Ambiga, Surendran demand PM withdraw 'clean up' temples remark

Ambiga, Surendran demand PM withdraw 'clean up' temples remark


Published: Feb 15, 2026 11:05 AM
Updated: 2:05 PM



Lawyers Ambiga Sreenevasan and N Surendran are demanding that Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim withdraw his remarks ordering local councils to "clean up" unauthorised temples.

They said the directive was unprecedented and had serious consequences.

"For starters, only a court can declare with finality that a temple is occupying land illegally, and a court order is required before it can be demolished.

“In no circumstances can temple management be labelled trespassers, and police action taken against them.

"Neither does the argument hold water, that if it's on private land, vigilantism or self-help is allowed," they said in a joint statement today.

Anwar gave the "clean up" directive on Tuesday, saying that the government could not allow unauthorised temples to keep being built.

Two days later, vigilantes damaged a temple in Rawang.

A temple damaged in Rawang last week


Anwar had repeatedly spoken out against vigilante behaviour and stressed that no one can take the law into their own hands.

Selangor Menteri Besar Amirudin Shari had also said that for places of worship built on private land, the process requires the landowner to appoint a lawyer and obtain a court order before any eviction or demolition can take place.


Against Madani values

Ambiga and Surendran said Anwar's directive contradicted Madani's values of trust and compassion.

Lawyer N Surendran


"That it emanates from a government that saw itself in power due to the support of all communities, underscores the callousness with which they are now being treated.

"This government has a duty to all Malaysians to ensure they may live in peace and harmony and without fear and exercise all their fundamental freedoms under the Federal Constitution.

"These are basic human rights that are being violated by the very government so many of us supported," the duo said.

They added that the government has a duty to act with caution on matters of religion and culture, by engaging in sensible discussions with community leaders to resolve sensitive issues.

Auschwitz Redux with Ben Gvir

Palestinian NGO accuses Israel’s Ben Gvir of revenge after prison raid video



This photograph shows construction work to widen Route 60 outside Ramallah in the Israeli-occupied West Bank on February 11. — AFP pic

Sunday, 15 Feb 2026 10:27 AM MYT


RAMALLAH, Feb 15 — A Palestinian NGO has denounced what it called an Israeli act of revenge after a video showed far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir overseeing the abuse of detainees in a military prison.

Just days before the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, Ben Gvir held a tour of Ofer Prison in the occupied West Bank, Israel’s Channel 7 reported.

In footage filmed on Friday and broadcast by the channel, around 20 police officers are seen storming a hallway leading to prison cells, brandishing their weapons and firing stun grenades.

They then pull five detainees from their cells, their hands tied behind their backs, forcing them face down onto the floor.

The operation took place as a bill proposing the death penalty for Palestinian prisoners convicted of terrorism awaited a final vote in the Israeli parliament.

“This is all part of ongoing displays meant to take revenge on Palestinian detainees,” Abdallah al-Zaghari, head of the Palestinian Prisoners’ Club, told AFP on Saturday.

“Everything Ben Gvir and the far-right government are doing affects not only the Palestinian people and prisoners in detention camps—but it also impacts the global legal and human rights system,” he added.

Ben Gvir, known for his inflammatory rhetoric, is considered one of the most hardline members of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s ruling coalition.

“It is simply a source of pride—arriving at a prison like this, a prison for terrorists, the vilest of the vile, seeing them like this,” Ben Gvir said in the video.

“I want one more thing: to execute them—the death penalty for terrorists,” he added.

Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas on Saturday said the remarks were “a new war crime and a blatant challenge to international humanitarian law regarding prisoners”.

International rights groups have repeatedly warned of alleged abuse and mistreatment inflicted in Israeli prisons since Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack on Israel.

While the death penalty exists for a small number of crimes in Israel, it has become a de facto abolitionist country, with the Nazi Holocaust perpetrator Adolf Eichmann the last person to be executed in 1962. — AFP

Sheer evil barbarous son of Baal 👿👿👿

As Peninsular Malaysia shuns pig farming, Sarawak rises as pork hub for Singapore

As Peninsular Malaysia shuns pig farming, Sarawak rises as pork hub for Singapore



Pigs are seen at a farm in Kampung Valdor, Sungai Bakap, on June 24, 2019. — Picture by Sayuti Zainudin

Sunday, 15 Feb 2026 9:19 AM MYT


KUCHING, Feb 15 — As pig farming faces mounting pressure from disease, land competition, and royal decrees in Peninsular Malaysia, the East Malaysian state of Sarawak is rapidly cementing its position as the country's pork-producing hub, with a booming export business to Singapore.

Sarawak is currently the only state in Malaysia licensed to export live pigs to the republic. In 2024 alone, one farm, Green Breeder, shipped over 121,000 live pigs to Singapore, accounting for 8.2 per cent of the city-state's total pork imports.

