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KUALA LUMPUR -- The Malaysian ringgit has better prospects of retracing its value once Turkey's geopolitical uncertainty and financial crisis subsides, says Sunway University Business School Economics Professor Dr Yeah Kim Leng. He said that the local unit's depreciation against the Us dollar, which was also the case with emerging currencies, was only temporary as Malaysia had little exposure to the Turkey financial crisis, given the country's improved account surplus. “Being an oil exporting nation makes us stronger, hence we can withstand surrounding pressure,” he said, adding that Malaysia was less exposed (to the turmoil) compared with Mexico, Argentina. Philippines, Indonesia and India due to the difference in terms of leveraging over foreign borrowings. “Most of our borrowings are in ringgit and this will cushion us from a greater impact of the US dollar strengthening,” he told Bernama today. The lira plummeted to a record low of 7.24 to the dollar at the wee

KUALA LUMPUR -- Cadangan agar golongan transgender menggunakan tandas yang dikhaskan untuk golongan kurang upaya (OKU) bukan bermaksud atau berniat untuk mengecilkan perasaan golongan OKU, kata Timbalan Menteri di Jabatan Perdana Menteri Fuziah Salleh. Katanya, ia sekadar satu penyelesaian terhadap kebajikan golongan transgender yang mungkin berasa tidak selamat atau tidak selesa untuk menggunakan tandas lelaki atau wanita. "Sedih apabila melihat isu ini diperbesarkan, saya hanya memberi cadangan sebab tandas OKU private, ia tidak berkongsi dengan lelaki atau wanita. “Ia tidak bermaksud atau berniat untuk mengecilkan golongan OKU, ia cuma mungkin memberi jalan penyelesaian, sebab sekarang ini kalau tidak boleh menggunakan tandas lelaki dan wanita, mereka mahu guna tandas mana?" katanya kepada Bernama selepas menjadi tetamu dalam Program Diskusi Seputar Isu bertajuk 'LGBT : Antara Hukuman dan Bimbingan' terbitan Bernama Radio. Fuziah berkata beliau akan mengada

PUTRAJAYA -- Bersih, Cekap dan Beramanah adalah nilai yang perlu dipegang Pegawai Tadbir dan Diplomatik (PTD) untuk kelancaran urusan pentadbiran negara, kata Perdana Menteri Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad. Menggariskan tiga nilai tersebut, Dr Mahathir berkata bersih bermakna tidak ada rasuah, cekap adalah berkemahiran dan boleh membuat kerja dan amanah pula berkaitan kebolehpercayaan. Beliau berkata tiga nilai hidup itu penting kerana ia dapat menolak tekanan nafsu dan mengikut apa ditentukan oleh akal fikiran. "Nafsu ini boleh melambatkan kerja dan meningkatkan kos hasil serta segala usaha untuk membangunkan negara akan dilambatkan. Kita tidak akan berjaya jika kita tidak bersih. "Nilai hidup ini akan menentukan karakter sama ada kita gagal atau berjaya," katanya pada Sesi Town Hall bersama PTD yang dihadiri kira-kira 3,500 PTD daripada pelbagai kementerian, jabatan dan agensi kerajaan di sini, lapor Bernama. Kempen Bersih, Cekap dan Amanah diperkenalkan Dr Mahathir

KUALA LUMPUR -- Projek kereta nasional ketiga tidak bercanggah dengan polisi kerajaan untuk mengurangkan kesesakan lalu lintas di negara ini, kata Menteri Perdagangan Antarabangsa dan Industri, Ignatius Dorell Leiking. Beliau berkata ini kerana kerajaan akan meneruskan rancangan menyediakan sistem pengangkutan awam yang lebih efisien untuk mengurangkan kesesakan di samping menjadikan industri automotif lebih berdaya saing. "Saya yakin dengan menggariskan polisi baharu dan menyediakan pengangkutan awam yang efisien, rakyat akan memilih menggunakan kemudahan awam yang lebih efektif," katanya ketika sesi soal jawab pada Persidangan Dewan Rakyat, lapor Bernama. Beliau menjawab soalan tambahan Datuk Rozman Isli (BN-Labuan) yang mempersoalkan rancangan kerajaan untuk melancarkan kereta nasional ketiga yang disifatkan bercanggah dengan polisi kerajaan bagi mengurangkan kesesakan lalu lintas terutama di kawasan bandar raya utama negara. Menjawab soalan Rozman mengenai tarikh

BUKIT MERTAJAM -- A family of five from Indonesia arrived here three days ago on their way to Makkah to perform the umrah pilgrimage. Yesterday, after a good rest and replenishing the necessary stuff, Muchlis Abdullah, 47, his wife Julianti Husin, 47, and their three children –  Mirza Hakim, 15,  Ahmad Zaki Hafiz, 11, and six-year-old  Oliva Yumna, 6, set off to continue with their journey. The family is expected to cross between eight and 10 countries before arriving in Jeddah. “I expect us to arrive in Jeddah in five to seven months, meaning between January and March next year,” he told Bernama when met at the compound of  Masjid Papan, Permatang Pauh here yesterday, where they were flagged-off by the mosque imam, Wahab Yahaya. The family began their expedition last July 11 with Muchlis and Mirza Hakim leaving from Jakarta, while Julianti left from Medan with Ahmad Zaki Hafiz and Oliva Yumna. They arrived in Malaysia through Melaka via ferry service last July 30 and then pro

