RM6.1 billion losses from floods, govt report says

The floods that devastated much of the country in recent weeks have caused an estimated RM6.1 billion (US$1.46 billion) in overall losses, a government report said today.Dozens of people died while more than 120,000 were displaced after unusually heavy rain caused severe flooding in multiple states in mid-December and early January.In a special report on the floods’ impact, the Department of Statistics said damage to public assets and infrastructure caused losses of RM2 billion, followed by RM1.6 billion in damage to homes.Manufacturing losses accounted for RM900 million, most of which were recorded in Selangor, one of the country’s wealthiest and populous regions surrounding Kuala Lumpur.Selangor was also the worst hit overall, with about half of Malaysia’s losses recorded in the state, the report said.The department also reported heavy damage to vehicles, business premises and the agricultural sector.Putrajaya previously said it would provide about RM1.4 billion (US$334.37 million) in cash aid and other forms of relief to those affected by the floods.


Death toll from Genting landslide rises as search operation continues

A landslide killed at least 12 people while they slept at a campsite in Genting Highlands early today, officials said, as search teams scoured thick mud and downed trees for more than 20 people still missing.
The landslide in Selangor, on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur, occurred at about 3am, tearing down a hillside into an organic farm with camping facilities, the state fire and rescue department said in a statement.
More than 90 people were caught in the landslide and 59 had been found safe, with 22 still missing, according to messages on social media by the department.
In addition to the 12 dead, eight were hospitalised, it said.
One of those taken to the hospital was pregnant, while others had injuries ranging from minor cuts to a suspected spinal injury, Health Minister Zaliha Mustafa told a news conference.
District police chief Suffian Abdullah said the dead were all Malaysians and included a child about five years old.
Almost 400 people from several agencies had been deployed, with search-and-rescue efforts ongoing, he told a news conference.
The landslide came down from an estimated height of 30m (100 feet) above the campsite, and covered an area of about one acre (0.4 hectare), according to the fire and rescue department's state director.
Footage from local television showed the aftermath of a large landslide through a steep, forested area beside a road, while other images on social media showed rescue workers clambering over thick mud, large trees and other debris.
The disaster struck about 50km north of Kuala Lumpur in Batang Kali town, just outside the popular hilltop area of Genting Highlands, an area known for its resorts, waterfalls and natural beauty.
Pictures posted on the Father's Organic Farm Facebook page show a farmhouse in a small valley, with a large area where tents can be set up.
Selangor is the country's most affluent state and has suffered landslides before, often attributed to forest and land clearance.
The region is in its rainy season but no heavy rain or earthquakes were recorded overnight.
A year ago, about 21,000 people were displaced by flooding from torrential rain in seven states across the country.


Daily cases dip to 20,670 as death toll tops 12,000

Another 20,670 Covid-19 cases were recorded today, taking total confirmed infections in the country to 1,384,353.Selangor recorded 6,606 cases, Kuala Lumpur 2,028, Kedah 1,796, Sabah 1,752, Johor 1,425, Kelantan 1,370, Penang 1,251 and Perak 1,003.Pahang recorded 794 cases, Negeri Sembilan 727, Sarawak 725, Terengganu 560 and Melaka 521.Perlis recorded 61 cases and Putrajaya 51. No new cases were recorded in Labuan.Active cases stand at 243,942 with 1,096 in the ICU and 540 in need of respiratory assistance.Another 17,655 patients recovered, bringing total recoveries to 1,128,183.However, 260 more deaths were reported, pushing the virus toll to 12,228.


Ukraine's GDP could halve this year if Russian attacks continue, PM says

Ukraine's economy could shrink by 50% this year if Russia keeps attacking the national power grid and other critical infrastructure, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal was quoted as saying on Tuesday.
Russia has launched a series of missile and drone strikes on Ukrainian energy facilities since October, causing power outages across the country.
"The contraction of the Ukrainian economy is projected at the level of 35-40%," Interfax Ukraine news agency quoted Shmyhal as saying. "If Russia's terrorist activities against our infrastructure continue, we may lose another 10% to these figures - that is, up to 50% of our GDP.".
Shmyhal also said the government estimated that damage from the war could reach US$700 billion (about RM3 trillion) by the end of the year. All sectors of the economy were suffering, he said.
Some 70 countries and institutions worldwide on Tuesday pledged more than US$1.05 billion in immediate aid to help Ukraine get through a harsh winter.


New infections top 3,200 as death toll up by 8

Another 3,206 Covid-19 cases were recorded yesterday, taking total confirmed infections in the country to 4,768,394.
There were 2,180 recoveries, taking total recoveries to 4,696,221.
There are now 35,988 active cases, of which 34,626 or 96.2% are undergoing home quarantine.
Meanwhile, 22 (0.1%) are at quarantine centres while 1,271 (3.5%) have been hospitalised.
A total of 69 are in ICU with 42 in need of respiratory assistance. ICU utilisation throughout the country stands at 63.4%, with Covid ICU utilisation at 18.5%.
Another eight deaths were reported, including one who was brought in dead. Total deaths now stand at 36,185.


Flood victims in Terengganu and Kelantan top 22,000

The number of flood victims in Terengganu and Kelantan continued to increase to 22,450 at 234 temporary relief centres as of this afternoon compared with 19,626 at 225 relief centres this morning.In Terengganu, the number of people affected by the floods increased to 13,530 from 3,735 families at noon in contrast to 11,137 from 3,177 families as of 8am today.Sixteen more relief centres were opened, bringing the total number of operational relief centres to 173, in Besut (45), Hulu Terengganu (31), Setiu (30), Dungun (26), Kemaman (23), Kuala Terengganu (nine), Kuala Nerus (eight) and Marang (one).The state disaster management committee secretariat said Kemaman recorded the highest number of flood victims at 3,857, followed by Hulu Terengganu (3,537), Besut (2,251), Dungun (1,572), Setiu (1,298), Kuala Terengganu (592), Kuala Nerus (418) and Marang (five).According to the Department of Irrigation and Drainage, water levels at five rivers in the affected districts are at the danger mark: Sungai Kemaman in Kemaman, Sungai Nerus (Setiu), Sungai Telemong (Hulu Terengganu), Sungai Dungun (Dungun) and Sungai Terengganu (Kuala Terengganu).In Kelantan, the number of victims increased to 8,920 from 2,862 families as of 2pm, compared with 8,489 from 2,750 families this morning.The Social Welfare Department disaster info application reported that a total of 61 relief centres were opened in Pasir Mas (20), Kuala Krai (15), Tanah Merah (13), Pasir Puteh (six), Machang (five), and Jeli and Kota Bharu (one each).According to publicinfobanjir.water.gov.my, water levels at two major rivers in the state are at the danger mark: Sungai Golok in Kampung Jenob, Tanah Merah (24.68m) and Sungai Kelantan in Temangan, Machang (21.18m).


An organised political persecution, Muhyiddin says on charges against him

Former prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin has again slammed the charges against him as an effort by his enemies to victimise him, saying he will fight them calmly in court as he has full conviction of his innocence.
"I have been in politics for 50 years. Throughout that period, I have done nothing wrong. I have always followed rules and laws. I do not violate rules and laws arbitrarily.
"I accept the charges against me with patience. I am aware that in the world of politics, there are enemies out to destroy me, my family and my party, especially when I'm faced with a greedy political enemy," he said, reading from a statement outside the Kuala Lumpur court complex.
Muhyiddin, who led the government at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, again denied any wrongdoing linked to the JanaWibawa programme to help Bumiputera contractors, as well as the restoration of a tax exemption given to Yayasan Albukhari, a charity foundation owned by tycoon Syed Mokhtar Al-Bukhary.
He also questioned how the Attorney-General's Chambers had announced the charges against him even before his statement was taken yesterday.
"I find that the decision to charge me was already decided earlier by those at the top of the country's administration, even before the investigation was completed.
"They used enforcement agencies as their tool to achieve their political goals. Clearly, the charges against me are a form of calculated political victimisation. It is an organised political persecution," said Muhyiddin.
Muhyiddin claimed trial today to six charges of abuse of power and money laundering at the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court, with a seventh charge to be read out at a court in Shah Alam. The case will be heard next on May 26.
He faces up to 20 years in jail if found guilty. He was granted bail of RM2 million and ordered to surrender his passport.
Muhyiddin said investigations found that he had not received bribes as claimed by his enemies.
"This is in contrast with the slander thrown at me by saying that I embezzled RM600 billion from the economic stimulus packages during the Covid-19 pandemic.
"Now it is proven that the accusation is an evil slander designed solely to tarnish my image, my family and my party," he said.
Muhyiddin also rubbished the claim by Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi that there would be a "court cluster" in PN, a phrase used to refer to the Umno president and other party leaders who have been charged with corruption.
"He is trying to compare me to himself. It is definitely different. He was accused of using foundation funds for himself. As for me, there is not a sen that went into my own pocket," Muhyiddin said, referring to the charges of criminal breach of trust, corruption and money laundering involving tens of millions of ringgit belonging to Zahid's foundation Yayasan Akalbudi.


Singapore's first-ever Olympic champion pulls out of SEA Games

Singapore's first-ever Olympic champion Joseph Schooling, who beat Michael Phelps at the 100m butterfly in 2016, said Wednesday he will skip the upcoming Southeast Asian Games in Phnom Penh.
"After careful consideration with my team, I have decided to pull out of the SEA Games. This was not an easy decision, but I am currently not at the level at which I hold myself to perform," he said in a statement.
"Ultimately, my country comes first before individual accolades."
The 27-year-old swimmer said he had decided to give his spot to his teammates "while I cheer from home and focus on my Navy duties.”
Schooling, who has been performing his two years of mandatory military service, was mired in a drug controversy last year. He tested negative for drugs but confessed to consuming cannabis overseas.
Schooling was given a warning and placed on a supervised urine test regime for six months.
He was also made no longer eligible for leave or disruption to train or compete during his military service.
At the time he apologised and said that he "gave in to a moment of weakness after going through a very tough period of my life."
Singapore has some of the toughest drug laws in the world, and its citizens and permanent residents face up to 10 years in prison if found to have consumed illegal substances outside the city-state.
Schooling relinquished his 100m butterfly title after failing to qualify in the same event at the 2020 Tokyo Games, and has dropped several hints that he might retire soon.


