Govt, Syed Saddiq reach agreement in principle to restore Muar allocations

 

The government and Muar MP Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman have agreed in principle to settle amicably a dispute over the withdrawal of funds allocated to his constituency, the Federal Court heard today.

According to his lawyer Lim Wei Jiet, the applicants and respondents reached an agreement yesterday to resolve this dispute.

"Among the matters agreed upon is the government's reinstatement of the RM500,000 allocation for 2023, as well as RM230,300 for specific projects under MyKhas," the New Straits Times quoted him as saying.

The MyKhas portal manages parliamentary allocations and is overseen by the Implementation Coordination Unit under the Prime Minister's Department.

Lim also represents three Muar voters who filed the suit alongside the MP - Najib Abu Nawar, Bakirudin Abdullah, and Fadzly Bisri.

They are now reportedly working out the most suitable and detailed way to formally record the settlement terms in court.

Lim said the applicants also asked for a case management date, so the court could record a consent judgment once the details were finalised.

The Federal Court’s three-judge panel led by Chief Judge of Sabah and Sarawak Azizah Nawawi then fixed Dec 7 for both sides to report back on how the allocations will be channelled to the constituency.

The other presiding judges were Nazlan Ghazali and Collin Lawrence Sequerah.

Order of certiorari

Syed Saddiq, a former youth and sports minister, filed the lawsuit on April 23, 2024, with the three Muar voters.

The former Muda president asked the court for an order of certiorari to quash the alleged decision to cut off his access to the MyKhas system, which handled his application for a RM2 million allocation for Muar. The respondents were the federal government and the prime minister.

In his affidavit, Syed Saddiq claimed the decision came straight after Muda pulled out of the coalition government on Sept 10, 2023.

The High Court dismissed his application and that of the three voters on Dec 24, 2024.

On Oct 27 last year, the Court of Appeal rejected their appeal to begin judicial review proceedings over the government’s decision to stop the allocations to the constituency.

However, on March 10 this year, the Federal Court allowed their appeal against the Court of Appeal’s decision. - Mkini

Caltex, Petron begin goodwill payments to motorists over RON95 engine damage - minister

 

PARLIAMENT | Petron and Chevron, which operates the Caltex brand, have begun making goodwill payments to motorists whose vehicles suffered engine damage following complaints of contaminated RON95 petrol, the Dewan Rakyat was told today.

Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Minister Armizan Ali said the compensation measures were initiated on a goodwill basis for verified complaints while investigations into the incidents continued.

“Caltex and Petron have initiated customer recovery programmes offering compensation on a goodwill basis based on established criteria, without any admission of wrongdoing or liability at this stage.

“Payments will be made to customers who have submitted complete complaints with valid supporting documents,” he said during Ministers' Question Time.

The minister was responding to Abdul Latiff Abdul Rahman (PN-Kuala Krai), who sought the Chemistry Department's findings on RON95 samples collected from five states and oil depots, as well as measures to restore consumer confidence and compensate affected motorists.

On the investigation, Armizan said preliminary analysis of 43 petrol samples by the Chemistry Department had found no evidence of water contamination.

He said an initial report dated Oct 29 showed water content below 0.05 percent, the laboratory’s minimum reportable detection limit.

“The remaining samples are still being analysed, and a full report will be issued once the department completes its tests.“The immediate focus was on detecting water contamination, but none has been found so far. We are now examining the possible presence of other foreign substances and the fuel formulation during the period concerned,” he said.

Not isolated cases

Armizan said 262 RON95 petrol samples had been collected from eight states and three oil company depots since complaints first emerged on Oct 3.

Both companies also sent samples to their own laboratories, including those overseas, for further testing.

“Although the findings are not yet conclusive, the issue does not appear to affect the entire supply chain but rather fuel supplied during a specific period,” he said.

Armizan stressed that the incidents were not being treated as isolated cases, despite being concentrated in certain locations and periods, particularly in Kedah and Penang.

He said some affected petrol stations remained closed.

To prevent similar incidents, the ministry was benchmarking Malaysia's fuel quality standards and supply chain monitoring practices against those of Singapore, the United Kingdom and Australia.