The state now has ambitious plans to more than double its annual pig production from 350,000 in 2025 to 860,000 by 2030, targeting RM1 billion in exports, The Straits Times reported.

“We treasure pigs the most. So it’s easy for us to encourage people to make a living from them,” Sarawak’s Minister for Food Industry, Datuk Seri Stephen Rundi Utom, told The Straits Times, highlighting the deep cultural significance of pork among the state's non-Muslim majority, which includes indigenous and ethnic Chinese communities.


Sarawak's rise comes as the industry in Peninsular Malaysia faces an existential crisis.

In Selangor, once a major producer, the state government has announced it will stop issuing pig-farming licenses and aims to close all existing farms, following a directive from the Sultan to address environmental pollution.

Similar opposition, citing odour and water pollution, has emerged in Penang and Perak.


Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Food Security Datuk Chan Foong Hin noted that this growing opposition is partly due to competition for land use on the highly developed West Coast.

The trade in live pigs between Malaysia and Singapore was halted in 1999 following the devastating Nipah virus outbreak. Singapore only resumed live pig imports in 2017, and exclusively from Sarawak, which has since proven its resilience.

Rundi said the state successfully contained an African Swine Fever (ASF) outbreak in 2022 and has adopted modern, high-tech farming methods learned from Denmark, China, and Japan.

Green Breeder, the state's anchor farm, operates a high-biosecurity, closed-house system. Visitors are quarantined, vehicles are disinfected, and workers must shower and change into scrub suits.

Co-founder Veronica Chew noted that the farm's modern methods also eliminate the strong odours typically associated with pig farming.

With its industry in the peninsula shrinking, Malaysia as a whole has become more reliant on imports, with one-third of the country's pork supply now sourced from overseas. Sarawak's export-driven model stands in stark contrast, positioning it as a key player in regional food security.

***

I told you so. Sarawak 👍👍👍

Danish PM says Trump still wants Greenland despite easing force threats

Danish PM says Trump still wants Greenland despite easing force threats



Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen speaks as she attends a panel discussion at the 62nd Munich Security Conference (MSC) yesterday. — AFP pic

Sunday, 15 Feb 2026 9:12 AM MYT


MUNICH, Feb 15 — Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said yesterday she believed US President Donald Trump still desires to own Greenland despite dialling back his recent threats to seize it by force.

Asked at a security conference in Munich if Trump still wanted to own the Arctic island, Frederiksen said: “Unfortunately, I think the desire is the same.”

Trump’s designs on Greenland have caused tension to soar between the United States and Europe.

Last month, he backed down from his threats to seize the island, an autonomous territory of ally Denmark, after striking what he called a “framework” deal with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.


But relations have remained strained.



“Everybody asks us, do we think it’s over? I mean, no, we don’t think it’s over,” Frederiksen said, participating in a panel discussion on Arctic security.

Trump insists mineral-rich Greenland is vital for US and NATO security against Russia and China as a melting Arctic opens up and the superpowers jostle for strategic advantage.


Frederiksen and her Greenlandic counterpart, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, said the pressure on the island’s people was “unacceptable”.

But Nielsen said “some steps” had been taken “in the right direction”.

A US-Denmark-Greenland working group has been established to discuss Washington’s security concerns in the Arctic, but details have not been made public.

“We now have a working group, it’s good. We will try to see if we can find a solution... But of course, there are red lines that will not be crossed. And we will stick to our strategy,” Frederiksen said.

The remarks came after Frederiksen and Nielsen had a 15-minute meeting with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday on the sidelines of the security conference, which Frederiksen afterwards described as “constructive”. — AFP

Penang activates Ops Payung traffic plan for CNY, school holidays at tourist hotspots

Penang activates Ops Payung traffic plan for CNY, school holidays at tourist hotspots



Tourists and visitors are seen at Lebuh Armenian in George Town on December 26, 2025. — Bernama pic
Stay updated on the latest news and insights. 
Sunday, 15 Feb 2026 12:34 PM MYT


GEORGE TOWN, Feb 15 — The Penang Island City Council (MBPP) will implement a traffic management plan in congestion-prone areas and tourist hotspots during the school holidays and the Chinese New Year period.

In a statement today, the council said Ops Payung will be activated at several key locations. Along Jalan Penang, three checkpoints will operate at Pasar Chowrasta, in front of the Lebuh Kimberly junction and at Lebuh Keng Kwee from 10 am to 5 pm.

“At Penang Hill, two checkpoints will be stationed from noon to 6 pm, while in Air Itam, five checkpoints will be set up from 4 pm to 11 pm in conjunction with the festive celebration,” read the statement.

