” he said.“Many who come wish to see his face for themselves – is this the man who was sentenced to 12 years in jail and fined RM210 million?”Muhyiddin said it was also possible that many came to see the individual who was still going back and forth from court for his ongoing corruption trials.“This person has already been found guilty in a US court of abuse of power and stealing the people’s money,” he added.He said anyone could attend political programmes throughout the campaign period for the Johor state election, whether these events involved individuals they liked or not.His remarks come four days after Najib visited a number of locations in Johor together with candidates from Barisan Nasional, including from MCA, speaking with voters from the Chinese community.Najib, the Pekan MP, was found guilty in July 2020 of seven counts of criminal breach of trust, money laundering and abuse of power involving RM42 million in funds from 1MDB-linked unit SRC International.On Dec 7 last year, the Court of Appeal upheld his conviction and sentence. Najib is currently appealing his case at the Federal Court.


PN's Tioman candidate dies

The Perikatan Nasional (PN) candidate for the Tioman state seat for the 15the general election (GE15) Md Yunus Ramli died at 3.30am at Rompin Hospital, Pahang.
His death was confirmed by PAS central committee member Wan Rohimi Wan Daud.
Md Yunus, from PAS, had contested the same seat in GE14 and served as Sungai Puteri PAS branch chief.
Today is voting day for GE15.
The Tioman state seat would have witnessed a five-cornered clash between Yunus, Sulaiman Bakar (independent), Osman A Bakar (Pejuang), Mohd Fadzli Mohd Ramly (Pakatan Harapan), and Mohd Johari Hussain (Barisan Nasional).


Aid for rubber tappers, smallholders during hot spell on the agenda in Dewan Rakyat

Immediate assistance for rubber tappers and smallholders to help them deal with the hot weather will be among the matters raised at the Dewan Rakyat sitting today.
According to the order paper on the official Parliament website, the matter will be raised by Azman Nasrudin (PN-Padang Serai) in a question to the plantation and commodities minister during the Ministers’ Question Time.
There will also be a question from Isnaraissah Munirah Majilis (Warisan-Kota Belud) on the measures taken by the government to increase local rice production following Vietnam’s decision to reduce its rice exports.
Nurul Amin Hamid (PN-Padang Terap) will ask about the measures taken and planned by the government to buffer the impact of El Nino on the country’s food supply.
Meanwhile, Cha Kee Chin (PH-Rasah) is scheduled to raise a question on the health ministry’s measures to increase Malaysians’ confidence in taking a second booster dose to prevent the wastage of Covid-19 vaccine.
The white paper on health is also expected to be tabled today, as it was not presented during yesterday’s Dewan Rakyat session.
The white paper, which includes a comprehensive policy for healthcare reforms to be implemented in stages over a period of 15 years, is scheduled to be tabled by Health Minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa after the Food (Amendment) Bill 2023 is tabled for a first reading.
The Dewan Rakyat’s second meeting of the second session of the 15th Parliament concludes today after sitting for 11 days starting May 22.


