Judges must be faithful to the Federal Constitution, chief justice says

Judges, in all circumstances, must be faithful to the Federal Constitution and resolute in upholding the rule of law, Chief Justice Tengku Maimun Tun Mat said yesterday.
Speaking at the reference proceedings to honour the memory of former lord president, the late Mohamed Salleh Abas, she said the year 1988 would always be remembered as the darkest chapter in the history of the Malaysian judiciary as its independence, vouchsafed by the Federal Constitution, was stunned by Salleh's removal.
"It infamously led to the upheaval of the nation's judicial system and a shattering blow to the judiciary and the constitution," she said.
Tengku Maimun said the 1988 episode should serve as a lesson to judges as, despite attempts to undermine the independence of the judiciary, they must, in all circumstances, be faithful to the Federal Constitution and resolute in upholding the rule of law.
In paying tribute to Salleh, Tengku Maimun said the former lord president was a great and courageous legal luminary as he had staunchly defended the Federal Constitution and championed the judiciary's independence until the very end.
She said Salleh had said that judges ought to observe and respect the concept of separation of powers, for judges should not encroach into the domain of the executive or the legislative branches of the government.
Tengku Maimun said Salleh, who valiantly defended the role of the judiciary, had also acknowledged that it was the role of the judiciary to invalidate any acts of the executive or the legislative using prerogative writs or declarations, should they transgress their powers beyond the limits granted to them by the Federal Constitution.
She said during Salleh’s tenure as lord president, the Malaysian judiciary had been hailed as a model for other countries in terms of the independence of credibility of the judiciary.
Seven months before his passing, the judiciary invited Salleh to the Palace of Justice for a high tea to commemorate him as a special feature in the Malaysian Judicial Yearbook, she said.
Tengku Maimun said that in one of his many interviews, Salleh had repeatedly said that it was his last wish and fervent hope to address the bench or, at the very least, to have a simple do to mark his departure as lord president. "For the past few decades since his removal, he said there was no closure for him as he never got the chance to bid good-bye to the court staff, the judiciary and the legal fraternity. The evening ended with a simple send-off ceremony for Salleh," she said.
"Little did we know that that evening was our final parting with our last good-bye to Salleh."
The reference proceeding was chaired by Tengku Maimun who sat on the bench with Court of Appeal president Rohana Yusuf, Chief Judge of Malaya Azahar Mohamed and Chief Judge of Sabah and Sarawak Abang Iskandar Abang Hashim.
Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department in charge of Parliament and Law Mas Ermieyati Samsudin and 39 of Salleh's family members were also present at the reference proceeding, a time-honoured tradition to remember departed members of the legal fraternity.
Attorney-General Idrus Harun and the Malaysian Bar president Karen Cheah, as well as Salleh's grandaughter Nuralissa Norrazak, also delivered speeches in his honour.
Salleh, who hailed from Kampung Raja, Besut, in Terengganu, died at the age of 91 on Jan 16 last year at Hospital Sultanah Nur Zahirah in Kuala Terengganu, two days after testing positive for Covid-19.
He served as lord president of the Federal Court for four years from 1984 before being removed in 1988 during a constitutional crisis where he fought to preserve the independence of the judiciary when Dr Mahathir Mohamed was prime minister.
He then joined politics, contesting and winning the Jertih state seat in Terengganu on a PAS ticket in 1999.
After quitting politics, Salleh practised law and appeared frequently in the Federal Court and Court of Appeal.


Daily caseload at 816 as another 6 deaths logged

Another 816 Covid-19 cases were recorded yesterday, taking total confirmed infections in the country to 5,019,400.
There were 940 recoveries, taking total recoveries to 4,967,175.
There are now 15,411 active cases, of which 14,455 or 93.8% are undergoing home quarantine.
Meanwhile, 0 (0%) are at quarantine centres while 915 (5.9%) have been hospitalised.
A total of 41 are in ICU with 24 in need of respiratory assistance.
Another six deaths were reported, including one who was brought in dead. Total deaths now stand at 36,814.


Removing barriers to education

Malaysia has long recognised the crucial role education plays in a child’s development and prospects. However, the education ministry has brought in a new policy which will deprive some of the most vulnerable children living here of schooling.It has recently come to light that children who are stateless are now expected to produce a passport to be able to enrol in schools and even children who were accepted in the past have been asked to produce one to be able to continue. By definition children who are stateless cannot apply for a passport so this policy change will create insurmountable barriers for them. Most of these children have been born in Malaysia and know no other country.As a coalition of NGOs concerned for children’s well-being and the protection of their rights, we are very concerned about this new criteria and urge the Malaysian government to return to the earlier zero-reject policy which states that every child should be accepted into school without any reservations while efforts are being made to provide them with proper documentation.To do anything less would contravene the spirit of the United Nation Convention of the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) of which Malaysia is a signatory. The United Nations is shortly to review Malaysia’s progress to full compliance, and we are certain that this bureaucratic hurdle will be raised and criticised. Preventing undocumented children from receiving proper education is likely to be seen as a regressive step taken by the government coming so shortly after the welcomed zero-reject policy was launched.With all the current difficulties children are facing over their education due to the pandemic, it is worrying that a new barrier has been erected for some of the most marginalised children in the country.We trust the problem will be swiftly rectified by the government now it has been brought to their attention.The views expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the position of MalaysiaNow.


Manufacturers fear heavy losses from floods

The Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers said today that floods which cut off roads and led to mass evacuations over the weekend have likely resulted in heavy losses for firms in the affected areas.Its president Soh Thian Lai said damage to property, other assets and products, as well as production disruption impacted industries in Shah Alam and Klang.The districts located within Selangor were among the worst-hit by floods. Nationwide, tens of thousands were evacuated by emergency services and civilian volunteers.Many workers have not been able to get to work or return home, Soh said.“The losses could be in the millions of ringgit but companies are probably only in the midst of assessing the exact damages after the floods subsided,” he told Reuters.Dutch chipmaking equipment supplier BE Semiconductor lowered its fourth-quarter revenue outlook today due to flooding affecting its main production facility in Shah Alam.Malaysia’s semiconductor assembly industry is an important part of the global high-tech supply chain and makes up a tenth of global trade in the sector.Blocked roads had also severely affected warehouse and logistics operations and shipment delays can be expected, Soh said.Shipping was brought to a standstill over the weekend but floodwaters have started to recede and recovery work is underway, Shipping Association Malaysia chairman Ooi Lean Hin said.Authorities at Port Klang, the country’s main port, said it had not sustained damage by the floods but some of its staff had not returned to work.Some deliveries at a retail furniture store in Kuala Lumpur were delayed by several days due to flooding at one of the chain’s warehouses in Klang.“Any deliveries due on Monday or Tuesday had to be pushed back to the end of the week,” a salesperson there told Reuters, declining to be identified.


PN sets sights on Selangor in GE15

Perikatan Nasional (PN) will focus its efforts on capturing Selangor at the 15th general election (GE15), state PN chairman Mohamed Azmin Ali says.
"We are confident that the people have high hopes on PN returning to power, not only at the central level," he said at an event in Shah Alam last night.
"This (Selangor) is PN's focus state in GE15."
Selangor is currently held by Pakatan Harapan (PH), which comprises PKR, DAP and Amanah.
It was a Barisan Nasional (BN) stronghold prior to the opposition's 2008 victory in the state.
At the event last night, Bersatu and PAS were given the responsibility of coordinating work in nine areas in Selangor while the remaining four areas were delegated to Gerakan.
PN chairman Muhyiddin Yassin said this was only for administrative purposes, and that no decision had been made on candidates.
"The chief coordinator might be from Bersatu, but the candidate will not necessarily be from the same party," he said, adding that the same would go for other parties in the coalition.
"We have not yet decided on candidates. This will be finalised at a PN meeting."
Azmin, who is also international trade and industry minister, said that diversity was PN's main asset for GE15 and the main threat to its opponents.
He acknowledged differences in opinion among PN leaders but said these would not stand in the way of cooperation in making decisions that benefit the people.
He also spoke of efforts to divide the PN components, adding however that the coalition was on the right track.
"The closer we get to the date of the election, the more the slander," he said.
"We are attacked on a daily basis, but this shows that we are strong. When we are trodden on, it means that we are still relevant to the people."
On speculation that Parliament might be dissolved on Friday, Azmin said this would be a heartless act given that the people were still struggling with all manner of hardships.
"Why the rush?" he added. "PN has already spoken openly about this, so that the people will know that we are against any move to dissolve Parliament now."


Trio arrested for kidnapping turkey to vodka party

Police in Latvia have arrested three men for stealing a turkey from a private zoo and then plying it with vodka at the beach to celebrate a birthday.The escapade occurred early on Wednesday in the capital Riga. Security camera footage shows the three dressed in black breaking into the mini zoo and stuffing the turkey into a black bag.The men, aged between 30 and 40, then took the bird to the seaside resort of Jurmala.Upon arriving at a train station in Jurmala named Bulduri, which means “Turkey’s Speech” in Latvian, they headed to the beach to drink and also forced vodka down the bird’s beak.The party was over when police noticed the men with the turkey and arrested them for burglary and trespassing.The turkey was returned to its home, later appearing on the local TV3 Latvija evening news unharmed but visibly hung over.“One of the suspects was celebrating his 34th birthday and the other two decided to celebrate it this way,” Inga Zonberga, the criminal police chief in the West Riga district, told local media.“Now the trio will face criminal charges for burglary and trespassing in an organised group,” she said, adding that the suspects had been previously fined for hooliganism and a string of other misdemeanours.