IPOH -- Seorang  pengasuh   mengaku   tidak bersalah di  Mahkamah Sesyen di  sini   hari  ini  atas   tuduhan   menyebabkan kecederaan  terhadap seorang  bayi lelaki  tiga   bulan   dalam kejadian di Seri  Iskandar ,  minggu   lepas . Ros  Azlina   Mohd   Ismail , 46,  didakwa bertindak  secara   cuai   sehingga menyebabkan kecederaan  fizikal   terhadap  Muhammad  Zaheen   Affan   Mohamad   Zulkarnain , di  sebuah   rumah di Seri  Iskandar pada 11.30  pagi , 8  Ogos   lepas . Tertuduh   didakwa   mengikut   Seksyen  31 (1)(a)  Akta   Kanak-kanak  2001 yang  membawa hukuman  penjara   maksimum  20  tahun   atau   denda hingga  RM50 ,000  atau   kedua-duanya , jika  sabit   kesalahan . Pendakwaan   dikendalikan   Timbalan   Pendakwa   Raya   Naidatul   Athirah   Azman ,  manakala   tertuduh  tidak diwakili  peguam . Terdahulu , Ros  Azlina meminta  jaminan   dikurangkan dengan alasan  tidak   bekerja dan mempunyai sembilan anak. Hakim Datuk Julie Lack, bagaimanapu

PUTRAJAYA -- The loyalty of civil servants such as administrative and diplomatic officers and police and military personnel to the government should not be up to the point of complying with directives contrary to the law, said Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad. If government officers found that the task entrusted to them was clearly wrong or criminal in nature, they should not comply with the instruction, he said. "You don’t have to follow all orders, just those that come in accordance with government policies,” he said at a town hall session for about 3,500 administrative and diplomatic officers (PTD) here. The session was also attended by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, Cabinet ministers and the Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Dr Ali Hamsa. “If, as the Prime Minister, I order you to kill someone, would you do it? There’s a difference between an instruction in accordance with certain policies and an order to commit a crime,” he sai

MIRI -- The Congress of Unions of Employees in the Public and Civil Services (Cuepacs) will submit a proposal on a new remuneration system for civil servants to the government end of the year, said its president, Datuk Azih Muda. He said the proposal would provide a clear path for career development for civil servants, including salary based on academic qualification and on improving the welfare of retirees. "The SSM (Malaysian Remuneration System) has been introduced 16 years ago when  (current Prime Minister) Tun Dr Mahathir was the fourth Prime Minister. A new remuneration system needs to be introduced to provide for a clear path for career development,” he told reporters after a briefing on retirement organised by Cuepacs and the Retirement Fund Inc (KWAP) here today. Azih said the SSM that was introduced in 2002 needed to be improved in line with current development, such as the academic qualification for  civil servants in PT3 which required only Standard Six qualifica

KUALA LUMPUR — The government has yet to finalise the direction for the East Coast Railway Line (ECRL) project in respect of whether to continue with it or otherwise, and is dependent on discussions currently underway. Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng said the Selangor state government had opposed the project as the rail network from Gombak to Port Klang would impact the application for the 16 km-long Klang Gates Quartz Ridge, which is the longest of its kind in the world, as a UNESCO World Heritage site. “If the government intends to continue with the project, comprehensive research has to be undertaken from the aspect of getting the agreement of the Selangor state government, the scope,specifications and  implementation method, so that the overall cost can be reduced and also lighten the federal government’s financial burden. “If the government decides not to go ahead with the project, there is a strong possibility of its being subject to a legal process to determine the amount i

KOTA KINABALU -- Bekas ketua menteri Sabah Tan Sri Musa Aman perlu mengangkat sumpah sebagai Anggota Dewan Undangan Negeri (ADUN) bagi Sungai Sibuga sebelum 11 Sept ini atau mengosongkan kerusi itu. Speaker DUN Sabah Datuk Syed Abas Syed Ali berkata arahan itu selaras dengan Perlembagaan Negeri yang memberi tempoh tiga bulan selepas sidang DUN pertama bagi wakil rakyat dipilih untuk mengangkat sumpah. DUN Sabah pertama kali bersidang pada 11 Jun selepas Pilihan Raya Umum (PRU) Ke-14, 9 Mei lepas. "Tan Sri Musa tidak perlu tunggu hingga 11 Sept dan boleh mengangkat sumpah pada bila-bila masa sebelum tarikh itu," katanya, lapor Bernama. Musa, yang juga Pengerusi Barisan Nasional (BN) negeri mengangkat sumpah sebagai ketua menteri Sabah pada 10 Mei selepas memperoleh majoriti mudah pada PRU lepas, namun hilang peluang tersebut selepas beberapa ADUN BN bertindak keluar gabungan parti itu dan menyatakan sokongan terhadap Presiden Parti Warisan Sabah Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apd

