Tuition teacher held over sexual assault, unnatural sex involving five boys

 

City police chief Datuk Fadil Marsus. Bernama pic

KUALA LUMPUR: A tuition teacher has been arrested to assist investigations into sexual assault and unnatural sex involving five male pupils.

City police chief Datuk Fadil Marsus said the offences took place at the suspect's house, which was also used as a tuition centre.

He said police had received five separate reports involving teenage and child victims, all lodged at the Bukit Jalil police station.

"The first police report was lodged on Oct 6, followed by a second on Oct 10, while three more reports were received on Oct 11," he said in a statement.

Fadil said police had conducted detailed investigations and recorded statements from various parties.

"Further investigations have been carried out, and police have recorded statements from the victims and their family members.

"All parties, including the victims' families, schools and the District Education Office, have fully cooperated with the investigation," he said.

He confirmed that the suspect had been arrested and remanded to facilitate further investigations.

"The case is being investigated under Section 377C of the Penal Code and Section 14(a) of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act," he said. - NST

Student calls donations to Najib 'stupidest thing'

 

A Universiti Malaya student has questioned public donations to former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, describing the fundraising as “the stupidest thing” she had witnessed amid an international corruption case. - NSTP pic

KUALA LUMPUR: A Universiti Malaya student has questioned public donations to former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, describing the fundraising as "the stupidest thing" she had witnessed amid an international corruption case.

Universiti Malaya student representative Ummi Umairah Bakhit raised the issue during a dialogue with former minister Khairy Jamaluddin, Selangor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari and Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi at the World Trade Centre Kuala Lumpur.

"The stupidest thing I have watched in my entire life is people donating to our former Prime Minister, Najib Razak, someone who clearly has a worldwide corruption case, 1MDB, and is clearly linked to corruption," she said.

The Najib Razak Solidarity Fund was set up on Sept 18 following the Federal Territories Pardons Board's announcement that Najib had been granted a conditional pardon.

Under the decision, Najib was allowed to serve the remainder of his sentence under house detention until Aug 23, 2028, subject to payment of the RM50 million fine imposed in connection with his conviction in the SRC International case.

On Sept 27, Umno president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the party had collected RM9.25 million so far.

Meanwhile, Ummi also cited the Tabung Haji scandal and asked the panelists to explain their positions on corruption and political accountability.

Her pointed questions have since gained traction on social media platforms, including TikTok and Instagram, drawing dozens of likes and shares.

While many praised her courage in confronting the political leaders, others expressed differing views.

She directed her questions to the panelists at the third edition of iFUTURE, held from Oct 11 to 13, which carried the theme "Redefining Future Leaders Through Value-Based Leadership".

The summit brought together 1,231 student leaders from 20 Malaysian public universities and 30 international universities, including 406 international participants from 53 countries and 310 Johorean university students.

Organised by the Higher Education Ministry through the Department of Higher Education, the summit provided a platform for dialogue between student leaders and figures from government, industry and academia. - NST

PAS need not hold opposition leader post, says treasurer

 Iskandar Abdul Samad says PAS has 43 MPs to advance the party’s agenda in the Dewan Rakyat.

PAS treasurer Iskandar Abdul Samad (left) told members to ignore comments by Puad Zarkashi, saying the party ignored him even when he was an Umno Supreme Council member.

PETALING JAYA:

PAS does not need to hold the opposition leader’s post, as the party has 43 MPs to advance its agenda in the lower house, Iskandar Abdul Samad said.

The PAS treasurer said although the opposition leader has traditionally been accorded more time on the floor, the number of MPs the Islamic party has allows them to address various issues and promote its stance.

Earlier today, former Umno Supreme Council member Puad Zarkashi, who quit Umno earlier this year, suggested that PAS take over the role of opposition leader from Hamzah Zainudin, who is Wawasan president.

“There is no need for PAS to pay him any attention,” Iskandar told FMT, referring to Puad.

“The party ignored him even when he was with Umno,” he added.

Puad, who is also the former Batu Pahat MP, described Hamzah as unimpressive during the debate on the 2027 budget.

He said Hamzah had failed to offer new proposals or policies in his budget debate, only mentioning the need for an “engine of high-impact economic growth”.

Hamzah has been opposition leader since December 2022 although he stepped down for a short period from April to June following his sacking by Bersatu.

PAS vice-president Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar, the Perikatan Nasional chairman, took over the role during that time before Hamzah returned as opposition leader in June. - FMT

Tuan Ibrahim denies defaming Anwar over royal dispute, corruption remarks

 Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, in response, says the PAS leader cannot rely on an earlier judgment to link him to every allegation of misconduct during his administration.

