Foreign agents on the rise in Malaysia after firm stance on Palestine

FMT:

Foreign agents on the rise in Malaysia after firm stance on Palestine


4 hours ago
Anne Muhammad


Government spokesman Fahmi Fadzil says both Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and Inspector-General of Police Khalid Ismail have highlighted the matter

Government spokesman Fahmi Fadzil said Malaysia was being targeted by certain parties due to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and the government’s support for Palestine amid the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict.

KUALA LUMPUR: The presence of foreign agents in Malaysia has increased following Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s outspoken stance against injustices in Gaza and his support for the establishment of a Palestinian state, says government spokesman Fahmi Fadzil.

Fahmi, who is also the communications minister, said Malaysia has become a target for certain parties due to Anwar and the government’s support for Palestine amid the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict.

Fahmi added that both Anwar and Inspector-General of Police Khalid Ismail had highlighted the matter.

“Anwar and the IGP have stated that due to our country’s firm position and the prime minister’s outspoken stance, the activities of certain agents from foreign countries have increased in Malaysia.

“This is certainly a challenge, but we are not intimidated. We remain steadfast in our support for Palestine,” he said during the launch of the 3D Gaza Time-Tunnel at Dataran Merdeka.

He also noted that Anwar’s firm position on Palestine has had a positive impact, with several world leaders adjusting their own stances on the conflict.

More than 500,000 people in Gaza are trapped in famine, marked by widespread starvation, destitution, and preventable deaths, according to a new UN-backed food security report released on Friday.

UN human rights chief Volker Türk said the famine was the “direct result” of the Israeli government’s policies.

Israel completely banned aid supplies from Gaza in early March before allowing very limited quantities to enter at the end of May, leading to severe shortages of food, medicine, and fuel.

5 questions Akmal must answer

FMT:

5 questions Akmal must answer


Letter to the Editor


Why play the patriot over mishandling of the national flag, but keep mum over the sale of classified info?

From Clement Stanley

I have a few questions for Dr Akmal Saleh, the Umno youth chief, who has for the past few days projected himself as an uncompromising patriot.


And I hope these questions will prick his conscience and those in the Umno hierarchy who have come to his defence when he threatened to organise a class to teach an “apek” on proper flag etiquette.

First, who is more treacherous? Five senior Malaysian Defence Intelligence Organisation officers who allegedly sold classified information to smugglers – or the “apek” who accidentally hung the Jalur Gemilang wrongly for a short period of time?


Second, the five MDIO officers – guardians of national secrets who now stand accused of betraying their uniforms and their oath of allegiance to the country – allegedly earned millions a month and will not be paying taxes. In comparison, the owner of the hardware store may earn a measly sum and would be paying taxes. So who is more patriotic here?

Third, why is it that Akmal and his mob of Umno Youth members have not gathered to voice their displeasure? Surely the sale of state secrets is worse than displaying the flag wrongly?

Fourth, why is so much attention placed on a common man but there is only silence when it comes to offences by men in uniform? Should they not be granted the same attention, if not more? Why is no ultimatum given to the authorities on this?

Fifth, is Akmal, like most bullies, actually afraid of men in uniform? It would explain why he would go after an elderly man and not those in uniform.


If Akmal was really patriotic, he should have made their feelings known against the five senior MDIO officers on the onset of their detention. Selling out the country, as it is alleged to have taken place, is an unforgivable crime.


You have just bitten the hands that feed you.



Clement Stanley is an FMT reader.

***

JUST A LOW CLASS BULLY NIA 😂😂😂

What a soldier’s memoir says about Malaysia

FMT:

What a soldier’s memoir says about Malaysia


9 hours ago
Frankie D'Cruz


Retired major D Swami’s unflinching memoir forces us to rethink loyalty, race, and service

Retired major D Swami with Exigent Circumstances, a memoir of jungle wars, Somalia, and battles with bias. (Patrina Anjali pic)

PETALING JAYA: Some books inspire pride. Others confront us with truths we would rather avoid.

Retired army major D Swami’s memoir, Exigent Circumstances – A Soldier’s Journey Down the Road Less Travelled, belongs to the latter.

It unsettles, provokes, and refuses to let readers look away.


Few memoirs by service veterans cut this deep. Swami does not just recount campaigns; he exposes the lived reality of soldiering.

His story is one of demands, disillusionment, and unshakable duty across three decades in uniform.

From schoolboy to recruit to Somalia — D Swami’s life in service and sacrifice. (D Swami pic)


From counter-insurgency in Malaysia’s jungles to the chaos of Somalia, he fought not only enemies in the field but also the subtler battles of identity and belonging within the army itself.

This is no exercise in nostalgia. It is raw, unflinching, and deeply human. Yet through it all, Swami never stopped believing in service.

Born in 1954, he joined the army at 18, a spirited recruit from a big family in Nova Scotia Estate in Teluk Anson (now Teluk Intan), Perak.

Commissioned later into a Ranger battalion, he helped convert it from a standard company into a mechanised infantry, preparing it for Somalia.


He endured the brutality of boot camp, battled communist insurgents in the jungle, and faced the grim unpredictability of peacekeeping.

What sets the book apart is not the number of firefights survived, but how he lays bare the quieter war within — against bias, bureaucracy, and unspoken rules in uniform.

The quiet war within

Swami writes candidly about being a non-Malay soldier. Promotions and postings often depended on identity rather than merit.


