Pix for illustration purposes.
PETALING JAYA: The federal and state governments have been reminded that transparency and openness are essential in managing offers of free Covid-19 vaccines to avoid false claims and integrity issues.
Analysts said any authority, such as state governments, should also take it upon itself to determine the authenticity of such offers.
Otherwise, the integrity of the authority that claims to have received such offers can be questioned, said the Malaysian Council of Professors senior fellow Dr Jeniri Amir.
He was commenting on a claim by Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow that “a private company” had offered the state two million doses of the Sinovac vaccine as part of its corporate social responsibility programme.
‘Party understands pushing for early polls during pandemic could cost votes’ Pix for representational purpose only.
PETALING JAYA
: Umno’s decision not to push for early elections and to remain in Perikatan Nasional (PN) for now is a step towards self-preservation, say political analysts.
The party understands that pushing for early polls in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic could cost it votes.
“This was obviously the case in the Sabah state elections in September last year,” Malaysian Council of Professors senior fellow Dr Jeniri Amir told
theSun yesterday.
During the height of the power tussle in Sabah last year, sitting chief minister Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal decided to call for snap state elections, only to lose power. The polls caused a surge in infections that eventually spread across the country.
Early polls on the horizon adib rawi yahya/theSun
PETALING JAYA: Early elections are inevitable, given Umno’s decision to pull out of Perikatan Nasional (PN) by August.
Without Umno in the picture, the Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu)-led PN government will no longer have a majority in the Dewan Rakyat and unless the Emergency order is extended beyond August, the coalition will have to seek a new mandate.
Umno’s wish to stop working with Bersatu is not something new. Party president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi had announced on July 30 last year that it would focus on strengthening ties with PAS in the Muafakat Nasional alliance and continue working with its Barisan Nasional partners.
New battle lines being drawn for GE15 Bernama
PETALING JAYA: With Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi in troubled waters, the field is now open for the post of Umno president.
The obvious choice is current deputy president Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan, but Sombrong division head Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein and Ketereh division chief Tan Sri Annuar Musa are also in contention, according to political analysts who spoke to
theSun.
However, it is still too early to rule out incumbent president Ahmad Zahid.
Despite calls from within Umno for fresh party elections, an analyst said he still commands very strong grassroots support.
MA63 deal on matters such as royalty may be decider in Sarawak polls Pix for representational purpose only.
PETALING JAYA: The Covid-19 pandemic will no doubt weigh heavy on the minds of Sarawakian voters when the state goes to the polls again this year.
However, it is the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63), a long-standing issue pertaining to the rights of Sarawakians and their neighbours, the Sabahans, that could decide how well a party or coalition does.
Malaysian Council of Professors senior fellow Dr Jeniri Amir said the incumbent Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) government has been “making progress” on its demands within the ambit of MA63.