FGV slams US directive against palm oil products

FGV Holdings Bhd today hit out at a directive issued by the US against palm oil and palm oil products produced by the agricultural giant based on claims of forced labour in the production process.In a statement, it said the issues raised by the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) had been the subject of public discourse since 2015.“FGV has taken several steps to correct the situation,” it said, adding that these efforts were well documented and available in the public domain.It listed some of these steps, including efforts to strengthen procedures and processes in the recruitment of migrant workers; discontinuing the recruitment and employment of refugees; and implementing an e-wallet cashless payroll system for plantation workers.It also distanced itself from the practice of retaining workers’ passports, saying safety boxes had been installed at all complexes for workers to deposit their documents.Concerning the right of workers to adequate housing, it said it had invested some RM350 million over three years to upgrade housing facilities for workers across the country.“FGV is disappointed that such a decision has been made when FGV has been taking concrete steps over the past several years in demonstrating its commitment to respect human rights and to uphold labour standards,” it said.The CBP withhold release order (WRO), which came into effect yesterday at all US ports of entry, will see palm oil and palm oil products made by FGV, its subsidiaries and joint ventures detained.The CBP said its WRO was issued “based on information that reasonably indicates the use of forced labour”.In a statement yesterday, it said indicators gathered throughout a year-long investigation included abuse of vulnerability, deception, restriction of movement, isolation, physical and sexual violence, intimidation and threats, retention of identity documents, withholding of wages, debt bondage, abusive working and living conditions, and excessive overtime.It also mentioned concerns of forced child labour in the production process.“The use of forced labour in the production of such a ubiquitous product allows companies to profit from the abuse of vulnerable workers,” said Brenda Smith, executive assistant commissioner of CBP’s Office of Trade.“These companies are creating unfair competition for legitimately sourced goods and exposing the public to products that fail to meet ethical standards.”


Philippine court denies bail for top Duterte rival after 6 years detained

A Philippine court on Wednesday rejected a bail request by an ex-senator and chief critic of former President Rodrigo Duterte, prolonging her six years of detention on drugs charges that she insists were baseless and politically motivated.
Leila de Lima, 63, was hit by a slew of charges in 2017 within months of launching a Senate inquiry into Duterte's bloody "war on drugs", during which thousands of users and dealers were killed by police or in mysterious circumstances.
The popular Duterte, whose term ended last year, accused her of colluding while justice minister with drugs gangs in jails, which led to charges of conspiracy to trade narcotics.
Duterte humiliated her in public speeches with lurid revelations about her private life, prompting hate campaigns orchestrated by his cult-like social media following.
Two of three cases against De Lima have been dismissed and De Lima sought bail in the one pending case on health grounds.
"We did not expect this decision," her legal counsel Filibon Tacardon said in a statement, adding a motion of reconsideration would be filed.
"We will continue to fight for justice and the freedom of Senator De Lima after more than six years in detainment and separation from her loved ones."
The court in its ruling said her request was untenable and evidence would determine her culpability or innocence.
Many activists consider De Lima a political prisoner and demand her release. Human Rights Watch said the bail denial "prolongs the injustice committed against her".
"This is a sad day for her and for those who believe in the cause of human rights," it said.
The courts should rule based on merit, and not political influence, the progressive parliamentary group, Akbayan partylist said in a statement.
Duterte was president from 2016 to 2022 and gained international notoriety for delivering on a campaign promise that thousands of Filipinos drug dealers and users would be killed. His daughter, Sara Duterte-Carpio is currently vice president.
The International Criminal Court in The Hague is investigating allegations that crimes against humanity were committed under Duterte's leadership during the drugs crackdown.
He denies inciting police to kill and says he only authorised use of self-defence.
Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla on Wednesday told reporters the court's decision on De Lima's bail must be respected.


Chip crunch in Malaysia triggers new era in supply deals

Malaysian electronics firms central to the supply of basic chips that drive the world’s cars, smartphones and home devices say big-name customers are beating on their doors to lock in take-or-pay, longer-term deals – and are happy to pay more if need be.Manufacturers are rushing to replenish chip stocks depleted during coronavirus pandemic factory curbs – not least automakers who earlier cancelled orders expecting poor demand. That chip shortage has slammed their output, and still dislocates supply chains, just as consumer demand ramps up along with a global easing of Covid restrictions in everyday life.At factories in Malaysia, operators like chip packaging firm Unisem say that drive is leading buyers that sell chips on to auto and electronics manufacturers to become willing to sign up for big price hikes, some even asking for as many assembled chips as plants can produce – whatever the cost.But Malaysia’s chip assembly industry, accounting for more than a tenth of a global trade worth over US$20 billion, warns that shortages – exacerbated by years of under-investment in basic chip production, while high-end semiconductors were favoured – will last at least two years.Firms must marry the need to ramp up production with the imperative to avoid Covid-19 infections in factories that could trigger complete shutdowns.“The shortage is very real,” said John Chia, chairman of Unisem. “For CEOs (of our clients) to escalate their issues to me directly shows that this is a serious matter… now they want to talk to me directly,” he told Reuters.Chia declined to provide names of clients requesting as much supply as they can get their hands on. Unisem’s customers include suppliers to global carmakers and electronics firms like Apple.He said demand is so robust that its Chengdu plant in China is booked out for the whole of next year – and it will take months for it to clear backlogs for some automotive components.Pre-pandemic, the world’s outsourced chip assembly and test industry was estimated worth around US$23 billion and it is seen growing to US$30 billion in 2022, according to market research firm Yole Development.Taiwan is the biggest service provider with more than 50% of market share, followed by China, the US and then Malaysia. The latter is home to suppliers and factories serving chipmakers such as STMicroelectronics and Infineon, and carmakers including Toyota Motor Corp, Ford Motor Co and General Motors.Wong Siew Hai, president at the Malaysia Semiconductor Industry Association, warns the shortage is likely to last for years. Some customers are ordering more than they need to lock in supplies, Wong said, while long-term contracts that range from one to three years have now become a new industry norm.“For the capacity to match demand, (it will take) at least two to three years from now,” Wong told Reuters.Outbreak means shutdownCompanies like Unisem have been ramping up. But Unisem, with a market value of about US$1.6 billion, is still operating just 80% of its capacity, to reduce a risk of mass infections on its factory floor that could lead to an entire plant shutdown.While 98% of its staff are now fully vaccinated, it has been forced to temporarily shut down its Ipoh plant twice since June due to an outbreak in the factory and a national lockdown order. Several automakers and semiconductor companies have said pandemic-related disruption in Malaysia has hit supply chains.GM’s CEO Mary Barra explained earlier this month to Fox Business that, “We were hit maybe harder than most because some of the specific facilities in Malaysia were heavily impacted by Covid.”The gradual ramp-up at Unisem matches that of many of its peers.Despite surging orders, Globetronics Technology, which makes optical sensors, light-emitting diodes and integrated circuits for the likes of Apple, Samsung Electronics and German carmakers, says it’s running 90% of its factory capacity – and is also worried about rising costs.“We’ve had to stay adaptable and mindful of workers’ wellbeing during the lockdowns, including offering various types of incentives like cash to keep employees motivated and productivity high,” Heng Charng Yee, vice-president of business and operations, told Reuters.The government’s stringent workplace rules, requiring frequent swab tests and limits on staff numbers, for example, have also added cost pressure, she said.‘They’ll have to pay’Investors and analysts say the shortage is also the fruit of under-investment in technology to make older-generation chips that can cost less than US$1, widely used in auto industry, as heavyweights such as Samsung and TSMC ploughed billions into developing more powerful, high-end chips.“We always think of these back-end semiconductors as low-margin business. But they suddenly have additional 5-10% pricing power,” said Patrick Chang, Asean regional chief investment officer equities at Principal Asset Management Bhd.Amid such demand, Unisem is pushing ahead with expansion at its plants in Malaysia and China – which will only come on stream 12-15 months down the line.“We are cautious,” said chairman Chia. “We have been hit blue and black before, remember the dotcom days?”“We tell them (customers) now to at least sign up for 70% of their forecast (volume). If they don’t give me that full amount, they will still have to pay.”


Israel requires Covid tests for children aged 3 and up

Israel is to require Covid tests from next week for children as young as three to enter schools, swimming pools, hotels or gyms as infections surge despite extensive adult vaccinations.Israel already required children aged 12 and over to show a green pass re-introduced late last month showing a person’s vaccination and testing status and whether they had recovered from Covid.Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said from next Wednesday the state would fund unlimited tests for children aged three to 11.The Magen David Adom emergency service said it had opened 120 rapid antigen testing centres nationwide.Screening at these stations costs 52 shekels (around €17) and allows those tested to obtain a green pass valid for 24 hours.On Thursday, Bennett announced that Israel was also considering lowering the age limit for its campaign of booster vaccinations, currently offered only to those aged 60 and over.“I estimate that this evening we will receive approval from the team on dealing with pandemics to vaccinate a lower age bracket with the booster, the third inoculation,” the 49-year-old said.“Therefore, you must prepare to expand the range of ages for the third inoculation next week.”The booster vaccinations offered by Israel and some other countries have drawn criticism from the World Health Organization, which has said the global priority should be providing the standard inoculation to all.Israel has also announced mandatory quarantine for travellers, vaccinated or not, arriving from most countries of the world beginning Monday.A country of nine million inhabitants, Israel was one of the first to launch a nationwide vaccination campaign in December, thanks to an agreement with the pharmaceutical giant Pfizer.The deal gave Israel quick access to millions of shots in exchange for medical data on the vaccine’s effects.The campaign saw infection rates plummet, which allowed Israel to resume an almost normal routine, with schools, bars and concert venues open.However, the more contagious Delta variant of the virus has driven a rise in cases to levels not seen since February.The health ministry said Thursday it had recorded 5,946 new cases the previous day.In total, it has counted 921,083 cases and 6,593 deaths since the pandemic started early last year.