Slurs were common. He recalls how “Hindu” was hurled as if it were a curse.

He does not wallow in bitterness, but neither does he excuse it.

His story forces larger questions: how much talent has Malaysia lost because prejudice outweighed ability?

What happens when loyalty to country is judged through race or creed?

These are not just military questions. They echo across politics, the economy, and daily life.

Amid this broken system, Swami still found brotherhood. On patrols and in foxholes, divisions dissolved.

Soldiers shared rations, carried each other through the jungle, and trusted one another with their lives.

Those who served with him called him “the Legend.” Not for gaming the system, but for putting himself at risk for his men.

They remember him not for his rank, but for his willingness to take bullets if it meant buying them a few more seconds.

This is the kind of brotherhood armies should forge — and the kind Malaysia still struggles to extend beyond uniforms.

In this sense, the memoir is more than one man’s account. It is a lesson in leadership: loyalty is earned, not commanded.

Retired major-general Toh Choon Siang notes in the foreword that it should be essential reading for young officers, teaching courage not only in battle but in moral choices.

Officers of the 7th Rangers with D Swami (second from left), the battalion that forged him into an officer of reckoning. (D Swami pic)


When compassion turns deadly

The most searing chapters come from Somalia in 1993. Swami describes famine, anarchy, and children chasing scraps of food.

One episode haunts him: a soldier tossed a food pack to starving children, only to watch a fight break out. A weaker child was stabbed to death over a single packet.

It is a brutal reminder that even kindness, without thought for consequences, can turn fatal.

The lesson stretches far beyond the battlefield: well-meaning policies, if careless or politicised, can worsen the very problems they aim to solve.

Brutal honesty, human flaws

This is not a self-glorifying tale. Swami admits mistakes, recklessness, even self-destructive choices.

He refused to play the “racial game” that might have eased his career.

In Somalia, he recalls his platoon commander relaying chilling orders: not to return fire because the attackers were “our brothers.”

Swami saw this as proof of the “our people” mentality creeping into the forces — a mindset that, he argues, weakened security. That it came from a convert made it even more disheartening.

Some may see his defiance as stubbornness. Others may call it integrity.

Either way, his honesty gives the book its weight. It is not propaganda, but one man’s truth, and by extension, a truth about Malaysia.

Old comrades, new mission: D Swami’s fellow officers rallied after his surgery to help publish his memoir. (L-R) Major Wong Sin Nang, major-general Toh Choon Siang, D Swami and captain Loo Choon Chew. (D Swami pic)

Lessons for Malaysia

Swami’s story forces reflection. When identity trumps merit, institutions weaken.

When sacrifices go unrecognised, the meaning of service itself is diminished.

Real patriotism is not loud slogans or parades. It is quiet endurance, often unthanked: the willingness to protect strangers who may never know your name.

It is found in soldiers sharing rations in the jungle, in officers shielding their men, in veterans who still love their country even when the system failed them.

In an age when Malaysia still wrestles with race and belonging, Swami’s memoir asks if we can finally value service equally.

The real test: can we honour sacrifice without first asking who made it?

The book ends with Swami in retirement after Somalia. His body is worn but his spirit undimmed.

His reward is not medals or promotions, but the love of family and the respect of comrades.

The system may not have given him his due. But he gave more than it ever gave back. In that, he found meaning larger than himself.

D Swami with his wife Mary Ann Choo and daughters Athalia Keisha (left) and Patrina Anjali (right) — the steadfast anchors behind his battles and his book. (D Swami pic)


Why this story matters

Exigent Circumstances is more than a war memoir. It is both warning and reminder — of how prejudice corrodes institutions, and how bonds of trust and sacrifice keep hope alive.

This is not just Swami’s story. It is Malaysia’s story from the ground up. And it is one we cannot afford to ignore.

Because service is not about what the country gives you. It is about what you choose to give, even when the country looks away.

A nation that cannot value all who serve, equally and without question, is a nation still at war with itself.

Israeli forces continue pounding Gaza, after killing at least 63 Palestinians in attacks across the Strip, including children and aid seekers

al Jazeera:

Israel pounds Gaza; protesters across globe denounce Gaza City famine

By Caolán Magee and Usaid Siddiqui

Published On 24 Aug 202524 Aug 2025

• Israeli forces continue pounding Gaza, after killing at least 63 Palestinians in attacks across the Strip, including children and aid seekers.
• Authorities in Gaza have denounced Israel’s plans to expel medical workers from Gaza City as its military continues its push to seize the city and forcibly displace about 1 million people.
• Thousands of people have taken to the streets of cities around the world after a UN panel officially declared famine in northern Gaza following months of Israel’s blockade on humanitarian supplies, including food and water.
• Israel’s war on Gaza has killed at least 62,622 people and wounded 157,673

• 

  One killed in Israeli attack on Gaza City’s Zeitoun

  A source at the al-Ahli Hospital says a Palestinian has been killed and several more wounded in an Israeli attack on the eastern Zeitoun neighbourhood of Gaza City.

  The attack comes as Israeli forces intensify their assault on the northern city amid plans to seize it and force a million Palestinians to the south to concentration zones.
• 48m ago

   (07:30 GMT)

  Nasser Hospital unable to cope with rising cases of malnourished children

  The head of the children’s department at Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis says the health crisis in southern Gaza has reached “a catastrophic level”, warning that the facility can no longer cope with the number of malnourished children seeking treatment.