US wants airlines to boost help for stranded, delayed passengers

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has urged the 10 largest US airlines to do more to help stranded and delayed passengers, calling the level of disruption travellers have faced this summer as "unacceptable."
Buttigieg, who has faced pressure from US lawmakers who want airlines to offer better service or face stiff fines, has clashed with major US airlines over who is to blame for tens of thousands of flight delays and cancellations this summer.
In letters to major, regional and low-cost carrier chief executives made public Friday, Buttigieg said his department (Usdot) is "contemplating options" to write new rules "that would further expand the rights of airline passengers."
He urged airlines to ensure adequate services for passengers facing delays and cancellations, asking them "at a minimum" to provide meal vouchers for delays of three hours or more and lodging for those who must wait overnight because of disruptions within the carrier’s control.
"Regardless of the cause of the delays or cancellations, the department expects airlines to provide timely and responsive customer service during and after periods of flight disruptions," Buttigieg wrote.
Most US airlines provide meals or hotel rooms if they cancel or delay flights if they are to blame for disruptions, but they are not legally required to do so. Passengers are often not aware of airline policies.
Trade group Airlines for America said carriers would work with the department to provide transparency for travellers.
"Airlines want travellers to have a safe, seamless and positive travel experience and are working toward that goal every day," it said in a statement.
In his letter, Buttigieg said he appreciated steps airlines had taken to improve service but that the level of disruption US travellers have faced this summer is "unacceptable".
He said that in the first six months, roughly 24% of the domestic flights of U.S. airlines were delayed and 3.2% were cancelled. Complaints to Usdot from airline passengers have soared this year.
Usdot plans by Sept 2 to create an "interactive dashboard" for air travellers to compare services or amenities that each of the large US airlines provide when the cancellation or delay was due to circumstances within the airline’s control.
Buttigieg met virtually with airline CEOs ahead of the busy July 4 travel weekend to pressure them to perform better, set more realistic schedules and said the airline industry is largely responsible for the travel woes.
Airlines say they have voluntarily reduced flights to improve service, ramped up hiring and argue that inadequate air traffic control staffing has routinely impacted flights.
The airline trade group cited data saying 63% of the cancellations for the first five months of 2022 were caused by weather or national airspace issues.
On Monday, hundreds of flights were delayed at three major New York City area airports after the Federal Aviation Administration reported staffing issues and said delays could "approach two hours".
Usdot is drafting a number of new airline consumer rules, including requiring refunds for delayed baggage. In June, the agency warned it may prohibit airlines from charging extra fees to allow young children to sit next to accompanying family members.


LRT services at 6 stations to resume May 12

Operations at six light rail transit (LRT) stations on the Ampang-Sri Petaling line, involving the Bandaraya, Sultan Ismail, PWTC, Titiwangsa, Sentul and Sentul Timur stations, will be reactivated at 6am tomorrow.
Rapid Rail Sdn Bhd (Rapid Rail), in a statement today, said that the temporary repair work (first phase) of the structural and runway damage near the Bandaraya LRT station had been completed.
“The trains that need to undergo maintenance have been brought to the LRT depot in Ampang, and replacement trains will be used for this service.
“With the reopening of these stations, the LRT 11, 13 and 14 bus service will be terminated,” it said.
Operations at the six LRT stations have been suspended since April 2 because the trains used no longer meet the operational criteria and have to be taken out of service for safety reasons.
This was following the structural and runway damage near the Bandaraya LRT station, which resulted in trains not being able to return to the Ampang LRT Depot to undergo maintenance works since Jan 27.
According to Rapid Rail, the comprehensive repair work (second phase) of the track structure is expected to be fully completed by mid-October, depending on the evaluation and approval from the authorities involved.
“Rapid Rail will reactivate the free intermediate bus service (LRT 10 bus) connecting the Masjid Jamek LRT station and the Bandaraya LRT station following the service disruption between the two stations,” it said.
The intermediate bus service will operate using 10 buses with a 10-minute frequency.
Users also have the option to use other alternative rail routes, such as Monorail and MRT on the Putrajaya line, if they want to go to Hang Tuah or Chan Sow Lin.
Rail operations members and Prasarana auxiliary police will be assigned to the involved stations to assist and control the movement of passengers, it said.


Umno’s ‘court cluster’ hoping to replicate PH’s winning recipe by working with it?

A group of Umno leaders facing a string of corruption charges have been busy trying to convince grassroots members against continuing an alliance with Perikatan Nasional (PN), sources close to private conversations in the top echelons of the Malay party have told MalaysiaNow.Instead, they prefer to work with arch enemies in the Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition while pushing a narrative of Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin’s Bersatu being a “bully” to Umno.“It is a narrative that will evoke strong emotions among Umno members and the Malay vote bank,” the source said.Any alliance between Umno and PH would be another historical milestone in Malaysian politics, similar to the cooperation formed by former leader Dr Mahathir Mohamad and the opposition in the 2018 election.Some anti-Muhyiddin Umno leaders now hope that replicating that cooperation might help return the party to federal power – minus Muhyiddin and Bersatu.All it needs is to win between 30 and 40 seats in the next election, keeping in mind that PH as a coalition could win the most seats as it did at the last general election.Negotiations have been stepped up in recent weeks, with PKR president Anwar Ibrahim and his Umno counterpart Ahmad Zahid Hamidi “getting back to their political nostalgia”, as one source put it, referring to the duo’s close ties in Umno in the 1990s.One hurdle, however, is that Zahid and his predecessor Najib Razak – among the most vocal against Muhyiddin – are likely to end up in jail after being convicted of corruption charges.Najib was convicted in July last year, and his 12-year jail sentence is pending an appeal.Meanwhile, Zahid faces the huge challenge of wiggling out of the 47 charges with which he has been slapped.“The deal is, after Anwar is elected as prime minister, Zahid will be freed from his corruption charges and elected as deputy prime minister, while a royal pardon will be granted to Najib,” the source said to MalaysiaNow.The source said what the PH government did in securing freedom for Anwar – who was serving a jail sentence when the coalition won the 2018 election – could be replicated for Umno leaders.Under PH, DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng was also freed of charges related to the purchase of a bungalow in Penang.“That experience in dealing with Anwar and Lim’s cases gives confidence to Zahid, Najib and others from the court cluster to form an alliance with PH,” the source added.New political alignmentMeanwhile, Umno leaders are aware that efforts to stitch together an alliance with PKR and DAP must not be made public, for fear of losing support from Umno members as well as the Malay community, seen as the Umno vote bank which still holds the party as a fallback to ensure Malay political dominance.A key reason behind the move for an alliance with PH parties is Muhyiddin’s clear public stance not to intervene or influence the outcome of criminal cases involving politicians who are part of the ruling bloc.“It is a matter of life and death for the court cluster. PH is their last hope to be freed from corruption charges after they failed to persuade Muhyiddin,” said the source.It was also due to this that the group of Umno leaders joined forces to press for Parliament to convene during the emergency period.Last week, Zahid and Anwar, in their capacities as the heads of BN and PH, issued almost identical statements calling for a Dewan Rakyat sitting.The move was an embarrassment to Umno leaders, with social media abuzz with those mocking Zahid.BN subsequently announced that it had suspended its “chief media officer”, a post which MalaysiaNow later revealed was non-existent.


'Only AirAsia': International travellers vent fury over slow refunds

An AirAsia passenger from Germany has resolved to respond to every Twitter post that the low-cost airline makes until he receives a refund for the flight tickets he purchased for several hundred ringgit some six months ago.
Felicity Wilcox, a UK citizen living in north Cologne, said he had paid €103 (about RM480) for a flight from Luang Prabang, Laos to Bangkok, Thailand, scheduled to depart on Aug 30, 2022.
He booked the tickets on June 23, 2022, and was told a month later that the flight schedule had been changed.
Wilcox decided to take AirAsia's refund option for those who do not agree with flight schedule changes.
"I took the refund option as I was worried about missing my next flight in Bangkok," he said.
"Then I bought new tickets with Lao Airline. I was told that the refund process would take 14 days, but I have yet to receive my money back."
Wilcox said AirAsia then sent him an email informing him that the company did not guarantee the period of time within which he would get his money refunded.
It was then that Wilcox chose to take the matter to social media, deciding to respond to every tweet AirAsia made from September last year onwards.
He also made a series of complaints through AirAsia's chatbox AVA in addition to emailing the company, but today, he is still waiting for a solution.
Wilcox also took the matter up with Mavcom or the Malaysian Aviation Commission, but was told that the problem was beyond its jurisdiction as the flight route was not within the country.
Speaking to MalaysiaNow, he said he had experienced 10 flight cancellations with another low-cost airline, adding however that none of these was an issue as his money was refunded almost immediately.
"It's not so much about the amount of money I paid. It's more about AirAsia's unethical behaviour," he said.
"I will only stop responding to their tweets after they give me back my money, and not in credit form."
For Elvi Yuliani from Singapore, however, the money she paid was in fact the main issue.
Elvi forked out S$1,327 (about RM4,328) for flight tickets to Semarang, Indonesia, buying them through the AirAsia website.
Her flight was supposed to depart with Batik Air on Oct 6, 2023 and return eight days later.
However, she later received an email from AirAsia informing her that the flight had been cancelled.
"I emailed them, and I sent messages to AirAsia staff on LinkedIn. I left comments on AirAsia's Facebook and Instagram and lodged complaints with Mavcom, authorities in Singapore, and my credit card company.
"It's been five months now, and there have been no developments," she said.
Elvi also purchased tickets with another budget airline for a flight that was eventually cancelled as well.
But like Wilcox, she received her money back within two days.
MalaysiaNow contacted AirAsia but has yet to receive a response.


