Paper Buruk

KUALA LUMPUR -- The death of popular TV personality and emcee  Datuk Mahadzir Lokman, 61, early this morning has been described as a big lost to the local broadcasting industry.   Popularly known as Dato Dale, news of his death shocked many, especially his close friends and local artistes who today shared their memories of him on the social media.   A close friend Farel Gafar, 31, told Bernama he was shocked and saddened over the death of a very good person.   "The last time I met him was just before he left for Sabah. I noticed that of late, Mahadzir often spent a lot of time with close friends at his home," he said.   Popular singer Datuk Seri Siti Nurhaliza Tarudin also shared the sad news on her Instagram  account by uploading a photograph of Mahadzir.   "There are many memories with him, one was when he was host at a concert in the Royal Albert Hall, London. He always liked to impart knowledge and was a kind person," she said. ...

SHAH ALAM -- The Barisan Nasional (BN) has decided to skip the Seri Setia state by-election to allow fellow opposition party PAS to contest the seat.   BN deputy chairman Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan said today it was BN's way of returning the favour for PAS having stayed away from the Sungai Kandis state by-election, polling for which is tomorrow.   "This could be the start of an understanding between the two parties as a new political strategy in the New Malaysia of today. BN will work hard all the same in the Seri Setia by-election...I myself will go down to the ground to help the PAS candidate," he said at a press conference at the Kota Raja UMNO Division office here.   The Seri Setia seat became vacant after the assemblyman, Prof Dr Shaharuddin Badaruddin of PKR, died of colon cancer yesterday.   The by-election for Seri Setia is the third in Selangor since the general election in May. The first is for Sungai Kandis, polling for which is tomorrow. The Su...

BACHOK -- A teacher, whose 15-year-old daughter went missing more than three months ago after she was believed to have run away with her boyfriend, is seeking the help of the authorities to locate the girl and bring her home. Mohd Samuddin Mat Salleh, 50, who had lodged a missing report on her daughter last April 26, said he believed his daughter, Mirsya Saffiyah, had been taken to South Thailand, based on a telephone number used by the girl when she contacted him last July 25. "It was a brief call which lasted not even a minute. She said she wanted to come home, but did not know where she was, and then the call got disconnected," he told reporters, Bernama report.. Mohd Samuddin said he suspected his daughter to have left home with a 19-year-old man, whom she befriended when she was in Form One. He had run away with my daughter in 2016, but with the help of the police, my daughter was found, he saiid, adding that the suspect had family members ...

SHAH ALAM -- Calon PKR bagi Pilihan Raya Kecil (PRK) Dewan Undangan Negeri (DUN) Sungai Kandis, Mohd Zawawi Ahmad Mughni mencabar Datuk Lokman Noor Adam supaya membuktikan dakwaan bahawa pihaknya menggunakan politik wang untuk meraih sokongan pengundi. Mohd Zawawi berkata calon BN itu perlu memastikan dakwaan yang dilemparkannya itu bukan cerita kosong semata-mata untuk mendapatkan sokongan pengundi di kawasan tersebut. “Saya bukannya macam dia (Lokman Noor), saya orang kecil tidak banyak harta. Saya berpegang pada prinsip bebas rasuah dan politik wang serta perkara lain yang sewaktu dengannya. “Sila buktikan dakwaan itu dan saya bersedia pada bila-bila masa untuk beri kerjasama kepada SPR (Suruhanjaya Pilihan Raya) dan SPRM (Suruhanjaya Pencegahan Rasuah Malaysia),” katanya dalam sidang media bersempena hari terakhir kempen PRK, lapor Bernama. Lokman Noor semalam menggesa SPR dan SPRM memantau kempen jentera PKR pada saat-saat terakhir kem...

