'Why is DAP silent?': MCA wants answers from deputy minister over J-Kom DG's use of racial slur

 

Its president, Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong, said the department falls under the Communications Ministry and therefore Teo cannot remain silent.

KUALA LUMPUR: MCA has called on Deputy Communications Minister Teo Nie Ching to explain remarks made by the newly appointed Community Communications Department (J-Kom) director-general Mohd Hisyamuddin Ghazali, who labelled two government critics as "Cina sesat" (misguided Chinese).

Its president, Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong, said the department falls under the Communications Ministry and therefore Teo cannot remain silent.

"Is this the official stance of the Communications Ministry? Is this the new standard of communication under the Madani government?

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"Are public funds now being used to pay government communications officers to attack critics with racially charged labels?" he said in a Facebook post.

Hisyamuddin has come under fire for making the racially charged remark in a now-amended Facebook post.

He called businessman Albert Tei and former Barisan Nasional Strategic Communications deputy director Eric See-To "opposition lackeys" and used the term "Cina sesat".

Wee said Teo is a DAP leader and deputy chairman of Johor DAP, and therefore the party must respond.

"If such language were used by the opposition, DAP would certainly be the loudest in speaking about the 3Rs (race, religion and royalty), national unity, and racial harmony.

"But when it comes from a newly appointed government officer, why is DAP silent," he asked.

He also called on Teo and the ministry to instruct Hisyamuddin to issue a public apology and to clarify whether disciplinary action will be taken.

"We want assurance that J-Kom will not be used as a partisan propaganda machine funded by public money.

"Malaysia does not need a government communications agency that acts like a partisan, racist cyber trooper unit.

"If the Madani government is truly serious about the 3Rs, then the principle must apply to all parties — including government-appointed officials themselves.

"DAP and Teo cannot be selective. Silence is no longer an option." -  NST

Zaid Ibrahim akan sertai PAS, menurut laporan

 Bekas menteri undang-undang itu antara 14 nama yang dilapor akan menyertai PAS.

Bekas menteri undang-undang Zaid Ibrahim antara nama disebut akan menyertai PAS, malam tadi.

PETALING JAYA:

PAS mengumumkan bekas menteri undang-undang, Zaid Ibrahim, akan menyertainya, menurut laporan.

Beliau antara 14 nama yang disebut pada ceramah menjelang PRN Negeri Sembilan, di Seremban, malam tadi, yang dihadiri Setiausaha Agung Takiyuddin Hassan, lapor Malaysia Gazette.

Zaid pernah menjadi Ahli Parlimen Kota Bharu (2004-2008), dan menteri di Jabatan Perdana Menteri (Mac-September 2008) semasa pentadbiran Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

Beliau juga pernah menjadi ahli Umno, PKR dan DAP, serta mengasaskan Parti Kesejahteraan Insan Tanah.

Turut dilapor akan menyertai PAS adalah Hamidah Othman iaitu bekas exco Perak dan bekas naib presiden Bersatu, serta bekas exco Negeri Sembilan, Rafie Abdul Malek.

Turut diumumkan kepulangan bekas pesuruhjaya PAS Negeri Sembilan, Rosli Yaakop.

Terdahulu, Presiden PAS Hadi Awang mengumumkan beberapa bekas menteri, bekas exco dan ahli politik akan menyertai partinya, pada konvensyen Reset di Tanah Merah, Kelantan. - FMT

PH names Arthur Chiong to defend Bukit Batu state seat

 He is the first of 56 candidates from Pakatan Harapan to be named for the Johor state polls.

Arthur Chiong of PKR, who won in Bukit Batu in the 2022 Johor polls, would face a challenge, said PH secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution Ismail. (Bernama pic)

KULAI:

Pakatan Harapan has named Arthur Chiong of PKR to defend the Bukit Batu seat in the Johor state election. He is the first of the coalition’s 56 candidates to be announced.

PH secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said the decision had been endorsed by PH chairman and Parti Keadilan Rakyat president Anwar Ibrahim.

The remaining candidates will be announced later, Saifuddin said at the launch of PKR’s election machinery for the Bukit Batu constituency tonight, which was also attended by Kulai MP Teo Nie Ching, who is also Johor DAP chairman.

Saifuddin, a PKR vice-president, said defending the seat would be more challenging this time despite Chiong’s strong track record as the elected representative.

Chiong won the Bukit Batu seat in the 2022 election, securing 9,439 votes against rivals from Barisan Nasional, Perikatan Nasional and Warisan.

The Johor state election will be held on July 11. - FMT

Ramasamy: PMX’s grouses on early elections ring hollow; the truth is he’s too beholden to UMNO

 

WHAT is the purpose of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim complaining about early elections when both the Johor and Negeri Sembilan state governments have not completed their full electoral terms?

I agree with Anwar on the matter of calling elections prematurely.

Since Anwar has a cosy relationship with UMNO leaders at the federal level, he could have exercised his authority as PM to prevent the early state polls.