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Philippines, US trialling repurposed drugs to fight mild Covid-19

The Philippines will begin clinical trial of several drugs, including the anti-parasite medication ivermectin, in patients with Covid-19 to determine their efficacy in combating the coronavirus, a senior government official said.The nation is facing one of the worst coronavirus outbreaks in Asia, battling a renewed surge in infections.Some politicians have started promoting the use of ivermectin for coronavirus and have given out free doses although the country’s food and drugs regulator has cautioned against its use because of a lack of evidence for the drug as a treatment.The clinical trial of ivermectin, which could last for six months, “will give us a more reliable estimate of its effects as an anti-viral agent in mild and moderate Covid-19 patients”, Science and Technology Minister Fortunato Dela Pena said in a presentation late on Tuesday.Ivermectin tablets have been approved for treating some worm infestations and for veterinary use in animals for parasites.The World Health Organization last month recommended against using ivermectin in patients with Covid-19 except for clinical trials, because of a lack of data.Dela Pena said the government has also approved the clinical trials of a new formulation of methylprednisolone, a steroid, and melatonin, as possible treatments for Covid-19.The government will also start trials of a herbal supplement, derived from the native tawa-tawa plant that can fight dengue, he said, adding to ongoing tests using virgin coconut oil for severe Covid-19 patients.“We are trying several medications. They may not be vaccines, but they could potentially speed up the recovery,” Dela Pena said.In the US, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced on Monday funding for a large clinical trial to see if existing prescription and over-the-counter medications could help treat people with mild to moderate symptoms of Covid-19.NIH director Francis S Collins said he hopes the trial will find a way to allow adults who are not sick enough to be hospitalised with Covid-19 to be able to treat themselves with medications that are already commonly available to the public.He said, “While we’re doing a good job with treating hospitalised patients with severe Covid-19, we don’t currently have an approved medication that can be self-administered to ease symptoms of people suffering from mild disease at home, and reduce the chance of their needing hospitalisation.”


Guan Eng demands RM20 million damages from blogger over articles on Penang undersea tunnel project

Former finance minister Lim Guan Eng is demanding general damages of RM20 million in his suit against blogger Raja Petra Raja Kamarudin over a series of articles on the RM6.3 billion Penang undersea tunnel project.Lim, 61, said a total of 20 articles had been published in both English and Malay on Raja Petra’s Malaysia Today portal since February 2019.“I am demanding RM1 million in damages for each article. The articles have been shared by internet users and they have not been removed by the defendant (Raja Petra),” he said in his testimony at the hearing to assess the quantum of damages before High Court judicial commissioner Mohd Arief Emran Arifin today.Lim said at the time the articles were published, he was holding an important position as finance minister, and that the allegations of corruption were specifically aimed at him as the Penang chief minister.“My good name and reputation have been severely tarnished and the defendant stated that his source was the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC). This has damaged my credibility and character,” said Lim who also sought aggravated and exemplary damages of RM500,000 respectively.Lawyer Simon Murali, representing Lim, said in his submission that Malaysia Today was a free online portal which could be accessed by anyone and that every article published could be shared by readers.“There is no doubt that the dissemination of publications via the internet is able reach people all over the world. Moreover these defamatory statements were targeted at the then-finance minister. The articles disseminated over a one-month period were published in a series. As such, the general damages claim of RM1 million for each article is reasonable,” he said.The court then set April 26 for the plaintiff to file additional submissions. A decision on the quantum of damages to be awarded will be delivered on May 25.On Feb 28 last year, Lim obtained a default judgment against Raja Petra after the blogger failed to contest the suit.Lim filed the suit on Sept 6, 2019, over a series of “From the MACC Files” articles in both English and Bahasa Malaysia, carried on Raja Petra’s online news portal, Malaysia Today, between Feb 24 and March 15, 2019.The purportedly defamatory articles were on MACC’s investigation into the issue of alleged corruption in the infrastructure project.Lim, the DAP secretary-general, filed an application for a judgment in default after Raja Petra failed to respond to the notice of the suit that Lim had placed in three newspapers on Feb 10, 2020.Lim had also attempted to serve the writ and statement of claim to Raja Petra by personal service at the blogger’s last known address which was obtained from the National Registration Department and the Election Commission. However, he was unsuccessful.


North Korea reports no new deaths for second day amid ‘stable’ Covid trend

North Korea reported no new deaths among fever patients for a second consecutive day, state media KCNA said on Wednesday, a day after it said the country’s first confirmed coronavirus outbreak was being stably managed.The Covid outbreak, which the isolated country confirmed about two weeks ago, has stoked concerns about a lack of vaccines and medical supplies, while experts said a nationwide lockdown could deepen a food crisis in the country of 25 million.Pyongyang said on Tuesday its anti-virus campaign was having “successes” in curbing and controlling the outbreak and “maintaining the clearly stable situation.”Nearly 116,000 more people showed fever symptoms as of Tuesday evening, some 18,000 fewer than a day before and the fourth straight day that the daily tally held below 200,000, KCNA said, citing data from the state emergency epidemic prevention headquarters. No new deaths were reported, it said.The latest numbers took the total number of fever patients since April to 3,064,880, with a death toll of 68.Apparently deprived of testing supplies, North Korea has not confirmed the total number of people testing positive for the coronavirus, instead, reporting the number with fever symptoms.With no national vaccination campaign and limited testing capability, experts have said the daily figures released by state media could be underreported, and it may be difficult to assess the scale of the Covid wave.In a separate dispatch, KCNA said the country went out for “an all-out scientific and lightning anti-epidemic campaign,” in which ruling Workers’ Party officials strive to tackle problems associated with treating fever, producing and supplying medicines and ensuring the people’s livelihoods.“Gaining momentum is the work to consolidate the anti-epidemic foundations of the country and apply the most excellent and suitable treatment tactics and methods across the country,” KCNA said, without elaborating.


Former Sarawak AG to chair task force probing Tommy Thomas’ allegations

Former Sarawak attorney-general Fong Joo Chung will chair a special government task force to look into the allegations made by ex-AG Tommy Thomas in his autobiography “My Story: Justice in the Wilderness”.Law minister Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said the task force would also comprise former Sabah state secretary Hashim Paijan; former women, family and community development ministry secretary-general Junaidah Kamaruddin; former judge Jagjit Singh Bant Singh; and lawyers Shaharudin Ali and K Balaguru; in addition to representatives from the relevant ministries and departments including the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission and the police.“The special task force will submit its findings and recommendations to a Cabinet meeting within six months from the date of appointment as decided by the Cabinet on Oct 29, 2021,” he said in a statement.The task force was announced in October by Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob, who said it would investigate Thomas’ claims of abuse of power in the appointment of judges, excessive interference by the executive in the judiciary, political and selective prosecution, and breach of oath of confidentiality.Wan Junaidi said the legal affairs division, the Prime Minister’s Department and the Attorney-General’s Chambers would act as the secretariat for the committee.“A Cabinet memorandum on the establishment of the special task force including the terms of reference, membership and financial implications will be tabled for Cabinet consideration and approval in the near future,” he added.


What damage for Najib after loss of titles?

The move by Selangor and Penang to revoke the titles bestowed on Najib Razak following his jailing for charges of corruption may further jeopardise the former prime minister's standing among fence-sitters and those who do not support Umno or Barisan Nasional (BN), analysts say.
Ahmad Atory Hussain of Universiti Sains Malaysia said the revocation of Najib's titles would undoubtedly hurt his reputation and add to the negative perceptions surrounding him since the Federal Court's decision on Aug 23 to uphold his conviction and jail sentence for the misappropriation of tens of thousands from SRC International.
"Given how stern the judge was, many people now believe that Najib was indeed involved in abuse of power and corruption on a grand scale," he said.
"Before this, many considered his prosecution a form of slander and propaganda, but now the issue has been made clear once more."
Najib was sent to Kajang Prison last month to begin serving his 12-year jail term after the Federal Court dismissed his final appeal against the conviction and sentence handed down by the High Court in 2020 and upheld by the Court of Appeal the following year.
On Sept 12, Selangor ruler Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah stripped Najib of the Order of His Majesty the Crown Prince of Selangor or Seri Paduka Mahkota Selangor First Class, bestowed in 2004, and the Order of His Majesty the Crown Prince of Selangor Second Class, given in 1992.
The awards had carried the titles of Datuk Seri and Datuk respectively.
Just three days later, Penang governor Ahmad Fuzi Abdul Razak consented to the state's decision to revoke the Darjah Utama Pangkuan Negeri which carries the Datuk Seri Utama title given to Najib in 2009.
And previously, on Oct 26, 2018, the Negeri Sembilan palace cancelled the conferment of the Darjah Kebesaran Seri Utama Negeri Sembilan carrying the title of Datuk Seri Utama, bestowed on Najib in 2005.
Najib still holds eight other titles from Pahang, Perak, Melaka, Kedah, Penang, Perlis, Sabah and Sarawak.
But while those who were not strongly inclined towards him may take their support elsewhere, Oh Ei Sun of the Singapore Institute of International Affairs said Najib's diehard supporters, whether from Umno or elsewhere, would remain unshaken.
For such people, he said, the "Malu apa Bossku" slogan might have become deeply ingrained, and they would likely consider such developments a form of political prosecution.
"They will likely maintain their support for Najib despite the reprimands issued by the palace," he said.
In the meantime, more moderate Umno supporters might switch loyalties to other Malay parties like Bersatu, PAS and Pejuang, Atory said.
"Of course, this situation will change the perception of non- hard-line supporters," he said.
At the 14th general election, he said, the charges against Najib were still considered defamation but even so, many who once supported him shifted over to Bersatu, PAS, PKR and Amanah.
"What more now, when the case has been decided on by no fewer than nine judges," he said.
"For sure, many supporters will lose heart and start looking elsewhere."