SHAH ALAM -- Proses pengambilalihan Syarikat Pengeluar Air Sungai Selangor Sdn Bhd (SPLASH) yang sudah lama tertangguh akhirnya selesai apabila syarikat konsesi itu secara prinsipal bersetuju menerima nilai tawaran pengambilalihan syarikat itu oleh Pengurusan Air Selangor Sdn Bhd (Air Selangor) berjumlah RM2.55 bilion, kata Menteri Besar Amirudin Shari. Beliau berkata nilai tawaran untuk mengambil alih syarikat konsesi itu dicapai berikutan rundingan selama hampir setahun yang berlangsung antara pihak Air Selangor dan SPLASH Holdings. "Pengambilalihan ini tidak membabitkan apa-apa peruntukan kewangan daripada dana Kerajaan Negeri Selangor dan telah distrukturkan dengan pembayaran secara jangka panjang. "Ini membolehkan Air Selangor beroperasi dengan tahap perbelanjaan kos operasi yang munasabah, sekali gus memastikan kadar tarif air yang tidak membebankan rakyat," katanya, lapor Bernama. Turut hadir Ketua Pegawai Eksekutif Air Selangor Suhaimi...

SIBU -- Polis Sibu sedang giat mengesan seorang lelaki yang dipercayai boleh membantu menyelesaikan kes pembunuhan pembantu pendaftar di Jabatan Pendaftaran Negara (JPN) Nurnia Azalea Priscilla Edward. Lelaki tersebut dikenali sebagai Philip Uja, awal 40-an berasal dari daerah yang sama dengan mangsa iaitu Kanowit dan mereka saling mengenali. Siasatan awal kami mendapati lelaki itu dilihat berada di kawasan rumah di mana mangsa menyewa pada malam sebelum mangsa dijumpai mati petang semalam, kata Ketua Polis Daerah Sibu ACP Stanley Jonathan Ringgit. Bercakap kepada pemberita di Balai Polis Sentral Sibu beliau berkata, pihaknya masih belum mendapat gambaran jelas mengenai hubungan lelaki itu dengan mangsa namun katanya rakan-rakan mangsa memberitahu mangsa pernah menyatakan lelaki itu pernah berjumpa dengannya. Katanya, jiran mangsa yang tinggal di tingkat atas rumah sewa tersebut di Jalan Tiong Hua di sini ada terdengar jeritan wanita pada lebih kurang pukul...

KUALA LUMPUR -- Khazanah Nasional Bhd has appointed Datuk Shahril Ridza Ridzuan as its new Managing Director.   He is scheduled to report for duty on Aug 20, 2018, said the sovereign wealth fund in a statement today.   Shahril, 48, is currently the Chief Executive Officer of the Employees Provident Fund (EPF), having been appointed to the position on April 16, 2013. He was previously Deputy Chief Executive Officer (Investment).   Prior to joining the EPF, he was the Managing Director of Malaysian Resources Corporation Bhd, where he was responsible for developing KL Sentral into one of the main commercial centres in Malaysia.   "Khazanah would also like to welcome the new Chairman and Members of the Board, whose appointments were announced by the Prime Minister's Office on July 30, 2018.   "In addition, Khazanah wishes to record its thanks and appreciation to the previous members of the board and former Managing Director Tan Sri Azman Mokhtar for th...

IPOH -- Pihak pengurusan Majlis Amanah Rakyat (Mara) diberikan tempoh selama tujuh hari untuk menamatkan kontrak pengendali makanan Maktab Rendah Sains Mara (MRSM) Taiping, kata Pengerusi Jawatankuasa Kesihatan, Hal Ehwal Pengguna, Integrasi Nasional dan Sumber Manusia, negeri A.Sivanesan. Beliau menegaskan kontrak terhadap pengendali makanan dikenali sebagai 'Botek' itu tidak seharusnya disambungkan semula selepas tamat pada 31 Julai lepas berikutan mereka juga merupakan pengendali makanan yang sama terlibat dalam kejadian pertama kes keracunan makanan yang berlaku di maktab itu, pada 12 Julai lalu. Menurut beliau, Mara perlu bertanggungjawab sepenuhnya jika kejadian keracunan berulang semula akibat masih membenarkan pengendali makanan yang sama menyediakan makanan kepada pelajar maktab berkenaan. "Kalau dalam tujuh hari Mara tidak lihat kontrak itu dan melantik kontraktor makanan baharu maka kita (Jabatan...

