Govt will go all out to protect sovereignty of country, says Azalina

The government will not hesitate to take any form of action to defend the country's sovereignty in its legal battle over a territorial claim related to Sabah, including suing the funder and eight Filipinos who claim to be the heirs of the Sultanate of Sulu.
The government will also ensure the parties concerned pay all costs incurred by Malaysia as a result of the claim, said Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Azalina Othman Said.
She said the government has reason to believe that the claim was financially motivated and funded by litigation funders not based in Asia.
"We are now seeing a movement that is more towards an element to make money and we know that litigation funders will take 25 to 30% of the amount (claims). And that is why I want to issue a reminder that this is a very serious attack against the country's sovereignty.
"It is not seen from an element involving arms, but an element to bankrupt Malaysia with an award amounting to US$15 billion," she told the media at the World Trade Centre in Kuala Lumpur today.
Azalina said the Malaysian government will fully oppose any movement and action seen as taking advantage and without following international legal procedures.
She said the government has identified the litigation funder, who she added is a well-known company and based out of Asia. Further action is being taken regarding the matter, she added.
On the Paris Court of Appeal's decision yesterday, Azalina said although it was a "partial award", it was still important considering that the Court of Appeal judge referred to the most important essence of why Malaysia opposed the claim.
"The Malaysian government has been very consistent in saying that the 1878 Agreement does not exist in international arbitration... The cessation of payments is a historical relationship in which payments are made as a consolation.
"The payments by Malaysia stopped due to the violence in Lahad Datu in 2013. If the violence had not happened, the payments might have continued. This shows that the facts presented by Malaysia are very consistent. The decision of the French Court confirms that the arbitration clause does not actually exist," she said.
The Paris Court of Appeal yesterday upheld Malaysia's challenge against the partial award rendered on May 25, 2020 by Dr Gonzalo Stampa in the case filed by eight citizens of the Philippines, who are purported heirs of the long-defunct Sultan of Sulu.
The group claiming to be heirs of the Sulu Sultanate was reported to have taken legal action in the Spanish Court to seek compensation for land in Sabah, which was allegedly leased by their ancestors to a British trading company in 1878.
They then took the matter to the Spanish arbitrator in 2019 and the purported arbitrator, Stampa, who was appointed by the group of individuals, decided in their (the claimants') favour.
Stampa had issued a final award of US$14.9 billion (RM62.59 billion) against Malaysia and Malaysia had used all legal remedies to annul the award given by Stampa to claimants in courts in Spain, France, Luxembourg and the Netherlands.
On March 14 this year, the Paris Court of Appeal upheld the stay order obtained by the Malaysian government in France on July 12, 2022, against the enforcement of the award.
Therefore, the suspension order obtained by Malaysia regarding the enforcement of the award is maintained.


4.8% of children given first Covid-19 vaccine jab

A total of 169,710 children aged five to 11, or 4.8% of the group, had received a first dose of Covid-19 vaccine as of yesterday.They were given the vaccine under the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme for Children (PICKids), launched on Feb 3, and will receive the second dose within eight weeks.According to the CovidNow portal, a total of 13,258,893 individuals or 56.4% of adults had also received a booster dose as of yesterday.A total of 22,936,644 or 97.5% have completed their vaccination while 23,212,859 individuals or 98.7% have received at least one dose of vaccine.In terms of teenagers, a total of 2,795,507 or 89.8% have completed their vaccination while 2,874,510 or 92.3% have received at least one dose of vaccine.Yesterday, a total of 118,875 vaccine doses were dispensed comprising 35,441 first doses, 649 second shots and 82,785 booster jabs.This brings the cumulative number of vaccine doses administered under PICK to 65,042,686.Meanwhile, according to the health ministry’s GitHub portal, a total of 11 deaths due to Covid-19 were reported yesterday – five in Sabah, four in Johor and one each in Kelantan and Pahang.


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Nearly 30 killed in Iraq market suicide bombing claimed by IS

The Islamic State (IS) group claimed responsibility early Tuesday for a suicide bombing that ripped through a busy market in the Iraqi capital ahead of Eid holiday celebrations, killing nearly 30 people, according to medical sources.In a message posted to its Telegram channel, the militant group said a suicide bomber named Abu Hamza al-Iraqi detonated his explosive belt in the middle of a crowd in Sadr City, an eastern Baghdad suburb on Monday night, killing more than 30 and wounding 35 others.In one of the worst attacks in Baghdad in recent years, body parts of victims lay scattered across the previously bustling market that had been crowded with shoppers buying food ahead of the Islamic festival of Eid al-Adha, according to an AFP photographer.Some 50 people were also wounded in the blast, medics said.Iraqi President Barham Salih called the bombing in the densely populated majority-Shiite suburb of Sadr City a “heinous crime” and offered his condolences.“They are targeting our civilians in Sadr City on the eve of Eid,” Salih said in a message on Twitter. “They do not allow people to rejoice, even for a moment.”Eight women and seven children were among the dead, according to a medical sources, who said the toll lay between 28 and 30 killed.In an early Tuesday statement, children’s agency Unicef confirmed that children were killed and injured in the attack.“This horrific attack right before Eid Al-Adha is a terrible reminder of the violence Iraqi children continue to face,” it said.Screaming in terrorVideo footage shared on social media after the blast showed bloodied victims and people screaming in terror. The blast was so strong it ripped the roofs off some market stalls.“A terror attack using a locally made IED (improvised explosive device) in Woheilat Market in Sadr City, in east Baghdad, left several victims dead and others injured,” Iraq’s interior ministry said in a statement.Refrigerators full of water bottles were drenched with blood, and shoes were strewn on the ground alongside fruit, AFP journalists said.Baghdad Operations Command, a joint military and interior ministry security body, said it had launched an investigation into the blast, and police and forensic teams late Monday were searching through the smoking wreckage for clues.Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhemi convened an emergency meeting with his heads of military and security agencies.In January, the IS group claimed responsibility for a rare twin suicide bombing that killed 32 people – also at a crowded market in Baghdad.That blast was the city’s deadliest attack in three years.Such violence was commonplace in Baghdad during the sectarian bloodletting that followed the US-led invasion of 2003, and later on as IS swept across much of Iraq and also targeted the capital.But after years of deadly violence, militant attacks have become relatively rare in the capital Baghdad.‘Impossible to celebrate’Monday’s bloody attack sparked a furious response from Iraqis on social media.“Terrorism and the government’s failure keep on stealing our lives,” tweeted Alaa Sattar, a youth activist. “The authorities have nothing but condolences to dole out and empty investigative committees.”Another Twitter user wrote “every Eid, there’s a tragedy in Baghdad. It’s impossible to celebrate like the rest of humanity”.Iraq declared IS defeated at the end of 2017 after a fierce three-year campaign.Yet the group’s sleeper cells have continued to operate in desert and mountain areas, typically targeting security forces or state infrastructure with low casualty attacks.The US-led coalition that had been supporting Iraq’s campaign against IS has significantly drawn down its troop levels over the past year, citing the increased capabilities of Iraqi forces.The US, which provides the bulk of the force, has 2,500 troops left in Iraq – down from 5,200 a year ago.They are mainly in charge of training, providing drone surveillance and carrying out air strikes while Iraqi security forces handle security in urban areas.Sadr City, where Monday’s bomb blast took place, is named after revered Shiite cleric Mohammed al-Sadr.His son, Moqtada Sadr – a firebrand cleric with millions of followers and in command of paramilitary groups – is a crucial player in Iraqi politics who has often protested against the influence of both the US and Iran.The boycott by Sadr of upcoming elections slated for October is a blow to Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhemi, who had called the early vote in response to demands by pro-democracy activists.


PH says legal action against emergency directed at PM’s advice

Pakatan Harapan (PH) today maintained that the legal action taken against the state of emergency declared earlier this month to curb the spread of Covid-19 was directed at the prime minister’s advice to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and not the ruler himself.In a statement signed by PKR’s Saifuddin Nasution, Amanah’s Hatta Ramli and DAP’s Loke Siew Fook, PH said it had applied on Jan 27 to restore the judicial process at the Kuala Lumpur High Court.It said the application by Simpang Jeram MP Salahuddin Ayub, Gurun assemblyman Johari Abdul and Tebing Tinggi assemblyman Abdul Aziz Bari was filed in order to initiate a review of the methods employed under the emergency ordinance which had consented to the suspension of activities in parliament and state assemblies.“This legal action was not to challenge the emergency proclamation on Jan 11,” it said.“The application was made to prove that the methods under the emergency ordinance were invalid under law and contrary to the Federal Constitution.”PH said Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin and his Cabinet had acted illegally and violated the Federal Constitution in advising the Agong to suspend parliament and state assembly sessions.“The federal government, state governments and representatives across the country need these sittings at this critical time to bring together the voices of the people they represent, and to discuss and pass laws and measures needed to address the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as other matters that concern government administration and the lives of the people.”Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah had consented to a proclamation of emergency in a move to help efforts to combat the sharp spike in Covid-19 cases nationwide.The move was also seen as a way of ensuring political stability throughout the pandemic season, in the face of threats by several Umno MPs to revoke their support for the ruling bloc.The move drew criticism from several opposition leaders, with PKR chief Anwar Ibrahim announcing a letter-writing campaign to get MPs to request the Agong to revoke the proclamation.He also prepared a draft of the letter to be sent to the palace and told MPs that Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin’s move to declare an emergency was not valid, although he later said he was not questioning the Agong’s powers.Earlier this week, he filed a suit to get the court to declare Muhyiddin’s advice to suspend Parliament during the emergency as unconstitutional, rewording his earlier call upon the Agong to revoke the emergency.Police later said Anwar was being investigated, with a report lodged in Perak claiming he had committed sedition by questioning the Agong’s constitutional power to declare emergency rule.Two other reports were said to have been lodged in Kuala Lumpur and Seremban.Perak police chief Mior Faridalathrash Wahid said the investigations are being carried out under Section 505(b) of the Penal Code on causing public alarm and fear leading to offences detrimental to public peace, and Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act on the misuse of the internet.


