AFFORD INCREASING WAGES OF ITS EMPLOYEES - THE CIVIL SERVANTS? Should the increase of wages be limited to just the Federal Government workers that earn less than RM4,000? Bureaucracy. Malaysia's bureaucracy is one of the biggest in the world, with 1.7 million civil servants to a population of 32 million, a ratio of 4.5% compared with Singapore's ratio of 1.5% civil servants to total population, Hong Kong's 2.3% and Taiwan's ratio of 2.3%. Why so HIGH? Some say it was because Malaysia's graduates did not have the needed quality to be attractive to the Private Sector, and hence the government absorbed many who were sent on scholarship and government loans into the civil service. Some were even absorbed as teachers, without the required skills and interest - and it has affected the education system.. REMEMBER the Malaysian Federal Debt(Liabilities) is about RM1.5 Trillion. Remember that the Malaysian Household debts, i.e. the current personal debt of individual Malaysians also is more than RM1.5 Trillion. No 'Raya Aid' for the private sector workers, self employed or the POOR - just for civil servants and government pensioners? RM1.5 trillion debt? borrow and spend as normal? Debt service charges HIGHER than operating expenditure? In 2023, the Federal Government allocated RM46. 1 billion or 15.2% of revenue (2022: RM41. 3 billion; 14%) for debt service charges (DSC). Despite the high number of government employees, the government still have contracted out services like cleaning, security guards, school wardens, etc.. MINIMUM Wages was last increased from RM1,200 to RM1,500 was in May 2022 , and possibly relying on facts and situation in Malaysia in January 2022 or even earlier. The last time the government reviewed the minimum wage was in May 2022, increasing it from RM1,200 to RM1,500. BUYING POWER or monies value had significantly declined because of the declining value of the Malaysian Ringgit... January 2022 - 1 USD = 4.1725 MYR May 2022 - 1 USD = 4.3535 MYR Apr 2024 - 1 USD = about 4.8 Therefore the Buying power of the Ringgit - you need more Ringgit to buy things Say, you needed RM1000 in January 2022, in May 2022 you needed RM1043, and today in 2024 we would need RM1151 to buy the same thing that cost RM1,000 in January 2022. When the Ringgit dropped - prices for everything increased. Why? Because even those whose product or services cost did not increase - they now needed more money to compensate for the increase in cost of living. YES, the government can come in with SUBSIDIES to ensure people can still afford to buy the same things at the 'same price' in 2022 - but that cannot solve the problem as subsidies can cover only some items - In the market, the price of kambing, beef, fish, pork, ayam kampung, Ipoh Chicken, etc had all sky rocketed...so more people simply could not buy it as the price increased but not INCOME. Subsidies means the GOVERNMENT must spend more - compensate the manufacturer, middle man and seller of products and services. How much did the Government spend for the TOL Free days during festivals? At a minimum, what the government could have done was to INCREASE THE MINIMUM WAGE accordingly - no need to wait for several years and adjust Minimum Wages. When cost of living rises for whatever reason, immediately(or within weeks), increase the MINIMUM WAGE. Sadly, many employers simply pay the Minimum Wages when they ought to pay their workers more... Now, this PM Anwar Ibrahim led Pakatan Harapan led coalition government again is giving the impression that Minimum Wage can only be reviewed once every TWO(2) years - BUT THIS IS NOT TRUE. Minimum Wages can be increased at any time... Section 25(1) NATIONAL WAGES CONSULTATIVE COUNCIL ACT 2011 says ' (1) The Council shall, at least once in every two years , review the minimum wages order.' It says 'at least once in every 2 years' - that means that there can be more reviews, any number of reviews. What the ACT is saying is that at a minimum, it must be once every 2 years. Given the current situation in Malaysia, there must be REVIEWS and new Minimum Wages every time the cost of living rises for whatever reason so that Malaysians and workers can at least earn a MINIMUM Wage sufficient to meet the living expenses of themselves and their family/dependents. If these poorest of workers cannot earn sufficient, they may be forced to borrow from ALONGS(illegal Money Lenders) , for sadly in Malaysia the poor simply cannot borrow money from Banks or even the Government for not financial institutions will give loans to anyone with no security(property or a REGULAR EMPLOYMENT). Look at Section 25(2) of the Act that says, ' (2) Notwithstanding subsection (1), the Council may, on its own accord or upon the direction of the Government , review the minimum wages order. Yes, if the Wage Council is not acting - then all it needs is for Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to tell them to do the needed to immediately increase the Minimum Wage. But, Anwar and his government did not do this.. So, the Prime Minister who could at any time act causing the MINIMUM WAGE to be increased failed to do so.. . Remember, on 1/5/2023(last year), our Prime Minister said, ' The issue of minimum wage will be settled by next month, says Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.' Workers expected an increase of Minimum Wage in a month - but almost 12 months down the road, the Minimum Wage is still not increased. Claps and applause to "FAKE PROMISES" or fake insinuations, but despite increasing cost of living, Anwar failed to INCREASE Minimum Wage sooner...and now his Minister is still talking about reviewing - not INCREASING Minimum Wage. Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) had stated that for Kuala Lumpur, the living wage for a single adult was RM2,700 (in 2018) , and for a childless couple, it would be RM4,500. The living wage for a couple with two children would be RM6,500. One dirty 'strategy' that seems to have been employed by governments of the past is to increase Federal MINIMUM wage across the board, affecting also the small businessman like sellers at fresh markets, small shops that barely survive, fishermen, farmers, etc... By lumping all employers together - there will be massive protest especially from these small employers who can currently hardly survive.. So, I suggest:- INCREASE MINIMUM WAGE - but not applicable across the Board. For the very small business people, fisherman, farmers, etc that have annual profits LESS Than RM100,000 should be excluded. For these small employers, maybe a profit sharing scheme with workers should be proposed > sharing say 50% of their profits with their current employees. In this way, these smaller employers may be able to SURVIVE - they simply may not be able to pay any higher wages otherwise. Profit sharing with labour is the way forward. Another FLAW with Malaysia's Minimum Wage orders of past, although the ACT provides already flexibility.. "b) the coverage of the recommended minimum wages rates according to sectors, types of employment and regional areas; (c) the non-application of the recommended minimum wages rates and coverage to any sectors, types of employment and regional areas or to any person or class of persons;...(Sec. 22) " ONE Minimum Wage rate for all. Different Minimum Wage depending on region and having sight of the needed cost of living there... Well, the cost of living in different places/towns/areas differ - living in a smaller town for example one can rent houses at a much lower rate - this should have been taken into account. So, different MINIMUM WAGE for different areas based on the differing cost of living... Now, certain work is not attracting Malaysian workers as it is TOUGH, work under the Sun, manual work... THEREFORE a Higher MINIMUM WAGE for these kind of hard work - 3D work (Dirty, Dangerous and Demeaning) - Higher MINIMUM WAGES will attract Malaysian workers - say a Minimum Wage of RM2000 or RM2500? After all there are currently MORE THAN HALF A MILLION Malaysians that are unemployed. Malaysia's unemployment rate remained at 3.3% in January 2024 , with the number of unemployed persons declining further to 567,300 from 567,800 in December 2023, says the Statistics Department of Malaysia - Star, 8/3/2024 Malaysia must prioritize the employment of Malaysians - before allowing the entry of migrant workers, who may be attractive because migrant workers are easily exploited, cheated, oppressed with little or no means to claim justice in Malaysia as migrant workers are speedily 'forced out' from Malaysia so their claims and cases for justice and human rights cannot start or be continued in Malaysia...' Usually, the market determines the WAGES of workers - which means worker wages will increase. This was SABOTAGED when Malaysia made it easy for employers to bring in MIGRANT WORKERS. The effect the wages were kept low - even for Malaysian workers. As an example, in the construction industry previously, wages were determined according to experience and skill of the worker, and higher skilled worker could get higher wages. With the bringing in of migrant workers, Malaysian workers left as they were unwilling to work for such low wages, as most employers simply paid 'minimum wages'. Some of the Malaysian workers became independent contractors and started taking on small construction work to survive - but then government and some politicians started using only their 'friend' contractors or contractors that were 'politically connected' - and may even Bumiputra contractors had no choice but to shut down operations. It is sad that for the government, the primary issue for workers had been 'Minimum Wage' - and this is such a narrow thinking. Workers in Malaysia also still do not enjoy 'REGULAR EMPLOYMENT' but only 'contract employment' or 'short-term contract employment'. This state of affairs is very BAD for workers - and they cannot even fight for better wages and better working conditions, or even form Trade Unions. Most who start fighting for worker rights find themselves out of a job. The Human Resource Minister has the power to ensure that Section 2A of the Employment Act says ' (1) The Minister may by order prohibit the employment, engagement or contracting of any person or class of persons to carry out work in any occupation in any agricultural or industrial undertaking, constructional work, statutory body, local government authority, trade, business or place of work other than under a contract of service entered into with- (a) the principal or owner of that agricultural or industrial undertaking, constructional work, trade, business or place of work; or (b) that statutory body or that authority. So, simply the Minister can ensure that all workers are working with their REAL employer who has full control of the workplace. End usage of workers of other contractors at the workplace. No more outsourced workers PLEASE. Likewise the government can put an end of SHORT-TERM Employment Contracts . Now, many employer simply do not renew the short-term employment contract despite there still being work that requires workers. Then, the employer simply hires a NEW worker. Employers must be prevented from doing this, and the law should require employers to use the same worker until the work requiring the worker cease to exist. If Malaysia insists on REGULAR EMPLOYMENT for all workers - even when the work requiring the worker ends. The law requires the employer to find other work which the worker can do. If there is none, then the employer has the right to RETRENCH, and the worker has the right to receive RETRENCHMENT BENEFITS . Hence, there is really no prejudice to the Employer, but it improves EMPLOYMENT SECURITY for the worker. There is so much that the Malaysian government can do for workers if PM Anwar Ibrahim and his government has the intention to help workers. PM Anwar: Proposal to improve salary of civil servants to be announced at Labour Day gathering Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim chairs the Meeting No 3/2024 of the Public Service Remuneration System (SSPA) Review Main Committee meeting, April 19, 2024. Picture from X/Anwar Ibrahim Friday, 19 Apr 2024 7:13 PM MYT KUALA LUMPUR, April 19 Proposals for improvement, including efforts to increase the net income rate of civil servants, will be announced by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim at the Labour Day rally to be held later. Anwar, in his Facebook post, said the Meeting No 3/2024 of the Public Service Remuneration System (SSPA) Review Main Committee, which he chaired today to discuss the salary structure of civil servants further, has almost finalised improvements related to the matter. Anwar, who is also finance minister, said the matter would then be decided at the Cabinet meeting. I wish to emphasise the governments commitment to resolving efforts to improve the salary structure of civil servants which have been implemented through the SSPA Review, despite the countrys challenging economic situation due to global geopolitical uncertainty. The government takes this position and responsibility by considering the pressures of cost of living for civil servants, especially those with low income. Hopefully, this effort will motivate civil servants to increase productivity and provide the best service to the people, he said. The prime minister had, when tabling Budget 2024 on October 13 last year, announced that the SSPA would be fully implemented from 2025. Bernama, Malay Mail, 19/4/2024 Unemployment rate stays at 3.3% for January 2024, says Stats Dept Friday, 08 Mar 2024 2:55 PM MYT PUTRAJAYA: Malaysias unemployment rate remained at 3.3% in January 2024, with the number of unemployed persons declining further to 567,300 from 567,800 in December 2023, says the Statistics Department of Malaysia. Chief statistician Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Uzir Mahidin said that based on the Labour Force Statistics for January 2024, the countrys labour market sustained its upward trend, in line with the ongoing improvement of the national economic situation and consistent with global economic expansion. "Therefore, the labour force in January 2024 saw further enhancement, increasing by 0.1% to 17.05 million persons compared to 17.03 million persons the previous month. "The labour force participation rate during the month was unchanged at 70.2%, as in the preceding month. "This positive trend was driven by a continuous increase in the number of employed persons, while the number of unemployed persons declined, he said in a statement Friday (March 8). Mohd Uzir said the number of employed persons increased by 0.2% to record 16.48 million persons compared to 16.46 million in December 2023. Elaborating on the employment situation, he said 75.2% of employed persons in January 2024 were in the employees category, while the own-account workers category continued its increasing trend, rising by 0.3% to 3.01 million persons from three million persons in December. At the same time, Mohd Uzir said the number of employed persons in the service sector remained upward, particularly in the wholesale and retail sector, food and beverage services, and transportation and storage activities. He added that a similar trend was seen in the manufacturing, construction, mining and quarrying sectors in January 2024, while the number of employed persons in the agriculture sector rebounded compared to the previous month. Regarding the unemployment situation, he said 79.8% of the total unemployed persons were those who were available for work and were actively seeking jobs, or the actively unemployed, which posted a decrease of 0.2% to 452,500 persons from 453,600 in December. According to Mohd Uzir, the unemployment rate for youth aged 15 to 24 stood at 10.6% or 306,800 persons, while among youth aged 15 to 30, the rate was 6.7%, with 439,700 unemployed youths. Meanwhile, Mohd Uzir said the economic situation in Malaysia was steady, with higher domestic demand anticipated due to Januarys decline in inflation, a robust job market, and supportive financial positions. Additionally, the increase in tourism may contribute to economic activities, potentially leading to various businesses and job opportunities. "Therefore, the labour market in Malaysia is anticipated to improve and remain stable over the next few months, driven by a resilient domestic economy. "This situation is expected to continue to generate increased demand for employment, thus serving as an important key to sustaining economic stability, he said. - Bernama, Star, 8/3/2024 Minimum wage to be reviewed this year By Hana Naz Harun , Qistina Sallehuddin - March 14, 2024 @ 5:47pm Human Resources Minister Steven Sim Chee Keong saysthe review willbe based on the National Wages Consultative Council Act 2011. - Bernama pic KUALA LUMPUR: The government will review the minimum wage this year, taking into account the views of both employers and employees. Human Resources Minister Steven Sim Chee Keong said the review would be based on the National Wages Consultative Council Act 2011. "For your information, this year, based on the National Wage Consultative Council Act 2011, the minimum wage rate will be reviewed. "We will take into account the views of all parties, including employers and employees, and refer to socio-economic reports such as those from Bank Negara." Sim said this in his winding-up speech on the royal address debate, in a response to Rodiyah Sapiee (Gabungan Parti Sarawak-Batang Sadong). Rodiyah had raised the issue of reviewing the minimum wage, as suggested by the Bank Negara and the Employees' Provident Fund's literacy initiative, Belanjawanku. Yesterday, the Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC) demanded the government to review the minimum wage rate, following the Sales and Services Tax (SST) hike. Its secretary-general Kamarul Baharin Mansor reminded the government that the National Wages Consultative Council Act required a reassessment of the minimum wage every two years. The last time the government reviewed the minimum wage was in May 2022, increasing it from RM1,200 to RM1,500. Last year, the then Human Resources Minister V. Sivakumar said the review of minimum wage by the National Wage Consultation Technical Committee was 80 per cent complete . In January, Economy Minister Rafizi Ramli said he would initiate the process of formulating policies for the 13th Malaysia Plan (13MP) this year, with the Progressive Wage Policy being one of the components in the five-year plan. He had said the formulation and focus of the policies would be closely related to labour market reforms, and would be developed in collaboration with other ministries involving various components to shape the idea of labour market reforms in the country. - NST, 14/3/2024 PM: Minimum wage issue to be settled by next month By MARTIN CARVALHO and FAZLEENA AZIZ Nation Monday, 01 May 2023 PUTRAJAYA: The issue of minimum wage will be settled by next month, says Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. The Prime Minister said the implementation of minimum wage is a big challenge. We will settle all the uproar pertaining to this issue at the Cabinet meeting next month once and for all, he said in his speech at the Labour Day celebration here, on Monday (May 1). On Labour Day last year, the Malaysian Minimum Wages Order 2022 came into effect with the monthly salary of employees fixed at RM1,500. However, its implementation for companies with fewer than five employees has been postponed from Jan 1 to July 1, this year. Anwar acknowledged that there is a need to increase the salaries among workers in Malaysia. The matter should be accepted, and cannot be disputed by any employers, economists or even ministers, he added. We do not want anyone to dispute this matter. The government has a responsibility to accept this fact that we have to increase the wages for civil and private sectors. There are responsible employers but not all are the same. When an employer records a high revenue of up to RM1bil, they did not raise the employees' wages. But there are those who think about the welfare of the workers, their childrens education and providing housing benefits. This is how it should be done, he said. Anwar said when he was the finance minister, Tenanga Nasional Bhd was privatised and went on to make huge profits. He said the company increased its workers' salaries, provided housing benefits to them and set up a university. - Star, 1/5/2023

where the Nazi Germany targeted the Jews, Roma people and others, the UK pushed harder for the establishment of the Jewish State of Israel. Interestingly, the UN got into the picture and a UN Resolution(Resolution 181) was passed for the establishment of the Jewish State of Israel, an Arab Muslim State of Palestine and an independently governed Jerusalem. The United Nations Partition Plan for Palestine was a proposal by the United Nations , which recommended a partition of Mandatory Palestine at the end of the British Mandate . On 29 November 1947 , the UN General Assembly adopted the Plan as Resolution 181 (II) . [1] The resolution recommended the creation of independent Arab and Jewish States linked economically [2] and a Special International Regime for the city of Jerusalem and its surroundings. The Arab state was to have a territory of 11,100 square kilometres or 42%, the Jewish state a territory of 14,100 square kilometres or 56%, while the remaining 2%comprising the cities of Jerusalem, Bethlehem and the adjoning areawould become an international zone. [3] [4] On May 14, 1948 , David Ben-Gurion, the head of the Jewish Agency, proclaimed the establishment of the State of Israel. U.S. President Harry S. Truman recognized the new nation on the same day. Israel was admitted as a full U.N. member in 1949 . However, the Palestinian application that has been made over the decades have continuously been denied. The latest was on 18/4/2024. ' The Security Council today blocked Palestines bid to become a full member of theUnited Nations due to a United States veto on a draft resolution that would have recommended the granting of such status. The proposal, submitted by Algeria, received 12 votes in favour, with the United States casting a negative vote and Switzerland and the United Kingdom abstaining. A Council resolution requires at least nine votes in favour and no vetoes from its five permanent members China, France, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom and the United States to pass .- UN Website 12 of the 15 members of the UN Security Council voted in favour - but with the draconian VETO, one of the 5 Countries that hold the VETO can deny the majority decision. Time for the VETO to be abolished. If one looks at the UN agreed division of the region, we find that many of the current maps is misleading - the size of Palestine has been shrinked, which is not right. See how Gaza has shrank - Palestine was supposed to be much larger - and if you look at the UN approved map - Gaza and West Bank are connected by land of its own. Malaysia must be clear and push for the withdrawal of Israel back to its borders as per the plan approved by the UN in the Plan as per Resolution 181. Do not be fooled by the plans being 'propagated' by some that has increased substantially the area of Israel and diminished the size of Palestine. INJUSTICE that followed UN Resolution 181 - was the creation of the Palestinian Refugee problem. When they created ISRAEL - there was massive 'cleaning up' of the native Arab or Muslim inhabitants from Israel. [ REMEMBER The people indigenous inhabitants of the region were never consulted before the UN decided to draw borders and create Israel and Palestine. It was thus sad that people staying in the area for generations found themselves being pressured to leave what became Israel simply because they were NOT JEWS.] In 1948 more than 700 000 Palestinian Arabs about half of Mandatory Palestine's Arab population fled from their homes or were expelled, at first by Zionist paramilitaries, [a] and after the establishment of the Israel, by its military. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] The expulsion and flight was a central component of the fracturing, dispossession, and displacement of Palestinian society, known as the Nakba. [10] [11] [12] Dozens of massacres targeting Arabs were conducted by Israeli military forces and between 400 and 600 Palestinian villages were destroyed. Village wells were poisoned in a biological warfare programme and properties were looted to prevent Palestinian refugees from returning. [13] [14] Other sites were subject to Hebraization of Palestinian place names. [15] The precise number of Palestinian refugees, many of whom settled in Palestinian refugee camps in neighboring states, is a matter of dispute. [16] Around 80 percent of the Arab inhabitants of what became Israel (half of the Arab total population of Mandatory Palestine) left or were expelled from their homes ETHNIC CLEANSING or 'GENOCIDE' would be what we call this today, and it was great injustice, and blame will lie not just on Israel, but certainly the UN. Did they not consider this problem - could they have insisted on no 'expulsion' of people from their homes. The Palestinian REFUGEE came into being, and only then since 1947 have the UN realized the problem created by the UN's own fault, when they created Israel and Palestine in a place where the community was multi-ethnic and multi-religious. {Something similar happened when India was divided into Muslim Pakistan and India). 1947: November 29: Resolution 181 : Recommending partition of the Mandatory Palestine into Arab and Jewish states, and international status for the City of Jerusalem . 1948: November 19: Resolution 212 : Assistance to Palestinian refugees December 11: Resolution 194 : establishes Conciliation Commission; protection of and free access to Jerusalem and other Holy Places; Resolves that the refugees wishing to return to their homes and live at peace with their neighbours should be permitted to do so at the earliest practicable date, and that compensation should be paid for the property of those choosing not to return and for loss of or damage to property which, under principles of international law or in equity, should be made good by the Governments or authorities responsible 1949: December 8: Resolution 302(IV) : Assistance to Palestine refugees December 9: Resolution 303(IV) : International Regime for Jerusalem December 10: Resolution 356 : Jerusalem 1950: December 2: Resolution 393 : Assistance to Palestinian refugees December 14: Resolution 394 (V) : Calls for Arab-Israeli peace negotiations, and a solution for Palestinian refugees. December 14: Resolution 468 : Reduces financing for an international regime in Jerusalem. 1952: January 26: Resolution 512 : Report of the United Nations Conciliation Commission for Palestine. January 26: Resolution 513 : Assistance to Palestinian refugees. November 6: Resolution 614 : Assistance to Palestinian refugees. November 25: Resolution 660 : Report of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine refugees ( UNRWA ). 1953: November 27: Resolution 720 : Assistance to Palestinian refugees. November 27: Resolution 766 : Accounts of UNRWA. 1954: December 4: Resolution 818 : Assistance to Palestinian refugees. December 4: Resolution 879 : Accounts of UNRWA. 1955: December 3: Resolution 916 : Assistance to Palestinian refugees. December 3: Resolution 964 : Accounts of UNRWA. 1956: December 21: Resolution 1081 : Accounts of UNRWA. 1957: February 27: Resolution 1091 : Palestinian refugees. February 28: Resolution 1018 : Palestinian refugees . December 12: Resolution 1191.html : Palestinian refugees. 