External News

KUALA LUMPUR: Foreign Affairs Minister Saifuddin Abdullah conceded today that Malaysia needs more naval assets to face the “giants” involved in disputes over the South China Sea.

He said Malaysia has placed boats to safeguard its waters but they are “fewer and smaller in size” compared to those of other nations.

“Our warships are a lot smaller than those from China’s Coast Guard,” he told Ismail Sabri Yaakob (Bera-BN) in the Dewan Rakyat.

Ismail Sabri had said China was being aggressive and their “presence can be felt in the East Coast”.

“As the trade war between the US and China escalates, will the US keep quiet over the Chinese presence in the South China Sea? Are we prepared if there is any conflict?” he asked.

Saifuddin said Putrajaya has asked China and the US not to increase their warships in the region.

“Last year, Chinese and US warships were as near as 50km (from Malaysian territorial waters). This is not a small matter,” he said.

He said Malaysia wants to carry out closer monitoring “but we are limited due to the assets we have in the region”.

Replying to an additional question by Ronald Kiandee (PH-Beluran) on Asean’s stand on militarisation in the South China Sea, Saifuddin said: “We want to make sure there is peace in the region, respect for international law and for any conflict settled in peace.”

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 17 — Private banking details of Malaysians registered to receive fuel subsidies were reportedly disclosed on a government website up until this morning.

Popular tech blog Lowyat.net said it had conducted several tests using five different Mykad numbers on the BSH microsite yesterday and found that the complete personal bank account number came up instead of just the last four digits with the rest masked, as is supposed to be the case.

The original article under “Program Subsidi Petrol Microsite Found Disclosing Recipient’s Bank Account Details” has since been removed, including screenshots of the bank account details as shown on the petrol subsidy programme website provided by Lowyat.

Instead, the blog now posts this message: “We have received an update from the ministry regarding this issue. This content will be republished after the vulnerability has been fixed” in place of the earlier article.”

Malay Mail’s check on the subsidy website showed that the slip-up appears to have been fixed.

When contacted, a spokesman for the Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry said it took note of the article and its allegations and will issue a statement later.

Lowyat previously said close to 2.9 million Malaysians are estimated to receive the petrol subsidy, noting that they are eligible as long as they have a vehicle registered in their name.

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 17 — Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad (MAHB) must immediately address the worsening congestion at immigration counters in klia2, said low-cost carrier AirAsia Malaysia and its long-haul counterpart AirAsia X Malaysia.

AirAsia chief executive officer Riad Asmat said the long queues for foreigners were now a daily occurrence and severe enough to cause some passengers to miss connections and appointments.

“As Malaysia gears up to welcome 30 million foreign tourists for Visit Malaysia 2020, the airport is the first encounter visitors have with the country, and it is shameful that their first experience of our country is one that showcases inefficiency and poor customer service,” he said in a statement.

Riad said the queues at Immigration counters could last for over an hour during peak periods such as between 3.00am and 7.00am, 2.00pm and 7.00pm, as well as 9.00pm and midnight.

AirAsia X chief executive officer Benyamin Ismail said the immigration congestion is due to klia2’s poor design and flawed configuration.

He said this was raised with MAHB before.

“We were given an assurance that adjustments would be made to extend immigration clearance into the area presently occupied by the duty-free outlets. However up to now we have not seen anything done to address the problem, and congestion has worsened daily, with some passengers having to endure long queues that stretch all the way back to the disembarkation gates.

“The Immigration Department has been very understanding and helpful, ensuring all counters are opened during peak periods. Aside from that, there is nothing much further they can do as the floor space and configuration at klia2, including the ability to add more counters and extend the queuing area falls under MAHB’s responsibility,” he said.

Both Riad and Benyamin then urged the Malaysian Aviation Commission to step in as the regulator and national aviation consumer protection body to ensure the issue is quickly resolved.

PETALING JAYA: Persatuan Kakitangan Akademik Universiti Malaya (PKAUM) hari ini menyokong pelajar yang mencetuskan kontoversi menerusi protes pada majlis konvokesyen selepas penglibatan universiti itu dengan Kongres Maruah Melayu, baru-baru ini.

Dalam satu kenyataan, PKAUM berkata ia menyokong hak Wong Yan Ke mengemukakan ketidakpuasan hatinya tetapi tidak bersetuju dengan platform graduan itu gunakan untuk berbuat demikian.

Walaupun protes itu mencemarkan majlis untuk graduan dan keluarga mereka yang lain, PKAUM berkata, ia mungkin didorong oleh komuniti pelajar yang tidak berpuas hati dengan “banyak kesalahan dan salah tindakan naib canselor UM”.

Ia berkata naib canselor gagal mempromosikan toleransi dan perpaduan kaum di UM dengan melibatkan diri dalam penganjuran kongres itu pada 6 Okt di Shah Alam.

