Latest news with #Pas
New Straits Times
4 days ago
- Politics
- New Straits Times
Sg Petani MP slams PN over race politics
KUALA LUMPUR: Sungai Petani MP Dr Taufiq Johari has criticised Perikatan Nasional (PN) for what he calls a cynical use of unity rhetoric, following a Pas leader's defence of Dr Mahathir Mohamad's new alliance aimed at "restoring Malay power". "Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man must know that Dr M's proposal for all Malay-based parties to come under a single, broad coalition is a desperate and provocative move," he said in a statement. Taufiq, a PKR lawmaker, also accused PN of political opportunism, saying the coalition is attempting to present itself as a unifier of the Malay community despite a history of causing division. "They now pretend to champion unity, but both Dr Mahathir and Pas have repeatedly fractured the Malay community in the past," he said. Taufiq is an emerging leader in PKR party led by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim. PKR represents a multiracial party, and Anwar has pledged to protect the rights of all races in the country while promoting economic growth, with a special action plan to uplift the poor. Taufiq said the unity government under Anwar is a broad-based coalition with strong Malay leadership alongside representation from diverse communities and regions. On Wednesday, Dr Mahathir announced the formation of a new loose coalition — comprising Pas and Bersatu — to rally the Malay community in what he described as an effort to save it from political and economic decline. The event was attended by PN chairman Muhyiddin Yassin, opposition leader Hamzah Zainudin, and Pas deputy president Tuan Ibrahim. Taufiq urged Malays not to fall for their rhetoric and not to be tricked by the "deceitful and irresponsible claims." "What does Mahathir even mean by "restoring Malay power?!
New Straits Times
6 days ago
- General
- New Straits Times
Dr M unveils new secretariat to 'unite Malays'
PUTRAJAYA: Former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has announced the formation of a new movement to unite the Malay community under a single umbrella. Dr Mahathir said the initiative was not about politics but a collective response to what he described as the growing challenges faced by Malays in the country. "For our meeting today, we came from two parties — Bersatu and Pas — not because of our respective parties, but because we believe the Malay community has problems," he said. He was speaking at a press conference on the Jawatankuasa Sekretariat Orang Melayu. Present were Bersatu president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, deputy president Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin, and Pas deputy president Datuk Seri Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man. Dr Mahathir said the secretariat aimed to unify Malays across political lines into a single movement. He said that fragmented efforts to unite Malays had only caused division and weakness. "If we are divided, we will fail. We can only regain power when we are united. "We believe the only way to solve Malay issues is for Malays to once again hold power in government." Asked about several grievances affecting the Malay community, Dr Mahathir cited the decline of the Malay language and issues related to Malay rights, among others. When asked if Umno would be invited to join the secretariat, Dr Mahathir replied: "I am not inviting Umno (as a party), but rather Umno members — not in their capacity as members, but as Malays. "If they are Malay, whether they belong to Umno or any other party, as long as they agree with our effort, we welcome them."
New Straits Times
01-06-2025
- Politics
- New Straits Times
Cleopatra joins Pas
KUALA LUMPUR: Social media influencer Nur Fathiah Syazwana Shaharuddin, who stood as an independent candidate for the Batu parliamentary seat during the last general election, has submitted her application to join Pas. The Islamist party's Muslimat wing said Nur Fathiah, better known as Cleopatra among her followers, handed over her membership application form at its office here yesterday. In a Facebook post, the wing said that Cleopatra said her decision to join Pas was made for the sake of her children's future. "Apart from being known as an activist actively involved in charitable work and as the founder of the non-governmental organisation (NGO) Hetero Action Women Alliance (HAWA), which champions women's and community rights, Cleopatra also plays a role as a social media influencer, making her an important voice in advocating social issues and community development." Cleopatra contested the Batu parliamentary seat as an independent in the 15th General Election (GE15) in 2022, which saw a 10-cornered fight — the highest number of candidates in that election. However, she lost the contest at the seat, which was retained by incumbent P. Prabakaran of PKR. Meanwhile, Pas Muslimat chief Nuridah Mohd Salleh said the council welcomes Cleopatra's membership and encourages the participation of all women in the party. She said the wing has long been committed to caring for the welfare of the underprivileged, including the poor, persons with disabilities, the elderly, single mothers, and orphans. "Cleopatra's entry into Pas is seen as a strategic step towards strengthening the role of women in Malaysian politics and championing the well-being of society," she said.
New Straits Times
20-05-2025
- Automotive
- New Straits Times
Penang confirms RM3.3mil purchase of 15 new Camrys
GEORGE TOWN: Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow today confirmed the purchase of 15 new Toyota Camry (AT) (CBU) vehicles for use by his administration. Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the state legislative assembly sitting here, Chow (DAP – Padang Kota) said the vehicles were acquired at a total cost of RM3.31 million. "Of the 15 cars, 10 are allocated for state executive council members, three for ex-officio members, and one each for the state legislative assembly Speaker and Deputy Speaker. "The total purchase price is RM3.31 million, which averages out to about RM220,783 per vehicle. "The cars were delivered about two months ago," he said, adding that the previous fleet was now over five years old. Earlier, while debating the motion of thanks for Yang Dipertua Negeri Tun Ramli Ngah Talib's speech during the opening of the sitting last Friday, Mohd Yusni Mat Piah (Pas – Penaga) had questioned the state government over the new purchases, especially in light of reports on the state's financial difficulties. "We see state executive councillors using new Toyota Camrys, yet this has not been reported publicly. "The state even received a RM100 million advance from the federal government to manage cash flow, and yet new vehicles have been procured. Can the state government provide clarification?" he asked. In August 2019, it was reported that the state government had also purchased 15 units of the Toyota Camry 2.5 CBU for official use, replacing the earlier CKD model. The decision to replace the older vehicles was made to reduce maintenance costs and for safety reasons.
New Straits Times
17-05-2025
- Politics
- New Straits Times
Rafizi says loyalty only for PKR, no interest in other parties
KOTA BARU: Datuk Seri Rafizi Ramli said his loyalty is solely to PKR and that he is not interested in joining any other political party. The PKR deputy president affirmed his commitment to the party in response to calls from some members of the public to join Pas following issues surrounding the PKR central-level elections. "The invitation came from members of the public, and this is quite normal because in programmes like these (social media ceramah), the viewers are not only from PKR but also from Pas, Umno as well as ordinary citizens. "Perhaps many forget that a large portion of Pas supporters used to follow my ceramah back in the day. "When Pas was part of Pakatan Rakyat alongside PKR, I was the one who frequently exposed issues and scandals that caught the public's attention, so perhaps that made me popular among Pas voters," said Rafizi, who is also the Economy Minister. He made these remarks during a speech at the Jelajah Hidupkan Idealisme Reformasi dalam Ujian Kuasa (HIRUK) programme, held at the Kelantan State Complex for the National Department for Culture and Arts in Tanjung Chat here last night. Also present were PKR vice-president Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad and Negri Sembilan Menteri Besar, who is also PKR vice-president, Datuk Seri Aminuddin Harun. Earlier reports stated that Rafizi was confident social media platforms could deliver the party's message more effectively despite the campaign period being only about a week long. Rafizi said his virtual campaign efforts had attracted high viewership, exceeding 20,000 viewers, involving voters from various political parties—even though the current contest is only for internal party positions.
