Identity politics, here to stay?

It seems as if identity politics will never be erased from Malaysia, realistically speaking.There’s a difference, though, between complete and final eradication on the one hand and some semblance of withering away of the toxic and combustible mix of race and religion.The recently concluded Umno general assembly, known colloquially as PAU, is once again a gloomy reminder that identity politics is such an allurement and addiction to the proponents and peddlers of ethno-religious centrism.There are some who try to be fair and balanced and moderate in their approach and rhetoric, such as Umno deputy president and erstwhile menteri besar of Negeri Sembilan Mohamad Hasan, affectionately known as Tok Mat. Deputy youth leader and party information chief Shahril Hamdan is also a moderating force in the party.Khairy Jamaluddin is, of course, the one in whom hopes can be pinned to embody the future of Umno someday.But the fact remains that on the whole, stereotypically speaking, Umno remains trapped in its archaic and narrow sectarian mindset of identity politics that reeks of a combination of deep-seated fear/insecurity and conceit.One could perhaps add that, in turn, this is born out of an unconscious or subconscious inferiority complex or better still self-denigration – ironically and paradoxically, for a party that claims to be the most avowed or pre-eminent champion of Malay dignity (martabat).Such an astounding claim would surprise many, but if we were to analyse the political pathology of Umno, we would come right to the conclusion that the party never shook off the shackles of mental colonialism.As it is, the party prefers to be known according to its English acronym rather than Malay, the national language, with Umno standing for the United Malays National Organisation.Umno is also deeply feudalistic, that’s to say hierarchical, whereby status (darjat) is the be-all and end-all so that privileged persons holding positions of power are accorded an almost infallible aura as encapsulated in that maxim, “my leader, right or wrong”.This in turn explains why despite the charges of corruption that have resulted in conviction, for example, a certain top Umno leader remains deeply popular among the Malay grassroots.This is why despite the mountain of charges, unprecedented in the history of prosecution of political leaders for abuse of power, another top leader remains in his current position and is opposed by internal detractors only for taking the party in an unfavourable direction (towards possible political realignment via rapprochement with traditional foes) and nothing more.Should the same top leader be found guilty of embezzlement, he would still not be seen within the party as betraying the trust of rank-and-file members, and the Malay community and the nation as a whole.All this because of unquestioned loyalty, obedience and deference to the top leadership which has been so ingrained within Umno Malays that it’s virtually sacrilege to question the narrative of the “party line” of identity politics, even if the logic takes one to ridiculous and risible conclusions.For example, the objectification of the ethno-religious minorities has been a consistent rhetoric and theme of Umno – that the Malays are automatically and by default under threat when minorities (naturally) assume the position of political equality. This conveniently “forgets” the fact that the institutions of the nation are Malay-dominated or as in the case of the monarchy, it’s the sultanate (which can only imply a Malay-Muslim character).But, of course, the accusation boomerangs right back to the accuser.Are the Malays that weak, politically and socially, that once the non-Malays are given greater prominence in the government and administration of our beloved land, it would ring the death knell of Malay dominance (or to quote Tok Mat, keindukan Melayu) and by extension, Malay leadership (kepimpinan Melayu), or even the sovereignty of the Malay-Muslim rulers (kedaulatan Raja-Raja Melayu) – which by the way is very different from Malay supremacy (ketuanan Melayu)?Isn’t this an eminent or classic example of the Malay inferiority complex and self-denigration, unconsciously/subconsciously, stemming from socio-political (or political culture) conditioning over the decades that seeks to bind the Malay psyche to the ever-lurking and eternally recurring fear and insecurity over the loss of constitutional privileges which, again by the way, has to be distinguished from political privileges which by right don’t exist?Malay leadership is a constitutional – but not necessarily political – privilege. Politically, Malay leadership is a duty or responsibility conferred and bestowed as a form of trust (amanah).Umno has it backwards, actually.The special position of the Malays, the Orang Asli and the natives of Sabah and Sarawak as eternally and irrevocably enshrined in Article 153 of the Federal Constitution as the supreme law of the land was never meant to be used as a sword but a shield, against economic disadvantages and so on.On the other hand, Umno should have been at the forefront in breaking the Malay psyche free of any lingering fear and insecurity or any sense of entitlement to cling on to the same (i.e. fear and insecurity as the basis for identity politics).In other words, instead of using the special position as sword to lord over the non-Malay Bumiputeras and minorities or at their expense, it should have been wielded to cut loose the mental bondage of the Malays to self-doubt and, indeed, self-denigration.The special position of the Malays has been abused to create, heighten and entrench a siege mentality.Ironically, this undermines self-confidence and subtly reinforces self-denigration even if ever so unintended and overlooked.Now, just look across the causeway at the Singaporean Malays who have succeeded in breaching their psychological handicap. They overcame barriers and adopted a different mindset despite being culturally, linguistically and religiously no different than the Malaysian Malays.It’s also no wonder that many Malaysians, irrespective of race and religion, don’t feel quite Malaysian at the end of the day even after six decades of independence.Umno could well be at a crossroads. The party has a choice: to continue its accustomed and habitual politics of race and religion that divides and is exclusive instead of uniting and being meaningfully inclusive – or to advance and articulate a national and patriotic agenda which stops all pretence of “protecting” the dignity of the Malays.Umno can do this by focusing and prioritising policy-based issues that cut across ethno-religious lines while upholding the fundamental tenets of the Federal Constitution, both in spirit and in letter.Umno doesn’t need to abandon its ethnic identity.But it must refashion and reshape its political narrative based on a national ideology – one that sheds narrow sectarianism in favour of something, which ironically, is more realistic and of course in tune with the spirit and letter of the Federal Constitution.In short, a political narrative based on Malay dominance/core-ness (that’s based on demographic reality) and leadership (inherited from historical legacy) which even Pakatan Harapan unequivocally accepts.Of course, East Malaysia is a slightly different story in which “Malay” is to be substituted by Sabah and Sarawak Bumiputeras, respectively. This requires different attention and treatment.In fact, Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s policy speech at PAU proposing “the new economic model based on the economic patriotism, which is aimed at giving economic justice to all the people while building a stable nation” is the way forward.Let the politicians who continue to insist on rigid and narrow identity politics never forget that we are all indebted to one another, irrespective of race and religion, for the contributions, toil, sweat and sacrifices.Identity politics is a reality, at least for the foreseeable future, but must not be rooted in a siege mentality.It’s actually at the end of the day and in the long term, an intensely defeatist position.It’s based on the opposites of hope and optimism and, ultimately, on inferiority complex and self-denigration.Jason Loh Seong Wei is head of social, law & human rights at independent think tank Emir Research.The views expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the position of MalaysiaNow.


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No proof that 27 cheques worth RM26.05 million were donations, witness says in Zahid case

The Kuala Lumpur High Court was told yesterday that there were no documents to prove 27 cheques amounting to RM26.05 million received by Tetuan Lewis & Co, a trustee of Yayasan Akalbudi owned by Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, were donations to the foundation.Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) investigating officer Mohd Amirudin Nordin, 38, said his investigations found no supporting documents or letters to state that the cheques in the name of Lewis & Co were donations.Amirudin, the 96th prosecution witness, said the cheques linked to donations were 13 cheques from MYEG Sdn Bhd (RM7.8 million), 10 cheques from Chia Bee Enterprise Sdn Bhd (RM10 million), two from Sarana Kencana Sdn Bhd (RM6 million), one from Mubarak Hussain Akhtar Hussain (RM2 million) and one from Jogabonito Jewellery & Diamonds (RM250,000).“All cheques were paid to Lewis & Co,” he said when replying to a supplementary question during examination-in-chief by deputy public prosecutor Harris Ong Mohd Jeffrey Ong on the 50th day of the trial of the former deputy prime minister who is facing charges for corruption, criminal breach of trust, and money laundering involving millions of funds belonging to Yayasan Akalbudi.During re-examination by Harris on why the witness did not agree with the defence’s suggestion that the money was donations, Amirudin said the donations could be channelled directly to Yayasan Akalbudi and that there was no need to go through Lewis & Co.Questioned by Harris on the suggestion that the money laundering investigation was carried out in a short time, Amirudin said this had not affected the investigation which had been completed.On Yayasan Al Bukhary, Amirudin said the foundation gave a RM5 million donation to Yayasan Akalbudi in the form of a cheque, and that there was no evidence to show there were donations given in cash money.Earlier, money changer Omar Ali Abdullah, who is prosecution witness number 81, said in his statement that he received donations in the form of cash from Yayasan Al Bukhary.Amirudin also said the appointment of Lewis & Co as a trustee of Yayasan Akalbudi was made verbally without any letter of appointment.Meanwhile, MACC investigating officer Mohamad Khairi Ibrahim, 29, told the court that he recorded the conversation of former Yayasan Akalbudi secretary Idris Kechek on the investigation on the foundation.Khairi said he recorded the conversation of idris twice on June 8, 2018 and July 18, 2018 at the MACC office in Putrajaya.“I refer to the statement on the investigation in the name of Idris Kechek on pages eight to 24 and confirm that this is a recording of the conversations I recorded,” said Khairi, the 97th prosecution witness, in reading out his witness statement.Deputy public prosecutor Lee Keng Fatt later told the court that Idris had died in 2018.Zahid, 68, faces 47 charges – 12 involving criminal breach of trust, eight on corruption and 27 on money laundering, involving tens of millions of ringgit in funds belonging to Yayasan Akalbudi.