To ease traffic flow, the entry route from Lebuh Light to Jalan Padang Kota Lama (in front of Town Hall) will be closed daily from 6 pm to facilitate smoother vehicle movement out of Padang Kota.


Traffic control will also be enforced along Jalan Tun Syed Sheh Barakbah near Dewan Sri Pinang. Tow truck patrols will begin from 6 pm to take action against vehicles causing obstruction.

The council will utilise closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras as “intelligence eyes” to monitor congestion areas and deploy personnel where necessary. Monitoring will be carried out continuously through the traffic control centre and patrol teams.

All construction and road excavation works along main roads will be suspended during the school holidays. In addition, 24-hour maintenance teams will be on standby to carry out repairs and address any issues that may arise. — Bernama

MULLAHS LOSE BANGLA ELECTIONS. NEW BNP LEADER PROMISES HOPE. “Joi Bangla” (জয় বাংলা)

 

OutSyed The Box

Saturday, February 14, 2026

MULLAHS LOSE BANGLA ELECTIONS. NEW BNP LEADER PROMISES HOPE. “Joi Bangla” (জয় বাংলা)

 

Au contraire Bangladesh did not burn down during or after their General Elections on Thursday night. The Bangladesh National Party led by Thariq Ziaur Rahman has secured a landslide win.

Tarique Rahman – Brief Biography

• Full Name: Tarique Rahman

• Date of Birth: 20 November 1965

• Place of Birth: Dacca (now Dhaka), then East Pakistan (now Bangladesh)

• Political Role: Chairman of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and Prime Minister-designate of Bangladesh following a BNP electoral victory in the 2026 general elections.

🧑‍💼 Background & Family

• He is the eldest son of Ziaur Rahman, the 7th President of Bangladesh, and Khaleda Zia, the country’s first female Prime Minister — both major figures in Bangladeshi politics.

• Known within Bangladesh politics by the nickname Pinu.

The BNP party won a landslide two thirds majority of just over 200 seats in the 300 seat Parliament. But final tallies are still being updated in the media and may change some. 

Immediately upon winning the elections the BNP announced that there will be no street celebrations. They asked supporters and Bangladeshis to say prayers in their homes, inside the mosques, inside HINDU TEMPLES AND CHRISTIAN CHURCHES. 

Immediately signalling an inclusive Bangladesh which should not resort to the streets.

The Muslim Brotherhood has suffered yet another defeat in free and fair elections when their ideological offshoot the Jamaate Islami of Bangladesh secured around 50 Parliamentary seats (out of the 300). This is a wipeout. The mullahs are being tossed in the dustbin where they truly belong. 

All the best to Bangladesh. I hope they succeed and do well in the coming years. 

“Joi Bangla” (জয় বাংলা)

“Non-Bumis Can Make Country Great Again!!” – But Will Malay "Hard-liners" Allow Them…?!!

OPINION | “Non-Bumis Can Make Country Great Again!!” – But Will Malay "Hard-liners" Allow Them…?!!


14 Feb 2026 • 5:00 PM MYT



JK Joseph
Repentant ex-banker who believes in truth, compassion and some humour

Credit Image: Malay Mail (Picture by Sayuti Zainudin) / Sinar Daily (BERNAMA file pic) / TV.Pertiwi. (All photos strictly for illustration only)



With roughly 90% of civil servants made up of Malay/Bumiputras, former UMNO stalwart Zaid Ibrahim has called for more non-Malays to be recruited on the basis of merit to serve in the country's administration.


Recently, maverick ex-law minister Zaid Ibrahim caused a buzz after claiming that it is time to make Malaysia “less Malay-centric” by allowing a larger number of capable non-Malays to jointly govern the nation.


According to the prominent lawyer, the standard of many of the country's institutions including key ones such as the civil service, the army and even the national football body has deteriorated. For the record, these entities are known to have minimal non-Malay representation.


(Note: Alarmingly, it was reported that corruption may have infiltrated even the highest echelons of the nation's security forces!)

News headline / image from The Edge Malaysia.


Taking to his popular “X” account, the straight-talking Zaid also took aim at the dire state of Malay-based political parties like UMNO and Bersatu which he claimed were in tatters now. The latter of course is believed to be weakened by constant infighting and bitter leadership tussles.


Unsurprisingly, he did not spare the Parliament and the Attorney General's Chambers either, while criticizing some of the laws that have been passed in the country.

(Prominent lawyer and ex-MP Zaid Ibrahim. Credit Image: Focus Malaysia)



Zaid, who is also a popular podcaster, stressed that meritocracy has to find a way into the system, and that it was time for more capable Malays and non-Malays to be absorbed into the country's institutions and organisations.

Furthermore, the former Kota Bharu MP felt that more competent non-Malays must be made leaders so that the federal administration can have a good mix to make a real difference to the Rakyat.


