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Free Malaysia Today
24-07-2025
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
Dr M denied the chance to vindicate himself over Batu Puteh, lawyers say
Former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad said he does not need to be granted immunity in the Batu Puteh issue due to his age. PETALING JAYA : Dr Mahathir Mohamad's lawyers have slammed the government's decision not to haul the former prime minister to court over his role in the Batu Puteh issue due to his age. In a statement, Zainur Zakaria and Rafique Rashid Ali said Mahathir had been deprived of his right to vindication. 'We, the lawyers for Tun Mahathir, who have been looking forward to the opportunity to cross-examine the members of the Cabinet who claimed to have been deceived by Tun, are disappointed,' they said. A royal commission of inquiry (RCI) last year found that Mahathir had likely acted deliberately to influence the Cabinet to discontinue review applications regarding Batu Puteh's sovereignty in 2018, despite the views of international consultants who said the applications had a reasonable likelihood of success. The RCI recommended that a police report be lodged against Mahathir, saying a criminal investigation could be initiated under Section 415(b) of the Penal Code for cheating. On Tuesday, however, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim told the Dewan Rakyat that the government would not take action even though Mahathir 'was wrong' as the matter involved 'a former prime minister who is 100 years old'. In a post on X yesterday, Mahathir said he did not need to be granted immunity due to his age, and that he should be taken to court to be proven guilty. He also accused Anwar of acting 'as judge and prosecutor' in the matter. In their statement, Zainur and Rafique said it was not for the prime minister to conclude that Mahathir had committed a crime or wrongdoing based solely on the RCI's recommendations. 'It is for the court to decide,' they added. They also said that the RCI had breached 'important principles of natural justice in the conduct of the inquiry', as Mahathir and his lawyers had been barred from attending and could offer no defence against the allegations. Zainur and Rafique said such rights were enshrined not only in common law but also in the form of statutory rights, as stipulated in the Commission of Enquiry Act 1950. 'This fundamental right was denied to Mahathir on the grounds that the inquiry was merely 'a fact-finding inquiry'. 'However, the findings and recommendations of the commission proved otherwise,' they said.
Free Malaysia Today
23-07-2025
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
Immunity is for the fearful and guilty, Dr M tells Anwar
Former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad (left) slammed Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim for acting as 'judge and prosecutor' in the matter. PETALING JAYA : 'I do not need to be given immunity due to my age', former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad has told Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim after the Cabinet refused to take action against him over his role in the Batu Puteh issue. In a post on X today, Mahathir said he should be taken to court to be proven guilty given the accusations. 'The one who judged me as guilty was Anwar. The one who said no action needs to be taken against me was also Anwar. 'He said I was not charged, despite being guilty, as I am 100 years old. This means I have been given immunity. 'I know I am not guilty, and I want to prove it. Immunity is for those afraid of going to court because they know they are guilty,' he said. Yesterday, Anwar noted that a royal commission of inquiry (RCI) last year had found it likely that Mahathir had deliberately influenced the Cabinet to discontinue review applications regarding Batu Puteh's sovereignty in 2018, despite the views of international consultants who said the applications had a reasonable likelihood of success. The RCI recommended that a police report be lodged against Mahathir, saying a criminal investigation could be initiated under Section 415(b) of the Penal Code for cheating. 'Was he not wrong? He was wrong. Should we take action? The Cabinet agreed not to. We made a decision because it involved a former prime minister who is 100 years old,' Anwar said in the Dewan Rakyat. Mahathir lambasted Anwar for acting as 'judge and prosecutor' in the matter. 'Such is his great power. But the constitution does not say that the prime minister can be a prosecutor or judge,' he said.
