PARLIAMENT | Malaysia’s efforts to develop homegrown football talent could face problems in the coming decades without adequate government support, warned Zakri Hassan (PN-Kangar).
The Bersatu MP raised the concern as Malaysia’s Under-15 squad competed at the Fifa Under-15 World Cup and Festival in Baku, Azerbaijan, where it was the only Southeast Asian team to advance to Tier B.
Coached by P Maniam, the squad lost 2-6 to South Africa yesterday and 1-3 to China this evening. Malaysia will face Qatar in the Tier B semi-final tonight, competing for a final placing between 53rd and 56th among 191 countries.
Winding up the Youth and Sports Ministry’s Budget 2027 debate in the Dewan Rakyat today, Youth and Sports Minister Taufiq Johari commended the squad’s achievement, noting that 16 of its players came through the Mokhtar Dahari Academy.
He said 199 players were currently training at the academy in Gambang, Pahang, under the guidance of 28 coaches, describing it as a crucial institution for developing future athletes.
Interjecting, Zakri said that while the academy produced quality players, similar efforts to nurture grassroots talent should be expanded nationwide.
Youth and Sports Minister Taufiq Johari
He urged Taufiq to engage the Finance Ministry or the prime minister to secure greater support for the National Football Development Programme (NFDP).
“Right now, it is fine. Our Under-15 team is strong in Azerbaijan, but in 10 or 20 years, we will face problems.
“Therefore, I strongly request the minister to support the NFDP, because if it is not supported or elevated, the NFDP will be crippled under the current government,” he said.
Taufiq agreed with Zakri’s concerns but said efforts to strengthen grassroots football development were already underway. He added that the ministry would make improvements where necessary. - Mkini
The Human Resources Ministry will prioritise Malaysians in the job market, requiring employers to seek local workers through the MyFutureJobs portal before recruiting foreign labour.
Human Resources Minister R Ramanan said the move was part of efforts to reduce reliance on foreign workers, as the government prepares to raise the minimum wage to RM2,000 a month from June 2027.
The increase is expected to benefit more than four million workers, while micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) with annual sales revenue below RM50 million will be given time to adjust.
“For MSMEs with sales revenue below RM50 million, we need to give them time to adjust,” he said when winding up the debate on the Supply Bill 2027 for his ministry at the policy stage in the Dewan Rakyat today.
Ramanan said the increase would be implemented in phases for the specified group of MSMEs, taking into account their financial capacity while ensuring workers were paid according to their skills and qualifications.
On a proposal to introduce different minimum wage rates for local and foreign workers, he said the matter required a comprehensive review, particularly of its domestic legal implications and compliance with international conventions.
He added that foreign worker recruitment was currently restricted to six main sectors and their permitted sub-sectors, subject to strict criteria and approval conditions.
Gig worker income and support
The government aims to finalise a mechanism for calculating minimum incomes and setting protection standards for gig workers by early 2027, Ramanan said.
He said the formula was being developed based on a comprehensive study involving 13 engagement sessions, 14 focus group discussions, 37 in-depth interviews with 1,962 platform workers, an analysis of 487,805 service transactions, and comparisons with practices in 42 countries.
“These findings will be translated into a minimum income rate formula that considers income adjustments such as inflation, Poverty Line Income, Basic Expenses for Decent Living, median wage, minimum wage, and household income, as well as operational costs such as vehicle insurance, road tax, and maintenance costs,” he said.
On financial support for e-hailing and p-hailing riders, Ramanan said the government had established a RM160 million initiative through a collaboration between the Human Resources and Finance ministries.
Half of the allocation would be borne by the government and the other half by platform companies, with Grab currently serving as a pilot project, he added.
On Social Security Organisation contributions for gig workers registered with multiple platforms, Ramanan said companies coordinated contributions through a single integrated account to prevent double deductions.
Rafizi Ramli has questioned the government's motive for setting up another special task force to investigate financial crimes, amid ongoing scrutiny of the alleged “corporate mafia” scandal.
The Bersama co-leader noted that several investigations had been conducted since the scandal emerged early this year, questioning whether the latest probe was intended to bury unresolved issues and divert public attention.
