Anwar says Malaysia will stay non-aligned but never neutral on Palestine, sovereignty or Islamophobia

Anwar says Malaysia will stay non-aligned but never neutral on Palestine, sovereignty or Islamophobia



Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said Malaysia will continue to pursue an independent and non-aligned foreign policy during his keynote address at the 39th Asia-Pacific Roundtable in Kuala Lumpur July 2, 2026. — Picture by Firdaus Latif

First Published: Thursday, 02 Jul 2026 11:14 AM MYT


KUALA LUMPUR, July 2 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today said Malaysia will maintain an independent and non-aligned foreign policy but will not remain neutral on the Palestinian cause, Islamophobia or matters involving national sovereignty.

Anwar said the country will not shy away from taking a principled stance, even on issues involving powerful partners such as the United States (US) and China.

“First and foremost, Malaysia’s foreign policy will remain independent, and that is fiercely independent, proactive and non-aligned.

“(However), we will not hesitate to adopt positions, cultivate relationships, and support initiatives that advance our values, beliefs and interests.


“Malaysia cannot remain neutral on matters that involve fundamental rights such as the Palestinian struggle or in countering Islamophobia, or on our core national interests including territorial sovereignty, even when it comes to powerful partners like China and the United States,” Anwar said in his keynote address at the 39th Asia-Pacific Roundtable (APR) at the Grand Hyatt Kuala Lumpur today.

Anwar said Malaysia’s principled stance includes the country’s unwavering support for the peaceful resolution of disputes in accordance with international law and its denunciation of the use of force or coercion, whether economic or military.

The prime minister also stressed that Malaysia and Asean continue to have meaningful engagements with China on the South China Sea, and said his Chinese counterparts had “responded reasonably” to his calls to expedite a Code of Conduct for the contested waters.


Asean leaders, he said, also unanimously agreed during their recent meeting in Cebu, the Philippines, to increase engagement with all sides in Myanmar.

“It cannot be overstated that the eventual political settlement must be a Myanmar-owned and Myanmar-led process, not one imposed externally,” Anwar said.

On the Cambodia-Thailand border tensions, Anwar said both Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and his Cambodian counterpart Hun Manet remain committed to lasting peace in the region.

Anwar also welcomed the understanding between the United States and Iran towards reaching a possible resolution to the months-long hostilities in West Asia, and stressed that a comprehensive ceasefire and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz should be prioritised.

Malaysia, he said, is also expanding trade ties with newer, less leveraged markets in West Asia, Central Asia, Latin America and across Africa.

“Our goal is to strengthen existing partnerships, build new ones, and keep our economic ties broad-based, resilient, and forward-looking.

“In a more uncertain global environment, diversification is not just an economic strategy; it is a national necessity,” he said.

DPM Fadillah: Malaysia to turn retiring coal plants into renewable energy hubs under new plan

DPM Fadillah: Malaysia to turn retiring coal plants into renewable energy hubs under new plan



Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof said Malaysia plans to repurpose retiring coal-fired power plant sites into renewable energy hubs and battery energy storage facilities as part of its energy transition. — Bernama pic

First Published: Thursday, 02 Jul 2026 11:30 AM MYT


KUALA LUMPUR, July 2 — Malaysia plans to repurpose sites of retiring coal-fired power plants into renewable energy (RE) hubs and battery energy storage facilities under a proposed National Coal Site Repurposing Framework, said Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof.

He said the country’s existing coal fleet represented significant national infrastructure, including transmission connections, industrial facilities and strategically located land.

“Rather than allowing these assets to become stranded, we should view them as opportunities to create new economic value.

“Selected sites possess strong potential to be transformed into renewable energy hubs, battery energy storage facilities and other clean energy developments that continue contributing to local economies while supporting our national transition objectives,” he said.

He was delivering his address at the closing ceremony of the World Economic Forum’s “Malaysia’s Energy Future: Power Sector Decarbonisation Deep Dive” here today.

Fadillah, who is also Energy Transition and Water Transformation Minister, said the proposed framework outlined in the World Economic Forum’s insight paper, Beyond Coal: Building a Flexible, Resilient and Clean Power System for Malaysia, would provide a foundation for continued engagement among the government, regulators, utilities, investors and local communities.

He said every retiring power station presented an opportunity to create new industries, attract investments and prepare the workforce for the economy of the future.


Fadillah said Malaysia remained committed to its target of not building any new coal-fired power plants, transitioning away from coal-fired electricity generation by 2044 and achieving 70 per cent RE installed capacity by 2050.

He stressed that RE deployment must progress ahead of coal retirement to avoid replacing coal dependence with greater reliance on imported liquefied natural gas (LNG).

“This is a critical consideration. Should renewable deployment fail to keep pace, there is a real risk that coal dependence may simply be replaced by greater reliance on imported LNG, exposing Malaysia to fuel price volatility and external geopolitical uncertainties.

