Live pig imports to Selangor approved since July 2025: Deputy minister

Live pig imports to Selangor approved since July 2025: Deputy minister

Published: Oct 26, 2026 8:26 PM


The importation of live pigs from Sarawak to Selangor has been approved since July 2025 under strict conditions, said Deputy Agriculture and Food Security Minister Chan Foong Hin.

Addressing claims of shipments of live pigs being brought in every week from Kuching, Sarawak via Port Klang since July, Chan said the matter was not new.

“Any such allegations must be based on facts and evidence,” he said in a statement today.

The deputy minister noted that several key leaders, including Sarawak Food Industry, Commodity and Regional Development Minister Stephen Rundi Utom as well as Agriculture and Food Security Minister Mohamad Sabu, had expounded on the matter during parliamentary proceedings previously.


Chan explained that the imports were permitted through approved licences and subject to strict control procedures, with the livestock required to be sent directly to an abattoir in Rawang without stopping at other locations.

“This decision is among the measures to help stabilise market supply and prices following disruptions to the farming industry caused by the African Swine Fever (ASF) outbreak.

“I am also made to understand that a strict standard operating procedure (SOP) has been set from the outset to ensure the handling of livestock at Port Klang is carried out in a controlled and orderly manner,” he said.

Chan Foong Hin

Elaborating further, Chan said live pigs can only be unloaded between 8pm and 5am using special crates before being transferred directly into trucks for transport to the abattoir in Rawang.


He said the procedure aims to minimise the handling duration of livestock at the port as well as reduce the risk of contamination and environmental disturbance.

He said allegations that the operation compromises port hygiene and sanitation should not be made without examining the established SOP and authentic evidence.


Politicising with 'inaccurate information'

Chan also informed that he visited a modern pig farm in Simunjan, Sarawak, last April to observe operations and export procedures for live livestock to Singapore and Selangor.

He said the visit allowed him to observe the implementation of biosecurity measures, including the use of livestock carrier vessels that meet specified standards.

“I deeply regret that allegations and accusations have been put forward without examining the actual facts, and there are even attempts to link this issue with the decree of His Royal Highness the sultan of Selangor and politicise it with inaccurate information,” he said.

Earlier, local media reported that Port Klang Area Fishermen Association chairperson Abdul Rahman Kachil claimed about 800 live pigs were brought in from Kuching, Sarawak, every week since last July.

According to the report, the livestock arrived at Port Klang by ship before being sent to a premises believed to be a slaughterhouse.

Following this, Selangor PAS Youth yesterday urged the state government to take immediate action, questioning whether the operation aligned with the previous decree of the Selangor ruler of no pig farming activities in the state.

Its deputy chief, Faizzuddin Zai, raised concerns over the possibility of environmental pollution, public hygiene, and impacts on the fishing community around Port Klang.


No more pig farming

On Jan 10, Selangor ruler Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah decreed that he would not consent to any pig farming activities in the state due to concerns over air, soil, and water pollution that could affect residents' well-being.

His Royal Highness had also suggested that the needs of the non-Muslim community, particularly the Chinese community, be met through pork imports.

Selangor Menteri Besar Amirudin Shari was reported in February as saying that the state government had stopped issuing pig farming licences and would expedite the closure of existing farms, in line with the Selangor ruler's decree.

Amid a resurgence of the issue, Amirudin said the state government would undertake a probe to identify the purpose of the shipments and the parties involved.

According to media reports, Amirudin said a portion of the livestock was believed to be destined for other states using Selangor as a gateway.

He said the state government would review the matter before determining follow-up action.

Indonesian NGO identifies 21 Malaysian-linked firms in forest fires behind haze crisis

Indonesian NGO identifies 21 Malaysian-linked firms in forest fires behind haze crisis

Zarrah Morden

Published: Oct 26, 2026 4:38 PM


An Indonesian environmental group has identified 21 Malaysian-linked companies allegedly involved in forest and land fires that contributed to the transboundary haze crisis.

