Specify maximum time frame to declare assets, Dr M’s sons tell MACC

 

FMT:

Specify maximum time

frame to declare assets, Dr

M’s sons tell MACC

FMT Reporters-27 Apr 2024, 01:10 PM

Mokhzani and Mirzan say some documents requested are ‘nearly impossible to obtain as they no longer exist’.

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Mirzan (left) and Mokhzani Mahathir denied that they require a longer time to comply with MACC’s order because of their ‘excessive wealth’.

PETALING JAYA: Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s two oldest sons have urged the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission to specify the maximum time frame of its investigation into their father, saying that some old documents sought “are no longer in existence”.

Mokhzani and elder brother Mirzan were ordered by MACC in January to declare their assets dating back to 1981, the year Mahathir became prime minister.

The brothers have received two extensions of the original February deadlines for compliance.

“Considering that we are required to declare assets acquired over a 43-year period and due to the lack of records during that time, it would greatly assist us if MACC could specify the most crucial time frame for their investigation,” they said in a statement today.

They denied claims that they required a longer time to comply with the order because of their “excessive wealth”.

“This is completely untrue. In fact, most documents are no longer available, especially those from financial institutions and the public sector,” they said.

They pointed out that the Inland Revenue Board only required taxpayers to retain sufficient records for a period of seven years, as did the Companies Commission of Malaysia.

“Nevertheless, we are making every effort to gather these documents, but some are nearly impossible to obtain as they no longer exist,” they said.

On Thursday, MACC chief Azam Baki confirmed that Mahathir was under investigation.

He said Mahathir’s two sons had also been served a notice to declare their assets within the period stipulated in the notice, under Section 36 of the MACC Act 2009.

The orders are part of investigations into offshore business records revealed by a journalism consortium, MACC said at the time, without mentioning that the main target was Mahathir.

However, the brothers were reported by Bloomberg as saying that Mahathir was the agency’s “primary suspect” in its probe.

Four-cornered fight in Kuala Kubu Baru by-election

Four-cornered fight in Kuala Kubu Baru by-election

The Kuala Kubu Baru by-election candidates. (From left) Pang Sock Tao (Pakatan Harapan), Khairul Azhari Saut (Perikatan Nasional), Nyau Ke Sin (Independent) and Hafizah Zainudin (Parti Rakyat Malaysia). ― Picture by Sayuti Zainudin

Saturday, 27 Apr 2024 11:22 AM MYT


HULU SELANGOR, April 27 — The Kuala Kubu Baru parliamentary by-election will see a four-cornered fight between Pakatan Harapan (PH), Perikatan Nasional (PN), Parti Rakyat Malaysia (PRM) and an independent candidate.

Election Commission returning officer Yuhanas Auree Kamaruddin today confirmed that Pang Sock Tao (PH) will be competing against Khairul Azhari Saut (PN), who was the former Selangor Bersatu acting division chief, Hafizah Zainudin (PRM) and Nyau Ke Xin (Independent).


Yuhanas also confirmed that none of the nomination forms for the four candidates were rejected when the by-election nomination concluded at 10am.

Additionally, following the announcement of candidates for the by-election, Yuhanas said that one independent candidate named Chng Boon Lai withdrew from the nomination process.


However, no details were provided on the withdrawal.


Speaking to the reporters after the announcement, Khairul said he will not disclose any campaign strategy saying “war” strategies cannot be revealed.

He said if he wins the election, he will bring the voice of Kuala Kubu Baru’s people to the relevant authorities.

“If we (PN) succeed, we will ensure to provide the best service for the local community,” he told reporters when met.

The Kuala Kubu Baru seat fell vacant following the death of its three-term assemblyman, Lee Kee Hiong, on March 21 due to cancer.

In the state election in August last year, Lee beat candidates from PN, Parti Rakyat Malaysia and the Malaysian United Democratic Alliance (Muda) by a majority of 4,119 votes.

The Election Commission has fixed April 27 for nominations and May 11 for polling.

