PKR's crumbling minority support
COMMENT | Incumbent PKR deputy president Rafizi Ramli recently acknowledged something that many non-Malay voters have known for some time - support for the party is slipping.
It's not a new phenomenon, but it is one that has deepened since the 2022 general election.
For years, non-Malays, particularly the Chinese and Indian communities, stood firmly behind PKR and Pakatan Harapan.
Their support was based on the belief that this coalition represented the promise of reform, inclusivity, and a Malaysia beyond racial politics.
But less than two years into governing...
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The Star
14 minutes ago
- The Star
No work for ‘gooey-duck' divers
FOR over two decades, Suquamish tribal member Joshua George has dived into the emerald waters of the Salish Sea in Washington state looking for an unusually phallic clam that's coveted thousands of kilometres away. George is a geoduck diver. Pronounced 'gooey-duck,' the world's largest burrowing clam has been harvested in tidelands by George's indigenous ancestors in the US Pacific Northwest since before Europeans arrived. In recent years, it has also become a delicacy in China, with Washington sending 90% of its geoducks there, creating a niche yet lucrative American seafood export. But the trade war between the US and China is now crippling an entire industry that hand-harvests geoducks, leaving divers without work, Seattle exporters without business and Chinese aficionados with fewer of these prized clams. 'It's the first time in 24 years where I don't know when or if we'll be going back to work or if I have to find another job or what we're going to do,' George said. A customer looking at geoducks from Canada at a restaurant in Sanya in southern China's Hainan province. — AP US President Donald Trump's tariff-driven economic feud with China, which dates back to his first term in office, swiftly resumed in February within weeks of taking back the White House. By April, Trump had placed tariffs of at least 145% on China, which led China to retaliate with tariffs of 125% on the United States. Last month, the United States and China agreed to slash their massive tariffs. The United States agreed to drop the 145% tax Trump imposed last month to 30%. China agreed to lower its tariff rate on US goods to 10% from 125%. But the tariffs remain. Enter the geoduck, weighing about a kilogramme and so entrenched in local culture that it is the mascot for Evergreen State College in Olympia. The meaty mollusk is best described as sweet and briny, and it's often sliced raw for crisp sashimi out west while China consumers prefer it chewy in stir-fries or hot pot soups. A child looking at geoducks from Canada at a restaurant in Sanya. — AP Pre-tariff costs were as high as US$100 for 500g in restaurants, so it's a dish generally reserved for special occasions like Chinese New Year, or to celebrate a business gathering. Unlike other products with long-lasting shelf life and standing inventory, the trade war has had an immediate, direct effect on the delicate geoducks, which are shipped alive the same day of harvest. 'The whole market, everybody just had to stop,' said Jim Boure, general manager of Suquamish Seafoods, an enterprise of the Suquamish Tribe. 'We started getting phone calls from buyers saying orders are cancelled.' The millions of kilogrammes of geoducks shipped annually to China come from two main sources: wild harvests on tracts of seafloor that are split between the Washington State Department of Natural Resources and Puget Sound Treaty Indian Tribes, and tideland farms. The state's share is auctioned to private exporters that often hire contract divers to harvest them. As of late April, Washington state divers had only pulled about half of the expected harvest from the state tracts, said Blain Reeves, an aquatic resources division manager for the state's Department of Natural Resources. Daniel McRae unloading a bag of harvested geoduck clams from his brother Derrick (hidden) on their boat near Illahee State Park in Bremerton, Washington. — AP Last year, the state and tribes collectively harvested about 1.5 million kilos of wild Washington geoduck for sale. The state generated US$22.4mil in revenue for their half of the clams, which went towards paying for aquatic restoration projects locally. The state doesn't track how much is harvested by private farmers. 'If only half the pounds that were contracted are harvested, then our revenue is halved,' Reeves said. The Suquamish operation has no orders to harvest for at the moment, but it still must keep up with the maintenance to stay ready for business if and when the trade war ends. In April, George's team made a quick trip to collect a handful of the clams for state lab testing. Two whole geoducks (left) are displayed with a sashimi preparation of the clam, at Chelsea Farms Oyster Bar in Olympia, Washington. — AP 'When we're doing the job, and it's not all this other political stuff behind the scenes and everything else, we love this,' said George, adding that diving, which takes place early in the day so that the geoducks are on an airplane by evening, has allowed him to watch his kids grow up. Fellow diver Kyle Purser said he cherishes his underwater job, but now fears it's being taken away. 'When you're watching your money disappear and you've got families to feed and not knowing when you're going to get your next paycheck, (it's) very stressful,' he said. The geoduck import market was already facing weaker demand in recent years due to the loss in demand following the pandemic. While the tariffs have only exacerbated troubles for geoduck sellers in Washington, there's also been an unintended consequence: the American trade war has inadvertently boosted the Canadian geoduck business, which is facing a lower tariff rate. Washington state in the US and Canada's British Columbia province are the two primary places where the wild geoducks grow naturally for commercial harvest. The two countries did healthy business primarily serving Chinese appetites for decades, in part because quantities are limited. It's a labour-intensive and heavily-regulated harvest, as divers must go several metres below the surface to dig for the clams. 