Ismail Sabri denies claims health ministry allowing Top Glove’s quarantined workers on site

 

Workers pictured outside a Top Glove factory in Meru, Klang, last Thursday.

PETALING JAYA: Senior Minister for Security Ismail Sabri Yaakob today dismissed suggestions that the health ministry is colluding with Top Glove, allowing the company to continue operating with workers who are under quarantine.

“Locals and foreigners under quarantine are not allowed to work until their second (Covid-19) test is negative and they are given home surveillance order (HSO) clearances,” he said during his daily press conference today.

“This answers a few issues that were raised by the general public who said that there is cooperation, supposedly, between the health ministry and Top Glove to allow those who have been tested to continue working as normal.

“That is not true. Those who are undergoing a 14-day quarantine are not allowed to work and they have to wear the quarantine wristband to show they are under quarantine.”

At a press conference last Wednesday, Ismail said Top Glove had already closed 27 of its 28 factories in Meru, Klang, to allow its workers to undergo screenings and mandatory quarantine to stem a spike in Covid-19 cases.

However, checks by local media last Thursday found dozens of workers leaving two of the company’s factories in Meru. Buses were also seen taking workers to and and from various factories and workers’ hostels in the area.

In response to the media reports, Top Glove said it was “in the process” of temporarily closing its factories in Meru, stopping short of confirming that the factories were indeed in operation.

Ismail also said that the enhanced movement control order (EMCO) at the Top Glove workers’ dormitories in Meru would be extended by 14 days until Dec 13.

The EMCO, which started on Nov 17 and was to end today, involves the male and female employees’ dormitories on Jalan Abadi 1A/KU8, Jalan Abadi 1A and Jalan Abadi 10A/KU8.

Ismail said that the health ministry had tested 5,805 of the factory workers thus far, with 3,406 testing positive.

“The risk assessment by the health ministry also found that the infection rate in the area is still high. New positive cases were detected among the workers when they were tested for the second time,” said Ismail.

“All the factory workers have to be tested by private clinics and monitored by the Klang district health office.” - FMT

Dr M denies Azmin’s claim that Perikatan Nasional was his idea

 

Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Azmin Ali worked together in the previous Pakatan Harapan administration.

PETALING JAYA: Dr Mahathir Mohamad has denied Senior Minister for Economy Azmin Ali’s claim that the setting up of Perikatan Nasional (PN) was his idea.

In a statement, Mahathir alleged that Azmin harbours ambition to become prime minister and that he is the de facto deputy prime minister in the current PN government under Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin.

“I have repeatedly explained that this is not true at all because the PN is made up of kleptocrats and backed by UMNO en bloc. If I planned it then why should I reject it when it became a reality. If I accept it I will definitely remain as prime minister as Azmin himself acknowledged it,” he said.

Mahathir said if there was anyone who would dare to leave Pakatan Harapan and form Perikatan Nasional it would definitely be Azmin as well as Muhyiddin Yassin, who would have most to gain.

“Do not forget that when all this happened, Azmin’s position in PKR and also PH was very shaky,” he said, referring to the internal division in PKR at the time, when Azmin was challenged by Rafizi Ramli, with the support of party leader Anwar Ibrahim, for the post of PKR deputy president.

Azmin was also under pressure over a gay sex video clip involving a former Sarawak PKR Youth leader. “Some of Anwar’s supporters are said to be involved in the dissemination of the video. Azmin’s position in PKR and his relationship with Anwar had become untenable or irreparable.” he said.

Mahathir said he understood why Azmin planned the “Sheraton Move”. He said Azmin wanted to stop Anwar from becoming prime minister.

“If PH had continued to be in power, Anwar would definitely have a chance of becoming prime minister. At the same time, Azmin also aspired to be prime minister. That is why he joined Muhyiddin and was placed by Muhyiddin as the de facto deputy prime minister.”

Azmin is one of four senior ministers in Muhyiddin’s cabinet and has been deputised to chair Cabinet meetings in Muhyiddin’s absence.