Rafizi, a former PKR deputy president, said the appointment of Attorney-General Dusuki Mokhtar to head the new Special Investigation Committee on Financial Crime raised several questions.
These included the status of previous investigations and reports related to the scandal, particularly a report on former MACC chief Azam Baki's shareholdings that had been presented to the cabinet.
“Has this committee’s scope been expanded to cover financial crime as a whole, rather than solely the corporate mafia scandal?
“How much public money will be wasted if investigations are restarted, when various reports and investigations have already been completed?
Former MACC chief Azam Baki
“If the scope is expanded to cover financial crime as a whole – as suggested by the prime minister's answers in Parliament last week – is this an attempt to bury the real issues surrounding the corporate mafia and divert attention towards a broader financial crime investigation?” he asked.
Rafizi's statement came a day after Dusuki convened the task force's first meeting.
He also accused the government of potentially misleading the public by conflating the corporate mafia scandal with the wider issue of financial crime.
Citing his monitoring of social media posts by individuals he alleged were government cyber troopers, Rafizi said the narrative appeared to be shifting towards financial crime in general, rather than the corporate mafia scandal itself.
He warned the prime minister that, if this was the government's intention, it would only deepen public anger over the scandal.
Five questions for the govt
Rafizi outlined five fundamental questions that he said the government must answer.
Among them were allegations that Farhash Wafa Salvador Rizal Mubarak, a businessperson and former aide to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, had interfered in government affairs and law enforcement agencies, and that agencies such as the police and MACC had been used to intimidate company owners and shareholders for the benefit of certain parties.
Former aide to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and businessperson, Farhash Wafa Salvador Rizal Mubarak
He also cited businessperson Victor Chin's allegation that a cabinet minister had received a RM9.5 million bribe to resolve the corporate mafia case.
“An investigation that successfully resolves these five questions should lead to prosecutions, supported by evidence presented in court, given that details and documents concerning the corporate scandal have been widely reported.
“Conversely, if these five questions remain unanswered and the government is seen to be using manoeuvres to cover them up, all its efforts to deflect public attention from the corporate mafia scandal will fail,” Rafizi said.
Those implicated deny wrongdoing
Azam has dismissed allegations linking MACC officers to the corporate mafia as baseless and denied wrongdoing over his shareholdings in Velocity Capital Partner Bhd. He also filed a RM100 million defamation suit against Bloomberg over its reporting.
Farhash, meanwhile, denied having business dealings with Azam or attempting to take control of NexG Bhd. He also issued a letter of demand against Channel News Asia over its reporting.
Human Resources Minister R Ramanan has likewise denied claims that he solicited RM10 million from Chin to resolve issues involving the corporate mafia. - Mkini
Bukit Aman CID director M Kumar has received a lesson in the law on the distinction between a person who is injured but alive and one who is no longer breathing.
Lawyers for Liberty (LFL) director Rania Aljunied argued that the police should investigate the death of detainee Noorizwan Zulkefly under Section 302 of the Penal Code, which deals with murder.
She was responding to Kumar’s statement that the death was being investigated under Section 331, which concerns voluntarily causing grievous hurt to extort a confession.
“Firstly, Section 331 is an offence of hurt. Noorizwan is dead,” she said in a statement.
Rania (above) argued that when injuries voluntarily inflicted result in death, the offence can no longer be treated merely as one of hurt, adding that the circumstances warrant investigation under Section 302.
“The classification of an investigation must reflect the harm that actually resulted.
“Investigating a death as ‘grievous hurt’ treats a man who has been killed as if he had survived,” she added.
To underscore what she sees as a glaring inconsistency in the application of the law, Rania drew a comparison with fatal drink-driving cases, in which motorists have faced murder charges.
Bukit Aman Criminal Investigation Department director M Kumar
“How is it that a drunk driver accidentally killing a road user is murder, but (alleged) deliberate and severe beatings inflicted by police upon a detainee causing death is not murder?
“No reasonable person would agree that the horrific injury suffered by Noorizwan and his consequent death deserves a lesser charge than that of a drunk driver killing a road user.
