Singapore’s ‘national dish’ in the crossfire as Malaysia’s chicken export ban begins

Singapore is bracing for a shortage of its de facto national dish, chicken rice, as Malaysia, its major supplier, halts all chicken exports from today.Restaurants and street stalls in the city-state are faced with hiking prices of the staple food or shutting down altogether as their supplies dwindle from Malaysia, where production has been disrupted by a global feed shortage.Malaysia’s export ban is the latest sign of growing global food shortages as countries, reeling from the effects of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, extreme weather, and pandemic-related supply disruptions, scramble to shore up domestic supplies and tame food inflation.Rising prices for basic food items have already fuelled protests in countries like Argentina, Indonesia, Greece and Iran.Daniel Tan, owner of a chain of seven stalls called OK Chicken Rice, said Malaysia’s ban will be “catastrophic” for vendors like him.“The ban would mean we are no longer able to sell. It’s like McDonald’s with no burgers,” he said.He added his stalls usually source live birds from Malaysia but will have to switch to using frozen chicken within the week and are expecting a “strong hit to sales” as customers react to the change in quality of the dish.Singapore, although among the wealthiest countries in Asia, has a heavily urbanised land area of just 730 sq km and relies largely on imported food, energy and other goods. Nearly all of its chicken is imported: 34% from Malaysia, 49% from Brazil and 12% from the US, according to data from Singapore Food Agency.A plate of simple poached chicken and white rice cooked in broth served with a side of greens is a dish beloved by the country’s 5.5 million people, and is usually widely available for about S$4 (US$2.92) at eateries known as hawker centres.The SFA has said the shortfall can be offset by frozen chicken from Brazil, and has urged consumers to opt for other protein sources like fish.Malaysia, itself facing soaring prices, has decided to halt chicken exports until local production and costs stabilise.Prices have been capped since February at RM8.90 (US$2.03) per bird and a subsidy of RM729.43 million (US$166 million) has been set aside for poultry farmers.Chicken feed typically consists of grain and soybean, which Malaysia imports. But the government is having to consider alternatives amid a global feed shortage.Lower quality feed means the birds are not growing as fast as usual, slowing down the entire supply chain, said poultry farmer Syaizul Abdullah Syamil Zulkaffly.Previously, Syaizul’s farm of broiler chicken was able to harvest as many as seven times a year, with 45,000 birds harvested per cycle. This year he expects only five harvest cycles.Syaizul, who started feeling the pinch of higher operating costs during the pandemic, says the export ban will only make things worse for poultry farmers.“I don’t know if this industry can sustain me… for the next five or 10 years,” he said, adding that he’s had to go into debt to keep up with costs.“Maybe I should go work at a petrol station or something is even better, less headache than actually managing a chicken farm.”


Malaysia hits 90% adult vaccination rate as interstate travel resumes

A total of 21,073,482 people or 90.02% of the adult population had been fully vaccinated against Covid-19 as of yesterday, as months-old restrictions on interstate travel are lifted throughout the country.Meanwhile, 22,185,520 people or 94.8% of adults have received at least one shot, including of the single-dose CanSino vaccine.In terms of total population, 65.2% have been fully vaccinated while 74.9% have received at least one dose.A total of 129,518 doses were administered yesterday, taking the cumulative number of vaccine shots given under the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme to 45,650,714.Four states have yet to reach the 80% level for adult vaccination rate: Perak (79.8%), Kedah (79.5%), Kelantan (73.6) and Sabah (65.1%).Bernama reported that no unusual traffic flow had been detected on the main roads leading out from the capital despite the lifting of restrictions on interstate travel for the fully vaccinated.The Gombak and Jalan Duta toll plazas meanwhile showed normal traffic flow despite an increase in the number of vehicles at about midnight.According to Bernama, several drivers were seen stopping just ahead of the toll plaza to wait for midnight before continuing their journey.Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said yesterday that interstate travel would be allowed from today onwards for those who have completed their vaccination regimen.He said no roadblocks would be mounted to monitor travel across state borders although random checks would be made under the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act.


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Najib seeks bank documents for defence in 1MDB case

Former prime minister Najib Razak is seeking a court order to compel the prosecution to produce several bank statements and other documents for his defence team in his RM2.3 billion 1MDB case.In the notice of motion filed today at the High Court by his defence team led by Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, Najib among others claimed that the documents were under the custody of the prosecution or other entities.In an affidavit affirmed by Najib, 67, to support his application, the Pekan MP said the documents were vital and relevant to his 1MDB trial as they were not made available to his defence team before his case began.He claimed that some of the statements and documents were linked to the companies believed to be related to fugitive businessman Low Taek Jho or Jho Low and the family of former Bank Negara Malaysia governor Zeti Akhtar Aziz.“Zeti is listed as a witness in the 1MDB trial. As such, the bank documents are very relevant to my defence and the cross-examination of Zeti and other prosecution witnesses pertaining to her credibility and her independence as she is the former governor of Bank Negara relevant to the period in relation to my charges,” he said.Najib also said that the suppression of the bank documents had the effect of misrepresenting the truth and was a breach of his fundamental liberties as enshrined in the Federal Constitution and his right to a fair trial and equality before the law, as stated under Articles 5 and 8 of the constitution.The documents he sought in his notice of motion include bank account statements for Aktis Capital Singapore Pte Ltd, Country Group Securities Public Company Ltd, ACME Time Ltd (BVI), Butamba Investments Ltd, and Central Holdings Ltd.He is also seeking the companies’ certificates of incumbency, declarations of the identities of the companies’ beneficial owners, registers of members, registers of directors as well as correspondence between the banks and the companies in respect of their transactions, including emails, telegraphic transfers, remittance forms, payment advice, transaction reports, payment orders, credit advice and bank memos.The application compels the revelation of the documents from the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission and Bank Negara Malaysia, or any other entities with custody of the documents.Deputy public prosecutor Ahmad Akram Gharib, when contacted, confirmed that the prosecution had received a copy of the application. Justice Collin Lawrence Sequerah set March 26 for mention.Sequerah said the court intends to continue the 1MDB trial in April if Najib’s appeal in his SRC International case does not take place at the Court of Appeal.He fixed April 19 to 22 for the 1MDB trial to resume in the event that the appeal hearing is vacated.


White House announces new measures to counter rising anti-Asian attacks

The Biden administration on Tuesday announced a set of measures in response to rising anti-Asian violence, including deploying nearly US$50 million from Covid-19 relief funds for US community programmes that help victims of hate crimes, reports Reuters.“We can’t be silent in the face of rising violence against Asian Americans,” US President Joe Biden wrote on Twitter. “These attacks are wrong, un-American, and must stop.”The measures come after shootings at Atlanta spas earlier this month left eight people dead, six of them Asian-American women. The shooting suspect has denied that he acted out of hate, saying that he felt guilty over his sex addiction.Nevertheless, the shooting stoked fears among those in the Asian-American community, which has reported a spike in hate crimes since March 2020 when then-president Donald Trump began referring to Covid-19 as the “China virus” and “kung flu”.Biden’s new steps include forming a new task force dedicated to countering xenophobia against Asians in healthcare. The Department of Justice is also planning new efforts to enforce hate crime laws and report data on racial crimes, the statement said.In New York City on Monday, security video footage captured an unidentified black man attacking a 65-year-old Asian woman on a Manhattan city street in broad daylight, then stamping on her repeatedly, while shouting “You don’t belong here”, and anti-Asian insults.Onlookers captured on the video, stood by as the woman was brutally assaulted.A day earlier, video captured a black man beating an Asian man senseless on the subway, the New York Post reports. In that incident, bystanders filmed with their phones and yelled at the attacker to stop but failed to step in as the victim was choked unconscious.In other cities, elderly Asian citizens have been pushed to the ground, beaten and robbed.New York City mayoral candidate Andrew Yang, the son of Taiwanese immigrants, said on Tuesday the woman who was beaten in the Manhattan attack could have easily been his mother.“Like so many people, I woke up to a horrifying video of an Asian woman being horribly beaten for no other reason than her race.”Yang again called on NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio to “fully fund” the anti-Asian Hate Crimes Task force.


Govt looking to phase out Touch ‘n Go, SmartTAG by end-2023

The works ministry is targeting 60% usage of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology for toll payments by the end of 2022, the Dewan Negara was told today.Deputy Works Minister Arthur Joseph Kurup said the use of Touch ‘n Go and SmartTAG cards may be stopped by the end of 2023.“We understand the concerns voiced by highway users and would like to clarify that for now, Touch‘ n Go and SmartTAG card lanes remain operational on all highways and they will only be phased out, taking into account RFID usage rates and RFID lane availability,” he said during the question-and-answer session.He was replying to a supplementary question from Aknan Ehtook on the ministry’s plans on the use of RFID technology.Arthur added that the cost of RFID is much lower than Touch ‘n Go and SmartTAG, and that it does not require maintenance costs such as replacing the battery as needed for SmartTAG and is easy to top up online.“At the RFID lane, we can clear 1,000 vehicles per hour, but Touch‘ n Go only 550 vehicles per hour, meaning this technology (RFID) can indeed help reduce congestion at toll plazas.“The government will now give a discount of RM10 if we buy (the) RFID (device) through electronic wallets (e-wallets), At the same time we are still studying some methods to provide additional incentives such as new car buyers having RFID already installed,” he said.Arthur said this in response to another supplementary question from Seruandi Saad’ who wanted to know whether the government intends to provide free installation or subsidies to consumers who switch from Touch ‘n Go and SmartTAG to RFID to reduce their cost burden.


