DAP's Aziz Bari tells Hadi to quit public life over 'racist' remarks

DAP's Aziz Bari tells Hadi to quit public life over 'racist' remarks

Published: Aug 21, 2026 10:42 AM
Updated: 12:42 PM



DAP’s Abdul Aziz Bari has called on PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang to withdraw from public life and focus on his health and well-being, accusing the veteran politician of repeatedly making racist and inappropriate remarks in Malaysia’s plural society.

In a statement, the Tebing Tinggi assemblyperson condemned Hadi’s latest attack on Malaysiakini, which the PAS leader accused of supporting DAP and propagating the party’s “heretical teachings” of secularism.

Aziz said the Marang MP should have used the proper channel, such as the Malaysian Media Council, to air his grievances, noting that Malaysiakini had also given PAS considerable space.

“I believe the PAS president has not forgotten that the portal, together with DAP and Pakatan Rakyat, also defended PAS’ rights when the Dr Mahathir Mohamad administration attempted to remove the word ‘Islam’ from PAS’ name in 1999.

“While we respect the PAS president’s rights as a citizen, we must also acknowledge that he has made many views that are racist and inappropriate for this country’s multiracial society.

“His views also do not reflect the Islamic worldview of rahmatan lil alamin - mercy to all creation.

PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang


“Therefore, with all due respect, it would be best for him to withdraw from the public sphere and focus on his own health and well-being,” said the former academic.

Describing Hadi’s latest accusation against Malaysiakini as “shocking and confusing”, Aziz suggested that the portal’s management consider legal action against the PAS leader.

The Perak DAP vice-chairperson said the allegation was particularly serious in a Malay-Muslim-majority society.

READ MORE: Research: Hadi a 'key amplifier' of race-based narratives


Hadi’s remarks

In the latest edition of his “Minda Presiden” column, Hadi described Malaysiakini as one of several media outlets that supported DAP and helped propagate its secularism.

He also accused Malays in Pakatan Harapan of remaining silent over the alleged deviancy and even acting as spokespersons for DAP.

Hadi also linked criticism of alleged misconduct at Tabung Haji to what he claimed was an attempt to tarnish Islam’s image.

Last month, he described DAP members as “pendatang brought in by the colonialists”. In 2022, he blamed non-Muslims and non-bumiputera for allegedly causing systemic corruption in the country.

READ MORE: 'No M'sian should be made to feel like an enemy': Interfaith group sounds Merdeka alarm over rising hate

 

US pummels Cuban economy with new sanctions on mining, construction

US economic restrictions have strained the island’s already fragile economy, prompting blackouts and medical shortages.

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US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has taken a hawkish approach to Cuba, a socialist state [File: Kevin Lamarque/Reuters]

By Al Jazeera Staff and Reuters

Published On 20 Aug 202620 Aug 2026

The United States has announced another round of economic sanctions against Cuba, this time targeting nine state-owned mining, metal and construction companies.

A notice posted on the US Treasury Department’s website on Thursday showed Cuba’s Ministry of Construction of Cuba among the sanctioned entities, as well as government-controlled import companies.

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Enterprises that extract and trade the island’s minerals, like the mining group GEOMINSAL, were also on the list. Cuba holds significant deposits of cobalt and nickel.

In addition to the nine entities, three leaders at the Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples (ICAP), a state organisation designed to foster international relations, were sanctioned as well.

The administration of US President Donald Trump portrayed the targeted individuals and groups as national security threats in an accompanying statement, written by Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Rubio, a longtime proponent of government change in Cuba, accused the mining and construction companies of helping to “sustain the regime’s repressive apparatus”.

He also blasted ICAP for allegedly organising a “subversive network” of “international sympathisers” to help Cuba’s government.

“The Trump Administration will not stand by while a hostile foreign power seeks to exploit our freedoms — none of which are afforded to its people — by misleading and corrupting American citizens with lies, spy tradecraft, and other malfeasance,” Rubio wrote.

