“Tighten enforcement on illicit ciggie/vaping product traders, no point only targetting legit retailers”

 

BETTER regulation is more effective than a blanket ban. The question is if products that have not received approval from the Health Ministry (MOH) are still widely available in the market, what exactly is a ban supposed to achieve?

The main issue is not simply whether these products should be allowed or prohibited but how the government can ensure that products sold comply with regulations while those who break the law are held accountable.

Even before vaping products entered the market, smoking among school pupils was already a concern.

Therefore, we cannot view youth consumption as an issue caused solely by vaping. What matters is ensuring that controls over the sale and access to these products are effectively enforced.

At present, retailers operating from licensed premises are aware of and comply with the regulations in place.

They are subject to enforcement measures and are responsible for their respective business operations.

Online channel culprits

But what about online sellers or those operating without legitimate business premises? Drugs, for instance, are not sold openly in shops. Illegal products are traded through illegal channels.

We need to look at this issue from a broader perspective. Products that have not received MOH approval are still being sold through online platforms, including Telegram and WhatsApp.

The same applies to prohibited substances such as drugs which are more closely associated with the black market and illegal distribution networks.

Why, then, should greater attention not be given to these channels with stricter action taken against those involved in illegal sales?

Retailers operating from licensed premises are subject to restrictions prohibiting sales to minors as well as the relevant enforcement measures. Minors should not be able to purchase these products from retailers who comply with the law.

Therefore, the government must ensure that online sellers and those operating without legitimate business premises are also subject to equally strict controls and enforcement.

This issue is not about rejecting regulation but about how it is enforced. More importantly, all sales channels must be monitored, unapproved products must be curbed with those who violate the law must face action regardless of whether they operate from physical premises or online.

That said, there is no denying that uncertainty surrounding the regulations governing the industry has affected business operations.

Industry players are left in a state of uncertainty and hope that there will be no further drastic regulatory changes that could disrupt their businesses. 

Mohamad Neezam Talib is president of the Malaysia E-Vaporiser and Alternative Tobacco Association (MEVTA)

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

- Focus Malaysia.

S’porean women speak out against sexual violence following Cornell 7 case

 

THE high-profile civil lawsuit surrounding the alleged gang rape of a student at Cornell University in the United States has resonated strongly in Singapore, prompting local women to share their own experiences of sexual harassment, assault, and everyday misogyny on social media.

Women across Singapore are utilising platforms like TikTok and Instagram to express solidarity with “Jane Doe” – the legal placeholder used for anonymous crime victims – while highlighting that issues surrounding consent, predatory behaviour, and bystander apathy remain deeply relevant locally despite Singapore’s reputation as a safe nation.

Among those raising awareness is Eunice Chua, 33, owner of an image consultancy business. Chua shared how receiving an unsolicited sexual proposal shortly after publishing her business contact details left her fearing for her personal safety.

The incident led her to install security cameras, change office locations, and adopt a heightened sense of vigilance around male strangers in enclosed spaces.

“Singapore is a very safe country. I never really thought that such things would happen, and it happened to me,” Chua said, adding that public perception of safety can sometimes make it harder for victims to speak out.

“People might not be able to speak up easily because we keep saying that Singapore is a very safe country.”

Advocates emphasise that the movement aims to dismantle victim-blaming narratives, encourage broader public dialogue regarding sexual misconduct, and challenge the bystander effect within communities. —  Focus Malaysia

Calls mount in Sabah to reclaim 250,000 acres of FELDA land under MA63 autonomy

 

PRESSURE is mounting on both the Sabah state government and Putrajaya as civil society groups, regional leaders, and native rights activists call for a complete re-examination of roughly 250,000 acres of land currently alienated to the Federal Land Development Authority (FELDA).

The controversy centres on vast tracts of land in eastern Sabah, primarily around the Felda Sahabat complex in Lahad Datu.

Critics argue that the historical land allocations violated long-standing Native Customary Rights governed by the Sabah Land Ordinance.

“The original justification for handing over Sabah’s valuable land reserves to a federal agency was to eradicate rural poverty.