Full circle: Why the coming together of Anwar and Zahid is no surprise

Recent friendly gestures between Umno and PKR leaders should come as no surprise to the seasoned observer of Malay politics, nor the admission by PKR president Anwar Ibrahim that his party has been in talks on the possibility of a political alliance with Umno, led by Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.The revelation in fact brings to full circle the long relationship between the two politicians.It began in the 1970s when both Anwar and Zahid were student activists at Universiti Malaya.But it was their involvement in Umno which brought them closer together, especially in the 1990s – a period marked by Anwar’s meteoric rise in the party during the era of Dr Mahathir Mohamad.At one point when Anwar was deputy president, Zahid was Umno Youth chief as well as a close advocate of Anwar’s prime ministerial ambitions.Zahid’s position in the party was due to Anwar’s support, after Abdul Rahim Thamby Chik, an ally of Mahathir, was forced to resign over accusations that he had molested an underage girl.A statutory rape charge against him was later withdrawn due to lack of evidence.How inseparable the current crop of PKR and Umno leaders are can be seen in an incident that took place in Kuala Lumpur 25 years ago.In 1996, a group of Umno Youth members stormed a hotel where activists were gathered for the Second Asia Pacific Conference on East Timor, or Apcet II.The conference was organised by local NGOs in collaboration with rights activists in the region to show support for East Timor, then an Indonesian province ravaged by violence in the wake of an independence movement crushed by Jakarta.The Umno Youth secretary at the time, Saifuddin Nasution Ismail who is currently PKR secretary-general, had mobilised a mob of around 400 protesters to heckle the conference participants. The Umno stand at that point was to stop any break-up of Indonesia, siding with the ruling Golkar party of then-president Suharto.The Umno mob which stormed the conference hall, led by then-Umno Youth secretary Saifuddin Nasution Ismail (circled in red). Photo: FacebookIt was reported that the Umno mob stormed the conference hall, breaking its doors, throwing chairs and verbally and physically abusing the participants.Pandemonium ensued, and police moved in only to arrest the conference participants for refusing to disperse.Those arrested included Tian Chua, Syed Husin Ali and Elizabeth Wong, all of whom are still part of PKR.Two years later, at the Umno general assembly in June 1998, there was talk of Anwar trying to wrest control of Umno from its strongman Mahathir.The speculation was proven true when Anwar’s key ally Zahid brought up allegations of cronyism and nepotism in the award of government contracts.Zahid’s speech to Umno delegates was seen as an attack on Mahathir, who did not take the assault lying down.He retaliated by listing the companies and individuals who had obtained the projects, exposing Zahid as one of them.The simmering tension between Mahathir and Anwar reached boiling point when, on Sept 2, 1998, Anwar was sacked as deputy prime minister. He was also stripped of his posts in Umno on the back of allegations of sodomy and misappropriation of power.Here, again, Zahid was among the Umno leaders who stood by Anwar.When Mahathir launched a crackdown on the reformasi movement, he was among those of Anwar’s supporters detained under the Internal Security Act (ISA).But Zahid was released from ISA ahead of many others and has remained with Umno ever since, declaring his loyalty to Mahathir instead.As Anwar spent time behind bars, Zahid began rebuilding his political fortunes in Umno.From the lowly post of a deputy minister under Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, Zahid climbed over the years to hold important Cabinet portfolios, culminating in his appointment as deputy prime minister under Najib Razak, replacing Muhyiddin Yassin who was sacked in 2015.While Zahid and Anwar were politically distant, they remained close friends.“They were actually brought together by their common dislike of Mahathir,” a former officer who had worked closely with both politicians told MalaysiaNow.Ahmad Zahid Hamidi visiting Anwar Ibrahim when the latter was admitted to hospital in 2017. The two leaders have remained close friends despite leading different political parties. Photo: Facebook.Zahid was also among the most vocal Umno leaders who attacked Mahathir when the former prime minister launched a campaign against Najib in the wake of the 1MDB scandal.In 2017, Zahid also launched a personal attack on Mahathir, taking a dig at the latter’s ancestry and claiming that he was an Indian.It was then that Mahathir revealed why Zahid was unhappy with him.“Zahid should remember, when he became the DPM, he came to see me to try and seek my sympathy, my support. I told Zahid the truth. Even if Najib resigns, which is impossible, Zahid must still wait for Umno to decide who should replace Najib,” Mahathir had said.In 2016, Anwar and Mahathir patched up their relationship for the first time in almost two decades.But the ceasefire proved fleeting, and even their alliance in Pakatan Harapan could not stop them from becoming staunch enemies again.“With both Anwar and Zahid finding themselves out of power, it is probably the best chance for them to finish where they left off 23 years ago,” said a former PKR MP.This time, Zahid faces multiple charges of corruption, criminal breach of trust and money laundering.He has joined forces with Najib, already convicted of seven charges of corruption.Their friendship has come full circle.And it has also been written in black and white, twice.Once, in the form of a letter by Zahid and Najib to the Agong, backing Anwar’s bid to become prime minister, and again, in the form of two identical press statements issued by Zahid and Anwar.


