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JOHOR BARU, Jan 30 — A total of 211 victims from 58 families were evacuated to temporary flood relief centres after floods hit several districts in the state during a heavy downpour yesterday.

The affected districts were Kluang, Johor Baru, Pontian and Kulai.

Johor Local Government, Urban Wellbeing and Environment Committee chairman Tan Chen Choon said several locations in the four districts were inundated.

“A total of four temporary flood relief centres were opened in each district until 7am today.

“The centres are at SK Jubli Intan in Renggam, the Saleng New Village community hall in Kulai, SK Sri Bunian in Pontian and the Kampung Batu 10 community hall in Johor Baru,” said Tan in a statement today.

Yesterday, several government agencies were deployed to provide assistance at flooded areas in the state.

These included the police, marine police, Fire and Rescue Department, Civil Defence Force, Department of Irrigation and Drainage, Social Welfare Department, Meteorological Department, city and district councils, health department, People’s Volunteer Corps (RELA) and village heads.

An afternoon rain that lasted until late night had caused floods in several urban areas of Johor yesterday.

Last month, Johor had recorded about 4,000 flood victims from seven districts that were displaced due to prolonged heavy rain brought upon by the year-end monsoon season.

WASHINGTON: Amid uncertainty over the key question of whether to call witnesses in President Donald Trump’s Senate impeachment trial, Trump’s legal team wrapped up its opening arguments on Tuesday with an appeal for a quick acquittal.

Saying “it is time for this to end,” Trump’s lawyers brushed off former national security adviser John Bolton’s explosive allegations about Trump’s conduct and accused Democrats of trying to interfere with Trump’s November re-election bid.

Afterward, Republican senators met behind closed doors to discuss calling witnesses including Bolton but said as they emerged that there was no resolution on the matter.

Four Republicans would need to vote for witnesses, along with all 47 Democrats and independents.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told senators in the meeting that he did not currently have the votes to block Democrats from calling witnesses at the trial because some Republicans remained uncommitted, the New York Times reported.

Republican Senator John Barrasso told reporters the consensus in the meeting was “we’ve heard enough and it’s time to go to a final judgment vote.”

But other Republicans said the vote count was unclear and no decision would be made until Friday.

Republican Senator Kevin Cramer, a conservative defender of Trump who opposes witnesses, said Republicans were “mostly united. I’m pretty sure it’s not unanimous.

“But I don’t know what the numbers are.”

Trump’s legal team sought to minimise the importance of Bolton’s unpublished book manuscript that describes Trump’s central role in a pressure campaign aimed at getting Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden, a leading contender for the Democratic nomination to face Trump in this year’s election.

“You cannot impeach a president on an unsourced allegation,” Trump’s personal lawyer Jay Sekulow told the Senate.

The Democratic-led House on Dec 18 impeached Trump on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress arising from his request that Ukraine investigate Biden, the former vice president.

The Republican-controlled Senate is almost certain to acquit Trump, who has painted the impeachment proceedings on the campaign trail as an effort by Democrats to poison his re-election.

His lawyers echoed that argument on Tuesday.

‘Serious and lasting damage’

“Overturning past elections and massively interfering with the upcoming one would cause serious and lasting damage to the people of the United States and to our great country,” White House Counsel Pat Cipollone told the Senate.

“The Senate cannot allow this to happen.

“It is time for this to end, here and now. So we urge the Senate to reject these articles of impeachment.”

When they reconvene on Wednesday, senators will begin two days of questions to the lawyers representing Trump and to the seven House of Representatives Democrats who have served as prosecutors.

That would leave summations and a vote on witnesses for Friday.

Adam Schiff, who served as the lead Democratic prosecutor in arguing the case against Trump last week, said witnesses would be needed for the trial to be considered fair.

“A fair trial involves witnesses and it involves documents,” he told reporters.

Bolton’s manuscript directly contradicts Trump’s account of events.

He wrote the president told him he wanted to freeze US$391 million in security aid to Ukraine until Kiev pursued investigations into Democrats, including Biden and his son Hunter Biden, the New York Times reported.

Bolton’s allegations go to the heart of impeachment charges against Trump.

Democrats have said Trump abused his power by using the security aid – approved by Congress to help Ukraine battle Russia-backed separatists – as leverage to get a foreign power to smear a political rival.

Sekulow underscored what fellow Trump legal team member Alan Dershowitz told senators late on Monday – that even if what Bolton says is true, it would not represent impeachable conduct.

Bolton left his White House post last September. Trump has said he fired Bolton. Bolton said he quit after policy disagreements.

Trump has denied telling Bolton he sought to use the Ukraine aid as leverage to get Kiev to investigate the Bidens.

He has denied any quid pro quo – a Latin term meaning a favour for a favour – in his dealings with Ukraine.

‘I’d call it inadmissible’

Sekulow told the senators that impeachment “is not a game of leaks and unsourced manuscripts. That’s politics, unfortunately.”

Some Republican senators who oppose calling witnesses proposed that Bolton’s manuscript be made available for senators to review on a classified basis, an idea rejected by top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer.

“What an absurd proposal. It’s a book,” Schumer told reporters about the proposal floated by Republican Senators Lindsey Graham and James Lankford, saying there was no need to place the manuscript for review in a classified setting “unless you want to hide something.”

Lankford urged Bolton to speak publicly outside of the trial.

Schumer criticised Trump’s legal team for stating during its arguments to the Senate that there was no eyewitness testimony detailing abuse of power by Trump, “when we know that John Bolton has eyewitness testimony and is willing to testify.”

Schumer made a fresh appeal for four Republican senators – the number needed for a majority – to join Democrats in voting to call witnesses.

Schumer also indicated Democrats would reject any effort at a so-called witness swap with Republicans.

“The Republicans can call who they want. They have the ability. They have the majority,” Schumer said.

The impeachment drive against Trump, Sekulow argued, was a partisan exercise motivated by Democratic opposition to Trump’s policies, not genuine impeachable offenses.

“But to have a removal of a duly elected president based on a policy disagreement?” Sekulow asked.

“That is not what the framers (of the Constitution) intended. And if you lower the bar that way – danger, danger, danger. Because the next president or the one after that, he or she would be held to that same standard? I hope not. I pray not.”

KUALA LUMPUR: Suruhanjaya Komunikasi dan Multimedia Malaysia dengan kerjasama polis menahan seorang suspek yang disyaki menyebarkan kandungan berita palsu mengenai penularan wabak koronavirus.

MCMC dalam kenyataan hari ini berkata, suspek berumur 34 tahun itu ditahan di rumahnya di Bangi, Selangor pada 4 petang semalam bagi membantu siasatan terhadap satu kandungan yang dimuat naik di Facebook pada 26 Jan lalu.

“Kandungan mengenai koronavirus itu didapati palsu. Turut dirampas adalah telefon bimbit dan kad sim milik suspek yang dipercayai digunakan untuk memuat naik berita palsu tersebut di Facebook.

“MCMC dan polis mengambil serius perbuatan ini dan sedang giat mengesan 3 lagi suspek untuk membantu siasatan. Ini menunjukkan ketegasan kedua-dua pihak dalam memastikan tindakan sewajarnya dikenakan kepada mereka yang memulakan, berkongsi dan menyebarkan berita palsu melalui media sosial.”

Katanya, suspek disiasat di bawah Seksyen 233 Akta Komunikasi dan Multimedia 1998 yang memperuntukkan denda maksimum RM50,000 atau penjara tidak melebihi setahun atau kedua-duanya, dan juga boleh didenda RM1,000 bagi setiap hari kesalahan itu diteruskan selepas sabitan.

“Tindakan tegas ini adalah salah satu usaha MCMC dan polis mengawal penyebaran berita tidak sahih mengenai koronavirus oleh individu yang tidak bertanggungjawab sehingga mampu mengganggu gugat kestabilan negara dan ketenteraman awam.”

Isnin lalu, MCMC dan polis memberi amaran tindakan tegas akan dikenakan terhadap mereka yang menyebarkan khabar angin atau berita tidak sahih mengenai penularan koronavirus di Malaysia.

Katanya, penyebar khabar angin atau berita dengan niat hendak menimbulkan ketakutan awam boleh didakwa di bawah Seksyen 505 Kanun Keseksaan yang memperuntukkan hukuman penjara sehingga 2 tahun atau denda atau kedua-duanya, jika sabit kesalahan.

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 29 ― Li Chunrong was hired by Chinese automaker Geely to revive the fortunes of the Proton brand in Malaysia, and it took him two years to eclipse Japanese giants Honda and Toyota. Now he plans to take the fight across Southeast Asia and beyond.

Li, appointed Proton CEO in 2017 when Geely acquired 49.9 per cent of the company, has turned around a once-celebrated Malaysian marque that had to rely on state aid after a string of losses, with his success built on an aggressive cost-cutting drive.

Now Geely has told the Proton boss to expand across the region, initially focusing on Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore and Brunei, Li told Reuters ― the first time concrete details of the brand’s expansion plans have been disclosed.

Like Malaysia, they are right-hand drive markets so require fewer car modifications. Proton also aims to drive into the Middle East and increase sales to Egypt, said the 56-year-old Chinese national.

Li did not give specific timeframes for expansion into individual markets, but said Proton wanted to raise overseas sales ― which stood at about 1,000 cars last year, or 1 per cent of total sales ― at least four-fold this year.

The carmaker wants 40 per cent of its sales to come from foreign markets by 2027, he told Reuters in two interviews, identifying Thailand and Indonesia as the key markets but declining to outline his strategy to crack them.

“We have a good foundation,” he said. “We commit that, every year, we will launch a new model.”

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) region of over 500 million people is promising territory; car sales are forecast by consultancy IHS Markit to grow at a compound annual rate of 3 per cent in 2016-2020, compared with a 1 per cent drop globally.

But IHS said Proton was still a small player compared with the Japanese brands, and that it could struggle to compete.

Asean sales are led by Toyota with a 30 per cent market share, Honda with 13 per cent and Mitsubishi with 10 per cent, according to the consultancy. Proton is in 11th place with about 3 per cent, mainly from Malaysia.

Proton’s goals are ambitious and it may not have the production capacity to make inroads regionally, said Mayuree Chaiyuthanaporn, a senior IHS analyst.

“In terms of sales, Proton may not be successful outside Malaysia,” she added.

Geely said Proton had performed well in the past two years and it was committed to seeing the Malaysian company be a leading brand in Southeast Asia.

Exporting costs model

Proton, majority-owned by Malaysian conglomerate DRB-HICOM, has launched products at a breakneck speed in its home market. It dropped many old models the first year of the joint venture, and then launched six new ones within eight months, including the X70 SUV based on Geely’s Boyue.

It became the second-largest car seller with a 16.7 per cent share last year ― when it made its first profit in about nine years ― climbing above Honda and Toyota from fourth position.

Li said Proton could beat Malaysia’s top seller Perodua, backed by Japan’s Daihatsu, by 2022 ― five years ahead of the target announced after Geely’s investment.

Proton outlined to Reuters some of the cost-cutting measures that have bolstered its Malaysian fortunes ― and that could be key for success in its expansion drive. Some of the rapid changes have, however, jarred local sensitivities, a problem that it could also encounter in other countries.

The carmaker has increasingly switched to sourcing cheaper components from China, and let go of many small local distributors, stoking some resentment. It has also been trying to get more Malaysian vendors to partner with Chinese suppliers, in a bid to get them to cut costs by 30 per cent.

Proton, which saved RM250 million in costs in 2018, has also cut its warehouses to four from 16 and sold 1,000 of its 1,500 company cars. Its drive has even extended to stopping newspaper subscriptions for all executives apart from Li’s deputy.

Discord with dealers

The automaker has also faced accusations from politicians and industry groups of favouring Chinese or ethnic Chinese-Malaysian dealers.

All the 47 dealers who left the brand since Geely’s entry are Malays, and the number of Malay dealers has fallen to 32 per cent from 42 per cent before the Chinese investment, the trade and industry minister told parliament last month.

Many left as they were unable meet Proton’s demand of investing around US$1 million (RM4.08 million) to upgrade their sales-only centres to offer aftermarket services, said the Malaysian Association of Malay Vehicle Importers and Traders.

“It was a culture shock,” said Nik Izani Nik Ibrahim, deputy president of the association, adding that most dealers were losing money before Geely’s entry.

Li denied that there had been any discrimination, saying decisions were driven by business logic.

He said nearly a dozen Malaysian ministers had raised the concerns of Malay dealers in his first year but that those worries had eased now.

The automaker has since changed its strategy for dealership, allowing some basic sales-only centres to continue, dealers and company officials said.

Proton, launched in 1983, was Malaysia’s market leader in its early years. Its market share plunged in the last decade, however, as customers shunned its lower-standard cars and limited after-sales service, Proton officials have said.

The turnaround under Li has forced Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, a car aficionado, to reverse his initial opposition to Geely’s investment in Proton.

“Now, it’s selling 100,000 cars and it’s making profit,” Dr Mahathir, whose fleet of cars now includes a red X70, told reporters this month.

“Why? Because of management, because of good technology.” ― Reuters

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 29 — A 34-year-old man was arrested in Bangi, Selangor yesterday over a Facebook post on the Wuhan coronavirus (2019-nCoV) that authorities alleged to contain false information.

According to the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), the man was arrested at his home. Investigators also seized a mobile phone and sim card that were believed to have been used for the offending post.

The man is under investigation for improper use of network facilities under Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act, which is punishable by imprisonment of no more than a year and a fine of up to RM50,000 upon conviction.

“The stern action is among efforts by the MCMC and Royal Malaysia Police to control the spread of false news on the novel coronavirus by irresponsible individuals, which could jeopardise national stability and public peace,” the commission said.

It added that law enforcement authorities were pursuing three other people over similar offences about the coronavirus.

Earlier this week, both agencies warned that they would strictly enforce existing laws against those sharing fake news, particularly on the local 2019-nCoV situation.

While the spread of the virus has been limited in Malaysia, health authorities have been forced to repeatedly debunk false news and misinformation on social media, in an attempt to prevent public panic.

Earlier today, authorities confirmed three new 2019-nCoV infections in Malaysia, bringing the number of cases to seven overall.