He added that ICAP’s activities help Cuba with its goal of “exporting Marxism, racial resentment, and Communist violence across the world”.

While the US has long sought to isolate Cuba over political differences, the Trump administration has pressed forward with a “maximum pressure” campaign designed to topple the island’s government.

Following the military operation to abduct and imprison Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on January 3, Trump has turned his sights to Cuba, an island roughly 145 kilometres, or 90 miles, from the US state of Florida.

Since the mid-20th century, the island has been been governed as a socialist state under the one-party rule of the Communist Party of Cuba.

In remarks earlier this year, Trump indicated that, once the US-Israeli war against Iran reaches an end, “Cuba is next” for regime change.

He has floated ideas including a “friendly takeover” of the island, and his administration has conducted negotiations with Cuban officials. Media reports have suggested he sought, at one point, the resignation of Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel.

To heighten the pressure on Diaz-Canel’s government, his administration has implemented a series of withering measures meant to destabilise the Cuban economy.

Among them has been a de facto fuel blockade that began in January. Trump cut off Cuba’s supply of oil from Venezuela and proceeded to threaten any country that exports fuel to the island with tariffs. Only one oil tanker, from Russia, has docked at the island since.

In May, Trump also unveiled a new executive order authorising his government to impose far-reaching sanctions on those “responsible for repression” in Cuba. Thursday’s economic measures cite that order as justification.

Trump’s pressure campaign has contributed to energy blackouts and shortages of crucial goods, including medicine, on the island.

United Nations officials have warned that such conditions could trigger a humanitarian crisis. In March, for instance, a group of UN experts warned that the fuel blockade amounts to an illegal form of “energy starvation“.

The following month, UN Human Rights Commissioner Volker Turk pointed to accelerating infant mortality rates, as well as a decline in survival among children with cancer. He warned that the growing restrictions against the island are fuelling those health outcomes.

“The fuel restrictions imposed since early 2026 and recent tightening of extraterritorial sanctions, taken together, are directly harming Cubans, especially the most vulnerable,” Turk said in a statement. “These sanctions must be lifted immediately.”

But the Trump administration has argued that Cuba poses a national security threat to the US, thereby necessitating the sanctions.

***

Frigging Wankee S-Wholes😡😡😡

 

Key European leaders demand Israel halt West Bank settlement project

Key European leaders demand Israel halt West Bank settlement project

6 hours ago

AFP

The E1 plan was green-lit by Israel last year to further separate east Jerusalem from the West Bank and faces international condemnation.

Israeli settlements in the West Bank are illegal under international law. (Reuters pic)

PARIS:

France, Italy, Britain and Germany on Thursday piled on mounting international condemnation of a major settlement project in the occupied West Bank, after Israeli authorities opened bidding for more than 1,200 homes in the area.

The E1 plan was green-lit by Israel last year and would further separate east Jerusalem, occupied and annexed by Israel and predominantly inhabited by Palestinians, from the West Bank.

“At a time of grave instability in the West Bank with unprecedented levels of violence by settlers against civilians, and serious restrictions on the Palestinian economy, this decision is even more concerning,” the joint statement from Paris, Rome, Berlin and London said.

“We urge the Government of Israel to retract these plans immediately and end its expansion of settlements in the West Bank,” it added, warning businesses against bidding for the construction tenders at risk of “involving themselves in serious breaches of international law”.

The UN secretary general has said the E1 plan posed an “existential threat” to a contiguous Palestinian state.

Belgian foreign minister Maxime Prevot called the tenders “unacceptable” on Thursday, saying the project “would seriously undermine the viability of the two-State solution”.

His condemnation echoed a statement by Britain’s top diplomat Ed Miliband on Wednesday demanding an end to the project and settlement expansion in the West Bank, with London summoning Israel’s charge d’affaires.

‘Israel will defend its rights’

Miliband said he delivered the message directly to his Israeli counterpart Gideon Saar.