Yesterday, Azmin had claimed that the formation of Perikatan Nasional was Mahathir’s idea to ensure he would remain prime minister with the support of MPs from all parties.

Azmin said Mahathir’s resignation as prime minister had thrown the nation into a political crisis.

“If Tan Sri Muhyiddin didn’t act within that small window, someone else could have rushed to the palace and pressured the palace in order to become the prime minister. I would not have allowed that to happen,” he said. “The only option for me and Muhyiddin then was to leave Pakatan.”

Azmin later quit PKR. He subsequently joined PPBM. - FMT

Datuk, cop’s appeal over unlawful detention expedited to Dec 28

 

The Federal Court in Putrajaya will hear the appeals by two men detained under Poca over alleged online gambling activities.

PUTRAJAYA: The Federal Court has fixed Dec 28 to hear appeals by a “Datuk businessman” and a policeman who were remanded under the Prevention of Crime Act (Poca) in connection with an illegal online gambling syndicate.

Their lawyer Jacky Loi Yap Loong said the date was fixed during a case management before deputy registrar Suhaila Haron.

“We managed to get an early date as it involved the liberty of the detainees,” he said, adding that the appeal was earlier scheduled to be heard on Jan 4.

Loi said the Poca board had also made an order that the duo be under preventive detention for two years.

Senior Federal Counsel Muhammad Sinti represented the respondents, a Kuala Lumpur magistrate, investigating officer Khairul Fairoz Rodzuan, the inspector-general of police and the government.

The two are businessman Zaidi Kanapiah, better known as “Datuk Addy Kana”, and Corporal Mohd Hairy Mohammad.

The hearing date for another cop, Corporal Muhamad Amin Nur Rashid Mohamed Puad has yet to be fixed.

On Nov 2, High Court Judicial Commissioner Aslam Zainuddin dismissed the trio’s applications for a writ of habeas corpus for an immediate release.

In their application, they sought for an order that their respective arrests and detention on Oct 11, 2020, under Poca for alleged online gambling activities were illegal, had no basis and were not in compliance with procedure and mala fide.

On Oct 30, Magistrate M Mageswary allowed an application by the police to extend the remand period against the three for another 38 days until Dec 6.

They were previously remanded under Poca for 21 days from Oct 14. - FMT

Disgruntled with Anwar, Warisan MPs send 'signal' with bloc vote absence

 

Warisan lawmakers' absence from today’s bloc votes in the Dewan Rakyat was a deliberate move to display their frustration with opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim.

Following the opposition’s performance at last week’s Budget 2021 policy vote, Warisan now wants a “new leadership” to helm the front.

Earlier today, the votes on the budget allocations for the Prime Minister’s Department and the Finance Ministry saw them pass at the committee stage.

While both benches recorded absentees, all eight Warisan MPs were notably absent.

Speaking to Malaysiakini, party whip Rozman Isli (above) said he and his colleagues are in Kuala Lumpur but had decided to skip the voting sessions to “send a signal” to Pakatan Harapan.

“We are tired of what is going on with the opposition bloc.

“And so, for now, the decision is we don't want to join the bloc vote,” the Labuan MP said when contacted.

He added that Warisan representatives would continue to sit out on the bloc votes for an unstipulated time frame.

According to Rozman, they are upset at the persistent “infighting” that had cost Harapan the government.

They are also particularly frustrated with Anwar over the “last-minute instructions” issued to opposition lawmakers during last Thursday’s Budget 2021 policy-stage vote.

“Without making this kind of statement, it looks like our opposition does not realise there is a need for firm decisions.

“Like what happened last Thursday, we were given last minute notice and all that. It is frustrating.

“We are still in the opposition bloc but we want to send a signal to our opposition leadership that we don't want to be pushed around and I don't think they are doing the right strategy (or) the right moves,” Rozman added.

Harapan shocked the public as well as its own party members last week when its MPs largely refused to support a motion to conduct a bloc vote on Budget 2021 despite lambasting several proposals during the debate stage.

The vote would have revealed the exact number of MPs supporting Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin and whether he had a majority in the House.

Anwar later explained that Harapan did not want to appear to reject the latest budget, even though they were indeed against it.

The Port Dickson MP has been claiming, since September, that he has majority support of the House and presented his claim to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong on Oct 13.

'A new leadership is needed'

With today’s move, Rozman, who quit Umno back in October 2018 to join Warisan, said the party wants to pressure Harapan on the need of a “new leadership” as it was concerned about its electoral chances.

“Without a clear direction (and) without a clear unity, I don't think we would be able to compete in the next general election.

“So, before we face the real battle, we have to give some signal, (make) some moves to make sure everybody in the opposition starts to realise there is a need of a strong leadership in the opposition bloc,” he said.

“We are tired of the infighting and probably we would need a new leadership. There are many young leaders, be it in PKR, or any other party,” he elaborated, not wanting to state any name.

Harapan and its allies have been embroiled in a leadership tussle ever since its government collapsed in February.

PKR has insisted that its president remains the front’s prime minister candidate while Warisan previously backed Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

Aside from Rozman, the other Warisan MPs who were absent this afternoon were Shafie Apdal (Semporna), Darell Leiking (Penampang), Isnaraissah Munirah Fakharudy (Kota Belud), Azis Jamman (Sepanggar), Ma’mun Sulaiman (Kalabakan), Ahmad Hassan (Papar) and Mohamaddin Ketapi (Lahad Datu).

Other opposition MPs absent from both votes were Chow Kon Yeow (Tanjung), Christina Liew (Tawau), Masir Kujat (Sri Aman) and Awang Husaini Sahari (Putatan).

The five government MPs absent today were Najib Abdul Razak (Pekan), Zahid Hamidi (Bagan Datuk), Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah (Gua Musang), Richard Riot Jaem (Serian) and Willie Mongin (Puncak Borneo).

 - Mkini

Covid-19 (Nov 30): 1,212 new cases, 3 deaths

 

COVID-19 | The Health Ministry reported 1,212 new Covid-19 cases as of noon today and three deaths. 

The Klang Valley region reported the highest number of new infections (43 percent) followed by Sabah (26.9 percent).

Slightly over three quarters of cases in Selangor stemmed from existing clusters or close contact screening, said Health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah.

Leading indicators:

• Active cases: 10,578 ↓ (903 less than the previous day)

• Patients in ICU: 113 ↓ (3 less than the previous day)

• Intubated patients: 42 (unchanged)

• Deaths: 3

All three deaths reported involved comorbidity. One victim was only 22 years old. 

The cumulative death toll for Sabah had reached 211 or 58.61 percent of the national total (360).

Details of the three deceased are as follows:

Patient 25,507 - Malaysian male, 66, passed away at the Sultanah Bahiyah Hospital in Kedah.

Patient 49,644 - Malaysian male, 58, passed away at the Labuan Hospital in Sabah.

Patient 56,760 - Malaysian male, 22, passed away at the Lahad Datu Hospital in Sabah.

Of today's cases, nine were imported. Malacca, Terengganu and Perlis did not report any new transmissions.

A breakdown of the new cases are as follows:

Selangor (402)
- Existing clusters: 204
- New clusters (Jalan Lapan and Batu Sembilan): 9
- Close contacts: 95
- Import cases: 4
- Other screenings: 90

Sabah (326) 
- Existing clusters: 111
- Close contacts: 146
- Other screenings: 69

Negeri Sembilan (141)
- Existing clusters: 125
- Close contacts: 6
- Other screenings: 10

Kuala Lumpur (119)
- Existing clusters: 84
- New cluster (Jalan Lapan): 10
- Close contacts: 6
- Import cases: 5
- Other screenings: 14

Penang (60)
- Existing clusters: 52
- Close contacts: 6
- Other screenings: 2

Johor (54)
- Existing clusters: 35
- Close contacts: 11
- Other screenings: 8

Perak (43)
- Existing clusters: 42
- Close contacts: 1

Kedah (31)
- Existing clusters: 24
- Close contacts: 4
- Other screenings: 3

Labuan (30)
- Existing clusters: 5
- Close contacts: 10
- Other screenings: 15

Sarawak (2)
- Other screenings: 2

Pahang (2)
- Other screenings: 2

Kelantan (1)
- Existing cluster: 1

Putrajaya (1)
- Existing cluster: 1

There are currently 181 active Covid-19 clusters in the country of which 41 saw in an increase in cases today.