“A successful transition must therefore reduce dependence, not merely shift it from one imported fuel to another,” he said.

To support the transition, he said the Ministry of Energy Transition and Water Transformation continues to prioritise large-scale solar deployment, the Corporate Renewable Energy Supply Scheme, battery energy storage systems, and smart grid modernisation.

On regional cooperation, Fadillah reaffirmed Malaysia’s commitment to advancing the Asean Power Grid and expanding cross-border electricity trade to strengthen regional energy security and facilitate greater RE integration.

He also said the country would continue exploring long-term low-carbon energy options, including advanced nuclear technologies and small modular reactors, while ensuring safety, robust governance, regulatory preparedness and public confidence remain paramount. — Bernama

Beating you down with words, the dangers of debates to elections

Beating you down with words, the dangers of debates to elections



Thursday, 02 Jul 2026 8:24 AM MYT

By Praba Ganesan


JULY 2 — I failed to disguise my chuckle reading about Onn Hafiz’s verdict on public debates. As much as he unequivocally failed to hide his contempt for reason.

The Barisan Nasional Johor chief remains convinced they are unnecessary and counterproductive in an election. More so I suppose if it involved him debating.


A cruel world which asks a state’s chief executive of four years to respond to his opponents in real time on a stage.

Yes, standing up and speaking, who’d think that’s one of the requirements for higher office?


I mean, bowling and Bonsai pruning may be far more necessary to run a state. Square dancing too.


Onn felt dignified discourses should be the sole preserve of the state assembly, not in markets or on TV.

His reply was to an unwelcome invite from former education minister and PKR-Pakatan candidate for Wangsa Puteri Maszlee Malik. To the unacquainted, Malay-Chinese Maszlee rates himself as a speaker. He also rates swimming classes for students.



Onn feels debates are confrontational, when outside the assembly. He really should not be in politics if he’s convinced confrontation is unhealthy. Central to politics is the confrontation of ideas, values, ideology and beliefs. In the pursuit of power.

Elections peak these confrontations.

Except one bit, elections and their debates are civil activities, they eschew violence.



Party flags are seen in Johor Bahru ahead of the 16th Johor state election on July 11. The author argues that public election debates strengthen democracy by allowing voters to scrutinise competing leaders directly, rejecting the view that such exchanges are unnecessary or counterproductive. — Bernama pic



Perhaps he imagines participants clubbing each other with verbs, nouns and adjectives. Metaphors are nuclear escalations. And gesticulations, taunts.

The august chamber vs plain voters

In Onn’s universe, the state assembly is the perfect and only forum. They are rich with decorum, restraint and orderliness.

I could not help thinking that perhaps the menteri besar spent the majority of his four years in power, being abducted by aliens. Mind probes, they can do a real job on you!

Because our legislative gatherings are usually farces.

They are dominated by serial screamers whose key achievements are to prevent others with the capacity to form sentences and articulate them to complete their utterances.

They find it an affront that people can formulate thoughts through speech rather than rage. Since they find it impossible to do it themselves.

But more pertinent, if I am to be permitted, lawmakers in theory rationalise to their equals in the chamber to clarify, elevate or decry resolutions, and in better days shape or amend legislations. Through the interactions of lawmakers, in Johor’s case the 56 elected assemblymen.

An election debate, on the other hand, is to assist the voters to decide if those vying are worthy to be elected.

It’s the step before.

Johor’s 2.7 million voters are better off to see the competitors face off. Which assists them to decide who governs the state.

A debate positions those in contention to speak up but even more to speak about their ideas in the presence of their opponents, and to reply to the queries from their opponents.

Since only one of them wins, and all of them want the support from the rakyat, it is quite extraordinarily simple to assume having them have that argument in the presence of said voters is in the interest of all.

Exactly why politicians like Onn, and his coalition avoid intellectual altercations.

They hate to look silly — my six-year-old niece forbids me from using the other word.

So, they obfuscate the matter and suggest an incomprehensible excuse that Onn is being the good guy by being afraid to be embarrassed. Such sacrifice.

I believe that the Royal Military College which processed Onn in the Nineties, administered education and managed activities conducive to the challenge of replying after listening.

Also, his exceptional opportunity to be raised in a celebrated political family must have added to his armour. Not the least the mentoring by his uncle, Hishammuddin Hussein.

This before adding the amazing political education received in Umno which holds up more than anything, intelligence. Also, nepo-babies, but that is for a different segment. Fellow nepo, pardon party member, Khairy Jamaluddin Abu Bakar led him in Umno Youth before.

Speak like you never have

I have good news for Onn despite his dislike for disorderly arguments from beyond the state assembly, Maszlee is not a monster speaker. In fact, the field from Pakatan to Perikatan Nasional is inundated with the ordinary.

The thing is this. It is not about debating.

This is not a throwback to the 1858 Lincoln-Douglas debates for the Illinois senatorial race which is the modern political debate benchmark.

