S’wak PKR Youth demands Zaid apologise over MA63 remarks

FMT:

S’wak PKR Youth demands Zaid apologise over MA63 remarks

Its chief, Azlan Norita, says the former law minister's comments are 'deeply offensive and historically ignorant'

Former law minister Zaid Ibrahim suggested that the Bornean states ‘be allowed to go’ if they were dissatisfied.

PETALING JAYA: Sarawak PKR Youth is demanding former law minister Zaid Ibrahim apologise for allegedly questioning the relevance of the Malaysia Agreement 1963 and labelling Sabah and Sarawak a burden to the federation.

Its chief, Azlan Norita, said Zaid’s comments were “deeply offensive and historically ignorant”, the Borneo Post reported.

Zaid’s comments also highlighted his lack of understanding of how Malaysia was formed, Azlan said.


“As a former de facto law minister, he should know that MA63 is an international treaty and the very foundation of modern Malaysia. It is not something to be mocked or casually dismissed,” he was quoted as saying.

Zaid had in a podcast reportedly said that fulfilling Sabah and Sarawak’s rights under MA63, including the 40% net revenue return, would place a significant financial strain on the federal government.

The former PKR politician also suggested that the Bornean states “be allowed to go” if they were dissatisfied.

Azlan said such remarks were dismissive of the contributions of the two states to the economy, adding that Sabah and Sarawak have fuelled Malaysia’s development for decades through oil, gas and natural resources.

“If anyone has been burdened, it is the people of Sabah and Sarawak who have endured decades of uneven development caused by unfair federal policies.”

Azlan said the rights enshrined in MA63 were non-negotiable and must not be treated like “bargaining chips”.

“They are constitutional guarantees. No politician should use them for cheap publicity.”

Sarawak PKR Youth’s condemnation of Zaid’s remarks comes two days after Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu Youth called on Zaid to issue an open apology to East Malaysians “to defuse tensions and preserve public order.”

It also said Zaid’s remarks on allowing the two states to leave the federation were seditious.

***

Actually my late FB matey, Tunku Aziz once told me that we should let Sarawak and Sabah go since they show hostility and unwillingness in being part of Malaysia. He said we should respect their wishes.

Of course I have a different attitude having often mentioned how my uncles and their mates had served Sabah and Sarawak with 'blood, tears, toil & sweat' during Konfrontasi and the Pinoy attempt to claim Sabah.

What Links Mahathir, an Acid Attack on a Football Player and a Broad Daylight Assault on a Journalist ?

OPINION | What Links Mahathir, an Acid Attack on a Football Player and a Broad Daylight Assault on a Journalist ?


27 Nov 2025 • 11:30 AM MYT


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

Image credit: Straits Times / Malaysian Gazette


What is the connection between a football player who had acid splashed on him and a journalist who was assaulted in broad daylight? If there is no connection, why did Mahathir link both of these incidents to promulgate the idea that violence against critics is rising?


"We are seeing violent acts. A football player (Faisal Halim) was splashed with acid. This never happened before. Why would anyone do such a thing to a football player?


“Recently we saw someone who expressed his views about the state of the country and for some reason he was attacked by two individuals and they even took a video of it,” Mahathir observed.


According to the police, the assault on Haresh was likely motivated by personal reasons. Haresh himself dismisses the observation by the police.


“I would like to ask: whose personal issue is at play here? I want to reiterate that I do not have personal issues with anyone,” Haresh said during a podcast.


“What are the suspect’s personal issues with me?


“As a journalist, I am supposed to be writing news, not become the news. But what happened was the exact opposite,” he added, to dismiss that the attacks he suffered were due to his personal issues.


Also, if the attack on Haresh was a due to personal issue, why did it draw condemnation from so many organisations, including Persatuan Penulis Berbilang Bahasa (PEN Malaysia), which described it as an attempt to silence a journalist reporting on matters of public interest?


Even more unusually, why did the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) issue a statement condemning the attack, asserting that journalists play an “important role in the national sports ecosystem”?


Is this normal practice?


No — it is not.


FAM does not routinely release statements every time a journalist is harmed. The reaction was swift, defensive, and revealing.


As I have mentioned previously, I think it is about time that we admit tha that there is an elephant in the room in the matter of the FAM heritage-player fraud scandal.


How do I know there is an elephant in the room?


I know because all of us know.


From Mahathir to the man on the street, we all know that something bigger, heavier, and far more dangerous is at play here. We all know because it is it impossible for everything that has happened - be it how 7 football players were given Malaysian citizenship in a matter of months although they had zero connection to Malaysia and how the scandal requirement cooperation and collusion of multiple parties from the Registration department to FAM to international agencies- to have happened without something powerful moving the pieces behind the scenes


We can all see the elephant. We can all understand that to resolve this scandal we must first acknowledge that the elephant exists.


But somehow, like the Voldemort in the Harry Potter series, no one wants to be the first to say the say the name of "You-Know-Who" or "He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named".

The Link That Everyone Recognises — but Nobody Dares Articulate

On the surface, Faisal Halim’s acid attack and Haresh Deol’s assault are unrelated.


One is a football player, another is a journalist. Both probably might not even have met, or they likely don't even know each other well even if they had met.


But Malaysians don’t speak only in facts.


Ours is likely less of modern, open or transparent country than what we purport ourselves to be , where speaking straightforwardly about the facts at hand is enough to make us all understand what is going on.