KKB polls: Time for BN to return Pakatan's favour, says Ahmad Zahid

KKB polls: Time for BN to return Pakatan's favour, says Ahmad Zahid

Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi accompanies Pakatan candidate Pang Sock Tao to submit her nomination papers at the Hulu Selangor Multipurpose Hall and District Sports Complex, April 27, 2024. ― Bernama pic

Saturday, 27 Apr 2024 12:25 PM MYT


HULU SELANGOR, April 27 ― The Kuala Kubu Baru (KKB) state by-election is the time for Barisan Nasional (BN) to return Pakatan Harapan’s (PH) favour in assisting Umno candidates in the previous elections, said Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.


The BN chairman said PKR, Amanah and DAP had lent their support to Umno candidates in the Tioman, Pelangai and Kemaman by-elections.

Ahmad Zahid, who is also deputy prime minister, said BN would mobilise its machinery to help PH candidate for the by-election Pang Sock Tao.


“We will deploy our machinery across eight PDM (polling district centres) and approach voters, including those from the Orang Asli community. We will support those who represent the unity government.


“Our principle is clear, if a seat was previously held by one of the component parties within the unity government, we will give it to them unless there are other reasons,” he told reporters after accompanying Pang to submit her nomination papers at the Hulu Selangor Multipurpose Hall and District Sports Complex here today.

Responding to MCA’s stance not to campaign in the KKB by-election unless the candidate is from BN, Ahmad Zahid expressed confidence that the party would mobilise its machinery at the state level to help the unity government candidate.

“We understand their feelings. I believe the situation will change as Umno and MCA have been friends since 1974,” he said.

Meanwhile, when asked about an old video of Pang criticising Barisan Nasional that has resurfaced, Ahmad Zahid described it as a malicious act by the Opposition.

“For now, let’s close the old chapter, open a new one, and find the best approach,” he said.

The KKB by-election is being held following the demise of its incumbent, Lee Kee Hiong, 58, on March 21 due to cancer.

Polling day is set for May 11, with early voting scheduled for May 7.

This will be the seventh by-election to be held after the 15th general election in 2022. ― Bernama

TRUE OR FALSE? SAMPUL DUIT RAYA ACTUALLY CAME FROM BUDAYA CINA

TRUE OR FALSE? SAMPUL DUIT RAYA ACTUALLY CAME FROM BUDAYA CINA

ByAmeera Rosli
Posted on 26/04/2024

The Hari Raya Aidilfitri frenzy consists of many small chaoses. For those who celebrate it, we all know that the night before Raya is when everyone is scrambling to cook the rendang, dust off the Corning pots and band-aid the paper cuts one might get from stuffing small banknotes into a sampul duit raya. But did you know that before the 80s, Malaysians didn’t even use duit raya envelopes at all? In fact, duit raya as we know it today wasn’t even a thing… at least not really.

Yes, the biggest pain for working adults and the greatest joy for young kids didn’t come about until the late 80s. So, in a pre-duit raya world, how did Muslims celebrate Hari Raya Aidilfitri? And where did we get the idea to start using these envelopes anyway? Well, to find out, we gotta look at why we give out money in the first place.

The concept of duit raya existed since the year 1250!

original image source: History Maps


It all started during the Mamluk era in Egypt and Syria during the years 1250-1382. During this era, the Mamluk sultanate paid an extra amount of gold and silver to his soldiers, princes and employees as a gift during Eid – or Hari Raya Aidilfitri as we know it in Malaysia. In time, this became a tradition where people would gift money, sweets or clothes to young children or old citizens as well.


This tradition was called Eidiya, which was derived from the words Eid and Hadiyah – meaning ‘festival’ and ‘gift’ respectively. This term originated from the Fatimid dynasty, where its rulers were descendants of Prophet Muhammad’s daughter, Fatima. But since this only came during the years of Prophet Muhammad’s daughter’s descendants, does that mean that Eidiya was not mentioned in the Quran?


