Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) deputy president, who is also Sarawak Deputy Premier, Datuk Douglas Uggah Embas. NSTP File pic
KUCHING: Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) chairman Tan Sri Abang Johari Openg has been given full mandate to decide on the coalition's candidates for the 13th Sarawak election.
Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) deputy president, who is also Sarawak Deputy Premier, Datuk Douglas Uggah Embas said the agreement was reached by all GPS component parties in a coalition meeting.
"Everyone agreed and supported giving Abang Johari the mandate to make the final decision on candidate selection," he told reporters after attending a PBB Supreme Working Council meeting.
On Oct 23, Abang Johari, who is also Sarawak Premier, announced that the Sarawak state legislative assembly would be dissolved effective Oct 26.
The Election Commission (EC) will hold a special meeting on Nov 6 to discuss key dates and other matters related to the state election.
GPS comprises four component parties, namely PBB, Parti Rakyat Bersatu Sarawak (SUPP), Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) and Parti Demokratik Progresif (PDP).
Meanwhile, commenting on the possibility of the state election being held during the northeast ,onsoon, Uggah said the Sarawak State Disaster Management Committee would liaise with the EC for monitoring and coordination based on the latest weather forecasts.
"We do not yet know when the election will be held, but we have been informed that the monsoon season has begun and will continue until March next year," he said. - NST
Perintah sekatan harta itu bagi mengelakkan aset seperti wang hasil penipuan dilesapkan.
Timbalan Perdana Menteri Zahid Hamidi kata RUU Jenayah Siber digubal bagi menangani penipuan dalam talian menggunakan AI.
PETALING JAYA: Rang Undang-undang (RUU) Jenayah Siber memperuntukkan kuasa kepada mahkamah untuk mengeluarkan perintah sekatan harta walaupun suspek belum dituduh, bagi mengelakkan aset seperti wang hasil penipuan dilesapkan.
Timbalan Perdana Menteri Zahid Hamidi berkata perintah sekatan harta itu antara perintah yang boleh mahkamah keluarkan bagi mencegah atau menghentikan pelanggaran undang-undang.
Perintah lain yang boleh dikeluarkan termasuk perintah pemberhentian, perintah restitusi kepada mangsa, dan perintah pematuhan, katanya lapor Bernama, dalam jawapan bertulis Dewan Rakyat.
Permohonan bagi mendapatkan perintah berkenaan boleh dikemukakan oleh pendakwa raya atau pegawai yang diberi kuasa, katanya.
Zahid menjawab soalan Shamshulkahar Deli (BN-Jempol) mengenai kecukupan kerangka perundangan sedia ada untuk menangani penipuan dalam talian berasaskan kecerdasan buatan, serta peruntukan khusus yang diperkukuh bagi mempercepat tindakan terhadap sindiket dan melindungi mangsa.
Zahid berkata RUU yang diluluskan Parlimen pada Julai lepas itu digubal bagi menangani penipuan dalam talian menggunakan AI, termasuk penyamaran identiti, ‘deepfake’ dan manipulasi digital. - FMT
The six men and a woman aged between 25 and 38 were arrested during raids at two premises in Bukit Tengah on Sunday.
Seberang Perai Tengah police chief Nik Aminuddin Raja Abdullah said two of the suspects tested positive for methamphetamine. (Facebook pic)
PETALING JAYA: Police have arrested seven foreigners and seized drugs believed to be MDMA and ketamine worth RM1.08 million in raids at two premises in Bukit Tengah, Penang, on Sunday.
Seberang Perai Tengah police chief Nik Aminuddin Raja Abdullah said the raids were conducted by the district police headquarters’ narcotics criminal investigation division at about 12.50am.
The seven suspects comprised six men and a woman aged between 25 and 38.
“Inspections at both premises led to the discovery and seizure of drugs believed to be MDMA powder and ketamine worth an estimated RM1.08 million,” he said in a statement today.
He said two of the suspects tested positive for methamphetamine.
Checks also found that none of the suspects had previous drug-related or other criminal records.
“All seven suspects have been remanded for seven days to assist in further investigations,” he said.
The case is being investigated under Sections 39B, 12(3) and 15(1)(a) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 for drug trafficking, possession and consumption. - FMT
The National Security Council indicates this is a precautionary measure taken in light of current security developments, aimed at ensuring the nation’s essential services remain operational.
The National Security Council said cybersecurity measures enable proactive prevention and mitigation actions to be taken early, thereby reducing the risk of disruptions to the nation’s essential services.
PETALING JAYA: The National Cyber Security Agency (Nacsa) today raised the national cybersecurity threat level from “low” to “medium”.
The National Security Council (MKN), under the Prime Minister’s Department, had indicated that this is a precautionary measure taken in light of current security developments, aimed at ensuring the nation’s essential services remain operational, Bernama reported.
“Nacsa has held meetings with sector heads and entities within the national critical information infrastructure (NCII) to strengthen preparedness coordination across every sector.
