Suhakam: Sending girls to religious dept over statutory rape against Constitution

Suhakam: Sending girls to religious dept over statutory rape against Constitution


Published: Dec 24, 2025 12:13 PM
Updated: 3:21 PM


Suhakam reminds the police that referring minors involved in statutory rape cases to Islamic enforcement authorities for action is inconsistent with the Federal Constitution, as criminal law matters fall under the Federal List.

This came after Kelantan police chief Yusoff Mamat said last week that girls aged 16 and below caught for consensual sex will be referred to the Kelantan Islamic Department (Jaheaik) for further action under the syariah courts.

The human rights commission stressed that with rape being on the Federal List, investigations into the matter are under the purview of the police - not the state religious department.

“Malaysia is also party to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which requires us to ensure that all children are protected from sexual exploitation and abuse, and that the best interests of the child are treated as a primary consideration in all actions concerning children.

“Statutory rape must therefore be addressed as a serious criminal offence against children, through processes that are lawful, child-sensitive and rights-compliant,” it said in a statement today.

On Dec 18, Yusoff was reported as saying that five of such cases had been referred to Jaheaik so far, in line with the Kelantan ruler’s decree for the police to work with the state religious department on statutory rape cases.

“In the last two months, we have referred five teenage girls involved in consensual sex to Jaheaik for further action.

“The male suspects had been charged in court, but because there is no existing legal provision for the girls, we referred them to Jaheaik,” Yusoff was quoted as saying by Berita Harian.

In September, Yusoff sparked controversy after he personally suggested that girls involved in statutory rape cases should be charged alongside the adult male perpetrator.

The issue had also sparked a debate among legal and child welfare experts, who believe the law should be reformed to provide a holistic approach when close-in-age teens are involved.

Prioritise minors’ welfare

While it respects Islamic laws and religious institutions within the legal and social framework, Suhakam said its primary concern is the welfare of the minors involved in statutory rape.

It added that Yusoff’s latest statement may contribute to moral panic and reactions that are not grounded in the legal framework.

Kelantan police chief Yusoff Mamat


“Approaches that rely solely on punishment fail to recognise that teenagers are children under the law, whose evolving capacities, vulnerability and immaturity must be understood within the spirit and intent of the Child Act 2001, read together with Malaysia’s obligations under the CRC.

“Evidence has consistently shown that purely punitive measures are ineffective in preventing the recurrence or escalation of statutory rape and may instead compound harm to children,” Suhakam said.

Reform laws

The commission urged the government to reform the criminal justice system to better reflect the realities faced by children and young people, with many undergoing socio-economic disadvantage, violence, and neglect.

When it comes to crime prevention, Suhakam urged the government to focus on child-centred and rights-based approaches, including limiting detention and strengthening social interventions involving families, schools, and community support networks.

“In this regard, Suhakam underscores that reforms to the Penal Code and the Criminal Procedure Code are necessary to promote positive behaviour change, enhance child protection, and support rehabilitation.

“This is in line with constitutional principles and international human rights standards,” it added.

When some applaud the rejection of the House arrest application as though it were a political triumph, they are applauding the effective dismissal of a royal act

Justice as spectacle: When celebrations replace reflection

SA Vigneswaran
Published: Dec 24, 2025 9:35 AM
Updated: 12:37 PM



COMMENT | Recent public reactions to the High Court’s decision on former premier Najib Abdul Razak’s house arrest application have revealed a troubling trend: justice has been transformed into spectacle.

Certain political actors, including Tony Pua, have openly framed the court’s ruling as a moment for celebration, pride, and political self-congratulation.

Arrests are cheered. Convictions are applauded. Judicial outcomes are treated as scorecards. Victory laps are taken.

This is not the law; this is entertainment.

Courts are not scoreboards, judges are not referees in a political contest, and justice is not validated by public applause, especially when that applause is fuelled by personal animosity rather than constitutional principle.

Dangerous selective amnesia

What is conspicuously absent from these celebrations is context.

The house arrest application did not arise in a vacuum. It followed a royal proclamation, issued through proper constitutional processes.

When some now applaud the rejection of the application as though it were a political triumph, they are, whether intentionally or not, applauding the effective dismissal of a royal act.

That should trouble every Malaysian.

Belittling or mocking a royal decree is not merely disrespectful to an individual; it risks undermining the constitutional framework itself.

The issue before the court was not a personality contest. In substance, it was the legal effect of a royal decree that stood for scrutiny.

To reduce such a matter to a punchline is profoundly irresponsible.

Respect for institutions not optional

Equally reckless are claims that the courts have somehow “overruled” the Yang di-Pertuan Agong. That narrative is not just inaccurate, it is constitutionally dangerous.

The Agong acts within the framework of the Federal Constitution. Respect for the monarchy is demonstrated by fidelity to that framework, not by distortion, mockery, or selective outrage.

It bears repeating: His Majesty acted after due consultation and in accordance with established constitutional processes.

To ridicule the king for doing precisely what the Constitution requires is to attack the very institutions that safeguard Malaysia’s democratic order.

There is a bitter irony here. Many of the loudest celebrants are often the quickest to lecture others about restraint on the so-called 3Rs: race, religion, and royalty.

Yet in their eagerness to mock, cheer, and provoke, they have already crossed into dangerous territory involving race and royalty themselves.

Apparently, restraint is only fashionable when convenient.

Justice demands dignity, not pleasure

Let this be clear: no one is asking for sympathy. But a mature democracy must at least demand dignity, restraint, and respect for institutions.

Someone’s arrest, conviction, or failed application is not a reality show. It is not a national festival. It is not a source of pleasure.

Courts are not stages, verdicts are not trophies, and constitutional institutions, including the monarchy, are not conveniences to be mocked when outcomes align with partisan sentiment.

When justice is reduced to entertainment, restraint is abandoned, and dignity is lost, democracy itself begins to resemble theatre.

That should concern every Malaysian who values the Constitution, the integrity of our courts, and respect for the institutions that hold this nation together.

SA VIGNESWARAN is MIC president.

***

Very good article by Vignes.

When some now applaud the rejection of the application as though it were a political triumph, they are, whether intentionally or not, applauding the effective dismissal of a royal act.

That should trouble every Malaysian.

Pancung Pancung Pancung

Najib's House Arrest - The Saga Continues

kt FB:

Najib's House Arrest:

DAP Tony Pua: Don't stop us from rejoicing

DAP Ong Kian Ming: Time to think full pardon for Najib

One enjoys schadenfreude, the other is compassionate

& a brief extract from MKINI:


Recent public reactions to the High Court’s decision on former premier Najib Abdul Razak’s house arrest application have revealed a troubling trend: justice has been transformed into spectacle.