Well, the word itself does not exist in Quranic verses and hadiths, but the act of charity, which is essentially what Eidiya is, had been practiced years prior. In fact, the Prophet Muhammad even encouraged it. And why wouldn’t he when charity is so easy to give?

original image source: Sinar Harian

The thing is, most people would think that charity is just gifts in the form of money and material things. But that’s not the case. Sure we have ‘zakat’ which is obligatory charity for Muslims based on how much they earn, but we also have ‘sedekah’. Sedekah is voluntary charity and it can be anything. Even a smile, some wise advice or a helping hand can be considered sedekah. And as experts on free gifts, all Malaysians should know that smiling is free!


So, while the Eidiya only started in the Fatimid dynasty, charity itself has been written into the Quran in many verses. Most notably, it is written that those who give out charity with sincerity – and not out of pride or a way to boast about wealth – will be rewarded with shade from sweltering heat during Judgment Day. The Prophet Muhammad said,


“The believer’s shade on the Day of Resurrection will be his charity.” – Al-Tirmidhi

While that explains why Muslims give money and gifts during Hari Raya Aidilfitri, we still don’t know how the duit raya ang pows started! And that’s because duit raya ang pows or sampul duit raya were only popularised in Southeast Asian countries in the late 80s.


Before the sampul duit raya, kids were given loose coins

source: News Straits Times, October 15 1974


When you become a working adult, you’re just not as excited about duit raya as you used to be when you were younger. Mainly it’s because most of us become the ones who have to give duit raya. But also, the amount we sometimes receive is much lesser than what it used to be. Well, you should actually count your lucky ang pows cos back then, most kids didn’t even get duit raya! Instead, they mostly got cakes and clothes.

After scouring old newspapers and talking to people who lived during that era (my parents a.k.a the most reliable source of history), there is no mention of giving out money in the form of envelopes. Most people would offer donations to those in need, and that would be sweetened by visits to hospitals and orphanages with sweets and cakes. At most, some kids would be given loose coins that they would store in their bamboo piggy banks. Sure the kids were still excited but it really can’t compare to getting colourful envelopes of money after salam-ing random mak ciks and pak ciks, especially when the amount of money inside remains a fun surprise until you get home.

Click to enlarge (source: News Straits Times, April 1989 and April 1991)


Well thankfully (or tragically for those who hate going to the ATM), duit raya in the form of banknotes stuffed into ang pows became commonplace in the late 80s. While we’d love to pinpoint exactly when in the 80s, our best guess would be 1986. And just like the name suggests, it was inspired by the Chinese ang pows.

Gaining popularity, the duit raya envelopes were mentioned numerous times in newspapers starting from 1986. Some simply called it duit raya while others touted it as duit raya ang pow. And since we borrowed the name, let’s educate ourselves on the history of the ang pow itself.

source: Esplanade


Ang pow was derived from the Mandarin word, ‘hong bau’, which is a gift of money in a red packet. It can be traced all the way back to the Qin dynasty and a demon called Sui. The story goes that this demon would disturb children on the night of Chinese New Year, which would give them nightmares or worse – kill them in their sleep.

To stop this from happening, a couple decided to use blessed coins and wrap them in red paper before placing it under their child’s pillow. When the demon Sui attempted to disturb the child, beams of light appeared and scared it away. From there, all the parents began doing the same and it soon became a symbol of blessings for children.

And those are the origins of the Chinese ang pow. While that was a fun story, you might now be wondering, why did Malays adopt this tradition? We got demon named Sui meh?

Well, not to be a bummer, but there is no set answer to this question. So instead, let’s explore several theories as to why we borrowed the ang pow and Melayu-fied it.


Betul ke sampul duit raya was borrowed from the Chinese?

Several things remain a mystery when it comes to the duit raya ang pow. While this could be used as a PSA to document our culture and history better, we don’t wanna bore you with that. So, we took it upon ourselves to sift through old newspapers in order to find out why we started using duit raya ang pows. Here are our most compelling theories:


Kongsi Raya

Debriefing lepas penat ber-open house

It’s highly likely that the Malay duit raya envelopes were inspired by the Chinese ang pows because of two main factors – timeline and design. When Kongsi Raya (or Gongxi Raya) came around in the year 1996, the idea of the shared envelope design for distributing money was celebrated by both Malays and Chinese. But hey, it’s not like the Malays copy paste the ang pow bulat-bulat.