Review needed for Langkawi reclamation project

On May 31, 2018, the late Sarawak developer Ting Peh Khiing, famous for the Bakun Dam project, announced that he would be launching a RM30 billion development project to be built on reclaimed land off the west side of Langkawi island on June 1, 2018. Called the Langkawi New City project, it would be located on 81 hectares of reclaimed land.The proposed project was envisioned to be a high-end Dubai-style development with 30,000 high-end condominium units, commercial centres, and berthing facilities for ocean liners and yachts, among others. According to a media report, Ting said: “This project is bound to be the biggest ever development of its kind in the northern part of Peninsular Malaysia.” In the same report, Ting was also reported to have said that the environmental impact assessment had already been conducted.However, the very next day, on June 1, 2018, several news articles stated that then-prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad (under the newly elected Pakatan Harapan) would not be officiating the launch and that then-chief minister of Kedah Mukhriz Mahathir had said that the state government had yet to receive any proposals for the project, or any deposit paid to the state by Ting.Fortunately for all, this project never took off after the grand announcement.Fast forward 2.5 years later, we now hear that the Kedah government has signed a RM40 billion joint-venture agreement with the Kuala Lumpur-based Widad Business Group Sdn Bhd (WBG) to reclaim an area off the island of Langkawi where 90% of the total 1,979 acres would be an artificial island. It would be for high-end development including five- and six-star hotel resorts, a golf course next to the Marina Yacht Club, offices, shopping complexes, hospitals, universities and luxury homes. The project would take 15 to 20 years to complete.Similar to what was proposed by Ting, this project would also be on the west of Langkawi and near the airport in Padang Mat Sirat, but it seems that it would be a whole lot bigger, almost nine times more compared to what was originally proposed, and about RM10 billion more too. According to a recent media report quoting Sanusi Md Nor, the chief minister of Kedah, WBG has paid up “millions” (the actual amount has not been disclosed) in commitment fee to the state to start this project.We are shocked by the Kedah government’s announcement in wanting to embark on such a large-scale reclamation project when it is blessed with vast amounts of land. A similar idea for a project like this was already shelved in 2018 by the previous state government right after it was launched by Ting. Why go down the same path again?This is a massive project that has huge financial implications which the state has to carefully consider, especially during this pandemic time when the national and world economy is in trouble and amid a downturn in the tourism industry for years to come. Why build a playground for the rich when the scarce financial resources can be better used to meet the basic sustainable development needs of our people?The priority is not for huge high-end development that will only benefit a few and keep their pockets happy. It appears that not much thought has been given to the environmental impacts of such a project which would destroy the beautiful and natural environment of Langkawi and is against the interest and welfare of ordinary people like the fisherfolk who will be affected in the long term.Sahabat Alam Malaysia continues to criticise the state government for proposing prior devastating projects like exploring for rare earth elements, large-scale logging and now this, reclamation.We do not deny that investments are important for the state but they should be sound investments for socially useful projects, beneficial to all, especially the poor, and not environmentally destructive.It was not too long ago that the Kedah chief minister stood with the fisherfolk of Penang and protested against the Penang South Reclamation project, involving another 4,500 acres of massive reclamation in a very environmentally sensitive area.Surely what is not good for Penang is also not good for Kedah. We hope that he has not forgotten this and appeal to him to review and scrap this unsound venture.Meenakshi Raman is president of Sahabat Alam Malaysia.The views expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the position of MalaysiaNow.


Japan weighs lifting of pre-departure Covid tests for travellers, local media says

Japan may lift requirements for pre-departure Covid-19 tests for travellers entering the country, the Nikkei newspaper has reported.
Japan has some of the strictest pandemic border measures among major economies, requiring travellers to present a negative coronavirus test taken within 72 hours of departure.
The government may soon waive the tests for vaccinated passengers, with the change taking effect in a few weeks, Nikkei reported late Monday.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno declined to comment on Tuesday on the timing of any border easing, saying it would depend on Covid conditions in Japan and overseas.
"Along with taking every measure to prevent contagion, we'll also promote economic activity - and with border control measures, we'll relax them in stages while keeping these two things in balance," Matsuno told reporters.
Representatives from Japan's foreign and health ministries did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who is recuperating from Covid at his home after testing positive on Sunday, said in May that he wanted to bring Japan's border measures more in line with those of other Group of Seven nations.
Japan in June opened up to tourists for the first time in two years, though visitors must get visas and stick to guided, package tours.
Domestic and foreign business groups have urged a greater relaxation of Japan's border controls, saying the measures risk causing the nation to fall behind economically.
The European Business Council in Japan said that it welcomed the lifting of Covid test requirements and discussions on lifting caps on inbound travellers, and that the easing would help make Japan a more attractive market.
"We would like to reiterate that the need for business people to have a visa before departing for Japan is still an obstacle," EBC president Michael Mroczek said. "This in particular for businesses that have no presence in Japan."


US charges Malaysian, Chinese hackers over cyber fraud attacks

The US Department of Justice (DoJ) has charged two Malaysians and five Chinese men with hacking more than 100 tech companies.The DoJ said that the Chinese men worked as senior managers for a Chinese network security company, but they also moonlighted using their skills for illegal hacking activities.Allegedly, the hackers would obtain digital items and currencies for games and sell them for real money.They also targeted software developers, PC manufacturers, social media companies, and more.The DoJ alleges that the two Malaysian businessmen – Wong Ong Hua, 46, and Ling Yang Ching, 32 – worked with the Chinese hackers to attack video game firms in the US, France, Japan, Singapore, and South Korea.Microsoft, Google, and Facebook all aided officials in the investigation and in discovering and disrupting the attack methods.“Several of the Chinese defendants compromised the networks of video game companies worldwide. That’s a billion-dollar industry. And defrauded them of game resources,” Deputy Attorney-General Jeffrey Rosen told reporters.“Two of the Chinese defendants stand accused with two of the Malaysian defendants of selling those resources on the black market through their illicit website.”Rosen also blamed the Chinese state for allowing such activity to happen.“The DoJ has used every tool available to disrupt the illegal computer intrusions and cyber-attacks by these Chinese citizens,” he said.“Regrettably, the Chinese Communist Party has chosen a different path of making China safe for cybercriminals so long as they attack computers outside China and steal intellectual property helpful to China.”As the US does not have an extradition treaty with China, all five Chinese hackers are currently “fugitives” in China.Both Malaysian men were arrested by Malaysian police and Interpol in Malaysia on Sept 14.The DoJ applied for the men to be extradited to the US.It was announced yesterday that Attorney-General Idrus Harun has agreed to extradite them.


Over 40 children killed by Myanmar military, says child rights group

At least 43 children have been killed by Myanmar armed forces since February’s military coup, according to charity Save the Children, with the youngest known victim just seven years old.The group said the Southeast Asian country was in a “nightmare situation”.A local monitoring group puts the overall death toll at 536 and the UN’s envoy to Myanmar has warned of the risk of an “imminent bloodbath” as the crackdown intensifies.The warning follows a flare-up in fighting between the army and ethnic minority militias in border areas with thousands flocking to the Thai and Indian borders, the BBC reports.When tens of thousands of people took to the streets nationwide to protest against the coup, the military used water cannon to attempt to disperse them. After a week, the response escalated, and rubber bullets and live ammunition were used.Witnesses say the armed forces have attacked people at random on the streets, and some people have even been killed in their own homes.The family of seven-year-old girl Khin Myo Chit told the BBC she was killed by police while she ran towards her father during a raid on their home in the city of Mandalay at the end of March.“They kicked the door to open it,” her sister, May Thu Sumaya, 25, said. “When the door was open, they asked my father whether there were any other people in the house.”When he said no, they accused him of lying and began searching the house, she said. That was when Khin Myo Chit ran over to her father. “Then they shot and hit her,” May Thu Sumaya said.Also among the dead are a 14-year-old boy who is believed to have been shot while inside, or close to, his home in Mandalay, and a 13-year-old who was shot in Yangon while playing in the street.Save the Children has warned that the number of children injured in clashes is also likely to be significant, citing the case of a one-year-old baby who was reportedly hit in the eye with a rubber bullet.The rights group warned that the violence was having an effect on children’s mental health as they suffer fear, grief and stress.“Children have witnessed violence and horror,” it said in a statement. “It is clear that Myanmar is no longer a safe place for children.”The violence has sparked an international outcry, with various countries – including the US and UK – announcing sanctions against the coup leaders and military-linked companies.On Thursday, Britain announced further measures against the Myanmar Economic Corporation, a conglomerate that has provided funds to the Myanmar military.“The Myanmar military has sunk to a new low with the wanton killing of innocent people, including children,” Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said. “The UK’s latest actions target one of the military’s key funding streams and impose a further cost on them for their violations of human rights.”Myanmar, or Burma as it was then known, was a British colony from 1824 to 1948.


File your taxes, LHDN reminds businesses ahead of deadlines

The deadline for the submission of the tax return forms for taxpayers with business income for the year of assessment 2022 via e-filing is July 15, according to the Inland Revenue Board (LHDN).
However, for those submitting manually, the deadline is June 30, said LHDN in a statement today.
The LHDN said the taxpayers comprise those in the Resident Individuals (B) and Partnership categories.
"Taxpayers can refer to the return form filing programme for the year 2023, which can be accessed and downloaded at https://www.hasil.gov.my/media/lq5fu3zd/20230324-program-memfailborang-nyata-bn-bagi-tahun-2023.pdf or https://www.hasil.gov.my/media/wm2oviph/20230324-return-form-filingprogramme-for-the-year-2023.pdf for guidance regarding the submission of the tax return form," said the statement.
LHDN also advised taxpayers to submit the tax return form and pay their income tax within the stipulated period to avoid any penalty for late submission of forms and any increase for late payment.
"Taxpayers are also advised to key in and update their personal and banking information accurately to assist in the tax refund process," it said.
All enquiries can be directed to Hasil Care Line at 03-89111000 or 603-89111100 (overseas), Hasil Live Chat or feedback form on the LHDN's official portal at https://maklumbalaspelanggan.hasil.gov.my/Public/.