India, Pakistan militaries agree to Kashmir border truce in rare joint statement

The militaries of India and Pakistan said in a rare joint statement on Thursday that they have now agreed to observe a ceasefire along their disputed border in Kashmir.In recent months they have exchanged fire hundreds of times.“Both sides agreed for strict observance of all agreements, understandings and cease firing along the Line of Control and all other sectors,” the joint statement said.The nuclear-armed neighbours signed a ceasefire agreement along the Line of Control (LoC) in the Kashmir region in 2003, but recently there have been armed clashes and mounting casualties among villagers living close to the de facto border.There has been a significant increase in ceasefire violations since 2014, leading to nearly 300 civilian fatalities, a source in the Pakistan military said.“In just two months this year, there have been 253 ceasefire violations in which eight civilians were wounded,” the source said.Since the start of the year, India had counted 591 violations by Pakistan.Kashmir has long been a flashpoint between the neighbours, which both claim the region in full but rule only parts.Tensions were renewed after New Delhi withdrew the autonomy of Jammu and Kashmir state in August 2019 and split it into two federally administered territories.“We are cautiously optimistic that the violence levels and tensions along the LoC will come down,” an Indian official in New Delhi told Reuters, declining to be named because of the sensitivity of the matter.Politicians in Indian Kashmir said they welcomed the commitment to return to a ceasefire, one of the few signs of cooperation in recent years between the neighbours who have fought three full-scale wars since gaining independence from Britain in 1947.Kashmiri politician Mehbooba Mufti tweeted, “Dialogue is the only way forward if both countries want to stop the unending cycle of violence & bloodshed across the borders.”


Ukraine's schools race to build bomb shelters before term starts

Svitlana tears up thinking of the bombing that leveled her son Illia's school in Lysychansk, a city in the eastern Ukrainian region of Luhansk now occupied by Russian forces, but she is determined to ensure the eighth-grader continues his studies.
"My son's school is not there anymore. It was bombed completely - and it can never be restored," she said, during a visit to Illia's new school in Irpin, near Kyiv, where workers are replacing windows blown out during a Russian artillery attack before school starts on Sept 1.
"I think we will have a better life here," said Svitlana, who asked that her surname not be used. "The most important thing is for our children to learn."
Across Ukraine, authorities are building bomb shelters and repairing thousands of buildings damaged in shelling by Russian forces before the country's nearly 6 million school-aged children return to school in September - online or in person.
Resuming school is a top priority for the government given the war's long-term social and economic impact on the country, its children and the willingness of those who fled to return.
"The Russian aggression will have huge consequences for the Ukrainian educational system," said Ivan Prymachenko, co-founder of Prometheus, the largest Ukrainian online learning platform.
Nearly 2,300 educational institutions were shelled or bombed since the Russian invasion began on Feb 24, and 286 were completely destroyed, according to Ukraine's Ministry of Education and Science. More than 350 children have died and 586 were wounded during what Russia calls a "special military operation," UN data show. The total could be much higher.
Officials are keen to resume education, in part to enable women to return to work. But assessing about 80% of Ukraine's 26,000 educational facilities, from preschools to universities, the interior ministry found only 41% have the bomb shelters or protective structures needed for in-person instruction.
That's a 400% rise from a few months ago and more shelters could still be completed in the next weeks. But availability is low near the front: In the Mykolaiv region where Russian forces recently stepped up shelling, only 16% of schools have shelters in place.
As a result, millions of children and youth will be forced to continue learning remotely, compounding problems already evident after two years of Covid-19 related closures, including high dropout rates among teenagers, said Sonia Khush, Ukraine country director for Save the Children.
No 'win-win'
"There is no win-win in this situation," says Oleksii Riabchyn, ex-deputy energy minister and adviser to the CEO of state-energy company Naftogaz.
Riabchyn fled to Lviv in western Ukraine with his family on the day of the invasion, but has since come back to Kyiv with his wife. They are now agonising over whether to bring their children back to Kyiv, where they would have to run 15 minutes to the subway station in the event of an attack.
Riabchyn hopes to at least bring his six-year-old son to Kyiv for traditional celebrations ahead of starting first grade.
"We face a matrix of options – and all of them are bad. This is the compromise," he said.
Learning interruptions have long-term consequences, including lower income later in life. The World Bank in February estimated that globally a 7-month absence from schools due to Covid-related closures would increase the share of students in "learning poverty" to around 70% unless swift action was taken.
In Ukraine, war exacerbates these problems.
“If kids don't get educated… that is going to have a permanent lasting legacy, and the recovery will be longer, harder and more expensive,” said Arup Banerji, World Bank regional country director for eastern Europe.
Ukraine has excellent internet access, but educational authorities - especially in frontline areas - are asking for more laptops and other devices, Khush said.
Even if schools open in person, pupils will need additional support to adjust while some may have to adopt split shifts.
The Irpin school's bomb shelter can house 300 children, a fraction of its 2,000 pupils, school director Ivan Ptashnyk told Reuters.
Learning gaps caused by the war are a "tragedy for Ukraine," said Volodymyr Melnyk, president of Lviv National University. The university is creating programs to help teachers work better online while thousands of students volunteer to help refugees.
Former Ukrainian finance minister Natalie Jaresko said restoring education will encourage the return of millions of women and children who fled to Europe after the war began.
"That's the future labour force - it’s the future of the nation, in effect," Jaresko told Reuters.
Trauma
Addressing war trauma will also be a big challenge.
Clinical pyschologist Olena Romanova works with displaced children and adults in Lviv, using colorful, stuffed animals to help children work through memories of death and destruction.
"Whatever is going on, we need to laugh," said Romanova. "A lot of (their) memories would be about this awful war... (but) we try to make their life more positive."
Ukrainian non-governmental organisation Base UA uses arts including theater to help displaced teens process war memories.
Vika Okhrymenko, 14, who fled from Russian-occupied Oleshky, said the group's summer camp in the Carpathian Mountains offered her respite from the realities of conflict, but she misses her home.
"I feel like I’ve lost a big part of communication with my classmates," she said. "I’d like to come back and see them in school, learn, and for everything to go back to normal."


Sorry.


Florida weather forecast: chilly with a chance of iguanas

Known for its warm, balmy winters, Florida is expecting an unusually chilly Christmas this year, and with that comes a phenomenon peculiar to the Sunshine State: falling iguanas.“Low temperatures in the 30s/40s and falling iguanas are possible. Keep up with forecast changes and stay warm!” the National Weather Service’s Miami office said on Twitter Monday.That means residents of southern Florida will have to swap their shorts and T-shirts for warmer attire for a few days and keep an eye on the sky for frozen reptiles falling from the palm trees.When the temperature drops below four degrees Celsius, the cold-blooded lizards are immobilised and fall from the trees they live in, the forecasters said.The creatures do not die from the cold, but simply remain unable to move until the temperatures rise again.And the danger of being hit by a frozen reptile are real, given how many of the invasive species now live in Florida, devastating the native flora.Last year local authorities actually asked people to kill as many of the reptiles as they could, though preferably humanely.In 2018, the southeastern state already experienced iguana showers in a cold snap, astounding the population.Some locals tried warming up the stricken lizards with blankets, took them home or put them in their cars to resuscitate them, something the authorities strongly advise against.Once they are defrosted, the reptiles may try to defend themselves and become aggressive.


Still a whisker away from 90% full vaccination for adults

A total of 21,207,610 people or 89.7% of the adult population had been fully vaccinated against Covid-19 as of yesterday.Meanwhile 24,424,885 or 94.7% have received at least one jab, including of the single-dose CanSino vaccine.In terms of total population, 64.9% have been fully vaccinated while 74.8% have received at least one jab.A total of 141,897 doses of vaccine were administered yesterday, taking the cumulative number of vaccine shots given under the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme to 45,521,196.


Expensive, health minister says on implementing electronic medical record system

Cost is a challenge for the health ministry in implementing the electronic medical record (EMR) system at hospitals nationwide, the Parliament was told today.
Health Minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa said that implementation of the system would require a high budget, which might reach a billion ringgit as it would require the upgrading of hospital infrastructure.
She added that the sustainability of buildings would also have to be taken into account.
"The existing equipment is also old, so we need to upgrade it, either by repairing or replacing it with new ones. This also contributes to the high budget requirement, in addition to the cost of the system itself.
"For the complete implementation of this system, we need cooperation from the finance ministry," she said during Minister's Question Time.
She was responding to a supplementary question from Tan Hong Pin (PH-Bakri) who asked when the EMR system could be fully integrated and about the constraints faced by the ministry in implementing it.