  In a post on the hospital’s Facebook page, Dr Ahmed al-Farra said the facility would need “ten hospitals the size of the Nasser Complex” to handle the increasing number of cases of children suffering from malnutrition.

  There are currently 25 children hospitalised in critical condition, including those lying on the floor due to a lack of beds, he said.

  One in four children in Gaza is already suffering from malnutrition, and between 60,000 and 75,000 children in southern Gaza alone are at risk, he continued, calling the figures “horrifying and unprecedented”.

  “The malnutrition clinic in Nasser, which can only operate two days a week, receives more than 120 cases in a few hours, ten times the previous rates,” he said.

  Some children, al-Farra added, arrive at the hospital after losing their lives outside its gates “due to lack of milk and treatment”.

  

  A medical staff member prays in a room, designated for sterilising surgical tools, which also serves as a rest and prayer space for doctors and staff [File: Jehad Alshrafi/AP Photo]

7 harsh realities facing non-Malays and non-Muslims

FMT:

7 harsh realities facing non-Malays and non-Muslims


If we do not accept or merely deny these realities, the country will go nowhere, or worse, will slide even further down a perilous road

I am going to be blunt and a little harsh in this article. The nation is in a crisis, politically speaking. And although no buildings have been torched yet, nor lives lost, make no mistake – we are in a dire situation.

I am not referring to politicians like Dr Akmal Saleh and his racial rhetoric. But I am talking directly to us Malaysians, particularly those not of my race and religion.

To this group, there are seven realities that we as Malaysians must come to peace with before we talk about change. If we do not accept, or merely deny these realities, we will go nowhere or worse will slide even further down a perilous road.

The first reality is that the Malays will never change.

There is no gentle way to go about it: as an academic who has examined the matter thoroughly, I have come to the conclusion that the Malays will still hold on to their racial identity above being a Malaysian.

The Malays have been fed a narrative that they were here first and that they need not discard their identity, while others have to tiptoe around them.

Simply put, non-Malays are “pendatangs” as former prime Dr Mahathir Mohamad would say. And there is no use arguing about this with any Malay, that is the reality.

It is a line of thinking adopted regardless of their academic qualifications, be they a professor or an SPM school leaver.


A refusal to change

I once tried very hard to assemble a team of 10 Malay intellectuals to spearhead a movement to change the mindset of the Malays but there were no takers.

I also previously belonged to a G70 group of Malay professors and pushed for the same cause but they refused and I left. The Malays will simply not change.

Reality number two is that Islam will be weaponised to the point it would be worse than the race card being played. PAS will see to that, and so will independent preachers.

The muftis will enable it by being in agreement, or by just keeping silent. Academics too, especially those yearning to be made professors.

If the Malaysian Islamic Youth Movement (Abim) and Muslim NGO Ikram were once the voice of progressive Islam in the 70s and 80s, they have become as silent as a graveyard when it comes to pushing such ideals.

I tried again to get these two NGOs to work towards producing podcasts and videos to flood the internet with the progressive and inclusive Madani Islam but again it resulted in failure. These two NGOs are probably part of the conservative movement of Islam.

Abim and Ikram had taught its members and the children in their private religious school how to be good Muslims but they left out how to be good Malaysians and also a good human being.

Govt machinery

Reality number three is that the civil servants, the judiciary, educationists and security personnel are mostly Malays and so the machinery of government will be skewed towards one narrative.

Forget about finding out the truth about Teoh Beng Hock’s death, and the disappearances of Amri Che Mat and Pastor Raymond Koh.

None of these cases will ever be solved because perhaps there was no will to begin with. That is the reality. Also good luck finding M Indira Gandhi’s child, there is no will for that, too.

And unless the civil service and the security forces see a surge in non-Malay presence, with Kadazan, Ibans, Dayak, Chinese, Indians and Orang Asli, the civil service will never change.

Living with compromises

The fourth reality is that from now onwards, we will have a mixed government.

Unless PAS and Bersatu manage to rope in Umno and establish a Malay coalition, we must deal with a mixed government situation. If voters stay home, then it will be a single race government.

Thus, in a mixed government, compromises must be reached among enemies-turned-allies.

And we Malaysians must stomach this and not sulk and cry while our heroes work with politicians with a history of corruption, race baiting and religious extremism. There are no two ways about this. This is the reality.

The fifth reality is within all of us, there must be patience. If we can be patient with our families, spouses, children as they change towards the better, why do we shirk being patient about changes in our country?

If we cannot be patient, then we do not deserve change. In the Qur’an, God said that He will not change a society until the society changes itself.

Challenge to free speech

The sixth reality is that there should no longer be unrestricted freedom of speech. It is a double-edged sword. Those clamouring for free speech and the right to assemble should bear in mind that it also means the likes of Akmal would be free to carry on with their antics.

Finally, the seventh reality is that we need to change the way we respond to changing political alliance and context.

We Malaysians must be flexible at all times and not be rigid.

Stop listening to podcasters who clamour for change (but know not how to do it) and for swimming against the political current.

Malaysians must support each other in all things because the enemy is sometimes a single solid mass of one race or it is the stupidity of our own selves.

We must learn new things and new ways and not settle on what we have been doing, because where has that got us? No where. So, we must change. How to change will be dealt with in another article.