Certain political actors, including Tony Pua, have openly framed the court’s ruling as a moment for celebration, pride, and political self-congratulation.

Arrests are cheered. Convictions are applauded. Judicial outcomes are treated as scorecards. Victory laps are taken.

This is not the law; this is entertainment.



Courts are not scoreboards, judges are not referees in a political contest, and justice is not validated by public applause, especially when that applause is fuelled by personal animosity rather than constitutional principle.

Dangerous selective amnesia

What is conspicuously absent from these celebrations is context.

The house arrest application did not arise in a vacuum. It followed a royal proclamation, issued through proper constitutional processes.

When some now applaud the rejection of the application as though it were a political triumph, they are, whether intentionally or not, applauding the effective dismissal of a royal act.

That should trouble every Malaysian.

Belittling or mocking a royal decree is not merely disrespectful to an individual; it risks undermining the constitutional framework itself.

The issue before the court was not a personality contest. In substance, it was the legal effect of a royal decree that stood for scrutiny.

To reduce such a matter to a punchline is profoundly irresponsible.



- SA VIGNESWARAN, MIC president

Backfire on Ratu Bodek

YOURSAY | RM50m bribe offer revelation - 'bodek' gone wrong


Published: Dec 24, 2025 10:28 AM
Updated: 1:28 PM


YOURSAY | ‘Looks less like courage, more like storytelling timed for political damage control.’

Ex-aide lodges MACC report after flagged for Zaliha's silence on graft

Group urges MACC to probe claims Zaliha turned down RM50m bribe

Ex-aide says Zaliha rejected bribe but kept mum, KJ says possible offence


Ayam Kampung: This is a lame attempt to bootlick the boss - a textbook bodek queen at work.

If then minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Federal Territories) Dr Zaliha Mustafa, or her ex-aide G Sivamalar, were genuinely insulted or alarmed by the alleged RM50 million bribe, they should have gone straight to the MACC.

That is the bare minimum expected of any public servant who claims to stand for integrity and accountability.

Remaining silent and allowing this information to surface more than two years later in a casual, off-hand interview is not how one earns the rakyat’s trust.

It looks less like courage and more like convenient storytelling timed for political damage control.

Put your money where your mouth is. You are a public servant. You serve the rakyat, not your political superior. The right thing was to report the matter immediately, which you did not.

So please do not claim the moral high ground now. You forfeited that right two years ago when you and your boss chose silence over duty.

Dr Suresh Kumar: Is this a Freudian slip on Sivamalar’s part, or a clumsily crafted attempt at apple-polishing that backfired? Either way, the damage is done.

Sivamalar admitted she was present and personally witnessed the alleged offer. RM50 million is not loose talk, not small change, and certainly not something to be mentioned casually years later. It is a serious sum that demands serious action.

The public has the right to know who this so-called brave hero is, especially after businessperson Albert Tei’s bribery case.

In a country plagued by unbridled corruption, selective disclosures and delayed revelations only deepen cynicism and erode trust in public institutions.

If this disclosure was meant to inspire confidence, it has achieved the opposite.

Cogito Ergo Sum: In a sloppy attempt to ampu bodek (brown nose) her boss, Sivamalar has unintentionally implicated both herself and Zaliha in a potential corruption issue. This episode speaks volumes about the calibre of our cabinet.

Both appear to see themselves as unsung heroes - paragons of integrity who deserve praise for doing what the law already requires. They are not heroes. They are public office holders who failed to act when it mattered most.

MACC must act with the same vigour and enthusiasm shown in the Tei case. There must be no double standards, no political cushioning, and no immunity simply because the narrative is inconvenient. Integrity delayed is integrity denied.

Wah Gor Your Favourite PM: This is a classic case of “The lady doth protest too much, methinks,” from William Shakespeare, Hamlet, Act III, Scene II.

Nobody accused her boss of corruption, so there was no need for this public justification. At most, she has been criticised for incompetence and a lack of gravitas in handling sensitive matters such as decisions related to the Pardons Board. This revelation does nothing to add weight to her standing.

A seasoned and genuinely upright politician would have rejected countless monetary offers quietly over the years, often involving far larger sums, without ever feeling the need to publicise them. That is simply part of the job.

By highlighting a single instance of supposed integrity, the former aide inadvertently exposes her boss as politically lightweight — someone for whom rejecting a bribe is treated as an extraordinary achievement rather than a basic expectation.

IndigoJaguar7545: For your information, attempted bribery is 100 percent prosecuted as if you committed the act.

Section 28 of MACC Act says: “Attempts, preparations, abetment and criminal conspiracies punishable as offence: Section 28. (1) Any person who (a) attempts to commit any offence under this Act; (b) does any act preparatory to or in furtherance of the commission of any offence under this Act; or (c) abets or is engaged in a criminal conspiracy to commit any offence under this Act, commits such offence and shall on conviction be liable to the punishment provided for such offence."

How do you not know this?

Anonymous: The law is clear, regardless of political allegiance. Section 25(3) of the MACC Act requires any person from whom gratification has been solicited, obtained, or even attempted to report the matter at the earliest opportunity to the commission or the police.

I am not a fan of Zaliha nor Sivamalar. But legal accuracy matters. Neither Zaliha nor Sivamalar solicited the bribe. On that point, outrage should be properly directed.

If the allegation is true, the MACC should pursue the tobacco company and its representative for attempting to bribe government officials.

That offence stands on its own and should not be obscured by political theatre, delayed virtue-signalling, or selective moral outrage.

Shahidan’s PN-BN-PKR coalition proposal just fantasy, say analysts

FMT:

Shahidan’s PN-BN-PKR coalition proposal just fantasy, say analysts

4 hours ago

Nora Mahpar

Ahmad Zaharuddin Sani Ahmad Sabri says the proposal seems more like a political experiment rather than a well-thought-out strategy

PAS MP Shahidan Kassim had proposed that PN, which holds 74 parliamentary seats, together with BN and PKR, each with around 30 seats, form a new political pact.

PETALING JAYA: Analysts have poured cold water on a proposal by PAS leader Shahidan Kassim for Perikatan Nasional, Barisan Nasional and PKR to form a coalition government, calling it unrealistic, risky and capable of dragging the country into political instability.