It is not about format, structure, platform or microphone quality. It is the spectre of facing each other.

Umno likes to win without being exposed or examined.

Without being questioned.

Of course, Onn will struggle to reply to anything related to incessant floods in the state to the economic model as a Singapore satellite.

Umno leaders are not wired to reply, they are wired to declare. Opinions, decisions, deliberations or discord. Their way is that they speak, and we for our own good find a way to agree.

Umno leaders do not like surprises. They want results confirmed upfront which is why they have a distaste for elections. Too much power in the hands of the peasants, sorry, voters.

The biggest reasons I cheer them on, despite almost guaranteed to have a snooze-fest, is that public election debates humanise all of the participants and increase the powers of the people. That we all get to openly judge them.

There are hardly any outright winners in these debates. They have their base to back them regardless.

Onn, if he entered the arena would receive waves of adulation and support. Social media rife with his pictures and ideas, for there are armies of Umno supporters from Muar to Pengerang. Not to mention paid cybertroopers.

The real benefit about a debate is that the people get to hold their own mini-debates after the debate. That’s the real boon from the exercise, the rest talking to each other about what they think about the proponents.

The ideas collide in the debate even if farcical.

Debates are indeed confrontational. They are also our triumphs. They exhibit our ability to contest our thoughts and philosophies verbally rather than with actual clubs.

They add to democracy, not detract from it. Those saying otherwise are unfit to lead.

 

Chinese Destroyer Fleet Gains Major Anti-Submarine Warfare Boost with New Z-8D Hunter-Killer Helicopters

Asia-Pacific , Naval

Military Watch Magazine Editorial Staff

July-1st-2026

---

Chinese Z-8D Anti-Submarine Warfare Helicopter

The Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy has been confirmed to have brought the Z-8D helicopter into service, with the aircraft relied on primarily for anti-submarine warfare operations, but also to support amphibious assaults, search and rescue, and logistics missions. The first clear images of the aircraft emerged publicly in March 2025. The new helicopter’s more advanced capabilities complement the advanced anti-submarine warfare capabilities of new generations of Chinese warships, most notably its Type 052D and Type 055 class destroyers, which can accommodate the aircraft in their rear hangars. The Z-8D is thought to have significantly more modern sensor and self-protection suites, with visible additions include missile warning sensors, laser warning receivers, radar warning equipment, and countermeasure dispensers intended to improve survivability against missile attacks, providing a much improved capability to operate in contested environments.

Type 055 Class Destroyer

The Z-8’s large size makes it particularly valuable for anti-submarine warfare, with the aircraft able to carry more sonobuoys, larger mission equipment, greater fuel reserves, and heavier weapons compared to lighter helicopters such as the Z-20J. This is especially important as the Navy expands its blue-water operations into the Western Pacific and Indian Ocean, with the U.S. Navy and other Western navies’ lack of comparably advanced destroyers to those in Chinese service resulting in an increased reliance on attack submarines for offensive maritime operations. One of the most noticeable changes to the new Z-8 variant is its redesigned fuselage and enlarged side sponsons, with its enlarged sponsons are believed to house additional fuel, increasing endurance during long maritime patrols. The helicopter also appears to feature a revised nose, updated cockpit, and improved aerodynamics compared to earlier Z-8 naval variants. 

Chinese Z-8D Anti-Submarine Warfare Helicopter Sighted in March 2026

Anti-submarine warfare helicopters can significantly extend a destroyer’s ability to detect, track, and destroy submarines. While even the most advanced hull-mounted sonars are constrained by a ship's position and by underwater conditions, a helicopter can rapidly investigate contacts dozens or even hundreds of kilometres away, giving the destroyer a much larger defensive and offensive reach. One of the greatest advantages of helicopters is their ability to deploy dipping sonars. Rather than relying solely on a sonar mounted in the ship's hull or a towed array trailing behind it, the helicopter can hover near a suspected submarine and lower an active sonar into the water. It can then relocate quickly and repeat the process, building an accurate picture of the submarine's position. Shipborne helicopters also carry sonobuoys, allowing them to establish wide-area acoustic search fields far beyond the range of the destroyer's sensors. 

U.S. Navy Virginia Class Nuclear Powered Attack Submarine

Once a submarine is located, the helicopter can attack it directly using lightweight anti-submarine torpedoes, which is often much faster than manoeuvring a destroyer into weapons range. A helicopter can fly directly to the contact, release a torpedo, and begin another search while the destroyer continues its primary mission. This rapid response significantly shortens the time between detection and engagement, reducing the submarine's opportunity to escape. Helicopters also provide a destroyer with the ability to pursue submarines independently of the ship's own movements. The development of a superior anti-submarine warfare helicopter is thus particularly important as China fields what are in many respects the world’s most capable destroyers, and continues to expand the numbers in service at a comparable rate to all other countries in the world combined. 

