My Comments : The master strategist here is Vladimir Putin. Whatever gas exports Russia lost to Germany and Europe has been diverted to China. Russia China trade has increased by US$100 BILLION in just one year !! China's GDP growth (2023) has hit 4.8% and Russia's GDP growth has also surged.
Cheap Russian energy gives Beijing a price advantage (and profit advantage) in all their exports. And in exchange Russia gets manufactured products from China.
The British war against Germany and Europe has actually succeeded (Brexit was in February 2020, two years before the Ukraine fighting). Germany and Europe have become significantly weaker.
The next step for Russia should be to restore Russian German trade back to the pre Ukraine levels. This will most certainly happen. Russia is now the No 1 military superpower in the world. This is being proven in Ukraine. But what a useless 'honour'? Russia is also set to become an economic superpower in Europe. That will be better for the whole world.
It is always better to have wealthy neighbours. Folks, in case of doubt, enrich thy neighbour - fairly and justly of course.
PAS information chief Ahmad Fadhli Shaari should ask the Islamist party’s own president Tan Sri Hadi Awang why he sent his own grandchildren to Chinese type primary schools (SJKC) in the first place before incessantly harping of the primary and secondary school education of the DAP Kuala Kubu Baharu (KKB) by-election candidate Pang Sock Tao.
The Pakatan Harapan (PH) Youth further reminded Ahmad Fadhli who is the Pasir Mas MP that this was confirmed by S. Barathidasan who was then the secretary of PAS non-Muslim supporters’ group, Dewan Himpunan Penyokong PAS (DHPP).
“In fact, Temerloh MP Salamiah Mohd Nor who is also a PAS member has also schooled her child in a SJKC,” the PH youth wing pointed out in a statement disseminated by Amanah Youth vice-president Ammar Atan.
“Have Hadi and Salamiah lost faith in the National School? Or did Hadi’s grandchildren and Salamiah’s child have lost their sense of patriotism towards Malaysia by entering SJKC?”
Earlier, PH Youth has hit out at Ahmad Fadhli for being “hypocritical and racist” over his attempt to undermine Pang by playing up the vernacular school card just because she is a Chinese.
“This is very regrettable when the truth is Pang is fluent in the Malay language and this has been proven by her excellent SPM results, including an ‘A ‘ for Bahasa Melayu. It is not known whether Fadhli himself managed to get an ‘A’ grade (like Pang) in his SPM.”
Pang Sock Tao (Image credit: Xiao Tao 小桃 Facebook)
Added PH Youth: “Voters in KKB can now evaluate whether they want to vote for Perikatan Nasional (PN) which consists of leaders like Ahmad Fadhli. It is not our culture to sow hatred against other races. To Ahmad Fadhli, our message to you is do put aside racism and stop being a hypocrite”.
In his latest antic to politicise Pang’s education background, Ahmad Fadhli who was himself the former PAS Youth chief had ‘apologised’ to the PH candidate for the May 11 KKB by-election for digging into her past yet still questioned her reluctance to list down her primary and secondary school profile in the first place.
Isunya mudah sahaja utk difahami, mengapakah calon DAP boleh menyenaraikan pendidikan awal rendah dan menengah sekiranya pendidikan itu di sekolah kebangsaan? Saya lampirkan contoh calon DAP di P102 Bangi tahun 2018 (yang menggunakan logo PKR).
Dan dengan maaf, saya ingin bertanya kpd saudari calon DAP di PRK KKB, kenapakah saudari tidak senaraikan dari awal di profil calon berhubung pendidikan rendah dan menengah? Apakah yang cuba disembunyikan daripada awal? Bukankah ia waj...
In so doing, the PAS politician drew a comparison with the profile of DAP’s former Bangi MP Ong Kian Ming who had no qualms to state his alma mater as SK La Salle Petaling Jaya and SMK La Salle Petaling Jaya respectively.
“What was you trying to hide from the beginning? Shouldn’t this be a proud moment or serve as an advantage? Or you’re just worried that the truth can reduce your vote count?” Ahmad Fadhli asked Pang. – May 1, 2024
DAY 5 | It’s the fifth day of the 14-day campaigning period for the Kuala Kubu Baharu by-election before voters head to the polls on May 11.