Saar on Thursday said he rejected “outright” Miliband’s statement and “the patronising tone of his words”.

“The Jewish people have the right to live throughout the Land of Israel, just as the British have the right to live in London and throughout the United Kingdom,” he wrote on X.

Saar went on to accuse the UK of “blaming only Israel while ignoring Palestinian extremism” which he said was fuelling antisemitic attacks against the British Jewish community.

“The UK Government’s decision to damage the relationship between our countries is deeply unfortunate,” he added, vowing that “Israel will defend its rights, its interests and its people”.

The British government on Wednesday also pledged to unveil “a comprehensive set of measures” in the coming weeks, including sanctions targeting people involved in the “illegal settlement expansion”.

Israel approved the plans for the roughly 12-square-kilometre parcel of land known as E1 just east of Jerusalem, in August last year.

The plan seeks to build around 3,400 homes on the ultra-sensitive tract of land, which lies between Jerusalem and the Israeli settlement of Maale Adumim.

The latest tender covers more than 1,200 housing units, according to Israeli NGO Peace Now.

Peace Now said Israel’s housing ministry published the tender on Aug 18 and immediately opened it for bids.

Submissions are due by Oct 19, one week before Israeli elections scheduled for Oct 27.

The group said the homes accounted for about one-third of the planned E1 development and accused the government of trying to advance construction commitments before the vote.

Israel heavily restricts the movement of West Bank Palestinians, who must obtain permits from authorities to travel through checkpoints to cross into east Jerusalem or Israel.

Last year, Britain and France were among 21 countries who condemned Israeli approval of the E1 project, calling it a violation of international law and urging Israel to reverse the decision.

Excluding east Jerusalem, the West Bank is home to around three million Palestinians. About 500,000 Israeli settlers also live there.

Violence against Palestinians by Israeli settlers has increased since the unprecedented Oct 7, 2023 attack on Israel by Hamas from the Gaza Strip.

Hadi Awang: Muslims less involved in corruption than non-Muslims due to faith

Hadi Awang: Muslims less involved in corruption than non-Muslims due to faith



PAS president Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang (right) attends nomination day for the Negri Sembilan state election in Jempol July 18, 2026. — Facebook pic


Summary

• PAS president Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang asserted that Muslims are less prone to corruption due to their faith and accountability beliefs, while alleging that non-Muslims dominate corruption activities, although he provided no statistical evidence.
• He criticized the selective enforcement of anti-corruption measures in Malaysia, alleging bias against Islamic institutions like Tabung Haji and claiming that high-ranking offenders often evade punishment.
• Hadi also disparaged the Pakatan Harapan government's anti-corruption efforts as ineffective, while praising PAS-led state governments for maintaining integrity.

By Malay Mail
First Published: Thursday, 20 Aug 2026 5:00 PM MYT


KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 20 — PAS president Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang has claimed that Muslims are less involved in corruption compared to non-Muslims, arguing that Islamic institutions such as Tabung Haji are singled out for scrutiny specifically because of their religious branding.

In a statement issued Thursday, Hadi argued that faith and belief in accountability in the hereafter act as a restraint on Muslims, making them less likely to engage in graft than non-Muslims, whom he said dominate the country’s major economic activities.


“Muslims involved in corruption are not as many as non-Muslims, because they are guarded by faith and belief that there is sin before Allah,” he said.


He claimed that if an honest statistical assessment were done, corruption involving non-Muslims would prove far greater in scale, though he acknowledged that some Muslims with weak religious grounding — particularly those lacking proper religious education — do become involved in bribery.


Hadi also contended that enforcement against corruption in Malaysia has been selective and unjust.


“Some are taken action against, some face half-hearted action because of their rank, and some are left alone because their rank is higher,” he said.

He said action is frequently taken against bribe-recipients while bribe-givers and middlemen, whom he described as largely coming from cartels, black-market traders and smugglers outside the Muslim community, are allowed to walk free.


