Ex-MACC chief will be an asset for Umno, says Puad

16-06-2025

Published on: Monday, June 16, 2025
Published on: Mon, Jun 16, 2025
By: FMT Reporters Text Size: It was reported on Saturday that Dzulkifli Ahmad had officially joined Umno, through the Merbau Kudong branch under the Tasek Gelugor division. (File pic) PETALING JAYA: An Umno leader says former Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) chief commissioner Dzulkifli Ahmad could be an asset to the party, particularly by providing checks and balances. Umno Supreme Council member Puad Zarkashi said Dzulkifli joined the party through the regular process, without involving top-level negotiations.
Advertisement 'He dealt with the branch and division chiefs directly (with respect to his application to join Umno). He's starting from the bottom, not using Umno as a transit. 'There was no red carpet and no promise of any positions. No big fuss,' he said in a Facebook post. Puad previously said that one of Umno's biggest mistakes was 'spoiling' Tengku Zafrul Aziz by giving him the red-carpet treatment. His comment followed Tengku Zafrul's decision to quit as an Umno member, and his plans to join PKR instead. Puad said Umno was happy to have Dzulkifli join the party, describing him as an asset who could help the party with issues of legislation, anti-corruption, and transparency. It was reported on Saturday that Dzulkifli had officially joined Umno, through the Merbau Kudong branch under the Tasek Gelugor division. Dzulkifli said he was joining as an ordinary member and that he had chosen Umno because of its past dominance. He also said he hoped to bring 'a new breath of life' to the Malay-based party. Speculation was rife that Dzulkifli would contest the Tasek Gelugor parliamentary seat during the 15th general election in 2022, but the rumours never materialised. He was appointed MACC chief on Aug 1, 2016 and resigned in May 2018 after Pakatan Harapan formed the government following its victory in the 14th general election. * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available.
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[UPDATED] Israeli strike kills five Al Jazeera journalists in Gaza

New Straits Times

25 minutes ago

New Straits Times

[UPDATED] Israeli strike kills five Al Jazeera journalists in Gaza

GAZA CITY, Palestinian Territories: Al Jazeera said two of its correspondents, including a prominent on-air talent, and three cameramen were killed in an Israeli strike on their tent in Gaza City on Sunday. The Israeli military admitted in a statement to targeting Anas al-Sharif, the reporter it labelled as a "fighter" affiliated with Hamas. The attack was the latest to see journalists targeted in the 22-month war in Gaza, with around 200 media workers killed over the course of the conflict, according to media watchdogs. "Al Jazeera journalist Anas al-Sharif has been killed alongside three colleagues in what appears to be a targeted Israeli attack, the director of the al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City has said," the Qatar-based broadcaster said. "Al-Sharif, 28, was killed on Sunday after a tent for journalists outside the main gate of the hospital was hit. The well-known Al Jazeera Arabic correspondent reportedly extensively from northern Gaza." The channel said that five of its staff members were killed during the strike on a tent in Gaza City, listing the others as Mohammed Qreiqeh along with camera operators Ibrahim Zaher, Mohammed Noufal and Moamen Aliwa. According to local journalists, Noufal was a driver for the team who also assisted in filming. The Israeli military confirmed that it had targeted the journalists, saying it had struck an Al Jazeera's Al-Sharif, calling him a "fighter" who "posed as a journalist". "A short while ago, in Gaza City, the IDF struck Anas Al-Sharif, who posed as a journalist for the Al Jazeera network," it said on Telegram, using an acronym for the military. "Anas Al-Sharif served as the head of a cell in the Hamas organisation and was responsible for advancing rocket attacks against Israeli civilians and IDF troops," it added. Al-Sharif was one of the channel's most recognisable faces working on the ground in Gaza, providing daily reports in regular coverage. The Palestinian Journalists' Syndicate condemned what it described as a "bloody crime" of assassination. Israel and Al Jazeera have had a contentious relationship for years, with Israeli authorities banning the channel in the country and raiding its offices following the latest war in Gaza. Qatar, which partly funds Al Jazeera, has hosted an office for the Hamas political leadership for years and been a frequent venue for indirect talks between Israel and the group. With Gaza sealed off, many media groups around the world depend on photo, video and text coverage of the conflict provided by Palestinian reporters to international news agencies such as AFP. Media watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said in early July that more than 200 journalists had been killed in Gaza since the war began, including several Al Jazeera journalists. International criticism is growing over the plight of the more than two million Palestinian civilians in Gaza, with UN agencies and rights groups warning that a famine is unfolding in the territory. The targeted strike comes as Israel announced plans to expand its military operations on the ground in Gaza, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying on Sunday that the new offensive was set to target the remaining Hamas strongholds there. He also announced a plan to allow more foreign journalists to report inside Gaza with the military, as he laid out his vision for victory in the territory during a rare press conference. A UN official warned the Security Council that Israel's plans to control Gaza City risked "another calamity" with far-reaching consequences.