PH rule in Selangor not to be taken for granted, says analyst

An analyst has cautioned against taking for granted a Pakatan Harapan (PH) victory in Selangor, citing the shift in Malay support towards Perikatan Nasional (PN) during the 15th general election (GE15) last year.
Ahmad Atory Hussain of Universiti Sains Malaysia said the general view of Selangor as a "safe state" for PH might no longer hold, and that PN's goal of winning 33 of the 56 state seats was in fact possible.
Speaking to MalaysiaNow, he said whether or not PN would be able to form the government would be determined in part by the rural voters in about 20 state constituencies.
But he said it would also depend on the trend of Malay votes, which he described as uncertain.
"Malay voters in Selangor cannot be compared with Malay voters in the east coast or the Chinese voters in Penang, who are consistent in voting for one party," he said.
"For example, we can expect the Malays in the east coast to vote for PAS while the Chinese in Penang will likely choose DAP.
"But the Malays in Selangor are more flexible which makes their voting pattern difficult to predict."
Selangor, previously ruled by Barisan Nasional (BN), fell to PH's predecessor Pakatan Rakyat (PR) in 2008.
PR, comprising PKR, DAP and PAS at the time, took over the state administration after winning 36 seats in the legislative assembly.
Its margin of victory rose further in 2013, with PR taking 44 seats in the assembly.
PR was rebranded as PH in 2018 with PAS' departure from the coalition. The Islamist party was replaced in PH by its splinter party, Amanah.
Known as the richest state in the country, Selangor has long been a target for political parties across the divide.
Within the legislative assembly, PH currently holds 41 seats. PN holds seven, BN five and Pejuang three.
'PN spread'
Atory said PN's success in taking parliamentary seats such as Tanjung Karang and Sungai Besar – both seen as BN strongholds – and its gains in PH-dominated areas like Hulu Selangor, Kapar and Kuala Langat showed that it was being accepted in places beyond the east coast.
"There are also current developments such as the cooperation between PH and BN, Umno's internal conflicts, and other issues such as the political appointments made despite PH's opposition to the practice during its time in the opposition," he said.
"All of these things will play a role. If PH is not careful, it should not be surprised if PN's momentum spreads to Selangor. It's not impossible that PN will form the state government."
On the ground, some voters in rural areas such as Dusun Tua where Malays make up more than 60% of the electorate said they were still undecided ahead of the election to come.
Mohd Akhir Dutan, from Kampung Padang, said the constituency had been an Umno stronghold from 1974 to 2013.
Akhir, who has lived in the area for 63 years, said support then shifted towards PAS before DAP's victory in 2018.
He told MalaysiaNow that many residents were supporters of Umno, but were now reluctant to vote for the party due to its cooperation with long-time foe DAP.
"It's possible that they won't turn out to vote, or that they'll choose a party other than Umno like PAS or Bersatu," he added.
"The political situation now is also very confusing. Before, Umno said one thing but now they are doing something else.
"No one expected them to join forces with PH, which has been their enemy for so long."
In Tanjung Karang, meanwhile, resident Farahin Adha said much would depend on whether the area's former MP, Noh Omar, would link up with PN.
Citing rumours to this effect, Farahin said Noh, who was sidelined at GE15 due to perceived clashes with Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and later sacked from BN, still had strong influence in the constituency.
"Noh's influence is stronger than BN's in this area," he said.
"But it will also depend on the situation, and any number of issues like the cost of living."


How autonomy for universities could move academics from their comfort zones

Kamarul (not his real name) spent his twenties conducting research and chasing down degrees one by one until finally, at the age of 29, he had obtained his PhD in mathematics.
This was where his passion lay – in solving mathematical problems – to the point where he was nicknamed "Mat Math" by his teachers and school friends.
So great was his interest in the subject that he continued his studies in both the UK and US, thanks to a series of scholarships and sponsorships from a private company.
After he completed his studies, he found a job as a lecturer and researcher at a public university.
"I wanted to solve mathematical problems and formulas," he told MalaysiaNow.
"Some of them have been unsolved for more than 300 years."
But that was almost 10 years ago. Today, instead of solving problems and making mathematical breakthroughs, Kamarul spends his days sitting in an office, checking company profiles for audits.
Two years ago, he said good-bye to his dreams and turned his back on the academic world.
His experience was that research was no longer about the search for knowledge, but about "lobbying" for government funds for research.
As time went on, he became more and more determined to leave the university.
"I'm not good at influencing stakeholders," he said. "In the end, I wasn't solving problems, I was getting them."
For a long time now, research work at public universities throughout the country has relied on government grants and funding.
Each year, the value and amount of funds to be given is announced at the budget presentation.
This, however, is much less than the amounts given before public universities were granted autonomy some 10 years ago.
Even research grants have become more commercially oriented, with shorter research periods to reduce the costs and risks.
The competition for grants and funding, meanwhile, has become more intense, at least according to Kamarul's observations.
During his last year of service at the university, he applied three times for funding but failed each time.
Familiar replies from the university management included "limited impact" and "limited citation".
With no funds or grants for research, he feared for his reputation and KPI performance would be affected.
For three years in a row, he failed to meet his KPI requirements and was at the receiving end of several "reminders" from the faculty dean.
"In the world of research, no grants and no KPI means that you're at the end of your rope," he said.
"That was when I began thinking about other opportunities, and I ended up here at this company."
Unsatisfactory research
Kamarul is one of a number of academics seen to be leaving public universities as they are no longer able to deal with their financial issues and the demands of faculty administrators on research KPIs.
But Noor Azlan Ghazali, the former vice-chancellor of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), believes that the time has come for academics to strike out on their own for the funds they need.
Traditionally, he said, research work in Malaysia is dependent on public funds through the giving of government grants.
He said this had led to many academics remaining in their comfort zone.
This had reached the point where none of them would leave the university building in order to network with the private sector or non-academics, he said.
"Academics need to get out too," he added. "They cannot just stay on campus all the time."
Azlan said his experience as an academic and the key administrator at UKM had been that research work done on government funding was not of an adequate standard.
"People take it for granted," he said. "'It's public money, who cares?'"
At UKM itself, he said, Sime Darby had once given funding for the university to conduct research on sustainability issues.
He said the results of that study differed markedly from the work done by those who had received government grants.
"If your research is funded by private institutions and people who are in need of solutions, then the work gets more serious," he said.
"When Sime Darby gave us the money, the quality of work was totally different from that of others who were getting funding from the government.
"So don't underestimate this, if you hear lecturers say that they had a lot of money but there were no results. If your research is really serious, many from the private sector will be willing to invest."
MalaysiaNow previously reported that public universities had been struggling with financial issues since receiving autonomy.
Academics with teaching and research backgrounds were forced to become "instant businessmen" to look for funding of their own in order to continue their research projects.
But Azlan said the change in culture was a constructive move which gave room for academics to move their research to whichever party was interested in sponsorships and investments.
"Going out to find funding is not business," he said. "You justify your research.
"But things like this are lacking in Malaysia's academic culture."


Port turns down request by Russian ship seeking to dock

The operator of the Kuala Linggi International Port has turned down a docking request by a ship carrying crude oil from Russia on its way to Malaysia.The transport ministry said in a statement that the request by the ship, which was expected to dock on March 5, was rejected to ensure that no international sanctions were violated.“Quoting media reports, the ship registered as Linda or known as Lady M was allegedly listed under international sanctions.“The transport ministry will continue to monitor the situation for any possible further action in accordance with government policy,” it said.


Dating apps and Telegram: How China protesters are defying authorities

Opponents of China's anti-Covid measures are resorting to dating apps and social media platforms blocked on the mainland to evade censors, spread the word about their defiance and strategy, in a high-tech game of cat and mouse with police.
Videos, images and accounts of the opposition to China's tough Covid-19 curbs have poured onto China's tightly censored cyberspace since weekend protests, with activists saving them to platforms abroad before the censors delete them, social media users say.
Protesters came out in several Chinese cities for three days from Friday in a show of civil disobedience unprecedented since President Xi Jinping assumed power a decade ago.
Frustration has been building with the stringent zero-Covid policy nearly three years after the coronavirus emerged in the central city of Wuhan but the spark for the wave of protests was a deadly apartment building fire in the western city of Urumqi.
Authorities denied accusations posted on social media that a lockdown had prevented people escaping the blaze but that did not prevent protests on Urumqi streets, videos of which were posted on the Weibo and Douyin social media apps.
Censors tried to scrub them quickly but they were downloaded and reposted not only across Chinese social media but also to Twitter and Instagram, which are blocked in China.
Residents of other cities and students on campuses across China then organised their own gatherings, which they in turn filmed and posted online.
"People are watching and playing off each other,” said Kevin Slaten, head of research for China Dissent Monitor, a database run by US-based non-profit Freedom House.
State media has not mentioned the protests and the government has said little.
The foreign ministry said on Tuesday, when asked about the protests, that China was a country with rule of law and all rights and freedoms of its citizens are protected but they must be exercised within the framework of the law.
A senior health official said public complaints about COVID controls stemmed from overzealous implementation and not from the measures themselves.
Cryptic coordinates
Protesters communicating via the most popular but highly censored WeChat app keep information to a bare minimum, according to online discussions of strategy seen by Reuters.
Locations of planned gatherings are given without an explanation, or conveyed with map coordinates, or by a faint map in the background of a post.
"It was in the morning of the 27th that I got this secret clue: 11.27, 9.30, Urumqi office,” said one person who took part in a Beijing protest planned for that day and time outside the Urumqi municipal government office in the capital.
Many people are relying on virtual private network (VPN) software to get past China's Great Firewall and on to encrypted messaging apps.
Tight-knit networks of friends also trade information, adopting a “decentralised” model that some people say was inspired by protests in Hong Kong 2019.
People have set up Telegram groups to share information for their cities, social media users say, while dating app messaging services are also being used in the hope they face less scrutiny, according to one Beijing-based protester who declined to be identified, citing safety.
A few hours before protesters gathered in cities like Shanghai and Chengdu, online flyers and pinned locations were widely shared on Telegram groups, Instagram and Twitter, social media users said.
People are also using platforms to share tips for what to do if they get detained, such as how to wipe data off a phone.
Police have been checking phones for VPNs and the Telegram app, residents and social media users said. VPNs are illegal for most people in China.
Parody
One Twitter account with almost 700,000 followers called “Teacher Li is not your teacher”, has gained lots of attention for posting protest footage from all over China.
At one point on Sunday the account said: "At present, there are over a dozen submissions every second."
Internet users are also attempting to get round the censors with parodies of patriotic posts or ones that show a blank square, a reference to the blank sheet of paper symbol of protest that Chinese people have adopted.
One viral post on China’s all-in-one WeChat app, used by more than a billion people, repeated the word “good” for line after line, apparently mocking the tendency of the authorities and state media to present everything in a positive light.
The post was widely shared before disappearing.
Some WeChat users have posted clips of statements by leaders such as Mao Zedong and Xi voicing support for free speech or popular uprising in speeches made under different circumstances that now seem apt to opponents of zero-Covid.
"Now the Chinese people have organised themselves and are not to be messed with," Xi says in one clip from a 2020 speech commemorating the 70th anniversary of China’s entry into the Korean War that was widely reposted on Monday.
"If you get on their wrong side, it won’t be easy to handle."