Let Malaysia be on the right side of history in tobacco ban

The issues of smoking, vape, and nicotine addiction in Malaysia have not seen much progress over the past decade.
The country’s smoking prevalence is currently at 21.3%. Some 45% of men across all age groups smoke. Women smokers hovered around 1%. About 17.4% of children aged 13 to 15 will be smokers, and one in 10 of those aged younger than 12 have lit up a cigarette.
For every RM1 collected from tax imposed on tobacco, RM4 is spent on treating those suffering from smoking-related diseases. Unfortunately, an estimated 27,000 people each year still prematurely lose their lives due to these conditions.
According to the National Health and Morbidity Survey 2019, 1.12 million people in this country are now using e-cigarettes. An industry survey indicated that around 68% of male respondents vape, compared to 32% of women. At least 600,000 children between the ages of 11 and 18 have taken up vaping. The numbers of new vape users who are becoming addicted to nicotine, many of whom have never smoked cigarettes before, are increasing and starting younger each year. Adolescents can regularly be seen puffing away at restaurants and malls, and outside school premises, enough to make the police express their concern.
Somehow, despite the known and growing threat of nicotine addiction, Malaysians and their elected representatives have been lulled into giving up and thinking that nothing more can or should be done when it comes to cigarettes and e-cigarettes.
On April 14, 1994, the heads of the largest American tobacco companies were subpoenaed to appear before the US Congress.  The seven CEOs and presidents refused to admit that they knew cigarettes were addictive, and emphatically stated that they did not believe nicotine was addictive. Today, we know differently.
A similar scene has been playing out recently in Malaysia. The top executives and representatives of both the tobacco and vape industries and businesses publicly claim that they are in support of a smoke-free world but oppose and disagree that a generational ban on cigarettes and e-cigarettes would be effective or necessary. They now say that smoking is addictive, but vaping is not; that breathing in burnt tobacco fumes is harmful but inhaling nicotine in a vapour is safe.
As the tobacco industry begins to increase its presence in the e-cigarette market, it will soon be hard to differentiate between those selling cigarettes and those selling vape.
In a few weeks’ time, Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin will table the Tobacco and Smoking Control Bill in the Dewan Rakyat for debate and to be voted on by the Members of Parliament. It has taken 12 years to get to this point.
What is being proposed in the upcoming bill is not only bold and far reaching but also contains world leading measures such as a generational ban on cigarettes and vape.
This is a piece of legislation that if implemented properly and effectively, will help save the lives of thousands of Malaysians each year. It will make a serious dent in smoking prevalence and regulate vape which has gone out of control.  This bill has captured the interest and concern of people and governments in this region and made news around the world. For once, Malaysia is making international headlines for the right reasons.
But there is tremendous opposition and pushback to the proposals. Most naturally come from industry stakeholders, business owners, smokers, and vapers. But some worries have also come from MPs reflecting their own individual concerns as well as those of their constituents.
Slippery slope and personal choice
A common strategy used by the tobacco and vape industry to oppose and undermine control measures is the “slippery slope” or unintended consequences argument. It suggests that a policy such as the generational ban would set a troubling precedent that would then be applied to other products such as sugar, fast food, butter, and even alcoholic beverages. The argument is intended to create fear and hesitation among policymakers.
But tobacco is a unique product. It cannot be treated similarly or compared to sugar or alcohol. When used properly as intended, it is a fact that smoking will kill half of its consumers. The impact of vaping is still not fully understood. However, what is known is that increasingly more people, especially younger users, are coming down with e-cigarette or vaping use-associated lung injury due to long term use and adulteration of liquids being heated and inhaled.
Alleged infringement of personal choice and freedoms, and terms such as “nanny state” are also used as part of the “slippery slope” argument. The claim is that smoking, and vaping are adult choices and do not justify state intervention. However, this ignores the long-known fact that most people start smoking when they are adolescents.
Vaping, which is supposedly intended for and limited to adults trying to quit smoking and who are addressing their nicotine addiction, is now being taken up by primary and secondary school children, as well as university students in Malaysia. As long as vape remains unrestricted and unregulated, the journey to nicotine addiction begins in individuals as young as 10 years old.
The same argument of personal liberty is used to imply that a person can start or quit when they no longer wish to smoke or vape. The reality is quite different. Quitting is hard. It takes smokers at least 30 attempts, and relapse rates are high. The increasing presence of vape users at myQuit or smoking cessation clinics speak volumes of a new group of people wanting to be treated for their nicotine addiction. More and more smokers and vapers are desperate to quit.
Loss of revenue
A strawman argument is being promoted by those who oppose the upcoming bill. The claim is that the generational endgame aims to completely ban cigarettes and vape for everyone beginning from 2023. This is untrue and is deliberately misleading to create fear, distract from the merits of the proposal, and raise unreasonable opposition.
What is being proposed is a prohibition against the sale and use of cigarettes and vape by those born from 2005 onwards, beginning with those turning 18 next year. For everyone else, they will be able to continue buying and selling their products at retail outlets, and smoking and vaping in permitted locations. For them, nothing will change.
Will businesses which depend on the sales of tobacco products and vape be affected and lose money? Yes. It is likely that as older customers change habits, quit, or die over the years, they will not be replaced by new people who are addicted to nicotine. In time, businesses such as retail outlets, pubs and restaurants adopting smoke-free and vape-free policies will adapt and thrive as they have in the UK and Europe.
Illicit market
Much of the data surrounding the illicit tobacco market originates from industry-funded research. The tobacco, and now vape, industries routinely use the findings from these commissioned reports to argue and conclude that every control policy, without exception, will lead to increases in smuggling and growth of illicit products.
Though the black market in illicit tobacco and vape does exist in Malaysia, these reports when compared with independent sources, consistently overestimate the availability, and scale of the problem. This inadvertently results in policymakers and law enforcement becoming worried and hesitant in adopting policies such as this upcoming Bill which the industry players claim could allegedly exacerbate the situation.
The industries argue that they are the victims of the illicit market, emphasising the role of counterfeit cigarettes and vape devices, which escape taxation and regulation. However, they have never stopped benefiting from the illicit market. Recent studies found that around two-thirds of illicit cigarettes worldwide came from the tobacco companies themselves. Fewer than one in ten were actual counterfeit products.
Is there a black market in illicit tobacco and vape products? Yes. Is its existence due to strict and harsh regulations? Not likely. An illicit market will nevertheless emerge when regulations fall behind and enforcement is inadequate. Do we need to invest in better regulatory measures and improved enforcement? Absolutely.
Harm reduction
Malaysia has grown to be the largest vaping market in the Southeast Asian region.  The vape industry is estimated to be worth RM2.3 billion, with 330 manufacturers and importers and 3,000 retail shops, employing around 15,000 people.
The industry has touted heat-not-burn tobacco products and vape as allegedly safer alternatives to cigarettes and as a less harmful approach to smoking. It has also made a claim to vape being a means to quit smoking. Instead, what is happening is the introduction of new nicotine delivery devices with high nicotine levels, which are unregulated, unrestricted, and available to all.
16mg per ml of nicotine works out to approximately 1.6% nicotine. Most cigarettes contain between 1 and 3mg of nicotine. However, in Malaysia, vape liquids in disposables can be found to have between 1%, 3%, and 5% strengths. In the UK and Europe, the maximum strength permitted is 20mg, or 2%. The lethal dose of nicotine for adults is about 60mg or 6%.
Disposables available in the Malaysian market range from 200-1,600 puffs with different nicotine strengths. They are priced as low as RM10. As a measure, 200 puffs are equivalent to 13-30 cigarettes. Studies show that people take an average of around 140 puffs per day.
With prices lower, and nicotine content higher than a pack of cigarettes, it is not surprising that 4.9% of the Malaysian population is now estimated to be vaping. However, the problem of nicotine addiction is now on the brink of escalating beyond anything previously seen.
The vape retail business now counts users who have never smoked cigarettes, young women turned off by cigarettes as distasteful and disgusting, teenagers and even children as new customers.
Indeed, there have been stories of people for whom vaping has been successful in helping them quit smoking cigarettes. But there are worryingly more people coming forward newly addicted to nicotine, desperate yet unable to quit vaping, and those who are also continuing to smoke cigarettes, becoming dual users. Both smokers and vapers are now actively accessing nicotine replacement therapies such as nicotine patches and gum instead for help with their addiction.
Many of us still remember the days when smoking was permitted on flights, and a time when TV advertising of cigarettes was everywhere and invasive that we can still remember the jingles, songs, and slogans (e.g. gaya, mutu, keunggulan) decades later.
“Today’s teenager is tomorrow’s potential regular customer,” said a 1981 Philip Morris memo.
Sponsorship of certain sports such as football, snooker, and motor-racing of interest to youth were synonymous with tobacco brands. Music festivals, concerts and other lifestyle events were sponsored by the industry. Through these entry points, smoking was sold to young people as being cool, glamourous, sexy, and sophisticated. Due to Malaysia’s commitment to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), all of this was gradually removed and was thought to have been long gone.
Today, because it is unregulated and unrestricted, the vape industry is currently doing what has been prohibited for tobacco companies under the FCTC: vape has now replaced cigarettes in public promotions, advertising, and sponsorships. Today, you could be forgiven for thinking that we are back in the past. Same messages, images and strategy but just a different nicotine delivery device.
Vape needs to be regulated as strictly as tobacco and imposed with appropriate taxes.
Public health measures are often not popular or may even be controversial when introduced, especially if they are perceived to be taking away liberties, lack compassion and intolerance, or simply being imposed upon. Examples include gun control which have reduced gun deaths, seat belt laws which brought down road fatalities and injuries in accidents, and most recently, mask mandates slashed new cases, hospital admissions, and deaths during the Covid-19 pandemic. Much of which was disliked and lacked support in the past, but today we take for granted.
One day, we will look back at the harm and suffering caused by smoking and vaping, the lives lost prematurely, the billions spent, and wonder why it has taken us decades to act.
But to get to that point, we need to be bold, think out of the box and try something that will finally make a difference.
We need a dramatic shift in the environment to denormalise smoking and vaping, to reduce the appeal and make such products less accessible. It cannot be business-as-usual. If not now, when? Who should we depend on to make the tough decisions concerning tobacco and vape? Should we just kick the problem down the road for other parliamentarians, or another government to solve?
Implementing the generational endgame will lock the gate against new smokers and vapers. No one wants their daughters and sons, grandchildren, and loved ones to become addicted to nicotine, suffer from chronic diseases such as cancer, and lose their lives prematurely.
There are few times in our lifetime when we are called upon to step up and do the right thing. This is one of those times.
During the upcoming debate on the Tobacco and Smoking Control Bill, I ask that our Members of Parliament be on the right side of history and vote yes in support of building a better healthier future for everyone in Malaysia.
Azrul Mohd Khalib is head of the Galen Centre for Health and Social Policy.
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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Taiwan grounds F-16 fighter jets after one disappears

Taiwan’s air force has grounded its F-16 fleet after losing a plane on a training mission, President Tsai Ing-wen said on Wednesday.Speaking to reporters, Tsai said, “I have asked the defence ministry not to relax on defence and combat readiness to ensure national security.”The defence ministry called on media not to speculate on what happened to the plane, adding that missions need to continue in view of the ongoing threat from China. “In response to the increasingly severe situation in the Taiwan Strait, the military has continued to strengthen combat readiness training to ensure national security,” it said in a statement.This is the second loss of a fighter jet in less than a month at a time of increased missions to intercept Chinese aircraft. An F-5 – a jet which first entered service in Taiwan in the 1970s – crashed in late October, reports Asia One.While Taiwan’s air force is well trained and well equipped, mostly with US-made equipment, it is dwarfed by China’s. Beijing claims the democratic island as its own and has never renounced the use of force to bring it under Chinese control.Last month, Taiwan’s defence minister said nearly US$1 billion had been spent this year on scrambling the air force against Chinese incursions, saying they are facing “great pressure”.The loss of the F-16 is Taiwan’s fourth military crash this year. In January, the country’s top military official was among eight people killed after a helicopter carrying them crashed in a mountainous area near the capital Taipei.The US last year approved the sale of more F-16 fighter jets to Taiwan, a deal that would take the island’s F-16 fleet to more than 200 jets, the largest in Asia.


Jho Low attended special 1MDB board meeting in 2009, ex-company secretary tells court

Fugitive businessman Low Taek Jho, or Jho Low, was present at the special board meeting of 1MDB held at the Royale Bintang Damansara on Sept 26, 2009, the High Court heard today.Former 1MDB company secretary Lim Poh Seng, 50, said the meeting chaired by Mohd Bakke Salleh was also attended by Che Lodin Wok Kamaruddin, Shahrol Azral Ibrahim Halmi, Azlan Zainol, Ismee Ismail and Casey Tang Keng Chee.Lim, who referred to the minutes of the meeting, said he was not present at the meeting as he was on leave, and that the minutes were prepared by Kelvin Tan Kay Jin, the former director of Investments of Terengganu Investment Authority (TIA). TIA was renamed 1MDB in 2009.The 10th prosecution witness who is now a general manager at B&M Consultancy Services Sdn Bhd however said he attended two other meetings held at the same hotel on Oct 3 and 10, 2009, where Jho Low was not present.On Jan 13, former auditor-general Ambrin Buang told the court that the National Audit Department (NAD) was asked to drop a paragraph on the presence of Jho Low at the 1MDB board of directors meeting in 2009 from the final 1MDB audit report on grounds of sensitivity.Explaining the Oct 3, 2009 meeting, Lim said 1MDB’s board had raised questions on the management headed by Shahrol over the joint venture with PetroSaudi Holdings (Cayman) Limited, including the valuation report and funds to be injected into the joint venture company.He said this during the examination-in-chief by deputy public prosecutor Mohamad Mustafa P Kunyalam at the trial of Najib Razak and former 1MDB CEO Arul Kanda Kandasamy on the alleged tampering with the final 1MDB audit report.When asked by lead prosecutor Gopal Sri Ram about Jho Low’s role in 1MDB, Lim replied, “Jho Low was appointed as adviser of 1MDB on April 8, 2009.”Sri Ram: You did not attend the Sept 26, 2009 special board meeting, right? But when you received the minutes from Kelvin Tan, did it alarm you when you saw Jho Low’s name?Lim: No.The witness also confirmed that Najib had approved the remuneration of RM120,000 annually for the chairman of the 1MDB board of advisers and RM96,000 for the board of advisers members on June 6, 2010.Sri Ram: Do you know who was the chairman of the 1MDB board of advisers?Lim: No.Sri Ram: You really can’t recall?Lim: Yes.Previously, former 1MDB CEO Shahrol testified that Najib had set for himself an allowance of RM120,000 per year as chairman of 1MDB’s board of advisers and that he had also fixed RM96,000 as a yearly allowance for the board of advisers members.Cross-examined by counsel Wan Aizuddin Wan Mohammed, representing Najib, the witness said the government officials from NAD had never requested from him the 1MDB company records for 2009 and 2011 when conducting their audit.“I resigned as the 1MDB company secretary during the NAD audit exercise in 2015 and 2016. Goh Gaik Kim was the company secretary after I resigned,” said Lim.Najib, 68, is charged with using his position to order amendments to the final 1MDB audit report before it was presented to the Public Accounts Committee to avoid any action against him. Arul Kanda, 45, is charged with abetting Najib in making the amendments to the report to protect Najib from being subjected to action.They were both charged under Section 23(1) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission Act 2009, which provides for a jail term of up to 20 years and a fine of not less than five times the amount of gratification or RM10,000, whichever is higher, upon conviction.The trial before judge Mohamed Zaini Mazlan continues tomorrow.