But are the flamboyant ex-lawmaker's hopes just wishful thinking?


Many may feel that Zaid's wishes will never come true given the racial tensions frequently sparked by those claiming to champion race and religion. In fact, even past leaders such as Dr Mahathir and others have been constantly reminding the Malays that their political and economic might is being gradually eroded – and that they must unite to reclaim power.

(News headline/image from Oh My Media)


Will ramping up non-Malay participation in government institutions really bring about greater benefits for the nation?


There can be no doubt that freeing up leadership roles to all ethnic groups will allow access to a bigger pool of talent. At the same time, a clear emphasis on meritocracy will further help to enhance the country's global competitiveness while retaining the top brains in the country.


Significantly, leaders from diverse ethnic backgrounds and cultures will be able to create more “balanced” policies that will address the needs of all the various communities in the country – and instill in everyone a sense of belonging here.


To some extent this may already be in evidence with several non-Malay leaders already holding top ministerial posts – and many of them performing well too.


It wouldn't have gone unnoticed that only last week, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Ibrahim gave an audience to Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming, expressing royal praise for the ministry's strong performance in 2025.

News headline/image from Star Online dated 1 March 2025.

Likewise, last year Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah of Perak had also conveyed his congratulations and appreciation to the same DAP lawmaker on his ministry's various successes in 2024.


Meanwhile, another prominent non-Malay minister whose performance has been lauded due to his hands-on, people-centred approach is Nga’s party head Anthony Loke. Without doubt, the latter's single-minded mission to improve the nation's transportation ecosystem for the benefit of the rakyat has helped to confound his critics – and earned plaudits from both the Malays and non-Malays alike.


Is it plain jealousy – or something deeper?


Yet, aren't these the same ministers who often come under attack from right-wing politicians who seemingly refuse to acknowledge non-Malay leaders' high performance level and contribution to nation-building? In fact, aren't these self-proclaimed “champions of race and religion” the biggest obstacle to the creation of a more harmonious, competitive and prosperous Malaysia?

(How many times have we heard this sort of criticism hurled disrespectfully at non-Malay politicians? News headline and image from TV Pertiwi)


Moreover, didn't newly-minted Federal Territories minister Hannah Yeoh also face brickbats from some of the usual suspects – including Anwar's unity government partners UMNO/BN – in the controversy over the proposed election of mayor for Kuala Lumpur?

Excerpts of news headlines/image from Facebook TSSM (Malaysiakini)



Truth be told, as long as “pro-nationalist” politicians and religious supremacists in this country are given the “licence” to freely attack non-Malay leaders who sincerely strive for the rakyat's wellbeing, the country's past glories are unlikely to be restored. Period.


That said, since taking office, PMX has put his head on the “chopping block” by appointing several non-Malays to high-profile ministries. But the million-ringgit question remains: when will he have the “guts” to take stern action against those who hamper his efforts by constantly playing up the divisive race and religion narratives – particularly the “trojan horses” within his unity government partners?



Main Information source: “X” Account (Zaid Ibrahim) and Star Online.

Azam probe panel must look into collusion claims, says MP

FMT:

Azam probe panel must look into collusion claims, says MP

DAP's Ramkarpal Singh says the task force into Azam Baki's shareholdings was a potential 'toothless tiger' unlikely to reveal much as it lacks the power to produce documents or compel witnesses to appear

Ramkarpal Singh said the special task force’s remit does not appear to include alleged collusion by MACC with businessmen to force takeovers of companies owned by their rivals.

PETALING JAYA: The special task force formed to look into shareholding allegations against anti-corruption chief Azam Baki should also look into allegations of collusion by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission officials with businessmen in forced takeovers of rival companies, DAP legal bureau chairman Ramkarpal Singh said today.

He said the task force on Azam’s shareholdings was a potential “toothless tiger” unlikely to unearth much beyond the version of events stated by the anti-graft agency head, as the panel does not have the power to produce documents or compel witnesses to appear and would probably end up reporting that its conclusions are limited.

“The task force risks being labelled ineffective. (Its report will be) very much like what the Independent Investigation Committee did in its investigation into seven heritage football players following a recent Fifa ban over fraudulent documentation,” Ramkarpal said in a statement today.


He said the announcement of the task force’s formation referred only to investigations into Azam’s ownership of shares in a financial services company as reported by Bloomberg News.

However, the task force’s remit did not appear to include an investigation into alleged collusion by MACC with businessmen to force takeovers of companies owned by their rivals, as reported by Bloomberg.

“There can be no doubt that the allegations (in a separate Bloomberg report) are just as serious and must be thoroughly investigated,” Ramkarpal said. “There is no reason the allegations should not also be investigated by the committee.”

He said the allegations of collusion were published a day before the Cabinet met to discuss the shareholdings issue.

