Opinion Research Centre
UDA Holdings Bhd employees at Blok Menara, Kompleks Pertama, have been told to work from home effective today until a date to be determined.
The government-linked company, in a statement, said the directive comes after a board member tested positive for Covid-19.
BOULOGNE-BILLANCOURT: Groupe Renault has unveiled Morphoz, its new partially self-driving electric concept.
The vehicle was destined to make its world premiere on March 5 at the Geneva Motor Show, which has now been cancelled by Swiss authorities in response to concerns about the spread of the Covid-19.
The Morphoz is an all electric with level-three self-driving – which means it can manage without close supervision in certain situations like motorway driving – that is also fully modular.
This last point is key to the innovation offered by the Morphoz, which is supposed to adapt to its environment, by for example morphing from a small urban SUV configuration to a family-size SUV one in a few seconds.
This transformation is achieved with sliding bodywork that can add around 40 cm in length to the vehicle.
At the same time, it can have its range extended by expanding to accommodate a larger battery.
To this end, it takes advantage of the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance’s future CMF-EV modular electric platform, which is designed to offer several different power, capacity and range configurations, as well as interior space and boot capacity options, to provide a substantiated representation of Renault’s futuristic vision for electric mobility in the medium term.
The surprising concept will pave the way for a brand new family of electric vehicles that the French automaker plans to launch starting in 2021.
KUCHING: Sarawak Chief Minister Abang Johari Openg today said it is not Gabungan Parti Sarawak’s (GPS) top priority to have positions in the new federal Cabinet, although he would “look into” any such offers.
“But this is secondary,” he added. “The country’s (interests have to come) first,” he said after the opening of a state-level forum on interfaith harmony here today.
Yesterday, GPS chief whip Fadillah Yusof said the party would leave it to Abang Johari to decide whether Sarawak should have ministerial posts in the new federal government.
He said the party leaders had not discussed the matter as they were more concerned about national interests and state’s rights.
However, Fadilah said he was certain that the party would not merge with Perikatan Nasional.
“GPS will continue to remain a local political entity that is not attached to any coalition,” he said.
On Sunday, Muara Tuang assemblyman Idris Buang said GPS should be offered positions in the new federal Cabinet although it is not part of Perikatan Nasional.
He said GPS should participate in the federal government on its own merit to help stabilise the nation and leverage the coalition’s presence to fight for Sarawak’s cause and agenda.
KOTA KINABALU, March 3 — Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal sought to allay Sabah residents concerned about the stability of his administration as talk of lawmakers changing sides remained rampant.
The Semporna MP, fighting rumours of defecting elected representatives and a possible change of government, posted a photo of him smiling and doting on his grandson Shazwan Azfar Shazni.
The photo was captioned “keep calm and soldier on” and shared on social media.
It was learnt that Shafie is currently in Kuala Lumpur. Speculation about the fate of his administration escalated after Bersatu president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin was sworn in as prime minister on Sunday.
Shafie maintained that his Warisan party and its allies would support Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad but has kept a low profile since the weekend after the latter failed to stop Muhyiddin’s ascension.
Several Pakatan Harapan states have already fallen and some among the former ruling coalition’s lawmakers have defected to Perikatan.
Warisan has been battling rumours of defections from party members who were originally from Umno or other Barisan Nasional parties, and Shafie’s deputy president Datuk Darell Leiking and secretary-general Loretto Padua Jr have issued statements to downplay rumours.
Some Sabahans have lauded the government on social media for maintaining its stance and not “supporting the backdoor government”. Sabah is also no stranger to being an Opposition state, the last time in 1994 after the fall of the Parti Bersatu Sabah government.
However, it was rumoured that because no official stand has been made by the State, there is the possibility of defections and horse trading to get assemblymen to support the federal government.
At the current standing, Warisan, along with DAP, Upko and PKR holds 43 seats in the 60 seat state assembly while the Opposition, made up of Bersatu, PBS, STAR and Umno holds 17 seats.
NEWLY minted Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin must prove that he has the numbers in Parliament, said Anthony Loke.
The DAP national organising secretary said the new government must call a sitting within six months to avoid Parliament’s dissolution.
KUCHING, March 2 — Sarawakian voters should ignore Parti Sarawak Bersatu’s (PSB) backing of Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad to return as prime minister, Parti Bumi Kenyalang (PBK) president Voon Lee Shan urged today.
He said there is no point for PSB to support Dr Mahathir as he was the one who had decided to resign as the prime minister and as Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) chairman.
“Moreover, it is against political morality for him to make a comeback to be the prime minister without seeking a fresh mandate from the people.
