Category: Politics

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 2 — Several opposition Members of Parliament who marched to Parliament Building despite knowing that the Special Sitting of the Third Session of the 14th Parliament has been postponed, were making a futile attempt when they knew their action would not change the decision.

 

Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) Human Ecology Faculty lecturer Associate Prof Dr Mohd Izani Mohd Zain said their action was only to gain public attention especially the international community.

 

“This assembly was clearly in violation of the standard operating procedure and the physical distancing requirement. It is feared that these MPs could influence other groups after this to hold more gatherings and breach the SOP.

 

 

“This should not be happening as COVID-19 infection cases are still high. The objective cannot justify defying the SOP…as I said before, are these politicians immune to COVID-19,?” he said when contacted by Bernama today.

 

Today, a group of opposition MPs attempted to enter Parliament building compound and insisted on resuming the special sitting even though it has been postponed on the advice of the Ministry of Health following the spread of COVID-19.

 

Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) Faculty of Administrative Science and Policy Studies senior lecturer at Raub Campus, Pahang,  Dr Che Hamdan Che Mohd Razali said the action of the MPs was to pressure Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.

 

 

“They have respectively weighed the pros and cons of the action. But we could see how the greed of political players could give a bad image and example not only to the people but also the international community.

 

“For politicians, they look from the impact from the number of MPs who gathered this morning to show the extent of support for the opposition block,” he said.

 

A political and social media analyst from UiTM Shah Alam, Selangor, Associate Prof Dr Sara Chinnasamy stressed that the action of the opposition leaders who assembled as a protest following the postponement of Parliament sitting could endanger many others.

 

“Instead of putting the people lives’ first, the followers who joined the protest are at risk, the opposition needs to put politics aside and work for the betterment of the nation and the people especially during this crucial time as COVID-19 cases continue to rise,” she said.

 

UPM Epidemiology expert Associate Prof Dr Malina Osman however viewed the gathering should not have taken place now to avoid sparking a new COVID-19 cluster.

 

“At the moment, for those who wish to contribute to the good of the nation need to come together to find the strategy in solving the COVID-19 pandemic and not to find faults. They have to think about the best for country and the government at the same time should be open to discussion towards seeking solutions,” she said.

 

 

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

— The Malaysian Bar today said the Emergency Ordinances should have been tabled and debated in Parliament.

Its president AG Kalidas said Article 150(3) of the Federal Constitution clearly stipulated that “A Proclamation of Emergency and any ordinance promulgated under Clause (2B) shall be laid before both Houses of Parliament and, if not sooner revoked, shall cease to have effect if resolutions are passed by both Houses annulling such proclamation or ordinance…”.

He said the role of Parliament underpinned the values needed for the functioning of a democracy and it must therefore adhere to high standards of integrity when discharging its responsibilities.

“This duty falls squarely on the shoulders of the Cabinet, Members of Parliament and the Speaker of Parliament.

“It is therefore imperative that the Cabinet conveys accurate information during parliamentary sittings to ensure that Parliament can engage in effective and meaningful debates. Under no circumstance whatsoever should Parliament ever be misled, even more so during a global pandemic that has upended and thrown the lives of all those in Malaysia into disarray,” he said in a statement today.

He was commenting on the statement issued by the Comptroller of the Royal Household of Istana Negara, Datuk Ahmad Fadil Shamsuddin that Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah had expressed his utmost disappointment with the statement made in Parliament last Monday that the government had revoked all Emergency Ordinances under the ongoing emergency without His Majesty’s consent.

He said the Malaysian Bar shared His Majesty’s dismay over the confusing statements made in Parliament during its recent sittings.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

“Kan ik nasi lemak met kip rendang bestellen?” (Can I order ayam rendang nasi lemak?).

This is often the message received in Dutch language by Malaysian-born, Solehan Manger-Ramli, through WhatsApp from clients in Amsterdam, Netherlands since 2017.

Solehan, who moved to Rumpt after marrying a citizen of Netherlands, initially cooked nasi lemak as a hobby for friends.

Now, the 44-year-old cooks nasi lemak on a small scale at home for sale through Whatsapp, Facebook and Instagram.

She was encouraged when Malaysians residing in Netherlands praised her delicious nasi lemak like the ones sold back home.

The locals in Amsterdam also came to know about the popular Malaysian food through social media.