Rather, ours is likely a shadowy and secretive country - where much of what matters occurs behind the scenes and much of what occurs behind the scenes is dangerous to be spoken of openly.



Because of that, we have learned to trust our instincts, speaks in whispers and understand the quiet logic of survival.


And the public instinct is this:

• Like Mahathir has said, the public also likely believes that both the attack on the Selangor football player Faisal Halim and sports journalist Haresh Deol likely originated from the same source.
• That source is a powerful source whose power crosses institutions.

It is a source that is so powerful that no one — not the police, not politicians, not journalists — dares to name it publicly.

This is why Mahathir linked Faisal and Haresh.

Not because the cases are connected by scandal, but because they are connected by impunity.


When Mahathir said:

• a footballer was splashed with acid,
• a journalist was beaten while a third man filmed,
• and critics now fear retaliation,

he was placing two events within the same moral universe — a universe where violence is used to silence, intimidate, and send a message.


He did not explain the connection.


He merely pointed at the smoke and allowed Malaysians to imagine the fire.


Because we already know.

The Roundabout Language of Fear

Look at how organisations have responded:

• PEN Malaysia spoke of “silencing journalists”.
• FAM condemned “violence and intimidation”.
• NGOs referenced “declining norms”.
• Politicians referenced “powerful individuals”.

Each statement is a coded admission that something is deeply wrong.


But each statement avoids the only question that truly matters:


Who is commanding this fear?

Why does a national football star get burned with acid?


Why does a veteran journalist investigating misconduct get beaten by men who calmly record the act?


Why are police explanations so quick, so confident, so unconvincing?


Why does everyone condemn the violence


but nobody discusses the actor behind it?


Is it because everyone is afraid that to say the name is to risk becoming the next target?

The Public Has Already Solved the Puzzle

Go to any mamak stall and listen.

People will tell you:


“He has that kind of power.”


“Of course he can do it.”


“Don’t say too loud.”


“You know who lah.”


They are not guessing.


They are reading the signs.


They are connecting dots that official institutions pretend are separate.


In Malaysia, we may not always know the details,


but we always know the hierarchy.


We understand who moves freely,


who acts with impunity,


who believes the laws of the country are decorative — not binding.


And the public’s verdict is clear:

These two attacks, different as they are, cast the same shadow.

The Silence That Protects the Elephant

The most frightening part of this story is not the violence itself.


It is the silence that follows.


Not a natural silence, but a cultivated one —


the kind that grows when people know that speaking openly comes with consequences.


And so the elephant remains.


Huge.


Heavy.


Untouched.


Unspoken.

Advertisement


Politicians talk about “governance”.


Journalists talk about “patterns”.


Officials talk about “personal motives”.


But the public talks — quietly — about the man whose name cannot be printed.

We Cannot Remove What We Cannot Name

And so we remain trapped in the same shrinking room,


stepping around the same enormous creature,


pretending not to hear the floorboards groaning under its weight.


A society cannot defeat what it refuses to acknowledge.


A scandal cannot be solved if its source remains invisible.


Violence cannot be confronted if its architect is untouchable.


Until someone dares to name the elephant —


the one behind Faisal’s acid bath


and Haresh’s humiliation —


the country will continue tiptoeing around it,


speaking in metaphors and implications,


hoping the room does not collapse.


Because deep down, all of us know:

Two separate attacks should not share one shadow.

But in Malaysia today, they do.


And though no one says it, everyone knows whose shadow it is.

***

Nehru matey, why don't you name the elephant, wakakaka

UK’s £6.3B Ajax Fiasco! British Troops Collapse From Vibration After “All Fixed” Claim; Export Dreams Dead?

Thursday, November 27, 2025


UK’s £6.3B Ajax Fiasco! British Troops Collapse From Vibration After “All Fixed” Claim; Export Dreams Dead?

By Sakshi Tiwari



Britain’s £6.3 billion Ajax program is in fresh crisis: dozens of soldiers have fallen ill from noise and vibration inside the vehicles – just weeks after the Army declared them “safe” and ready for service, casting serious doubt on ambitious export plans

The British Ministry of Defence (MoD) recently announced that the deployment of the Ajax was suspended for 2 weeks after about 30 soldiers fell ill due to noise and vibrations during training to operate the vehicle.

Upon testing, “around 30 personnel presented noise and vibration symptoms,” the MoD said. A “small number of personnel” are still receiving expert medical care, it added, but the “vast majority” have been cleared for duty.

An investigation has been launched “out of an abundance of caution”, the MoD stated. However, “a small amount of testing of the vehicle will continue to ensure that any issues can be identified and resolved.”

Noise- and vibration-related sickness was reported during a military exercise on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire. Some soldiers emerged from Ajax shaking uncontrollably, while others were seen vomiting, The Times reported. The affected soldiers had purportedly spent about 10 to 15 hours inside the armoured vehicle.

However, this is not the first time that such incidents have been reported. In fact, the program has been dogged by delays due to persistent noise and vibration problems that have made several British Army troops sick over the years, with some reporting serious conditions such as hearing loss.

In 2020, for instance, testing of the vehicle was abruptly halted after participants complained of severe vibration and noise, which caused nausea and inflamed the crews’ joints.


An investigation into the matter published in 2021 revealed that the perils of hearing impairment were discovered in 2018, and even though senior officials knew that Ajax put troops in danger, they refused to do anything about it.

