Rafizi should roll the dice and quit Madani

Rafizi should roll the dice and quit Madani

S Thayaparan
Published: Apr 13, 2026 8:00 AM
Updated: 10:00 AM



“Show me a hero, and I'll write you a tragedy.”

- F Scott Fitzgerald

COMMENT | Pandan MP Rafizi Ramli said that he was not going to contest the 16th general election on a PKR ticket, but (from reportage) “… winning is not necessarily a major objective for him”.

“Instead, his objective is to ensure the survival of progressive multi-racial politics and continuous political change.”

In this case, the former PKR deputy president should eschew the drama that comes with PKR scheming to get him out and quit Madani.

Rafizi finally took his shot against Prime Minister and PKR president Anwar Ibrahim. No more sniping from the sidelines.

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim


He has essentially said that Anwar is obsessed with being in power and doesn’t care for the sacrifices others have made to get him in the Putrajaya hot seat.

Mind you, Rafizi just described nearly every politician in this country, but I get his point.

Propping up Anwar

Also, keep in mind that Rafizi has done his fair share of propping up Anwar and PKR.

Back in the rancid days of the PKR elections, which he lost, Rafizi had to remind his opponent, Nurul Izzah Anwar, not to revise history when she denied or downplayed his involvement in the 2018 electoral seat negotiations with the old maverick, Dr Mahathir Mohamad, with Rafizi voluntarily taking on the role as “bad guy”.

Anwar is a special case. We have all carried water for Anwar, including this writer, and his failure to reform the system has splashed back on us in a big way.

Rafizi has made it clear that he really doesn’t need all the aggravation that comes with politics, unlike his one-time comrade.

I mean, four years ago, when PKR was out in the cold, Rafizi was warning folks not to be bootlickers when it came to Anwar.

Fast forward a few years, and nobody really paid attention to Rafizi, and when he said those words, he was Anwar’s right hand.

Rafizi said that he wants PKR to sack him because under the party’s constitution, a sacked member retains his seat, while a member who resigns would have their seat vacated.


Pointing out the emperor has no clothes

Here is the thing, though. I have no idea what purpose it serves for Rafizi to remain an MP since Madani has the support it needs from the so-called “progressive wing” - DAP - of the coalition.

Truth be told, I was shocked when people who support progressive politics emailed me with long diatribes of how Rafizi is rocking the boat.

As someone who has no problem rocking the boat, I assumed that folks would be happy when Rafizi points out that the emperor has no clothes.

It says a lot about the progressive forces in this country that Rafizi does not get the support he needs from the progressive wing of Madani.

In fact, the narrative that he is a political operative peddling his sour grapes overrides whatever he says about reform and the failures of the audacity-of-hope type of politics.

When Rafizi was on the campaign stump for the PKR elections, he exposed all sorts of chicanery, which put PKR in the light it deserved.

Anwar Ibrahim and Rafizi Ramli at the PKR national congress in May 2025


From claiming the fix is in when it comes to this election for the second-highest post, from the various snubbings of party pow-wows to claiming bots are used, much like Umno does to amplify messaging on social media.


Where does Rafizi stand?

Rafizi was all over the place in painting why the rakyat should not vote for PKR.

He was right to draw attention to personality politics, but his big ideas depend on the political support from his party and comrades, which has changed with the ascension of Madani.

You need a strong personality to do that, especially since you have a generation of young leaders who want to “inherit” from their elders instead of taking over and establishing a political agenda of their own.

Rafizi’s supporters have told me that by sticking with his MP gig, he can continue to build on the momentum he created, and this would be a tactical advantage when defending his seat. He needs to be the rakyat’s eyes and ears, they tell me.

In his posting about his return to active political life, Rafizi made it clear he wants to stake out the multiethnic middle ground.

What this means remains to be seen, especially since the various parties in Madani adhere to the old Umno/BN formula, which Harapan (especially the DAP) always downplays with the Bangsa Malaysia kool-aid.

The fact is that what Rafizi offers obviously does not resonate with PKR’s grassroots, and this says more about what the party has become rather than his ideas, which, for the most part, are utilitarian in nature and would benefit the bumiputera community.

Rafizi talks about a culture of luxury seeping into PKR. He talks about how new members are only there for the positions and perks.

The way Rafizi paints it, who needs Umno when there is PKR?

Folks these days are struggling with issues, and they have very little time for the internal politics of PKR. Anwar knows this, and he is correct in focusing on the economic storm coming our way.

All this makes the drama that Rafizi is creating seem self-serving, which is what the narratives of Madani and their cyber warriors are peddling.

Rafizi claims that moves are being made in his Pandan seat to oust him from the halls of Putrajaya.

As he said, “We can’t really be surprised if they go ahead and do it anyway, even though there shouldn’t be a by-election - I mean, this is the Madani era.”

This is why he should roll the dice and quit PKR instead of being forced out in some underhanded manner, which would go unnoticed because Malaysians mudah lupa.

The only reckoning or repudiation Madani will understand is if Rafizi wins as an independent.

S THAYAPARAN is Commander (Rtd) of the Royal Malaysian Navy. Fīat jūstitia ruat cælum - “Let justice be done though the heavens fall.”

Trump backs out again

Trump backs out again

P Gunasegaram
Published: Apr 14, 2026 8:00 AM
Updated: 10:00 AM



COMMENT | Not a day has passed since his announcement that he will blockade the Strait of Hormuz, but US President Donald Trump “Taco-ed” (Taco - Trump Always Chickens Out) again - the blockade will not apply to those ships that are not leaving from or heading to Iranian ports.