Selangor sticks to its guns on no state election with GE

Selangor Menteri Besar Amirudin Shari today reiterated the state's stand that it would not dissolve its legislative assembly to pave the way for polls alongside the 15th general election once it is called.
In a statement, he said he had met Selangor ruler Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah in a scheduled audience today.
"I presented the state government's commitment and preparations for dealing with the possible flood situation in Selangor, economic recovery efforts, welfare assistance, and the 2023 budget for Selangor, which will be presented in the state assembly this year," he said.
"His Majesty consented to the continuation of this administration, so that it can focus on efforts to ensure the well-being of the people of Selangor."
Selangor is one of six state governments under Pakatan Harapan (PH) and Perikatan Nasional (PN) which opposed calls for an early election.
Together with Negeri Sembilan, Penang, Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu, it said it would not dissolve its state assembly until next year, in a break from the tradition of simultaneous polls at the federal and state levels.
Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob announced the dissolution of Parliament on Oct 10, saying this would return the mandate to the people to elect a stable, strong and respectable government.
But PH alongside Bersatu and PAS from PN have cited the strong possibility of floods during the northeast monsoon season, as well as the need to ensure continued economic recovery for the country post Covid-19.


Fast track care: Nearly 4,000 railway coaches ready for use as hospital facilities in India

As India battles the resurgent wave of Covid-19, the railways have turned nearly 4,000 train coaches into Covid care units with almost 64,000 beds to be used by the states, the Hindustan Times reports.Currently, 169 coaches have been handed over to various states for Covid care, said the Union Ministry of Railways on Tuesday.Union minister for railways Piyush Goyal tweeted regarding placement of Covid-19 coaches at various stations, according to the requirement of different states.The minister also shared a video that showed the coaches, with beds and oxygen to treat Covid-19 patients.Indian Railways confirmed that it has provided the Delhi government with 75 Covid care coaches with a capacity of 1,200 beds.The national capital is currently struggling with an acute shortage of medical amenities in the fight against the fatal coronavirus, with hospitals across Delhi reporting a deficit of ICU beds, and medical oxygen.For Maharashtra, the state worst hit by Covid-19, the railways said a memorandum of understanding (MoU) has been signed between the divisional railway manager of Nagpur and the commissioner of the Nagpur municipal corporation to meet the new demand for coaches in the district.“Accordingly, the Railways will deploy the Covid care rake with 11 coaches, comprising of modified sleepers with each coach having the capacity to accommodate 16 patients.“The coaches will be equipped with the necessary medical infrastructure by the state health authorities with the Railways devising segmentation of space and utility for medical personnel in line with the MoU, besides taking care of sanitation and catering arrangements,” the railways said in the statement.Isolation coaches are also being mobilised to meet the state demands, it said.The facilities, devised by the railways in the states of Maharashtra, Delhi, and Madya Pradesh, have cumulatively registered 98 admissions and 28 subsequent discharges.The railways registered 17 admissions and six discharges, and presently 70 patients are utilising the isolation coaches facility, as per the latest reports.


US judge rules Sept 11 victims not entitled to seize Afghan central bank assets

A US judge on Friday recommended that victims of the Sept 11, 2001, attacks not be allowed to seize billions of dollars of assets belonging to Afghanistan's central bank to satisfy court judgments they obtained against the Taliban.
US magistrate judge Sarah Netburn in Manhattan said Da Afghanistan Bank was immune from jurisdiction, and that allowing the seizures would effectively acknowledge the Islamist militant group as the Afghan government, something only the US president can do.
"The Taliban's victims have fought for years for justice, accountability, and compensation. They are entitled to no less," Netburn wrote. "But the law limits what compensation the court may authorise and those limits put the DAB's assets beyond its authority."
Netburn's recommendation will be reviewed by US district judge George Daniels in Manhattan, who also oversees the litigation and can decide whether to accept her recommendation.
The decision is a defeat for four groups of creditors that sued a variety of defendants, including Al-Qaeda, they held responsible for the Sept 11 attacks, and obtained default judgments after the defendants failed to show up in court.
At the time of the attacks, the ruling Taliban allowed Al-Qaeda to operate inside Afghanistan.
The US ousted the Taliban and Al-Qaeda in late 2001, but the Taliban returned to power a year ago when US and other Western forces withdrew from the country.
Lawyers for the creditor groups did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The groups have been trying to tap into some of the US$7 billion of Afghan central bank funds that are frozen at the Federal Reserve Bank in New York.
In an executive order in February, US President Joe Biden ordered US$3.5 billion of that sum set aside "for the benefit of the Afghan people," leaving victims to pursue the remainder in court.
The US government took no position at the time on whether the creditor groups were entitled to recover funds under the Terrorist Risk Insurance Act of 2002.
It urged Netburn and Daniels to view exceptions to sovereign immunity narrowly, citing the risks of interference with the president's power to conduct foreign relations, and possible challenges to American property located abroad.
Other countries hold about US$2 billion of Afghan reserves.
Shawn Van Diver, the head of #AfghanEvac, which helps evacuate and resettle Afghans, said he hoped the frozen funds could be used to help the struggling Afghan economy without enriching the Taliban.
"The judge has done the right thing here," he said.
Nearly 3,000 people died on Sept 11, 2001, when planes were flown into New York's World Trade Center, the Pentagon in northern Virginia, and a Pennsylvania field.
US sanctions ban doing financial business with the Taliban, but allow humanitarian support for the Afghan people.


Nine in 10 Malaysians 'very concerned' about cost of living

Nearly nine in 10 Malaysians are concerned about the cost of living, with over 60% saying the government has not done enough to address the matter, a recent survey by UCSI Poll Research Centre shows.
The survey, conducted among 1,031 respondents – 59% of whom were working adults and 23% of whom were students – found that 89% were "very concerned" about the cost of living, in line with the increase in inflation rate from 2.5% in 2021 to 3.3% in 2022.
The majority (60%) said they were the most concerned about groceries and food prices.
This was followed by utilities (45%) and fuel (43%). Healthcare costs came next (39%) followed by recreation and entertainment costs (39%), rental (34%) and public transport costs (33%).
Forty-one percent of the respondents said they would have to spend less on entertainment, while 40% said they would cut down on their social activities.
Thirty-seven percent meanwhile said they had to work more than they used to.
An equal number of respondents said they were unable to put aside extra funds for savings, 35% said they were worried more often, 34% said their mental health was on the decline, 30% said they were eating an unbalanced diet, 27% said it was affecting their well-being, while 18% said they had to choose different transportation modes in order to cut costs.
In the year ahead, 33% said they planned to lower their monthly expenses, 27% said they wanted to contribute to their retirement savings and 27% planned to create an emergency fund.
When asked which cost of living aspects the government should address first, 60% said food security and controls over the ceiling price of common food items.
This was followed by healthcare (53%) and rental rates (52%).
A total of 61% said they did not think the government was doing enough to address the rising cost of living.


PH, from censure to use of Penal Code provision

I refer to the news reports on June 2 on the police investigation on Dr Mahathir Mohamed under Section 124B of the Penal Code for alleged "activities detrimental to parliamentary democracy".
This latest act by the police is a gross disrespect and intimidation against an elder statesman.
Section 124B is clearly an oppressive, undemocratic provision which allows long-term detention without trial under Sosma provisions. It was repeatedly condemned by the Pakatan Harapan (PH) leaders over the years when they were in opposition. Now in power, they are singing a different tune.
It is now highly hypocritical of the very same PH leaders, including Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, to condone and keep silent on the usage of this law against a current senior opposition leader. How many more opposition leaders are going to be targeted under this repressive law in the run-up to the coming crucial six state elections?
In fact, to jolt the short and selective memory of PH leaders, they were vociferous in condemnation of Section 124B when Bersih leader Maria Chin Abdullah was arrested and held for 28 days in detention, purportedly for committing an offence under Section 124 of the Penal Code.
This section is an affront to parliamentary democracy and the fundamental liberties laid down in the Federal Constitution. If even the world-renowned Mahathir is being targeted, who is safe in this country from Umno-PH’s crackdown on government critics? We call upon the Umno-PH government to learn how to take even harsh criticism and deal with dissenting views in a democratic fashion.
Constantly threatening action against those who criticise the government, whether it’s by an elder statesman like Mahathir or some random TikTok-er, only goes to show the utter hypocritical nature of this government which falsely and deceitfully pledged to uphold the fundamental liberties and bring institutional reform to Malaysia.  Dr Afif Bahardin is Shah Alam Bersatu deputy chief.
The views expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the position of MalaysiaNow.


