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Key Highlights
Azam has left the building… with a grudge
Student wing leaders quit, citing Anwar’s ‘failure’
Fuel: ‘High income does not mean rich’
Azam has left the building… with a grudge
After securing a hat-trick of contract renewals from Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim - who once criticised him before later praising his boldness - MACC chief commissioner Azam Baki finally clocked out amid a deluge of controversies that defined his tenure, cementing his place as the agency’s most famous, or infamous, leader.
His departure comes in the wake of an investigation into his shareholdings - the findings of which remain under wraps - as well as allegations that the MACC colluded with business figures to engineer corporate takeovers.
In an emotional farewell speech, Azam, who maintained that he had done nothing wrong, said he would not forgive those who had mounted personal attacks against him and his family.
"This is not an easy thing, for my family to face the attacks. I will never forgive those who attack me for nothing (sic)," he said.
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Student wing leaders quit, citing Anwar’s ‘failure’
“The party that once championed the fight against abuse of power, transparency, and institutional freedom now appears to be moving further away from those principles.”
These were the words of PKR student wing - Mahasiswa Keadilan Malaysia (MKM) - Ram Erfan Zur Nuqman, who was among the eight central leadership council members who announced their resignation.
The eight stated that they have lost confidence in Anwar’s leadership as the PKR president.
Among the alleged failures cited were issues involving an alleged “corporate mafia”, allegations that a PKR MP received RM9.5 million from a businessperson, the shareholding controversy involving Azam, pressure against critics of the government, failures in media freedom, and disputes in the party election.
“We imagine these problems will continue if there is no movement pushing the PKR leadership to do something. So based on these six reasons, we declare our loss of confidence in Anwar,” added Ram, who was the former MKM chairperson.
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Fuel: ‘High income does not mean rich’
Kepong MP Lim Lip Eng stressed that any move to fully remove fuel subsidies for the T20 high-income group must be backed by a robust and effective mechanism, cautioning that the government must not rely solely on income levels when determining eligibility, as doing so risks ignoring the realities of actual living costs and broader household financial pressures.
The DAP lawmaker urged the government to first clearly spell out the mechanism, including who will be affected, how income will be assessed, and whether broader factors such as household burden, living costs, dependants, loan commitments, and daily travel needs will be taken into account.
“The government cannot throw around labels like T20, T15, T10, or T5 and expect people not to panic.
“High income does not mean rich. A household above the national T20 line may still struggle badly in Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, or the Klang Valley after paying for housing, car loans, children’s education, insurance, elderly parents, and daily living costs.
“These are not millionaires. These are ordinary middle-class families working hard just to keep their heads above water,” Lim added.
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