Paper Buruk

KUALA LUMPUR -- The police have recorded Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng’s statement over the alleged missing RM19.25 billion from the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Refund Trust Account which affected 121,429 companies and individuals. In a statement on Tuesday, Lim said under the GST Act 2014, input tax refunds should be made within two weeks but a huge number of companies and individuals did not receive the refunds from as far back as 2015. “A huge number of the 121,429 companies and individuals affected by this scandal are now wondering why RM19.4 billion in the GST Refunds Trust Account was not returned to them within two weeks as required by law, whether from the years as far back as 2015, 2016, 2017 or 2018,” he said. Lim said the government faced a shortfall of RM19.25 billion as there was only RM148.6 million in the GST Refunds Trust account instead of RM19.4 billion. “Where is the RM19.25 billion tha...

KLANG -- Anggota Parlimen Kapar Datuk Abdullah Sani Abdul Hamid memohon maaf kepada Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad atas kenyataannya yang mengaitkan Perdana Menteri  dengan usaha menghalang Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim menjadi perdana menteri kelapan. Menurut calon Majlis Pimpinan Pusat (MPP) PKR  itu pihaknya telah menghantar surat permohonan maaf tersebut kepada pejabat Perdana Menteri kira-kira pukul 9.40 pagi tadi. "Setelah diberi nasihat, penjelasan dan arahan oleh Datuk Seri Anwar berhubung pelaksanaan peralihan kuasa menerusi panggilan telefon selama 41 minit semalam, dengan ini saya memohon maaf. "Permohonan maaf itu dibuat atas keterlanjuran bicara saya dan semoga kebimbangan saya tentang usaha dan cubaan menggagalkan peralihan kuasa tersebut adalah perkara yang tidak benar," katanya pada sidang media di pejabatnya, lapor Bernama. Anggota Parlimen itu sebelum ini mendakwa Dr Mahathir dan Pengerusi Majlis Penasihat Ke...

KUALA LUMPUR -- The Ministry of Finance (MoF) needs the most improvements in its governance among all ministries and agencies after being mismanaged by the Barisan Nasional (BN) government, says Council of Eminent Persons (CEP) Chairman, Tun Daim Zainuddin. After meeting with most of the relevant parties, the CEP felt that the MoF needed to be improved in various fields. "The MoF must bring in money and revenue to the country. It also needs to make sure expenditures are not wasted, that there is no corruption and the civil service should not be politicised,” he told a press conference here today after the completion of the council's 100-day mandate on Aug 19.   The CEP was set up by Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad on May 12  with the objective of advising him on socio-economic and financial matters.  However, Daim did not elaborate on what were the ministry's weaknesses but stressed that a...

KUALA LUMPUR -- In abiding by the government’s no-gift policy, Transport Minister Anthony Loke on Tuesday refused to accept a token of appreciation handed to him at a local e-hailing service launch event.  “I’m sorry but I cannot accept these,” stressed Loke who was offered two mobile phones after the launch of Diffride, a new e-hailing service. Later on, at a press conference, Loke explained the new Pakatan Harapan government ‘walk the talk’ and refused to accept any gift at any event.  “The new government and all ministers, we walk the talk, and I would like to inform future event organisers to please take note as this is a new regulation by the new government. I don’t need any gift. Next time, if you invite me to events, I’m just going to attend. I don’t need any gift,” he told reporters, Bernama reported. Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad on June 8 reportedly said that ministers would no longer be able to accept gifts under a new polic...

KOTA KINABALU -- Kerajaan  Sabah tetap dengan pendirian untuk menuntut royalti minyak sebanyak 20 peratus berdasarkan untung kasar dan bukannya untung bersih, kata Ketua Menteri Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal. Katanya kerajaan negeri telah berjumpa dengan syarikat minyak dan gas negara, Petroliam Nasional Berhad (Petronas) selain pihaknya akan turut bertemu dengan Perdana Menteri Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad serta Menteri Hal Ehwal Ekonomi Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali bagi membincangkan perkara itu demi manfaat rakyat Sabah. "Saya percaya ini (tuntutan royalti minyak 20 peratus) akan dapat direalisasikan. Saya telah menyatakan pendirian teguh kerajaan Sabah kepada Petronas bahawa Kabinet negeri telah membuat keputusan 20 peratus royalti minyak itu adalah berdasarkan untung kasar. "Saya yakin jika perkara ini dibincangkan secara baik ia akan menjadi kenyataan sekali gus membolehkan kerajaan negeri mempunyai sumber kewangan bagi mengurus tadbir Sabah memandangkan Sabah ...