Here’s what the US Central Command said: “US Central Command forces will begin implementing a blockade of all maritime traffic entering and exiting Iranian ports on April 13 at 10am ET (Eastern Time), in accordance with the president’s proclamation.

“The blockade will be enforced impartially against vessels of all nations entering or departing Iranian ports and coastal areas, including all Iranian ports on the (Persian) Gulf and Gulf of Oman. Centcom forces will not impede freedom of navigation for vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz to and from non-Iranian ports.”

This is a clear indication that vessels that are going in and out of non-Iranian ports will have freedom of navigation. The ones that will be affected are those going to or leaving Iranian ports.


What blockade?

That is very different from what Trump had announced earlier, which is a total blockade of the strait.

To be clear, here are extracts from Trump’s statement when talks broke down, and his vice-president JD Vance flew back: “Effective immediately, the United States Navy, the finest in the world, will begin the process of blockading any and all ships trying to enter, or leave, the Strait of Hormuz. At some point, we will reach an ‘all being allowed to go in, all being allowed to go out’ basis.

“...Their navy is gone, their air force is gone, their anti-aircraft and radar are useless, (Ali) Khamenei, and most of their ‘leaders’, are dead, all because of their nuclear ambition.

“...Additionally, and at an appropriate moment, we are fully ‘locked and loaded,’ and our military will finish up the little that is left of Iran!”

The new conditions make a huge difference because oil and gas from other producing countries in the Persian Gulf can exit through the strait, which would help bring oil supply to more normal levels and prices back down.

US vice-president JD Vance


That flow - 20 percent of world production - was blocked for some six weeks, leading to an oil supply crisis with reverberations to all commerce.


Oil prices could rise

On paper, this should help stabilise oil prices and even bring them down, provided that the conditional opening is effective and Iran does not react against it.

That’s unlikely since Iran, if the blockade is effective, is being prevented from exporting to countries like China, to which much of its oil exports go, unless the ban on Iranian ports is lifted.

China may not face an immediate threat from this - reports say there are many Iranian tankers at sea which can supply oil to China for a while.

For example, Bloomberg reported yesterday that two sanctioned Iranian supertankers have dropped anchor off Indian ports.

The buyers of the two shipments are unclear, with state refiners including Indian Oil Corp, Reliance Industries Ltd, and Bharat Petroleum Corp operating in the areas where the tankers are anchored, Bloomberg said.

Trump’s announcement of the oil blockade sent oil prices jumping. Anyone who had advanced information on this would have made a huge killing in the markets by taking a leveraged position that oil prices would increase.

Similarly, those who have information that Trump will announce a blockade only to and from Iranian ports will likely take a position that oil prices will ease. It’s a major development - after six weeks - oil and gas from the Gulf states can reach world markets.

There are still outstanding issues. The first question to be answered is whether Iran will retaliate against the blockade.

The second, what would happen when tankers taking badly-needed Iranian fuel to countries like China and India pass through the strait? Will the US stop them forcibly?

Unlikely. It’s a situation that everyone will want to avoid. However, what puzzles is how two US warships are sailing through the Strait of Hormuz and into the Persian Gulf without attracting Iranian fire?

Surely, this will not happen without some kind of agreement in the works with Iran.


The nuclear problem

For some answers, let’s look at Trump’s statement on social media. The first sentence on that post reads, “So, there you have it, the meeting went well, most points were agreed to, but the only point that really mattered, nuclear, was not.”

And then followed the rant, ending with a promise to finish off Iran.

But those who are enlightened know that Iran had complied with everything the US wanted way back in 2015.

On July 14, 2015, the US and its international negotiating partners reached an agreement with Iran on its nuclear programme: the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) or the Iran nuclear deal.

The agreement was formally adopted on Oct 18, 2015, and would only go into effect after Iran completed several initial steps.

As a part of the deal, Iran also agreed to implement the Additional Protocol, which is an expanded set of requirements for information and access to assist the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in its task of confirming that states are using nuclear material for peaceful purposes.

It was Trump who withdrew the US from the JCPOA in May 2018, even though Iran was still in compliance at the time. The deal was endorsed by UN Security Council Resolution 2231, making it part of binding international law. The US’ European allies (UK, France, Germany) opposed the withdrawal.

So, Trump had everything to do with Iran becoming a rogue state, reimposing sanctions on Iran, which then embarked on a nuclear programme progressing rapidly with uranium enrichment programmes to reach near weapon-grade levels.

The only beneficiary from this one-sided treatment of Iran is Israel, which the US has used for decades as its instrument of foreign policy through force in West Asia and supporting it with the latest weapons and hundreds of billions of dollars in aid.

Even now, Iran is willing to abandon a nuclear weapons programme but not uranium enrichment totally. If Trump wants peace with Iran, go back to the original JCPOA - under a different name if that is more politic which provides safeguards for peaceful use of nuclear energy. It’s really as simple as that.


Back against the wall

But currently, Trump, with his back against a wall on a regime he could not vanquish completely, wants an exit that will make it appear, at least to his support base and the undecided voters, to be an American victory. It is not.

That’s what all this is about: a face-saving exit for Trump. It will probably help him in the mid-term elections for the House of Representatives, where there is a good chance that he will otherwise lose the majority and face consequences such as impeachment.

The rest of the world has to suffer, and Iran, Gaza, Lebanon, Venezuela and Cuba terribly so, because of US domestic politics and its penchant for world dominance at all costs and times. It shouldn't be that way.

P GUNASEGARAM says the world has become lopsided and lawless following Donald Trump’s ascendancy to the US presidency. But what can we expect from a felon?

