Umno vice-president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi told Utusan Malaysia that the daily's suggestion to establish an ulama wing to take over from PAS in upholding the tenets of Islam is a positive initiative to show that Umno is serious in incorporating Islamic values in its agenda and struggle.

He said the ulama wing can act as an advisory body to Umno's policy.

Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin concurred, saying the suggestion should be implemented immediately because PAS is seen as no longer spearheading the Islamic struggle.

The following are the headlines for the day.

Front Page

Malay newspapers

Utusan Malaysia highlighted on its front page that a syndicate was found purchasing subsidised petrol from lorry drivers and selling it to industry operators at highway.

Berita Harian led with the statement by Higher Education Minister Mohamed Khaled Nordin that PAS should apologise to Umno because the Islamic party has been accusing Umno of going against Islam, but now PAS itself has replaced its Islamic state agenda with a welfare state focus.

Chinese newspapers

Nanyang Siang Pau front-paged that the government will freeze the import of foreign workers for two weeks starting July 1 to pave way for the 'whitening' of illegal foreign workers.

Both Sin Chew Daily and China Press highlighted that a 27-year-old scrap metal collector, who had raped an eight-year-old girl in a toilet of a school hall during a wedding last week, was sentenced to 25 years in jail and 15 strokes by Klang sessions court.

Oriental Daily News led with the testimony of a landscaper who claimed that former Selangor Menteri Besar Dr Mohd Khir Toyo spent roughly RM6.5 million to renovate his mansion from its original Italian tropical design to the current Bali concept.

English newspapers

The Star front-paged a survey that reported Malaysians are throwing away up to 900 tonnes of unconsumed food daily.

New Straits Times noted that the Malaysia Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has confirmed that it is investigating Sarawak Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud over allegations of corruption relating to the timber business.

Editorial

Berita Harian called on all quarters to cooperate with MACC to monitor mega projects in order to ensure they are graft-free.

Sin Chew Daily commented that, besides hardware facilities and planning, the cooperation and interaction of residents is also important component to reducing street crime.

New Straits Times welcomed the rationalisation of illegal foreign workers, but warned that the dependency on cheap foreign labour is not in sync with the requirements of the New Economic Model and Economic Transformation Programme, and will drag the country down.