Israeli strike kills four Al Jazeera journalists in Gaza

New Straits Times

an hour ago

New Straits Times

Israeli strike kills four Al Jazeera journalists in Gaza

GAZA CITY, Palestinian Territories: Al Jazeera said two of its correspondents, including a prominent on-air talent, and two cameramen were killed in an Israeli strike on their tent in Gaza City on Sunday, citing the director of a local hospital. "Al Jazeera journalist Anas al-Sharif has been killed alongside three colleagues in what appears to be a targeted Israeli attack, the director of the al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City has said," the Qatar-based broadcaster said. "Al-Sharif, 28, was killed on Sunday after a tent for journalists outside the main gate of the hospital was hit. The well-known Al Jazeera Arabic correspondent reportedly extensively from northern Gaza." The Israeli military confirmed that it had targeted the journalists, saying it had struck an Al Jazeera's Al-Sharif, calling him a fighter who "posed as a journalist." "A short while ago, in Gaza City, the IDF struck Anas Al-Sharif, who posed as a journalist for the Al Jazeera network. Anas Al-Sharif served as the head of a cell in the Hamas organisation and was responsible for advancing rocket attacks against Israeli civilians and IDF troops," the military said on Telegram. Al-Sharif was one of the channel's most recognisable on faces working on the ground in Gaza, providing daily reports in regular coverage.