Moscow says more Mariupol fighters surrender, Kyiv silent on their fate

Russia said on Wednesday nearly 700 more Ukrainian fighters had surrendered in Mariupol but Kyiv was silent about their fate, while a pro-Russian separatist leader said commanders were still holed up in tunnels beneath the Azovstal steelworks.More than a day after Kyiv announced it had ordered its garrison in Mariupol to stand down, the ultimate outcome of Europe’s bloodiest battle for decades remained unresolved. Ukrainian officials halted all public discussion of the fate of fighters who had made their last stand there.“The state is making utmost efforts to carry out the rescue of our servicemen. Let’s wait. Currently, the most important thing is to save the lives of our heroes,” military spokesman Oleksandr Motuzaynik told a news conference. “Any information to the public could endanger that process.”Russia said 694 more fighters had surrendered overnight, bringing the total number of people who had laid down arms to 959. The leader of pro-Russian separatists in control of the area, Denis Pushilin, was quoted by a local news agency DNA as saying the main commanders were still inside the plant.Ukrainian officials had confirmed the surrender of more than 250 fighters on Tuesday but they did not say how many more were inside or what might become of them.“Unfortunately, the subject is very sensitive and there is a very fragile set of talks going on today, therefore I cannot say anything more,” said Mariupol Mayor Vadym Boichenko. He said President Volodymyr Zelensky, the Red Cross and the UN were involved in talks but gave no details.Negotiations over Mariupol’s surrender came as Finland and Sweden formally applied to join Nato, bringing about the very expansion that Russian President Vladimir Putin has long cited as one of his main reasons for launching the “special military operation” in February.The final surrender would bring a close to a near three-month siege of the port city of more than 400,000 people, where Ukraine says tens of thousands of civilians died under Russian bombardment.Ukrainian officials have spoken of arranging a prisoner swap for Mariupol defenders. Moscow says no such deal was made for the fighters, many from a unit with far-right origins which it calls Nazi.Russia says more than 50 wounded fighters have been brought for treatment to a hospital, and others have been taken to a prison, both in towns held by pro-Russian separatists.Russia’s defence ministry posted videos of what it said were Ukrainian fighters receiving hospital treatment after surrendering at Azovstal.One man shown lying on bed said he had access to food and doctors, while a second said he had been bandaged and had no complaints about his treatment. It was not possible to establish if the men were speaking freely.The Kremlin says Putin has personally guaranteed the humane treatment of those who surrender. Other Russian politicians have called for them to be kept captive and even for their execution.Finland and Sweden apply to NatoThe Swedish and Finnish ambassadors handed over their Nato membership application letters in a ceremony at the alliance’s headquarters in Brussels.“This is a historic moment which we must seize,” Nato Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said.US President Joe Biden said Washington would work with Finland and Sweden to stay vigilant against any threats while their membership was being considered.Turkey has said in recent days it will block the Nordic members’ accession unless they do more to crack down on Kurdish militants on their territory. Stoltenberg said he thought the issue could be overcome and Washington has also said it expects it to be resolved.Finland, which shares a 1,300km (810-mile) border with Russia, and Sweden were both militarily non-aligned throughout the Cold War.Although Russia had threatened retaliation against the plans, Putin said on Monday their Nato membership would not be an issue unless the alliance sent more troops or weapons there.Despite war and sanctions, Russia has remained the main source of energy for Europe.The EU’s executive European Commission announced a 210 billion euro plan for Europe to end its reliance on Russian oil, gas and coal by 2027, including plans to more than double EU renewable energy capacity by 2030.In a further sign of Moscow’s isolation, Google became the latest big Western company to pull out of Russia, saying its Russian unit had filed for bankruptcy and was forced to shut operations after its bank accounts were seized.VictoryThe steelworks surrender in Mariupol would let Putin claim a rare victory in a campaign which has otherwise faltered. Recent weeks have seen Russian forces abandon the area around Ukraine’s second largest city Kharkiv after being driven from the north and the environs of the capital Kyiv at the end of March.Nevertheless, Moscow has continued to press on with its main offensive, trying to capture more territory in the Donbas region of southeastern Ukraine which it claims on behalf of separatists it has supported since 2014.Mariupol, the main port for the Donbas, is the biggest city Russia has captured so far, and gives Moscow full control of the Sea of Azov and an unbroken swathe of territory across Ukraine’s east and south. The siege was Europe’s deadliest battle at least since wars in Chechnya and the Balkans of the 1990s.The city’s near total destruction demonstrated Russia’s tactic of raining down fire on population centres.Human Rights Watch said it had documented further cases of apparent war crimes by Russian troops in the Kyiv and Chernihiv regions from late February through March, including summary executions, torture and other grave abuses.Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov and Russia’s defence ministry did not respond to requests for comment on the report. Moscow denies targeting civilians and says, without evidence, that signs of atrocities were staged to discredit its troops.


PAS to use moon logo in Kelantan, Terengganu and Kedah

PAS has decided to use the party's moon logo in the three states under its administration – Kelantan, Terengganu and Kedah – in the 15th general election (GE15).
Its president Abdul Hadi Awang said PAS was open to the use of other logos in states other than Kelantan, Terengganu and Kedah, and that the matter will be discussed at the Perikatan Nasional (PN) level.
PAS is a component party in PN, along with Bersatu, Gerakan, Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku (STAR) and Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP).
Yesterday, Hadi was reported as saying that PAS had decided to strengthen cooperation in PN on the principle of uniting the ummah.
"Terengganu, Kelantan and Kedah are where PAS' presence is strong (so) we will use the moon logo. In other states, we leave it. We will discuss it.
"Other states do not know much about PAS matters. The people of Kelantan, Terengganu and Kedah know (PAS) well," he said in Pantai Kelulut, Marang, today.


MACC chief to be appointed through parliamentary vote

The government has agreed that the appointment of the next Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) chief will be made through parliamentary vote.Current chief commissioner Azam Baki said this was decided at a recent meeting of the Special Cabinet Committee on Anti-Corruption.He said the appointment for MACC’s top post would need two-thirds’ support from MPs.“If the service of the chief commissioner is terminated, it will also need to go through a special tribunal and cannot be easily terminated by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong on the advice of the prime minister.“The meeting which was chaired by Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin also agreed to have a Service Commission under MACC,” Azam said in an interview with Melakafm yesterday.He said once in place, the recruitment and termination of MACC officers and staff would be handled by the MACC Service Commission instead of the Public Service Commission.He said this would also demonstrate the government’s transparency and MACC’s freedom to act as it deemed necessary.


WHO alarmed by Covid-19 surge in Brazil, Mexico

The World Health Organization (WHO) voiced alarm Monday over a rapid worsening of the Covid-19 situations in Brazil and Mexico, urging them to be “very serious” about halting the spread.Both countries had seen both cases and deaths from the novel coronavirus surge in recent weeks as a second wave of the pandemic has hit.“I think Brazil has to be very, very serious,” WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters, warning the situation there was “very, very worrisome”.And he echoed the same concern when asked about Mexico, saying that country was “in bad shape”.“The number of cases doubled and the number of deaths doubled… we would like to ask Mexico to be very serious.”Brazil has been one of the countries hit hardest by the pandemic, with more than 172,000 people killed – the second-highest number in the world, following the US.After a seemingly endless plateau, with more than 1,000 deaths a day from June to August, on a seven-day rolling average, the numbers had finally been falling in the giant nation of 212 million people.But Tedros pointed out that while the first week of November had seen 2,538 deaths, last week’s death toll in Brazil stood at 3,876 – “a significant increase”.Case numbers had also effectively doubled over the same period, with Brazil facing 218,000 cases last week alone.President Jair Bolsonaro, who has downplayed the pandemic since the outset, has also dismissed talk of a second wave as “gossip”.The 65-year-old far-right leader, who has himself had Covid-19, argues the economic impact of lockdown measures are worse than the virus itself, and has also said he would not take a vaccine when one becomes available.Mexico meanwhile saw its total death toll pass 100,000 on Nov 20 and has added more than five thousand deaths since then.Over the weekend, for the first time, it counted more than 12,000 cases in a single day.


China police out in numbers to prevent more Covid protests

Chinese police were out in force in Beijing and Shanghai on Tuesday to prevent more protests against Covid curbs which have disrupted the lives of millions, damaged the economy and briefly sparked rare calls for President Xi Jinping to step down.
At least one person in the city of Hangzhou was arrested late on Monday, according to social media videos, after reports a busload of demontrators were taken away by police during Sunday night protests in Shanghai.
Simmering discontent with Covid prevention policies three years into the pandemic ignited into broader protests in cities thousands of miles apart throughout the weekend.
Mainland China's biggest wave of civil disobedience since Xi took power a decade ago comes as the number of Covid cases hit record highs daily and large parts of several cities face a new round of lockdowns.
Covid in China keeps spreading despite significant sacrifices made by most of the country's 1.4 billion people to prevent its transmission, adhering to a zero-Covid policy of eradicating all outbreaks that has isolated China from the rest of the world.
The lockdowns have exacerbated one of the steepest growth slowdowns China has faced in decades, disrupting global supply chains and roiling financial markets.
In Hangzhou, the capital of the eastern Zhejiang province, videos on social media which Reuters could not independently verify showed hundreds of police occupying a large public square on Monday night, preventing people from congregating.
One video showed police, surrounded by a small crowd of people holding smartphones, making an arrest while others tried to pull back the person being detained.
Hangzhou police did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
In Shanghai and Beijing, police could be seen on Tuesday morning still patrolling areas of the cities where some groups on the Telegram social media app had suggested people should gather again. Their presence on Monday evening and throughout the night ensured no more gatherings took place.
Residents said police have been asking people passing through those areas for their phones to check if they had virtual private networks (VPNs) and the Telegram app, which has been used by weekend protesters, residents and social media users said. VPNs are illegal for most people in China, while the Telegram app is blocked from China's internet.
'A thousand hardships'
A fire last week in the western city of Urumqi that authorities said killed 10 people appears to have been the catalyst for protests in other cities.
Some internet users said Covid lockdown measures hampered rescue efforts. Officials have denied that.
Although largely focused on Covid curbs, protesters sporadically took a swipe at the ruling Communist Party and at Xi, who has concentrated power into his own hands over the past decade and just recently secured another leadership term.
On Sunday, a large crowd gathered in the southwestern metropolis of Chengdu, chanted: "We don't want lifelong rulers. We don't want emperors." Anti-Xi slogans were briefly heard in Shanghai on Sunday as well.
Xi had claimed personal responsibility for leading the "war" against Covid. Chinese officials say the policy has kept the death toll in the most populous country on earth at thousands, avoiding the millions of deaths seen elsewhere.
Many analysts say easing the policies could lead to widespread illness and deaths, overwhelming the country's hospitals. A strong push on vaccinating the elderly is required before China could even contemplate re-opening, they say.
In an editorial which did not mention the protests, People's Daily, the Party's official newspaper, urged citizens on Tuesday to "unswervingly implement" zero-Covid policies, which put people's "lives first," saying victory will come through "perseverance through thousands of hardships."
"The harder it is, the more you have to grit your teeth," it said.