He further alleged that senior figures escape punishment because of their rank, while lower-ranking individuals face full consequences, and that some are unfairly accused of opposing the government to justify action against them, while others have their investigations deliberately dragged out.

His claims about the relative scale of corruption among Muslims and non-Muslims were not accompanied by independent data or verifiable statistics.

On Tabung Haji specifically, Hadi said that while he does not deny wrongdoing has occurred within Islamic financial institutions, similar or greater misconduct within government-linked companies (GLCs) and other bodies is “swept under the carpet.”

“Tabung Haji’s wrongdoing is made the headline because its Islamic brand becomes the target,” he said, arguing that the far larger number of people who have contributed to the fund’s success are overlooked in favour of highlighting the misdeeds of a few.

He also referenced the Penang tunnel project, claiming its case was heard only halfway before going quiet, with little further public discussion.

Hadi further alleged that Malay and Muslim-linked entities — from the largest to the smallest — are disproportionately targeted in graft cases to tarnish Islam’s image, even though he claimed non-Muslim and non-Malay economic actors, including “mega-sized” players, contribute more to corruption, including in the leakage of subsidies meant for poor farmers and fishermen.

He then praised PAS-led state governments, particularly Kelantan under PAS rule for more than 30 years, as being “clean” of corruption despite what he described as federal pressure and denial of state rights.

By contrast, he criticised the Pakatan Harapan federal government, saying allegations of misconduct emerged within its own term, and dismissed its anti-corruption rhetoric — including references to a mysterious “sakau” figure — as hollow sloganeering. “Its declaration of war on corruption is just an empty drum, loud in sound only,” he said.

Citing religious scriptures, Hadi warned that political parties which choose leaders through corrupt means will ultimately be defeated by corruption, drawing a comparison to the United States, which he said now elects leaders based on wealth rather than knowledge or integrity.

He cautioned against using corruption allegations as a political weapon to bring down rivals rather than as a genuine effort to curb wrongdoing, saying this occurs when authorities selectively pursue opponents while shielding themselves.

‘Nobody asked’: In Muhyiddin’s trial, Chinese businessman says didn’t hide his 30pc share in ‘Bumiputera’ company

‘Nobody asked’: In Muhyiddin’s trial, Chinese businessman says didn’t hide his 30pc share in ‘Bumiputera’ company



Former prime minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin arrives at the Kuala Lumpur High Court Complex August 17, 2026. — Picture by Yusof Isa


Summary

• Malaysian businessman Lian Tan Chuan admitted he owned 30% of Nepturis Sdn Bhd, a Bumiputera contractor, but claimed he didn't disclose this due to not being asked.
• Nepturis, believed by the Malaysian government to be 100% Bumiputera-owned, won a RM141 million project, and Lian said he rewarded Muhyiddin's party for the contract's success.
• Lian said CIDB rules prevented his official recognition in multiple companies, leading to undisclosed agreements with shareholders and denied any intention to deceive the government.

By Ida Lim
First Published: Thursday, 20 Aug 2026 6:33 PM MYT
Last Modified: Thursday, 20 Aug 2026 7:43 PM MYT


KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 20 — Malaysian Chinese businessman Lian Tan Chuan today said he was not intentionally hiding his name from official records on who actually owned the Bumiputera contractor Nepturis Sdn Bhd, claiming that “nobody” had asked about it.

Nepturis had told the Malaysian government that it was a 100 per cent Bumiputera company, and had in January 2022 won a RM141 million project under the Muhyiddin administration’s Jana Wibawa programme that was only for Bumiputera contractors.


While the Companies Commission of Malaysia (SSM) records on Nepturis only have Lian’s two Bumiputera long-time employees as the shareholders, Lian has said he actually owns 30 per cent of the company’s shares based on his verbal agreement with both of them.