‘Space pups’: Mouse sperm stored on space station produces healthy young

Turns out the comic books were wrong.Japanese researchers found mouse sperm exposed to high levels of cosmic radiation for nearly six years produced a large brood of healthy, unremarkable “space pups”.Their study was published Friday in Science Advances – which noted no signs so far of Mousezillas or rodent Hulks.The sperm was stored in the International Space Station (ISS) in freeze-dried form. Once brought back to Earth and rehydrated, it resulted in the birth of 168 young, free of genetic defects.Developmental biologist and lead author Teruhiko Wakayama told AFP on Thursday that there was little difference between mice fertilised by space sperm and sperm that had remained confined to our planet.“All pups had normal appearance,” he said, and when researchers examined their genes “no abnormalities were found”.In 2013, Wakayama and colleagues at the University of Yamanashi in Japan launched three boxes, each containing 48 ampoules of freeze-dried sperm, to the ISS for the long-term study.They wanted to determine whether long-term exposure to radiation in space would damage DNA in reproductive cells or pass mutations along to offspring.That could be a problem for our own species in future space exploration and colonisation missions.Batches were returned to Earth for fertilisation after the first nine months, then after two years, and finally after six years, leading to hundreds of births.Freeze-dried sperm was selected for the experiment because it can be preserved at room temperature, rather than needing a freezer.The ampoules were also small and very light, about the size of a small pencil, further cutting launch costs.When the space mice reached adulthood, they were randomly mated and the next generation appeared normal as well.Space coloniesWakayama, now director for Advanced Biotechnology Center at the University of Yamanashi, told AFP he had been inspired by the science fiction of Heinlein and Asimov and once wanted to be an astronaut.Though he settled on becoming a scientist, the sense of wonder and whimsy about space exploration never left him.“In the future, when the time comes to migrate to other planets, we will need to maintain the diversity of genetic resources, not only for humans but also for pets and domestic animals,” Wakayama and colleagues wrote in their paper.“For cost and safety reasons, it is likely that stored germ cells will be transported by spaceships rather than by living animals.”Getting to other planets means leaving the safety of Earth’s protective atmosphere and magnetic field – which also extends to the ISS, 400km above the surface.Deep space is filled with strong radiation from both solar particles and galactic cosmic rays from outside our system.Solar flares from the surface of the sun generate particles that can have particularly devastating impacts on human health and penetrate current generation spaceships.According to Wakayama, the process of freeze drying sperm increases its tolerance compared to fresh sperm, since the former does not contain water inside its cell nuclei and cytoplasms.According to the team’s calculations, freeze-dried sperm could be stored for up to 200 years on board the orbital outpost.Humanity might also want to spread its genetic resources off-planet in case of a disaster on Earth, the paper added.The study noted it is still necessary to investigate the effects of space radiation on frozen female eggs and fertilised embryos before humans take this next step into the space age.


Oscars return, with slap jokes and hot dog fingers on menu

The Oscars take place Sunday, with two big questions on everyone's lips: Will anyone get slapped? And can a wacky sci-fi featuring hot dog fingers and butt plugs really win best picture?
While the answer to the first question is likely no – academy chiefs have a "crisis team" in place after Will Smith's misadventures last year – the overwhelming response to the latter seems to be yes.
"Everything Everywhere All at Once," which follows a Chinese immigrant laundromat owner locked in battle with an inter-dimensional supervillain who happens to also be her own daughter, could not be further from your typical Oscar winner.
In a plot almost too bizarre to describe, Michelle Yeoh's heroine Evelyn must harness the power of her alter egos living in parallel universes, which feature hot dogs as human fingers, talking rocks and sex toys used as weapons and trophies.
But the film has dominated nearly every awards show in Hollywood, with its charismatic, predominantly Asian stars – supported by the ever-popular Jamie Lee Curtis – becoming the feel-good story of the season.
"It's a group of very likable people behind the movie who it's impossible to not be happy for," Hollywood Reporter awards columnist Scott Feinberg told AFP.
Having won top honours from Hollywood's directors, producers, actors and writers guilds, the film – a bona fide, word-of-mouth, US$100 million (RM451.9 million)-grossing audience hit too – is expected to dominate Oscars night.
But unlike in other categories, the movie could hit a stumbling block for best picture – the evening's top prize – due to the special "preferential" voting system, in which members rank films from best to worst.
The system punishes divisive films, and Feinberg said "many" voting members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences "just don't get" the madcap appeal of "Everything Everywhere."
If any rival can benefit, it is likely "All Quiet on the Western Front," Netflix's German-language World War I movie that dominated Britain's Baftas.
Another potential beneficiary is "Top Gun: Maverick," the long-awaited sequel from Tom Cruise – no less a figure than Steven Spielberg recently said the actor and his film "might have saved the entire theatrical industry" from the pandemic.
Toss-ups
If best picture has a clear favourite, the acting races are incredibly tight.
"I can't remember a year, at least in the time I've been doing it, where three of the four acting categories were true toss-ups," said Feinberg.
In best actress, Cate Blanchett had long been favourite to win a third Oscar for "Tar," but "Everything Everywhere" love could propel Yeoh to a historic first win by an Asian woman in the category.
Best actor is a three-horse race between Austin Butler ("Elvis), Brendan Fraser ("The Whale") and Colin Farrell ("The Banshees of Inisherin").
And supporting actress may be even closer.
Angela Bassett, the first Marvel superhero actor ever nominated with "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever," is up against Curtis and "Banshees" star Kerry Condon.
One category does appear to be locked.
Ke Huy Quan, the former child star of "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" and "The Goonies," has won every best supporting actor prize going and looks near-certain to complete a comeback story for the ages.
'The Slap'
Hanging over the ceremony is the specter of "The Slap" – the shocking moment at last year's Oscars when Smith assaulted Chris Rock on stage for cracking a joke about his wife.
At a press conference this week, Oscars executive producer Molly McNearney said: "We're going to acknowledge it, and then we're going to move on."
For Feinberg, "the academy has made it very clear that they don't find it funny and they would rather it not be discussed. But I guess you can't pretend it didn't happen."
Organizers were criticised last year for allowing Smith to remain at the show after the attack, and even collect his best actor award.
He was later banned from Oscars events for a decade, meaning he cannot present the best actress statuette this year, as is traditional.
A "crisis team" has been set up for the first time, to immediately respond to any unexpected developments.
Asked by AFP how this would work should something untoward happen, producer Glenn Weiss said "every major event I've worked on in the last 20 years has some kind of security."
"We've done the Democratic Convention, we've done the inauguration for multiple presidents. We put on the entertainment – the Secret Service takes care of the other side."
The focus of his team, and host Jimmy Kimmel, is strictly "to keep it entertaining and hopefully keep you guys watching," he said.
Blockbusters
Whether people will keep watching is arguably the biggest question of all.
Partly thanks to "The Slap," last year's ratings improved from record lows, but remained well below their late 1990s peak, as interest in awards shows wanes and doomsayers continue to predict the demise of theatergoing.
This year, organisers hope nominations for widely watched blockbusters like "Top Gun: Maverick" and "Avatar: The Way of Water" will bring viewers back.
"If the public cares about the movies, they care about the Oscars, relatively more," said Feinberg.
The year "Titanic" won 11 Oscars including best picture, in 1998, recorded the highest ever ratings, with 57 million tuning in.
"That world is gone," said Feinberg. "But if it doesn't go up from last year, then the Academy has a big problem."


Businessman charged again in JanaWibawa graft case

Segambut Bersatu deputy chief Adam Radlan Adam Muhammad was charged again today in the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court with soliciting a bribe of RM2 million related to a JanaWibawa project.
Adam Radlan, 42, who is also a businessman, pleaded not guilty after the charge was read before judge Azura Alwi.
"Understand the charge and request to go to trial," he said.
Adam Radlan was accused of asking for RM2 million in bribes from one Lian Tian Chuan to assist Nepturis Sdn Bhd in obtaining a project under the North Klang District Office in Selangor from the government, valued at RM141 million.
The offence was allegedly committed at a restaurant in Publika, Damansara, around January 2022.
He was charged under Section 16(a)(A) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act 2009 and can be sentenced under Section 24(1) of the same act which provides for a maximum prison term of 20 years and a fine of not less than five times the value of the bribe or RM10,000 or whichever is higher, upon conviction.
MACC deputy public prosecutor Farah Yasmin Salleh asked the court to adopt the RM300,000 bail with two sureties previously set for the accused in the Shah Alam court.
According to Farah, Adam Radlan was charged in the Shah Alam Sessions Court on Feb 22 for the offence of accepting bribes involving the same project.
"The prosecution will request that the case in the Shah Alam Court and in this court be tried together.
"However, we have not yet received instructions as to whether the case will be tried at the Shah Alam court or the Kuala Lumpur court," said Farah, who was assisted by fellow deputy public prosecutor Natrah Fareha Rahmat.
Lawyer Rajan Navaratnam, representing Adam Radlan, did not object to the bail issue and informed the court of the additional conditions previously given, that his client must report to the MACC office in Putrajaya once a month as well as hand over his passport to the court. Azura then allowed Adam Radlan to use the RM300,000 bail set by the Shah Alam Sessions Court with the same additional conditions. She also set March 23 for re-mention of the case.
On Feb 21, Adam Radlan pleaded not guilty in the Sessions Court to two charges of soliciting and accepting bribes involving the same project. On Feb 22, he pleaded not guilty in the Shah Alam Sessions Court to two more charges of accepting bribes amounting to RM4.1 million in relation to similar projects.
Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi was previously reported as saying that the implementation of the JanaWibawa project had been suspended for a re-examination of whether the procurement procedure was conducted according to the rules set by the treasury.
Zahid, who is also the rural and regional development minister, said the RM5.7 million project was postponed as there was an element of procurement made through selected tenders or direct negotiations.