Marriages in China slump to historic low

Marriages in China dropped in 2022 to their lowest since records began, local news outlet Yicai reported on Sunday, continuing a steady decline over the past decade although the matrimonial total may have been affected by stringent Covid lockdowns.
Just 6.83 million couples completed their marriage registrations last year, data published on the website of the Ministry of Civil Affairs showed, down about 800,000 from the previous year.
The drop in couples tieing the knot, which follows pandemic restrictions keeping tens of millions locked in their homes or compounds for weeks last year, comes as authorities deal with a declining birth rate and a falling population.
In 2022 China's population fell for the first time in six decades, a decline that is expected to mark the start of a long period of decline in its citizen numbers with profound implications for its economy and the world.
China's birth rate fell last year to 6.77 births per 1,000 people, the lowest on record, from 7.52 in 2021.
Demographers warn China will get old before it gets rich, as its workforce shrinks and indebted local governments spend more on their elderly population.
To encourage marriage and boost the country's flagging birth rate, China said last month it would launch pilot projects in more than 20 cities to create a "new-era" marriage and childbearing culture.
Some provinces are also giving young newlyweds an extension of paid marriage leave.


Indonesia president wants Tesla to make electric cars in country, says report

Indonesian President Joko Widodo has urged electric vehicle (EV) maker Tesla to manufacture its cars, as well as batteries, in the country, in comments made to Bloomberg News on Thursday.
Indonesia had previously wooed Tesla for investment in its nickel industry, looking to produce and supply batteries for its EVs.
Jokowi, as the president is popularly known, said in an interview that Indonesia wants a "huge ecosystem of electric cars", rather than simply draw on its natural resources to make batteries.
He also said Indonesia was considering imposing a tax on nickel exports this year to boost revenue. Officials have previously said this could come as soon as the third quarter.
Indonesian officials have said Tesla has struck deals worth about US$5 billion to buy nickel products from the resource-rich country, and signed a five-year contract with nickel processing companies operating out of Morowali in Sulawesi island. The nickel materials will be used in Tesla's lithium batteries.
Jokowi met with Tesla founder Elon Musk earlier in May in an effort to drum up investment prospects and invited him to visit Indonesia in November.
Tesla representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment.


PN won’t stop PAS from boosting ties with Umno, says Muhyiddin

Perikatan Nasional (PN) chairman Muhyiddin Yassin today said that his coalition would not stand in the way of PAS’ efforts to maintain its cooperation with Umno and the Muafakat Nasional (MN) pact.He said PN would take no action as PAS had adhered to the principle of unity among the ummah.“It is PAS’ effort,” he said, adding that whether or not it would bear fruit remained to be seen.“Judging by the statements from Umno, including its president, the party believes that MN’s time is over,” he said at a press conference after chairing a meeting of the National Recovery Council in Putrajaya.Yesterday, PAS vice-president Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar was reported as saying that the Islamist party would continue defending its relationship with Umno, as the unity of the ummah was more important than the survival of any individual political party.Samsuri, who is the Terengganu menteri besar, also said that PAS would always strive to ensure that the party and MN continued working for the country’s political survival.Muhyiddin said that as PN’s leader, he had always respected the efforts of component parties.He said he trusted in the relationship with PAS, which had vowed to remain with the coalition.“PAS at a recent Hari Raya meeting with its president and secretary-general said that the party would remain in PN,” he said, referring to Abdul Hadi Awang and Takiyuddin Hassan.“But what PAS wants to do, what we want to do – there are efforts being made,” he added.“It does not matter. In the end, we will sit down to discuss what is best for PN. But what is more important for the country – that is what I think we should prioritise.”


Big is beautiful: Enter the calorie intake diet

For a long time, slim builds were considered the height of beauty with those perceived as overweight or “big-boned” shunted aside in advertisements on billboards or in newspapers, magazines and, in this day and age, social media.But the winds of change could be on the way, with plus-sized models finding their place even on catwalks and in posh clothing boutiques.Toy manufacturing company Mattel, known for its famously skinny Barbie dolls, began rolling out chubby versions about four years ago.And in Malaysia, private television stations have begun to feature heavyweight news anchors – a development that would have been unheard of not too long ago.At long last, it appears, plump, well-endowed and plain old fat people have become accepted and even celebrated instead of automatically associated with notions of obesity, health problems, overeating and an all-round lack of attractiveness.This appears to go hand-in-hand with another trending belief: that it is “old-fashioned” to admit you’re dieting in order to lose weight.Instead, “clean eating” is all the rage.This fad diet, introduced in the US some 20 years ago, is based partly on the notion that calorie intake differs from one person to the next.In short, as long as a person takes in the right number of calories for his or her body, it is enough regardless of whether they are big or thin.Such beliefs date as far back as the Middle Ages where only the aristocracy had access to high-calorie food such as pork, chicken, fowl and fish.The plump images of the nobility stood in strong contrast with the lower classes who more often than not subsisted on bread and water.It was not until a few years before the Industrial Revolution that grain and wheat-based dietary patterns for the lower classes began to change.The gentry began hankering after slimmer bodies following the demands of fashion and amid the rapid growth of the textile industry in Europe.Those changes laid the foundation of food and cuisine for modern Europe, much of which has endured until today.There were many ways of achieving the ideal shape, including abstaining from high-calorie food such as meat and vegetables and concentrating instead on bread, eggs and dairy products.Hanif Loid, a health instructor and social media celebrity, said the trend of dieting according to calorie intake had existed in Malaysia for a long time.According to him, though, the science behind the trend is kept a secret by instructors and personal trainers who wish to ensure that their tips and techniques remain their exclusive domain.From there, they share nutrition plans and schedules on which the diet is based.Hanif said discussions of the trend had gained momentum over the past few years, thanks to instructors and health celebrities who wished to draw more attention to their programmes.“The calorie-counting diet is based on the practice of taking only what calories we need,” he said.“All stomachs are different,” he added. “They’re like balloons. If we eat more, they will grow bigger. If we eat only a little, they will maintain and then normalise in size.”In the West, he said, such terminology has been used for a long time.“But in Malaysia, we still hold on to dietary concepts from long ago. It is only when people begin to speak out on social media that the matter gains currency.”Hanif said the practice of dieting by keeping count of calories depends on individual goals.If a person wishes to gain weight and build up his or her muscle mass, more calories will be needed. But if the aim is to lose weight and shed fat, calorie intake must be carefully controlled.For Hanif, there is nothing intrinsically wrong with the trend. The concern is that Malaysians are less aware of other important matters such as muscle mass and the weight of fat and fluids.“We think we are fat if we weigh more or have high body mass index counts,” he said.“But that isn’t necessarily the case. Bodybuilders have more muscle than fat. Their muscle mass is very high and their fat percentage is low.”


Rock legend, dead at 65, showed what talented immigrants can do in US

Guitar hero Eddie Van Halen died on Tuesday following a long battle with cancer.He was a classically trained pianist and multi-instrumentalist and yet he could not read music.As a pioneering rock guitarist, his lightning fast style and flashy showmanship wowed audiences and created legions of Eddie soundalikes.Born in Amsterdam, Holland, he emigrated to the US at a young age and was raised in California. In interviews he always maintained he was incredibly fortunate to have immigrated into the US at just the right time to forge a career in global rock music, which he could not have done if he had stayed in the Netherlands.Van Halen founded the rock group he called after himself in the 1970s and his amazing musical talent ensured the band quickly hit the big time.The group, regarded as of one the most influential American rock bands of all time, is known for such classic high energy rockers as Jump, Panama, and Runnin’ with the Devil.Van Halen has sold more than 75 million albums and has had more number one hits on the mainstream US rock chart than any other artist, according to the band’s label.Van Halen was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2007, and Eddie is widely considered one of the greatest guitar players of all time.


High Court rules Christians can use ‘Allah’ in religious publications

The High Court in Kuala Lumpur today ruled that Christians nationwide can use the word “Allah” and three other Arabic words in their religious publications for educational purposes.The three other words are “Baitullah”, “Kaabah” and “solat”.This comes as Court of Appeal judge Nor Bee Ariffin, sitting as a High Court judge, allowed a judicial review application by Sarawak native Christian, Jill Ireland Lawrence Bill.In her application, Jill Ireland had sought among others a declaration that it is her constitutional right to have access to Christian publications in the exercise of her rights to practise her religion and right to education, as provided for under Article 11 of the Federal Constitution.She also wanted the court to declare the home ministry’s 1986 circular banning the word “Allah” in Christian publications as unconstitutional and unlawful.Nor Bee in her ruling held that the 1986 directive by the home ministry barring the use of the four words was filled with illegality and irrationality.“The use of the words would not disrupt public order,” she said.Nor Bee added that the words could be used by the community for teaching purposes as they have been in use for more than 400 years.When contacted, senior federal counsel Shamsul Bolhassan, who acted for the home ministry and the government, confirmed that the four words can be used by Christians in their religious publications.“However, publications that contain the four words must carry a disclaimer that they are intended for Christians only as well as a cross symbol,” he said.The legal battle over the matter started 13 years ago after Jill Ireland commenced the judicial review application on Aug 20, 2008 for the return of eight CDs seized from her on May 11, 2008, upon her arrival at the Low-Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT) in Sepang.The CDs were titled “Cara Hidup Dalam Kerajaan Allah”, “Hidup Benar Dalam Kerajaan Allah” and “Ibadah Yang Benar Dalam Kerajaan Allah”.She filed the judicial review application to challenge the seizure of the CDs, seeking a declaration of her constitutional rights in relation to the use of the word “Allah” in Christian publications.The High Court in July 2014 held that the home ministry was wrong to seize the CDs and ordered that they be returned. However, it did not decide on the constitutional issues raised by Jill Ireland.In June 2015, the Court of Appeal directed the home ministry to return the CDs after dismissing the the appeal by the home ministry and the government.The Court of Appeal in the ruling also remitted the matter back to the High Court for hearing on the constitutional issues.The High Court was supposed to pronounce its verdict in 2018 but this was postponed several times due to various grounds.