Ahmad Zaharuddin Sani Ahmad Sabri of Global Asia Consulting said the idea seemed more like a political experiment rather than a well-thought-out strategy.

He said this could see a repeat of the post-2018 general election period when Malaysia saw three prime ministers in five years.


“PN is trying to sell the idea of a dream coalition, but in reality, it is politically vulnerable.

“BN is still finding its footing after its ‘blue wave’ waned, while PKR is unlikely to abandon DAP,” he told FMT.

According to Zaharuddin, the proposal does not solve the current political situation. “This proposed coalition is not an exit strategy; it’s an entry point to a new era of political instability.”

Shahidan, who is Arau MP, had proposed that PN, which holds 74 parliamentary seats, together with BN and PKR, each with around 30 seats, form a new political pact.

The suggestion follows tensions between Umno and DAP after DAP publicity secretary Yeo Bee Yin posted comments deemed “rude” by Umno leaders regarding the High Court’s rejection of former prime minister Najib Razak’s bid for house arrest.

The former DAP minister described the court ruling as “another reason to celebrate this year end”, a statement that drew ire from Umno leaders.


Zaharuddin also said the proposal by Umno Youth chief Dr Akmal Saleh for BN to leave the government and become the opposition would be riskier for the coalition itself.

“BN is trying to rebuild its image after a series of defeats. Leaving the government would make BN appear opportunistic, further destabilising the country at a time when Malaysians need economic certainty,” he said.

PKR’s position

Zaharuddin also explained that it is almost impossible for PKR to leave DAP as their relationship is not merely tactical but forms the foundation of their support among urban, progressive and overseas voters.


“Dropping DAP would destroy PKR’s own credibility. That’s why the PN-BN-PKR proposal is more of a fantasy,” he added.

Mazlan Ali from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia said Shahidan’s proposal is interesting but raises a major question about the prime ministership.

“With PKR holding a small number of seats, Anwar Ibrahim is unlikely to become prime minister unless PN agrees to support him. That is highly improbable,” he said.

Mazlan warned that any major split, including a possible withdrawal by BN or DAP from the government, would only open the door to a weak and unstable administration.

With only two years left in the current term, Mazlan does not expect such withdrawals, despite the risk of instability.

He noted that the issue stems from controversial statements by a DAP politician, rather than government policy.

“I am confident that Anwar, Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and DAP secretary-general Loke Siew Fook understand the risks if this conflict persists.”

He said there were many important things on the agenda that need attention by the government before the next general election.

***

The ultimate Melayu Coalition, once PKR and Bersatu get rid of its nons, wakakaka

The Old Man will be extremely proud and most willing to assume leadership of such a Pure 'Aryan-ish' Coalition.

Penang committed to protecting religious freedom of all communities, says Kon Yeow

Penang committed to protecting religious freedom of all communities, says Kon Yeow



Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said the state government continues to support non-Muslim communities through an inclusive approach, ensuring that all Penangites are able to practise their respective religions freely and without hindrance. — Picture via Facebook

Wednesday, 24 Dec 2025 10:58 AM MYT


GEORGE TOWN, Dec 24 — The Penang government remains committed to safeguarding the welfare and religious freedom of all communities, including Christians, said Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow.

He said the state government continues to support non-Muslim communities through an inclusive approach, ensuring that all Penangites are able to practise their respective religions freely and without hindrance.

“In addition to protecting religious practices, the state government also provides various services and basic facilities to support religious activities,” he said in his Christmas message today.

He said the state continues to prioritise harmony among Penang’s diverse communities.


One of the main initiatives the state has implemented towards this was the establishment of the Penang Harmony Corporation (Harmonico), a state-linked agency.

Chow said Harmonico is aimed at promoting a new model of interfaith harmony while addressing the challenges of religious diversity.

He said the state-level Christmas celebrations early this month was a success.


“After 25 years, a special procession in conjunction with the Christmas celebrations was successfully held for the first time,” he said.

He said it was especially heartwarming to witness the extraordinary spirit of the participants and churches involved in the procession to continue to the end despite heavy rain.

“This indirectly reflects the strength of unity and spirit of volunteerism among the people in the state,” he said.

He hoped that this spirit would continue and the Christmas procession tradition will continue to be held in the years to come.

Chow said Christmas serves as a reminder of universal values such as love, compassion, sacrifice and hope, which transcend religious boundaries.

“As we close the chapter of 2025, this festive season offers an opportunity for reflection, renewal and renewed determination to build a more prosperous and inspiring Penang for all,” he said.

He extended Christmas greetings to those who are celebrating and wished all Penangites a restful and enjoyable year-end holiday.

“May this Christmas bring lasting peace, happiness and well-being to you and your family,” he said.

Chow Kon Yeow 曹觀友

Seiring dengan nilai kasih sayang dan keprihatinan yang dibawa oleh semangat Krismas, Kerajaan Negeri Pulau Pinang kekal komited untuk menjaga kebajikan semua komuniti. Inilah antara keajaiban...

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‘We will not hesitate to act’: Perikatan, Pakatan back stability in Perlis govt amid pressure on Menteri Besar

‘We will not hesitate to act’: Perikatan, Pakatan back stability in Perlis govt amid pressure on Menteri Besar



Perlis Menteri Besar Mohd Shukri Ramli Mohd Shukri was discharged from a hospital in Kuala Lumpur yesterday after receiving treatment for chest pains. — File picture by Shafwan Zaidon

Wednesday, 24 Dec 2025 12:18 PM MYT


KANGAR, Dec 24 — Leaders from Perikatan Nasional (PN) and Pakatan Harapan (PH) have voiced support for political stability in Perlis amid reports of internal pressure on Menteri Besar Mohd Shukri Ramli.

In a statement, Perlis Pas Youth chief and Beseri state assemblyman Haziq Asyraf Dun said all parties must play their role in safeguarding stability in the state.

“We will not hesitate to take appropriate action against any party that seeks to threaten the stability of the state government,” he said.

Haziq said voters had given a clear mandate to Perikatan Nasional to govern Perlis, adding that priority should remain on the welfare of the people and the state’s development rather than the interests of certain individuals or factions.


Separately, Perikatan Nasional Perlis chairman Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim yesterday said the coalition was not officially informed of claims that several state assemblymen had withdrawn support for Shukri.

According to a report in The Star, Shahidan said the coalition had only learned of the matter through media reports.

“This is not a crisis, merely a difference of opinion,” he reportedly said, adding that the issue could be resolved “within the family” without affecting the stability of the state administration.


