Cabinet reshuffle after PKR polls? Still needed to fill Tengku Zafrul’s spot: analyst

Analysts have opined that a cabinet reshuffle is needed following the PKR elections, expected to be held in May, as Tengku Zafrul will be ending his tenure as senator. - Scoop file pic, March 31, 2025


Cabinet reshuffle after PKR polls? Still needed to fill Tengku Zafrul’s spot: analyst


Investment, trade and industry minister will complete his two-term tenure as senator this December, marking a need for leadership changes



Irwan Shafrizan Ismail
Updated 1 hour ago
31 March, 2025
8:00 AM MYT


KUALA LUMPUR – Changes in the leadership of Pakatan Harapan (PH) component parties are expected to pave the way for a cabinet reshuffle, with analysts suggesting it could take place as early as mid-year.

Speaking to Scoop, political analyst and associate professor from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia Mazlan Ali noted that DAP had recently concluded its party elections, while PKR is set to hold its own in May.

“One of the key drivers for this reshuffle is the leadership changes within PH’s component parties, with DAP having just completed its elections and PKR’s upcoming polls in May.

“Moreover, the Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz will be completing his tenure as a senator, having reached the two-term limit. This adds to the necessity for a cabinet reshuffle,” he said when contacted by Scoop.

He added that with two years remaining until the 16th general election (GE16), now would be an appropriate time for Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to strengthen his ministerial lineup through a reshuffle.

“The prime minister wants a cabinet team that is capable of delivering results in the lead-up to GE16.

“Hence, Anwar needs time to ensure that the new cabinet can implement its plans effectively for the people.

“He wants to ensure public satisfaction with his administration so that he gains strong trust and confidence to retain power,” he said.

Previously, there had been speculation that Anwar might carry out a minor reshuffle following the recent results of DAP’s Central Executive Committee (CEC) elections.

Among the key figures in question was Deputy Finance Minister Lim Hui Ying, who ranked 31st out of 64 candidates contesting. Hui Ying is the daughter of veteran DAP leader Tan Sri Lim Kit Siang.

Meanwhile, Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reforms), M. Kulasegaran, did not defend his position in the CEC, stepping aside for new leadership.

However, on March 17, the prime minister hinted that no cabinet reshuffle would take place despite the leadership changes within DAP’s CEC for the 2025-2028 term.

Meanwhile, political analyst and associate professor from the University of Malaya’s Centre for Democracy and Elections Awang Azman Awang Pawi said that a reshuffle remains necessary due to the vacancy that will be left by Tengku Zafrul.

Tengku Zafrul is set to complete his term as a senator in December. He has also been nominated as the new Badminton Association of Malaysia president for the 2025-2029 term.

“A xabinet reshuffle is certainly needed to fill the vacancy left by Tengku Zafrul.

“In my view, Tengku Zafrul’s position could be taken over by Datuk Seri Johari Ghani, who is seen as an experienced politician from Umno,” he said.

He also noted that if Tengku Zafrul, who is rumoured to be joining PKR, follows through, it could add value to the party as it gears up for GE16.

“He represents the elite and technocratic group that transcends party lines. However, he must clarify his political direction to the grassroots of any party he wishes to join to gain wider acceptance.

“Based on his history with Umno, he may struggle to win a seat unless placed in a PKR stronghold. However, PKR itself has many long-time members who have been waiting for their turn to contest,” he added. – March 31, 2025

‘Tan Sri’ arrested in RM10 mil scam case not Steven Sim’s advisor: minister’s press secretary

Human Resources Minister Steven Sim's office has denied appointing any individual as the minister's advisor, in response to a claim that a businessman recently arrested for scamming people was holding such a position. - Bernama file pic, March 31, 2025


‘Tan Sri’ arrested in RM10 mil scam case not Steven Sim’s advisor: minister’s press secretary


Clarification issued to deny news report that the individual serves as advisor to the Human Resources Minister


Scoop Reporters
Updated 1 hour ago
31 March, 2025
3:00 PM MYT


PUTRAJAYA — The “Tan Sri” arrested on March 29 for allegedly scamming the public of RM10 million is not an advisor to Human Resources Minister Steven Sim, the minister’s press secretary said.

Abdul Hakim Ab Rahman said Sim had never appointed any individual as his advisor, in response to claims about an individual who is allegedly serving as an advisor.

“Any inquiries regarding positions within the Minister’s Office or the Human Resources Ministry should be directed to the ministry’s official channels,” Bernama reported Abdul Hakim saying in a statement, today.

The clarification follows a report by a news portal alleging that a businessman with the title Tan Sri – who is believed to have defrauded the public of RM10 million – was an advisor to the Human Resources Minister.

On March 29, police arrested the Tan Sri businessman with 30 years of experience in the oil and gas industry at his residence in Jalan U-Thant in the capital.