Couple caned for kissing on TikTok in Indonesia’s conservative Aceh province

Couple caned for kissing on TikTok in Indonesia’s conservative Aceh province

Aceh’s Sharia court ordered the two people to be whipped with a rattan cane 21 times each for kissing without being married


July 2, 2026, 7:05 PM GMT+10 / Source: The Associated Press
By The Associated Press


BANDA ACEH, Indonesia — A young couple in Indonesia’s conservative Aceh province were publicly caned on Thursday after an Islamic Shariah court convicted them of violating Islamic law by kissing during a TikTok livestream.

Aceh’s Sharia court ordered the two people to be whipped with a rattan cane 21 times each for kissing without being married. At least a hundred people witnessed the caning, carried out by a group of people wearing robes and hoods on a stage in Bustanussalatin City Park in Banda Aceh.

The couple, a 22-year-old man and a 25-year-old woman, were arrested in April after a Feb. 27 livestream in which they kissed in a car in Banda Aceh went viral and prompted reports to local Sharia authorities.

Aceh is the only province in Muslim-majority Indonesia that enforces a version of Islamic law. Indonesia’s secular central government granted the province the right to implement religious law in 2006 as part of a peace deal to end a separatist war.

In 2015, Aceh expanded the law to apply to non-Muslims, who account for about 1% of the province’s population.

The law allows up to 100 lashes for morality offenses including adultery and gay sex. Caning is also allowed to punish people gambling and drinking, and for women who wear tight clothes or men who skip Friday prayers.

The couple caned Thursday were sentenced to 25 lashes each, but it was reduced to 21 strokes because they had already spent four months in prison.

The court also seized a cell phone and a USB flash drive containing the TikTok live video as evidence to be destroyed.

Four other people were publicly caned on Thursday for online gambling and adultery.

Amnesty International Indonesia said public caning in Aceh is a form of human rights violation because it is cruel, inhumane and degrading to human dignity, even though Indonesia has ratified a convention mandating the abolition of inhumane punishments.

“Such behavior might be considered inappropriate because social media is viewed by people of various age groups, including children. But is it a crime that warrants imprisonment or even caning? That would be excessive,” Usman Hamid, the executive director of Amnesty International Indonesia, said Thursday.

***

Sharia law didn't deter hanky-panky-ism in Aceh

😂😂😂

Trump to gift Jho Low with pardon on US' birthday?

Trump to gift Jho Low with pardon on US' birthday?

Published: Jul 2, 2026 12:59 PM
Updated: 3:31 PM



Fugitive financier Low Taek Jho, better known as Jho Low, could be among the 250 individuals slated to receive a pardon from United States President Donald Trump in conjunction with the nation’s 250th Independence Day on July 4.

According to The Atlantic, Pras Michel, of the music group Fugees, is also being considered for a pardon.

Michel was convicted of conspiring with Low and a Chinese government official to orchestrate a lobbying campaign aimed at halting US criminal investigations into the 1MDB scandal after the funds had already been misappropriated.

The Atlantic stated that representatives for Low did not respond to a request for comment.

“The White House is discussing a possible announcement of presidential pardons as a centrepiece of the nation’s semiquincentennial celebrations over the July 4 weekend, according to 14 people familiar with the conversations. The idea has been described as ‘250 pardons for 250 years’,” read the report.

The Atlantic also reported that Trump’s advisers remain divided over whether issuing mass pardons to mark the anniversary of US independence would be a good idea.

“One adviser said there had been polling that suggested that a mass pardon could benefit the president, but any action was unlikely by Independence Day.

“Advocates for the plan say that it would both underscore the president’s singular authority and reinforce an image he has long sought to cultivate: ‘Trump the merciful’,” it added.

‘Non-issue for M’sia’

The report stated that the prospect of mass pardons has triggered an international wave of lobbying and dealmaking, with even marginal proximity to the president becoming monetisable.

Previously, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said Putrajaya would not file a protest against Low’s application for a pardon from Trump.

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim

He said while Malaysia does not support Low’s attempt, it is a matter for the US and is considered a “non-issue” for Malaysia.

“We are not supporting that route. But of course, it’s the US, their own business,” he said.

The prime minister added that he was unaware of the supposed pardon application, but stressed that Low still has to face the justice system in Malaysia.

“Even if he has submitted it, it is not an issue that we should discuss because he is still undergoing this process in court,” he said.

1MDB mastermind

Low has been accused of masterminding a scheme that siphoned at least US$4.5 billion (about RM17.7 billion) from 1MDB, together with two former bankers from Goldman Sachs.

On May 13, The Wall Street Journal reported that Low’s application to Trump seeks a “pardon after completion of sentence”, and that its status is still pending.

In 2024, Low struck a settlement with the US Department of Justice for the return of US$100 million being sought in a civil forfeiture suit.

