GLC boss in the spotlight for breaching civil service rule on partisan politics

The education ministry has launched an investigation into the CEO of one of its subsidiary companies over his open political activities, which could be a breach of a rule barring senior government officers from getting involved in party politics, MalaysiaNow has learnt.The ministry had earlier come under intense criticism on social media over the political activities of Saufy Nizar Abdul Rahman, known as Mutalib Uthman, who heads Perbadanan Kota Buku, a government-linked company tasked with promoting the local book industry.Saufy entered the spotlight after he was pictured with a group of politicians meeting former prime minister Najib Razak.Critics have asked if the ministry was aware of his involvement in Ikatan Demokratik Malaysia (Muda), a political party led by former youth and sports minister Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman.A spokesman told MalaysiaNow that the online postings triggered a probe by ministry officials.“We are investigating based on the postings against Saufy,” he said, but quickly added that the ministry was not curtailing the freedom to choose one’s political leanings.Saufy was seen together with Syed Saddiq and other Muda leaders during their meeting with Najib Razak, in pictures shared on Instagram by the former prime minister’s son.Muda was formed following Syed Saddiq’s sacking from Bersatu, where he was the youth chief.The party, which seeks to provide a platform for the voice of the youth, is still awaiting approval from the Registrar of Societies.Saufy had managed his own publishing house before being appointed to head Kota Buku on Jan 7 this year, less than a week after Maszlee Maslik resigned as education minister.He was also a close friend of Maszlee’s press secretary, Zul Fikri Zamir, who was likewise a publisher before being recruited to serve the former minister.A source from the education ministry said Saufy was bound by a circular from the Public Service Department prohibiting senior management officers from being politically active.The circular issued in 2009 also bars senior government appointees from issuing political statements or being seen wearing political party symbols.“There’s nothing wrong with having your own political view as long as it does not disrupt the execution of duties or the implementation of the ministry’s policies,” the spokesman told MalaysiaNow.“But it should not amount to a breach of the circular.”MalaysiaNow has reached out to Saufy for a response.


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Egg imports borne by company, no public funds involved, says ministry

The special approval given for the temporary import of eggs does not involve public funds, the agriculture and food security ministry said yesterday.
In a statement, the ministry said any expenditure and risks in the matter were fully borne by the importing company with no public funds used.
"The Malaysian government does not provide subsidies to imported chicken eggs as enjoyed by local chicken egg producers," it said.
On Dec 6, Agriculture and Food Security Minister Mohamad Sabu announced the approval to import eggs from external sources as a temporary measure to overcome the shortage of eggs.
The temporary approval until June 30, 2023 was given to J&E Advance Tech Sdn Bhd and an egg exporting company in India that has the supply capacity and had also supplied eggs to Qatar during the 2022 World Cup.
In order to ensure that the people receive imported eggs that are safe and disease-free, the ministry said the Malaysian Quarantine and Inspection Services Department (Maqis) and the Veterinary Services Department (DVS) had implemented controls on the entry of imported chicken eggs at the country's entry points.
The control is a hold, test and release (HTR) test that includes PCR tests for the detection of salmonella bacteria, Newcastle disease virus and avian influenza.
"Only eggs that pass the HTR test are allowed to enter the country. So far no imported chicken eggs have failed this test," it said.
The ministry said based on DVS records, the government's efforts to overcome the shortage of eggs in the country since January had started to show positive developments.
Based on the records, Malaysia had a shortage of 118,272,070 eggs in October 2022, 157,543,291 in November 2022 and 1,282,094 in December 2022. However, it experienced an increase of 160,649,928 in January this year.
"The government will always take proactive measures to ensure that the food supply in the country is sufficient and assured," it said.


Making MySejahtera mandatory victimises the non-IT savvy and the poor

The Consumers Association of Penang strongly disagrees with the National Security Council’s implementation of MySejahtera as the only means for contact tracing. Subsequently a supermarket in Penang no longer provides a logbook for its customers and the customers were prevented from entering the supermarket when they failed to scan the MySejahtera QR code. This has caused much inconvenience and frustration to the affected customers.This is the outcome of the announcement on Feb 9 by Senior Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob that MySejahtera logging would be mandatory effective from Feb 10. People failing to comply with the new ruling shall be fined RM1,000. An exception is given to areas without internet service such as in kampungs and the interior.Imposing such a ruling is causing great inconvenience to those who do not own a handphone or who have a basic handphone without internet capability. There are some others who may have a smartphone with no internet access, or a smartphone with limited memory space, or who are less savvy with IT applications. It is evident that the government had not considered the plight of these people.The government cannot expect the elderly and the poor to switch over to using smartphones because they may have problems acquiring new skills, and some may not even have the financial means to acquire a smartphone and an internet package which requires monthly subscription. The government has been silent on how people who do not own a smartphone are going to log their visits, failing which they will be fined.By imposing such a ruling, the government is victimising people who do not own a smartphone. In fact, the government is depriving people without a smartphone from going anywhere, including to purchase essentials for the household. We urge the government to reconsider such a decision.Mohideen Abdul Kader is president of the Consumers’ Association of Penang.The views expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the position of MalaysiaNow.


China to intensify supervision of booming fintech sector

China announced plans Friday to boost supervision of the country’s huge fintech sector and beef up its anti-monopoly drive, months after a crackdown on the sector that dealt a severe blow to e-commerce titan Alibaba and tycoon founder Jack Ma.Beijing has in recent months looked to rein in its booming financial technology companies to address a worrying debt mountain in the country, while also deflating the ambitions of high-flying business leaders thought to have stepped out of line with the Communist Party.Policymakers are growing increasingly worried about its US$53 trillion financial industry and have clamped down on a number of areas including peer-to-peer lending and property loans.On Friday, a draft plan for development from 2021-2025 said China would “steadily develop fintech” while stepping up in areas like risk assessment for applications of tech and financial innovation. Officials would also explore building a “correction and suspension mechanism” for innovative products.Premier Li Keqiang told the National People’s Congress that heightened supervision on fintech and financial holding firms were aimed at ensuring financial innovation is carried out under “prudent regulation”.“We will improve the mechanism for managing financial risks… and ensure that no systemic risks arise,” he said. “Financial institutions must uphold their duty of serving the real economy.” Authorities will also step up efforts against business monopolies and “prevent unregulated expansion of capital”, he added.A series of measures have been introduced in recent months to curb the power of China’s fintech giants, including tougher checks on credit scoring and payments, while putting in place new rules on online microlending.The biggest casualty of Beijing’s crackdown is Alibaba’s fintech arm Ant Group, which had a record-breaking US$35 billion Hong Kong-Shanghai initial public offering pulled from under it at the last minute in November, an embarrassing comedown for Ma who was once vaunted as the poster child for Chinese entrepreneurship.Regulators in December also launched an anti-monopoly investigation into Alibaba.Still, Li stressed that innovation remained key to China’s modernisation push, adding that research and development spending is expected to account for a higher percentage of gross domestic product than in the previous five-year period.


US lawmakers seek FBI probe into Palestinian journalist’s death

More than 50 US lawmakers on Friday called on the FBI to investigate the killing in the West Bank of Al Jazeera reporter Shireen Abu Akleh, despite Israeli promises of a probe.The 57 House members, largely left-leaning Democrats and led by Representative Andre Carson, noted that Abu Akleh held US citizenship and pointed to divergent accounts on how she died on May 11.“Given the tenuous situation in the region and the conflicting reports surrounding the death of Abu Akleh, we request the State Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation launch an investigation into Abu Akleh’s death,” they wrote in a letter.“As an American, Abu Akleh was entitled to the full protections afforded to US citizens living abroad,” they wrote to Secretary of State Antony Blinken and FBI director Christopher Wray.Al Jazeera and Palestinians say Israeli forces killed Abu Akleh, a prominent journalist, as she covered an Israeli army raid in Jenin, in the north of the occupied West Bank.Israel says she may have been killed by Palestinian gunfire or a stray shot from an Israeli soldier.The Israeli ambassador to Washington, Michael Herzog, said he was “disheartened” by the letter and that Israel had sought a joint investigation with the Palestinian Authority that would include a US observer role.“Our call was flatly rejected by the PA, which is cynically using Abu Akleh’s death to instigate an anti-Israel propaganda campaign,” he said.He called instead for Congress to press the Palestinian side on an investigation, adding that Israeli troops “would never intentionally target members of the press.”The State Department has said that it believes Israel can conduct a credible investigation but Blinken has also criticised the Israeli police for its use of force during Abu Akleh’s funeral.


Unvaccinated people twice as likely to be reinfected with Covid, CDC study shows

Unvaccinated people are more than twice as likely to be reinfected with Covid-19 as the fully vaccinated, a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said Friday.The agency said the finding supports its recommendation “that all eligible persons be offered Covid-19 vaccination, regardless of previous SARS-CoV-2 infection status”.Some US politicians, including senator Rand Paul, have in the past said they do not plan to take a Covid-19 vaccine because of their natural immunity derived from prior infection.The new study was based on 246 Kentucky adults who were reinfected in May and June this year after previously being infected in 2020.They were compared with 492 “controls” who were matched by sex, age, and time of initial positive test.The analysis found that unvaccinated people were 2.34 times as likely to be reinfected compared to people fully vaccinated with the Pfizer, Moderna or Johnson & Johnson vaccines.The duration of infection-acquired immunity remains poorly understood and may be affected by the emergence of newer variants, the paper said.For example, laboratory studies have shown that blood samples from people previously infected with the original Wuhan strain had poor antibody responses to the Beta variant first identified in South Africa.One of the limitations of the study is it was conducted before Delta became the dominant strain in the US.