Malaysiakini reports live from the ground.
Level-playing field
1.30pm: DAP will not rest on its laurels in campaigning for the Kuala Kubu Baharu by-election despite the party's incumbency in the state constituency.
The party's secretary-general Anthony Loke says in every election, all competing parties have a fair chance of winning, and the "cocky" party would usually end up losing.
"So we must always be humble, not arrogant, and not be overconfident that we can win. When we are campaigning for an election, it's a level playing field.
"It is the voters who will choose, so what we can do is campaign for our party's candidates," Loke tells reporters when campaigning for Pakatan Harapan candidate Pang Sock Tao, at Kuala Kubu Baharu this afternoon.
10am: The federal government is always committed to empowering national schools, but parents retain the right to choose the educational stream for their children, said PKR vice-president Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad last night.
He said it was improper of Pasir Mas MP and PAS information chief Ahmad Fadhli Shaari to challenge Pakatan Harapan candidate Pang Sock Tao to declare her educational background for primary and secondary schools.
“Does Ahmad Fadhli believe those who studied at Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan (SJK) cannot become elected representatives? Studying at SJK is not like joining an illegal organisation because the Constitution recognises SJK and takes national examinations,” Bernama quoted Nik Nazmi (above) as saying.
The natural resources and environmental sustainability minister said besides that, there has been an increase in Malay students entering SJK, including in Kelantan.
"Instead of condemning SJK, it is better for Fadhli to ask about the children of Perikatan Nasional leaders who attend international schools. These schools do not follow the national syllabus and examinations," he said.
‘Probe against Perlis MB doesn't affect KKB polls’
8am: The MACC probe against Perlis Menteri Besar Mohd Shukri Ramli for alleged abuse of power does not affect the Kuala Kubu Baharu (KKB) by-election campaign.
Selangor Perikatan Nasional chairperson Azmin Ali
This is according to Selangor Perikatan Nasional chairperson Azmin Ali, who dubbed the probe "irresponsible".
"The probe against Perlis MB doesn't affect (PN). We will continue campaigning and explaining to voters here.
"For example, regarding the academic qualifications of PN candidate Khairul Azhari Saut, which was made into an issue by Pakatan Harapan.
"The matter (Harapan's allegations) were proven untrue after Universiti Malaysia Pahang Al-Sultan Abdullah (UMPSA) confirmed his (Khairul's executive master‘s degree in education management). It should serve as a lesson to Harapan to not slander during the campaign as the rakyat are tired of such games," Azmin told reporters at KKB last night.
Perlis Menteri Besar Mohd Shukri Ramli
Yesterday, Shukri was released on MACC bail after his statement was recorded in connection with an alleged abuse of power case.
Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said the state government is confident that Penang will continue to be a preferred destination for high-quality and high-value investors. — Bernama pic
Wednesday, 01 May 2024 9:47 AM MYT
GEORGE TOWN, May 1 — Penang will continue to focus on transforming the state into an international hub for trade, especially in the electronics and semiconductor sectors, Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said today.
He said this is in line with the state’s efforts to provide more employment opportunities to the younger generation.
“With Penang's robust record in investment policies and facilities, the state government is confident that Penang will continue to be a preferred destination for high-quality and high-value investors, thanks to the diligent efforts of the workers in this state,” he said in his Labour Day message.
He said Penang only has an unemployment rate of 2 per cent, citing the Labour Force Survey for the fourth quarter of 2023.
He said Penang also has a Labour Force Participation Rate of 73.3 per cent, which proved that workers in the state are hardworking and always striving to improve their living standards.
He expressed his appreciation to all workers in Penang who had worked hard for the state to successfully record an investment inflow of RM71.9 billion in 2023, the highest in Malaysia.
“I would like to remind everyone to embody the Madani values in our lives as workers and individuals,” he said.
He reminded the people to continue to contribute to the wellbeing of their workplace.
“Showcase your creativity in development and innovation sectors, be someone who always respects their colleagues regardless of their background, position, or status,” he said.