The 59-year-old man is believed to have collected about RM10 million from various individuals by claiming he had close ties with the police and could hep resolve their money-laundering cases.

“He further asserted that the money collected would be handed over to the police to prevent the victims from facing any legal action or investigations under Amla,” Bernama reported, citing a police source on the arrest.

The Tan Sri was arrested by Bukit Aman’s Anti-Money Laundering Act (Amla) Criminal Investigation Team.

Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Razarudin Husain reportedly said police would hold a press conference on the case soon. – March 31, 2025

Village Bully: "Suck my *^%# or I'll beat the sheet out of you"

Trump warns Iran of bombing if no nuclear deal, Tehran rejects direct talks



It was not clear whether Trump was threatening bombing by US planes alone or perhaps in an operation coordinated with Israel. — AFP pic

Monday, 31 Mar 2025 10:40 AM MYT


WASHINGTON, March 31 — US President Donald Trump has threatened that Iran will be bombed if it persists in developing nuclear weapons.

“If they don’t make a deal, there will be bombing,” NBC News said the president told one of its correspondents in an interview late Saturday. It said he also threatened to punish Iran with what he called “secondary tariffs.”

Trump’s language represented a sharpening of his comment a few days earlier that if Tehran refused to negotiate a new nuclear agreement, “bad, bad things are going to happen to Iran.”

It was not clear whether Trump was threatening bombing by US planes alone or perhaps in an operation coordinated with Israel.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar told Politico late last month that “in order to stop a nuclear Iranian program before it will be weaponized, a reliable military option should be on the table.”

Analysts have said Iran may be just weeks away from producing a deliverable nuclear weapon—though Tehran denies it is building such arms. Either way, such an attack carries a risk of spreading to a wider conflict.

Trump in 2018 pulled the United States out of an agreement to relieve sanctions on Iran in return for curbs on its nuclear program.

Now, in his second term, he has said he is open to talks on a new deal that could reduce the risk of military escalation.

Trump revealed in early March that he had sent a letter proposing such talks to Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Meantime, he has pushed ahead with his “maximum pressure” program of additional sanctions and the threat of military action.

Tehran, deeply suspicious of the US administration after Trump’s withdrawal from the original nuclear deal, has refused to negotiate directly with Washington.

According to NBC, Trump also said US and Iranian officials were “talking,” but he did not give details.

In a video published early Sunday by Iranian state media, President Masoud Pezeshkian said that Tehran’s response to Trump, delivered to intermediaries in Oman by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, said that “direct negotiations were rejected.”

But, he added, “The supreme leader has also emphasized that indirect negotiations can continue.”

“We do not avoid negotiations,” said Pezeshkian, a reformist who has called for reviving nuclear talks with the US.

“Rather, it is their unfaithfulness that has caused problems for us so far. They must prove that they can establish trust regarding decisions, and I hope this will materialize.”

It was unclear whether Trump had spoken to NBC before or after Pezeshkian made his comments.

Oman has in the past served as an intermediary between the US and Iran. — AFP

Israeli strikes kill 33, including 13 children in Gaza

Israeli strikes kill 33, including 13 children in Gaza

Bernama
Published: Mar 31, 2025 11:11 AM
Updated: 6:11 PM



Thirty-three Palestinians, including 13 children, have been killed and several others injured since early Sunday in Israeli airstrikes across several areas in the Gaza Strip on the first day of Aidilfitri, Anadolu Ajansi reported.

Witnesses and medics told Anadolu that Israeli airstrikes targeted homes, a tent shelter, and civilian vehicles in Gaza City, Jabalia in the north, and Khan Younis in the south.

Seventeen people, including eight children, were killed when Israeli strikes hit several areas, including a family’s house in the town of Bani Suheila, east of Khan Younis, and a tent sheltering displaced families in Qizan Raswan, south of the city, according to medical sources.

Israeli tanks and artillery also pounded the eastern areas of Abasan al-Kabira, east of Khan Younis, with gunfire striking residential homes, they added.

In Gaza City, one Palestinian was killed and others were wounded when Israeli warplanes targeted three civilian vehicles in the Tuffah neighbourhood, medics said.

In northern Gaza, two young girls were killed and several others injured after Israeli fighter jets bombed the Maqbel family home in the Jurn area of Jabalia, they added.

A medical source told Anadolu that Israeli warplanes targeted a home on Mushtaha Street in the Shejaiya neighbourhood, eastern Gaza City, killing five Palestinians and injuring several others.

Additionally, two children were killed in an Israeli tank shelling that hit their home in eastern Jabalia, northern Gaza.

The source also confirmed the death of two Palestinians and injuries to others when Israeli forces shelled a tent housing displaced persons east of the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza.

Moreover, two Palestinians were killed and several others injured when Israeli forces targeted a tent near the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza.