Testifying as the 21st prosecution witness in Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia president and former prime minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s power abuse trial, Lian said his company Nepturis had given RM1 million to Bersatu in February 2022 as a “reward” for what he believed to be Muhyiddin’s help in securing the RM141 million project.


Lian is not a Bumiputera, and confirmed that the government was never told that he was involved in Nepturis when it was evaluating whether the company was qualified for the RM141 million project.


Quizzed by Muhyiddin’s lawyer Datuk Amer Hamzah Arshad on why he did not want to disclose his 30 per cent interest or stake in Nepturis, Lian replied, “Nobody asked, actually.”

Amer: How would people want to know if you don’t disclose? Because this is not publicly available information.


Lian: There’s no special reason, I’m not trying to purposely hide. There’s no reason to hide. Nobody asked anyway.

Lian, who has more than one construction company, had also told Amer that the Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) regulations would not allow his name to be named in multiple companies.

Bumiputera company’s hidden ‘ghost’ shareholder

Lian had formed multiple companies, including MK Construction & Communication Sdn Bhd, Metrasys Sdn Bhd and also Nepturis.

Lian today confirmed he had created Nepturis in order to apply for government projects specifically allocated for Bumiputera companies.

Previously, he had made his MK Construction employees Aliza Abd Malek and Rizman Akum Khan to be the only directors and shareholders of Nepturis in SSM records, but the two Bumiputera individuals did not have to pay anything to be the company’s owners on paper with 50 per cent shares each.

Based on Lian’s verbal understanding that he would have 30 per cent shares and Rizman and Aliza would actually hold 35 per cent shares each in Nepturis, Lian had previously said all Nepturis decisions must be agreed between the three of them.

Agreeing that he has no official position in Nepturis and is not a director or registered shareholder there, Lian further agreed with Amer that his arrangement with Rizman and Aliza is something that is “out of the ordinary” with company law.

When Amer said the law does not allow for such an arrangement, Lian replied: “I have no idea about this. I’m not aware this is a ‘kesalahan’ (offence). Ya, I’m not aware, seriously.”

Agreeing that there is “nothing in black and white” or written to show that he actually controls 30 per cent of Nepturis, Lian agreed that SSM would not know of his involvement and existence in Nepturis.

Amer described Lian as being like a “ghost behind the scene but controls Nepturis”, with the businessman then agreeing that the government would not know of his role or involvement in Nepturis and that his name would not appear in public records on Nepturis.



Defense lawyer Datuk Amer Hamzah Arshad leaves the Kuala Lumpur Court Complex August 7, 2026. — Picture by Raymond Manuel



Bidding for RM141m project as a ‘wholly Bumiputera-owned’ company

On February 1, 2021, Nepturis sent a letter to Muhyiddin as part of a limited tender against four other Bumiputera companies for the RM141 million project, describing itself as a “syarikat milik penuh Bumiputera” (wholly Bumiputera-owned company).

Lian disagreed that the letter had misled Muhyiddin as he said Nepturis “on paper” was 100 per cent Bumiputera-owned.

When Amer suggested that he had misled Muhyiddin based on his personal arrangement with Rizman and Aliza, Lian said, “No, I didn’t do it purposely.”

Lian confirmed that he had been advised by Malaysia’s Bumiputera contractors’ association president Datuk Azman Yusoff to prepare five letters from Nepturis and its cronies or business associates to bid for the RM141 million project, when the tender should have actually involved five independent and unrelated Bumiputera contractors.

While confirming that the five Bumiputera companies including Nepturis did not tell the government that they knew each other or had previously worked together, Lian disagreed that there was “deception” or an attempt to mislead the government into believing that five unrelated companies were bidding for the same project.

Lian disagreed that these five companies were actually breaching the Competition Act, and said he was not aware that the law prevents bid‑rigging, claiming that “we didn’t know that we need to disclose all these things” and that they had only wanted to comply with the requirement to have five companies bid for the project.