Additionally, the failure was described as “complex and systemic” in the health and safety study, which also stated that officials prioritised time and money over crew safety. This was followed by some modifications aimed at improving crew safety, including larger seat cushions and hearing aids.



In 2023, a damning review of the £6.3 billion plan revealed “several errors of judgement” in the Ajax project and “systemic, cultural and institutional problems” within the MoD.

At the time, Conservative former defence minister Mark Francois told MPs that the program had been an “absolute debacle,” stressing that the assessment showed “just how massively bureaucratic and broken the MoD’s procurement really is.”

The British Army declared ‘Initial Operational Capability’ for Ajax on November 6, 2025, paving the way for the service to field a squadron equipped with the new medium-weight vehicle, marking Ajax’s introduction into the service.


Expressing optimism about the IOC, British defence procurement minister Luke Pollard assured that the previous problems encountered while operating the vehicle had been fixed. “It has had problems in the past,” he told BBC Wales.

General Dynamics Ajax – Wikipedia


“It was right that trials were paused to look at those problems, but it was also right that the company got on top of them, working with the Army, working with the Ministry of Defence and General Dynamics to fix them.” “We now have an incredible, capable, next-generation capability that’s safe for the men and women of our forces to use, but importantly, is lethal against our adversaries if used on the battlefield. “So it’s a really key part of our next-generation British Army capabilities. But as a minister, I would not be putting it into service if I had any doubts about its safety, the minister stated.

However, as per reports in the British media, the IOC was declared even though British Army troops had suffered hearing and other injuries due to loud noise and vibrations inside the vehicle. In fact, the MoD purportedly justified proceeding with IOC, stating that no “systemic” problem had been found in the vehicle — a claim that may now be contested.


Interestingly, the British government expressed confidence that its NATO allies would be interested in buying the long-delayed Ajax armoured vehicle.


The UK has been actively pitching Ajax derivatives abroad, with Poland emerging as a prime target. London has offered Warsaw the Ajax chassis reconfigured as a heavy infantry fighting vehicle, mated with Poland’s locally developed ZSSW-30 unmanned turret. This potential multibillion-pound deal would fuse British hull technology with Polish firepower.

For the Ministry of Defence and General Dynamics UK, exports are no longer optional – they are essential. Without foreign orders, the Merthyr Tydfil production line will wind down after the British Army’s 589-vehicle requirement is met in 2029, putting thousands of highly skilled Welsh jobs at risk and undermining the government’s ambition to make Ajax a cornerstone of UK defence exports.

The Troubled & Delayed Ajax

The Ajax program is a collaboration between the British Army, Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S), and General Dynamics UK (GDUK).

Developed by GSLS-UK, Ajax is a family of six advanced medium-weight armoured fighting vehicles, with specific variants for reconnaissance, protected mobility, Command and Control, Recovery, Repair, and engineering roles.

It is equipped with a 40mm cased telescoped cannon, advanced sensors, digital systems, and all-weather surveillance capabilities.

Based on Spain’s and Austria’s ASCOD 2 armoured fighting vehicles, Ajax was chosen by the UK in 2010 as the winner of the Future Rapid Effect System contract. It is the first new tracked armoured battle vehicle in nearly 30 years, and is expected to replace the CVR(T) vehicles, which first entered service in 1971.

The program emphasises digital integration, all-weather surveillance, and enhanced lethality, positioning Ajax as a “transformational capability” for modern battlefields. However, it has been marred by severe delays, cost overruns, and technical issues, earning descriptions like “deplorable” from parliamentary committees.

Ajax is a family of 589 tracked, all-terrain armoured vehicles armed with a range of weapons and state-of-the-art sensors, delivering reconnaissance capabilities to identify enemy targets on the battlefield, and giving the British Army the fighting edge on the frontline. It will be at the heart of both the Armoured and Deep Recce Strike Brigades,” as noted by the UK MoD.

The British MoD describes the Ajax as the “world’s most advanced, medium-weight armoured fighting vehicle.”

As per the Mod and the British Army, the vehicles are incredibly lethal and manoeuvrable, featuring innovative digital software that enables spiral evolution over time. It boasts of a strong engine, cutting-edge suspension system, modular armour package, a fully digitised and networked system, complex array of sensors, and a 40mm CT40 cannon.

However, Ajax has been referred to as a “troubled program” due to the technical faults and recurring delays. As noted by Jonathan Beale for the BBC, the vehicle was contracted in 2014 and should have ideally been operational by now, but it is not.

Of the intended 589 Ajax vehicles, just 160 have been built so far, and deliveries are expected to be completed by 2029.

‘Lu siau eh?’ — Anwar cautions against anti‑federal narratives in final push for Sabah polls

‘Lu siau eh?’ — Anwar cautions against anti‑federal narratives in final push for Sabah polls



Prime Minister and Pakatan Harapan (PH) Chairman Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim campaigns at the HARAPAN Urang Sabah Carnival in Petagas, Putatan, on November 27, 2025. — Bernama pic

Thursday, 27 Nov 2025 8:44 PM MYT


KOTA KINABALU, Nov 27 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today issued a sharp, colloquial warning to Sabah political leaders, saying that confrontational politics will not bring results from Putrajaya.