These are the seven realities about our country. Our country is our family and in families we have all dealt with these realities in a different frame of things. We must do the same in retrospective and introspective modes about where we want to go, and how we are to get there – eventually.

No hope for PSM in nation hooked on hopium

FMT:

No hope for PSM in nation hooked on hopium


Unlike some parties which check to see if the people affected are members of their race or religion before committing themselves, PSM enters the fray on the principle that these are Malaysians

Parti Sosialis Malaysia’s (PSM) decision to stay out of the loose opposition coalition announced by Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin on Aug 18 shows its resolve to stay above the politics of race and religion.

PSM chairman Dr Michael Jeyakumar Devaraj rightly noted that many of the parties that Muhyiddin had put together played on ethnic issues.


“Whether it’s the Malay parties or the Indian parties, they play on ethnic issues. We feel very uncomfortable in a coalition that does that,” FMT quoted him as saying on Aug 19.

Muhyiddin had said that 11 opposition parties had agreed to form a loose coalition to hold the government accountable and to pressure Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to carry out his reform pledges.


The 11 are: Bersatu, PAS, Gerakan, Pejuang, Muda, the Malaysian Indian People’s Party (MIPP), Putra, Berjasa, Urimai, the Malaysian Advancement Party (MAP) and the National Indian Muslim Alliance Party (Iman).

Except perhaps for Muda and Gerakan, the rest of the parties mentioned are heavily into race or religion. And Gerakan is multiracial largely on paper.

Over the years, PSM has proved to be a principled party: it has never been interested in power by all means or any means.

And by not joining the 11 others in this loose coalition, it has again shown that it does not want power if it means pandering to race or religion.


In May, a report quoted political analysts as suggesting that PSM rebrand itself to improve its political standing, especially among the Malays.

PSM deputy chairman S Arutchelvan, acknowledging that the party lacked Malay support, asked: “PSM can instantly become the champion of one ethnicity but fail to be champion of all. Is this the kind of rebranding which PSM needs, which other race-based parties are very capable of?

“Should PSM shelve its grassroots work, which other parties don’t do, and only focus on sensational issues that can instantly put us in the limelight?”

Arutchelvan – who is always jumping to the defence of the small man, the downtrodden Malaysian – is right about grassroots work. Party members have never been afraid to roll up their sleeves and wade into the mud – both figuratively and metaphorically – in order to help people on the ground, even getting arrested in the process.

At the risk of being thought of as a PSM backer or of exaggerating, I have to say that if there is a problem for the common man or underdog, PSM is almost always there.

For instance, commenting on the government’s proposed Urban Renewal Act (URA) in April, Jeyakumar noted that the proposed legislation provided compensation for property owners forced to sell their property but ignored the fact that a significant number of residents in rundown housing units did not own the units.

“They are poor families which have sought out residences with low rentals because they cannot afford rental elsewhere. The URA talks about compensating the owners of these properties but is silent about the housing needs of the impoverished families that are renting units. This omission must be rectified,” he said.

For instance, last October, the party collected 10,000 signatures calling on the government to introduce a pension scheme for senior citizens in the 2025 budget. “We are doing this because we understand how difficult it is for senior citizens who do not have savings and those who have to rely on their children for financial support,” Jeyakumar said.

For instance, PSM members joined a farmer’s protest in Perak last October after the farmers were given one week to clear out of their farms as these were situated on land owned by the Perak Development Corporation.

And unlike some other parties which check to see if the people affected are members of their race or religion before committing themselves, PSM enters the fray on the principle that these are Malaysians.

Also, unlike leaders of some parties who have been arrested for inciting hatred or making racist or extremist remarks or threats, PSM leaders have been arrested in relation to protests demanding better treatment for the poor and disenfranchised.

Again, unlike most other parties, PSM is a poor party and depends largely on volunteers. Corporations and rich businessmen are willing to pour in money to some of the major parties during elections but not PSM because it champions the workers and demands higher basic wages for them.

PSM refuses to cosy up to big business. So, it remains a poor party for the poor man.

It is obvious from election results that PSM does not have sufficient support to win any seat – whether parliamentary or state – on its own.

This is largely because the entire Malaysian political edifice has been largely built on racial considerations, and, in recent years, increasingly on religious considerations.

It is unfortunate that many Malaysian voters have not attained the maturity to vote for principled parties or principled politicians.

The majority are easily persuaded by racial and religious rhetoric to vote for candidates of their own race or religion; or to vote for those who make lofty promises and offer them hopium – a slang term combining “hope” and “opium” which means having an unrealistically optimistic outlook.

And like the drug addict who is constantly searching for drugs, most Malaysian voters are hooked on hopium.

In their constant search for some major party or other to fulfil their hopes and dreams of a truly united and progressive Malaysia, voters – – again and again dismissing past disappointments – become unrealistically hopeful.

UK’s Farage sets out plan for ‘mass deportation’ of asylum seekers

UK’s Farage sets out plan for ‘mass deportation’ of asylum seekers



Former Brexit campaigner Nigel Farage set out plans yesterday for "mass deportations" of migrants who have crossed the English Channel on small boats if his Reform UK party forms Britain's next government. — Reuters pic

Sunday, 24 Aug 2025 10:40 AM MYT



LONDON, Aug 24 —Former Brexit campaigner Nigel Farage set out plans yesterday for "mass deportations" of migrants who have crossed the English Channel on small boats if his Reform UK party forms Britain's next government.