Malaysia must refresh its FDI strategy

Figures from the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) last week showed that the inflow of foreign direct investments (FDI) into Malaysia dropped by 68% from US$7.8 billion in 2019 to US$2.5 billion in 2020.Malaysia was the worst performer in the region and commentators identified the main causes as political instability following the change of government in March, the first movement control order (MCO 1.0) just afterwards and continuing corruption issues discouraging foreign investors. However, we should be cautious about jumping to such quick and easy explanations.First, although unexpected, the change in government was completely peaceful. It showed that Malaysia is a mature and sophisticated democracy in which the transition of power runs smoothly. The real political problems only emerged at the end of 2020 and the start of 2021, so they cannot be the main cause of the fall in FDI.Second, political issues were quickly overshadowed by the lockdown under MCO 1.0 which was relatively short and moved quickly into less restrictive versions (CMCO and RMCO). At the time, Malaysia was hailed globally as a success story and so again the quick and easy explanation cannot be cited as the main cause in the fall of FDI.Anyway most FDI into Malaysia comes from Asia, with China far ahead of other countries. Chinese investors are not likely to be concerned about the change in government, which they might even prefer. Nor are they likely to be concerned about the lockdown, or for that matter the state of emergency this year, because these both are normal policy responses in China.Corruption was also targeted as a potential cause of the fall in FDI with Malaysia’s worse performance in the recent Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index (TI-CPI) quickly cited as evidence.However, again one needs to be wary of casual empiricism and easy connections. Despite a poorer performance, Malaysia is still ranked third best in Asia behind Singapore and Brunei in the TI-CPI with a better corruption performance than the Philippines, which saw FDI rise.Indeed, here in Malaysia, when corruption perception was worse in the past, FDI was higher. In 2017, the year before the government changed in the general election (GE14), Malaysian FDI was US$12 billion, ahead of Indonesia at US$9 billion and Thailand US$7 billion and the second-highest after Singapore at US$35 billion. At that time the TI-CPI score for Malaysia was only 47 compared to 51 in 2020.The recent high profile prosecutions and the conviction of a former prime minister are coincidental with falling FDI and one could argue that cracking down on corruption has harmed FDI. Intuitively, it may be easier to get an investment approval through bribery than through open, competitive tendering.So we need to be cautious about jumping on corruption as the easy explanation for poorer FDI and look deeper at the likely causes.Before we look at possible shortcomings here in Malaysia, we need to acknowledge that Covid-19 in source countries for FDI has hit hard and potential investors have delayed significant and long-term investment decisions across the board. This affects all host countries and Malaysia is no exception.Another external factor is the rise in competition from other larger Asian countries. Malaysia has a domestic market of 33 million people whereas Indonesia has more than 270 million people, Philippines 109 million, Vietnam 97 million and Thailand almost 70 million.This means they all have larger consumer markets, workforces, production capacity and increasingly greater access to finance. They are lower-cost environments with strong GDP growth as well as rising spending power among their growing, increasingly well-educated middle-class.Malaysia’s competitors are also making things easier through market access and liberalisation. By contrast the regulatory environment in Malaysia is becoming tighter and contrary to what some eminent political-economists might say, Malaysia is not seen as a “neo-liberal” country.It is a highly regulated and planned economy subject to a series of five-year Malaysia Plans which have an undue impact on the overall development trajectory and which direct government resources into policy-driven rather than market-driven, FDI-friendly trajectories.Whereas in the past Malaysia has been seen as an entry-point to Asia now many companies see improved business and living conditions in large neighbouring markets and prefer to go there directly. There also appears to be a growing anti-foreigner sentiment in Malaysia which is not a good-look.One specific issue that has made Malaysia’s FDI contraction worse than others in the region is the recent cancellation, postponement or renegotiation of mega projects such as the East Coast Rail Line (ECRL), the Trans-Sabah Gas Pipeline, the Multi-Product Pipeline and most recently the KL-Singapore HSR project.This stops the FDI from the main contractor as well as secondary investment from sub-contractors. It also creates uncertainty and risk around contracts which might be subject to cancellation if the minister changes.Against this background the government needs to refresh the look and feel of Malaysia as a FDI host country and promote successful examples such as the Geely-Proton joint venture which has created a revamp of a proud local marque, upgraded and up-skilled management, leadership and the workforce and transferred new designs and technologies in a proactive long-term partnership.The Malaysian Investment Development Authority has identified 240 high-profile FDI projects with a combined potential investment value of RM81.9 billion. This is a great foundation for 2021 and beyond but to turn the potential into actual investments they must address some of the structural issues that have crept in and refresh the welcoming and open attitude that foreign investors enjoyed in the past.Geoffrey Williams and Nur Muhammad Tajrid Zahalan are directors of Williams Business Consultancy Sdn Bhd based in Kuala Lumpur.The views expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the position of MalaysiaNow.


Sorry.


Anwar's Cabinet, another 'scam'?

"Kabinet Anwar: the whole country kena scam", I read on Facebook this weekend. Malaysia is renowned for its trolling industry; it also is home to many scammers who trick Malaysians first. Is the new prime minister one of them?
The feeling of distrust among voters was very high before GE15 and disinterest among the youth led many observers to believe that the voter turnout would be low. After the Sheraton Move that saw the Pakatan Harapan (PH) majority overthrown in favour of an alliance led by Umno-Bersatu, many citizens felt like they had been scammed. After all, the Perikatan Nasional-Umno combo was not they had voted for.
However, far from causing disinterest, the disaffection for Malaysian political leaders in fact led to a great turnout on polling day – a little over 73%. Another surprise at this election was that while many observers assumed the wave of young voters and first-time voters, largely young Malay males, would translate into votes for PH, first-time voters undeniably gave their support to PAS (49 seats), increased Bersatu’s influence (from 13 seats in 2018 to 24) and rejected its liberal Malay alternative Umno (down from 54 to 26 seats) and the multi-cultural alternative PKR (down from 47 to 31 seats).
This means that while the Sheraton Move was certainly another distortion of the country’s political history – which had remained rather linear until 2018 – it did not translate in a loss of support for PN.
The economic tremors in the post Covid-19 era raised a nostalgia for the old days of stability: those were the days of Umno. However, the overlap between Umno and the numerous court scandals added to the factionalism that did not resolve and in fact annihilated Umno's image of stability.
GE15 was indeed a plebiscite for the other oldest and most stable political force in the country, PAS, and its ally Bersatu. Meanwhile, PH continued its prevalence in urban and non-Malay majority constituencies. Yet no party or coalition succeeded in obtaining a single majority, and Malaysia for the first time experienced a hung parliament.
The drama and intense negotiations that followed increased voters' anxiety, compounded by an unfamiliarity with the democratic process. In fact, a hung parliament followed by a long period of negotiations between parties and coalitions is a normal (democratic) exercise. Belgium surely holds the world record of functioning without a government for 592 days. However, the Agong saw things differently, urging coalitions to form a unity government to ensure the fair representation of voter’s voices.
The antagonistic position of PN leaders against Anwar Ibrahim and the Umno court cluster gave Anwar a highway to form an alliance with his former enemy and the big loser of GE15, the Umno-led BN. Soon, the new allies were joined by Muda, GPS, GRS and other smaller parties.
At the same time, the rise of racial threats further amplified Malaysians’ anxiety in an unfamiliar political territory. The threat of political chaos and a possible return of the May 1969 violence have been largely cultivated by political parties for years. It is thus unsurprising that the ghost of May 13 was used one more time to trigger fear and play on public opinion.
Two narratives emerged: for some, beyond reformasi, Anwar became the democratic fortress against the "danger" of a conservative Islamic government, while for many Malays, the power seize by a non-Malay majority coalition would be the end of their political hegemony and a threat to their economic privileges (privileges and policies that in fact failed to eradicate poverty among Malays but mostly satisfied the middle class and elite).
In this first narrative, the alliance between PH and Umno was depicted as the lesser evil, and the expansion of their alliance to the Bornean coalitions eased the idea of a dangerous liaison and justified the term "unity government".
In the second narrative, PAS offered the guarantee of the preservation of Malay rights, while Bersatu represented a perfect image of Umno minus the scandals and the factionalism (or less factionalism, at least). The semantic of unity vs coalition government remains a subject of discussion today, as PN argues that there cannot be unity without its inclusion – an invitation it denied.
Rather than being a pure racial or ethnic question, the PH-Umno extended political family versus PN feud is in fact a class conflict. When looking at the vote share of PH and PN, we see clearly that the urban elite largely voted for PH while the rural folks voted for PN.
Urban Malay elites surely do not wish for their liberal lifestyle to be questioned by a conservative Islamic government (that would include some of the members of this very same government), and these concerns closely align with non-Malay interests.
Meanwhile, the Malay rural and urban lower-income folks who may have been disappointed by the Umno scandals wish to secure what they believe is the only way for them to maintain a decent living (again, the failures of the NEP are rarely exposed).
Anwar announced his Cabinet on Friday with five Umno ministers and Ahmad Zahid Hamidi as his deputy. While the co-optation of Umno by PH was a strategy, supported by the king, to form a majority, it was also a violent silencing of the Malay voice.
The reformasi agenda promoted by Anwar for over 20 years has faded over the past few years with the marginalisation of some of key PKR voices. Anwar has had to make many difficult compromises to build his majority, and GE15 proved undeniably that his persona and agenda do not appeal to the Malay masses.
For his government to survive, Umno needs to pacify the hearts and souls of the Malays, "mission impossible" in a context where PN leaders have openly declared themselves as the government-in-waiting, a reference to Anwar's former title of PM-in-waiting.
Anwar will have to navigate very carefully for his government to stabilise the country. After years of struggle, he inherits an extremely sensitive social context, and economic distress enhanced by high political fluidity.
Scams, schemes and (no) shame seem forever linked to Malaysian politics, and these notes have left deeper marks in the recent history of the country. However, the Cabinet of the day, whether scammers-schemers-shamers or reformists-optimists-capitalists, may be able to unite on issues and policies that have dominated Parliament discussions for years: offering an equal voice and future for Sabah and Sarawak, and implementing overdue legal reforms for social justice and the expansion of civil liberties. Harapan may not be entirely lost.