The findings recently released by the Indonesian Forum for Environment (Walhi) contradicted Putrajaya’s statement on Oct 16 that a Plantation and Commodities Ministry check found no Malaysian plantation companies were involved in the fires.

Citing its "Actor Mapping Analysis: Who Are Behind The Fires?" report, Walhi's forest and plantation campaigner Umi Ma'rufah urged the Malaysian government to investigate the actual situation on the ground rather than relying solely on paper policies or corporate declarations.

Speaking at an online roundtable discussion with Malaysian environmental groups today, she said Walhi's analysis had identified active hotspots and fires within concession areas linked to several Malaysian parent companies.


Malaysiakini is withholding some of the companies named pending formal responses.

Malaysiakini has also contacted the Communications Ministry and the Plantation and Commodities Ministry for comment.

The Communications Ministry subsequently directed the news portal to the Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Ministry, which Malaysiakini has reached out to and is awaiting a response.


'Origin of fire doesn't matter'

One of the groups named, SD Guthrie, denied that its subsidiaries had caused fires in Indonesia, saying that claims to the contrary were unsupported by credible evidence.

In a statement on Oct 20, it said some companies mentioned in public reports as Guthrie affiliates were not owned, managed, or controlled by the group.

It added that its teams had extinguished 2,411 fires between January and September this year, of which 2,376 occurred on community land.


Guthrie also said its Indonesian subsidiary, Minamas Plantation, spent about RM800,000 a month maintaining 67 firefighting teams comprising 1,006 personnel, supported by drone and infrared monitoring.

Previously, government spokesperson Fahmi Fadzil rejected allegations against Genting Plantations - another Malaysian company Walhi had identified - stating that fires had spread into its property from the outside before being extinguished.

Umi, however, insisted that concession holders were responsible under Indonesian laws for preventing fires, regardless of who initially started them.

"So once these fires happen there, they (companies) definitely should be held responsible for their (alleged) negligence," she said.

On Oct 5, Greenpeace Indonesia and Pantau Gambut claimed that plantation companies from Malaysia and Singapore were among 20 entities involved in the forest fires.

In a report, it named Malaysian plantation group Kuala Lumpur Kepong (KLK) Group, which has ties to Indonesian entity PT Menteng Jaya Sawit Perdana, as among the 20 companies most closely associated with fires, based on its haze sources dataset between Aug 1 and Oct 1, 2026.

According to the report, the same Indonesian entity was also identified in a 2019 report as having fires on its land.

KLK has since claimed that the fires attributed to its Indonesian subsidiary actually originated beyond its concession area and have all been extinguished, adding that it has ramped up efforts to detect and contain fires.

Taking it to court

Commenting further, Umi revealed Walhi's plans to take all implicated companies to court under Article 71 of Indonesia's Forestry Act 1999, which allows communities to file a citizen lawsuit if their lives are affected by pollution and/or forest damage.

"Walhi's demands are related to the fulfilment of the public’s right to clean air and a healthy environment, compensation for losses caused by the fires, and legal accountability for the parties involved in the forest and land fires, including corporations," she told Malaysiakini.

Last month, a coalition of indigenous and civil society groups in West Kalimantan filed a class-action suit against President Prabowo Subianto and 26 officials, accusing the government of negligence in preventing and responding to recurring forest fires.

The plaintiffs are seeking, among other things, stronger mitigation measures, free healthcare for vulnerable residents, and enforcement action against those responsible.

But since domestic lawsuits only reach local subsidiary permit-holders, Umi said Walhi has engaged the services of an international legal consultant to form a legal opinion on filing a lawsuit in Singapore.

When asked whether a similar action will follow in Malaysia, Walhi campaign coordinator Uli Arta Siagian said, "As far as we can tell from our research, from a legal perspective, it is still easier to bring a lawsuit in Singapore.

"A similar lawsuit can be brought in Malaysia by the Malaysian public, which is easier."

