Video: Abu Sayyaf terrorists threatening lives of Malaysian and two others

KOTA KINABALU - Abu Sayyaf terrorists holding a Malaysian and two Indonesian fishermen hostage are threatening to behead the trio if no ransom is paid for their release.

Sirul to be deported after losing political asylum claim

A former bodyguard to Malaysia's ex-prime minister Najib Razak faces eventual deportation from Australia after a Sydney court this week rejected his appeal for political asylum.

Sirul Azhar Umar was one of two bodyguards sentenced to death in 2015 over the murder of Altantuya Shaariibuu.

But Australia is expected to delay his deportation until after Malaysia abolishes the death penalty.

Malaysia u-turns on cancelled ECRL project, intends to revive

KUALA LUMPUR (Bloomberg): Malaysia is making progress in talks with China to revive a high-speed rail project that Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad's government said it would cancel, according to Foreign Minister Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah.

China is willing to reduce the US$20bil (RM81.72bil) price tag for the East Coast Rail Link project and talks are "in the last mile," Saifuddin said in an interview Tuesday (Feb 19) at his office near Kuala Lumpur.

Johor DAP man tells Dr M to resign

PETALING JAYA - Johor DAP state committee member Dr Boo Cheng Hau today called for Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s resignation as prime minister, saying the veteran statesman had belittled the pledges in Pakatan Harapan’s (PH) election manifesto.

He said Mahathir’s statement last July that the manifesto was “a guide, not a bible” showed that he had no confidence in himself or the manifesto.

Warisan got its mandate from frogs

The people of Sabah did not give Parti Warisan Sabah the mandate to form the government after the 14th general election last year, said STAR president Datuk Dr Jeffrey Kitingan.

"It is brazen of its president Shafie Apdal to nonchalantly make such a claim," he added.

"Please do not mislead the people and accept the fact that his is government built on frogging using statutory declarations, which is not in the State Constitution. Even after an alliance with DAP and PKR, both multiracial parties from Peninsula, Warisan still needed to horse trade to form what many believe is an illegal government.

Analyst sees ex-Umno crossovers strengthening Dr U-turn’s ‘ultimate plan’

PETALING JAYA - PPBM will move closer to its aim of becoming the strongest party in Pakatan Harapan (PH) after the recent admittance of seven former Umno MPs, says a political analyst.

James Chin said the move would alter the “power equation” within the coalition and help Dr Mahathir Mohamad achieve the “ultimate aim” of his party or reaching par with PKR or DAP.

“To understand the power dynamics, you need to understand that, at present, almost all of PPBM’s political strength can be summed up in one word – Mahathir,” Chin said in a commentary on Channel NewsAsia.

Warisan helpless against PPBM's entry - one of Mahathir's many U-turns

KOTA KINABALU - Chief Minister Shafie Apdal today responded to PPBM’s entry to Sabah, saying Warisan accepts that there is no stopping any party from setting foot in the state.

Reading from a prepared statement in a brief press conference here, the Warisan president also advised the party’s supporters to remain calm over the development despite a pre-election agreement that PPBM would not spread its wings to Sabah.

“With regards to the entry of PPBM to Sabah, we cannot stop them, or any other party for that matter,” he said.

Federation looking forward to increase Chinese representation in Sarawak civil service

KUCHING: The Federation of Chinese Associations Kuching, Samarahan and Serian Divisions is looking to work together with the Sarawak government to boost the number of Chinese representation in the Sarawak civil service.

Its president Dato Richard Wee said there is still a lack of Chinese representation in the state civil service, a “long-standing phenomenon” that is happening throughout the country.

Anifah not considering joining Bersatu?

KOTA KINABALU - Former foreign minister Datuk Seri Anifah Aman has not considered whether he will be joining Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu).

“I am still an independent, I have not given it a thought,” he told a news portal yesterday following talks that several former Sabah Umno leaders will join the peninsular party when it sets up a branch in Sabah.

Anifah said he wanted to focus on the fight for Sabah’s rights in line with the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63).

The Kimanis elected representative is the first MP from Sabah to quit Umno after Barisan Nasional’s defeat in the general election last year.

PKR MP Sng's father lodges police report to deny claim of human trafficking allegations

SIBU - Former Julau MP Dato Sng Chee Hua lodged a police report yesterday morning, denying a claim that he was involved in a syndicate which sent locals to work in Cambodia that resulted in their arrests.

Sng, who was also former Pelagus assemblyman, lodged the report at 11.23am at Ulu Lanang Police Station.

The 71-year-old said he had been told by his son Larry, the Julau MP, through the WhatApp message yesterday morning that there was a claim that had gone viral in WhatsApp that he was involved in the syndicate.

RON95, 97 expected to go up by 1 sen

PETALING JAYA - The price of RON97 and RON95 fuel will increase by 1 sen to RM2.28 and RM1.98 per litre respectively, effective midnight.

The price of diesel, however, will remain at RM2.18.

In a statement, the finance ministry said the price of refined petroleum products had gone up to $US63 per barrel, from US$62.

The price of diesel, meanwhile, increased to US$74 per barrel from US$73.

SAPP: Federal govt ignoring calls for extended UTC hours

KOTA KINABALU - The federal government seems indifferent to the voices of Sabah and Sarawak by ignoring calls to restore longer operating hours for the Urban Transformation Centre (UTC), opposition Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) says.

The party's information chief Chin Vui Kai said this was despite both Sabah and Sarawak DAP MPs calling on Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng to restore the operating hours for UTCs in Kota Kinabalu and Kuching from 1pm to 10pm.

Whistleblower called up by police, "New Malaysia"?

PETALING JAYA - Bukit Aman has called up MCA central committee member Chan Quin Er in connection with the expose of a circular on instructions to the Attorney General's Chambers to hasten judicial hearings of high-profile cases.

Chan will have her statement recorded on Friday (Feb 15).

The action by the police follows the leaked email circular by Solicitor General III, Datuk Mohamad Hanafiah Zakaria, which went viral and was highlighted by Chan to the media.

Sabah Water Department under fire over written exam for pipefitters

KOTA KINABALU - Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) has questioned a new directive for pipefitters in the state to sit for a written exam in order to renew their licences.

PBS vice-president Johnny Mositun said for years, pipefitters, who are responsible for installing, maintaining and repairing piping systems, had been renewing their licences without any problem.

“They never failed to complete their projects, and many of them have years of experience in the field. Why this new directive suddenly?” he said.

Anwar expects to take over PM within 2 years

KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysia’s would-be prime minister says he expects to take power from Dr Mahathir Mohamad in less than two years but wants to give the current leader enough time to govern effectively before he assumes control.

“Of course it’s not five years because he’s made it very clear they would not exceed two years,” PKR leader Anwar Ibrahim said in an interview in New York on Bloomberg Television yesterday.