The 1MDB scandal also led to the conviction and imprisonment of former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak, who is likewise seeking a pardon in Malaysia.

The Unbelievably Stupid Germans

 

OutSyed The Box

Thursday, July 2, 2026

The Unbelievably Stupid Germans.

 

Remember when the Ukraine War started in February 2022 (FOUR YEARS AGO) I said that it was a British war against Germany (and Russia). It was a clever chess movement in the Great Game (which the British are still playing).  

The Great Game was the strategic and geopolitical rivalry between the British Empire and the Russian Empire during the 19th century and early 20th century, primarily over influence in Central Asia.

And their strategy has worked. The British wanted to cut Germany down to size. True enough Germany is now dying. First listen to this eight minute video. Volkswagen of Germany is cutting 100,000 jobs and closing down FOUR of their gigantic car manufacturing plants inside Germany.

Because of their really foolish support for the war in Ukraine, Germany has on its own shut off cheap natural gas supply from Russia. Germany now pays FOUR TIMES the market price for natural gas which they import via LNG tankers.  The oil majors are making money. And two of the seven oil majors are British. The British are making super money from the Germans.

So energy costs for German industries have gone up FOUR TIMES. So how do they expect to compete with even Zimbabwe or Papua New Guinea, let alone super efficient and super high tech China? The Germans are losing their underpants. 

And here is more stupidity (yes they are stupid) by the Germans. They have about 40 BILLION tons of coal reserves in Germany. They can use this coal to make really, really cheap electricity. And make German industry great again. But Germany only produces about 130 MILLION tons of coal per annum. That is less than 0.5% of their total coal deposits. Why so? Because of global warming, zero carbon, the sky is falling and other bullshit. 

Want to hear  more stupidity? After Fukushima the Germans shut down all their nuclear power plants - permanently.  Want to hear the funny part - even the Japanese did not permanently shut down their nuclear power plants. The Japanese paused their nuclear plants for safety inspections and upgrading. And the Chinese have 39 new nuclear power plants under construction (producing 39 GIGAWATTS of electricity) of which about 25 will come on stream in the next five years. 

China already has 1,250 GIGAWATTS of coal fired power plants in operation. Another 300 GIGAWATTS of coal fired power plants are also under construction in China.  China is going to beat the crap out of the Germans and the Europeans.

The Germans are having their cyanide capsule cravings again.  

LRT3: Guan Eng, Pua, respectfully counter sultan's drubbing

LRT3: Guan Eng, Pua, respectfully counter sultan's drubbing


Published: Jul 2, 2026 4:47 PM
Updated: 8:06 PM



Former finance minister Lim Guan Eng and his former aide Tony Pua have defended their decisions to revise the budget for the LRT3 project when they were in office.

This is after Selangor ruler Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah accused the duo of slashing the project's funding without due consideration for the public.

In a statement, Lim and Pua explained that the cuts were because of ballooning project costs, and aimed at prioritising functionality, without impacting passenger demand.

This includes the potential of saving RM10 billion in interest over the next 25 to 30 years, as a result of a lower debt burden from the lower cost of LRT3.

"We would like to reiterate the fact that these savings to the government were not at the expense of the LRT passenger volume and functionality.

"These savings in turn allowed the current and future governments to reallocate funds to other welfare benefits for the rakyat and development expenditure.

"We would like to express our gratitude and appreciation over Tuanku’s concern for the LRT3 project, which, as the Tuanku rightly pointed out, plays an important role in reducing traffic congestion, travel time and is an economic catalyst for development in Selangor," they said.

Their statement in full is as follows:

We respectfully appreciate and thank Tuanku for your observations on the completion of the LRT3 project, now named the LRT Shah Alam Line. We wish to respectfully and humbly clarify several matters which can be verified with Prasarana and MRCB Bhd.

One, the LRT3 project was never stopped, stalled or suspended during the Pakatan Harapan administration between 2018 and 2020. We would like to also affirm that the then-Pakatan Harapan administration had fully supported the LRT3 project and deemed it a critical and essential project to improve the daily lives of Klang Valley residents.

Two, the BN-Najib (Abdul Razak) administration approved RM9 billion for the LRT3 project and provided Prasarana with a RM10 billion government guarantee to raise funds in 2015. However, Prasarana awarded various Work Package Contracts (WPC) amounting to RM15.2 billion in March 2018, well exceeding the budgeted RM9 billion approved sum.

Najib Abdul Razak


After accounting for all other costs, including but not limited to land acquisition, PDP and consultancy fees, and interest to be incurred during the construction period, Prasarana had submitted in March 2018 for a new project budget of RM31.65 billion and an additional government guarantee request of RM22 billion to raise funds for the project.

Three, after the change of government in May 2018, the project work continued unabated while the new administration worked very closely and amicably with the appointed Project Delivery Partner (PDP), MRCB-George Kent, to rationalise the cost of the project.