SINGAPORE -- Malaysia is looking forward to the expedition of the agreement on the Code of Conduct (COC) in the South China Sea and hopes to see a 'clean piece' of Declaration on the Conduct of Parties (DOC) in the area, says Malaysia Foreign Affairs Minister Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah.   Asean and China Thursday had arrived at Single Draft Code of Conduct (CoC) Negotiating Text, which will be a living document and the basis for future negotiations.   "The fact that we have arrived at a single text on COC, to me, it is an important step forward and of course we are still discussing. I am happy to say that the discussion is going on very well," he told reporters on the sideline of the third-day of the 51st Asean Foreign Ministers' Meeting here Friday.   He was asked to comment on the latest development on the COC and its importance to Malaysia.   "The biggest issue is to ensure that the South China Sea is free from any activities that can cause conce...

KOTA KINABALU -- Bekas personaliti TV Datuk Mahadzir Lokman, 61, disahkan meninggal dunia di sebuah hotel dekat sini kira-kira jam 9.30 pagi tadi. Ketua Polis Daerah Kota Kinabalu Habibi Majinji berkata pihaknya menerima laporan kira-kira jam 11 pagi. Habibi ketika dihubungi Bernama berkata mangsa mendaftar masuk ke hotel berkenaan pada 31 Julai lalu atas urusan kerja sebelum disahkan meninggal dunia oleh pakar perubatan Hospital Queen Elizabeth 1 (HQE1), pagi tadi. "Tidak terdapat unsur-unsur jenayah dan mangsa berkemungkinan mati disebabkan sakit yang dialaminya sebelum ini. Bagaimanapun, siasatan lanjut akan dijalankan," katanya, lapor Bernama. Sementara itu, kira-kira jam 1.55 tengah hari, Ketua Menteri Sabah Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal bersama isteri Datin Seri Shuryani Shuaib tiba di perkarangan Jabatan Forensik HQE1 dipercayai menziarahi jenazah allahyarham. Mohd Shafie meluangkan masa kira-kira 15 minit sebelum beredar meninggal...

KLANG – PKR de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has called on everyone against being influenced by the spread of several audio recordings which were said to be those of his voice criticising party deputy president, Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali and prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad. He pointed out that he had never issued any statement as the ones in the audio recording which had spread on the Whatsapp application today. “The way (I replied) is not correct...my voice...I do not use offensive language...'barua’is not my language, don't be influenced by slanders,”he told reporters after a premier ceramah program in conjunction with the By-Election for the Sungai Kandis State Constituency. Anwar said this when asked to comment on the spread of the audio recording which was said to be similar to his voice criticising Mohamed Azmin and Dr Mahathir on the appointment of members of the board of directors for Khazanah Nasion...

PUTRAJAYA -- United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called on Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad here this morning for talks as he concluded his two-day inaugural visit to Malaysia. During the 30-minute meeting at Perdana Putra here, Pompeo also took the opportunity to congratulate Dr Mahathir for his stunning May general election victory. Pompeo, who arrived at 9 am, was accompanied by United States Ambassador to Malaysia Kamala Shirin Lakhdhir. Also present were Defence Minister Mohamad Sabu and Deputy Foreign Minister Datuk Marzuki Yahya. Pompeo is the most senior U.S. official to visit Dr Mahathir since his election victory. Pompeo arrived in Malaysia on Thursday to kick off his five-day tour to three Southeast Asian countries. He is heading to Singapore immediately after meeting Dr Mahathir for the Asean Foreign Ministers' Meeting. “The visit provides a great opportunity for both Malaysia and the United States of Amer...

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 2 (Bernama) --  Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad questioned criticisms by certain quarters over his appointment as Khazanah Nasional Berhad’s board chairman. "I've been involved, in fact, I was the one who started Khazanah. So we want to put it in the right direction, what's wrong with me (being appointed to the post)? "I'm not going to be a CEO (chief executive officer), I'm not going to get a RM7 million pay," he told reporters after chairing the Pakatan Harapan Presidential Council meeting. Dr Mahathir said the new appointment would help Khazanah focus on certain issues. Among those criticising the move was PAS Information chief Nasrudin Hassan, who reportedly said Dr Mahathir’s appointment as Khazanah chairman was seen to be in conflict with Pakatan Harapan’s pledge not to have any political involvement in government-linked companies (GLCs). According to a statement by the Prime Minister's Office on J...