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim described Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man’s defence as ‘scraping the barrel’ and a desperate attempt by the PAS deputy president to justify his remarks.

KUALA LUMPUR:

PAS deputy president Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man has denied defaming Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, maintaining that his remarks about the Negeri Sembilan royal succession dispute, police investigations and corruption were based on facts and public events.

In his defence, filed on Sept 15, Tuan Ibrahim denied that his speech was defamatory and disputed Anwar’s claim that he had accused the prime minister of interfering in the royal dispute and directing police investigations against his critics.

Tuan Ibrahim maintained that Anwar had interfered by recognising Tuanku Muhriz Tuanku Munawir as Yang Dipertuan Besar following a proclamation by Tunku Nadzaruddin Tuanku Ja’afar as the “new” state ruler.

He also relied on a previous judgment to justify his remarks concerning alleged misconduct and corruption.

However, in his reply to the defence, Anwar said the existence of an earlier judgment must be distinguished from proof that he had committed misappropriation, corruption or abuse of power, as allegedly implied in Tuan Ibrahim’s speech.

Anwar denied that Tuan Ibrahim could use the judgment as a general basis to link him to every allegation of misconduct during his administration.

He described the defence as “scraping the barrel” – a desperate attempt by Tuan Ibrahim to justify his remarks.

Anwar also disputed Tuan Ibrahim’s account of the royal succession issue, maintaining that the PAS leader had not established how the prime minister’s actions amounted to interference or identified any specific act of improper pressure or direction.

The suit arose from Tuan Ibrahim’s speech allegedly made at a PAS ceramah in Felda Jenderak Utara, Kuala Krau, Pahang, on June 14, in which Anwar said he was portrayed as abusing his position in connection with the royal dispute, police investigations and corruption allegations.

Anwar is seeking damages and an injunction over the alleged defamatory statements.

Legal firm SN Nair and Partners is appearing for Anwar while Messrs Yusfarizal, Aziz and Zaid are representing Tuan Ibrahim. - FMT

Guan Eng moots caning, CCTVs to tackle discipline, safety in schools

 Other education issues raised by MPs in the Dewan Rakyat include teaching quality and skills training.

Bagan MP Lim Guan Eng recommended emergency provisions for the installation of closed-circuit television cameras in more than 10,000 government schools nationwide.

KUALA LUMPUR:

Issues related to education, including aspects of student discipline and safety, teaching quality and the empowerment of skills education, took centre stage at the conclusion of the first week of the policy-level debate on the Supply Bill 2027 in the Dewan Rakyat.

Lim Guan Eng (PH-Bagan) suggested caning be reinstated in schools as one of the measures to address discipline and bullying issues, along with regular psychological evaluations for teachers assigned to carry out the punishment.

“Why was it that back in our school days in the 1970s – a time when caning was widely permitted – there were no cases of murder or rape like those we see today? In fact, there were no negative psychological effects on the students; many of them went on to become successful and prominent individuals,” he said.

He also recommended emergency provisions for the installation of closed-circuit television cameras in more than 10,000 government schools nationwide, in addition to the establishment of a comprehensive anti-bullying and anti-sexual harassment support system, including increasing security patrols and engagement programmes with students and parents.

In agreement with Lim, Ramkarpal Singh (PH-Bukit Gelugor) emphasised that the issue of safety and bullying in schools should not be taken lightly and proposed a special allocation to train teachers to identify early signs of emotional stress and potential violence among students.

He also urged that each school be equipped with a sufficient number of counsellors and structured psychological assessment programmes to enable early intervention.

Issues related to education were also raised by several other MPs, including Ikmal Hisham Abdul Aziz (PN-Tanah Merah), William Leong (PH-Selayang) and Onn Abu Bakar (PH-Batu Pahat), who among other things urged that Form Six education be strengthened as an academic pathway to university and not considered as a last resort.

Touching on skills education, Richard Rapu (GPS-Betong) urged the government to expand access to technical and vocational education and training (TVET) for rural youth, especially in Sarawak, with training programmes aligned to the actual needs of the industry and job market.

“This skills training opportunity should not be concentrated only in big cities. Young people in rural areas and in Sarawak must also be given equal opportunities to learn and obtain better jobs,” he said.

Muslimin Yahaya (PN-Sungai Besar) also agreed that TVET should be expanded to rural areas to provide opportunities for more than 50,000 students who are unable to obtain the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia certificate each year due to failing in the Bahasa Melayu and History subjects.

