Latest news with #DAP
Malaysiakini
an hour ago
- Politics
- Malaysiakini
Zafrul leaving 'sinking ship Umno', PAS leader says
Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz left Umno because he realised the party is a sinking ship, said a PAS member. 'Probably, he could already see Umno's bleak future. Malay voters continue to reject it and cannot stomach its ties with DAP,' said Nurul Islam Yusoff. 'So, before the 'Umno boat' sinks, he chose...
The Star
8 hours ago
- Politics
- The Star
Lecturer ordered to pay RM400,000 to Hannah Yeoh
KUALA LUMPUR: The High Court has ordered Universiti Utara Malaysia senior lecturer Dr Kamarul Zaman Yusoff to pay RM400,000 in damages to Segambut MP Hannah Yeoh over defamatory Facebook posts made in 2017. Justice Aliza Sulaiman ruled in Yeoh's favour, stating that the court was satisfied she had proven her case on the balance of probabilities. 'I am satisfied that the plaintiff has discharged the burden of proving on a balance of probabilities that the first and second publications are defamatory,' said the judge yesterday. The defamatory statements were posted on Facebook on May 10, 2017 under the title 'Hannah Yeoh: Contoh Hipokrasi Terbesar DAP' and on May 17, 2017 as a police report titled 'Laporan Polis Saya Terhadap Hannah Yeoh'. Kamarul argued that he was referring to DAP in his first post but did not raise a similar claim regarding the second publication on May 17. The court found that both publications clearly referred to Yeoh. Justice Aliza also rejected Kamarul's defence of justification, fair comment and qualified privilege, concluding that he failed to substantiate them. The court awarded Yeoh RM200,000 in general and aggravated damages for each post, along with RM80,000 in legal costs to be paid by the defendant. An injunction was also granted, restraining Kamarul or any party acting on his behalf from publishing the defamatory words or anything similar. Kamarul, who was not present in court, later issued a statement expressing respect for the ruling but said he would file an appeal soon. 'I will be filing an appeal to the Court of Appeal to challenge this decision on its facts and law,' he said. Yeoh's lawsuit, filed in 2022, accused Kamarul of defaming her by suggesting in the 2017 Facebook posts that she aimed to proselytise Christianity through her political work. The lecturer also referred to Yeoh's biography as promoting a Christian agenda.
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Business Standard
16 hours ago
- Business
- Business Standard
Defence ministry weighs licensing reform; DAP 2020 revision by Nov-end
Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh calls on private sector to scale up R&D and capital equipment investment while assuring full govt support A more expeditious industrial licensing process in defence is among the suggestions being considered as part of reforms to further enhance competition and private-sector participation in the sector, a government source told Business Standard. This was a day after Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh underscored the importance of disruptive reforms in licensing and ease of doing business to break down entry barriers in defence manufacturing and support grassroots investors. The revision of the Defence Acquisition Procedure (DAP) 2020 document, aimed at streamlining the defence procurement policy, will be completed within six months — by the end of November — added the source. In line with the decision of the Ministry of Defence (MoD) to observe 2025 as the 'Year of Reforms', a committee under the Additional Secretary and Director General (Acquisition) is driving procedural reforms in DAP 2020. The reforms aim to eliminate redundancies and make the acquisition process more efficient in meeting the needs of the armed forces, while also addressing the pain points of the defence industry, including private firms. Addressing industry leaders at the annual business summit of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in New Delhi, the defence secretary had described the defence industry as the last vestige of the licence permit Raj — because it continues to have industrial licensing under the Industrial Development and Regulation Act. 