Malaysia's government risks losing ground in Selangor, Penang strongholds at state polls, could thwart Anwar's reforms: Observers - CNA

If PH-BN retains control of the three states but loses the Malay vote, Prof Chin said Mr Anwar will shed political credibility and find it difficult to introduce his economic reforms, as he will have to pander to pro-Malay policies.

These include compulsory Bumiputera shareholding and tenders reserved for Bumiputera companies, he said, adding that these “affirmative action” policies need to be reformed as they have a huge impact on the Malaysian economy. 

“Anwar will adopt a lot more pro-Islamic, pro-Malay policies to placate supporters who (shifted to) PN,” he said, although he warned that an outwardly pro-Malay stance could risk “alienating” the core, non-Malay base of PH supporters.

Dr Wong Chin Huat from Sunway University used GE15 results as well as assumptions on vote transferability and voter turnout to predict that PH-BN and PN will retain control of the states they currently govern, but with the latter winning more seats.

And if this happens, “the government will be pressured to move to the right”, he said, referring similarly to the introduction of more conservative, pro-Malay policies.

For example, if UMNO suffers a “disastrous defeat”, Dr Wong suggested that PN will claim that the Malays rejected UMNO because of DAP.

“To shed off this accusation, UMNO will try to secure concessions by the unity government to the Malays and Islam. This can come in the form of resource allocation or value imposition,” he said, referring to things like funding for Malay institutions and the enforcement of Islamic values in public life.

PH-BN DEFEAT IN SELANGOR UNLIKELY

Dr Oh Ei Sun, a senior fellow with the Singapore Institute of International Affairs, painted a more dire picture for PH-BN.

He predicted that the alliance will lose its two-thirds majority in Penang and Negeri Sembilan, while Selangor remains a “toss-up”.

Dr Oh believes that BN voters will flock to PN as they fear PH’s liberal and multicultural outlook while PN’s consistent race-and-religion campaign narratives also tap into the increasing Malay fear of losing racial and religious primacy in the country.

“Economy or corruption takes a decidedly backseat to these more amorphous concerns,” he added, noting that PN’s “green wave” - referring to its growing popularity among Malay voters - remains “strong and kicking”.

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2023-08-10 04:41:00Z
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North Korea's Kim Jong Un dismisses top general, calls for war preparations - CNA

SEOUL: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un replaced the military's top general and called for more preparations for the possibility of war, a boost in weapons production, and expansion of military drills, state media KCNA reported on Thursday (Aug 10).

Kim made the comments at a meeting of the Central Military Commission which discussed plans for countermeasures to deter North Korea's enemies, which it did not name, the report said.

The country's top general, Chief of the General Staff Pak Su Il was "dismissed", KCNA reported, without elaborating. He had served in his role for about seven months.

Pak was replaced by General Ri Yong Gil, who previously served as the country's defence minister, as well as the top commander of its conventional troops.

Ri also previously served as the army chief of staff. When he was replaced in 2016 his sacking and subsequent absence from official events sparked reports in South Korea that he had been executed. He reappeared a few months later, when he was named to another senior post.

Kim also set a target for the expansion of weapons production capacity, the report said, without providing details. Last week he visited weapons factories where he called for more missile engines, artillery and other weapons to be built.

Photos released by KCNA showed Kim pointing at Seoul and areas surrounding the South Korean capital on a map.

The United States has accused North Korea of providing arms to Russia for its war in Ukraine, including artillery shells, rockets and missiles. Russia and North Korea have denied those claims.

Kim also called for the military to conduct drills with the country's latest weapons and equipment to keep its forces ready for combat, the report said.

North Korea is set to stage a militia parade on Sep 9, marking the 75th anniversary of the Day of the Foundation of the Republic. North Korea has a number of paramilitary groups it uses to bolster its military forces.

The US and South Korea are scheduled to hold military drills between Aug 21 and 24, which the North sees as a threat to its security.

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2023-08-10 00:58:26Z
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Indonesia's capital named world's most polluted city - CNA

Jakarta residents have long complained of toxic air from chronic traffic, industrial smoke and coal-fired power plants. Some of them launched and won a civil lawsuit in 2021 demanding the government take action to control air pollution.

The court at the time ruled President Joko Widodo must establish national air quality standards to protect human health, and the health minister and Jakarta governor must devise strategies to control air pollution.