But Anwar failed, both as the leader of the Pakatan Harapan (PH)-led coalition and as the head of government.

While UMNO leaders enjoy high positions in the federal government, they do not seem to act in accordance with the spirit of the PH-BN (Barisan Nasional) ruling coalition.

It was not that Anwar could not have stopped the elections; rather, it appears that he is too beholden to UMNO.

What is the point of 14 UMNO state assemblymen rebelling against the Negeri Sembilan Menteri Besar if the relationship between UMNO and the ruling coalition was truly amicable and harmonious?

‘PH at UMNO’s mercy’

Anwar was powerless to prevent the early state election in Johor initiated by UMNO. Worse still, UMNO appears determined to go solo in the state as it had done previously.

Despite his status as PM, Anwar and head of the ruling coalition at the federal level seems to be completely at the mercy of UMNO.

If UMNO wants to contest alone in Johor and possibly in other states, then what kind of coalition government exists in Putrajaya?

Hypocritical UMNO does not want anything to do with the DAP in Johor yet it is prepared to benefit from Chinese support delivered through the DAP.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim

At the federal level, UMNO and DAP ministers sit side by side in Cabinet meetings. Is this not another example of hypocrisy and double-talk by UMNO leaders?

One DAP minister even took pride in saying that sitting side -by-side with UMNO ministers allows issues to be addressed more effectively.

Yet the same minister does not dare to distinguish between the rhetoric and the reality of UMNO’s political conduct.

Anwar should stop complaining about early state elections. He could have prevented them at all cost but he failed to act.

Given these circumstances, one is entitled to wonder whether Anwar is genuinely serious about his objections to early state elections.

Perhaps he believes that early elections may – under the present circumstances – be the best way to secure a second term in office. 

Former DAP stalwart and Penang deputy chief minister II Prof Ramasamy Palanisamy is chairman of the United Rights of Malaysian Party (Urimai) interim council.

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

- Focus Malaysia.

Consumer advocate hits out at Ayob Khan’s vape ban call: “Fix enforcement, don’t punish consumers”

 

THE call by Deputy Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Tan Sri Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay for a total ban on electronic cigarettes and vape devices following the discovery of drug-laced vape liquids is uncalled for.

Instead, such discovery is serious and must be treated as a narcotics and enforcement issue, according to the Consumer Choice Centre (CCC) Malaysia country associate Tarmizi Anuwar.

The consumer advocate further cautioned that a blanket ban would punish adult consumers while avoiding the harder question of why illegal and contaminated products were able to enter the market in the first place.

“We understand the concern raised by TS Ayob Khan. Drug-laced vape liquids are dangerous and those responsible must face firm action. But calling for a total ban is not a serious enforcement strategy. It risks turning consumers into scapegoats for enforcement failure,” justified Tarmizi.

“If illegal actors are able to mix synthetic drugs into vape liquids and distribute them, the problem is not ordinary consumers. The problem is weak monitoring, weak product testing, weak supply-chain control and weak action against syndicates.”

Above all else, the latest call for prohibition gives the impression that enforcement agencies are not treating illicit products with the seriousness they deserve.

‘Fix lax enforcement, not penalising consumers’

“Instead of showing stronger action to curb illegal and contaminated products, the response appears to shift responsibility onto consumers by calling for a ban,” lamented Tarmizi.

Consumer Choice Centre (CCC) Malaysia country associate Tarmizi Anuwar

“Enforcement agencies should not choose the easiest option while avoiding accountability for weaknesses in enforcement.”

In his contention, Malaysia’s experience with illicit tobacco should serve as a warning. National illicit cigarette trade reportedly increased from 54.4% in 2025 to 56.7% in January 2026, a reflection of illegal markets growing when enforcement is weak.

“When more than half of cigarettes consumed in the country are illicit, it shows that enforcement is already struggling,” countered Tarmizi.

“If the same approach is applied to vape, a total ban will not remove demand. It will push users into unregulated channels where contaminated products are harder to detect.”

On this note, CCC argued that the focus should be on identifying and dismantling the criminal supply chain, not imposing a blanket policy on all users.

“The right questions are simple: who produced these drug-laced liquids, how did they enter the market, who distributed them, and why were they not detected earlier? These are enforcement questions,” stressed Tarmizi.

“They cannot be solved by punishing consumers who are using legal products.”

For a win-win situation, CCC called for targeted action, including product testing, stronger licensing, strict retailer checks, enforcement against underage sales and coordinated operations involving the Health Ministry (MOH), police, Customs, Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry and local authorities.

“Malaysia already has a legal framework to regulate smoking and vape products. The priority now is implementation. If the state fails to enforce the law, the solution is to fix enforcement, not punish consumers,” insisted Tarmizi.

He further reckoned that youth protection and consumer choice can be addressed together through age verification, retailer accountability and firm action against illegal sellers.

“Drug-laced vape liquids are not proof that consumers should be punished. They are proof that enforcement must be strengthened. Malaysia needs serious enforcement, not symbolic prohibition,” added Tarmizi. –  Focus Malaysia