Anwar says Hajiji has ‘full support' to lead talks on election pact
Pakatan Harapan chairman Anwar Ibrahim (right) said he had several discussions with GRS leader Hajiji Noor on an electoral pact among PH, BN and GRS. (Bernama pic)
PETALING JAYA : Pakatan Harapan has given Gabungan Rakyat Sabah chairman Hajiji Noor its full support to lead discussions on an election pact between GRS, PH and Barisan Nasional, says PH chairman Anwar Ibrahim.
Anwar expressed optimism that PH, GRS and BN would be able to reach an agreement for the coming state assembly elections, the Daily Express reported in Kota Kinabalu.
He said early discussions between PH and BN at the national level led to the shared agreement that unity was essential, both at the national and state levels.
Anwar, who was in Sabah today to hold talks with Hajiji, said he had discussed further bolstering the cooperation between PH and GRS.
He said discussions between GRS and Sabah BN would be left to the leaders of the two coalitions, who have been fierce rivals over the past two years since BN retracted support for Hajiji as chief minister.
However, Anwar said PH fully supported Hajiji's role in leading the discussions.
Anwar said he had several discussions with Hajiji 'so that this alliance can be further widened and we would be open (to working with other parties). The priority is political stability nationally and in Sabah,' Sinar Harian quoted him as saying.
On Friday, GRS threatened to go solo at the state polls if PH and BN finalised an electoral pact. Hajiji contended that local Sabah parties should be the backbone and head of the state government.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Malay Mail
an hour ago
- Malay Mail
Report on alleged sukuk fund misappropriation linked to Klang Valley highway project ready in two months, says MACC chief
BANGI, June 12 — The investigation report on the alleged misappropriation of sukuk funds meant for the construction of a highway in the Klang Valley is expected to be completed within the next one to two months, according to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC). MACC chief commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki said the probe is progressing well and statements have been recorded from 53 witnesses so far. He added that more witnesses are expected to be called soon to assist in completing the investigation. 'This case will take about one or two months to complete as there are many aspects to examine and documents to analyse, including financial statements,' he said. He was speaking at a press conference after the 2nd Convocation Ceremony of the MACC's Certified Law Enforcement Programme here today. Azam said the recording of a statement from a person with the title 'Tan Sri' resumed today after a six-hour session was conducted at the individual's residence yesterday. Earlier, media reports stated that the MACC had seized various assets, including handbags, jewellery, luxury vehicles, watches, cash and high-end properties, collectively estimated at RM32 million, believed to belong to a highway concessionaire bearing the 'Tan Sri' title. In a separate case, Azam clarified that the statement from renowned fashion designer Datuk Jovian Mandagie was recorded yesterday in Jakarta, not Bali, as previously reported. It was earlier reported that the MACC investigation team would be in Jakarta for two days to record the statement of the 39-year-old designer, who is Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob's former son-in-law, in connection with an investigation into asset ownership involving the former prime minister. Ismail Sabri had been called in multiple times to the MACC headquarters to assist in investigations related to corruption and money laundering involving expenditures and funding for the promotion and publicity of the 'Keluarga Malaysia' programme during his tenure as prime minister from August 2021 to November 2022. — Bernama
New Straits Times
an hour ago
- New Straits Times
Anwar: Govt may set up TVET commission
MELAKA: The government is mulling the proposal to establish a Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Commission in line with the TVET reform agenda that is being actively implemented. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said this was because the development of TVET under the National TVET Council, chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, has shown encouraging results, including an increase in the number of students. "I appreciate the role of the TVET Council, but as those closely monitoring the sector's development, we must consider proposals such as establishing a dedicated commission for TVET, and we will assess this as swiftly as possible in response to the sector's evolving needs. "With the number of students and types of training increasing, I, together with the Finance Ministry, will look into whether current facilities are adequate and how to create synergy between government-linked companies, private sector players, and existing TVET institutions." Anwar said this when opening the National TVET Day 2025 celebration at the Melaka International Trade Centre (MITC), Ayer Keroh, here today.