Rapid rise in Mumbai pushes India’s Covid numbers to month high

India’s health ministry reported 3,712 new coronavirus infections for the past twenty four hours on Thursday, the highest in nearly a month, driven up by a record number cases recorded in the financial capital, Mumbai.The city reported 739 cases on Wednesday night, more than double the number it had recorded just two days earlier, 318.“Trend graph of Mumbai shows a silent wave, mild omicron variants. Protect vulnerables, keep close watch on hospitalization,” Shashank Joshi, a member of the state government task force on Covid-19 said on Twitter late on Wednesday.Hospitalisations in Mumbai were low, and 96% of the cases reported on Wednesday were asymptomatic, the city’s civic body said in its daily Covid-19 report.“There is no rise in hospitalisations. People are quarantining themselves at home and recovering at home. There is no need to worry,” state health minister Rajesh Tope told reporters on Wednesday.Mumbai was one of the first cities to be affected in India’s devastating second wave of the pandemic in 2021, but was lauded for its efficient tackling of the crisis.India has recorded more than 43 million cases and 524,641 deaths since the pandemic began.


Year-end not the right time for GE15, say experts

Speculation of a year-end general election has sparked much debate over the timing which would coincide with the annual floods.
Several quarters have expressed concern over the possibility of the 15th general election (GE15) taking place in November or December, saying the focus at that point should be on managing the floods and mitigating their effects.
The Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) has forecast continuous heavy rain in the country from mid-November. According to MetMalaysia, the northeast monsoon which is active during that period could give rise to major floods.
Last year’s year-end floods in Malaysia displaced an estimated 70,000 people and claimed over 50 lives, causing the nation to suffer economic losses of between RM5.3 billion and RM6.5 billion.
Whether or not the timing is appropriate, holding a general election during the rainy season would be nothing new in Malaysia as GE10 in 1999 took place in the month of November.
Experts and political observers Bernama spoke to however are not in favour of GE15 taking place at a time when floods are expected. Not appropriate Meteorologist Azizan Abu Samah said the November 1999 election could not be used as a reference point due to the differences in weather conditions then and now.   The major floods in Malaysia, including those in 2021, 2014 and 1971, were linked to the La Nina phenomenon, he said, adding that the Asean Specialised Meteorological Centre (ASMC) has predicted that the effects of La Nina and a negative Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) will bring above-normal rainfall in November this year.
As such, there is a high possibility of major floods occurring in Kelantan, Terengganu, Pahang and Johor.
"In November 1999 (GE10), Malaysia was also influenced by La Nina but at that time, the IOD index was neutral, so conditions then were different compared to the (conditions in the) 2021-2022 period.
"This means at that time (1999), the stimulus for above-normal rainfall was not as strong as it is now due to the simultaneous effects of La Nina and neutral IOD," he said.
Besides ASMC, he said, the Australian Meteorological Bureau and MetMalaysia have also forecast above-normal rainfall in November and December.
"In terms of the weather, I think February is a more suitable month for GE15," he told Bernama.     Not prepared Meanwhile, Nor Shahidah Mohd Nazer, an expert in engineering geology and soil mechanics, said no election should be held during the rainy season as the ensuing floods would constitute a natural disaster that could cause untold hardships for the affected people.
"Not only are their homes submerged in water, their cars, household items and possessions are also ruined by the floodwaters. Sometimes, there’s even loss of life during a flood.
"When floods occur, the victims are more focused on flood management efforts and their woes, certainly not on other matters such as the general election," she told Bernama.
Nor Shahidah, who is a senior lecturer at the Department of Earth Sciences and Environment at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, said Malaysia was not fully prepared to deal with such natural disasters.
Even though efforts have been made by the authorities towards this end, she said, the government was still looking for effective flood-mitigation solutions.
She said a complete flood-mitigation plan must be put in place for the nation to be more prepared to deal with the annual floods.
Citing the flood-mitigation projects planned for high-density areas such as Kuala Lumpur and Shah Alam, she said they were still in the implementation stage, with some of the projects yet to take off.
She said Kuala Lumpur City Hall had also proposed the construction of a high-capacity underground water storage tunnel as a long-term solution to address the problems posed by flash floods, but that this would take some time to materialise due to its massive scale.
"As of now, we have not reached the level (where the nation is fully prepared to deal with floods), so I would like to emphasise that it’s best to avoid having an election during the flood season," she added. Voter turnout Political analyst Jeniri Amir said having the general election during the rainy season would have a negative impact on the percentage of votes cast on polling day.
"A high voter turnout percentage is necessary to get the mandate of the people," he said.
"On election day, we must ensure a high voter turnout of at least 70 or 75%, not below 60 or 50%."  If GE15 is held in the midst of floods, he said, it could have big implications from a demographic point of view.
"Those who come to vote will reflect the 'representative voice'… this is why we want more people to come out and vote," he said.
He added that the government would be saddled with a huge expenditure if GE15 is held in the midst of floods as it would have to make allocations for conducting the election as well as managing the floods and providing aid to the victims.
In January this year, Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob allocated RM1.4 billion to be channelled as aid to the victims of the major floods that struck several states in December last year.
Jeniri said although a general election was held during the rainy season once in 1999, based on records and data, it was clear that the authorities would try to avoid calling an election in November, December or even January.
"We must rely on the data, statistics and advice of MetMalaysia and the EC (Election Commission) and should not risk having the election at a time when we are facing challenging weather conditions," he added.
However, he said he was confident that the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, prime minister and EC would take careful consideration and seek the advice of the relevant agencies before deciding on the election date.


Daily caseload at 333 as one more death logged

Another 333 Covid-19 cases were recorded yesterday, taking total confirmed infections in the country to 5,027,790.
There were 376 recoveries, taking total recoveries to 4,979,168.
There are now 11,763 active cases, of which 11,109 or 94.4% are undergoing home quarantine.
Meanwhile, 0 (0%) are at quarantine centres while 622 (5.3%) have been hospitalised.
A total of 32 are in ICU with 20 in need of respiratory assistance.
One more death was reported, taking total deaths to 36,859.


No need yet to adapt Pfizer vaccine for Covid variants, says BioNTech chief

The first generation vaccine developed by BioNTech-Pfizer works against coronavirus variants such as the Delta strain and does not need to be modified for the moment, the chief executive of German company BioNTech said Monday.“It is quite possible that in the next six to 12 months, further variants will emerge and that would require adaptation of the vaccine but it is at the moment not yet the case,” Ugur Sahin told journalists.A decision to make a switch should be made only if it is clear that the vaccine failed to work or is only offering sub-par protection against the virus.The fast-changing situation meant that getting the timing for the change right was also crucial.“Making a decision at the moment might turn out to be wrong in three or six months if another variant is dominating. Therefore the timing of the decision must be appropriate,” he said.“At the moment we have a good understanding that the booster vaccine with the parental strain is completely sufficient,” stressed Sahin.BioNTech’s partner Pfizer has also repeatedly amplified the case for booster shots amid the latest wave of infections.Countries including France and Germany have said they will begin offering the additional shot to the elderly and the most vulnerable from September.BioNTech-Pfizer have shipped around one billion doses of their vaccines to more than 100 countries or territories around the world.They are expecting their annual manufacturing capacity to reach three billion doses by year’s end, before climbing to four billion doses in 2022.


Behind the calls for boost in civil service salary

Ahmad Hakimi (not his real name) has been a civil servant for 15 years.
He began with a basic salary of RM821 a month, working as a financial administrative assistant at a government agency.
Today, he makes RM2,262 a month, with an annual increase of RM115 at the W22 grade.
He has four schoolgoing children while his wife makes about RM1,500 each month running a small business.
Speaking in a recent interview with MalaysiaNow, he said things could be worse.
"At least we're not renting," he said.
"If we had to pay rent each month, our salaries combined could not cover all the costs, including our long-term commitments like our car loan."
Still, Hakimi struggles each month to foot the bills amid the rising cost of living.
The country's main civil service union Cuepacs recently urged the government to consider increasing the salaries of civil servants to help them tackle the high living costs.
It asked, among others, for a minimum wage of RM1,800 for civil servants, two increments a year, and a new remuneration system.
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who also holds the finance portfolio, responded by saying that civil servant wages would be reviewed once the economy improves.
He said the country was facing a fiscal deficit of 5.6% and a total debt of about RM1.5 trillion, which needed to be given priority.
The government spends some RM7 billion a month on its 1.6 million public servants.
The civil servant salary scale was last agreed to in 2002.
A director at a government agency said he himself was at a comfortable spot on the salary scale.
However, he expressed sympathy for the staff beneath him.
"They like the food at some restaurants, for example, but when they talk among themselves, they say they can't afford it," he said.
"Sometimes there is a sombre air in the office if they are running short of money."
He added that many would begin packing food from home around the middle of the month in order to save on lunch.
Much of their salary is also spent on renting homes around the administrative capital of Putrajaya.
Economist Adriana Asmaa' Mohd Ezanee said that public and private employees alike should be given a raise and a salary of at least RM2,500 for those who are still single.
"If salary increments cannot be prioritised, then lighten their load by reducing the cost of raw goods," Adriana, of Institut Masa Depan Malaysia, said.
"The same goes for the proposal on a new public service retirement model, as the system currently in place is incompatible with the economic situation."