Ali Biju (PN-Saratok) urged the education ministry to expedite the development of educational infrastructure in rural Sarawak to ensure that safe and quality learning facilities can be enjoyed by students, especially in remote areas.

Taking the example of the delay in the full replacement project of Sekolah Kebangsaan Abang Leman in Kabong, he said that stricter action should be taken against contractors who failed to meet the project schedules. - FMT

Woman believed killed by husband at KLIA quarters

 The victim, a civil servant, was in her 30s.

The incident is believed to have occurred around 7.30pm.

NILAI:

A female civil servant was allegedly murdered by her husband at a residence in the KLIA quarters this evening.

Nilai district police chief Johari Yahya confirmed the incident when contacted, adding that further updates would be provided in due course.

It is understood that the incident occurred around 7.30pm, involving a victim in her 30s.

Forensics unit officers were present at the scene. - FMT

Living longer, living with less: Is Malaysia prepared for the growing burden of long-term care?

 

A VISIT to the emergency department often begins with a fall, stroke, heart attack, serious infection or another condition requiring immediate medical attention.

The healthcare team’s priority is to stabilise the patient, provide treatment and, when appropriate, arrange a safe discharge. But an essential question remains: what happens after discharge?

For many patients, leaving hospital does not mean returning to independent living. They may need assistance with walking, bathing, eating or taking medication, as well as rehabilitation, nursing services, mobility equipment or support from family caregivers.

This gap between acute treatment and ongoing support highlights the need for long-term care (LTC).

LTC refers to assistance for people who struggle to live independently because of ageing, chronic illness, disability or other health conditions.

Unlike acute treatment, it may continue for months or years. As Malaysia’s population ages, preparing for these needs becomes increasingly urgent.

An ageing population, a growing challenge

According to the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM), people aged 65 and above accounted for 8.4% of the population in 2026, up from 8.0% in 2025. This represented approximately 2.9 million people.

Those aged 60 and above numbered 4.2 million, or 12.3% of the population. Malaysia is projected to become an ageing nation in 2036, when people aged 60 and above are expected to exceed 15% of the population.

Malaysians are also living longer. DOSM estimates that a baby born in 2026 can expect to live an average of 75.5 years. Someone reaching age 60 in 2026 can expect to live another 20.2 years on average.

However, longevity does not necessarily mean good health throughout life. The World Health Organisation estimated Malaysia’s healthy life expectancy at birth at 63.9 years in 2021, compared with an overall life expectancy of 72.8 years.

This difference of 8.9 years represents time lived in less than full health, although it does not mean everyone will require long-term care for that duration.

The distinction matters. Retirement and healthcare planning must consider not only how long people may live, but also whether they will remain independent and what support they might need as they age.

The financial and family burden

Consider an older patient who is treated for injuries after a fall. Although the immediate injury may heal, recovery could require physiotherapy, home nursing, mobility aids, adapted transport or modifications to the home.

These needs can place considerable financial pressure on households. Spouses and adult children may reduce their working hours, take extended leave or leave employment altogether to provide care.

The costs therefore extend beyond medical bills to lost income, reduced savings and diminished career opportunities for family caregivers.

Traditional retirement planning often focuses on replacing income to cover everyday expenses, including food, housing and healthcare.

Yet long-term care costs can be difficult to predict and may place sustained pressure on retirement savings, particularly when extensive assistance is needed over several years.

LTC should therefore be treated as a distinct consideration in retirement planning, rather than a peripheral contingency.

Preparing before a crisis

Preparing for long-term care does not require predicting exactly when illness or disability will occur. It requires recognising the risks and putting appropriate support in place before a crisis strikes.

Preparation may include personal savings, suitable insurance or takaful protection, family resources, government assistance and community-based care services. These measures must work together to make care more accessible and financially sustainable.

When a medical emergency occurs, families must make difficult decisions quickly. But the question should extend beyond whether they can afford today’s hospital treatment: if a patient returns home needing assistance for the next three, five or ten years, who will provide that care, and how will it be funded?

As Malaysia ages, long-term care financing must become a central part of discussions on retirement policy, healthcare sustainability and social security.

Policymakers must also consider how to support family caregivers and expand access to affordable, appropriate care.

Living longer is a significant achievement. Ensuring that those additional years are supported by dignity, appropriate care and financial security must be the next priority. 

Associate Prof Dr Mazlynda Md Yusuf is an Actuarial Science and Risk Management Lecturer at Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia (USIM), and Dr Mohd Hafyzuddin Md Yusuf, is a Consultant Emergency Physician and Medical Lecturer at Universiti Malaya.

The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of  MMKtT

- Focus Malaysia.