Muhyiddin Yassin at a news conference after receiving the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine in Putra Jaya, Malaysia, on Feb. 24. Photographer: Samsul Said/Bloomberg
bloomberg.com | 24-Apr-2021 – Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin’s approval rating remained stable in the latest survey, with a majority of people polled “satisfied” with the government’s handling of the pandemic, according to research house Merdeka Center.
The prime minister’s rating eased to 67% in April from 68% in March, compared with 63% in January, according to the survey. Seventy percent of voters polled were satisfied with how the government was handling the pandemic, up from 53% in January, it said. The results also showed that Muhyiddin retains strong backing from the dominant Malay electorate, with 83% support.
Muhyiddin’s rating is “still strong” despite the “stressed conditions voters report for their own personal financial conditions and their perception of the economy,” Merdeka Center said.
The prime minister is gearing up for an election that he said will be called as soon as the pandemic is brought under control. Malaysia declared a state of emergency in January, allowing Muhyiddin to suspend parliament until the emergency ends in August.
Muhyiddin took over as prime minister early last year with a razor-thin majority after his predecessor, Mahathir Mohamad, abruptly quit.
Malaysia started its Covid-19 vaccination program late February and unveiled a 20 billion ringgit ($4.9 billion) stimulus package in March while easing movement curbs.
A health care worker administers a dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine to a frontline worker in Selangor, Malaysia, on March 2. Photographer: Samsul Said/Bloomberg
Still, the public mood about where the country is headed was mixed, with 41% believing that the country was “moving in the right direction” and 46% that was “headed in the wrong direction,” the survey showed.
The poll was conducted between March 31 and April 12, before infections started climbing again. New Covid-19 cases topped 2,000 on April 15 for the first time in more than a month and have remained above that level through April 23.
The survey involved 2,111 registered voters across Peninsular Malaysia with an estimated margin of error of 2.13%, according to Merdeka Center.
THE high unemployment rate among the youth may have been the reason why the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government refused to implement Undi18 by the promised date of July 2021, said Lim Guan Eng.
In a statement, the DAP secretary-general said Putrajaya may feel afraid of losing the election due to the fact that they have failed to provide job opportunities for the younger generation.
ARGENTINA’s Transport Minister Mario Meoni has died in a car accident, Sputnik news agency reported.
“With great sadness, I received the unrewarding news of the death of @mariomeoni, minister of transport of our government. With him, we lose a thorough, tireless and honest politician. An exemplary official,” Argentine President Alberto Fernandez said on Twitter.
The Suzuka circuit, which will celebrate its 60th anniversary in 2022, has hosted 31 GPs since 1987. (AP pic)
PARIS: The Japanese Grand Prix will remain at the Suzuka circuit for three more years until 2024, the race promoters and Formula One chiefs announced Saturday.
“This contract extension, the result of the fruitful relationship between Formula One and Mobilityland (the circuit owners), is part of the long-term strategic commitment to develop the sport in Asia,” said a Formula One statement.
“Japan has an avid fan base and with exciting young talent Yuki Tsunoda who became the first Japanese driver on the grid since 2014, Formula One will continue to work with the promoter to further increase the sport’s popularity there.”
The figure-of-eight Suzuka circuit, which will celebrate its 60th anniversary in 2022, has hosted 31 GPs since 1987, with the drivers’ world title being decided there on 11 occasions.
People cross a quiet road in central Sydney last March. (AP pic)
MELBOURNE: More than two million people in the state of Western Australia on Saturday began their first full day of a snap three-day lockdown after a coronavirus outbreak in a hotel quarantine facility led to community transmission.
People in the state capital Perth and the neighbouring Peel region have been asked to stay home except for essential work, and medical and shopping purposes.
Ceremonies to honour Australia’s military personnel on the Anzac Day holiday on Sunday have been cancelled. Last year, the coronavirus pandemic forced most traditional memorials to be cancelled across Australia for the first time in decades.
Anzac Day originally commemorated a bloody battle on the Gallipoli peninsula in Turkey during WWI.
On April 25, 1915, thousands of troops from the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (Anzac) were among a larger Allied force that landed on the narrow beaches of the Gallipoli peninsula, an ill-fated campaign that would claim more than 130,000 lives.
Today, Anzac Day honours all Australian troops from all conflicts.
Australia’s topflight A-League soccer match between Brisbane Roar FC and Perth Glory scheduled for Sunday has been postponed while an Australian football game between Fremantle and North Melbourne will go ahead, but there will be no crowd.
The latest lockdown was ordered after a returning traveller who tested negative on release from a Perth quarantine hotel later tested positive for Covid-19, with authorities suspecting he became infected while in the hotel.
The man spent several days in Perth and infected another person before his infection was diagnosed.