The ‘partiality’ of ratings agencies

Ratings agencies have been thrown into the spotlight in Malaysia due to the latest assessment of our sovereign debt status by Fitch Ratings – known as the issuer default rating (IDR) which basically measures credit risk according to relative standards, i.e. in terms of position (ordinal) rather than percentage (cardinal).Our IDR status from A- to BBB+ has attracted opprobrium and negative responses from government detractors who deem the downgrade a vindication of their critical stance all this while and are worried about the impact on foreign investment with implications for growth and jobs.This reminds us of the prestige which ratings agencies are accorded as gatekeepers to the capital markets (sovereign and corporate) as if their judgments are bestowed with almost infallible powers, and that too in a semi-mystical sense, i.e. unquestionably so.It also highlights the utter dependence and reliance on ratings agencies for the “indispensable” services they render in providing expert and professional opinions that are neutrally informed and objectively based.It’s a given recognition that ratings agencies play a vital role and function in providing a third party and independent opinion concerning financial assets and, by extension and inclusion, the sovereign and corporate issuers themselves.But it’s a different issue altogether from the question of whether ratings agencies really offer neutral and objective opinions.The key ratings drivers or metrics employed by Fitch to determine their rating of our sovereign debt mainly in the form of the Malaysian government securities (MGS) are economic fundamentals/conditions, gross domestic product (GDP) growth, fiscal deficit, national debt-to-GDP ratio, governance reforms, political certainty, etc.Sounds innocent enough.Of immediate concern, however, is the impact of the downgrade on the borrowing costs of our sovereign debt. Due to their status, ratings agencies exercise and wield enormous influence and clout. Ratings agencies – of which Fitch Ratings, Standards and Poor (S&P) and Moody’s comprise the troika of leading household names – are taken for granted as neutral and objective in their evaluation of sovereign debt and corporate financial assets (also known as indexing).Investors of both sovereign debt and corporate financial assets such as stocks and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) typically rely on ratings agencies for investment decisions. As such, the ratings agencies also exercise de facto decision-making powers, albeit indirectly, as well as a semi-regulatory role (both front-end and back-end, i.e. influencing future expectations of the performance of sovereign and private financial assets as well as passing the verdict on past and current ones, respectively).But are ratings agencies really that free from susceptibility and vulnerability to ulterior motives, hidden agendas or biases?The question to be posed here is why Fitch (or other ratings agencies for that matter would) would want to purposely downgrade our sovereign bond status given the broader backdrop of the unprecedented global Covid-19 pandemic and crisis?There’s some internal contradictory logic here.Having recognised the impact of Covid-19 epidemic on our economy and the fact that fiscal deficit and debt levels would need to rise, why must Fitch proceed to downgrade our sovereign debt from A- to BBB+ wherein the difference between the two is minimal or the boundary is blurred?Having prejudice against higher borrowing and debt levels is a hangover from the neoliberal Washington Consensus that even the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) have moved on from since the days of the Asian Financial Crisis (AFC) of 1997/98, to cite Malaysia’s immediate and regional context.Are ratings agencies in general behind the curve in this regard?The fact that ratings agencies which are themselves ideologically enthralled to mainstream or orthodox macro-economic theories that couldn’t predict or anticipate the Great Recession of 2008 has been quickly forgotten.In other words, the fact that markets can and do systemically fail from time to time is overlooked and disconnected from the work that rating agencies do – based as it is on the assumption that there’s such a thing as the symmetric information and the efficient markets hypotheses.As applied to the ratings agencies, they’re supposed to be in a position to access and possess complete and exhaustive information regarding the nature and value of the financial assets concerned – such that ergodicity can be deduced there. Ergodicity is simply the predictable and, therefore, linear pathway or trajectory of a statistical property such as a variable/determinant/factor like bond yields within a closed system.As it is, ergodicity doesn’t account for “supervening” or external events such as central bank intervention in the form of quantitative easing (QE), for example or the Covid-19 outbreak.It also doesn’t take into consideration the fact that systemic failures can result from the system being rigged – by insiders, no less.Take the infamous London Inter-Offered Bank Rate (Libor) scandal in the city of London that broke out in 2012. Although not a ratings agency as such, Libor – as a by-product of index providers – played an analogous or parallel role in indexing and benchmarking global interest rates.It was later discovered that the markets in the form of commercial banks had very little to do with the benchmark setting via their submissions of the interest rates for the day. It had already been pre-determined or manipulated by Libor insiders for a very long time with complicity by counterparts from outside the city.More pertinently, what about the S&P rating of the credit default swaps that finally exploded and brought down the Anglo-Saxon financial system in the Western hemisphere in 2008?Is the ideological and policy hold of ratings agencies on governments the world over akin to a form of neo-colonialisation for those of us from the developing world?Ratings agencies still do play an important role in fulfilling the criteria of “due process” in the realm of financial decision-making and ensuring that both governments and corporations adhere to good governance principles.What is of concern here is there seems to be a tectonic shift that has fundamentally transformed capital markets globally by moving towards passive index investing and the concomitantly growing power of index providers, whereby the vast majority of actively managed funds have been incapable of beating broad market indices over longer periods of time but nonetheless charge high fees.While this was not perceived as a major problem in the pre-crisis period of exorbitant asset returns, it became fundamental for investment decisions in a post-crisis, low yield environment – resulting in a money mass-migration from actively managed funds to much cheaper passive funds that merely replicate financial indices throughout the 2010s.By mid-2019, for the first time the assets of US equity index funds exceeded the assets of actively managed equity funds, heralding the dawn of the new age of passive investing in which indices are front and centre.One crucial characteristic of this new age is a redefinition of the relationship between funds and the providers, whereby index funds in effect delegate their investment decisions to index providers. The latter are the companies that create and maintain the indices on which passive funds are built. They profit nicely from the new status quo, because asset managers have to pay fees if they replicate the indices.As Howard Marks of Oaktree Capital stated: “Somebody is making very active decisions about which stocks will be in each ‘passive’ product. […] the people who create the indexes are deciding which stocks will be invested in.” Index investing thus represents a form of “delegated management”.Of course, we are talking about corporate indexing here but if you replace a stock that will be invested in, with sovereign jurisdiction to be invested in, the effect will be the same: ratings agencies have a bigger clout than necessary in determining which country/sovereign, investors should bet their monies on.Notwithstanding, perhaps it’s time for the existing ratings agencies backed by relevant institutions such as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) and related multilateral forums such as East Asian Summit with the lead auspices of Japan etc, undergo a sort of “ratings diplomacy” endeavour that is more suitable to the context of developing and emerging markets such as Malaysia.Furthermore, ratings agencies as a whole might need to rethink their approach by not flattening out the following relationships:1. The differences between government/state and private budgets (i.e. the household analogy is inapplicable to the former if and only if it’s a sovereign currency issuer and the currency is not pegged/fixed).2. The stages of developmental growth between developed countries in the “northern hemisphere” as exemplified by the West and the rest of the world.In conclusion, we still need the good services of ratings agencies (whether for sovereign or corporate financial assets). But their necessity has to be tempered with a different policy understanding these days which is anyhow already beginning to shift (tectonic or not is a different story altogether) with the emergence of a new consensus.Perhaps Covid-19 is that wake-up call after all for a revision in our macro-economic thinking.Jamari Mohtar and Jason Loh Seong Wei are part of the research team at Emir Research.The views expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the position of MalaysiaNow.