At the intersection of art and activism

When Shaq Koyok decided to pursue a career in the fine arts, his passion was based on his identity as an Orang Asli.He was barely nine years old when he saw the forest where he grew up, in Kampung Pulau Kempas, Banting, destroyed in the name of agriculture development.“I was sad and angry,” he told MalaysiaNow. “It was 1994. I remember seeing the lorry carrying logs. I remember chainsaws and bulldozers. We got nothing but damaged roads and dust.“The jungle we used to play in, where we used to find our food, was gone.”It was a decade before the area was able to recover from the damage inflicted by the project. But its recovery was short-lived.“In 2006, it happened again. They said it was for an agriculture project, but it was nothing,” Shaq said.“They just wanted to log the forest and take the valuable wood.”It is experiences such as these which drive his passion in art.Shaq Koyok stands in front of his 2021 artwork titled ‘The Nightmare of Moyan Bajos’. The painting shows an indigneous person performing a ritual, surrounded by chopped-down mangrove trees.His most recent work, “Muted Colours”, is currently on exhibition at the Richard Koh Fine Art Gallery in Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur. A monochrome self-portrait on tikar mengkuang, a type of woven mat, the only splash of colour is a blotch of orange painted on his forehead.Shaq said the painting captures his inability to speak up as an indigenous person.“Orange represents the nightmares that I had,” he said. “At first I started with the mouth, then I erased it because I realised the Orang Asli are still silenced. They have no voice.”The word “guilt”, formed out of linen, is glued to the painting. Shaq said this represents the guilt he feels about not doing enough for his people.“I feel guilty because I cannot do much for the Orang Asli, especially because I live in the city now.“I want to do more. It can be a word for me to motivate myself – by feeling this guilt, I want to do better than I did yesterday.”“Muted Colours” is one of 19 artworks featured in what is Shaq’s fourth solo exhibition, “Land of A Thousand Guilts”. The aim of the exhibition is straightforward: to help people understand the dire situation which Orang Asli communities have faced for decades.‘Muted Colours’ (right) and ‘New Hope’ (left), both painted on tikar mengkuang woven by Shaq Koyok’s family.Shaq, from the Temuan community, favours portraits in his work. He often paints his friends or even strangers from his visits to Orang Asli villages.While his subjects may come from different ethnic groups, they share the same pain and the same fight.“This is the issue I want to highlight (in this exhibition),” he told MalaysiaNow.“When we fight for our forests, it’s not just an environmental issue. It’s about our identity, our culture.“We have the graves of our ancestors in the forests. If you destroy the forest, you are destroying our history.”Tikar mengkuangShaq’s use of tikar mengkuang as his canvas instead of the normal linen fabric is also deliberate.Tikar mengkuang is often used as mats in Orang Asli villages. But while it is a common enough sight, the art of weaving it is fading, forgotten by the younger generations.Shaq is determined to change this.The tikar mengkuang he uses is woven by his family members. “Sacred Sea Dance”, the largest portrait in the exhibition, is painted on a length woven by his mother.“Painting on tikar mengkuang is not easy,” he said. “Basically you are painting on leaves, which means it’s hard for the colours to stick. It was very difficult.”He recalled a visit to New Zealand where such mats are recognised as valuable artwork.“They never called it a craft, like we do here. It’s a valuable art for them. It made me think, why don’t we have that appreciation for our work. It’s an everyday object – we step on it, we sleep on it.”His goal is to help people appreciate the art of tikar mengkuang.“Of course, linen canvas looks nice and clean but we have a valuable thing in our country here. It’s our traditional art.”Social changeBut at the very root of Shaq’s art is his zeal for activism.“The goal of my art is always to fight for my people’s rights,” he said.Shaq Koyok explains his art to a visitor at the ‘Land of A Thousand Guilts’ exhibition in Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur.He remembers the discrimination he faced at secondary school for being different from everyone else. Some of his Orang Asli friends who faced the same treatment ended up dropping out.“When people don’t understand us, they don’t know how to respect us,” he said.“In Malaysia, there’s no syllabus in textbooks about Orang Asli. That’s where the discrimination problem starts.”This is why he has no interest in “pretty abstract art that can look good in your house”.He said many collectors had tried to commission him to produce artworks unrelated to the Orang Asli.“I turned them down. As an activist, this is how I do my part.”He acknowledges the limitations of his work, but remains hopeful that the people who see his art can learn more about indigenous people through it.“That’s the most important thing to me.”


At least 18 protesters killed by police in Myanmar in worst violence since coup

Myanmar police fired on protesters around the country on Sunday and at least 18 people were killed in the worst violence since the Feb 1 military coup, the United Nations said, calling on the international community to act to stop the repression.Crowds of demonstrators came under fire in various parts of Yangon after stun grenades, tear gas and shots in the air failed to break up their protests, Reuters is reporting.Across the country, protesters wearing plastic work helmets and with makeshift shields faced off against police and soldiers in battle gear, including some from units notorious for tough crackdowns on ethnic rebel groups in Myanmar’s border regions.“Severe action will be inevitably taken” against “riotous protesters”, the state-run Global New Light Of Myanmar said. The army had previously shown restraint but could not ignore “anarchic mobs”.“Police and military forces have confronted peaceful demonstrations, using lethal force that – according to credible information received by the UN Human Rights Office – has left at least 18 people dead and over 30 wounded,” the UN human rights office said.Among at least five killed in Yangon was internet network engineer Nyi Nyi Aung Htet Naing, medics said. A day earlier he had asked on Facebook how many dead bodies it would take for the United Nations to take action.“The secretary-general urges the international community to come together and send a clear signal to the military that it must respect the will of the people of Myanmar as expressed through the election and stop the repression,” UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.Junta leader General Min Aung Hlaing said last week authorities were using minimal force but at least 21 protesters have now died.Defiance of the coup has emerged not just on the streets but more broadly in the civil service, municipal administration, the judiciary, the education and health sectors and the media.While some Western countries have imposed limited sanctions, the generals have traditionally shrugged off diplomatic pressure.


China's air force stages new mass incursion near Taiwan

Taiwan activated its defence systems on Thursday after reporting 37 Chinese military aircraft flying into the island's air defence zone, some of which then flew into the western Pacific, in Beijing's latest mass air incursion.
China, which views democratically-governed Taiwan as its own territory, has over the past three years regularly flown its air force into the skies near the island, though not into Taiwan's territorial air space.
Taiwan's defence ministry said that starting from 5am (2100 GMT) it had detected 37 Chinese air force planes, including J-11 and J-16 fighters as well as nuclear-capable H-6 bombers, flying into the southwestern corner of its air defence identification zone, or ADIZ. The ADIZ is a broader area Taiwan monitors and patrols to give its forces more time to respond to threats.
Some of the Chinese aircraft flew to Taiwan's southeast and crossed into the western Pacific to perform "air surveillance and long distance navigation training", the ministry added in its short statement.
Taiwan sent its own aircraft and ships to keep watch and activated land-based missile systems, it added, using its standard wording for how it responds to such Chinese activities.
China's defence ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
China completed a second phase of joint air patrols with Russia over the Western Pacific on Wednesday, following flights on the previous day over the Sea of Japan and East China Sea, prompting concerns in Japan over national security.
In April, China held war games around Taiwan following a trip to the US by Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen.
Taiwan's government rejects China's sovereignty claims and says only the island's people can decide their future.


Israel taking advantage of Trump’s remaining days

In a few words, a close associate of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu summed up the logic behind the ongoing frenzy to expand illegal Jewish settlements in Israel.“These days are an irreplaceable opportunity to establish our hold on the land of Israel, and I’m sure that our friend, President (Donald) Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu will be able to take advantage,” Miki Zohar, a member of the Likud Party was quoted as saying in the Christian Science Monitor.By “these days”, Zohar was referring to the remaining few weeks of Trump’s term in office.Trump’s defeat ignited fears in Tel Aviv and heated debates in the Israeli Knesset that the new US administration might challenge Israel’s unhindered settlement expansion policies.Indeed, not only was Israel allowed to expand old settlements and build new ones throughout Trump’s term, it was actually encouraged by US officials to do so with a great sense of urgency.US ambassador to Israel, David Friedman, is an ardent supporter of rapid expansion and was handpicked for his role, not because of his diplomatic experience – he has none – but to help facilitate US support for Israel’s colonial expansion. In doing so, the US violated international consensus on the issue, and reversed earlier US positions that perceived Israel’s illegal settlements as “obstacles to peace”.Friedman was entrusted with communicating the ominous new American agenda regarding Israel’s illegal action in the occupied Palestinian territories and also in the Syrian Golan Heights.In June 2019, Friedman, rather clumsily, articulated a new American position on the illegal Jewish settlements when he said in an interview with the New York Times that “Israel has the right to retain some, but unlikely all, of the West Bank”.The green light to Netanyahu was translated, in January, into an announcement by Israel that it intended to formally annex nearly a third of the West Bank within a few months.The illegal annexation was set to take place on July 1. Just prior to that date, Friedman resurfaced, this time with a less coded message, that Netanyahu’s annexation had the full backing of the US government. He told Israeli newspaper, Israel Hayom, that Washington was preparing to acknowledge the Israeli move to apply sovereignty in “Judea and Samaria”, using the biblical reference to the West Bank.Annexation did not materialise as grandly as expected. Instead, the Netanyahu government opted to cement its de facto annexation of Palestinian land by announcing plans to build more settlements, barring Palestinian farmers from reaching their land and accelerating the policy of home demolition.Months before Joe Biden became the US president-elect, Israel seemed to be preparing for the possibility that the Trump administration might not be re-elected.Certainly, while a Biden presidency is bound to remain unconditionally supportive of Israel, the new administration is likely to return to old policies pertaining to the “peace process” and the two-state solution. Netanyahu has long been averse to such rhetoric as, in his view, such unnecessary delays will cost Israel precious time that could be invested in building yet more settlements.Politically, the mere discussion of a return to negotiations could, potentially, splinter Israel’s powerful, yet fractious, pro-settlement right-wing alliance.Immediately it was clear that Trump had lost the race, Netanyahu begrudgingly congratulated Biden. Even the Israeli leader’s belated acknowledgment of Trump’s defeat did not spare him the political ambush that awaited him.Many Knesset members attacked Netanyahu for losing Israel’s bipartisan support in Washington by allying himself with the Republican party and the Trump administration.Leading the charge was Israel’s opposition leader from Yesh Atid-Telem, Yair Lapid, who had already criticised the Prime Minister’s “Republican First” approach to US politics. His views were shared by many Israelis in the Knesset and media.Reversing course in Trump’s last weeks in office is not an easy choice, especially as the Trump administration remains committed to helping Israel achieve its objectives to the very end.On Nov 19, US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, became the first top US official to visit an illegal Jewish settlement in the occupied West Bank. During his visit to a winery in the Psagot settlement, Pompeo gave Netanyahu yet more good news. He announced that products from illegal Jewish settlements could now be labeled “Made in Israel”, and that the global Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement would be declared “anti-Semitic” by the US State Department.The latter announcement will give Israel the legal capital required to prosecute and silence any US civil society opposition to Israel’s illegal occupation. Israel is counting on the fact that Biden is unlikely to dare contest or reverse such policies due to the sensitivity of the subject of anti-Semitism – real or alleged – in US politics.The same rationale applies to the settlement building frenzy throughout occupied East Jerusalem and the West Bank.On Nov 20, Israeli authorities announced that 80 Palestinian families would be evicted from their homes in the neighbourhood of Sheikh Jarrah in East Jerusalem. These homes would, in turn, be handed over to illegal Israeli Jewish settlers.The news of the mass eviction came only a few days after the government’s announcements that the illegal settlements of Givat Hamatos and Ramat Shlomo, both located in East Jerusalem, are set for major expansion.The massive development in Givat Hamatos, according to the Israeli group Peace Now, “will severely hamper the prospect of a two-State solution because it will ultimately block the possibility of territorial contiguity between East Jerusalem” and major urban centres in the West Bank.The announcements are strategically timed, as they carry an unmistakable political message that Israel does not intend to reverse its settlement policies, regardless of who resides in the White House.The coming weeks are likely to witness even more coordinated Israeli-US moves, where the Trump administration will seek to fulfil Netanyahu’s political wish list, leaving Biden with little political margin to maneuvere, thus denying his government the self-proclaimed, undeserved title of the “honest peace broker”.Ramzy Baroud is a non-resident senior research fellow at the Center for Islam and Global Affairs and the Afro-Middle East Center. His website is www.ramzybaroud.net.The views expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the position of MalaysiaNow.