KUALALUMPUR -- The United States-China trade war could adversely impact Malaysia's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth by 1.3 per cent against what has been projected over the next two years. CIMB Group Chief Economist Dr Donald Hanna said this scenario was possible if the tariff war continued to escalate and shake the confidence of financial markets, especially if China sold its US Treasuries. “This would result in reductions in global trade that would affect Malaysia as an open economy and also result in spiralling interest rates that may exacerbate the problem,” he told reporters on the sidelines of the ASEAN Roundtable Series on “Trade War And Its Impact On ASEAN” organised by CIMB ASEAN Research Institute (CARI). However, he noted that the 1.3 per cent was a possible downside and not the likely outcome. The US has already imposed 25 per cent tariffs on US$34 billion worth of Chinese goods, and duties on an additional US$16 billion of imports will kick in on Aug 23

KUALA LUMPUR -- The recent change of government in Malaysia has given a fresh impetus to strengthen the rule of law in the country, the Sultan of Perak, Sultan Nazrin Shah said. He said steps were being taken to remedy and revitalise the core institutions of democracy and good governance, including the Election Commission (EC), the Parliament, the judiciary, the regulatory and enforcement agencies, as well as the anti-corruption commission. “Laws that are deemed restrictive of individual liberties are being reviewed and efforts are underway to remove undue constraints on the media. “We are looking forward to all these important initiatives reaching full fruition as the people of Malaysia deserve no less,” he said in his keynote address at the International Malaysia Law Conference (IMLC) 2018, themed 'Raising The Bar By Preserving and Furthering the Rule of Law'. Speaking on judicial independence, Sultan Nazrin Shah said it was especially important in parliamentar

KUALA LUMPUR -- The government will continue with the rebate programme for electricity bill below RM20 even though it will continue to find a new mechanism so that the subsidy is only enjoyed by the needy groups. Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate Change Minister Yeo Bee Yin said for the time being the electricity bill subsidy would continue to benefit all groups when some are not eligible.   “There are people having bungalows, terrace houses and condominiums but do not live in the house which caused the electricity bill to dip below RM20 and they do not need the RM20 rebate,” she said when winding up the Supply (Reallocation of Appropriated Expenditure) Bill for her ministry at Dewan Rakyat. Yeo said her ministry was planning to improve the electricity bill subsidy which was limited to 179,000 consumers in the poor and abject poor groups. Meanwhile, Yeo said the government would not proceed with the MySuria project involving the installation of solar cel

KUALA LUMPUR --  The wish of a businessman, who claims to be a 'Datuk Seri', to settle the case of assaulting and causing grievous hurt to three members of the People's Volunteer Corps (Rela) by offering compensation was dashed when all the victims rejected the offer. The matter was conveyed by lawyer Datuk Rajpal Singh, representing the accused Liow Soon Hee, 29, during the case remention proceeding at the Ampang Magistrate's Court. “We have written a representation on whether they (the three victims) are willing to accept compensation for all the charges, but we received a reply that they are not interested in any offers and that the reply has also been sent to the Attorney-General's Chambers (AGC),” he said before Magistrate Mohamad Firdaus Sadina Ali. A legal observer for Rela, Datuk Michael Wong then told the court that the three victims had been interviewed by Rela director-general on the offer and confirmed that they had considered and rejected the

MELAKA – Chief Minister Adly Zahari has dismissed as untrue former Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak’s allegation that the Melaka Gateway project is being implemented without any changes. Adly said that after taking over the state government, the Pakatan Harapan administration has introduced improvements to the project so that it becomes a catalyst for the tourism sector and benefits the people. He said the previous administration had planned to lease land in the project to foreign companies, which became an issue that worried Pakatan Harapan and the people in general. “When we took over the state government, we did not allow land in Melaka Gateway to be leased to foreign companies. It was only after we made many improvements in the best interests of the people and Melaka itself that we allowed the project to continue. “Now we see that he (Najib) is mentioning the project again, but it was actually implemented during his tenure. “Our task now is to correct the

KUALA LUMPUR – The Employees Provident Fund (EPF) announced that the registration for Caruman Sukarela Insentif Suri (i-Suri) opens today, and those who are eligible may participate in i-Suri by registering as an EPF member at any of the 67 EPF branches nationwide.   Housewives, widows and single mothers whose profiles are enlisted in the National Database on Poverty (eKasih), can register for i-Suri and contribute a minimum of RM5 on a monthly basis into their retirement savings accounts, in order to be eligible to receive the Government incentive of RM40 per month, which will be deposited into their EPF accounts.  In a statement here, EPF Deputy Chief Executive Officer (Operations) Datuk Mohd Naim Daruwish said: “The registration drive of i-Suri follows the launch of the Suri Housewives Incentive by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Women, Family and Community Development Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail last week at the EPF International Social Security Conference 20