Switzerland about to vote for or against immigration

Foreigners make up around 25% of the Swiss population and many citizens have decided that’s enough.As a result, the Swiss people will vote on Sunday whether to shred a pact with the European Union (EU) on the free movement of people.A referendum campaign has exposed rifts in society over immigration similar to those being experienced in other European countries.The conservative Swiss People’s Party (SVP), the biggest party in parliament, is leading an attempt to seize back control of immigration from the EU.The SVP is appealing to citizens who see their culture as being at risk from unchecked immigration.“Migrants change our culture. Public squares, trains and streets become more unsafe. In addition, practically half of all welfare recipients are foreigners,” its campaign website says.Opponents say foreigners are essential skilled workers, especially in health care, and as vital workers for giant pharmaceutical companies such as Roche and Novartis.Switzerland is not a member of the EU but relies heavily on agreements that guarantee Swiss access to the EU single market,Left-wing parties warn that a vote to restrict immigration would impact negatively on such agreements, jeopardising Swiss business profits.The arguments for and against immigration echo campaigns that led up to the Brexit votes and Britain eventually exiting the EU.A Swiss opinion poll has found 63% of the country opposes the SVP proposal and 35% supports it.This is being interpreted as an indication that voters want stability at a time of economic uncertainty amid the coronavirus pandemic.It seems that Swexit may not be on the cards yet.


More than 100 million people forcibly displaced, says UN

Russia’s war in Ukraine has pushed the number of forcibly displaced people around the world above 100 million for the first time ever, the United Nations said Monday.“The number of people forced to flee conflict, violence, human rights violations and persecution has now crossed the staggering milestone of 100 million for the first time on record, propelled by the war in Ukraine and other deadly conflicts,” said UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency.The “alarming” figure must shake the world into ending the conflicts forcing record numbers to flee their own homes, UNHCR said in a statement.UNHCR said the numbers of forcibly displaced people rose towards 90 million by the end of 2021, spurred by violence in Ethiopia, Burkina Faso, Myanmar, Nigeria, Afghanistan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb 24 and since then, more than eight million people have been displaced within the country, while more than six million refugees have fled across the borders.‘Wake-up call’“One hundred million is a stark figure – sobering and alarming in equal measure. It’s a record that should never have been set,” said UNHCR chief Filippo Grandi.“This must serve as a wake-up call to resolve and prevent destructive conflicts, end persecution, and address the underlying causes that force innocent people to flee their homes.”The 100 million figure amounts to more than 1% of the global population, while only 13 countries have a bigger population than the number of forcibly displaced people in the world.The figures combine refugees, asylum-seekers, as well as more than 50 million people displaced inside their own countries.“The international response to people fleeing war in Ukraine has been overwhelmingly positive,” said Grandi.“Compassion is alive and we need a similar mobilisation for all crises around the world. But ultimately, humanitarian aid is a palliative, not a cure.“To reverse this trend, the only answer is peace and stability so that innocent people are not forced to gamble between acute danger at home or precarious flight and exile.”UNHCR will outline the full data on forced displacement in 2021 in its annual Global Trends Report, due for release on June 16.‘Never been as bad’More than two years on since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, at least 20 countries still deny access to asylum for people fleeing conflict, violence, and persecution based on measures to clamp down on the virus.Grandi called Friday for those countries to lift any remaining pandemic-related asylum restrictions, saying they contravene a fundamental human right.“I am worried that measures enacted on the pretext of responding to Covid-19 are being used as cover to exclude and deny asylum to people fleeing violence and persecution,” he said.A joint report last week by the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC) and the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) said around 38 million new internal displacements were reported in 2021. Some of those were by people forced to flee multiple times during the year.The figure marks the second-highest annual number of new internal displacements in a decade after 2020, which saw record-breaking movement due to a string of natural disasters.Last year, new internal displacements specifically from conflict surged to 14.4 million – marking a 50% jump from 2020, the report showed.“It has never been as bad as this,” NRC chief Jan Egeland told reporters.“The world is falling apart.”Natural disasters continued to account for most new internal displacement, spurring 23.7 million such movements in 2021.


Singapore schoolboy found dead, fellow pupil held

A 13-year-old boy was found dead Monday at a Singaporean high school, while a fellow student was arrested and an axe seized, police said.It was a rare incident in the city-state, which is known for its zero-tolerance approach to wrongdoing and has one of the world’s lowest crime rates.Police were called to the prestigious state high school in the west of Singapore, where they found the 13-year-old with many wounds.He was pronounced dead at the scene.A 16-year-old was arrested for suspected involvement, police said in a statement.The teenagers did not know one another, according to preliminary investigations.The suspect will be charged in court with murder on Tuesday, and police said they would ask him to undergo a psychiatric assessment.Education Minister Chan Chun Sing said he was “shocked to receive news of the tragic incident”.“Our thoughts are with the families of the students concerned.”Singapore has tough laws for even minor offences such as vandalism, which can be punished by caning.It has a homicide rate of just 0.2 per 100,000 inhabitants, according to UN data – among the world’s lowest.


Mahathir says recovery reinforced faith in Malaysian medical expertise

Dr Mahathir Mohamad today said that the ability of local doctors to treat complicated medical cases was proven during his recent admission to the National Heart Institute (IJN), adding that he had always believed that Malaysian doctors were as qualified as those overseas.The 96-year-old, whose health scare early this year sparked nationwide interest, said he too had trained as a doctor.Speaking at a thanksgiving ceremony attended by doctors from IJN, he recalled how people had not trusted local doctors when he first started practising in the late 1950s.“At that time there was no trust for Malaysian doctors, especially Malay doctors.“The doctors in the hospitals at that time were known as assistant medical officers. No Asian could become a full medical officer. Everybody was called an assistant medical officer, and they were not allowed to do even simple (procedures) like (for) appendicitis. There was no faith in Malaysian doctors.”Mahathir, who has a history of heart-related medical issues, said when he suffered his first heart attack, he was told to go to Mayo Clinic in the US.“But I asked whether we can do it here in Malaysia,” he added. “Yes, we can.“At that time, several doctors were able to do open heart surgery. So I decided that I should be operated on in Malaysia, at the Kuala Lumpur General Hospital.”Mahathir was readmitted to IJN in January after undergoing an elective procedure shortly after New Year.In a video clip shared after his discharge, he said his condition had been so bad that there were times when he hoped he would not recover.Speaking today, he said he fully believed that Malaysians could do what others could as well.“To me, it is a miracle,” he added. “I didn’t expect to live. I expected to die because I am old, and also because I was suffering from a serious disease affecting first my heart.”But Mahathir, who promoted the “Malaysia Boleh” slogan during his first tenure as prime minister, said “somehow or other”, the doctors had turned him around.“Eventually, I was discharged and became well. Not 100% but enough for me to continue whatever little work I wanted to do.”Thanking the doctors at IJN, which he was responsible for setting up, Mahathir said he did not know how to reward them.“I would like to give them RM100 each, but that would be bribery,” he added.Handing out certificates of appreciation to the medical team which had treated him, he joked that this might be the first time where the patient gives certificates to the doctors.“That’s because I didn’t have enough RM100,” he quipped.


Govt to prioritise cost of living issue, says Anwar

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim today said that the rising cost of living will be given priority by his unity government to alleviate the burden being shouldered by the people.
He said a meeting with the relevant agencies and departments would be held on Monday at the latest to discuss the issue, including the price of goods.
"Even with the positive signs, such as the upside strength seen for ringgit and the stock markets, that show increased confidence in the current government, I think the priority should continue to be given to the rising cost of living and price of goods that are plaguing and burdening the people," he said at a press conference on his first day in office at Perdana Putra.
Earlier, Anwar also met with top government officials, namely Chief Secretary to the Government Mohd Zuki Ali and Director-General of Public Service Mohd Shafiq Abdullah.
Anwar also received official documents on government administration from Zuki. The newly appointed prime minister also expressed confidence that the top government officials would have no issue helping his government address the cost of living problem.
"I know I announced that Monday is a public holiday, and if they (the officials) are reluctant, I can postpone (the meeting).
"... but I believe in their commitment and that they understand that our main job is to alleviate the burden of the people at the grassroots," he said, adding that his Cabinet would enable Malaysia to bounce back and reclaim its status on the international stage.


NZ-Australia travel bubble to begin April 18

New Zealand approved quarantine-free travel with Australia on Tuesday, with Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern saying a two-way corridor for travel between the two largely Covid-free nations would begin on April 18.“I can confirm that quarantine-free travel will begin in just under two weeks, at 11.59pm on April 18,” Ardern announced after the date was confirmed by her cabinet.The travel bubble comes more than a year after New Zealand closed its doors in the face of the coronavirus pandemic and six months after Australia allowed New Zealanders to fly into selected states without the need to quarantine.Ardern described it as a world leading move between New Zealand, with just 26 deaths in a population of five million, and Australia with fewer than 1,000 deaths in a population of 25 million.“I cannot see or point to any countries in the world that are maintaining a strategy of keeping their countries Covid-free while opening up international travel between each other,” she said.“That means in a way we are world leading.”New Zealand’s beleaguered tourism industry said the long-awaited completion of the travel bubble could inject up to US$705 million into the economy this year.Ardern urged Australians to take advantage of the bubble, with New Zealand’s ski season on the horizon.“We are a safe place to bring your family to come and visit,” she said during a press conference.