In a final push for Pakatan Harapan (PH) candidates ahead of Saturday’s polling, Anwar made it clear that federal support for Sabah hinges on a spirit of mutual respect and cooperation.

“You cannot scold me, say ‘lu siau eh’ (Hokkien for ‘are you crazy?’), and then come asking for more. That’s not how it works,” he said during a dinner hosted by the Federation of Chinese Associations of Sabah.

Anwar held up his government’s relationship with caretaker chief minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor as a model of effective federal-state partnership, explaining that he had approved significant allocations for Sabah because the requests were made “properly” and “respectfully.”


“Good federal-state relations are not about kneeling or begging, they are about cooperation,” he insisted.

Anwar also made a direct appeal to the state’s Chinese community, acknowledging their crucial role in the economy and arguing that their support was essential for the political stability needed to drive development.

“You want development, you want better infrastructure, you want investment — all this needs political stability and a strong partnership between Kuala Lumpur and Kota Kinabalu,” he said.


“Give us the mandate, give our candidates your support, and we will deliver.”

Without naming any rivals, Anwar also urged voters to reject “toxic narratives” that seek to pit Sabah against the federal administration for political gain.

“Do not be influenced by those who yell the loudest,” he warned. “What matters is who actually delivers.”

Anwar has been on a whirlwind tour of Sabah to rally support for his party and political allies in an election that could have far-reaching implications for his coalition government in Putrajaya.

Italy sends Ukrainian suspect in Nord Stream pipeline blast to Germany

The Star:

Italy sends Ukrainian suspect in Nord Stream pipeline blast to Germany

By Tilman Blasshofer

Friday, 28 Nov 2025

12:05 AM MYT

Police escort Serhii K. from a helicopter before a hearing with the German Federal Public Prosecutor in Karlsruhe, Germany, November 27, 2025, after Italy's top court has approved the handover to Germany of the Ukrainian man, suspected of coordinating the 2022 sabotage of the Nord Stream gas pipeline. REUTERS/Thilo Schmuelgen


FRANKFURT (Reuters) -A Ukrainian man suspected of coordinating the sabotage of the Nord Stream gas pipeline in 2022 arrived in Germany on Thursday after Italy's top court approved his handover last week, German federal prosecutors said.

Explosions that destroyed the pipeline in the Baltic Sea three years ago largely severed Russian gas transit to Europe, squeezing energy supplies on the continent although Russia had already largely stopped deliveries.


Russia and Western countries have both said the incident was an act of sabotage. Investigators spent years piecing together the mystery of who was behind it.

SUSPECT DENIES ROLE IN ATTACKS

The man, identified as Serhii K under German privacy laws that generally bar full identification of suspects, denies any role in the attacks.His lawyer Nicola Canestrini has said he is confident his client will be acquitted at a trial in Germany.

German prosecutors accuse him of belonging to a group of people who planted devices on the pipelines near the Danish island of Bornholm in the Baltic.

The suspect was detained on a European arrest warrant in the Italian town of Rimini in August and had fought attempts to transfer him to Germany.He faces charges of collusion to cause an explosion, anti-constitutional sabotage and destruction of important structures.

"The accused was transferred from Italy today. He is scheduled to appear before the investigating judge at the Federal Court of Justice in Karlsruhe tomorrow," prosecutors said.

Last month, a court in Poland ruled against handing over another Ukrainian suspect wanted by Germany in connection with the explosions and ordered his immediate release from detention.

Military Watch:

Elite Ukrainian Brigade Commander Warns of ‘Critical Situation’ and Major Losses on Frontlines

Eastern Europe and Central Asia , Ground

Military Watch Magazine Editorial Staff

November-26th-2025

---

Ukrainian Army Ukrainian Special Forces

Former commander of the Ukrainian Azov Brigade Maksim Zhorin has issued a warning regarding the critical situation faced by forces on the frontlines, stating that losses include not only settlements, as Western sources have widely claimed, but “entire sectors” as Russian Army units advance rapidly. The battlefield situation for Ukraine is “only getting worse,” he stated, adding: “In some areas, in the absence of urgent decisions, the situation is becoming critical. In fact, I don’t remember such a rapid enemy advance for a long time.” “The issue now is not the loss of certain settlements, but in general, a significant improvement in the enemy’s operational position in entire sectors,” Zhorin added. His statement follows the raising of concerns by multiple Western and Ukrainain forces that the frontlines are approaching an eventual breaking point, in large part due to increasingly extreme personnel shortages. 

Ukrainian Artillery Units Near the Frontlines in the Kharkov

Elaborating on personnel shortages affecting frontline units, former chief of staff of the 12th Brigade of the Ukrainian National Guard Bogdan Krotevich in late August lamented that brigades were staffed at just 30 percent and were barely combat-ready. Russian President Vladimir Putin days later stated that combat-ready units in the Ukrainian Armed Forces are staffed no more than 47-48 percent. A primary factor in these shortages is that Ukrainain conscript units have suffered extreme casualty rates, at times reaching 80-90 percent, with the Wall Street Journal being among the sources to report that the Army has relied on recruiting poor men from villages and sending them to the frontlines with just two days of training. 