Pejabat Mat Sabu nafi imej palsu galak penjawat awam tanam ganja di rumah, sudah lapor MCMC

Imej manipulasi digital yang cuba mengaitkan Mohamad Sabu dengan ganja disahkan palsu. - Gambar Facebook Mohamad Sabu, 14 April, 2026


Pejabat Mat Sabu nafi imej palsu galak penjawat awam tanam ganja di rumah, sudah lapor MCMC


Orang ramai dinasihatkan supaya tidak menyebarkan kandungan palsu serta sentiasa merujuk saluran rasmi


Wartawan Scoop
Dikemaskini 47 minutes lalu
14 April, 2026
11:06 AM MYT



KUALA LUMPUR – Pejabat Menteri Pertanian dan Keterjaminan Makanan menafikan sekeras-kerasnya imej manipulasi digital di media sosial yang mendakwa Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu menggalakkan penjawat awam menanam ganja di rumah.

Menurut kenyataan rasmi, dakwaan itu adalah fitnah serta manipulasi digital yang tidak benar dan berpotensi mengelirukan orang awam. Pejabat Menteri menegaskan imej berkenaan tidak pernah dikeluarkan dan tidak mencerminkan pendirian Mohamad.

“Sehubungan itu, laporan rasmi dibuat kepada Suruhanjaya Komunikasi dan Multimedia Malaysia (MCMC) untuk siasatan dan tindakan lanjut terhadap pihak berkenaan. Orang ramai dinasihatkan supaya tidak menyebarkan kandungan palsu serta sentiasa merujuk saluran rasmi bagi mendapatkan maklumat yang sahih,” katanya.

Imej palsu itu sebelum ini cuba mengaitkan kenyataan Mohamad dengan konflik di Asia Barat, seolah-olah beliau mencadangkan penjawat awam mula menanam ganja di rumah. Namun, muat naik berkenaan kemudian dikemas kini dengan label jelas bahawa ia adalah palsu.

Hakikatnya, pada Mac lalu Mohamad hanya menggalakkan penjawat awam yang memiliki rumah bertanah supaya menanam sayur sebagai langkah menambah bekalan makanan domestik sekiranya konflik di Asia Barat berlarutan. Cadangan itu adalah sebahagian usaha meningkatkan keterjaminan makanan negara.

Penafian tegas ini sekali lagi menekankan bahaya penyebaran maklumat palsu di media sosial. Pejabat Menteri mengingatkan orang ramai agar lebih berhati-hati, tidak mudah terpedaya dengan manipulasi digital, dan sentiasa merujuk sumber rasmi bagi memastikan maklumat yang diterima adalah sahih. – 14 April, 2026

***

I'm reminded of a story my (late) grandma told me when I was a small kid. Grandma grew up in Southern Thailand and was obviously fully aware that the Thais there grew ganja and consumed them not as smokes but as salad (ulam), wakakaka 😂😂😂

M’sia has fiscal room to support industries amid Iran war, says Tengku Zafrul

FMT:

M’sia has fiscal room to support industries amid Iran war, says Tengku Zafrul

Malaysian Investment Development Authority chair Tengku Zafrul Aziz said savings from a reduction in fuel subsidies prior to the conflict have helped cushion its impact

Tengku Zafrul Aziz said Malaysia entered the crisis with strong fundamentals. (Bernama pic)

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia still has room to deploy fiscal support for industries impacted by the fallout of the Iran war, according to Tengku Zafrul Aziz, chair of the Malaysian Investment Development Authority.

“We are bracing ourselves to ensure that the Malaysian government can support some of these industries,” Tengku Zafrul said in an interview with Bloomberg TV’s Haslinda Amin on Tuesday. “We still have the fiscal space.”

The country entered the crisis with strong fundamentals, Tengku Zafrul said, while savings from a reduction in fuel subsidies prior to the Middle East conflict have helped cushion some of the impact.


Still, a prolonged war and continued disruption to energy supply will weigh on the country’s fiscal position. The government is under pressure to contain rising living costs and manage a swelling subsidy bill due to higher oil prices. The nation’s monthly subsidies for both petrol and diesel have climbed to RM6 billion, from RM700 million before the conflict.

Authorities will discuss measures to address surging fuel and essential goods costs driven by the Middle East war in a meeting on Tuesday.

Malaysia urges US to reconsider move to block Strait of Hormuz

FMT:

Malaysia urges US to reconsider move to block Strait of Hormuz

Foreign minister Mohamad Hasan questions the rationale behind US president Donald Trump’s move

Foreign minister Mohamad Hasan said a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz would have far-reaching consequences for global energy supplies and key commodities such as fertiliser. (EPA Images pic)

REMBAU: Malaysia has urged the US to reconsider its move to block the Strait of Hormuz, warning that it could disrupt global energy supplies and undermine economic stability.

Foreign minister Mohamad Hasan said a blockade would hinder the movement of merchant vessels and cargo in and out of the strategic waterway, with far-reaching consequences for global energy supplies and key commodities such as fertiliser.

He questioned the rationale behind the move, noting that the US had previously called for international cooperation to keep the vital route open.


“The strait should not be blockaded. Previously, Iran had agreed to keep the strait open on the condition that the 10 points proposed during negotiations in Islamabad were accepted by the US.

“(Blocking the route) will worsen the global energy supply situation, as well as affect other essential goods. The world’s economy … will be further strained.

“I urge the US to reconsider this action and for all parties to return to negotiations. Any form of blockade must be lifted to ensure trade routes remain open,” he said.