The formation of the task force was announced on Friday (Feb 13), comprising Attorney-General Dusuki Mokhtar as chairman, Treasury secretary-general Johan Mahmood Merican, and the director-general of public services, Wan Ahmad Dahlan Abdul Aziz.

Bloomberg had reported that Azam held 17.7 million shares (1.7%) in Velocity Capital Bhd and was still listed as a shareholder in records kept by the Companies Commission of Malaysia.


Azam is alleged to have breached a 2024 government circular limiting civil servants to hold no more than 5% of paid-up capital or RM100,000 in value, whichever is lower, in Malaysian-incorporated companies.

He has said the transaction was declared and the shares disposed of last year. His lawyers have sent a letter of demand to Bloomberg over its report, seeking RM100 million in damages. Bloomberg has stood by its reporting.

Azam also said he was open to being investigated and had “nothing to hide”, as all his financial and asset declarations were made in accordance with public service regulations through official channels.

History paper rule for UEC students is unreasonable, says SUPP

FMT:

History paper rule for UEC students is unreasonable, says SUPP

The Sarawak party says a recent federal government proposal breaches an agreement reached in Putrajaya in 2013

Students of independent Chinese-medium schools seen in this file photo taking the UEC. A proposal that they also pass the SPM history paper has come under criticism. (Bernama pic)

PETALING JAYA: A recent federal proposal that Unified Examination Certificate (UEC) students be required to pass the SPM history paper for university entrance goes against a 2013 consensus, the Sarawak United Peoples Party (SUPP) said today.

A statement by SUPP in Sibu said the 2013 consensus, reached between the Najib Razak government and the Chinese schools federation Dong Zong required only a pass in the SPM Bahasa Melayu paper for entrance to public universities.

The statement, quoted by The Borneo Post, said the consensus was reached by then prime minister Najib and a six-member Dong Zong delegation at a meeting in Putrajaya in April 2013. It stipulated that the UEC Bahasa Melayu subject itself would serve as the benchmark, without the need for additional SPM results, SUPP said.


The statement was in response to a federal government proposal that UEC students must also pass the SPM history paper and get a credit in Bahasa Melayu for entrance to public universities.

The party reiterated its full support for implementing the 2013 consensus, under which UEC holders applying to public universities need only meet the SPM Bahasa Melayu requirement.

SUPP criticised the current Pakatan Harapan-led government for deviating from this approach.

“Insisting that Chinese independent high school students sit for SPM History is completely unreasonable,” the party said.

“For more than 10 years, the UEC recognition policy in Sarawak has functioned smoothly with only a credit in Bahasa Melayu required, and no other conditions imposed,” the statement said.

***

The History paper is to make 'nons' realise "who" own the country and therefore, are "masters" of it.

 

Stanford

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The Long History of the U.S. Backing White South Africans

May 22, 2025

Read this article on the Time website

Last Monday, 49 white South Africans landed at Dulles airport in Washington D.C. They arrived under President Donald Trump’s newly created refugee pathway, aimed squarely at white Afrikaner farmers claiming racial “persecution.”

Afrikaners—descendants of Dutch settlers of South Africa—have long painted themselves as victims of “reverse racism” and even “genocide” in post-apartheid South Africa. Trump amplified these baseless claims in 2018, tweeting about the “killing of [white] farmers” in South Africa.

In a recent press conference at the White House with South African president Cyril Ramaphosa, Trump repeated some Afrikaners’ claims to be undergoing a “genocide”—a far-right conspiracy with no grounding in fact. Murder rates are high in South Africa; the vast majority of victims are Black.

Trump’s welcoming of Afrikaners as refugees can be understood as the latest chapter in a longer history of U.S. support for white Afrikaners. When Afrikaner apartheid was instituted in 1948, Washington didn’t flinch. Instead, the Truman Administration embraced the white regime in South Africa as a Cold War ally: anti-communist, rich in uranium (essential for U.S. nuclear weapons), and staunchly white supremacist.

During the 1950s and ’60s, as African nations gained independence and cast off colonial rule, U.S. leaders grew anxious. Would these new nations fall into the Soviet orbit? In this context, apartheid South Africa became a dependable partner, ideologically aligned and vocally anti-communist.

American officials were not shy about their racial biases. According to archival documents from the 432nd meeting of the National Security Council in 1959, then-Vice President Richard Nixon dismissed Black African leaders as “down from the trees 50 years ago.” And the U.S. intelligence community grew increasingly close to their South African counterparts, sharing intelligence, strategy, and a belief in the righteousness of white rule.

The CIA’s role in the 1962 capture of Nelson Mandela remains one of the clearest examples of this alliance between the U.S. and Afrikaner white supremacists. South African security police received a tip-off from the CIA, leading to Mandela’s arrest and 27-year imprisonment. Washington saw Mandela not as a freedom fighter, but as a dangerous radical whose African National Congress (ANC) had links to Moscow.