Having closed its borders more than a year ago, Australia lets mostly citizens and permanent residents return from abroad. Returned travellers, however, except from New Zealand, must undergo two weeks of mandatory hotel quarantine at their own expense.
The hotel quarantine system, together with snap lockdowns and swift tracking limiting coronavirus has helped Australia to keep its Covid-19 numbers low compared with other developed countries, with just over 29,500 cases and 910 deaths.
The Australian Medical Association (AMA) urged on Saturday a review of the hotel quarantine system to prevent further outbreaks.
“Everything that can be done in hotel quarantine needs to be done right now and, unfortunately, in Western Australia as in some other states, that is not the case,” Omar Khorshid, AMA’s president told the ABC national broadcaster.
JEMPOL, April 24 ― A man has been detained to assist in investigations into the spread of a letter condemning Masjid Jamek Bahau and insulting the Malays in social media, recently.
Jempol district police chief Supt Hoo Chang Hook said the 56-year-old man was arrested at his house in Taman ACBE here, at 10.10pm yesterday.
The man has been remanded for four days until Tuesday, he added.
“The police also seized some sheets of paper and envelopes, believed to be linked to the case from the man’s house,” he said in a statement today.
Hoo said preliminary investigation found that the man was a former employee of an eatery in Bahau, Jempol who has had his service terminated due to disciplinary problems.
The case is being investigated under Section 505(b) and Section 298A of the Penal Code, as well as Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998. ― Bernama
Arrested yesterday and held overnight in the police lock-up, Fahmi Reza is set to be released this evening, after the magistrate this morning only granted one day of remand instead of the four-day remand sought by the police. — Picture by Shafwan Zaidon
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KUALA LUMPUR, April 24 — Local graphic artist Mohd Fahmi Reza Mohd Zarin wrote a personal note while being held overnight at the Dang Wangi police lock-up over a satirical playlist of songs on the Spotify app, defending satire as part of the freedom of expression.
Better known as just Fahmi Reza, his handwritten note in the Malay language from within the lock-up was sighted by Malay Mail.
“In this country where a graphic designer is censored, arrested and locked up for his artwork, it is very important for this creative expression — parody and satire as a form of protest — to be continued to be practised and to be continued to be defended,” he wrote.
His lawyer Rajsurian Pillai said the note was written by Fahmi in the lock-up.
Arrested yesterday and held overnight in the police lock-up, Fahmi is set to be released this evening, after the magistrate this morning only granted one day of remand instead of the four-day remand sought by the police for investigations.
Previously on April 21, Fahmi — who describes himself as a political graphic designer — had also wrote on Twitter: “In a country where artists, designers & satirists have been censored, arrested & incarcerated for their art, it is important that this vital form of artistic expression — parody & satire as a form of political protest — is continued to be practiced & to be defended at all costs.”
A screenshot of Fahmi Reza’s handwritten note. ― Picture courtesy of Rajsurian Pillai
Last night, Bukit Aman Criminal Investigation Department director Datuk Huzir Mohamed in a statement confirmed his department’s arrest of Fahmi, following police reports over alleged insults against the Raja Permaisuri Agong.
Huzir said that the investigation was linked to a Facebook post on Fahmi Reza’s Facebook account containing the queen’s photo and information regarding a playlist of songs in the form of a remark “This Is Dengki Ke? 💛 100 dengki songs, all in one playlist.” as well as a Spotify playlist featuring the queen’s photo labelled with the words “This is Dengki Ke” and with the playlist featuring songs containing the word “jealousy”.
Dengki is the Malay word for resentment due to envy or jealousy.
The police also said yesterday that investigations are being carried out under Section 4(1) of the Sedition Act and Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act.
Members of the public showed up outside the Dang Wangi police station today, April 24, 2021. ― Picture by Ahmad Zamzahuri
The Civil Society Organisations Cluster on Freedom of Expression co-chaired by the Centre for Independent Journalism and ARTICLE 19 Malaysia yesterday issued a statement to protest his arrest under allegedly defective laws over the Spotify playlist, arguing that the arrest was unwarranted, disproportionate and showed the current government’s alleged persistent heavy-handed response to any form of expression critical of ruling powers.
The civil society group also stressed the importance of satire to provide a space for commentary, discussion and debate on share values.
“Political satire in particular, plays an important role to engage with institutional power in a way that creates space for humour. Such a space should be defended as a vital part of public participation, to enable a robust civic discourse and healthy democracy that is able to withstand critique and differing opinions,” the group had said.
Among other things, the group noted that the freedom of expression is guaranteed under the Federal Constitution’s Article 10 and that any restrictions on such freedom must be legitimate, necessary and proportionate, further arguing that making insults or satirical posts a crime do not amount to legitimate restrictions on the freedom of expression as such content do not pose serious threats to national security, public morality and public order.