French Senate approves pensions reform as protests appear to lose steam

France's Senate voted late Saturday to approve a deeply unpopular reform to the country's pension system, hours after demonstrators took to the streets to oppose the cornerstone policy of President Emmanuel Macron's second term in office.
Senators passed the reforms by 195 votes to 112, bringing the package another step closer to becoming law. A committee will now hammer out a final draft, which will then be submitted to both the Senate and National Assembly for a final vote.
"An important step was taken this evening with a broad vote on the pension reform text in the Senate," Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne told AFP after the vote, adding that she believed the government had a parliamentary majority to get the reforms passed into law.
Should Macron's government fail to assemble the necessary majority, however, Borne could deploy a rarely used and highly controversial constitutional tool, known as article 49/3, to push the legislation through without a vote.
Unions, which have fiercely opposed the measures, still hoped on Saturday to force Macron to back down, though the day's protests against the reform were far smaller than some previous ones.
"This is the final stretch," Marylise Leon, deputy leader of the CFDT union, told the broadcaster Franceinfo on Saturday. "The endgame is now."
Tensions flared in the evening, with Paris police saying they had made 32 arrests after some protesters threw objects at security forces, with rubbish bins burned and windows broken.
This week, Macron twice turned down urgent calls by unions to meet with him in a last-ditch attempt to get him to change his mind.
The snub made unions "very angry", said Philippe Martinez, boss of the hard-left CGT union.
"When there are millions of people in the streets, when there are strikes and all we get from the other side is silence, people wonder: What more do we need to do to be heard?" he said, calling for a referendum on the pensions reform.
The interior ministry said some 368,000 people showed up nationwide for protests – less than half of the 800,000 to one million that police had predicted.
In Paris, 48,000 people took part in rallies, compared to police forecasts of around 100,000.
Unions, who put the attendance figure at a million, had hoped turnout would be higher on a Saturday, when most people did not have to take time off work to attend. On February 11, also a Saturday, 963,000 people demonstrated, according to police.
On the last big strike and protest day on Tuesday, turnout was just under 1.3 million people according to police, and more than three million according to unions.
'Future of children'
The reform's headline measure is a hike in the minimum retirement age to 64 from 62, seen by many as unfair to people who started working young.
"I'm here to fight for my colleagues and for our young people," said Claude Jeanvoine, 63, a retired train driver demonstrating in Strasbourg, in eastern France.
"People shouldn't let the government get away with this, this is about the future of their children and grandchildren," he told AFP.
The reforms would also increase the number of years people have to make contributions in order to receive a full pension.
Protesters say that women, especially mothers, are also at a disadvantage under the new reforms.
"If I'd known this was coming, I wouldn't have stopped working to look after my kids when they were small," said Sophie Merle, a 50-year-old childcare provider in the southern city of Marseille.
Several sectors in the French economy have been targeted by union calls for indefinite strikes, including in rail and air transport, power stations, natural gas terminals and rubbish collection.
On Saturday in Paris, urban transit was little affected by stoppages, except for some suburban train lines.
But uncollected rubbish has begun to accumulate in some of the capital's neighbourhoods, and airlines cancelled around 20 percent of their flights scheduled at French airports.
An opinion poll published by broadcaster BFMTV on Saturday found that 63 percent of French people approved of the protests against the reform, and 54 percent were also in favour of the strikes and blockages in some sectors.
Some 78 percent, however, said they believed that Macron would end up getting the reform adopted.


US embassy in Thailand rejects citizens’ appeal to fly in vaccines for them

The US embassy in Thailand on Wednesday turned down a direct appeal to fly in Covid-19 vaccines for its citizens there but said the US government was taking actions to boost vaccine access worldwide.In an online message to its citizens in Thailand, the embassy said the state department could not provide vaccines to the millions of Americans abroad, but would advocate for equitable access locally.The message comes after four US citizens’ groups last month wrote to Secretary of State Antony Blinken asking for Thailand to be made a pilot project for vaccinating Americans abroad.The US taxes its citizens on income earned wherever they are in the world, so these groups of citizens maintain that as US taxpayers, they should have the same rights as citizens at home who are being swamped with inducements to accept free Covid shots at taxpayers’ expense.US embassies have posted on their websites notices saying the US government does not provide vaccines for its citizens overseas alongside information about whatever access Americans may have to local vaccinations.Paul Risley, a US citizen and chair of Democrats Abroad, told Reuters that the need to vaccinate elderly Americans who may be unable to travel home for the shots was “paramount”.Vaccinating American citizens would also help alleviate the burden for Thailand, Risley said.The embassy said the US government will release seven million vaccine doses to countries in Asia, including Thailand.It did not say it was making plans to vaccinate or prioritise its own citizens.Thailand’s mass vaccination drive started this month amid its worst coronavirus outbreak so far. A record 51 deaths were announced on Wednesday. So far, in Thailand only about 2.3 million out of over 50 million adults have been fully vaccinated.Some sources say foreigners will be entitled to be vaccinated in the drive but others say the jabs are only for foreigners with working visas.China has donated one million vaccine doses to Thailand, with 400,000 earmarked for its own nationals.France’s embassy on Wednesday started vaccinating its citizens in Thailand.On Wednesday, the Scandinavian Society Siam sent an appeal to all Nordic governments to follow the example of the French embassy and take matters regarding vaccination of their own citizens into their own hands. Their message reads in part:“The Nordic community in Thailand is in severe danger from the Covid-19 pandemic, and the Scandinavian Society Siam is appealing to you for immediate help to our fellow citizens who need vaccines to prevent Covid-19 from causing more fatalities and more havoc among Nordic citizens in Thailand.“The official vaccination program in Thailand does not include foreigners, neither elderly nor those with underlying diseases unless they have a work permit, and the many retired Nordic persons are therefore left in frustrating danger.”


Myanmar junta wants ‘stability’ before heeding pleas on violence

Myanmar’s junta said Tuesday it will heed regional pleas to stop violence only when the coup-hit country “returns to stability”, as fresh fighting erupted with a major ethnic rebel group along its eastern border.The nation has been in turmoil since the military ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi in a Feb 1 coup, triggering an uprising that has seen security forces mount deadly crackdowns against protesters.The violence – in which more than 750 people have been killed by security forces, according to a local monitoring group – has raised alarm among regional neighbours.Junta leader Min Aung Hlaing attended a weekend meeting on the crisis with the leaders of the 10-country Asean – his first overseas trip since he seized power.The leaders issued a “five-point consensus” statement that called for the “immediate cessation of violence” and a visit to Myanmar by a regional special envoy.On Tuesday, Myanmar’s State Administrative Council – as the junta dubs itself – said it would consider the “constructive suggestions made by Asean leaders when the situation returns to stability in the country”.The statement also said its neighbours’ suggestions would be “positively considered if it (Asean) would facilitate the implementation” of the junta’s five-step roadmap.Junta spokesman Zaw Min Tun told AFP the regime was “satisfied” with the trip, saying they had been able to explain the “real situation” to Asean leaders.But Asean is not known for its diplomatic clout and observers have questioned how effectively it can influence the crisis.The former US ambassador to Myanmar, Scot Marciel, warned that the military’s response to the Jakarta summit showed signs of backsliding already.“Asean cannot dither here, as the junta moves to walk back even the limited agreement reached Saturday,” Marciel said in a tweet.“There should be urgent follow-up, and costs imposed on the junta for delay. There is a reason no one in Myanmar trusts the Tatmadaw,” he said, referring to the military by its Burmese name.Fighting in the eastSince Feb 1, security forces have killed more than 750 civilians, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, a local monitoring group tracking the death toll.But the junta – which called AAPP an “illegal organisation” – has registered a far lower death toll while blaming the violence on “rioters”.Two days after the Asean meeting, a teashop owner in Mandalay – a hotspot of unrest – was shot dead amid a protest that saw a violent crackdown by authorities, according to a rescue worker.The anti-coup movement has garnered broad support across the country, including among some of Myanmar’s armed insurgent groups which have for decades been fighting the military for more autonomy.One of the most active opponents, the Karen National Union (KNU), has clashed with the military in their territory along Myanmar’s eastern border for weeks.On Tuesday, fighting broke out in Karen state near the Salween river, which demarcates part of the border, with residents on the Thai side reporting hearing gunfire and explosions coming from inside Myanmar.Junta spokesman Zaw Min Tun confirmed the attack by the KNU’s Fifth Brigade, saying the rebels were not listening to the group’s central command.“We will continue to take action for security reasons,” he said.But Padoh Saw Taw Nee, the KNU’s head of foreign affairs, called the junta’s statement “nonsense”, adding that their soldiers had razed the Tatmadaw’s army base.“This is a divide-and-rule technique… we approve (of Fifth Brigade’s attack).”


Mat Sabu’s aide charged with bribery again

The political secretary to former defence minister Mohamad Sabu was charged again in the Sessions Court today with two counts of accepting bribes totalling RM130,000 from a contractor company last year.Mohd Azhar Che Mat Dali, 49, pleaded not guilty after the charges were read to him before judge Rofiah Mohamad.On the first count, Azhar was charged with accepting RM50,000 from Aqsa Solution Sdn Bhd managing director Elias Jemadi Tajudin, as gratification for helping FEHM Entity Sdn Bhd be selected as the strategic partner and maintenance contractor for the ministry’s intelligence system.He was alleged to have committed the offence in his official car at Lorong VIP, Kuala Lumpur International Airport, Sepang in August last year.On the second count, Azhar was charged with accepting RM80,000 from Elias Jemadi, who is also FEHM Entity Sdn Bhd managing director, through Ikaira Resources director Zainudin Abdul Majid for the same purpose.The offence was allegedly committed at the Kota Damansara driving range, Petaling Jaya at the end of last year.Both charges were framed under Section 16(a)(B) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act 2009 which carries maximum imprisonment of 20 years and a fine of not less than five times the amount of the bribe or RM10,000, whichever is higher, upon conviction.MACC deputy public prosecutor Mahadi Abdul Jumaat offered bail of RM30,000 with one surety with an additional condition for Azhar to report to the Putrajaya MACC office on the first week of every month starting November.However, Azhar’s lawyer Ariff Azami Hussein requested a minimum bail on the grounds that his client was no longer working and had to support a wife and seven children, including two who are still in school, as well as his mother-in-law.The court allowed bail at RM15,000 for both charges and ordered Azhar to report himself to the Putrajaya MACC office on the first week of every month.The court also set Nov 27 for case management.On Oct 15, Azhar was charged in the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court with five counts of soliciting and accepting bribes totalling RM6.35 million.