“The meetings mandated that all NCII entities implement nine cybersecurity preparedness measures, including 24-hour monitoring, system patching, multi-factor authentication, and the updating of service continuity plans,” the statement noted.
The statement was issued in reference to remarks made by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim in the Dewan Rakyat on Nov 3, concerning national security preparedness in the face of evolving geopolitical conflicts as well as regional and international security tensions.
MKN said NCII sector heads were also required to submit weekly threat status reports to Nacsa.
These cybersecurity preparedness measures were also presented during a special meeting of ministry secretaries-general and heads of service yesterday.
Furthermore, Nacsa, through the National Cyber Coordination and Control Centre (NC4), is continuously executing three key operational functions — issuing cybersecurity alerts and advisories, strengthening threat detection and assessment capabilities, and conducting cybersecurity monitoring of NCII entities and government agencies.
These measures enable proactive prevention and mitigation actions to be taken early, thereby reducing the risk of disruptions to the nation’s essential services.
Throughout last month, NC4 issued eight alerts and advisories regarding vulnerabilities affecting NCII entities and government agencies, the statement added.
MKN remains committed to ensuring that the nation’s security, stability and sovereignty are upheld through comprehensive, integrated, and continuous preparedness measures, with the aim of protecting the people and the nation’s interests.
Previously, Anwar had said that Malaysia was among the countries potentially targeted for cyberattacks, given the strength of its digital infrastructure and data centres, as well as the government’s firm stance on several international issues, most notably concerning Palestine and Gaza.
Anwar stated that this assessment was based on intelligence gathered by the government, adding that not all details regarding these threats could be disclosed to the public. - FMT
Listyo Sigit Prabowo was dismissed a day after his arrest alongside two senior police officers accused of illegally tapping the phones of president Prabowo Subianto and other officials.
Soldiers on the capital’s streets are not uncommon in Indonesia, where the military has been regularly deployed ahead of anti-government protests. (EPA Images pic)
JAKARTA: Indonesia’s president sacked his chief of staff on Wednesday after his arrest in a wiretapping scandal that the government said pointed to treason, as the military said thousands of troops were being mobilised in the capital to boost security.
Listyo Sigit Prabowo, who was appointed chief of staff just a few weeks ago, was among three senior police officers detained on Tuesday accused of illegally tapping the phones of president Prabowo Subianto and unnamed journalists, politicians, government officials and business people since early 2025.
The illegal wiretaps were carried out by “rogue individuals” whose actions indicated treason, presidential spokesman Prasetyo Hadi said.
“It also tends toward acts that endanger state interests and the safety of the nation’s leadership, including the safety of the head of state,” Hadi told reporters.
Reuters could not immediately contact the three suspects or their lawyers.
The scandal comes as the president, a retired army general, faces pressure on multiple fronts, with widening public discontent about his big-spending populist policies and a slump in investor confidence over his administration’s handling of the US$1.5 trillion G20 economy.
Political intrigue has been growing in Indonesia in recent weeks amid a rift between Prabowo and his two-term predecessor and former backer Joko Widodo, who remains highly influential, despite stepping back from politics.
Listyo, the former national police chief, was known as a loyalist of Widodo.
Military mobilised to ‘safeguard and protect stability’
Troops were deployed to Jakarta to “safeguard and protect the stability of Indonesia’s security,” navy spokesman Tunggul said late on Wednesday.
The deployment was also related to upcoming training in areas near Jakarta, Tunggul, who goes by one name, added.
Soldiers on the capital’s streets are not uncommon in Indonesia, where the military has been regularly deployed ahead of anti-government protests.
Elected president in 2024 by a big majority, former special forces commander Prabowo has seen his approval rating slide in his second year in office, with unease over food prices and his troubled free meals and village cooperatives programmes.
His administration has also been under intense investor scrutiny this year, with ratings outlook cuts, concerns about policy unpredictability, and record stock market routs after warnings by global index provider MSCI of an equities market downgrade.
Prabowo’s party Gerindra said it would hold talks with other political parties to discuss the wiretapping, with its secretary-general Sugiono on Wednesday calling the scandal “insubordination” within the government.
In a post on X on Wednesday, former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono appealed to Prabowo to “restore civility to our politics”.
Motive for wiretaps unclear
The government has yet to determine the motive for the wiretapping, said Yusril Ihza Mahendra, Indonesia’s senior minister for legal affairs.
Police late on Tuesday said the suspects were being investigated for unauthorised wiretaps. The targets of the wiretaps were not disclosed.
Amnesty International in Indonesia urged authorities on Wednesday to reveal who the subjects of the wiretaps were and said the public had a right to know.
“If this scandal is allowed to continue unchecked, it could pave the way for a secret police apparatus used to tame the opposition,” it said.
Sana Jaffrey, a state-building researcher at the Australian National University, said the troop deployment in Jakarta could signal concerns about tension between the military and police loyal to former chief Listyo.