Denmark to quarantine travellers from Singapore over Covid surge

Denmark will impose self-isolation requirements on travellers from Singapore, its embassy in the city-state said on Thursday, following a surge in Covid-19 infections.Singapore was removed this week from a European Union list of non-EU countries for which travel restrictions should be lifted.“Singapore is now considered a high-risk country for travel to Europe,” the embassy of Denmark in Singapore posted on Facebook.The EU’s safe list of countries is reviewed every two weeks and is not legally binding on member nations. Last month, the US advised citizens against travel to Singapore, raising the alert level to its highest.Singapore detected 3,481 new cases of Covid-19 on Wednesday.But most of its recent new cases are asymptomatic or mild, with 85% of the 5.45 million population vaccinated. A Reuters tracker shows that its average daily infections are at 75% of the peak. Singapore had kept the infection numbers very low through most of last year and early this year.With the exception of certain groups such as Danish citizens “who are fully vaccinated regardless of where”, all travellers from Singapore must be tested upon arrival and self-isolate for 10 days, the Danish embassy said.The isolation will end on the fourth day if there is a negative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test result.The rules applied to all travellers regardless of vaccination status as Denmark does not recognise Singapore’s vaccination certificate, it said.Last month, Singapore had included Denmark in a short list of countries for which quarantine-free travel would be allowed for fully vaccinated people.


A year later, Sri Lanka's tentative economic recovery eludes the poor

A year after angry Sri Lankans stormed the president's residence and forced his ouster during a meltdown of the economy, the island's streets are calm, there are no serpentine queues at fuel stations and hours-long power cuts have ended.
The central bank expects the economy to resume growth this quarter after six quarters of contraction - faster than expected by many economists - while overseas remittances are surging and tourist numbers are rising.
While economists judge the country to be past the worst of the crisis, it’s problems are far from fixed. Food, healthcare and house rental costs are high and still increasing, the poverty rate has doubled in the last year and is seen rising further, while negotiations to reorganise the government’s crippling debt burden face some uncertainty.
"Stability is somewhat there but what it means is no extreme shortages, no fuel queues, and no 13-hour power cuts," said Rehana Thowfeek, an economist at the Colombo-based Advocata Institute think tank.
"Inflation is tapering off but compared to pre-crisis levels, the cost of living is very high and incomes have not kept up. The bulk of Sri Lanka’s poor people are daily wage earners, and they are among the hardest hit."
Sri Lanka sank into a financial crisis after the Covid-19 pandemic decimated tourism and remittances from citizens working abroad fell. The war in Ukraine pushed prices for imports, particularly fuel, sharply higher.
In March last year, thousands took to the streets to vent their anger at lengthy power cuts and spiralling prices, and to call for the Rajapaksa family that had dominated the country's politics for much of the last 20 years to leave power.
After weeks of protests and a steady worsening of the crisis, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled overseas, formally stepping down on July 13. He was replaced as president by his prime minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe, who brought in reforms and negotiated a US$2.9 billion (about RM13.5billion) bailout from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in March.
While price increases are easing, they are still high. Power costs, which jumped 65% in February, remain difficult for low-income families despite a 14.2% reduction in July.
The key inflation index was at 12% in June and is expected to hit single digits in July after peaking at 70% in September and following a rebasing in February. But food, clothing, health care and housing costs remain elevated.
Food inflation hit a record high of 95% in September and although it has come down, June's reading of 4.1% means prices are still rising. Clothing prices increased 44% on the year in June, housing 26% and medical 16%.
Rising costs are having a toll on poverty, which nearly doubled to 25% of the population last year and could jump to 27.4% this year, according to the World Bank. Last week, the multilateral lender to developing countries approved a US$700 million loan for Sri Lanka, including US$200 million for the poor.
Lots to do
In a new initiative to help the poor, the government has said it will roll out a direct cash transfer programme to about 2.3 million families later this month and pledged to spend US$680 million a year on their welfare. But critics say the monthly handout of US$8 to US$182.46, based on poverty levels, is inadequate.
Kamal Padmasiri, a board member of the state-run Welfare Benefits Board, estimated the requirement at 13,800 rupees per person per month but said the exchequer cannot pay the whole amount.
"We are in a default situation in Sri Lanka," Padmasiri told Reuters. "Cash transfers will be given for three years and people need to develop and move forward during this time. The payments are not permanent... we cannot afford it."
There have been some gains however.
A 30% rise in tourism revenues this year and a 76% jump in remittances have funnelled US$3.2 billion into Sri Lanka's coffers, helping reserves hit a 14-month high of US$3.5 billion in May, and the currency appreciate by about 18% this year.
Sri Lanka still must rework a large chunk of its US$36 billion foreign debt, which includes US$12.5 billion in international sovereign bonds and US$11.3 billion bilateral credit owed mostly to China, Japan and India.
Wickremesinghe has set a goal of finalising debt talks by September, which, if successful, would smoothen the release of a second tranche of IMF funding due by October.
But China, Sri Lanka's largest bilateral lender with about US$7.4 billion in outstanding bilateral and commercial loans, has so far declined to join a so-called common framework led by Japan and the Paris Club to renegotiate Sri Lanka's debt.
Also, despite the projection of growth starting in the July quarter, Sri Lanka's export-driven economy is expected to contract by 2% in the full year, after shrinking 7.8% in 2022. Exports fell 11% this year until May, mostly driven by a 16.5% drop in garment sales to the European Union and the US.
"We really need our exports to accelerate, we need genuine investors coming in, and we need to take forward market access through free-trade agreements and other measures," said Shiran Fernando, chief economist at Sri Lanka's largest industry body Ceylon Chamber of Commerce.
"The IMF programme will only keep us going for the next one-to-two years but beyond that we need stronger reforms around land, labour and loss-making state enterprises."


Section 3 of MACC Act 2009 must stand to scrutiny

The Malaysian Bar contends that the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission’s (MACC) investigation into the SRC trial judge, Mohd Nazlan Ghazali, violates the doctrine of the separation of powers, undermines the independence of the judiciary, and is unconstitutional.MACC, on the other hand, insists that judges in the country, too, fall under the jurisdiction of civil servants and that the regulating body has the power to investigate them for any alleged abuse of power.It says it has been given the power to investigate “officers of a public body” as defined in Section 3 of the MACC Act 2009.Since then, there have been views for and against MACC’s investigation of Nazlan.A legal expert says the investigation by MACC is valid and within the purview of the act. Speaking to MalaysiaNow, Haidar Dziyauddin said the use of the act applies to all Malaysian citizens including judges, adding that the commission has done nothing wrong in launching the investigation.Andrew SH Tan calls out hypocrisy as he highlights that MACC has investigated complaints of corruption in the judiciary. The fact is, writes Tan, “the investigation, prosecution and conviction of judges is not unprecedented. There have been many cases of judges being investigated for corruption, with a number being prosecuted and sentenced. Therefore, this whole backlash on the MACC for investigating Court of Appeal judge Nazlan Mohd Ghazali reeks of hypocrisy”.But not all judges are members of the judiciary established under Part IX of the Federal Constitution – the superior courts – whose independence is secured by the constitution. Judges of the subordinate courts – the Session Courts and Magistrate’s Courts – are members of the judicial and legal service. According to Article 132, they are public servants whose qualifications for appointment and conditions of service “may be regulated by federal law and, subject to the provisions of any such law, by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong”.Let’s take a quick comparative look at the legal positions in India, Singapore and Hong Kong – common law jurisdictions with a common colonial master with Malaysia.But first, Section 3 of the MACC Act 2009. It is an interpretation provision. Among others, it defines “public body” as inclusive of 12 legal entities [(a)-(l)] but not members of the federal (Parliament) and state (legislative assembly) legislatures or judges of the High Court, Court of Appeal and Federal Court (the judiciary).So it is curious that “officer of a public body” is defined to mean “any person who is a member, an officer, an employee or a servant of a public body, and includes a member of the administration, a member of Parliament, a member of a state legislative assembly, a judge of the High Court, Court of Appeal or Federal Court, and any person receiving any remuneration from public funds, and, where the public body is a corporation sole, includes the person who is incorporated as such”.The use of the comma, followed by the words “and includes”, are highly significant. It indicates that it refers to a different category of persons from the preceding ones – that is, persons who are not already referred to in the earlier part of the definition.The principle of statutory construction is this: when a statute employs the expression “includes” to define a word or term, the intention is to leave the meaning of the word or term defined open-ended.This was alluded to by the Court of Appeal 20 years ago in the case of Tenaga Nasional Bhd v Tekali Prospecting Sdn Bhd [2002] 2 MLJ 707 where Court of Appeal judge Gopal Sri Ram (as he then was) said:“On settled principles of statutory interpretation, it is clear that when an act of Parliament employs the expression ‘includes’ to define some other word or expression, the intention is to leave the meaning of the expression defined open-ended.“By contrast when the word ‘means’ is employed to define something, there is a rebuttable presumption of statutory interpretation that Parliament intends to restrict the meaning of the expression defined.”Hence, when the words “and includes” follow a comma, it gives rise to different or separate categories of persons from the preceding ones.The legislative intention is nevertheless clear: to cast the net wide to include, and not to restrict, persons who may be investigated by the MACC for corrupt practices.Unfortunately, it includes a judge of the High Court, Court of Appeal or Federal Court. I say unfortunate. Whether it is unconstitutional, it is for the court to decide.Under Part IX of the Federal Constitution, Article 121 establishes the two High Courts of coordinate jurisdiction (High Court in Malaya and High Court in Sabah and Sarawak), the Court of Appeal and the Federal Court – the judiciary.By Article 132, the public services do not include the judiciary – Clause (1). As a matter of fact, the public service does not comprise the judiciary – Clause (3).In India, the legal position is different. A judge of the High Court or of the Supreme Court comes within the definition of public servant under its anti-corruption law – that is, the Prevention of Corruption Act 1988 (PCA) [see Section 2(c)(iv].Any judge is therefore liable to be prosecuted under the provisions of the PCA. No criminal case, though, can be registered against a sitting judge of the High Court, chief justice of the High Court or a judge of the Supreme Court unless the chief justice of India is consulted in the matter. (See the majority judgment of the Supreme Court of India in K Veeraswami v Union of India decided on July 25, 1991)But the Indian constitution, unlike the Federal Constitution, does not exclude members of the judiciary from being considered as a public servant.As such, the Indian legislature is not constitutionally restricted to legislate for any judge to be a public servant for the purpose of its anti-corruption law.In Singapore, the constitutional position is similar to Malaysia. By Article 102 of the Constitution of the Republic of Singapore, the public services do not include the judiciary. As a matter of fact, a public officer does not include a judge of the Supreme Court, which is made up of the Court of Appeal and the High Court [see Article 103(1)].Correspondingly, Singapore’s anti-corruption law – that is, the Prevention of Corruption Act 1960 – does not include the judiciary as a public body [see Section 2] or members of the judiciary as officers of a public body.Neither is an MP an officer of a public body, unlike under the MACC Act.That is not to say that an MP in Singapore is not liable to be prosecuted for corruption. Prosecution is provided for under a specific provision – that is, Section 11 – which states as follows:Bribery of member of ParliamentAny person —(a) who offers any gratification to a member of Parliament as an inducement or reward for such member’s doing or forbearing to do any act in his capacity as such member; or(b) who being a member of Parliament solicits or accepts any gratification as an inducement or a reward for his doing or forbearing to do any act in his capacity as such member,shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding S$100,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding seven years or to both.A judge of the Supreme Court, however, is subject to be removed in accordance with the constitution, as the case is in Malaysia.Now, a quick look at Hong Kong informs us that under its anti-corruption law – that is, the Prevention of Bribery Ordinance 1971, as amended in 2017 – a public body includes the government, the executive and the legislative council but not the judiciary. The latter is independent of the former two.Singapore and Hong Kong have been the benchmarks for anti-corruption for decades now.In summary, where Parliament is not supreme, the law on investigating a sitting judge of the superior court must correspond with the supreme law of the land – that is the constitution.Hence in Malaysia, no act of Parliament can contravene the Federal Constitution. Section 3 of the MACC Act 2009, insofar as it includes members of the judiciary as officers of a public body, stands to be scrutinised by the court.The views expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the position of MalaysiaNow.


