Anwar urges Indian Muslim community to drive change through unity, compassion

 

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today urged the Indian Muslim community to become agents of positive change through unity, compassion and constructive engagement. Pic by AURIS FAQRURAZZI

BUTTERWORTH: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today urged the Indian Muslim community to become agents of positive change through unity, compassion and constructive engagement.

Anwar said meaningful national reform requires determination, moral conviction and the courage to pursue change with integrity.

"We can succeed, insya-Allah, as Mukmin (Malaysian Indian Muslim Congress), as Malaysia, as a nation, if we rekindle this flame to bring about the change ordained in the Quran.

"With determination, courage of conviction, clarity of ideas and strength of character, we can bring about this change and embrace it as our shared responsibility," he said.

Addressing Mukmin members, Anwar said he was encouraged by the community's spirit, determination and vision for both its people and the nation.

"We can do it. There is absolutely no reason why we cannot bring about this change. It is not easy, but it can be done," he added.

He cautioned against divisive politics, saying hatred, hostility and manufactured controversies would only undermine the country's progress.

"The narrative out there is one of contention, rancorous exchanges, hatred and enmity, creating issues out of nothing. These are political ploys to garner votes regardless of ethics and morality.

"A country cannot succeed that way," he said.

Instead, Anwar urged Malaysians to criticise constructively and hold the government accountable without sowing division.

"Criticise when necessary. Pressure the government when required, but not to breed hatred among one another.

"If we decide to work as a team and help one another, we can achieve this change," he said.

The prime minister also acknowledged that the government was not without shortcomings and said it remained committed to listening to public concerns.

"We do not have all the answers. We have our shortcomings. We have, at times, overlooked certain issues.

"But we must not lose sight of this great nation and the immense contributions of our forefathers. We can make Malaysia greater if we work together with compassion, rahmah and love," he said.

Anwar said that racial differences should never become barriers to national unity.

"We did not choose our race. We are all created by Allah. We must uphold taqwa, good akhslaq and the determination to safeguard our country and humanity," he said. - NST

Zahid: Winning Chennah, Linggi will help BN wrest Negri Sembilan from PH

 

Barisan Nasional chairman Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi. NSTP FILE PIC

JELEBU: Barisan Nasional can wrest Negri Sembilan from Pakatan Harapan if it wins the Chennah and Linggi seats in the state election, said Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

The BN chairman said the target involved the two state seats, which are being contested by DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke and caretaker Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Aminuddin Harun respectively.

"Based on my reading, I hope my assessment is not wrong. If we wrest Chennah, it means we will have taken Negri Sembilan.

"Likewise, if we wrest and retain Linggi under BN, we can confirm that Negri Sembilan will be under BN," he said in his speech at the Chennah state constituency polling district centre today.

Also present were Negri Sembilan Umno liaison committee chairman Datuk Seri Jalaluddin Alias and BN candidate for Chennah Siow Kong Choon.

Zahid, who is also Umno president, also wants Siow to wrest Chennah from Loke.

"We take Chennah, let's 'finish off' that person. Brothers and sisters, I do not want to say much. I do not want to touch on personal matters.

"I only want to say, it has already been three terms. Who is that person?" he said, referring to Loke.

The Deputy Prime Minister also described Siow as a new hope for Chennah, saying he would bring development to the constituency.

He said Chennah had great potential for development after being left behind for three terms.

Zahid also instructed Jalaluddin to create 50,000 jobs if BN succeeds in taking over the state administration.

"Datuk Jalal, my instruction is that if BN takes over the administration of Negri Sembilan, ensure that 50,000 new jobs are created for young people in Negri Sembilan.

"We will govern the state for five years, insya-Allah, and we aim to create 50,000 positions, 10,000 every year," he said. - NST

Ministers given a month to resolve foreign worker shortage in restaurants

 Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said the government could not 'open the door wide open' to foreign workers, but there was an urgent need to fill vacancies.

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim at the launch of a roadmap of initiatives to empower the Indian Muslim community. (Bernama pic)

BUTTERWORTH:

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has given his Cabinet one month from Monday to resolve requests from restaurant industry players to recruit foreign workers.

Anwar said he took note of the industry’s concerns over labour shortages, which were brought to his attention by a Cabinet minister.

The prime minister said the government could not “open the door wide open” for foreign worker recruitment. “However, I agree that there is an urgent need to fill vacancies in certain sectors, including the restaurant industry.