This wasn’t just a matter of realpolitik. It was also personal. Millard Shirley, senior CIA officer South Africa in the 1960s and ’70s, developed such affection for the apartheid regime that he retired in South Africa, spending his post-agency years golfing there.

Alongside his time on the golf course, Shirley also wrote spy manuals for the apartheid government’s notorious intelligence agency, B.O.S.S. Shirley’s mentorship helped South African operatives target, detain, and eliminate anti-apartheid activists. His legacy—and that of the CIA in South Africa—is written in surveillance files, detention cells, and mass graves.

My archival research makes clear: the U.S.-Afrikaner bond was not just about opposing communism. And archival documents suggest that the CIA historically shared white Afrikaner racist sentiments. Henry Kissinger’s biographer (Kissinger was National Security Advisor under Nixon) recalls Kissinger describing the racial animus of CIA intelligence briefs on South Africa in the 1960s as “transparently pro-white [and] disdainful of black African opposition.”

Even as global condemnation of apartheid grew, Washington remained reluctant to sever ties with the regime, finding ways to dodge a UN embargo on sending arms to South Africa. “These people will be on our side when the chips are down,” said a U.S. diplomat reflecting on his time in South Africa in the 1960s.

But not all Americans complied. Civil rights activists in the U.S. saw in South Africa parallels to U.S. culture and policies—from Jim Crow at home and apartheid abroad. Demonstrations, sit-ins, and university divestment campaigns targeted America’s complicity.

After the 1960 Sharpeville massacre—where South African police opened fire on peaceful protesters and killed dozens of citizens, many of whom were children—the gap between U.S. government policy and public conscience became impossible to ignore.

By the 1980s, pressure from churches, student groups, and civil rights leaders forced the issue. But President Ronald Reagan still refused to sever ties. South Africa remained a Cold War ally and a lucrative destination for U.S. investment. “How can we abandon a country that is strategically essential to the free world?” Reagan asked critics.

In 1986, Congress finally overrode Reagan’s “constructive engagement” policy with South Africa. Countermanding a presidential veto, Congress voted to place sanctions against South Africa as long as apartheid lasted.

Desmond Tutu, a South African bishop and moral conscience of the anti-apartheid struggle, had this to say about Reagan’s veto of sanctions against South Africa: “Reagan gives the ritual verbal condemnation of apartheid…but refuses to take action against one of the most vicious policies the world has known. President Reagan will be judged harshly by history.”

After the Cold War ended, there was a brief pivot on the part of successive U.S. administrations. With communism no longer cited as the major threat, U.S. policymakers finally welcomed Mandela and supported democratic reforms in South Africa, even though he had previously been branded a terrorist in the United States.

But today’s “white refugee” program for Afrikaners revives the logic of the old Cold War alliance, when U.S. presidents from Truman to Reagan viewed white nationalists as allies against Black communists. Now, they may be allies in Trump’s war on “woke” liberals.

Elon Musk, born a white South African himself, and one of Trump’s most prominent supporters, has echoed these narratives, accusing his home country of passing “racist ownership laws.”

The South African government has strongly rejected these allegations, and most within the country and from across the political spectrum, view them as disingenuous at best.

White South Africans still control vast swathes of land, dominate the business sector, and have far better access to healthcare, education, and infrastructure than their Black compatriots. 

By casting Afrikaners as victims, the U.S. continues to protect power disguised as persecution; it heeds the calls of the privileged, while ignoring those still living with apartheid’s scars.

Too often, commentators portray Trump as an aberration in American history. But Trump didn’t begin this alliance. He merely peeled away the diplomatic niceties that once masked it.

Related Faculty

Joel Cabrita

Professor of History

Professor, by courtesy, of Religious Studies

Director of the Center for African Studies, Stanford

Ph.D, University of Cambridge

Hamzah claims 19 Bersatu MPs back him, proclaims himself ‘captain of a new struggle’ for all races

Hamzah claims 19 Bersatu MPs back him, proclaims himself ‘captain of a new struggle’ for all races



Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin today declared himself as the 'captain' of 'a new struggle' to build the nation together . — Picture by Sayuti Zainudin

Saturday, 14 Feb 2026 6:47 PM MYT


KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 14 — Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin today declared himself as the “captain” of “a new struggle” to build the nation together for all races following his expulsion from Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu).

While noting that he is now an independent lawmaker, Hamzah stressed that he currently commands the support of 19 Bersatu MPs with many other lawmakers from the Perikatan Nasional coalition backing him.

The Larut MP said his position as the Opposition Leader should also ultimately be decided by the MPs.