Umi noted that Singapore's Transboundary Haze Pollution Act 2014 provides an "opportunity" to file legal actions against controlling parent entities and holding companies, but no such law exists in Malaysia at this moment.

Stronger push for action

On Oct 13, Deputy Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Minister Syed Ibrahim Syed Noh told the Dewan Rakyat that the government had assessed the feasibility of enacting a Transboundary Haze Act.

He added that the biggest stumbling block, however, was gathering sufficient evidence to trace the haze to its source and identify those responsible.

Meanwhile, Umi said that Walhi is preparing to submit its reports on the haze and involved actors to the Malaysian and Singaporean embassies in Indonesia as part of demands that their respective governments probe parent companies based in their countries.

She further lamented that the Asean Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution lacked the "pressure or power" to effectively mitigate forest fires or hold non-compliant actors accountable.

Ex-Klang MP Charles Santiago

Former Klang MP Charles Santiago, who was also present, did not hold back in his criticism of the regional bloc, saying that it took a "no action, talk only" stance on the recurring haze issue.

"Malaysia too has taken the same position - totally in denial," he said.

READ MORE: Charles wants more than masks in the haze of accountability

On Oct 19, news portal Politik Indonesia reported that the country's Environment Ministry has taken action against 22 foreign-owned companies, including nine from Malaysia, over forest and land fires.

It said authorities had sealed off burned areas amounting to a total of 6,033.85ha, or approximately 5,587 football fields, between August 26 and Sept 8 across several provinces in Indonesia.

"Properties owned by foreign investors from Malaysia and Singapore account for 95 percent of this total burned area, with 79 percent of the fires concentrated on the island of Kalimantan," it added.

Ridhuan Tee wants MCA to face DAP in straight fights to prove mettle, not in safe Malay seats

Ridhuan Tee wants MCA to face DAP in straight fights to prove mettle, not in safe Malay seats

MUSLIM convert preacher Ridhuan Tee Abdullah’s animosity toward MCA has somehow deepened when he insinuated that Barisan Nasional (BN) should disallow MCA from contesting in Malay majority constituencies lest the party has proven that it can topple DAP/PKR in their supposedly strongholds.

The same principle applies for MIC, Gerakan and the Malaysian Indian People’s Party (MIPP), according to the Muafakat Nasional deputy chairman.

For clarity, MIC is a BN component party while Gerakan and MIPP are coalition members of Perikatan Nasional (PN).

Meanwhile, Muafakat Nasional is a political alliance and movement that was originally formed on September 2019 as a cooperation pact between Malaysia’s two largest Malay-Muslim political parties, namely UMNO and PAS

“This isn’t racism, (but) it’s a strategy. If they lose, appoint (the candidates) as senator,” penned Ridhuan on his Facebook page.

The call by the former Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin (UniSZA) professor professor of ethnic relations, Malaysian nationhood and Islamic civilisation came about amid the MCA-BN dispute over seat allocations and a surprise candidate announcement ahead of for the 16th Melaka state election on Nov 14.

At a personal level, however, his love-hate relationship with MCA could have stemmed from his ticking off by MCA National Youth deputy chairman Mike Chong Yew Chuan who recently urged him to “voluntarily renounce his citizenship and migrate somewhere filled with hatred, antagonism or conflict that makes him feel comfortable”.

Recall that instead of respecting the state funeral of centenarian Tun Siti Hasmah on Sept 28, Ridhuan has somehow politicised the event by allegedly weaponising the glimpses of ‘reconciliation’ between Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

Interestingly, Ridhuan was a former MCA member himself by having signed up as the party’s lifetime member at a Selangor branch on Dec 18, 2000 whereby he remained an ordinary, inactive member who did not hold any party positions.

This was till May 30, 2016 when he officially quit the party in protest by accusing MCA of being anti-Islam for opposing a private member’s bill regarding hudud laws.

MCA unwilling to compromise

Fast forward to the present, Ridhuan must be taking a pot shot at MCA following its Saturday’s (Oct 24) walkout led by party president Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong from the BN election machinery launch event at the Melaka International Trade Centre.