The Star

8 hours ago

The Star

Chip sector on edge over tariffs

ALL too soon, another upheaval is looming for the semiconductor sector. On Thursday, US president Donald Trump sent shockwaves through the industry, threatening a 100% tariff on 'chips and semiconductors' imports – but not for companies that are 'building or have committed to build in the US'. And the reaction from our players was as expected. 'If the United States really goes ahead with the 100% tariff, our semiconductor foreign direct investment will be severely impacted,' QES Group Bhd managing director and president Chew Ne Weng tells StarBiz 7. QES, an automated test equipment (ATE) player, generates about 40% of its revenue from multinational corporations (MNCs) in the United States, Europe, Japan, Taiwan and South Korea along with about 5% from local and Chinese outsourced semiconductor assembly and test (Osat) clients. Chew says affected companies will likely only ship products meant for the US market to the United States, with the balance redirected to other intended countries to avoid the 100% tariffs. Currently, US MNCs operating manufacturing sites across multiple countries will consolidate their inventory in the United States for global distribution. 'Semiconductor MNCs and even local Osats will have to re-plan their expansion strategies, which will affect the ecosystem of ATE players,' he says. Chew adds these changes will take time – at least three years – to move production to the United States. 'Hopefully, this will ease the immediate impact and allow for a more gradual shift, with the hope that Trump's reign will end by 2028,' he says. For QES, it may have to re-strategise by localising its manufacturing strategy with a 'made in US for US' and 'made in China for China' approach. However, for now it is business as usual as the group's exposure to the US market is very minimal, at less than 3% of total revenue. 'We will not rush to set up a manufacturing site in the United States and will monitor the situation over the next 12 months or so. The group will also explore options with our US-based joint venture partner, Applied Engineering Inc, to mitigate the impact from tariffs,' he says. Trump's 100% tariff salvo came barely a week after Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry (Miti) Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz confirmed that local semiconductor exports to the United States will remain exempted from the 19% reciprocal tariffs it imposed on Malaysia. Tengku Zafrul stressed the exemptions are conditional and could change depending on Washington's evolving policies – particularly the outcome of the ongoing Section 232 investigation, which was initially expected to conclude in December. Section 232 allows Trump to impose tariffs on foreign products in the interest of national security. Although the proposed 100% duties cannot be enacted until this investigation is completed, Trump's latest warning suggests that a decision may be reached sooner than originally anticipated. Malaysia exported RM119bil worth of electrical and electronics products to the United States in 2024, with semiconductors alone accounting for RM60.6bil. Of those semiconductor exports, 68% came from American companies based in Malaysia. The country also supplies around 25% of the United States' semiconductor test and assembly needs. Other local semiconductor businesses believe it is too early to tell how the punitive tariffs will affect their operations. Mi Technovation founder and group chief executive officer Oh Kuang Eng says the company is gathering feedback from its customers. 'At this stage, we do not anticipate any changes and will continue with our expansion as planned. We will closely monitor developments over the next couple of weeks,' he says. Oh maintains that given the group's minimal trade exposure to the United States, at around 1% of its business, the impact from the potential 100% tariffs on the sector 'would not be significant'. Another semiconductor company, speaking on the condition of anonymity, says the 100% tariff will 'certainly impact capital expenditure (capex) planning, overall business and the entire semiconductor industry'. The firm says it is business as usual as the impact will mainly be on its customers who have yet to take any action. It remains hopeful that tariff exemptions may be granted based on Harmonised System (HS) code classifications when exporting goods to the United States. 'We are taking a prudent yet forward-looking approach. We are proceeding with strategic capital investments, especially in areas backed by committed demand or long-term agreements. 'At the same time, we are actively exploring alternative material sources, strengthening regional supplier partnerships, and engaging with key stakeholders to reinforce the resilience of our supply chain,' it adds. HS codes are special numbers used by customs to identify what type of product you are trading. At this stage, key details like whether the tariff on the sector will apply to the product, component, company or country level, remain unknown. It is also unclear which products or HS codes count as 'semiconductors and chips' under the new tariff, or how derivative products (such as electronics containing chips) will be treated. Some experts view the 100% tariff as more posturing than enforceable policy to accelerate reshoring efforts back to the United States. Looking at the present carve-outs, it does suggest the tariff ruling is likely to be on a company-by-company basis rather than a blanket tariff rate. 'Nobody knows the impact as of today. Firstly, it is subject to the category of semiconductor products. Bear in mind, Malaysia does not fabricate any chips and sell them to the United States,' Public Investment Bank Research senior analyst Chong Hoe Leong says. Chong says relocation due to the tariffs is 'highly unlikely' for Malaysian players due to the high set-up and operating costs. On the other hand, RHB Research senior analyst Lee Meng Horng says the majority of Malaysian-listed semiconductor and technology supply chain companies do not directly export integrated circuits, components or equipment to the United States, thus limiting their direct exposure to the proposed tariffs. 'Most of the listed players (except for a few with high customer concentration) have direct US exposure of less than 10%, if any,' he says. That said, Lee is of the view that a full-scale tariff implementation could disrupt global trade flows. With the United States accounting for roughly 10% to 15% of global semiconductor demand, he says a worst-case scenario involving aggressive onshoring could pose some substitution risks for Asian manufacturing bases. However, he opines that while the trend of onshoring advanced semiconductor activities (like design, research and development, and front-end wafer fabrication) to the United States is already underway, it is unlikely to be the same for back-end semiconductor processes. According to Lee, the latter, which account for less than 30% of the total value chain and typically operate at lower margins, are unlikely to be fully onshored due to their lower economic returns and scale-dependent nature. Moreover, Phillip Nova senior analyst Danish Lim says equipment makers would feel the pain indirectly via second order effects should the 100% tariff be imposed. He highlights that in the worst-case scenario, Osats shipping to US customers could see margins take a hit unless customers absorb tariffs or relocate assembly. 'Local tool and automation makers (Vitrox Corp Bhd , Pentamaster Corp Bhd , Greatech Technology Bhd ) could see indirect risks as Osats could freeze capex and delay new orders,' he says. Lim says it is 'certainly possible', should strict chip sectoral tariffs be imposed on Malaysia, that global original equipment manufacturers and US semiconductor firms may accelerate pushing for 'friend-shoring' elsewhere or require Malaysian partners to establish US-based production lines. This could pressure domestic Osats and toolmakers to invest overseas, dilute domestic expansions or reconfigure their global manufacturing footprint.