“Due to his intention of making a comeback by re-appointment by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Dr Mahahir has thrown all political allies and foes in disarray,” Voon stressed.
He urged PSB to not support Dr Mahathir because he was not elected by the voters as president or prime minister.
He stressed that the 14th general election (GE14) in 2018 was simply an election for the choice of a government, not for the choice of the prime minister, adding that the Federal Constitution does not provide for the election of prime minister.
Voon, however, said PSB can pledge their support for Pakatan Harapan (PH) as it was given the mandate by the people to replace Barisan Nasional.
At its presidential council meeting last night, PSB, led by former Second Minister of Finance Datuk Seri Wong Soon Koh, had said it backed Dr Mahathir for the reason that the Pakatan Harapan coalition was elected as the government by the people of Malaysia in GE14.
PSB said its support of Dr Mahathir was to give effect to the wishes of the people in GE14.
“We believe it is morally right to do so,” PSB said in a statement issued to the media by the presidential council.
The presidential council also ordered party’s vice president and Sri Aman MP Datuk Masir Kujat to withdraw his support of Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, but to support Dr Mahathir.
PUTRAJAYA, March 2 — PKR vice president Chua Tian Chang and former PKR Youth deputy chief Dr Afif Bahardin were seen entering the Perdana Leadership Foundation to meet former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad today.
Both men were in former PKR deputy president Datuk Seri Azmin Ali’s faction that was previously dubbed the “Cartel” but who remained in the party after he took 10 federal lawmakers with him to join Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia.
Both PKR leaders arrived in separate cars at 2.30pm.
The two were derided as traitors when they showed up at the PKR headquarters yesterday and Chua was also assaulted.
At 2.40pm, Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Abdul Hamid Bador also arrived.
Dr Mahathir has been here since the morning and is supposedly having meetings all day.
He left at 12.30pm, believed to be for lunch, and returned at 2.20pm.
CHINA is transferring tens of thousands of Uighur detainees out of internment camps and into factories that supply some of the world’s leading brands, an Australian think tank said today.
Top global brands such as Apple, BMW and Sony have been accused of getting supplies from factories using the forced labour, an explosive allegation that could reverberate in boardrooms across the world.
PETALING JAYA: The Prime Minister’s Office has denied that political leaders were scheduled to attend a meeting to discuss the formation of the new Cabinet under newly installed Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin.
The statement appears to contradict a claim by Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, who requested his corruption trial to be postponed today saying he had to meet Muhyiddin over Cabinet appointments.
But PMO said Muhyiddin was only meeting the Chief Secretary to the Government and department heads of government agencies to coordinate the smooth running of the government.
“The Prime Minister’s Office wishes to clarify that there is no meeting of political leaders scheduled today,” the statement said.
Zahid, the Bagan Datuk MP, is facing 87 charges of criminal breach of trust, money laundering and accepting bribes related to Yayasan Akalbudi funds and various projects during his tenure as home minister.
He had said that despite his party now being part of the new Perikatan Nasional coalition government, he wanted his trial to continue and clear his name in court.
KUALA LUMPUR: Khazanah Nasional Bhd hari ini berkata, ia akan terus bekerjasama dengan kerajaan dan Malaysia Airlines (MAB) bagi mengkaji semula cadangan dan memuktamadkan keputusan mengenai pilihan rakan kongsi strategik MAB paling sesuai.
Dana pelaburan strategik kerajaan Malaysia itu melancarkan proses menilai rakan kongsi berpotensi bagi syarikat penerbangan negara tersebut pada 2019.
“Sejumlah 9 cadangan diterima, yang mana 4 telah disenarai pendek,” menurut Khazanah dalam kenyataan hari ini.
Khazanah juga memberi pertimbangan sewajarnya kepada pilihan yang tersedia padanya untuk menyelesaikan isu-isu utama dihadapi MAB.
Khazanah juga berkata ia berjaya mencapai penyelesaian berkaitan penstrukturan semula tol PLUS.
Penyelesaian itu sekali gus membawa pengurangan kadar tol sebanyak 18% bagi lebuh raya PLUS serta menawarkan penjimatan kepada kerajaan berjumlah RM42 bilion untuk tempoh konsesi baru yang berakhir pada 2058, menurutnya.
Ia pada masa sama menyaksikan Khazanah dan Kumpulan Wang Simpanan Pekerja (KWSP) kekal sebagai pemegang saham PLUS.
“Penstrukturan semula ini kini berada di peringkat perbincangan dengan pihak berkepentingan bagi meminda perjanjian sedia ada,” menurut Khazanah.