He said the state government and its leadership will continue to work hard to ensure the wellbeing of the people.
Lawyer For Liberty (LFL) should always be fair in any dispute and treat all parties equally, said National Press Club (NPC) president Ahirudin Attan.
He said this following LFL's statement criticising the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) for lodging a police report against a foreign blogger, Murray Hunter, who claimed the internet regulator and the police had become “politicised institutions”.
“The victim here is not Hunter; he is the perpetrator, the attacker. The victim is your institution, MCMC. LFL is Malaysian, and MCMC is Malaysian. The least LFL can do is be fair.
“If you want to take MCMC to task for lodging the police report, you should take Hunter (above) to task, question him why he is so concerned, negatively focused on Malaysia… we don’t know why he (Hunter) did such things, so how can LFL be so sure that he has the best Malaysian interest?,” he told Bernama after the NPC-Macrokiosk Muhibbah Awards 2024 at NPC Malaysia yesterday.
Moreover, Ahirudin opined that LFL should not be political in this dispute, as such actions could lead people to think that LFL had a political agenda.
“Like when Hunter attacked the sultan of Selangor last month, saying that the sultan ‘misused his power’, did LFL make any noise about it? Did they question Hunter about it? I’m all for freedom of expression and press freedom, but we need to write the truth. If we write semi-truth, it is still not considered the truth.
“We journalists know that Hunter is not a journalist; he is a former lecturer who was sacked from Universiti Malaysia Perlis (UniMAP), so naturally he has an axe to grind with Malaysians. If they (LFL) want to support Hunter, that's okay, but be fair to the victims,” he said.
Slanderous postings
Yesterday, MCMC lodged a report against Hunter as his postings were deemed slanderous for openly accusing the commission of acting beyond its jurisdiction for personal interests, as well as claiming that the commission and the police were trying to scare the public.
The commission also reminded that spreading untrue content, including with the intention of disturbing other parties was a crime under Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 and uploading slanderous content about the MCMC was also a crime.
Earlier, Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil defended the MCMC for lodging a police report against Hunter, stating that the internet regulator was well within its rights to do so.
Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil
On the launch of the Anugerah Muhibbah NPC-Macrokiosk 2024 event, co-founder and CEO of Markiosk Kenny Goh said the 2024 award series would continue to recognise individuals, groups and organisations that exemplified the true essence of Muhibbah (unity), promoting unity and goodwill across Malaysia this year.
“We are excited to once again work with NPC to launch this second series of our Muhibbah Awards. We hope the awards will continue to inspire more Malaysians to care for and respect each other,” he said.
Goh said in its inaugural series, the Muhibbah Awards celebrated six winners, and Malaysians could expect even more inspiring narratives of compassion, unity and dedication in society with the upcoming 2024 edition.
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim reminds everyone to be mindful in their criticism of the issue, particularly when it comes to the royals.
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Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said the royals cannot be treated the same way as politicians, who are free to be criticised by anyone.
PUTRAJAYA: Those accusing the government of wanting to open a casino in Forest City, Johor should end up in jail, says Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.
Denying allegations that he received proposals from the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Ibrahim on the matter, Anwar said those who had freely criticised and slandered him deserve a cell in Sungai Buloh Prison.
“What is this (proposal)? I’ve never heard of it. No one has proposed it, and neither has the Agong told me to build a casino there.
“Where did this criticism come from? These are evil people. They can take my room in Sungai Buloh (Prison),” Anwar said when officiating the Labour Day celebrations at the Putrajaya International Convention Centre.
Last Thursday, Bloomberg reported that Anwar met Berjaya founder Vincent Tan and Genting Group’s Lim Kok Thay to discuss the matter.
Quoting sources familiar with the matter, Bloomberg reported that a casino would revive the US$100 billion Forest City property project.
However, the same day, Anwar denied having discussed such a plan and Johor menteri besar Onn Hafiz Ghazi also denied Sultan Ibrahim’s involvement in the project.
Onn said no casino would be allowed to operate in the state, and pointed out that the Johor ruler had already declared he would not allow it.
Meanwhile, Anwar reminded everyone to be mindful in their criticisms of the issue, particularly when it comes to the royals.
