Good morning. Here's our news and views that matter for today.
Key Highlights
From 50k to 1m - 'Turun Anwar' figures defy gravity
Licence to drill: ‘Approve first, talk later’
RM100 Aid: A lifeline, not loose change
From 50k to 1m - 'Turun Anwar' figures defy gravity
Perikatan Nasional leaders appear more confident about the turnout for Saturday’s “Turun Anwar” rally than any protest organiser in the history of Malaysian street protests.
It all started modestly enough with a 50,000 estimate - already a crowd that would make most rally organisers sweat with joy. But that was just the opening act.
PN Youth chief Afnan Hamimi Taib Azamudden upped the ante to 300,000.
Not to be outdone, PAS MP Shahidan Kassim jumped in to declare a turnout of 500,000 Malaysians demanding for Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s head to roll.
And now, opposition leader Hamzah Zainudin has confidently tossed in the magic number: one million.
If these figures are anything to go by, the police might want to send their intelligence unit back to school since the Kuala Lumpur acting police chief Usuf Jan Mohamad said the Special Branch expects a much humbler turnout - somewhere between 10,000 to 15,000.
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Licence to drill: ‘Approve first, talk later’
The mining scandal in Sabah continues to unearth fresh dirt with the emergence of an audio clip, which purportedly proves that a coal mining exploration licence was granted to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s former aide Farhash Wafa Salvador Rizal Mubarak.
“But the area is too big, Datuk Seri, 70,000ha,” protested a voice which allegedly belongs to state secretary Safar Untong.
To which, the “Datuk Seri” - said to be Chief Minister Hajiji Noor - replies: “Yes, we will get to that later. The important thing is that we approve the application."
According to news portal MalaysiaNow, which exposed the clip, the recording was purportedly from a meeting last year involving the Sabah Mineral Management (SMM) board, which is chaired by Hajiji.
SMM has denied awarding an exploration licence to a company linked to Farhash, while the former aide has dismissed the allegations as false.
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RM100 Aid: A lifeline, not loose change
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has urged critics to stop dismissing the RM100 Rahmah Necessities Aid (Sara), stressing that for many struggling households, the assistance is not just helpful- it’s essential.
Highlighting the real-world impact, Anwar pointed out that a low-income family - say, a couple with two adult children - would receive RM400 under the Sara scheme alone. When combined with the Rahmah Cash Contribution (STR), their total support could climb to RM700.
“This isn’t just a figure on paper. It’s relief for families grappling with rising costs and tight margins,” he said.
“Yesterday (Wednesday), I announced several additional measures. For those who are offended, it's all right. It's the norm in the political world.
“Just RM100? Right, some of you earn RM20,000 a month, RM40,000 a month - RM100 means nothing to you. But I know that when we go to the villages, there is an impact. And this is additional support,” he added.
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Views that matter
 | By Mahathir Mohd Rais |
 | By R Paneir Selvam |
 | By C4 Center |
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