IPOH -- Seorang warga emas mendakwa kerugian lebih RM180,000 akibat diperdaya seorang lelaki yang menyamar sebagai anggota polis dari Balai Polis Jelutong, Pulau Pinang, Rabu lalu. Ang Tiah Cheen, 67, dari Kampung Simee di sini mendakwa menerima panggilan daripada lelaki itu yang memperkenalkan diri sebagai Sarjan Arif 15 Ogos lepas memberitahu dia pernah membuat pinjaman RM50,000 dan terlibat dengan kegiatan penyalahgunaan dadah di Pulau Pinang. "Saya menafikan perkara itu tetapi lelaki berkenaan menakut-nakutkan saya dan meminta memasukkan sejumlah wang bagi tujuan penyiasatan serta memastikan saya 'bersih' daripada kegiatan dadah dan tidak memberitahu sesiapa kerana perkara ini adalah sulit. "Saya terpedaya dengan kata-kata lelaki itu dan telah memasukkan wang secara berperingkat ke dalam tiga akaun berasingan sebanyak RM181,767 di sekitar Ipoh sehari kemudian,” katanya ketika ditemui di Pusat Khidmat dan Aduan Barisan Nasional (BN) Perak....

BEIJING -- Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said the multi-billion East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) and Trans-Sabah Gas Pipeline (TSGP) projects are cancelled for now. The prime minister said Chinese President Xi Jinping and premier Li Keqiang understood the reasons behind the cancellation of the two Chinese government-backed projects. "I have explained to them and they understood the situation and accepted them," Dr Mahathir told journalists at the end of his five-day official visit to this country. “Initially, there were some misunderstandings but now they understood why we do it. I don’t think China wants us to be bankrupt,” said Dr Mahathir. Dr Mahathir said the projects involved huge amounts of money and Malaysia does not really need them at the moment, amid the country’s financial situation with high debt left by the previous government. “The projects (will) not go on. Our priority is reducing our debt. For the moment, they are deferred until we can afford,” said the pr...

source: https://english.kyodonews.net JAKARTA -- Four Japanese basketball players have been punished and sent home for buying sex while participating in the 18th Asian Games, Xinhua news agency quoted the Japanese Olympic Committee (JOC) here Monday. Japanese delegation chief, Yasuhiro Yamashita told a press conference Monday that the four players were expelled from the Japanese national team and sent back to Japan. He apologised for the players' misconduct, saying it violated the national team's code of conduct while betraying the expectations of the Japanese citizens. The four players, Yuya Nagayoshi, 27, Takuya Hashimoto and Takuma Sato, both 23, and Keita Imamura, 22, reportedly went to a Japanese restaurant in Jakarta to have dinner following their team's victory on Aug 16, while wearing their team uniforms. They left the restaurant after dinner and were approached by a tout on the street who introduced them to some women. They brought t...

KUALA LUMPUR – Tun Daim Zainuddin berkata beliau bercadang  menemui  Perdana Menteri Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad untuk mengetahui kedudukan masa depan Majlis Penasihat Kerajaan (CEP) setelah mandat 100 harinya kini berakhir. Daim berkata CEP akan mengemukakan laporan yang mengandungi perakuan-perakuannya kepada Dr Mahathir sebaik saja beliau pulang dari China. Lawatan rasmi lima hari Dr Mahathir ke China berakhir esok. "Mandat kami ialah untuk100 hari. Hari akhir kami ialah semalam. Bila beliau (Dr Mahathir) pulang, saya  akan buat janji temu dan membincangkan dengan beliau tentang peranan yang beliau fikirkan (untuk  CEP),” katanya pada sidang media, lapor Bernama. Bekas menteri kewangan itu memberi perhatian bahawa bagi pasukan CEP, mereka telah m...

KOTA KINABALU -- Former Sabah chief minister Tan Sri Musa Aman will return to the state after his treatment at the Clementine Churchill Hospital in London. His former political secretary, Joh Wid said Musa had decided to return to Sabah despite advice by his doctors not to. Joh, who used to be Musa’s special aide, said this in his Facebook status which was uploaded about four hours ago. "However, prior to that Musa has to be referred to Mount Elizabeth Hospital in Singapore for follow-up treatment,” he added. According to Joh, Musa went off the radar not because he ran away, but to seek medical treatment following a heart bypass surgery. “Now, the time has come for him to return home to discharge his responsibility as an  (Sungai Sibuga) assemblyman,” he added. Last Aug 15, Sabah State Assembly Speaker Datuk Syed Abas Syed Ali was reported to have said that Musa had to take his oath of office as the Sungai Sibunga...