Yahoo
20-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
'Definite urgency' for action on child safety checks
Urgency is needed for a national register of childcare workers to improve safety, the attorney-general says, but admits it won't be a silver bullet for issues in the sector. Michelle Rowland said the federal government was working with states and territories on developing a national system, ahead of childcare safety laws being introduced to parliament this week. Implementation of such of a scheme will be brought up during a meeting of federal, state and territory attorneys-general in coming weeks. "We've got different states and territories with their own schemes for working with children checks and reportable conduct - they do not talk to other states and there is no system of oversight," Ms Rowland told Sky News on Sunday. "There is a definite, a definite urgency here and it's been there for some time. "The piece of work that we have ... is to ensure that we have a solution that allows near real-time reporting, access to data, making sure that we've got consistency and uniformity across that. The proposal has been fast tracked after employee Joshua Brown was charged with 70 sex offences against eight alleged victims under two at a childcare centre in Melbourne. Ms Rowland said recommendations for a national working with children scheme were made a decade ago following a royal commission into child sexual abuse. "We're now in 2025. What is important here is that we have action," she said. "We need to be honest, this is not going to resolve everything that we have in the system, but it will be a significant step forward." Laws to strip childcare centres of federal funding if they do not meet national standards will be brought to federal parliament when it resumes. Centres would be required to disclose if they have received a breach notice from the commonwealth. Opposition education spokesman Jonathon Duniam said the coalition would support the changes. "We do need transparency around this. When you're putting your child into the care and trust of people you generally don't know, and you're away for the day, you want to know if there are issues with the centre you're putting your kid into," he told ABC's Insiders program. "We again extend our support to the government to urge state and territory governments to come together and act with urgency to resolve all of the problems we have across the sector." Senator Duniam said he was "baffled" that mandatory security cameras were not in place in childcare centres. "Obviously we need to protect privacy of children, we need to manage those systems," he said. "But with the right safeguards and right management, I think it is essential as part of the protection against kids in this most vulnerable setting."
Free Malaysia Today
13-07-2025
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
We'll study calls to discipline 9 PKR MPs, says Fuziah
PKR secretary-general Fuziah Salleh said the report from the 19 party divisions in Johor will be studied to determine if the nine MPs had violated party rules. PETALING JAYA : PKR is looking into calls to take disciplinary action against nine of its MPs over their press conference to demand the establishment of a royal commission of inquiry into judicial appointments and alleged interference in the judiciary. Its secretary-general, Fuziah Salleh, said calls for the nine to be temporarily suspended for their actions would also be looked into, Bernama reported. She said the feedback from various party divisions would be tabled at the central leadership council meeting scheduled to be held in two weeks. 'I am aware of the report by the divisions. So for now, the secretary-general's office will look into it and decide on any further action to be taken,' she was quoted as saying. According to Fuziah, the report would be studied as per the party's code of ethics to determine whether the nine MPs had violated party rules. 'I am just carrying out my duty. The central leadership council will discuss the matter and make a decision. We have a code of ethics, so it needs to be studied whether their actions violated it or not,' she said. On Friday, 19 PKR divisions in Johor called for Rafizi Ramli and eight other PKR MPs to be suspended after the group called for the establishment of an RCI, and a hearing by the parliamentary select committee following delays in the appointment of top judicial positions, which they said amounted to a constitutional crisis. The division chiefs said the MPs' actions not only breached party discipline and ethics, but also cast a negative light on the prime minister's leadership and opened the door to political manipulation by rivals.