1958: December 12: Resolution 1315 : Palestinian refugees. 1959: December 9: Resolution 1456 : UNRWA. 1960: December 18: Resolution 1545 : Accounts of UNRWA. 1961: April 21: Resolution 1604 : Palestinian refugees October 30: Resolution 1636 : Accounts of UNRWA. December 20: Resolution 1725 : Palestinian refugees 1962: December 11: Resolution 1789 : Accounts of UNRWA. December 20: Resolution 1856 : Palestinian refugees 1963 June 27: UN Special Assembly Resolution 1874. June 27: UN Special Assembly Resolution 1875. November 6: Resolution 1890-C : Accounts of UNRWA. December 3: Resolution 1912 : Palestinian refugees 1965: February 10: Resolution 2002 : Palestinian refugees December 13: Resolution 2047-C : Accounts of UNRWA. December 13: Resolution 2048-C : Accounts of UNRWA. December 15: Resolution 2052 : UNRWA Report. 1966: October 26: Resolution 2139-C : Accounts of UNRWA. November 17: Resolution 2154 : Palestinian refugees . 1967:...and the list goes on and on >>UN Resolutions on Palestine> Israel got its own country - but they have been expanding and expanding their borders to the detriment of the Palestine people. Did all the Palestinian Jews move to the new Israel - well, many continued to live where they were with their Muslim and Christian brethren. Now, the people of Israel are not all indigenous Jews, as many of the Jews in Israel are migrants from many other countries - including those in the Zionist Movement, and they have dominated the political power in Israel. Israel at present is OCCUPYING (or colonizing) a lot of Palestine - and their object seems 'expansion' of Israel - as such, pressure have been put on indigenous Palestinians to move out, as they build even new settlements for Israeli Jews in what we call Occupied Territory.. There has been those who are promoting the 1967 Borders of Israel, including the US > BUT really should we not be talking about the 1947 UN Resolution borders that decided on the Borders of Israel, Borders of Palestine, and the Borders of the Independent Jerusalem. Malaysia must be strong about the 1947 Borders as per the partition plan of the UN. I do not believe that any UN Resolution has acknowledged that Israel's Borders have expanded. Whilst Israel had been made a UN member State since 1949 - but the Palestine has to date been denied UN Membership.. On 11 May 1949, the General Assembly by the requisite two-thirds majority approved the application to admit Israel to the UN by United Nations General Assembly Resolution 273. The vote in the General Assembly was 37 to 12, with 9 abstentions. UN Membership acknowledged the State of Palestine and this is important. But again, the passing of the UN Security Council on 18/4/2024 was blocked by the United States of America(a permanent member with VETO power). It must be noted that 12 of the 15 members of the UN Security Council voted in favour. If the UN Security Council had passed the Resolution, the the question of Palestine recognition as a UN Member State will be taken to the General Assembly, where a two third majority vote is required. 1947 Borders is valid as all neighboring countries like Egypt, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon had already achieved their independence before the UN Partition Plan and Resolution 29/11/1947. Hence the then borders of Israel, Palestine and Jerusalem is valid - and rightly, we have to revert to the borders as in 1947. All areas of Palestine that are occupied by Israel and any other country are nothing but 'occupied territories' and must be returned to Palestine. Lebanon formally achieved its independence from League of Nations (LON) mandate under French administration on November 22, 1943 . Egypt formally achieved its independence from Great Britain on March 15, 1922 . Transjordan formally achieved its independence from Britain on March 22, 1946 , and the Kingdom of Transjordan was proclaimed on May 25, 1946. Syria became independent on 17 April 1946 . Israel's expansion of its geographic territory beyond what was provided for in the November 1947 partition plan are all ILLEGAL and ought to belong to Palestine. ISRAEL must return to the 1947 Borders. US vetoes bid to make Palestine a full UN member By AUGUSTA SARAIVA World Friday, 19 Apr 2024 12:21 PM MYT NEW YORK (Bloomberg): The United States has vetoed a bid to make Palestine a full-fledged member of the United Nations, rebuffing a Palestinian push to gain broader international recognition. Twelve of 15 Security Council members voted in favour of the proposal on Thursday (April 18), while the United Kingdom and Switzerland abstained. Although the Palestinian authority received enough support to have its bid referred to the General Assembly for confirmation, the negative vote from the United States, which wields veto power, was enough to block it. Arab nations revived the proposal for full membership, which was originally turned down in 2011, in an effort to maintain momentum for the Palestinian cause as the civilian death toll in the war between Israel and Iran-backed Hamas in the Gaza Strip continues to climb. Foreign ministers from countries including Iran, Jordan and Algeria travelled to New York to attend a debate on the Middle East that preceded the vote. The best path toward Palestinian statehood "is through direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority," Deputy US Ambassador Robert Wood said after the vote. United States allies including France, Japan and South Korea were among those voting for full Palestinian membership. The US veto, which was telegraphed in advance, comes as an olive branch to Israel at the United Nations after Washington refused to veto a Security Council resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, sparking friction between the allies. Since then, the United States has grown more critical of Israel's approach to the war while continuing to support it on the battlefield. Even as the US veto reaffirms the close relationship between the two allies, it's also likely to further isolate them at the United Nations. For the fourth time since the war started, the United States will have to justify its veto before the 193-member General Assembly which is much more vocal on the rights of Palestinians, and critical of Israel's policies, than it was in 2011. The General Assembly, which is more representative but less powerful than the Security Council, voted overwhelmingly in favour of a cease-fire in Gaza months ago. Since 2 , Palestine has had observer-state status at the United Nations. 'Every Vote' Israel's Ambassador Gilad Erdan said that recognising a Palestinian state would make future negotiations all but impossible. "As long as the Palestinians feel that they can exploit this politicised body to their benefit, why would they bother at the negotiating table or support any compromise?" he said. But Ziad Abu Amr, special representative of the Palestinian Authority's president, said, "To those who say that recognising the Palestinian state must happen through negotiations, and not through a UN resolution, we wonder once again: How was the state of Israel established?" While the US veto was widely expected, Palestinians also looked at the vote as a barometer to assess international support for their cause. "The states supporting our membership are taking an important stance that must be acknowledged and appreciated," Deputy Palestinian Ambassador Majed Bamya said ahead of the Security Council action. Looking ahead, France is working on a Security Council resolution on the Israel-Palestinian conflict that could pave the way for the recognition of a Palestinian state at the United Nations, noting that a majority of member states already recognise it as a country. Nations including Spain and Slovenia have also indicated they're preparing to recognise a Palestinian state. "We cannot wait any longer," Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares told the Security Council Thursday. "This is a question of justice for Palestine, it constitutes the best guarantee of security for Israel and it is the first and most fundamental condition for the future of peace in the region." Bloomberg - Star, 19/4/2024 Security Council Fails to Recommend Full United Nations Membership for State of Palestine, Owing to Veto Cast by United States The Security Council today blocked Palestines bid to become a full member of theUnited Nations due to a United States veto on a draft resolution that would have recommended the granting of such status. The proposal, submitted by Algeria, received 12 votes in favour, with the United States casting a negative vote and Switzerland and the United Kingdom abstaining. A Council resolution requires at least nine votes in favour and no vetoes from its five permanent members China, France, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom and the United States to pass. The Algerian draft failed, owing to a negative vote cast by a permanent member. If adopted, the draft would have had the 15-member Council recommend to the 193-member General Assembly that the State of Palestine be admitted to membership in the United Nations. In 2011, Palestine submitted an application to become a full UN Member State. Although that aspiration did not materialize, it obtained the status of a non-member observer State in November2 through an Assembly vote of 138 in favour to nine against (Canada, Czech Republic, Federated States of Micronesia, Israel, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Panama, Palau, United States), with 41 abstentions. An application for admission to UN membership must be approved by the Council before being forwarded to the Assembly, where the matter requires at least two-thirds support to pass. Introduction of Draft Resolution Introducing the draft resolution, the representative of Algeria said that he is doing so on behalf of his Government, the Arab Group, the Organization of the Islamic Cooperation, the Non-Aligned Movement, and countless peace-loving countries, urging Council members to vote for the text and the sake of Palestinians. It is the least we could do to honour the debts we owe to its people, he said.Palestine fulfils membership criteria as defined in the UN Charter. It is time for Palestine to take its rightful place among the community of nations, he declared, adding: Peace will come from Palestines inclusion, not from its exclusion. Failing to do so is a denial of the Councils responsibilities, an unforgivable mistake, and a license to continue injustice and impunity. Explanation of Votes Speaking after the vote, the representative of the Russian Federation , spotlighted the simple question before the Council today:Are the Palestinians worth being part of the global family? While most of the international community has consistently answered in the affirmative, the United States believes differently, he noted namely, that the Palestinians do not deserve to have their own State. For that reason, Washington, D.C., is ready to turn a blind eye to Israels crimes against civilians in Gaza, force them to submit to the occupying Power, transform them into servants and second-class persons and, perhaps, oust them from their territory once and for all. The United States veto today is a hopeless attempt to stop the inevitable course of history, he stressed, adding that the results of the vote speak for themselves. He therefore called on the United States to listen to the voice of reason, consider the consequences of its decision and join other Council members efforts to establish an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. The representative of the United States expressed support for Palestinian Statehood within a comprehensive peace agreement. A sustainable peace can only be achieved via a two-State solution with Israels security guaranteed. His country has long been clear that premature actions at the UN, even with the best intentions, will not achieve Statehood for the Palestinian people. The United States voted against the draft because there was no unanimity among the Admissions Committee members on whether the applicant met the membership criteria outlined in ArticleIV of the UN Charter. He said the United States has long called on the applicant to undertake reforms to help establish the attributes for readiness for Statehood. He underscored that this vote does not reflect opposition to Palestinian Statehood but is an acknowledgment that it will only come from direct negotiations between the parties. The representative of France said the time has come to achieve a comprehensive political settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict based on a two-State solution. France supported the draft as Palestines admission as a full UN member could facilitate the implementation of such as solution and strengthen the Palestinian Authority. The representative of Guyana said that 13 years after the last request, another call for justice by the Palestinian people was made today. However, the Councils response was not enough to deliver that justice, she said, noting that, since 1947, there have been at least 792 formal Council meetings on the Palestinian question. While the Council has largely been sympathetic to the Palestinian cause, this sympathy has not generated enough political will to achieve a comprehensive, just and lasting solution. If the occupying Power were held to account for its continued violation of international law, the path to a free and independent Palestine would have been cleared a long time ago, she said. The representative of Slovenia said that his delegation supported the draft and Palestines membership in the United Nations. The two-State solution, under which two democratic States Israel and Palestine live side by side in peace is the only long-term sustainable option. Membership in the UN is not an alternative to negotiations, but complementary to them.The UN should play a crucial role in the peace process, and therefore both States should have an equal status at the UN, he said. The representative of the Republic of Korea recalled that, although his country first applied for UN membership in 1949, it was not granted that status until 1991. As such, he emphasized that his country can clearly attest to the meaning of aspirations to be admitted to this paramount international organization.His delegation voted in favour of the draft resolution because renewed efforts are needed to revitalize a path to the two-State solution, he said, adding that its vote today does not constitute bilateral recognition of Palestine as a State. This matter will be considered in the future at a time conducive to the resolution of the conflict. The representative of the United Kingdom said her country is committed to a two-State solution. Recognition of a Palestinian State should not be at the start of the process, but it does not need to be at the very end of it, she said. She called for the crisis in Gaza to be fixed first, noting that Gaza must be part of a future Palestinian State. But Hamas is still in control of parts of it and Israeli hostages remain in captivity, she underlined, stating that this shows the process is still at the start. Ensuring Hamas is no longer in charge of Gaza and removing its capacity to attack Israel are unavoidable steps on the road to peace, as is supporting Palestinian Government reforms. Her country abstained because a focus must be kept on getting aid in and getting hostages out, then making progress to a sustainable ceasefire without a return to fighting. The representative of Japan expressed regret that, despite the adoption of a resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, this objective has not been attained, and the humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate. Japan has strongly upheld the Palestinian right to self-determination, and consistently supported a two-State solution, he said, recalling that his country voted in favor of the 2 General Assembly resolution granting Palestine observer State status at the United Nations. Similarly, Japan voted in favor of todays draft resolution as a comprehensive decision, recognizing that Palestine meets the criteria for admission to the UN membership. The representative of Switzerland , whose delegation abstained, noted that it would be preferable to determine Palestinians membership at the UN at a future stage once there has been peace. Voicing concern over the catastrophic situation in the Middle East, she underscored the need to ensure the implementation of the Councils resolution and a ceasefire without further ado to restore political solutions to the conflict. The representative of China said that today is a sad day.Because of the veto by the United States, the application of Palestine for its full membership at the UN has been rejected. It is unacceptable that some countries are challenging Palestines eligibility for membership. Some countries make direct negotiations between Palestine and Israel a prerequisite, claiming that Palestines membership in the UN can only be the result of negotiations. This is putting the cart before the horse, he asserted. The representative of Ecuador recalled that his country recognized Palestine as a free, independent State on 24December2010. In 2 , it co-sponsored the General Assembly resolution considering observer status for the State of Palestine and, since 2014, it has maintained an embassy in Ramallah while Palestine has one in Quito. Today, once again, Ecuadors vote has shown our commitment to the Palestinian people, reaffirming our recognition that we made 14 years ago, he emphasized. He also expressed hope that, in the very near future, conditions will exist such that the Council will unanimously allow Palestine to become a full member of the United Nations. The representative of Mozambique underscored that people are born with the inherent right to self-determination, independence and sovereignty, as anchored in the Charter. He reminded the Council that, as of today, 140 UN Member States have recognized Palestine. This quasi-universal recognition is a testament that Palestine fulfils the requirement of Statehood, including population, territory, government and the capacity to engage in relations with other States, he said. Conditions are ripe for Palestine to be a full member of the UN. Palestine is clearly a peace-loving nation and has shown the willingness to carry out the obligations of the Charter, he added. The representative of Sierra Leone noted that 13 years after Palestines application was first considered by the Security Council Admissions Committee, there is a recognition of the basis for such a request. Highlighting General Assembly resolution 181 (1947), which recommends the establishment of an independent Arab and an independent Jewish State, he said his country voted in favour of the draft resolution that would have strengthened the two-State solution. While the membership of the State of Palestine may have been delayed, it cannot be denied, he concluded. The representative of Algeria expressed gratitude to all those who voted in favour. The overwhelming support sends a crystal clear message the State of Palestine deserves its rightful place among the UN Members, he said, adding: We will return stronger vocal and backed by the overwhelming majority of the General Assembly. He pledged that Algerias effort will not cease until the State of Palestine becomes a full member of the UN. The representative of Malta , Council President for April, said that her country made a clear choice by supporting a two-State solution and in favour of an idea that has enjoyed the support of the vast majority of the international community for decades. UN membership is a necessary step for the Palestinians to achieve equal footing with the rest of the international community, she asserted. The Permanent Observer for the State of Palestine underscored: Our right to self-determination has never once been subject to bargaining or negotiation. It is inalienable and eternal, and not subject to manipulation, domination or conditions. Especially not by Israel the occupying Power, the ethnic-cleansing Power, the colonial Power, he stressed, despite its determination to evict Palestinians from their homeland, eliminate their identity, uproot their civilization and besiege their future. Underscoring that we will not disappear, he said that Palestinians remain on their land out of patience, steadfastness, hope and sacrifice despite oppression, exile, enslavement, persecution, displacement and eviction. Stating that his delegation came to the Council today to salvage what can be saved, he noted that most Council members stood on the side of justice, freedom and hope in line with the legal and ethical principles that must govern our world. He also thanked all those who supported Palestines request for UN membership for understanding Palestinians pain at this moment. Emphasizing that Palestine accepted the two-State solution as an international vision of peace and engaged in the peace process, he said that Palestinian leadership continues to be committed to this peaceful track. He questioned, however, if Israel is a true partner for peace, stressing that it insists on occupation, murder and siege to snuff out any hope of a sovereign Palestinian State. Asking those present if they will give Israel the time it needs to annex Palestinian land, the immunity it needs to evict and kill and the right to veto Palestines full UN membership, he underscored that such inclusion is not symbolic. Rather, it is a manifestation of Palestinians right to self-determination and an investment in peace, he urged, adding: We dont want to replace anyone, we want to enter your club as an equal. Also stating that Palestinians know best what a just solution is a free Palestine he reiterated: We will not disappear. The representative of Israel thanked the United States, in particular President Joseph Biden, for standing up for truth and morality in the face of hypocrisy and politics. Calling the draft resolution destructive, he said the Palestinian Authority does not meet the basic criteria, has no authority over its territory and supports terror. He questioned how Palestinians can be called peace-loving when they are paying terrorists to slaughter Israelis. None of their leaders condemns terrorism or the 7October massacre. They call Hamas their brothers, he added, and they do not recognize Israels right to exist as a Jewish State. He noted that the Palestinian representative at the meeting does not represent Hamas, and in turn does not represent at least half of the Palestinian people. Most of you decided to reward Palestinian terror with [a] Palestinian State, he said, saying these votes will embolden Palestinian rejectionism and make peace almost impossible. Despite the evidence he has brought to the Council, speaking to it is like speaking to a brick wall, he said, adding: I pray that the day will come when you will understand the magnitude of the mistake you are making here. I pray that you will understand before it is too late. - UN Website, 18/4/2024

CONVICTIONS by Court, and to date does not include HOUSE ARREST in Malaysia.... Can pardon powers include special privileges for some prisoners, who are 'friends' of the King or government of the day? Many in Malaysia believed for a long time that past Prime Ministers and Cabinet members, and ruling party members were abusing the powers and 'stealing' government funds of the people, and they believed that law enforcers and those in the administration of justice were wrongly 'closing their eyes' - for these 'powerful people' were ABOVE the law, and 'protected'. But, alas it was a belief only, with no real proof... After GE14, when Pakatan Harapan finally ousted the BN regime, who were in power since Independence, finally things started moving and 'suspected' criminals were being investigated, prosecuted, tried and convicted. Najib Razak's trial and conviction was very important as he was the former Prime Minister and former head of BN - and these meant all the other lesser politicians will also finally face justice. This made Malaysians hopeful for finally criminals will not escape but will have to pay for their crimes according to the law. Of course, in Najib's case, investigation and prosecution became inevitable as the 1MDB Scandal was not just a Malaysian scandal, but was a global scandal and many in many other countries were also being investigated, charged and tried for various related crimes. Unlike murder or simple theft, crimes committed by these politicians and their friends are complicated and sometimes crosses national boundaries... but SYABAS or CONGRATULATIONS to the Malaysian law enforcement for effectively investigating and prosecuting these cases... But then came Anwar Ibrahim as the Prime Minister after GE15 with his PH-led coalition - and things started changing. Somehow, what was achieved by PH before is now being overturned... Before GE15, PH main 'enemy' was Barisan Nasional(BN). After GE15, PH did not win the required number of parliamentary seats to form government on its own. The King suggested that PH forms a coalition government with PN (Perikatan Nasional) but then PN took a strong stand that it would not form a coalition government with PH. BN(30), PH(81), PN(74),GTA(0),GRS(6),GPS(23),OTH(8) The Sabah and Sarawak parties would normally join the government party that have sufficient seats. So, Pakatan Harapan had a CHOICE to make (a) Form government by entering into a coalition with BN; OR (b) Stay in Opposition and allow PN to try to form a government.. PH chose (a) and entered into a coalition government with its political enemy for decades, the BN. This was a MAJOR COMPROMISE, which many supporters of PH were not happy with. Should PH have stuck with its principles, values and reform agenda - and stayed in Opposition if it could not form government with other parties, as long as it was not BN? After DECADES, Malaysians decided to reject BN despite the risk of repercussions - Note BN had 79 MPs after GE14, and this became only 30 after GE15. The trend was the complete rejection of BN was coming soon. But, when PH joined BN to form government - BN got a lifeline that could revive BN, or alternatively bring down PH. It looks like come GE16, we may have a PH-BN Coalition - so, will this be seen as BN Baru? Even after the Sheraton Move, following the leaving of one PH Party(BERSATU) and many MPs from other PH Parties, where the highest number was from Anwar's PKR. The new coalition government then under PM Muhyiddin and then PM Ismail Sabri took the stand of not including MPs under investigation or facing trials('court cluster') in the Cabinet - they were just government Backbencher MPs. However, when Anwar became Prime Minister - The Deputy Prime Minister was UMNO/BN Chairperson Zahid Hamidi who was facing several trials, and the Deputy Finance Minister was also from UMNO Ahmad Maslan.. Then, we had Najib's Pardon that halved his sentence - Note that the King acts on the advice of the Pardons Board - made up of the Attorney General, a Minister and 3 others. After Anwar's pardon soon after PH won in GE14 created the perception that the government has great influence or 'control' of who the King/Rulers pardon, so many saw Najib's pardon was because of PH and BN coalition government... Then there were other things the Anwar's government did # It 'helped' Zahid Hamidi stay on as President. Apparently, in the midst of an UMNO General Meeting a motion was tabled that there be no contest for the top 2 position - that means no other deserving candidate can be nominated or contest to become President or No. 2. A complaint was lodged with the Registrar of