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Malaysiakini
29 minutes ago
- Politics
- Malaysiakini
Govt urged to fast-track action plan to protect children online
Wanita MCA chief Wong You Fong today called for the urgent fast-tracking of a 'Digital Action Plan for Child Protection' in Malaysia, emphasising its critical importance amidst a surge in sexual crimes against children. She said this is especially true with the increasing complexity of online crimes involving 'deep fakes' and sexual grooming. 'It is vital that police and social workers...
The Star
an hour ago
- Politics
- The Star
Dr Wee demands clarity on STPM student intake data
PETALING JAYA: MCA President Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong calls out the Higher Education Ministry for its vague response to his question regarding the trend in intake for STPM students through UPU and university open channels. He said that the ministry's response on the number of admissions for STPM or equivalent graduates required more detailed data. 'The Ministry responded that the number of admissions for STPM or equivalent graduates for the 2018/2019 academic session was 4,530, while for the 2024/2025 academic session, it was 8,612, indicating an increase of nearly double (90.1%). 'However, the response requires further clarification with more detailed data,' he said in a Facebook post on Wednesday (July 30). He said that the ministry's statement on the doubling of the number of offers to STPM graduates must be clearly broken down. He added that the response did not distinguish between qualification categories and critical study programmes. 'Why was the data not detailed according to the qualification types, as asked—namely STPM, Matriculation, and Foundation—as well as according to the programmes offered? 'The government must address public concerns and anxieties that there has been a decline in the intake of STPM students in critical programmes compared to Matriculation and Foundation students,' he said. Dr Wee also pointed out the ministry's claim that public universities' open channels do not affect the projections of the 'mainstream channel' as a 'general reply'. He urged for the actual number of seats allocated via the open channel for each academic session to be disclosed. 'Please also state the number of seats available through the UPU channel, as well as the total number of seats offered in critical programmes,' he said. Dr Wee also said that the government must clarify its statement, saying no compromise in terms of admission standards. 'If there truly is no compromise, provide the evidence. Do all students admitted through the open channel have a Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) that is equal to or higher than those accepted through UPU?' he added. The Ayer Hitam MP stated that he received complaints from excellent students who were unable to gain admission through UPU, but were eventually accepted through the open channel if they were willing to pay significantly higher fees. He said this lack of transparency in merit-based evaluation must be explained immediately. 'In reality, raising commercial channel fees to boost university revenue without transparency and fairness in student admissions is a pro-elite (pro-rich) policy. 'This is not a real solution. Instead, public universities should focus on commercialising the outcomes of their research and development (R&D), rather than taking the easy way out by increasing fees for students through the open channel,' he added. Earlier, it was reported that Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Zambry Abd Kadir, in a parliamentary written reply, said that the open channel model shows the growing maturity of the higher education system, noting the rapid developments in the academic world. He also emphasised that the ministry is committed to ensuring that access to tertiary education continues to grow and benefits all Malaysians. Dr Wee had inquired about the lack of government funding, which forces public universities to overcome their shortcomings through open channels, resulting in higher tuition fees.
Time of India
4 hours ago
- Time of India
Railway track workers flag leadership feud in union, say it threatens advocacy for over 2 lakh workers
An infighting among the office bearers of All India Railway Track maintainers Union to claim top posts has threatened to compromise its primary objective of representing and advocating for the interests of frontline workers, a section of trackmen said. Amidst the ongoing factional feud, some of the union officer bearers have written to the deputy registrar of trade unions in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, where it has been registered, to verify the genuineness of these claims. Explore courses from Top Institutes in Please select course: Select a Course Category healthcare Data Science others Healthcare Data Analytics Finance Technology Design Thinking PGDM Data Science Product Management Management Others MCA CXO MBA Project Management Digital Marketing Cybersecurity Degree Leadership Operations Management Skills you'll gain: Duration: 11 Months IIM Lucknow CERT-IIML Healthcare Management India Starts on undefined Get Details Indian Railways has employed more than two lakh track maintainers who work in different capacities to ensure the good condition of tracks for safe train operations. All India Railway Trackmaintainers Union (AIRTU), registered at the office of regional labour commissioner in Gandhinagar, represents the track workers' interest and raises issues for their welfare. It is active in 13 railway zones out of 18. "The union has now divided into three factions and each one is trying to usurp top posts by claiming the support of the majority of members. Instead of one annual general meeting (AGM), three AGMs were held by these three factions at three different places -- Nagpur, Delhi and Bhopal -- and each have staked their claim at the deputy registrar's office in Gandhinagar," a member of one of the factions said. Live Events He added, "It is unfortunate that allegations of document manipulation, corruption and exchange of money have been alleged to get deputy registrar's approval. In a letter to the deputy registrar, one of the factions alleged on July 28 that the other had fabricated the support of members by showing false numbers and manipulating documents." Track workers said that they need a strong union to press their demand to the railway ministry for better facilities as dozens of trackmen lose their lives while performing their duty every year due to getting run over by speeding trains. "The ministry promised a Rakshak device, a GPS-enabled machine to workers employed in the maintenance of track to get an alert of approaching trains. However, except one or two divisions, it was not distributed anywhere," a track worker said. He added, "Track workers are not getting basic facilities on time. Insulated water bottles are distributed to them when the summer season ends and similar is the case with many other facilities. These issues need to be strongly presented to the ministry."