ABC News
13-07-2025
- Business
- ABC News
Algal bloom 'disaster' prompts royal commission call as impact spreads to mussel farms
A royal commission is needed to tackle the long-term effects of the devastating algal bloom off South Australia's coast that has killed countless sea creatures and is damaging industries, the state's opposition says. The call comes as the impact of the bloom continues to spread, with mussel farming sites around Port Lincoln shut down after shellfish toxins were detected in the area. The "precautionary closure", which came into effect on Wednesday, has suspended mussel harvesting at the Boston Bay, Bickers Island, Lower Eyre and Proper Bay sites, according to the Department of Primary Industries and Regions (PIRSA). The opposition said a royal commission would allow thorough examination of the causes and consequences of the Karenia mikimotoi bloom — as well as the responses so far, potential health impacts, and steps to prevent a repeat of the current crisis. "What we're calling for is for a royal commission to investigate in an independent way what exactly has caused this algal bloom, and what could we better do to make sure that it is managed and to ensure it doesn't happen again." Mr Tarzia said the estimated cost of "a few million dollars" was a "small price to pay". Attorney-General Kyam Maher poured scorn on the proposal, suggesting it was a waste of money to investigate what was "almost universally accepted by scientists to be caused by climate change". "We've already announced half a million dollars in fee relief for the fishing industry and we've said we're looking at doing more," he said. Last week, the government announced what it described as an "initial investment" of $500,000 to support the state's commercial fishing sector. Commercial fisher Andrew Pisani, from Stansbury on Yorke Peninsula, said what had been announced so far was "just not going to be enough". "Stansbury is ground zero. We're 70 days in now — 70 days — and we need some help, help now," he said. "We're not making any income there at all. Opposition primary industries spokesperson Nicola Centofanti called on the government to waive fishing licence fees "from July onwards". "We've got commercial fishermen, aquaculture businesses, tourism businesses that are literally on their knees," she said. "[They] need not just short-term support but they need a medium-to-long-term plan. "This is an ecological and economic disaster." Port Wakefield fisher Justin Cicolella said the impact at the northern end of Gulf St Vincent had, until now, not been as bad — but there were signs that was changing. "Ongoing support's probably going to have to be there. We've all got young families and rely on a certain amount of money coming in each week," he said. Fellow Port Wakefield fisher Bart Butson said he was "not sure" if a royal commission was the answer, but that securing a sustainable fishery was of "foremost" importance. "I wake up at night thinking, 'How long can we catch some fish for?'" he said. "It's just beginning to bite now. We've seen the squid in our area disappear … and that makes up 30 per cent of our wage, of our catch." The push for a royal commission comes after the Greens called for a state-based inquiry and urged the federal government to declare the bloom a national disaster. The state government said it had already established a working group made up of government agencies including PIRSA to better understand the bloom. "We're keen to make sure we're having the best scientists look at what's happening and … not going to lawyers for a royal commission," Mr Maher said. The government last week shut down several Lower Eyre Peninsula mussel farming sites, on a temporary basis, because of shellfish toxins linked to the bloom. The site closures prevent the sale and movement of bivalve molluscan shellfish from the area. PIRSA said the closures impacted two producers: Yumbah Mussels Holdings and Deedah Oysters. The former employs about 75 people, with its parent company saying the closures have caused "uncertainty for our staff, suppliers and our customers". Both Yumbah Aquaculture and PIRSA said there was no public health risk and mussels already on the market were safe to eat. The closures come after PIRSA's regular testing of shellfish harvesting sites detected brevetoxins — neurotoxic shellfish poisons that can affect oysters, mussels and scallops, according to SA Health. If consumed, they can cause symptoms including vomiting, diarrhoea and stomach cramps. "They have detected brevetoxin which is a neurotoxin that is associated with the Karenia species and therefore they cannot allow the sales of the mussels," Environment Minister Susan Close said. "This is obviously very serious. "What's likely is that we've got a dominant Karenia mikimotoi algal bloom but some other varieties of Karenia in there, and we've seen a couple of instances now where that's shown up." Ms Close said she was "hopeful" that the affected businesses would be "able to survive at least a short period without lay-offs". Asked how long the shutdown would last, Ms Close said PIRSA would rely on "clear test results" to determine when products could be sold again. "They will be frequently testing in order to get mussels back on the shelf once they are safe," she said. Yumbah Aquaculture chief executive David Wood said the harvesting suspension was expected to last "at least four weeks". He said local brevetoxin levels remained within the relevant safety threshold, but added: "Yumbah takes no risks with food safety." "While current levels pose no threat to consumers, further assessment is required due to this testing feedback timing, and the suspension is expected to last at least four weeks," he said in a statement. The shellfish shutdown is the latest in a series of economic disruptions caused by SA's algal bloom. In May, PIRSA also suspended shellfish harvesting operations around Stansbury and Port Vincent on Yorke Peninsula due to increased brevetoxin levels, forcing the quarantine of up to 10 million oysters. Mr Wood said the impact on fisheries was "unprecedented". "This situation brings uncertainty for our staff, suppliers and our customers. "We're working closely with our teams to understand the implications and provide support, continuing to back each other through this challenging time."