“The law must be applied fairly and proportionately. To do otherwise would be contrary to the rule of law,” she stressed.
Police making assumptions?
Rania noted that Section 331 carries a maximum prison sentence of 10 years, which she argued was no measure of accountability for a death allegedly caused by deliberate violence.
She also said Bukit Aman’s choice of offence was telling since Section 331 itself presupposes that grievous hurt was voluntarily inflicted.
In other words, the police are already proceeding on the basis that someone deliberately caused the injuries, she noted.
“This is totally unacceptable to the family. The only acceptable classification is murder under Section 302. Anything less is a failure of justice, and the family will never accept it,” she added.
Yesterday, Malaysiakini reported Kumar as saying that the decision to classify the case under Section 331 followed a statement recorded from a forensic medical consultant at Hospital Canselor Tuanku Muhriz, who conducted the post-mortem and confirmed external injuries on several parts of Noorizwan’s body.
Kumar said the pattern of injuries was consistent with blunt-force trauma and was not self-inflicted.
21 injuries allegedly found on Noorizwan's body
"However, the complete post-mortem report confirming the cause of death has yet to be obtained, and the police are awaiting further information from the hospital regarding this matter," he added.
Focus on central issue
However, Rania argued that the outstanding report would not alter the central issue that blunt-force trauma caused Noorizwan’s death.
She said toxicology tests and examinations of blood and other samples could establish whether additional factors had contributed to the death, but would not displace that finding.
“They cannot displace the pathologist’s finding that blunt force trauma caused death.
“An investigation can always be reclassified later, but a classification that understates the offence from the start shapes how it is conducted, which officers are treated as suspects, and what is preserved,” she added.
On behalf of Noorizwan’s family, LFL called on Inspector-General of Police Khalid Ismail to reclassify the case and investigate the death as murder.
Rania also criticised the attorney-general’s continued silence, urging him to intervene to ensure the investigation follows the evidence and the relevant provisions of the law.
“Meanwhile, the attorney-general's continued silence is disappointing. We urge him to intervene to ensure that the investigation proceeds in accordance with the facts and evidence of the case and the proper provisions of the law.
“Noorizwan did not survive his injuries. The investigation must reflect that,” Rania said. - Mkini
Dewan Rakyat speaker Johari Abdul has given Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim a week to respond to claims that his statements on legal action linked to the “corporate mafia” had misled the House.
According to a letter dated today from Johari to Anwar, the latter has until Nov 5 to explain his statement and produce evidence or documents supporting his claim.
The letter, sighted by Malaysiakini, referenced Perikatan Nasional MP Rosol Wahid’s motion seeking to refer Anwar to Parliament’s Rights and Privileges Committee over “misleading statements” in the lower House during the Prime Minister’s Question Time on Oct 20.
Malaysiakini previously reported that Rosol had submitted the motion to the speaker’s office on Oct 27. He had also informed the Dewan Rakyat of the submission during proceedings in Parliament today.
In the motion, Rosol cited Anwar’s claim that a minister accused of receiving RM9.5 million to act as an intermediary in disputes linked to the so-called "corporate mafia" had taken legal action over the allegations.
The opposition lawmaker said he had questioned the claim at the time, while subsequent statements by the individuals involved appeared to contradict Anwar’s assertion.
Dewan Rakyat speaker Johari Abdul
Dispute over claim of legal action
On Oct 20, Rosol questioned Anwar over allegations that a PKR MP had received RM9.5 million for work linked to the "corporate mafia", citing claims made in a podcast by former economy minister Rafizi Ramli.
Anwar dismissed the allegation as an unsubstantiated political claim, saying the minister had taken legal action over the accusations.
Although Anwar did not name the minister, Human Resources Minister R Ramanan previously denied being the PKR MP in question.
Rafizi said in a statement on the same day that he had yet to receive any legal notice from Ramanan, contradicting Anwar’s assertion.
Bersama co-leader Rafizi Ramli
Two days later, Ramanan, who is also a PKR vice-president, confirmed at a press conference that he had not sued Rafizi and challenged the Bersama co-leader to file a report with the authorities.