'This means all the ills of the licensing Raj in terms of delays — getting a licence, which should take six months, takes one to two years, given the need for clearances from the Department of Defence Production, security clearance from the Ministry of Home Affairs, and from the state's Home Department.' Noting that policymakers increasingly recognise that reducing entry barriers and expanding the industrial base are crucial in an era of disruptive technological change, where incumbency may not withstand innovation from upstart firms in modern warfare, Singh outlined four reforms — some already underway — that could give the domestic defence industry a significant fillip. 'The concept of deemed licensing beyond a certain timeframe to put accountability on the government departments concerned; shifting entirely from cost-based pricing to competitive bidding; removing legacy aspects like product reservation for public-sector units; and slashing procurement timelines by weeding out rigid and redundant procedures. These can lead to genuine broadening and diversification of our defence industrial base.' 'At this stage, deemed licensing is one of the suggestions. It still has to be negotiated through the system,' added the source quoted earlier. At present, India has one of the largest defence industrial complexes in the developing world: 16 defence public sector undertakings (DPSUs) under the administrative control of the MoD, over 430 licensed companies, and about 16,000 micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs). Highlighting at the CII summit how the MoD would in the past surrender part of the military modernisation budget each year due to protracted procurement procedures, Singh assured change was already underway, but emphasised that more still needed to be done. 'The MoD has already crunched the process timelines for various steps in the procurement cycle. Hopefully, that will save us about 69 weeks overall. It's important, but it's not enough.' Describing DAP 2020, which lays out the country's defence procurement procedures in detail, as a 'voluminous' document, the secretary said: 'It is time for it to be revised wholesale to reflect current realities. It needs shifting from the traditional nomination-based, cost-plus procurement focused mostly on the public sector, to a much more competitive pricing model where both the public and private sectors compete for orders.' Singh also highlighted how for shipbuilding and the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (Amca) programme, this approach was already being implemented. 'It's critical because this is increasingly an innovation-led, technology-driven industrial economy that we are witnessing.' Between 2016-17 and 2024-25, India's total defence production nearly doubled — from Rs 74,054 crore to Rs 1.46 trillion (Rs 1,46,000 crore) — while the private sector's contribution rose by over 2.2 times, from Rs 14,104 crore to over Rs 32,000 crore. Yet, its share in overall production remained largely rangebound, fluctuating between 19 per cent and 22 per cent. Assuring private-sector companies that the government was working on improving the ease of doing business, creating a level playing field between them and the DPSUs, and inundating them with a surge of orders, the secretary called for much greater focus from the private sector on research & development (R&D), and on private-sector capital formation through investments in capital equipment, machinery and engineering strength. 'In the longer run, companies which do not have the engineering manpower, or the capital equipment, or the willingness to invest in R&D, should not even think of entering into the defence domain, because your contribution to India's strategic autonomy will be minimal until you make those investments in creating a localised manufacturing ecosystem within the country.' In recent years, the United States and Europe have seen a surge in venture capital-backed military technology unicorns disrupting traditional defence R&D, contracting, and acquisition. Focused on platforms using computer vision, networking, and artificial intelligence, these non-traditional firms have leveraged commercially derived technologies to challenge incumbents like Lockheed Martin. Some have pushed to move beyond cost-plus contracts and are privately funding R&D, developing products without firm orders or specific user requirements, and selling them off the shelf. Their equipment are fast becoming integral to global arsenals, though they still cannot replace the costly manned platforms built by traditional players.