Armizan said motorists dissatisfied with the compensation offered could pursue other avenues, including lodging formal complaints with the ministry, filing civil suits or referring their cases to the Tribunal for Consumer Claims Malaysia.

- Bernama

Tealive lancar teh soda prebiotik sedia diminum pertama di Malaysia

 Sparkling Prebiotic Tea Soda menawarkan empat perisa berasaskan teh dan buah-buahan, sebagai sebahagian usaha Tealive mengembangkan pasarannya.

Menteri Perdagangan Dalam Negeri dan Kos Sara Hidup Armizan Mohd Ali merasmikan Sparkling Prebiotic Tea Soda yang dikeluarkan Tealive. (Gambar Facebook)

KUALA LUMPUR:

Tealive melancarkan Sparkling Prebiotic Tea Soda, rangkaian teh soda prebiotik dalam tin yang menurut syarikat itu pertama di Malaysia dalam format sedia diminum (RTD)

Pelancaran itu menandakan langkah Tealive memperluas perniagaannya daripada minuman yang disediakan mengikut pesanan di kedai kepada pasaran RTD.

Majlis pelancaran disempurnakan Menteri Perdagangan Dalam Negeri dan Kos Sara Hidup Armizan Mohd Ali, yang menyambut baik usaha jenama tempatan memperkenalkan produk baharu serta meneroka peluang pasaran di peringkat serantau dan antarabangsa.

Pengasas dan Ketua Pegawai Eksekutif Loob Holding Sdn Bhd, Bryan Loo, berkata pengenalan produk itu selaras dengan perubahan cita rasa pengguna yang mahukan lebih banyak pilihan minuman berasaskan teh.

“Teh sentiasa menjadi sebahagian daripada identiti Tealive, namun cara pengguna menikmatinya terus berkembang.

“Tealive Sparkling membolehkan kami memperkenalkan cara baharu menikmati teh yang digemari ramai dengan tambahan kesegaran dan karbonasi,” katanya dalam kenyataan.

Menurut Loo, syarikat itu mahu meneroka potensi teh dalam kategori minuman berbeza, bukan sekadar menghasilkan satu lagi produk berkarbonat.

“Matlamat kami bukan sekadar menghasilkan satu lagi minuman berkarbonat. Kami sebaliknya mahu melihat sejauh mana teh boleh diterokai dan dinikmati dalam bentuk yang berbeza,” katanya.

Tealive Sparkling menggabungkan teh yang dibru sejuk, jus buah sebenar dan karbonasi ringan, selain mengandungi prebiotik serta tidak menggunakan pewarna tiruan.

Rangkaian itu menawarkan empat perisa, iaitu Passion Fruit Pineapple Tea, Lychee Oolong Tea, White Peach White Tea dan Apple Lemon Oolong Tea.

Produk berkenaan kini boleh didapati di cawangan terpilih 7-Eleven, Econsave, Jaya Grocer, Village Grocer, Petron, BilaBila Mart dan The Food Merchant, selain platform e-dagang Tealive. - FMT

Show us proof of cancelled rural projects, Rayer tells Zahid

 The Jelutong MP presses the deputy prime minister to produce the letter that states the projects have been cancelled.

Jelutong MP RSN Rayer questioned why deputy prime minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi had made the claim, which he said had angered MPs from Sabah and Sarawak.

KUALA LUMPUR:

RSN Rayer (PH-Jelutong) has demanded that deputy prime minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi (BN-Bagan Datuk) produce the letter which states rural development projects in Sabah and Sarawak have been cancelled.

“Where is the letter that said the projects in Sabah and Sarawak have been stopped? I request an explanation. Don’t play games here,” he said during the debate on the rural and regional development ministry’s budget in the Dewan Rakyat.

Rayer was referring to Zahid’s statement on Tuesday where the deputy prime minister said he had documentary proof of the cancellations, despite the finance ministry’s insistence that no projects for which letters of acceptance had already been issued were cancelled.

The dispute began on Oct 26, when Zahid, who is also rural and regional development minister, told the Dewan Rakyat that some projects approved for 2026 were shelved on the orders of the rural and regional development ministry’s secretary-general, although funds had been allocated.

He said that even letters of acceptance issued to contractors had been cancelled.

However, finance minister II Amir Hamzah Azizan said the government had only postponed issuing new letters until outstanding payments to contractors were settled, maintaining that no letters already issued had been cancelled.

Rayer questioned why Zahid had made the claim, saying it had angered MPs from Sabah and Sarawak.

“Why did Bagan Datuk make such a reckless statement in this House?” he asked, again questioning whether Zahid was attempting to sabotage the government. Zahid denied the allegation earlier this week.

Rayer insisted he was raising the matter on his own initiative and not at anyone’s behest. “If we want to be friends, we must be sincere. Don’t hide things and stab one another in the back,” he said.

On Tuesday, Zahid said his remarks on the postponement or cancellation of the letters of acceptance for the projects were accurate and that he was prepared to produce documentary evidence of the official directive. - FMT

US election shows importance of rejecting racial prejudice, says PM

 Anwar Ibrahim cites Democrat Abdul El-Sayed’s victory in Michigan as an example of how political participation can transcend racial and religious differences.

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said Democrat Abdul El-Sayed’s victory in Michigan demonstrated how rejecting racial prejudice could become a powerful message for political change. (Bernama pic)

MELAKA:

The historic election of the first Muslim to the US Senate should serve as a lesson for all on the importance of rejecting racial prejudice and religious discrimination, says Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.

He cited Democrat Abdul El-Sayed’s victory in Michigan as an example of how political participation could transcend racial and religious differences.

Anwar said the victory reflected growing political acceptance of diversity and demonstrated that democracy should provide opportunities for people of all backgrounds, rather than be driven by racial sentiment.

“They understand democracy and reject racism. Those who defeated President Donald Trump’s Republican Party in the US are people who oppose racism.

“They campaigned against racism and religious oppression, bringing a new message. When racism gains ground, Muslims and other minorities are the ones who suffer,” he said at the Melaka Madani Aspirations Tour programme for the Klebang constituency at Taman Bukit Rambai here.

El-Sayed, a Democrat, won Michigan’s Senate seat in the US midterm elections, becoming the first Muslim elected to the Senate.

Anwar said the victory demonstrated how rejecting racial prejudice could become a powerful message for political change.

However, he stressed that Malaysia need not emulate the US political model, as the country had its own identity as a prosperous, multiracial nation. - FMT

Puncak Alam UiTM hit by floods

 

Kampung Johan Setia and Taman Seri Alam in Saujana Utama were also affected by floodwaters.

Heavy rain late this afternoon caused water levels to rise near the Puncak Alam campus of Universiti Teknologi Mara in Kuala Selangor.

PETALING JAYA:

Several areas near the Puncak Alam campus of Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) in Kuala Selangor were hit by flash floods this afternoon.

This followed heavy rain late this afternoon, causing water levels to rise and disrupt traffic, Bernama reported.

Several users on the Threads social networking application shared updates on the flood situation at the campus.

A Threads user, nis0piee, uploaded several videos showing the campus bus waiting area flooded up to calf level, saying it was their first time experiencing such flooding.

Another user, afiqqqdaniel, uploaded a video showing muddy water overflowing onto a road, believed to be on campus.

User nabiq65 also shared two videos showing a flash flood in an area believed to be near the faculty of built environment at UiTM.

A video shared by Zamron Mat on Facebook showed a person saying that Taman Sri Alam, Saujana Utama in Sungai Buloh, was also affected, with water spilling onto main roads.

Selangor fire and rescue department operations assistant director Ashrul Riezal Asbar said a team from the Bestari station was en route to the scene.

He said in Kampung Johan Setia, water levels reached about 0.3m and entered several homes, but no evacuations were carried out.

At the Puncak Alam UiTM kindergarten, floodwaters had receded by the time firefighters arrived at 5.26pm, Ashrul added.

He said checks at Taman Seri Alam revealed the residential area was hit by flash floods as a result of heavy rain and an overflow from a nearby retention pond. Water levels were estimated at 0.3m. - FMT