Out of 21 seats announced for BN, MCA was only allocated two seats (Machap Jaya and Kelebang) with the party claiming that several of its traditional seats were handed to other parties or strategic partners (PAS/PN coalition parties) without proper consultation or consensus

This led to MCA accusing the Melaka BN leadership headed by Chief Minister Datuk Seri Ab Rauf Yusoh and the central coalition of breaching the spirit of mutual respect and collective decision-making that traditionally governs BN component parties.

As it is, MCA will be holding an emergency presidential council meeting to discuss the next course of action, according to Wee who is also the Ayer Hitam MP.

MCA had contested seven seats in the 2021 Melaka state polls, namely Klebang, Machap Jaya, Kota Laksamana, Bandar Hilir, Kesidang, Ayer Keroh and Bemban.

While the party understands the number of seats might be reduced this time, Wee said it cannot accept a drastic drop from the original seven seats down to just two – a massive reduction of 71.4%.

MCA has made it clear to BN chairman and UMNO president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi that the party cannot accept BN’s arrangement of allocating only two seats in Melaka. In his view, the minimum requirement is to contest at least four state seats.

In comparison, MIC retained 100% of its original seats while UMNO’s seats decreased from 20 to 18, he said.

Aside from Machap Jaya and Kelebang which MCA won in 2021 state election, Wee claimed that Chinese voters account for about 46% in Ayer Keroh and roughly 54% in Kesidang.

These are constituencies that MCA insists on contesting, hence it is impossible to surrender them to PAS to contest, according to him while alluding to MCA having prepared “for a long time in major Chinese-majority areas and no other party could hold a greater advantage than MCA there”.

All in all, Wee told Chinese language Sin Chew Daily:


Those state seats (in mixed areas with Chinese majority) shouldn’t be handed over to other parties to contest especially when they’ve never served the area.

Those are Chinese seats where the opponents are DAP candidates but they’re handed over to WAWASAN, MIPP and Gerakan.

“How do you think this makes MCA feel … It’s only natural and logical for MCA to contest these constituencies; as for the ultimate victory or defeat, that is another matter altogether. – Oct 26, 2026



Main image credit: The Star/Facebook Reel

Rafizi claims MCA’s anger over seven to two seats slash in Melaka state polls justified

Rafizi claims MCA’s anger over seven to two seats slash in Melaka state polls justified

By Pragalath K

MCA – a Barisan Nasional component party – has an unlikely support following BN’s decision to shortchange the party with merely two seats. The party had traditionally contested seven seats.

BERSAMA co-leader Datuk Seri Rafizi Ramli pointed out that UMNO had forgotten that MCA and the Chinese voters had saved UMNO twice in the past.

There were two occasions when MCA saved UMNO. First, was in the year 1988 when UMNO was declared illegal.

“Many don’t realise that when UMNO was declared illegal, BN’s acting chairman was MCA president Tun Dr Ling Liong Sik. If MCA acted up like how UMNO is backstabbing and getting new allies, there wouldn’t be an UMNO now.”

He said this during the ‘Jelajah Trak Kancil Melaka’ event in Pengkalan Batu last night.

UMNO that heads BN offered seven seats to Perikatan Nasional (PN) in the Melaka state election. In doing so, it drastically reduced the number of seats that MCA can contest.

Rafizi also explained that it was both MCA and MIC that retained UMNO in power during the general election in 1999.

“In 1999, it was the Malays who rejected UMNO. It was MCA and MIC that saved UMNO. Chinese and Indian voters then retained their support for UMNO. That is why UMNO retained power even though it lost a state and some seats.”

PAS retained Kelantan and gained Terengganu in that year.

BERSAMA is contesting against BN and Pakatan Harapan (PH) in the Melaka state election. Nomination day is on Oct 31 and polling day is on Nov 14

Another coalition, too have offered seven seats. But the seven is for embattled PN party – Bersatu.