Ia juga bercakap mengenai kegagalan untuk “melepaskan diri daripada permainan ahli politik” yang dikatakan tidak akademik dan kegagalan untuk menjamin keselamatan dalam kebakaran yang didakwa berlaku di Fakulti Ekonomi UM pada 27 Ogos serta “pelbagai rompakan dan pecah rumah di kampus”.

Wong, seorang pelajar kejuruteraan awam yang membawa plakad di pentas majlis konvokesyen, Isnin lalu menuntut peletakan jawatan Naib Canselor UM Abdul Rahim Hashim.

Dia memberitahu FMT bantahannya terhadap Rahim dibuat kerana nama universiti itu digunakan untuk alasan perkauman dan politik sebagai salah sebuah daripada empat universiti yang menganjurkan Kongres Maruah Melayu.

Katanya, dia tidak bertindak sebarangan dan sudah mendapatkan pandangan dan nasihat pensyarah dan rakannya.

UM kemudian membuat laporan polis terhadap Wong, menuduhnya tidak menghormati istiadat, mengganggu protokol dan kelancaran majlis konvikesyen.

PKAUM menggesa UM mengambil tindakan segera untuk mengelakkan ketegangan daripada berkembang dalam kalangan kumpulan pelajar.

Ia juga menyelar tindakan menghalang seorang pelajar lain, Edan Kon, daripada menerima sijilnya di majlis konvokesyen semalam, mengatakan ia “benar-benar terkilan” pada “sasaran yang tidak adil” sedemikian.

Kon, seorang pelajar perakaunan percaya pentadbiran universiti bimbang dia akan melakukan tunjuk perasan sama seperti rakan universitinya, Wong.

Menegaskan dia tiada niat untuk berbuat demikian, katanya, universiti itu gagal menjelaskan mengapa dia dihalang.

DUBAI: Advisers working on Saudi Aramco’s mammoth share sale may split a fee pool of as much as US$450 million, according to people with knowledge of the matter, making it one of the biggest IPO payouts globally.

The oil giant is set to pay between US$350 million and US$450 million to a group of more than 20 banks working on its initial public offering, the people said, asking not to be identified. The payment would represent a fee of about 1% on the US$40 billion Aramco is seeking to raise – relatively low compared to other markets.

JPMorgan Chase & Co and Morgan Stanley are expected to be paid the most, the people said. The final amount paid to banks will depend on how much Aramco raises, they said. A representative for Aramco declined to comment.

Investment bankers from around the world have been pitching for years to win a coveted role on Aramco’s IPO. Many firms have been investing heavily into the kingdom on expectations of a fee bonanza as the country diversifies away from oil. Many have been left disappointed though as deals have been delayed or failed to materialise.

Falling short of Softbank’s record

Even though Aramco’s would be one of the biggest fee pools for investment banks, it would still fall short of the US$535 million Softbank Group Corp paid when it raised US$21 billion by selling shares in its Japanese telecommunications business last year.

Still, perhaps bankers shouldn’t complain too much. When Saudi Arabia’s National Commercial Bank raised US$6 billion in its 2014 IPO, advisers including HSBC and Gulf International Bank were paid just 0.1% of the offering value.

Aramco’s board is planning to meet with its advisers on the IPO around Oct. 17 to give final approval for the share sale, according to other people familiar with the matter. Aramco is speeding up preparations for the IPO with an aim of listing on the Saudi bourse as soon as November, Bloomberg News has reported.

The draw of working on what’s set to be the world’s biggest IPO – even for relatively low compensation – has attracted some of the top Wall Street names. Aramco appointed nine global co-coordinators, including Goldman Sachs Group Inc, HSBC Holdings Plc and Credit Suisse Group AG. There are also 15 book runners and three financial advisers.

Alibaba Group Holding Ltd paid US$300 million to banks when it raised US$25 billion in the biggest IPO to date.

PUTRAJAYA, Oct 16 ― The government is awaiting the findings of the special task force announced in June to investigate the enforced disappearance of Pastor Raymond Koh and activist Amri Che Mat, said Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.

Responding to requests for updates on the probe, the home minister said only that the task force was still investigating.

“Currently we have not received any reports on the case, so we wait for the task force (to conclude their investigations),” he said after officiating the National Registration Day at the National Registration Department here.

Muhyiddin said the task force was previously given six months to complete their probe on the report by the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) on the latter’s inquiry into Amri’s case.

There are seven members in the taskforce, including the chairman, former High Court Judge Datuk Abd Rahim Uda.

The others in the taskforce are Bukit Aman Integrity and Standard Compliance department director Datuk Zamri Yahya; Enforcement Agencies Integrity Commission operations division director Datuk Muhammad Bukhari Ab Hamid; Attorney General’s Chamber’s prosecution division legal officer Mohd Sophian Zakaria; Home Ministry’s Police Commission’s division secretary Mohd Russaini Idrus; Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission’s inspection and consultancy division assistant commissioner Azian Umar and independent lawyer Datuk Roger Tan Kor Mee.

Amri, 44, a co-founder of Perlis Hope Welfare Association, disappeared on November 24, 2016.