“Decades later, the reality is the exact opposite. While federal entities extracted massive wealth from Sabah’s agricultural soil, Sabah remains one of the poorest states in Malaysia, suffering from high poverty rates and widespread rural landlessness.

“Taking native land away from local communities did not solve poverty – it entrenched it by stripping Sabahans of their primary economic asset: land,” said Borneo’s Plight in Malaysia Foundation president Daniel John Jambun.

Writing in Jesseltontimes.com, he asserts that federal management of these agricultural lands directly conflicts with the spirit of the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63), which explicitly preserves state autonomy over land matters.

The renewed campaign seeks to either return the land titles to local indigenous communities or hand administrative oversight over to state-owned bodies like Sawit Kinabalu.

He argued that doing so would ensure agricultural profits and natural resource revenues stay directly within the state to benefit local communities rather than being funnelled to federal agencies.

He also said the plantations relied heavily on foreign migrants, displacing local youth from land ownership.

“While thousands of young Sabahans face landlessness today, these federal corporate plantations relied heavily on foreign migrant labour, altering local demographics and displacing local rural youth from agricultural land ownership.”

As debates over Sabah’s constitutional entitlements under MA63 intensify, the land review has emerged as a crucial benchmark for federal-state relations.

Local leaders maintain that restoring land sovereignty is essential to addressing decades of systemic socio-economic disparity across rural Sabah. —  Focus Malaysia

Don’t be fooled by claims of cyberattack, says security council

 The cyber threat level remains at a moderate level, the council says, after social media users share a map which lists Malaysia as among the top 20 targets of cyberattacks.

Social media users have spread images of a Live Threat Map believed to show cyberattacks launched against Malaysia. (FortiGuard Labs pic)

PETALING JAYA:

The national security council has warned the public against claims of cyberattacks against Malaysia being spread on social media and said national cybersecurity remains under control, with the national cyber threat level remaining at a moderate level.

The security council said the national cyber security agency and the national cyber coordination and command centre continually monitored any threats to cybersecurity and had taken note of cybersecurity incidents and system disruptions involving several financial institutions, Bernama reported.

“Bank Negara Malaysia is implementing comprehensive and integrated preparedness measures, including continuous monitoring of the cybersecurity status of the critical information infrastructure,” the security council said in a statement.

Efforts were being made to ensure that any threats are detected and addressed promptly, while essential services continue to operate smoothly,” the security council said.

Late on Friday, Bank Rakyat shut off access to its websites after an attacker defaced its web page. In response, communications minister Fadzil Fahmi said banking institutions in the country remained safe.

The national security council statement came hours after social media users were reported to have expressed concerns about cyberattacks from abroad, with reports of counter-attacks allegedly being launched from Malaysia, Sinar Harian reported.

Social media users have spread images of a “Live Threat Map” from the US-based cybersecurity company FortiGuard Labs showing several locations, including Cyberjaya, Shah Alam, and Petaling Jaya, as areas where cyber-threat activity had been recorded.

The map lists Malaysia in 18th place among the top 20 countries targeted for cyberattack, with 1.8 million attacks recorded over the past 24 hours. Threat activity is shown as originating from various countries, including France, Bulgaria, Indonesia, Japan, and China, with threat levels categorized as “critical” or “high.”

Much of the displayed activity is believed to involve attempts to breach web servers and internet routers used in homes and offices. the report said. Social media users also noted claims of retaliatory actions, including posts about a person in Batu Pahat, Johor, purportedly involved in such activities until the early hours of the morning.

Italian minister’s data leaked

Italy’s foreign minister Antonio Tajani said his personal information had been leaked on the dark web by cybercriminals who were  seeking further details about him and his family, exposing them to “new threats and intimidation”.

In a post on X, Tajani said the perpetrators had been circulating his data for days and were offering to pay for additional information about him and his loved ones, the Turkish news agency reported.

Tajani linked the alleged targeting to Italy’s support for Ukraine. He also suggested that the threats were partly a response to cybersecurity measures introduced at the Italian foreign ministry in recent months. - FMT

Tiada keperluan AG diarah menghadap Agong, kata Asyraf

 Setiausaha Agung Umno, Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki, kata Perlembagaan memperuntukkan kuasa pengampunan terletak pada Agong dan dilaksanakan menerusi lembaga pengampunan.

