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End to surprise general elections?
Good morning. Here's what you should know today.
Key Highlights
End to surprise general elections?
Dr M prescribes total assimilation
Unilateral conversions review
End to surprise general elections?
While Malaysian elections are supposed to be held every five years, that's not always the case.
At present, the prime minister constitutionally can ask for the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to dissolve Parliament early.
However, the government is moving toward introducing a Fixed-Term Parliament Act (FTPA), which would ensure a more consistent schedule for when elections are to be held.
Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi also appeared to envision such a law as a way to ensure there is no change of government midway through a Parliament term.
However, Sarawak Premier Abang Johari Openg expressed reservations about legislating a fixed term for the government as suggested by Zahid.
Meanwhile, Perikatan Nasional continued to deny the Dubai Move plot was real.
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Dr M prescribes total assimilation
In yet another racist diatribe, Dr Mahathir Mohamad claimed that Malaysian Indians are not completely loyal to the country.
This is because they speak Tamil and identify with India, he claimed.
He said "immigrants" should completely assimilate, speak Malay, have Malay culture, and identify themselves as Malay.
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Unilateral conversions review
The issue of unilateral conversions is being referred to the special committee reviewing the syariah legal system.
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) Mohd Na’im Mokhtar wants the committee to harmonise existing regulations.
At present, five states - Penang, Sabah, Selangor, Johor, and Pahang - require the consent of both parents for a minor to convert to Islam.
However, in all other states and the Federal Territories, only consent from one parent is required.
In 2018, the Federal Court ruled that the consent of both parents is required for the lawful conversion of their children, per Article 12(4) of the Federal Constitution.
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Views that matter
 | By S Thayaparan |
 | By Mariam Mokhtar |
 | By Wong Chin Huat |
Other news that matter
Perak police have arrested an individual for their alleged involvement in a fire that broke out at Beruas MP Ngeh Koo Ham’s house last week.
Bukit Gelugor MP Ramkarpal Singh said the case should be investigated as attempted murder, while also digging deeper into the motive behind the incident.
Former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak’s legal team wants the government to compel Netflix to take down the 1MDB-linked documentary “Man on the Run”.
The government will no longer have official launch events for road safety campaigns during festive seasons.
Such events reportedly cost around RM200,000 per launch.
Transport Minister Anthony Loke assured that the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore High-Speed Rail (HSR) project remains unaffected by Japanese firms withdrawing from involvement.
The RM3 million allocated by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to address water shortages at Universiti Malaysia Sabah is being spent on building tube wells.
Former chairperson of the Communist Party of Malaya (CPM), Abdullah CD passed away at age 100 on Saturday.
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