Analysts see lessons for Umno in Indonesia and India

Analysts warn that it will be difficult for Umno to reclaim its position of dominance in the political arena following its move to fire or suspend a number of leaders seen as out of sync with party president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
Those who spoke to MalaysiaNow drew parallels with once dominant parties in other countries, including the Party of Functional Groups or Golkar, which controlled Indonesian politics from the 1970s, and the Indian National Congress (INC) which dominated politics in the republic from the early 1950s.
Golkar has since faded from the picture while INC suffered a heavy defeat in the 2014 election.
Umno, the backbone of Barisan Nasional (BN) which had held sway since Malaysia's independence, marked its first major loss in the 2008 polls, with increasingly prominent defeats in subsequent elections.
Political observer Azizi Safar said Umno could choose to be like Japan's Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) or suffer the fate of Golkar in Indonesia.
"LDP rose again to become the dominant party in Japan politics after losing just one election," the former executive secretary for Penang BN said.
"Golkar, on the other hand, never made a comeback even though it continued to have some measure of support."
The Umno Supreme Council recently moved to purge the party of those seen as critical of the top leadership, sacking former Rembau MP Khairy Jamaluddin and ex-Selangor chief Noh Omar.
It also suspended Sembrong MP Hishammuddin Hussein, former Jempol MP Mohd Salim Mohd, and Tebrau Umno chief Maulizan Bujang.
The move came on the back of the party's worst electoral performance yet, with just 26 seats won at the Nov 19, 2022 polls.
Zahid himself defended his Bagan Datuk seat but with a razor-thin majority of some 300 votes.
He later led BN to join the coalition government helmed by Pakatan Harapan (PH).
Azizi said Umno had failed to implement much-needed reforms before heading into the general election.
"The main issue which caused Umno to lose even more seats than in 2018 was the people's rejection of the top leadership," he said.
Academic Mansor Mohd Noor meanwhile said that Umno had continued to push the blame for its defeat on others, including its so-called poster boy Ismail Sabri Yaakob.
"But the grassroots who rejected it did so because of its corrupt ways and its failure to stand up for the Malays," Mansor, a former lecturer at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia's Institute of Ethnic Relations, said.
He added that Umno's leaders rarely learnt any lessons from their mistakes.
"In 2008, they lost control of a number of states as well as their two-thirds majority in Parliament. Today, they are left with just 26 seats, but they are still confident that they are the kingmakers," he said.
Azizi meanwhile said that the six state elections to come this year would be an important litmus test for the party.
"If Umno manages to regain the support of the people, winning all or most of the seats allocated through its cooperation with PH, it has a chance of remaining politically relevant even though it may not be the dominant party," he said.
"But if the results at the state level mirror the results of GE15, Umno will need to rethink both its direction and its political cooperation with PH."
Without a change of fortune at the polling booth, he said, Umno would likely suffer a fate worse than either INC or Golkar, becoming a party only needed to make up the numbers required to form the government.


WTO seeks shot in the arm with Covid jab IP idea