Bersatu had a fallout within PN after PAS decided to cut ties with it.


PAS vs Bersatu

Meanwhile in an unrelated political development, PAS that leads PN announced that it will take disciplinary action against Bersatu for violating the coalition’s constitution.

The announcement was made PN’s supreme council meeting held yesterday.

PN secretary general Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan said that Bersatu can be slapped with a range of action ranging from a warning to removal from PN.

Bersatu did not attend the meeting on grounds that the validity of PN is being determined in court.

The Registrar of Societies had deregistered PN as it violated its constitution. PN however succeeded in overturning the decision in court. The Attorney-General Chambers has appealed against the decision. – Oct 26, 2026

Israel expands ‘ethnic cleansing’ campaign to Hebron

Israel expands ‘ethnic cleansing’ campaign to Hebron


Israeli rights group B’Tselem warns that plans to forcibly displace Palestinians and demolish buildings in the occupied West Bank could amount to war crimes, urging international intervention

Updated 7 hours ago · Published on 26 Oct 2026 11:40AM

Israel’s Hebron operations raise fears of mass displacement as demolitions begin - October 26, 2026


ISRAELI military operations in Hebron and the neighbouring town of Halhul have reportedly forced Palestinian families from their homes, with demolitions and plans for further displacement prompting warnings of a widening campaign of ethnic cleansing in the occupied West Bank.

Israeli human rights organisation B’Tselem urged foreign governments and international institutions to use all available mechanisms under international law to halt the forced displacement of Palestinian civilians, collective punishment and widespread destruction.

“Israeli leaders are openly stating their intentions, while actions on the ground have already begun,” the organisation said.

The warning followed a shooting near Hebron on Friday that killed two Israeli soldiers and two Palestinians, and wounded three other Israeli soldiers.

Following the incident, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz announced measures involving forced population transfers and extensive demolitions.

“We will implement in the cities the model of attack that we successfully used in the refugee camps,” Anadolu Agency reported Netanyahu saying.

B’Tselem said a similar approach had left more than 33,000 Palestinians displaced across the northern part of the occupied West Bank.

Israeli forces surrounded Hebron and Halhul for a second consecutive day, forcing dozens of Palestinians to leave their homes, raiding residences and demolishing a residential building and other properties.

Meanwhile, Israel’s Civil Administration began demolishing Palestinian-owned structures in the Farsh al-Hawa neighbourhood.

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich also announced plans to establish four new agricultural outposts in the southern Hebron Hills, which the report described as illegal settlements.

B’Tselem warned that the coordinated measures could amount to war crimes, drawing parallels with what it described as Israel’s genocidal campaign in Gaza.

The organisation said the developments reflected a broader policy aimed at undermining Palestinian community life, expanding settlements and entrenching Israel’s occupation. - October 26, 2026

Pensioner charged in Kangar with sexual assault, using criminal force against two preteen girls

Pensioner charged in Kangar with sexual assault, using criminal force against two preteen girls



An undated illustrative photo shows people restrained with handcuffs. —Picture By Raymond Manuel


First Published: Monday, 26 Oct 2026 3:35 PM MYT


KANGAR, Oct 26 — A government retiree pleaded not guilty in the Sessions Court here today to three charges of committing physical sexual assault and criminal force against two girls about two months ago.

Annuar Abdullah, 72, entered the plea after the charges were read out to him before Judge Sharifah Norazlita Syed Salim Idid.

The first two charges alleged that Annuar committed physical sexual assault for sexual purposes against an 11-year-and-five-month-old girl at a house at No. 7, Lorong 4 Jalan Utama here, at 6.30 pm on Aug 11.

The third charge alleges that he used criminal force against a 10-year-and-11-month-old girl by pulling both her legs with the intention of outraging her modesty, at the same place, time and date.


The first two charges were brought under Section 14(a) of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017, which provides for a maximum prison sentence of 20 years and whipping upon conviction.