Mohamad, who is also the Rembau MP, was speaking to reporters after a Bumiputera entrepreneurship convention at the Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) Rembau campus.

He also called on all parties, including Iran, to ensure that trade routes through the strait were not held hostage to geopolitical conflicts.

“A war between the US and Iran, or between Iran and Israel, is their conflict. The rest of the world must not be held to ransom for any reason.


“The US must not take such action as it would create serious global repercussions,” he said.

On Sunday, President Donald Trump announced that the US Navy would immediately begin a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, including intercepting ships in international waters that had paid tolls to Iran.

He made the statement hours after the US-Iran peace talks ended without an agreement.

Palestine weekly wrap: ‘Master of the house’ says Ben-Gvir as Al-Aqsa opens

Nine-year-old Ritaj Rihan among multiple Palestinians killed in ongoing Gaza attacks amid fears of escalating violence.

By Al Jazeera Staff

Published On 14 Apr 202614 Apr 2026

The announcement of a ceasefire between the United States and Iran has led to the reopening of holy sites to worshippers in occupied East Jerusalem and the removal of a number of movement barriers in the occupied West Bank.

On Friday, April 9, more than 100,000 Muslim worshippers streamed into the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound for the first Friday prayers since before the war started on February 28. The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, shuttered throughout Holy Week, also reopened in time for Holy Fire Saturday – held the day before Easter is celebrated by Orthodox denominations. After weeks of empty streets, children performed music in the Palestinian Scouts’ procession through the Christian Quarter.

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But the celebrations also came with an overwhelming Israeli security presence, and police violently arresting Palestinian Christian scouts during the processions. Palestinian Authority officials said Israeli forces removed Palestinian flag patches from scouts’ uniforms.

Even the April 9 reopening of Al-Aqsa after 40 days of closure was tempered by growing settler incursions, including on April 7 and April 12, when Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir stormed the compound under police protection, performing Jewish religious rituals.

Ben-Gvir declared from the site that “today, you feel like the master of the house here,” as he celebrated the increased normalisation of Jewish prayer on the site, despite the official ban on it. The next day, settlers stormed the Al-Aqsa compound again. Jordan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the incidents as violations of the site’s status quo. Jordan officially holds custodianship of the shrine.

Gaza: Attacks and starvation amid stalled peace process

Despite the Iran ceasefire, Israeli air attacks and artillery fire continued across the Gaza Strip throughout the week. On April 8, Israeli forces killed Al Jazeera journalist Mohammed Wishah in a drone attack on his vehicle as it travelled along the coastal road in Gaza City – bringing the total number of Palestinian media workers killed since October 2023 to at least 262, the highest such toll in any recorded conflict. Wishah is the 12th Al Jazeera journalist or media worker in Gaza to have been killed by Israeli forces during that time.

On April 9, nine-year-old Ritaj Rihan was shot and killed in northern Gaza by Israeli soldiers while studying in a tent used for classes. The same day, an additional two Palestinians were killed and five were wounded in an attack on Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza, with two others killed in separate drone attacks in central Khan Younis and the Bardawil area of al-Mawasi, in southern Gaza.

On April 11, a strike on a police checkpoint in central Gaza’s Bureij camp killed at least six people, and another person was killed during a second strike in Beit Lahiya the same day. Then, on April 13, another three Palestinians were killed by an Israeli drone attack at a security checkpoint in the al-Mazraa area east of Deir el-Balah, followed by another Palestinian killed by Israeli fire later in the day in the al-Mawasi area.

According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, since the October ceasefire, 754 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed and more than 2,100 injured, as of April 13. Since October 7, 2023, the cumulative official death toll stands at 72,333.

The killing on April 6 of a Palestinian driver of a World Health Organization (WHO) vehicle by Israeli forces triggered the suspension of all medical evacuations through the Rafah crossing for several days. Evacuations resumed on April 12, with 27 medical patients and 42 companions crossing – a trickle against a reported backlog of more than 18,000 people awaiting evacuation, according to the WHO.

Al Jazeera has reached out to the Israeli military for comment, but has not received a response.

It’s now been six months since the October “ceasefire”, and yet “the ceasefire has failed to end the genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, with Israeli authorities continuing to impose conditions intended to destroy conditions of life,” said Claire San Filippo, emergency manager for Doctors Without Borders, known by its French initials MSF, in a statement this week.

Those restrictions continue to impact civilian life, with the Nasser Medical Complex announcing this week that a main generator had shut down due to fuel shortages, as staff rationed electricity to critical departments. The Gaza Health Ministry had warned on April 2 that complete fuel unavailability posed “a genuine threat of death to hundreds of patients” in intensive care, neonatal units and dialysis wards.

Long bread lines grow across the Strip as incoming aid remains severely insufficient, and the vast majority of water wells, greenhouses and arable land in Gaza have been rendered inaccessible or destroyed by Israeli forces.

On the diplomatic front, the Hamas negotiating delegation began meetings with the Board of Peace envoy Nickolay Mladenov in Cairo this past week to discuss implementation of the ceasefire’s second phase. Hamas has stated it will not discuss disarmament until Israel commits to a full military withdrawal from Gaza. According to Israeli media reports, several ministers in a recent Israeli security cabinet meeting called for military action if Hamas refuses to disarm.

Newly approved settlements and expanding outposts

In the West Bank, the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is pressing on more aggressively than ever with plans to seize land. News went public this week of Israel’s approval of 34 new settlements across the West Bank – many in remote areas – bringing the total approved by the current government to 102, an 80 percent increase over the 127 official settlements that existed when it took office, according to the Peace Now group.