“The Raja Permaisuri Agong herself had demonstrated the importance of protecting the space for freedom of expression, including critical speech, by denouncing the arrest of individuals over their remarks on Twitter in 2019,” the group had said in its statement last night.
Under Article 10, Parliament may by law impose restrictions on the freedom of speech and expression if it deems such restrictions necessary in the interest of national security, public order or morality, or to provide against defamation or incitement to any offence, among other things.
Supporters of Fahmi Reza gather in front of the Dang Wangi police station in Kuala Lumpur April 24,2021. ― Picture by Ahmad Zamzahuri
PM Muhyiddin Yassin’s approval rating remains stable at 67% amid concerns over the economy and the Covid-19 pandemic, a recent survey of Peninsular Malaysia voters reveals. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Hasnoor Hussain, April 23, 2021.
themalaysianinsight.com | 23-Apr-2021 – PRIME Minister Muhyiddin Yassin’s approval rating remains stable at 67% amid concerns over the economy and the Covid-19 pandemic, a recent survey of Peninsular Malaysia voters revealed.
The survey by Merdeka Centre showed that Muhyiddin retained strong support from the Malay electorate at 83% as compared to 30% and 66% from the Chinese and Indian communities respectively.
Most Malaysians polled by Merdeka Centre say they are happy with the way the government is handling the Covid-19 pandemic. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Hasnoor Hussain, April 23, 2021.
themalaysianinsight.com | 23-Apr-2021 – ONLY 21% – or one out of five Malaysians – polled by Merdeka Centre were “very satisfied” with Putrajaya’s handling of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The survey, carried out between March and April, showed that 49% of the respondents were satisfied, while 19% were dissatisfied.
Oover 2,000 voters were surveyed by the Merdeka Centre, with 67 per cent saying they were satisfied with PM Muhyiddin Yassin.PHOTO: AFP
straitstimes.com | 23-Apr-2021 – KUALA LUMPUR – Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin’s approval ratings have barely dipped despite Malaysia experiencing its worst wave of coronavirus infections earlier this year, with nearly seven in 10 still giving him the thumbs up.
While 67 per cent of over 2,000 voters surveyed by top pollster Merdeka Centre from March 31 to April 12 said they were satisfied with Tan Sri Muhyiddin, 83 per cent of the crucial Malay electorate – which forms the majority in more than half of Parliament’s 222 seats – approved of his premiership.
“The survey indicates… signs of optimism after the reopening of the economy along with the commencement of the vaccination roll-out,” the centre said in a statement on Friday (April 23).
“This is manifested in the still strong approval for the Prime Minister and reasonable confidence in the handling of the pandemic and economy – despite the stressed conditions voters report for their own personal financial conditions and their perception of the economy.”
Economic concerns (57 per cent) and the spread of Covid-19 (16 per cent) were ranked as the top concerns in the poll.
Merdeka Center has also consistently found more Malaysians expressing a decline rather than an improvement in their personal finances and the national economy for the past seven years.
Yet, satisfaction with the Muhyiddin administration’s economic management has been positive throughout, except in January, when only 45 per cent said they were happy, from a high of 65 per cent last May.
Backing for the government’s economic chops is now at 51 per cent.
When satisfaction with the government’s handling of the pandemic was at a high of 93 per cent in August last year – daily infections were often in single digits – Mr Muhyiddin’s approval was at 69 per cent.
A low of 63 per cent backing the Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia president in January coincided with happiness in his government’s Covid-19 performance dropping to 53 per cent. Strict movement curbs had to be reimposed and new cases reached nearly 6,000 then.
Faith in the administration’s pandemic response rebounded to 70 per cent this month as daily infections dropped below 1,000 although the 2,000 mark has been breached the whole of the past week.
Mr Muhyiddin’s popularity remains a key consideration for his fledgling Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalition, especially after Umno – the largest party in his government – declared it would go its separate way once an election is called.
The premier has vowed that fresh polls would be held once a much-criticised emergency, declared ostensibly to see off the pandemic, is lifted.
The King declared the seven-month-long emergency in January on the Muhyiddin administration’s advice, allowing the premier to suspend Parliament and avoid challenges to his majority which has been in doubt since the turn of the year.
Apart from Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS), the Bersatu-led PN is largely viewed as not having a strong grassroots machinery ahead of its firstgeneral election.
Instead, Umno hopes to reclaim its dominance of Malaysian politics, which ended after six uninterrupted decades when the Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition – which Bersatu was part of – shockingly won the 2018 polls.
Many analysts believe a three-way battle between PH, PN and the Umno-led Barisan Nasional will be so tightly fought that an outright majority will not be won on election night.
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