Kremlin says 'no grounds' to extend grain deal

The Kremlin on Wednesday restated its position that there are "no grounds" to extend the Black Sea grain deal, saying that the Turkish- and United Nations-brokered accord was not being properly implemented.
On a call with reporters, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the UN had been forced to acknowledge that "unfortunately, they are not managing to exert the necessary influence on the countries of the collective West in order to fulfil this Russian part of the agreement".
He was referring to a list of Russian demands, including for the removal of what Moscow says are obstacles to the export of its own grain and fertilisers.


Rights group slams wristband suggestion for migrant workers

Rights group Lawyers for Liberty (LFL) has criticised a suggestion for migrant workers to wear identifying wristbands, equating the move to the legalisation of “prejudicial profiling under the pretext of combating Covid-19”.LFL coordinator Zaid Malek said in a statement that the proposal, raised by Senior Minister for Security Ismail Sabri Yaakob yesterday, would only open migrants to public discrimination and make them easy targets for harassment by the authorities.“The government is incentivising xenophobic behaviour by again perpetuating fear-mongering that migrants are the cause for rising Covid-19 infection.“Migrants cannot be blamed for a worldwide pandemic,” he said today.Zaid’s statement followed a spate of Covid-19 cases linked to a construction site in Kuala Lumpur.The Tapak Bina Damanlela cluster saw 385 cases on Nov 16 and 206 the following day.Noting that Ismail had said in the same press conference that the spread of infection among migrant workers was due to their cramped living conditions, Zaid said legal action should instead be taken against employers or agents who put them in such situations.“We urge the government to abandon the idea of branding migrant workers in this manner, as if they were cattle, and to stop making any statements or discriminatory policies that may encourage xenophobic attacks or intolerant acts against the migrant community,” he said.“The government must also take immediate and stern action against irresponsible employers/agents as they bear heavy responsibility for the spread of Covid-19 among migrant workers. Equally to blame are the enforcement agencies who have allowed this situation to perpetuate for years.”Maintaining that there is no logical reason to make migrant workers wear wristbands, he said such “forced identification marks upon certain segments of the population raises disturbing memories of Nazism”.“There is no data to suggest that Covid-19 infection originates from migrant workers,” he said.


128 students evacuated after landslide near IIUM dorm

A collapsed road and a landslide near the male dormitory at the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) in Gombak yesterday forced the authorities to evacuate 128 students from the building.Selangor fire and rescue department director Norazam Khamis said the incident happened at about 6.45pm, and that they were alerted to it by the students.On receiving a report at 9pm, the department despatched a team to the scene to begin monitoring the situation.“At the moment, there are no signs of cracks in the wall and floor,” he told Bernama today.According to him, the caved-in section of the road was about five square metres wide and three metres deep.Norazam also said the IIUM management had sealed off the area with safety cones and security tape.Meanwhile, IIUM spokesman Roslan Rusly said the landslide was detected at Mahallah Zubair Al-Awwam while the road cave-in happened near the Mahallah Ruqayyah after 45 minutes of heavy downpour yesterday.


MACC probe of judge who convicted Najib valid, says legal expert

A legal expert says the investigation by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) into the judge who convicted former prime minister Najib Razak in the SRC International case is valid and within the purview of the act alloted to the anti-graft agency.Speaking to MalaysiaNow, Haidar Dziyauddin said the use of the MACC Act 2009 applies to all Malaysian citizens including judges, adding that the commission had done nothing wrong in launching the investigation.He also said that the act employed by the MACC in this case had nothing to do with Article 125 of the Federal Constitution as the investigation concerned elements of criminal misconduct, not disciplinary issues.“Those who issue statements saying that MACC was wrong to have taken action might be confused with the jurisdiction of the tribunal and the code of ethics committee provided for in Article 125 of the constitution,” he said.“MACC was only using the act provided for it, which can be applied to all citizens. Judges are also citizens of Malaysia.”MACC said yesterday that it was bound by procedure to investigate any official report or complaint, amid questions by some over its probe of Mohd Nazlan Ghazali related to allegations of unexplained money in his account.Nazlan, who was a High Court judge in 2020, had found Najib guilty of criminal breach of trust, abuse of power and money laundering in the misappropriation of RM42 million in SRC International funds.He sentenced Najib to 12 years in jail and fined him RM210 million.The Malaysian Bar recently criticised MACC’s investigation, describing it as unconstitutional and in violation of the doctrine of the separation of powers.It also said that the probe affected the independence of the judiciary.Haidar however said that Article 125 of the constitution only refers to misconduct involving the violation of the code of ethics and discipline, and does not cover other illegal acts including crimes.“In terms of a judges’ ethics committee, if a judge is found to have breached the code, he can be brought before a tribunal or code of ethics committee,” he said.“But this committee has no power to impose the punishments provided for in the MACC Act or the Penal Code.”Under the judges’ code of ethics, he said, there are only two possible decisions – to issue a warning or to suspend the judge for a maximum of one year.“That’s all. No penalties, compounds or jail,” he added.


Myanmar village burned down in clashes with military

A village in the centre of Myanmar has been burned down after clashes between the security forces and local guerrillas left at least two people dead.Villagers told the BBC that 200 of the 240 houses in Kin Ma were burned to the ground by the military on Tuesday.They said the incident began after forces clashed with a local militia opposed to the governing regime.One resident told the BBC that security forces clashed with the local People’s Defence Force (PDF). Such groups were formed in the wake of the military coup and have started to fight against the police and military with homemade weapons.“When the PDF members drew back, the security forces came into the village and started to set alight the houses in the southern part,” the resident said. “Almost the whole village was burned down to ashes.”State television however, blamed the fire and destruction of the village on “terrorists”.According to Reuters news agency, state-run MRTV reported that any media that suggested another cause was “deliberately plotting to discredit the military”.Another resident said the villagers fled into the woods. Two elderly people however could not run and died in the fire, locals said, while several more were reported missing.“The fire was everywhere in the village and we saw big flames,” the resident said. “We had to flee for our lives from gunfire and we had to watch it from a distance.”According to Reuters, the fire was so large it was recorded by Nasa’s satellite fire-tracking system.Myanmar’s military seized power in February, alleging voter fraud in general elections held the previous year – a vote independent election monitors say was largely free and fair.Demonstrations spread across the country after the coup. Security forces responded with a brutal crackdown, killing more than 800 people and detaining close to 5,000.


Deal averting US default clears first hurdle

A deal to raise the US debt ceiling passed its first major test in Congress Tuesday, surviving a crucial procedural vote amid a conservative backlash that resurrected the threat of the country's first-ever default.
Lawmakers have until Monday next week to green-light an agreement between Republicans and Democrats to allow more borrowing and ensure the country doesn't miss loan repayments – a self-inflicted blunder that would send the world's number one economy into a tailspin.
There were sighs of relief across Washington as Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and Democratic President Joe Biden agreed on the 99-page "Fiscal Responsibility Act" at the weekend, agreeing to pare back federal spending and raise the debt ceiling until 2025.
It needs lawmakers' support at a crucial vote Wednesday in the House of Representatives, but briefly looked like it might fall at a preliminary hurdle Tuesday, as the Rules Committee prepared it for a floor debate.
Conservatives voiced anger that proposed spending cuts fall far short of what they agreed in a bill passed by House Republicans last month and party leaders were sweating on the accord making it through the committee to the floor.
In the end it advanced to a vote of the full House scheduled for Wednesday evening after it passed 7-6, with two hard right Republicans – Chip Roy and Ralph Norman – joining the four Democrats to vote against it.
The text has been eviscerated by a growing roster of detractors who have already pledged to reject it at the full floor vote, with Roy calling it a "turd sandwich."
'Bad deal'
"Not one Republican should vote for this deal. It is a bad deal. No one sent us here to borrow an additional US$4 trillion (RM18.43 trillion) to get absolutely nothing in return," Roy said at a news conference called by the ultra-conservative Freedom Caucus earlier Tuesday.
The agreement would hold spending flat for 2024 while boosting cash for defence and veterans and clawing back US$28 billion in unspent Covid aid money.
Crucially, it will then cap increases at 1% until the year after the presidential election, a win for Biden who would not have to go through a repeat of the crisis at the height of his reelection campaign.
It would increase work requirements on certain federal aid programmes but does not make the sweeping reforms to government health insurance that Republicans had pushed for.
"This bill is not everything everyone wanted. But it delivers for the American people on several fronts," senior House Republican Jason Smith told the Rules Committee.
Party strategists were bullish that the grousing from the right did not represent a consensus within the broader party.
"I'm not sure what in the bill people are concerned about," McCarthy said in a brief exchange with reporters in Congress, professing "confidence" it would pass.
'Zero' confidence
But North Carolina Republican Dan Bishop told reporters he had "zero" confidence in McCarthy and threatened to push for his ouster, accusing his party leader of "lying" over the contents of the deal.
Any single lawmaker can introduce a "motion to vacate the chair" – a concession McCarthy offered the Republican hard right in return for their support for his speakership election in January.
The bill needs 218 votes in the House, with Republican leadership relying on Democratic support as they brace for up to 60 of their 222 members defecting.
Several Democrats have voiced frustration over the new work requirements that would kick into federal aid programs while corporations and the rich are being asked to pay no more in taxes.
The left-leaning Center on Budget and Policy Priorities said in a statement the agreement was a "significant improvement" over the House-passed bill but complained it would leave older, low-income Americans hungry and "should be rejected."
Among the conservative advocacy groups, the Heritage Foundation urged House Republicans to "go back to the negotiating table" while the Club for Growth suggested it would single out Republicans supporting the bill for poor marks in its "congressional scorecard."


Shafee to learn fate in RM9.5 million money laundering case

The Kuala Lumpur High Court will decide tomorrow whether to free lawyer Muhammad Shafee Abdullah or order him to enter his defence against charges of money laundering involving RM9.5 million allegedly received from Najib Razak and making false declarations to the Inland Revenue Board (LHDN).
Judge Muhammad Jamil Hussin is scheduled to deliver his decision at 9am.
The prosecution closed its case on May 12 after calling eight witnesses in the trial which began on May 21, 2021.
The witnesses included Ambank Jalan Raja Chulan branch manager R Uma Devi, CIMB Bank Bukit Tunku branch manager Rosnita Ahmad, former LHDN officer Syed Nasrul Fahmi Syed Mohamad, and Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) investigating officer Mohamad Farid Jabar.
Deputy public prosecutor Afzainizam Abdul Aziz prosecuted in the case, while Shafee was represented by lawyers Harvinderjit Singh, Farhan Read and Muhammad Farhan Muhammad Shafee. On Sept 13, 2018, Shafee pleaded not guilty to receiving proceeds from unlawful activity via cheques issued by Najib, which were remitted into his CIMB Bank Berhad account.
He allegedly received a cheque for RM4.3 million on Sept 13, 2013, and another for RM5.2 million on Feb 17, 2014.
The offences were allegedly committed at CIMB Bank Bhd, Taman Tunku, Bukit Tunku.
Shafee was also charged with two counts of engaging in transactions resulting from illegal activities, namely submitting incorrect tax returns, in violation of Paragraph 113 (1)(a) of the Income Tax Act 1967 for the financial years ending Dec 31, 2013, and Dec 31, 2014.
He was alleged to have omitted income of RM4.3 million received on Sept 13, 2013, and RM5.2 million received on Feb 17, 2014 from his tax returns.
The money was received through two AmIslamic Bank cheques belonging to Najib and deposited into Shafee's CIMB Bank accounts.
The offences were allegedly committed at LHDN's Jalan Duta branch at Kompleks Pejabat Kerajaan, Jalan Tuanku Abdul Halim on March 3, 2015 and June 29, 2015.
The charges were framed under Section 4(1)(a) of the Anti-Money Laundering and Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001, and carry a fine not exceeding RM5 million, up to five years' jail, or both upon conviction.


‘Suisse Secrets’ puts Swiss banking back in spotlight

The “Suisse Secrets” data leak claiming to reveal how Credit Suisse handled billions of dollars in dirty money has renewed pressure on Switzerland’s financial sector, which has spent years trying to clean up its image.Switzerland’s second largest bank was rocked Sunday by a vast investigation by dozens of media organisations into leaked data they said showed Credit Suisse held more than US$8 billion in accounts of criminals, dictators and rights abusers.The bank flatly rejected the “allegations and insinuations” in the investigation, coordinated by the non-profit journalism group the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP).It stressed in a statement that many of the issues raised in the probe were historical, some dating back more than 70 years, and that 90% of the accounts in question had been closed.The allegations, it said, “appear to be a concerted effort to discredit not only the bank but the Swiss financial marketplace as a whole.”The investigation was only the latest blow to the scandal-plagued bank, which was rocked last year by the implosions of financial firms Greensill and Archegos.Last month saw its chairman resign for having breached Covid quarantine rules.But it could also hit Switzerland’s powerful financial sector as a whole, which for years has strived to improve its image on the international stage.Switzerland ‘high risk’?Following the Suisse Secrets investigation, the European People’s Party (EPP) – the largest political group in the European Parliament – said the findings “point to massive shortcomings of Swiss banks when it comes to the prevention of money laundering.“When the list of high-risk third countries in the area of money laundering is up for the revision the next time, the European Commission needs to consider adding Switzerland to that list,” Markus Ferber, the EPP group’s spokesman in the EU parliament’s economic and monetary affairs committee, said in a statement.Switzerland buckled to international pressure nearly a decade ago to begin weaning its powerful financial sector off the banking secrecy laws that had made it so attractive to the ultra wealthy around the world.Switzerland signed a deal with the US in 2014 and another with the European Union a year later on exchanging bank data, making it easier to uncover ill-begotten fortunes and crack down on tax cheats.“Efforts in the battle against money laundering have been continuously boosted and strengthened in recent years,” the Swiss Bankers Association told AFP in an email.“Dubious money is not of interest to the Swiss financial sector, which sees its reputation and integrity as key.”‘Judicial risk’While acknowledging the role banking secrecy once played in creating the Swiss banking powerhouse, Swiss daily NZZ stressed that a number of the cases revealed by Suisse Secrets “would no longer be possible” under today’s legislation.A report published last October by the Swiss finance ministry found that banks had reported four times more suspected cases of money laundering to authorities between 2015 and 2019 than during the preceding decade.Its authors suggested that banks were keeping a far closer eye on their clients and were quicker to report irregularities, after having witnessed the fallout from large-scale financial data leaks such as the Panama Papers and Paradise Papers.But while Switzerland’s secrecy laws have largely been dismantled for the banks, they have been tightened for the media, making it an offence to reveal leaked banking information.Experts say the laws effectively silence insiders or journalists who may want to expose wrongdoing within a Swiss bank.So while 48 media companies from around the world participated in the Suisse Secrets investigation, no Swiss news media took part due to the risk of criminal prosecution.“The judicial risk is simply too big,” acknowledged the Tamedia media group, which has taken part in previous international data leak investigations.


78.5% of teens, 95.1% of adults fully jabbed

A total of 2,472,098 individuals or 78.5% of adolescents aged 12 to 17 had completed their Covid-19 vaccination as of yesterday, according to the health ministry.Based on the ministry’s data on the CovidNow portal, 95.1% of the adult population or 22,258,551 individuals are fully vaccinated and 22,843,780 individuals have received at least one dose of vaccine.There are still 1,031,946 individuals or 4.4% of the adult population who have yet to receive their vaccination.Overall, a total of 24,730,649 individuals, or 75.7% of the population are fully vaccinated.A total of 143,662 doses of vaccine were administered yesterday, of which 42,888 doses were for second-dose recipients, 8,449 as first doses and 92,325 as booster jabs.This brings the total number of doses administered under the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme to 50,946,620, including 825,497 booster doses.


Sarawak to allow AstraZeneca jab on voluntary basis after initial doubt

Sarawak has agreed to include the AstraZeneca jab in its rollout of vaccines in the state, with doses given on a voluntary, first-come, first-served basis as is currently the case in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur.The Sarawak Covid-19 Immunisation Task Force (CITF) said designated vaccination centres would be set up for this purpose.In a statement, it said the Sarawak government had previously decided against the jab as it did not want the vaccination programme in the state to be jeopardised by public anxiety over the AstraZeneca brand.However, it said a local paper had conducted an online survey in the state on May 4 which showed that 69.4% of 1,037 respondents were in favour of giving Sarawakians the option of being vaccinated with AstraZeneca.Just over 52% of 1,040 respondents meanwhile said they would like to be given the jab.“Given this new insight and willingness of the people in Sarawak to have the choice of the AstraZeneca vaccine, the Sarawak CITF has agreed to let the vaccine be used in Sarawak on a voluntary, first-come, first-served basis – by appointment,” it said.The AstraZeneca vaccine is currently being administered to volunteers in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur, with registration for a second batch reserved for senior citizens aged 60 and above to open next week in Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Johor and Sarawak.Minister Khairy Jamaluddin, who is in charge of the national immunisation programme, said early this month that some 8,000 people had cancelled their vaccination appointments under MySejahtera following the government’s initial announcement that the AstraZeneca vaccine would be included in the national programme.He said the majority of them re-registered after the jab was taken out of the mainstream vaccination programme and made optional.The Sarawak CITF said it had initially decided to allow the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine, but that it reversed its decision “based on the disturbing lesson learnt through the rejection rate of vaccination registration”.Following the rollout of the jab in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur, though, it said the vaccine will be given in the state on a voluntary basis.


Police to conduct recruitment drive for non-Bumi constables

The police will conduct a special intake exercise for the post of police constable grade YA1 involving non-Bumiputeras as well as Orang Asli constable grade YP1 for the community.Bukit Aman Management Department director Ramli Din said the special recruitment would give the opportunity to any individual who has not scored a credit in Bahasa Melayu in the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) to apply.“The application for non-Bumiputeras is open for two weeks from March 18 to 31 via https://epengambilanpdrm.rmp.gov.my“Priority will be given to non-Bumiputera applicants who can speak and write in Mandarin, Tamil or other mother tongues,” he told a special press conference in Bukit Aman, Kuala Lumpur, today.He said the conditions set by the Public Service Department requiring applicants to have two credits including in Bahasa Melayu and a pass in four other subjects had been relaxed to attract more applicants.Within six years of service, though, the personnel in question must re-sit the SPM Bahasa Melayu paper to obtain a credit.“If during that period they are still not successful, the police will have no other option but to terminate their service,” he said.Meanwhile, Ramli said the police and the Orang Asli Development Department would carry out a campaign to encourage the Orang Asli to fill the post of constable grade YP1.“Roadshows will be carried out from May 14 to June 6 at the Orang Asli Development Offices throughout the peninsula, and application forms can be obtained there,” he said.


Nora Anne’s dad heard noises before she disappeared, inquest told

The father of a French-Irish teenager whose body was found in the Seremban jungle told an inquest Thursday he heard noises in the family’s holiday chalet before she disappeared.The body of Nora Anne Quoirin, a 15-year-old with learning difficulties, was discovered unclothed last year after a massive hunt through the rainforest.Authorities insist there was no foul play but her parents believe she was abducted from the resort where they were staying, saying the teen would not have wandered off alone.Testifying at the inquest into her death, Sebastien Quoirin said he “heard some muffled noise coming from the chalet” late at night on the day the London-based family arrived.“I could feel it was close… I cannot describe the nature of the noise,” he said, speaking via video-link as he could not attend the hearing in person due to the coronavirus.The 48-year-old Frenchman did not get up to investigate, however, saying he was in a “state of semi-consciousness”. The teen’s mother, Meabh Quoirin, made similar claims in her testimony Wednesday.They discovered their daughter was missing the next morning. A 10-day hunt involving hundreds of rescuers followed, before the schoolgirl’s body was found close to the resort.A window latch on the chalet was broken, but the teen’s father did not believe she could have climbed out alone as she struggled with mobility and balance.“She has no survival instincts. I could not understand how she could have got out of the chalet and ventured out of the resort herself,” he said.He said the teen’s feet were uninjured when her body was discovered, which would be unusual if she spent days wandering in the jungle, and believes she could have been kidnapped and then dumped.“The abductors could have realised she was a liability following the extensive police search and widespread media attention,” he said.The family have criticised authorities for responding slowly after the teen’s disappearance but police say they conducted a thorough probe and there is no indication of kidnapping.An autopsy found the teen had probably starved and died of internal bleeding – but her family pushed for the inquest, which is expected to continue into December.


Only 8,300 Rohingya refugees sent to third countries over past 18 years

Malaysia could only send 8,312 Rohingya refugees to third countries including the US, Australia, Canada and Japan, from 2003 to 2021, Deputy Foreign Minister Kamarudin Jaffar said today.He said the issue of the resettlement of Rohingya refugees in third countries was often highlighted by the government in discussions with foreign nations and on international platforms, but with few results.“The US has been taking in the most number of refugees with over 7,000 people while Finland only took one in the past 18 years, so the results are not very encouraging.“As such, we need to continue to work with countries around the world, especially through Asean,” he said during the oral question-and-answer session at the Dewan Rakyat.He said this in reply to a supplementary question from Mohd Nizar Zakaria (BN-Parit) on whether Malaysia is able to handle the Rohingya refugees in the country, said to have increased to over 200,000 people.Kamarudin also said the ministry had been working with the United Nations High Commission for Refugees to seek ways to speed up the resettlement of Rohingya refugees in third countries.“Malaysia has also repeatedly stressed that our country cannot afford to accommodate the increasing number of Rohingya refugees and had called on the international community to come forward to help find a lasting solution,” he said.In reply to Nizar’s original question on the ministry’s joint efforts with Asean countries to resolve the Rohingya issue, Kamarudin said Malaysia had often emphasised the importance of Asean to urge Myanmar to address the humanitarian crisis in Rakhine state.He said Malaysia had also strongly urged Myanmar to implement the recommendations submitted by the Asean-Emergency Response and Assessment Team as well as the Comprehensive Needs Assessment.“This is to ensure that the repatriation of Rohingya refugees from Bangladesh to Myanmar is voluntary, carried out safely and with dignity and that the number of refugees heading for Malaysia is reduced,” he said.


WHO urges Covid jab makers to give Covax 50% of doses

The World Health Organization (WHO) on Monday called for Covid-19 vaccine manufacturers to give Covax first refusal on new doses, or commit half of their volumes to the global jab equity scheme.WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said manufacturers should turn their attention to the Covax facility, which has struggled to get donation-funded doses to poorer countries.Tedros voiced his frustration that several poor countries have been unable to immunise their health workers, the elderly and other populations most vulnerable to severe Covid-19 disease.Some rich countries meanwhile, having bought up vaccine supply, are drawing up preparations to start vaccinating children, he said.Tedros has called for a massive global effort to vaccinate at least 10% of the population of all countries by September, and at least 30% by the end of the year.That will require an additional 250 million doses by September, with 100 million doses in June and July alone.“This weekend, the G7 leaders will meet for their annual summit,” Tedros told journalists. “These seven nations have the power to meet these targets.“I am calling on the G7 not just to commit to sharing doses, but to commit to sharing them in June and July,” he said.“I also call on all manufacturers to give Covax first right of refusal on new volume of Covid-19 vaccines, or to commit 50% of their volumes to Covax this year.”Manufacturers in the spotlightCovax was set up to ensure equitable distribution of vaccines, particularly to low-income countries, and has already delivered more than 80 million doses to 129 territories.But that is about 200 million doses behind where it had hoped to be, says WHO.For vaccines to be eligible for Covax, they need to have been approved by WHO and given its emergency use listing status.So far, the UN health agency has given the green light to vaccines created by AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson, Moderna, Pfizer-BioNTech, Sinopharm and Sinovac.A handful of others have started the validation process.Covax is co-led by WHO, Gavi and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations.It intends to procure enough vaccines for 30% of the population in 91 of the poorest participating territories – 20% in India – with donors covering the cost.But Covax has been hit by inequalities in the global vaccine roll-out, and also delivery delays.AstraZeneca shots make up 97% of doses supplied so far, while the rest come from Pfizer-BioNTech.Two-track pandemicAlthough the number of new Covid-19 cases reported to WHO has declined for six consecutive weeks, and deaths for five weeks, the global picture is mixed, said Tedros.“Increasingly, we see a two-track pandemic: many countries still face an extremely dangerous situation, while some of those with the highest vaccination rates are starting to talk about ending restrictions,” he said.More than 2.15 billion doses of Covid-19 vaccines have been injected in at least 215 territories around the world, according to an AFP count.But just 0.3% have been administered in the 29 lowest-income countries, home to 9% of the world’s people.“The inequitable distribution of vaccines has allowed the virus to continue spreading, increasing the chances of a variant emerging that renders vaccines less effective,” said Tedros.“Inequitable vaccination is a threat to all nations, not just those with the fewest vaccines.”