The office of the Palestinian Authority’s presidency said the approvals are a “flagrant violation of international law”, echoing further condemnations from the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), the European Union, Sweden and others.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich marked the occasion by attending the inauguration of a new settlement near Ramallah, boasting that “30 new settlements have been built in the vicinity of Ramallah alone during the current government’s tenure.”

On the ground, outpost expansion continued, in defiance of the Oslo Accords and international law.

Meanwhile, Israel’s internal intelligence agency is reported to be in a crisis over its handling of settler violence. According to Haaretz, Shin Bet chief David Zini has referred to settler attacks as “friction” rather than “terrorism”, reduced resources allocated to the agency’s Jewish Division, and failed to prioritise enforcement. The reporting coincided with an open letter signed by 22 former security chiefs – including former heads of the army, Shin Bet and Mossad – warning that “the rampant Jewish terrorism” in the West Bank “carried out under governmental auspices is not only a moral disgrace but also a severe strategic blow to Israel’s national security”.

Against this backdrop, settler and military violence against Palestinians continued at an unrelenting pace throughout the week.

At least two Palestinians were shot and killed by Israeli settlers attacking villages – Alaa Sobeih, on April 8, near Tayasir in Tubas governorate, and Ali Majed Hamadneh, on April 11, in Deir Jarir, northeast of Ramallah.

A 68-year-old woman, Sabria Shamasneh, also died on April 7 after suffering a cardiac arrest following an incident where Israeli soldiers beat her son in front of her in Jayyous, east of Qalqilya.

And, on April 9, 12-year-old Mohammed al-Sheikh was shot in the head during a military raid on Jalazone refugee camp near Ramallah and was evacuated to a hospital in critical condition.

Hormuz must stay open even with tolls, says TotalEnergies CEO as supply risks loom

Hormuz must stay open even with tolls, says TotalEnergies CEO as supply risks loom



Patrick Pouyanne, CEO of TotalEnergies SE speaks during the Semafor World Economy Conference in Washington, DC, on April 13, 2026. — AFP pic

Tuesday, 14 Apr 2026 2:01 PM MYT


WASHINGTON, April 14 — The head of the French energy giant TotalEnergies said Monday that reopening the Strait of Hormuz — even with a toll — was critical for global markets.

“It’s clear that reopening and the free circulation through the Strait of Hormuz, even if you have to pay to anybody, is fundamental for the freedom of markets and global markets,” Patrick Pouyanne, the company’s CEO, said at an event on the sidelines of the IMF and World Bank spring meetings in Washington.

Since the start of the war in the Middle East on February 28, shipping across the strait — through which some 20 percent of the world’s oil and gas is transported — has been largely paralyzed.

On Monday, US President Donald Trump further ordered a naval blockade of Iranian ports — another obstacle for passage through the strait.

This move will add a “layer of less liquidity in the market,” Pouyanne said at the Semafor World Economy Conference.

The energy CEO said that Western countries had largely been buffered from the worst economic effects of the war through their stockpiles of oil and gas.

He warned, however, that “if this war and this blockade last more than three months, we’ll begin to face some serious supply issues,” notably in jet fuel and diesel.


He also pointed to fertiliser — derived from petroleum products — being “almost a system risk,” as shortages could lead to higher food prices and thus inflation.

Pouyanne noted that fees are paid by ships transiting the Panama and Suez canals.

“The real problem is the threat” of sudden closure of the Strait of Hormuz, he said, explaining that the uncertainty will drive up prices. — AFP

Police raided Pavilion Residence unit after CCTV showed govt vehicles moving boxes, bags, High Court told

Police raided Pavilion Residence unit after CCTV showed govt vehicles moving boxes, bags, High Court told



Former Bukit Aman Commercial Crime Investigation Department director Datuk Seri Amar Singh is pictured at the Kuala Lumpur High Court Complex on April 14, 2026. — Picture by Yusof Isa

Tuesday, 14 Apr 2026 1:55 PM MYT


KUALA LUMPUR, April 14 — A former senior police officer told the High Court today that the order to raid an unoccupied unit at Pavilion Residences in May 2018 was prompted by closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage showing several boxes and bags being transported in vehicles bearing the official markings of the Prime Minister’s Department, just days after the 14th General Election.

Former Bukit Aman Commercial Crime Investigation Department director Datuk Seri Amar Singh said he was informed by a subordinate that CCTV footage from Tower A of Pavilion Residences, dated May 11, 2018, showed several individuals moving a trolley laden with orange-coloured boxes into a unit on Level 45.

He said the information was relayed to him by Senior Assistant Commissioner Ahmad Nordin Ismail — one of five team leaders appointed by him to conduct searches at premises belonging to former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak and his family members in connection with the 1MDB case.

“On May 17, 2018 at 1030am, Ahmad Nordin gave me further information after viewing the CCTV record that was given to him by the Pavilion Residence Management and it was shown that two persons who are working as house maids at the unit that he is currently conducting the search were seen together with some other persons carrying things into Unit B-45-02.


Thereafter, Amar said he instructed another subordinate of his, SAC Datuk Mohd Sakri Arifin to conduct a search at the aforementioned unit on the same day once a search warrant was obtained.

“Based on all the information that has been gathered on Unit B-45-02, there is reasonable suspicion that the said unit is being used by the ex-PM and credible information that boxes of items related to 1MDB case have been moved into the unit,” he said in his witness statement.

Amar, who led the federal CCID between October 2017 until December 2018, is testifying for the Royal Malaysia Police as a third party in a lawsuit filed by Lebanese firm Global Royalty Trading SAL (GRTS) against Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor.