Besut MP suspended 3 days after interrupting Malay-English debate in Dewan

Besut MP Che Mohamad Zulkifly Jusoh was today suspended from Dewan Rakyat proceedings for three days after ignoring the deputy speaker's warnings during a debate on the use of English and Malay in the lower house.
Perikatan Nasional chief whip Takiyuddin Hassan and Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Ramkarpal Singh were speaking on the matter when Che Mohamad disobeyed the order from Ramli Mohd Nor to remain seated and allow the debate to continue.
Che Mohamad returned to his seat after receiving a second warning while attempting to bring up the meeting rules.
When he stood up again, Ramli issued him a third warning and ordered for him to be escorted from the hall.
Takiyuddin, a former law minister, had raised the meeting rules after it was found that several bills to be presented today were not prepared in Malay.
"The two bills to be presented with their proposed amendments are in Malay," he said.
"But the other two bills only provide the proposed provisions in English."


Over 3,000 contract doctors resigned since 2017, says health minister

A total of 3,386 out of 29,548 contract medical officers appointed by the health ministry resigned from 2017 to 2021, Health Minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa says. She said 110 of them resigned in 2017, followed by 168 in 2018, 475 in 2019, 511 in 2020, 768 in 2021 and 1,354 in 2022.
"One of the reasons they left is because they chose to join the private sector or other statutory bodies that offer more attractive remuneration.
"Besides this, there were some who opened their own clinics, furthered their studies, migrated overseas or left due to personal reasons and health factors, including mental pressure," she said when winding up the debate on the motion of thanks for the royal address for her ministry at Dewan Rakyat yesterday.
To Mohammed Taufiq Johari (PH-Sungai Petani) who asked about bully victims among doctors who have had their details leaked, bringing about negative implications including added pressure, Zaliha said she was informed that this had been going on for some time.
She added that measures were underway so that such cases would not recur.
She also advised experienced medical officers to guide new medical officers as mentors, ensuring that junior officers are comfortable in carrying out their duties.
Zaliha said the health ministry had also submitted an application for special allocations to improve and upgrade health facilities across the country with immediate effect, considering that 1,200 of its 3,119 health clinics over 50 years old are in a poor and dilapidated condition with most of them built on wood structures.
"That is why the health ministry is committed to getting the budget allocation increased to 5% of GDP because we want the continuation of this funding to cover the expenses in our health facilities," Zaliha said.
She said the ministry would also table a health white paper to explain the basis of funding needs and outline an improved health delivery strategy.


33 reported deaths take Covid toll to 30,989

Another 33 Covid-related deaths were reported on Dec 15, taking the cumulative death toll in the country to 30,989.According to the health ministry’s Github data repository, four or 12.1% of these were brought-in-dead (BID) cases.Terengganu had the highest number of reported deaths at seven or 21.2% followed by Kelantan and Selangor at five or 15.2% each.Perak and Kuala Lumpur reported four deaths each, Johor and Kedah reported three deaths each while Pahang reported two deaths.No deaths were reported in eight states: Melaka, Negeri Sembilan, Perlis, Penang, Sabah, Sarawak, Labuan and Putrajaya.A total of 3,900 new cases were reported yesterday, taking the overall total to 2,703,140.


In India, 71kg of garbage found in stray cow’s stomach

Indian vets have extracted 71kg of plastic, nails and other garbage from a pregnant cow, but both the animal and her baby died.The case has highlighted the country’s twin problems of pollution and stray cattle.An estimated five million cows roam India’s cities, with many gorging on the vast amounts of plastic litter on the streets.This cow was rescued after a road accident in late February by the People For Animals Trust Faridabad.A vet soon noticed the pregnant bovine was struggling.In a four-hour operation on Feb 21, vets found nails, plastic, marbles and other garbage in its stomach, said trust president Ravi Dubay.They also attempted a premature delivery.“The baby did not have enough space to grow in her mother’s belly so she died,” Dubay told AFP.Three days later, the cow also died.“In my 13 years of experience, this is the most garbage we have taken from a cow… we had to use muscle power to get it all out,” Dubay said.Previous surgeries done by the organisation based in the northern Indian state of Haryana have found up to 50kg of waste in cows’ stomachs.“The cow is very sacred for us, but no-one cares for their life. In every corner in every city they eat the waste,” Dubay added.ReveredCows are revered in Hindu-majority India.Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu-nationalist government, strictly enforced protection policies have resulted in more cows on the loose.Attacks on individuals suspected of trading in cows have increased under Modi, according to rights groups.Hindu vigilantes have assaulted and even killed people – mostly Muslims and lower-caste Hindus – for transporting beef, or being suspected of doing so.As such, farmers have taken to abandoning rather than selling old or infirmed cows for slaughter.Eating or slaughtering cows is banned in some states.Romula D’Silva, vice-president of the Karuna Society for Animals & Nature in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh, said the problem of garbage-eating cows affects “every city in India, big or small”.“Wherever there are cows on the streets, you can be sure they are full of plastic. My heart breaks for them as they can have very painful deaths,” she told AFP.Around a decade ago, 35 cows suddenly came into Karuna Society’s care, according to D’Silva.One unexpectedly died and a post-mortem examination revealed a mess of plastic and other garbage in its stomach.Further surgeries on the remaining animals found that all of them had plastic in their abdomens.Karuna Society has performed rumenotomies on around 60 cows since then, she said.There is no official, nationwide data on how many cows die every year from ingesting plastic.But in 2017, a Times of India report cited veterinary officials and animal welfare groups estimating that around 1,000 cows die annually just in the northern city of Lucknow from eating plastic.


400,000 to take SPM under new normal

A total of 401,105 students nationwide will sit for the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) 2020 examination today as the country continues facing the Covid-19 pandemic.Besides their pens and knowledge, the candidates will also be required to bring face shields to the examination halls to prevent the spread of the virus.Today, candidates will sit for the Bahasa Melayu 1 and 2 papers, which start at 8am and 2pm.The Form 5 students, including those sitting for the Sijil Vokasional Malaysia (SVM) examination, are the first group to sit for the SPM examination under the new normal.A total of 3,310 SPM examination centres have been set up nationwide and disinfected in accordance with the guidelines and SOPs set by the National Security Council and the health ministry.Candidates are required to submit a health declaration form before entering the examination hall each day. They must also undergo temperature checks and wear face masks for the duration of the examination.Those who test positive for Covid-19 or who are instructed to undergo quarantine because they are close contacts, will not be allowed to sit for the examination on that day. They must produce certified documents to enable them to sit for a rescheduled examination.A total of 48,014 examination invigilators will be on duty to ensure that the prescribed SOPs are fully complied with during the examination period, scheduled to last until March 25.The candidates today have also gone through the longest annual SPM class session of almost 14 months due to Covid-19 as they were forced to switch to online learning.The SPM, SVM and STAM examinations are usually held in November, but the 2020 examinations were deferred to January 2021 and then to February 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic that forced the closure of schools.


PH maintains no dissolution of state assemblies

The Penang state assembly will not be dissolved until next year, as decided by the Pakatan Harapan (PH) Presidential Council meeting today, says DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke Siew Fook.
He said PH’s stance against dissolving the state assemblies of Negeri Sembilan, Selangor and Penang this year should be maintained to avoid a situation that could create the perception of disunity within PH.
The Penang state assembly will be dissolved at a more conducive date, after the monsoon period, he added.
Loke  said it had been a difficult decision and that he knew it would be disappointing for the Penang DAP leadership, which wanted the state assembly to be dissolved so that a state election could be held alongside the 15th general election following the dissolution of Parliament on Oct 10.
“I have to disappoint my own (DAP) friends in Penang because I know that if we make a decision to dissolve the Penang state assembly, but not to dissolve the state assemblies in Negeri Sembilan and Selangor, that will be interpreted as breaking of ranks and can be used as a weapon that PH is not united and cannot make decisions collectively.
“I have to make this decision because the unity and integrity of PH moving into GE (general election) is paramount," Loke told a press conference after the PH Presidential Council meeting at the PKR headquarters in Petaling Jaya today.
Also present were PH chairman Anwar Ibrahim, who is also PKR president, and Amanah president Mohamad Sabu.
Loke said the DAP central executive council had met twice to discuss Penang DAP’s request for the dissolution of the state assembly, on the argument that the people did not want to vote twice.
"However, the top PH leadership decided to stick to the decision to postpone the dissolution of the state assemblies in Penang, Negeri Sembilan and Selangor. In a pact, even though they don’t share the same view, the decision has to be collective,” he added.
Only Barisan Nasional-led Pahang and Perlis have dissolved their state assemblies, while Kelantan, Terengganu and Kedah, which are under PAS, have maintained their decision not to dissolve their state assemblies.
Meanwhile, Anwar said PH will decide on the use of the logo and seat distribution at its convention in Ipoh on Oct 20.


Will hiking OPR stabilise price of goods?

Analysts say that Bank Negara Malaysia's (BNM) move to raise the overnight policy rate (OPR) to 3.00% might not achieve the objective of reducing the price of goods even though inflation is expected to remain under control.
Adillah Zafirah of think tank Iris Institute said the hike in OPR would result in increased costs for small and medium businesses or SMEs.
"One purpose of increasing the OPR is to stabilise the price of goods, but this is only effective if the price of goods increases due to demand.
"If prices rise due to increased costs, a rise in OPR will not help resolve the price issue."
The OPR was lowered to a record 1.75% after the onset of Covid-19 in Malaysia in early 2020.
Last year, it was raised a total of four times by a cumulative 100 basis points to 2.75% – still below the pre-Covid rate of 3.25% seen in March 2019.
The government said in March that BNM had the authority to decide on the OPR itself without interference from the administration.
Hikes in OPR are aimed, among others, at increasing the ringgit value and reducing the outflow of money.
However, Adillah said a closer look was warranted at whether the hikes benefit the people or capitalists.
Financial planning expert Farid Affandi meanwhile said that the increase in interest rates in countries where household debt is not too high had caused many people to look to their savings, thereby reducing the demand for goods and subsequently stabilising prices.
Malaysia however has what is considered a high household debt, with a ratio of 84.5% of debt to GDP.
"Salaries are not going up, and many households in Kuala Lumpur are going into debt in order to survive," Farid said.
"When the OPR rate is increased, it becomes more difficult to borrow money from banks because the banks may be more cautious in approving loan applications.
"Given that more money is needed to buy the same goods, more Malaysians will fall into the trap of household debt."
Farid also agreed that the increase in OPR would not necessarily solve the problem of high prices.
"When loan rates increase, SMEs have to raise their prices as well," he said.
"In the end, it's a lose-lose situation."
Even if the price of goods remained unchanged, he added, many might not have purchasing power as their money would go towards paying off debts.
Adillah meanwhile disagreed with only viewing the OPR as a sign of a stable economy.
"There are many studies that offer alternative measures of economic growth that take into account the well-being of the people," she said.
"It's not just the OPR, GDP or consumer price index."


