SNAPSHOT | Najib to undergo heart surgery; Kepong MP: Make public IIUM study on mayoral polls

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

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Political difference is not Islamophobia - group; no revision to Penang water tariff hikes

2pm

Najib’s health

• Jailed former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak will undergo heart surgery next week, his aide told Malaysiakini.

  Najib's special officer Ahmad Lutfi Azhar confirmed that the former Pekan MP has heart-related ailments requiring surgery but declined to provide further details.

  "Yes, true. We will disclose next week, closer to the date," he said when asked for details on the type of surgery and the exact health issue Najib is having.

  Najib, who is serving a jail sentence for the SRC International case, faces three other corruption cases in court.

Kuala Lumpur reforms

• DAP’s Kepong MP Lim Lip Eng pushed for the public disclosure of an International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) study which advised against mayoral election and appointed councillors for Kuala Lumpur.

  Lim argued in a statement today that while the study’s findings can be considered, they should not be cited as a reason to shut down discussions on the matter.

  

  Urging the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) to appoint an independent research firm to specifically ask Kuala Lumpur voters if they support mayoral elections, Lim warned against making decisions on behalf of residents who have not provided their thoughts.

  Lim also called on leaders for BN and its linchpin Umno to state whether they support the appointment of councillors in DBKL as a transitional step to increase representation and accountability.

  While acknowledging that appointed state assemblypersons and councillors are different, Lim asserted that if appointments can be justified on the grounds of representation, expertise, as well as checks and balances, the same principle should be considered for Kuala Lumpur.

READ MORE: With stars aligned in Harapan's favour, Nik Nazmi cautions against delayed KL reforms

Politics

• Amanah secretary-general Faiz Fadzil cited recent remarks by an MCA Youth leader to turn the tables on PAS’ claim that Pakatan Harapan has been promoting Islamophobia, accusing the Islamist party of stoking racial hatred instead.

  

  Insisting that PAS’ blames others when Islamophobia “stems from its own conduct”, Faiz said MCA Youth secretary-general Saw Yee Fung’s apparent objection to BN’s electoral pact with PAS is evidence of distrust against the Islamist party’s “extreme approach”.

  Faiz also projected that cooperation between BN and PAS will not last long as the latter is “without principles” and willing to do anything for power, thus preventing it from achieving true political stability.

READ MORE: 'Selective amnesia': Rayer hits back after Hadi rants about Islamophobic DAP 'pendatang'

eFishery

• Parti Wawasan Negara pressed Putrajaya to address concerns regarding losses linked to the RM200 million investment by the Retirement Fund (Incorporated) (KWAP) in Indonesian aquaculture start-up eFishery.

  Its vice-president, Omar Mustapha, urged the government to table a comprehensive report on the investment during the next Parliament sitting, which is scheduled to take place in October.

  

  Omar stressed that, as the finance minister at the time when the investment decision was made, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim is responsible for ensuring effective systems of governance, risk management, and oversight.

  He emphasised that when civil servants' retirement money is invested in a foreign company, the level of scrutiny, governance, and risk management should be higher, instead of merely meeting minimum procedural requirements.

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