Trump talk of ending constitutional rules draws sharp rebukes

Donald Trump's suggestion that the US disregard rules and regulations including "those found in the constitution" drew scathing rebukes this weekend from politicians of both parties, with a top Democrat calling it "a danger to our democracy."
What many saw as a bizarre proposal from a singularly unconventional former president came in his latest social media post hammering away at baseless conspiracy theories about the 2020 election, which he lost to Joe Biden.
Given what he claimed was "massive and widespread fraud and deception" involving technology companies and the Democratic Party, "do you throw the Presidential Election Results of 2020 OUT and declare the RIGHTFUL WINNER, or do you have a NEW ELECTION?
"A Massive Fraud of this type and magnitude allows for the termination of all rules, regulations, and articles, even those found in the Constitution," he said on his Truth Social platform.
Even by Trump's unorthodox standards, the suggestion of ignoring the constitutional standards that form the foundation of the American political system was stunning.
"Attacking the constitution and all it stands for is anathema to the soul of our nation and should be universally condemned," said a White House statement, adding, "You cannot only love America when you win."
'He's out of control'
Politicians of both parties took to Twitter to express their agreement.
"He’s calling for an end to America’s constitutional democracy," Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer said. "He’s out of control and a danger to our democracy."
Congressman Ted Lieu, a Democrat of California, called Trump's proposal "anti-American and fascist."
And representative Don Beyer, a Virginia Democrat, said Trump had "openly declared himself an enemy of the Constitution, and Republicans must repudiate him."
Some did.
Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, one of a few Republicans to vote to impeach Trump for inciting the Jan 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol, said that now "not a single conservative can legitimately support him," adding, "This is insane."
And John Bolton, who served as national security adviser to Trump before the two fell out, said that "all real conservatives must oppose his 2024 campaign for president."
'Clear and present danger'
Trump's Truth Social post came a day after Elon Musk – who as the new owner of Twitter had reinstated Trump's banned account on the platform – released internal correspondence showing how company staff interacted with Democrats and others in the runup to the 2020 election.
Conservatives had accused Twitter of suppressing stories critical of Biden's son Hunter Biden.
But there was "no smoking gun showing that the tech giant had bent to the will of Democrats," said the Washington Post.
The former president has suffered a series of setbacks, starting with the poor showing of several candidates he had endorsed in the November midterm elections.
And Trump drew angry, bipartisan criticism after hosting two known anti-Semites – the singer Kanye West and white supremacist Nick Fuentes – at a dinner in his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.
There were legal setbacks as well: the Supreme Court ruled that Trump must turn over past tax returns to a House committee, and an appeals court halted a third-party review of classified documents seized from Mar-a-Lago.


UN condemns latest Singapore executions as pressure mounts

The United Nations has hit out at Singapore's move to execute another two inmates on death row, as well as its plans to hang two more this week, urging the city-state to end the use of the mandatory death sentence for drug offences.
In a statement issued by UN Human Rights Office spokesman Liz Throssell, it said it "deplored" the double hanging yesterday and was "deeply troubled" by the plan to execute two others on Aug 5.
It said Abdul Rahim Shapiee and his co-accused Ong Seow Ping, who were convicted in 2018 of possessing drugs for the purpose of trafficking, were expected to be hanged on Friday.
It added that Rahim's family was informed of his impending execution on July 29.
Describing the death penalty as inconsistent with the right to life and to be free from torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, it said there was a growing consensus for its universal abolition.
"We urge the Singapore authorities to halt all scheduled executions, including those of Rahim and Ong," it said.
"We also call on the government of Singapore to end the use of mandatory death sentences for drug offences, commute all death sentences to a sentence of imprisonment and immediately put in place a moratorium on all executions, with a view to abolishing the death penalty."
Singapore's executions yesterday brought the total number of inmates hanged at Changi Prison since February to eight.
Lawyers and activists have pointed out that those executed are mostly from poor families, hired as mules by drug kingpins who have largely escaped arrest, an argument that Singapore courts have rejected.
Global rights organisation Amnesty International had also slammed Singapore's string of executions, saying Singapore's death penalty which is applied as a mandatory punishment for drug-related offences goes against international human rights laws and standards.
"Rather than having a unique deterrent effect on crime, these executions only show the utter disregard the Singaporean authorities have for human rights and the right to life," Amnesty's expert on the death penalty, Chiara Sangorgio, said.


African woman gives birth to nonuplets

A 25-year-old Malian woman has given birth to nine babies – five girls and four boys – two more than doctors had detected during scans.Halima Cisse gave birth to the nonuplets in Morocco, where the Malian government had flown her for specialist care.“I’m very happy,” her husband told the BBC. “My wife and the babies are doing well.”Halima’s pregnancy became a subject of fascination in Mali, even when it was thought she was only carrying septuplets, Reuters news agency reports.Doctors in the West African nation had been concerned for her welfare and the chances of the babies’ survival, so the government intervened.After a two-week stay in a hospital in Mali’s capital, Bamako, the decision was made to move Halima to Morocco, where she could expect better care.After five weeks at the Moroccan clinic, she gave birth by Caesarean section on Tuesday.Fanta Siby, Mali’s health minister, congratulated the medical teams in Mali and Morocco for the “happy outcome”.Her husband, Adjudant Kader Arby, is still at home in Mali with the couple’s older daughter, but he says he has been in constant touch with his wife in Morocco and is not worried about the family’s future.“God gave us these children. He is the one to decide what will happen to them. I’m not worried about that. When the almighty does something, he knows why,” he told BBC Afrique.He says the family have been overwhelmed by the support they have received.“Everybody called me! Everybody called! The Malian authorities called expressing their joy. I thank them. Even the president called me!”The mother and her nine new babies are expected to return home in several weeks.Two sets of nonuplets have previously been recorded – one born to a woman in Australia in 1971 and another to a woman in Malaysia in 1999 – but none of the babies survived more than a few days.A woman who had eight babies in the US in 2009 holds the Guinness World Record for the most children delivered at a single birth to survive.


Ignore ‘criminal’ Najib’s advice, Dr M tells Muhyiddin

Dr Mahathir Mohamad has urged Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin not to accept advice from Najib Razak, saying the former leader, who has been found guilty of corruption, has a bad record in managing the country’s financial affairs.“If we accept this person’s (Najib) advice… we all know what has happened before,” he said in an interview with The Malaysian Insight.“Najib is a criminal. Never before in our history has a criminal advised the government on how to rule. He does not even have a good background.“During Najib’s rule, the country was completely destroyed… huge debts, administrations involved in corruption and so on.”Najib, who was prime minister and finance minister in the Barisan Nasional government, was convicted in July of seven counts of criminal breach of trust, abuse of power, and money laundering related to RM42 million from former 1MDB unit SRC International.His appeal against his 12-year jail sentence and RM210 million fine will be heard on Feb 15 next year.Speaking in the Dewan Rakyat yesterday, Mahathir had asked why court proceedings could be postponed as a measure to curb the spread of Covid-19 but “prisoners” allowed to speak in the house.“If they can speak in Parliament, surely they can also speak in court,” he said while debating the budget bill.Najib, the Pekan MP, had spoken on the budget bill on Tuesday.In his interview with The Malaysian Insight, Mahathir said this had tainted Parliament as Najib was convicted of corruption but had yet to serve his jail term.“Anywhere in the world, we cannot find a convicted criminal who comes to the house (Parliament) and advises the government. This is amazing.“Only in Malaysia, we can be proud that prisoners are the government’s advisers. This goes to show this government is so inefficient until prisoners can reprimand. This act has tainted the Dewan (Rakyat),” he was quoted as saying.


Markets fall on runaway Covid-19, bank malfeasance news

Corporate fears in the city of London, the UK’s financial hub, that a re-energised rise in coronavirus cases will damage economic prospects have wiped more than £50 billion off UK shares, and caused similar falls across European and US stock markets.London’s FTSE 100 share index closed down 3.4%, with airlines, travel firms, hotel groups and pubs particularly badly hit in anticipation of ramped up government restrictions, reports the BBC. The worst hit was British Airways owner IAG, down 12%.Markets in Paris, Frankfurt and Madrid also dived on reports of Covid-19 troubles increasing. Major economies could see second lockdowns as they struggle to regain control of the virus.HSBC, the bank at the centre of a major money-laundering scandal, saw its share price fall 5.3% in London. The revelations of HSBC’s “negligent” behaviour dragged down other big banks whose shares dropped by similar amounts.The effects of the losses could be further-reaching than people expect as millions of UK and European pension holders may find their income negatively affected by the poor performance of funds in which their pensions are invested.


Singapore lifts GDP forecast as export markets get vaccine boost

Singapore on Wednesday upgraded its growth forecast for this year as the trade-reliant economy’s key export markets pick up strength thanks to rapid coronavirus vaccine rollouts.The prosperous city-state, one of the world’s most open economies, suffered its worst ever recession last year as it was hammered by the pandemic.But stronger overseas demand is helping to power a rebound, which is being closely watched as Singapore is seen as a bellwether for the health of global trade.The economy is now expected to grow 6.0-7.0% for the full year, from an earlier forecast of 4.0-6.0% made in May, the trade ministry said.While Covid-19 cases continue to rise globally because of the fast-spreading Delta variant, vaccination rates have increased, particularly in the US and Europe, allowing them to press on with reopening, the ministry said.This will offset a bleaker picture in Asia, where vaccination rates are slower and curbs on movements have been reimposed, it added.“On balance, the recovery in external demand for Singapore for the rest of the year remains largely on track,” the ministry said.For the second quarter to June, Singapore’s economy grew 14.7% on-year, taking first half growth to 7.7%, it said.The key manufacturing sector expanded 17.7%, extending the 11.4% growth recorded in the previous three months.The domestic economy also grew following the lifting of curbs.While some measures are still in place, the government has in recent weeks outlined plans to shift to a strategy of living with the virus over the long term as more people are given jabs.Singapore has had a mild outbreak, reporting more than 65,000 cases and 42 deaths.


Singapore single dad who moved drugs to pay debt faces death by lethal injection in Vietnam

A 40-year-old Singapore father-of-three is facing death by lethal injection in Vietnam, in yet another case of citizens of the republic running afoul of drug laws abroad as authorities in the city-state defend tough punishments for such crimes at home.Cher Wei Hon’s case was taken up by Singapore lawyer M Ravi after family members reached out to the prominent rights activist following news of his involvement in the case of another Singapore citizen who has been sentenced to death in China.“Cher’s family reached out to me after Aslinda’s case came to public attention,” Ravi said, referring to the case of Siti Aslinda Junaidi who could face the firing squad if she fails in her appeal at the Guangdong High Court.Cher was found guilty by a court in the Tay Ninh province in southern Vietnam in August this year, a month after his arrest at the Vietnam-Cambodia border.Ravi said Cher was currently unrepresented, with no lawyer to advise him on his appeal.“They were not even sure if he had a lawyer during his trial,” he said.“I have accepted this matter on a pro bono basis as he has three young kids being looked after by his ailing mother.”He added that he had contacted a human rights lawyer in Vietnam “and hopes to get to the bottom of this case soon”.“They were not even sure if he had a lawyer during his trial.”It is understood that Cher was told by a woman in Vietnam to transport nearly 10kg of methamphetamine from Cambodia to pay off a debt of about US$8,600 (RM34,800) which he owed her.With each trip, the woman would write off between US$500 and US$1,000, according to Vietnam’s Tuoi Tre News website.Ravi, a vocal critic of the government who has represented death-row prisoners in Singapore, said Cher’s case is yet another example of how the poor are targeted by the death penalty.“Before one can judge Cher’s innocence, it is important that he has proper legal representation and a fair process that metes out the punishment,” he added.Ravi recently highlighted the plight of Aslinda, who was caught in Shenzen carrying drugs for a man she met online, who offered her between US$2,000 and US$3,000 to move goods such as handbags and toner cartridges between China and Cambodia.Singapore’s mainstream media did not report on Aslinda’s plight until recently, after it was carried by CNN which cited court documents revealing details of her trial.Earlier this month, Aslinda’s 17-year-old daughter Ismiraldha told MalaysiaNow that there had been a lack of documentation on her mother’s case, while a letter from her mother said no one from the Singapore consulate-general in Guangdong had visited her for over a year.The Singapore government later said its officials were unable to visit Aslinda after the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.


Predictions by pollsters and the outcome of GE15

As we enter the last lap of the 15th general election campaign, it remains tough to predict the outcome, although some patterns have emerged based on a number of surveys.
Barisan Nasional (BN) helmed by Umno, which was the favourite to win at the start of campaigning, is now trailing behind Perikatan Nasional (PN) and Pakatan Harapan (PH).
The battle between PN and PH is now neck-to-neck, as we enter the last day of campaigning with the likelihood of either one emerging as the winner with some 112 or 113 seats if combined with the seats of the winning coalitions in Sabah and Sarawak.
This is as good as a hung parliament, which occurs when a winning coalition obtains 111 seats (or 110 because one candidate has passed on).
But surveys are basically a prediction of the probability of an event's occurrence and can never be 100% accurate – that’s why they are always accompanied by a margin of error.
If you understand statistics in the context of the probability theory, you’ll be humbled enough to know that a poll which said, for instance, that PH has a 99% chance of winning the election, does not mean it’s a sure 100% win, and that the 1% chance of PH losing is something that can take place in the realm of reality.
Similarly, a poll that says BN has a 90% chance of losing does not necessarily mean BN is going to lose with its pants down because there is a 10% chance that it will win, and this 10% chance can become a reality.
The problem with most pollsters is that when they announce the results of their poll, the small margin of losing (or winning) is taken as a fact that will never happen in reality.
In recent years, the reliability of political polling in predicting the outcome of elections has come under question.
In the 2016 US presidential election, for instance, despite most polls predicting Hillary Clinton as the favourite to win, albeit in a close fight, as all polls are within their margin of error, Donald Trump, against all odds, clinched the presidency.
You might be surprised to know that on the eve of election day then, the majority of the polls had predicted that Clinton had a more than 90% chance of winning the presidency.
But this is not to say that political polling has no value, or that because they usually have a relatively small sample size, political surveys cannot be used to generalise on the opinion of a huge population as alleged by Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
Many of the current surveys on GE15 are mere propaganda tools, he claimed, depending on whether the ownership of the survey is vested in entities that are close to certain politicians.
Suffice to say that there are conditions where even a relatively small sample can be used to generalise on a huge population as long as the sampling method involves the element of randomness in selecting the respondents and the sample has an element of representativeness to the population.
Moreover, as mentioned earlier, a margin of error must always be specified in a survey.
But we don’t have to look at surveys to predict the outcome of GE15. Political analysts and observers have made their predictions at every election, using their own theoretical constructs and assumptions which do not have to be quantitative.
And in most cases, when the majority of analysts predict that a certain coalition will win, they turn out to be right.
In the case of Malaysian elections, they were always right in their predictions with one exception: GE14 where PH won the election against all odds. This is called an upset.
In GE15, many analysts say that BN's days are numbered. From the favourite to win the election among the three coalitions, it has emerged in third position, overtaken by PN and PH.
How can such a thing happen, and what is the basis for this drop to third position?
We can see it in a number of events. The turning point from favourite to third place happened on Nov 1, when in unveiling its candidates, Zahid dropped a number of Umno ministers, thus reviving the infighting between Umno’s court cluster and the minister cluster at a critical time.
During the campaigning period itself, on a number of occasions, it looked like Umno was campaigning against itself, in a sort of a civil war, where it appeared more like a campaign for a party election.
When its Sungai Buloh candidate, the affable Khairy Jamaluddin, bemoaned the fact that the odds are against him in that constituency because it is a stronghold of PH, his president Zahid responded by saying Khairy deserved it because Sungai Buloh is the latter’s own personal choice for a constituency.
In an election campaign, as the leader of a party, you don’t train your gun at your own comrade. You instead give words of encouragement to spur him on to victory because his victory is also yours and your party’s.
Then, when there is an allegation that you are offering someone a minister's post should BN win, you admit it, leading to the accusation that you harbour an ambition to take over as prime minister, and then you argue that the prime minister's post is determined by the King’s appointment, thus sabotaging your own poster boy.
And when we don’t see the loudmouths in the court cluster of Umno campaigning for the party as evident in their conspicuous absence from media reports, this is tantamount to an admission that Umno/BN's days are numbered.
By the end of the first week of campaigning, PN and PH had overtaken BN, with PN in first position and PH a close second.
Momentum for PH picked up on the 12th day of campaigning, when the Malay votes for Umno were split between PH and PN.
Those on the ground campaigning admitted to this neck-to-neck battle between the two on the 13th day of campaigning. Only an upset will cause BN to emerge as the victor.
So as the last day of campaigning comes to a close on Nov 18, and because you can only do so much in a day, it looks like either PN or PH will emerge victorious with a wafer-thin majority, which is as good as a hung parliament.
If this is ultimately the case, it is something the people do not relish, as they look forward to an outcome of a winning coalition with a handsome majority that will substantially reduce their sufferings.
This is unlike a government with a tenuous majority, which will only heighten their sufferings due to the political and economic instability that will ensue.
Only another upset will see a winning coalition with a substantial majority.
The views expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the position of MalaysiaNow.


Shahidan Kassim appointed as PR1MA chairman

Arau MP Shahidan Kassim has been appointed as chairman of Perbadanan PR1MA Malaysia (PR1MA), effective immediately.In announcing the matter, Housing and Local Government Minister Zuraida Kamaruddin said Shahidan’s five-term experience as an elected representative and his vast experience in governance were needed to boost PR1MA’s performance.His experience as the Perlis menteri besar and Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department can also help PR1MA achieve its mission of providing affordable housing in the country, she said during a visit to the PR1MA headquarters in Kuala Lumpur today.Zuraida also announced the appointment of Shahidan as chairman of the National Housing Corporation (NHC).NHC, established under the housing and local government ministry, will coordinate all housing development agencies in terms of planning and preparing financial plans for the construction of affordable houses.Shahidan’s appointment as PR1MA chairman is to replace Eddy Chen who held the post in 2018.Zuraida said NHC’s focus is, among others, to carry out research and strategic housing planning, as well as to overcome the issue of imbalanced housing supply-demand, especially for affordable housing.“It will also look at several matters including the act, licensing and enforcement of housing legislation to safeguard the interests of all parties involved in the housing industry such as buyers, developers, contractors and financiers,” she said.NHC is also aimed at managing housing incentives, rental schemes, home financing, maintenance and overhang units.


Face masks no longer mandatory indoors

The use of face masks indoors will be optional effective immediately, Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said today.
However, he added that the face mask mandate would remain at all healthcare facilities such as hospitals, clinics and nursing homes, on public transport including e-hailing vehicles, and for those who are Covid-positive.
High-risk individuals are encouraged to continue wearing face masks, while individual premises will also have the option of insisting on the use of face masks.
In a statement, Khairy said the health ministry encouraged the continued use of face masks in crowded areas such as night markets, stadiums, shopping centres and houses of worship.
Those with symptoms such as fever and cough are also encouraged to wear masks, as well as those who are involved in activities with those in the high-risk group such as children and senior citizens.
"The health ministry will continue to monitor the Covid-19 situation within and outside of the country, and ensure that the health services remain at optimal conditions to safeguard the well-being of the people in facing Covid-19," he said.
"The easing of restrictions does not mean that the public can take lightly the risk of infection."
The government made the use of face masks mandatory on Aug 1, 2020, at the peak of the pandemic which has so far claimed 36,255 lives and infected 4.7 million people in the country.
Face masks were made optional outdoors on May 1, as part of the country's move towards the endemic phase of Covid-19.
In his statement today, Khairy also said that the health ministry's technical working group had discussed on Aug 3 the latest proposals and recommendations on the administration of Covid-19 vaccine.
He said pregnant women at risk of severe disease due to Covid-19 could receive a second booster dose at any time during pregnancy, a recommendation in line with that of the World Health Organization for those in this group.
Children aged five to 12 with comorbidities or those who are immunocompromised meanwhile can be given a first booster dose within six to nine months after the last dose of vaccine received.
Children between six months and five years of age with comorbidities or who are immunocompromised can likewise be vaccinated against Covid-19, Khairy said, adding that the health ministry had begun the procurement process for vaccines formulated specially for this age group.


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With ‘Taliban’ power structure, ‘big brothers’ can make life tough for Ismail, says seasoned Umno watcher

A seasoned Umno watcher has compared Umno’s power structure to that of the Taliban group in Afghanistan, where a set of elderly warlords continue to wield strong influence despite the perception of having younger and more “open-minded” leaders in its fold.Ahmad Atory Hussain said in such a scenario, Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob would face huge challenges winning the trust of the people and managing the public perception of his administration while his party Umno remains under the authority of “big brothers” Najib Razak and president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.He said since their hopes of settling their “troubles” in court by toppling former prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin never materialised, Najib and Zahid would use their influence in Umno to up the pressure on Ismail.“They have appeared dissatisfied since Muhyiddin’s ouster,” Atory, a Universiti Sains Malaysia professor who has studied Malay politics for decades, told MalaysiaNow.“They thought once the prime minister had been replaced with their own candidate, they would be able to settle their cases.“I don’t think it’s as simple as that.”Atory was referring to Zahid’s ongoing trial for bribery, abuse of power and criminal breach of trust (CBT).Zahid, who was Najib’s deputy when the pair led the previous Barisan Nasional government, faces a total of 47 charges – 12 counts of CBT, eight of bribery and 27 of money laundering involving funds from his charity outfit Yayasan Akalbudi.Najib meanwhile has already been sentenced to 12 years in jail and fined RM210 million over his conviction of seven counts of CBT, abuse of power and money laundering involving RM42 million from SRC International.“I think Ismail will face the same fate as Muhyiddin, and that he too will have trouble from these two.”The former prime minister is appealing against his conviction and sentence.Ismail came to power with support from the Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalition led by Muhyiddin.Muhyiddin had however said that this support was contingent on several conditions, including a caveat that Ismail’s Cabinet should not include those who are facing criminal charges in court.Muhyiddin also said that any PN government under Ismail’s leadership must respect the concept of separation of powers and the independence of the judiciary.Atory said this had been clear as well during the so-called Sheraton Move, during which Umno laid down the condition that Muhyiddin bring Bersatu out from the Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition.“But the hidden condition here is to solve their court troubles,” he said.Muhyiddin lost his fragile majority after a group of MPs from Umno aligned with Zahid withdrew their support for him.Taliban-like structure?Ismail, who was sworn in as his replacement last month, is now faced with the dilemma of managing the public perception of his administration and maintaining his position in Umno.His meeting with Najib at the Prime Minister’s Office on Tuesday has only added to the pressure on him.“Umno has been burdened with the problems of Najib and Zahid,” Atory said.“I think Ismail will face the same fate as Muhyiddin, and that he too will have trouble from these two.”He said even though the meeting might not have touched on Najib’s court cases, it would be difficult to stop intense speculation on how Ismail would determine the former leader’s fate in court.Other Umno leaders facing criminal charges in court include former Tabung Haji chairman Abdul Azeez Abdul Rahim and party secretary-general Ahmad Maslan.Atory said the strength of Najib and Zahid lies in the hands of Umno warlords, the majority of whom are division leaders in rural areas.He also drew a comparison between Umno and the Taliban in terms of structure and their source of power.“In Afghanistan, the Taliban leaders are elderly people who know nothing of the outside world,” he said.“The young go off to Oxford or Cambridge. But they have no place in politics as it is run by the old guard.“Umno, like the Taliban, is influenced by the grassroots which, although less educated, nonetheless dominate politically.”Unlike PKR, he said, Umno has a line-up of potential leaders. But he said such individuals must engage with the rural folk and the voters in Felda settlements in order to replace the court cluster.“Leaders like Khairy Jamaluddin, Hishammuddin Hussein and Shahril Sufian Hamdan need to go to the villages, too. Don’t just stay in Kuala Lumpur,” he said.


Sarawak CM granted royal audience next week

Sarawak Chief Minister Abang Johari Openg today said that he has been granted an audience with the Yang di-Pertuan Agong next week.The Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) president said he was contacted by Istana Negara today about an audience with the king via video conferencing at 11am on Monday.“This statement refers to the various reports in the media that the Yang di-Pertuan Agong is inviting and granting audiences to leaders of political parties,” a statement by the chief minister’s office said.It also said that audiences had been granted to the presidents of GPS component parties, through video conferencing as well.Political leaders who have so far confirmed audiences with the king include former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad and PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang.Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin and PKR president Anwar Ibrahim met with Sultan Abdullah Sultan Abdul Shah at Istana Negara this morning.


Restraint doesn't mean we won't 'counter' China, says Taiwan president

The more China provokes the more calm Taiwan must be, but restraint does not mean there cannot be "strong countermeasures" if needed, President Tsai Ing-wen said on Tuesday visiting front line forces based on islands in the sensitive Taiwan Strait.
China, which claims Taiwan as its territory despite the strong objections of the government in Taipei, has carried out military exercises around the island this month after a visit by US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Visiting a major air and naval base on the Penghu islands in the Taiwan Strait, Tsai praised the armed forces for their tireless efforts to protect Taiwan, and condemned Beijing for its drills and intimidation.
"I want to tell everyone that the more the enemy provokes, the more calm we must be," Tsai told naval officers.
"We will not provoke disputes, and we will exercise self-restraint, but it does not mean that we will not counter," she added.
"I have ordered the Ministry of National Defense to take necessary and strong countermeasures in a timely manner to defend the safety of the country's airspace," Tsai said, without elaborating.
No shots have been fired, and Taiwan's government has repeatedly said it has responded calmly to China's activities.
But Taiwan has been particularly upset recently by Chinese drones flying very close to islands it controls next to China's coast, which Tsai said was part of Beijing's "grey zone" warfare.
The warships and fighter jets based at Penghu have been going out armed with live ammunition since China began its exercises this month, officers told reporters on the trip.
Frigate captain Lee Kuang-ping said that they regularly had been trading radio warnings with Chinese warships.
"Sometimes near the drill zone communist Chinese fishing boats appear, and they provocatively say 'hit them, hit them!'" Lee added.
The Chinese military unit responsible for the area adjacent to Taiwan, the People's Liberation Army's Eastern Theatre Command, released on Aug 15 a video of the Penghu islands, apparently taken by China's air force.
Taiwan's military termed the video information warfare, accusing China of exaggeration and saying it was not true Chinese forces had come near the islands.
Penghu, a summer tourist destination for its beaches, is close to Taiwan's southwestern coast, unlike the Taiwan-controlled Kinmen and Matsu islands, which are right next to China's shores.
Taiwan's armed forces are well-equipped but dwarfed by China's. Tsai has been overseeing a modernisation programme and has made increasing defence spending a priority.


Twitter concerned by cops’ ‘intimidating tactics’ at Indian office

Twitter said on Thursday it is worried about the safety of its staff in India, just days after police visited its Delhi office.The police visit was part of an investigation into the social media giant’s tagging of some ruling party posts as “manipulated”, reports Reuters.Indian police on Monday visited Twitter headquarters to serve notice to its country head of an official probe into its tagging of a tweet by a ruling party spokesman as “manipulated media”.Without directly referring to the Delhi police action, Twitter said: “We, alongside many in civil society in India and around the world, have concerns with regards to the use of intimidation tactics by the police in response to enforcement of our global terms of service.”Leaders of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) recently shared on Twitter parts of a document which they said was created by the main opposition Congress party and which highlighted government failures in handling the Covid-19 pandemic.The Congress party complained to Twitter saying the document was fake, after which Twitter marked some of the posts as “manipulated media”.Twitter has been battling the Indian government since February, after the technology ministry asked it to block content which alleges Modi’s administration was trying to silence criticism related to the long-running farmers’ protests in the country.Following that tussle, India announced new IT rules to make social media firms more accountable to legal government requests for swift removal of posts.Today, Twitter urged the technology ministry to give it three more months to comply with the new content regulation rules, which include the appointment of an Indian grievance and compliance officers.Twitter said it was very concerned the rules would make compliance officers criminally liable for content on the platform, adding the move represented a dangerous overreach.The new IT rules have sparked legal battles, including a lawsuit filed by Facebook-owned WhatsApp this week which calls out India’s government for exceeding its legal powers by enacting rules that will force the messaging app to break end-to-end message encryption.WhatsApp said rules that require tracing the origin of chats were the equivalent of keeping a “fingerprint of every single message sent on the service”.