Society, who reasonably would have decided that this 'Motion/Resolution' was illegal being contrary to UMNO's constitution or the law - Then the HOME MINISTER stepped in and granted an EXEMPTION which allowed UMNO to go against its rules/constitution and/or the law(Societies Act). Home Minister's exemption to UMNO questionable? Was there ''illegality, irrationality or unreasonableness'? No Minister has absolute discretion to do as he pleases... Will PM Anwar REPEAL draconian Societies Act? The Act to prevent registrations of Political Parties, to make unlawful societies,...???? ## One of the biggest hurdle for the prosecution is to prove PRIMA FACIE case, all the elements of the charge whereby if the accussed fails to raise REASONABLE DOUBT during the Defence case will result in conviction and sentencing. So, the decision of the AG/Public Prosecutor to discontinue the criminal case of Zahid Hamidi at the defence stage was rather ODD. If DPP Raja Rozela Raja Toran continues to prosecute, Zahid Hamidi will likely be convicted and sentenced? Come back and prosecute to the end.. When AG who discontinued Zahid's case gets appointed Chairman of a GLC - A question of public perception? Judges/Courts confused by 'badly drafted' law - Parliament must CLARIFY whether when Prosecutor discontinues a case, the accussed is to be acquitted or DNAAed as of right? Zahid Hamidi's DNAA?? NGO gesa prosiding penjelasan isu DNAA Zahid disiar langsung(Malaysian Insight) Live Broadcast/Hansard for all Parliamentary Select Committee (Zahid's DNAA) - A media statement What happened to Zahid's DNAA Parliamentary Committee? Separation of AG from Public Prosecutor important but the DNAA? Zahid Hamidi's can always be charged again, the trial reinstated and continued - section 254A CPC? Explaining and concerns? Another UMNO politician cases:- Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin and his wife Datin Seri Zizie Izette Abd Samad were freed from all corruption charges involving RM2.8 million.High Court Judge Datuk Azhar Abdul Hamid acquitted and discharged the couple from the case today.He made the decision after ruling that the Sessions Court erred in ordering Bung Moktar and Zizie Izette to enter their defence on Sept 2, last year. On May 3, 2019, Bung Moktar was charged with two charges of accepting bribes of RM2.2 million and RM262,500 as an inducement to obtain Felcra approval to invest RM150 million in Public Mutual unit trusts. - NST, 7/9/2023 Was there any former BN politician charged for abuse of power, corruption, money laundering, etc - crimes committed when they were Ministers or MPs of the government party during the BN rule? Even prosecution appeals against the acquittals of then BN leaders are getting delayed and delayed... Zahid Hamidi - Court of Appeal not respected? No more adjournments - Let COA hear the appeal. CLEAN and idependent administration of justice is fundamental. With the reason alleged Pardon of Najib that saw the sentence being cut in half, people were unhappy. We have yet to see the Pardon Decision of the King, all we have seen is a statement by the Pardons Board - True, the King has to do as advised by the Pardons Board - but still the final Pardon Decision should be issued by the King or the Palace, as was done when Anwar Ibrahim was pardoned. Najib's PARDON now may have serious impact to Malaysia, Malaysian law enforcement, prosecution and courts? Najib's Pardon - King, not Pardon Board have the power - As the King did not tell us when he was King, is there any consequences? PARDON - Discrimination, only for some? Should Shafee's disclosure that could invalidate Najib's pardon be acted on? A law on PARDONS? N ow, there is allegation that the King's Pardon also said that Najib was to serve his remaining prison sentence at home ...under 'house arrest'. If TRUE, this is a VERY SERIOUS issue - WHY DID PM ANWAR IBRAHIM OR THE GOVERNMENT NOT TELL US THEN ABOUT THIS 'HOUSE ARREST' THINGY THAT THE KING ALLEGEDLY ORDERED? This was NOT in the Pardon Boards public statement. Even if the King makes a WRONG orders about Najib's Pardon, NOT as advised by the Pardons Board or against the Constitution/Law, then rightly the Pardons Board(which includes the Attorney General) and maybe the Prime Minister ought to have informed him of the mistake - so that the King can revise it and come out with a Pardons Order that is correct and in accordance to law. The Pardons Board or the PM(or the Cabinet) cannot just reveal a part of the Order and not the full order. This is wrong and may also be DISRESPECT to the King? Interestingly, now the Deputy Prime Minister also admits that he knew about the 'additional order' - so why did he not reveal it then as the Pardon happened at the end of February 2024? Did the Deputy hide it from Prime Minister Anwar? Or did Anwar Ibrahim also know but elected not to DISCLOSE it, or act upon it? The King's Pardon Order must be disclosed to the public - Transparency Please. In the document, the Umno president[DPM Zahid Hamidi] said he was shown the document by former Selangor Umno treasurer Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz at his (Ahmad Zahid's) house at Country Heights on Jan 30 ...I further sighted that the addendum order is dated Jan 29 and has the seal and signature of His Majesty Seri Paduka Baginda the Yang di-Pertuan Agong XVI. Was it Prime Minister's plan to delay the disclosure of the 'addendum order' - because the Malaysian public was already angry that Najib's sentence was cut in half? Will Anwar also be filing an Affidavit - after all he is the Prime Minister? Anyway, we will see what happens in court? Anwar Ibrahim commented on Zahid Hamidi's Affidavit - Commenting on his deputys affidavit filed in Najibs application for judicial review of his partial pardon, Anwar said it was Zahids prerogative to do so. He (submitted the affidavit) in his capacity as the Umno president, and the attorney general represented the Pardons Board, Anwar was quoted as saying by the Malaysiakini news portal.ed the affidavit) in his capacity as the Umno president, and the attorney general represented the Pardons Board, Anwar was quoted as saying by the Malaysiakini news portal. We remain steadfast that all decisions involving the Malay Rulers cannot be challenged. I do not wish to comment further as this has been our (the governments) principle since independence. Comments :- Foolish, because Zahid Hamidi was the Deputy Prime Minister when the Pardon was given until now. Did the Deputy Prime Minister inform the Prime Minister and the Cabinet at the material time about the alleged 'adendum order' about house arrest? Or did he keep the PM and the Cabinet, and the Parliament in the dark? Anwar, being Prime Minister cannot not affirm an Affidavit in Najib's application for Judicial Review - as there are material questions that he must tell us - was he aware of any such 'addendum order', part of the King's Pardon, and when did he become aware of it and why did he not act on it? Who is in the Pardon's Board - the Attorney General(appointed by King on the advice of PM Anwar Ibrahim), the Minister in charge of Federal Territories( (appointed by King on the advice of PM Anwar Ibrahim, and also member of the Cabinet), and the 3 other members of the Pardon Board(again reasonably appointed by King on the advice of the Prime Minister) Implementation of the Pardon Order - well, again it is the Executive Branch led by the Prime Minister. House Arrest(even if possible) - there is FINANCIAL IMPLICATION as prison officers will need to secure the premises, so that the prisoner does not escape his place of detention. Then, the bigger problem is that there is still law stipulating how 'house arrest' works. So, Anwar cannot say he is not involved... Also note that the Pardons Board statement was issued under the PRIME MINISTER's Department letterhead. Anyway, all in all, the Malaysian people and the international community are watching - what happens in court will affect public perception of Anwar and PH... Royal addendum for Najib's house arrest is real, says Zahid By NURBAITI HAMDAN Nation Wednesday, 17 Apr 2024 3:28 PM MYT KUALA LUMPUR: The Royal addendum from the former Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Riayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah, which would allow Datuk Seri Najib Razak to go under house arrest, does exist, claims Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi. The Deputy Prime Minister said this in his affidavit in support of Najib's application for leave to commence judicial review in relation to the royal addendum he claimed was granted to him along with his royal pardon. In the document, the Umno president said he was shown the document by former Selangor Umno treasurer Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz at his (Ahmad Zahid's) house at Country Heights on Jan 30. Ahmad Zahid said Tengku Zafrul showed him a copy of the addendum order on his (Tengku Zafrul's) phone which he personally photographed or scanned from an original copy as shown to him by the former YDPA. The contents of the addendum order expressly stated that the applicant (Najib) be allowed to serve the reduced sentence of his imprisonment under condition of house arrest, instead of the current prison confinement in the Kajang Prison. I further sighted that the addendum order is dated Jan 29 and has the seal and signature of His Majesty Seri Paduka Baginda the Yang di-Pertuan Agong XVI. I further confirm that the addendum order is genuine and in fact is the Royal Prerogative Order as the Main Order. I verily believe that for the sufficient period of time I sighted and read the addendum order, and I clearly saw the entire contents and that it forms part of the pardon process. Thus, I hereby confirm the existence of the addendum order dated Jan 29 issued by the former King, Ahmad Zahid stated in the affidavit dated April 9. The affidavit is accessible to the public on the judiciary website. Previously, the court was told that a "crucial witness" would be supporting Najib's application in his bid to go under house arrest. Ahmad Zahid, however, stated that he did not have a copy of the impugned document due to confidentiality and propriety, especially in the light of the fact that the addendum order had by then not been executed or enforced. He said he believed that other government members have seen the addendum order apart from him and Tengku Zafrul. Specifically, I am aware that Datuk Seri Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail (Pahang menteri besar) has also seen a copy of the addendum order and can confirm the same. I am further verily informed that the Attorney General (AG) has the original copy of the addendum order for his legal input on the same, Ahmad Zahid said. Earlier, the High Court barred the press from covering the hearing of Najib's leave application at the request of Najib's lead counsel Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah. Muhammad Shafee said the matter should be moved in-chambers due to its sensitive nature. Senior Federal Counsels Shamsul Bolhassan and Ahmad Hanir Hambaly did not object. Justice Amarjeet Singh allowed the application. The judge fixed June 5 to deliver his decision. - Star, 17/4/2024 Zahid didnt use official position to support Najib, says Anwar Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim with the public at Gerai Kak Ngah Billion in Bandar Teknologi Kajang for lunch before performing Friday prayers, April 19, 2024. The prime minister said today that Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi issued an affidavit in support of ex-prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak in the formers capacity as Umno president. Bernama pic By Justin Ong Friday, 19 Apr 2024 4:38 PM MYT KUALA LUMPUR, April 19 Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi issued an affidavit in support of ex-prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak in the formers capacity as Umno president, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said today. Commenting on his deputys affidavit filed in Najibs application for judicial review of his partial pardon, Anwar said it was Zahids prerogative to do so. He (submitted the affidavit) in his capacity as the Umno president, and the attorney general represented the Pardons Board, Anwar was quoted as saying by the Malaysiakini news portal.ed the affidavit) in his capacity as the Umno president, and the attorney general represented the Pardons Board, Anwar was quoted as saying by the Malaysiakini news portal. We remain steadfast that all decisions involving the Malay Rulers cannot be challenged. I do not wish to comment further as this has been our (the governments) principle since independence. On Wednesday, Zahid was identified as the critical witness supporting Najibs bid to compel the federal government and the Pardons Board to produce a purported supplementary order from the previous Yang di-Pertuan Agong. Zahids affidavit also claimed that Minister of Investment, Trade, and Industry Senator Datuk Seri Tengku Zafrul Aziz had affirmed the existence of the supplementary order. Tengku Zafrul subsequently said he would apply to correct certain factual errors, but did not specify the errors. In his application for leave to seek judicial review filed on April 1, Najib claimed the former Agong issued the order during the January 29 meeting of the board, for the former to serve the remainder of his reduced sentence under house arrest. On February 2, the Pardons Board halved Najibs sentence from a 12-year prison term to six years for misappropriating funds amounting to RM42 million, which means he may be released earlier on August 23, 2028. - Malay Mail, 19/4/2024

not the people in Klang or Bangi deserve to have 2 or 3 MPs in Parliament. There are 300,000 plus voters in Bangi, and just like Sabak Bernam. For EQUAL REPRESENTATION in Parliament and/or Government, every Parliamentary Constituency must have almost equal number of voters - but in Malaysia, the problem nationwide is that some Constituencies are too large and some are too small. This must be REMEDIED speedily. WHY WAS THIS PROBLEM NOT REMEDIED SOONER? Well, some say that during the time the UMNO-led Coalition(Alliance then BN) was ruling, the strategy was ensure more Parliamentary seats are won by then government parties, and reduce the number of seats won by the Opposition parties. Thus, where Opposition likely to win, the number of constituents were large. Even, if we look at maps of Constituencies, for some it is ODD as the borders look like there was 'tampering' to reduce number of Opposition MPs or attempts to try to change borders to give government parties better chances. It must be noted that our Federal Constitution never provided for the number of MPs per State, and the Constitution has been amended several times over the years (See below this post the relevant Art. 46, and the Notes that tells us roughly this Article has been amended over the years. In determining the Constituency Boundaries, several factors are mention in Thirteenth Schedule of the Federal Constitution, but today they may no longer be relevant considering the development in the country...especially things like.. ...(b) regard ought to be had to the administrative facilities available within the constituencies for the establishment of the necessary registration and polling machines ; (c) the number of electors within each constituency in a State ought to be approximately equal except that, having regard to the greater difficulty of reaching electors in the country districts and the other disadvantages facing rural constituencies, a measure of weightage for area ought to be given to such constituencies;... Anyway, the one point that is always there is that the number of electors in constituency must be equal or 'approximately equal'. When the PH government finally ousted the BN government and came into power after GE14 in 2018 - they could have dealt with this problem but they did not.. Will our Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and the PH-led coalition government deal with this issue and finally all all Malaysians EQUAL RIGHT OF REPRESENTATION in the Dewan Rakyat, the lower House of the Malaysian Parliament. As it is, Malaysians are already being denied the right to elect Senators, Local Government(Council) peoples' representatives, ...and even their village, taman heads...All these need to be changed 46Composition of House of Representatives (1) The House of Representatives shall consist of two hundred and twenty-two elected members. (2) There shall be (a) two hundred and nine members from the States in Malaysia as follows: (i) twenty-six members from Johore; (ii) fifteen members from Kedah; (iii) fourteen members from Kelantan; (iv) six members from Malacca; (v) eight members from Negeri Sembilan; (vi) fourteen members from Pahang; (vii) thirteen members from Penang; (viii) twenty-four members from Perak; (ix) three members from Perlis; (x) twenty-five members from Sabah; (xi) thirty-one members from Sarawak; (xii) twenty-two members from Selangor; and (xiii) eight members from Terengganu; and (b) thirteen members from the Federal Territories of Kuala Lumpur, Labuan and Putrajaya as follows: (i) eleven members from the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur; (ii) one member from the Federal Territory of Labuan; (iii) one member from the Federal Territory of Putrajaya. NOTES Art. 46 1. This Article as it stood on Merdeka Day read as follows: "46. (1) The House of Representatives shall consist of one hundred elected members except that the first House of Representatives shall consist of one hundred and four. (2) After the completion of the first census to be taken after Merdeka Day Parliament may by law alter the number of members of the House of Representatives.". 2. This Article was amended by Act 14/1962, section 14, in force from 21-06-1962, by substituting "one hundred and four elected members" for "one hundred elected members except that the first House of Representatives shall consist of one hundred and four" in Clause (1), and repealed Clause (2). 3. This Article was substituted by Act 26/1963, section 9, in force from 16-09-1963, which read as follows: "46. (1) The House of Representatives shall consist of one hundred and fifty-nine elected members. (2) There shall be (a) one hundred and four members from the States of Malaya; (b) sixteen members from Sabah; (c) twenty-four members from Sarawak; (d) fifteen members from Singapore.". 4. This Article was amended by Act 59/1966, section 2, in force from 09-08-1965, by substituting "forty-four" for "fifty-nine" in Clause (1) and deleted paragraph (d) of Clause (2). 5. This Article was again amended by Act A206, section 12, in force from 23-08-1973, by the substitution of the whole Article which read as follows: "46. (1) The House of Representatives shall consist of one hundred and fifty-four elected members. (2) There shall be (a) one hundred and forty-nine members from the States in Malaysia as follows: (i) sixteen members from Johore; (ii) thirteen members from Kedah; (iii) twelve members from Kelantan; (iv) four members from Malacca; (v) six members from Negeri Sembilan; (vi) eight members from Pahang; (vii) nine members from Penang; (viii) twenty-one members from Perak; (xi) two members from Perlis; (x) sixteen members from Sabah; (xi) twenty-four members from Sarawak; (xii) eleven members from Selangor; (xiii) seven members from Terengganu; and (b) five members from the Federal Territory.". 6. The present Article was substituted by Act A566, section 5, in force from 16-12-1983. However, the substitution shall not affect the composition of the House of Representatives or any elections to that House until the dissolution of Parliament occurring on or after 31-12-1984 See P.U. (A) 475 and 476/1984. Clause (1) Amended by Act A585, paragraph 14 (a) , in force from 16-04-1984, by substituting the words "seventy-seven" for "seventy-six". Clause (2) Amended by Act A585, paragraph 14 (b) , in force from 16-04-1984, by substituting for paragraph (b) the following new paragraph (b) : (b) eight members from the Federal Territories of Kuala Lumpur and Labuan as follows (i) seven members from the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur; (ii) one member from the Federal Territory of Labuan.". Clause (1) Amended by Act A631, section 2, in force from 24-02-1986, by substituting the word "eighty" for "seventy-seven". Clause (2) Amended by Act A631, section 2, in force from 24-02-1986, by substituting the word "seventy-two" for "sixty-nine" in paragraph (a) and the word "twenty-seven" for "twenty-four" in subparagraph (xi) of paragraph (a) . Note : This Article, as amended, shall not affect the composition of the House of Representatives or any election to that House until the dissolution of Parliament See Art. 57(1A). Clause (1) Amended by Act A837, section 2, in force from 20-11-1992, by substituting the word "ninety-two" for "eighty". Clause (2) Amended by Act A837, section 2, in force from 20-11-1992 (i) by substituting the word "eighty-one" for "seventy-two" in paragraph (a) ; (ii) by substituting the word "twenty" for "eighteen" in subparagraph (a) (i); (iii) by substituting the word "fifteen" for "fourteen" in subparagraph (a) (ii); (iv) by substituting the word "fourteen" for "thirteen" in subparagraph (a) (iii); (v) by substituting the word "eleven" for "ten" in subparagraph (a) (vi); (vi) by substituting the word "three" for "two" in subparagraph (a) (ix); (vii) by substituting the word "seventeen" for "fourteen" in subparagraph (a) (xii); (viii) by substituting the word "eleven" for "eight" in paragraph (b) ; and (ix) by substituting the word "ten" for "seven" in subparagraph (b) (i). Note: The above amendments shall not affect the composition of the House of Representatives or any election to that House until dissolution of Parliament occurring on or after the date of the coming into force of the Order made under section 12 of the Thirteenth Schedule See section 4 of Act A837. Clause (1) This clause was again amended by Act A945, paragraph 2 (a) , in force from 07-06-1996, to increase the composition of the House of Representatives from one hundred and ninety-two to one hundred and ninety-three, i.e. specifically increasing the composition of the members from the State of Sarawak from twenty-seven to twenty-eight. Clause (2) Amended by Act A945, paragraph 2 (b) , in force from 07-06-1996 (i) by substituting the word "eighty-two" for "eighty-one" in paragraph (a) ; and (ii) by substituting the word "twenty-eight" for "twenty-seven" in subparagraph (a) (xi). Note : However this amendment shall not affect the composition of the House of Representatives or any election to that House until the dissolution of Parliament occurring on or after the date of the coming into force of the Order made under section 12 of the Thirteenth Schedule to the Federal Constitution following the review undertaken pursuant to Clause (2) of Article 113 of the Federal Constitution and the said Thirteenth Schedule. Clause (1) Amended by Act A1095, paragraph 16 (a) , in force from 01-02-2001, by substituting the word "ninety-four" for "ninety-three". Clause (2) Amended by Act A1095, paragraph 16 (b) , in force from 01-02-2001, to enable one member of the House of Representatives to be elected to represent the Federal Territory of Putrajaya. Clause (1) Amended by Act A1198, paragraph 2 (a) , in force from 15-08-2003, by substituting the words "two hundred and nineteen" for "one hundred and ninety-four". Clause (2) Amended by Act A1198, paragraph 2 (b) , in force 15-08-2003, by increasing the number of members of the House of Representatives consequent upon the delimitation of the constituencies undertaken by the Election Commission from 8 August 2002 until 7 September 2002. The increase is as follows: (a) six members from Johore; (b) one member from Malacca; (c) one member from Negeri Sembilan; (d) three members from Pahang; (e) two members from Penang; (f) one member from Perak; (g) five members from Sabah; (h) five members from Selangor; and (i) one member from the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur. Clause (1) Amended by Act A1260, paragraph 2 (a) , in force from 19-01-2006, by substituting the words "two hundred and twenty-two" for "two hundred and nineteen". Clause (2) Amended by Act A1260, paragraph 2 (b) , in force from 19-01-2006, to increase the composition of the House of Representatives from two hundred and six to two hundred and nine, i.e. specifically increasing the composition of the members from the State of Sarawak from twenty-eight to thirty-one. Anwar, the clock is ticking! Where are the reforms? One key issue is the lopsided weighting of parliamentary constituencies 10 Apr 2024 Bersih held its first meeting with a serving prime minister when the team met Anwar Ibrahim on 28 February 2024 - ANWAR IBRAHIM/FACEBOOK Follow us on our Malay and English WhatsApp, Telegram , Instagram , Tiktok and Youtube channels. By Sarujun Hoda Abdul Hassan The recently elected chairman of Bersih, Faisal Aziz, and his steering committee members, must be congratulated for bringing the coalition back on track to its core business. The key objective of the electoral reform group is to correct the lopsided and overly manipulated electoral process, which appears to blatantly favour one ethnicity and the government in power. Every time constituency boundaries are redrawn, many opposition constituencies appear to be overly conflated with boundaries drawn along ethnic lines. Meanwhile, government-held constituencies favouring a certain ethnicity seem to be kept small for easy wins. The malapportionment of votes is often staggering. The Election Commission rarely entertained objections from affected voters another major flaw in its approach. Look at the shape of theKlang constituency , for instance . It looks like a thin elongated grasshopper-like insect. One cannot help but wonder if this was done maliciously. Green grasshopper? SELANGOR.GOV.MY The Election Commission had no shame nor qualms in undertaking such an absurd exercise to please its political masters? Take a look at selected parliamentary constituencies in Selangor. In Klang (208,913 voters in 2022), Bangi (303,430), Kota Raja (244,712) and Subang (230,940), the number of voters is several times more than a string of previously Umno-held constituencies in the state. Look at the much smaller number of voters in Kuala Selangor (102,951), Tanjong Karang (62,194), Sungai Besar (64,382) and Sabak Bernam (51,609). The value of one vote in some of these smaller constituencies is equivalent to four to eight votes in the larger seats. Still, the lopsided weighting didnt work for Barisan Nasional the last time around. Voters, shocked by Najib Razaks corruption and his 1MDB grand thefts, shifted their support in a big way to the other ethnic and religious party, Pas, which is part of Perikatan Nasional. PN found these seats delivered to them on a silver platter and quickly gobbled up most of them. If the Madani (civil and compassionate) government does not correct this lopsided weighting before the next general election, it is a foregone conclusion that PN will reap the advantage and possibly form the next federal government. It all hinges on whether the electoral boundaries will be redrawn to redress the acute gerrymandering and malapportionment, to remove phantom voters and to eliminate any postal votes fraud. Still, this was the first time a prime minister agreed to meet with the Bersih steering committee and listen to their desired reforms. The Bersih team highlighted the need for clean, free and fair elections and the institutional reforms to strengthen democracy and good governance. Bersih reminded the PM about the public disgust over several cases where prominent politicians from a party within the unity government were given a discharge not amounting to an acquittal. Imagine, these elite politicians had been charged with corruption the very plague the PM wants to eradicate as his priority. Bersih is also pushing for an immediate moratorium on similar conditional acquittals in existing corruption cases. Many among the public were also appalled at the fast-tracking of the Pardons Boards hearing for the unrepented and unremorseful Najib. Even more unacceptable was the 76% reduction in his fine and the 50% reduction in the duration of his prison sentence. Few are convinced Anwar was helpless, if not instrumental, in this atrocious lapse of judgement. All this happened while many ordinary people suffer heavier sentences for far lesser crimes and while far more deserving cases never reach the board or take much longer. Bersih also renewed calls for the full repeal of the Sedition Act. The electoral reforms group wants reforms to the process of appointments of election commissioners. Among its demands is the call for the declassification and release of the recommendations in the report on institutional reforms. Another reform demand is a more effective Election Offences Act and a political funding act. Bersih insists on the separation of the powers and functions of attorney general and public prosecutor. Included in the Bersih agenda is the call for a parliamentary services bill and reforms to the rules of parliamentary conduct. The group also wants a fixed parliamentary term law and a two-term limit to the PMs tenure. Its about time the government fulfils 100% its manifesto promises and provides full autonomy to Parliament. - Aliran Website