Nuclear submarine construction to generate thousands of jobs in Australia

A plan to build an Australian fleet of nuclear powered submarines will create 20,000 jobs in Australia, media reported on Monday.
US President Joe Biden, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will meet in San Diego on Monday local time to announce a plan for Australia to acquire a fleet of nuclear-powered submarines next decade.
Australia was informing its regional neighbours about the plan, known as Aukus, Albanese said on Sunday in San Diego, after meeting with Sunak.
"I've been talking with other leaders in the region, as well, explaining our position. And it's been well-received and understood why we're doing this," Albanese told reporters.
China has objected to the transfer of nuclear propulsion technology to Australia. Aukus is seeking to counter China's military buildup and its pressure on Taiwan.
Sunak said it was important for Britain to demonstrate to the region its commitment to values "even though it's geographically a long way from where we are".
At home, Albanese is under pressure to show the nation's most expensive defence project in its history is affordable, and will lead to jobs and a boost for local industry.
Government modelling showed 20,000 jobs, including 8,500 in submarine construction, would be created in Australia over 30 years, local newspapers reported on Monday.
Albanese has said he will explain the massive cost of building the nuclear submarines to the public, at a time where there are "major pressures on expenditure, not just in defence, but in other areas as well".
A national budget forecast in October projected gross debt would reach A$1 trillion (about RM3 trillion) (43.1% of GDP) by the end of the 2025–26 fiscal year, the highest since the 1950s, but below gross debt levels in other developed nations, including the United States and Britain.
Albanese had told reporters that defence spending, now at 2% of GDP, must rise.
"This is about jobs, including jobs and manufacturing and Adelaide in particular will be a big beneficiary of this announcement, as well as Western Australia," he told reporters on Saturday.


Step up efforts to help stateless children, Sarawak minister tells Putrajaya

A Sarawak minister has urged the federal government to come up with immediate legal remedies to tackle the problem of statelessness among children.Fatimah Abdullah, who is the women, early childhood and community wellbeing development minister, said this was important to ensure that stateless and undocumented children are able to attend school.“In Sarawak, children without citizenship can still register at government schools, but they pay a fee,” she told MalaysiaNow.“For primary school, the fee is RM120 per year, and for secondary school it is RM240 per year.”Through this method, 1,225 stateless children have registered and been accepted into government schools.As of the end of March, the state education department had approved 77 applications for government primary schools and 119 for secondary schools.Fatimah said undocumented children with one Malaysian parent require a letter of endorsement from either the MP or state assemblyman, the district officer, village head or longhouse head.She added that the state education department is helping stateless children register for school in collaboration with the Sarawak National Registration Department and other government agencies.Fatimah also suggested a programme to educate villagers about the importance of registering their marriages, through engagement with community leaders.Likewise, she said efforts were needed to encourage parents to register the birth of their children.In Sarawak, she said, many cases of statelessness are due to unregistered marriages between Malaysians and foreigners, especially in communities in villages near the border.“This leads to their children becoming stateless,” she said. “The procedure to register them for citizenship then becomes complicated as they require various documents to prove the status of the child.”Fatimah said her ministry was committed to helping these children apply for citizenship.“We hope that children who have problems with citizenship can still apply to go to school,” she added.Sarawak plans to issue stateless children temporary documents to allow them to access public education and medical services at the same fee rate as citizens.Fatimah had previously said that education and health were fundamental human rights and that the state government was ready to assist stateless children.


‘Squid Game’ director predicts second season of megahit TV show

The director of “Squid Game”, the dystopic South Korean TV series on Netflix, expressed confidence that the wildly popular show will return for a second season.“We are in the talks for Season Two,” writer-director Hwang Dong-hyuk said in an interview on Monday. “It’s all in my head. I have the basic storyline, the broad plan, so we’re in the brainstorming stages.“I’m going to go ahead and say there will be a second season, but as for when, I cannot tell you now,” Hwang added.“He will come back, he will come back and do something about this world,” the director said, referring to protagonist Seong Gi-hun, played by actor Lee Jung-Jae.Hwang, Lee and others involved in the show, one of Netflix’s biggest hits ever, attended a special Hollywood screening on Monday to celebrate its success.“Squid Game”, in which debt-ridden people compete in a deadly game for a fortune, has inspired Halloween costumes and themed protests at the United Nations global climate summit in Glasgow, Scotland, among other things.“It feels so surreal,” Hwang said of his creation’s impact. “It’s almost like I myself am living in a fantastical world.”“I just can’t believe this is happening,” actor Lee said. “I did not know or ever imagined it would make it this big. I didn’t ever think we would get this much love, so being here and standing in front of you, everything, I just feel so grateful.”The series’ success echoes that of 2020 Oscar winner “Parasite”, which also showed the gap between rich and poor in South Korea.Actor Park Hae-soo, who plays a contestant named Cho Sang-woo, said, “Everybody actually has that rage, but I think the Koreans are really able to express that honestly.”


Born and raised in Klang but with no country to call home

Kasim was born in the small village of Sungai Pinang in Klang, where he grew up and later got married.But while he has lived side by side with others from the village his entire life, he has always been aware of an invisible line between him and them.While those who live in the area are generally friendly to him and his family, some are less so and have no qualms about hurling insults his way every now and then.“They say I am an outsider and should just go back to my country,” he said in a recent interview with MalaysiaNow.For Kasim, where this is exactly is a tricky question.Kasim holds up his birth certificate, issued by the National Registration Department.Some 30 years ago, his parents fled to Malaysia from Arakan, Myanmar. Their five children were born and raised in Malaysia as they awaited resettlement in a third country or for a safe time to return to their homeland.Kasim and his siblings all have birth certificates as well as UNHCR cards. However, in terms of nationality, they are considered stateless.Growing up in a limbo of sorts, they quickly became familiar with the disparaging remarks that would come their way.For Kasim, some of the most hurtful comments came from those who shared his Muslim faith but who could not see past their social and ethnic differences.“Hearing our own Muslim brothers differentiate us like that made me sad,” he said.“When they called me names or said harsh things, I could not do anything about it, so I just took it all in.“The only thing I could do was to cry by myself.”Kasim cleans a secondhand vacuum cleaner which he will sell online to make some money.Malaysia is not a party to the Refugee Convention of 1951, also known as the Geneva Convention, a United Nations treaty which defines who a refugee is and sets out the rights of individuals who are granted asylum and the responsibilities of nations that take them in.This means there is no domestic legislation or adopted policies for the identification, registration and protection of refugees and stateless persons.Refugee children cannot attend government schools or tertiary institutions because they have no official identity such as that provided by Malaysia’s MyKad.Those who do attend school are generally enrolled in private centres for refugees, mostly set up by Rohingya communities to provide their children with at least a basic education. But these schools often lack long-term funding and rely solely on public donations.Kasim was able to attend one such school in Klang where he was taught basic subjects like English, mathematics and science.Once he turned 11, he was enrolled in a religious school near his house.When asked about his childhood ambitions, he smiled and said he had dreamed of becoming an engineer.“If given the opportunity, I would like to pursue a higher education and study hard,” he said.“I loved maths and I aspired to become an engineer.”But the UNHCR card that he holds offers him no legal protection in the country, and he knows only too well the yawning gap that lies between him and his dreams.In his current situation, it is difficult for him to even find a job or to obtain a driving licence.Still, he remains cheerful and positive about the future. With his dreams of becoming an engineer relegated to the back burner, his only hope now is that his own children will be able to live a better life than his.


