SNAPSHOT | S'gor PAS leader defends 'Daulat Tuanku' rally; everyone promised to recognise UEC - Sim

KINI SNAPSHOT | What’s going on in the news today, with updates at 9am, 2pm, 6pm, and 9pm.

9pm 

PAS rally

• A Selangor PAS leader has defended its rally tomorrow in Shah Alam against accusations that the Islamist party is seeking to silence certain voices.

  Selangor PAS Youth chief Sukri Omar said the rally, called “Himpunan Daulat Tuanku”, was instead to defend the Constitution and royal institutions.

  Sukri said DAP leaders should not use the freedom accorded to elected state assembly members to contradict the Selangor sultan’s decree.

  He was responding to Petaling Jaya MP Lee Chean Chung, who questioned the purpose of the rally, which is a protest against Seri Kembangan lawmaker Wong Siew Ki.

  

  The rally was called after Wong raised the issue of pig farming in the Selangor state assembly, which the Islamist party chapter claimed was disrespectful to Selangor ruler Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, who decreed that pig farming be prohibited in the state.

READ MORE: 'Right to assemble vs free speech': Petaling Jaya MP questions S'gor PAS Youth's rally move

UEC debate

• All major political parties have at one time or another promised to recognise the Unified Exam Certificate (UEC), said a PKR leader after the issue sparked renewed debate.

  Bayan Baru MP Sim Tze Tzin pointed out in a Facebook post that recognition of the UEC has appeared in the manifestos of Pakatan Harapan parties PKR, DAP, Amanah, and even BN.

  

  PAS and Bersatu, who make up the opposition Perikatan Nasional coalition, had also at different times included UEC recognition in their election manifestos, said Sim, who is also deputy investment, trade and investment minister.

  Debate over the UEC resurfaced after the Higher Education Ministry announced a new pathway for the exam’s graduates to enter the public university system.

READ MORE: Zambry hits back at critics over UEC, tahfiz students' entry into public varsities

Sedition conviction

• A Terengganu exco and lawmaker has withdrawn his appeal against the Sessions Court’s decision to impose a fine of RM2,000 for making inflammatory statements under the Sedition Act three years ago, Bernama reported.

  Terengganu Tourism, Culture, Environment and Climate Change exco Razali Idris had been found guilty of making those statements during a speech at the Kemaman by-election machinery launching ceremony three years ago.

  

  Lawyer Shahril Nizam Amin, who represented Razali, who is Kijal state assemblyperson, informed High Court judge Azhar Abdul Hamid that he had been instructed by his client (Razali) to withdraw the notice of appeal filed on Jan 5.

  Azhar asked whether the appellant was aware that if the court withdrew the notice of appeal, his conviction would remain, and Shahril replied: “That’s right, Your Honour, my client is aware of that.”

  Azhar then withdrew the notice of appeal.

Sand exports

• The Pahang government will meet the Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Ministry next week to discuss the management and export of river sand from the state.

  This follows claims by Pahang Crown Prince Tengku Hassanal Ibrahim Alam Shah that the federal government had banned sand exports from its rivers.

  Menteri Besar Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail said discussions with the ministry were vital to safeguarding state interests, ensuring the people’s well-being, and optimising state revenue, Bernama reported.

  

  “This issue should not be turned into a polemic or viewed strictly through the lens of commercial profit. It must be understood in a broader context that includes environmental management, flood mitigation, industrial sustainability, economic opportunities, and revenue sources for the state,” he said at the Pahang state assembly today.

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