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PM laid up, PN walks out
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Key Highlights
PM laid up, PN walks out
Monastery in peril puts its faith in Anwar
Flag loses its star, Akmal loses his fire
PM laid up, PN walks out
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s decision to undergo laparoscopic surgery for an abdominal hernia prompted opposition MPs to walk out of the Dewan Rakyat just before the government presented the royal commission of inquiry report on Tabung Haji, insisting that he should be present in the House for the matter.
A disappointed Anwar, who underwent the procedure yesterday - on his birthday - took to X to vent his frustration.
“Do you want to debate about me, or do you want to debate about Tabung Haji? Do you want to know about me, or do you want to know about the betrayal of Tabung Haji?” he asked.
The prime minister also chided the opposition for turning the special sitting into a political spectacle, questioning the coalition’s sincerity in defending the interests of Malay-Muslims.
The Perikatan Nasional MPs vacated the August House in protest against Dewan Rakyat speaker Johari Abdul’s decision to proceed with the special sitting despite their demand for a postponement due to Anwar’s absence.
Ironically, the walkout itself drew brickbats from within PN, particularly Bersatu, whose ties with its allies have been strained.
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Monastery in peril puts its faith in Anwar
The century-old Sakyamuni Caves Monastery in Ipoh has for years been at the centre of a dispute over quarrying activities in the area.
Now facing the threat of demolition, the Buddhist monks have turned to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim for help, given that the monastery lies within his Tambun parliamentary constituency.
The monks are calling on the federal government to declare the monastery and the surrounding hillside a national heritage site to ensure their preservation.
“He (Anwar) can resolve this issue with the stroke of a pen because he is not only the Tambun MP, but also the prime minister.
“He has the power to declare that the monastery and this hillside area are a national heritage site,” said their lawyer N Surendran.
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Flag loses its star, Akmal loses his fire
Umno Youth chief Dr Akmal Saleh has built quite a reputation for seeing red, especially when the Jalur Gemilang is involved. But the politician known for his fiery outbursts appears to have discovered how to keep his cool in the face of a defective flag.
Perhaps it helps that the flag in question was flying in PAS-controlled Terengganu.
In a marked departure from his usual fire-and-brimstone approach, Akmal adopted a decidedly more measured tone when addressing Terengganu Menteri Besar Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar, urging the PN chairperson to instruct the Kuala Terengganu City Council to check for evidence that the missing crescent and star symbols on the Jalur Gemilang were indeed unintentional.
A video showing the defective flag at Dataran Batu Buruk had gone viral, prompting Samsuri to dismiss the missing symbols as an “accident”.
Kuala Terengganu mayor Lizan Che Mat, meanwhile, offered a more windswept explanation, saying the crescent and star had been stitched onto the Jalur Gemilang but came loose due to strong coastal winds.
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Views that matter
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