UN reminds Malaysia of ‘serious consequences’ of planned anti-migrant crackdown

The United Nations office in Malaysia has voiced concern over the home ministry’s move to conduct large-scale operations to detain undocumented immigrants during the lockdown period, saying a crackdown on migrants during a health crisis could seriously undermine the public health objective and lead to adverse results despite the minister’s claim that this will help the nation’s vaccination programme.In a statement to MalaysiaNow, it said it had held discussions with the government on the importance of guarantees from repercussions such as temporary exemptions or moratoriums from detention and deportation.“Throughout the pandemic, the UN in Malaysia has been strongly advocating for the inclusion of migrants, refugees and undocumented persons in the Covid-19 response and the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme (PICK),” it said.“To win the fight against Covid-19, one of the most powerful tools is mass vaccination, in addition to the continued use of public health measures such as physical distancing, wearing of masks and handwashing.“If a sizeable majority of the population is vaccinated, it will help reduce transmission of the disease and greatly limit severe Covid-19 cases and deaths.”Home Minister Hamzah Zainudin had yesterday defended the plan to detain undocumented migrants, saying it was to ensure that they have valid documents for vaccination purposes.He said the government could not administer vaccines to those without documents, and that the vaccination exercise was to achieve herd immunity.“Some parties had objected to the plan (to detain illegal immigrants) but it has to be made clear that if those detained do not have (valid) documents, how are we to include them in the vaccination programme?“The government cannot give vaccines to this group because every vaccination registration programme requires valid documents,” he said.Hamzah also said his ministry would ask employers of undocumented migrants to obtain valid documents from their embassies before they are vaccinated against the virus.On Feb 17, Khairy Jamaluddin, the minister in charge of PICK, said discussions would be held with the authorities to ensure that undocumented workers are not detained when they come forward for vaccination.“Those who do not possess documentation must approach their embassies to be brought out and vaccinated without being arrested,” he said.On March 22, he reiterated that undocumented migrants would not be arrested if they turn up to get jabbed.“The position of the government is we will be providing vaccination free for all in Malaysia, including undocumented migrants and asylum seekers with the assurance that they will not be detained or reported,” he said.Noting these assurances, the UN commended the approach, calling it an inclusive strategy to keep the entire population safe.“These vulnerable groups should also have meaningful access to information so that they are aware of the vaccination plans and where to access the services,” it said.“The public health logic in a pandemic is that nobody is safe unless everyone is safe.”Migrant rights activist Adrien Pereira meanwhile said a conclusive plan is needed to solve the issue of undocumented migrants during the Covid-19 crisis.Noting that Malaysia was now more than a year into the pandemic, he said the home minister must come up with policies that align with the national agenda.“The home ministry must make its policies but these must be harmonised with the national agenda,” he told MalaysiaNow.


Businessman says he was willing to give Najib RM19 million bribe to stop Guan Eng graft probe

A key witness in the trial of Lim Guan Eng told the Sessions Court today that he had paid RM19 million to a middleman who was allegedly close to former prime minister Najib Razak, to stop a graft investigation by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) against the Bagan MP.
Consortium Zenith Construction Sdn Bhd (CZCSB) director Zarul Ahmad Mohd Zulkifli, 62, said he did so as he did not want to "bite the hand that feeds him", since Lim, who was the Penang chief minister at the time, had awarded him the RM6.34 billion Penang undersea tunnel project.
Under cross-examination by Lim’s counsel Gobind Singh Deo, Zarul said he had been willing to protect Lim to the extent of bribing Najib to stop the probe against Lim on the controversial Penang undersea tunnel project.
The 23rd prosecution witness said he made the RM19 million payment through a businessman, G Gnanaraja, who was allegedly close to Najib, to stop the graft investigation against Lim.
When further questioned, however, Zarul said he was not sure whether the money had really reached Najib. Gobind: Najib was the prime minister and head of Barisan Nasional (BN) in 2017. BN was the opposition party to the Penang state government.
Zarul: Yes.
Gobind: So you went to pay their (BN) boss to protect Lim?
Zarul: Yes.
Gobind then said it was impossible and did not make sense for Zarul to pay Najib in order to protect Lim, adding that if Zarul wanted to protect Lim, he wouldn’t be paying Najib as he was Lim’s political rival.
Zarul replied that it made sense to him as at that time, he was desperate to make sure that Lim was protected and that the BN government "wouldn’t do anything" to Lim.
Gobind also suggested that Zarul was prepared to lie in order to protect himself from being prosecuted when making a press statement in 2018, where he had said there were no elements of corruption in the undersea tunnel project as it was done legitimately.
Gobind: Your evidence in court yesterday that you lied in the press statement in order to protect Lim is not true.
Zarul: You have to look at it in the entire context. I was asked to make the whole statement. I am obligated.
Gobind: I put it to you, that you are certainly prepared to lie to protect yourself.
Zarul: I do not agree.
Lim, 61, faces an amended charge of using his position as Penang chief minister to solicit RM3.3 million in bribes as an inducement to assist Consortium Zenith BUCG Sdn Bhd (CZBUCG) owner Zarul in securing the project worth RM6,341,383,702. He is accused of committing the offence at the Penang Chief Minister’s Office, Level 28, Komtar, George Town, between January 2011 and August 2017.
In the second amended charge, Lim is accused of soliciting a bribe of 10% of the profit from the company as gratification to secure the project.
The offence was allegedly committed near The Gardens Hotel, Lingkaran Syed Putra, Mid Valley City in March 2011.
Lim, the former DAP secretary-general, also faces another two charges of causing two plots of land worth RM208.8 million belonging to the Penang government to be disposed of to two companies linked to the state’s undersea tunnel project.
The trial before judge Azura Alwi continues on Monday.


Daily caseload below 1,300 as another 5 deaths reported

Another 1,244 Covid-19 cases were recorded yesterday, taking total confirmed infections in the country to 4,845,109.
There were 2,005 recoveries, taking total recoveries to 4,785,398.
There are now 23,331 active cases, of which 22,317 or 95.7% are undergoing home quarantine.
Meanwhile, 0 (0.0%) are at quarantine centres while 968 (4.1%) have been hospitalised.
A total of 46 are in ICU with 25 in need of respiratory assistance. ICU utilisation throughout the country stands at 62.4%, with Covid ICU utilisation at 12.6%.
Another five deaths were reported, including two who were brought in dead. Total deaths now stand at 36,380.


Muslims to celebrate Hari Raya tomorrow

Muslims in the country will celebrate Hari Raya Aidilfitri tomorrow, on May 2, Keeper of the Royal Seal Syed Danial Syed Ahmad announced today.“In order to fulfil the decree of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, following the consent of the rulers, I confirm that Hari Raya Puasa for states throughout Malaysia has been fixed on Monday, May 2,” he said.Meanwhile, Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said in a statement that the replacement holiday for Labour Day would be brought forward to May 4.Muslims in Malaysia will be celebrating Aidilfitri under relaxed Covid-19 restrictions for the first time in two years, following the country’s transition towards the endemic phase which began on April 1.


‘Jihad’ task force shows govt’s commitment to tackling inflation, says Zuraida

The newly formed Special Task Force on Jihad against Inflation shows that the government is committed to tackling the pressing issues affecting the community and is not detached from the public, Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister Zuraida Kamaruddin said today.Zuraida, the Parti Bangsa Malaysia (PBM) president-designate, said the party welcomed Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob’s announcement on the matter and urged the task force to step up enforcement to curb profiteering by unscrupulous traders.“We have received a lot of feedback that some traders were jacking up prices, in some cases beyond the ceiling price set by the government. The government must be seen to be cracking down on these errant businesses and must throw the book at them,” she said in a statement today.Zuraida said PBM was optimistic that the multi-ministerial effort would help contain inflation at a manageable rate, and urged Malaysians to realise that the rising prices of goods and services are mainly due to external factors such as the war in Ukraine, supply chain disruptions and uncertain global weather conditions.She also said that compared with other countries, including developed ones, Malaysia had a track record of keeping the lid on inflationary pressure.“For example, the UK recently announced that its inflation rate was at 9.1%, the highest in 40 years.“In the US, it was 8.6%, also another four-decade high, while in Malaysia, the inflation rate for May was at 2.8% as announced by the statistics department,” she said.Zuraida said the government should also be commended for setting the ceiling price for chicken at RM9.40 per kg as this would enable Malaysians to purchase chicken at a more affordable price.Yesterday, Ismail announced that the Cabinet had agreed to form a Special Task Force on Jihad Against Inflation to help Malaysian families face the rising cost of living.


Apandi seeks compensation, damages over termination as AG

Mohamed Apandi Ali sent a letter of demand to the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) yesterday, demanding restitution and unspecified damages for his termination as attorney-general (AG) two years ago, which he claims was unlawful.The letter, dated Sept 30 and sent through law firm Messrs Shukor Baljit & Partners, was served to the AGC yesterday.Apandi’s lawyer, Baljit Singh, confirmed the matter when contacted today.In the letter, Apandi demanded that the AGC respond to his claim to restitution and unspecified damages within seven days, failing which he would commence legal proceedings for an appropriate remedy including exemplary or punitive damages as well as costs.He also claimed that his termination was orchestrated and decided on by the prime minister at the time.He said he was appointed as AG on July 27, 2015, with the consent of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, for a period of three years until July 26, 2018. He also said the consent was given pursuant to the advice of the prime minister at the time in a letter dated July 27, 2015.Apandi said the appointment could only be terminated pursuant to Article 145 (5) of the Federal Constitution.He claimed that on April 6, 2018, the chief secretary to the government told him that the Yang di-Pertuan Agong had on March 30, 2018 consented to his reappointment with effect from July 27, 2018, which he accepted through a letter dated May 7, 2018.However, on June 5 the same year, he was notified by the chief secretary that the Yang di-Pertuan Agong had consented to his termination as AG, and contended that he was never furnished with documents evidencing the royal consent.He claimed that his termination was orchestrated and decided by the then-prime minister who had “arrogated to himself the power of termination unlawfully”.Apandi, who was formerly a Federal Court judge, claimed that the prime minister at the time had abused his position and misconducted himself as a public officer and committed a tort of misfeasance in public office.He further claimed that the prime minister’s conduct was with the intent of breaching the contract between the government and himself.He added that his termination was unlawful, null and void.As a result, he said, he suffered losses and damages including the loss of earnings, allowances and other benefits from July 27, 2018 until July 26, 2021.In May 2018, Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who was prime minister at the time, was reported as saying that Apandi had been given 30 days of unrecorded leave from May 15 that year.Apandi was appointed as AG to replace Abdul Gani Patail whose tenure was terminated due to health reasons.In June 2018, Tommy Thomas was appointed as AG, replacing Apandi.Thomas resigned as AG on Feb 29 this year following the fall of the Pakatan Harapan government.Former Federal Court judge Idrus Harun was appointed as the new AG on March 6.Apandi, when asked why he acted only two years after his termination, said he had no real reason to do so.“But it took me two years to ponder over the possible issues involved and the narratives leading to my dismissal,” he told Bernama in a WhatsApp message.“Just exercising my legal rights against an abuse of position and power by the former PM, Dr Mahathir, in removing me as the AG without valid reasons, after an extension of my tenure as AG was given (with the consent of the king),” he said.