The WTO’s search for a role in fighting the pandemic sharpened up on Monday as ministers seek a compromise to lift intellectual property rights on Covid-19 vaccines.The World Trade Organization’s first ministerial meeting since December 2017 is wrestling with the wording of a text that would temporarily waive patents on coronavirus jabs.It is the main pandemic-combating idea being negotiated at MC12, the global trade body’s 12th ministerial conference, being held from Sunday to Wednesday at its headquarters in Geneva.But serious objections remain from some of the countries that host major pharmaceutical companies, like Britain and Switzerland – a problem at the WTO, where decisions are taken by consensus rather than by majority.The world’s big pharma firms are dead set against the idea, insisting that stripping patents will cripple investment and innovation.They also say the plan has gone past its sell-by date as the world now has a surplus of vaccine doses rather than a shortage.After Sunday’s opening ceremony and countries setting out their positions, ministers from the 164 WTO members went into rooms at the organisation’s grand, 1920s-era HQ on Lake Geneva to start talking it out face to face.“There is continued cautious optimism about getting results at this ministerial conference,” WTO spokesman Daniel Pruzin told reporters at the close of Monday’s talks on a range of subjects.An agreed text on the waiver is “getting closer but it needs a little bit more work” he said, describing the talks as still “problematic”.Birthday present?This week’s conference is a crunch moment for WTO chief Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, who has staked her leadership on breathing new life into the crippled organisation, where progress has been stumbling for years.The Nigerian former finance and foreign minister took over in March 2021 on a mission to make the WTO relevant again.But on her 68th birthday Monday, there was no immediate sign of a breakthrough on vaccine patents.“Pretending that a sweeping IP waiver would solve the problem does not correspond to reality. IP is not part of the problem but part of the solution,” Swiss ambassador Markus Schlagenhof told reporters.British trade minister Anne-Marie Trevelyan said the challenge was to reach a “workable decision” on the waiver “which supports business and governments”.Public interest groups say the draft text falls far short of what is needed, by time-limiting and complicating the vaccine patents waiver – and by leaving out Covid treatments and diagnostics.Campaigners staged a protest in the WTO’s central atrium, chanting slogans and unfurling banners reading: “No monopolies on Covid-19 medical tools” and “End vaccine apartheid”.“Folks have been campaigning on this for two years and it’s been a complete wall by a few countries,” demonstration organiser Deborah James told AFP.“It’s an indictment of the WTO system: it’s completely broken, it can’t respond to a pandemic, it has no ability to put anything other than maximising profits for corporations ahead of anything else.”Agreement getting closerIn October 2020, India and South Africa began pushing for the WTO to lift IP rights on Covid-19 vaccines, tests and treatments to help ensure more equitable access in poorer nations.After multiple rounds of talks, the United States, the European Union, India and South Africa hammered out a compromise.The text would allow most developing countries, although not China, to produce Covid vaccines without authorisation from patent holders.Pruzin said the talks still needed to come up with a formulation on which countries would be eligible for the waiver.Under discussion is whether countries that produce more than 10% of global vaccines would be ineligible to use the waiver, or whether countries would self-declare that the waiver should not apply to them.Besides production, a second text being negotiated seeks to tackle supply constraints faced by certain countries in getting hold of Covid-fighting tools.Pruzin said members were coming close to agreeing a text.While many ministers said the draft on pandemic preparedness and response was “not ideal, nonetheless, broad convergence seems to be emerging for its adoption”, he told reporters.Beyond the pandemic, the WTO faces pressure to eke out long-sought trade deals on a range of issues and show unity amid an impending global hunger crisis.