Russian Thermobaric Bombardment in Ukraine and TOS-1A Rocket Launcher

Although Russian forces took extreme losses in early 2022, casualties rates in 2024 and 2025 have remained far lower, and are estimated to be a small fraction of those Ukrainian forces have suffered. The vast discrepancies in firepower between the two countries’ forces from early 2023 increasingly forced Ukraine to rely on masses of expendable manpower, although its current personnel shortages have indicated that this approach was far from sustainable. Personnel shortages have resulted in a growing reliance on foreign combatants to bolster frontline positions, including contractor personnel from Brazil and Colombia, and the Polish Volunteer Corps, with smaller numbers from higher income countries deployed including British Royal Marines and the American Forward Observation Group. Foreign units have also frequently suffered significant casualties.

Colombian Personnel in the Ukrainian Theatre

In April 2023 Ukrainian ambassador to the United Kingdom Vadim Pristaiko revealed that Kiev was concealing the full number of casualties suffered in the war, stating that “it has been our policy from the start not to discuss our losses,” but that “when the war is over, we will acknowledge this. I think it will be a horrible number.” Leaked documents in August confirmed that military casualties had exceeded 1.7 million personnel. Casualty rates have been a primary factor forcing desertion rates to particularly high levels, according to reports rom the Financial Times, with a recent British assessment having estimated that 650,000 Ukrainian men of fighting age have fled the country. The number of deserters from the Armed Forces, according to Ukrainian MP Anna Skorokhod, has reached almost 400,000 personnel, exacerbating the shortages caused by casualties. This threatens to create a vicious cycle in which greater casualties cause higher desertion rates, with the effects of both of these being greater personnel shortages that leave forces on the frontlines vulnerable, in turn driving casualty rates higher. 

Hong Kong fire kills at least 75, hundreds still missing, but blaze 'under control'

BBC:

Hong Kong fire kills at least 75, hundreds still missing, but blaze 'under control'

Summary

• At least 75 people have been killed and 76 injured after a huge fire engulfed a high-rise public housing complex in Hong Kong - nearly 300 are missing

• The blaze, which tore through seven of eight tower blocks in Tai Po district on Wednesday, is now "basically under control", Hong Kong's leader says

• One resident says: "All our belongings were in this apartment, and now that it has all burned like this - what's left?"

• It's unclear how many were inside the complex, which is home to around 4,600 residents, according most recent census figures

• Questions are turning to how the blaze started - BBC Verify analyses footage of the initial stages

• Police say the materials on the outside of the building were not fireproof. Three construction company executives have been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter

Residents shelter where they can as death toll risespublished at 02:43
02:43

As the latest update puts the death toll at 75 people, many residents are settling in for their second night without a home.

The still-smouldering outline of the high-rise complex looms over the area, donations of food, clothing and money continue to pour in, while investigations into the cause of the blaze continue.

Image source,EPA
Image source,Reuters
Image source,Reuters
Image source,EPA
Image source,Reuters

How Takaichi’s Big Mouth Allows China To Make Strategic Moves

How Takaichi’s Big Mouth Allows China To Make Strategic Moves


November 26th, 2025 by financetwitter


Sanae Takaichi, Japan’s first female prime minister, has pledged to make the country “strong and prosperous” again. Her role model was Margaret Thatcher, Britain’s first female prime minister and “Iron Lady.” Her political mentor in Japan was Abe Shinzō, who was assassinated in 2022. During her run for her party’s leadership, Takaichi focused mainly on Japan’s economy and its defense.

However, despite her success – third attempt at the LDP presidency – to the growing popularity of conservative nationalism in Japan, she may have bitten off more than she can chew with her aggressive brand of conservative politics. She appears to have poked the red dragon the wrong way as China is escalating a hostility she provoked on November 7.

Beijing reacted angrily after the Japanese new premier said an attack on Taiwan could trigger the deployment of her country’s self-defence forces. While Japan’s post-war constitution forbids it from using force as a means of settling international disputes, a 2015 law – passed during Abe administration – permits it to exercise self-defence in certain situations, even if it is not directly under attack.


In retaliation, the Chinese consul general in Osaka, Xue Jian, said in a post on X – “We have no choice but cut off that dirty neck that has been lunged at us without hesitation. Are you ready?” Whatever vows to build “constructive and stable” relations between both countries after Takaichi’s meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping at the APEC summit in South Korea has vaporised.

Takaichi, with hawkish views on China, may not realize (or pretends to be ignorant) that his mentor’s 2015 law was drafted to most likely involve Japanese support for US-led military action in the region. Will Japan under her administration unilaterally go to war with China if the Chinese suddenly invade Taiwan, even if the U.S. somehow decides not to participate?


Insisting that Japan could exercise its right to collective self-defence – or coming to the aid of an ally – Takaichi said Tokyo had to “anticipate a worst-case scenario” in the Taiwan Strait. But if China attacks only Taiwan without firing a single shot at Japan, then Tokyo cannot claim self-defence if it starts attacking China under the pretext of defending Taiwan. That would be a declaration of war on China.


Thanks to her big mouth, Beijing has told Chinese tourists to boycott Japan. Many tourism and retail businesses in Japan rely heavily on Chinese visitors, who spend more on average than other foreign tourists on everything from sushi to skincare. Some hotels, designer clothes shops and even pharmacies have Mandarin-speaking assistants, while department stores often have signs in Chinese.

China is the biggest source of tourists to the archipelago, with almost 7.5 million visitors in the first nine months of 2025 – a quarter of all foreign tourists, according to official Japanese figures. Last year, each Chinese tourist spent on average 22% more than other visitors. Attracted by a weak yen, they splashed out the equivalent of US$3.7 billion in the third quarter alone.