Four, as the LRT3 project was only nine percent completed at that point in time, we took the opportunity to engage independent engineering consultants to review and propose rationalisation measures to ensure proper accountability for the project. The move was critical because there were many “hidden” off-balance sheet debts incurred during the Najib administration. This is on top of the tens of billions of debt incurred by the RM50 billion 1MDB scandal.

It should be highlighted that the mandate for the review demands that the size and scale of the project must meet passenger demand as per the traffic studies and must be approved by the Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD).

Five, the cabinet approved the cost revision downwards by 47 percent from RM31.65 billion to RM16.63 billion, a savings of RM15.02 billion.

Six, we have prioritised functionality and practicality over luxury and grandeur. There was no necessity to build MRT-sized stations for a LRT project. The measures taken included:

a) Train fleet reduction - with the rolling stock order cut from 42 sets of 6-car trains down to 22 sets of 3-car trains in accordance with passenger traffic study up to 2035, conducted by independent consultants and approved by SPAD.

b) Deferring 5 LRT stations with low projected initial passenger ridership (not cancelled) until future demand justifies their construction, with provisions made for the five LRT stations to be built in the future.

c) These five stations have since been reinstated in line with current developments. The government has recently awarded the Phase 2 contract worth RM5.3 billion for the above stations, additional rolling stock and other upgrades. The new phase increased the project cost from RM16.63 billion to RM21.93 billion, which is still RM9.72 billion less than the original approved cost of RM31.65 billion by the Najib administration.

d) The target completion date was extended from 2020 to 2024. The original 2020 target was impossible to meet anyway, with only nine percent completed by the middle of 2018. This extension eliminated acceleration costs, the premium fees paid to contractors to speed up construction work.

Seven, the PDP model was abolished. In the PDP model, the contractor collects a percentage of the total project cost. The higher the project cost, the higher the fees. This model creates a perverse incentive for the PDP to increase the project value. The PDP model was changed to a fixed-price contract, thus ensuring no cost-overruns.

Eight, the LRT3 project has now been successfully completed, with additional upgrades and improvements put in place that enabled upfront project cost savings in excess of RM9.72 billion for the Malaysian taxpayers, with the final price of RM21.93 billion as compared to the original approved price of RM31.65 billion. As a result of the lower debt burden for the project, the government is anticipated to additionally save up to RM10 billion in interest costs over 25 to 30 years.

We would like to reiterate the fact that these savings to the Malaysian government were not at the expense of the LRT passenger volume and functionality. These savings, in turn, allowed the current and future governments to reallocate funds to other welfare benefits for the rakyat and development expenditure.

We would like to express our gratitude and appreciation for Tuanku’s concern for the LRT3 project, which, as the Tuanku rightly pointed out, plays an important role in reducing traffic congestion, travel time and is an economic catalyst for development in Selangor.

***

Dei Heroes, always start off your speech to HRH and end it with 'Ampun Tuanku' lah 😂😂😂

Businesses grow wary as PAS gains traction

Businesses grow wary as PAS gains traction


The possibility of a PAS-led federal government is beginning to figure in the minds of foreign investors who perceive the party as more economically nationalist

PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang (right) remains the party’s dominant figure, but younger leaders such as Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar are claimed as projecting a new image.

KUALA LUMPUR: At the octagon-shaped market in the heart of Malaysia’s Kelantan state, women call out from stalls stacked with coconut-rich sweets and fish sausages.

Nearby, shoppers contemplate a spread of machetes. Lining the steps, a handful of beggars sit quietly with hands outstretched to passersby, a reminder that prosperity has been slow to reach this corner of the country.

The state has long ranked as Malaysia’s poorest. Much of the semiconductor and data center investments flowing into the Southeast Asian nation have bypassed the area, leaving it anchored in lower-value industries.

On the outskirts of the state’s capital, Kota Bharu, a nearly century-old matchstick factory stubbornly stands as the last in Malaysia. Water from the tap can run cloudy and brown.

Kelantan has for decades been the stronghold of Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS), a stridently Islamic party once consigned to ruling rural Malay heartlands. But a so-called “green wave” of support for PAS, after the party’s primary color and flag, has reached urban middle class Muslims and could propel it to kingmaker status in the next election, posing a formidable challenge to the fragile government coalition.

Businesses are also growing wary of PAS’s influence. In Kelantan, a focus on social rather than economic policies has led to restrictions on gambling, alcohol, hospitality and entertainment that are uncommon in other parts of Malaysia.

“The state is very, very slow about getting things done,” said Ahmad Nazri Che Omar, chairman of the group that represents the more than 1,300 Malay traders at Siti Khadijah Market in the state capital.

“But PAS has traditionally had a stronghold here and has a big influence on the people.”

When Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim came to power in 2022, he promised sweeping reforms after the 1MDB scandal helped bring down Barisan Nasional’s decades-long rule, triggering years of political instability.

