by admin | May 25, 2021 | Muslim World
Malaysia Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad
Kuala Lumpur : Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad on Tuesday unveiled a wide-ranging National Anti-Corruption Plan (NACP), an ambitious plan to make the country corruption free in five years.
Mahathir conceded that introducing new legislation on political funding would be challenging, but said it had to be done to combat corruption.
“Political funding is a big problem because political parties need funding. Without funding, they cannot function,” he said, adding that “the cost of being in politics is very high now and it is getting higher all the time.”
“So, the government wants to look at how political funding should not lead to bribes to parties or the government. It is very difficult, but we will find a way,” the prime minister said at a press conference after the launch of the NACP in Kuala Lumpur.
The plan states that a new act to govern political funding, which will treat lobbying as an offense, will be created within two years. Under the political funding law, parties will be compelled to disclose all their sources of funding, including donations, or they will be liable to punishment.
—AB/UNA-OIC
by admin | May 25, 2021 | News, Politics
Putrajaya (Malaysia) : Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said on Tuesday that he will not give in easily just because there were demands from India to extradite controversial Muslim preacher Zakir Naik.
Mohamad said his government would always ensure that it looked into all factors before responding to any such demand. “Otherwise, someone will become a victim,” the New Straits Times quoted him as saying.
“We do not easily follow the demands of others. We must look at all factors before we respond,” he said.
The Prime Minister was asked if some parties in his collation government wanted to expel the preacher, who is now a permanent resident of Malaysia and is wanted by the Indian government on charges of money-laundering and terror links.
The leader of the Democratic Action Party (DAP), Ramasamy Palanisamy, said that he suspected that there was some secret deal between Malaysia and India.
Mohamad last week said the cleric will not be handed over to Indian authorities as he had been granted permanent resident status in Malaysia.
He had said that Naik, who left India in 2016, would be allowed to stay in Malaysia as long as he did not create any problem.
However, the decision did not go down well with several groups, who insisted that the government return Naik to India following his alleged tendencies to make racial and religiously insensitive statements, the report said.
It was reported that New Delhi had made a formal request for Naik to be returned to India after accusing him of inciting youngsters to commit terror activities through hate speeches.
Naik has accused the Indian media of vilifying him over the past two years.
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | World
Mahathir Mohamad sworn in as country’s seventh Prime Minister
Malaysia’s former authoritarian leader Mahathir Mohamad, who in a stunning political comeback led opposition parties to their first election victory in six decades, has been sworn in before the country’s King as prime minister.
The ceremony at the official state palace in Kuala Lumpur ended a day of uncertainty during which rumours swirled that the National Front, Malaysia’s ruling party for 60 years, would try to stay in power.
Dr Mahathir was dressed in a traditional black “baju melayu” tunic and sarong, with an Islamic cap on his head.
Hundreds of Malaysians lined the road leading to the palace, waving party flags and cheering the 92-year-old Dr Mahathir.
At a press conference after being sworn in, Dr Mahathir reassured the financial community and said he would prioritise stabilising the economy and returning billions of dollars lost in a corruption scandal at state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).
“We believe that we can get most of the 1MDB money back … we have to increase the confidence of investors in the administration,” he told reporters.
Malaysian markets were closed and will reopen only on Monday, but overseas investors were nervous about the ouster of Mr Najib, who has been in power for nearly a decade.
The ringgit lost four per cent in offshore trading, while an overseas Malaysian equity fund showed a 6 per cent drop in share values before partly rebounding.
“This upset ranks up there with Brexit and the Trump election,” said Aninda Mitra, a senior sovereign analyst at BNY Mellon Investment Management.
“I believe the ringgit will come under pressure as policy continuity will come under a cloud.”
As the election result became clear on Thursday, cementing a historic change of government, people stood on roadsides waving the white, blue and red flag of the opposition alliance, while cars tooted their horns.
“We need to have this government today without delay,” Dr Mahathir said before the ceremony.
“There is a lot of work to be done. You know the mess the country is in and we need to attend to this mess as soon as possible and that means today.”
Dr Mahathir ruled Malaysia with an iron fist from 1981 to 2003 and now, with a second innings at the age of 92, is the oldest elected leader in the world.
His alliance of four parties trounced the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition of now former prime minister Najib Razak, who was once Dr Mahathir’s protege but became his most bitter rival.
Official results showed that Dr Mahathir’s coalition won 113 seats, one more than the number required to rule.