Debate on booster jabs might make things worse, says public health expert

A public health expert has cautioned against a debate session between the government and those concerned about the possible side-effects of Covid-19 booster jabs, saying this might only complicate the situation even more as questions arise over the effectiveness of vaccines amid Putrajaya’s efforts to get third shots in the arms of all eligible individuals.Such questions began swirling after the health ministry announced last month that booster shots would be needed for individuals to maintain their vaccination status.The situation deteriorated after Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said his ministry was looking into the need for a fourth vaccine shot or second booster dose, which some in the anti-vaccine group used to further challenge the effectiveness of Covid-19 vaccines.But Sharifa Ezat Wan Puteh of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia said calls on social media for the ministry or Khairy himself to meet with the anti-vax group and settle such questions in a debate were not a good idea.Speaking to MalaysiaNow, she said the anti-vax group might not accept the explanations put forth by the ministry, and would challenge any proof provided by experts.“It’s not that we want to allow the anti-vax movement to spread,” she said. “We have no means of forcing individuals to get vaccinated as this is a matter of human rights.”She added however that those who incite others against taking the vaccine should be prosecuted as this could derail the country’s vaccination process.On Jan 1, Khairy said the health ministry through its technical group was looking into the need for a fourth vaccine shot in the wake of the ultra contagious Omicron variant which has been spreading around the world.He said the suggestion would be brought to the Covid-19 Immunisation Task Force once the study is complete.When asked if the health ministry would hold discussions with the anti-vax group, Khairy said advice would be given from time to time based on the available data so that the people would better understand the need for vaccination.Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, he also stressed that the vaccines were effective in keeping Covid-19 at bay although the period of effectiveness was uncertain.“We have evidence through diagrams and charts showing that the rates of death and hospitalisation as well as daily infections have dropped from the highest level recorded in August 2021 due to the strong vaccination programme and wide coverage,” he said in response to a question by MalaysiaNow.“We have evidence through diagrams and charts showing the death rate, hospitalisation rate and daily infection cases have dropped from the highest level recorded in August 2021 until now due to vigorous vaccinations and wide coverage,” he said in response to a MalaysiaNow question.“This is scientific evidence. When the effectiveness of the vaccines begins to fade, we will administer booster shots to ensure that immunisation levels are at the optimum point.”Sharifa meanwhile said the government should focus its efforts on giving more booster jabs instead of introducing a fourth round.“It’s not that a fourth dose is unnecessary, just that now is not the time,” she said.“The third shot should be the priority right now, even more so given the flood situation.”She said flood victims at relief centres should be prioritised for booster jabs as they are housed in groups and are at risk of contracting Covid-19.On the possibility of a fourth vaccine dose, she said Covid-19 jabs might become more or less similar to the influenza vaccine, many different types of which are used to fight the spread of the flu virus.“We are also unsure if more variants will emerge in the future,” she said.“Not everyone gets flu jabs. The important thing is for us to continue practising the SOPs like wearing face masks and avoiding crowded places.”


Over 14,000 evacuated due to floods

Over 14,000 flood victims are seeking shelter at relief centres, with Pahang recording the highest number of evacuees at 5,189 this morning.Based on information released by the Social Welfare Department (JKM), seven districts in Pahang – Raub, Lipis, Bentong, Jerantut, Maran, Kuantan and Pekan – have been hit by floods and 116 relief centres were operating as at 9am today.Roads involving KM 113.4, KM84.6, KM198.7 and KM74.4 along the East Coast Expressway Phase 1 (LPT1) have been closed in both directions after being submerged, while only heavy vehicles are allowed through KM75.1.The highway concessionaire, Anih Bhd said the Kuala Lumpur-bound KM66.4 to KM66.1 stretch is also still closed for clean-up operations. Following a landslide, KM67.8 and KM69.5 have also been closed to all vehicles heading to the federal capital.The continuous rain has also caused readings at 19 river stations in Pahang to exceed the danger level, including Sungai Jelai in Lipis, Sungai Tembeling (Jerantut), Sungai Bentong (Bentong), Sungai Semantan (Temerloh), Sungai Pahang (Temerloh) and Sungai Lembing and Sungai Belat in Kuantan.According to a Malaysian Meteorological Department forecast, danger-level weather with continuous heavy rain will occur in Cameron Highlands, Lipis, Raub, Jerantut, Bentong and Kuantan today, while bad weather with continuous heavy rain is expected in Temerloh, Maran and Pekan.In Selangor, the state contingent police headquarters said several roads were closed to vehicles in some areas following floods.The roads include those in areas under the jurisdiction of the Petaling Jaya, North Klang, Sungai Buloh, Subang Jaya, Kuala Langat, Sepang, and Shah Alam district police headquarters.Meanwhile, according to the JKM portal, 4,596 people had been evacuated and 55 relief centres opened as at 7am today.In Kelantan, the number of flood victims continued to increase to 3,652 people from 826 families as at 8am today, housed at 44 relief centres.Kelantan Civil Defence Force (APM) disaster management and operation officer Mohd Hanif Omar said 21 relief centres were opened in Kuala Krai, 15 in Gua Musang, four in Jeli and two each in Tanah Merah and Pasir Mas.The official eBanjir Kelantan portal reported that five major rivers in Kelantan are at dangerous levels: Sungai Kelantan at Tangga Krai, Kuala Krai which recorded a reading of 27.06m, Sungai Kelantan at Guillemard Bridge (16.94m), Sungai Lebir at Tualang (36.59m), Sungai Golok in Jenob, Tanah Merah (24.01m) and Sungai Golok in Rantau Panjang, Pasir Mas (10.04m).In Terengganu, the number of flood victims rose slightly to 261 people from 88 families as at 9am today.The Terengganu state disaster management committee secretariat in a statement said that Dungun is the only district currently hit by floods with three relief centres in operation.In Melaka, the number of flood victims in the state increased to 563 people from 112 families in the districts of Alor Gajah and Melaka Tengah.In Negeri Sembilan, the Seremban District Public Works Department said the route to Jalan Seremban-Simpang Pertang connecting Jalan Pantai and Jeram Toi, Jelebu was temporarily closed to road users following a landslide in the area last night.Negeri Sembilan Civil Defence Force director Mohd Syukri Madnor said flood victims in the state continued to increase to 413 people from 96 families with 10 relief centres operating at at 8am today.


US to donate up to 60 million vaccine doses abroad

The US will share up to 60 million doses of its AstraZeneca vaccine with other countries as they become available, the White House has said.Health authorities have a stockpile of the vaccine even though US regulators have not yet authorised it for public use. The doses will be exportable over the coming months after a federal safety review.Critics have accused the government of hoarding the vaccine while other countries are in desperate need, the BBC is reporting.Last month President Joe Biden pledged to share about four million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine with Mexico and Canada – both of which have approved the jab.The crisis in India has also piled pressure on the Biden administration to share US health resources.On Monday, the White House said it expected that about 10 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine could be released when the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) finishes its review in the coming weeks.It said that another 50 million doses were in various stages of production.At a news briefing, White House spokesman Jen Psaki said FDA officials would carry out quality checks on doses before they were exported.“Our team will share more details about our planning and who will be receiving offers from here, but we’re in the planning process at this point in time,” she added.The US has already announced that it will provide raw materials for Indian vaccine manufacturers as the country battles a devastating surge in cases.In a “warm and positive” phone call with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday, Biden promised more emergency assistance “including oxygen-related supplies, vaccine materials and therapeutics”, a White House statement said.Washington is also looking at supplying oxygen, Covid tests, personal protective equipment and the antiviral drug remdesivir to India’s health service.The FDA has so far authorised three vaccines against Covid-19: Pfizer BioNTech, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson. Experts say it looks likely that these will provide all the country’s needs and the AstraZeneca jab may be surplus.According to the latest figures, more than 53% of adults have so far received at least one dose of vaccine.The biggest job ahead for the administration will be convincing anti-vax Americans to get the increasingly available jabs.


