Kedah Umno calls for Parliament dissolution; Securities Commission keeps mum on AirAsia watchlist status

 

Politics

- Umno Kedah strategic communications director Syed Johan Rizal has called on Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to dissolve Parliament, saying DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke’s decision to offer his resignation as a transport minister has added to the country’s political turmoil.

Syed Johan (above) said the Madani government was “almost sinking” and could no longer be defended, warning that continued politicking could hurt the economy, damage Malaysia’s reputation abroad and further erode people’s quality of life.

He said Anwar (below) should end the country’s political turmoil at the “DAP move” by allowing voters to decide whether they want to continue with the Madani government.

Syed Johan also questioned why Loke was the only one who offered to resign while other DAP ministers, including Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming, remained in the cabinet.

He also questioned whether Loke’s offer was genuine or whether the DAP leader expected Anwar to reject his resignation.

AirAsia

- Securities Commission (SC) chairperson Faiz Azmi has reportedly declined to say whether low-cost carrier AirAsia is on the SC’s surveillance watchlist.

Faiz said the government had appointed consultants to review the airline’s finances, but he was not aware of any takeover plans.

AirAsia co-founder Tony Fernandes was reported as saying on Friday that there had been no discussions with the government and that the airline did not need a rescue or bailout.

El Nino contingency

- The SC plans to seek information from major companies on how they are preparing for a possibly prolonged El Niño, amid concerns that businesses may not be sufficiently prepared for extended heat and drought, Reuters reported.

According to the report, Faiz said the regulator would write to companies seeking details of their preparations and review their measures next year.

The exercise would also assess whether climate-risk disclosures made by companies are translating into actual preparedness. - Mkini