When it first started, duit raya envelopes were known as ‘green envelopes’. This is because the colour is often associated with Islam since the Arabic word for paradise, ‘Jannah’, also means garden, which is known to be green. Another example would be Surah 55 Verse 76 in the Quran. It reads, ‘They relax on green carpets, in beautiful surroundings.’ Even Indians have their own version of ang pows, but theirs are in the colour purple. It’s only recently that duit raya ang pows come in different colours like gold, blue and black.

While this theory is nice since it highlights the strength and diversity of our nation when we unite, it only shows the popularisation of the duit raya ang pow in the 90s. Since we believe it started in the late 80s, let’s look at our next theory…


Malaysia’s economic growth spurt

source: News Straits Times, October 17 1974


In case you didn’t know, Malaysia was deep in the trenches of a recession during the 70s and all the way through the late 80s. Without getting too deep into it, in the 70s, the effects of the May 13 riots in 1969 forced the nation’s leaders to focus on political and social peace rather than the economy. Further down the line, Malaysia suffered arguably its worst recession in 1985. So naturally, in light of horrible economical times, Malaysians couldn’t afford to be too generous with their cash.

source: OECD Development centre – Poverty and Income Inequality in Developing Countries: A Policy Dialogue on the Effects of Globalisation


Malaysia infamously suffered through this recession for a whole year before finally getting back on our feet. In 1986, we saw a 1.2% growth in our gross domestic product (GDP), which was a cause to celebrate, especially since the recession in 1985 brought it down to negative 1%. It then continued to grow in 1987 with a GDP growth rate of 5.2%.

From then – on top of giving sweets, cakes and clothes – Malaysians started adopting the duit raya ang pow because the economy was on a growth streak and well, now we have money mah! According to sociologist, Abdul Rahman Embong,


“It wasn’t until the 1980s when Malays became urbanised by rapid economic development and modernisation that duit raya evolved into banknotes, and the use of envelopes became mainstream among Muslim communities in Malaysia.” – via Free Malaysia Today

If you noticed, both theories show Malaysia’s resilience when it comes to difficult times. And what better way to celebrate that than to give duit raya after a susah-payah month of fasting! So these are our theories on how the duit raya ang pow started. It has been a long and windy road to get to where we are. But now that we’re here, we gotta ask, do we even use these duit raya ang pows today?


Dowan ang pow, just QR me!

left image source: RHB group @ Facebook / right image source: @adamzainaal on Twitter

Now that most of us are chronically online, it’s not unusual to make some online friends. And since we’re not Taylor Swift, we can’t be boarding private planes to visit all of our friends during Hari Raya just to give physical ang pows. So now the younger generation has evolved to e-duit raya which is just sharing QR codes and bank account details.

Jangan risau, the novelty of duit raya ang pows is still not lost, especially amongst older generations. We still have cerekaramas di pagi raya when we tearfully salam our parents and ask for forgiveness (re: duit raya). And despite all this modern technology, nobody can take away our love for drama.

At the end of the day, Hari Raya Aidilfitri is all about charity and generosity. It doesn’t matter how or how much; it just matters that you were sincere.

Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri to all Malaysians!

Don’t be a hypocrite, Fahmi tells Syed Saddiq

Don’t be a hypocrite, Fahmi tells Syed Saddiq

Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil today reminded Muar Member of Parliament Syed Saddiq Abdul Rahman not to be hypocritical when claiming that the ruling government is keen to take action against its critics on social media. — Picture by Hari Anggara

Friday, 26 Apr 2024 8:12 PM MYT


PADANG BESAR, April 26 — Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil today reminded Muar Member of Parliament Syed Saddiq Abdul Rahman not to be hypocritical when claiming that the ruling government is keen to take action against its critics on social media.


Fahmi, who is also the spokesperson for the unity government, said Syed Saddiq may have forgotten that the country had already seen a leader who took various actions against the media and those who disagreed with that leader.

“Perhaps he (Syed Saddiq) had forgotten (the history) that there was a time before he was born, there was a leader and, during his administration, there was no freedom of speech, people who demonstrated were beaten, journalists who reported may get their newspapers banned.


“Those who disagreed were arrested in Ops Lalang. Ask his (Syed Saddiq’s) idol back then. If he wants to compare the past and the present, it’s like heaven and earth, so don’t be a hypocrite!”


Fahmi said this in response to Syed Saddiq’s statement on TikTok yesterday, in which he claimed that today’s government is keen to take action against postings on social media and has even deleted the social media accounts of certain parties who criticised the government.

Fahmi said the government does not prevent the people from criticising, especially regarding policies implemented by the government and said there is a lot of content on social media that criticises the government.

However, he insisted that defamatory matters are prohibited from being disseminated based on existing laws.

“The issue is when it comes to slander. During Ramadan last month, someone made a slanderous statement saying that the Prime Minister is sick, and that the Prime Minister has so many diseases. That is pure slander and such things are prohibited by law,” he said, adding that every action taken by the government is always based on the law.

Fahmi was met after visiting the Northern Zone Fibre Optic Point of Presence (PoP) Network Hub here today. — Bernama

 

al Jazeera:

China and US should be ‘partners, not rivals’, Xi tells Blinken

China says it prefers to bolster its ties with the United States, but considerable challenges remain.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, left, talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on April 26, 2024 [Mark Schiefelbein/Pool via Reuters]

Published On 26 Apr 202426 Apr 2024

United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken has capped a visit to Beijing by meeting Chinese President Xi Jinping as the two countries try to stabilise relations amid disputes over national security, the economy, and geopolitical differences on the Middle East, Ukraine and Southeast Asia.

Xi told the top US diplomat on Friday that the two superpowers “should be partners rather than rivals” and should help each other succeed rather than hurt each other, according to the state news agency Xinhua.

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“I proposed mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation to be the three overarching principles. They are both lessons learned from the past and a guide for the future,” he said.

Xi said China would be happy to see a prosperous US and hopes Washington will share this outlook for Beijing so bilateral ties can “truly stabilise, improve and move forward”.

But as both Xi and Blinken said, there are still major issues that threaten the recent improvement in relations.

Blinken raised the issue of Chinese “support to the Russian defence industrial base” during five and a half hours of talks, according to US Department of State spokesperson Matthew Miller, who added that the two sides also discussed fractious topics such as Taiwan and the South China Sea.

Video Duration 06 minutes 25 seconds06:25

China has not provided Russia with arms for its war in Ukraine, but the US and other Western nations say Chinese industrial exports like machinery and semiconductors have helped Russia increase its production of weapons.

Beijing has called this normal trade between China and Russia that should not be disrupted or restricted, also pointing out that the war is being prolonged by major Western arms transfers and funding for Ukraine.

Blinken earlier on Friday met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who cautioned that their countries could either “keep to the right direction of moving forward with stability or return to a downward spiral” or even “slide into confrontation”.

Wang said China observes a number of “red lines” that the US must not overstep as their relations are tested by “negative factors”.

“China’s legitimate development rights have been unreasonably suppressed, and our core interests are facing challenges,” he told Blinken.

The US warned China about its assertive moves around the Philippines and promised to defend its ally.

“I made clear that while the US will continue to de-escalate tensions, our defence commitments to the Philippines remain ironclad,” Blinken told reporters, adding that he raised Beijing’s “dangerous actions in the South China Sea” during meetings with top leaders.

In addition to clashing on Taiwan, which China claims as its own territory and the US has been arming, the two nations have seen tensions rising over artificial intelligence, a law that seeks to ban TikTok in the US if its Chinese parent company refuses to sell it and China’s supply of chemicals used to make fentanyl.

Underscoring the fraught nature of their relations, US President Joe Biden signed into law a bipartisan bill that includes $8bn to counter China’s military might along with $61bn for Ukraine and billions in military aid for Taiwan just hours before Blinken arrived in China on Wednesday.

China-US relations have been turbulent in recent years with the situation exacerbated among other things by a trade war, then-House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan in 2022 and a row over the US downing of a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon last year.