Free Malaysia Today
an hour ago
- Free Malaysia Today
Rice prices Japan's hot political issue, on and off the farm
To help ease the pain for consumers and restaurants, the government started tapping emergency stockpiles. (AP pic) SANJO : All is calm at Satoshi Yamazaki's rice farm, with its freshly planted rows of vivid-green seedlings, but a row over the cost of the staple in Japan is threatening to deal the government a blow at the ballot box. Shortages of the grain caused by a supply chain snarl-up have seen prices almost double in a year, fuelling frustration over inflation, and voters could let their anger be known in upper house elections due next month. To help ease the pain for consumers and restaurants, the government started tapping emergency stockpiles in March, having only previously done so during disasters. Yamazaki, who grows about 10% of his rice organically using ducks to eat pests, said he understands high prices are 'troubling' for ordinary people. However, he stressed that thin profits are a concern for many of those who produce it. 'There's a gap between shop prices and what farmers sell rice for to traders and the like,' he told AFP in the northern Niigata region. 'Not all the money paid at shops becomes our income,' said Yamazaki, a 42-year-old father of seven. A mosaic of factors lies behind the shortages, including an intensely hot and dry summer two years ago that damaged harvests nationwide. Since then some traders have been hoarding rice in a bid to boost their profits down the line, experts say. The issue was made worse by panic-buying last year prompted by a government warning about a potential 'megaquake' that did not strike. 'Old' rice Meanwhile, the rising price of imported food has boosted the popularity of domestic rice, while record numbers of tourists are also blamed for a spike in consumption. Farm minister Shinjiro Koizumi has pledged to cut prices quicker by selling stockpiled rice directly to retailers – attracting long queues to some shops. It appears to be working: the average retail price has edged down for a second week to ¥4,223 (US$29) for 5kg, down from a high of ¥4,285 in May. That hasn't stopped opposition politicians – with an eye on the elections – and online critics branding the reserve rice 'old', with some likening it to animal feed. However, analysts also blame Japan's decades-old policy of cutting rice-farming land. The policy was introduced to support prices that were being hit by falling demand brought about by changes in the Japanese diet. Under the 1971 policy, farmers were told to reduce the amount of space used to grow the grain in favour of other crops. That saw the amount of land used for rice paddies – not including for livestock feed – plunge below 1.4 million hectares in 2024, from a peak of 3.3 million hectares in 1960. While the policy was officially abolished in 2018, it has continued in a form of incentives pushing farmers towards other commodities like soybeans. Adding to the crisis is Japan's ageing population. Many rice farmers are old and their children have no interest in taking over. Around 80% of rice farmers are part-time with less than two hectares of fields but they account for only 20% of production, said agronomy expert Kazunuki Oizumi, professor emeritus of Miyagi University. 'Their main revenue comes from other jobs or pensions,' he added. Agriculture 'destroyed' Toru Wakui, chairman of a large-scale farm in the northern Akita region who has for decades fought against the acreage reduction, said Japan should 'seek an increase in rice production and exports to foreign markets'. 'If you only think about the domestic market while increasing output, of course prices will fall,' he told AFP. 'We need to look for markets abroad,' he added. 'The 55 years of acreage reduction destroyed Japan's agriculture,' said Wakui, 76, who urged Koizumi in a letter last month to 'declare an expansion in rice production'. He also said Japan should consider a scheme to help young people start agriculture businesses without the burden of initial investment in fields and machinery, by involving other sectors including banks and trading companies. Public support for Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's government has tumbled to its lowest level since he took office in October, which local media say was partly caused by the surge in inflation and soaring rice costs. He has told parliament that increasing production is 'an option' to temper prices, but said food security and the livelihood of producers was also important. For the farmer Yamazaki, 'wanting cheap rice with high quality' is a pipe dream. 'We farmers are a little baffled by the limelight that suddenly shifted to us,' he said. 'But I think it's a good opportunity for the public to think about how rice is produced,' he added.