Tokyo tried to downplay the impact on its tourism, even though it could lose as much as US$1.2 billion in visitor spending between now and the end of 2025. Most Chinese airlines, as well as Cathay Pacific Airways, are waiving cancellation fees on tickets to Japan, accelerating cancellations. If mainland Chinese visitors continue to stay away through 2026, the cumulative hit could reach as much as US$9 billion.


A day after China issued a travel ban for Japan, the Takaichi cabinet quickly dispatched a senior foreign ministry official to Beijing in an attempt to ease tensions, but the trip yielded no results. That alone was sufficient to suggest that the economic impact on Japan’s tourism sector is serious as retail and tourism stocks subsequently plunged after about 500,000 people have cancelled flights.



Another hammer hitting the Japanese economy was China’s ban on all Japanese seafood imports, just months after it partly lifted a previous ban issued in 2023 as a result of Japan’s decision to release wastewater from the damaged and decommissioned Fukushima nuclear plant. Before the 2023 ban, the Chinese market – including Hong Kong – accounted for more than one-fifth of Japan’s exports.

Moves to embarrass her including photos of a senior Japanese official appearing to “bow” before his Chinese counterpart. The photos, which have gone viral on Chinese social media, show Masaaki Kanai, head of the Japanese Foreign Ministry’s Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau, standing with his counterpart, Liu Jinsong, following their talks last Tuesday at the Chinese Foreign Ministry.


The humiliation saw Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Minou Kihara scrambled to complain that the Japanese side had not been informed about press coverage of the post-meeting scenes, which show Liu, head of the Chinese Foreign Ministry’s Asian Affairs Department, with his hands in his pockets, refusing to shake hands with the Japanese senior diplomat– a show of disrespect to Japan.

Economic retaliation was just one of many weapons in Beijing’s toolbox. Now, President Xi Jinping’s government is escalating the dispute to the United Nations, a move aimed at pressuring all countries to side with China’s stance on any future conflict over Taiwan – or stay out of its way. In a letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Fu Cong – China’s envoy to the global body – accused Takaichi of violating international law with her comment.

“If Japan dared to intervene militarily in the Taiwan Strait, it would be an act of aggression. China will resolutely exercise its right of self-defense under the UN Charter and international law and firmly defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity,” – Fu wrote. On the surface, the letter of complaint might look lame and childish. But it was a clever strategic and a pre-emptive move.




The letter could be the first step of China’s strategy to establish the “legal ground” and narrative for a potential military move in the future, including attacking Japanese assets in a conflict. Beijing wanted to refresh the memory of Japan’s wartime aggression in World War 2, therefore, the Chinese justification to strike first at Japanin the event of an invasion of Taiwan, or any other conflicts for that matter.

Turning the tables on Prime Minister Takaichi, Beijing is accusing her government of returning to a dangerous path of “militarism”, henceinvoking the right to self-defense and equating a Japanese intervention as an act of aggression – reminding the world about the previous brutality of the Imperial Japanese Armed Forces that had killed an estimated 20 million Chinese people.

While it isn’t a formal resolution requiring member states to vote, the UN letter forces every country to consider where it stands on the issue. Even if other countries choose to abstain or refuse to vote, silence for China is good enough as it means acquiescence and acceptance. Beijing is effectively asserting no country – including the US – should come to Taiwan’s defense in the event of an invasion.


It was not a coincidence that last Friday, the Chinese Embassy in Japan deliberately posted on X that China would have the right to carry out “direct military action” without needing authorization from the UN Security Council if Japan took any step toward renewed aggression. That post cited UN Charter clauses regarding “enemy states” during the Second World War.

Exactly why must Takaichi open her big mouth when even the military superpower – United States – has refrained from committing military action to directly defend Taiwan? She was probably too eager to prove to U.S. President Donald Trump that Japan was a reliable – and an obedient – ally. Perhaps she wanted to show – even brag – that she has a special bond with Trump.



Domestically, it was certainly a quick tactic to improve popularity – her approval rating jumped to 69.9%, up 5.5 percentage points from the previous poll conducted shortly after she took office late last month. However, China too has capitalized on Takaichi’s “military aggression” to boost domestic nationalism while also serving to deter any other countries from speaking out on Taiwan.


By getting other states to express support for China’s position at the UN, China is trying to project legitimacy of its position via strength by numbers. To make sure the U.S. gets the message, Mr Xi purposely called Mr Trump to express not only China’s displeasure, but to tell the U.S. president that it was Takaichi who started the provocation of equating Taiwan’s security as Japan’s security.

The call on Monday to Trump was also to test Washington’s stance. The president refused to swallow the hook, line and sinker by keeping silence, refusing to support Japan or yielding to Chinese pressure to shift decades of American support for Taiwan. If Donald Trump openly supports Takaichi, then the U.S. president’s plan to travel to Beijing next April could be jeopardised.

But there’s more. Mr. Xi told Mr. Trump that “China and the U.S. fought side by side against fascism and militarism, hence, they should work together to safeguard the achievements of the victory in World War II.” Trump would be accused of being a traitor who supports Japanese brutality. Approximately 111,606 Americans were killed or missing in the war against Japan, with another 253,142 wounded.