Amar said he had later ordered the CCID’s cybercrime and multimedia division to conduct an in-dept analysis of the video recordings showing movements of bags and boxes into the unit after the police raid on May 17, 2018.

He said this was to determine when and how the bags and boxes were moved into Unit B-45-02, identify the individuals responsible for carrying the items into the unit, establish which vehicles were used to transport them and trace their point of origin.

“Investigations reveal that the bags and boxes were moved into Unit B-45-02 from the May 11, 2018 till the early hours of May 12, 2018 around 4am.

“All in 11 police personel, 8 army personel and 4 house helpers were responsible for the movement of the boxes and bags into Unit B-45-02 using the basement 2 Block B lift.

“The exhibits were moved from the residence at Jalan Duta to Pavillion using government vehicles and personal vehicles belonging to the above personnel,” he said in reference to Najib’s Langgak Duta residence.

He also said several trips were made transporting the bags and boxes into the unit.

Amar said two individuals entered the unit after the bags and boxes were moved in, one being a local air-conditioning contractor (on May 14) and another a Khazakhstani national (on May 16).

“The statements of these persons were all recorded except the Khazakhstani national since he had left the country on May 25, 2018 as soon as we found his details,” he said.

To a question from Rosmah’s lawyer Rajivan Nambiar whether the authorities had attempted to contact his client or Najib to be present at the unit during the raid, Amar said his subordinates did attempt but to no avail.

Separately, former Bukit Aman Commercial Crime Investigation Department (Intelligence and Operations) deputy director Datuk Mohd Sakri Arifin told the court that police found Unit B-45-02 locked upon arrival to conduct the raid after obtaining a search warrant.

He said a locksmith was later called in to unlock the unit, which was still under renovation.

“Its condition was messy and there was no electricity supply.

“In one of the rooms, I discovered several arranged luggage bags that were unlocked and zipped of which later contained various currencies and jewelry.

“In the next room, there were orange-coloured boxes filled with luxury bags arranged against the wall,” he said.

Sakri said he later contacted Amar to request his presence at the premises since the number of items seized were too many.

In the current suit, GRTS claims that of the 44 pieces of jewellery it had sent to Rosmah, only one (a diamond bracelet) had been recovered from the police following a raid conducted by the police in Pavilion Residences Kuala Lumpur and returned to the Lebanese firm in 2022.

Rosmah later brought in the Malaysian government as a third party in the suit due to her claim that the items could have been missing as a result of police seizure.

The trial before High Court judge Datuk Quay Chew Soon continues tomorrow.

***

The late RPK (bless his soul) wrote a post on the police "check" of the Najib's assets. Pet must be having a quiet chuckle in the beyond about this.

Student safety top priority: Anwar orders swift action after fire destroys three school blocks in Kelantan

Student safety top priority: Anwar orders swift action after fire destroys three school blocks in Kelantan



Three buildings at the Sekolah Menengah Ugama (A) Darul Ulum Muhammadiah in Kolam, Pak Badol, Kelantan were damaged by fire on April 12, 2026 with no injuries reported. —- Picture from Facebook/Bernama

Tuesday, 14 Apr 2026 2:30 PM MYT


KUALA LUMPUR, April 14 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today ordered immediate government action to smoothen the learning process after a fire destroyed three buildings at Sekolah Menengah Ugama (A) Darul Ulum Muhammadiah in Bachok, Kelantan.

He named the Ministry of Education, the Implementation Coordination Unit (ICU) under the Prime Minister’s Department, and other relevant agencies.

“This incident is a major test for the SMU(A) Darul Ulum Muhammadiah community. I have instructed the Ministry of Education, the ICU of the Prime Minister’s Department, and other relevant agencies to expedite comprehensive action,” he said in a Facebook post.

Anwar said the government’s priority is to ensure student safety and minimise disruption to learning.

“Our priority now is to ensure the safety of students and the smooth continuation of learning that has been disrupted by the incident,” he said.

He added that his Madani government will expedite assistance and work with all parties to accelerate recovery efforts and restore normal school operations.

Anwar also stressed that student safety, comfort and welfare remain a key priority for the government.

Three blocks at the Bachok religious school were 98 per cent damaged by a fire yesterday.

No casualties were reported.

The school later announced a move to online classes until Thursday amid repairs.

Iran war live: Trump says Tehran wants deal amid US blockade in Hormuz

By Stephen Quillen and Zaid Sabah

Published On 14 Apr 202614 Apr 2026

• The US blockade of Iran’s ports is in effect, but US President Donald Trump says Iranian officials have called and “want to work a deal”.
• Diplomatic efforts to revive US-Iran talks continue, with Pakistan reportedly offering to host the next round of talks in Islamabad.
• Iran accuses the US of committing piracy as thousands of Iranians rally in Tehran against the blockade in the Strait of Hormuz.
• Hezbollah’s Secretary-General Naim Qassem rejects upcoming talks between the Lebanese government and Israel, which are set for 11am in Washington, DC (15:00 GMT).
• Trump has doubled down on his criticism of Pope Leo XIV, saying the pontiff’s opposition to the war in Iran was “wrong” and accusing him of being “weak on crime”.

Let’s bring you up to speed:

• Diplomatic efforts to revive US-Iran talks are continuing, with Pakistan offering to host a second round of negotiations in Islamabad this week, according to the AP
• Israel’s military says one soldier has been killed and three others have been wounded during battle in southern Lebanon.
• Israeli forces continue to bomb southern and eastern Lebanon, with an air raid damaging the Tebnin government hospital and resulting in casualties.
• Lebanon’s and Israel’s envoys are due to meet in Washington, DC, at 11am local time (15:00 GMT) for what the Lebanese government has described as a “preliminary meeting”. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will also join the talks.
• US Energy Secretary Chris Wright says oil prices could keep rising until “we get meaningful ship traffic through the Strait of Hormuz”.