In an interview with yesterday's edition of The Times newspaper, Farage said he would withdraw Britain from the European Convention on Human Rights and sign deals with Afghanistan, Eritrea and other top countries of origin to repatriate illegal migrants.


"We can be nice to people, we can be nice to other countries, or we can be very tough to other countries... I mean (US President Donald) Trump has proved this point quite comprehensively," Farage said.

Asked if he was concerned that asylum seekers would be killed or tortured if they were sent to countries with poor human rights records, Farage said he was more worried about the threat he believed asylum seekers posed to Britons.


"I can't be responsible for despotic regimes all over the world. But I can be responsible for the safety of women and girls on our streets," he said.


Britain has seen regular small-scale protests in recent weeks outside hotels housing asylum seekers, spurred in part by concerns about public safety after some migrants were charged with sexual assault.

Broader opinion polls show that immigration and asylum are the public's greatest concern, just ahead of the economy, and Reform UK - which won five seats at last year's general election - has topped recent voting intention polls.


Last year 37,000 people - mostly from Afghanistan, Syria, Iran, Vietnam and Eritrea - arrived in Britain from France by crossing the English Channel in small boats. The total was up by a quarter from 2023 and accounted for 9 per cent of net migration.

About two-thirds of people who arrive via small boats and claim asylum are successful and only 3% have been deported, according to figures analysed by the University of Oxford.

Farage told The Times he would end the right to claim asylum or to challenge deportation for those who arrived by small boats by replacing existing human rights legislation and opting Britain out of refugee treaties, citing a national emergency.

"The aim of this legislation is mass deportations," Farage said, adding that a "massive crisis" caused by asylum seekers was fuelling public anger.

The Times said Farage wanted to create holding facilities for 24,000 migrants on air bases at a cost of £2.5 billion (RM14.2 billion) and operate five deportation flights a day with total deportations reaching the hundreds of thousands.

If that failed, asylum seekers could be held on Ascension Island, a British territory in the South Atlantic, to send a symbolic message, Farage said. — Reuters

Court awards Sanusi RM670,000 in defamation case over REE and Marris remarks, orders Saifuddin Nasution to apologise

Court awards Sanusi RM670,000 in defamation case over REE and Marris remarks, orders Saifuddin Nasution to apologise



Kedah Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor is pictured at the Federal Court in Putrajaya January 6, 2025. — Picture by Firdaus Latif

Sunday, 24 Aug 2025 12:55 PM MYT


KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 24 — Kedah Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor won his defamation suit against Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail over allegations of rare earth element (REE) theft and financial mismanagement.

The Alor Setar High Court ordered Saifuddin to pay RM600,000 in damages and RM70,000 in legal costs after ruling that his remarks were defamatory, according to New Straits Times.


The suit stemmed from two statements made by Saifuddin during the Kedah state election campaign in July 2023.

Sanusi contended that the remarks, which alleged misuse of Malaysian Road Records Information System (Marris) allocations and hinted at his involvement in misconduct related to rare earth elements, harmed his reputation and insinuated corrupt behaviour.


High Court Judge John Lee Kien How @ Mohamad Johan Lee said in his ruling that the defendant failed to prove, on a balance of probabilities, any factual basis to support his allegations.



The court found that the statements referred to Sanusi, were published by Saifuddin, and carried defamatory meaning.

The defence of fair comment was rejected after the judge ruled that the remarks were not grounded in verified facts.


Sanusi had initially sought RM5 million in total damages, including general, aggravated and exemplary claims.

The court awarded global damages of RM600,000 in line with prevailing practice, along with RM70,000 in costs and ordered Saifuddin to publish an apology in one Malay-language and one English-language newspaper within 14 days, subject to Sanusi’s approval.

The court also issued a permanent injunction barring Saifuddin from republishing the statements.

Sanusi was represented by Wan Rohimi Wan Daud, Yusfarizal Yussof, Mohd Faizi Che Abu and Nur Iffah Hizwani Omar.

The defence team comprised Navpreet Singh, William Leong and Sakina Siraj.

***

Fei-Lo wins - Hurrah 😂😂😂

Defence ministry opens new tender for helicopters after King’s safety call over ageing Black Hawks

 

Defence ministry opens new tender for helicopters after King’s safety call over ageing Black Hawks



Sultan Ibrahim decreed that the proposal to acquire more than 30-year-old Black Hawk helicopters be cancelled, taking into account the age and safety level of the aircraft, which could endanger the lives of pilots. — Reuters file pic

Sunday, 24 Aug 2025 1:17 PM MYT


KOTA TINGGI, Aug 24 — The Ministry of Defence has opened a new tender for the leasing of four helicopters for the Malaysian Army Aviation Unit (PUTD) following the cancellation of the previous award to a company that failed to deliver the four Black Hawk helicopters.

Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin said the new tender, which will close this September, will take into account various aspects including the type of helicopter, the age of the asset, leasing cost, operational lifespan as well as the level of flight safety before any decision is made.


“The tender for the leasing of four helicopters for Army use has already been opened and during the evaluation we will consider the views that have been decreed by His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia,” he told reporters here today.

Last November, the Ministry of Defence announced the cancellation notice of the leasing contract for four Black Hawk helicopters to the company that had previously won the tender after it failed to meet the deadline despite an extension being granted until the end of October last year.

