Malaysia

Malaysia: Human Rights Watch said today that the Malaysian government should renounce a plan by a cabinet minister to raise criminal penalties against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) citizens. The effort to increase criminal penalties against LGBT Malaysians is the latest in a series of measures to cement the Perikitan Nasional government’s anti-LGBT, anti-human rights stance.The proposed amendment submitted …

SINGAPORE – After cross-border travel resumed five months ago, only about 50 percent of Malaysian employees have returned to Singapore for work. Various trade associations told The Straits Times that industries, such as renovation and food and beverage (F&B) services, that depend heavily on workers from across the Causeway, are still struggling to cope with the shortage of manpower. Mr. …

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 23-In order to save jobs threatened by the new second movement control order, opposition MPs urged the government to introduce an automatic loan moratorium and six-month wage subsidy (MCO). The MPs, collectively from the PKR, DAP, Amanah, Warisan, New Sarawak Party and the still unregistered United Democratic Alliance of Malaysia (Muda), said the automatic loan moratorium, which …

PETALING JAYA – There will be no deferred national exams in Malaysia, like Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM, GCE O-level equivalent), Sijil Kemahiran Malaysia (SKM, certificate of vocational skills), Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia (STPM, GCE A-level equivalent). The first examinations will begin on Feb 22. Education director-general Habibah Abdul Rahim said that despite calls to do so, there would also be …

The recently announced Emergency (Essential Powers) Ordinance in Malaysia is too broad and should be updated urgently to meet international standards for human rights, Human Rights Watch said today.The decree announced on January 14, 2021, gives police powers to the Malaysian military, allows compulsory confiscation of property without the right to appeal the compensation offered, and gives near-complete immunity to …

SHAH ALAM: At the Sessions Court here today, a former senior assistant secretary to the ministry was charged with two counts of collecting RM100,000 in bribes related to the issuance of tenders to supply and distribute bio-fertilizers to a company. Shahrulzaman Jaafar, 43, reported to have been tried on both counts. He was formerly with the Ministry of Agriculture and …

KUALA LUMPUR- If the government does not get its Covid-19 policies correct, Malaysia is in danger of getting perpetual movement-control orders (MCOs), said Dr Musa Mohd Nordin. Dr Musa said during an online forum on Jom Channel on Wednesday, “We are not finding the hotspots and not doing enough mass testing with rapid tests” (Jan 20). And if the government …

PUTRAJAYA: Because of the latest Movement Control Order (MCO 2.0), the government expects the country to lose RM600 million per day, compared to RM2.4 billion per day during the first MCO between March and May last year, Finance Minister Tengku Zafrul Aziz said yesterday. As five critical sectors are still available, this MCO is unlike the one in March last …

KUALA LUMPUR: Traders in Kuala Lumpur and beyond who expected a busy season leading up to the Chinese New Year are now preparing for possible losses, after the government has again imposed a Movement Control Order (MCO) in almost all states to resolve an increasing number of COVID-19 cases. When reporters visited Petaling Lane, the Chinatown of Kuala Lumpur, last …

KUALA LUMPUR – More than 400,000 school leavers face the grim prospect of being unprepared for an already twice-delayed test that Malaysians believe could make or break their future, with half of the 2020 academic year in Malaysia massively disrupted due to the coronavirus pandemic. Similar to the O-level exam in Singapore, Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) is still scheduled to …