He said the royals cannot be treated the same way as politicians, who are free to be criticised by anyone.
“If you criticise the prime minister, that’s fine, because I can respond. But instead you criticise our Rulers.
“If you attack (the royals) or spread slander (against them), the response is prosecution, punishment and imprisonment. So, don’t get angry with me claiming that I’m undemocratic, harsh and iron-fisted,” Anwar said.
Yesterday, Bersatu member Badrul Hisham Shaharin, also known as Chegubard, pleaded not guilty at the Johor Bahru sessions court to a charge of publishing seditious material on social media.
The charge relates to the Bloomberg report about the purported casino project.
It was reported that Badrul had been charged with posting seditious material on his Facebook account at Mutiara Villa, Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur, at 6.30pm last Friday.
The charge was framed under Section 4(1)(c) of the Sedition Act 1948, which carries a maximum RM5,000 fine, imprisonment of up to three years, or both, upon conviction.
KKB BY-ELECTION | DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke has slammed his former colleague P Ramasamy over the latter's "don't vote for Pakatan Harapan" campaign in Kuala Kubu Baharu.
More so because the former Penang deputy chief minister is campaigning against Harapan without providing an alternative for the people he is trying to convince, said Loke.
"Ramasamy is someone without a direction. He asks (voters) not to vote for Harapan, but then who else to vote for?
"You (reporters) ask him. He has not said who to vote for. So, what's his alternative? He doesn't have any; he's just politicking based on revenge," Loke told a press conference after campaigning for the government candidate for the by-election, Pang Sock Tao, in Kuala Kubu Baharu this afternoon.
Recently, Ramasamy, who is the United for the Rights of Malaysians Party (Urimai) president, began groundwork in Kuala Kubu Baharu to encourage voters not to vote for Harapan.
DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke (centre) during a press conference after campaigning for Pang Sock Tao
This, he said, was a way to teach a lesson to the federal government led by Harapan chairperson Anwar Ibrahim, who he alleged had failed to fulfil their promises to Malaysians.
“I am not here to canvass votes for any party. Instead, we are here to tell voters not to vote for Harapan. They (voters) can vote for either Perikatan Nasional, Parti Rakyat Malaysia, or the independent candidate. That is their choice, and we will not interfere,” he added.
Elaborating, Loke claimed that Ramasamy was angry at DAP and Harapan for not being nominated to contest in the six state elections.
"We are campaigning to choose a representative in the state government. We are busy thinking about what the representative can do when elected, and what can be done to help the people.
"We don't think about boycotting this and that, so I think it is better we don't entertain people like him (Ramasamy) so much.
"He has no direction, and we will end up the same if we follow (his style). We will be lost too," Loke said.
***
kt comments:
During the last election why was Prof Rama dropped? If DAP required a state seat in Penang, why couldn't Guan Eng surrender his when he already has a federal seat? Why must Guan Eng hold both a federal and a state seat while depriving Prof Rama of his state seat? Why the inexplicable greed at the expense of a once-loyalist like Prof Rama? The DAP leadership was disloyal to Prof Rama, not Prof Rama to the party.
Former Selangor Umno chief Tan Sri Noh Omar, during a PN ceramah in Kuala Kubu Baharu last night, asked what happened to Umno’s ‘dignity’ in allying with its former longtime rival DAP. – Halim Salleh/Scoop pic, May 1, 2024
KUALA LUMPUR – Former Selangor Umno chief Tan Sri Noh Omar has questioned the necessity for the party to express gratitude to its unity government partner DAP, pointing to a previously alleged plot to remove the multiracial party from government.
Campaigning for Perikatan Nasional (PN) in the lead up to the Kuala Kubu Baharu by-election, Noh accused Umno of compromising its “dignity” by aligning with DAP, which was its staunch adversary prior to the current government’s formation in late 2022.
Reflecting on past events, Noh recounted a meeting with former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad during his second tenure in Putrajaya during the initial Pakatan Harapan (PH) administration.
“Where is Umno’s dignity? What has DAP done to prompt the Umno president (Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi) to say that Umno must thank DAP for its services?” Noh queried during a PN ceramah in Kuala Kubu Baharu last night.