Militarily, three Chinese warships sailed past a Japanese island four days after Takaichi’s remark, and four Chinese armed coast guard ships have since passed close to Japanese-administered islands north of Taiwan. Japan, in defiance, decided to deploy missiles on Yonaguni Island, east of Taiwan. Unless Takaichi was serious about defending Taiwan, the reckless move would put Yonaguni as Chinese new target.



If China’s past economic punishments against South Korea and Australia are any indicator, the China-Japan bilateral relations may not improve in the near term. While Beijing has demanded that Takaichi retract her statement on Taiwan, the Japanese prime minister can’t even if she wanted to. In order not to lose face, she could only say that she would avoid discussing “specific” scenarios in the future.

Takaichi is trapped by her own idiotic rhetoric. The Trump administration is “far more reluctant” to sacrifice blood and treasure on the Taiwan question than his predecessors, preferring instead to focus on the trade relationship between Washington and Beijing. And China has not even banned exports of rare earth materials to Japan, which could create a bigger chaos to car production and other industries.


Unless she retracts her statements regarding Taiwan, the disputes most likely will persist until a political change brought in a new leader. Australia’s trade with China has gradually returned to normal since Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s election in 2022. Canada is the latest country to start repairing relations under new Prime Minister Mark Carney.

Perhaps Prime Minister Takaichi has forgotten that her coalition is in the minority in parliament. If she fails to secure allies and opposition parties support for her policies in the next two months, it could lead to a general election for the House of Representatives, which would open a window of opportunity for a new prime minister, and a turnaround in China-Japan relations.

The late Daim about Anwar: "Anwar doesn't like to read"

OPINION | The late Daim about Anwar: "Anwar doesn't like to read"


27 Nov 2025 • 2:00 PM MYT


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

Image credit: Keluar Sekejap / Malay Mail / Al Jazeera


The interview that Daim’s widow, Naimah, gave on the Keluar Sekejap podcast has been trending across social media. My feed alone has been flooded with posts about her appearance from multiple people, although I do not subscribe to their page.


The way these posts describe him, it is as if Daim was a towering statesman who made monumental contributions to the Malay community, a year after he is gone, to me at least, also sounds incredulous.


To me, the claims sounds incredulous, because if that was truly the case, it doesn't explain why Daim received so little public backing in the final year of his life, when he was facing intense scrutiny and prosecution from the government. Even upon his passing—given his status as a Tun, a long-time minister, and a billionaire—public reaction in support of him was rather muted and restrained.


In the way I see it, If a rubber tapper from a village of fifty families dies and a thousand people show up to his funeral, we can say that that rubber tapper is likely person who contributed immensely to his society. What else would explain why so many paid their last respect to him, when he was just a humble rubber tapper from a small hamlet.


By that logic, a man of Daim’s stature, who was at the top of the country for decades and was immensely wealthy to boot, who is said to have always hold the welfare of the people at heart, should have drawn 20 thousand or 200 thousand of thousands to his funeral. Instead, his funeral just drew around 200 people. This is far too small a figure for a person who is said to have selflessly loved a great number of people with all of his heart.

So, was there anything interesting in Naimah’s appearance on Keluar Sekejap?

In truth, she repeated the familiar narrative many of us have heard for years:

• that Daim was already wealthy before entering politics
• that he entered public life out of national service, not greed
• that he always had good intentions toward Anwar
• that he helped Anwar repeatedly
• that Anwar irrationally blamed him for the 1990s downfall
• that Daim never conspired against him
• that he even visited Anwar in prison and reconciled with him after GE14

According to this narrative, Anwar was so appreciative of Daim, that he even once told Daim:


“When I become Prime Minister, don’t go anywhere—I want you as my economic advisor.”


Yet after the 2022 election, when Anwar won the election and became the PM , everything flipped. Rather than gratitude or appreciation, Anwar’s administration launched relentless investigations against Daim—investigations that continued even after his death. In this telling of events, Anwar becomes the ingrate, and Daim the loyal friend stabbed in the back.


This narrative also appears to be be designed to a direct rebuttal to the dominant anti-Daim storyline that has circulated for decades: 

• that Daim’s vast fortune was siphoned from national coffers, that he epitomised corruption and cronyism, and 
• that he played a major role in the conspiracy to bring down Anwar in the 1990s because Anwar challenged his methods.

I won’t offer my two cents on which narrative is true.


I tihnk it is enough for me say that that the reputation of people like Daim and Anwar is not likely going to be settled by by truth or justice—but by power and authority.


Whichever side holds power will determine which narrative eventually becomes “official.”


That said, I find aspects of Naimah’s narrative unrealistic.


For one, like I mentioned earlier,her potrayal of Daim as someone deeply concerned for society does not align with the public’s muted response to his passing. But another strikingly odd detail is her claim that Daim was a voracious reader—yet he supposedly thought Anwar “does not like to read.”


This becomes unbelievable when paired with her next claim: that despite thinking of Anwar as a person who is not well read, Daim still proposed Anwar as his successor for Finance Minister.


If Daim was truly wise and knowledgeable as he is potrayed, why would he believe a man like Anwwar - with no background, interest, or aptitude in economics and who himself believed was averse to reading and gaining knowledge, could be shaped into a competent finance minister in a short time with a little guidance?


What kind of “wise, knowledgeable and well-read” person would adopt such an irrational view?


Now to explain the discrepancy in premise that though he was a wise and knowledgeable person, and though he saw that Anwar as lacking wisdom and knowledge, DAim still was a good friend and patron to Anwar, to the point that he proposed Anwar to become the next Finance minister, I find Bertrand Russell’s observation to be useful.


According to Russell :“A stupid man’s report of what a clever man says can never be accurate, because he unconsciously translates what he hears into something he can understand.”


By that logic, perhaps Anwar was far more intelligent than the report about him suggest— that Daim probably did not make a harebrained decision of hiring Anwar although he believed that Anwar was not intelligent, well read, competent or capable - that Daim likely believed that Anwar was far more well read and capable than the report suggests - but Naimah simply though otherwise, because she was reporting something she heard from Daim, and the report made by someone unclever about someone clever, it is bound to be inaccurate and misrepresentative of what the clever person truly said or meant, because the unclever person will unconciously translate what they hear into what they can understand.


In other words,If Daim was intelligent, he likely saw Anwar as intelligent too.

If Daim believed Anwar lacked intelligence, then Daim himself must not have been as wise as portrayed for believing that Anwar is intelligent enough to be made a capable finance minister with just a rudimentary guidance and training in a couple of months.

Either way, the story doesn’t hold together.

Anyway, for all intent and purpose however, I really don't think this question about whether Daim is wise and selfless or whether Anwar is well read or paranoid, will amount to “hill of beans in this crazy world we live in. ”


To me, all that this this conflicting narrative is telling me is that rather than towering geniuses and selfless great men, we might actually be governed by people who believe that they can make anything true, for as long as they control the narrative.


If this being the case, when two major figures in our corridors of power were to be in conflict with each other, what we can then expect is a battle of narrative, which will end only when one narrative triumphs over the other.


Because of that, I believe that Naimah's appearance on the Keluar Sekejap podcast is just one episode in the ongoing battle of narrative between the Daim and Anwar camp.


By the end of it,Either Anwar will be remembered as an ignoramus who does not read,

or Daim will be remembered as a corrupt politician who enriched himself at the nation’s expense.

Only time—and power—will decide which story survives.

***

I recall that when Pakatan won the 2018 election, and agreed-as-PM Mahathir appointed LGE as the Finance Minister although Mahathir striped the Finance Ministry of all the 'goodies' and placed them under a new Economic Ministry under his then-blue eyed boy, Azmin Ali. I also recall the CEP (Council of Eminent Persons), believed by most to be the "real" inner cabinet, and where Daim Zainuddin was the dominant member there.

Yes, I recall finally that Anwar Ibrahim, after he was pardoned by the King and left standing as the PM-in-waiting (he would NEVER be PM if left to Mahathir), asked LGE what Daim as a member of the CEP was 'advising' him (Lim).

Anwar then said (words to the effect) "I just wanted to make sure he was advising the right things", implying Anwar did NOT trust Daim even then.

Tun Mahathir Says PMX Has Given American Companies ‘Bumiputera Privileges’, Lodges Police Report

Tun Mahathir Says PMX Has Given American Companies ‘Bumiputera Privileges’, Lodges Police Report

Published 10 hours ago
November 27, 2025

By Didi

Source: Dr. Mahathir bin Mohamad | Facebook & Nga Kor Ming | X


Former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has slammed the Government for compromising national sovereignty by signing a reciprocal trade agreement with the United States (US).


He further criticised Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim for not consulting Parliament or legal experts before putting his signature on it.

Source: Nga Kor Ming | X
Donald Trump (left) and Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim


“American companies are effectively granted Bumiputera privileges”


In a press conference, Mahathir said the move was like “handing Malaysia over to the United States” and that the agreement was “a foolish move”.


“This agreement is a foolish move by the Government, which immediately and recklessly signed it. Meanwhile, other ASEAN countries did not sign the agreement. Why is Malaysia handing itself over to the United States, when ASEAN countries took time to review the agreement, while Malaysia only took two days?” he asked.

Source: Dr. Mahathir bin Mohamad | Facebook

Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad



Source: Dr. Mahathir bin Mohamad | Facebook



He also claimed that American companies have effectively been given Bumiputera status under a reciprocal trade agreement between Malaysia and the US, calling it “a betrayal of Malaysia’s independence“.


Mahathir added that the deal would force Malaysia to buy goods from the US and give Washington a say in the country’s future trade policies.


“We are forced to follow this agreement, which requires us to purchase billions worth of goods from America. We have to buy gas from America, we have to buy aircraft from America. Sixty Boeing planes will be bought under this deal. It means we are no longer free.”



Source: Dr. Mahathir bin Mohamad | Facebook






Source: Dr. Mahathir bin Mohamad | Facebook



A police report was filed against Anwar

In a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Department and the Attorney General’s Chambers on 3 November, earlier claims that the trade deal undermined the country’s sovereignty were dismissed, with officials saying Malaysia can terminate the agreement if needed.



Source: Dato Dr Ismail Salleh | Facebook





Source: Dato Dr Ismail Salleh | Facebook



Meanwhile, local media reported that the trade agreement signed with US President Donald Trump had been carefully reviewed by senior government officials to ensure Malaysia’s interests were protected.

Mahathir said a coalition of NGOs plans to file police reports across the country against Anwar, accusing him of “treason” (From minute 1:27) in connection with the agreement. You can watch the press conference from 1:40 onwards here.