Mohamed Khaled said the ministry had taken stern action by imposing penalties and withdrawing the performance bond deposited by the company.

Sultan Ibrahim, had previously decreed that the proposal to acquire more than 30-year-old Black Hawk helicopters be cancelled, taking into account the age and safety level of the aircraft, which could endanger the lives of pilots.

Meanwhile, regarding the incident of the Royal Malaysian Air Force F/A-18D Hornet fighter jet that was completely destroyed in a crash at the Kuantan Air Base, he said a special investigation board has been established to identify the actual cause of the incident.

He said aircraft of the same type have been temporarily grounded until the results of the investigation are obtained to ensure such incidents do not recur.

“Out of eight Hornets, only seven are operational now. We want to ensure that all aspects of safety are given full attention,” he said.

He also expressed gratitude that the pilot and co-pilot survived the incident, and urged all parties to give space to the investigation team to carry out their work thoroughly. — Bernama

***

All well and good BUT DON'T FRIGGING award the new contract to the SAME COMPANY that had failed to deliver on time - ya, jangan buat ta'tahu and do it again

Trump crime crackdown deploys troops in Washington’s safest sites

Trump crime crackdown deploys troops in Washington’s safest sites



A demonstrator holds a placard during a protest on U Street after US President Donald Trump deployed the National Guard and ordered an increased presence of federal law enforcement to assist in crime prevention, in Washington, DC, August 23, 2025. — Reuters pic

Sunday, 24 Aug 2025 9:06 AM MYT



WASHINGTON, Aug 24 — Hundreds of National Guard soldiers in military fatigues and combat boots mingled with tourists, posed for selfies, and treated themselves to ice cream from food trucks on Thursday along Washington’s National Mall, one of the safest parts of America’s capital.

On occasion an angry local would hurl verbal abuse at them, but the soldiers simply shrugged and carried on what appeared to be an undemanding assignment.


Outside the National Museum of African American History and Culture, five members of the West Virginia National Guard were standing on the street corner far away from the city’s crime hot spots.

“It’s boring. We’re not really doing much,” said Sergeant Fox, who declined to give his first name.


Fox is among almost 2,000 troops, including 1,200 from six Republican-led states, who are being deployed in Washington as part of an extraordinary militarisation inside the Democratic-led city.


The soldiers, some of whom told Reuters they did not get involved in arrests, are officially in Washington to support a federal crackdown on what President Donald Trump calls a crime epidemic. But that depiction appears to run counter to the fact that crime rates overall have shrunk in recent years.

That disconnect, combined with the troop concentration near the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial and in view of the US Capitol, highlights criticism by the city’s Democratic leaders that this massive deployment is more a show of power by Trump, rather than a serious effort to fight crime.


Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser said this week she did not think the arrival of troops was about tackling crime. She also expressed concern about the presence of “an armed militia in the nation’s capital.”

The soldiers seen by Reuters on Thursday were not armed, but the Pentagon said on Friday the troops will soon be on mission with their service-issued weapons.

By contrast with central Washington, residents of Ward 8 in the city’s southeast - the area with the highest crime rate - said there was not a guardsman in sight. With the ward’s murder rate dwarfing that of most other neighborhoods, many locals said they would welcome troops on their streets.

“I haven’t seen any. This is where they need to be,” said Shawana Turner, 50, a housing case manager on a Ward 8 street.

The Joint Task Force for the District of Columbia, which is leading the crime crackdown, said where National Guard troops are deployed is based on requests from law enforcement agencies.

Abigail Jackson, a White House spokeswoman, said teams of federal law enforcement officials are making arrests in Washington’s highest crime areas every night.

“The National Guard is not making arrests at this time, their role is to protect federal assets - including law enforcement officers - and provide a visible law enforcement presence,” she said.

The troops are one element of a surge of local and federal law enforcement agents in Washington, including the FBI, who have conducted active arrest operations since Trump announced earlier this month that he was federalizing law enforcement responsibility in Washington.

Rare deployments

Deploying troops on American streets is rare and controversial. National Guard have been sent to Washington in recent years, to help bolster security at presidential inaugurations and during protests, including the January 6, 2021 riot at the US Capitol by Trump supporters.

But the city’s declining crime rate, coupled with the limited involvement of the troops in crime fighting, has raised questions about the political motivations behind the current deployment.

Randy Manner, a retired National Guard major general, said he believed the deployment is a step towards Trump sending National Guard troops into other Democratic-led cities.

“Not in our lifetimes has a president said that I’m going to use uniformed soldiers to reduce crime,” Manner told Reuters.

“There will be soldiers in other cities in the not-too-distant future. We’re turning this into a militarized environment, and it’s extremely sad.”

During a visit to a police base in Washington on Thursday, Trump said his law enforcement crackdown will “go onto other places.” Earlier this month Trump suggested he could shift his focus to cities including Chicago and New York.

To be sure, the presence of the guard in the heart of Washington was welcomed by some visitors.

As troops on the National Mall mingled with tourists from the U.S. and abroad, a group of guardsmen from Mississippi were walking alongside Anu Pokharel, his wife, and two daughters aged 8 and 5.

The software engineer, 43, who lived in Washington in the 1990s, was visiting the city with his family from Boston.

He said he supported the deployment. “It feels cleaner and safer,” he said.

Printed statements

As they strolled around central Washington, some soldiers told Reuters that they did not expect to get involved in arrests.

Specialist Nevaeh Lekanudos, part of West Virginia’s National Guard, was outside a Metro station in the National Mall with several fellow guard members. She said she had not assisted in crime incidents or arrests.

Asked if she thought that is likely, she said, “Honestly at this rate I don’t believe so.” She added by being deployed in the National Mall, “it frees up the local law enforcement to do what they need to do.”

Reuters spoke to 20 National Guard members, from West Virginia, South Carolina, Mississippi, and Tennessee. Governors from two other Republican-led states, Ohio and Louisiana, have also sent National Guard troops at Trump’s request.

Most of the soldiers told Reuters they had been instructed not to talk to the press. Instead they had all been issued with a printed statement they produced from their pockets. It states that they are in the city to support “district and federal law enforcement by keeping DC beautiful and safe.” — Reuters

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Trump is turning USA into a police state - O Nancy what a beautiful sight 😂😂😂👍👍👍

Will Malaya one day secede from Malaysia? Is project Malaysia in long term danger?

Murray Hunter


Will Malaya one day secede from Malaysia?
Is project Malaysia in long term danger?


Aug 24, 2025





There is a clear danger the Federation of Malaya may one day secede from Malaysia. This is not as far fetched as it seems. The Ketuanan Melayu (Malay Supremacy) narratives have become so contrary to concepts of inclusiveness, multi-culturalism, diversity, freedom of religion, and even democracy, that other ethnic groups living within Malaysia are feeling estranged, alienation, and marginalized to the body politic of the nation. This is not only a feeling within the people, but the state political elites of both Sabah and Sarawak both privately share these concerns.

A cultural hegemony has descended upon Malaysia and threatening the very basis of multi-culturalism, the prime tenant project Malaysia was conceptualised and agreed upon. Alternative ideologies and views of Malaysia are subverted and suppressed, with the federal government overtly pursuing Malay-centric policies, wrapped up within Bumiputera initiatives in fiscal policies and development priorities. The backbone and policy implementor of the government, the civil service is clearly committed to the so called ‘Malay agenda’, severely damaging the nation’s aspirations of multi-culturalism.

The view of the Semenanjung (Malay Peninsula) from Sabah and Sarawak is of an ideological Islamic government, intent on imposing its version of religion, culture, and social order, forcibly upon them.

Although this state of affairs is not yet unreconcilable at the present, a strong hard-line Malay-centric government could very easily change the dynamics of nationhood. With the Ketuanan Melayu doctrine becoming much more exclusionist in the view of how Malaysia should be, the tipping point could be passed, where any reconciliation may become inconceivable.

There have been a number of irresponsible comments made by politicians on the Malay-centric side of politics that have ruffled the feathers of Sabah and Sarawak’s leaders. In addition, Islam itself is being promoted as a hybrid nationalist theology that is combining Malayness with Islam.

This is potentially at great cost to the tenant of multi-culturalism. This Ketuanan Melayu hybrid is becoming the single most insurmountable barrier to the creation of a united Malaysian society.

The nature of federal politics today is centred around peninsula based parties gaining a majority of seats and then using support from Sabah and Sarawak’s political groupings to gain and hold onto government. These parties have been so contemptuous of Sabah and Sarawak politics, most peninsula based parties have entered into Sabah and Sarawak directly, trying to bypass local sentiment.

UMNO for more than a decade ran the Sabah state government, reneging of the chief minister rotation agreement. UMNO dominance was achieved through social engineering, where hundreds of thousands of migrants were let into Sabah and allowed to vote. The Kadazan-Dusun peoples who once had a strong influence in political and social life in Sabah have been marginalized.

Sarawak, has been much better at preventing federal influence, and is now almost an autonomous region within Malaysia, hedging out potential interference in every aspect of life the government has influence over.

The First-Past-The-Post (FPTP) electoral system adopted from the former colonial master Britain was accepted into Malaysian politics without considering the consequences. The FPTP system polarizes elections so one party can govern with a stable majority, at the cost of inclusiveness of minority views. Malaysia must shed itself of these old colonial relics and introduce an electoral system more conducive to enhancing Malaysian nationhood.

The federal government through the education system has indoctrinated generations of Malays with Ketuanan Melayu assumptions about the nature of Malaysia. They have been told of the threats against the Malay way of life and Islam, by internal and external aggressors. This mythical clear and present danger to Islam has made today’s Malays much more hard-line in their views to non-Muslims. The identity of a Malay and Muslim has been synergised, making the two personas inseparable.

Ketuanan Melayu is not just an ideology anymore, its part of the Malay personality in those who were subjected to the local education system.

The heartland Malays see that Malay sovereignty must be protected, and civil servants see themselves with a sacred duty to defend the mythical Malay agenda. Some see an Islamic state as the ultimate way of ensuring survival. Politicians have pandered to this ideology, which is eating away at the aspiration of a multi-cultural Malaysia, rich and strong with diversity. Malays have been led to believe that diversity itself is an attack on Malays and Islam.

Even though the parliament just passed a bill to realign the status of Malaya, Sabah, and Sarawak within the constitution, the workings of the original agreement are greatly weakened towards the centralist tendencies of Putra Jaya. Not just Sabah and Sarawak have been the victim of this. State civil servants around the nation know of the condescending attitudes of federal civil servants towards them.

If there is not a change in the political narrative in the country, there is a risk that the invisible fabric holding together the three parties to project Malaysia could start to untether. This would be the ultimate cost of the Ketuanan Melayu ideology, which should have been an old political relic left back in the history of Malaya, before it became a part of Malaysia.

This should have been replaced with a new form of inclusive patriotic narrative that bonded the nation together as one. The South China Sea is still just as much a psychological, as it is a physical divide.

Some of the forces that brought together the parties into becoming the Malaysian nation, such as the physical threats by Indonesia and the Philippines on East Malaysia have gone. The dynamics of the region are also going to change with the building of the new Indonesian capital Nusantara on the island of Borneo. The future influence of Nusantara on Sabah and Sarawak will come to challenge that of Putra Jaya.

Slogans like 1Malaysia and Keluarga Malaysia are just empty drums. Ironically those leaders who espoused a Malaysian Malaysia over the years were put into detention over the decades, under the bequest of Ketuanan Melayu advocates. History has been revised to strengthen the ideology of Ketuanan Melayu at the cost of unifying the nation of Malaysia. Instead of cultures being assimilated into one nation, the nation is now a segregated as group of societies that only interact minimally.

Culturally, socially, and politically Malaysia operates as three countries in one. Unless there is a major effort made to rebuild the mantle of the Malaysian nation, Malaya will become estranged from Malaysia.

This is a tragedy for project Malaysia. Something must be done to rebuild a sense of nationhood before its too late.

'They no longer recognize themselves': The growing crisis among Israel's security forces - opinion

'They no longer recognize themselves': The growing crisis among Israel's security forces - opinion

The survey, carried out among 111 participants – including active-duty soldiers, career service members, reservists, and ZAKA volunteers – focused on post-traumatic symptoms

Tired pensive military man feeling worry and despair overhead view. Psychological trauma and PTSD treatment at therapy session. Tired pensive military man feeling worry and despair overhead view(photo credit: INGIMAGE) 

By GABY KASHY-ROSENBAUM

AUGUST 23, 2025 18:08


A new study that I conducted at Ashkelon Academic College reveals the silent mental health crisis affecting Israel’s security forces.

The findings point to troubling levels of hidden distress, avoidance of seeking help, post-traumatic symptoms, and suicidal thoughts – particularly among career soldiers, reservists, and ZAKA volunteers.

The survey, carried out among 111 participants – including active-duty soldiers, career service members, reservists, and ZAKA volunteers – focused on post-traumatic symptoms.

Among the questions, one was asked directly: “Do you have suicidal thoughts?” Nearly one-third (30%) answered yes, in varying degrees of severity. About 10% reported post-traumatic symptoms so severe that they could be classified as PTSD at the highest clinical levels.

The study further found that 75% of respondents do not seek professional help on their own initiative, while 52% admitted to concealing negative emotions. Researchers described this as a pattern of “double avoidance”: suppressing emotions internally while also avoiding therapeutic contact.

Israeli soldiers with PTSD, demanding better rights and conditions, block a road outside the Knesset, Israel’s parliament in Jerusalem, August 18, 2025. (credit: CHAIM GOLDBEG/FLASH90)

The correlations were clear. Concealment of emotions was strongly linked to PTSD symptoms, especially dissociation and avoidance, while suicidal thoughts were associated with all categories of post-traumatic distress.

Moreover, the more severe the exposure to traumatic events, the greater both the intensity of PTSD symptoms and the likelihood of suicidal ideation. Seeking professional help, in contrast, emerged as a significant protective factor.

Silent struggles after service

While the study identified certain protective elements – such as religious faith and perceived social support – the researchers stressed that these cannot replace professional treatment.

Career soldiers and reservists were found to be particularly vulnerable, often returning to civilian life without systemic support: no continuity of care, minimal follow-up, and cultural barriers that discourage open discussion of trauma.

Many reported feelings of guilt, loss of identity, and alienation. For some, their sense of value exists only on the battlefield; at home, they no longer recognize themselves.

A growing wave of suicides

The study is published against a grim backdrop: in recent weeks, eight suicides have been reported in connection with the war and the October 7 attacks. Among the victims were active-duty soldiers, reservists, career personnel, and ZAKA volunteers.

One of them, Master Sergeant (res.) Ariel Meir Taman had served continuously since the outbreak of the war, working in body identification. “He never showed any difficulty. He only strengthened us,” his sister recalled.

Experts warn that those who project outward strength – those who insist they are “fine” – may be at the highest risk. Their silence, combined with a cultural tendency to cope alone, leaves them dangerously isolated.

Don’t be afraid to ask

The researchers emphasize that open, non-judgmental dialogue can save lives. It is important not to fear asking directly about suicidal thoughts.

It is crucial to understand: a suicidal person is almost always ambivalent – thinking about death yet searching for hope. They may consider ending their life, but deep down, they are longing for someone to notice, to see their suffering, and to stop them.

A caring, open, and non-judgmental conversation can become a life-saving moment. Sometimes, a single brave question – asked without judgment, without clichés, and without fear – can be the lifeline for which a person is searching.

The writer is head of the education track and a senior lecturer in the multidisciplinary department at Ashkelon Academic College, specializing in trauma research

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All is not well with the World's most IMMORAL army