Bank Negara rules out pegging the ringgit

Pegging the ringgit is not in Malaysia’s best interest as it would have substantial risks, including mirroring the monetary policy of the country that the local currency is pegged against, Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) governor Nor Shamsiah Mohd Yunus said today.She said maintaining a peg would be a very costly policy as this had taken up a sizeable amount of reserves, especially in the last decade, adding that this would ultimately weaken Malaysia’s external resilience.“A peg would have detrimental effects on investors’ sentiment, not only affecting foreign direct investment into Malaysia but also leading to capital outflows from Malaysia,” she told reporters after announcing Malaysia’s gross domestic product performance for the first quarter (Q1) of 2022 in Kuala Lumpur.She said BNM does not target any level of exchange rate and will ensure that there is no excessive volatility in the exchange rate and conditions in the financial market.“We have to acknowledge that the key factor contributing to our ability to successfully track the ringgit in 1998 was the capital controls introduced back then,” she said.On the weakening of the local note, she said this was largely driven by external factors including strong growth and rising inflation in the US.“On top of that, we have a lot of uncertainties in the global economy, including the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and uncertainty in China due to the lockdown,” she said.She said the volatility index had also gone up at a constant rate, resulting in a stronger US dollar, while currencies in other countries were depreciating against the greenback.“Movement in the ringgit is in line with other regional countries and again, I would like to stress, having a flexible exchange rate is most appropriate given the current circumstances,” she said.Nor Shamsiah said the onshore foreign exchange trading volume in the local market had been healthy and the volatility in the domestic onshore market had not been very far from the daily volatility rate.She added that the flexible exchange rate had buffered the economy and preserved Malaysia’s competitiveness under the global conditions.According to the BNM, the local note depreciated by 0.7% against the US dollar in Q1 of 2022 and 4.7% as of May 11, broadly in line with the movement of regional currencies.


Liz Truss named as Britain's next prime minister

Liz Truss was named as Britain's next prime minister on Monday, winning a leadership race for the governing Conservative party at a time when the country faces a cost of living crisis, industrial unrest and a recession.
After weeks of an often bad-tempered and divisive leadership contest that saw the foreign minister face off against former finance minister Rishi Sunak, Truss came out on top in a vote of Conservative Party members.
The announcement triggers the start of a handover from Boris Johnson, who was forced to announce his resignation in July after months of scandal saw support for his administration drain away.
He will travel to Scotland to meet Queen Elizabeth on Tuesday to officially tender his resignation. Truss will follow him and be asked to form a government by the monarch.
Long the front-runner in the race to replace Johnson, Truss will become the Conservatives' fourth prime minister since a 2015 election. Over that period the country has been buffeted from crisis to crisis, and now faces what is forecast to be a long recession triggered by sky-rocketing inflation which hit 10.1% in July.
Foreign minister under Boris Johnson, Truss, 47, has promised to act quickly to tackle Britain's cost of living crisis, saying that within a week she will come up with a plan to tackle rising energy bills and securing future fuel supplies.
Truss has signalled during her leadership campaign she would challenge convention by scrapping tax increases and cutting other levies in a move some economists say would fuel inflation.
That, plus a pledge to review the remit of the Bank of England while protecting its independence, has prompted some investors to dump the pound and government bonds.
Kwasi Kwarteng, widely tipped to be her finance minister, sought to calm markets on Monday, by saying in an article in the Financial Times newspaper that under Truss there would need to be "some fiscal loosening" but that her administration would act in "a fiscally responsible way".
Truss faces a long, costly and difficult to-do list, which opposition lawmakers say is the result of 12 years of poor Conservative government. Several have called for an early election - something Truss has said she will not allow.
Veteran Conservative lawmaker David Davis described the challenges she would take on as prime minister as "probably the second most difficult brief of post-war prime ministers" after Conservative Margaret Thatcher in 1979.
"I actually don't think any of the candidates, not one of them going through it, really knows quite how big this is going to be," he said, adding that costs could run into tens of billions of pounds.
Truss has said she will appoint a strong cabinet, dispensing with what one source close to her called a "presidential-style" of governing, and she will have to work hard to win over some lawmakers in her party who had backed Sunak in the race.
The Institute for Government think-tank said Truss would have a weaker starting point than any of her predecessors, because she was not the most popular choice among her party's lawmakers.
First, she will turn to the urgent issue of surging energy prices. Average annual household utility bills are set to jump by 80% in October to 3,549 pounds, before an expected rise to 6,000 pounds in 2023, decimating personal finances.
Britain has lagged other major European countries in its offer of support for consumer energy bills, which opposition lawmakers blame on a "zombie" government unable to act while the Conservatives ran their leadership contest.
In May, the government set out a 15 billion-pound support package to help households with energy bills as part of its 37 billion-pound cost-of-living support scheme.
Italy has budgeted over 52 billion euros (US$51.75 billion) so far this year to help its people. In France, increases in electricity bills are capped at 4% and Germany said on Sunday it would spend at least 65 billion euros shielding consumers and businesses from rising inflation.


EU democracy 'under attack' as parliament rocked by Qatar bribe claims

Leaders of the EU Parliament accused foreign powers on Monday of trying to corrupt European democracy, as a probe into alleged bribes from World Cup host Qatar widened.
Belgian investigators, meanwhile raided offices in the parliament's Brussels base, seeking to seize computer data to track the alleged web of corruption.
One of the vice-presidents of the parliament, Greek socialist MEP Eva Kaili, has been charged with "criminal organisation, corruption and money laundering".
The parliament's president, Maltese conservative Roberta Metsola, vowed to members meeting at their seat in Strasbourg on Monday that the body's integrity would be restored.
"Make no mistake," Metsola said. "The European Parliament, dear colleagues, is under attack. European democracy is under attack and our free and democratic societies are under attack."
Leaders of the body's political blocs agreed.
"We won't let our work be sullied, we won't let our parliament or our Europe be sullied," promised Stephane Sejourne of the liberal group Renew.
Manon Aubry of the left-wing GUE group dubbed the scandal the "most serious" in the parliament's history. "Our democracy is not for sale," she declared.
Searches were carried out at the homes of MEPs and their associates in Belgium and around a million euros in cash has been recovered after allegations that Qatar has been seeking to burnish its image.
Belgian prosecutors said €600,000 (US$630,000, RM2.79 million) were found at the home of one suspect, €150,000 at the flat of an MEP and several hundred thousand euros in a suitcase in a hotel room.
'My fury, my anger '
The Gulf monarchy, which is currently hosting the football World Cup, denies any involvement. "Any claims of misconduct by the State of Qatar are gravely misinformed," a Qatar official told AFP.
Kaili has been stripped of her vice-presidential responsibilities and parliamentary group leaders will meet Tuesday to prepare a vote to formally remove her from the post.
She is remanded in custody and will face a hearing on Wednesday to see if she and three fellow accused will need to remain in detention pending a corruption trial.
European Parliament members usually have immunity from prosecution, but Belgian investigators said that was not the case this time as suspects were caught "in flagrante".
Kaili visited Qatar just ahead of the World Cup and praised the country as a "frontrunner in labour rights", a sentiment she has repeated on the floor of the parliament.
She received a new legal blow on Monday, when Greek authorities froze the 44-year-old former television presenter and her relatives' assets.
At the parliament a wide-ranging internal investigation has been launched, Metsola said, and the parliament will continue to fully cooperate with and support the Belgian authorities' probe.
Metsola, who attended in person a police search of a Belgian MEP's home on Saturday, said she would choose her words carefully to avoid jeopardising the police investigation.
"So, if my fury, my anger, my sorrow do not come across, please be assured that they are very much present," she said.
"These malign actors linked to autocratic third countries have allegedly weaponised NGOs, unions, individuals, assistants and members of the European Parliament in an effort to subvert our processes."
Kaili was a member of the Socialists and Democrats (S&D) group in the parliament. Meeting on Monday, the group's leaders voted to expel her and to suspend other S&D MEPs implicated in the investigation.
A group source told AFP that three MEPs have stepped down from committee positions pending the investigation and a fourth, Belgian socialist Marc Tarabella, has "suspended himself".
Tarabella's home was searched on Saturday, but he has not been formally charged.
EU foreign ministers, in Brussels to discuss sanctions against Iran and Russia, warned that the scandal threatens the credibility of European institutions.
'Credibility and consequences'
Several MEPs as well as transparency campaigners have called for tougher anti-graft rules.
The European Parliament often votes to criticise corruption abroad and has pushed for action against member states accused of breaking Brussels' rules, like Viktor Orban's Hungary.
But ministers such as Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney warned that the scandal was "damaging".
"This is really an unbelievable incident that must now be cleared up, without ifs and buts, with the full force of the law," German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said.
"Because this is also and especially about Europe's credibility and consequences must follow."