Shahidan said any decision would be made at party level before being conveyed to the Raja of Perlis, noting that the state leadership would provide the necessary information and await instructions from party headquarters.

Mohd Shukri was discharged from a hospital in Kuala Lumpur yesterday after receiving treatment for chest pains.

Pakatan Harapan Perlis also expressed support for the existing state government to continue until the end of its term, citing a mandate obtained through a legitimate democratic process.

Angkatan Muda Harapan Perlis chief Dr Ahmad Fadhzil Mohamad said government stability was crucial for a small state like Perlis to ensure smooth administration, protect public funds and uphold the Royal Institution.

The statements come amid earlier reports that statutory declarations indicating a loss of confidence among some Pas and Bersatu assemblymen had been submitted to the Raja of Perlis, raising questions over the stability of the state administration.

Israeli forces demolish shops in raids near occupied East Jerusalem

al Jazeera:

Israeli forces demolish shops in raids near occupied East Jerusalem

Commercial premises among buildings facing demolition as military incursions intensify near Qalandiya and Kafr Aqab

Israeli forces gather as excavators demolish a Palestinian building near the Silwan neighbourhood of occupied East Jerusalem on December 22, 2025 [AFP]

By Al Jazeera Staff
Published On 23 Dec 2025


Israeli forces have begun demolishing shops in the vicinity of the Qalandiya refugee camp, north of occupied East Jerusalem, as part of a wider military incursion across several Palestinian neighbourhoods, witnesses and medical officials say.

The raids, which began early on Tuesday, have extended into the nearby town of Kafr Aqab, where Israeli troops deployed in large numbers, carried out house searches and forcibly evicted residents from their homes, according to local media reports.

The Palestine Red Crescent Society said its medical teams treated at least three people injured during the raids in Qalandiya and Kafr Aqab. The injuries included a bullet wound to the thigh, wounds caused by shrapnel from live ammunition, and injuries resulting from physical assault.

The Jerusalem governorate reported that at least three Palestinians were injured by Israeli forces’ gunfire, in addition to dozens of cases of suffocation caused by the firing of tear gas and stun grenades, the Palestinian Wafa news agency reported.

Several Palestinians were detained during the large-scale incursion that was also accompanied by the deployment of military vehicles and bulldozers.

Among those arrested are Anan Mohammed Taha and his father, Mohammed Taha, residents of the Qalandiya refugee camp, Wafa said.

‘Intimidation’ and ‘anxiety’

Residents said Israeli forces ordered several families to evacuate their homes, with at least three houses converted into temporary military outposts in Kafr Aqab. Homeowners were reportedly told the operation would continue until at least Wednesday morning.


Israeli forces also stormed the youth club inside the Qalandiya refugee camp and turned the facility into a military base, according to Al Jazeera Arabic’s correspondent.

Journalists covering the operation were also targeted, including Al Jazeera Arabic reporters, with Israeli forces firing stun grenades and tear gas canisters in their direction during the raid in Kafr Aqab.



Israel demolishes residential multi-storey building in occupied East Jerusalem



Israeli forces demolish shops in raids near occupied East Jerusalem


According to the Jerusalem governorate authorities, stun grenades were also fired directly towards students in the area as they were returning home from school, while private surveillance cameras were seized.

Al Jazeera’s Nida Ibrahim, reporting from Kafr Aqab, said Israeli forces are continuing to “intimidate” Palestinians.

“They have raided Palestinian stores, Palestinian shops, and they’ve destroyed some of the plaques, some of the advertisement billboards that were here”, in an attempt to further cripple the Palestinian economy, Ibrahim said.

“This is part of the anxiety that Palestinians live through day in and day out as these Israeli raids continue on a daily basis,” she added.

Israeli incursions across the West Bank average “60 raids per day”, Ibrahim said.

In addition to the demolitions, Israeli forces confiscated goods from commercial shops in the Qalandiya refugee camp, Kafr Aqab and parts of northern Jerusalem, citing alleged unpaid municipal taxes.

Most Palestinians living in these areas hold Jerusalem residency identification cards. Residents say they are subject to high municipal taxes while receiving few basic services.

Separately, confrontations were also reported in the town of Beit Furik, east of Nablus in the occupied West Bank, after Israeli forces stormed the area.

***

Frigging shailok robbers, gangsters and thieves

No orchestrated move to unseat Perlis MB, says Shahidan

FMT:

No orchestrated move to unseat Perlis MB, says Shahidan

Liam Lisu

Perlis PN chief says statutory declarations signed by eight assemblymen were done independently and not due to orders from central leaders

Perlis PN chief Shahidan Kassim played down the apparent loss of confidence in the menteri besar to mere differences of opinion rather than a major crisis. (Bernama pic)

PETALING JAYA: Perlis Perikatan Nasional chairman Shahidan Kassim has denied claims there was an orchestrated move to unseat Shukri Ramli as Perlis menteri besar, particularly involving eight PN assemblymen.

Shahidan said the statutory declarations signed by the eight were done independently and were not the result of any directive by central leaders.

“What is happening now is more towards speculation. We will attend a (PN) central leadership meeting soon and decide on the next course of action,” he said, according to Utusan Malaysia.


The Arau MP added that decisions on matters like the menteri besar’s post should be determined by the coalition’s central leadership before being presented to the Raja of Perlis.

Shahidan also played down the apparent loss of confidence in Shukri to mere differences of opinion rather than a major crisis.
The priority now is to find a solution to the issue, he added.


“We won the state (in 2022) because the people saw us as united. I do not want this issue to be used by any party to weaken PN.

“I therefore urge all parties to remain calm, refrain from making excessive statements, and give the central leadership room to reach a final decision,” he said.

Yesterday, FMT quoted sources as saying that eight PN assemblymen had submitted statutory declarations to the Raja of Perlis declaring that they no longer back Shukri.

According to the sources, five of them are from Bersatu – Abu Bakar Hamzah (Kuala Perlis), Izizam Ibrahim (Titi Tinggi), Megat Hashirat Hassan (Pauh), Wan Zikri Afthar Ishak (Tambun Tulang) and Marzita Mansor (Sena).


The other three are from PAS – Saad Seman (Chuping), Fakhrul Anwar Ismail (Bintong) and Ridzuan Hashim (Guar Sanji).

The 15-member Perlis assembly comprises nine PAS assemblymen, including Shukri, five from Bersatu and one from PKR.