When asked if he will be forming a new political party, Hamzah said: “I am a free man now. I have extended an open invitiation. If I have all the support, then I would have some other options to look.”

Hamzah, however, did not rule out the possibility of him joining PAS and said he will decide on the matter after consulting his colleagues.

Speculations of Hamzah’s entry into PAS surfaced after he was seen enjoying a meal with the top brass of the Islamist party in Terengganu, shortly after his expulsion yesterday.

The leadership tiff in Bersatu escalated after Hamzah was summoned to a disciplinary hearing on Thursday, which he reportedly skipped to assist his daughter’s university enrolment in Sydney, Australia.


A flurry of expulsions followed yesterday, which included Hamzah, Machang MP Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal, Gerik MP Fathul Huzir Ayob, Padang Rengas MP Azahari Hasan and several other leaders for allegedly breaching the party constitution.

After a Bersatu Supreme Council’s meeting at his residence today, Muhyiddin claimed he had endured “internal sabotage” in Bersatu for years and defended the expulsions as a crucial move to “save the party”.

Former Perak Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Ahmad Faizal Azumu and former Education Minister Datuk Mohd Radzi Jidin were also appointed as new deputy presidents, replacing Hamzah.

Palestinians fear West Bank annexation after Israel approves new rules

Palestinians fear West Bank annexation after Israel approves new rules

Palestinians alarmed as Israeli land rules ease illegal settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank.

Israelis walk past troops standing guard during a weekly settlers' tour in Hebron, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, December 13, 2025 [File: Mussa Qawasma/Reuters]

By Monjed Jadou
Published On 11 Feb 2026

Hebron, occupied West Bank – Israeli government moves to change rules around land registration in the West Bank, making it easier for Israeli Jews to buy property in the illegally occupied territory, are raising alarm among Palestinians, fearful that the new rules will establish defacto Israeli annexation.

The Israeli cabinet announced the decisions on Sunday. In addition to allowing Jews to buy property in the West Bank – a Palestinian territory that Israel has occupied since 1967 in defiance of international law – the Israeli government has also ordered that land registries in the West Bank be opened up to the public.

That means that it will be easier for Israelis looking to take territory in the West Bank to find out who the owner of the land is, opening them up to harassment and pressure.

The cabinet also decreed that authority over building permits for illegal Jewish settlements in Hebron, and the Ibrahimi Mosque compound, would pass to Israel from the Palestinian Hebron municipality.

Moataz Abu Sneina has seen Israel’s efforts to seize Palestinian land first hand. He is the director of the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron, a Palestinian national symbol and an important Islamic holy site due to its connection to the Prophet Ibrahim, also known as Abraham.

Abu Sneina said that the latest Israeli decisions reflect a clear intention to increase Israeli control over Hebron’s Old City, and the Ibrahimi Mosque compound.

“What is happening today is the most serious development since 1967,” Abu Sneina said. “We view it with grave concern for the Old City and the Ibrahimi Mosque, which is the symbol and beating heart of Hebron, and the shrine of the patriarchs and prophets.”

The Ibrahimi Mosque site is also revered by Jews, who refer to it as the Tomb of the Patriarchs.

An Israeli Jewish settler killed 29 Palestinians after opening fire on Muslims praying at the mosque in 1994. Shortly afterwards, Israeli authorities divided the site into Jewish and Muslim prayer areas, and far-right Israeli settlers continue to strengthen their control over areas of Hebron.

Despite only numbering a few hundred, the settlers have taken over large areas of the city centre, protected by the Israeli military.

Abu Sneina explained that Israel has repeatedly attempted to strengthen its foothold inside Hebron and the mosque, and that the latest government moves are a continuation of Israeli policy that has only increased since the October 2023 start of Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza.

“This has taken the form of increased settler incursions, restrictions on worshippers, control over entry and exit, and bans on the call to prayer – all part of a systematic policy aimed at complete control over the holy site,” Abu Sneina said.

“[Israel] continues to violate all agreements, foremost the Hebron Protocol, closing most entrances to the mosque and leaving only one fully controlled access point,” he added. “This paves the way for a new division or an even harsher reality than the temporal and spatial division imposed since the 1994 massacre.”



'Microcosm of occupation': How Israeli settlers, soldiers control West Bank's Hebron


Taking over Hebron

Mohannad al-Jaabari, the director of the Hebron Rehabilitation Committee, a Palestinian organisation focused on the restoration of Hebron’s Old City, said that the Israeli government was already increasing its presence on the ground, in an effort to take control of the city.

He pointed to the confiscation of shops belonging to the Hebron Municipality in the Old City, the construction of dozens of illegal settlement units, and the reconfiguration of water pipes by connecting them to an Israeli water company’s network, creating what he described as “a massive apartheid system”.