KUALA LUMPUR -- Deputy Youth and Sports (KBS) Minister Steven Sim Chee Keong revealed that his ministry was the eighth worst in the corruption level among 25 ministries. He said the position was a result of the report by the Public Service Corruption Ranking (PSCR) released by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) in 2016, which was not publicly disclosed. He said the relaxation of the procurement and payment process with most of the contracts awarded without going through open tender processes had previously opened up spaces for fraudulent activities. However, he said, what was surprising was that after the MACC arrested a KBS officer for misappropriation in 2016, KBS continued to carry out procurements without any open tender. "Between 2016 and 2018, of the procurements totalling RM777.14 million, RM357.8 million (46 per cent) were implemented not through open tenders but via direct negotiations and limited tenders," ...

KUALA LUMPUR –  Prime Minister  Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said the PKR candidate for the Sungai Kandis by-election this Saturday stood a very good chance of retaining the seat for Pakatan Harapan. The Pakatan Harapan (PH) chairman said that based on the results of the 14th general election, the incumbent,  the late Mat Shuhaimi Shafiei (from PKR) won by a bigger majority in retaining the state seat for his third term. "I think we have a good chance, we won by a good majority before," he told reporters after chairing the Pakatan Harapan Presidential Council meeting. The by-election was called following the death of Mat Shuhaimi, 50,  of lymphoma on July 2. In GE14, Mat Shuhaimi, fomer political secreteary to former Selangor menteri besar  Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali, polled 23,998 votes to defeat Barisan  Nasional candidate Datuk Kamaruzzaman Johari (11,518 votes);  PAS’ Mo...

MAKKAH -- Pengenalan rempah-ratus 'pre-mix' atau pracampuran untuk sajian makanan jemaah haji yang dibawa khas dari Malaysia pada tahun ini bakal memberikan satu pengalaman baharu dalam menikmati sajian di Tanah Suci. Pengarah Operasi Katering Tabung Haji Adly Mohamed berkata bagi tahun ini, Tabung Haji (TH) telah membawa rempah-ratus 'pre-mix' yang telah disediakan awal oleh syarikat-syarikat di bawah FAMA di Malaysia. "Dengan rempah-ratus pre-mix ini, kita dapat memendekkan masa untuk memasak kerana kita tidak perlu melakukan kerja-kerja seperti menggoreng bawang atau menumis bahan-bahan lain untuk memasak. Ia (pre-mix) seperti menyediakan mi segera, hanya perlu tambah air. "Dalam penyediaan masakan, kita perlu memastikan proses itu lengkap, bersih dan cepat bagi mengelak  makanan tersebut tercemar. Paling penting, menepati cita rasa rakyat Malaysia," katanya, lapor Bernama. Katanya penyelidikan dan pembangunan (R&D) rempah-ratus pre-mix...

KUALA LUMPUR -- The recent transfers of the former Gombak District Police Chief and several police officers there were due to their failure to curb gambling activities, said Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Mohamad Fuzi Harun. He said every State Police Chief and District Police Chief must be held responsible for failing to achieve the targets of their missions. “I have warned about this (combatting gambling), that gambling activities must be curbed not only in Gombat but throughout the whole country. “Order upon order have been issued to the State Police Chiefs, District Police  Chiefs and the officers assigned to tackle the gambling issue,” he said in a press conference held after a Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) seminar in tackling challenges in modern policing at the Cheras PDRM College here. Mohamad Fuzi said if they were not serious in tackling the issue of gambling such as was seen in the Gombak District Police Headquarters, he...

KUALA LUMPUR – The Youth and Sports Ministry has terminated the contracts of nine individuals who were politically appointed including as chairmen and directors of its agencies, said its Minister Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman. He said those affected included from the Subang Golf Corporation, Institute For Youth Research And Development Malaysian, Stadium Board of Malaysia and National Sports Institute. "When there is a political appointment, there should be a reshuffle and a re-cleaning. I have sent a thank-you note two weeks ago and dismissed them immediately," he told a press conference at the Parliament building. He said those individuals had positions in UMNO such as youth Leaders or divisional Heads who would be replaced with those who are not from among politicians. He said, in principle, the replacements that would fill the vacancies should be those who were experienced in their respective fields, former athletes ...

KUALA LUMPUR – Attorney-General Tommy Thomas will not handle the corruption case of former Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng in order to avoid a conflict of interest, the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) said. It said in a statement that the Attorney-General recused himself from all deliberations and will not be involved in any decision that the AGC will take in that pending case. Solicitor-General Datuk Engku Nor Faizah Engku Atek and Solicitor-General II Datin Paduka Zauyah Be Loth Khan said in their joint statement that much misinformation had been circulating regarding the role of the Attorney-General in taking decisions in Chambers on matters in which he was previously involved. “Hence a clarification for the record is called for. When the Attorney General took office, he publicly declared that he accepts that the conflict of interest rule applies to him. Having regard to the clients he acted for, and the adv...

KUALA LUMPUR --Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said there was no reason for him to interfere in PKR’s internal affairs. Dr Mahathir had denied outright the allegations that he and PKR deputy president Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali had plans to bring down the party's leader, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. "Have you ever seen me say anything bad about Anwar or Azmin or somebody? This is their party, I do not interfere,” he said, after chairing the Pakatan Harapan Council Meeting. In an audio recording on social media today, a voice allegedly that of Anwar’s, strongly condemns the good relationship between Azmin and Dr Mahathir. In the recording, the individual also questions the appointment of the Prime Minister as Khazanah Nasional Bhd's new chairman. Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, who is  also Anwar's wife refuted the allegations saying that the individual in the audio recording was not her husband. ...

KUALA LUMPUR  -- PKR deputy president Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali today denied allegations that there is a split resulting in the formation of two factions in the party, that is, a faction that supports Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and the PKR de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. In fact, he said, Anwar himself had repeatedly stated his full support for the leadership of Dr Mahathir as the Prime Minister. "(The allegation) is totally untrue...don't entertain all these stories. PKR Secretary-General (Datuk Saifuddin Nasution Ismail) had also issued a statement urging all party members to support the leadership of the new Pakatan Harapan (PH) government under Dr Mahathir, if possible check the record (available),”he told reporters at the Parliament lobby. Mohamed Azmin said the allegation was spread to break up the unity in the PH which was getting stronger. Meanwhile, the Economic Affairs Minister said he had yet to...

ALOR SETAR -- Jabatan Hal Ehwal Agama Islam Negeri Kedah (JHEIK) melancarkan kempen 'Solat Berjemaah' bagi membudayakan solat berjemaah dalam kalangan kakitangan awam peringkat negeri dan persekutuan di negeri ini.   Pengerusi Jawatankuasa Kesihatan, Pembangunan Luar Bandar, Agama dan Syarikat Berkaitan Kerajaan (GLC) negeri, Datuk Dr Ismail Salleh berkata kempen itu bermula hari ini dan melibatkan solat Zuhur, manakala solat Asar digalak untuk dilaksanakan.   "Ini bukan wajib, tetapi kita nak galakkan kakitangan kerajaan semakin ramai bersolat secara berjemaah di masjid atau surau di tempat kerja masing-masing.   "Sempena pelancarannya, kakitangan JHEIK ke Masjid Zahir di sini bagi melaksanakan solat Zuhur berjemaah dan selepas ini kita harap ia dapat diperluaskan lagi di semua jabatan," katanya, lapor Bernama.   Sementara itu, Ismail meminta agar 575 imam masjid memastikan peranan dan fungsi masjid tidak disalahgunakan pihak lain untuk kepentingan p...

KUALA LUMPUR -- Kerajaan melalui Kementerian Kewangan akan mengemukakan tuntutan sivil terhadap Arul Kanda Kandasamy bagi mendapatkan semula RM2.5 juta daripada pakej gaji yang telah dibayar kepada bekas ketua pegawai eksekutif (1MDB) itu.  Menteri Kewangan Lim Guan Eng berkata bayaran itu adalah separuh daripada RM5 juta pakej gaji Arul bagi tempoh Januari hingga Jun tahun ini.  "Kita tidak meluluskan pembayaran RM2.5 juta itu dan tindakan guaman akan diambil untuk mendapatkan balik, malah kami juga sedang mengkaji tindakan lain agar apa-apa keputusan dibuat yang dilihat merugikan 1MDB boleh dituntut balik daripada beliau (Arul)," katanya dalam sidang media di lobi Parlimen, lapor Bernama.  Lim berkata tuntutan sivil itu akan dilakukan firma guaman yang dilantik, dan pihaknya juga telah memaklumkan kepada Pejabat Peguam Negara berhubung perkara tersebut.  Semalam, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak mempertahankan pakej gaji RM5 juta yang diberi kepada Arul Kanda...