The Star
4 hours ago
- The Star
Woman threatened by Ah Long after debt-ridden husband disappears
Michael Chong with a few of the victims at the press conference held at Wisma MCA in Kuala Lumpur. .—ONG SOON HIN/The Star Reporter : Gek San KUALA LUMPUR: A woman from Seri Kembangan is pleading for loan sharks to stop harassing her family after her husband absconded overseas, leaving behind unpaid debts and a trail of threats. The 29-year-old administrative executive who wanted to be known as Choo, said her 26-year-old husband was sent to Hong Kong by his company on June 18 and was supposed to return on July 16. However, he has been missing since and has not contacted his family. "He didn't tell me about the business trip, only my father-in-law. I only found out about his return date through his company," she said at a press conference on Wednesday (30 July), accompanied by MCA public services and complaints department head Datuk Seri Michael Chong. She said that from June 20, her family began receiving threatening calls from loan sharks, claiming her husband had borrowed RM2,000 and now owed them RM8,000 with interest. The callers threatened to splash red paint on their house and set it on fire. "We've been married for over a year and have a 15-month-old daughter. Despite asking him many times, he never told us why he needed to borrow money," she said. She added that the loan sharks also shared personal details and photos of her and her family on social media. A police report has been lodged. She added that earlier this year, her family had helped her husband settle a RM100,000 debt. Meanwhile, a 48-year-old woman from Cheras is also seeking help after her family was harassed over her son's borrowings from loan sharks. The woman known as Wong, a labourer, said her 26-year-old son, a salesman, had taken out loans in the past, which the family had helped to pay off, namely RM5,000 in 2019 and RM22,500 in April 2025. She said Chong had assisted in negotiating both settlements. After the second incident, the son moved out of the family home. However, in June 2025, the family began receiving threatening messages, including a video of a car on fire. The mother later discovered that her son had borrowed an unknown amount of money from loan sharks again in July 2025.
New Straits Times
6 hours ago
- New Straits Times
Scammers impersonate staff of Michael Chong to dupe man
KUALA LUMPUR: A man was deceived by scammers impersonating staff of MCA Public Services and Complaints Department head Datuk Seri Michael Chong after he sought their help to resolve his debt. The victim, who wished to be known as Mr Lim, said he met the scammer, Roy, after responding to an enquiry on a Facebook group. "The scammer identified himself as a staff member under Michael Chong's company when we met, which convinced me to accept his offer to negotiate a settlement for my ongoing debt," Lim said at a press conference in Wisma MCA today. Roy then instructed Lim to make a RM500 payment to open a bank account and transfer his service fee into a company account registered with the Companies Commission of Malaysia. He also instructed Lim to make a payment of RM5,000 to settle his previous debts, which Lim transferred in two transactions into the given company bank account. After two months, Lim realised he had been scammed after Roy disappeared without a trace, leaving his debt unpaid. Chong strongly denied all allegations of his involvement with Roy and urged the public to lodge a report with MCA if anyone has been using his name to commit fraud. "Three officers from the Seremban Commercial Crime Investigation Department came to record my statement as there were police reports made by victims who claimed that the scammer was a staff member of mine. "I am working with my lawyers and will soon file a lawsuit against these scammers who claimed to be working with me," he said. Also at the press conference was a woman, Madam Choo, who had lodged a police report at the Seri Kembangan police station on June 23 after receiving repeated threats from unknown individuals demanding she settle her husband's alleged debts. Her husband, who works in marketing, reportedly left for a job abroad without her knowledge and only informed his father of his move on June 18. From June 20, Choo began receiving harassing calls from individuals claiming her husband owed money and threatened to expose her personal information online. "I am unaware of my husband's debt and why he decided to borrow money from loan sharks. "It was only after I was harassed by loan sharks that I realised what my husband had done," she said. Choo is now seeking a divorce, fearing threats from loan sharks to her and her 15-month-old daughter after receiving threatening photos defaced with the word "scammers". In a separate case, another woman, Madam Wong, is seeking to disown her eldest son following his repeated borrowing from loan sharks. She said the family previously settled two loans for her eldest son, Kok Chun Hong, with the help of Chong, amounting to RM5,000 in 2019 and RM22,500 in April this year. Wong said the harassment resumed at the end of June, after finding her son had borrowed again in July, which prompted the family to officially disown him.