'They love the fact that it tastes like the sea,' said James Austin, president of Canada's Underwater Harvesters Association. 'It's a product that's really a hit with the Chinese. It's all about the wild coastline. It's really prestigious.' Austin said he expects there will be 1.25 million kilos of Canadian geoducks harvested in 2025, worth approximately US$43.4mil in revenue. While demand has been relatively low but still steady for Canadian's geoducks, Austin said they're now the leading exporters for China, which has helped them negotiate higher prices as a result. 'We have no competitors right now,' Austin said. Yang Bin at Beihai Huaxiashougang Health Industry Company in Beihai city of Guangxi province in China said their seafood wholesale important business no longer gets geoduck from the United States. 'We don't care about US tariffs because we can get geoduck from other countries with stable prices,' Yang said. On their first week back to work since the tariff fight brought business to a standstill in Washington state, Derrick McRae and his brother pulled up about 360kg of wild geoducks in just one April day. He donned a full-body diving outfit with an oxygen line tethered to his boat to dive under the cold waters of an inland sea channel west of Seattle. Kneeled on the seafloor, McRae used a water spray gun to move the sand covering the geoducks. In the cloud of sediment, he felt for the neck with his hand, pulling the clam and stuffing it in a net attached to him. 'We're just kind of waiting on the edge of our seats to see what happens next,' McRae said. — AP
The Star
14 minutes ago
- The Star
Chinese students may turn to M'sia
Making the right choice: (From left) Li, Pei and Lou at the USM campus. — LIM BENG TATT/The Star GEORGE TOWN: President Donald Trump's order to tighten visa rules in the United States for students from China may benefit universities in Malaysia. Pei Qi, a 42-year-old English teacher from China who is pursuing a postgraduate degree at Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), said he has noticed more of his students in China considering Malaysia over the US. 'Many of my students who initially planned to go to the US are now considering Malaysia for further studies. 'One of them gave up on her US application because of visa delays and uncertainty, and then applied to Monash University Malaysia and USM,' he said. Pei said that the student and her mother visited Penang and were drawn to the island's safety, lifestyle and international feel. 'They were worried about whether they could get into a public university here, but the affordability and global rankings of Malaysian institutions have prompted them to apply,' he said, adding that Malaysia's strong ties with China is an important factor. 'Malaysia takes education seriously. I see effort going into improving curriculum, research and global rankings,' Pei added. He recalled seeing China's content creators on Douyin (China's version of TikTok) mentioning that Malaysia has become the seventh most popular study abroad destination for students from China. Pei said the United States' new policy against students from China had affected the global standing of the US. 'I see real, long-term damage to America's reputation as the world's leader,' he said. 'The global landscape has changed. The US is no longer the only option for high-quality, English-medium education. 'It's sad to lose access to the US, but it's not the end of the road.' First-year Bachelor of Arts in English student Lou Xiaoxiao, 20, said studying in the US is still a dream for many from her homeland. 'It's still the top choice for a lot of us because of its academic resources and reputation. 'At the moment, I can say Malaysia is more of an option,' she said. Lou added that visa issues and parents' concerns about global tensions do play a role and more families are looking at safety and cost when making decisions. She feels that China's families are prioritising "cost-effectiveness" and "a sense of security" in their decision-making regarding their children's studies overseas. Another student, Li Hehe, 25, said despite the visa crackdown, he felt most Chinese families still hope to send their children to the US, believing strongly in the value of an American education. 'I've worked in the study abroad consultancy field. Students and parents who choose the US believe in it deeply. 'Even though the US might be the most expensive option, the choice of the US often reflects a serious commitment,' said Li, who is in his final year of a Bachelor's degree in urban and regional planning at USM. On May 28, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed that some Chinese students would have their visas revoked, especially those studying in sensitive fields or linked to the Chinese Communist Party. China is the second-largest source of international students in the US after India. More than 270,000 students from China enrolled in American institutions in the 2023–2024 academic year, about a quarter of all international students there. USM lecturer Dr Kamaruzzaman Abdul Manan, from the School of Communication, said Malaysian universities should seize the opportunity. "China sends more students abroad than any other country. Even a 10% to 15% drop in those heading to the US means thousands will look for other destinations,' he said. He added that Malaysia's strong education system and position in Asean made it an ideal choice for students from China. 'Having more students from China can raise a university's profile, attract funding and increase global partnerships,' he said.
The Sun
2 hours ago
- The Sun
S
3. Trade talks between US, Chinese teams to resume within next 7 days – White House