Subsequently, Rafizi said he had instructed his lawyers to sue Ramanan. He also called for Anwar to be referred to the Rights and Privileges Committee for allegedly making an “untrue” statement in the Dewan Rakyat by claiming that the minister had taken legal action. - Mkini
Attorney-General Dusuki Mokhtar convened the first meeting of a special task force to look into "financial crimes" yesterday, pursuant to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim saying that an investigation report on the purported corporate mafia would be ready in three months.
Among others, the meeting sought to establish members of the task force, as well as the scope of the investigation.
However, the Attorney-General's Chambers statement last night has raised questions: What happened to the corporate mafia probe the cabinet ordered in March, and why is the AG task force only being assembled now?
At that time, government spokesperson Fahmi Fadzil said enforcement agencies that will continue to probe “corporate manipulation” claims included the police, Inland Revenue Board, the MACC, and the Securities Commission. The same four agencies are involved in Dusuki's task force, along with Bank Negara and the National Anti-Financial Crime Centre.
Malaysiakini has contacted Dusuki for clarification on whether this is a new investigation. The portal is also seeking additional clarification from the Prime Minister's Office.
The so-called corporate mafia refers to businesspersons allegedly using questionable tactics to muscle out rivals and stage corporate takeovers. It made headlines after a Bloomberg report in February claimed that MACC officers were colluding with such businesspersons.
Among those implicated in some form or another are then MACC chief Azam Baki, Anwar's former aide Farhash Wafa Salvador Rizal Mubarak, and businessperson Victor Chin, all of whom have denied involvement.
'Pusing-pusing' confusion all around
The government has been under pressure to probe and disclose investigation findings for the last seven months.
On Oct 20, MPs - including Hulu Terengganu MP Rosol Wahid - asked Anwar for updates on the corporate mafia probe, prompting the premier to state that he had asked Dusuki to set up a task force to do a thorough probe, and that findings would be publicly disclosed regardless of who was named in the report.
Hulu Terengganu MP Rosol Wahid
Anwar did not mention when he had asked Dusuki to set up said task force, and at the time it was assumed he was referring to the investigation that the cabinet ordered in March.
When contacted, Rosol said he was also confused by the current developments.
"Fahmi says this, Anwar says that, AGC says another thing. There's a lot of pusing-pusing (spinning), so which one is right?" he asked. - Mkini
Jelutong MP RSN Rayer has rejected PAS secretary-general Takiyuddin Hassan’s proposal to mediate on the latter’s refusal to retract his use of the word “munafik” (hypocrite) during a parliamentary debate.
Rayer told a press conference in Parliament today that he had also referred the Kota Bharu MP to Parliament’s Committee of Privileges over the controversial utterance.
“I reject Kota Bharu’s proposal for any kind of mediation or discussion. This is a notification to the media that I have also submitted a motion for him to be referred to the Committee of Privileges for his use of the term ‘munafik’ during his debate,” he said.
During the Budget 2027 debate on Oct 19, Takiyuddin cited a hadith describing the characteristics of a “munafik”, including someone who repeatedly makes promises but fails to fulfil them.
His remarks came as he questioned Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s use of the Arabic word “waad”, meaning promise, during the budget presentation.
Rayer immediately objected, arguing that Takiyuddin had effectively branded Anwar a hypocrite.
After a war of words between MPs from both sides, deputy speaker Alice Lau eventually instructed Rayer to submit a formal motion to the speaker’s office for further consideration.
On Oct 21, Dewan Rakyat speaker Johari Abdul ordered Takiyuddin to retract the words by the following day after reviewing the Hansard.
Takiyuddin, however, refused to retract his words and proposed mediation with Rayer to resolve the dispute instead.
The Kota Bharu MP said he had written to Johari, suggesting that the latter convene a meeting between him and Rayer to settle the matter amicably.
“I am not retracting it. Instead, I have written to the speaker proposing that he hold a mediation session, which would involve the speaker calling Rayer and me for a discussion to try to resolve the matter,” Takiyuddin was quoted as saying by Harian Metro. - Mkini
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