No cases of Omicron XE in Malaysia so far, says Khairy

Malaysia has yet to record any cases of the Omicron XE variant, a new mutation which is considered the most contagious yet, Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said today.He said the ministry was following the developments and studying the characteristics of the variant which has been reported in other countries including Thailand in order to identify its infectivity rate and danger to patients.“The Omicron variants, for example, have higher number of cases than Delta but their severity is about average compared to Delta, hence the ICUs are not full like before.“We need to look into this new variant that is occurring in other countries, whether its infectivity rate or severity is high, then only can we take the appropriate measures,” he said at a news conference after visiting Hospital Raja Permaisuri Bainun in Ipoh today.The World Health Organization in its latest reports said that Omicron XE was a recombinant strain, a mutant hybrid of Omicron BA.1 and BA.2.


Of air penawar and praying the gay away

“Aku pernah jumpa lebai kampung aku, minta air penawar sebab aku takut jadi gay. Tapi tengok-tengok, anak lebai itu pun suka jantan.”It was quite funny when my friend recalled his experience of “fixing” his sexuality. It is ironic to know that the person from whom you are seeking help cannot help their own blood. But it is also heartbreaking to know the extent to which someone would go just because of a fear of their own identity.Asking for air penawar may seem quaint compared to having pepper sprayed in your eyes or being tied up and witnessing your parents having intercourse because an ustaz told them that this would cure the “gayness” of their child. But all of these acts are part of the practices that emerge from the perception that being a member of the sexual minority community is a transgression that needs a cure.I think the community at large has a hard time understanding the diversity of identities, particularly in gender and sexuality. As the struggle to understand worsens, identities beyond what the majority comprises will be deemed an abnormality.Now, that may be just my opinion. But if I ask anyone on the street why the community of “abnormalities” needs correctional therapy, I don’t think I would have a hard time finding people who answer with: “Well, the others say so.”Putting aside the fallacy of appealing to the majority, conversion therapy practices are still a major hurdle for this community in achieving the life that they deserve, no matter their identity. Suffice it to say that the sexual minority community is used to being told that their identity is wrong in the eyes of God. Internalising this perception thus becomes a common struggle, and there are members of the community who live out their lives as they are, thinking that they are wrong.But in some cases, individuals from this community face a bigger struggle, when there exists a perceived dichotomy between their sexuality/gender identity and their religiosity. They are made to choose between the two and while some may decide to abandon religiosity, most will likely choose to suppress the nature of their being, particularly when belonging to a family or religious collective is at stake.Conversion therapy practices are rooted in the perception that heterosexuality is the norm within a religious context. I am not about to argue about it, though, and will leave it to the scholars to have their eternal debate on this topic.The forms of the practices vary and change over time. Religious enforcers in Mukhayyam programmes may no longer beat their participants with sticks or conduct electroshock therapy to chase the gay demon away. It is the 21st century now, and modern times require modern solutions – and people are keener on suing for physical damage.While recitations of Quranic verses are still held, a lot of the practices are psychological in nature. The participants of these conversion therapy practices are told of their misbehaviour and instilled with the fear of the damage they are doing to themselves and the people they love. They are also told that the only life worth of living is the straight way. The word “force” is rarely used. “Invite” is more common.Am I in the wrong to think that these practices seem less correctional and more manipulative and psychologically damaging?We need to move on from the narrative that God will only accept us if we behave or identify ourselves in a certain way. The community already has a hard enough time accepting themselves. If there is a need to appeal to a certain spiritual or religious guideline, why can’t we navigate this issue while still letting people be themselves?If one can be passionate about the injustices faced by Uighur Muslims in concentration camps, why can’t there be the same passion for those in the sexual minority community when the nature of these practices is the same?I don’t think I will ever run out of testimonies from people who say that conversion therapy has helped them and cured them of their perceived misdeeds. The same goes for the concentration camps for the Uighur Muslim community – there will always be a propogated propaganda that they are having a fun time erasing their own identities.People can lie to themselves and to those around them. But deep down, we all know that beneath these projections of relief at being “corrected” are individuals and communities who face the death of their own identities. It’s not about how the practices are effective or not in causing change, but rather how the practice of trying to change one’s own nature or suppress it is inherently wrong.Imagine a scenario in which a heterosexual individual is forced to be gay. I think all hell would break loose if this were ever to happen. I am sure that many would not be able to relate to such a scenario because they would argue that heterosexuality is inherent and anything otherwise is a choice.I imagine this scenario not because I want to create a debate on which form of sexuality or gender identity is right or wrong, but to see if people can see that no matter your stand, being forced to change your nature is unjustifiable.I do think that the lebai could at least have made that air penawar by blessing some Coke or cordial instead of just plain water. That way, even if it didn’t turn my friend straight, he could have had something tasty.


'Rust' armourer faces new charge of tampering with evidence

The armourer for the movie "Rust" transferred drugs to someone on the day the film's cinematographer was shot dead in 2021, special prosecutors said on Thursday as she faced a new charge of tampering with evidence.
Prosecutors said the additional charge against Hannah Gutierrez-Reed related to the Oct 21, 2021, transfer of "narcotics to another person with the intent to prevent the apprehension, prosecution or conviction of herself."
Gutierrez-Reed's lawyer Jason Bowles said in a statement that she intended to plead not guilty to the new charge as well as an existing one of involuntary manslaughter for the death of Halyna Hutchins on a film set outside Santa Fe, New Mexico.
The new charge was announced as the lead investigator for the Santa Fe district attorney's office, who is set to step down in July, raised serious concerns about the local sheriff's investigation into the shooting and its October 2022 final report.
"The conduct of the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office during and after their initial investigation is reprehensible and unprofessional," Robert Shilling wrote in an email sent to prosecutors on Tuesday after they decided to remove him from the case. "Not I or 200 more proficient investigators than I can/could clean up the mess delivered to your office in October 2022.”
Shilling declined further comment on the email made public by Bowles in a Thursday court filing. Special prosecutors and the SFCSO did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Bowles was sent Shilling's message in error then asked to delete it by prosecutors, according to emails in the court filing. Bowles called the new charge "retaliatory and vindictive" and described the email exchange as "beyond troubling," saying it backed his motion for the case to be dismissed."
Gutierrez-Reed is the only person still facing charges for Hutchins' death. The cinematographer died after Gutierrez-Reed said she mistakenly loaded a live round into a revolver actor Alec Baldwin was rehearsing with, according to a transcript of a police interview


Election might be a good idea, Muhyiddin says in jibe at PM

National Recovery Council (MPN) chairman Muhyiddin Yassin today questioned Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob's management of the country in the wake of the current social and economic challenges, suggesting that it might be better for the general election to be held in order for a new government to be sworn in.
In a Facebook post, he spoke of a December 2021 study by the Merdeka Center for Opinion Research, showing that 12% of the people had begun to skip meals while another 12% had put off medical treatment and 31% were behind on their bills.
Muhyiddin, who is chairman of the Perikatan Nasional coalition, also referred to another study by research firm Mindshare showing that 61% of Malaysians had fallen in the B60 category with household incomes of less than RM5,000 a month after the onset of Covid-19.
"The fall in ringgit value, the rise in inflation, and the post-pandemic situation have had a negative impact on people's lives," he said.
As MPN chairman, he added, he had spoken of his concerns and raised a number of suggestions to the government including the reintroduction of a moratorium for SMEs.
"Each time the MPN meets, the issue of labour shortage is raised many times and brought to the Cabinet," he said.
"But until now, there has yet to be a comprehensive solution for this problem.
"The ringgit depreciation is not taken seriously, either. The prime minister has not appeared to explain the measures that the government will take to stem the fall in the ringgit value.
"In fact, it is said that this is not a big problem. It is said that Malaysia is not in a crisis. As if everything is okay.
"But I know that everything is not okay out there."
Muhyiddin also cited Malaysia's import of food products which last year exceeded RM63 billion in value.
"If the value of the ringgit continues to fall, the price of food items will become more expensive," he said.
"Is this okay? No, it is not okay. It looks like the prime minister does not view all of these issues as matters of importance."
Meanwhile, he said, Barisan Nasional was pressuring Ismail to dissolve Parliament as quickly as possible in order to pave the way for the 15th general election.
"I have not yet reached the level of wanting to urge the prime minister to dissolve Parliament," he said.
"But I, too, am thinking – if the prime minister continues to fail to manage the economy and the country well, it would be good to hold an election so that a new government that is more efficient, caring and free from corruption can be elected by the people."


RoS okays constitutional amendment to postpone Umno elections

The Registrar of Societies (RoS) has approved the application on Umno's constitutional amendment with a slight change effective July 29, Umno secretary-general Ahmad Maslan says.
Ahmad said he received the notification in a letter from the RoS yesterday evening.
"RoS agreed with the amendment of Umno's constitution so that the party’s elections at all levels be held no more than six months after the general election (GE) is held.
"RoS also requested that one election should be held in one GE term, meaning that Umno's election for this term will only be held no later than six months after GE15 is held," he said in a statement.
In May, Umno passed an amendment to the party’s constitution which would enable party elections to be held no more than six months after a GE, to give space to members to focus on election work. A notice on the constitutional amendment was submitted to the RoS on May 17.
On July 7, the RoS was reported to have said that a decision on Umno's constitutional amendment application would be known by July 16 at the latest.
Umno previously postponed its elections at all branch, division and Supreme Council levels for 18 months after the 2018/2021 term ended on June 30 last year.
The 18-month period will end at the end of this year and the 2021/2023 Umno elections must be held before Dec 30, 2022.


Shafee fails in bid for leave to file counterclaim in tax arrears suit

Muhammad Shafee Abdullah today failed in his application to obtain leave from the High Court to file a counterclaim against the Inland Revenue Board’s (LHDN) demand that he pays income tax arrears amounting to RM9.41 million.
Judicial commissioner Roz Mawar Rozain dismissed Shafee’s application after finding that his counterclaim did not arise from the recovery of taxes but from mala fide acts by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Agency (MACC) and the Attorney General's Chambers (AGC), which do not fall within the set scope of the rule prohibiting counterclaims.
"The court observed that the defendant’s counterclaim was against parties like the MACC and the AGC, who are not part of these proceedings," she added.
She also said that any dissatisfaction over the calculation of taxes could be dealt with before special commissioners of income tax (SCIT).
She added that Shafee's claim that tax assessments were "concocted mala fide" by the MACC and AGC could be dealt with through another avenue.
Roz said there were a slew of case laws indicating that the whole scheme of tax law in Malaysia is that payment demanded must be paid notwithstanding appeals and that the principle of "pay first, talk later" is predominant.
"There may be appeals before SCIT, but payments must be made or become debts due to the LHDN, which is legally empowered to collect tax arrears," she said, adding that Shafee was not the first taxpayer who wished to file a counterclaim in these types of proceedings.
Roz also ordered the lawyer to pay RM5,000 in costs to the government.
Meanwhile, the court fixed July 26 to hear the summary judgment by LHDN on behalf of the government against Shafee.
Shafee filed the application in May 2021 on the grounds that, among others, the tax claim was an attack on him as a political victim in his capacity as a lawyer for former prime minister Najib Razak, and that he was considered to be an Umno lawyer even though he was not.
Shafee claimed that on Aug 10, 2018, two days after the 1MDB charges were levelled against Najib, and after he had issued a series of press statements critical of the Pakatan Harapan government, he was called in by MACC to give his statement on the receipt of the RM9.5 million. Following the statement to MACC, Shafee alleged that a meeting was held in September 2018 among LHDN, MACC and the AGC to discuss a plan of action to oppress and persecute him with the aim of discouraging him from acting as Najib's counsel.
On Sept 27, 2021, LHDN requested that the suit against Shafee be decided through summary judgement on the grounds that the defendant had failed to pay the income tax arrears and the tax increase imposed on him, amounting to RM9,414,708.32, within the stipulated period.
LHDN, which filed the suit on May 6, 2021, claimed that the lawyer had failed to pay the amount of income tax owed for the assessment years of 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2016, including the increase on the imposed sum.
On Oct 28 last year, the High Court acquitted and discharged Shafee of two charges of receiving money from illegal activities amounting to RM9.5 million from Najib and two charges of making incorrect statements to LHDN.
However, the prosecution filed an appeal against the court's decision on Nov 1 last year.
Shafee was represented by Rajan Navaratnam and Muhammad Farhan Muhammad Shafee while LHDN senior counsels Al-Hummidallah Idrus, Norzilah Abdul Hamid and Muhammad Faqrol Syazreen Mohd Ghause acted for LHDN.


Long live 2021

For the greater part of 2020, we were a nation concerned with numbers.We religiously followed the daily announcements on Covid-19 figures: how many new cases and where, how many recoveries and – perhaps the most serious number of all – how many deaths.But while we were preoccupied with pandemic-related numbers, our politicians were doing the math with other figures.And when their numbers were settled after a royal headcount, we went back to following the grim presentation of Covid-19 numbers by Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah, arguably the most well-known face for Malaysians in this year of the pandemic.By October, the numbers had begun to creep up, topping 600, and then 1,000, and then 2000.Yesterday, the last day of 2020, Covid-19 cases hit an all-time high of 2,525.Instead of reaching the state of self-sufficiency envisioned by Dr Mahathir Mohamad in his Wawasan 2020, Malaysia was brought to its knees along with the rest of the world.But the pandemic is not the only one to blame. Politicians, from all sides, entrusted with protecting the best interests of the people, have lived up to their notorious reputation as well.But that was 2020.What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. Not an apt motivation in the midst of a pandemic that has so far killed 1.8 million people worldwide – but the human race has survived worse catastrophes before.As we enter another year in which the pandemic and all that it represents – lockdowns and loss of income and mobility, to name a few – are likely to linger on, we can still hope.We are hopeful for a year of recovery, both physically and economically – a year in which the unfulfilled dreams of the past 12 months can be belatedly achieved.And for Malaysia, a year in which Malaysians are no longer compelled to join the obsession over numbers that bring no benefit except to our politicians.