SNAPSHOT | Anwar denies Putrajaya meddling in N Sembilan crisis; group urges review to FOI bill

KINI SNAPSHOT | What’s going on in the news today, with updates at 11am, 2pm, and 6pm.

11am

N Sembilan royal crisis

• Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has denied accusations that the federal government and he were interfering in the ongoing royal imbroglio between disputed Negeri Sembilan chieftains and the state ruler, Tuanku Muhriz Tuanku Munawir.
  
  However, he stressed that any action to remove or depose a ruler must not be taken lightly and done according process based on the constitution.
  
  "Discuss it amicably. I do not agree with overthrowing a ruler so easily. Our system cannot work that way, which is why the constitution is very clear," Anwar said in his speech at a programme in Kedah last night, as quoted by Bernama.
  
  He added that both the federal cabinet and he have limited powers set by the Constitution and cannot arbitrarily change matters relating to the royal institution.

READ MORE: KINIGUIDE | Negeri Sembilan royal rumble: What's going on?

• Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail has defended the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) over its rejection of the Negeri Sembilan state exco’s decision to suspend state secretary Zafir Ibrahim and state legal adviser Muzalmah Mustapha Kamal.
  
  In a Facebook post, he said it was clear that the state exco had no legal authority to suspend Zafir and Muzalmah, who are both federal civil servants, and the civil servants must be protected from being subjected to actions that are not done according to the law and due process.

  

  "No party can act unilaterally beyond the jurisdiction and constitutional provisions that have been established.
  
  "In the administration of the country, every power comes with limits and responsibilities. Respecting those limits is fundamental to the strength of our institutions and confidence in our administrative system," Saifuddin said.
  
  

• Wawasan Negara urged for its chairperson Rais Yatim (below) be accorded a fair judicial process based on the Federal Constitution and Negeri Sembilan state constitution without any outside interference.

  

  This comes after the former Dewan Negara president was charged at the Ayer Keroh Sessions Court in Malacca with sedition linked to the Negeri Sembilan customary crisis.

  "In any circumstances, Wawasan urges all parties to fully respect the country’s legal process as well as his right to a fair opportunity to seek redress," the party said in a statement last night.
  
  Student’s death
  

• A 14-year-old student at a sports school in Kuala Pilah died after being found unconscious at the school hostel last night.
  
  Sinar Harian reported the Form Two student, Idlan Fareeq Shahril, was taken to Tuanku Ampuan Najihah Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
  
  Kuala Pilah district police chief Mustafah Hussin confirmed that the case was under investigation. An autopsy will be conducted at Tuanku Ja’afar Hospital in Seremban.

  

  It was reported that a social media post alleged the student had been beaten and bullied, but police have not confirmed the claim or established the cause of death.
  
  Kuala Pilah MP Adnan Abu Hassan said he went to the hospital after police informed him of the death.
  
  

• Meanwhile, Indera Mahkota MP Saifuddin Abdullah has urged the government to take “emergency” action against bullying following Idlan’s death.

  

  In a statement today, Saifuddin (above) noted that while the cause of death had yet to be established, it raised serious questions about student safety and called on the Education Ministry to treat violent bullying as more than a routine disciplinary issue.
  
  “When bullying involves physical violence that results in serious injury or loss of life, it must be treated as a serious matter requiring firm action.
  
  “We send our children to school to receive an education, not to become victims of violence,” he stressed.
  
  

FOI Bill

• The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has urged the government to substantially amend its freedom of information (FOI) bill, warning that provisions on how disclosed information may be used could put journalists at risk.
  
  Under the draft, applicants could be fined or jailed for using information obtained through the FOI process for a purpose different from the one stated in their request. CPJ said journalists might uncover facts that warrant further reporting only after receiving the information.

  

  “We welcome the government’s efforts to introduce an FOI bill, but its current form falls short of international standards,” CPJ Asia-Pacific director Beh Lih Yi said in a statement.
  
  CPJ called for protection for public interest disclosures and an independent body to oversee the law, citing an assessment by the Centre for Law and Democracy that would rank Malaysia’s bill 137th among 142 countries with right-to-information laws if enacted in its current form.
  
  The bill will be reviewed at a national townhall in parliament on Sept 28.

READ MORE: COMMENT | Freedom of Information Bill is regressive, needs overhaul

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