Free Malaysia Today
19 hours ago
- Business
- Free Malaysia Today
Not right for MCA to abandon BN now, says former vice-president
Former MCA vice-president Ti Lian Ker said party members are increasingly feeling that they had been left in the lurch by BN lynchpin Umno. (Bernama pic) PETALING JAYA : A former MCA vice-president said it would be 'irresponsible' for the party to abandon Barisan Nasional in its current state, but felt the party should strive to win seats in the next general election without relying on its allies. Ti Lian Ker said BN was currently enduring a difficult time as its irrelevance among the non-Malay voters, who no longer buy into race-based politics, continued to grow. However, he said, the reality was that race and religious-based politics remained a dominant feature in the country's political landscape. Such a trend was evidenced by the growing popularity of PAS and the emergence of the likes of parties such as Bersatu, Amanah, and Pejuang. Ti said MCA should assert its own direction in view of the fact that members were increasingly feeling that they had been left in the lurch by BN lynchpin Umno. He said MCA members were of the view that Umno was favouring DAP, the party's bitter rival. 'As it stands, it seems that MCA is being pushed to the corner and doing what needs to be done in order to survive,' he told FMT. Ti had in April compared MCA and Umno to a troubled marriage involving an estranged wife and runaway husband. He was commenting on a report by a Chinese daily that Kuantan MCA would propose that a vote be carried out during divisional meetings in June on whether discussions should be held on quitting BN. Ti, who is the Kuantan MCA chief, rubbished the report, saying no such proposal had been made. The former deputy minister said it would be reckless for MCA to quit BN, which was founded on the spirit of multiculturalism, accommodation and inclusiveness. He said BN emphasised tolerance, consensus-building and co-existence, principles that were put into practice after Malaya achieved independence, and the subsequent formation of Malaysia. 'Therefore, it will be irresponsible for MCA to leave BN and what it stood for after decades of political stability and growth. 'MCA must remain in BN to ensure that these principles are upheld,' he said. Ti had admitted last month that MCA was currently at a crossroads, as the party must decide whether to remain in BN and be satisfied with 'crumbs thrown its way', or break away to forge its own path at the risk of losing everything. He had said that by continuing in BN, MCA might end up proving DAP's claim that the party had always been subservient to Umno. This, he said, would tarnish the party's image and credibility. While he believes that MCA must not quit BN, Ti said the party needed a 'reset' and must be prepared to stand on its own in the event Umno opted to collaborate with DAP in the long run.
Borneo Post
a day ago
- Business
- Borneo Post
Selampit Bridge project set for completion by March 2026, says Mas Gading MP
Mordi says physical progress as of December 2024 stood at 1.37 per cent, consisting of preliminary site clearing work. — Photo via Facebook/Mordi Bimol KUCHING (May 30): The long-delayed Selampit Bridge project in Mas Gading is now scheduled for completion by March 3, 2026, said its MP Mordi Bimol. In a Facebook post, the Democratic Action Party (DAP) lawmaker said the contractor, Empayar Setia Sdn Bhd, took possession of the site on Sept 4, 2024, following the issuance of the Letter of Acceptance on Aug 21, 2024. The 18-month construction timeline is expected to culminate in the first quarter of 2026. 'Based on the latest updates, the project has officially begun and is targeted for completion by March 3, 2026,' Mordi said. According to Mordi, physical progress as of December 2024 stood at 1.37 per cent, consisting of preliminary site clearing work. The project, implemented under the Sarawak government's jurisdiction, is spearheaded by the Public Works Department (JKR) Sarawak. He called on JKR Sarawak and the state government to ensure timely execution and to provide transparent updates to the public. 'I urge the Sarawak government and JKR to give a clear and comprehensive explanation to the public on the current status of this project,' he said. 'Any delays or uncertainty not only frustrate the people but may also undermine public confidence in implementing agencies,' he said. The Selampit Bridge project was first approved in 2017 with an estimated cost of RM27.9 million. It was originally scheduled for completion by 2022, but faced repeated delays mainly due to the State Planning Authority (SPA) rejecting the proposed site four times between 2018 and 2021. Final site approval was granted on Sept 27, 2022, after which design works commenced on Oct 6, 2022, and were completed by Oct 2023. Tender documentation was finalised in February 2024. The project was approved under the second rolling plan of the 11th Malaysia Plan (11MP) in 2018, and design work commenced along with efforts to secure additional funding. In 2021, the federal government confirmed its commitment to continue the project under the 12th Malaysia Plan (12MP). In 2022 and 2023, the new site alignment was approved, allowing the project to move forward. Under Budget 2024, RM1.675 million was allocated for the bridge component. In 2024, the project was tendered out, awarded to a contractor, and officially began construction in September. However, a related challenge remains unresolved. Mordi said the new bridge site lacks a connecting access road. A 1.8km road, estimated at RM22 million, will be proposed under the first rolling plan of the 13th Malaysia Plan (13MP) in 2026. To avoid further delays, the bridge and the access road will be implemented separately. Mordi reiterated his commitment to ensuring the project is completed without further disruptions. 'I will continue to monitor, push, and raise the people's concerns at all levels to ensure this project is completed and delivers the long-awaited benefits to the residents,' he said. mas gading Mordi Bimol selampit bridge