The third charge, under Section 354 of the Penal Code, carries a maximum prison sentence of 10 years, a fine, whipping, or any two of the punishments, upon conviction.

The court granted Annuar bail of RM10,000 with one surety and ordered him to report to a nearby police station on the first day of every month.

He was also prohibited from approaching or disturbing the victims and prosecution witnesses until the disposal of the case.


The court fixed Nov 24 for mention for submission of relevant documents.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Mohd Alif Farhan Hassan prosecuted, while Annuar was represented by lawyers Zuhair Ahmad Zakuan and Mohamad Alif Farhan Mohamad Supian. — Bernama

Waze ban: If only it were that simple

 

Dennis Ignatius

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Waze ban: If only it were that simple

26MondayOct 2026

Posted by Dennis Ignatius in national security, Politics

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Israel, national security, Waze

[1] On 20 October, after chairing a meeting of the National Cyber Security Committee, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim ordered an immediate ban on civil servants using the navigation app on official duty.[1] That same night, Malaysians were urged to switch to TuJu, a little-known app developed by the Malaysian Highway Authority (LLM). The Prime Minister’s Department then advised all Malaysians to stop using Waze. A total ban, Anwar now says, remains on the table.[2] It is a decision that raises more questions than it answers.

[2] Anwar’s case rests on two points: Waze is headquartered in Israel, and its terms of use are governed by Israeli law. From this he concludes that using Waze “means automatically handing over all information to Israel.”[3] He also placed the move squarely within Malaysia’s stance on Israel: “We are among the countries that have taken a strong stand against the cruel Zionist Israeli regime. So, naturally, our actions are being monitored.”[4] The ban, in other words, is meant to stop Israel watching us. If only it were that simple.

[3] To be fair, the concern is not baseless. Israeli intelligence has shown what phone data can do: during last year’s war, it reportedly tracked senior Iranian officials through their bodyguards’ mobile phones before assassinating them.[5] But that is precisely the point: the vulnerability lies in the phones, not in Waze per se. Nor is Israel alone; many governments can track and access phone data. In 2013, the BBC reported that US intelligence had bugged German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s phone.[6] And just a few days ago, there were reports that Iran-based hackers might have gained access to the phones of Israeli military officers.[7]

[4] Waze can indeed be compelled under Israeli law to hand over the data it collects. But Google, which has owned Waze since 2013 and whose Google Maps collects much the same data, is similarly obliged to share it with the US government on lawful request. Given the close intelligence ties between Washington and Israel, that data could just as easily end up in Israeli hands. Yet Fahmi Fadzil says Malaysians may use any navigation app except Waze, foreign ones included.[8]Google Maps, it seems, is fine. If the worry is foreign access to sensitive location data, the government must explain how ordinary Malaysians’ use of Waze endangers their own security or the state’s. It has not.

[5] If Waze poses a specific security concern, the sensible course would be to restrict such apps on the phones of ministers, security personnel and senior officials handling sensitive information, as many governments have done with TikTok. But urging millions of ordinary Malaysians to abandon Waze, and threatening a total ban, is not security; it is overreach.

[6] Then there is TuJu. Launched in November 2025, it has struggled to find its footing. Barely a day after the Prime Minister talked it up, its navigation functions went offline for “planned technical upgrades”.[9] Lim Guan Eng rightly called it a “national embarrassment.”[10]

[7] When I downloaded TuJu, I was asked to let it track my “location, motion and usage behaviour”, data that “may be shared with Malaysian Government Body”. The list runs from precise location and home address to “Credit and Fraud” data and “Other Financial Info” – hardly what one needs to find the way to local destinations. Unlike Waze, TuJu also requires users to log in, tying every journey to a name. And, according to launch reports, it runs on Google’s mapping data.[11]

[8] Foreign governments may well misuse our phone data, but I am just as concerned about how my own government handles it, especially as it exempts itself from the Personal Data Protection Act.

