Quotes For You

Obviously, what I have tried to do in the last 14 months was a failure as the PAS President, Hadi Awang, believed that my suggestion that PAS join the Anwar Unity Government was an official proposal and not my personal unofficial view. PAS information chief Khairil Nizam Khirudin said that “it was in fact DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang who had the overture” that PAS join the Anwar unity government. Khairil is wrong. I am not the DAP adviser. As I said in response to PAS Deputy President, Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man on 18th May, “Firstly let me clarify that the proposal for co-operation between the Anwar Unity Government and PAS to resolve the 60-year water problem and the lack of development in Kelantan, Terengganu, and Kedah is my personal idea and not that of DAP as I have not discussed it with the DAP Secretary-General Anthony Loke or any other DAP leaders. “In fact, this is why I declined Anthony Loke’s proposal to appoint me as a DAP mentor as I want to be able to give my personal views and ...

  Press statement by Wanita MCA National Chairperson Wong You Fong The proposal by Deputy Prime Minister Dato’ Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi that work places be equipped with higher definition close circuit television (CCTV) cameras is pragmatic. It is hoped that the installation of such devices will cause would-be perpetrators to desist from their acts, thus enabling work places to be safer. More importantly, the mounting of CCTVs will empower victims to voice out with evidence when lodging a complaint with the Human Resources Department or filing a police report that sexual harassment, unwanted or illicit approaches which are sexual in nature by colleagues, visitors, clients or vendors had occurred. Nevertheless, it cannot be denied that purchasing of CCTVs and labour cost to install the equipment will increase the operating cost of any company or organisation. To encourage the procurement of CCTVs to protect the safety of employees regardless of gender, Wanita MCA would like to pro...

  Photo: Lim Kit Siang Facebook Is it possible for the Anwar Unity Government to make a breakthrough in the six state general elections in August? I think that this is not only feasible but the likely result although political parties in the Anwar unity government must not take things for granted or fall between two stools — over-optimism of victory in Penang, Selangor, and Negeri Sembilan and over-pessimism of defeat in Kelantan, Terengganu, and Kedah. One objective of the Anwar unity government is to demonstrate that the so-called “green wave” in the 15th parliamentary elections was a misnomer, that it was built on lies, falsehoods, andfake news on the social media, like the wild and preposterous allegations which the PAS President, Hadi Awang,had made against DAP and me but was unable to substantiate for six long months. This is the time for a war of nerves, for political coalitions like the Perikatan Nasional (PN) to behave as if they are stronger than before, and that an irres...

2023 Edelman Trust Barometer: Malaysians Demand Collaboration between Core Institutions to Avoid Further Economic Polarisation ·  Malaysia saw a dip in trust levels across all four pillars but remains within trusted territory. ·  NGOs and Businesses are viewed as trusted while Government and Media are in neutral territory. ·  Malaysians demand consensus and collaboration between Businesses and Governments to restore economic optimism.   May 11, 2023, KUALA LUMPUR   – Edelman Malaysia today released the findings of their annual Trust Barometer, highlighting an overall decline in trust amongst Government, Businesses, NGOs, and Media. Despite this decrease, Malaysia remains among the top 10 nations globally within trusted territory.   Malaysians' Trust in Institutions According to the 2023 Edelman Trust Barometer, Malaysia's Trust Index Score has decreased by three points from its 2022 score, averaging at 62 points. As a result, Malaysia dropped three places f...

  Photo: Lim Kit Siang FB page What was Hadi Awang smoking when he claimed that PAS was offered the chance to join the Anwar unity government? Hadi has been challenged by an UMNO Supreme Council member to reveal the identity of the individual who offered his party the chance to join the unity government. I will not be surprised if Hadi is unable to reveal the identity of the individual, because this person does not exist, in the same way that Hadi has been unable to substantiate the numerous wild and preposterous allegations he has made against the DAP and me. Hadi accused DAP and me of promoting Islamophobia. If so, Hadi had been remiss in his previous duties as Special Envoy to the Middle East to two Prime Ministers when he failed to lodge a report to the Organisation of Islamic Co-operation (OIC) Islamophobia Observatory. Furthermore, he has compounded his dereliction of duty as a Member of Parliament by failing to raise the matter in Parliament, because it is completely unaccep...

Startup Studio Indonesia (SSI), an esteemed startup accelerator program backed by the Indonesian government, recently announced that its alumni have collectively secured funding worth US$65.8 million (Rp977,6 billion). To continue the success of these startup developments, the program by the Ministry of Communication and Informatics of Indonesia (Kominfo) has opened the registration for its seven batch in May 2023 and welcomes more promising founders.  Startup Studio Indonesia helps its cohort to increase chance of funding by helping them with focus on finding Product-Market Fit as well as opportunity to network and learn from the best startup players in Asia. In its seventh batch, Startup Studio Indonesia will continue its mission to support the development of early-stage startups to create products that meet market needs. This will be done by improving product iterations, business models, and enhancing user retention before entering the market expansion phase. The Ministry of Com...

Press statement by MCA Spokesperson Wong Siew Mun The announcement by the Ministry of Works that RM1.7 billion has been allocated to upgrade Karak Highway is welcome. We believe that after the highway has been upgraded, not only will the perennial congestions be solved, the upgrade will also drive economic development along the East Coast. The Karak Highway was launched in 1974 and expanded into a complete highway in 1997. It is an important traffic artery connecting the East and West Coasts of Peninsular Malaysia. In fact, it is the main transportation artery connecting both regions. With an increase in traffic and aging road facilities, concerns grow over safety issues along Karak Highway. Based on news reports, this allocation will be utilised to expand lanes and build additional tunnels. We believe that in any improvement plans, safety measures to strengthen Karak Highway should be included. These include, identifying blind spots where traffic accidents occur. Adding street lamps a...