of VETO power has prevented the UN from taking more effective measures like the sending of a UN Peacekeeping Force, or a UN Force to ensure that the violence stops, and Israel withdraws back to its national borders. International Court of Justice had ordered the stop of killing but Israel has not complied with the court order... 26th January ICJ, amongst others, orders ISRAEL to stop killing of Palestinians,etc but the killing and other things continues - What should we do with Israel? What will ICJ do? What will UN do? READ the ICJ ORDER of 26/1/2024 The UN had the power to impose economic sanctions on Israel, impose an embargo on arms sales in Israel - but it cannot because the US(and something other VETO holders) block it ....So, the UN is crippled to act, and Israel continues to even disrespect past UN Security Council Resolutions that manage to get passed - like the one that called for the end of building Israeli Settlements in OCCUPIED Territories. So when the UN and governments are prevented from acting, the people as individuals and groups can still ACT to ensure justice be done in Palestine. They can issue statements, protests and demonstrate, ...and even BOYCOTT. The BOYCOTT of US Brands with regard the Palestinian situation is not new - even in the 80s, I remember the Boycott. Boycotts are effective - as it 'pressures' these US Brands to put pressure on the US or the relevant country to change their position, and act for human rights and justice in Palestine. Look what happened on the KK Mart Allah Sock issue, how fast did the owners and suppliers apologize. Yes, a Malaysian company may have got the exclusive rights in Malaysia on the opening of FRANCHISES of the US Brand in Malaysia, but at the end of the day, monies still flow back to the parent company and the Brand Name still gets promoted in Malaysia. BOYCOTT and Protest is also not just about 'money' - it is also about image - Companies place importance on their IMAGE - so to prevent loss of IMAGE, they will also be forced to act - maybe as demanded by the people who protest/boycott. Malaysia takes a strong position on the Palestinian issue - but the opening of US Brand outlets in government premises indicates otherwise ... is Malaysian PM and/or government BLUFFING the people? Hence, the opening of the Starbucks outlet NOW in April 2024, when the on going killings and injustices since October is indicative of the Malaysian position. The government really should consider ending the contracts of all US Brands outlets in government premises, including Universities, etc..NOT opening NEW outlets . Why can't the government promote Malaysian brands and Malaysian companies ...Malaysian owned companies have been successful in establishing Brand names, and opening franchises like Mydin, 99, KK Mart, Old Town White Coffee, Marrybrown, Secret Recipe, Sushi King True, we are concerned about the well-being of the Malaysian employees in these establishment - but the government can take steps to find them alternative employment if they suffer loss of employment. Berjaya Corp Bhd founder Vincent Tan has called on the public to stop boycotting Starbucks Malaysia, saying it only hurts the locals running the company. The business tycoon said up to 85% of Starbucks Malaysias employees are Muslims and that there are no foreigners working in the companys head office This boycott doesnt benefit anyone, he was quoted by the New Straits Times ... Interestingly, he talks about the employees at the outlets being 85% Muslim, not 85% Malaysians - so how many foreigners employed? How many Malaysians employed? Are they given REGULAR employment until retirement, or is it just short-term employment contracts? At the head office, no foreigners, but what about at the outlets? Is the BOYCOTT having an impact - yes, it is... Tans Berjaya Food Bhd (BFood) faced significant challenges due to the boycott of Starbucks in Malaysia, made worse by the weakening of the ringgit against the dollar. This led to a substantial decline in revenue and a record net loss for the second quarter of the fiscal year 2024 .The boycott, sparked by the Israel-Palestine conflict, heavily impacted BFood as Starbucks Malaysia contributes 90% of the groups revenue. Now, did Vincent Tan or BFood exert pressure on Starbucks to respect human rights in Palestine, and pressure Israel to stop the senseless slaughter? Why did Minister Nga attend the opening with the once infamous Vincent Tan? He could easily have sent a representative, if need be? One wonders how much DAP and the Pakatan Harapan have changed? DAP leader and federal minister Nga Kor Ming has accused those who call for boycott of products as "instigators" out to ruin domestic economy , as Malaysian Muslims join a global boycott of US interests to protest Washington's continued support for Israel. 1 - Malaysians of all ethnicity and religions, who believe in justice and human rights, will participate in this BOYCOTT. Nga Kor Ming is WRONG to even think that it is only 'Malaysian Muslims'. The injustice and violation of human rights befalling the people in the Palestinian region is an issue of concern for ALL - and not just Muslims. Does Nga Kor Ming support the boycott? 2 - Is Nga Kor Ming trying to criminalize people who suggested and/or called for a boycott as "instigators" out to ruin the Malaysian economy? And later maybe even Malaysians who participate in these boycotts? What is happening? Is this also PM Anwar Ibrahim's position? Are they out to Oppose or shut down boycotts that came about as a peoples' effort to ensure justice in Palestine. Hello, some countries or governments are also moving towards BOYCOTT. Take Turkey for example.. Turkey's parliament removed Coca Cola and Nestle products from its restaurants on Tuesday over their alleged support for Israel amid the conflict in Gaza, according to a parliament statement and a source who named the two companies. The two companies did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Want a Loan? Get cash against your Mutual Funds in 4 hours "It was decided that the products of companies that support Israel will not be sold in restaurant.. Read more at: ......... Turkey's parliament removed Coca Cola and Nestle products from its restaurants on Tuesday over their alleged support for Israel amid the conflict in Gaza, according to a parliament statement and a source who named the two companies. The two companies did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Want a Loan? Get cash against your Mutual Funds in 4 hours "It was decided that the products of companies that support Israel will not be sold in restaurant.. Read more at: ......... Turkish Parliament removes Coca-Cola and Nestle products from its menus to boycott Israel. In addition, many ministries and institutions in Turkiye have removed Israeli products to boycott Israel . Citizens have also been holding rallies nationwide calling for a stop to Israels brutal campaign . At the same time, public agencies, municipalities, and universities in dozens of provinces have announced a boycott of goods of Israeli origin. In a statement released by the Turkish Parliament, it was stated that the Turkish Parliament decided to support the social sensitivity to boycott the products and goods of companies that openly declare their support for the war crimes of Israel , which massacres innocent people in Gaza. Well, in Malaysia, The Minister of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's Cabinet, attends the opening ceremony of Starbucks outlet that is opened at the Ministries' premises in Putrajaya...and then slams those who call/promote the boycott "instigators' out to ruin domestic economy... It seems that nothing mentioned about Palestine based on the report. So different from countries committed to the Palestinian Cause. Maybe, Malaysia should NOT OPEN any NEW American Brand Name Outlets in government premises/universities/etc, and immediately terminate contracts of such outlets - Open up Malaysian owned Malaysian Brand outlets in government premises. Will the Malaysian government apologize for the 'THREATS' made by the said Minister? Will PM Anwar Ibrahim sanction or 'sack' Nga Kor Ming? Silence implies consent - business as usual - forget the Palestinian cause... What has happened to the principled and respected DAP that used to fight the good cause... After all, they are the BIGGEST party in PH. BOYCOTT always causes discomfort to the individual consumer as he may have sacrifice his/her favorite foot, product or outlet in support of a more important human rights and justice issue...WE, the individual person, choose to do what we can ... DAP's Nga slams 'instigators' as fast food chains face anti-Israel boycott The federal minister says the boycott campaign affects the economy. MalaysiaNow April 12, 2024 5:19 PM 4 minute read Nga Kor Ming with tycoon Vincent Tan at the opening of a Starbucks outlet at the Ministry of Housing and Local Government in Putrajaya, in August 2023. Photo: KPKT April 10, 2024 9:00 AM DAP leader and federal minister Nga Kor Ming has accused those who call for boycott of products as "instigators" out to ruin domestic economy, as Malaysian Muslims join a global boycott of US interests to protest Washington's continued support for Israel. Nga, who is the housing and local government minister, was commenting on a Chinese-language news report about workers of a fast food outlet feeling the effects of the boycott, which has centred on several global US brands with Israeli presence. "Never fall into the trap of instigators, our country needs the efforts of all parties to develop the economy," Nga, the DAP vice-chairman, said in a social media post. He described those boycotting the fast food chain as irresponsible, adding that it was hurting Malaysia's economy. The comments drew strong reactions from Muslims, who criticised Nga for blaming the weak economy on the anti-Israel boycott. In an immediate response, BDS Malaysia, the local chapter of the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions movement behind the global anti-Israel boycott, accused Nga of blaming the boycott of certain brands for the overall economic performance. "If people boycott one store, they will buy from other stores," BDS Malaysia chairman Nazari Ismail told MalaysiaNow. He cited the example of a computer brand and a fuel company that BDS Malaysia has called for a boycott. "If people don't buy a certain XX computer, they will buy other brands. If they don't go to a certain fuel station, they will go to other fuel stations. There are many options. So the economy in general is not really affected. Only the boycotted companies are affected." Umno Youth chief Dr Akmal Saleh echoed similar sentiments, saying that boycotts in the past, including during the Najib Razak era, had not had any impact on the economy. "To the unwise minister Nga Kor Ming, the reason why the country's economy is doing badly is because there are ministers like you! Stupid!" he said in a Facebook post. While many praised Akmal for criticising Nga, there were also some who questioned him and the Umno leadership for still being an ally of Pakatan Harapan (PH). "People knew PH was stupid from the beginning. Why are you (Umno) so keen to form the government with them? And don't give me the excuse that it's an instruction from the Agong," Akmal Izzad wrote. In November last year, McDonald's, one of the popular Western fast food chains feeling the effects of the boycott, caused a stir when the company said it was working with the government to bring sedition charges against those calling on consumers to shun the company. In a social media post that has since been removed, representatives of the company were photographed with the chairman of the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), Mohamad Salim, the internet regulator that often cracks down on those it accuses of fuelling hate and spreading fake news online. Affected by the boycott, many major US franchises in Muslim countries have been forced to show their sympathy for Palestinians by announcing humanitarian aid for Gaza, while others were quick to distance themselves from the franchise owners. Some, such as KFC, have reminded the public that they are a local company with banners outside their outlets. Nevertheless, the boycott campaign against these companies seems to be successful, as the normally busy McDonald's and KFC outlets across the country are almost empty even during peak hours. A similar fate has befallen Starbucks Malaysia, whose cafes across the country have borne the brunt of an aggressive boycott campaign. In Malaysia, Starbucks is owned by Berjaya Food, which is part of Berjaya Corporation, the conglomerate linked to prominent billionaire Vincent Tan. The company also owns the 7-Eleven retail chain, whose chairman is Farhash Wafa Salvador, the former political secretary to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim. In December, MalaysiaNow reported that 7-Eleven in Israel is one of the biggest supporters of the military action in Gaza, following a trend of local franchisees of global brands expressing moral support for the Zionist regime. Just as Israel was preparing to attack Gaza following the Hamas' Oct 7 attacks, 7-Eleven offered a 50% discount to soldiers recruited for the military operations in Gaza, which have so far killed nearly 30,000 Palestinian civilians. Even before Nga's latest comments, a video on WhatsApp was making the rounds in which he was criticised for officiating a Starbucks branch in the lobby of his ministry in Putrajaya. The Starbucks caf, which opened just two months before the Israeli bombardment of Gaza in October, is the only branch of its kind on the premises of a ministry. Nga's latest remarks may have reignited tensions between Umno Youth and DAP, just as the "Allah socks" episode was beginning to die down.Akmal had recently abandoned his campaign to boycott retail chain KK Mart after socks bearing the name "Allah" were discovered there. DAP leaders had responded to his boycott call by showing solidarity with KK Mart and urging people to shop at the retail chain to show their support. - Malaysia Now, 12/4/2024 Starbucks boycott doesnt benefit anyone, says Vincent Tan FMT Reporters - 04 Mar 2024, 01:20 PM The Berjaya Corp Bhd founder says the majority of Starbucks Malaysias staff are Muslim, and the boycott only hurts the locals running the company. Berjaya Corp Bhd founder Vincent Tan said up to 85% of Starbucks Malaysias employees are Muslims. (Facebook pic) PETALING JAYA: Berjaya Corp Bhd founder Vincent Tan has called on the public to stop boycotting Starbucks Malaysia, saying it only hurts the locals running the company. The business tycoon said up to 85% of Starbucks Malaysias employees are Muslims and that there are no foreigners working in the companys head office. This boycott doesnt benefit anyone, he was quoted by the New Straits Times as saying at a press conference in Okinawa, Japan. Tan said the boycott seemed to be tapering out with Starbucks Malaysias sales slowly improving. Vincent Tan. He expected further improvement to be reflected in the companys finances for the third quarter of this year. Tans Berjaya Food Bhd (BFood) faced significant challenges due to the boycott of Starbucks in Malaysia, made worse by the weakening of the ringgit against the dollar. This led to a substantial decline in revenue and a record net loss for the second quarter of the fiscal year 2024. The boycott, sparked by the Israel-Palestine conflict, heavily impacted BFood as Starbucks Malaysia contributes 90% of the groups revenue. Research houses had issued sell calls on BFoods stock, anticipating ongoing earnings pressure. While BFood said it remained optimistic about performance improvement in subsequent quarters, some analysts were less hopeful, citing the Middle East conflicts persistent influence on consumer behaviour and the potential for long-term brand erosion. - FMT, 4/3/2024 The impact of your Israeli goods boycott By Luqman Hakim - November 14, 2023 @ 7:02am The ongoing conflict between Palestine and Israel has spurred Malaysians to intensify their efforts in boycotting products associated with Israel, leading to substantial impacts on businesses, including shortened operating hours and reduced salaries for employees. - NSTP/ROHANIS SHUKRI KUALA LUMPUR: The ongoing conflict between Palestine and Israel has spurred Malaysians to intensify their efforts in boycotting products associated with Israel, leading to substantial impacts on businesses, including shortened operating hours and reduced salaries for employees. In contrast, economists and consumer associations posit that the boycott movement may potentially benefit local products as individuals seek alternatives to Israel-linked brands. However, they also express the view that the boycott's impact will likely be confined to franchises in Malaysia rather than affecting the affected brands' global headquarters. Economist Associate Professor Dr Nuradli Ridzwan Shah Mohd Dali highlights the boycott's potential to stimulate local product sales as consumers shift their preferences. He emphasises that this shift in consumer behaviour could augment the size and purchasing power of the local market, fostering the growth of domestic businesses. "There will always be alternatives to international products that consumers can choose. "If you're used to buying burgers from fast-food joints, there are also street vendors using local ingredients," he told the New Straits Times . Nuradli points out that in Malaysia, boycotting is a choice, not a compulsion, as the country is an open market with diverse consumer sentiments. To make the boycott more impactful, he suggests that consumers explore specific industries, particularly semiconductor-related products, which significantly contribute to Israel's gross domestic product. However, he advised consumers to research the brands or companies they are boycotting to avoid "collateral damage". He cautioned against accusing Malaysian-owned franchises of providing funding to Israel, urging a neutral stance to prevent negative repercussions. "It is understandable (to boycott) due to the solidarity (movement). But lumping together company 'A' in Malaysia and company 'B' in Israel as giving donations to the latter is a misconception. "Undoubtedly, since the attack in October, the Israeli stock market has been declining due to the conflict and boycott movement happening globally. "While there are pros and cons, the focus should be on the positive aspects, such as increased demand for local brands." Nusantara Academy for Strategic Research senior fellow Azmi Hassan noted that the financial impact of Malaysians exercising their right to boycott was minimal due to the country's relatively small market size. Unlike the situation in the United Kingdom or the United States, he said, where direct Israeli products are more prevalent, Malaysia's contribution to products supporting Israel is insignificant. "In the case of Malaysia, there is no direct evidence of products produced in Israel being available in the market. Renowned brands like McDonald's, which has faced scrutiny for its ties to Israel, are mainly affected at the local franchise level, such as McDonald's Malaysia, rather than the global headquarters. "In Malaysia, the management has put out a notice that they supported Palestinian rights, and even donate to them, for example." He said the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS), a movement that works to end international support for Israel's oppression of Palestinians, targets products originating from the occupied West Bank. "Malaysia's unique position stems from not having direct Israeli products, making the impact of the BDS movement felt broadly by local franchises." The Consumers' Association of Penang education officer N.V. Subbarow said people should not rely on foreign products. "If there are similar alternative products, yes, we can boycott to help boost local products, but sellers must not increase the price (when demand increases). "(Boycotting) is a lesson to countries that are not respecting the value of human lives." The boycott is also making rounds in other countries such as Indonesia where over 100 brands that it claims are affiliated with Israel were named. Meanwhile, Turkiye is also brazen on boycott after the country's parliament removed Coca-Cola and Nestle products from its restaurants over their alleged support for Israel. - NST, 14/11/2023 Turkish Parliament, Ministries, and Turkish people boycott Israeli products Politics Editor : Kevser Erbay 2023-11-11 10:42:07 Last update : 2023-11-11 12:09:58 Turkish Parliament, the Ministries, and the citizens boycott Israeli goods. The Parliament removes Coca-Cola and Nestle products from its menus to boycott Israel. In addition, many ministries and institutions in Turkiye have removed Israeli products to boycott Israel Font Size: Turkish Parliament , Ministries , and the Turkish citizens boycott Israeli goods. Turkish Parliament removes Coca-Cola and Nestle products from its menus to boycott Israel. In addition, many ministries and institutions in Turkiye have removed Israeli products to boycott Israel . Citizens have also been holding rallies nationwide calling for a stop to Israels brutal campaign . At the same time, public agencies, municipalities, and universities in dozens of provinces have announced a boycott of goods of Israeli origin. In a statement released by the Turkish Parliament, it was stated that the Turkish Parliament decided to support the social sensitivity to boycott the products and goods of companies that openly declare their support for the war crimes of Israel , which massacres innocent people in Gaza. The statement noted that upon the instruction of Speaker Numan Kurtulmus , the products of companies that support Israel's genocide crimes in Gaza will not be sold in restaurants, cafeterias, and tea shops on the Parliament campus and facilities. In a speech he delivered at Ordu University, Turkish Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmus called on everyone to follow the boycott. "In the Turkish Parliament, we will not use any products of companies that support Israel's aggression, we will not buy them from now on, and we will throw away the ones we buy. My fellow citizens of Ordu, let one of the results of today be this, we ask you, for the sake of Allah, it is not enough to just curse, it is not enough to just say 'Let this happen, let that happen'. We will not buy the products of the companies that support this massacre from now on," Kurtulmus emphasized. In a gathering on the first day of November, Turkiyes Presidency of Religious Affairs (Diyanet) also called for a mass boycott against Israel. "It is important to boycott products of companies that support Zionism and fight against oppression and oppressors in every possible way, Diyanet said. "Boycotting the Zionist enemy and those who help it is an obligation according to Islamic law, " Regarding the importance of boycotting Israel and its supporters, the Diyanet statement noted. TURKISH PEOPLE'S BOYCOTTS SPREADS Several nongovernmental organizations have been calling for a boycott since Gaza under attack of Israel. Social media users advocate boycotts with lists of products, including everything from Coca-Cola to products of multinational conglomerate Unilever. At the 'Palestine Consultation Meeting' , Bilal Erdogan , chairperson of the board of trustees of Ilim Yayma Vakf (the Foundation for the Expansion of Knowledge) , called on fellow organizations to join the boycott . We represent an important market (for Israeli products). Trkiye has sufficient local brands and does not solely rely on brands supporting Israel. We have to exert efforts to make the boycott widespread, he emphasized. The ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party), and municipalities announced boycotts in their public facilities successively over the past week. TURKISH AIRLINES BOYCOTT ISRAEL PRODUCTS Turkish Airlines stopped the distribution of products such as Coca Cola, Fanta, etc. to boycott Israel's attacks on Palestine. Turkish Airlines has started to ban Israeli products in its lounges and on all domestic flights. They were replaced with different drinks produced in Turkiye. It is not yet clear whether the boycott will be extended to international flights. WHAT HAPPENED Hamas military wing, the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, announced that they launched a comprehensive attack against Israel called Al-Aqsa Flood on the morning of Oct. 7. While thousands of rockets were fired from Gaza towards Israel, armed groups entered the settlements in the region. The Israeli army also launched an attack on the Gaza Strip with dozens of warplanes. The Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza announced that Israel killed 11, 078 people, including 4,506 children, 2,823 women, and 397 elderly people. It injured at least 32,000 people in its attacks on Gaza. It was reported that 1,400 Israelis, including 324 soldiers, were killed and 5,132 Israelis were wounded in the attacks from Gaza. The Israeli army hit Damascus and Aleppo airports. As the Middle East is once again turning into a bloodbath, a deadline has been set for nearly 2.5 million Palestinians to leave the blockaded Gaza. In the occupied West Bank, 106 Palestinians were killed in attacks by Israeli forces and Jewish settlers. In Israels attacks on Gaza, 48 journalists were killed. In the clashes between the Israeli army and Hezbollah on the Israel-Lebanon border since Oct. 8, 55 Hezbollah members and 4 civilians, one of whom was a journalist, were killed. Three Israeli soldiers and one Israeli civilian were killed in the attacks organized by Lebanon. Most recently, Israel attacked the Jabalia Refugee Camp in Gaza, killing civilians. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that he was breaking off all contact with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu because of Israeli attacks on civilians in the Gaza Strip. Source: Newsroom, Turkiye Newspaper, 11/11/2023

government really should make available BILLS to create new law, and amend existing laws in advance > so people can also study it and give their feedback. LISTEN to the people - give us our right to tender our opinions. Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's and the Pakatan Harapan's credibility and trust is declining as this government continue to use draconian provisions and/or laws that ought to be REPEALED long ago. See Akmal or anyone should not be investigated under draconian Sedition Act or Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act(MADPET) Quickly glancing through the Bill, one provision that was 'funny' - after search you will only be left with necessary clothing....what about money, credit cards, passport, Identity card,... should it not be taking of just things related or connected to the crime? '(4) An authorized officer making a search of a person under subsection (3) may seize or take possession of, and place in safe custody all things, other than the necessary clothing , found upon the person, and any other things, for which there is a reason to believe that they are the instruments or other evidence of the crime, and they may be detained until the discharge or acquittal of the person' And we have to give our passwords, encryption to authorized officers... What about our privacy? (2) For the purposes of this section, an authorized officer shall be provided with the necessary password, encryption code, decryption code, software or hardware and any other means required to enable comprehension of the computerized data. What happens if the Government or a State Department commits the CRIME? Why are they exempted? 2) Nothing in this Act shall render the Federal Government and State Governments liable to prosecution for any offence under this Act 7 of the 13 members of the National Cyber Security Committee are the Prime Minister and his Cabinet members , and this is not right as PM Anwar can dominate decision making, and that is DANGEROUS. There must be others who are NOT part of the Executive Branch in this Committee to prevent abuse - Parliamentary Representatives(Speaker of Dewan Rakyat, Speaker of the Senate and maybe the Opposition Leader) and Judiciary Representatives INDEPENDENT Members - Malaysians have lost trust in the Cabinet and/or PM as we still reel from the wrongs done by previous PM Najib Razak whilst in office.. They want to LICENSE all cyber security service providers. But do we trust Malaysian government approved service providers? What about the online 'cyber security service provider' that provide Apps and programs, sometimes for FREE to help us protect the security of our computers, smartphones, servers, etc... ? As I stated before, there was so little time to analyze this BILL - The Malaysian Bar and SUHAKAM has yet to consider and air their views... Once the King gives his assent, and the Minister puts it into force, it will be LAW ....Anyway, Article 19 issued a statement (looks like not carried by Malaysian Press), which is below Malaysia: The Cyber Security Bill is a threat to freedom of expression online Posted on April 04, 2024 ARTICLE 19 is concerned about the threat that the Malaysian Cyber Security Bill 2024 presents to the right to freedom of expression online as well as to media and broadcast organisations in Malaysia. Any legislation on cybercrime must fully comply with international human rights standards, in particular those on the right to freedom of expression and privacy. On 3 April 2024, the upper house of the Parliament (Dewan Negara) unanimously passed the Cyber Security Bill 2024 after the third reading. On 27 March 2024, the Dewan Rakyat, the lower house of the Malaysian Parliament, passed the Bill after its second reading. The Bill was tabled for the first reading on 25 March 2024, in a surprise move to civil society. The speedy passing of such a problematic law reflects the Malaysian governments poor commitment to upholding freedom of expression. Next, upon assent by the King (Yang di-Pertuan Agong), the law will take effect once it is published in the Government Gazette. ARTICLE 19 is gravely concerned about the speedy passing of the Bill, as it will be a mechanism for government censorship of online expression. It will give the government unaccountable control of computer-related activities, as well as nearly unlimited search and seizure powers. Its criminal provisions do not require any actual intent to violate, effectively introducing many strict liability offences. As such, it is part of the alarming regional trend toward increasingly repressive cyber security regulations, which must be reversed. Against the backdrop of existing censorship and an increasingly repressive environment for journalists, human rights defenders, and land rights defenders in Malaysia under the Communication and Multimedia Act 1998 (CMA), the broad language of the Bill will likely be abused to further restrict online freedom of expression and dissent in the country. In our analysis, ARTICLE 19 points out the following issues: The Bill will create a system for broad control of digital services in Malaysia. Although labelled as a cybersecurity instrument, it fails to be narrowly tailored to address data breaches causing serious harm, and it does not resemble other computer-related legal instruments. The Bill deems communications, and hence the media, to qualify as critical information infrastructure that are potentially subject to disproportionate reporting and regulation under threat of criminal sanctions. The broad scope of key terms under the Bill could capture journalistic activities and target whistleblowers. The Bill would conflate any disclosure of information in the public interest with the intentional infringement of security measures with dishonest intent. The framing of cyber security includes the phrase unauthorized access to a computer. A cyber security incident could therefore describe journalistic activities such as reporting on unauthorized leaked evidence of corruption provided by a whistleblower. It can even imperil cybersecurity researchers and professionals doing routine pen testing to actually improve network security. Such a concern is far from hypothetical; journalists in Malaysia have previously faced harassment for publishing evidence from whistleblowers in the public interest. The Bill would require prior licensing of a wide range of expressive activities. Anyone providing cyber security services in Malaysia will require pre-approval under arbitrary standards subject to change or revocation at any time under threat of up to ten years imprisonment. The scope of cyber security services is vague and goes well beyond any common conception of the phrase. It would require licensing those who exercise their right to expression by publishing or distributing source code online in the public interest, engaging in academic research, or disseminating free digital security tools to journalists and human rights defenders. The Bill will provide for search and seizure powers not subject to judicial or other independent review. The chief executive of the Committee may appoint anyone to be a so-called authorized officer with the same powers as police. These powers include the ability to execute searches and seizures of persons and places without any need for a warrant. While it might appear at first that the Bill requires such warrants, it provides a broad exception that an authorized officer can skip obtaining a warrant so long as they claim (without independent checks or other review) there is reasonable cause for not needing one. Further, the Chief Executive established under the Bill may issue production demands with no warrant requirement. These broad powers are particularly concerning as Malaysia has seen an increasingly repressive climate in recent years. 444 cases had been opened under CMA Section 233 from 2020 through January 2023 , including 38 prosecutions, 31 convictions, and several ongoing trials. ARTICLE 19 has previously warned that the CMA is often combined with other criminal laws to levy severe criminal sanctions as an intimidation tactic to chill freedom of expression . There has also been an alarming use of police powers against online expression, including against journalists, in recent years. These include: In August 2020 authorities raided Al Jazeeras office and seized two computers. Numerous journalists of the outlet also faced police questioning and investigation . On February 2021, Fahmi Reza was charged twice under Section 233 of CMA for publishing satire; the charges eventually led to acquittal. As part of the investigation, police seized his laptop and smartphone . In February 2023, two secondary school students were arrested and detained for criticising history exam papers via a TikTok video . In January 2024, two filmmakers, Tan Meng Kheng and Khairi Anwar Jailani were criminally charged for producing the film Mentega Terbang ; members of the cast and crew were summoned by the police . ARTICLE 19 further questions the necessity of the Bill when nations are debating an international convention on cybercrime at the UN level, in a process Malaysia is actively participating in. While ARTICLE 19 and numerous human rights organizations have taken serious issue with the UN negotiations and current draft text of the proposed convention, we note that the Bill falls far short of even that standard. ARTICLE 19 believes the Bill to be unnecessary and flawed in its current state. We urge the government to withdraw the Bill before the royal accent to address the shortcomings identified above to ensure the compatibility of any cybercrime legislation with international standards of freedom of expression. We also encourage the proposal to be tabled in anticipation of any outcomes of the ongoing UN cybercrime convention negotiations. We stand ready to provide further assistance in this process. We repeat our urgent call for Malaysia to renew its commitment to human rights by signing and ratifying the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) as well as other major international human rights treaties, as well as to repeal or amend all laws restricting freedom of expression in Malaysia. Source: Article 19 Website The LEGAL ANALYSIS is an interesting read. Some extracts are laid out below:- Malaysia: Cyber Security Bill 2024 ARTICLE 19 www.article19.org Page 15 of 21 Analysis of the Draft Cyber Security Bill 2024 Overall, ARTICLE 19 recommends withdrawing the Draft Bill in its current state . If it progresses for further approval, it must be brought in line with international human rights standards. Below we set forth fundamental concerns, although these should be understood as indicators of key problems with the Bill rather than as an endorsement of the Bill even if these issues are addressed. Overbroad definitions of key terms, subject to change at will, or missing entirely ARTICLE 19 observes that several key terms of the Draft Bill are incredibly broad, circular, or subject to revision at will. For instance, cyber security incident can include any act or activity that is done on or through a system without lawful authority. To qualify as such an incident, the activity must merely jeopardize or adversely affect the cyber security of a computer or computer system. The lay understanding of the term cyber security might appear to encompass the infringement of technical security measures. Looking to the term cyber security leads to a similarly vague definition; it is simply described as a state in which a computer or system is protected from any attack or unauthorized access and the confidentiality of information is maintained. At the outset we observe that the phrase cyber security is not defined under international law, and instruments such as the Budapest Convention do not contain this term. The closest analogue to the concept of security may include criminal offences named under the Budapest Convention, such as illegal access in Article 2 of that instrument, which require the intentional access to the whole or any part of a computer system without right. Importantly, the latter framing has an intentionality requirement, whereas an incident under the Bill need not be the result of any ill intent. Read literally, a cyber security incident could thus capture an instance where a whistleblower provides evidence of corruption or violations of law to a journalist. Such reporting on primary documents would be the result of unauthorized access that fails to preserve confidentiality of information. As set forth below, this whistleblower activity (and subsequent reporting) would trigger numerous affirmative obligations on part of providers as well as overreaching investigatory provisions that would interfere with journalistic activities. It can even imperil cybersecurity researchers and professionals doing routine pen testing to actually improve network security. Other standards of the Draft Bill are open-ended, with numerous definitions containing clauses allowing for re-definition as fit. Some examples include: The definition of national critical information infrastructure entity may be expanded at will under Articles 17 and 18; Page 16 of 21 A cyber security service is defined as whatever the Minister may prescribe under Article 27(2); Article 28(a) provides that requirements for licenses are as may determined by the Chief Executive; Conditions for such under Article 31(1) are subject to conditions as the Chief Executive thinks fit to impose; An authorized officer may be any public officer authorized under section 36. As currently drafted, the following are just a few (non-exhaustive) examples of terms appearing in the Bill which are either undefined, or so vague as to be nearly meaningless: cyber security, cyber security service, cyber security provider, national critical information infrastructure entity, unauthorized access, lawful authority, reasonable cause, or moral turpitude. By nature, such an absence of legal definition fails the first test of legality under the three-part test of international law where those definitions may impact the exercise of freedom of expression or other rights online. Recommendation: Strike any cross-references of definitions that allow for government modification of terms. Key terms that are relied upon in measures imposing criminal liability must be defined explicitly and with legal precision. Requirement of prior licensing for wide range of legitimate activities in the public interest One of the primary aims of the Draft Bill is to create a licensing system as laid out in Part VI. Article 27(1) makes it a crime to provide any cyber security service or even hold oneself out to do so, without first obtaining a license. Doing so is subject to a fine of 500,000 ringgit or imprisonment of up to a staggering ten years. As ARTICLE 19 outlined above, it is difficult to even ascertain the scope of this provision because the basic definition of cyber security service is overbroad. Further, Article 27(2) gives the Minister the blanket authority to prescribe any cyber security service, meaning the scope of the license is subject to change at will. In the context of media, mandatory licenses are never justified for simply exercising expression online. At a minimum, we predict that the following actors or entities would fall under the broad scope of requiring licenses: Publishers of digital security tools, including developers of free and open source software (FOSS); Academic researchers conducting security testing; Internet intermediaries or social media platforms; Human rights activists or journalists sharing digital security tools. Page 17 of 21 The administrative burdens of such a license are completely subject to government discretion. For instance, Article 28(a) provides that requirements of a license are determined by the Chief Executive, and its period under Article 29(4) is valid for a period as specific in the license. Conditions of such a license, pursuant to Article 31(1), are contingent on whatever the Chief Executive thinks fit to impose, which can be varied or revoked at will. Violating any of these arbitrary conditions is a separate offence subject to two years imprisonment or a fine of 100,000 ringgit. A license also carries an obligation to produce nearly limitless information as the Chief Executive may direct pursuant to Article 32(2)(c). While Article 53 appears to provide a right of appeal, this appeal is made directly to the Minister rather than any independent external review. ARTICLE 19 notes that requiring government pre-approval, under threat of criminal penalty, for activities such as publishing or the use of digital security tools is by nature a restriction on freedom of expression. As a result, the licensing scheme set forth by Part VI must be analysed under the three-part test of international law, and if it fails this test, it is incompatible with international standards. As set forth above, these articles routinely fail the test of legality, as a number of key terms and procedural requirements contain no definition at all, or are subject to change at will. Such a system provides no legal notice of the underlying conduct subject to restriction. Further, imposing such a licensing restriction on broad sectors of society, for expressive activity, is neither a necessary nor a proportionate means to achieving any legitimate aim under international law. Therefore, the licensing system fails the three-part test. Outside the scope of the limitations on expressive activity, it is unclear why such a licensing system (and accompanying penalties) is necessary or appropriate to further cybersecurity in Malaysia. The only time a licensing system might be appropriate or proportionate in the context of media is where there is a limited number of broadcast frequencies requiring some degree of administrative regulation due to scarcity. That, however, is not the case here nor what is contemplated. Recommendation: Strike the licensing system of Part VI in its entirety. Lack of independence or external oversight of the National Cyber Security Committee The Draft Bill established, in Part II, a National Cyber Security Committee (Committee) that suffers from numerous fatal problems as a body with significant authority and procedural powers. Most importantly, the Committee lacks any independence at all. It is comprised primarily of government ministers, its most prominent member being the chair, the Prime Minister. The addition of other members is limited to two. The Chairman (Prime Minister) has significant procedural discretion under Article 7, and basic procedures are undefined and up to the Committee to determine. There are no term limits on the Committee, no external Malaysia: Cyber Security Bill 2024 ARTICLE 19 www.article19.org Page 18 of 21 oversight or opportunity to challenge or review its composition or decisions, and no mechanisms to remove members who engage in misconduct. As such, the work of the Committee can be viewed as a direct extension of the Prime Minister. Chief Executive may demand production without a warrant This lack of independence is particularly problematic as the Committee and its Chief Executive possess significant police powers. For instance, Article 6(1)(g) contains a catch-all provision granting the Committee the power to do such other things that are arising out of or consequential to the Bill. The next provision, Article 6(2), provides for powers necessary for, or in connection with, or reasonably incidental to the performance of the Bill. This provides latitude for a wide range of measures, the limit of which is unclear. However, as other articles specifically provide for police powers with criminal penalties, the aforementioned broad provisions may be read as reasonably intending to accomplish the same. The Committee maintains a Chief Executive who is granted a wide range of enumerated powers in Article 10, including the same language as appears in Article 6(2). Supplementing that broad provision are numerous sweeping investigatory and search powers. This includes the power to issue written notices under Article 14 to any person to demand the production of information, documents, or electronic media on a schedule as specified or otherwise determined by the Chief Executive. If the recipient of such a demand does not possess the demanded information, Article 14(2) requires them to assist by identifying who may have custody. Failure to comply may lead to up to three years imprisonment. These notices are not subject to any external review process and are entirely up to the discretion of the Chief Executive in substance and procedure. Disproportionate burdens on nearly any entity in the private sector, including media Part IV provides the Committee the power to designate any person or entity as belonging to national critical information infrastructure, a cumbersome concept that appears over 200 times in the Bill and grants nearly limitless control over any designee. This phrase (herein labelled NCII) is cross-referenced via a Schedule attached at the end of the Bill, and provides a number of sectors of society that are determined to be of heightened critical information. However, we observe that the list contains 11 items that seem to cover every aspect of society beyond what would commonly be understood to be critical for defence, energy, or disaster relief. These categories include everything from transportation to information and communication, healthcare, energy, agriculture, trade and industry, and technology. We note with grave concern the inclusion of communication which would appear to capture media. Article 15(1) allows the Minister to appoint any person or government entity to be a NCII sector lead. Article 18(1) further grants the Chief Executive this authority with minimal requirements, and again, not subject to any independent oversight or review. A NCII sector lead may accordingly appoint a NCII entity, which then is held to an onerous number of Page 19 of 21 requirements and obligations under strict criminal penalty for noncompliance. Some of those include, under Articles 20(1)-20(3): A duty to provide information relating to the NCII upon request; A duty to provide information on any new computers or computer systems obtained;and A duty to provide notice of any material changes to computers or computer systems of the NCII. Importantly, a single violation of these provisions carries a steep criminal penalty of up to two years imprisonment and a fine of 100,000 ringgit, and no intent is required. NCII entities are also expected, pursuant to Articles 22-24, to conduct risk-assessments, cyber-security exercises, and provide active notification of any cyber security incident. Failure to comply also carries steep penalties, and in the case of failing to actively disclose a cyber security incident may be punished by up to ten years imprisonment without any intentionality. ARTICLE 19 finds that the lack of clear definition or guidance makes the scope of these provisions unclear, but the explicit inclusion of the communication sector would suggest that media or broadcast organizations are contemplated to be subject to being designated as NCII entities. Upon such a designation, a media or broadcast organization would have active obligations to report on all computer-related activities and would be liable for the aforementioned violations. Similarly, social media companies are reasonably part of the sector, and may be expected to comply with unreasonable demands to surveil all digital activities that occur on their systems. The designation and subsequent demands would not be subject to external review or meaningful rights of appeal. Recommendations: Any administrative bodies must be subject to basic procedural protections such as term limits, qualifications for admission or removal, and opportunities for independent oversight; Article 14 is especially incompatible with fundamental principles of proportionality, as any police powers must be subject to minimal due process protections; NCII entities must not be subject to criminal penalties, especially without any intentionality requirements; NCII entities in any regulatory framework must be limited to those strictly necessary, and not include sectors such as communication which may draw in media and broadcast organizations as well as social media platforms. Significant police powers without independent review or oversight Part VIII pf the Draft Bill sets forth numerous law enforcement powers; we observe that these powers are not simply limited to police officers, but may be issued to any authorized officer on the determination of the Minister. In effect, any person who is not a police officer may be granted, under Article 38(2), the powers of a police officer of whatever rank as provided for under the Criminal Procedure Code for investigating any offence under the Bill. Page 20 of 21 Of important note is that while certain powers are granted, there is no mention of accompanying limitations or due process rates with respect to these officers. It is hence unclear whether this part effectively creates a new police designation that operates with the powers of police without the accountability. Neither are authorized officers required to undergo any training or possess any meaningful qualification. Searches and seizures do not require warrants The authorized officers are not required to adhere to warrant requirements in conducting searches. While Article 39 sets forth criteria to apply to a Magistrate for a warrant before conducting a search, Article 40 complete subsumes this by offering a blanket exception to any warrant requirement. A warrant is not required if an authorized officer is satisfied that he has reasonable cause to believe that obtaining a warrant would cause an investigation to be adversely affected. All an officer must do is claim there is reasonable cause, and they will subsequently have all powers as if a traditional warrant were obtained. There is no mechanism to monitor or otherwise review the self-determination of the officer. Further, the standard of reasonable cause is the exact same standard that must be articulated to a judge in Article 39, meaning that an officer does not need to satisfy any heightened legal standard to skip the warrant requirement. This would appear to make the Article 39 procedure pointless, and means that for practical purposes warrants are not required under the Bill. Officers may compel decryption Article 46(2) allows any authorized officer to demand passwords, encryption or decryption codes, and software or hardware to access information. We note that under international standards, encryption facilitates the exercise of free expression and privacy, and restrictions on encryption and anonymity must meet the three-part test of limitations to the right to freedom of expression under international law. It is often the case that service providers do not even possess the technical capacity to decrypt end-to-end communications that pass through their systems; such providers should not face criminal penalty or contempt if this is the case. Recommendations: Warrant requirements cannot be subject to exception unless in narrow situations of emergency, and still must be subject to immediate judicial review and right of challenge or appeal; Persons cannot be forced to decrypt information or otherwise provide technical assistance in unlocking communications.

documents to claim the money at the Accountant-General's Department counter here. However, to my horror , I was told that the money was no longer there ," he said during a press conference at Sibu MP Oscar Ling's office on Monday (April 8). See earlier post:- UNCLAIMED MONIES RM11 Billion - Find the owners or their heirs, and return it. Do not take the people's monies? By taking monies from interest bearing accounts as UNCLAIMED MONIES(that apparently bear no interest or Annual Dividends like KWSP/EPF or some Trust Funds - it means that once the government takes it, there is no more interest. Should it rather be placed in the EPF/KWSP accounts of the owners - which means that it will continue to be income generating for the owners. Now, this case of monies in the UNCLAIMED MONIES account has gone MISSING, it is shocking. Who did the government give the RM116,000 to? In any event, the government 'lost' it, and so the government must lodge the needed police report and find the culprit. Wrong to ask the owner to lodge police reports and search for the monies himself/herself???? If the account owner is dead, then the monies should not be given to any son or daughter - it must be given to all entitled. If there was a WILL, then the relevant beneficiary gets the monies. If there was no will, then the money will go to the relevant beneficiary according to the shares determined by law.. DISTRIBUTION ACT 1958 (a) if an intestate dies leaving a spouse and no issue and no parent or parents, the surviving spouse shall be entitled to the whole of the estate; (b) if an intestate dies leaving no issue but a spouse and a parent or parents, the surviving spouse shall be entitled to one-half of the estate and the parent or parents shall be entitled to the remaining one-half; (c) if an intestate dies leaving issue but no spouse -and no parent or parents, the surviving issue shall be entitled to the whole of the estate; (d) if an intestate dies leaving no spouse and no issue but a parent or parents, the surviving parent or parents shall be entitled to the whole of the estate; (e) if an intestate dies leaving a spouse and issue but no parent or parents, the surviving spouse shall be entitled to one-third of the estate and the issue the remaining two-thirds; (f) if an intestate dies leaving no spouse but issue and a parent or parents, the surviving issue shall be entitled to two-thirds of the estate and the parent or parents the remaining one-third; (g) if an intestate dies leaving a spouse, issue and parent or parents, the surviving spouse shall be entitled to one-quarter of the estate, the issue shall be entitled to one-half of the estate and the parent or parents the remaining one-quarter;.... (Section 6Succession to intestate estates) One case of missing money in UNCLAIMED accounts - how much more of people's monies have been lost. UNCLAIMED MONIES best continue to generate income ... i.e. earning interest or dividends. If not, best to leave it in banks so that it can continue to earn interest rather than the government taking it and keeping it as UNCLAIMED MONIES. Late mother's unclaimed money missing from account, says retiree By ANDY CHUA Nation ? SIBU: A retiree was shocked to find out that his late mother's unclaimed money has gone missing from the unclaimed money accounts. The victim, Lau Kah Lee, 65, had earlier found out via the eGumis portal at https://egumis.anm.gov.my/ that there was RM116,000 belonging to his late mother, who passed away in 2008. "On Dec 25 last year, I submitted the relevant documents to claim the money at the Accountant-General's Department counter here. However, to my horror, I was told that the money was no longer there," he said during a press conference at Sibu MP Oscar Ling's office on Monday (April 8). Lau then lodged a police report on the matter on Jan 12. Ling said under normal circumstances, once the unclaimed money is returned to the owner, a message "Tuntutan sudah dilaksanakan (claim has been made) would be displayed in the owner's account in the eGumis portal. However, in Lau's mother's case, there was no such message. Ling said that Laus mother's money had been unlawfully claimed by someone believed to be from a syndicate. "This syndicate targets unclaimed money that has a huge amount. This is quite serious as I was told that the syndicate had forged documents from the district office, Accountant-General's Department and National Registration Department to get hold of the unclaimed money," he said. Ling added that there were three other similar cases in Sibu, and said that the Finance Ministry is investigating. "I also believe that there might be more unreported cases here," he added. Ling also advised the people to check their status and claim their money if available through the eGumis portal. - Star, 8/4/2024

appointments.He said RM250 would also be channeled to retirees and veterans. If the government gave aid to just employees earning RM3,000 or less - but no, they gave it to all Grade 56 and below, and grade 56(Salary of aboutRM6,500 - Rm14,000 plus a month?) Should it have been staggered - with the low earners getting more like those earning RM1,500 getting RM500, if earning below RM3,ooo getting RM250...Now even those earning RM10,000 or RM1,530 gets the same amount of "Raya Aid'. Malaysian Debt Federal Government Debt (plus liabilities because government guaranteed loans, etc) RM1.5 Trillion State Government Debt - ???? Local Government Debt - ???? Government Owned or Linked Companies DEBT - ???? Malaysian Household Debt - RM1.5 trillion(aggregate) # Household Debt is the debt you/I have uncured. It is the loans we have taken, the outstanding payment on HP agreements, Credit card debts, etc.... It is different from the government's debt. If you cannot pay off your loans, then you may risk lose of homes, cars, etc. You may end up bankrupt, and your companies wound-up. So now, we have a situation where the Federal Government's DEBTs(plus liabilities) is at about RM1.5 Trillion, and the Household Debt stands at roughly RM1.53 Trillion. Federal Government Debt - Malaysia's national debt including liabilities has reached RM1.5 trillion and should be addressed urgently, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said. - NST,17/1/2023 Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim announced that the total Federal Government debt for 2023 stood at RM1,172.5 billion , accounting for 64.3 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP), compared to RM1,079.6 billion or 60.3 percent of GDP in 2022. The aggregate debt for households in 2023 has amounted to RM1.53 trillion , the Dewan Rakyat was told.Finance Ministry in a parliamentary written reply on Monday (March 18) said of the total, the largest portion of the debt was housing loans which comprised 60.5 per cent of the debt, followed by vehicle loans (13.2 per cent) and personal financing (12.6 per cent). It added that other loans for other purposes include non-residential property purchases, credit card debt, securities and others.In aggregate, the total household debt for 2022 was RM1.45 trillion, followed by 2021 (RM1.38 trillion), 2020 (RM1.32 trillion), 2019 (RM1.25 trillion), and 2018 (RM1.19 trillion), said the ministry.- NST, 19/3/2024 When we are facing economic hardships, we spend less and practice austerity. But, unfortunately in Malaysia, it seems, the government adopts 'All is OK' and continue to spend and borrow as usual or even more. The attitude adopted by the Prime Minister and the government of the day, even the current government, is a 'don't care' attitude - let the future government and people worry about that. The priority seems to be maintaining public support for the government - so, we borrow more and spend...hand out 'Raya Aid", toll free for Raya. Was the 'Raya Aid" simply an attempt of current government to lobby support from Malaysian Civil Servants - well, that is so old-fashioned. Now, you give me money, I say thank you and take it BUT when elections come I vote for the BEST candidate not necessarily the current government's parties candidate. You cannot 'BUY' Malaysian's vote anymore - obvious after GE14. Can we consider this 'Raya Aid' a BRIBE? TOL FREE during festivals > How much exactly did PM Anwar's government spend - A few billion? Well, they never told us, did they? Tol operators would not do this for free - they would only do that if the government compensate their loss of earnings - so, how much was spent? Tol free only benefits vehicle owners - not people who travelled by bus, train or taxis... Not, the poor who were not able to afford travel despite it being TOL free. Now again, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim displays no care for the POOR in Malaysia. Just like previous BN regimes, Raya Aid is given out to ONLY to civil servants and retirees...TOL Free only benefit car owners - no benefit for those who travel by bus, trains, taxis,.... If he gave RAYA AID for all the poor, or the B40 class or the 'absolute poor' and hardcore poor, it will be different. Does this government do not respect the majority who work in the private sector or are self employed? Why SPECIAL TREATMENT to government employees only? Households earning less than RM1,169 monthly are categorised as hardcore poor, Rafizi had told the Dewan Rakyat last week. Absolute poverty the condition where an individual or a family does not make enough money to meet fundamental needs covers those with incomes below RM2,208. There are so many POOR in Malaysia, those earning less than RM2,208 - they are MORE ENTITLED to "Raya Aids' and festival aids so that at least once a year they can celebrate a decent Raya with friends and family. TALKING ABOUT FEDERAL GOVERNMENT DEBT - Surely Prime Minister Anwar can give us 3-monthly reports > so we know whether the DEBTS and liabilities are continuing to rise, or is it reducing? Under Budget 2024, debt service charges alone are expected to account for about 16%, or RM50bil of the total operating expenditure this year, as compared to about 15%, or RM46bil, of total operating expenditure in 2023. In January 2023, the Federal Government debt(and liabilities) was RM1.5 Trillion, so what is the DEBT in 2024? If the DEBT increased, maybe the Finance Minister ought to be 'sacked' RM500 Hari Raya aid for Grade 56 civil servants and below : PM By Iylia Marsya Iskandar - April 1, 2024 @ 8:46am Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said this also includes contractual appointments. - NSTP/MOHD FADLI HAMZAH PUTRAJAYA: The government has agreed to grant a RM500 special Aidilfitri aid to Grade 56 civil servants and below by Friday. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said this also includes contractual appointments. He said RM250 would also be channeled to retirees and veterans. "So today, corresponding to the 21st of Ramadan 1445, I announce that the government has agreed to distribute a special Aidilfitri aid of RM500 to all civil servants Grade 56 and below including contractual appointments. "RM250 would also be channelled to all government retirees including pensioned and non-pensioned veterans. "I have instructed the Treasury Department for the aid to be channelled beginning Friday," he said. Previously, the Congress of Unions of Employees in the Public and Civil Services (Cuepacs) has called on the government to channel a special Aidilfitri aid to civil servants as they did so for the past 10 years. Its president Datuk Adnan Mat said the aid would not only help the civil servants but also businesses. - NST, 1/4/2024 Weighed by huge debt burden By SYAZWANI HASNIZAM Economy Saturday, 03 Feb 2024 MALAYSIA has long had to contend with the issue of rising public debt in recent years. As at end-August 2023, the total federal government debt stood at RM1.15 trillion or 62% of gross domestic product (GDP), below the stipulated debt ceiling of 65% of GDP. The amount was largely denominated in ringgit, with a share of 97.4% of the total debt, while the remaining 2.6% was in foreign currencies. It is, however, estimated that Malaysian government debts and liabilities have risen to about RM1.5 trillion. This implies an increase in debt servicing charges and a narrowing of fiscal space to implement new projects or prepare for economic shocks. Under Budget 2024, debt service charges alone are expected to account for about 16%, or RM50bil of the total operating expenditure this year, as compared to about 15%, or RM46bil, of total operating expenditure in 2023. Be that as it may, economists in general are not so concerned about the government debt level, pointing out that it remains manageable at current point and any associated risks appear to be well contained. Bank Muamalat Malaysia Bhd chief economist Mohd Afzanizam Abdul Rashid, for one, argues that the government debt level is still sound, as the bulk of its debt is raised internally. As such, the government should be able to service its own currency debt almost seamlessly. He adds: The existence of large institutional investors such as the pension funds, banks, insurance, fund managers and foreign investors will ensure that every government securities issuance will be fully taken up, and in fact, it will be oversubscribed. He tells StarBizWeek that addressing the debt issue is not so much a matter of urgency but rather it is to give the government more fiscal space to address the needs of the nation and to showcase its financial discipline, which will boost market confidence. Cost load Meanwhile, Malaysia University of Science and Technology economics professor Geoffrey Williams says the current government debt rate is less likely to be risky. In fact, he tells StarBizWeek that the government debt has actually decreased, and that in spite of many peoples worries, Malaysias debt-to-GDP ratio is actually quite low as compared to many other nations, including Singapore. Sharing Afzanizams opinion, Williams says the majority of government debt is held by Malaysians or Malaysian institutions, which explains why the debt is not at a risky level. So, there is no particular risk exposure to overseas lenders, he adds. However, Williams says, the issue of concern is the high debt service costs, totalling about RM50bil this year. These take up a great portion of the operational expenditure from the government, which could be better used on health, education, and social protection, he explains. - Having said that, Williams says good fiscal management is essential to cut wastage, leakages and corruption, as he believes there is more significance in keeping the nations debt number from rising as compared to finding ways to bring it down. Focus on growth AmBank Malaysia Bhd chief economist Firdaos Rosli adds to the point as he says its crucial to note that Malaysia had a far greater debt level in the past, peaking at 103.4% of GDP in 1986. He says despite this high level of government debt, Malaysia saw fast development following the Volcker shock crisis in the mid-1980s, with the nations growth rate averaging 9.3% yearly from 1987 to 1997. Therefore, I believe the bigger question about debt levels is not how much or the level of debt itself but how much growth an economy can generate from debt accumulation. In other words, what we do with the debt matters, not the debt level, he adds. According to Firdaos, deficit control may slow growth even further, thus it is important to reevaluate if the move is worth pursuing. In my view, we could highlight areas where we can generate higher growth, such as decentralisation, liberalisation or a greater push for mega projects in areas with the greatest economic multipliers, he says. On the question of whether the government has done enough in addressing the issue, Afzanizam says the passing of the new Public Finance and Fiscal Responsibility Bill 2023 shows that the government is serious about fiscal consolidation. He continues by stating that the execution and impact of the governments efforts to reduce the nations mounting debt is the most crucial factor to take into account.> see page 11More importantly, how all these initiatives will be communicated to the general public in order to get their full buy-in he says. Under the Public Finance and Fiscal Responsibility Law that was passed last October, the government has outlined a series of targets that needs to be achieved within three to five years. Among these are keeping the total federal government debt levels at 60% of GDP or less, lowering the fiscal deficit to 3% of GDP or less. Contingent liabilities In addition to the higher budget allocation for 2024, Williams says that higher revenue forecast of RM307.6bil, lower deficit and debt ratios, as well as the rescheduling of several projects, is sufficient for the time being, as the government attempts to address the national debt situation. In spite of that, he says contingent liabilities carry greater risk, especially in the case of the National Higher Education Fund Corp (PTPTN), which has an RM67bil contingent liability. The government is not doing enough to deal with this. PTPTN is a significant risk because the repayments have not kept pace with the loans issued, and it has been short of funds, he says. Williams believes that in order to solve this issue, the government must make higher education free to stop the debt rising, and pass the debt to the Debt Management Office in the Finance Ministry to oversee debt recovery and lower risk. Separately, Firdaos believes that Malaysia has elbow room to accumulate debt for growth. A developing economy such as Malaysia must take the necessary actions to ensure that the economy grows faster, irrespective of the level of debt. There is no quick fix to address this issue, as moving the supply side of an economy is usually arduous, complex and slow. More importantly, it requires a tremendous amount of political will, he says. Hence, he believes boosting growth rates and putting less emphasis on debt levels is the wisest course of action. Number matters Budget 2024 has allocated RM393.8bil for total expenditure, of which RM303.8bil will be for operating expenditure and RM90bil for development expenditure. With revenue collection expected to be RM307.6bil, fiscal deficit in 2024 is expected to moderate to 4.3% of GDP from about 5% in 2023. In a recent report, Hong Leong Investment Bank Research estimated that under a baseline scenario, where there is a gradual reduction of primary deficit as a result of fiscal consolidation efforts, Malaysias debt-to-GDP ratio could trend down to below 60% in 2028 from about 63% in 2023. In an alternative scenario, however, where there are no fiscal reforms, the debt-to-GDP ratio is projected to reach the debt sustainability analysis threshold of 70% in 2028, surpassing the federal government statutory debt limit of 65% starting 2025. Maybank Investment Bank Research estimated that as at end-September 2023, the federal government statutory debt, comprising the Malaysian Government Securities, Malaysian Government Investment Issues and Malaysian Islamic Treasury Bills, stood at 60.4% of GDP. The brokerage projects that the federal government total debt would hover around 64% of GDP by end-2024, mainly for financing strategic development projects under the 12th Malaysia Plan, including flood mitigation programmes, central spine road, Pan Borneo Sabah and Sarawak highways, Rapid Transit System Link project between Johor Bahru and Singapore as well as National Fiberisation and Connectivity Plan or currently known as Pelan Jalinan Digital Negara. CGS-CIMB Research concurs, noting that despite a better fiscal deficit number for 2024, the governments total debt ratio is projected to worsen to 64% of GDP this year against 62% of GDP estimated for 2023. Similarly, it notes, debt service charges will likely worsen to around 16% of revenue in 2024, climbing higher from 15% in 2023, thus breaching the internal guideline of 15% of revenue as set by the Finance Ministry. Worse, growth in debt service charges at 8% year-on-year surpasses nominal GDP growth of 6.5%, implying an ongoing struggle with debt affordability. The rising interest rate environment and pandemic debt scarring effect played a part in the ballooning costs, CGS-CIMB Research points out in its report about Budget 2024. The brokerage acknowledges that the marked improvement in fiscal deficit from 5% of GDP in 2023 to 4.3% of GDP in 2024 is a welcome development. However, the worsening debt metrics, especially the rising debt service charges and government debt, does not ease concerns, CGS-CIMB Research says. Meanwhile, AMRO Asean+3 Macroeconomic Research Office in a recent report highlights that to minimise the financial stability risks of public debt, some economies should implement fiscal consolidation to stabilise or manage the ongoing rise in public debt, which was exacerbated by the pandemic fiscal stimulus programmes. It notes that a wealth of research shows that elevated government debt not only can slow economic growth but also can heighten the risk of fiscal crises. As such, determining the optimum size of public debt is a critical decision that considers the needs for more fiscal spending on infrastructure investment and other important social needs and the long-term negative impacts of excessive borrowing. Possible solutions include boosting revenue, optimizing expenditures, and adopting fiscal rules, it explains. - Star, 3/2/2024 Malaysian household debt at RM1.53 trillion in 2023 By Qistina Sallehuddin , Nor Ain Mohamed Radhi - March 19, 2024 @ 8:53am The largest portion of the debt was housing loans which comprised 60.5 per cent of the debt, followed by vehicle loans (13.2 per cent) and personal financing (12.6 per cent). - NSTP file pic KUALA LUMPUR: The aggregate debt for households in 2023 has amounted to RM1.53 trillion , the Dewan Rakyat was told. Finance Ministry in a parliamentary written reply on Monday (March 18) said of the total, the largest portion of the debt was housing loans which comprised 60.5 per cent of the debt, followed by vehicle loans (13.2 per cent) and personal financing (12.6 per cent). It added that other loans for other purposes include non-residential property purchases, credit card debt, securities and others. In aggregate, the total household debt for 2022 was RM1.45 trillion, followed by 2021 (RM1.38 trillion), 2020 (RM1.32 trillion), 2019 (RM1.25 trillion), and 2018 (RM1.19 trillion), said the ministry. "The ratio of household debt to gross domestic product (GDP) at the end of 2023 slightly increased to 84.2 per cent compared to 2018 (82 per cent)," the ministry said. The ministry said this in response to Pang Hok Liang (PH-Labis) who enquired the ministry to state the country's aggregate household debt from 2018 to 2023. Meanwhile, the ministry said the average annual growth of household debt was 5.1 per cent from 2018 to 2023. "The annual growth in household debt was primarily driven by housing and vehicle loans following various incentives offered by the government, private sectors as well as the sales and service tax (SST) incentives for motor vehicle purchases between 2020 and 2022." NST, 19/3/2024 Malaysia's national debt now at RM1.5 trillion, or over 80pct of GDP By Teoh Pei Ying, Farah Adilla - January 17, 2023 @ 10:01am Malaysia's national debt including liabilities has reached RM1.5 trillion . NSTP/AIZUDDIN SAAD PUTRAJAYA: Malaysia's national debt including liabilities has reached RM1.5 trillion and should be addressed urgently, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said. This was already more than 80 per cent of the country's gross domestic product (GDP). The figure also suggests that Malaysia's budget deficit will widen further than the earlier estimate of 5.8 per cent of the GDP for 2022. "The economic uncertainties are still not easing. The economy is still considered dim and this was also contributed externally including the Ukraine-Russia conflict as well as global recovery post-Covid. "The problem with our debt is it has already touched RM1.2 trillion and if includes liabilities, it is RM1.5 trillion. "We have to accept this reality. We cannot feel complacent, living with the culture of contentment as if there is no problem," Anwar said during the 2023 Budget dialogue here today. Also present were deputy Finance Ministers Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan and Steven Sim Chee Keong, as well as deputy secretary general of treasuryDatuk Johan Mahmood Merican. The new 2023 Budget is expected to be tabled in the Parliament on Feb 24. The original 2023 was presented on Oct 7 by the then finance minister Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz with a total allocation of RM372.3 billion but was not approved due to the dissolution of Parliament three days later to make way for the 15th general election (GE15). Anwar was reported to have said that the government will look at the proposals in the budget tabled by the previous government and make the necessary changes before tabling his government's budget. Meanwhile, Anwar said it had taken him only two months in the office to recognise that the government would be able to save around RM10 billion from leakages from its procurement system. Hence, he said the mandate of the unity government remained - to change the orientation of the system in order to ensure that the vast majority of citizens benefit from economic initiatives and reforms. - NST, 17/1/2023