Bersatu files report with MACC over 'lavish GE15 campaign' by PH, BN

Bersatu today urged the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) against making selective accusations to fulfil the desires of certain party leaders by turning it into the "victim" of "political games".
Kedah Bersatu information chief Khairul Anuar Ramli also repeated the call for MACC to investigate the election expenditure of Pakatan Harapan (PH) and Barisan Nasional (BN) during the Nov 19 polls last year.
He said there was strong evidence that both blocs had spent lavishly on matters such as giant billboards, lucky draws, and the helicopter used by PH chairman Anwar Ibrahim throughout the campaign period.
"This is just part of the proof that we have to give to MACC, so that a transparent investigation can be held instead of one at the behest of politicians," he said after lodging an MACC report in Alor Setar.
He added that neither Anwar nor his daughter, Nurul Izzah Anwar, were receiving a monthly salary.
"This raises the question of how they are supporting themselves, and whether they are receiving funds from secret sources," he said.
MACC previously froze Bersatu's accounts as part of investigations in accordance with the MACC Act 2009 and the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001.
Khairul criticised what he described as unfounded claims, adding that they were made to tarnish the image of Perikatan Nasional (PN).
He added that Anwar, who is now the prime minister, should apologise to PN for claims such as the allegation that it had received funds from gambling companies.
"He has also continued to claim that we are involved in the matter of the RM600 billion funds," he said.
"The number then went down to RM520 billion and then RM300 million. Should the prime minister as a reasonable person make such inconsistent and changing claims?"


China approves 60 new games, sparking hopes of end to tech crackdown

China has approved the release of dozens of new video games, boosting the shares of some of its biggest tech firms Wednesday on hopes that a long-running and painful crackdown on the sector is easing.The announcement follows a report in The Wall Street Journal on Monday that said regulators were wrapping up their investigation into ride-hailing giant Didi and will allow it to register new users.Officials in China – the world’s biggest gaming market – rolled out a series of restrictions last year as part of a sweeping government campaign to rein in huge tech firms.They capped the amount of gaming time for children with the stated aim of fighting addiction and froze approvals for new games for nine months, hammering the bottom lines of many companies including sector titan Tencent.China’s National Press and Publication Administration said Tuesday it had approved 60 new games, following the year’s first batch of approvals in April.Titles from Tencent or rival NetEase were not among the latest approvals, but they did include games from Perfect World and miHoYo – developer of the international hit “Genshin Impact”.“We are delighted to see established studios such as Perfect World, Shengqu Games, MiHoYo, and Changyou obtained approval titles this time, which we believe could indicate higher possibilities for Tencent’s and NetEase’s titles to be approved in coming batches,” said Citi analysts in a note.“The approval announcement will also send a positive signal of policy support to the overall China Internet sector.”Chinese tech stocks surged in Hong Kong on the news, building on the positive sentiment among investors and analysts after the report on Didi earlier in the week.At the break in Hong Kong, Tencent was up 4.7% while NetEase climbed 2.9%.The gaming news also boosted other major tech stocks – Hong Kong market heavyweight Alibaba was up more than 8% and JD.com piling on more than 4%.During the clampdown, hundreds of Chinese game makers pledged to scrub “politically harmful” content from their products and enforce curbs on underage players to comply with government demands.China’s economy, the world’s second-largest, has been hammered in recent months by a series of major Covid lockdowns, and the government has rolled out a series of measures to resuscitate it.


Russia says US accessed thousands of Apple phones in spy plot

Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) said on Thursday it had uncovered a US National Security Agency (NSA) plot using previously unknown malware to access specially made so-called backdoor vulnerabilities in Apple phones.
The FSB, the main successor to the Soviet-era KGB, said several thousand Apple phones had been infected, including those of domestic Russian subscribers.
Neither Apple nor the NSA immediately responded to emailed requests for comment.
The Russian spy agency also said telephones belonging to foreign diplomats based in Russia and the former Soviet Union, including those from Israel, Syria, China and Nato members, had been targeted.
"The FSB has uncovered an intelligence action of the American special services using Apple mobile devices," the FSB said in a statement.
The US is the world's top cyber power in terms of intent and capability, according to Harvard University's Belfer Center Cyber 2022 Power Index, followed by China, Russia, the United Kingdom and Australia.
US snooping?
The FSB said the plot showed "close cooperation" between Apple and the NSA, the US agency responsible for US cryptographic and communications intelligence and security.
Both the Kremlin and Russia's foreign ministry pointed to the significance of the matter.
"The hidden data collection was carried out through software vulnerabilities in US-made mobile phones," Russia's foreign ministry said in a statement.
"The US intelligence services have been using IT corporations for decades in order to collect large-scale data of Internet users without their knowledge," the ministry said.
The FSB said the plot had been uncovered as part of a joint effort by its officers and those of the Federal Guards Service (FSO), a powerful agency which runs the Kremlin bodyguard and was also once the KGB's Ninth Directorate.
Officials in Russia, which Western spies says has constructed a very sophisticated domestic surveillance structure, have long questioned the security of US technology.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said all officials in the presidential administration knew that gadgets such as iPhones were "absolutely transparent".
"Using them for official purposes is unacceptable and prohibited," Peskov said, adding that officials were free to use iPhones for private, non-official communication.
Phone spyware
Putin has always said he has no smartphone, though the Kremlin has said the former KGB spy does use the internet from time to time.
The Russian warning on Apple phones came a few hours before Moscow-based antivirus firm Kaspersky Lab issued a report saying that an undisclosed number of its staffers had had their iPhones compromised in "an extremely complex, professionally targeted cyberattack".
Kaspersky said spyware, delivered by an invisible message, was installed through vulnerabilities in the iOS operating system and that information from the phone was then transmitted to remote servers.
Kaspersky said the digital espionage campaign targeted the company's "top and middle-management" and published a technical report outlining how it said the malicious software worked.
The company did not immediately respond to emails and phone calls seeking comment about the report's timing or whether it was related to the FSB alert.
Earlier this year, the Kremlin told officials involved in preparations for Russia's 2024 presidential election to stop using Apple iPhones because of concerns that the devices are vulnerable to Western intelligence agencies, the Kommersant newspaper reported.


Umno members unhappy with no-contest motion can call emergency assembly, says lawyer

A lawyer recommends that Umno members and leaders who are dissatisfied with the motion passed at the recent general assembly to stop any challenge to the top two posts at the party election hold an extraordinary general meeting (EGM) to discuss the matter.
Speaking to MalaysiaNow, Rafique Rashid said any party member could file an emergency motion for an assembly, subject to the conditions of the Umno constitution.
"This is one option from the legal point of view," he added.
The decision at the 2022 Umno general assembly last weekend to allow the top posts to go uncontested triggered criticism by some including former youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin and vice-president Ismail Sabri Yaakob.
It came on the back of Umno's worst election defeat ever, weeks after party president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi spearheaded a move to abandon the party's policy of not working with Pakatan Harapan and its chairman Anwar Ibrahim.
Ismail had said that the decision was worrying, and that the matter could be determined by the Registrar of Societies.
Section 18(c) of the Societies Act 1966 however states that party decisions are final and cannot be challenged, even in court.
It is also known as an "ouster clause", which is a clause to remove the power of the court from reviewing or vetoing the decision of a body or organisation.
In 2018, a group of 16 Umno members attempted but failed to challenge it in court.
They had attempted to challenge the party's legitimacy after being accused of violating the Umno constitution.
This followed Umno's failure to hold elections at the branch, division and Supreme Council levels within the stipulated time frame.
A three-man bench unanimously ruled that there was no reason to interfere with the previous decision of the High Court.
"Section 18(c) of the Societies Act states that decisions involving parties are final and cannot be challenged, appealed against or questioned in court," they said.
Rafique said that organisations could conduct their business if they did so without violating the Societies Act or the Federal Constitution.
"It's not wrong," he added, referring to the motion allowing the top two posts to go uncontested.
"If members want their voices to be heard, then they will have to file an emergency motion. But it depends on them. They are the ones who will have to do it."   The Umno election must be held by mid-May.
Political analyst Ahmad Zaharudin Sani Sabri said the decision to withhold contest for the top two posts would need confirmation from the RoS.
"Why are other posts being contested?" he added. "We need to wait for a decision by the RoS on whether this can be done."
Zaharudin also said that if the grassroots felt the present leadership was enough to ensure the party's stability, Zahid and his deputy Mohamad Hasan would still win even if their posts were opened to challenge.
"What is the impact of allowing no contest?" he said. "The grassroots will feel that those at the top will never change. This in turn would mean a negative chronology for the party."


20 people found dead on boat drifting in Caribbean

A boat has been found drifting about a mile off Grand Turk island with 20 dead people on board, including two children, authorities in the Turks and Caicos Islands said on Sunday.Officials said investigators are still trying to determine what had happened. The identities and origin of the dead are also under investigation.Fishermen spotted the small boat Thursday morning and alerted the marine branch of the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force, who towed the vessel ashore.The police communications officer, Takara Bain, said in a news release that investigators had discounted foul play and were looking at other possibilities, without giving any specifics.Police Commissioner Trevor Botting said the boat appeared to have come from outside the Caribbean and authorities did not think the Turks and Caicos had been its destination.“My investigators are working to establish their identities and how they met their death,” Botting said.The Turks and Caicos Islands are a British Overseas Territory in the Atlantic Ocean and northern West Indies. They are known primarily for tourism and as an offshore financial centre.Grand Turk Island lies about 1,000km southeast of Miami, US.The Turks and Caicos are often a magnet for desperate Haitians seeking to flee their poverty-stricken nation and the territory has also been used as a trans-shipment point by human traffickers.In June 2020, Sri Lanka-born Canadian citizen Srikajamukam Chelliah pleaded guilty to human trafficking charges before a Turks and Caicos judge and was sentenced to 14 months in prison.He was extradited to Florida and sentenced in February to 32 months in prison for conspiring to smuggle people into the US.Chelliah had been caught in August 2019 skippering a boat carrying 158 people, including 28 Sri Lankans. They told investigators they were bound for the US.


Death toll crosses 600 with 240 in ICU

Another 3,339 Covid-19 cases were recorded today, taking total confirmed infections in the country to 158,434.Selangor recorded 1,314 cases, of which 1,122 or 85.4% were from clusters and close contact screening.This was followed by Sabah 393, Johor 362, Kuala Lumpur 334, Negeri Sembilan 236, Penang 120, Kelantan 114 and Perak 107.Kedah recorded 96 cases, Sarawak 62, Pahang 61, Melaka 60, Putrajaya 23, Labuan and Terengganu 22 each, and Perlis 13.Active cases stand at 37,782 with 240 in the ICU and 93 in need of respiratory assistance.Ten new clusters were detected:1. Jalan Pandan Indah (Hulu Langat in Selangor; 77 cases)2. DTI Sepang 2 (Sepang in Selangor; 80 cases)3. Taman Ikan Jinak (Tuaran and Kota Belud in Sabah; 21 cases)4. Jalan Mawila (Kota Kinabalu in Sabah; 15 cases)5. Jalan Perak (Johor Bahru in Johor; 35 cases)6. Jalan Menerung (Lembah Pantai in Kuala Lumpur; 23 cases)7. Tapak Bina Jalan Yap (Titiwangsa in Kuala Lumpur; 21 cases)8. Rantau Lada (Temerloh and Maran in Pahang; 19 cases)9. Pantai Peringgit (Melaka Tengah and Jasin in Melaka; 24 cases)10. Jalan Mohammed Salleh (Labuan; 12 cases)Three others ended, leaving 292 active clusters across the country.Another 2,676 patients were discharged, bringing total recoveries to 120,051.However, seven more deaths were reported, pushing the virus toll to 601.


Qantas ‘infiltrated’ by drug-smuggling biker gangs

Iconic Australian flag carrier Qantas said it was “disturbed” by claims that some staff may have been involved in organised crime following an Australian media report that claimed gangs had “infiltrated” the airline.The Nine newspapers and 60 Minutes reported the allegations based on a classified intelligence operation.It said agencies believe organised crime groups had infiltrated Qantas to facilitate illegal activities.The allegations include claims that a Comanchero biker gang affiliate is working as a Qantas manager at Sydney Airport, recruiting criminals to help import narcotics.The Nine newspapers said the classified intelligence operation found up to 150 Qantas staff had been linked to criminality. It said agencies believe they included motorcycle gangs that were involved in drug importation and other activities.The report said the suspected wrongdoing was “serious and represents a very high threat to the Australian border”.The Nine newspapers said official sources briefed on the findings were unable to speak publicly “due to confidentiality requirements”.Federal opposition politicians called for an “urgent review” of security at Australia’s airports following the report.“The untold story of Covid-19 is that organised crime syndicates have not only adapted but thrived in the Covid-era, all while the Morrison government has been asleep at the wheel on airport security,” a statement from the opposition said.Qantas said it found the claims “disturbing”.Qantas group chief security officer Luke Bramah said in a statement, “None of Australia’s law enforcement agencies have told us of the existence of a report that suggests there are potentially 150 Qantas employees who have connections to organised crime. Nor have they raised concerns with us about our vetting or background checking processes.”The airline said it had written to multiple agencies – including the Australian Federal Police and the country’s Criminal Intelligence Commission – seeking details of the report.It also said Qantas is the only commercial airline that holds a “trusted trader accreditation” with Australian Border Force, which means all employees involved in international air freight must pass a fit and proper test.“We’ve not been advised by Border Force of any of our employees failing this test,” Bramah said.Still, the newspaper said that official sources briefed on the report said Australian intelligence agencies had found some Qantas staff were creating “vulnerabilities in the security of supply chains and critical infrastructure” that risks harming public confidence in the airline and border security.The allegations come at a difficult time for Australia’s national carrier.It has been hit hard by the pandemic and last month said it would report an annual loss before tax of more than US$1.5 billion (A$2 billion). Like many others, the airline has cut thousands of jobs in a bid to navigate the crisis that has devastated travel.


Record 1,755 cases, majority in Sabah

Daily Covid-19 cases hit a new high of 1,755 today, pushing total confirmed infections in the country to 38,189.Of these, 1,199 were reported in Sabah, followed by Penang (192), Selangor (164), Labuan (59) and Negeri Sembilan (45).Kelantan recorded 19 new cases, followed by Perak (18), Kuala Lumpur (18), Sarawak (18), Putrajaya (nine), Terengganu (eight), Johor (four) and Melaka (two).Active cases stand at 11,530 with 83 in the ICU and 32 in need of respiratory assistance.Another 726 patients were discharged, taking total recoveries to 26,380 or 69.1%.However, two more deaths were recorded, bringing the virus toll to 279.Three new clusters were also detected while another three ended.


China to stop publishing daily Covid figures

China will no longer publish daily figures for Covid-19 cases and deaths, the National Health Commission (NHC) said on Sunday, ending a practice that began in early 2020.
Cities across China are struggling with surging virus cases, resulting in pharmacy shelves stripped bare and overflowing hospitals and crematoriums, after Beijing suddenly dismantled its zero-Covid regime earlier this month.
The decision to scrap the daily virus count comes amid concerns that the country's blooming wave of infections is not being accurately reflected in official statistics.
Beijing last week admitted the scale of the outbreak has become "impossible" to track following the end of mandatory mass testing.
Last week, China also narrowed the criteria by which Covid-19 fatalities were counted – a move experts said would suppress the number of fatalities attributable to the virus.
The NHC did not offer an explanation for its decision to stop releasing daily Covid data.
"From today, we will no longer publish daily information on the epidemic," the NHC said.
"The Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will publish information about the outbreak for reference and research purposes," the NHC said, without specifying the type or frequency of information to be published.
'Can you talk about it?'
On Chinese social media, some users responded to the NHC's decision with cynicism, pointing to the increasing discrepancy between official statistics and infections within their families and social circles.
"Finally, they are waking up and realising they can't fool people anymore," wrote one user on the social network Weibo.
Another user said: "This was the best and biggest fake statistics manufacturing office in the country."
Under China's new definition of Covid deaths, only those who die of respiratory failure – and not pre-existing conditions exacerbated by the virus – are counted.
Only six Covid deaths have been reported since Beijing unwound most of its restrictions.
But crematorium workers interviewed by AFP have reported an unusually high influx of bodies, while hospitals have said they are tallying multiple fatalities per day, as wards fill up with elderly patients and they are forced to fill atriums with beds.
"Are there crematorium workers here? Are you overloaded? Can you talk about it?" another Weibo user wrote.
China's censors and mouthpieces have been working overtime to spin the decision to scrap strict travel curbs, quarantines and snap lockdowns as a victory, even as cases soar.
While state media has largely refrained from reporting the grimmer side of the exit plan, they have, to some extent, said hospitals are under stress from an influx of patients and a shortage of anti-fever drugs.
In a rare acknowledgement this week, a senior health official in the eastern city of Qingdao was quoted by the media as saying half a million people are being infected daily.
Health authorities in Zhejiang, a coastal province of around 65 million people south of Shanghai, said the number of daily infections now exceeded the one million mark.
And in Beijing, "a large number of infected people" were reported on Saturday.


24.6% of children fully jabbed, 43.3% given first dose

A total of 873,409 children or 24.6% of those aged five to 11 had been fully vaccinated under the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme for Children (PICKids) as of yesterday.According to the CovidNow website, 1,537,190 or 43.3% have received at least one dose of vaccine.For teenagers aged 12 to 17, a total of 2,894,915 or 93% have completed their vaccination while 2,992,659 or 96.1% have received at least one jab.In terms of the adult population, 16,036,713 or 68.2% have received a booster dose while 22,967,350 or 97.6% have completed their second dose.A total of 23,243,555 or 98.8% have received at least one dose.A total of 2,151 vaccine doses were administered yesterday, comprising 438 booster doses, 1,337 second shots and 376 first jabs.This brings the cumulative number of vaccine doses dispensed under the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme (PICK) to 70,332,430.


Najib didn’t give green light on US$2.3 billion promissory notes, ex-1MDB director tells court

The Kuala Lumpur High Court was today told that Najib Razak never gave his approval to the 1MDB management to convert the company’s Petro Saudi International (PSI) investment into promissory notes purportedly worth US$2.3 billion.Former 1MDB non-executive director Ismee Ismail, 58, said this during cross-examination by Najib’s lead counsel Muhammad Shafee Abdullah in the former prime minister’s trial for the misappropriation of RM2.3 billion in funds from 1MDB.Shafee: You know the reason why I asked you this is because it goes to the heart of our defence. Did you see somewhere the fingerprints of my client (Najib)? With the way what was being done, the management purposely mishandled these funds. Did you see the fingerprints of my client?Ismee: No.Shafee: Is it ridiculous for the management to accept the promissory notes without collateral?Ismee: Yes.The 13th prosecution witness also agreed that the promissory notes were never shown to the 1MDB board of directors.When asked about his understanding of promissory notes, Ismee said: “It is something like ‘I promise to pay’.”He also testified that the fund’s management seemed to be acting on the instructions of fugitive businessman Low Taek Jho or Jho Low.Previously, the court was told that 1MDB paid US$1 billion in 2009 for a 40% stake in the joint venture while PSI held the remaining 60%. The funds were later converted into Islamic murabahah notes.1MDB subsequently paid another US$830 million between 2010 and 2011 for the same purpose. By 2012, the notes were said to be worth US$2.22 billion.Shafee also asked the witness about 1MDB’s 2013 financial report that was supposed to be concluded by KPMG but which the audit firm was unable to do even after a year of meeting with the state fund.Ismee said this was due to KPMG’s dissatisfaction with the documents and answers given by the 1MDB management to the audit company pertaining to 1MDB’s investments in Brazen Sky Ltd, a company incorporated in the British Virgin Islands by Jho Low.Ismee said at the time, he had requested a meeting to be convened by the 1MDB management to update the board of directors, especially on the documents and details requested by KPMG on the issue of Brazen Sky investment, as KPMG had raised suspicions about the “underlying assets” of the investment.Shafee: Did you by any means think that KPMG was being difficult?Ismee: They were a bit demanding.Shafee: They had a good reason to demand. Now, in hindsight, you know what happened to the (investment) money?Ismee: Yes.Ismee also agreed to a suggestion by the lawyer that throughout the process, Najib had not obstructed the 1MDB audit by KPMG.Najib, 68, faces four charges of using his position to obtain bribes totalling RM2.3 billion from 1MDB funds and 21 charges of money laundering involving the same amount.The trial before judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah continues tomorrow.