Zahid needs to be DPM to stabilise Anwar's govt, say analysts

Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi should be appointed as deputy prime minister in Anwar Ibrahim's Cabinet despite still facing a slew of criminal charges in court, analysts say as the political uncertainty continues in the wake of the Nov 19 general election.
Political observer Azizi Safar said such a move would satisfy the Umno top brass and lend stability to the government led by Pakatan Harapan (PH) and Barisan Nasional (BN).
"If Zahid is appointed as deputy prime minister, there will no longer be feelings of dissatisfaction within the Umno Supreme Council as their president will have been given the number two post in the government," he said.
If Zahid is made Anwar's deputy, as is being widely speculated, it would be the second time he is given the post.
He was previously the deputy prime minister in Najib Razak's Cabinet, after Muhyiddin Yassin was sacked for speaking out about 1MDB.
Muhyiddin went on to form Bersatu together with former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
Zahid aside, Anwar is expected to appoint another deputy prime minister from Gabungan Parti Sarawak in order to represent Borneo.
Umno has been seen as lobbying for Zahid to become deputy prime minister for reasons of party hierarchy and political cooperation.
This is despite the Umno leader still facing 47 charges related to the misuse of funds from charity foundation Yayasan Akalbudi.
Umno secretary-general Ahmad Maslan had said that appointments to the Cabinet should be in line with the hierarchy of positions in parties, while Johor Umno deputy chairman Nur Jazlan Mohamed said PH owed Zahid.
Azizi, a former executive secretary for Penang BN, said Anwar should steer clear of appointing Umno deputy president Mohamad Hasan – the other name being bandied about in talk about the new Cabinet.
"Unlike Zahid, Mohamad has no experience in the federal Cabinet, so it doesn't make sense to appoint him as deputy prime minister," he said.
The previous government led by Ismail Sabri Yaakob was also marked by instability as he was the first Umno vice-president to be appointed as prime minister.
The situation had led to a split between the court cluster led by Zahid and the Putrajaya cluster in support of Ismail, who eventually came under intense pressure to dissolve Parliament and make way for a snap election.
Analyst Jeniri Amir of Universiti Malaysia Sarawak agreed that Zahid should be made Anwar's deputy as without the Bagan Datuk MP, the PH leader would not have obtained the support needed to become prime minister.
"He is the party president. He should be accorded a place in the Cabinet as deputy prime minister," he said, adding nonetheless that Zahid should be gracious if this does not materialise.
"The people don't care which party the ministers are from as long as they are capable," he said.
"Anwar's hands should not be tied by parties who want their leaders to be included in the Cabinet.
"As long as the parties in the government keep making all sorts of demands, we will remain stuck in a loop when what we really want is a world-class Cabinet."


No question of background checks, Azam was MACC No.2, says Muhyiddin’s aide

Muhyiddin Yassin’s aide today said there was no question of whether the former prime minister had conducted a background check before appointing Azam Baki as chief commissioner of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) as he was already the number two man in the agency at the time.Marzuki Mohamad, who served as Muhyidddin’s principal private secretary during the latter’s tenure as prime minister, said that as a civil servant, certain forms would need to be filled.He also spoke of methods that must be followed regarding the declaration of assets.“Azam Baki was the deputy chief commissioner before he was elected as chief commissioner of MACC,” Marzuki said.“I believe that as a senior government officer in service, he was subject to these conditions and processes before and after his appointment,” he said in a Facebook post today.“Therefore the question of whether or not the eighth prime minister had run a background check before the appointment was made does not arise. The appointment process was made in an orderly manner, in line with the rules and methods set.”Marzuki was responding to a question raised by Azalina Othman Said, who is Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob’s adviser.“Azam was appointed by YB Pagoh after he became the eighth prime minister,” she had said.“I expect that background checks were run by the relevant authorities before the appointment was made. Was this issue highlighted at that point?”Azam was appointed as MACC chief commissioner on March 9, 2020, to replace Latheefa Koya who resigned following the collapse of the previous Pakatan Harapan government.His appointment took place several days after the Perikatan Nasional government was formed, when Muhyiddin was sworn in as prime minister.Marzuki also said that the appointment of the chief commissioner is made under Section 5 of the MACC Act 2009.Under this provision, he said, a chief commissioner is chosen by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong on the advice of the prime minister.“The prime minister meanwhile, as with the appointment of other high-ranking government officials, usually receives a recommendation from the chief secretary to the government or any parties provided for under the law,” he said.“Any issues that arise pursuant to that should be handled according to the provisions of the laws and regulations in force.”


Migrant caravan turned back after Trump threatens Mexico

A caravan of migrants from Honduras bound for the US has been turned back as they made their way north through Guatemala without permission.Guatemalan authorities said on Saturday they had intercepted and disbanded the caravan, and nearly everyone had “opted to return home”. More than 3,000 have been sent back to Honduras on buses over the past few days.The would-be migrants were desperate to escape grinding poverty aggravated by job losses due to the pandemic raging across Latin America.Guatemalan Vice Minister of Foreign Relations Eduardo Sanchez called on Honduras to stop such large groups of migrants setting off, calling them a health risk amid the pandemic, according to VOA.Central American governments are getting increasingly tough on migrants illegally transiting their countries as they trek towards the US and the hope of a new life.Mexico used to support migrants passing through from south to north but no longer.The government has started to deploy National Guard troops to turn back groups of migrants after US President Donald Trump, threatened to impose tariffs on Mexican imports if the country did not stem the flow of migrants to the US border.The Trump administration said on Thursday it would admit only 15,000 refugees during 2021, which would be a record low.Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden has promised to allow in 125,000, saying accepting persecuted people is a core American value.Mexican President Lopez Obrador, in cryptic remarks to reporters, suggested the disbanded Honduran migrant caravan was associated with the upcoming US presidential election.“It has to do with the election in the US,” Obrador said. “I don’t have all the elements, but I think there are indications that it was put together for this purpose. I don’t know to whose benefit, but we’re not naïve.”


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More than 100 teachers in Terengganu refusing Covid jabs

About 100 teachers in Terengganu have refused to get Covid-19 vaccine shots, Menteri Besar Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar said today.He said this only represents a small percentage of the total number of teachers serving in the state.“I do not know their excuses for not receiving the vaccine jabs.“I only told them to reconsider their decision for the good of all parties including their families and pupils,” he told reporters after the opening ceremony of the fourth term of the 14th state legislative assembly at Wisma Darul Iman in Kuala Terengganu.Samsuri said for the time being, the only approach is to persuade them to accept the vaccination as there are no regulations or laws providing for action to be taken against them.Asked whether the teachers who declined vaccination need to undergo random Covid-19 screening tests when the school session starts, Samsuri said, “It may be one way. If they are willing to take Covid-19 tests every two weeks, it is up to them.State Local Government, Housing, Health and Environment Committee chairman Dr Alias Razak when met said occupancy of ICU beds is still high, at more than 75%, which is a factor in why Terengganu has not moved to Phase Three of the National Recovery Plan.“We need the ICU rate to be at 50% to move to Phase Three but we are at more than 75% now. This is because Covid-19 patient admission into ICU is 21 days and this is a long time.“Even though the daily ICU admissions is small, occupancy becomes higher over time as the wait is for 21 days,” he said, adding that ICU bed usage is expected to drop in three weeks.


With new 'Malay friend' Umno, Amanah increasingly sidelined for Selangor seats?

Seat negotiations between Pakatan Harapan (PH) and its new-found ally Barisan Nasional (BN) have hit turbulence over increasing pressure on Amanah to give up its seats to Umno candidates at the coming state polls, MalaysiaNow understands through sources from PH component parties.
At least two persons close to the Amanah leadership said the move confirmed fears of attempts to replace the party – seen as the "Malay" and "Muslim" component of PH – with Umno, a sworn enemy turned ally whose support was crucial in the appointment of PH chairman Anwar Ibrahim as prime minister last year.
While similar pressure is being felt in at least four other states – Kedah, Negeri Sembilan, Kelantan and Penang – it is in Selangor, where PH was until recently in a comfortable position, that Amanah may feel most affected by the political realignment.
PH's comfort ended at the last polls when Malay-majority seats saw a shift towards Perikatan Nasional (PN), with even long-held Umno strongholds going to the recently established coalition.
Observers say Selangor, Malaysia's richest state with a proportionate racial representation of voters reflecting the national population, will be the most closely watched of the six states going to the polls.
This is mainly due to the fact that Umno will only have to focus on Bersatu and PAS candidates following its decision to join hands with PH.
This essentially means that PH will not contest in seats where Umno will contest, mainly Malay-majority seats.
"So the PH leadership must decide between these two: its loyal partner Amanah or its new friend Umno. With Amanah still failing to win support from opposition-minded Malays, all indications are that it will be sidelined to make way for Umno," said one former Selangor assemblyman.
At the last general election, with the exception of Hulu Kelang, Amanah largely won in constituencies where Chinese voters formed more than 20% – a number large enough to sway the results in PH's favour.
But even in Hulu Bernam, where Malays form just 70% of voters, Amanah lost to Umno.
BN still managed to bag four seats in Selangor in 2018, the year the coalition was ejected from federal power.
It is likely that BN's victories were due to the split in opposition votes between PH and PAS. PAS had then refused to join forces with PH, which included Bersatu at the time – a party that emerged as an alternative to Umno supporters who were unhappy with Najib Razak and the 1MDB scandal.
"Now with the coming together of Bersatu and PAS, both with a strong Malay support base, there could be a repeat of the clean sweep of seats from BN and PH, as was seen in the November polls," said a former Amanah candidate in Selangor.
Speaking to MalaysiaNow, he said almost all of these seats were being claimed by Umno during seat negotiations, leaving Amanah with seats where there are a comfortable margin of Chinese voters.
"This essentially means that Amanah is no longer regarded as the Malay vote puller for PH, which was one of the main reasons the party was formed, in order to stop the exodus of Malay support after PAS ceased to be part of PH."
Amanah was formed in 2015 by a faction led by Mohamad Sabu, not long after he was trashed by Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man for the the deputy president's post in the PAS election that year.
Critics have traditionally considered Amanah as an extension of DAP, citing the close ties between Mohamad and other party leaders and Lim Kit Siang and his son Lim Guan Eng.
Many also note how DAP has allowed Amanah to contest in non-Malay "safe seats", including Mohamad himself who was given Kota Raja, a DAP stronghold with only about 43% Malay voters in the 2018 election.
"The fact is that even cosmetically, the Malayness of Amanah is now being questioned, and to replace it with Umno is only politically wise and natural if PH is to retain whatever semblance of Malay support it has," said a Selangor Umno politician based in Petaling Jaya.
Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi himself made a vague allusion to this when asked about the progress of seat negotiations with PH.
"What we will prioritise is that the seat distribution is done not only with a sense of equality but also look at the winnability. We feel that it is not only about victory but about voter acceptance and the likeability of a candidate among the voters in the area concerned," he said on May 1.