Twitter sticks with ambitious targets despite earnings miss

Twitter on Thursday reported that revenue and its user base grew less than expected, but the platform stuck with ambitious growth targets for the coming years.The platform has a fraction of the daily users – an average of 217 million at the end of 2021 – that flock to giants like Facebook, but has aimed to significantly boost growth and revenue.For the full year 2021, the group’s revenue came in at US$5.08 billion and was US$1.57 billion in the quarter, slightly below analyst expectations.Thursday’s earnings release showed that Twitter was about one million under analysts’ expectations for users at the end of 2021, but still increased by about six million from the previous quarter.In the report, the company said it was still aiming for 315 million daily users by the end of 2023, and at least US$7.5 billion in income that year.“Our strong 2021 performance positions us to improve execution and deliver on our 2023 goals,” said CEO Parag Agrawal, who took over from founder Jack Dorsey last year.Analysts were a bit more measured in their view of the company’s goals.“It’s going to be tough, but not totally impossible,” wrote Market Intelligence analyst Jasmine Enberg, referring to the 315 million target.Twitter “will need to add over 12 million each quarter over the next two years to reach 315 million,” Enberg noted.“With Agrawal in charge, we can expect more product changes and innovation at an even faster pace than we’ve seen over the past two years,” she added.Advertising revenue, Twitter’s main source of revenue, grew 37% for the year and 27% for the quarter, but was also below predictions.The company’s quarterly net profit was US$182 million.Twitter’s board of directors also approved a new share buyback programme for US$4 billion, replacing the previous US$2 billion programme initiated in 2020 and completed to the tune of US$1.2 billion.Wall Street reacted positively to this latest announcement, with shares up just over 1% to around US$38 at 1515 GMT.


Ex-law minister VK Liew dies

Former law minister Liew Vui Keong died this morning, days after he was admitted to Gleanegles Hospital in Kota Kinabalu.Liew, 60, was the Warisan MP for Batu Sapi.He reportedly slipped into a coma after being admitted for a lung infection.He was appointed the election director for Warisan Plus, the alliance which brought together Warisan, DAP, PKR, Upko and Amanah, which was defeated in the recent state polls.


Collapse of Iran’s clerical regime ‘only a matter of time’, says Shah’s son

It is only a “matter of time” until the end of the Islamic Republic regime in Iran, Reza Pahlavi, the exiled eldest son of the last Shah of Iran Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, told Saudi newspaper Arab News from Washington DC.His father was overthrown in the 1979 revolution led by Ayatollah Khomeini, who then founded the Islamic Republic.Pahlavi said Iran’s youth want a different life. He said, “Not only has the regime lost its legitimacy, but it’s beginning to lose its grasp as well.”The clerical regime wants “to export an ideology and dominate the region either directly or via proxies,” he said, adding that it is incapable of coming to terms with the rest of the world.Iran and world powers have been engaged in talks in Vienna since April aimed at reviving the nuclear deal which former US president Donald Trump abandoned in 2018 while reimposing crippling economic sanctions on Iran.Pahlavi said lifting sanctions on Tehran will only embolden the Islamic Republic clerics and create further instability in the region.“I think the only way to get more results is not by relaxing pressure but by exerting more pressure,” he said. “This will be beneficial for the Iranian people who pay the price every time the regime gets a second breath.”Pahlavi said he does not expect the Iranian people to receive any of the economic benefits that the regime would obtain should the ongoing nuclear talks in Vienna result in Tehran getting sanctions relief.“We saw during the Obama administration, when a tremendous amount of money was released to the regime and none of it was spent on the people of Iran.”Asked about Iran’s support for regional militias, Pahlavi said the interests of the Iranian people and their rulers are entirely different.“The regime has every interest to continue fomenting instability because its survival depends on that,” he said. “But our national interest depends on having stability and peace with our neighbours, as opposed to constantly meddling in their internal affairs.”Commenting on a recent interview in which Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said Saudi Arabia wants a “prosperous” Iran and aspires to have good relations with Tehran, Pahlavi said: “I think it’s a message to the people of Iran more than to the regime. It will certainly be well received by the people.”He added that, “The regime is on its way down, and sooner or later people will be free in Iran, and they will be the ones to have to choose and respond to this gesture.”Pahlavi said he anticipates good relations between Iran and its neighbours, once the current regime in Tehran is gone.He praised the Abraham Accords between Israel and some Arab countries, saying, “The Iranian people, in contrast to their clerical rulers, have no animosity toward Israel. Once Iran is liberated, the people of Iran will be the first to say to Israel: hey, we have no quarrels with you. We want to be part of the free world.”


Jakarta crippled by floods

Whole neighbourhoods of Indonesia’s capital Jakarta and dozens of major roads were flooded on Saturday after torrential rains pounded the Southeast Asian city overnight.More than 1,300 residents have been evacuated to temporary shelters, with parts of the capital under 1.2m to 2.7m of water.Images showed rescuers on rafts battling to evacuate the elderly and children from submerged houses in hard-hit southern and eastern areas of the city, and dozens of cars were seen submerged on waterlogged streets.National rescue agency spokesman Yusuf Latif said the floods were triggered by extreme downpours.“The rainfall intensity is very high due to extreme weather in Jakarta and it’s been raining since yesterday night,” Latif told AFP.“Our top priority is children as well as infants and the elderly.”No casualties have been reported so far, he added.Jakarta, a megalopolis that is home to around 30 million people, is frequently hit by floods in the rainy season.The city saw some of its deadliest flooding in years in January last year after downpours that also triggered landslides.At least 67 people in Jakarta and nearby cities were killed in that disaster, with the floodwaters reaching the second floor of some buildings after rivers burst their banks.


Denmark to exhume millions of minks culled over virus

Four million minks culled in Denmark over a mutant coronavirus strain will be dug up next year to prevent pollution, the government said Sunday in the latest twist to a long-running saga.If parliament agrees, the mink carcasses will be dug up and burned in six months’ time once the risk of infection is completely passed, the agriculture ministry said in a statement.“This way, we avoid the mink being treated as dangerous biological waste, a solution that’s never been used before,” the ministry said.Denmark dug two mass graves in November on military sites near Holstebro and Karup in the country’s west.But under fire for its management of the “mink crisis”, the government was forced to admit the pits were an environmental risk to the water table and nearby lakes.The ministry said that the danger of pollution was not urgent, and that “the environment authority is following the situation closely”, allowing the delay in digging up the minks until May.Denmark, the world’s top mink fur exporter, said in November it would cull its entire stock of 15 million minks because of a mutant coronavirus strain that could threaten the effectiveness of upcoming human vaccines.Copenhagen said on November 19 that the “Cluster 5” mutation had been wiped out, and so far mink are the only animal confirmed to be capable both of contracting the strain and of passing it to humans.But the government’s decision became a political crisis when it turned out it had no legal basis for the cull.The agriculture minister resigned and Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen apologised in tears.Now a bill that would ban mink husbandry until 2022 is set to become law on Monday.


New infections at 1,161 as death toll up by 3

Another 1,161 Covid-19 cases were recorded yesterday, taking total confirmed infections in the country to 5,014,885.
There were 1,562 recoveries, taking total recoveries to 4,961,287.
There are now 16,811 active cases, of which 15,749 or 93.7% are undergoing home quarantine.
Meanwhile, 0 (0%) are at quarantine centres while 1,004 (6%) have been hospitalised.
A total of 58 are in ICU with 34 in need of respiratory assistance.
Another three deaths were reported, including one who was brought in dead. Total deaths now stand at 36,787.


Number of flood victims still on the rise as 73 roads closed in Selangor

The number of evacuees seeking shelter at relief centres (PPS) in the states of Pahang, Kelantan, Melaka, Perak and Negeri Sembilan rose this morning compared to yesterday.In Pahang, the state Social Welfare Department’s (JKM) InfoBencana said a total of 25,669 people were evacuated to 239 PPS this morning compared to 19,344 people at 214 PPS last night.Nine districts have been hit by floods so far: Bentong, Raub, Lipis, Jerantut, Temerloh, Bera, Maran, Kuantan and Pekan.Several stretches along the Kuala Lumpur-Karak Highway and the East Coast Expressway Phase 1, including at KM76-KM126 Karak-Temerloh, remain closed to traffic in both directions, according to the highway concessionaire.The state disaster management committee secretariat reported that several major rivers in Pahang were still at the danger level, including Sungai Pahang, Sungai Jelai, Sungai Tembeling, Sungai Lipis, Sungai Bentong, Sungai Lembing, Sungai Lepar and Sungai Belat.In Kelantan, the number of flood evacuees increased to 3,801 people from 1,098 families this morning, compared to 3,173 people from 895 families yesterday.Kelantan Civil Defence Force (APM) disaster management and operation officer Zainuddin Hussin said 57 PPS have been opened so far in Kuala Krai (29), Gua Musang (16), Pasir Mas (8) as well as two each in Jeli and Tanah Merah.The official eBanjir Kelantan portal reported that four major rivers in the state were at the danger level, namely Sungai Lebir in Tualang, Kuala Krai which recorded 36.53m, Sungai Kelantan at Tangga Krai (26.74m), Sungai Kelantan at Jambatan Guillemard (17.12m) and Sungai Golok in Rantau Panjang, Pasir Mas (10.28m).In Melaka, the number of victims rose to 826 people from 183 families this morning.Melaka APM director Cuthbert John Martin said in Melaka Tengah, 327 people from 80 families had been evacuated to PPS. However, the number of evacuees in Alor Gajah dropped to 481 people from 99 families.“The number of flood victims in Jasin remains unchanged at 18 people from four families. In total, 11 PPS have been opened in the state,” he said in a statement.In Perak, another PPS was opened at Dewan Bandaran Teluk Intan yesterday, bringing the total number of operational PPS to three.A spokesman for the Perak disaster management secretariat said the number of victims increased to 242 people compared to 154 people yesterday due to the overflowing of waters from Sungai Bernam, Sungai Slim and Sungai Trolak.In Negeri Sembilan, state APM director Mohd Syukri Madnor said the number of flood victims in Seremban and Port Dickson had increased to 597 individuals from 142 families with 11 PPS opened as of 8am.In Selangor, JKM’s InfoBencana application said that as of 8am, a total of 11,418 victims from 4,267 families had been evacuated to 74 PPS in all districts in the state.The state contingent police headquarters meanwhile said 73 roads in Selangor had been closed due to floods as of 4am.These comprise roads in areas under the jurisdiction of the KLIA district police headquarters (IPD) (two), Klang Utara IPD (nine), Sungai Buloh IPD (two), Subang Jaya IPD (11), Kuala Langat IPD (27), Sepang IPD (five), Shah Alam IPD (six), Klang Selatan IPD (10) and Hulu Selangor IPD (one).However, in Terengganu, the number of flood victims dropped to 288 people from 68 families, compared to 297 people from 69 families yesterday, involving the Kemaman and Dungun districts.