Setiausaha Agung Umno, Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki, kata tiada keperluan untuk peguam negara diarahkan menghadap Yang di-Pertuan Agong.

PETALING JAYA:

Setiausaha Agung Umno, Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki, berkata tiada keperluan untuk peguam negara diarahkan menghadap Yang di-Pertuan Agong bagi menjelaskan isu perundingan berhubung pelaksanaan tahanan di rumah terhadap Najib Razak.

Asyraf berkata Perlembagaan memperuntukkan kuasa pengampunan terletak pada Agong dan dilaksanakan menerusi lembaga pengampunan, termasuk kuasa memberi pengampunan, mengurang atau meringankan hukuman.

“Jadi, apabila Agong sudah menitahkan perkara itu melalui proses yang sewajarnya, iaitu menerusi lembaga pengampunan, keputusan berkenaan tidak boleh dipertikaikan.

“Oleh itu, tiada keperluan untuk peguam negara diarahkan menghadap Agong bagi memberikan penjelasan,” katanya, lapor Berita Harian.

Terdahulu, Perdana Menteri Anwar Ibrahim meminta Peguam Negara Dusuki Mokhtar menghadap Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Sultan Ibrahim, bagi menjelaskan permasalahan sekitar pelaksanaan titah tahanan di rumah terhadap Najib.

Anwar menegaskan bahawa kerajaan memperakui titah dan bidang kuasa Agong, dan membuat persiapan untuk memenuhi keputusan dan tanggungjawab melaksanakannya.

Semalam, Umno umum melunaskan denda RM50 juta dikenakan terhadap Najib selepas mengumpulkan dana menerusi kempen sumbangan. Mahkamah Tinggi Kuala Lumpur kemudian mengeluarkan perintah pelepasan selepas bayaran direkodkan, namun Jabatan Peguam Negara (AGC) mengeluarkan kenyataan pelaksanaan tahanan rumah wajar ditangguhkan sementara, bagi meneliti persoalan perundangan berkaitan perintah pengampunan dan kesan perintah mahkamah.

Hari ini, Istana Negara menegaskan sebarang tindakan mempertikaikan perintah pengampunan bersyarat membolehkan Najib menjalani baki hukuman penjara bawah tahanan rumah menjurus perbuatan mengingkari titah Agong.

Katanya, perintah pengampunan bersyarat itu adalah jelas, nyata, dan tanpa sebarang ambiguiti, serta tidak terkait dengan mana-mana kes lain terhadap Najib.

Istana Negara juga berkata, kuasa pengampunan merupakan prerogatif diraja yang diperuntukkan di bawah Perkara 42 Perlembagaan, maka pelaksanaan kuasa tersebut hendaklah dihormati selaras dengan kedudukan raja berperlembagaan dan prinsip kedaulatan undang-undang.

Katanya, semua syarat dalam perintah pengampunan bersyarat berkenaan telah dipenuhi dan tidak sepatutnya timbul kekeliruan tafsiran atau ketidakpastian berpanjangan mengenai pelaksanaannya.

Hari ini, AGC menjelaskan permohonan menangguhkan pelaksanaan tahanan di rumah Najib bukan percubaan mempertikaikan pengampunan bersyarat diberikan Agong.

Katanya, timbul persoalan undang-undang mengenai skop dan kesan arahan pelepasan tersebut, khususnya sama ada pelepasan diperintahkan hanya berkaitan dengan pembayaran denda atau membolehkan baki hukuman penjara SRC International diteruskan melalui tahanan rumah, atau sama ada perintah itu membawa kesan hukuman dalam kes SRC International telah selesai.

AGC berkata, ia mempunyai kaitan langsung dengan perintah Mahkamah Tinggi dalam kes 1MDB yang menetapkan hukuman penjara dalam kes terbabit hendaklah bermula selepas hukuman dalam kes SRC International selesai dijalani. - FMT