US backs plan to waive Covid-19 vaccine patents

US President Joe Biden’s administration on Wednesday announced support for a global waiver on patent protections for Covid-19 vaccines, offering hope to poor nations that have struggled to access the life-saving doses.India, where the death toll hit a new daily record amid fears the peak is still to come, has been leading the fight within the World Trade Organization (WTO) to allow more drugmakers to manufacture the vaccines – a move pharma giants opposed.US trade representative Katherine Tai said that while intellectual property rights for businesses are important, Washington “supports the waiver of those protections for Covid-19 vaccines” in order to end the pandemic.“This is a global health crisis, and the extraordinary circumstances of the Covid-19 pandemic call for extraordinary measures,” she said in a statement.Biden had been under intense pressure to waive protections for vaccine manufacturers, especially amid criticism that rich nations were hoarding Covid-19 vaccines.Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, head of the World Health Organization (WHO), called the US decision “historic” and marked “a monumental moment in the fight against Covid-19”.Tai cautioned said that negotiations “will take time given the consensus-based nature” of the WTO.The aim “is to get as many safe and effective vaccines to as many people as fast as possible,” she said.With supplies for Americans secured, the Biden administration will continue efforts “to expand vaccine manufacturing and distribution,” and will work to “increase the raw materials needed to produce those vaccines”.For months the WTO has been facing calls to temporarily remove the intellectual property protections on Covid-19 vaccines, known as a TRIPS waiver in reference to the agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property.WTO chief Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala on Wednesday described as the “moral and economic issue of our time”.But that notion has been fiercely opposed by pharmaceutical giants and their host countries, which insist the patents are not the main roadblocks to scaling up production, and warned the move could hamper innovation.“A waiver is the simple but the wrong answer to what is a complex problem,” the Geneva-based International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations lobby group said, describing the US move as “disappointing.”Tai in recent weeks has met with executives from all the major US vaccine producers – Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson – to discuss the issue.Devastating surgeWhile the US has reached the point of offering doughnuts and beer to vaccine holdouts, India reported 3,780 new pandemic deaths and not enough doses to inoculate its people.India has in recent weeks endured a devastating surge in coronavirus cases, with more than 380,000 infections reported on Wednesday.K Vijay Raghavan, the Indian government’s principal scientific advisor, said the country of 1.3 billion people had to prepare for a new wave of infections even after beating down the current wave, which has taken the country’s caseload above 20 million infections.In an effort to boost the country’s collapsing health system, India’s reserve bank announced US$6.7 billion in cheap financing for vaccine makers, hospitals and health firms.India’s crisis has been partly fuelled by a lack of vaccines. This has in turn exacerbated the global shortage as India is the world’s biggest producer of Covid shots.In London, foreign ministers from the Group of Seven wealthy democracies committed to financially support the vaccine-sharing program, Covax.But there was no immediate announcement on fresh funding.Though his country is not a group member, Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar was in London for the G7 talks but had to hold his meetings virtually after possible exposure to virus cases.Vaccine inequityThe pandemic has claimed more than 3.2 million lives worldwide since it first emerged in late 2019, but many wealthy nations have made progress in suppressing the virus as mass vaccination campaigns gather steam.More than 1.2 billion doses have been administered globally, but fewer than 1% in the least developed countries.Vaccine shortages are not an issue in the US, which could soon be sitting on as many as 300 million extra doses – nearly equivalent to its entire population.Biden on Tuesday said he wanted 70% of US adults to have received at least one shot by the July 4 Independence Day holiday.He also said his administration was “ready to move immediately” if regulators authorise the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for 12- to 15-year-olds.Experts question the wisdom of devoting limited vaccine supplies to a low-risk group instead of sharing them with high-risk groups abroad.“Vaccinating more people in the US is not going to help us if the variants in India, Nepal and South Asia get out of control and hit our shores,” said Priya Sampathkumar, chair of Infection Prevention & Control at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota.UCSF physician and epidemiologist Vinay Prasad slammed the idea of vaccinating low-risk American adolescents before 70-year-olds globally as “a terrible error”.In the Middle East, Egypt announced a partial shutdown of malls and restaurants and called off festivities for the Muslim holidays of Aidilfitri to curb rising coronavirus cases.Serbia’s president meanwhile said his country would pay each citizen around US$30 to get vaccinated, in what could be the world’s first cash-for-jabs scheme.


Death toll up by 27 as 4,855 new cases logged

Another 4,855 Covid-19 cases were recorded today, taking total confirmed infections in the country to 458,077.Selangor recorded 1,783 cases, Kuala Lumpur 521, Johor 467, Sarawak and Penang 395 each, Kelantan 339, Perak 302, Kedah 193, Terengganu 148 and Negeri Sembilan 100.Sabah recorded 76 cases, Melaka 67, Pahang 56, Putrajaya nine and Labuan four.Active cases stand at 41,582 with 481 in the ICU and 247 in need of respiratory assistance.Eight more clusters were detected:1. Jalan Keretapi Lama (Kuala Selangor in Selangor; 81 screened, 24 positive)2. Lima Jalan Kebun (Klang and Kuala Langat in Selangor; 1,226 screened, 11 positive)3. Jalan Tropika Industri (Johor Bahru in Johor; 112 screened, 14 positive)4. Jalan Suasa Industri (Johor Bahru in Johor; 72 screened, 12 positive)5. Jalan Chain Ferry (Seberang Perai Tengah and Utara in Penang; 72 screened, 14 positive)6. Jalan Lilin (Miri and Lawas in Sarawak; 262 screened, 22 positive)7. Kongsi Lapan (Tawau in Sabah; 56 screened, 11 positive)8. Tanjung Rimau (Alor Gajah in Melaka; 51 screened, 14 positive)There are currently 457 active clusters across the country.Another 3,347 patients were discharged, bringing total recoveries to 414,707.However, 27 more deaths were reported, pushing the virus toll to 1,788.


Zahid files for review of court's decision on permanent return of passport

Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has filed for a review of the High Court's decision dismissing his application for permanent access to his passport to perform his official duties as deputy prime minister.
On Feb 3, High Court judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah, in dismissing the application for permanent access, had however allowed Zahid temporary access to his passport for the purpose of applying for a diplomatic passport, after which he was to surrender both passports to the court.
Zahid's passport was surrendered to the court as an additional bail condition after he was charged with 47 counts of corruption, criminal breach of trust and money laundering involving Akalbudi Foundation funds, which are currently at the defence stage.
Lawyer Aiman Abdul Rahman, representing Zahid, when contacted after case management today, confirmed the review application and that the Court of Appeal had set March 27 to hear the matter.
He said the online case management was conducted before the Court of Appeal deputy registrar Mohd Khairi Haronand and also attended by deputy public prosecutor Abdul Malik Ayob. In the notice of motion filed on Feb 13, Zahid asked the Court of Appeal to consider allowing him permanent access to his passport subject to any conditions imposed by the court.
In his supporting affidavit, Zahid said Sequerah had erred in dismissing his application to obtain the document permanently.
The Bagan Datuk MP said the decision would prejudice his rights and responsibilities as a country leader as he would have to apply to the court for access to his passport every time he needed to go abroad for work.
"As an individual who holds one of the highest positions in the country, it is seen as impractical and an inconvenience for me to apply to the court every time I want to go abroad for work purposes.
"Therefore, it is appropriate for the Court of Appeal to consider that the approval of the application would bring good and continuity to the administration of the country, which is the responsibility of every Malaysian," he said.
Zahid also said that the application was mala fide or prejudicial, and promised to continue giving his full cooperation in resolving his court cases.


Govt to streamline SOPs from 181 to 10

The government is working to streamline the existing Covid-19 SOPs so that they are better understood by the people, industry players and enforcement agencies.Defence Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said there are currently 181 SOPs covering all four phases of the National Recovery Plan which the government plans to reduce to 10.“The move to streamline the SOPs which we have been using for more than a year will definitely take some time.“However, the government is committed to resolving the matter before we transition to the endemic phase,” he said in a news conference on the outcome of the Covid-19 Ministerial Quartet Meeting in Parliament today.Also present were Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin, Communications and Multimedia Minister Annuar Musa, Finance Minister Tengku Zafrul Aziz and health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah.In order to determine how the existing SOPs can be streamlined, Hishammuddin said the government would take into account not only scientific data, especially from the health ministry, but also feedback and views from experts and industries.“Developments will be announced from time to time,” he added. “We will probably take two to three weeks to complete it.”In the meantime, Hishammuddin said the Special Committee on Pandemic Management meeting had agreed to further relax the SOPs, especially for those in the low-risk category.He said the government took into account the pressure and fatigue experienced by the people after more than a year of living in a pandemic situation that had restricted activities and movement.“We cannot allow this situation to continue because it could lead to a more serious impact, especially on mental health.“The prime minister will announce the additional relaxations for the social and economic sectors in the near future,” he said.


Over 600,000 no-shows for child vaccination jabs, says Khairy

Some 600,000 children given vaccination appointments through the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme for Children (PICKids) have been no-shows, Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said today.He said of the 1.63 million appointments given by his ministry as of Feb 3, only one million had been kept.“This means that 600,000 received appointments but did not show up,” he added at a press conference in Parliament.The health ministry began rolling out vaccine jabs for children aged five to 11 on Feb 3, using the Pfizer vaccine although the Sinovac shot was recently approved for use as well.The reservation of appointment slots through the MySejahtera app was opened at the end of January.Under PICKids, children are given two vaccine jabs eight weeks apart.The health ministry also revealed earlier today that more than 100,000 children below the age of 12 had caught Covid-19 so far this year.A total of 119,719 children below the age of 12 had contracted Covid-19 from January to March, with 50,826 infected from January to mid-February alone.Khairy said the health ministry would continue efforts to spread awareness about the benefits of vaccination against Covid-19.“We need to continue carrying out campaigns to assure parents that the vaccine is safe and can protect against Covid-19, especially since their children have returned to school,” he said.


Nine killed as falling building crushes bus in South Korea

At least nine people were killed when a five-storey building being demolished in South Korea collapsed on to a bus, officials have said.As well as those killed, at least eight people were injured in the collapse in the southern city of Gwangju.Videos uploaded to social media showed that the building collapsed directly on to the bus, which was carrying 17 people and had stopped on a street below, the National Fire Agency said.Emergency officers dispatched to the site rescued several passengers from the bus, all seriously injured, before discovering the nine bodies, the agency said in a statement.The reason for the collapse is not yet clear and search efforts are still under way for survivors who may be trapped.All workers on the site had evacuated before the building collapsed, fire officer Kim Seok-sun said in a televised briefing.Yang Ik-je, who runs a shop across the street from the collapsed building, told Yonhap news agency it felt like “the earth was shaking”.“I could not see the road clearly, as if it were shrouded in thick fog,” he said. “I checked the CCTV to find out that the building collapsed on to a bus.”Local media showed the debris falling on the bus and engulfing the street in a huge cloud of dust.A video after the collapse showed dozens of rescue workers equipped with stretchers and crowbars searching for survivors while excavators hacked at a huge mountain of crumbled concrete and bent steel beams spilling over the motorway, the AP reported.One of the world’s worst peacetime building collapses happened in South Korea in June 1995, when Seoul’s Sampoong Department Store collapsed, killing more than 500 people.