“If Prabowo increasingly sees threats to his personal security, then this could strengthen the case for relying more heavily on the military,” she said, adding that the immediate concern was the risk of unintended escalation. - FMT
ASK any Malaysian cook why a plate of nasi campur costs more than it did a few years ago, and the answer will rarely begin with the weather. It should.
Every northeast monsoon, floods affecting vegetable farms in Johor, Perak and Kelantan can push up wet market prices within weeks, with the increases eventually reaching kitchens across the country, from homes to school canteens.
Extreme weather is no longer just a weather story. It is a food security story, and increasingly a national security concern.
At its centre is the food service sector: restaurants, mamak stalls, hospitals and schools that feed Malaysians outside the home. This is where rising ingredient costs are quietly translated into smaller portions, cheaper substitutes and poorer diets.
The pattern is familiar. Heavy rain floods farms, disrupting harvests and supply. During the December 2024 floods, vegetable prices rose by 50% to 80% after more than 100ha of farmland in five states were inundated. Sawi, bayam and kangkung reportedly reached RM8 per kilogramme, up from RM3.50 previously.
Leafy vegetables are particularly vulnerable because they are perishable and difficult to store for extended periods. When harvests are damaged, supplies can take weeks or months to recover as farmers wait for floodwaters to recede and replant.
The deeper concern is the fragility of Malaysia’s vegetable supply. The country’s overall vegetable self-sufficiency ratio (SSR) was 45.4% in 2023, although this masks significant differences between individual crops.
In 2024, eight of 11 selected vegetables recorded SSR levels above 100%, including spinach at 107.1%. Yet Malaysia remained heavily dependent on imports for certain produce, with round cabbage recording an import dependency ratio of 59.6%.
Self-sufficiency on paper is not necessarily resilience in practice. When domestic farms and neighbouring suppliers are hit by similar weather disruptions, imports may not be able to fill the gap.
Food service operators absorb these shocks, often out of sight. When key ingredients become substantially more expensive, operators face a difficult choice: absorb the higher costs, raise menu prices or substitute cheaper ingredients.
With customers already sensitive to price increases, many initially try to avoid passing on the full cost. Cabbage and bean sprouts may replace pricier greens, while vegetable portions shrink even as the rice and fried protein remain on the plate.
Institutional kitchens are particularly exposed because their meal budgets are fixed. Under the Supplementary Food Programme (RMT), the allocation is RM3.50 per pupil per day in Peninsular Malaysia and RM4 in Sabah, Sarawak and Labuan.
These rates have remained unchanged since November 2022. When ingredient prices rise, operators have limited room to adjust their spending without affecting the meals served.
Low-income households face the same squeeze. When vegetables and protein become more expensive, B40 families do not stop eating; they may simply eat less well. Instant noodles, white bread, fried snacks and sugary drinks offer relatively cheap calories, but do not provide the same nutritional value as balanced meals.
This is how a price spike can become a health concern. Malaysia already faces a double burden of malnutrition, with undernutrition and obesity occurring side by side.
The National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS) 2023 found that 54.4% of Malaysian adults were overweight or obese. Meanwhile, the NHMS 2022 recorded stunting among 21.2% of children under five, down slightly from 21.8% in 2019.
A stunted child and an overweight parent eating from the same pot of instant noodles is no contradiction. It reflects a food environment in which affordable, nutritious meals remain out of reach for many.
The long-term cost of poor diets, including diet-related disease, could far outweigh the savings made on cheaper meals today.
Because food service shapes what millions of Malaysians eat every day, it is one of the most practical policy levers available. Three steps could make a difference.
First, institutional meal rates should respond to food prices. A fixed RM3.50 cannot buy the same meal during a supply disruption as it can during a normal harvest.
(Image: Getty Images)
An automatic top-up when a supply emergency is declared would help prevent children’s nutrition from becoming the shock absorber.
Second, menus should be planned around nutrients, not just dishes. Malaysia’s Healthy Plate concept, or suku-suku separuh, calls for half the plate to comprise fruits and vegetables.
Pre-approved substitutions, such as replacing flood-sensitive greens with pumpkin, carrots, legumes or frozen vegetables, would help kitchens maintain nutritional value without exceeding their budgets.
Third, schools and hospitals should consider forward contracts with farmers using rain shelters, fertigation and other climate-resilient methods. Guaranteed demand would give growers greater confidence to invest in more reliable production.
Another northeast monsoon is approaching. Malaysia cannot stop the rain, but it can decide who pays for it. Right now, that burden risks falling on schoolchildren, patients and low-income families.
Treating food service as frontline food security infrastructure, supported by flexible budgets, nutrient-based menus and climate-resilient sourcing, would help prevent one bad harvest from becoming a generation of poor health.
Dr Mohd Zulfakar Mohd Nawi is Senior Lecturer at the Department of Professional Education and Postgraduates, Faculty of Technical and Vocational Education, Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia (UTHM), and Dr Salme Yahya is Senior Lecturer at the Faculty of Hospitality, Tourism and Wellness, Universiti Malaysia Kelantan (UMK).
The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT
