BENEFITS OF NAM NAM FRUIT (CYNOMETRA CAULIFLORA)

 

A unique fruit that grows directly on the trunk of the tree. It tastes refreshingly sour, has a distinctive aroma, and is rich in antioxidants. It has an irregular shape, wrinkled skin, and when ripe, it is yellowish-green to brownish. Now it is becoming rare and rarely cultivated.

Nam Nam fruit (Cynometra cauliflora) is a unique, kidney-shaped tropical fruit native to Southeast Asia. Community and wellness discussions highlight its incredible nutritional profile and traditional medicinal uses, ranging from immune support to skin health.

A unique fruit that grows directly on the trunk of the tree. It tastes refreshingly sour, has a distinctive aroma, and is rich in antioxidants. It has an irregular shape, wrinkled skin, and when ripe, it is yellowish-green to brownish. Now it is becoming rare and rarely cultivated.

Key Health & Nutritional Benefits

• Vitamin & Antioxidant Boost: The fruit is packed with Vitamin A, Vitamin C, and various antioxidants that help protect the body against oxidative stress.
• Blood Sugar Management: It contains a flavonoid called phloridzin, which may increase insulin sensitivity, prevent oxidative stress, and help manage blood sugar levels.
• Digestive Health: High dietary fiber content helps promote good digestion and can reduce issues like constipation and abdominal pain.
• Traditional Remedies: Across folk medicine practices (like those in Malaysia and India), different parts of the plant are highly valued:
  • Leaves: Used as an herbal tea or decoction to treat diarrhea and urinary problems (such as bladder stones).
  • Seeds: Oils extracted from the seeds are traditionally used to treat a variety of skin diseases.

Culinary Uses

The fruit changes from green to yellow-green and finally brown as it ripens, offering different flavor profiles:

• Unripe: Sour and slightly bitter, making it a popular choice for sambals, chutneys, curries, and pickles.
• Ripe: Aromatic, juicy, and mildly sweet, making it perfect for eating fresh, blending into drinks, or stewing with sugar for desserts.

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Should Penang have its first Malay CM by virtue of its Chinese populace having dropped to 2nd spot?

 

SUCH is the clarion call by an apparent rightist who pointed to the 2025 census by the National Statistics Department which shows that the Penang Bumiputera population has for the first time in history emerged the majority race with 46.2% (750,000 individuals) vs the Chinese at 43.7% (709.000).

Indians make up 9.5% of Penang’s population with 154,000 inhabitants with other races at 0.6% (10,000). All-in-all, the state’s population stood at 1.803 million in 2025 with 1.623 million being Malaysian citizens and 180,000 non-citizens.

“The latest data shows that the Bumiputera population INCLUDING Malays is the current majority population in Penang,” revealed an elated OK Media in a recent Facebook post.

It’s time for the Chief Minister (CM) to be represented by the original population and from the majority race. Give a shout out, Penangites, if you want a CM from the majority (race).

This is also part of the efforts to combat the absurd land tax (quit rent) by the current CM (Chow Kon Yeow) which is seemingly a ploy to seize land owned by the INDIGENOUS RAKYAT by force.

Editor’s Note: DAP adviser Lim Guan Eng has engaged in war of words with the current Penang state government over excessive land tax (quit rent) hikes that have surged by hundreds or thousands of times for rural villagers and low-cost strata flat owners.

Under the Penang State Land Rules, land taxes for many residential and rural kampung properties saw astronomical percentage increases. In some extreme cases, taxes surged from around RM10 to more than RM34,000.

Changing course of history?

While the poster eventually exposed his opposition slant by rallying to topple the ruling DAP state government which has raised quit rent rate “from RM16 to thousands/tens of thousands”, he did leave behind food for thought in the wake of opposition influence in mainland Penang despite the recent PAS-Bersatu break-up.

For the record, every Penang Chief Minister has been of Chinese descent since Malaysia’s independence in 1957 although they represent different  political coalitions:

• Wong Pow Nee (1957-1969) – Alliance
• Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu (1969-1990) – Gerakan/Alliance/Barisan Nasional (BN)
• Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon (1990 -2008) – Gerakan/BN
• Lim Guan Eng (2008-2018) – DAP/Pakatan Rakyat (PH)
• Chow Kon Yeow (2018- Present) – DAP/PH

Whether Penang should have a Malay CM is a subject of on-going political and constitutional debate with varying perspectives on race, representation and meritocracy.

But unlike sultanate states that have specific constitutional requirements mandating a Malay-Muslim Menteri Besar, the Penang State Constitution does not specify the ethnicity of the CM. It only requires that the leader command the confidence of the majority in the state assembly.

Although Penang bears the uniqueness of being the only state headed by a non-Malay on the basis of the Chinese form a plurality of the state’s population, it is true that this privilege should never be taken for granted.

Although the PAS threat is real, the Islamist party nevertheless faces major demographic and political hurdles given its power base is largely concentrated in what is dubbed “the Malay hinterlands”.

Despite making an unprecedented inroad with 11 seats in 40-seat Penang state assembly in the 2023 state polls, Penang remains a steep hill to climb for PAS due to several factors:

Need for coalition partner: PAS cannot win on its own. To capture Penang, it must form a coalition and rely on non-Malay allies (ie Gerakan) to win in mixed or urban seats.

Lack of non-Malay support: The non-Muslim electorate (Chinese and Indian voters who form a massive voting bloc) overwhelmingly rejects PAS’s conservative political and religious policies. On the contrary, most non-Malay Penangites are often DAP loyalists.

Urban and cosmopolitan culture: Penang’s economy relies heavily on tourism, international trade and foreign direct investment. With PAS’s exclusivist, religious messaging tending to alienate the business community, PAS is very unlikely to get the mandate to rule Penang. –  Focus Malaysia

As Modi sets tenure record, Anwar praises leader and Malaysia-India friendship

 

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim congratulates Narendra Modi for his milestone, saying Malaysia values ‘close and longstanding’ ties with India. — Picture from Facebook/Anwar Ibrahim

KUALA LUMPUR, June 10 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has congratulated Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his historic milestone of becoming the country’s longest-serving elected prime minister.

In a Facebook post today, Anwar said the achievement reflects Modi’s years of dedicated public service and leadership in advancing India’s development, prosperity and standing on the global stage.

“Heartiest congratulations to PM Modi on this historic milestone of becoming India’s longest-serving elected prime minister,” he said.

Modi has been serving as Prime Minister since May 2014.

Anwar said Malaysia values its close and longstanding friendship with India and looks forward to continuing cooperation to strengthen bilateral ties and expand opportunities for the peoples of both countries.

“I wish PM Modi continued success and the people of India continued peace, progress and prosperity,” he said. — Bernama

From plane to six-hour Grab ride: Passenger spends RM700 after AirBorneo axes Tawau–Sandakan flight

 

Datuk Betty Wong said AirBorneo flight MY3062 from Tawau to Sandakan on June 7, 2026 was initially rescheduled from 10.15am that day to 12.55pm on June 8, and later cancelled, with passengers allegedly being notified less than nine hours before departure. — The Borneo Post pic

SIBU, June 10 — Datuk Betty Wong had to spend more than RM700 on Grab fares and endure a gruelling nearly six-hour journey to attend a training seminar in Sandakan on June 7 after her AirBorneo flight from Tawau to Sandakan was cancelled.

When contacted by The Borneo Post on Monday, the Lions Club past district governor (PDG) said AirBorneo flight MY3062 from Tawau to Sandakan on June 7 was initially rescheduled from 10.15am that day to 12.55pm on June 8.

However, according to Wong, the flight was eventually cancelled, with passengers allegedly being notified less than nine hours before departure.

“We actually had a seminar scheduled for 1pm on June 7 in Sandakan. That was why we took the morning AirBorneo flight from Tawau to Sandakan, which was scheduled to depart at 10.15am.

“Later, we were informed that the June 7 flight had been rescheduled from 10.15am to 12.55pm on June 8. However, we were later told that the rescheduled flight had been cancelled as well,” she said.

According to Wong, the situation compelled them to rely on Grab’s ride sharing services to travel to Sandakan for the seminar.

“So, we had no choice but to take a Grab from Tawau to Lahad Datu, and then another Grab from Lahad Datu to Sandakan, as we were unable to secure a Grab directly from Tawau to Sandakan during the day.

“It took us nearly six hours to reach Sandakan and had to fork out more than RM700 on Grab fares. It was a very exhausting trip. The seminar, originally scheduled to begin at 1pm, was delayed and eventually started at 5pm,” she lamented.

When asked whether she had received a refund from AirBorneo, Wong said she had not.

“Not yet, because I had called the call centre, but no one answered my calls,” she said, adding that the Grab fares ended up costing more than the airfares.

Wong shared that she was travelling with another Lions member from Sibu on a journey that took them from Sibu to Bintulu, Miri, Kota Kinabalu, Tawau, Sandakan, Kota Kinabalu and finally Keningau, for the Lions training.

On a positive note, Wong recalled that her first experience flying with AirBorneo, from Sibu to Miri, was smooth and free of delays.

“There was no delay at that time,” she said, adding that this was only her second time flying with AirBorneo.

In a related development, a netizen claimed that an AirBorneo flight was rescheduled at short notice, with the departure delayed by two full days.

According to a social media post by Sarawak Eye, many passengers who had planned to return home on the final day of the holidays had their travel plans disrupted when the Kota Kinabalu–Lahad Datu flight was suddenly rescheduled.

“Children who were supposed to return to school today, as well as parents who needed to return to work, were also unable to get back as planned.

“According to the notification received by passengers, the flight originally scheduled to depart from Kota Kinabalu for Lahad Datu on June 7 was rescheduled to June 9 due to operational reasons.”

Meanwhile, AirBorneo, in a press release on Monday, apologised to passengers affected by a series of flight delays and cancellations across Sabah and Sarawak since June 5, attributing the disruptions to a combination of technical, maintenance and operational factors.

The airline said some disruptions are expected to continue over the coming days.

“The disruptions have arisen from a combination of factors, including unscheduled technical rectification on several aircraft, scheduled maintenance already in progress, and operational and crew duty requirements.

“In every case, our decisions have been guided by a single priority: the safety of our passengers and crew. Where an aircraft has required technical attention, it has been withdrawn from service as a precaution until our engineers are fully satisfied it is fit to fly,” it stated.

“With several aircraft undergoing maintenance and technical rectification concurrently, our operating fleet remains temporarily constrained. As a result, passengers should anticipate the possibility of further schedule changes, cancellations and delays over the coming days while our aircraft are progressively returned to service,” it added.

AirBorneo advised passengers travelling during this period to check the status of their flights before heading to the airport.

The airline said its teams are working around the clock to minimise impact and are reaccommodating affected passengers on the earliest available alternative flights.

“We are committed to restoring our full schedule as quickly as it is safe to do so. We sincerely apologise to all affected passengers for the inconvenience caused,” it said.

“Affected passengers are being contacted directly and may also reach our Customer Care team at +608253 7555 (International) or 1 300 22 1388 (Local) or via airborneo.com/en/contact-us for the latest updates, rebooking and assistance.” — The Borneo Post

Johor polls: PAS to use own logo after severing ties with Bersatu

 

JOHOR BARU: PAS is expected to contest the upcoming Johor state election using its own logo as the party explores a new political alignment following its decision to sever ties with Bersatu.

State PAS commissioner Datuk Dr Mahfodz Mohamed said the party was currently discussing electoral cooperation with several political parties, but any arrangement would likely take the form of an electoral pact, with each party retaining its own symbol.

“PAS may use our logo, while the other parties will use their respective logos. Given the time constraints, it is not practical to establish a formal coalition at this stage,” he told reporters during a press conference held at Johor PAS office here on Tuesday (June 9) night.

Mahfodz said Johor PAS fully supported the decision made by the party’s central leadership to end its political relationship with Bersatu and would abide by any direction issued by the party headquarters.

He stressed that PAS would not contest the state election on its own, reiterating that the party was actively pursuing cooperation with several like-minded parties through an electoral understanding aimed at avoiding clashes in selected constituencies.

Mahfodz said negotiations on seat allocations would be handled by the PAS central leadership and discussions were ongoing with several parties, including Parti Bumiputera Perkasa Malaysia (Putra), Berjasa and others.

On cooperation with Umno, he said PAS remained sincere and open to rebuilding political unity, noting that the two parties had previously worked together under Muafakat Nasional. - Star