“Generally, they know me and that the nasi lemak is prepared by a Malaysian. Malaysians including students here gave me the monicker ‘Kak Ann Ayam Rendang Nasi Lemak,” she said.

Recalling the initial days when she ventured into the nasi lemak business, the Penang-born mother of two told Bernama through Whatsapp that it started after many Malaysian friends asked her to prepare popular Malaysian dishes especially nasi lemak for them.

They pined for nasi lemak as they have not gone back to Malaysia for a long time, she said.

Adhering to the proverb, ‘no pain no gain’, Solehan took the plunge to turn her hobby into a business using social media applications to promote her ayam rendang nasi lemak.

She also takes request for other dishes such as laksa and various types of Malaysian traditional ‘kueh’ as well.

“I often have my hands full in meeting the bookings but as this is my source of income I will still accommodate their requests,” she said.

She also invited guests to her house to try her new menus as a promotion before the COVID-19 pandemic swept through Netherlands.

According to Solehan, the response from local customers in village nearby is picking up after COVID-19 subsided in the Netherlands with orders from Malaysians including students soaring.

Solehan said a normal nasi lemak set costs RM30 while the ayam rendang nasi lemak set is priced at RM40.

“Such rates are normal over here in Europe and customers understand the difficulty of obtaining the authentic ingredients from Malaysia.

“But I will ensure the prices are on par with the taste and quality because I want to guarantee the customer is satisfied to ensure repeat purchases,” she said.

Solehan will deliver the order to the client as soon as the nasi lemak is prepared in accordance with the quantity ordered while some customers pick up their orders from her house.

On how to begin a business here, Solehah said it is compulsory for traders to register and has a licence even for a small scale business.

Namely, she said they are the business registration certificate from the Kamer Van Koop Handel and the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP), while ensuring cleanliness all the time.

Solehan, who also harbours a desire to open a Malaysian food restaurant here, receives the moral support from her husband Jan-Willem Manger.

Being fluent in Dutuch languege, he played an important role in getting the locals to try Malaysian food and for Malaysians touring in the area he would say ‘je kan mijn nasi lemak met rendang kip proberen’ (Come try our ayam rendang nasi lemak if you are travelling here).

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

The water supply for the agriculture industry in Perak is adequate although it is expected to experience a continuous hot and dry climate until September.

State Plantation, Agriculture and Food Industry Committee chairman Razman Zakaria said the Irrigation and Drainage Department (JPS) was currently monitoring the water level at the Bukit Merah dam in Semanggol.

“Although the supply has decreased slightly, the situation is under control with water rationing conducted by JPS.

“The water supply at the Bukit Merah reservoir is not only closely related to agriculture but also for drinking,” he said in a news conference at the Control Post on Scene (PKTK) at Apartment Tropicana Bukit Merah which is placed under the Enhanced Movement Control Order (EMCO) here today.

A total of 150 residents were involved in the EMCO from July 17 until 30.

The Malaysian Meteorological Department, in a statement, said the country is currently experiencing the Southwest monsoon, which results in a hot and dry climate until mid-September.

Meanwhile, when asked about the price hike of agricultural inputs such as pesticides between 40 and 80 per cent, Razman said the Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry have to investigate matter so that it would not affect the agriculture sector.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

— Former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has reminded the world to continue supporting the Palestinians and to denounce the Israeli regime for the crimes it committed in Palestine.

He said the Palestinians had been suffering for 73 long years and human beings are duty-bound to stand up and express their disgust for crimes against humanity which were committed by the Israelis with such impunity.

“With more and more people coming forward denouncing the belligerent regime, and as international public opinion swings sufficiently against the illegal occupation of Palestine, we may still hope to see the end of Israel’s apartheid, hopefully in our lifetime.

“In more ways than not, Palestine exposes the ugly truths about Western democracies and the advocates of free world, their hypocrisy, double standards and self-serving diplomacy. We cannot just sit back and let it persist. We have to actively support the movement for Justice for Palestine. It is the Palestinians’ basic right to return to their land,” he said at the official launching ceremony of Justice For Palestine Action Front (JPAF) via Facebook live today.

The JPAF is an initiative by a few individuals, mostly university professors and academics, who wish a better future for the Palestinians, especially their youths and children.

The action front has gained traction and is now able to count on the support of many civil societies and individuals in Malaysia and overseas.

In his speech, Dr Mahathir congratulated the JPAF for taking the initiative to be another voice for Palestinians as they deserve justice as any other human being.

