Charity begins at home – but not in Anwar’s Malaysia

 

GOOD news, Malaysians! Your rural schools may be falling apart, your hospitals might not have enough doctors, and your elderly pensioners could be living below the poverty line – but don’t worry, because Malaysia is building a school, hospital, and mosque…in Gaza!

Yes, in case you missed it, our very generous Madani Government has decided to help in rebuilding efforts in a war zone in collaboration with the private sector while our own rakyat struggle to get by.

Former international trade and industry minister Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz said it best on her social media posting: “Helping Gaza is commendable, but can we first fix Malaysia before playing hero on the world stage?”

The destruction in Gaza is heartbreaking. The humanitarian crisis is real. But Rafidah raised a crucial point – Gaza is on disputed land. Buildings get destroyed, rebuilt, then destroyed again.

Until there’s a permanent resolution to the conflict, what guarantees do we have that Malaysian taxpayers’ money won’t go up in smoke the next time bombs fall?

Meanwhile, back home, Malaysia’s rural schools are literally crumbling. Some still have no proper roofs. Students in Sabah and Sarawak cross dangerous rivers just to get to class. Shouldn’t we prioritise Malaysians first? After all, charity begins at home.

And let’s talk about hospitals. Walk into any government hospital today, and you’ll see patients waiting hours for treatment due to a shortage of doctors. But don’t worry, because we’re building a hospital in Gaza!

Oh, and many pensioners are living below the poverty line. Let’s fix that first before we repatriate our money abroad.

This isn’t just about money – it’s about political priorities. Is Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim doing this because he truly believes in helping Gaza, or is this about securing Malaysia’s image as a champion of the Muslim world?

Is it a diplomatic flex to impress the Arab world? Because if the government wants to help the Palestinians without burdening taxpayers, Rafidah’s suggestion makes perfect sense: Set up a special humanitarian fund, invite private donations, and make it tax-exempt.

Let Malaysians contribute voluntarily instead of making all taxpayers foot the bill when many are struggling at home.

What’s truly frustrating is the double standard. The government jumps at the chance to announce grand international commitments, but when it comes to domestic problems, the urgency is almost non-existent.

When it comes to rising food prices, the government assures us they are “working on it” which, in reality, often means they have no real solution.

Public transport breakdowns are met with the usual promise of an investigation, but commuters already know what that means – nothing will change. As for corruption, leaders loudly declare their commitment to reforms, yet time and time again, no one is truly held accountable.

But when it’s Gaza? “We will rebuild!” No debate, no hesitation, as Anwar positions Malaysia as a “global saviour”!

This is not about turning our backs on Gaza. They deserve every bit of help they can get. But why is it so hard for our leaders to prioritise Malaysians?

If our government was as quick to solve our own problems as it is to announce overseas initiatives, maybe, just maybe, Malaysia wouldn’t be in such a mess.

Johan Abu Bakar is a Focus Malaysia viewer.

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

- Focus Malaysia.

It’s not haram when PAS does it, netizens say

 

JUST about a months ago, there has been the brouhaha about wishing people a Merry Christmas and the possible “haramness” attached to it.

Now with the Chinese New Year with all that lion, polytheism, and symbols contrary to the Islamic faith, surely PAS would do well not to be associated with it.

In a post on X by netizen JOKER, Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang  could be seen with former prime minister Tan Sri Muhiddin Yassin celebrating Chinese New Year.

Unsurprisingly, the photo had gotten tongues wagging, especially from the online community.

A good many of them pointed out that it was “halal” when PAS does it, but when it was someone else, it is “haram.”

Netizen Dewa Said also said that there were no Malay words written in the background, alluding to the Chinese signboard incident some time back. 

On the other hand, Pakmat Propa said it was alright that the Chinese New Year was not a religious celebration, but the celebration of a new year according to the beliefs of the Chinese, unlike Christmas. 

Another netizen further justified PAS’ actions, saying that it is not superstitious to celebrate the festival another race. 

Write Station Tech also asked if it was okay to accept ang pau from a Chinese boss.

Hadi and Muhiddin went on to work on the yee sang, to which another netizen claimed that they previously said was forbidden.

Note that this was in Jan 2023, when they attended Perikatan Nasional’s Chinese New Year open House in Cheras with Gerakan President Dominic Lau.

Several days ago, however, PAS also used its Chinese New Year greetings to call for continued dialogue.

To recap, PAS secretary-general Takiyuddin Hassan stated that such discussions are crucial in addressing actions or tendencies that could undermine the core values of Malaysian society, particularly in interfaith relations. 

He also emphasised that celebrations like the Chinese New Year symbolise harmony and unity in a nation rich in diverse cultures, beliefs, and backgrounds. — Focus Malaysia

Was Malaysia the most-visited ASEAN country last year?

 

I REFER to the report “Malaysia is the most-visited ASEAN nation in 2024 with 38 million foreign arrivals”, and Tourism, Arts & Culture Minister Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing explaining that last year alone, Malaysia welcomed 38 million tourists – far exceeding the target of 27.3 million visitors.

He said in a statement “We have already reached 38 million tourists last year, so it’s time to review the target for TMM 2026. If we stick to 36 million, it would be lower than our current achievement”.

He added that the ministry wants to set a more realistic target that can bring greater economic benefits to the country through the tourism sector. Alongside increasing visitor numbers, MOTAC aims to boost tourism revenue, targeting at least RM150 bil.

The report went on to say that Malaysia’s remarkable performance in 2024 places it ahead of regional tourism powerhouse Thailand, which recorded 35.54 million foreign tourists, despite Bangkok retaining its title as the world’s most-visited city and Kuala Lumpur ranking 10th.

The report then compared ASEAN international tourist arrivals for 2024 with Malaysia (38m) and Thailand (35.54m), Vietnam (17.5m), Singapore (>15.3m), Indonesia (>12.66m), Cambodia (6.7m), the Philippines (5.43m), Laos (>5m) and Myanmar (>0.9m).

Figures for Singapore, Indonesia, Laos and Myanmar are only for the first 11 months of 2024. Brunei’s statistics have not been disclosed. Providing statistics and quoting from the highest source, the report appears authoritative.

But there is a fundamental flaw. For many years, I have written several published articles explaining the need to understand basic tourism terms such as tourists, visitors and excursionists, but the media and tourism personnel continued to interchange them freely.

(Image: Bernama)

And now, our country may be the laughing stock in Southeast Asian tourism, even though Malaysia has assumed the ASEAN Chair in 2025. In our eagerness to surpass Thailand’s tourism, which is unlikely, we were too hasty to declare success for our efforts.

Perhaps, I am partly to blame for probably being the first to coin and use the term ‘visitor arrivals’. Over the past decades, ‘tourist arrivals’ was used internationally. As Tourism Malaysia had also published ‘excursionist arrivals’, I combined the figures to produce ‘visitor arrivals’.

In 2019, there were 26.1m tourist arrivals and 8.9m excursionist arrivals, making a total of 35m visitor arrivals. A year ago, I wrote that Malaysia recorded almost 29m visitor arrivals for 2023, and they comprised 20,141,846 foreign tourists and 8,822,462 foreign excursionists.

Three days later, a Vietnamese newspaper published “Malaysia beats Thailand to become most visited in Southeast Asia” based on the heading of my article. In 2023, Thailand recorded 28.15 million tourist arrivals.

Malaysia is likely to receive around 24.5m tourist arrivals last year compared to Thailand’s 34.54m. Our targets for tourist arrivals were 27.4m in 2024, 31.4m in 2025 and 35.6m in 2026.

We fell short of last year’s tourist arrivals target and may have to revise down this year’s target. Instead, the minister is planning to up the ante based on false narrative or poor understanding of visitor arrival figures. 

YS Chan is master trainer for Mesra Malaysia and Travel and Tours Enhancement Course and an Asean Tourism Master Trainer. He is also a tourism and transport business consultant.