US Navy in South China Sea not good for peace, says Beijing as aircraft carrier group sails in

The strategic South China Sea has long been a contentious waterway for the countries surrounding it, growing even more so as China demonstrates its growing naval muscle power in what it regards as its own backyard.In the name of “freedom of the seas”, the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt led its battle group into the sea on Saturday, the US military said, just days after Joe Biden became US president.“The US frequently sends aircraft and vessels into the South China Sea to flex its muscles,” foreign ministry spokesman, Zhao Lijian, told reporters, in response. “This is not conducive to peace and stability in the region.”China repeatedly complains about US Navy ships getting close to islands it occupies in the South China Sea, where Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, Brunei and Taiwan all have competing claims.The carrier group entered the South China Sea just as Taiwan air defences reported further incursions by Chinese military aircraft overflying the island, prompting concern from Washington.China has not commented on what its air force was doing, and Zhao referred questions to the defence ministry.Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen visited a radar base in the north of the island on Monday, and praised its ability to track Chinese forces, reports Reuters.“From last year until now, our radar station has detected nearly 2,000 communist aircraft and more than 400 communist ships, allowing us to quickly monitor and drive them away, and fully guard our sea and airspace,” she told officers.The US, like most countries, has no formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan but is the democratic island’s most important international supporter and main arms supplier, much to Beijing’s anger.Former president Donald Trump demonstrated firm support for Taiwan and Biden’s new administration says the US commitment to Taiwan is “rock-solid”.


‘Not a good judge of people’: Dr M on regrets over support for Najib, Anwar and others

Dr Mahathir Mohamad has admitted that he is not a good judge of character, saying this can be seen in his support for individuals who climbed the political ladder only to become enemies with him later.Mahathir named his successor in 2003 Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, former prime minister Najib Razak, and his former deputies during his first term as prime minister, Musa Hitam and Anwar Ibrahim, as people whom he thought were capable of running the country.“Now, looking back, I wonder what this all says about me. I have made a lot of choices which have turned out to be bad,” he wrote in one of 13 chapters of his latest memoir “Capturing Hope: The Struggle Continues for a New Malaysia”, which among others tells his version of the major events that took place during his second term during which he led the Pakatan Harapan government.“My choices say that I’m not good at assessing people. Perhaps I expected too much of them. They certainly showed strong potential to lead, but once they actually gained power, they changed completely.“I’ve seen this happen again and again.”In the book which was launched yesterday, Mahathir explained at length his experience with Anwar, who was named his successor twice but whose prime ministerial ambition was never realised.Mahathir suggested that Anwar, who served as his deputy in the 1990s before their fallout culminating in Anwar’s dramatic sacking from the government in 1998, was repeating the same method of trying to force him out of office in order to become the prime minister.Under an agreement among PH parties, Anwar was to take over from Mahathir. However, the succession did not materialise following the collapse of the coalition due to disagreements over the date for the promised transition of power.Mahathir said the promised transition was only “verbal”, and would only take place “after I had cleaned up the mess left behind by Najib”.“No actual period was decided but it was assumed that I would not serve the full term.”Mahathir said his request for “extra time” did not sit well with Anwar.“It was only Anwar who was putting pressure on me to leave sooner,” said Mahathir, adding that other parties had agreed to allow him to remain as prime minister in order to sort out the “mess” left by the previous administration.Mahathir then repeated his well known assessment of the PKR chief.“From past experience, I knew that the man had no idea how to govern the country.”When he first assumed the top office in 1981, Mahathir welcomed Anwar into Umno in what was then thought to be a move to use the latter’s Islamic image to counter the growing influence of PAS.Mahathir said he had dismissed protests from Umno leaders in supporting the entry of Anwar, who within a decade had climbed up the party ranks, becoming the number two in the government.Anwar’s ‘boys’Mahathir said their relationship grew sour due to Anwar’s impatience for the top job.“Initially we got on very well. But after several years when it didn’t look as if I would be retiring any time soon, his ‘boys’ – and this would happen again and again – began to attack me,” he said in a reference to a campaign within Umno accusing Mahathir’s leadership of cronyism and nepotism.Mahathir said a similar game was also played by Anwar’s supporters during the 22 months of the PH government.“It didn’t take long for his boys to start attacking me again. When asked, he (Anwar) would say, ‘I can’t control them’,” he said.Mahathir also questioned Anwar’s numerous visits to his office in Putrajaya.“Off and on, he would drop by my office for a chat. He never talked about taking over from me or about my policies,” he said.He said Anwar could have gotten updates on what the government had embarked on from his party leaders who were also in the Cabinet, instead of getting it directly from him.“I was not under any obligation to brief Anwar but if he had shown some interest and wanted to know more, I would have gladly obliged,” he added.‘He says what they want to hear’Mahathir painted Anwar as a man who plays to the gallery, giving an example of his talks on multiracialism and racism once he was booted out of Umno.“Whatever his intention was, he told them what they wanted to hear: that giving privileges to the Malays was wrong and that all citizens should be treated equally,” said Mahathir, adding that this contrasted with his own approach to empower the Malays in order to achieve economic equality.Despite their famous differences, Mahathir said he had no personal quarrel with Anwar.He recalled their first meeting in 18 years after the dramatic events of 1998, when Mahathir visited Anwar in court while the latter was serving a five-year sentence for sodomy. This was the second such charge of which he was convicted, following an earlier one for which he was jailed six years before his release in 2004.“We talked like old friends, although of course we didn’t talk about why he was jailed,” Mahathir wrote.Anwar was released from prison a week after PH’s election victory in May 2018, after receiving a royal pardon following a recommendation by the new government.


New infections just over 900 as death toll up by 6

Another 902 Covid-19 cases were recorded yesterday, taking total confirmed infections in the country to 5,022,144.
There were 1,104 recoveries, taking total recoveries to 4,970,932.
There are now 14,382 active cases, of which 13,562 or 94.3% are undergoing home quarantine.
Meanwhile, 0 (0%) are at quarantine centres while 776 (5.4%) have been hospitalised.
A total of 44 are in ICU with 31 in need of respiratory assistance.
Another six deaths were reported, including three who were brought in dead. Total deaths now stand at 36,830.


Ukraine power supplies under control, no need to panic, says ministry

Ukrainian electricity supplies are under control despite a series of Russian attacks on power-generating infrastructure and there is no need to panic, the energy ministry said on Saturday.
Separately, the head of DTEK, the country's largest private energy company, said there was no need for people to leave Ukraine.
Russian missile strikes have crippled almost half of Ukraine's energy system and Kyiv authorities said on Friday that a complete shutdown of the capital's power grid was possible.
"Denying the panicky statements spread by social networks and online media, we assure you that the situation with the energy supply is difficult, but under control," the energy ministry said in a statement.
Authorities across the country have scheduled blackouts to help the repair effort, it said, urging families to cut their energy consumption by at least 25%.
Ukraine's national grid operator Ukrenergo said while planned blackouts will take place in all regions on Sunday, it does not envisage unexpected emergency shutdowns of electricity.
"We continue to work to return the light to Ukrainians," the company said in a statement late on Saturday on the Telegram messaging app.
"It is difficult, sometimes longer than we expected, but we find solutions."
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia last month of trying to destabilise the country by forcing millions to flee westwards, creating a refugee crisis for the European Union.
DTEK CEO Maxim Timchenko said the armed forces, the energy industry and individual Ukrainians were working miracles to maintain supplies.
"That is why there is no need to leave Ukraine today," a company statement cited him as saying.
Zelenskiy said on Saturday the supply problems were worst in and around Kyiv as well as in six other regions.
"We are working throughout the country to stabilise the situation," he said in a video address.