Some questions about Suhakam’s new chairman and commissioners

Suaram expreses its concern and disappointment over the recent appointment of Suhakam chairman and commissioners. We are of the view that these appointments made by Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob do not reflect the independence and core values of Suhakam as the national human rights institution (NHRI) of Malaysia. The opaque and controversial appointments of the commissioners are all the more disappointing given the fact that Malaysia recently secured a seat in the United Nation’s Human Rights Council, pledging to the international body that it would uphold human rights issues.Suaram has strong doubts that the newly appointed Suhakam chairman, Rahmat Mohamad, can carry out his duties to fulfil Suhakam’s mandate. He was reported to have opposed Malaysia ratifying the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court as he was one of four academics who co-authored a paper which convinced the Conference of Rules to reject the Rome Statute. The paper was instrumental in forcing the Pakatan Harapan government to pull out from ratifying the Rome Statute which undermined Malaysia’s commitment in the global peacekeeping mission. The academic views of Rahmat on the Rome Statute might adversely affect Suhakam’s mandate because as it is stated in the Suhakam act, one of the main functions of Suhakam is to make recommendations to the government with regard to the subscription or accession of treaties and other international human rights instruments.Secondly, the two other new commissioners are publicly known to be strongly affiliated with Umno. Hasnal Rezua Merican Habib Merican is the chairman of Umno’s Selayang branch, and Nazira Abdul Rahim is the chairman of the women’s division at Kulim Umno and the Bandar Baharu branch, and the current local councillor appointed by her party for Bandar Baharu. Suaram maintains that both the chairman and the commissioners should be politically neutral to ensure that Suhakam remains an institution independent from political influence and therefore is able to discharge its duties without fear and favour. By appointing two commissioners with substantial political influence, Suaram is worried that the power given to Suhakam to inquire into human rights complaints and assist the government in human rights legislation will be severely compromised. For instance, if the Umno government is allegedly involved in human rights violations, questions would be rightly asked about Suhakam’s ability to hold an inquiry independently and whether the findings would be credible in the eyes of the public and civil society. Lastly, the appointment of the former director-general of the Islamic Development Department (Jakim), Mohamad Nordin Ibrahim, also raises more questions. Jakim previously demanded answers from Suhakam regarding the recognition of a third gender research project, and Suaram is concerned about whether appointing a former Jakim director-general would again hamper Suhakam’s ability to conduct research that may prove sensitive and controversial to the executive branch, but which completely aligns with Suhakam’s core objective of defending and promoting human rights in Malaysia.Finally, the root of these controversial appointments stems from a lack of transparency and parliamentary oversight on the entire selection process of Suhakam commissioners. Throughout the selection process, the public and civil society was left in the dark. According to the Suhakam Act 1999 11A(1)(c), a committee must first be formed to be consulted with regards to the appointment of commissioner and three members of the committee must come from civil society who have knowledge of or practical experience in human rights matters. However, civil society is mostly unaware of the formation and composition of the committee and the selection criteria and meritocratic basis of appointing this new batch of commissioners. It was only known after the appointment process had been announced publicly where the identity of the chairman and commissioners was finally revealed and the decision was presented as a fait accompli.The method for the appointment of commissioners and the criteria for selection should be made more transparent to ensure the independence and public confidence in Suhakam. The sub-committee on accreditation (SCA) of the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institution (GANHRI) which recently re-accredited Suhakam as an A-status institution made it clear that the appointment process should include requirements such as promoting broad consultation and/or participation in the application, screening, selection, and appointment process. After decades of effort from past and present Suhakam staff, Suhakam was finally recognised internationally as a credible NHRI, but we are afraid the recent appointments threaten to roll back the recent success Suhakam has achieved in making the institution more independent from the executive. It also turns out that the idea of #keluargamalaysia which consists of inclusivity and common ground that the prime minister has espoused so much is not applicable in the field of human rights in Malaysia.It is indeed a sad day for human rights and Suhakam that the principles of public accountability and transparency were not practised during the recent selection and appointment process which in turn produced commissioners that may not be equipped to fulfil the mandates of Suhakam.Sevan Doraisamy is executive director of Suaram.The views expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the position of MalaysiaNow.


Number of unemployed graduates up 22.5% in 2020

The number of unemployed graduates increased by 22.5% to 202,400 in 2020 compared with 165,200 in 2019, according to data released by the statistics department today.Chief Statistician Mohd Uzir Mahidin, citing the Graduates Statistics 2020, said this was due to an unfavourable economic environment last year and its consequences on the overall labour market situation.He said the graduate unemployment rate for 2020 went up by 0.5 percentage points to 4.4% opposed to 3.9% in the preceding year.“More than 75% of unemployed graduates were actively seeking work whereby almost half were unemployed for less than three months,” he said in a statement today following the release of the statistics.Graduates in the report are defined as individuals with the highest certificate obtained from universities, colleges, polytechnics, recognised bodies or equivalent, with a study duration of at least two years.Uzir said among the 4.35 million employed graduates in 2020, more than two-thirds or 68.8% were in the skilled occupation category although the number declined by 0.8% compared to 2019, with the decrease in the professional as well as technical and associate professional occupation categories.The semi-skilled category gained 19.3% of employed graduates in 2020, particularly in the occupation categories of service and sales workers, plant and machine operators and assemblers, he said.The composition of employed graduates in the semi-skilled category was 28.9% in 2020 and 2.3% in the low-skilled occupation category.“Those in the semi-skilled and low-skilled categories were classified as skill-related underemployment since they were taking up jobs that did not match their level of qualifications,” Uzir said.From the perspective of the economic sector, he said more than 75% or 3.37 million graduates were employed in the services sector followed by 14.6% in the manufacturing sector.There were 800,900 graduates outside the labour force in 2020, of which 39.4% were due to housework or family responsibilities, he said.According to the 2020 Salary and Wage Survey by the department, he said it was observed that the graduates’ mean monthly salaries and wages in their full-time equivalent principal occupations decreased 10.6% to RM4,489 against RM5,020 in 2019.The degree holders earned mean salaries and wages of RM5,471 per month in 2020, lower by 9.1% compared to 2019, diploma holders received a mean of RM3,311, decreased by 11.5% from 2019, he said.It was observed that skilled category recorded the highest decline of 8.0% to RM5,316 while those in the semi-skilled category received RM2,418, lower by 2.7% as opposed to the previous year.


US lawmaker rebuked for linking mask mandates to Holocaust

Democrats and Republicans currently agree on little in Congress, but party leaders united Tuesday to emphatically condemn a US lawmaker who repeatedly equated mask mandates with Nazis forcing Jews to wear yellow stars in war-era Germany.Marjorie Taylor Greene, a controversial congressman who has spread conspiracy theories, doubled down on her distasteful comments, which included tweets about a business making its employees who are fully vaccinated against the coronavirus wear a vaccination logo on their name badge.“Vaccinated employees get a vaccination logo just like the Nazi’s forced Jewish people to wear a gold star,” the freshman Republican from Georgia wrote.“Vaccine passports & mask mandates create discrimination against unvaxxed people who trust their immune systems to a virus that is 99% survivable.”Greene is a fierce defender of former president Donald Trump and promoter of his baseless claim that Democrats stole the 2020 election.Her five months in Congress have been repeatedly marked by controversy and rising frustration within her party over her extreme remarks.Her comments linking mask rules to the Holocaust led House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy to denounced her comments – while also accusing Democrats of anti-Semitism.“Marjorie is wrong, and her intentional decision to compare the horrors of the Holocaust with wearing masks is appalling,” McCarthy said in a statement.“Let me be clear: the House Republican Conference condemns this language,” he added.With increased violence against Jews in the US in recent weeks, “anti-Semitism is on the rise in the Democrat Party and is completely ignored by Speaker Nancy Pelosi”, McCarthy said.A handful of Democratic lawmakers have condemned Israel’s recent deadly air strikes on Gaza, with at least one describing Israel as an “apartheid” state.Pelosi for her part blasted Greene’s comments as “beyond reprehensible”.Asked by reporters whether Greene should be expelled or censured, Pelosi demurred: “I think she should stop talking.”The Senate’s top Republican Mitch McConnell also slammed Greene for one of her “frequent outbursts” that he called “absolutely outrageous and reprehensible”.But he too stopped short of saying whether action against Green should be taken.The controversy began Sunday when Greene, speaking to a conservative podcast, compared Pelosi’s decision to maintain mask rules for lawmakers on the House floor to Nazi actions against Jews.Several Democrats have said Greene is unfit to serve in Congress.But a defiant Greene insisted it was the “socialist” left discriminating against US citizens.“Their attempts to shame, ostracise, and brand Americans who choose not to get vaccinated or wear a mask are reminiscent of the great tyrants of history who did the same to those who would not comply,” she said in a statement.


Details on cost of new Shah Alam stadium at end-February or early March

Selangor Menteri Besar Amirudin Shari will provide details on the cost of redeveloping the Shah Alam Stadium after the related exhibition and public engagement sessions are completed on Feb 10.
He said the information would be made available by the end of the month or early March.
"I have experts determining the estimate. If we look at the stadium alone, it is around RM700 million to RM800 million, but if we look at the whole complex, it will probably be more because we will have parks, tourism and recreation areas and so on, and we will also build a hotel.
"If we compare stadium to stadium, I believe it is more than RM700 million and less than RM1 billion," he told reporters in response to a statement by Johor Darul Ta'zim team owner, Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim, who described the cost of RM700 million for the reconstruction of the Shah Alam Stadium as illogical.
Amirudin also said he would announce the land to be exchanged by the state government with the developer, Malaysian Resources Corporation Berhad (MRCB), for the new stadium complex.
"The initial plan was to change the unused land in the stadium area, but now our plan has changed a little because we will develop the entire stadium area.
"MRCB will develop this area at its cost first until it (the project) is completed, then we will reimburse at a commensurate cost," he said.


‘We have a mess to deal with’: Najib starts appeal over 1MDB conviction

Former prime minister Najib Razak today began an appeal against his conviction on corruption charges and 12-year jail term linked to the multi-billion-dollar 1MDB scandal.Najib was found guilty last year on all counts in the first of several trials he is facing related to the looting of the 1MDB sovereign wealth fund.The 67-year-old, who remains free on bail, and his cronies were accused of stealing billions of dollars from the investment vehicle and spending it on everything from high-end real estate to pricey art.Today, Najib began his first challenge at the Court of Appeal, declining to comment to reporters as he arrived.“There is a total breach of fair trial – unheard of,” defence lawyer Muhammad Shafee Abdullah told the court as proceedings got under way.“We have a mess, so we have to deal with it.”Anger at the plunder played a large part in the shock loss of Najib’s long-ruling coalition at the general election in 2018, and he was arrested and hit with dozens of charges following his defeat.Following a lengthy trial, Najib was found guilty of abuse of power, money-laundering and criminal breach of trust over the transfer of RM42 million (US$10.1 million) from a former 1MDB unit to his bank accounts.As well as the jail term, he was fined RM210 million. He denies any wrongdoing.During the appeal, set to run until April 22, Najib’s lawyers will argue he had no knowledge of the transactions into his accounts.They are seeking to portray him as a victim and blame financier Low Taek Jho – a key figure in the scandal who has been charged in the US and Malaysia – as the mastermind.Low, whose current whereabouts are unknown, maintains his innocence.If he loses the appeal, Najib still has a final chance to challenge the conviction at the top court.Najib’s conviction came even after his scandal-plagued party returned to power following the collapse of a reformist administration, headed by Dr Mahathir Mohamad, that ousted him at the 2018 polls.The amounts involved in his first case are small compared with those in his second and most significant trial, which centres on allegations he illicitly obtained more than US$500 million.