[9] There is also a question of consistency. If Anwar is so concerned about the Israeli threat, why did he defend a deal giving BlackRock-owned Global Infrastructure Partners and Abu Dhabi’s ADIA a 30% stake in Malaysia Airports, warning critics not to politicise it?[12] If an Israeli-registered app threatens national security, why not a stake in our airports held partly by a firm pro-Palestinian groups accuse of having close ties to Israel’s military?

[10] The government may have some justification for restricting Waze for those handling sensitive information. But a nationwide ban, especially one without a credible, proven alternative, would be an unnecessary imposition on already weary road users. And for Malaysians driving abroad, Waze is all but indispensable. A published security assessment, clear guidance for officials and a properly tested local app would have served the nation far better. Anwar has apologised for causing “some inconvenience to a few people.”[13] It is millions, and they will see the ban for what it is: a hasty and ill-considered decision made at their expense.

[Dennis Ignatius |Kuala Lumpur |26 October 2026]

 

DAP skipping Bemban due to slim winning chances, says Loke

DAP skipping Bemban due to slim winning chances, says Loke

4 hours ago

FMT Reporters

The party's secretary-general says DAP will focus its resources on seven seats, including four it currently holds.

DAP secretary-general Loke Siew Fook said the party finished third in Bemban in the 2021 state election, but came second in the other seats it lost.

PETALING JAYA:

DAP will not contest the Bemban seat in the coming Melaka election after assessing that its chances of winning are slim, says party secretary-general Loke Siew Fook.

Loke said Bemban was the only seat DAP contested in the 2021 election where it finished third, while the party came second in the other seats it failed to win, Utusan Malaysia reported.

He said DAP was prioritising the defence of its four incumbent seats among the seven it will contest, rather than spreading its resources too thinly.

“We want to make sure our strength and resources, including our focus, are concentrated on seats we can win.

“That is why we are contesting only seven seats this time, excluding Bemban. It is a technical and strategic decision made by the party,” he was quoted as saying after presenting special financial aid to taxi, hired car and school bus drivers in Melaka.

Loke’s response comes after former Melaka DAP chairman Damian Yeo decided to boycott Pakatan Harapan’s campaign for the Nov 14 Melaka state election over talk of a possible electoral understanding with Bersatu.

Yeo said he had been informed that the “PH Plus” plan could see the coalition making way for Bersatu to contest Bemban.

On dissatisfaction over seat allocations, Loke said such disagreements were not unusual within political parties.

He said decisions on seat allocations and candidate selection were made by the party’s top leadership, even when some members held differing views.

Dr Akmal Saleh willing to sit out Melaka polls if court case hurts BN chances

Dr Akmal Saleh willing to sit out Melaka polls if court case hurts BN chances



Umno Youth chief Datuk Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh acknowledging his supporters after leaving the Bukit Mertajam court on August 22, 2025. — Picture by Opalyn Mok



First Published: Monday, 26 Oct 2026 2:50 PM MYT
Last Modified: Monday, 26 Oct 2026 2:55 PM MYT


PETALING JAYA, Oct 26 — Umno Youth chief Datuk Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh says he is prepared to give up his bid to defend the Merlimau state seat in the Melaka election on November 14 if the court case he faces hurts Umno and Barisan Nasional’s chances at the polls.

According to Berita Harian, Dr Akmal said he had conveyed his position to Barisan Nasional chairman and Umno president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, stressing that the party’s interests must come before his personal ambitions.

“If this case is seen as something that could tarnish the party’s image, I have told the Umno president that I am willing not to contest if I am considered a burden to the party’s chances of winning,” he was quoted as saying.

The 38-year-old said Umno had entrusted him with defending the Merlimau seat, although the final decision would only be known on nomination day. He added that he was also prepared to make way for another candidate if the party believed someone else stood a better chance of securing victory.


On August 22 last year, Dr Akmal pleaded not guilty to a charge under Section 505(b) of the Penal Code over a Facebook post allegedly causing public alarm. The offence carries a maximum penalty of two years’ imprisonment, a fine, or both upon conviction.