Day: March 3, 2023

KUALA LUMPUR, March 3 (Bernama) — A 100-day period is not a really a long time, but somehow seems enough to prove Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s commitment and determination to make Malaysia roar again as an Asian Tiger through his Malaysia MADANI concept.

Steps towards reviving and strengthening the country’s economy were taken and expedited with the formation of a government that is strongly centred on integrity and accountability, and consistent in the war against corruption which Anwar’s pledged as soon as he was sworn in as Malaysia’s 10th Prime Minister on Nov 24 last year.

Law lecturer from International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) Assoc Prof Datuk Dr Shamrahayu Ab Aziz said the emphasis given on these matters was vital for the government and it was obviously prominent during this 100-day period.

“Maybe people will say that the government is slow in terms of implementation, or in introducing new programmes or initiatives for the people, for example, but the prime minister’s strategy in this context is important because he needs, first and foremost, a government that understands the aspirations, the things he wants to achieve,” she said.

In his approach to building a unified Cabinet, Anwar also introduced the Unity Government Ministers’ Retreat, filled with special briefing sessions that cover all important aspects of strengthening the government service delivery system and governance.

Among his reform agendas in government administration, Anwar, who is also Finance Minister, also stressed that approvals for government procurements under his leadership can no longer be conducted without tender.

In fact, at his very first press conference after swearing in as Prime Minister, Anwar also gave assurance that his government will not compromise on ensuring and recognising the rights, citizenship, and opportunities of every race, religion and region in this country

The Tambun Member of Parliament also introduced the concept of Malaysia MADANI as a new direction for his Unity Government in its effort to drive and restore Malaysia’s dignity and glory in the global arena.

Political analyst of Universiti Sains Malaysia Prof Dr Sivamurugan Pandian said Anwar’s strong character prevailed through his actions and decisions that are not tied to populist agenda despite the fact that it really could help him get a better acceptance rating from the people.

The lecturer from the School of Social Sciences at Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) said Anwar instead prioritised efforts to ‘straighten out’ various sectors in the country to improve the economy so that the impact could be felt by the people as a whole.

“If he wants to be a populist, he can just allow the EPF (Employees Provident Fund) withdrawals or fulfil the promises made when he was in the opposition bloc, as demanded by many, such as reducing the petrol price or raising the salaries of civil servants.

“Perhaps these 100 days are more of an adjustment phase, of how to stabilise the economy and the government made of multiple coalitions. Besides, he comes in when the country is struggling with political crises, economic recession and the health sector that needs proper attention,” he said.

Within that 100 days, the Prime Minister also established Malaysia Agreement 1963 Implementation Action Council to resolve the many pending issues pertaining to the agreement and gave assurance that every agreement inked with Sabah and Sarawak, including MA63, shall be honoured and fulfilled.

In this context, another political analyst, Assoc Prof Dr Awang Azman Awang Pawi from Universiti Malaya (UM) said it gave a good signal that Anwar really walks the talk.

“He is a person who walks the talk and he will get it done during this administration. The question now is how long the implementation process will take?”

“We can see his commitment. (But) after these 100 days, he may need more time to plan, draft, identify and find the best solutions, and not just do something that is only populist,” he said.

The issues of people’s welfare, especially relating to the rising cost of living, remain Anwar’s priority and the first topic that he discussed with top government officials even before his Cabinet was announced.

In fact, his first instruction as the Prime Minister was for the Padiberas Nasional Berhad (BERNAS) to allocate RM50 million this year to help padi farmers, apart from other initiatives such as Rahmah Cash Aid and Rahmah Menu, as well as the decision to maintain the electricity tariff and overnight policy rate (OPR).

In Budget 2023 amounting to RM388.1 billion which he tabled on Feb 24, Anwar’s government also allocates RM750 million to help approximately 130,000 poor people to get out of poverty.

Tomorrow will be Anwar’s 100th day in Prime Minister’s Office.