Shukri was reportedly receiving treatment in a hospital in Kuala Lumpur after experiencing chest pains upon returning from an overseas visit.

He was discharged this afternoon.

***

Were you born yesterday?

China implies US hypocrisy over nuclear disarmament

China implies US hypocrisy over nuclear disarmament



Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said China has called on the United States to cut its nuclear arsenal and meet its disarmament responsibilities after a Pentagon draft report alleged China had deployed over 100 ICBMs near Mongolia. — Reuters pic

Tuesday, 23 Dec 2025 9:00 PM MYT


BEIJING, Dec 23 — China today urged the US to fulfil its nuclear disarmament responsibilities after a draft Pentagon report said China was likely to have loaded more than 100 intercontinental ballistic missiles in sites near the Mongolian border and showed no desire for arms control talks.

“As a super nuclear power with the largest nuclear arsenal, the most urgent task for the US is to earnestly fulfil the special and priority responsibility for nuclear disarmament,” Lin Jian, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson, said at a regular press conference in Beijing.

The US should “substantially reduce its nuclear arsenal to create conditions for other nuclear-weapon states to join the nuclear disarmament process,” Lin added.

In a draft report seen by Reuters, the Pentagon said China had probably installed more than 100 solid-fuelled DF-31 ICBMs in the three silo fields close to Mongolia.


The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, a Chicago-based non-profit, has said China is expanding and modernising its weapons stockpile faster than any other nuclear-armed power.


“We continue to see no appetite from Beijing for pursuing such measures or more comprehensive arms control discussions,” the report said.

US President Donald Trump signalled last month that he might be working on a plan to denuclearise with China and Russia.


The Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said he was not aware of the Pentagon report, but said “similar hypes” had been seen from the US before.

“It aims to find excuses for accelerating its own nuclear forces’ modernisation and actions disrupting global strategic stability,” Lin added.

Beijing had embarked on a rapid and sustained increase in the size and capability of its nuclear forces, US analysts said.

China’s nuclear warhead stockpile was still in the low 600s in 2024, which reflected “a slower rate of production when compared to previous years,” according to the Pentagon report.

But China was on track to have more than 1,000 warheads by 2030, it added.

The US is estimated to hold around 5,177 nuclear warheads.

“China firmly adheres to a no-first-use nuclear weapons policy and upholds a nuclear strategy of self-defence,” Lin said.

China “does not engage in nuclear arms races with any country.” — Reuters

Victims exposed, but not the powerful: Survivors slam redacted Epstein files as dangerous and unjust

Victims exposed, but not the powerful: Survivors slam redacted Epstein files as dangerous and unjust



This photo provided by the US Justice Department on December 19, 2025 shows an undated picture of former US president Bill Clinton in a jacuzzi at an undisclosed location as the Justice Department began releasing the long-awaited records from the investigation into the politically explosive case of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. — AFP pic

Tuesday, 23 Dec 2025 9:00 PM MYT


WASHINGTON, Dec 23 — Victims of disgraced US financier Jeffrey Epstein joined a chorus of criticism yesterday over the Trump administration’s slow release and heavy redaction of records from the investigation into his alleged sex crimes.

President Donald Trump said meanwhile, in his first comments since the release of the files, that people who “innocently met” Epstein in the past risked having their reputations ruined.


The Epstein Files Transparency Act (EFTA) passed by Congress and signed into law by Trump mandated the complete release of the Epstein files by Friday of last week.

But the Trump Justice Department has released only one batch of documents so far, with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche blaming the delay on the need to redact the identities of Epstein’s more than 1,000 victims.


In a statement, a group of Epstein victims complained that only a “fraction” of the files have been released and were “riddled with abnormal and extreme redactions with no explanation.”


“At the same time, numerous victim identities were left unredacted, causing real and immediate harm,” they added.

EFTA co-sponsors Ro Khanna, a Democrat, and Thomas Massie, a Republican, threatened over the weekend to bring contempt of Congress charges against Attorney General Pam Bondi for failing to comply with the law.


And Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer introduced a resolution yesterday calling for legal action against the administration for failing to release the complete Epstein files.

“Instead of transparency, the Trump administration released a tiny fraction of the files and blacked out massive portions of what little they provided. This is a blatant cover-up. Pam Bondi and Todd Blanche are shielding Donald Trump from accountability, and the Senate has a duty to act,” Schumer said in a statement.

‘We need no such protection’

Blanche denied on Sunday that the Justice Department was redacting the files to protect the president, a formerly close friend of Epstein, a convicted sex offender with connections to the rich and powerful.

Trump initially tried to block the disclosure of the files linked to Epstein, who died in a New York jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges in what was ruled a suicide.

The president, who cut ties with Epstein years before his arrest and faces no accusations of wrongdoing, finally bowed to mounting pressure from Congress and signed the law compelling publication of the files.

Trump yesterday dismissed the furore over Epstein as a distraction from his party’s achievements.

“This whole thing with Epstein is a way of trying to deflect from the tremendous success that the Republican Party has,” he told reporters at his Mar-a-Lago home.

Former Democratic president Bill Clinton featured prominently in the first batch of photos from the Epstein files released by the Justice Department and Trump was asked for his reaction.

“I like Bill Clinton. I hate to see photos come out of him. There’s photos of me too. Everybody was friendly with this guy (Epstein),” Trump said.

“You probably have pictures being exposed of other people that innocently met Jeffrey Epstein years ago, many years ago, and they’re highly respected bankers and lawyers and others. But they’re in a picture with him because he was at a party and you ruin a reputation of somebody,” he added.

Clinton urged the Justice Department in a statement yesterday to release any materials in the files related to him, saying he had nothing to hide.

“Someone or something is being protected. We do not know whom, what or why. But we do know this: We need no such protection,” Clinton said.

Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s former girlfriend, remains the only person convicted in connection with his crimes and is serving a 20-year sentence for recruiting underage girls for the disgraced financier. — AFP

***

In Malaysia we need NO redaction of videoclips of minister engaged in gay sex - only the opinion of the PM or IGP that the identification of sex-players being not possible would suffice.

‘We guarantee it’s safe’: Thailand rejects Cambodia’s call for neutral venue as border talks stall

‘We guarantee it’s safe’: Thailand rejects Cambodia’s call for neutral venue as border talks stall



Thailand’s foreign minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow holds a press conference following a special Asean foreign ministers’ meeting on the Thai-Cambodian border conflict, in Kuala Lumpur on December 22, 2025. — AFP pic

Tuesday, 23 Dec 2025 6:33 PM MYT


BANGKOK, Dec 23 — Thailand today rejected a request by Cambodia to hold bilateral talks in a neutral country, leaving a planned meeting to negotiate an end to deadly border clashes in doubt.