• 20m ago

   (04:50 GMT)

  

  Israel ‘more concerned’ about Iran’s ballistic missiles than US

  Former US Assistant Secretary of State for Near East Affairs Jeffrey Feltman has told Al Jazeera that Israel is far more focused on Iran’s ballistic missile programme than the US, creating a growing “divergence” in their perspectives on the war.

  “The US and Israel went into this war together, but increasingly, you’re seeing a divergence, where the Israelis are much, much more concerned about [Iran’s] ballistic missile programme than we are,” Feltman said.

  “And now, I would suspect our Gulf allies are much more concerned about their ballistic missile programme, given that the security blanket they thought was there has been penetrated repeatedly.”
• 30m ago

   (04:40 GMT)

  Nearly 100 people arrested at New York protest against arms sales to Israel

  Police in New York City have arrested about 90 protesters in Manhattan as they stopped traffic to protest against the war on Iran and the US’s arms sales to Israel.

  Jewish Voice for Peace, the group leading the protest, said those taken into custody included whistleblower Chelsea Manning, actor Hari Nef and New York City Council Member Alexa Aviles.

  According to The Associated Press news agency, the crowd of hundreds initially attempted to stage a sit-in inside the Manhattan offices of Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, whom they accused of abetting Israel’s intensifying attacks in Lebanon and the US-Israel war on Iran.

  After security blocked the demonstrators from entering the building, they stopped traffic outside, chanting “Fund people, not bombs!” as they were arrested and loaded onto three buses.

The curse of being “not bad” – Howard Lee

Governments that cushion external shocks risk creating a dangerous illusion: that the storm was never real. - Howard Lee Facebook pic, April 14, 2026

The curse of being “not bad” – Howard Lee


Shielding Malaysians from global disorder is necessary. But unless the truth of the crisis is told plainly, resilience may dissolve into complacency—and opportunists will thrive


Updated 3 hours ago
14 April, 2026
8:37 AM MYT


TRUMP’S move towards a U.S. counter-blockade in Hormuz would once have sounded too reckless even for fiction. Whether it followed the collapse of the Islamabad talks or was part of a predetermined diplomatic plan, or a process already too fragile to hold, the result is the same: the phrase “the worst is yet to come” no longer feels rhetorical. The outline of that worst-case scenario is sharpening by the day.

Here in Malaysia, however, those in business who are exposed to price and supply squeezes, those plugged into the news, and those tracking commodities and trade are beginning to speak with a jitter in their voices. The more this worst-case scenario comes into focus, the more unsettling it feels for me to work, live, and witness lives in Ipoh and Kuala Lumpur carrying on as though nothing is amiss. Traffic jams are as bad as they have always been. Shopping malls and hospitality venues continue to thrive with an eerie sense of normalcy.

Is this the failure of Malaysians to comprehend the severity of what is brewing globally?

Or is it Malaysia’s inability to inform us of the true gravity of the crisis we are already ankle-deep in?

Or are we simply too well shielded?

And that brings me to a peculiar curse in politics.

Outright failure is terrible, but at least it is visible. When a house is burning, people see the flames, smell the smoke, and understand that survival demands discipline, sacrifice and unity. A nation in obvious distress tends to find clarity, however painful.

The harder curse is subtler and more unforgiving.

It is the curse of being “not bad.”

It is when the economy is under pressure, but not broken. When the world beyond your borders is convulsed by shortages, controls and closures, yet your people are shielded just enough for daily life to remain recognisable. Fuel is more expensive, but there is still a subsidy and stations are open. Groceries cost more, but shelves are stocked. Factories are strained, procurement teams are tightening, finance departments are anxious, yet workers have not tipped into panic.

And because the pain is real without becoming catastrophic, a dangerous illusion takes hold: perhaps there is no real storm at all.

That is one of the deepest injustices of governance. If a government fails in crisis, everyone sees it. But if it succeeds in cushioning the blow, buying time and preventing collapse, the evidence of that success dissolves into ordinary life. People feel inconvenience, but not the abyss that was held back.

That matters greatly for Malaysia.

For us, Hormuz is not a distant morality play. It is tied directly to energy costs, shipping routes, industrial inputs and household budgets. If maritime risk rises, freight and insurance costs rise with it. If fuel markets tighten, subsidy pressure and transport costs intensify. If fertiliser and feedstock flows are disrupted, food production becomes more expensive. If supply chains fray, manufacturers face slower inputs, higher costs and weaker margins. What happens there reaches our ports, our factories, our markets and our homes.

In recent weeks, through bilateral engagements, multilateral conversations, industry discussions, and candid exchanges with friends in policy and intelligence circles, including some from the American establishment, one impression keeps returning to me: there are no elegant options left.

There is no neat military solution waiting to be discovered by the next burst of bravado. What is becoming more consistent from the American and Israeli aggressors is not strategy in any credible sense, but a pattern of graver transgressions and deeper madness. The risks are compounding faster than the solutions. Markets are reacting. Trade routes are tightening. Supply chains are fraying. Serious people are no longer asking whether the shock is real, but how much worse it may get, and how quickly.

That is why I keep returning to the political danger of partial protection.

If Malaysians are shielded just enough through subsidies, emergency measures, rerouting and diplomacy, the national mood can drift in exactly the wrong direction: away from seriousness and unity, and back towards complacency and familiar domestic quarrels. The shield works, and because it works, people begin to doubt the danger was ever so great.