Ex-AG Thomas files legal action to challenge task force report on memoir

Former attorney-general Tommy Thomas has filed legal action to challenge a report by the special task force that investigated the contents of his memoir, "My Story: Justice In the Wilderness".
Thomas as the plaintiff filed an originating summons through his firm today, naming task force chairman Fong Joo Chung, who is the former Sarawak state attorney-general and legal adviser as the first defendant.
Other task force members, namely former Sabah state secretary Hashim Paijan; former secretary-general of the women, family and community development ministry Junaidah Kamaruddin who is also former director-general of the Legal Affairs Division; former judge and senior federal counsel Jagjit Singh Bant Singh; lawyers Shaharudin Ali and K Balaguru, as well as government representatives Farah Adura Hamidi and Mohd Najib Surip; and the government of Malaysia, were named as the second to ninth defendants.
In his suit, Thomas is seeking a declaration that the purported report produced by the first to eighth defendants is an illegal document which violates Sections 499 and 500 of the Penal Code and/or Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998.
He is also seeking a declaration that the publication of the report by the ninth defendant is violative of his right to a reputation protected by Articles 5(1) and/or 13(1) of the Federal Constitution.
In his affidavit of support, Thomas alleged that the report was published with the intention to harm his reputation, and that it contained false and baseless allegations and was published with the intent to annoy, abuse, threaten or harass him.
When contacted, lawyer Mervyn Lai, a member of Thomas’ legal team, said the lawsuit was served to the Attorney-General’s Chambers this afternoon.


Woman detained over poison package to White House

Border Protection officers have detained a suspect who allegedly sent a package containing ricin poison to the White House.According to Sputnik news agency, quoting an NBC Chicago report, a federal law enforcement official told NBC on Sunday that the suspect was detained while trying to enter the US from Canada.WTKR reported on Sunday that the detained suspect was a woman.On Saturday, the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said an investigation was underway over a suspicious letter addressed to US President Donald Trump.The package was reportedly intercepted earlier in the week and two tests were conducted, confirming the presence of the deadly poison ricin.A Royal Canadian Mounted Police spokesman told CBC on Saturday that “initial information from the investigation suggests that the letter originated in Canada”.According to Sunday reports from US media, the woman detained at the US-Canada border was armed.


A response to the Perlis mufti on unilateral child conversions

I refer to the recent comments by Perlis mufti Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin on the unilateral conversion of Loh Siew Hong’s three children.With all due respect to the Perlis mufti, many of his key contentions do not hold water.The English version of the Federal Constitution is authoritativeThe Perlis mufti reportedly claimed that the Raja of Perlis Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin Syed Putra Jamalullail was instrumental in issuing an authoritative text of the Federal Constitution in the Malay language when the latter was Yang di-Pertuan Agong.Consequently, this would invoke Article 160B of the Federal Constitution and render the Malay version of the Federal Constitution the authoritative text.However, it is important to note that the Perlis mufti’s proposition has not been judicially accepted.Rather, the superior courts have recognised the English version of the Federal Constitution to be the authoritative text.In Indira Gandhi a/p Mutho v Pengarah Jabatan Agama Islam Perak & Ors and other appeals [2018] 1 MLJ 545 (“Indira Gandhi”), the Federal Court had to decide whether the Malay version or English version of the Federal Constitution was authoritative.The Federal Court unanimously held that:“… In the present appeals, despite the learned State Legal Adviser’s reliance on Article 160B, no evidence of the necessary prescription was adduced by either of the Respondents. In the circumstances, we will proceed on the basis that the English version to be authoritative.” (Emphasis mine)The English version of the Federal Constitution will remain the authoritative text until and unless a subsequent Federal Court departs from Indira Gandhi and decides otherwise.Any laws which are inconsistent with the Federal Constitution are voidThe Perlis mufti reportedly claimed that unilateral child conversions are valid under Perlis law.Even if that were the case, such provisions would be void if they are inconsistent with the Federal Constitution.Article 4(1) of the Federal Constitution provides that:“This constitution is the supreme law of the federation and any law passed after Merdeka Day which is inconsistent with this constitution shall, to the extent of the inconsistency, be void.”In Indira Gandhi, the Federal Court was of the view:“… Since a literal construction of art 12(4) would give rise to consequences which the legislative could not possibly have intended, the Article should not be construed literally (Sukma Darmawan at p 247). A purposive reading of art 12(4) that promotes the welfare of the child and is consistent with good sense would require the consent of both parents (if both are living) for the conversion of a minor child.” (Emphasis mine)Accordingly, provisions in Perlis’ law which allow for unilateral child conversions would contravene Article 12(4) of the Federal Constitution and would thus be void.Certificates for unilateral child conversions are void and must be set asideSince provisions of Perlis’ law allowing for unilateral child conversions are void for being inconsistent with Article 12(4) of the Federal Constitution, certificates of conversions issued pursuant to those provisions must be set aside.Support for this proposition can be found in Indira Gandhi, a case which concerned unilateral child conversions under Perak’s law.The Federal Court in Indira Gandhi held the following:“We also find that the certificates of conversion were issued without the consent of the Appellant thus contravening Article 12(4) of the Federal Constitution and Sections 5 and 11 of the GIA. The certificates of conversion are void and must be set aside.”The views expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the position of MalaysiaNow.


Nik Nazmi slams 'lies' and 'leak' from ministry on RM11 billion flood mitigation plan

Natural Resources, Environment and Climate Change Minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad has lodged a police report on the leak of official documents as well as "slander" related to his ministry's recommendation of companies to be awarded projects in various jobs under the flood mitigation plan (RTB).
Social media had been abuzz over a copy of the letter where Nik Nazmi had attached a list of companies recommended for approval by Prime Minister and Finance Minister Anwar Ibrahim for contracts worth RM10.9 billion.
The three-page letter was believed to have been revealed by online whistleblower Edisi Siasat on its Telegram channel.
In the letter dated April 11, 2023, Nik Nazmi said the companies were selected as they "are thought to be able to meet the pre-qualification criteria" from the finance ministry.
The tenders were for works in Johor, Pahang, Selangor and Kelantan, states that are frequently ravaged by floods.
But Nik Nazmi in a statement slammed what he called a "malicious post" accusing him and Anwar of approving the RTB project without going through the proper procedures.
"This clearly led the public who read the post to come up with the impression that we are misappropriating public funds for political purposes," he added.
"As such, I hope the police can identify the mastermind behind the false accusations, defamation and leak of confidential government information as soon as possible."
Anwar previously cancelled the approval for RM7 billion in flood mitigation projects, claiming they were done irregularly and without open tender.
After being criticised for delaying such projects, especially a few months ago when Johor was hit by floods, Anwar said the project would be fast-tracked.


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Selangor rep presses MB Amirudin to explain lucrative mining lease to private company

A Selangor assemblyman has demanded an explanation from Menteri Besar Amirudin Shari of the move to renew a mining lease for more than 1,000 acres of land in Kuala Selangor to a private company without going through the state government’s firm tasked with managing the mining of minerals.Haniza Talha, the Lembah Jaya assemblyman who was sacked from both PKR and the state exco this year, said the decision to extend the mining lease for KL Larut Sdn Bhd to 2030 was a violation of guidelines on mineral mining in Selangor.“The land belongs to the government and should have been returned to the government once the 10-year lease ended, instead of it being renewed for another 10 years,” she said.Lembah Jaya assemblyman Haniza Talha. Photo: FacebookShe was responding to a revelation by MalaysiaNow yesterday that the Selangor executive council had intervened in favour of KL Larut, a company with links to a businessman close to PKR president Anwar Ibrahim, after its application to renew the lease was rejected last year.Checks revealed that KL Larut’s directors include P Thiagarajan Pavadai, a Klang-based businessman better known as Oms Thiagarajan, known for his close ties with Anwar.In granting 10 more years of mining rights to KL Larut, the Selangor exco also rejected an application by Kumpulan Semesta Sdn Bhd (KSSB), a company formed by the state government in 2008 to develop and consolidate mining activities in the state.A letter from the state’s Land and Mineral Office sighted by MalaysiaNow said KSSB’s application was “summarily rejected”.Thiagarajan was the subject of a police report lodged by KSSB in 2011 in relation to an incident at the same mining site where KL Larut had its lease renewed.The renewal of KL Larut’s mining lease will allow the company to carry out mining activities which industry sources say could rake in some 300,000 metric tonnes of minerals and sand, fetching a monthly market price of more than RM5 million.It is understood that the lease renewal breached a 2015 circular issued by the state’s director-general of land and minerals, which stated that all mining licences on state land must be done through open tender.According to Haniza, the circular also stated that any parties wanting to carry out mining activities on government land must apply through open tender.


New cases soar to 2,188

Another 2,188 Covid-19 cases were recorded today, taking total confirmed infections in the country to 58,847.Of these, 1,623 cases were reported in Selangor. A total of 1,511 cases or 93.1% came from the Teratai cluster.This was followed by Sabah (232), Perak (112) and Kuala Lumpur (90).Negeri Sembilan recorded 73 cases, Johor 19, Penang 15, Kedah 14, Kelantan six, Melaka two, and Sarawak and Labuan one each.Active cases stand at 14,353 with 112 in the ICU and 49 in need of respiratory assistance.A new high of 1,673 patients were discharged, bringing total recoveries to 44,153.However, four more deaths were reported, pushing the virus toll to 341.