The nations’ long-standing border conflict reignited this month, shattering an earlier truce, killing more than 40 people and displacing over 900,000 on both sides, officials said.

The clashing neighbours yesterday agreed to negotiate truce terms this week, but Cambodia asked Thailand to hold the talks in a neutral venue, Malaysia’s capital.

Thailand’s defence ministry, however, said today that the bilateral border committee meeting would go ahead in Thailand’s Chanthaburi province from tomorrow as planned.


“We guarantee Chanthaburi is safe. This province is the original plan for hosting the GBC (General Border Committee) even before the fighting started,” Thai defence ministry spokesperson Surasant Kongsiri told reporters.


Surasant said officials from the border committee would meet from tomorrow to Saturday, adding that whether the meeting happened or not depended on Cambodia.

A Cambodian government spokesman told AFP he had no updated information on the meeting venue.


The conflict stems from a territorial dispute over the colonial-era demarcation of their 800-kilometre (500-mile) border and a smattering of ancient temple ruins situated on the frontier.

Each side has blamed the other for instigating the fresh fighting since December 7 and traded accusations of attacks on civilians, after five days of clashes in July killed dozens.

The US, China and Malaysia brokered a truce to end that round of fighting, but the ceasefire was short-lived.

Trump weighs in

Thai Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow yesterday announced the parley with Cambodia after a crisis meeting in Kuala Lumpur with his counterparts from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), of which Cambodia is also a member.

But in a letter to his Thai counterpart Nattaphon Narkphanit, Cambodian Defence Minister Tea Seiha requested the meeting be held in Kuala Lumpur for security reasons.

“Due to the ongoing fighting along the border, this meeting should be held in a safe and neutral venue,” Tea Seiha wrote in the letter, which AFP obtained today.

Thailand’s defence minister told journalists the last border committee meeting was held in Cambodia’s Koh Kong province, so it was Thailand’s turn to host, adding that there was nothing to fear as Thais could separate military and diplomatic matters.

But Nattaphon also said Thai forces would keep fighting as long as Cambodia did, as combat that has stretched along nearly the entirety of the border so far has only calmed in parts of two provinces.

The Cambodian defence ministry said Thai forces shelled the Cambodian border city of Poipet and bombed parts of the border province of Preah Vihear today.

In October, US President Donald Trump backed a follow-on joint declaration between Thailand and Cambodia, touting new trade deals after they agreed in Kuala Lumpur to prolong their truce.

But Thailand suspended the agreement the following month.

Trump yesterday referred again to the conflict between Cambodia and Thailand as one of the eight wars he had “solved” around the world.

“Thailand is starting to shape up. You know, they started with Cambodia, they started up again,” he told journalists in Florida.

“But I think… we have that in pretty good shape, to have that stopped.” — AFP

Customs official lodges police, EAIC reports over 'punitive transfers'

Customs official lodges police, EAIC reports over 'punitive transfers'

B Nantha Kumar
Published: Dec 23, 2025 8:00 PM
Updated: Dec 24, 2025 12:18 AM



A senior official from the Customs Department has lodged reports with the police and the Enforcement Agency Integrity Commission (EAIC) claiming he was subjected to “punitive transfers” twice, in less than two months.

This comes after it was claimed that the official had leaked documents linking the department's top leadership to allegations of abuse of power.

According to information obtained by Malaysiakini, the official lodged a police report on Dec 18 at the Satok police station in Kuching.

In the report, sighted by Malaysiakini, the official claimed he was subjected to “punitive transfers” without reasonable justification, adding he was also denied a fair internal probe.

The official said he was first issued an immediate transfer order from the Selangor Customs Department to its Sarawak chapter on Oct 23 - a move he described as “unusual” for an officer of his rank.

Orders from Putrajaya?

Subsequently, on Dec 17, the official received an internal transfer order, where he was moved from the Compliance Division to the Internal Tax Division, which he alleged was done without official explanation.

The official stated that he was informed by a top Sarawak Customs Department officer that the order came directly from a high-ranking customs official based in Putrajaya.

The official alleged he was being targeted after he was suspected of disseminating viral emails or poison pen letters linking a senior customs official with a politician from Peninsular Malaysia.

When contacted, Kuching district police chief Alexan Naga Chabu confirmed receiving the report.

An official EAIC notice, sighted by Malaysiakini, states that the official’s report has been registered as a complaint regarding dissatisfaction with the department’s management.

It is also understood that the commission is investigating the case for alleged misconduct and abuse of power by enforcement officers.

Malaysiakini has contacted EAIC for comments.

***

Uncle military story:

Once the Armed Forces had a contractor (named, say, 'ABC') supplying food rations to its numerous units. Daily an officer would check the 'quality' and quantity of said ration. If said officer complained or submitted an adverse report on the ration he might find himself transferred or posted immediately - the posting or transfer was called an 'ABC' posting, such was the power of that contractor.

Akmal Is Not the Problem. He Is the Method

OPINION | Akmal Is Not the Problem. He Is the Method


23 Dec 2025 • 1:00 PM MYT


TheRealNehruism
An award-winning Newswav creator, Bebas News columnist & ex-FMT columnist

Image credit: Sinar Harian


After the Sabah election made it unmistakably clear that Chinese voters—once Pakatan Harapan’s most dependable base—had walked away in large numbers, explanations poured in from every direction.


DAP blamed insufficient reformist zeal.


Saifuddin Nasution pointed to “Sabah for Sabahans” sentiment.


According to Fekirie Gobet, former deputy communications chief of Sabah PKR, it is poor decisions by central PKR leadership that is to be blamed for Sabah polls defeat.


Rafizi Ramli offered a more dramatic diagnosis: the rot began when Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim allowed Dr Akmal Saleh to run unchecked for two years.


In podcasts and Facebook posts, Rafizi argued that a series of racially charged episodes —involving socks, flags, incendiary statements—sent a damaging signal to Chinese voters. The message, he said, was simple: you voted for us, but when you were attacked, we stayed silent. Ministers, Rafizi added, were discouraged from responding for fear of destabilising the unity government, leaving everything to Anwar’s cautious calculations.


The damage, Rafizi concluded, is already done.


I think Rafizi is right about the damage. However, on the subject about Akmal being the cause of the damage , I am not too convinced.