That is the trap.

The better a government is at cushioning an external shock, the easier it becomes for cynics to pretend the shock was never serious. And into that space always walks the opportunist.

The opportunist thrives not in total collapse, but in partial stability. He needs enough frustration to weaponise, and enough normalcy to deny the scale of the danger. He calls prudence weakness, trade-offs incompetence, resilience stagnation. He feeds on the gap between what the country has avoided and what the public can still see.

Malaysia’s position, in truth, is an awkward one. We have real capacity to lead regionally, even globally. We matter in fuel, trade, shipping and diplomacy. We can still speak in different rooms without sounding like somebody else’s proxy. We can engage the West without becoming its echo, and speak to the Global South without sounding performative. That credibility is not accidental. It is the product of history, restraint and strategic autonomy.

Yet we remain hampered by a domestic instinct that says, again and again, take care of your own backyard first. There is wisdom in that, up to a point. But there is also a siege mentality that mistakes inwardness for prudence. In a world like this, the backyard is already connected to the shipping lane, the refinery, the fertiliser plant, the exchange rate, the port, the factory floor and the supermarket shelf. To speak as though home is insulated from the world is no longer realism. It is a comforting fiction.

My deeper worry is this: we may succeed just enough in shielding Malaysians from the full force of global disorder that we also shield them from understanding the age we have entered. We may cushion the blow, yet fail to build the seriousness needed for a truly national response. That would be a dangerous success.

Government must therefore do two difficult things at once: shield the people from the storm, and tell them plainly that the storm is still raging outside. Fear of panic is no excuse for withholding the truth. The people have a right to know, and a responsibility to know, so that they may act with the maturity this moment demands, rather than drift through crowded roads, full malls and busy restaurants as if normalcy itself were proof that the danger is not real.

Sometimes the greatest danger is not collapse.

Sometimes it is comfort without understanding.

Howard Lee Chuan How is the Member of Parliament for Ipoh Timor

Related:

Politics needs to wait as Malaysia faces oil crisis

Has Saudi Arabia acquired a nuclear option via Pakistan?

Murray Hunter

Apr 13, 2026


Has Saudi Arabia acquired a nuclear option via Pakistan?

Saudi Arabia now going alone in the gulf conflict



Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia, during the former's official visit to Riyadh last year (Times Now World)



The September 2025 Strategic Mutual Defense Agreement (SMDA) between Saudia Arabia and Pakistan has sparked some speculation about a possible “nuclear umbrella,” where Pakistan’s nuclear deterrent could implicitly cover Saudi Arabia in cases of aggression.

A joint statement made by Saudi Arabia and Pakistan on the signing SMDA said that any aggression against one as aggression against both, although nuclear weapons were not specifically mentioned. A senior Saudi official was report to have told Reuters that the agreement “encompasses all military means”. Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Mohammad Asif stated in a September 18, 2025 in a GeoTV interview that Pakistan’s nuclear capabilities “will be made available” to Saudi Arabia according to the agreement, in response to a question about extending nuclear deterrence. He described it as part of joint defense against aggression.

Over the last 6 weeks, it has become very clear that the US-Israeli war against Iran has become an existential on for Saudi Arabia. Iran has threatened “irreversible destruction” of water infrastructure, particularly desalination facilities which Saudi Arabia depends upon for 60 percent of its water needs. The Iranian threat was made in response to US President Trump’s threat to destroy Iran’s electricity grid. Consequently, Saudi Arabia has no control or influence over the events going on within the gulf. The Iranian war is beginning to threatened the very existence of some of the gulf state monarchies.

With the Strait of Hormuz already closed and the new US blockade expected to cause more problems, it is expected that this will deepen Saudi dependence on the Red Sea to ship out oil. If the Houthis in Yemen enter the war, there is the possibility the Red Sea could be closed where Saudi oil is now going by pipeline through the port of Yanbu to customers. Yanbu itself is a target and if hit Saudi would find itself without any income.

It has also become very apparent that housing US forces in Saudi Arabia is now detrimental for Saudi Arabia’s own defence.

With the Iranian war expected to continue after failed talks between US Vice President JD Vance and the Iranian delegation in Islamabad over the last weekend, the war is expected to take a turn for the worse with the gulf states and Saudi Arabia feeling the brunt of it.

Its now possible that Saudi Arabia has prepared to take matters into its own hands, as the US have failed deeply to act in Saudi’s best interests.

Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Defence announced in mid-April the arrival of some 10-18 Pakistani F-16 Block 52 variant fighter jets and support aircraft at the base to boost security, enhance joint military coordination, and raise operational readiness amid regional tensions. They were also accompanied by ground personnel and troops. Reports claim there are 13,000 Pakistani troops now in Saudi Arabia.

The F-16s are believed to be capable of carrying both conventional and nuclear weapons. Pakistan has approximately 36 nuclear warheads capable of being carried on the F-16 platform. It is believed that Pakistan Squadron 5 is in Saudi Arabia. Squadron 5 is Pakistan’s most elite fighter group.

While it is publicly claimed these aircraft are in Saudi Arabia for training purposes, its questionable as only Pakistani pilots crew these aircraft. It would not be logical for Pakistan and Saudi Arabia to be undertaking training in a war zone where these aircraft would be in danger.

Saudi Arabia’s rhetoric and behavior must now be closely examined as they may now act on their own behalf, rather than rely on US presence and action. This could also explain why Iran has spared Saudi Arabia from some of the aggressive missile attacks the rest of the gulf experienced.