Unclaimed money to be discussed in Dewan Rakyat

The Dewan Rakyat, sitting for the third day today, will discuss, among other things, the amount of unclaimed money as of March 31, 2023, and proposals by the government to use the money for national development.
According to the order paper on the Parliament's official website, the question on the matter will be raised by Fong Kui Lun (PH-Bukit Bintang) to the finance minister during the question-and-answer session.
Also on the list is a question from Ku Abd Rahman Ku Ismail (PN-Kubang Pasu) to the foreign minister regarding steps to be taken by the government to restore Malaysia's glory, position and role at the international level, including Asean, with Malaysia now seen to be increasingly isolated and less dynamic, like it used to be in the 1980s and 1990s.
There is also a question from Mohd Sany Hamzan (PH-Hulu Langat) to the human resources minister on whether the ministry intends to set up an incentive fund to help employers, especially those from private companies, to create matching opportunities for students of higher learning institutions to do their internships with reasonable allowances given to cover their expenses.
 After the question and answer session, the Dewan Rakyat session will continue with the debate on the Insolvency (Amendment) Bill 2023.
The order for today’s sitting will include the tabling of several bills for the second reading, such as Fees (Department of Broadcasting Malaysia) (Validation) Bill 2023, the Renewable Energy (Amendment) Bill 2023 and the Sustainable Energy Development Authority (Amendment) Bill 2023.
This session of the Dewan Rakyat sitting is for 11 days from May 22 to 25 and from June 6 until 15.


Indonesia hits new high in daily Covid-19 numbers

Indonesia has reported 4,465 new Covid-19 cases in the last 24 hours, its highest daily record since the first case was detected in the republic on March 2.Based on data published on the official Twitter site of the Indonesian National Board for Disaster Management today, overall positive cases rose to 257,388 while 109,541 patients are still being monitored for the virus.From 12 noon yesterday to 12 noon today, another 140 deaths occurred, bringing the cumulative total to 9,977 people.The province of Jakarta which came under large-scale social restrictions regulation for two weeks from Sept 14, still has the highest overall number of positive cases in the republic with 65,687 cases, 1,333 of which are new.East Java recorded the highest fatalities with 3,035 cases followed by Jakarta (1,628) and Central Java (1,334).


Clashes as Indonesia jails hardline cleric over virus lies

Indonesian police fired tear gas and water cannon at supporters of a hardline Muslim cleric jailed Thursday for spreading false information about Covid-19 after he held rallies that drew thousands.Rizieq Shihab, 55, was handed a four-year jail term for claiming in a viral video that he was healthy, despite knowing that test results showed he may have been infected with the virus.Thousands rallied outside the courthouse in Jakarta in support of the cleric, whose influential Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) was banned earlier this year.Police said they had arrested more than 150 demonstrators ahead of the sentencing.Thursday’s ruling comes after the same court in May sentenced Shihab to eight months’ jail for holding sermons and other gatherings that drew tens of thousands of followers, breaking virus restrictions in one of Asia’s worst-hit nations.Shihab had urged supporters to attend sermons, a celebration of the Prophet Muhammad’s birthday, and his daughter’s wedding. All drew huge crowds in the Muslim-majority country, with many supporters not wearing masks or social distancing.The cleric was later treated in hospital over suspicions he was infected with Covid-19.But that was kept secret by a hospital director who was also sentenced Thursday to a year in jail over the affair.The charismatic Islamic leader returned to Indonesia last year after fleeing to Saudi Arabia in 2017 as police named him a suspect in a pornography case. Those charges have since been dropped.He was arrested on the virus-linked charges in December, after Jakarta police shot dead six FPI followers in a highway gun battle that authorities described as an act of self-defence – a claim disputed by the group.Shihab’s FPI was notorious in Indonesia for targeting nightclubs and other establishments it deemed immoral, and has also attacked minority Muslim sects it considered deviant.The cleric was among the main figures behind mass rallies in 2016 against the then governor of Jakarta, Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, over allegations that he insulted the Koran.Basuki, who is Christian, was sentenced to two years in prison for blasphemy.


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I’m still PM, Muhyiddin says after Anwar’s claim of majority support

Muhyiddin Yassin today said that the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government remains strong and that he is the legitimate prime minister, following PKR leader Anwar Ibrahim’s claim of sufficient parliamentary support to form a new administration.He added that Anwar must prove his claim through the process laid out in the Federal Constitution.“Without this, Anwar’s statement remains a mere claim. Unless it is proven otherwise, the PN government remains strong, and I am the legitimate prime minister,” he said in a statement.He also urged the people to remain calm.“Insha Allah this issue will be handled well according to the legal process and Federal Constitution,” he said.


Judge to make site visit to bungalows in Zahid's graft trial

High Court judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah, who is presiding over Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s corruption trial, will make a site visit to two bungalow units in Country Heights, Kajang, which were allegedly bought with Yayasan Akalbudi funds for use as Quran centres for retirees and tahfiz students.
"I think in the interest of justice, I will accede to the request for a site visit, but we can fix that for another time. We can arrange the dates later," the judge said in response to an invitation by defence lawyer Hisyam Teh Poh Teik since the two properties were the subject of one of the 27 money laundering charges against Zahid.
Hisyam had said that the visit would give a clear picture of the current status of the bungalows, their location and the distance of both lots from Surau An-Nur.
However, deputy public prosecutor Raja Rozela Raja Toran said the site visit was unnecessary as photos of the two properties could be produced in court.
"For us to actually take the trip, it's not really about what renovation. There was a purchase.
"I think I would decline the invitation to visit the bungalow lots. It's not necessary. If Your Lordship is inclined to go visiting, perhaps we can take another day, not this time, so it will not clash (trial date)," she said. Earlier, Zahid told the court that the two bungalows were closest to Surau An-Nur in Country Heights and far from his residence, which was also in Country Heights.
The Bagan Datuk MP said this when questioned by deputy public prosecutor Harris Ong Mohd Jeffery Ong on the distance between the two bungalows and his residence.
He also told the court that he was the chairman of Surau An-Nur and that there was another surau in the area as well as in his house where he could pray.
On the purchase of the two bungalows worth RM5.9 million, Zahid said he could not ascertain who had prepared the cheque, but that the purchase was handled by lawyer B Muralidharan of Messrs Lewis & Co.
He also told the court that there was no official letter in the appointment of Messrs Lewis & Co as the trustee of the Yayasan Akalbudi fund. "The appointment (of Lewis & Co) was made when I lost faith in (my former executive secretary) Major Mazlina Mazlan @ Ramly because she was careless and made repeated mistakes in handling the Yayasan Akalbudi account," he said in his defence proceedings on 47 charges of breach of trust, corruption and money laundering.
To a question by Ong about the need  for a letter of appointment to prevent a similar incident, Zahid said it was not important and that neither Muralidharan nor the legal firm had requested for the letter.
"There was no official letter," he said. "I have known Muralidharan for a long time and sought the advice of friends as well as former lawyers. So far there is no negligence committed by the firm in handling Yayasan Akalbudi funds."
 The trial before Sequerah continues.


As millions get jabs, adverse reactions will inevitably emerge

On April 7 both Britain’s health officials and the European Medicines Agency (EMA), announced there is strong evidence that AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine may be linked with very rare blood clots, often in the brain or the abdomen, reports The Economist.The EMA experts reached their conclusion based on a review of 86 reported cases, 18 of which were fatal. Britain’s experts reached the same conclusion from data on 79 cases, 19 of which were fatal.Both concluded that the vaccine’s benefits outweigh the potential risk of the clots.However, Britain’s officials said that for people under 30 the risks and benefits from the vaccine were “finely balanced”, so a different jab may be preferable.The investigation of the suspected clots from the AstraZeneca jab is a prime example of the challenge of determining a vaccine’s side effects from the unrelated medical emergencies that happen to millions of people every day.The first signs emerged in late February, when doctors in several European countries noticed clusters of blood clots in people recently given the AstraZeneca jab, some of whom died.Most were women under 60 because many EU countries were at first not convinced that the jab worked in the elderly and used it largely for essential workers, such as nurses, teachers, and social-care workers – professions in which most employees are women under 60.The EMA’s data as of March 22 suggested that the rate of brain clots in people under the age of 60 who had had AstraZeneca’s vaccine was one in 100,000 – higher than would be expected normally.As doctors began to look more closely, they discovered that many patients with suspected clots from the vaccine had unusually low levels of platelets.Platelets are fragments of cells that float in the blood. Their job is to form clots where the skin is cut. Low platelet levels therefore usually result in uncontrolled bleeding, not clots.Britain’s medical regulators searched their data on vaccinated people for the unusual combination of clots and low platelet counts. They found four cases per million people vaccinated, a rate several times lower than in the EU.One explanation is that Britain, unlike the rest of Europe, had used the jab primarily in older people.The rate at which the clots occurred in Britain declined steadily with age. Importantly, Britain’s experts found that the clots occurred as much in men as they did in women.This combination of blood clots and low platelet counts resembles a condition seen in some people who are given heparin, a drug used widely to treat blood clots, and doctors know how to diagnose and treat it.For unknown reasons, some people develop an immune reaction to heparin, which results in blood clotting so serious that it depletes their platelets. The same reaction appears to be provoked by the vaccine.Medical societies in several countries have already issued guidelines to doctors on how to spot and treat this rare reaction to the AstraZeneca vaccine.With vigilance and appropriate care, the extremely rare deaths that may result from it will become even rarer.


First transgender police recruited in India

In a significant first, Chhattisgarh state police have recruited 13 transgender people as constables, a senior police official said after the Constable Recruitment examination results came out on Monday, reports the Hindustan Times.“The results of the constable recruitment examination are out, and I congratulate everyone who qualified. We have recruited transgender people as constables for the first time and I personally congratulate them,” said Director-General of Police, Chhattisgarh, DM Awasthi.Until now, only two transgender police personnel had ever been recruited in India – one in Tamil Nadu, another in Rajasthan.The selected candidates were elated over the opportunity given to them.“I am very happy today. I have no words to express my happiness. I and all my colleagues worked very hard for this exam. It was a rare opportunity for us which could change our lives, so everyone worked hard day and night,” said Krishna Tandi, one of the selected transgenders.Komal Sahu, another successful candidate, called it the biggest day of her life, saying, “I never thought that I would get this job of respect, but it has happened.”In 2014, the Supreme Court recognised the transgender community as a third gender along with male and female and ruled that they have equal privileges under the fundamental rights enshrined in the Indian Constitution.In 2017, the Chhattisgarh police decided to include third gender in their recruitment exam. The force is now composed of 1,736 male, 289 female and 13 transgender people, an official at police headquarters said.In January, the Times of India reported that the Bihar government has also recently decided to recruit transgenders into the police force.


Zafrul defends govt’s debt status

Finance Minister Tengku Zafrul Aziz today stressed that the government’s debt is still below the statutory limit, in strict accordance with the law, despite allegations that it had crossed the 60% threshold at the end of last year.Zafrul’s recent post of an explanation clarifying queries about the national debt is seen as a response to allegations made by former prime minister Najib Razak, who said the government was not honest and accused it of manipulating the country’s fiscal data.According to Zafrul, the national debt is still within the statutory limits allowed by law as the frequently mentioned 60% statutory limit comprises Malaysian Government Securities (MGS), Malaysian Government Investment Issues (MGII), and Malaysian Islamic Treasury Bills (MITB).Prior to Covid-19, Malaysia capped its domestic and external debts at 55% of GDP, a self-imposed limit that was overturned when Covid-19 struck, as the country needed more fiscal flexibility to save lives and livelihoods.Acting on the needs of the government to function effectively, Parliament approved the Temporary Measures for Government Financing (Covid-19 Act) to increase the limit to 60% of GDP for MGS, MGII, and MITB.The Covid-19 Act was passed with the support of almost all MPs, which enabled the government to disburse more direct aid to the B40 group and micro SMEs, saving jobs through wage subsidies and supporting businesses.The higher debt ceiling also allowed the government some buffer, particularly in directing additional aid to those worst affected by the pandemic.In further clarifying the other two debt instruments which likewise contain statutory limits, Zafrul listed the external debts or offshore borrowings, for which the External Loans Act 1963 imposes a limit of RM35 billion, which the government strictly adheres to.These debts are meant for projects such as the Japan International Cooperation Agency or Islamic Development Bank loans and market loans such as global sukuk or samurai bonds.The second was the treasury bill, which according to Zafrul is capped at RM10 billion.In this regard, he said, the total government debt for these two instruments was still below the statutory limit. ⠀⠀“When some parties refer to the national debt reaching 62% by the end of 2020, it is actually a sum of all the above debts,” he said, adding that each component has its own debt limit and never exceeds the cap for legal debt.Zafrul said the government’s priority now is to help the people face the challenge of Covid-19. In a normal economic situation, he said, the government would need to balance between spending for the people and the increasing national debt ratio.However, as the country is faced with an economic crisis, he said the need for spending would be greater, causing the national debt level to increase in tandem.“As a result, the government prioritised helping the people, including by injecting RM340 billion into the economy through a series of stimulus packages, which incidentally raised national debt, without exceeding the statutory limit.”He said the total sum of statutory debt was RM820.7 billion or 58% of GDP as of December 2020, measuring 54% of GDP at the end of February and projected to reach 58.5% at year-end.He added that the finance ministry would continue monitoring the country’s debt to ensure it is under control to maintain the confidence of investors as well as international agencies.“Without their confidence, the people will be affected by various negative effects such as the lack of job creation and business opportunities,” he said.On legacy debt, Zafrul said there is good debt and bad debt.He said good debt is like a loan taken to cover the cost of initiatives to help the people and to save jobs such as infrastructure development, for example roads and other public facilities.Bad debt meanwhile is debt that does not bring any economic benefit or benefit for the people, he said, adding that the government has had to manage some such debt left behind by the previous administration.⠀“Although this debt is not a debt created by the current government, it is still a debt that we have to manage. The effect is huge but we are trying to manage it,” he said.


Hundreds of homes in Penang hit by flash floods

Hundreds of homes in Teluk Kumbar, Balik Pulau and Teluk Bahang were flooded following continuous heavy rain for three hours today.The heavy rain since 12.30pm also cut off access to several major roads in Pulau Betong, Balik Pulau for light vehicles.Pulau Betong assemblyman Mohd Tuah Ismail said several villages, including Sungai Burung, Kampung Terang, Titi Teras, Taman Seri Indah and Pulau Betong, were flooded with some houses inundated in almost a metre of water.He added that it was still drizzling at around 6pm and that his team was still monitoring the area affected by the floods to assess the needs of affected residents.Meanwhile, Bayan Lepas assemblyman Azrul Mahathir Aziz said tens of houses in Teluk Kumbar were also hit by flash floods. He said a relief centre had been opened at Dewan Al Barakah, Maqbul Teluk Kumbar Mosque.“I have informed the affected residents to evacuate immediately because the flash floods affected 300 families following the continuous heavy rain,” he said.A Penang fire and rescue department spokesman said they were monitoring the flood situation in the area and would assist in the evacuation of affected residents.


What protection for passengers from problematic airline services?

As air travel picks up after the lifting of pandemic-driven restrictions, Malaysians are going out in droves to visit places that had been beyond their reach in the past two years. Total passenger traffic rose six times in the first half of 2022 compared to the corresponding period in 2021.
About 20 million passengers clocked in during the first six months of 2022, as per reports by Malaysian Airports Holdings Bhd. Unfortunately, this huge increase in air travel brought about various issues and challenges which, until today, do not appear to be rectified.
In fact, judging from several news reports, the number of complaints is getting not only higher, but louder as well. This prompted Mavcom to issue a statement telling airlines to take heed of customers’ complaints, which appeared to have grown from 157 in 2021 to 1,240 in the first half of 2022 alone.
"Flight rescheduling, flight cancellations, and online booking collectively contributed to 46.1% of total complaints filed," Mavcom said in its statement.
We have read of so many instances where customers could not get refunds on flight cancellations, or refunds as vouchers which have too many strings attached, multiple postponements and many more grievous incidents which have caused severe difficulties for passengers.
However, this warning by Mavcom has not been taken seriously by these airlines as we see these problems are not going away any time soon. One MP (Syed Ibrahim Syed Noh) said in Parliament a couple of weeks ago that he was still receiving a myriad of complaints from the public, and urged Mavcom to take action against airlines that cause such problems.
Sukhdave Singh, secretary-general of the Malaysia Consumers Movement, went a step further by implying that Mavcom appears to be "toothless" in its handling of this situation. As per the Mavcom report, AirAsia received the highest number of complaints from January to June 2022, comprising 42.1% of total complaints, followed by Malaysia Airlines with 40.7% and Batik Air with 7.9%.
Are passengers really protected from all these problematic and sometimes malignant business practices?
The icing on the cake would be the announcement by Mavcom last month, that AirAsia was given a renewal of air service licence for a period of only six months effective from Oct 1, 2022 to March 31, 2023. They must comply with specific conditions imposed by Mavcom by Dec 31, 2022, in order to get a further extension until Sept 30, 2023.
This news is indeed troubling as customers are left in the dark as to what conditions AirAsia must comply with in order to get out of this probation period. Mavcom did not state this. Are they operational? Are they related to safety procedures? Are they financial?
Shouldn’t Mavcom issue a statement to assuage passengers’ concerns? We implore the authorities to be serious about governing our air travel as we pray on a daily basis that no untoward incident happens in the future.
The transport ministry seemed more relaxed than Mavcom as the most recent statement made by its minister regarding all these problematic issues was way back in May 2022.
"The ministry and its agencies will continue to monitor all airline services to ensure the maintenance and technical procedures are not compromised," Wee Ka Siong said.
He further said that the authorities have reprimanded the airline company in question to ensure strict compliance with technical, economic and safety regulations, and will not hesitate to take action against operators that fail to do so.
Mild reprimands and intense monitoring can only do so much if there is no political will to do what is right.
It is already October 2022. We don’t see much confidence restored among the public. A new airline company – MyAirline – is said to commence operations in the coming weeks as it received its air operator certificate last month. This permit is valid from Oct 1, 2022 to Sept 30, 2023.
We hope that MyAirline will not succumb to the usual problems plaguing other airlines. Teething problems can be expected, but obviously we as potential customers do not want these issues to be indefinitely prolonged, as can be seen today in others.
Passengers have been affected for far too long now. While in previous decades customers could rely on the good service of airlines for the money spent, now every time we travel by air, it is like throwing a dice and hoping that airlines will not make our lives difficult.
The views expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the position of MalaysiaNow.


Special select committee on tobacco control bill to meet next week

The Parliamentary Special Select Committee (PSSC) on the Control of Tobacco Products and Smoking Bill 2022 will meet for the first time next week, says Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin.
Khairy said the meeting, to be chaired by him, will listen to the views of 12 members.
"If we refer to the letter from the opposition leader (Anwar Ibrahim) to Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob, they both agreed (on the bill) in principle. During the debate, I can say, 95% (of MPs) also agreed (with the bill).
"It’s just that we need to refine several provisions, including in terms of enforcement and fines. We can discuss that," he told reporters after an event in Johor Bahru today.
The government MPs in the committee are Azalina Othman Said (Umno), Abdul Azeez Rahim (Umno), Mohd Nizar Zakaria (Umno), Mas Ermieyati Samsudin (Bersatu), Ahmad Fadhil Shaari (PAS) and Lukanisman Awang Sauni (GPS). The opposition representatives are Mukhriz Mahathir (Pejuang), Dzulkifli Ahmad (Amanah), Madius Tangau (Upko), Dr Kelvin Yii Lee Wuen (DAP), Darrell Leiking (Warisan) and R Sivarasa (PKR).
The bill, which was tabled for its first reading in the Dewan Rakyat by Khairy on July 27, seeks to prohibit those born on and after Jan 1, 2007 from purchasing or possessing cigarettes or vape products.
It aims to prevent the younger generation from picking up the smoking habit, and to reduce deaths caused by smoking-related diseases.


MACC still investigating Vinod Sekhar

The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) is still investigating the case involving businessman Vinod Sekhar and will call several more individuals for questioning depending on the needs of the probe, anti-graft chief Azam Baki said today.However, he said he could not share details of developments as the case is still under investigation.“The case is still being investigated, so I cannot reveal anything,” he said in a press conference at the MACC headquarters in Putrajaya.“Those who are called will depend on the witnesses we spoke to before this.”MalaysiaNow reported in November that MACC had raided offices linked to Vinod, in what was believed to be the start of one of the biggest money laundering cases since the 1MDB investigations three years ago.The investigation involved officers from the National Financial Crime Centre and MACC, as well as from Bank Negara Malaysia and the Inland Revenue Board.Petra Group, which operates a chain of companies and organisations, is headed by Vinod, a businessman who is a strong supporter of PKR leader Anwar Ibrahim.A source close to the investigations told MalaysiaNow that the raid in Bangsar followed months of investigations into alleged money laundering and tax evasion involving hundreds of millions of ringgit.It said officers had seized “some documents and items” as part of the probe.In June, meanwhile, MalaysiaNow reported that Vinod through GR Technologies, a company with an address in Bangsar, had secured the lion’s share of billions of dollars worth of contracts to supply ventilators to the Hungarian government.Hungary’s purchase of ventilators from various suppliers kicked up a storm last year at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic in Europe, with opposition politicians there calling out the deals for being opaque as well as resulting in an oversupply.They also said the ventilators bought by Hungary were overpriced, and questioned why the purchases were made through the foreign affairs ministry.Vinod confirmed getting the contract but insisted that “everything was above board”, adding that he had received a “normal percentage” in commission.Documents obtained by MalaysiaNow from Hungary showed Budapest agreeing to pay Vinod a total of US$559,600,000, which at the time of the contract in May 2020 converted to about RM2.43 billion, through several bank accounts.


Mat Sabu’s aide to face graft charges

The political secretary of former defence minister Mohamad Sabu will be facing a series of graft charges starting tomorrow, some three months after his arrest by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission.It is understood that Azhar Che Mat Dali, who was arrested in July and investigated for corruption linked to a defence project worth RM56 million, will face several charges in courts in Shah Alam and Kuala Lumpur.A source in MACC said Azhar would be charged under Section 16 of the MACC Act.At the time of his arrest, MACC officers reportedly confiscated cash from Azhar worth more than RM70,000 in various currencies, along with documents related to the project.When contacted, Azhar, 49, said he had not been informed about the details of the charges, and would reserve his comments.“I don’t know what to comment as I have not been told of the charges,” he said.


Preparing for a Covid-19 comeback

A rough estimation predicts that this year, approximately 1.2 million tourists from China will be heading towards Malaysia, bringing with them RM3.6 billion in tourism revenue.
As we enter the fourth year of grappling with Covid-19 infections, with many countries transitioning to endemicity, China is among the latest to remove its Covid-19 restrictions: on Dec 7 last year, its policymakers abruptly eased the "zero-Covid" policy, also known as the draconian lockdown measures.
The new XXB Omicron variants have spread rapidly among local communities in China, creating more alarm over the global health emergency. After lifting many restrictions, China is ready to reopen its border but the number of new cases there has skyrocketed, reaching an estimated 248 million people or 18% of the country's population.
Tourism Malaysia reports that some 3.15 million Chinese visitors visited Malaysia in 2019, making China the third-largest source market for international arrivals. According to the Department of Statistics Malaysia, the tourism sector contributed to 15.9% of Malaysia's GDP in 2019. However, the question remains as to whether it is timely for the emerging economic superpower to reopen its border.
Although economists strongly welcome the border reopening, which will allow China, the world's second-largest economy, to regain normalcy in the expanding economic sector, concerns are that the influx of Chinese tourists into Malaysia could pose a threat to public health as new Omicron forms of Covid-19 could be easily transmitted.
The move may be good for investment and economic growth for Malaysia but must be balanced with public health and safety. Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim announced in a news conference after a Cabinet meeting on Jan 4 that it was not essential to disclose pre-departure or on-arrival Covid-19 test requirements for Chinese travellers or other overseas arrivals, despite overwhelming calls and cries for a temporary ban on Chinese tourist arrivals to Malaysia.
How can we be prepared for the influx of Chinese tourists, especially given the reports of surging Covid-19 cases in China? Many countries, including Australia, the US, European nations and Japan, have tightened their travel regulations for Chinese tourists. Australia, for instance, requires travellers from China to present negative Covid tests as a simple prerequisite for entry purposes.
This is consistent with the World Health Organization's concern about the lack of data from Chinese authorities on the Covid-19 pandemic, including virus genome sequencing data, despite anecdotal claims of overcrowded hospitals and crematoriums in China.
Malaysia must emulate similar moves. The government must implement robust healthcare strategies to prevent the spread of infections by Chinese tourists.
The first approach it must embark on is the prevention of variant transmission. The health ministry and all other relevant agencies or departments must go all out in an earnest drive to get members of the public booster jabs.
Malaysia once achieved herd immunity, with nearly all of the adult population vaccinated with two doses in 2021. However, according to recent health ministry data, only 2% of Malaysians have received at least a second booster dose, demonstrating Malaysians' poor perception of booster immunisation.
Health experts also recommend that mask use be prioritised, particularly in crowded places like schools, businesses and public transports and transits even if it is not required in such places. One good approach is to provide a tool kit for Covid-19 prevention, i.e. free testing kits to the public.
Malaysia should learn from the European Union's progress by implementing participatory governance in the health system which incorporates the engagement of medical specialists and citizens in order to explore important techniques in establishing resilient healthcare systems.
To reduce the virus' impact on Malaysia's health resiliency, better crisis and healthcare emergency preparedness must be put into place. In cases of healthcare burdens, such as overcrowded public hospitals or medical supply shortages, the relevant agencies must ensure sufficient financial resources for the detection, control and prevention of Covid-19 transmission and to protect medical professionals, healthcare workers and vulnerable groups.
All parties must work together to mitigate the territorial effects of this health crisis. The multi-level coordination between ministries and the relevant authorities needs to be reactivated and reoriented to minimise the risk of fragmented or disjointed crisis responses.
We must be able to draw some lessons in the implementation of recovery strategies to avoid the mistakes made in the past. We must ensure maximum readiness to contain its spread.
Mohammad Zulhafiy Zol Bahari is a research analyst at Institut Masa Depan Malaysia.
The views expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the position of MalaysiaNow.