BEIJING -- There will be no changes in policy towards China under the new Malaysian government, said Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad. Dr Mahathir gave the assurance when meeting Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Diaoyutai State Guest House here today. "We're here to assure the Chinese government and its people that there will be no change of policy,"  the prime minister said. Dr Mahathir is on a five-day official visit to China. Dr Mahathir underscored that there would be continuity in Malaysia's policy towards China. He took the opportunity to point out that Malaysia adopted a friendly stance towards other friendly countries. The visiting prime minister also said China had been a long-standing trading partner of Malaysia. Dr Mahathir told Xi that he was impressed with the level of development achieved by China, the world's second largest economy after the United States. "We see China as a model for de...

PUTRAJAYA -- Malaysia has succeeded in sealing an export protocol with China for frozen whole fruit durians. The protocol was signed by Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister Datuk Salahuddin Ayub and General Administration of Customs Minister Ni Yuefeng at the Great Hall of the People, Beijing, and witnessed by Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang. In a statement today, the Ministry of Agriculture and Agro-based Industry said this was the second consecutive year Malaysia had succeeded in obtaining market access to China since the success with pineapples in May 2017. “The export approval reflects China’s confidence in the quality of Malaysia’s agricultural produce in terms of hygiene, food safety and taste. “The export of whole fruits is expected to begin early 2019,” it said, Bernama reported. Previously, Malaysia had obtained export access into China for frozen durians in the form of pulp and paste...

KUALA LUMPUR -- The government and the people must be ready to make and accept difficult decisions for the long-term benefit of the nation, says Council of Eminent Persons (CEP) Chairman Tun Daim Zainuddin. He said there was no quick-fixes to the problems identified by the CEP and many challenges still lie ahead. Daim on Monday announced that the CEP had completed its mandate and a report, containing recommendations by the council, would be submitted to the Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamed, upon his return from China. Three key themes shaped the council’s recommendations and it revolved around the need to improve governance, the well-being of the people and the need to ensure that the economy was inclusive and sustainable, Daim told a press conference here today after the completion of the council's 100-day mandate on Aug 19. The CEP was set up by the Prime Minister on May 12  with the objective of ad...

IPOH -- Pengerusi Jawatankuasa Pendidikan, Teknologi, Sains dan Alam Sekitar  negeri, Dr Abdul Aziz Bari berpendapat tidak wujud sebarang desakan berkaitan isu status hak milik  tanah  999 tahun kampung-kampung  baharu di Perak  memandangkan ia  termaktub dalam  manifesto  Pakatan  Harapan negeri. Beliau berkata, pelan perancangan berkaitan hak milik tanah itu telah diperincikan pada Jun lalu iaitu  sebulan selepas Pakatan Harapan berjaya membentuk kerajaan di Perak. Katanya, pelan itu juga mengandungi beberapa langkah yang perlu dilakukan Pakatan Harapan agar ia berjalan lancar selain tidak melanggari pera...

KUALA LUMPUR -- Intense investigations are being carried out into the missing Radioactive Dispersal Device (RDD) containing the radioactive isotope Iridium 192 which was reported missing on Aug 10. Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Mohamad Fuzi Harun said this was not the first time the device had gone missing as the first case was reported last year. “This incident is not the first and it is understood that it also happened last year. However, nobody has come formation with information of its discovery,” he told reporters after the Mega 1.0 community effort to combat the aedes mosquito at the Royal Malaysia  Police (PDRM) level. Mohamad Fuzi was commenting on a report in a local newspaper of the missing 23-kilogramme RDD which cost about RM75,000, belonging to a company in Shah Alam. The device was reported missing as it being brought back from Seremban to the factory in Shah Alam by two technicians between 2 am to 3 am on Aug 10. The devi...

KUALA LUMPUR -- The abolition of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) by the new government did  not cause the country to go bankrupt but has in fact been able to survive so far, said Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng. He said although GST was idolised by certain parties who wanted a free market and feared losing foreign investors, the impact of the tax system burdened the people, especially those in the lower income group (B40). "Although the new government has abolished the GST, so far Malaysia has not become a bankrupt. We can still hang on, it proves that we can survive without GST," he said when winding up the debate on the 2018 Goods and Services Tax (Repeal) Bill in the Dewan Negara, Bernama reported. The bill was later approved for third reading with a majority vote before  Dewan Negara president Tan Sri S.A. Vigneswaran. Lim explained that many complaints had been received since the GST was introduced and it showed that the tax system had ...