But some voters say progress has fallen short and the political compromises needed to sustain Anwar’s broad coalition, along with concerns about the pace of reform, have eroded much of the optimism that accompanied his rise.

The strain appears to be benefiting PAS, and two state polls in July and August are being tipped as bellwethers for a possible snap general election later this year, but due at least by 2028.

PAS has steadily expanded its electoral footprint from 18 parliamentary seats in 2018 to 43 in 2022, the largest of any single party, and controls four of the country’s 13 states.

Although unlikely to secure an outright majority in Malaysia’s fragmented political landscape, it could be on track to be the dominant partner in a coalition government.

“For many voters, PAS is not seen merely as a political party, but as a vehicle for expressing religious identity, moral certainty and cultural belonging,” said Amir Fareed Rahim, director of strategy at consultancy firm KRA Group.

“As Malay politics become more fragmented and as parties compete to define what Malay political identity means, some voters are drawn toward what feels more certain and less negotiable: Islam.”

The party’s strength comes from a formidable grassroots machinery in the rural Malay heartlands including networks of mosques, religious schools and volunteers that give it an organising reach few rivals can match.

Decades of outward migration have helped establish pockets of support across Malaysia’s more populous west coast states.

Malays, the vast majority of whom are Muslim, are the largest ethnic group in Malaysia at around 60% of the population. The rest of the country is made up of smaller ethnic groups, as well as Chinese-Malaysians and Indian-Malaysians.

Survey data underscore Islam’s central role in shaping political attitudes in Malaysia, more so than in neighboring Indonesia, home to the world’s largest Muslim population.

About 86% of Malaysian Muslims support adopting Sharia law as the primary legal system, compared with 64% in Indonesia, according to a Pew Research report in 2023. And 58% of Malays say religious leaders should play a role in politics, versus 49% of Indonesians.

The possibility of a PAS-led federal government is beginning to figure in the minds of foreign investors who perceive the party as more economically nationalist, said Peter Mumford, who covers Southeast Asia at risk consultancy Eurasia Group.

“The concerns mostly center on navigating more conservative social policies, including the implications for products and services sold in the country,” he said.

Within Malaysia’s business community, some executives privately question the party’s capabilities, noting that many of its leaders come from religious or grassroots backgrounds rather than technocratic ones, according to people familiar with the discussions.

Certain companies have begun quietly reviewing their longer-term strategies, including whether to step up investments elsewhere like Singapore, Thailand or Indonesia, the people said, stressing that any such deliberations remain at a very early stage.

China General Nuclear Power Corp., which has energy investments in Malaysia, as well as China Construction Bank Corp. are among foreign firms that have begun engaging PAS to get a better sense of the party’s policy strategies and build rapport with its top leaders, one person said.

Representatives from China General Nuclear Power and China Construction Bank didn’t respond to requests for comment.

The four states that are governed by PAS rank among Malaysia’s least developed, relying heavily on federal funding to drive growth or lean on oil revenue. Much of the country’s rare earth resources and solar energy capacity lies in those areas too, although little economic policy has been communicated to the public on how they could be exploited.

“It’s a question of capacity and competency,” said Bridget Welsh, a researcher of Malaysian politics with the University of Nottingham Asia Research Institute Malaysia, based in Kuala Lumpur. “Despite many serious challenges, Anwar’s government has been able to position Malaysia quite effectively in the region. PAS doesn’t necessarily have those same skillsets.”

In Kedah, one of the four states, Kulim Hi-Tech Park has become one of Southeast Asia’s semiconductor clusters, hosting global giants including Intel Corp., Infineon Technologies AG and AMS-Osram AG.

Although the park pre-dates the PAS-led administration, which has little to do with the federal-run initiative, the party has nonetheless touted it as proof conservative politics won’t deter foreign investors.

But PAS has raised eyebrows in other ways. It’s already vowed to close the country’s only casino if it wins an election. The entertainment complex in Pahang, the largest state on the Malaysian peninsula, is part of billionaire Lim Kok Thay’s Genting Group, a leisure and hospitality empire.

Anwar has also committed not to build more casinos in an attempt to burnish his own Islamic credentials, pushing Genting to consider other markets such as the US. In December, Genting won a casino license in New York.

After taking over Kedah in 2020, PAS moved to close down lottery outlets by refusing to renew their operating and business licences. Although courts ruled last December that the ban was unconstitutional, all 45 outlets remain closed till now. PAS enforced the same rules when it took control of Perlis state as part of a coalition in 2022.

Traders in Kelantan say the state has done little to attract tourists, an important economic driver in a country that welcomed more than 42.2 million international visitors last year, the second highest in Southeast Asia.

PAS Information Chief Ahmad Fadhli Shaari has rejected claims that the party’s governance is responsible for lower incomes, arguing in a May letter published by Free Malaysia Today that regional disparities reflect decades of uneven development, federal centralization and the concentration of investment and industry in Malaysia’s wealthier west coast states.