“We (Noh and other Umno representatives) met (Dr Mahathir) when Umno was in the opposition, and he told us that we must find a way for DAP to be the opposition.
“When we asked him if he was willing to bring down his own administration, (Dr Mahathir) said that it’s okay if I’m not prime minister as long as DAP is part of the opposition,” he alleged.
Noh also poured scorn over Umno’s apparent willingness to allow DAP to field its candidate in the Kuala Kubu Baharu poll, saying: “Have some shame. It’s a good thing that I’m not part of Umno anymore. If you were to ask me to carry DAP’s flag, I wouldn’t do it.”
Commenting on MCA’s decision not to campaign for DAP’s candidate, 31-year-old Pang Sock Tao, Noh said that he commends the BN component party’s call as one that exemplifies its honour.
“(Zahid), this (Kuala Kubu Baharu) used to be an MCA seat. Suddenly, he (Zahid) made a decision without discussing it with MCA, (as if) MCA had no dignity. I salute them (MCA) for not coming down to campaign for DAP.”
Also present at the ceramah last night were PN chairman Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, Selangor PN chief Datuk Seri Azmin Ali, and Bersatu Srikandi chief Datuk Seri Rina Mohd Harun.
Kuala Kubu Baharu, a former MCA stronghold, has been a DAP seat for the last three elections since 2013, when DAP’s Lee Kee Hiong won it by beating her rival from BN by more than 1,700 votes.
Lee defended the seat in the 2018 general election, again beating the closest contender, MCA, by 7,134 votes.
In the state elections in August last year, Lee beat the PN candidate from Gerakan by 4,119 votes to win the seat for the third time. Other contenders last year were a candidate from Muda and one from Parti Rakyat Malaysia, which is also taking part in the upcoming election.
The seat, which is one of the three state seats under the Hulu Selangor parliamentary constituency, was declared vacant following Lee’s death on March 21.
With a PN candidate from PAS winning in Hulu Selangor for the first time during the 2022 general election, the coalition now holds the two other state seats under the parliamentary constituency.
Voters will head to the polls on May 11 in a four-cornered fight involving Pang, Bersatu’s Khairul Azhari Saut, Parti Rakyat Malaysia’s Hafizah Zainudin, and independent candidate Nyau Ke Xin. – May 1, 2024
A Palestinian woman walks past the rubble of buildings destroyed in previous Israeli bombardments in Rafah. — AFP pic
Wednesday, 01 May 2024 7:25 AM MYT
NEW YORK, May 1 — A ground operation by Israeli troops in the southern Gaza city of Rafah would be a “tragedy beyond words”, the UN’s humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths said in a statement yesterday.
“The simplest truth is that a ground operation in Rafah will be nothing short of a tragedy beyond words. No humanitarian plan can counter that,” Griffiths said, after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to launch an offensive on Rafah, which has become a refuge to some 1.5 million Palestinians.
With Hamas weighing a truce plan proposed in Cairo talks with the US, Egyptian and Qatari mediators, Netanyahu vowed to launch the assault on Rafah “with or without a deal”.
Washington has joined calls on Israel from other countries and humanitarian organisations to spare the city for fear an army incursion would lead to massive civilian casualties.
“The world has been appealing to the Israeli authorities for weeks to spare Rafah, but a ground operation there is on the immediate horizon,” said Griffiths.
“For the hundreds of thousands of people who have fled to Gaza’s southernmost point to escape disease, famine, mass graves and direct fighting, a ground invasion would spell even more trauma and death.
“For agencies struggling to provide humanitarian aid despite the active hostilities, impassable roads, unexploded ordnance, fuel shortages, delays at checkpoints, and Israeli restrictions, a ground invasion would strike a disastrous blow.
“We are in a race to stave off hunger and death, and we are losing.”
The war in Gaza started after Hamas’s October 7 attack on southern Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,170 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.
Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed at least 34,535 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory.
Hamas also took some 250 hostages on October 7. Israel estimates 129 remain in Gaza, including 34 believed to be dead. — AFP