Despite being known as a stern and non-nonsense person, there is a ‘cool’ side of him when he ditched the necktie culture and doesn’t wear one at most of his official events, even during parliamentary sittings, which has been seen by many as a symbol of equality like the aphorism that is often said, sits equally low and stands equally high, as others.

It doesn’t take long for everyone to notice that every member of his Cabinet has also chosen not to wear neckties as part of their formal wear.

In addressing the people’s issues, Anwar has also introduced the Prime Minister’s Question and Answer Session in Parliament, where questions related to the people can be asked by Members of Parliament directly to him.

However, how far the no-necktie culture, the Malaysia MADANI concept, and the emphasis on integrity and accountability can strengthen the economy to enable Malaysia to roar again as an Asian Tiger will depend on the people’s acceptance and support for the government’s initiatives.

Nevertheless, Merdeka Center survey did find that 68 per cent of Malaysian people are satisfied with the performance of the 10th Prime Minister so far.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

KUALA LUMPUR, March 3 (Bernama) — The Malaysian Film Censorship Board (LPF) has no objection to television stations doing their own censorship of the content of films or dramas that will be broadcast on their respective platforms.

LPF chairman Datuk Mohd Dusuki Ya’acob said this is because the television stations will also use the same guidelines and act as LPF.

“…it’s just that when television stations do their own censorship, they need to ensure that it is done by the same individual.

“if there is a turnover, we (LPF) fear that there will be an issue of understanding about the censorship. That’s what we’re worried about, in other respects we actually support them doing their own censorship,” he said when appearing as a guest on Bernama TV’s ‘Apa Khabar Malaysia’ programme today.

Mohd Dusuki said based on the existing LPF Guidelines and the Film Censorship Act 2002, there are four aspects of film censorship, namely security and public order; religion; socio-culture, and decorum and morality.

“For the time being, we already have three television stations that have been given permission to censor movies, namely Astro, Radio Television Malaysia (RTM) and Media Prima.

“Apart from that, permission for Telekom Malaysia Bhd (TM), TV Sarawak (TVS) and Awesome TV is in the pipeline because they have also applied to do their own censorship,” he said.

In the meantime, Mohd Dusuki concurred that the content of material published by local industry players needs to be continuously monitored by all parties including the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC).

This is in response to the existence of a film that has elements of religious pluralism and goes against the Islamic creed which was broadcast on a digital platform recently, causing displeasure among the people.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

KUALA LUMPUR, March 3 (Bernama) — Ever since he was appointed to lead the federal government on Nov 24 last year, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has shown his ability to manage the country well through various efforts and strategies undertaken.

In just 100 days, Anwar’s Unity Government has successfully won the people’s attention with several initiatives focused on the less fortunate, especially the poor, the needy and those in the B40 group.

A random interview with the people in Cherok Tok Kun and Permatang Pauh, in Penang, found that most of them agreed that the Prime Minister’s efforts in the three months of his governance of the country as something to be proud of.

“We see that since Anwar became Prime Minister, he took immediate action to help the people, and then through the recent tabling of Budget 2023 various initiatives, including the Rahmah Cash Aid (STR), were given to help the people.

“I feel that the STR this time is more aimed at the right groups, taking into consideration the number of children in each household while the Menu Rahmah is also one of the good initiatives for people who cannot afford to buy food,” a 45-year-old food stall operator, Mohd Fahmi Mohd Noor, said.

He said petty traders were also not left out of receiving help through the Budget announcement and he believes it could help boost the business of hawkers and petty traders.

Mohd Fahmi said he also believed that Anwar, who is the Tambun member of parliament, will implement more efforts and initiatives in the future to help the people affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Meanwhile, Norhasfizah Mustaffa, 40, said among the various efforts, initiatives and programmes introduced by Anwar, she was more attracted to the concept of Malaysia MADANI which is one of the efforts to cultivate the spirit of unity among Malaysians.

She said it is known that Anwar has always cared about the spirit of unity among the people and when he became Prime Minister he continued and introduced the concept of MADANI nation to the people.