of the Sedition Act 1948 and Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act(CMA) 1998 and once complete, would be handed to the AGC for further instructions," he [the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Tan Sri Razarudin Husain] said .(NST,5/4/2024) It was reported that Akmal has been vocal in calling for action and a boycott against KK Mart over the "Allah" socks controversy, and there were recent calls for his arrest over a social media post showing him wielding a sword. MADPET is of the opinion that Akmal did no wrong in raising the Allah socks issue, and expressing his opinion, as this is a right guaranteed in Article 8(1)(a) of the Federal Constitution that says that every citizen has the right to freedom of speech and expression . Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) also states Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions with-out interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers . This freedom of speech and expression is an essential right in any democracy . Even if someone says or expresses an opinion, that is contrary to the government of the day position or the views of the majority populace, this right of an individual must always be respected and never be deterred. Response to this freedom must be opinions and views in rebuttal, and not arrest, detention or prosecution unless if it breaks a specific good law. Call for BOYCOTT of products/companies that violate human rights Likewise, calling for a boycott of certain establishment or even certain products is a right to be respected. Even the United Nations have imposed economic sanctions and even boycott against nation states that they believe have done wrong. Even a country can impose such sanctions or boycott. In Malaysia too, we have prevented the entry of products, and even ships/planes from Israel pursuant to Malaysias strong stance against Israel for the injustices caused to the Palestinian people, amongst others. Boycott is a tool of the people as a form of protest against corporations and those in their supply chain as a protest against human rights violations and/or injustices committed against workers, communities or even the environment. Hence, it is not wrong to call for a boycott, or for individual persons to boycott products produced by such corporations. The choice is a personal choice of the individual or the consumer as an indication that he/she too protest human rights violation or an injustice by the said company or supply chain. Wrong to still use Sedition Act and Sec.233 of CMA What is unacceptable is the use of the draconian Sedition Act, which should have long been repealed, and the vague draconian provision like Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act against Akmal. If Akmal has committed any offence against other laws, like Section 298A Penal Code (Causing, etc., disharmony, disunity, or feelings of enmity, hatred or ill will, or prejudicing, etc., the maintenance of harmony or unity, on grounds of religion) or any other offences like INCITEMENT to cause others to commit violence, assault, destruction of property, etc., it would have been acceptable excuse for police investigation but when draconian law or provisions of law is used. The Sedition Act 1948 is unacceptable and repugnant to the rule of law for the further reasons that it creates offences arising from an act, speech, words, publication or other thing that are defined as having seditious tendencies which are imprecise and without clear boundaries. Unlike other criminal offences, the offence of sedition does not require mens rea or the element of intent; the correctness of what is done, or the truth of what is said, printed or published is disregarded and not a defence to the offence. Section 233 CMA is draconian and should be repealed. It is just too broad and vague, and is open to abuse. For example, the highlighting of violation of human rights or laws, or facts connected to alleged violations of rights/laws, would likely annoy or even harass the wrongdoer, and for the alleged wrongdoer, it could also be said to be menacing and offensive. This should never be considered an offence As such, this section deters even the highlighting of human rights abuses, breaches of law and even possible government wrongdoing. This section even deters the sharing of such relevant and important facts, and/or opinions over the internet Malaysian Bar Resolution. An opinion on Allah socks freedom of expression/opinion Akmal expressed an opinion on the "Allah" socks issue, but not all may share his views. The government is yet to prohibit in law the use of the word Allah, God and/or other deity on clothings and/or certain type of clothings. If such a law is to be enacted, it is best that it be enacted by Parliament. One must also acknowledge the fact that some Muslim consumers would have purchased these Allah socks and the reason they did so is most likely not to insult God but for some other positive reason. As such, this is a matter that the government must scrutinize well before acting. Therefore, MADPET a) Calls for the immediate end of the police investigation and/or prosecution of Dr Akmal Saleh under draconian Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 and under Section 4(1) of the Sedition Act 1948 and Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act. If the investigations are under any other offences, then it will be acceptable; b) Reiterates the call for the abolition of the Sedition Act and draconian provisions in the Communications and Multimedia Act like section 233, and for a moratorium on the usage of these draconian laws pending repeal. c) Reiterates for the immediate repeal of all draconian law and/or provisions in laws, and not procrastinate any further as this Pakatan Harapan-led coalition government has been in power for more than 15 months. Charles Hector For and on behalf of MADPET(Malaysians Against Death Penalty and Torture) Umno's Akmal being probed for sedition, says IGP [NSTTV] By Kalbana Perimbanayagam - April 5, 2024 @ 11:38am KUALA LUMPUR: Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Tan Sri Razarudin Husain has confirmed that investigations are underway against Umno Youth chief Dr Akmal Saleh. In a brief statement, the top cop said police received two reports against the Merlimau assemblyman's actions and investigations are underway. "Investigations were initiated under Section 4(1) of the Sedition Act 1948 and Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 and once complete, would be handed to the AGC for further instructions," he said. Once completed, the findings will be forwarded to the Attorney General's Chambers (AGC) for further action. Earlier it was reported that Dr Akmal in a Facebook post said he was being detained at the Kota Kinabalu district police headquarters. He said he was supposed to give his statement to the police in Dang Wangi here tomorrow but was detained in Kota Kinabalu this morning. Akmal has been vocal in calling for action and a boycott against KK Mart over the "Allah" socks controversy, and there were recent calls for his arrest over a social media post showing him wielding a sword. On Wednesday, Razarudin said no probe into Dr Akmal as no report had been lodged against him. However, several parties including former law minister Datuk Zaid Ibrahim and human rights group, Lawyers for Liberty, have questioned the necessity for a report to be lodged for the police to act. His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia, has also urged all parties to cease exploiting the issue and inciting anger, emphasising that action had already been taken by the authorities. Razarudin also urged all parties to refrain from speculating about the sock with Kalimah Allah controversy, since the case had been prosecuted in court. - NST, 5/4/2023 Akmal detained at Kota Kinabalu police HQ FMT Reporters - 05 Apr 2024, 10:46 AM He is being investigated under the Sedition Act, says Bukit Aman. Umno Youth chief Dr Akmal Saleh says he will give the police his full cooperation. (Bernama pic) PETALING JAYA: Dr Akmal Saleh today said he had been detained at the Kota Kinabalu police headquarters despite being scheduled to give a statement at the Dang Wangi police station tomorrow. In a Facebook post, the Umno Youth chief said he would give the police his full cooperation. Pray for everything to be facilitated. I will not move an inch from our stance, he said. Meanwhile, Inspector-General of Police Razarudin Husain has confirmed receiving two reports on Akmals statements on the Allah socks issue, and that the case is being investigated under Section 4(1) of the Sedition Act 1948 and Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 for misuse of network facilities. He said in a statement that the investigation paper will be referred to the Attorney-Generals Chambers once the probe is completed. Razaruddin later confirmed that the Merlimau assemblyman was detained at Kota Kinabalu International Airport this morning, Bernama reported. Meanwhile, Malay Mail reported Sabah police commissioner Jauteh Dikun as saying that Akmal will be released once he gives his statement to the police. Akmals detention comes amid his heavy push for a boycott of convenience store chain KK Mart, which became the centre of controversy after socks bearing the word Allah were found being sold at its Bandar Sunway outlet. He has continued to spearhead the movement against the chain, despite its immediate apology, the legal action taken against its founder KK Chai and director Loh Siew Mui, and a call from the king not to prolong the controversy. Since the boycott started, three KK Mart outlets in Bidor, Perak; Kuantan, Pahang; and Kuching, Sarawak, have been attacked with petrol bombs. Akmals actions meanwhile have drawn criticism from many quarters, with former Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin urging him to stop. KK Marts Chai also apologised directly to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Ibrahim for the sale of the socks. The king reiterated at their meeting his warning for all parties not to take advantage of the matter. - FMT, 5/4/2024

Minister - the King then appoints him/her as Prime Minister. The peoples' representative MPs can at any time remove any Prime Minister > No more PM once he/she loses the confidence or support of the majority of MPs... Malaysia is a CONSTITUTIONAL DEMOCRACY - this means that the Constitution is Supreme, and even the government and the King cannot do anything against the Federal Constitution. Everyone, including the King, has to obey the law, and if the King commits a crime, the King too can be charged in court - the Special Court was created for this Art. 183(3) The Special Court shall have exclusive jurisdiction to try all offences committed in the Federation by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong or the Ruler of a State and all civil cases by or against the Yang di-Pertuan Agong or the Ruler of a State notwithstanding where the cause of action arose. Hence, the King of Malaysia, is different from the King in UK, because UK does not have a written Constitution, and Malaysia does. In Malaysia, it is the Federal CONSTITUTION that sets out what a King can do on his own, and what he must do AS ADVISED by the Prime Minister or others. 40Yang di-Pertuan Agong to act on advice (1) In the exercise of his functions under this Constitution or federal law the Yang di-Pertuan Agong shall act in accordance with the advice of the Cabinet or of a Minister acting under the general authority of the Cabinet, except as otherwise provided by this Constitution; but shall be entitled, at his request, to any information concerning the government of the Federation which is available to the Cabinet. (1A) In the exercise of his functions under this Constitution or federal law, where the Yang di-Pertuan Agong is to act in accordance with advice, on advice, or after considering advice, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong shall accept and act in accordance with such advice. What the King can do on his own without following the advice of any is limited, and it is stated in Article 40(2) (2) The Yang di-Pertuan Agong may act in his discretion in the performance of the following functions, that is to say: (a) the appointment of a Prime Minister; (b) the withholding of consent to a request for the dissolution of Parliament; (c) the requisition of a meeting of the Conference of Rulers concerned solely with the privileges, position, honours and dignities of Their Royal Highnesses, and any action at such a meeting, and in any other case mentioned in this Constitution. Even when it comes to the appointment of the Prime Minister - the King cannot appoint anyone that he pleases to be Prime Minister. He can only appoint a MP ' who in his judgment is likely to command the confidence of the majority of the members of that House' (Art 43 (2)(a)). So he cannot appoint someone who does not have the support of the majority of the MPs. Now, we go to the power of PARDON , where here again, the King has to act on the advice of the pardons board. What can the King do ' has power to grant pardons, reprieves and respites in respect of all offences'. There is nothing in Article 42 that says that King has the power to remove a person serving his/her prison sentence, and order that he be placed under 'HOUSE ARREST'. Nor has the King the power to order special treatment in prison, or order that a prisoner to sent to another prison. If the King made such an order for 'HOUSE ARREST', then it would be ultra vires ( acting or done beyond one's legal power or authority) the Federal Constitution. Yes, the King's power is also determined by what the Federal Constitution states. Pardons - forgive one who committed a crime REPRIEVES - cancel or postpone the punishment of (someone, especially someone condemned to death). RESPITE - respite (from something) a short break or escape from something difficult or unpleasant. In the Constitution, they talk about '.. grant pardons, reprieves and respites in respect of, or to remit, suspend or commute sentences...' Hence, the Pardon powers of the King is restricted - he can commute death sentences to imprisonment, he can commute whipping to maybe imprisonment, he can shorten prison sentences or even end imprisonment and release. The King in exercising Pardon Powers cannot OVERTURN criminal convictions - that is the role/duty of the Courts and Judges(remember all High Court Judges, Court of Appeal Judges and Federal Court Judges, including the Chief Justice is all appointed by the King. So, if the King overturns any criminal convictions, he is overturning the decision of the King's judges - and that is ODD. It also implies maybe that the King has lost faith in his Judges - if so, then maybe Judges must be removed??? So, the King's Pardon powers, in my opinion, does not include OVERTURNING CONVICTIONS. In the past, some Courts had relied on Regulation 113 of the Prisons Regulations 2000, made by the Minister pursuant to the Prison Act 1995 - but, this is Regulation made by the Minister alone, unlike an Act of Parliament that is passed by Parliament. Hence it is absurd, in my opinion, to use such a Minister made Regulation to conclude or even suggest that the Pardon Powers of the King as stated in the Federal Constitution include both convictions and sentences. Pardon powers relate only to SENTENCES and not convictions. It does not make sense that a King or Ruler can overturn the conviction of the King's Judges. It is a 'slap in the face' for the Judges if this happens...Overturning convictions is something that should be left to the Courts. However, pardon can commute or reduce sentences because it is an act of 'MERCY' by the King/Ruler which should be based on good reasons Now, since the King or Ruler must act in accordance with the advice of the Pardons Board , the King/Ruler should never be faulted for any wrong or unacceptable decision. The fault, in my opinion, should lie with the Pardons Board who had given 'bad' advice or advice that is against Malaysian laws to the King/Ruler. When any criminal is sentenced to imprisonment, he serves his prison sentence in the same prisons as every other convicted criminals. In some countries, there may be prisons for hardcore or serious crimes, and prisons for small-time criminals. Article 8 (1) All persons are equal before the law and entitled to the equal protection of the law. Addendum Order, which would allow him to serve his reduced prison sentence under condition of home arrest instead of Kajang Prison. ISSUE :- Does the King have the authority or power to order Najib to be placed under 'HOME ARREST' instead of serving out prison sentence in prisons? In my opinion, the King does not have that power - but let us see what the court says. What is ODD is the delay in raising this issue, as Najib was pardoned at the end of January - although there are still doubts? ISSUE :- Will it be right for Najib to be given house arrest, whilst other prisoners serve out their sentence in prisons? What does it mean? Does it mean that Najib can stay at home with family and servants, be allowed to have visitors, internet and phones...Will all other prisoners also be applying to the King for house arrest? Interesting also is the fact that this issue of how the issue of 'house arrest' was just raised by the government recently...and, after about a month, Najib claims that the King ordered house arrest, and then the Home Minister says he is 'NOT AWARE' - he should either say YES or NO - a 'not aware' position is unacceptable. Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail today said he is not aware of a purported supplementary order from the previous Yang diPertuan Agong, for former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak to serve the remainder of his reduced sentence under house arrest. Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim is yet to respond - note that a member of the Cabinet was in the Pardons Board, and so was the Attorney General. Is Anwar also 'not aware'? ## There were some cases that dealt with Pardon, and I will discuss them at a later date. There have been some ERRORS is some of these judgments. In new bid for judicial review, Najib claims previous Agong wanted him to serve remaining sentence at home Former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak (centre) at the Kuala Lumpur Court Complex, April 3, 2024. Picture by Hari Anggara By Kenneth Tee Wednesday, 03 Apr 2024 2:52 PM MYT KUALA LUMPUR, April 3 Former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak has applied to the High Court to compel the federal government and the Pardons Board to produce a purported supplementary order from the previous Yang diPertuan Agong. In his application for leave to seek judicial review filed on April 1, Najib claimed Al-Sultan Abdullah Riayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah issued the order during the January 29 meeting of the board, for the former to serve the remainder of his reduced sentence under house arrest. Al-Sultan Abdullah of Pahang reigned for five years as the 16th King of Malaysia until January 30, after ascending the federal throne on January 31, 2019. Najib claimed that while the supplementary order or Addendum Order was made on January 29, it was omitted when his partial pardon was announced on February 2. His Majesty Seri Paduka Baginda the Yang Di-Pertuan Agong XVI had also immediately or simultaneously issued an Addendum Order on the same day which was within the powers and jurisdiction of His Majesty Seri Paduka Baginda the Yang Di-Pertuan Agong XVI. The Addendum Order curiously was not announced by the fourth, fifth, and sixth respondent or by any of the other respondents when the announcement of the Main Order only was made. This anomaly was never revealed nor explained by any of the respondents, he said in his application. A total of seven respondents were named in Najibs suit, namely the Home Minister, Commissioner General of Prisons, the Attorney General, the Federal Territories Pardons Board, Minister in the Prime Ministers Department (Law and Institutional Reform), the Director General of Legal Affairs Division and the Malaysian government. In the application, Najib alleged that he received confirmation on February 12 about the issuance of the Addendum Order, which would allow him to serve his reduced prison sentence under condition of home arrest instead of Kajang Prison. Najibs application is set to be heard before High Court judge Datuk Amarjeet Singh Serjit Singh on April 4. On February 2, the Pardons Board halved Najibs sentence from a 12-year prison term to six years for misappropriating funds amounting to RM42 million, which means he may be released earlier on August 23, 2028. Najib has been imprisoned since August 23, 2022, after the Federal Court upheld his conviction for criminal breach of trust, power abuse and money laundering over the misappropriation of SRC International Sdn Bhds funds. The Pardons Board said it had also decided to reduce his RM210 million fine to RM50 million, and his early release would be contingent on him paying this amount. Najib said his lawyers also wrote to, among others, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail as well as de facto law minister Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said, seeking confirmation on the existence of the supplementary order. In his grounds for the application, Najib said the Agongs orders are not merely administrative decrees but reflections of the legal and moral authority vested in the monarchy. Therefore the respondents disregard to the requests of the applicant constitutes a direct intrusion of the applicants basic right as provided in the Constitution and the laws generally. Over and above this the defiance of the respondents constitute a direct contempt of the Institution of His Majesty Seri Paduka Baginda the Yang Di-Pertuan Agong. The respondents failure to answer the existence of the supplementary order and the applicants request to be served with it, along with the subsequent inaction by the Prison Department and the home minister to execute the said order is irrational, unreasonable, illegal and arbitrary, Najib said. Other reliefs sought by Najib include for the court to compel the respondents to execute said supplementary order. - Malay Mail, 3/4/2024 Najib wants house arrest, claims former King had ordered it By NURBAITI HAMDAN Nation Thursday, 04 Apr 2024 KUALA LUMPUR: Datuk Seri Najib Razak, who is jailed for offences linked to the misappropriation of funds from SRC International Sdn Bhd, is seeking to serve the remainder of his prison sentence under house arrest. In his latest legal action, the former prime minister filed a judicial review application, claiming that there was an addendum order by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong in the royal pardon granted to him on Jan 29, whereby in the addendum, he was allowed to serve his prison sentence under house arrest. The application will be heard at the High Court before Justice Amarjeet Singh today. Najib filed it through law firm Messrs Shafee & Co on Monday. He named the Home Minister, the Commissioner General of Prisons, the Attorney General, the Federal Territories Pardons Board, the Minister in the Prime Ministers Department (Law and Institutional Reform), director-general of the legal affairs at the Prime Ministers Department and the government as the first until the seventh respondents, respectively. In the notice of application, Najib sought a mandamus order that all of the respondents or one of them to answer and verify the existence of the addendum order dated Jan 29. Najib is seeking a mandamus order where if the addendum order exists, all or one of the respondents must execute it. He is also seeking a mandamus order for all or one of the respondents to produce a copy of the royal decree and the addendum order, both dated Jan 29. Najib is also seeking costs and other reliefs deemed fit by the court. - Star, 4/4/2024 Proposed home detention is to reduce prison crowding, not to let Najib off the hook, says home minister Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail speaks to reporters after visiting Rumah Seri Kenangan in Ulu Kinta, Ipoh March 4, 2024. Picture by Farhan Najib By John Bunyan Monday, 04 Mar 2024 3:11 PM MYT IPOH, March 4 Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail today clarified that the proposed introduction of home detention is merely to reduce the congestion in jails nationwide. Saifuddin said that allegations suggesting the plan was proposed to specifically place former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, a convict in the 1MDB corruption case, under home detention is not true. I want to refute the mischievous narrative played by a handful of media that the proposed home detention is meant for Najib. The proposed implementation is targeted specifically for certain categories of prisoner. There will be a panel that evaluates the type of offence, and it is only meant for prisoners serving jail time of four years or less. If they are sentenced to prison for up to 20 years because of a serious crime, no way will we be putting them under home detention, he told a press conference after visiting Rumah Seri Kenangan in Ulu Kinta here. Saifuddin pointed out that there are approximately 80,000 inmates housed in 43 prisons across the country at the moment. The current prisoner ratio per 100,000 population is at 244 in our country. This exceeds the international standard ratio of 145 prisoners per 100,000 population. So this is why we came up with the proposal to reduce the crowding in jails and not for other purposes, he explained. Earlier today, non-governmental organisation Projek SAMA called for a White Paper on the proposed introduction of home detention as an alternative to imprisonment for select prisoners to prevent potential abuse and the emergence of a two-tiered legal system. The organisation said the White Paper will instil public trust that house arrest will not transform into an exclusive benefit for influential criminals or, worse, be manipulated as a bargaining tool in political negotiations. It said if Najib were to employ home detention as a covert strategy to escape imprisonment, the trust deficit between Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and his government, and both Malaysians and the international community would worsen.- Malay Mail, 4/3/2024 Home minister denies knowledge of 'addendum' on house arrest for former PM Najib Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail speaks during press conference in Putrajaya April 4,2024. Picture by Miera Zulyana By Muhammad Yusry Thursday, 04 Apr 2024 3:19 PM MYT PUTRAJAYA, April 4 Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail today said he is not aware of a purported supplementary order from the previous Yang diPertuan Agong, for former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak to serve the remainder of his reduced sentence under house arrest. However, Saifuddin said he received a letter from Najibs lawyer Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah a few days ago. I have no knowledge of it. He (Shafee) mentioned specifically about the addendum and then he sent a letter to me, you know, so as of now, I can say clearly that I do not know about it, he said during a press conference at his ministry here. Saifuddin said he will respond to the letter accordingly when the time is right. I have received a letter from Tan Sri Shafee in the past few days. Today I followed the report on addendum and all sorts of things. Of course, I will respond accordingly when the time comes because in our knowledge, so far, I can comment that I have received a letter, he said. He added that the letter contains the same content as what was read in the court. Yesterday, Najib applied to the High Court to compel the federal government and the Pardons Board to produce a purported supplementary order from the previous Yang diPertuan Agong . In his application for leave to seek judicial review filed on April 1, Najib claimed Al-Sultan Abdullah Riayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah issued the order during the January 29 meeting of the board, for the former to serve the remainder of his reduced sentence under house arrest. Al-Sultan Abdullah of Pahang reigned for five years as the 16th King of Malaysia until January 30, after ascending the federal throne on January 31, 2019. Najib claimed that while the supplementary order or Addendum Order was made on January 29, it was omitted when his partial pardon was announced on February 2. In the application, Najib alleged that he received confirmation on February 12 about the issuance of the Addendum Order, which would allow him to serve his reduced prison sentence under the condition of "home arrest instead of Kajang Prison. Najibs application is set to be heard before High Court judge Datuk Amarjeet Singh Serjit Singh on April 4. - Malay Mail, 4/4/2024