Election of deputy speaker postponed for fourth time

The election of a deputy speaker for the Dewan Rakyat to replace Azalina Othman Said, scheduled for today, has been postponed again for the fourth time.
The motion on the deferment was tabled by Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Parliament and Law) Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar, who proposed that the motion for the election of a deputy speaker, which was item number one on today's order paper, be postponed to the next meeting of the House.
"In accordance with Standing Order 90 (2) and with the consent of the speaker, I submit a motion to stop the undertaking of Standing Order 6 which is to postpone the election of a deputy speaker of the House as per item number one stated in the Standing Orders and motions for today, to the next meeting," he said.
The motion was seconded by Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Parliament and Law) Mas Ermieyati Samsudin and thereafter received the unanimous support of the MPs present.
On Aug 23 last year, Azalina resigned from the post although she continued to serve as interim deputy speaker for the duration of the sitting. The motion to postpone the election of the deputy speaker was brought up for the first time by Wan Junaidi on Sept 14 last year and again on Oct 25, followed by a motion for the same by Mas Ermieyati at the March 1 meeting this year.
Wan Junaidi said the motion was originally listed in the Order Paper of the Second Meeting of the Fourth Term but had to be postponed to allow for the amendment to Article 57 (1)(b) of the Federal Constitution to increase the number of deputy speakers of the House of Representatives from two to three.
Article 57 (1) (b) of the Federal Constitution states that the Dewan Rakyat shall from time to time elect two deputy speakers from among the MPs.


Govt to study Covid data for the easing of SOPs in some states

The government will conduct a data study on Covid-19 cases nationwide to consider relaxing the SOPs for Phase One of the movement control under the National Recovery Plan in certain states to be determined at a later point.Home Minister Hamzah Zainudin said the matter would be discussed with Senior Minister for Security Ismail Sabri Yaakob through the National Security Council Technical Committee before an announcement is made.“It is expected to be announced tomorrow… from the data we can show which states can be proposed to be given flexibility.“This proposal aims to give some freedom and relief… the average national cases that came from Selangor caused the people to feel overwhelmed by the problems,” he said at a press conference after leading a large-scale operation under Ops Patuh today.In the meantime, Hamzah said the compliance operation which begins today would witness the deployment of police assets such as drones and helicopters in some areas to ensure compliance with SOPs.“Today we see the operation being conducted in an integrated manner. It is different in other areas, but the focus is on Kuala Lumpur and Selangor. In addition, detailed data of the operation will be received tonight and I will announce it tomorrow,” he said.Also present were Deputy Inspector-General of Police Mazlan Lazim and Internal Security and Public Order Department deputy director (special operations force) Mastor Mohd Arif.


MCs not a ticket to skip court hearings, businessman's ex-wife told

The Kuala Lumpur Magistrate’s Court yesterday warned Emilia Hanafi, the former wife of SM Faisal SM Nasimuddin Kamal, not to use medical certificates as a "ticket" to be absent from court for the trial involving the well-known businessman who is alleged to have injured her.
Magistrate Nadia Othman also quashed the arrest warrant issued against Emilia, 43, after being satisfied with the woman’s explanation of her failure to appear in court several times for the trial.
"I would like to warn the complainant (Emilia) to be present at the next court proceedings and follow the procedures.
"Medical certificates are not a ticket to not appear in court. If necessary, as I asked Emilia earlier, submit a medical report to confirm your condition and as proof for your absence. The trial will continue on July 15," she said during mention of the case.
Earlier, deputy public prosecutor Nur Aishah Ahmad Zakiuddin applied to the court to revoke the arrest warrant against Emilia, issued on June 15, based on her explanation.
Emilia, who testified from the witness stand, said she was absent on Dec 14 and 15, 2021, Feb 28, March 4, April 20, May 20 and June 15 this year due to a medical condition. She said she was also stressed after an arrest warrant was issued against her by the Shariah Court involving an unrelated case.
"I suffered from abdominal pain, vomiting and diarrhoea and was given a medical certificate by a health clinic in Kelana Jaya on Dec 14 (last year). The following day (Dec 15, 2021), I obtained a medical certificate from the Kota Damansara health clinic for the same health problem.
"On Feb 28 (2022), I was down with a fever and went to a nearby clinic for a health check-up while on March 4, I came in close contact with a Covid-19 case," she said.
Emilia said that on April 20, she had suffered from a dental problem and had sought treatment at a dental clinic at the Urban Transformation Centre (UTC) in Shah Alam, Selangor.
"On May 20, I decided to get a second opinion from the Tanglin health clinic. But I opted for treatment in Shah Alam due to its better service and went to the Shah Alam UTC on June 15," she said. Nadia said she was satisfied with Emilia’s explanation but reminded all parties, including the accused, to appear in court for the smooth running of the case.
"I do not want this case to be postponed. According to my records, the case has been set for mention 38 times. It is your case, the court is ready, so you have to be present. I don’t want to hear lame excuses after this," said Nadia.
SM Faisal was charged with intentionally causing injury to Emilia at a house in Desa Sri Hartamas, Brickfields.
The charge was framed under Section 323 of the Penal Code, punishable under Section 326A of the same law which provides for a maximum jail term of two years, a fine of up to RM2,000 or both, upon conviction.
On June 27, Emilia was sent to Kajang prison to serve a seven-day jail sentence for failing to comply with a Shariah High Court order on visitation dates for her three children.


Mosques full despite Pakistan’s third wave of Covid

Schools and restaurants have closed, shops pull down their shutters early every evening, and the military has been mobilised to combat the spread of coronavirus – but night after night the faithful flock to mosques across Pakistan for prayers.Anxious over the virus’ deadly rampage through neighbouring India, officials have steadily tightened restrictions and banned travel during the upcoming Eid holiday, which marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan.But they have turned a blind eye to religious gatherings, fearing a crackdown could ignite widespread confrontation in the deeply conservative Islamic republic.“There is so much concern about backlash from religious groups,” said Saeedullah Shah, a doctor with the Pakistan Islamic Medical Association Covid-19 task force.“It’s a very weak government,” he told AFP. “Everything is half-hearted.”Pakistan has recorded more than 840,000 cases and 18,500 deaths, but with limited testing and a ramshackle health sector, many fear the true extent of the disease is much worse.Covid wards in several cities have been full or close to capacity for weeks as a more contagious variant of the virus has pushed cases to record numbers.But even as the government pleads with the public to follow “SOPs”, as the virus guidelines are popularly known nationally, mosques are almost another country.Attendance for daily prayers rises during Ramadan, especially in the evenings after fasting ends and during Friday afternoon sermons known as “jumah”.Mosques across Pakistan were brimming with people on Friday afternoon – the last jumah prayers before the Eid holidays.Maulana Muhammad Iqbal Rizvi – who oversees the historic Markazi Jamia mosque in the garrison city of Rawalpindi – said the faithful had little to fear, and dismissed comparisons to India.“Our prayers are different,” he said, and insisted restrictions were enforced – at least under his watch.“They are non-believers and we are Muslims. Repenting to Allah is our faith; they don’t repent, that’s the reason,” he told AFP.‘Ready to sacrifice’That sentiment permeates all levels of society, with Prime Minister Imran Khan saying Thursday: “In India, people are dying on streets… Allah has been kind to us compared to the rest of the world.”Still, he urged caution, adding: “Next two weeks are very important for us, we have to bring corona cases down.”Earlier this week Shiite Muslims gathered across the country to mark the anniversary of the martyrdom of Imam Ali, one of Prophet Muhammad’s companions.At a rally in the capital, initial caution gave way to emotion as masks were removed and participants dressed in black chanted songs and beat their chests in tight crowds.Thousands also gathered in the eastern city of Lahore, with the most demonstratively pious flagellating themselves and whipping their backs raw.“We are ready to sacrifice our lives, children and families,” Shahzad Jaffry told AFP.“The disease has been around for the last year, but those who have been against our gathering and mourning have been doing it for the past 1,400 years.”Health experts in India say religious gatherings there have been a major contributor to what has become one of the world’s worst outbreaks.But that has not spurred changes in policy or behaviour in Pakistan.Ashfaq Ahmed, who recently returned to Pakistan from Britain, said he was shocked when he saw crowds pressed into mosques and paying little concern to basic precautions such as social distancing.“It seems people here are in complete denial,” Ahmed told AFP.Despite the evidence, Pakistani officials insist guidelines are being followed.“If there is one place where Covid-19 guidelines are being followed that is at the mosques,” said Imran Siddiqui, a spokesman for the ministry of religious affairs.“I can take you to a market and then to a close-by mosque and you can see it yourself that people at mosques are better at complying with safety measures.”Still, according to a poll published by Gallup Pakistan this week, 64% of people believe coronavirus is not as dangerous as it is made out to be.Despite the warnings – and mounting death toll – the faithful continue to flock to prayer.“God is kind to us,” said Sohail Arshad at the Markazi Jamia Mosque in Rawalpindi.“If he has sent the disease he is the one who will cure us.”


Boris Johnson bows out as British PM, Liz Truss to take over

Boris Johnson bowed out as British prime minister on Tuesday, ending a tumultuous three years in office and bequeathing his successor Liz Truss a daunting list of problems to tackle.
Johnson, who was forced out of office by his own Conservative Party over a series of scandals, urged the country to come together and back his successor.
After making a farewell speech outside Downing Street, he left London to travel to Scotland and tender his resignation to Queen Elizabeth. Truss will then be appointed prime minister and start to form a government.
The 47-year-old Truss is tasked with steering Britain through a looming lengthy recession and an energy crisis that threatens the finances of millions of households and businesses.
Her plan to boost the economy through tax cuts while providing tens of billions of pounds to cap energy costs has already badly rattled financial markets, prompting investors to dump the pound and government bonds.
"What I say to my fellow Conservatives, it's time for politics to be over, folks," Johnson said in his speech. "It's time for us all to get behind Liz Truss and her team and her programme."
Truss will be the fourth Conservative prime minister in six years. She confronts the latest crisis to buffet Britain with a weaker political hand than many of her predecessors after she defeated rival Rishi Sunak in a vote of Conservative Party members with a smaller margin of victory than expected, and after she initially failed to be the top choice for her lawmakers.
She has promised to take "bold action" to get the country through the tough times, including cutting taxes despite a warning that that would exacerbate Britain's inflation rate, at 10.1% already the highest of any leading economy.
Johnson, who fought to stay in office until the end, used his departure speech to boast of his successes, including an early vaccine programme during the pandemic and his early support for Ukraine in its battle against Russia.
The speech was full of the bombast and jokes characteristic of a man once loved by much of British public but also loathed by many.
Having refused to rule out a return to the top job one day, he also indicated he was still bruised by the nature of his departure.
"The torch will finally be passed to a new Conservative leader," he said. "The baton will be handed over in what has unexpectedly turned out to be a relay race. They changed the rules halfway through but never mind that now."
Truss will follow Johnson to Scotland and be asked to form a government by Queen Elizabeth. She will then address the country and start appointments to her team of ministers later on Tuesday.
Britain, under Conservative rule since 2010, has stumbled from crisis to crisis in recent years and there is now the prospect of a long recession, and further increases in inflation, plus a weakening pound.
The most pressing issue is the energy crisis.
Household bills are due to jump by 80% in October, but a source familiar with the situation has told Reuters that Truss is looking at freezing bills this winter, in a plan that could cost more than the Covid-19 furlough scheme.
Britain's public finances remain weighed down by the government's huge coronavirus spending spree. Public debt as a share of economic output is not far off 100%, up from about 80% before pandemic.


Analysts see Malay support in the balance after Muhyiddin charges

Political analysts see Malay support hanging in the balance after the corruption charges brought by the government against Perikatan Nasional (PN) chairman Muhyiddin Yassin, especially in rural areas and among those who no longer support Umno.
James Chin of Australia's University of Tasmania said this was particularly the case among those who abandoned Umno after rejecting its president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and former leader Najib Razak.
However, he said the Malay community as a whole appeared to be taking a watch-and-wait approach to the ongoing court cases.
"For the wider Malay community, I think the attitude is, they are listening carefully to what he says about political prosecution.
"But it's more of a wait-and-see attitude," he told MalaysiaNow.
"I don't think they have made up their minds yet."
Muhyiddin, who was prime minister for 17 months between 2020 and 2021, has been slapped with a total of seven charges related to the JanaWibawa initiative, a post-Covid-19 programme to help Bumiputera contractors.
Speaking to reporters after the first six charges on March 10, the Bersatu president described them as an "organised political persecution".
Anwar however has denied claims of selective prosecution against his enemies.
Academic Shamsul Amri Baharuddin said the charges against Muhyiddin demonstrated the cooperation between Zahid and Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.
"Anwar became the 10th prime minister because of Zahid's support," Shamsul, of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia's Institute of Ethnic Studies, told MalaysiaNow.
"Anwar still owes Zahid. Rescuing him from the RoS situation was just one case. There are still 48 left."
Shamsul was referring to the recent move by Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail to exempt Umno from a clause in the Societies Act, allowing the party to forgo elections for its top two posts.
This followed the circulation of a letter dated March 2, purportedly from the RoS, stating that the additional motion, passed at Umno's 2022 general assembly in January, was irregular and in conflict with the party's constitution.
"The people are smarter than the leaders of PKR and Barisan Nasional," Shamsul said.
Chin however played down the odds of a government collapse, citing several issues including the approaching Raya celebrations which he said would make it difficult for any move by PN.
"I think the general stand for everyone, whether the government or the opposition, is that there is no need to make any move for now because of the six state elections to come," he added.
"Let us see who will have the support of the hardcore Malays."


Up to US policies, China says on sharing moon bounty

China intends to share rock and dust samples obtained from the moon by its Chang’e 5 probe, the deputy head of the China National Space Administration (CNSA) said yesterday.The capsule landed back on Earth in the northern region of Inner Mongolia in the early hours of Thursday, bringing back the first lunar rocks and soil retrieved by any country since the 1970s, and making China only the third country ever to obtain lunar samples.The material collected is from a different and much younger region of the Moon than previous US and USSR collection expeditions and is expected to greatly further scientists’ understanding of its origins.The successful mission also tested China’s ability to remotely acquire samples from space, ahead of more complex exploration expeditions within our solar system.“In accordance with international cooperation conventions and cooperation pacts, we will issue rules on managing the moon samples and data,” said Wu Yanhua, CNSA’s deputy head.“We will share with the relevant countries and scientists overseas, and some of them may be given as national gifts.”When asked if China would share any samples with the US, which limits its Nasa space agency from directly cooperating with China, Wu said existing US restrictions were “unfortunate”.“The Chinese government is willing to share lunar samples with like-minded institutions and scientists from various countries on the basis of equal benefit and win-win cooperation,” he said. “To be able to cooperate or not depends on US policy.”China has not disclosed the amount of samples that it has brought to Earth. The plan was to collect 2kg of rocks and soil.“We will announce this soon,” Hu Hao, chief designer of the third phase of China’s lunar exploration programme, told Reuters at the briefing.“We have not taken them out of the probe yet,” he admitted.


Backlash after ‘official’ China Weibo post mocks India’s Covid crisis response

A social media post from an account linked to the Chinese Communist Party has sparked controversy for appearing to mock India over its coronavirus crisis.The post on Chinese site Weibo showed an image of a rocket taking off in China alongside a photo of corpses of Covid victims being cremated in the dark in India. Text with it read: “Lighting a fire in China VS lighting a fire in India.”The obvious insinuation being that China is increasingly modern while India remains backward.The post, which appeared on Saturday afternoon, has since been deleted.It was reportedly published by an account belonging to an official Chinese law enforcement agency – the Communist Party’s Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission – which has millions of followers on Weibo, a popular microblogging site in the country.Weibo users responded to the post, which was later shared using screenshots of the original, by writing that it was “inappropriate” and that China “should express sympathy for India”.Hu Xijin, the editor-in-chief of China’s Global Times media outlet, wrote: “Hold high the banner of humanitarianism at this time, show sympathy for India, and firmly place Chinese society on a moral high ground.”The Weibo post appeared a day after Chinese President Xi Jinping sent a message of condolence to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the country’s deepening Covid-19 crisis.Xi said China was willing to enhance cooperation with India and provide any additional help where needed.India is struggling to cope with a devastating second wave of coronavirus, with hospitals battling to treat patients amid a chronic shortage of beds and medical oxygen.On Sunday, India recorded an official coronavirus death toll of 3,689 – the highest since the pandemic began.It came a day after the country became the first to record more than 400,000 new cases within a 24-hour period.


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Zahid's bid for injunction against Muhyiddin to be heard on Aug 8

Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s application for an injunction order to prevent Muhyiddin Yassin from issuing statements on the allegation that the former deputy prime minister had sought his help to solve or postpone the trials of his criminal cases will be heard on Aug 8.
Zahid’s lawyer, Baharudeen Mohamed Ariff, when contacted said the hearing of the application, which was initially set for today, was rescheduled as Muhyiddin had filed an additional affidavit on July 6 and the court had ordered Zahid to file his affidavit in reply before or by July 22.
“The hearing of the application was set on Aug 8 before High Court judge Rozana Ali Yusoff through online proceedings," he said.
In the suit filed on April 4, the Bagan Datuk MP sought an ex-parte injunction for Muhyiddin or his representatives to withdraw the allegedly defamatory statements or similar statements against him.
He also sought an interim injunction for the defendant to delete, edit and stop the publication of the part of the video footage which contained the statement in online news portals and social media, including Perikatan Nasional’s Facebook page, Astro Awani’s YouTube channel and KiniTV.
According to the statement of claim, Zahid, 69, claimed that on Feb 16, on the 15th Johor state election campaign trail in Mersing, at the compound of the Learning Centre Sentuhan Kasih Felda Tenggaroh 3, Muhyiddin had made a defamatory statement with ill intention and malice against him.
On the same day, he said, video footage of the statement was published on Astro Awani’s YouTube channel, which is managed by Astro Awani.
Zahid claimed Muhyiddin’s statement implied that he had used a shortcut to settle and postpone his ongoing court cases, that he had asked for Muhyiddin’s help to intervene in the cases and the judicial system, to order the dissolution of the Johor state assembly. He said it also implied that he was not a respectable and exemplary leader.
Zahid claimed that the allegations were false and aimed at tarnishing his name and reputation.
He is seeking general, aggravated and exemplary damages, as well as an order for Muhyiddin to publish a public apology in newspapers, and other reliefs and costs deemed fit by the court.


Selling books is hard these days, but not all indie bookshops are clearing their shelves

Inside the brown-painted Menara Majestic in Petaling Jaya sits a small, 270 square feet shop lot brimful with books.This tiny space, The Bibliophile Bookshop, is the pride and joy as well as the folly, many would say, of a young man, J Kiridaren.The book lover-turned-entrepreneur took a risk opening a physical bookshop in July last year, at a time when many brick-and-mortar businesses were being hit by soaring online shopping, and the Covid-19 pandemic was turning the economy from bad to worse.“I started posting my reviews of books that I read on Facebook. That got some audience and people started asking me where they could buy those books,” he told MalaysiaNow.“Gradually, I became more involved in the book industry, starting from buying and selling second-hand books to working at a book shop, to owning one.”He admitted that many in book circles were shocked when they heard he had opened a physical bookshop in these uncertain times, but he still believes in the value of a physical presence.“Many industry players are distancing themselves from physical shops because they want to cut costs.“But I think an actual shop is something more. It’s a space for readers and authors to meet together, and a space to discuss books,” he said. “This kind of book culture exists in bookshops.”He also believes that a physical presence will help with branding.“An actual shop is something more. It’s a space for readers and authors to meet together, and a space to discuss books.”He said though online stores can sell more cheaply, the book-buying public will still be looking for a place to let their mind rest and wander.Despite his optimism, Kiridaren said he and other independent bookshops are facing problems with publishers who supply them.“Publishers used to look for bookshops, but now they want to keep higher margins to themselves, so they sell the books themselves or hire their own marketing agents.“One publisher even cut our margin from 40% to 25%.”To make up for this, Bibliophile Bookshop also publishes its own translated classical works such as “The Prince”, “The Alchemist”, and “The Art of War”.Kiridaren is confident that brick-and-mortar bookshops will make a comeback, perhaps after the pandemic is over.He now has another shop lot for a warehouse for secondhand books, and another for a book cafe.“We look forward to publishing and selling more books. We do it for the younger generation.”“When we started in 2011, many people thought we were an e-commerce platform where you buy books and they would be posted to your house. It took a while for the public to realise that we are an e-book platform, where users download the books they want to read through our app,” he said.The pandemic has certainly helped the company.e-Sentral saw a spike of up to four times the usual monthly sales of e-books during the three months of the MCO last year.“It was a turning point for e-books in Malaysia. We even registered 25,000 new users in a day during the MCO,” he said. e-Sentral now has 650,000 users.Although the e-books sold through his online platform are mostly English, the best-sellers are Malay novels.“However, we sometimes see an increase in demand for more serious non-fiction books.“It depends on current events. For example, books about Singapore’s first prime minister, Lee Kuan Yew, increased in sales when he passed away.”Whether physical or digital books, it seems that Malaysians are still buying, which must be good news for those in the reading business.


Najib's lead lawyer seeks to discharge himself from SRC appeal

Najib Razak's newly appointed lead counsel Hisyam Teh Poh Teik is seeking to recuse himself from representing the former prime minister in his SRC International appeal, saying he needs more time as he is not prepared for the case.
Hisyam, who was appointed by Najib as his new lead counsel on July 26 to replace Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, said this before Chief Justice Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat, who chaired a five-member panel on the first day of Najib’s appeal.
However, Tengku Maimun said that as a counsel, Hisyam should not walk away and should carry out his duty to represent his client.
The others judges on the panel are Chief Judge of Sabah and Sarawak Abang Iskandar Abang Hashim and Federal Court judges Nallini Pathmanathan, Mary Lim Thiam Suan and Mohamad Zabidin Mohd.
Tengku Maimun told Hisyam that the bench had heard his request for a postponement on Tuesday and had given their grounds for rejecting his application.
"We reiterate that we have given the broad grounds. Are you aware that as a superior court, we have the inherent jurisdiction to administer justice, and that our jurisdiction is to ensure that the court functions?
"Do you accept that? Your client will be unrepresented. If you discharge (yourself), you will leave him unrepresented. Do you accept that?" she said.
Hisyam answered that he accepted everything Tengku Maimun was saying.
"... but under the circumstances, I cannot continue to represent Najib," he said.
To this, Tengku Maimun replied: "But you still need our permission to discharge yourself. You should have filed an affidavit first. Counsels should not just walk away without telling the court.
"In our mind, you can handle the case and you have many counsels available," she said before calling for a short stand-down to decide on the matter.
The court on Tuesday dismissed Najib’s application to postpone the appeal hearing and directed that the proceedings continue today.
The court also denied the Pekan MP's bid to adduce new evidence in his attempt to nullify the trial.
The hearing of the appeal has been fixed from Aug 15 to 19 and Aug 23 to 26.


Zizie Izette received RM2.2 million for introducing investment agents to Bung, witness tells court

The Sessions Court in Kuala Lumpur was today told that Bung Moktar Radin’s wife Zizie Izette Abdul Samad had received RM2.2 million in cash for introducing Public Mutual investment agents to her husband for Felcra to invest RM150 million in unit trust products.Public Mutual investment agent Madhi Abdul Hamid, 43, said usually the introduction fee would be given to individuals who introduced investment agents to customers.“We do not set any rate (for the introduction fee) but it is based on discretion (between the agent and individual). We decided to give (introduction money) to Zizie for introducing us to Bung,” he said.Madhi, who is a key witness in the case, said this during the examination-in-chief by deputy public prosecutors Mohd Sophian Zakaria and Law Chin How, in the corruption trial of the Kinabatangan MP and his wife.The 24th prosecution witness said together with another Public Mutual investment agent, Norhaili Ahmad Mokhtar, he had handed over the money to the actress at Public Bank’s Taman Melawati branch in June 2015.“On that day, Norhaili and I were at the bank (Public Bank) but Norhaili was there for a short period of time because she had other matters, so during the transaction, only Zizie and I were at the bank until the process was completed.“The introduction fee payment was made by me (after) withdrawing the money in cash and a Public Bank representative handed it over to Zizie,” he said.Madhi said prior to the money handover, the bank had informed him that the initial amount he intended to withdraw was insufficient and he could only withdraw RM2.2 million.To a question from Law on how much money the witness had initially asked for, Madhi said: “I don’t remember how much we asked for but the sum withdrawn by Public Bank was RM2.2 million.”Law: Before this, you (Madhi) said you would pay an introduction fee of RM2.5 million and above to Zizie but the bank said you could only withdraw RM2.2 million. (So) what about the rest?Madhi: The rest was paid to Zizie by opening an investment account with Public Mutual as requested by her.The witness said to open the investment account in Zizie’s name, he and Norhaili had to hand over the balance of the introduction money in the form of cheques in the name of Public Mutual.“A total of two cheques were issued to Zizie, one of which amounted to over RM200,000 and the other one from Norhaili where the amount to open the account was approximately RM600,000 to RM700,000,” he said.On May 3, 2019, Bung pleaded not guilty to two charges of accepting bribes amounting to RM2.2 million and RM262,500 as an inducement to obtain Felcra’s approval to invest RM150 million in the Public Mutual unit trust.Bung, 63, as the then non-executive chairman of Felcra, was charged with accepting the bribes from Madhi through Zizie at Public Bank’s Taman Melawati branch between 12.30pm and 5pm on June 12, 2015.He also pleaded not guilty to accepting a cash bribe of RM335,500 from Norhaili under the name of Zizie for the same reason, at the same place on June 19, 2015.Zizie, 43, pleaded not guilty to three charges of abetting her husband in the same matter at the same place, date and time.The trial before judge Rozina Ayob continues on Dec 7.


End to Ku Nan’s era as Khairy tipped to contest in Putrajaya?

Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Khairy Jamaluddin may stand as a candidate in the administrative capital of Putrajaya at the next general election in what would mark his first time contesting outside of Rembau, Negeri Sembilan, where he has claimed victory three times, MalaysiaNow has learnt.This comes as Umno deputy president Mohamad Hasan looks set to replace Khairy in Rembau.This would be Mohamad’s first attempt at joining federal politics after helming Negeri Sembilan for more than a decade before losing the state in the 2018 election.Putrajaya, which was long considered a “safe seat” for Umno during its domination of the federal government due to its majority composition of civil servants, has known no MP other than Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor.Putrajaya first became a parliamentary constituency in the 2004 general election. Tengku Adnan has won all four elections since, defeating candidates from PKR, PAS and Bersatu.Putrajaya has been represented by Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor since it became a federal constituency in the 2004 general election.But MalaysiaNow has learnt from a well-placed source in Umno that the move to allow Khairy to contest in Putrajaya is due to Tengku Adnan’s recent conviction of corruption.He is appealing against the verdict, “but it would take a long time and involve many legal stages”, the source added.“So he will not be able to contest if GE15 is called in the near future.”It is also understood that the move to bring Khairy to Putrajaya would disrupt Tengku Adnan’s plan to groom his son as a candidate there.“His son Tengku Iqbal has been making appearances together with his father to various events and meet-the-voters programmes in Putrajaya,” said the source.Mohamad, better known as Tok Mat, has been eyeing a foray into federal politics ever since he became Umno deputy president.He first indicated his interest in standing in Rembau during an Umno branch meeting last year.“I have to move to federal (politics) and there’s a strong possibility that at GE15, I will offer to stand as a parliamentary candidate in Rembau,” he said.Mohamad had also assured that Umno would give Khairy a “safe seat” in return.


Aussie jailed for trying to sell North Korean missile parts to Indonesia

An Australian has been sentenced to more than three years in prison after attempting to help sell North Korean missile parts and other goods in contravention of UN sanctions, authorities said on Tuesday.Chan Han Choi, 62, from Sydney, was charged in 2017 with offences including seeking to broker deals between North Korea and Indonesia.After initially denying the charges, he pleaded guilty in February to breaching sanctions by brokering the sale of arms and related material from Pyongyang in exchange for petroleum products, and attempting to export coal from North Korea to Indonesia.Choi, a civil engineer born in South Korea who moved to Australia in the 1980s, was sentenced last week to three years and six months in prison, ending what the Australian Federal Police (AFP) described as a complex investigation with a unique international span.“The actions of this man were in contravention of UN sanctions, which means a great deal of effort and organisation was required on his part to facilitate these illegal acts,” AFP Detective Acting Inspector Kris Wilson said in a statement.“The sale of these items could have jeopardised countless lives, and all AFP members involved in this investigation should be proud of their efforts.”Choi claimed he had “extensive” connections in North Korea including to the supreme leader Kim Jong Un, but his defence lawyer said it was all “just talk and hot air”, according to ABC News.New South Wales state Supreme Court judge Christine Adamson said people who tried to breach sanctions “undermine the international pressure which the sanctions were designed to exert” but noted Choi’s conduct was “confined to a few transactions which did not go ahead”.In court documents, she said, “Choi wanted to help the people of North Korea, against whom he believed international sanctions operated unfairly, as well as earn money.”Choi walked free after being sentenced, since he had been in custody from the time of his arrest.