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

- Focus Malaysia.

Adverse weather causes shortage of coconuts for Thaipusam

 

GEORGE TOWN: A coconut supplier in Penang is facing significant financial loss, amounting to tens of thousands of ringgit, due to an inability to meet demand for the upcoming Thaipusam festival.

P. Sarasvathy, 66, who is the main supplier of coconuts for the festival in the state, attributes the shortage to the prolonged rainy season resulting in poor yield on three leased plantations in Perak - Bagan Datoh, Pantai Remis, and Kuala Bernam.

"In previous years, I could supply between 80,000 to 100,000 coconuts for Thaipusam. But this year, I am unable to meet the demand," said Sarasvathy.

She expressed frustration over the situation, noting that the shortfall is not only impacting her but also Hindu devotees who are struggling to find the commodity for the traditional ritual of breaking coconuts during Thaipusam, which is on Feb 11.

"I am not taking any orders at all this year. Many customers, including regulars, have called to place orders, but I had to turn them down," she said at her premises in Lorong Abu Siti.

Sarasvathy, who has been in the coconut supply business for over 40 years alongside her husband, A. Anbarasan, 71, noted that this is the first time they have encountered such a dilemma.

Sarasvathy explained that, typically, two weeks before Thaipusam, her six employees would be fully engaged in preparing orders. However, this year, the situation is drastically different.

The mother of three said the issue first became apparent in May of last year when she observed a significant decline in coconut production leading to the current shortage.

"In the past, we could harvest 10,000 to 15,000 coconuts every two days, but now we only manage to gather 2,000 to 2,500. I even attempted to source coconuts from wholesalers in Kelantan, but they too informed me that their supply was insufficient," she said.

As a result, she explained that the available supply is now limited to covering the daily needs of the coconut milk shops she operates in Jelutong and Taiping, Perak, as well as several other regular customers on the island.

Sarasvathy will be supplying 18,000 coconuts to the Arulmigu Balathandayuthabani Temple on Jalan Kebun Bunga, as she is the primary supplier for the temple for Thaipusam.

"The trees appear healthy, yet the yield has significantly decreased. I’m at a loss as it has never occurred before," Sarasvathy said, adding that her plantation consists of around 420,000 trees.

Meanwhile, Penang Consumers Association (CAP) education officer N.V. Subbarow said that his recent survey revealed a widespread shortage of coconuts, leading to a sharp rise in prices.

"Currently, local coconuts are priced at RM3.90 each, up from RM1.90 in 2024, while imported ones from Indonesia are selling for RM3," he said, calling on the government to regulate prices, particularly during Thaipusam, when demand surges.

Subbarow also advised Hindu devotees to reduce the number of coconuts used in the traditional ritual to prevent waste.

Regarding the decline in yields, Subbarow suggested that the weather could be a contributing factor and urged relevant agencies, such as the Department of Agriculture, to take action to address the health of the crop and help normalise yields. - Bernama

100pct tariffs on Brics countries if they create new currency: Trump

US President Donald Trump said he will impose 100 percent tariffs on Brics countries if they create a new currency, reported Sputnik/RIA Novosti.

“The idea that the Brics countries are trying to move away from the dollar, while we stand by and watch, is over.

“We are going to require a commitment from these seemingly hostile countries that they will neither create a new Brics currency, nor back any other currency to replace the US dollar or, they will face 100 percent tariffs, and should expect to say goodbye to selling into the US economy,” Trump said on Truth Social.

He said there is no chance that the US dollar could be replaced in international trade.

“There is no chance that Brics will replace the US dollar in international trade, or anywhere else, and any country that tries should say hello to tariffs, and goodbye to America!” Trump wrote.

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Earlier reports said the Brics countries discussed the possibility of expanding settlements in national currencies and creating a common currency within the bloc, but no final decisions were made on the issue.

Brics is an interstate association created in 2006 by Russia, China, India, and Brazil. South Africa joined in 2011, and several other countries have joined since the beginning of 2024.

- Bernama