North Korea’s Kim says sorry for soldiers shooting dead South Korean border crosser

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has apologised in a letter to South Korea for an incident in which border troops shot dead a government worker from the South who crossed the maritime border between the two countries on Monday.The shooting was the first killing of a South Korean by the North in 10 years.South Koreans are shocked and angered by the North’s actions and this rare apology from Kim may defuse the situation.Kim reportedly told South Korean leader President Moon Jae-in that the “disgraceful affair” should not have happened.The letter was sent to the Blue House, the official residence of the Republic of Korea’s head of state, and officials released some of its contents.“Chairman Kim Jong Un asked to convey that he feels very sorry that instead of giving aid to our compatriots in the South who is struggling with Covid epidemic, we have given President Moon and our compatriots in the South a great disappointment with this unseen misfortune in our sea,” the letter said.South Korea’s director of national security Suh Hoon said the letter also revealed the results of the North’s investigation, which claimed that more than 10 shots were fired at the man because he had failed to reveal his identity and tried to flee.Original reports suggested that the soldiers had burned the man’s corpse. However, the North insisted that it had not done so, but had merely burned his life jacket out of Covid-19 precautions.South Korean officials have previously said they believed the man was attempting to defect to North Korea. His true motives remain unknown.


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Another shooting in US leaves 3 dead

At least three people were killed and more than a dozen injured early Sunday in a Tennessee city after gunfire erupted and fleeing vehicles struck bystanders, police said.The bloody incident came barely two hours after a separate mass shooting in Philadelphia left three dead and 11 wounded.“At this time we can confirm 14 gunshot victims and three victims that were struck by vehicles that were attempting to flee the scene,” Chattanooga police chief Celeste Murphy told reporters.“Three fatalities have been confirmed, two of which are related to gunshot wounds and one of which is related to injuries sustained after being struck by a vehicle.”She said the wounded included at least one juvenile, and that several victims remained in critical condition.Murphy said there was “definitely more than one shooter” involved in the incident near Mary’s Bar and Grill in a downtown section of Chattanooga, a city of 180,000.As of midday Sunday, no one was in custody.“This is a very complex situation,” Murphy said.Chattanooga’s latest eruption of violence came just a week after six people were wounded in another shooting in the city.The US is plagued with gun violence, and mass shootings in recent weeks including tragedies at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas and a grocery store in Buffalo, New York have left dozens of people dead.


Better safe than sorry, health experts say on chances of Covid-19 transmission through touch

Health experts say it is always better to take extra precautions against the spread of Covid-19 despite recent findings by the top US health agency that the risk of contracting the virus from touching a contaminated surface is less than one in 10,000.The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) previously acknowledged that surfaces are not the primary way that the virus spreads, but in its updated surface cleaning guidelines this week said evidence had demonstrated that the risk by this route of infection of transmission is actually low.Dr Kuljit Singh, president of the Association of Private Hospitals of Malaysia, said he agreed with the CDC findings but that it remained advisable to take extra care especially in public places.He said the lifespan of the Covid-19 virus outside the human body remains unknown as much depends on factors such as temperature, surface type and the type of virus itself.He added that transmission could occur quickly if someone were to sneeze or cough, and the spray contaminates the area.“I understand what the CDC is trying to say, but imagine if someone were to touch a contaminated surface almost immediately after a person has sneezed or coughed on it.“It’s difficult to give an answer on how long a virus can live outside a host,” he said.However, Kuljit also acknowledged that people cannot expect every area they visit to be disinfected before they feel safe.“It’s best to take precautions by sanitising your hands frequently and wearing a proper mask,” he said. “We try to do it with common sense. Keep your hands clean and don’t touch everything.”Fear of contracting Covid-19 through contaminated surfaces had initially sparked a trend of glove wearing, with some commercial outlets still providing disposable gloves for customers upon entry to the premises.But Kuljit warned that this practice could do more harm than good, saying the use of gloves might lull users into a false sense of security.“Once someone wears plastic gloves, psychologically they think they are protected. But they will touch everything everywhere because they think they are protected, not knowing that the virus will be transmitting even faster,” he said.Even in hospitals, the use of gloves is not encouraged, he said.“In some hospitals we don’t allow patients to come in with gloves. They give a sense of security for themselves but become dangerous to others.”When the Covid-19 pandemic first hit, researchers warned that the virus could survive for days on plastic or stainless steel. The CDC at that point advised that infection could occur if people were to touch a contaminated surface before touching their eyes, nose or mouth.But CDC director Dr Rochelle Walensky said at a White House briefing on Monday that evidence had shown that the risk of infection through this route was low.She also said that disinfection is only recommended in indoor settings where there has been a suspected or confirmed case within the last 24 hours.This is in line with the findings of Swiss scientists earlier this year, who said in their studies that the risk of being infected with Covid-19 by touching contaminated surfaces was “less than five in 10,000”.The studies analysed hundreds of samples taken from surfaces that are frequently touched in everyday life and concluded that while traces of the virus could be found on some, the concentrations were “so low that the risk of infection from touching a contaminated surface was estimated to be low”.However, the scientists said this might not apply to objects such as tables and dishes on which people might cough or sneeze more easily and where “droplets with high viral loads” might be found.Dr Raj Kumar Maharajah, president of the Medical Practitioners Coalition Association of Malaysia, agreed with the CDC’s recommendation that areas be disinfected only in cases of confirmed or suspected infections.“It is a very practical suggestion,” he said, adding however that precautions should still be taken in crowded spaces where contact with contaminated areas might occur.“I think we have been focusing equally on virus transmission through breathing and touching,” he said. “That’s why we have been advised to use masks and to wash our hands frequently.”He, too, agreed that wearing gloves should not be a norm in public places.“Wearing gloves causes more risk of infection. The best way is to sanitise your hands frequently,” he said, adding that current SOPs should be enough to prevent the spread of Covid-19.


56.5% of people, 78.8% of adults fully vaccinated

Some 56.5% of the population or 18,453,322 people had been fully vaccinated against Covid-19 as of yesterday, with 67.4% or 22,001,266 having received at least one dose including of the single-dose CanSino vaccine.In terms of adult population, 78.8% are fully vaccinated while 93.3% have received at least one dose.A total of 219,081 doses of vaccine were administered under the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme yesterday, including 158,308 to second-dose recipients.A total of 40,375,056 doses of vaccine had been administered throughout the country as of yesterday.


Pfizer strikes global licensing deal for Covid pill

US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer on Tuesday announced a deal to make its prospective antiviral Covid-19 pill available more cheaply in the world’s least wealthy countries.Pfizer will sub-licence production of its promising Paxlovid pill to generic drug manufacturers for supply in 95 low- and middle-income nations covering around 53% of the world’s population.Under the deal struck with the global Medicines Patent Pool (MPP), Pfizer – which also produces one of the most widely-used Covid vaccines with German lab BioNTech – will not receive royalties from the generic manufacturers, making the treatment cheaper.The agreement is subject to the oral antiviral medication passing ongoing trials and regulatory approval.The Pfizer drug is to be taken with the HIV medicine ritonavir.Interim data from ongoing trials demonstrated an 89% reduction in the risk of Covid-19-related hospitalisation or death compared to a placebo, in non-hospitalised high-risk adults with Covid-19 within three days of symptom onset, said Pfizer.Similar results were seen within five days of symptom onset, it added.The Geneva-based MPP is a United Nations-backed international organisation that works to facilitate the development of medicines for low- and middle-income nations.If approved, the pill could be on the market in “a matter of months”, MPP policy chief Esteban Burrone told AFP.HIV drug mixPfizer will forego royalties on sales in all countries covered by the agreement while Covid-19 remains classified as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern by the World Health Organization (WHO).Last month, WHO maintained the highest level of alert over the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes Covid-19.Paxlovid, or PF-07321332, is an investigational antiviral therapy designed to block the activity of the SARS-CoV-2-3CL protease – an enzyme that the coronavirus needs to replicate.Taking it together with a low dose of ritonavir helps slow the breakdown of PF-07321332. It therefore remains active in the body for a longer period at a high concentration, to help combat the virus.The pill could potentially help patients avoid severe illness, which can lead to hospitalisation and death, Pfizer said.“We believe oral antiviral treatments can play a vital role in reducing the severity of Covid-19 infections, decreasing the strain on our healthcare systems and saving lives,” said Pfizer chairman and chief executive Albert Bourla.While a multitude of vaccines have been rolled out in the pandemic, the hunt for treatments for those who have already caught the disease has not been as fruitful.Agreement follows Merck dealThe MPP was founded by Unitaid, which works on innovations to prevent, diagnose and treat major diseases in poorer countries.“During a pandemic, saving time means saving lives. This agreement could help us to reach more people more quickly as soon as the medicine is approved,” said Unitaid executive director Philippe Duneton.Potential sublicensees have until December 6 to register an expression of interest.The announcement comes after the MPP signed a similar voluntary licensing deal with Pfizer’s US rivals Merck & Co last month for its investigational oral antiviral medicine molnupiravir.Subject to regulatory approval, the deal will help create broad access to molnupiravir in 105 low- and middle-income countries.Pills are easier to make than vaccines, do not require a cold chain for delivery and can be self-administered by the patient.In terms of relieving health systems by preventing hospitalisations, “it’s a game changer”, said Burrone.He said pricing for the Pfizer pill had not yet been set, but said that “in a competitive environment… the prices tend to come down” to a low level.Doctors Without Borders meanwhile suggested it might cost around US$700 per Pfizer treatment course, in line with molnupiravir.The medical charity said it was disheartened by the deal, saying restrictive voluntary licences were no substitute for guaranteed global access to Covid tools to bring the pandemic under control.


Malaysia inches towards pandemic-era snap polls but experts warn of the downside

Malaysia is likely to proceed with a general election under the shadow of Covid-19, even as some experts warn of a host of issues that might disrupt pandemic-era polls.More than 60 countries have postponed their elections due to the pandemic, which has so far infected some 35 million people, claimed the lives of more than a million and ravaged economies across the world.But countries such as France, Croatia, Poland and South Korea, as well as neighbouring Singapore, have gone ahead with theirs despite fears of the virus spreading.South Korea, among the countries praised for efficiently containing the virus, saw no impact on the rate of infections after its election in April. In fact, authorities reported a decrease in cases.Statistics released by the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control however showed post-election spikes in Belarus, Poland and Serbia.The same happened with Singapore, although its election campaign in July was marked by “online rallies” and socially distanced house visits, a favourite among politicians in the city-state.EC ready for challengesSeveral elections have been held in Malaysia since the pandemic began.The Chini and Slim by-elections were due to the death of their incumbents.The Sabah election, called after ruling assemblymen switched loyalties, was the largest election exercise conducted by the Election Commission (EC) after the 2018 polls.The state is expected to hold another election soon, in Batu Sapi, following the death of its MP Liew Vui Keong last week.EC deputy chairman Azmi Sharom told MalaysiaNow that the commission had no say on whether elections should be held back due to the virus scare.“If a seat becomes vacant, or a legislative assembly is dissolved, we are duty-bound to conduct elections,” said Azmi, who took a lead role in the EC following the appointment of its boss Azhar Harun as Dewan Rakyat speaker in June, until former EC secretary Abdul Ghani Salleh was named as Azhar’s successor on Aug 21.Speculation of snap polls began at the worst possible time, when the government collapsed in February just as Covid-19 cases were rising.But the movement control order, an unprecedented but popular move to lock down businesses and daily activities, temporarily shut out voices calling for a snap election.For electoral reforms group Bersih 2.0, there should be no exemptions when it comes to holding elections.“Unless the National Security Council declares emergency in an area,” said its chairman Thomas Fann.“I am confident that the health ministry and the EC can conduct an election safely if the SOPs are tightened,” he told MalaysiaNow.Those SOPs include the wearing of face masks, temperature checks and physical distancing measures.In South Korea, such SOPs during its nationwide polls cost the country at least US$16 million more.Azmi said the biggest challenge would be on polling day, due to the concentration of people at voting centres.Yet he said there had been no reports of Covid-19 spikes due to people going to vote.On the other hand, campaigning remains a challenge.“Campaigning is harder to control because it is carried out over at least two weeks and happens in many places in various formats,” he said.“If there are anymore elections during the pandemic, there will be rules for campaigning. What these rules are will be determined at the time and will be subject to modifications depending on the circumstances,” Azmi said.‘Easier to disrupt polls’With the country’s recent Covid-19 numbers breaching even the MCO-era mark, it is difficult to predict whether those pressing for snap polls will settle for election politics taking a back seat to avert a health crisis.A recent study by the Washington-based Council on Foreign Relations said a major impact on pandemic-era elections has been low voter turnout.To make things worse, there is also fake news misinforming the public on the virus, including claiming that a polling centre is closed.“There are several ways this could disrupt elections. Results will likely be announced later than usual, which could cause the public to question the legitimacy of the vote,” the council said.In the previous general election in Malaysia, there were allegations of phantom voters on social media which raised credibility issues.It remains to be seen if pandemic-era snap polls will make it easier to disrupt polling, and in the process, defeat the whole purpose of strengthening democracy.Fazreen Kamal contributed to this report.


Biden administration puts hold on arms sales, including to UAE and Saudi Arabia

The Biden administration has put a temporary hold on several major foreign arms sales initiated by former president Donald Trump.Officials say that among the agreements being paused is a deal to supply precision-guided missiles to Saudi Arabia, and a massive US$23 billion sale of armed drones and stealth F-35 fighters to the United Arab Emirates (UAE).The UAE would have become the first Arab nation – and only the second country in the Middle East, after Israel – to possess the stealth warplanes.That sale and several other massive purchases of US weaponry by Gulf Arab countries had been harshly criticised by Democrats in Congress.In its last months, the Trump administration authorised billions of dollars in new arms sales following the signing of the Abraham Accords between Israel, Bahrain and the UAE, under which the Arab states agreed to normalise relations with Israel.US arms manufacturers Raytheon Technologies and Lockheed Martin both have lucrative contracts with the two Arab nations now under re-examination.In December, the US State Department under Trump also gave the go-ahead for the sale of 3,000 precision-guided GBU-39 Small Diameter Bombs to Saudi Arabia, in a deal worth US$290 million.Congressional critics have expressed disapproval with such sales, alleging the weapons could be used to prosecute Saudi Arabia’s war in Yemen.Incoming Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Menendez, said the sales “were inexplicably rushed without thorough review of implications for US national security and protection of innocent lives in Yemen”.On Tuesday, lawmakers sent a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken calling for overhaul of the US-Saudi relationship, and among other requests, urged him to freeze the delivery of all offensive weapons to Riyadh.


Japan declares virus emergency, 3 months before Olympics

Japan announced a new virus state of emergency in Tokyo and three other regions on Friday, as the country battles surging infections just three months before the Olympic opening ceremony.The nation’s virus outbreak remains much smaller than in many countries, but a recent uptick in cases has officials and medical professionals worried, even as the government and Olympic organisers insist this summer’s Games will go ahead.“Today we decided to declare a state of emergency in Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka and Hyogo prefectures,” Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga announced, citing the rise of infections involving new virus variants. The measure will run from April 25 to May 11.The country’s minister for virus response Yasutoshi Nishimura earlier warned of a “strong sense of crisis”, saying current restrictions were not sufficient.The measures will be tougher than Japan’s last state of emergency, imposed in parts of the country from January, but still far short of the harsh lockdowns seen in some parts of the world.Authorities want bars and restaurants to stop selling alcohol or close, and to shutter major commercial facilities like malls.The measure will coincide with the Golden Week holiday that is Japan’s busiest travel period of the year, and could involve cutting some train and bus services to discourage movement.Spectators will also be barred from sports events, which can continue behind closed doors, and remote working will be encouraged.Although the measures start from Sunday, Tokyo governor Yuriko Koike urged residents to start taking precautions immediately, including avoiding drinking in the street after bars and restaurants close early.She even urged businesses to turn their lights off in the evenings to encourage people to stay away.“After 8pm, we ask that bright signage on streets, neon signs and illumination be turned off,” she said.“It will be dark at night, with only street lights on,” she added, to “curb the flow of people”.‘Not safe’Japan has had some success containing the coronavirus, with fewer than 10,000 deaths despite never imposing strict lockdown measures.But cases surged over winter and have rebounded since the previous state of emergency was lifted in March.Tokyo on Friday logged 759 cases, while Osaka recorded 1,162 new infections, slightly down on record numbers earlier in the week.Authorities in Osaka have said health facilities there are already overwhelmed and beds for seriously ill patients are running short.Officials insist the situation will not affect preparations for the Games, with Tokyo 2020 chief Seiko Hashimoto telling reporters Friday: “we’re not thinking about cancellation.”“We’re thinking about how we can prepare in a way that prioritises safety and makes people feel it can be held safely, and makes them want it to be held.”But the spike in infections is already disrupting everything from the Olympic torch relay – which has been forced off public roads in several regions – to test events and qualifiers.Australia’s diving team on Friday withdrew from the Diving World Cup scheduled for May 1 to 6 in Tokyo, saying it was “not safe” to travel to Japan.Japan’s vaccine programme is moving slowly meanwhile, with just over 1.5 million people given a first shot and only around 827,000 fully vaccinated.Japan’s public remains opposed to holding the Games this year, favouring a further delay or outright cancellation.“I’m for (the Olympics) in the sense that we need to keep the economy going,” 48-year-old Koji Yokoi told AFP in Tokyo.“But when I see elderly people hospitalised on TV I say to myself, ‘This is not possible’.”


Is Malaysia becoming a ‘nanny state’?

Recently, Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said the government will table a law to ban the sale of cigarettes to those born from 2005 onwards. The intention is to protect future generations from the harmful effects of smoking.This proposal is a slippery slope. Today, the government’s plan is to ban the sale of cigarettes. In the future, will this be extended to other “harmful” products like liquor, junk food, fast food and carbonated drinks with high sugar content?At what stage should the state intervene when it comes to the health of individuals? Will there be a mandate next on how many calories a person should burn each week based on his or her body mass index? Is Malaysia going to be a nanny state?Don’t get me wrong. I am all for curbing the harmful effects of smoking. And thanks to concerted campaigns over the decades, almost all Malaysians now know about the health hazards smoking poses.Most, if not all smokers are aware of the trade-off between instant gratification and the long-term effects the habit potentially has on their health. But for now, the government deems it unnecessary to outright ban the sales of cigarettes, including electronic ones.Then, I see no reason why smokers should not be given a choice to decide where along the long-term health risks spectrum they are comfortable with staying. It’s just like how some health buffs exercise regularly and eat healthily while others prefer to stay glued to Netflix for hours a day while downing fast food. Each group will reap its respective returns while making trade-offs, with no intervention by the state. The same should apply to cigarettes, including the electronic kind.There are also downsides to the generational ban on smoking. Banning the item will only make it more alluring. Remember the adage, “what you resist, persists”. This in turn creates a black market where the government stands to lose billions in tax revenue.And as we know, Malaysia is notorious for coming up with the most well-intended policies, but failing miserably in execution. This could be the case in Khairy’s plans. By the time the ban is total, he would have long since retired from politics, with a long list of successors in the ministry.Let’s be practical and resort to science-based approaches in mitigating the harmful effects of smoking. In the UK, e-cigarettes are used to help smokers kick the habit. These include regulated vaping content or heated tobacco. They are by no means harm-free, but are definitely far less dangerous than conventional cigarettes.In conclusion, the health ministry should look at evidence-based, harm reduction alternatives to mitigate the harmful effects of smoking. There’s no need to play nanny to adults as this will only worsen the problem.The views expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the position of MalaysiaNow.