ago.In a decision handed down via email to the parties, Justice Amarjeet Singh issued a declaration that the Industrial Court did not have jurisdiction of the US government. Amerjeet also held that L Subramaniams termination from employment for misconduct was an internal matter, and o rdered Subramaniam to pay the US government RM8,000 in costs .... In earlier proceedings, the High Court on Jan 8, 2020 ruled that the US government and its embassy were protected by immunity and prohibited the Industrial Court from adjudicating on the lawfulness of Subramaniams dismissal from employment. However, in 2021, the Court of Appeal overturned the High Court decision and ordered that the Industrial Court proceed to hear the dispute. An appeal by the US government to the Federal Court from the Court of Appeals decision was rejected. If the US Embassy did not pay its electricity bills, then TNB will also be able to do nothing - they cannot go to court for a remedy. No remedy through Malaysian Courts - because US has immunity. Likewise other contracts with the US Embassy like construction contracts, food contracts, etc - cannot go to Court because US has immunity? Poor Security Guard - not only has he to pay back the RM60,000 but an additional RM8,000 in COSTS... Should the US Embassy and other embassies and consulates in Malaysia enjoy such an IMMUNITY? Something is REALLY WRONG - and the government must do something to protect workers, those who entered into contracts with the US Embassy in Malaysia, etc.. REMOVE THIS IMMUNITY - with regard to employment agreements, service and other contracts with businesses in Malaysia,....and maybe also CRIME committed in the country by any staff of embassies, maybe even the ambassadors... We do not want a situation where an Ambassador and a staff of an embassy MURDERS or RAPES in Malaysia will get away SCOT FREE because of IMMUNITY # Curious that the Court says the Court has no jurisdiction by reason of the Immunity enjoyed, but then why did the Court order the worker to pay the US Embassy cost of RM,8000? So, is OK to get money from others, but others cannot get monies owing through courts because of Immunity? Does this IMMUNITY also mean that Embassies have no right to go to Malaysian courts when their rights are violated by workers, contractors,...in Malaysia? This is Malaysia - so rights violated by any victim in Malaysia by even foreign embassies or entities that enjoy IMMUNITY must still be guaranteed access to courts and just remedies according to the law - this is what I feel. If not, then the HR Ministry, SOCSO/PERKESO, EPF/KWSP and all relevant Malaysian Ministries and Departments will not have any right to enforce the laws when the violator of the laws are foreign embassies and entities because of IMMUNITY? Can be now say that the US Embassy is a human trafficker (as Malaysia defines human trafficking to include "trafficking in persons" means all actions of recruiting, conveying, transferring, acquiring, maintaining, harbouring, providing or receiving, a person, for the purpose of exploitation, by the following... "exploitation" includes all forms of sexual exploitation, forced labour or services, slavery or practices similar to slavery, servitude, any illegal activity or the removal of human organs; Violation of worker rights including wrongful dismissal, non-payment of wages/overtime, denial of access to justice,... would fall under "trafficking in persons'. The IMMUNITY granted to foreign states and their embassies should never deny victims of human rights and/or injustice their access to justice in the Malaysian courts...Now, because of this IMMUNITY, it looks like US Embassy who violated worker rights(noting that the Industrial Court had already determined that the said worker had been wrongfully dismissed and ordered the employer to pay RM60,000) will be able to get away SCOT FREE?? Some will say, the worker can go to the US Courts and get justice - sadly, this is almost impossible for poor workers and even poor contractors..? If at all, this is possible.. US govt wins judicial review on security guards sacking V Anbalagan - 01 Apr 2024, 12:16 PM The Kuala Lumpur High Court orders L Subramaniam to pay the US government RM8,000 in costs. The Industrial Court previously awarded RM66,000 in compensation to a former security guard at the US embassy for his unlawful dismissal 15 years ago. (US embassy Kuala Lumpur Facebook pic) KUALA LUMPUR: The High Court has allowed a judicial review application brought by the US government and quashed an Industrial Court award for RM66,000 made in favour of a former US embassy security guard for his dismissal from employment 15 years ago. In a decision handed down via email to the parties, Justice Amarjeet Singh issued a declaration that the Industrial Court did not have jurisdiction of the US government. Amerjeet also held that L Subramaniams termination from employment for misconduct was an internal matter, and ordered Subramaniam to pay the US government RM8,000 in costs. Lawyers Lim Heng Seng and Summer Chong represented the US government and Ragunath Kesavan appeared for Subramaniam, while senior federal counsel Liew Horng Bin acted as amicus curiae. In an award handed down on April 27 last year, the Industrial Court found that Subramaniam had been unlawfully dismissed from his employment. The court ordered the US embassy to pay him RM66,000 in compensation and back wages. Todays decision was in respect of an application filed by the US government on Aug 9 seeking to annul that award. The application named the Industrial Court and Subramaniam as the first and second respondents. It sought a declaration by the High Court that Subramaniams dismissal for disciplinary misconduct was an internal matter and that the country and its embassy had immunity and were not subject to the jurisdiction conferred on the Industrial Court by Section 20(3) of the Industrial Relations Act 1967. In earlier proceedings, the High Court on Jan 8, 2020 ruled that the US government and its embassy were protected by immunity and prohibited the Industrial Court from adjudicating on the lawfulness of Subramaniams dismissal from employment. However, in 2021, the Court of Appeal overturned the High Court decision and ordered that the Industrial Court proceed to hear the dispute. An appeal by the US government to the Federal Court from the Court of Appeals decision was rejected. Subramaniam served the embassy as a security guard for more than 10 years prior to his dismissal in 2008. - FMT, 1/4/2024

car? (There were) No body cams or video recordings to reveal the truth. All we have, it seems, are the words of the police officers involved in the killing. The truth must be independently verified quickly, he said in a statement on Madpets blog . Extensive criminal records Yesterday, Bernama reported Selangor police chief Hussein Omar Khan as saying that five individuals, believed to be part of the Ninja Van Gang, were shot dead at 11.30pm the previous night. He said that the suspects, locals aged between 25 and 30, had extensive criminal records and had been wanted by the police for two years. The police team spotted a vehicle being driven suspiciously and ordered it to stop for an inspection. The instruction was ignored and the suspects accelerated the vehicle while firing shots at the police before crashing into the rear of the patrol vehicle, leading to an exchange of gunfire. Meanwhile, Charles said that the coroner must be assisted by independent investigating officers to discover facts instead of evidence that may have been tampered with. He cited the case of Syed Mohd Azlan Syed Mohamed Nurs death in 2014, in which the Enforcement Agency Integrity Commission found attempts by the police to obscure and tamper with evidence. Madpet spokesperson Charles Hector The police investigation into the incident must also be professional, Charles added, saying that police who commit crimes should be prosecuted. Questioning media reports of the event, he expressed suspicion of the police being compromised. There has been no mention of investigating the police officers responsible for the killing, whilst attention has been on the justification that the five dead victims are bad people. If they are truly suspects of crimes over the past two years, why were they not arrested and investigated? Why were they not charged in court? The presumption of innocence applies until one is convicted by the court, so all five deceased should be considered innocent victims, he said.- Malaysiakini, 31/3/2024 Media Statement 31/3/2024 All 5 shot dead by police, none shot and arrested Immediate inquiry by Coroner needed to establish truth IPCC and SUHAKAM should also investigate 5 persons, aged between 25 and 30, were extrajudicially killed by Malaysian police, when they allegedly in a car failed to stop when instructed to and responded by firing at the police, and the police returned fire killed all 5 in Putra Heights, Subang Jaya around 11.30pm . (NST,Malay Mail, Star 30/3/2024 ). What is shocking is that no one was arrested OR injured and arrested. Were they in police uniform and an easily identifiable police car? No Body Cams or Video recordings to reveal the truth. All we have, it seems, are the words of the police officers involved in the killing. The truth must be independently verified fast. Coroner Must Immediately Inquire Into The 5 deaths Coroner must act immediately do an inquiry into the deaths, and establish whether the police are criminally liable or not. The Coroner must immediately step in and independently investigate, and then do a speedy inquest or inquiry into the death. The Coroner looks into the "cause of death" which include not only the apparent cause of death as ascertainable by inspection or post-mortem examination of the body of the deceased, but also all matters necessary to enable an opinion to be formed as to the manner in which the deceased came by his death and as to whether his death resulted in any way from, or was accelerated by, any unlawful act or omission on the part of any other person . Did the police shoot to arrest or kill? We recall that on 31/5/2023 that the coroners court, presided by Coroner Rasyihah Ghazali, for police shooting that resulted in death of 3, . concluded that there was abuse of power and elements of a criminal nature in the death of three men who were shot at close range by police three years ago. The shots were not fired in self-defense. There was abuse of power and (actions in the nature of) criminal elements by police in the death of the men , She said police witnesses gave evidence that shots were fired at the men from an upright position but post-mortem reports stated that the bullets pierced their bodies at a downward angle. The weapons described by the ballistic expert (Izzuwan Marzuki) and the investigating officer (P Visvanathan) were also in conflict, (FMT, 31/5/2023) Coroner Must Act Speedily To Prevent Tampering Of Evidence We are reminded that the police can and may tamper with the evidence. For example, in the death in custody case of Syed Mohd Azlan Syed Mohamed Nurs who died in 2014, the Enforcement Agency Integrity Commission (EAIC) found attempts to obscure evidence from the 25-year-olds interrogation that resulted in 61 separate injuries on various parts of his body. (Malay Mail, 30/10/2 ). The EAIC also stated that there was tampering of evidence by the police including: the cleaning up the incident area before it was visited and examined, disposal of a rubber mat and carpet at the place of arrest which was believed to have blood stains of the deceased, and hiding or removal of eye witnesses to the incident . Hence, the need for the Coroner to act fast, and not just rely on the police when the killing was caused by fellow police officers. There is a need for investigating officers, not the police, to assist the Coroner discover the truth based on facts, not tampered/tainted evidence. The National Human Rights Commission (SUHAKAM) should also speedily look into this matter. IPCC Also Can Commence Investigation On This Matter Of Public Interest The Independent Police Conduct Commission (IPCC) can also commence investigation as this is a matter of public interest. Section 32 of the Independent Police Conduct Commission Act 2022 Act states the Commission may commence an investigation of misconduct on its own initiative but only if the Commission is satisfied that it is in the public interest to do so whether or not there is a complaint of misconduct relating to it. The IPCC have the power to examine persons, obtain documents and other things but then what they end up doing at the end is CLASSIFICATION and referring the cases to the relevant authority to act on it, and so in this case of police killing, it will most likely end up being send back to the police to further investigate and prosecute. It is best the IPCC be abolished, and a real Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC) be established with the ability to do public inquiry and prosecute police officers that broke the law. The IPCC, unlike the Enforcement Agency Integrity Commission (EAIC) do not have a duty to make public their findings. Section 30(5) of Enforcement Agency Integrity Commission Act 2009 states The Commission shall make public its finding and inform the complainant of its finding and any action taken by the Disciplinary Authority or the Public Prosecutor. Polices Own Investigation Into The Killing Must Be Professional Note that the police too must professionally investigate the killing of the 5, and should not hesitate prosecuting police officers that commit crimes. But Are The Polices Independence Compromised By What Was Reported In Media? However, from media reports, the police may be compromised and one wonders whether they can independently and professionally investigate this case. About 10 hours after the shooting incident, media reports, possibly from police sources, says that the 5 dead were believed to be involved in more than 50 armed robbery cases around the Klang Valley in the past two years. Police believe that at the time of their arrest, all suspects had plans to commit armed robbery. There has been no mention about investigating the police officers responsible for the killing, whilst attention has been on justification that the 5 dead victims are bad people. If they are truly suspects of crimes over the past 2 years, why were they not arrested sooner and investigated? Why were they not charged in court? Presumption of innocence applies until one is convicted by court, and so all the 5 deceased should be considered innocent victims. Media too need to be careful in their reporting not to paint a negative picture of the deceased 5 simply because the police says so. They may have become suspects only after they have been killed. MADPET (Malaysians Against Death Penalty and Torture) urge for immediate investigation by the Coroner, SUHAKAM and even the IPCC into this matter of public interest where the police ended up shooting dead 5 innocent persons, and no one was injured and arrested, or arrested. The police duty is to arrest and investigate, and it is the court that convicts and sentences thus making all these killings extrajudicial killings. It is sad that the Media fails to report the Coroners findings of these police shot dead cases, and this is important to determine whether what the police said soon after the shooting was true or fake. Charles Hector For and on behalf of MADPET(Malaysians Against Death Penalty and Toture) See also - Another Man Shot Dead By Police, Rather Than Being Arrested Investigate Police Involved For Murder(MADPET) - 18/2/2024 Cops shoot dead five suspected armed robbers in Putra Heights [NSTTV] By Safeek Affendy Razali - March 30, 2024 @ 8:58am SUBANG JAYA: Police shot dead five suspected criminals believed to be involved in more than 50 armed robbery cases around the Klang Valley in the past two years. The suspects, aged between 25 and 30, were spotted behaving suspiciously by a police team conducting crime prevention patrols on Persiaran Harmoni, Putra Heights, here at 11.30pm last night. They were travelling in a Perodua Axia car. When instructed to stop for inspection purposes, the suspects, who were also locals, sped off while firing several shots at the police. The police team, comprising officers and members of the Bukit Aman Criminal Investigation Department (CID), along with CID officers from the Selangor and Kuala Lumpur contingents, attempted to surround the car before the suspects rammed the rear of the police vehicle. Simultaneously, the suspects continued to fire shots, prompting the police to return fire in self-defence. Upon inspection, the suspects were found dead at the scene, and the police also discovered and seized two firearms used by the suspects along with other weapons. Sources revealed that all suspects had outstanding warrants issued by the police for armed robbery incidents and past criminal records. "The suspects were reportedly actively involved in robbing cash from delivery company vans, factories, and homes storing cash and jewellery in areas around Shah Alam, Puchong, Klang, Subang Jaya, Kajang, and Sentul."The suspects were also found to have injured victims who attempted to resist them," the source said. Police believe that at the time of their arrest, all suspects had plans to commit armed robbery. A press conference will be held later today.- NST, 30/3/2024 Five armed robbers die in shoot out with cops in Putra Heights By AUSTIN CAMOENS Nation Saturday, 30 Mar 2024 9:48 AM MYT PETALING JAYA: Five armed robbers have been shot dead following a confrontation with police at Putra Heights. Sources revealed the five were connected to at least 50 robberies in the Klang Valley area. It was also learnt that two guns were retrieved following the shootout which occurred at around 11.30pm on Friday (March 29). Selangor police chief Comm Datuk Hussein Omar Khan confirmed the incident. "We will be calling for a press conference soon where we will divulge more information on this matter," he said when contacted. It was learnt that, in the incident, a police team spotted a vehicle being driven in a suspicious manner and ordered the driver to stop for inspection. However, the suspects ignored the instructions, accelerating and firing shots at the police before crashing into the rear of the patrol vehicle, resulting in an exchange of gunfire. - Star, 30/3/2024 Selangor cops say five suspected armed robbers shot dead in Putra Heights Selangor police chief Datuk Hussein Omar Khan confirmed that five suspected armed robbery criminals were killed in a shoot-out in Putra Heights, which was believed to have occurred around 11.30pm. Picture by Ahmad Zamzahuri Saturday, 30 Mar 2024 9:35 AM MYT KUALA LUMPUR, March 30 Five suspected armed robbery criminals were killed in a shoot-out with the police in Putra Heights, Selangor, last night. Selangor police chief Datuk Hussein Omar Khan, when contacted by Bernama, confirmed the incident, which was believed to have occurred around 11.30pm. We will hold a press conference regarding this incident, he said briefly. It is learnt that, in the incident, a police team spotted a vehicle being driven in a suspicious manner and ordered the driver to stop for inspection. However, the suspects ignored the instructions, accelerating and firing shots at the police before crashing into the rear of the patrol vehicle, resulting in an exchange of gunfire. Bernama - Malay Mail, 30/3/2024

open new accounts when they move to a different location, or even change an employer (as many employers desire the employee wages to be deposit in a account of particular bank). This means that they will have many bank accounts, and they may forget more so since most banks have stopped sending monthly bank statements. Some account holders may have DIED - and their family/heirs are unaware of these 'other' bank accounts/etc. Some may have become OLD and forgotten about their accounts , maybe by reason of Alzheimer, Dementia or simply old age..Even young people can forget. This is similar with other investments, shares and stock. When they changed address, some may have failed to inform the bank of their change of address. Further, the postal service is not as good as it was before - and most times, they do not even send by A.R.(acknowledge receipt) Registered Post, where the recipient will have to acknowledge receipt of the letters/statement by SIGNING on the A.R. Registered Card.(After the Covid 19 pandemic, things have changed - now letters are just dumped into letter boxes(without any confirmation of receipt by the receiver) PROBLEMS # Bank Statements - well, now the bank does not send out monthly paper printed statements > so people can forget(Maybe, Banks should at the very least send statements once in every 6 months - this will help people remember, and also allow them to check the statements to find out is there is anything wrong. YES - it is possible to get statements online, but the process is NOT EASY especially for those not internet savvy. {Personally, I too do not know all the Bank Account numbers and it is difficult to even access statements online). With no statements or bank books, it becomes more difficult to remember bank accounts and their numbers - then, it was easier, just check your passbook or the recent bank statement. ATM or Debit Cards do not disclose the account numbers...mmmm 2nd problem - is b ank accounts and even fixed deposits are becoming 'inactive' faster these days - and then the RISK of being send to UNCLAIMED Monies. A bank officer said for an account to be 'active' there must be deposits and withdrawal. Last time, this was not an issue and then they said that if there is 'no activity' for 1 year, and now someone said it has been shortened to 6 months - the said monies will be sent to UNCLAIMED MONIES. For FD, it is 5 -7 years for some banks. EITHER way, at least once a year, banks should send a statement to the owners. This could also be GOOD for tax purposes, where the owner will be able to more accurately calculate taxable incomes. Sadly, when the monies are sent to UNCLAIMED MONIES, the monies stop earning INTEREST that banks will provide > no more income generating. {Suggest that even these UNCLAIMED Monies should continue to be income generating for the TRUE owners - not just the government. Maybe unclaimed monies should remain in banks to continue earning interests? Last year, the Deputy Finance Minister said the amount of monies belonging to Malaysians(and/or their families, heirs and dependents is about RM11 BILLION . So, the government, rather than TAKING IT should really return all these 'unclaimed monies' to their owners(or those now entitled). The government, with all the personal data, will be in the position to identify/find these owners(or their heirs, family) and return it. It is so SAD that the government is now trying to amend the laws, so that these UNCLAIMED monies can be absorbed by the government sooner - reducing it from 15 years to 10 years. The amending Bill is in Parliament. PROPOSED amendments to the Unclaimed Moneys Act 1965 will allow the government to consider unclaimed money as revenue after 10 years. Under the existing law, unclaimed money previously held by companies and lodged with the Registrar of Unclaimed Moneys is to be credited into the Consolidated Trust Account. After a lapse of 15 years, the unclaimed money under the trust fund is to be transferred to the Consolidated Revenue Account. The proposed amendments to Section 11 under the Act will see the 15-year period shortened to 10 years. Like KWSP/EPF and TRUST FUNDS, unclaimed monies should generate REVENUE for the owner(or their heirs) - not REVENUE for the Government - for these are people's OWN money. More than RM11 billion unclaimed by Malaysians, says Deputy Finance Minister By Hana Naz Harun, Qistina Sallehuddin - May 24, 2023 @ 11:33am Deputy Finance Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan said out of the amount, 70 per cent of the money was from inactive bank accounts of seven ye