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Key Highlights
Not Arab donation, Najib concedes
Ex-army chief, 3rd wife charged
Age 6 in Year 1 idea questioned
Not Arab donation, Najib concedes
Former premier Najib Abdul Razak conceded in court yesterday that the RM42 million channelled into his account in the SRC International case was not an Arab donation.
“Based on subsequent knowledge, yes (it wasn’t),” he said in court.
The Arab donation claim has been a central defence for Najib in the SRC International and 1MDB corruption cases.
Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi even claimed to have met the donor.
However, the courts have thoroughly rubbished the donor claim. In the 1MDB case, purported letters from the donors were dismissed as forgeries by judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah.
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Ex-army chief, 3rd wife charged
Former army chief Hafizuddeain Jantan and his third wife were slapped with money laundering charges involving more than RM2 million in funds.
Hafizuddeain was charged with four counts of money laundering for receiving a total of RM2.1 million deposited into his bank accounts on four separate occasions in 2024 and 2025.
His wife, Salwani Anuar @ Kamaruddin, was charged with four counts of money laundering, allegedly receiving RM77,000 funds from illegal activity. Meanwhile, ex-armed forces chief Nizam Jaafar is awaiting charges for alleged abuse of power and criminal breach of trust.
MACC said two other senior armed forces officers are also expected to be charged next week.
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Age 6 in Year 1 idea questioned
There are strong mixed feelings about the government’s move to give parents the option to enrol six-year-olds in Year 1 of primary school, starting in 2027.
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim had justified it by saying children nowadays were smarter, while Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek said there would be an assessment to make sure six-year-old candidates were ready for Year 1.
However, Muar MP Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman pointed out that this would create unfair opportunities and stigma among students.
He said the option would mostly benefit children coming from well-to-do backgrounds, who can afford proper pre-school education to prepare them for the Education Ministry's planned enrolment tests.
Children who fail the test risk being labelled and bullied, he warned.
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Views that matter
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