The five companies were Nepturis; its business associate MZ Hakujaya Sdn Bhd; Permata Rebana Sdn Bhd, which was a construction partner in another Nepturis project; JM Letrik Sdn Bhd, which was introduced by Lian’s subcontractor; and Azman’s Fastcoll Corporation Sdn Bhd.

Lian said Azman had allowed him to use Fastcoll in order to meet the requirement to have five companies to bid for the project.

Amer suggested that Lian wanted to make sure no “outsiders” join in the tender for the RM141 million project by arranging for participation from only companies that he knew personally.

Lian replied that this was due to “time constraints” as Azman had requested five companies and had wanted it fast, explaining that he then went to the companies that he knows and that these five companies were the only companies that he knew. He agreed this was not Muhyiddin’s request.

Among other things, Lian confirmed that the five letters never disclosed to the government that a non-Bumiputera was involved either directly or indirectly in any of the five companies.

Lian agreed with Amer that a non-Bumiputera’s participation was never made known to the Finance Ministry (MOF) or the Works Ministry (KKR) or the Public Works Department (JKR) throughout the entire process of evaluation of contractors for the RM141 million Jana Wibawa project.

Lian agreed that the government evaluating the tender bid from the five Bumiputera companies would have believed that no non-Bumiputera was involved, and said he did not declare his shares in Nepturis as Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) regulation disallows him being named in different companies and as no one asked.



Deputy Public Prosecutor Datuk Wan Shaharuddin Wan Ladin is pictured at the Kuala Lumpur High Court Complex March 11, 2026. — Picture by Yusof Isa



Lian denies intention to cheat government

Asked by lead prosecutor Datuk Wan Shaharuddin Wan Ladin, Lian said the construction company Metrasys jointly owned by him and his wife had never tried applying for government projects as it did not have Bumiputera status, and as there were far fewer government projects that were open for non-Bumiputera companies.

“We never tried because projects for non-Bumiputera are really limited. Projects with many opportunities are for Bumiputera projects. Throughout my time in business, very limited projects, very much fewer projects for non-Bumiputera,” he said, confirming that in this context he had no intentions to deceive the Finance Ministry.

Asked why he did not convert Metrasys into a Bumiputera company via Aliza and Rizman, Lian replied, “Because I want to maintain Metrasys just simple for my wife and me only. For Bumiputera company, we have some other plan, that’s why we set up Nepturis.”

Lian denied that this was a move to deceive the government in order to get projects, further explaining: “Because, according to CIDB conditions, my name cannot be in two companies, because, for example, my name is already in Metrasys, so my name cannot be registered in Nepturis.”

Lian said Nepturis would not get the Bumiputera status and Grade G7 contractor status if his name had appeared in both Metrasys and Nepturis.

Later when asked by deputy public prosecutor Wan Nur Iman Wan Ahmad Afzal why he did not declare his 30 per cent shares in Nepturis to SSM, Lian said: “Because CIDB does not allow my name in two companies.”

And when asked why he had said he did not “purposely” mislead the government when Nepturis declared itself as a 100 per cent Bumiputera company despite his arrangement with Rizman and Aliza, Lian replied, “Same also, because my name cannot be in two companies because of CIDB’s condition.”

Lian confirmed that his name could appear in other businesses if they do not involve CIDB.

As for why Metrasys had kept injecting capital including millions of ringgit into Nepturis from time to time, Lian said this was because Nepturis did not have sufficient capital under Aliza and Rizman.

In this trial, Muhyiddin is facing seven charges, namely four counts of alleged power abuse to obtain RM225.3 million in bribes for his party, Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (from Nepturis Sdn Bhd, Azman Yusoff, KCJ Engineering Sdn Bhd, Bukhary Equity Sdn Bhd and Mamfor Sdn Bhd), and three counts of alleged money laundering involving money that Bersatu received from Bukhary Equity.

The trial before High Court judge Noor Ruwena Md Nurdin resumes tomorrow.


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