“I am happy with the MADANI concept as it can foster the spirit of togetherness, unity and well-being among Malaysians. This to some extent can help improve the country,” said the engineer, who works at a factory in Perai.

Meanwhile, a public university student from Ipoh, Perak, Nuriah Jamal, 19, said there have been several changes in the 100 days of Anwar’s administration and these can be seen during the tabling of Budget 2023, last Friday.

Nuriah said among these is the Rahmah e-wallet credit of RM200 for youth aged 18 to 20 years old.

“This initiative is an annual government initiative. So, to some extent, it can help ease the burden of youth like us to cope with the rising cost of living,” she said when met at a supermarket here today.

Meanwhile, environmental activist Hafizudin Nasarudin, 35, praised Anwar for also focusing on environmental issues when he provided an additional allocation of RM150 million a year for Ecological Fiscal Transfer for Biodiversity Conservation (EFT) to the state governments compared to RM70 million last year.

“Apart from this, the introduction of Rahmah Menu can also to some extent reduce the burden of the people, especially the B40 group.

“Throughout these 100 days, there are various good results that need to be praised and it is hoped that this momentum will be sustained and improved,” said Hafizudin, who voted in the Tambun parliamentary constituency.

Bernama’s observations on social media also found that the netizens welcomed the economic recovery initiatives, especially the Rahmah Menu which not only benefitted consumers but also gave extraordinary profits to traders.

“Thanks to Rahmah Menu, the sales are booming…thank you Unity Government!” Facebook user Kamal Hero Malaya posted.

Meanwhile, there are also those who support Anwar’s firmness and consistency in fighting corruption which he often describes as cancer that needs to be treated for the sake of national development.

“In the eyes of the corrupt, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is really bad. But in our eyes, this is the Prime Minister we want.

“People’s money has been looted for decades. This time justice has been done. Whoever hates Datuk Seri Anwar, then he is the corrupt person,” another Facebook user by the name of Raja Gelap posted.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

BATU PAHAT, March 3 (Bernama) — The Johor government has opened the main mosques in flood-affected areas in the state as additional relief centres, following the increase in the number of flood evacuees.

State Islamic Religious Affairs Committee chairman, Mohd Fared Mohd Khalid, said that it was a contingency plan taken by the state government, to accommodate the high increase in the population affected by the floods.

As of 1 pm today, a total of seven mosques in the Batu Pahat district have been opened to serve as relief centres, namely Pekan Sri Medan Mosque, Parit Jayus Mosque, Parit Baru Mosque, Simpang Tiga Parit Sulong Mosque, Kampung Parit Betong Mosque, Kampung Parit Jambi Mosque and Parit Andin 3 Mosque.

He said that the move was also to ease congestion in the existing relief centres.

“The opening of these mosques as relief centres follows guidelines provided to safeguard the sanctity of the mosques.

“There were some residents who had to spend the night in their cars last night, as the water rose quickly, and it just so happened that the existing relief centres could not accommodate them,” said Mohd Fared.

He said this to reporters after accompanying Johor Menteri Besar, Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi, to the relief centre at Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan Cina (SJKC) Yong Peng 1, here, today.

As of 12 noon today, a total of 218 centres were opened statewide, involving more than 30,000 flood evacuees.

Meanwhile, in a Facebook post, Mohd Fared said that mosques statewide held special prayers after Friday prayers, today, seeking Allah’s protection for the well-being of the people and state.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

PUTRAJAYA, March 3 (Bernama) — Wildlife conservation efforts must be further strengthened to create a conducive environment and minimise the conflict between humans and wildlife, said Natural Resources Minister, Environment and Climate Change Minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad.

In his message in conjunction with the 2023 World Wildlife Day today, he said the conflict between humans and wildlife could result in the loss of lives, injuries, destruction of crops, death of livestock and destruction of property.