The Misdiagnosis

In the way that I see it, Akmal is not the primary reason that that drove off Chinese voters away from Pakatan Harapan. At most, he accelerated a process that was already inevitable.


PH was destined to disappoint everyone—Chinese, Indians, Malays, Sabahans, Sarawakians—not because of individual actors, but because it has no conception of how to build a shared Malaysian political identity.


More than six decades after independence, Malaysia still does not function as a nation in the sociological sense. It is a collection of identity groups sharing a border. In the peninsula, political identity remains racial. In East Malaysia, identity is increasingly territorial rather than national.


When multiple identities coexist without a unifying framework, politics does not become harmonious—it becomes transactional, resentful, and brittle.

Why Malaysia Only Works During Expansion

Malaysia functions best only under conditions of expansion.


In the early years after independence, territorial expansion—Malaya, then Sabah, Sarawak, and Singapore—created momentum and purpose. In the late 1980s and 1990s, rapid economic expansion absorbed social tensions and softened identity conflicts.



When there is expansion, grievances are diluted. When there is stagnation, identity becomes weaponized.


Anwar’s administration however, is presiding over a Malaysia where the economy cannot be said to be expanding, while territorially, we might be facing headwinds domestically and internationally.


Despite optimistic announcements about foreign investment, the government has failed to ignite broad-based economic dynamism. Simultaneously, it has shown little capacity to contain centrifugal forces in Sabah and Sarawak, where local identity increasingly outweighs attachment to the federation.


Internationally, superpowers like China and America are increasingly being seen as a attempting to infringe on our sovereignty.


More crucially, the government lacks the moral authority and imaginative breadth required to articulate a national story capable of transcending race and region.

Governing Without a Vision

When a government cannot expand the economy meaningfully, cannot integrate identities, and cannot offer a shared future, it falls back on a single governing instinct: managing dissatisfaction.


Anwar’s administration is not attempting to resolve tensions. It is attempting to regulate them.


The objective is not harmony, but equilibrium. Not unity, but containment.


Under such a model, frustration must be periodically released—like steam from a pressure valve—but never allowed to explode.


This is the context in which Akmal makes sense.
Akmal as a Safety Valve

Akmal was not an accident. He was a safety valve.


He is a product of the times - like mushroom after the rain, floods during monsoon or forest fire during periods of prolonged drought, he is something that naturally occurs when the conditions are ripe.


He gave voice to Malay frustration in a manner that was noisy, symbolic, and inflammatory—but carefully bounded. Socks, sandwiches, flags. Nothing structural. Nothing irreversible.


Non-Malays were offended, unsettled, and angry—but not mobilised to the point of destabilisation. From the government’s perspective, that outcome was acceptable.



Seen this way, Anwar’s restraint was not weakness. It was consistency.


The same logic now applies elsewhere. As DAP pushes for UEC recognition, Malay unease will rise. Anwar will likely allow the agitation to play out, intervening only if it approaches a dangerous threshold.


In Sabah and Sarawak, localist rhetoric is similarly indulged—not endorsed, but tolerated—as long as it remains cathartic rather than separatist.

There Is an Akmal in Every Community


For all its talk about reform and change, PH's style of governing is actually quite similar to the BN version.


It offers new names and faces, and being a new broom, it will probably be a little more efficient, less corrupt and involved in less cases of power abuse than the old regime, but otherwise, in terms of approach and governing philosophy, it is most likely going to be no different from the old regime.


In other words, just like the old BN regime, that chose to run Malaysia as one house with many different families, without an overarching and encompassing identity to bind us all as one, PH also is going to run Malaysia as one country with many races, without a national identity encompassing and overarching over our racial or regional identities.


This approach guarantees one outcome: every identity group will produce its own Akmal.


Indians have their versions.


Sabahans and Sarawakians have theirs.


Chinese politics will soon produce its own loud, aggrieved figures as disappointment with DAP hardens.


These figures are not aberrations. They are structural products of a political order that substitutes meaning with managed release.


Anwar does not stop people from lashing out. He ensures they do not lash out too hard.

Madani Malaysia, Stripped of Romance

In Anwar’s Malaysia, politics does not offer purpose, belonging, or aspiration.


What it offers is regulated expression of bitterness.


You may vent—periodically.


You may rage—symbolically.


You may offend—within limits.


That is the unspoken social contract.


Personalities like Akmal are therefore not temporary problems to be solved, as Rafizi suggests. They are permanent fixtures of a system that has abandoned ambition in favour of stability.


This is not an inspiring vision. It is not even a satisfying one.


But it may be the only one currently on offer.


And for all its poverty of imagination, it must be said plainly: neither BN, nor PN, nor Rafizi himself has articulated anything meaningfully better.

Review constitution to guarantee rulers’ power on pardons, says PN

FMT:

Review constitution to guarantee rulers’ power on pardons, says PN

Opposition leader Hamzah Zainudin says PN's position is that pardons are the absolute prerogative of the king and Malay rulers

Opposition leader Hamzah Zainudin said PN has appointed lawyers to hold a watching brief of Najib Razak’s appeal against the dismissal of his application to serve his six-year jail term under house arrest.

PETALING JAYA: Perikatan Nasional has urged the government to review the Federal Constitution to guarantee the authority of the Malay rulers in issuing royal pardons to prisoners.

Opposition leader Hamzah Zainudin said PN’s position was that pardons were the absolute prerogative of the king and rulers, and that the monarchs should not serve as mere rubber stamps to pardons boards.

He also pinned the blame on the government for the “legal confusion” concerning pardons, saying this would not have arisen if Putrajaya had simply complied with the house arrest addendum order for former prime minister Najib Razak.


“PN urges the government to review articles in the Federal Constitution concerning the prerogative to issue pardons to guarantee the absolute authority of the king and Malay rulers, as well as to preserve the basic structure of the constitution,” he said in a statement.

Hamzah also said PN has appointed lawyers to hold a watching brief of Najib’s appeal against the dismissal of his application to serve his reduced six-year jail term for his SRC International Sdn Bhd case under house arrest.

The Bersatu deputy president said the coalition decided to do so out of concern over the “impact” of the High Court’s decision.

Yesterday, the Kuala Lumpur High Court said the king was a constitutional monarch, and that his powers and functions must be exercised in accordance with the provisions of the Federal Constitution.

Justice Alice Loke added that the exercise “of the prerogative power of mercy” is no exception.