Photo: Lim Kit Siang FB page Ahmad Faizal Azumu is very wrong. The PAS President, Hadi Awang has no reasons and that is why he has not been able to substantiate his seven wild and preposterous allegations against DAP and me for as long as six months. How long more does Hadi Awang need to substantiate his wild and preposterous allegations against DAP and me? Is there a responsible, honest, and respected Islamic leader, whether in history or anywhere in the world, who cannot substantiate his wild and preposterous allegations for as long as six months? When did I become anti-Malay, anti-Islam, anti-royalty, a communist, and promoting Islamophobia in my over a half a century of involvement in the politics of Malaysia? Was I anti-Malay, anti-Islam, anti-royalty, a communist, and promoting Islamophobia when he approached me in 2014 with other PAS leaders to suggest that Pakatan Rakyat should replace Anwar Ibrahim with Tengku Razaleigh as the Prime Minister-designate of Pakatan Rakyat, althou...

  Press statement by MCA Deputy Treasurer General Datuk IR Lawrence Low Government Urged to Implement Countermeasures to Revive Malaysian Ringgit and Foster Economic Growth In response to the declining exchange rate of the Malaysian Ringgit against the US Dollar and the Singapore Dollar, MCA Treasurer Deputy: Datuk IR Lawrence Low calls on the government to take immediate action to revive the Ringgit and stimulate economic growth. “The continuous weakening of the Ringgit has created significant challenges for businesses, leading to a loss of competitiveness in the global market. This, in turn, puts pressure on the cost of living for the people, impacting their purchasing power and overall well-being", said Low. Recognizing the far-reaching consequences of a prolonged weak currency on economic growth, Low emphasizes the need for proactive countermeasures. To address this, he proposes a range of strategies: (1) Short-term Strategy: Allow Enterprises to Store Foreign Currency Enablin...

  Press Release from BERSIH 25 May 2023 TIME TO END POLITICAL APPOINTMENTS AND PATRONAGE TO GOVERNMENT-LINKED COMPANIES The Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (BERSIH) questions the need for Prime Minister Dato' Seri Anwar Ibrahim to perpetuate the practice by previous administrations to make political appointees at government-linked companies. The latest is his appointment of YB Wong Chen, a MP from his party as Non-Executive Chairman of Malaysia Debts Ventures Berhad (MDV), a GLC or state-owned enterprise. While we applaud Wong Chen's self-imposed limits to his role in that he will not chair the board committees on risk management, remuneration, audit, and financing and investments to minimise any conflict of interest issues, we wonder if there is such a dearth of talents in our country that the PM must appoint Wong Chen? We do not question Wong Chen's qualification or his ability to head such an enterprise. In fact, Wong Chen has proven to be an able MP and he has al...

  Press statement by MCA Economic Consultative Committee Chairman Tan Tuan Peng As shown by recent reports of the Ringgit’s downwards trend and the continued inflation of the prices of goods, many Malaysians are no doubt in dire straits, especially those from the bottom and middle-income category. In fact, the hope and optimism of the masses that the new Unity Government would strengthen the economy, have only grown dimmer each day.   The change of the government gave the people a ray of hope, especially towards the newly appointed Prime Minister, Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim. However, the Cabinet as a whole and its Deputies have not been able to produce substantial positive change for the Rakyat’s daily life. Therefore, I urge the Cabinet to review the current situation and swiftly implement concrete plans that can help strengthen Malaysia’s economy and lift up the people from the current economic predicament. As we have seen previously, even with Bank Negara’s decision to r...

Itamar Ben-Gvir (left) during his incursion into the Al-Aqsa Mosque last Sunday. (Photo: Facebook) Malaysia strongly condemns the incursion into the Al-Aqsa Mosque and its courtyard on 21 May 2023 by the Israeli National Security Minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir.  The orchestrated incursion was a clear provocation and aggression against the political status quo of Jerusalem and Al-Haram Al-Sharif. Malaysia again calls on members of the international community to hold the Israeli regime accountable for the continued act of provocation and aggression that would aggravate the already dire situation on the ground. The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) must live up to its Charter-mandated responsibility and immediately demand the regime to halt acts of provocation in the interest of peace and stability in the region.  Malaysia continues to stand in solidarity with the people of Palestine, and their lawful rights for an independent and sovereign state, based on pre-1967 borders, with ...

Bank Negara Malaysia or BNM’s premature policy rate normalisation has not helped to stem the depreciation of the ringgit to the US dollar but may harm borrowing costs, hinder business expansion and hamper sustainable economic growth. Strengthening the value of the ringgit were amongst the reasons cited by those defending the 25 basis points hike in the Overnight Policy Rate(OPR) on 3 May by BNM. It is noteworthy that in a space of three weeks, the value of the ringgit has dropped from RM4.45 on 3 May to RM4.58 today. To date many businesses affected by the drop in the value of the ringgit are still awaiting BNM’s response. Bank Negara’s main argument for the OPR hike is the need to rein in core inflation and implement policy rate normalisation following full economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. There is genuine concern whether the latest OPR hike will affect sustainable economic growth, making it difficult for Malaysia to repeat the encouraging 5.6% first quarter GDP growth in...