He said in trying to unravel the complex Palestinian issues and determine the best solution and develop a good strategy, the JPAF needs to undertake urgent research work as facts, figures and data are effective tools in combating misinformation and disinformation.

“I was informed that a Chair on Justice for Palestine is going to be established at the Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia (USIM) soon to support the work of JPAF.

“It should open up available research facilities in the university for its work. Today’s launch should mark the beginning of national and international participation in this noble cause. It is not a Malaysian effort solely. It is an effort for humanity. It is an effort to make right what is wrong, a demand for justice and fairness,” he said.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

— The government expects all senior citizens in the Klang Valley to be vaccinated with at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine in the next few weeks.

Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said it was in line with the decision that this group be allowed to come and get their vaccine shots on a ‘walk in’ basis at all Vaccination Centres (PPV) and government health facilities in the Klang Valley from today.

“All PPVs and clinics and health facilities under the Ministry of Health (MOH) are ready to accept these senior citizens whether they are registered or unregistered,” he told reporters after visiting pharmaceutical company Pharmaniaga LifeScience Sdn Bhd here today.

Muhyiddin said that as of July 15, a total of 3,025,275 senior citizens had registered for vaccination and that 2,680,880 or 88.61 per cent of them had received at least one dose of vaccine.

Prior to this, National COVID-19 Immunisation Programme (PICK) Coordinating Minister Khairy Jamaluddin had said that senior citizens who had not yet received an appointment could ‘walk in’ at any PPV in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor to get their first dose of vaccine shots from today

Touching on the supply of vaccines, Muhyiddin said that Pharmaniaga which manufactures the Sinovac vaccine is very close to fulfilling the 12.4 million doses of the vaccine ordered by the government.

The prime minister also expressed pride in the company’s success in completing pre-ordered vaccine orders, and said that the supply would help the government speed up the vaccination process.

“This is a decision I made earlier this year, that Pharmaniaga will assist the government in implementing the country’s COVID-19 vaccination process, and it turned out to be successful with the support of vaccines produced by others,” he said.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

More than 93,000 people died from drug overdoses in the U.S. last year, a record experts say was partly triggered by the isolation that many experienced during coronavirus-related lockdowns.

The government reported Wednesday that the 2020 total easily surpassed the previous record of about 72,000 deaths in 2019.

“This is a staggering loss of human life,” Brandon Marshall, a Brown University public health researcher who tracks overdose trends, told the Associated Press. He said the United States was already faced with an overdose epidemic but that the pandemic “has greatly exacerbated the crisis.”

In addition to isolation, many sources of help for addicts were not available during lockdowns.

“During the pandemic, a lot of [drug] programs weren’t able to operate. Street-level outreach was very difficult. People were very isolated,” said Dr. Joshua M. Sharfstein, a health policy expert at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore.

Health experts say that while prescription painkillers once played a key role in U.S. drug overdose deaths, heroin and then in recent years fentanyl — a dangerously powerful opioid — proved exceptionally lethal.

Fentanyl was developed to legitimately treat intense medical pain, but now is sold illicitly and mixed with other drugs.

The government’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said its studies show fentanyl was involved in more than 60% of overdose deaths last year.

One of the 93,000 was Jordan McGlashen of Ypsilanti, Michigan, who died of a heroin and fentanyl overdose May 6. He would have turned 39 six days later.

“It was really difficult for me to think about the way in which Jordan died. He was alone, and suffering emotionally and felt like he had to use again,” said his younger brother, Collin McGlashen.

Fentanyl is increasingly being found mixed with other drugs.

“What’s really driving the surge in overdoses is this increasingly poisoned drug supply,” said Shannon Monnat, an associate professor of sociology at Syracuse University who researches geographic patterns in overdoses. “Nearly all of this increase is fentanyl contamination in some way. Heroin is contaminated. Cocaine is contaminated. Methamphetamine is contaminated.”

The scope is staggering. The CDC is reporting that drug overdoses in 2020 increased in every state but New Hampshire and South Dakota.

States with the biggest increases in overdose deaths were Vermont, up 57.6%; followed by Kentucky, up 54%; South Carolina, up 52%; West Virginia, up nearly 50%; and California, up 46%.

Sharfstein of Johns Hopkins says the U.S. is likely now seeing more overdose deaths than deaths from COVID-19.

“This is a different kind of crisis, and it’s not going to go away as quickly,” he said.

Source: Voice of America