A young man and a child died from their injuries following an Israeli bombardment on the Khan Younis camp and the al-Mawasi area, located in the southern Gaza Strip, the source added.

Amid relentless Israeli bombardment, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza performed Aidilfitri prayers over the rubble of destroyed mosques, in displacement shelters, and beside the ruins of their homes.

The Israeli army launched a surprise aerial campaign on the Gaza Strip on March 18, killing over 920 people, injuring more than 2,000 others, and shattering the ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement.

More than 50,250 Palestinians have been killed - mostly women and children - and over 114,000 injured in a brutal Israeli military onslaught on Gaza since October 2023.

- Bernama

***

kt comments:

Wankees & World sit by idly as Evil Children of Baal perpetuate their wickedness

Duterte lawyer calls ICC case ‘political hit job’, argues court lacks jurisdiction

Duterte lawyer calls ICC case ‘political hit job’, argues court lacks jurisdiction



Duterte, 80, faces a charge of crimes against humanity for murder over his “war on drugs” that claimed the lives of thousands of mostly poor men, often without proof they were linked to drugs. — Reuters pic

Monday, 31 Mar 2025 2:00 PM MYT


THE HAGUE, March 31 — Rodrigo Duterte’s lead lawyer said yesterday there was a “compelling” argument to throw out the International Criminal Court case against the former Philippines president before it even comes to trial.

Nicholas Kaufman told AFP in an interview in The Hague he hoped to stop the case before the ICC confirms the charges against Duterte by arguing the court cannot exercise its jurisdiction.

He said the Philippines’ withdrawal from the court had become effective well before an investigation was authorised.

Duterte, 80, faces a charge of crimes against humanity for murder over his “war on drugs” that claimed the lives of thousands of mostly poor men, often without proof they were linked to drugs.

British-Israeli lawyer Kaufman, 56, said: “Coming back to the jurisdictional point, obviously you don’t need to be the dean of a law faculty to realise that that’s going to be a huge issue at pre-trial.”

“I think that the jurisdictional argument is compelling as defence counsel. I believe that it should succeed and I would be hugely disappointed if it doesn’t succeed,” he added.

“We hope to persuade the judges pre-trial that it (the court) cannot exercise its jurisdiction over the case. There won’t be a confirmation-of-charges hearing if the judges rule in our favour.”

A confirmation of charges hearing, where prosecutor and defence first lay out their evidence, is currently scheduled for September 23.

The issue of jurisdiction is key in this case as the Philippines withdrew from the ICC in 2019.

However, when the court issued its arrest warrant for Duterte, it noted that the alleged crimes took place while the country was still an ICC member.

“As the alleged conduct has taken place between 1 November 2011 and 16 March 2019 on the territory of the Philippines, it falls within the Court’s jurisdiction,” the ICC said.

The ICC chief prosecutor’s application for his arrest said Duterte’s alleged crimes were “part of a widespread and systematic attack directed against the civilian population” in the Philippines.

The families of victims of his war on drugs see the ICC case as a long-awaited chance for justice.

‘Kidnapping’

Another likely critical issue for the defence will be Duterte’s arrest on March 11 and his rapid handover to the ICC in The Hague.

“I view it as a kidnapping, nothing more or less. It’s an extrajudicial rendition. He was given no due process, just slung over to the Hague,” Kaufman told AFP.

“This was in complete contravention of Philippines law.”

The former president’s sudden detention came amid a spectacular deterioration in relations between the two most powerful families in Philippines politics.

The Duterte and Marcos clans teamed up to win an election landslide in 2022 that saw Ferdinand Marcos become president and Sara Duterte—daughter of the imprisoned Rodrigo—vice-president.

Sara Duterte has since been impeached on charges that include an alleged assassination plot against the president.

Rodrigo Duterte “should have been brought before a judge before he was thrown onto a plane and dumped in The Hague. That didn’t happen. As I’ve said already, this is a political hit job,” said Kaufman.

“The politics in that country basically ended up in a situation where they needed to get him out of the picture. The incumbent government did not want him in the picture anymore.”

‘Not easy for anyone’

Kaufman said he was visiting his client virtually every day in the ICC detention centre, a couple of kilometres from the beach in the suburb of Scheveningen.

Duterte was “adjusting to the reality of prison life. That’s not easy for anyone,” according to his lawyer.

However, the former president was in “good spirits,” said Kaufman, whose previous clients at ICC include former Congolese rebel leader Jean-Pierre Bemba and Aisha Kadhafi, daughter of the deceased Libyan dictator.

Kaufman said he was concerned that the ICC, currently under fire from all sides and even US sanctions, would be reluctant to give up such a high-profile case.

“My only fear is that this court is starved of cases at the present moment and might be loath to let a case like that go, to slip through its hands.” — AFP

al Jazeera:

Israel kills 64 in Gaza on Eid; bodies of 14 missing medics recovered

By Lyndal Rowlands

Published On 31 Mar 202531 Mar 2025

• Palestinian officials say Israeli forces have killed at least 64 people, including children, in Gaza on the first day of Eid al-Fitr.
• The Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) has recovered the bodies of eight medics, five civil defence workers and a UN employee, a week after their vehicles came under Israeli fire near Rafah in southern Gaza.
• The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) has condemned the killings, saying the “devastating incident” represents the single most deadly attack on its workers anywhere in the world since 2017.
• Gaza’s Health Ministry says at least 50,277 Palestinians are confirmed dead and 114,095 wounded in Israel’s war on Gaza. Gaza’s Government Media Office updated its death toll about two months ago to more than 61,700, saying that thousands of people missing under the rubble are presumed dead.

8m ago

 (01:15 GMT)

WATCH: ‘Eid of Sadness’ – Gaza marks festival amid Israeli bombings, food shortages

Children across Gaza celebrated Eid al-Fitr on Sunday, wearing new clothes and venturing out to find sweets.

But joy quickly turned to sadness as Israeli bombardment claimed the lives of dozens of people, including many children.

• 24m ago

   (01:00 GMT)

  US Muslim group calls for probe into killing of Gaza medics

  The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) is calling on the United Nations to investigate the “massacre” of 15 emergency workers in Gaza, including eight paramedics and a UN staff member.

  “The Israeli government must be prevented from committing further atrocities and must be held accountable for the war crimes it has committed with impunity,” CAIR Deputy Executive Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell said in a statement.

  “The United States and the nations of the world cannot allow this crime against humanity to continue.”

  As we reported earlier, the bodies of the emergency workers were found buried alongside their ambulances, a week after they went missing under heavy Israeli gunfire.
• 39m ago

   (00:45 GMT)

  Photos: Palestinian medics mourn colleagues killed by Israel

  

  Palestine Red Crescent members mourn as the bodies of 14 of their colleagues were found buried a week after they came under Israeli fire, at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis on Sunday [Abdallah FS Alattar/Anadolu]

  

  The bodies of the slain emergency workers were brought to Nasser Hospital after they were found buried alongside their ambulances and fire trucks [Hani Alshaer/Anadolu]

  

  The emergency workers, who included a UN employee, were responding to calls for help after deadly Israeli attacks on March 23, when they went missing [AFP]

  

  People gather around the body of Palestinian paramedic Mohamed Bahloul, one of the emergency workers who was killed in the attack, which the Israeli army only acknowledged after a first body was found [AFP]
• 54m ago

   (00:30 GMT)

  

  Who are the emergency workers killed by Israel?

  The PRCS says eight of the 14 bodies it recovered on Sunday were of its medics. Five were of missing civil defence workers and the other was a UN employee.

  Earlier this week, the body of another civil defence worker was found, bringing the total number of bodies recovered to 15.

  One first responder is still missing. His name is Ahmad Nasasra.

  The PRCS and Palestinian Civil Defence say it took them days to recover the bodies of their colleagues, and that they were shot at when they tried to find out what had happened to their crew.

  The slain PRCS staff have been identified as Mustafa Khafaja, Ezzedine Sha’at, Saleh Moammar, Rifaat Radwan, Mohammad Behloul, Ashraf Abu Labda, Mohammad Al-Hila and Raed Al-Sharif.

  The slain civil defence crew are Anwar Abdel Hamid Al-Attar, Zuhair Abdul Hamid Al-Farra, Samir Yahya Al-Bahabsa, Ibrahim Nabil Al-Maghari, Fouad Ibrahim Al-Jamal and Youssef Rasim Khalifa.

Search for missing autistic boy officially suspended

FMT:

 

Search for missing autistic

boy officially suspended

FMT Reporters

-31 Mar 2025, 07:40 AM

However, the authorities say they will continue patrolling the Sungai Kupang area daily.

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Baling police chief Azmi Mokhtar said it was uncertain if the child fell into the river or got lost in the forest. (Facebook pic)

PETALING JAYA: 

The search for an autistic child, who went missing three days ago, was officially suspended yesterday evening after authorities found no new leads.

Baling police chief Azmi Mokhtar said the control posts set up by police and the fire and rescue department were now closed after the search area was widened, Harian Metro reported.

However, the authorities will continue patrolling the Sungai Kupang area daily.

Azmi said yesterday’s search covered a 7km-8km radius along the river.

“We are unsure whether the child fell into the river or got lost in the forest, but we continue searching these areas,” he was quoted as saying, adding that the river current was strong.

Four-year-old Fayyad Affan Fakhri was reported missing last Friday after leaving his home at the government quarters in Kampung Landak Paya, near Baling.

Fayyad, who also has a speech disorder, is believed to have left his house through the back door.