“I will give the relevant ministries a maximum of one month from Monday to resolve this issue,” he said.

Last October, the Malaysian Muslim Restaurant Owners Association renewed its appeal to the government to allow the recruitment of 15,000 foreign workers to address the persistent labour shortage.

Anwar was speaking at the launch of a roadmap for the Indian Muslim community comprising initiatives in education, entrepreneurship, leadership, social wellbeing and institutional capacity.

Anwar also announced RM2 million in annual educational grants for underprivileged Indian Muslim students, including school pupils, university undergraduates and those who have secured university placements. - FMT

MIC, MIPP rebuke Sanusi for ‘Tanah Melayu’ remark

 MIC chief SA Vigneswaran says PAS should learn from Amanah as it does not make statements that ‘hurt the feelings of Chinese and Indian communities’.

Rival party leaders SA Vigneswaran of MIC and P Punithan of MIPP have responded to remarks by Sanusi Nor of Perikatan Nasional.

PETALING JAYA:

Perikatan Nasional election director Sanusi Nor has come under fire from MIC and the Malaysian Indian People’s Party (MIPP) over remarks suggesting that different ethnic groups in Malaysia can fall back on ancestral homelands outside the country.

MIC president SA Vigneswaran urged Barisan Nasional to review its electoral alliance with PN and consider contesting future state elections on its own, as repeated statements by certain PAS leaders on race and religion could affect BN’s appeal to multiracial voters.

“When BN continues to be associated with such narratives, it becomes difficult for us. That is why BN would be better off standing on its own strength to defend the principle of moderation,” Vigneswaran told Malaysiakini.

Vigneswaran also said PN leaders should not treat Malaysian Chinese and Indians as foreigners, stressing that their loyalty belonged to Malaysia.

He urged PAS to learn from Amanah, which he described as adopting a more inclusive approach in promoting Islam. “Amanah does not make statements that hurt the feelings of Chinese and Indian communities. That is why Amanah is more easily accepted by a multiracial society,” he said.

MIPP president P Punithan rejected the suggestion that Malaysian Indians viewed India as their homeland, saying Malaysia was the only country he considered home.

“It has never crossed my mind to return to India, except as a travel destination or to fulfil a pilgrimage,” said Punithan, whose party is a PN component. “Malaysia is not merely the place where I live, but the homeland that I love with all my heart,” he said.

Last night, Sanusi, who is also Kedah menteri besar, said that “Tanah Melayu” was the only homeland for Malays, unlike other ethnic groups. A DAP MP has called on the authorities to investigate Sanusi, stating that his comments had insulted millions of Malaysians of Chinese and Indian descent. - FMT

Aliff becomes first Malaysian to win ONE Championship title

 Ahmad Nor Iman Aliff Rakib secured the victory with a fifth-round knockout against Muay Thai legend Sam-A Gaiyanghadao.

Ahmad Nor Iman Aliff Rakib secured the victory with a fifth-round knockout against Sam-A Gaiyanghadao to clinch the interim straw-weight (52.3-56.7kg) Muay Thai title. (Muaythai Malaysia Facebook pic)

PETALING JAYA:

National Muay Thai fighter Ahmad Nor Iman Aliff Rakib became the first Malaysian to win a ONE Championship combat sports title after defeating Thai legend Sam-A Gaiyanghadao in Bangkok tonight.

Aliff, 22, secured the victory with a fifth-round knockout against Sam-A to clinch the interim straw-weight (52.3-56.7kg) Muay Thai title, reported Harian Metro.

A ONE Championship interim title is a temporary championship belt awarded when a reigning world champion is temporarily unable to defend their title due to reasons like injury or extended inactivity

The win was a major achievement for Aliff, the son of former boxer Rakib Ahmad, who defeated one of the most respected names in World Muay Thai at Thailand’s Lumpinee Stadium.

The fifth-round KO capped a dominant performance from Aliff, who kept up the pressure throughout the fight before finding an opening to knock down the Thai veteran.

“I gave my all to win this championship. I went through many challenges and endured a lot of hardship to reach this stage. I dedicate this victory and the belt to my father,” he said.

The Kelantan-born fighter also received a US$50,000 (RM214,000) bonus. The victory puts Aliff on course for a potential title-unification bout against reigning straw-weight Muay Thai champion Prajanchai PK Saenchai. - FMT

BN manifesto pledges RM30bil in investments, 50,000 jobs

 Other commitments include plans for cash aid ranging from RM400 for newborns to as much as RM5,000 for graduates with first-class honours degrees.