From chicken shortage to oversupply as poultry farmers court risk of paralysis

With the influx of chicken imports from abroad and the recent ban on exports including to neighbouring Singapore, Malaysia's local poultry sector is at risk of paralysis, industry players say.
Ishak Mat Arif of the Selangor state chicken breeders' association said while the price of chicken had dropped to RM4.10 per kg at farms, the price of bran feed remained high, at as much as RM140 for one bag compared to RM80 before.
"When chicken imports enter the market but exports are not allowed, local farmers will be killed off," he told MalaysiaNow.
"The wrong move will see chicken breeders closing their coops and going out of business."
Agriculture and Food Industries Minister Ronald Kiandee acknowledged in the Dewan Rakyat on Aug 1 that Malaysia was facing a "slight oversupply of chicken" following the measures taken to stabilise the domestic supply of poultry.
These included removing the need for import permits and closing off the export of chicken to foreign countries.
He said the oversupply of chicken had caused prices to drop lower than the ceiling price of RM8.90 and RM9.90 set by the government.
Malaysia's chicken supply crisis had seen prices hitting as high as RM10 per kg at grocery stores.
Local media reports also spoke of a cartel hoarding chicken supplies in order to manipulate market prices.
The situation was compounded by the grain and supply chain crisis sparked by Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February, which among others drove up the price of chicken feed.
Ishak urged the government to allow exports to Singapore of at least 50% of the previous capacity.
He said if the local poultry farming industry tanked, it would have a negative effect on the country as chicken is the main source of protein for many and cheaper than fish which can go for as much as RM20 per kg.
Mazlina Kamarudin, the managing director of a major chicken supplier in the country, said wholesalers were still suppressing prices even for older chickens which were going for just RM3.80 per kg.
She said poultry farmers were now trying to reduce the number of chicks on their farms, adding that wholesalers and traders charge extra when the government imposes price controls.
"Costs and profits for breeders before this was about RM7, but when prices dropped to RM3.80 per kg for the larger chickens, they began to suffer losses," she said.
"We have to sell this stock, otherwise they will continue to grow."
Mazlina's company, Bismi Empire Sdn Bhd, has resorted to slaughtering the chickens and keeping them in cold storage.
Nevertheless, they have had to sell off their stock of larger chickens at a loss.
The situation is worse for breeders who do not possess cold storage facilities.
"If there is a ceiling price, there must be a floor price as well," Mazlina said.
"If there is a floor price, this means that the government must buy it as buffer stock.  But now, there is an oversupply so why are we buying from other countries? We should just buy from the domestic breeders."
Ishak meanwhile said that chickens which grow too big are not popular on the market.
But poultry farmers must sell them, even at a loss, as the cost will only increase if the birds are kept in cages. If this happens, more chickens will die as well.
Both he and Mazlina said the imports of chicken should be stopped at once.
"The cycle of chickens is about 35 days," Mazlina said. "When farmers cut down on the number of chickens on their farms, this means fewer chickens in the days ahead.
"The chicken industry should not be disturbed," she added. "It should be left to the forces of supply and demand."


Nato puts holds on Afghanistan decision, expands in Iraq

Nato secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg said on Thursday the alliance had made “no final decision” on the future of its Afghanistan mission, as new US President Joe Biden weighs pulling out troops.While defence ministers held off on making that call at a two-day virtual conference, they did decide to expand a Nato training mission in Iraq from 500 to “around 4,000” personnel.The fate of Nato’s 9,600-strong support mission in Afghanistan was top of the agenda after former US leader Donald Trump struck a deal with the Taliban to pull troops out.Biden’s administration is reviewing whether to stick to a looming May 1 deadline to withdraw the remaining 2,500 US troops or risk a bloody backlash from the insurgents by staying.“We are faced with many dilemmas and there are no easy options. At this stage, we have made no final decision on the future of our presence,” Stoltenberg said at a news conference.“But as the May 1 deadline is approaching, Nato allies will continue to closely consult and coordinate in the coming weeks.”Stoltenberg insisted the Taliban must live up to commitments under the deal with the US, including making progress in peace talks with Kabul, reducing violence and cutting ties to “international terrorist groups”.“Nato’s goal is to ensure that Afghanistan never again becomes a safe haven for terrorists that would attack our homelands,” he said.The Taliban has launched a string of offensives threatening at least two provincial capitals and warned Nato ministers not to seek a “continuation of occupation and war” by staying.“The protection of our troops remains paramount, and we will take all necessary measures to keep them safe,” Stoltenberg said.Allies are waiting anxiously for Biden to make his decision on whether to end two decades of involvement in Afghanistan – but say they are willing to remain if the US stays too.While Trump cut US forces to just 2,500 troop in January, from nearly 13,000 a year earlier, the other Nato members rely on the American capabilities to keep the mission going.US officials said new Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin, keen to revitalise ties after years of tensions under Trump, was going to listen to the allies and pass on their input to Biden.Secretary of State Antony Blinken discussed the review with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani in a call on Wednesday and vowed the US would consult closely “on the way ahead”, Washington said.In a statement the Pentagon said Austin told Nato allies that Washington remains “committed to a diplomatic effort to end the war.”Austin also reassured them “that the US would not undertake a hasty or disorderly withdrawal from Afghanistan”, the Pentagon said.Iraq expansionOn Iraq, defence ministers agreed to bolster a Nato training mission aimed at strengthening the country’s military as it looks to curb the resurgence of the Islamic State group.“The size of our mission will increase from 500 personnel to around 4,000,” Stoltenberg said, adding that the increases would be “incremental”.“Training activities will now include more Iraqi security institutions, and areas beyond Baghdad.”Stoltenberg insisted that the mission was being carried out “at the request of the Iraqi government”.“It is carried out with full respect for Iraq’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” he said.Nato has had a small non-combat mission in the country since 2018 to train and advise Iraqi forces.The alliance announced plans to expand the mission last year under pressure from Trump to increase Nato’s role in the Middle East.That move was put on hold by the coronavirus pandemic and worries about instability, but is now being pushed through with strong backing from Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi.There is currently also a force from a US-led coalition against IS based mainly in the northern city of Arbil in Iraq’s Kurdish region.Since Iraq declared victory over IS in late 2017, the coalition presence has been reduced to fewer than 3,500 troops, of whom 2,500 are American.The expanded Nato mission is expected to take over some of the training currently being conducted by the anti-IS coalition.The announcement comes amid fears over rising tensions in Iraq after a rocket attack on Monday killed a foreign contractor for the US military in Arbil.


Thai democracy protesters rally despite Covid warnings

Hundreds of pro-democracy protesters rallied in Bangkok Thursday to call for the government’s resignation, defying warnings from authorities about the kingdom’s soaring coronavirus cases.The marches came on the 89th anniversary of the Siamese Revolution – the uprising that transformed Thailand from an absolute to a constitutional monarchy.Bangkok was rocked by near-daily protests against Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha’s government in the second half of 2020, but the pro-democracy movement has lost steam after virus outbreaks and the jailing of student leaders.Authorities have clamped down on public gatherings as the kingdom grapples with a third wave of infections, with its daily case number hovering around the 3,000 mark.Despite police warnings, hundreds gathered at Democracy Monument, a major intersection in Bangkok, and marched in the direction of Parliament House to protest against the rule of Prayut, the former military chief who came to power in a 2014 coup.Early-bird protesters gathered at the intersection before dawn for a candlelight ceremony.Som, a 16-year-old student protester, said she wasn’t worried about the coronavirus risk.“We have never had any real democracy,” she told AFP. “The country is not going anywhere.”Student leader Parit “Penguin” Chiwarak – who is facing royal defamation charges and was released on bail last month – marched to a drum beat wearing a plastic golden crown and carrying a flag.Some demonstrators carried signs that read “Abolish 112”, a reference to the kingdom’s harsh royal defamation laws that carry a 15-year jail term for those convicted of insulting the monarchy.One protester was dressed like the Statue of Liberty and demonstrators burned a mock constitution – in the same week the Thai parliament debated changes to the country’s charter.“Our demands won’t be lowered… The constitution must come from the people,” Jatupat “Pai” Boonpattararaksa said over a loudspeaker.Growing criticismProtesters arrived at the parliament by the afternoon after a prolonged, circuitous march due to a police presence hindering a more direct route.Outside the legislature opposition MPs received their demands, and a lawmaker from the ruling Phalang Pracharat party, Sira Jenjaka, made a brief appearance on a makeshift stage with the protest leaders.“We are willing to listen,” he said, to loud jeers from the crowd.The administration of Prayut has increasingly come under fire due to its handling of the pandemic.“Even those who were on the government’s side are now calling out the government’s work and criticising failed government efforts,” said prominent protest leader Panupong Jadnok as he walked alongside protesters.The Thai pro-democracy movement sent shockwaves through the country’s establishment last year, particularly the most controversial demand – a call to reform how the monarchy operates.About 150 people have been charged since the movement started, with key leaders hit with multiple counts under Thailand’s tough royal defamation laws.Many of them were released on bail under conditions that include not protesting.The kingdom has recorded more than 232,600 Covid cases to date and 1,775 deaths.


Sarawak to go to the polls on Dec 18

Sarawak will hold its long awaited election on Dec 18, with 12 days of campaigning following nomination day on Dec 6, in the third pandemic-era state election to be held after Sabah and Melaka.A total of 1.2 million voters are eligible to vote, with the Election Commission expecting a 70% voter turnout.The state legislative assembly was dissolved on Nov 3 after the king consented to the revocation of the extended state of emergency.There are 82 seats in Sarawak’s legislative assembly, the largest in the country.Before the dissolution of the state assembly, Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) had held 68 seats – 47 belonging to PBB, 11 to PRS, seven to SUPP and three to PDP.On the opposition bench, SUPP splinter PSB had held six seats while Sarawak DAP held five and Bersatu one. There was also one seat held by an independent and one vacant.EC chairman Abdul Ghani Salleh said 82 nomination centres and another 82 tallying centres will be used for the Sarawak election.Meanwhile, 1,866 voting centres with 3,555 voting streams and 85 early voting centres with 111 voting streams will be prepared.The entire election is expected to cost some RM150 million.A total of 346 voting centres will open from 7.30am to 5pm on election day while the remaining 1,520 will operate according to set hours.For early voting centres, 11 will open from 8am to 12 noon, 20 from 8am to 2pm, and 54 from 8am to 5pm.Covid-19 prevention measures will be finalised by the health ministry, National Security Council, police and Sarawak disaster management committee.