Time is ticking for Israel’s balancing act in Ukraine

Israel’s balancing act in the Russia-Ukraine war is likely to falter soon, simply because the resulting Nato-Russia conflict is expected to last for years, not weeks or months. Eventually, Israel will have to make a choice. Alas, whatever that choice may be, Israel will stand to lose.From the first day of the war, Israel somehow became involved. Top Israeli officials, including the country’s Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, began calling their Ukrainian and Russian counterparts. Initially, some in the media surmised that Israel is concerned because of the large Jewish populations in both Ukraine and Russia.However, the headlines quickly moved on, with terms such as “Israeli oligarchs”, “Jewish oligarchs”, and other combinations of Israel-friendly oligarchs dominating the news. Business interests quickly began replacing the supposed concern over the safety and welfare of ordinary Ukrainians.The latter fact was demonstrated in a most tragic way when Israeli Channel 12 reported, on March 10, that many Ukrainian refugees were “stuck at Ben Gurion Airport, facing cold and callous treatment”.Israeli hypocrisy reared its ugly head once more on Feb 26, when Israeli Minister of Aliyah and Integration, Pnina Tamano-Shata, said in a statement, “We call on the Jews of Ukraine to immigrate to Israel – your home.”It is obvious that Israel does not care about the welfare of Ukrainians or, frankly, Ukrainian Jews either. After all, these newcomers to Israel would eventually be incorporated into the country’s illegal settlement enterprises. We know this from history, and particularly from the history of the migration of Russian Jews to Israel, who arrived in their hundreds of thousands in the early 1990s. Not only do many of them now reside in illegal Jewish settlements, but to some extent, they also represent the backbone of some of Israel’s far-right political parties, the likes of Avigdor Lieberman’s Yisrael Beiteinu.Aside from the fact that a country moving its residents to an occupied territory is a stark violation of international law, it is also a violation of the rights of these vulnerable refugees, who will be expected to live in another war zone in the service of Israel’s Zionist ideology.It is unfortunate, but typical that Israel finds opportunities to bolster its settler colonial model in occupied Palestine by exploiting the tragedies of other societies to its advantage. It has done so many times in the past: in Ethiopia, following the famine in 1984, in Russia, following the collapse of the Soviet Union, and in France, following the Paris terrorist attacks in 2015.While France was still trying to fathom the enormity of its tragedy when 130 people were killed in broad daylight on Nov 13, 2015, then Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on French Jews to move to Israel. “Of course, Jews deserve protection in every country, but we say to Jews, to our brothers and sisters: Israel is your home,” he said.Shamelessly, Israel finds tragedies as political opportunities worth exploiting. While this quality is not unique to Israel – the Russia-Ukraine war has also exposed the opportunism of other countries around the world – Israel’s exploitation is doubly shameful as it hopes that war-torn Ukraine would help it sustain its own war waged against the Palestinian people.However, serious cracks in the Israeli balancing acts are already on display. On March 11, US Under-Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland called on Israel to join sanctions against Russia. “We’re asking as many countries as we can to join us. We’re asking that of Israel as well,” she said.Understandably, much of that pressure is coming from the Ukrainian government itself. Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly called on Israel to reciprocate for the Ukrainian support of Israel during its genocidal wars on the Palestinians. Indeed, Zelensky has taken every opportunity to express his solidarity with Israel in the past, even though Palestinians were the ones dying in their thousands.“The sky of Israel is strewn with missiles. Some cities are on fire. There are victims. Many wounded. Many human tragedies,” the Ukrainian president tweeted on May 12, 2021. Even during his inauguration speech in May 2019, Zelensky did not forget to bring Israel into his budding political discourse. “We must become Icelanders in soccer, Israelis in defending our land, Japanese in technology,” he said.Still, aside from the occasional lip service, Israel insisted on remaining largely neutral. Analysts have explained the Israeli position in terms of Israel’s concern over Russia’s possible retaliation in Syria, for example, by allowing Iran greater geopolitical access to Syria that may compromise Israel’s “security”. Others cited Israel’s deep financial interests, especially through the aforementioned oligarchs. Whatever the reasons may be, pressure is mounting on Israel to completely abandon its interests in Russia in favour of fully supporting Ukraine.On March 20, Zelensky upped the ante when he gave a speech at the Israeli Knesset. Not only did the Ukrainan president ask for Israel to provide Ukraine with an Iron Dome similar to the one that Tel Aviv uses to intercept Palestinian resistance rockets, he went much further, by infusing the Holocaust, an extremely sensitive discourse that only Israeli officials are allowed to use – and, indeed, manipulate – to silence any criticism of Israel internationally.“The Nazis called this ‘the final solution to the Jewish question,’” Zelensky said. “And now, in Moscow, (…) they’re using those words, ‘the final solution’. But now, it’s directed against us and the Ukrainian question.”For the Ukrainian president, although himself Jewish, to dare strike such a historical parallel to serve his country’s interests outraged many Israelis. “I admire the Ukraine president and support the Ukrainian people in heart and deed, but the terrible history of the Holocaust cannot be rewritten,” Israeli Communications Minister Yoaz Hendel, tweeted. Many others joined in, in Israel and the US, attacking Zelenky’s supposed audacity.Aside from its fear that injecting the Holocuast as part of Ukraine’s anti-Russian discourse could deprive Israel from its monopoly over the use and misuse of that historic tragedy, the Israeli official response to Zelensky also further exposed Israel’s stance on the war as defensive, suspicious and uncertain.As the war rages on, Israel’s balancing act is becoming increasingly unsustainable. By allying fully with Ukraine, Israel could find itself at risk of losing Russia’s somewhat tolerant position pertaining to Israel’s “security” in Syria and throughout the Middle East. Israel could also likely find itself at odds with Russia’s allies and semi-allies in China, India and other Asian countries. However, taking Russia’s side, a less likely scenario, means a break up of Israel’s historic alliance with its main benefactors in Washington and other European capitals.As the world is likely to splinter among various power camps, Israel will find itself torn between its interests in the West, on the one hand, and the massive, emerging markets in the East, on the other. Though the West’s margin for tolerance when it comes to Israel by far exceeds its patience with other countries, it is only a matter of time before Israel will be expected to make a clean break from Russia and its economic, political and military interests that are tied to Moscow. When that happens, the geopolitical balance of power in the Middle East will likely shift against Israel, a scenario that would become even more difficult for Tel Aviv if Iran manages to negotiate a return to the nuclear deal with the US and its western allies.Though from the onset, Israel attempted to exploit the Russia-Ukraine war to its advantage, future scenarios are quite bleak for Tel Aviv.Ramzy Baroud is a journalist and editor of The Palestine Chronicle.The views expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the position of MalaysiaNow.


Azam must go, civil groups maintain amid probes against PN leaders

Civil society groups and individuals who called for the resignation of Malaysia's top anti-graft official last year have remained firm in their stance, saying Azam Baki must go despite the ongoing investigations into opposition leaders including Perikatan Nasional chairman Muhyiddin Yassin.
Azam, the chief commissioner of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), became embroiled in controversy over claims of conflict of interest in his ownership of shares.
MACC under his leadership opened investigations this year into Muhyiddin and Tasek Gelugor MP Wan Saiful Wan Jan.
Muhyiddin, who was prime minister for 17 months between 2020 and 2021, was slapped with a total of seven charges related to the JanaWibawa initiative, a post-Covid-19 programme to help Bumiputera contractors.
Wan Saiful meanwhile was charged with soliciting and accepting RM6.9 million in bribes, also in relation to a JanaWibawa project.
Suara Rakyat Malaysia (Suaram) said the charges did not mean that the people should forget Azam's case.
"While MACC's probes into corruption cases are commendable, it will not be able to effectively carry out its mandate of investigating corruption in all sectors without walking the talk internally and ensuring that their staff, especially the leadership, implement their responsibilities with integrity," Suaram executive director Sevan Doraisamy said.  He also reiterated Suaram's call for Azam to resign or be suspended from his position with immediate effect.
"Not doing this will not only jeopardise MACC’s integrity, but also invalidate the commitment that Anwar Ibrahim’s administration has asserted on multiple occasions to combating corruption," he said.
Azam came under scrutiny over the alleged purchase in 2015 and 2016 of shares and warrants at two public-listed companies.
He said these had been purchased by his brother using his share trading account, maintaining that he had committed no wrongdoing.
The issue was revealed by activist Lalitha Kunaratnam, against whom Azam filed a defamation suit which is slated for hearing in July.
Nur Qyira Yusri, the founder of Undi18 who was involved in the Action Committee to Arrest Azam Baki, said all parties should continue demanding accountability.
"This is especially the case as MACC has not yet been placed under Parliament," she said.
"At the very least, review the case," she added.
The committee had organised a gathering in the capital city last year to call for Azam's resignation and arrest.
Other members included Bersih, the National Patriots Association, and Angkatan Belia Islam Malaysia, in addition to several political parties.
During the general election campaign last year, PKR deputy president Rafizi Ramli vowed to take action against Azam should Pakatan Harapan come to power.
"Saturday we vote. After we win the elections, we will look for Azam Baki," Rafizi, the current minister for economy, said at a ceramah in Johor Bahru.
The MACC anti-corruption advisory board, after seeking Azam's explanation, said no conflict of interest was found in the purchase of the shares.
The Securities Commission (SC) meanwhile said Azam had not breached any laws.
"The SC has concluded its inquiry and based on the evidence gathered, the SC is not able to conclusively establish that a breach under Section 25(4) of Sicda has occurred," the market regulator said in a statement, referring to the Securities Central Depository Act 1991.
Academic Edmund Terence Gomez, who resigned from the MACC panel in protest against Azam, said his stance had not changed.
"I have not changed my stand on him," he said. "He has to go if MACC is to have any credibility."


MACC considering French request for assistance in MRT graft probe

The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) today said it is examining a request by French authorities for assistance in an investigation into reports of fraud and corruption involving the Klang Valley MRT (KVMRT) project during the administration of former prime minister Najib Razak.MACC chief commissioner Azam Baki said France had applied for Mutual Legal Assistance or MLA on the matter.He added however that the request would need to go through the Attorney-General’s Chambers.“We are looking at what we can do in terms of assistance,” he told reporters in Putrajaya.“Not everything they ask for, we can give. The same goes with any request we make of France – they have to help us,” he added.He also said that MACC had opened an investigation into the project worth RM692 million some two months ago.MalaysiaNow previously reported that French authorities were investigating allegations of fraud and bribery linked to the KVMRT project, with a focus on a company in Malaysia linked to its French conglomerate which had earned a reputation for fraudulent practices through the misrepresentation of safety and quality tests.Checks with a source familiar with the French investigation revealed a list of prominent names including an individual who was a top aide to a former prime minister, as well as a member of the royalty.It is understood that at least three companies in Malaysia are believed to have entered the radar of anti-graft investigators in Paris.