Still, Nathan Roestandy, co-founder of air quality app Nafas Indonesia, said the pollution level has continued to deteriorate.

"We take more than 20,000 breaths a day. If we take in polluted air everyday, (it could lead to) respiratory and pulmonary diseases, even asthma. It can affect cognitive development of children or even mental health," he said.

Asked about Jakarta's pollution problem on Tuesday, President Widodo told reporters the solution would be to move the country's capital city from Jakarta to Nusantara, which his government is currently building from the ground up on Borneo island.

Indonesia is set to name Nusantara as the new capital next year and at least 16,000 civil servants, military and police are due to move there.

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2023-08-09 15:28:10Z
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Hong Kong scouts spend night on South Korean airport floor before flying home - South China Morning Post

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1. Hong Kong scouts spend night on South Korean airport floor before flying home  South China Morning Post
2. South Korea scout jamboree SOS issued to BTS megastars  CNA
3. Thousands of scouts evacuated from South Korea coast as tropical storm nears  CBC News
4. A scout jamboree needs adversity – all memorable trips do  The Telegraph
5. Scouts need a rethink  Bangkok Post
6. View Full coverage on Google News

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2023-08-09 09:41:11Z
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Calls for stronger child labour laws and enforcement in US, as violations soar in recent months - CNA

Experts such as Dr Annie Smith, Professor of Law at the University of Arkansas and Director of the Civil Litigation and Advocacy Clinic, fear there is no easy fix to this situation.

“If you’re serious about addressing it, whether it’s human trafficking or child labour exploitation, you have to look at root causes (which are) the vulnerabilities experienced by those workers, and what’s making them vulnerable to that type of abuse,” Prof Smith explained.

“It’s really going to deeper policy approaches, foreign policy, immigration policy, those sort of deeper issues that seem removed from child labour but are actually directly related to it.”

While such a change will take time, the message remains clear and urgent for those who have suffered loss. 

“Kids are going to get lost in the mix. I see sweatshops in our future, and it disgusts me, it really does. If anything is important to us, it’s got to be our future, it’s got to be our kids,” said Mrs Bostwick.

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2023-08-09 06:49:54Z
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CNA Correspondent - Malaysia's State Elections: Will political tides shift and put a dent in Anwar's government? - CNA

Six states in Malaysia go to the polls on Aug 12 with 245 state assembly seats up for grabs. CNA correspondents Melissa Goh and Afifah Ariffin preview the upcoming elections and the issues voters are grappling with which will put the unity government to the test. 

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2023-08-08 23:44:42Z
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Malaysia state polls: Anwar's economic policies under fire but unlikely to be affected by election results, say analysts - CNA

SELANGOR: A keen follower of the political scene in Malaysia, 38-year-old voter Ahmad Farizul tries to attend as many political rallies as possible during the campaign period for the state polls to get a sense of what is going on.

The Kuang resident in the state of Selangor considers himself to be a fence-sitter and could vote for any coalition or even an independent candidate.

At almost every political rally, the sales executive observed politicians from both sides of the aisle speak about the rising cost of living and make promises to solve this by creating new jobs, reducing inflation and raising incomes at the same time. 

“Sometimes I feel that both sides are saying the same thing. The only difference is they claim to be better and cleaner than the other side,” Mr Ahmad told CNA at a Perikatan Nasional (PN) event on Aug 5.  

Both the unity government and opposition coalitions have been making economic issues a key focus of their campaigns amid rising inflation and cost of living.

While the opposition said the state polls are a referendum on the unity government, political observers and economists believe that the government can still carry out its economic policies regardless of the election results.

Residents from six states - Selangor, Kelantan, Terengganu, Negeri Sembilan, Kedah and Penang - will vote for 245 lawmakers in the state assemblies on Aug 12.

Kelantan, Terengganu and Kedah are under the rule of the Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS), which is a member of the opposition PN coalition together with Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) and Parti Gerakan Malaysia (Gerakan).   

Selangor, Negeri Sembilan and Penang are under the Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition which leads the current unity government. 

PH is for the first time working with former rivals Barisan Nasional (BN) in the polls, which come about eight months after federal elections resulted in a hung parliament.    

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2023-08-08 22:03:29Z
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