According to him, 25 people were killed and 270 suffered injuries after being attacked by wild animals from 2018 to 2022, while the estimated total loss during the period due to attacks by wildlife was RM43.3 million.

He also said among the efforts to conserve and preserve wildlife is through enforcement of the Wildlife Conservation (Amendment) Act 2022 (Act A1646), the provision of biodiversity and forest conservation incentives (Ecological Fiscal Transfer for Biodiversity Conservation – EFT), the appointment of community ranger and Operasi Bersepadu Khazanah (OBK) under the Biodiversity Protection and Patrolling Programme (BP3).

He said the tightening of the enforcement operation had resulted in the seizure of various wildlife products such as elephant ivory, rhino wick, pangolin scales and Red Sanders wood that are being smuggled through Malaysia as a transit destination.

Nik Nazmi said Malaysia’s success in listing the Barau-barau or Straw-headed Bulbul bird (Pycnonotus zeylanicus) to Appendix 1 CITES and the white-rumped shama (Burung Murai Batu) (Kittacincla malabarica) on Appendix ll CITES at the 19th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to CITES (CoP19) last year clearly showed the government’s continuous commitment in ensuring that wildlife in the country are protected so that they do not become extinct.

Malaysia has been a member of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) since Jan 18, 1978.

CITES is responsible for ensuring that the international trade of endangered fauna and flora species does not affect the survival of the species while increasing the effectiveness of wildlife conservation efforts in its habitat.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

PUTRAJAYA, March 3 (Bernama) — Today’s Cabinet meeting decided that presently there is no need to declare a flood emergency in Johor, following the floods which hit the state, said Communications and Digital Minister Fahmi Fadzil.

Fahmi, who is also the spokesperson for the Unity Government, said the main things discussed in the meeting were matters related to the immediate action which the federal government needs to take to assist Johor.

“At this time, the Cabinet’s view is towards what we (the federal government) can do immediately, including examining government assets which we can mobilise immediately,” he said at a press conference after the Cabinet meeting here today.

He said the federal government had also channelled RM50 million in flood relief to Johor.

The number of victims in Johor as of 8 this morning was reported to be 33,149 people, who were evacuated to 217 temporary relief centres.

Fahmi said the Cabinet meeting also focused on efforts to rescue people trapped in areas severely affected by floods, namely by constructing a bailey bridge.

“This is to ensure that the road network, which was broken due to the damaged bridge, can be reconnected,” said Fahmi, praying that the disaster will recover in the near future.

He added that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim also asked the Cabinet Ministers to go down to the flood locations, to represent their respective ministries and identify the type of aid or needs which can be channelled to the flood victims.

For the Ministry of Communications and Digital (KKD), Fahmi said the aspect of the telecommunications network is the main focus of the ministry, to ensure that those in flood-affected areas do not face telecommunications problems for too long.

To date, he has received reports that 90 telecommunications towers have been affected by the floods, and ordered the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) to immediately repair the facilities.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

KUANTAN, March 3 (Bernama) — The Pahang government has channelled aid worth RM80,000 to Johor which has been hit by floods to help reduce the burden of the victims.

Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail said the aid was channelled to give moral support to Johor following the floods that have been described as quite critical.

“The aid is provided in the form of blankets, mats, disposable diapers, mineral water, hygiene kits and refreshment kits.

“Hopefully it will help lessen the burden of the flood victims,” he told reporters at the launch of the aid mission to Johor, here today.

As of noon today, the number of flood evacuees in Johor dropped slightly to 32,719 from 33,149 recorded in the morning.

The floods that affected all 10 districts in the state saw the evacuation of 9,253 families to 218 relief centres with Segamat being the worst affected district.

On the flood situation in Pahang, Wan Rosdy said the state government had taken proactive steps to ensure assistance is provided to flood victims at relief centres.

As of 1 pm today, the number of flood victims in Pahang stood at 2,194 people involving 663 families who were placed at 24 relief centres in the five affected districts, namely Temerloh, Maran, Rompin, Pekan and Bera.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency