External News

KINGSTON: Elaine Thompson and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce lit up the Jamaican National Championships on Friday as they tied for first place in the women’s 100m final with a time of 10.73 seconds.

The sprint event lived up expectations as the women, who combine for eight World Championships and Olympic individual gold medals, put on a show crossing the line together with Briana Williams in third in 10.94 seconds.

Williams, who turned 17 in March, dipped under the 11.00 seconds barrier for the first time with a new national junior record.

An emotional Thompson said afterwards she was grateful to be able to rebound after a tough 2018 when she battled a series of injuries.

Yohan Blake won the men’s 100m in a season’s best 9.96 seconds holding off the challenge of Tyquendo Tracey (10.00 seconds). Rasheed Dwyer equalled his personal best of 10.10 to place third.

Rushell Clayton scored a massive upset, winning the women’s 400m hurdles in a career best time of 54.73 seconds.

Clayton, who led the qualifying from Thursday, took over the lead after the seventh hurdle and held her poise to beat a strong field that saw Shiann Salmon taking second in 55.39 seconds.

Commonwealth Games champion and the pre-championship favourite Janieve Russell was fourth in 55.57 seconds.

World Championships finalist Kemar Mowatt, a former NCAA champion at Arkansas, won his first national title when he clocked 48.70 seconds to win the men’s 400m hurdles, holding off and improving Romel Lewis.

Christine Day ran a season’s best 51.47 seconds to lead the qualifiers for the semi-finals of the women’s 400m.

Tissanna Hickling, who had achieved the qualifying mark for the IAAF world Championships earlier this year, won the women’s long jump with a 6.78m leap.

Three US collegians took the top places in the women’s discs throw with Shadae Lawrence winning with a toss of 61.41m.

Shanice Love of Florida State was second with 59.05m and Samantha Hall of University of Texas El Paso third with 57.27m.

KUANTAN: A PAS delegate today labelled DAP as a reincarnation of the late Lee Kuan Yew’s People’s Action Party and warned of the possibility of Malaysia becoming a second Singapore.

Selangor delegate Roslan Shahir Mohd Shahir said Pakatan Harapan’s (PH) win in the last general election has given prominence to DAP which, he said, has never prioritised the interests of Malays and Islam in their struggle.

“DAP has now become very influential and dominant in PH. We in Selangor have all the experience, having been in government with them for two terms.

“In the obsession by PH to bring Najib Razak and Barisan Nasional down, and to reject PAS, the ones who have emerged and are now in power for the first time is a party which is the reincarnation of the late Lee Kuan Yew’s PAP,” he said in his debate on the president’s policy speech at the 65th PAS Muktamar here today.

Roslan said DAP’s agenda has placed the rights of Malays on the wayside, adding that its Malaysian Malaysia agenda seeks to abolish all forms of social contracts and make things equal for all Malaysians, without any special privileges for Bumiputeras.

“Malaysian Malaysia is an antithesis to a Malay Malaysia. The DAP agenda is to separate religion from government administration. Their promise is to maintain the Federal Constitution as one that is secular.

“In this short period, our status quo has been eroded. The ratification of ICERD and the Rome Statute, which thankfully did not materialise, are all the works of their hands.

“(They also include) efforts to recognise the UEC, additional allocations for vernacular schools, including private ones, disputing the powers of the Malay rulers, reviewing the Islamic education curriculum, and giving rights to the LGBT community.

“The most unfortunate of these is to appoint a religious affairs minister who bows to DAP,” he said, adding that “this is the danger when DAP comes into power”.

Roslan said the Malay PH leaders were more concerned with when the next prime minister would take over.

“Both Malays and non-Muslims have come to our rallies. They have shown their open protests through the Cameron Highlands, Rantau and Semenyih by-elections, where BN candidates defeated PH candidates by huge margins.

“They are waiting to see what is next in our political cooperation. To them, it is the best formula that can bring PH down and propel a government with integrity and one that defends religion and race.

“Let us not disappoint them,” he added.

KUALA LUMPUR, June 22 ― Putrajaya will save RM5.3 billion by acquiring four tolled roads in the Klang Valley in which Gamuda Berhad (Gamuda) is the majority shareholder, Lim Guan Eng said today.

The finance minister confirmed Gamuda’s announcement yesterday that the government wants to acquire Lebuhraya Damansara Puchong (LDP), Sistem Penyuraian Trafik KL Barat (SPRINT), Lebuhraya Shah Alam (KESAS) and SMART Tunnel (SMART) and has issued offer letters to the four concessionaires for a total of RM6.2 billion.

“If the acquisition process of these highways is successful, the Government will acquire the highway concessionaires on 31 December 2019 through a special purpose vehicle (SPV) wholly-owned by the Minister of Finance (Incorporated),” Lim said in a statement.

He added that the acquisition of the four highways represents the Pakatan Harapan (PH) government’s first step in fulfilling its election promise to cut toll fares, which he said will not only benefit motorists and commuters using those roads but Malaysians nationwide who stand to gain from the savings.

MORE TO COME

KUALA LUMPUR, June 22 — The Penang government should acquire the land on which three convent schools — one of which is the oldest girls’ mission school in the country — are located on the island instead of looking to relocate them, Bukit Gelugor MP Ramkarpal Singh said today.

The lawyer and federal lawmaker noted that land falls under the state government’s jurisdiction, adding that the DAP-led state government should be able to acquire the land using the Land Acquisition Act of 1960 in the event the property owner insists on claiming it for redevelopment.

“There is no doubt that this option is open to the state government as it is certainly in the public interest and for public purpose to preserve said schools as they are iconic structures in the state and will continue to contribute immensely to the cause of education in the state, as they have in the past.

“For this reason, I urge the state government to take the necessary steps to acquire the said land under the Land Acquisition Act, 1960,” Ramkarpal said in a statement.

The DAP legal bureau chief said the convent schools should continue as they are due to their historical importance, not only to Penang but Malaysia.

“No doubt, the land owners would have to be compensated under the said Act if this were to happen but it may be the only way to save the schools and maintain them as they are,” he said.

Ramkarpal was responding to Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow’s appeal to the Education Ministry to consider relocating the three mission schools which face closure within five years if the land owner takes back the three plots.

Chow suggested the three schools — SRK Convent Light Street, SMK Convent Light Street (CLS) and SMK Convent Pulau Tikus (CPT) — could be relocated to another part of the island or the mainland half of Penang.

CLS, established on April 12, 1852 by the Sisters of the Holy Infant Jesus Mission, is believed to be the oldest mission girls’ school in the country and currently sits within the George Town Unesco Heritage Site.

It started as an orphanage with a baby hatch at the front entrance so unwanted babies could be safely placed there. It also used to be a boarding school for girls from wealthy families.

The Holy Infant Jesus Mission bought Government House along with its expansive land in 1859; this is where Francis Light lived when he first arrived in George Town.

The historical Francis Light’s well was dug for Light’s use and still remains on the school grounds till today.

CPT was established by Reverend Mother Saint Hermine in 1922 as the Sekolah Convent Infant Jesus.

It was originally located where the present SRK CPT is located before a new building was built for SMK Convent Pulau Tikus in 1950.

SRK CPT will not be affected as it is located on government land.