Dubious justifications for ministerial advisers

Judging from the outcry over the nepotistic appointment of his daughter as his financial adviser, we wonder how many more mistakes Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim is going to make before his first 100 days are up.
It was Anwar’s nemesis, Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who set a bad example for him. In 2018, Mahathir hogged the finance ministry again as he had done during his first tenure as prime minister from 1981 to 2003. He mansplained that he only stepped in as finance minister while he was helming the country because he "needed time to find a good candidate”.
As a nonagenarian, it could be argued that he would need assistance in handling two portfolios. He did form an unelected Council of Eminent Persons (CEP) headed by Daim Zainuddin. Daim was, of course, to be more than an adviser to Mahathir, with his track record of being a "fixer". He went on to fix the multi-billion-dollar pipeline projects and the proposed East Coast Rail Link entered into by the previous Najib Razak administration which were suspended by the new Pakatan Harapan (PH) government in 2018.
You can imagine that Daim came under attack from several political factions in the new government (including Anwar?) because of the sweeping clout he enjoyed as head of the CEP. Mahathir’s plans for the privatisation of GLCs included restructuring and management changes at state-owned entities to benefit his coterie of supporters and business associates. Daim, the prime minister's adviser was apparently to fix all these for Mahathir.
As the prime minister's adviser, Daim went further than any "terms of reference" for the job. On June 10, 2018, former Federal Court judge, the late Gopal Sri Ram, claimed that Zainuddin had called for the resignations of then chief justice Md Raus Sharif and Court of Appeal president Zulkefli Ahmad Makinudin. Gopal told Malaysiakini it was "an open secret" that this had occurred during a meeting at Daim’s private office, but that it was unclear when the actual meeting took place. Gopal said that Daim should not have done so as it was unconstitutional for anyone other than the prime minister to summon the head of the judiciary.
Obviously, Nurul Izzah Anwar was not appointed to be Anwar's "fixer", but what other purposes does Anwar have for her? Does she have the credentials to be a special adviser to the finance minister and prime minister? We know that she needed a job after losing her seat in GE15.
Apart from the prime minister's advisers after PH won GE14 in 2018, we saw the creation of a post for Tian Chua as "adviser to the minister of works" in the last days of the PH government in 2019/20 when he was an unemployed politician. How was that post created? What credentials did Tian Chua have to be an adviser in that portfolio? Was merit a criterion in his selection? Was this in line with the "reformasi" ideals of PH?
These questions are also applicable to the appointment of Anwar’s daughter as the prime minister's "financial adviser".
The example of Daim, Mahathir’s adviser in 2018, illustrates the dubious justifications for appointing "ministerial advisers" – the blurred boundaries of the appointments and the risk of the politicisation of the public service. As we saw, there was little transparency and low accountability.
For a start, if ministerial advisers are needed, there must be a framework governing the scope of their role. For example, they must not ask civil servants to do anything which is inconsistent with their obligations under the Civil Service Code, never mind interfere with the judiciary; they cannot authorise the expenditure of public funds or have responsibility for budgets; or exercise any power in relation to the management of any part of the civil service.
PH rode to power at GE14 on a groundswell of disgust against the blatant scale of corruption committed by the former Barisan Nasional (BN) regime. While PH targeted Najib and the 1MDB scandal in its campaign strategy, the coalition was fully aware of the fact that corruption extends beyond barefaced kleptocracy. That is why the PH manifesto in GE14 decried the patronage practised by BN in appointing politicians and their partisans to state institutions.
It is time for all Malaysians who had hoped for a "new Malaysia" to call for a halt to this "moneyless form of corruption" and to restore merit-based criteria for entry into state institutions. This "moneyless form of corruption" that Transparency International calls "patronage" is important and insidious, where the state appoints friends, relatives, and political supporters including NGO activists to public jobs which, without the official’s influence, they would not have obtained. Thus, without hiring/appointing personnel on the basis of merit, such placements ensure that society as a whole suffers as Malaysia has suffered all these years.
Nepotism and cronyism are practices of partiality in awarding jobs and other advantages to friends, family relatives or trusted supporters regardless of their qualifications. This includes doing favours for partisan organisations, and giving desirable ambassadorships to exotic places.
The 1997 World Development Report emphasised the important link between merit appointments and bureaucratic capability. The report delved into the depth of political appointments in government departments. It stressed merit-based appointment as a plank in anti-corruption strategies. Merit can be defined as "the appointment of the best person for any given job". It is well known that in any organisation, good selection methods lead to the subsequent high performance of staff and the organisation. A visible merit-based appointment system, where breaches of good practice are self-evident, clearly makes it easier for citizens to hold the government to account in this area.
We need a politically neutral, merit-based career civil service, not dubious political appointments such as so-called "ministerial advisers".
Kua Kia Soong is a human rights activist.
The views expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the position of MalaysiaNow.


Shah Alam vaccination centre closed after Covid case detected

The vaccination centre at the Ideal Convention Centre (IDCC) in Shah Alam is closed today due to a Covid-19 case detected among workers at the facility.The Covid-19 Immunisation Task Force (CITF) in a statement said the closure was to allow sanitation work to be carried out, after obtaining the positive test results were received last night.“As a precaution, the CITF also recommends that those who received their vaccination at the IDCC between June 29 and yesterday conduct a self-assessment and get tested for Covid-19 should they have any symptoms.“Today’s vaccination appointments will be rescheduled to another date which will be informed as soon as possible,” it said.


RM6 million for charity foundation was a donation, not a bribe, Zahid’s lawyer tells court

The High Court was told today that the RM6 million channelled to charity foundation Yayasan Akalbudi, owned by Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, was a political and charitable donation and not a bribe to secure a project.Zahid’s counsel, Hamidi Mohd Noh, said this in response to a question by High Court judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah on why the RM6 million was channelled to Yayasan Akalbudi if the money was meant as a political donation.The question was posed to Hamidi when he was submitting about two cheques totalling RM6 million which were sent to Yayasan Akalbudi as stated in the 14th and 15th corruption charges.Hamidi replied that the 32nd prosecution witness and former Datasonic Group Bhd CEO, Abu Hanifah Noordin, who donated the RM6 million, was of the view that “political donations” and “charitable donation” were the same thing.Sequerah: If it was meant as a political donation, why would the money be channelled to Yayasan Akalbudi? What do you mean by “political also charity”?Hamidi: I quote Abu Hanifah’s testimony in court – “It is a political donation, I would also say it is a charitable donation.” To him (Abu Hanifah), it (the term) is interchangeable.Previously, the 34th prosecution witness, former Datasonic Group Bhd deputy managing director Chew Ben Ben, had testified that in April 2017, he handed over the two cheques totalling RM6 million to Zahid at his official residence (as the deputy prime minister at the time), and had also told the court that the money was meant as “political donations to Barisan Nasional” through Zahid.Today, Hamidi said that the two cheques, both made payable to law firm Lewis & Co’s client account, were held in trust for Yayasan Akalbudi.The lawyer also submitted to the court that Chew, whom he described as the single most important witness for charges 14 and 15, had told the court that the two charges against Zahid were “fitnah” (slander).Hamidi was referring to Chew’s testimony, where he denied giving a bribe or reward to Zahid for Datasonic Technologies Sdn Bhd to receive a contract from the home ministry.“Chew’s testimony had single-handedly buried the prosecution’s case for these two charges. It was ridiculous for the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission to file the charges, and for a witness to then come to court and say that such charges are ‘fitnah’.“Based on Abu Hanifah’s witness statement, it was not unusual for Datasonic Group and Datasonic Technologies to be awarded government contracts as it had been establishing its reputation and standing in executing government contracts over the years,” he said.Sequerah then asked: “Wouldn’t he (the witness) be inclined to distance himself from corrupt practices (in obtaining the contract)?”Hamidi responded that it was the defence argument that there was no element of corruption.“The witness (Chew) came to court and said it as it is. It is a ‘fitnah’. When they gave the money, they did not intend to give it as corrupt money,” the lawyer added.Zahid, 68, is facing 47 charges – 12 of criminal breach of trust, eight of corruption and 27 of money laundering – involving tens of millions of ringgit belonging to YAB.Based on the 14th and 15th charge, Zahid is alleged to have received bribes amounting to RM6 million from Chew as an inducement to appoint Datasonic Technologies Sdn Bhd to implement a five-year passport chip project, of 12.5 million chips for the Malaysian passport polycarbonate biodata page for the immigration department, through direct negotiations under the home ministry.The defence will continue its submission tomorrow.


Thailand to start long-term tourist visas next month, with conditions

Thailand slammed shut its international borders to foreign tourists at the start of the pandemic and its economy is hurting because of their absence.The Thai government has now agreed to allow in a few selected foreign tourists provided they undergo a 14-day quarantine and stay for at least 90 days, reports the Bangkok Post.This is a measure to bolster the Thai economy in a way that will not jeopardise the health of citizens.“Visitors can arrive for tourism or health services, and they can stay at alternative state quarantine facilities, specific areas or at hospitals that function as quarantine facilities,” said Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha.Deputy government spokeswoman Traisulee Traisaranakul said visitors would have to present proof of payment for their long stay in the country. This could be payment for a hotel reservation, or the lease of a condominium.Tourists would be able to extend their 90-day special visas twice, for another 90 days each time.Long-stay visitors could begin arriving as soon as next month, Traisulee said.“The target is to welcome 100-300 visitors a week, or up to 1,200 people a month, and generate income of about 1 billion baht a month.”Prasong Poontaneat, finance permanent secretary, said the country needs to generate income from visitors, especially those from countries where coronavirus has not been spreading in recent months.At the moment, such countries would include China, Taiwan and some European countries, although that number is decreasing as a second wave of infections surges across Europe.