The three clusters which saw the highest increase were the Perigi cluster (153), Bintang cluster (71) and Cergas cluster (66). All three either involved factories or construction sites.

The Health Ministry has classified three new clusters today.

The Jalan Lapan cluster involved the Hulu Langat district in Selangor and the Cheras, Kepong, Titiwangsa and Lembah Pantai districts in Kuala Lumpur.

This cluster has 25 cases so far and the index case was diagnosed on Nov 25 after developing symptoms.

The Batu Sembilan cluster involved the Kuala Langat, Klang, Petaling and Kuala Selangor districts in Selangor. This cluster has 19 cases so far and the index case was diagnosed on Nov 24 after developing symptoms.

The Nibong cluster involved the Johor Bahru district in Johor where the index case reported symptoms and was diagnosed on Nov 28. So far, 10 cases have been attributed to this cluster.

 

- Mkini

KLIA uses the latest UV sterilisation technology in toilets

 

COVID-19 | The Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) has introduced the latest ultraviolet disinfection technology to its toilets to curb the spread of Covid-19.

Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) group CEO Mohd Shukrie Mohd Salleh said it has been implemented through the use of an automated device known as an Ultraviolet Chamber (UVC), which produces ultraviolet light that kills airborne pathogens.

“Installation of the UVC has been completed for 24 toilets and will continue in phases over the next few months.

“Airport safety is among the highest concerns among our airport guests, so it is crucial for us to keep exploring new ways to allay these concerns,” he said in a statement today.

Shukrie said the low travel period has enabled the fast installation of the UVC, which is part of a toilet refurbishment initiative with minimum disruption to airport operations.

“The new toilets have been benchmarked against other world-class design concepts to provide the best and safest passenger experience.

“With these new toilets, we hope to continue scaling up our service delivery quality, maintaining high hygiene standards and improving passenger satisfaction,” he added.

Toilet refurbishment was identified as one of MAHB’s mission-critical projects and was carried out since June 2017 for 225 toilets. It continued apace despite aggressive cost-containment measures.

The project is currently in its final phase for 94 toilets and is expected to be completed in June next year.

Shukrie said that out of this total, 22 newly-refurbished toilets will be opened in December this year.

Recently, KLIA2 won the top spot in the “Public Transport Stop” category of the national-level Public Toilet Competition organised by the Housing and Local Government Ministry in conjunction with World Toilet Day 2020.

The achievement was replicated by the Sultan Ismail Petra Airport in Kota Bharu, Kelantan, when it came out on top in the Kelantan Clean Public Toilet Competition, organised for "Hari Kelantanku Bersih 2020".

- Bernama

Enhanced MCO at Top Glove's Klang workers' dormitory extended

 

The enhanced movement control order in the workers' dormitory of rubber glove manufacturer Top Glove in Klang has been extended for another two weeks until Dec 14, Senior Minister (Security Cluster) Ismail Sabri Yaakob announced.

This came as Covid-19 cases among the workers were still high and there were positive cases being detected in the second tests, he told a press conference today.

A total of 3,406 Covid-19 positive cases were recorded at Top Glove factories, he said.

As such, he said, the National Security Council decided at a special meeting today to extend full lockdown for another two weeks, from Dec 1 to 14.

The minister also denied the allegations of some critics that the Health Ministry was "cooperating" with Top Glove in allowing workers who were under the quarantine order to continue working.

This is because, Ismail Sabri said, the Top Glove workers are placed under a 14-day quarantine after their first tests are conducted, with non-citizen workers sent to a quarantine centre while Malaysian workers would have to undergo quarantine at home.

[More to follow] - Mkini