47 critically injured as LRT trains collide near KLCC

Dozens of passengers on two LRT trains on the Kelana Jaya line were injured following a head-on collision near the KLCC route tonight.Forty-seven were critically injured while 166 sustained light injuries in the incident which took place at about 8.35pm.Social media users have been sharing pictures of scenes in the trains.It is learnt that emergency and rescue services have evacuated passengers.According to Prasarana Malaysia, the incident involved trains number 40 and 81.“Our priority is to get all our passengers to safety. Alternative transport arrangements will be provided.“We are working as quickly as possibly to extend aid and rectify the situation. Please stay calm and follow instructions,” the company said in a statement.Federal Territories Minister Annuar Musa said no deaths were reported.“The train was coming from Ampang station,” he said. “It happened at KLCC underground.”Police said the collision happened between the KLCC and Kampung Baru stations.One of the trains was being test driven from Kampung Baru to Gombak when it collided head-on with another train coming from Gombak with 213 passengers on board.Police believe there might have been a miscommunication at the LRT control centre.“We will carry out an investigation under Section 201 of the Land Transport Act,” said Dang Wangi district police chief Mohamad Zainal Abdullah.Meanwhile, Transport Minister Wee Ka Siong said a special task force would be formed to investigate the incident.


Woman posing as immigration agent nabbed after making millions

A woman suspected to have raked in millions by offering illegal immigration services to foreigners and employers was arrested at a condominium in Taman Melati Utama in Setapak on Wednesday.
Kuala Lumpur immigration director Syamsul Badrin Mohshin said the 48-year-old suspect's year-old operation was busted when they raided the house at 11am in Ops Serkap.
He said she charged her "clients" RM2,500 each for labour recalibration registrations and RM8,000 for temporary work visit pass renewals although the department had never appointed any party to do such work.
"We conducted intelligence and surveillance operations for a month after an employer made a report on the activities of the woman.
"Our investigation found that she conducted her scheme with the help of a friend believed to be a Bangladeshi and collected millions from her customers," he told a press conference at the home affairs ministry yesterday. He said three foreign men aged 42 to 48 were also arrested during the raid for dealing with the woman.
"We seized, among other things, 314 Bangladeshi passports, a computer, mobile phones, 17 CIDB cards and RM61,550 in cash," he said.
Syamsul said his officers also raided the woman's office in Taman Sri Rampai, Setapak at about 12.20pm on the day of her arrest.
They seized 53 Bangladeshi passports, 198 CIDB cards, seven payment record books, eight company files and three company licences from the office.
He said the woman and the three men have been detained for investigations under the Passport Act 1959/63.


Like Anwar, Najib sets 2 conditions for budget support

Najib Razak today echoed PKR president Anwar Ibrahim on the matter of support for the 2021 budget, saying it would be subject to amendments and the fulfilment of several demands.The former prime minister said the government must allow EPF contributors to make one-off withdrawals of RM10,000, and extend the bank loan moratorium to six months including for the M40 middle income group.“The support from me and my friends is subject to these conditions being met,” he told the Dewan Rakyat today.Yesterday, Anwar said the opposition would not easily support the budget despite a royal reminder about the importance of ensuring financial allocations for the battle against Covid-19.“EPF and the moratorium are serious issues. If the government wants us to consider supporting the budget, these issues must be given priority. If not, the budget cannot be passed,” Anwar said during his speech debating the budget.The calls of these two leaders reflect their closer political ties in their common opposition to Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin.Last month, Najib confirmed that he had urged Barisan Nasional MPs to support Anwar in the PKR leader’s bid to overthrow Muhyiddin’s government.The former prime minister also wrote to the palace to express his support for Anwar, alongside Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.There had been concerns of an attempt to block the budget and turn it into a no-confidence motion against Muhyiddin following Anwar’s failure to prove his majority support from MPs.Any failure to pass the budget would lead to snap polls, a scenario against which top health officials have repeatedly warned for fear of a spike in Covid-19 clusters nationwide.The budget tabled by Tengku Zafrul Aziz last week had announced among others that the B40 lower income group could get either a three-month freeze on their repayment of bank loans, or a reduction of their instalments by half for six months.The government also said it would allow a maximum of RM6,000 in withdrawals from EPF, at RM500 every month in the next one year.Both Najib and Anwar had called for a blanket extension of the six-month bank moratorium which was implemented at the height of the movement control order this year. The moratorium ended on Sept 30.They also called for a higher EPF withdrawal limit, with both saying the government could issue bonds to allow more cash for contributors.Meanwhile, in his speech today, Najib said he agreed with Anwar that the format of the budget was confusing.He said the allocations were “all over”, and that it was difficult for laymen to understand each allocation.


Teens aged 12 to 17 to begin receiving Covid jabs

Teenagers aged 12 to 17 will begin receiving vaccine shots under the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme (PICK), coordinating minister Khairy Jamaluddin said today.In a Twitter post, he said jabs would be given to teenagers with underlying medical conditions first, followed by those with no medical issues based on age de-escalation.“An announcement will be made next week by JKJAV on how Covid-19 vaccinations for adolescents will be implemented as per health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah’s circular and the latest updated clinical guidelines,” he said, referring to the Special Committee for Ensuring Access to Covid-19 Vaccine Supply.According to the circular, teenagers will begin receiving vaccine shots in mid-September, subject to vaccine supply.The jabs will be administered at special vaccination centres (PPVs) at hospitals and medical institutions as well as designated health clinics and PPVs, and through outreach programmes for example at schools.On July 15, the government gave the green light for the Pfizer vaccine to be administered to children aged 12 and above.About 42% of the adult population have been fully vaccinated so far while nearly 71% have received a first dose.


Africa’s top greenhouse gas emitter seeks US$10 billion to shift from coal

South Africa’s state power utility Eskom, Africa’s biggest greenhouse gas emitter, is pitching a US$10 billion plan to global lenders that would see it shut the vast majority of its coal-fired plants by 2050 and embrace renewable energy.Eskom, which generates more than 90% of the country’s electricity chiefly by burning coal, is looking for around US$7 to US$8 for every tonne of carbon dioxide equivalent it cuts from its greenhouse gas emissions. Eskom currently emits around 213 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent a year.Discussions have already started with development finance institutions like the World Bank and the African Development Bank, a senior Eskom official told Reuters.“It’s a lot of money, so what we are putting on the table is to say to funders: South Africa can offer you the biggest point source of carbon emissions reduction in the world,” said Mandy Rambharos, general manager at Eskom’s Just Energy Transition office.The idea is to line up some of the funding before the COP26 climate conference in Glasgow in November.The utility is already looking at “repowering” its Komati coal plant using solar and battery storage and could present the project at COP26 to show it is serious about curbing emissions.Rambharos said Eskom was modelling different scenarios to reach its target of “net zero” emissions by 2050.The least aggressive path is the one the government laid out in a 2019 document called the Integrated Resource Plan, which envisaged Eskom shutting down some 35,000 megawatts (MW) of coal by 2050. As of March 2020, Eskom had around 41,000 MW of installed coal-fired capacity.A bolder one would see even Medupi and Kusile, which will be two of the world’s largest coal plants when fully operational, shuttered in the 2040s, at least 20 years ahead of schedule and leaving Eskom with no coal-fired stations by 2050 from 15 stations now.While Eskom could use natural gas as part of its energy transition, the ultimate aim is to replace coal with renewables, Rambharos said. “That is the future. I don’t think we can look at 2050 and still see fossil fuels in there to be honest.“We will be left in this little bubble where we are not going to be able to export our wine or our fruit or our cars if we don’t transition,” she said. “The whole world is transitioning, we have to get on this bandwagon – for South Africa to remain competitive and for our economy to grow.”


Dr Mahathir tells why it’s ‘not nice’ to invite Najib to palace

Dr Mahathir Mohamad today said that “convicts” should not be invited to the palace, a day after an opposition MP questioned the move to welcome former prime minister Najib Razak at several recent events.“My feeling is that a convict should not be invited to the palace,” he said at a press conference in Putrajaya.“It’s not right, and it’s not nice because it shows as if the convict has got some support from the palace.”Najib, the Pekan MP, was convicted by the High Court in July 2020 of seven charges related to the misappropriation of RM42 million in SRC International funds.He was sentenced to 12 years in jail and fined RM210 million in a judgment upheld by the Court of Appeal in December last year. He is currently appealing his case at the Federal Court.He was invited to an Aidilfitri event at Istana Abdulaziz in Kuantan, Pahang, on May 4, and also attended a breaking of fast event with the king, members of the Cabinet and foreign diplomats at Istana Negara on April 18.Commenting on Najib’s presence at these events, PKR’s Pasir Gudang MP Hassan Karim said yesterday that there appeared to be a failure by those tasked with advising the palace in discharging their duties.“The government and the state have provided the Yang di-Pertuan Agong with various palace advisers and assistants. These palace officials carry great titles such as Datuk Bijaya Diraja, Datuk Bentara Diraja and others.“The Yang di-Pertuan Agong also has access to the attorney-general who acts as a lawyer for the government. Is there no one who dares to come forward to advise the Yang di-Pertuan Agong not to invite former prime minister Najib Razak (a corruption offender) to Istana Negara?” Hassan wrote on his Facebook page.


Facebook assembles team to build ‘metaverse’

Facebook on Monday said it was combining specialists from across its hardware, gaming and virtual reality units to build an immersive digital world known as the “metaverse”.The “metaverse”, a term coined by sci-fi writer Neal Stephenson, refers to a shared online world in which multiple users can hang out, spend money, consume media and potentially even work.The project is seen as central to Facebook’s future by CEO Mark Zuckerberg.“Today we’re standing up a Metaverse product group… to bring together the teams focused on responsibly building this ambitious work,” Facebook executive Andrew Bosworth said in a post.“The defining quality of the Metaverse will be presence – the feeling of really being there with people.”Facebook hardware such as Portal smart-screens and Oculus virtual reality head gear are already tools for making people feel close together despite being far apart, according to Bosworth.“To achieve our full vision of the Metaverse, we also need to build the connective tissue between these spaces,” he said.Vishal Shah from the Instagram team will head a new Metaverse Product Group.Epic Games, the US company behind video game sensation Fortnite, early this year announced it raised US$1 billion in new funding, with some of that money to support its vision of the metaverse.Hit video games such as Fortnite have seen use soar during the pandemic, and their creators see potential to expand to virtual parties, get-togethers or work events.