Loke said the addendum order was not deliberated or decided at the 61st Federal Territories Pardons Board (FTPB) meeting, which meant non-compliance with Article 42 of the constitution and that the order was invalid.


She also ruled that the applicant’s argument – that the king was not obliged to make decisions during the board’s meeting – had no legal basis and was untenable.

Najib, 72, was convicted of misappropriating RM42 million in SRC International funds and has been serving his sentence at Kajang prison since Aug 23, 2022.

In 2024, the FTPB halved his prison term from 12 years to six and reduced his fine from RM210 million to RM50 million.

A judicial review was filed last year seeking to compel the government to execute the addendum, or supplementary decree, to place him under house arrest.

***

Bloke just want to char-political-koay-teow-nia

AGC: Najib’s lawyer’s claims ‘untrue’; High Court’s house arrest ruling actually strengthens rulers’ pardon powers

AGC: Najib’s lawyer’s claims ‘untrue’; High Court’s house arrest ruling actually strengthens rulers’ pardon powers



The AGC today dismissed Tan Sri Shafee Abdullah’s claims that the High Court decision had diluted the powers of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong (YdPA), Malay rulers and governors to grant pardon to convicted persons.. — Picture by Sayuti Zainudin

Tuesday, 23 Dec 2025 7:50 PM MYT


KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 23 — Lawyer Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah’s claims about the High Court’s decision yesterday on Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s failed house arrest bid are simply “untrue”, the Attorney General’s Chambers (AGC) said today.

The AGC today dismissed Shafee’s claims that the High Court decision had diluted the powers of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong (YdPA), Malay rulers and governors to grant pardon to convicted persons.

“This statement is not true at all and does not reflect the actual grounds given by the High Court,” the AGC said in a statement today.

Yesterday, the High Court rejected Najib’s bid to enforce the former Agong’s order for his house arrest, which was an add-on order made outside of the Federal Territories Pardons Board’s meeting on January 29, 2024.


The AGC said the High Court had stressed that the Agong has the prerogative powers to grant pardon and that this is enshrined in the Federal Constitution’s Article 42(1).

But the AGC noted that Article 42 also states that the Agong, Malay rulers and governors would sit with the Pardons Board when deciding on pardon requests.

With the Pardons Board’s meeting minutes showing that the issue of Najib’s house arrest was never discussed or decided by the 16th Yang di-Pertuan Agong during the meeting, the High Court decided the then ruler’s add-on house arrest order was not done according to Article 42.


“This clearly shows that this court’s decision did not reduce the powers of the YdPA, Malay rulers or governors in granting pardons to an offender,” the AGC said, noting that the High Court judge had actually recognised the rulers and governors’ powers for pardon.

“This power of pardon cannot be carried out by anyone else. However, in line with the concept of Constitutional Monarchy, those powers of pardon have to be carried out according to the Constitution’s requirements as stated under Article 42,” the AGC said.

“In this matter, the High Court’s decision has explained in detail about the implementation of the powers of the YdPA, Malay rulers and governors in deciding on a pardon, while also strengthening and validating the royal institution’s powers, especially in matters of pardon applications,” the AGC said.

The AGC concluded by stressing that there should not be any attempts to incite and threaten public peace through misinterpretation of the High Court’s decision yesterday.

It also said Najib’s decision to appeal the High Court ruling has to be respected.

The AGC also said it continues to be committed to defending the royal institution and to uphold the Federal Constitution in all of its actions in this matter.

Recommended reading:

No house arrest for Najib, High Court decides

Najib’s house arrest case: Agong as ‘constitutional monarch’ means ruler’s powers must follow Constitution, court says

Shafee urges Agong, Malay rulers to scrutinise High Court’s decision on Najib’s house arrest, claims it dilutes their powers

Selangor Umno Youth hosts 'celebration' for DAP MP

Selangor Umno Youth hosts 'celebration' for DAP MP

Alyaa Alhadjri
Published: Dec 23, 2025 5:10 PM
Updated: 8:10 PM



A delegation of Selangor Umno Youth leaders and about 100 supporters held a year-end “celebration” outside Puchong MP Yeo Bee Yin’s service centre today to mock her remarks against former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak.

The group, led by Selangor Umno Youth chief Imran Thamrin, targeted Yeo’s comments describing Najib’s bid for house arrest hitting a legal brick wall as a cause for celebration.

Imran said the DAP publicity chief should instead “celebrate” the final guilty verdict for rape against former Tronoh assemblyperson Paul Yong.

“This is a reminder for her to stop meddling in the affairs of another party and instead focus on her own (DAP),” Imran said.

As part of the symbolic “celebration”, the group raised a banner highlighting Yong’s conviction, which culminated in an Oct 1 verdict dismissing his final appeal in a rape case involving his maid in 2019.

Also displayed were caricatures of Yeo’s face printed with the misspelt word “Biadap” (insolent), while a man dressed in a black-and-white prisoner’s outfit and a Joker mask was said to represent Yong.

The group later set up tables and distributed free nasi lemak packets, an idea for a “celebration” which Imran said was initially planned to mark Najib’s anticipated release yesterday.

After the tables were set up, several staff from Yeo’s service centre brought down snacks and bottled water to share.

Apart from Umno members and supporters, several uniformed and plain-clothes police officers were also spotted at the scene, believed to be in anticipation of a more heated gathering.

24 hours for Yeo to apologise

Earlier, in a memorandum of protest received by one of Yeo’s officers, Selangor Umno Youth collectively demanded an open apology to Najib, his family, and all Umno members and supporters.

“We, the Selangor Umno Youth, wish to place on record our strong objection to YB’s statements and social media posts that are cynical, discourteous, and damaging to political harmony, particularly in relation to legal issues involving Najib.

“As an MP and a leader within the government, such actions are irresponsible, violate leadership ethics, and provoke unhealthy political tensions,” the memorandum said.

Puchong Umno Youth chief Khairul Azmil Bashir Mohamed (left) submitting a memorandum to one of Yeo Bee Yin’s officers


Giving Yeo 24 hours to apologise and take down her original post, Puchong Umno Youth chief Khairul Azmil Bashir Mohamed said failure to do so would see his wing cut off ties with its Puchong DAP counterpart.

Various leaders from Umno, as well as PKR and DAP, have rebuked Yeo over her remarks, which also fuelled calls for BN to withdraw support for the unity government.

Yesterday, the Kuala Lumpur High Court ruled that the 16th Yang di-Pertuan Agong’s royal decree granting Najib house arrest was invalid.