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Key Highlights
Violence at schools and cover-ups
PN's Budget 2026 counteroffer
Hamzah loses Wan-two punch
Violence at schools and cover-ups
A 16-year-old girl died after being stabbed by a 14-year-old boy at school on Tuesday.
Police are investigating the possibility that the boy had reacted violently to the girl rejecting his advances.
The case comes days after news broke that two 17-year-olds, abetted by two others, had raped a 15-year-old girl at a school in Malacca.
The news reports give the appearance of an uptick in violent incidents at schools. Instead, it might reflect something much darker - a history of cover-ups and underreporting.
Education director-general Azam Ahmad said that in the three months he has been in office, he has collected enough data to suggest that schools actively sweep bullying and sexual harassment cases under the carpet.
Two months ago, Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek proposed giving schools incentives if they can ensure zero-bullying cases, which critics warned would lead to more cover-ups.
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PN's Budget 2026 counteroffer
Perikatan Nasional issued a counteroffer in welfare aid to Malaysians in response to the recently tabled Budget 2026.
Instead of the Rahmah Cash Aid (STR) and Rahmah Necessities Aid (Sara) aid combo, which can amount to RM4,600 per year, PN said that if it were in government, it would provide RM500 per month to all those in need, totalling RM6,000 per year.
Meanwhile, opposition leader Hamzah Zainudin also said PN would give free undergraduate education to the children of all those receiving the RM500 per month aid.
This is in comparison to the government's free education proposal, which targets families earning less than RM2,700 per month.
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Hamzah's Wan-two punch KO'd
The push to elevate Bersatu deputy president Hamzah Zainudin as party chief has lost two prominent backers.
Bersatu's disciplinary committee axed Tasek Gelugor MP Wan Saiful Wan Jan, while Machang MP Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal was suspended.
After his expulsion, Wan Saiful warned that Bersatu did not belong to one individual, and could not be exploited to save that person and their family.
Hamzah - who has distanced himself from the attempt to usurp Muhyiddin Yassin - has not commented on the disciplinary action.
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