PAS party leaders didn’t respond to several requests by Bloomberg for an interview.

Malaysia’s longest-serving Prime Minister, Mahathir Mohamad, who took on an advisory role to the four PAS-controlled states in 2024, said the party has “softened its image,” styling itself as a nationalist rather than a religious party.

“PAS is no more the extreme party that it was once perceived and portrayed,” the 100-year-old said in an interview. “The party now promotes individuals who are more professionally qualified and moderate in their outlook. The dilution of this image will lead to PAS being more acceptable on the west coast.”

Mahathir says that new image is embodied by people like Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar, the chief minister of Terengganu known as ‘Dr Sam’. Unlike the party’s traditional religious clerics, he’s an aerospace engineer who studied in the UK, appears on podcasts and uses social media to connect with young, moderate Malay voters.

In May, Singapore’s former Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong met with Ahmad Samsuri and discussed potential collaboration with Terengganu in tourism and renewable energy. The city-state is also open to sharing expertise with the party’s officials, Lee said in an interview with Singapore news outlets.

Still, ‘Dr Sam’ is bound by the party’s rules and policies. In 2022, shortly after winning all of the parliament seats in the state of Terengganu, the party imposed new laws to punish Muslim women for out-of-wedlock pregnancies.

Since August last year, his party has threatened to jail Muslim men in the state who neglect Friday prayers. A Merdeka Center for Opinion Research poll of about 8,000 people conducted in early June found that about 6% considered Ahmad Samsuri the best choice for prime minister, ranking him second among at least 10 politicians. Prime Minister Anwar was the clear frontrunner with 43%.

PAS President Abdul Hadi Awang, a religious cleric whose Islamic agenda was in part influenced by the Iranian revolution of 1979, remains a dominant influence. During campaigning for state election elections, he told Muslim voters they were obliged to vote for the Islamic party.

“We see the world in chaos today, facing various problems,” he told worshipers while delivering a Friday sermon at a mosque in his home town in June. “The reason is because people have abandoned Islam.”

Party leaders have previously stated its goal is not to enforce religious practices but to promote universal Islamic values such as opposition to corruption.

Rulers are likely wary of pushing PAS’s religious agenda too aggressively lest they strain racial harmony or trigger resistance from Malaysia’s royal households, whose interests are tied to sectors such as tourism and hospitality.

Regardless, Khairy Jamaluddin, a former health minister from Anwar’s coalition partner United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), said even despite PAS’s “relative under-performance” in parliament, it’s Malaysia’s most formidable political force because of its ideological clarity and disciplined grassroots movement.

“Other parties’ time horizon is the next election,” he said. “PAS’s time horizon is the afterlife. Who do you think is going to win?”

State your stand on vernacular schools, Dong Jiao Zong tells election hopefuls

State your stand on vernacular schools, Dong Jiao Zong tells election hopefuls


Chinese educationist groups want contesting parties and candidates to give a clear commitment to safeguarding the vernacular school system

The two upcoming state polls will be crucial to shaping the political landscape and the future of the country’s multi-stream schooling system, said Dong Jiao Zong. (Bernama pic)

PETALING JAYA: Two of the main Chinese educationist groups in the country have urged election candidates in the upcoming Johor and Negeri Sembilan polls to state their position on vernacular schools.

The United Chinese School Committees’ Association of Malaysia (Dong Zong) and United Chinese School Teachers’ Association of Malaysia (Jiao Zong) called on contesting parties and candidates to give a clear commitment to safeguarding the vernacular school system, particularly when launching their manifestos.

The two groups, collectively known as Dong Jiao Zong, said the state polls would be crucial to shaping the political landscape and the future of the country’s multi-stream schooling system.

They said only candidates that give a clear commitment to protecting Malaysia’s diverse education system deserve the support of voters, Sin Chew reported.

They also urged voters disillusioned with politics not to skip the polls, saying it was their civic duty and responsibility to cast their ballots.


“Voters in Johor and Negeri Sembilan should not forfeit their ballots because they are dissatisfied with the status quo.

“Instead, they should actively fulfil their civic duty by using their votes to safeguard vernacular education and Malaysia’s multicultural heritage,” they were quoted as saying.

The associations meanwhile urged candidates to ditch narrow and racial political rhetoric and to instead focus on policies that are practical and beneficial to the people.

The Unified Examination Certificate (UEC), the final examination in Chinese independent secondary schools, remains a hotly debated topic with Chinese interest groups pushing for the government’s formal recognition of the certification.

While the government announced new entry pathways for UEC graduates to public higher learning institutions in May, the higher education ministry said this did not amount to recognition of the UEC.

A study conducted from 2018 to 2020 on the feasibility of recognising the UEC will be submitted to higher education minister Zambry Abdul Kadir by the end of July.