State BN chief Mohamad Hasan with party leaders at the unveiling of the coalition’s manifesto, which positions Negeri Sembilan as an ‘investor-friendly’ state.

SEREMBAN:

Barisan Nasional has pledged to attract RM30 billion in investments and create 50,000 job opportunities over the next five years if it forms the next Negeri Sembilan government.

BN also set out a “one district, one anchor company” policy, aimed at drawing large businesses into smaller towns to serve as catalysts for local economic growth.

Other economic commitments in the manifesto include positioning Negeri Sembilan as an “investor-friendly” state, upgrading and revitalising existing industrial areas, reviving the state’s halal hub, and developing an “inland port” facility.

The coalition’s manifesto for the state election, unveiled tonight, sets out 88 initiatives grouped under nine clusters, with a focus on the economy and development.

State BN chairman Mohamad Hasan said BN would work towards creating 5,000 high-income jobs, specifically within the Malaysia Vision Valley corridor, alongside training 20,000 participants from technical and vocational programmes.

The manifesto also outlines a cash-assistance programme, Skim Salam Sejahtera, offering staged payments to residents at different life stages – from a combined RM400 for newborns to as much as RM5,000 for graduates who achieve first-class honours from public universities, along with assistance for schooling, marriage, and old age.

Mohamad said the economic pledges are underpinned by a broader promise of political and administrative stability, framing continuity in government as the condition needed to deliver on the investment and job-creation targets over the coming term.

BN urged voters to back the coalition at the polls on Aug 1, using the message “Tiba Masanya” (The time has come).

PN information chief Annuar Musa yesterday said BN and PN had agreed to merge their respective policy documents and would campaign on a single manifesto in the Negeri Sembilan state election.

When asked about the matter, Mohamad said PN did not provide any input for BN’s manifesto.

“The manifesto was prepared solely by BN as it is a continuation of plans formulated before PN was formed,” he said.

PN is set to unveil its manifesto tomorrow night. - FMT

Thailand to scrap US$29.7bil landbridge project after study

 A government study found that the proposed project was no longer economically viable and posed significant environmental risks.

Thai finance minister Ekniti Nitithanprapas said the updated study showed the project’s expected financial return had dropped from 8% to 4.8%. (EPA Images pic)

BANGKOK:

Thailand plans to scrap its proposed landbridge megaproject that would link the Gulf of Thailand and the Andaman Sea after a government study found it was no longer economically viable and poses significant environmental risks.

A government committee recommended terminating the project, earlier estimated at a cost of about 1 trillion baht (US$29.7 billion), finance minister Ekniti Nitithanprapas said in a news briefing Friday. The updated study found it would lose money overall, compared with an earlier assessment that projected substantial economic gains, he said.

The 100km (62-mile) connection, which could cut shipping times between the Indian and Pacific oceans by bypassing the Malacca Strait, returned to the spotlight this year as tensions around the Strait of Hormuz underscored the vulnerability of global shipping routes. In April, deputy prime minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn said the government would accelerate the project.

The study also showed the project’s expected financial return had fallen to 4.8% from 8%, while cargo volumes were projected to be as much as 16% lower than previously estimated. Nine of the world’s 10 largest shipping lines have already invested in competing projects, leaving limited interest in the landbridge proposal, the official said.

The pitch for the landbridge project included seaports to be built on either side of the country’s southern peninsula and which would be linked by highway and rail networks. The idea replaced a decades-old Thai proposal to dredge a canal through the Kra Isthmus.

Separately, the latest study warned the project could damage environmentally sensitive areas, including Ranong’s biosphere reserve and wetlands, and threaten key marine tourism sites.

Instead of pursuing the landbridge, the government plans to upgrade Ranong Port and develop a rail link that would connect the Andaman coast with Thailand’s existing rail network to improve freight transport, Ekniti said.

The recommendation will be submitted to Thai prime minister Anutin Charnvirakul and the cabinet for approval. Ekniti said the government has incurred no losses from the earlier plan because no land had been acquired and construction had not started. 

“The project offers an important lesson that large infrastructure investments should begin with a clear assessment of the country’s strategic priorities and environmental considerations before agencies proceed with detailed project studies,” Ekniti said. - FMT