logo
Bella Astillah arrives at Court of Appeal to support Syed Saddiq

Bella Astillah arrives at Court of Appeal to support Syed Saddiq

PUTRAJAYA: Bella Astillah has arrived at the Court of Appeal in Putrajaya in support of Muar Member of Parliament Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman's appeal against his corruption convictions.
Bella, whose real name is Dayang Ara Nabellah Awang Astillah, 31, was seen wearing a green baju kurung this morning.
The Court of Appeal is expected to deliver its decision on Syed Saddiq's corruption case.
Bella and Syed Saddiq previously appeared together in a campaign for a local clothing brand and collaborated on the music video for Tapi Bukan Denganmu.
The duo, nicknamed 'BASS', has gone viral in Malaysia and even attracted attention in South Korea. Although they have never publicly confirmed their relationship, both families have expressed their support should a match materialise.
The New Straits Times also spotted Syed Saddiq's father here at 8am, wearing a green batik shirt and his lawyer Datuk Hisyam Teh Poh Teik.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Guidelines on academic freedom being finalised
Guidelines on academic freedom being finalised

New Straits Times

time5 hours ago

  • New Straits Times

Guidelines on academic freedom being finalised

KUALA LUMPUR: Academic staff at public universities will soon be permitted to make public statements related to their areas of expertise. Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir said implementation guidelines on the matter will be detailed in the ministry's Administrative Circular, which is currently being finalised. He said the circular will also serve as the official reference for all public universities, under the Second Schedule of the Statutory Bodies (Discipline and Surcharge) Act 2000. "We are of the view that all university members, whether students or lecturers, are free to express statements, opinions, and positions on matters responsibly, provided these do not violate university regulations, national laws, or touch on sensitive issues. "The ministry remains committed to strengthening the principles of academic freedom and promoting intellectual openness among academic staff and students at institutions of higher learning (IPTs)," he said in a written parliamentary reply. Zambry was responding to a question from Nurul Amin Hamid (PH-Padang), who asked about measures to safeguard academic freedom and students' freedom of expression, in line with the aspiration of universities to serve as platforms for open and critical debate following the 2023 amendments to the Universities and University Colleges Act (AUKU). He said that freedom of expression among university members, whether students or academic staff, must be accompanied by responsibility, ethics, and intellectual discipline. "Every university member is encouraged to express their ideals and views maturely through legitimate channels, reflecting their intelligence, leadership capability, and commitment to building a forward-looking and progressive society." Last year, the New Straits Times reported that the ministry had requested a review of the Statutory Bodies (Discipline and Surcharge) Act 2000 to allow public universities to freely make statements.

Ex-committee members of deregistered temple cannot sue trustees, rules court
Ex-committee members of deregistered temple cannot sue trustees, rules court

Free Malaysia Today

time11 hours ago

  • Free Malaysia Today

Ex-committee members of deregistered temple cannot sue trustees, rules court

The Court of Appeal ordered the seven former committee members of the deregistered Om Sivan Alayam Temple in Bukit Rasah to pay the trustees RM15,000 in costs. PUTRAJAYA : The Court of Appeal has ruled that seven former committee members of a deregistered Hindu temple in Seremban, Negeri Sembilan, have no legal standing to file a suit and apply for an injunction against a group of trustees. Justice Choo Kah Sing said the appellants also failed to obtain the consent of the attorney-general (AG) as required under Section 9 of the Government Proceedings Act 1956 when filing the action against the Om Sivan Alayam Temple in Bukit Rasah and its four trustees. Affirming the decision of the High Court in Seremban, Choo said only the insolvency department could initiate action since the temple had been deregistered. Choo added that the AG's consent was required since the appellants' challenge fell squarely in asserting an interest. Choo, who sat with Justices Azman Abdullah and Noorin Badaruddin, also ordered the seven to pay the respondents RM15,000 in costs. Earlier, lawyer Ranjan Chandran raised a preliminary objection that the ex-committee members' appeal was invalid as they lacked the locus standi to sue the trustees without the AG's consent. The ex-committee members, however, submitted that the trustees were sued based on a certificate of formation of trusteeship dated Nov 2, 2021, endorsed by the legal affairs division of the Prime Minister's Department. The facts of the case revealed that the former temple committee members had filed originating summons and an injunction, but that the relief sought was similar. The former committee members obtained an ex parte injunction from the High Court in June 2023 to restrain the trustees from holding a consecration ceremony for the temple. They also managed to prevent the trustees from dealing with the temple assets. However, four months later, the trustees managed to set aside the injunction after an inter partes hearing. The temple was deregistered in November 2017 and the assets vested with the insolvency department's director-general as required under Section 17 of the Societies Act 1966. Besides Ranjan, Jayasri Nadarajan and Nandhini Devi Nagindren represented the temple's trustees while Kirubakaran Baskaran, Satwant Singh and Barath Paramasivam appeared for the former committee members.

Syed Saddiq urges top-down accountability to tackle bullying in schools
Syed Saddiq urges top-down accountability to tackle bullying in schools

New Straits Times

time11 hours ago

  • New Straits Times

Syed Saddiq urges top-down accountability to tackle bullying in schools

KUALA LUMPUR: Muar member of parliament Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman has called for top-down accountability in tackling bullying, warning that systemic inaction by school authorities has allowed a culture of violence to persist. He said bullying cases in schools had surged thirtyfold in recent years, rising from 300 annually to 6,500, while violent incidents increased more than sevenfold to 5,300 cases. "What is more alarming is the trend involving physical assaults, not just mental bullying. "Systemic bullying happens when wardens neglect their duties, when principals turn a blind eye to protect the school's reputation, and when peers justify the act as part of school culture," he said during the Dewan Rakyat debate on the 13th Malaysia Plan. Citing the deaths of naval cadet Zulfarhan Osman Zulkarnain and the recent Zara Qairina Mahathir case, Syed Saddiq questioned why negligent school authorities are not held legally accountable in the same way as parents who fail in their duty of care at home. "We place responsibility on parents to protect their children. That same responsibility must be placed on principals and wardens. "They cannot just wash their hands by saying it was one bully and that action was taken," he said. Referring to Zara Qairina's death, he said that the principal and warden were only transferred following public protests. "What about the tens of thousands of other bullying cases without media coverage? Their fate is sealed if we cannot address the systemic support that enables bullying," he said. Syed Saddiq urged action from top to bottom, including against negligent investigators, and called for dismantling all support structures for bullies to ensure schools are safe for every student. Earlier today, the Education Ministry has decided to temporarily transfer several people from SMKA Tun Datu Mustapha until police investigations into the death of Zara are completed. In a statement today, the ministry said the school's principal, senior assistant (student affairs) and all its wardens will be temporarily placed at the Sabah Education Department. On July 16, 13-year-old Zara Qairina was found unconscious in a drain at her school and rushed to Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Kota Kinabalu, where she died of her injuries the next day. On Aug 9, her body was exhumed for a post-mortem examination, which took place the next day. Her remains were reburied early the next day.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store