Al-Jaabari warned that the ultimate goal is to establish a Jewish quarter linking settlements to the Ibrahimi Mosque by emptying Palestinian neighbourhoods of their residents.

“All Hebron institutions are preparing for a difficult phase,” he said. “We are bracing for a fierce attack on Palestinian institutions, foremost the Rehabilitation Committee.”

The Israeli government’s latest decisions open the door for what has happened in Hebron to happen elsewhere, with Israeli settlers establishing a presence in other Palestinian cities, forcing locals out, experts say.

Nabil Faraj, a Palestinian journalist and political analyst, called the Israeli government’s moves “dangerous” and added that they “have driven the final nail into the coffin of the peace process”.

He explained that Israel is reengineering the geographic landscape of the West Bank, expanding infrastructure to serve settlements, and seeking to strip the Palestinian Authority of administrative and security control.



Israeli soldier dances as homes demolished in occupied West Bank


The Hebron model

Palestinians in Bethlehem are now worried that they will get a taste of what Hebron has already experienced.

One of the Israeli cabinet’s decisions on Sunday stipulated that the Bilal bin Rabah Mosque in the city, known to Jews as Rachel’s Tomb, would be placed under Israeli administration for cleaning and maintenance, after previously being under the jurisdiction of the Bethlehem municipality. The mosque’s cemetery has also been affected.

“It will affect the living and the dead,” said Bassam Abu Srour, who lives in Bethlehem’s Aida refugee camp. “Annexing the area would prevent burials and visits to the Islamic cemetery. This is extremely serious and completely unacceptable to us.”

In Bethlehem, Hebron, and the rest of the West Bank, Palestinians feel powerless to stop what they view as a creeping annexation.

Mamdouh al-Natsheh, a shop owner in Hebron, said he now has a growing sense that what is unfolding is an attempt to impose a permanent reality.

“The city is being taken from its people step by step,” he said. “Daily restrictions are turning it into a fixed policy that suffocates every detail of life.”

He added that the deepest impact is on children and young people, growing up in a city that is “divided and constantly monitored”, stripping them of a natural sense of the future.

“I fear the day will come when we are told this area has been officially annexed, and that our presence depends on permits,” al-Natsheh said. “In Hebron, a house is not just walls – it is history and identity. Any annexation means the loss of security and stability.”

Hamzah declares war on Muhyiddin

FMT:

Hamzah declares war on Muhyiddin

4 HOURS AGO
Minderjeet Kaur

Former Bersatu deputy president Hamzah Zainudin says he is now party president Muhyiddin Yassin’s biggest enemy

Ex-Bersatu number two Hamzah Zainudin addressed a crowd of over 500 supporters at the Persatuan Alumni Universiti Malaya Clubhouse, Kuala Lumpur, today.

KUALA LUMPUR: Former Bersatu deputy president Hamzah Zainudin has launched a blistering attack on party president Muhyiddin Yassin after being sacked by the disciplinary board yesterday.

Hamzah, at a gathering of over 500 supporters, said he still does not know why he was expelled from the party.

“What ‘ghost’ is haunting this party?


“I was once his (Muhyiddin’s) number one supporter. Today, I want to say that I am his number one enemy,” he said at the gathering, held at the Persatuan Alumni Universiti Malaya Clubhouse here today.

Hamzah said he had sacrificed a lot for Bersatu and the country.

“But you have unleashed your hired hounds on me. I am your biggest enemy now,” he said.

“Muhyiddin, you asked for my help, and I gave it. You asked me to contribute, even with my own money — and I did. All for the struggle, because I know that true struggle demands sacrifice.”

Former Bersatu deputy president Hamzah Zainudin being surrounded by supporters at the gathering today in Kuala Lumpur.


‘Rise with me’

Hamzah also apologised to party members, saying he would not be returning as he has no desire to file an appeal against his sacking to Bersatu.


“I want to see a better future. We need a reset. We want to build this nation,” he said, calling for his “friends” to support him in the cause.

Hamzah is among 17 Bersatu leaders sacked from the party yesterday amid a leadership tussle between him and Muhyiddin.

Bersatu secretary-general Azmin Ali had said the disciplinary board revoked Hamzah’s membership after finding that he had violated Clause 9.1.4 of the party’s constitution, which requires members to comply with its constitution, code of ethics and code of conduct.

Hamzah had been summoned to appear before the board following complaints that he attempted to sabotage the party’s 2025 annual general assembly and had undermined the leadership.


He had missed the disciplinary board hearing on Thursday as he was in Sydney, Australia.

Hamzah’s private secretary Ahmad Ikhwan Fadhli said he was already overseas when he received the notice on Feb 7 and immediately informed the disciplinary board that he could not attend.

A notice dated Feb 6 said this was the second summons, following an earlier one issued in October last year.